Why a Suppressor is Not a Silencer

An Opinion By William J. Ellis, Guest Contributor. September 18th, 2017

1: How Semantics Are Defeating Sensible Gun Legislation

The Hearing Protection Act of 2017 is still awaiting a hearing in Congress. (Editor's note: We since have on the table the "Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act", which seeks to incorporate suppressors - see item 9/12/17). The bill seeks to lift the restrictions placed on the use of suppressors put in place by the National Firearms Act of 1934. This earlier act requires additional, lengthy background checks on those who would like to buy a suppressor, and imposes a $200 tax on their sale. It also proposes that suppressors no longer be counted as equivalent to handguns, as per the Gun Control Act of 1968, lifting the requirement for a NICS check during the purchase of suppressors.

Though the bill is eminently sensible, debate about it has been characterized by a stunning level of ignorance by those who oppose it. It seems that some Democrats, in particular, have never actually used a suppressor, but are nevertheless absolutely sure that they oppose them.

If youre reading this, Im betting that youve used a silencer, and what I am about to say will not be news to you. However, in case there are any liberals reading, let me enlighten you: guns fitted with suppressors are still incredibly loud.

The debate about the bill is sadly an example of one of the long-standing problems about discussions of Second Amendment rights in the US. Those who actually use guns on a daily basis, and know how they work, argue reasonably that certain restrictions should be relaxed. Those who vehemently oppose gun rights, having never used a gun in their life, are motivated by imaginary dangers and mistaken beliefs. For the benefit of this latter group, lets take a short history class.

2: Suppressors vs. Silencers

It is true that suppressors, when they were invented back in 1909, were originally marketed as silencers. However, this was always an inflated claim, akin to calling a flannel shirt an arctic coat. As anyone who has ever used one knows, guns fitted with a suppressor are loud. As loud, in fact, as a pneumatic drill hitting concrete, which Im sure no-one has trouble hearing, even Democrats.

In this area, though, it seems that many people have mistaken advertising claims for reality. In the imaginations of some opposing the bill, no doubt informed by Dick Tracy and James Bond movies, suppressors allow would-be shooters to kill people silently. They argue, incredibly, that allowing people to buy silencers would increase the rate of school shootings, a belief which completely ignores the fact that hand guns fitted with suppressors can no longer be concealed, and rifles fitted with the same become all but unusable in tight spaces.

Not only does this mistaken belief make sensible legislation on suppressors impossible, it also leads to many people overlooking the more mundane dangers of not using a suppressor. At the moment, the cost and extra bureaucracy involved in purchasing a silencer deters many people from getting one. This is a shame, because it means that many people have a difficult choice to make  wear ear protection, and potentially be unable to hear anything else around them, or dont, and risk hearing damage.

Thats why the bill is called the Hearing Protection Act, after all.

3: Skewed Statistics

On the better-informed side of the debate, the gun control group Americans For Responsible Solutions continue to selectively push statistics that make it appear that the current restrictions are not burdensome. According to this group, the rapid rise in sales of suppressors in recent years proves that the $200 tax stamp is not a big problem for gun owners.

I dont know about you, but $200 on top of the cost of a suppressor sounds like a lot to me. In a lot of cases, this tax represents 50-100% of the price of the item, a huge level of taxation in anyones book. And while the Washington consultants who oppose the bill might be able to find $200 down the back of their sofa, for the majority of Americans it represents a significant burden.

Especially because, remember, this is a tax on a safety device. Im still mystified that this point is not raised more regularly, because to my mind it seems incredible that an item designed to protect the user is taxed.

In addition to this monetary burden, the bureaucracy currently involved in getting a suppressor deters many shooters from investing in a device that could save their hearing. Under current legislation, prospective suppressor owners must go through a lengthy application process which involves them providing personal information, a passport photo, and also giving their fingerprints. Many, rightly, are reticent to provide such details for inclusion on a federal database.

And, even when responsible gun owners jump through all these hoops, ATF approval to buy a suppressor can still take up to a year. In this context, then, it is not surprising that many hunters continue to use dangerously loud guns.

4: The Actual Numbers

Despite such incredible claims that, as Kristen Rand of VPC said in a press release dated June 27, silencers are military-bred accessories that make it easier for criminals to take innocent lives and threaten law enforcement. Existing federal law has kept crimes committed with silencer-equipped firearms rare, the number of crimes committed with suppressors is incredibly low.

Not to labor the point, but this will not be a surprise to anyone who has ever actually used one. If youre going to commit a crime with your weapon, fitting a suppressor will actually make this much more difficult. As Jeremy Mallette, social media director for Silencer Shop in Austin, told guns.com back in August, suppressors add considerable length to any firearm  making concealment impossible  and block the shooters front sight picture. You cant conceal a handgun anymore with one on and on a rifle, it would make the rifle very unwieldy, he said. Thats my biggest retort. (Some people) think silencers would be useful in these shootings and thats just not the case.

But lets look at the numbers, for the sake of balance. Knox Williams, president and executive director for the American Suppressor Association, told guns.com that of the 1.3 million suppressors in circulation, his group can only fund 16 instances of criminal use since 2011. That translates to the misuse of a glaringly low percentage of suppressors in circulation  roughly 0.000012308 percent, he said.

Thats pretty low.

5: The Case For Sensible Reform

Im a reasonable guy, and realize that some types of weapons and accessories need to be restricted. However, when it comes to suppressors I have repeatedly tried and failed to see why such heavy restrictions are in place. It seems to me that the current legislation  which, remember, is from 1934  is completely out of date. Nobody is going to buy a suppressor in order to commit a crime with their weapon.

The Hearing Protection Act proposes to remove suppressors from the NFA process, but leave GCA mandates in place. While the NFA claim that this could lead to an increase in crime using suppressors, in reality I think they fear a reduction in their own power rather than a preposterous increase in crime.

And whilst I can accept that a lot of the American public have no need nor desire to own firearms, and that they are somewhat ignorant as a result of this, I cannot forgive such ignorance when it comes to federal agencies. The NFA knows damn well that silencers are used in a vanishingly small number of crimes, but still seems content to continue to further myths about this fact.

The real danger here, of course, is that when the Bill finally gets a hearing, Congress will focus on the rare but dramatic instances where suppressors have been used in shootings, and ignore the everyday damage that not using them does to the hearing of thousands of shooters across the country.

Back to Top


STEM

LA County Students to Build STEM Skills in Fab Labs

California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) is gaining a fleet of four fabrication laboratories, or fab labs, that are part of a global network of 900 mobile labs. Local middle school students in Los Angeles County will soon be able to visit a fab lab to build STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills first-hand through experiments and activities.

The fab labs were created by CSUDH with help from Toyota, the W.M. Keck Foundation and Motivo Engineering to address several issues described as the heart of the STEM crisis by the organizations:

The need for qualified science and math teachers in K12;

A lack of STEM experiences that engage students; and

A demand for more minorities graduating with STEM degrees and pursuing related work.

Fab labs, for instance, will offer cutting-edge industry tools to engage middle school students and educators in STEM learning. Equipment includes 3D printers and scanners, modeling software, laser cutters and other tools to prototype projects. The labs will support STEM-related activities and competitions for students as well.

Driving the initiative is the idea that CSUDH is part of the K12 environment, and that the degree to which middle school students feel better prepared impacts their decision to pursue STEM degrees and jobs. The fab labs aim to help students (particularly in low-income, diverse areas) take theoretical concepts and put them into practice through project-based learning.

In addition, Toyota has donated $4 million to build the Toyota Center for Innovation in STEM Education within CSUDHs new Science and Innovation building, according to information from the company.

The unveiling and demonstration for the fab labs and facility will take place on Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. at the public university. To learn more about the fab labs, watch the video below.
* Britain to regain control of fishing grounds post-Brexit

* But European fishermen rely heavily on UK waters

* EU has trump card: market access

* UK exports around 75 percent of its catch to the EU

By Nigel Hunt and Sybille de La Hamaide

NEWLYN, England/PARIS, Sept 19 (Reuters) - For the fishermen of this small port on the toe of England, Britain's vote to leave the European Union was an answer to their prayers.

After 45 years chafing under what they saw as unfair quotas in one of the world's richest fishing grounds, the UK government would finally, in the lexicon of Brexiteers, "take back control" of British waters.

But what Brexit gives with one hand, it can also take away. European fishermen want Brussels to use its trump card - continued access to the essential EU market - in negotiations on how to divvy up the seas.

It's a familiar issue for negotiators hashing out the terms of Britain's exit due in March 2019. The talks are currently focused on separation but will move to the future relationship, including trade ties, later this year.

"From our point of view, if they get free access to the European market, we should also have free access to fish in the British fishing zone," said Niels Wichmann, head of the Danish Fishermen's Association.

Trade access is vital to Britain because it exports the bulk of the seafood it catches while importing the majority of what it consumes, mostly cod, salmon, tuna, haddock and prawns.

Europe imports about 75 percent of the British catch, a cornucopia of 40 species that is too exotic for most domestic consumers, such as the cuttlefish and megrim sole sold every morning at Newlyn's market in Cornwall.

"Previous generations were comfortable and knowledgeable in buying, preparing and cooking seafood, but the current generation of seafood consumers see seafood as a scary protein and tend stick to the same top 5 favourites," said Richard Watson, analyst at UK seafood industry group Seafish.

Cod was the most popular fish in the year to June 16, 2016, at 69,321 tonnes, out of total seafood consumption of 485,691 tonne, according to Seafish data.

Story continues

The group estimates around 90 percent of the cod supply was imported from countries such as Iceland and Norway in 2014, a number not likely to change substantially no matter what terms are agreed on Brexit, especially as the oceans warm up.

"Experts in the field report that cod have simply migrated further north to colder waters as sea temperatures have naturally warmed over the past few decades," Watson said. "This makes it more economical in trip length and fuel costs etc for the Nordic countries to catch."

The UK has been heavily reliant on imports of the species since losing access to the richest fishing grounds in the north Atlantic (Shanghai: 600558.SS - news) decades ago after the so-called Cod Wars.

Much of the salmon consumed in Britain is farmed in steel cages off the coasts of Scotland, Norway or Iceland, while tuna are generally caught in the Indian Ocean and imported.

GAME OVER

Britain has said it plans to allow foreign ships to fish in UK waters after Brexit but claims the right to decide the extent of access. The EU will be seeking to maintain something close to the status quo, industry sources say.

Any restrictions on EU market access would likely take the form of tariffs, which can be as high as 24 percent on seafood.

For European fishermen, losing rights to British waters would have devastating consequences.

Sean O'Donoghue, CEO of Ireland (Other OTC: IRLD - news) 's largest fishermen's representative body, Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation, said it would be "game over for us".

"We've already met (EU lead Brexit negotiator) Michel (Euronext: MLRAM.NX - news) Barnier as a European Fishing Alliance Group and we got a commitment from him that the wider trade negotiations would not be separate from fisheries ... So far we've got some traction on that but we are very concerned, obviously."

Killybegs said about 60 percent of mackerel and 40 percent of Dublin Bay prawns, which together make up about 60 percent of the value of all Irish fish landed in Irish ports, are sourced from UK waters.

About a third of the output of France's northern departments of Normandy, Brittany and Hauts-de-France comes from UK waters.

"Brexit would mean a big loss in revenue for everyone ... The places where we can fish are already limited," said Jean-Charles Frammery, captain of French boat La Fregate.

Revenue for French fishermen would drop by 50 percent and wages by 15 percent if the UK closed its waters, said Hubert Carre, director general at French fishermen's group CNPMEM.

Belgian fishermen get around half their catch from UK waters.

"We could go to other parts of the North Sea but it would not be able to fully compensate," said Sander Meyns, project coordinator at Rederscentrale, the organisation representing Belgiums fishing industry.

Spain gets around the problem by having a Spanish-owned but British-flagged fleet, a legacy of the years before Spain joined the EU, when it invested in Britain to gain access to the bloc's fishing quotas, the Spanish Confederation of Fisheries (Cepesca) said.

The quota system is one of the biggest sources of frustration for British fishermen, who were among the most vocal supporters of the June 2016 vote to leave the EU.

For the last 34 years, the Common Fisheries Policy quota has given 84 percent of the cod in the English Channel to France and just 9 percent to Britain, for example, according to Britain's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO).

"Given the EU fleets take about four times as much fish out of UK waters as we take out of EU waters...the expectation is there will be a lot more fish (for UK fisherman)," said NFFO chief executive Barrie Deas.

THE SON OF A FISH MERCHANT

Barnier, the lead negotiator for the European Union, is a former French agriculture and fisheries minister. Representing UK interests is the senior government minister in charge of fishing, Michael Gove, the son of a fish merchant.

So far, neither side has stated a position and there has been no mention of fish in the official negotiating documents. The EU says failure to reach agreements with London will hurt the British economy more than that of the EU.

The fishing lobby's clout may have been strengthened by the outcome of this year's parliamentary election in Britain -- the ruling Conservatives were able to cling to power after losing seats overall because they gained ground in the important fishing region of north-east Scotland.

Some experts believe it may not be the end of the world if Britain loses unrestricted access to Europe.

British consumers are already becoming more adventurous about the varieties of fish they eat and this could accelerate that trend, said Craig McAngus, a politics lecturer at the University of Aberdeen.

"Clearly it could be cheaper to eat fish that has been caught in the UK than imported from wherever else. I think the market in fish will change," said McAngus, who is researching UK fisheries post-Brexit.

David Stevens, who skippers the "Crystal Sea" boat at Newlyn, saw scope for sales outside the EU.

"If they (the EU) decide not to buy British fish, that opens up the rest of the world. That is a very big market," he told Reuters while repairing his nets.

The mood in Newlyn was positive, Stevens said. But he added some were waiting for the results of the EU talks before making investments.

"I think fishermen would definitely be looking to invest in boats, modernize them, and get them ready for a post-Brexit future," he said.

(Additional reporting by Clotaire Achi and Pascal Rossignol aboard a fishing boat in the English Channel, Lucien Libert in Paris, Padraic Halpin in Dublin, Rodrigo de Miguel Roncal in Madrid and Jacob Gronholt-Pederson in Copenhagen; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel shot down a pilotless plane over the Golan Heights on Tuesday and said it was probably an Iranian-built aircraft on a reconnaissance mission for the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group along Israel's frontier with Syria. The incident came hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to address the U.N. General Assembly and cite Israeli concerns about an entrenchment in Syria of Iranian and Hezbollah forces that have been helping Damascus beat back Islamist-led rebels. The drone was launched from an air base near Damascus and was downed with a Patriot interceptor missile over the Golan demilitarised zone that has separated Israeli and Syrian forces since the ceasefire deal that followed their 1973 war, the military said. "As we understand, it was on a reconnaissance mission along the border and the Golan Heights on behalf of Hezbollah," a military spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus, told reporters. "Our intelligence suggests it was ... Iranian-made." Asked whether the drone might have been armed, Conricus said that information was not yet available. He said Israeli warplanes had also been scrambled. Officials from Syria, Hezbollah and Iran had no immediate comment on the incident. The Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 conflict, has seen spillover violence from the Syrian civil war. Israel has at times fired to foil what it deemed deliberate cross-border attacks. "Our message is: The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) will not allow any violation of Israeli sovereignty and we will not allow Iranian forces, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad or Shi'ite militias of any kind to approach the Israeli borders," Conricus said. (The story corrects paragraph 3 to show demilitarised zone established after 1973 war) (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Jeffrey Heller/Mark Heinrich)
Johnny Depp's $3 Million Kentucky Horse Farm Fails to Sell at Auction Due to Extremely Low Bids Johnny Depp's Kentucky Farm for Sale at Auction

Johnny Depp is ready to part with his old Kentucky home, but no buyer wants to pick it up.

After originally hitting the market in December for $2.9 million, Depps 41-acre horse farm outside of Lexington went on the auction block on Friday, but failed to sell. The highest bid was less than half of the propertys previous listing price, Rector Hayden Realtors and Halfhill Auction Group confirm to PEOPLE.

The bid of $1.4 million came from local radio DJ Rick Dees, but was rejected for being too low.

Its not over yet, Depps business manager Edward White told the Lexington Herald Leader. There are some people interested in meeting with me.

Depp successfully sold the farm once before, but later bought it back.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star, 54, who was born in Kentucky, reportedly first picked up the farm in 1995 for $950,000, and sold it in 2001 for $1 million. He purchased it again in 2005 for $2 million. The listing agent, Gary Denton of Rector Hayden, has said he doesnt know why Depp unloaded and re-bought the land, especially because the actors mother had been occupying it. His mother, Betty Sue Palmer, passed away in May 2016 and the parcel is named Betty Sues Family Farm in her honor.

A 6,000-square-foot house with seven bedrooms, a four-car garage, a one-bedroom guesthouse, three barns, a pool and automatically watered paddocks awaits prospective buyers

The Herald reports the house also has shag carpeting in the kitchen, a television the size of a queen bed in the master suite, and numerous family photos inside.

The reserve price was not disclosed before the auction. Bluegrass Sothebys International Realty agent John Scott Durbin told the Wall Street Journal that this selling strategy is common in Kentucky, and serves as a routine way of drawing a crowd for a listing.

Depp also re-listed his estate in the South of France in July 2016, nearly doubling the asking price from $17 million to $55.5 million.

Related Video:
By Radu-Sorin Marinas BUCHAREST (Reuters) - About 500 migrants from the Middle East reached Romania across the Black Sea from Turkey in about a month, coastguards said on Monday, in a sharp increase the European Union says shows smugglers are testing alternative routes into Europe. Since 2015, the EU has been struggling to bring down the number of refugees and migrants smuggled or trafficked from the Middle East and Africa to its shores. A 2016 deal with Turkey shut the route to EU state Greece and the bloc is now cracking down on arrivals from Libya to Italy. All in all, Mediterranean arrivals to the bloc fell from nearly 28,000 people in June to below 10,000 in August, according to U.N. data. But the Romanian coast guard told Reuters on Monday that 475 people reached its shores in about one month in August-September, including from Iraq and Iran. Seven people smugglers from Turkey, Bulgaria, Syria, Iraq and Cyprus had been arrested. While still low compared to thousands of migrants reaching Greek islands daily at the height of the arrivals in 2015, the figure marks a sharp increase from a total of 500 migrants who completed the same route in two years in 2013-2015, according to Romanian data. The EU's border agency Frontex has said it is monitoring the situation and that people smugglers might be looking for alternative entries to the bloc after the Mediterranean crossings were made more difficult. "While it is too early to talk about the opening of a new migratory route, the recent incidents of intercepted wooden boats with migrants on the Black Sea suggest that smugglers might be looking to revive this route," said a Frontex spokesman, Krzysztof Borowski. Frontex said the Black Sea route was last active in 2014 but did not expect it to develop on a large scale due to difficult sailing conditions on the Black Sea, especially as autumn nears. On Aug. 13, the Romanian coast guard said it had rescued 101 adults and 56 children from Iraq and Iran crowded onto a small fishing boat, in distress amid strong winds. "They were packed in there ... The boat could (only) safely accommodate a dozen people," a coastguard officer said. In Romania's neighbour Bulgaria, interior ministry data showed no illegal migrants had been stopped at its sea border in 2017. Both countries are still outside of the EU's Schengen zone of free travel and hope to join as soon as possible. While the bloc's executive has said it will soon recommend bringing them in, many other EU states are sceptical. How the two will manage any migratory flows would be crucial to determining whether they meet the criteria. Since joining the EU in 2007, both are also under monitoring by the EU executive arm in Brussels over justice reforms and concerns over corruption. While Ankara has cracked down on smuggling across the Mediterranean, many refugees and migrants who had made it across before are being stranded on Greek islands in poor conditions. As the bloc's relations with Turkey have grown increasingly strained since the 2016 migration deal, Brussels and EU states worry that President Tayyip Erdogan might one day walk away from the accord. "Erdogan has just lifted a lid to keep pressure on the EU. It's flexing muscles," Romanian political analyst Mircea Marian said of the recent increase in arrivals from the Turkish coast across the Black Sea. (Additional reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova in Sofia and Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels, Editing by Richard Balmforth)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Vietnam's Communist parties have a "shared destiny" and there is great potential for bilateral economic cooperation, a senior Beijing official said on Tuesday on a visit to Vietnam, which has clashed with China over the South China Sea. Although both nations are under Communist rule, they are deeply suspicious of each other and relations have been strained over the past few years because of disputes in the strategic South China Sea. China has appeared uneasy at Vietnamese efforts to rally Southeast Asian countries over the busy swathe of sea as well as at its neighbour's growing defence ties with the United States, Japan and India. In July, under pressure from Beijing, Vietnam suspended oil drilling in offshore waters that are also claimed by China. However, Hanoi and Beijing have also tried to prevent tensions from getting out of control, and senior officials from two countries make fairly regular visits to each other. Liu Yunshan, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's elite Standing Committee that runs the country, told Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi, in the first such high level visit since relations deteriorated in July, that the two parties "constitute a community of shared destiny with strategic significance", China's official Xinhua news agency reported. "The sound and stable development of the bilateral ties will help to solidify the ruling position of the two parties, which is in the interests of the two parties and people of the two nations," Xinhua cited Liu as saying. "The two economies are highly complementary, with huge potential for practical cooperation," the report quoted him as saying. Phuc told Liu that two countries should strive to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and avoid all activities that could increase tension, the Vietnamese government news website reported. He also urged China to "have substantial discussions soon" with Southeast Asian nations to reach a code of conduct in the disputed sea, the report said. While both the Chinese and Vietnamese reports made no direction mention of the South China Sea by Liu, they quoted him as suggesting the two countries "properly manage and control their divergences, so as to create favourable environment for bilateral cooperation". China claims nearly all the South China Sea, through which an estimated $3 trillion in international trade passes each year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan also have claims. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Additional reporting by Mai Nguyen in Hanoi; Editing by Michael Perry/Mark Heinrich)
South Africa's court to hear state's appeal against Pistorius in November

South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) will hear the state's appeal against Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence on Nov. 3, the National Prosecuting Authority said on Tuesday.

Oscar was sentenced to jail for six years in 2016 for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013.

At the time, some commentators described the jail term as lenient.

(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Catherine Evans)
By Christine Kim POCHEON, South Korea (Reuters) - The screech of incoming fire followed by an explosion resounds across forested hillsides near the border between North and South Korea. Battalion Commander Rob Kimmel of the U.S. 2nd Armoured Brigade Combat Team, scanned the village at the base of a mountain for the tell-tale smoke. "That's enemy fire trying to attack R.O.K. forces located there," says Kimmel - referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea. This is a drill. It is just one of several that major world powers are engaged in on, over and near the Korean peninsula, amid heightened tension in the wake of North Korea's increasingly frequent missile tests and its sixth nuclear test this month. The U.S. soldiers are conducting a joint exercise with their South Korean allies, and the mission for the day is to recapture a village in enemy hands. There is an occasional crack of gunfire from soldiers in combat gear, hiding in the buildings, and prowling round corners of the village, which has been specially created for military training. About 700 troops are engaged in the four-day drill, called Warrior Strike 8, near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) - the world's most heavily defended frontier. South Korea and the United States are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty. Such drills are held regularly, but the military has invited media to observe one for the first time in two years, said Kim Hyon-sok, public affairs specialist of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division. The U.S. military has described the exercises as training for readiness "to fight tonight" against North Korea if needed. Based in Fort Hood, Texas, Kimmel's team is on a nine-month deployment in South Korea. "We are continuing to train for situations that may arise," said Kimmel. "It's a big milestone type of exercise... we'll do two to three of these while we're here." North Korea has repeatedly demanded that the United States and South Korea call off joint exercises, which Pyongyang view as provocative. A day earlier, U.S. and South Korean warplanes ran bombing drills over the peninsula. At the same, China's official Xinhua news agency reported that China and Russia began naval drills off the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok, not far from the Russia-North Korea border. The Xinhua report did not link the exercises to the ongoing tensions over North Korea, which are expected to dominate the United Nations General Assembly in New York later on Tuesday. China and Russia have repeatedly called for a peaceful solution and talks to resolve a brewing crisis over North Korea. Asked whether the drill near the border would make the North Korean side fearful of the allies military capabilities, Kimmel replied: "I'm not sure, but I would hope they are." (Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
In recent years, weve seen big data revolutionize the way business leaders approach decision-making, said Sallie Keller, director of the Biocomplexity Institute of Virginia Techs Social and Decision Analytics Laboratory and professor in the Department of Statistics. Its time to level the playing field. Together, we can bring those same benefits to the public sector and improve day-to-day life in our communities.

This statement from Keller marked the conclusion of her laboratorys third annual Data Science for the Public Good Program (DSPG), a 10-week learning experience where students and faculty team up to tackle persistent problems in local, state, and federal government.

Leaders in law enforcement, education, transportation, and emergency services were in attendance for the DSPG symposium, where students presented the results of their initial data analyses  studies that Kellers lab will pursue in greater depth throughout the coming year.

One of these project sponsors was Capt. Bruce Benson, a 23-year veteran of the Arlington County Police Department. Serving a population of nearly 230,000, his department is interested in learning where they could invest their time and resources to better prevent crime.

As officers, we know what were seeing out there on our beats every day; we have training and professional experience telling us how to approach those problems. What we want to see more of is the big picture, the factors that led up to that moment where we had to intervene, said Benson. The great thing about working with the DSPG program is that they can combine our crime data with other sources of information to give us a better, more accurate picture of whats actually happening out there.



Benson represents a growing number of government agencies seeking to expand the role big data plays in their day-to-day operations. Since launching the pilot program in 2015, DSPG has expanded to serve five Virginia counties, including regional agencies like the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and national organizations like the U.S. Army Research Institute.
Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit

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

Portfolio Monitoring

Top Stock Lists

Premium Reports

Stock Screeners

Live News Feed

Premium Support

Free for your first month.
The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Limited, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Limited, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AFD.TECH, AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, AIG Shared Services Business Processing Inc, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co. Ltd., Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) Pty Ltd, Accenture (UK) Limited, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Agencia Interativa Ltda, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture B.V., Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BPS Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A., Accenture Canada Holdings Inc, Accenture Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Limited, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co. Ltd, Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Pty Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SASU, Accenture Customer Services Ltd, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Delivery Poland S.p. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance II Limited, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services S.r.l., Accenture Financial Advanced Solution & Technology S.r.l., Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Global Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Global Engagements Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Limited, Accenture Global Services Limited, Accenture Global Solutions Limited, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc, Accenture Holding Brasil Ltda, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SASU, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services B.V., Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture International B.V., Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea B.V., Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Lithuania UAB, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Marketing Services LLC, Accenture Marketing Services Limited, Accenture Middle East B.V., Accenture Minority I B.V., Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi Pty Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations GmbH, Accenture Operations S.p. z o.o., Accenture Operations Services Private Limited, Accenture Operations Services Sdn Bhd, Accenture Outsourcing S.r.l., Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations B.V., Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru SRL, Accenture Post Trade Processing SASU, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture Qiyun Technology (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture S.p. z o.o., Accenture S.p.A., Accenture SASU, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sdn Bhd, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services and Technology S.r.l., Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Single Member S.A. Organization Information Technology & Business Development, Accenture Solutions Co. Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions S.p. z o.o, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc, Accenture Sub III Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions S.r.l., Accenture Technology Solutions SASU, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures B.V., Accenture Technology Ventures SPRL, Accenture Tecnologia Consultoria y Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co. Limited, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Ltda, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Advoco, Agilex Technologies Inc., Alfa Consulting, Allen International, AlphaBeta Advisors, Altevie Technologies S.r.l., Altima, Altima (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Altima Asia Ltd, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Altius Consulting Limited, Altius Data Solutions Private Limited, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Apis Group Pty Ltd, Appaloosa Technology SASU, AppsPro, AppsPro, Arca, Arca Ingenieros y Consultoria S.L., Arca Telecom S.L., Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Artio People (Payroll) Pty Ltd, Artio People Pty Ltd, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Automation Partners Pty Ltd, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc, Avanade Consulting Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Limited, Avanade Europe Services Limited, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SASU, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade Inc, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy S.r.l., Avanade Japan KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Middle East Limited, Avanade Netherlands B.V., Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain S.L., Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Limited, Avanade do Brasil Ltda , Avanade Osterreich GmbH, Avenai, Avieco, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCS Consulting, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BENEXT, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, BRIDGEi2i, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing Zhidao Future Consulting Co. Ltd, Benext, Berico Technologies LLC, Bionic, Bionic Solution LLC, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Bow & Arrow, Bow & Arrow Limited, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, Byte Prophecy Private Limited, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CS Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, CS Technology (UK) Limited, CS Technology Group LLC, CS Technology LLC, CadenceQuest Inc., Callisto Integration Europe B.V., Callisto Integration Europe Limited, Callisto Integration LLC, Callisto Integration Ltd, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc, Certus Solutions Consulting Services Limited, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cirrus Connect Australia Pty Ltd, Cirrus Connect Limited, Cirruseo, Clarity Insights, ClearEdge Partners, Clearhead, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas Japan G.K., Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Limited, Cloudeasier SAS, Cloudpoint Limited, Cloudsherpas Inc, Cloudworks, Cloudworks Consulting Services Inc, Cloudworks Technology LLC, Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda, Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda, Context Information Security, Context Information Security LLC, Context Information Security Limited, CoreCompete LLC, CoreCompete Limited, CoreCompete Private Limited, Corliant Inc., Creative Drive LLC, Creative Drive US LLC, CreativeDrive, CreativeDrive Digital Content Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd., CreativeDrive EMEA Limited, CreativeDrive Singapore Pte Ltd, CreativeDrive UK Group Limited, Cutting Edge Solutions Limited, Cygni AB, Cygni Norrsken AB, Cygni Stockholm AB, Cygni Syd AB, Cygni Vast AB, Cygni Ost AB, Cygni Ostersund AB, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Limited, DI Futures Corporation, Data Essential SARL, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings LLC, Decora Marketplace LLC, Decorado Marketplace Ltda-EPP, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digital Results Group LLC, Double Digit Limitada, Double Digit Pty SA, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Limited, Duck Creek Technologies, ESR Labs, ESR Labs AG, EdenOne Solutions Limited, Edenhouse ERP Holdings Limited, Edenhouse Solutions Limited, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting LP, End to End Analytics LLC, End-to-End Analytics, Endorphin Medici (M) Sdn Bhd, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Limited, EnergyQuote JHA, Enimbos, Enimbos Global Services S.L., Enkitec, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions LLC, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V., Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enthusian Pty Ltd, Entropia, Entropia (M) Sdn Bhd, Entropia Holdings Pte Ltd, Entropia Intercraft Sdn Bhd, Epylon, Ergo, Espedia S.r.l., Ethica Consulting Group, Ethica Consulting S.p.A., Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Experity, Exton Consulting, Exton Consulting Spain Strategy&Management S.L., Exton Germany GmbH, Exton International SAS, Exton Italia S.r.l., Exton SAS, FGM LLC, Fairway Technologies Inc, Farah BidCo Limited, Farah MidCo Limited, Farah Topco Limited, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Formicary, Founders Intelligence, Fruendo S.r.l., FusionX, Future State Consulting LLC, FutureMove (Beijing) Automotive Technology Co. Ltd., FutureMove Automotive, FutureMove Automotive Co. Ltd., GRA Supply Chain Pty Ltd, Gagel Group S de R.L. de C.V., Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gevity, Gren utvikling AS, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hahntel Ltda, Halo Partners LLC, Hamilton Holding Company S.A, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Happen GP Limited, Happen Limited, Headspring, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl A/S, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn Bhd, IBB Consulting, ICM.S S.r.l., IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INSITUM, IQSP Consulting LLC, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Icon Integration (NZ) Limited, Icon Integration Pty Ltd, Imagine Broadband (USA) Limited, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Imaginea Technologies LLC, Industrie IT (Hong Kong) Ltd, Industrie IT (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Industrie IT Group Pty Ltd, Industrie IT Pty Ltd, Industrie&Co, Infinity Works Consulting Limited, Infinity Works Holdings Limited, Infinity Works Management Limited, Infinity Works Midco Limited, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Innotec International EAD, Innotec International S.p. z.o.o., Innotec Marketing GmbH, Innotec Marketing International Ireland Limited, Innotec- Marketing Spain S.L, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., International Biometric Group LLC, International Biometric Group UK Limited, Intrepid, Intrepid Futureworks Sdn Bhd, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Technology Ltd, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, ItSafer Continuity Services S.L., JKD Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, K Comms Group Limited, KSC Studio LLC, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, King James Group, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Limited, Kogentix Singapore Pte Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LINKBYNET Indian Ocean (L.I.O) Ltd, LabAnswer, Lexta GmbH, Lexta UK Limited, Lien par le reseau Inc, Lien par le reseau infrastructures Inc, Lin Bo (Shanghai) Network Technology Co. Ltd., Link By Net SAS, Link By Net SRL, Link By Net Vietnam Company Limited, Linkbynet East Asia Ltd, Linkbynet Singapore Pte Ltd., Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, Lumenup S.A., MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision LLC, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte Ltd, Mackevision UK Limited, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd, Maihiro, Matter, Maud Corp Pty Ltd, Maxamine International, Measuretek LLC, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing LLC, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mistral Wind Operations  Servicos Empresariais Unipessoal Lda., MobGen, Mortgage Cadence LLC, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, Mudano Limited, Myrtle Consulting Group LLC, N3, N3 (Dalian) Business Consulting Co. Ltd., N3 Brazil Consultoria em Marketing Ltda, N3 Germany GmbH, N3 LLC, N3 North America LLC, N3 Results Australia Pty Ltd, N3 Results Ireland Limited, N3 Results Japan G.K., N3 Results Limited, N3 Results Malaysia Sdn Bhd, N3 Results Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., N3 Results S.A.S., N3 Results Singapore Pte Ltd, N3 Results Unipessoal Lda, NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., Nell'Armonia Israel Ltd, Nell'Armonia SAS, Nell'Participation SAS, NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda, New Energy Group, News Imaging LLC, NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage Pte Ltd, Northstream, Novetta Holdings LLC, Novetta LLC, Novetta Solutions LLC, Novetta Topco LLC, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Olikka Pty Ltd, Olympus Systems Corporation, Openmind, Openmind S.r..l., Openminded, Openminded SAS, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium AG, Orbium Consulting Limited, Orbium Inc., Orbium Ltd, Orbium Pte Ltd, Orbium Pty Ltd, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PLM Systems S.r.l, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, PacificLink Group, Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production A/S, Pegasus Production K/S, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pollux Automation Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pollux Canada Inc, Pollux S.A.S., Pollux USA LLC, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Limited, Pramati Technologies Europe Limited, Pramati Technologies Private Limited, Presence of IT Workforce Management North America LLC, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Limited, Procurian Inc., Prof. Homburg GmbH, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co. Ltd., RBCP Fund 1-A Vapor Blocker LLC, RBCP Platform Vapor Blocker I LLC, REPL Consulting LLC, REPL Consulting Limited, REPL Digital Limited, REPL Group K.K., REPL Group Pty Ltd, REPL Group Worldwide Limited, REPL Pte Ltd, REPL Software Limited, REPL Technology Limited, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Root LLC, Rothco, Rothco Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SALT Solutions GmbH, SEC Servizi, SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Salt Solutions, Sandbox Studio LLC, Sapling Bidco Limited, Sapling Midco Limited, Sapling Topco Limited, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Search Technologies BPO Inc, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Securiview SAS, Sentelis, Sentor Managed Secuirty Services AB, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Seven Seas Business Ventures LLC, Shackleton, Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton S.L.U., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., SigInt Technologies LLC, Silveo, Silveo Consulting India Private Limited, Simian Pty Ltd, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., Sirvart S.A., Sistemes Consulting S.L., Skylink SAS, Soltians Limited, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Somers Ventures Ireland Limited, Somers Ventures LLC, Spacelink SAS, Storm Digital, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Synership LLC, Systor AG, T.A. Cook, TXF LLC, Tambourine, TargetST8, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Ltd, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Tquila, Trivadis, Trivadis AG, Trivadis Austria GmbH, Trivadis Denmark AS, Trivadis Germany GmbH, Trivadis Holding AG, Trivadis Partner AG, Trivadis Services AG, Trivadis Services SRL, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Vector Acquisition Company LLC, Vector Topco LLC, Verax Solutions, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd, Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, WaveStrike LLC, White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wise Partners SAS, Wolox, Wolox Colombia S.A.S, Wolox LLC, Wolox Mexico S.R.L de C.V., Wolox S.A., Wolox SpA, Workforce Insight, Workforce Insight LLC, Yesler, Yesler LLC, Yesler Limited, Yesler Singapore Pte Ltd, Zag, Zag Australia Pty Ltd, Zag Limited, Zag USA LLC, Zebra Worldwide Australia Pty Ltd, Zebra Worldwide Group Limited, Zebra Worldwide Media Pty Ltd, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines Inc, Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc, Zestgroup, Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, solid-serVision.com GmbH, and umlaut.

Read More
The following companies are subsidiares of PepsiCo: Alimentos Quaker Oats y Compania Limitada, Alimentos del Istmo S.A., Amavale Agricola Ltda., Anderson Hill Insurance Limited, Asia Bottlers Limited, BAESA Capital Corporation Ltd., BFY Brands, BFY Brands LLC, BFY Brands Limited, BUG de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Balmoral Industries LLC, Bare Foods Co., Barrhead LLC, Be & Cheery, Beaman Bottling Company, Bebidas Sudamerica S.A., Beech Limited, Bell Taco Funding Syndicate, Bendler Investments II Ltd, Bendler Investments S.a r.l, Beverage Services Limited, Beverages Foods & Service Industries Inc., Bishkeksut OJSC, Blaue NC S. de R.L. de C.V., Blue Cloud Distribution Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arizona Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arkansas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Colorado Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Florida Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Georgia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Illinois Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Indiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Iowa Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Kentucky Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Louisiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Minnesota Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Mississippi Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Missouri Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nebraska Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nevada Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of North Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Ohio Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Oklahoma Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Pennsylvania Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of South Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Tennessee Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Texas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Virginia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Wisconsin Inc., Blue Ridge Sales LLC, Bluebird Foods Limited, Bluecan Holdings Unlimited Company, Bokomo Zambia Limited, Bolsherechensky Molkombinat JSC, Boquitas Fiestas LLC, Boquitas Fiestas S.R.L., Bottling Group Financing LLC, Bottling Group Holdings LLC, Bottling Group LLC, Bronte Industries Ltd, C & I Leasing Inc., CB Manufacturing Company Inc., CEME Holdings LLC, CMC Investment Company, Caroni Investments LLC, Centro-Mediterranea de Bebidas Carbonicas PepsiCo S.L., Ceres Fruit Juices Pty Ltd, ChampBev Inc., China Concentrate Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Chipsy International for Food Industries S.A.E., Chipsy for Food Industries S.A.E., Chitos Internacional y Cia Ltda, Cipa Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cipa Nordeste Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cocina Autentica Inc., Comercializadora CMC Investment y Compania Limitada, Comercializadora Nacional SAS Ltda., Comercializadora PepsiCo Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Compania de Bebidas PepsiCo S.L., Concentrate Holding Uruguay Pte. Ltd., Concentrate Manufacturing Singapore Pte. Ltd., Confiteria Alegro S. de R.L. de C.V., Copella Fruit Juices Limited, Copper Beech International LLC, Corina Snacks Limited, Corporativo Internacional Mexicano S. de R.L. de C.V., CytoSport Holdings Inc., CytoSport Inc., Davlyn Realty Corporation, Defosto Holdings Limited, Desarrollo Inmobiliario Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Dilexis S.A., Donon Holdings Limited, Drinkfinity USA Inc., Drinkstation Inc., Drinkstation Innovation Co. Ltd., Drinkstation Limited, Dutch Snacks Holding S.A. de C.V., Duyvis Production B.V., EPIC Enterprises Inc., Echo Bay Holdings Inc., Elaboradora Argentina de Cereales S.R.L., Enter Logistica LLC, Environ at Inverrary Partnership, Environ of Inverrary Inc., Eridanus Investments S.a r.l, Evercrisp Snack Productos de Chile S.A., FL Transportation Inc., FLI Andean LLC, FLI Colombia LLC, FLI Snacks Andean GP LLC, Fabrica PepsiCo Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Fabrica de Productos Alimenticios Rene y Cia S.C.A., Fairlight International SRL, Far East Bottlers Hong Kong Limited, Food Concepts Pioneer Ltd., Forest Akers Nederland B.V., Forty-Six Peaks Holding Inc., Fovarosi Asvanyviz es Uditoipari Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Freshwater International B.V., Frito Lay Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Frito Lay Poland Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay de Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Frito-Lay Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Frito-Lay Dip Company Inc., Frito-Lay Dominicana S.A., Frito-Lay Global Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Inc., Frito-Lay Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Manufacturing LLC, Frito-Lay Netherlands Holding B.V., Frito-Lay North America Inc., Frito-Lay Sales Inc., Frito-Lay Trading Company Europe GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company Poland GmbH, Frito-Lay Trinidad Unlimited, Fruko Mesrubat Sanayi Limited Sirketi, GB Czech LLC, GB International Inc., GB Russia LLC, GB Slovak LLC, GMP Manufacturing Inc., Gambrinus Investments Limited, Gamesa LLC, Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Gas Natural de Merida S. A. de C. V., Gatorade Puerto Rico Company, General Bottlers of Hungary Inc., Golden Grain Company, Goveh S.R.L., Grayhawk Leasing LLC, Green Hemlock International LLC, Grupo Frito Lay y Compania Limitada, Grupo Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Grupo Mabel, Grupo Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Gulkevichskiy Maslozavod JSC, Hangzhou Baicaowei Corporate Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co, Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Tao Dao Technology Co. Ltd., Health Warrior, Health Warrior Inc., Heathland LP, Helioscope Limited, Hillbrook Inc., Hillgrove Inc., Hillwood Bottling LLC, Hogganfield Limited Partnership, Holding Company "Opolie" JSC, Homefinding Company of Texas, Hudson Valley Insurance Company, IC Equities Inc., IZZE Beverage Co., Inmobiliaria Interamericana S.A. De C.V., Integrated Beverage Services Bangladesh Limited, Integrated Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., International Bottlers Management Co. LLC, International KAS Aktiengesellschaft, Inversiones Borneo S.R.L., Inversiones PFI Chile Limitada, Inviting Foods Holdings Inc., Inviting Foods LLC, KAS Anorthosis S.a r.l, KAS S.L., KFC, Kevita Inc., Kinvara LLC, Kungursky Molkombinat JSC, Larragana S.L., Latin American Holdings Ltd., Latin American Snack Foods ApS, Latin Foods International LLC, Lebedyansky, Lebedyansky Holdings LLC, Lebedyansky LLC, Limited Liability Company "Sandora", Linkbay Limited, Lithuanian Snacks UAB, Mabel, Marbo Product d.o.o. Beograd, Marbo d.o.o. Laktasi, Matudis - Comercio de Produtos Alimentares Limitada, Matutano - Sociedade de Produtos Alimentares Lda., Mid-America Improvement Corporation, Mountainview Insurance Company Inc., Muscle Milk, NCJV LLC, New Bern Transport Corporation, New Century Beverage Company LLC, Noble Leasing LLC, Northeast Hot-Fill Co-op Inc., Office at Solyanka LLC, Onbiso Inversiones S.L., One World Enterprises LLC, One World Investors Inc., P-A Barbados Bottling Company LLC, P-A Bottlers Barbados SRL, P-Americas LLC, PAS Luxembourg S.a r.l, PAS Netherlands B.V., PBG Canada Holdings II LLC, PBG Canada Holdings Inc., PBG Cyprus Holdings Limited, PBG Investment Partnership, PBG Midwest Holdings S.a r.l, PBG Soda Can Holdings S.a r.l, PCBL LLC, PCNA Manufacturing Inc., PR Beverages Cyprus Holding Limited, PR Beverages Cyprus Russia Holding Limited, PRB Luxembourg S.a r.l, PRS Inc., PSAS Inversiones LLC, PSE Logistica S.R.L., PT Quaker Indonesia, Papas Chips S.A., Pei N.V., Pep Trade LLC, Pepsi B.V., Pepsi Beverages Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group Global Finance LLC, Pepsi Bottling Group GmbH, Pepsi Bottling Group Hoosiers B.V., Pepsi Bottling Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bugshan Investments S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Colombia Ltda, Pepsi Cola Egypt S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Panamericana S.R.L., Pepsi Cola Servis Ve Dagitim Limited Sirketi, Pepsi Cola Trading Ireland, Pepsi Logistics Company Inc., Pepsi Northwest Beverages LLC, Pepsi Overseas Investments Partnership, Pepsi Promotions Inc., Pepsi-Cola Advertising and Marketing Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bermuda Limited, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Holding C.V., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company Of St. Louis Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Ft. Lauderdale-Palm Beach LLC, Pepsi-Cola Company, Pepsi-Cola Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Pepsi-Cola Far East Trade Development Co. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Finance LLC, Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers Poland Sp. z o.o., Pepsi-Cola Industrial da Amazonia Ltda., Pepsi-Cola International Cork, Pepsi-Cola International LLC, Pepsi-Cola International Limited, Pepsi-Cola International Limited U.S.A., Pepsi-Cola International Private Limited, Pepsi-Cola Korea Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Management and Administrative Services Inc., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Company Of Uruguay S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing International Limited, Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Mediterranean Limited, Pepsi-Cola Marketing Corp. Of P.R. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mediterranean Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Company Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mexicana Holdings LLC, Pepsi-Cola Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Pepsi-Cola National Marketing LLC, Pepsi-Cola Operating Company Of Chesapeake And Indianapolis, Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution Inc., Pepsi-Cola Technical Operations Inc., Pepsi-Cola Thai Trading Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola de Honduras S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola of Corvallis Inc., PepsiAmericas Nemzetkozi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, PepsiCo ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Alimentos Antioquia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Colombia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Ecuador Cia. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Z.F. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos de Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Amacoco Bebidas Do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCo Asia Research & Development Center Company Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Cyprus Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Limited Partnership, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 1 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 2 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Australia Holdings Pty Limited, PepsiCo Australia International, PepsiCo Austria Services GmbH, PepsiCo Azerbaijan Limited Liability Company, PepsiCo BeLux BV, PepsiCo Beverage Sales LLC, PepsiCo Beverage Singapore Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Beverages Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Beverages International Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Italia Societa' A Responsabilita' Limitata, PepsiCo Canada Finance LLC, PepsiCo Canada Holdings ULC, PepsiCo Canada Investment ULC, PepsiCo Canada ULC, PepsiCo Captive Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Caribbean Inc., PepsiCo China Limited, PepsiCo Consulting Polska Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo De Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Del Paraguay S.R.L., PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH, PepsiCo Eesti AS, PepsiCo Euro Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Euro Finance Antilles B.V., PepsiCo Europe Support Center S.L., PepsiCo Finance Americas Company, PepsiCo Finance Antilles A N.V., PepsiCo Finance Antilles B N.V., PepsiCo Finance South Africa Proprietary Limited, PepsiCo Financial Shared Services Inc., PepsiCo Food & Beverage Holdings Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Foods A.I.E., PepsiCo Foods China Company Limited, PepsiCo Foods Group Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Foods Guangdong Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Nigeria Limited, PepsiCo Foods Private Limited, PepsiCo Foods Sichuan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Taiwan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Vietnam Company, PepsiCo France SAS, PepsiCo Global Business Services India LLP, PepsiCo Global Business Services Poland Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Global Holdings Limited, PepsiCo Global Investments B.V., PepsiCo Global Investments S.a r.l, PepsiCo Global Mobility LLC, PepsiCo Global Real Estate Inc., PepsiCo Global Trading Solutions Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Golden Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Group Finance International B.V., PepsiCo Group Holdings International B.V., PepsiCo Group Spotswood Holdings S.a r.l, PepsiCo Gulf International FZE, PepsiCo Hellas Single Member Industrial and Commercial Societe Anonyme, PepsiCo Holding de Espana S.L., PepsiCo Holdings, PepsiCo Holdings LLC, PepsiCo Holdings Toshkent LLC, PepsiCo Hong Kong LLC, PepsiCo Iberia Servicios Centrales S.L., PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, PepsiCo India Sales Private Limited, PepsiCo Internacional Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., PepsiCo International Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo International Limited, PepsiCo International Pte Ltd., PepsiCo Investments Europe I B.V., PepsiCo Investments Ltd., PepsiCo Ireland Food & Beverages Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Japan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Light B.V., PepsiCo Logistyka Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., PepsiCo Management Services SAS, PepsiCo Manufacturing A.I.E., PepsiCo Max B.V., PepsiCo Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo Nederland B.V., PepsiCo Nordic Denmark ApS, PepsiCo Nordic Finland Oy, PepsiCo Nordic Norway AS, PepsiCo Nutrition Trading DMCC, PepsiCo One B.V., PepsiCo Overseas Corporation, PepsiCo Overseas Financing Partnership, PepsiCo Panimex Inc, PepsiCo Products B.V., PepsiCo Products FLLC, PepsiCo Puerto Rico Inc., PepsiCo Sales Inc., PepsiCo Sales LLC, PepsiCo Services Asia Ltd., PepsiCo Services CZ s.r.o., PepsiCo Services LLC, PepsiCo Twist B.V., PepsiCo UK Pension Plan Trustee Limited, PepsiCo Ventures B.V., PepsiCo Wave Holdings LLC, PepsiCo World Trading Company Inc., PepsiCo Y LLC, PepsiCo de Argentina S.R.L., PepsiCo de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo do Brasil Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda., PepsiCo do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCola Interamericana de Guatemala S.A., Pet Iberia S.L., Pete & Johnny Limited, Pine International LLC, Pine International Limited, Pinstripe Leasing LLC, Pioneer Food Group Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Groceries Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Group Ltd., Pioneer Foods Holdings Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods UK Ltd, Pioneer Foods Wellingtons Pty Ltd, Pipers Crisps Limited, PlayCo Inc., Pop corners, PopCorners Holdings Inc., Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company, Premier Nutrition Trading L.L.C., Prestwick LLC, Prev PepsiCo Sociedade Previdenciaria, Productos Alimenticios Rene LLC, Productos S.A.S. C.V., Productos SAS Management B.V., Punch N.V., Punica Getranke GmbH, Q O Puerto Rico Inc., QFL OHQ Sdn. Bhd., QTG Development Inc., QTG Services Inc., Quadrant - Amroq Beverages S.R.L., Quaker Development B.V., Quaker European Beverages LLC, Quaker European Investments B.V., Quaker Foods, Quaker Global Investments B.V., Quaker Holdings UK Limited, Quaker Manufacturing LLC, Quaker Oats Asia Inc., Quaker Oats Australia Pty Ltd, Quaker Oats B.V., Quaker Oats Capital Corporation, Quaker Oats Europe Inc., Quaker Oats Europe LLC, Quaker Oats Limited, Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc, Raptas Finance S.a r.l., Rare Fare Foods LLC, Rare Fare Holdings Inc., Reading Industries Ltd, Real Estate Holdings LLC, Rockstar Energy Drink, Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP, S & T of Mississippi Inc., SIH International LLC, SVC Logistics Inc., SVC Manufacturing Inc., SVE Russia Holdings GmbH, Sabritas LLC, Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Sabritas Snacks America Latina de Nicaragua y Cia Ltda, Sabritas de Costa Rica S. de R.L., Sabritas y Cia. S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. S.R.L., Stokely-Van Camp Inc., Stratosphere Communications Pty Ltd, Stratosphere Holdings 2018 Limited, Streamfoods Ltd, TFL Holdings LLC, Tasman Finance S.a r.l, The Gatorade Company, The Good Carb Food Company Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada ULC, The Quaker Oats Company, The Smith's Snackfood Company Pty Limited, Thomond Group Holdings Limited, Tobago Snack Holdings LLC, Tropicana Alvalle S.L., Tropicana Beverages Limited, Tropicana Europe N.V., Tropicana United Kingdom Limited, Troya-Ultra LLC, United Foods Companies Restaurantes S.A., V-Water, VentureCo Israel Ltd, Veurne Snack Foods BV, Vitamin Brands Ltd., Walkers Crisps Limited, Walkers Group Limited, Walkers Snack Foods Limited, Walkers Snacks Distribution Limited, Walkers Snacks Limited, Whitman Corporation, Whitman Insurance Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Beverages JSC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Brands Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC.

Read More
The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 13125882 Canada Inc., 211 E. Russell Road LLC, 4458664 Canada Inc., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES ASIA PTE. LTD., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES BORROWER S.C.A., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES LLC, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES MIDDLE EAST FZE, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES SERVICES LIMITED, ASTRUM IT GmbH, Accudyne Industries Acquisition S.A r.l, Accudyne Industries Canada Inc., Accudyne Industries S.A r.l., Air Dimensions, Air Dimensions Inc., Albin Pump SAS, BOC Edwards Global Low pressure Air business, CISA S.p.A., Cameron-Centrifugal Compression, Comercial Ingersoll-Rand (Chile) Limitada, Comingersoll-Comercio E Industria De Equipamentos S.A., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Dosatron International SAS, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Proprietary Limited, FlexEnergy Holdings LLC, Frigoblock Grosskopf Gmbh, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First (UK) Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings II Inc., GD Global Holdings Inc., GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., GPS Industries, Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp (Canada), Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Limited, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica SL, Gardner Denver Inc., Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver International Inc., Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Investments Inc., Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan Ltd., Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte. Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia s.r.o., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH (f/k/a ILMVAC GmbH), Gardner Denver Thomas Inc., Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Ghh-Rand Schraubenkompressoren Gmbh, HASKEL EUROPE LTD., HASKEL HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, HASKEL INTERNATIONAL LLC, Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, Haskel France SAS, Haskel Sistemas de Fluidos Espana S.R.L., Hibon Inc., Highspeed Newco LLC, Hingerose Limited, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, INGERSOLL RAND ITS JAPAN LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHANG ZHOU) TOOLS CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHINA) INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND CHINA LLC, INGERSOLL-RAND COMERCIO E SERVICOS DE MAQUINAS E EQUIPAMENTOS INDUSTRIAIS LTDA., INGERSOLL-RAND DE PUERTO RICO INC., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL COMPANY B.V., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL SP. Z O.O., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL U.S. INC., INGERSOLL-RAND PHILIPPINES INC., INGERSOLL-RAND SPAIN S.A., INGERSOLL-RAND U.S. HOLDCO INC., IR HPS Holdco. Inc., ITO Emniyet, Ingersoll Rand Cyprus Investments Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Finance LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Investments LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Ventures LLC, Ingersoll Rand Hong Kong Investments Limited, Ingersoll Rand Inc., Ingersoll Rand Investments (SG) Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Investments B.V., Ingersoll Rand Schweiz Investments Gmbh, Ingersoll Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (Australia) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (China) Investment Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Guilin) Tools Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Hong Kong) Holding Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (India) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Ab, Ingersoll-Rand Air Solutions Hibon Sarl, Ingersoll-Rand Beteiligungs Und Grundstucksverwaltungs Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Colombia S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited (Uk), Ingersoll-Rand Company South Africa (Pty) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Cz S.R.O., Ingersoll-Rand De Mexico S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Equipements De Production S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Industrial Ireland Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International (India) Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Italia S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Italiana Manufacturing S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Korea Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Korea Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments II S.A R.I., Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Luxembourg Industrial Company S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Machinery (Shanghai) Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Malaysia Co. Sdn. Bhd., Ingersoll-Rand S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Services And Trading Limited Liability Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Singapore Enterprises Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand South East Asia (Pte.) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Superay Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technical And Services S.A.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Technologies And Services Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Tool Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Trading Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Vietnam Company Limited, Instrum Rand JSC, Interflex Datensysteme, Ir Canada Holdings Ulc, Ir Canada Sales & Service Ulc, Ir France Sas, Kryptonite corp, Lawrence Factor Inc., LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MILTON ROY (HONG KONG) LIMITED, MILTON ROY (UK) LIMITED, MILTON ROY EUROPA B.V., MILTON ROY EUROPE SAS, MILTON ROY INDUSTRIAL (SHANGHAI) CO. LTD., MILTON ROY LLC, MILTON ROY US PURCHASER INC., MP Pumps Inc., Maximum AG Technologies Inc., Maximus Solutions, Mb Air Systems Limited, Nash Elmo, Officina Meccaniche Industriali Srl, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Plurifilter D.O.O., Pt Ingersoll-Rand Indonesia, Robuschi, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, SEEPEX, Seepex (M) SDN, Seepex Australia Pty Ltd, Seepex Beteiligungs-Gesellschaft mit Beschrankter Haftung, Seepex France S.a.r.l., Seepex GmbH, Seepex Inc., Seepex India Private Ltd., Seepex Italia SRL, Seepex Japan Co. Ltd., Seepex Nordic A/S, Seepex OOO, Seepex Pumps (Shanghia) Co. Ltd., Seepex UK Ltd., Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Shanghai Ingersoll-Rand Compressor Limited, Shenzhen Bocom System Engineering Co., Superay, Syltone, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, Tamrotor Marine Comp AS Norway, Tecno Matic Europe s.r.o., Thomas Industries Inc., Trane Technologies, Tri-Continent Scientific Inc., Vacuum and Blower Systems division, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zaxe Technologies Inc., Zeks Compressed Air Solutions Llc, Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, Zinsser NA Inc., and crayon interface.

Read More
2017 Media Forum on Belt and Road Initiative kicks off in China

The 2017 Media Forum on Belt and Road Initiative kicked off in the Chinese city of Dunhuang, a key transit point in the ancient Silk Road on Tuesday.
A Circle K clerk shot and critically injured a man who was trying to rob the convenience store Monday afternoon, according to a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department.

Officer Luis Hernandez said around 3:50 p.m. police were called to an armed robbery at the Circle K on Eubank and Candelaria NE. He said they were on their way to the store when they were told the robbery suspect had been shot by a clerk.

Hernandez said the suspect was still breathing when he was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital. He said the suspects gun was still inside the store Monday evening.

Officers also learned there had been another armed robbery at a nearby business about 20 minutes earlier, he said.

Hernandez said investigators were still trying to determine if the suspect had fired. He said he was shot in the torso. Hernandez did not name him.

Witnesses followed the path of the suspect to where he collapsed behind the Circle K, and thats where he was, Hernandez said. Police took him into custody and he was transported to the hospital for his injuries.

There was no word on the suspects condition late Monday.

Hernandez said detectives are reviewing video surveillance from the Circle K and another business about a mile away on Wyoming and Candelaria NE that had been robbed about 20 minutes earlier to see if the two incidents are connected.

Hernandez said they are still investigating whether the suspect was acting alone or with someone else.

We want to rule out that it wasnt him, or rule him in, he said. Thats why we are trying to match videos to see if he approached alone.

Hernandez said the clerk was being questioned to see if charges will be pressed. He did not identify the clerk or provide any information, including name, gender, age and whether he or she had a gun permit.

A small group of customers and employees gathered around the crime tape as investigators examined the store and the surrounding parking lot. They said they could not comment on the shooting.

When reached by phone Monday evening, Robert Sway, the director of human resources for Circle K, said he also could not comment on the shooting or say whether clerks are allowed or encouraged to arm themselves. New Mexico state law allows only gun owners with concealed carry permits to bring a gun into a store that sells alcohol, such as Circle K.

As always, our concern is for the safety of our customer and employees, Sway said.
Journal north

SANTA FE  A well located outside what was believed to be the boundaries of a chromium plume in the Los Alamos areas regional aquifer has been found to have chromium levels at five times the state groundwater standard.

The finding could be an indication that the plume, which has been defined as about a mile long and a half-mile wide, is growing or is bigger than previously mapped. In any case, the New Mexico Environment Department says more testing will be required before Los Alamos National Laboratory can use the well as part of plan to contain the contamination plume.

Chromium is naturally occurring at low levels but at higher concentrations is a suspected carcinogen and can damage DNA, the liver and kidneys.

The plume at Los Alamos, first confirmed about 12 years ago, is 900 feet below the surface but 800 to 1,200 feet above the aquifer level from which the areas water supply wells draw. Officials have said the chromium levels at the water supply wells are tiny. Chromium was used as a corrosion inhibitor at LANLs power plant at the head of Sandia Canyon from 1956 to 1972 and was released into the canyon in cooling-tower water.

In an interim plan approved over the past two years  to keep the plume from spreading onto adjacent San Ildefonso Pueblo  water is to be extracted from the plume, treated and then injected back underground as a clean-water barrier to control the plumes migration. Six injection wells were built.

The state groundwater standard for hexavalent chromium is 50 parts per billion and the Environmental Protection Agencys drinking water limit is 100 ppb. At five of the six injection wells, chromium was found at roughly the expected levels for the plumes edge  50 to 100 pbb (the plumes center, officials said in 2015, had been measured at 1,000 pbb).

But at one well, just outside the plume boundary, samples taken July 17 showed about 250 ppb, five times the state groundwater standard and more than twice the EPA drinking water standard.

The state Environment Department said in a statement Monday that the lab will be required to address the sampling results before full-scale injection can proceed. There is potential that injections at the well in question and at a second one might accelerate migration of chromium and violate LANLs state permit that is protective of New Mexicos groundwater, said NMED.

The readings were first made public by Nuclear Watch New Mexico, which said in a news release, The new data suggest there will have to be a complete rethinking of chromium groundwater treatment and that cleanup will take longer and cost more. The injection wells cost $3.5 million each and $50 million was spent on the project over the past two years. A final remedy for removing or treating the plume will be proposed for whats expected to be an eight-year cleanup period.
A third criminal trial started Monday in former jail guard Enock Arvizos case, this one revisiting a rape charge that jurors in his first trial could not unanimously agree upon.

The retrial before 2nd Judicial District Judge Briana Zamora is expected to last three or four days.

In her opening statement, prosecutor Laura Horton said Arvizo was wearing a Metropolitan Detention Center uniform and carrying a gun when he raped a shackled, handcuffed inmate in a courthouse elevator on April 13, 2015.

Horton said the two are shown on surveillance footage leaving a third-floor courtroom at 10:32 a.m., and they emerge from the elevators basement doors six minutes later at 10:38 a.m. That video, Horton said, confirms the woman inmates story, that the assault lasted four to six minutes. Footage also shows that the ride up to the courtroom took less than a minute.

Horton said semen was found on the underwear the woman said she was wearing the day of the assault, and DNA tests showed Arvizo could not be eliminated as a source.

Arvizos defense attorney Stephen Lane suggested the woman, who has a criminal record, is untrustworthy. And he said Arvizo made what in hindsight was a fatally flawed decision when he escorted the female inmate through the courthouse unaccompanied.

As a result of the allegations that she chooses to make against Mr. Arvizo (she) is in a position to file a lawsuit against the county, Lane said.

Although attorneys cannot discuss the civil case in trial, Bernalillo County settled a civil suit filed by three of Arvizos accusers for $2.1 million.

Arvizo offered a written statement to his supervisor that said I did have sex with inmate on 4/13/15, but Zamora ruled the statement was not admissible at trial.

When he was indicted in February 2016, Arvizo initially faced allegations involving five female inmates. Rape charges related to two of those women were dismissed by prosecutors because of the death of an essential witness. His remaining charges have been split up and handled in separate trials  one for each alleged victim.

Jurors in Arvizos first trial in May found him not guilty of one count, but they could not agree on the second. This week, he is being retried on that final count of criminal sexual penetration.

Last month, he went to trial on charges that he attempted to kiss another female inmate. Jurors in that trial found him guilty of two petty misdemeanor counts of assault.

Arvizo is set to go to trial again Monday on rape and battery charges involving the final woman.

Arvizos case is being prosecuted by the state Attorney Generals Office.
Mohamed Ebeida, a computer scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, wanted a way to teach programming to kids.

So he looked to Albuquerques Muslim community, of which he is a part.

At the beginning of 2016, he gathered around 30 kids ages 6 to 14 from the Islamic

Center of New Mexico in Albuquerque and started teaching them the basics of computer programming and robotics.

These kids, most of the ideas coming from them are out of the box, Ebeida said. They dont even have a box.

By July, two teams of six kids each were competing at an international competition in Fairmont, W.Va. The FIRST LEGO League Mountain State Invitational was held July 7-9, and required students to design, build and program a robot to accomplish a set of tasks. The robots were to be designed to feed different types of animals.

Competing against older and more experienced teams, Ebeida said he was thrilled when one of the teams won the Inspiration Core Value award for their teamwork.

Ebeida said he and the group already have begun preparing for next years competition.

I think they learn there is really no limit to their capabilities, he said.

The program also has served as an opportunity for the Muslim community to reach outside of itself, especially during a time of uncertainty for the group in light of President Donald Trumps travel ban, Ebeida said.

When this happens, the Muslim community generally closes in on itself, he said. Through this program, weve actually done the opposite.

Team leader Safa Kassem, 14, said the experience has served not only as something to put down on her resume, but also as a way to encourage other children.

Were here to inspire kids, and especially Muslim kids, that they can do whatever they wish, she said.

Ebeida said he hopes to continue to expand the program, which is open to everyone.
Buck the trend

On Thursday, the US government formally agreed to extend a grant of $500 million to Nepal to strengthen the energy and transport network.
The University of New Mexicos student population has dropped for the fifth straight year, declining 2.9 percent from 2016 and 9.3 percent since its 2012 peak.

The states largest university is reporting 26,278 total students for the fall 2017 semester. Thats 782 fewer than fall 2016.

UNMs chief enrollment official cited multiple factors, including the shrinking value of the New Mexico Legislative Lottery Scholarship, which as many as one-third of its undergraduates use to help cover tuition costs.

Enrollment is a key financial concern for all of New Mexicos universities, which have increasingly relied on tuition revenue in the face of dwindling state support. Tuition will cover about 43 percent of UNMs academic enterprise budget this year, compared with 31 percent a decade ago.

But Terry Babbitt, vice provost of enrollment management and analytics, said the school also had an unusually large gap to fill after this years graduation.

More students than ever are graduating from UNM in four years: 29 percent. And 2017 marked the finish line for one of the largest classes in UNM history.

You add those two (factors) up and thats 500 people more graduating than usual  thats a big decrease in full-time students, Babbitt said.

Shrinking enrollment is not a New Mexico phenomenon. After spiking during the recession, total U.S. undergraduate enrollment fell each year between 2010 and 2015 for a total drop of about 6 percent, according to federal data.

Though UNM has sustained a heavier hit, its 2017 head count remains higher than its 2007 level (25,749).

New Mexico State University, the states second-largest school, has had a more dramatic slide, dropping 22 percent since its peak in 2010. That includes a 2.8 percent decline from 2016 to 2017, much of it in continuing undergraduates.

But an NMSU spokesman said the school has made progress in its graduation rates, improving the four-year rate from 13 percent to 22 percent in the past four years. Officials also have cited a significant increase in freshman class size  11 percent larger than last year  as cause for optimism.

The school has 14,432 total students on its Las Cruces campus this fall.

The fall enrollment figures came as no surprise at UNM, which had anticipated the dip when setting this years budget.

What it did not expect was a 3.9 percent loss in total credit hours  more than the past three years combined.

Babbitt said a few different trends might have contributed, including an uptick in part-time students. UNM has 320 additional online-only students  most of whom take lighter loads  than a year ago, a gain of 21 percent.

Some of the lost credit hours come in the lower-division classes. Babbitt said many students now arrive having earned those credits while still in high school; other students are more cost-conscious in the wake of the lottery scholarship changes and are opting to get early coursework done at less expensive two-year schools instead.

The lottery scholarship will pay just 60 percent of tuition costs this year, down from 90 percent in 2016-17.

Whereas the scholarships 1996 inception brought UNM a new wave of students  some of whom might otherwise have attended community college  Babbitt said its recent downsizing will sweep some away.

When the lottery came into play, we were the biggest benefactor, and when it declines, well probably suffer the most consequences, he said. We talk to all of our admits and a lot of them were on campus with us and going over costs, and a significant number said theyre going to CNM, for example, and theyll see us later.

Resident tuition for a year of full-time study (15-18 credit hours) at UNM costs approximately $5,286 per year, not including fees.

Tuition at Central New Mexico Community College for a full load (12-18 hours) runs $1,296.

CNM, the states largest community college, also has seen slight declines in lottery scholarship-subsidized students, according to spokesman Brad Moore.

But its overall enrollment seems to have stabilized. Preliminary fall 2017 numbers are just 148 students, or 0.6 percent, short of last fall. Thats after losing nearly 4,000 total between 2013 and 2016.

CNM currently has 24,633 students, though fall numbers are not yet official.

We put more emphasis this fall on extra efforts to help more students get through the admissions and enrollment processes, which we believe helped enrollment, Moore said in an email.
SANTA FE  A proposed ordinance change here would require panhandlers to be at least 20 feet from any business  effectively banning them from most of Santa Fes historic Plaza area  but the ACLU of New Mexico says the measure is unconstitutional and opens the city to litigation.

The amendment, sponsored by City Councilors Signe Lindell and Renee Villarreal, will be presented to the citys advisory Public Safety Committee Tuesday by Randy Randall, executive director of Tourism Santa Fe, the citys convention and visitors bureau.

Randall said the change is about making shopping in downtown Santa Fe more pleasant for tourists, especially because shop owners rely heavily on tourist dollars.

Im trying to make the downtown historic district as appealing as we can for visitors, he said. If its more appealing for visitors, its more appealing for residents as well. Panhandling in my experience is not a pleasant experience.

Being approached by someone and being solicited  its just not what they (shoppers) want to do. I think theres a place for panhandling, but it should not be in the business district of a city that relies on tourism.

Under the current city code, panhandling is prohibited at any bus stop, within 15 feet of any public transportation entrance or exit, in a sidewalk cafe or within 20 feet of an ATM, among other provisions. ACLU of New Mexico Executive Director Peter Simonson said Monday that even the current ordinance is unconstitutional because it stifles free speech.

He said the ACLU has a pending lawsuit in Albuquerque over a similar ordinance and expects someone to approach the organization to file a suit against Santa Fe.

The Santa Fe ordinance is probably more aggressive, making it more constitutionally suspect, Simonson said. I would encourage the city to repeal the ordinance because at some point it will result in legal liability. We have told the city so many times that the ordinance is unconstitutional. Im getting tired of it. I just dont have any confidence that they would listen to us.

Lindell and Villarreal couldnt be reached for comment Monday.
This story has been changed from an earlier version to correct references to the Santa Fe Recovery Center.

SANTA FE  All five members of the City Councils Finance Committee were on board to provide one-time emergency funding of $150,000 to help cover costs for the Sobering Center, a 24-hour clinic set up for adults who voluntarily agree to undergo abstinence treatment for alcohol and drugs.

The Sobering Center, located at 2052 Galisteo St., provides case management services for people seeking long-term treatment and support for people trying to kick their alcohol or drug habit.

Until last May, the Sobering Center received the bulk of its funding from Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. At that time, the hospital decided to scale back funding because it felt the facility was set up as an alcohol detox center and was not meeting the increasing needs for people using opiates and other drugs, according to a city staff memo. The hospital, which was providing about $700,000 per year for the $1.1 million program, is still committed to providing $287,000 in funding.

Santa Fe County, which since July 1 has taken over management of the Sobering Center through the Santa Fe Recovery Center, provides $300,000 in funding annually.

Councilor Carmichael Dominguez, who chairs the Finance Committee, asked whether the county would be willing to provide more funding should a one-sixteenth of 1 per cent gross receipts tax be approved by voters in a special county election being held today . He was told that hasnt been determined yet.

Carmichael said his concern was that since the emergency funding being requested would come from the city Human Services Division, which receives revenue from a city gross receipts tax, approval of a new county tax would mean that city residents would be paying twice. County GRT taxes apply throughout the county, including within city limits.

The countys Rachel OConner said the Sobering Center currently has 10 beds for men and five for women, and on average 10 to 12 beds are occupied at any given time. She said the facility is run by a registered nurse, and a physician comes in weekly to see patients. Patients are sometimes transferred to residential or other types of treatment facilities, she said, but right now the Sobering Center provides the highest level of services in the city.

OConner said the hope is to increase counseling services at the Sobering Center to include individual and group therapy. The facility is currently a social detox center, she said, but is moving toward becoming a medical monitored detox facility.
Lets consider the evidence.

He was sued for systematically refusing to rent to African-Americans and settled out of court.

He demanded the death penalty for five black and Hispanic kids charged in the notorious Central Park jogger rape case  and refuses to recant to this day, though the young men were long ago exonerated and set free.

He had a disdain for African-Americans so pronounced that, according to an employee at one of his casinos, supervisors would remove black workers from the floor and ensconce them in a back room whenever he came through.

He was once quoted as saying of a black accountant: Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day. I think that the guy is lazy. And its probably not his fault, because laziness is a trait in blacks. It really is, I believe that. Its not anything they can control.

He retweeted racist and anti-Semitic insults from Nazi sympathizers, called Mexican immigrants rapists and said a judge was unfit to preside over a case because of his Mexican heritage.

He led the inane birther movement that claimed President Obama was born in Kenya.

He suggested moral equivalence between white supremacists and those who oppose them.

He is embraced by bigots, who recognize him as one of their own. Said former Klan leader David Duke, We are determined to take our country back.  Thats what we believe in. Thats why we voted for Donald Trump  .

So what, pray tell, did Jemele Hill get wrong? Last week, the co-host of ESPNs SportsCenter issued tweets calling the so-called president, among other things, a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.

Youd have thought she advocated kindergarten classes in Satanism from the speed with which ESPN disavowed her for what it called inappropriate tweets. Hill would eventually apologize for putting the company in such an awkward position. But ESPNs response was mild compared to the White Houses rebuke. Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders pronounced Hills tweets a fireable offense.

Really? Well, if Hill deserves firing for calling Trump a white supremacist, then what does he get for actually being one?

But we already know the answer, dont we? Donald John Trump is a man whose cognitive and moral deficits would, in a sane country, render him unfit to clean toilets at a reasonably respectable strip club. But he became president. And as Ta-Nehisi Coates argues in the new issue of The Atlantic, he was elected largely because of his racism  not despite it  having run on an implicit promise to restore white primacy after eight years of the black interloper Obama.

And here, someone will protest that she voted for Trump, but doesnt consider herself a white supremacist. Yet that hypothetical voter and 63 million others did vote  knowingly  for white supremacy, even if they disavow the ideology for themselves. So whats the material difference?

There is none. Thats a bitter truth some of us would prefer not to face, indicting as it does cherished myths about ourselves and our country, and how we overcame.

For the record, the only fireable offense here is Trumps impersonation of a president. But make no mistake: Even if he is held accountable in 2020, it wont fix, or even address, that frightened, primitive thing inside them that led so many to reach out to him in the first place.

So the fact of the matter is, Jemele Hill got nothing wrong. No, shes in trouble because she did the opposite.

She told entirely too much truth.

Copyright, The Miami Herald; email to lpitts@miamiherald.com.
A federal judges recent decision keeps in place  for now  the state Supreme Courts new pretrial detention rules, crafted to help judges determine whether defendants should be detained until their trial, released on their own recognizance or released with specific conditions.

And thats a good thing.

Because under the old system, judges by law were supposed to require reasonable bail for all but a very few crimes. That meant repeat drug traffickers could go free as long as their money man anted up some cash to a bondsman, while petty criminals would remain in jail because they couldnt afford to pay a bond.

In contrast, the new rules allow judges to keep dangerous defendants in jail without bond pending trial. They allow judges to release other defendants with conditions, including ankle bracelets and other monitoring. And they allow judges to release defendants accused of low-level, non-violent crimes, instead of keeping them behind bars because they cant scrape up a mere $50 or so for bail.

While bail bondsmen are understandably unhappy that many defendants will no longer require their services, the new rules are far preferable and vastly fairer  when implemented correctly  than the old system of having judges often base pretrial release decisions on how much money a defendant has, or whether his family or friends will sign over enough collateral to have a bondsman post the bond.

Because shouldnt public safety and flight risk, not financial assets, drive whos in jail and who isnt?

A handful of state senators, representatives of the bond industry and a defendant who was incarcerated for several days under the new rules recently sought a preliminary injunction as part of a lawsuit to suspend the rules. The defendants in the lawsuit, which include judges and court officials, have filed a motion to dismiss it.

This month, Senior U.S. District Judge Robert Junnell denied the preliminary injunction.

It was the right move.

Remember, the new rules were developed after voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state Constitution. The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court and 2nd Judicial District Court began using the rules implementing the amendment June 12.

Since then, the amendment and the new rules have been blamed for the release of some repeat offenders who many believe are a clear danger to the public.

If anything, the amendment gives the judges more leeway to keep serious offenders behind bars.

But as with any new system, some education, communication and adjustments are in order as judges try to interpret the rules.

A key would be tracking which suspects released under the new rules ever show up in court or re-offend while awaiting trial; thats something the courts need to do and report back to the public.

The amendment passed at least in part because New Mexicans, and especially police officers, were undeniably sick of the revolving door that let criminals of most any ilk post bond and get back on the streets the next day, only to continue their burglaries, car thefts, assaults, drug trafficking, etc.

And New Mexicans should be sick of a locked door that kept first-time offenders and petty criminals away from the families, jobs and support systems that can get them on a better path.

Last year, New Mexico voters said enough is enough and approved enabling legislation for a new pretrial release system aimed at keeping the right people in jail. Now its up to the judges  keeping in mind the publics safety  to make sure the right people stay in jail.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

A large majority of likely voters in Albuquerque expressed a gloomy economic outlook, with more than four in five saying the strength of the citys economy is fair or poor, in a new Journal Poll.

About two-thirds of city voters also said their personal financial situation is unchanged from a year ago.

Albuquerqueans do not perceive that the strength of the economy is rebounding yet, said Journal pollster Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc.

Fewer than one in five respondents said Albuquerques economy is in good or excellent shape.

The poll demonstrates that people think we have not recovered yet economically, Sanderoff said.

The poll asked likely city voters: How would you rate the current strength of Albuquerques economy? Would you say it is excellent, good, fair or poor?

Nearly half  47 percent  said the economy is in fair shape, and 35 percent called it poor. Only 1 percent said the strength of the economy is excellent, and 16 percent said it is good.

Seniors were somewhat more optimistic. Among voters 65 and older, only 27 percent said the economy is in poor condition. Sanderoff said older voters tend to be less affected by ups and downs of the economy.

If youre retired, you are not worried about losing your job, he said.

A second question asked voters about their finances. It asked: Next, we are interested in how peoples financial situation may have changed. Would you say you are financially better off, worse off, or about the same than you were a year ago?

About two-thirds  67 percent  said they were in about the same shape financially than a year ago, while 16 percent said they were better off, and 16 percent worse off.

The good news is that if we had asked that question eight years ago, we would have had more pessimistic results, Sanderoff said.

New Mexicos economy has struggled for years but has shown some improvement in recent months. The states unemployment rate declined from 6.7 percent in March to 6.3 percent in August but remained the second-highest in the nation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The poll did reveal a bright spot: Voters under age 50 were more likely than older voters to say they were better off financially than a year ago.

Among voters ages 18 to 49, 28 percent said they were financially better off this year than a year ago. Sanderoff said their responses reflect that younger voters are more likely to have gotten a raise or a promotion in the past year.

Younger people are still on an upward curve regarding their career ladder, he said.

The Journal Poll is based on a scientific, citywide sample of 516 voters who said they planned to vote this year, and voted in the 2013 regular municipal election, the late-term abortion measure special election or the 2015 regular municipal election.

The poll was conducted Sept. 11-14 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

All interviews were conducted by live, professional interviewers, with multiple callbacks to households that did not initially answer the phone.

Both cellphone numbers (44 percent) and landlines (56 percent) of proven municipal election voters were used.
WASHINGTON  Neither Democrats nor the lone Republican in New Mexicos congressional delegation were happy Monday with the recommendations in an Interior Department report that suggests possible management changes for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte national monuments in New Mexico, but not reductions in their size.

Each side had different reasons for disliking the recommendation.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said in a Journal interview Monday that while he was glad Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke didnt suggest that President Donald Trump shrink New Mexicos monuments, he was disappointed in the secretarys push to change their management plans. He called Zinkes report  leaked to the national media late Sunday  rushed and sloppy, while characterizing it as a solution in search of a problem.

Youve got to get the details right if the report is to have credibility, Heinrich said, citing examples of facts and assumptions in the report about both monuments that he said were incorrect.

An Interior Department official told the Journal the report is an internal draft not meant for release to the public.

Heinrich and Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat, also echoed complaints from New Mexico environmental and conservation groups who said some of the monument management protocols that Zinkes report aimed to correct have already been settled, but only after years of public negotiation by surrounding communities.

Republican Rep. Steve Pearce also blasted Zinkes report. Pearce, who represents the Las Cruces area, where the Organ Mountains monument is located, said he was frustrated that Zinke did not suggest reducing the nearly half-million-acre monuments size, and that failing to do so would cause economic harm in the area.

This decision blatantly ignores local businesses, Border Patrol agents and outdoorsmen to protect sites that should not be protected under the Antiquities Act, Pearce said, referring the century-old law that gave former President Obama power to establish the monument without consent of Congress.

A crowd of several dozen people, many representing environmental and wilderness advocacy groups and Native American tribes and pueblos, gathered in Downtown Albuquerque on Monday evening to protest Zinkes report. Several speakers said over a loudspeaker that New Mexicans overwhelmingly support the monuments, which have been an economic boost to the state by attracting visitors.

We got the monuments, and what do we do? We made them a success, Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces), said during the demonstration. And then what happens? The Trump review.

Some speakers questioned what effect changes to management practices would have on the monuments.

We are very concerned about recommendations to open up some of these lands to uses like logging and mining and potentially drilling, which would negate all the reasons for which they were protected in the first place, said Judy Calman, staff attorney for the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. If harm does come to our monuments, we are prepared to protect them with legal action.

The confidential monuments review, which Zinke sent to the White House last month, was leaked to The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal late Sunday. Interior officials and White House spokeswoman Kelly Love declined to comment on the report or say when a final White House decision on Zinkes monuments recommendations may be forthcoming.

Four national monuments not in New Mexico, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante in Utah, along with Nevadas Gold Butte and Oregons Cascade-Siskiyou, would be reduced in size under Zinkes recommendations.

Zinke suggested altering management of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks monument  including an area containing the Potrillo Mountains  partly to address concerns about securing the U.S. border with Mexico.

The DOI (Department of Interior) should work with the Department of Homeland Security to assess border safety risks associated with the Potrillo Mountains Complex, the report states.

Zinke also suggested amending the Organ Mountains monument to, among other things, lift motorized restrictions in areas close to the U.S.-Mexican border for national security reasons.

The Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in Taos County could also undergo management changes if the White House adopts Zinkes recommendations. The report noted that road closures due to monument restrictions have left many grazing permittees choosing not to renew permits.

Heinrich said the report makes reference to roads being closed, but thats not true, in the case of the Rio Grande monument near Taos.

We confirmed that today, Heinrich said.

Zinke does not make any specific recommendations to the Rio Grande monument, but does say the proclamation establishing both New Mexico monuments should be amended to protect objects and prioritize pubic access, infrastructure repairs, repair and maintain traditional uses, tribal and cultural use and hunting and fishing rights. Critics of the report contend the language about traditional uses may be an effort to resume logging, oil drilling and other activities now prohibited under national monument protections.

Despite the bipartisan complaints in Washington on Monday, if the White House decides to take Zinkes suggestion and make only access and management changes to New Mexicos two newest monuments  instead of reductions in size  it would allay the worst fears of environmental and outdoor recreation enthusiasts who opposed any changes at all.

While this national monument review never should have been ordered, the fact that Department of Interior Secretary Zinke is not recommending boundary reductions for either Rio Grande del Norte or Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks must be seen as a direct result of the overwhelming community support the administration heard from New Mexicans, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance said in a statement Monday.

The Organ Mountains monument was widely considered more likely to face changes than the Rio Grande Del Norte monument, although some northern New Mexico ranchers have said federal restrictions on land use in the north hurt their way of life.

Zinke visited New Mexico last month to tour the Organ Mountains monument, and heard mostly support for keeping both New Mexico monuments as they are.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trumps lawyer will return to Capitol Hill for a public hearing next month after the Senate intelligence committee abruptly canceled a closed-door staff interview Tuesday morning.

Committee leaders said they called off the interview after Michael Cohen sent a public opening statement to the media just as the meeting was about to start. Senate intelligence committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., and the panels top Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, issued a sharp statement saying the panel had asked Cohen to refrain from public comment and that they would request he return  this time for a public hearing.

We declined to move forward with todays interview and will reschedule Mr. Cohens appearance before the committee in open session at a date in the near future, Burr and Warner said in the statement. The committee expects witnesses in this investigation to work in good faith with the Senate.

Later in the day, the committee scheduled the public hearing for Oct. 25. Cohens lawyer, Stephen Ryan, said Cohen had accepted the invitation.

The Senate intelligence committee is one of several congressional panels investigating Russias interference in the presidential race and potential ties to the Trump campaign. Special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of investigators are conducting their own criminal investigation.

Burr and Warner said the committee changed its rules after Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, publicly released his 11-page prepared remarks to the panel ahead of his own closed-door interview with the panel. That interview went forward with Kushner answering questions for several hours.

Burr said the committee doesnt want witnesses to release in public what they are saying behind closed doors.

Weve changed the agreement that we have with people since Jared Kushner was in, and this is the model well follow, he said.

Cohens lawyer said they issued the public statement because the meeting had been leaked to the press.

Cohen stayed in the committees offices about an hour and a half before emerging and telling reporters that the committee had decided to postpone his interview. His interview had been expected to focus at least in part on a discussion to develop a Trump Tower in Moscow right as the presidential campaign was unfolding, a real estate deal he disclosed last month in a statement to congressional investigators. In a prepared statement obtained by The Associated Press ahead of his appearance, Cohen said that the proposal was abandoned before the first Republican primaries and was solely a real estate deal and nothing more.

After leaving the committees offices, Cohen attorney Ryan said the statement was factual, it was accurate, and we stand behind that statement. Ryan said that Cohen still intends to voluntarily cooperate with the committee as well as its counterpart in the House, which is carrying out a similar investigation.

Cohen spoke briefly, saying Ill be back.

In his statement last month, Cohen said he had worked on the Moscow real estate proposal with Felix Sater, a Russian-born associate who Cohen said had claimed to have deep connections to Moscow. Cohen also has said that he emailed Russian President Vladimir Putins press secretary after Sater suggested that the proposal would require approvals within the Russian government.

The discussions about the potential development 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.

In his statement Tuesday, Cohen said the proposal was solely a real estate deal and nothing more.

I was doing my job, he added.

The Trump Organization has previously said that the licensing deal was not significantly advanced and that no site or financing materialized during the negotiations.

Cohen also denounced allegations from a dossier produced by an opposition research firm, calling the document lie-filled and fabricated. He said he had never discussed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else a plan to hack into email accounts or to interfere with the election.

Given my own proximity to the President of the United States as a candidate, let me also say that I never saw anything  not a hint of anything  that demonstrated his involvement in Russian interference in our election or any form of Russian collusion.

__

Associated Press writer Chad Day contributed to this report.
Police have identified the man they say was shot and injured by a Circle K clerk as he tried to rob the convenience store Monday afternoon as 23-year-old Ferron Mendez.

The clerk who shot Mendez is not facing any charges.

Officer Tanner Tixier, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department, said her name is not being released for her safety.

Shortly before 4 p.m. Monday, police were called to Circle K at Eubank and Candelaria NE for an attempted armed robbery. They were on their way to the store when they were told the suspect had been shot by a clerk.

When they arrived, police found Mendez in the parking lot behind the store with a gunshot wound in his torso. He was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where he was in serious but stable condition Tuesday morning.

He will be booked (into jail) upon his release from the hospital, Tixier said.

Tixier said he will likely be charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Detectives continue to investigate whether Mendez was involved in another armed robbery at a nearby 7-Eleven on Candelaria and Wyoming NE about 20 minutes before the Circle K was hit.

The detective has to look at surveillance video and get more information, Tixier said. More charges are possible.

Mendez has no criminal history in New Mexico, according to online court records. Tixier said that the suspect has a Pennsylvania drivers license, but that he didnt know whether he has a criminal history there.




Criminal charges may be imminent against several people connected to La Promesa Early Learning Center after the Office of the State Auditor uncovered questionable transactions totaling nearly $700,000 at the Albuquerque charter school.

Officer Tanner Tixier, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, said APD hopes to file charges against one to three people by the end of the month.

Our organized crime and white collar crime unit is conducting an investigation, he said. We are working very closely with District Attorney Raul Torrez and his team to determine what charges will be necessary.

La Promesa Early Learning Center was founded by Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education member Analee Maestas in 2008. The K-8 state charter school at 7500 La Morada Place NW serves a large number of bilingual and low-income students.

Board President Dave Peercy told the Journal Tuesday that he and the other board members can vote to censure Maestas, but they cant force her to resign.

Peercy said he does not anticipate a censure based on criminal charges alone.

If there were criminal convictions or something, I suppose there are ways to deal with that, but that is a long way down the line  thats a lot of assumptions there, he said. The process is to see what the real details are. I dont know that Analee had anything to do with the particular things. Maybe she did. Thats for the judicial system to decide.

State Auditor Tim Kellers recent investigation of the school determined that about half a million dollars were diverted from La Promesa into a former employees personal bank account between June 2010 and July 2016.

La Promesa identified the former employee as Maestas daughter, Julieanne Maestas, who was then the schools assistant business manager.

In addition, Julieanne Maestas deposited about $177,000 worth of checks that were payable to the former executive director  her mother  as well as to her boyfriend, who was a vendor for the school, according to the state auditors report.

Julieanne Maestas was previously contracted to do accounts payable at Gilbert L. Sena Charter High School in Albuquerque. The schools business manager is reviewing bank statements to make sure there are no irregularities, according to executive director Nadine Torres.

Torres said Maestas worked two days per week during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years, and she did not have authority to sign checks.

I am confident that at Gilbert Sena Charter High School we have procedures and internal controls in place to ensure that this (embezzlement) would not happen here, Torres said. We feel that it would be a good idea just to make sure.

Analee Maestas and her attorney did not respond to a request for comment. The Journal could not reach Julieanne Maestas.

Kellers risk review outlines specific potential criminal violations, including fraud, embezzlement, larceny and forgery.

Analee and Julieanne Maestas left their positions at La Promesa in 2016, though Analee Maestas remains on the APS board.

Voters do have the power to remove Maestas from the board.

A petition for a recall election would require the signatures of about 200 of her constituents  33.3 percent of the voters who turned out to elect her in 2015.

La Promesas financial issues came to light in February 2016 after the school submitted a suspicious receipt to the New Mexico Public Education Department for reimbursement. Maestas claimed the $342.40 invoice was for carpet cleaning at the school, but it appeared to have been written over, and the cleaning company reported that it actually worked on ducts at Maestas home.

The New Mexico Public Education Department assumed control of La Promesas finances in August 2016.

Albuquerque Journal staff writer Rick Nathanson contributed to this report.
Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.
BATON ROUGE, La.  A 23-year-old white man was arrested Tuesday and accused of cold-bloodedly killing two black men and shooting up a black familys home in a string of attacks last week that police say may have been racially motivated.

A law enforcement official said authorities found a handwritten copy of an Adolf Hitler speech at Kenneth James Gleasons home, and investigators said surveillance footage and DNA on a shell casing link him to the crimes.

Authorities said he would be charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of a homeless man and a dishwasher who was walking to work. In each case, the killer opened fire from his car, then walked up to the victim as he lay on the ground and fired again repeatedly, police said.

I feel confident that this killer would have killed again, interim Police Chief Jonny Dunnam said.

Gleasons attorney, J. Christopher Alexander, said his client vehemently denies guilt, and we look forward to complete vindication.

Authorities found the Hitler speech during a search over the weekend, according to the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still going on.

Asked whether police suspect the shootings were motivated by race, Sgt. LJean McKneely said: Were not completely closed off to that. Were looking at all possibilities at this time, so were not going to just pinpoint that.

District Attorney Hillar Moore said he may seek the death penalty.

It appears to be cold, calculated, planned (against) people who were unarmed and defenseless, he said.

Authorities also said that just after midnight on Sept. 10, Gleason fired into the home of a black family who lived three houses down from Gleason and his parents.

Resident Tonya Stephens said her two adult sons were home at the time and she was away at her nurses job. Three bullets pierced the front door and struck furniture, but no one was hurt.

Stephens said her family had seen Gleason sleeping in his car or speeding down the street, but she never had any dealings with him and I never paid him any mind.

In the other shootings, neither victim had any connection to Gleason, investigators said.

The first killing occurred Sept. 12, when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was gunned down. The second took place last Thursday night, when 49-year-old Donald Smart was shot on his way to his job at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students.

Authorities said ballistics tests determined that the same gun was used in all three shootings. Also, they said DNA found on one of the shell casings matched genetic material on a swab they took from Gleason.

Investigators have not found the 9 mm gun but said Gleason bought such a weapon last November, according to the district attorney. Gleason also ordered a silencer in July, but it had not arrived yet  thankfully, the prosecutor said.

One of the big breaks in the case came when a security company noticed a white man in a red car removing his license plate and perhaps putting a gun in the trunk while parked at the companys office.

The company reported the suspicious activity to police and followed up with them after the second shooting, giving authorities surveillance video and photographs. Investigators found Gleasons red car on Saturday.

Louisianas capital city is in the grips of a surge in bloodshed. The number of homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish has already surpassed last years total of 62, The Advocate newspaper reported this month.

Baton Rouge has been through a lot of turmoil in the last year, the police chief said. If not for Gleasons arrest, he could have potentially created a tear in the fabric that holds this community together.

Racial tensions escalated in the city in the summer of 2016 when a black man was shot to death by a white police officer outside a convenience store. About two weeks later, a black gunman targeted police in an ambush, killing three officers and wounding three others before he was shot to death.

The city of approximately 229,000 is about 55 percent black and 40 percent white.

Gleason did not appear to have any active social media profiles. A Louisiana State University spokesman said Gleason attended the school from the fall of 2012 to fall of 2013. He had transferred to LSU from Baton Rouge Community College.

Gleason was arrested in Phoenix in December on charges of shoplifting wine and razors. Police said he was homeless at the time. The case was dismissed after he completed a diversion program.

During the search of Gleasons home, authorities also found 9 grams of marijuana and vials of human growth hormone, according to police.

___

Associated Press Writer Bob Christie in Phoenix contributed to this report.

___

This story has corrected the time frame for when Gleason was enrolled at LSU and that a single Baton Rouge white police officer shot and killed a black man outside a convenience store last summer.
NEW YORK  A report published Tuesday highlighting the scourge of modern-day slavery paints a stark picture.

We now have the largest number of slaves on Earth than weve had in human history, said Andrew Forrest, founder of the Walk Free Foundation, an organization working to end contemporary slavery and human trafficking, which co-authored Global Estimates of Modern Slavery with the International Labor Office, or ILO.

But we also feel equally as confident that we have the weapons now, we have the communications skills, we have the interest to raise it to public attention, Forrest said. As soon as the public becomes aware that slavery exists among them they can ask the question when theyre at the teller, or when theyre at the shops, or when theyre buying clothes, how can I be sure that this clothing, this seafood, this product wasnt made by slaves? And with that question frees a slave.

The report demonstrates the challenges of achieving the United Nations goal of combating forced labor, modern slavery and human trafficking in all its forms by 2025. But its not due to lack of trying, researchers said.

The thing about criminals is that they are incredibly inventive, said Fiona David, the Walk Free Foundations executive director of global research. So as one form of slavery becomes illegal or becomes very difficult to perpetrate, criminals really look for the weakest link and they find new ways to exploit vulnerability.

The report, supplemented by accompanying analysis by the ILO, examines different forms of forced labor, which it said occurred in every region of the world in 2016. The problem was the most prevalent in Africa, followed by Asia, the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, according to the report, which acknowledged that the results should be interpreted with caution due to the dearth of data from some areas, such as the Americas and Arab states.

According to the report, which also spotlights forced marriage, no single source provides suitable and reliable data for all forms of modern slavery.

The core statistics were based on national surveys involving interviews with more than 71,000 respondents across 48 countries, researchers said. It was supplemented with data from the International Organization for Migration that also partnered to produce the report, according to David.

The enslaved included people threatened or coerced into roles as domestic workers, on construction sites and farms, in clandestine factories and in the sex trade.

Heres a look at some of the disturbing numbers, which the report warned were conservative estimates due to the limitations of the data:

151.6 MILLION

The number of children 5 to 17 years old who are in forced labor, according to International Labor Organization findings. By international standards, child labor is defined as work that is hazardous, demands too many hours, or is performed by children who are too young, the agency said.

89 MILLION

The number of people who have experienced some form of slavery in the last five years. The average length of time victims were forced to work varied from a few days to five years. And one in four victims of modern slavery were children, the report found.

Slavery is a crime of opportunity, said Forrest, who is also chair of the Fortescue Metals Group, an Australian iron ore company. If youre in Bahrain and youre enslaving an African girl  because you think youre a higher species of human, youre in fact nothing more than the modern day slaver who used to ship Africans out of Africa to Europe and North America for blood money.

40.3 MILLION

The estimated number of people who were victims of slavery in 2016. Of these, 25.9 million were men, women and children who were forced to work against their will last year.

Today, women and girls are predominantly being subjected to forced labor in domestic work and the sex industry, whereas men and boys are being subjected to forced labor in construction, in manufacturing and in fishing, said David, the researcher. And these are industries quite thoroughly regulated.

Meanwhile, 15.4 million people were confined to a marriage to which they had not consented. Most the enslaved are women and girls, who comprise 71 percent of the overall total of enslaved people.

People need to be aware that if they enslave a domestic servant, if they enslave a child, if they enslave a bonded laborer, they are nothing greater than the worst individuals who propagated slavery in the 18th century, Forrest said

16 MILLION

The number of people who were in forced labor in the private economy in 2016. Half of these men and women were in so-called debt bondage, in which personal debt is paid through forced labor, according to the report.

5.7 MILLION

The number of children who were forced to marry. Among the child victims, 44 percent were forced to marry before they were 15 years old.

Child marriage and forced marriage is absolutely the domain of government and we should force governments to put an end to the practice, which absolutely meets every definition of slavery, Forrest said.

4.1 MILLION

The average number of people in state-imposed forced labor last year. These included citizens recruited by government authorities to participate in agriculture or construction work for economic development, and young military conscripts.

3.8 MILLION

The number of adults who endured forced sexual exploitation. In addition, 1 million children were victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The vast majority of those subjugated were women and girls.

So how to end this modern-day scourge?

Ridding the world of this blight would require a multifaceted a response, the report said, with solutions targeting economic, social, cultural and legal factors.

There can be no one-size-fits-all solution, the report said.

Companies, governmental agencies and consumers must collaborate and take the lead, Forrest said.

I think that theres real hope in the world that slavery can come to an end with the united action of business and government, Forrest said. That is absolutely the solution.



2017 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

-

PHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194): GLOBAL-SLAVERY

_____
Police have identified the man found dead in a vacant apartment on Zuni near Pennsylvania SE last week as Elwyn Thompson.

Officers were called to the apartment on the 8000 block of Zuni SE in the early morning hours of Sept. 13 found Thompson dead, according to officer Tanner Tixier, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department.

Tixier said Thompsons death is being considered suspicious but the Office of the Medical Investigator will determine how he died. He did not say what was suspicious about his death.

Tixier did not know Thompsons date of birth.
Cash-strapped startups in New Mexico can access a new state-funded Innovation Voucher Program to offset some of their costs.

The program, announced by the state Economic Development Department on Tuesday, will provide micro grants of up to $2,000 for early-stage science or technology companies affiliated with New Mexico incubators and accelerator programs. If approved, the grant helps pay for services, such as rent for one month, allowing the startup to spend its own funds on other things.

The goal is to provide small amounts of funding at critical moments for startups struggling to launch and grow their businesses, said Economic Development Secretary Matt Geisel.

This program continues to move New Mexico forward as a leader in technology ventures, Geisel said in a prepared statement. This investment strengthens our commitment to building a healthier economy and helping our homegrown companies succeed.

Companies applying for grants can receive one award per year, up to a maximum of three awards over five years. Grant applications will be reviewed by the state-funded Technology Research Collaborative, which unites representatives from the states research institutions to identify and promote opportunities for moving locally developed technology into the marketplace.

Although small, the grants do reinforce the suite of local resources available for startups, said T.J. Cook, executive director of the ABQid business accelerator.

By itself, its not a huge amount, but alongside other types of grants and support programs, it helps, Cook said.

One of the first vouchers went to Silent Falcon UAS Technologies, an Albuquerque startup marketing solar-powered drones. The money paid for services from local engineering firm Team Technologies, which manages the new Team Accelerator in Albuquerque.

It offset one month of rent, which freed up funding for some of our flight demonstrations, said Silent Falcon CEO John Brown. Its modest, but the grant does help offset costs.
In line with the United Nations theme for this years World Tourism Day, Ola, Indias most popular mobile app for transportation, has come together with 7 prominent State Tourism Departments and Corporations to promote responsible tourism. To raise awareness about responsible tourism and promote road travel to lesser-known locales across the country, Ola has roped in popular VJ turned actor, model, writer, and travel vlogger, Shenaz Treasury for a 7-state, 12-day and 21 locations expedition across India with Ola Outstation.

Tourism as a sector is rapidly growing in India, accounting for nearly 10% of the countrys GDP (in 2016). As the number of visitors grow each year, both domestic and international, it is vital to invest in responsible tourism activities that will go a long way in protecting and conserving Indias vibrant cultural heritage present in every corner of the country. Fostering an ecosystem that enables a deep-dive into local culture and experience is also, important to promote the growth of the sector. Solutions like Ola Outstation, a smart mobility solution for inter-city travel are tailor-made to enable convenient and affordable road transport to deep corners of the country, ensuring a truly unique and unforgettable experience for domestic and international tourists alike.

Olas campaign was flagged off by Shri Priyank M. Kharge, Honble Minister of State for Information Technology, Biotechnology, and Tourism, Government of Karnataka from Bengalurus Vidhana Soudha. On September 16th, Shenaz hit the road starting from Karnataka, traveling across 6 other states, to conclude in Mumbai after 12 days. In this journey, she will be discovering architectural marvels and mesmerising locales in Aihole, Gandikota, Kalakho, Samode, Kumarakom, and Majauli, and many more on the way.

Pranay Jivrajka, Founding Partner, Ola said, We are thrilled to be collaborating with tourism boards across the country, where we will be jointly building a responsible tourism ecosystem through Ola Outstation. The Ola Outstation category is second only to the Indian Railways in terms of network and connects over 1000+ cities and towns across the country, giving a much needed impetus to tourism. Given the deep economic as well as the social and cultural impact that tourism brings, it becomes extremely important to promote responsible tourism. With Ola Outstation, our intention is to encourage tourism in a manner that is respectful of local culture and sentiment, environment-friendly, and aids in promoting local economy. By encouraging travellers to focus on lesser known wonders and marvels in nooks and crannies of the country, we are also looking to unlock the real potential of tourism in a well-endowed country like ours.

Shenaz Treasury, actress and travel vlogger said, I have travelled across several countries and continents, but India holds a special place in my heart since every single state has something unique to offer. Being a passionate traveller, I strongly feel that the preservation of our natural and cultural heritage across the country is facing a grave threat. There is now a need more than ever for us to travel consciously, respectfully, and responsibly. From avoiding littering to encouraging local economy, there is a lot each one of us can do that will go a long way in keeping the countrys cultural legacy intact. I am thrilled to partner with Ola, be the flag-bearer of this message, and embark on what I am certain, will be an exciting journey of exploring India by road with Ola Outstation. And, Ola Play in my cab is going to be an excellent travel companion! Shenaz further adds, I encourage people to take the road less travelled, explore the abundant off-beat locations. Take road trips, soak in some breathtaking experiences, and enjoy the scenic landscapes that our country has to offer.

The initiative also, promotes tourism by encouraging road travel to less explored and hidden gems that are easily accessible with a smart and affordable solution like Ola Outstation.Ola has joined forces with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), Kerala Tourism Department, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Ltd, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL), Rajasthan Tourism Department, Assam Tourism Department, and Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC).

Ola Outstation connects over 1000+ cities and towns across the country, comes with the best fleet of cars and, trained, verified, and top rated driver partners. To ensure that the customer enjoys a smooth and comfortable on-road experience, every cab on the Outstation category goes through stringent checks. With over 500 one-way trips enabled and services live in 80+ cities already, the category is set to grow substantially over the next few months.
Uber, the worlds largest on-demand ride-sharing company today, launched UberJOURNEYS; a collection of video-stories about the lives of riders and driver-partners. Complementing the recently launched Apnapan campaign, this initiative aims to tell the extraordinary stories of everyday people who use the Uber platform.



Sanjay Gupta, Head of Marketing, Uber India, said, In the months prior to the launch of our mass media campaign, we spent hours in conversation with both riders and driver-partners, to understand the role our platform plays in their lives. And having completed half a billion rides in India  the stories we heard of their everyday lives were nothing short of inspirational. These stories needed a platform to be told and this was the genesis of UberJOURNEYS - a showcase of the extraordinary journeys of ordinary people."

The first UberJOURNEYS video, titled The World in Voices, brings to life the inspiring story of Ruchir Falodiya, a social media manager at TATA CLiQ. Like many others, Ruchir relies on Uber for his daily commute. But unlike many, he has a deeper connection with technology. Visually impaired from birth, Ruchir sees the world in voices - one that he says is full of possibilities and great adventures. With an aim to contribute to open-source technology and build products that will help visually impaired people like him, Ruchir started coding at the age of 15.

Uber is committed to building solutions that support mobility for all. With VoiceOver iOS, Android TalkBack, and wireless braille display compatibility, Uber is enabling millions in the visually impaired and low vision community to seek a greater degree of independence in their everyday lives. Riders like Ruchir reinforce Ubers belief that when technology is paired with mobility, it will open up a future of opportunities and independence for all. Watch Ruchirs story here.

Uber is working with Untold (premium content team from 22feet Tribal Worldwide) to identify and tell stories that help highlight the purpose and pursuit behind these journeys that Uber has been a part of. Rishabh Malhotra, co-founder, Untold, said, "Our focus has always been to tell stories that fascinate people and what better partner than Uber to help bring out people's stories to the world. Uber operates in a space where it engages with customers and driver partners at every stage of the journey it is undertaking and that is where we come in."

For more UberJOURNEYS, visit t.uber.com/journeys.
Featuring IoT technologies and synergies that help create a more prosperous society

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that it will exhibit a range of cutting-edge technologies and products at CEATEC JAPAN 2017, taking place at the Makuhari Messe exhibition complex in Chiba, Japan from October 3 to 6. The exhibit will be located at Booth No. C002 in the Community Area of Hall 1.

Under the theme of Contributing to the realization of a prosperous society through advanced IoT technologies and synergies, Mitsubishi Electric will present a wide range of cutting-edge products and solutions, including innovative hands-on exhibits, many of them inspired by Japans Society 5.0 initiative, an ambitious programme aimed at the broad digital transformation of society.

The company will also demonstrate some of its newest technologies, including Speech-Separation Technology, a solution that allows separation of the simultaneous voices of multiple unknown speakers recorded with one microphone. It will also showcase its Bidirectional Wireless Power Transfer Technology, which facilitates the smart supply of electricity to and between electric vehicles, homes, offices and factories.

For the full text, please visit: http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/news

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170918005057/en/

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Customer Inquiries

Corporate Advertising Division

+81-3-3218-2311

Adv.pr@px.MitsubishiElectric.co.jp

www.MitsubishiElectric.com/

or

Media Inquiries

Hiroyuki Fukumoto, +81-3-3218-2821

Public Relations Division

prd.gnews@nk.MitsubishiElectric.co.jp

www.MitsubishiElectric.com/news/
Managed file transfer middleware vendor, HULFT, receives Japan Institute of Information Technologys Best Customer Support of The Year 2017.

The HULFT Division of Saison Information Systems Co., Ltd. (JASDAQ:9640) (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President: Kazuhiro Uchida; herein, Saison Information Systems) develops, sells, and supports a range of data and file management middleware products. HULFT received Best Customer Support of The Year 2017 from the Japan Institute of Information Technology (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; Chairman: Noritaka Uji; herein, JIIT).

About HULFT Receiving the Award

JIIT released the following statement regarding the selection of HULFT as this years award recipient.

The HULFT Division develops, sells, and supports products for managed file transfer middleware. Their Customer Service Departments Technical Support Center has implemented a program with the mission of, Moving from zero mistakes, to 100% satisfaction. Their aim is improvement of customer satisfaction and contribution to the business by improving service quality and their employee satisfaction. [] After the repositioning of the Technical Support Center, the continuous efforts of the Technical Support Center to improve the satisfaction of both customers and employees are recognized to contribute to the business [].

About HULFTs Customer Support Initiatives

Background: Along with a change in the business structure conducted in 2013, we redefined the value and priority of our customer support. At the same time, we set the goal of increased use of our support services by raising customer satisfaction, improving service quality and our employee satisfaction.

Along with a change in the business structure conducted in 2013, we redefined the value and priority of our customer support. At the same time, we set the goal of increased use of our support services by raising customer satisfaction, improving service quality and our employee satisfaction. From Help Desk to Technical Support: Previously, as a help desk, we used to aim for making zero mistakes. Our focus was on reducing the number of incorrect answers, operational errors, and customer complaints. We have since revised our focus to aiming for 100% customer satisfaction, as this will make more contribution to our business goals such as sales targets.

Previously, as a help desk, we used to aim for making zero mistakes. Our focus was on reducing the number of incorrect answers, operational errors, and customer complaints. We have since revised our focus to aiming for 100% customer satisfaction, as this will make more contribution to our business goals such as sales targets. Technical Support Initiatives and Results: By clarifying and disclosing the scope of our support services, we were able to improve the customers reliability, which led to increase customer satisfaction. As a result of the operational improvements such as shortening of response time and enhancement of our FAQ, we received external awards and improved customer satisfaction. Further improvement in support service quality has been realized by raising employee motivation and satisfaction.



Thanks to the synergistic effect of these initiatives, we also contributed directly to business sales, including increased support service sales and improved license sales.

Saison Information Systems HULFT Division will continue to improve customer satisfaction by improving service quality and employee satisfaction through customer support activities, and will further strengthen ties with customers and promote our value.

About Japan Institute of Information Technology

Japan Institute of Information Technology (JIIT) is a Tokyo-headquartered public interest incorporated foundation that conducts research and development on enterprise information technology and publishes its findings. It is currently the only public institution in Japan tackling the issues related to strengthening functions and solving problems of customer support centers.

Website: http://www.jiit.or.jp/

About JIITs Customer Support Award Program

The Customer Support Award Program was established by JIIT to improve the quality, productivity, and strategic management of customer support operations run by businesses and organizations in Japan. Through providing this annual award, JIIT seeks to publicly recognize businesses and organizations that demonstrate innovative approaches to customer support and services, improve customer satisfaction, and resolve management issues.

About HULFT

Compatible with an ever-growing range of platforms since its launch in 1993, HULFTs flagship product is managed file transfer (MFT) middleware equipped with all the functionality enterprises need to share files between business systems. As of the end of March 2017, there are currently 189,600 HULFT licenses in use by 8,700 companies in 43 countries worldwide, spanning a broad range of industries. In addition to sending, receiving and managing file transfer jobs, HULFT also includes peripheral functions essential to transferring files, including security and integration of data before and after transfer.

Product Details: https://www.hulft.com/en/hulft-mft/

About Saison Information Systems Co., Ltd.

Headquarters: Sunshine 60 (21F), 3-1-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-6021, Japan

Established: September 1 st 1970

1970 President: Kazuhiro Uchida

Website: http://home.saison.co.jp/english/

Trademarks

HULFT and related products are registered trademarks or trademarks of Saison Information Systems Co., Ltd.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170918005049/en/

HULFT Media Inquiries

Saison Information Systems Co., Ltd.

Akane Toyota / Seiko Yokoi, +81-3-3988-3477

Corporate Planning Department

kikaku@saison.co.jp

or

HULFT Product Inquiries

Saison Information Systems Co., Ltd.

Fumio Horino, +81-3-3988-5301

HULFT Division

info@hulft.com
We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain.
Speaking at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Qualcomm CEO Steven Mollenkopf has now reiterated an earlier prediction that early 2019 is a feasible timeline for the arrival of 5G devices. Its an idea that Mollenkopf first put forward several months ago at the Fortune Brainstorm conference in Colorado, but his choice of venues for expanding on the idea makes a lot of sense. Thats because 5G networking is seen as a pivotal part of moving self-driving vehicles forward. Mollenkopf also used the platform to expand on that previous prediction to say that the first markets to see 5G appear will likely be in the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

Delving further into the matter, Mollenkopf believes that 5G will be the underlying network that enables a real vehicle-to-everything connectivity. Qualcomm envisions a future where cars are in communication with the world around them, including traffic lights, other vehicles, and pedestrians  which will likely be made possible through the incorporation of mobile networks and smart devices as part of the Internet of Things (IoT). Mollenkopf also reiterated that the companys push toward that future will center around new chipsets such as the one it announced back in September  the 9150 C-V2X  and partnerships it has created in conjunction with several mobile network providers. In earlier talks about its new timelines, Qualcomm also hinted that 5G speeds will probably be measured in Gbps  with speeds of up to 20 Gbps  and each of those points likely contributed to the companys confidence in its new 2019 timeline.

Meanwhile, other companies and partnership groups are also working to get 5G connections activated in the real world. For example, one recent test run by Huawei and Deutsche Telekom managed to achieve a connection speed of around 2 Gbps. However, the majority of industry leaders, including Huawei and several mobile service providers, dont agree with Qualcomms prediction. AT&T, for example, does not believe the technology can be fully implemented before 2020 and thats a sentiment backed up by Huawei, among others. Moreover, the specifications standards for 5 are not expected to be finalized until sometime next year, which may present an even greater challenge to Qualcomm. Bearing that in mind, whether or not its prediction works out will depend largely on what those standards are and how well Qualcomm can adapt if they are not finalized as expected.
Cautious optimism

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has dubbed his five-day visit to India successful. However, in reality, this visit has no substantive outcome.
Deustche Bank has estimated that somewhere around 250,000 of the postpaid net adds that T-Mobile reported in Q2 of 2017 are actually virtual phone numbers and their accompanying accounts, created by the carriers new DIGITS initiative. T-Mobile has confirmed that Deutsche Banks allegation is indeed correct, but did not confirm whether the estimated amount was correct. T-Mobile will reportedly be working to come to an accurate estimate, and will be retroactively correcting the report with that new figure in mind. DIGITS was offered for free to all customers, though the program was likely not useful to a good number of customers. Still, this means that a significant chunk of T-Mobiles user base likely took advantage of the service, so theres no telling at the moment just how accurate Deutsche Banks estimate is, or whether the real figure is higher or lower.

If Deutsche Banks estimate is correct or the actual number that T-Mobile will provide lower proves to be higher than that, the carriers total postpaid net adds for the second quarter of 2017 will be below 550,000. More importantly, if the real figure does dip that low, it will be the first time in quite a while that T-Mobile has missed Wall Street estimates for postpaid net adds. The Un-Carriers strong momentum called for between 590,000 and 611,000 postpaid net adds for the quarter.

T-Mobiles DIGITS service is quite convenient, for certain subsets of users. It not only generates virtual phone numbers that can be used like real ones on a smartphone, but allows devices that can accept calls by proxy, such as tablets and wearables, to share that phone number, or even have a unique number so long as they are near their host device. The service may not have much to offer the average customer, but for those with multiple shared devices or a desire to have a separate work number, or multiple numbers for any other reason, the possible benefits are quite clear. The service launched in May right in the middle of the second quarter, which would mean that the first few weeks of the service where the most users would likely have jumped on board, will all be on the report for that quarter.
Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice.
Counting stalled in Baragadhi after Maoist cadres try to tear ballot paper

Vote counting stalled in Baragadhi Rural Municipality of Bara district on Tuesday after the representatives of CPN (Maoist Centre) attempted to tear the ballot papers.
Free newsletter

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter service and well keep you up-to-date with the latest breaking news, cutting edge opinion, and expert analysis affecting both your business and the industry as whole.

Please enter your email address below and click on Sign Up for daily newsletters from Australasian Lawyer.
LawAdvisor has introduced LawAdvisor Corporate with an iconic Australian company as its launch partner.The legal technology firm partnered with travel company Lonely Planet to launch LawAdvisor Corporate, which allows businesses to run operations and manage legal work through their own dedicated platform. The multimedia travel companys legal team worked with LawAdvisor to develop the corporate product, which provides real-time expenditure and milestone tracking.The software also helps company streamline legal procurement and choose the right legal services providers based on the requirements of certain matters.Lonely Planets complex, evolving and globally distributed business was a great launch partner, as their appetite for digital improvement, coupled with a wide variety of legal scenarios, put the products development through its paces, said Brennan Ong , LawAdvisors founder.We require legal expertise across a vast spectrum of business needs. It is great to have one platform to do this through, which builds the feedback loop right into the process, offering greater efficiency and better service overall, said Kate Sullivan, Lonely Planets senior legal counsel.Lonely Planet also helped Law Advisor develop Rapid Contracts, a product that automates the bulk of contract creation, negotiation, and execution.Its really wonderful that two globally-minded, Melbourne-based companies can work together to create something great. Without Lonely Planets feedback, LawAdvisor Corporate wouldnt be the product it is today, and were very glad to have their support, Ong said.LawAdvisor launched in 2015. It received an investment from a Google Maps co-founder in August of 2016. It launched in the UK last May after securing more funding from a legal management consultancy firm.
Queensland property lawyers want a clear update on the rollout of the states electronic conveyancing framework after years of waiting, according to new research.According to GlobalX , 84% of lawyers and conveyancers in Queensland welcome the move to electronic conveyancing and are waiting for the Queensland Titles Registry to implement the timeframe for the smooth introduction of the framework in the state. The research also found that more than 91% of respondents view electronic conveyancing as inevitable, with 72% saying it would positively impact the industry.But the industry has waited years for guidance. The Electronic Conveyancing National Law (Queensland) was introduced in May 2013 and the Payroll Tax Rebate, Revenue and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2015 (Act) was introduced in June 2015.Despite the move by other state governments to phase in electronic conveyancing, Queensland is yet to provide industry guidance, Peter Maloney, GlobalX CEO, said. It really is disappointing for Queensland lawyers who often operate across multiple jurisdictions and are therefore having to operate two different systems. Take the lawyer working in Goondiwindi settling a property for a client in Boogabilla  two states, two systems. This situation is even more extreme in highly populated border towns in the Tweed Regions.The registries of New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia have all published guidelines for the implementation timeframe of electronic conveyancing in their jurisdictions. All property transfers in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia will be digital by August 2019.GlobalX also said that wait is impacting large and small law firms alike.The current paper-based process in Queensland means that five separate documents must be fully signed  and just one missing signature can completely derail a settlement. This process is in dire need of reform and Property Exchange Australia (PEXA) offers an innovative solution, Maloney said.The lack of a clear timeframe in Queensland may also be becoming a burden to other states.Its time that our government provides certainty for the industry in the form of regulatory change, as the industry will benefit enormously if the Queensland government communicates an implementation timeline, instrument by instrument, in a phased and considered approach. The reality is electronic conveyancing requires a network effect  all providers need to be operating on the platform to generate the greatest economic benefit to the industry, government and consumers, Maloney said.PEXA CEO Marcus Price said, Without certainty around how property transactions will be required to be completed in future, firms must support both manual and electronic processes; a costly and inefficient outcome that misses out on delivering the market efficiencies e-Conveyancing was designed to create. Buying property can be very stressful and online conveyancing offers a chance to alleviate that stress. The sooner that property professionals, buyers and sellers move to a digital system, the less processing errors will occur, creating ease of mind for everyone involved.
Dangerous mercury level found in Nepali women of childbearing age

Nearly 40 percent of women of reproductive age, including those in Nepal, have elevated levels of mercury, a toxic metal, in their body, according to a study.
White House economic adviser Gary Cohn met with representatives from top allies at a breakfast ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, telling them that the Trump administration still plans to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, per the NYT.

ICYMI: The WSJ dropped a story over the weekend that the U.S. wanted to find a middle ground to stay in the deal rather than pull out entirely.

The WSJ dropped a story over the weekend that the U.S. wanted to find a middle ground to stay in the deal rather than pull out entirely. The response: The White House pushed back quickly, stating that there was "no change" to Trump's position on Paris. Cohn's statements at the breakfast reiterated that point.

The White House pushed back quickly, stating that there was "no change" to Trump's position on Paris. Cohn's statements at the breakfast reiterated that point. Why it matters: The fact that Cohn met with other countries about Paris ahead of the UNGA indicates that the White House might at least be open to hearing other ideas regarding the agreement  an idea floated yesterday by Axios' Ben Geman and Amy Harder.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon that there are military options for North Korea that don't put Seoul, South Korea's capital, at risk, NBC News' Hans Nichols reports. Mattis added he would "not go into details" but that there are "many military options in concert with our allies."

North Korea has artillery aimed at Seoul, just 35 miles away, meaning an attack on North Korea is likely to put the city of 10+ million people under threat of imminent military attack. It's hard to imagine a plan that completely removes that threat, but that seems to be what Mattis is suggesting.
Trump before the beginning of the "Reforming the United Nations" meeting Monday at UN headquarters. Photo: Evan Vucci / AP

President Trump's speech Tuesday before the UN General Assembly will focus on North Korea's "destabilizing, hostile, and dangerous behavior," as well as the threat posed by Iran, a senior administration official told reporters on Monday.

Although the official would not go into details on what specific actions Trump will ask other nations to take with regard to the two countries, the official said Trump will stress that "nations cannot be bystanders to history." North Korea is a "shared menace" that will "only become more formidable" if nations don't do anything, the official said in a preview of the speech.

Why we're watching: Because the whole world will be, including North Korea and Iran.

Trump's rhetoric has prompted responses from North Korea before  remember Trump threatening "fire and fury" and, hours later, North Korea threatening Guam?

Iran will be watching to see if Trump will drop hints about whether the U.S. will re-certify the nuclear deal next month.

Trump will also discuss the crisis in Venezuela, and terrorism "will be a major focus of the speech."

A few key themes to expect from Trump's speech:

Trump will be calling on other nations to face common threats together, and "not because some global bureaucracy is structuring action, but because independent nationsneed to confront these challenges."

Trump will stress burden-sharing, as he did when he addressed a NATO summit.

Sovereignty will also be front-and-center, since, per the official, "all countries that are sovereign can put the needs of their own citizens first," which gives them a "rational basis" to cooperate with other countries.

Our thought bubble: That sounds like America First on a global scale.
The FBI wiretapped Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, both before and after the election, CNN reports. According to the report, those taps were active during a "period when Manafort was known to talk" to President Trump, but not at the time Manafort attended a meeting with Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer.

Three sources told CNN the investigators were concerned Manafort had "encouraged Russians to help with the campaign."

The taps were authorized by a FISA court, per CNN, a step that requires high-level approval and significant documentation. A storage facility belonging to Manafort was also searched.

The investigation into Manafort began in 2014, over consulting work he did in Ukraine. He is now a central focus of Robert Mueller's investigation. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Another bombshell, per the NY Times: after agents executed a search of Manafort's home in July, prosecutors "told Mr. Manafort they planned to indict him."

From Manafort's lawyer: "If true, it is a felony to reveal the existence of a FISA warrant, regardless of the fact that no charges ever emerged. The U.S Department of Justice's Inspector General should immediately conduct an investigation into these leaks and to examine the motivations behind a previous Administration's effort to surveil a political opponent. Mr. Manafort requests that the Department of Justice release any intercepts involving him and any non-Americans so interested parties can come to the same conclusion as the DOJ  there is nothing there."

Go Deeper: Mueller haunts the West Wing
Roy Moore, the current frontrunner in Alabama's GOP Senate runoff, used racially insensitive language to refer to Native Americans and Asians during a campaign speech yesterday, per The Hill.

The quote: "Now we have blacks and whites fighting, reds and yellows fighting, Democrats and Republicans fighting, men and women fighting. What's going to unite us? What's going to bring us back together? A President? A Congress? No. It's going to be God."

"Now we have blacks and whites fighting, reds and yellows fighting, Democrats and Republicans fighting, men and women fighting. What's going to unite us? What's going to bring us back together? A President? A Congress? No. It's going to be God." Not the first controversy: Last week, CNN's KFILE dug up a radio show interview where Moore refused to condemn the idea that gay people deserve the death penalty. Moore gained public notoriety as Alabama's Chief Justice by ignoring a federal court order to issue same-sex marriage licenses in the state.

Last week, CNN's KFILE dug up a radio show interview where Moore refused to condemn the idea that gay people deserve the death penalty. Moore gained public notoriety as Alabama's Chief Justice by ignoring a federal court order to issue same-sex marriage licenses in the state. The state of play: Moore is leading the race despite President Trump and congressional Republican leadership endorsing Luther Strange, his opponent.
Google is launching new features within its free Cloud Natural Languages API (shared software technology) that will help newsrooms and other businesses sort information so that it's easier to find later.

Why it matters: Google is seen as a mixed bag for publishers, offering a lot of traffic, but also sucking up a lot of the industry's ad revenue. Still, the features could be game-changers for newsrooms faced with the daunting task of classifying and taxonomizing hundreds of articles per day and thousands of articles in their archives. It will also make translating text from different languages much easier so that publishers can enter new markets more easily.

Publications like Hearst and Vice have already been testing the new features that will be open to all newsrooms and businesses moving forward.

The company will announce two updates today.
When John McCain was a presidential candidate at a rally in Nevada in 2008. Photo: Isaac Brekken / AP

The Senate has approved a bill (89-8) that authorizes $700 billion in military spending, per the AP. It would allocate $640 billion to core Pentagon ops and $60 billion to wartime missions.

Some key points:

In response to the North Korean threat, it would expand missile defense systems from 40 interceptors to 58, using $8.5 billion.

The amendment that would have invalidated Trump's proposed ban on transgender service members did not make it in.

It wouldn't close any military bases, as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he wanted to do.

Up next: A joint House-Senate conference over priorities and differences of opinion.
President Trump is using money from both his reelection campaign and the RNC for legal fees incurred as a result of the Russia investigation, according to a new Reuters report. Past presidents have used these funds for routine legal expenses related to their campaigns, but Trump would be the first modern president to use them for a criminal matter. Asked how Trump's bills were being paid John Dowd, his chief lawyer, told Reuters, "that's none of your business."

How it's legal: Trump, using a precedent set by Barack Obama in 2008, turned down public funding for his campaign, allowing him to utilize privately donated cash with fewer restrictions. The exact amounts may become clearer when the RNC files a financial disclosure statement later this week, with a similar disclosure for Trump's reelection campaign due next month.
A handful of health policy wonks over at the New York Times' Upshot got together and tried to determine, via a tournament-style elimination challenge, which country has the best health care system in the world.

The winner: Switzerland  whose system has a lot in common with the ACA. (Unlike its single-payer neighbors, Switzerland relies on highly regulated, mandatory private insurance.) The experts gave it high marks for access and outcomes, and said its higher costs seemed to be worth it.

Go deeper: Harvard professor Ashish Jha, one of the experts who participated in the NYT's experiment (and who voted for Switzerland as the best system in the world), wrote a separate piece on his own, breaking down the objective markers we can use to measure access, quality and innovation. Keep the tab open for a good coffee-break/lunchtime/anything-but Graham-Cassidy read.

Single-payer system: Lanhee Chen, the policy director to Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, has an op-ed in the NYT today with ACA ally Micah Weinberg arguing that single-payer's proponents often overstate how well it works.
Decision to make doctors pay for health accidents draws flak

Amid frequent cases of vandalism of hospitals claiming doctors negligence in treatment, the government has proposed a controversial law that requires the attending physician to pay compensation in case of a patients death.
An aluminum plant closed three years ago is reopening to service the manufacture of electric London black cabs, reflecting a nascent revival of industry in reaction to a new requirement that all new taxis in the British capital be capable of zero-emissions driving as of this coming January, per Reuters. The new law requires either hybrid or electric cabs.

Why it matters: The move is not yet a story of gigantic reemployment  the move will create just 130 jobs at a Sapa plant in the Welsh town of Bedwas. But the London Electric Vehicle Company, which is owned by China's Geely and makes the cabs, plans to manufacture about 10,000 of them for sale in the U.K. and abroad, another data point in an early electric car trend.
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian again made clear on Tuesday that he wants to retain his post after President Serzh Sarkisians final term in office ends in April.

Karapetian also insisted that the leadership of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) has still not decided who should be the countrys prime minister then.

Some senior HHK figures, notably former parliament speaker Galust Sahakian, have stated in recent weeks that Sarkisian should continue to govern Armenia as prime minister or in another capacity.

This is their personal opinion, Karapetian told reporters. The party has no decision yet. As soon as the party makes a decision we will announce it.

The Armenian president, who is the HHKs top leader, himself has shed little light on his political plans so far. The end of his decade-long presidency will be followed by Armenias transformation into a parliamentary republic in which the prime minister will be, at least on paper, the most powerful state official.

Karapetian spoke to the press after delivering a speech at the Sixth Armenia-Diaspora Conference in Yerevan and answering questions from some of its participants. One of them, a Lebanese-Armenian businessman, wondered whether he would like to stay on as prime minister next year. Yes, the premier replied briefly.

He has repeatedly made similar statements since being appointed by Sarkisian as prime minister in September 2016.

In his speech at the government-organized forum, Karapetian again defended his one-year track record and reaffirmed his pledges to implement far-reaching economic reforms. He cited official statistical data showing faster economic growth, rising exports and improved tax collection in the country. Critics dismiss these figures, saying that they have had little impact on living standards in the past year.

We do realize that these results of our one-year work are not enough to qualitatively change the lives of Armenias residents, said Karapetian. We must actively continue our policies while developing and implementing new programs.

Karapetian renewed his calls for Diaspora Armenians involvement in his reform drive, saying that they understand very well what kind of environment foreign investors expect and can guide us accordingly. For that purpose, we are planning to hold next autumn a big economic and investment forum in Armenia during which we will discuss Armenias future and our vision for Armenia, he said.
Six members of the U.S. House of Representatives discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and obstacles to closer U.S.-Armenian commercial ties with Armenian government officials and parliamentarians during a visit to Yerevan on Tuesday.

The congressional delegation met with Prime Minister Karen Karapetian, parliament speaker Ara Babloyan and several other Armenian lawmakers representing different political parties. The delegation comprised three of the four co-chairs of the Congressional Caucasus on Armenian Issues: Frank Pallone, Jackie Speier and David Valadao.

The unresolved Karabakh dispute was high on the agenda of the meetings, with Karapetian and Babloayn praising U.S. mediation of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks. Both sides agreed on the need for the conflicts peaceful resolution.

Anna Eshoo, another member of the U.S. delegation, said she and her colleagues stressed the importance of a Karabakh settlement for Armenias economic development. I think that the future of Armenia very much rests on a peaceful resolution, she told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).

Eshoo insisted that a compromise solution to the conflict is possible despite the current deadlock in the negotiation process. I think that we need to be optimistic, said the California Democrat.

Most of the visiting lawmakers have strongly supported direct U.S. economic assistance to Karabakh provided for almost two decades. Some of that aid has been spent on humanitarian demining operations conducted by the HALO Trust, a British charity. As recently as two weeks ago the House of Representatives approved $1.5 million in fresh funding for such activities.

Valadao, who represents another California constituency home to many Armenian Americans, travelled to Karabakh on Monday to inspect the HALO Trusts mine-clearing activities. He said in Yerevan that he is not worried about being blacklisted by Azerbaijan for visiting the Armenian-populated territory without Bakus permission.

Thats their choice to make those types of decisions, the Republican congressman told RFE/RLs Armenian service. I cant worry about that.

The U.S. lawmakers also spoke with their Armenian colleagues about ways of boosting U.S. investments in Armenia. Eshoo said they stressed the importance of combatting government corruption in the country. [Corruption] is anathema to American companies, she said.

They listened very carefully, the congresswoman said of the Armenian parliamentarians. I think its important that friends always tell friends the truth.

The meeting with Karapetian also touched upon prospects for signing a U.S.-Armenian agreement on the avoidance of double taxation.

An Armenian deputy minister for transport and communications, Boris Demirkhanian, said such an agreement is especially important for Armenias burgeoning information technology (IT) sector when he spoke at the American delegations separate meeting with local tech executives. The visiting legislators were briefed on strong U.S. presence in the sector, according to a statement by the Armenian Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.

The sector has expanded by an average of over 20 percent annually in the past decade. It is dominated by the Armenian branches of U.S. tech giants like as Synopsys, National Instruments, Mentor Graphics and VMware.
The government of the Czech Republic on Tuesday claimed to have not authorized the newly disclosed delivery to Azerbaijan of Czech-made heavy artillery systems.

The Azerbaijani military began on Monday large-scale exercises which it said are involving 15,000 troops as well as hundreds of tanks, armored personnel carriers, cannons and other military hardware. Photographs released by it showed two columns of Dana self-propelled howitzers and RM-70 multiple-launch rocket systems joining the drills.

Both weapons are manufactured by Czech companies. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry did not demonstrate them until this year. It is not clear when and how it got hold of them.

In a statement to RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am), the Foreign Ministry in Prague insisted that in recent years the Czech government has not issued mandatory licenses for the sale of any lethal weapons to Azerbaijan. What is more, it said, the government turned down in 2017 and 2016 Azerbaijani requests for the purchase of the 152-milimeter Dana howitzers and the 122-milimeter RM-70 rockets and informed the European Union about that.

The ministry added that it does not know just how they were delivered to Azerbaijan. It promised to look into the matter.

The United States and other key NATO members states have long maintained embargoes on sales of offensive weapons to Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Czech Republic joined the alliance in 1999.

The Czech Foreign Ministry said the Central European nation is strongly opposed to any attempts at a military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
19 September 2017 10:07 (UTC+04:00)

Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 125 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported on Seprtember 19.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.



As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.



The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 10:37 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) has discovered an artillery shell in the village of Askipara in Tartar region of the country.

ANAMA sappers took the discovered shell to the destruction center for disposal. They also examined an area of 500 square meters around the detected projectile, but did not find any other dangerous items, the Agency reported on September 18.

ANAMA was established in 1998 for planning and coordination, management and monitoring of mine action related activities all over the country.

The problem of unexploded ordnance in Azerbaijan can be divided into the areas that are still under the occupation of Armenian forces and other areas of the country. Most of the unexploded ordinances are the result of Armenian aggression.

Since the creation of ANAMA, its staff has cleared more than 40,000 hectares of Azerbaijans territory, discovering and defusing over 760,000 mines and unexploded ordnance.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims to Azerbaijan. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, but they have not been enforced to this day. Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. within the OSCE Minsk Group have also produced no results so far.

--

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 11:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Three years have passed since three Azerbaijani civilians, Dilgam Askerov from the occupied Kelbajar region, Shahbaz Guliyev from the occupied Terter region and Hasan Hasanov from the occupied Jebrail region of Azerbaijan, were captured by the Armed Forces of Armenia.

They were detained by the Armenian armed forces in July 2014 while visiting their native places and graves of loved ones in the occupied Azerbaijani Kalbajar region. Hasan Hasanov was murdered under unknown circumstances.

Following its usual pattern of behavior and degrading treatment of the prisoners of war, hostages and innocent civilians, Armenia refused to return the hostages. Guliyev and Asgarov were judged illegally by the unrecognized courts of a separatist regime in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. Following an expedited judicial process in December 2015, Asgarov was sentenced to life imprisonment and Guliyev to 22 years.

Attempts of Baku to provide justice and to free the hostages are still unsuccessful.

The issue of Asgarov and Guliyev, who are kept hostages by Armenian militaries in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region, was a key topic of a meeting between Azerbaijans Human Rights Commissioner Elmira Suleymanova and the Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegation in Azerbaijan, Elena Sessera.

Suleymanova expressed concern about Yerevan refusal to return Asgarov and Guliyev and noted that the silent attitude of the international community to this unlawful and inhumane event is inconsistent with international law, Ombudsman's office reported on September 18.

Elena Sessera, in turn, stressed that the ICRC delegation keeps the focus on the condition of Azerbaijani hostages and it achieved a permanent connection between the hostages and their families.

She further informed the Ombudsman on the activities of the ICRC Delegation in Azerbaijan, and spoke of projects in the border areas and work with communities.

Azerbaijans State Committee on Affairs of Refugees and IDPs, the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons and other agencies have repeatedly urged international organizations, including the ICRC, to assist in release of Guliyev and Asgarov, but the problem remains topical yet.

Azerbaijan, whose over 4,000 citizens were taken captive, hostage, or went missing as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, has repeatedly declared its readiness to begin negotiations with Armenia to free the captives and resolve the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, the Armenian side keeps ignoring all attempts of Azerbaijan and international organizations, thereby disrespecting the international law and hindering the settlement of the conflict.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 13:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Anti-government protests stopped traffic on the Yerevan-Ijevan highway near the Armenian village of Haghartsin on September 18.

Protesters from the Tavush region blocked the highway in an attempt to meet with Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan, shamshyan.com agency reported. A similar situation on the same stretch of the road occurred on August 4.

The demonstrators were protesting against the government decision, which left the population without firewood. The police forbid people to carry firewood from the forest to use as fuel.

The protest resulted in traffic jams stretched for several kilometers. Soon, the police arrived at the scene for negotiations with protesters. They promised that on Monday this issue will be discussed at the Dilijan Prosecutor's Office and will be resolved.

The protesters threatened to continue to disrupt traffic until the government agrees to find a proper solution for their plight.

Armenians often resort to this kind of protest in order to draw attention of state officials to the problems of ordinary population and arbitrariness of local authorities.

This July, residents of Astghadzor village in Gegharkunik region blocked the road leading from Yerevan to the occupied Karabakh.

As it turned out, the villagers were deprived of not only irrigation water, but also of drinking water for a long time.

We have repeatedly raised this issue but nothing is done I wont go there [to the villagers] and wont say anything to anyone, because each time we promise and dont fulfill the promise, Head of the village Robert Khachatryan told reporters.

Another incident took place this May, when residents of Ijevan city in Tavush region in protest blocked the interstate road M4. There were two reasons of the protest: bad road conditions in the region and the decision of the Ijevan authorities to ban street vending.

The protesters noted that the asphalt surface of the road passing through Tavush region is in bad condition, due to which drivers have major financial losses.

"People hardly harvest herbs in the mountains for sale, but they are banned of this. They have no other alternative but to leave the country. You need to create opportunities so that the people could survive," said one of the protesters.

Ordinary Armenians continue to address the government through such protest actions, however, this does not work. The officials sometimes come on the scene, make false promises in order to calm people down, but the problems mostly remain unsolved.

This shows that the current Armenian government only cares about its well-being, but problems of the country's population are the issue of secondary importance.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 10:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Gordon Brown

From Syria to Myanmar, children caught in the crossfire of conflict are victims of a double betrayal. Forced out of their homes in the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, they have now become the innocent victims of a broken promise that they would, even as refugees, be able to attend school. And, even as their circumstances worsen and their numbers increase, their plight is going all but unreported.

The loud cheering that has greeted past humanitarian aid pledges has given way to a shameful silence. As the news cycle churns on and coverage shifts to more sensational events, the 75 million children and young people worldwide whose education has been interrupted by forced displacement become less likely ever to return to the classroom.

Perhaps it is no accident that the promise of education for all school-age refugees is not being fulfilled. No amount of goodwill can overcome an international aid architecture that remains stacked against children. Education spending is still caught between humanitarian aid, which focuses on the most basic necessities for survival, such as food, shelter, and medicine, and development aid programs, which are planned over years and are slower to respond to crises. As a result, education is often treated as a lower priority, the last to be funded and the first to have its financing redirected.

A case in point: the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, recognizing gaps in aid spending, has, to its credit, just allocated an additional $45 million to support relief operations in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Chad, and Sudan. But these funds, while vital, are not nearly sufficient, and only a tiny fraction will go toward education provision. Meanwhile, organizations like the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UNICEF, and UNESCO are doing laudable humanitarian work, but remain underfunded.

Last year, the Education Cannot Wait (ECW) fund was created to close the financing gap and ensure that education is protected when disaster strikes. It was a heartening development, supported by all UN agencies. But the disheartening reality is that financing has not kept pace with need.

Yet funding headwinds have not dampened ECWs ambition under its new director, Yasmine Sherif. The young fund has swiftly marshaled its initial $120 million to promote quality education for 3.2 million displaced children and, in turn, to support 17,000 teachers, with investments in and around Syria, as well as in Chad, Ethiopia, and Yemen.

Working with a network of partners focused on helping Syrias refugees, ECW is addressing structural challenges, such as teacher remuneration and certification processes, while helping to create a new curriculum based on coexistence. Together with Lebanons Ministry of Education and Higher Education  a department under stress from the influx of a half-million Syrian refugee children  ECW is also helping to fulfill the goal of delivering a quality and relevant education for all young people aged 3-18.

Such innovative initiatives represent important progress. But meeting the needs of the children who have been left out and left behind will take far more funds than ECW so far has at its disposal.

In Syria, a devastating and protracted civil war has left more than seven million children in need of humanitarian assistance, and some 2.5 million without homes. In February 2016, the Supporting Syria and the Region conference in London attracted $1.4 billion in pledges for education, but only a fraction of those funds have so far made it to the front lines. The country remains in ruins, and reconstruction has yet to begin.

Syrian refugee children in Lebanon are at the sharp end of this failure. To be sure, an innovative initiative to ensure educational access for these children  a two-shift school program that uses the same classrooms as Lebanese children  frees up valuable space and materials, making it possible to deliver an education for only about $600 per pupil. The goal is to provide 540,000 Syrian and vulnerable Lebanese children aged 3-18 some form of education this year, with 220,000 benefiting from the double-shift system.

Yet donors have contributed only $200 million so far  $100 million less than is needed. As a result, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children could be left without access to education. Already, Lebanon is being forced to make painful cuts and surrender precious ground. Jordan and Turkey, which have also embraced the double-shift model, are facing similar dilemmas.

Similarly, most of the 500,000 South Sudanese refugee children who have poured across the border into Uganda are unable to receive an education  despite the Ugandan governments generous plan to provide them with places in schools  owing to a lack of funding. Then there are the thousands of children who are being besieged in Mosul, Iraq; shelled in Sanaa, Yemen; and forced to flee into Bangladesh from Myanmars Rakhine State. And so the cycle of under-provision and despair continues.

Yet the problem extends beyond schooling. Despite major initiatives, such as the Platform for Education in Emergencies Response (PEER), aimed at linking young people to higher-education courses, thousands of qualified young people have been unable to secure college and university places. This does not just undermine their own futures; it will impede their ability to use their skills to aid in their countries reconstruction.

People are not broken just by the wave that submerges the life vest or the convoy that does not make it to the besieged town. They are broken by the absence of hope  the soul-crushing certainty that there is nothing ahead for which to plan or prepare, not even a place in school.

The worlds refugee children typically lack passports that would enable them to cross borders more freely. But their real passport to the future is stamped in the classroom, not at a border crossing. Infrastructure can be rebuilt. But children can never get back years of education they have missed.

We must act now to ensure that this young generation of refugees is learning, not lost. Only then can we provide a foundation for true reconstruction and unleash the hope that all children deserve.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: A double betrayal for refugee children

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 18:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Mohamed A. El-Erian

Next month, when finance ministers and central bank governors from more than 180 countries gather in Washington, DC, for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, they will confront a global economic order under increasing strain. Having failed to deliver the inclusive economic prosperity of which it is capable, that order is subject to growing doubts  and mounting challenges. Barring a course correction, the risks that todays order will yield to a world economic non-order will only intensify.

The current international economic order, spearheaded by the United States and its allies in the wake of World War II, is underpinned by multilateral institutions, including the IMF and the World Bank. These institutions were designed to crystallize member countries obligations, and they embodied a set of best economic-policy practices that evolved into what became known as the Washington Consensus.

That consensus was rooted in an economic paradigm that aimed to promote win-win interactions among countries, emphasizing trade liberalization, relatively unrestricted cross-border capital flows, free-market pricing, and domestic deregulation. All of this stood in stark contrast to what developed behind the Iron Curtain and in China over the first half of the postwar period.

For several decades, the Western-led international order functioned well, helping to deliver prosperity and relative financial stability. Then it was shaken by a series of financial shocks that culminated in the 2008 global financial crisis, which triggered cascading economic failures that pushed the world to the edge of a devastating multi-year depression. It was the most severe economic breakdown since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

But the crisis did not appear out of nowhere to challenge a healthy economic order. On the contrary, the evolution of the global order had long been outpaced by structural economic changes on the ground, with multilateral governance institutions taking too long to recognize fully the significance of financial-sector developments and their impact on the real economy, or to make adequate room for emerging economies.

For example, governance structures, including voting power, correspond better to the economic realities of yesterday than to those of today and tomorrow. And nationality, rather than merit, still is the dominant guide for the appointment of these institutions leaders, with top positions still reserved for European and US citizens.

The destabilizing consequences of this obstinate failure to reform sufficiently multilateral governance have been compounded by Chinas own struggle to reconcile its domestic priorities with its global economic responsibilities as the worlds second-largest economy. Several other countries, particularly among the advanced economies, have also failed to transform their domestic policies to account for changes to economic relationships resulting from globalization, liberalization, and deregulation.

As a result of all of this, the balance of winners and losers has become increasingly extreme and more difficult to manage, not just economically, but also politically and socially. With too many people feeling marginalized, forgotten, and dispossessed  and angry at the leaders and institutions that have allowed this to happen  domestic policy pressure has intensified, causing countries to turn inward.

This tendency is reflected in recent challenges to several features of the economic order, such as the North American Free-Trade Agreement, as well as Americas withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the United Kingdoms renunciation of European Union membership. All are casting a shadow on the future of the global economic system.

Americas inward turn, already underway for several years, has been particularly consequential, because it leaves the world order without a main conductor. With no other country or group of countries anywhere close to being in a position to carry the baton, the emergence of what the political scientist Ian Bremmer has called a G-Zero era becomes a lot more probable.

China is responding to the global systems weakening core by accelerating its efforts to build small networks, including around the traditional Western-dominated power structures. This has included the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the proliferation of bilateral payments agreements, and the pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative to build infrastructure linking China with western Asia, Europe, and Africa.

These dynamics are stoking trade tensions and raising the risk of economic fragmentation. If this trend continues, the global economic and financial configuration will become increasingly unstable, amplifying geopolitical and security threats at a time when better cross-border coordination is vital to address threats from non-state actors and disruptive regimes, such as North Korea. Over time, the risks associated with this shift toward a global economic non-order could have severe adverse effects on geopolitics and national security.

None of this is new. Yet, year after year, top government officials at the IMF/World Bank annual meetings fail to address it. This year is likely to be no different. Instead of discussing concrete steps to slow and reverse the march toward a global economic non-order, officials will probably welcome the cyclical uptick in global growth and urge member countries to do more to remove structural impediments to faster, more durable, and more inclusive growth.

While understandable, that isnt good enough. The upcoming meetings offer a critical opportunity to start a serious discussion of how to arrest the lose-lose dynamics that have been gaining traction in the global economy. The longer it takes for the seeds of reform to be sown, the less likely they will be to take root  and the higher the probability that a lose-lose world economic non-order will emerge.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: A double betrayal for refugee children

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
DPM Mahara attends UN high-level meeting

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, attended the High-level meeting on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse hosted by the UN Secretary-General in New York on Tuesday on the margins of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
19 September 2017 10:21 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijans Patent and Trademarks Center Public Legal Entity and the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova (AGEPI) has signed memorandum on cooperation.

The State Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Patent reported that the document was signed by Gunel Sevdimaliyeva, acting director general of the "Patent and Trademarks Center" Public Legal Entity and Lilia Bolocan, Director General of AGEPI.

The document envisages exchange of experience between the two countries, cooperation in delivering specialized intellectual property services to customers, exchange of information on legislation relating to industrial property and its future development and participation in intellectual property awareness campaigns.

The two will also consider possibilities for organizing events on joint conferences, symposia, seminars and industrial property, promoting and maintaining a geographical location protection system, increasing knowledge in this field and co-operation in promoting intellectual property rights between scientific-research institutions, enterprises and other intellectual property owners of the two countries.

Within the framework of the visit to Moldova the employees of the Centre also attended the conference organized in connection with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the State Agency on Intellectual Property.

The event discussed current state of bilateral relations and future development trends of cooperation between the two countries.

The Patent and Trademarks Center was established upon the presidential order dated February 10, 2017.

The Centre was tasked to examine and register inventions, utility models, designs, trademarks and geographical indications, maintain the respective registers, and authorize patent attorneys, among other functions in these fields.

The Centre is not a state body, but instead an organization that carries out activities of nationwide and social significance as established by the state.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 11:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

The 23rd China Yiwu International Commodities Fair will be held in Yiwu, China on October 21.

Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) reported that entrepreneurs working in Azerbaijan are invited to participate in the Fair that will last until October 25.

China Yiwu International Commodities Fair, Yiwu Fair is the leading exhibition-fair of export goods in China, which has been held since 1995.

The event is jointly hosted by the Ministry of Commerce, the Peoples Government of Zhejiang Province and other relevant authorities. The Yiwu Fair is one of the largest, most influential and most productive commodities fair in China. It has honored as Best Management Fairs in China, Best Outcome Exhibition, Top Ten Exhibitions in China, Best Fair sponsored by the Government and Most Influential Brand Fairs.

The 23rd China Yiwu International Commodities Fair will set up 4,500 international standard booths, including hardware, electromechanical facilities, electronic and electrical appliance, daily necessities, crafts, cultural and official goods, sport and outdoor products, clothing, shoes and hats, knitwear, jewelry and accessories, toys, pet and aquarium supplies and auto accessory.

More than 200,000 buyers from 200 countries and regions will be present in China Yiwu International Commodities Fair.

China is a huge opportunity and a priority market for Azerbaijan. More than 50 agreements were signed between the two countries so far.

Trade and economic contacts occupy a significant place in bilateral relations between China and Azerbaijan. The process of interaction between the two countries was marked by constant tendencies of expansion and strengthening of cooperation.

In early August, AZPROMO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

The document provides for the development of trade, economic and investment relations between the two countries, as well as promotion of export and exchange of experience.

Moreover, the active cooperation between China and Azerbaijan strongly contributes to the realization of the Great Silk road program.

The Great Silk Road is a general name of a caravan road, which has been the main two-way trading bridge of East and West since III century BC up to now. The Great Silk Road starts in Japan and China stretches up to Europe cutting through India, Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asia, Caucasus, Asia Minor, Northern Africa including/connecting Indian Ocean, Chinese sea, Japanese sea, Red sea, Caspian sea, Black sea, Azov sea and Mediterranean sea.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and China amounted to $395.6 million in January-April 2017.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 16:09 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan has shown the greatest economic growth in the region of European countries and Central Asia for 25 years.

The vice-president of World Banks Europe and Central Asia region, Cyril Muller, announced about this at a ceremony dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Azerbaijan-WB cooperation in Baku on September 19.

Muller stressed that the Bank has been cooperating with Azerbaijan since the 1990s, the most difficult period for the country.

During the period of cooperation, Azerbaijan has shown the greatest growth in the region I oversee. During this period the poverty level in the country fell below the rate of 10 percent, he said, adding that the WB is proud that it can link itself to the successes achieved by Azerbaijan in 25 years.

Azerbaijan joined the WB Group in 1992. Over the past years, the WB has allocated about $3.5 billion for the implementation of more than 50 projects in Azerbaijan. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is also a member of the WB Group, has issued loans worth $470 million for Azerbaijan to implement 56 projects.

Chairman of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) Elman Rustamov, in turn, noted that currently, the WB is implementing 10 projects in Azerbaijan totaling $1.4 billion.

He stressed that the WB portfolio in Azerbaijan is one of the largest among the CIS countries.

The Bank supports the development of education and healthcare in Azerbaijan, transport, water supply and sewage systems, agriculture, energy sector, etc, he added.

The WB has helped introduce independent technical supervision, which is now used in all road construction projects in Azerbaijan. The Agricultural Competitiveness Improvement Project of the WB has supported a country-wide vaccination program against brucellosis. This vaccination program makes meat and dairy products safe for people.

The Bank also supported the improvement of the education system by helping develop a new curriculum, teaching materials and methods and by training around 160,000 teachers across the country.

Further Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Ali Hasanov stressed that the WB has allocated up to $170 million for projects related to IDPs and refugees in Azerbaijan.

Hailing that Azerbaijan has benefited from cooperation with the World Bank, he said the WB was also able to use the management system and mechanisms, created by national leader Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev, in improving the socio-economic situation of IDPs and refugees.

Hasanov added that subsequently, the World Bank managed to use these mechanisms in other countries.

Azerbaijan has become an attractive investment destination for foreign investors, Finance Minister Shahin Mustafayev said when addressing the event.

The number of the country`s trade partners reached 180, he said. The investments in the fixed capital of Azerbaijan amounted to about $200 billion. At the same time 76 billion of direct investment has been made in Azerbaijan by foreign investors.

Mustafayev further added that the EU countries invested $3 billion in the non-oil sector of the Azerbaijani economy, which accounts for 35 percent of the total investment in this sector. Currently, there are over 1,300 European companies operating in the country.

Over the past years, total output in Azerbaijan has increased 22 times and the state budget has seen more than a 26-fold growth, the minister emphasized.

The World Bank has provided technical support to increase competitiveness, develop industrial parks and districts in our country, the Minister said.

Today, the World Bank program in Azerbaijan supports the countrys economic diversification agenda, as well as the delivery of quality, accessible and effective public services.

The World Bank Group is also financing the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP) with a $ 800 million loan from IBRD and up to US$ 1.2 billion from a MIGA guarantee to support the diversification of energy export markets and to increase revenues.

Minister of Finance Samir Sharifov, commenting on the WB-Azerbaijan cooperation, said that Azerbaijan has become a middle-income country, and increased its per capita income.

Today, Azerbaijan is actively cooperating with five World Bank members, and I believe that our cooperation with the World Bank will continue to be successful and will serve the development of Azerbaijan, " he noted.

Later, the event saw presentation of a new postal stamp dedicated to the 25th anniversary of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the WB.

Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Elmir Velizadeh, presenting the stamp, noted that 25,000 copies of these stamps were issued.

We hope that this stamp will be known throughout the world as a symbol of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the World Bank, Velizade said.

Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov and WB Regional Director Mercy Tembon then signed and approved the stamps.

The WB further awarded gratitude certificates to a number of government officials.The certificates were handed to Abid Sharifov , Ali Hasanov, Elman Rustamov, Shahin Mustafayev, Samir Sharifov and head of the Cabinet of Ministers on work with international financial institutions Nail Fataliyev.

Founded in 1944, the WB has 189 member countries, staff from more 170 countries, and offices in over 130 locations.

Today the Bank Groups work touches nearly every sector that is important to fighting poverty, supporting economic growth, and ensuring sustainable gains in the quality of peoples lives in developing countries.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 16:59 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Revenues from the privatization of state property to the state budget of Azerbaijan will exceed 100 million manats ($59.33 million) until the end of 2017.

About 300 state properties and enterprises are planned to be privatized until the end of 2017, Chairman of the State Committee on Property Issues Karam Hasanov told journalist on September 19.

To date, over 1,100 state objects and enterprises have been put up for privatization, as a result of privatization more than 93 million manats ($55.18 million) have been directed to the state budget, Hasanov stressed.

In order to protect state property and effectively manage it in the new economic realities, President of Azerbaijan signed a decree on May 19, 2016.

Under the decree, the acceleration of the state property privatization process has been defined as an important direction of the economic policy.

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.

The privatization process is designed to attract both foreign and local investors, as well as develop the business environment of Azerbaijan.

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
19 September 2017 18:07 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

A new advisory project is launched in Azerbaijan to boost financial inclusion by improving access to digital financial services for individuals and smaller businesses, helping them grow and create jobs.

The Electronic & Digital Financial Services Project will be implemented by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and funded by Switzerlands State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Over the next three years, it will help introduce modern e-banking services in the country, improving access to financial services for customers who find it difficult to access branch-based services, according to IFC.

Only 29 percent of Azerbaijans adult population has an account at a financial institution, compared to an average of more than 50 percent in Europe and Central Asia, according to the World Banks Financial Inclusion Data Global Findex.

The project will work with the countrys government agencies, financial institutions, processing centers, mobile network operators and others to help customers use their mobile phones and online banking for transactions, including bill payments and money transfers.

Alim Guliyev, First Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan said that improving access to payment services is a key to improving access to universal financial services.

This project will help introduce digital solutions to simplify many bank-related processes and help individuals and business owners, especially in remote areas, gain access to financial services, he said.

Jan van Bilsen, IFC Regional Manager for the South Caucasus, in turn, said that high fees and the cost and time necessary to travel to the nearest bank branch often hamper access to financial services for both individuals and businesses, particularly in remote areas in Azerbaijan.



Our aim is to help introduce innovative models that can deliver financial services at lower prices for Azerbaijans population, he said.

Some 32 banks are currently implementing their activities in the country. The total capital of Azerbaijans banking sector for the first 4 months of 2017 amounted to almost 2.75 billion manats [$1.6 billion] .

Azerbaijan became a member of IFC in 1995. As of July 31, 2017, IFC had invested around $473 million in the country, of which $73 million was mobilized from other lenders, financing 56 long-term projects across a range of sectors, including the financial services, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors.

In addition, IFC has supported around $80 million in trade through its trade finance program, and provided $250 million for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. IFC has also implemented a range of advisory projects aimed at encouraging private sector growth.

--

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 13:55 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The 9th International Uzeyir Hajibeyli Music Festival kicked off at the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic on September 18.

Every year since 1995, September 18 is celebrated as the Day of National Music in Azerbaijan in honor of the invaluable contribution of Hajibeyli in the development and promotion of national musical art.



Traditionally, alongside national musicians, outstanding performers, orchestras from many countries gather in Baku to demonstrate their skills, performing in the best concert halls of the capital.

The festival is held with the organization of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Culture and Tourism Ministry of Azerbaijan. Musicians and collectives from Germany, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, France, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Iran will take part this years festival.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfas Garayev, First Deputy Minister Vagif Aliyev, Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova, Philharmonic Director, People's Artist Murad Adigozalzade, Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin and many cultural and art figures attended the opening ceremony of the festival in the Philharmonic.

The Festival was opened by the performance of the brilliant work of Uzeyir Hajibeyli - "Koroglu".

The national artist of Azerbaijan Fahraddin Kerimov conducted the orchestra.

Then for the first time in Baku, Marsh from the opera Tannhauser by Richard Wagner was sounded. The symphonic poem "For the sake of peace" by Jovdet Hajiyev, dedicated to the composer's 100th anniversary was also performed at the event. In conclusion, the orchestra performed the work of Igor Stravinsky - "Firebird".

Within the framework of the Festival, a concert of one of the best chamber groups in the world - the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra will be held at the Philharmonic on September 19.

Until September 26, various concerts, performances, and more will be held in different cultural venues of the capital city within the framework of the Festival.

Born in 1885 in the heart of the ancient Azerbaijani Khanate of Karabakh -- Shusha -- Uzeyir Hajibeylis outstanding musical talent started a revolution in the Azerbaijani musical timeline.

He was the very musician to introduce an extraordinary innovation in the nation's music culture, to constantly refresh it, and adjust to modern tastes. He was a founder of an opera genre not only in Azerbaijan, but the East and created the first Muslim opera in the Islamic world.

His unique synthesis of Oriental and Western music significantly promoted the classical music traditions in the East and opened a page of classical music patterns.

The unique composer was brave enough to explore blending two incompatibly different cultures at root and achieve an unprecedented synethesis.

History recognizes Hajibeyli as an innovator as well as the first to establish a professional music school and Orchestra for Traditional Folk Instruments, to compose the Muslim worlds first opera and operetta, to introduce a woman on stage, to write the countrys national anthem (which is the official anthem of Azerbaijan today), to be awarded the highest artistic title of the Soviet Union.

Hajibeyli occupied himself in almost every facet of music culture, and was a great conductor, publicist, playwright, teacher, and translator.

--

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
18 September 2017 19:19 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

During his tenure as Armenian foreign minister, Edward Nalbandian has done nothing other than harming the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministrys Spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend.

He was commenting on Nalbandians recent anti-Azerbaijan statements.

From the first day of joining the negotiation process, that person [Nalbandian] felt incompetent and uninvolved. That person distinguished himself only by tautological, baseless and senseless accusations, Hajiyev said.

He noted that the Armenian FM has no moral right to make any claims regarding the conflict settlement, while Armenia, as part of its aggressive and occupation policy against Azerbaijan, committed bloody ethnic cleansing against more than a million of Azerbaijanis, including such crime against humanity as the Khojaly genocide.

We would like to remind to the Armenian foreign minister that the Khojaly tragedy was committed with the direct participation of the current political and military leadership of Armenia, said Hajiyev.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 17:16 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The process of negotiations to solve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been going on for more than 20 years. Over these years, at decisive moments, Armenia has always resorted to provocations and created tension on the line of contact.

Head of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies, Pakistani political scientist Muhammad Asif Noor says the high tension, created by the Armenian militaries at the contact line of the troops, shows that the Armenian leadership is not interested in establishing peace and stability in the region.

Provocative actions of the Armenian side, which have increased considerably since the question of the need for substantive negotiations was raised, show the desire of the Armenian leadership to prevent this process in the traditional way, the expert said in his interview with Day.az.

Unfortunately, the international community, primarily the OSCE Minsk Group, does not react properly to Yerevans armed provocations, which sometimes result in murder of Azerbaijani civilians living near the frontline. Armenia also remains unpunished for ignoring the international law and illegally remaining in internationally recognized Azerbaijani territories.

I have repeatedly said that the OSCE Minsk Group should be more proactive and exert serious efforts in the negotiations process to solve this long-term problem, Asif Noor noted. I think that member countries of this international institution should exert pressure on Armenia to force it to implement the adopted resolutions of international organizations.

Armenia should start de-occupation of the captured territories, in accordance with the norms and principles of international law, Muhammad Asif Noor stressed.

The expert also touched upon the April events of last year, which showed the power and morale of the National Army of Azerbaijan, and proved that the Karabakh conflict is not frozen.

Armenia's ruling regime, even after the defeat in military clashes, continues to stick to its aggressive policy, which shows the shortsightedness of the Armenian authorities, inability to calculate the consequences of their actions and steps, Asif Noor said. This also demonstrates that the Armenian authorities set goals without thinking about the fate of their own people.

The situation on the frontline between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops aggravated on April 2, 2016, after the Armenian military units in the occupied lands began shelling Azerbaijani Armys positions. To protect civilian population, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched counter attacks which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.

As a result of the four-day fighting, over 320 Armenian servicemen were killed, more than 500 Armenian soldiers were injured, 30 enemy tanks and other armored vehicles, as well as more than 25 artillery pieces were destroyed.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 16:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The U.S. hopes for continuation of good faith negotiations on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

American co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Andrew Schofer told Trend on September 19, on the eve of the expected meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in New-York on the conflict resolution.

While there are obviously many difficult issues to discuss, I believe firmly that a resolution is possible, provided leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia demonstrate the political will necessary to bring peace to this region, the diplomat noted.

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. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations brokered by the OSCE Minsk Group.

Baku has repeatedly stated it is ready to settle the conflict through direct negotiations with Armenia with mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. However, the reluctance of Armenia does not let to end the conflict and to restore peace in the South Caucasus.

Schofer further added that he also looks forward to participating in meetings with his fellow Minsk Group co-chairs and senior officials from the region in New York this week, and hoped for the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents.

The other co-chairs and I are hopeful that the presidents will agree to meet again soon, and that we will be able to continue to focus on good faith negotiations aimed at moving the peace process forward, the co-chair added.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov are currently in New York, where they participate in the work of the UN General Assembly. Previously, Mammadyarov noted that he will probably meet with his Armenian counterpart in the framework of the UN General Assembly session to mull the Karabakh problem.

Schofer also said that he is very honored to have been selected to serve as the U.S. Minsk Group co-chair, and he is looking forward to visiting the region in the near future to meet with officials on all sides.

The American diplomat took office on August 29, replacing the interim U.S. co-chair of the Minsk Group Richard Hoagland.

The Minsk Group spearheads the OSCE's efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Although the Minsk Group co-chaired by France, the Russian Federation and the U.S. deals with the issue for over two decades, its activities have brought no breakthrough results so far.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 10:52 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Baku will host a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey.

Iranian Ambassador to Baku Javad Jahangirzadeh announced about this while talking to Trend.

Jahangirzadeh added that holding such trilateral meetings is very important in terms of international and regional cooperation.

The envoy did not specify the exact date of the meeting.

The trilateral meetings of foreign ministers provide an opportunity to exchange views on regional issues.

The first trilateral meeting of the three countries was held in Urumiyah, Iran, in 2011, followed by meetings in Nakhchevan, Azerbaijan in 2012, and Van, eastern Turkey in 2014, and Tehran in 2016.

In Van, the foreign ministers of Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey adopted The Trilateral Sectoral Cooperation Action Plan for 2014-2016.

The mechanism to set up the foreign ministerial meeting among Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey pursues objectives including exchanging views on trilateral and regional issues on the basis of understanding and ways to strengthen stability and security. Another significant point here is the existence of common interests among Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is the main initiator of the creation of trilateral cooperation formats with its partners. Today, Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey, Azerbaijan-Turkey-Iran, Azerbaijan-Turkey-Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan-Russia-Iran formats of trilateral cooperation exists in the region.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Dr KC to stage 12th hunger strike from October 6

Dr Govinda KC has warned of staging another round of hunger strike starting October 6. This will be the 12th hunger strike of the agitating doctor who has long been demanding end of anomalies in the countrys health education and medical sector.
19 September 2017 12:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The 98th National Day of Afghanistan was celebrated in Baku with an official reception organized by the country`s Embassy on September 18.

The grand reception brought together the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Azerbaijan, representatives of the government and public figures of Azerbaijan.

Afghan Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohammad Taqi Khalili, welcoming the guests, spoke about the history of the day and bilateral relations with Azerbaijan.

Day by day we strengthen Afghan-Azerbaijani relations and each year we take bigger strides. The patient path we forge ensures a more vibrant and solid future for our countries and our people, he said.

The two countries are indubitably fortified by years of cooperation, as well as a brilliant brotherhood between great nations, the diplomat said, adding that a friendship built with a foundation of mutual respect and understanding.

Azerbaijan has been faithful to the mission of NATO in Afghanistan, and a loyal partner of my country that has, in a spirit of true friendship, opened its arm to give of every resource it could provide: security and military assistance, training and financial support, donations to the Afghanistan National Army Trust Fund to bolster our troops, and political counsel to reform and help reintegrate our nation into both the regional and global economies, he said.

The ambassador emphasized that the pivotal role of Azerbaijan in Heart of Asia (Istanbul Process) in particular, hosting its ministerial conference in December 2017, reiterates Azerbaijans enduring commitment to Afghanistan.

The commonalities of our values do not end in our strive for betterment; it is too prevalent in our shared stance against terrorism. A global threat and obstacle we aspire to overcome. And one we stand united against, he said.

Khalili went on stressing that Afghanistan has strongly condemned Armenias occupation, adding that the country takes pride in supporting Azerbaijan on this issue.

The Azerbaijani people have and continue to aid the Afghan people in the journey to a stronger, more sustainable future on the horizon, he said.

In turn, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations Mubariz Gurbanli congratulated the Ambassador and the entire Afghan people on the national holiday on behalf of the Azerbaijani government, wished prosperity and development to this country.

He noted that Afghanistan occupies a special place in the history of the world due to its rich culture.

The chairman of the State Committee recalled that Afghanistan was one of the first countries to recognize Azerbaijan's independence.

"From the very first days of establishing diplomatic relations, the leaders of Azerbaijan and Afghanistan meet regularly on various platforms. It is no coincidence that after the election of the President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai made his first visit to Azerbaijan," he said.



Afghanistan recognized the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991 and the diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1994.

Azerbaijan supports the Afghan way of reforms by its assistance in the areas of education, infrastructure and transport development, investments and enhancing the role of women in the society.

The country has several times made substantial donations to the Afghan National Army (ANA) Trust Fund.

The peacekeeping contingent of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces has been serving in Afghanistan since November 20, 2002. Azerbaijan, as a reliable partner of NATO and friend of brotherly Afghanistan, is committed to continue its significant contribution to the Resolute Support Mission by providing troops, multi-modal transit, training and financial assistance.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan allowed the NATO planes carrying non-combat loads for a mission in Afghanistan to fly through Azerbaijan's airspace and to use the country's airports. About 40 percent of all cargo destined for the NATO mission in Afghanistan pass through Baku.

--

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 12:53 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Flights of combat aircrafts of the Azerbaijani and Turkish Air Forces continue within the joint flight-tactical exercises titled TurAz Qartal  2017.

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry reported that during the exercises the military aviation of the two countries conducts flights with the aim to fulfill tasks on planning the joint activities, study the possibilities for interaction in conducting operations and combat coordination, conduct search and rescue operations, destruct ground targets with air strikes, as well as other tasks.

The exercises, conducted in accordance with the annual military cooperation plan between Azerbaijan and Turkey, started on September 18. They involve up to 30 aircrafts of the two countries' Air Forces, including MiG-29, F-16, Su-25, C-130 Herkules and CASA CN-235 aircrafts, as well as Mi-35, Mi-17 and Sikorsky S-70 helicopters.

The exercises will last until September 30.

Azerbaijan and Turkey enjoy strategic relations in many fields, including the military sphere. Military cooperation between the brotherly countries dates back to 1992 when they signed an agreement on military education. Since then, the Azerbaijani and Turkish governments have been closely cooperating in both defense and security fields.

So far, the Azerbaijani and Turkish armed forces have hold regular drills, featuring various tactical and combat tasks both on Turkish and Azerbaijani territories.

In March last year, Air Force military team from Azerbaijan joined exercises TurAz Qartal - 2016 at an airbase in the Turkish Konya. Three Azerbaijani MiG-29 fight aircrafts, three Su-25 attack aircrafts and IL-76 military transport aircrafts were tested in the exercises.

In June 2016, Azerbaijani servicemen participated in joint multinational training of Special Forces in Turkey. Previously, Armed Forces of Turkey and Azerbaijan held joint exercises in the city of Kars.

This May, joint exercises of the two countries Armed Forces were held in Azerbaijan. The aim of the exercises was to improve coordination through the exchange of experience between the Armed Forces, as well as to achieve the interoperability of the military units of the two countries through joint headquarters planning, improving the readiness and capabilities of the units to conduct operations. Later, in June, the two countries had military exercises in Nakhchivan.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 16:44 (UTC+04:00)

With the beginning of the new academic year, the leading mobile operator of the country Azercell Telecom launched the next round of Student Bursary Program from September, 15.

The Student Bursary Program is aimed to provide special care to the successful students with high potential and support their development as future specialists. Thus, the students successfully passing all selection stages will receive a monthly burse from the company till the end of their academic term. In addition to the monthly stipend, the talented students will also have a chance to enrich their knowledge about telecommunications, participate at Azercells corporate events and social activities, receive various trainings, as well as take internship at Azercell.

This year the students from the universities in Baku and regions, as well as SABAH group are eligible to apply for Student Bursary Program. In order to apply to the program, the students need to get registered via the official website at www.azercell.jobs. The deadline for application is October 15, 2017.

Azercell has been conducting the Student Bursary Program every year since 2008. Over 130 students from various universities in Azerbaijan have received the title of honored scholar of the company. In addition to receiving the monthly scholarship, they have gained a unique experience for their future career.

Being an integral part of the corporate social responsibility activity of the company, Student Bursary Program plays a significant role in the academic development of the future generation.

For more information, please contact [email protected]

The leader of the mobile communication industry of Azerbaijan and the biggest investor in the non-oil sector Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. With 48% share of Azerbaijans mobile market Azercells network covers 80% of the territory and 99,8% of population of the country. Currently, 4,5 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, 24/7 Customer Care, online customer services, GPRS/EDGE, M2M, MobilBank, one-stop- shop service offices Azercell Express, mobile e-service ASAN signature, etc. Azercell deployed first 4G  LTE services in Azerbaijan in 2012. According to the results of mobile network quality surveys of Global Wireless Solutions company and international systems specialized in wireless coverage mapping such as Opensignal and Testmy.net, Azercells network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 13:42 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Delivering the first gas from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field to Turkey via TANAP in June 2018 is quite real, said Khoshbakht Yusifzade, the first vice-president of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR.

Construction of the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), a pipe within the Southern Gas Corridor pipeline systems, has been completed by more than 80 percent.

In an article published in the countrys Respublika newspaper, Yusifzade noted that intensive work is also underway to build the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), adding that first gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Europe via TAP are scheduled for 2019.

TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.

The pipeline will connect to TANAP on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south.

TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).

TAPs shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

The article further reads that from the beginning of first oil production in November 1997 and until September 1, 2017, 435.6 million tons of oil and 136.3 billion cubic meters of associated gas were produced in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block of oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea.

Yusifzade added that 245 million tons of the total volume of oil produced at ACG account for Azerbaijan's profitable oil.

"As of September 1, 2017, 340 million tons out of 456 million tons of oil exported by Azerbaijan to the world markets accounted for the export via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline," the article says.

A contract for development of the ACG block of oil and gas fields was signed in 1994. The proven oil reserves of the block near one billion tons. Shareholders in the project are BP (operator of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli, 35.8 percent), Chevron (11.3 percent), Inpex (11 percent), AzACG (11.6 percent), Statoil (8.55 percent), Exxon (8 percent), TPAO (6.75 percent), Itochu (4.3 percent) and ONGC (2.7 percent).

Thirteen companies from 8 countries (Azerbaijan, U.S., Great Britain, Russia, Turkey, Norway, Japan, Saudi Arabia) have participated in signing of the "Contract of the Century".

On September 14 the country signed a landmark agreement with BP and its partners in the Azeri, Chirag fields and the Deep Water Portion of the Gunashli Field (ACG), embodying celebration of a Contract of the 21st Century.

The current amended and restated agreement on the joint development and production sharing will be effective until the end of 2049 and here is the potential for more than $40 billion capital to be invested in the ACG oil field.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 17:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The construction of the offshore section of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, will begin in 2019, TAP Managing Director Luca Schieppati said in an interview with Trend.

TAP continues to move further into its construction phase, he said, adding that every day, hundreds of meters along TAPs Right of Way (RoW) in Greece and Albania are cleared, strung, welded, lowered into the trenches and backfilled, in line with the project construction schedule.

"By the end of the year, we expect approximately 85 percent of the pipeline right of way in Greece and Albania (765km in total) to be graded and cleared, and approximately 70 percent of steel pipes to have been placed in the ground (backfilled)," he said.

Schieppati pointed out that in parallel, preparations are ongoing for the offshore pipeline construction across the Adriatic Sea, which is due to take place in 2019.

"Our project schedule remains and TAP continues to work towards being ready to deliver first gas from Shah Deniz in 2020," he added.

Also, Schieppati noted that the construction of TAPs compressor stations  one near Kipoi, in the east of Greece and one near Fier, in the west of Albania  began in the second quarter of 2017 and work is proceeding according to schedule and this will be a continuous activity over approximately two years.

"In addition to the two compressor stations, there is also a gas metering station being constructed near Bilisht, in the east of Albania. Works at the metering station commenced in the first quarter of 2017 and work is progressing well," he added.

TAP is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.

The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south.

TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).

TAPs shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 17:32 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

World oil prices headed for the top on Tuesday as investors recouped the comments of the Iraqi oil minister about the intention of a number of oil-producing countries to increase production cut by another 1 percent, RIA Novosti reported.

As of 13.58 Moscow time, the November futures price for the North Sea oil blend of Brent rose by 0.67 percent to $55.85 per barrel. The cost of November futures for WTI crude oil rose by 0.89 percent to $50.80 per barrel.

Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi told reporters that Iraq and some other oil-producing countries believe that it is necessary to reduce the extraction of "black gold" within the framework of the OPEC + agreement by about 1 percent while others are considering options of deals prolongation, Bloomberg reported.

Some think that cuts should be extended beyond March, three or four months, or six months, or maybe till the end of 2018. Some, like Ecuador and other countries, even Iraq, think there should be another cut of 1 percent, al-Luaibi said.

Crude prices jumped in May after OPEC and other major exporters extended their current deal to limit oil production for nine months, but later continued to decline as investors were anticipating deeper cuts.

Most recently, worlds largest oil-producers - Russia and Saudi Arabia - discussed the possibility of extending for a second time the oil output-cut deal between OPEC and non-OPEC producers negotiated in November 2016.

OPEC deal will have to be extended since stocks have still not drawn down significantly, prices have not recovered much, and the market is still predicted to be in surplus in 2018, Robin Mills, a Non-Resident Fellow for Energy at the Brookings Doha Center, and CEO of Qamar Energy (Dubai), told Azernews.

If the deal is not extended, the surplus will be considerably worse and prices will fall significantly, the expert believes.

However, it will be difficult to agree on deeper cuts due to the conflicting interests of the various members, he added.

OPEC and other major oil producers such as Russia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Sudan, and South Sudan reached an agreement in December 2016 to remove 1.8 million barrels a day from the market.

The deal to curb output brought crude prices above $58 a barrel in January but they have since slipped back as the effort to drain global inventories and stabilize the oil market has taken longer than expected.

OPEC and its partners decided to extend its production cuts till March 2018 in Vienna on May 25, as the oil cartel and its allies step up their attempt to end a three-year supply glut that has savaged crude prices and the global energy industry.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 10:43 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The Turkmen Parliament hosted a meeting with Azerbaijani delegation headed by Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov, the Turkmen government reported on September 19.

During the meeting, the sides noted that the centuries-old traditions of good neighborliness, common history and spiritual values of the two fraternal peoples and the rapidly developing cooperation between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan contribute to enhancing mutually beneficial interparliamentary relations.

They pointed out the importance of the meeting of Turkmenistans President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov with the Azerbaijani parliament speaker, held in August during the Turkmen presidents official visit to Baku.

During the visit, Berdimuhamedov drew attention to the important role of both countries MPs in the development of full-scale interstate dialogue.

In this regard, participants of the current meeting discussed priority areas and prospects of interparliamentary cooperation, said the Turkmen government's message.

Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, neighboring on the Caspian Sea, are both interested in using alternative routes to deliver their energy resources to Europe.

Turkmenistan is one of the key players on the energy market of the Caspian region and Central Asia.

Hydrocarbon resources of Turkmenistan can be sent in the western direction if a pipeline is constructed across the Caspian Sea to the shores of Azerbaijan, from where the hydrocarbon resources can be sent to Turkey and further to Europe.

Continuous transportation of Turkmen oil through Azerbaijan in recent years is an illustrative example of the mutually beneficial cooperation.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 12:36 (UTC+04:00)

By Azer Ahmadbayli/ Trend

Remember what sense of relief the world felt in 2015 after the nuclear deal was signed. Iran was no longer regarded as abode of evil (in the White House eyes), but a good partner that can commit to its obligations.

After signing the nuclear deal, Iran has been complying with all its terms, which has been confirmed periodically by IAEA. Reputation of Iran has gotten better and thats it  Europe is rushing to conclude major trade and energy contracts with Tehran.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, the US extends a range of complaints against Tehran, going beyond the nuclear deal.

We have to consider the totality of Irans activities and not let our view be defined solely by the nuclear agreement, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on September 14 during his visit to London, Reuters reported.

US President Donald Trump is weighing a strategy that could allow more aggressive U.S. responses to Irans behavior. It could be agreed and made public before the end of September, U.S. officials said. Whatever we end up with, we want to implement with allies to the greatest extent possible, the US administration official said, Reuters reported.

According to the proposal, the US has defined all possible targets for cracking down on Irans malicious activities in the region, including prop up the Assad regime, cyber activities, developing of ballistic missiles program, support of Shiite Muslim proxies and militant groups in Iraq and Syria, Iranian arms shipments to Houthi rebels in Yemen and Palestinian groups in Gaza and Sinai, and aggressive behavior of Iranian naval forces in the Gulf.

So, US has outlined potential zones for confrontation with Iran with possible use of force (recall more aggressive U.S. responses).

The nuclear deal inherently should be profitable for the US as it guaranties non-proliferation.

Washington trusts the IAEA. Indirect confirmation of this thesis came on September 14, when the US extended the sanctions relief for Iran under the deal.

But at the same time Washington gives itself full scope to give hard time to Iran in any other direction of its political and military activities in the region. Now, Washington is issuing one more bill regarding Irans bad behavior with a request to pay it.

The US is creating the environment where Iran will do nothing without being severely criticized, at best. Iran will not respond to this rhetoric unless it turns into practical steps, for instance, bombing a spot in Syria where Iranian militant groups are stationed, or clash in the Gulf as that in March 1988, when USS Samuel B Roberts was blown up by Iranian mine and in response of that a number of Iranian warships were destroyed by the US Navy (Praying Mantis operation).

If an armed incident (or chain of incidents) occurs, it will give cause for the US to create negative public opinion in mass media and to convince its hesitating European allies that Iran nevertheless poses a common threat for all, and that time has come to change the current JCPOA status-quo and return to policy of isolation.

Then it will get easier for the White House to take any unpopular decision concerning Iran. But the best prize for the US will be if Iran, having been embittered, backs out from the nuclear deal first.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 14:19 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Turkmenistan remains a key natural gas holder in the center of Eurasia, an area which has long failed to realize its huge potential due to geopolitical developments and economic changes.

The total natural gas reserves of Turkmenistan are estimated at 50.4 trillion cubic meters, Trend reported citing a source in the countrys fuel and energy complex.

As many as 19 oil and gas-oil and 65 gas fields were identified in Turkmenistan so far.

After the UKs Gaffney, Cline & Associates carried out an independent appraisal of reserves and resources of natural gas at the Galkynysh field, Turkmenistan ranked 4th in the world in terms of proven natural gas reserves. As for the worlds second biggest gas field, Galkynysh, located in the eastern part of Turkmenistan, it is stated that this filed is unique for its geological conditions.

The recently revised data shows that the reserves of Galkynysh and the nearby fields are estimated at 27.4 trillion cubic meters. Of them, 21.2 trillion cubic meters of gas account for Galkynysh, 5 trillion cubic meters account for Yashlar and 1.2 trillion cubic meters account for the nearby Garakel field.

Today, Turkmenistan is among the main suppliers of natural gas in the Central Asian region and is the largest supplier of natural gas to China. Turkmenistan earns much of its GDP from the natural gas extraction and export.

Turkmenistan does not border directly with huge markets such as Europe, China, or India, and depends on transiting gas through other countries. The Turkmen government's preference is to route transportation through those countries with which it has no or the lowest possible degree of conflict.

Today the three main export routes of the country are Central Asia  Center Pipeline (CAS) to Russia, Central Asia  China pipeline (CACP) and two routes to Iran, which are Korpedzhe-Kurt Kui (KKK) and Dauletabad-Sarakhs-Khangiran pipelines.

Turkmenistan lost Russia as a customer a year ago, and has since provided gas only to China and Iran. The countrys relations with Iran were also seriously damaged by the gas dispute over Irans debts. China remains Turkmenistans biggest consumer.

The latest major export pipeline system built in Turkmenistan is the Central-Asia China Pipeline system (CACP). It is designed to use four lines (A, B, C and D) starting in Turkmenistan and passing through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan before reaching China. A, B, and C are parallel pipelines. Line A and B became operational in 2009 and 2010 respectively while line C followed in 2014. Line D will go through a different route passing Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The different path for Line D is probably associated with a Chinese preference to avoid having all its lines run through Kazakhstan and, more importantly, to be able to import gas from Tajikistan, where CNPC is already negotiating exploration and production contracts.

Being the forth in the world for the volume of natural gas reserves, the country is considering the European market as one of the most promising areas of gas supply..

Turkmenistan has long been showing interest in the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline Project which involves the construction of a 300-km pipeline along the bottom of the Caspian Sea to the coast of Azerbaijan. It is considered to be the optimal solution for the delivery of Turkmen energy resources to the European markets. Further, along the way, Turkmen gas can be transported through the existing pipelines to Turkey, which borders European countries.

The issue was recently mulled in Baku, where President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a declaration on strategic partnership, which envisages cooperation in the area of energy deliveries to Europe.

Both countries have long been working on organizing natural gas deliveries from the Caspian Sea region, including from Turkmenistan, to Europe while Turkey and the European Union supported this initiative.

Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan stand in favor of the construction of the Trans-Caspian subsea pipeline with the consent of the states whose territories the new pipeline will cross. At the same time, Russia and Iran strongly oppose the project, insisting on the realization of the plan only when the Caspian Sea status would be resolved and the consent of all five littoral states received (Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan).

Turkmenistan also regards developing the Galkynysh field and building a branch of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline from this field as one of its strategically important areas.

The construction of the Turkmen section of the TAPI was launched in December 2015. The total length of the pipeline is 1,814 kilometers, including 214 kilometers - on the territory of Turkmenistan, 774 kilometers - Afghanistan, 826 kilometers of Pakistan to the settlement of Fazilka on the border with India.

Annual capacity of the gas pipeline will reach 33 billion cubic meters. Total length of TAPI will be 1,814 kilometers. The project's preliminary cost is estimated at $10 billion.

The trans-regional energy project expected to be inaugurated in 2019 is being hailed as a major initiative for bringing peace and enhancing connectivity in the region.

The Central Asian country also plans to build several large gas complexes in the coming years. The country aims at strengthening the development of the gas industry in the next 10 years by implementing numerous projects in this area. Particularly, it is planned to reconstruct a natural gas processing plant and launch production of liquefied gas at the Bagaja deposit in Lebap province.

A big investment project is proposed to be implemented at the field of Central Karakum, located near the Yylanly gas compressor station in the Dashoguz province. As part of the project, it is planned to build a plant to process two billion cubic meters of natural gas and produce 70,000 tons of liquefied gas.

The energy-rich Central Asian nation invites foreign investors to participate in the development of the gas and chemical industry.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 13:25 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Analysts says it is still unclear how a 105 day-long crisis between Qatar and its Arab neighbors could be resolved as neither side appears willing to step back.

The most recent flare-up in a series of long-running tensions between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states keeps its urgency as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have confirmed their demands for Doha for ending the crisis.

The foreign ministers of the Arab countries held a meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, where they reaffirmed the unity of their position vis-a-vis Qatar blockade, RIA Novosti reported on September 19.

"We have gathered to confirm our readiness for a political settlement of the crisis, in case Qatar promises to fulfill a list of 13 demands and six principles. We are striving for normalization of relations with Qatar," Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri said.

He also noted that they strive to ensure that Qatar ceased to support and sponsor terrorism, as well as destabilize and interfere in the internal affairs of the four countries.

The four Arab states in June cut off diplomatic relations, severed air, land and sea links with Qatar, accusing the latter of supporting terrorism, and ordered Qatari citizens to leave their countries within two weeks. A number of other states joined the decision later. Doha refused the accusations.

In mid June, Saudi Arabia and its allies have issued a threatening 13-point ultimatum to Qatar as the price for lifting the trade and diplomatic embargo of the country.

The list of demands includes stipulations that Doha close the broadcaster al-Jazeera, drastically scale back cooperation with Iran, remove Turkish troops from Qatars soil, end contact with groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and submit to monthly external compliance checks.

Doha refused to fulfill the demands, naming them illegal.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The talks will focus on the relations between Doha and neighboring Arab states.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain issued a joint statement following the talks between the Emir of Kuwait and the U.S. president, where they noted that the only way to settle relations with Qatar is to fulfill Doha's 13 demands, including termination of terrorism funding and interfering in the affairs of others states.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 18:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Turkmenistan is known worldwide for its huge oil and gas reserves, however it is not the only resource which brings the country most of its income.

One of the primary exports items of Turkmenistan has traditionally been cotton. Cotton is equalized to gold as it is widely used in various industrial branches, including textile, food, medical and some other industries.

The Central Asian country of over 5.6 million people is among the top 10 producers of cotton and its high quality, fine-fibre white gold is in great demand. The country invests millions of dollars into the sector to further develop the cotton industry and create textile plants.

During the Soviet Union, Turkmenistans agriculture was characterized by the monoculture of cotton. The country ranked second after Uzbekistan in cotton production among the six cotton republics of the Former Soviet Union. The situation began to change rapidly after 1990, when the government started to stimulate wheat production in order to achieve a higher degree of national food self-sufficiency.

However, despite this relative decline of cotton production, Turkmenistan ranks ninth largest cotton producer after China, India, the United States, Pakistan, Brazil, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Australia.

Almost half of all irrigated lands in the country or 545,000 hectares have been allocated for cotton-growing in Turkmenistan in 2017. The country is expected to produce 1.05 million tons of cotton in 2017. Currently, it is the harvest time in the country.

Although Turkmenistan lies along the eastern coastline of the Caspian Sea, the countrys four inner-most regions are where cotton growing is most prominent. Mary and Lebap regions produce about 313,000 and 300,000 tons of cotton, respectively. The south-central Akhal region, in which the countrys capital of Ashgabat is located, produced about 207,000 tons, while Dashoguz brings in around 230,000.

Although agriculture accounts for only about nine percent of the countrys GDP, the sector continues to employ nearly half of the country's workforce, with the two largest crops grown being cotton and wheat.

The country supplies cotton to China, Russia, the UK, South Korea, Turkey, Iran, Indonesia, Singapore, Ukraine and Baltic countries. Cotton products are sold through auctions in Turkmenistans commodity and raw materials exchange.

Over 20 textile firms with predominantly Turkish partners currently operate in the country.

Under the State Program for development of the textile industry for 2011-2020, by 2020 the government plans to increase investments in the textile industry to $2 billion. This will include both upgrading existing facilities and building new ones.

The plan calls for increasing the number of employees in the industry from almost 30,000 in 2013 to 36,000 in 2020. This expansion is expected to allow the processing of nearly 230,000 tons of cotton per year and to expand annual export revenues by $350 million.

In 2017, Turkmenistan plans to harvest 1,05 million tons of white gold, particularly in Akhal velayat  207,000 tons, in Dashoguz velayat  230,000 tons, in Lebap velayat  300, 000 tons, in Mary velayat  313 ,000 tons.

The total area of land, allotted for cotton is 545,000 hectares. In spring, they were sowed with medium- and finely-fibred varieties of cotton  133, Yoloten-7, Dashoguz-120, Serdar, C-4727, Yoloten-39, Yoloten-14, etc.For the new harvest of cotton, there are prepared 152 commodity points and 38 countrys cotton gin plants.

The 7th International Trade Fair of Cotton Products and International Conference Cotton products of Turkmenistan and World Market will be held in Ashgabat on November 25-26, Trend reported.

The event will be held with participation of the Turkmen Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 September 2017 15:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Tourism, a booming business, is a key foreign exchange earner for a number of developing countries worldwide.

Today, many countries recognize the monetary gains they could reap by opening up their area to tourism. However, convincing tourists to visit your country or locale can be a problem all unto itself, that's why marketing is critical for the tourism development.

Azerbaijans authorities also care a lot about attracting tourists, through marketing the country and its attractions as a unique tourist destination. The government has made developing tourism a priority.

Azerbaijan, also called the Land of Fires, is blessed with ingredients that will create good memories for tourists, including natural scenery, people, a historically rich religious diversity, interesting cities to explore, unusual foods, exotic fruits, opportunities to bring home great memories purchased here, and above all, safety in the country.

Mountains, forests, farmlands, coastal areas, and nine out of a possible eleven distinct climate zones from subtropical to alpine climates provide Azerbaijan with a broad range of natural environments that can be used to develop a range of tourism activities and to attract a diverse group of tourists.

After attracting thousands of tourists from Persian Gulf countries for the last two years, the country is keen to beckon tourists from Eastern Asia to help the tourism drive.

Kanan Guluzade, the spokesperson for the National Bureau for Propaganda of Tourism said that Azerbaijan is working to increase the number of tourists from China.

China now sends more tourists abroad than any other country in the world. Chinese travelers are regarded as the biggest contributors to the global tourism market, if to consider the fact that over 130 million tourists made outbound trips by the end of 2016. And with this fact in mind, the Land of Fire seeks to attract more Chinese visitors.

In this regard, Azerbaijani authorities resorted to help of world bloggers, which has turned into a new strategy used to promote the destinations.

Travel blogs have become really important for destinations because written or content provide consumers with the opportunity to share travel experiences that encourage others to consider visiting the destination. By hosting bloggers in your country you can have them promote your tourism industry on the internet with articles, videos and hashtags on social media.

Guluzade noted Chinese bloggers recently visited Azerbaijan to promote the country, describe the travel and its touristic services.

We have already started active work in the direction of China, so that more Chinese come to Azerbaijan. Last year China sent 135 million tourists to the world, if a few percent of them come to Azerbaijan, our country will be provided with a large flow of tourists, he said.

However, the country will not stop on it, the spokesman said, noting that the work is underway to increase the number of tourists from Israel.

In early October, bloggers from Israel will be invited to Azerbaijan in a bid to attract more tourists from the country.

This year Azerbaijan welcomed foreign tourists from 25 countries, with Russians being on the top. In January-July this year, 1.513 million tourists visited Azerbaijan, and the figure would mark a 24-percent rise on 2016. Only in July 330,000 tourists came to Azerbaijan.

Georgia, Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Iraq, Kazakhstan, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Uzbekistan, Germany, the U.S., Turkmenistan, Belarus, Pakistan, Israel, India and Kuwait come next.

The least number of tourists to Azerbaijan came from Italy, China, France, Qatar and the Netherlands.

Vugar Shikhammadov, spokesperson for the Culture and Tourism Ministry told Trend that the serious growth in a number of tourists from the Persian Gulf countries, as well as from neighboring countries - Turkey and Iran are appositive result.

The average length of stay of tourists in the country is 5-7 days. On average, tourists spend 3-4 days in the capital, and in the remaining days they travel to the regions closest to Baku. On average, every tourist arriving in Azerbaijan spends $700-1,000, he said.

Contribution of travel and tourism to GDP is 4.1 percent, according to Shikhammadov.

Azerbaijani people are well known for their hospitality while the countrys nature with its climate, beauty and uniqueness mesmerizes even the most claimant tourists.

The country with rich ancient history has thousands of places to visit, ranging from the capital to the unique villages lost in the clouds. Baku, where past and modernity, East and West have intertwined cannot leave indifferent any traveler. Warm Caspian Sea, sandy beaches and delicious Caucasian cuisine attract tourists to Azerbaijani resorts day by day.

--

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz




First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is AMR Modern-day FRANKENSTEINS MONSTER?

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) continues to pose a significant public health problem in terms of mortality and economic loss. The rising AMR is a matter of huge concern that needs to be tactfully handled and health authorities of several countries, including India, have formulated action plans for its containment. Significant efforts by the government, an active involvement of startups and diagnostic players is a good start. The question remains, whether this will be enough.

For Feedback, please email us at: communications@mmactiv.com
The researchers have shown that on shutting down SOX2 and treatment with anti-cancer drug, paclitaxel, restricted migration of cancer stem cells.

Scientists at the University of Calcutta and the Saroj Gupta Cancer Care and Research Institute (SGCC&RI), Kolkata, have identified mechanisms that make breast cancer stem cells resistant to chemotherapy. This knowledge can be used to develop combination therapy along with conventional drugs to tackle aggressive triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).

In this process, the study has found that three molecules  SOX2, ABCG2, and TWIST1  play an important role. The researchers have further shown that on shutting down SOX2 (which further affects TWIST1 also) and treatment with anti-cancer drug, paclitaxel, restricted migration of cancer stem cells. Even after removal of the drug, these cells did not migrate.

Designing new methods which would target SOX2 would in effect render resistant cell population sensitive to anti-cancer drugs. Further research has identified nano formulation of anti-cancer drugs which have the potential to reduce SOX2 expression and effectively obliterate the cancer stem cell population in cells-in-culture as well as in tumors induced in mice. It has immense potential in being developed as a promising drug in future.
Bizarre Case Of A Man Getting His Pen*s Stuck In A Dumbbell Pulse oi-Syeda Farah

We need to understand that sometimes curiosity can kill the cat or just leave you embarrassed with a red face and this is what happened to a man in Germany when he was left with his penis stuck to the dumbbells!

This is one of the most bizarre viral things that is doing its rounds and the strange part is, this is a true incident!

Check out on what happened to the man exactly...

A Man Was Rushed To The Hospital A young man was left red-faced when he was rushed to the hospital with a weight ring around his penis, as his penis was stuck to the 2.5 kg weighing ring! The doctors were confused themselves... The Doctors Called In Emergency Services Since the case seemed to be quite complicated, the doctors called the city's fire brigade to help them solve the bizarre case, as the man seemed to be under immense pain. The man has been kept unnamed due to the embarrassing situation. The Fire Dept. Shared A Post The post read: "One person had a very sensitive part of the body trapped in the hole of a 2.5 kg dumbbell disc." It was posted on Facebook, describing the call-out as "somewhat different". They further added: "Please do not imitate such actions." He Had To Be Sedated To Be Rescued The poor embarrassed man had to be sedated before the ring could be broken. His rescuers had to use power tools to cut the weight in order to free him. After 3 long hours, the man was finally set free! The Condition Of The Man It's not known whether the man's penis was seriously affected by the incident, but hopefully according to various sources, he has made a full recovery! What ever happened to the man, it still makes us wonder what was he trying to even do!!

GET THE BEST BOLDSKY STORIES! Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 18:23 [IST]
High women participation

Participant of female voters was remarkable during the third phase local polls in Province 2.
India, China wish Nepal on Constitution Day

The emperor of Japan and the presidents of India, China and the Maldives and prime ministers of India and China sent separate congratulatory messages to President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Monday on the eve of the Constitution Day of Nepal.
Myanmar's Suu Kyi condemns all rights violations, appeals to global community over Rohingya crisis

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday condemned all human rights violations in the Rakhine state even as she said that her country does not fear international scrutiny on the Rohingya crisis, media reports said.
London: A British chemicals company best known for fracking operations in the UK has launched a daring bid to recreate an electric version of the four-wheel drive, stimulating car manufacturing in the north of England with a view to exporting the off-roader to Australia.

Launching the project at The Grenadier pub in Belgravia, the chairman of INEOS, Jim Ratcliffe, who dreamt up the idea at The Grenadier after a "second pint" with friends two years ago, said the company envisioned an "unbreakable... no-frills farmer's vehicle" that would "look cool" and retain a rugged appearance rather than that of a "homogenised SUV" or "soft roader."

INEOS Chairman Jim Ratcliffe wants to revive British car manufacturing by recreating an "unbreakable" electric four-wheel drive.

He said his company would be focussed on making a version that would not break down, like the Land Rover Defender.

"In places like Australia where breaking down is a serious affair you drive a Toyota, you don't drive a Land Rover, we really do want to crack the reliability problem. And we are trying to produce the indestructibility of the Toyota Landcruiser," he said.
It was supposed to be the helicopter pilot's last tour of Antarctica. To earn a good wage to pay for his children's university education, and a happy retirement with his family in Winnipeg, Canada.

For Captain David Wood, 62, the remote continent was not about adventure, his wife Mary Macdonald told an inquest into his death on Tuesday in an emotional statement.

David Wood was described on Tuesday as an adventurer and skilled pilot. Credit:davidwarburtonwood.com

"Risk was not a thrill for David," she said.

He was one of the best pilots in Canada, and worked across the north American continent, China and Australia, she said. He fought fires from the air and flew a helicopter for a news network.
Police are investigating the death of an inmate who couldn't be revived after an alleged assault in a north Queensland jail.

Paramedics were called to Townsville Correctional Centre on Dwyer Street in Stuart about 10.15am to treat a 48-year-old man, but he was declared dead at the scene.

A 41-year-old man was assisting police with their inquiries.

"A prisoner was found unconscious by staff after an alleged physical assault incident involving another prisoner," the Department of Corrective Services said in a statement.

Attempts to resuscitate the victim were unsuccessful, and the prisoner was declared deceased by medical staff at approximately 10.50am.
Ten protesters who blocked access to Adani's Abbot Point coal port in central Queensland have been arrested. Indigenous elders, business owners, former coal workers and parents converged on the site on Tuesday. Anti-Adani protestors speak with police at Abbot Point. Credit:Frontline Action on Coal. Twenty move-on notices were issued and 10 protesters were arrested after allowing staff to leave but not enter the port, Frontline Action on Coal said in a statement. The protest was part of a series of events taking place this week as part of an ongoing bid to stop the construction of Adani's massive Carmichael coal mine in Queensland's Galilee Basin.

Loading The arrests came as dozens of people gathered outside the Queensland ALP headquarters in Brisbane. Armed with a puppet of Deputy Premier Jackie Trad under the control of Adani chairman Gautam Adani, they were calling on the party to sack lobbyist Cameron Milner from its re-election campaign. Written messages accusing the state government of being in bed with Adani and expressing anxiety over climate change were tacked to the building. Mr Milner is a director at Next Level Strategic Services, a lobby group that counts Adani among its clients.
A plan to make the influenza vaccine free for children is being considered by health authorities after the tragic death of an eight-year-old girl in Melbourne's outer-east.

Rosie Andersen had been sick with the flu for a number of days before she suffered a cardiac arrest and died on Friday morning at the Angliss Hospital in Upper Ferntree Gully.

Victoria's deputy chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton said that Australia needed to discuss making the flu vaccination free for all children.

"I think it's a national conversation that needs to be had," he said.
Compelling tip-offs in a police file on the murder of Perth brothel madam Shirley Finn were never followed up, including that notorious Sydney hit man Arthur "Neddy" Smith was a prime suspect, an inquest has heard.

Shortly after the killing in June 1975, a man named Keith Lewis allegedly told one of the detectives working on the case, James Boland, that Smith had killed the mother of three.

Mrs. Shirley Finn (34) -- wearing the dress in which she was found murdered. Credit:Photographer Unknown

The policeman passed the information to his superior Don Hancock - who was himself murdered in a car bombing in 2001 - and was allegedly told to take no further action.

Mr Boland recently told the WA Coroner's Court he assumed the information would be dealt with by a senior colleague but no one asked him about it.
Assaults on prisoners and staff in Queensland's jails have more than doubled over the past three years.

In the past 12 months, there were 2775 assaults on prisoners by other offenders, and 270 assaults on staff.

Assaults more than double in Queensland's prisons in three years.

Over the same period three years ago, there were 1330 prisoner on prisoner assaults and 119 assaults on staff, according to an analysis of government open data by Fairfax Media.

That was an increase of 108 per cent for assaults on prisoners and 126 per cent for assaults on staff.
A journalist and cameraman from the ABC have been barred from Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate's press conference a day after a Four Corners investigation into developer donations at his council.

The Four Corners story, broadcast on the ABC on Monday night, revealed deputy mayor Donna Gates voted in favour of developer applications linked to her campaign donors nearly 30 times since 2016, acknowledging a conflict of interest.

Credit:Glenn Hunt

While the decision to not leave the council chamber or abstain from voting did not breach the Local Government Act, it raised questions over whether the rules should be changed in Queensland.

On Tuesday, a Gold Coast staffer told waiting media Channels 7, 9 and 10 could go upstairs to the media conference, instead of in the council chambers foyer where such conferences were normally held.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has called a One Nation plan to cap fundraiser tickets at $995 to get around donation laws "incredibly sneaky".

The right-wing minor party is holding a fundraiser in Brisbane on Tuesday, with tickets capped just below the $1000 threshold which would see them automatically declared under the Palaszczuk government's real-time donations disclosure system.

Senator Pauline Hanson will host a fundraising event with tickets just $5 under the electoral disclosure threshold. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

One Nation insists it did not set the price in a deliberate attempt to keep its donors anonymous, but the Premier said they weren't acting in the spirit of the law.

"I think it's $5 under the threshold, I think that's a little bit sneaky frankly," Ms Palaszczuk said on Tuesday.
Newly opened highway links China with Nepal

China has opened a 40.4km highway between Xigaze airport and Xigaze city centre in Tibet to public, linking the Chinese national highway to the Nepal border, Chinese media reported.
Bangkok: Myanmar's de factor leader Aung San Suu Kyi refused on Tuesday to criticise her country's security forces, which the United Nations has accused of the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.

Facing a barrage of international criticism over the Rohingya crisis, Ms Suu Kyi condemned all human rights violations in the country's strife-torn Rakhine state and said anyone responsible would face the law.

But the 72-year-old Nobel laureate claimed she did not know why more than 400,000 Rohingya had fled to Bangladesh, saying there were "allegations and counter allegations".

"We would like to find out why this is happening," she told an audience of foreign dignitaries, officials and journalists in the capital Naypyitaw.
Bangkok: Aung San Suu Kyi has blown her chance to condemn the worst episode of ethnic cleansing the world has seen in decades.

The Nobel laureate who spent much of her life fighting for her people's freedom failed in a long-awaited speech on Tuesday to offer any solution to end savagery in Rakhine State.

Suu Kyi, now Myanmar's de facto leader, defended the country's security forces which according to irrefutable evidence have committed extra-judicial killings, the slaughter of children, rapes and the torching of villages.

The United Nations' chief Antonio Guterres warned before the speech that unless she acted now "the tragedy will be absolutely horrible".
There is bad news and less bad news in the report, The New Netwar, from scholars led by Martyn Frampton at Queen Mary University of London.

The top consumers of IS videos were from Turkey, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Britain, which registered the largest number of clicks in Europe.

A new study released on Tuesday by the Policy Exchange thinktank based in London, whose reports often inform government policy in Britain, ranked the top consumers of propaganda produced by the Islamic State, by country of origin, as measured by clicks.

As IS territory shrinks, propaganda grows. An Iraqi soldier inspects a train tunnel that was turned into a training camp for IS fighters. Credit:AP

Bad, in the sense that the IS is pumping out more material than ever. Not so bad, in the sense that the numbers of people looking in any one country could be measured in the tens of thousands - and that big internet companies might be able to limit what is available, should they choose or be forced to do so.

"We are certainly not winning the war online," the report concludes. "The spate of terrorist attacks the UK suffered in the first half of 2017 confirmed that online extremism is a real and present danger. In each case, online radicalisation played some part in driving the perpetrators to violence."

Although IS is being driven from its territories in Syria and Iraq, the authors say "the movement produces around 100 pieces of new content in an average week (and often much more than that). This adds to an ever-growing archive of material built up over three decades."

They say the terrorist group has released 2000 "official" videos. "This number rises to 6000 when the wider jihadist movement is included," the authors say.
Washington: Let the record show that Antonio Guterres tried.

Faced with sharing a dais with one of the UN's most strident critics  that would be Donald Trump  the UN Secretary General seemingly took a gamble. He crafted such a devastating critique of his organisation that Trump was reduced, almost, to sounding mild mannered.

The many global crises that give diplomats sleepless nights range from North Korea ramping up its nuclear program to efforts to undo the deal that curbed Iran's nuclear program; from millions of refugees rattling around a globe that doesn't want them, to climate change and the ravages of serial hurricanes, famines and drought.

But when it came Guterres' turn to speak at a gathering of world leaders in New York, ahead of Tuesday's formal opening of the UN's annual General Assembly, Guterres told of being asked recently about what keeps him awake at night.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday she would press U.S. President Donald Trump this week about a trade challenge by Boeing Co that could endanger thousands of aerospace jobs in Northern Ireland.

May and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are worried about Boeing's move against Bombardier Inc, which is the single largest manufacturing employer in Northern Ireland and Canada's most important aerospace firm.

May raised the issue with Trump in a call earlier this month and told reporters in Ottawa she would do so again this week on the margins of the United Nations.

"I will be impressing on him the significance of Bombardier to the United Kingdom ... I want to see a resolution that protects those jobs in Northern Ireland," she said after talks with Trudeau where both leaders agreed to work together to stress that Boeing should back down.

May's minority Conservative government depends on backing from the small Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for their majority control of the British parliament.

Boeing accuses Bombardier of dumping its new CSeries passenger jet in the U.S. aircraft market, a charge the Canadian firm denies.

A U.S. trade court is due to give a preliminary ruling on Boeing's complaint on Sept. 25.

"I am very happy to be working with Prime Minister May to explain to the American administration how Boeing's actions are harmful to workers here in Canada," Trudeau told reporters.

Trudeau reiterated that Canada would not talk to Boeing about a proposed purchase of 18 F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets until the firm had dropped its challenge.

"We won't do business with a company that's busy trying to sue us and put our aerospace workers out of business," he said.

Boeing denied it was suing Canada.

"This is a commercial dispute with Bombardier, which has sold its CSeries airplane in the United States at absurdly low prices ... this is a classic case of dumping," it said in a statement.

Trudeau's office did not immediately respond to a question about his use of the word "suing."

At the news conference, May sidestepped a query as to whether the two leaders had discussed attempting to jointly pressure Boeing by refusing to buy its planes.

Canada last month tried to end the dispute by suggesting it could withdraw a threat not to buy the Super Hornets if Boeing withdrew the challenge, sources said, but Boeing rejected the idea. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Connemara Mining's newly appointed CEO expects fresh drilling this month to kickstart projects in Ireland, where zinc and gold exploration has been revived by a recovery in commodity prices.

Patrick Cullen, a geologist with experience at big resource companies including Schlumberger and AngloGold , returned to his native Ireland to become CEO of London-listed Connemara in August.

In the four weeks after his appointment Connemara's share price rose by about 40 percent and is up 86 percent this year as its main prospects - zinc and gold - have rallied.

Cullen said that he aims to take advantage of "a general upsurge in interest in exploration and mining in Ireland, with zinc prices that have reached their highest level in a decade and robust demand for gold."

Drilling was expected this month, he said, to verify the extent of a gold find in Donegal and the company aims to accelerate activity more widely with joint venture partners.

Last week Group Eleven, a private company that has announced plans to float in Canada this year, acquired the interest held by Teck Ireland in the Stonepark zinc project in Limerick.

Connemara holds nearly a quarter of the project and Group Eleven the remaining stake.

Cullen said that is positive because he expects Group Eleven to be more active than Teck was in developing Connemara's flagship zinc property. The site is neighbor to Glencore's Pallas Green prospect, one of the world's largest undeveloped zinc projects.

Almost no exploration took place during the commodity price crash that ended early last year, but Connemara said that drilling rigs are now working the site. Glencore declined to comment.

Apart from zinc and gold, Connemara is investigating Ireland's lithium potential, attracted by expected demand growth for use in batteries to power electric vehicles. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
GoCar has today announced its nationwide expansion following a 3 million investment this year, which has increased the number of counties with car sharing bases from two to eighteen.

The milestone announcement for GoCar comes in conjunction with European Mobility Week 2017 (September 16th-22nd) which is calling on European citizens to embrace sustainable, shared transport methods like car sharing in order to reduce transport expenses and lower carbon footprint.

The car sharing company has grown significantly since its launch in 2008, celebrating a number of milestones along the way including reaching 10,000 memberships in February 2017, the launch of the GoElectric electric vehicle fleet in 2016 and the launch of its dedicated parking spaces in Dublins city centre in 2015.

In the last year alone, GoCar has doubled its fleet, members, and its monthly trip average. GoCar hopes to continue its service expansion and is seeking input from more county councils to make car sharing available to everyone in Ireland. In the run up to its ten year anniversary, GoCar has announced a further 6 million investment to double its fleet by 2018, bringing the total number of GoCars to over 600 across Ireland.

New partnerships with Irish Rail and County Councils throughout Ireland have made it possible for GoCar to expand its service beyond Dublin and Cork and make car sharing available across sixteen more counties this year including Galway, Limerick, Kildare, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wicklow. The new Irish Rail bases will make it easier for commuters in Ireland to combine rail travel with car sharing and thereby embrace multi-modal, sustainable transport with reduced dependency on private cars.

Commenting on the national expansion, GoCar Managing Director, Colm Brady said, "We are delighted to mark European Mobility Week with the announcement of GoCars expansion across Ireland - a significant milestone for the company as we approach our 10 year anniversary next year. Working with Irish Rail and county councillors throughout the country, we have made considerable progress in improving accessibility to car sharing and hope to continue expanding until car sharing is available in as many parts of Ireland as possible."

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross added, "As well as reducing travel costs, traffic congestion and carbon footprints the new partnerships between Go Car, Irish Rail and numerous County Councils will allow commuters to combine rail and car sharing, enhancing travel experiences and allow for much more social mobility. This is terrific news. I look forward to even more car sharing bases being introduced for the benefit of all Irish travellers in 2018."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
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
Paradigms of tourism

Tourism is an amalgamation of a multitude of disciplines and consequent variables. It is also viewed as a contingent business because variables like floods, accidents, landslides, fires, wars, and politics directly or indirectly impinge its functioning and impact its smooth operation.
Respect from human to human  we are losing that value in the world, Najla Ayubi said during the Human Rights Defenders Forum in May at The Carter Center in Atlanta. We have to open the veil between ourselves and the people we dont like or who dont like us. (Photo: The Carter Center/ M.Schwarz)

Before the Taliban, before the war, before women were banned from positions of power, Najla Ayubi was a judge in Afghanistan. Extremists forced her out of her courtroom and eventually out of her country.

Her response to this injustice is not rage and retribution, its empathy and action. Ayubi, a founding board member of Womens Regional Network (Afghanistan-Pakistan-India), believes in the power of respect to promote reconciliation.

Respect from human to human  we are losing that value in the world, she said during the 2017 Human Rights Defenders Forum in May at The Carter Center in Atlanta. We have to open the veil between ourselves and the people we dont like or who dont like us.

Extremists arent all merely evil, she said. Many are simply trapped.

Most of the people who join these extremist groups do so because they are poor, Ayubi said. They dont have a choice to move from their villages or communities to go somewhere else or start doing something else instead of joining these groups.

Understanding the circumstances could help head off trouble, she suggested.

If we can reach out to the families of these extremists  theyre human also, she said. Surely as humans we may have something in common through which we can find a way to prevent this extremism, because as it is we are reacting to extremism, not preventing it.

While religious extremism tends to grab most of the headlines, other forces are at work as well, Ayubi said.

Its not just religion, she said. In my country there is religious extremism, there is ethnic extremism, there is language extremism. All of these are related to the identity of the people. When you attack the identity of people, you destroy respect.

Maintaining respect for peoples identities and listening to their grievances can keep frustration from boiling over into extremism and violence, Ayubi said.

Its important to talk to our enemies, she said. When you talk to them, you try to learn what they are fighting for. Im not saying we should support them, but we do need to hear them: What is the cause? Im sorry. Why are you so angry? Maybe they are lacking power. Maybe they are unable to find their spaces in our society.

Ayubi fully acknowledges that there are unsavory people who lust for power and are willing to manipulate others to attain it. She believes robust education and communication can help prevent those people from exerting influence over younger generations.

Because we have been in war in Afghanistan for almost 40 years, you see the education sector has been destroyed  infrastructure, everything, she said. It takes time to go from being so totally destroyed to develop or grow. But if we respect each other, and if we can do something about corruption in government and lack of leadership, and if we pursue the motivation to live together and promote cultural tolerance, many of our challenges will be solved.
Cambodia will cap cement plants at five

19 September 2017

Cambodia is in the middle of a cement capacity expansion programme, but a state official has announced that the country's government will not offer more than the five cement production licences for the plants that will be operational by the end of the year.



The licence cap only applies to production facilities. While companies must obtain production licences from the Ministry of Industry, quarry permits are issued by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, according to Phnom Penh Post.

"We can only provide licences for five companies," said Hort Pheng, director of the Industrial Affairs Department at the Ministry of Industry. "Despite investors coming to ask us for potential locations for cement plants, the ones in Kampot and Battambang are enough as the other provinces lack the quality of limestone needed for cement production."

Two large cement plants are expected to begin operations by the end of the year, according to a Cambodian state official, who said the kingdom has reached its limit for domestic cement production and the government will stop issuing new licences to protect dwindling natural resources.



Chip Mong Insee Cement

Hort Pheng said, Chip Mong Insee  a joint venture between local conglomerate Chip Mong Group and Thailands Siam City Cement Corporation (SCCC)  was preparing to open its US$262m cement plant in Kampot province.



Tieng Sopheak Vichea, public and government relations manager at Chip Mong Insee Cement, said the companys new plant will also have a production capacity of 5000tpd, and is on track for an October opening.



"The cement market is a good opportunity for us," he said. "Even with five factories, prices will remain stable as long as there is continued growth in the construction sector and because this is our first plant we are not worried about a shortage of natural resources."

This will be the countrys fourth cement production facility, with the almost-completed Battambang Conch Cement factory  a joint venture between Cambodian and Chinese investors  slated to be the fifth.



He said the new cement plants will add to the production capacity of the three existing licences held by Kampot Cement, Cambodia Cement Chakrey Ting and Thai Boon Roong  all three located in Kampot province. Pheng said the ministry had capped the number of cement production licences despite the high level of investor interest.



Mr Pheng said once all five cement producers are fully operational their combined output should come close to meeting domestic demand for cement, but the booming construction sector would still need to import cement to fill orders and meet project specifications.



Battambang Conch Cement

Heng Sinsiphat, deputy general manager of Battambang Conch Cement, said that while his companys plant was scheduled to open in December, construction is currently "stuck" and its completion could be delayed. He declined to identify what was hampering construction, but said once finished the plant would be capable of producing 5000tpd of cement.



"We plan to supply the domestic market first before we consider the export market for Vietnam, Laos and Thailand," he said.

Published under
Askari Cement opts for ETA cooler technology

19 September 2017

The Chinese design institute NCDRI has awarded a contract to Claudius Peters for the delivery of two clinker cooler conversions.



The customer, Askari Cement in Pakistan, wants to convert two grate coolers to modern ETA cooler technology from Claudius Peters. The cooler conversions will be carried out at the Nizampur cement plant which has two production lines in operation.



The 856 S ETA coolers will each be equipped with eight rows of HE-modules and a roller crusher RB 305-3 EM. In a first step, the 2700tpd capacity of will remain unchanged.



With two plants, in Nizampur and Wah, Askari Cement is one of the leading cement manufacturers in Pakistan. Both plants have a total capacity of 8925tpd producing high quality cement used for dams, bridges and highways.



Commissioning is planned for the 1Q18.

Published under
Gebr Pfeiffer now supplying to Nepal

ICR Newsroom By 19 September 2017

Nepalese cement producer Kapilvastu Cement Udhyog Pvt Ltd, part of the Ghorahi Cement Group, has awarded the order for a vertical roller mill to Germany's Gebr Pfeiffer SE.

The new MVR 3070 C-4 mill will be installed at its new grinding plant in Sonparwa, Barkalpure in the Kapilvastu District of Nepal, and will ground OPC at a rate of 70tph. The scope of supply includes an SLS 2650 BC high-efficiency classifier as well as an innovative system of hot gas generation to provide heat to evaporate the water in feed material such as granulated blastfurnace slag. The hot gas generation system can be fuelled by alternative fuels.

The core components of the MVR mill as well as the 1250kW gearbox will be supplied by Gebr Pfeiffer SE while the remaining components of the mill and high-efficiency classifier will be supplied by its Indian subsidiary, Gebr Pfeiffer (India) Pvt Ltd who will also furnish almost all other components for the new grinding plant such as handling equipment for feed and take-away, plant filter, plant fan, hot gas generator, motors, frequency converters and proportioning belt scales. Moreover, the Indian subsidiary will be responsible for the plant engineering needed by the customer.

Gebr Pfeiffer will also monitor and coordinate the erection as well commission the unit.

Published under
India Cements Ltd orders an FLSmidth OK mill

19 September 2017

FLSmidth has signed a contract with the India Cements Ltd (ICL) for a new OK 52-4 cement mill with ROKSH 82 separator for cement grinding to be installed at the Shankar Nagar plant, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India.



FLSmidth will carry out the system engineering, procurement and supply machinery for a cement production capacity of 200tph OPC at 3500 Blaine. The supply also includes gear units from FLSmidth product company, MAAG Gear.

"This contract reflects the strong relations we have had with the India Cements Ltd for almost a decade and our extensive knowledge in the region. We are happy to partner with them again. This order indicates our ability to offer productivity-enhancing solutions that minimises the environmental footprint and increases the energy efficiency of the plant operations," said Country Head of FLSmidth India, Carsten Riisberg Lund.



ICL is one of the leading cement producers in southern India with a total capacity of 15.5Mta. The implementation of the OK vertical mill will enable ICL to reduce its energy costs, as the new mill will replace the existing ball mills at the plant. FLSmidth estimates that the contract will be fully executed by the end of 2018.

Published under
Acid attacks are rising in Europe, with the most recent involving four Boston College students at a French subway station. The Boston Globe reported that a woman with a psychiatric history attacked the four girls. A spokeswoman for the police prefecture in Marseille told The New York Times, nothing suggests that this was a terrorist attack.

The women did not sustain serious injuries in the event, which bears similarities to many that have occurred across the world. Last month, police apprehended a teenager for hurling three bottles of acid at a cafe in Paris, The Daily Beast reported. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

The Metropolitan Police in London reported that 454 acid attacks took place in that city in 2016. Thats up from 261 in 2015 and almost triple the number reported in 2012. Between 2010-2016, 1,805 acid attacks occurred, and the reason why might surprise you.

Crackdowns on knives and guns lead criminals elsewhere

The Guardian said police cracking down on knives and gun violence led to the increase. Dr Simon Harding, a criminologist at Middlesex University, called the rise genuinely scary, according to The Guardian. The rise [in the number of attacks] is partly due to the fact some young people are switching to acid as there is a clampdown on knives and guns, Harding said. Its permitted to carry bleach, for example.

Starting in 2015, the London Shield scheme began cracking down on violent offenses, The Evening Standard reported. The scheme includes punishment for all gang members if one of them commits a crime. About 200 gangs operate in London, claiming responsibility for 20% of all violent crime there.

The rise in acid attacks also coincided with a crackdown on weapons, including the two strikes rule. That initiative requires a minimum sentence of six months for people convicted of carrying a knife for the second time. The availability of acid doesnt help deter criminals, either.

Lax regulations make acid readily available

Simon Laurence, chief superintendent for the Hackney borough in London, said retailers dont have to restrict or question acid purchases. He asked storekeepers to take social and moral responsibility, but even common household cleaners are used in these types of attacks.

Jaf Shah, from the London charity Acid Survivors Trust International told the BBC the phenomenon dates back to the Victorian times in Britain, but said the recent increase shocks him. The recent spike in attacks means the UK has the highest number of reported acid attacks per capita in the world, he said. He and others call for sales volume regulations, age restrictions, or other measures to make acid harder to purchase. Those regulations wont be easy to instate.

Acids serve as main ingredients in many cleaning products

Because corrosive acids make up a percentage of many household cleaners, requiring retailers to regulate them wont be easy. Labour MP for East Ham Stephen Timms wants to see additional safeguards. He said he is most concerned about sulphuric acid. The MP suggested carrying a bottle without justification should be treated like carrying a knife.

In the short term, the government has to introduce a license system to purchase concentrated acid and credit card payments for purchases, to track and aid police investigations, Shah told The Guardian. The government has to conduct detailed research to better understand the problem. This will enable a targeted response. A key factor is to tackle root causes of acid violence such as ideas around masculinity.

In 2016, a report issued by the former MP for Kingston and Surbiton James Berry called for some potentially lethal substances to require a license for purchase, The Guardian said. The report also called for the industry to be encouraged and if necessary required to reformulate common cleaners to reduce their corrosive content or make them more viscous.

Once a criminal uses acid against another person, the next legal hurdle comes into play.

Acid carries a lower sentence than knives or guns

Harding called acid a weapon of first choice for attackers. He explained that acid throwing shows dominance, power and control, building fear among gang members. Lower charges follow using acid compared to knives, another common assault weapon in the UK in particular.

Theres no specific offense of throwing acid. Its a harder offense to prove because there is rarely any DNA evidence and its much easier to dispose of a plastic bottle than it is a knife, the expert explained. Criminologist Marian FitzGerald said imposing restrictions may not help. To her mind, criminals will just find another easily accessible weapon.

The people that are actually using these readily available domestic pieces of equipment, in a premeditated way, she said on NPR. If there is pressure on one particular type of weapon, they will use another.

Many victims dont come forward

The BBC reported that about 74% of attacks could not be prosecuted because perpetrators could not be identified or victims did not press charges. Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Kearton fears acid attacks are a hidden crime because victims fear reprisal.

Its something that is used in order to maim and disfigure people and  it has lasting physical and emotional damage for victims, said Kearton.

Globally, women represent most acid attack victims, but men fall victim more often in Europe. What we know in the UK is that the majority of perpetrators are young men, as are at least two-thirds of the victims, Shah said. The majority of the attackers are British white men and the majority of the victims are white men too.

He called the number of reported attacks misleading, because the nature of acid attacks discourages victims from coming forward. The damage is so serious that many survivors carry the scars throughout their lives and it pushes them into pretty serious social isolation, he explained. Thats often the intention of the perpetrators, not just to cause lasting scars but to send a message to the survivors. Thats part of the reason people may not report it, the fear of reprisal is very much there.

The perpetrators of the attacks may point to why this is the case.

Robbery or gangs motivate most acid attacks in the UK

We are now at levels that one of my colleagues described as epidemic, said Dr. Martin Niall. He works as a burn surgeon at Mid-Essex Hospital in East London, which treats many of the burn victims. Everyone, ourselves included, has been shocked by this emerging threat to public health.

Many attacks come at random, often perpetrated by teens who ride stolen motorbikes or steal goods during the attacks.

You hear of these motorbikes coming up to you, someone throwing acid and then trying to take your cars or your mobile phone, Abdul Shohid told NPR. He owns a hardware store in East London. The shopkeeper drives with his windows up, checking behind him when he locks his shop. He also sells corrosive products only to people he already knows. Elsewhere, acid attacks impact women disproportionately. The reason speaks to the prevalence of vanity worldwide.

In other countries, jilted men carry out more attacks

The Daily Beast reported a rise in acid attacks in Italy, often committed by jilted former lovers. They want to leave the women scarred, both physically and emotionally.

They use acid because it takes just a tiny dose to corrode and ruin someones life, politician Michele Marzano told The Daily Beast in 2013. The aggressor often chooses a womans face because it embodies her beauty and her identity. The acid removes the shape of her face. It is a way to cancel her out.

Acid attacks outside of Europe represent a huge proportion of violent crimes, especially against women. According to the Acid Survivors Foundation in India, the earliest recorded acid attack took place in 1920. In that country, 882 acid attacks took place between 20102015, the Asia Times reported. That number likely under-represents the vast number of crimes that go unreported.

In India, the main recorded causes of acid attacks range widely, from theft and robbery to sex crimes. Every year, about 1,500 people suffer acid attacks, 80% of whom identify as female, and 40-70% of whom are under 18. Whatever their motives, acid attacks significantly impact the lives of those affected. Stopping their rise presents a complex problem to lawmakers, but a necessary one.
People vote in Province 2 with fervour

Voting in the eight districts of Province 2 on Monday concluded the third and last phase of local elections, the first in two decades, ensuring local governments across the country after a hiatus of more than a decade and a half.
Pueblo PD, Mayor Gradisar propose more pay for entry-level officers

The Pueblo Police Department and Mayor Nick Gradisar are proposing to increase entry-level pay for police officers to help with hiring.
Australia gay marriage poll: Church threatened with firebombing over 'vote no' billboard

An evangelical church in Australia has been threatened with a petrol fire by gay rights activists after it displayed a billboard saying, 'God designed marriage between a man and a woman'.

Amid voting in what is proving to be a divisive postal referendum on same-sex marriage which concludes on November 7, the Bellbowrie Community Church in Brisbane has been the victim of threats and abuse on social media following the billboard display.

Senior pastor John Gill told the Daily Mail Australia: 'On Facebook, a lot of the stuff has been quite vicious at times. I mean quite physically threatening. That's been scary for some in the church.'

He added: 'One of the comments I saw, for example, was a suggestion that people bring petrol down and set the church on fire.'

Separately, a Brisbane resident, Patrick Wood, argued that the billboard promoting traditional marriage contradicted another billboard which said: 'All people are welcome and respected here.'

He wrote on Facebook: 'Their house, their hypocritical rules. Same sign, same day, opposite sides. I won't forget their marriage equality stance.'

Gill said that he was worried about religious freedom. 'At the moment, we know we have that freedom but certainly down the track, we have serious concerns about whether we'd continue to have that freedom or not,' he said.

Quest Community News quoted Gill as saying that his congregation is free to vote in the plebiscite however they choose. 'As a pastor, it is not my place to tell people how to vote,' he said.

'Many of us have friends and family who are gay, and it is absurd to think we hate them. We love them very much. It is possible to hold different views, yet still love people. So this does not need to be a source of division throughout Australia. We can differ, yet still respect and care for each other and let the voting determine the issue.'

At the weekend, the billboard at the Bellbowrie church was tampered with to say: 'God designed marriage between a man and a man.'

One post on Facebook said: 'Hopefully there are churches in the area that cater to ALL Christians and not just the ones who fit in the narrow minded view of this "Church of God". I'm sure Christ would be very disappointed in your view of Christianity.'

Another woman wrote: 'A closed-minded group which overtly discriminates against members of our valued community and their (very reasonable) quest for marriage equality.'

Cartoons of same sex couples and sailors waving rainbow flags were posted in the comments under unrelated posts by the church, and some users took to posting one star reviews of the church.

All the reviews and comments about the issue later disappeared from the site.

The Daily Mail quoted a teacher from the New South Wales Central Coast, opposed to gay marriage, who said the church billboards were consistent with Christian teachings.

'This is not a contradiction. It is perfectly in order and reflects our Christian ethos: acceptance of individuals regardless while upholding the sanctity of marriage and simultaneously rejecting SSM with its ramifications,' he said.
Chris Pratt takes son Jack to church as he gets on with life after split from wife Anna Faris

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" star Chris Pratt broke a lot of his fans' hearts after he split from wife Anna Faris after several years of marriage. But even though his separation is difficult to deal with, it's nice to know that the actor is seeking help from the right source - God.

The Christian star has always been very open about his faith, and has been regularly attending church in L.A.

He was seen last Wednesday at a service at Hillsong Church's L.A. branch, according to Yahoo! Lifestyle. He was spotted wearing casual jeans and boots, and it was said that Hillsong loyalists Justin Bieber and Kourtney Kardashian were even in attendance the night he visited.

Then on Sunday, he was again seen at church with his son Jack. He looked relaxed in a white crew top and jeans, and was sporting a cross necklace around his neck.

Pratt became a Christian when he was still working as a waiter for the restaurant chain Bubba Gump. Back then, Pratt still had no clear vision in life and only wanted to meet girls and have some fun. This would have gone on, had a kind stranger not talked to Pratt about God.

"I was sitting outside a grocery store... And a guy named Henry came up and recognized something in me that needed to be saved. He asked what I was doing that night, and I was honest," he shared during an interview with Vanity Fair. "I said, 'My friend's inside buying me alcohol.' 'You going to go party?' he asked. 'Yeah.' 'Drink and do drugs? Meet girls, fornication?' I was like, 'I hope so.'"

The man's questions should have made him feel nervous, but Pratt confessed that he wasn't. When he asked the man why he was curious, he got this for a reply: "Jesus told me to talk to you."

"At that moment I was like, I think I have to go with this guy. He took me to church. Over the next few days I surprised my friends by declaring that I was going to change my life," he said.
North Korea says conducts 'perfect' hydrogen bomb test

North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sunday, which it said was a successful detonation of an advanced hydrogen bomb, in a dramatic escalation of the isolated state's stand-off with the United States and its allies.

The announcement from Pyongyang came a few hours after international seismic agencies detected a manmade earthquake near the North's test site, which Japanese and South Korean officials said was around 10 times more powerful than the tremor picked up after its last test a year ago.

There was no independent confirmation that the detonation was a hydrogen bomb rather than an atomic device.

The test is a direct challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump, who hours earlier had talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the 'escalating' nuclear crisis in the region and has previously vowed to stop North Korea developing nuclear weapons that could threaten the United States.

North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions and sanctions, said in an announcement on state television that a hydrogen bomb test ordered by leader Kim Jong Un was a 'perfect success' and a 'meaningful' step in completing the country's nuclear weapons programmes.

The bomb was designed to be mounted on its newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the North said.

China, North Korea's sole major ally, said it strongly condemned the nuclear test. The United States has repeatedly urged Beijing to do more to rein in its neighbour.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Seoul would push for strong steps to further isolate the North, including new UN sanctions, news agency Yonhap reported.

Japan also raised the prospect of further sanctions, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying that curbs on North Korea's oil trade would be on the table.

A U.S. official who studies North Korea's military and politics said it was too early to determine if a test supported the North's claim that it has succeeded in developing a thermonuclear weapon, 'much less one that could be mounted on an ICBM and re-enter Earth's atmosphere without burning up'.

The latest nuclear test comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyang's two tests of ICBMs in July that potentially could fly about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting many parts of the mainland United States within range.

Under third-generation leader Kim, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

One expert said the size of Sunday's detonation, measured by the U.S. Geological Survey at magnitude 6.3, meant it was possible it could be a hydrogen bomb test.

'The power is 10 or 20 times or even more than previous ones,' said Kune Y. Suh, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University. 'That scale is to the level where anyone can say a hydrogen bomb test.'

AIR RAID SIRENS

Witnesses in the Chinese city of Yanji, on the border with North Korea, said they felt a tremor that lasted roughly 10 seconds, followed by an aftershock.

'I was eating brunch just over the border here in Yanji when we felt the whole building shake,' Michael Spavor, director of the Paektu Cultural Exchange, which promotes business and cultural ties with North Korea. 'It lasted for about five seconds. The city air raid sirens started going off.'

Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake and tsunami observations division director Toshiyuki Matsumori speaks next to screens showing the seismic event that was indicated on North Korea and observed in Japan, during a news conference at the Japan Meteorological Agency in Tokyo, Japan, September 3, 2017, following the earthquake felt in North Korea and believed to be a nuclear test.

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) in Vienna said it had detected an 'unusual seismic event' in North Korea that was larger than previous nuclear tests.

'North Korea's mission is quite clear when it comes to this latest atomic test: to develop a nuclear arsenal that can strike all of Asia and the U.S. homeland,' said Harry Kazianis, director of defence studies at the conservative Center for the National Interest in Washington. 'This test is just another step towards such a goal.'

He added: 'None of us should be shocked by Pyongyang's latest actions.'

Earthquakes triggered by North Korean nuclear tests have gradually increased in magnitude since Pyongyang's first test in 2006, indicating the isolated country is steadily improving the destructive power of its nuclear technology.

After the fifth nuclear test last September, USGS measured a magnitude of 5.3.

Hours before the test, North Korea's state news agency KCNA had released pictures showing Kim Jong Un inspecting a silver-coloured, hourglass-shaped warhead during a visit to the country's nuclear weapons institute accompanied by scientists.

Kim 'watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM' and 'set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes', KCNA said.

The shape shows a marked difference from pictures of the ball-shaped device North Korea released in March last year, and appears to indicate the appearance of a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, or a hydrogen bomb, said Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute

KCNA said North Korea 'recently succeeded' in making a more advanced hydrogen bomb.

'All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes ... were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants,' KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Juche is North Korea's homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather. It says its weapons programmes are needed to counter U.S. aggression.

A hydrogen bomb can achieve thousands of kilotons of explosive yield - massively more powerful than some 10 to 15 kilotons that North Korea's last nuclear test in September was estimated to have produced, similar to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been high since last month when North Korea threatened to launch missiles into the sea near the strategically located U.S. Pacific territory of Guam after Trump said Pyongyang would face 'fire and fury' if it threatened the United States.

North Korea further raised regional tensions on Tuesday by launching an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan, drawing international condemnation.

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.
We may have to destroy North Korea, Trump tells UN

US President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that the United States will be forced to 'totally destroy' North Korea unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear standoff, mocking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a 'rocket man' on a suicide mission.

In a rambling 41-minute speech, Trump criticised socialism, attacked the UN's use of its funds and said the US was paying too much towards it, and praised the importance of patriotism. He condemned the nuclear deal painstakingly struck by the Obama administration as an 'embarrassment'.

His words about North Korea, though, drew the strongest reaction, with loud murmurs filling the green-marbled UN General Assembly hall.

Trump issued his sternest warning yet to North Korea, whose ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests have rattled the globe. He spoke of the death of Otto Warmbier, the American student who died after being returned to the US after a period of imprisonment in North Korea. Trump said the 'entire world' was threatened by the regime.

Unless North Korea backs down, he said, 'We will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea.'

He said: 'Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime.'

He urged United Nations member states to work together to isolate the Kim government until it ceases its 'hostile' behaviour.

A junior North Korean diplomat remained in the delegation's front-row seat for Trump's speech, the North Korean UN mission said.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Mondays through Thursdays, at 7 AM, a few dozen police officers assemble at the New York Police Academy to receive instruction in how to manage calls involving mentally disturbed individuals. Known as Crisis Intervention Team training, or CIT, the programlaunched in 2015 and committed to training 5,500 NYPD cops, or one-quarter of all patrol officers, by next yearteaches techniques patterned on those used in hostage negotiations. Throughout the four-day course, cops learn about the history of mental illness in America and its varieties, symptoms, and prospects for treatment, and they participate in scenarios with actors playing people in states of acute psychiatric crisis. The overarching aim is de-escalation: after CIT, an officer should be better prepared to resolve tense encounters with mentally ill individuals than an officer lacking the training.

CIT has broad support in mental health policy circles. The 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law last December by President Obama and developed in large measure by congressional Republicans, revised federal public-safety grant programs to allow funding for state and local CIT efforts. New York States recently enacted budget increased funding for CIT. Last fall, CIT became a more prominent issue in New York because of the death of Deborah Danner, a 66-year-old Bronx resident with schizophrenia shot by a police officer who had not gone through CIT instruction.

In his classic study Varieties of Police Behavior, James Q. Wilson wrote: The patrolmans role is defined more by his responsibility for maintaining order than by his responsibility for enforcing the law [emphasis in original]. For police, maintaining order in the streets has never been easy, and it has become tougher for two reasons. First, tensions between police and the communities they patrol have deteriorated since the rise of Black Lives Matter. Attacks on cops are up. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 64 police officers were shot and killed in 2016, compared with 41 in 2015. Second, the United States mental health-care system has become increasingly fragmented. Instead of caring for the mentally ill almost exclusively in psychiatric hospitals, as was generally done until the 1960s, governments at all levels now try to connect them with care in communities. Though it is broadly assumed that deinstitutionalizationthe process of transitioning the locus of care from an inpatient to outpatient settinghappened many years ago, it is in fact ongoing. Under New York governor Andrew Cuomos Transformation Plan for the state Office of Mental Health, for example, the average daily census of adults in state mental hospitals has dropped by 11 percent over the past two years. Connecting the mentally ill with treatment in communities has proved easier said than done. A striking indicator that deinstitutionalization has not lived up to its promise: the high rates of mental illness among our incarcerated population. Despite numbering less than one in 20 of the adult population, the seriously mentally ill constitute one in five jail and prison inmates.

Before the mentally ill wind up behind bars, their first point of contact with the criminal-justice system is with patrol officersan encounter that sometimes ends tragically. According to data maintained by the Washington Post, at least 25 percent of those people fatally shot by police last year were mentally ill; some studies estimate that as many as half of all those fatally shot by police are mentally ill. Many advocates are keen to downplay any link between violence and serious mental illness, but the connection is compelling. As D. J. Jaffe explains in his recent book Insane Consequences, studies that have purported to discredit or weaken this link typically fail to distinguish between the treated and untreated seriously mentally ill. It is the second group that commits acts of violence at rates above that of the general population. Its hard to blame any patrol officer for being on edge when responding to an emotionally disturbed person (EDP) call. Last year, New York police officers responded to such calls at a rate of more than 400 per day, an increase from the prior year. CIT is thus a reasonable policy response to the reality that the mentally ill will likely remain heavily involved with the criminal-justice system for the time being.

Many calls for service concerning the mentally ill dont involve any serious criminal activity. But even when a crime hasnt occurred, the publicor whoever called 911expects the responding officers to address the immediate crisis. To de-escalate such situations, CIT-trained officers use a number of communication strategies: speak calmly, reduce external distractions and stimulations, ask open-ended questions, set boundaries, decline to buy in to a mentally ill individuals delusion, show respect, allow them to save face, and build a rapport. CIT instruction trains actors in various scenarios involving different forms of mental illness, such as PTSD, borderline personality disorder, and severe depression. Officers try to manage these situations and get feedback from staff from the Center for Urban Community Services, the organization that conducts CIT training with the NYPD. The point is not to turn patrol officers into social workers or clinicians but to improve their ability to manage EDP calls without making them own a problem that is fundamentally the responsibility of the mental health-care system.

Some form of CIT is in use where approximately half the U.S. population lives, though the quality and nature of these programs varies. The NYPDs program is distinctive in two ways. First, whereas in the original Memphis modelnamed for the Memphis Police Department, which originated the trainingdispatchers send out specially trained officers to be the lead on responses to calls, like a SWAT team for mental crises (hence crisis intervention team), the NYPD focuses simply on training as many officers as possible. The nearest patrol car will still respond first to a call, though it may not be carrying a CIT-trained officer; NYPD commanding officers will then order available CIT-trained patrol cops to the scene when necessary and feasible. The department aims to have at least one CIT-trained officer and supervisor available at all times in every precinct.

Second, the NYPDs CIT program places strong emphasis on self-care: officers receive instruction in how common PTSD is among urban police officers and about the importance of seeking treatment. The goal is to refute the stigma that cops are said to experience over admitting to others that their mental health is suffering. The NYPD believes that self-care is important not only for officers well-being but also because officers who can empathize with those suffering from mental illness will be more effective in dealing with them.

One recent instance of scenario training at the NYPDs CIT program went as follows. Two officers arrive at an apartment after an EDP call comes in. The door is answered by a man who looks worried, while his disheveled brother can be seen pacing in the living room behind him and muttering to himself. The man who opened the door tells the officers that he called the police to come pick up his brother, who hasnt taken his medication in six weeks and whose behavior is scaring the mans wife. He hasnt done anything yet, but the last time he went off his medication, he tried to attack me for asking him to turn the TV down. One of the officers slowly enters the apartment, approaches the brother, and asks a brief, open-ended question. What is it that has you so upset today? The brother frantically responds, I cant stay here anymore! I cant stay here anymore! The officer keeps his distance and repeats the mans words back to him in an attempt to build rapport. Okay. You cant stay here anymore. Why is that? The brother, who is still pacing the room, yells back that whispering voices are telling him that he is being watched. The police officer displays empathy but doesnt buy in to the hallucination, saying, I dont hear these voices, but I believe that you do. By continuing to listen patiently, the officer is eventually able to get the disturbed man to sit down on the couch and ask him why he hasnt been taking his medication. The man looks at his feet, responding that it makes him feel restless and anxious. The officer suggests that they go to the hospital to see if there is a different medication that he can try. Ultimately, the man agrees to be taken to the hospital, as long as he doesnt see the same doctor who prescribed him the previous medication.

New York police officers respond to emotionally disturbed person calls at a rate of more than 400 per day.

No definitive study of New Yorks CIT initiative has been conducted yet. A January 2017 report by the departments inspector general questioned the NYPDs ability to evaluate itself, saying that the department is not doing enough to track outcomes for EDP calls. For any department, it is difficult to quantify CITs success, because, as Sam Cochran, the architect of the Memphis model explains, How do you prove [that] something doesnt happen? Police shootings are rare events. Proponents of CIT cite studies that show how programs in other cities have reduced the criminalization of mental illness by lowering the number of bookings resulting from mental health crisis calls.

Still, patrol officers principal responsibility remains to maintain order in public spaces and private locations where their services have been requestednot to cure people with schizophrenia. In a 2013 blog post titled Dont Blame the Police, the Treatment Advocacy Center wrote: The transfer of responsibility for persons with mental illness from mental health professionals to law enforcement officers . . . harms both the patients and the officers. The Deborah Danner shooting, for which the officer in question has been indicted for second-degree murder, is a case in point. A few days after Danner was shot, Kenneth J. Dudek, head of the mental health service provider Fountain House, blamed a flawed and fractured mental health system for her death. Dudek writes that, between 2003 and 2013, Danner was a thriving member of Fountain House, whose clubhouse model provides community services to the seriously mentally ill on a voluntary basis. She worked, attended school, and pursued artistic interests. A switch in her medication regime caused her to deteriorate, with the result that Deborah had been frequently hospitalized for her illness, was refusing to take her medication and had been involved in several similar disturbance calls responded to by the NYPD. More crucially, city government cut Fountain Houses budget for outreach, thus depriving this highly respected organization of hundreds of thousands of dollars that might have helped counselors reconnect with Danner. Countless mental illnessrelated tragedies fit this pattern: failure to invest in effective programs, fatalism over what to do about someone who refuses treatment, and years of blown opportunities to reverse the course of deteriorationleading to a violent death.

Ultimately, the Deborah Danner case says more about the state of the mental health-care system than about the NYPD. That hundreds of these encounters are negotiated each day without resulting in a tabloid-worthy tragedy says a great deal about how effectively, even without CIT, the average NYPD patrol officer copes with mental health crises. In midtown precincts, such emergencies emerge on an hourly basis. CIT is a worthy program, but its popularity should not divert resources or attention from genuine mental health-care reform. A truly humane and effective mental health-care system would have no need for something like CIT in the first place.

Photo: A CIT class at the NYPD Police Academy (MARY ALTAFFER/AP PHOTO)
PM Deuba off to NY to attend UN General Assembly

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday left for New York, United States of America, to attend the 72nd United Nations (UN) General Assembly. This is the second foreign visit of Deuba after he assumed the post of Prime Minister on June 6.
Latest data published by the Information Commissioners Office shows that the charity sector was responsible for 21 data security incidents between April and June 2017  a decrease of six on the previous quarter.

The figures are published on the ICOs website and show that incidents involving charities fell, while total incidents rose from 678 in the previous quarter to 697. This means that charities accounted for just 3 per cent of the total number of incidents.

The latest figures represent the lowest number of incidents recorded by the charity sector since July to September 2015, when the figure was 17.

The health sector was responsible for the most incidents with 283, followed by general business with 80 and local government with 63.

Cyber incidents

Cyber incidents were the most common incident for the charity sector, with six being recorded. This includes phishing (attempts to obtain sensitive information by being impersonating a trustworthy entity such as a bank), exfiltration (unauthorised transfer of data) and security misconfiguration incidents.

Charities also reported three cases of the loss or theft of paperwork and a further three where a device was lost or stolen.

There were three unspecified other principle seven failures. Principle 7 is the overarching part of the Data Protection Act which refers to information security.

Other failures include not using the bcc function to hide people's details in emails and insecure disposal of paperwork.

Civil Society Media is hosting its Charity Technology Conference on 9 November 2017. For more information, and to book, click here




The New Yorkers Rachel Aviv is a master of turning heavily covered topics into breathtaking narrative storytelling, finding cases and channeling characters that show the human side of abstract tragedies.

This year alone, Aviv has delivered a series of extraordinary stories. She wrote about migrant children in Sweden who fell mysteriously unconscious after they learned their families were being expelled from the country. She covered people in Nebraska who believed they were guilty of a crime they didnt commit. And most recently, she profiled a Muslim former NYPD officer who rose swiftly through the ranks, then fell back down in a climate of paranoia and Islamophobia.

Aviv talked with CJR about how she finds new angles on old topics, how she chooses compelling characters, and how she makes unbelievable stories believable. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You write about topics that are pretty well-trodden. How do you keep them fresh?

I didnt really even realize the topics I was writing about were well-trodden. I guess they never felt that way to me. For instance, the piece that I wrote about refugeesthe seed of that piece was not the thought of wanting to write about refugees; it was the thought of wanting to write about culture-bound syndrome, the way symptoms of illnesses manifest differently depending on the culture. Its a topic Id been following for maybe a year. I subscribed to a bioethics newsletter, and there was an entry about this mysterious syndrome in Sweden. So maybe because I came to it from that angle, I didnt worry that it would be just another story about child refugees.

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

ICYMI: Trump coverage launches a new phenomenon: muscle paragraphs

I read the Sweden piece, and your article on the people in Nebraska who were convinced they were guilty of a crime they didnt commit. All the way through I was thinking, this doesnt feel real. How do you find these stories? And how, when youve found them, do you make them believable for people?

I get excited when Im reading a story and I genuinely dont understand how something happened. I think Im drawn to stories where I feel amazed and bewildered by the way people behave, and the way the human mind works. [Communicating it to the reader] feels like the easier part. You want to tell a story by taking the reader step by step through the process in the same way that, if these things are happening to you, you cant do anything but believe that its true, because it unfolds gradually. I think if you can mirror that process of discoveryespecially if you get inside the head or the perspective of one particular person within that storythen you can describe it from that persons perspective.

How important is finding compelling central characters to your work?

There was a time when I knew I wanted to write about domestic workers, and I was particularly interested in home-health aides and how they care for the elderly. So I interviewed maybe 15 domestic workers who were taking care of the elderly, and at the very end of that process I interviewed a woman who takes care of little babies, whos a nanny. Immediately there was something about her, the way she described herself and her work, that I found so compelling I couldnt get it out of mind. I realized in that case that I would rather follow her: Whatever issues her story raises and whatever questions her particular life story raises, Im going to let her take me there, as opposed to clinging to the subject Id originally wanted to write about.

Reporters sometimes go through a lot of phone calls before they can find someone whos willing to talk. When you work for The New Yorker, is it a lot easier to find these characters?

In some ways it gets a lot easier. With people who have this sort of social-professional status it becomes easier. But for someone like a domestic worker, I dont think it makes any difference. I think its still about having a trusting relationship, and whether I had been a student in a journalism program or writing for The New Yorker I dont know if the access would have been that much different. The people I was writing about in that story didnt know what The New Yorker was and didnt really care. It was more about whether they trusted me.

How did you find Bobby Hadid, the police officer from your most recent piece?

That was more accidental. Right after Trump won, I was trying to think about what the experience was like for Muslim New Yorkers who had these really traumatic memories of the NYPD surveilling them in the post-9/11 years. Because Trump was talking about a Muslim registry, I imagined, and I heard from people, that they were suddenly afraid they would be drawn back into that situation.

A friend put me in touch with a woman whose husband was Algerian, and she was talking to me about how he had been questioned by the NYPD. I think she might have mentioned the word debriefing, that hed been debriefed by the NYPD. So I was Googling Algerian, debrief, NYPD and I came across a New York Times article about a citywide debriefing team, and it had a paragraph that told what had happened to the career of Bobby Hadid. It just didnt make sense to me. It said that he was this well-respected sergeant, and that his career had been derailed because of an allegation hed had an affair. It sounded like such a strange sequence of events that there had to be something behind it. So I started researching him, and I saw that he had filed a case against the city.

You say the theme was sparked by Trump. But he doesnt loom over the story. Was that a conscious decision, to take him out and let the narrative speak for itself?

I think theres one sentence about Trump empowering certain stereotypes about Muslims. I dont think it was a conscious choice because it would be artificial to bring Trump into a story hes not part of. But it was on my mind: What is it like for Muslims who had gone through this time of suspicion following 9/11, that abated to some degree, and who are now maybe thrown back into those same conditions?

Is it emotionally taxing writing about the topics you write about?

Writing about this kind of stuff is emotional, and I do worry sometimes. I think I finally came up with a story idea recently that I dont know if I want to write. I do think its a good and important story, but I find it so devastating that I almost feel nauseous every time I think about it. So I dont know if I should or will pursue it.

Do you ever worry that youve messed a story up or got something horribly wrong?

At The New Yorker I feel really lucky. Theres a trial-run experience of the piece being published because the fact-checking department basically calls everyone who you talk to or even reference and tells them how theyll be quoted. So I get very nervous to hear back from the fact-checkers about what theyve been finding. But once the piece is printed I feel more secure.

How did you end up at The New Yorker?

I graduated from Brown in 2004, and I started working at The Village Voice after that as an intern. I was freelancing for a few years, and I got a fellowship with the Rosalynn Carter Center. The goal of the fellowship was to reduce the stigma of mental illness. I think that whole year I was just reading books about psychiatry and psychology and thinking about how you write a story that achieves a particular goal. I found that process really interesting: thinking about what the purpose of the writing Im producing is.

In my early twenties I was like, the point of writing is to tell a good story. I think it was an important moment when I realized that I dont want to tell stories just to tell stories, that I want there to be some motivating impulse behind it as well. I think I can spin really easily into the question of, Whats the point of what Im doing? Or, Whats the point of anything? So to know that Im digging into a particular persons life and rehashing these very granular details about that life I dont know that I feel comfortable doing that unless I feel theres some larger reason, that it intersects with some question of social relevance.

Does writing about mental health give you that kind of pretext?

I think it does. Theres just so much bad writing about people who are mentally ill, and its easy to see them as foreign and crazy. I think any time you write about a person in a way that makes the reader relate really easily to thema person who would ordinarily be dismissed as too foreign to relate toI think that feels worthwhile.

You write about criminal justice frequently, particularly miscarriages of justice. Do you find theres a natural overlap between mental health and criminal justice, and thats how you find your way in?

Its interesting to see the way people get categorized and stuck in institutions, the way that we have social theories that we think explain human behavior. Its interesting to see a particular error believed in one sociologists theories about what causes crime, and then an entire countys criminal justice system gets arranged around that theory. I find it interesting to look at the way individuals intersect with these larger institutions that are supposed to protect them or discipline them, because it seems like those larger institutions often misunderstand what is driving the person theyre supposed to protect.

Your New Yorker bio say you taught narrative medicine. What is that?

A lot of medical schools have these classes where medical students are taught either to read literature or to write stories. The idea is that if doctors become readers and writers theyll somehow become more humane and observant and attentive to human details.

Which brings me back to the Sweden story. What was it like reporting it? It was so extraordinary.

I also didnt quite believe that it was real. So I contacted a number of scholars and scientists who had looked at the issue, and then after talking to them I realized it was, in fact, real. I went to Sweden for 10 days. There were a couple of human rights advocates who helped facilitate my conversations with people who either had or had had this illness.

Before I went there I didnt quite grasp what an alarming condition it was. I had been told that when you see a child with that illness it sort of sucks the air out of the room. That sounds like a cliche when someone says it over the phone. But I really did have a physical experience in the room with those children. People had been dismissing their condition as not real, and I understood why it would be easy to dismiss it if you hadnt actually been in a room with a child like that.

TRENDING: The lesson journalists should take away from Spicers rebranding

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
CJRs most recent print edition focused on local news, the backbone of an industry suffering from the steady shift of advertising dollars away from print, leaving newsrooms in crisisbleeding staff, scaling back coverage, and grasping for solutions. A project announced yesterday at the Google News Lab Summit hopes to help address those concerns.

Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruthProject, Google, and others, plans to place 1,000 journalists in local newsrooms over the next five years. Writing in CJR, the projects co-founders argue that America needs a dramatically new approach at the local levelgrounded less in the traditional commercial model and more on a reawakened spirit of public service among reporters.

Steven Waldman and Charles M. Sennott say that they want to model their initiative on organizations like the Peace Corps and Teach for America, providing opportunities and support to emerging journalists while also helping newsrooms around the country do civically important reporting. Waldman first pitched the idea in the pages of CJR more than two years ago, calling for a new national service program dedicated to journalism.

Funding for the journalists who are chosen to participate in the project will come from a combination of Report for Americas coffers, local donors, and the newsrooms themselves. As the program begins placing reporters, it will be important to ensure that the journalists chosen represent a diverse cohort, both racially and socioeconomically, that underserved areas which may not have an active local donor base are not overlooked, and that young journalists who participate receive not just initial training but support throughout their employment. Sustainability will also be key; one of the chief criticisms of Teach for America is that too many of its teachers dont stick around in their placement schools, creating disruption and wasting resources.

Report for America wont save journalism, just as Teach For America cant save teaching, and the Peace Corps hasnt brought about an era of global unity. But in a time of crisis for local newsrooms, its a bold attempt to reinvigorate a vital organ of American society. Below, more on Report for America and the issues it is attempting to address.

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

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.
Preparation is key

The recent catastrophic flooding in various parts of the Tarai region and the 2015 earthquake has exposed Nepals vulnerabilities.
Radar at Bhatte Danda to come online in November

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct flight inspection of the next generation Mode S Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR) system that is installed on Bhatte Danda in Lalitpur.
"We don't know if China will implement its promises. As business people we have to be accountable for our business today, we can't build our future plans on only dreams," Mats Harborn, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, told CNBC. "We need to have tangible measures from the Chinese state to show that China is going down the path of more openness."

In recent years, China has publicly avowed to do so, with President Xi Jinping making speeches on openness and globalization. In January, China's State Council released a document on measures to promote fair, open markets and to attract more foreign investment. But critics say China's many words have few actions behind them.

China needs to make good on its own repeated calls to open up its markets, or face consequences, warned the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

European business "is suffering from accumulated 'promise fatigue,' having witnessed a litany of assurances over recent years that never quite materialized," the EU Chamber wrote in its latest paper. "It appears that in many areas, China is no longer opening up, but selectively closing up."

Foreign firms have long complained of an uneven playing field and an opaque regulatory environment when it comes to China. About 54 percent of European firms say they perceive they're treated less favorably than domestic companies, according to the Chamber.

The Chamber urged China to take advantage of a top leadership shuffle in October to move forward with reforms. The paper, which draws on observations and recommendations of the Chamber's more than 1,600 member companies, supports continued engagement between China and Europe.

It also calls for the Chinese government to allow foreign enterprises to take a greater role in setting industry standards and to have access to policies that support research and development.

Beijing must also find better ways to entice foreign investment and it should move away from setting up special trade and investment zones with short-term incentives. That practice isn't as successful in luring European firms, which make investment decisions based on market principles, such as the need to expand or to match growing demand, the paper said.

China's lack of reciprocity translates to less advanced offerings for its own citizens, the Chamber said. Without greater openness from China, it also means European governments have a harder time convincing their countries that trade and investment contribute to a better economic future especially when there are rising populist views against globalization.

"If China is ultimately unwilling to offer reciprocal access to its own market, it cannot assume that it will indefinitely continue to enjoy open and unhindered access to the EU's," the paper warned. "The liberal approach to [mergers and acquisitions] will only work if all parties move toward equal access and the removal of barriers, otherwise it is politically untenable."

Indeed, the amount of money flowing both ways is vastly different: Chinese investment into the EU remained stable at $10.4 billion in the first half of this year, while European business into China dropped by 23 percent to $3.7 billion during the same period.

As things stand, international companies must often find a local partner to work with in order to do business in the world's second-largest economy, a restriction that they worry could expose them to the theft of intellectual property or trade secrets.

And regulatory barriers are wide-reaching: A cybersecurity law that went into effect in June was so broad and vague that it created uncertainty for how businesses should operate, the Chamber said.

Another issue is China's practice of pilot programs  authorities "overcomplicated the process" by selecting 200 cities to trial health-care reforms, with each setting its own purchasing policy for medical equipment. That means companies have to plan for 200 different markets, noted the paper.

"It seems to us that the authorities often times are using the old tool box in the new world and that is causing regulatory frameworks to be blurred, unclear and unpredictable."

The Chamber also called out sectors that are shutting out foreign firms, including agriculture, food and beverage. A new requirement for shipments of low-risk food products to have an official inspection certificates from foreign governments only creates cost and burden to businesses, and seems more about protecting Chinese producers than about food safety, noted the paper.

Chinese authorities recently banned a variety of soft cheese, such as French brie and camembert, and Italian gorgonzola, as the bacteria colonies on the dairy products weren't approved for import.

"We like cheese and we are now in discussions with the authorities to solve the problem," Harborn said. "We hope that through this dialogue we will come to a solution."
"So for instance, we've raised about $6 billion in global robotics , with the idea being that what you see in global robotics now could be interpreted as an industrial portfolio 10 years later."

"We are now recommending that you try to find fast lanes within the slow-moving traffic," Takumi Shibata, president and CEO of Tokyo-headquartered Nikko Asset Management, said on the sidelines of the , an annual gathering of Asian business leaders.

Nikko is the creator of the Global Robotics Equity Fund, the first of its kind in Japan to focus on cross-sectoral robotics firms. The fund attracted over 300 billion yen ($2.7 billion) in inflows within three months of its August 2015 launch amid strong domestic demand, according to the company.

As asset managers, "we need to think of the different types of institutions and investors, such as pension funds or individuals on the street," Shibata said.

For , mortgage securities in Australia and New Zealand posed good opportunities as diversifiers, he added.

As of June 30, Nikko Asset Management has $184.1 billion total assets under management, according to the firm.
watch now

Entrepreneurial spirit and innovation aren't exactly synonymous with North Korea. But, former Bain & Company consultant Geoffrey See has bet on the reclusive country's business potential for nearly a decade. And he says changes are finally starting to take hold. "I think the last five years have become a much more stable environment," See said. "There's a bit of a mind set change in terms of how (North Koreans) approach their business, and the kind of risks they're willing to take with those businesses." See has been teaching North Koreans the basics of business and economics, through his non-profit group Choson Exchange. Launched in 2010, the Singapore-based organization has trained more than 1,600 North Koreans to date, with the help of outside volunteers who regularly host workshops in the country, from Pyongyang to Rason. See and his group conduct courses focused on three key themes: women in business, provincial development and entrepreneurship among younger business leaders. Participants are chosen through an application process, in partnership with North Korean universities. While See said the program is largely free of any government control, he and volunteers are careful not to incorporate the concept of capitalism in any of their lectures.

A Choson Exchange workshop. Courtesy Choson Exchange

"Very often when we look at the news, the focus is on the nuclear programs, and on the military and I think people tend to forget that there's 22 to 25 million other North Koreans," See said. "Many of them, have pretty ordinary lives. They're trying to make a living through entrepreneurship and business. They want to be more integrated with the rest of the world." Continued provocations by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and nuclear weapons tests in the face of United Nations sanctions have done more to isolate the country than integrate it into the international community. Still, See said technological advancements domestically, and exposure to Chinese tech companies have shifted the business interest from trade to retail and e-commerce. Since launching its 3G service in 2008, more than 3 million people have signed on to North Korea's official mobile phone network Koryolink, according to Reuters, enhancing digital literacy. While North Korean citizens are only limited to using a domestic intranet strictly controlled by the government, See said Choson Exchange participants are increasingly utilizing mobile phones, in the same way their western counterparts do. "A lot of North Koreans who have been to China for trade or to visit family will often come back and bring up examples of things they've seen like WeChat, or Taobao and say oh, we are very interested to see if we can do something like this in North Korea," See said. "We've seen some food delivery apps pop up on the domestic phone." See acknowledges there are no metrics to gauge how much such a service is being used, or just how high mobile penetration is, but the observations point to clear developments within parts of the North Korean economy over the seven years Choson Exchange has maintained its presence there.

I think people tend to forget that there's 22 to 25 million other North Koreans. Many of them, have pretty ordinary lives. Geoffrey See Choson Exchange founder
Following is the full transcript of CNBC's interview with Fu Chengyu, former Chairman of Sinopec at the 2017 Singapore Summit. This interview broadcasted in Asia on Tuesday, 19 September.

All references must be sourced to a "CNBC Interview".

Interviewed by Amanda Drury, Contributor, CNBC.

Amanda Drury (AD): Has the North Korean crisis affected the business strategy of companies like Sinopec or CNOOC or other companies that have great significance to the Chinese economy?

Fu Chengyu: The North Korea issue has become an international challenge. This is not just business as every other people have concerns about what's happening there. And I believe that international efforts led by UN should be enforced so the issue be solved peacefully.

AD: China supplies most of North Korea's fuel needs, energy needs. Do you think that the UN should have imposed a full oil embargo?

Fu Chengyu: I think that was in the past not recently. And since the UN solution on the North Korea issues Chinese government has extremely implemented those solutions. And currently you see that the China worries strictly stick to the UN's solution.

AD: So you are part of an organization that advises the government on business and political matters. What would you advise the government now to do towards North Korea to make them stick to these sanctions?

Fu Chengyu: The organizations that are immediately impacted in China lack political adviser to the government. However that we are focusing more, as a member of this organization, we are advising more on the policy implementation in the country, on economics than other areas. And North Korea issue is not very heavily hot discussions there. But people do concern about this. I think the government repeatedly make announcement about the Chinese position towards North Korea issue. But I see in this representing the Chinese people.

AD: There is uncertainty about the upcoming party congress. What can international investors expect?



Fu Chengyu: International - I'm asking the same question. However I do understand some of the friends, the former partners coming to China when we're talking about that they have very high expectations to come watch from China after 19th Party Congress, that's mainly on how China can continue to pushing globalization, free trade and openness to international investors. I think all those areas will be addressed by the 19th Party Congress.

AD: It's interesting that you said this will be globalization and openness. When I say the United States you have a president Trump who's been more protectionist. Just this past week, Mr. Trump blocked the purchase by a Chinese private equity company of Lattice Semiconductor. What do you think about the trade tensions between the U.S. and China?

Fu Chengyu: I think if you look back in the last 20 years, China's progress was because we are open for foreign investment and we are supporting the globalization and free trade. So for those of the countries are supporting this they are benefited. So I believe whatever the countries when they have close their doors when all trade wars they themselves will be harmed. So this will take time. I believe this when people are being hurt and then they were thinking whether or not we are not doing it right. So I don't believe that the U.S. led by President Trump and so will be really benefit the U.S. but this will take time. And I think eventually they will find out cooperation is a way to lead the whole global economy going forward.

AD: In the meantime do you think Beijing will retaliate against the U.S.?

Fu Chengyu: I don't think that the U.S. and China will take trade war. They certainly have reactions but they will not be like retaliations or trade wars none of them will be benefited.

AD: Let's talk about oil prices because with oil WTI below $50 for an extended period it's been like a global tax cut. It's benefited many countries especially net oil importers like China. What is your outlook with your vast experience for oil prices?

Fu Chengyu: If you look at the last four-five years of oil price we understand the price around $40-$50 or even $60 per barrel will be the sustainable price for the oil industry. Which I mean that this price if higher than $60 say $80 some people already expected. Yes it might be just short period of time. If you want this industry to be sustainable, the price will not be as high as most people expected in the past because one  the supply capacity is a lot much more that the current economic demands. And second the cost because of the technology drew it down very much in the past years. And we knew that the shale oil, shale gas came out but maybe not far some other things that might come out that are a lot cheaper than we expected. This is not just including wind and solar energy. There is something else that will come out especially what I'm very encouraged the clean coal technologies if we come out  a lot cheaper more clean very high energy efficiencies than what we know before. So those if you consider those replace, not renewable, but this is what they say that's replicable energy comes out will push oil, fossil fuel, oil and energy price will continue to go down. So there may be if you look long-term say there's other 20 billion populations might need industrialization in the long run. And then they may have a higher requirement on the energy sector. Even with this as energy I mean from a resources point of view energy is not an issue anymore.

AD: So if I can pin you down just 12 months' time from now where do you expect oil price to be?

Fu Chengyu: I was asked repeatedly in the past when I was in the states and either by the media or by our investors. But I told them I make full calls but none of them are correct. So but based on our understanding about the current supply and dollar in the future we see there're major forces and that is push oil price up or drag down not much changes. So for next years will I believe prices still continue to remain low somewhere at 40-50. And this is not just the price for today and this price will be for quite some time not just for next year.

AD: You mentioned Mr. Fu, the government's push for cleaner energy, hoping to reduce pollution. Where does that leave companies like SINOPEC and CNOOC?

Fu Chengyu: This is making it conventional, traditional oil industry or and chemicals industry to transform to a new state where you need to consider not just environmental issues and but also climate issues and the company really need you thinking of how sustainable growth over the next 20 or 30 years. You have to transform what you are doing to a future state. This you have to consider if you consume the energy  More energy efficiency, less discharge, less CO2. Not just discharge it also you include concluded in your products. So CO2 management is also one of the ways for the energy company or the chemical company. So there's a transition even not easy but you have to face for your future sustainable growth.

AD: Companies like SINOPEC, state owned enterprises in China do need to streamline which could potentially be mean many job losses. Can the Chinese economy grow fast enough to absorb potential job losses of that scale especially as the party can't afford to have high joblessness?

Fu Chengyu: I think we might look into two areas. One when you streamline our operation and that does not mean you have to lay out a lot more employees and in certain industries or companies they have to lay off some of the employees. If you put them in a society or community that does not mean they will not have other jobs. So in China as a whole if you consider people always are able to create value. The question was, is the, either a company, business or the government you need to set either platform that let people to create value. People or not like any material things if you don't use them they have they don't have value. But the people always say they are most important value part they can create value. So in China we see in the past years China transitioning for quite some time already and the industries, all the businesses are streamlining every year. But the jobs creation is also very strong. You see considering the overcapacity in China. You see the different industries, different vendors they need to cut a number of their employees. But you'll see the creation of new jobs in China. Every year there's over 10 million. So this is the most important part that when there is a new technology which need less people to work on that same piece of a job. However there's other jobs need to be done by some new either laborers or workers. So always thinking people are the most important elements that create value.

AD: What is your outlook for Chinese economic growth?

Fu Chengyu: I think a lot people were worrying about the slowdown of the economic growth in the past years. But I'm quite optimistic. I'm not optimistic because of say six or seven or eight is good but six even five is much good speed for China because the size of the economy is pretty large already. Second, we have a lot of problems that we need to release. I mean problems we need to raise the bubble. So this is something we need today to be done. And with a quality growth is the most important part that when we talking about the growth in China. We are not just pursuing just a figure six, seven, eight, might not be good. Five is well enough if we have a good quality.

AD: Quality not quantity if you want sustainability. Mr. Fu my last question pertains to Qatar because as you know there is an ongoing dispute which is affecting the LNG exports from this is a major customer and is China thinking about or even actively trying to renegotiate contracts? Are they using that as leverage to get a better deal from Qatar?

Fu Chengyu: We have a long term cooperation with Qatar energy sector and we buy a lot of LNG from Qatar in the past especially when I was in CNOOC we buy LNG from Qatar. So this is not something new and I believe they have certain potential of supply more LNG to the world. And this is not just talking about because of the issue between Qatar and the Islamic world. But I think as a common business partner we will continue to do our business and this is not as a business leader impulse I do not want to use this dispute among them as a leverage for us to get a better deal in our deals with them or with other partners in the past are always the fair deal because everybody is a winner. We don't want that any loser to be a partner.
President Donald Trump will urge United Nations member states on Tuesday to jointly confront rogue states like North Korea and Iran, as well as to cooperate on other issues from positions of self-interest.

Trump's speech Tuesday morning will be his first to the 193-member UN General Assembly, and the president will attempt to strike a tone of optimism and "principled realism," according to a senior White House official who previewed the speech to reporters on Monday.

"It's an appeal to each nation to use sovereignty as the basis for mutual cooperation," said the senior official, "and the idea that nation-states that serve the interests of their own citizens have a rational interest in cooperating to confront shared dangers, shared threats, as well as shared opportunities."

Chief among those shared dangers is nuclear-armed North Korea. Its leader, Kim Jong-Un, has conducted more than a dozen missile tests since Trump took office in January, culminating in an early September underground test of what is believed to have been a hydrogen bomb.

Trump will reserve his strongest language for North Korea, said the official. "He will speak in extremely tough terms about the North Korean menace and the threat it poses to our security and the security of all the nations in that room. And he will talk about, as well, the enablement of the North Korean regime and what that means, too."

The president's speech comes just days after the UN Security Council unanimously approved a tough new round of sanctions against North Korea in response to its latest bomb test.

Trump will also single out Iran for criticism, said the official. But here, the president will be careful "to separate out the government from the people of Iran." To do that, Trump will highlight what the White House said is "a tension between the direction the country is currently being run in, and the desires of the people and what kind of future they want to have."

Trump is a fierce critic of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. So far in his presidency, however, Trump has yet to pull out of the deal. On Monday, asked by reporters whether the United States still planned to abide by the agreement, Trump said only, "you'll be seeing very soon."

On a more philosophical level, Trump's speech will be a balancing act. On one hand, his audience is a room full of diplomats, eager to hear the new president lay out his vision for America's place in the world.

But Trump has another audience as well, made up of the voters who form his political base of support and will see clips of his speech on the evening news. This audience is looking for signs that the president is adhering to the same isolationist, "America First" foreign policy that he campaigned and won on.

Trump's speechwriters, it seems, are keenly aware that he will need to thread a needle at the UN.

"The president will be explaining how the principle of 'America First' is not only consistent with the goal of international cooperation, but a rational basis for every country to engage in cooperation," said the administration official, "because all countries that are sovereign put the needs of their own citizens first.

"Countries that confront common dangers, common threats and common opportunities ought to be able to cooperate together as a coalition of strong, free, and independent nations in a way that uplifts all of their citizens."

Trump is expected to speak in New York City around 10:30 a.m., ET.
The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, has officially hit $1 trillion.

Norges Bank, who manages the fund for Norway, said on its website that the rainy-day pot was never expected to grow so large.

"I don't think anyone expected the fund to ever reach 1 trillion dollars when the first transfer of oil revenue was made in May 1996. Reaching 1 trillion dollars is a milestone, and the growth in the fund's market value has been stunning", said Yngve Slyngstad, chief executive officer at Norges Bank Investment Management.

The fund's administrators said that on Tuesday 19 September 2017 at 2:01 a.m. local time, the fund value hit $1,000,000,000,000, or $1 trillion, for the first time.

The bank said a strengthening of the world's major currencies against the U.S. dollar combined with strong equity markets during 2017 had rapidly increased the U.S. dollar value of the pooled capital.

Norway's fund was set up more than 20 years ago to invest revenue arising from oil extraction.

In August, Norges Bank said Nestle, China's Tencent and Swiss company Novartis made the biggest positive contributions to the fund's growth across the second quarter.

In January 2016, the Norwegian government made the first ever withdrawal from the pot of cash to address a slowing economy.
watch now

Nigel Toon has spent almost three decades in the semiconductor industry, accumulating multiple patents and selling two start-ups, including one to Nvidia for about $400 million. None of that mattered three years ago when Toon was trying to raise money for XMOS, a chipmaker for digital electronics. Venture capitalists wouldn't touch silicon. Start-ups required too much capital to get off the ground and had a brutally high mortality rate. On the occasion when Toon's pitch excited a particular venture investor, the rest of the firm balked. "They'd go to the partner meeting on Monday morning and the other partners would fall on the floor laughing," Toon said in a recent interview with CNBC. "They'd say, `You want to do what?' It was almost toxic." Fast forward to 2017 and there's no more laughing. Toon is now co-founder and CEO of Graphcore, which spun out of XMOS in mid-2016. The U.K.-based company is developing silicon for high-performance servers to run artificial intelligence workloads. It's playing right into one of the tech industry's hottest trends and reminding Silicon Valley where it got its name. Semiconductor start-ups are poised to raise $1.6 billion this year, up from $1.3 billion in 2016 and $820 million in 2015, according to CB Insights. In particular, chipmakers targeting AI are seeing a surge of interest as investors see a massive math problem staring them in the face.

The computational requirements for training machines  including many of the 20 billion connected devices expected to be in circulation by 2020  can't be satisfied by existing processors from Intel and Qualcomm or even by Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs). There's a whole new era of computing on the horizon that requires processing vision, voice and motion data while simultaneously conserving power. "AI is like a nitro booster for these next-gen silicon companies," said Paul Holland, a partner at Foundation Capital, which invested in Graphcore's $30 million round in October. In the pre-booster days, life was a lot more difficult. Chipmaker GCT Semiconductor was on file to go public in 2012 but never made it out and withdrew two years later due to a lack of investor demand. Audience, a maker of audio processors, was acquired in 2015 for $85 million, or more than 70 percent below its IPO price from three years earlier. XMOS was able to raise money from strategic investors in 2014, but Toon said it took six months to close the round even though the company had a growing business. There were far more start-ups that couldn't find continuing investment and faded into oblivion. Today's emerging players, by contrast, are talking a big game. Graphcore claims it can improve performance in the cloud and data center by 10 to 100 times. Its story is compelling enough to investors that immediately following a $30 million round in October, the company was inundated with interest from potential backers and reeled in another $30 million in July, led by London-based venture firm Atomico. Graphcore is in its final phases of product development and has lined up early customers.

watch now

"We weren't planning to raise more capital until next year," Toon said. "Now we're in a position to accelerate our growth."

'I see 15 different devices that could use an AI brain'

Many of the new silicon start-ups are still in stealth mode in an effort to stay below the radar of the industry incumbents. Cerebras Systems has raised over $100 million and is valued at $860 million, according to a Forbes story in August, citing data from PitchBook. While the company has kept silent about its products, its website lists nine open positions, including a microcoder to "create high-performance linear-algebra and machine-learning kernels for custom processors." Similarly, don't expect any information from the website  or landing page  for Groq, a chip start-up founded last year by two ex-Googlers and funded with $10 million from Social Capital. Even in stealth, the company caught the attention of industry veteran Krishna Rangasayee, who left Xilinx last month after 18 years to join Groq as operating chief. Rangasayee declined to be interviewed for this story, saying the company is "heads down right now."

Everything else may be a smoking crater. Shahin Farshchi partner at Lux Capital

As with any buzzy start-up trend, this one certainly could fizzle before generating meaningful returns. Shahin Farshchi, a Mythic investor and partner at Lux Capital, is one of the few venture capitalists who's already made money in the latest silicon boom. He backed Nervana Systems, which Intel bought for over $400 million last year to bring machine learning to the data center. "Everything else may be a smoking crater," said Farshchi, who's also an investor in autonomous driving start-up Zoox. But that's not what he expects to happen. "My hypothesis here is that there's a need for a fundamentally new class of products," he said. There are good reasons for Farshchi to be optimistic. The number of computing devices that require cutting-edge processors to run AI workloads is exploding at home, in the car, on the phone and in the data center. That means potentially billions of gadgets, big and small, demanding performance many times more powerful than what's available today. "Looking around the room right now, I see 15 different devices that could use an AI brain inside," said Mike Henry, Mythic's CEO, who founded the company in 2012 after finishing his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering. Henry, speaking from a conference room in Mythic's headquarters in Redwood City, California, described his early years toiling away in Blacksburg, Virginia, home to his alma mater Virginia Tech. While teaching college courses on microchip design, Henry had had to scrape for government funding, primarily from the Air Force Research Lab, to pursue independent work on low-powered mobile technology.

Mythic CEO Mike Henry Mythic
Former president Barack Obama isn't just spending his post-presidency free time talking to Wall Street or hosting leadership summits. On Monday, he hopped on a conference call with hundreds of young people across the country to talk about the importance of coding.

Barack Obama tweet

Over 1,000 students, educators and advocates were on the line for a call organized by the Computer Science (CS) for All Consortium.

While the goal of today's "National Briefing" call was to detail updates on CSforAll, Obama dialed in as a guest to "crash the party" and surprise the listeners.

tweet

"As I've always said, this country is at its best when we lift each other up and make sure that we're extending opportunity to everybody," Obama said on the call.

"I strongly believe every child has to have the opportunity to learn this critical skill," Obama said. "We are inundated with technology and I don't want our young people to just be consumers, I want them to be producers of this technology and to understand it, to feel like they're controlling it, as opposed to it controlling them."

The call is in line with President Obama's post-presidency goal of cultivating the next generation of leaders, CNBC Make It has learned. Here are some of Obama's quotes that listeners shared on Twitter:

tweet

tweet

tweet

During his January 2016 State of the Union Address, Obama launched the CSforAll initiative as a way to provide funding to states and schools to close the digital gap.

"In the new economy, computer science isn't an optional skill, it's a basic skill," Obama said in a video following his address.
South Korea to assist Nepal in developing smart cities

The South Korean government has pledged support in transforming Nepal's six local tiers into smart cities.
Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly said the consumer electronics retailer is "very much at the table" when it comes to talks about tax reform in Washington.

Joly was part of a group of retail CEOs who were speaking somewhat regularly to political leaders earlier this year as the industry rallied against the proposed Border Adjustment Tax. Retailers had pushed back on the proposal, as it would have levied a tax on almost all imports, which would have forced many to raise prices.



While the so-called BAT is off the table, Joly remains part of the tax reform conversation.

Noting Best Buy's 36 percent tax rate, Joly said he wants a lower corporate tax for his company's sake and corporate America in general.

"My view is that the savings, the tax savings, will be reinvested in jobs, in investments, and get the country moving forward, and create opportunities for a wide variety of Americans," Joly said in an exclusive CNBC interview.



Joly is French and runs a business headquartered in the U.S., with operations in Canada and Mexico. That makes both the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the North American Free Trade Agreement key items for Joly both personally and professionally.



He said NAFTA should be modernized, as "there are topics that didn't exist 20 years ago that need to be included."



Earlier this month, Joly signed a letter along with more than 350 other business leaders calling on President Donald Trump and Congress to pass legislation to permanently prevent the 800,000 so-called dreamers  undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as youth  from being deported.



"We need to find a permanent solution for [the 'dreamers']. Also from an economic standpoint, it makes a lot of sense. These are hard-working people who contribute to the economy," Joly said.



"I'm really hopeful that people will find a permanent solution to this ... issue. We need to do this."
watch now

It's been five years since Best Buy held an investor meeting. And while much has changed since the last one, there will still be skeptics in the audience at its Richfield, Minnesota, headquarters.



At its last one, in November 2012 in New York, then-new chief executive Hubert Joly laid out his transformation plan "Renew Blue" to reverse sales declines and improve profitability through cost cuts and growing online sales.



Best Buy did just that.



"Five years ago the times were different. We had negative comps. Our margins were going down. There were questions about whether we were going to survive," Joly acknowledged in an exclusive CNBC interview.



Earlier this year, Joly concluded the transformation was complete.



"We've had four years of positive comps. Our margins have expanded. We have been, in the last five years, in the top 10 percent of the S&P 500 from a total shareholder return standpoint. Customer satisfaction is up. We're gaining share," he said. "We've become relevant again," Joly said, smiling. "And I couldn't be more proud of what our associates have accomplished." Speaking to CNBC ahead of the meeting, he outlined areas where he sees potential growth, such as in the connected home market and with smartphones. He said the transformation strategy was mainly about "fixing what was broken." The new strategy, Best Buy 2020, pivots and is "focused on growth. Tuesday morning Best Buy released new financial targets for fiscal 2021 that it will discuss in detail at the meeting, as it outlines its plans for the next phase of growth. Investors were clearly disappointed, sending shares down more than 8 percent. Revenue is expected to grow to $43 billion in fiscal 2021, versus $39.4 billion in fiscal 2017. Meanwhile, the company will look to realize $600 million in annual cost savings by the end of fiscal 2021. As a result, Best Buy estimates its adjusted operating income in fiscal 2021 will be between $1.9 billion to $2.0 billion versus $1.7 billion in fiscal 2017. On an adjusted basis, its earnings are projected to be in the range of $4.75 to $5.00 a share, which is an 8 to 9 percent compound annual growth rate from fiscal 2017. "We've taken the time to look at the strategic landscape. And we think that we are operating in a very attractive environment that's full of growth opportunities," Joly said. Still, Best Buy will have to sell this strategy to investors. But that's nothing new, five years ago, some had doubted whether Joly was right for the job. While he had turnaround experience, he had spent the last eight years in the hospitality industry and was leaving his position as CEO of hotel group Carlson to lead a U.S. consumer electronics retailer.



"We were consistently skeptical of Mr. Joly's lack of retail experience," Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said in a note to investors. However, he added, "the company has executed nearly flawlessly since CEO Hubert Joly joined five years ago." Still, Pachter has an underperform rating on Best Buy shares because he wonders if it can sustain its growth as a price war rages between retail behemoths Amazon and Wal-Mart .

Going after the connected home market

The connected smart home might be the most comprehensive category for the retailer to find opportunity under the new strategy for both service and product sales. According to various estimates, the global smart home market is expected to grow to $33 billion to $50 billion over the next four years. Piper Jaffray analyst Peter Keith estimates Best Buy could capture 10 percent market share in the connected smart home sector, which would add more than a full percentage point of same-store sales growth through 2021.



A big initiative to capture that share is Best Buy's new In-Home Advisor program. After testing the program for more than a year in a handful of cities, it's currently rolling it out nationwide with a workforce of 300. This program differs from Best Buy's Geek Squad because it's a free service. Best Buy employees with deep knowledge across product categories and brands go to customers' homes and provide technology advice and guidance on anything from increasing appliance efficiency to improving Wi-Fi connectivity to setting up home assistants that speak to the sound system and thermostat.



While the program is in its infancy, the In-Home Advisors are already individually profitable. Joly says what's even better is the potential for long-term relationships with consumers.



"Economically for us it's attractive because it helps make customers happy, build a relationship and grow the revenue line," he said. The margins are also better as the In-Home Advisors "unlock unmet needs" consumers don't realize they have until someone can assess their homes, Joly said.



By the end of October, 450 Best Buy stores will have a smart home powered by Vivint section, and 1,500 smart home employees will join the team.



Additionally Tuesday, Best Buy announced it's testing a service it calls Assured Living in Minneapolis and Denver, which uses technology to help loved ones check in on the safety and well-being of aging family members.



Joly used an example of a woman he calls an alpha mom, who does everything for everyone, to explain how Assured Living might help her keep tabs on her aging parents. "There's a sensor under the bed or in the medicine cabinet with an app and artificial intelligence, she'll be able to be alerted if something is wrong."



But Best Buy is counting on millennials for the biggest opportunity when it comes to the connected home. The retailer's market share with millennials is higher than any other demographic.



"[Millennials] are finally leaving their parents' home and so they're actually moving to the suburbs. And so they need to equip their home," Joly said.

Aiming for mobile market share

Millennials, along with most other demographics, count on their smartphones for more and more in their daily lives. But Best Buy has a relatively low market share in mobile. Part of Best Buy 2020 aims to change that.



"Buying a phone can be daunting. It's a very expensive purchase. You have many choices you need to make," Joly said. "We have a number of initiatives and improvements to the shopping experience, making it easier for customers to find out what plan they should buy, making it more efficient to get the phone."



Joly declined to comment on his expectations for the new Apple iPhones and anticipated Android smartphone releases this fall.

Amazon: Foe and friend

For years, the narrative surrounding Best Buy and Amazon was that the consumer electronics retailer was becoming merely a showroom for shoppers that ultimately bought on Amazon. This summer when news surfaced that Amazon was building its own Geek Squad-like service, Best Buy shares took a hit.



But Joly has shown Best Buy can exist in an Amazon world, and in some cases, the two work together.



Best Buy is rolling out new Amazon Alexa and Google Home assistant experiences to 700 stores. Best Buy employees will demonstrate how the smart home assistants work and Geek Squad members can provide help with support and installation, which fits in with the connected home strategy.



Joly said his company's mission is to offer customers the best products in the market, and he puts Amazon's Echo devices and its Fire TVs in that category. Joly said that means "showcasing in our stores products from people who sometimes are our competitors."



Amazon also indirectly helped Best Buy's online sales in July. Joly told analysts on its second-quarter earnings call that Amazon Prime Day was "quite strong for us." In fact, Best Buy's online comparable sales grew more than 31 percent in the second quarter, the strongest result under Joly yet.

The holiday season

Although Best Buy also posted its strongest same-store sales growth in seven years, its shares plunged more than 5 percent that August day after Joly and CFO Corie Barry laid out their holiday projections. The executives warned analysts not to get used to 5.4 percent growth as "the new normal." They also said the holiday quarter is hard to predict because it has very different characteristics than the rest of the year, particularly with the expectation for deep discounts from competitors.



The fact is while Best Buy has been on a nice streak, the retailer hasn't turned in positive same-store sales growth during the holidays since 2014. Its current forecast doesn't point to a break in this pattern.



Joly wouldn't elaborate on his expectations for the all-important season. He said, he's focused beyond it with Best Buy 2020.



Ever an optimist, Joly said "this is an opportunity-rich environment."



But he's also a realist, and understands the challenge that comes with the quickly evolving consumer landscape.



"It's going to be a journey" Joly said. "We're looking forward to it."

WATCH: Is Amazon's smart home a major threat to Best Buy?
Best Buy shares cratered nearly 8 percent Tuesday as the company unveiled a new set of financial goals for fiscal 2021.

The consumer electronics retailer is meeting with analysts later Tuesday at its first investor meeting in five years to discuss its next phase of growth.

Chief Executive Hubert Joly told CNBC its turnaround program, dubbed "Renew Blue," was aimed at fixing "what was broken" and now the retailer can focus on growth opportunities. Those include growing its connected home and smartphone businesses and piloting a service called Assured Living that will use technology to help adult children monitor their aging parents.

During the past five years, Best Buy reaped $1.4 billion in cost savings, but it is targeting $600 million in further savings by the end of fiscal year 2021.

On the top line, Best Buy is hoping to grow revenue by $3.6 billion over the next five years. It would bring enterprise revenue  or the total revenue for the U.S., Mexico and Canada  to $43 billion by the end of fiscal 2021 from $39.4 billion in fiscal 2017.

The company also is seeking to increase its fiscal year 2021 adjusted operating income to more than $1.9 billion, from $1.7 billion in fiscal 2017. It aims to grow adjusted earnings per share to between $4.75 and $5, which the company said represents an 8 to 9 percent compound annual growth rate from fiscal 2017.

In heavier-than-usual-trading, Best Buy shares fell nearly 8 percent, though at one point the stock sank as low as $52.51. The retailer's stock is up more than 25 percent this year, according to FactSet.
Televisions in a Best Buy at Columbus Circle in New York, Sept. 18, 2017. John Taggart | The New York Times

While running errands the other day, I ducked into a local Best Buy to pick up a pair of new headphones. What I saw inside was shocking. Happy-looking people were huddled around tables filled with the latest gadgets from Microsoft and Apple . The video game aisle was bustling. Blue-shirted employees were helping a customer pick from a glowing wall of flat-screen TVs. There was a line  a line!  at the checkout counter. Many people, myself included, assumed that the entire big-box retail sector would eventually fall under Amazon's steamroller. I knew Best Buy had spent the past several years playing defense against Amazon, finding some initial success by cutting costs and reducing prices to match its online rivals. More from New York Times:

And this year, the Emmy goes to  politics

In Geneva, 'Dirty Money' of another kind  flushed down the toilet

Richemont opens an innovation lab in Switzerland But Best Buy's rebound has been surprisingly durable. Revenue figures have beaten Wall Street's expectations in six of the last seven quarters. The company's stock price has risen more than 50 percent in the past year. Workers are happy. And judging from several other visits I paid to Best Buy stores, the chain appears to have avoided the bleak fate of other big-box retailers. How do they do it? To find out, I called Hubert Joly, Best Buy's chief executive. An upbeat Frenchman who spent more than a decade at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, Mr. Joly, 58, explained that Best Buy's turnaround was years in the making, and that it involved reshaping nearly every piece of the business. It's a fascinating playbook for companies hoping to survive in the Amazon age. Here are the keys to Best Buy's turnaround, according to Mr. Joly:

1. Price, price, price

When Mr. Joly took over in 2012, Best Buy was bleeding out. A former chief had resigned after admitting to an improper romantic relationship with an employee. The company's systems were outdated and many stores were losing money. Many of the products that drew customers to stores, such as new CD and DVD releases, were becoming obsolete. The most worrisome trend in big-box retail was "showrooming"  customers were testing new products in stores before buying them for less money online from another retailer. To combat showrooming and persuade customers to complete their purchases at Best Buy, Mr. Joly announced a price-matching guarantee. "Until I match Amazon's prices, the customers are ours to lose," Mr. Joly said. Price-matching costs Best Buy real money, but it also gives customers a reason to stay in the store, and avoids handing business to competitors.

2. Focus on humans

Mr. Joly also realized that if Best Buy was going to compete with Amazon, which has spent billions building a speedy delivery system and plans to use drones to become even more efficient, it needed to get better at things that robots can't do well  namely, customer service. In his first months on the job, Mr. Joly visited Best Buy stores near the company's Minnesota headquarters to ask rank-and-file employees about the struggles they encountered. (Among their gripes: an internal search engine that was returning bad data about which items were in stock.) Best Buy fixed the search engine. It also restored a much-loved employee discount that had been suspended and embarked on an ambitious program to retrain its employees so they could answer questions about entirely new categories of electronics, such as virtual reality headsets and smart home appliances. "The associates in our stores are much more engaged now, much more proficient," Mr. Joly said. Customers had always loved Best Buy's Geek Squad, its army of specially trained tech support experts who could be hired to mount TVs and install other appliances at a customer's home. But sometimes, people needed help before they bought big and expensive gadgets. So it started an adviser program that allows customers to get free in-home consultations about what product they should buy, and how it should be installed. The service started as a pilot program last year and is now being rolled out nationwide. Best Buy has "really come through the valley by making investments around the customer experience," said Peter Keith, a retail analyst with Piper Jaffray.

3. Turn brick-and-mortar into showcase-and-ship

When Mr. Joly arrived at Best Buy, the company's online ordering system was completely divorced from its stores. If a customer placed an order on the website, it would ship from a central warehouse. If that warehouse didn't have the item in stock, the customer was out of luck. Mr. Joly realized that with some minor changes, each of Best Buy's 1,000-plus big-box stores could ship packages to customers, serving as a mini warehouse for its surrounding area. Now, when a customer orders a product on Best Buy's website, the item is sent from the location that can deliver it the fastest  a store down the street, perhaps, or a warehouse five states away. It was a small, subtle change, but it allowed Best Buy to improve its shipping times, and made immediate gratification possible for customers. Now, roughly 40 percent of Best Buy's online orders are either shipped or picked up from a store. Best Buy also struck deals with large electronics companies like Samsung, Apple and Microsoft to feature their products in branded areas within the store. Now, rather than jamming these companies' products next to one another on shelves, Best Buy allows them to set up their own dedicated kiosks. (Apple's area inside a Best Buy, for example, has the same sleek wooden tables and minimalist design as an Apple Store.) It's a concept borrowed from department stores, and it's created a lucrative new revenue stream. Even Amazon has set up kiosks in Best Buy stores to show off its voice-activated Alexa gadgets. Granted, Best Buy has a last-man-standing advantage in these partnership deals. Many of its big-box rivals (Circuit City, Radio Shack, HH Gregg) have gone bankrupt or shut down completely. Which means that if Samsung wants to show off its newest line of tablets in a big-box electronics store, it has basically one choice.

4. Cut costs quietly

Almost every business turnaround plan includes cutting costs. Under Mr. Joly, Best Buy has used the scalpel as quietly as possible, gradually letting leases expire for unprofitable stores and consolidating its overseas divisions. He trimmed a layer of middle managers in 2014, and reassignedroughly 400 Geek Squad employees within the company. But he has never announced a huge, public round of layoffs, which can crater employee morale and create a sinking-ship vibe. "Taking people out is the last resort," Mr. Joly said in 2015. "Because you need to capture the hearts and minds of the employees." Best Buy has also found more creative penny-pinching methods. Once, the company noticed that an unusually high number of flat-screen TVs were being dropped in its warehouses. It revamped the handling process, reducing the number of times TVs were picked up by a clamp lift and adding new carts to prevent TV boxes from falling over. The changes resulted in less broken inventory and bigger profits.

5. Get lucky, stay humble and don't tempt fate
Britain's decision to leave the Europe Union is likely to lead to a net fiscal loss for the U.K. government's public finances, according to the head of an independent research institute.

"The forecast health of the public finances was downgraded by 15 billion ($20.25 billion) per year  or almost 300 million per week  as a direct result of the Brexit vote," said Carl Emmerson, deputy director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies in a letter to The Times of London newspaper published Tuesday.

"We are likely to make a net fiscal loss from it. Those are the numbers and forecasts which the government has adopted."

Emmerson's letter was in response to an article written by U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson at the weekend, which repeated the widely discredited and false claim that leaving the EU would free 350 million of spending per week.

The 350 million claim was used extensively by the leave campaign during the 2016 referendum on membership of the European Union. However, the figure does not take into account the rebate the U.K. receives, which instantly discounts the U.K.'s membership fee to around 250 million per week.

This 250 million is further reduced by payments from the EU to U.K. agriculture and poorer regions such as Wales and Cornwall, according to the independent fact checking charity Full Fact. The EU also makes further payments to the U.K. public sector, such as research grants.

"In 2014, these were worth an estimated 1 billion, so including them could reduce our net contribution further still," the Full Fact team says on its website.

"The money we get back will be spent on things the government may or may not choose to fund if we left the EU. It's not enough to look at the net contribution in isolation because what we get back isn't fully under our control."
The internet revolution in China saw companies design products and services to solve social issues in the world's second-largest economy. Now, businesses are working to innovate in more hardcore technological areas such as artificial intelligence, according to a leading investor.

Workers at their desks inside Tech Temple, a co-working space for start-ups sponsored by Infinity Ventures Partners in Beijing, China, on March 12, 2015.

William Bao Bean, general partner at early stage venture capital firm SOSV, said at a panel at the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology that significant sums of money were flowing into AI.

"So the last 15 years, entrepreneurs and [venture capitalists], like us, have been investing in companies that solve basic problems," he said, adding most of the problems today are solved "pretty well" in the country.

Currently, China is a "lot more like the U.S., where, in order to make an impact, you have to have a revolution in tech," Bao Bean said. "So you're seeing massive amounts of money going into AI."

Global consulting firm KPMG said in January that China set a record high in terms of VC investments in 2016, despite a global slowdown in the field. The firm said the strong performance was expected to continue as AI becoming a stronger focus for investors.

In July, China's State Council issued guidelines on developing AI inside the country and set a goal of becoming a global innovation center for the technology by 2030.

Earlier this month, investment bank Goldman Sachs issued a report saying China has emerged as a major global contender in using AI to drive economic progress. Goldman identified four key areas for China in which development is needed to create value in AI. They are: talent, data, infrastructure and computing power.

China not only has a vast population but a majority of the people have some form of access to the internet.

Some of the companies to watch out for in China's drive for AI, according to Goldman, are the big three internet giants  Baidu , Alibaba and Tencent . Others include ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing, on-demand services provider Meituan-Dianping and speech and language recognition firm iFlytek.

At SOSV, Bao Bean is also the managing director of a Shanghai-based accelerator program called Chinaccelerator that helps global start-ups enter the Chinese market and Chinese firms go abroad.

The big problem Chinese start-ups face at the moment, he said, is user acquisition due to the fact that so much of the market is dominated by a very small number of companies.

"Unless you ally yourself with one of the big players, no one will ever see your product," Bao Bean said.

Experts have previously told CNBC that, in most tech sectors in China, investors tend to bet on two-to-three dominant players. Often, some of those start-ups merge to capture the majority of the market. For example, in the ride-hailing sector, the merger between two of the top start-ups resulted in the creation of Didi Chuxing, which currently dominates the market.

Bao Bean also said at a CNBC panel on Monday afternoon that start-ups planning to enter the Chinese market needed to rethink their products and services.

"If you want to come to China ... you have to understand what is your unfair advantage coming out and do you solve a problem for that local market," he said. "Because your product, generally, from the U.S. is not going to work very well in China ... it needs to be changed."
It's not too late for South Korean leaders to "reflect on the lessons" to be learned from Lotte Group's business woes following Seoul's deployment of a high-tech missile defense system on China's doorstep, Chinese state media said on Tuesday.

South Korean conglomerate Lotte said last week it will sell its supermarkets in China after most of them shut amid political tensions between the two East Asian nations.

China has not acknowledged any official ban on South Korean businesses. Still, in a Tuesday editorial, state media hinted at a causal relationship between acting against Beijing's wishes and business hardship.

A consumer boycott was triggered by Seoul's agreement to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea to counter military threats from North Korea. China has protested the move, arguing that it is against its own national security interest.

"By rolling out the deployment of THAAD despite Beijing's repeated protestations, Seoul has willfully ignored Beijing's concerns due to its fears about Pyongyang's intentions and the pressure applied by Washington in pursuit of its own aims," the China Daily editorial said.

Lotte's decision to close its supermarkets in China highlights the extent to which relations between Beijing and Seoul have soured since Seoul agreed to THAAD's deployment, the China Daily said.

Of Lotte's 99 supermarkets in China, 74 were closed by fire authorities over safety breaches while another 13 were closed due to tough business conditions, Reuters reported.

Seoul is now bearing the brunt of the fallout from the dispute as Chinese tourist arrivals to the country plummet and as Chinese consumers shun South Korean businesses from supermarkets to pop culture exports.

Even as Seoul has "willfully ignored" repeated protests from Beijing over the deployment of the system, it's not to late for a turnaround in relations even as tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to escalate, the newspaper added.

South Korea, it said, "should reconsider its approach to its own security and instead of relying on the U.S., it should work to restore relations with China, as together they can work to ease the tensions that continue to dangerously escalate."

After all, China is "actually in the same boat" as South Korea, the newspaper said.

"There is no need for the relationship to be in the state it is in now, since both countries share the goal of making the region nuclear-free, peaceful and stable," it said.

China has said it is concerned about North Korea's nuclear tests and environmental fallout from any radiation, as it shares a border with the reclusive state.

Read China Daily's editorial about Lotte's sale of of its Chinese stores.

Correction: This article has been updated to accurately reflect a quote from the China Daily editorial.
China's latest crackdown on bitcoin will likely shut down the local industry around the digital currency for good, several analysts said.

"I see the crackdown on bitcoin as part of this larger multi-agency program to reduce financial sector risk, which will unfold over months and probably years," said Jim Stent, author of "China's Banking Transformation." "I do not see risk reduction as something temporary prior to the [Communist Party Congress], nor do I see the bitcoin crackdown as temporary."

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is scheduled for October 18, and Beijing typically tightens its scrutiny on sensitive areas such as access to Google . However, most analysts who spoke with CNBC said authorities' latest moves on cryptocurrencies reflect Chinese President Xi Jinping's long-term efforts to reduce speculation in financial markets.

On September 4, the People's Bank of China announced a ban on digital token fundraisers called initial coin offerings. Then last week, several major Chinese bitcoin exchanges including BTC China announced they would end trading by the end of the month amid reports Chinese regulators planned to shut down the exchanges.

The news sent bitcoin tumbling 41 percent from a record high above $5,000 at the beginning of September to a low of $2,951 Friday, according to CoinDesk. The digital currency recovered to trade around $3,884 Tuesday and has still quadrupled in value for the year.

Bitcoin one-month performance

Source: CoinDesk

The Chinese crackdown on bitcoin is "much more massive" than most of China's financial regulatory action in the past, including on shadow banking, said Martin Chorzempa, research fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

His view on the clampdown has turned grimmer in the last few days. On Friday he published an article on the Peterson Institute's website that said the clampdown "should be temporary," but given the latest news reports, Chorzempa told CNBC Tuesday that he would "potentially revise" his expectations.
The CEO and co-founder of a file-sharing start-up based in Alphabet's hometown said his company is expanding only in other locations because Silicon Valley workers have "a sense of entitlement" and competing to hire them is a near-impossible task.

Egnyte plans to expand from about 350 employees to 500 globally in the next 18 to 24 months by hiring in several other U.S. and European cities, said Vineet Jain. He also told CNBC he is readying the company for a possible 2019 IPO.

Egnyte is doing most of its hiring far from its headquarters in Mountain View, California, Jain says, because he can't add them fast enough there "to move at start-up speed."

Workers in the nation's biggest tech hub demand high salaries and top-shelf perks and are quick to jump ship if they don't like their work because opportunities are so plentiful, he says.

"There are no consequences for non-performance" and "a sense of entitlement in the valley," says Jain, whose 10-year-old company has to compete with Google, nearby Facebook in Menlo Park, California, and other tech giants for sales and engineering workers.

Egnyte offers file storage and synchronization services for companies. It competes in the same market as Box and Dropbox, as well as with similar offerings from giant companies such as Alphabet and Microsoft. But unlike many of these offerings, Egnyte's file storage solution can also work on-premises, not just in the cloud.

The company plans to open a new office in Raleigh, North Carolina, and hire dozens of sales and technical workers in existing locations in Spokane, Washington; Bracknell, England; and Poznan, Poland, Jain said.

Jain said Egnyte is also beginning to prepare for an IPO. In May, the company did an analysis of its financial results based on so-called Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP, which is required of publicly traded companies.

When CNBC asked if the company would go public next year, Jain replied: "No, 2019. It would take 18 months" from now to go public.

The company's revenue is growing at a rate "near 40 percent" and has been cash-flow-positive since earlier this year, Jain said, declining to give more specifics.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday again urged the Federal Reserve to remove Wells Fargo's board in response to the bank's fake account scandal.

The Massachusetts Democrat contended that the central bank has a chance to "step up" and prove it cares about protecting consumers. In a Senate hearing this year, Fed Chair Janet Yellen told Warren that the Fed has the power to remove directors.

"Janet Yellen is somebody who's gotten out there, she's talked about the importance of an economy that works well, not just for those at the top but for the rest of America," Warren told "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer in an exclusive interview on CNBC.

"This is the Fed's chance to step up and say, 'When you cheat consumers, when you open fake accounts, when you force place insurance on them that they don't need, when you charge them money that they don't owe, then we, the Federal Reserve, are going to say, those who are in charge, those who are responsible are gone. We can't trust you to run a company of this size,'" Warren added. "I really want to see the Fed step here. The Fed has to power to do it. They just need to step up and do it."

Warren, a hawk on financial regulation, has urged drastic action to hold Wells Fargo and its senior leaders accountable after the bank opened millions of unauthorized accounts. Last month, Wells Fargo said it had identified 3.5 million potentially unauthorized accounts, up from the 2.1 million originally identified.

The senator argued that Wells Fargo's previous loan practices and acknowledgment that more accounts may have been opened than previously announced show that it still lacks accountability.

"This is a company that from the very top has made it clear  there's no accountability here. This is not about serving consumers. This is all about quarter by quarter by quarter how to juice the reported profits. That that's what mattered at Wells Fargo," Warren said.

At the July hearing, Yellen said the Fed is "certainly prepared to take enforcement actions if those prove to be appropriate."

The scandal led to the departure of multiple executives, including former CEO John Stumpf. Last month, Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan said the bank had "cast a wide net to reach customers and address their remaining concerns."

"Our commitment has never been stronger to build a better bank for our customers, team members, shareholders and communities," he said.

When Wells Fargo announced the findings of more potentially unauthorized accounts, the bank said it would give $2.8 million in refunds and credits, on top of the $3.3 million originally provided.
Special ceremony held to mark 3rd Constitution Day ( in photos)

A special ceremony was held at the local Nepalese Army Pavilion to mark the third anniversary of the promulgation of Nepal's new constitution through the historic Constituent Assembly (CA) on Tuesday.
Conditions may soon be right for Facebook to break into the Chinese market, and Mark Zuckerberg's social media giant is already taking strategic steps to do so, Mizuho said Monday.

"During our recent China trip, our meetings with various industry contacts indicated that FB could have a realistic opportunity for entering China next year," James Lee, managing director, Americas research, and Wei Fang, vice president, research, said in a report.

Facebook declined to comment. Shares traded about 1 percent higher midday Tuesday, outperforming the broader U.S. stock market's mild gains.

The report pointed out that Beijing tends to lessen its media scrutiny during an administration's second term, and Facebook may have "an opening" after Chinese President Xi Jinping begins his second five-year term in November.

"For example, Google successfully renewed its ICP license [for operating in China] during the second term of the prior President Hu Jintao," the Mizuho report said. "We believe the recent approvals of MNC internet companies such as LinkedIn and Airbnb are signs China is more open to internet companies that can help Chinese companies gain global recognition through advertising or facilitate economic growth through travel."

Facebook hit 2 billion monthly active users in the second quarter, but it has been blocked in mainland China for at least 8 years. Meanwhile, internet penetration in China is growing and reached 53.2 percent in 2016, with 731 million users, according to a January report from the China Internet Network Information Center.

The China Internet Information Center and Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology did not respond to emailed requests for comment Tuesday evening Beijing time.

Internet's growing role in Chinese media consumption

Source: Zenith Optimedia, Hillhouse Capital and Kleiner Perkins

In the last few months, Facebook has taken more steps in apparent preparation for operations in China.

The company recently hired a Beijing-based government relations executive whose experience includes helping LinkedIn China secure a license in the country, the Mizuho analysts pointed out.

Although the report didn't name a specific individual, William Shuai is listed on LinkedIn as "Senior Manager of Government Relations" for Facebook in Beijing, since September. The profile shows Shuai was director of government relations for LinkedIn China for more than three years, and government relations manager at Chinese internet giant Baidu for nearly three years before that.

Shuai did not immediately respond to a LinkedIn message sent Tuesday evening Beijing time. Facebook said the company doesn't comment on personnel.

The company is also looking for an office space in Shanghai, The New York Times reported earlier this month, citing two people familiar with the matter. The news followed Facebook's failure to establish a location in Beijing when it received a three-month permit to do so in late 2015.

"We have long said that we are interested in China, and are spending time understanding and learning more about the country in different ways," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC that repeated the comment to the Times.

The social media company already generates more than $1 billion a year, or about 4 percent of total revenues, from Chinese advertisers, the Mizuho researchers estimated, citing checks with advertising agencies.

"The Chinese government has been pushing for globalization of Chinese brands so what FB does for Chinese advertisers is also strategic in order to get the license into China," the report said.

To be sure, it is unclear whether Facebook can crack the massive mainland Chinese market. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has unsuccessfully courted Beijing for years, while local social media platforms have even disrupted each other within China.

Facebook's foray into China may also look different from how it operates in the West.

"We believe the business will initially be localized and connect only Chinese users. As for the products, we believe that either Instagram or VR are the most likely," the report said.

 CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
A fire broke out on Tuesday at 's refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, one of the cities along the Gulf Coast that saw the most severe damage from Hurricane Harvey.

The company's emergency response team is on the scene, a spokesperson for Valero told CNBC. Valero has contacted local authorities and is cooperating with relevant agencies.

The fire started shortly before noon in a heavy oil tank at Valero's 335,000 barrel per day refinery.

No injuries have been reported, and all employees have been accounted for. Nearby residents have been advised to shelter in place as a precautionary measure.

"Our primary concern is for safety of workers and community," Lillian Riojas, director of media relations and communications for Valero told CNBC.

The Port Arthur Fire Department is assisting with a fire at the Valero plant, according to a municipal alert. The department is asking residents of one section of the city to stay inside.

The Beaumont Enterprise, a local newspaper, linked to a video showing a thick black smoke plume that appeared behind a tank.

Valero shut down the refinery about three weeks ago as Harvey battered southeastern Texas. The facility remained closed for about two weeks. It was not immediately clear whether the blaze was related to the restart process or effects from the storm.

 Reuters contributed to this report.
watch now

Angela Merkel is likely to be re-elected as Germany's chancellor for a fourth term in an election next Sunday, a result that could seal the continent's fate in terms of ever closer political and economic union. If voter polls are to be believed, pro-European Merkel's victory is assured with her conservative coalition ahead of the pack. The latest voter poll published on Sunday by the Bild am Sonntag newspaper showed Merkel's conservative CDU-CSU coalition with 36 percent of the vote, ahead of rival SPD party which was seen with 22 percent of the vote. In third place was the anti-immigration AfD party with 11 percent of the vote. Jorg Ambrosius , the managing director of State Street Bank International, told CNBC on Monday that the election was "a very important election for the future of Europe." "My personal view is that there is now a time window opening when Germany and France could renew this French-German axis that drove the European agenda for quite some time in the past and I think now, with the economic recovery - and in the light of Brexit - there is a unique chance to bring the European Union, and financial union, to the next level." - either repeating the same tried and tested "grand coalition" with the SPD or forming a new alliance with the smaller pro-business FDP party and Greens in a so-called "Jamaica coalition," so named due to the colors of the political parties involved.

watch now

Whatever the make-up of an eventual coalition - following negotiations that could take months - Europe's political establishment are likely to breathe a collective sigh of relief as long as is left out in the cold.

Closer union?

For many pro-Europeans, Merkel's re-election could herald a new era of ever closer political and economic integration in the region, especially given her support of French President Emmanuel Macron's calls for reforms. Earlier this year, Macron and Merkel agreed in principle to create a European finance minister, euro zone parliament, a common euro zone budget and more public investments, as well as a more coordinated effort on reforms.



While reforms are welcomed generally, the idea of a pan euro zone finance minister and budget has not gone down so well in all quarters. For one, Germany's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble said in May that Macron's ideas were "unrealistic" as they would require EU treaty changes, and suggested instead developing the existing European Stability Mechanism, the euro zone's bailout fund. In addition, the leader of one of Merkel's potential coalition partners, the FDP, also told CNBC on Saturday that proposals for a euro zone budget were "unimaginable." While Ambrosius agreed that it was "a bit premature" to talk about a European finance minister, he said that the most important thing to recognize about the election was that there was "very limited risk" of a shock result.

watch now
A staffer places a sign that says "Trumpcare Again?" with a "no" symbol over it, before a news conference with Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

The American Medical Association on Tuesday urged the Senate to reject the last-ditch Republican bill that would repeal and replace key parts of Obamacare, saying it would cause "millions" of Americans to lose affordable health insurance coverage.

Also weighing in against the Graham-Cassidy bill was the National Council for Behavioral Health, which represents more than 2,000 mental health and addiction treatment groups.

"This bill may go by a different name than previous efforts to reshape the health care system, but it maintainsand even worsensthe devastating provisions from those bills that led to a massive constituent outcry earlier this summer," said Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the NCBH.

"It's the same pig with different lipstick," Rosenberg said.

The moves by the AMA  the largest physicians' lobbying group  and the NCBH came a day after a group of 16 organizations which represent patients and medical providers lined up to oppose the so-called Graham-Cassidy bill, as did the Association for Community Affiliated Plans, a group of health insurance providers.

"Similar to proposals that were considered in the Senate in July, we believe the Graham-Cassidy Amendment would result in millions of Americans losing their health insurance coverage, destabilize health insurance markets, and decrease access to affordable coverage and care," wrote AMA Executive Vice President and CEO Dr. James L. Madara in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

""We sincerely urge the Senate to take short-term measures to stabilize the health insurance market by continuing to fund cost sharing reduction payments," Madara wrote.

Those CSR payments reimburse insurers for discounts to out-of-pocket health charges they must offer by law to millions of Obamacare customers. The Trump administration has threatened to stop paying those funds to insurers, which has led to higher proposed premiums for 2018.

The 16 other groups in a signed statement said Graham-Cassidy "will negatively impact patients' access to adequate and affordable health coverage and care."

"This bill would limit funding for the Medicaid program, roll back important essential health benefit protections, and potentially open the door to annual and lifetime caps on coverage, endangering access to critical care for millions of Americans," the groups said.

"Our organizations urge senators to oppose this legislation."

The groups include the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the Arthritis Foundation, the National Health Council and the March of Dimes.

In their statement, the organizations said they strongly supported bipartisan legislation that would stabilize the individual health insurance market, as a committee led by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., has been considering.

The statement comes days after AARP, the powerful lobby group representing older Americans, came out against Graham-Cassidy, as it has against prior Republican Obamacare repeal legislation.

Tweet

GOP leaders who want to pass Graham-Cassidy face a Sept. 30 deadline for final approval of the bill because the legislation is being fast-tracked through a process known as budget reconciliation.

The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that the budget resolution that authorized passage of Obamacare repeal through reconciliation expires at the end of September.

Republicans, who hold a 52-seat majority in the Senate, need at least 50 GOP senators to vote for the bill for it to win passage. No Democrat or independent is expected to support the legislation.

On Tuesday, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker said he had concerns about how the bill would affect Medicaid, the joint federal-state health coverage program for primarily poor people.

"Given Alaska's current fiscal challenges, any proposal to shift federal costs to the states would likely result in drastic cuts to our Medicaid program," Walker said, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

The governor said he believed states should have a chance to comment on how Graham-Cassidy could affect health care for their residents, according to the newspaper.

Alaska's senators include Lisa Murkowski, one of three Republicans whose opposition to a prior Obamacare repeal bill led to its defeat in a vote in late July. The other two were Susan Collins of Maine, and John McCain of Arizona.

Murkowski has not yet said if she will vote for or against Graham-Cassidy. But on Monday she said she has a "number of concerns" about the bill.

According to the News-Miner, Alaska's other senator, Republican Daniel Sullivan, also has not taken a position on the bill.

Collins and McCain likewise have not said how they will vote. Rand Paul, the Republican senator from Kentucky who supported the prior, failed repeal bill, said he will not vote for Graham-Cassidy.

On Monday, Louisiana's secretary of health, Dr. Rebekah Gee, wrote the bill's co-sponsor, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and warned that "the harm to Louisiana from this legislation far outweighs any benefit."

Tweet

Gee noted that in the past year, Louisiana has provided Medicaid coverage to an additional 433,000 state residents as a result of adoption of expanded Medicaid eligibility standards under Obamacare.

She wrote that those people have received "more than one hundred thousand primary care visits, tens of thousands of screenings for cancer, and thousands of new mental health services."

"These treatments have said lives," Gee wrote. "Because this bill eliminates Medicaid expansion in 2020, all of our efforts would end, and thousands of Louisiana citizens would lose coverage and access to critical health care services."
Shares of Sturm Ruger surged Tuesday after a Reuters report, citing senior U.S. officials, said the Trump administration is preparing to make it easier for U.S. gun makers to sell small arms to foreigners.

The stock closed up 13.7 percent at its highest since early August and posting its best day in more than two years.

Shares of American Outdoor Brands, once known as Smith & Wesson, closed up 10.1 percent, their best day since November.

Shares of Vista Outdoor rose 3 percent.

Four officials told Reuters that aides to President Donald Trump are completing a plan to shift oversight of international non-military firearms sales from the security-focused State Department to the trade-focused Commerce Department.

A draft of the new rules could be set to the White House budget office for review within days, one U.S. official told Reuters.

The White House did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.

The changes can be implemented without congressional approval and could be made public this fall, the officials said. They added that a period of public comment would follow a potential announcement and implementation could come as early as the first half of next year.

The small arms sales would include assault rifles and ammunition, the Reuters report said.

Gun sales have fallen after Trump's election win due to waning urgency to buy guns ahead of potentially tighter regulation. Vista and American Outdoor Brands are down more than 40 percent since the U.S. presidential election, while Sturm Ruger is off 23 percent since then.
watch now

There's no obvious sign pointing to a big economic decline unless the Federal Reserve gets too aggressive in raising interest rates, Bridgewater Associates founder told CNBC on Tuesday. "There's no compelling reason to tighten monetary policy," the billionaire said on "Squawk Box." "The Fed's assumptions in terms of how employment rates would lead to inflation were clearly wrong. They don't understand that. What is the problem?" Dalio believes the Fed won't unwind its $4.5 trillion balance sheet, or portfolio of assets, as quickly as current expectations. The central bank is expected to take nearly 4 years to get down to around $2.5 trillion. Reducing the balance sheet is viewed as a slight negative for economic growth, a bit worse for stocks. Overall, however, expectations are for only modestly negative effects. The Fed began its two-day September meeting Tuesday. When the gathering ends, central bankers are expected to announce the beginning of the unwinding of the balance sheet. A third rate hike this year is not expected this month, while the market odds for a December increase are about 56 percent, according to the CME FedWatch tool. CNBC's Fed Survey of 42 Wall Streeters found that 76 percent believe the Fed will raise rates in December.

Fed finds itself in a precarious position

Dalio said the Fed finds itself in a precarious position because there are parallels between the current economic environment and 1937, when the Great Depression intensified. The market crash of 1929 was precipitated by a debt crisis, just as the 2008 financial crisis, which caused stocks to plummet, he said. "Interest rates hit zero [back in 1929]. And then the central banks buy a lot of assets, expand their balance sheets, print a lot of money to make up for credit. We have a rebound from '32 to '37. And the markets go to highs and everything is good," Dalio said. But in 1937, he added, there was a tightening and the wealth gap "was analogous" to today. "It's a delicate period time [now]." Dalio said he's not predicting that history will repeat itself. "My point isn't that that is going to happen," he said, while stressing the Fed just needs to be "cautious."

How an 'idea meritocracy' helps beat the market

The hedge fund manager also addressed the unusual corporate culture of an "idea meritocracy" at Bridgewater, saying it helps bet correctly against the consensus opinion in the markets. Collective thinking works, Dalio said. Getting everyone on the same page is key but it must come through testing theories for why they might be wrong, he added. Decision-making at Bridgewater is data driven, Dalio said. He described his practice of analyzing situations and writing down the criteria around them, saying he wants to be able to lean on tangible past experience when the same types of situations present themselves. Last week, at the CNBC-Institutional Investor conference, , "the greatest tragedy of mankind  or one of them  is that people needlessly hold wrong opinions in their minds." Bridgewater, the world's largest hedge fund with about $162 billion assets under management, is known for strong returns and in which employees rate one another's credibility on a number of dimensions, and everyone can see the ratings. Votes by employees with higher believability ratings are given greater weight in decision-making. Dalio started Bridgewater out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York in 1975. His ascent to becoming a titan of Wall Street was not without setbacks, however, as he describes in his new book, "Principles: Life and Work." about how he actually went broke eight years after he started Bridgewater, but he said the experience was "one of the best things that ever happened to me because it gave me the humility." Bridgewater's Pure Alpha II fund has had an 11.9 percent annualized return since its inception in 1991. So far, in 2017, it's down 2.5 percent. The All-Weather fund, designed to perform in all market conditions, is up 8.5 percent in 2017. It has had an 8.1 percent annualized return since it started in 1996. , Dalio completed a seven-year management transition, stepping down as co-CEO. The 68-year-old remained chairman and kept his role as co-chief investment officer.

WATCH: Dalio sees a bitcoin bubble


The block grants will also allow the states to set up their own risk pools to cover that very small percentage of the U.S. population that account for so much of the nation's health care costs. Remember, the sickest 5 percent of Americans are responsible for more than 50 percent of our annual health-care spending, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The ACA tried to put those most costly patients into the general risk pool and hoped that requiring everyone to sign up for Obamacare plans would defray that cost. It didn't. Risk pools aren't perfect, since nothing short of major medical breakthroughs can put a dent in the costs patients with chronic and serious diseases face. But they do put a much better lid on costs than the Obamacare method that spread those expenses to everyone more directly.



Another welcome part of Graham-Cassidy is its move to end the ill-advised Obamacare Medicaid expansion. The Medicaid expansion made the ACA much more of a new entitlement program and less of a new insurance law. And this expansion has simply not been justified based on economics. Sure, we're not back to the robust GDP levels of the late 1990s. But thanks to the expansion, a whopping 74.5 million Americans are currently on Medicaid according to the latest government reports. That is almost double the 39 million Americans who were on Medicaid just as recently as 2007. Is America twice as poor as it was 10 years ago? Of course not.



And lest you think that expanding Medicaid is the right thing to do despite the macroeconomic numbers, remember that this policy has crowded out the truly poor who already were having some growing difficulties in many parts of the country finding doctors and other health care facilities that accept Medicaid patients. If this new bill allows the states to focus more on the truly poor, it might be worth passing it for that part alone.

Now for the trillion-dollar question: Will this new bill pass?



Remember that the GOP can only afford two defections to set up Vice President Mike Pence to cast a tie-breaking 51-50 vote. Right now, Republican Senator Rand Paul is one of those defectors because he says it keeps too much of Obamacare in place. Maine Senator Susan Collins has not committed one way or another, but her track record of bucking GOP trends and her state's reliance on keeping the Medicaid expansion for as long as possible make her a likely vote against it, too.



That leaves us with Senator John McCain of Arizona, whose vote against the GOP Obamacare effort this summer killed that bill. McCain could be the deciding vote again, and those who believe his previous vote against the Obamacare repeal bill was really about his personal distaste for President Donald Trump are watching closely. That's because Senator Graham and McCain are close friends and even often appear as a tandem in interviews on cable news programs. McCain also said he might "reluctantly" vote for the bill if his state governor endorses it. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey did just that Monday, but McCain is still non-committal. Trying to guess McCain's next move is confounding a lot of the experts again.



That's too bad, because the Graham-Cassidy bill is a significant improvement over what the GOP was kicking around just a couple of months ago. And it's a rare example of a group of politicians actually learning quickly from their mistakes. This isn't just a GOP bill worth Republican votes, it's a measure worth trying for the entire country.

Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
In the dog-eat-dog world that is the retail sector, CNBC's Jim Cramer says there's only one ground rule.

"Don't just stand there. Do something before the grim reaper comes to get you," the "Mad Money" host said. "That's how I feel about this amazing Kohl's-Amazon deal that allows you to return merchandise that you bought at Amazon to a Kohl's , which will box it and send it back to the online behemoth for free."

Cramer has always liked Kohl's thanks to its reliability, conservative attitude and strategic locations. Strip malls are ideal for returning purchased items, he said. And because the Amazon deal will only go into effect at 82 Kohl's stores in Chicago and Los Angeles, Cramer figured the inevitable expansion to the East Coast would be welcome.

The "Mad Money" host even recommended that investors consider buying the stock now given its 5 percent dividend yield, the promise of the deal and the retailer's strong balance sheet.

But Kohl's isn't the only company taking steps to avoid being crushed by Amazon. Cramer noticed Macy's introducing new fashions and upgrading its stores to avoid falling behind, an initiative he called "a work in progress."

Children's Place has also managed to stave off competition from Amazon. Cramer credited CEO Jane Elfers for recognizing that offering more sizes meant more business given how quickly children grow and how much easier it is for them to try clothes on rather than order them online.

Cramer also didn't want to write off Burlington , Ross Stores and TJX Companies , three discount retailers that have the capacity to sell goods at lower prices than they go for on Amazon.

The "Mad Money" host had a harder time defending food and drug retailers like Walgreens or CVS , however. He said Amazon's tie-up with Whole Foods positioned the e-commerce giant to "crush" the food industry.

Cramer also argued that Amazon could easily go into the prescription drug business, which is why he gave up on the stock of Walgreens for his charitable trust.

"Don't rule out the newfound alliances with Amazon or the more aggressive style of those we think are being left behind, including, by the way, Wal-Mart with its fast-growing Jet.com business," Cramer said. "It's not over until the fat lady sings. Right now, I'm not hearing anything from her yet, that is, if there's ever going to be a song at all."
watch now

Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit used Facebook in the early hours of Tuesday morning to describe the "mind-boggling" real-time impact of Hurricane Maria. "We have lost all that money can buy," he said at around 01:24 a.m. local time on Tuesday. "My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains," Skerrit said, shortly after providing details of his own rescue. On Monday evening and in the early hours of Tuesday, Skerrit posted live updates on social media as his own roof was torn from his home, saying he was "at the complete mercy of the hurricane."

Maria is estimated to be moving along a similar track to that of  the hurricane that devastated the same region earlier this month. It currently has maximum sustained winds of around 160 miles per hour and while it was temporarily downgraded to a Category 4 storm by forecasters Tuesday morning, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said it had since regained Category 5 strength as it approached the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. "Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous Category 4 or 5 hurricane while it approaches the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico," the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Tuesday morning. Dominica, a heavily forested former British colony home to 72,000 people, lies in the eastern Caribbean about halfway between the French islands of Guadeloupe, to the north, and Martinique, to the south. "I am honestly not preoccupied with physical damage at this time, because it is devastating ... Indeed, mind boggling. My focus now is in rescuing the trapped and securing medical assistance for the injured," Skerrit said, before calling on the international community to come to his country's aid.



"We will need help, my friend, we will need help of all kinds," he added.

Harvey, Irma, Jose, Maria
Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser of U.S. President Donald Trump talks during a panel at the W20 Summit in Berlin on April 25, 2017. The conference aims at building support for investment in women's economic empowerment programs

While President Trump lays out a foreign policy agenda based on nationalism and "America First" principles, his daughter Ivanka has taken a different worldview. Three months ago Ivanka Trump stood next to her father and other world leaders at the G20, announcing a plan to bring $1 billion to help women entrepreneurs in emerging markets. The media and the development world scorned, calling it a naked bid for good press and an attempt by world leaders, especially those in Saudi Arabia, to curry favor with the American president through his daughter's pet project. The World Bank quickly downplayed Ivanka's role, and it's unclear how involved she remains. After Ivanka met with Arab women entrepreneurs, money from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates seeded the initiative. But the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative  or We-Fi, as it's called  has spread, with about a dozen other countries, donating a total of $325 million to the financing facility that launched on October 12 to provide funding to women-owned enterprises. But now We-Fi is emerging as an innovative attempt to spur private investment in women's enterprises in countries around the world. There are already signs that insurance companies, venture capitalists and private equity funds are looking more seriously at investing and designing products with an emphasis on including women. The new managing partner at the Abraaj Group's $1.6 billion impact investment arm, Kito de Boer, for instance, said it is considering launching a fund focused on diversity. Ivanka's goals seem to contradict President Trump's. In March he said he wants to cut off the spigot that has helped fund many micro ventures around the world: a little-noticed federal agency called OPIC that is a backstop lender for community banks in developing countries. "This World Bank fund is very important because it cuts through the politics and diplomacy," said Sofana Dahlan, a Saudi lawyer, entrepreneur and government official who met with Ivanka in Saudi Arabia. "A lot of countries do refrain from helping Saudi women, because they don't want to be politically incorrect." Ivanka, Dahlan said, may have seized a rare moment when the Saudi government was open to change. "Saudi Arabia welcomed the idea. It's very important to act on it right away."

We-Fi  which appears to have rapidly folded in some ideas that the World Bank has been studying and experimenting with for the past five years  is different from other financing initiatives for women. While most programs for women have focused on grants and low-interest loans, We-Fi is making the money available for equity investments  meaning venture capital and private equity funds will be able to tap into it  and insurance products. That may give big insurers an incentive to develop products for women in emerging markets.

Prince Faisal bin Bandar (L), the governor of the Saudi capital Riyadh, listens on as Ivanka Trump talks to an unidentified Saudi official during a ceremony where her father US President Donald Trump received the Order of Abdulaziz al-Saud medal from Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh on May 20, 2017. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images

There are only about 60 funds worldwide with a specific focus on investing in women entrepreneurs, based on her research, said Suzanne Biegel, senior gender lens investing adviser at the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, part of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. They have a combined $1.3 billion. An additional $500 million to $600 million is sought collectively by the funds. Against this universe, "for women entrepreneurs, $1 billion is a huge number," she said. More from iCONIC:

7 lessons from Elon Musk's first, forgotten small-business success A report from the World Bank, financial services giant Axa and consultancy Accenture found the market for insurance for women, including women entrepreneurs, in 10 emerging markets that it studied would be $1.7 trillion by 2030, up from $800 billion in 2013. Money from We-Fi, which will be distributed through development banks that likely will award the money based on project applications, could conceivably be used in projects like developing insurance products aimed at women entrepreneurs, or to loan money to women-led brokerages. The first calls for proposals will be out in October, according to the World Bank. "I'm sitting in Tanzania talking to 19 entrepreneurs about scaling up," said Biegel. "Insurance is a huge need. They can't get crop insurance or greenhouse insurance. Without insurance, you are vulnerable." We-Fi will make the $325 million pledged by donor countries available for equity deals where partners include venture capitalists and private equity funds. That means the World Bank could be an investor in funds that invest in women-led start-ups, or the start-ups themselves, in emerging tech hubs, like Dubai or Nairobi's "Silicon Savannah." The presence of World Bank money in a deal often reassures co-investors from the United States or Europe and gives funds working in geographies or with populations that investors see as risky a longer time frame. World Bank investments in funds in the Middle East and North Africa has helped launch several venture capital funds there. The We-Fi money may push more funds to focus on women. For instance, a $150 million Cairo-based fund, Ripples Impact, aims to launch in the second quarter of 2018 to invest in growth-stage companies in the Middle East and North Africa working in health and food security, with women's empowerment one of its guiding investment principles. If women participated equally with men around the world, $12 trillion would be added to the global economy, consulting firm McKinsey estimated in 2015. Funding women entrepreneurs, especially in traditionally male-dominated industries, is seen as one of the best ways to spur greater equality. The White House did not respond to questions about Ivanka's continuing role in the We-Fi initiative, though she was involved over the summer, meeting with investment and entrepreneurship experts and hosting meetings at the White House. She is leading the U.S. delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad, India. The annual summit is an Obama initiative. Saudi Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, an advocate for women and a philanthropist, investor and the founder of several luxury lifestyle companies, will become an advisor to the fund. Part of the vitriol directed against Ivanka came from her lack of experience in global entrepreneurship, as well as her father's stated intention to dismantle global financial infrastructure. Her clothing line has come under fire for not monitoring the treatment of factory workers to which it outsources.



"She has got zero credibility when it comes to global women's entrepreneurship, much less financing entrepreneurship," said one expert. It is a deeply complicated issue, one that has so far defied most solutions. "If we are trying to change patterns of capital distribution, we should be bold and purposeful and choose areas that will demonstrate what's possible," said Laurie Spengler, CEO of Washington, D.C.-based Enclude, which advises businesses and financial institutions on how they can serve underserved entrepreneurs. "With $1 billion, you're trying to lead others."

Helping women break barriers

Take Kenya, for instance. It is a financial center, and, as home to a flourishing mobile money ecosystem based on MPesa, an emerging tech capital. But women there still face a long road to working or founding businesses in traditionally male-dominated sectors. On a recent Thursday, about 20 articulate, confident 7th-grade girls at a school in Kibera run by the nonprofit Shining Hope for Communities, sat around a table describing their aspirations. Most wanted to be teachers and doctors. One or two mentioned business. One girl, Susan, spoke up and said firmly: "I want to be a banker." Despite the top-notch education at the school, the odds are still stacked high against Susan if she wants to work in finance in Kenya. "It's hard to convince a male CEO of a bank to listen to you," said Peris Bosire, co-founder of a Nairobi-based company called Farm Drive that enables small farmers to keep track of their revenue and expenses and apply for loans. As the company gathers more data on repayment rates, she hopes to be able to convince more banks to take a risk on Farm Drive and the farmers it works with, and to find investors to back the company.

We need to look at building sectors in Saudi Arabia where women can easily operate and take matters into their own hands and open their own ventures. Sofana Dahlan a Saudi lawyer, entrepreneur and government official

"Most investors and the people you're trying to do business with, they have subconscious bias against us. They think of us, 'OK, the two young girls' and not in a nice way." Women provide 80 percent of Kenya's farm labor and manage 40 percent of the country's smallholder farms, yet they own only roughly 1 percent of agricultural land and receive just 10 percent of available credit, USAID reported in 2015.

Closing the gap

While funding for start-up tech businesses is beginning, one of the gaps for women's enterprise in emerging markets is growth capital for traditional businesses, said Spengler. Two she has worked with in Karachi are a pest-control company and Al-Karam Packaages, which makes plastic bags. Founded by a divorced mother, Mussarat Ishaq, who worked days as a babysitter and cleaner while she learned the business, it now has 250 employees. Now, she wants to move into environment-friendly packaging materials. Banks in Pakistan often don't approve such loans: convincing them to do so involves analyzing new market segments perceived as "too risky" for banks; developing the right bank products and services; training loan officers in cash-flow based lending and demonstrating he positive P&L results that come from investing in underserved segments, Spengler said. Few banks in emerging markets are willing to make the investment, so some programs to support women entrepreneurs offer banks low-interest capital. The supply of capital for ambitious women entrepreneurs falls far short of the demand. In India, for instance, the World Bank estimated $30 billion in working and fixed capital requirements for women entrepreneurs in India. The supply from banks and other formal sources is estimated at less than $9 billion.

On the edge of a transformation
Special security arrangement for Ktm Valley

Over 6,000 police personnel will be deployed inside Kathmandu Valley as part of the security arrangement for the upcoming festivals of Dashain, Tihar and Chhath.
Republican lawmakers are dangling the prospect of a massive new tax break for businesses as part of their sweeping rewrite of the nation's tax code. But many of America's biggest companies aren't biting.

The proposal, known as full expensing, would allow businesses to write off the entire cost of their capital investments immediately, rather than draw it out over several years. The idea is a key pillar of the blueprint for tax reform from House Republicans, ending what they say are incentives in the current system for companies to rack up debt instead of investing back in the business.

But the proposal also comes with an eye-popping price tag: $2.2 trillion over the next decade. Conservatives are split over whether the measure is worth it, and businesses are worried that the measure will come at the expense of reduced headline rates.

"The lower our corporate tax rate, the more competitive our country will be for jobs and investment. That's why we oppose any provision that stands in the way of lower rates, including full and immediate expensing," said Bill Riggs, spokesman for Freedom Partners, which is backed by the billionaire Koch brothers. "Putting that $2 trillion for expensing towards lower rates would have a greater positive impact on our economy and send a message to the rest of the world that America intends to compete and win."

Freedom Partners was among the most vocal opponents of House Speaker Paul Ryan's other signature proposal, the border adjustment tax. After House Republicans agreed to abandon that effort in July, the group began zeroing in on full expensing as the next roadblock to tax reform.

Joining the fight are a laundry list of corporate America's household names, including , , , and . They are members of the so-called RATE Coalition that are pushing to make bringing down the corporate rate the primary objective of tax reform.

"We think that is the key variable in tax policy and should have primacy as policymakers consider what to do to make America more job friendly and competitive," said Jim Pinkerton, the group's co-chairman.

Complicating the issue is its connection to another politically popular tax break: the ability of companies to deduct the cost of borrowing money. The House plan gets rid of that benefit and replaces it with full expensing. But interest deductibility is critical to the finance and real estate industries, and they have already begun an extensive lobbying campaign to preserve it.

"Businesses of all sizes borrow in order to finance expansions or meet obligations and the ability to deduct interest expense gives business owners the certainty to make critical operating decisions," the BUILD Coalition  Businesses United for Interest and Loan Deductibility  wrote in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee over the summer. "For many firms, access to credit is essential for working capital, and many of these companies use debt to weather shifts in demand."

The proposal also faces uncertain support in the Senate. Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah told CNBC that allowing full expensing is a good idea in principle but complicated in practice.

"I'd like to see that because I think it would be better if they did," he told CNBC in an interview. "But there are a lot of accounting aspects here that have to be taken into consideration.  It's not just a simple little yes or no, but I would like to have a better expensing approach than we have right now."
watch now

Equifax left sensitive consumer information exposed to hackers by relying on a computer code it should have known was vulnerable to attack and without having safeguards to protect the data, the state of Massachusetts said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. It's the first lawsuit filed by a state against the credit reporting agency for the massive hacking that was revealed earlier this month. The state's attorney general said still-unidentified third parties entered Equifax's system through a section of its website where consumers could dispute information on their credit reports. The hackers were in the system from mid-May through July without Equifax detecting them, the lawsuit said. What's more, Equifax didn't upgrade security for its website even though such fixes were available as early as March, and it didn't put in safeguards like encryption that would have protected the data, the state said. On CNBC's "Power Lunch" Tuesday, Massachusetts State Attorney General Maura Healey said, "Equifax needs to make this right. They need to pay for their mistakes in leaving so many of us so vulnerable."

watch now

The lawsuit was filed in Suffolk County Superior Court. In a statement, an Equifax spokesperson said, "We cannot comment on pending litigation. Equifax reached out to state and federal regulators at the time of the public announcement to inform them of the breach and to establish open lines of communications. Since then, Equifax has been in regular communication and is cooperating with federal agencies, regulators and state attorneys general. Equifax has agreed to provide testimony to Congress and we will continue to work with all these parties to resolve the issues." In the lawsuit, Massachusetts says Equifax's failure to secure consumer information means it has exposed more than half the state's adult population to the risk of identity theft, tax return scams, financial fraud, health identity fraud and other harm.

Credit reporting company Equifax corporate offices are pictured in Atlanta, Georgia. Tami Chappell | Reuters
A daily morning look at the financial stories you need to know to start the day. STOCKS/ECONOMY -Stock futures are mixed after Monday's gains. We get housing starts and import/export price data this morning while the two-day Fed meeting begins today. STORM WATCH -Hurricane Maria is now a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm , bearing down on Puerto Rico. It could hit the island on Wednesday and be the most powerful storm to slam Puerto Rico in 85 years. NORTH KOREA THREAT/DEFENSE -President Trump will reportedly use the strongest possible terms to call for international cooperation on North Korea during his U.N. speech today. NORTH KOREA THREAT/DEFENSE (cont.) -Japan has set up a mobile Patriot Missile battery along the recent North Korean missile test flight path. -The Senate has passed a $700 billion defense bill that includes President Trump's call for boosted military spending. OIL/ENERGY -U.S. crude prices are up and back at the $50 a barrel level. Gasoline prices fell a penny overnight to $2.61 a gallon , national average. TOYS R US SKIDS -Toys R Us has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. EQUIFAX SCANDAL -Now Equifax is saying another major data breach took place at the company in March. OBAMACARE REPLACEMENT -A Senate committee will hold a hearing to consider a new Republican Obamacare replacement proposal. TAX REFORM -The Senate GOP leadership is working on a plan to cut $1.5 trillion in taxes over 10 years.

President Donald Trump speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, September 18, 2017. Caitlin Ochs | Bloomberg | Getty Images
North Korea sent an unspoken message to the U.S. ahead of President Donald Trump's speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.

Its ambassador to the United Nations, Ja Song Nam, left the room before Trump arrived to speak. The North Korean mission to the U.N. told NBC it "boycotted" the speech, saying it left only a junior diplomat as a representative in the assembly chambers.

Ja is the permanent North Korean representative to the U.N., beginning his service on Feb. 28, 2014.

The ambassador has been outspoken about the U.S. military presence in South Korea. He wrote a letter on March 6 to the British U.N. ambassador, saying "the situation on the Korean Peninsula is again inching to the brink of a nuclear war" due to U.S.-South Korea military drills, Reuters reported.

Trump issued a harsh warning in his speech, saying North Korea threatens an "unthinkable loss of human life" by pursuing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself and its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," he said, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang has tested ballistic missiles and an apparent hydrogen bomb in recent weeks, despite international economic sanctions and warnings.

Read Trump's full remarks to the UN on North Korea.
President Donald Trump was elected on an anti-immigration platform that included building a wall between the southern border of the United States and Mexico. His polarizing stance on immigration has been met with particularly vehement resistance from the entrepreneurship sector.

That's because many top founders hail from abroad. Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk is from South Africa, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin is from Russia, for example. And in 2016, 44 of the 87 start-ups in the United States valued at $1 billion or more were created by immigrants, according to a National Foundation for American Policy study.

On Tuesday, the National Venture Capital Association, along with a collection of entrepreneurs and start-ups, intensified that resistance by filing a lawsuit in federal court in Washington. The suit is an effort to defend foreign-born entrepreneurs' ability to live and work in the United States via former President Barack Obama's International Entrepreneur Rule.

"Immigrant entrepreneurs play a vital role in strengthening the U.S. economy, creating new jobs for Americans and pushing the boundaries of innovation. Rather than throw up roadblocks that prevent them from bringing their talent and ingenuity to our shores, we should welcome them with open arms," says Bobby Franklin, president and CEO of NVCA, in a statement.

At the end of his administration, Obama signed into law the International Entrepreneur Rule, allowing foreign-born entrepreneurs to be considered for two-and-a-half-year visas, with the potential for a second two-and-a-half-year extension.

Applicants for the visa would have to show that granting them legal status in the United States would "provide a significant public benefit" because "he or she is the entrepreneur of a new start-up entity in the United States that has significant potential for rapid growth and job creation," according to the congressional public record, the Federal Register. The rule would also require applicants to show investments of at least $250,000 from established U.S. investors. The rule was set to go into effect on July 17, 2017.

At the time, the Department of Homeland Security estimated that 2,940 entrepreneurs would be able to get legal status under the rule each year.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) (C) returns to his office after bringing the Senate into session at the U.S. Capitol July 31, 2017 in Washington, DC. Getty Images

The big four

1) Susan Collins (R-ME): Collins opposed all three versions of repeal that were brought to a vote in July. She's a longtime senator with a moderate reputation who represents a purple state. Given her past votes and her political situation, most expect she'll vote against this repeal effort too. On Monday night, Collins released a negative statement on Graham-Cassidy, saying she had several "concerns" with it  though she didn't commit to a no vote. 2) Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): Murkowski also opposed all three versions of repeal that came before the Senate in July. Her situation is a bit more complex than Collins's, though. For one, Alaska is a conservative state. But Murkowski has an independent streak, even surviving a primary defeat in 2010 to win reelection via write-in campaign. Additionally, Alaska is an unusual state facing very specific health market challenges. Theoretically, that could mean some special allowance could be made in the bill to help out Alaska, but that didn't work last time. Murkowski said Monday that she's undecided on Cassidy-Graham. 3) Rand Paul (R-KY): In recent days, Paul has become the Senate's most vocal critic of Cassidy-Graham, tweeting repeatedly that he'd oppose the bill because it keeps too much of Obamacare in place. Still, there's been some skepticism about whether he'd truly be willing to be the swing vote who kept Obamacare in place. (Last time, he voted against McConnell's initial repeal-and-replace bill but then did come around to vote yes on the Senate's "skinny repeal" bill, which was essentially a placeholder to keep the repeal effort alive.) On Monday afternoon, Paul held a press conference in which he reiterated his opposition to the bill. According to Vox's Tara Golshan, when Paul was asked if any changes to Cassidy-Graham could get his vote, he said he didn't "see any possibility" that that could happen. 4) John McCain (R-AZ):McCain shockingly tanked the Obamacare repeal effort in July by voting against skinny repeal, calling for his colleagues to return to regular order and pursue a bipartisan effort. But Cassidy-Graham is co-written by his closest friend in the Senate, Lindsey Graham, and McCain's public comments on the matter have been less than definitive. He said Monday he might "reluctantly" back the bill if his state's governor, Doug Ducey, endorsed it  and hours later, Ducey did. On Monday afternoon, McCain told reporters that he was "not supportive of the bill yet," and reiterated his previous complaints about the rushed process, lack of hearings, lack of amendments, and lack of regular order. He didn't quite say he was a definite no, but he was clearly still quite unhappy with the process  and that unhappiness drove him to vote no back in July.

Other GOP senators may also have concerns
Oil markets could receive another blow on Wednesday when the U.S. government reports oil stocks data that are expected to show a build in crude oil stocks, largely as a result of in late August.

In a preview of the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) weekly oil stocks data, due on Wednesday, S&P Global Platts said the data was likely to show a build in U.S. crude stocks of 2.4 million barrels in the last week.

"An expected rebound in U.S. crude imports could have offset higher refinery utilization last week, likely leading to another build in crude stocks for the third straight reporting period," S&P Global Platts said in its preview released on Monday after carrying out a survey of analysts.

Over the two weeks ending September 8, crude stocks rose 10.5 million barrels, Geoffrey Craig, S&P Global Platts' oil futures editor noted, adding that most of the build was due to and a lack of U.S. export capability due to the extreme weather.

"A major driver behind inventory movements since Hurricane Harvey has been U.S. Gulf Coast refinery utilization, which sunk to 60.7 percent the week ending September 8, down from 96 percent of capacity two weeks prior to that," Craig said, adding: "US inventory data will reflect post-Hurricane Harvey adjustments for another few weeks, at a minimum, as Gulf Coast refiners, terminals and ports continue the process of returning to normal."

Craig noted that although refineries were starting to return to normal, crude oil prices were likely to be suppressed by "an influx of U.S. crude imports that will probably materialize as tankers sitting in the Gulf of Mexico waiting for shut Texas refineries to reopen get to offload their cargoes."
Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday said the Trump administration fully supports a last-ditch Senate bill to gut and replace Obamacare  but 10 governors of both parties immediately afterward called on Senate leaders to not even consider that legislation.

The dueling views came as the clock kept ticking toward to a Sept. 30 deadline for passage of the Graham-Cassidy bill, which would effectively replace the Affordable Care Act.

Republicans, who have 52 seats in the Senate, continue to struggle to cobble together the 50 votes they need in that chamber to pass the bill.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Tuesday did not commit to holding a vote on the bill before the end of the month, a sign of the political difficulty it faces.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of the bill's sponsors, told reporters that if Republicans passed the legislation it would "stop a march toward socialism."

Graham warned that if the bill fails, the nation would move closer to adopting a single-payer health system of the kind called for last week by Sen. Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist from Vermont.

"Here's the choice for America: socialism or federalism when it comes to your health care," said Graham, whose bill would block grant federal funds to individual states to craft their own health coverage systems.

But Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Graham-Cassidy is "a bill to end Medicaid as we know it."

Schumer said individual Republicans are "ashamed" of the bill, and are trying to ram it through Congress without a traditional set of hearings and without a full analysis of its effects by the Congressional Budget Office because "they're afraid to find out what it actually does" to Americans.

Pence said he was set to tell Republican senators at a lunch Tuesday that the House of Representatives will reject any legislation to prop up individual insurance markets under the Affordable Care Act.

But the 10 governors  Republicans, Democrats and an independent  called on the Senate to pass exactly that kind of insurance market stabilization legislation.

A Senate committee led by Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., has been considering a series of measures to prop up Obamacare markets, including by guaranteeing the continuation of federal subsidies paid to insurance companies in exchange for discounts in customers' out-of-pocket health costs.

Pence's comments came aboard Air Force Two as it flew to Washington from New York, with Graham aboard.

On Monday night, Pence told a pool reporter aboard the flight that President Donald Trump called Graham to encourage him, and to say the bill must be passed by Congress.

When Graham said he had gained a new appreciation for the president's tenacity, Pence quipped, "You're learning."

Pence said he planned to tell senators Tuesday, "This is the moment. Now is the time" to pass an Obamacare repeal bill.

Pence said he also would make clear that Obamacare is collapsing and that the House will not support any efforts to either fix or bolster that health-care law.

"We have 12 days," Pence added, referring to deadline for passing the Graham-Cassidy legislation under the terms of the reconciliation process being used to get the bill approved with just 50 senators voting for it.

The vice president said that he and Graham have been lobbying senators on the phone to support the bill.

Pence said he has even called Sen. Joe Manchin, the Democrat from West Virginia, to ask him to vote for the legislation. However, no Democrat or independent in the Senate is expected to vote for a repeal bill.

The duo also has reached out to governors to ask for their support, particularly Alaska's Bill Walker, who has said he is worried about the bill leading to Medicaid cuts.

The independent Walker, it turned out, was one the 10 governors who signed a letter Tuesday asking the Senate to reject Graham-Cassidy.

At one point during the conversation, Pence left the cabin of the plane to speak with Trump.

Graham told the pool reporter that he has struck an unlikely partnership with Steve Bannon, the recently fired Trump advisor, whom he referred to as "Darth Vader," to push the health-care bill.

"I have got Alan Greenspan, Jeb Bush and Steve Bannon" behind the bill, Graham said. "If anyone can do better I'd like to meet them."

The letter Tuesday to McConnell and Schumer was signed by the governors of Ohio, Colorado, Montana, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Louisiana, Nevada, Massachusetts and Vermont, as well as by Alaska's Walker.

"As you continue to consider changes to the American health care system, we ask you not to consider the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson amendment and renew support for bipartisan efforts to make health care more available and affordable for all Americans," the letter said.

"Only open, bipartisan approaches can achieve true, lasting reforms," the governors wrote.

"We ask you to support bipartisan efforts to bring stability and affordability to our insurance markets. Legislation should receive consideration under regular order, including hearings in health committees and input from the appropriate health-related parties."

"Improvements to our health insurance markets should control costs, stabilize the market, and positively impact coverage and care of millions of Americans, including many who are dealing with mental illness, chronic health problems, and drug addiction."

Schumer, in his own remarks to reporters Tuesday, blasted Graham's bill, which he called even more "dangerous" than prior Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare.

Schumer said if Graham-Cassidy becomes law "millions will lose coverage," there will be no guarantees of affordable coverage for people with pre-existing health conditions, and would cripple Medicaid.

Earlier Tuesday, the American Medical Association and the National Council for Behavioral Health joined a host of other health-care groups that have announced their opposition to the bill.

"We believe the Graham-Cassidy Amendment would result in millions of Americans losing their health insurance coverage, destabilize health insurance markets, and decrease access to affordable coverage and care," wrote AMA Executive Vice President and CEO Dr. James L. Madara in a letter to Senate leaders.

"We sincerely urge the Senate to take short-term measures to stabilize the health insurance market."

In a letter to all senators on Tuesday, AARP, the leading lobbying group for older Americans, said it opposed the bill "on behalf of our nearly 38 million members" because it would not help make premiums more affordable, lower out-of-pocket costs, and offer coverage they can count on.

"Overall, the Graham/Cassidy/Heller/Johnson bill would increase health care costs for older Americans with an age tax, decrease coverage, and undermine preexisting condition protections," the group wrote. "In addition, this bill would jeopardize the ability of older Americans and people with disabilities to stay in their own homes as they age and threaten coverage for individuals in nursing homes."
Qatar's economy has been blockaded by a number of major Arab nations since June 5, though according to the state's Economy and Trade minister, it is faring "better than ever."

Ahmed Bin Jassim Al-Thani, Qatar's economic minister, told CNBC Monday that the embargo imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, was instead an "opportunity" which led to the opening of new trade routes with Turkey, Kuwait and Oman, among others.

Al-Thani's assertions come despite a Moody's report last week which said that Qatar had burned through roughly $38.5 billion to soften the blow of the embargo in its first two months. This is equivalent to 23 percent of Qatar's gross domestic product.

Al-Thani explained that Qatar activated an alternative plan to cope with the blockade of its land border "in the first few hours" meaning that "consumers  never felt anything in terms of supplying goods."

While Qatar is one of the world's largest gas exporters, Al-Thani asserted that the state has "Never missed a ship because of a blockade and all our exports are on schedule."
President Donald Trump delivered a combative address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, singling out North Korea and threatening to "destroy" the communist dictatorship if the United States is forced to defend itself.

Urging China to put more pressure on Pyongyang and derisively referring to dictator Kim Jong Un as "Rocket Man," the president issued a stern warning to the rogue regime in language rarely heard from U.S. presidents addressing the international organization.

Read Trump's full comments on North Korea:

No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well-being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea. It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans and for the imprisonment, torture, killing and oppression of countless more. We were all witness to the regime's deadly abuse when an innocent American college student, Otto Warmbier, was returned to America only to die a few days later. We saw it in the assassination of the dictator's brother using banned nerve agents in an international airport. We know it kidnapped a sweet, 13-year-old Japanese girl from a beach in her own country to enslave her as a language tutor for North Korea's spies.

If this is not twisted enough, now North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life. It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict. No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles. The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully, this will not be necessary. That's what the United Nations is all about. That's what the United Nations is for. Let's see how they do. It is time for North Korea to realize that the denuclearization is its only acceptable future. The United Nations Security Council recently held two unanimous 15-0 votes adopting hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea, and I want to thank China and Russia for joining the vote to impose sanctions along with all of the other members of the Security Council. Thank you to all involved. But we must do much more. It is time for all nations to work together to isolate the Kim regime until it ceases its hostile behavior.
After two years of wrangling, Walgreens received regulatory approval Tuesday to buy stores from Rite Aid , but the agreement is for fewer stores than had previously been proposed.

Shares of Rite Aid were more than 12 percent lower Tuesday at $2.40 a share, while Walgreens stock closed down about 1.7 percent.

Drugstore chain giant Walgreens said it has clearance from the Federal Trade Commission to buy 1,932 stores from Rite Aid for $4.38 billion. That's 254 fewer stores than it had intended in June.

The move to reduce the number of stores was seen a way to resolve antitrust concerns after repeated failed attempts.

Walgreens said it also intends to buy Rite Aid's three distribution centers located in Dayville, Connecticut; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Spartanburg, South Carolina. The transition of the distribution centers will not begin for at least 12 months.

The announcement comes three months after Walgreens called off its near two-year deal to buy Rite Aid. Walgreens struggled to win antitrust approval and instead said it would acquire nearly half of the smaller rival's stores.

The deal is expected to widen Walgreens' footprint in the U.S. and could help it negotiate for lower drug costs.

The store purchases are expected to begin in October with completion anticipated in spring 2018, Walgreens said.

Ajay Jain, senior research analyst at Pivotal Research Group, told CNBC he was not surprised by the number of stores that were sacrificed to salvage the deal.

Following the June transaction between the companies, Jain said he expected the number of stores would need to be tweaked further due to overlap issues.

"With this process taking close to two years to come to a conclusion, we think the final outcome and the structure of the transaction were well anticipated," said Jain, who has a hold rating on Walgreens.

"However, with each recent iteration of the transaction, the economics appear to be shifting more and more in Walgreens' favor," he added.

The deal should not have a significant impact on Walgreens' adjusted earnings for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2018, the company added, and it expects annual synergies from the new transaction of more than $300 million.

"We are confident in the path ahead and look forward to working together to shape the future of health care and deliver on the full potential these stores bring to our network," Walgreens Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Stefano Pessina said in a press release.
US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald arrves at its mother port US Naval Yokosuka Base, Kanagawa prefecture on June 17, 2017.

A Senate hearing Tuesday looking at recent deadly U.S. warship accidents turned the spotlight on how "sleep deprivation" may have played a role in the mishaps.

At the same time, some raised questions about streamlined training as potential contributors to the mishaps. Also, some pinned the blame on the lack of stable funding due to sequestration for some of the training and readiness issues involving the Navy.

"We have a problem in the Navy, and we're going to fix it," testified Navy Secretary Richard Spencer.

At the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, Navy officials acknowledged a good chunk of the service's cruiser and destroyer fleet crews deployed overseas are not up to date on warfare certification.

The Navy secretary pledged that in addition to the investigations already underway, the Navy is conducting at least two "thorough reviews," including a probe looking at the tactical and operational issues. A second involves a strategic readiness review by an independent panel to look at "root causes, accountability, long-term systemic issues," he added.

Last month, the USS John S. McCain guided-missile destroyer collided with an oil tanker near Singapore, resulting in the death of 10 sailors. In June, the USS Fitzgerald, another destroyer, collided with a cargo vessel off Japan, an accident claiming seven sailors. Prior to that, there also were two nonfatal mishaps involving Navy vessels.

Some family members of sailors who died in the recent accidents attended the Senate hearing.

On Monday, the Navy said it removed two senior officers in the 7th Fleet after the recent operational incidents.

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker asked whether "sleep deprivation" may be part of the problem, noting that the issue was highlighted in articles by The New York Times.

"We're diving into that deeply," responded Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson.

GOP Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, asked Richardson if it was true some sailors were putting in 100-hour workweeks on ships. "I will not deny that," said the admiral. "The sailors are working very hard."
Few lawmakers had stronger words for Wells Fargo in the continued conflict surrounding the big bank's malpractices than Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

"This is a company that, from the very top, has made it clear there's no accountability here," the Democratic senator told "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.

While Wells Fargo's earnings remained intact, the bank is said to have pressured employees to open unauthorized accounts for customers, an issue that was recently found to have affected more customer accounts than previously thought.

"This is not about serving consumers," Warren said. "This is all about, quarter by quarter by quarter, how to juice the reported profits. That's what mattered at Wells Fargo."

And to Warren, the only way to prevent large corporations from misdeeds like these are to hold their top executives accountable, possibly with the help of the Federal Reserve.

"So long as there is no personal responsibility when these big companies breach consumers' trusts, let their data get stolen, cheat their consumers like they did in the case of Wells Fargo, then nothing is going to change," the senator said. "As long as they can keep collecting their paychecks and they can keep sleeping cozy at night, then we're going to have the same kind of thing going on in these big corporations where the customer is at the end of the day  and let's face it  stockholders are at the end of the day, too. It's all about the executives."

Warren recalled how ousted Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf handled the news of his bank's cross-selling malpractices in his Senate hearing.

"We had a hearing a year ago when John Stumpf, who had gone on your program, first one out of the barrel, said, 'Hey, listen, I take personal responsibility for what's gone wrong at Wells Fargo.' And then it turned out what personal responsibility meant was firing thousands of people who made $15 bucks an hour," Warren told Cramer.

In light of the recent cybersecurity breach at credit reporting firm Equifax , in which hackers gained access to 143 million customers' Social Security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and even driver's license and credit card numbers, Warren called for policymakers to take stronger action against top executives.

Stumpf may have been fired, but many of the executives who were there while Wells Fargo employees were under pressure to meet sales quotas still have their jobs, Warren said.

"I want these big corporations to understand that when you engage in massive fraud, when you are so irresponsible with the data that belongs to consumers, when you put your customers at risk, there's going to be real responsibility for you," the senator said. "And until that happens, until people lose their jobs, until we have criminal investigations, until there's a real chance that one of these executives is going to be walked out of the office in handcuffs with people snapping pictures, then nothing's going to change on Wall Street, not in these big companies."
Houston's housing market had a severe labor shortage before the storm, and that shortage doubled after Hurricane Harvey hit. From the main thoroughfares, it looks like the city is bustling again: Offices and schools are open, retail is up and running, and freeways are jammed. But one turn onto a residential street offers a starkly different scene. Neighborhoods look like the houses were turned inside out. Everything, soggy and smelly, is rotting on the front lawn, and homes stand stripped to the studs. That work was mostly done by the owners themselves. Jennifer and Andy Taylor did it, along with about two dozen friends, family members and volunteers. "We've had our moments, to be sure," said Andy Taylor, looking over the skeleton of what was once his living room. "But a lot of those moments were really being touched by the outreach. I mean our neighborhood created stores at people's houses to give food, to give clothes, for backpacks for your kids for school, cleaning supplies, toys, and all you needed to do was walk in and take what you needed." The Taylors kept calling themselves lucky, even as they walked past the remnants of 14 years of comfortable living in their two-story home  all in a festering heap twice their height. Both having worked in the real estate business, they had the foresight to buy flood insurance, even though they are not in a flood zone. It was the dams releasing reservoir water that put them underwater.

"We have decided that we are going to put the house back together," Jennifer Taylor said. "We've lived here for 14 years and never had a problem."



They are also lucky because they were already good friends with a local contractor, Leslie King, president of Greymark Construction. They were able to get on the top of her list, which grows longer every day.



"We were already busy before, and now we're just crazy," said King, as she walked past home after home, each overshadowed by a massive heap of ruin. "You have homeowners begging to have you come out to their house. You have to tell them it will likely be a couple years."



The Greater Houston Builders Association estimates that Hurricane Harvey and its relentless rain destroyed at least 30,000 homes; thousands more sustained significant damage. The city already suffered a labor shortage because so many construction workers left during the housing crash and again when oil prices slumped. When prices came back, not enough workers did.



Before Harvey hit, Houston issued permits for about 27,000 single-family homes to be built this year. Now the work will more than double.

Most of Houston's construction workers come from Mexico, and that has made matters even more difficult, as immigration policies tighten under the Trump administration. The National Association of Home Builders has already made a plea for help.



"A successful guest worker program will help alleviate the current labor shortage in the residential construction sector, quicken the rebuilding efforts in Texas and support the overall economic growth of this nation," said NAHB Chairman Granger MacDonald in a press release.



King said she couldn't agree more and made a similar request of President Donald Trump. "I'd ask him to please let anybody who wants to come work, is willing to make a dollar, is willing to pay some taxes, let them come, please, we need them," she said.



In the meantime there are signs stuck in the ground all over Houston neighborhoods offering to buy homes "as-is" and offering remodeling work. The trouble is that Texas does not require contractors to be licensed, and with so much work and so many desperate homeowners, there will likely be a big jump in scams.



King warns people to do their homework and make sure any contractor they hire has a good track record. She also urges them to be patient.



"Most of us who are reputable contractors will tell you that we already have 50 people on our list," King said.
You no longer need a million dollars to participate in a fundraising round for a start-up  the JOBS Act of 2012 changed that.

One start-up  New York-based crowdfunding platform Rabble  is taking advantage of that, and has built a platform enabling investors to buy into private companies for very little money. Unlike other start-ups in this space  like Fundrise or Wunder Capital  Rabble lets investors get in for as little as $100.

And by tapping people who are not accredited investors  generally people with a net worth of at least $1 million  Rabble gives young companies access to potentially many more investors than they could get otherwise, enabling the funding of projects overlooked by traditional capital.

Generally crowdfunding platforms for investors have focused around two areas: real estate, or tech start-ups offering innovative products or services.

Rabble's investment focus is positioned somewhere between those two. The company's investments aim to have the stability of hard assets, while also chasing innovative designs or business models that fall outside traditional investment categories. It's also focused on social or environmental-conscious initiatives that have the potential to be high return.

"[The] shopping patterns of our target demographic  late 20s to early 40s, savvy, professionals  indicate a strong preference toward locally grown food, boutique clothing and apparel, and customized ways to spend their disposal income," said founder and CEO Umber Bawa.

"At the same time, [investors] face a contradiction with their investments that do not align with their social values. We provide a platform to reconcile this divergence by providing our customers with projects that align with their values," he said.

Rabble  which launched in July  screens projects based on both their social purpose as well as their investment viability. According to the company, it has had more than 250 sign-ups since the launch and an average investment size of $1,000.

The company's first project, "Back the Comeback," is an example, which backed developer Century Partners' revitalization of some of Detroit's historic neighborhoods. Funds raised will be used to develop a portfolio of 32 housing units across Detroit's North End, Boston Edison and East English Village areas.

Bawa believes Century Partners represents a new type of developer, which is partially what attracted Rabble to the company.

"They believe in Detroit, they have been tremendously successful with their first private real estate fund, and they believe that opening access to investment can be a building block for wealth creation and addressing some of the most intractable issues in the society," he said.

Equity crowdfunding and this new era of fin-tech may help in solving a major societal problem: the growing digital divide. Bawa is excited that hardworking and driven people who may not have access to Silicon Valley or Wall Street now have the ability to fundraise from the millions of people who have a shared vision for development.

"This is the beginning of a tectonic shift in what types of ventures are funded  the time has arrived," he said.
T-Mobile and Sprint are in active talks about a merger, according to people close to the situation.

Both companies and their parents, Deutsche Telekom and Softbank, have been in frequent conversations about a stock-for-stock merger in which T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom would emerge as the majority owner.

People close to the situation stress that negotiators are still weeks away from finalizing a deal and believe the chances of reaching an agreement are not assured. The two sides have not yet set an exchange ratio for a deal, but are currently engaged in talks to hammer out a term sheet.

The companies declined to comment on the report.

T-Mobile and Sprint have had a seemingly endless dalliance over the years since Softbank took control of Sprint, pushed by the prospect of billions of dollars in cost synergies that a merger would bring. The last time the two companies held meaningful talks earlier this year, Softbank's Masayoshi Son indicated a willingness to sell Sprint to T-Mobile.

This time, given the all-stock nature contemplated, Softbank would emerge as a large minority holder in any combination. While T-Mobile CEO John Legere is expected to lead any combination that results from a merger, Son has made it clear he wants a say in how the company is run. That desire adds another layer of complexity to an already difficult transaction.

T-Mobile has not begun due diligence on Sprint, yet another step that could change current price expectations or the willingness to move forward.

The biggest issue is whether any merger between the No. 3 and No. 4 wireless carriers in the nation would be approved by antitrust regulators. The risk of rejection by the Department of Justice will play an important role in the final decision made by both sides as to whether they will proceed with a deal.

Given Softbank's high level of engagement on a Sprint-T-Mobile deal, its quixotic campaign to try to buy Charter Communications has slowed considerably. The effort is on hold. CNBC has reported it involved the creation of a new company infused with vast amounts of equity and debt to buy Charter at a premium and the 17 percent of Sprint that Softbank does not own. Dutch telecom company Altice has been actively soliciting funds to mount its own bid for Charter should Softbank make a move.
President Donald Trump issued a harsh warning on Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly to nuclear-armed North Korea and the countries doing business with "this band of criminals."

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself and its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," Trump said in his first address to the General Assembly.

"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary," he said.

In addition to North Korea, the president specifically targeted what he called a "small group of rogue regimes"  including Iran and Syria  that pose threats around the globe. Trump contended that "Rocket Man"  his recently coined nickname for North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un  threatens an "unthinkable loss of human life" by pursuing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

"It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict. No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles," he said, apparently referencing Pyongyang's major trading partner, China, among others.
Commencement ceremonies at the Harvard Business School campus in front of Baker Library, in Boston, MA.

Donald Trump's election to the White House is to blame for the growing number of US business schools seeing a drop in MBA applications from overseas students, the head of the elite qualification's global examining board says.

Only 32 per cent of US business schools reported an increase in international candidates for their masters programmes this year, down from 49 per cent in 2016, with most seeing a fall, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council, the US based non-profit body that administers the GMAT entrance exam worldwide.

Fewer than half of US schools achieved an overall increase in applications. But the GMAC blamed this on the strengthening of the US economy, which reduced the incentive to spend money on a qualification to improve job prospects.

In contrast, most of the MBA programmes surveyed in Europe, east and Southeast Asia and India reported growth both in total applications and those from overseas students.

Sangeet Chowfla, GMAC president and chief executive, blamed the "disruptive" political climate in the US for contributing to the downward trend in overseas applications.

Challenges in the US market were in stark contrast to growth elsewhere, where MBA programmes were "thriving", Mr Chowfla added.

About two-thirds of MBA programmes in the UK saw an increase in international applications, suggesting the country's planned exit from the EU had not had the same negative impact as the election of Mr Trump, he said.

"Demand for graduate business education remains strong, especially among the largest programmes, which also tend to be the most well known programmes with brand recognition," he added.

The decline in demand in the US was focused on smaller schools, which account for 56 per cent of its MBA programmes but only 11 per cent of enrolments.

The largest MBA courses in the US were more likely to report increased application numbers.

The pressure for students to complete courses quickly to minimise the cost and time out of employment is also driving MBA applicants to pick shorter courses as well as those with the strongest brands.

Most courses in the US take two years, whereas in Europe, where 67 per cent of schools reported an increase in overseas applications last year, most last for one.

Nottingham Trent University, which saw a 25 per cent increase in MBA applications from overseas students, is among the UK schools enjoying an uptick.

Application numbers may dip when Brexit becomes a reality. However Phil Considine, principal lecturer at the university, said demand for British business schools would continue to benefit from the international reputation of the UK business environment.

"Clearly Brexit is going to give us challenges," said Mr Considine. "But I genuinely believe at the end of the process overseas students will still want to come and study here because the fairness of the business environment, which is held in high regard."

More from the Financial Times:

Robot shock threatens most vulnerable communities

The future of coal in seven charts

Interview advice for MBAs: be as open as you dare
A wave of shock rippled through Twitter and the media after President Trump called North Korean President Kim Jong Un a "Rocket Man" in his speech before the United Nations Tuesday.

"'Rocket man' made the TelePrompTer?!?!" "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd tweeted.

Another person wrote on Twitter that Trump's use of the term showed that he doesn't grasp the severity of the situation.

Oh, I think Trump knows EXACTLY what he is doing.

Remember when he ran against "Lyin' Ted" Cruz and "Little Marco" Rubio in the primaries? Then, when he beat all of his GOP contenders, he ran  and won  against "Crooked Hillary" Clinton in the presidential election.

Kim Jong Un might be using missiles as his weapon of choice but when President Trump goes into battle, his weapon of choice seems to be ridicule  and a catchy nickname to make it stick.

Trump first debuted the nickname "Rocket Man" on Twitter over the weekend but pulled it out again at the United Nations on Tuesday, saying in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly:

"No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles. The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing, and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary. That's what the United Nations is all about. That's what the United Nations is for. Let's see how they do."

Oh, it's hard to count the multitude of ways this new moniker in the Trump ridicule machine works on so many levels. It's insulting without being vulgar. It pigeonholes Kim down to his missile-test mania. And it's even the title of one of the most popular pop songs of all time making it so easy to remember, parody, and enjoy. So you know who's responsible when you hear "Rocket Man" on the radio even more than the usual 150 times per week right now.

President Trump may be the Commander-in-Chief, but he's really the Marketer-in-Chief. And he may now be on the verge of marketing Kim Jong Un right out of power.

Think about it: Kim Jong Un's most important commodity at his disposal is fear. That nuclear and missile program-created fear makes him a factor in a world that would otherwise not even care if he existed. Kim is certainly not loved outside his own country, and maybe not even in his own country, but he is not ignored or taken lightly.

Look for the president and the entire Trump team to start using this title when discussing Kim Jong Un more and more in the coming days and weeks. Trump's already made it clear that he's not afraid to use it anywhere  even on the floor of the United Nations.

This strategy stands in contrast to what seems like an unwarranted tradition of using the titles and honorifics enemy foreign leaders bestow upon themselves. For example, what is the purpose exactly of referring to Iran's theocratic dictator in presidential speeches as "supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?" What makes him the "supreme leader?" Was he elected democratically? Isn't "supreme" laying it on a little thick? You get the point.

Here in the U.S., it's always been very nice that when presidents run for re-election, even their opponents have traditionally referred to them as either "Mr. President," or used the "President" title before their last names every time. It's polite, but it's a heck of a concession to make to an opponent. And President Trump isn't likely to return the favor by using official titles if he's challenged by a sitting senator, governor, or other elected official in 2020.
Eric Danziger, chief executive officer of the Trump Hotel Collection, speaks during the grand opening ceremony of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016.

Earlier this summer, the Trump Organization announced big plans to open a line of hotels across the country. The new brand, American IDEA, would be modestly priced and patriotically themed. "The product is very hometown and fits in every hometown in the United States," Trump Hotels CEO Eric Danziger said during a presentation at Trump Tower in Manhattan, the same place where Donald Trump had announced his presidential campaign two years earlier.

American IDEA would be part of a wider rollout with another higher-end hotel line, Scion, that the Trumps had already unveiled. Progress on the hotels would be swift, Danziger said.

The Trump Organization had said it signed deals for Scion hotels in Nashville, Dallas, Cincinnati, Austin and New York. At various times, company officials have cited anywhere from 10 to 39 impending deals.

The Trumps declined to release any details about the deals. The Trump Organization wouldn't name the developers partnering with it, or where the planned hotels would be. So we asked readers and journalists to help us figure out who the president's company was working with and where.

What we've found are false starts, fizzled-out partnerships and, for a number of cities that the Trumps said they had deals in, no evidence of deals at all.

Nashville faced petitions after the Trump Organization said it was coming to town. But development and tourism officials we spoke to said they were unaware of any Trump hotel being planned. Bobby Bowers, senior vice president of operations for Hendersonville, Tennessee-based hotel industry research firm STR, said his company has no information about a Trump hotel partnership in Nashville, even among its "unconfirmed" listings. A spokesperson for the city's convention and visitors bureau said the same thing.

In Dallas, a developer who had been working with the Trumps had declared the deal dead two months before the Trump Organization identified the city as a hotel site. (He also had plans for a Trump hotel in downtown St. Louis before political pressure and protests derailed it.)

The developer, Mukemmel "Mike" Sarimsakci, did not respond to a request for comment. If the plan is back on with Sarimsakci or a different partner in Dallas, city officials don't appear to know about it. Requests for correspondence between the city and representatives of the Trump Organization, as well as requests submitted to Dallas' Office of Economic Development, turned up no records.

Officials and hotel developers in Cincinnati also said they had not heard of any deals involving Trump.

And in Austin, the deal "died before Trump was elected," the head of a firm that had been working on the project told the Austin Business Journal. "It's absolutely 100 percent dead."

Danziger declined to comment for this story. Other representatives for the Trump Organization's hotel business did not respond to requests for comment.

As we previously detailed, the Trumps are moving forward on four hotels in the Mississippi Delta. The deals are in partnership with a pair of Indian-American hoteliers, one of whom had met Donald Trump on the campaign trail and later gave money to his presidential campaign.

Suresh Chawla met Trump at a private fundraiser in August 2016 and donated $50,000, split between Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee. Months later, Chawla, along with his business partner and brother Dinesh, reached an agreement with the Trump Organization on a $20 million Scion hotel and three other franchise agreements to convert existing hotels to the American IDEA brand.

We also found a few other cities where the Trumps have had early conversations about partnering with local developers.

Jon Willis, a politically active developer in Mesa, Arizona, said he met Donald Trump Jr. through a mutual connection at Turning Point USA, a conservative PAC, and started working on the Trump campaign last year. When Willis spent time with Donald Jr. at a campaign event in Arizona last year, he said they discussed expansion plans that the Trump Organization had in Las Vegas, where it has a condo-hotel tower in partnership with billionaire Phil Ruffin. "That was the extent of what we talked about," Willis said, adding that the two "mostly just talked about our kids."

Willis added that while he wasn't working with the Trumps on their new hotel line, he would be more than open to it: "I'd love to be involved."

Three other established hoteliers and financiers in the South told us they'd also welcome working with the Trumps. The Trump Organization has said it is meeting with potential partners in Mississippi.

Len Blackwell, an attorney in Gulfport, Mississippi, said he had heard rumors of the Trumps "poking around" on the coast. (The Trump Organization has said it is meeting with potential partners in Mississippi.)

Blackwell has had experience working with the Trumps. He represented Trump in a planned $80 million casino and hotel project in Gulfport in the mid-1990s. Trump abandoned the deal before ground was broken.

One issue, according to Blackwell, was that Trump's representatives were reticent about following through on a required $250,000 deposit they had negotiated with the city.

"My experience with the Trump Organization and its attempt to put a casino in Gulfport was: Its representatives, including Mr. Trump, came to town and had a lot of public relations activity, and did in fact work toward a project but, when it came down to it, chose not to go forward," he said.
Dara Khosrowshahi Drew Angerer | Getty Images

Uber is suing mobile marketing agency Fetch Media for allegedly "squandering" tens of millions of dollars on ads that never were seen or never existed. The company filed the lawsuit against the Dentsu-owned agency in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Monday. (Fetch said in a statement to CNBC: "We are shocked by Uber's allegations which are unsubstantiated, completely without merit, and purposefully inflammatory so as to draw attention away from Uber's unprofessional behaviour and failure to pay suppliers.") Here's what Uber is claiming and why it is indicative of a growing problem in the advertising industry.

Uber's issues with its mobile ads

Uber claims it paid Fetch Media millions of dollars between late 2014 and early 2017 to buy mobile ads on behalf of the company. The total amount has been withheld, but the company said that just between 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, it paid Fetch more than $82.5 million. It alleges Fetch Media spent the money on "nonviewable" ads, or ads that may have loaded on a webpage but were not seen by an actual person. Examples of nonviewable ads have included ads appearing lower on a website that a user never scrolled down to them or ads that are so small that they are indecipherable by the human eye. Uber also claims Fetch purchased nonexistent advertising, or bought ads on websites that didn't exist. In a statement to CNBC, Uber said: Fetch was running a wild west of online advertising fraud, allowing Uber ads on websites we wanted nothing to do with, and fraudulently claiming credit for app downloads that happened without a customer ever clicking on an ad. The agency allegedly knew about these problems, but continued to spend the money as if nothing was wrong. Uber's contract required it to pay for an ad if someone installed the Uber app, they were a new customer and/or they took their first trip after seeing it. To show that these ads were working, Fetch provided data showing Uber increased its number of app installs. Fetch's metrics made the company appear so successful that Uber's advertising spend increased from less than $1 million a month in late 2015 to more than $6 million a month by late 2016. However Uber claims the new customers would have come regardless if Fetch placed the ads or not because of the popularity of the company. In response, Fetch had this statement: Fetch terminated its agreement with Uber months ago after Uber stopped paying invoices for services provided by over fifty small business suppliers, engaged by Fetch to place Uber's mobile advertising. Following months of non-payment, Uber eventually raised unsubstantiated claims relating to ad-fraud as a reason not to pay its invoices, but there is no basis to these claims. Fetch not only delivered Uber's strategic goals, helping it acquire over 37 million new users since 2014, but also achieved an outstanding rating from the client throughout the two-year relationship.

Viewability and nonexistent ad issues
Uber is suing U.K. mobile advertising specialist Fetch for ad fraud, with the ride-hailing company said to be seeking $40 million in damages.

In a lawsuit reported by Bloomberg, Uber is said to allege that Dentsu-owned Fetch billed it for fake clicks on its online ads, in a filing at the U.S. District Court in San Francisco Monday. Fetch denies all allegations.

Uber is said to have noticed a problem when it canceled a campaign set to appear on the Breitbart News website, where ads were placed by Fetch, but they continued to appear on the site.

"With Fetch, we learned the age-old lesson 'buyer beware' the hard way. Fetch was running a wild west of online advertising fraud, allowing Uber ads on websites we wanted nothing to do with, and fraudulently claiming credit for app downloads that happened without a customer ever clicking on an ad," an Uber spokesperson said in a statement emailed to CNBC.
It's getting harder for U.S. business schools to attract international candidates.

According to a survey by the General Management Admissions Council, 75 percent of two-year MBA programs saw fewer applicants from outside the United States for the 2017-2018 academic year.

College deans cite anxiety about the future as one factor keeping international students away. Students worry about the availability of H-1B visas as well as the political climate. "There's this general sense of what's going on in the U.S. from a cultural standpoint, I think that they are hearing things in the news, and they are a little bit worried, will they be as welcome as in previous years," said Idalene Kesner, dean of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

The ability to repay debt with U.S.-earned dollars is another factor for many international students. Tuition for Kelley MBA students from outside Indiana is $47,000 a year. Rohan Mishra, who plans to graduate from the program in 2019, is counting on working in the U.S. to make it easier to pay off his student debt.

"Obviously it will be difficult because [of] the kind of salaries that we get in India, with the cost of living much lower than what we will get in the U.S.," said Mishra.

While substantial changes to visa programs have yet to occur, the government has approved considerably fewer H-1B visas in 2017 than the prior year, data released by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services show. President Donald Trump in April signed an executive order encouraging companies to "hire American," and in August threw his support behind a bill that would shrink legal immigration.



This could be a telling year for business schools, as international candidates look for certainty on U.S. policies. "Not having clarity about what the outcomes will be and what will happen when they exit business school is leading them to look at other options," said Sangeet Chowfla, CEO of GMAC.

Those options are more plentiful now. In 2000, U.S. business schools represented 32 of the top 40 rankings in the world. By last year, that number was nearly cut in half as programs in Canada, Europe and Asia picked up prestige.

"Students are saying, 'I have options at this particular point in time. Do I need to only consider the U.S., or should I look at all these other places?'" Chowfla said.

An indicator of this migration: The majority of business programs in Europe and Canada reported more applications from international students compared with 32 percent of programs in the United States. The GMAC surveyed 351 institutions in 45 countries.

Still, U.S. business schools are meeting demand: They receive nearly five applications for each available slot and are seeing growth in interest from candidates within the U.S.

Administrators say diversity of cultures and conversations is crucial for preparing graduates to work at large, multinational companies. And unlike a law or medical degree, the prestige of a U.S. MBA is recognized automatically in other countries.

"It's transportable," Chowfla said.

The highest-ranked U.S. schools are not seeing the decline in international applications, GMAC survey responses show. For instance, NYU Stern told CNBC its international applications have risen for each of the last three years.

But many others, including the University of Iowa, are feeling the impact. The University's Tippie College of Business announced in August that it is phasing out its traditional, two-year MBA program.

Instead it will focus on specialized business degrees that cater to undergrads going straight to business school to solve the visa problem for immigrants looking to stay in the country.

"Rather than going out and getting a job and coming back they can just continue their school and lengthen the time of their education here in the country and they can get an additional specialization area such as finance, marketing, business analytics, et cetera," said Dean Sarah Gardial.

There are also cyclical factors at play. As the U.S. economy improves, more domestic students are applying for MBA degrees. But international students  whose tuition can sometimes represent double that of an in-state student  have an outsized impact particularly on state schools facing tightening resources.

"There's no question that for the university and for our colleges there is a financial impact," Gardial said. "Any time out of state students, and that means out of country students as well, any time that number goes down, that's going to make it harder for us to make up the finances the tuition would bring from those students."
U.S. government debt yields rose on Tuesday as investors looked ahead to fresh economic data and a key Federal Reserve meeting. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury notes , which moves inversely to its price, was higher at around 2.241 percent, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was also higher at 2.811 percent.

The central bank began a two-day meeting Tuesday. The Fed is expected to take another step towards normalization and could also announce plans to begin unwinding its $4.5 trillion balance sheet of Treasurys and mortgage backed securities. The Fed acquired the bulk of these assets in an effort to stimulate growth that had been stunted by the financial crisis.

The central bank has grown concerned both with the effect low rates have on stock markets while simultaneously grappling with lethargic inflation metrics and sluggish wage growth.

While investors doubt bankers will elect to raise rates in September, more and more now foresee another rate hike by the end of the year. Market prices suggest less certainty, but 76 percent of respondents to the CNBC Fed Survey believe the central bank will hike interest rates in December.

On the data front, housing starts slipped 0.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.18 million units, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday.

The data suggested limited impact on permits from Hurricane Harvey, which lashed Texas in late August and caused unprecedented flooding in Houston.

The Labor Department said on Tuesday that import prices jumped 0.6 percent last month, the biggest gain since January, after a downwardly revised 0.1 percent dip in July.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast import prices increasing 0.4 percent in August



In oil markets, Brent crude traded at around $54.91 a barrel on Tuesday morning, down 1.03 percent, while U.S. crude was around $49.36 a barrel, down 1.1 percent.

Iraq's oil minister said his country's oil production had slipped slightly when compared to May and June. His comments followed data showing that Saudi Arabia's oil exports had fallen in June.
Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North and candidate in the Labour Party leadership election, speaks to supporters outside Great St Mary's church on September 6, 2015 in Cambridge, England. Rob Stothard | Getty Images News | Getty Images

One of Europe's largest political gatherings will take place in the British seaside town of Brighton this weekend, with analysts keeping an ear out for any major noises coming from a resurgent opposition Labour party that defied the critics at this year's general election. Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party succeeded in dislodging the Conservatives' parliamentary majority on June 8, confounding predictions that it would suffer heavy losses in the vote. Labour and the Conservatives are now roughly neck-and-neck in the polls, according to the latest surveys from research firms YouGov and ICM. Allen Simpson, the chief operating officer of the networking group Labour in the City, suggests the party's surge in support is prompting the corporate world to pay closer attention to its policy agenda. He told CNBC in an email: "Businesses are increasingly seeing a Labour government as an immediate term probability." However, far from all commentators believe investors need to start factoring in a Labour election victory into their near-term forecasts. Kallum Pickering, senior U.K. economist at Berenberg, says the Conservative Party conference is more of a focus for markets than the Labour Party equivalent. But he added that Labour's gathering in Brighton is worth following in case it throws up any policy surprises. So with Britain's two main political parties roughly level in the polls, and with the prospect of another snap election looming, here's a roundup of what to expect from the 2017 Labour Party conference.

Brexit battles

Brexit is set to top the agenda in Brighton, as Labour MPs (members of parliament) work to crystallize a unified position on the issue. Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer announced last month that a Labour government would keep the U.K. within the EU single market for a transitional period after Britain's departure from the European Union.

watch now

The policy update was broadly welcomed by the party's MPs. However, new battle lines are now being drawn over the timespan of this transitional period. A number of Labour lawmakers, including Alison McGovern and Stella Creasy, are campaigning for the U.K. to remain in the single market indefinitely after Brexit. However, this proposal runs in the face of Labour's 2017 manifesto which stated: "Freedom of movement will end when we leave the European Union. Britain's immigration system will change." The EU has repeatedly warned that Britain can't retain single market membership while restricting the free movement of European citizens. Any policy which maintains the country's immigration system in its current form without introducing additional protections for U.K. workers is likely to be challenged by the Labour Party's union backers. It will become clear just how divided the party is over the issue of post-Brexit immigration when the topic is debated on the conference floor. But it won't just be Labour members voicing their thoughts on Brexit. Pro-EU groups are also planning on demonstrating outside the conference center in Brighton as part of a wider series of protests dubbed "The Autumn of Discontent."

Election strategising

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn warned his supporters to prepare for a snap election when he addressed his party's conference in 2016 and he is likely to do the same this time around. Corbyn is due to deliver his keynote speech at this year's conference on Wednesday September 27 at around midday. Berenberg 's Pickering suggests it will be worth scrutinizing the Labour leader's address.

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks about Labour's plan for Brexit on January 10, 2017 in Peterborough, England. Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty Images

"It will be interesting to see whether Jeremy Corbyn goes even further left versus his manifesto in the election and whether Theresa May does the same." Allen Simpson, the COO of Labour in the City, doesn't see the Labour Party deviating too far from its existing course. "I'm not expecting huge announcements in Brighton, but we should see more clarity about the difference between Labour and the government on a range of issues," he said. Meanwhile Andy Price, the head of politics at Sheffield Hallam University, believes the party has limited room for manoeuver. "The Labour leadership and their strategists will be keen to return to the very popular policies they outlined in the election manifesto, but the narrative will be dominated by how they can afford these policies. The worsening economic outlook and the impact of Brexit is a fatal blow to any hopes of making these manifesto pledges real."

A focus on Scotland

Scottish Labour is in the process of choosing a replacement for its former leader Kezia Dugdale who resigned in late August. Eyes will be firmly glued on the leadership contest throughout the conference as Labour has set itself the goal of bolstering its support in the region.

Kezia Dugdale Ken Jack - Corbis | Corbis News | Getty Images

Labour won seven seats in Scotland in the 2017 general election but it lagged behind the Conservative Party, which secured 13 constituencies. Scotland had been considered a Labour stronghold up until the 2015 U.K. general election when it lost all but one of its seats in the region. Momentum, the pro-Corbyn grassroots organization, is hosting an event dedicated to exploring the future of the Scottish Labour Party in Brighton on September 26. The party conference will also provide Richard Leonard and Anas Sarwar - the two frontrunners in the leadership race - with the opportunity to lay out their policy priorities on the national stage. The winner of the contest is due to be announced on November 18.

As the Labour Party signals its readiness to fight another election campaign, it's also likely to reflect on how its fortunes have changed over the course of the past year. The 2016 Labour Party Conference got underway the day after Jeremy Corbyn was re-elected to the party's helm following a fractious leadership battle.

watch now
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about keeping pressure on North Korea with economic sanctions imposed through the United Nations, the White House said in a statement on Monday.

The United States and South Korea and separately Russia together with China, carried out military drills in a show of force against North Korea, which has defied U.N. Security Council resolutions to conduct nuclear tests and ballistic missile tests.

Trump and Xi spoke on the phone days after Trump and his aides publicly discussed potential military action against North Korea. On Friday, while delivering an address at a military base outside of Washington, Trump said he was "more confident than ever that our options in addressing this threat are both effective and overwhelming."

Related Video

Trump is attending the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, while Xi is not. North Korea's nuclear threat is likely to loom large on the agenda.

The two leaders also discussed Trump's coming China visit, the Xinhua News Agency said.

"Xi said China and the United States share extensive common interests and have seen sound momentum of exchanges and cooperation in various areas at present," Xinhua said.

Xi called on both sides to work closely to ensure a fruitful trip and inject new impetus into the development of Sino-U.S. relations, the report said.

"The Chinese leader said he is happy to maintain communications with the U.S. leader on a regular basis over topics of mutual concern," it said.

Trump will likely visit China in November as part of a trip that will take him to an ASEAN summit in the Philippines and an APEC summit in Vietnam.
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
Google will strangle most auto-playing audio in early 2018 when it issues Chrome 64, the upgrade expected to ship Jan. 21-27, the search giant promised last week.

"Chrome will be making auto-play more consistent with user expectations and will give users more control over audio," wrote Mounir Lamouri, a Chrome software engineer, in a post to a company blog.

With Chrome 64, auto-play contents - often, but not always, advertisements - will not be allowed to run automatically unless it mutes the audio. There will be some exceptions, including a very large one: If the user has clicked or tapped (desktop Chrome or mobile Chrome, respectively), "somewhere on the site during the browsing session," the audio may play.

[ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ]

That exclusion means that auto-play audio won't sound as soon as the user reaches a site -- the biggest complaint about the practice -- but the content could later begin running its video and echoing its audio.

Before year's end, with the launch of Chrome 63 - currently slated for release December 3-9) - Google will take a preliminary step by providing a site-specific muting option from the Page Info bubble (called up by clicking on the "i" within a circle at the far left of the URL in the address bar).

Google has gagged Chrome before. Two years ago, for example, the company announced that auto-play audio would be muted on all background tabs.

Other browser makers have similar ideas. Apple, for instance, will introduce per-site and web-wide controls over auto-play in Safari 11, the browser set to ship with macOS High Sierra on Sept. 25.
Those of you with a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 who are running Windows Insider beta builds, sit up and take note: Dont turn off your machine.

Somehow Microsoft managed to release the latest beta build, 16288.1, to both the Fast and the Slow ring. If you install it on your Surface Pro 3 and try to reboot, youll see a Surface on a black screen, the dot-chasing working icon, and exactly nothing else. My SP3 has been bricked since yesterday, and the dots are still chasing each other.

How, you might question, could this have happened? Certainly anybody who installed 16288.1 on an SP3 machine didnt ever get it to reboot. The build was pushed out to the Fast ring on Sept. 12. It went out on the Slow ring on Sept. 15. And I didnt see any mention of the bug until Sept. 16. Is it possible that nobody inside or outside Microsoft rebooted a beta-enhanced Microsoft SP3 between Sept. 12 and Sept. 16?

Theres a report of a similar bug on the Microsoft Answers forum, dated Sept. 14, but that appears to be caused by having an SD card installed. The Surface Pro 3 wont reboot if theres an SD card in the slot.

Theres also a thread on Reddit with a similar complaint, but it concerns build 16362, the Skip Ahead (read: version 1803 or RS4 or Spring After Fall Creators Update) channel. That thread, though, drags the Surface Pro 4 into the bricked tar pit.

[ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ]

What to do if your Surface Pro 3 won't boot up

The only solution being proposed is a full reinstall from a bootable USB drive.

Theres a monstrous string of Surface Pro 3 laments attached to Dona Sarkars tweet from Sunday, promising us more info on Monday. Mondays here, and theres no notice as yet.

Of course, you shouldnt run beta builds on hardware that you need to use. But  Microsofts own Surface Pro 3, this late in the beta testing cycle  and released to both Fast and Slow rings, fer heaven's sake? You have to wonder whos running the show.

Well keep you posted on the latest missives from Microsoft on the AskWoody Lounge. In the interim, dont shut down.
When Microsoft released its Outlook security patches on Sept. 12, several readers complained that their custom form printing capabilities disappeared. Ends up the bug that broke VBScript printing isnt a bug at all.

Microsoft announced over the weekend that it intentionally disabled scripts in custom forms, and those with printable custom forms need to make manual Registry changes to bring the feature back.

Those of you who have installed any of this months Outlook security patches:

will have to dive into the Registry if you want to enable any custom form scripts, including the VBScript printing capability. Its complicated, and the method varies, depending on which version of Office youre using and the bittedness of Windows and Office. Diane Poremsky has detailed instructions on her Slipstick Systems site.

Microsoft's noble intentions, but bad communication

Of course, Microsoft didnt tell us about the change when it released the security patches. To this date, theres no notice in the associated KB articles either.

[ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ]

The change is intended to make it harder for bad guys to break into your computer. Thats a noble goal, but it sure couldve been communicated in a much better way.

Those of you running Office Click-to-Run either have the bug, or youre about to get it. Current Channel, Semi-Annual Channel and Insider Slow got the bug, er, new behavior in Sept. 18s 16.0.8431.2079. Deferred Channel got it in 16.0.8201.2193. Deferred Extended and Insider Fast apparently dont have the new feature just yet.

Waiting for a fix to the language bug in Office

The other bug I talked about last week, where the Office 2007 and 2010 patches started showing Swedish menus in the Hungarian language version, Portuguese in Italian, Swedish in Slovenian, Spanish in Italian, and many more, hasnt been fixed. The Slipstick Systems site has a complex workaround.

Vent your spleen on the AskWoody Lounge.
Four years ago, the TaxPayers Alliance reported that in the last year, five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories.

Since then, the figures have varied, and some Conservative members or supporters have been selected to fill important posts.

Nonetheless, it remains the case that, since it took office in 2010, our Party has punched beneath its weight when it comes to public appointments. One of the reasons seems to be that Tories simply dont apply in the same number as Labour supporters.

To help remedy this, every fortnight we put up links to some of the main public appointments vacancies, so that qualified Conservatives might be aware of the opportunities presented.

         

Science and Technology Facilities Council  Executive Chair

As part of UK Research and Innovations Executive Committee, the Executive Chair will have a critical role in sustaining the excellence of UK research and innovation and increasing its social and economic impact. The STFC Executive Chair will lead nearly 2,000 scientists operating world-leading science facilities across 6 sites in the UK, develop the councils campuses, manage the UKs participation in major international facilities, and champion and increase the impact of particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics research.

Time: Five days per week, flexible working available.

Remuneration: Dependent on skills and experience.

Closes: 22 September

         

Medical Research Council  Executive Chair

We are seeking an inspirational medical scientist with international standing and a proven track record to lead the Medical Research Council (MRC) as its Executive Chair, once it becomes one of the nine Councils of UK Research and Innovation in April 2018. As part of UK Research and Innovations Executive Committee, the Executive Chair will have a critical role within UK Research and Innovation and in championing and increasing the impact of medical research. The MRCs Executive Chair may also be responsible for leading and delivering one or more cross cutting area for UK Research and Innovation, on behalf of all the Councils.

Time: Five days per week, flexible working available.

Remuneration: Dependent on skills and experience.

Closes: 22 September

         

Ofcom  Chair

The Chair will be expected to: provide leadership to the Board during a period of both change and growth in its membership, bringing together the diverse perspectives and experiences of other Board members to oversee the discharge of Ofcoms statutory functions, and in particular the operational delivery of the conclusions of the Digital Communications Review and a regulatory framework for the BBC; and be the most senior representative of Ofcom to its various stakeholders, including its licensees, other regulated entities, the United Kingdom Government and Parliament and the devolved National Governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (working with the relevant Nations Board members).

Time: Three days per week.

Remuneration: Appropriate.

Closes: 29 September

         

Charity Commission  Chair

The Charity Commission is the independent registrar and regulator of charities in England and Wales. Its role is to register and regulate the charities in England and Wales, and to ensure that the public can support charities with confidence. A non-Ministerial Department, it is based across four sites, employing approximately 300 staff and in 2016/17 had a budget of 21.5 Million. Its current Strategic Plan comes to an end in 2018. The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport wishes to appoint a new Chair to the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Time: Two and a half days per week.

Remuneration: 62,500 per annum.

Closes: 22 September

         

Marine Management Organisation  Chair

The non-executive Chair of the MMO will lead the Board, set the overall strategic operational direction of the MMO, ensure good governance and with the Board, hold the Executive to account. The Chair will be responsible for: providing effective leadership and strategic direction to develop a cohesive and focused Board which recognises the need to work collaboratively with the Defra group, wider Government, other delivery bodies and stakeholders; leading the formulation of the Boards strategy, ensuring the Board and the MMO discharges its statutory duties as set out in the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and other associated legislation; et al.

Time: Eight days per month.

Remuneration: 40,459 per annum.

Closes: 25 September

         

High Speed Two Ltd  Non-Executive Directors

HS2 Ltd is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) of the Department for Transport and is also established as a Companies Act company, limited by guarantee. It is charged with developing proposals for and promoting HS2 HS2 Ltd is at a pivotal point in its development, transitioning from an advisory and project planning organisation to becoming the delivery body that will build and ultimately operate the railway. The Secretary of State for Transport is seeking to appoint two new Non-Executive board members to the HS2 Ltd Board, with specific experience of delivering very large infrastructure projects and/or property development and regeneration, with the aim of increasing the level of commercial expertise, challenge and Board knowledge of a very large project delivery.

Time: Two days per months.

Remuneration: 950 per day plus expenses.

Closes: 26 September

         

St Chads College  Chair of the Governing Body

St Chads is an independent college within Durham University and aims to be an academically excellent community, hospitable and values driven, respected for its ethos of social justice, taking faith seriously  rooted in the Anglican tradition  and embracing diversity with a generosity of spirit. We are seeking a new Chair of our Governing Body as our present Chair, Mr Jonathan Blackie CBE, retires after 8 years in post.

Time: Eight meetings per annum minimum, five-year term.

Remuneration: Expenses.

Closes: 26 September

         

Engineering Construction Industry Training Board  Chair

The Chair will lead the ECITB Board and be a champion for the work of the ECITB and its role within the engineering construction industry in England, Scotland and Wales. The Chair will ensure that ECITB policies and actions support the wider strategic policies of the Secretary of State and that its affairs are conducted with probity. We are looking for an experienced Chair with strong interpersonal and communication skills. The successful applicant must have the personal credibility to work with a range of key stakeholders across industry and Government and the ability to successfully lead the ECITB through a period of change.

Time: Two days per month.

Remuneration: 30,000 per annum.

Closes: 29 September
Christopher Howarth is a senior researcher working in the House of Commons. Prior to this he worked for Open Europe, as a Conservative Foreign Affairs Adviser and senior researcher to a Shadow Europe Minister.

EFTA  a fine organisation, but with little relevance to the question of EU/EU trade

The European Free Trade Agreement, (EFTA) is a fine organisation. It regulates trade between Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, with a combined population of 14 million  highly developed economies with a proximity and friendly disposition to the UK. We should do business with them. However, as much as we may like the EFTA, and wish that it rather than the EU had become the main trading mechanism on our continent, it did not. Post-Brexit, it has little relevance to the bigger question of UK/EU trade.

The The European Economic Agreement (EEA) is a very different beast, yet often confused with the former. The EEA is an agreement struck by three of the EFTA states (all bar Switzerland) to trade with the EU. The EEA agreement is based on rule-taking and harmonisation of laws set by the EU under the effective supremacy of the ECJ. David Cameron and Nick Clegg rightly warned against it as an alternative to EU membership.

If we re-joined the EFTA (we left in 1973), we could trade on good terms with the EFTA four. Alternatively, we could strike one or separate agreements with the individual members. From issues as diverse as North Sea fishing, energy and Swiss access to UK & EU financial services markets, there are common interests. It is in all sides interests to cooperate. If we joined ETFA we would have a framework for these discussions, and combine our interests when negotiating with the EU. EFTA membership might help  but it is not a precondition for cooperation.

Interestingly, given the UK/EU discussion, the EFTA convention commits its members to free movement of people, but whether this would be enforced is difficult to tell. But then perhaps this is not a bar on us joining: there is unlikely to be a deluge of prosperous Icelanders or Norwegians  conditions there have improved since the time Eric Bloodaxe felt compelled to move to migrate to York to find a job worthy of his skill set.

Joining EFTA might potentially help with our external trade agreement. However, while EFTA states often (but not always) negotiate together in external trade, and have often had more success than the EU, the UK has more complex interests and might be seen by the EFTA states as an elephant in their trade boat.

Whatever the conclusion on the relative merits of UK membership of EFTA, it would not solve the bigger issue for the UK  trade with the EU27.

The EEA is not a model for the UK

The EEA was designed as the entrance lobby to the EU, and consequently is not designed for, or acceptable for, a state that is leaving. The agreement is based on rule-taking and conformity. EEA states accept EU rules and the European Court. While for a small state there may be an argument that in the EU it would have little influence, so having even less outside in the EEA is of little consideration. This would not wash for the UK: we have a larger economy, more options and no need to accept regulations doled out to our democracy by the famous (and antiquated) fax in Brussels. It would not suit us domestically and hamper our efforts to conclude trade deals globally.

ECJ Authority and Enforcement over the EEA

The question of EEA rule-taking is made worse by the fact that the EU is ultimately in charge of the interpretation and enforcement of the rules it makes.

While for the EU, the Commission and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) enforce the EU rules, for the EEA states the EFTA Court and the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) do the same. The ESA, accepts complaints, enforces the rules and can take cases to the EFTA Court, where EU member states can and often do intervene. The EFTA Court has next to no leeway in how it interprets the EU rules, and chooses not to use it. That the EFTA Court slavishly follows the ECJ is unsurprising: the EEA is based on the harmonisation of rules (rather than mutual recognition). The ECJ is a far larger body, has far more cases and is conveniently only 400 metres away.

In a recent lecture in Parliament the President of the EFTA Court, Professor Carl Baudenbacher, argued that in law the EFTA Court is bound to follow/take into account relevant ECJ case law, whereas the ECJ is free. However, in this lecture he was being overly optimistic: he would, after all, be overjoyed to have the UK join his Court and supply new cases and resources. Previously he has argued more succinctly that: the drafters of the EEA Agreement formulated homogeneity rules which essentially bind the EFTA Court to follow relevant ECJ case law. On the other hand, there is no written provision which would oblige the ECJ to take into account relevant EFTA Court case law.

Since the EFTA Court invariably follows the ECJ, whatever leeway the EFTA Court has is in effect zero. As Lawyers for Britain concluded: It is very hard to see in what sense we could be said to have gained any measure of control over our own laws after leaving the EU.

An EEA light deal would be just a fig leaf covering over a transfer of control to the EU

While the EEA in practice allows for the practical implementation of harmonised EU laws and case law under a large fig leaf to preserve the EEA states sovereign modesty, there are those who are reportedly suggesting extending the fig leaf to the UK.

This extension is being called the EEA light and would allow for practical ECJ supremacy and the harmonisation of laws. While many trade agreements, such as the EU/Canada trade agreement, allow for adjudication, the suggestion here seems to be to keep current and future EU law, and thus the EU Court. This would no doubt replicate a version of the ESA  perhaps called the UK Surveillance Authority?  and a UK/EU Court following ECJ case law. We would accept EU laws as they developed without a say.

The difference between adjudication and ECJ supremacy is a fundamental one and goes to the very nature of what we may agree with the EU. With one former Treasury adviser claiming that there is no clear divide between the two, there is evidently (for educational purposes) still a need to revisit the referendum campaign. The electorate voted to take back control of our laws.

The White Paper on Brexit promised to bring an end to the jurisdiction in the UK of the Court of Justice of the European Union. The meaning of this is quite clear and correct, we cannot accept, there is no logic in accepting, EU laws and case law over which we have not influence. Cameron understood this; the Remain camp used to understand it. Creating a complex system by which EU law is passed directly into UK law with a fig leaf disguising our subservience is the old way  it is the EU way. It is not a way followed in the majority of the worlds trading nations, including when they conclude EU trade agreements. It would be odd indeed if it was resurrected for the UK.
James Frayne is Director of communications agency Public First and author of Meet the People, a guide to moving public opinion. The focus of this column is Theresa Mays conservatism for ordinary working people.

Theresa Mays overwhelming priority during conference season is to give a great speech that keeps her in Number Ten until the next election. A poor one will leave her vulnerable to challenge, while a merely decent speech will underline her position as a caretaker leader for two years. With that in mind, shell need to obsess about the style and theatre of her speech  ultimately, where shell primarily be judged. But the Conservative Partys priority for conference season and for this autumn is different: it needs to make progress in the polls, in case an election comes early.

Since its inception, this column has advocated a strategy that appeals to the mass of the provincial English lower middle class (although theres a case this should now be broadened to include the provincial English working class). However, while the Conservatives should indeed worry primarily about a positive strategy designed with voters fundamental values and longer-term policy priorities in mind, theres an immediate need to take the fight to Labour. While its true to say that the polls are always all over the place in the months immediately following an election, its at least possible that Labours surge against the Conservatives is real and they must act on the basis that it is so theyre not left flailing when an election comes.

Here are five ideas for establishing a contrast campaign against Labour over the autumn:

1. Labour are vulnerable on education and housing. Labour lead the Conservatives on three big issues that matter to the public: health, where the lead is massive; education, where the lead is quite small; and housing, where the lead is significant, and particularly so amongst younger voters. Lets put health aside for a moment; Labours lead on education and housing are surely vulnerable to Conservative attack. On education, the Conservatives radical education policies, which Labour have consistently opposed, are now starting to bear fruit. The most recent GCSE results showed that free schools are performing strongly and opening up opportunities for many thousands of state school pupils. For reasons known only to them, the Government was slow to celebrate what is manifestly a great Conservative achievement. The Party needs to build this into their narrative about why theyre right and Labour wrong on education. On housing, the Conservatives can and should be developing a massive housebuilding programme  with a particular focus on extending home ownership. Labours housing policy seems designed with the very poorest in mind; this is noble enough, but it ignores the vast numbers of average earners in younger age brackets that want to own their own home.

2. Go for Corbyn but  via the economy. Of course theres a place for negative attacks on Corbyn, just as theres a place for Labour attacks on Theresa May. The Conservatives need to find a way of criticising him on something that is important to the public and where his numbers look artificially high. Looking at the polling now, and this might change in time, the economy currently fits the bill. This is reasonably high up the publics list of stated priorities (although its arguably a key part of Brexit, their primary stated priority) and the Conservative lead over Labour is modest despite the fact that many voters would shudder at the thought of Corbyns economic programme being implemented in its entirety  and despite the fact many worry about his competence. Philip Hammond was said to be annoyed the economy was downplayed in the election. Whatever the truth of the summer of 2017, it seems clear that the economy should be a central attack line on Jeremy Corbyn.

3. Stress Labour dysfunction and duplicity on the EU. Its clear that Labours popularity, particularly in London, is because people are reacting against Conservative plans on Brexit. This is not a reason to change the overall approach: as Ive argued previously, doing so would shred the reputation of the Conservative Party and it would also reduce its ability to reach into Labours heartlands in the Midlands and North. However, there needs to be a way of peeling off what are essentially protest votes  particularly from more affluent voters that would ordinarily at least be tempted to vote Conservative. In doing this, the Conservatives should make more of Labours dysfunction and duplicity on the EU  the fact their position is inconsistent, chaotic and ultimately driven by political opportunism. People dont like the idea theyre being played by politicians; the Conservatives must show that this is exactly whats happening.

4. Make it clear Britain needs the right sort of immigration. Immigration is an incredibly difficult policy for parties to campaign on. It is regularly at the top of the publics priorities, but those that seek to gain from this politically have often found themselves badly burned. The Conservatives need to walk a fine line here: ensuring theyre appealing to working class and lower middle class voters that have significant concerns; but without crossing the line into populist policies that would be bad for the country, that would be wrong morally, and that would alienate affluent voters. Competitive advantage over Labour would be secured by creating a liberal policy for the right sort of immigration  one that welcomes those that do jobs the country really needs (some will be high-skilled jobs as we would recognise them, some would be simply those that are important). This would help tread that fine line and would also be far more popular than Labours open-door policy.

5. Whatever they are, develop some retail policies on health. As noted above, Labour have a lead with the public on healthcare; in fact, they have a massive lead. This lead is built on strong foundations and cannot be turned around easily. However, such is the importance of the policy area, it simply isnt credible to say nothing on health, which seems to have been the Partys approach for the last five years. The Conservatives need to research and develop popular, retail policies on healthcare that will cut through to the public. They must reassure those that currently vote Conservative but who worry about the state and future of the NHS that theyre a Party with plans to strengthen the NHS as we (pretty much) know it.

These ideas arent meant to be the foundation for a long-term strategy. Theyre inherently short-termist and tactical. But with the stakes as high as they are  with Labour riding high with a leader that would be terrible for this country  the Conservatives need to throw the kitchen sink at Labour to drag themselves ahead in the polls.
Claud Cockburn claimed that while working as a young man for The Times, he and his colleagues used to amuse themselves by competing to see who could write the dullest headline. According to Cockburn, he won this contest only once, with the headline: Small Earthquake in Chile. Not many dead.

That was in 1929, and such restraint has long since gone out of fashion. Nowadays even the most respectable publications compete to put the most sensational headline on the dullest story.

A few days ago, the Foreign Secretary wrote a newspaper article. What could be less dramatic than that? He has spent the last 30 years writing newspaper articles.

Boris Johnson enunciated no startling new departure in British foreign policy. Nor did he announce that he has decided, after talking the matter over with Donald Trump and the Archbishop of Canterbury, to enter a Trappist monastery. With grotesque unscrupulousness, and deplorable lack of originality, he recycled various bits of material of which he first made use last year, and at the same time declared his support for the Prime Minister.

This was reported as a great attack on the Prime Minister. Commentators competed with each other to see who could heap the greatest derision on the Foreign Secretary.

In the Financial Times, Bruce Anderson called for him to be sacked: He brings to his great office all the authority of a clown running away from the circus because a bailiff has just arrived with a paternity suit.

Among embittered Remainers and dispossessed Cameroons, there is an insatiable demand for this kind of personal attack. They blame Johnson for their defeat, and yearn to show there can be no place for him in civilised society. The Dinner Party, as Frank Johnson used to call it, has voted never again to ask him round for a spot of Boeuf Bourguignonne.

But a lot more people voted for Brexit  a project for which Johnson evinces greater enthusiasm than Theresa May does. According to todays Sun, he has even told friends the Brexit negotiations will fail and the Government must be prepared to walk away from them.

Yet as long as the Prime Minister keeps her head, which in many a tight spot she has shown herself quite capable of doing, there is no reason why she should not turn such reports to her advantage.

She can indicate during the negotiations that neither her party nor the wider public will be satisfied if she bows the knee to Brussels, and that she will walk away if she is treated as some kind of underling who can be ordered around. Such is the very strategy commended by Nigel Lawson in todays Financial Times.

He contends that there is no way they will offer us anything but a thoroughly bad deal (if that) The EU establishment is scared stiff that a remotely good deal for the UK might encourage others to head for the exit.

I do not know if this will turn out to be correct, but we ought at least to prepare for the strong possibility that it is correct.

It is absurd to treat Johnson as some kind of saboteur, just because he says Britain should negotiate with confidence. Does any of his colleagues disagree with that proposition?
The Grand Celebration, owned and operated by Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, will be heading to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands at the request of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), the company said.

The chartered ship will have responsibility for housing the National Guard, according to a press release. The humanitarian mission is expected to start with the ships arrival in St. Thomas on Saturday, September 23, 2017 and last through the latter half of December.

The cruise line will resume normal cruise operations beginning with the cruise on Saturday, December 23, 2017, with two-night cruises between the Port of Palm Beach and Grand Bahama Island.

We will be reaching out to all of our guests and travel partners this week, explained Oneil Khosa, CEO of the cruise line. We feel badly about this 90 day disruption but believe the extensive needs of the St. Thomas people to be of greater importance at this time.

Bahamas Paradise has been at the forefront of aid efforts following Hurricane Irma, offering free meals to first responders last week.

It is not the first time FEMA has used cruise ships as floating accommodation vessels. Following Hurricane Katrina, FEMA chartered multiple ships from Carnival Corporation to house workers in New Orleans.

Related: Bahamas Paradise Eyes Bigger Plans
Digital transformation can bring sweeping changes to how employees do their jobs. The challenge for credit unions is to ensure that employees are informed on, involved in and excited about the changes required to advance digitally.

To make the transition as smooth as possible for them, credit unions need to demonstrate great agility and leadership. Transparency within the organization is pivotal as well.

Study Disruptors and Innovators

When I think about best practices in change management, the first company that comes to mind is Amazon. This is a company that started selling books, then music, clothing, sporting goods, electronics  and now they sell everything, including your groceries through Whole Foods. They never stand still. They not only sell other peoples movies today, but they also market their own movies and have people working for them creating these films.

Apple is another innovative company that serves as a model. While it has stayed in the wheelhouse from an electronics perspective, if you Google each of Apples CEOs, you will find that they all talk about the value of being around innovators.

Mark Zuckerberg also believes in the power of a creative and forward-thinking workforce. He calls on employees to move fast and break things. Unless you are breaking things, you arent moving fast enough.

We in the credit union industry have historically been a little challenged in this way. We are not comfortable with the idea that we can make mistakes until we get it right.

As an industry, we are shifting our mindset, though, to embrace change. If you look at how CO-OPs THINK conference has evolved over the years and how many credit unions are transforming digitally along with us today, there is a lot of innovation taking place in our industry.

While there are many ways to transform digitally, the most successful initiatives have one thing in common  they revolve around the member experience.

Each year, THINK attendees hear from C-suite leaders at companies like Nike and Harley Davidson. We offer these insights from top brands to help you keep your finger on the pulse of what consumers expect and to promote open-mindedness when it comes to adjusting your operations accordingly.

Getting Employees Comfortable with Change

While change is necessary for credit unions to continue to grow and thrive, at the employee level, it can be difficult. So how can your credit union get employees rallying around your digital transformation initiative?

First, management needs to let employees know change is happening and involve them in committees and activities so they dont feel sidelined.

Ask employees questions about what your credit union can execute successfully. As a team, determine intended outcomes and potential efficiencies of change.

Credit union employees are very unique in the way they value their relationships with members. This is not just a job for most. So let employees know how they contribute to the company strategy  and how they are helping members. Reward their successes and their efforts, and point out that they can move into roles of higher value.

Train employees well on new products, services and workflows, too. This will help them approach their jobs with skill and confidence.

Remember also that tellers and many other employees see your members all the time, and they know what is going to engage and delight them. This is critical knowledge that should be captured, shared and integrated into the digital transformation strategy.

Employees in every capacity also experience something great everyday as consumers. They should be encouraged to bring these experiences into your credit union.

Communication is Essential

You can never communicate enough with employees.

Sometimes management gets in a room to plan and forgets to communicate back to the staff. This approach can find employees making up their own stories as to what all the new changes will entail.

Ultimately, digital transformation at its best leaves employees with a deep understanding that this is what your credit union is about  moving forward  and that they are being brought along with it.

With a constructive environment, buy-in organization-wide, and a culture that rewards both great ideas and the willingness to try them, change management can energize your credit union  and can transform the member experience you provide.

To learn more about change management best practices, register for our upcoming webinar, Digital Transformation: Grow Your Capacity for Change.
Ryder System, Inc. operates as a logistics and transportation company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Fleet Management Solutions (FMS), Supply Chain Solutions (SCS), and Dedicated Transportation Solutions (DTS). The FMS segment offers full service leasing and leasing with flexible maintenance options, as well as maintenance services, supplies, and related equipment for operation of the vehicles; commercial vehicle rental services; and contract or transactional maintenance services of trucks, tractors, and trailers, as well as fleet support services. This segment also provides access to diesel fuel; offers fuel planning and tax reporting, cards, and monitoring services, and centralized billing; and sells used vehicles through its 63 retail sales centers and www.ryder.com/used-trucks website. The DTS segment offers equipment, maintenance, drivers, administrative, and additional services, as well as routing and scheduling, fleet sizing, safety, regulatory compliance, risk management, and technology and communication systems support services. The SCS segment comprises distribution management services, such as designing and managing customer's distribution network and facilities; coordinating warehousing and transportation for inbound and outbound material flows; handling import and export for international shipments; coordinating just-in-time replenishment of component parts to manufacturing and final assembly; and offering shipments to customer distribution centers or end customer delivery points, as well as other value added services, such as light assembly of components. This segment also offers transportation management services, such as shipment optimization, load scheduling, and delivery confirmation services; knowledge-based professional services; and e-commerce and last mile services. Ryder System, Inc. was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.
Delek US Holdings, Inc. engages in the integrated downstream energy business in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Refining, Logistics, and Retail. The Refining segment processes crude oil and other feedstock for the manufacture of various grades of gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel, asphalt, and other petroleum-based products that are distributed through owned and third-party product terminal. It owns and operates four independent refineries located in Tyler, Texas; El Dorado, Arkansas; Big Spring, Texas; and Krotz Springs, Louisiana, as well as three biodiesel facilities in Crossett, Arkansas, Cleburne, Texas, and New Albany. The Logistics segment gathers, transports, and stores crude oil, intermediate, and refined products; and markets, distributes, transports, and stores refined products for third parties. It owns or leases capacity on approximately 400 miles of crude oil transportation pipelines, approximately 450 miles of refined product pipelines, an approximately 900-mile crude oil gathering system, and associated crude oil storage tanks with an aggregate of approximately 10.2 million barrels of active shell capacity; and owns and operates ten light product distribution terminals, as well as markets light products using third-party terminals. The Retail segment owns and leases 248 convenience store sites located primarily in West Texas and New Mexico. Its convenience stores offer various grades of gasoline and diesel under the DK or Alon brand; and food products and service, tobacco products, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, and general merchandise, as well as money orders to the public primarily under the 7-Eleven and DK or Alon brand names. It serves oil companies, independent refiners and marketers, jobbers, distributors, utility and transportation companies, the U.S. government, and independent retail fuel operators. Delek US Holdings, Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Intrepid Potash, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the extraction and production of the potash in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Potash, Trio, and Oilfield Solutions. The Potash segment offers muriate of potash or potassium chloride for use as a fertilizer input in the agricultural market; as a component in drilling and fracturing fluids for oil and gas wells, as well as an input to other industrial processes in the industrial market; and as a nutrient supplement in the animal feed market. The Trio segment provides Trio, a specialty fertilizer that delivers potassium, sulfate, and magnesium in a single particle. The Oilfield Solutions segment sells water for use in the oil and gas services industry; and offers potassium chloride real-time mixing services on location for hydraulic fracturing operations and trucking services. The company also offers salt for use in animal feeds, industrial applications, pool salts, and treatment of roads and walkways for ice melting or to manage road conditions; magnesium chloride for use in the deicing and dedusting of roads; brines for well development and completion activities in the oil and gas industry; and metal recovery salt, a combination of potash and salt to enhance the recovery of aluminum in the aluminum recycling processing facilities. Intrepid Potash, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is based in Denver, Colorado.
Kingsway Financial Services Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the extended warranty business services, asset management, and real estate businesses. The company operates through three segments: Extended Warranty, Leased Real Estate, and Kingsway Search Xcelerator. The Extended Warranty segment markets, sells, and administers vehicle service agreements and related products for new and used automobiles, motorcycles, and ATVs. This segment also sells new home warranty products, as well as offers uninsured warrant administration services to homebuilders and homeowners; markets and distributes warranty products to manufacturers, distributors, and installers of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, standby generator, commercial LED lighting, and commercial refrigeration equipment; and provides equipment breakdown and maintenance support services to companies. The Leased Real Estate segment owns a parcel of real property consisting of approximately 192 acres located in the State of Texas. The Kingsway Search Xcelerator offers outsourced finance and human resources consulting services, including operational accounting, such as bookkeeping, accounting, financial reporting, and analysis and strategic finance services; technical accounting comprising initial public offerings, SEC reporting, and international consolidation services; human resources, workforce management, and compliance support services; and advisory services. The company offers its products and services through credit unions, dealers, homebuilders, and consumers. Kingsway Financial Services Inc. was incorporated in 1989 and is based in Itasca, Illinois.
The following companies are subsidiares of LyondellBasell Industries: A. Schulman, A. Schulman 's-Gravendeel B.V., A. Schulman AG, A. Schulman Asia Limited, A. Schulman Belgium BVBA, A. Schulman Canada Ltd., A. Schulman Castellon S.L., A. Schulman Europe GmbH & Co. KG, A. Schulman Europe International B.V., A. Schulman Europe Verwaltungs GmbH, A. Schulman Gainsborough Ltd, A. Schulman GmbH, A. Schulman GmbH (Austrian Branch), A. Schulman Holding Company France S.A.S., A. Schulman Holdings (France) S.A.S., A. Schulman Holdings S.a.r.l., A. Schulman Inc., A. Schulman Inc. Limited, A. Schulman International Inc., A. Schulman International Services BVBA, A. Schulman Ireland Limited, A. Schulman Magyarorszag Kereskedelmi Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, A. Schulman Nordic AB, A. Schulman Plastics (Branch), A. Schulman Plastics (Dongguan) Ltd., A. Schulman Plastics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., A. Schulman Plastics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., A. Schulman Plastics BVBA, A. Schulman Plastics India Private Limited, A. Schulman Plastics PTY. LTD., A. Schulman Plastics S.r.l., A. Schulman Plastics SAS, A. Schulman Plastics bvba Bornem Sucursala Cluj-Napoca, A. Schulman Plastics organizacni slozka, A. Schulman Plastk Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, A. Schulman Plasticos do Brasil Ltda., A. Schulman Polska Sp. z o.o., A. Schulman Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, A. Schulman S.A.S., A. Schulman S.a.r.l., A. Schulman Thermoplastic Compounds Limited, A. Schulman Thermoplastic Compounds Sdn Bhd, A. Schulman de Mexico S.A. de C.V., A. Schulman del Peru S.A.C., A.Schulman Poznan Sp. Z o.o., ARCO Chemical, AS Global Holdings Inc., AS Mex Hold S.A. de C.V., AS Worldwide LLC, AS Worldwide LLC & Cie S.C.S., ASI Akron Land Co., ASI Employment S.A. de C.V., ASI Investments Holding Co., Al Waha Petrochemical Company, BKV Beteiligungs- und Kunststoffverwertungs-gesellschaft mbH, BMC Deutschland GmbH, BMC Dongguan Limited, BMC Far East Limited, BMC TetraDURTurkey Plastik Hammadde Kompozit Uretim Sanayi ve Ticaret Limted Sirketi, Basell (Thailand) Holdings B.V., Basell Advanced Polyolefins (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Basell Advanced Polyolefins (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Basell Advanced Polyolefins (Thailand) Company Ltd., Basell Arabie Investissements SAS, Basell Asia Pacific Limited, Basell Bayreuth Chemie GmbH, Basell Benelux B.V., Basell Chemie Koln GmbH, Basell Europe Holdings B.V., Basell Germany Holdings GmbH, Basell Holdings Middle East GmbH, Basell Iberica Poliolefinas Holdings S.L., Basell International Holdings B.V., Basell International Trading FZE, Basell Italia S.r.l, Basell Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Basell Moyen Orient Investissements SAS, Basell North America Inc., Basell Orlen Polyolefins Sp. Z.o.o., Basell Orlen Polyolefins Sprzedaz Sp. Z.o.o., Basell Poliolefinas Comercial Espagnola S.L., Basell Poliolefinas Iberica S.L., Basell Poliolefinas Ltda., Basell Poliolefinas S. de R.L. de C.V., Basell Poliolefine Italia S.r.l., Basell Polyolefin Istanbul Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Basell Polyolefine GmbH, Basell Polyolefines France S.A.S., Basell Polyolefins Company BVBA, Basell Polyolefins India Private Limited, Basell Polyolefins Korea Ltd., Basell Polyolefins UK Limited, Basell Sales & Marketing Company B.V., Basell Service Company B.V., Basell Slovakia s.r.o., Basell Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Basell UK Holdings Limited, Basell UK Ltd., Brindisi Servizi Generali S.c.a.r.l., Bulk Molding Compounds Inc., Bulk Molding Compounds Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bulk Molding Compounds do Brasil Industria de Plasticos Reforcados Ltda., Citadel Brazil Holdings LLC, Citadel Intermediate Holdings LLC, Citadel Plastics Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Citadel Plastics Holdings Inc., Citadel Plastics Mexico Holdings LLC, Citadel Plastics Netherlands Holdings LLC, Compagnie Petrochimique de Berre SAS, Compagnie de Distribution des Hydrocarbures SAS, EMS Holding Ltd., EPS Ethylen-Pipeline-Sud Geschaftsfuhrungs GmbH, EPS Ethylen-Pipeline-Sud GmbH & Co. KG, Elian S.A.S., Equistar Bayport LLC, Equistar Chemicals LP, Equistar GP LLC, Equistar LP LLC, Equistar Mont Belvieu Corporation, GuangZhou Basell Advanced Polyolefins Co. Ltd., HGGC Citadel Plastics Holdings Inc., HGGC Citadel Plastics Intermediate Holdings Inc., HMC Polymers Company Limited, HPC Holdings LLC, Hadlock Plastics LLC, Houston Refining LP, I.F.M. S.c.a.r.l., ICO Europe C.V., ICO Holdings LLC, ICO Holdings New Zealand Limited, ICO Petrochemical Cayman Islands, ICO Polymers Cayman Islands, Indelpro S.A. de C.V., Infraserv GmbH & Co. Hochst KG, Inmobiliaria Satchmo S. de R.L. de C.V., Innovacion Y Desarrollo en Materiales Avanzados A.C., J.R. Courtenay (N.Z.) Limited, LPI Holding Company, LYB (Barbados) SRL, LYB Advanced Polymer Solutions Ireland Limited, LYB Americas Finance Company LLC, LYB Equistar Holdings LLC, LYB Export Holdings Limited, LYB Exports Inc., LYB Finance Company B.V., LYB International Finance B.V., LYB International Finance II B.V., LYB International Finance III LLC, LYB Ireland 2 Limited, LYB Ireland Limited, LYB La Porte Hyperzone LLC, LYB Luxembourg S.a r.l., LYB Matrixx Holdings Inc., LYB Receivables LLC, LYB Trading Company B.V., LYB Treasury Services Ltd., Limited Liability Company "LyondellBasell Polyolefins", Limited Liability Company A. Schulman, Lucent Polymers Inc., Lyondell Asia Holdings Limited, Lyondell Centennial Corp., Lyondell Chemical Company, Lyondell Chemical Europe Inc., Lyondell Chemical Overseas Services Inc., Lyondell Chemical Products Europe LLC, Lyondell Chemical Properties L.P., Lyondell Chemical Technology 1 Inc., Lyondell Chemical Technology L.P., Lyondell Chemical Technology Management Inc., Lyondell Chemie (PO-11) B.V., Lyondell Chemie (POSM) B.V., Lyondell Chemie Nederland B.V., Lyondell Chimie France SAS, Lyondell China Holdings Limited, Lyondell Greater China Holdings Limited, Lyondell Greater China Ltd., Lyondell Greater China Trading Limited, Lyondell Japan Inc., Lyondell PO-11 C.V., Lyondell POJVGP LLC, Lyondell POJVLP LLC, Lyondell POTechGP Inc., Lyondell POTechLP Inc., Lyondell Refining Company LLC, Lyondell Refining I LLC, Lyondell South Asia Pte Ltd, LyondellBasell Acetyls Holdco LLC, LyondellBasell Acetyls LLC, LyondellBasell Advanced Polyolefins Mexico S.A. de C.V., LyondellBasell Australia (Holdings) Pty Ltd, LyondellBasell Australia Pty Ltd, LyondellBasell Brasil Ltda., LyondellBasell Canada Inc., LyondellBasell Central Europe Kft., LyondellBasell China Holdings B.V., LyondellBasell Circular Economy B.V., LyondellBasell Covestro Manufacturing Maasvlakte V.O.F., LyondellBasell Egypt LLC, LyondellBasell F&F Holdco LLC, LyondellBasell Finance Company, LyondellBasell Holdings France SAS, LyondellBasell Hungary Kft, LyondellBasell Industries Holdings B.V., LyondellBasell Industries N.V., LyondellBasell Investment LLC, LyondellBasell Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., LyondellBasell Polyolefin (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., LyondellBasell Services France S.A.S., LyondellBasell Subholdings B.V., LyondellBasell Taiwan Co. Ltd., LyondellBasell Transportation Company LLC, Millennium Chemicals, Natpet Schulman Specialty Plastic Compounds, Ningbo ZRCC Lyondell Chemical Co. Ltd., Ningbo ZRCC Lyondell Chemical Marketing Co. Ltd., OE Insurance Ltd, Oil Casualty Insurance Ltd., Oil Insurance Limited, PD Glycol LP, PO JV LP, PO Offtake LP, POSM II Limited Partnership L.P., POSM II Properties Partnership LLC, PT A.Schulman Plastics, PT ASchulman Plastics Commercial, PTT Chemical PCL, Poly Pacific Polymers Sdn. Bhd., Poly Pacific Pty. Ltd., PolyMirae Co. Ltd., Premix Holding Company, Premix Inc., Prime Colorants Inc., QCP B.V., QCP Holding B.V., QCP IP B.V., Quantum Composites Inc., RIGK GmbH Gesellschaft zur Ruckfuhrung industrieller and gewerblicher Kunstoffverpackungen mbH, Rayong Olefins Co. Ltd., Rexene - LDPE and PP Businesses, SCG ICO Polymers Company Limited, SJS Plastiblends, San Jacinto Rail Limited, Saudi Ethylene & Polyethylene Company, Saudi Polyolefins Company, Sociedad Espanola De Materiales Plasticos Semap S.A., Societe des Stockages Petroliers du Rhone SA, Solvay Engineered Polymers, Surplast S.A., TRV Thermische Ruckstandsverwertung GmbH & Co. KG, TRV Thermische Ruckstandsverwertung Verwaltungs-GmbH, Technology JV LP, The Matrixx Group Incorporated, ULSAN PP Co. Ltd., YNCORIS GmbH & Co. KG, Zylog Plastalloys, and tetra-DUR Kunststoff-Produktion GmbH.

Read More
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation provides technology-based equipment, systems, and services for the freight rail and passenger transit industries worldwide. It operates through two segments, Freight and Transit. The Freight segment manufactures and services components for new and existing freight cars and locomotives; builds new commuter locomotives; rebuilds freight locomotives; supplies railway electronics, positive train control equipment, signal design, and engineering services; and provides related heat exchange and cooling systems. It serves publicly traded railroads; leasing companies; manufacturers of original equipment, including locomotives and freight cars; and utilities. The Transit segment manufactures and services components for new and existing passenger transit vehicles, such as regional trains, high speed trains, subway cars, light-rail vehicles, and buses; refurbishes subway cars; and provides heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, as well as doors for buses and subways. This segment serves public transit authorities and municipalities, leasing companies, and manufacturers of subway cars and buses. It also provides electronically controlled pneumatic braking products; railway electronics; freight car trucks; draft gears, couplers, and slack adjusters; air compressors and dryers; heat exchangers and cooling products; and track and switch products. In addition, the company offers railway braking equipment and related components; friction products; new switcher locomotives; transit locomotive and car overhaul services; and freight locomotive overhaul, modernizations, and refurbishment services. Further, it provides platform screen doors; pantographs; window assemblies; couplers; accessibility lifts and ramps for buses and subway cars; and traction motors. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Corning Incorporated engages in display technologies, optical communications, environmental technologies, specialty materials, and life sciences businesses worldwide. The company's Display Technologies segment offers glass substrates for liquid crystal displays and organic light-emitting diodes used in televisions, notebook computers, desktop monitors, tablets, and handheld devices. Its Optical Communications segment provides optical fibers and cables; and hardware and equipment products, including cable assemblies, fiber optic hardware and connectors, optical components and couplers, closures, network interface devices, and other accessories. This segment also offers its products to businesses, governments, and individuals. Its Specialty Materials segment manufactures products that provide material formulations for glass, glass ceramics, crystals, precision metrology instruments, software; as well as ultra-thin and ultra-flat glass wafers, substrates, tinted sunglasses, and radiation shielding products. This segment serves various industries, including mobile consumer electronics, semiconductor equipment optics and consumables; aerospace and defense optics; radiation shielding products, sunglasses, and telecommunications components. The company's Environmental Technologies segment offers ceramic substrates and filter products for emissions control in mobile, gasoline, and diesel applications. The company's Life Sciences segment offers laboratory products comprising consumables, such as plastic vessels, liquid handling plastics, specialty surfaces, cell culture media, and serum, as well as general labware and equipment under the Corning, Falcon, Pyrex, and Axygen brands. The company was formerly known as Corning Glass Works and changed its name to Corning Incorporated in April 1989. Corning Incorporated was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Corning, New York.
New York Community Bancorp, Inc. is the bank holding company for New York Community Bank. New York Community Bank is the nations 47th-largest financial institution and its largest thrift. As a thrift, the bank specializes in real estate and consumer accounts specifically real estate loans and savings accounts and has limited exposure to other forms of business banking. Among the benefits to consumers are interest-bearing checking and saving accounts that come with higher-than-average interest rates.

New York Community Bank was founded in 1859 to serve Queens County, New York. It operated under that name, growing all the while, until 2000 when it changed its name to better reflect the business. The company IPOd in 1993 and has made multiple acquisitions in the time since. As of 6/30/2022, the bank had $63.1 billion in assets and $41.2 billion in deposits.

New York Community Bank operates in greater New York City, New Jersey, Ohio, Florida, and Arizona. The company provides deposit products ranging from interest-bearing checking and money market accounts to savings accounts, IRAs, and CDs. Brands under the companys umbrella include AmTrust in Florida and Arizona, Ohio Savings Bank, Garden State Savings Bank, and Atlantic Bank.

The bank offers a wide range of real-estate-related loans including but not limited to multi-family loans, commercial real estate loans, construction loans, and consumer loans and mortgages. Investment products include annuities, mutual funds, and life insurance. Customers include individuals, small businesses, and organizations and are served through a network of more than 230 branches, and 300 ATMs, online, mobile, and by phone. Many of the locations are open 24 hours and 6 days a week although those hours are not available at all branches. Clients can access their accounts digitally 24/7.

New York Community Bancorp and its underlying business carry investment-grade credit ratings from all the major rating agencies. The credit outlook in the 4th quarter of 2022 was stable as it had been for some time. In New York, it is a leader in the multi-family market specializing in lower-cost housing in rent-controlled areas. As of June 30, 2022, the multi-family loan portfolio accounted for more than 75% of all investments. The company has a stock purchase and dividend reinvestment plan that help to sustain a high level of ownership.






Ag Growth International Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes grain and rice handling, storage, and conditioning equipment in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company offers storage equipment comprising grain and bolted bins, hopper bins, smooth wall bins, temporary storage equipment, unloads and sweeps, water tanks, fuel tanks; and conditioning equipment, such as mixed flow dryers, fans and heaters, aerations, airaugers, aeration floors, vents and exhausters, stirrings, and accessories. It also provides portable handling equipment, such as portable augers, conveyors, grain vacs, post pounders, seed treaters, and accessories; and permanent handling equipment, including bucket elevators, chain and belt conveyors, enclosed belt conveyors, distributors, feed handling equipment, screw feeders and conveyors, and spouts and connections. In addition, the company offers towers, catwalks, ladders, all-steel buildings, flat storage buildings; batch blenders, bulk scales, declining weight blenders, vertical blenders, micro-dosing systems, mixers, milling equipment; and controllers, hazard monitoring equipment, monitoring and automation equipment, sampling solutions. Further, it provides cleaning and destoners, rice milling and processing equipment, bin unloads, blending and control systems, Liquid and dry fertilizer blending and conveying equipment, turnkey design and build construction solutions for seed and fertilizer facilities, and farm management software. The company markets its products under the AGI, Airlanco, Batco, Brownie, CMC, Compass, Danmare, Ezee-dry, Frame, Grain Guard, Grainmaxx, Hi Roller, Hutchinson, Improtech, Junge, Keho, Mayrath, Milltec, MMS, Neco, PTM, REM, Sabe, Sentinel, Storm, Suretrack, Tramco, Twister, Westeel, Westfield, Wheatheart, and Yargus brand names. It provides its equipment for agricultural commodities. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada.
ALLETE, Inc. operates as an energy company. The company operates through Regulated Operations, ALLETE Clean Energy, and Corporate and Other segments. It generates electricity from coal-fired, biomass co-fired / natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, and solar. The company provides regulated utility electric services in northwestern Wisconsin to approximately 15,000 electric customers, 13,000 natural gas customers, and 10,000 water customers, as well as regulated utility electric services in northeastern Minnesota to approximately 145,000 retail customers and 15 non-affiliated municipal customers. It also owns and maintains electric transmission assets in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois. In addition, the company focuses on developing, acquiring, and operating clean and renewable energy projects; and owns and operates approximately 1,000 megawatts of wind energy generation facility. Further, it is involved in the coal mining operations in North Dakota; and real estate investment activities in Florida. The company owns and operates 158 substations with a total capacity of 10,066 megavolt amperes. It serves taconite mining, paper, pulp and secondary wood products, pipeline, and other industries. The company was formerly known as Minnesota Power, Inc. and changed its name to ALLETE, Inc. in May 2001. ALLETE, Inc. was incorporated in 1906 and is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota.
AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of prescription medicines. Its marketed products include Calquence, Enhertu, Faslodex, Imfinzi, Iressa, Koselugo, Lumoxiti, Lynparza, Orpathys, Tagrisso, and Zoladex for oncology; Brilinta/Brilique, Bydureon/Byetta, BCise, Byetta, Crestor, Evrenzo, Farxiga/Forxiga, Komboglyze/Kombiglyze XR, Lokelma, Onglyza, Qtern, and Xigduo/Xigduo XR for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism diseases; Bevespi Aerosphere, Breztri Aerosphere, Daliresp/Daxas, Duaklir Genuair, Fasenra, Pulmicort, Saphnelo, Symbicort, and Tudorza/Eklira/Bretaris for respiratory and immunology; and Andexxa/Ondexxya, Kanuma, Soliris, Strensiq, and Ultomiris for rare diseases. The company's marketed products also comprise Synagis for respiratory syncytial virus; Fluenz Tetra/FluMist Quadrivalent for Influenza; Seroquel IR/Seroquel XR for schizophrenia bipolar disease; Nexium, and Losec/Prilosec for gastroenterology; and Vaxzevria and Evusheld for covid-19. The company serves primary care and specialty care physicians through distributors and local representative offices in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. It has a collaboration agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to research, develop, and commercialize small molecule medicines for obesity; Neurimmune AG to develop and commercialize NI006; Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop eplontersen, a liver-targeted antisense therapy in Phase III development for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis; Proteros Biostructures GmbH to jointly discover novel small molecules for the treatment of hematological cancers; Sierra Oncology, Inc. to develop and commercialize AZD5153. The company was formerly known as Zeneca Group PLC and changed its name to AstraZeneca PLC in April 1999. AstraZeneca PLC was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.
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.
Caleres, Inc. engages in the retail and wholesale of footwear in the United States, Canada, China, and Guam. It operates through Famous Footwear and Brand Portfolio segments. The company offers licensed, branded, and private-label athletic, casual, and dress footwear products to women, men, and children. Its retail shoe stores provide brand name athletic, casual, and dress shoes, including Nike, Skechers, adidas, Vans, Converse, Crocs, Puma, Birkenstock, New Balance, Asics, New Balance, Under Armour, Bearpaw, Timberland, Sperry, and Dr. Martens, as well as company-owned and licensed brands, such as Dr. Scholl's Shoes, Blowfish Malibu, LifeStride, Naturalizer, Zodiac, Circus by Sam Edelman, Franco Sarto, and Ryka. The company also operates naturalizer.com, naturalizer.ca, vionicshoes.com, samedelman.com, allenedmonds.com, drschollsshoes.com, lifestride.com, francosarto.com, ryka.com, bzees.com, and zodiacshoes.com, as well as Vince.com, blowfishshoes.com, and veronicabeard.com websites. In addition, it designs, sources, manufactures, and markets footwear to retail stores, such as national chains, online retailers, department stores, mass merchandisers, independent retailers, and catalogs. Further, the company wholesales men's apparel, leather goods, and accessories under the Allen Edmonds brand; footwear for women under LifeStride brand; Italian footwear Franco Sarto brand; athletic footwear for women under the Ryka brand; women's shoe collection under the Vince brand; and women's footwear under the Bzees brand; other footwear under Zodiac brand; and women's footwear collection under Veronica Beard brand, as well as Via Spiga brand. It operates approximately 980 retail stores. The company was formerly known as Brown Shoe Company, Inc. Caleres, Inc. was founded in 1878 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.
Dominion Energy, Inc. produces and distributes energy in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Dominion Energy Virginia, Gas Distribution, Dominion Energy South Carolina, and Contracted Assets. The Dominion Energy Virginia segment generates, transmits, and distributes regulated electricity to approximately 2.7 million residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in Virginia and North Carolina. The Gas Distribution segment is involved in the regulated natural gas sales, transportation, gathering, storage, and distribution operations in Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, Utah, southwestern Wyoming, and southeastern Idaho that serve approximately 3.1 million residential, commercial and industrial customers. It also has nonregulated renewable natural gas facilities in operation. The Dominion Energy South Carolina segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 772,000 customers in the central, southern, and southwestern portions of South Carolina; and distributes natural gas to approximately 419,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in South Carolina. The Contracted Assets segment is involved in the nonregulated long-term contracted renewable electric generation and solar generation facility development operations; and gas transportation, LNG import, and storage operations, as well as in the liquefaction facility. As of December 31, 2021, the company's portfolio of assets included approximately 30.2 gigawatt of electric generating capacity; 10,700 miles of electric transmission lines; 78,000 miles of electric distribution lines; and 95,700 miles of gas distribution mains and related service facilities. The company was formerly known as Dominion Resources, Inc. Dominion Energy, Inc. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Citizens Bank, National Association that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, corporations, and institutions in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking. The Consumer Banking segment offers deposit products, mortgage and home equity lending products, credit cards, business loans, wealth management, and investment services; and auto, education, and point-of-sale finance loans, as well as digital deposit products. This segment serves its customers through telephone service centers, as well as through its online and mobile platforms. The Commercial Banking segment provides various financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, and interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as syndicated loans, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and debt and equity capital markets services. This segment serves government banking, not-for-profit, healthcare, technology, professionals, oil and gas, asset finance, franchise finance, asset-based lending, commercial real estate, private equity, and sponsor finance industries. It operates approximately 1,200 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia; 114 retail and commercial non-branch offices in national markets; and approximately 3,300 automated teller machines. The company was formerly known as RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. and changed its name to Citizens Financial Group, Inc. in April 2014. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1828 and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.
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.
Snap-on Incorporated manufactures and markets tools, equipment, diagnostics, and repair information and systems solutions for professional users worldwide. It operates through Commercial & Industrial Group, Snap-on Tools Group, Repair Systems & Information Group, and Financial Services segments. The company offers hand tools, including wrenches, sockets, ratchet wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, punches and chisels, saws and cutting tools, pruning tools, torque measuring instruments, and other products; power tools, such as cordless, pneumatic, hydraulic, and corded tools; and tool storage products comprising tool chests, roll cabinets, and other products. It also provides handheld and computer-based diagnostic products, service and repair information products, diagnostic software solutions, electronic parts catalogs, business management systems and services, point-of-sale systems, integrated systems for vehicle service shops, original equipment manufacturer purchasing facilitation services, and warranty management systems and analytics. In addition, the company offers solutions for the service of vehicles and industrial equipment that include wheel alignment equipment, wheel balancers, tire changers, vehicle lifts, test lane equipment, collision repair equipment, vehicle air conditioning service equipment, brake service equipment, fluid exchange equipment, transmission troubleshooting equipment, safety testing equipment, battery chargers, and hoists, as well as after-sales support services and training programs. Further, it provides financing programs to facilitate the sales of its products and support its franchise business. The company serves the aviation and aerospace, agriculture, construction, government and military, mining, natural resources, power generation, and technical education industries, as well as vehicle dealerships and repair centers. Snap-on Incorporated was founded in 1920 and is based in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Everest Re Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, and internationally. The company operates through Reinsurance Operations and Insurance Operations segments. The Reinsurance Operations segment writes property and casualty reinsurance; and specialty lines of business through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies in the United States, Bermuda, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The Insurance Operations segment writes property and casualty insurance directly, as well as through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents in Bermuda, Canada, Europe, South America, Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The company also provides treaty and facultative reinsurance products; admitted and non-admitted insurance products; and property and casualty reinsurance and insurance coverages, including marine, aviation, surety, errors and omissions liability, directors' and officers' liability, medical malpractice, mortgage reinsurance, other specialty lines, accident and health, and workers' compensation products. In addition, it offers commercial property and casualty insurance products through wholesale and retail brokers, surplus lines brokers, and program administrators. Everest Re Group, Ltd. was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Knoll, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, markets, and sells commercial and residential furniture, accessories, and coverings for the workplace and residential markets in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Office and Lifestyle segments. It provides systems furniture, including integrated panels or table desks, work surfaces and storage units, power and data systems, and lighting products; office seating products comprising various work chairs; and files and storage products, such as lateral files, mobile pedestals and other storage units, bookcases, and overhead cabinets. The company also offers adjustable tables, as well as meeting, conference, training, dining, and stand-alone and table desks; conference furniture product platforms; height desks, tables, and ergonomic seating and accessories principally for individual home offices and small businesses; technology support accessories, desktop organizational tools, and lighting and storage products; seating and lounge furniture, as well as side, cafA, and dining chairs; conference, training, dining, and occasional tables; and lighting, rugs, textiles, fabrics, felt, leather, upholstery, drapery, and related architectural products. It serves Fortune 1000 companies, governmental agencies, and other medium-to-large sized organizations in various industries, including financial, legal, technology, entertainment, accounting, education, healthcare, and hospitality through its direct sales force and showrooms, distribution partners, and independent dealers and retailers, as well as online. The company was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in East Greenville, Pennsylvania.
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions. It also offers ProxyEdge, an electronic proxy delivery and voting solution; data-driven solutions and an end-to-end platform for content management, composition, and omni-channel distribution of regulatory, marketing, and transactional information, as well as mutual fund trade processing services; data and analytics solutions; solutions for public corporations and mutual funds; SEC filing and capital markets transaction services; registrar, stock transfer, and record-keeping services; and omni-channel customer communications solutions, as well as operates Broadridge Communications Cloud platform that creates, delivers, and manages communications and customer engagement activities. The company's Global Technology and Operations segment provides solutions that automate the front-to-back transaction lifecycle of equity, mutual fund, fixed income, foreign exchange and exchange-traded derivatives, order capture and execution, trade confirmation, margin, cash management, clearance and settlement, reference data management, reconciliations, securities financing and collateral management, asset servicing, compliance and regulatory reporting, portfolio accounting, and custody-related services. This segment also offers business process outsourcing services; technology solutions, such portfolio management, compliance, fee billing, and operational support solutions; and capital market and wealth management solutions. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Lake Success, New York.
The following companies are subsidiares of Thermo Fisher Scientific: 236 Perinton Parkway LLC, 27 Forge Parkway LLC, ABR--Affinity BioReagents, ACI Holdings Inc., ARG Services LLC, ASPEX Corporation, Abgene Inc., Abgene Limited, Acoustic Cytometry Systems Inc., AcroMetrix LLC, Acros Organics B.V.B.A., Advanced Biotechnologies Limited, Advanced Scientifics (ASI), Advanced Scientifics Inc., Advanced Scientifics International Inc., Affymetrix Biotech Participacoes Ltda., Affymetrix Biotech Shanghai Ltd, Affymetrix Inc, Affymetrix Japan K.K., Affymetrix Pte Ltd, Affymetrix UK Ltd, Afora S.A.U., Ahura Scientific, Alchematrix Inc., Alchematrix LLC, Alfa Aesar, Alfa Aesar (China) Chemical Co. Ltd., Alfa Aesar (Hong Kong) Limited, Allergon AB, Alphine Mountain Limited, Ambion Inc., Apogent Denmark ApS, Apogent Finance Company, Apogent Holding Company, Apogent Technologies Inc., Apogent Transition Corp., Apogent U.K. Limited, App-Tek International Pty Ltd, Applied Biosystems B.V., Applied Biosystems Finance B.V., Applied Biosystems International Inc., Applied Biosystems LLC, Applied Biosystems Taiwan LLC, Applied Biosystems Trading (Shanghai) Company Ltd., Applied Biosystems de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Applied Scientific Corporation, Avances Cientificos de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Avocado Research Chemicals Limited, B.R.A.H.M.S. Biotech GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. UK Ltd, BAC BV, BAC IP BV, Barnstead Thermolyne LLC, Beijing Phadia Diagnostics Co Ltd, Bender MedSystems GmbH, BioTrove Corporation, BioTrove International Inc., Bioanalysis Labsystems S.A., Biochemical Sciences LLC, Biolab, BmT GmbH Laborprodukte, Bonsai Tecnologies - Sistemas para Biotecnologia e Industria Unipessoal Lda, Brammer Bio, Bumi-Sans Sendirian Berhad, CAC Limited, CB Diagnostics AB, CB Diagnostics Holding AB, CEPH International Corporation, CHK Holdings Inc., CRS Robotics, CTPS LLC, Capitol Scientific Products Inc., Capitol Vial Inc., Cellomics Inc., CellzDirect Inc., Cenduit GmbH, Cenduit LLC, Cezanne S.A.S., Chase Scientific Glass Inc., Chromacol Limited, Clintrak, Clintrak Clinical Labeling Services LLC, Clintrak Pharmaceutical Services LLC, Cohesive Technologies (UK) Limited, Cohesive Technologies Inc., Columbia Diagnostics Inc., Compendia Bioscience Inc., Comtest Limited, Consolidated Technologies Inc., Consultores Fisher Scientific Chile Ltd, Core Informatics, Core Informatics LLC, Core Informatics UK Ltd., D-finitive Technologies Inc., DCG Systems B.V., DCG Systems C.V., DCG Systems G.K., DCG Systems GmbH, DCG Systems Korea Ltd., DCG Systems LLC, DPI Newco LLC, DSM Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Dharmacon, Diagnostix Ltd., Dionex (China) Analytical Ltd, Dionex (Switzerland) AG, Dionex (UK) Limited, Dionex Austria GmbH, Dionex Benelux B.V., Dionex Brasil Instrumentos Cientificos Ltda, Dionex Canada Ltd., Dionex China Limited, Dionex Corporation, Dionex Denmark A/S, Dionex Holding GmbH, Dionex I LLC, Dionex Pty Ltd., Dionex S.A., Dionex S.p.A., Dionex Singapore Pte Ltd., Dionex Softron GmbH, Dionex Sweden AB, Distribution Solutions International Inc., Doe & Ingalls Investors Inc., Doe & Ingalls Limited, Doe & Ingalls Management LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties II LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties LLC, Doe & Ingalls of California Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Florida Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Maryland Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Massachusetts Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of North Carolina Operating LLC, Doublecape Holding Limited, Doublecape Limited, Drakeside Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Duke Scientific Corporation, Dynal Biotech Beijing Limited, EGS Gauging Ltd., EGS Gauging Technical Services Company, EP Scientific Products LLC, Ecochem N.V., EnviroEquip Pty Ltd, Epsom Glass Industries Limited, Equibio Limited, Erie Electroverre S.A., Erie Finance Limited, Erie LP Holding LLC, Erie Scientific Company of Puerto Rico, Erie Scientific Hungary Kft, Erie Scientific LLC, Erie U.K. Limited, Erie UK 1 Limited, Erie UK 2 Limited, Erie UK Holding Company, Erie UK Senior Holding Limited, European Laboratory Holdings Limited, Eutech Instruments Europe B.V., Eutech Instruments Pte Ltd., Eutech Instruments Sdn Bhd, Ever Ready Thermometer Co. Inc., FEI Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., FEI Australia Pty Ltd, FEI CPD B.V., FEI Company, FEI Company Japan Ltd., FEI Company of USA (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd., FEI Czech Republic s.r.o., FEI Deutschland GmbH, FEI EFA Inc., FEI EFA International Pte. Ltd., FEI Electron Optics B.V., FEI Electron Optics International B.V., FEI Europe B.V., FEI France SAS, FEI Global Holdings C.V., FEI Hong Kong Company Limited, FEI Houston Inc., FEI Italia Srl, FEI Korea Ltd., FEI Melbourne Pty Ltd., FEI Microscopy Solutions Ltd, FEI Munich GmbH, FEI Norway Holding AS, FEI SAS, FEI Saudi Arabia LLC, FEI Servicos de Nanotecnologia Ltda., FEI Technologies Inc., FEI Technology de Mexico S.A. de C.V., FEI Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FEI Trondheim AS, FEI UK Ltd., FHP LLC, FRC Holding Inc. V, FS (Barbados) Capital Holdings Ltd., FS Casa Rocas Holdings LLC, FS Mexicana Holdings LLC, FSI Receivables Company LLC, FSII Sweden Holdings AB, FSII Sweden Holdings I AB, FSIR Holdings (UK) Limited, FSIR Holdings (US) Inc., FSUK Holdings Limited, FSWH Company LLC, FSWH II C.V., FSWH International Holdings LLC, Fermentas China Co. Ltd, Fermentas Inc., Fermentas International, Fermentas Sweden AB, Fermentas UK Limited, Fiberlite Centrifuge LLC, Finesse Scientific Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Finesse Solutions AG, Finesse Solutions Inc., Finnzymes Oy, Fisher Alder S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Asia Manufacturing Ventures Inc., Fisher Bermuda Holdings Limited, Fisher BioImage ApS, Fisher BioPharma Services (India) Private Limited, Fisher BioSciences Japan G.K., Fisher BioServices Inc., Fisher Bioblock Holding II SNC, Fisher CLP Holding Limited Partnership, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 1, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 2, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 3, Fisher Canada Limited Partnership, Fisher Chimica BVBA, Fisher Clinical Logistics LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services (Bristol) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Colombia) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Korea) Co. Ltd, Fisher Clinical Services (Mexico) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Peru) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services Colombia S.A.S., Fisher Clinical Services GmbH, Fisher Clinical Services Inc., Fisher Clinical Services Japan K.K., Fisher Clinical Services Latin America S.R.L., Fisher Clinical Services Limited Liability Company, Fisher Clinical Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Clinical Services Peru S.R.L, Fisher Clinical Services Pte Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services U.K. Limited, Fisher Emergo B.V., Fisher Germany Holdings GmbH, Fisher Hamilton China Inc., Fisher Hamilton Mexico LLC, Fisher Holdings ApS, Fisher Internet Minority Holdings L.L.C., Fisher Laboratory Products Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Fisher Luxembourg Danish Holdings SARL, Fisher Manufacturing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Maybridge Holdings Limited, Fisher Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific (Austria) GmbH, Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Fisher Scientific (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific (SEA) Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific A/S, Fisher Scientific AG, Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Limited, Fisher Scientific Biotech Line ApS, Fisher Scientific Brazil Inc., Fisher Scientific Central America Inc., Fisher Scientific Chile Inc., Fisher Scientific Colombia Inc., Fisher Scientific Company, Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C., Fisher Scientific Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Fisher Scientific Europe Holdings B.V., Fisher Scientific GTF AB, Fisher Scientific Germany Beteiligungs GmbH, Fisher Scientific GmbH, Fisher Scientific Holding Company LLC, Fisher Scientific Holding HK Limited, Fisher Scientific Holding U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific Holdings (S) Pte Ltd, Fisher Scientific International LLC, Fisher Scientific Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Fisher Scientific Ireland Investments Unlimited, Fisher Scientific Ireland Limited, Fisher Scientific Japan Ltd., Fisher Scientific Jersey Island Limited, Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd, Fisher Scientific Latin America Inc., Fisher Scientific Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Fisher Scientific Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific Mexico Inc., Fisher Scientific Middle East and Africa Inc., Fisher Scientific Norway AS, Fisher Scientific Operating Company, Fisher Scientific Oxoid Holdings Ltd., Fisher Scientific Oy, Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific S.A.S., Fisher Scientific S.L., Fisher Scientific SPRL, Fisher Scientific The Hague I B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague II B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague III B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague IV B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague V B.V., Fisher Scientific U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company 2, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company Limited, Fisher Scientific Unipessoal Lda., Fisher Scientific Venezuela Inc., Fisher Scientific Worldwide (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Holdings I C.V., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Inc., Fisher Scientific de Mexico S.A., Fisher Scientific of the Netherlands B.V., Fisher Scientific spol. S.r.o, Fisher Servicios Clinicos (Chile) LLC, Fisher Servicios Clinicos Chile Ltda, Fisher WWD Holding L.L.C., Fisher Worldwide Distribution SPV, Fisher Worldwide Gene Distribution SPV, Flux Instruments, Fuji Partnership, G & M Procter Limited, G V Instruments Limited, GV Instruments Canada Ltd., GV Instruments Inc, Gatan Inc, General Scientific Company Sdn Bhd (M), Genomed molekularbiologische und diagnostische Produkte GmbH, Gerhard Menzel B.V. & Co. KG, Gold Cattle Standard Testing Labs Inc., Golden West Indemnity Company Limited, Goring Kerr Detection Limited, Greenville Service Company Inc., HENO GmbH i.L., Hangar 215 Inc., Helmet Securities Limited, Henogen, HighChem, HyClone International Trade (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Hybaid Limited, I.Q. (BIO) Limited, IDnostics AG, ILS Laboratories Scandinavia AB, Inel Inc., Inel SAS, InnaPhase Inc., InnaPhase Limited, IntegenX, Intrinsic BioProbes Inc., Intrinsic Bioprobes Inc., Invitrogen (Shanghai) Investment Co. Ltd., Invitrogen Argentina SA, Invitrogen BioServices India Private Limited, Invitrogen Europe Limited, Invitrogen Finance Corp., Invitrogen Holdings LLC, Invitrogen Holdings Ltd., Invitrogen Hong Kong Limited, Invitrogen IP Holdings Inc., Invitrogen Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ion Torrent Systems Inc., Ionalytics Corporation, JSC Thermo Fisher Scientific, Jouan LLC, Jouan Limited, Jouan SA, Kendro Containment & Services Limited, Kendro Laboratory Products Ltd, Kettlebrook Insurance Co. ltd., Keystone Scientific, KonTEM GmbH, Kyle Jordan Investments LLC, LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, LTC Tech South Africa PTY Ltd., La-Pha-Pack GmbH, Lab Vision (UK) Limited, Lab Vision Corporation, Lab-Chrom-Pack LLC, Lab-Line Instruments Inc., Labomex MBP S. de R. L. De C.V., Laboratoire Service International - L.S.I, Laboratory Management Systems Inc., Laboratory Specialties Proprietary Ltd., LambTrack Limited, Laser Analytical Systems Inc., Liberty Lane Investment LLC, Liberty Lane Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Life Sciences International (Poland) SP z O.O, Life Sciences International Holdings BV, Life Sciences International LLC, Life Sciences International Limited, Life Technologies AS, Life Technologies Australia PTY Ltd., Life Technologies BPD AB, Life Technologies BPD UK Limited, Life Technologies Brasil Comercio e Industria de Produtos para Biotecnologia Ltda, Life Technologies Chile SpA, Life Technologies Clinical Services Lab Inc., Life Technologies Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Czech Republic s.r.o., Life Technologies DaAn Diagnostic (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Europe B.V., Life Technologies Finance Ltd., Life Technologies Finland Oy, Life Technologies GmbH, Life Technologies Holdings PTE Ltd., Life Technologies Inc., Life Technologies International B.V., Life Technologies Japan Ltd., Life Technologies Korea LLC, Life Technologies Limited, Life Technologies Magyarorszag Kft, Life Technologies New Zealand Ltd., Life Technologies Norway Investments US LLC, Life Technologies Polska Sp z.o.o., Life Technologies SA, Life Technologies SAS, Life Technologies s.r.o, Linkage Biosciences Inc., Linkage Biosciences S.a.r.l., Loftus Furnace Company, Lomb Scientific, Lomb Scientific (Aust) Pty Limited, MTI-GlobalStem, Marketbase International Limited, Matrix MicroScience Inc., Matrix MicroScience Ltd., Matrix Technologies Corporation Limited, Matrix Technologies LLC, Maybridge Chemical Company Limited, Maybridge Chemical Holdings Limited, Maybridge Limited, Medical Analysis Systems Inc., Medical Analysis Systems International Inc., Medical Diagnostics Systems Inc., Metavac LLC, Microgenics Corporation, Microgenics Diagnostics Pty Limited, Microgenics GmbH, Microm International GmbH, Microm Laborgerate S.L.U, Molecular BioProducts Inc., Molecular Probes Inc., Molecular Transfer Inc., NAPCO Inc., NERL Diagnostics LLC, NOVODIRECT GmbH Labor- und Industrie- Megerate, Nalge (Europe) Limited, Nalge Nunc International (Monterrey) LLC, Nalge Nunc International Corporation, Nanjing WeiKangLe Trading Industrial Co Ltd, NanoDrop Technologies LLC, National Scientific Company, Navaho Acquisition Corp., Neomarkers Inc., New FS Holdings Inc., NewcoGen PE LLC, Nihon Dynal K.K., Niton Asia Limited, NovaWave Technologies Inc., Nunc A/S, ONIX Systems Inc., OXOID CZ s.r.o., Odyssey Holdings Corporation, Odyssey Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 1 S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 2 S.a r.l., Odyssey Venture Corporation, Omega Data Systems, One Lambda Inc, Onix Holdings Limited, Orme Scientific Limited, Owl Separation Systems LLC, Oxoid (ELY) Limited, Oxoid 2000 Limited, Oxoid AS, Oxoid Australia Pty. Limited, Oxoid Company, Oxoid Deutschland GmbH, Oxoid Holding SAS, Oxoid Holdings Limited, Oxoid Inc., Oxoid International Limited, Oxoid Investments GmbH, Oxoid Limited, Oxoid N.V., Oxoid New Zealand Limited, Oxoid Pension Trustees Limited, Oxoid Senior Holdings Limited, Oxoid UKH LLC, PAX - DSI Acquisition LLC, PE AG, Pacific Rim Far East Industries LLC, Pacific Rim Investment LLC, Panomics L.L.C., Panomics S.R.L., Patheon, Patheon API Inc., Patheon API Manufacturing Inc., Patheon API Services Inc., Patheon Austria GmbH & Co KG, Patheon B.V., Patheon Banner U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon Biologics (NJ) LLC, Patheon Biologics Australia Pty Ltd, Patheon Biologics B.V., Patheon Biologics LLC, Patheon Calculus Merger LLC, Patheon Cooperatief U.A., Patheon Development Services Inc., Patheon Finance LLC, Patheon France SAS, Patheon Holdings B.V., Patheon Holdings I B.V., Patheon Holdings II B.V., Patheon Holdings SAS, Patheon I B.V., Patheon I Holding GmbH, Patheon Inc., Patheon International AG, Patheon Italia S.p.A., Patheon KK, Patheon Life Science Products International GmbH, Patheon Manufacturing Services LLC, Patheon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Patheon Pharmaceuticals Services Inc., Patheon Puerto Rico Acquisitions Corporation, Patheon Puerto Rico Inc., Patheon Regensburg GmbH, Patheon Softgels B.V., Patheon Softgels Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings LLC, Patheon UK Limited, Patheon UK Pension Trustees Limited, Pelican Acquisition Corporation, Perbio Science (Canada) Company, Perbio Science AB, Perbio Science BVBA, Perbio Science France SAS, Perbio Science Inc., Perbio Science International Netherlands B.V., Perbio Science Invest AB, Perbio Science Nederland B.V., Perbio Science Projekt AB, Perbio Science Sweden Holdings AB, Perbio Science Switzerland SA, Perbio Science UK Limited, Phadia AB, Phadia Diagnosticos Ltda, Phadia GmbH, Phadia Holding AB, Phadia International Holdings C.V., Phadia Korea Co. Ltd, Phadia Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Phadia Malta Holdings Limited, Phadia Oy, Phadia Real Property AB, Phadia Sweden AB, Phadia Taiwan Inc., Phadia US Inc., Phadia s.r.o., Pharmacaps Mexicana SA de CV, Phenom-World B.V., Phenom-World Holding B.V, Phenom-World Innovations B.V., Phinotex, Pierce Biotechnology Inc., Pierce Milwaukee Holding Corp., Pierce Milwaukee Inc., Polychromix, Power Sweden Holdings I AB, Power Sweden Holdings II AB, Power Sweden Holdings III Aktiebolag, Princeton Gamma-Tech Instruments LLC, Princeton Security Technologies, Prionics AG, Prionics Asia Ltd., Prionics Deutschland GmbH, Prionics France SAS, Prionics Italia S.r.l., Prionics Lelystad B.V., Prionics USA Inc., Priority Air Express LLC, Priority Air Express Pte. Ltd., Priority Air Express UK Limited, Priority Air Holdings Corp, Priority Solutions International, Promedica Pty Limited, Proxeon, Proxeon Biosystems ApS, Qiagen, REP GBP I-B Blocker Inc., Raymond A Lamb Limited, Remel Europe Limited, Remel Inc., Richard-Allan Scientific Company, Robbins Scientific LLC, Robocon Labor- und Industrieroboter Gesellschaft m.b.H, Rupprecht and Patashnick, Rupprecht and Patashnick (R&P), Russell pH Limited, S.C.I. du 10 rue Dugay Trouin, SCI Inno 92, STC Bio Manufacturing Inc., Samco Scientific (Monterrey) LLC, Samco Scientific LLC, Saroph Sweden AB, Schantz Road LLC, Seradyn Inc., Shanghai Life Technologies Biotechnology Co. Limited, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (C-I) Trading Co. Ltd, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (S) Trading Co. Ltd, Southern Trials (Pty) Ltd., Specialty (SMI) Inc., Spectra-Physics AB, Spectra-Physics Holdings Limited, Spectra-Physics Holdings USA LLC, Spectronex, Staten Island Cogeneration Corporation, Sterilin Limited, Stokes Bio Ltd., Sweden DIA (Sweden) AB, SwissAnalytic Group GmbH, Systems Manufacturing Corporation, TFLP LLC, TFS Breda B.V., TFS LLC, TFS Singapore HK Limited, TFSL Financing GP LLC, TFSL Senior GP Holdings 2 LLC, TK Partnership, TKA Wasseraufbereitungssysteme, TMOI Inc., TPI Real Estate Holdings LLC, TSP Holdings I LLC, TWX LLC, Technology Design Solutions Pty Ltd, Thermedics Detection de Argentina S.R.L, Thermo Allen Coding Limited, Thermo Asset Management Services Inc., Thermo BioAnalysis LLC, Thermo BioAnalysis Limited, Thermo BioSciences Holdings LLC, Thermo CIDTEC, Thermo CRS Holdings Ltd., Thermo CRS Ltd., Thermo Cambridge Limited, Thermo Cayman Holdings Ltd., Thermo Corporation, Thermo DMA Inc., Thermo Detection de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Dutch Holdings Limited Partnership, Thermo EGS Gauging LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings I LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings II LLC, Thermo Eberline LLC, Thermo Electron (Calgary) Limited, Thermo Electron (Chile) S.p.A., Thermo Electron (Karlsruhe) GmbH, Thermo Electron (Management Services) Limited, Thermo Electron (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Electron A/S, Thermo Electron Australia Pty Limited, Thermo Electron Export Inc., Thermo Electron Holdings SAS, Thermo Electron Industries, Thermo Electron LED GmbH, Thermo Electron LED S.A.S., Thermo Electron Limited, Thermo Electron Manufacturing Limited, Thermo Electron Metallurgical Services Inc., Thermo Electron North America LLC, Thermo Electron Pension Trust GmbH, Thermo Electron Puerto Rico Inc., Thermo Electron SAS, Thermo Electron Scientific Instruments LLC, Thermo Electron Sweden AB, Thermo Electron Sweden Forvaltning AB, Thermo Electron Weighing & Inspection Limited, Thermo Elemental Limited, Thermo Environmental Instruments LLC, Thermo Fast U.K. Limited, Thermo Finland Holdings LLC, Thermo Finland Holdings MT1 B.V., Thermo Finland Holdings MT2 B.V., Thermo Finnigan LLC, Thermo Finnigan Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Malta Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN-I) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (CN-II) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings I Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings II Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings 2) LLC, Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) II Limited, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Heysham) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Kandel) GmbH, Thermo Fisher CHK Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust II, Thermo Fisher Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Thermo Fisher Cyprus Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Detection Mexico LLC, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics (Ireland) Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AB, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AG, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Aps, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Austria GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics B.V., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics K.K., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics NV, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.L.U., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.p.A. , Thermo Fisher Diagnostics SAS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Thermo Fisher Eurobonds Ltd., Thermo Fisher Financial Services Inc., Thermo Fisher GP LLC, Thermo Fisher German Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Germany B.V., Thermo Fisher India Divestco Private Limited, Thermo Fisher India Holding B.V., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Thermo Fisher Israel Ltd., Thermo Fisher Production et Services SAS, Thermo Fisher Project Cyprus LLC, Thermo Fisher Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Australia) C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Barbados) Holdings Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Breda) Holding BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (CN) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China-HK) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (DE) Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Ecublens) SARL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance II) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Fuji) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Holding II) B.V. & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Johannesburg) (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mexico City) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Milwaukee) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mississauga) Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Monterrey) S. De R.L. De C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (NK) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) Austria Holding GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-I) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-II) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN1) UK Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) Dutch LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Praha) s.r.o., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) GmbH & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Schweiz) AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Instruments Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Suzhou) Instruments Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific AL-1 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific AU II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Aquasensors LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V.B.A., Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (I) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (II) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics UAB, Thermo Fisher Scientific Beteiligungsverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Biosciences Corp., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brahms LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Instrumentos de Processo Ltda., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Servicos de Logistica Ltda, Thermo Fisher Scientific C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cayman Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chemicals Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific China (C-I) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China (S) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings IV B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings Aps, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus IV C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus V C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Denmark Senior Holdings ApS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie 1 Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Europe GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC Finance C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSUKHCO Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Falcon Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Finance Company BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific GENEART GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Germany BV & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific HR Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) I, Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) II , Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings Europe Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific IT Services GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Pvt Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Malta) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments Malta (Sweden Financing) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Invitrogen Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific K.K., Thermo Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific LSI Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments III S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments IV S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life NL Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Netherlands Holding C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Switzerland Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Tech Korea Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Enterprise Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investments Holding LP, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Luxembourg Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Enterprise Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg German Holdings S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Life Technologies UK Holding S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings I S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings II S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malta Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Messtechnik GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Mexico City S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Middle East Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Milano Srl, Thermo Fisher Scientific NHK Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Holdings, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway Holdings AS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway US Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Operating Company LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Oy, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 C.V, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Panama I Cayman Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Peru S.R.L., Thermo Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific SL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Financing LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Holdings Australia LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific South Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific SpA, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg I S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Investments Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Switzerland Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific TR Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Taiwan Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific West Palm Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Wissenschaftliche Gerate GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Worldwide Investments (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific eCommerce Solutions LLC , Thermo Fisher Senior Canada Holdings LLC, Thermo Foundation Inc., Thermo Gamma-Metrics Holdings Pty Ltd., Thermo Gamma-Metrics LLC, Thermo Gamma-Metrics Pty Ltd, Thermo Holding European Operations LLC, Thermo Hypersil Ltd, Thermo Hypersil-Keystone LLC, Thermo Informatics Asia Pacific Pty Ltd., Thermo Instrument Controls de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Thermo Kevex X-Ray LLC, Thermo Keytek LLC, Thermo LabSystems Inc., Thermo LabSystems S.A., Thermo Life Science International Trading (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Thermo Life Sciences AB, Thermo Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo MF Physics LLC, Thermo Measurement Ltd, Thermo Measuretech Canada Inc., Thermo Neslab LLC, Thermo Nicolet Limited, Thermo Onix Limited, Thermo Optek (Australia) Pty Ltd., Thermo Optek Limited, Thermo Optek S.A., Thermo Orion Inc., Thermo Portable Holdings LLC, Thermo Power Corporation, Thermo Process Instruments GP LLC, Thermo Process Instruments L.P., Thermo Projects Limited, Thermo Quest S.A., Thermo Radiometrie Limited, Thermo Ramsey Italia S.r.l., Thermo Ramsey LLC, Thermo Ramsey S.A., Thermo Re Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Pte Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Sdn Bhd, Thermo Scientific Portable Analytical Instruments Inc., Thermo Scientific Services Inc., Thermo Securities Corporation, Thermo Sentron Canada Inc., Thermo Sentron Limited, Thermo Shandon Inc., Thermo Shandon Limited, Thermo Suomi Holding B.V., Thermo TLH (UK) Limited, Thermo TLH L.P., Thermo Trace Pty Ltd., Thermo-Fisher Biochemical Product (Beijing) Co. Ltd., ThermoLase LLC, ThermoSpectra Limited, Trek Diagnostic Systems LLC, Trek Diagnostic Systems Ltd., Trek Holding Company II Ltd., Trek Holding Company Ltd., Trex Medical Corporation, USB Corporation, Union Lab Supplies Limited, United Diagnostics Inc., VG Systems Limited, Westover Scientific Inc., ZAO PE Biosystems, eBioscience GmbH, eBioscience Ltd, eBioscience SAS, and picoSpin LLC.

Read More
Aetna Inc. operates as a health care benefits company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Health Care, Group Insurance, and Large Case Pensions. The Health Care segment offers medical, pharmacy benefit management service, dental, behavioral health, and vision plans on an insured and employer-funded basis. It also provides point-of-service, preferred provider organization, health maintenance organization, and indemnity benefit plans, as well as health savings accounts and consumer-directed health plans. In addition, this segment offers Medicare and Medicaid products and services, as well as other medical products, such as medical management and data analytics services, medical stop loss insurance, workers' compensation administrative services, and products that provide access to its provider networks in select geographies. The Group Insurance segment offers life insurance products, including group term life insurance, voluntary spouse and dependent term life insurance, group universal life insurance, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance; disability insurance products; and long-term care insurance products, which provide the benefits to cover the cost of care in private home settings, adult day care, assisted living, or nursing facilities. The Large Case Pensions segment manages various retirement products comprising pension and annuity products primarily for tax-qualified pension plans. The company provides its products and services to employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups, and expatriates. Aetna Inc. was founded in 1853 and is based in Hartford, Connecticut.
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. manufactures, and distributes life science research and clinical diagnostic products in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company operates through Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics segments. The Life Science segment develops, manufactures, and markets a range of reagents, apparatus, and laboratory instruments that are used in research techniques, biopharmaceutical production processes, and food testing regimes. It focuses on selected segments of the life sciences market in proteomics, genomics, biopharmaceutical production, cellular biology, and food safety. This segment serves universities and medical schools, industrial research organizations, government agencies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology researchers, food producers, and food testing laboratories. The Clinical Diagnostics segment designs, manufactures, sells, and supports test systems, informatics systems, test kits, and specialized quality controls for clinical laboratories in the diagnostics market. This segment offers reagents, instruments, and software, which address specific niches within the in vitro diagnostics test market. It sells its products to reference laboratories, hospital laboratories, state newborn screening facilities, physicians' office laboratories, and transfusion laboratories. In addition, the company offers products and systems to separate complex chemical and biological materials, as well as to identify, analyze, and purify components. The company offers its products through its direct sales force, as well as through distributors, agents, brokers, and resellers. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Hercules, California.
General Mills, Inc. manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates in five segments: North America Retail; Convenience Stores & Foodservice; Europe & Australia; Asia & Latin America; and Pet. It offers ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream, nutrition bars, wellness beverages, and savory and grain snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables. It also supplies branded and unbranded food products to the North American foodservice and commercial baking industries; and manufactures and markets pet food products, including dog and cat food. The company markets its products under the Annie's, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Blue Buffalo, Blue Basics, Blue Freedom, Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, EPIC, Fiber One, Food Should Taste Good, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, Gardetto's, Go-Gurt, Gold Medal, Golden Grahams, Haagen-Dazs, Helpers, Jus-Rol, Kitano, Kix, Larabar, Latina, Liberte, Lucky Charms, Muir Glen, Nature Valley, Oatmeal Crisp, Old El Paso, Oui, Pillsbury, Progresso, Raisin Nut Bran, Total, Totino's, Trix, Wanchai Ferry, Wheaties, Wilderness, Yoki, and Yoplait trademarks. It sells its products directly, as well as through broker and distribution arrangements to grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, e-commerce retailers, commercial and noncommercial foodservice distributors and operators, restaurants, convenience stores, and pet specialty stores, as well as drug, dollar, and discount chains. The company operates 466 leased and 392 franchise ice cream parlors. General Mills, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
AXIS Capital Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides various specialty insurance and reinsurance products worldwide. It operates through two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Insurance segment offers property insurance products for commercial buildings, residential premises, construction projects, and onshore energy installations; marine insurance products covering offshore energy, cargo, liability, recreational marine, fine art, specie, and hull war; and terrorism, aviation, credit and political risk, and liability insurance products. It also provides professional insurance products that cover directors' and officers' liability, errors and omissions liability, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, crime, professional indemnity, cyber and privacy, medical malpractice, and other financial insurance related coverages for commercial enterprises, financial institutions, not-for-profit organizations, and other professional service providers. In addition, this segment offers accidental death, travel, and specialty health products for employer and affinity groups. The Reinsurance segment offers reinsurance products to insurance companies, including catastrophe reinsurance products; property reinsurance products covering property damage and related losses resulting from natural and man-made perils; professional lines; credit and surety; and motor liability products. This segment also provides agriculture reinsurance products; coverages for various types of construction risks and risks related to erection, testing, and commissioning of machinery and plants during the construction stage; marine and aviation reinsurance products; and personal accident, specialty health, accidental death, travel, life and disability reinsurance products. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Pembroke, Bermuda.
Redwood Trust, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty finance company in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Residential Mortgage Banking, Business Purpose Mortgage Banking, and Investment Portfolio. The Residential Mortgage Banking segment operates a mortgage loan conduit that acquires residential loans from third-party originators for subsequent sale, securitization, or transfer to its investment portfolio. This segment also offers derivative financial instruments to manage risks associated with residential loans. The Business Purpose Mortgage Banking segment operates a platform that originates and acquires business purpose loans, such as single-family rental and bridge loans for subsequent securitization, sale, or transfer into its investment portfolio. The Investment Portfolio segment invests in securities retained from residential and business purpose securitization activities, and residential and small-balance multifamily bridge loans, as well as residential mortgage-backed securities issued by third parties, Freddie Mac K-Series multifamily loan securitizations and reperforming loan securitizations, servicer advance investments, home equity investments, and other housing-related investments. The company qualifies as a real estate investment trust (REIT) for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it intends to distribute at least 90% of its taxable income as dividends to shareholders. Redwood Trust, Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Mill Valley, California.
The Travelers Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United states and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance. The Business Insurance segment offers workers' compensation, commercial automobile and property, general liability, commercial multi-peril, employers' liability, public and product liability, professional indemnity, marine, aviation, onshore and offshore energy, construction, terrorism, personal accident, and kidnap and ransom insurance products. This segment operates through select accounts, which serve small businesses; commercial accounts that serve mid-sized businesses; national accounts, which serve large companies; and national property and other that serve large and mid-sized customers, commercial trucking industry, and agricultural businesses, as well as markets and distributes its products through brokers, wholesale agents, and program managers. The Bond & Specialty Insurance segment provides surety, fidelity, management and professional liability, and other property and casualty coverages and related risk management services through independent agencies and brokers. The Personal Insurance segment offers property and casualty insurance covering personal risks, primarily automobile and homeowners insurance to individuals through independent agencies and brokers. The Travelers Companies, Inc. was founded in 1853 and is based in New York, New York.
TransUnion provides risk and information solutions. The company operates in three segments: U.S. Markets, International, and Consumer Interactive. The U.S. Markets segment provides consumer reports, actionable insights, and analytics to businesses. These businesses use its services to acquire new customers; assess consumer ability to pay for services; identify cross-selling opportunities; measure and manage debt portfolio risk; collect debt; verify consumer identities; and mitigate fraud risk. This segment serves various industry vertical markets, including financial services, insurance, tenant and employment, collections and services, technology, commerce and communication, public sector, media, and other markets. The International segment offers credit reports, analytics, technology solutions, and other value-added risk management services; and consumer services, which help consumers to manage their personal finances and consumer credit reporting, insurance and auto information solutions, and commercial credit information services. This segment serves customers in financial services, retail credit, insurance, automotive, collections, public sector, and communications industries through direct and indirect channels. The Consumer Interactive segment provides credit reports and scores, credit monitoring, identity protection and resolution, and financial management solutions that enable consumers to manage their personal finances and take precautions against identity theft. This segment offers its products through online and mobile interfaces, as well as through direct and indirect channels. The company serves customers in approximately 30 countries and territories, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, India, and the Asia Pacific. The company was formerly known as TransUnion Holding Company, Inc. and changed its name to TransUnion in March 2015. TransUnion was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. provides reinsurance and insurance products around the world. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Bermuda with offices in Ireland, Australia, Switzerland, Singapore, and the US.

The company operates through two segments that include multiple underlying businesses and investment vehicles. The two main segments are Property and Casualty & Specialty. The company operates through intermediaries that include DaVinci Resinsurance Inc, Top Layer Reinsurance LTD, and RennaisanceRe Syndicate 1458 among others.

Top Layer Re is the first major venture and was started in 1999. It is a joint venture with State Farm targeting high layers of the US reinsurance business. DaVinci Re was formed in the wake of 9/11 to assist with capacity and it was given added capacity in the wake of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Medici was formed in 2009 and is an open-ended fund intended to spur investment in the catastrophe bond market.

The Property segment writes catastrophic insurance policies to insure insurance and reinsurance companies against natural and man-made catastrophes. These include but are not limited to hurricanes, floods, freezes, and terrorism.

The Casualty & Specialty segment provides a wide range of consumer products including business insurance, malpractice insurance, liability insurance, workers' compensation, mortgage insurance, and health insurance among others.

Among RenaissanceRes Specialty businesses is capital management. The firm offers 6 investment vehicles and has more than $11 billion under management making it the #1 ILS or insurance-linked asset manager in the US. In regards to its credit ratings, the firm and all of its vehicles carry an A or better rating from every credit rating agency.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand. The company also provides home decor products under the West Elm brand; kids accessories under the Pottery Barn Kids brand; and an organic bedding to multi-purpose furniture under the Pottery Barn Teen brand. In addition, it offers made-to-order lighting, hardware, furniture, and home decors inspired by history under the Rejuvenation brand; and women's and men's accessories, travel, entertaining and bar, home decor, and seasonal items under the Mark and Graham brand, as well as operates a 3-D imaging and augmented reality platform for the home furnishings and decor industry. The company markets its products through e-commerce websites, direct-mail catalogs, and retail stores. It operates 544 stores comprising 502 stores in 41states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico; 20 stores in Canada; 19 stores in Australia; 3 stores in the United Kingdom; and 139 franchised stores, as well as e-commerce websites in various countries in the Middle East, the Philippines, Mexico, South Korea, and India. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
UK-based personal care and beauty products group Swallowfield announced on Tuesday that it had grown both full-year profits and revenue.

In its trading report for the full year ended 24 June, Swallowfield said its pre-tax profits rose to 3.1m over the year against the 2.3m it had posted just twelve months earlier, thanks to a 36% rise in revenue to 74.3m.

The AIM-listed firm also noted that its 2016 acquisition of The Brand Architekts gave revenue a significant boost.

"We continue to make good progress against our clear strategic priorities and the completion of the transformational acquisition of The Brand Architekts during the year will ensure that Swallowfield continues to be well positioned for the future," non-executive chairman Brendan Hynes said.

EBITDA after exceptional operating items rose to 4.82m from 3.69m in the previous year thanks to the heightened revenue.

Adjusted earnings per share increased 40% year-on-year to 17.7p.

Net debt fell 700,000 to 3.6m as cash and equivalents ballooned out to 4.05m from just 798,000 at the same time in 2016.

In a separate update, Swallowfield announced that finance director Mark Warren had retired after eight years with the firm and would be replaced by Matthew Gazzard, formerly of Thatchers Cider.

Chief executive Chris How, added, "The acquisition of The Brand Architekts has delivered fully against our expectations and has been integrated smoothly and effectively into the Group. In our manufacturing business, continued focus on innovation, quality and service has enabled it to perform solidly in its own right, as well as provide important support to the growth of our owned brands."

As of 1455 BST, shares had leapt ahead 17.04% to 327.70p.
Employment contracts in the UK with no guaranteed hours make up 5% of the total contracts given out to workers, the Office of National Statistics has revealed.

The total number of so-called zero hours contracts in the UK is now at 1.4m, which is actually down from the equivalent figure for 2016, which sat at 1.7m.

As part of the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the amount of people who said their main job was based on a zero hour contract was 883,000, representing 2.8% of all employment.

The number of such contracts decreased from 903,000 in the same period in 2016, a fall of 20,000.

That decrease was the first of its kind since 2011, with zero hours contracts being on a steady upward trend since that time.

The survey concluded that the typical profile of employees working without guaranteed hours was likely to be young, part-time, women or in full-time education.

65.4% of people on zero hours contracts are working part-time when compared with 25.4% of people who are working on such contracts.

Almost one quarter of those surveyed who were not on guaranteed hours said they worked in the health and social service industry.

There has been a significant backlash against businesses which make use of the practice. Earlier this month workers at fast food chain McDonalds staged a strike against the use of the contracts and other company policies.
Reckitt Benckiser Group has chosen Chris Sinclair to be its next chairman after Adrian Bellamy decided he will retire from the role next year.

At the 2018 annual shareholder meeting Bellamy will hand over to Sinclair, who has served on the board since 2015.

Sinclair is former president and CEO of PepsiCo's food and beverage division, and more recently was chairman and CEO of toy-maker Mattel, and held executive chairman roles at Scandent Holdings and Cambridge Solutions.

In a stock market statement, Reckitt highlighted Sinclair's experience combined "both strategic and operational capability, and brings deep knowledge of the consumer goods sector and international markets".

"His extensive track record in developing trusted consumer brands around the world and deep experience in emerging markets make him ideally suited to lead the next phase of RB's future," the company said, highlighting his role strengthening and extending brands internationally at PepsiCo and strong focus on innovation, e-commerce and quality at Mattel.

Bellamy departs after overseeing RB's transformation from a household cleaning company into the global consumer health and hygiene conglomerate.

Since he took over as chairman, investors have enjoyed a total shareholder return of 823%, compared with 207% for the FTSE 100 as a whole, the company calculated.

As part of the transition, Sinclair has replaced Bellamy as chairman of the nomination committee.

He said: "RB is an outstanding company with leading brands and a very strong sense of purpose. I would like to pay tribute to Adrian's leadership and stewardship which has contributed to RB's success over many years. The company has a strong track record of outperformance and as a board we will continue to have a clear focus on maximizing the opportunities to outperform in the future."
The new division comprises of Apache brand which also includes the upcoming faired motorcycle. The new branch is headed by Arun Siddharth, Vice President, marketing motorcycles, premium category and international business. Apart from that Siddharth will also continue to lead TVS Racing.

The Apache RR 310S was spotted several times being tested on the Indian roads. The patent image of the motorcycle was also leaked. When launched, it will be the most powerful offering from the stable of TVS.

Recommended Video Benelli TNT 300 ABS Now Avaliable In India - DriveSpark

The Apache RR 310S is underpinned by the same platform as the BMW Motorrad's entry-level naked offering; the G 310 R. The motorcycle draws power from the existing 313cc single cylinder, fuel injected engine producing 34bhp and 28Nm of torque.

TVS has tuned the engine so that it will suit the Indian road condition. The Apache RR 310S also features upside down forks at the front and monoshock suspension at the rear. Apart from that the motorcycle gets digital instrument cluster and split seats. TVS is likely to offer ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) at least as an option.

DriveSpark Thinks!

TVS has been testing the Apache RR 310S for quite some time in India. Now, the company is set to introduce its latest creation. When launched the motorcycle will lock horns with the likes of KTM RC390, Benelli 302R, Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Yamaha YZF-R3. The motorcycle is expected to be priced below Rs 2 lakh.
MILAN  In a switch of emphasis away from the debate on fluorocarbon chemistry used for water repellency in textiles, but still with a clear focus on the global textile and clothing sectors, Greenpeace has said the industry should now move towards a slow fashion business model as a solution to the environmental problems of the industry  and society as a whole.

At the opening of Milan Fashion Week, the international pressure group puts forward a 12 step plan for the industry to reach this goal in a new report, which calls for retailers and brands to improve the durability and quality of clothing, move away from fast fashion, source more natural raw materials rather than synthetics  while paying greater attention to the issue of microplastics in both virgin and recycled materials. The report also argues for legislative changes to introduce such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and tax breaks and financial incentives for small, fairtrade and sustainable businesses.

The report, Fashion at the Crossroads published by Greenpeace Germany, also criticises some existing environmental textile industry initiatives that call for circularity claiming this will be impossible to achieve and could stall progress and actually help to perpetuate the fast fashion business model.
By Rachel Leven and Jamie Smith Hopkins

The international climate-fighting pact would create jobs, Google said. Leaving the deal known as the Paris accord would be bad for business, top executives from Bank of America and Coca-Cola argued. When President Donald Trump committed to yanking the U.S. out anyway, PayPal and Western Union countered We are still in.

These corporate titans and at least 22 others were among those who sought to preserve the U.S. role in the landmark Paris agreement ratified by about 160 countries. So why exactly would these 27 business powerhouses also support a GOP group thats fought to undo a key Obama-era domestic climate initiative?

The answer is, well, complicated. The overwhelming majority of these companies have no overt incentive to undermine the U.S. climate effort. One leading solar company, in fact, had a driving financial imperative to cheer it on. These companies donations of more than $3 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association over the past three-and-a-half years speaks instead to the difficulties for corporations trying to navigate the political system in a country thats polarizedparticularly on climate change.

The Obama-era Clean Power Plan provides a stark example. Starting in 2014, the group comprising many states Republican attorneys general spoke out against this Obama-era rule aiming to reduce climate-changing carbon emissions in the U.S. power sector. Nearly all the Republican attorneys general sued in 2015, alongside fossil fuel groups, to quash the power plan. A few Democratic attorneys general did as well; the majority pushed back in court to try to save it.

In giving to the GOP group, many of the big businesses said they were simply following a time-honored corporate tradition of donating to both partiesthough most of these companies donated more to the Republican group than its Democratic counterpart. And they nodded at the political reality: A business needs to engage with elected officials on both sides of the aisle to influence policy, they said.

This is a function of our democratic system, Verizon subsidiary Oath said in a statement, speaking on behalf of one company on the list that it recently acquired, Yahoo.

But campaign finance experts countered that business officials can influence policy without writing a check to decision-makers like attorneys generaladvocating their policy positions through lobbyists, for example. Because these businesses have said climate action is a priority, making political contributions that can work against that goal puts their reputations or even revenues at risk, these experts said.

I dont doubt that their public statements about the Paris climate agreement are sincere but it matters that when it actually comes down to how they spend their money, theyre giving to politicians that have almost the exact opposite goal, said Daniel Weiner, senior counsel for the Brennan Center for Justices Democracy Program, which advocates for campaign finance reform. It doesnt mean that theyre actually lying, but it does lead one to wonder how strong their commitment to fight global warming actually is.

Attorneys General and Climate Change

The job of state attorney general has in recent years become increasingly high-profile and partisan. The GOP group, also known as RAGA, and the competing Democratic Attorneys General Association didnt even exist until 1999 and 2002, respectively. Now, both are sharply focused on election fundraising to increase their parties control of top state prosecutor jobs.

Attorneys general have flexed their muscles in a variety of ways, most recently when the Trump administration said it was partly threats of litigation from GOP AGs that caused the president to halt a program protecting from deportation certain immigrants brought to the country as children. A coalition of Democratic AGs then promptly sued.

But its the domestic Clean Power Plan that has received an outsize share of energy from Republican attorneys general. RAGA has called the rule unlawful and a prime example of the federal Environmental Protection Agency exerting authority that it doesnt have to carry out a political agenda against fossil fuels. The GOP group has warned that it would kill jobs, raise electricity prices and put in jeopardy the power grids reliability. (These arguments were disputed by the Obama administration).

RAGA, which did not respond to requests for comment, isnt the only Republican fundraising group whose elected officials have doubts about global warming or the necessity of combating it through federal action. But the attorneys general association has stood out for making the power plan specifically its Enemy No. 1. The victory that tops RAGAs list of accomplishments on its website: Convincing the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 to halt implementation of Obamas signature climate change initiative.

The Republican attorneys general were likely crucial in securing the Supreme Court decision to keep the rule from taking effect while a lower court considered its legality because they gave the opposition to the plan a legitimacy it wouldnt otherwise have had, said Daniel Farber, a law professor with the University of California, Berkeley. That pause left the still-in-limbo plan more vulnerable to the new administration, which is now determining its next steps after Trump vowed to dismantle it.

As weve seen with Obamacare, Farber said by email, referring to health care reform efforts, once something has gone into effect, it becomes a lot harder to undo it.

Pro-Paris Companies Donations to Group Fighting Climate Rule

These companies recently advocated for the U.S. to stay in an international climate change-fighting pact known as the Paris accord. Still, they donated from 2014 to 2017 to the Republican Attorneys General Association as it organized against the Clean Power Plan, the domestic effort to reduce the power sectors planet-warming emissions. Heres what these companies contributed to RAGA and its Democratic counterpart during that period. See the companies comments here.

* Contributions for Dow Chemical and Corning each include a $15,000 donation by their former joint venture, Dow Corning, before it was reorganized

** Hewlett Packard split into two companies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP on Nov. 1, 2015

Intended and Unintended Consequences

Some political contributors couldnt be happier. Though RAGA has said it reached its conclusion that the power plan was an unconstitutional overreach on its own, separate from political contributions, coal conglomerate Murray Energy was among those that donated to the group, then urged legal action, Bloomberg News reported.

The 27 companies that spoke out against leaving the Paris accord and then supported RAGA are another matter.

Only two pushed back in some way against the Obama administration Clean Power Plan fought by RAGAExxon Mobil, which panned it, and General Electric, which advocated for several changes while it was still a proposal. Far more were active on the other side, urging officials to support the ruleor even, in the case of Google and Microsoft, filing arguments in court to try to counteract the lawsuit by the attorneys general whose political group theyd helped fund.

The most striking example? SolarCity, the nations largest residential solar-panel provider. Its investors were certain the Obama power plan would be good for businessand its absence was bad news. The companys stock nose-dived 26 percent the morning after the Supreme Court paused the rule.

Still, three months later, SolarCity donated $20,000 to RAGA, on top of the roughly $15,000 it donated to the group the year before.

Dues for Membership

So why did it do that? SolarCity declined to comment. Several others didnt respond, including Bank of America and Google. But other companies, such as PayPal, echoed a common theme: the need to support or work with candidates and organizations on both sides of the aisle that deal with issues central to their business.

During the timeframe that the 27 companies donated about $3.3 million to the Republican group, 23 of them collectively gave about $1.9 million to the parallel Democratic organization.

Some companies, including JPMorgan Chase, told the Center for Public Integrity that their contributions to RAGA are dues or that they are membersas if the political group with a mission of getting officials elected is no different than a trade association. Western Union said its membership in both attorneys general groups allows it to properly educate state prosecutors and support other initiatives in individual states.

Indeed, RAGA has pitched itself that way (and still does) to would-be contributors, laying out the membership benefitsaccessfor various amounts of money, according to internal documents obtained by The New York Times. The Democratic group has done the same, the newspaper reported in a 2014 investigation.

Sean Rankin, executive director of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, said the money flowing to its attorneys general isnt changing their stance on issues. But they see an existential need to catch up with their Republican counterparts fundraising. The attorneys general for twenty states and the District of Columbia are Democrats, down from 32 in 2010.

Between 2014 and mid-2017 alone, RAGA raised nearly three times as much as the Democratic group from all sources.

The money is significant, Rankin said. It was money that played a role to put more Republican AGs into office.

For Coca-Cola, which gave just more than $200,000 to the Republican group and about $75,000 to the Democratic group between 2014 and mid-2017, political donations arent earmarked to support all the policy positions held by recipients. Our goal is not perfect philosophical alignment, the company said.

Intel, which gave $50,000 to the Republican group and $25,000 to its counterpart, was more direct.

We recognize that it is impractical and unrealistic to expect that we or our stockholders and stakeholders will agree with every issue that a politician or trade association may support, particularly given our strategy of bipartisan giving, William Moss, a spokesman for Intel, wrote in an email.

Risks to the Bottom Line

But the implicit dilemma is that political spending is an action, even when companies split their contributions to the countrys two major parties down the middle, said Ann Skeet, director of leadership ethics at Santa Clara Universitys Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

Theres actually policy implications that go with the money that they spend, Skeet said.

The Conference Board, a business membership and research association, warns companies flat out in its corporate political activity handbook that that they must be mindful of the risks to their reputation or bottom line if they belong to trade groups opposing their positions on major issues. Bruce F. Freed, a co-author of that reportwhich cites climate change as a potent example of priority clashsaid the same point is true of corporate political giving to any group. Freed is president of the Washington watchdog Center for Political Accountability.

Target, which is not one of the 27 companies on the Center for Public Integritys list, could tell them a thing or two about PR problems. The company, which built a reputation for gay-friendly policies, faced boycotts in 2010 after contributing $150,000 to a super PAC backing a candidate who opposed gay marriage. The company apologized after initially saying the donation fit into Targets strategy of giving to pro-business candidates on both sides of the aisle.

There are real consequences, said Freed, when there is a disconnect.
The Dubai government has awarded a

$3.9 billion contract to construct the 700-megawatt fourth and final phase of the world-record-holding Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

The project also includes the construction of an 850-foot-tall solar tower that receives focused sunlight, the worlds tallest such structure once complete.

The contract was awarded to a consortium of Chinas Shanghai Electric and Saudi Arabias ACWA Power, who bid a Levelized Cost of Electricity of 7.3 U.S. cents per kilowatt houra record low price for concentrated solar power (CSP).

Our focus on

renewable energy generation has led to a drop in prices worldwide and has lowered the price of solar power bids in Europe and the Middle East. This was evident today when we received the lowest CSP project cost in the world, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of DEWA, said.

The facility will eventually produce 1,000 megawatts by 2020 and 5,000 megawatts by 2030, or enough power for 800,000 homes and the reduction of 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

CSPs use mirrors to concentrate the suns rays to heat molten salt and produce superheated steam to drive a generators turbines. Unlike traditional solar panels, CSPs can produce power long after the sun has set, and can store energy for up to 15 hours.

The massive solar park is part of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to provide 7 percent of the emirates total power output from clean energy sources by 2020, 25 percent by 2030 and 75 percent by 2050.

This project is a game changer in our quest to decarbonize electricity generation by making available renewable energy at a price that competes with fossil fuel-generated electricity without subsidy not just when the sun is shining but at any time of the day and night, Paddy Padmanathan, president and CEO of ACWA Power, said in a

news release.
By Carey Gillam

Three years ago this month Monsanto executives realized they had a big problem on their hands.

It was September 2014 and the companys top-selling chemical, the weed killer called glyphosate that is the foundation for Monsantos branded Roundup products, had been selected as one among a handful of pesticides to undergo scrutiny by the World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Monsanto had spent decades fending off concerns about the safety of glyphosate and decrying scientific research indicating the chemical might cause cancer or other diseases. And even though the IARC review was still months away, Monsantos own scientists knew what the outcome would likely beand they knew it wouldnt be good.

Internal company records show not just the level of fear Monsanto had over the impending review, but notably that company officials fully expected IARC scientists would find at least some cancer connections to glyphosate. Company scientists discussed the vulnerability that surrounded their efforts to defend glyphosate amid multiple unfavorable research findings in studies of people and animals exposed to the weed killer. In addition to epidemiology studies, we also have potential vulnerabilities in the other areas that IARC will consider, namely, exposure, genetox and mode of action a Monsanto scientist wrote in October 2014. That same email discussed a need to find allies and arrange funding for a fightall months before the IARC meeting in March 2015.

And Monsanto predicted internally before IARC even met that the review of the scientific evidence would result in a decision that glyphosate possibly was carcinogenic or probably was. Monsanto officials had forecast the IARC decision in an internal preparedness plan that warned colleagues to assume and prepare for the outcome The document shows Monsanto thought it most likely that IARC would peg glyphosate as a possible human carcinogen. The rating of probable carcinogen was possible but less likely, the Monsanto memo stated. IARC ultimately did classify glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans.

As the IARC meeting loomed, the internal documents show that Monsanto did not wait for the actual IARC decision before acting. It enlisted teams of PR and lobbying experts, scientists and others in a plan aimed at creating what was designed to appear as a storm of outcry and outrage to follow the IARC classification. IARC had a history of questionable and politically charged rulings, the Monsanto memo said.

The plan was to create enough controversy to thoroughly discredit IARCs evaluation because Monsanto officials knew that regulators would be influenced by IARC, and continued widespread use of the top-selling chemical could be at risk.

It is possible that IARCs decision will impact future regulatory decision making, Monsanto stated in its internal correspondence.

The timing was critical because in 2015 both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Commission were evaluating re-authorizations of Monsantos weed killer. Following IARCs classification, both the European Union and the EPA delayed final decisions on glyphosate amid the still-brewing debate over the chemicals safety.

What this indicates to me is that it was obvious to Monsanto that there was evidence of carcinogenicity, said Peter Infante, an epidemiologist who worked for more than 24 years for the U.S. government studying cancer risks to workers from exposure to toxic substances. It would seem to me that Monsanto does not like the public to be informed of the cancer hazard.

After the IARC ruling, a storm of protest did erupt from various individuals and organizations alongside Monsantos howls of indignant outrage. Some have questioned the wisdom of U.S. funding for IARC and Monsanto has perpetuated a false narrative that the chairman of the IARC working group withheld critical information from the team.

The document trail, which includes internal emails, memos and other communications obtained from Monsanto by plaintiffs attorneys through litigation pending in the U.S., makes clear that the debate over, and challenge to, IARCs classification did not sprout authentically from a variety of voices, but rather was manufactured by Monsanto in advance of IARCs decision and continued afterward. The goals wasand isto convince regulators to discount the findings of the team of independent scientific experts who made up the IARC team that examined glyphosate.

The internal records obtained through litigation, combined with documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state records requests also show that the actions employed to discredit IARC were part of a decades-long pattern of deceptive tactics by Monsanto to persuade regulators, lawmakers and members of the press and public that glyphosate and Roundup are safe. The company has used these tactics multiple times over the years to try to discredit several scientists whose research has found harmful effects associated with glyphosate.

Orchestrate Outcry

The IARC attack plan, which was laid out in a February 2015 memo, involved not only Monsantos internal PR people, scientists and marketing experts, but a range of outside industry players. Various individuals were assigned tasks. The strategies and tactics included:

Orchestrate Outcry with IARC DecisionIndustry conducts robust media/social media outreach on process and outcome.

Identify/request third-party experts to blog, op/ed, tweet and/or link, repost, retweet, etc. The documents show one such expert, academic Henry Miller, was provided a draft article.

to submit to Forbes for publication under his name with no mention of Monsantos involvement. Forbes learned of the deceit last month and severed relations with Miller.

Inform/Inoculate/Engage Industry PartnersNotably the industry partners listed included three organizations that purport to be independent of Monsanto but have long been seen by critics as front groups for the companyMonsanto named Academics Review and the Genetic Literacy Project, both based in the U.S. and Sense About Science. which has run operations in the United Kingdom and the U.S., as groups to help with its mission. In fact, Sense About Science was the group identified by Monsanto to lead the industry response and provide a platform for IARC observers. The groups did as Monsanto planned, posting scathing attacks on IARC on their websites.

Engagement with Regulatory AgenciesMonsanto planned for grower associations/ growers to write regulators with an appeal that they remain focused on the science, not the politically charged decision by IARC.

Push opinion leader letter to key daily newspaper on day of IARC ruling with assistance of the Potomac Group marketing firm.

The preparedness plan also called for supporting the development of three new papers on glyphosate focused on epidemiology and toxicology. As planned, shortly after the IARC decision Monsanto arranged for several scientistsmany of them former employees or paid consultantsto author and publish research papers supporting glyphosate safety. It was revealed through discovery documents that Monsanto discussed ghostwriting the papers. In one email, company scientist William Heydens told colleagues the company could ghost-write certain reports that would carry the names of outside scientiststhey would just edit & sign their names so to speak, he wrote. He cited as an example a 2000 study that has been regarded as influential by regulators. Documents show Monsantos heavy writing and editing involvement in the resulting purportedly independent review.

Monsanto has adamantly denied ghostwriting, but one memo from August 2015 from the files of Monsanto scientist David Saltmiras actually uses that term, stating that he ghostwrote cancer review paper Greim et al (2015) referring to a paper that showed authorship by German scientist Helmut Greim along with Saltmiras. (Monsanto has acknowledged that Greim worked as a consultant to the company with part of his job being to publish peer-reviewed data on glyphosate).

Another internal email illustrates the writing by a Monsanto scientist of a research paper titled Developmental and Reproductive Outcomes after Glyphosate Exposure. The scientist, Donna Farmer, did extensive work, including what she called a cut and paste of certain information. But her name was not included as an author before the paper was submitted to a journal. The published version, concluded there was no solid evidence linking glyphosate exposure to adverse developmental or reproductive effects.

The paper trail of documents also show that Monsanto feared that a U.S. health agency planning to review glyphosate in 2015 might agree with IARC and collaborated with the EPA to successfully block that agencythe Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR)from doing its review. Were trying to do everything we can to keep from having a domestic IARC occur, a company official wrote.

The record also shows that well before IARC, Monsanto recruited networks of academic scientists in the U.S and Europe who have defended Monsantos products, including its weed killer, without declaring their collaborations with Monsanto. And that these silent soldiers helped Monsanto discredit scientists who reported research showing harm associated with glyphosate and Roundup, including working at Monsantos bidding to get one damaging study by French scientist Gilles-Eric Seralini retracted from a scientific journal where it was published in September 2012. The company even discounted concerns by one of its own paid consultants who found evidence of glyphosates genotoxicity and refused to do the additional tests he recommended.

If what Monsanto says is true, that glyphosate is so very safe, and that there is no evidence it causes cancer or other health problems, then why all the smoke and mirrors? Why would the company need to ghostwrite research papers to present to regulators? Why would Monsanto need to establish networks of scientists to promote glyphosate safety and to tear down scientists whose research raises concerns? Why would Monsanto try to block a review of glyphosate by the U.S. ATSDR?

Two committees of the European Parliament have scheduled a hearing for Oct. 11 in Brussels to delve into these and other questions as the European Commission faces a looming deadline for making a decision on the re-authorization of glyphosate before the end of 2017.

Lawmakers should take note of evidence that their own food safety agency appears to have dropped the ball on independent assessments of glyphosate research. Records show that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) dismissed a study linking Monsantos weed killer to cancer at the advice of an EPA official who Monsanto deemed useful and who is part of a probe now into possible collusion between the EPA and Monsanto.

They should also pay heed to news that EFSA based its recommendation on glyphosate on a report that copied and pasted analyses from a Monsanto study.

Monsanto Chairman Hugh Grant was invited to address the Parliament meeting in October, but declined to appear or to send anyone else from Monsanto. Dr. Roland Solecki, head of chemical safety for the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), has also declined, according to organizers. I do plan to participate, as will a representative from IARC and several others.

Throughout this debate, it is worthwhile to remember that the concerns about glyphosate safety have deep roots that date all the way back to at least 1985 when EPA toxicologists looked at data showing rare tumors in mice dosed with glyphosate and determined that glyphosate was possibly carcinogenic to humans.

Monsanto protests eventually reversed that classification but in light of all of the deceptive tactics recently revealed in documents, the words of an EPA scientist more than 30 years ago are worth considering today: Glyphosate is suspect Monsantos argument is unacceptable.

The EPA scientist in that 1985 memo also wrote: Our viewpoint is one of protecting the public health when we see suspicious data. It is not our job to protect registrants

European lawmakers would be wise to recall those words.
Ellwood City-area homes for sale rise in price to $139,000

In Lawrence County, homes for sale had a median price of $86 per square foot, while Pennsylvania's was $169
BEER-SHEVA, Israel...Sept. 19, 2017 - Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have demonstrated that security cameras infected with malware can receive covert signals and leak sensitive information from the very same surveillance devices used to protect facilities.

The method, according to researchers, will work on both professional and home security cameras, and even LED doorbells, which can detect infrared light (IR), not visible to the human eye.

In the new paper, the technique the researchers have dubbed "aIR-Jumper" also enables the creation of bidirectional, covert, optical communication between air-gapped internal networks, which are computers isolated and disconnected from the internet that do not allow for remote access to the organization.

The cyber team led by Dr. Mordechai Guri, head of research and development for BGU's Cyber Security Research Center (CSRC), shows how IR can be used to create a covert communication channel between malware installed on an internal computer network and an attacker located hundreds of yards outside or even miles away with direct line of sight. The attacker can use this channel to send commands and receive response messages.

To transmit sensitive information, the attacker uses the camera's IR-emitting LEDs, which are typically used for night vision. The researchers showed how malware can control the intensity of the IR to communicate with a remote attacker that can receive signals with a simple camera without detection. Then the attacker can record and decode these signals to leak sensitive information.

The researchers shot two videos to highlight their technique. The first video shows an attacker hundreds of yards away sending infrared signals to a camera. The second video shows the camera infected with malware responding to covert signals by exfiltration data, including passwords.

According to Dr. Guri, "Security cameras are unique in that they have 'one leg' inside the organization, connected to the internal networks for security purposes, and 'the other leg' outside the organization, aimed specifically at a nearby public space, providing very convenient optical access from various directions and angles."

Attackers can also use this novel covert channel to communicate with malware inside the organization. An attacker can infiltrate data, transmitting hidden signals via the camera's IR LEDs. Binary data such as command and control (C&C) messages can be hidden in the video stream, recorded by the surveillance cameras, and intercepted and decoded by the malware residing in the network.

"Theoretically, you can send an infrared command to tell a high-security system to simply unlock the gate or front door to your house," Guri says.

###

The research team also includes Dr. Dima Biekowski, Shamoon College of Engineering, and Prof. Yuval Elovici, director of the Cyber Security Research Center, a member of BGUs Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering and director of Deutsche Telekom Innovation Labs @ BGU.

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.
And may have implications for other UK animal -- and human -- populations

A research team, led by John Graham-Brown at the University of Liverpool, describe three cases in UK dogs with recent history of travel to mainland Europe.

They call for vigilance when examining travelled dogs and warn that other animals - and people - should also be considered at risk of infection when travelling to areas where the parasite is endemic.

Thelazia callipaeda is a parasitic worm capable of infecting a range of mammalian host species including dogs, cats and human beings. The worm is found in a species of fruit fly known to be present in the UK. The researchers believe the introduction of this species is a potential risk*

Adult worms live in the eyes and associated tissues. Infected animals show a variety of symptoms, from mild conjunctivitis to severe corneal ulceration which, if untreated, can lead to blindness.

In July 2016, the authors described the first known case of eyeworm infection in the UK in a dog recently imported from Romania. Today, they confirm their initial diagnosis and report a further two cases in dogs with recent history of travel to Italy and France.

In all three cases, all requirements specified under the UK government's pet travel scheme (PETS) were met before and during travel.

All three dogs received treatment and made a full recovery. But the authors warn that, given the relatively free and regular movement of dogs into and out of the UK from mainland Europe and importation from rescue charities under this scheme, this and other pathogens pose a significant threat to the UK canine population.

These three cases "demonstrate the risk of introducing T callipaeda to the UK through dogs being imported from and travelling to geographical locations where T callipaeda is known to be endemic," write the authors.

"Furthermore, since T callipaeda is zoonotic and capable of infecting several other mammalian species, both people and cats should also be considered at risk of infection when travelling to such areas," they warn.

The researchers also state that wild animals, such as foxes can be infected and could act as a reservoir if introduced.*

"Although effective diagnostic tests and treatments are available, more can and should be done to prevent this zoonotic pathogen from becoming endemic in the UK," they conclude.

###
Data released today from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) show that the HIV epidemic is coming under control in Lesotho. These results add to prior PEPFAR-supported Population-based HIV Impact Assessments (PHIAs) announced in the last nine months for Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Together, these data demonstrate impressive progress toward controlling the HIV epidemics in the five countries. The latest data also indicate that the None of these achievements would be possible without the political will and leadership to focus resources for maximum impact in each of these countries.previously expanding epidemic in Uganda has now stabilized.

According to the new Lesotho PHIA results, HIV viral load suppression - a key marker of the body successfully controlling the virus - has reached over 67 percent among all HIV-positive adults ages 15-59. This finding suggests that Lesotho is on track to achieve epidemic control by 2020, through reaching the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 targets and expanding HIV prevention. Uganda's epidemic has likely stabilized due to increases in coverage of voluntary medical male circumcision for HIV prevention and expansion of HIV treatment, including for HIV-positive pregnant women.

Building on this progress, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson today released the new PEPFAR Strategy for Accelerating HIV/AIDS Epidemic Control (2017-2020). The strategy reaffirms the U.S. government's leadership and commitment, through PEPFAR, to support HIV/AIDS efforts in more than 50 countries, ensuring access to services by all populations, including the most vulnerable and at-risk groups.

The strategy outlines plans to accelerate implementation in a subset of 13 high-burden countries that have the potential to achieve epidemic control by 2020, working in collaboration with host governments, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UNAIDS, and other partners. Through this international effort, we expect not only to control the epidemic, but also to reduce the future costs required to sustain the HIV/AIDS response.

"With five African countries approaching control of their HIV epidemics, we have the extraordinary opportunity to change the very course of the HIV pandemic over the next three years," said Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, MD, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. "We are deeply grateful for Secretary Tillerson's bold leadership and clear vision in launching this landmark strategy. PEPFAR is poised to deliver on it, showing that what once seemed impossible is now possible."

Data from these six countries were gathered through national surveys (PHIAs), which are funded by the U.S. government through PEPFAR, and conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ICAP at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, and local governmental and non-governmental partners. Seven additional countries will complete PHIAs on a rolling basis through 2017-2019, providing an ability to chart and validate their respective progress toward reaching epidemic control by 2020.

"CDC is so pleased to contribute to the global HIV response, working with ministries of health and other partners on science-based solutions that are transforming some of the world's most severe HIV epidemics," said CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald, MD. "National surveys are critical to show the impact of efforts and to chart the path to fully achieve HIV epidemic control."

While the PHIA results demonstrate tremendous progress, they also reveal key gaps in HIV prevention and treatment programming for younger men and women that require urgent attention and action. In all six surveys, young women and men under age 35 were less likely to know their HIV status, be on HIV treatment, or be virally suppressed than older adults. These gaps are all areas in which PEPFAR will continue to invest and innovate under its new strategy. In particular, PEPFAR will continue to advance efforts to reduce HIV incidence among adolescent girls and young women through the DREAMS Partnership and reach and link more young men to HIV services.

"The findings from the six countries provide a report card on the global and local efforts in confronting the HIV epidemics while at the same time help in shaping a blueprint for their future course as they continue their quest to stem this epidemic," said Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA, global director of ICAP. "The gaps identified in reaching young women and men are relevant to many other countries around the world, and addressing them is critically important to achieving the ultimate goal of ending this epidemic."

###

About ICAP at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

ICAP was founded in 2003 at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. A global leader in HIV, tuberculosis, other health threats, and health systems strengthening, ICAP provides technical assistance and implementation support to governments and non-governmental organizations. More than 2.2 million people have received HIV care through ICAP-supported programs, and over 1.3 million have received antiretroviral therapy through such support. About the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)

PEPFAR is the U.S. government's response to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, which represents the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history. Through the compassion and generosity of the American people, PEPFAR has saved and improved millions of lives, accelerating progress toward controlling and ultimately ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat. For more information, please visit http://www.pepfar.gov, and follow PEPFAR on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. About the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

CDC works 24/7 protecting America's health, safety, and security. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America's most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.
Could the flapping of a butterfly's wings in Costa Rica set off a hurricane in California? The question has been scrutinized by chaos theorists, stock-market analysts and weather forecasters for decades. For most people, this hypothetical scenario may be difficult to imagine on Earth - particularly when a real disaster strikes.

Yet, in space, similarly small fluctuations in the solar wind as it streams toward the Earth's magnetic shield actually can affect the speed and strength of "space hurricanes," researcher Katariina Nykyri of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has reported.

The study, published on September 19 in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics, offers the first detailed description of the mechanism by which solar wind fluctuations can change the properties of so-called space hurricanes, affecting how plasma is transported into the Earth's magnetic shield, or magnetosphere.

Those "hurricanes" are formed by a phenomenon known as Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability. As plasma from the Sun (solar wind) sweeps across the Earth's magnetic boundary, it can produce large vortices (about 10,000-40,000 kilometers in size) along the boundary layer, Nykyri explained.

"The KH wave, or space hurricane, is one of the major ways that solar wind transports energy, mass and momentum into the magnetosphere," said Nykyri, a professor of physics and a researcher with the Center for Space and Atmospheric Research at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach, Fla., campus. "Fluctuations in solar wind affect how quickly the KH waves grow and how large they become."

When solar wind speeds are faster, the fluctuations are more powerful, Nykyri reported, and they seed larger space hurricanes that can transport more plasma.

Gaining deeper insights into how solar wind conditions affect space hurricanes may someday provide better space-weather prediction and set the stage for safer satellite navigation through radiation belts, Nykyri said. This is because solar wind can excite ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves by triggering KH instability, which can energize radiation belt particles.

Space hurricanes are universal phenomena, occurring at the boundary layers of Coronal Mass Ejections - giant balls of plasma erupting from the Sun's hot atmosphere - in the magnetospheres of Jupiter, Saturn and other planets, Nykyri noted.

"KH waves can alter the direction and properties of Coronal Mass Ejections, which eventually affect near-Earth space weather," Nykyri explained. "For accurate space weather prediction, it is crucial to understand the detailed mechanisms that affect the growth and properties of space hurricanes."

Furthermore, in addition to playing a role in transporting energy and mass, a recent discovery by Nykyri and her graduate student Thomas W. Moore shows that KH waves also provide an important way of heating plasma by millions of degrees Fahrenheit (Moore et al., Nature Physics, 2016), and therefore may be important for solar coronal heating. It might also be used for transport barrier generation in fusion plasmas.

For the current research, simulations were based on seven years' worth of measurements of the amplitude and velocity of solar wind fluctuations at the edge of the magnetosphere, as captured by NASA's THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) spacecraft.

###

Nykyri's paper in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics, published by the American Geophysical Union, was titled "Influence of Velocity Fluctuations on the Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability and its Associated Mass Transport." Her co-authors were Andrew Dimmock and Adnane Osmane of Finland's Aalto University; Xuyane Ma and Antonius Otto of the University of Alaska Fairbanks; and Claire Foullon of the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. (Ma currently works for Embry-Riddle.)

The paper is scheduled for publication online as of 10:00 a.m. EST on Tuesday, September 19, 2017.

The research was supported by the Academy of Finland, the National Science Foundation, NASA and the International Space Science Institute.

1. Associated article: Cross-Scale Energy Transport in Space Plasmas, Moore, T.W., Nykyri, K. & Dimmock, A. P. Nat. Phys. 12, 1164-1169 (2016).
Oktoberfest in Munich is an exciting cultural event, but it is also a source of inspiration for materials scientists and engineers. Not the beer itself, but rather the beer foam is a source of inspiration.

A good head of foam -- generally measuring about 1.5 cm and containing an impressive 1,500,000 bubbles -- is supposed to be a sign of quality and freshness. Ideally, this foamy head remains stable, but several processes act to destabilise the bubbles: for example, liquid drainage of the foam, merging bubbles, or popping all can cause rapid destabilization. These are generic problems common to all types of foam, whether in food and drink or technologically advanced materials.

Undesirable change in the texture

One destabilisation process, in which large bubbles become larger and smaller ones shrink and eventually disappear, is particularly difficult to stop. Experts call this process "Ostwald ripening", named for German chemist and 1909 Nobel Prize winner Wilhelm Ostwald, who first described this phenomenon over 100 years ago.

Ostwald ripening causes an undesirable change in the texture of beer foam and foamed food products, and it weakens product performance in many other situations as well. Achieving foam and emulsion stability thus presents a challenge across a wide range of materials science applications, from personal care products to advanced functional materials. "Foams -- whether beer foam, ice cream or foam for insulation -- tend to coarsen due to their bubbles merging or ripening," explains Jan Vermant, Professor for Soft Materials at ETH Zurich.

Surface-active components, such as certain proteins in beer foams, can typically prevent or at least slow down ripening by lowering surface tension, at least in the short term. But these components cannot ensure the long-term stability of the foams, as they only slow down the ripening process, but cannot stop it once it has begun.

Vermant and his group have now taken a new approach to this foam stability problem and recently published it in the journal PNAS.

"For the first time, we have succeeded in quantitatively controlling the dissolution arrest of foam bubbles and formulating novel, yet universally valid strategies. These will help the food and materials industries to develop controlled and more effective stabilisers in order to prevent or stop Ostwald ripening," says Vermant.

Network of particles stabilises bubbles

In their study, the ETH materials researchers showed how particular particles act as a stabiliser and protect small bubbles against shrinkage. For testing purposes, the scientists used micrometre-sized latex particles and particles shaped like rice grains. These particles were chosen to form an irregular network structure at the bubble interface.

The researchers tested whether this network sufficiently supports the bubbles in a special microfluidic arrangement. They were able to coat individual bubbles with a controlled amount of the particle stabiliser and then expose them gradually to changing pressure conditions in a mini pressure chamber, thus simulating Ostwald ripening.

A stabilizer forms a net-like structure on a tiny air bubble and thus supports it.

"This allowed us to determine precisely the pressure at which the bubble begins to shrink and finally collapses," says Peter Beltramo, a postdoc in Vermant's group. This particular experimental design allowed them to vary the number and nature of particles coating the bubble. Thus, they could relate the number of particles to the surface rheological properties. A surface yield stress was identified as the prime parameter that needs to be controlled.

They found that even partially covered bubbles can be as stable as those completely covered with particles. As a result, the required quantity of stabiliser can be predicted accurately. "Our findings will save a lot of materials and thus reduce costs," emphasises Beltramo. Furthermore, the researchers found that a coated bubble can withstand a much higher pressure than an uncoated one.

Universally valid

The findings about the role of interfacial mechanics are universally valid for all materials with large surfaces or for applications in which surfaces play an important role, says Vermant. For example, the ideas and measurement techniques developed are applied to other cases of thin film stability, for example in biomedical applications such the films lining the alveoli in the lungs or the tear films on the eyes. "These films are very stable, with the stability being imparted by similar mechanisms - developed by nature," says Vermant.

Although the findings are general, they are also of specific benefit to the food industry. The scientists can now search for edible stabilisers to make foamy foods, such as ice cream or even bread dough, last longer. "We provide the food industry and other companies with development guidelines and quantification tools that they can use to develop new products," says Vermant. And indeed ice cream helped to initiate this research, which was co-financed by Nestle. Yet, what is good for beer foam or ice cream may also be good to make concrete better. Incorporating small, stable bubbles makes it resist thaw-freeze cycles better and makes it lighter. Or: how thinking about beer can guide the design of new materials. Cheers!

###
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute today announced the selection of 15 exceptional early career scientists as the first group of HHMI Hanna Gray Fellows. These recent PhD recipients will continue their training as postdoctoral fellows at 11 institutions in the U.S. Their research interests span a range of disciplines, including chemical biology, computational biology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, neuroscience, structural biology, and systems biology.

Each fellow will receive up to $1.4 million in funding over eight years, with mentoring and active involvement within the HHMI community. In this two-phase program, fellows will be supported from early postdoctoral training through several years of a tenure-track faculty position.

"Being a Hanna Gray Fellow is going to provide me support through what can be quite a hard transition. From postdoctoral researcher, which I am right now, towards starting my own lab and actually becoming a principal investigator," said new fellow Yvette Fisher, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School.

HHMI's Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program seeks to encourage talented early career scientists who have the potential to become leaders in academic research. In particular, this program aims to recruit and retain emerging scientists who are from gender, racial, ethnic, and other groups underrepresented in the life sciences, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"I'm excited about this program because I think it will have a positive impact on science," said HHMI President Erin O'Shea. "We have so many challenges in keeping the best people from diverse groups in the professoriate. But I think this program can drive real change in academia and have a catalytic effect on the next generation of students."

The Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program represents HHMI's strong commitment to investing in early career scientists who are poised to make significant and important contributions to science in the years to come. This program will support these early career scientists at critical transitions in their academic careers. In keeping with HHMI's long-standing approach to support "people, not projects," fellows will have flexibility to change research focus and follow their curiosity during the duration of the award.

A competition for the next group of Hanna Gray Fellows opens immediately. With continued commitment to support and promote diversity in the life sciences, the Institute will again select up to 15 fellows investing a total of up to $25 million for their support over eight years. This grant competition is open to all eligible applicants, and no nomination is required. Grants in support of fellows will be awarded only to institutions within the U.S (including Puerto Rico).

The program is named for Hanna Holborn Gray, former chair of the HHMI Trustees and former president of the University of Chicago. Under Gray's leadership, HHMI developed initiatives that foster diversity in science education. HHMI continues to carry forward this work on college and university campuses across the U.S. "Hanna Gray is a remarkable person - a Renaissance historian and one of the first female presidents of a major research university," said O'Shea. "We thought it fitting to name this program after her because of her many years of service to HHMI and her prominence as a female leader in academia."

Applicants may obtain more information and eligibility requirements at http://www.hhmi.org/programs/hanna-h-gray-fellows-program. The deadline for applications is January 10, 2018, at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time). The selection of fellows will be made by the end of June 2018 and grants can start as early as September 18, 2018, but no later than January 15, 2019.

HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program Video

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute plays an important role in advancing scientific research and education in the United States. Its scientists, located across the country and around the world, have made important discoveries that advance both human health and our fundamental understanding of biology. The Institute also aims to transform science education into a creative, interdisciplinary endeavor that reflects the excitement of real research. HHMI's headquarters are located in Chevy Chase, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.

2017 Hanna Gray Fellows

Dr. Christopher Barnes

Christopher Barnes, PhDCalifornia Institute of TechnologyMentor: Pamela Bjorkman, PhD

With cutting-edge crystallography and microscopy techniques, Christopher Barnes aims to reveal -- in extreme detail -- how newly isolated antibodies neutralize HIV-1 by latching onto viral envelope proteins. Barnes also plans to uncover how the virus gains illicit entry into cells by examining the structural changes that help the virus lock into a cellular target. These insights may point out ways to devise even more powerful therapeutics, including rationally designed HIV-1 antibodies, which could help scientists stamp out the shifty virus for good.

John Brooks

John Brooks, PhDUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterMentor: Lora Hooper, PhD

John Brooks is investigating how mammals' internal clocks affect microbes that live in the gut. The mix of microbial species in these communities oscillates throughout the day. Scientists have linked these swings to the circadian clock, the biochemical timekeeper that governs everything from appetite to sleep. Brooks plans to unravel how the circadian clock works with the innate immune system to regulate microbe metabolism. His results could expose how the clock/microbiota interplay shapes the health of the host.

Lynne Chantranupon

Lynne Chantranupong, PhDHarvard Medical SchoolMentor: Bernardo Sabatini, MD, PhD

Lynne Chantranupong knows how to get cells to spill their secrets. She has characterized key regulators of a signaling pathway that tells cells to grow, a process that goes awry in cancer and diabetes. Now, she is setting her sights on the brain. Chantranupong plans to isolate intracellular packets that contain neurotransmitters, signaling molecules that carry messages between nerve cells. She wants to probe the contents of these packets using mass spectrometry. This high-resolution method promises to reveal a complex and dynamic atlas of neurotransmitters in the brain.

Chantell Evans

Chantell Evans, PhDUniversity of PennsylvaniaMentor: Erika Holzbaur, PhD

Mitochondria provide the energy needed for nerve cells to function, but when aged or damaged, these organelles can potentially be harmful to the cell. Chantell Evans will explore the multiple ways neurons sequester and eliminate damaged mitochondria. This cleanup process, called mitophagy, can malfunction in people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative diseases. By studying healthy nerve cells and cells from people with neurodegenerative diseases, Evans plans to find out how nerve cells perform this important quality control, and how the process might be corrected when something goes wrong.

Yvette Fisher

Yvette Fisher, PhDHarvard Medical SchoolMentor: Rachel Wilson, PhD

Yvette Fisher is investigating how nerve cells in the brain perform the myriad computations that underlie perception and behavior. She is particularly interested in the role of voltage-gated ion channels, which regulate the flow of ions in and out of a cell. Fisher is exploring the dynamic interactions between these channels in the fruit fly, by examining their activity in cells that may help the fly navigate using visual cues.

Arif Hamid

Arif Hamid, PhDBrown UniversityMentor: Christopher Moore, PhD

Arif Hamid wants to understand how the brain uses a chemical messenger called dopamine to guide behavior. Using a microscopy technique that offers a window into living brain tissue, he will probe dopamine's actions in different groups of neurons, such as those that signal directly to blood vessels that supply the brain. Hamid's studies of the interactions between dopamine-producing neurons and blood vessels could deepen our understanding of how blood hormones influence decision-making and goal-directed behavior.

Silvana Konermann

Silvana Konermann, PhDSalk Institute for Biological StudiesMentor: Patrick Hsu, PhD

With powerful new genetic tools, Silvana Konermann plans to untangle the complex web of genes that predispose a person to Alzheimer's disease. One of the strongest genetic risk factors for the neurodegenerative disease is a gene called APOE. Carrying the APOE4 version of the gene increases risk, while the APOE2 version is protective. Using a gene editing technology called CRISPR-Cas9, Konermann plans to systematically knock out parts of the genome as she hunts for other genes that interact with APOE.

James Nunez

James Nunez, PhDUniversity of California, San FranciscoMentor: Jonathan Weissman, PhD

James Nunez is developing new tools to allow researchers to manipulate the activity of multiple genes simultaneously. The CRISPR-based technology will help scientists unravel the tapestry of interactions within complex biological networks. Mammalian cells produce thousands of different RNA molecules that do not code for proteins, and their roles remain largely unexplored. Nunez plans to identify and examine the function of mysterious molecules called long non-coding RNAs, which can promote the growth of cancer cells and stem cells.

Nicolas Pelaez

Nicolas Pelaez, PhDCalifornia Institute of TechnologyMentor: Michael Elowitz, PhD

Just a few kinds of signals control the fates of cells that either maintain their stem cell state, divide or differentiate in a developing organism. Nicolas Pelaez is investigating whether the timing and dynamics of these signals encode critical information. He plans to figure out how and if the sequence of developmental signals directs embryonic stem cells to transform into more specialized cell types. His findings could help researchers devise ways to repair or replace damaged tissues by directing cells into specific differentiation paths.

Harold Pimentel

Harold Pimentel, PhDStanford UniversityMentor: Jonathan Pritchard, PhD

Harold Pimentel is scoping out what happens when cells fail to prune RNA copies of genes. These copies contain interrupting sequences called introns that are usually spliced out before an RNA molecule serves as a template for protein production. Neglecting to trim away introns is sometimes associated with abnormal cellular behavior and disease. Pimentel plans to use computational methods he developed to analyze a vast set of RNAs in healthy and cancerous tissues to discover whether lingering introns play a part in cancer.

Florentine Rutaganira

Florentine Rutaganira, PhDUniversity of California, BerkeleyMentor: Nicole King, PhD

Florentine Rutaganira wants to use chemical tools to decipher the roles of key signaling networks in choanoflagellates, single-celled organisms that are the closest living relatives of animals. Choanoflagellates produce a large number of tyrosine kinases, molecular signals essential for intercellular communication in animals. The presence of these molecules in choanoflagellates suggests that signaling components needed to communicate between cells is evolutionarily ancient. Tyrosine kinases may regulate choanoflagellate colony formation. Rutaganira expects her studies will spark new understanding of animal development, physiology, and disease.

Francisco Sanchez-River

Francisco J. Sanchez-Rivera, PhDMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterMentor: Scott Lowe, PhD

The p53 gene is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancers. Francisco J. Sanchez-Rivera plans to comb through human tumor data to systematically identify recurring -- but understudied -- p53 mutations, and figure out how they wreak havoc in the body. Many of these mutations are known to inactivate the p53 protein and eliminate its role as a tumor suppressor. But Sanchez-Rivera is particularly interested in mutations that create proteins with new abilities. His studies may kindle new therapeutic strategies relevant to a broad range of cancers.

Molly Schumer

Molly Schumer, PhDHarvard Medical SchoolMentor: David Reich, PhD

Biologists once thought that hybridization between species was rare and an evolutionary dead end. But recent advances in genomics have revealed that closely related species frequently exchange genes and pass them on to future generations. Molly Schumer wants to understand how these instances of hybridization shape the evolution of genomes and species. Combining work in the lab and field, she is building an understanding of factors that influence hybrid ancestry in the genome.

Autumn York

Autumn York, PhDYale UniversityMentor: Richard Flavell, PhD

Unchecked inflammation is the hidden culprit behind many diseases -- including inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's. Autumn York is investigating how the immune system interacts with the body's metabolic pathways to control inflammation. She wants to expose how immune cells sense pathogen-triggered changes in fatty acid synthesis and then relay the message to limit inflammation. Her work may lead to new ways to prevent disease progression and suggest novel strategies to control infection.

Wendy Yue

Wendy Yue, PhDUniversity of California, San FranciscoMentor: David Julius, PhD

Debilitating migraine headaches, which afflict up to 15 percent of the world's population, are thought to be sparked by nerve cells called trigeminal ganglion neurons. Wendy Yue aims to find out what activates these pain-sensitive cells. By exciting, shutting down, or genetically altering these neurons in mice, Yue will explore their contribution to migraine pain. Her experiments will also clarify whether and how blood vessels participate in the generation of migraine headaches.

###
Petersham, MA - New England has been losing forestland to development at a rate of 65 acres per day, according to a new report released today by the Harvard Forest, a research institute of Harvard University, and a team of authors from across the region. Public funding for land protection has also been steadily declining in all six New England states and is now half what it was at its 2008 peak; with land conservation trends following suit.

"The incremental chipping away of forest and farmland by scattered development is hard to see day-to-day but it adds up over time and represents a significant threat to the region," said David Foster, Director of the Harvard Forest. "If we stay on the current path, we'll lose another 1.2 million acres of open land by 2060." Conversion takes land out of production and eliminates the local wood and food, climate, flood protection and other benefits that the land provides.

The report documents that public funding for land conservation dropped 50 percent between 2008 and 2014 to $62 million per year, slightly lower than 2004 levels. The pace of regional land conservation has also slowed substantially from an average of 333,000 acres per year in the early 2000s to about 50,000 acres per year since 2010.

Despite these trends, the authors assert that the targets outlined in a bold vision for the future of the New England landscape are still attainable and they identify opportunities for gaining ground.

The new report, Wildlands and Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities, is the most up-to-date and comprehensive synthesis available describing regional land use trends. It is the third in a series of Wildlands and Woodlands publications led by Foster and a team of 30 colleagues. Previous reports defined a regional vision that calls for conserving 30 million acres of forest (70 percent of the region's land area) and all remaining farmland. The vision proposes that most of the conserved forestland should be managed for wood products and other benefits, with 10 percent managed as wildlands. This third report outlines progress toward the vision; links the protection of forests and farms directly to advancing livable urban to rural communities; and articulates a call to action.

Conversion to development is the biggest near-term threat to the region's forests; bigger even than climate change, the scientists report. "When we look specifically at forests in New England, it is clear that the impacts of land use will be far greater than those of climate change over the next 50 years," said Harvard Forest Senior Ecologist, Jonathan Thompson. "This may seem counter-intuitive given the major threat that climate change poses to all sectors of society. But climate change slowly alters the health and types of trees that grow whereas conversion eliminates forests altogether."

The good news is that, despite these trends, that authors say it is still possible to attain the Wildlands and Woodland vision by (1) tripling the pace of conservation, (2) reversing trends in public funding, (3) putting more land to work for sustainable farming and forestry, and (4) integrating land conservation with the planning of cities, suburbs, and rural communities to reduce forest loss and promote more efficient use of land for economic development.

The report emphasizes that conserved land is a low-cost natural asset to confront challenges like climate change and support resource-based economies. "Today's land conservation is about putting land to work to solve problems and provide an economic return to landowners while investing in nature," said Kathy Lambert, head of the Science & Policy Project at the Harvard Forest.

The report points to hopeful signs including (1) the region's long tradition of public investment in land conservation; (2) the emerging capacity of regional conservation partnerships that have increased four-fold since 2000; and (3) the expansion of conservation finance strategies such as the adoption of the Community Preservation Act by 11 Massachusetts cities and towns last year, bringing the statewide total to 173 - approximately half of the state's cities and towns.

The authors identify several near-term policy opportunities for changing course, including:

1. Setting state-based targets for land protection and reporting on them annually;

2. Safeguarding state funding for land conservation by fully funding existing state programs;

3. Incorporating land management and protection into state climate action plans and as an offset to meet new emission targets set by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative;

4. Integrating the natural infrastructure of land into infrastructure investment plans;

5. Supporting conservation, forestry, and farming programs in the 2018 federal Farm Bill.

The authors highlight that the gains from achieving the updated Wildlands and Woodlands vision in the new report would be significant and widespread. Foster concludes, "Investing in land protection and supporting people to steward their land responsibly offers a path to ecological and economic well-being that can benefit all of New England."

###

Major partners in the report include Highstead and the New England Forestry Foundation.

Harvard Forest scientists are also analyzing a wide range of build-out and land use management scenarios for New England under climate change and expect to release new results in 2018.

Authors of the report and local experts are available for interview upon request.

Embargoed content including the report, video news release, photos, maps, and b-roll is available at: http://wildlandsandwoodlands.org/ww-report-press-kit, password: WWconserve17.

About the Harvard Forest - the 4,000-acre Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA has served as Harvard University's rural laboratory and classroom since 1907. The Forest is protected from development and operates under a long-term management plan with areas designated for forest management, agriculture, scientific experiments, and wildland reserves. Harvard Forest has been a National Science Foundation-funded Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site since 1988.

About Highstead - Highstead is a not-for-profit organization that has worked with regional partners since its founding in 1982 to conserve the landscape of New England through science, stewardship, and land protection from its headquarters in Redding, Connecticut.

Contacts:

Lisa Capone

lcapone@sloweymcmanus.com

617-523-0038, ex.

4(o); 781-589-0326(c)

Hannah Robbins

hannah_robbins@harvard.edu

978-756-6181 (o)

360-670-9139 (c)
Why are house sparrows the exact size they are? Why aren't they hummingbird size or as large as geese?

It sounds like a strange question to ask, but it's actually an overarching question of evolution. It may be able to tell us something about how we adapt to changes in the environment. Our planet is changing and we need to change with it.

Why have we evolved as we have? Evolution theory says that we've adapted to our conditions. So sparrows are probably as big as they should be, according to their living conditions.

But can we prove that? Researchers have run experiments in laboratories, but never in nature. Could it be done?

Fiddled with evolution

A group of researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) wanted to attempt that experiment. First they would tamper with evolution to see if they could change the size of the sparrows. They would do that by capturing wild birds on islands and rejecting individuals with undesirable characteristics.

After releasing the selected birds back into the wild, the researchers wanted to see if their size would revert back to normal through evolution's natural selection process.

"It's the first time in the world that anyone has conducted artificial selection on birds from a wild population," says Thomas Kvalnes, a postdoctoral fellow at NTNU's Department of Biology.

Three Norwegian islands -- Leka in Nord-Trndelag county and Vega and Hestmanny in Nordland county -- have good house sparrow populations. The islands are far from isolated, but sufficiently measurable and limited in size that they are almost ideal locations to perform this type of experiment.

Researchers have been tracking these populations since 2001, so they have come to know the habitat conditions well.

Size is significant

On Vega, researchers wanted to make the birds smaller and on Leka they wanted to make them bigger. Hestmanny was left alone as a control group to ensure that no other variables came into play. "In winter, before the breeding season, we caught all of the sparrows on Leka. We borrowed a barn where we closed in all the sparrows," says Kvalnes.

A few did escape, but the researchers caught about 90 per cent of the sparrows.

Then the researchers measured the birds' tarsus - the longest part of the foot on the sparrows - between the toes and the leg. The length of this bone reflects the birds' overall body size. From these measurements, the researchers arrived at an average length.

Blood tests were carried out at the same time, so that researchers could determine the genetic relatives of the birds. The birds were banded.

The researchers carried out the same procedure at Vega and Hestmanny. About 100 to 300 birds were collected at each place.

Banished from home The largest birds collected on Leka stayed on their island, while the smallest birds collected on Vega were kept on that island. On Hestmanny, researchers released all the sparrows back onto the island as soon as they had collected the data.

The rest of the birds from Leka and Vega were transported far away on the mainland, to Namsos and Overhalla, far enough so that they couldn't get back to the islands and breed with the remaining birds there. Between 55 and 65 per cent of the birds were removed from their islands.

In this way, the biggest birds on Leka ended up breeding with each other, as did the smallest birds on Vega.

The researchers repeated this process every year from 2002 to 2005.

Bird size changed

As the researchers had thought, the latest generation of birds became larger on average than the previous one. On Vega the birds became smaller, and on Hestmanny the size remained stable.

"This change was reflected in the genetic breeding value of the birds," says Kvalnes.

Using blood tests, the researchers could see which birds were related to and had bred with which others. They could also discern which individuals were best at passing on their genes.

Sparrows that had flown in from other places and had bred on the three islands could also be detected and adjusted for by the researchers.

Many genes affect body size. We don't know exactly how many, but we do know that gene composition is a factor in the birds' phenotype - that is, the sparrows' observable characteristics.

The researchers had gone in and artificially changed the genetic composition of the bird populations, thus changing their size.

"The changes were much bigger than could be explained by coincidence," says Kvalnes.

The fact that the birds in nearby Hestmanny did not change indicates that the changes cannot be explained by other conditions, such as temperature variations or altered access to food.

Complete release

But this has been the case for farmers and dog breeders for hundreds of years. They have chosen their animals based on external characteristics and ended up with cows that give more milk and dogs with useless noses and bad hips. Everyone figured these would be the results in this part of the experiment.

The next part of the experiment that was perhaps the most important. What would happen once the researchers stopped tampering with natural selection?

Between 2006 and 2012, the measurements continued, but the sparrows were then released and could breed as they pleased.

Back to original size

This phase also went as researchers predicted.

The average body size on Leka shifted downward toward the original. The size of the Vega birds went up.

Within a brief period of time and only a few generations, everything is returning to the way it was before scientists went in and artificially selected birds for breeding. This was reflected in the breeding value.

That's nice for the researchers. But what can the experiment tell the rest of us?

What does it really say?

Among other things, the experiment reveals that sparrows actually have an ideal size adapted to the conditions they live in. Why they are exactly that big, we don't know, but several things may play in.

"If they grow big enough, it may be easier to keep warm in the winter," says Kvalnes.

Large individuals stay warm more easily than small ones. This is due to the fact that the body surface area is smaller relative to the volume, so less heat escapes. Perhaps that's exactly what's needed to survive the winter?

But at the same time, it's no benefit to be too big, either. Maybe you then become a more vulnerable catch for birds of prey? So far these are mostly speculations. We don't actually know for sure.

What we do know is that the bird populations changed very quickly. This can tell us something about how adaptable the sparrows are.

Theory of evolution works

Climate changes, altered access to food and other conditions can change the selection pressure. This changes the basic assumptions along with which individuals have an advantage when it comes to breeding and passing on their genes to the next generation.

House sparrows are very adaptable. This probably applies to many other species as well - perhaps a reassuring thing on a planet that is undergoing so much change.

But the overall message is this: The researchers tested the theory of evolution, predicted the results and things went as expected.

The sparrows tell us that the theory of evolution actually works outside the laboratory as well.

Not bad for an experiment that set out to answer an apparently weird question.

###

Reference: Reversal of response to artificial selection on body size in a wild passerine. Thomas Kvalnes, Thor Harald Ringsby, Henrik Jensen, Ingerid Julie Hagen, Bernt Rnning, Henrik Parn, Hakon Holand, Steinar Engen, Bernt-Erik Sther. First published: 20 June 2017. DOI: 10.1111/evo.13277 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evo.13277/full
Scientists have uncovered two related cytokines and associated genetic markers that may explain why some people develop progressive multiple sclerosis, or MS. The study, led by researchers at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, and Yale University, point the way toward developing the first-ever treatment to prevent progressive forms of the disease.

The research was published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers identified a cytokine, called macrophage migration inhibitory factor, or MIF, along with its homolog protein D-dopachrome tautomerase, or D-DT, that are associated with progressive MS. Cytokines are a type of protein that are important in signaling between cells in the body. These particular cytokines can worsen the disease by increasing inflammation within the central nervous system. Researchers also identified two genetic markers that enhance expression of MIF, and D-DT, that occurred more frequently in MS patients with progressive disease, particularly in men.

These findings suggest that a simple genetic test could be used to identify MS patients at risk of developing the more severe form of the disease. Even better, researchers are already developing a medication to stop the disease in its tracks.

"If you start a therapy before the disease has progressed very far, you may be able to slow it or stop it," said co-senior author Arthur Vandenbark, Ph.D., a professor of neurology and molecular microbiology and immunology in the OHSU School of Medicine and a senior research career scientist at the VA Portland Medical Center. "We now have a target for slowing or preventing the transition from relapsing-remitting to progressive MS, a stage of MS which is much more severe."

Scientists made the discovery through the observation of 117 participants with MS along with DNA analysis of plasma samples. In addition, researchers determined in laboratory studies that a therapeutic medication previously developed to successfully treat MS-like disease progression in rodents could block functional activities of both MIF and D-DT.

The genetic markers for high MIF expression are especially prevalent among men, who disproportionately suffer from the more severe progressive form of MS.

"This is the first real glimmer of insight into why men are more likely to develop severe progressive MS than women, even though women are three times more likely to get MS," said co-author Dennis Bourdette, M.D., professor and chair of neurology in the OHSU School of Medicine.

Researchers say the finding may open the door to the use of precision medicine for preventing and treating the progressive form of multiple sclerosis. Although there are 14 FDA-approved therapies for the remitting-relapsing form of MS, there is only one modestly effective treatment for progressive MS.

"This is really the first study that identifies genes and cytokines that appear to influence the development of progressive MS," Vandenbark said.

The new paper is the result of several years of collaboration between researchers at OHSU and Yale involving immunologists, biochemists, neurologists and geneticists.

"The value of this discovery to patients is that there are now approved therapies, as well as new ones in development in the Oregon and Yale labs, that target the MIF pathway and could be directed toward progressive MS," said co-senior author Richard Bucala, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine, pathology and epidemiology and public health at Yale University.

MS is a chronic condition that affects an estimated 2.3 million people worldwide. In MS, the sheath covering nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord becomes damaged, slowing or blocking electrical signals from the brain reaching the eyes, muscles and other parts of the body.

In the interest of ensuring the integrity of our research and as part of our commitment to public transparency, OHSU and the VA Portland Health Care System actively regulate, track and manage relationships that our researchers may hold with outside entities. In regards to this research project, Arthur Vandenbark has significant interests in Artielle ImmunoTherapeutics, Inc., a company that may have a commercial interest in the results of this research and technology. Review details of OHSU's conflict of interest program to find out more about how we manage these business relationships.

###

The University of California, San Francisco MS Tissue Bank contributed samples to the study. The work was supported by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society grant RG3794-B-6; the Rocky Mountain MS Center Tissue Bank; Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development; Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development merit review grant BX000226; NIH grants R01NS080890, AR049610, and AR050498; and the Alliance for Lupus Research grant 24735.

The contents of the paper do not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government.
The queen conch, a marine mollusk prized for its edible meat and its glossy shell, is one of the most economically and culturally important species in the Caribbean. In the past few decades, intense international fishing driven largely by the demand for export to the United States, has led to declining populations that threaten local fisheries in countries throughout the Caribbean. Some countries have closed their queen conch fisheries, and international trade of the species is restricted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). But scientists and conservation organizations still have had difficulty determining what it will take for depleted conch populations to recover.

To provide a vital scientific foundation for conservation efforts, an international team led by scientists with the Smithsonian's Marine Conservation Program--part of the National Museum of Natural History's Smithsonian Marine Station in Ft. Pierce, Fla.--has conducted a genetic analysis comparing queen conch at 19 sites throughout the Caribbean. Their findings, published Sept. 19 in the journal Diversity and Distributions, will help scientists understand how local subpopulations of conch are fragmented throughout the Caribbean, an essential first step needed to develop effective science-driven management plans and practices.

Nathan Truelove, a postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian Marine Station, was part of a large international team overseen by Stephen Box, former director of the Marine Conservation Program. The team found that conch at each site were genetically distinct from individuals at other locations. That suggests that there are multiple population of queen conch in the Caribbean, and that there is little mixing between them. As a result, queen conch fisheries may need to be carefully managed at a local level, as conch from distant locations are unlikely to migrate to and replenish overfished areas. At the same time, the authors say, more international collaboration will be essential to understand the queen conch fishery more fully and restore its populations.

For the current study, Smithsonian researchers and collaborators at the University of West Indies in Jamaica; Wageningen University in the Netherlands; Community Conch in Newport, Ore.; the School for Field Studies in Turks and Caicos Islands; the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom; the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago; Centro de Estudios Marinos in Honduras; and the Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas del Noroeste in Mexico teamed up to obtain queen conch samples from across the Caribbean. The team collected 643 conch from sites off the coasts of Anguilla, the Bahamas, Belize, the Caribbean Netherlands, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Turks and Caicos, and the United States--often traveling many hours by boat to reach them because waters close to the coast have been so overfished. Each animal was returned to the sea after a small piece of tissue was removed for DNA analysis.

At the National Museum of Natural History's Laboratory of Analytical Biology, researchers compared DNA sequences at nine sites in the conchs' genomes and found significant differences between samples from different sites.

To better understand these differences, they used oceanographic data to determine the "oceanic distance" between sites. Rather than a simple measure of linear distance, the oceanic distance takes currents and island obstacles into account to provide an estimate of how long it would take an object or animal to drift from one point to another. This is important because, while adult queen conch can't travel vast distances, they do spend the first few weeks of their lives as larvae, moving with the ocean's currents as far and in whichever direction the currents happen to take them.

"We conducted this 'oceanic distance' analysis to determine the probability of conch larvae from one site making its way to any one of the other sites that we studied," Truelove said. The researchers found that queen conch from sites separated by the greatest oceanic distances were the most different genetically.

"This tells us is that it's not just one giant, well-mixed population of queen conch throughout the entire Caribbean," Truelove said. "If you're in two sites that are not well connected by ocean currents, the chances of your queen conch populations being connected and interrelated are pretty low." The factors that influence the distribution of subpopulations remain to be determined, but Truelove says strong Caribbean currents may act as barriers that keep different groups apart.

The findings are a starting point toward understanding the impact of local fisheries. "Our findings suggest that the queen conch fishery cannot be effectively managed as a single stock." In fact, the existence of separate stocks that are isolated by ocean currents may explain why queen conch fisheries in Florida, which collapsed more than 30 years ago, have failed to recover.

The next step for researchers will be to determine just how many stocks of queen conch there are in the Caribbean and to map out their boundaries, Truelove said. The relationships identified between the sites in the current study will guide the extensive sampling and analysis necessary for that work.

###

Funding for this study was provided by the Summit Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Shedd Aquarium also contributed in-kind support that made this study possible.
Nearly three times that number could have been saved if national progress in child health matched that reached in some states

TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2017--India has avoided about 1 million deaths of children under age five since 2005, driven by significant reductions in mortality from pneumonia, diarrhea, tetanus and measles, according to new research published today.

Nearly three times that number could have been saved if national progress in child health matched that reached in some states, Dr. Prabhat Jha, head of the Centre for Global Health Research of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, wrote in today's issue of The Lancet.

A steeper decline in the number of girls dying narrowed a previously observed girl-boy mortality gap, said Dr. Jha, a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. An almost equal number of boys and girls under age five died in 2015.

This research is part of the Million Death Study, one of the largest studies of premature deaths in the world. Dr. Jha is the lead investigator of the survey, based in India, where most deaths occur at home and without medical attention. Hundreds of specially trained census staff in India knocked on doors of more than 1.3 million homes to interview household members about deaths. Two physicians independently examined these "verbal autopsies" to establish the most probable cause of death.

"You get the truth when you knock on doors and talk to parents," said Dr. Jha. "We knocked on the doors of 100,000 homes where children died. If the health system failed these families, they will tell you all about it. These are far more reliable numbers than models or projections from small studies."

The study found a 3.3 per cent annual decline in mortality rates of neonates (infants less than one month old) and 5.4 per cent for those ages one month to 59 months. The declines accelerated starting in 2005 and were fastest between 2010 and 2015, and in urban areas and richer states. Per 1,000 live births, the mortality rates among neonates fell from 45 in 2000 to 27 in 2015. The one-59 month mortality rate fell from 45.2 to 19.6.

Looking at specific causes of death, mortality rates from neonatal tetanus and measles fell by at least 90 per cent, neonatal infection and birth trauma fell more than 66 per cent. For children ages one to 59 months, mortality rates from pneumonia and diarrhea fell more than 60 per cent.

About 6 million children die around the world each year and progress in reducing that number depends greatly on India, which accounts for about a fifth of the deaths. About 29 million Indian children died between 2000 and 2015. Had the mortality rates of 2000 continued unchanged, about 39 million children would have died.

The authors noted that in the last decade the government of India has modestly increased its traditionally low level of public spending on health. The government launched a program to encourage women to give birth in hospitals and for children to have a second dose of measles vaccine.

Dr. Jha said that to meet the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals of halving its child mortality rates by 2030, India must maintain its current trajectory for children ages one to 59 months and accelerate declines in neonatal mortality.

Reducing the number of neonatal deaths will require efforts to reduce deaths caused by premature delivery and low birthweights, especially in poorer states, he said. Both are strongly linked to largely modifiable maternal and prenatal factors such as health care during pregnancy, education, nutrition, anemia and tobacco use.

In an accompanying commentary for The Lancet, leading scientists from Bangladesh and Tanzania wrote that the "Million Death Study can be a model for other countries where vital registration systems are still fragmented."

###

This work received funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Disease Control Priorities Network, the Maternal and Child Epidemiology Estimation Group and the University of Toronto.

About St. Michael's Hospital

St. Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 29 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Center, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

Media contact:

For more information, or to interview Dr. Jha, please contact:

Leslie Shepherd

Manager, Media Strategy

Phone: 416-864-6094

ShepherdL@smh.ca

St. Michael's Hospital

Inspired Care. Inspiring Science.

http://www.stmichaelshospital.com

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stmikeshospital

For Indian media inquiries, please contact:

Prabha Sati, Associate Director, Centre for Global Health Research India Foundation, New Delhi

Phone: +91 9599916145 satip@smh.ca

Twitter: @Cghr_org

Press Conference (by invitation, contact Prabha Sati) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, at The Dome, Vivanta by Taj Ambassador Hotel, Subramania Bharti Marg, (Near Khan Market), New Delhi
If you had been in northern Canada 45 million years ago, you might have encountered the distant ancestor of all of the oaks in the Americas. That single species gave rise to 220 more and two distinct lineages -- red oaks and white oaks -- that moved south through the boreal zone to populate large swaths of the continent all the way into Mexico. These two findings--simultaneous evolutionary diversification in the red and white oaks, each following the same geographic routes; and two relatively recent origins of the Mexican oaks--are a surprise conclusion to a scientific mystery that went unresolved until now. Research published today in the journal New Phytologist tells this story of the evolutionary history of American oaks for the first time.

Using a combination of next-generation DNA sequencing and statistical ecological methods, the researchers inferred the most detailed and comprehensive evolutionary history to date for the oak genus Quercus. Their work demonstrates that the two major groups of oaks in North America--the red oaks and the white oaks--independently and simultaneously radiated over the past 45 million years from a common ancestor. The red oaks and the white oaks simultaneously filled ecological space in California while also filling available habitats of eastern North America. Then, between 10 and 20 million years ago, both groups made their move down to the mountains of Mexico, where the two groups began to diversify at an increased rate, rapidly moving around to fill ecological (niche) space and producing species more rapidly than they had done in the north.

"Despite the fact that the genus Quercus dominates wooded ecosystems of North America and Mexico in both number and biomass, we knew very little prior to this study about relationships among species, and even about genetic distinctiveness of many of the oaks we sampled for the paper," said lead author Andrew Hipp of The Morton Arboretum. "Our finding that the red oaks and white oaks diversified simultaneously and in parallel in the Americas explains much of the diversity of American oaks: there is not just one major oak lineage in the Americas, but two, and a few smaller ones. When you add these together, you find you have a lot of oak diversity."

The results explain a long-standing question that collaborator Jeannine Cavender-Bares of the University of Minnesota has been studying: why do distantly related oak species occur together more often than expected? Cavender-Bares spent her sabbatical in Mexico in 2011 funded by a Fulbright grant at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico with Antonio Gonzalez-Rodriguez, an oak specialist and collaborator on the study. They collected and studied the Mexican oaks for the project. "Including the Mexican oaks in the analysis was critical," says Cavender-Bares, "because they revealed starkly increased rates of diversification as a consequence of the dynamic rise of the mountain chains in that region with volcanic activity some 10-20 million years ago."

To reach their conclusions, the lead researchers spent years collecting specimens and extracting DNA from more than 300 oak samples from the U.S., Mexico, and Central America. The scientists read large numbers of regions of the genome from each sample using next generation DNA sequencing methods, then reconstructed roughly 40,000 regions of the genome using computational methods. They then analyzed these regions of the genome statistically, to estimate the oak tree of life. This estimate of oak evolutionary history served as the framework to infer the distribution of each species in biogeographic and ecological space, and to reconstruct the evolutionary history of ecological and species diversification in the genus.

"The incursion of temperate lineages like the oaks into Latin America marks an interesting biogeographic catalyst in the development of the montane plant communities of Mexico," said study collaborator Paul Manos of Duke University. "Scattered pollen fossil records from lake sediments provided some evidence on when the oaks arrived, but we now have an independent estimate based on a calibrated phylogeny, and reasonable hypotheses on the ecological drivers of these two parallel radiations of red and white oaks."

###

The study is the result of a long-standing collaboration among scientists at The Morton Arboretum, the University of Minnesota, Duke University, and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. The study was funded by a collaborative four-year National Science Foundation grant to these institutions and by a Fulbright grant to Cavender-Bares to work in Mexico.
Emil J. Gumbel's formulas are fundamental for extreme value theory. This statistical discipline describes extreme incidents, such as floods or storms. Little is known, however, that he was also a pioneer of modern data journalism, unveiling the patterns of political murder in the Weimar Republic. Professor Matthias Scherer and his team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) now intend to fill in the gaps in what the world knows about Gumbel.

Gumbel, who later became famous for his applications in extreme value theory, was the firstborn son of a family of bankers in the Munich district of Lehel. Already as a young man, he utilized his statistical methods to counter militarism and the reactionary justice system. His scientific analyzes of court proceedings of the Weimar Republic make him a pioneer of modern data journalism. Due to his political publications, he was soon persecuted and exiled.

"Due to his many-layered works, his life which was twice uprooted as a result of emigration, and not least due to the time that has passed since then, our search for new documents about Gumbel was a challenging endeavor", said Scherer from the Chair of Mathematical Finance at the TUM when speaking about the project.

Over the past three years, the search for the various stages of Gumbel's life has led him and his research assistant Dr. Lexuri Fernandez across Europe and finally to the USA. "At places where he worked, we tracked down contemporary witnesses or their descendants and found new documents in archives", says Scherer.

Calculating the extreme

In the renowned journal Extremes, the TUM researchers present new details about Gumbel's personal life. Also published in the journal are excerpts from an interview with Professor Tuncel M. Yegulalp, who knew Gumbel back when he was a lecturer at Columbia University and living in exile in New York. Yegulalp describes his challenging education with Emil Gumbel, which played a formative role in his own path through life.

Gumbel's methods are used today in various areas: for the planning of dams and dikes, for the determination of material fracture strengths as well as in the financial and insurance sectors, where insurance premiums have to be calculated for rare but severe losses, for example for catastrophes such as the hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Statistics of political murder

"The scientific approach is typical for Gumbel's political writings," explains Scherer. "Characteristic for his publications are arguments based on statistical analyses, the often uncommented documentation of facts, and the resulting scientific objectivity", says the financial mathematician when describing the style of the newspaper articles, magazine essays, and books which Gumbel published in the 1920s without paying any regard to the losses made.

With the help of the statistical evaluation of his newspaper and court database, he published the books "Zwei Jahre Mord" (Two Years of Murder) and "Vier Jahre politischer Mord" (Four Years of Political Murder), which quickly sold out. "They document the right-wing conservative tendency which the judiciary had lapsed into during the time", says Scherer. According to Gumbel's statistics, 326 out of 354 political murders by right-wing factions in the early Weimar Republic went unpunished, and four out of the 22 left-wing capital crimes.

The "Gumble Case"

Even after joining Heidelberg University in 1923, Gumbel continued with his publication and pacifist activities. When he published the book "Verschworer" (Conspirators) in 1924, an investigative inquiry into secret military alliances, he was accused of treason. However, this accusation turned out to be untenable in court, as all he had done was document facts.

When he spoke of a "Field of Dishonor" in a speech at an event of the German Peace Society at the tenth anniversary of the beginning of World War I, this triggered a chorus of outrage among national conservative academics and a disciplinary procedure.

Early expatriation saved Gumbel's life

"His fate was sealed when, at a speech in memory of the 700,000 who had perished of hunger in the winter of 1916/17, he remarked that a rutabaga would certainly be a better memorial than a scantily clad virgin with a palm frond", says Professor Scherer. This remark had already been part of his repertoire at pacifist demonstrations for some time, and even though he knew that two Nazi spies were among the audience, Gumbel did not refrain from saying it.

Once again, this resulted in a chorus of indignation and a riot of murder threats, ultimately leading to his dismissal in the summer of 1932. "But that may have saved his life, because in France, where he chose to go in exile, he was safe from persecution for the time being", says Scherer. "He was the only scientist on the first 'expatriation list', and was very proud of that fact later on".

However, the publication in the journal Extremes by no means marks the end of the search for Gumbel's life journey for Scherer and his assistant Fernandez: Together with Prof. Annette Vogt from the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and Dr. Isabella Wiegand at TUM they are planning an exhibition in Munich, Gumbel's city of birth, in November of the coming year. The researchers would be grateful to receive any additional material for this exhibition.

###

Publication:

Lexuri Fernandez und Matthias Scherer: Emil J. Gumbel's last course on the "Statistical theory of extreme values": a conversation with Tuncel M. Yegulalp, Extremes (2017)
Women in provincial prisons require health care to address trauma, addiction and chronic diseases in order to lower reincarceration rates, according to a new study that of women leaving a B.C. correctional centre.

"Our findings show that their return to criminal activity was related to a lack of basic, primary health care -- nutrition, medical and dental care. That's important because we can address these issues," said Patricia Janssen, a professor in UBC's school of population and public health and an investigator at B.C. Children's Hospital. "The health and education sectors have to work with the criminal justice system so that prison doesn't continue to be a revolving door for women."

Women leaving provincial prisons have a reincarceration rate of 40 per cent within the first year of their release and 70 per cent within two years. These women are typically incarcerated for theft, drug-related charges, assault, and breach of parole. In many cases, addiction issues leading to these crimes stem from a history of trauma.

For the study, the researchers interviewed 400 women leaving B.C.'s Alouette Correctional Centre between 2008 and 2010 and conducted follow-up interviews with 207 of them during the subsequent year. Over half the women in the study reported Indigenous ancestry and the average age was 34.

Through the interviews, researchers learned that many women in prison not only suffer from mental health and addiction issues but also from chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cancer, Hepatitis C, HIV and dental problems. Once they are released from prison, they often do not have a family doctor and cannot afford dental care. Many turn to drugs to treat pain and suffering.

The researchers also found that many of the women in prison have not completed high school, making it difficult to find employment.

"This is related to poverty -- women come from rural areas to cities to get away from circumstances at home and find employment. They are not well educated and often end up being exploited and getting involved in the drug or sex trade," said Janssen.

"Women are released from prison with a voucher for a bus ticket and their belongings in a plastic bag. Most are homeless, have lost their identification and have a lot of fear and anxiety about where they should go," said Mo Korchinski, a co-author of the study who interviewed women at a transit exchange after they were released from prison. "They end up going back to the same place they came from and get sucked back into the lifestyle that got them into trouble."

Korchinski, a formerly incarcerated woman who helped design the study, and co-author of the study Ruth Elwood Martin, a clinical professor in the school of population and public health, have started a peer health mentor program that pairs women released from prison with a mentor. The mentor picks them up from prison and helps them to find housing, clothing and food. The program has helped more than 300 women and research is being conducted to test its effectiveness.

In Canada, it costs $150,897 per year to keep a woman in prison and $19,755 per year to supervise her parole. The researchers suggest setting up partnership programs between the health, education and criminal justice ministries to address the unmet health and education needs of women leaving prison, and then evaluating the cost-effectiveness of these programs.

The study was published today in CMAJ Open.

###
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Solitary weasel-like animals called tayra might look pretty harmless, but some may actually be incubators for a parasite that causes Chagas disease, a chronic, debilitating condition that is spread by insects called kissing bugs and affects more than 8 million people worldwide. In a study published today in the journal PeerJ, researchers from the University of California, Riverside have identified several new hosts for parasite-spreading kissing bug species, including tayras, new world monkeys, sloths, porcupines, and coatis -- which are the South American cousins of racoons.

The research is important because, despite its prevalence, relatively little is known about the transmission of Chagas disease, a deadly, incurable condition that is most common in Latin America.

"There are 152 species of kissing bug, but we don't know much about most of them, including the animals they feed on that can act as reservoirs for the parasite. Overall, the existing data is piecemeal, scattered, and biased toward a handful of heavily studied and well-documented species, while little data exists for insects that are found in very secluded habitats," said Christiane Weirauch, a professor of entomology in UCR's College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

The UCR study not only increases our knowledge of Chagas disease transmission in rural environments, but also provides the most comprehensive review of animal hosts of the kissing bugs that spread Chagas disease. The research, led by Anna Georgieva, an undergraduate majoring in biology, and Eric Gordon, a graduate student researcher in Weirauch's lab, will support efforts to control the disease, particularly in poor, rural populations in South America.

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to animals and humans by members of the assassin bug subfamily called kissing bugs that feed on blood and are named for their tendency to bite people around the mouth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, kissing bugs become infected with T. cruzi by biting an infected animal or person and, once infected, they pass T. cruzi parasites in their feces. When they bite a person and ingest blood, they defecate on them. A person can become infected if bug feces enters their body through mucous membranes or skin lesions caused by the bite wound or scratching. Research also suggests that animals can become infected by eating other animals that harbor the parasite.

Although Chagas disease is common in rural areas, identifying new hosts among tree-dwelling, and sometimes nocturnal animals is a challenge. To sidestep this problem, the researchers identified new hosts by studying their blood -- which they isolated straight from the guts of kissing bugs. The sample included 64 kissing bug samples collected from Central and South America between 2005 and 2015 that were preserved in ethanol.

"Our modern approach using DNA allowed us to determine this wide variety of animal hosts without a bias towards ones that are already known, unlike some older detection methods" Georgieva said.

DNA analyses of the ingested blood revealed host associations for 24 of the samples. Among the newly identified hosts was the tayra, which has never before been named as a host for kissing bugs.

Gordon said the findings will help public health officials develop new methods to control Chagas disease. "Education and pesticide application around homes has helped reduce the impact of kissing bugs associated with homes and domestic animals, but now more and more cases of Chagas disease are driven by species most often associated with more rural hosts," Gordon said.

"One important consideration in controlling Chagas disease in wild animals is the possibility of bioaccumulation of the parasite in certain carnivores near the top of the food chain. If kissing bugs also feed on these carnivores, as has occurred for the tayra in our study, they are likely to be one of the important links in the transmission chain of the disease in the wild. If a vaccine becomes available one day in the future, they are good candidates to target for immunization to halt the natural spread of the parasite and potentially help to eradicate the pathogen."

###
HOUSTON -- Immune-cell based therapies opening a new frontier for cancer treatment carry unique, potentially lethal side effects that provide a new challenge for oncologists, one addressed by a team led by clinicians at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center with proposed guidelines for systematically dealing with the toxicities of these drugs.

Their work, published today in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, confronts the two main side effects of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells, known as CAR T cells, white blood cells genetically engineered to strike cells with a specific target on their surface.

"CAR T cells provide an entirely new level of improved disease response among patients with certain blood cancers and hold promise for more wide-ranging use," said Elizabeth Shpall, M.D., deputy chair and professor of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at MD Anderson.

"The algorithms that we published are conservative, detailed, and will help us save lives as we move forward with these exciting but also more toxic therapies," Shpall said.

The review covers wide-ranging research on CAR T therapies by many institutions and includes insights based on more than 100 patients treated at MD Anderson, Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Sylvester Cancer Center at the University of Miami, and Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Rochester, Minn.

Patients were treated by the co-authors with CAR T cells under development at four different companies for leukemias and lymphomas that attack white blood cells called B cells. They target CD19, a protein found on the surface of both malignant and normal B cells.

In clinical trials of CAR T for patients who have had all other treatments fail, response rates range from 50 to 90 percent.

"This represents a sea change in how we treat these patients," said lead author Sattva Neelapu, M.D., professor of Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma. "There have been no new treatments approved for patients with aggressive B-cell lymphomas relapsing after first line therapy in 30 years, and only about 10 percent survive long term."

"Existing second-line treatments, combination chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant when possible, take three to six months," Neelapu continued, "CAR T cell therapies take a few weeks."

"We need longer term follow up of patients treated so far in clinical trials, but these are potentially curative treatments," Neelapu said. "The toxicities are unique, and every member of the care team needs to be trained to recognize them and act accordingly."

Cytokine storms, brain stressors and safety

Two side effects have emerged during clinical trials that were previously uncommon to cancer treatments:

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS), also known as cytokine storm, an escalated immune response that causes flu-like symptoms and can be fatal.

Neurological toxicity that the researchers have named CAR-T-cell-related encephalopathy syndrome (CRES), which can sometimes lead to lethal swelling in the brain.

Both CRS and CRES are treatable, with early identification important to swift improvement. The review provides specific recommendations for pre-treatment preparation, monitoring of patients during and after CAR T infusion, identifying and staging emerging CRS and CRES, and tailored treatment of those side effects depending upon their severity.

New test for neurotoxicity

Researchers also developed a simple and fast method to flag development of neurotoxicity. The 10-point test asks a patient to name the year, month, city, hospital and president/prime minister of their home country (5 points), to name three nearby objects (3 points), write a standard sentence and count backward from 100 by tens.

A perfect score defines normal cognitive function. A patient has mild to severe impairment depending on the number of questions or activities missed.

For one patient treated for B cell lymphoma cited in the review, deterioration of her handwriting was the first sign of neurological impairment, which led to prompt intervention and reversal of the toxicity within hours.

Building on such insights, co-lead author Sudhakar Tummala, M.D., professor of Neuro-Oncology, led development of the neurological assessment, which they named CARTOX-10. An existing general method didn't effectively quantify the neurological effects caused by CAR T cell therapies.

They also tap the existing research published or presented about these therapies. For example, CAR T cell pioneer Carl June, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, found abundant expression of interleukin-6 to be a driver of cytokine release syndrome. They successfully treated the first pediatric patient who suffered from CRS with IL-6 suppressors.

The review provides detailed guidance on how and when to use such drugs and other therapies for CRS and CRES.

Moon Shots Program support

Precise causes of these side effects are unknown and remain under investigation. Researchers also are trying to work out what factors allow strong responses in some patients, and resistance to treatment or relapse in others.

"While we all work on those issues, and learn how to better manage and harness these therapies, the CARTOX algorithms provide ground rules for patient safety," said Shpall, who holds the Howard and Lee Smith Chair in Cancer Research at MD Anderson.

The algorithms also will be applicable to other types of cell-based immunotherapy, including CAR natural killer cells, T cell receptor (TCR) engineered T cells, and combination drugs that use an antibody to connect T cells to targets on cancer cells, Shpall said.

The multi-institutional and multidisciplinary team formed for this research is called the CARTOX Working Group. Its research was funded by MD Anderson's Cancer Center Support Grant (P30 CAO16672) from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health and by philanthropic support for MD Anderson's Moon Shots Program, designed to more rapidly develop life-saving advances based on scientific discoveries, to Neelapu through the B cell Lymphoma Moon Shot.

Shpall is co-leader of the Moon Shots Program Adoptive Cell Therapy Platform, which provides expertise and technology to support research in such treatment approaches.

###

MD Anderson and other co-authors have received funding to conduct clinical trials from pharmaceutical companies that are developing CAR T cell therapies. Neelapu has served as a consultant to Kite Pharma and Novartis. All such arrangements are managed under MD Anderson's conflict of interest policies.

Co-authors with Neelapu, Shpall and Tummala are: Partow Kebriaei, M.D., and Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D., of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Biology; William Wierda, M.D., Nitin Jain, M.B.B.S., and Naval Daver, M.D., of Leukemia; Jason Westin, M.D., and Sherry Adkins, of Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma; Monica Loghin, M.D., and John de Groot, M.D., of Neuro-Oncology; Cristina Gutierrez, M.D., of Critical Care and Respiratory Care; Frederick Locke, M.D., Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; Krishna Komanduri, M.D., of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL; Yi Lin, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn; Alison Gulbis, Division of Pharmacy at MD Anderson; Suzanne Davis and Patrick Hwu, M.D., Division of Cancer Medicine, MD Anderson.
A new study demonstrates the strong influence ancestry plays in Americans' interpretation of whether someone is black, white or multiracial, highlighting differences in the way race is socially constructed in the U.S. compared to other parts of the world.

The three-phase study, led by Jacqueline M. Chen of the University of Utah and published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, compared how Brazilians and Americans assessed the race of another person. Brazilians were more likely to decide what race a person was based on his or her appearance, while Americans relied most heavily on parentage to make that determination.

"Our results speak to completely different definitions of what race is and whether ancestry or family background is even relevant to race," said Chen, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah. "It is ingrained in Americans to think about race in terms of heritage. In the U.S., people ask about where your family is from as a way to ascertain your race. But in Brazil, people don't focus on family history when determining someone's race."

Co-authors of the study are Maria Clara P. de Paula Cuoto of the Ayrton Senna Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil (her involvement in the study is not related to her work at the institute); Airi M. Sacco of the Federal University of Pelotas, Pelatos, Brazil; and Yarrow Dunham of Yale University.

The researchers conducted three different experiments in the U.S. and Brazil to assess cultural differences in how participants determined race. Both countries have a history of European settlement, Native American displacement and African slavery, but have adopted different strategies and practices to address racial diversity, the researchers said.

The U.S. historically attempted to maintain racial hierarchy through formal rules that denied rights and resources to African Americans. Brazil encouraged interracial marriage as a way for individuals to move up the social hierarchy and to reduce the number of people who strongly self-identified as black.

In the first study, the researchers showed participants images of multiracial children. The participants were told the child was born in their native country and given one of three stories about parentage: that his/her parents were both African American; both white; or that one parent was African American and the other was white. They were then asked to identify the child's race.

Brazilians were more likely to answer that question based on the children's looks, ignoring what the researchers said about the parents' race, while Americans categorized the children based on the information about the parents' race.

That outcome is in line with the fact that in the U.S., it is common for a person with one parent who is black and one parent who is white to be considered black rather than white or multiracial.

Consider rapper/actor Ice T, actress Halle Berry or former president Barack Obama: All are generally referred to as black -- and also self-identify as black -- when, in fact, each has a multiracial and ethnic heritage, Chen said.

In the second phase of the study, participants were shown portraits of people who varied in skin tone from very dark to very light and whose facial features ranged from very Afrocentric to very Eurocentric. They were asked to categorize the people by race: black, multiracial or white.

Brazilians' determinations were based most strongly on skin tone, while Americans relied on a combination of skin tone and facial features to decide a person's race -- demonstrating that not only are there cultural differences in people's definitions of race, but also that there are cultural differences in the physical characteristics that people use to determine others' race. Brazilians' race perceptions were predominately "skin deep;" Americans paid more attention to facial features to discern someone's race.

In the third phase, researchers explored cultural differences in the motivations behind racial categorizations. They assessed participants' social dominance orientation, which captures likelihood that individuals support existing social status hierarchies. People who are low in social dominance orientation are relatively egalitarian. In contrast, people who high in social dominance orientation tend to tolerate social inequalities and are motivated to protect the current hierarchy.

Historically, when Americans feel the racial status quo is threatened they have been more likely to determine the classification of a person of mixed-race ancestry based on the race of the more socially subordinate parent -- and this is particularly true for people who have a high social dominance orientation.

In the study, participants read a passage that described social advantages favoring whites or a significant social change favoring blacks. They were then shown a series of portraits and asked to identify the race of each individual.

In the experiment, Americans who were generally more supportive of status hierarchies saw more people as black when they felt the status quo was being threatened. But this wasn't true of Brazilians who also were supportive of status hierarchies.

"Brazilians' racial hierarchy doesn't work the same way, so they did not protect the status quo by excluding people from the most advantaged group," Chen said.

Together, the three experiments demonstrated how Americans frequently essentialize race, treating observed racial differences as stemming from unobservable but deep internal properties that are passed on biologically from parents to children, the researchers said.

"Although tensions between racial groups are real in our country, it may benefit us to think about the racial divides as something of our own making -- a product of our country's historical treatment of race," Chen said. "This is most clearly seen when in comparison with other countries that don't think about race in the same way. And since racial boundaries are created and reinforced by own our psychology, maybe there's a way for us to recreate them as well."

###
The author of a new study showing slow but consistent progress in the experiences of LGBTQ students on college campuses over the past 70 years is concerned that for the first time since 1944, that trend may be reversing.

The article in the Journal of College Student Development shows generational progress and improved perceptions of campus climate for LGBTQ undergraduates from 1944 through 2013, based on data form the National LGBT Alumni Survey. Key factors included support by LGBTQ faculty, co-curricular involvement with peers, choice of major, and geographic location. Graduates of rural institutions reported more negative campus climates, while students who attended colleges in New England had the most positive experiences.

Perhaps the most interesting finding, however, was the role that historical events in U.S history and the LGBTQ movement played in the perceptions of campus climate. Wartime policies such as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, the Vietnam War draft, and the federal Don't Ask Don't Tell policy created isolating experiences for LGBTQ students with regard to identity disclosure and the criminalization of LGBTQ people in the armed forces.

"In the wartime Navy, anyone openly gay would have been given a dishonorable discharge and lost the support of his college education," responded a gay man who graduated in 1945.

"Had I revealed my sexuality I most likely would have lost my scholarship and would have immediately been inducted into the U.S. Navy as a Seaman recruit," reported a gay Hispanic man at an Ivy League school in 1970.

"I was closeted and in the ROTC, so discussing my orientation was not an option during the era of Don't Ask, Don't Tell .... The pressure from being closeted had a direct effect on my academic performance," wrote a gay man who graduated in 1994.

Not coincidentally, the study showed that the first time the mean standardized score for campus climate perceptions showed a positive value was 1998 -- the same year Matthew Shepard was murdered, sparking widespread attention to homophobia and violence against LGBTQ people. A proliferation in the number of on-campus resources for LGBTQ students followed suit in the early 2000s.

"The gradual acceptance and affirmation of LGBTQ people in mainstream society are inextricably linked to increasingly progressive social policies for LGBTQ people and more positive perceptions of campus climate in higher education," says study author Jason Garvey, assistant professor of higher education and student affairs at the University of Vermont, who co-authored the article with graduate students Laura A. Sanders and Maureen A. Flint from the University of Alabama.

Garvey is concerned that recent policies by President Donald Trump, coupled with a rise in anti-LGBTQ state-level proposals, are negatively impacting the overall climate for LGBTQ people on -- and off -- college campuses. In particular, he cites Trump's ban on transgender individuals in the military; the so-called "bathroom bill" to restrict the use of public restrooms by transgender people; and a filing by the Justice Department asserting lesbian, gay and bisexual people have no protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights of Act.

Garvey says the State of California's recent ban on publicly-funded travel by state employees to Kentucky, Texas, Alabama and South Dakota in response to anti-LGBTQ rights laws is representative of the regional differences for LGBTQ state-level legislation. California lawmakers also passed legislation last year banning non-essential travel to North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.

"This study shows that the warmth or chilliness of higher education for LGBTQ people differs greatly depending on the region and whether an institution is urban or rural, and I think a lot of these geographic differences are coming to the forefront because of the Trump administration," says Garvey. "There is no one narrative for LGBTQ student success, but these federal and state-level decisions have a direct impact on how welcome or unwelcome LGBTQ people feel. It feels like we're moving in the wrong direction, which is especially discouraging considering the gradual progress across the last seven decades."

Less publicized, but no less important, says Garvey, is Trump's decision to not include data collection from the 2020 Census related to sexual orientation and gender identity, and the removal of a question allowing respondents to identify as transgender from the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants. The Department of Housing and Urban Development also withdrew two notices expected to impact data collection and implementation guidelines for a homelessness prevention initiative targeting LGBTQ youth.

"There's a data-void for LGBTQ people and we, therefore, have difficulty legitimizing our experiences through empirical data," says Garvey. "Only recently have scholars and higher education administrators begun to understand the importance of data-driven experiences for LGBTQ people. It may not sound like a big deal that the Trump administration is erasing LGBTQ and trans people from federal data collection, but by empirically tracking the experiences of LGBTQ, we're demonstrating the need for increased resource allocation, more LGBTQ affirming policies, and a greater depth of understanding of our stories."

###
New Haven, Conn. -- An international Yale-led research team has shown that a risk profile based on 52 genes accurately predicts survival for patients with a severe lung disease. If confirmed in further studies, the finding could transform the way patients are treated for the condition, which is on the rise in older adults.

The study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a form of lung disease that causes scarring and impairs breathing. Without a transplant, IPF patients can expect to live between three and five years. In a prior study, lead authors Jose Herazo-Maya M.D., Naftali Kaminski, M.D., and colleagues identified 52 genes that correlated with survival. However, they only validated four of those genes and on a limited number of patients.

In the new study, the Yale team collaborated with researchers in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States to determine if the entire 52-gene risk profile could be validated in multiple patient groups. They also assessed whether the risk profile would enhance tools currently used by clinicians, and whether the risk profile would change as the disease progresses.

The research team collected samples from more than 400 patients recruited from multiple academic centers over a decade. The researchers developed a system to score genes with high or low expression, and classified patients as being at either high or low risk for IPF mortality. To determine the predictive value of the risk profile, they also analyzed patient health data and response to drug therapy over time.

The researchers found that the 52-gene risk profile did accurately predict individual patient survival, in all six cohorts, said Herazo-Maya. "IPF is known to have a variable and unpredictable course and therefore we were so impressed that the results were validated in all six cohorts," he noted.

The gene risk profile increased the accuracy of current clinical tools. The study also found that the risk profile worsens as the disease progresses. In a small subset of patients treated with recently FDA-approved medications, the risk profile improved.

While further study is needed, the findings have important implications, said the researchers. The 52-gene risk profile may be useful to make disease management decisions, such as prioritizing some patients for lung transplantation, said Kaminski. "If additional studies confirm the treatment effect we observed, shifts in the 52-gene risk profile could eventually be used to indicate response to therapy, and allow more efficient drug trial designs and disease management plans," he explained.

###

Other study authors are Jiehuan Sun, Philip L. Molyneaux, Qin Li, Julian A. Villalba, Argyrios Tzouvelekis, Heather Lynn, Brenda M. Juan-Guardela, Cristobal Risquez, Juan C. Osorio, Xiting Yan, George Michel, Nachelle Aurelien, Kathleen O. Lindell, Melinda J. Klesen, Miriam F. Moffatt, William O. Cookson, Yingze Zhang, Joe GN Garcia, Imre Noth, Antje Prasse, Ziv Bar-Joseph, Kevin F. Gibson, Hongyu Zhao, Erica L. Herzog, Ivan O. Rosas, and Toby M. Maher.

The research was supported in part by The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, the Harold Amos Faculty Development Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Lead authors Herazo-Maya and Kaminski have a patent pending on marker panels for IPF diagnosis and evaluation.

Citation: The Lancet Respiratory Medicine
LONDON, Ohio  Pipeline leases and easements are hot on the minds of many Ohio farmers and Dale Arnold, director of energy policy at Ohio Farm Bureau, is addressing their concerns at the Farm Science Review.

While some pipeline projects, such as the ET Rover and Nexus, are wrapping up, producers are wondering what rights they have during and after construction.

After the construction leaves and the ground has been recovered and replanted with grass seed, there is still a potential for the ground to settle and sinkholes to form. So what can you do about it?

Read your lease

As a landowner, you do have rights to your land, explained Arnold. But, the key is to know your lease agreement, said Arnold.

If you dont have a copy of your land easement, you can get a copy from the county recorders office.

Photograph it

Even though there is construction going on, you still have a right to be on the land, said Arnold.

Take photos of the land where construction is taking place, take pictures of the trucks and equipment, with the name of the equipment displayed on the side for future reference.

Compaction has been an issue for many farmers after the construction company leaves a pipeline site, explained Arnold. Having photographic evidence of the site, taking photos of open ditches and exposed tiling, can help you prove damage has been done.

If there is any potential damage, get a good soil technician to assess the potential compaction, said Arnold.

The company has a responsibility to restore the land after construction. While the company may put down new grass seed and the ground may look nice from above, the farmer may not be seeing the compaction taking place below the soil surface, he explained.

When you do decide to go back and make a claim on damaged land, you will have the photographic evidence to back up your claim.

Some farmers are starting to see companies mowing around wellheads, up to a 60-foot radius, taking out crops within that radius.

The question arises, are producers entitled to any crop damage from that mowing and the answer is, yes, said Arnold. Take a picture of that.

Producers are entitled to fair and just compensation for any crops taken out, he said.

Making a claim

If you do need a repair or remediation, there will probably be an 800 number for you to report a claim, said Arnold. By state and federal law, the company has to provide you that service he explained.

Once you make that call, the clock starts and if someone does not respond to your claim within 48 hours, it goes to a state or federal regulation commission.

Other things to note

Take down the names and contact information of any companies that cross your land during the construction process.

For areas undergoing new leases for future pipeline projects, make sure you have a good understanding of the lease or agreement you are signing and what rights you have after you sign on the line.

Farm Science Review Coverage
A farmer has been fined more than 100,000 for sawing down 200 ancient beech trees in a revenge attack over land rights.

62-year-old Keith Smith rented farmland and woods in Blackwood, near Caerphilly, Wales, and wanted to start a business on the land.

But a renewable energy company bought the land, and now it plans to open up a new solar plant.

This prompted Mr Smith to object. He and his sons then proceeded to perform the revenge attack - sawing down 200 ancient trees with a chainsaw in protest.

Muhammed Yaqub, prosecuting, told The Daily Mail: "The land was being used to install solar panels and the company in fact wanted the trees in place as they provided the perfect screening for the panels."

Mr Yaqub said Mr Smith applied to do something with the land, but failed to get permission.

He continued: "He wasn't able to do what he wanted, and this was a revenge. His attitude was: 'If I can't have that land, no one else can."

Newport Magistrates' Court charged Mr Smith with illegal felling and fined 105,082 ordered to pay 6,945 in costs.

Jim Hepburn, Regulatory Woodland Officer at Natural Resources Wales, said: "This is a devastating case which will have a terrible impact on the local environment and no doubt be very upsetting for local people.

"These trees would have been around 150 - 200 years old and would have provided valuable habitat for wildlife.

"We continue to investigate how this felling has happening, and will take the necessary action against those responsible."
A think-tank has claimed that a "core UK policy" is the best way forward when deciding how to deliver farm subsidies post-Brexit.

New Direction, a think tank headed by Scotland Office minister Lord Duncan, said that it would not be acceptable for the Scottish Government to give significant subsidies to sheep farmers in Scotland which aren't available to sheep farmers in England or Wales.

It said that allowing so, Scottish sheep prices would "unfairly undercut" other sheep farmers across the whole UK market.

For these reasons a core UK policy is needed to replace the existing EU CAP, it explained.

Such a policy would not reduce the scope of the powers of the devolved legislatures but would simply replace existing EU powers (although ritual declarations that devolved parliaments prerogatives were being usurped might be expected).

However, the content of the core UK agricultural policy would no doubt be the subject of negotiation between Westminster and the devolved legislatures and governments.

The think tank said it should be a matter for Westminster to decide if and when powers devolved under the 1998 settlement should be returned to Scotland.

Conservative MP Damian Green said a UK policy is needed to control agriculture in case subsidy wars break out between England, Scotland and Wales, due to devolved governments having the power to increase payment rates.

'Lack of understanding'

But SNP politician Patricia Gibson, MP North Ayrshire and Arran, said Lord Duncan has shown a "complete lack of understanding" of the needs of the Scottish rural economy.

She said there is a higher concentration of farmers and crofters, with specific needs.

Ms Gibson said: On the one hand the Tories say Scotland should use its devolved powers to mitigate Westminsters welfare cuts, for which resources would have to be redirected from Education, Health etc; while on the other the prospect of the SNP Government using its powers to support our own sheep farmers is somehow wrong.

The Tories are attempting to centralise power in London to the detriment of our rural economy.

It is clear the Tories cannot be trusted to act in the interests of farmers and crofters in Ayrshire and across Scotland."

New Scottish Parliament figures show that Scotland would lose out on over 2,298 million in subsidies - around 2,000 million - if CAP funding is replaced by UK-wide per capita funding because it has a higher concentration of agriculture workers.

'Fair allocation'

However, farming union NFU Scotland has previously said funding must receive a "fair allocation" across the UK, and that a UK-wide financial framework is the best option.

NFU Scotland Unions President Andrew McCornick said: We continue to press on the UK Government the importance of committing to longer term funding and its fair allocation across the UK. That will be key to winning the confidence of Scottish farmers and crofters, and a clear indication that their needs are being heard in the Brexit negotiations.

We are looking to both Westminster and Holyrood to restore confidence and certainty to all Scotland's farmers and crofters through agreeing a necessary and meaningful transition.

The discussion with Ministers at Westminster today gave us the opportunity to reiterate our position that any successor policy should be funded on a UK-wide common financial framework, but with policy development and delivery kept within the mainstay of the devolved administrations.
Thieves have broke into a North-east Scotland farm and stole tools worth more than 1,000.

The raid took place at Dykelands Farm in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire at some point between 5pm on Friday, and 7am on Saturday (15 and 16 September).

Police are now seeking help in catching the culprits.

The criminals forced their way into a storage building and stole tools including Milwaukee power tools and a Sealey High Power welder.

Pc Kayleigh McLean, who is leading the investigation, said: I would urge anyone who was in the area between the times in question and saw any suspicious activity to please get in touch as our inquiries continue.

In particular I would appeal to any motorists who were using the surrounding roads and have dash-cam footage to let us know.

The farm in question is adjacent to the A937 Laurencekirk to Marykirk road, which would have been relatively busy.

Police across the North of England and Scotland took part in a major operation focusing on rural criminals last week.

Operation Checkpoint was a multi-force operation targeting travelling criminals operating between counties in the North of England and Scotland, exclusively in rural areas.

The cost of rural crime in the UK reached 42.5m in 2015.

Anyone with information can contact Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 if you would prefer to remain anonymous.
Yearsley herd reduction produces top of 7,800gns for cow and calf outfit
Iulia Is Damn Upset

As per a leading web portal, ''Iulia Vantur is reportedly upset with Salman Khan.''

She Isn't A Part Of Dabangg Tour

''The actress isn't part of the Da-Bang tour, something she isn't too elated about.''

Growing Disconnect Between The Two Because Of Katrina

''The actor is working opposite ex-girlfriend Katrina Kaif for this film again, while there is growing discontent with his alleged girlfriend.''

Recommended Video Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif ROMANTIC picture goes VIRAL; Watch | Filmibeat

Iulia Is Annoyed

''When asked if she has received help from Salman to find a lead role in one of his projects, Iulia said, "I did not come to India just to get a Bollywood movie''.

She Is Worried Also

A source recently confirmed to a web portal, "Salman's proximity to Katrina is also worrying the Romanian beauty.''

Why Salman Didn't Cast Her Opposite Aayush?

''And she's also worried as to why she was not cast opposite Aayush Sharma in his upcoming film.''

And...

''Why has Salman asked Mukesh Chabra to cast the girl, rather than taking someone who is ready and available?"
The workers that build one of General Motors' (GM -1.67%) best-selling products are now on strike. Workers at the Canadian factory that builds the hot-selling Chevrolet Equinox SUV walked out late Sunday night after contract negotiations broke down.

The strike has the potential to be an expensive hassle for GM. A protracted shortage of Equinoxes would make a meaningful dent in GM's bottom line. Here's what we know.

Why 2,750 Canadian GM workers went on strike

Unifor, the Canadian labor union that represents about 2,750 workers at GM's CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, said in a statement late Sunday night that its bargaining committee was unable to reach an agreement on a new contract with GM. It's the first strike in Canada against a U.S. automaker in over 20 years.

The issues in contention are somewhat complicated, but the gist is this: The union wants assurances that GM plans to keep the factory busy for years to come.

It's not hard to see why the workers are concerned. The CAMI factory used to produce the Equinox and the GMC Terrain. Both models were redesigned for the 2018 model year, but CAMI is only producing the new Equinox. GM moved production of the all-new Terrain to Mexico.

At the time the move was announced, GM said it was simply making room to build more Equinoxes at CAMI. But GM also builds the new Equinox in Mexico. So far, Mexican production of the Equinox has been modest, but the Canadian workers are worried that GM will move more Equinox production south, putting their jobs at risk.

Union officials have asked GM to designate the CAMI plant as the primary producer of the Equinox, and to commit to building other products at the factory well into the future, beyond the current-generation Equinox's life cycle.

Apparently, GM's negotiators have been unwilling to do that, hence the strike.

"Every member understands the importance of reaching a deal that secures production, and what that means to our families and the community," said Mike Van Boekel, who leads the Unifor local that represents CAMI's workers. "The membership showed incredibly strong support for their bargaining committee throughout these negotiations."

GM said in a statement that it was "disappointed" it was unable to agree on a new contract with the union. "We encourage Unifor to resume negotiations and to continue working together to secure a competitive agreement," it said.

Why this factory is a particularly tough place for GM to face a strike

A strike at the factory that produces most of the Equinoxes sold in the U.S. and Canada has the potential to put a big dent in GM's profits if it lasts more than a few days.

The problem is simple to describe: The Equinox is a hot new model that has been selling in very big numbers. Because of high demand, supplies are already thinner than GM and its dealers would probably like. With every day of lost production, that supply gets even thinner. At some point, GM loses sales.

While GM can probably modestly increase Mexican production of the Equinox, that won't cover the shortfall. At some point, probably within a few weeks, GM's dealers in the U.S. and Canada won't have enough Equinoxes to meet demand. They (and GM) will lose sales to other brands.

The 2018 Equinox is a big hit for GM

GM completely redesigned the Equinox for the 2018 model year. The new model has received very good reviews and is now a strong contender in one of the hottest segments of the market. Not surprisingly, sales have been terrific since it began arriving at dealers early this year: Through August, U.S. Equinox sales are up 85% to 185,223. It's now GM's second-best-selling vehicle in the U.S., after the Chevrolet Silverado pickup. More importantly, it has helped GM gain ground against rivals like Ford Motor Company's (F -0.75%) Escape, Toyota's (TM -0.06%) RAV4, and Honda's (HMC -0.88%) huge-selling CR-V.

Sales have been so strong that CAMI's production may have fallen a bit behind demand. In the auto industry, the number of vehicles an automaker has in transit and at its dealers is expressed in terms of days of supply at the current pace of sales. For a vehicle like the Equinox, 60 to 70 days' worth would be considered an ideal supply -- enough to give consumers plenty of choices, but not too many.

In recent months, GM has had somewhat more vehicles in inventory than it would like. Supplies of some models have exceeded 100 days' worth. But the hot-selling Equinox is an exception. As of Sept. 1, GM had only about 53 days' worth of Equinoxes at it U.S. dealers, down from 74 days' worth at the beginning of August.

The upshot: Not a big problem yet, but it could become one

Long story short: Because the CAMI factory produces a new model that's in very high demand, and because supplies are already somewhat tight, GM is at risk of not having enough Equinoxes to meet demand.

And because the Equinox is a highly profitable new model that sells in big numbers, the drop in sales that would result from tight supplies would have a substantial impact on GM's profits.

To be clear, that's a risk, but not yet a reality. Generally speaking, in modern times, strikes like these are usually short-lived. The workers stay on the picket lines just long enough to make their point, the company offers some concessions, and everyone heads back to the bargaining table (and to work), usually within a day or two.

If that's how this plays out, it will be no big deal for GM shareholders. But if it drags on for more than a few days, it'll become a problem.
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
Popped cold side intercooler pipe

New member  long time lurker. I will get right to the point as I am in a bind. Cold side intercooler pipe popped which should be no problem but I was on a narrow two-lane highway Northwest of Amarillo. I was towing my 38 Fifth Wheel Toy Hauler at the time and with no place on the two-lane to safely pull off. I had to drive several miles before I finally reached a passing lane and was able to pull over on the shoulder. The truck showed no check engine light until I stopped.

Now the problem - all the wires that connect to the DPF are burnt off. Also noticed the DPF had a hot spot at the rear of the DPF on the upper passenger side. Had the truck towed to the nearest dealer and the RV to a RV park.

Dealer is telling me that Ford told them not to work on the truck until a Ford Engineer looks at it. Was told this was because of the fire. I am being told that this may take as long as three weeks.

From my forum searches the popped intercooler pipe is a common problem. But, the burnt DPF wiring is not. Truck had just turned over 45,000 miles with no previous problems.

Has anybody heard of this happening before? How many other problems with the truck can I expect? Is this something that should be covered under warranty. I might add that I am 250 miles from home, retired and on a fixed income so any major repairs will be a big deal.
SEARCH

A minimum of 3 characters are required to be typed in the search bar in order to perform a search.
Sony's most anticipated handset Xperia XZ1 is finally launching in India News oi -Samden Sherpa The popular Japanese brand has sent out press invites for the launch event that will be happening in Delhi.

Sony Xperia XZ1 was unveiled at the IFA 2017 event and while we have been waiting patiently for the company to announce the availability of this device, it seems it is finally coming to markets around the globe.

As for the Indian market, Sony has announced that the smartphone will be launched in India on September 25. The popular Japanese brand has sent out press invites for the launch event that will be happening in Delhi. The pricing and availability details will also be revealed on the same day.

Sony Xperia XZ1 is priced at $699.99 (approximately Rs. 44,960) in the U.S. and it could be priced similarly in India as well. If it does, it will in the premium smartphone range. Apart from that, Sony had earlier promised that this smartphone would ship with Android 8.0 Oreo so it remains to be seen if it will actually happen as the smartphone India launch is set in September.

Features and Specification of Sony Xperia XZ1

Sony Xperia XZ1 is a high-end device from the company and comes with pretty impressive features and hardware. The handset comes with a 5.2-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) HDR display powered by Sony's Triluminous display and X-Reality technology configured for mobiles. The display gets Corning Gorilla Glass 5 layering on top.

The Sony Xperia XZ1 is powered by a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM and Adreno 540 GPU. The device offers 64GB of inbuilt storage which can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card.

The smartphone features a MotionEye 19-megapixel Exmor RS sensor camera with 3D scanning abilities as its highlighted feature. The rear camera further supports 5-axis stabilization and is capable of doing slow-motion video recording at 960fps as well as 4K video recording. Up front, there is a 13-megapixel camera with an aperture of f/2.0 and 22mm wide-angle lens for group selfies.

It could be announced in single-SIM and dual-SIM variants. Connectivity options in the smartphone comprise 4G LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB OTG, USB Type-C, and GPS among others. In addition, the smartphone comes with Hi-Res Audio, digital noise cancellation, S-Force surrounds sound, stereo recording, and Qualcomm's own aptX audio software.

The Sony Xperia XZ1 has a fingerprint scanner embedded on the power button which is placed on the right side of the smartphone. The handset is backed by a 2700mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0 technology. The smartphone is water and dust resistant with an IP68 certification. It measures 148x73x7.4mm and weighs 156 grams.

Sony Xperia XZ1 was unveiled in Moonlit Blue, Venus Pink, Warm Silver, and Black colors. It will be interesting to see what the company is planning for the Indian consumers.

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
Build and Design

Naturally, the first thing we notice about any phone is its build and design. While design is not the most important aspect of a device, it surely plays a major role in people's buying decision. The smartphone is available in Beyond Black and Aim Gold colors and here we reviewed the Black one.

So right out of the box, when you look at the 10.or E, you will find it sporting a familiar look. The phone has almost similar design to recent Xiaomi phones. So in terms of design, you might confuse 10.or E with phones from some different brands.

Even though the 10.or E is made out of plastic, it has a quite stylish and premium look to it. The rear panel has a matte finish and smudges appear it on quickly. However, it is not that visible.



The rear panel holds a circular camera module that is accompanied by a LED flash on its right side. There is rounds-shaped fingerprint scanner positioned a little below the camera module. At the bottom, you will find the branding.

Up front, the display is surrounded by quite thick upper and lower bezels. The side bezels, on the other hand, are relatively narrower. The top bezel houses the selfie camera along with the flash and the earpiece, but the bottom bezel is empty (no physical home button). The power button and the volume rockers are housed on the right edge and the SIM tray is placed on the left.

The smartphone has curved edges which provide a good grip quality. 10.or E comes with a 3.5mm audio jack at top, and a micro-USB port and the speaker grilles placed at the bottom.

Well, overall, this is a good-looking budget smartphone with decent ergonomics as well.

5.5-inch full HD Display

The 10.or E comes with a 5.5-inch FHD IPS display with the resolution of 19201080 pixels.

. The display is covered by a 2.5D curved glass and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for better protection. So you can stop worrying about getting scratches on the display.

During my encounter with the smartphones, I found its display to be quite bright with decent viewing angles in bright light conditions.

One drawback is the display's slow responsiveness. The touch response is not that smooth so you might feel frustrated while you are in a hurry.

Talking about viewing experience, the FHD display does a pretty good job while watching videos and browsing the internet.

Android Nougat with custom UI

On the software front, the 10.or E runs on Android 7.1.2 Nougat operating system with layer of the company's own UI on the top. I was really impressed by the fact that the smartphone runs with Android Nougat, since there are very few smartphones under the 10K category running on this OS.

Notably, the 10.or E has an app drawer. Coming to the UI, it looks good and the icons are not gimmicky. Moreover, you will be able to do a lot of customizations as per your wish.

The smartphone also comes with pre-installed apps such as Google Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, etc. Since it is an Amazon exclusive, the Prime Video, Amazon Kindle and the Amazon shopping app are also pre-loaded on the device. If you wish, you can remove these third-party apps though.

You would be happy to know that the 10.or E smartphone would be later upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo.

Performance and Battery

Performance wise, this phone did not fail to impress us. Our review unit came with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor.

While we were using the device, we didn't find any noticeable lags and the 10.or E was able to perform most of the tasks quite smoothly. Navigating the user interface, launching apps and even switching between multiple apps was quick enough.

Likewise, we didn't face any mention-worthy problem while playing full HD videos and light games such as Subway Surfer and Dancing Line ran smoothly enough. That being said, you may find some glitches when it comes to heavy games.

Talking about the battery life, 10.or E packs a large 4,000mAh battery. For comparison, the Xiaomi Redmi 4 comes with a 4,100mAh battery. The 10.or E's battery easily lasts a day with moderate to heavy usage. So on this aspect; this phone didn't give us any scope to complain.

On heavy usage that includes voice calls, emails, constant 4G/Wi-Fi connectivity, browsing the internet and social media accounts, watching videos and playing some games the phone will last a full day and a little more without any problem. With light usage, the smartphone delivers almost 2 days of battery backup.

Overall, the 10.or E handled tasks and performed well in an everyday usage scenario. We also ran the device through some benchmarking tests and the results are below.

Camera

As for optics, the 10.or E comes with a 13MP main camera with PDAF, LED flash and f/2.0 aperture. At the front, there is a 5MP selfie camera with LED flash and the same aperture.

Truth to be told, the main camera doesn't justify its 13MP pixel resolution. We used the primary camera for taking pictures in both outdoors and indoors. While in daylight, the picture is quite clear, the same can't be said about images taken in low-light condition. When we zoomed into the picture, it got pixelated. So don't expect clear and sharp pictures if you are using the phone where light is not sufficient. Some blurriness will be there.

On the bright side, we were quite happy with the camera performance in day light. Other than taking clear photos, the color reproduction is impressive as well.

If you love taking selfies, you may not feel satisfied with 10.or E's front camera. The pictures often come out to be blurry and results are not very good.

Some other aspects

The 10.or E delivers loud and clear audio output from both in-ear and loudspeakers. The fingerprint scanner is really fast and accurate. Connectivity suite of this dual-SIM smartphone offers 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, micro-USB port and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Verdict

Truthfully speaking, we did not expect the 10.or E to be as good as it turned out to be. Considering the pricing, the phone is impressive in terms of features and specs it offers.

The only downside is the camera, which could have been better, especially while clicking images in low-light condition and capturing minute details in the photos.

Talking about the pros, the phone packs a large 4,000mAh battery, which easily lasts a day even after heavy usage. Another good point is; the device doesn't heat up.

That being said, this phone has to fight the likes of other budget smartphones such as Xiaomi Redmi 4, Lenovo K6 Power and Motorola Moto G4 Play. Since it is a new brand, 10.or E will face a tough competition from above mentioned devices that are widely popular in the Indian market. However, even with the downsides attached to it, it does fit in the recommendation list for many who are looking for a secondary smartphone in a pocket-friendly budget.
BSNL plans to launch affordable feature phone: Reports News oi -Priyanka BSNL is tying up with device makers such as Lava and Micromax to come up with own model of co-branded bundled feature phones with very aggressive voice packages.

Telecom operator, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is planning to launch its own feature phone for Rs. 2,000 in association with domestic handset maker Micromax and Lava.

"Our strategy is away from procurement. We are trying to come up with our own bundled phone equipment and in about a month time, you will see co-branded feature phones with various manufacturers will come," BSNL Chairman Anupam Shrivastava told ET.

He further added, "We are tying up with device makers such as Lava and Micromax to come up with own model of co-branded bundled feature phones with very aggressive voice packages."

However, as for the pricing, he said that the price is not finalized yet, but it would be close to Rs. 2,000.

Ever since Reliance Jio has announced its feature phone all telecom companies are planning to counter the former, in fact, India's largest telecom service provider Bharti Airtel is in talks with various handset manufacturers to bring 4G VoLte smartphone as well.

Meanwhile, the company is also planning to launch its LTE based 4G mobile services by this year-end.

To recall, Union Cabinet has approved hiving off mobile tower assets of BSNL into a separate company, fully owned by BSNL. This approval authorizes BSNL to monetize its telecom tower infrastructure with the formation of a separate subsidiary company. Currently, BSNL owns 66,000 telecom towers in the country, out of the total 4.4 lakh towers.

The telecom tower industry has emerged as an independent business to harness the potential for sharing of infrastructure. The business model arose from the need to achieve economies of scale and to reduce capital investment costs for providing mobile services.

Best Mobiles in India
Last evacuated C-17 returns home

By Airman 1st Class Allison Payne, Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs / Published September 18, 2017

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. (AFNS) -- The final C-17 Globemaster III evacuated due to Hurricane Irma's potential landfall returned to Joint Base Charleston Sept. 15, 2017.

In response to the hurricane, 30 C-17s were relocated by Sept. 9, 2017. Twenty-two C-17s were launched from JB Charleston, while eight C-17s scheduled to return were diverted to alternate locations.

Maintainers from the 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron helped evacuate the C-17s with less than 24 hours notice. According to Capt. Christi Bausch, 437th AMXS Gold Aircraft Maintenance Unit officer in charge, a typical maintenance squadron operates with approximately 600 maintainers, this crew operated with 61 Airmen and 15 aircraft, launching missions every day.

"Everybody definitely played their part," said Bausch. "They all had a good attitude and each of them will tell you that just watching the impact of their efforts and seeing how they're helping out families puts it all into perspectivewhy they're there and why it's important."

Capt. Bryan Butler, 437th AMXS officer in charge, said he was impressed with the efficiency of his team during the short-notice evacuation.

"I think it went really well because we got all the tools, testers and equipment on the aircraft to two separate locations with two separate teams," said Butler. "We sent aircraft to Barksdale Air Force Base and to Scott [AFB], and we also sent additional folks to Travis [AFB] to do some aeromedical evacuation missions out there."

C-17s were also relocated to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio and JB Lewis-McChord, Washington. Airmen with the 437th AMXS ensured relocated C-17s were maintained and prepared to support hurricane relief efforts.

"People stepped out of their normal jobs every day," said Master Sgt. Timothy Raines, 437th AMXS production superintendent. "It was a team effort, everybody chipped in and made the effort happen. It didn't matter what the obstacle was, they just made it happen"

Although the relocated C-17s have returned, the 437th Airlift Wing is prepared to respond to any future hurricane relief support that may be needed.

"Communication flow is really important, and the way people are willing to work with each other is key to being able to succeed," said Butler.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






U.S., Japanese, South Korean Aircraft Conduct Show of Force Flights

By Air Force Capt. Cassandra Gesecki U.S. Pacific Command

CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii, Sept. 18, 2017  U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps aircraft joined Japanese and South Korean military aircraft in a sequenced show of force over the Korean Peninsula yesterday in response to North Korea's Sept. 14 launch of an intermediate range ballistic missile over Japan.

Show of Force

Two B-1B Lancer bombers from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam; four U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fifth-generation advanced fighters from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan; four South Korean F-15K fighters and four Japanese F-2 fighters executed this mission, U.S. Pacific Command officials said.

Practicing Attack Capabilities

U.S. and South Korean aircraft flew across the Korean Peninsula and practiced their attack capabilities by releasing live weapons at the Pilsung Range training area.

U.S., South Korean, Japanese Aircraft

The F-35B fighters, B-1B bombers and Japanese F-2s flew together over waters near Kyushu, Japan.

Counter-Threat Exercise

Pacific Command maintains the ability to respond to any threat in the Indo-Asia-Pacific theater at a moment's notice, Pacom officials said in announcing the show of force flights.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Air Force Secretary Outlines Forward-Looking Changes, Priorities

By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2017  Air Force Secretary Heather A. Wilson spoke today at the Annual Air and Space Conference here, detailing changes designed to drive the Air Force forward and priorities that include restoring readiness and cost-effectively modernizing the force.

At the conference, sponsored by the Air Force Association, Wilson outlined the state of the force.

"Now that I've been here in this seat for four months  there are some things we've done to drive forward the U.S. Air Force," Wilson said.

The Air Force has put forward a budget that begins to restore the force's readiness so it can win any fight, any time, she added.

"We're moving forward with the modernization of our strategic nuclear deterrent with the KC-46 [Pegasus] tanker, the B-21 [Raider] bomber [and] the F-35 [Lightning II] fighter so that we can increase the lethality of the force, and we've established a new deputy chief of staff for space," Wilson said.

"We have a live-fly experiment with four light-attack aircraft ... and we've started to simplify Air Force instructions and policies so that we stop telling airmen how to do everything," she said to a burst of applause, " ... and tell them what to do and let them surprise us with their ingenuity."

The Air Force also recently hosted a workforce summit to chart a course for developing exceptional leaders who will lead the world's most powerful teams, Wilson said, and it has raised incentive pay for officers and enlisted aircrew and expanded the aviation bonus program.

"We're off to a good start but there's much more to do," the former Air Force pilot added.

Air Force Priorities

The Air Force has established priorities driven by the needs of the nation, she said, among them restoring readiness to win any fight, any time.

"Readiness is first and foremost about people," Wilson added. "We've got to be bigger in order to meet the demands of the missions we've been given. The chief and I will work on steadily increasing our end strength in order to defend the nation."

Readiness is also about training, she said.

Air crews must get the time they need for training in contested environments and for the high-end fights and nuclear deterrence missions the force will be testing them on, Wilson said.

Training and exercises must continue to challenge Air Force men and women across the range of operations, she said, "which means we have to get larger in order for them to be ready for that fight."

And readiness includes restocking the decreasing supply of munitions, she added.

"While the precision of our weapons is unparalleled, we are using critical munitions faster than we are producing them," Wilson said, "  The Air Force has expended more than 54,000 precision munitions against [the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] since 2014."

Precision weapons have changed the way the U.S. military fights, she said, and these weapons and "exquisite intelligence allow us to destroy our enemies while minimizing casualties. We will continue to work closely with our industry partners to manage production."

Effective Modernization

Wilson said another priority for the Air Force is to modernize -- cost-effectively -- to increase the lethality of the force.

"The average age of our aircraft is 28 years old. We have to be able to evolve faster, to respond faster than our potential adversaries. We've got a bow wave of modernization coming across the board for the Air Force over the next 10 years -- it's bombers, it's fighters, it's tankers, it's satellites, it's helicopters and it's our nuclear deterrent," she said.

Such modernization must start with getting acquisition right -- being a good buyer for what warfighters need, she added.

"The first squadron of fully capable F-35s is activating this month at Hill Air Force Base [in Utah].  That squadron has the full range of weapons and sensors and is ready to go when the nation calls," Wilson said.

Next year, she added, the Air National Guard's 157th Air Refueling Wing at Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire will be the first unit to get the new KC-46 tanker.

"The long-range B-21 bomber is another step forward ... it supports the nuclear triad, it's designed to penetrate enemy air defenses in a high-end fight and it has an open architecture go support new technologies long term. It has completed its preliminary design review and is developing on track," she said.

Space Operations

Wilson also is focused on space. The Air Force has been the lead service for space since 1954, she said.

"As the principal Defense Department advisor with respect to space," Wilson added, "I will continue to advocate for space capability for all of our services and in particular the Air Force."

This year the Air Force established a new three-star deputy chief of staff for space operations, she said, who will "bring a voice to the space warfighter in every conversation in headquarters Air Force."

She added, "The chief and I expect this position to quickly identify requirements, to streamline operations and to meet the demands of space as a war-fighting domain."

Spacefaring nations like the United States must seek to ensure that space capabilities are protected, Wilson said.

"The 2018 president's budget proposes a 20 percent increase to Air Force space systems," she said. "We will continue to accelerate space capabilities so that America will continue to own the high ground."

Science & Technology Strategy

From time to time it is important to refresh the service's science and technology strategy, the secretary said, to project ahead 10 or 20 years into the future to see what kind of Air Force might exist at that time.

"Today I am announcing a 12-month effort to conduct a broad review and revision of our science and technology strategy," Wilson said.

The Air Force Research Laboratory will lead this effort with input from the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

"We will listen broadly and engage those who are on the cutting edge of science so that we can focus our research efforts on the pathways that are vital to our future as a service," Wilson said.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team prepares for the future of electronic warfare

By 1st Lt. Jordan Linder, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Public AffairsSeptember 18, 2017

DILLINGHAM AIRFIELD, Hawaii -- As Soldiers move across the battlefield, under the cover of night, the enemy may be capturing their physical location. Compromised information could end their mission and endanger their lives. Are they safe? Who can commanders rely on to prevent enemy technology from detecting them?

Electronic warfare specialists, military occupational specialty 29E, have the difficult job of preventing these situations. They assist in all aspects of the fight to block foreign technologies from compromising missions, and they need the latest equipment to accomplish this.

Electronic warfare specialists are as high-tech as the name sounds; they use high frequency "jamming" technology to fight cyber threats on the battlefield and provide commanders with accurate information to ensure the Army maintains its efficiency in electronic warfare and removes threats on the warfront.

Electronic warfare specialists give commanders the added benefit of helping to identity, target and detect potential electromagnetic interference threats on tomorrow's battlefield.

From Aug. 21-31, electronic warfare specialists assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, participated in training and tested new equipment in the field of electronic warfare, here, on the North Shore of Oahu.

The Versatile Radio Observation and Direction, known as the VROD, and the VMAX, the "search and attack" function on the system, are two of the newest platforms that Soldiers have assisted in fielding at Schofield Barracks.

The equipment is from the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, a division of the Department of Defense, and is primarily responsible for helping the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team develop the best method of employing the equipment on future battlefields.

"Currently in the United States Army, there is a gap in electronic warfare in terms of equipment and training," explained Chief Warrant Officer 2 Nicholas Esser, a 25th Infantry Division electronic warfare technician. "New technology such as the VROD/VMAX has the ability to close that gap and create an even more efficient fighting force."

The new technology is seen as a theater asset. In a time of war, it may take up to 72 hours for similar technology to be acquired and used after being requested, explained Chief Warrant Officer 2 James Bass, a 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team electronic warfare technician.

"This technology could potentially cut that time significantly if units are assigned the equipment full time," said Bass.

"The technology gives great visibility of what we look like to the enemy," he added. "Our brigade can use equipment like the VROD/VMAX as means to protect forms of communication on the battlefield and aid in disrupting or denying our enemy's communication efforts on the other end."

The VROD/VMAX is a small piece of equipment that gives electronic warfare specialists the versatility they need when maneuvering in the fight. It weighs approximately 30 pounds and can be used in mounted and dismounted operations.

The ability to use theater assets in a brigade environment increases the proficiency of the electronic warfare specialist. The equipment is showing its ability to change the fight.

"Its effectiveness can be compared to owning a vehicle for everyday use versus having to go through the process of calling a taxicab every time you need to go anywhere," said Bass.

The gap in electronic warfare at the theater level versus at the brigade level was evident from the training out at Dillingham Airfield.

"There are typically only a small handful of electronic warfare specialists assigned within a brigade. Since the equipment is seen as a theater asset, any amount of training with the VROD/VMAX is hugely beneficial to readiness," explained Esser.

According to John Lynch, chief of the Rapid Applications Branch Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate, VROD/VMAX has great potential to help the brigade become a Pacific response force.

The brigade will continue testing the systems at future training exercises this month at Fort Dix, New Jersey, as a part of Operation Cyber Blitz. These exercises will further test the capabilities of the equipment.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






T-45 Pilots Train Aboard Truman

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170918-27

Release Date: 9/18/2017 2:16:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Thomas Bonaparte Jr., USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Public Affairs

ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- Instructors from Training Air Wing (TRAWING) 1 and TRAWING 2 concluded Carrier Qualifications flying Boeing T-45C Goshawks aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Sept. 16-17.

This evolution allowed Truman Sailors to practice launching and recovering aircraft while preparing instructors, and instructors under training, to teach the Navy's newest pilots.

"This is the instructors' initial carrier qualification in the T-45 as an instructor," said Lt. Cmdr. Ronnie Dale Stahl Jr.

Lt. Cmdr. Stahl is a landing signal officer in charge of the overall safety aspect of the initial carrier qualification program for the Navy.

"While the students are in the air, we will fly about 2,000 to 5,000 feet above them," said Stahl. "This way we can manage their flight pattern from the air and ensure they are taking the proper turns and safety precautions."

Along with the inherent dangers and difficulties of flight operations, carrier qualifications test Truman's ability to work together as a team.

"For our actual first integration, it was awesome," Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Aircraft Handling) Jason Baty. "We went to the ready rooms, discussed safety concerns, had safety briefs, we did flight deck familiarization briefs and it was a great team effort as far as safety."

Sailors from several departments were involved in the launch and recovery of aircraft. List control, steam for the catapults, navigation and steering of the ship, and radar maintenance and operation came together to conduct successful flight operations.

"While the pilots in training are in the air, we maintain communication to provide the ship's heading and weather conditions," said Air Traffic Controller 2nd Class Michael Nelis, Case 1 weather condition supervisor in the Carrier Air Traffic Control Center. "This is important because pilots in training can only land during Case 1 conditions. This is their first time recovering on a ship so we don't want to put them in a dangerous situation. We practice this with the instructors to make sure we are prepared for when the students come aboard."

Intense training played a key role in the success of this evolution and the safety of all its participants.

"Everyone was on the same page as far as expectations," said Baty. "That's the number one thing we want. We want everyone to be on the same page and we want an open line of communication."

The requalification process involved approximately 28 instructors from four squadrons; the "Eagles" of Training Squadron 7 and the "Tigers" of Training Squadron 9 from Meridian, Mississippi, and the "Fighting Redhawks" of Training Squadron 21 and the "Golden Eagles" of Training Squadron 22 from Kingsville, Texas. Over two days they combined to complete a total of 112 traps and 56 "touch and goes".

Truman is currently underway conducting Carrier Qualifications in preparation for future operations.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






USS Coronado Makes Goodwill Visit to Jakarta, Lays Wreath on USS Houston in Sunda Strait

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170918-06

Release Date: 9/18/2017 9:56:00 AM

By Lt. Clyde Shavers, Destroyer Squadron 7 Public Affairs

JAKARTA (NNS) -- The Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) made a goodwill visit to Jakarta, Indonesia Sept. 14-16 to engage with civic leaders, the diplomatic community, and Navy counterparts from the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL).

During the visit the crew hosted a shipboard reception attended by U.S. Ambassador Joseph Donovan and senior members of the Indonesian government and military.

After departing Jakarta the crew of USS Coronado to laid a wreath in remembrance to the fallen Sailors of the former USS Houston (CA 30) who perished in the World War II Battle of the Sunda Strait 75 years ago in waters near West Java.

"It is an honor to visit Jakarta to engage with our U.S. Ambassador, our Navy counterparts and then have an opportunity to remember the sacrifices of the brave Sailors aboard USS Houston and HMAS Perth," said Cmdr. Douglas Meagher, commanding officer of Coronado. "We thank our Indonesian partners for helping us preserve this important site."

In the early morning of March 1, 1942, the cruisers USS Houston and HMAS Perth were sunk by the Japanese Imperial Navy in the Sunda Strait, about 60 nautical miles from Jakarta, Indonesia. During the battle, in which both ships fought to the last of their fuel and ammunition, 696 U.S. Sailors and Marines aboard Houston and 375 Australian sailors aboard Perth, including the captains of both ships, lost their lives. The wrecks remain their final resting places as war graves beneath the sea.

"The heroism exhibited by the Sailors aboard USS Houston and HMAS Perth is inspiring, and their ultimate sacrifice has not been forgotten," said Capt. Lex Walker, commodore of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7. "As the U.S. Navy continues to operate and work with partner nations in the region, the site serves as an important symbol of remembrance and lasting tribute to those who served during World War II."

USS Coronado continues to operate in the Indo-Asia-Pacific engaging with navies across the region in exercises such as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) with 9 partner nations, Exercise Pacific Griffin with Singapore, Maritime Training Activity (MTA) in Malaysia and the Philippines, and Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) in Vietnam.

Task Force 73 and DESRON 7 staff conduct advanced planning, organize resources and directly support the execution of maritime exercises such as Pacific Partnership, the bilateral CARAT series, NEA with Vietnam, and the multilateral Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) with Bangladesh, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






India, Pakistan troops exchange fire on Kashmir border

People's Daily Online

By Peerzada Arshad Hamid (Xinhua) 13:10, September 18, 2017

The troops of India and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire and shelling on Monday for the fourth-straight day on the International Border (IB) in Kashmir, officials said.

The exchange of fire was reported along the IB in Arnia area of R S Pura sector of Jammu, the winter capital city of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Pakistani troops again violated the cease-fire by firing mortars and resorting to heavy firing in Arnia sector along the IB last night. The shelling targeting Indian positions and civilian areas started around 9:00 p.m. (local time) and was intermittently going on since then," a police official said.

According to Indian officials, the border guards posted in the sector effectively retaliated to the firing and the exchange of fire continued for several hours.

No casualty was reported on the Indian side in the fresh exchange of fire, officials said.

On Saturday night a woman was killed and five others wounded in Arnia sector.

According to Pakistan military's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), two civilians were killed and four others wounded due to Indian firing in Phokhlian sector on their side on Friday.

The fresh exchange of fire has triggered a panic among the residents on both sides of the divide and started to trigger civilian migrations.

Reports said nearly 50,000 civilians in forward villages of Pakistan's Sialkot sector have deserted their homes following the Indian firing.

In Arnia sector, the firing damaged more than 50 houses.

"It seemed as if war has broke out as shells were raining very close by," Ram Lal, a local resident said over telephone. "It was a very narrow escape for my family."

The residents in surrounding villages of Arnia -- Sei Khurd, Nikowal, Jabowal, Allah, Treva, etc. experienced the similar experiences.

Earlier on Friday an Indian border guard belonging to Border Security Force (BSF) was killed during skirmishes.

According to Indian officials, over 300 incidents of cease-fire violations were recorded along the LoC this year.

This year saw a surge in skirmishes on the IB and the LoC between the two countries. Apart from troop casualties, the firing has claimed civilian lives on both sides, besides prompting migrations of residents from frontier areas.

Both New Delhi and Islamabad accuse each other of resorting to unprovoked firings and violating cease-fire agreements. And both sides maintain that their troops gave befitting reply. The troops of India and Pakistan intermittently exchange fire on the 720 km-long LoC and the 198-km IB in Kashmir, despite an agreement in 2003 to observe a cease-fire. However, the cease-fire remains in effect.

LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into India and Pakistan controlled parts.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.

It is unclear what prompted the fresh stand-off between the troops of the two sides.

The two countries are currently at loggerheads with each other. Last week the two-day talks between them at the World Bank headquarters in Washington failed to break the deadlock.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Trump says 'bureaucracy' and 'mismanagement' holding UN back

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 04:31PM

US President Donald Trump has warned that "bureaucracy" and "mismanagement" are holding the United Nations back, a pointed message for an international organization he once criticized as weak and incompetent.

"In recent years the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement," Trump told delegates from other countries on Monday during a meeting on UN reform.

The US president kicked off a week of meetings and speeches with foreign leaders in New York City. He will deliver his first-ever speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

Trump will meet with representatives from more than 120 nations, as well as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, to discuss ways to reform the world body.

Trump said the United Nations spends too much money and has too many staffers, adding that no member state should shoulder a disproportionate share of the cost.

He said the institution has more than doubled its budget in recent years, but "we are not seeing the results in line with this investment."

However, the president praised Guterres for his efforts to reform the UN bureaucracy and management structure.

"I know that under the secretary-general, that's changing and it's changing fast and we've seen it," he said. "We seek a United Nations that regains the trust of people around the world."

Trump has been deeply critical of the UN, and world leaders at the summit are anxious to hear how he plans to address those concerns, as well as foreign policy issues like North Korea and Iran.

The US president is scheduled to separately meet with leaders of Israel and France later on Monday, with an expected focus on the Middle East, and Iran in particular.

The White House believes the US gets little in return for its contributions to the UN. It also views the institution as a bloated bureaucracy that offers insufficient support for key US allies, especially Israel.

In an interview with CNN on Sunday, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley hailed the direction the world body has taken in recent weeks, citing a decline in "Israel bashing" and new sanctions against North Korea.

"It is a new day at the UN and I think that the pleas [Trump] made in terms of trying to see change at the United Nations have been heard," Haley said.

"We said we needed to get value for our dollar, and what we're finding is that the international community is right there with us in support of reform," the ambassador added.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






15 killed in suspected Boko Haram attack in Nigeria's Borno

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 04:14PM

At least 15 people have been killed in a bombing attack, bearing the hallmark of the Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group, in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno.

The Monday attack targeted an aid distribution point in Konduga area, about 40 kilometers from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

"(It) killed 15 people and left 43 others injured," said a rescue worker on condition of anonymity, adding that the attack took place at 11:10 a.m. local time (1010 GMT) in the village of Mashalari.

"It happened during aid distribution by an NGO, when people had gathered to receive donations," he said.

The rescue worker did not say which NGO was affected in the attack, but noted that two women detonated their explosives among the crowd.

Militia commanders helping Nigeria's counter-insurgency operation confirmed the rescue worker's account.

"We have dispatched out a team to the scene," said Babakura Kolo, from the Civilian Joint Task Force.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack but Boko Haram, the main militant group operating in Nigeria's northeast and neighboring countries, has carried out similar bombings in the region in the past.

The group claimed an attack on August 16 in Konduga, during which three female attackers blew up their explosives outside a camp for displaced persons. It killed at least 28 people and left more than 80 others injured.

In December 2016, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced that Boko Haram had been technically defeated and that the group could no longer pose a threat to major urban centers in northern Nigeria. Nigeria's claim of a total victory against Boko Haram comes as the group continues to launch sporadic attacks, particularly in hard-to-reach rural areas of Borno.

Seven people were killed this month after Boko Haram targeted a camp for the internally displaced near the border with Cameroon with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Some 20,000 people have been killed in more than eight years of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria and neighboring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger while brutal attacks by the group have pushed more than 2.6 million people out of their homes.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US military forces hold joint military exercises with South Korea, Japan

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 09:38AM

The United States military has carried out several flights over the Korean Peninsula in joint bombing drills with the South amid escalating tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.

Four US F-35B stealth fighter jets and two B-1B supersonic bombers took part in the joint drills on Monday.

The fighter jets flew from a US military base in Japan, while the bombers flew from the US Pacific island of Guam, joined by six South Korean fighter jets in the drill, a South Korean Defense Ministry official was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.

The US said it conducted the new military exercise with the South in response to the North's recent missile and nuclear tests, said the source.

The American and South Korean forces carried out a "mock bombing exercise over the sky of Korea" on Monday, the source added.

After the drills, the F-35B jets and B-1B bombers returned to their bases in Japan and Guam respectively.

The flights were the first since Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 and staged an intermediate-range missile test over Japan last Friday. The previous such flights were on August 31.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke by phone and agreed to exert "stronger pressure" on the North.

Trump has repeatedly threatened that the military option is on the table regarding North Korea, warning Pyongyang that it would be destroyed if it refused to do as it was told.

Pyongyang believes it could be invaded by hostile forces, notably the US, if its military power to defend itself diminishes.

The North wants its neighbor to end its military drills with the US, saying such joint exercises are rehearsals for a war against North Korea.

US-Japan military drill

In another development on Monday, the US's 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) held urban warfare and frontline rescue drills near the foot of Mount Fuji.

The so-called Orient Shield 17 drills, which are part of an annual two-week exercise, were held with around 1,200 soldiers taking part.

The drills kicked off on September 8 and are scheduled to end on the 25th.

The US military has tens of thousands of combat forces based in Japan and South Korea.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






UK signs arms deal with Qatar after US jet sales

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 07:15AM

The UK has signed a major military deal to sell Qatar 24 Eurofighter Typhoon jets amid accusations that the West is exploiting a diplomatic row among the Persian Gulf Arab states for its own profit.

British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon and his Qatari opposite number Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah signed a "statement of intent" on Sunday that will see British defense giant BAE Systems provide the planes and support capabilities worth billions of dollars.

The Qatar Armed Forces said in a statement on Sunday that the strategic letter of intent agrees to lay the "groundwork for Qatar's intention towards procuring 24 advanced Eurofighter Typhoons and supporting capabilities."

The deal comes amid reports that the US and UK are exploiting the rift between several Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and Qatar through designating both sides as "priority markets" for their arms sales.

The widening rift in the region occurred on June 5, when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt severed ties with Qatar over what Doha brands as false claims and assumptions.

"This will be the first major defense contract with Qatar, one of the UK's strategic partners," Fallon said in Doha, where he met with the Qatari defense minister.

"This is an important moment in our defense relationship and the basis for even closer defense cooperation between our two countries," he added.

The deal has been clinched after a lengthy negotiating period. Fallon said the deal had been "on the table" back in March 2016.

It is the second billion-dollar military agreement signed by Doha since the eruption of the crisis between Qatar and the four Arab nations.

Shortly after the dispute erupted, the US signed a $12 billion deal to sell F-15 fighter jets to Qatar even though President Donald Trump accused the tiny nation of supporting terrorism and sided with the Saudi-led bloc facing off against Doha.

The agreement between Qatar and the UK also comes as Britain seeks to boost its post-Brexit economy through striking further trade deals with countries outside Europe.

The deal, however, is expected to further dismay human rights groups, who have slammed the UK over arms exports to Saudi Arabia and other states accused of major human rights violations.

Saudi Arabia is also one of the operators of the Eurofighter Typhoon jets in the Middle East. The kingdom operates at least 72 of the warplanes, which have been used over Yemen amid reports they have contributed to mass civilian casualties.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






McCain blames Navy 'accidents' on Obama-era military cuts

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 05:01AM

US Republican Senator John McCain says military cuts over the past years were the primary reason behind the recent deadly "accidents" involving US Navy warships USS John McCain and USS Fitzgerald in Asia.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has revealed that American sailors on board lacked critical training in both collisions, which killed a total of 17 sailors from the US Navy's Japan-based 7th Fleet.

"Whenever you cut defense capabilities, the first thing that goes is the training and the readiness, because that's easy enough to cancel," McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Service Committee, told CBS on Sunday.

"When you really look at how much time they have at actual training and readiness, it's continued to shrink," McCain said. "We have accident after accident after accident. We are killing more Americans in uniform in training than we are in engagement with the enemy. That's not acceptable."

Last month, the USS McCain guided-missile destroyer, named after the Arizona senator's father and grandfather, collided with a Liberian-flagged oil tanker near the entrance to the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. The collision killed 10 sailors and injured five others.

The incident came nearly two months after seven US Navy sailors lost their lives on board the USS Fitzgerald, another guided-missile destroyer of the 7th Fleet, as the warship crashed into a container ship south of Japan.

The GAO concluded in a report that the USS Fitzgerald's training certification for 10 out of 10 key warfare mission areas in June had all expired, according to CNN. The USS McCain had a slightly better record by letting six out of 10 certifications lapse.

The report also found that the expired training certifications for the 11 US Navy cruisers and destroyers in Japan had risen five-fold from 7 percent in January 2015 to 37 percent in June.

US Air Force officials have also blamed the increasing number of crashes and mishaps involving military aircraft on what they say is a lack of budget that leads to inadequate training of airmen.

Donald Trump, Obama's successor, has already taken the first steps to increase military spending. His $603 billion military budget which was passed by Congress in July, exceeds the limit set in the 2011 Budget Control Act by about $72 billion.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Azerbaijan Hosts Turkey For Air Force Drills

RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service September 18, 2017

BAKU -- The air forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey have begun a two-week military exercise in Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that TurAz Qartal-2017 (Turkish-Azerbaijani Eagle 2017) drill got under way on September 18.

It said that 30 military aircraft would be used in the exercise, which focuses on practicing joint search-and-rescue operations, the destruction of ground targets with air strikes, and other maneuvers.

According to the ministry, the exercise is part of an annual military cooperation plan between the two countries and will end on September 30.

Azerbaijan and Turkey have close relations and are foes of Armenia, which is sandwiched between the two countries.

Azerbaijan's armed forces also began their own exercise on September 18.

Some 15,000 troops, 150 armored vehicles, 120 artillery, rocket, and mortar pieces, and 20 military aircraft are involved in the September 18-22 exercise.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-turkey-air- force-drills/28742017.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Trump Chides UN For Bureaucracy, Urges It To Take 'Bold Stand'

RFE/RL September 18, 2017

In his debut at the United Nations, President Donald Trump told the organization it was failing to live up to its potential and urged the organization to take a "bold stand" with a more clearly defined global mission.

"Focus more on people, less on bureaucracy," he told a special meeting on reform on September 18 at UN headquarters in New York. "It has not reached its potential because of the bureaucracy and mismanagement."

Trump, a frequent critic of the UN, was frank in laying out his views on how to improve the world body a day before he makes his first address to the 193-member General Assembly, which holds its annual General Debate session from September 19 to 25.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres responded to Trump's message by saying he agreed that bureaucracy was an issue that kept him awake at night.

"Someone out to undermine the UN could not have come up with a better way to do it than by imposing some of the rules we have created ourselves," he said.

Part of Trump's disapproval stems from the cost of the UN to American taxpayers.

Washington, the biggest UN financial contributor, has threatened deep funding cuts that Guterres has said would create an "unsolvable problem" for the organization.

In June, the General Assembly voted to cut $600 million from the organization's nearly $8 billion annual peacekeeping budget amid pressure from the Trump administration.

Trump reiterated his concerns on September 18, saying that the United States was "not seeing results in line with U.S. investment."

"The United Nations must hold every level of management accountable, protect whistleblowers. and focus on results rather than on process," Trump said.

"I am confident that if we work together and champion truly bold reforms the United Nations will emerge as a stronger, more effective, more just, and greater force for peace and harmony in the world," he added.

Also on September 18, Trump is scheduled to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as a "working dinner" with Latin American leaders.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said at a briefing on September 15 that while Trump's talks with Netanyahu and Macron "will be wide-ranging. We expect that Iran's destabilizing behavior, including its violation of the sovereignty of nations across the Middle East, to be a major focus."

Both Macron and Netanyahu were expected to raise the 2015 deal under which Iran has curbed its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, with Macron making a case for keeping it alive and Netanyahu pushing for its demise.

On September 14, Trump repeated his charge that Iran is violating "the spirit" of the agreement.

About 130 world leaders will attend this year's General Assembly's debate session.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-calls-un-reform- ahead-general-assembly-debate/28742491.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Tillerson, Lavrov Discuss Ukraine, Syria Ahead Of UN General Assembly

RFE/RL September 18, 2017

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have met in New York ahead of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, with Ukraine and Syria key topics of discussion, officials said.

The U.S. State Department earlier had said that Tillerson would travel to the Russian UN mission to meet with his counterpart on September 17.

Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert after the session said in a statement that the diplomats "met this evening in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly."

"The two recommitted to deconflicting military operations in Syria, reducing the violence, and creating the conditions for the Geneva process to move forward," she said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the meeting covered the crisis in Syria, the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and "Middle East" issues.

Tillerson left the talks without speaking to reporters.

The meeting came at what Tillerson has called a "historic" low in post-Cold War relations between Russia and the United States, marred by tit-for-tat reductions to each country's diplomatic missions.

The United States has imposed sanctions on Moscow for what U.S. intelligence agencies say was widespread Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Sanctions are also in place against Russia for its activities in Ukraine, including the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine between Kyiv's forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 10,000 people since it erupted in April 2014.

Recent discussions have centered on the possibility of sending UN peacekeepers to eastern Ukraine, although the United States and Kyiv have said they do not want the deployment to cement a division of the country.

Washington and Moscow are at loggerheads as well in Syria, where Russia supports President Bashar al-Assad while the United States backs rebels fighting the government.

The U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State (IS) militants in the war-torn country said the Russian military on September 16 struck forces backed by Washington, injuring several allied fighters. Russia denied the allegations.

UN-sponsored talks are being held in Geneva in search of a political solution to end the Syrian civil war. Separate talks are being conducted in the Kazakh capital, Astana -- sponsored by Russia, Iran, and Turkey -- to deal with cease-fire and other battlefield matters.

It was not immediately reported if the discussions involved the crisis over North Korea's continued defiance of UN resolutions against its testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Russia and China have pushed back against U.S. demands for the two to take "direct action" against Pyongyang.

Lavrov is expected on September 21 to speak in front of the General Assembly, which runs through September 25.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the General Assembly. U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak before the 193-member UN on September 19.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-united- states-syria-ukraine-tillerson-lavrov- un-general-assembly/28741389.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






UN: Islamic State Expands Activities to 7 Afghan Provinces

By Ayaz Gul September 18, 2017

Afghanistan's branch of the Islamic State terrorist group has expanded its extremist activities to the country's seven provinces, as opposed to only one province last year, a United Nations report revealed Monday.

While fighting over territorial control between Afghan forces and Taliban insurgents escalated in 2017, rise in attacks by Islamic State of Khorasan Province, or ISK-P fueled insecurity in the country, said a report by U.N. Office for the Humanitarian Affairs.

"Growing insecurity in Afghanistan is not only characterized by increased attacks on district centers, but also by a doubling of attacks attributable to ... Islamic State of Khorasan to more than 230 in the first half of the year," the agency noted.

It said until the first half of 2016, ISK was operating in the eastern Nagarhar provinces. U.S. and Afghan military officials, however, repeatedly have claimed that IS remains confined to few southern districts of Nangarhar and parts of the neighboring Kunar province.

They maintain that relentless counterterrorism ground and air operations have killed hundreds of fighters linked to the organization and reduced its territorial control in recent months.

OCHA also reported an escalation of fighting in Afghanistan that displaced more than 50,000 civilians in August, the largest monthly displacement in 2017.

The Taliban-led insurgents attacked or fought over control of at least eight district centers in seven Afghan provinces during the month, it said.

"The third week of August has been one of the most active in terms of armed clashes, according to security sources, and the whole month continued a trend of starkly intensified conflict across the country," it added.

From January to end of July, anti-state armed groups had already attacked and taken control of more than a dozen district centers around Afghanistan, noted the U.N. humanitarian agency.

Afghan security forces have since retaken control of only two districts, Qala-e-Zal and Sangin in northern Kunduz and southern Helmand provinces respectively, often after heavy fighting that included the military deploying reinforcements and pounding enemy positions with airstrikes.

The intensification in Afghan fighting is evident from dropping of more 555 bombs by the U.S. military in August, the most in a single month. Most of them focused on Helmand and Nangarhar, a U.S. military spokesman told VOA last week.

The United Nations says Afghan civilian casualties have already spiked to record levels this year, calling on warring sides to ensure protection of civilians.

But hostilities are expected to escalate in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's "new strategy" unveiled last month to break the stalemate with the Taliban in what has become the longest foreign military engagement in the U.S. history.

The strategy requires a modest increase in American troops and increased airpower for Afghan security forces struggling to halt Taliban battlefield advances.

"The recent decision by Donald Trump to surge additional troops to Afghanistan may also result in a more volatile landscape over the coming months," cautioned OCHA.

The humanitarian agency said insecurity is likely to increase and further expand over the remainder of the year, adding no seasonal lull in fighting is anticipated as winter arrives later and is expected to be more mild.

The U.N. agency criticized Trump for not addressing the issue of civilian casualties caused by NATO airstrikes.

It noted the U.S. president "announced less political oversight over commanding airstrikes and increasing the leeway of military leaders, which increases the likelihood of airstrikes" on anti-government groups that affect civilians.

OCHA cited two airstrikes carried out by international forces on 28 and 30 August that, according to a U.N. probe, killed at least 28 civilians and injured 16, all women and children.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US, Allied Warplanes Stage Live-fire Exercise Over Korean Peninsula

By VOA News September 18, 2017

Almost a dozen U.S., Japanese and South Korean warplanes armed with live weapons flew over the Korean peninsula in what the U.S. military is describing as a "sequenced bilateral show of force" in response to North Korea's latest missile launch.

The Pentagon said the aircraft practiced their attack capabilities by releasing live weapons at a training range in South Korea. The two nations were joined by four Japanese F-2 fighter jets for additional formation training over waters near Kyushu, Japan.

In announcing Monday's exercise, the U.S. Pacific Command said it "maintains the ability to respond to any threat in the Indo-Asia Pacific theater at a moment's notice." Aircraft involved in the exercise included two U.S. B-1B bombers, four U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning advanced fighters and four South Korean F-15K fighters.

The exercise was conducted in response to North Korea's launch on Friday of an intermediate-range missile over Japan, its second such launch in under a month. The missile traveled 3,700 kilometers before landing in the northern Pacific Ocean and was the North's longest-ever test flight of a ballistic missile.

Earlier this month, North Korea tested what it described as a thermonuclear weapon built to be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

At the beginning of this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced plans to develop a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile capable of targeting the U.S. mainland.

While U.S. officials say they prefer a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff, they maintain that military force is also an option.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Trump Debuts at UN, Calls for Administrative Overhaul of World Body

By Margaret Besheer September 18, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump says he long ago recognized the promise of the United Nations when he chose a spot across the street to build a residential tower.

"I actually saw great potential right across the street, to be honest with you," Trump told leaders gathered to support overhauling the U.N. system.

"It was only for the reason that the United Nations was here that it turned out to be such a successful project," he said referencing his Trump World Tower, which sits across from the U.N. complex.

The American president made his U.N. debut Monday, speaking at a U.S.-hosted meeting on reforming how the world body is managed, which was held on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly.

"We encourage the secretary-general to fully use his authority to cut through bureaucracy, reform outdated systems, and make firm decisions to advance the U.N.'s core mission," Trump said. He added that the focus should be more on results than process.

The United Nations, with its multibillion-dollar annual budget, numerous peacekeeping missions and bloated staff, has been a target of Trump's criticism for years.

"To honor the people of our nations, we must ensure that no one and no member state shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden, and that's militarily or financially," the president added.

US contribution

The United States is the U.N.'s largest single donor, contributing more than $600 million last year to the regular budget of more than $2.5 billion. Washington also contributes more than $2 billion annually to support U.N. peacekeeping missions, and hundreds of millions more to vital programs, including the U.N. Children's Fund and the World Food Program.

But under the Trump administration, many programs have come under funding threat. In April, the administration announced it would slash $75 million to the U.N. Population Fund, which provides health care to vulnerable women and girls. The administration has also held a review of each U.N. peacekeeping mission and compromised on an overall cut to the $8 billion annual budget of around a half a billion dollars.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made streamlining U.N. bureaucracy one of his campaign pledges.

"Fragmented structures, Byzantine procedures, endless red tape," is what Guterres said keeps him awake at night during Monday's U.N. reform meeting. "To serve the people we support and the people who support us, we must be nimble and effective, flexible and efficient," the secretary-general added.

The United States asked countries to sign onto a 10-point plan to enhance the U.N.'s efficiency and effectiveness to gain entry to the Trump meeting. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said 128 countries had endorsed it, and encouraged the rest to do so.

On Tuesday, President Trump will address at the annual General Assembly debate, where leaders will be anxious to hear his perspective on a range of issues, including North Korea's nuclear threat, the war in Syria, counter-terrorism, and whether the United States will remain in important multilateral agreements such as the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate accord.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Lesotho Opposition: Political Violence Unleashes 'Reign of Terror'

By Anita Powell September 18, 2017

The June 2017 elections were supposed to soothe the troubled politics of Lesotho, a tiny enclave surrounded on all sides by South Africa. It was the third poll in five years, after two successive coalitions collapsed amid vicious infighting and meddling from the army.

The third time was supposed to be the charm, as incoming prime minister Tom Thabane promised to swiftly enact reforms to loosen the military's stranglehold on politics.

But last week's killing of the army chief by two of his subordinates has raised concerns that more instability is ahead. The recent arrest of a journalist who criticized the government and the shutdown of his radio station has made the situation more dire, critics of the government say.

'Reign of terror'

Among those with high hopes for the new government were those who were voted out.

But in the past three months, says opposition politician Tlohang Sekhamane, the nation has fallen "under the reign of terror, and is fast degenerating into a dark political abyss of fear and consternation."

In an eight-page statement sent to VOA, the opposition documents a litany of worrying events, including police targeting residents thought to be opposition supporters; a brutal assault on a police spokeswoman by colleagues after she spoke about an investigation into the shooting death of the prime minister's estranged wife; and the arrest, alleged torture, and subsequent flight of an opposition lawmaker.

The nation's communication minister confirmed the lawmaker's August arrest, but said he was called in as a person of interest in a murder case, and was treated well while in custody.

Multiple attempts to reach the minister regarding the other allegations were not successful.

"We are literally under the reign of terror now," Sekhamane said to VOA. "The police can seize anybody, doesn't matter how very high-placed they were, a person at the level of minister can be taken, instructed to come to the police, and they do that, and then they can be tortured for three days, and then also over the weekend, and then they are forced to say certain things."

Rights watchdog Amnesty International says it is also worried about recent events in Lesotho.

"Really what we're seeing is patterns of arbitrary arrest, we're seeing allegations of torture and other ill treatment, we're seeing a lack of progress into criminal investigations for unlawful killings, and we're also seeing attacks on freedom of expression in Lesotho," said researcher Shireen Mukadam.

Why now?

Sekhamane says the opposition waited for months to speak up about their concerns. They were determined not do anything, he says, that could be "interpreted as an attempt on our path to destabilize the government or to make things difficult for the government."

"We were determined to leave this government to proceed, and govern this country for five years," he added.

Now, the opposition and rights groups are calling on the international community and on the Southern African Development Community, to assist in restoring the rule of law.

The Southern African Development Community has made numerous attempts at mediation in Lesotho, which has a history of military coups. Heads of state met over the weekend in South Africa to discuss the issue.

The SADC nations' frustration was clear, with host President Jacob Zuma saying, "We cannot, and shall not, be in Lesotho forever."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Remarks by President Trump at the Reforming the United Nations: Management, Security, and Development Meeting

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

September 18, 2017



The United Nations

New York City, New York

10:00 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you.

I actually saw great potential right across the street, to be honest with you, and it was only for the reason that the United Nations was here that that turned out to be such a successful project.

So I want to thank you, Ambassador Haley, for your introduction and for your steadfast advocacy for American interests on the world stage.

On behalf of the co-host countries, I would like to also thank Secretary General Guterres for -- and you have been fantastic -- for joining us, and we affirm our commitment to the United Nations reform. And reform is what we're talking about.

I applaud the Secretary General for laying out a vision to reform the United Nations so that it better serves the people we all represent. We support your efforts to look across the entire system and to find ways the United Nations can better, and be better at development, management, peace, and security.

The United Nations was founded on truly noble goals. These include affirming the dignity and worth of the human person and striving for international peace. The United Nations has helped advance toward these goals in so many ways: feeding the hungry, providing disaster relief, and empowering women and girls in many societies all across the world.

Yet in recent years, the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement. While the United Nations on a regular budget has increased by 140 percent, and its staff has more than doubled since 2000, we are not seeing the results in line with this investment. But I know that under the Secretary General, that's changing and it's changing fast. And we've seen it.

That's why we commend the Secretary General and his call for the United Nations to focus more on people and less on bureaucracy. We seek a United Nations that regains the trust of the people around the world. In order to achieve this, the United Nations must hold every level of management accountable, protect whistle-blowers and focus on results rather than on process.

To honor the people of our nations, we must ensure that no one and no member state shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden, and that's militarily or financially. We also ask that every peacekeeping mission have clearly defined goals and metrics for evaluating success. They deserve to see the value in the United Nations, and it is our job to show it to them.

We encourage the Secretary General to fully use his authority to cut through the bureaucracy, reform outdated systems, and make firm decisions to advance the U.N.'s core mission. Further, we encourage all member states to look at ways to take bold stands at the United Nations with an eye toward changing business as usual and not being beholden to ways of the past which were not working.

Mr. Secretary General, the United States and the member states present today support this great reform vision. We pledge to be partners in your work, and I am confident that if we work together and champion truly bold reforms, the United Nations will emerge as a stronger, more effective, more just, and greater force for peace and harmony in the world.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary General. And I look forward to advancing these shared goals in the years to come, and it is a great honor to be with you today.

Thank you. (Applause.)

END

10:04 A.M. EDT

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






General Elections - September 2017

More than five months after Germans went to the polls in the 24 September 2017 national election, Germany will be getting a new government. The final hurdle was cleared 04 march 2018 when the Social Democratic Party (SPD) rank-and-file sanctioned the coalition deal that party leaders had negotiated with Angela Merkel's conservatives. Sixty-six percent of party members who voted supported a continuation of the grand coalition, while 34 percent opposed it  a clearer margin than many in the party had expected.

By 27 November 2017 the Christian Democratic Union led by Chancellor Angela Merkel threw its support behind pursuing a new alliance with the Social Democrats (SPD). Merkel had stressed the importance of a stable German government. SPD leader Martin Schulz, who immediately after his party's poor showing in September elections had rejected the idea of another "grand coalition," meanwhile gave more indications that he is moving away from any rigid position on the issue.

The head of the Christian Social Union  the CDU's Bavarian sister party  also threw his weight behind a "grand coalition." "An alliance of the conservatives and the SPD is the best option for Germany  better anyway than a coalition with the Free Democrats and the Greens, new elections or a minority government," Horst Seehofer told German tabloid Bild am Sonntag.

The SPD's youth branch, the Jusos, or "Young Socialists in the SPD," ended their two-day congress calling for their leaders to move further to the left rather than try out a new grand coalition. Their resolution called for SPD heads to "usher in true alternatives for progressive, solidarity and leftist policy from the opposition."

Germany was thrust into uncertainty 21 November 2017 after a month of four-party exploratory talks about forming a so-called Jamaica coalition  named for each party's respective colors: black, yellow and green  collapsed. The pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) pulled out of make or break negotiations with her Christian Democrats (CDU), Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Greens.

Limiting migration numbers had become a contentious political topic across Germany due to the over 2 million migrants who have entered the country since 2015. After much infighting, the CDU and CSU agreed that a new government should pursue a limit of no more than 200,000 people entering Germany for humanitarian reasons. The FDP has proposed an annual target of between 150,000 and 250,000 people. While all four parties essentially acknowledge Germany's climate protection goals, they disagree greatly over implementation. Whereas the environmentally minded Greens have called for the immediate closure of 20 coal-fired power plants, the CDU/CSU and FDP say the move makes no sense economically and could potentially be dangerous. The Greens remain steadfast in their demands that a Jamaica coalition initiate a phase-out of internal combustion automobiles. Another issue that flared up was how to structure Germany's European policy. Should the republic continue to work toward broadening the eurozone, even if that might mean a considerable expansion of mutual bailout liability? The FDP is strictly against any future bailout of countries that maneuver themselves into financial dire straits, as was the case with Greece. The issue of just how much taxpayer money a amaica coalition would be able spend also caused friction. The solidarity surcharge, or so-called "Soli," is a key example. The tax was levied to finance infrastructure and development in former East Germany after reunification, but the FDP is pushing for it to end in 2019. The CDU/CSU says that it wants to incrementally phase out the tax, which pours billions of euros into state coffers each year. However, the Greens want to keep the tax.

After speaking with President Steinmeier, Chancellor Merkel said 21 November 2017 she was ready to lead her party to fresh elections. In the DeutschlandTrend survey conducted for public broadcaster ARD after talks collapsed, 63 percent of respondents said they want fresh elections if a grand coalition cannot be achieved, while 23 percent backed a minority government.

If no majority coalition emerges, Steinmeier is bound by the German constitution to nominate a chancellor for approval by the German parliament, the Bundestag. If no stable government can be formed after three rounds of voting there, the president can then ask Germans to return to the polls.

The Social Democrats (SPD), who were the second-biggest party in the September election, ruled out forming a second consecutive grand coaltion. SPD leader Martin Schulz said his party is "not available" for another coalition with Merkel and the SPD is not afraid of new elections. After suffering a humiliating election loss in September, the SPD has repeatedly reaffirmed that its role in the upcoming Bundestag will be in opposition.

Although the CDU/CSU received the most votes in Germany's national election on September 24, its surprisingly low result (32.9 percent) meant that the conservatives needed the FDP (10.7 percent) and the Greens (8.9 percent) in order to represent over 50 percent of voters.

The CDU party polled around 33 percent of the vote  a loss of almost 10 percent compared to 2013. German Chancellor Angela Merkel secured a fourth consecutive term after her Christian Democrats (CDU) and the allied Christian Social Union (CSU) won the largest parliamentary bloc. Merkels conservative bloc was by far the largest parliamentary group, official preliminary results showed.

Their closest rivals, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), slumped to 20.5 percent  a new post-war low  while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) finished in third place with 12.6 percent of the vote, securing its first seats in the Bundestag. The result for the anti-immigrant AfD marked by far the strongest showing by a nationalist party in Germany since the NSDAP in World War II, with commentators calling it a "watershed moment" in the history of the German republic. The top-selling Bild daily spoke of a "political earthquake".

The new Bundestag would be larger than ever, with 709 deputies from seven parties. And, as a result of the arrival of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the return of the pro-business liberal Free Democrats (FDP), an unusually large number of parliamentarians are entering the political stage for the first time. This may become confusing, perhaps even unpleasant.

During the era of Germany's greatest post-war political controversies, up until the late 1970s, Germany would regularly log far higher voter turnout than the 76.2 percent of 2017  an improvement on 2013 and 2009, but still very low by Germany's standards.

The only serious possibility is a three-way coalition consisting of the CDU (black), FDP (yellow) and Green Party (green). This was referred to as a "Jamaica coalition" after the colors of that country's flag. These are uncharted political waters: It could take quite some time to negotiate the formation of a government.

Building a so-called "Jamaica" coalition with the Greens and Free Democrats looked to be the most likely path to power for Chancellor Angela Merkel. However, such a coalition  so named because the three parties' colors are represented on the Jamaican flag  would pose some major problems. In 2005, when the first grand coalition under Merkel had to be created, government formation took 65 days. The second grand coalition in 2013 took 86.

Despite some recent attempts to tone down the animosity, Greens and Liberals, as the FDP are also known, have a long tradition of sniping at one another - sometimes in sandbox fashion. The Greens, for instance, have produced parodies of FDP campaign posters depicting Liberal top candidate Christian Lindner as a Porsche-driving sunny boy, while Liberals rarely resist mocking Greens as tree-hugging know-it-alls. Old habits die hard. The Greens were founded at a later point and promote non-materialistic goals, while the FDP is more of a party representing older people and the first half of the Federal Republic.

Although somewhat weakened by their worst election showing since 1949, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives remain the largest party and are looking for coalition partners. SPD leader Martin Schulz said his party would be "a strong opposition force in this country, to defend democracy against those who question it and attack it."

In December 2014 Angela Merkel was re-elected as party chief of the CDU with 97 percent of delegates votes. And there was no sign of Merkel fatigue. The chancellor had her sights set on the 2017 parliamentary elections. The conversation switched to whether she would run again in 2017. If she does, she could potentially break former CDU chancellor Helmut Kohl's record of 16 years in office.

Many analysts argue Angela Merkel - in her capacity as German chancellor and head of the conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU) - is to blame for the AfD's emergence. As party leader in a "Grand Coalition" with the Socialist SPD, Merkel gave the CDU a centrist makeover, leaving space at the right fringes. Merkel's decisions as chancellor, be it the nuclear power phase-out or the discontinuation of compulsory military service, disconcerted voters who saw the pillars of their conservative view of the world shaken to the core.

According to Germany's influential news magazine Der Spiegel, Chancellor Angela Merkel had decided by July 2014 to run for a fourth term in power and had already started talks on who will run her campaign. Theres been no official confirmation yet, but Merkel has already hinted that she would seek re-election. This autumn she celebrates her 10th anniversary as chancellor, and if she is re-elected in 2017 and serves her full four-year term, she will tie with Helmut Kohl - who was also from the CDU party - as the longest-serving chancellor in the history of the Bundesrepublik.

Chancellor Merkel's center-right CDU and CSU drifted toward the left since forming a coalition with the center-left SPD in 2013. That drift left a gap to their right, now filled with party-less voters taken with the AfD, which spoke to their fears of losing their high standard of living, losing their culture to Muslims and losing their political voice at a time when the coalition parties hold nearly 80 percent of seats in parliament.

Germany's leading parties were losing a public relations battle to the right. The latest loss - involving a failed attempt to boycott xenophobia and an utter lack of political savvy by the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens.

Preliminary figures showed that right-wing violence in Germany almost doubled in 2015, compared to 2014. Politicians and activists say the numbers will continue to rise - and 2016 wasn't off to a good start. Authorities registered a total of 13,846 relevant offenses in 2015 - up 3,305 on 2014's provisional reporting.The most famous example of this were the murders committed by the German nationalist terrorist group "National Socialist Underground" (NSU). From 2000 till 2006, the NSU killed nine men, eight of them with Turkish roots, one with Greek roots.

Some CDU chiefs were taking the 2016 election results as a warning, even in victory. "There should be no democratic alternative to the right of the CDU," said Saxony-Anhalt's incumbent state premier Reiner Haseloff on 14 March 2016, who held onto his post. "We cannot keep going as we are," he added.

But who or what should follow Merkel? Looking at the ranks of the CDU though, it was difficult to identify any potential candidates. Among the cabinet ministers, two names had been doing the rounds: Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere.

During the 2016 local elections, Julia Klockner in Rhineland-Palatinate made headlines during the campaign for her so-called "Plan A2" for dealing with refugees - a day-quota system that watered down Merkel's refusal to cap refugee numbers. As a result, critics accused her of wavering between support and opposition to Merkel.

The daughter of a local winemaker from the western German town of Guldenthal, Julia Klockner began her political career at the age of 24 when she joined the CDU's youth arm. Just five years later in 2002, she became a member of the Bundestag - Germany's lower house of parliament - before taking on the role of parliamentary undersecretary in the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection.

Following the CDU's disastrous 2006 state election in Rhineland-Palatinate, the party found a beacon of hope in Klockner and in September 2010, appointed her as the fraction's leader - bringing a burst of youth to a somewhat antiquated party. Two years later she was elected as the CDU's deputy federal chairwoman. By 2016 surveys showed her running neck-and-neck with SPD candidate and incumbent state Premier Malu Dreyer. A poll released 09 March 2016 showed both politicians receiving 35 percent of voters' support.

Since entering the Bundestag, Klockner's likability among the CDU electorate had grown enormously - largely thanks to her balancing act between the modern and the conservative. While Klockner reserved the streak of conservatism that devout CDU voters missed in recent years, she also strived to bring modernity to the party. Her staunch pride for her home region and local dialect also brought her closer to the people, with many of her supporters referring to her with a familiar fondness as "our Julia."

As the 1995/96 "German Wine Queen," the 43-year-old has also used her experience in the media to her advantage, seizing the ongoing refugee crisis to move ever nearer to the CDU's center stage. Klockner makes no bones about her ambitions and continues to increase her presence in federal politics.

Sigmar Gabriel, party leader, vice-chancellor and economics minister in one, did his best in December 2015 to convince the 600 Party congress delegates that the SPD  Chancellor Angela Merkel's junior partners in the grand coalition government - was indeed about to emerge from the shadow of its coalition partners. In 2017, when German voters would head to the polls again, the SPD would emerge as the winner, Gabriel vowed as delegates cheered: "We want to rule Germany again, and not just as part of a coalition."

According to pollsters, Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, published on 11 December 2015, only 24 percent of voters support the SPD  the lowest level in the last nine months and barely more than in the 2009 elections when support for the party dropped to 23 percent, the SPD's worst in post-war Germany.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel came under renewed pressure over her liberal refugee policy 05 September 2016 after an upstart anti-migrant populist party handed her party a humiliating defeat in her home state. The xenophobic Alternative for Germany (AfD) clinched around 22 percent in its first bid for seats in the regional parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Vorpommern, results showed after most ballots had been counted from Sunday polls. Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) garnered just 19 percent in its worst ever score in the northeastern state, while the Social Democrats maintained top place with around 30 percent.

In the sprawling farming and coastal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where economic regeneration and jobs used to be residents' top concerns, the issue of refugees and integration became the deciding factor for one in two voters. Compared to other parts of Germany, the northeastern state hosts just a small proportion of migrants under a quota system based on states' income and population  having taken in 25,000 asylum seekers. Most of them have already decided to abandon the state, preferring to head "where there are jobs, people and shops.





NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Experts from Europe, US, Asia eager to see how CPC evolves next month

People's Daily Online

(China Daily) 08:38, September 18, 2017

With the 19th Communist Party of China National Congress approaching, politicians worldwide said they are observing "with great interest and high expectation" the political and policy outcome of the event, which begins Oct 18.

Politicians, scholars and opinion leaders from Europe, the United State and Asia have expressed their predictions in interviews with China Daily a month before the once-in-five-year congress begins.

A new CPC Central Committee and a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection are expected to be elected by 2,300 delegates nationwide elected before June to represent China's 88 million CPC members.

In reviewing China's progress, achieved by the CPC Central Committee under the leadership of Party General Secretary Xi Jinping since 2012, they concluded that China has started to take center stage globally and they look forward to seeing how China will deliver more positive solutions to global issues.

"My view is that President Xi has given a positive surprise to the world in the past five years and surely China has started to take central stage," said former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta.

Letta, now dean of the Paris School of International Affairs, part of the Paris Institute of Political Studies, said the global political landscape has changed rapidly during the past five years due to economic growth, social media expansion, technological breakthroughs and Donald Trump's US presidency.

During the global shift, Letta said, China has grasped chances to transform its economy, eliminate corruption and further lift people at home from poverty. Internationally, it has rolled out the Belt and Road Initiative and played an active role in global affairs.

Letta said his school has groups of scholars and students who have shown interest in observing the upcoming 19th Party Congress.

Former Pakistani prime minister Shaukat Aziz also has praised the outcome of Xi's work during the past five years, calling him "a peace-loving man and a world-class leader".

Aziz said the Belt and Road Initiative is an excellent example of his leadership. "President Xi, in my view, has changed the dimensions and policy framework of China," he said.

Jo Leinen, a German politician who is chairman of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with China also said Europe looks with great interests and expectations on the 19th Congress because "it is a great moment for the country, but also for the world".

In addition to the new leadership election and reshaping of the CPC institutions, Leinen said he also is watching what policy guidelines and directions China will take in the coming five years.

Leinen said he looks forward to seeing how Xi's coming policy addresses, ideas, thoughts and strategies regarding governance by the CPC Central Committee will be further developed.

Former US ambassador to China Gary Locke remains committed to facilitating US business and trade, saying the growing prosperity in China and the country's growing middle class are impressive achievements.

He said Xi has done an excellent job as president and the Belt and Road Initiative is receiving positive reviews worldwide.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China, Russia begin joint drills near North Korea

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 08:16AM

China and Russia have started joint naval drills near North Korea, amid continuing tensions chiefly between Pyongyang and Washington that risk turning into a military conflict.

China's official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday that the exercises would be conducted between Peter the Great Bay, just outside the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok, not far from the Russian border with North Korea, and the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, to the north of Japan.

The drills come at a particularly tense time in the region. North Korea's missile and military nuclear programs, long opposed by the US and its allies in the region, have been rapidly advancing in recent months. Japan and South Korea have been looking to the US for protection against what they see as a hostile North Korea.

On Friday, Pyongyang fired a missile over Japan for the second time in three weeks. Because of constitutional restrictions, Japan cannot shoot down missiles that fly through its airspace but do not directly target it, and has only been able to heat up rhetoric against North Korea.

Tokyo's chief ally, Washington, has been ratcheting up pressure on Pyongyang with the application of sanctions. Last Monday, stringent sanctions drawn up by the US were passed at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) without opposition.

China and Russia are both permanent members of the UNSC, which means they wield a veto power; but while they have had differences with the US on how to deal with North Korea, they opted not to veto the latest sanctions resolution.

Beijing and Moscow are opposed to the North Korean weapons programs but believe the issue has to be resolved via dialog. Together, they have proposed a "double freeze" to end the dispute: North Korea would end its military nuclear program and the US would halt its joint annual exercises with South Korea. But that proposal has not gained traction.

While neither China nor Russia has linked the Monday drills to the North Korean dispute, the exercises may act dually as a signal both to Pyongyang and its adversaries.

China and Russia held joint drills in the Baltic Sea earlier in July.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US sanctions to speed up nuclear program development: N Korea

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 02:35PM

North Korea warns that the more sanctions are imposed by the US and its allies against the peninsular country, the faster it will move to complete its nuclear weapons program, as tensions between Washington and Pyongyang escalate at an unprecedented rate.

The latest embargos imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) represent "the most vicious, unethical and inhumane act of hostility to physically exterminate the people of the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] DPRK, let alone its system and government," said North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Monday, citing an unnamed foreign ministry spokesman.

Early last week, US-drafted stringent sanctions, including bans on textile imports and capping crude and petrol supply, were passed at the UNSC without opposition, to further pressure the North to abandon its nuclear and missile programs.

However, it seems that sanctions have had little effect, if any, on Pyongyang's will to complete it nuclear plans. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has already said that his country seeks to reach "equilibrium" of military force with the US.

On Sunday, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley acknowledged that the UNSC has run out of options on containing Pyongyang's nuclear program, warning that the White House may have to turn the matter over to the Pentagon.

"We have pretty much exhausted all the things that we can do at the Security Council at this point," Haley said, adding that she was completely happy to hand the North's issue over to Defense Secretary James Mattis.

There has been an international uproar over Pyongyang's sixth and the biggest nuclear test to date, which was conducted on September 3. The bomb was reportedly about three times more powerful than America's atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945. The North also staged an intermediate-range missile test over Japan last Friday, drawing Tokyo's strong condemnation.

China, Russia and South Korea are among the countries that have voiced strong criticism of the North's sixth nuclear test. Washington has also censured Pyongyang, and President Donald Trump has described North Korea as a "rogue nation," which has become a "great threat and embarrassment" to China, North Korea's main ally.

Trump has repeatedly threatened that the military option is on the table regarding North Korea, warning Pyongyang that it would be destroyed if it refused to do as it was told.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already warned of a global catastrophe if parties to tensions on the Korean Peninsula did not end their military rhetoric, saying the North would not abandon its nuclear program unless it felt secure.

Meanwhile, the head of Russia's upper house Committee for International Relations said that the Kremlin would not allow the US or any other country to provoke Pyongyang into a military conflict, as that could mean the employment of weapons of mass destruction near the country's borders.

In another development on Monday, the US's 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) held urban warfare and frontline rescue drills near the foot of Mount Fuji. The so-called Orient Shield 17 drills, which are part of an annual two-week exercise, were held with around 1,200 soldiers taking part. The drills kicked off on September 8 and are scheduled to end on the 25th.

Also on Monday, a pair of US B-1B Lancer bombers and four US F-35B stealth jet fighters, plus a number of South Korea's F-15K fighter jets flew over South Korea as part of a joint military drill conducted by Washington and Seoul, aimed at countering North Korea's latest nuclear and missile tests.

Russia and China warn that no military solution is available for resolving the escalating crisis, saying the current standoff will only be resolved through dialogue.

North Korea is under mounting international pressure over its missile and military nuclear programs and has been subjected to an array of sanctions by the UN. However, Pyongyang says it needs to continue and develop the programs as a deterrent against hostility by the US and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






North Korean leader has to give up nuclear weapons: White House

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 07:28AM

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has to give up his nuclear weapons, the White House has said, days after US President Donald Trump hinted at launching a possible military strike against the North.

Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that North Korea must denuclearize, because the United States cannot tolerate this.

"He's going to have to give up his nuclear weapons, because the president has said that he is not going to tolerate this regime threatening the United States and our citizens with a nuclear weapon," said McMaster, a three-star army general.

When asked if the US president would order a military strike against North Korea if Kim doesn't surrender his weapons, McMaster said, "He's been very clear about that; that all options are on the table."

US should move 'with a great deal of urgency'

In a separate interview with Fox News on Sunday, McMaster said that North Korea is close to threatening the United States with a nuclear weapon.

He added the US should move "with a great deal of urgency" in order to deal with the North Korean threat.

"We really have to move with a great deal of urgency, on sanctions, on diplomacy and on preparing, if necessary, a military option," McMaster said.

McMaster was also asked about Trump's tweet in which the US president referred to North Korea's leader as "Rocket Man."

"I spoke with President Moon [Jae-in] of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!" Trump tweeted.

He said that's "a new one" for President Trump, who previously called Kim a "pretty smart cookie."

"Of course that's where the rockets are coming from," McMaster said, before adding that people shouldn't laugh about rockets because they are dangerous.

'We have economically strangled North Korea'

Earlier in the day, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley warned North Korea would be "destroyed" if it "keeps on with this reckless behavior."

"We have economically strangled North Korea at this point," Haley said.

"We wanted to be responsible and go through all diplomatic means to get their attention first," Haley told CNN. "If that doesn't work, General Mattis will take care of it."

On Monday, the UN Security Council voted to adopt new sanctions against North Korea over its missile and nuclear activities. The resolution, drafted by the US, was the eighth against Pyongyang over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs since 2006.

The North Korean leader ordered the production of more rocket warheads and engines last month, shortly after the United States suggested that its threats of military action and sanctions were having an impact on Pyongyang's behavior.

Pyongyang says it will not give up on its nuclear deterrence unless Washington ends its hostile policy toward the country and dissolves the US-led UN command in South Korea. Thousands of US soldiers are stationed in South Korea and Japan.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






North Korea: UN Sanctions Motivate Acceleration of Nuclear Weapon Development

Sputnik News

22:35 18.09.2017(updated 22:54 18.09.2017)

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea warned that UN sanctions against the country only motivates the military to accelerate nuclear weapons development, according to the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA).

On September 11, the UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 2375. According to the measure, states cannot participate in "the opening, maintenance, and operation of all joint ventures or cooperative entities, new and existing, with DPRK entities or individuals, whether or not acting for or on behalf of the government of the DPRK." The sanctions ban all North Korean textile exports, place a cap on petroleum and refined petroleum products, and initiate a sunsetting of DPRK labor exports, according to a September 15 38 North analysis.

According to 38 North "the provisions on petroleum and refined product may build a base for future action" however "the remaining sanctions are unlikely to do very much at all, in and of themselves, to increase pain on the DRPK."

From Pyongyang's perspective, UN Security Council Resolution 2375 is "the most vicious, unethical and inhumane act of hostility to physically exterminate the people of the DPRK, let alone its system and government," a DPRK foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by KCNA.

The Security Council's measures are aimed at reducing North Korea's access to financing and supplies that might be used to support weapons of mass destruction programs, but analysts remain skeptical most of the measures will have any real enforcement teeth, thus blunting immediate economic impacts.

For instance, the cap on crude oil trade has "no such reporting requirement so the cap on the shipments of crude is really on the honor system," 38 North reports. The ban on exporting North Korean migrant laborers will be "quite hard to enforce," researchers said, while the prevention of textile exports "is likely an economic mirage."

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US F-35s, B-1B Lancers Conduct Flybys to Show 'Military Options' to Pyongyang

Sputnik News

22:08 18.09.2017(updated 23:12 18.09.2017)

The US has "pretty much exhausted all the things that we can do at the [UN] Security Council at this point," Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN, said Sunday regarding North Korea's continued missile tests, adding she would be "perfectly happy" to pass the situation onto Pentagon chief James Mattis who has "plenty of military options."

Haley's warning comes in stark contrast made by former US state department officials who say there's still room to engage North Korea diplomatically. Pyongyang's military has conducted three ballistic missile tests since US President Donald Trump told reporters the country would be met with "fire and fury and, frankly, power, the likes of which the world has never seen before" if it kept up threats to the US and its allies.

Four US Marine Corps F-35 joint strike fighters and two US Air Force B-1B Lancer strategic bombers zipped through South Korean airspace with South Korean and Japanese fighters in a "sequenced bilateral show of force" on September 17 in retaliation to North Korea's September 14 ballistic missile test, according to a US Pacific Command statement.

While there has been a great deal of media attention surrounding the Lancer's technical ability to carry nuclear weapons, the US military's fastest bombers are inspected annually by Russian experts to ensure all B-1Bs are compliant with the Cold-War era Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which bars them from carry nukes. Defense officials told Military.com in July the plane "will never be a nuclear-capable bomber again."

South Korean F-15Ks and Japanese F-2s accompanied the US planes, the statement said. The warplanes fired live rounds to demonstrate the allied air forces readiness to "respond to any threat in the Indo-Asia-Pacific theater at a moment's notice," Capt. Cassandra Gesecki said, writing from Camp H.M. Smith in Hawaii.

In light of North Korea's failure to live up to denuclearization pledges made to Japan, South Korea, the US, China and Russia in 2003 and "its continuing missile launches and nuclear tests," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wrote in a Sunday New York Times column, "more dialogue with North Korea would be a dead end."

Abe expressed a slightly different sentiment than Haley's hawkish comments regarding the UN Security Council. While Haley's remarks come off as fatalistic, Abe stressed that existing sanctions needed tougher enforcement.

"I stress that we must not be simply complacent with the adoption of these sanctions," the prime minister said, adding, "We must thoroughly enforce the successive resolutions in order to prevent North Korea from obtaining the goods, technologies, funds and people to further develop its missiles and nuclear program."

One of Pyongyang's most consistently-used tactics to soften the impact of sanctions is to sell North Koreans as forced laborers in other places around the world. North Korean slaves are exploited in more than 45 nations, "including the European Union, and entrails the exploitation of between 100,00 and 200,000 individuals," military historian Joseph V. Micallef wrote in July.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Pyongyang Approaching 'Final Stage' of ICBM Development  S Korean MoD

Sputnik News

13:51 18.09.2017(updated 14:20 18.09.2017)

North Korea is on the verge of mastering intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) technology, the South Korean Defense Ministry said on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  North Korea is reaching the final stage of developing its own modern intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) technology, the South Korean Defense Ministry said on Monday.

"[North Korea] has neared the final stage of securing ICBM capabilities," the Ministry said in a report to the country's National Assembly, as quoted by Yonhap News Agency, adding that Pyongyang will carry on conducting missile launches and nuclear tests "to secure its nuclear capabilities."

According to the report, the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site (nuclear tests spot) in North Korea "remains ready for a [new] test," the agency added.

The recent missile test took place on Friday, when North Korea launched a ballistic missile which flew over Japan before falling into the northern Pacific some 20 minutes after the launch. According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the projectile flew a total of 3,700 kilometers (2,299 miles), reaching a maximum altitude of 770 kilometers.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






India's First Scorpene Submarine to Join Naval Fleet from Next Month

Sputnik News

14:06 18.09.2017

The 1565-ton Scorpene class submarine is a critical asset in a war like situation with Pakistan as the shallow Arabian Sea does not provide required depth to the larger boats like the Kilo-class, or the six nuclear-powered attack submarines that India plans to build.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be handing over India's first locally built Submarine  christened INS Kalvari  to the Indian Navy next month. The much-awaited diesel-electric Scorpene class submarine is the first of the six such submarines being built at Indian shipyard with the technical support of French naval shipbuilding firm Naval Group, earlier known as DCNS. The submarine would be sent to the Indian Ocean on operational deployment soon after it is handed over to the Indian Navy. However, it would be some time before the vessel is fitted with torpedoes  its primary weapon.

The boat was scheduled to serve the Indian Navy from 2012; seven years after signing of the deal. However, the Indian firm MDL's ineptness in absorbing the technology transferred by Naval Group delayed the project by five years, according to sources.

INS Kalvari would be the 15th boat to joint Indian Navy's submarine fleet in the Indian Ocean. However, Indian Navy requires at least 24 submarines in the Indian Ocean region to maintain its superiority over Bangladesh and Pakistan who are poised to soon deploy additional submarines sourced from China. Out of the 14 Indian submarines already present in the Indian Ocean, 13 are conventional boats that are 17-31 years old and need an immediate upgrade. Moreover, the entire fleet is not battle-ready so deploying all of them at a time for war would not be possible for India. The second locally built Scorpene class submarine named INS Khanderi is undergoing sea trials and would only be available to the Indian Navy next year.

Meanwhile, INS Kalvari will set sail without its primary weapon torpedoes because the $200 million tender to buy them remains in limbo. The Indian government had to roll back its initial plan of purchasing 98 Black Shark heavyweight torpedoes from WASS as its sister company AugustaWestland faces corruption charges relating to the infamous VVIP chopper scam in India.

In 2012, Indian defense ministry had approved procurement of 198 ships and submarines by 2027, out of which 40 ships and submarines are being constructed at different Indian shipyards. The present fleet available with the Navy includes 121 ships, 14 submarines, and 232 aircraft.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iranian official stresses reciprocating breach of nuclear deal

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Sep 18, IRNA -- Iranian official underlined adopting reciprocal measures against the US breach of its promise regarding the nuclear deal reached between Iran and the world powers.

'After return of President Hassan Rouhani from his trip to New York, the council monitoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached between Iran and G5+1 (the US, the UK, Russia, China and France plus Germany) will convene to adopt proportionate response against US breach of its promises,' member of Iran's Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati said on Monday.

He noted that 'If the US tries to breach his promises, Iran will adopt necessary reciprocal measures'.

US President Donald Trump in the past seventh month has done its best to circumvent the nuclear deal and sabotage it, but other sides of the nuclear deal, in particular the EU, have warned about the consequences.

Translator: Hamdollah Emadi Heydari

9191**2050

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US will pay high price if Trump scraps JCPOA: Rouhani

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 04:47PM

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Washington will pay a high price if US President Donald Trump carries out his threats to scrap the historic nuclear deal reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015.

"Leaving such an agreement would carry a high cost for the United States of America," Rouhani said in an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour in New York on Monday.

"I do not believe Americans would be willing to pay such a high price for something that will be useless for them," he added.

The Iranian chief executive, who is in New York to take part in the 72nd annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, further emphasized that the Trump administration's move to scrap the accord "will yield no results for the United States."

However, Rouhani warned that such an action "will generally decrease and chip away at international trust placed in the Unites States of America."

Rouhani made the remarks amid growing concerns about the future of the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed by Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council  the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China  plus Germany on July 14, 2015 and went into effect on January 16, 2016.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Trump, who had made no secret of opposing the nuclear agreement in his election campaign, has threatened to "tear up" the agreement, calling it "the worst deal ever negotiated."

Tensions have risen between Tehran and Washington since Trump entered the Oval Office, with each side accusing the other of failing to honor the spirit of the JCPOA.

The United State, which is a party to the landmark nuclear agreement, seems to be laying out a case for abandoning it.

In its efforts to undermine the deal, the White House has recently attempted to sway the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) reporting on Iran.

Last month, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley traveled to Vienna to press the IAEA to request access to Iran's military sites, a move that Washington hoped would undermine the JCPOA.

The IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano on Monday once again confirmed that Iran was implementing its commitments under the JCPOA.

Amano made the remarks in his opening address to the IAEA's 61st General Conference in Vienna, a week after he told the 35-member Board of Governors that Iran had lived up to its commitments under the JCPOA.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iran implementing nuclear-related commitments under JCPOA: IAEA

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 02:24PM

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has once again confirmed that Iran is implementing its commitments under the 2015 landmark nuclear agreement it signed with the P5+1 group of countries.

"The nuclear-related commitments undertaken by Iran under the JCPOA are being implemented," IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said on Monday.

Amano made the remarks in his opening address to the IAEA's 61st General Conference in Vienna, a week after he told the 35-member Board of Governors that Iran had lived up to its commitments under the JCPOA.

He added that since the 60th General Conference in September 2016, the IAEA had continued to verify and monitor Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the nuclear deal.

"Iran is now subject to the world's most robust nuclear verification regime," Amano added.

In his introductory statement to the Board of Governors in Vienna on September 11, the IAEA chief said that since the JCPOA Implementation Day in January 2016, the agency had been verifying and monitoring Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the nuclear deal.

He emphasized that the UN nuclear agency would continue to verify the non-diversion of nuclear material declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement, adding, "Evaluations regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran remain ongoing."

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council  the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China  plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

The IAEA has consistently verified that Iran is in compliance since the deal started being implemented.

Maintaining JCPOA essential: France FM

Speaking to reporters in New York on Monday ahead of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian staunchly defended the JCPOA, stressing the importance of sustaining the deal.

"It is essential to maintain it [the JCPOA]," said Le Drian, whose country is a signatory to the nuclear agreement.

The French foreign minister also spoke about the possibility of holding talks to "complement" the agreement, adding, "Even ... we could complement the accord for after 2025."

The United State, which is a party to the landmark nuclear agreement, seems to be laying out a case for abandoning it.

US President Donald Trump, who had made no secret of opposing the nuclear agreement in his election campaign, has threatened to "tear up" the agreement, calling it "the worst deal ever negotiated."

In its efforts to undermine the deal, the White House has recently attempted to sway the IAEA's reporting on Iran.

Last month, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley traveled to Vienna to press the IAEA to request access to Iran's military sites, a move that Washington hoped would undermine the JCPOA.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Scrapping nuclear deal with Iran will be clear breach of agreement: Pres. Rouhani

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 05:03AM

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the United States' potential withdrawal from a multilateral nuclear deal with Iran would constitute a clear non-performance of contractual obligations by Washington.

Speaking at a meeting of Iranian expatriates in New York, where he is to attend the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), President Rouhani said Iran would give "the due response" to any such violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"Withdrawing from the JCPOA," he said, "would mean trampling on a clear political obligation that a government has. This is nothing to be proud of."

He said Iranian people have always lived up to their word throughout history but added that Iran would honor its obligations under the JCPOA as long as the other side honors its.

"We will never initiate a violation of the international agreement, but if the other side wishes to assault the rights of the Iranian people, Iran will certainly give the due response," the Iranian president said.

The JCPOA was struck in July 2015, after some 22 months of negotiations between Iran and six other countries. Iran agreed under the deal to apply certain limits to its nuclear program, and its partners  the US, Russia, China, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom  agreed in return to terminate a series of sanctions against the Islamic Republic, including those unilaterally imposed by individual countries.

When the presidency in the US switched to the incumbent, Donald Trump, a year after the implementation of the Iran deal had begun, his administration started actively seeking a pretext to withdraw.

It has found none, but has nevertheless signaled that it may not offer to the US Congress verification of Iranian compliance necessary to renew waivers of unilateral, American sanctions against Iran at a next deadline in mid-October. The Congress would then have 60 days to decide whether to continue to waive the sanctions, although it would be unlikely to do so without a White House verification.

Iran has said it would work to sustain the JCPOA but has contingency plans in the event of a US withdrawal. On Sunday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warned that Iran would respond to any "wrong move" concerning the JCPOA.

In New York, President Rouhani said "whether the US is happy or worried," the JCPOA is to stay in political history as a sign of how complex international issues can be resolved via dialog.

During his stay in America, the Iranian president plans to meet world leaders and possibly discuss with them the JCPOA and the US stance.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is also in New York, and a meeting of foreign ministers from the parties to the JCPOA may take place.

Meanwhile, all the other parties to the deal have voiced determination to keep the agreement in place.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Trump Calls For Tough Monitoring Of Iran Nuclear Deal

RFE/RL September 18, 2017

President Donald Trump has suggested that the United States will walk away from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers if it deems that the UN's atomic agency is not tough enough in monitoring it.

"We will not accept a weakly enforced or inadequately monitored deal," Trump said on September 18 in a message to an annual meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna that was read by U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

"The United States...strongly encourages the IAEA to exercise its full authorities to verify Iran's adherence to each and every nuclear-related commitment under the nuclear agreement," he added.

U.S. and UN watchdogs monitoring compliance have found Iran has adhered to the accord, which eased international economic sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities.

However, the Trump administration has frequently charged that Tehran breaks the "spirit" of the deal, including by continuing to test-launch ballistic missiles and rockets capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

It has also lobbied for tougher nuclear inspections in Iran, including military sites.

But the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, called on the IAEA, which is monitoring the nuclear accord, to resist what he called Washington's "unacceptable demands."

Asserting that Iran is fully complying with terms of the accord, Salehi told the Vienna meeting that Washington's "overtly hostile attitude and actual foot-dragging policies and measures" are "aimed at undermining the nuclear deal."

IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano, who was approved for another four-year term in office on September 18, said that the commitments undertaken by Iran under the nuclear deal "are being implemented."

"Iran is now subject to the world's most robust nuclear verification regime," he claimed.

The IAEA meeting comes as about 130 world leaders are gathering in New York to attend this year's General Assembly debate session.

Ahead of the opening of the assembly, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian gave a staunch defense of the Iran nuclear deal, saying, "It is essential to maintain it to avoid proliferation."

"In this period when we see the risks with North Korea, we must maintain this line," Le Drian told reporters in New York. "Even if we could complement the accord for after 2025."

French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were expected to raise the deal with Iran when they meet with Trump later on September 18. Netanyahu is pushing for the accord's demise.

The French president will meet with Iranian President Hassan Rohani after Trump to tell him that Tehran must play its role in not stoking American anger through its activities in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, a French presidential source was quoted as saying.

On September 17, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that his country would react strongly to any "wrong move" by the United States regarding the nuclear accord.

"Today, despite all the commitments and discussions in the [nuclear] negotiations, America's attitude toward these negotiations and their outcome is completely unjust and amounts to bullying," state-controlled media quoted Khamenei as saying in a speech to Iranian military graduates.

The comments came after the U.S. administration announced last week that it will continue to waive sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear agreement, while imposing new penalties on several individuals and entities over Tehran's ballistic-missile program.

"Waiving some of those sanctions should not be seen as an indication of President Trump or his administration's position on the [nuclear deal], nor is the waiver giving the Iranian regime a pass on its broad range of malign behavior," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on September 14.

Speaking to reporters on the same day, Trump echoed earlier criticism of the accord, describing it as "one of the worst deals I have ever seen" and saying that Iran is violating "the spirit" of the nuclear deal.

Under U.S. law, the sanctions can be waived for a maximum of 120 days, meaning the U.S. government must review the situation every four months.

Iranian President Hassan Rohani left on September 17 for the UN General Assembly in New York, where he is expected to hold talks on the nuclear deal.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-calls-for-tough-monitoring -iran-nuclear-deal/28742258.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iran Brandishes 'Father of All Bombs,' Claims US Backed Daesh Terrorists

Sputnik News

10:18 18.09.2017(updated 14:21 18.09.2017)

The "father of all bombs", which is on par with US-made non-nuclear ordnance of a similar class, is already in Tehran's possession, according to a top Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander. He also claimed that the IRGC has evidence of the US collaborating with Daesh.

Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force commander, claimed that Iran has managed to assemble a massive non-nuclear ordnance, dubbing it the "Father of All Bombs."

"Following a proposal by the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Iran's Defense Industries Organization manufactured a 10 (metric) ton bomb; these bombs are at our disposal, can be launched from Ilyushin aircraft and are highly destructive," Iran's state news agency FARS quoted Ali Hajizadeh as saying.

He described the IRGC's weapon as the "father of all bombs," comparable to Washington's GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) highly destructive bomb, the largest non-nuclear explosive device ever developed by the United States and widely referred to as the "Mother of All Bombs."

Separately, General Hajizadeh claimed that the IRGC had obtained information about the US military command 's support for Daesh (ISIS) terrorists.

"We have documents showing the behavior of the Americans in Iraq and Syria; we know what the Americans did there; what they neglected and how they supported Daesh," he was quoted by FARS as saying.

Hajizadeh made it plain that if these documents are made public, it would result in "more "scandals for the US," according to FARS.

In April, the US military dropped the 22,000-pound (9,800 kg) MOAB bomb in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, targeting a tunnel complex which, according to the US Central Command, was used by the Daesh terrorist group's local affiliate.

The devastating weapon had not been used in combat before the Nangarhar operation, where it killed 92 Daesh terrorists.

Russia has its own non-nuclear munition that dramatically exceeds the American "Mother of All Bombs," both in terms of destructive power and blast radius.

Earlier this year, the Russian online newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported that in contrast to the GBU-43, conventional ordnance filled with large number of explosives, the Russian bomb is a thermobaric weapon with a destructive power four times that of the MOAB.

Russia's "Father of All Bombs" was successfully field-tested in 2011, after being dropped by a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iraq moves 1,400 wives, children of Daesh terrorists to new site near Mosul

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 05:36PM

Iraqi authorities say they have moved some 1,400 foreign wives and children of suspected Daesh Takfiri terrorists to a new site north of Mosul, which used to be the terror group's de facto capital in the Arab country, dismissing the concerns of aid organizations.

"They were transported to a safe location with better services, in Tal Keif town [nearly 12 kilometers northeast of Mosul], under the supervision of the Iraqi forces and specialized committees," said the Iraqi military in a statement on Monday.

After being expelled from Tal Afar, the Daesh terrorist group left behind their foreign wives and children, who were taken in the custody of the Iraqi government shortly afterwards. The group, the largest group of foreigners linked to Daesh in Iraq, was then initially housed in a specially-designated camp, called the Hammam al-Alil transit camp, situated south of Mosul.

Tal Afar, located some 63 kilometers west of Mosul and around 150 kilometers from Syria's border, was among the last Daesh-held cities in Iraq, and its liberation, which was fully achieved in late last month, deprived Daesh of what was once a key supply route between its territory in Syria and Iraq.

On Sunday, foreign aid officials in Iraq said that they were "gravely concerned" about the families, who had been in the custody of Iraqi army in the guarded transit camp since August 30.

"These women and children are extremely vulnerable. Regardless of what their family members may be accused of, they have a right to protection and assistance," the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said in a statement on Monday.

Since early this month, Iraqi officials have engaged in the process of verifying the families' identities and nationalities, as many of the women had lost or destroyed their original credentials. According to preliminary figures from the Iraqi army, over 300 of the families came from neighboring Turkey, many others from former Soviet states, including Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Russia.

"Humanitarian organizations and representatives from their home countries should be allowed to offer to them help," the NRC further said.

Iraqi forces launched the Tal Afar liberation operation on August 20, one month after fully recapturing the country's second biggest city, Mosul, which was Daesh's so-called "capital" in Iraq.

Daesh unleashed a campaign of death and destruction in Iraq in 2014, but it is currently retreating from much of the territory under its control in the Arab country due to recent advances made by the Iraqi forces on the battlefield.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iraqi PM demands suspension of Kurdish independence referendum

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 12:03PM

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has formally demanded suspension of the upcoming Kurdish independence referendum amid the central government's strong opposition to the planned vote.

The demand came after Iraq's Supreme Court on Monday ordered the deferral of the September 25 referendum to examine whether such a poll would be constitutional.

"The Supreme Court has issued the order to suspend organizing the referendum set for September 25... until it examines the complaints it has received over this plebiscite being unconstitutional," the court said in a statement.

The court added in the statement that the decision was taken after it "reviewed requests to stop the referendum."

"We have received several complaints and this is why we decided to suspend the referendum," the Supreme Court spokesman, Ayas al-Samouk, said.

On Saturday, Abadi said Kurdish authorities were "playing with fire" by planning to hold a referendum on the independence of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

"A sincere and brotherly call to the leaders in Kurdistan: the decision of referendum is a dangerous one. I consider it playing with fire. This decision poses the biggest danger to our citizens in Kurdistan," Abadi told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview.

Iraqi Kurdish lawmakers on Friday approved holding the secession vote in the face of fierce opposition from the central government in Baghdad, the United Nations and the US.

President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Massoud Barzani told a rally for secession in the northern city of Dohuk that the Iraqi Kurdistan did "not take legitimacy from anyone."

The Iraqi parliament voted on September 13 to reject the plebiscite, requiring the prime minister and the central government in Baghdad to "take all steps to protect the unity of Iraq and open a serious dialogue" with Kurdish leaders. The decision prompted a walkout by Kurdish lawmakers.

In June, Abadi described as untimely the decision by Barzani to hold the referendum.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the state-run TRT Haber television news network last month that the Iraqi Kurdistan region's plans to hold the independence referendum would lead to "civil war" in Iraq.

Iran has also expressed opposition to the "unilateral" scheme, underlining the need to maintain the integrity and stability of Iraq and insisting that the Kurdistan region is part of the majority Arab state.

British minister to press Kurds to drop referendum

Meanwhile, Britain's Defense Secretary Michael Fallon has said he would try to persuade the KRG president to call off the controversial September 25 independence referendum.

"I will be this afternoon in Erbil to tell Massoud Barzani that we do not support the Kurdish referendum," he said at a press conference in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad.

"We are committed to the integrity of Iraq. We are working with the UN on alternatives to this referendum," he added.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iraqi Supreme Court Suspends Kurdish Referendum

By VOA News September 18, 2017

Iraq's supreme court has approved a request by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to suspend an independence referendum that the country's Kurdistan region planned to hold later this month.

The court said Monday the vote will be on hold until it reviews cases regarding the constitutionality of the vote.

Abadi has repeatedly spoken out against the referendum, including in an interview with the Associated Press on Saturday in which he called the independence vote a "dangerous escalation" that would invite violations of Iraqi sovereignty.

Abadi also told an Iraqi news agency that the Kurds would be "playing with fire" by continuing with plans for the referendum in the three governorates that make up the Kurdish autonomous region.

The Kurdish region has repeatedly ignored calls to cancel the referendum, and the supreme court has little power to implement its order.

Turkish opposition

On Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim warned that the Iraqi Kurdish plan to hold an independence referendum was a "grave mistake."

Iraqi Kurdistan regional President Masoud Barzani is backing the referendum.

Turkey, which borders the Iraqi Kurdish region, has strong ties with Barzani, but Ankara has been stepping up its pressure to call off the vote.

"We don't want to impose sanctions, but, if we arrive at that point, there are steps that have been already planned that Turkey can take," Yildirim said.

Ankara, with its own restive Kurdish minority, that mainly borders Iraqi Kurdistan, fears an independent Kurdish state could fuel similar secessionist demands. Those fears are heightened by the suspicion that Syrian Kurds on the Turkish border harbor the same independence ambitions.

US against plan

The United States has voiced strong opposition to the independence vote.

On Friday the White House released a statement saying the United States "does not support" the Kurdish plan to hold a referendum, saying the plan "is distracting from efforts to defeat ISIS and stabilize the liberated areas." Further, it says, "Holding the referendum in disputed areas is particularly provocative and destabilizing."

The Trump administration is calling on the Kurds to cancel the referendum and instead engage in "serious and sustained dialogue with Baghdad," which the U.S. has offered to facilitate.

Iran has also registered its opposition to the referendum, but Turkey arguably has the most leverage on the Iraqi Kurds. The Habur border gate on Turkey's frontier with Iraq is the main trade route to the outside world for Iraqi Kurdistan, while an oil pipeline to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan provides a financial lifeline.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi to Give National Address on Rakhine Crisis

By VOA News September 18, 2017

Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi is scheduled to give a highly anticipated national speech Tuesday addressing her country's crisis in Rakhine state, where ongoing violence has led about 400,000 ethnic Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh in recent weeks.

Rohingya militants attacked Burmese security forces in late August. Since then, analysts and rights workers say the Burmese military has carried out a brutal crackdown that has burned entire villages and killed fleeing women and children.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has come under strong international criticism for not speaking out more forcefully on the situation. She canceled her appearance at the United Nations General Assembly this week in part to address the ongoing crisis at home.

On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson held a private meeting Monday with a small group of concerned countries to address the issue. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley attended, as well as Burma's national security adviser and deputy foreign minister. Ministers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Denmark also participated.

They called for full and unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies, including the U.N., and called for an end to the violence.

"While Burma has undoubtedly made encouraging progress towards democracy in the last few years, the situation in Rakhine, the terrible human-rights abuses and violence are a stain on the country's reputation," Boris Johnson said.

"As I have repeatedly said, no one wants to see a return to military rule, so it is vital that Aung San Suu Kyi and the civilian government make clear these abuses must stop," he added. The British Foreign Secretary said he was encouraged by the discussion and participation of the senior Burmese officials.

"Today's high-level meeting is a first step, but it can't be the last," said Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director at Human Rights Watch. "This discussion should lead to strong U.N. action to compel Myanmar security services to end their ethnic cleansing campaign."

Charbonneau urged the General Assembly to draft a resolution condemning the abuses and called on the Security Council to impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the commanders leading the military crackdown.

Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to speak both in English and Burmese during her speech Tuesday. Her remarks will be streamed live on www.voanews.com beginning shortly after 0300 UTC Tuesday (after 11 p.m. Monday at the United Nations).

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi Addresses Rakhine Crisis

By Margaret Besheer September 19, 2017

Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi delivered a highly anticipated national speech Tuesday, addressing her country's crisis in Rakhine state, where ongoing violence has led about 400,000 ethnic Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh in recent weeks.

In her first comments since the crisis began, Suu Kyi was careful not to blame with any group for the crisis.

"There has been much concern around the world with regard to the situation in Rakhine," she said. "It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abnegate responsibility."

Suu Kyi condemned any human rights violations, as well as any "unlawful violence."

She added that said she was concerned by the large number of Muslims who fled to Bangladesh, and said the Myanmar government was ready to verify the refugee status of those who left at any time. But she added that most Rohingya Muslim villages were not affected by violence, and invited diplomats to visit the area to see what is happening themselves and to help Myanmar find solutions to the problems in Rakhine.

Rohingya militants attacked security forces in Myanmar  also known as Burma  in late August. Since then, analysts and rights workers say the Burmese military has carried out a brutal crackdown that has burned entire villages and killed fleeing women and children.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has come under strong international criticism for not speaking out more forcefully on the situation. She canceled her appearance at the United Nations General Assembly this week in part to address the ongoing crisis at home.

On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Monday, diplomats from the United States, Britain and other countries concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine called for an end to the violence and for measures to relieve Rohingya refugees' suffering. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said it was a "productive meeting about the dire situation," but that no improvement has been seen on the ground in the area where displaced Rohingyas have been fleeing into Bangladesh.

"We continue to hear reports of violence and suffering," Haley said afterward. "People are still at risk of being attacked or killed, humanitarian aid is not reaching the people who need it, and innocent civilians are still fleeing across the border to Bangladesh."

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson convened the meeting with Haley, Burma's national security adviser and deputy foreign minister, and other senior officials. Ministers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Denmark attended the private meeting.

In addition to their call for an end to violence and full, unimpeded access for humanitarian workers from the U.N. and other agencies, Boris Johnson said the ministerial group felt that "while Burma has undoubtedly made encouraging progress toward democracy in the last few years, the situation in Rakhine, the terrible human-rights abuses and violence are a stain on the country's reputation."

"As I have repeatedly said, no one wants to see a return to military rule, so it is vital that Aung San Suu Kyi and the civilian government make clear these abuses must stop," he added. Johnson said he was encouraged by the discussion and participation of the senior Burmese officials.

"The international community is committed to seeking a solution that ends this crisis and brings peace and stability to Rakhine State and the rest of Burma," the U.S. ambassador said in a statement. "The United States continues to urge the Burmese government to end military operations, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians back to their homes."

Monday's high-level meeting was "a first step, but it can't be the last," said Louis Charbonneau, the U.N. director at Human Rights Watch. "This discussion should lead to strong U.N. action to compel Myanmar security services to end their ethnic cleansing campaign."

Charbonneau urged the General Assembly to draft a resolution condemning the abuses and called on the Security Council to impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the commanders leading the military crackdown.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Kulsoom Sharif wins key vacant parliament seat in Lahore

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 04:55AM

Kulsoom Sharif, the wife of ex-Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has won a key parliamentary seat, which was left vacant after the ouster of her husband by the Supreme Court amid a corruption scandal in July.

Official results from the Sunday by-election are yet to be announced, but officials with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who also tallied the numbers, said Kulsoom secured about 53.5 percent of the vote, with the party's majority reduced from about 61 percent in the 2013 general election.

Local media also said she garnered 61,254 votes to win the crucial parliamentary seat in the eastern city of Lahore, 14,188 more than her main rival Yasmin Rashid, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s candidate.

The PTI has alleged voting irregularities.

Analysts were monitoring the Sunday vote as a test of support for the influential and scandal-hit Sharif family ahead of the 2018 general election.

The win helped the PML-N demonstrate that support for the Sharif family is still strong despite the Supreme Court's removal of the former premier, who has kept control of the party.

Sharif's wife did not campaign in person ahead of the vote as she is receiving treatment for cancer in London.

"This is not an ordinary victory," said Sharif's daughter, Maryam, who has been at the helm of the PML-N campaign for her mother and who some party leaders see as a future leader of the faction.

Maryam, who was addressing jubilant PML-N supporters, said, "You have defeated not only people who were in the field but also those who are invisible," making reference to elements in Pakistan's powerful military, which is allegedly opposed to the Sharif family.

She claimed dozens of PML-N activists were blindfolded and picked up from their homes at night, while others received threatening phone calls from unknown numbers during the campaign.

"This victory is a message to the forces hatching conspiracies against Nawaz Sharif that there would be only rules of people and democracy," added Maryam.

In an interview with Reuters before the vote, Maryam had hinted at the military's involvement in her father's ouster.

Sharif was disqualified by Pakistan's top court for a failure to declare a monthly salary, equivalent to around $2,700, from a company owned by his son.

The ruling prompted Sharif to voluntarily leave office on July 28, bringing his third term in power to an end. The Supreme Court has rejected petitions seeking a review of its decision despite Sharif's repeated denials of the allegations.

The scandal stems from the so-called Panama Papers leaks in 2016 which appeared to show that Sharif's daughter and two sons owned offshore holding companies registered in the British Virgin Islands and used them to buy properties in London.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Despite North Korea Sanctions, South Korea Plans to Send Aid

By Brian Padden September 18, 2017

Even though South Korean President Moon Jae-in seems to have more closely aligned with the hardline U.S. approach to pressure Pyongyang into giving up its nuclear program, his government in Seoul is planning to send $8 million in humanitarian aid to North Korea.

"It is our government basic stance that (the government) will continue to provide humanitarian aid for children, pregnant women and vulnerable social groups regardless of the political situation," said South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun on Monday.

When the liberal leader and former human rights lawyer took office in May, following the impeachment of the conservative President Park Geun-hye on corruption and bribery charges, Moon embraced a dual track approach to balance economic sanctions with outreach to North Korea to ease tensions over time.

Sanctions pivot

However following North Korea's sixth nuclear test earlier this month, the Moon administration indicated it would pivot away from engagement to more fully support U.S. President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" strategy that emphasizes strong economic sanctions along with the threat of military action to force the Kim Jong Un government in Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons or face a possible collapse.

The South Korean president has since come out strongly in support of the latest U.N. sanctions, which U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said cuts "90 percent of trade and 30 percent of oil" imports to North Korea. He also tried to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to support a total oil embargo on North Korea, but neither Moscow nor Beijing were willing to support such a potentially destabilizing measure.

After North Korea fired another ballistic missile over Japan on Friday, Moon said "dialogue is impossible" with Pyongyang as long as it continues its provocative ways.

On Monday, President Moon Jae-in said his government seeks to inflict "powerful punishment" on North Korea to make clear that Pyongyang has "no other choice but to give up its nuclear weapons and missiles."

Humanitarian aid

While President Moon has in the short term prioritized support for his U.S. ally's get tough approach on North Korea, analysts say he remains committed to finding a long-term peaceful resolution to the nuclear crisis, which is also a stated goal for Washington as well.

"It is not either-or, but both countries need to achieve both goals," said North Korea analyst Bong Young-shik, with the Yonsei University Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul.

The Unification Ministry defended its humanitarian aid plan as "separate from sanctions and pressure" and needed to help North Koreans who already live in poverty, and who will be made more vulnerable by the U.N. sanctions.

South Korea plans to donate $4.5 million to help the World Food Program provide food aid to North Korean hospitals, and $3.5 million to the United Nations Children's Fund for medicine and nutrition to help children and pregnant women.

The donations to U.N. relief organizations would restore South Korean humanitarian aid to the North that was suspended in 2016 following Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test. North Korea rejected earlier offers of assistance and cooperation from Seoul.

The Moon administration also pointed out U.S. and Russia provided millions of dollars in the last year for humanitarian assistance to North Korea through the same U.N. agencies.

But Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, said last week, providing aid to North Korea could undermine international efforts to pressure Pyongyang.

Providing humanitarian aid, Moon's critics say, will minimize the impact of the sanctions and help to stabilize the Kim government as it continues to focus its resources and revenue into nuclear and missile development.

"South Korea's decision to send humanitarian aid to North Korea is nothing different from sending medication for casualties to an enemy country," said North Korean defector and analyst Ahn Chan-il with the World Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul.

South Korean opposition parties also criticized the timing of the aid announcement last week, just after international sanctions were imposed.

There are also concerns President Moon's aid outreach will again draw criticism from President Trump, who recently called his engagement-oriented approach unworkable "appeasement."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Russia's Putin attends Zapad-2017 joint drills with Belarus

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 06:21PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has attended joint drills, demonstrating Moscow's military might, with Belarus near Russia's western border with Estonia.

Putin observed tank attacks, airborne assaults and air raids as part of the Zapad-2017 (West-2017) military drills on Monday at the Luzhsky range, located just over 100 kilometers east of Estonia's border.

Putin's inspection of the drills comes amid deteriorating relations between Russia and the West as the two have repeatedly criticized each other for increased military activity around the Baltic region after a conflict erupted in Ukraine three years ago.

NATO has questioned Russia's real intentions behind holding the Zapad-2017 and has accused Moscow of hiding the exact number of troops involved in the drills. Members of the Western military alliance, including Estonia and Poland, say up to 100,000 troops could be deployed in the drills.

Russia and Belarus have dismissed the figure, saying some 5,500 Russian and 7,200 Belarusian troops are participating in the drills. The two countries also say that the exercises do not pose a threat to anyone, stressing they are solely aimed at stimulating a response to foreign-backed "extremists."

As part of the drills, Russia showcased its missile power on Monday by test-firing a state-of-the-art cruise missile at a mock target in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan. The Russian Defense Ministry said the missile hit a mock target at a range in Kazakhstan after traveling some 480 kilometers following its launch from the Kapustin Yar firing range in southwestern Russia.

The drills are also a sign of deepening military cooperation with Belarus, a country which has largely resisted pressures from the West to distance itself from Moscow.

While Putin attended the drills, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko did not accompany the Russian leader in watching the drills, like a previous edition in 2013, saying he would watch them separately on Wednesday, the day which the week-long maneuvers end.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China, Russia Launch Naval Drills In Far East

RFE/RL September 18, 2017

A group of Chinese warships has arrived in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok to participate in the second round of joint naval exercises.

Russian Pacific Fleet spokesman Vladimir Matveyev said that the Naval Interaction 2017 drills will consist of a shoreline phase in Vladivostok, where the fleet is headquartered, from September 18-21.

The maneuvers will also include an at-sea phase from September 22-26 that will unfold in the Sea of Japan and the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk.

Matveyev said the drills will involve a total of 11 surface ships, two submarines, two deep-sea rescue vehicles, four antisubmarine aircraft, and four deck-based helicopters.

The first part of Naval Interaction 2017 was conducted in the Baltic Sea in July.

Russia and China frequently present a united front in the face of that they say are U.S. efforts to dominate the world.

They are the leading members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian military, political, and economic bloc formed in 2001.

The two neighboring countries have been holding joint military exercises for more than a decade and conducted their first joint naval drills in 2012.

In the past three years, Moscow has stepped up its pursuit of stronger relations with Beijing as it faces off with the West over Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

The latest exercises are taking place not far from North Korea amid continuing tensions over the isolated state's nuclear ambitions. Both Moscow and Beijing have repeatedly called for a peaceful solution and talks to resolve the issue.

The maneuvers also come as Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to attend large-scale joint military exercises with Belarus that have alarmed neighboring states.

Moscow and Minsk say the Zapad 2017 maneuvers in Belarus and parts of western Russia involve 12,700 troops.

However, NATO expects the actual number could be up to 100,000 in what Western officials call a Russian show of power amid the ongoing standoff over Moscow's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014 and its backing of separatists in the country's east.

With reporting by Reuters, TASS, and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-china-naval -drills-far-east/28741689.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Russia Denies Lithuanian Airspace Violation During Zapad-2017 Exercises

Sputnik News

21:43 18.09.2017(updated 21:55 18.09.2017)

The Russian Defense Ministry denied on Monday claims of deliberate violation of the Lithuanian airspace on September 16 by two Russian military transport plane during the Russia-Belarus Zapad-2017 strategic exercises.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Russian Defense Ministry rejected Monday deliberate violation of the Lithuanian airspace on September 16 by two Russian military transport plane during the Russia-Belarus Zapad-2017 strategic exercises.

"We regard the claims of the Lithuanian side about the alleged intentional violation of airspace by Russian airspace as part of the West-2017 exercise as politicized and untrue," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Moreover, according to the ministry, the Russian Il-76 planes were allowed by Lithuanian air traffic authorities to deviate from the route over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea and to approach the country's airspace after facing bad weather conditions that threatened the safety of the planes and their crews.

"After receiving the appropriate permission from the Lithuanian side, the aircraft briefly deviated from the route and immediately returned to it after avoiding the dangerous area. There were no complaints against the crews of Russian aircraft from the Lithuanian air traffic control authorities at the time," the ministry stressed.

The Zapad-2017 (West-2017) military maneuvers started on Thursday on the territory of Russia and Belarus, and will be held through Wednesday. The exercises involve about 12,700 servicemen, including up to 5,500 from Russia and about 7,200 from Belarus.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Syrian forces inch closer to besieging Daesh terrorists in Dayr al-Zawr

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 03:23PM

Syrian government forces, backed by allied fighters from popular defense groups, have come closer to encircling Daesh Takfiri terrorists in a pocket of the strategic eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr after crossing over the Euphrates River.

"Today, Syrian government forces, reinforced by a unit of the 4th Armored Division and with the support of Russian aviation, crossed the Euphrates River in the Dayr al-Zawr region," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The statement added that "shock troops" had already captured several villages on the eastern banks of the river from Daesh and were making further advances eastward.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also reported that Syrian army commandos and reconnaissance units had crossed the river using a floating bridge.

"This paves the way for completely besieging the city," the observatory's head, Rami Abdel Rahman, commented.

Syrian army troops and their allies have sealed off Dayr al-Zawr, located 450 kilometers northeast of the capital Damascus, from three sides, but Daesh terrorists still control the eastern flank along the Euphrates River.

Syrian troops are fighting only west of the river, while US-backed militiamen from the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have waged a rival operation to the east of the Euphrates.

Dayr al-Zawr airbase starts operation for first time in a year

Meanwhile, Syria's official news agency SANA has reported that the Dayr al-Zawr military airport has begun functioning for the first time in nearly a year.

On September 9, Syrian army troops and pro-government fighters managed to break a nearly three-year siege imposed by Daesh Takfiri terrorists on the airbase.

Syrian government forces and their allies had launched a push the previous day towards the military site as part of a multi-pronged offensive to retake the entire Dayr al-Zawr from Daesh terrorists.

Daesh overran large parts of Dayr al-Zawr province, including its oil fields, in mid-2014 as it seized swathes of land in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

By early 2015, the Takfiri terrorists were in control of some parts of Dayr al-Zawr city and besieged the remaining parts, which were under government control. It is estimated that 100,000 people remain in the government-held parts of the city.

The SOHR estimates that more than 10,000 people may be living in the Daesh-held parts of Dayr al-Zawr.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






SDF to Join in Syrian Liberation of Deir ez-Zor From Daesh 'at Any Moment'

Sputnik News

18:26 18.09.2017(updated 21:30 18.09.2017)

The Syrian Army, backed by Russian warplanes, broke through the Daesh terrorist encirclement of Deir ez-Zor earlier this month; now the Kurdish-led, American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are poised and ready to enter this eastern Syrian city, a SDF spokesman told Sputnik Turkey.

With mostly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) units continuing to advance on Deir ez-Zor, Ahmed Ebu Hewla, commander of Deir ez-Zor's SDF-controlled Military Council, said in an interview with Sputnik Turkey that their forces are poised to enter the city and start fighting Daesh (ISIS) at any moment.

"We recaptured a number of suburban areas of Deir ez-Zor from the Daesh terrorist group. Right now, the SDF units are based on the city's outskirts so we can enter Der ez-Zor at any time," he said.

He referred to "fierce fighting between the SDF and Daesh during which at least 70 terrorists were destroyed."

Hewla said that the SDF prevents Daesh from launching bomb attacks and that as a result of a military operation, the SDF "managed to save about 3,000 Deir ez-Zor civilians" who left the city and were deployed to safe havens where they were provided with basic necessities.

"Coalition aircraft support us from the air as the Syrian Army attacks Daesh positions from the opposite flank," he concluded.

Last Monday, SDF spokesman Talal Silo told Sputnik that SDF units, manned mainly by Kurdish militias, promised not to attack the Syrian government forces in Deir ez-Zor.

Earlier reports indicated that the SDF units began their own operation against Daesh in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor, where the Syrian government forces are already conducting a successful operation with the support of Russian warplanes. A total of 10,000 SDF fighters are reportedly taking part in the operation.

Earlier it was reported that the Syrian army, with Russian air support, has managed to finally break Daesh siege's of Deir ez-Zor.

The operation to break the siege of the city, which lies 140 km south east of Raqqa, began after four months of planning and preparation in the wake of the completion of the operation to liberate east Aleppo in January.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Syrian Army Crosses Euphrates River East of Deir Ez-Zor as Part of Anti-Daesh Op

Sputnik News

12:24 18.09.2017(updated 15:49 18.09.2017)

Syrian troops forced a crossing over the Euphrates river east of Deir ez-Zor on Monday as a part of an operation to clear the city's outskirts from Daesh terrorists, a Sputnik correspondent and Russian military reported.

"The squadrons of the Syrian government troops, strengthened by units of the fourth rank division with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces conducted a forced crossing of the Euphrates river near Deir ez-Zor through a pontoon bridge established by engineer divisions." the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Over the course of a few hours, the Syrian storm troops have managed to drive Daesh militants out of a number of villages near the city. The correspondent noted that terrorists were resisting fiercely during the offensive.

The Syrian army has destroyed several Daesh's vehicles fitted with machine guns, killed and captivated over 10 militants.

Syrian forces have been on the offensive in the area around Deir ez-Zor over recent days following the successful operation to break through Daesh forces encircling the city.

On Sunday, the government forces cut off the main supply route to the areas held by terrorists near Deir ez-Zor by securing control over a strategic town located nearby.

Deir ez-Zor has been under Daesh's siege for some three years. In the beginning of September, the Syrian army finally lifted the blockade with the help of Russian aviation. The victory was a crucial step toward a complete defeat of Daesh on the Syrian territory, according to the chief of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






UN Investigators: Perpetrators of Crimes in Syria Must Face Justice

By Lisa Schlein September 18, 2017

U.N. investigators are calling for perpetrators of crimes against civilians in Syria's long-running civil war to be prosecuted and brought to justice. The latest report submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva by the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria documents multiple atrocities and gross violations committed by all warring parties.

The Commission of Inquiry has run out of patience with U.N. member states it accuses of having done little to hold perpetrators of crimes in Syria accountable. Commission Chair Sergio Pinheiro calls the deadlock at the Security Council on Syria after six years of war "reprehensible" and at times bewildering.

He told delegates at the U.N. Human Rights Council that civilians continue to be deliberately attacked, deprived of humanitarian aid, forcibly displaced and arbitrarily detained or held hostage by all warring parties.

He said most civilians are killed and maimed by the unlawful use of conventional arms, particularly through indiscriminate shooting and aerial bombardments in populated areas.

"We have a duty under our mandate, however, to document the unambiguously illegal use of prohibited chemical weapons, in blatant violation of international law and attribute responsibility accordingly," he said. "In several instances, Government forces used chemical weapons against civilians in opposition-held areas, including in Khan Shaykhun, Idlib on 4 April."

Pinheiro says that chemical attack killed 80 people, mostly women and children, injuring hundreds more. He says the attack took place during a Syrian and Russian aerial campaign in northern Hama and southern Idlib that targeted medical facilities.

These charges elicited a hostile and angry reply from Syrian Ambassador Hussam Edin Aala, who accused the Commissioners of using fabricated, biased information from unreliable sources. He called the assertion his Government used chemical weapons a pack of lies.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Turkey tries over two dozen journalists over alleged links to Gulen

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 01:49PM

Turkish authorities have put on trial 31 former employees of the now shuttered Zaman daily and its English-language sister publication Today's Zaman over their alleged affiliation to a movement led by US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Ankara government accuses of having masterminded the failed July 2016 coup attempt.

On Sunday, the Istanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court tried writers and executives from the two newspapers on charges of seeking to overthrow the Turkish government, membership in an armed terror group and attempts to either dissolve the Turkish Grand National Assembly or prevent it from performing its duties.

Twenty-two suspects in the case are being held in detention, with the remainder free under judicial supervision or on the run.

Among those being held in jail are Mumtazer Turkone, who is a prominent Turkish academic and a former columnist for the Zaman, and the writer Sahin Alpay.

The Turkish government seized the Zaman daily and Today's Zaman in March 2016, and shut them down in July that year.

The report comes as there are reportedly 171 journalists behind bars in Turkey over suspected links to Gulen's movement.

During the July 15 botched putsch last year, a faction of the Turkish military declared that it had seized control of the country and the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was no more in charge. The attempt was, however, suppressed a few hours later.

Ankara has since accused Gulen of having orchestrated the coup. The opposition figure is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to topple the government via infiltrating the country's institutions, particularly the army, police and the Judiciary.

Additionally, the Ankara government has outlawed his movement, and has branded it as the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

Gulen has denounced the "despicable putsch" and reiterated that he had no role in it.

"Accusations against me related to the coup attempt are baseless and politically motivated slanders," he said.

The 76-year-old cleric has also called on Ankara to end its "witch hunt" of his followers, a move he said is aimed at "weeding out anyone it deems disloyal to President Erdogan and his regime."

Turkish officials have frequently called on their US counterparts to extradite Gulen, but their demands have not been taken heed of.

Turkey, which remains in a state of emergency since the coup, has been engaged in suppressing the media and opposition groups suspected to have played a role in the failed coup.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of having links to Gulen and the failed coup. More than 110,000 others, including military staff, civil servants and journalists have been sacked or suspended from work over the same accusations.

The international community and rights groups have been highly critical of the Turkish president over the massive dismissals and the crackdown.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Turkey sends tanks near Iraqi and Syrian borders

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 09:31AM

Turkey has launched a military drill featuring tanks close to the Iraqi border and dispatched military vehicles to its southern border with Syria where several warring sides are jockeying for position in the face of Daesh losses.

The military exercises began in the Silopi-Habur region in the country's south, close to northern Iraq, a week before Iraq's Kurdish region holds a vote on possible secession.

Ankara has warned that the vote could risk "civil war" and "have a cost" if it goes ahead but Iraqi Kurds have said they would still hold the non-binding referendum on September 25.

Witnesses in the region, quoted by the French news agency AFP, said they saw around 100 military vehicles deployed close to the Iraqi border, including tanks, in the early hours of Monday.

A Turkish military statement said, "Simultaneously with this exercise, counter-terrorism operations in the border region continue."

Syria deployment

On Sunday, Turkey sent about 80 military vehicles, including tanks, to the Iskenderun district of the southeastern province of Hatay as part of reinforcements for forces stationed along the border.

It is the second time the Turkish military deploys military reinforcements to the border with Syria where an expanding grip of US-backed Kurdish militants on nearby territories is raising alarms in Turkey.

The Turkish army sent first aid trucks and military vehicles as well as heavy equipment to the same location on Saturday, according to the agency said.

Anadolu noted that a third convoy of armored vehicles was heading to Hatay's Reyhanli district, where Turkey's Cilvegozu border gate with Syria is located.

The Syrian government is wary of the outside players carving out zones of influence through local proxies. The US has already brought together a ragtag group of mostly Kurdish militants and equipped them with heavy weapons.

Turkey, on the other hand, is supporting another group of militants who have taken a number of towns in recent years.

Last week, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, which together act as guarantor states in peace talks for Syria, agreed on the details of a "de-escalation zone" in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, which borders Turkey, during resolution talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Friday observers from the three countries will be deployed around the de-escalation zone to prevent "clashes between the government and the opposition forces and any violations of the truce."

On Saturday, the Syrian government welcomed the agreement but stressed that it would not grant Turkish military forces authorization to stay in Syria.

Idlib Province is largely under the control of foreign-sponsored and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militant group, which was formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

In August 2016, Turkey began a unilateral military intervention in northern Syria, code-named Operation Euphrates Shield, sending tanks and warplanes across the border, which Damascus denounced as a breach of its sovereignty.

In March, Turkey announced that the operation had ended "successfully," with the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) prevented from conjoining its territories.

The YPG is part of a larger coalition of militants  the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)  which has been engaged in operations to capture the Syrian city of Raqqah.

Ankara has on multiple occasions expressed its deep concern about the advance of YPG forces in northern Syria.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Thanks, But No Thanks: US Axes Gun Deal With Turkey Following Embassy Brawl

Sputnik News

22:29 18.09.2017(updated 22:54 18.09.2017)

As retribution for the violent attack on peaceful protesters outside of the Turkish embassy in May, the Trump administration is withdrawing from a deal to sell $1.2 million worth of weapons to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's security detail.

Announced Monday, the now-defunct proposal would have authorized Sig Sauer, a New Hampshire-based firearms maker, to sell roughly 1,600 semiautomatic pistols to the Turkish state, the New York Times reported. The weapons would have then been given to an intermediary in Turkey for use by Erdogan's bodyguards.

Though the withdrawal was initiated at the request of Sig Sauer, the hefty deal was first brought to the attention of Congress just a day before the May 16 clash by the State Department.

"The United States government is prepared to license the export of these items having taken into account political, military, economic, human rights and arms control considerations," Mary Waters, the acting assistant secretary for legislative affairs, wrote in a May 15 letter obtained by the Times.

Since the bloody altercation, a total of 19 people, including 15 Turkish security officials, have been indicted for attacking protesters during Erdogan's visit. Sixteen of the defendants were charged June 13, three more defendants  all Turkish security personnel  were added to the list in late August.

According to court documents from the August indictment, the violent brawl was sparked by pro-Turkish figures lashing out at Kurdish protesters standing across from the Turkish embassy in Washington, DC.

The announcement to forgo the exchange was released as Erdogan arrived for the annual UN General Assembly gathering in New York Monday.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Ministers announce Ajax delivery milestone in Wales

18 September 2017

Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin and Minister for the UK Government in Wales Guto Bebb visited General Dynamics' factory in Wales today to see two vehicles in the final stages of testing before they are delivered to the British Army.

The ministers viewed a demonstration of the new Ares protected mobility vehicle, part of the 4.5 billion Ajax family of armoured vehicles, at the factory in Merthyr Tydfil. The platforms will now continue going through a process known as Government Acceptance Training (GAT) before they are handed over to the Army.

Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin, said:

"I am delighted to see the Ares in action. This vehicle, and the others in the Ajax family, will give the British Army a multi-role, mounted fighting power and reconnaissance capability fit for the future. We continue to invest in the best equipment for our Armed Forces, and I'm delighted to support such strong investment in Wales"

The ministers were also given a tour of the facility which was only opened in 2016, bringing around 250 jobs to the area. The MOD is the biggest provider of apprenticeships in the UK and many of those the ministers met were manufacturing and mechanical apprentices, keen to talk about their work in the factory. The Ajax build programme is also sustaining 300 jobs at General Dynamics' nearby Oakdale site.

Backed by a rising defence budget, last year the MOD spent 870 million with Welsh businesses, helping to build a stronger economy and keep Britain safe, with Ajax representing the biggest single order for a UK armoured vehicle in 30 years. MOD investment in Wales works out to 280 per capita.

Minister for the UK Government in Wales Guto Bebb, said:

"The UK Government is delivering on its ambitions for economic growth in Wales and is helping to improve people's lives. Here in Merthyr Tyfil, General Dynamics are building next generation vehicles for the Army, providing jobs and skills that drive a stronger economy for Wales and for the UK."

The six variants in the Ajax programme  Athena, Ajax, Ares, Apollo, Atlas and Argus - are due to come into service in 2020, providing a full suite of medium armoured vehicles and capabilities. The 'GAT' process for the Ares platforms is now being undertaken by the Army, conducting acceptance for both the British Army and Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) at the facility in Merthyr Tydfil.

The range of Ajax variants will form a key component in the Army's modernised warfighting Division conducting full-spectrum and network-enabled operations. They will operate in combined-arms and multinational situations across a wide-range of future operating environments.

The news comes after several other milestones revealed at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition last week. These included:

- The start of manned live firing trials for Ajax, including trials of the CT40 cannon, chain gun and smoke grenade launchers.

- The first appearance at DSEI of digital training systems being delivered by subcontractor Lockheed Martin, including small arms handling and turret crew trainers.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Russia says US, Ukraine reject its UN proposal for eastern Ukraine

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 18, 2017 03:21PM

Washington and Kiev have expressed reluctance to consider a proposal by Moscow for the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers in eastern Ukraine, where government troops and pro-Russia forces are engaged in a long-running conflict, the Russian ambassador to the UN says.

Russia's TASS news agency cited Vasily Nebenzya as saying on Monday that Washington and Kiev had formally told Moscow at the UN Security Council that they were unwilling to work on Russia's draft resolution concerning the issue because they had too many objections to it.

"The US and Ukrainian delegations said after the first discussion that they were not ready to work on the (Russian) text in future," Nebenzya was quoted as saying.

"(They said) they had significant objections and that, possibly, the Ukrainians would have a counter proposal to deploy peacekeepers to Donbass (eastern Ukraine)," added the Russian envoy.

Earlier on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned against "eroding the essence of the Russian proposal" on the UN peacekeeping mission and called for a "constructive stance" on behalf of the US and Ukraine.

On September 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the deployment of UN peacekeepers along the engagement line in Donbass to help protect ceasefire monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and contribute to efforts aimed at ending the conflict between the warring sides in the volatile region.

The OSCE is tasked with monitoring the situation in Ukraine's eastern areas, where the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk are located.

Putin later announced that the peacekeepers could also be deployed in other areas where OSCE inspectors work, and not just along the line of contact between the Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian forces.

Conflict erupted in Ukraine following the overthrow of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014 and was further escalated after people in the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea voted for unification with Russia in March 2014. The West brands the unification as annexation of the territory by Russia. The US and its allies in Europe also accuse Russia of having a major hand in the crisis in eastern Ukraine, an allegation denied by Moscow.

The crisis has left over 10,000 people dead and more than a million others displaced, according to the United Nations.

In September 2014, the government in Kiev and the pro-Russia forces signed a ceasefire agreement in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk in a bid to halt the fighting in Ukraine's eastern regions.

The warring sides also inked another truce deal, dubbed Minsk II, in February 2015 under the supervision of Russia, Germany, and France.

Since then, however, sporadic fighting has occurred, with the parties blaming each other for initiating the violations.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Doing Homework on Vaccines this Back-to-School Season? Here are 10 Ways to Separate Fact from Fiction.
The Bowery Hotel, a timeless New York destination located in the stylish and revitalized Bowery neighborhood, announced today that Chef Carlo Bigi will lead the culinary charge at Gemma, the hotels Italian Trattoria, as Executive Chef. A native of Turin, Italy, Chef Bigi plans to expand the menu with creative Northern Italian dishes and local, seasonal ingredients. Bigi was inspired to become a chef at an early age after growing up in the kitchen of his familys restaurant. He has held positions at multiple highly esteemed restaurants worldwide, including Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria, an upscale Mediterranean-Italian restaurant in New York Citys East Village; Casa Lever and Sant Ambroeus Restaurant on Madison Avenue; and a number of Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and France. As Executive Chef of Gemma, Bigi will be responsible for overseeing the concept and design of the menu, hiring and overseeing restaurant staff, managing all on-site catering for private events booked on the Bowery Terrace and in Gemmas Wine Room, and ensuring that performance in the restaurant is consistent with The Bowery Hotels dedication to first-rate service.
NEW YORK  Leading industry publication Search Engine Land recently named Travel Tripper as one of the final nominees for the upcoming 2017 Landy Awards, a prestigious program to recognize top agencies and marketers in the field of search marketing and optimization.

Travel Tripper was named a finalist for "Best Enterprise SEM Initiative" in the travel and lifestyle category for their search advertising campaigns for Row NYC, a 28-story independent hotel located in the heart of Times Square. Critical to Travel Tripper's success was its innovative use of RezTrip booking engine data to maximize keyword bidding opportunities and enrich ad quality for Row NYC, which ultimately served to increase the hotel's existing ROI by 200% and lower its cost of acquisition by 41%.

"We've worked with a number of digital agencies and none have demonstrated the same level of understanding that Travel Tripper has to the challenges faced by hoteliers today," said Kunal Patel, Director of Revenue Management at Highgate Hotels. "They provide powerful results-driven solutions that have had a huge impact on the direct revenue we've generated for the Row NYC. We're seeing a consistent leap in our returns month over month and a significant reduction in wasted spend."

Michelle Robbins, the newly appointed SVP of Content and Editor-in-Chief for Search Engine Land, expressed admiration over the depth and score of entries in this year's competition. "As a first time judge, having the opportunity to pull back the curtain and examine the campaigns executed by some of the top search marketers in the industry was inspiring," she said. "The work done, creativity expressed, and results achieved demonstrate what a truly talented community it is that we serve."

Winners will be announced during an awards ceremony and gala on October 25, 2017 in New York City. The Search Engine Land Awards Gala is produced by Third Door Media, with the support of Marquee Sponsor Google. A portion of proceeds from the event benefit charity, with Third Door Media guaranteeing a minimum donation of $5,000 this year's selected organization, Women Who Code.

About Search Engine Land / Landy Awards

Search Engine Land is the leading search marketing industry publication with daily coverage of search engine technology and platform news, plus organic SEO and paid search advertising insights for B2C, B2C, Local, Mobile and Retail marketing professionals. In 2015, the publication launched the Search Engine Land Awards, also known as "The Landy Awards," to recognize excellence in search marketing (organic search engine optimization and paid search advertising) as an integral component of the digital marketing landscape. Applicants are evaluated for best practices in core aspects of SEO & SEM and the results driven by search-focused campaign initiatives. A portion of all proceeds from the entry fees and gala event benefits charity. Sponsorship of the awards event is independent of the judging and review process, and does not impact the outcome of the results.

About Pegasus

Pegasus combines high-tech innovation with high-touch service to give hoteliers more control over their revenue and distribution strategy than ever before. Following their merger with Travel Tripper, Pegasus enables hoteliers to better connect with their guests through an innovative and flexible platform of Reservations, E-commerce, Global Sales, and Business Intelligence solutions that help hotels drive demand and increase revenue and profitability, including the Pegasus CRS, named Best CRS 2022 by Hotel Tech Report. With more than 30 years of experience in global distribution, Pegasus serves hotels across 120 countries from eight offices worldwide in New York, Scottsdale, Las Vegas, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo, and Hyderabad. For more information, visit www.pegs.com.

Nancy Huang

Marketing Director

View source
Data is the new oil of the information age. Organizations that can harness the power of data can enhance their customer experience, achieve a competitive advantage, improve conversion rates, segment more effectively, drive loyalty and develop unbeatable products.

EyeforTravel are excited about this change and have positioned two EyeforTravel events to focus on just this. Their two summits  Smart Travel Data Europe (Amsterdam Nov 29-30) and Smart Travel Analytics North America (February 27-28, Miami) will allow you to turn new data legislations and technology into an advantage and convert your data into pure profit.

Head of Research for EyeforTravel  Alex Hadwick had this to say "As travel brands tackle these issues, they do so with the aim of putting their customers first and trying to understand what makes them tick, and that trend is only going to accelerate." He went on to say "More sophisticated systems, increasingly skilled teams, more investment and an exponentially increasing universe of data means that brands will be better placed to reach their customers with targeted products that match their expectations!"

These event's will bring together the best brands in travel to focus on how to develop data analytics, artificial intelligence, product development, revenue analytics, to drive loyalty and more personalized experiences.

Take the chance to network with decision makers from Accor, Airbnb, KAYAK, Hilton Hotels, Delta Airlines, Amazon, Lastminute.com Vueling Airlines, Marriot, Southwest Airlines, Wyndham Destination Networks, NH Hotels and more, join the events today.

Click here to learn more about both events:

If Europe is your area of focus: http://events.eyefortravel.com/smart-travel-data-summit/ (event location: Amsterdam)

If USA is your area of focus: http://events.eyefortravel.com/smart-travel-data-summit-north-america/ (event location: Miami)

If you would like more information on attending contact Leo (Project Director) - [email protected]

If your company would like to make the most of limited branding and exhibition opportunities at these events, reach out to Shreya (Head of Partnerships and Sales) [email protected] or call them on + 44 20 7375 7150

Eyefortravel is a community of commercial, marketing, digital and data experts that are evolving how travel is sold and customers life time value increased. Our mission is to help the travel industry deliver a winning customer experience that tackles commoditisation, differentiates the brand and drives loyalty.

####

Meredith Pistulka
U.S. Business Travelers Are Confident Emerging Tech Will Improve Travel Experience

The 4th edition Egencia Business Travel and Technology Survey reveals U.S. business travelers have opposing views on AI and VR compared to global counterparts

Egencia, the business travel arm of Expedia, Inc., found surprising differences in the perceptions and confidence levels of global business travelers on the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) on corporate travel. Results from the 4th edition Egencia Business Travel and Technology Survey* show business travelers abroad remain much more pessimistic about the potential of emerging technologies to improve the business travel experience, compared to confidence levels of U.S. business travelers.

More than half (55 percent) of U.S. business travelers believe AI advancements can improve their travel experiences, with 62 percent rejecting the belief that AI and VR could end mankind as we know it today. While U.S. business travelers are cautiously optimistic that emerging technologies can improve their business travel experiences, they recognize the need for balance between technology and human interaction. When compared to other regions, business travelers outside the U.S. have lower confidence levels and are far less optimistic about the use of technology overall.

"The adoption of new technologies is increasingly happening on the consumer side, ahead of the corporate world. AI and VR are no exception and are very much in their infancy. However, similar to disruptors in other technology-led industries, investments in new technologies that create simplicity and improvements in experience will ultimately win over business travelers and drive significant change in the overall industry," said Michael Gulmann, chief product officer at Egencia. "There is a fundamental shift already happening in the traveler mindset that companies need to anticipate travelers' needs and simplify all aspects of business travel, regardless of how a traveler chooses to interact with travel companies. As such, there is a balancing act for travel companies to ensure they offer the latest technology, alongside the ability for travelers to connect with a live person anytime, anywhere."

When compared to the U.S., business travelers in regions such as in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the U.K. and Singapore have lower confidence levels in how AI advancements can improve their business travel experiences in the future and they certainly think it is less likely that AI and VR will threaten mankind:

At 37 percent, Sweden and Norway were the least likely to believe AI advancements will improve their travel experiences followed by 41 percent in the U.K. and Germany, 42 percent in Australia, 44 percent in Canada and France, and 47 percent in Singapore.

When asked if they believe AI and VR could end mankind, 72 percent of business travelers in Norway say no  compared to 70 percent in Sweden, 67 percent in the U.K., 64 percent in Canada and Germany, 61 percent in France, and 60 percent in Australia and Singapore.

Interestingly enough, while business travelers in EMEA and APAC countries are more pessimistic on the promise of emerging technologies for business travel compared to their U.S. counterparts, they still demand more mobile accessibility across devices. In fact, 68 percent of business travelers in Singapore and Sweden want to more efficiently manage their travel across devices, compared to 65 percent in Canada and Norway, 64 percent in France and the U.K., 62 percent in Germany. The U.S. is once again the most tech demanding, with 76 percent wanting greater cross-device integration.

To learn more about the 4th edition Egencia Business Travel and Technology Survey, please reach out to us directly or visit the here.

*This study was conducted on behalf of Egencia by Northstar, a globally integrated strategic insights consulting firm. The study was conducted among 4521 business travelers aged 18 and older in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States (with n=500 surveys completed per country). Surveys were completed online in April and May 2017.
John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts (JQH) today announced that Wendy Magnuson has been promoted to senior director of strategic sales for the Springfield, Missouri-based company, which is a leading private, independent owner and manager of hotels in the United States. With 25 years of hospitality experience, Magnuson will be responsible for strategically leading the JQH sales team that generates new national account business for the companys 35 hotels. Award-winning JQH also operates more than 1 million square feet of superb meeting space.

Wendy is a strong strategic thinker with an excellent track record for building accounts at the regional and national levels, said Phill Burgess, JQHs vice president of sales and revenue optimization. We look forward to leveraging her account development talents and leadership abilities across our national hotel portfolio.

Most recently, Magnuson served as a regional director of sales for JQH, where she directed sales and revenue optimization initiatives for nine JQH hotels spanning the Courtyard by Marriott, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Renaissance, and Residence Inn by Marriott brands. During her 10 years in this role, she successfully helped to drive total revenue through well-aligned deployment of staff, mix of business, revenue management strategy, and market analysis. Prior to joining JQH, Magnuson was with Shaner Hotel Group as vice president of sales and revenue management. She was responsible for providing strategic leadership and guiding professional development in support of the companys sales/revenue management team for 26 properties representing a range of well-known hotel brands. She also directed top account management and developed marketing and brand initiatives. While at Shaner Hotel Group, she also had the opportunity to serve as vice president of operations, district director, general manager, and director of sales and marketing. Magnuson attended Piedmont Virginia Community College. She is a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and a member of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). Magnuson is a volunteer at a local food bank in her community.

I am excited about the opportunity to grow and maximize JQHs direct sales efforts nationally through an already solid foundation, Magnuson said. I am confident we are strongly positioned to deliver new business opportunities to our properties by combining my talent for customer relationship development with our exceptional sales and revenue teams.
The Lodging Conference is taking place at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, October 30-November 2, 2017, and hotel lawyers from JMBMs Global Hospitality Group will be there to visit our friends in the hospitality industry, share our knowledge, learn from the experts (and do some deals!).

At the conference, I will moderate the panel, Navigating the EB-5 Landscape taking place at 4:00 pm on October 31st. Funding obtained through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa program continues to play a vital role in the capital stack for new hotel development and we will provide up-to-the-minute information on the status of the program, as well as share some great success stories. To get up to speed on whats happening with EB-5, check out my recent blogs.

Also from our team, JMBM Global Hospitality Groups Vice-Chair Guy Maisnik will speak on the panel Structuring Mixed-Use Development on November 1st at 11:30 am. Guy has represented developers and owners of hotel mixed-use properties for decades, and he will share his experience in financing, management agreements, and other critical issues.

Senior members of the Global Hospitality Group Bob Braun and David Sudeck will also be in attendance and they are both highly knowledgeable in areas such as hotel management agreements, technology agreements and cybersecurity issues, ADA compliance and defense, and the purchase and sale of hotel properties.
Late last week, we reported that one of Drakes OVO affiliates and good friend Anthony Fif Soares had died. The 6s most famous music personality was shocked and saddened by the sudden news, captioning an Instagram photo of his fallen brother with, RIP to one of our family members our brother I still cant believe this morning was real. It was a honor to have shared years together andIwill always keep your memory alive #ForeverFif. Now, as per The Toronto Star, area police have released the security footage that captured the details of Soares death, which was a tragic and brutal one.

Detective Sergeant Gary Giroux, who is part of the Toronto Polices Homicide Unit, said the attack on the 33-year-old Soares as a very focused one. The incident went down inside the lobby of a high-rise apartment building at Kennedy Rd. and Glamorgan Ave., soon after Fif had been dropped there by a friend. According to the video footage, Soares is shown in the entrance area of the building, attempting to buzz himself up and open the door, when the two perpetrators run up, firearms drawn. They begin to shoot at him from the outside, bullets careening through the glass doors of the apartment complex. The glass shatters and they continue to fire at Soares, fleeing the scene of the crime later in a white Ford Fusion that was being driven by an unseen accomplice. Police arrived on the scene at around 3 a.m. where Fif was rushed to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds  injuries he later succumbed to.

This shooting is reportedly the 39th homicide in Toronto this year. Police are asking for anyone with knowledge or information of the situation to share with them through the appropriate hotline channels. Since his death, there has been no follow-up statement of any kind from Drake, besides the aforementioned Instagram post. In this difficult time, our condolences go out to all members of the OVO Sound team and to Soares family and friends. If any more details surface about the murder or the suspects, who are still at large, well share it. R.I.P.

Drake
Im not perfect, Im not gonna sit up here and say that I am or claim to be in any way, shape or form.  Kevin Hart

Since last Sunday (September 17th), an extortion attempt was made against the comedian. The plot involves a sexually explicit tape that shows Mr. Hart was caught stepping out of the sanctity of his marriage.

Beginnings of the Scandal

As was first reported by TMZ, the alleged tape features photos as well, and places Kevin in a private room, laying in a compromising position with a woman. The video then cuts to a physically intimate encounter, and although the two people having sex cannot be seen, it is implied that Hart is one of the people involved. The tape is supposedly not a single recording, but rather a mash-up of sorts that combines Kevin Hart interviews and stand-up performances where he references his past issues with infidelity with the incriminating footage. After the sex scene, an undressed man that reportedly looks and sounds like Kevin can be seen walking around the room.

The Other Woman

An additional report has confirmed that a traveling stripper named Montia Sabbag has been identified as the woman in the video. Montia allegedly met Kevin in Vegas, and the 27-year-old Long Beach native claims she has nothing to do with the making of the video. The entire scandal has prompted Kevin to respond via an Instagram post, where the comedian apologizes to his wife and kids. In the post, Kevin admits to making, a bad error in judgment, and putting himself, in an environment where only bad things can happen, and they did. He also states that he would rather fess up to his mistakes than allow the extortionist to make a financial gain off his name.

I made a bad error in judgement [and], in doing that, I know Im gonna hurt the people closest to me.[]  Kevin Hart

Harts History With Infidelity

This isnt the first time Kevin has been caught up in a scandal. The highest paid comedian in the world admitted to cheating on his first wife, Torrei Hart, in his stand-up special Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain. The couple divorced in 2011. Torrei claims that infidelity ruined their marriage, and it seems like this is a reoccurring pattern for Kevin.

In July, a video of Mr. Hart and an unidentified woman flirting in his car hit the web, and rumors started to circulate that he was up to no good again. Kevin shot down the allegations of infidelity, and the internet swiftly moved on. Then in August, Eniko Parrish (Kevins pregnant wife) posted a celebratory anniversary Instagram post. Eniko and Kevin look stunning in the picture that was taken on their wedding day, but its the caption that got my attention. Eniko writes, I love you more every day. 8 years together 1 year married. The statement seems harmless until you realize that Kevin got divorced six years ago. It appears that he was involved with Eniko while he was still married to Torrei. What a mess.

Whats Next?

While Kevin refuses to pay the reported eight-figure ransom, the FBI is investigating the extortion plot. Extortion is a felony in the state of California, and the penalty is up to four years in prison with a maximum fine of $10,000. The Bureau claims to already have a suspect in the case. Hopefully Hart gets his act together soon, for the sake of his family as well as his PR image.
You may not realize it due to the lack of commercial success or big time hits, but Lil Durk has been feeding the streets with plenty of new heat this past year. In fact, dating back to last July, the Chicago-turned-ATL rapper has released three full-length projects, including Lil Durk 2X, Never Forget, & most recently Love Songs For The Streets, but even that is not all of his work. A couple weeks ago, Durk joined forces with fellow Chicago rapper Lil Reese for a joint EP called Supa Vultures, and now hes already prepping the release of Signed To The Streets 3. But before were treated to the third installment in Signed To The Streets, Durk decides to come through today and hold us over in the meantime with a new remix over Meek Mills popular Wins & Losses street cut We Ball, featuring Booka600 which hes been promoting over the past couple weeks on Twitter.

Leaving the same Wheezy-produced beat intact, Durk delivers another streets-personified freestyle that finds him repping OTF to the fullest and reflecting on some of the homies hes lost due to jail or death in the process. Following up his appearance on Zoey Dollazs Move Like The Mob record last week & Goofy with Future & Jeezy, We Ball remix is another strong addition to Durks steady-growing catalogue of street cuts.

Take a listen and let us know what you think. Look for Signed To the Streets 3 to be coming soon. Just last month, Durk was spotted in the studio working on new music with Future, Young Thug & Tee Grizzley, so its safe to say hes got some more heat on the way for us. Stay tuned, STTS3 coming very soon.

Quotable Lyrics:

Fuck a footage Nuski died in my face

I knew I lost my father I seen the color of the tape

His momma still mad so I gave her a break

Break bitch, all OGs startin to think that Im fake

Chino, Asap, Gudo, Moski, Tayski, I cant live without em

Guda that zoo brother, I dont know him but heard a lot about him

Get smoked if you talk without it

Thinking about a pass I doubt it

Opps took so many factors had to go and pass the choppa

 Durk
On Monday night, VH1 aired their annual Hip Hop Honors ceremony, paying tribute to the artists and movements that have defined and influenced hip-hop culture to date. Last years ceremony paid tribute to the ladies of hip-hop, and this years event saluted the 90s Game Changers, paying homage to that era of hip hop, television, and film. Honorees include Martin Lawrence, Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Master P, and director Hype Williams.

While performers like Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Missy Elliott, Fabolous, The Lox, Ty Dolls Sign, and more all took the stage to perform and pay homagee to some of the greats before them, one of the more memorable moments from the night came from Pharrell, who got on his Jon Snow shit and delivered a woke speech to the audience & viewers about our social climate.

Skateboard P urges fans & viewers watching to open their eyes and see whats happening in our society. If you look like I look, then you know how we got here. But were here and were not leaving, so what are we gonna do.

Further addressing social injustice & racism in the country, Pharrell added: For everybody else in this countrydont think because theyre coming at the African-Americans and the Jewish community and the Hispanics that it cant be you too just because you look like them, he warns. You should understand they can change their minds and it might not be about Black, white, big, skinny or small. It could be about facial features. It might be about hair color. Dont act like they didnt do that before.

On his Jon Snow Shit, Pharrell later mentioned that we need justice for ALL, and not just some.

This is where we are right now. Me, Im just a tiny tiny tiny tiny little musician. Like little small tiny musician, but Im African American. African means thats what in me, American means thats where I am right now. So if this is where I am and this is America, its for liberty and justice for all, P said.

Check out the woke speech in its entirety (below).

Pharrell
Following its return back to television last year after a six-year hiatus, Vh1s annual Hop Hop Honors event is airing tonight on VH1, which pays tribute to artists and movements that have defined and influenced hip hop culture. Last years ceremony paid tribute to the ladies of hip hop, and this years event will salute the 90s Game Changers, paying homage to that era of hip hop, television, and film. Honorees include Martin Lawrence, Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Master P, and director Hype Williams.

Actress Regina Hall hosted the star studded event Monday night, while DJ Khaled, Tichina Arnold, Faith Evans, and Timbaland took the stage to present awards throughout the evening.

The event saw several performers taking the stage in its support, including last years honoree Missy Elliott, who opened the ceremony with a performance of Shes a Bitch, emerging from a pool of water sporting the black latex bodysuit to recreate the songs 1999 music video directed by Hype Williams.

Later, Lil Kim, Havoc and Fabolous honored the late Prodigy of Mobb Deep, and Martin Lawrence was saluted for his popular 90s sitcom Martin. Meanwhile Trick Daddy, Trina, Romeo, and Xscape later also performed a medley of Southern hits from the 90s, before Southern executives Jermaine Dupri and Master P accepted trophies for their influential, independent labels, So So Def and No Limit Records, respectively.

They said hip-hop was going to [last] four or five years. Twenty five years later, we are owning businesses, said Master P. This is only the beginning.

Other performers that took the stage include Ty Dolla Sign, Dat Brat, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, The Lox, Fabolous, Havoc & Teyana Taylor, who took the stage with her broken foot to perform Rump Shaker by Wreckx-N-Effect.

Taped Sunday night at Los Angeless Paramount Studios, check out some of the performances & highlights from the event (below), and well continue to update the performances as they surface.

Hip Hop Honors
Over the years, Netflix has not only been a powerhouse of original programs, theyve also proved to have a diverse catalog of movies and television shows to appeal to anyone and everyone. Netflix is now gearing up for a new original comedy with a heavy hip hop angle. Def Pictures, WorldStar HipHop, Live Nation Productions and Hunting Films have teamed up for The After Party starring Wiz Khalifa, KYLE, French Montana and Teyana Taylor.

The After Party is a coming-of-age story with a music business theme. According to Deadline, the film revolves around two friends who are on a mission to land a record deal before one of the friends heads to college and the other to the military. Over the course of a night, the two embark on a crazy adventure which will ultimately determine whether they succeed on their journey.

The principal photography for the movie already took place and theyve confirmed that the movie will be shot over the course of six week in New York. They already began production on September 17th and have shot portions of the film at Meadows Music and Arts Festival at the Citi Field in Queens. Other shots that have been confirmed will be a live concert shot at Gramercy Theatre.

The movie was written and directed by Ian Edelman, whos the same person who wrote the script for How To Make It In America and the film will be produced by Russell Simmons. Itll serve as the first scripted film under Live Nations Productions. Alongside Wiz, Taylor, French and Kyle, theyll be joined by other cast members Blair Underwood, Jordan Rock, Harrison Holzer and Shelley Hennig. Its also reported that the film will be filled with many notable cameos.

The idea for the movie was initially created by WorldStarHipHops late founder, Q. He was a fan of coming-of-age movies but he wanted to add a hip hop spin to it. In the film announcement, it says that Q was inspired to develop the idea because of his love of classic films like Ferris Buellers Day Off and American Graffiti.

While theyve already began shooting the movie, its currently slated for a 2018 release.

the after party
Page Content



Montreal, 18 September 2017  ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu highlighted the prominent synergies between States levels of aviation development and their ability to optimize the economic benefits of travel and tourism during her address to the Plenary of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 22nd General Assembly, held this year in Chengdu, China. The event was attended by more than 1,300 participants from over 130 countries, including more than 70 ministers and vice-ministers.

Some 1.2 billion tourists are travelling across international borders each year, and over half of these are arriving at their destinations in commercial aircraft, Dr. Liu stressed. Air transport connectivity is a key component of tourism development, and we especially cannot lose sight of how important these trends are to the sustainable development aspirations of least developed, landlocked, and small island developing States.

The United Nations is presently fully engaged across all of its agencies in providing assistance and capacity building to countries in aid of their efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) it adopted under the visionary Agenda 2030.

ICAO and the UNWTO have been highlighting the synergies between tourism and aviation development since the last World Tourism General Assembly where the Medellin Statement on Tourism and Air Transport for Development was adopted.

Dr. Liu noted that ICAO has mapped out the fundamental contributions which safe, secure and affordable air transport operations provide toward the achievement of 15 of the 17 UN SDGs, and that the UN aviation agency has been hard at work for several years now helping governments to build the partnerships and business cases to advance their aviation infrastructure and other development needs.

We help governments to better understand how their effective compliance with ICAO safety, security and other standards establishes the key foundation permitting increased local operations, Dr. Liu remarked. She went on to further stress that policies of aviation and tourism must be closely aligned in States.

Its important for us to encourage governments to more closely weigh the benefits of tourism and air transport investment on an equal basis with other development options. States can benefit tremendously by coordinating their aviation development planning in their national development plans, and by streamlining their traveller border security and facilitation processes through updated and coordinated ICAO-compliant approaches.



Resources for Editors



About ICAO



A specialized agency of the United Nations, ICAO was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency, capacity and environmental protection, amongst many other priorities. The Organization serves as the forum for cooperation in all fields of civil aviation among its 191 Member States.

ICAOs European and North Atlantic (EURNAT) Regional Office

ICAO Next Generation Aviation Professionals Programme

ICAO's No Country Left Behind initiative



Contacts



Anthony Philbin

Chief, Communications

aphilbin@icao.int

+1 514-954-8220

+1 438-402-8886 (mobile)

Twitter: @ICAO



William Raillant-Clark William Raillant-Clark

Communications Officer

wraillantclark@icao.int

+1 514-954-6705

+1 514-409-0705 (mobile)

Twitter: @wraillantclark

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/raillantclark/


New Delhi, Sept 19 (IBNS): Panasonic India, a leader in innovation and technology, announced their festive offers for this year - aIndia Ka Tyohaar. Panasonic Ka Uphaara, giving consumers the opportunity to celebrate the ongoing festival season by availing exciting offers and incentives on Panasonicas wide range of products.

With 99 years of legacy and celebration of Japanese technology, the highlight of the offer is the easy finance offer with only a99 down payment on selected products.

Valid from Sept 1 - Oct 22, the company is also offering assured gifts, extended warranties and discounts along with the finest TVs and home appliances for the customers.



Participating in the festive fervor, Panasonic has introduced offers like never before, including combo offer of UA7 sound system with selected models of LED TVs and upto 35% off on grooming products. To double the joy, the electronic giant also presents fabulous assured gifts on purchase of every Washing Machine, Microwave ovens and Refrigerators. With its 99 on 99 finance offer, the consumer will be able to buy products with only a99 down payment and balance in 15 equal installments.

Speaking about this years festive offers, Manish Sharma, President and CEO, Panasonic India said, As we move closer towards completing 100 years of Panasonic, we want to ensure that our customers rejoice with every purchase and get the maximum of our Japanese technology and products. The offers will allow us to establish a strong customer connect and be part of the festive celebrations. With festive season at its high and good monsoon, we can see demand rising from both urban and rural areas.

Highlighting on the Diwali offers, Ajay Seth, Head- Sales & Services, Panasonic India, said, With the arrival of the auspicious festive season, Panasonic India is set to woo its consumers with exciting offers. At Panasonic, we aim to provide products and services that offer more value to our customers. Adding greater joy to festive season this year our India Ka Tyohaar. Panasonic Ka Uphaar offers brings in assured gifts offer, extended warranties, discounts and easy financing offer on purchase of Panasonics wide range of products. We are confident that the special offers across categories will enhance the festive fervor and be much appreciated.
Bangalore/Marseille, Sept 19 (IBNS): The CMA CGM Group, which deals in container shipping, and Infosys have announced a strategic seven-year partnership which will simplify and transform CMA CGM's IT applications and improve customer service experience.

As part of the agreement, and at the request of CMA CGM, Infosys will open a Delivery Center (DC) in Marseille, which will become a key hub attracting and enhancing local expertise.

Infosys will also acquire CMA CGMs Innovation and Delivery Center in Dubai, UAE, expanding its footprint in the Middle East.



Through this partnership, Infosys will provide CMA CGM with the skills required to maintain its applications and develop its SAP projects. Infosys will also provide CMA CGM with new high value-added technologies that will improve its agility and responsiveness.

As part of its ongoing digital transformation, CMA CGM will use Infosys Nia's artificial intelligence platform and its scalable automation platform, AssistEdge, to revamp its customer service, improve process execution and enhance internal performance.

These new systems will allow CMA CGM to be more flexible and innovative in a dynamic industry.

Rajesh Krishnamurthy, President and Head of Europe, Infosys, said, Simplifying the technology footprint and leveraging next-generation technologies is the need of the hour for the hyper-competitive shipping and logistics industry. We look forward to helping CMA CGM leapfrog to the next-generation of software-led business innovation which is customer friendly, cost effective and flexible. Infosys is keen to leverage its logistics industry experience and assist CMA CGM with its business transformation journey.

Rodolphe Saade, CEO, CMA CGM, said, Innovation and digitalization are at the heart of our strategy. Our ambition is to create a competitive advantage by offering our customers state-of-the-art technologies. The partnership with Infosys is key to attaining this objective. By setting up their Center for Innovation in Marseille, CMA CGM, as well as the region, will benefit from both their expertise and their proximity.
Kolkata, Sep 19 (IBNS): Although Ma Durga rules in Kolkata during the autumn festival but there that there is room for all in keeping with the city's cosmopolitan nature is amply proved by the Navaratri and Dussehra celebrations that take place in various parts of the city.

This year, one of the most attractive Dussehra celebration will take place in Kolkata's eastern fringe, at the Salt Lake Central Park on Sep 30.

The Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad Committee will break its own record from the previous year and create a 60-feet tall Ravana effigy against last year's 50 feet, said the organisers.

This year even the effigies of Meghnad and Kumbhakaran are about 60 feet tall.

The effigies will be set on fire to mark the win of good over evil.

Speaking about the event, Lalit Beriwala, President of Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad said, We have made special arrangements at Central Park ground to celebrate the victory of good over evil, Besides burning of the 60-feet-tall effigy of a strongly built Ravana, we will be also organising a separate fire show during the event. We have hired artistes from various states to perform during the function. The fireworks would continue for about 45 minutes. Apart from this, a series of rituals will be performed before the burning of the effigy around 7pm. We are expecting a turnout of over 25,000 people this year.

The organisers also said that on both days, there will be cultural programmes both on Sep 29 and 30, where there will be Disco Dandia with Apurv Shahh and band from Mumbai, performances by Shri Rama Nataka Niketan from Hydrabad, the most popular contestant of Dance+3, Adrika Dance Troupe, etc.
Suspected militants of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) attacked a combined team of the banned terror outfit People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Manipur Naga People's Front (MNPF) at Makan village in Kamjong District near Border Pillar No, 8 along the Indo-Myanmar border, on September 12, 2017. NSCN-IM cadres killed five militants of the rival groups, identified as PLA 'sergeant major' Richard aka Wareppam Dinesh, PLA 'sergeant' Lalloi aka Khundrakpam Sunil, PLA 'private' Nanao aka Moirangthem Tomba, PLA 'private' Sinthouba aka Konjengbam Shyamsundar and MNPF cadre Raikham Jajo aka Nimai Jazo. The NSCN-IM militants took away the weapons of their slain rivals.

Dead bodies of four suspected Hmar Peoples' Convention- Democratic (HPC-D) cadres were recovered from Barak River. While two bodies were recovered on June 26, 2017, another two bodies were recovered on June 27, 2017. According to reports, the deceased were shot dead by their fellow cadres at an unspecified place in Pherzawl District, on an undisclosed date, for their alleged involvement in a robbery incident which had taken place in the night of June 21, 2017, at Sivapukar in Pherzawl District.

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least 44 fatalities, including 19 civilians, six Security Force (SF) personnel, and 19 militants, have been reported from across Manipur in 2017 (data till September 17, 2017). The 10 Hill Districts accounted for 39 fatalities (15 civilians, five SF personnel and 19 militants) constituting 88.63 per cent of the total. Manipur comprises 16 Districts - 10 in the Hills, and six in the Valley region.

In the corresponding period of 2016, the State had recorded at least 27 fatalities, including 12 civilians, eight SF personnel, and seven militants. The five Hill Districts accounted for 17 of these fatalities (four civilians, seven SFs and six militants), i.e. 62.96 per cent of the total. Through 2016, the State recorded at least 33 fatalities; 23 (69.96 percent) in the 10 Hill Districts.

On December 8, 2016, the pre-existing five Hill Districts were bifurcated and new Districts were formed. Tamenglong District was divided into the Noney and Tamenglong; Churachandpur into Pherzawl and Churachandpur; Chandel into Tengnoupal and Chandel; Ukhrul into Kamjong and Ukhrul; and Senapati into Kangpokpi and Senapati. In Valley, two Districts - Imphal East and Thoubal - were bifurcated: Imphal East into Imphal East and Jiribam; Thoubal into Thoubal and Kakching. The remaining two Valley Districts are Bishenpur and Imphal West.

Significantly, while overall fatalities in the State, on year on year basis, are broadly following a declining trend since 2010, although with sharp spikes in 2012 and 2015, the share of violence in the Hill Districts has been increasing.

In the volatile Hill areas, there are now apprehensions of further danger. Reports indicate that the minority Rohingya Muslims under threat of Government Forces in Myanmar's Rakhine State, could attempt to sneak into Manipur's Hill areas. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on September 9, 2017, thus observed, "The international border with Myanmar is porous and all steps have been taken to check any attempt to sneak into Manipur." Five out of the 10 Hill Districts - Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Chandel, Tengnoupal and Kamjong - fall along the Indo-Myanmar border. Two (Churachandpur and Chandel) of these have contiguous border with Myanmar's Chin State, which shares it borders with the Rakhine State. No District in Valley has contiguous borders with Myanmar.

The trouble in the Rakhine State escalated dramatically on August 25, 2017, when Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militants wielding sticks, knives and crude bombs carried out coordinated attacks on 30 Police Posts and an Army Base - killing one soldier, 10 Policemen, and one immigration officer. Subsequently, the military launched a counter-offensive and media reports indicate that at least 400 people, including at least 59 militants, have been killed since then, and nearly 380,000 Rohingyas have fled into Bangladesh.

Though there are no confirmed reports about the number of Rohingyas residing in Manipur, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh reportedly stated, on September 13, 2017, that there were at least 22 inmates from Myanmar, including 10 Rohingyas, in the Sajiwa Central Jail in Imphal East District, even after their jail terms had expired (date not specified). Reports stated that nine of the 10 imprisoned Rohingyas have been in prison since 2012, and one since 2014.

Any influx of Rohingya Muslims could further destabilize the situation in Manipur at a time when a Joint Committee on the Inner-Line Permit System (JCILPS), a civil society group, on September 4, 2017, had renewed the call for the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to check the entry of "outsiders" into the State. JCILPS had first raised the demand for the ILP system in 2012.

Manipur has experienced the presence of armed Islamist militant outfits in past, though these secured minimal 'success'. The People's United Liberation Front (PULF), founded in 1993, was the most prominent among these. Though the group remains active, the last incident of violence it was found to be involved in was way back in 2013. On March 23, 2013, suspected PULF militants had set ablaze a private truck in the Yairipok area of Thoubal District. The truck owner P. Jiban Singh (32) testified that PULF militants had demanded money some months earlier. The militants hijacked the truck, which was en route to Machi village from Yairipok, on March 22, and the driver was let off. Other lesser known Islamic groups that once operated in Manipur include the Islamic Revolutionary Front (IRF), Islamic National Front (INF), United Islamic Liberation Army (UILA), and United Islamic Revolutionary Army (UIRA). Significantly, most of these groups were under SFs radar again in the aftermath of ethnic clashes between Bodos and Muslims in the Bodoland Territorial Administrated Districts (BTAD) of Assam and the adjoining District of Dhubri (also in Assam) in July 2012, in which at least 80 persons were killed. At that time, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), according to a August 7, 2012, report, had prepared a list of at least 19 Islamist outfits - 14 in Assam and five in Manipur - for their suspected involvement in violence. The five Manipur based groups included - PULF, IRF, INF, UILA, and UIRA, listed above.

Reports indicate that some measures to check any future influx have already been initiated. The media cited an unnamed official source on September 9, 2017, as stating, "The Police Headquarters alerted the Superintendent of Police of the border Districts two days ago, asking them to be on strict vigil to check influx of displaced Rohingya Muslims into Manipur. Police teams, led by respective Sub-divisional Police Officers and officers-in-charge of Police Stations, have been patrolling the border round-the-clock." Reports also indicated that 46 suspected illegal migrants (not Rohingyas) were detained in the State between September 10, 2017, and September 13, 2017.

Tight vigil along the Indo- Myanmar border and sustained action against surviving militant formations would be necessary to deal with the evolving situation in Manipur, particularly in the Hill Regions.


On September 6, 2017, remains of seven dead bodies were recovered from a Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) hideout in the capital Dhaka city's Darus Salam area after the terrorists blew themselves up, ignoring the Rapid Action Battalion's (RAB's) repeated calls to surrender. A large quantity of bombs and bomb making materials, including 24 high-impact explosive devices, 60 improvised hand grenades, 70 chemical bombs, 15 kilograms of splinters, nine empty cages, 20 kilograms of charcoal, and 1,500 pieces of igniting cord were also recovered.

On August 27, 2017, a JMB terrorist was killed in an explosion while making bombs at a house in the Kashor area of Mymensingh District. Police recovered four bombs and more than eight kilograms of gunpowder from the house. Of the four bombs, two were pressure cooker bombs, each weighing around 2-2.5 kilograms, and two hand grenades.

On August 25, 2017, a Neo-JMB militant was killed in a gunfight with the Police in Boalia village of Kushtia District. Police recovered a foreign pistol, two bullets and three sharp weapons from the spot.

On August 15, 2017, a Neo-JMB militant was killed by the Police during an operation codenamed 'Operation August Bite' at a suspected hideout near the Square Hospital in Dhaka city.

Indeed, Security Forces (SFs) are continuing their unremitting efforts against terrorist formations in Bangladesh. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), since the Gulshan Cafe attack on July 1, 2016, 103 Islamist terrorists have been killed and another 1,284 arrested across Bangladesh. Prominent among those killed were the Neo-JMB leader and mastermind of the Gulshan Cafe attack, Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury aka Shaykh Abu Ibrahim Al Hanif aka Amir (30); the JMB 'military commander' for the northern region Khaled Hasan aka Badar Mama (30); Neo-JMB 'military commander' Murad aka Jahangir Alam aka Omar; JMB 'regional commander' Tulu Mollah (33); JMB 'regional coordinator' Abu Musa aka Abujar; Neo-JMB 'military chief' Aminur Islam aka Alam (23); Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) 'chief' Mufti Abdul Hannan; and HUJI-B 'regional commander' Tajul Islam Mahmud aka Mama Hujur (46) (data till September 17, 2017).

Claiming that there will be no major militant attack in Bangladesh at this moment, Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Chief Monirul Islam disclosed on August 8, 2017,

We've been able to successfully destroy the operational capacity of the militants. The militants' operational capacity increased last year, but they don't have that capacity any more. We've destroyed it by carrying out anti-militancy drives across the country. The militants have no capacity to launch any more big attack right now.

Likewise, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Mohamad Asaduzzaman Mia claimed, on August 16, 2017, that there was no threat of any major terrorist attack or security risk in the country, as the organizational capability of terrorist formations such as Neo-JMB and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) had waned.

Further, to boost the anti-terrorism drives, CTTC Additional Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Sanowar Hossain on August 11, 2017, noted, bomb disposal robots were increasingly being introduced to deal with explosives:

We have been using people instead of bomb disposal robots, which was very risky. The robots will be controllable at a safe distance from the operation sites. They can move swiftly on land and waterways, and can blast open the entrances of locked or barricaded militant hideouts. The robots can send instant pictures of 360-degree views of the hideout. After getting all the information from the robots, the main CTTC team will begin the operation. The robots will be imported from the United States at an estimated cost of BDT 1 crore, and will lead from the front of the CTTC team during anti-militant operations. The procedure of procurement has already begun.

Notably, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, talking to reporters after a meeting of the National Committee on Militancy, Resistance and Prevention at his Ministry on August 21, 2017, observed that intelligence agencies were closely monitoring Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and other social media to control all sorts of cyber based militant activities. Separately, Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) officials on September 9, 2017, disclosed that, as with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), CPM was going to introduce a full-fledged counter terrorism (CT) unit for the Chittagong region with the aim to expedite the ongoing drives against terrorists and terrorism-related activities. CMP officials said that forming a full-fledged CT unit was a timely move, as Chittagong was geographically vulnerable to terrorism.

However, a new security dilemma for Bangladesh is the problem created by Rohingya refugees. At least 74,000 Rohingyas crossed the border into Bangladesh after Myanmar began a military crackdown in northern Rakhine State. The crackdown followed attacks on border guards on October 9, 2016, in which nine Myanmar Policemen were killed and four were injured when hundreds of armed Rohingya men with knives, slingshots and rifles attacked three separate police posts along the Rakhine border with Bangladesh. Highlighting the Rohingya crisis as an important issue, Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali stated in the Parliament on June 15, 2017, "Twenty to 25 percent people in Cox's Bazar are now Rakhine Muslims. Such huge presence of Rakhine Muslims in the area will pose a threat to the national security in future. The Rakhine people have been engaged in various misdeeds, including drug smuggling on bordering areas and arms and human trafficking. They've become a national security concern for Bangladesh." The Minister further noted that some 33,000 Rohingyas, registered as refugees, were living in two camps run by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cox's Bazar. It is estimated that some three to four hundred thousand unregistered Myanmar citizens (Rohingyas) have been staying in five Bangladeshi Districts, including Cox's Bazar.

A second wave of refugees swept in after the incident of August 25, 2017, in which hundreds of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) insurgents armed with machetes and rifles attacked 30 security posts in the Rakhine State, killing 12 Policemen, a soldier and an immigration officer. In response, the military unleashed what it called "clearance operations" to root out the insurgents. On September 14, 2017, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) claimed that up to 400,000 Rohingya had fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since August 25, 2017, with thousands more arriving every day. Separately, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner George Okoth-Obbo and International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director Mohammed Abdiker Mohamud in a joint press conference held in Dhaka on September 14, 2017, stated, "The Rohingya influx towards Bangladesh may reach 10 lakh (One million) this year if the refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State continues."

Denouncing Myanmar for the atrocities and calling upon the international community to mount intensified pressure on Naypyidaw to stop the atrocities and take back the refugees, Bangladesh Parliament on September 11, 2017, passed a resolution:

A handful of people of a shadow group had staged the attack which we (Bangladesh) also condemned, but should the entire community of one million populations be punished for that?

Further, in a statement issued on September 13, 2017, the 15-member United Nations Security Council (UNSC) acknowledged the initial attacks on Myanmar Security Forces, but "condemned the subsequent violence," and called for "immediate steps to end the violence in Rakhine, de-escalate the situation, re-establish law and order, and ensure the protection of civilians."

Disturbingly, terrorist outfits are looking to cash in on the Rohingya crisis. The terrorist formations both at home and abroad are fishing in troubled waters, trying to provoke their followers to go to Myanmar and fight the country's military in the name of 'protecting Islam' and saving the Rohingya people who face brutality at the hands of the Myanmar Army. On September 3, 2017, in a video message released by al Qaeda's al-Malahem Media Foundation, Khaled Batarfi called on Muslims in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Malaysia to support their Rohingya Muslim brethren against the "enemies of Allah." Similarly, on September 12, 2017, Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) Chief Maulana Masood Azhar declared, "All of us must do whatever we can for the Myanmar Muslims. Just say your prayers and get up to help them. You don't need to show off what you are doing: just do it, and never stop." On the home front, Hefazat-e-Islam (HeI) Secretary General Junaid Babunagari issuing an ultimatum on September 9, 2017, threatened to siege of the Myanmar Embassy at Dhaka on September 19, if the atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state of Myanmar continued. Similarly, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, pasted posters on the street walls in Dhaka, Chittagong and other cities of Bangladesh, condemning the oppression on Rohingyas and urging countrymen to raise their voice.

Bangladesh has taken giant strides against terrorism and Islamist extremism. However, the scope for a coalition of terrorists with the radicalized elements among the Rohingyas who have been forced across the Bangladesh-Myanmar border could create new headaches for authorities. The Rohingya crisis is no longer only a humanitarian calamity but a potential threat to the internal stability and security of Bangladesh as well.
New Delhi, Sep 19 (IBNS): Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, is co-chairing the 13th Meeting of Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) with Kazakhstan, along with the host nation's Minister of Energy, Kanat Bozumbayev.

The Union Minister is visiting Astana, Kazakhstan from Sep 19 - 20, 2017 for the meeting.

The IGC meeting aims to follow up on the agenda set between India and Kazakhstan during the two visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kazakhstan in July 2015 and June 2017, said the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas in a release.

During his visit, Pradhan is scheduled to discuss various issues and ideas for stepping up the cooperation in energy sector, trade, economic, investment, transport & connectivity, agriculture, information technology, space, healthcare and cultural spheres between the two countries with his counterpart.

The two sides are also expected to finalize a strategy and roadmap for expanding trade, economic and investment cooperation between the two countries.

The Union Minister is being accompanied by a delegation comprising senior officials from several ministries/departments, including Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mines, Electronics & IT, Tourism, ISRO, Department of Atomic Energy, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and also high level executives from ONGC Videsh and Railway Board.
Finance Minister Jaitley to meet officials to discuss economic situation India Blooms News Service | @indiablooms #ModiJaitleyMeeting, # IndianEconomy

New Delhi, Sep 19 (IBNS): The meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that was to take place on Tuesday was declared postponed, media reports said on same day afternoon.
New York, Sep 19 (IBNS): On the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly session, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, according to media reports on Tuesday.

At the tri-lateral meet between the leader of the three countries, Swaraj discussed nuclear proliferation and maritime security with US and Japan, the media quoted spokesperson Ravish Kumar as saying.

The three leaders also discussed North Korea's recent nuclear and missile tests which is seen as a threat to global security, media reported.

On Monday,Swaraj also met US President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, where the two discussed about women's entrepreneurship.



Image: MEAIndia/Twitter
Girish Bharadwaja's Twitter Handle

Mumbai, Sept 19 (IBNS): Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar, who was arrested on Monday in connection with a case of extortion, has been sent to eight-day police custody, media reports said.

Besides Kaskar, the court on Tuesday sent two of his associates to police remand for eight days.

The two associates were arrested on Tuesday after their detention on Monday night.

Kaskar was detained on Monday night from Mumbai in connection with a case of extortion.

According to reports, he was interrogated till late night by the police before being formally arrested.
Surat, Sep 19 (IBNS): Bollywood actress Sunny Leone's latest condom advertisement for Manforce, the company she endorses, has raised a controversy in Surat for linking festival Navratri to it, media reports said.

Leone, who is the brand ambassador of Manforce, was seen indirectly appealing for a safe sex in the hoarding which was hung on the streets of Surat.

The hoarding, which carried the advertisement, reads, "Aa Navratri a ramo, parantu premthi" which translates in English as Play but with love, this Navratri.

However, the line has not been well accepted by a Hindu group based in Surat.

Narendra Chaudhary, businessman and president of Hindu Yuva Vahini, told The Times of India that the insinuation in the advertisement is an insult to the religious sentiment of Hindus.

"This cannot be tolerated and our protests will get stronger if these hoardings are not removed immediately. Protests are necessary to deter others from trying something similar again in future," Chaudhary was quoted by the The Times of India.

The Hindu group even staged a protest in the city.

On the other hand, taking a step forward, The Confederation of All India Traders, wrote a letter to consumer affairs minister, Ram Vilas Paswan.

The CAIT, in the letter, called the advertisement, a "clear irresponsible and immature attempt to boost sales by putting all our cultural value system at stake", India Today reported.



Image: @RohitkrSh.
New York, Sept 19(Just Earth News): Iran is implementing its commitments under athe worldas most robust nuclear verification regime,a the United Nations atomic agency head said on Monday, while at the same time voicing agrave concerna at the Democratic Peopleas Republic of Koreaas (DPRK) nuclear programme.

The nuclear-related commitments undertaken by Iran under the JCPOA are being implemented, UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano told the opening of the Agencys annual General Conference in Vienna.

Endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council in 2015, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between its five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States), plus Germany, the European Union (EU) and Iran, set out rigorous mechanisms for monitoring limits on Irans nuclear programme, while paving the way for lifting UN sanctions against the country.

Iran is now subject to the worlds most robust nuclear verification regime, said Amano, who was appointed by acclamation on Monday to another four-year term as Director General of the 168-member Agency.

Turning to the DPRK, he called upon it to comply fully with its obligations under all relevant Security Council and the IAEA resolutions.

The nuclear test by the DPRK on September third, its sixth and largest to date, is extremely regrettable, he said. The Agency is working to maintain its readiness to return to the DPRK when political developments make this possible.

On 11 September, the Security Council unanimously imposed tighter sanctions on the DPRK, including limits on oil exports to it, banning its textile exports and its access to gas liquids, and more closely inspecting cargo ships going in and out of its ports.

The Council has passed eight resolution over the DPRKs nuclear programme since it withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003, many involving increasingly severe sanctions.

Turning to other matters within the Agencys remit, Amano stressed its unique role in transferring nuclear technology to developing countries, and its work in supporting countries achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals in energy, food and agriculture, industry, water management and health.

The Agency will continue to deliver high-quality programmes and respond promptly to Member State needs, he said, noting that the modernization of the IAEA nuclear applications laboratories near Vienna was making excellent progress and the new Insect Pest Control Laboratory would be inaugurated in a weeks time.

When completed in a few years time, the expanded laboratory complex will greatly increase our capabilities as a technology holder, he added.

Photo: Dean Calma/IAEA

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Sept 19(Just Earth News): Striving to raise up womenas pay across the world to equal menas, a new global coalition a which includes the United Nations labour agency and Organizationas entity promotion of womenas rights a launched on Monday on the eve of the General Assembly debate.







The Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) includes the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Women, and the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).



One hundred years is too long to wait, and we must all work together to make equal pay for work of equal value a reality, said Guy Ryder, the Director-General of the ILO, noting that equal pay for equal work is enshrined in the ILO Constitution of 1919.



Median monthly earnings for women in 2014 were on average 17 per cent below those of men, according to OECD. In addition, in many countries, the higher the level of earnings and skills, the larger the differences in pay between men and women.



Equal pay for women translates into lifelong benefits for them as well as their families, ILO said in a press release, boosting career prospects and lifetime earnings, greater independence, and higher investments in their childrens education and health.



Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, said there is no justification for unequal pay for a woman when her job is of equal value to a mans. This injustice has been unseen for too long, and together we are changing that.



In addition, equal pay empowering women, impacts other key goals, such as promoting inclusive societies, reducing poverty, and creating conditions for decent work and gender equality, EPIC will bring together a diverse set of actors at the global, regional and national levels to support governments, employers and workers and their organizations, and other stakeholders, to make equal pay between women and men for work of equal value a reality, according to the press release.



The aims tie in to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular the target under Goal 8, which calls for equal pay for work of equal value by 2030.



Photo: ILO/Giorgio Taraschi







Source: www.justearthnews.com












New York, Sept 19(Just Earth News): Addressing the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations Headquarters, Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres on Tuesday spotlighted several threats a including the nuclear peril, climate change, and ongoing conflicts a that must be overcome to create a better world for all.



We are a world in pieces. We need to be a world at peace, said Guterres as he presented his annual Report on the work of the Organization ahead of the general debate of the UN General Assembly, in which Heads of State and Government and other high-level representatives from around the world discuss key global issues.



He said that the world is seeing insecurity rising, inequality growing, conflict spreading, climate changing, societies fragmenting and political discourse polarizing.



The UN chief noted that global anxieties about nuclear weapons are at the highest level since the end of the Cold War due to provocative nuclear and missile tests by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.



The solution must be political. This is a time for statesmanship. We must not sleepwalk our way into war, he warned, as fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings.



On terrorism, the Secretary-General stressed the need to address the roots of radicalization. It is not enough to fight terrorists on the battlefield, he said.



Stressing the need for a surge in diplomacy on Tuesday and a leap in conflict prevention for tomorrow, he said that it is possible to move from war to peace, and from dictatorship to democracy. Only political solutions can bring peace to the unresolved conflicts in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, the Sahel, Afghanistan and elsewhere. That was why he announced the creation of a high-level advisory board on mediation, he added.



On Myanmar, Guterres said the Asian country's authorities must end the military operations in Rakhine state, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and address the grievances of the Rohingya Muslims, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long.



He went on to take note of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's address on Tuesday  and her intention to implement the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State that was chaired by Kofi Annan within the shortest time possible.



On the Israel-Palestine conflict, the two-state solution remains the only way forward, he said.



Turning to climate change, Guterres urged Governments to implement the historic Paris Agreement with greater ambition.



We should not link any single weather event with climate change. But scientists are clear that such extreme weather is precisely what their models predict will be the new normal of a warming world, he said, noting that mega-hurricanes, superstorms and rain bombs are added to the vocabulary to describe what is happening.



While explaining how globalization and technological advances have brought uneven benefits, he also highlighted the dark side of innovation, such as cybersecurity threats as well as the possible negative implications of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering.



Lastly, Guterres said safe migration cannot be limited to the global elite and stressed the need to do more to face the challenges of migration. Refugees, internally displaced persons and migrants are not the problem; the problem lies in conflict, persecution and hopeless poverty.



To tackle these challenges, he said, the UN has launched initiatives to reform itself.



Looking over the packed General Assembly Hall, he said that the UN is needed, and multilateralism is more important than ever when there are competing interests and even open conflict.



We call ourselves the international community; we must act as one, he concluded.



UN Photo/Cia Pak



Source: www.justearthnews.com












Madrid, Sept 19 (IBNS): A Pakistani national has been arrested by Spanish security officials on suspicion of promoting terrorism and spreading Islamic jihadi propaganda on social media networks, media reports said.

A ministry statement said that the 25-year-old resident of the northern Catalan city of Lleida was part of a cell partially dismantled with the arrest of three Pakistani brothers in Lleida last year, Dawn News reported quoting Spain's Interior Ministry.

As per the newspaper report, the ministry said the Pakistani national was detained on Tuesday and he had become "more engrossed in radical activities" in recent weeks.

Attacks in the Catalan capital, Barcelona, and another Catalan coastal town in August killed at least 16 people, media reports said.

Militant group Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Toronto, Sep 18 (IBNS): A new human rights ruling by the city's health board enabled all schools-public and private-to apply for a programme that provides free breakfasts to underprivileged students , media reports said.

So far, only public and Catholic schools in the city could apply for the free breakfast programme.

With the new ruling, 300 private schools will be listed in the programme.

The new ruling will be discussed on Wednesday during the meeting of the Toronto Board of Health, that administers the Social Nutrition Programme (SNP).

If the rule gets approved, the city will start an outreach programme to private schools with an aim to inform them about their provision to apply for the free breakfast programme.

Speaking about the new ruling, city councillor, Joe Mihevc, told CBC News: "If you have a social equity program, you cannot distinguish on the basis of religion, or geography, or whether they are a publicly-funded or not publicly-funded school."

However, Mihevc felt though the programme is planning to reach at all city schools, there is a little chance that the city's well heeled families will be eligible to apply.

"My sense is that it'll be fairly few schools," he said.

"...given that many people who are in independent schools are parents of means, and the school is a school of means" the city councillor added.

Mihevc said the city will still provide the benefit to all schools with low income neighbourhoods which will be determined by comparing the postal codes in a school zone along with the tax statements.



(Reporting by Souvik Ghosh)
Ottawa, Sep 19 (IBNS): NewsWise, a programme that will help the Canadian students to identify fake news, will be funded by tech-giant Google, media reports said.

Google has decided to provide a grant of $500,000 to the Canadian school programme, NewsWise, with an aim to help the students to understand any misinformation.

Google, through its philanthropic arm, is providing the grant to the Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) and CIVIX, a charitable organisation which is focused on youth civic engagement.

One of the recent incidents of fake news occurred in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Take Pizzagate, a conspiracy theory, which surfaced in the news domain, prompted a North Carolina man to take law into hands during the 2016 US presidential election.

False reports of mosque shooting were seen to surface in Canada early in 2017.

According to a report of the Star, an Imam, very recently, was surprised to see his image being carried by an article that claims Hurricane Harvey's victims had attacked a Texas mosque that refused to help the Christians.

Canada is presently working to control the fake news across the country as they are heading towards the federal election which will be held in 2019.

Aaron Brindle, Google Canadas head of public affairs, told the Star: "We see implications for what (fake news) means for a functioning democracy . . . We want to make sure that were getting out ahead of it."

NewsWise will be carried out in Ontario for the time being as the province is heading towards its election in 2018.

Gradually, the programme will spread across the country before the federal election in 2019.

CJF and CIVIX have planned to develop the curriculum in tandem.

Commenting on NewsWise, president at CIVIX, Gunn, said: "I dont think you can have informed citizens that are approaching the ballot box with knowledge and information if those citizens arent equipped with those skills to determine what is true or false news  especially at election times, where I think fake news would either be most in existence, or people could be most sensitive to it."

Feeling the urgency to educate the Canadian young generation about fake news, CJF executive director, Natalie Turvey, told the Star: "Canada is vulnerable to fake news. The abundance of information on numerous platforms, the downsizing of Canadian newsrooms, and a dearth of local news creates a perfect storm for the proliferation of misinformation.

"We need to give (students) the know-how and the skills and knowledge to find and filter information. Thats how we can build a more informed citizenry, folks that are more equipped to make decisions and be more engaged in the democratic process," Turvey added.



(Reporting by Souvik Ghosh)
Running Windows 10 IoT Mobile Enterprise, Panasonics newest fully rugged handheld, the Toughpad FZ-F1, has arrived in Australia, following the launch of its Android counterpart earlier this year.

Panasonic is famed for its Toughpad range of devices, delivering the industrial readiness and usability that consumer-level devices simply do not.

Now comes the Windows-powered version of the Toughpad FZ-F1, which as Panasonic bills, is one of the thinnest and most lightweight tablets in the 4.7 category and is intended to support those who are exposed to tough and high-risk work environments, due to its fully ruggedised design".

As youd expect of a device in this class, it has 3-in-1 capabilities combining a mobile barcode reader, phone and tablet into one device with a long-lasting battery that provides up to eight hours of continuous use, perfect for the mobile workforce".

Its rear barcode reader allows users to scan items easily while the multi-touch display can be accessed even with gloves on, making the device ideal for transportation and logistics, manufacturing and retail industries. It is also well-suited for a wide variety of applications, such as inventory management, shipping and receiving, delivery routing and parcel tracking, and retail store queue busting".

And, with the average handheld tablet repair costing organisations over A$3850 and six hours in lost time, many businesses are seeking out ruggedised technology to reduce IT costs and lost productivity associated with damaged devices, as well as increase efficiency and provide better service for customers".

Then theres the issue of businesses being mindful of staff health, such as Repetitive Strain Injury". According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, around one third of workplace injuries in Australia are sprains or strains".

Thus, it should come as no surprise to see that the Toughpad FZ-F1 has been specifically designed to overcome these operational and health challenges".

Marc Amelung, general manager of Mobile Solutions at Panasonic Australia, said: Its no surprise that the rugged mobile market is expected to continue its steady growth  Australian companies are realising consumer-grade products do not provide the necessary value or sophistication required to address business needs. This has resulted in thousands being lost in repair costs and days being lost each year in productivity.

The FZ-F1 will help to slash field failure rates, raise productivity and reduce work-based injuries thanks to its innovative design. Panasonic has a strong 20 year heritage in the Toughbook category and we will continue to adapt and serve businesses with our tailored solutions.

Here are some of the Toughpad FZ-F1s purpose built features:

Angled barcode reader  The ergonomically designed, angled rear barcode reader allows the user to scan items without bending at the elbow or wrist while also being able to clearly read the screen. This purpose-built feature was designed to improve productivity and reduce the potential for repetitive strain injuries.

Full outdoor functionality  The Toughpad FZ-F1 has a daylight readable display and is built to withstand a 1.8 metre drop on concrete, and it even works with a wet screen or with gloves on. The device is fully sealed against dust and is submersible in 100cm of water for 30 minutes, meeting IP65 and IP68 certification requirements, plus it can withstand temperatures from below -100C to above +500C.

Windows 10 IoT Mobile Enterprise  As the worlds lightest fully rugged handheld tablet, this 4.7 Windows device features a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, delivering industry leading performance along with a purpose-built design and rugged credentials that live up to the brands heritage. The Panasonic FZ-F1 also gives companies the ability to develop in an open environment with thousands of enterprise grade applications at workers fingertips.

4G phone connectivity  The FZ-F1 is a full multi-carrier Band 28 4G LTE phone with dual SIM card support and up to 630 hours standby time. It comes with 100 decibel speakers with noise suppression and triple noise-cancelling microphones.

Military-certified toughness  It can operate in a wide range of environments and has passed a torturous tumble test that saw the device endure 2,000 consecutive one metre drops  so it can stand up to the trials of the most demanding enterprise and government usage environments.

High capacity warm swappable battery  The tablet can operate beyond a typical eight-hour work shift on the standard, field replaceable battery, and with an optional extended life battery it can go well beyond two full work shifts. For times when a battery change is necessary during work hours, it can be accomplished while keeping the device operational. And when more power is needed, the quick charge capability delivers extended use after a one hour charge, with a full charge averaging only two hours.

Versatile optional accessories  A broad selection of accessories will be available for the Toughpad FZ-F1, including vehicle docks, hand strap, single and multiple device cradles, multi-battery and multi device chargers, passive and active stylus options and an extended life battery.

Key specifications

The handheld tablet will be available with dual SIM slots and certified on leading mobile carrier networks, providing 4G LTE/3G/GPRS/CDMA2000 mobile broadband for voice (or VoIP) and data. To ensure clear voice communications above industrial noise, the device is equipped with intelligent noise suppression capabilities and dual front speakers providing an astounding maximum volume of 100 decibels. Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, near field communications (NFC), standalone and assisted GPS (A-GPS) and Bluetooth, v4.1 (Class 1) are standard.



Pricing and availability



The Windows-powered Toughpad FZ-F1 will be available in September priced from A$2799.



Heres the full list of Toughpad FZ-F1 specs.

HARDWARE & SOFTWARE

Qualcomm MSM8974AB 2.3GHz Quad Core;

Windows 10 IoT Mobile Enterprise



DURABILITY

MIL-STD-810G; IP66 (high-pressure jet spray) and IP68 (submersible up to 1m for 30 minutes); 1.8m drop-resistant and 1m tumble tested



DISPLAY

4.7 inch high definition 1280 x 720 sunlight-viewable display; 10-point capacitive multi-touch with rain sensing and glove touch mode; optional active or passive stylus



POWER SUPPLY

Quick charging 3200 mAh Li-Ion standard battery pack, and optional 6400 mAh long life battery pack; warm-swap capability



INTERFACE & EXPANSION

Angled 1D/2D barcode reader; microSDXC; micro-USB 2.0; user-definable buttons (x 3); integrated microphones (x 3) with noise suppression and echo cancellation; dual loud speakers (up to 100 db); 5MP HD front facing webcam; 8MP HD rear camera with LED light



WIRELESS

Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; GPS; Bluetooth and NFC



WEIGHT

Approx 277g



CERTIFICATIONS

IP66/68 certified

MIL-STD-810G certified



WARRANTY

Three-year limited warranty, parts and labour
The company says the solution includes new algorithms, model replication, data preparation functions, and continuous end-to-end workflow, to simplify the production and deployment of machine learning models.

In addition, Vertica 9 will be available for deployment in the Google Marketplace and has further integration with Microsoft Azure including Power BI certification.

Micro Focus also announced the beta release of Vertica in Eon Mode, which enables organisations to evaluate the separation of compute and storage for Amazon Web Services (AWS) deployments. Companies in the AWS ecosystem will be able to leverage AWS S3 for storage and Verticas query-optimised analytics engine for processing speed to capitalise on cloud economics.

Data is a one of the most valuable assets for companies, and a companys ability to monetise their data while optimising for both cost and performance at scale is already a fundamental differentiator in every industry, says Darren Ong, vice-president, Asia Pacific and Japan, Vertica, Micro Focus.

Verticas ability to analyse an extensive set of data formats in the right place, at the right time, enables our customers to optimise for both cloud economics and user demands. Vertica is the only platform in the industry that can provide high-performance advanced analytics and in-database machine learning with true freedom from underlying infrastructure across the full data pipeline, at the scale demanded by the worlds most data-driven organisations.

Vertica 9 will be generally available in October 2017.
HP has denied that it has issued new firmware updates designed to prevent the use of third-party cartridges on its Officejet printers.

The company was reacting to a report on German site Born's Tech and Windows World that claimed a recent firmware update appeared to block third-party ink cartridges from functioning correctly.

The writer, Gunter Born, said a similar thing had happened almost exactly a year ago.

He said at that time, after some complaints HP had provided firmware to fix the problem.

Born said he had been alerted to the release of firmware on 13 September that was said to have again blocked the use of third-party ink cartridges.

He said a third-party printer cartridge vendor had sent him an email on 13 September claiming:

"There was a new firmware update today for the most popular HP Officejet printer models that prevents the use of alternative cartridges. The same update as exactly one year ago (13/09/2016).

"This firmware update has been confirmed by more than 50 customers. Also other third party cartridge vendors confirmed that. Our phones doesnt stop ringing since yesterday morning."

Born said HP's Dynamic Security Feature appeared to be causing the problem.

He found that the US HP support page addressed the issue.

"HPs new firmware update seems to force HPs Dynamic Security Feature to block non-HP cartridges. A description of this feature may be found here. But there is a fix.

"HP provides a new firmware update on its HP support page, that disables HPs Dynamic Security Feature .

"Go to HPs support page and search for a firmware update for your printer model. Download and install the new firmware.

"After deactivating the Dynamic Security Feature via firmware update, non HP ink cartridges should be accepted again," he wrote.

HP denied it had issued any such firmware update that blocked non-HP cartridges.

"No such firmware update occurred. HP continues to use various forms of authentication (including dynamic security) to prevent the use of cartridges with non-HP chips," a company spokesperson told iTWire.

"HP will continue to issue firmware updates in order to resolve bugs and improve customer experience."
Security vendor Kaspersky Lab has reacted to reports that Australian retailer Harvey Norman will no longer be selling its products by saying it respects the decision of any business to sell and market products as it sees fit.

Tech website Channel News reported on Monday that Harvey Norman had pulled the plug on Kaspersky software, quoting "an email sent to Channel News".

While one would tend to associate such a decision with recent bans in the US, buried deep in the story was this line: "It appears that Harvey Norman made the decision to cut ties with Kaspersky 15 months ago over security concerns."

On 13 September, the US Department of Homeland Security told all US government agencies to stop using Kaspersky products, with a deadline of 90 days to implement plans to discontinue the use and to remove software from information systems.

The ban on Kaspersky is the culmination of a steady stream of actions that began in the wake of claims that Russia had interfered in the 2016 US presidential poll.

A spokesman from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet told iTWire last week that the Australian Government was not making any recommendation on the use or otherwise of products from Kaspersky Lab.

In a statement to iTWire today, Kaspersky Lab said it would "continue to offer its industry-leading cyber security solutions to consumers across Australia through its website and other retailers".

But it took issue with the Channel News report, saying that "media coverage of the alleged decision by Harvey Norman includes a number of errors that need to be corrected".

"First and foremost, Kaspersky Lab does not, under any circumstances, share customer data with advertisers, and has never done so.

"The user information processed by the company is limited to that needed to improve detection algorithms, refine the products operation and offer better solutions to our customers.

"Further details of exactly what data is processed and how users benefit from sharing it, can be found in the product user agreements and on our website."
A multi-million-dollar cyber security research and development centre will be set up in Sydney by British telco BT, the NSW Government has announced.

The state's Innovation Minister Matt Kean said the project would create 170 jobs over the next five years.

The government's Jobs for NSW has invested $1.67 million to support the centre, which is said to be BT's first such facility outside the UK.

This facility is a major boost for our economy and will be a real time nerve-centre protecting large enterprises, industries, governments and even nations from cyber attack, Kean said.

BT will also make a $2 million investment in capital infrastructure, and a further multi-million-dollar investment to employ cyber security specialists.

NSW Innovation Minister Matt Kean with BT Security chief executive Mark Hughes and other officials at the announcement.

This operation will help keep Australias best cyber security talent here in NSW and nurture our next generation of specialists to ensure we remain a regional leader in this fast growing industry.

Im confident job opportunities offered by BT will also act as an incentive for Australian citizens currently working overseas to come back home and bring their highly valuable skills with them.

BT Security chief executive Mark Hughes said the centre presented an opportunity to tap into local cyber security talent, and address a major skills shortage seen in both the UK, and elsewhere.

Never before has cyber security been more important and we see potential for growth not only in NSW and Australia, but further afield, he said.

This facility will be a cornerstone of our global cyber security capabilities and help us stay ahead in this fast moving space.

Photo: courtesy NSW Department of Industry
Australian tech business OACIS, which claims to be the worlds only mobile, pop-up check-in solutions company, has partnered with travel technology provider Amadeus to launch a new "off-airport" pop-up airline check-in service.

Off Airport Check-In Solutions (OACIS) and Amadeus say they have joined forces to reinvent the check-in experience, enabling travellers to check-in and drop off their bags, for any airline, away from the airport.

The two companies announced the partnership citing a report by the Airports Council International that the strain on airports with the airline check-in process will continue to increase in the coming years with a prediction that global passenger traffic will grow 5.2% per annum until 2029.

According to both companies, with the power of Amadeus Airport Common Use Service cloud technology, OACIS can quickly provide travellers with an off-airport, fully mobile check-in service that can be set up at any location  whether it be a cruise terminal, hotel, train station, or a major conference or event.

Matthew Lee, chief executive of OACIS, says, Our service is about giving people more freedom, flexibility and fun so they get the most out of their travel. Travellers can drop off their bags at a convenient location, make the most of their day luggage-free, breeze through the airport without having to queue at the check-in desk, and enjoy their flight knowing their bags will be ready for them at their destination.

To do this, we needed the right partner, and Amadeus fit the bill. They were open to working with innovative, disruptive new players, and we were impressed by their agility which has allowed us to launch so quickly.

Virgin Australia is the first airline to adopt the service and has already piloted it in Sydney for cruise ships and ocean liners.

Sarah Samuel, head of Airport IT Sales, Amadeus Asia Pacific, says, In the past, airlines and airports have been constrained by low innovation and legacy technology, but our cutting-edge cloud technology is enabling new business models and opportunities, such as OACIS. By collaborating with innovators, we are transforming the travel experience.

Through this partnership, airlines are no longer restricted in the way they manage passenger flow. With OACIS, they can be agile in their service offerings, avoid queues and congestion, and create a better traveller experience. In the future, they may be able to do away with the airport check-in desk all together, opening up that space for other revenue opportunities. 

OACIS says that following the Australian launch of the new service it plans to expand to New Zealand and other markets in the next 12 to 18 months.
Facing an EU deadline of 28 September to come up with a solution to the charge of using its search engine dominance to favour itself in its comparison shopping service, Google has made an offer to display rival shopping sites through a bidding process.

Citing four sources who were acquainted with the matter, Reuters reported that the search giant's proposal met with nothing but criticism from its competitors.

Google's reaction in this case is likely to be used by European Union investigators to guide them in two other probes that are ongoing.

The EU fined the company 2.42 billion (US$2.7 billion) in June and ordered it to end its behaviour within 90 days or else face penalties of up to 5% of the daily worldwide turnover of Alphabet, its parent company.

The EUin July that Google could also face a fine over how it pays and limits mobile phone providers who use its Android mobile operating system and app store.

A third investigation, into Google's Adsense advertising service, may also bring a fine; the EU is said to have made a preliminary determination that Google has abused its dominant position.

Google last week launched an appeal against the fine, after having said late in August that it would adjust its search methods to comply with the EU's demands.

The sources said that Google's proposal, submitted on 29 August, offered to allow competitors to bid for spots in its shopping section known as Product Listing Ads.

Reuters quoted EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager as telling the media in Washington on Monday: It is at this point in time of course impossible to say what will happen but obviously market reactions will be one of the things that well be taking under consideration.

EU spokesman Ricardo Cardoso said: "It is Googles sole responsibility to ensure compliance with the Commission antitrust decision, and it is for Google to explain how it intends to do so.
Facebook has told a standing committee of the Australian Senate that it booked a vast majority of its Australian income for 2016 outside the country.

The social media company was responding to questions on notice from the Senate's Standing Committee on Economics, before which its representatives appeared on 22 August.

According to a response sent by Mia Garlick, the company's director of policy for Australia and New Zealand, Facebook's revenue that was taxed in Australia rose sharply from $26.4 million in 2014 to $326.9 million in 2016.

But the company recorded another $492 million in Australian revenue in 2016 which was booked outside the country.

The tax paid by the company rose from $680,654 in 2014 to $3.27 million in 2016.

The committee had asked for projections for 2017 but Garlick said these figures were not yet available.

In the response, Garlick said that companies that had been considered by the ATO for determining its appropriate tax returns included resellers of software, high-end consultancy services and media agencies.

"The functions of these entities involve substantial software service, consulting and system analysis, marketing strategy advice and are usually 'bespoke' to their clients," Garlick wrote.

In response to a query about the amount of revenue generated from Australia that was not supported by the company's offices in Sydney or Melbourne, Garlick said that a centralised sales organisation was supporting customers who were not managed by the local offices.

"A considerable amount of this support is provided by online tools and materials that are developed by staff working in our US, Ireland or other offices. Consequently, these sales are supported by Facebook Ireland and Facebook US in the aggregate," she said.

Such revenue was not separated out in the ordinary course of business but an estimate showed that it was close to $492 million, Garlick added.

Graphic: courtesy Senate Standing Committee on Economics
Businesses have been urged to prepare to migrate their special services, which simultaneously use voice, video and data services, to the NBN access network ahead of the first disconnections.

NBN Co, the company building the national broadband network, says businesses in areas where existing copper-based networks have already been switched off will need to work with their retailer to move their affected services over to the NBN access network.

But, all other businesses will have the normal 18-month window to migrate their services to the new network from the day they are able to connect.

NBN Co has released a series of White Papers announcing businesses within its fixed-line footprint must now plan for the migration of services such as Ethernet Lite, Wholesale Business Digital Subscriber Lines (BDSL) and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) phone and Internet lines to the new network.

According to the company, while there have been forced disconnection dates for most business grade services such as phone, Internet, and EFTPOS since 2014, this is the first time it has triggered the disconnection of "Special Services", which simultaneously use voice, video and data services.

NBN Co says that with an estimated 200,000 services scheduled to commence disconnection from November 2018 onwards, it is increasing its communication activity to businesses with "Special Services" to encourage them to prepare to move these complex systems to the NBN access network with as much time as possible.

Its important for businesses to know that moving these services to the NBN access network is not an automatic process and can take longer than switching over standard voice and broadband services, says NBN Co executive general manager of Business, Sales and Marketing, Ben Salmon.

To increase awareness about what businesses need to do to make the switch, we are boosting our communications activity by refreshing information on the NBN website about Special Services, commencing direct mail marketing and having one-on-one engagements with industry and enterprise customers who may be affected.

We are particularly urging large businesses that have multiple sites, high and symmetrical speed requirements, multi-line telephony and video conferencing facilities as well as small and medium-sized businesses with multiple phone lines to get in touch with their service providers and make a plan to move over to the new network.

Businesses that have made the migration early are already starting to see the benefits such as embracing services like cloud computing, multi-line video conferencing and multimedia rich applications to maximise efficiency and lower operating costs.

Heres NBN Cos white paper disconnection process:

Questions to ask before connecting your business to the NBN access network:

What business products are offered to replace my existing products?

How much data/what plans based on wholesale speed tiers do I need?

Will my existing services be affected?

How should I prepare for the migration process?

Will my devices be compatible?

To learn more about "Special Services" for business as well as what needs to be done before connecting to the NBN access network, visit the NBN Co website.

NBN CO says the NBN access network is currently available to more than one in two Australians; is scheduled to be three-quarters built by mid-next year; and complete by 2020.

Graphics: courtesy NBN Co
You'd think an organisation the size of Telstra should have well-oiled processes. Yet, my experience shows you can't get an NBN service without micro-managing it yourself. Worse, Telstra's senior management appears to demonstrate that a culture of lack of care comes from the top.

There are companies like Zappos that are hailed as a model of customer service. Indeed, it's as if Zappos is a "customer service" company that just incidentally sells shoes.

On the other extreme, we have TicketMaster, a business with such disdain for customers that if you can actually survive the ordering process you will be charged for the privilege.

Telstra may not be at the TicketMaster level, let's be fair, given they can and do provide a high-speed mobile network with greater regional reach than other carriers. Yet, there's no doubt that something is rotten within Telstra when the path to ordering a new NBN service is littered with errors, ambiguity, broken promises, abandoned steps and more.

What exacerbates the problem is that while Telstra's executive in charge of customer service and call centres is happy to have her name emblazoned on every skerrick of documentation, she doesn't demonstrate a desire to improve the process or resolve customer concerns.

It's a truism that leaders can shape a company through their behaviour. The problem is sometimes that behaviour is not the cultural ideal a company would publicly advocate it adheres to. Consequently, it is not too difficult to grasp why front-line troops and back-office technicians aren't too worried about whether your connection works and faults are communicated if they observe that attitude from the top.

So, what happened? Here's my story.

The NBN became available in my area. FttN, but what can you do? Nevertheless, I looked forward to something superior to my 10Mbps ADSL2.

Ordering

I first sought to use Telstra's online ordering form. Despite asking me for my phone number, and address and even my Telstra account details, the form gave no confidence it would preserve the Foxtel, mobile phone, or static IP address on my account.

I thus ventured into a Telstra store on Monday, 3 April. In this conversation, I ordered an NBN 2Tb plan including the speed boost to 100Mbps. The information indicated I would have an experience between 33 and 66Mbps so I figured I would start at the top and work down.

I contracted the mobile phone on a new plan and was told it would take effect that day. We discussed the fact that I had had an Apple Music trial in the past. We discussed Foxtel and I was told I would need to re-add channels once the service was moved to NBN; for unknown reasons Telstra will gladly risk the revenue drop by putting customers on the basic package and make them put in the effort to get back to what they previously had.

I inquired about the different NBN routers and if the Gateway Max 2 was superior. The Telstra salesperson said no, it just had a USB port to share media across all devices. I didn't care much for that, running my own Plex media centre, so I opted for the basic gateway.

Apple Music

The mobile phone plan change did not take effect until the following day. I received an email under the name of Fiona Hayes telling me the new contract came with an Apple Music 12-month trial membership.

That was pleasing and unexpected. Yet, I could not turn it on, with the iPhone saying there was no offer, and that my only choice was to pay.

I used Telstra's LiveChat to ask about this. I said I had Apple Music previously, but I had recontracted and I had an email stating I was eligible for a 12-month trial. The LiveChat operator said, sure, he could enable that trial before going away and returning saying it was done. Yet, I still could not switch it on but he assured me it would work in 20 minutes and begged me to give him a good rating in the feedback survey to follow.

Foolishly, I did, and within 20 minutes after leaving him I received an e-mail telling me I was now paying for a new Apple Music service. Obviously, that's not what was discussed or promised. Telstra's "myaccount" portal still showed the old phone plan and did not allow me to self-service to deal with it myself.

I returned to Telstra's LiveChat and asked the operator there if I was entitled to a trial or not. If not, that was fine  though why tell me I was? Either way, I wanted the paid service to be removed, and he facilitated that.

Interestingly, I later received a letter in the mail  while all else was by e-mail  from Fiona Hayes thanking me for recontracting, and telling me all about my new plan. Yet, it was incorrect. Her letter went into depth about the plan I had switched from, not the new plan at all.

Telstra BigPond Broadband Protect

I next received an email, again from Fiona Hayes, telling me about my NBN service, including that I had "opted" to take up a $9.95/month service called "BigPond Broadband Protect." This was never mentioned in-store, I was not asked about it, and I most certainly did not agree to it.

After my previous experience I didn't trust Telstra's LiveChat so I phoned the store and was then informed this is bundled in free on the 2Tb plan I had subscribed to. Yet, while the paperwork alludes to the fact the service fee may be waived on some plans it does not list which plans they are and, worse, explicitly stated "Telstra Broadband Protect  Thanks for choosing to protect your Telstra home broadband service with Telstra Broadband Protect. You will be charged $9.95 on your next bill and your Telstra Broadband Protect service will automatically renew each month unless you decide to cancel it." There was no ambiguity whatsoever. Yet, according to the store, this was factually incorrect, and I would not be receiving a charge.

I was happy not to be charged, especially for a product never discussed with me, but Telstra absolutely needs to review the correspondence it is sending.

Router

I received the Telstra Gateway Pro by post and as soon as I opened the box I saw it had a dismal two Ethernet ports. Some quick searching showed the Gateway Pro 2 has four Ethernet ports and superior Wi-Fi reach.

This was especially annoying as I had explicitly asked in the store what the differences between the routers were, and if the Wi-Fi was better, and other details. The Telstra salesman was very clear the only difference between the two units was the addition of a USB socket. This was wrong; not only did he not know, there were no brochures or other information available in-store to refer to.

Order incomplete

My NBN connection went live on Friday 21 April. I had already configured and connected the router (the Gateway Pro 2, I will note, as I went out and sourced one) for my existing ADSL connection, using my preferred subnet, SSID and other details.

There was a short period of downtime but within 30 minutes I was online again. I had noticeably improved bandwidth, and the router showed VDSL on the line.

However, my bandwidth was limited to 25Mbps despite the router saying 44Mbps was attainable.

Visiting telstra.com/myaccount still showed the old plan and it would not let me perform any self-service at all.

I had to leave the next day for Las Vegas to cover Oracle+NetSuite SuiteWorld 2017, yet I monitored the myaccount page for any chance to review my current plan and its settings. There was no change, and when I returned to Australia on 29 April I phoned Telstra to discuss the issue.

I was told my order was showing as incomplete, but I had nothing to worry about; what happens is when an NBN service is connected there is still some work that takes 24-48 hours to complete at Telstra's back-end. So, the speaker said, don't worry, it will just happen.

I reminded him my connection was eight days earlier; did he mean 24-48 hours from eight days after connection or 24-48 hours from the connection? He apologised and said, oh, in that case, it is stuck, but again, not to worry, a case manager would have been automatically assigned and they will push it through to completion.

Well, I noted, no case manager had made any contact with me. I made the representative look, and sure enough, he said no case manager was assigned. Not sure what happened to the "automatically", but I asked him to help me get a case manager onto it. He then said I had to phone back on Monday as that department was closed.

And this is where I am right now.

So what went wrong?

1. The paperwork should not state the customer has an offer or trial available to them for which they are, in fact, ineligible.

2. LiveChat staff should not beg for positive ratings.

3. LiveChat staff should not turn on a service which is chargeable if they have told the customer they are enabling a free trial.

4. The paperwork on new plans needs to be reviewed, as it is sending information on the old plan.

5. While at it, this should come by e-mail too. I don't understand why this one letter came by snail mail.

6. The paperwork should not state a bundled product is being billed.

7. Bundled items should be explicitly listed or discussed at the time of ordering.

8. Telstra sales staff need to know the differences between the NBN routers or have that information on-hand in some way.

9. Make sure the order goes through to completion. If a case manager is meant to be assigned when the order doesn't complete, then assign that case manager.

A company the size and scale of Telstra has many complex parts and processes, and I appreciate that. Yet, at the same time, this cannot be mere coincidence. It cannot be the case that just one simple person had had a run of bad luck where every step of the order has required micro-management and follow-up. I cannot believe it is just mere coincidence I have found these hiccups and ordinarily, everything would be super-smooth and transparent to the end customer.

Fiona Hayes

I felt my experiences would be informative to Fiona Hayes. After all, her name was cheerily emblazoned as the sender on all correspondence from Telstra.

I advocate people write directly to the executives who gladly put their names on things. I don't say that to be a troll, but because executives ought to take it seriously if their name is on something.

In the past, I left the BUPA health fund and received a letter allegedly from an executive asking me to change my mind, and to phone their generic call centre number if I wished to discuss it. I didn't wish to call their generic call centre number so I wrote to him directly. He, of course, didn't respond personally but instead had one of his staff contact me. At least that was something.

Another time I received a letter from Energy Australia, again in the name of an executive, and with an error. I wrote to him, and he actually responded very positively and told me whom he would assign to resolve the problem, and it was resolved. I was very pleased with the experience and kudos to Energy Australia for having an executive with the integrity to correct an issue in correspondence bearing his name and allowing me to get it resolved swiftly without having to explain the matter to a generic call centre operator after waiting on hold.

Another time, my mother received a letter from Telstra's Gerd Schenkel with erroneous content. I reached out to Gerd, though I noted his LinkedIn profile had him no longer at Telstra but that he was now chief executive of Tyro Payments. Even so, Schenkel passed on my correspondence to Laura Mazin, Telstra's executive director, Customer Experience, Telstra Retail. Mazin was very helpful and also requested a copy of the letter so she could address why Telstra was still sending out post under Gerd Schenkel's name some six months after he had moved on from Telstra.

So, most of the time this works and yields positive results. Again, my motivation is not simply to short-cut a queue but because if someone addresses a letter to me in the name of a specific human being, then I want that specific human being to be accountable for the content of their correspondence. I'm not so delusional as to believe they individually write these letters, but their name is on it and they ought to have the integrity to care about what is said in their name.

Thus, I wrote to Fiona Hayes. She'd sent me a number of letters now, with the above problems in them.

She lists her position on LinkedIn as executive director for Telstra's Global Contact Centres, though her letters list her title as head of Customer Service. In any case, it was her who was named in all the correspondence I received.

Hayes did not respond to me directly, but her executive assistant, Katherine, replied. She told me my matters were being escalated to the Executive Complaints Team.

I received one phone call, which I unfortunately missed. Kyle, from that team, phoned on 11 April and said he would call again "soon."

He did not call back, so I phoned his number and left a voicemail for him. I did so again two days later. Yet Kyle never called back ... ever.

I replied to Katherine, CC'ing Fiona Hayes on 20 April to let them know I was not getting anywhere with the Executive Complaints Team. No response was forthcoming.

I wrote again and advised Fiona Hayes I was now finding this customer "experience" very frustrating and that I would document my journey on iTWire. I asked her for her opinion on the state of Telstra's customer service, and whether my situation was unique, and for any other guidance she may have.

Hayes chose, again, not to reply.

What is Hayes' view on customer service? What is Hayes' view on whether correspondence in an executive's name ought to have integrity? I would like to know, but to date, the silence is the only answer from which I can draw any conclusions.

While Telstra's Mazin had been so helpful previously, she moved on from Customer Experience in February to being the executive director, Telstra Business Transformation. Thus, this problem didn't fit into her remit, though I wish her luck in transforming Telstra.

Where am I at right now? To be fair, I have a new mobile plan, I have a working Foxtel subscription even if I had to add the channels myself, and I have a 25Mbps NBN connection.

What I don't have is any ability to review my plan or self-service on Telstra's myaccount page, I do not have the bandwidth I ordered or that my infrastructure can attain, and I do not have my static IP address and thus am impeded from connecting into my corporate network, or from connecting into my home network from outside. I do not have anybody working on my stuck order and, unless I intervene, nobody will.

What I also do not have is confidence that Telstra's executive team values customer service or has the impetus to review its processes and correspondence such that they actually work.
Reddit Email 1K Shares

By Ian Berman. | (Informed Comment) |  

 Essentially an offer that says Get Out or We Will Make Your Life a Living Hell, or Worse.

The Platform Provides 3 Choices for Palestinians: Accept Ethnic Cleansing, Bend the Knee to Apartheid or Expect Even More Violence

After initiating and winning what is commonly known as the 6 Day War in June of 1967, Israel conquered East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Since that time Israel ruled over these territories through military law and over 600,000 Israelis known as settlers have colonized these areas in direct violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory. Article 49 of the convention explicitly states the Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies. The international community only recognizes Israel to the extent of the borders prior to the 1967 War, but has only gone as far as issuing U.N. resolutions against the colonial settlements. Never have sanctions of any significance ever been imposed upon Israel for its brazen flouting of international law.

50 years later, on September 12, the National Union delivered the brazen Decision Plan to permanently integrate East Jerusalem and the West Bank into Israel, while disregarding Palestinian human rights under international law. The National Union is a faction within the powerful ultra-nationalist right wing Jewish Home Party that is part of the current coalition running the Israeli government. Although the conference does not represent ruling government, Members of the Israeli Knesset and the Jewish Home Party led the initiative. The approximate 100 delegates that attended voted unanimously for the plan.

Paraphrasing a Haaretz headline on the conference, National Home has approved an annexation plan to coerce Palestinian departure. Further, the articles subtitle states that with a stamp of Netanyahu approval, right-wing party conference discusses their plan to annex the Palestinian territories and offer a surrender-or-transfer ultimatum. Yet the offer that Netanyahu implicitly endorsed is even worse than that.

The first two points of the Decision Plan provide Palestinians may live in the Jewish State if they give up their right to participate in the government ruling over them. Those that refuse to accept this second class residency will receive assistance in emigrating. There is an ominous third option. Since the Palestinians may not accept the compulsion to leave their homeland, as many of us would also reject, and may also resist living under an Apartheid state, as many of us would do, the third option is to face even more violence from the soldiers already enforcing the colonization and domination of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The Decision Plan specifically provides

1. Anyone who is willing and able to relinquish the fulfillment of his national aspirations will be able to stay here and live as an individual in the Jewish state.

2. Anyone who is unwilling or unable to relinquish his national aspirations will receive assistance from us to emigrate to one of the Arab countries.

And then there is the ominous third option, with its violent implications as plain as day.

Anyone who insists on choosing the third option  to continue to resort to violence against the Israel Defense Forces, the State of Israel and the Jewish population will be determinedly handled by the security forces with greater force than at present and under more comfortable conditions for us.

So if the Palestinians choose not to leave their millennia-old homeland and do not accept the permanent domination of the Jewish State over their lives, and instead exercise their right under international law to resist the occupiers of their territories, Israel will turn its modern war machine on the defenseless Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank much as it has repeatedly done on the open air prison of Gaza.

In other words, the Israeli Right Wings position is Get Out or We Will Make Your Life a Living Hell, or Worse.

The 4th Option Goes Unmentioned

Notice that the three options leave out a fourth that neither the Israeli Right Wing parties nor the Western mainstream media acknowledge  peaceful resistance to living under the boot of the Israeli occupation and colonization. Apparently then anything the Palestinians do is considered violence against the Jewish State. This does help explain why 816 Palestinian political prisoners were held without charges as of May of this year.

Indeed, a peaceful protest of over 10 Palestinians has been illegal since Israel passed the far reaching Military Order 101 on August 27, 1967. For the 50 years since the Israeli military entered East Jerusalem and the West Bank in June of 1967, Palestinians not inside the internationally recognized borders of Israel have lived under military law dictated by the only democracy in the Middle East. The New Arab notes Israeli military law places severe restrictions on nearly every aspect of civilian life. This also goes beyond everyday life with a ban on all freedom of expression in the occupied territories.

Israeli authorities immediately issued Military Proclamation No.2 following the Six-Day War, granting the area commander of Israels military full legislative, executive and judicial authorities over the West Bank and its civilian population.

Under Military Order 101, the display of Palestinian flags, emblems, posters or the publication of documents and images of a political nature are also banned. Therefore, under Israeli military law, all forms of Palestinian political expression can be censored.

Military Order 101 is the ace in the hole for the Israeli occupation forces. For example, prominent Palestinian human rights activist Issa Amro was jailed in 2016 for attending a protest in Hebron without a permit. Further, Military Order 101 is one of the many tools Israel has used to arrest and detain hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, including women and children. As members of the dissenting Israeli veterans group Breaking the Silence have noted, many of these arrests occur during middle of the night home raids which have the explicit purpose of intimidating the Palestinian population. If the Israeli military chooses to prosecute, Palestinians are essentially automatically guilty given the military courts conviction rate of 99.7 per cent.

Perhaps then the statement of Ayalet Shaked, the Israeli Minister of Justice and a member of the Home Party that attended the conference should not be surprising. Earlier this month she stated, Zionism should not continue, and I say here, it will not continue to bow down to the system of individual rights interpreted in a universal way. After all, she is the person most responsible for enforcing the law of the so-called only democracy in the Middle East.



Finally, Honesty about the Zionist Objective to Ethnically Cleanse Palestine

Perhaps almost as startling is the implication of a comment made by one of the leading supporters of the Decision Plan, Minister of the Knesset Bezalel Smotrich.

After a hundred years of managing the conflict, the time has come for a decision, MK Smotrich told the assembly.

In other words, this conflict between the Zionist colonizers, most of whom came from Europe, and the Palestinians that have called this land their own for millennia, has been going on since 1917, the year of the Balfour Declaration. So let us start there with the importance of the key changes the Bristh made to the original draft the Zionists submitted to Balfour. The original Zionist draft stated:

His Majestys Government accepts the principle that Palestine should be reconstituted as the national home of the Jewish people. His Majestys Government will use its best endeavours to secure the achievement of this object and will discuss the necessary methods and means with the Zionist Organization.

Yet the British used this language in the final draft.

His Majestys government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.

How have the Zionists fulfilled their end of the bargain then? Over the past 70 years, their reign began with the Ethnic Cleansing of 1948, the colonization and military rule of East Jerusalem and the West Bank since 1967, and the failed attempt to colonize Gaza as well. Yet this failure to colonize Gaza was replaced with turning the worlds largest and longest running refugee camp into an open air prison for over a decade. Clearly Israel has failed to live up to the term nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.

Some Israelis now believe that Zionists were entitled to all of Palestine at the time the conflict began, 100 years ago, even though Jews only constituted 8% of the population (as of 1918).

Obviously it doesnt matter to Zionist supporters, that some Zionists came to Palestine with the intent of transferring the indigenous population out of Palestine from the beginning. Not only did many early Zionists discuss this need prior to 1948, but even the draft of the declaration they presented to Lord Balfour envisioned that outcome. It is worth repeating that the Zionists draft stated Palestine should be reconstituted as the national home of the Jewish people (emphasis added). (It is also worth noting that even the British, the leading colonizers in the world, thought that demand went too far and changed it accordingly.)

Too few in the world know that some Zionists have all along had the objective of the Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, let alone part of a plan for 100 years. So at least the National Union is doing something Zionist propaganda has covered up all this time. It is being honest about the destiny for Palestinians under Zionism.

     

Ian Berman is an entrepreneur and former corporate banker at leading global banks in New York City. He now focuses on renewable energy, financial advisory services and writing about representative government, equitable public policies and ending American militarism and Israels continuing colonization of Palestine. He is the Co-Founder of Palestine 365, the Ongoing Oppression and its predecessor, Palestine 365, on Facebook.

 2017. All rights reserved.

Related video added by Juan Cole:

BTselem: Israeli military destroys dirt road to Masafer Yatta in South Hebron Hills
Reddit Email 331 Shares

TeleSur |  

The army came and burned down my house. I was inside the house at that time, one survivor said.

Rohingya refugees arriving at treatment centers in Bangladesh covered in burns have told of an increased wave of violence against Muslims by the governments military offensive.

The army came and they burned our homes, they killed our people. There was a mob of Rakhine people too, Usman Goni, who managed to escape with his wife and seven children, told Reuters.

Families continue to arrive at Sadar Hospital in Bangladesh, fleeing the military forces attacking their villages in what the U.N. has referred to as an ethnic cleansing.

My family was attacked on the 29th of August. The army came and fired indiscriminately, Dildar Begum, a refugee told Al Jazeera. Begum managed to escape the flames of her home with her daughter but lost her husband, infant son and mother-in-law to the fire.

My daughter and I somehow survived the attack, but the two monks accompanying the army men tried to kill us with a big knife. They thought we were dead and left us. We hid in the house for three days and then escaped, she explained.

Shahida Begum, a 30-year-old survivor, who suffered severe burns across her body, mourns the death of her three sons who were killed just days before her home and her whole village were set on fire.

The army came and burned down my house. I was inside the house at that time, she said. With no route to escape, I was also engulfed in the fire and my whole body sustained burns.

The pain is unbearable, she said. It was better to die than suffer like this  Life will never be the same again.

Refugee centers said they have enough supplies to treat burn victims for the moment, but reports from the United Nations Refugee Agency warn Bangladeshs shelters are already bursting at the seams and have called for a humanitarian response from the international community.

Im particularly worried that the demand for food, shelter, water and basic hygiene support is not being met due to the sheer number of people in need, said Save the Children Director Mark Pierce. If families cant meet their basic needs, the suffering will get even worse and lives could be lost.

Save the Children estimates more than a million Rohingya refugees will seek safety in Bangladesh by January, saying that this figure includes at least 600,000 children who will be orphaned and consequently at risk of exploitation and trafficking.

Myanmar government leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of criticism for not stopping the violence, including a petition calling for the revocation of her peace prize.

Suu Kyi is due to speak to the nation on Tuesday about a crisis as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Murphy is due in Myanmar this week.

He will travel to Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, to meet government officials and representatives of different communities, including Rohingya, but he is not expected to travel to the conflict zone in northern Rakhine state.

Bangladesh has said all refugees must go home while Myanmar has said it will take back those who can verify their citizenship.

Almost 370,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees are now known to have fled to Bangladesh from the ongoing violence in Myanmar since August according to Vivian Tan from the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Rohingya people have suffered systematic persecution over many decades by the Myanmar government, who consider them illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

The minority community has restricted rights and access to government services in the country. Since the 1970s, nearly a million Rohingya have fled persecution in the South Asian country.

Via . TeleSur



Related video added by Juan Cole:

France 24: Rohingyas crowd into makeshift camps in Bangladesh after fleeing Burma
Reddit Email 43 Shares

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

The Iraqi Supreme Court has ordered that the referendum on independence planned for September 25 be halted.

The problem is that the Iraqi supreme Courts decision will not be recognized or honored by the elites in the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Kurdish super-province. The Kurds say that no Iraqi government troops from Baghdad can ever set foot on Kurdistan soil.

KRG president Massoud Barzani has said that he will power through the referendum despite vehement protests from Baghdad, Iran, Turkey and even the Trump administration.

Barzanis commitment to holding the referendum has thus caused a constitutional crisis in Iraq. He says, however, that even a yes vote on secession would not necessarily entail a headlong rush to declare independence on the part of his provincial government.

(

H/t Aljazeera)

Kurds were mistreated by the Arab nationalist regimes of Iraq (Kurds are not Arabs) and were gassed by Saddam Hussein, and almost all of them want their own country now.

One question about Kurdish Iraqi secession is the exact borders of Kurdistan. The Kurdistan national guard or Peshmerga (those who stand before death) has a presence beyond the three Kurdish-majority provinces of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniya, which are recognized by Iraq and other countries as constituting the Kurdistan super-province of Iraq.

In summer of 2014 after the Sunni Arab provinces acceded to the ISIL (Daesh) caliphate, the Peshmerga militarily occupied Kirkuk, and seem reluctant to relinquish that province. It is ethnically mixed, with Arabs and Turkmen, though Kurds are by now likely a majority. The Iraqi constitution calls for a referendum on Kirkuks future, but none has ever been held.

On Monday, a clash broke out between Peshmerga troops celebrating the prospect of secession, and Turkmen, who consider Kirkuk to have been theirs by longstanding right. (Maybe Kirkuk used to be largely Turkmen, but that by now hasnt been true for a while; Kurds are now the majority).

The Kirkuk violence is a question mark, asking whether the KRG plans to annex Kirkuk by fiat and take it with the seceders.

In the meantime, Both prime minister Haydar al-Abadi from the government side and Shiite militias say that they will confront Kurdistan directly if it seems to be moving toward independence.

-

Related video added by Juan Cole:

France 24: Kareem, governor of Iraqs Kirkuk region: Were not afraid of threats'
Reddit Email 50 Shares

H. Patricia Hynes | ( Truthdig ) |  

I am looking at the faces of 10-year-old girls from across the worldfaces brimming with expectancy. The U.N. report, The State of World Population 2016, opens with their photos, and these words are part of the introduction to Chapter 4, The Face of the Future:

With support from family, community and nation, and the full realization of her rights, a 10-year-old girl can thrive and help bring about the future we all want. What the world will look like in 15 years will depend on our doing everything in our power to ignite the potential of the 10-year-old girl today.

What the world will look like in 15 years depends also on our commitment to reduce substantially greenhouse gas emissions and achieve 50 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2030, so that her world remains habitable.

However, we cannot get to a sustainable world without the full realization of girls and womens rights, for women are responsible for providing food, fuel and water for billions of people in much of Africa and Asia, where natural resources are growing scarce or rapidly degrading. Yet many of these women lack the right to own land or to access credit and technical training to assure the sustainability of their countries natural resources.

We will not get there in 15 years without womens equality in decision-making because women in governance positions sign on to international treaties that take action against climate change more than their male counterparts. Further, there is abundant evidence that women care more about the environment than men and handle riskeconomic, environmental and personalmore wisely than men.

Climate Change Impacts on Women and Girls



Climate change predictions worsen daily, while climate change victims only increase. Consider these recent findings:

 Climate is changing 170 times faster due to human activity than through natural forces.

 Within 40 years, up to 1.5 billion people could be climate change migrants and refugees from rising seas.

Worsening drought, deforestation and desertification mean that women in developing countries must walk farther distances for fuel and water with higher risk of sexual violence, carry heavier loads and work harder to grow enough food for their families. In one rural Sudanese community the time required to gather fuelwood has quadrupled over a decade. Heavier loads over longer distances cause spinal damage, pregnancy complications and higher maternal mortality. Girls drop out of school more often than boys to assist their mothers, setting them up for less education and greater poverty than their brothers. Moreover, in times of crop scarcity women will give food priority to their husbands and sons.

In the early 1990s in Zimbabwe, solar cookers, a renewable technology that preserves carbon-sequestering biomass and frees women from firewood collection so they may engage in income-earning activities, were introduced. The project failed because men opposed women learning a technology that the men knew nothing about. Thus the mantra: No climate justice without justice for women.

Climate and Natural Disasters

Embedded within climate science and the study of those most vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters is a rarely acknowledged fact, namely, that women and girls are the primary victims. The extent of this injustice and its roots lie in womens inequality. A multitude of discriminatory economic, cultural and social factors converge to worsen climate change repercussions for women. Among these are greater female poverty, fewer resources and less power in their society, physical limits imposed on women and girls and increased sexual violence during and after climate-related disasters. All contribute to womens greater mortality, destitution and sexual victimization during extreme climate events.

Though not a climate-related natural disaster, the 2004 Asian tsunami, which killed more than 220,000 people in 12 countries, caused a high number of deaths among women and girls; and it serves to shed light on social inequalities that undermine womens survival from climate-change disasters.

During the tsunami some women drowned, weighed down by their saris; others drowned because they had never been taught to swimor to climb trees, as had their brothers. Many women died because they stayed behind to look for their children and other relatives. In one known case, a father struggling to hold his son and daughter from drowning, let go of his daughters handbecause his son was more important, given he would carry on the family line.

Yet womens vulnerability in disasters rarely recedes with the floodwaters. Male violence against women increases with the chaos of natural and climate-related disasters, just as it does with social breakdown in war and conflict.

Typhoon Haiyan



The Philippines, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change and an epicenter of super typhoons, is a magnet for sex traffickers who prey on homeless victims after disasters. In the wake Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest typhoon ever recorded at the time (2013), an underground economy sprang up in the Tacloban Astrodome where thousands of displaced Filipinos sought shelter. Girls and women were sold into prostitution for food and aid supplies. Others were offered jobs and scholarships but then trafficked to the red light district of Angeles City, a legacy of the former U.S. Clark Air Force Base, which operated for a nearly a century. Nearly 80 percent of women and girls exploited in sex clubs and bars in Angeles City are from climate-change vulnerable areas. Climate changea boon for traffickers, pimps and johnsvictimizes women and girls doubly, with the loss of home and livelihood and the heightened risk of sexual exploitation.

Hurricane Katrina



More than a quarter of African-American women in New Orleans were living in poverty (vs. 20 percent of men) when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States in August 2005 with winds up to 140 miles per hour and storm surges that broke through barrier levees. Few had cars and, those who could escape were stranded around the city at heightened risk of sexual assault. Further, pregnancy and recent childbirth limited the mobility of some.

By 2008, the number of black single mothers living in poverty had declined precipitously in New Orleans. They were displaced by a government decision to raze public housing and were replaced by higher-income whites as gentrification overran the city. They became climate migrants scattered across southern states. No studies have determined their fate.

Thems that got will get, and thems thats not will lose, wrote Fatima Shalk of New Orleans, summing up the winners and losers of Katrina and the fate of the U.S. poor in future climate change disasters.

In neighboring storm-battered Mississippi, violence against women increased fourfold in the year after Hurricane Katrina. Two years later, the rate was more than double.

Investing in Women



Gender only formally entered U.N. deliberations on climate change in 2008, more than two decades after climate studies and conferences were launched by the organization. Subsequent studies and womens testimonies have exposed the layers of climate impacts on women, worsened by gender-based inequality in their societies; and they also provide compelling evidence to invest in women as agents of land, water and forest restoration.

Greenbelt Movement



In the 1970s, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, the first East African woman to receive a Ph.D., set off a revolution to rejuvenate the deforested and desertifying environment of Kenya, her home country. Partnering with womens groups, she initiated community-based tree-planting efforts, in what became the Greenbelt Movement and which spread to dozens of other countries. Forty years later, more than 40 million trees had transformed landscapes, as well as the lives and minds of the women with whom Maathai worked.

The skills, knowledge and income they gained, as she testified, brought self-confidence and independence. Given womens relationship to forests in developing countries, it is no surprise that a study of deforestation in 61 countries between 1990 and 2005 found that countries with numerous and large womens and environmental nongovernmental organizations had significantly lower levels of forest loss.

Andra Pradesh



Agriculture contributes at least a quarter of Indias greenhouse gas emissions, nitrous oxide from fertilizers being one of the sources. More than 5,000 women in 75 villages of the arid interior of Andra Pradesh offer an exemplary mitigating alternative. Working with womens village associations called Sanghams, the Deccan Development Society has facilitated their transition to income-generating organic agriculture using indigenous crops that need less water, as well as restoring medicinal plants and reclaiming degraded land by planting neighborhood forests (more than 1 million trees) over 25 years. Their companion accomplishments include a seed bank and a loan system for women farmers, a community radio station that reaches 200 villages and production of videos on methods of organic agriculture, seed saving and the hazards of genetically engineering in agriculture.

Most are Dalits (the broken), the poorest of the poor in Indias rigid caste system. The story of one, Chinna Narsamma, the Radio Jockey, mirrors the transformation of both their environment and themselves achieved by these many thousands of heretofore-impoverished castaways of society. Narsamma, who never had any formal education, now womans a radio station, produces films, speaks in-country and abroad about the Andra Pradesh model, and also cultivates her own 20 acres of organic agriculture. In a region challenged with barren land, semi-arid conditions and frequent droughts, women farmers have been able to banish hunger and provide an exemplary model of climate justice with justice for women.

Woman-Centered Policy and Actions



The best projects tackle environmental problems while markedly improving the lives of women and girls. Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary of the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification

The following recommendations, gleaned from pilot projects and successful programs, are the tip of the iceberg regarding the potential for womens contributions to mitigating and adapting to climate change, as well as to their own, simultaneous, liberation.

 Train women technicians in water-saving and solar technologies.

 Hire female as well as male trainers to teach climate-adaptation farming.

 Draw from womens indigenous knowledge about seeds, soil and natural resources.

 Recruit women for emergency planning, especially emergency evacuation methods and routes to ensure women can escape during climate disasters.

 Assure fair and non-discriminatory allocation of disaster relief resources, including food, housing and clothing.

 Include women in local and regional decision-making councils and increase womens leadership in delegations to U.N. climate accord conferences.

All these prescriptions and many more presume that empowering womenthrough access to credit and technical training, through land ownership and equal economic and political decision-making rolesis key to mitigating and adapting to climate change in both developing and developed countries.

Correspondingly, all of these recommendationsif they are to materializeoblige men to share power with women and to commit to eliminating social, legal and cultural discrimination against women as well as all forms of violence against women. In other wordsa sea change in the patriarchal order of things.

The World Bank recently reported that of 173 economies studied, nine in 10 had at least one law impeding womens economic empowerment, including access to credit. In the allegedly democratic United States, a meager 19 percent of U.S. representatives are women, and a majority of U.S. men polled recently do not want a female president in their lifetimes. As for the ten major U.S. environmental NGOs, 80 percent are run by white men, though polls suggest that women, Native Americans, Latinos, African-Americans and Asians care more and are more seriously affected by climate change.

If todays 10-year-old girls are to thrive and help bring about a future we all want, men need to cede their grip on power and women need to take power as partners in the project of transforming the governing paradigms of power. Otherwise, we are all doomed to armageddons of climate change, nuclear weapons, war without end, extremes of inequality and every form of sexualized and racialized violence.

Pat Hynes, a retired environmental engineer and Professor of Environmental Health, directs the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice in western Massachusetts .

Reprinted from Truthdig with authors permission



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Stanford U.: Founders Panel | Women Entrepreneurs in Sustainability  April 19, 2017
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX-V:CXB) (the Company or Calibre) is pleased to announce the Company and Centerra Gold Inc. (Centerra) have expanded the 2017 exploration program and have initiated a second diamond drilling program targeting a series of newly defined gold-copper targets on the Northern Siuna Project (the Project), located in Northeast Nicaragua. Centerra can earn a 70% interest in the 253 km2 Project by investing $9.0 million in exploration on the property before December 31, 2020.

Highlights

a second diamond drilling program has been initiated targeting a series of high priority gold-copper targets in the Northern Siuna area and will consists of approximately 3,000 metres in 10 holes

the expanded exploration program includes additional exploration on the El Avion target where soil and rock sampling in 2017 have outlined multi-element anomalies and where current exploration consist of geochemical sampling and IP geophysics

the ongoing 2017 diamond drilling program at Cerro Aeropuerto continues testing extensions to the high grade gold results from the 2016 drilling which included; 8.1m grading 22.5 g/t Au, and 2.7m grading 120.6 g/t Au, with step-outs testing 750 metres of strike length.

Greg Smith, President and CEO of Calibre stated: The expanded 2017 exploration program with Centerra utilizing two drill rigs is now active on three fronts with step out drilling at Cerro Aeropuerto, maiden drilling program on the El Dorado Trend anomalies, and additional work on the expanded El Avion gold-copper target. This multi-faceted exploration strategy provides excellent opportunities for expanding identified gold-silver resources and for additional gold-copper discoveries on the Siuna Project.

Northern Siuna Project

Work during H1 2017 has included a Project-wide sampling program designed to extend existing anomalous zones and define new anomalous trends. Exploration and sampling have covered the entire 241 sq. km Northern Siuna Area at 400 metre by 400 metre spacing with selected areas receiving infill sampling on 200 metre by 200 metre grids. Results have outlined several kilometre-scale anomalous areas which remain open along the 35 kilometre strike length of prospective geology. The first trend to be drill tested is the El Dorado Trend which has been defined for over eight kilometres and consists of variably anomalous gold, silver, copper and lesser lead, zinc, and molybdenum.

Extensive exploration in 2016 and 2017 has outlined variably anomalous multi-elements anomalies in soils and rock samples. Additionally the area has been covered by ground magnetics over 150 line kilometres which has provided data assisting in the geological interpretation of this complex area. An extensive dipole-dipole IP program consisting of 34.6 line kilometres generated chargeability highs reflecting increase sulphide content in both intrusive and sedimentary/volcanic units and broad resistivity highs defining large intrusive centres. Targets include replacement and skarn mineralization, gold-copper porphyries, and structurally controlled precious metal mineralization.

The 2017 diamond drill program at Northern Siuna will consist of up to ten diamond drill holes totaling approximately 3000 metres. The drilling will test a series of geological, geochemical, and geophysical targets along a five kilometer portion of the trend.

El Avion Target

The El Avion Target is located in the northernmost portion of the Siuna Project. Exploration in 2016 and 2017 has defined a series of multi-element anomalous targets over an area of 5km by 4km. Soil sampling at 200m x 200m spacing has been completed over the entire area with the central 2km x 3km portion now covered by 100m x 100m spaced sampling. The strongly anomalous gold and indicator element results continue to highlight the potential of the target area. Geochemical sampling completed in Q2-Q3 2017 included rock samples with values ranging up to 24.2 g/t Au, 9.2 g/t Ag, 6,190 ppm Cu, 197 Mo, 746 ppm Pb and 1,025 ppm Zn.

Work completed in 2017 also includes 47 line kilometres of ground magnetics. On-going work also consist of a dipole-dipole Induced Polarization (IP) survey which consist of five lines totaling 15 line kilometres.

Geochemical and geophysical anomalies highlight a series of structural trends dominated by the regional NE-SW trend which is the dominant trend in the adjacent Bonanza Camp and including secondary N-S and NNW-SSE trends. To date two styles of mineralization have been identified consisting of; 1) intrusive related replacement, skarn, and potentially porphyry gold-silver-copper zones similar to other zones with the Siuna Project and 2) low to intermediate sulphidation quartz veins and breccias analogous to mineralization previously and currently mined in the near-by Bonanza Mining District.

Cerro Aeropuerto Deposit

The on-going 2017 diamond drill program at Cerro Aeropuerto consists of eight to ten diamond drill holes totaling approximately 3500 metres. The drilling is testing 750 metres of strike length stepping out on the high grade results returned in the 2015/2016 drilling program highlighted by; 8.1m grading 22.5 g/t Au, 2.7m grading 120.6 g/t Au, 7.6m grading 18.5 g/t Au, and 10.4m grading 3.9 g/t Au. The high grade zone within the Cerro Aeropuerto Deposit has been traced by drilling and is open along strike and down dip. In addition to the 2015/2016 intercepts previous drilling which forms part of the existing Inferred Resource intercepted; 28.5m grading 5.0 g/t Au, 2.2m grading 16.9 g/t Au, and 19.5m grading 3.68 g/t Au. The 2017 diamond drilling is directed at testing extensions to the high grade zone along strike to both the north and south and down dip.

The Siuna Project is located in the south-west portion of the Borosi Concessions and contains the past producing open pit and underground La Luz Mine that produced 17.1 million tonnes of ore grading 4.14 g/t gold (2.3 million ozs gold) as well as, one kilometre to the south, the NI43-101 compliant Inferred Resource at the Cerro Aeropuerto gold-silver deposit which hosts 707,750 ozs gold and 3.1 million ozs silver in 6.05M tonnes grading 3.64 g/t Au and 16.16 g/t Ag at a cut off of 0.6 g/t (see Calibre News Release dated February 28, 2011).

Notes: - Mineral Resources that are not mineral reserves do not have economic viability. The quantity and grade of reported inferred resources in this estimation are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these inferred resources as an indicated or measured mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to an indicated or measured mineral resource category. Resource Estimate for Cerro Aeropuerto detailed in Technical Report titled NI 43-101 Technical Report and Resource Estimation of the Cerro Aeropuerto and La Luna Deposits, Borosi Concessions, Nicaragua by Todd McCracken, dated April 11, 2011.

Calibre is committed to best practice standards for all exploration, sampling and drilling activities. Drilling was completed by independent and experienced firms. Analytical quality assurance and quality control procedures include the systematic insertion of blanks, standards and duplicates into the sample strings. Samples are placed in sealed bags and shipped directly to Acme Labs (a Bureau Veritas Group Company) in Managua, Nicaragua for sample preparation and then to Bureau Veritas Lab in Vancouver, Canada for 50 gram gold fire assay and ICP-MS multi element analyses.

The technical content in this news release was read and approved by Gregory Smith, P.Geo, President and CEO of the Company who is the Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Calibre Mining Corp.

Calibre owns a 100% interest in over 413 km2 of mineral concessions in the Mining Triangle of Northeast Nicaragua including the Primavera Gold-Copper Project and Santa Maria Gold Project. Additionally the Company has optioned to IAMGOLD (176 km2) and Centerra Gold (253 km2) concessions covering an aggregate area of 429 km2 and is party to a joint venture on the 33.6 km2 Rosita D gold-copper-silver project with Rosita Mining Corporation. Major shareholders of Calibre include gold producer B2Gold Corp, Pierre Lassonde and management.
By Jeffrey Miller





The U.N. has spoken: another round of sanctions to punish North Korea. It's a quick fix, free of any moral obligation, to take care of a problem that just won't go away.

I'm not saying that these sanctions are irrelevant and they won't work. I was relieved that the U.N. backed off with some of the more severe ones that would have hit the North Korean people more than the party leadership, but you have to wonder just how effective these sanctions have been in the grand scheme of things. I mean, if they are designed to get the North to give up their weapons of mass destruction programs  why haven't they worked?

The problem is, as we have seen over the years, is that sanctions don't have the desired effect that many people hope. Sure, they're going to wind up North Korea, who has already threatened to retaliate, but that's about the size of them and what we have come to expect. We know that the North is not going to sit still. It's not long before they let us know how they feel about them. Sure, sanctions are going to hit the country where it hurts the most  their weak economy, but history has shown us that even in the darkest of days, the North has managed to cling to their Juche ideology and somehow survive. That's because the more we try to squeeze North Korea into submission, the more steadfast and dangerous they become.

Let's face it, when it comes to North Korea and their weapons of mass destruction, desperate times call for desperate measures. And there's been no stopping the North.

When I started researching my recent book about North Korea's secretive department, Room or Bureau 39 that is basically a cash cow for party membership as well as the country's weapons of mass destruction I was shocked to learn how far back their state-sponsored illicit activities have gone to get the hard currency they need. Although it's a known fact that North Korea has been in the counterfeiting and drug smuggling business for decades, I found it quite interesting that one of the times the North increased this activity was right around the time of the 1994 nuclear crisis on the peninsula, and you guessed it, one of those times when UN sanctions tightened the screws on the North to stop their nuclear ambitions, which of course they haven't.

The problem with sanctions is that they really are only effective for momentarily disrupting the North's activities and causing some discomfort. And time and time again, we have seen just how ineffective they have been when the North has snubbed its nose at them and responded with one missile test after another. Let's face it, North Korea has continually defied the odds in light of the sanctions which they have had to endure. They are the masters of their own destiny.

At the same time, if China and Russia were truly concerned about North Korea, they really need to step forward instead of perpetuating a Cold War mentality whenever the topic of more sanctions is broached. It's time for both countries to get serious. They need to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Don't get me wrong, I want sanctions to work just as much as the next guy because of the alternative  a nuclear armed North Korea  is a reality we would all like to avoid. The thought of Donald Trump or Kim Jong-un with their fingers on the trigger is just too damn scary. However, there's got to be a better way to stop the North from their pursuing their weapons of mass destruction without endangering the rest of the planet. What the United States and other countries need is a better endgame if we ever want this geo-political nightmare to end.

I suggest, as many Korean scholars and observers have pointed out, including Korean expert Bradley Martin, one way to reign in the North and end this madness is to engage in an information war to show the North Korean people how bad life is in the North and that there is a better life waiting for them. That's where we should be concentrating our efforts and resources. It makes perfect sense, and no one gets hurt. We need change to occur from within, and the only way this is going to work is not hurting the people we need for this to occur. Sanctions might look good on paper and seem to be the right course of action, but in the long run, as we have already seen, the North has always found a way to get around them.

In the meantime, after this latest round of sanctions, we will all sit back and see what the North will do next. That's the way it's been. Maybe it'll be another missile test. Maybe another nuclear test. Who knows. One thing is certain, the North will respond. You can bank on it.





Jeffrey Miller, an instructor at the SolBridge International School of Business, is the author of "Bureau 39 and War Remains," a novel of the Korean War.
Please note all opening hours listed on this page are in Victorian local time.

Technical support - Broadband & Home Phone Monday to Sunday - 8am to 10pm

Technical support - TV Monday to Sunday - 8am to 10pm

Billing and account enquiries Monday to Friday - 8am to 6pm

Package changes Monday to Sunday - 8am to 8pm

Talk to someone helpful by calling 1300 657 346 between these hours:

Already got Foxtel?

Get in touch via Instagram

Get in touch via Twitter

Get in touch via Facebook

Order your Foxtel by calling us on 1300 130 799 during these hours: Monday to Sunday - 8am to 8pm Please note all opening hours listed on this page are in Victorian local time.

Get Foxtel

Order your Foxtel by calling us on 1300 130 799 during these hours:



Monday to Sunday - 8am to 8pm



Please note all opening hours listed on this page are in Victorian local time.

Already got Foxtel?

Talk to someone helpful by calling 1300 657 346 between these hours:

Package changes

Monday to Sunday - 8am to 8pm

Billing and account enquiries

Monday to Friday - 8am to 6pm

Technical support - TV

Monday to Sunday - 8am to 10pm

Technical support - Broadband & Home Phone

Monday to Sunday - 8am to 10pm

Please note all opening hours listed on this page are in Victorian local time.

Social Contacts

Get in touch via Facebook

Get in touch via Twitter

Get in touch via Instagram
Editor's note: The COVID-19 pandemic is still in full swing, meaning that Halloween 2020 must be celebrated differently compared to previous years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published helpful guidelines for celebrating Halloween and other fall holidays in ways that will keep you safe and healthy.

Parents and kids alike are gearing up for Halloween, scrambling to put the final touches on costumes and Jack-o'-lanterns, not to mention stocking up on candy for Trick or Treaters. But before you rush out on Oct. 31, for what some consider the spookiest day of the year, heres a look back at the origins of Halloween and all of its odd traditions.

Samhain

Halloween, also known as All Hallows' Eve, can be traced back about 2,000 years to a pre-Christian Celtic festival held around Nov. 1 called Samhain (pronounced "sah-win"), loosely translates to "summer's end" in Gaelic, according to the Indo-European Etymological Dictionaries. [13 Halloween Superstitions & Traditions Explained]

Because ancient records are sparse and fragmentary, the exact nature of Samhain is not fully understood; but it was an annual communal meeting at the end of the harvest year, a time to gather resources for the winter months and bring animals back from the pastures. Samhain is also thought to have been a time of communing with the dead, according to folklorist John Santino.

"There was a belief that it was a day when spirits of the dead would cross over into the other world," Santino told Live Science. Such moments of transition in the year have always been thought to be special and supernatural, he added.

Halloween provides a safe way to play with the concept of death (opens in new tab), Santino said. People dress up as the living dead, and fake gravestones adorn front lawns  activities that wouldn't be tolerated at other times of the year, he said.

But according to Nicholas Rogers, a history professor at York University in Toronto and author of "Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night (opens in new tab)" (Oxford University Press, 2003), "there is no hard evidence that Samhain was specifically devoted to the dead or to ancestor worship.

"According to the ancient sagas, Samhain was the time when tribal peoples paid tribute to their conquerors and when the sidh [ancient mounds] might reveal the magnificent palaces of the gods of the underworld," Rogers wrote. Samhain was less about death or evil than about the changing of seasons and preparing for the dormancy (and rebirth) of nature as summer turned to winter, he said.

Though a direct connection between Halloween and Samhain has never been proven, many scholars believe that because All Saints' Day (or All Hallows' Mass, celebrated on Nov. 1) and Samhain, are so close together on the calendar that they influenced each other and later combined into the celebration now called Halloween.

Costumes and trick-or-treating

The tradition of dressing in costumes and trick-or-treating may go back to the practice of "mumming" and "guising," in which people would disguise themselves and go door-to-door, asking for food, Santino said. Early costumes were usually disguises, often woven out of straw, he said, and sometimes people wore costumes to perform in plays or skits.

The practice may also be related to the medieval custom of "souling" in Britain and Ireland, when poor people would knock on doors on Hallowmas (Nov. 1), asking for food in exchange for prayers for the dead.

Trick-or-treating didn't start in the United States until World War II, but American kids were known to go out on Thanksgiving and ask for food  a practice known as Thanksgiving begging, Santino said.

"Mass solicitation rituals are pretty common, and are usually associated with winter holidays," Santino said. While one tradition didn't necessarily cause the others, they were "similar and parallel," he said.

Tricks and games

These days, the "trick" part of the phrase "trick or treat" is mostly an empty threat, but pranks have long been a part of the holiday.

By the late 1800s, the tradition of playing tricks on Halloween was well established. In the United States and Canada, the pranks included tipping over outhouses, opening farmers' gates and egging houses. But by the 1920s and 1930s, the celebrations more closely resembled an unruly block party, and the acts of vandalism got more serious.

Some people believe that because pranking was starting to get dangerous and out of hand, parents and town leaders began to encourage dressing up and trick-or-treating as a safe alternative to doing pranks, Santino said.

However, Halloween was as much a time for festivities and games as it was for playing tricks or asking for treats. Apples are associated with Halloween, both as a treat and in the game of bobbing for apples, a game that since the colonial era in America was used for fortune-telling. Legend has it that the first person to pluck an apple from the water-filled bucket without using his or her hands would be the first to marry, according to the book "Halloween and Commemorations of the Dead (opens in new tab)" (Chelsea House, 2009) by Roseanne Montillo.

Apples were also part of another form of marriage prophecy. According to legend, on Halloween (sometimes at the stroke of midnight), young women would peel an apple into one continuous strip and throw it over her shoulder. The apple skin would supposedly land in the shape of the first letter of her future husband's name.

Another Halloween ritual involved looking in a mirror at midnight by candlelight, for a future husband's face was said to appear. (A scary variation of this later became the "Bloody Mary" ritual familiar to many school kids.) Like many such childhood games, it was likely done in fun, though at least some people took it seriously.

Christian/Irish Influence

Some evangelical Christians have expressed concern that Halloween is somehow satanic because of its roots in pagan ritual. However, ancient Celts did not worship anything resembling the Christian devil and had no concept of it. In fact, the Samhain festival had long since vanished by the time the Catholic Church began persecuting witches in its search for satanic cabals. And, of course, black cats do not need to have any association with witchcraft to be considered evil  simply crossing their path is considered bad luck any time of year.

As for modern Halloween, Santino, writing in "American Folklore: An Encyclopedia (opens in new tab)" (Garland, 1996), noted that "Halloween beliefs and customs were brought to North America with the earliest Irish immigrants, then by the great waves of Irish immigrants fleeing the famines of the first half of the nineteenth century. Known in the North American continent since colonial days, by the middle of the twentieth century Halloween had become largely a children's holiday."

Since that time, the holiday's popularity increased dramatically as adults, communities and institutions (such as schools, campuses and commercial haunted houses) have embraced the event.

Through the ages, various supernatural entities  including fairies and witches  came to be associated with Halloween, and more than a century ago in Ireland, the event was said to be a time when spirits of the dead could return to their old haunting grounds. Dressing up as ghosts or witches became fashionable, though as the holiday became more widespread and more commercialized (and with the arrival of mass-manufactured costumes), the selection of disguises for kids and adults greatly expanded beyond monsters to include everything from superheroes to princesses to politicians.

This article was originally published in 2014 and has been updated by Alina Bradford, Tanya Lewis and Jeanna Bryner.

Additional resources

Read more about Halloween in this CNN report on creepy clowns; on History.com; and in this National Geographic video on YouTube.
The Caribbean is used to hurricanes, but not hurricanes like Irma, one of the strongest storms on record in the Atlantic Ocean basin. The top-end Category 5 hurricane, which had winds of 185 mph (298 km/h) at its peak, raked across successive islands, leaving catastrophic damage in its wake.

The scars left by the storm are still being catalogued, because of delays caused by downed communications and the difficulty still faced in getting to some islands. And those effects will show for some time, experts said. Now the region is being pummeled by Hurricane Maria, and there are still several months of hurricane season left. With this year's hurricane season already proving to be more active than normal, how will this part of the world recover?

"It's going to take not just months, but years" for many of these islands to get back to where they were pre-Irma, said Steve Bowen, director of impact forecasting at the reinsurance company Aon Benfield. [Hurricane Irma Photos: Images of a Monster Storm]

Not only were roofs ripped from houses and power lines torn down, but vegetation was also stripped away from trees, turning once-verdant islands brown. Coral reefs were also likely damaged and beaches eroded, experts said.

Irma was "one of the most damaging hurricane events to ever track through the Caribbean," Bowen told Live Science.

In the crosshairs

The Caribbean sits in prime hurricane territory, with storms regularly sweeping through the area. Many of the islands are small and flat, which means the land surface does little to affect storms, unlike mainland areas or even larger islands like Cuba, where terrain can tear up a storm.

"Those islands, of course, are basically sitting ducks for hurricane events," Bowen said.

Hurricane Irma's track took it across first Barbuda, then the split French and Dutch island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten, St. Barthelemy, Anguilla, and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands. The monster storm clipped Puerto Rico, which avoided the worst damage; hit the Turks and Caicos Islands with its northern eyewall; then swept across the Bahamas and along Cuba's north coast before heading toward Florida.

The highest wind speed measured during the storm was 155 mph (249 km/h), recorded by an anemometer on Barbuda that subsequently stopped transmitting data, presumably because it was blown away, according to Aon Benfields report on the storm.

On Barbuda, 95 percent of structures were destroyed, according to the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, "which is horrific," Bowen said. Other islands saw between 65 percent and 75 percent of structures destroyed, a level Bowen said he still considered catastrophic. Power was knocked out, drinking supplies were impacted and roads were left impassible across the affected islands.

Irma's destruction

But human structures weren't the only things affected. The coral reefs that lie offshore of some islands were likely damaged as well, scientists said. [The 20 Costliest, Most Destructive Hurricanes to Hit the US]

These reefs offer natural protection to the islands, absorbing energy from the storm's waves, slowing the waves down and reducing inundation to the islands. But a Category 5 storm, particularly one as strong as Irma, is generally too much for the reefs, experts said.

"Basically, it breaks the coral reef apart," Cheryl Hapke, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), told Live Science. After other really large storms, scientists conducting surveys "find that some of the reefs are just basically rubble," she said.

Runoff from land can also damage reefs, because "you can get huge amounts of pollutants and nutrients" that upset the delicate balance between corals and their symbiotic algae, said Konrad Hughen, an associate scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts. Sediment can also smother the reefs; even a centimeter-thick layer of silt "will be devastating," Hughen said.

Sometimes, though, hurricanes can benefit reefs: As hurricanes churn over the ocean, they dredge up deep water, which is cooler than surface water. Unusually warm water can cause bleaching in reefs (where the coral expels its algae and can starve), and for these reefs, the cooler water can provide relief, Hughen said.

The waves and surge generated by a storm like Irma can also wash sand away from beaches, Hapke said, a major concern in an area whose economy depends on tourists coming to enjoy those beaches. Sand can be replenished  as it was along New Jersey's coast after Hurricane Sandy caused major erosion in 2012  but that is more difficult to do in the Caribbean, where there aren't as many sources of sand, Hapke said.

Rising seas

Sea-level rise compounds this problem, because with higher sea levels, "you're going to have more erosion and more inundation than we had" even two decades ago, she said.

Storm surge that washes over the islands can also infiltrate freshwater aquifers and kill off vegetation, such as grasslands.

Outside of its impacts to homes and other structures, Hurricane Irma's most noticeable impact is the way its winds stripped vegetation from the islands. In satellite comparisons, a dull brown replaces the lush, tropical greens from before the storm. Salt spray may also have killed off some vegetation, something Hapke said she noticed on New York's Fire Island after Sandy.

The recovery time of all these natural systems will likely vary. Vegetation will likely rebound fairly quickly as the ground dries up and rains wash out some of the salt left by ocean surge, Hapke said.

"In the tropics, things grow very rapidly," she said. They're also adapted to the odd extreme event.

"These ecosystems are used to these types of events, so you know they'll come back," she added.

Reefs will likely take longer to recover, particularly if they are battling other issues, like bleaching or pollution. Corals grow only up to a few centimeters per year, "and that's when they're large, established corals," Hughen said. Reefs that are wiped out and relying on new corals to recolonize them will take a long time to recover.

Hurricane Maria is now barreling through the Caribbean, threatening some of the same islands already reeling from Irma, particularly the U.S. Virgin Islands. Repeated blows from hurricanes can prolong the time needed for recovery, both for human populations and natural ecosystems, Hapke said, because they are being battered while in an already-weakened condition.

"It just extends the amount of time for that system to recover," she said.

Original article on Live Science.
A veteran police officer in New York City recently said she failed a marijuana drug test because officials tested hair from a weave she wore, rather than her own hair. But how does marijuana get into hair, and how long does it stay there?

The New York Police Department officer  Sgt. Tracy Gittens  tested positive for marijuana on a random drug test in January, and has been on paid desk leave since then, according to the New York Post. Sources now tell the Post that Gittens claims the drug test, which used a hair sample, came back positive because officials accidentally tested strands from her human-hair weave.

"She doesn't smoke marijuana and she's unaware how it may have gotten into her system," a police source told the Post. "That's why she's thinking it may have been the weave." Gittens has been with the police department for 13 years, and once worked on the security team for Chirlane McCray, the wife of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Post said. [9 Weird Ways You Can Test Positive for Drugs]

Marijuana and many other drugs can make their way into people's hair through the bloodstream. Drugs travel through the blood and bind to growing hair follicles  a sheath of cells and tissue that surrounds the root of the hair  under the scalp, where they are incorporated into the follicles, and eventually, into the hair itself, according to Quest Diagnostics, a large drug-testing company in the United States. It takes about five to 10 days for hair containing marijuana or other drugs to reach the surface of the scalp, Quest said.

To test hair for drugs, technicians cut a small amount of hair  about 100 to 120 strands  as close to the scalp as possible. They collect about 1.5 inches (3.9 centimeters) of hair, which can reveal drugs used over approximately the last 90 days, since people's hair typically grows at about 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) per month, Quest said.

Employers use hair drug testing when they want to evaluate employees' long-term patterns of drug use (over the last three months), and might require this test before someone gets a job, or as part of a random drug-testing program, according to Quest. But hair testing can't show very recent drug use (in the last few days), and so for detection of recent drug use, employers would use urine testing, Quest said.

In 2015, about 7 percent of the U.S. workforce tested positive for marijuana using hair drug testing, according to Quest data.

For marijuana testing, samples are analyzed for a breakdown product of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), called THC carboxylic acid.

It's very hard to "fool" a drug hair test, Quest said. Only a small amount of marijuana  1 picogram per milligram (pg/mg)  needs to be present to get a positive result. (For comparison, about 300 pg/mg of methamphetamine and 500 pg/mg of codeine needs to be present to get a positive result for these drugs.)

What's more, when Quest researchers tested various hair treatments  including shampoos, sprays, gels, or bleaching and dying  they typically had little effect on test results.

If a candidate for drug testing is wearing an artificial hairpiece or hair attachments, the technician collecting the hair needs to ensure that the specimen collected is the candidate's own hair, Quest said. If hair on the head is not available, then body hair from other sites (such as the chest or underarm) may be used.

As for how long marijuana or other drugs stay in hair, in theory, they may stay there for years, or even centuries after a person's death, according to a 2004 paper published in the journal Forensic Science International. In one case, researchers detected the presence of opiates in hair samples from the Victorian poet John Keats  167 years after his death, the paper said. Researchers have also detected benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in the hair of Chilean and Peruvian mummies thousands of years after they were buried.

"Clearly, organic substances are capable of surviving in hair for thousands of years under favorable conditions," the paper said.

Original article on Live Science.
by Sean Hargrave , Staff Writer, September 18, 2017

It is hard to think of a greater example of daylight robbery, however unintentionally inflected. But here goes. As Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer at P&G, made clear again last week, the digital media industry has a lot to answer for.



If you think about the sums he's talking about it means an eye-watering $175bn of ad spend does not end up showing consumers a single thing. How can that be? Well, here's the thinking. Just 25% of media spend, he says, actually results in a consumer seeing anything. Take a $200bn global industry and that means just $25bn worth of spend ends up being seen by consumers.

This may be a good time to say it could actually be worse if you consider targeting. Research has shown that the majority of display does not reach the intended audience every time. Throw in a targeted audience and it's likely that Pritchard's gloomy picture could be even worse. At the very least, it is unlikely to be an exaggeration.

Out of interest, if you were to apply the same thinking to the UK, you start off with a digital display market worth GBP3.7bn. That's the IAB UK's figure for 2016, so we can easily assume we can round that up to the market being on course to be worth at least GBP4bn this year. That means just GBP1bn is getting through to consumers and GBP3bn is not. It's pretty staggering, isn't it? That's the equivalent of three Great Bank Train robberies every day, if my back-of-an-envelope calculation is roughly correct?

So where is all the money going? Well the latest suggestions are that -- in the UK at least -- viewability is running at around the 50% mark. So around half of what is pumped in at one end never ends up being seen on a page. Raise the bar a little higher and consider whether a message has been seen by a human being and we have the thorny issue of fraud. Estimates vary wildly for the percentage of display that is only viewed by bots or crammed into the same window where it cannot be seen. Pritchard is obviously working to around a quarter -- and from a lot of estimates I have read over the years, that would be about an average figure.

I guess it's difficult to know the actual figure, as it will vary so much depending on how media is traded and with whom. Given the news last week that IAB Europe's research shows that half of all EU digital display is bought programmatically, it is not too much of a stretch to think that with direct deals on the decline, ad quality will be challenged. Sure, there will be budgetary savings and a data feast for all, but if that leads to inferior placements or contributes to ads not being seen, that's not necessarily a great thing.

Pritchard is completely correct, then, to call out the digital advertising scene for this waste of budget. He is already on record, along with Unilever, for saying that adland must become more transparent and that FMCGs can get by spending a lot less with fewer agencies. The two big names in FMCG advertising are each doing exactly that -- slashing rosters, making assets work harder and reducing budgets accordingly.

When you think of the big drop in WPP's share price off the back of a prediction growth that would be, at most, just 1% this year, it isn't hard to imagine that it is simply the first big name to be on the receiving end of this new bullish attitude among the big advertisers.

Pritchard is summing up 2017 so far as the year the bloom fell off the rose for digital advertising. It would just as easy to sum it up as the time budget holders took back control, and digital advertising had to realise that the easy times are gone.

The party is over.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, September 18, 2017

Siding against Shutterfly, a federal judge has refused to throw out a lawsuit alleging that the company violated an Illinois privacy law regarding faceprints.

The ruling, issued Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Joan B. Gottschall in Illinios, means that Florida resident Alejandro Monroy can move forward with a class-action complaint accusing Shutterfly of violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. That law, passed in 2008, requires companies to obtain written releases from people before collecting certain biometric data, including fingerprints, retinal scans and scans of face geometry.

The Illinois measure also requires companies that gather biometric data to notify people about the practice, and to publish a schedule for destroying the information. The law also provides for up to $5,000 in damages for intentional violations.

advertisement advertisement

The ruling stems from a 2016 lawsuit centering on Shutterfly's alleged use of facial recognition technology on photos uploaded by users. Monroy, who says he has never used Shutterfly's service, alleged that he discovered last June that his photo had been uploaded to the service and "tagged" with his name. Monroy said the person who uploaded the photo did so while in Illinois.

"Upon upload of the photograph of Plaintiff, Shutterfly automatically located Plaintiffs face, analyzed the geometric data relating to the unique contours of his face ... and used that data to extract and collect Plaintiffs scan of face geometry (i.e., his biometric identifier)," his complaint alleged.

Shutterfly argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed at an early stage for several reasons. Among others, the company said that Illinois law only applies to faceprints derived from in-person scans.

The law refers to "scans of facial geometry," but also has language that appears to exclude both photos and information derived from photos from coverage.

Shutterfly argued that those exclusions mean that the law doesn't apply to faceprints derived from photos. "A 'scan of face geometry' requires a person to present his actual face at a console or other scanner, such as those widely used at airports," the company argued in papers filed earlier this year.

The company attempted to bolster its argument by contending that other forms of biometric data covered by the Illinois law -- like retinal scans and fingerprints -- were derived from information collected in person as opposed to photos.

Gottschall rejected Shutterfly's argument, writing that the company's interpretation of the law "would leave little room for the law to adapt and respond to technological development."

She added that despite Shutterfly's contentions, identifiers like fingerprints and retinal scans can originate with photographs. For instance, the judge wrote, hackers are able to recreate fingerprints by examining photos of them, according to a 2014 CNN report.

Shutterfly, which is headquartered in California, also argued that Illinois can't constitutionally regulate activity that takes place in other states. "On plaintiffs theory, if a Californian took a vacation in Miami, snapped a photo of a Florida resident, then uploaded the photo to Shutterfly during a layover at OHare on his way home, and Shutterfly then analyzed that photo from its California headquarters, Shutterfly would have to comply with this Illinois statute," the company wrote. "Illinois has no interest in regulating this set of facts."

Gottschall rejected that argument as well. "It is true that the statute requires Shutterfly to comply with certain regulations if it wishes to operate in Illinois. But that is very different from controlling Shutterfly's conduct in other states," she wrote.

Shutterfly was previously sued for allegedly violating the Illinois law. The company settled that case in March of 2016.

Shutterfly isn't the only company accused of unlawfully compiling faceprint databases. Facebook and Google are also battling lawsuits accusing them of violating the Illinois privacy law. Judges in those cases have so far rejected the companies' attempts to have the lawsuits dismissed.
Expanding its mobile payment horizons, Google is rolling out a new payments app in India.

Named Tez -- which translates to fast in Hindi, the app is being positioned as a simple and secure way to pay for things throughout the country.

Using a cash mode, the app lets users pay others without exchanging personal information, like bank account or phone numbers.

Cash mode was built using Googles proprietary AQR (Audio QR) technology, which is similar to QR codes but designed to be more secure. And unlike NFC, it works with most smartphones in India, whether they run Android or iOS.

Tez relies on users existing contact lists, which makes it easier to transact with friends and family.

advertisement advertisement

Additionally, ones transaction history with each person or business is grouped together like a conversation -- such as chat apps group messages together.

Tez relies on users existing contact lists, which makes it easier to transact with friends and family. Transaction histories are grouped together in a way that should be familiar to users of chat apps.

Google is also encouraging small businesses to use Tez to accept payments directly into their savings or individual current accounts, as well as offering a dedicated Tez for Business program.

Per the program, participating businesses can interact with customers in unique ways, including securely accepting UPI payments on their mobile websites with just a few taps.

Member merchants will also get their own Business Channel in the Tez app, so users can interact and transact with them without needing to install multiple apps. From their customized business channel, merchants will also be able to engage customers directly by sending smart reminders for recurring payment and sharing tailored offers.

Along with launch partners like PVR Cinemas and redBus, DishTV and Dominos are expected to join the program shortly.

India currently counts more than 300 million smartphone users, by Googles estimate.

Looking ahead, Google is expected to release the payment in additional emerging markets, including Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, September 19, 2017

Ad agencies expect Google to introduce new advertising standards and guidelines for running ads and ad extensions related to addiction treatment centers in Google search.

Google may require these brands to go through a verification process to ensure that only legitimate resources will reach those in need. While Google would not confirm the guidelines or provide a timeline for any changes, the company has been working with industry experts such as Facing Addiction to find a solution after hearing that patients are sometimes viewed in monetary terms, with their needs a lesser priority.

Last week, Google began pulling ads and restricting the use of some keywords in search advertisements in a crackdown on addiction treatment ads, citing the rise in the overuse of opioid-type drugs in the United States. The change will not affect organic search.

advertisement advertisement

For example, one of the most competitive terms would simply be "addiction treatment centers." Typically, searchers would see ads for this query because it is a highly searched term, and many businesses would be in the auction. Today, no related ads serve up in search results, whereas on Monday they still did.

We found a number of misleading experiences among rehabilitation treatment centers that led to our decision, in consultation with experts, to restrict ads in this category," according to a Google spokesperson. "We constantly review our policies to protect our users and provide good experiences for consumers."

Within the Google AdWords advertising policies, there is a lot of information on restrictions for healthcare and medicine, according to Tami McBrady, vice president of media at the digital agency Nina Hale. She believes these policies could serve as a framework for rehabilitation center advertising guidelines.

Reducing the immediate impact from the change, McBrady said Google suggested using keywords that are not related to treatments requiring the use of opioids or more generic in which these types of drugs could fall under. For example, a search for "addiction treatment centers" could misconstrue the intent for someone looking for a different type of treatment.

McBrady told Search Marketing Daily that Google is working on a solution, but put in place a "temporary stop gap" as they work through the changes to weed out "bad apples."

Nina Hale supports a long list of clients. Among them are the Hazelden BettyFord Foundation, United Healthcare, Land O'Lakes, Renewal by Andersen, YMCA, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN, and many others.

Over the years, Google has made changes to improve experiences in challenging categories. PayDay Loans and locksmiths are just two examples. For the locksmith category, Google created an advanced verification program to fight fraud. Google also banned ads for PayDay loans. Now the opioid crisis has Google addressing another battle in the $35 billion addiction treatment industry.
by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, September 19, 2017

MetLife has selected MediaCom, part of WPPs GroupM, as its new U.S. media agency, according to sources familiar with the development.

The selection came after a review that included multiple agencies. MediaCom sibling MEC (in the process of merging with Maxus and becoming Wavemaker) was the incumbent on the business, but did not defend. The agency held the consolidated U.S. account for about two years.

According to RECMA, the insurer spent approximately $57 million on ads in 2016, although its believed the firms ad expenditures are increasing to between $70 million and $75 million annually going forward.

For MediaCom, the win is just the latest new piece of business in whats turning out to be a very good year for the agency on the pitch front. Last week, agency tracker COMvergence reported the agency is top-ranked in net new business for the first half of the year.

advertisement advertisement

The new assignment will be handled out of MediaCom's New York office.

The review follows last years move by MetLife to implement a major brand overhaulthe first in about 30 years. As part of the rebranding effort, the company bid farewell to Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, which had been engrained in the firms branding since the 1980s.

The companys new tagline is MetLife. Navigating Life Together.

The first post-Snoopy campaign launched in December from creative shop Argonaut.

A MetLife rep could not be reached for comment at press time on the selection of MediaCom as its new U.S. media shop.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, September 19, 2017

Ad-tech company Turn is hoping to convince appellate judges to reconsider their recent decision reviving a privacy lawsuit centered on the company's alleged use of "supercookies."

Earlier this month, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit ruled that Turn, now owned by Amobee, was not entitled to have the lawsuit sent to arbitration. The decision reversed a ruling issued last year by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White in the Northern District of California.

The ruling stemmed from allegations that Turn tracked Verizon wireless users via "headers" -- 50-character alphanumeric strings -- that the carrier previously injected into all unencrypted mobile traffic. Those headers enabled ad companies to compile profiles of users and serve them targeted ads. The headers, also known as zombie cookies, or "supercookies," allow ad companies to recreate cookies that users delete.

advertisement advertisement

Turn, which recently settled Federal Trade Commission charges related to the headers, also was sued in federal court by Verizon customers Anthony Henson and William Cintron, who sought to bring a class-action.

The company argued that the matter should be sent to arbitration on the grounds that the consumers' allegations were closely connected to their agreements with Verizon. Those subscriber agreements call for arbitration of all disputes.

White agreed with Turn and sent the case to arbitration, ruling that questions raised by the matter "concern substantially interdependent and concerted conduct" between Turn and Verizon.

An appellate panel reversed that decision earlier this month, ruling that Turn wasn't entitled to benefit from Verizon's arbitration agreement with customers.

Late last week, Turn signaled that it will ask the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for a new hearing in the matter.

"The published opinion in this case presents important questions with far-reaching effect," attorney Michael Rubin wrote in papers seeking a two-week extension of the deadline to request a new hearing. "Due to the significance and potentially widespread impact of this case, the decision to petition for rehearing ... requires careful analysis and deliberation."

The appellate judges extended the deadline until October 3.

Turn is likely to face an uphill battle in convincing the judges to reconsider the case, says Internet legal expert Venkat Balasubramani. "Reconsideration is definitely the exception," he says. "You have to show that something really went wrong."
by Ray Schultz , September 19, 2017

Microsoft Outlook has returned to service after a day-long outage in parts of Europe, but some users apparently lost messages.

Everything is up and running, Microsoft reported today in the most recent update to its status page.

The problem, which began on Monday, affected Outlook accounts, which also include Hotmail and Windows Live Hotmail accounts.

Microsoft continues:

User Impact: Users located in Europe may have been unable to send or receive email messages.

More info: Additionally, users may have been unable to access their outlook.com email accounts. Users may have also observed that sent emails remained in the Drafts folder.

Final status: We've verified that new mails are being sent and received as expected, and the previous queue has returned to normal. A very small number of messages sent during the incident may be delivered over the next few hours as the last remaining messages are processed.

advertisement advertisement

Microsoft reported the start time as 7:20 a.m. UTC on Monday, and the end time at 1:25 a.m. on Tuesday.

The service interruption prompted thousands of social media complaints, The Evening Telegram reports. However, other accounts put the number in the hundreds.

Outlook message senders were informed on Tuesday that something went wrong and we havet been able to send your message yet, the Evening Telegram continues.

On Monday, a Microsoft spokesperson said: Intermittent connectivity is affecting customers in some European countries, which we are working to resolve as soon as possible, according to Express.

BBC adds that Microsoft was using an "alternate infrastructure" while service was being restored.
Breaking research finds that increased activity in a brain region responsible for reward-related functions reduces the risk of depression related to sleep problems. Share on Pinterest Sleep disturbance is a significant risk factor for depression. Major depression is responsible for almost 4 percent of the disease burden in the United States. In 2015, around 16 million U.S. adults aged 18 or older reported having had at least one major depressive episode in the previous year. Although there is a range of treatment options for people with depression, there is no cure and we still have much to learn. Because of this, research into the brain activity associated with depression is paramount. The precise causes of depression are not always clear, but certain factors are known to play a part: poor sleep, for instance, is a relatively common risk factor.

Sleep disturbance and depression Although insomnia and hypersomnia, or excessive sleepines, are both symptoms of depression, insomnia is more strongly associated with the severity, onset, and recurrence of depressive episodes. In fact, people without depression but with insomnia have twice the risk of developing depression when compared with those who sleep well. Along similar lines, research has also shown that in certain individuals, depressive symptoms improve if sleep issues are relieved. Over recent years, researchers studying depression have focused more and more attention on individual differences in brain function. In particular, a region called the ventral striatum has yielded interesting findings. This is an area of the brain involved in reward, motivation, and goal-directed behavior. Experiments have demonstrated that reduced reward-related ventral striatum activity is associated with depression . Also, deep brain stimulation of the ventral striatum has been shown to have an antidepressant effect in people with treatment-resistant depression. It seems that high levels of reward-related ventral striatum activity may buffer the individual against the effects of negative experiences, reducing the likelihood of developing depressive symptoms.

Ventral striatum and depression investigated A study published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience took a look at these theories in more depth and examined whether or not reward-related activity in the ventral striatum influenced the relationship between sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms. The research was headed up by Reut Avinun, Ph.D.  from Duke University in North Carolina  who recently spoke with Medical News Today. She explained that this research follows on from two other studies at their laboratory demonstrating how the same brain region could modulate the effect of stress on depression. [The studies] showed that individuals who experienced stress and had high reward-related activation in the ventral striatum were less likely to report on depressive symptoms. For their latest investigation, they enrolled 1,129 young adults drawn from the Duke Neurogenetics Study. Firstly, the participants completed a questionnaire about the quality of their sleep. In total, 35 percent of participants were characterized as poor sleepers. Next, they played a card-guessing game wherein they received positive and negative feedback designed to trigger the ventral striatum. As they played, the researchers collected functional MRI data. They found that individuals with higher reward-related ventral striatum activity were significantly less likely to report symptoms of depression when experiencing poor sleep quality. This result remained significant even after controlling for factors such as age, sex, race, early or recent life stress, and symptoms of anxiety. Dr. Avinun summarized the findings for MNT. In our study, we showed how the negative effects of poor sleep can also be modulated by [the ventral striatum], so that high reward-related activation can buffer the effect of poor sleep on depressive symptoms.
It is well known that looking after a seriously ill person is a stressful endeavor that increases the risk of anxiety and depression. However, is the same true for caregivers of terminally ill pets? Scientists investigate.

Share on Pinterest A new study confirms that pet owners looking after poorly animals are exposed to high levels of stress and exhibit symptoms of depression.

Caring for someone with a chronic or terminal illness is usually a very stressful task, whether you are a healthcare practitioner or a concerned relative, partner, or friend. This type of stress has a medical name,  caregiver burden , and it can expose the carer to depression, social isolation, and a poorer overall quality of life.

But although caregiver burden has previously been studied in humans looking after other humans, it has rarely  if ever  been addressed in the case of pet owners or veterinarians.

That being said, many pet owners think of their animal companions as legitimate family members, and previous studies have shown that veterinarians are exposed to the same high levels of stress that other healthcare professionals face.

Taking this into account, Dr. Mary Beth Spitznagel  in collaboration with colleagues from the Kent State University in Ohio  investigated the link between caregiver burden among owners of pets diagnosed with a chronic or terminal illness and the risk of anxiety and depression.

The researchers also reflected on the impact of caregiver burden among the vets who support both the animals and their humans through the experience of illness.

The results of the study were reported yesterday in Veterinary Record.
A new study suggests that common antidepressants may pose a serious risk to health; they drastically raise the risk of mortality. Share on Pinterest As many as 1 in 10 people in the United States take medication for depression. The use of antidepressants has soared in recent years. It is currently estimated that 1 in 10 people in the United States rely on antidepressants. Additionally, 1 in 4 women in their 40s and 50s are reported to take the drugs. The most common class of antidepressants are serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs work by blocking the reabsorption of the happiness neurotransmitter serotonin. People with depression have reduced levels of serotonin, so by blocking this reuptake, the drugs enable patients to make the best of what they have. But the long-term effects of these drugs are subject to controversy. This prompted a team of researchers  led by scientists from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada  to study the link between antidepressant use and mortality risk. As the authors of the new study write, antidepressants disrupt multiple adaptive processes regulated by evolutionarily ancient biochemicals, potentially increasing mortality. Such a biochemical is serotonin. The first author of the study  which is published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics  is Marta Maslej, from McMaster University, and the lead investigator is Paul Andrews, who is an associate professor at McMaster University.

Death risk raised by 33 percent Prof. Andrews and his team conducted a meta-analysis of existing research from various medical databases, looking for a link between mortality and antidepressant use. The analysis comprised 16 studies, summing up approximately 375,000 participants. The researchers pulled out data on cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular risk, and the class of antidepressants. They looked at SSRIs, tricyclic antidepressants , and others. They used a so-called mixed-effects model to conduct their meta-analysis, controlling for depression and other diseases. Maslej spoke to Medical News Today about the methodology, reassuring us of its strength. We made sure to only include studies that did a good enough job controlling for important variables (like depression and other illnesses), she said, and so we have attempted to statistically rule out other factors that could contribute to mortality. The analysis found that in the general population, those taking antidepressants had a 33 percent higher risk of dying prematurely than people who were not taking the drugs. Additionally, antidepressant users were 14 percent more likely to have an adverse cardiovascular event, such as a stroke or a heart attack. As Maslej explained to us, We also ensured that our findings werent related to confounding by indication. This means that people who have more severe depression could be more likely to take antidepressants, and if thats the case, we could not be sure whether the increase in risk of death is due to using antidepressants or having more severe depression. To address this issue, we re-ran our analysis on only the studies that assessed depression in participants before they began using antidepressants, Maslej explained. When we re-ran this analysis, the risk of mortality remained high which suggests that confounding by indication wasnt an issue in our study. No significant differences were noted between SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants, which are widely perceived as the first generation of antidepressants. The findings did not seem to suggest a negative effect of antidepressant medication on those with cardiometabolic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. This is consistent with the hypothesis that, due to their anticoagulant properties, antidepressants may be helpful for people with cardiovascular diseases but harmful to those who are healthy.
Iceberg Slim, born Olusegun Olowokere is a US-born and bred Nigerian rapper who has collaborated with the top names in both Nigerian and the US music scene.

He was recently courted by the media in both Nigeria and Ghana when the delectable Ghanaian actress, Juliet Ibrahim, revealed that it is the rapper that holds the key to her heart.

Though Iceberg hates to talk about his romance with Juliet Ibrahim, theres enough hint that he may be seriously in love with the Ghanaian mulatto.

Iceberg, however, has continued his musical journey by dropping a new single Oluwa, which he says its about him talking to God.

Meet the Iceman.

What are we expecting from your new song?

On my new song Oluwa, you should be expecting a side of Iceberg Slim that the world has probably never seen. Ive decided to showcase my versatility.

Why has it taken this long to drop it?

It took this long because I was going through a lot, mentally and emotionally. I took time off, to be with my family and loved ones, during our loss. In coming back to Nigeria, I needed to make sure that I was in the best state of mind, to release new music.

Is there going be something for your new love, Juliet Ibrahim, in the song?

The song is about me, speaking to God (Oluwa), pleading for his blessings and grace over myself and the people around me.

The genre of music you were exposed to at a tender age is totally different from what you do at the moment: Why is that?

I was exposed to a lot of Sunny Ade, Fela, Obesere and the likes, but growing up in New York City, I couldnt speak Yoruba. I appreciated the instrumentation and melodies simply for what it was, great music.

I played the drums and the keyboard in church, and it was the things that I learned from those songs that I replicated. I also sang in the choir, and Id often use the harmonies/melodies that I heard from those artistes.

Why is it that international artistes have a huge influence on most Nigerian artistes than our African legends?

International artists have a huge influence on most Nigerian artists because most yearn to reach those heights, or level of success, so to speak. Many of our artists want to be known and accepted beyond the walls of Africa, which creates this telescopic mindset that Whatever theyre doing over there, let me replicate it. Be it the dressing, slang, hair, jewelry etc simply put, their eyes are on a bigger market.

How were you able to clinch collaboration with the likes of Ja Rule, 2face, Tiwa Savage, the late Dagrin, Vector, Eldee, Banky W, MI, Ice Prince etc?

I was able to clinch such collaborations simply by the grace of God. Ive never had to beg or pay for a collaboration, and I believe its because everyone that Ive ever worked with has had this mutual respect for my art and talent. Ive been privileged to connect with these people, both personally and musically.

You seem to be well connected internationally, why are you yet to be popular among music lovers in Nigeria?

I think this is because my past, lack of consistency. Its easy to get peoples attention, but its hard to keep it. Once the spotlight is on me, and people are awaiting whats next, thats when Id usually just disappear. If you dont hear from or about Iceberg Slim, youll forget about him. Perhaps that may be the reason. But this time around, Im here to stay.

Rumour has it that you are exploiting Juliet Ibrahims fame to rise to stardom. How true is this?

Rumour has it? Ive never heard such, and besides, there will always be rumours when youre in any form of spotlight. Id never exploit anyone, for any type of gain. That would be extremely selfish and immoral. Such behavior goes against my code of ethics.

Critics consider your accusation that Phyno and Peter of P-Square copied the hairstyle you introduced to Nigeria as a publicity stunt. Is this true?

The statement was taken out of context, hence why some would see it as such. I was simply making a reference to the Mohawk hairstyle that became my signature in Nigeria, and then I saw some artists later replicating it. I wasnt condemning them, nor was I looking for attention. If they were both unknown artists, my point wouldnt have been misinterpreted, my words wouldve been understood in the simplest format.

If you werent an entertainer, what would you possibly be doing?

If I wasnt an entertainer, Id probably be an FBI agent. Growing up, I always took a liking to law enforcement, from solving crimes to bringing people to justice, I admired it all. I went to school to study Criminal Justice.

What was it like when you lost your mom?

Words cant describe the feeling. Its like literally losing a part of your body, you can never be the same or whole again. The day that I recorded Oluwa was the last day that I had spoken to her, before she passed away.

She had always encouraged me to make songs embracing my faith and background, from the church. When I spoke to her that day, she even assisted with the pronunciation of some of the Yoruba words that I used. I made that song to make her proud. However, God called her home a few days later, and she never got to hear the finished song.

Do you feel comfortable with where you are in the Nigerian music industry?

Im not comfortable with where I am in the Nigerian music industry, but I am content because I know God has a bigger and better plan. Im working on Gods time, not mans.

Why didnt you practice criminal justice since that was the first thing you studied?

I didnt practice Criminal Justice because I had a huge battle within myself. The tussle was between Goals vs DreamsCareer vs Passion. After two years, I left the University where I was studying Criminal Justice, to enroll myself in a music school, to study Audio Engineering and Production. It was definitely a tough decision.

How would you describe yourself: a lover, a romantic, a fighter, or what?

Id probably say Im all of the above, because I can romantically fight for love.

What do you look out for in your women?

Ive found what Ive been looking for, in the woman that I have. The three CsCharacter, Charm, and Charisma.
Calvis Hammond, a familiar name in the contemporary gospel music landscape in Ghana, has released his second single Ma Jie Oyi to wit I Will Praise You.

The single was released on ITunes and all the major digital stores worldwide on 8th September, and will be outdoored in a live performance at his Calvis Hammond Live in Concert event which is slated for the 22nd of September, 2017, at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel.

The song serves as a precursor for his album project which will also be launched at his concert.

According to Calvis Hammond, The time was right to produce an album. God has been so good to me, giving me testimonies after testimonies. What is the better way to express my gratitude than in a song, and it just seemed fitting to start with one that speaks of his overwhelming faithfulness.

In contemplation of this faithfulness of God to him over the past years Calvis Hammond sings:

When I look back at where

Lord you picked me from

And where you have brought me now

Its not been by my strength

So I wont boast

Shi Nunts o dromo kk (But God, its been your grace)

Indeed, the song is a praise report from Calvis Hammond, it is his story and testimony, which he sums up by simply saying

For being my God

For being so good

Ma jie oyi (I will praise you)

Ma Jie Oyi was composed by Eugene Zuta and co-written by Eugene Zuta and Calvis Hammond.

It is written in a mix of English and his native language Ga. It features Calvin CRod Rodgers (who also plays for his mentor, the multi-award-winning International Gospel artiste, Fred Hammond) on drums.

It was recorded, arranged and Produced by the celebrated Gospel Music Artiste, Kofi Dua-Anto (KODA), under the record label Hammony.

Get Ma Jie Oyi and other Calvis songs on iTunes.
While it is obvious that Afia Schwarzenegger has received a lot of backlash from a rather large section of the public, some people are also sympathizing with her on her recent marriage brouhaha involving an alleged infidelity.

The latest to add his voice to the saga which is almost dying down now is Ghanaian actor Chris Attoh who has called for Ghanaians to go of the issue.

News broke recently that the actress was caught in bed with another man barely nine months into her marriage.

Commenting on this issue last Friday on the After Hours show on Tv3, Chris Attoh argued that Afia Schwarzeneggers issue is a personal matter and should be treated as such, despite advising couples against adultery.

He told host Mikki Osei Berko: The important thing is when it comes to marriage and relationships people need to also realize that this is a space to respect and whatever Afia was going through is her personal matter.

I think people should leave it alone. Marriage is a serious business, one way or the other, whatever people see and enjoy in the video, I think they should learn from it that adultery is not something that should be encouraged. I wish Afia all my love.

Chris Attoh also advised Ghanaians to focus more on positive news.

Afia is someone who is a media personality and the media is a powerful force. This might be her today but tomorrow might be a different person. Audiences need to look out for more positive stuff, the actor urged.

Chris Attoh has recently launched a new project called Iflix, an online platform which gives people access to movies and series from across the world.
A selected team from Zylofon Media who attended the just ended Ghana Music Awards UK 2017 met the management of Reggie and Bollie including the artistes in what can be described as a ground breaking meeting.

Among some of the issues discussed were a forum to educate Ghanaian musicians about some of the benefits of music distribution, how to get international agents for the promotion of their works and ultimately a possible business collaboration between the record labels Zylofon Music and F.R.O.D Music.

The forum which will be held in Ghana for music stakeholders and musicians will be hosted by Zylofon Media with Reggie and Bollie as the resource people. Reggie and Bollie commended Ghanaian musicians for the recognition of their products and added that Zylofon Media artistes including Joyce Blessing, Kumi Guitar, Obibini, Becca and Stonebwoy have the potential to break through the music industry worldwide because of their talent.

Highlife artistes Kumi Guitar and Obibini were present along side their communications head Samuel Atuobi Baah aka Sammy Flex, Isaac Aidoo aka GhKwaku and Enoch Atakorah. F.R.O.D Music was also represented by Reggie and Bollie alongside their management members Paul Akwaboah and Mark Darlington.
African art was literally brought to life when several seemingly normal artworks lining the entrance of the Absa Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa came alive with subtle human movement as guests entered the venue at this years prestigious LAtelier art awards by Barclays Africa and SANAVA. The ceremony that followed reflected the idea of giving art a platform to thrive, as the 2017 LAtelier winners were announced. Maral Bolouri of Kenya took top honours and was awarded the main prize, and Banele Khoza of South Africa walked away with the Gerard Sekoto Award.

The LAtelier awards entered their 32nd year in 2017, marking another fruitful year of collaboration between sponsors Barclays and South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA).

Maral Bolouri, a previous 2015 LAtelier Top 100 finalist, won the overall award for her installation Mothers and Others, a multi-sensory, interactive installation that investigates representations of women in African oral traditions. It explores the power of proverbs by juxtaposing negative and positive depictions of women in cultural truisms.

Banele Khoza has also been a Top 100 finalist in two previous LAtelier competitions, in 2015 and 2016, and this year was awarded the Gerard Sekoto Award. The Gerard Sekoto Award is awarded to a South African artist who has demonstrated continual improvement in the quality of their entry year-on-year in the LAtelier. He won the award for his piece Note Making, which comprises a series of digital drawings printed with an inkjet printer. Through the pieces, Khoza questions representations of what it is to be a male in South Africa and within the broader social context.

Priscilla Kennedy of Ghana picked up the first Merit Award for her piece Untitled 2016, which takes a jab at the social stereotype that women are tools of seduction.

Kennedy is presently studying towards a BA (FA) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Since 2015 she has participated in several group exhibitions in Ghana.

Description of Artwork:

This body of work depicts an embroidered female figure in pink underwear on a forest green keffiyeh (scarf), trying to hold both hands at her back  this may seem impossible but she still tries. This takes a jab at the social stereotype that women are tools of seduction. There is this kind of sacredness that the piece may seem to profane but its not only the profanity that the work portrays but also the sacredness of this particular headdress. With the kind of iconography and paradox that comes into the work, its literally giving women visibility through both the works medium and its artistic technique, considering the contradictive nature of both materials. This work of art renders a two-dimensional view; the front which may be perceived as accomplished and the back that looks loose.

https://youtu.be/hR1gNMzFcO8

South African Wilhelmina Nell was awarded the second Merit Award for her piece No Evidence of a Struggle. This bronze, wax paper and woodwork of a lunchbox with uneaten sandwich crusts represent the artists interpretation of sloth; the mark of a person unwilling to be proactive in their own personal success.

Compatriot Manyatsa Monyamane scooped the third Merit Award for her photographic work Koko Meikie, which attempts to capture the timeless beauty and style of the South African youth of the 70s, and illustrate how these people define themselves today, 50 years later.

Aside from these five artists, the Top 10 finalists in this years LAtelier included Bright Ackwerh (Ghana, Selfication); Ciara Struwig (South Africa, Evidence); Dale Lawrence (South Africa, Making Work); Elias Njora (Kenya, Foot Print 4); and Oliver Mayhew

The LAtelier awards were once again open to young and emerging artists from 10 African countries, namely South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mauritius, Seychelles and Mozambique.

Dr Paul Bayliss, Absa Art and Museum Curator, says the response from artists in these countries was very positive, demonstrating that up-and-coming African artists realise the value LAtelier adds to their careers.

Its so encouraging to see Africas young artists making the most of the opportunities that are being created to support and help grow their careers. Its important not only that artists take advantage of these opportunities, but that they put their best works forward when doing it. Im proud to say that this years participants didnt disappoint, and we were treated to exceptional quality works. This bodes well for the future of contemporary African visual art, says Bayliss.

LAtelier aims to help further winners careers by providing them with unparalleled industry opportunities. For the main and Gerard Sekoto award winners this includes a six-month and three-month art residency respectively at the Cite internationale des arts in Paris. The Gerard Sekoto Award is made possible through a partnership between Barclays, SANAVA, the Alliance Francaise of Southern Africa, the Institut Francais Afrique du Sud and the French Embassy in South Africa.

Similarly, the first Merit Award prize comprises a three-month art residency at the Bag Factory in South Africa; the second Merit Award, a two-month art residency at the Sylt Foundation, on the island of Sylt in Germany, and the third Merit Award, a one-month art residency with the Ampersand Foundation in New York, USA.

Among the Top 10 finalists in this years LAtelier also included another Ghanaian Bright Ackwerh. All Top 10 finalists are also placed on a two-day art professionalism course to assist them in managing their careers.

Professional and self-taught young, emerging artists from these same 10 countries will once again be invited to maximise these valuable opportunities in the 2018 edition of the LAtelier competition, which will continue tonights creative idea under the overarching theme Give art life. Entries open in February 2018.

Members of the public can view the Top 100 best artworks from the 2017 Absa LAtelier at the official LAtelier exhibition, running from 14 September 2017 to 27 October 2017 at the Absa Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

American-based-Liberian artiste and SNG record signee, Yung Muse, collaborates with Keche on his new single "Bantam Weight " everyone seems to be jumping on the use of Ghanaian jargons lately.

We've had musicians from neighbouring countries talk about waakye, ohemaa, Nana etc in their songs. Yung Muse seems to be the latest to jump onboard with his new single "Bantam weight"s featuring Keche.

As the title suggests the song talks about beauty and endowment of African women. Keche who are also very popular in Liberia and other African countries per the usual did not disappoint on the song by adding some more Ghanaian flavour and feel to it.

Video shot in Lagos Nigeria and directed by ruff-ikonz, Bantam Weight is one of those videos that has West Africa well represented with some cool beach shots.

Audio was produced by Ghanaian sound producer Drumnation.

SNG - Sounds of New Age is a Record label based in America.

Check the video below

Youtube Link:

Yung Muse ft Keche Bantam Weight Official Video


19.09.2017 LISTEN

Abdul Razak Amissah, manager of Ghanaian Comedian, actor and now musician Kwadwo Nkansah also known in showbiz circle as Lilwin, has rubbished claims that Lilwin tried to buy Patapaaa Amistys currently trending one corner track.

Abdul Razak who is simply known as Zak, in an interview with Showbiz Network on September 17, 2017 explained that there is no iota of truth in whatever rumours was making the rounds.

According to him, he first spoke to Patapaa on One Nana Yaw of Multimedia Ghana who is a friend of his phone following a discussion they had about the boys One Corner track during their media tour in Accra to premiere and promote the video for lil wins new single, Nyame Gye me.

Lil win travelled to the U.S.A for a program. When he came back, we picked him from the airport. Myself, Top kay, our two bloggers and our team, we all went and the next day, we were going to premiere our new video for the song Nyame gye me.

In the morning, we went to Tv3 to do the first premiere; the second one was on Multimedia, Adom. When we went to multimedia, it was Nana Yaas show. That was when Lil Win started saying One Corner, Two Corner.

I quite remember, Nana Yaa asked Lil Win: is this your new term or what? And he replied that it is a song oo. After that, we went to countryman Songos program and he (Lil Win) said that, Nana Yaw is a brother, a friend, a very good brother of ours. Nana Yaw came to us and he was like Awww, thank you. Thank you, Zak. Thank you, Kwadwo for mentioning the song on air for us because so far as you mentioned the song, it will surely go far. But I know the boy, he is my boy.

So what I want you guys to do is for you to help me promote the boy because he is an up and coming artiste and he has really struggled a lot in life so this is his opportunity. So Lil Win, I am pleading with you to help the boy to come out very big. And Nana Yaw pleaded on behalf of the boy. And Lil Win asked: you know the boy? and he said yes, I know him. And Lil Win said, No problem. Because of you, let him come so that we do it together. We left that day, we did our promotions and we came back to Kumasi, he narrated.

Nana Yaw called me later and said Oh Zak, the Patapaa boy, I called him and told him about what we discussed and about the collaboration. And I said oh, so where is he? Then he said he was there with him so I can even talk to him.

So, Patapaa took Nana Yaws phone and the first thing he said was Wob3 ti and I said One corner. He greeted and I responded. Then he said he had heard my name several times but has never met me so he was very happy when his boss called him and asked him to come, he was so happy and thats why he came to his (Nana Yaws) house. God bless you.

I cant wait for Lil Win and Patapaa on one corner. It would be a massive hit. Lil Win is my mentor, I am his diehard fan, he said and I said oh okay, dont worry, we shall see you soon. That was our conversation.

The following two days, Nana Yaw called me again and he was like the boy is pressuring him for my number and that the boy gave him pressure to give him Lil Wins number. But he told him that if he calls Lil Win with a strange number, he wouldnt pick. But somehow, he did he give him Lil Wins number.

The boy said he called him severally but he didnt answer. So he (Nana Yaw) gave him (Patapaa) my number and so I should also take his number so that when he calls, I would know that it is him. I said Nana, because it is from you, that is okay with me.

So I was driving to a studio on the next Saturday when I got a call and it was Patapaa on the line. I called him back and after greeting, I asked him that who produced the track? And he said it is one of his friends. So I told him to get the data from the studio and come to Kumasi because Lil Win would only be working on Tuesday. So he should come because Lil Win said after doing the song, he would shoot the video for him. Then the boy said he would go to the studio instantly. That was the last time I heard from him till Sunday. Even on Sunday, it was after Lil Win asked of his whereabouts that I called him and he told me the producer wasnt around and he (Patapaa) also went for a program so he would get back to him. I then told him to feel free and come so he would sleep in Lil Wins house and have one-on-one with him. That was the last time I had a chat with him. Zak continued.

According to Zak, he called Patapaas manager who is only named as Godfred, a sales person at multimedia. He said during the call, there were controversies regarding the mode of the collaboration. Patapaas manager was not comfortable with the proposal that the collaboration be made either Patapaa X Lil win or Lil win X Patapaa. He wanted it to be a feature, thats Patapaa featuring Lil win. As such, he (Zak) told Godfred that he would have to discuss with his team to find out if that would be okay before he gives him feedback. He was therefore surprised to hear the news that his artiste wanted to buy the song.

According to the manager, it is as if Kwadwo wants to take the song from the boy. And I said no. It is not possible because the song is out there already and other people are also doing remixes of it. How can Kwadwo take it from him? Moreover too, that song is originated by somebody. And I know the originator is a northerner. He took the beat from the original and added his words. The only thing is that his is making the Waves now. And that is because the original song is in one of those northern languages. And even, Lil win mentioned it during Nana Yaas show. Many people watched that and there were people in the studio too. So how can he take the song? An angry Abdul Razak Amissah fumed.

On the other hand, Nana Yaw confirmed on a similar interview earlier that he had met Patapaa during a program at Swedru where he performed his One Corner song.

According to him, he took interest in the song, edited a portion of it and posted it on Facebook. Haven done that, he caught the attentions of Dr.Pounds and Dj Wobete who promised to help promote the song.

He therefore deemed it a big opportunity when he saw Lil Win speak about the song on the show. That was how come he linked Patapaa up with Lil Win to help him up the ladder. He explained that he was completely devastated by the news, knowing that he was the one who introduced the guy to Lil Win and Zak.

When asked if this would affect any future request from anyone for him to help an artist, Zak said it would need serious thinking.

However, the songwriter, producer and artist manager said he had dropped earlier plans of taking legal actions against the One Corner King following several calls and pleas from friends and families asking him to do so. He has however indicated that his relationship with Nana Yaw could not be jeopardized by the current events and that they are still cool.

On new projects, Zak hinted of his new song which he would produce and release soon as well as some other projects with some top Ghanaian musicians such as Kofi Kinataa and Ghanas enviably most decorated rapper, Sarkodie.

All ttempts to reach Patapaa for his side proved futile.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

Plastic waste is well known to have devastating effect on the environment: humans, wildlife and wildlife habitat.

Rufai Zakari, an environmental artist seeks to help solve the plastic waste menace in Ghana by using discarded bottles to create pieces of artwork.

Out of his many works with plastic waste, he has to his credit a flower mask made from plastic bottles to beautify homes while solving our environmental challenges.

The flower mask is a a type of flower vase made primarily from discarded plastic boltless in a face mask design, and could be use to decorate homes.

The inspiration behind the flower mask, according to Zakari, is to bring nature closer to people but in a creative way.

It is very important that plants are closer to us because its good for human health, Zakari explained.

He chose to use discarded plastic bottles for his work because plastics endangers human life and failure to deal with the menace may cost precious lives.

He further noted that, it is important to recycle plastic for other purposes since its life span does not end with only one use.

For him, protecting nature is always a priority. However, polluting the environment is the biggest crisis we dont know.

Zakari started working with discarded plastic bottles about three and half years ago from his studio in Nima, Accra.

So if you are thinking of transforming your home, you can get yourself these unique flower vases and save the environment at the same time.
Mr. Anthony KwakuAmoah, a Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has urged managers of private schools to be moderate in the fees that they collect from parents as they work to improve the quality of their structures and instructional logistics.

Speaking during the donation of some supplementary books to Apex College, a private senior high school at Odorkor in Accra, Mr. Anthony Amoah said there was the need for private schools to strengthen their administrative structures and to be moderate in the fees that they collect from parents and guardians for the educational services that they give to students.

You are not doing badly as a school. But make sure you improve your management skills and avoid the temptation to collect exorbitant fees from parents. Organisein-service training programmesfor the teachers and try to support them to upgrade their competencies. The GES is ever prepared to support this school to deliver good-quality education to students but make sure you do what is right at all times; no need to promise students of leaked questions for final examinations when, in fact, there is nothing like that. It does not only affect the concentration of students on their books negatively but it also teaches them to be law-breakers, he said.

Mr. Michael Akyen, an administrator of the school, who received the books on behalf of the director of the school, Mr. David OdarquayeAlema, thanked the public relations officers for the gesture and assured that they would be used for the purpose for which they have been given.

At Saint James College Complex, a private basic school, at Gefia near Akatsi in the Volta Region, where some 45 supplementary books were donated, Mr. Anthony Amoah implored the school authorities to seek technical support from the GES whenever they need them.

Make sure you contact the district education office for any technical support that you need so as to run this school well. Government and the GES shall continue to engage with you and to support you so that you can help produce more professionals for our country, he stated.

Reverend James Ahiago, the Director of the school, expressed his gratitude for the donation and said, On behalf of myself and the school, I thank you seriously for your donation. May the good Lord bless you and we promise to ensure that the pupils use them for their benefit.
Tunis (AFP) - Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar visited neighbouring Tunisia on Monday for talks with President Beji Caid Essebsi, who offered to act as a mediator between rival Libyan factions.

Libya, which plunged into chaos after the ouster and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, has two rival governments and parliaments, as well as several militia groups battling to control its oil wealth.

"The stability of Libya is a necessary condition for the stability of Tunisia," Essebsi said, calling on Libyans to "overcome their differences" and "to work to build a state".

In a statement, he said Tunisia did not want to "interfere in Libya's internal affairs" but rather to "facilitate dialogue between the different components of the Libyan people".

Libya's Government of National Unity, based in the capital Tripoli, is backed by the United Nations but has struggled to assert its influence across the country.

The head of a rival government, backed by Haftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army which controls much of the country's east and south, on Sunday urged the international community to recognise his administration.

Essebsi's office said on Monday Haftar had expressed his "gratitude to the Tunisian president for his continuing efforts to reach a settlement".

Tunisia has been impacted by lawlessness in Libya which meant jihadist organisations including the Islamic State group were able to operate.

A series of jihadist attacks have hit Tunisian tourist sites and security forces since a 2011 revolution that toppled long-time dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and triggered the Arab Spring uprisings.

In 2011, several hundred thousand people fled Libya into Tunisia as the uprising against Kadhafi gained momentum.
President Akufo Addo is preparing for his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly meeting on Thursday.

He said he will take the opportunity to highlight some of the major challenges impeding the development of Africa, and make suggestions on how they could be addressed, adding that a lot needs to be done to make the world a better place.

''I am preparing very well for Thursday, and l will use the opportunity for talk about the problems of Africa and how we can solve them, Akufo-Addo said.

President Akufo Addo was speaking at the International Conference on the Sustainable Development Goals at the Colombia University in New York.

He will on Thursday give his maiden speech as President of the Ghana at the 72nd UN General Assembly meeting. The President said African leaders must do all they can to accelerate development in their respective countries.

Africa must be efficient and effective not only in mobilizing resources, but also looking beyond the benevolence of others to finance implementation of the SDGs agenda.

He added that he will use the occasion to tell the world why Africa must not rely on aid to develop.

We are a continent reliant on foreign aid, despite economic growth in parts of Africa significantly outpacing the global average. Truth be told, the full implementation of the SDGs in Africa cannot be done with a mindset of dependence.

The President stated that, the priority of African countries to this end, must be to change the structures of the economies on the continent, which are dependent largely on the production and export of raw materials, adding that it is this reliance on raw material exports that feeds our dependence on foreign aid, and subjects us to the politics of the West.
18.09.2017 LISTEN

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has suspended its largely ineffective strike after less than 12 hours, following the intervention of Vice Chancellors Ghana (VCG).

The strike was in protest of the court ruling which directed the Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), to step aside temporarily.

It was solidarity with some members of UTAG-UEW, who had already laid down their tools since July 2017.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of UTAG, asked the UTAG-UEW to continue with the strike action embarked upon in July 2017, and directed all members in public Universities throughout the country to withdraw their teaching services beginning Monday, September 18.

But after a closed-door meeting with Vice Chancellors Ghana (VCG), the National President of UTAG, Dr. Harry Agbanu, said the suspension of the strike was to allow the VCG a two-week period to intervene in the matter.

Speaking to the media, Dr. Agbanu said, they [VCG] have appealed to us to suspend the action as they take some steps to resolve the issue, so we have also agreed with them, that we will suspend our action and give them time to make efforts to resolve the problem.

 if there is no success in terms of the restoration of the issue, then we know the next step to take so when we come out fully. You people will understand that we have done all we could to be able to resolve this issue. So the position is that, we are going back to our classrooms from tomorrow [Tuesday], pending the outcome of the steps the VCG wants to take to resolve the issue.

Response to ineffective strike

Citi News checks at some of Ghanas major public universities showed that lectures had gone on as normal, despite the call for the strike.

Citi News can confirm that many UTAG members across the country are divided over the decision to strike, particularly because the matter they are striking over is a subject that is being tackled in the court of law.

But Dr. Agbanu said today [Monday], was the first day of the strike, and obviously, some members probably did not even hear the fact that we were going on strike.

Normally, strikes begin this way and gather momentum. So today being the first day, it is expected that those who didnt know would go to the classroom, he added.

Background to UEW litigation

A Winneba High Court in July ordered the Vice Chancellor of UEW, Professor Mawutor Avokeh, to step aside until a case brought against him and the University's Governing Council is determined.

The order also affected the institution's Finance Officer.

The order was made in a case brought before the court by Supi Kofi Kwayera who insisted that the Vice Chancellor and the Finance Officer were operating under the institution's defunct governing council.

The plaintiff held that the University's Council's mandate had expired in November 2013, but the Education Ministry failed to constitute a new Governing Council for the university, and rather allowed and permitted the defunct Governing Council which had no mandate whatsoever to continue the functions of a properly constituted Governing Council as if same had been properly constituted.

This, Mr. Kwayera insisted was unlawful, and hence his legal action against the University of Education, Winneba.

The order from the court was described as an attack on academic freedom, hence its agitation.
Members of a pressure group known as the Freedom and Justice Group, have embarked on a demonstration at Obra spot in Ghanas capital Accra, over what they describe as the persecution of Muslim Minority Rohingya population in Myanmar.

They have accused world leaders of turning a blind eye to the happenings in Myanmar hence their action.

The group during the protest presented a petition to the Israeli Embassy in Ghana.

Myanmar is currently in the midst of a brutal crackdown against its Muslim minority Rohingya population, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.

Speaking to Citi News, a leader of the group, Ras Mubarak, whos also a Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, said an immediate action must be taken by world leaders to end the attack.

..We are here at the Obra Spot in Circle to begin a procession to Accra which is the Art centre where some of us will leave and go to the Isreali Embassy to deliver a petition. We are requesting for the Isreali Embassy to stop the sale of arms to the army in Myanmar. As you may be aware, there are a group of countries who as of last year were selling arms to Myanmar, and the reason we are doing this is because of past history. We have the history of Holocaust, we have the Rwandan situation and the Sierra Leonean situation, and if we do not speak out against such atrocities in the world, we all become complicit in the crimes that are being perpetuated by the people who have the power to perpetuate crime.

The demonstration came off, despite a call from the Accra Regional Police Command to call off the protest.

The group notified the Police about its demonstration [which will be staged in Ghana] against the state of Israel, following alleged reports of the sale of arms to the Myanmar government.

Rohingyas have been fleeing attacks in Western Myanmar, specifically Rakhine state, which began on August 25, 2017. The incident led to insurgents attacking Police posts and an army camp which killed about twelve persons in the process.

The military has been accused of burning Rohingya villages, but the army has explained that it is only responding to attacks by militants and not targeting civilians.
The Government of Ghana is in talks with the leadership of Togo over the current crisis in that country.

This is according to a deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Charles Owiredu who says the process has been ongoing for some time now.

What is happening to Togo is of concern for everyone in Africa especially for us in Ghana, we are neighbours and have families in both countries. If anything should happen there, the effect will be seen here. At the top level, there are discussions to normalize the situation in that country.

Togo has been in the news in the last few weeks following series of protests from anti-Gnassingbe supporters.

The protestors want amongst other things a return to constitutional term limits for the Presidency and also an end of the Gnassingbe dynasty.

Some of the protests have resulted in serious clashes leaving some protestors injured.

But the deputy foreign affairs minister said the government will not immediately make public its specific actions in helping to resolve the situation but talks were on-going at all levels to ensure that peace is restored to Togo.

Faure Gnassingbe has been President of Togo for 12 years.

Prior to his election as president, he was appointed by his father, President Gnassingbe Eyadema, as Minister of Equipment, Mines, Posts, and Telecommunications, serving from 2003 to 2005.

Following Eyadema's death in 2005, Gnassingbe was installed as President with support from the army. Doubts regarding the constitutional legitimacy of the succession led to heavy regional pressure being placed on Gnassingbe, and he subsequently resigned on 25 February.

He then won a controversial presidential election on 24 April 2005, and was sworn in as President. Gnassingbe was re-elected for a second term in 2010.

In the April 2015 presidential election, Gnassingbe won a third term, defeating his main challenger, Jean-Pierre Fabre, by a margin of about 59% to 35%, according to official results.
The Third World Network Executive Director has accused government of attempting to rewrite Ghana's history with a proposal to make August 4, the nation's Founders' Day.

Dr Yao Graham said founders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) did not achieve anything substantial to warrant a holiday in their honour.

He told Emefa Apawu on Joy FM's Top Story Monday, the Aborigines Rights Protection Society (ARPS) achieved the aim for which it was created but it cannot neccessarily be said to be an agitation against colonialism.

The Society was formed on August 4, 1897 to protect the land rights of indegenes from activities of the British colonial authority.

Dr Graham said Ghanaians can celebrate the achievements of the ARPS but cannot say same for the UGCC.

"What did the UGCC achieve?" he asked, adding the first party to be formed in the country "disappeared" after its defeat in the 1951 election.

Dr Graham was reacting to the decision by government to make a legislative proposal to Parliament, declaring August 4, Ghana's Founders' Day.

A Flagstaff House communication said the September 21 currently marked as Founders Day would be made Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day if Parliament endorses the plan.

Although he said he has no qualms with the Founders' Day proposal, Dr Graham said that day should rather be dedicated to the masses who contributed towards independence and not the leaders of the UGCC.

He said anything less than this will be an attempt to "call back the loss" of the UGCC.

But Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid has explained the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has no interest in distorting Ghana's history.

"It is not possible for one person to rewrite the history of Ghana," he said, adding the President wants to set the record straight.

When he was asked why the president has chosen this time to attempt to correct what he claims to be a distortion, Mr Hamid said "the Presidency is the ultimate execution platform" and President Akufo-Addo can only take a decision to correct any distortion only when he is president.

He justified the decision to settle on August 4, saying it is the gathering of the UGCC founders, and other political stakeholders that triggered the independence march.

"That day is loaded with the memory of the individuals who sacrificed their all," he said.
The president of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) is under fire for declaring a strike in protest over a court ruling against the University of Education Winneba.

Angry university lecturers, who have scorned and defied the order for a strike have now turned the gun on their president Dr Harry Agbenu and the National Executives and are demanding an apology for declaring an illegal strike.

Former UTAG President and Lecturer at the Cape Coast University, Dr Emmanuel Abole told Joy News Emefa Apawu the national UTAG executives have turned university lecturers into a laughing stock and they must apologise for same.

He said the National Executives did not follow the procedures before declaring the national strike.

The strike called by UTAG was to protest what it says is an attack on academic freedom by a court.

A Winneba High Court had early this year, instructed the Vice Chancellor of the University of Education Winneba, Prof Mawutor Avorkeh, to step aside until a case brought against him and the University Council had been determined.

The ruling did not go down well with the Harry Agbenu led UTAG, who then declared a strike, an action which appears to have backfired.

Checks by Joy News reporters across the various campuses show that teaching and learning are going on smoothly without hitches.

Former UTAG president Dr Emmanuel Abole said the order for the strike was defied because it lacked consultation, and legitimacy.

According to him, before the National Executives will declare a strike on any matter, they would first have to consult the various campuses who will then discuss the issue thoroughly, vote on it and communicate their position to the National Executives.

According to him, in discussing the matter, they must be satisfied that the issue on board will not make the lecturers a subject of public ridicule and that by proceeding on a strike action they will be respecting the laws of the land.

He said if a decision is taken at the campus level, that decision will be communicated to the national executives after which a unanimous or majority decision will be taken before a strike is declared.

Dr Abole said nothing of that sort was done.

Per the process in declaring a strike, due process was not followed, he said, adding, We are demanding an apology because he failed to respect us.

Contempt

The lawyer who is championing the case against the UEW, the case which triggered this whole controversy has condemned the action by the UTAG national executives.

Afenyo Markin says while he respects the rights of every Ghanaian to embark on a strike, that action cannot be hinged on a legitimate ruling by a court.

He is convinced what the University lecturers are doing at the national smacks of contempt and reminded them of the infamous Montie 3 scandal in which three loyalists of the then governing National Democratic Congress were jailed for criminal contempt after they threatened to kill judges and rape the Chief Justice.

Alexander Afenyo-Markin said an uneducated person can be excused for not disrespecting a court order but not a university lecturer.

He added the intelligentsia must not be seen to be usurping the powers and authority of the court and described the action by the UTAG national Executives as disturbing.

They should know better with the greatest of respects, he added.

Quoting the president, Afenyo Markin said court decisions are not always pleasant but they are the surest ways to resolving grievances.
The Managing Director of the New Times Corporation publisher of the Ghanaian Times and Spectator newspapers says protesting workers must resort to laid down procedures in communicating their grievances.

According to Carol Annang, it is important that the company does not wash its dirty linen in public because when we have not been able to exhaust the processes it is a bit inopportune to put them out there to the public.

She told Emefa Apawu on Joy FM's Newsnite programme that she has been in meetings out of the office all day because the protesting workers prevented her from entering her office in the morning.

The staff on Monday locked out their Managing Director, Carol Annang, demanding her immediate removal from the company.

They also accused management of failing to pay their provident fund for more than five years.

Chairman of the workers union, Diana Busoh told Joy News Emefa Dzradosi in an interview that they will no longer allow the inefficiencies to continue.

All promises from management has been empty for years now and so at this moment, we see it necessary to come out. We have been quiet for a long time and it is the time for us to let the whole country and the world to know that things are not working well at New Times Corporation, she said.

The workers who have the backing of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) have threatened to lock Madam Annang out of her office on Tuesday.

Related: ICU backs Times staff protest against MD

But the Managing Director says she is not worried about the right of workers to hold a grievance. What is worried about is the procedure thay have chosen to communicate the grievance.

Nobody has a problem with anybody who has a grievance to air. But in every institution, you have procedures and processes for addressing issues and all we ask is that let us use the laid procedures and processes, she said.

According to her, there have not been any formal communication regarding the workers grievances by the staff.

Regarding the allegations of outsourcing the printing of the newly designed Ghanaian Times newspaper to Graphic Communication Group, she said the Board has released a self-explanatory statement to that effect.

I dont think that is the issue at stake, there is a laid down channel for the workers to use to address the issueI dont want to add or put so much information out there and try to resolve our problems on the radio, she reiterated.

Madam Annang said she only joined in January 2015 and she is not aware of the concerns regarding the non-payment of the workers contributions to the provident fund.

She advised that care must be taken by the parties in a stalemate so that their actions and utterances do not hurt the corporation.

She disclosed that the Board has already met twice on Monday on ways to resolve the ongoing stalemate.

However, General Secretary of the ICU, Solomon Kotei said the development at the Corporation is not as result of a breakdown in negotiations.

The allegations the workers have raised boils down on mistrust, mismanagement and the like. The responsible thing to do is to calm them down and get them back to work, which fortunately we have down, he said.
The Bank of Ghana has made key changes to various heads of department while still merging some units.

Information available to JoyBusiness indicates the changes would take effect from October 2, 2017.

Changes

Research and Statistics Department has been combined into one department, under a new name of Research Department. It would have three key divisions; Monetary Policy Analysis, Statistics, and Ghana Risk Sharing Systems for Agriculture lending.

The Communications Department and Protocol services have been moved into the Secretarys department to be headed by Secretary of the Bank. It will also have the following divisions; Board of Operations Divisions, Protocol and CSR and Communications Divisions.

Procurement and Transport Department Estate and Projects Department and Information Department, as well as the Publication Services Department, have been combined into one Department; Corporate Management and Services (CMS) Department.

It will have three key divisions i.e Procurement and Transport Divisions, Estate and Project Division andPublication and Records Division. The Bank has also created a technical Advisory and Internal Investigation Unit in the governor's Department.

Reasons

According to JoyBusiness sources, the changes are to further sharpen the focus of the Banks internal processes, enhance functionality, improve synergies among departments and to support the delivery of the Banks mandate.

Staff changes

Information picked up by JoyBusiness indicates that John Gyamfi would be the head of Currency Management to be supported by Peter Tease, while Catherine Ashiley would be an Advisor at the department.

Raymond Amanfo would still handle the Banking Supervision Department, however, JoyBusiness is learning that Osei Gyasi would take over the department as the head would retire soon. He is likely to be supported by Elliot Amoako.

Francis Blankson is also the head of that Financial Stability Department, with Dr. Joseph France expected to take over when the former retires.
Agriculture Minister, Dr Akoto Owusu Afriyie has been asked to concentrate on fighting the fall armyworms rather than praising government's interventions since the start of invasion.

The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana expressed surprise over the Minister's claim that the armyworms had been defeated.

Spokesperson of the Association, Charles Nyaba said the worms are still ravaging farms across the country, despite the Minister's premature declaration of victory.

"I am bit confused and I don't want to agree with the Minister," he told Emefa Apawu on Joy FM's Newsnite Monday.

Related Article: Gov't deserves commendation, not condemnation over fall armyworm fight

Dr Owusu Afriyie has said government deserves comendation for fighting the armyworms invasion successfully and not condemnation.

He said the armyworms invasion had been handled effectively in Ghana than elsewhere in Africa.

The worms reportedly invaded over 112,000 farmlands in May, but 14,430 hectares were completely destroyed.

Dr Owusu Afriyie believes more farms would have been ravaged had it not been the government's intervention.

But the Peasant Farmers Association said the rains played huge role in the fight against the worms.

Mr Nyaba said the fear farmers have is the potential damage the worms are likely to cause in 2018.

He said the Agriculture Ministry has to think about "proper measures" to combat the worms instead of parting itself on the back.
18.09.2017 LISTEN

There is a raging mass debate over the legislative proposition made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for a change in the Founders Day from September 21 to August 4 while maintaining the former as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day. The President's latest release advocating for a date change has generated mixed reactions.

Many are of the school of thought that all those who contributed handsomely to the project Ghana should be honoured accordingly. Those against the decision however argue that there is only one founder of Ghana and no need to reinvent history.

They believe that Dr. Kwame Nkrumah led Ghana to independence from British colonial rule and is nationally and internationally recognized as the founder of the nation state called Ghana.

Truth be told, they were some who began the struggle for self determination before Dr. Nkrumah joined and accelerated the process.

Those people facilitated Dr Kwame Nkrumah's return to the then Gold Coast to be the General Secretary of the erstwhile United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC). Nkrumah unfortunately fell out with them on ideological grounds and founded the CPP which led Ghana to independence in 1957. It will therefore be hypocritical to deny the nationalist leaders their due in history.

As a country, we have always hailed the achievements of these people who have come to be known as The Big Six. They are even on the country's currency and have monuments dotted around the country in their memory. Indeed, a country that does not honour it's heroes is not worth dying for. To some however that the seemingly gratitude always plays out in unsatisfactory manner. They still loose some slips over Nkrumah's role but to 'distort history' for them is wishful thinking and excruciating.

The world has voted Nkrumah as African's man of the millennium. There is no doubt that the role of the JB Danquahs, William Offori Attas, Ako Adjeis, Edward Akuafo Addos, Obetsebi Lampteys and of course Nkrumah himself in the independent struggle is always acknowledged.

Nkrumah Memorial Day and a holiday for August 4 as the Founders' Day will definitely be seen as partisan. What will be done differently on August 4 which cannot be combined with the September activities to celebrate our past heroes and heroines? Ghanaians are not necessarily enthused with empty celebrations. Ghanaians are more concerned about what is meaningful and at the heart of their survival.

All that the citizenry yearn for is reduction in fuel prices, reduction in electricity tariffs, free education, well paying jobs and working conditions, revamped NHIS and good roads and you infrastructure . Ghanaians do not care about Founder's or Founders' Day especially at this unpleasant period of our national economy. The fuss made out of this therefore is as unpleasant to them as the buzzing sound of the mosquito at night.

The least said about this decision to create another holiday on the country's calendar the better. It is just one too many in the face of economic difficulties. Ghanaians need more days to work to resuscitate out country and not to rest.

The government will need to build consensus on the issue instead of it being imposed on Ghanaians. If the proposed legislation is hurried through without the requisite consultation and rapprochement, the possibility of its being amended by a future government is high.

Let us give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what belongs to God. President Akufo Addo has good motives for deciding on the two holidays. He however needs to tread cautiously in order not to give credence to people who have started conjecturing that it is a family agenda because his father and uncle will be direct beneficiaries of 4th August Founders' Day event. Everybody who contributed in one way or the other to secure Ghana's independence deserves a recognition but this must be well thought through.

Abdallah Abdul Matin

University of Ghana, Legon.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Hon Francis Addai-Nimo, has stated that the implementation of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addos free senior high school programme is in the right direction and very commendable.

According to him, This is a huge and bold step and lets commend our president and the NPP government for their efforts.

Hon Francis Addai-Nimo made the above statement on his Facebook wall.

Today, H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo together with the Honourable minister of education and other sector ministers launched the flagship education program, free senior high school to mark its take-off across the country.

Now the dreams of many children will turn into reality. Thanks to the New patroitic party for delivering on their promise. he added.

God Bless Ghana, God Bless NPP, God Bless Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, Hon Addai-Nimo said.

About Francis Addai-Nimoh

Francis Addai-Nimoh was born in Asante Mampong, Ashanti, Ghana, to a police Officer, Solomon Godfred Addai and a trader, Akua Afriyie on 23rd March, 1965.

He had his basic education at various communities such as Abuakwa, Nyinampong, Asaam, Kwadaso and Jacobu because of transfers associated with his father's occupation as a policeman. After his baaic education, he moved to one of Ghana's most celebrated secondary schools, Navrongo Secondary School(NAVASCO), in the upper east region for his Ordinary Level(O'level) education. He later moved to Kumasi High School in Ashanti Region to study for his Advanced level( A'level) certificate.

His leadership qualities began to show at Navrongo Secondary School where he served as the scripture union president in the 1984/1985 academic year. At kumasi High school, as a new student, he ran for the senior prefect position in a competitive election and placed second. He then became the first assistant senior prefect.

He emerged as the overall best student(academics) in both competitve 1985 and 1987 year groups in the said schools.

After kumasi High School, he enrolled to study civil engineering in one of Ghana's prestigious university, kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology where he obtained Bsc honours(second class upper) in 1993. At KNUST, he continued to demonstrate and offer his leadership qualities in the service of the student body. He became the president of the outreach wing of the Inter-Hall Christian Fellowship in second year. He was appointed the first assistant secretary of the Student Representative Council (SRC) whilst in second year. Having had the experience in the SRC, he contested a keen election and won to become the president of the SRC in the year 1991/1992 academic year.

Addai- Nimoh undertook his national service duty at the National service secretariat, MPRAESO. He also took up a job as a teacher in St. Peters Secondary School.

In 1996, he undertook a job in COMPTRAN ENGINEERING AND ASSOCIATES as an assistant engineer. He later moved to Ghana Emulsion Company Limited(GECL) in the same year as an engineer. He was at GECL from 1996-1999 and later in 1999, he moved to FACOL ROADS, he was the project manager of the company. His work at FACOL Roads limited is something that remains unquestionable and he is considered one of the milestones that the company has tremendously benefited from.He stayed at FACOL for 4 years(1999-2003).

In 2004, he later moved to Ministry of Roads And Highways as a senior engineer. He monitored and supervised more government road project.

Addai-Nimoh is a member of one of Ghana's biggest political parties; the New Patriotic Party. Addai-Nimoh is a former NPP member of parliament for Asante Mampong constituency in Ashanti Region. He was first elected to the seat in the December 2008 elections and was re-elected in the December 2012 elections.

In 2008, he bodly resigned from the Ministry Of Roads and Highways and participate in the NPP parliamentary Primaries in the Mampong Constituency which he won by one vote and subsequently won the parliamentary election to become MP.

During the administration of president John Agyekum Kufuor , Addai-Nimoh served as a senior engineer under Roads and Highways ministry. His role was to monitor and evaluate all government of Ghana Road projects.

Francis Addai-Nimoh affectionately known as FAN declared his intention to contest the postion of presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party. He successfully filed his nomination papers for the postion. A special delegate's conference was held on 31st August,2014 to trim down the aspirants to five.FAN secured 2.98% of the votes and qualified to be part of the five to contest in october 18, 2014. Addai-Nimoh placed third in the contest and hence congratulated the winner, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. He worked closely , hand in hand with then flagbearer Akufo Addo to secure victory in the December 2016 elections.

Addai-Nimoh is married to his childhood sweetheart, Mrs.Stella Addai-Nimoh, a civil servant. They have been blessed with three children. Mrs. Stella Addai-Nimoh is a product of st. Louis senior high school and KNUST. Francis Addai-Nimoh is a member of the Ghana Institute of Engineers, Civil division. He is currently serving in the private sector as he holds no public office. He is a christian and a member of the methodist church, Ghana.
I never thought that one day I'd need to write on the above topic or that anybody would raise any question or doubt as who has obtained Independence for Ghana and by so doing has founded Today's Ghana as an Independent Sovereign Self Ruling Nation.

But be as it may, we found ourselves in the recent months facing some futile efforts by a handful of people who tried to re-write and edit big chunks of our history in an apparent attempt to belittle the role of our Sole Founder and First President and to exaggerate the roles of others in an attempt to elevate them to be considered as fellow founders worthy of equal recognition as that of Dr Kwame Nkrumah Senior (hereinafter referred to as KNS).

First, let me remind the readers of the Genesis of Founder's Day's History and how it came into being.

The African Union (AU) found it fitting and overdue to celebrate and recognize KNS as the Founder of United Africa as he truly was its Mover, its Champion, its Advocate, its Incarnate Embodiment, its Shining Black Star of Africa and the Ultimate Epitome of the African Personality and the African Dream as it were which subsequently carried his name by many Pan Africans as the "Nkrumah African Dream".

KNS famously said and deeply believed that "Ghana's Independence was meaningless unless it was linked to the African Unity". He believed the same to be true of all African states after they gained their independence from their respective colonial shackles. He was a powerful driving force to first achieve the independence of all the African Colonies from their Colonial Masters. then to achieve the African Unity which is an Absolute Must for Africa to be fully developed and for Africans to realize their full potential as Free and United people.

He wrote the well known book" AFRICA MUST UNITE" which is widely circulated and read and its message is as relevant and as valid today as it ever was. So we all have to keep working tirelessly together for the African Unity to come about and to finish all the good work and mission that KNS has started on the National level, the African level and on the International level. It is our duty to act seriously and not just to pay lip service but to be fully committed to his great ideals with real action and passion on all levels not with slogans and mere idle words.

So the AU called on All Africans to celebrate the Centenary Anniversary or the 100th Birthday of KNS on 21st / September / 2009 and to mark it on the Calendar of all of its 54 Member States as FOUNDER'S DAY. So it was done and it was a great success and a rarity to have something or someone to be celebrated, loved and honoured by all Africans across the length and breadth of our beloved Continent and Mother Africa.

Late Prof Mills was our president at the time and he felt adequately ashamed on behalf of Ghana as how and why should all Africans in all of the 54 African States celebrate and honour our very own Ghanaian Leader and Founder of Ghana and of the African Unity Concept and we in Ghana are fast asleep unaware of the Great Asset that Ghana has produced and has contributed greatly to Africa and to the whole World in the person of our Founder, Liberator, First President, Redeemer or Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah of Blessed Memory? Giving meaning and substance to what the Bible has said that "No Prophet is without honour except at his home and amongst his own people". That certainly was very true and was clearly borne out here.

So President Mills tried to correct this wrong by instituting our own Founder's Day here in Ghana on the same Birthday the following year on 21 / Sept 2010 and declared it as a Public Holiday in Ghana and it was carried on as such ever since that date

Those misguided people who sought to re-write, revise and / or edit our history for their own ulterior motives will sooner or later discover that Only the Truth, Nothing but the Truth will stand the test of time and Only Truth can set people free. But lies, half truths, twisted facts, spin doctoring, false fabrications can only cause deception and harm to themselves and to those who would be misled and taken in by such lies and ill founded follies.

It makes you wonder if they can be that ignorant of our well but not fully recorded and documented history? If so we may give them the benefit of doubt and forgive them! However, if their reasons were to deceive in total disregard of our factual history, then our history and future generations may NOT forgive them for their damaging ill-motivated attempts and deeds to tamper with genuine historical chronicled facts.

If they have poor grasp and recollection of history then what about their grasp of Geography?

The Brief and Scope of the UGCC was limited to the Gold Coast Territory and the Ashanti Kingdom.

KNS' CPP Brief and Scope were well beyond what UGCC had stood for. As KNS Modern Day Ghana has extended to include British Togoland / Trans Volta which would have been either lost to Togo in the East or gone independent. And it also extended to include the Northern Territories also were known as Northern Protectorates from being annexed by the then French Colonial Republic of Upper Volta, today's Burkina Faso.

KNS also resisted and overcame attempts by the French Ivory Coast Colony from carving up a significant part of our Western Region under the guise of the need to join together the Traditional kingdom under one Traditional Paramount King who rules over territories spanning across the borders between Ghana and the Ivory Coast. KNS did not buy that theory and did not allow it to happen.

Now Ghana goes with Ivory Coast to international courts to defend our Oil and Gas fields and Reserves, Onshore and Offshore in that same territory which our founding father KNS refused to give up. In fact most of our national wealth of immense natural resources comes from the Western Region which has been so neglected ever since of the birth of Ghana.

Although it is the home, birth place of KNS and of our family. We need to correct that neglect as a matter of utmost urgency mainly because it is the major source of our National income now and of future wealth of our future generations.

In fact the map of what UGCC stood for is significantly less than 50% of what KNS's Modern Day Ghana's Map is today which is a lot larger and much richer as the direct result of KNS tireless bloodless but forceful struggle for an Independent Prosperous Ghana seeking to develop and to industrialize her for the benefit of all of our people regardless of ethnic tribe, creed, religion, political persuasion ...etc. We are all Ghanaians and we should come together in unity of purpose for the general good of all of our people today and of future generations yet unborn.

History recorded that JB Danquah stood up with the Trans Volta Refuse Niks as they were known against KNS in 1955 / 1956. Trans Volta RefuseNiks were not in favour of UN Sponsored Plebiscite of 1956 which intended to decide whether Trans Volta / British Togoland should be joined with Ghana when it subsequently gained its independence from Britain in March 1957. They did not want Trans Volta to become part of Ghana.

So any attempt to try to join JB Danquah as Co Founder of Today's Ghana is misguided and is pure mischief because his views, his scope and his brief of Ghana's Map were NOT of Today's Ghana but were rather for a smaller country, a poorer country and to be achieved at a much later date and not in 1957 as our Sole Founding Father KNS has envisioned and has fought for with every fibre in his body 24/7.

KNS was completely consumed and even obsessed of giving birth to Today's Ghana which he foresaw prophetically and astrologically that should fall as soon as possible but should fall precisely in the Fire Rooster Year of 1957. Fire Rooster Years come only once every 60 years. KNS could not bear the thought, that if he lost the fight for his "Independence Now Campaign", that Ghana would be independent only in 2017 which was the next Fire Rooster Year. That was a terrible nightmare scenario for him, hence his subsequent famous saying of "Independence Now Or Never", had his UGCC opponents and erstwhile colleagues had their way to win the elections with their Independence Progressively or Slowly Campaign.

If anybody cares to consult history books (I mean genuine history not edited or air brushed history) they would find that the budding aspirations and flames of the independence activism and struggle fire had actually started back in 1897 which itself was a Fire Rooster Year in Astrology. So Ghana had to be birthed in another Fire Rooster Year namely after February of 1957, hence our Independence Day was right on time on 6th / March / 1957.

I explained that in a previous article on our 60th Independence Day and I even explained that, it was that very reason why KNS has chosen a Red Fire Rooster as the symbol of our Convention People's Party which achieved our Independence, as prophetically foreseen by the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit by His Grace and Anointing which anointed KNS not JB Danquah or any other name for that prophetic task and it was carried out perfectly and on time according to God's Divine and Perfect Will. Glory be to Glory for loving Ghana much to give us the best gift He could have ever gifted to us in Selfless Determined Visionary KNS as our Sole Founder. Praise God and bless His Holy name for His Goodness, Grace and Blessings to our Beloved Ghana and to Africa at large.

Greater Larger and Richer Ghana was Founded and Declared Born FREE FOR EVER by our Sole Founding Father KNS for the benefit of all Ghanaians on 6th of March 1957. Ghanaians then proudly emerged on the African scene as shining pioneers and stars ready to lighten up the dark continent and to lead the way for independence, for development, for progress and prosperity of all Ghanaians and ultimately for All United Africans when they succeed to achieve their UNITY WHICH IS A MUST. SO HELP US GOD.

LONG LIVE GHANA FREE FOREVER

HAPPY FOUNDER'S DAY MY BELOVED GHANA

HAPPY FOUNDER'S DAY FELLOW GHANAIANS

FORWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER BY THE GRACE OF GOD. AMEN.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

The Deputy Executive of National Service Scheme (NSS) Henry Nana Boakye (aka Nana Bee) has lauded as apt the appointment of Sammy Awuku as the board Chairman of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA).

Nana Bee who described Sammy Awuku as competent to Chair the YEA board said the appointment is a testament to the soaring and ever-growing potentials of the Ghanaian youth.

This singular decision by the President of the Republic of Ghana would inspire and motivate the teeming youth of Ghana to strive to add value to themselves so as to gain recognition to contribute significantly to Nation-building, he added.

The board which was inaugurated on Friday, September 15, 2017 comprises Sammy Awuku, Dr. Kwame Amoako Tuffour, Lawyer Bright Justine Kodua Frimpong, the acting CEO of the agency and Lawyer Bright Wireko Brobbery, Deputy Minister for employment and labour relations.

Former Minister for Power Dr. Kwabena Donkor earlier said, Mr Awuku is not fit to head the YEA board.

In a statement, he questioned the suitability of Mr Awuku for the post and appealed to the president to reconsider the decision.

But speaking to OTEC FM on this development, Henry Nana Boakye said Mr Sammy Awuku has all the experience and knowledge to fill the vacuum.

According to him, Mr Awuku has been awarded several times both internationally and locally due to his competent and inspiration to the Youth.

Recently the National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party(NPP), Sammy Awuku was honored by the All Africa Students Union as the 2017 youth icon.

We need one of our own who can feel the joblessness of the youth, Nana Bee concluded.
Nina Forgwe, who lives in Bamenda, in the northwest of Cameroon, missed the deadline to submit her doctoral application in Marchone of many victims of an Internet shutdown in her town and in the other English-speaking parts of the country.

The Cameroonian government suspended services after Anglophone teachers, lawyers and students went on strike over alleged historical biases in favour of Francophones. The suspension started in January this year and ended in March, and at nearly one hundred days is the longest period of Internet disruption by an African government.

The impact of the Internet disruption was severe, recalled Ms. Forgwe, who is an activist.

All personal services that required the Internet were put on hold. Many Internet-based businesses ground to a halt, especially tech start-ups. A lot of our activism is through online portals, she told Africa Renewal.

Access Now, a New Yorkbased international human rights organisation, put the financial cost of the shutdown at $5 million in tax revenue, profits of Internet-related businesses, general operating expenses, bank transaction fees, and money transfer services, among others.

Communication minister and government spokesman IssaTchiromaBakary said the shutdown was triggered by the propagation of false information on social media capable of inciting hate and violence in the crisis-hit regions.

The shutdown was a particular blow for Cameroons Silicon Mountain, a cluster of tech start-ups in the region that had been flourishing. Deprived of the Internet, Silicon Mountain entrepreneurs were forced to drive to other parts of Cameroon whenever they wanted to go online. These long drives ate into work time.

Money is being lost. Some of us cant engage with our foreign clients because of the suspended Internet service. Its disruptive to everyone, said Churchill Mambe. Mr. Mambe is the owner of Njorku, an employment and hotel services company recently listed among the top 20 African start-ups by Forbes magazine.

Julie Owono, a lawyer and executive director of Internet without Borders, a Paris-based Internet rights organisation, told Africa Renewal that between January and June 2017, nine countries globally experienced Internet blockades, including three in AfricaCameroon, Egypt and Ethiopia.

A few months after Cameroons Internet disruption, a nationwide blackout was imposed in Ethiopia over concerns about cheating at exams. Ethiopian government spokesperson Mohammed Seid explained that: The shutdown is aimed at preventing a repeat of exam leaks that occurred last year.

Since last May the Egyptian government has blocked 62 websites, including those of Qatar-based Al Jazeera television and prominent independent news site Mada Masr, accusing them of inciting terrorism and spreading false news. The organisations have since denied the claims.

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), a Ugandan information technology research and analysis centre, states that Internet shutdown is becoming a preferred tool of social control and censorship by some African governments.

Full Internet blockades are a marked shift from the short-message service ltering or website blocking that was hitherto more prevalent. Internet providers use filtering mainly to isolate spam or other unwanted messages, but it can also be used to remove texts that mention such terms as democracy, human rights or hunger strike.

Africa accounted for 11 of the 56 global Internet shutdowns recorded in 2016, according to DejiOlukotun, Access Now senior global advocacy manager. This represents a 50% increase over 2015.

Shutdowns occurred four times in Ethiopia, twice each in Gambia and Uganda, and once each in Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gabon, Mali, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Open Internet promoters say the shutdowns highlight how Internet attacks and abuses, including the proliferation of Internet-regulating laws, surveillance and interceptions of communication are worsening on the continent, just as there is an increase in Internet diffusion.

States contend that Internet shutdowns are needed to quell public protests, violence and misinformation fuelled by social media or mobile phone messaging applications, citing the role of the Internet in the Arab Spring five years ago, when protests toppled regimes in Egypt and Tunisia.

Mr. Olukotun counters that governments fear the use of the Internet by grassroots groups to share information, organise and advocate for their rights, adding that these uses are more threatening to the established order than preventing examination malpractices or curtailing cyber fraud, child pornography, hate speech or terrorism.

The rise in Internet shutdowns comes as an increasing number of Africans are communicating via the Internet, observed Ms. Owono. Governments that have been used to closed societies where information is centralized see connectivity as a threat rather than an opportunity, she said.

The Brookings Institution, a Washington, DCbased think tank, analysed the costs to an economy from a shutdown of the Internet. In seven African countries surveyed in 2016 where the Internet was shut down, they lost an estimated $320 million in revenue.

There is also the issue of digital rights. In July 2016 the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning countries that prevent or disrupt online access and information, and called for free speech protections. Governments hide under the cover of threat to national security to justify shutting down the Internet, says Ms. Owono. But so far, no government has allowed a judicial authority to determine if national security actually had been threatened, she says. On the contrary, shutdowns have happened during times of political tension, giving weight to arguments that the goal is to silence dissent.

ArseneTungali, a Congolese activist and founder of Rudi International, a digital rights advocacy and security training company, said that in the past seven years, the DRC government has orchestrated an interruption of online communications on several occasions. In 2015 and 2016 the Congolese government blocked access to phone text messages (SMS) and the Internet after protests erupted in response to the extension of President Joseph Kabilas time in power.

A similar blackout happened in the Republic of Congo as President Denis SassouNguesso moved to prolong his 32-year rule.

The growing number of shutdowns has mobilized Internet access advocacy groups and global campaigns, including the #KeepitOn campaign at RightsCon Silicon Valley 2016, an annual global summit on human rights and the Internet held in San Francisco, California.

#KeepItOn, a working group of RightsCon comprising 199 organisations, is working with governments, telecommunications companies, Internet companies, and civil society to tackle Internet shutdowns. The #BringBackOurInternet campaign is largely credited for ratcheting up the pressure that forced the Cameroonian government to restore the Internet. Although the campaign focuses on highlighting the economic costs of shutdowns, Natasha Musonza, founder of the Digital Society of Zimbabwe, observes that the economic argument cannot alone deter governments from blocking the Internet.

We need to highlight other practical effects, such as the human impact. We are also better off suggesting useful alternative solutions to problems such as exam cheating or maintaining peace in the face of public protests, she suggested.

The African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), which assigns and manages Internet addresses in Africa, proposed deactivating delinquent governments online platforms for 12 months as punishment for shutting down the Internet. However, the proposal was shot down by AFRINIC members at the fifth African Internet Summit, held in Nairobi last June. The members said the proposal would be difficult to implement and could antagonise governments or even worsen the situation.

To skirt Internet blockages, many civil and digital rights organisations have now increasing their digital security knowledge, especially on encryption, mitigation against surveillance and tools for safe online communication. Also, many Internet consumers in Cameroon, the DRC, Uganda and Zimbabwe say the use of virtual private networks, which are used to avoid blockages, has increased.
The people of the Sahel are forging networks and collaborations that will help them contend with the challenges of insecurity and climate change that are besetting Africas most vulnerable regions.

The Sahel is a vast semiarid region of Africa separating the Sahara desert to the north and tropical forests and savannas to the south, characterized by harsh weather and periodic drought. While in some geographical usages the Sahel may extend to the Red Sea, for political purposes the term most commonly refers to the countries of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.

At a summit in Burkina Faso in mid-June to assess strategies for grappling with climate change, the presidents of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger agreed on the need for wider cooperation among their countries.

Above all, said President Roch Marc Christian Kabore of Burkina Faso, we must ensure the participation of local populations, because theyre the ones who live every day with the torments of drought and degraded land and water.

Just a few days before the summit, civil society and religious leaders had met in Bamako, Mali, to promote religious tolerance in Sahelian states torn by armed conflict. And a few days later some 40 women parliamentarians from across the Sahel convened in Chad to promote womens leadership in the prevention of violent extremism.

Not just conflict

Much international attention toward the Sahel has concentrated on armed insurgency and terrorism, observes Leonardo Villalon, coordinator of the Sahel Research Group at the University of Florida in the US. But, he cautions, that focus is narrow and often superficial. The Sahels concerns are also environmental, political, demographic, and economic. The regions security is itself intricately interrelated with broader socioeconomic dynamics.

With the collaboration of more than 40 other experts from Africa, Europe and North America, Professor Villalon is editing a book on the challenges facing the countries of the Sahel, The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel, scheduled for publication by the UKs Oxford University Press. The book will provide a comprehensive analysis of the many factors shaping the region today.

From any angle, the Sahels challenges appear formidable.

The region, frequently struck by drought and food insecurity, is projected to be one of the areas most severely affected by global climate change in the coming years. With up to 80% of its people living on less than $2 a day, poverty is more widespread in the Sahel than in most other parts of Africa.

The Sahels population growth rate also is among the worlds highest. Experts project the six countries population of approximately 90 million people to jump to 240 million by 2050a rapid increase that could undermine educational efforts, stretch already limited public services and leave more young people without job opportunities. Already unemployment afflicts half of all youths in Mali. Such circumstances, in turn, contribute to the risks of crime and violence.

Poor governance does not help. Most governments in the Sahel are formally democratic, but for many ordinary citizens, elections have not yielded tangible improvements, while bureaucratic corruption and favouritism remain common, observes Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan, who teaches in France and Niger. Those shortcomings, he says, have led to a widening gap between the privileged class and the masses of the population.

Re-greening of Niger

Improvements in official agricultural policies in the Sahel in recent years have contributed to an increase in farm production, especially food for growing populations. But most of these achievements depend heavily on the efforts of ordinary farmers and livestock herders.

Producer organizations are emerging across the Sahel, notes Renata Serra, a development economist at the University of Florida.

Since the mid-1980s, farmers in the countrys southern regions have protected and managed at least 200 million trees, according to Chris Reij of the World Resources Institute in Washington, DC. Satellite images and aerial photos analysed by Gray Tappan and colleagues of the US Geological Survey show a visible re-greening of wide areas, with more trees and shrubs in the densely populated areas of Zinder as well as other locations.

A similar expansion of tree cover is going on in parts of Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal but it is happening in Niger on a spectacular scale, unique for the Sahel and probably unique for Africa, comments Mr. Reij.

In turn, denser vegetation has boosted the yields and diversity of farm production, generating strong commitment from farmers. Donor-funded programmes have contributed to the re-greening phenomenon. But the most important factor, researchers argue, has been the emergence of village committees to protect and manage trees.

Studies of farmer-led tree management efforts indicate that women have been particularly active, in part because they are prime beneficiaries. Some tree varieties produce fruit and leaves that they can sell for extra income, while the availability of more trees overall helps reduce the time women spend collecting fuelwood.

In Keita town, central Niger, women are planting trees for peace, as in similar campaigns by Kenyan women environmentalists, reports professor OusseinaAlidou, a scholar from Niger teaching at Rutgers University in New Jersey, US.

She also notes that some groups in Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal are fighting for gender equality and pushing the boundaries of womens status within current family laws. They are also agitating for legal adoption of refugee children and orphans, an innovation under prevailing local Islamic legal practices.

In Burkina Faso, Senegal and elsewhere in the Sahel, civil society organisations are also campaigning against practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage.

Citizen engagement

Likewise, political life is beginning to show the impact of citizen involvement. In Burkina Faso and Senegal, civil society groups remain active, mounting campaigns against corruption, for greater transparency in mining industries, for better public services and around other issues.

Civil mobilizations in elsewhere in the Sahel have been more sporadic, but at times have nevertheless been notable.

In countering threats of terrorism and armed violence, all governments of the Sahel are aware that they need to strengthen their security forces and cooperate more closely with each other.

In February the presidents of the Group of Five, also known as G5 Sahel, (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) agreed to boost joint military training, intelligence sharing, and logistical infrastructure, as well as to form a joint military force against terrorism and drug trafficking.

In some countries, including Burkina Faso and Senegal, military officers are trying to improve relations with civilians.

Civilians are also taking initiatives of their own to counter jihadist ideology. In Dori and Gorom-Gorom in Burkina Fasos far north, a Muslim-Christian civil association regularly organises interfaith dialogues.

However, for such efforts to make real headway, the regions governments must do much more to reach out to their own citizens, argues AhmedouOuld-Abdallah, president of the Center for Strategy and Security in the Sahel-Sahara, headquartered in Mauritania.

They must heed the popular demand for better management of African economies and political rights, says Mr. Ould-Abdallah, a former UN Secretary-Generals representative to Somalia, adding that Demanding better governanceless corruption, more social inclusion, more professional and less tribalized security forces, and good border policies will all contribute to fighting violent extremism more effectively.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

The UN Private Sector Forum 2017, to be held in New York this September, will bring together corporate CEOs, captains of industry, heads of state and government, UN officials and civil society to explore partnerships and other ways the private sector can finance SDGs. Africa Renewal reached out to LiseKingo, the executive director of the UN Global Compact (which is mobilizing a global movement of sustainable companies) to discuss the role of public-private partnerships in Africa.

Africa Renewal: A successful sustainable development agenda requires partnerships between governments, the private sector, civil society and others, built on set principles and values. What is the role of the UN Global Compact in driving this agenda?

Ms. Kingo: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is truly transformational and unifying, as it provides us with a blueprint and an action plan for a better world. No single sector will be able to deliver on the SDGs alone, and the private sector shares many of the same interests and goals as governments in terms of creating more resilient and prosperous societies and markets, since business also needs stable societies in order to thrive.

How does your organisation come in?

At the UN Global Compact we want to create a global movement for sustainable companies and stakeholders. Our starting point is to ensure that all our 9,000 business signatories adopt and integrate our ten principlesin the areas of human rights, labour, environment, and anticorruptioninto their strategies and operations. And through our Making Global Goals Local Business campaign we are pushing to activate business to deliver accelerated impact on the SDGs through areas such as breakthrough innovation, new business models and partnerships.

The UN Private Sector Forum 2017 in September will focus on the role of the private sector in implementing SDGs. What do you think is the role of the private sector in attaining the SDGs?

The private sector has the power of innovation and ability to create many of the solutions needed to address the challenges the world is facing today. However, with less than 5,000 days left to meet the SDGs, we need to mobilize businesses to scale up their impacts significantly. We need many more companies to accelerate their investments and business activities to deliver on the global goals.

This years UN Private Sector Forum will address a key driver for sustainable developmentfinancing for the SDGs. New financial instruments and products that combine development aid with public and private investments can eliminate some of the risks associated with private investments with a long-term return.

African governments are aggressively pursuing partnerships with the private sector for collaborations in various projects, the so-called public-private partnerships (PPPs). What does the continent stand to gain from these partnerships and what are the possible challenges or risks that governments should be cautious about?

Public-private partnerships have the capacity to promote and spur innovation and leverage new technologies that can then be scaled up or replicated for wider impact. For instance, the mobile telecommunications industry in Africa has shown some great examples not only of innovation for development through mobile cash transfers and the use of mobile technology to advance health and education, but also of partnerships with governments to widen the scale of these efforts and then replicating these models in other African countries.

How so?

By 2030, about 60% of people in Africa will be living in cities, with numbers as high as 80% in some countries. This rapid urbanization is an excellent opportunity for public-private partnerships to direct investment towards creating more sustainable cities, new employment opportunities through innovation, entrepreneurship, and improved health and sanitation systems.

Do you have an example?

For example, over the past decade, public-private partnerships have led to new transportation infrastructure in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Nigeria, linking millions of people in cities and providing cleaner and more energy-efficient means of transport. However, without targeted incentives and objectives for connectivity outside of urban centres, those in rural regionsparticularly women, girls and the elderlycan get left behind, thereby increasing economic inequality and social exclusion within countries while further contributing to overpopulation in urban areas.

How can Africa overcome this?

There is a need to leverage local innovation and insights for public-private partnerships. Many of the partnerships we are seeing in Africa now involve large national or multinational firms undertaking costly large-scale projects. However, there is an untapped innovation marketplace in Africa with sustainable local-level solutions already addressing many of the social and infrastructural needs that require the right partner to scale up.

Going forward, what will be the main focus of the UN Global Compact in Africa?

We launched our Africa Strategy in 2014 that emphasized the role of the private sector in meeting Africas infrastructure needs and creating an enabling environment for private-sector development, awareness-raising of responsible business practices and consensus building through key governmental and institutional partnerships.

This Africa Strategy was a first step. We acknowledge that we need to do more on the continent, particularly in terms of building the capacity of our local networks there and their ability to meet the ambitious goals set forth in the 2030 Agenda and the African Unions Agenda 2063.

What are you working on in Africa currently?

We are building strong institutionalized Global Compact local networks in Africa to fully support local businesses and subsidiaries of multinational corporations that contribute to the 2030 Agenda.

In September we will be launching a local network in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which will be our 11th network in Africa. The others are in Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda. As we grow our presence in the region, there is new untapped potential in our ability to identify cross-border linkages among networks and companies within Africa.
Corporations and their partner foundations, supported by international organizations, financiers and bankers, as well as individual investors are transforming education across Africafrom a government responsibility and social right to a series of investment opportunities.

They say their reforms are designed to increase educational equity and achieve higher standards. Where possible they seek out local community support, but the underlying motivation behind corporate educational reform is extending the reach of free-market globalization and business profits.

The corporate takeover and privatization of education in sub-Saharan Africa has been sharply criticized by United Nations officials and advocates for investment in public education. In a 2015 statement, 190 education advocates from 91 countries called on governments in the developing world to stop education profiteers. They urged the World Bank to stop financing these efforts.

In May 2016, Kishore Singh, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to education, described the outsourcing of public education in Liberia to an American corporation as unprecedented at the scale currently being proposed and said that it violates Liberias legal and moral obligations.

Mr. Singh voiced his deep concern over the fact that some governments were actively encouraging private basic education, emphasizing, Now more than ever, governments should be expanding public educational opportunities for the marginalized groups, especially children from poor families.

A recent report by the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights examined the impact of privatization of schools in Kenya. Among its findings was that privatization of education is growing at an alarming rate, without a corresponding monitoring and regulation by the state. In addition, the report stated that the government was encouraging the growth of private schools through the enactment of favourable policies. It added that the increasing number of private actors in education is leading to sharp inequalities and segregation in the Kenyan society.

Another recent study of the privatization experience in Nigeria had similar findings. The authors, all professors at the University of Ibadan, remarked that while the growth of private education had produced positive effects such as improved workers welfare, greater community participation and widening access to education, it had also enabled the proliferation of unapproved and unregistered schools.

While providing wider access to education for children, private schools are often criticized for mortgaging education.

The World Bank has promoted a free-market fundamentalist model of education throughout the world since the 1980s, writes Shaun Whittaker, in an article published in The Namibian titled Our education crisis and the World Bank. This paradigm will dominate the global education debates for many years to come, he writes.

Studies by the Bank of Namibias educational programme revealed a transaction perspective in which education is not regarded as a basic right, but as something that should be evaluated according to its contribution to the economy, Mr. Whittaker observed.

The matriculation results of 2012 reveal that Namibia is burdened with a two-tier education system, says Mr. Whittaker: one tier, for the elite, is well resourced and privatized, while the second stream, for the majority, is under-resourced and public.

Not unexpectedly, this view of education is not shared by all. The New Yorkbased Africa American Institute, in its State of Education in Africa report, places the blame squarely on the failure of governments to adequately fund education programmes and sees private schools as charitable and coming to the rescue.

While more students are in school classrooms, notes the report, there is a deeper learning crisis at play: many students are not gaining basic skills while attending school.

Consequently, according to the report, the quality of education in Africa is in a perilous state. Private institutions are increasingly stepping in to educate children who lack access to an education and to fill the gaps in a countrys public education system.

The rise in private schools should not be seen as negative, but instead as a viable alternative to a failing public education system, the report says.

A recent investigative piece in the Conversation, an online nonprofit website that covers commentary and debate on issues affecting the world, looked at the weaknesses of public education in Kenya.

Kenyas public schools are facing huge challenges. In some parts of the country, between 80 and 100 children are crammed into a single classroom. Almost four out of ten children are not literate or numerate at the Grade 2 level, a full two to three years after they should be.

In sharp contrast, private schooling, which Kenyans used to view as an unnecessary expense, has risen to be seen as the gold standard of education for wealthy, middle-class and poor families alike, who believe that elite schools offer holistic learning that emphasizes values such as leadership and self-confidence, preparing the learners for bigger roles later in life.

A summary of the investment capital moving into education was provided in a recent issue of Africa Capital Digest. It mentioned ABO Capital, an Angolan investment firm that acquired Complexo Escolar PrivadoInternacional in Benfica, a suburb south of Luanda, and AfricInvest, an Africa-focused midmarket private equity firm that is backing the International Community School (ICS) in a preferential share deal.

ICS was founded in 2000 and has grown to be one of the leading private K-12 schools in Ghana. Today the company operates three campuses and teaches over 1,200 students in the cities of Kumasi and Accra.

Further details of the burgeoning investments were revealed in Gulf News Banking last month showing that Centum Investments and Investbridge Capital were embarking on the development of a $16 million, 2,000-student school with the acquisition of 20 acres in Kenyas Kiambu County.

Owning schools

The school is scheduled to open its doors to pupils in September 2018. According to reports, Centum and Investbridge will each hold a 40% stake in the project, with the SABIS Networka global education network that has a significant presence in the UAEretaining the 20% balance of the ownership.

The tripartite consortium will be responsible for the acquisition and development of a network of schools across Africa, which will be operated as part of the SABIS Network. They plan to build more than 20 schools in Africa over the next three to five years, with the cost of each school ranging between $20 million and $30 million. The investors have identified Kenya as the target country for its first school, with other East African markets such as Uganda and Tanzania to follow, as well as further expansion in Egypt.

Investbridge said there is growing interest from a mature class of generational investors from the Middle East and around the world to invest in education sector opportunities in Africa.

In the latest report by Caerus CapitalThe business of education in Africathe group predicts, In the next five years, an additional 25 million children are expected to join private institutions, so that one in four children, from all sorts of backgrounds, will be enrolled in private schools by 2021, creating an enormous opportunity for investors: $1618 billion over the next five years.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

In the 2017 World Happiness Report by Gallup, African countries score poorly. Of the 150 countries on the list, the Central African Republic, Tanzania and Burundi rank as the unhappiest countries in the world.

Some of the factors driving unhappiness are the poor state of the continents health care systems, the persistence of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and the growth of lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes.

Few African countries make significant investments in the health sectorthe median cost of health care in sub-Saharan Africa is $109 per person per year, according to Gallup. Some countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar and Niger, spend just half of that per person annually.

In 2010 only 23 countries were spending more than $44 per capita on health care, according to the World Health Organization. These countries got funding from several sources, including government, donors, employers, non-governmental organisations and households.

Private investment is now critical to meet the considerable shortfall in public-sector investment, say experts.

While many international organisations, such as UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross, continue to support Africas health care system, private entities and individuals are also increasingly making contributions. For example, Africas richest person, Aliko Dangote, and the worlds second richest person, Bill Gates, have formed a partnership to address some of Africas key health needs.

In 2014 the Nigerian-born cement magnate made global headlines after donating $1.2 billion to Dangote Foundation, which used the money to buy equipment to donate to hospitals in Nigeria and set up mobile clinics in Cote dIvoire.

A philanthropist himself, Mr. Gates wrote of Mr. Dangote in Time magazine: I know him best as a leader constantly in search of ways to bridge the gap between private business and health.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focuses, among other projects, on strengthening Africas health care resources. According to the Gates Foundation, as of May 2013 it had earmarked $9 billion to fight diseases in Africa over 15 years. In 2016 the foundation pledged to give an additional $5 billion over a five-year period, two-thirds to be used to fight HIV/AIDS on the continent.

While acknowledging the Gates generosity, locals noted that for many years the Foundation had invested in the oil companies that have contributed in making health outcomes extremely poor in some areas of Nigeria. These companies include Eni, Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Total.

Facing a backlash, the Gates Foundation sold off some 87% of its investments in major coal, oil and gas companies, leaving approximately $200 million in these stocks as of 2016. Groups such as Leave It in the Ground, a non-profit organization advocating for a global moratorium on fossil exploration, are pushing for divestment.

The link between saving lives, a lower birth rate and ending poverty was the most important early lesson Melinda and I learned about global health, said Mr. Gates recently. The Gates Foundation supports reducing childhood mortality by supplying hospitals with necessary equipment and hiring qualified local practitioners to take care of patients and their children.

Dangote-Gates collaboration

In 2016, the Dangote Foundation and the Gates Foundation formed a philanthropic dream team when they announced a $100 million plan to fight malnutrition in Nigeria. The new scheme will fund programmes to 2020 and beyond, using local groups in the northwest and northeast Nigeria. The northeast has for the past seven years been ravaged by the Boko Harams Islamic militant insurgency, affecting all health care projects in the region.

Malnutrition affects 11 million children in northern Nigeria alone, and Mr. Dangote said the partnership would address the problem.

The Foundations had already signed a deal to work together to foster immunization programmes in three northern states: Kaduna, Kano and Sokoto.

The Gates Foundation states on its website, Contributions towards the costs of the program by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dangote Foundation, and state governments will be staggered across three years: 30% in year one, 50% in year two, and 70% in year three, with the respective states taking progressive responsibility for financing immunization services.

The future of about 44% of Nigerias 170 million people would be greatly damaged if we dont solve malnutrition, said Mr. Gates, at a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

Building trust

Despite the many international and local efforts, cultural and religious factors often impede efforts to address Africas weak health infrastructure. For example, in 2007, religious leaders in northern Nigeria organized against aid workers administering polio vaccinations after rumours started circulating that the vaccines were adulterated and would cause infertility and HIV/AIDS.

In 2014, during the Ebola crisis, villagers chased and stoned Red Cross workers in Womey village in Guinea, accusing them of bringing a strange disease.

The big players may be Mr. Dangote and Mr. Gates, but others less well known are also making important contributions to Africas health care. After the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, for example, which resulted in the loss of about 11,300 lives, private companies in the three most affected countriesGuinea, Liberia and Sierra Leonepartnered with the government to fight the virus.

The Sierra Leone Brewery, for example, helped in constructing facilities for Ebola treatment. Individuals, such as Patrick Lansana, a Sierra Leonean communications expert, also volunteered their services for the Ebola fight. He said: I joined the fight against Ebola because I wanted to help my country. My efforts, and those of others, made a difference. It would have been difficult for the government and international partners to combat the virus alone.

Public-private partnerships

Private and public sectors need to collaborate to help Africas health care system from collapse, notes a report by UK-based PricewaterHouseCoopers consultancy firm. The report states that public-private partnerships, or PPPs, when fully synergised can bring about quality health care. Under a PPP in the health sector, for example, a government can contribute by providing the health care infrastructure, while private entities can be involved in the operations.

In a widely published joint opinion piece last April, Mr. Dangote and Mr. Gates stated that improving health care in Africa depends on a successful partnership between government, communities, religious and business leaders, volunteers, and NGOs. This ensures that everyone is rowing in the same direction.
Royal Crown Packaging Limited (RCPL), a local packaging company, has won the Business Quality in Packaging Industry Award at the 5th Ghana Business Quality Awards recently held at the Banquet Hall in Accra.

Royal Crown Packaging shrugged off competition to scoop the prestigious award in a night where excellence was awarded.

The 2017 Ghana Business Quality Awards, themed Celebrating 60 years of business quality in Ghana, is an initiative of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana (EFG), under the auspices of the Ministries of Finance and Business Development, in collaboration with the Ghana Standards Authority.

The awards recognize quality leadership skills, business icons representing the 10 regions, companies, products, and services that have met the standards of quality, deserving of praise and commendation from consumers and exploring the possibility of promoting quality products and business services.

After barely three years in operation, Royal Crown Packaging has taken some remarkable and giant strides in the packaging industry which have not gone unnoticed by industry players and was duly rewarded in an emphatic style.

Sharing her excitement, Managing Director of Royal Crown Packaging, Emelia Adjei Ohene-Kena, said, I would like to extend my gratitude to the organizers of this prestigious event. At Royal Crown Packaging, we are driven by an optimistic, dedicated and creative spirit which has enabled us to constantly push new boundaries and drive ourselves to better meet our client needs. We want to thank our clients and partners for the trust they have reposed in us that has allowed us to continue to serve them today.

On what the future holds for Royal Crown Packaging, Mrs Ohene-Kena, said, we will continue to improve the quality of our packaging to serve customers and the industry better.

We will also engage clients and other stakeholders more in order to deliver better products. More importantly, we hope to spread our tentacles to other countries in the West African sub-region.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
Cairo (AFP) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York to discuss the Middle East peace process in their first public talks, his office said on Tuesday.

Sisi emphasised the importance of "resuming negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides to reach a comprehensive solution," the statement said.

The two leaders discussed "ways to resume the peace process and establish a Palestinian state," the statement said.

Peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians have been at a standstill since US-backed talks collapsed in the spring of 2014.

US President Donald Trump, who visited Israel and the occupied West Bank in May, has said he believes he can mediate a final peace agreement that has eluded his predecessors.

Trump too met Netanyahu in New York on Monday ahead of the UN General Assembly and again expressed his hopes for a peaceful settlement.

Netanyahu was the first leader to have a one-on-one with Trump as the US president prepares to deliver his maiden speech to the annual get-together on Tuesday.

Sisi is reported to have been involved in secret talks with the Israeli premier in the past.

The Egyptian president joined Netanyahu for talks with then US secretary of state John Kerry hosted by King Abdullah II in the Jordanian city of Aqaba in February 2016, a former US official confirmed to AFP earlier this year.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

The goodwill built by generations that were known for hard work, humility and earned trust Igbo enjoy in their country is being eroded by IPOB, in their pride before fall. Army have to be careful with Kanu seeking martyrdom. OBJ met Dokubo Asari, which elevated him to a tin god. After ridiculing Buhari in sickness, wishing him the worst when he was down, OBJ asked Buhari to meet Kanu. Who does he represent and what bad blood would he discuss, emissaries nko?

As a result, AREWA Youths came out giving son of the soil Quit Notice in their own Country. It is so provocative that it has led to vagabonds taking the law into their own hands. In normal times, this could be glossed over but in the context of what led to Nigerian civil war, the Police should have invited over the leaders of the gangs. When peoples fears are genuine, previous harms and damages real, example should have been made out of those irresponsible Arewa youths.

Other Nigerians owe the Igbo apology for the way they were treated during that war, since they contributed to building this Country and sacrificed a great deal in the process. The hurt and disappointment should not be transferred to Igbo children in order to start another war. We must all commit to the process of rebuilding, join together and face ethnic distractors in getting rid of those perpetrating greed and corruption. Open our eyes while we cry not closed and pray.

IPOB grievances can be better expressed, not by confrontations and the songs of war. Though some parents that went through the last war might still nurse physical and emotional scars; not retaliation. Few Igbo neighboring states have not returned properties to owners. Indeed, some Igbo died without realizing their hard work and sweat from those assets. War cry reminds many of us of starving and suffering babies used as politics of negotiations by both sides of the war.

OPC, Arewa, MASSOB and MEND have become activists preying on separation and they have become rich cornering contracts from the Federal Government. More organizations noticed and started their separatist movements expecting to become rich as well. IPOB rivals MASSOB, they have declared MASSOB rich and as a sell out so that they can wrestle contracts away. We have youths whose lives and hope are being wasted by depending on IPOB shallow promises.

On the other hand, are patriotic Igbo that have left home and established in their world biggest market: Nigeria. They just want to be left alone in peace to live their lives. Even those in their states have suffered from the dislocation of their normal day to day business and trade because of either militias parading themselves as local police or Federal Force checking their movements. This has led to some bloody confrontations and death.

We all have Separatist Fatigue Syndrome: sick and tired of demands and threats made by all the militias. IPOB is just the latest and people have had enough; giving up and ready to split the Country along ethnic lines. But ethnic association is just a distraction used by corrupt Nigerians who know no ethnic or kin when sharing our money as loot. Ethnicity is only used as bargaining chips. When they share their loot in billions, all ethnic leaders and activists are represented.

Look, Igbo are not going anywhere. They have invested too much blood, sweat and hope in the Country of their birth. They are just as patriotic and proud as any Nigerian. Actually, they have more investments outside their home of origin than other Nigerians in theirs. Very few folks will squander all these to follow some leader that just woke up looking for aggrandizement. We all know that anyone looking for attention can wake up and claim to be an activist for separation.

Igbo had many sympathizers within Nigeria and the rest of the world. As ruthless as Benjamin Adekunle was during the war, he gave Nigerias ammunitions to Igbo opponents to open a new front at their Northern border. They did not. They converged on their relatives in the Mid-West and proceeded to the West until they were stopped at Ore. These were their sympathizers for goodness sake. A continuing case of familiarity breeds contempt in the Mid-West and the West.

Unfortunately, this time around, IPOB would not enjoy such empathy within and it is doubtful if IPOB have as many sympathizers as Biafra enjoyed during the last war. IPOB has divided not only Nigerians but the Igbo-Nigerians as well. While they enjoy the irrational exuberance of some youths that never knew war, others cannot be swayed by their propaganda. IPOB leader has few followers that are resourceful and worthy except those using them as bargaining chips.

Therefore, Igbo have more to lose when they separate than other average Nigerians. It puts Igbo comfortably residing outside Igbo-land at a disadvantage. They have everything to lose and nothing to gain by separating from their biggest market in the world. The mere noises of IPOB create suspicion and doubts on dedicated Igbo-Nigerian. Indeed, most Igbo are proud Nigerians wherever they are. In some cases, they dominate organization and groups representing Nigeria.

Nevertheless, IPOB claim to speak for these dedicated Nigerians. Instead of peaceful rallies, they have instigated provocations and clashes in some states inside and outside theirs, putting law abiding Igbo lives in danger. Many of these youths may not be old enough to know that political alliance in Nigeria is not new. Indeed, Igbo have formed political alliance with the North throughout the history of Nigeria after Independence. Nobody calls them names for the alliance.

What does Igbo want that they never got in their coalition with Tafawa Balewa, Obasanjo or in Jonathans Administration? Those outside Balewa and Jonathans Administration never cried for separation. When Ironsi declared Unitary Government, ironically the only people against it were the Hausa or the North. They have since got used to it, mastered it and used it to their advantage. Whenever the government of the day is not in coalition with Igbo; Nigeria sucks?

So far there is only one region that has demonstrated that it could stand on its own without Federal Government in the past. It was not Eastern Region. There are certain states right now that have been able to generate enough Internal Revenue to support themselves, Igbo states are not one of them. Yet, we continue to hear how they are going to turn Biafra into land of milk and honey. If outsiders cannot survive within Igbo states and many Igbo could not, show us some evidence of how you can change this equation for the masses you are calling home.

Out of Separatists Fatigue Syndrome: they all became repulsive, telling each to go if it wants to.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

Gordon Offin-Amaniampong examines

Your Excellency its my singular honour to welcome you back home. Youve been gone for so long just like meserving humanity as part of your diplomatic duty in the Netherlands. Indeed Ghana appreciates your good services to its people both home and abroad. Good job good man.

When you think your ears had had enough and need some breatherguess what there comes yet other exasperating sound bites. Theyre sounds that rattle like beads. Theyre sounds that echo from the straw mans ramshackle shack. Drumming from afar louder and louder, seeking attention, raising the alarm bell and of course resorting to the proverbial blame game.

What perhaps Ghanas largest opposition partyNational Democratic Congress (NDC) Communication Team didnt pay attention to or never saw it as a thorny issue back then in 2012 up to 2016 has now been revealed by Uncle Tony as something that possibly caused the partys downfall.

Ambassador Dr. Tony Aidoo says: Dr. .Bawumia was the Achilles heel of the NDC. Not only for the 2016 elections but he started way back in 2012. He ignored the fact that for the most part of the Kufuor administration, the eight years was virtually carried by donor financial support. All the social interventions that Kufuor implemented were donor supported>

I view Dr. Aidoos comments as an admission that then vice presidential candidate of the NPP Dr. Bawumia was a force to reckon with and for that matter a real thorn in the flesh of the NDC. His comment also smacks an act of sour grapes.

It is true the Kufour administration received much donor support but the government didnt leave the country broke after its tenure. In 2011 Ghana was ranked the fastest economic growing country in the world, according to Economy Watch.

The statistics for 2011 economic growth indicators put Ghana at 20.146%. It was in part due to the HIPC initiative no doubt about that. But one can also not downplay the fiscal discipline by the NPP government enforced. President John Mills was a good man unfortunately his goods deeds werent good enough to salvage the economy --his team failed him and disappointed Ghanaians.

xxxxxWhat I missed was the inability of the NDC communication team to bring out the facts so as to challenge the comparative analysis that Dr. Bawumia was making, the known out-spoken NDC ranking member told TV3 in his first-ever interview after he returned home from his diplomatic assignment.

Yes, Mr. Ambassador you missed that one big time. But did you suggest to the team or anyone, for example, this is what we need to do?

According to him it was important for the NDCs communication team at the time to have had people with historical recall and administrative memory to counteract, emphasising that even though Dr. Bawumia had flaws in his analysis of the economy ahead of the 2016 general elections, then ruling-NDC, failed to put up an effective communication strategy to counteract the analysis of the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana now Ghanas Vice President of Republic of Ghana.

But where was Uncle Tony when the NDC communication team was supposedly not working or didnt know what to do about Dr. Bawumias supposed comparative analysis flaws? How far is it from Accra to Amsterdam? Its approximately five and half hours trip so he could have come down, he could have sent a tweet, he could sent a telegram, he could have also yahooed the team and he could have phoned them too.

Did Dr. Aidoo reach out to the team? Did he offer any advice to the team or tell the team what to do?

Maybe he did but the Anyidohos and the General Mosquitoes ignored him.

May I crave your indulgence Mr. Ambassador, much as I respect your opinion regarding the subject matter, wouldnt it have been better if you didnt mention what you called Bawumias comparative analysis flaws. And heres why: You will never get your opponent (Dr. Bawumia) to debate him on the issue. And that makes your argument fits into a Straw Man fallacy .You know their tactics and antics already so I am not going to dwell much on that.

However, at best it seems to be the old chestnut game. Ive heard it over and over yet there hasnt been any NDC economic guru thats come out to pin point the flaws in any of his analyses on the state of Ghanas economy under the period in question. Even after his (Bawumias) 2016 big lecture, which I described as Mother of All Lectures nobody showed up.

So my question is: why now when the milk is snaking on the ground.

What can you salvage from the spoilt?

Dont you think youre making the party look sorely miserable as though its bereft of ideas?

I think theres nothing to counteract though... Ive said this before and I wont shy away reiterating it here. A little bit of partisanship is good for Ghanas democracy but too much of it isnt helpful. Too much partisanship, I believe would rock our sailing boat. And everyone in the boat would suffer. Fact is if we politicise everything Ghana cannot work, the country will be like a man on a treadmill. The nation cannot move forward, there will be no development or progress.

Argument on HIPC or donor support

I think Dr. Aidoos argument that the Kufuor administration had a lot of burden taken off his governments shoulders when Ghanas creditors wrote off 66% of the countrys debt as a result of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative is untenable.

At the time our national debt was about 6.8 billion dollars. In effect, our debt-to-GDP ratio certainly dropped sharply so on what grounds can Bawumia compare that an economy that was virtually carried by donor financial support was managed better than an economy that did not have those support? Dr. Aidoo argued.

First of all why did Ghana join HIPC?

Im of the view that if one cannot appreciate or factor into where we were before the country joined HIPC then one must as well forget the argument or the comparison analysis because there were stars when the Moon showed up. Ghana joined HIPC in March 2001 and it subsequently progressed to the decision point in February 2002. It wasnt a pleasure to join the programme. The decision was borne out of necessity.

How was Ghanas economy at the time? What was the nations GDP ratio? Who ran the economy down? Needless to say that the economy had hit rock-bottom, the national kitty had been run empty. Who doesnt want to be pardoned with debt? Is it wrong for a patient to see a doctor for medical treatment or physical therapy after youd physically and financially assaulted her?

I could also infer from his argument that it was wrong for Ghana at the time to join HPIC or get facelift for our bloodied nose and broken jaws, a condition then governing NDC bequeathed Ghana in the year 2000.

History

Top of Form

In February 2002, the Executive Boards of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Development Associations (IDA) agreed to support a comprehensive debt reduction package for Ghana under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative at the decision point. A set of floating triggers at the time was established for Ghana to reach the completion point.

The Boards also agreed to provide Ghana with interim assistance to cover part of the debt service falling due to the IMF and IDA until Ghana reached the floating completion point. The IMF provided interim debt service relief in an amount equivalent to SDR 25.1 million in nominal terms between February 2002 and May 2004, while IDA provided interim relief amounting to US$98 million over the same period. In addition, both the AfDB and the EU/EIB provided interim relief in the amount of US$52 million and EUR4.7 million, respectively.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

Accra, Sept 17, GNA - Mrs Kate Quartey-Papafio, the Chief Executive Officer of Reroy Cables Limited, a leading manufacturer of electrical cables across the Sub-region, has called on Africa governments to support women entrepreneurs to take full advantage of economies of scale.

'This can be done through government's encouragement of the registration of women enterprises in various free zones enclaves across Africa with specific exemptions on their inputs materials for production to reduce cost and encourage intra African trade among women owned enterprises'.

Mrs Quartey-Papafio made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during the recent Africa Prosperity Conference held in Accra.

She spoke on the on the topic: 'Women as Agents of Economic Change: Ensuring Women Can Participate and Thrive with the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA)'.

The CFTA is an instrument to rationalize trade negotiations, reduce the cost of doing business, support industrialization and stimulate cross-border infrastructure projects.

She said the CFTA provides a single economic space with harmonized trade policies and regulatory framework, free movement of goods and investments, expansion of intra-African trade and trade competitiveness at the industry and enterprise level.

Mrs Quartey-Papafio said women in industry in African countries would have to be supported through the drafting of favourable private sector development strategies and programmes to access easily raw materials from other markets within the continent.

This, she explained, would translate into shorter shipment period and lower costs of export as part of plans to integrate women industry players into the overall CFTA initiative.

The Renowned Entrepreneur said women entrepreneurs contribute significantly to the development of African economy and have been the agents of economic change since the industrial revolution in the 19th century and spearheaded economic change in countries such as India, Japan, Ghana among others.

She said African governments can also help women to benefit from CFTA through the formation of technical committees at the Metropolitan and Municipal District Assemblies level to provide advisory services on how to penetrate into other African markets with their finished products.

'This initiate will also help women to take full advantage of the CFTA at the regional, national and sub-regional levels with expert advice'.

She urged African Women Entrepreneurs to take advantage of technology and explore it's full benefits to achieve efficiency in production.

'I encouraged frequent seminars on Information Communication Technology Seminars across the sub region to improve upon the goods and services we take onto other African markets'.

The CFTA was established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2012 at the 18th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State of the African Union to boost Intra-Africa Trade.

GNA

By Kodjo Adams, GNA
London, Sept. 14, GNA - GE, a global provider of technology for the energy industry, has asked the US and other governments to help developing countries make the most of coal-fuelled electricity to aid development.

A GE spokesman told the GNA in London: 'Access to affordable and reliable energy in developing countries is necessary to support their emerging economy, create jobs, and support the health and wellbeing of the people.'

In July this year, the US Treasury Department called on multilateral development banks to help developing countries gain access to coal cleanly and efficiently.

This is a reversal of the 2013 policy by the Obama administration not to support power projects overseas that did not provide low carbon emissions.

But the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned in its 2014 World Energy Investment Outlook: 'If development banks withhold financing for coal-fired power plants, countries that build new capacity will be less inclined to select the most efficient designs because they are more expensive, consequently raising CO2 emissions.'

Reacting to this, the GE spokesman told the GNA: 'In that context, it would indeed be helpful if the US and other governments lead a global effort to encourage the continued deployment of the cleanest coal technologies available and ensure adequate private and multilateral bank financing.'

Earlier this month, South Africa's electricity provider, Eskom, using GE Steam Power System's Ultra-Supercritical technology, launched one of the most efficient coal-fired power plants on the continent, Kusile Unit 1.

Kusile's air quality control system is first of its kind in Africa, guaranteeing the cleanest and most environmentally friendly coal power processing, according to GE.

Ultra-Supercritical power generation technology has achieved 47.5 per cent efficiency in the world's most efficient coal power plant in Germany, well above the global average of 33 per cent, GE notes.

It added that each percentage point improvement in efficiency was significant, as each point reduced CO2 emissions from coal power plants by two per cent.

The change of the US government's position on the use of coal for electricity generation is expected to be discussed during Nigeria's Mining Week in Abuja next month.

Nigeria's Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, is keen for the country to make use of its coal reserves.

'We have an existential need for power in this country and we have to do something about it, and we can get power from coal which we have in abundance,' he said recently.

In Nigeria, 98 million people are without electricity while 65 per cent of schools in the country lack access to power, according to the UN.

As a result, Nigerian school children could not be guaranteed an education based on technology.

The UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, told a recent education conference: 'The facts have shown that students who have access to electricity have been confirmed to perform better because they have access to modern facilities.'

Nigeria's Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, speaking recently, argued: 'By telling us not to use coal they are pushing us into the destructive cycle of underdevelopment; while you have the competitive advantages, you tie our hands behind us.'

Kenya is planning a 1050MW coal plant to be part-funded by the African Development Bank, as part of the government's plan to provide electricity to 95 per cent of the population by 2020.

'Coal will give us some breathing space,' said Richard Muiru, an adviser at the country's energy ministry.

'We see it as a shot in the arm as we continue to develop our renewables.'

The Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Charles Keter, said recently: 'Given that Kenya requires over 30 gigawatts to be an industrialised nation, we require all kinds of sources of power.'

As African governments prepare to access coal for the benefit of their citizens, GE is positioning itself to help.

Eskom Interim Chief Executive Johnny Dladla welcomed GE's technology: 'Kusile is the first power plant in Africa to implement clean fuel technology such as flue-gas desulphurisation - a state-of-the-art technology used to remove oxides of sulphur, such as sulphur dioxide, from exhaust flue gases in power plants that burn coal or oil.

'This technology is fitted as an atmospheric emission abatement technology, in line with current international practice, to ensure compliance with air-quality standards, especially since the power station is located in a priority air shed area.'

Kusile Unit1 will deliver an additional 800MW to the South African grid and help to stabilise it.

Once it reaches its maximum output of 4,800 MW, Kusile will provide electricity for a further 3.5 million households in South Africa, and is expected to be in operation for 50 years.

Given that well over 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to constant electricity, African governments are preoccupied with responding to the ever-growing demand for access to affordable, reliable and sustainable power for their citizens.

They are increasingly turning to the continent's 35 billion coal reserves to achieve 'the lowest possible cost of electricity to consumers using innovative, smarter and cleaner steam technology solutions where possible', the GE spokesman told the GNA.

'As home to 3.5 per cent of the world's coal reserves, South Africa is deploying GE's Super-critical steam technology at the national utility's new power plantsto deliver significantly higher efficiency rates compared to the global coal plants average of 33 per cent while producing up to 9600MW of electricity.

'Other African countries that have proven coal reserves can also explore this technology to sustainably solve their energy challenges,' the spokesman added.

'GE is committed to supporting the governments and their utilities to create a strong ecosystem, connecting learning institutions, research facilities, utilities, development finance institutions and businesses to bring more power to the population at faster speeds and more sustainably than they have done in the past.'

By Desmond Davies, London Bureau
Accra, Sept. 18 - (UPI/GNA) - Barely a week after Hurricane Irma tore through, a number of islands in the Caribbean are now bracing for a direct hit from yet another major hurricane -- this time Maria.

The storm is swirling in the eastern Caribbean and is expected to become a major hurricane -- Category 3, minimum -- by early Tuesday as it heads for the Leeward Islands, the National Hurricane Center said Monday morning.

In its 5 a.m. advisory, forecasters said Maria was located about 100 miles east of Martinique and 130 miles east-southeast of Dominica, with winds of 90 mph as it moved west-northwest at a speed of 13 mph.

"The center of Maria will move across the Leeward Islands late today and tonight and then over the extreme northeastern Caribbean Sea Tuesday," the NHC said Monday.

Several islands battered by Category 5 Irma are under hurricane advisories. A hurricane warning is in effect for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, and Martinique -- and hurricane watches have been issued for Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Saba and St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, and Anguilla.

Forecasters say Maria will likely experience significant strengthening to a major hurricane in the next 48 hours, bringing dangerous wind, storm surge, and rainfall hazards.

So far, Maria is following a similar path that Irma travelled -- west-northwest through the Caribbean. Monday, forecasters expected Maria will ultimately turn sharply north, and potentially threaten the middle of the U.S. East Coast.

Rain accumulations of 6 to 12 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches, are forecast across the Leeward Islands, including Puerto Rico as well as the U.S. and British Virgin Islands -- residents of which have barely returned evacuating for Irma -- through Wednesday night.

GNA
Accra, Sept. 18 - (UPI/GNA) - The White House is scheduled to meet with the presidents of some of the historically black colleges and universities on Monday.

Administration officials will hold the White House summit at 8 a.m. EDT with several leaders of the United States' historically black campuses.

This event comes amid some contention between the Trump administration and black college leaders over the Education Department's removal of support for HBCUs.

In February, more than 60 HBCU presidents met with the president to discuss his views and agenda.

Several school leaders, though, have refused to attend the summit with administration officials -- believing President Donald Trump doesn't adequately support their campuses. Some had called for the summit to be postponed.

The summit will be streamed live by the White House.

President Donald Trump, in New York City Monday for the U.N. General Assembly this week, will not be at the White House for the summit. Administration officials indicated, though, that the president will sign a declaration making this HCBU Week.

GNA
Kigali (AFP) - Rwandan President Paul Kagame has met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in New York for rare talks, Kigali said Tuesday, as diplomatic ties remain icy over the 1994 genocide.

Kigali has long accused France of complicity in the genocide of some 800,000 mostly ethnic Tutsis, at the hands of Hutu extremists, angering Paris and straining relations.

The Rwandan presidency said in a statement on Twitter that Kagame and Macron on Monday discussed "collaboration on issues of mutual interest including peace (and) security in Africa", on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Ties between Kigali and Paris had been on the mend until 2014 when Kagame repeated accusations that French soldiers were both accomplices and "actors" in the bloodbath.

The stormy relationship took an even worse turn when the French judiciary decided in October 2016 to re-open an investigation into the shooting down of former president Juvenal Habyarimana's plane, which triggered 100 days of meticulously planned slaughter.

The case was re-opened to hear testimony from a former general who accuses Kagame of being behind the assassination.

France is accused of missing or ignoring the warning signs, and of training the soldiers and militiamen who carried out the killings.

And when the genocide was in full swing, it was further accused of using its diplomatic clout to stall effective action.

Rwandan political commentator Christopher Kayumba, said the meeting in New York was a "good sign that the relationship between the two could be better than with previous French presidents".

"Both presidents are meeting for the first time and are still trying to study each other and create a relationship beyond the historic mistrust between both countries," he said.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

Mr. Jean-Claude Junker, the blunt, strong-willed and battle-tested President of the European Commission blew hot about the precarious plight of the Igbo people and the dangers faced by members of the Indegenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) in Nigeria last week.

He said "it is the peoples right to agitate and make a request from their government. Self-determination is a right enshrined in the United Nation Charter. The people of Biafra have every right to request for a referendum. They have been in this struggle for a while now. They have never killed or shot a bullet instead they are the victims of attacks and murder. The EU hereby condemns the brutal attack on IPOB members and leadership under the pretentious disguise of a military exercise (Operation Python Dance). The Nigerian military is warned to adopt democratic tenets in handling citizens. The EU will not sit by idly and watch things go undemocratic in the largest economy of the West African region".

This is an excellent assesment of the situation and it provides a timely warning to the Buhari administration about their grave indiscretions and obvious excesses.

Yet instead of addressing the deep concerns that the EU, Amnesty International, the United Nations and many other notable players and organisations on the world stage have about what is going on in Nigeria, Mr. Lai Mohammed, President Buhari's Minister of Information and a man who told us just a few years ago that it was wrong and unlawful to ban Boko Haram, had only the following to say:

"IPOB is a group sponsored by a coalition of political parties and looters who are bent on derailing the fight on corruption embarked upon by Buhari-APC led government."

Such unadulterated poppycock and pernicious lies and such baseless allegations and nonsensensical assertions, even when they come from a man whose credibility is at best questionable, beggars belief.

Instead of attacking and insulting those of us that have condemned the slaughter of Igbos and alleging that we are sponsoring IPOB the Buhari government would do well to consider Jean Claude Junker's words and what the European Union have said about the barbaric killing of the Igbo and the universal right of self-determination which is protected and guaranteed by international law.

Since when has it been acceptable or the norm to unleash the dogs of war against a group of innocent, unarmed and defenceless young people and their colourful leader simply because they dared to ask for a referendum?

The fact of the matter is that whether anyone likes it or not, the attempt to break, subjugate, demonise, belittle, villify and wipe out the Igbo race through the auspices of intimidation, disinformation, manipulation of the media, mass murder and ethnic cleansing by the Buhari administration shall fail.

The truth is that this whole thing is not about IPOB but about the consistent expression of an irrational, illogical and pathological hatred of the Igbos by the maximum ruler of the Nigerian state.

And if he gets away with it and manages to achieve his sinister and nefarious objective he will come after the Yoruba, the Ijaw, the Tiv and everyone else in a matter of time!

That is why it is important to refuse to be intimidated, to stand firm, to hold the line, to resist him with every fibre of our being and to insist on the restructuring and the renegotiation of Nigeria.

Fifty years after our brutal and genocidal civil war we have learnt nothing about the cataclysmic and devastating consequences and spiritual implications of slaughtering innocent people in the name of keeping Nigeria one.

Why do you think nothing works in our country and that our people are mostly unfulfilled, poor, miserable, afflicted and deprived? Why do you think there is so much suffering in our nation despite the fact that we have been blessed with so many human and mineral resources? It is God's judgement.

Until we stop electing pyschopaths, sociopaths and cruel men of blood into office and until our leaders stop killing innocent people whose only "crime" is to express their desire to be free from slavery, bondage and tyranny and to be allowed to determine their own future nothing will or can change for the better in our beleagured country.

As long as the ethnic cleansing and mass murder continues and as long as our people cheer on our leaders as they commit these heinous crimes against humanity Nigeria will continue to be a basket case of a nation which is ruled by unrepentant and wicked tyrants, garrulous court jesters and certified village idiots.

If we continue to condone and refuse to desist from state sponsored repression and the mass murder of Igbos, northern Christians, Shiite Muslims, Niger Deltans or any other group of people who are seen by our collective oppressers as soft and easy targets our nation will continue to be perceived as an abominable and accursed dwarf that crawls around like a helpless, crippled and stunted child in the comity of nations.

Nigeria was once the hope of the black man but sadly in the last two years she has become an embarrasment and burden to Africa and a reference point for everything that is reprehensible and shameful in the world.

A nation where savage and insensitive beasts murder innocent men, women and children in the sanctity of their homes whilst the people cheer them on and embrace their murderous barbarity with joy and glad tidings.

A nation where political opponents can be locked up for years without any recourse to the courts and without any form of due process.

A nation where opposition members and dissidents are villified and subjected to every form of shame, malevolence and indignity simply because they refuse to bow before the maximum ruler and worship him as a living deity.

Can God's prescence possibly be in such an arrangement and can God's blessing possibly be in such a place?

Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN, one of the true crusaders for justice and human rights in Nigeria and a man of remarkable fortitude and immense courage captured the mood and painted an accurate picture of the situation when he said the following:

"The Fulani herdsmen who go on rampage daily, maiming, rapiing and killing and those responsible for the Agatu massacre, Shiites massacre, Southern Kaduna pogrom, indiscriminate killings, brazen quit notice givers across Nigeria, etc, have never been arrested, prosecuted, let alone been proscribed and stigmatised as terrorist organisations. We must surely have and operate two sets of laws for two sets of people in Nigeria".

How true this is! Yet even if the majority within the Nigerian political class and media are not prepared or able to confront and expose this great evil and speak truth to power, the international media, who are thoroughly and understandebly mortified and shocked by what is unfolding in our country, are evidently ready to do so.

For example the Washington-based Newsweek International Magazine, in an excellent article written by Mr. Connor Gaffey just last week, focused on the fact that "many Biafran Christians" had been subjected to "extra-judicial killings" by a northern Muslim-controlled and led army.

They condemned the activities of the Nigerian military in the east in very strong terms, decried the dangerous situation that is unfolding in Nigeria and echoed President Olusegun Obasanjo's laudable call for dialogue between the IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Buhari.

In their own contribution to the debate the respected New York-based Huffington Post published the following artice which was written by Mr. Bruce Feinn, a highly celebrated and distinguished human rights lawyer and a former Deputy Attorney General in the Reagan administration. He wrote:

"The United Nations will live in infamy for lending its megaphone on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, to Nigerias elected military dictator Muhammadu Buhari.

The Hausa-Fulani Muslim strongman is currently orchestrating genocide as defined by the Genocide Convention against Nigerias 50 million Igbo people because of their ethnicity and unwavering devotion to Christianity. Buharis genocide marks the culmination of a long train of Biafran subjugation by radical Hausa-Fulani Islamic terrorists. The dictators power is anchored to an illegitimate constitution decreed by a military dictator in 1999 to hold the Christian Biafran people in bondage to Hausa-Fulani Muslims. Nigerias constitution has never been approved by Nigerians.

Last June, Buhari tacitly endorsed a Hausa-Fulani threat to expel by force and violence and to plunder 11 million Igbos in twelve northern Nigerian states that have adopted Sharia as their legal codes if they did not abandon their Igbo homes and businesses by October 1, 2017. During the past few years in northern Nigeria, Hausa-Fulani terrorists have destroyed thousands of churches and religious schools and displaced millions of Christian Biafrans.

Hundreds of innocent civilians have died and more have been injured or terrorized by Nigerias military acting under Buharis direction in the last week alone. A courageous and influential Biafran leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has had his home attacked and quarantined by Nigerias armed forces and his followers killed. Grisly videos and photos taken at scenes of the harrowing crimes are conclusive. What they prove amounts to state terrorismthe systematic employment of violence to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.

Instead of providing Buhari a megaphone, the United Nations should be expelling Nigeria from membership under Article 6 of the United Nations Charter. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) should be referring the dictator and his henchmen like Army Chief of Staff Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, to investigate for complicity in genocide. The UNSC should also be imposing an arms embargo on Nigeria under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter until the right of the Biafran people to self-determination is secured through a free and fair referendum conducted by the United Nations Electoral Unit. At present, dictator Buhari is diverting arms purchased for ostensible use against Boko Haram, an international terrorist organization, to the terrorizing of Biafran Christians. Buhari has no interest in defeating Boko Haram because its threat triggers military and financial assistance from the United States in its global war on terrorism.

These sanctions against Nigeria would honor twin objectives of the United Nations: (1) to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained; and, (2) promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to religion".

The genocide of Biafrans is not a domestic matter within the exclusive jurisdiction of Nigeria. Genocide is a crime against all of mankind which concerns every country. Moreover, if dictator Buhari is permitted to kill and enslave Christian Biafrans with impunity, Nigeria could degenerate into a Hausa-Fulani Islamic theocracy and could become a state sponsor of terrorism. Nigerias example would embolden the persecution of Christians elsewhere.

Nigerias 190 million inhabitants make it the most populous nation in Africa. It is a model not only in West Africa but throughout the continent. It is too important for its fate to be left to the roll of the dice.

The international community planted the seeds of contemporary Nigerian and African strife by arbitrarily carving up the continent in favor of colonial powers at the1884-1885 Berlin Conference. The United Nations is saddled with a moral obligation to help remedy the dystopias spawned by many of its key members.

While the suffering and persecution of Burmas Muslim Rohingya have captured headlines and the attention of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, Nigerias far worse oppression of Biafrans has been largely ignored. It is difficult to resist the conclusion that the international human rights community squints when blacks kill blacks".

He concluded by saying,

"Chad had its Hissene Habre, Libya had its Muammar Gaddafi and Nigerian President Buhari should learn from those examples before continuing his genocidal murders and torture of Biafrans. Justice will pursue Buhari as tenaciously as the Furies pursued Orestes. He would tremble if he reflected that God is just, and that His justice will not sleep forever".

These are valid and legitimate observations and laudable assertions from a respected individual that has dedicated his entire life to the cause of protecting human rights and a medium that prides itself on the highest standard of literary excellence and investigative journalism.

Let us hope that President Muhammadu Buhari and his military commanders are listening!
19.09.2017 LISTEN

The Nigerian Humanist Movement is deeply concerned by the recent military action and ongoing agitation for Biafra by this separatist group in South East Nigeria, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

While, as humanists, we recognize the rights of individuals to self-determination and to peaceful protest, we also acknowledge the duty of the government to uphold the rule of law, and ensure, for all its citizens, the security and stability of the country.

So, we both condemn the use of violence by the Nigerian government in response to the agitation and deplore the threats of violence and incitement of ethnic hatred by IPOB members including Nigerians who are in support or oppose the agitation for Biafra. We denounce the ethnic framing of this agitation on both sides, including the description of any ethnic group in pejorative terms.

We urge all parties involved to exercise restraint and avoid unlawful actions or measures that would further exacerbate the crisis and lead to more loss of lives. We appeal to all parties to explore dialogue, diplomacy and all peaceful means to reconcile differences in furtherance of a tolerant, secular and democratic Nigeria.

Leo Igwe

Nigerian Humanist Movement.


The phraseology -political tradition is used as a descriptive label for a set of ideas and values about political parties in a democratic dispensation. Political tradition, therefore, comprises the body of ideas that undergird the conduct of political parties.

In Ghana, the widely recognised and dominant political traditions are the Nkrumaists and the Danquah-Dombo-Busia.

It is however worthy of note that the first political party formed in Ghana was the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), which was formed on 4th August 1947.

Back then, according to the available historical facts, the organisers magnanimously extended an invitation to the equally intrepid and patriotic Dr Nkrumah in London to take an important position as the secretary of the organisation.

To his credit, though, Dr Nkrumah graciously obliged and took the position. But as it is with any other working team, unexpected dissonance ensued and the members unfortunately parted ways.

Consequently, Dr Nkrumah, together with a few disgruntled UGCC apologists broke away and formed the Convention Peoples Party (CPP).

And the other remaining members of the UGCC formed a new party which was called the United Party (UP).

Based on the rich history of the Nkrumaists and the Danquah-Dombo-Busia traditions, the party faithful have bragging rights about the authenticity of their respective ideologies.

Bizarrely, though, the supporters of the New Democratic Congress (NDC), a party that sprung out of a series of coup detats have been parasitically holding on to the Nkrumaists tradition.

That could not be right because as far as Ghanaians are concerned, the NDC Party was founded on the ideals of coup makers, who had no spelled out ideology back then.

Perhaps, the brassbound NDC Party supporters are not content with their tempestuous and weird tradition, hence seeking refuge in the Nkrumaists tradition.

As a matter of fact, Ghanas revolution days under the founders of the NDC Party could be likened to: in the China of the Great Helmsman, Kim Il Sungs Korea, Vietnam under Uncle Ho and Cuba under Castro, Ethiopia under Mengistu, Angola under Neto, and Afghanistan under Najibullah.

Apparently, the NDC Party apparatchiks have over the years been hoodwinking and proselytising unsuspecting Ghanaians to believe that the NDC Party is a subsidiary of the Nkrumaists tradition.

The fact however is, the NDC Party was founded on the ideals of coup making enthusiasts.

And given the circumstances in which the NDC Party was formed, one would have expected a true probity, transparency and accountability within the elected NDC government, nonetheless that has never been the case.

The fact is, since the attainment of the independence from the British in 1957, the NDC tradition (PNDC and NDC) had governed the country more than any other government I can think of. In fact, that tradition had governed Ghana for approximately 27 years out of Ghanas 60 years.

The CPP tradition (CPP and PNP) governed the country for approximately 12 years.

Disappointingly, the last Nkrumaists government formed by the PNP, and led by Dr Hilla Limann, was deposed by the founders of the NDC Party which was spearheaded by Ex-President J. J. Rawlings on 31st December 1981.

The military regimes of the NLC, SMC 1 and 2 ruled Ghana for about 10 years before the founders of the NDC supplanted power on 4th June 1979.

The UP tradition (PP and NPP) total share of the day-to-day management of the country is about 11 years to date.

In my humble opinion, in terms of useful infrastructural projects which put the country at a substantial and propitious position, Dr Nkrumahs CPP government did exceedingly better than any of the administrations that followed.

Although Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busias government lasted for less than three years, there is no community in Ghana where traces of his development initiatives cannot be seen.

Notable achievements of Busia's government include the building of roads, housing, provision of healthcare facilities and water.

Dr. Busia was the first Ghanaian leader to establish a ministry responsible for rural development, a move, which was in line with his commitment at raising the living standards of the rural dwellers (Daily Guide, 11/07/2013).

Generally, I detest coup makers, but General I. K. Acheampong (The Head of State from 1972-78) was an exception to my odiousness. I had a great deal of respect for the man, primarily because of his great sense of foresight.

In my humble opinion, General I. K. Acheampong was an estimable leader who initiated pragmatic policies such as operation feed yourself and affordable housing units.

The Limann government assumed office at a time when the economy was stagnant; all credit lines to the country had gradually dried up and were finally blocked due to brutalities and confiscations at the harbours and other points of entry into Ghana.

Through very careful negotiations, preparations and honest presentation of well thought-out programmes, government worked out a pragmatic approach to the solution of our economic problems.

Laudable efforts were made to repay our short-term debts and demonstrated the ability to meet our debt obligations.

DrLimanns government was able, within 18 months, to restore virtually all traditional credit lines (Source: PNC).

Disappointingly, however, Rawlings and his cohorts did not give Dr Liman and his PNP government the breathing space to govern the country, as they relentlessly breathed down the neck of President Liman.

As a matter of fact, Rawlings and his conspiratorial plotters unfairly kept criticising Dr Limanns administration for what the coup makers perceived as economic mismanagement, until Rawlings and his jailbreaking geezers decided to depose Dr Limann.

Subsequently, J. J. Rawlings and the other obstreperous jailbreakers took arms and succeeded in deposing the democratically elected government of Dr Hilla Limann on 31st December 1981.

Apparently, Rawlings and his friends formed a government which they called the Provisional national Defence Council (PNDC) and appointed Rawlings as the chairman.

After imposing himself and despotically ruling the country for over 11 years, J. J. Rawlings retired from the military and bizarrely metamorphosed into civilian president on the ticket of the New Democratic Congress in 1992.
Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, September 18, 2017  The African Development Bank (AfDB) is advocating closer linkages between development partners and policy-makers to enhance the informal sectors contribution to building an African food and cuisine value chain.

Like many other economic activities in Africa, large segments of the food value chain are mainly informal.

The Banks proposition was made at a B2B (business-to-business) meeting on AfDBs ENABLE Youth platform: The Economics of Food Cuisine at the 7th African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), held from September 4-8, 2017 in Abidjan.

The side event was organized by the African Development Banks Gender, Women and Civil Society Organizations Department together with the Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department of the AfDB, and Hivos International, a global organization that works for sustainable economies and inclusive societies.

Basil Jones, Gender Programme and Policy Coordinator at the Bank, said, We have looked at the culinary potential of African food in the creation of jobs and helping us to deal with the challenge of youth unemployment. This investment in growing Africas culinary culture could become our trademark to stimulate the tourism sector. It would also go towards strengthening Africas emerging cultural identity in the international scene.

The session provided an opportunity to make a presentation on AfDBs ENABLE Youth Platform: The Economics of Food Cuisine and discuss with public and private stakeholders the role of food and cuisine value chains in Africa and their contribution to the economy, including job creation.

The Economics of Food Cuisine Knowledge-Sharing initiative is part of the African Development Banks ENABLE (Empowering Novel Agri-Business-Led Employment) Youth Program and intends to balance and support the AfDBs High 5 priorities, especially the Jobs for Youth and Industrialization programs. By looking at more downstream activities such as the food service and gastronomy industry the African food and cuisine offers a different entry point into agricultural value chains.

The goal of the platform: to enhance the viability of food entrepreneurs, especially women and youth, seeking to start and grow a food-related business through knowledge-sharing; mentorship services; skills development; access to finance by linking the platform to crowdfunding schemes targeting agri-businesses; and blogging.

At 1.2 billion today, Africas population is projected to more than double by 2050. Youth make up a large part of Africas population and the majority of the unemployed. This is one of the most pressing socio-economic issues in Africa.

Through its Jobs for Youth initiative, the Bank is investing in high-growth and emerging sectors that have the potential to promote youth and womens economic empowerment and create 25 million jobs over the next decade, said Edson Mpysi, Coordinator of the ENABLE Youth Program.

The creative industries, such as textile, fashion, food, culinary arts and film, are part of these new economies, that utilize agriculture products offering massive potential for continent-wide job and GDP growth, said Vanessa Moungar, AfDB Director of Gender, Women and Civil Society Organisations.AfDB and Hivos International have partnered and developed an inclusive end-to-end strategy that enables innovative entrepreneurs to become agents of change at the forefront of a more sustainable agri-food sector in Africa.

The Food Cuisine initiative is the unique combination of an on-the-ground business capacity support and network building program combined with a one-stop-shop digital platform. It connects, informs and enables Africas fast-growing community of agri-food professionals, said Marnix Van Holland, Program Development Manager, Hivos International.

Young entrepreneurs will be placed in agribusiness incubators where they receive training along the different phases of the value chain (input, production, marketing, retail) as well as in business development.

The Bank estimates Africas culinary industry is currently valued at US $313 billion. The food and beverage market is projected to reach US $1 trillion by 2030. It is imperative that the continent harnesses this potential in order to shrink employment  especially that of women and youth  create rural prosperity and improve food and nutrition security.

The Bank aims to empower the African food community, support young entrepreneurs, connect food innovators and provide a platform to showcase new products from the continent.

The online platform targets stakeholders in the food industry to offer young women and men operating in the agricultural value chains the opportunity to pursue diverse careers in this sector, providing vocational training, financial literacy, access to resources and networks.

The platform will also offer users an online business management tool allowing entrepreneurs a chance to develop their business plan within the shortest period at no cost.

This section will support and guide entrepreneurs, operating in the food and beverage industry, through all the processes of starting and running a business, which includes generating the business plan, create financial projections and track progress, said Emanuela Gregorio, AfDB Gender and Innovation Economist

The online platform will integrate with existing e-commerce and crowdfunding platforms across the continent to promote intra-African trade by showcasing and exposing agri-food to a larger African audience, according to Vuyo Tofile, Founder of Entbanc Group, which is managing the platform.

Africa needs to move away from solely producing raw consumables and invest more in value-added processing units and branded food products and focus more on downstream activities such as the food service industry.Download the brochure: http://bit.ly/2xPq6ff

VIDEO: Investing in the African Food Cuisine Value Chain  Creative Industries for the Continents Inclusive Growth
Today, the BBC announced that Nigerian TV presenter, Amina Yuguda, has been awarded the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award .

Amina, who hails from the northern Nigerian town of Yola, is a presenter on the 8pm news on Gotel Television in north-eastern Nigeria. A well-known and respected face locally, she has reported on a range of the regions high-profile news stories, including the Boko Haram insurgency.

As she accepts the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award at a ceremony in the BBC Radio Theatre in London, Amina begins her three month placement at the BBC.

To kick off, Amina attends a course with the BBC Academy. She will then join BBC News teams - across TV, radio and online  which will provide her with the opportunity to gain skills and experience across BBC News multifaceted platforms. Towards the end of her placement, Amina will have the opportunity to travel to a country in Africa, with a top BBC producer, to report on a story for a global audience. The story will then be broadcast on BBC platforms, which reach audiences of 348 million across the world each week.

Amina said, I was overwhelmed with joy, when I heard that I had won. In Africa, storytellers have always had an important role, relaying culture, traditions and history. This is what defines us. Today journalists are taking on that responsibility, and to bring African stories to a global BBC audience is a huge honour. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue the work of the previous winners of the Komla Dumor Award, Nancy Kacungira and Didi Akinyelure.

Amina stood out from the crowd with her tenacity and superb story telling ability. Much like Komla, Amina is committed to challenging preconceived stereotypes by asking the questions that provide clarity, unlock insights and have the potential to deepen understanding. Her passion for telling these stories will resonate with BBCs global audiences.

Francesca Unsworth, Director of BBC World Service Group and Deputy Director of News and Current Affairs, said, The BBC World News Komla Dumor Award was established to recognise and empower Africas leading talent in journalism. Komla was highly respected, not only among his peers, but also by audiences across the continent and beyond. To find someone who possesses many of Komlas qualities is something for us to celebrate, and we are very excited about working with Amina.

The award was set up in honour of presenter Komla Dumor who died in January 2014 and aims to continue Komlas legacy by celebrating African journalism and finding exceptional talent. The judging panel included Rachael Akidi, editor of the BBC's Focus on Africa radio programme; Paul Royall, editor of the BBCs Six and Ten o'clock news in the UK; and Khadija Patel, editor-in-chief of South Africa's Mail & Guardian newspaper.

Amina will be interviewed tonight (19th September) on Focus on Africa at 1730 GMT on BBC World News (DStv 400).

For more information go to bbc.com/komladumor
Africa is a huge continent dotted with beautiful landscapes and countless ethnic groups. Hence, it is almost impossible to select activities to do when travelling around the continent.

As such, Jumua Travel, the leading online travel agency, has come up with six exciting activities to spice up your African travel experience.

Relax on a beach

A wonderful and thrilling encounter awaits the beach-lover on Africa's coastlines. It offers the traveller everything from budget huts in Zanzibar to luxurious private islands in the Seychelles. You can go surfing or go diving with great white sharks.

Hike a mountain

There are so many mountains options for the mountain enthusiast. The obvious choices are Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and Mount Cameroun among others. You can conquer any of them by climbing with your travel companions. It is fun all the way to the peak and when you arrive at the zenith, you are rewarded with an everlasting and picturesque view of the city. It is a sight to behold!

Shop in local markets

Want to see the real African street life? Then do not fail to visit an African market. You will get an authentic insight into a country's culture, local economy and food. It also offers photo opportunities. Additionally, ensure you hone your bargaining skills and discover the fun side of shopping in an African market. Some of the biggest markets in the continent are Maasai Market in Nairobi, Makola Market, Accra and Onitsha Market, Anambra etc.

Attend a festival

Africans love to celebrate. They commemorate their own rites of passage, religious festivals, and local harvests. There's generally music, dance and food. For tourists, there are several large festivals and cultural events that happen annually, where you can enjoy film, poetry, drama and music in an organised setting. Some of the festivals include Lake Of Stars in Malawi, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Vic Falls Carnival, Zimbabwe and Bushfire festival in Malawi.

Discover the continent's history

There are so many destinations where you can learn about Africa's rich history. For example, 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians were already busy building monuments and tombs that still stand today. The slave trade left its mark on the coasts of both East and West Africa. So, wherever you visit in the continent, there is something new to learn.

Go on safari

Going on a wildlife safari is one of the main reasons people travel to Africa. East and Southern Africa have the most popular safari destinations. In East Africa, you can witness the annual migration of millions of wildebeest and Southern Africa offers plenty of opportunities for spotting the Big Five.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

How can the government be playing with the lives of 2016 batch of technical universities?

Last year the else while administration converted 6 polytechnics to technical universities and later added the Cape Coast and Tamale Technical Polytechnics.

Students who completed the then polytechnics cried out loud to the government to constitute governing councils of these institutions because they were done with their national service and were still not having their certificate to either secure themselves jobs nor further their education.

There was a rumour earlier this week that the Cape Coast and Tamale Technical Universities were not going to have their councils constituted because the government is claiming the two schools didn't meet the requirements to be upgraded to a technical university status.

Earlier today the rumours became a reality, the minister of education constituted and inaugurated the 6 schools that were converted earlier leaving the Cape Coast and Tamale technical universities, Wa and Bolga Polytechnics.

My question is the minister of education telling us he never saw the reassessment report by the NTCE?

2. Is the minister saying he never saw any report by his predecessor on the converted Polytechnics and suggestions thereon?

3. Should the Cape Coast and Tamale Technical Universities change all documents, branded vehicles, signposts, etc back to polytechnic? And who bears the costs involved?

Can we be serious as a country and stop playing with the lives of young people who need their certificates to go on in life.

Can we stop the politicisation of our educational sector?

SHARE IF U LOVE GHANA EDUCATION AND HIT CURRENT GH POLITICS
The Ghana National Fire Service is ready to protect all farms which will be earmarked for the cultivation of crops under the governments Planting for Food and Jobs programme.

The Fire Service is wary of the threat of bush-fires, which are rampant during dry seasons, and its effect on the programme.

In an interview with Citi News after a training programme for district directors of agriculture, ACFO Joshua Nguah, the Eastern Regional Fire Service Commander, said with the training of farmers on anti-bush fire prevention, 50 percent of the work would be done.

We will complement the efforts of people employed to work on the farms, farmers, fire volunteers, and the extension officers to do the other 50 percent of the work, he added.

ACFO Joshua Nguah assured the unflinching support of the Ghana National Fire Service to support government and said we are ready to contribute our quota to support and make sure our farms are not destroyed by bush-fires

The Eastern Regional Director of Agriculture, Henry Crenstil Jnr, welcomed the support and said: stakeholder engagement is of essence in this Planting for Food and Jobs initiative.

The Fire Service is an important agency we cannot do without. We are going into the minor season, so if we plant and the fields are destroyed by bush-fires, then our work will be wasted so that is why we have collaborated with the fire service to sensitize our farmers.

I have never liked the idea of sensitizing in the dry season so that is why we have taken the steps to engage in this exercise before the dry season so we can prepare adequately to save guard our farms to ensure no farmer falls victim to bush fires.



By: Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Four marketing students from some of the leading tertiary institutions in Ghana have successfully been trained under the maiden edition of the Lexta Internship Programme.

Launched in May 2017, the programme seeks to give selected undergraduates an opportunity to gain practical experience in the job market.

Out of the many applications received from undergraduate students across the country, eight students from Ashesi University, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Professional Studies (UPSA) and Valley View University (VVU) were selected to take the assessment test.

Four students  Emmanuel Quaye and Maria Siafa Antonia Mueba from Valley View University, Solomon Quaynor from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Prudent Denyo from the University of Professional Studies (UPSA)- were selected to join the company for the first-ever Lexta Internship Programme.

During their three-month stay with the company, the interns engaged in several activities to gain knowledge in customer service, relationship management, market data collection, report writing and direct sales.

The Lexta Internship Programme seeks to contribute to bridging the gap between academia and industry by offering young people the opportunity to learn valuable skills and put to use the knowledge they are acquiring in the classroom.

Head of Human Resource and Administration for Lexta, Ohenewaa Osei Pipim explained: We believe in having the right team, because our people are the driving force for the business. We also believe that talents can be enhanced and the best time to build the desired culture in 'future employees' is now, when they are eager to learn and open to new ideas and experiences.

Head of Sales and Marketing, Seth Ntiamoah-Asare, congratulated the interns for successfully completing the programme and for the fresh perspectives they brought on board during the period.

Emmanuel Quaye of Valley View University said: It was an eye opener and a great experience for me. I have learnt a lot and what I can say is thank you to all the Line Managers for their willingness to assist us when we needed the help.

Next year, the Lexta Internship Programme would be expanded to include more tertiary institutions to give more undergraduates the opportunity to acquire solid business skills across the different fields in the organization.
19.09.2017 LISTEN

Residents of Sagnarigu District of the Northern Region have vowed to protect and defend the District Chief Executive of the area, Hon Iddrisu Mariam and the district assembly at all cost.

According to them, some hoodlums outside the district are trying very hard to tarnish the image of Sagnarigu by creating problems to destabilize the peace in the district.

The Kandahar boys, a Vigilante group affiliated to the ruling NPP government, on Wednesday 13 September 2017 stormed the Sagnarigu District Assembly and destroy some properties.

The boisterous behavior of the Kandahar boys was vehemently condemned by the Chief of the area, His Royal Highness Ambassador Naa Abdulai Yakubu.

The Sagnarigu District has been in the media spotlight recently for the bad reasons but the last week attacks on the assembly have angered residents of the area who ferociously vowed to deal with trouble makers in the area.

The Sagnarigu youth hinted that, they will not allow people to destabilize the peace of the area, adding that we have been very quiet about this violence attitude of some NPP youth but no more. We will deal with anyone who wants to create chaos in the district.

Speaking to savannanews24.com , the youth expressed their disappointments on the leadership of the NPP in the region for doing nothing to prevent the violence attacks on the District Chief Executive of the area, Hon. Iddrisu Mariam.

For the first time we have witness violence protest and chaos in the district and unfortunately the leadership of the NPP are quiet about it. But we the youth of Sagnarigu will not allow this to happen again. We will strongly resist anybody who wants to create chaos in our district. You cant just leave your area and go to someones else area to cause problems. They hinted

The Sagnarigu youth reiterated that, any attack on the DCE and the District Assembly is an attack to the people of Sagnarigu, adding that, they will fight whoever wants to foment trouble in the area.

If you attack our assembly and our DCE, then you are indirectly attacking us. We are prepared to fight any individuals or group of persons who wants to bring the Sagnarigu District into disrepute. They said

The speaking on behalf of the group, Mr. Alhassan S. Zimblim said, the entire citizenry of Sagnarigu District are very worried with the recent violence in the area, the people of Sagnarigu are law abiding and peaceful but this recent political violence in the area is becoming too many. We are not going to sit down and allow some people to just come in and destroyed our properties with impunity and go away like that. We will protect our DCE and defend the district assembly at all cost and at all times. We have been very patient on this matters but enough is enough.

Mr. S. Ziblim said, The DCE is a very respectful and hard working woman. She is loved by all and sundry in the district. So I wonder why her own people will want to destroy her. Anyway, she is our DCE and our responsibility  She is the representative of the President and we accord her that respect.

He said, since assumption of office, the DCE (Hon Iddrisu Mariam) has been working very assiduously to bring development to the district and wonder why people outside the district will want to create problems for her.

The Sagnarigu residents said,the people of the area have witness several initiatives under the DCE, adding that, they will support all the good initiatives of the DCE Hon Iddrisu Mariam for the total development of the Sagnarigu District.

" We also wants to enjoy the NPP flagship programmes like the one District one factory, one constituency one million dollars, one village one dam and among others". The Sagnarigu Residents said

The Residents of Sagnarigu said, they will not allow funds made for the development of the district to be use for conflict resolution.

" We have taken note of people who wants to cause mayhem in the district but we are warning them to stay way". They added

The Sagnarigu youth hinted that, they will soon petition the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over the issue, We are still engaging with our chiefs and elders to come out with a petition on this matter.
Al-Hayaat Foundation, in collaboration with the Cervical Cancer Prevention & Treatment Centre of the Catholic Hospital in Battor, has organised a health education and screening for residents in the Adenta Municipality.

Cervical cancer occurs when abnormal cells on the cervix grow out of control. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. Cervical cancer can often be successfully treated when it is found early through a pap test.

The programme was aimed at creating cervical cancer awareness, and this provided opportunity for beneficiaries to be screened for early treatment vaccination against the disease.

The Founder of the Al-Hayaat Foundation, Hajia Hanatu Abubakar, speaking to DAILY GUIDE, explained that the programme came about as a result of the frightening increasing rate of the spread of the disease.

According to the Ghana Health Service, 3,052 women are diagnosed of cervical cancer every year, out of which 1,556 lose their lives. World Health Organisation (WHO) also projects that about 5,000 women will be diagnosed of cervical cancer, out of which 3,000 will die, she disclosed.

Madam Hanatu stated that the screening was organised to detect early abnormalities in the cervix, adding that infected persons would not experience symptoms until the disease had reached its worse stage.

By the time a person is diagnosed or symptoms show, the cancer would have already eaten deep into the cervices it will mean that the cancer has already been developed and nothing can be done about it, she mentioned.

I don't think that we have to wait until this happens. One sure way of preventing cervical cancer is by screening for detection of early abnormalities. It is when you screen that abnormal cells which left untreated can develop into cervical cancer can be detected, she added.

Comfort Mawusi Wormenor, a nurse at the Catholic Hospital in Battor, indicated that cervical cancer is caused by a virus called human papillomavirus, or HPV and one can contract the virus through sexual activities with infected persons.

She bemoaned the expensive nature of the screening for cervical cancer, and called for a national policy for the inclusion of the screening and treatment of the cancer in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

She said this would encourage women to avail themselves for screening to ensure early detection and treatment.

By Abigail Owiredu-Boateng
The NPP Member of Parliament for for Gomoa Central constituency in the Central Region, Hon. Naana Eyiah Quansah has donated medical equipment running into thousands of Ghana Cedis to the Gomoa Obuasi Health Centre to facilitate healthcare delivery in the constituency.

The items made up of face masks, sample containers, butterfly needles, syringe and needles, catheters, canulars, urine bags, nebulizers, limb holders and calf cauff.

The rest include holisters, examination gloves and large quality of plastors among others was a collaboration efforts by Hon. Naana Eyiah Quansah and The Affum Darkwa Mission International (TAMI) a philanthropist body based in New Jersey in USA and Ghana.

Presenting the items at Gomoa Obuasi on Monday, the Gomoa Central Member of Parliament disclosed that the health needs of the people in the constituency and beyond had been her major concern hence the donation to augment healthcare delivery.

According to her the the Gomoa Obuasi Health centre serve over 35 communities in over six District and Municipal Assemblies and therefore need to be supported.

She mentioned Agona Swedru, Agona Nsaba, Winneba, Gomoa Dawurampong, Ekwamkrom, Kwameadwer, Agona Nyakrom among communities that access healthcare delivery at the centre due to brilliant performance of personnel at the centre.

"It is an opened secret that the Gomoa Obuasi Health centre is acclaimed ' Mother to Child' friendly health centre. This attracted expectant and nursing mothers to seek medical treatment for early recovery.

Many a times, the Gomoa Obuasi health centre becomes the first choice whenever the need arise for patients to seek medical attention. I salute management and staff.

It was based on this brilliant performance that I sought assistance from my donor partners to present these items to complement day to day operations of the facility.

Government alone cannot shoulder the operational cost of health facilities dotted across the country, it is our responsibility as citizens to contribute our quota in this direction. As a Member of Parliament, I will continue to looby for more health equipment to ease pressure associated with lack of tools and equipment in our health facilities"

The Gomoa East District Chief Executive, Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo said the Assembly would do everything within its power to ensure expansion of the Gomoa Obuasi health centre and other health post and CHIPS compound to ease congestion.

He noted that the Assembly was seeking support from the central government for the upgrading of the health centre to a District Hospital status adding that plans were far advanced for the project to be executed.

Receiving the items, the Gomoa East District Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Stephen S. Tie-Toh lauded Hon. Naana Eyiah Quansah for the donation saying it would be put into good use to serve the people in the catchment area.

According to the District Director, the Gomoa Obuasi health centre has one of the best staff who have been discharging their duties dillegently.

Nana Afoduasan II, chief of Gomoa Obuasi assured the DCE and the MP that the community were ready to offer communal labour for any project that would enhance the growth of the facility.
Residents of Dzita in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region, are yet to come to terms with news of serial killings there after yet another bizarre death was recorded.

This comes after the body of a man believed to be mentally unstable was found buried under a heap of sand along the beach two days ago.

Residents tell Joy News, the situation is becoming alarming especially, for those are not natives in the town but are there to work.

"The situation is becoming too alarming and worryingWe live in fear daily," a resident lamented.

According to them, over 10 residents including three children have been killed in the area between 2013 and 2017 while their body parts were missing.

The police must do something about the situation to avoid any future occurrence as innocent lives are being lost almost every six months. This is making us live in fear, grieved one of the residents who recently lost a family member.

Dzita, Agbledomi and Anyanui, had, prior to the strings of murders, been very peaceful fishing and farming communities.

The residents stayed out late at night before retiring to their homes without entertaining any fear of being attacked.

An elderly person who spoke with Joy News correspondent Ivy Setordzi said, the town was once peaceful until fear started to grip them following the mysterious deaths.

"We used to enjoy our nights outside even deep in the night without fear but we cannot afford to even have fresh air even at 8 pm for the fear of being attacked by these serial killers," the elder lamented.

The residents are therefore appealing to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante Apeatu to do something about their situation before more lives are lost.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ivy Sertordzi, V/R
19.09.2017 LISTEN

Deputy Communications director of the opposition National democratic congress (NDC) has described the report clearing the two deputy chiefs of staff, Francis Asenso and Samuel Jinapor as being a deliberate ploy to cover up the corrupt activities at the presidency.

According to him, he burst into laughter immediately he heard about the report which cleared allegations of thievery against the two deputy chiefs of staff. He alleged that the president called to inform the Director of CID to disregard the investigating.

I know this is an attempt by the president to cover up. Nana Addo Called the CID boss to inform to disregard the whole issue  he alleged.

Speaking on Agoo TVs Yensempa show to host Obaasima Serwaa Akoto, he said he had never come across any situation where the police or CID had organised a press conference to clear someone after an investigation without forwarding the case the case to court.

His statements follows the release of a statement by the Criminal Investigative Department of the Ghana Police service describing the allegations made by A-Plus against Abu Jinapor and Asenso Boakye as being unsubstantiated.

Musician and NPP sympathizer Kwame Asare Obeng popularly known as A-plus some weeks ago in a post on his Facebook page accused the two deputy chiefs of staff as being corrupt and thieves.

His comments earned him an invitation to the Criminal and Investigative department of the Ghana police to provide evidence of his allegations against the duo who perform their duty at the presidency.
A former Managing Director of SIC Insurance, Peter Osei Duah has called for more investigative powers for the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) to enable it adequately regulate the industry.

He said the Authority is constrained in its oversight role over the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) due to the lack of express powers assigned the Authority.

SSNIT has been in the news over a $72 million software project, making some members question the viability of the fund.

But speaking at a Graphic Business Forum on the pension fund on Tuesday, Mr. Osei Duah said the NPRA must be empowered to do more.

I believe the problem we have is very simple  the entity that is supposed to regulate SSNIT, the national pension regulatory authority  is nowhere as powerful as SSNIT. I think all of you will agree with me on that. Until that change, I do not see anything changing. We need to have a situation where it becomes clear that SSNIT reports to the National Pension Regulatory Authority. We need to empower my good friend here [NPRA boss] and give him enough powers to summon the Director General of SSNIT and anybody including their board chairman to his office and query them, he said.

The former SIC boss noted that most people will clamour to be on the board of SSNIT instead of NPRA even though that is a higher authority, and that should tell you why we are having the problems we are having. 

So my point is that we need to be a little more interested in what SSNIT is doing, we need to give the NPRA enough investigative powers, he added.

Background

SSNIT is being investigated by EOCO for blowing $72 million on procuring and installing a software and other hardware systems known as the Operational Business Suite in a bid to digitize the Trust.

The cost, which was originally $34 million, later ballooned to $66 million and then to $72 million due to maintenance and additional infrastructure.

The Board Chairman of SSNIT, Kwame Addo Kufuor, in an earlier interview with Citi News, said about 15 people had appeared before EOCO as witnesses in the matter.



By: Sixtus Dong Ullo/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Once the fall armyworm seem to be taking acomfortable lead into the cocoa farms, we need to double our steps in the fight. This is not to say that the other farms dont matter that much, but justfocusing on the compounding nature of the menace. We may not be doing much in the fight, whether our approach is not effective or we are just lackadaisical.

Now, we are also hearing of another emerging threat of mites invasions of farms in the Winneba area forcing most farmers out of business. Lets start by linking the importance of the agriculture to the wider economy just for the emphasis, then raise some policy concerns, and conclude with some growth and poverty issues, thus linking all the nagging issues and their consequential threats.

So there is a fall armyworms, okalombo, kommandowurm or whatever, which started somewhere in the Northern regions, and there is a fall of a Deputy Minister for Agriculture; the latter being the effect of the former. The short term economic threats of the fall armyworms goes beyond just the agriculture sector to industry and services due to intersectoral shift of value added shares and sectoral compositions, economic-wide linkages and growth. The long term effects are of compounding nature.

Due to the speculative nature of our famers, a year shortfall of agriculture productivity has a negative lead (forward) effect on growth of the sector and also a negative lagged (backward) effect on aggregate productivity and economy-wide growth, and sometimes on the broad sectors of industry and services, depending on the severity.

This partly explains the severe cyclical growth rates and higher fluctuations associated with aggregate productivity. The industrial sector in Ghana has somehow stagnated due to the negative side effects of economic globalization, so our economy still hinges so much on agriculture, and more so on subsistence and rural productivity for food security.

This is not the first experience of fall armyworms in Ghana, and certainly, this will not be the last. One loud message from the famers is that the menace is recalcitrant to the chemicals imported from China and elsewhere. And this understandable; despite the fact that the species of armyworms are of the same family, it is also highly possible that the genetic makeup of the sample of armyworms used in China, and other places to manufacture these chemicals are remarkably different from those in the tropical Africa, so the effect could be different, sometimes even zero as we have experienced now, and at worst even negative.

Key question arise. In all the established Public Universities in Ghana, we have Agriculture Departments, some even have both the traditional agriculture department, and agriculture engendering department, at least I know KNUST has the two! Aside, there are several state funded agriculture research institutions. So, has there been any significant engagement of government and these institutions to research for domestically manufactured potent chemicals to deal with such issues?

Do we have the requisite technology and human resources for that? Has there been any sustainable plan to provide funding for research or training in that direction? For now lets just ignore the economic fruits of such locally manufactured chemicals in commercial quantities!

Today we have a fall of a Deputy Minister (never mind the immediate cause, lets look at the remote cause) because it happened in some parts of Ghana. Imagine this menace happened in the whole or large parts of Ghana with higher severity in an election year? No matter how a government has performed in other sectors, and previous years, it still could fall!!

Lets conclude with the figure above, we observe a very sharp but sustainable decline in the growth rate of real GDP (2005 US Dollar prices) roughly from 2011, whiles labour productivityandper capital GDP remainsfairly flat. This means poverty trends may be widening. Notethat theincrease/decline of national income is more noticeable than poverty trends because widening poverty dynamics is more of long a term phenomenon.

However, once we have observed such a sustained sharp decline in the growth dynamics, it means we may be giving the poverty gap a leap way, even though it may not be immediately conspicuous. We cannot afford a growth in poverty at this critical times, because the situation could be aggravated by the high unemployment situation and vicious threat of seemingly marginalized youth. That is why every single thereat to every single piece of this economy is a threat to wider economy, after all we are more of an informal based economy.

Thanks...
You are the backbone of the global movement that led to the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015.

In Paris, we rose to a global challenge.

Now we have an even bigger challenge: raising ambition and staying on course.

Emissions are going down, but not enough.

The temperature is still rising.

We see the consequences daily.

We count the costs in lives, livelihoods and damaged economies.

Since 2008  you know better than me - some 20 million people a year have been forcibly displaced by floods, storms, fires and extreme temperature.

Many more are on the move due to droughts and sea level rise and climate change is not a distant problem for future generations.

It is here, it is now, and we need to deal with it.

Governments alone cannot handle the enormity of this challenge, even when they want, which is not always the case.

That is why the Paris Pledge for Action attracted more than 1,300 signatures.

We are seeing action around the globe and many examples show it.

The shipping industry is working to reduce the sectors carbon footprint through the Global Industry Alliance.

In Kenya, innovative solar pay as you go mobile companies are providing affordable energy in rural and remote areas.

Similar public-private partnerships are supporting energy-efficient lighting in key urban areas in Egypt.

National Centres of excellence on sustainable energy are being established in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates  the world capital of oil.

Michael Bloomberg, with the Global Covenant of Mayors, and he is here with us, is leading efforts to build resilient cities.

I will ask him as my Special Envoy to accelerate and deepen the role of sub-national actors in implementing the Paris Agreement in preparation for the 2019 Climate Summit.

California is convening a Summit of all non-state actors in 2018.

An increasing number of private companies and businesses are taking the lead in adopting a carbon price.

In the transport sector, car manufacturers, Tesla, Volkswagen, Volvo and many others are going electric.

In the tech industry, we see companies like Google and Apple moving towards a target of 100 per cent renewable energy.

Institutional investors have committed to climate action.

Financial rule-makers, such as central banks and regulators, are responding to the risks and opportunities of climate change.

But, we still have far to go to make climate action a natural part of the global financial system.

High-carbon investments are still massive.

The commitments made under the Paris Agreement, in the Nationally Determined Contributions, are clearly insufficient.

There is at least a 14 Gigaton carbon gap.

That is why we are here today.

We can change this situation.

I am ready to work with all you to help remove barriers to your efforts.

Finding out how and where I can help is my central objective in this meeting.

I see three areas of focus.

First, growing and deepening your role.

Let us think about how all stakeholders contribution can be recognized and measured against the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.

Second, removing barriers to the mobilization of finances and creating bankable projects.

Tens of billions of dollars are needed to implement country actions.

Neither governments nor the public financing mechanism can bear the cost.

Your contribution is vital.

Third, intensifying efforts in high impact areas, such as technology, energy transmission, carbon pricing, and risk mitigation.

In 2019, I intend that the Climate Summit will forge even closer alliances between governments and business for implementing the Paris Agreement.

I hope, together, we can emphatically bend the emission curve by 2020.

Let us expand the limits of the possible.

You can tell us how.

I look forward to learn with you.

Thank you very much.
I will recommend Ghana as a more preferable destination for weddings because its much cheaper in terms of cost and much closer in terms of distance  a flight to Ghana from Nigeria is approximately about an hour compared to Nigeria to Dubai which is 6 hours on average.

This disclosure was made by the newly appointed MD of Jumia Travel Nigeria, Omolara Adagunodo at the just concluded Akwaaba Travel Market which held for 3 days at Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos.

Adagunodo was on a panel discussion which dissected the topic: "Destination Weddings As A Tourism Product: Famous Honeymoon Spots Nigerians Visit.

During the session, a number of factors determining the merits and demerits of different destinations suitable for Nigerians to hold their weddings were discussed.

For Ghana, Adagunodo said, holding weddings in choice locations in the country is preferable due to cost of flying guests compared to Dubai which seems to be more prominent for weddings than Ghana. She emphasized the importance of promoting tourism within Africa.

According to her, Africa is still really lagging behind in terms of deriving substantial income from tourism. Its only reasonable to ensure that we as Africans plan to hold our weddings in beautiful locations within the continent so as to boost its growth.
Voltic Ghana Limited and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) have been sued at the Commercial Division of the Kumasi High Court for allegedly overseeing unfair trading practice, deception of consumers and the public and passing off with the connivance of six sachet water producers in Kumasi.

The sachet water producers in the dock with FDA and Voltic Ghana Limited are Nivaash Manufacturing Limited, A. R. Zare, Adat Water Limited, Straight Gate Ministries, Tasty Urban Water Limited and Right River Enterprise.

The plaintiff, Century Investments Limited, producers of century sachet water is seeking a declaration of the court that the arrangement between the first defendant Voltic Ghana Company and the other sachet producers to produce sachet water with the franchise of Voltic Ghana under the trade/brand name Voltic Cool Pac constitutes unfair trading, deception of consumers and the public and passing off.

The plaintiff is also seeking an order of the court restraining the defendants and all other producers of sachet water, their servants, agents, workmen and assigns and all those claiming through them from further producing sachet water under the trade/brand name Voltic Cool Pac.

Lawyer John Brefo of Hayfrom-Benjamin and Company in Kumasi, on behalf of the plaintiff filed the writ of summons on September 18, 2017 in Kumasi.

The plaintiff claims the defendants are deceiving unsuspecting consumers by using the trade/brand name Voltic which is the trade and brand name for Natural Mineral water in association with the trade and brand name Cool Pac which is registered for the production of sachet water and thereby misleading the public and consumers that Voltic Cool Pac is Natural Mineral Water.

The plaintiff is also contending that Voltic Ghana is permitting the other defendants to use the trade name Cool Pac in association with Voltic whereas the actual production of the sachet water is not done by the first defendant company and thereby misleading the public and consumers that  Voltic Cool Pac is produced by Voltic Ghana Limited.

The plaintiff contended that the first defendant Voltic Ghana Limited company is licensed (Licence No. FDB/Wt08G-0028) by the 8th defendant FDA to produce bottled Natural Mineral Water with brand name Voltic while the second, third, fourth, fifth , sixth and seventh defendants are limited liability companies registered and engaged in the production and sale of sachet water having been licensed by the eight defendant, which is the regulatory body mandated by law to regulate the safety of food and drugs in Ghana among other duties.

The plaintiff indicated that for some time now the second to seventh defendants and some other sachet water producers have been producing 30 packs of 500 ml sachet water with the brand name Cool Pac which are packaged and marketed in larger packs marked as Voltic Cool Pac.

The contention of the plaintiff is that the process for producing bottled natural mineral water is different from the process by which sachet water is produced which makes natural mineral water more expensive than sachet water.

The plaintiff company avers that the arrangement by which the second to seventh defendants produce sachet water under the trade/brand name Voltic Cool Pac with the franchise of the first defendant constitutes deception of the unsuspecting consumers describing it as unfair treading and therefore amounts to passing off.

According to the plaintiff the conduct of the first to seven defendants is inimical to the business of other water producers including the plaintiff in Ashanti and Ghana as a whole resulting in the collapse of businesses of other sachet water producers.

The Plaintiff claimed the situation has led to the reduction in numbers of members of the association of sachet water producers from over 600 to about 120 currently.

The plaintiff said although some concerned consumers raised the issue of deception which was carried in media reports in late February this year, the FDA has to date failed to investigate the matter and halt the perpetuation of the deception, unfair trading and passing off of the other defendants.

The eight defendant has therefore been accused of failing in his duty to protect the consuming public by permitting the first to the seventh defendants to perpetuate such false , misleading or deceptive labeling and banding of water produced by them under the name Voltic Cool Pac and that it is unlawful for a person to manufacture , label, package , sell or advertise a food in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive as regards its character, nature, substance or quality .

The plaintiff argued that unless the defendants are restrained by a court of competent jurisdiction to put a halt to the unfair trading, the defendants would continue to perpetuate the deception of unsuspecting consumers and the public hence the action to restrain the defendants.
More reports continue to put into question the scope of free education in Ghana, as checks by Citi News at the Nungua Senior High School in Accra indicate that students are being charged for school uniforms.

The government has consistently noted that the cost for school uniforms has been absorbed under the free Senior High School programme.

The one-time fee government is covering for first-year students under the free SHS policy, is GHc 435 for day students, and GHc438 for boarding students, according to the Ministry of Education.

As part of this one-time fee, the government allocated GHc 100 for two sets of school uniforms and GHc 90 for two sets of school house attires for borders.

The recurrent items under the policy include library fees, development levies, teacher motivation, house dues, among others, amounting to GHc 105.

But following a visit to Nungua SHS, it emerged that male students were being charged GHc 184 for their uniforms, while the girls were being charged GHc 175 for theirs.

A receipt was issued for the amount after the money was paid, as sighted by Citi News.

The amount charged for the school uniforms, was however not contingent on the students admissions, according to a student who spoke to Citi News.

as for admission, they had already done that. You start the admission then you pay that money for your school uniforms, she said.

The school authorities declined to speak to Citi News, saying they were only answerable to the Ghana Education Service and not any media house.

The Ghana Education Service has already relieved two head teachers of their posts and interdicted others, pending investigations, for allegedly charging illegal fees under the free SHS policy.

19 teachers had been invited for questioning by the GES to respond to allegations that they were requesting parents and guardians to pay fees already absorbed by the government under its free SHS policy.



By: Anas Seidu/citifmoniline.com/Ghana
During the Kuffour Regime, we witnessed a case of the President vrs Tsatsu and many thought it was a blunder but then it was a revelation of how personal the then President had taken the matter.

Today, we have been visited with a similar personalisation of what we are made to believe is a legal pursuit but it has all the semblance of the tactics deployed during the dark days of the AFRC and other military regime.

Just when we thought those police style tactics had left our body politics for good, the entire government machinery of President Akuffo Addo led by a deputy attorney General, Godfred Dame is being used to fight a citizen with inalienable rights.

Today, Mr Alfred Agbesi Woyome, a Ghanaian citizen is being made to fight for his rights and survival as he is continuously being harrassed with communist tactics. For the 2nd time in a few weeks, armed military men and women have raided the residence of Mr Woyome in the company of officers from the Land Commission with a supposed Supreme Court warrant eventhough the courts are on legal vacation.

What could be the basis for this cowardly attempt to use foul means to harrass a citizen of this noble country? This cannot be allowed to go on and let us all be bold to tell the government that we do not want to relive the days of fear and anarchy. Ghana is not for the NPP or Godfred Dame and so they should not disturb the peaceful atmosphere we are enjoying with their needless political witch hunt.

If the NPP really want to fulfill their campaign pledges, they should rather focus on the ailing economy, the DKM customers, the high petrol and utility prices, the astronomical unemployment rate and the rising commodity prices. These are what the Ghanaian expect of its government and not an ill conceived vendetta against a Ghanaian citizen.

God bless our homeland Ghana.

Sawadogo Mahmoud

Executive Secretary, CenProG
The magistrate at the Ablekuma Central District of the Sanitation and Motor Court, Her Ladyship Linda Emmisah, has fined two people, Samuel Dodoe and Esther Opoku, both residents of Mataheko, an amount of 480 Ghana cedis each, last Friday.

According to the prosecutor, Madam Patience Geraldo, Samuel Dodoe, 54, was summoned because of the absence of a toilet facility in his house at Mataheko.

According to her, the accused had acted contrary to the Public Health Act 851 (2012).

He pleaded guilty and was therefore fined 30 penalty units equivalent to 480 Ghana cedis which he paid to the court and was discharged.

The second case was that of Esther Opoku, a 42-year-old resident of Mataheko, who was summoned for the accumulation of refuse mixed with human excreta in her premises, acting contrary to section 56 A and B of the public health act 851 of 2012,

Esther Opoku pleaded guilty, and was also fined 480 Ghana cedis for her offense, and in default of payment, 6 months imprisonment.

The accused persons who appeared before the court last Friday, were issued summons on 6th September, 2017 by the Sanitary inspectors, popularly known as Saman Saman of the Ablekuma central sub-metro.

Her ladyship Linda Emmisah, said the people who were issued summons on the same day but failed to appear before the court had been re-summoned to reappear on Wednesday, 20th September, 2017.

She added that, if they fail to appear in court on the said date, then she would issue a bench warrant for their arrest.

The judge added that, the sanitary inspectors should follow up on people who appear before the court to be sure that they were abiding by the sanitation bye-laws.


Several structures demarcated as kitchens for caterers under the school feeding programme are in a deplorable and unclean state in several schools in the New Juaben Municipality of the Eastern Region.

Some of the caterers operating in those deplorable structures have had to battle with snakes and other reptiles that find their way into the makeshift kitchens.

Some parents have raised concerns about the state of the kitchens, which has forced some of them to withdraw their wards from the schools.

This was confirmed when Citi News visited some basic schools in the New Juaben Municipality to assess the state of the kitchens, which poses a threat to the life and health of beneficiaries of the school feeding programme.

The first school Citi News visited was the Oyoko Roman Catholic School at Oyoko, near the Oyoko Catholic Church. The kitchen for the school feeding programme is sited right on the school's compound; in between the primary school and the JHS blocks.

A stagnant drain lies right behind the kitchen, serving as a breeding ground for flies and other insects. The wooden structure which serves as kitchen for some 300 pupils, floods and becomes inaccessible during the rainy season.

As if this isn't enough, some teachers revealed to Citi News how the caterers engage some of the pupils in the kitchen, sending them on errands even during contact hours.

We see the kids carrying water and other items going about and when you ask them where they are heading to, they say the caterers have sent them so we informed our headmaster who then told the caterers to put a stop to that

Citi News then visited the Nana Oware Agyapong MA at Nyamekrom, also in the New Juaben Municipality where the caterers cook from a dilapidated wooden structure, with holes in the roofing sheets.

The assembly member of Nyamekrom Peter Otukunor, explained how several attempts made to the Municipal Assembly to fix the problem have proved futile.

Last year (2017), we managed to get the Municipal Chief Executive to come and inspect this structure, he promised to work on it for us but nothing was done about it, and the new MCE has also been here to see for herself the condition on the ground, and still the situation is the same. I will continue to push till I get a positive response from them.

This situation according to the headmaster of the school, Okyere Boateng Samuel, has affected enrollment as parents who are more concerned about the health and safety of their wards have withdrawn them from the school.

The problem we have here is with our kitchen, it is in a bad state and because of that parents have withdrawn their wards to other schools just because they are not comfortable with the kitchen structure where food will be prepared and served to their kids.

Startled by these worrying revelations, Citi News went ahead to find out the situation from other schools in the Municipality .

Others schools visited, namely Nyamekrom, Mpayem LA, Asokore Methodist, Apempoa Islamic school, and AME Zion had similar challenges.

It is believed that many more schools across the entire Eastern Region, particularly in the rural areas, may be facing the same challenge.



By: Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Mr. Alwin Hoegerle

19.09.2017 LISTEN

Accra: September 15, 2017: The General Manager of the Ghana Community Network (GCNet), Mr. Alwin Hoegerle, has paid a days working visit to the Tema Port to assess progress in respect of the full implementation of the paperless system.

The visit was also to acquaint himself with any challenges associated with the roll out that GCNet, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and other players at the port might have regarding the implementation of the system.

Mr. Hoegerle reiterated GCNets commitment to the port efficiency reforms, announced by the Vice President. He expressed satisfaction at the robustness of the systems of GCNet in the clearance process and urged all to support the initiatives of the Vice President.

He interacted with the Tema Sector Commander of Customs, Mr. Felix Mate- Kodjo after which both officials visited the Golden Jubilee Terminal, particularly the Container Freight Station to have a first-hand experience of the process.

Deputy Minister of Transport, Hon. Titus Glover in the company of the Board Chairman of GPHA, Mr. Peter Mac Manu and Management of the Authority, also met with GCNet staff at the Tema branch to interact with them on the implementation of the paperless system.

The Tema Branch Manager of GCNet, Mr. Jimmy Allotey assured the team that GCNets system was performing adequately in the implementation of the system. It emerged from the briefing that there was the need for a centralized point to lodge complaints since declarants may not always know who to contact to resolve their issues given the multiplicity of stakeholders. It was pointed out that GCNet has a fully functional Support Centre and will be ready to expand it to support all paperless related issues once approval is given.

It was also noted that the process is not seamless as anticipated and for that matter consideration be given to deploying the existing joint inspection module developed in the Ghana Integrated Cargo Clearance Systems (GICCS) deployed by GCNet which has been tested with agencies and could be affirmed by GPHA.
After a decade of excelling as the leading mortgage specialist in Ghana, Ghana Home Loans is now GHL Bank. To achieve its mission to be the foremost bank for wealth creation, GHL Bank has appointed Mr. Albert Essien as its new board chairman.

Mr. Albert Essien, who takes over from Mr. Jacob Kholi as Board Chairman, is an ambitious gentleman who started his career in the Ghana subsidiary of Ecobank as a Relationship Officer and worked his way up the career ladder to become the Group CEO. It is this mindset and attitude that he is bringing to the table at GHL Bank.

Mr. Dominic Adu, CEO of GHL Bank welcomed the Board Chairman by stating, Mr. Essien has played a key role in our transformation process from a mortgage specialist to a universal bank. He brings on board a wealth of industry experience acquired over three decades in banking.

Mr. Essien is a seasoned banker who served as the Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank and was in charge of Corporate and Investment Banking as the Group Head for fourteen years. Between March 2014 and June 2015, Mr. Essien served as the Group Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, the first Ghanaian in the history of the bank to hold that position.

In 2015, he was awarded the African Banker of the Year prize at the 9th edition of the African Banker Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award Winner at the 2016 Ghana Banking Awards. The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIMG) accorded him the Marketing Man of the Year award in 2005.

Mr. Essien commenced his banking career in 1986 with the National Investment Bank in Accra. He then joined the Corporate Banking Department of Ecobank Ghana in 1990. Mr. Essien served as Country Risk Manager of Ecobank Ghana from 1997, Deputy Managing Director from 2001 and Managing Director from December 2002. Mr. Essien has worked extensively across the sub-region; serving as Director on the boards of Ecobank Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Gambia and Guinea (Conakry).

He was also responsible for Ecobanks expansion into Eastern and Southern Africa comprising of Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi as well as the Chief Representative of the South Africa Representative Office. Mr. Essien also served as a Director on the board of EBI Paris, the Ecobank subsidiary in France.

Mr. Essien currently serves as a non-executive director of LMI Holdings, Old Mutual Emerging Market and Africa Holdings and Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems Limited (GhIPSS). He also serves in the capacity of Chairman of the Governing Council, Ghana Stock Exchange and Old Mutual (Africa) Holdings as well as the chairman of the advisory board of Oasis Capital Fund and the Endowment Fund of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ghana. Mr. Essien is also a Senior External Advisor for McKinsey & Company.

Mr. Essien is an honorary fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Ghana and holds a B.A. (Honors) in Economics from the University of Ghana. He is an alumnus of the Executive Development Program of INSEAD (France/Singapore) and a World Fellow of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

GHL Bank will commence banking operations by the end of 2017.
Nairobi (AFP) - Kenya's chief justice on Tuesday hit out at political leaders and their supporters over a wave of threats against his court, which annulled last month's presidential election over widespread irregularities.

Scores of supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta gathered outside the Supreme Court to demand he be sworn in, before being dispersed with teargas, while isolated protests blocked roads elsewhere in the country.

Chief Justice David Maraga said the demonstrations were "clearly intended to intimidate individual judges".

Maraga and his fellow judges are putting the final touches to their highly-anticipated full judgement, expected to be read out Wednesday, which will point out in detail why they took the unprecedented decision to overturn the August 8 poll.

Maraga in his brief ruling nearly three weeks ago mentioned only "irregularities and illegalities" in the transmission of vote results, when he annulled Kenyatta's victory over his rival Raila Odinga.

While the chief justice became an overnight hero to many across the continent, he inspired fury among the ruling party.

Kenyatta took to the streets referring to Maraga and his fellow judges as "crooks", and threatened to "fix" the Supreme Court if re-elected.

He then attempted to row back on his comments, saying he was merely angry, in what was seen as attempt to appease Maraga's Kisii community -- an important voting bloc -- ahead of the new election.

However local media has reported moves by ruling party lawmakers to curb the powers of the Supreme Court.

Maraga said: "Individual judges particularly of the Supreme Court as well as other judicial officers and staff have been attacked, threatened and negatively profiled on social media.

"Senior political leaders have also threatened the judiciary promising to cut it to size and teach us a lesson."

He said the police had ignored calls to act on these threats.

Maraga, who was speaking on behalf of the Judicial Service Commission, said such "attacks are degrading, demeaning and are meant to intimidate, threaten and cow the institution and cow the judges".

"If leaders are tired of having a strong and independent judiciary they should call a referendum and abolish it all together," he added.

"Before that happens, the judiciary will continue to discharge its mandate in accordance to the constitution."

According to Maraga's ruling Kenya must hold a new election by October 31.

The embattled electoral commission set the new poll for October 17, a date looking less and less likely as the main players bicker over how to hold a credible poll.

The French firm providing technology for identifying voters and transmitting results said Monday its system would not be ready in time.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari urged fellow leaders at the United Nations General Assembly to condemn Myanmar's "ethnic cleansing" of the Rohingya people.

Comparing the situation in Myanmar's Rakhine province to the massacres in Bosnia in 1995 and Rwanda in 1994, the leader of Africa's most populous nation declared: "The international community cannot remain silent."

More than 420,000 people have fled violence in Rakhine, which Buhari said bears the hallmarks of a "state-backed program of brutal depopulation" targeting Rohingya on the basis of their ethnicity and Muslim religion.

"We fully endorse the call by the secretary-general on the government of Myanmar to order a halt to the ongoing ethnic cleansing and ensure the safe return of the displaced Rohingya to their homes in safety and dignity," the 74-year-old leader said.

Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also urged Myanmar to halt its military campaign.

The 1.1 million-strong Rohingya people have suffered years of discrimination in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship even though many have longstanding roots in the country.

Myanmar's second vice president, Henry van Thio, is to take the podium at the UN assembly on Wednesday after Nobel laureate and de facto Myanmar leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi declined to attend this year's world gathering.
There is no doubt that the banking industry plays a very formidable role in any economy and forit to thrive, it must have a robust system that is well supervised and regulated.

Ghanas banking system has gone through various transformationssince the late 1980s and that includes the adoption and implementation of the financial sector adjustment programme.

Theprivatisation of some of the state owned banks and the liberalisation of the financial sector have led to the entry of a number of domestic and foreign banks into the industry. Currently, there are over 30 banks operating in the country with more on the waiting list to acquire their universal licences to begin operations.

Though the liberalisation of the financial sectorhas brought in some level of competition; it has equally brought in its own challenges as the sector has not responded to the level of efficiency that is required.

Some of the critical challenges facing the banking industry in Ghana include the failure of some banks to capitalise adequately,high exposure to government and quasi government institutions such asthe oil sector debts, aggressive growth and weak controls.

Nevertheless, the banking industry in Ghana remains relativelysolid and robust. As at the endof June 2017, the banking sector comprised of thirty-six (36)banks. Out of this number, nineteen (19) are domestically-controlled and the remaining seventeen (17) foreign-controlled.

Total assets and deposits of the sector stood at GHS 86.72 billion and GHS 54.48 billion respectively as at the end of June 2017.

The soundness and resilience of the banking sector is rooted in the strength of its capital and liquidity position.Lets look at the capital and liquidity positions of the seven leading banks that control 50% of banking business in Ghana today.

The Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) is a key indicator of the solvency of a bank and measures a bank's capital in relation to its risk-weighted assets. Capitalacts as a cushion to absorb unanticipated losses or declines in asset values that could otherwise cause a bank to fail.It also provides protection to uninsured depositors money in the event of liquidation. Adequate capital serves to protect depositors and promote the stability and soundness of the financial system.

As at the end of June 2017, the Capital Adequacy Ratios (CAR)of the top seven banks in Ghana(in terms of balance sheet size) were as follows:

Bank

Ratio

Fidelity Bank

30%

GCB Bank

26%

Barclays Bank

24%

Stanchart Bank

24%

Stanbic Bank

19%

Ecobank

11%

Unibank

10%

The bigger the CAR, the better the capital adequacy of the bank and the stronger the bank is.

Another index used in measuring the strength of a bankis its liquidity position. Liquidity here refers to the ability of a bank or any other institution to meet its obligations as they fall due for payment. Liquidity risk for a bank is the risk of being unable to honour deposit withdrawals or to make repayments of other liabilities at maturity or upon demand.According to the Bank of Ghana in its banking sector report as at June 2017, the banking industry remained adequately liquid.

The loan-to-deposit (L/D) ratio is an important and widely used measure of the overall liquidity of a bank. Below is the position of the top banks as at June 2017:

Bank

Ratio

GCB Bank

30%

Fidelity Bank

41%

StanchartBank

42%

Stanbic Bank

53%

Ecobank

60%

Barclays Bank

73%

The smaller the L/D ratio, the better the liquidity position of the bank and the stronger the bank is.

From the analysis above it will be over simplistic for anyone to say that Ghanaian Banks are weak and Foreign banks are strong. It is interesting to note that two Ghanaian Banks from the data above are the first and second strongest banks in Ghana today and are matching the Foreign banks boot for boot. In addition Ghanaian banks like Calbank and ADB may not be members of the top sevenclub of banks but they have acceptable levels of CAR and L/D ratios and are also considered strong and competitive.

According to the latest banking sector report as at June 2017 released by the Bank of Ghana, the performance of the banking sector for the first half of 2017 was mixed with some key performance indicators pointing to better performance for the same period last year. Most indicators remained within the regulatory thresholds even though a few had deteriorated. The industry recorded strong asset growth by June 2017 on the back of growth in investments and other domestic assets. Gross advances also picked up by June 2017 when compared to the same period last year.

The key risk to the banking sector is the high level of impaired loans to total loans as measured by the non-performing loans (NPLs) ratio. This situation is explained to a large extent by the energy related exposures a lot of banks have on their books. This situation is expected to improve as banks put in place measures to strengthen credit risk management processes and improve loan recovery efforts.

In addition, the repayment of the energy sector debts through the Energy Sector Loans Accounts (ESLA) receivables,backed by Energy Bond proceeds of GHS10 billion will definitely help clean up the loan books of the banks and will bring the NPLs down considerably.

The outlook for the banking industry remains positive as the resolution of the energy sector debts situation will have a positive impact on the solvency of the bankingindustry.

The introduction of the Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) under the Basel II framework which would require banks to recapitalise to meet their economic capital requirements together withthe enhancement of the minimum capital to GHS400 million would ensure that the banking industry is well capitalised to effectively play its financial intermediation role in the economy.

Industry observers have expressed some concerns about the ability of banks to re-capitalise to meet the minimum capital requirement. Currently, only a few banks have enough capital to meet the new minimum capital requirement of GHS400 million now but that should not be a worry for any customer of a bank at this point in time.

The Bank of Ghana has given all banks up to31stDecember 2018 to re-capitalise. It is widely expected that a good number of banks will be able to re-capitalise by thatdeadline. If by the third quarter of 2018 your bank has not met the new minimum capital and is not also showing any convincing signs of that happening, then customers have grounds to worry about the ability of their banks to make it. That notwithstanding, even such banks have up to the end of 2018 to make it.

All in all, the recent developments in the financial sector can be seen as positive and will make the industry a lot stronger. Banks will be in a position to better absorb shocks with a marked reduction in the likelihood of a financial distress. A strong banking sector will boost economic growth, increase business confidence and promote a sound financial system.
Armed security operatives on Tuesday clashed with embattled businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome after they stormed his residence to value the property.

The security operatives numbering over 25, made up of personnel from the National Security, military and officials from the Ghana Valuation Board besieged the residence of Mr. Woyome to value the building to offset the GHS51.2million the Government of Ghana is trying to retrieve from him.

Mr. Woyome, according to Starr News' Naa Dedei Tettey questioned how the security officers secured a warrant when the courts were on vacation.

In a bid to prevent the security operatives from entering into some parts of his Trassaco home, a police officer reportedly pointed a gun at Mr. Woyome's wife claiming that he was being recorded.

Mr. Woyome had earlier told officials of the Lands Commission after they were summoned by the Supreme Court to testify in the cross-examination that the only building he owned in Accra was located at Abelenkpe.

Speaking to Starr News in an interview, Mr. Woyome said he only allowed the security operatives into his home after they produced what looked like an order from the Supreme Court.

According to him, the security officers taunted him after one of them had pointed a gun on his wife. Mr. Woyome added that he is willing to repay the GHc51million but added that he is being harassed by the state.

Alfred Woyome was paid 51 million after he claimed that he helped Ghana to raise funds to construct stadia for purposes of hosting the CAN 2008 Nations Cup.

The Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the amount, after Mr. Martin Amidu challenged the legality of the judgment debt paid the businessman, Waterville, and Isofoton.

Following delays in retrieving the money, the Supreme Court judges unanimously granted the Attorney-General clearance to execute the court's judgment ordering Mr. Woyome to refund the cash to the state.

-Starrfmonline
Pretoria (AFP) - The South African glamour model who accuses Zimbabwe's first lady of battering her with an electrical plug launched a legal bid on Tuesday to have Grace Mugabe stripped of her immunity.

Gabriella Engels and her lawyers sought to persuade the North Gauteng High Court to allow them to proceed with their effort to have Mugabe's diplomatic immunity lifted.

Engels, 20, claims that Mugabe beat her repeatedly with an electrical cord in a Johannesburg hotel on August 13.

A public spat followed in which Engels and critics of President Robert Mugabe sought to have Grace arrested, charged and brought to court.

But South African authorities controversially granted Mugabe diplomatic immunity and she left the country.

The legal effort to have Mugabe's immunity lifted was opposed by Zimbabwe's embassy which argued that it is not obliged to help Engels' team locate Grace, a necessary first step in challenging her immunity.

"We know it is going to be a big fight but we are ready for the fight and we do believe justice will prevail in this case," said Gabriella Engels' mother Debbie.

"She is better. She is trying to pick up the pieces of her life and carry on with her life."

'A serious crime'

AfriForum, a lobby group that typically supports white workers in South Africa, said that Mugabe was not in the country on official business and so did not meet the conditions for immunity.

"Grace Mugabe was in South Africa for private business, she was here for medical attention. During this private visit she committed a crime," said AfriForum lawyer Willie Spies.

"That is defined in international law as a grave crime (assault with the intention to cause grievous body harm).

"It is a serious crime. That is not the kind of crime you could qualify for immunity."

Lawyers for Zimbabwe's embassy in South Africa argued on a technicality that Engels' team had not followed the law in bringing their bid.

"If we allow this application, we make a precedent. You cannot serve papers on a spouse at her husband's work address," said lawyer Simba Chitango.

"It does not make grammatical sense or even legal sense to say Grace Mugabe lives at the presidency."

AfriForum accused the Zimbabwean side of trying to delay proceedings.

After three hours of hearings, the court reserved judgement. The case continues and could take many months to conclude.

Mugabe has alleged in the media that Engels in fact assaulted her and was "drunk" and armed with a "knife" during the incident.

Grace Mugabe is one of the frontrunners to replace her 93-year-old husband although a string of recent gaffes have hurt her credibility at home and abroad.

South Africa's main opposition Democratic Alliance party has also sought to oppose Mugabe's immunity, appealing to the Constitutional Court to have it overturned.

Despite an International Criminal Court war crimes arrest warrant, Sudanese President Omar Bashir was effectively given immunity and allowed to attend a meeting of the African Union in Johannesburg in 2015.
Authorities at the Opoku Ware Senior High School in the Ashanti Region, have appealed to government to help them improve their infrastructure to ensure the success of the Free Senior High School programme.

The headmaster of the School, Dr. Alexis Nimoh made the appeal when the Senior Minister, Yaw Osofo Marfo, Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, Aviation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah and the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, visited the school as part of their monitoring of the programme in the Ashanti Region.

A total of 838 students were posted to the school through the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). 776 have so far been admitted.

But Dr. Nimoh said the school lacks furniture to accommodate all the new students, whiles they need help with a classroom block under construction which has been abandoned.

In 2016, the school converted its old libraries into a dormitory block, to accommodate the new students for the 2016/2017 academic year.

Dr. Nimoh added that, although the school is committed to the successful implementation of the governments flagship Free SHS policy, its efforts were being undermined by the infrastructural deficits.

The Senior Minister, Yaw Osofo Maafo, in response to the comment said he will ensure that the challenges are addressed.


Businessman, Alfred Woyome has made an appeal to the government to protect his human rights, hours after some military men reportedly besieged his Trassaco residence over the 51.2 million wrongfully paid to him.

He said the situation he finds himself presents an opportunity for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to defend his much-touted human rights credentials.

"The President did not come through a coup. He should rein in on his people," the National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier told Joy New' Emefa Apawu Tuesday.

The state has been pursuing Mr Woyome since 2014 to refund the 51.2 million he received through a judgment debt.

Joy News' Emefa Apawu with embattled businessman Alfred Woyome

Ghana's apex court had ruled the NDC financier had no valid contract with the state to deserve judgment debt.

Mr Woyome was asked to pay back the debts but he has been hopping from one international court to the other to seen an arbitration.

The last court he petitioned was the International Commerce Chamber Court (ICC) which threw out the businessman's arbitration case last month.

But his case at the African Court on Human and People's Rights is progressing steadily, lawyers for Mr Woyome have said.

Myjoyonline.com has gathered the presence of the police and military contingent at the businessman's home was to allow officers from the Lands Commission to value his Trassaco residence.

Mr Woyome told the reporter he asked the men to produce a court warrant which backs their presence and they did.

"If the executive is doing this alone [then] it is up to something but getting the judiciary involved raises serious human rights issue under this regime," he said.

He said he has not done anything to disobey the orders of the country's court to deserve the maltreatment being meted out to him.

"But if the Constitution still gives me rights to seek justice until alI those avenues have been exhausted, nobody can disrespect my human rights," he said.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com |
Harare (AFP) - Zimbabwean activist pastor Evan Mawarire pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges of misconduct and inciting a crowd to cause violence.

Mawarire -- an outspoken opponent of ruling President Robert Mugabe -- became popular with his #ThisFlag movement that challenged Mugabe's government over the economic crisis.

Responding in court after the charges were read out in Zimbabwe's capital Harare, he said: "I plead not guilty."

Mawarire is jointly charged with his colleague Ocean Chiota. The pair were arrested in June for allegedly addressing medical students who were striking over a hike in fees at the University of Zimbabwe.

The trial will continue on September 28.

Mawarire is also facing separate charges of trying to remove the government, for which he will appear in court on September 25.

Not affiliated with any political party, Mawarire launched the #ThisFlag campaign in early 2016 on social media networks.

The online videos, in which he appears with the Zimbabwean flag in a sling to denounce the living conditions of the population, sparked a wave of strikes and demonstrations across the country.

Last year, supporters shut down major cities and paralysed public transport, prompting the government to ban public protests.

The movement was stamped out by Mugabe, 93, who has ruled the country since independence in 1980.

Fearing for his life, Mawarire fled to South Africa July 2016, and then to the United States.

He was arrested at Harare airport on 1 February this year -- the day he returned to Zimbabwe -- charged with attempting to sabotage the government, and released on bail.

Mawarire is yet to face trial on that charge.
Kananga (DR Congo) (AFP) - President Joseph Kabila on Tuesday accused international and religious groups of "knowingly spreading misinformation" about a conflict that has killed thousands, including two UN experts, over the last year in the volatile Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The violence in Kasai erupted last September when a tribal chieftain known as the Kamwina Nsapu, who rebelled against Kabila's regime, was killed. More than 3,000 people have died and 1.4 million displaced since, the Catholic Church estimates.

In one of his rare public speeches, Kabila visiting Kasai denounced the "duplicity and hypocrisy of certain compatriots, international and religious non-governmental organisations which, though they have seen this tragedy with their own eyes, having been victims in some places, have not had the courage to denounce the true perpetrators".

"Why did they knowingly choose misinformation?" he added.

Two UN experts investigating mass graves in Kasai were killed on March 12 in Bunkonde. Congolese authorities claimed they were victims of supporters of Nsapu. Four suspects are on trial at a military court in Kananga, capital of the vast and deeply poor region.

"There can be no peace or true reconciliation without justice," Kabila also said at the opening of a "peace" forum in Kananga, which was shunned by the opposition.

UN investigations

More than 3,000 people have died and around 1.4 million fled their homes in the Kasai conflict, according to UN figures

In early August, UN investigators documented more than 250 executions by state agents, militias or rebels in Kasai between March and June. Congolese spokesman Lambert Mende said the testimony was "unfounded".

A report by Radio France International last week suggested that the two UN experts were victims of an ambush set up by double agents working for state security services. A senior official at the Congolese intelligence agency ANR condemned the report, calling it "immoral".

Meanwhile, eleven activists opposed to Kabila were arrested Tuesday while trying to organise a march in the country's northeast, police said.

The activists had planned a peaceful march in Bunia to mark the deaths of protesters killed by security forces a year ago. More than 50 people died protesting against Kabila on September 19 and 20, 2016, according the UN.

DR Congo has been going through a political crisis since last year after Kabila -- in office since he succeeded his murdered father in 2001 -- failed to stand down in December at the end of what was supposed to be his final mandate according to the country's constitution.

A deal was cut by the Kabila government and the opposition to hold elections by the end of this year, but no electoral calendar has been published so far, and there seems no sign of an end to the impasse as Kabila hangs on.
Nollywood actor, Ricahard Mofe Damijo better known as RMD, has really done well for himself both as an actor and politician and still maintaining strong relevance in the industry.

The actor for some time now has been planning his own TV programme precisely a series and it has not been easy for about five years of planning both finally, he has been able to set the cameras rolling.

RMD who has been reading what his fans really wants has eventually decided to drag his former CHECKMATE wife, Ego Boyo, on his production set and they are currently trying to rekindle that love fire that has held many spell bound in the early 90s.

In his words, My journey with Ego Boyo @officialegoboyo started nearly 30 years ago, our first encounter being on the production of CHECKMATE when my dear friend Amaka Igwe pulled me in as the villain Segun Kadiri on the highly coveted TV series. One of the most remarkable things about Ego is that despite the fact that she is born with a silver spoon into the family of the highly respected late Justice Nnamani she was super disciplined (she still is), very humble and extremely committed.

Our status as Nigerian TV sweethearts rose with the movie VIOLATED as 'Tega' and 'Peggy' became the toast of Violated fans. Since then Ego has gone ahead to becoming wife, mother, accomplished business woman and the president of International Women's Society.

Over 25 years later Tega and Peggy are back together again on my new TV "DramCom" The Mr X Family Show. I can only hope that getting back together again on TV will tickle fans of Ann Hathrope and Segun Kadiri and the fans of Tega and Peggy who have been craving to have them grace their TV screens again. Ego and I are pretty excited about this and hope the excitement catches on. We are curious to see how many people or if anyone can correctly guess what we're back together as... Mr and Mrs? Secret Lovers? Siblings? Colleagues? Somebody?! Anybody?! Let the guessing game begin.

For those who are well familiar with some popular TV series back then in the late 80s and late 90s you will agree that CHECKMATE was programme everyone were always rushing home to watch every Thursday evening from 7-8pm.
Frankly speaking, will Nigerians leave the current economic issues and how to balance a whole lot of things and start thinking of the crises between the P-Square brothers? I doubt that.

Nigerians are always concerned individuals but when some things become a norm then it will no longer be pleasing to the ears just like the current fight brewing between Paul and Peter Okoye of P-Square.

The duo have are not new to fight and this time, it is taking a very dramatic part as as many tries to understand what really is going on between the two brothers.

It is so bad that they have both cancelled all their tours scheduled to come up as the year comes to an end as Peter has been seen going on solo shows alone.

Paul made the cancellation known via social media after a fan had told him that he has been expecting to see them come perform in the US only to hear of their personal challenges which he immediately replied.

According to the fan, I was higly waiting for the P-Square tour of America/Canada this summer which they promised us in August/September, but till now no update about that, please I ask is it still going to happen? But Paul replied, sorry bro, is not happening.
Bitcoin is back above US$4,000or it was until China stepped up its regulatory onslaught. Bitcoin hit a low of US$3,226.4 in September, before rebounding to US$4,067.1 yesterday.

However, news from China has caused the digital coin to slip back below the US$4,000 mark.

Source: CoinDesk

As reported by The Australian Financial Review:

[China is] forcing major bitcoin exchanges operating on the mainland to shut down and banning their executives from travelling outside the country.

State-owned media reported the travel ban on Monday, and a source close to one of the biggest exchanges, Huobi ,said its founder Li Lin was required to report to the authorities and cooperate with their work at any time, which effectively means he is not allowed to leave China.

Bitcoin Future in China

Many analysts are now pessimistic for bitcoins future in China. The Chinese governments views on digital tokens has escalated quickly. They want to ensure financial stability within their market, and they see cryptocurrencies as a market distributor.

In fact, stability is a top priority for Chinese policy markets. And its hard to argue that bitcoin and other cryptos wouldnt shake things up.

For example, imagine if China hadnt banned ICOs and imposed travel bans. China is pulling hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and into the middle class. With this newfound wealth, many might look to bitcoin and other cryptos as a way to double their money in a short amount of time.

So what happens when more citizens pour money into an extremely volatile digital token? Some will make money. But others might create a speculative bubble just waiting to burst. While this might not be the exact situation that plays out, its a likely scenario in Chinese policymakers minds.

How Will Crypto Buyers Respond?

So the question now is not whether China will continue to boycott cryptos. Whats more important is how buyers respond from here. If they ignore Chinas actions and continue to buy, then bitcoin holders have no need to stress. However, if Chinas actions are scaring buyers off, then bitcoin might flatline and fall more from here.

However, it is worth noting that when bitcoin reached a low of US$3,226.4 in September, buyers came as if they thought the digital coin couldnt fall any lower.

In any case, what the price does from here is anyones guess. But, if youd like to know more about the secret world of bitcoin, click here.

Regards,

Harje Ronngard,

Junior Analyst, Money Morning
'The big truck is still on ...
The NPF (Nigeria Police Force) is Nigeria's primary security and law enforcement agency. The country's 1999 constitution gives the NPF exclusive jurisdiction throughout the nation. The Nigerian police ranks, symbols, and command structures are well laid out, as is often the case with numerous police, military, and paramilitary agencies out there.

An NPF officer getting a badge. Photo: @Nigeria Police Force

Source: Facebook

The NPF has officers in all 36 Nigerian states as well as the country's FCT (Federal Capital Territory), all belonging to various ranks.

Nigerian police ranks, symbols, and structure

The NPF is subdivided into seven administrative departments.

A Department: Finance and Administration

Finance and Administration B Department: Operations

Operations C Department: Logistics and Supply

Logistics and Supply D Department: Criminal Investigation

Criminal Investigation E Department: Training

Training F Department: Research and Planning

Research and Planning G Department: Information and Communication Technology

PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!

Nigeria Police Force ranks

Officers of the NPF. Photo: @Nigeria Police Force

Source: Facebook

What are all the police ranks in order? As with numerous other law enforcement and security agencies, the NPF has an elaborate hierarchical structure that starts with the Inspector-General at the helm.

Here is a look at the hierarchy of police ranking in Nigeria as well as the Police ranking symbols associated with each rank.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police

Commonly known as the IGP, this is the head of the entire NPF and the most senior officer. The Inspector-General controls the administration of the NPF. Usman Alkali Baba is the current IGP after he succeeded Mohammed Adamu in 2021.

A serving officer of the NPF is usually appointed to the office of the IGP through a recommendation to the sitting president. Once confirmed, the president forwards the appointee's name to the Senate for confirmation.

The symbol for the rank of Inspector General includes the country's coat of arms, crossed tipstaffs, and two stars, all surrounded by a laurel typically worn over the officer's shoulder.

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police

This is the second-in-command at the NPF and can even play the role of IGP in his absence. Each of the seven administrative departments mentioned earlier is headed by a Deputy Inspector-General of Police.

The symbol for the rank of the Deputy Inspector-General is like that of the IGP but with one star instead of two.

The Asst. Inspector-General of Police

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) is subordinate to the Deputy Inspector General. Officers in this rank are tasked with overseeing the zonal operations of the NPF. Additionally, the AIG can take his superior's role in his absence.

The symbol denoting the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) is the country's coat of arms, cross tipstaffs, and one bar, all surrounded by a laurel wreath worn on the shoulder.

The Commissioner of Police

Members of the NPF saluting. Photo: @Nigeria Police Force

Source: Facebook

A Commissioner of Police oversees the force's state command. An officer is appointed into the position by the Inspector General, subject to approval by the Police Service Commission. The Commissioner of Police takes instructions from the highest-ranking officer (the IGP) or anyone acting on his behalf.

The symbol for the rank of Commissioner is a laurel wreath surrounding the country's coat of arms and crossed tipstaffs.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) oversees an area command. He/she is usually the second-highest ranked officer in the force's state command and can take the Commissioner of Police's role if need be.

The DCP rank's symbol is a laurel wreath surrounding a single star and crossed tipstaffs.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police

The Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) is directly below the DCP and takes instructions from both the DCP and the Commissioner. The symbol for officers in this rank is a laurel wreath surrounding crossed tipstaffs.

The Chief Superintendent of Police

The Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) heads a department of the NPF at state. The symbol for an officer in this rank is a star and the Nigerian coat of arms.

The Superintendent of Police

This is the officer directly under the Chief Superintendent and carries out administrative assistance tasks for the CSP. The symbol for this rank is the Nigerian coat of arms.

The Deputy Superintendent of Police

The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) sits below the Superintendent and can even carry out his senior's roles in his absence. The symbol for this rank is a group of three stars, vertically arranged.

The Assistant Superintendent of Police

The Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) is the sixth-lowest ranked officer in the NPF and sits above the Inspector. Two vertically arranged stars symbolize officers in the ASP rank.

The Inspector of Police

An Inspector of Police manages teams of Constables and Sergeants. A confirmed Inspector is denoted by a small bar above a larger one. A Principal Inspector rank is symbolized by three parallel bars, and a Chief Inspector by four parallel bars.

Sergeant Major

A Sergeant Major is the highest-ranked non-commissioned officer of the NPF. The rank is also the highest of the junior officers of the force. Officers in this rank are tasked with assisting administrative officers in regiments.

The symbol for this rank is the country's coat of arms.

Sergeant

A Sergeant is the middle-ranked non-commissioned officer and sits right below a Sergeant Major. The symbol for this officer includes three red arrowheads pointed downwards.

Corporal

This rank is abbreviated as Cpl. Officers in this rank wear a badge with two red downward-pointing arrowheads.

Constable

What is the lowest rank of a police officer? The answer is a constable. Officers in this rank are usually newly employed after graduating from the Nigeria Police Academy. The Constable rank has two grades and is denoted by a single red downward-pointing arrowhead symbol.

Nigeria Police logo

The Nigeria Police Force logo. Photo: @nigeriapoliceforce

Source: Instagram

The NPF logo has an eagle on the crest, sitting on two tipstaffs which are then placed on an elephant standing on a green lawn. The eagle represents strength, the tipstaffs stand for authority and office, the elephant for reliability and steadfastness, and the lawn for Nigeria's rich vegetation.

Salaries of officers in different ranks of the NPF

Here is a look at the annual salaries given to officers in the different Nigerian Police ranks.

Inspector General: 8,537,976

Deputy Inspector General: 6,558,872.76

Assistant Inspector General: 5,997,022.44

Commissioner on Grade Level 15 (step 06): 3,635,645.64

Commissioner on Grade Level 15 (step 1): 3,201,333.48

Deputy Commissioner on Grade Level 14 (step 07): 3,346,233.48

Deputy Commissioner on Grade Level 14 (step 1): 2,912,587.80

Assistant Commissioner on Grade Level 13 (step 10): 2,555,257.92

Assistant Commissioner on Grade Level 13 (step 1): 2,198,228.76

Chief Superintendent on Grade Level 12 (step 08): 2,396,687.52

Chief Superintendent on Grade Level 12 (step 1): 2,065,068.72

Superintendent on Grade Level 11 (step 10): 2,251,400.28

Superintendent on Grade Level 11 (step 1): 1,937,739.49

Deputy Superintendent on Grade Level 10 (step 10): 2,044,796.28

Deputy Superintendent on Grade Level 10 (step 1): 1,784,799.48

Assistant Superintendent on Grade Level 09 (step 10): 1,875,820.68

Assistant Superintendent on Grade Level 09 (step 1): 1,639,392.72

Assistant Superintendent on Grade Level 08 (step 10): 1,729,824.84

Assistant Superintendent on Grade Level 08 (step 1): 1,531,256.16

Cadet Inspector on Grade Level 07 (step 10): 1,045,628.40

Cadet Inspector on Grade Level 07 (step 1): 878,778.12

Sergeant Major on Grade Level 06 (step 10): 746,458.56

Sergeant Major on Grade Level 06 (step 1): 661,737.72

Sergeant on Grade Level 05 (step 10): 671,686.08

Sergeant on Grade Level 05 (step 1): 582,490.56

Corporal on Grade Level 04 (step 10): 613,363.08

Corporal on Grade Level 04 (step 1): 536,586.36

Constable Grade Level 10: 613,363.08

The different Nigerian police ranks, symbols, salaries, and responsibilities are all part of an elaborate structure that governs the country's police force. Typically, officers start at one of the junior ranks and work their ways upwards to the higher ones.

READ ALSO: List of 37 LCDA in Lagos State and their chairmen in 2021

Legit.ng recently explored the list of Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) in Lagos State as well as the chairmen at the helm of these bodies. Lagos state is divided into administrative divisions that are then subdivided further into Local Government Areas and LCDAs.

These units were put in place to make administration easier in the highly populated state. The LCDA chairmen are usually elected in council polls and then sworn in by the state's sitting governor.

Source: Legit.ng
- President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to address world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York

- President Trump is to discuss with the Nigerian president and other African leaders on different issues including economic development of Africa

- APC rolls out plans to gain massive support for the Buhari-led administration in the south-south zone

The presidency has released pictures showing how President Muhammadu Buhari received briefing from top government officials ahead of his address to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

READ ALSO: Niger Delta coalition wants FG to stop funding southeastern states over Biafra

The briefing according to presidential media aide, Femi Adesina, took place on Monday, September 18, 2017.

Legit.ng had earlier reported that Buhari arrived the US to join other world leaders at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 72).

Buhari is expected to meet with President Donald Trump of the United States of America at the assembly.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Trump is expected to discuss with Buhari and other African leaders on different issues including economic development of Africa.

See photos of how President Buhari was briefed by top officials below:

President Buhari is expected to address world leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York, photo credit: Femi Adesina - Facebook

Top government officials briefing President Buhari ahead of his address to world leaders at the UN, photo credit: Femi Adesina - Facebook

President Buhari is also expected to meet with US president, Donald Trump at the UN Assembly, photo credit: Femi Adesina - Facebook

President Buhari arrived the US on Sunday, September 17, to join other world leaders at the UN General Assembly, photo credit: Femi Adesina - Facebook

The president was accompanied by some top government officials from Nigeria, photo credit: Femi Adesina - Facebook

Meanwhile, ahead of the 2019 general elections, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rolled out plans to gain massive support for President Buhari-led administration and the party in the south south zone with a tour of the region.

The party in a statement issued by Martins Mukoro, the zonal publicity secretary of the APC, stated that during the tour of the region, all aggrieved members in the various state chapters will be reconciled to strengthen the partys unity ahead of the 2019 elections, Punch reports.

It disclosed that the tour would begin from the week of September 25 and end on September 30, 2017.

The APC said its national vice-chairman south-south zone, Mr Hilliard Eta, will lead the tour across states of the region comprising; Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Edo states.

Watch a Legit.ng TV video below of Nigerians talking about the Buhari administration:

Source: Legit.ng
- President Buhari has signed a proclamation forbidding the activities of IPOB

- The president reportedly signed the necessary document before departing for US on Sunday

- The AGF is expected to soon head to court to initiate legal backings of the presidential proclamation

As controversy trail the Nigerian army's declaration of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group and the proscription of the group by southeast governors, President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly signed a proclamation proscribing the group.

In a bid to take the heat off the Nigerian army, the president signed the presidential proclamation on Sunday before leaving for the US to attend the 72nd session of United Nations General Assembly, This Day reports.

READ ALSO: Niger Delta coalition wants FG to stop funding southeastern states over Biafra

Recall Legit.ng reported that Senate president Bukola Saraki, on Monday, September 19, said the army's decision to declare the IPOB a terrorist group and the southeast governor's proscription of same group did not follow due process.

The Senate president asked Buhari to 'do the needful' and initiate the right process, a step it seems the president has now taken by signing a proclamation forbidding activities of the IPOB.

A source in the attorney generals office reportedly claimed that the president has effectively initiated the formal process of proscribing IPOB in accordance with the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011.

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN) is expected to head to court soon to give legal backing to the presidential proclamation.

The source said: The issue was extensively debated between Buhari, the AGF and other aides before he left for the UN General Assembly and the president decided to sign the declaration before leaving for New York, so he could say that due process was being followed if the question was raised by other world leaders at the UN."

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported earlier that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai, revealed that the Defence Headquarters did not declare IPOB a terrorist organisation in Nigeria.

The latest twist is coming on the heels of the recent declaration of IPOB as a terrorist organisation by the army.

Buratai, who spoke while officially launching the Operation Python Dance 2 in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state in the evening of Monday, September 18, said the federal government took the right steps to contain IPOB.

Watch this Legit.ng exclusive video of Nnamdi Kanu's lawyers reacting to the army's invasion of his client's residence:

Source: Legit.ng
Editor's note: The former minister of aviation Femi Fani-Kayode writes on the current state of the nation and dangers faced by the Nigerian populace especially members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Also, concerning the recent crisis between the military and members of the IPOB in the south east, Fani-Kayode proposes an expulsion of Nigeria as member of the United Nation under Article 6 of the UN Charter.

Mr. Jean-Claude Junker, the blunt, strong-willed and battle-tested president of the European Commission blew hot about the precarious plight of the Igbo people and the dangers faced by members of the Indegenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) in Nigeria last week.

He said "it is the peoples right to agitate and make a request from their government. Self-determination is a right enshrined in the United Nation Charter. The people of Biafra have every right to request for a referendum. They have been in this struggle for a while now. They have never killed or shot a bullet instead they are the victims of attacks and murder.

The EU hereby condemns the brutal attack on IPOB members and leadership under the pretentious disguise of a military exercise (Operation Python Dance). The Nigerian military is warned to adopt democratic tenets in handling citizens. The EU will not sit by idly and watch things go undemocratic in the largest economy of the West African region".

This is an excellent assessment of the situation and it provides a timely warning to the Buhari administration about their grave indiscretions and obvious excesses.

Yet instead of addressing the deep concerns that the EU, Amnesty International, the United Nations and many other notable players and organisations on the world stage have about what is going on in Nigeria, Mr. Lai Mohammed, President Buhari's Minister of Information and a man who told us just a few years ago that it was wrong and unlawful to ban Boko Haram, had only the following to say:

"IPOB is a group sponsored by a coalition of political parties and looters who are bent on derailing the fight on corruption embarked upon by Buhari-APC led government."

READ ALSO: Buhari signs proclamation proscribing IPOB as army denies declaring group a terrorist organisation

Such unadulterated poppycock and pernicious lies and such baseless allegations and nonsensical assertions, even when they come from a man whose credibility is at best questionable, beggars belief.

Instead of attacking and insulting those of us that have condemned the slaughter of Igbos and alleging that we are sponsoring IPOB the Buhari government would do well to consider Jean Claude Junker's words and what the European Union have said about the barbaric killing of the Igbo and the universal right of self-determination which is protected and guaranteed by international law.

Since when has it been acceptable or the norm to unleash the dogs of war against a group of innocent, unarmed and defenceless young people and their colourful leader simply because they dared to ask for a referendum?

The fact of the matter is that whether anyone likes it or not, the attempt to break, subjugate, demonize, belittle, vilify and wipe out the Igbo race through the auspices of intimidation, disinformation, manipulation of the media, mass murder and ethnic cleansing by the Buhari administration shall fail.

The truth is that this whole thing is not about IPOB but about the consistent expression of an irrational, illogical and pathological hatred of the Igbos by the maximum ruler of the Nigerian state.

And if he gets away with it and manages to achieve his sinister and nefarious objective he will come after the Yoruba, the Ijaw, the Tiv and everyone else in a matter of time!

That is why it is important to refuse to be intimidated, to stand firm, to hold the line, to resist him with every fibre of our being and to insist on the restructuring and the renegotiation of Nigeria.

Fifty years after our brutal and genocidal civil war we have learnt nothing about the cataclysmic and devastating consequences and spiritual implications of slaughtering innocent people in the name of keeping Nigeria one.

READ ALSO: President Buhari receives briefing ahead of UN address to world leaders in New York (photos)

Why do you think nothing works in our country and that our people are mostly unfulfilled, poor, miserable, afflicted and deprived? Why do you think there is so much suffering in our nation despite the fact that we have been blessed with so many human and mineral resources? It is God's judgement.

Until we stop electing psychopaths, sociopaths and cruel men of blood into office and until our leaders stop killing innocent people whose only "crime" is to express their desire to be free from slavery, bondage and tyranny and to be allowed to determine their own future nothing will or can change for the better in our beleaguered country.

As long as the ethnic cleansing and mass murder continues and as long as our people cheer on our leaders as they commit these heinous crimes against humanity Nigeria will continue to be a basket case of a nation which is ruled by unrepentant and wicked tyrants, garrulous court jesters and certified village idiots.

If we continue to condone and refuse to desist from state sponsored repression and the mass murder of Igbos, northern Christians, Shiite Muslims, Niger Deltans or any other group of people who are seen by our collective oppressors as soft and easy targets our nation will continue to be perceived as an abominable and accursed dwarf that crawls around like a helpless, crippled and stunted child in the comity of nations.

Nigeria was once the hope of the black man but sadly in the last two years she has become an embarrassment and burden to Africa and a reference point for everything that is reprehensible and shameful in the world.

A nation where savage and insensitive beasts murder innocent men, women and children in the sanctity of their homes whilst the people cheer them on and embrace their murderous barbarity with joy and glad tidings.

A nation where political opponents can be locked up for years without any recourse to the courts and without any form of due process.

READ ALSO: What God told me about Nnamdi Kanus Biafra agitation - Olumba Olumba

A nation where opposition members and dissidents are villified and subjected to every form of shame, malevolence and indignity simply because they refuse to bow before the maximum ruler and worship him as a living deity.

Can God's presence possibly be in such an arrangement and can God's blessing possibly be in such a place?

Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN, one of the true crusaders for justice and human rights in Nigeria and a man of remarkable fortitude and immense courage captured the mood and painted an accurate picture of the situation when he said the following:

"The Fulani herdsmen who go on rampage daily, maiming, rapiing and killing and those responsible for the Agatu massacre, Shiites massacre, Southern Kaduna pogrom, indiscriminate killings, brazen quit notice givers across Nigeria, etc, have never been arrested, prosecuted, let alone been proscribed and stigmatized as terrorist organisations. We must surely have and operate two sets of laws for two sets of people in Nigeria".

How true this is! Yet even if the majority within the Nigerian political class and media are not prepared or able to confront and expose this great evil and speak truth to power, the international media, who are thoroughly and understandably mortified and shocked by what is unfolding in our country, are evidently ready to do so.

For example the Washington-based Newsweek International Magazine, in an excellent article written by Mr. Connor Gaffey just last week, focused on the fact that "many Biafran Christians" had been subjected to "extra-judicial killings" by a northern Muslim-controlled and led army.

They condemned the activities of the Nigerian military in the east in very strong terms, decried the dangerous situation that is unfolding in Nigeria and echoed President Olusegun Obasanjo's laudable call for dialogue between the IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Buhari.

In their own contribution to the debate the respected New York-based Huffington Post published the following artice which was written by Mr. Bruce Feinn, a highly celebrated and distinguished human rights lawyer and a former Deputy Attorney General in the Reagan administration. He wrote:

"The United Nations will live in infamy for lending its megaphone on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, to Nigerias elected military dictator Muhammadu Buhari.

The Hausa-Fulani Muslim strongman is currently orchestrating genocide as defined by the Genocide Convention against Nigerias 50 million Igbo people because of their ethnicity and unwavering devotion to Christianity. Buharis genocide marks the culmination of a long train of Biafran subjugation by radical Hausa-Fulani Islamic terrorists.

The dictators power is anchored to an illegitimate constitution decreed by a military dictator in 1999 to hold the Christian Biafran people in bondage to Hausa-Fulani Muslims. Nigerias constitution has never been approved by Nigerians.

Last June, Buhari tacitly endorsed a Hausa-Fulani threat to expel by force and violence and to plunder 11 million Igbos in twelve northern Nigerian states that have adopted Sharia as their legal codes if they did not abandon their Igbo homes and businesses by October 1, 2017.

READ ALSO: Rise of the spring shall be to condemn IPOB as a terrorist group - Bianca Ojukwu

During the past few years in northern Nigeria, Hausa-Fulani terrorists have destroyed thousands of churches and religious schools and displaced millions of Christian Biafrans.

Hundreds of innocent civilians have died and more have been injured or terrorized by Nigerias military acting under Buharis direction in the last week alone. A courageous and influential Biafran leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has had his home attacked and quarantined by Nigerias armed forces and his followers killed. Grisly videos and photos taken at scenes of the harrowing crimes are conclusive. What they prove amounts to state terrorismthe systematic employment of violence to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.

Instead of providing Buhari a megaphone, the United Nations should be expelling Nigeria from membership under Article 6 of the United Nations Charter. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) should be referring the dictator and his henchmen like Army Chief of Staff Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, to investigate for complicity in genocide.

The UNSC should also be imposing an arms embargo on Nigeria under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter until the right of the Biafran people to self-determination is secured through a free and fair referendum conducted by the United Nations Electoral Unit.

At present, dictator Buhari is diverting arms purchased for ostensible use against Boko Haram, an international terrorist organization, to the terrorizing of Biafran Christians. Buhari has no interest in defeating Boko Haram because its threat triggers military and financial assistance from the United States in its global war on terrorism.

These sanctions against Nigeria would honor twin objectives of the United Nations: (1) to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained; and, (2) promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to religion".

The genocide of Biafrans is not a domestic matter within the exclusive jurisdiction of Nigeria. Genocide is a crime against all of mankind which concerns every country. Moreover, if dictator Buhari is permitted to kill and enslave Christian Biafrans with impunity, Nigeria could degenerate into a Hausa-Fulani Islamic theocracy and could become a state sponsor of terrorism. Nigerias example would embolden the persecution of Christians elsewhere.

Nigerias 190 million inhabitants make it the most populous nation in Africa. It is a model not only in West Africa but throughout the continent. It is too important for its fate to be left to the roll of the dice.

The international community planted the seeds of contemporary Nigerian and African strife by arbitrarily carving up the continent in favor of colonial powers at the1884-1885 Berlin Conference. The United Nations is saddled with a moral obligation to help remedy the dystopias spawned by many of its key members.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

While the suffering and persecution of Burmas Muslim Rohingya have captured headlines and the attention of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, Nigerias far worse oppression of Biafrans has been largely ignored. It is difficult to resist the conclusion that the international human rights community squints when blacks kill blacks".

He concluded by saying, "Chad had its Hissene Habre, Libya had its Muammar Gaddafi and Nigerian President Buhari should learn from those examples before continuing his genocidal murders and torture of Biafrans. Justice will pursue Buhari as tenaciously as the Furies pursued Orestes. He would tremble if he reflected that God is just, and that His justice will not sleep forever".

These are valid and legitimate observations and laudable assertions from a respected individual that has dedicated his entire life to the cause of protecting human rights and a medium that prides itself on the highest standard of literary excellence and investigative journalism.

Let us hope that President Muhammadu Buhari and his military commanders are listening!

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position 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!

You can watch this Legit.ng video of a physically challenged lady pledging total support for Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB:

Source: Legit.ng
- Goodluck Jonathan has reacted to a statement by Lai Mohammed that Nnamdi Kanu wasn't against Nigeria's unity during his tenure

- Jonathan admonished Mohammed for dragging him into the IPOB issues

- He urged the Nigerian government to drop propaganda and fish out those they believed are sponsoring the IPOB

Former president Goodluck Jonathan has reacted to a statement by minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, campaigned for Nigeria's unity during his tenure.

Recall that Legit.ng reported that the minister during an interview claimed that the IPOB is being sponsored by people who are politically disgruntled and treasury looters.

Jonathan denied sponsoring Kanu to agitate for secession or frustrate the effort of Buhari's administration.

In a statement released on his official Facebook page and signed by his spokesperson, Reno Omokri, Jonathan said accusing him of sponsoring IPOB has shown that the Buhari's adminstration is yet to leave propaganda for a proper agenda almost three years after getting into power.

The statement read: "Lai Mohammed, leave former President Jonathan out of your tales by moonlight on IPOB.

"The insinuations in the press conference given by Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Sunday the 17th of September 2017, accusing the opposition of sponsoring the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the fact that he mentioned that Nnamdi Kanu preached Nigerian unity during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan is another clear indication that the present administration has not left propaganda mode for proper agenda mode two and a half year into their tenure.

"If the government in which Lai Mohammed serves, knows which opposition members are sponsoring IPOB, then they should identify them, arrest them and then prosecute them.

"Ever since Lai Mohammed made his ill advised statement, a principal member of the All Progressive Congress government and the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, has come out to say that the actions in the Southeast are troubling and some of it are unconstitutional. Is he also sponsoring IPOB too?"

READ ALSO: President Buhari receives briefing ahead of UN debate in New York

Jonathan accused Lai Mohammed of speaking out in support of Boko Haram and kicking against the Jonathan-led administration for banning it in 2013.

He said: "It is our suspicion that Lai Mohammed is talking from history seeing as he criticized the Jonathan government for banning Boko Haram in a statement he released on June 10, 2013, even though the Jonathan government had gone through due process before proscribing that murderous sect.

"Perhaps Lai Mohammed thinks everybody is like him and those he represents."

He however, commended the southeast governors for their quick intervention which he said prevented a major bloodbath in the region.

He said: "I also commend the governors of the Southeast for cooperating with the military and in the process saving lives and property. It is a noble act that should not be ignored.

"However, we want to advise the Buhari administration, which has announced plans to extend the military show of force to the Southsouth and the Southwest through Operation Crocodile Smile, to thread with caution.

"Nigeria is no longer under military rule. In a democracy, you separate the military from the police. The military is not meant to fight criminality within a nation because they are trained to fight a nation's external enemies.

"It is the police that are trained to fight crime Internally.

"When the military starts doing the job of the police and starts fighting or doing what they call a 'show of force', the effect will not be to reduce crime. The effect will be to intimidate people."

He urged the Buhari's administration to focus on its government and agenda rather than a propaganda to tarnish the image of the past administration.

He said: "Let me say again to Lai Mohammed, the time for propaganda is gone. The time for blaming Dr. Goodluck Jonathan for all the unfulfilled promises of the APC government is over. Nigerians are no longer buying it.

"Rome may not have been built in a day, but from day one you could see evidence of builders building up Rome. But what have we seen in the last two and a half years of the Muhammadu Buhari administration? We see a government that from day one has been blaming instead of building.

"Finally, I seize this opportunity to remind Lai Mohammed that under the Jonathan administration the ministry of information had annual ministerial briefing where the media and civil society groups interrogated cabinet ministers on the activities of their departments. 100 days briefing was given to Nigerians on the government's vision and one year briefings was given to the nation on government activities. An elaborate mid term briefing was also given by that government to the country on the achievements of the administration."

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly signed a proclamation proscribing the IPOB.

In a bid to take the heat off the Nigerian army, the president signed the presidential proclamation on Sunday before leaving for the US to attend the 72nd session of United Nations general assembly.

Watch this Legit.ng video of Nigerians speaking on the Biafra agitation:

Source: Legit.ng
What do you need to sign up with Uber Nigeria? Uber requirements in Nigeria are very simple and basic. You will find a list of the requirements below.

Uber is growing their network of cars in Nigeria. If you own a car and you are looking to make extra cash in your free time with the vehicle, you can easily sign up your car with Uber Nigeria today and become an Uber taxi driver. All you need is to meet their requirements for a car.

Uber requirements for cars and drivers in Nigeria

For you to be able to register your car for Uber taxi, your car must meet the following requirements:

The car must be a product of 2005 (the year the car was released) and above.

The car must have four properly working passenger doors. Two doors cars are not accepted.

Your car must have a valid insurance policy document.

Also, a valid vehicle inspection report is required.

READ ALSO: Learn how to make money online

What do you need to be an Uber driver?

All you need to be an Uber driver is your valid drivers license.

You can sign up with Uber Nigeria today. You can drive with Uber at any time and also determine when you work. This way, driving an Uber taxi doesnt get to affect the other important things in your life. You can use it as a way to make that extra income.

READ ALSO: Top 10 companies you can work with in 2017

Watch how Uber is changing life in Nigeria.

Source: Legit.ng
- The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has accused the Southeast governors over Biafran agitations in the region

- CLO said that the governors have failed to realise that the discontent separatist groups in the zone arose because of frustrations

- The group, however, said there is no hope for the Southeast if the governors cannot condemn anything that affects the people from the region

The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has blamed the Southeast governors for not condemning agitation and anything that affect the people they govern.

Legit.ng gathered this in a statement co-signed by Aloysius Attah and Pedro Azuogu, the group Southeast zone and chairman, Abia state chapter.

According to CLO, pro-Biafra agitations in the Southeast arose from the frustrations the people felt which were occasioned by their alienated leadership the governors provided.

READ ALSO: IPOB supporters hit London streets in protest against military invasion of southeast

The statement read:''The governors failed to realise that the discontent and agitations from separatist groups in the zone partly arose from the frustrations occasioned by their alienated governance which seems to favour the few at the detriment of the majority thereby breeding lots of unengaged youths.

''There is no hope for the Southeast if our governors cannot take up the lead in condemning anything that affects the people they govern, fight for the zones equitable share from the centre in the authoritative allocation of values and resources or who gets what, when and how which politics is all about.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

''We are tempted to believe the assertion in some quarters that our governors take orders from the caliphate and cannot attempt to injure the sensibilities of the Aso Rock power brokers hence they are always tongue tied and hands-in- cheek whenever occasion demands that they should rise up with requisite action in anger and reject any slap on the face of the Igbo''.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that former special assistant to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan on new media, Reno Omokri, released several tweets mocking the southeast governors for proscribing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Watch this Legit.ng exclusive video of Nnamdi Kanu's lawyers reacting the army's invasion of his client's residence:

Source: Legit.ng
The 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly is currently ongoing with world leaders addressing their counterparts and other participants.

President Muhammadu Buhari is at the event alongside other world leaders.

"More than 100 world leaders, thousands of diplomats and advocates will convene in New York City from 19-25 September 2017. This years theme is Focusing on people  striving for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet," the UN says.

4.55pm: Buhari ends his speech. The chairman and the deputy UN Secretary General Amina J Mohammed greet President Buhari

4.54pm: Buhari reminds the world that Nigeria has been participating in peace keeping mission and United Nations programme. He says Nigeria will continue to support the UN for sustenance of growth across the world

Aisha Buhari (L) other members of the delegation applaud, as Buhari concludes his speech

4.53pm: Buhari speaks about the threat of nuclear war (North Korean missile program), says its a crisis equal to the Cuban (1962), when the world was close to a war. "All necessary pressure and diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to accept peaceful resolution of the crisis."

4.50pm: Buhari also reminds about suffering population of Yemen and Myanmar. "As Hiroshima and Nagasaki painfully remind us, if we fail, the catastrophic human loss and environmental degradation cannot be imagined"

4.50pm: He urged the United Nations to continue to take primary leadership and assist in regional relationships. "New conflicts should not make us lose focus on old conflicts," he says

4.49pm: President Buhari proposes strong UN delegation to urgently engage North Korean Leader. Delegation should include members from all regions.

4.48pm: He says Nigeria's hope in democracy remains strong and explains the role Nigeria played in Cote d'Ivoire. Applause to Buhari, as he mentioned the role of Nigeria in solving the political crisis in The Gambia earlier this year

4.45pm: President Buhari commended the role of the UN in crises recorded in some countries. He said the international community assisted in the area of the threats from Boko Haram and al-Qaeda in parts of Africa

Buhari speaks at UNGA. Credit: UN

4.43pm: President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria now speaks

4.42pm: He ends his address and leaves for his seat

4.41pm: He wants the very core of the UN to be respected by the participants being responsible leaders, to be honest with each other by keeping promises and delivering results

4.34pm: He says today, North Korea is threatening the peace of some parts of the world. He wants UN to be firm in its resolve. "There is no room for geo-political games...it is million of human lives that is at stake."

4.31pm: He says over 60 million people across the world are facing the crisis of where to lay their heads. According to him, the least that can be done for them is to make them comfortable

President of Slovac Republic speaking. Credit: UN

4.28pm: He says respect for the principle of peace is needed to end violence and the enormous human tragedies which affect social and human developments.

4.27pm: Andrej Kiska, president of the Slovak Republic now speaks. He talks about how people die every minute due to poverty, strife and unsustainable conditions

4.24pm: She ends her presentation and is greeted. She heads to her seat

4.22pm: She pleads for the implementation of the Paris agreement on climate change saying that the recent hurricanes in parts of the world shows that nothing much had been done

4.19pm: At the end of 2016, the number of people displaced around the world is more than that witnessed in the Second World War. She advocated for all countries to play a major role to end such crisis

4.17: She advocates for the protection of human rights saying when conflicts break, the price in terms of economy and other areas is very high. She says Swiss is committed to negotiation as a solution posed by nuclear crises in some places

Doris Leuthard of the Swiss Confederation speaks at UNGA. Credit: UN

4.13: President Doris Leuthard of the Swiss Confederation is currently addressing the world

4.10pm: Conde ends his speech, heads to his seat

4.07pm: He said the AU condemns terrorism acts in some parts of the African continent

READ ALSO: BREAKING: President Buhari arrives US for UNGA (photos)

4.05pm: He says in terms of managing crises in Africa, the AU takes special approaches. The AU will spare no efforts in the area of financing

4.03pm: Conde says Africa is determined to focus on hot spots like Libya and Congo.

4.01pm: He wants the international community to assist Africa in the area of training experts to handle health issues to help the continent end pandemics.

Alpha Conde speaks at the UNGA. Credit: UN

3.56pm: President Alpha Conde of Guinea and African Union chairman, now speaking. Says Africa is fully determined to take its destiny in its own hand and take its role in managing its affairs. He adds that Africa is extending its hands to partnership from across the world.

READ ALSO: Fake Buhari's UN speech circulating about, Presidency warns

3.52pm: The meeting resumes.

3.47pm: Session goes on five-minute break

3.46pm: Trump ends his speech

President Trump as he addressed heads of government and participants at the UNGA. Credit: NDTV

3.44pm: Trump said from the very first moment, every American thinks of what is possible. "Now we are calling for a great revival of nations. We need to defeat the enemies of humanity," he said.

3.32pm: President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, is presently addressing the United Nations General Assembly

READ ALSO: Buhari signs proclamation proscribing IPOB

Source: Legit.ng
The 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly is currently ongoing with world leaders addressing their counterparts and other participants.

President Muhammadu Buhari spoke at the event on Tuesday, September 19, around 4.43pm Nigerian time. Legit.ng covered the speech of the president.

However, six hours earlier, a fake copy of the speech had been circulated online and published by even news media expected to be reputable. Legit.ng earlier reported that the presidency raised alarm over the fake speech being circulated online as the 72nd United Nations General Assembly speech to be delivered by President Buhari.

After the president's speech was delivered, his media spokesperson, Femi Adesina, published the real speech on his official Facebook page.

Below are some differences between the real speech and the fake speech:

1. Restructuring

In the fake speech, President Buhari reportedly spoke on restructuring of the United Nations and improving representation of Africans in official positions. However in the real speech, all he said was:

"......will require strong UN cooperation with regional organisations, such as the African Union, in conflict prevention and management.

"The UN should continue to take primary leadership of the maintenance of international peace and security by providing, in a predictable and sustainable manner, adequate funding and other enablers to regional initiatives and peacekeeping operations authorized by the security council."

READ ALSO: Osinbajo holds discussion with Governor Ikpeazu in Aso Rock

2. Post colonialism

In the fake speech, President Buhari said: "We cannot continue to pretend that conflicts that emerged as a result of our colonial heritage have been resolved. Across our continent, they are still there. In some cases, bad governance is exacerbating these conflict points."

However, there is no mention of the post colonial experience in the real speech.

3. African prosperity

In the fake speech, President Buhari mentions the material prosperity of Africa. However in the real speech, all he said was: "......state institutions are being strengthened to promote accountability, and to combat corruption and asset recovery. These can only be achieved through the international community cooperating and providing critical assistance and material support."

4. Boko Haram

In the real speech the president thanked the international community for their help with the Boko Haram insurgency, however in the fake speech, it was written thus: "In Nigeria, we have degraded the capability of the Boko Haram terrorist group.

"We are on the path to eliminating the last of their safe heavens. We have also secured the release of some of our abducted Chibok Girls. We are working hard to secure the release of the rest and to finish the job."

READ ALSO: Our faith in democracy remains firm: 7 key things Buhari told world leaders at UNGA

5. Nuclear war

In the fake speech, the president reportedly said: "In the urgent matter of the nuclear stand off with North Korea, we hope that calm heads prevail. And as our ancestors say, that the disobedient fowl does not wait to be put into a pot of soup before it obeys. We in Africa hope that North Korea and, indeed, all the nations with nuclear weapons will hasten to eliminate them all.

"We dont aspire to have nuclear weapons in the continent of Africa, the cradle of mankind. We will preserve Africa in case the nuclear-armed nations of the world decide to destroy themselves in their so-called mutual assured destruction."

However, what he really said was:

"All necessary pressure and diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to accept peaceful resolution of the crisis. As Hiroshima and Nagasaki painfully remind us, if we fail, the catastrophic and devastating human loss and environmental degradation cannot be imagined.

"Mr President, Nigeria proposes a strong UN delegation to urgently engage the North Korean Leader. The delegation, led by the Security Council, should include members from all the regions."

6. Palestine

In the fake speech, he said this about Palestine: "Any glaring unfairness, like the Palestinian case, diminishes our moral authority to preach and lecture the world on other cases.

"As we have learned in Nigeria, our stubborn self-righteousness blocks our ears from hearing the cry of those that we left on the fringe of society and blocks our eyes from seeing and reading the handwriting on the wall."

PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV

However, in the real speech there is no mention of this. All the president said was: "New conflicts should not make us lose focus on ongoing unresolved old conflicts.

"For example, several UN Security Council Resolutions from 1967 on the Middle East crisis remain unimplemented. Meanwhile, the suffering of the Palestinian people and the blockade of Gaza continue."

Meanwhile, in his real speech, Buhari also reminds about suffering population of Yemen and Myanmar. "As Hiroshima and Nagasaki painfully remind us, if we fail, the catastrophic human loss and environmental degradation cannot be imagined."

Watch this Legit.ng video as Nigerians speak on the state of the nation:

Source: Legit.ng
- Nigeria's lawmakers have ordered that six of Patience Jonathan's accounts be unblocked by the banks

- The direction came from the House of Representatives committee on public petitions

- The affected banks are Union bank, First bank, EcoBank, Diamond bank, Fidelity bank and Skye bank

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has directed six commercial banks to unblock accounts operated by former first lady, Patience Jonathan.

Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, a PDP senator from Abia, who chaired the committee gave the directive on Tuesday, September 19, in Abuja.

According to Premium Times, the affected banks are Union bank, First bank, EcoBank, Diamond bank, Fidelity bank and Skye bank.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had earlier directed the banks to freeze the accounts over allegations of corruption.

Kenneth Otowo the lawyer for Union bank had told the panel that the bank placed Mrs. Jonathans account under a precautionary restriction following a directive by the EFCC.

READ ALSO: 6 choice assets in Abuja allegedly traced to former first lady Patience Jonathan

He said: We received a communication from EFCC to put a precautionary restriction on the account. The letter was dated March 21, 2016, so we had to act based on that."

However, the committee said the bank could only freeze the account if EFCC proved that it had obtained a court order to that effect.

Until EFCC proves otherwise, Ill ask you to remove the precautionary restriction on the account. Let me tell you, whatever youll do, you must follow the law. A bank cant hold a legal entity to ransom.

I want to order all other banks that all the accounts that have no specific pending order from the courts, please release them, the committee chairman said.

Afam Osigwe the counsel to EcoBank, said Mrs Jonathans account could not have been on restriction because there was no court order to that effect. He later said that the bank would cross-check its records and get back to the committee.

The former first lady's lawyers said three of her accounts were frozen in Diamond bank, but Unoma Ndulue, who represented the bank, said two out of the three accounts were fully operative, while one was closed.

However, the leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, stated this through his twitter handle on Wednesday, September 20, that the House is yet to approve the committee's ruling.

Contrary to reports, the House has not made a decision on freezing of bank accts. The cttee report will be debated on resumption, he tweeted.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Ex-first lady Patience Jonathan petitions National Assembly

Meanwhile, the committee has given Ibrahim Magu, the EFCC acting chairman, up to October 4 to appear before it or have arrest warrant issued against him.

The panel also asked Mrs Jonathans lawyers and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to reconcile their positions on an alleged tax default of over N10 million.

FIRS had said that Aridolf Resort Wellness and SPA, owned by Mrs Jonathan, failed to pay taxes in spite of serial reminders. However, her lawyers insisted that they had paid all their taxes to the agency.

PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV

Legit.ng earlier reported that Patience Jonathan recovered her N2bn hotel which was sealed off by the EFCC in June 2017.

The EFCC had placed the red inscriptions saying: EFCC Under Investigation all over the hotel which is located near Setraco Construction Company, off the Mabushi Kado Expressway.

Watch this Legit.ng video as Nigerians speak on the state of the economy:

Source: Legit.ng
With these words, eerily reminiscent of a line once spoken by Star Wars villain Darth Vader, Spains Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy brought to a close a week of frenzied drama. It began with a foiled attempt by the Spanish police to close down the official website for the Catalan independence referendum. As often happens with web-based raids, the official site was up and running again within minutes, albeit with a different domain name.

Next, the Public Prosecutors office ruled that the referendum is now illegal beyond all doubt and instructed the Civil Guard, National Police, Catalan Police (Mossos dEsquadra) and local police forces to act to stop it. It also launched criminal investigations against the entire Catalan government, the Speaker of the Catalan Parliament, the leaders of two separatist municipal associations and more than 700 Catalan mayors (representing 75% of Catalonias municipalities) for agreeing to cooperate with the planned plebiscite.

On Friday, Spains Finance Ministry joined the fracas by introducing a motion that would hand Madrid much greater control over how Catalonia spends its money in an effort to block the regional government from using state cash to pay for an illegal independence referendum. It has also frozen Catalonias monthly advance of the national liquidity fund (FLA), worth some 1.4 billion a month, and demanded that banks report any transactions related to the referendum vote to the central government.

The ultimate goal is to turn the Catalan regional government into an empty shell of an institution  one that has no autonomy, or for that matter any practical function or purpose.

Starving Catalonias regional government of funds could well make the vote logistically impossible, but the policy is not without its risks. As we warned a few months ago, if the Catalan government feels that its backed into a corner financially, it could weaponize its tick-tocking debt bomb. If Barcelona refuses to honor its debt to Madrid, both Catalan and Spanish debt could be declared in default, with disastrous consequences for both.

While such an outcome is still highly unlikely, especially given the potential scale of the fallout, there are no signs as yet that either side of this conflict is prepared to back down.

But how did relations between Spain and its richest province plumb such depths? How did Catalonia, a region that enjoys levels of autonomy in education, health care and public policing that would be the envy of many other parts of Europe, particularly those across the border in France, end up embracing a cause that would put it in direct confrontation with Spains central state?

While many of Catalonias grievances date back decades, and in some cases centuries, the latest explosion of separatist fervor is relatively recent. In 2007 just 14% of the Catalan population supported independence, according to the regional governments own stats. By 2013 the number had more than tripled, to 48%.

What happened in such a short time to spark such a sea change in collective thinking? A large part of the answer can be found in the following three developments.

1. The Financial Crisis.

When Spains gargantuan property boom began crashing in 2009, prompting the domino-like fall of the countrys savings banks, the inevitable result was a massive contraction in the economy that laid waste to millions of jobs. By 2012 unemployment in Catalonia had hit 19% while in Spain as a whole it was a staggering 26%.

As public anger in Catalonia rose, so, too, did support for the separatist cause. In what was largely a calculated move to divert attention and blame away from its mismanagement of the local economy, unpopular cuts in public spending, and political scandals, the regions governing party, Convergencia, hitched its wagon to the rising movement.

The Spanish government hardly helped matters by repeatedly reducing the amount of public investment in Catalonia, which merely fuelled Catalans sense of economic injustice. Catalonia contributes nearly a fifth of Spains gross domestic product, yet the region receives just 9.5% of Spains national budget. Even in the last couple of years, after repeated promises from Madrid that it will inject more funds, the total investment has continued to fall.

2. The Still Birth of Catalonias New Statute of Autonomy.

As with all of Spains autonomous communities, Catalonias regional government holds sway in certain areas of culture, education, health, justice, environment, communications, transportation, commerce and public safety. It also has its own police force, the Mossos dEsquadra, though the Spanish government keeps agents in the region for issues relating to border control, terrorism and immigration.

However, Catalonia has virtually no say in fiscal matters, unlike Spains other separatist region, the Basque Country. That was all supposed to have changed with the new Statute of Autonomy signed in 2006 by the Catalan executive and Rajoys predecessor in government, Jose Luis Zapatero.

But the agreement was not to last. In 2010 Spains highly politicized Supreme Court, at the urging of the Peoples Party, annulled many of the articles of the already diluted Statute, effectively stripping the agreement of any meaning and giving Catalonias independence movement its biggest boost in decades. When the decision was made, three of the twelve members of the Court had already finished their terms while a fourth member had died and not been replaced. Nonetheless, the ruling still stood.

As Rajoy says, do not underestimate the power of Spanish democracy.

3. A Full-Frontal Attack on the Catalan Language.

In Catalan culture one thing is more sacred than any other: the regions language, which was ruthlessly banned from public and official use during the Franco dictatorship. But that didnt stop the governing Peoples Party from using its absolute majority to bulldoze into law a deeply unpopular education bill that, among other things, sought to introduce a trilingual model (Spanish, Catalan and English) in schools that would de facto suspend the current Catalan immersion system. The Catalan executive refused to comply with the law.

It was its first major act of open defiance.

Now, five years later, its in open rebellion. If Rajoy carries out his threat and unleashes the full power of Spanish democracy in the weeks ahead, stripping away Catalonias autonomy at a time that its crying out for more, the rebellion could even become a revolt. By Don Quijones.

The closer the referendum, the more draconian Spains response. Read Investors Fret as Catalonias Independence Turmoil Seethes
Google is taking a risky, aggressive posture in dealing with a massive anti-trust fine in one aspect of its business. Some background from an August post:

Its odd to see how the US business press has underplayed the significance of a June 27 ruling by the EU competition minister Margrethe Vestager, which imposed fines of 2.4 billion (roughly $2.7 billion) against Google for anti-trust abuses in merely one aspect of its business, that of its shopping comparison service. The ruling also stipulated that Google make major changes to these services or face even larger fines for non-compliance (emphasis original): Google has to respect the simple principle of equal treatment in its search results for its own comparison shopping product and rival comparison shopping products. Google has to apply the same processes and methods to position and display rival comparison shopping services in Googles search results pages as it gives to its own comparison shopping service. The underlying issue is that while its perfectly OK to be a dominant player, its not permitted to engage in abuse of dominance. This week, the EU should get a preliminary indication of how much Google is willing to adhere to the anti-trust action. Google is coming up to the first milestone, a deadline when it is required to tell the EU what it will do. From Bloomberg: Google faces a Tuesday deadline to tell the European Union how it plans to comply with an order to stop discriminating against rival shopping search services under threat of new fines that would add to a record 2.4 billion-euro ($2.9 billion) penalty. The EU gave the Alphabet Inc. unit 60 days to propose how it would stop its illegal content and 90 days to make changes to how the company displays shopping search results when users start seeking a product. Those changes need to be put in place by Sept. 28 to stave off a risk that the EU could fine the company 5 percent of daily revenue for each day it fails to comply. Mind you, even though this sounds urgent, this is the opening gambit in what is almost certain to be protracted arm-wrestling. And as well explain, Google has no good options. Cooperating in large measure with the EU would be devastating to its business model. But fighting the EU in court and losing would be even more catastrophic Even worse for Google, the Commission ordered Google to change its practices in 90 days so as to end the abuses, or it would be subject to additional fines of up to 5% of the average daily worldwide turnover of Alphabet, Googles parent, with any payment backdated to when the non-compliance started.. And this case isnt the end of Googles EU antitrust woes but just the beginning. Google engages in similar self-favoring practices across its lines of business. If the logic of the EU ruling were applied elsewhere, the search giant would have to radically revamp its business model and would almost certainly see a huge dent in its profits.

Google did submit a proposal to the EU competition authority by the deadline. However, in a story broken by Reuters today, it appears that Google is merely going through the motions: it is complying procedurally, but not substantively. Reuters, which broke the story, gave it an astonishingly, and almost certainly inaccurate, pro-Google headline: Exclusive: Google offers to treat rivals equally via auction  sources.

As the article explains, Google offered a variant of this very same remedy in negotiations with the predecessor to competition minister Vestager, who also was less vigorous in anti-trust enforcement. As Reuters explains, that proposal was not accepted, which led to the 2.4 billion fine. Googles competitors argue that the new scheme is even worse:

In its proposal submitted to the European Commission on Aug. 29, the company said it would allow competitors to bid for any spot in its shopping section known as Product Listing Ads, the sources said Google, whose parent is Alphabet Inc, sought feedback from four to five competitors and it was overwhelmingly negative, the sources said. The adverse reaction could undermine Googles efforts to win over EU antitrust regulators. Three years ago, the worlds most popular internet search engine made a similar offer in an attempt to settle a long-running investigation by the Commission and avoid a fine. That was ultimately rejected following criticism from rivals and discord within the EU executive. Under that proposal, Google would reserve the first two places for its own ads. The new offer would also see Google set a floor price with its own bids minus operating costs. The offer does not address the issues set out by EU competition regulators, the sources said. This is worse than the commitments, one of the people said, who requested anonymity. The European Commission said the onus was on Google to comply with its cease and desist order.

If you listen to an interview with Verstager on Bloomberg yesterday, she gives a measured explanation of what is actually a pretty tough position. Starting at 10:10:

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager: It remains to be seen how Google will live up to thisWe got a first draft of what they were thinkingI think it was about two weeks ago. We got a broad outline about what they are thinking. But the thing is its not up to us to approve. It is for Google to find a way to live up to the decision. And this is of course is very important. If Google does not live up to the decision, then we will start investigating, Well, what is the situation, and is competition still harmed, so that consumers would have lesser choice than they would otherwise have? Interviewer: So come the 29th of September, or however many days after, youre not satisfied. When does fining start? When do you begin to calculate and assess fines against Google if they havent met the burden you would like them to meet? Vestager: Well, actually we can backdate the fines, so it can start from the first date we can find that theres been noncompliance with the decision. So, for example, if we find competitors complain, consumers may complain, Well, this was not what it was supposed to be, if we find reason, then we will start investigating, we can pre-date the fines if we find there was a breach of following up on the decision.

Mind you, this is consistent with earlier reports, but may make the process a bit clearer to readers.

1. Google was already expected to start complying as of the date of the ruling and the competition commission put Google on notice that it was prepared to levy massive additional fines in the case of non-compliance. 2. Google was also required to tell the competition minister how it was going to comply. I may be reading too much into Vestagers comments, but the first draft comment may indicate that Googles plans are sketchier than they ought to be. 3. It does not appear that the EU competition commission can saddle up on its own to go after a company in the absence of complaints, but given how vocal the companies that have been hurt by Google are, this procedural distinction is unlikely to make much practical difference.

So by not complying to a significant degree, Google is risking being hit with potentially even bigger fines from the date of the decision. Admittedly, the formalities of the process of issuing additional fines would probably take years, but massive fines are still massive fines. Yet Googles proposal looks a lot more like it is thumbing its nose at the EU rather than trying to comply. If the critics are right and this plan is worse than the plan Google offered up in 2013, this is Mafia-style negotiating when Google is no position to make the EU an offer it cant refuse.

I can come up with only two guesses: either Google is making a massive bet on being able to win in court or it is suffering from Brexit-level delusion. Note the two are not mutually exclusive.

Google also appears to be relying on American talent, as in former US diplomats, to act as its strategists; you would expect a Bloomberg article yesterday on a shakeup of its policy team to mention senior Europeans if there were any. That sort of provincialism may be contributing to Googles potential mis-assessment of its downside. Google, which is an arm of the US security apparatus, may have been relying unduly on being able to pull strings in Washington and having its allies lean on European officials. That strategy became less workable after the Snowden revelations.

Google, as it said it intended to, filed an appeal against the fine in September, after the date when Google submitted its proposal to the EU competition commissioner. Mind you, it is perfectly reasonable to pursue two strategies at the same time, that of trying to get the decision reversed and that of trying to stop or reduce further damage by complying. But as we noted, its hard to see the Google proposal as anything more than going through the motions.

TechCrunch pointed out that Intel got a ruling from the ECJ that might help Google. But note this decision came down after Google filed its proposal with the EU competition commission, so it cant have informed that action. From TechCrunch:

In June the EC judged that Google had given the service an illegal advantage by abusing its dominance in general Internet search  accusing it of promoting Google Shopping in organic search results while simultaneously demoting rival services  issuing a record-breaking 2.42 billion (~$2.73BN) fine for the antitrust violations. Its that decision which Alphabet/Google will be hoping to overturn, buoyed by the fact that earlier this month Europes top court, the ECJ, ruled that a lower court should review an earlier failed antitrust appeal by Intel, pertaining to a 2009 1.06BN EC ruling. In the Intel case ECJ judges said the lower court must re-examine their decision to uphold the antitrust judgement  saying the court had failed to properly analyze economic aspects of the case. And while the two cases are clearly different  and the Intel verdict remains a partial one at this stage (the sanction has not been overturned as yet)  its certainly unusual for Europes courts to rule against Commission verdicts, offering some hope to Googles lawyers they can successful argue against the regulators rationale.

Notice that the interpretation of the ruling is a tad optimistic. The ECJ did not overturn the competition commissions ruling against Intel. It told the lower court to review its decision. That may lead to a lowering of the fine, but it might also lead to the court redoing its analysis in a way that addresses the ECJs objections. I hope lawyers familiar with civil law procedure will pipe up as to whether this analysis could include making additional findings of fact.

As a very savvy lawyer once told me, Anyone who tells you the odds of winning a case are 70% does not know what he is talking about. Litigation is a crapshoot. And Google has an awful lot riding on this wager.
(Natural News) A study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in the journal Vaccines revealed that receiving one particular flu vaccine was associated with an increased risk of early miscarriage.

As part of the study, a team of researchers at the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute in Wisconsin recruited 485 pregnant women aged 18 to 44 who already had a miscarriage during the flu seasons of 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. This group was compared against 485 pregnant women of similar ages who had normal deliveries during the same period.

The results showed that among women who had a miscarriage, 17 received the H1N1 vaccine in the 28 days prior to the incident. These patients also appeared to have been vaccinated before the flu season kick in.

The research team also found that most miscarriages occurred during the first trimester, but noted several other occurrences in the second trimester. According to the health experts, the median age of the fetus at time of miscarriage was seven weeks.

In contrast, four of the women in the normal delivery group received the flu vaccine in the preceding 28 days and were previously immunized during the previous flu season.

I think its really important for women to understand that this is a possible link, and it is a possible link that needs to be studied and needs to be looked at over more [flu] seasons. We need to understand if its the flu vaccine, or is this a group of women [who received flu vaccines] who were also more likely to have miscarriages, said Dr. Amanda Cohn, senior adviser for vaccines at the CDC.

Epidemiologist and lead author James Donahue stressed that the findings only showed a correlation, not a causal relationship, between flu vaccine and increased odds of miscarriage if the women were vaccinated prior to the flu season.

However, the Marshfield study contained several limitations, such as the small number of women who had miscarriages as well as a small population of women who received flu vaccines in two consecutive years.

Experts still push for flu vaccination despite miscarriage risk

A CDC research on pregnant women during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic also revealed that expectant mothers who were vaccinated were four times as likely to end up being hospitalized due to influenza compared with the general population.

However, the CDC, study authors, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists continue to recommend routine flu vaccination despite both previous and recent findings. (Related: H1N1 vaccine linked to 700 percent increase in miscarriages.)

Scientifically, it is unclear why this would occur. Additional studies are needed to address the concern raised by this study. In evaluating all of the available scientific information, there is insufficient information to support changing the current recommendation, which is to offer and encourage routine flu vaccinations during pregnancy regardless of the trimester of pregnancy, ACOG president Haywood Brown told The Independent online.

According to Dr. Cohn, the open release of the recent study demonstrates that there is no cover-up. The open publication also proves that public health agencies continue to monitor the safety profile of vaccines, the CDC official said.

Really, this study highlights how strong our vaccine safety surveillance is. This is exactly the type of signal that we see because we do such a diligent job focusing on flu vaccine safety. Clearly, we need to study this more. We know that flu vaccine is safe and effective at preventing serious infection in pregnant women and their unborn children. It is really important that women continue to get vaccinated, Dr. Cohn said in a separate NBC News article.

The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices was slated to discuss the findings in October.

Sources include:

NBCNews.com

Independent.co.uk
(Natural News) The link between vitamin D deficiency and multiple sclerosis has been strengthened in a new study. According to the findings, published in Neurology, checking vitamin D levels in the blood can help determine and assess the risk of this debilitating neurological disease. As explained by lead study author Dr. Kassandra Munger: There have only been a few small studies suggesting that levels of vitamin D in the blood can predict risk. Our study, involving a large number of women, suggests that correcting vitamin D deficiency in young and middle-age women may reduce their future risk of [multiple sclerosis].

For their study, Munger and her team evaluated the blood samples of over 800,000 women from Finland, which were taken for the prenatal testing in the Finnish Maternity Cohort. They then identified 1,092 women who developed multiple sclerosis nine years after their blood was tested. These women were compared against 2,123 age-matched study participants who were not diagnosed with the disease.

Of the women who had multiple sclerosis, 58 percent had vitamin D deficiency, while 52 percent of the women who did not develop multiple sclerosis had the same issue . The researchers specified deficient levels of vitamin D as being less than 30 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L).

Moreover, they fond that women who already had a deficiency of vitamin D were 43 percent more like to acquire multiple sclerosis than women who had normal levels of vitamin D (defined as 50 nmol/L or higher), and 27 percent more likely to develop the disease than women with insufficient vitamin D levels.

Additionally, the researchers further noted that each 50 nmol/L increase of vitamin D cut down the risk of multiple sclerosis by as much as 39 percent.

More research is needed on the optimal dose of vitamin D for reducing risk of MS. But striving to achieve vitamin D sufficiency over the course of a persons life will likely have multiple health benefits. Munger told the DailyMail.co.uk. (Related: Multiple sclerosis and vitamin D connection makes winter sun essential.)

What is multiple sclerosis and how is it connected to vitamin D?

Multiple sclerosis is an immune-mediated disorder wherein the immune system attacks the various parts of the body that are necessary for everyday function. The myelin sheath, which is the protective covering of nerve cells, becomes damaged over time, making it more difficult for the nerve cells to work properly and deliver messages throughout the body. This in turn leads to diminished brain and spinal cord function, which then affects numerous parts of the body, making it harder to move, eat, and even see.

The cause of multiple sclerosis remains unknown, though there are many factors that greatly increase the risk of the disease. Sex, ethnicity, age, and location can all influence the likelihood of multiple-sclerosis. Countries located further away from the equator have larger populations of people with multiple sclerosis, hence why some scientists assert that there is a strong association between this disorder and vitamin D deficiency.

The most common source of vitamin D is sunlight. Once the skin has absorbed sunlight, the cholesterol in the skin converts it into the chemicals that eventually become vitamin D. While the exact mechanisms are still undergoing study, its been found that vitamin D actually has a hand in the health of the immune and nervous system, both bodily systems that are most affected by multiple sclerosis. One suggestion is that vitamin D can decrease inflammation of the immune system and make it less likely to attack other cells.

How can I increase my vitamin D intake?

Daily exposure to sunlight is still the best way to get your daily dose of vitamin D. There are food sources of this vitamin too, such as salmon, herring, tuna, oysters, and egg yolks. Non-fish sources include raw milk, soy milk, orange juice, and oatmeal. Mushrooms are a notable source of vitamin D as well, and stand out for being the only known plant source of this essential nutrient.

Visit Prevention.news for even more stories about what vitamin deficiency can do to your body.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

VitaminDCouncil.org

Healthline.com
(Natural News) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a life-threatening condition that results in obstructed airflow and difficulty breathing. There are two main illnesses associated with COPD: Chronic bronchitis, which affects more than 10 million Americans, and emphysema, which over 4.7 million Americans have been diagnosed with. While the most common cause of COPD is smoking and second-hand exposure to cigarette smoke, other causes include pollution, toxic fumes, exposure to certain types of dust, and long-term asthma.

Now, a study led by Dr. Orianne Dumas of the French National Institute of Health, has found that certain cleaning chemicals can also dramatically increase the risk of COPD, with bleach fumes, in particular, linked to a staggering 32 percent increase in risk. The studys results were disclosed to the European Respiratory Society International Congress last week.

Those most at risk include nurses who have to sterilize surgical equipment, cleaners, and any other workers who regularly use toxic cleaning products in performing their work functions.

The research teams findings were based on an examination of the health outcomes of 55,185 of the female nurses enrolled in the U.S. Nurses Health Study II, which initially began back in 1989. Nurses who were still actively practicing in their field in 2009, were selected, and their health was closely monitored over the following eight years, until May of this year. (Related: From the front lines of medicine, disillusioned nurse reveals why Americas health care system is imploding.)

Only nurses who were not exhibiting any signs of COPD were included in the study, and other factors which might skew results were adjusted for, including age, smoking habits, ethnicity and body mass index.

A total of 663 nurses were diagnosed with COPD during the study. (Related: Nurses and other health practitioners stay up-to-date with the latest developments in their field at Medicine.news)

Dr. Dumas noted that nurses who regularly used disinfectants to clean surfaces (at least once a week) had a 22 percent higher risk of developing COPD. The nurses exposure to disinfectants like bleach, glutaraldehyde (used to disinfect surgical instruments), hydrogen peroxide, quaternary ammonium compounds (used for low-level disinfection of floors and furniture, and known as quats) and alcohol was also measured. Every single disinfectant studied was linked to a higher risk of developing COPD, with the risk increasing between 24 and 32 percent, depending on the disinfectant involved.

Some of these disinfectants, such as bleach and quats, are frequently used in ordinary households, and the potential impact of domestic use of disinfectants on COPD development is unknown, Dr. Dumas warned. Earlier studies have found a link between asthma and exposure to cleaning products and disinfectants at home, such as bleach and sprays, so it is important to investigate this further. [Emphasis added]

If you are concerned about the increased risk of COPD, try these recipes for cleaning materials that are natural, non-toxic, and can be made inexpensively at home:

All-purpose cleaner:

Perfect all-around cleaner for the bathroom, kitchen or dirty toys.

 1 teaspoon borax

 1/ 2 teaspoon washing soda

 1 teaspoon liquid castile soap

 2 cups warm distilled water

 Essential oils of your choice

 Spray bottle (glass is best)

Add borax, washing soda, and castile soap to a spray bottle. Add 2 cups of warm distilled (or boiled) water. Shake and use as needed.

Floor Cleaner:

Works for tiles, as well as laminate or non-wood floors.

 16 parts water

 1 part borax

 1/ 2 part castile soap

 A few drops tea tree oil (antiseptic)

 A few drops of essential oil of your liking

If your floor is greasy, replace half of the water with vinegar. Lemon and lavender essential oils are renowned for their refreshing and antiseptic properties. For hardwood floors, you can swap the borax for vegetable oil and add 1/ 2 part lemon or lime juice and citrus essential oil.

Oven Cleaner

Baking soda

Water

Spray bottle

Make a paste of baking soda and water. Spray entire internal surface of the oven with water. Add a 1/ 4 -inch thick layer of baking soda paste on the bottom of the oven. Close the oven and let sit for about two to three hours. Wipe up the paste and surrounding surfaces with a damp cloth.

Several more recipes for natural cleaners can be found in this Natural News article.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

HealthLine.com

WHO.int

ScienceDaily.com

NaturalNews.com
One often hears about the multitude of genes we have in common with chimps, birds or other living creatures, but such comparisons are sometimes misleading. The shared percentage usually refers only to genes that encode instructions for making proteins -- while overlooking regulatory genes, which nonetheless make up a large part of the genome. "Humans and fish, for instance, share about 70% of their protein-coding genes, but only about 0.5% of an important class of regulatory genes -- ones that give rise to so-called long non-coding RNAs, or lncRNAs," says Dr. Igor Ulitsky of the Biological Regulation Department at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

The lncRNAs (pronounced link-RNAs) until recently received much less attention than the protein-coding genes, but they are now proving to be of increasing interest to science. Not only are there as many as 20,000 lncRNA genes in the human genome -- about the same number as the protein-coding ones -- but the lncRNAs have lately been revealed to serve as master switches in a wide variety of biological processes. They turn genes on and off and affect other regulatory genes, controlling cellular fate during fetal development, as well as cellular division and death in the adult organism. These master regulators may therefore hold the key to elucidating or even treating a variety of diseases.

To make sense of lncRNAs, scientists are trying to understand how they appeared in the genome and whether they can be grouped into classes according to their activity. In a recent study published in the journal Genome Biology, Ulitsky and his team -- research students Hadas Hezroni, Gali Housman and Zohar Meir, and staff scientists Drs. Rotem Ben-Tov Perry and Yoav Lubelsky -- managed to identify a class of mammalian lncRNAs that had evolved from more ancient genes by taking on new functions.

The scientists started out with the assumption that evolution is an economical process: If a gene loses its function, it is likely to be "recycled" for different purposes in the cell. "Just as bricks from a ruined monument can help to build a new house, so genes that went out of use can find new roles in the cell in the course of evolution," Ulitsky explains.

His team members developed a series of algorithms that enabled them to find such "recycled" genes in the mammalian genome. First, they identified nearly 1,000 genes that code for proteins in chickens, fish, lizards and other non-mammalian vertebrates, but not in humans, dogs, sheep and other mammals. The scientists hypothesized that at least some of these genes, after losing their protein-coding function, started manufacturing lncRNAs in mammals. By comparing "gene neighborhoods" in the vicinity of lncRNAs and of genes that had stopped coding for proteins, the researchers revealed that indeed, about 60 lncRNA genes in mammals -- or 2% to 3% of lncRNAs shared by humans and other mammalian species -- appear to be derived from ancestral genes. Their genetic sequence is in some cases similar to that of the ancient genes, but they have lost their protein-coding ability.

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

"It is hard to know what caused these genes to lose their protein-coding potential more than 200 million years ago, when mammals evolved from their vertebrate ancestors," Ulitsky says. "But the fact that these genes have been conserved in the genome for so long suggests that they play important roles in the cell."

Identifying such "fossils" of protein-coding genes in the mammalian genome will facilitate further study of human lncRNAs and may ultimately help scientists understand what happens when their function is disrupted. For example, lncRNAs help create different types of neurons in the fetal brain; their failure to properly determine the fate of these neurons may contribute to epilepsy. Because lncRNAs are involved in controlling cell division, their malfunction may be implicated in cancer. Finally, manipulating lncRNAs may make it possible to treat certain genetic disorders.

Explains Ulitsky: "In recent years, lncRNAs were found to be important for the activation or repression of genes relevant to a variety of disorders. It may one day be possible to treat these disorders by targeting the lncRNAs so as to reprogram entire gene regulatory networks. For example, in a study in mice, researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, had averted progression of Angelman syndrome, caused by mutations on chromosome 15, by silencing a particular lncRNA -- to unleash expression of a gene that it represses."
Everybody wants a healthy life for their baby. Black babies are more likely to be born prematurely, which puts them at risk for death and developmental problems. In fact, a third of all infant deaths are preterm-related. The critical period in preterm babies' lives is when they are just born and are in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The care they receive is vital to a healthy future.

NICU nurses are quite important because the babies are completely dependent, not fully developed, and require intensive treatments and monitoring. NICU nurses also teach and guide the parents of NICU infants, which is essential so the parents can care for the vulnerable babies when they go home.

Until now, we have not known whether nurses are able to complete all the care that is required for these complex infants. It is generally expected that a neonatal critical care unit is adequately staffed and that all required care is provided. Is it possible that nursing care is missed routinely in some NICUs?

A new study from University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) compared missed nursing care in NICUs caring for high and low fractions of black infants. Indeed, nurses in hospitals with one-third or more percent black infants missed 50% more nursing care than those in hospitals with less than one-tenth percent black infants. Additionally, nurses cared for a significantly higher number of babies in the hospitals with a high-black infant population. The predominant types of care missed, such as teaching and counseling parents, and preparation for discharge, address parents' capabilities and readiness for infant care at home. The study is set for publication in an upcoming issue of Health Services Research, but is available now online first here.

"If I was a mom and my baby was being cared for in a NICU, I would be really worried about care being missed, as any parent would be. It is very distressing that black moms have more to worry about at an already stressful time." says lead-author Eileen T. Lake, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Jessie M. Scott Endowed Term Chair in Nursing and Health Policy, and CHOPR Associate Director.

The research team used survey data from more than 1,000 staff nurses in 134 NICUs in California, Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Missed nursing care is a unique measure that reveals the clinical care process. Missed care is defined as required nursing care that is omitted or delayed in response to multiple demands or inadequate resources.

"Missed nursing care could affect the survival, growth, and development of these infants. Because we know that outcomes are so dependent on care processes," said Lake. "In hospitals where most black infants are born, inferior care from the point of birth could have lifetime consequences. Thus inadequate staffing levels and substandard work environments set nurses up for missing care. Hospitals need to fix their staffing levels and improve their environments so that nurses can do their jobs as they are dedicated to."

This study underscores the need for more supportive care environments in high-black NICUs to assure adequate staffing and that individual nurses are not overloaded.
Leading neuroscientists are teaming up to study the brain in a way that is modelled on physics projects, where researchers look for new particles.

Credit: sdecoret/Shutterstock.com

The International Brain Lab (IBL) involves 21 leading neuroscience laboratories across Europe and the US that will collaborate to generate theories about how the brain works. The project will focus on one behaviour that all animals share, namely foraging.

The conventional way of conducting cellular neuroscience is for individual laboratories to study a limited amount of brain circuits during simple behaviors, but the IBL will look at how the entire mouse brain generates behaviors in changing environments that mirror the natural world.

Neuroscience eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

Chips will be used that can simultaneously record the electrical pulses of thousands of neurons, as will technologies such as optogenetics, which uses light to control neurons.

Tobias Bonhoeffer from the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology in Germany says the approach will likely yield significant new insights into how the brain behaves.

IBL will operate much like the two CERN collaborations, ATLAS and CMS, which involved experimentalists and theoreticians from hundreds of laboratories across the world who tested the standard model of particle physics. Near-daily web meetings will be held as part of a collaborative decision-making process and teams will make decisions by simple consent rather than only acting once a group consensus is reached.

No one will be able to stop a proposed experiment being carried out without a very convincing proposal of why it would be a disaster, Alexandre Pouget, IBL from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

The project will aim to develop and test theories about how the brain codes for and computes information and to create the equivalent of physicists standard model.

For the first two years, informatics tools will be built to allow the automatic sharing of data and to set up a reliable experimental protocol for a foraging task in mice. All members will need to register their experiments before starting them and the results will immediately be available to all members of the collaboration.

It is a big challenge  and its not the way the field works at the moment, says IBL member Anne Churchland from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York.

The second phase of the project will be spent testing theories on how the brain combines diverse information to make decisions, moment-to-moment.

Pouget also hopes that many more laboratories will join the project so that a wider suite of behaviors can be studied.
Professor Jack Cuzick from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) has received the Cancer Research UK Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on cancer prevention and detection.

The prestigious prize is awarded annually to an outstanding researcher who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to the fight against cancer and has made exceptional advances in the field.

The award will be presented at the 2017 National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference in Liverpool, and will celebrate an exceptional career that's spanned more than 30 years. Professor Cuzick will give a talk, headlining the busy conference and summing up his career.

Professor Cuzick, Director of QMUL's Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine and Head of the Centre for Cancer Prevention, said: "I am really delighted with this award. But it's also incredibly important for our field, because cancer prevention tends not to get the recognition that it should. More needs to be done to raise the profile of cancer prevention as an important field of scientific research.

"Taking statins to lower the risk of heart attacks is standard and routine for people of a certain age - doctors don't think twice about prescribing them. Yet giving people drugs to prevent cancer isn't common practice. I'm hoping this increase in recognition helps to change that."

Professor Cuzick was the first to show that the drug tamoxifen was highly effective in the prevention of breast cancer, and subsequently demonstrated the superior efficacy and safety of aromatase inhibitor drugs, which can reduce breast cancer incidence by over 50 per cent. He also developed a widely used model for assessing breast cancer risk, and led work on human papilloma virus DNA testing - now the primary screening method for cervical cancer in many places.

Source: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/items/smd/199897.html
A study conducted at the Kent State University, Ohio, indicates that owners of seriously ill pets are at a risk of anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms.

 Mat Hayward / Shutterstock.com

The study led by a team of researchers under Mary Beth Spitznagel also suggested that the caregiver syndrome might lead to increased veterinarian stress.

Caregiver burden  as per prior research on human caregiving  is considered as a response to challenges and problems faced while giving informal care to a family member who is sick. However, there existed little knowledge on the effect of caregiver burden on veterinarians and owners of pets with chronic or terminal diseases.

In the current study, in order to assess caregiver burden and psychosocial function, the team analyzed 238 owners of a cat or dog. Half of the participants had their animal diagnosed with a terminal or chronic disease, while the rest healthy controls were blindly matched for age and sex of the owner and the species of animal.

With the use of recognized scales, symptoms regarding stress, depression and anxiety were measured, whereas, the quality of life was evaluated through questionnaire. Demographic information of the owners was also obtained.

The findings indicated increased burden and stress as well as clinically relevant signs of anxiety and depression along with poorer life quality in owners of sick animals. Also, higher burden is associated with worse psychosocial functioning.

Even though there are a few study limitations that could introduce bias, the authors suggested that their findings may help veterinarians in understanding and managing client distress more effectively along with managing the challenges of sick companion animal caregiving.

The authors pointed out the need for further research in order to get a better understanding on the risks for caregiver burden in the client, the ways to reduce it, and learn its effect on veterinarian wellbeing.

Katherine Goldberg, in a linked commentary, suggested the need for better trainings for veterinarians regarding long term care for serious illness. This might include the tailoring of treatment plans based on the preferences of the client, recognizing times of distress for the client, and acquiring help from mental care professionals.

Goldberg wrote: "This inaugural exploration of caregiver burden within a veterinary setting is the first step in assessing the impact of veterinary caregiving on clients, as well as the impact of client emotional distress on veterinarian wellbeing.

She expressed hope in further improvement of the literature in these areas through continued dialogues.

Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-09/b-oos091417.php
A high prevalence of depression among older individuals with dementia is prompting researchers at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy and Banner Alzheimer's Institute to investigate depression treatment among this population.

The objective of the study is to provide real-world evidence for health-care providers, patients and caregivers to make informed decisions about treating depression among older adults with dementia. Findings from this study also have the potential to significantly influence standards of depression treatment for these individuals.

Sandipan Bhattacharjee, PhD, UA assistant professor of pharmacy, received $153,500 from the National Institute of Mental Health to lead the study which began this August and extends through July 2019. No study to date has evaluated the appropriateness and outcomes of depression treatment among older adults with dementia and depression in real-world scenarios.

"Behavioral problems, including depression, are a leading cause of health-care expenditures, nursing home placement and caregiver burden in dementia," said Dr. Bhattacharjee, the study's principal investigator. "Getting appropriate treatment for depression among patients diagnosed with dementia can significantly reduce related health-care costs while improving quality of life for patients."

Clinicians long have known that a link exists between depression and dementia, as both conditions display similar symptoms in patients, including loss of interest, apathy, reduced energy and difficulty with concentration. When evaluating patients with new concerns about memory loss, it is imperative for clinicians to recognize significant depression.

"Depression is one of the truly reversible conditions that can be confused with dementia, and if treated adequately, memory can improve," said William Burke, MD, director of the Stead Family Memory Center at Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix and co-investigator for the study.

This research will be conducted using Medicare claims data from 2011 to 2013 for adults age 65 and older who were diagnosed with dementia and depression. The research aims to:

Quantify the extent and identify predictors of inappropriate antidepressant use;

Determine the degree and predictors of patient adherence to recommended treatment plans during the first 4-8 months of treatment;

Examine health outcomes and expenditures associated with recommended treatment plans.

Dr. Bhattacharjee said there is much information to glean from this large data set.

"We are looking at all of the predictors that may contribute to inappropriate depression treatment - such as patients receiving medications identified as inappropriate for use among individuals with dementia. We also are looking at outcomes associated with appropriate treatment, including demographics, co-morbidity of medical conditions, geographic location, patient adherence to treatment, prescribing physician patterns and any other themes that emerge from our research."

Apart from providing real-world evidence of depression treatment effectiveness, findings from the study have the potential to influence national guidelines for treating depression among older adults with dementia.

"This is an area we need to know more about. While we don't have a cure for dementia or other neurocognitive diseases like Alzheimer's, we do have treatment for depression," said Dr. Burke. "The goal of treatment for this population is finding solutions that have an impact on quality of life."
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
China is moving rapidly towards using nuclear power as an industrial heat source and as a direct replacement for coal, Yulong Wu, CEO of Chinergy, told a side event at the International Atomic Energy Agencys (IAEAs) General Conference today.

Five years into the HTR-PM program, technical tests of most innovative components and materials are complete, and on-site the reactor vessel and some non-fuel graphite spheres are loaded. The design sees two pebble-bed reactors cooled by helium produce 250 MWt MWt each and drive one steam turbine to produce 210 MWe net. It can be configured for varying ratios of electricity and heat.

Applications for HTR-PM include direct replacement of coal-fired power plants, while its heat could be used for desalination of seawater for human consumption, production of hydrogen, or a wide range of other high temperature heat applications in industry.

Final testing of the steam generator which transfers heat from helium coolant to a water/steam loop. Wu said these should be complete by next April.

Beyond HTR-PM, China proposes a scaled-up version called HTR-PM600, which sees one large turbine rated at 650 MWe driven by some six HTR-PM reactor units.

Feasibility studies on HTR-PM600 deployment are underway for Sanmen, Zhejiang province, Ruijin, Jiangxi province, Xiapu and Wanan, in Fujian province, and Baian, Guangdong province.

The reactor concept is a focus for cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia, which would like to use nuclear energy for electricity and production of drinking water through desalination.

Annals of Nuclear Energy  Process heat applications of HTR-PM600 in Chinese petrochemical industry: Preliminary study of adaptability and economy

Highlights

 High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR) could work as heat source for petrochemical industry.

 The joint of a 600 MW modular HTGR (HTR-PM600) and petrochemical industry is achievable.

 The mature technology of turbine in thermal power station could be readily adopted.

 The economy of this scheme is also acceptable.

Abstract

High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR) could work as heat source for petrochemical industry. In this article, the preliminary feasibility of a 600 MW modular HTGR (HTR-PM600) working as heat source for a typical hypothetical Chinese petrochemical factory is discussed and it is found that the joint of HTR-PM600 and petrochemical industry is achievable. In detail, the heat and water balance analysis of the petrochemical factory is given. Furthermore, the direct cost of heat supplied by HTR-PM600 is calculated and corresponding economy is estimated. The results show that though there are several challenges, the application of process heat of HTGR to petrochemical industry is practical in sense of both technology and economy.
The US, Japan and South Korea have not killed North Koreans in the 21st century. Israel has killed about 170 North Koreans and injured 2000 in relations to nuclear weapons from an incident in 2004 and another in 2007. Note both actions occurred while George W Bush was president of the USA.

Israel is 8000 kilometers or 5000 miles from North Korea.

Israel would need to work with South Korea in order to have successful operations against North Korea.

Syrian reactor 2007

On September 6, 2007, Operation Orchard was an Israeli airstrike on a suspected nuclear reactor in the Deir ez-Zor region of Syria, which occurred just after midnight (local time) on September 6, 2007. 10 North Korean workers allegedly killed in the attack.

On March 19, 2009, Hans Ruhle, former chief of the planning staff of the German Defense Ministry, wrote in the Swiss daily Neue Zurcher Zeitung that Iran was financing a Syrian nuclear reactor. Ruhle did not identify the sources of his information. He wrote that U.S. intelligence had detected North Korean ship deliveries of construction supplies to Syria that started in 2002, and that the construction was spotted by American satellites in 2003, who detected nothing unusual, partly because the Syrians had banned radio and telephones from the site and handled communications solely by messengers. He said that The analysis was conclusive that it was a North Korean-type reactor, a gas graphite model and that Israel estimates that Iran had paid North Korea between $1 billion and $2 billion for the project. He also wrote that just before the Israeli operation, a North Korean ship was intercepted en route to Syria with nuclear fuel rods.

On November 19, 2008, IAEA released a report which said the Syrian complex bore features resembling those of an undeclared nuclear reactor and UN inspectors found significant traces of uranium at the site.

North Korean Train carrying nuclear materials in 2004

The Ryongchon disaster was a train disaster that occurred on April 22, 2004, in the town of Ryongchon, North Korea, near the border with the Peoples Republic of China. Shortly after the incident, a Syrian airliner landed in North Korea, purportedly to deliver aid. However, they retrieved the bodies of Syrian citizens that had been in the explosion. The Red Cross was allowed into the area, in an unusual concession from the North Korean authorities, becoming the only outside agency to see the disaster area. According to the initial agency report, 160 people were killed and 1,300 were injured in the disaster.

A Mossad agent surreptitiously entered North Korea using a stolen Canadian passport, a massive explosion in a North Korean freight train carrying nuclear material killed at least a dozen Syrian nuclear scientists, and many more North Koreans. Israeli intelligence, which is thought to have played a role in the attack, reported that there was so much radioactive material onboard that the scientists were flown back to Syria in lead caskets.

The explosion destroyed 40 percent of the town and had the fingerprints of an Israeli intelligence operation. It was later discovered that a rigged cell phone triggered the blast, which also killed a dozen Syrian missile technicians working for the Syrian Center for Scientific Research.

Other Claims

During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Israeli air forces first and last dogfights in the skies over Egypt involved North Korean pilots flying Soviet MIG fighters. North Korea sent 20 pilots and 19 non-combat personnel to Egypt during Yom Kippur War. The unit had four to six encounters with the Israelis from August through the end of the war.

Iranian scientists have been special guests at North Korean nuclear bomb tests. A delegation of Iranian scientists during North Koreas 2013 nuclear tests heightened Israels security concerns, and further entrenched Israels opposition to North Koreas nuclear buildup.

North Korea has trained and armed the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hamas and Hezbollah. One North Korean specialtytunnel technologyis valued by Iran, which needs to protect its nuclear facilities against attack, and by Hamas and Hezbollah, who use it to infiltrate Israel.

A 2010 Congressional Research Service report revealed that North Koreans have helped Hezbollah build underground tunnels in Lebanon. These tunnels could act as strategically important weapons caches during a war with Israel.

The scale of ground-level cooperation between North Korea and Hezbollah has caused Israel to staunchly oppose the DPRKs weapons buildup.

North Korea nuclear threat to Israel and Saudi Arabia

North Korea has miniaturized nuclear bombs, it is able to sell Iran ready-made bombs. Iran having nuclear weapons would be a threat to Israel and to Saudi Arabia.

North Korea helping Iran or selling Iran nuclear weapons would pose an existential threat to Israel.

In an official statement released on April 29, 2017 Pyongyang declared its intention to mercilessly punish Israel for offending North Koreas leaders.
Myar Zin village

May 23, 2017 Sept. 16, 2017

Nwar Yon Taung village

May 25, 2017 Sept. 16, 2017

Villages set on fire

On Aug. 25, a Rohingya militant group staged a series of attacks against police outposts in Rakhine state. In response, Myanmars military and local Buddhist vigilante groups began a crackdown on the Rohingya, a Muslim minority.

Villages that have been set on fire Taungpyoletwea MYANMAR Myar Zin BANGLADESH Yae Twin Kyun Buthidaung Nwar Yon Taung Maungdaw MYANMAR Rakhine State Bay of Bengal 10 Miles Villages that have been set on fire Taungpyoletwea MYANMAR Myar Zin Yae Twin Kyun Buthidaung Nwar Yon Taung BANGLADESH Maungdaw MYANMAR Rakhine State Bay of Bengal 10 Miles The New York Times | Source: Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch conducted an analysis of satellite imagery, counting at least 200 villages burned down in the offensive, which the United Nations has called a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

Yae Twin Kyun village

May 23, 2017 Sept. 16, 2017

The photograph below shows that on Thursday, smoke from fires in Myanmar was visible from Shah Porir Dwip, a coastal town across the border in Bangladesh.

Smoke from fires in Myanmar was seen from Bangladesh on Thursday. Dar Yasin/Associated Press

More than 400,000 Rohingya refugees, many of them women, children and seniors, desperately fled to neighboring Bangladesh in the middle of monsoon season. Below, a photograph from Sept. 12 shows one of the villages near Maungdaw that was attacked in Myanmars campaign against the Rohingya people.

The remnants of a house in a village near Maungdaw. Reuters

Many reported that their villages had been burned down and that those who stayed were killed. Dozens of overcrowded makeshift camps have emerged across the border, like the one below, near the Bangladeshi village of Gumdhum.
The University of California, Berkeley, often regarded as the birthplace of the free speech movement, entered the national spotlight in February when a planned speech on campus by the divisive right-wing writer Milo Yiannopoulos was canceled in the wake of violent protests. In the months that followed, more debates have flared over invited speakers  including the conservative figures Ann Coulter and Ben Shapiro. The debate over free speech on campus has been reignited this month ahead of Free Speech Week, a four-day event organized by the Berkeley Patriot, a conservative student publication, that includes a lineup of controversial speakers. Mr. Yiannopoulos is scheduled to make an appearance. Ms. Coulter and Stephen K. Bannon, a former chief strategist to President Trump, were said to be attending, though they have not been confirmed. As the university braces for more protests, Times reporters would like to hear from students and faculty at U.C. Berkeley: What does freedom of expression on a college campus mean to you? Please share your story using the form below. Your name and comments may be published, but your contact information will not. A reporter or editor might contact you to learn more about your story.

Is there any type of speech you think should not be allowed on campus? *

Did U.C. Berkeleys history as a beacon of free speech influence your decision to attend? *

Has the issue of free speech come up in any of your classes? If so, how was it raised and what was the context? *

Are you concerned about campus safety during Free Speech Week? *

What is your name? * (First and last preferred, please.)

How old are you?

Are you a student or faculty member? * Student Faculty Other

Where do you live? * (city and state, please.)

What is your email address? *
Michigan Representative Makes Another Attempt at Online Gambling

Published September 19, 2017 by Elana K

Michigan State Rep. Brandt Iden has introduced a bill that would allow Michigans existing casinos to offer online gambling to players within state borders.

Michigan State Rep. Brandt Iden has introduced a bill that would allow Michigans existing casinos to offer online gambling to players within state borders. This is not the first attempt Michigan has seen at legalizing online gambling, but previous efforts have so far gone nowhere. Michigan is currently host to three casinos in Detroit and some 20 tribal casinos; allowing these casinos to offer online gambling could provide a huge revenue boost to state coffers.

Michigan is currently host to three casinos in Detroit and some 20 tribal casinos; allowing these casinos to offer online gambling could provide a huge boost to state coffers.

Iden is Confident, But Not Unrealistic

The bill received an informational hearing last week, during which Iden boldly stated, If I were a betting man, and I am, iGaming will become law at some stage in the state of Michigan. He did acknowledge, however, that it will probably be a lengthy process until everyone gets on board.

Casino owners, for example, are not on board with Idens bill, though MGM released a statement that it at least supports the concept of online gaming. Likewise, tribal casinos are not on board, at least not the way the bill is currently written.

Consumer Protection and Tax Dollars

One of the main points stressed in the meeting was the need for online gambling legislation in order to protect consumers. Michiganders are gambling online anyway - some dont even know its illegal. And gambling on illegal sites leaves them open to deception, fraud, and many other pitfalls. Legalizing and regulating online casinos is the necessary step toward consumer protection.

Of course, there is also the monetary aspect, in which online gambling profits would be subject to taxes that would line the states coffers nicely. New Jersey, the paragon of successful online gambling, recently hit the $100 million mark in tax revenue - and online gambling has only been legal since 2013.

The potential income for the state is not something that can be overlooked. Idens bill suggests a 15% tax on gross gaming revenue from online gambling, but that may also be one of the issues that needs to be re-worked.

In short, it will take a lot of mediation, compromises, and recognition on all sides of the benefits of online gambling, in order to make online gambling a reality.


Ken Burns previews his latest documentary, .The Vietnam War. Filmmaker Ken Burns offers a look into his new documentary this Memorial Day weekend. .The Vietnam War. will air in September on PBS. Subscribe to ...

(Image by YouTube, Channel: Face The Nation) Details DMCA



Ken Burns on Face the Nation touting his new Vietnam war documentary

From a friend I heard about the Ken Burns, Lynn Novick PBS documentary on the Vietnam war which aired last Sunday that continues through this week.

Sorry...I didn't watch it and don't intend to. Why?

From James E. Williamson's "COUNTERPUNCH" piece, "Getting the Gulf of Tonkin Wrong: Are Ken Burns and Lynn Novick 'Telling Stories' about Central Events Used to Legitimize the US Attack Against Vietnam?" [1] we learn Burns uses the phrase "retaliation for the Gulf of Tonkin" incident as in the US was justified in retaliating against North Vietnamese gunboats firing against a US Navy ship in the Gulf of Tonkin which we know was the incident Congress used to pass the "Gulf of Tonkin Resolution" which was the basis for President Lyndon Johnson to escalate the war.

Only the truth is the Gulf of Tonkin incident never occurred. It was a false flag operation perpetrated by the US.

As Williamson relates, "Isn't this little bit of 'history' rather important? Isn't it rather important to get this right?"

Damn right!

The "Gulf of Tonkin incident" never occurring isn't mere speculation. Not when there exists "nearly 200 documents related to the Gulf of Tonkin incident and transcripts from the Johnson Library".

Plus this from the "U.S. Naval Institute" February, 2008 with US Navy Lieutenant Commander Pat Peterson writing, "once-classified documents and tapes released in the past several years, combined with previously uncovered facts, make clear that high government officials distorted facts and deceived the American public about events that led to full US involvement in the Vietnam war".

Were Burns, Novick and PBS unaware of this factual history? Please.

I find it incredulous that Burns, Novick and PBS would resort to propaganda in producing this so called "documentary" because it clearly misleads the public about the justification for escalating the Vietnam war that killed over 57,000 American GI's and millions of Vietnamese.

Maybe telling the truth about the phony justification for escalating the war wouldn't have lent itself to a good "story" by Burns, Novick and PBS and maybe no basis for the real story to be told.

Because the truth is those who died in the Vietnam war died for unjustified US aggression. They were pawns used for US machinations which back then was the so called "Domino Theory" that held if you let a country go Communist its neighbor would also go Communist so you had to intervene to prevent that from happening.

Forty Four years after the US military left Vietnam ignominiously that Communist country has become aligned with the US in trade with the former aggressor and siding with the US against China in the South China Sea.

Fear of Communism essentially died in the US with demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. It took 10 years for the Communist "bogeyman" to be replaced by "terrorism" as the new "enemy" concocted for the American people to be fearful of.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
I recently visited the Museum of the American Revolution, in Philadelphia, around the corner from Independence Hall and a few blocks from the Liberty bell.

I was curious to see how they could make a museum out of a segment of history. To put it simply, I was very, very pleased to find that the museum wildly exceeded my expectations. It was, as is expected of a museum, educational. But on a number of occasions it was also thrilling, touching, heartwarming and inspiring.

The museum blends an exceptional range of audio-visual effects with a great, fascinating collection of historic artifacts. The crown of the collection is one of the actual tents that George Washington used during the revolutionary war. It's amazing that it survived, and in very good condition, at that.

There are a number of educational videos interspersed throughout the museum. They recommend you start with a brief video. They are well worth viewing. There's a fun area, for kids and adults, where you can try on the kind of clothing worn in the 1770s.



While waiting for the first movie, I went to the area where they offer colonial garb to try out-- British uniforms, revolutionary colonist clothing. I tried some on.

(Image by Rob Kall) Details DMCA



This is a sizable museum with a look and feel to match the importance of the subject it covers.

The American Revolution is more than simply a piece of history. The museum makes it clear that the American Revolution changed everything for the world, leading to other revolutions around the world and a change in the way the people of the world viewed Democracy, liberty and freedom.

It was refreshing to see that the role of Native Americans was also given decent coverage.

Spending a few hours delving into the American revolution was inspiring. As a progressive, I am very well aware that the leaders of the American Revolution were landowners and wealthier citizens. The museum reminds us that slaves and women had no rights to vote back then and that population was based on an algorithm where blacks where counted as two thirds of a human.

I learned that there were "liberty trees" spread throughout the early United States, perhaps an idea worth re-creating.



Photos of placards/digital screens at the Museum of the American Revolution

(Image by Rob Kall) Details DMCA



One section of the museum explores how the American revolutionaries and colonists used boycotts to stand up against the Tyranny of George, his soldiers and tax collectors. It is ironic that the nation wrought with the help of boycotts, and not just the Boston Tea Party, is now led by legislators who would make the boycott, a tool that played such an important role in the fight for independence, illegal.

Sitting in one of the movie theaters I heard a likely Trump supporter say something to the tune that colonial loyalists to the king would likely be liberals today. I'd, at about the same time, thought how the people who were loyal to the king, who benefitted financially, would most likely have been right wingers today. The thing is, I think that the curators of the museum did a great job presenting the history, the artifacts, the narrative in a way that both people on the left and right could enjoy.

If you are visiting Philly or a local, this museum is well worth investing your time and money in. I'm not sure it is for younger children. But if they are old enough to learn history, they will have a great time.
From Paul Craig Roberts Website

As I predicted, the erasing of American history will not be limited to Confederate monuments. Last week a member of the board of trustees of the Dallas, Texas, school district recommended changing the name of James Madison High School. James Madison was the father of the US Constitution, considered by Identity Politics, the political ideology of the Democratic Party and the American liberal/progressive/left, to be a "racist document."

From a British reader comes the news that the various segments of Western society divided into victim groups by Identity Politics have divided very finely and have turned on one another. On September 13, the Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs) and their bitter enemies, Trans Activists, clashed in a fist fight in London's Hyde Park. 60-year-old Maria MacLachlan, who describes herself as a "gender critical feminist," was knocked to the ground.

The presstitutes at the New York Times even use the crossword puzzle to spread their lies and disinformation. This morning one of the clues was "like the peninsula seized by Russia in 2014." The NYT is referring to Crimea, for 300 years a Russian province with a Russian population that voted by a 97% majority to rejoin Russia when the US overthrew the Ukrainian government in a coup. The NYT presstitutes treat this exercise in democracy as "Russian aggression." As the "newspaper of record," clearly the record is falsified.

My northern acquaintances believe that the South, by definition, is racist even though the cities that were the heart of the Confederacy are ruled by black mayors. The mayor of Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy, Levar Stoney, is black.

The mayor of Atlanta, Kasim Reed, is black.

The Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, Stephen Benjamin, is black.

Because of Identity Politics, these black mayors cannot prevent southern history from being cast down the Memory Hole. Any black mayor who stood up for historical truth would be branded an "Uncle Tom."

There is no greater absurdity than moving history off its factual basis and substituting a fictional basis as dictated by Identity Politics.

In the United States -- indeed, in the entirely of the Western world -- history has become a construction that serves not the truth but special interests. This is the reason that the Western World is doomed. Peoples whose history is destroyed are defenceless. They have no idea who they are.
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com.

Last year, an internal report commissioned by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the agency that oversees Voice of America and other U.S. government-supported foreign news outlets, examined the "perception of U.S. international media in Afghanistan." This study, obtained by TomDispatch via the Freedom of Information Act, concluded that Afghans saw U.S.-backed media as "useful" and "essential." Far more intriguing, however, were the observations embedded in the responses of 60 Afghans from Kabul Province who took part in the survey.

You'll recall that, in 2001, the Bush administration launched the Afghan War with a host of explicit and implicit promises to the people of Afghanistan: the vanquishing of the Taliban, the establishment of peace, the promotion of women's rights, genuine economic development, support for education, and so on. "We know that true peace will only be achieved when we give the Afghan people the means to achieve their own aspirations," said President George W. Bush in April 2002. He then invoked the patron saint of nation building from the post-World War II era as he offered an unambiguous pledge to Afghans that Washington would transform their country. "By helping to build an Afghanistan that is free from this evil and is a better place in which to live, we are working in the best traditions of George Marshall."

Fifteen years later, however, Afghans surveyed about two U.S.-funded news programs offered responses that hardly suggested halcyon days had arrived. They talked little of "peace," "stable government," or the "education system for boys and girls" once invoked by Bush. Instead, speaking about what she heard on the U.S.-funded news programs, a 40-year-old housewife mentioned coverage of "fighting and suicide attacks that are conducted in every province." Another cited "family violation[s] against women [and s]mall girls... given in marriage to old people for money." A 39-year-old woman discussed the utility of news programs that "increase our general awareness about different issues including fighting, confiscating ammunition... [and] drone strikes."

A 31-year-old woman spoke of the masses of Afghans that, thanks to such broadcasts, she had learned were fleeing to Europe and the perils along the way "which can cause them to be killed and their property lost" and went on to cite the coverage of International Women's Day, noting that she learned how "even two-year-old children are raped. Women commit suicide by burning themselves." She also referred to a program about the grim case of Farkhunda, a young woman brutally murdered by a mob in the streets of Kabul for supposedly burning a Quran (she didn't), pointing out that "none of them [are]... sentenced or executed yet." Even the report's authors got in on the act, noting the country's "high rate of illiteracy" and the "limited economic and social opportunities available in rural villages, which is why some people are forced to resort to unsavory acts, such as selling girls to older men, familial rape, and narcotic addiction." They also pointed out that "the instability and large foreign presence in Afghanistan over the past 15 years make it difficult for young people to develop and appreciate Afghanistan's cultural assets."

Read between the lines and those positive Afghan appraisals of U.S.-backed media are actually a grim primer on the broken promises and abject failures of the American project in their country. But, for all the reasons mentioned in the latest piece by TomDispatchregular Ann Jones, author of They Were Soldiers: How the Wounded Return from America's Wars -- The Untold Story, there's little chance it was read that way by the Broadcasting Board of Governors or anyone else in Washington. Today, the always-intrepid Jones -- who witnessed the effects of the American war in Afghanistan firsthand over the better part of a decade -- takes stock of that once-and-future conflict and a military mission that seemingly never fails to fail. Nick Turse

Afghanistan Again?

The American Military's Repetition-Compulsion Complex

By Ann Jones Here we go again! Years after most Americans forgot about the longest war this country ever fought, American soldiers are again being deployed to Afghanistan. For almost 16 years now, at the command of three presidents and a sadly forgettable succession of generals, they have gone round and round like so many motorists trapped on a rotary with no exit. This time their numbers are officially secret, although variously reported to be 3,500 or 4,000, with another 6,000-plus to follow, and unknown numbers after that. But who can trust such figures? After all, we just found out that the U.S. troops left behind in Afghanistan after President Obama tried to end the war there in 2014, repeatedly reported to number 8,400, actually have been "closer to 12,000" all this time. The conflict, we're told, is at present a "stalemate." We need more American troops to break it, in part by "training" the Afghan National Army so its soldiers can best their Taliban countrymen plus miscellaneous "terrorist" groups. In that way, the U.S. military -- after only a few more years of "the foreseeable future" in the field -- can claim victory. But is any of this necessary? Or smart? Or even true? A prominent Afghan diplomat doesn't think so. Shukria Barakzai, a longtime member of the Afghan parliament now serving as Afghanistan's ambassador to Norway -- herself a victim in 2014 of a Taliban suicide bomber -- told me only weeks ago, "The Taliban are so over! They just want to go home, but you Americans won't let them." She reminded me that the Taliban are not some invading army. (That would be us.) They are Afghan citizens, distinguished from their countrymen chiefly by their extreme religious conservatism, misogyny, and punitive approach to governance. Think of them as the Afghan equivalent of our own evangelical right-wing Republicans. You find some in almost every town. And the more you rile them up, the meaner they get and the more followers they gain. But in times of peace -- which Afghanistan has not known for 40 years -- many Taliban most likely would return to being farmers, shopkeepers, villagers, like their fathers before them, perhaps imposing local law and order but unlikely to seek control of Kabul and risk bringing the Americans down on them again. Few Afghans were Taliban sympathizers when the U.S. overthrew the Taliban regime in 2001. Now there are a great many more and they control significant parts of the country, threatening various provincial capitals. They claim to be willing to negotiate with the Afghan government -- but only after all American forces have left the country. For the Trump administration, that's not an option. (Think what a negotiated peace would mean for our private arms manufacturers for whom America's endless wars across the Greater Middle East are a bonanza of guaranteed sales.) Instead, the president has put "his" generals in the Oval Office to do what generals do. Those in charge now -- James Mattis, H.R. McMaster, and John Kelly -- are all veterans of the Afghan or Iraq wars and consequently subject to what Freud labeled the "repetition compulsion": "the blind impulse to repeat earlier experiences and situations," often in the expectation that things will turn out differently. You'd think these particular generals, having been through it all before, would remember that very little or nothing ventured in Afghanistan (or Iraq) by "the greatest military the world has ever known" has worked out as advertised. As Freud pointed out, however, "The compulsion to repeat... replaces the impulsion to remember." But I was in Afghanistan too and, strangely enough, I remember a lot. "Where Is the Money You Promised Us?"

Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

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

I listened to part of Trump's UN speech this morning. I was so embarrassed for him and for my country that I had to turn it off.

I wonder if whoever wrote the deplorable speech intended to embarrass Trump and inadvertently embarrassed America as well, or whether the speechwriter(s) is so imbued with the neoconservative arrogance and hubris of our time that the speechwriter was simply blind to the extraordinary contradictions that stood out like sore thumbs all through the speech.

I am not going to describe all of them, just a couple of examples.

Trump went on at great length about how America respects the sovereignty of every country and the people's will of every country, and how the US, despite its overwhelming military power, never tries to impose its will on any country. What was the administration thinking, or can it think? What about Yugoslavia/Serbia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, Crimea, Ukraine, Venezuela, Honduras, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina -- just to mention countries in the 21st century that have been subjected to US military attacks, government overthrows, and removals of political leaders who did not conform to US interests?

Is it respect for the sovereignty of countries to force them to support US sanctions against Iran, Russia, China, North Korea, Venezuela? Is it respect for the sovereignty of countries to impose sanctions on the countries? If this is not imposing Washington's will on other countries, what is?

Is it respect for other countries to inform them that unless they do as they are told, "we will bomb you into the stone age"?

I heard Trump complain that the UN Human Rights commission had as members countries with the worst human rights records of our time, and I wondered if he was talking about the United States. Clearly, Trump, the speechwriter(s), the State Department, the National Security Council, the US Ambassador to the UN, indeed the entire administration, do not think that the endless slaughter, maiming, orphaning, widowing, and dispossessing of millions of peoples in many countries, producing waves of refugees, comprise human rights violations.

The arrogance conveyed by Trump's speech is unprecedented.

After assurances that America respects everyone, Trump then made demand after demand and threat after threat against the sovereignty of Iran and North Korea, demanding that the rest of the world back him up.

Neither country is a threat to the US. Unlike the US and Israel, Korea has not been at war since 1953. Iran's last war was in the 1980s when Iran was attacked by Iraq. Yet both North Korea and Iran are subjected to constant threats from the US. At the UN Trump threatened North Korea with destruction, and Washington is telling more lies about Iran in order to justify military action.

Here is what former Secretary of State Colin Powell says about how carefully Washington thinks about other peoples:

"We thought we knew what would happen in Libya. We thought we knew what would happen in Egypt. We thought we knew what would happen in Iraq, and we guessed wrong. In each one of these countries the thing we have to consider is that there is some structure that's holding the society together. And as we learned, especially in Libya, when you remove the top and the whole thing falls apart ... you get chaos."

That's what Washington does. It brings chaos to tens of millions of peoples, destroying their lives and the prospects of their countries. This is the behavior that Trump described as American compassion for others. This is what Trump says is respecting others and the sovereignty of their countries. Washington dresses up its crimes against humanity as "war on terror." The tens of millions of slaughtered, maimed, and displaced persons are merely "collateral damage."

This is why the US is considered the greatest threat to peace. International polls show that the world regards the US as a much greater threat to peace than North Korea and Iran. Yet Trump described the US, universally regarded as the greatest threat to the world, as the great protector of peace. Has there ever been a greater disturber of peace?

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 Smirking Chimp

When Donald Trump plunged a dagger through the hearts of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio's victims and all justice-loving people by pardoning the racist serial lawbreaker, many threw up their hands in resignation. The president's constitutional pardon power is absolute, they thought.

Not so, argue lawyers and legal scholars in two proposed amicus briefs filed in US District Court in Arizona. They contend the Arpaio pardon is unconstitutional.

Judge Susan Bolton convicted Arpaio of criminal contempt on July 31, 2017, for demonstrating "flagrant disregard" of a 2011 court order that he cease racial profiling. For 18 months following the 2011 order, Arpaio had continued his racist practice of detaining Latinos without reasonable suspicion in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

While Arpaio awaited sentencing for his criminal contempt conviction, Trump granted him a pardon on August 25, 2017.

After Trump announced the pardon, Arpaio moved to have his criminal conviction dismissed. Judge Bolton vacated the date that had been set for sentencing and scheduled an October 4 hearing to rule on Arpaio's dismissal motion.

If the judge determines Trump's pardon was invalid, she could sentence Arpaio for his contempt conviction, thereby provoking an appeal.

The Arpaio Pardon Violates Due Process

The Protect Democracy Project (PDP), a group of former Obama administration lawyers, contend in their proposed amicus brief that Trump's pardon of Arpaio violates due process and separation of powers. Thus, Judge Bolton should declare the pardon null and void.

Arpaio was not simply convicted of committing a criminal offense. He was convicted of criminal contempt for refusing during an 18-month period to obey a court order to stop violating the Fourth Amendment. His contempt conviction stems from a civil class action lawsuit filed by Arpaio's victims.

"No person shall ... be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law," the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause says. It "protects the rights of private litigants to bring their claims before an impartial and empowered court and prohibits extreme and arbitrary actions of government officials, including the Executive Branch," the PDP amicus reads.

"Due process is violated if the President can eviscerate a court's ability to ensure compliance with the law by those who wrong the rights of private parties," the PDP lawyers write in their brief. They quote the Supreme Court opinion in the 1998 case County of Sacramento v. Lewis, which says, "the Due Process Clause was intended to prevent government officials from abusing their power, or employing it as an instrument of oppression."

The Arpaio pardon, the PDP lawyers argue, violates the Due Process Clause "by limiting the protection of private rights, rendering the due process guaranteed by law an empty promise."

The Arpaio Pardon Violates Separation of Powers

PDP maintains the pardon also "unconstitutionally interferes with the inherent powers of the Judicial Branch," and thus violates the principle of separation of powers.

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).
See original here

We speak with best-selling author Naomi Klein, a senior correspondent for The Intercept. Her most recent book, "No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump's Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need," has been longlisted for a National Book Award.

Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: President Trump is in New York today attending the United Nations General Assembly for the first time. On Tuesday, he'll address the gathering of world leaders. Climate change is expected to be high on the agenda at this year's U.N. General Assembly. As the world leaders meet, another major storm, Hurricane Maria, is gaining strength in the Caribbean and following a similar path as Hurricane Irma. Hurricane warnings have already been issued for Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Saint Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. The current forecast shows Maria could hit Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm as early as Wednesday. The U.S. Virgin Islands, devastated by Irma, also appear to be in line to be hit by Maria.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that the Trump administration is considering staying in the Paris climate agreement, just months after the president vowed to pull out of it. But the White House has denied the report. On Sunday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signaled Trump may [stay in] the Paris accord, but National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster gave a different message on Fox News Sunday.

H.R. McMASTER: That's a false report. The president decided to pull out of the Paris accord because it was a bad deal for the American people and because it -- it was -- it was a bad deal for the environment. It gave the worst polluters the ability to continue polluting and emitting carbon, and without significantly reducing those levels. The president is committed to the cleanest water on Earth, the cleanest air on Earth, to an energy policy that reduces carbon emissions, but then also provides clean fossil fuels to generate growth in this country and globally. And these priorities, he felt, we could not pursue effectively within this flawed agreement.

AMY GOODMAN: So that was National Security Adviser General H.R. McMaster. But again, this is Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State, speaking on Face the Nation with John Dickerson.

SECRETARY OF STATE REX TILLERSON: So I think the plan is for Director Cohn to consider other ways in which we can work with partners in the Paris climate accord. We want to be productive. We want to be helpful. The U.S. has -- actually has a tremendous track record on reducing our own greenhouse gas emissions.

JOHN DICKERSON: So there's a chance that if things get worked out, both on the voluntary side from the U.S., the voluntary restrictions for the U.S., that it could change, but then also, with China, there's a chance the U.S. could stay in the accord, is that right?

SECRETARY OF STATE REX TILLERSON: I think under the right conditions, the president said he's open to finding those conditions where we can remain engaged with others on what we all agree is still a challenging issue.

AMY GOODMAN: And that's Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State, former head of ExxonMobil.

Well, to talk more about President Trump, climate change, the U.N. General Assembly and so much more, we're joined for the hour by Naomi Klein, best-selling author, journalist, senior correspondent for The Intercept. Her most recent book is titled No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump's Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need. She has just become a finalist for the National Book Award. She's also author of the book This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate and The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Naomi's latest piece for The Intercept is headlined "Irma Won't 'Wake Up' Climate Change-Denying Republicans. Their Whole Ideology is on the Line."

Naomi, welcome back to Democracy Now!

NAOMI KLEIN: Thanks, Amy. It's great to be with you.

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).
In planning an upcoming conference aimed at challenging the institution of war, to be held at American University September 22-24, I can't help but be drawn to the speech a U.S. president gave at American University a little more than 50 years ago. Whether or not you agree with me that this is the best speech ever given by a U.S. president, there should be little dispute that it is the speech most out of step with what anyone will say on Capitol Hill or in the White House today. Here's a video of the best portion of the speech:







President John F. Kennedy was speaking at a time when, like now, Russia and the United States had enough nuclear weapons ready to fire at each other on a moment's notice to destroy the earth for human life many times over. At that time, however, in 1963, there were only three nations, not the current nine, with nuclear weapons, and many fewer than now with nuclear energy. NATO was far removed from Russia's borders. The United States had not just facilitated a coup in Ukraine. The United States wasn't organizing military exercises in Poland or placing missiles in Poland and Romania. Nor was it manufacturing smaller nukes that it described as "more usable." Nor was it threating to use them on North Korea. The work of managing U.S. nuclear weapons was then deemed prestigious in the U.S. military, not the dumping ground for drunks and misfits that it has become. Hostility between Russia and the United States was high in 1963, but the problem was widely known about in the United States, in contrast to the current vast ignorance. Some voices of sanity and restraint were permitted in the U.S. media and even in the White House. Kennedy was using peace activist Norman Cousins as a messenger to Nikita Khrushchev, whom he never described, as Hillary Clinton has described Vladimir Putin, as "Hitler." Even the U.S. and Soviet militaries were communicating with each other. Not anymore.

Kennedy framed his speech as a remedy for ignorance, specifically the ignorant view that war is inevitable. This is the opposite of what President Barack Obama said in Hiroshima last year and earlier in Prague and Oslo, and what Lindsey Graham says about war on North Korea.

Kennedy called peace "the most important topic on earth." He renounced the idea of a "Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war," precisely what both big political parties now and most speeches on war by most past U.S. presidents ever have favored. Kennedy went so far as to profess to care about 100% rather than 4% of humanity:

"" not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women--not merely peace in our time but peace for all time."

Kennedy explained war and militarism and deterrence as nonsensical:

"Total war makes no sense in an age when great powers can maintain large and relatively invulnerable nuclear forces and refuse to surrender without resort to those forces. It makes no sense in an age when a single nuclear weapon contains almost ten times the explosive force delivered by all the allied air forces in the Second World War. It makes no sense in an age when the deadly poisons produced by a nuclear exchange would be carried by wind and water and soil and seed to the far corners of the globe and to generations yet unborn."

Kennedy went after the money. Military spending is now over half of federal discretionary spending, and Trump wants to push it up toward 60%.

"Today," said Kennedy in 1963,

"the expenditure of billions of dollars every year on weapons acquired for the purpose of making sure we never need to use them is essential to keeping the peace. But surely the acquisition of such idle stockpiles--which can only destroy and never create--is not the only, much less the most efficient, means of assuring peace."

In 2017 even beauty queens have shifted to advocating war rather than "world peace." But in 1963 Kennedy spoke of peace as the serious business of government:

"I speak of peace, therefore, as the necessary rational end of rational men. I realize that the pursuit of peace is not as dramatic as the pursuit of war--and frequently the words of the pursuer fall on deaf ears. But we have no more urgent task. Some say that it is useless to speak of world peace or world law or world disarmament--and that it will be useless until the leaders of the Soviet Union adopt a more enlightened attitude. I hope they do. I believe we can help them do it. But I also believe that we must reexamine our own attitude--as individuals and as a Nation--for our attitude is as essential as theirs. And every graduate of this school, every thoughtful citizen who despairs of war and wishes to bring peace, should begin by looking inward--by examining his own attitude toward the possibilities of peace, toward the Soviet Union, toward the course of the cold war and toward freedom and peace here at home."

Can you imagine any approved speaker on corporate media or Capitol Hill suggesting that in U.S. relations toward Russia a major part of the problem might be U.S. attitudes?

Peace, Kennedy explained in a manner unheard of today, is perfectly possible:

"First: Let us examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable--that mankind is doomed--that we are gripped by forces we cannot control. We need not accept that view. Our problems are manmade--therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable--and we believe they can do it again. I am not referring to the absolute, infinite concept of peace and good will of which some fantasies and fanatics dream. I do not deny the value of hopes and dreams but we merely invite discouragement and incredulity by making that our only and immediate goal. Let us focus instead on a more practical, more attainable peace-- based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions--on a series of concrete actions and effective agreements which are in the interest of all concerned. There is no single, simple key to this peace--no grand or magic formula to be adopted by one or two powers. Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process--a way of solving problems."

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 Paul Craig Roberts Website

Over the course of my lifetime America has become an infantile country.

When I was born America was a nation. Today it is a diversity country in which various segments divided by race, gender, and sexual preference, preach hate toward other segments. Currently white heterosexual males are losing in the hate game, but once hate is unleashed it can turn on any and every one. Working class white males understand that they are the new underclass in a diversity country in which everyone has privileges except them. Many of the university educated group of heterosexual white males are too brainwashed to understand what is happening to them. Indeed, some of them are so successfully brainwashed that they think it is their just punishment as a white male to be downtrodden.

Donald Trump's presidency has been wrecked by hate groups, i.e., the liberal/progressive/left who hate the "racist, misogynist, homophobic, gun nut working class" that elected Trump (see Eric Draitser, "Why He Won," in CounterPunch, vol. 23, No. 1, 2017). For the liberal/progressive/left Trump is an illegitimate president because he was elected by illegitimate voters.

Today the American left hates the working class with such intensity that the left is comfortable with the left's alliance with the One Percent and the military/security complex against Trump.

America, the melting pot that produced a nation was destroyed by Identity Politics. Identity Politics divides a population into hate groups. This group hates that one, and so on. In the US the most hated group is a southern white heterosexual male.

To rule America, Identity Politics is competing with a more powerful group -- the military/security complex supported by the neoconservative ideology of American world hegemony.

Currently, Identity Politics and the military/security complex are working hand-in-hand to destroy President Trump. Trump is hated by the powerful military/security complex because Trump wanted to "normalize relations with Russia," that is, remove the "Russian threat" that is essential to the power and budget of the military/security complex. Trump is hated by Identity Politics because the imbeciles think no one voted for him but racist, misogynists, homophobic gun-nuts.

The fact that Trump intended to unwind the dangerous tensions that the Obama regime has created with Russia became his hangman's noose. Designated as "Putin's agent," President Trump is possibly in the process of being framed by a Special Prosecutor, none other than member of the Shadow Government and former FBI director Robert Mueller. Mueller knows that whatever lie he tells will be accepted by the media presstitutes as the Holy Truth. However, as Trump, seeking self-preservation, moves into the war camp, it might not be necessary for the shadow government to eliminate him.

So the Great American Democracy, The Morally Pure Country, is actually a cover for the profits and power of the military/security complex. What is exceptional about America is the size of the corruption and evil in the government and in the private interest groups that control the government.

It wasn't always this way. In 1958 at the height of the Cold War a young Texan, Van Cliburn, 23 years of age, ventured to show up at the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. Given the rivalry between the military powers, what chance did an American have of walking away with the prize? The cold warriors of the time would, if asked, had said none.

But Van Cliburn electrified the audience, the Moscow Symphony, and the famous conductor. His reception by the Soviet audience was extraordinary. The judges went to Khrushchev and asked, "Can we give the prize to the American?" Khrushchev asked, "Was he the best?" The answer, "Yes." "Well, then give him the prize."

The Cold War should have ended right there, but the military/security complex would not allow it.

In other words, the Soviet Union, unlike America today, did not need to prevail over the truth. The Soviets gave what has perhaps become the most famous of all prizes of musical competition to an American. The Soviets were able to see and recognize truth, something few Americans any longer can do.

Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
General Motors covers more than 1.1 million employees and retirees with health insurance. GM executives note that it spends about $5 billion on healthcare expenses annually. Healthcare costs add between $1,500 and $2,000 to the sticker price of every automobile and truck that GM manufactures. The Cato Institute found that GM paid $1,500 more per vehicle for health insurance than Toyota.



Chrysler claims a health-care cost of $1,400 per vehicle. Ford says its health insurance burden is $1,100 per vehicle.

Medicare for All Will Make U.S. More Competitive

Workers at Mercedes, BMW and Audi plants in Germany have health insurance paid for by the German government. This puts Germany at a cost advantage. Similarly, Japan pays for Lexus, Toyota and Nissan workers' health insurance.

In Canada, the provincial governments pay for health coverage for all of their citizens. Chevys, Fords, Hondas and Chryslers made in Canada have an unfair trade advantage because of government-funded healthcare. Did you know that Canada manufactures more vehicles per capita than the United States? The reason for this is government-paid health care.

The current Affordable Care Act does not help U.S. competitiveness. Universal health insurance paid for by the federal government would make U.S. manufacturers more competitive.

Costs and Savings

Professor Gerald Friedman found that "Medicare for All" would cover everyone, saving billions in its first year. ("The Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act How We Can Afford a National Single-Payer Health Plan," www/pnhp.org/site/default/files/Funding H.R. 676_Friedman_7.31.13_proofed.pdf.)

He found that a Canadian-style, single-payer health plan would reap huge savings from reduced paperwork and from negotiated drug prices, enough to pay for quality coverage for all--at less cost to families and businesses. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that a majority of the public (53 percent) now favors a single-payer health plan in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan, while just over four in ten (43 percent) are opposed. www.kff/polling/Data Note: Modestly Strong but Malleable Support for Single-Payer Health Care.

Upgrading the nation's Medicare program and expanding it to cover people of all ages would yield more than a half-trillion dollars in efficiency savings in its first year of operation, enough to pay for high-quality, comprehensive health benefits for all residents of the United States at a lower cost to most individuals, families and businesses. That's the chief finding of a new fiscal study by Gerald Friedman, a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Prof. Friedman said the savings would come from slashing the administrative waste associated with today's private health-insurance industry ($476 billion) and using the new, public system's bargaining muscle to negotiate pharmaceutical drug prices down to European levels ($116 billion).

"These savings would be more than enough to fund $343 billion in improvements to our health system, including the achievement of truly universal coverage, improved benefits, and the elimination of premiums, co-payments and deductibles, which are major barriers to people seeking care," Friedman said.

The Senate Bill

Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Medicare for All Act of 2017, has 16 co-sponsors (Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)) in the Senate. The bill would be more than enough to cover all 44 million people the government estimated were uninsured in that year and to upgrade benefits for everyone else.

If Taiwan Can Do It, So Can the U.S.A.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Finger Print Sensors Market Forecast and Segments, 2017-2025

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=30545

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=30539

The finger print scanner is used to authenticate and provide authorization to the individual. It captures the biological features in the live scan of the finger prints and compares it with the existing biometrical identity stored in the database. It provides fast, reliable and easy access to personal common details, mails, location, payment information and other form of encrypted data. These authentication systems are commonly used for commercial identification and securities. The finger print sensors are also used for keeping records of attendance and its management through biometrics and the portals.Request Sample Copy of the Report @High level of security offered by hardware authentication solutions, and increasing preference of online transactions for speed and convenience purpose is the major force driving the hardware authentication market. Further, advancements in the IT sector is possible only if the productivity of remote and mobile users is focused and encouraged while considering protection of their sensitive information. Thus, strong authentication mechanisms are continuously being deployed in small and medium sized enterprises. However, since hardware devices may be inconvenient to carry sometimes, software authentication methods are being preferred by some organizations. Also, the cost associated with upgradation and replacement of hardware authentication devices is high which is anticipated to restrain the market growth.With ongoing advancements in next-generation hardware OTP tokens and development of combined hardware and software authentication platforms known as unified authentication platforms, the market is destined to flourish during the forecast period. In case of multi-factor authentication, the data stored is in digital form which is very difficult to alter, recreate or decrypt. The OTP token authentication method handles public authentication security problems with the addition of an extra feature for effective verification. Several portable hardware devices have been designed as an authentication method. They have a size similar to credit cards and have a magnetic strip that holds critical data. These smart cards firmly store public and private certificate information. These cards are carried by the user and inserted into a card reader attached to a computer device.The global hardware authentication market is categorized on the basis of mechanism, authentication device, end use industry and geographic regions. Segmentation on the basis of mechanism includes OTP based, certificate based and hybrid. Type of authentication devices provided by hardware authentication market includes token devices, biometrics, and others. Hardware authentication devices market by solution is further categorized on the basis of tokens as OTP based, USB based, SIM based, Mini OTP based, smart cards, and others. Segmentation on the basis of end user industry comprises of banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), healthcare, government, PCI (Payment card industry), commercial security, and others. The hardware authentication market has been studied for five geographic regions namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America.Among major end-use verticals, BFSI sector is expected to lead the global hardware authentication market during the forecast period due to the increasing number of online transactions and as adoption of hardware authentication ensures multi-step authentication which has now become crucial for security purpose. The demand for secure identification and verification techniques is high in this segment as customer data is vulnerable to losses, attacks and security violations are likely to foster the demand for hardware authentication solutions. North America is predicted to be a major revenue shareholder due to extensive adoption of mobile devices especially, smart phones within the region. Also, few vendors are offering combined solutions for both software systems and hardware devices, since, there has been increased use of mobile devices such as smartphones in the region. Increasing government concerns related to cyber security are projected be responsible for market growth in Europe. Asia Pacific region is forecasted to be the fastest growing region due to rapid growth and advancements in its economy and establishment of large organizations.The key players in the global hardware authentication market are Gemalto N.V., Dell Inc., Symantec Corporation, VASCO Data Security International, Inc, Authenex, Inc., Deepnet Security Ltd, Entrust, Inc., FEITIAN Technologies Co., Ltd., Fortinet Inc., and Yubico, Nexus group, PistolStar, Inc., and SecureMetric Technology, among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Request TOC of the Report @About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.U.S. OFFICE:State Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Cosmetic Implant Market to Exceed USD 11.2 Billion Globally by 2022

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2018

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cosmetic-implant-market

Market Research Future adds new report of Cosmetic Implant Market Research Report- Global Forecast To 2022 it contains Company information, geographical data and Table of ContentCompetitive Analysis:Some of the key players in this market are: DENTSPLY Implant ALLERGAN INC. LABORATOIRES ARION CEREPLAS 3M Nobel Biocare Holding AG Institut Straumann AG Zimmer Holdings Inc. Spectrum Designs Medical Cortex Dental Implant Industries Ltd. Dyna Dental AART Inc.Get a Sample Report @Market Segments:Global cosmetic implant market has been segmented On the basis of Type which comprises of dental implant, brest implant, facial implant, buttock implant On the basis of Material the market is segmented into polymers, metals, ceramics, and biologicals On the basis of End User the market is segmented into hospitals, dental clinics, academicsMarket Highlight:The globally market for cosmetic implant is one of the steady growing markets. The factors that market influence the cosmetic implant market are increasing population with age above 40 years investing on themselves to look younger, increasing advanced technology in healthcare industry, increasing advanced painless surgeries and many others. There are few factors that hamper the growth of the market that include adverse effect of the cosmetic surgery. The global cosmetic implant market is expected to reach USD 11.2 billion by 2022 from USD 6.5 billion in 2016. It has been noted that global cosmetic implant market is growing swiftly and is expected to grow tremendously at the CAGR of 7.1%. Globally there is huge demand for cosmetic implant in various regions.Intended Audience Cosmetic implant manufacturers & Suppliers Biotechnology companies Hospitals Dental Clinics Academic research institutes Government institutesStudy objectives of the Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 7 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the cosmetic implant market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to the main geography and various regions globally. To provide regional level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide regional level analysis of the market for segments by type, by material, by end users and its sub-segments.Browse Report Details @Regional Analysis of Cosmetic implant Market:Globally North America is the largest market for cosmetic implant market. The North American market for cosmetic implant is expected to grow at a CAGR and is expected to reach at US Million by the end of the forecasted period. Europe is the second-largest market for cosmetic implant which is expected to grow at a CAGR. Asia pacific region is expected to be fastest growing region in cosmetic implant market.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Blood Testing Global Market Other Key Strategies By Type & Geography Analysis & Forecast to 2022

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-blood-testing-market-outlook-2014-2022

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW000117226/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW000117226/buying

The Global Blood Testing Market is valued at $50.35 billion in 2014 with CAGR of 2.35% is expected to reach $60.59 billion by 2022. Some of the key factors influencing the market growth are increasing diseases, aging population and also increase in demand for point of care testing (POCT). However, lack of awareness and unavailability of skilled labor are likely to restraint the market growth. Technical advancement and innovation in developing new equipment and tools is also driving the market growth.For more information about this report:The Global Blood Testing Market is segmented on the basis of technology, type, end user and geography. On the basis of technology, the market is segmented into Chemiluminescent immunoassay(CLIA), Radio immunoprecipitation assay(RIPA), Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Transcription-mediated Amplification (TMA) and Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA). On the basis of type, the market is segmented into Complete Blood Count (CBC), Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP) and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and Tabletop OCT devices.The market is divided on the basis of end user into hospitals and clinics, diagnostic centers and homes. Global Blood Testing Market by geography is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World.The key players in Global Blood Testing Market are Abbott Laboratories, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Baxter International, Gen-Probe Inc., Novartis Diagnostics, Roche Diagnostics, Becton Dickinson & Company, Biomerica Inc., bioMerieux Inc. and Cepheid Corporation.Request Sample Copy atWhat 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 advancementsCompany Profiling10.1 Abbott Laboratories10.2 Ortho Clinical Diagnostics10.3 Bio-Rad Laboratories10.4 Baxter International10.5 Gen-Probe Inc10.6 Novartis Diagnostics10.7 Roche Diagnostics10.8 Becton Dickinson & Company10.9 Biomerica Inc10.1 bioMerieux IncInquire before Buying atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales Market Report 2017 : Sensient, JK Group, Marabu, SPGprints,Kornit

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=978715&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-digital-textile-printing-ink-sales-market-report-2017.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=978715&type=D

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales Market Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.The dynamics of the global market for Digital Textile Printing Ink is shaped by several trends and factors, a detailed evaluation of whose impact is adequately covered in the report. The research study presents insights into key macro-economic and micro-economic factors influencing the growth of the Digital Textile Printing Ink market. The report covers major changes in regulatory policies and recent government interventions to help stakeholders assess their impact on the growth trajectory. The emergence of different types of risks, including operational and tactical, and key challenges that are expected to stir the strategic dynamics is covered in the study. The study highlights prominent trends and delineates their impact in shaping the consumer demand for products. The evidence-based findings offered in the report cover regional and global factors pertinent to the expansion of the Digital Textile Printing Ink market.Get A PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @The study tracks recent technological advancements and developments likely to cause disruption in demand among end-use industries. To this end, the report takes a closer look at the investment portfolio of various stakeholders who are spending on research and development activities to develop new products and services. A close tab on the government funding in major regions helps market participants evaluate the prominence of these technologies. Furthermore, a number of new entrants and emerging players hoping to gain actionable insights to formulate their strategies can glean through the study. The quantitative and qualitative analysis takes into its ambit vast volumes of data from credible secondary sources, such as industry bodies and associations, and incorporates reliable inputs provided by a wide range of primary sources. The findings are also useful for established players to be proactively prepared for any disruptive shifts.Table of ContentsGlobal Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales Market Report 20171 Digital Textile Printing Ink Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Digital Textile Printing Ink1.2 Classification of Digital Textile Printing Ink1.2.1 Acid Inks1.2.2 Reactive Dye Ink1.2.3 Disperse Dye Ink1.2.4 Pigment Ink1.3 Application of Digital Textile Printing Ink1.3.1 Cotton Fabric1.3.2 Polyester and Nylon Fabric1.3.3 Blended Cotton Fabric1.4 Digital Textile Printing Ink Market by Regions1.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe 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 and Volume) of Digital Textile Printing Ink (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Browse Complete Report with TOC @2 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Competition by Manufacturers, Type and Application2.1 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1.1 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink (Volume and Value) by Regions2.3.1 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Market Share by Regions (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink Revenue and Market Share by Regions (2012-2017)2.4 Global Digital Textile Printing Ink (Volume) by Application3 United States Digital Textile Printing Ink (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States Digital Textile Printing Ink Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 United States Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)3.2 United States Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers3.3 United States Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Market Share by Type3.4 United States Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Market Share by Application4 China Digital Textile Printing Ink (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Value (2012-2017)4.1.1 China Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.2 China Digital Textile Printing Ink Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.3 China Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)4.2 China Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers4.3 China Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Market Share by Type4.4 China Digital Textile Printing Ink Sales and Market Share by ApplicationCheck Discount @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Digital Textile Printing InkTable Classification of Digital Textile Printing InkFigure Global Sales Market Share of Digital Textile Printing Ink by Type in 2015Figure Acid Inks PictureFigure Reactive Dye Ink PictureFigure Disperse Dye Ink PictureFigure Pigment Ink PictureTable Applications of Digital Textile Printing InkFigure Global Sales Market Share of Digital Textile Printing Ink by Application in 2015Figure Cotton Fabric ExamplesFigure Polyester and Nylon Fabric 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 Epi Wafer Market Report Analysis and Forecast 2017

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-epi-wafer-market-research-report-2017-2022

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011023195/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW00011023195/buy/2900

ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Epi Wafer Market Research Report 2017-2022 The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.The Global Epi Wafer Market Professional Survey Report 2017 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Epi Wafer market. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2017 through 2022. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. What's more, the Epi Wafer industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Key Manufacuturers:GlobalWafersNichiaEpiWorksShowa Denko K.K.JenoptikIntelligent Epitaxy TechnologyIQEMospec SemiconductorNorstelCentury EpitechDesert SiliconOmmicVisual Photonics EpitaxyRoditiSVT AssociatesWafer WorksXiamen Powerway Advanced MaterialView complete report atOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into2 inches4 inches6 inches8 inchesOtherOn 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 Epi Wafer for each application, includingLED SemiconductorPower SemiconductorMEMS-Based DevicesOtherRequest sample copy atTable of Contents1 Epi Wafer Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Epi Wafer1.2 Epi Wafer Segment by Sensors1.3 Epi Wafer Segment by Interface1.4 Epi Wafer Segment by Capacity1.5 Global Epi Wafer Segment by Application1.6 Global Epi Wafer Market by Region (2012-2022)1.7 Global Market Size (Value) of Epi Wafer (2012-2022)2 Global Epi Wafer Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Epi Wafer Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Epi Wafer2.3 Global Epi Wafer Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Epi Wafer Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Epi Wafer Market Competitive Situation and Trends3 Global Epi Wafer Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Epi Wafer Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Epi Wafer Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Epi Wafer Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Epi Wafer Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Epi Wafer Consumption by Region (2012-2017)5 Global Epi Wafer Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Epi Wafer Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Epi Wafer Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Epi Wafer Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Epi Wafer Production Growth by Type (2012-2017) 6 Global 2012-2017EList of Tables and FiguresFigure Global Epi Wafer Production (K Units) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2012-2022)Figure Global Epi Wafer Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2016Figure Product Picture of Analog Epi WaferTable Major Manufacturers of Analog Epi WaferFigure Product Picture of Digital Epi WaferTable Major Manufacturers of Digital Epi WaferFigure Global Epi Wafer Consumption (K Units) by Applications (2012-2022)Figure Global Epi Wafer Market Size (Million USD), Comparison (K Units) and CAGR (%) by Regions (2012-2022)Figure Global Epi Wafer Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Epi Wafer Capacity (K Units), Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Epi Wafer Major Players Product Capacity (2012-2017)Table Global Epi Wafer Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Table Global Epi Wafer Capacity Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Figure Global Epi Wafer Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers in 2016Figure Global Epi Wafer Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers in 2017Figure 2016 Production Market Share of Epi Wafer by TypeTable Global Epi Wafer Revenue (Million USD) by Type (2012-2017)Table Global Epi Wafer 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
Biosimilar Drug Market Size, Share - Industry Trends and Forecast Report 2022

https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/1193681

https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/enquiry/1193681

Biosimilar Drug Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, united Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China).The report firstly introduced the Biosimilar Drug basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.Request For Sample Copy of Report :The report includes six parts, dealing with:1.) basic information;2.) the Asia Biosimilar Drug Market;3.) the North American Biosimilar Drug Market;4.) the European Biosimilar Drug Market;5.) market entry and investment feasibility;6.) the report conclusion.Table of ContentsPart I Biosimilar Drug Industry OverviewChapter One Biosimilar Drug Industry Overview1.1 Biosimilar Drug Definition1.2 Biosimilar Drug Classification Analysis1.2.1 Biosimilar Drug Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Biosimilar Drug Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Biosimilar Drug Application Analysis1.3.1 Biosimilar Drug Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Biosimilar Drug Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Biosimilar Drug Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Biosimilar Drug Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Biosimilar Drug Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Biosimilar Drug Product Market Development Overview1.6 Biosimilar Drug Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.1 Biosimilar Drug Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Biosimilar Drug Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Biosimilar Drug Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Biosimilar Drug Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.5 Biosimilar Drug Global Market Development Trend AnalysisSend An Enquiry :Chapter Two Biosimilar Drug Up and Down Stream Industry Analysis2.1 Upstream Raw Materials Analysis2.1.1 Upstream Raw Materials Price Analysis2.1.2 Upstream Raw Materials Market Analysis2.1.3 Upstream Raw Materials Market Trend2.2 Down Stream Market Analysis2.1.1 Down Stream Market Analysis2.2.2 Down Stream Demand Analysis2.2.3 Down Stream Market Trend AnalysisPart II Asia Biosimilar Drug Industry (The Report Company Including the Below Listed But Not All)Chapter Three Asia Biosimilar Drug Market Analysis3.1 Asia Biosimilar Drug Product Development History3.2 Asia Biosimilar Drug Competitive Landscape Analysis3.3 Asia Biosimilar Drug Market Development TrendChapter Four 2012-2017 Asia Biosimilar Drug Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and Forecast4.1 2012-2017 Biosimilar Drug Capacity Production Overview4.2 2012-2017 Biosimilar Drug Production Market Share Analysis4.3 2012-2017 Biosimilar Drug Demand Overview4.4 2012-2017 Biosimilar Drug Supply Demand and Shortage4.5 2012-2017 Biosimilar Drug Import Export Consumption4.6 2012-2017 Biosimilar Drug Cost Price Production Value Gross MarginMRRbiz supports your business intelligence needs with over 700,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
2017-2022 Three-piece Cans Market, Status and Forecast, by Players : CPMC, Pacific Can, Shengxing Group, Toyo Seikan

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1326235&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/2017-2022-three-piece-cans-report-on-global-and-united-states-market-status-and-forecast-by-players-types-and-applications.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1326235&type=D

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report 2017-2022 Three-piece Cans Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications to its huge collection of research reports.The report on the global market for Three-piece Cans 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 Three-piece Cans. 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.The information bundled in the report is a result of thorough primary and secondary research. Data such as financial records of key companies in the market has been procured from the Three-piece Cans markets historical statistics. Analysts have also banked upon insights from industry experts and other trusted industry sources to compile the detailed report.Get Research Summary Of The Repot: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 Three-piece Cans market.Further, in order to study the global market for Three-piece Cans 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 Three-piece Cans market, consisting of profiles of the key companies operating in it. It studies their strengths and weaknesses and winning strategies as well.Table of Contents2017-2022 Three-piece Cans Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications1 Methodology and Data Source1.1 Methodology/Research Approach1.1.1 Research Programs/Design1.1.2 Market Size Estimation1.1.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation1.2 Data Source2.1.1 Secondary Sources2.1.2 Primary Sources1.3 DisclaimerBrowse Complete Report with TOC @2 Three-piece Cans Market Overview2.1 Three-piece Cans Product Overview2.2 Three-piece Cans Market Segment by Type2.2.1 Aluminum2.3 Global Three-piece Cans Product Segment by Type2.3.1 Global Three-piece Cans Sales (K Units) and Growth (%) by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)2.3.2 Global Three-piece Cans Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.3 Global Three-piece Cans Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.4 Global Three-piece Cans Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)2.4 United States Three-piece Cans Product Segment by Type3 Three-piece Cans Application/End Users3.1 Three-piece Cans Segment by Application/End Users3.1.1 Beverage3.1.2 Canned food3.1.3 Other3.2 Global Three-piece Cans Product Segment by Application3.2.1 Global Three-piece Cans Sales (K Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)3.2.2 Global Three-piece Cans Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)3.3 United States Three-piece Cans Product Segment by Application4 Three-piece Cans Market Status and Outlook by Regions4.1 Global Market Status and Outlook by Regions4.1.1 Global Three-piece Cans Market Size and CAGR by Regions (2012, 2016 and 2022)4.1.2 North America4.1.3 Asia-Pacific4.1.4 Europe4.1.5 South America4.1.6 Middle East and Africa4.1.7 United States4.2 Global Three-piece Cans Sales and Revenue by Regions4.2.1 Global Three-piece Cans Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)4.2.2 Global Three-piece Cans Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)Please click the link to avail discount on this report @List of Tables and FiguresTable Research Programs/Design for This ReportFigure Bottom-up and Top-down Approaches for This ReportFigure Data TriangulationTable Key Data Information from Secondary SourcesTable Key Data Information from Primary SourcesFigure Three-piece Cans Product PictureFigure Global Three-piece Cans Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure United States Three-piece Cans Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Product Picture of AluminumTable Major Players of AluminumFigure Global Aluminum Sales (K Units) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2017)Figure Product Picture of SteelQYReseachReports.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 Hybrid EV Battery Market Report Size, Share, Growth and Forecast 2017

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-hybrid-ev-battery-market-research-report-2017

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011040148/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW00011040148/buy/2900

ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Hybrid EV Battery Market Research Report 2017-2022 The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.The Global Hybrid EV Battery Market Professional Survey Report 2017 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Hybrid EV Battery market. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2017 through 2022. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. What's more, the Hybrid EV Battery industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Key Manufacuturers:SAMSUNG SDI CO. LTD.Boston-PowerLG Chem Power Inc.QuallionView complete report atOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoNickel Metal Hydride BatteriesLead Acid BatteriesLithium Ion CellsZebra BatteriesOn 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 Hybrid EV Battery for each application, includingHybrid VehiclesPlug-In Hybrid Electric VehiclesRequest sample copy atTable of Contents1 Hybrid EV Battery Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Hybrid EV Battery1.2 Hybrid EV Battery Segment by Sensors1.3 Hybrid EV Battery Segment by Interface1.4 Hybrid EV Battery Segment by Capacity1.5 Global Hybrid EV Battery Segment by Application1.6 Global Hybrid EV Battery Market by Region (2012-2022)1.7 Global Market Size (Value) of Hybrid EV Battery (2012-2022)2 Global Hybrid EV Battery Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Hybrid EV Battery Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Hybrid EV Battery2.3 Global Hybrid EV Battery Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Hybrid EV Battery Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Hybrid EV Battery Market Competitive Situation and Trends3 Global Hybrid EV Battery Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Hybrid EV Battery Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Hybrid EV Battery Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Hybrid EV Battery Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Hybrid EV Battery Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Hybrid EV Battery Consumption by Region (2012-2017)5 Global Hybrid EV Battery Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Hybrid EV Battery Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Hybrid EV Battery Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Hybrid EV Battery Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Hybrid EV Battery Production Growth by Type (2012-2017) 6 Global 2012-2017EList of Tables and FiguresFigure Global Hybrid EV Battery Production (K Units) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2012-2022)Figure Global Hybrid EV Battery Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2016Figure Product Picture of Analog Hybrid EV BatteryTable Major Manufacturers of Analog Hybrid EV BatteryFigure Product Picture of Digital Hybrid EV BatteryTable Major Manufacturers of Digital Hybrid EV BatteryFigure Global Hybrid EV Battery Consumption (K Units) by Applications (2012-2022)Figure Global Hybrid EV Battery Market Size (Million USD), Comparison (K Units) and CAGR (%) by Regions (2012-2022)Figure Global Hybrid EV Battery Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Hybrid EV Battery Capacity (K Units), Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Hybrid EV Battery Major Players Product Capacity (2012-2017)Table Global Hybrid EV Battery Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Table Global Hybrid EV Battery Capacity Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Figure Global Hybrid EV Battery Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers in 2016Figure Global Hybrid EV Battery Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers in 2017Figure 2016 Production Market Share of Hybrid EV Battery by TypeTable Global Hybrid EV Battery Revenue (Million USD) by Type (2012-2017)Table Global Hybrid EV Battery 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
Good Growth Opportunities in Global Vaginitis Therapeutics Market Till 2017-2021

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1313482&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-vaginitis-therapeutics-market-professional-survey-report-2017.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1313482&type=D

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Vaginitis Therapeutics Market Professional Survey Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.This report on the global Vaginitis Therapeutics 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 Vaginitis Therapeutics 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 Vaginitis Therapeutics industry. This includes both the driving factors as well as the restraining factors that are influencing the markets performance positively and negatively, respectively. The current trends shaping the global Vaginitis Therapeutics market and how it will influence the market in the future are also studied. In addition to this, the future opportunities within the market that have the potential to help the market to expand are also given in the report.Get Research Summary Of The Repot:The segments within the global Vaginitis Therapeutics 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 Vaginitis Therapeutics market have been discussed. This gives new players an idea as to whether they can survive in the competitive Vaginitis Therapeutics market.Table of ContentsGlobal Vaginitis Therapeutics Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Vaginitis Therapeutics1.1 Definition and Specifications of Vaginitis Therapeutics1.1.1 Definition of Vaginitis Therapeutics1.1.2 Specifications of Vaginitis Therapeutics1.2 Classification of Vaginitis Therapeutics1.2.1 Antifungal Agents1.2.2 Antibiotics1.2.3 Hormones1.3 Applications of Vaginitis Therapeutics1.3.1 Hospitals1.3.2 Clinics1.3.3 Ambulatory Surgical Centers1.3.4 Specialized Gynecology Centers1.3.5 Other1.4 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 Vaginitis Therapeutics2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Vaginitis Therapeutics2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Vaginitis Therapeutics2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Vaginitis Therapeutics3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Vaginitis Therapeutics3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Vaginitis Therapeutics Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Vaginitis Therapeutics Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Vaginitis Therapeutics Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Vaginitis Therapeutics Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Vaginitis Therapeutics Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Vaginitis Therapeutics Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Vaginitis Therapeutics Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Vaginitis Therapeutics Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Vaginitis Therapeutics Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Vaginitis Therapeutics Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Vaginitis Therapeutics Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)Please click the link to avail discount on this report @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Vaginitis TherapeuticsTable Product Specifications of Vaginitis TherapeuticsTable Classification of Vaginitis TherapeuticsFigure Global Production Market Share of Vaginitis Therapeutics by Type in 2016Figure Antifungal Agents PictureTable Major Manufacturers of Antifungal AgentsFigure Antibiotics PictureTable Major Manufacturers of AntibioticsFigure Hormones PictureTable Major Manufacturers of HormonesTable Applications of Vaginitis TherapeuticsFigure Global Consumption Volume Market Share of Vaginitis Therapeutics by Application in 2016Figure Hospitals ExamplesTable Major Consumers in HospitalsQYReseachReports.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 and Chinese Acrylic Resins For Inks Industry Analysis and Growth 2022

https://www.researchtrades.com/discount/1236481

https://www.researchtrades.com/report/global-and-chinese-acrylic-resins-for-inks-industry-2017-market-research-report/1236481

https://www.researchtrades.com/request-sample/1236481

September Offer Flat 20% discount on purchase of this report from 15th to 30th September @For more offers post 30th September, kindly contact us.Contact No. : +16269994607 (US)/ +91 7507349866 (IND)Email: sales@researchtrades.comThe 'Global and Chinese Acrylic Resins for Inks Industry, 2012-2022 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Acrylic Resins for Inks industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Acrylic Resins for Inks manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2012-2017 market shares for each company.Browse complete report atThrough the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of Acrylic Resins for Inks industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2017-2022 market development trends of Acrylic Resins for Inks industry. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Acrylic Resins for Inks Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2012-2022 global and Chinese Acrylic Resins for Inks industry covering all important parameters.Any special requirements about this report, please let us know and we can provide custom report.Chapter One Introduction of Acrylic Resins for Inks Industry1.1 Brief Introduction of Acrylic Resins for Inks1.2 Development of Acrylic Resins for Inks Industry1.3 Status of Acrylic Resins for Inks IndustryChapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Acrylic Resins for Inks2.1 Development of Acrylic Resins for Inks Manufacturing Technology2.2 Analysis of Acrylic Resins for Inks Manufacturing Technology2.3 Trends of Acrylic Resins for Inks Manufacturing TechnologyRequest for sample atChapter Three Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers3.1 Company A3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Product Information3.1.3 2012-2017 Production Information3.1.4 Contact Information3.2 Company B3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Product Information3.2.3 2012-2017 Production Information3.2.4 Contact Information3.3 Company C3.2.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Product Information3.3.3 2012-2017 Production Information3.3.4 Contact Information.....Who we are:Research Trades has team of experts who works on providing exhaustive analysis pertaining to market research on a global basis. This comprehensive analysis is obtained by a thorough research and study of the ongoing trends and provides predictive data regarding the future estimations, which can be utilized by various organizations for growth purposes.We distribute customized reports that focus on meeting the clients specific requirement. Our database consists of a large collection of high-quality reports obtained using a customer-centric approach, thus providing valuable research insights.
Tissue Transglutaminase Test Market to Exceed at a CAGR of 17.5% Globally by 2023

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/824

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/tissue-transglutaminase-test-market-824

Market Research Future published a research report on Tissue Transglutaminase Test Market Research Report- Global Forecast till 2023  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Tissue Tranglutaminase (Ttg) Test Market: By Type (Serological, Biopsy, and others), and By End Users (Hospitals & Clinics, Homecare, Research Organisations, others) - Global Forecast Till 2023Market Synopsis of Global Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) Test MarketMarket scenario:Tissue transglutaminase (tTG) test is used for the diagnosis of certain autoimmune diseases, which is mostly restricted to celiac disease. In celiac disease, gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats) is seen as a foreign invader and is attacked by the immune system. This is followed by the production of antibodies directed against the enzyme Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) (a calcium dependent proteolysis restricting enzyme), which is normally present in intestines. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) are the antibodies responsible for the autoimmune responses. These (tTG) IgA and (tTG) IgG can be analyzed for diagnostic purposes. The IgA form of tTG antibody is more frequently exploited for the diagnosis of celiac disease because it is synthesized in the small intestine where gluten causes inflammation and irritation in sensitive people. On the other hand, (tTG) IgG can also be used. Its application in testing is marked when patient is unable to produce normal IgA as it is less specific to celiac disease. Traditionally, mucosal biopsies can be performed.The major factor that propels the global tissue transglutaminase testing market is the increasing prevalence of celiac disease. According to the World Gastroenterology Organization in 2016, 1% of the total population in western countries was diagnosed with the celiac disease and the prevalence have substantially increased across the globe. According to Celiac Disease Foundation in 2016, hospitalization have increased by 600% from 1998 to 2013 in the U.S. Similar trends in the European countries are observed. All these factors will boost the global tissue tranglutaminase (tTG) testing market.Increasing prevalence of autoimmune diseases mainly celiac disease, increasing geriatric global pool, and increasing investments in the healthcare drive the growth of the market. Low healthcare expenditure in developing regions, costs considerations, and false positive diagnosis in geriatric population marked due to conditions such as diarrhoea etc restrain the growth of the market.The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of ~17.5% during the forecast period.Get a Copy of Sample Report @Key Players in the Global Tissue Transglutaminase(tTG) Testing Market Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. SQI Diagnostics Trinity Biotech ZEDIRA GmbH Demeditec Diagnostics GmbH ARUP Laboratories Cell Science Systems Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Pfizer Inc. Celimmune LLC.SegmentsThe global tissue transglutaminase testing market has been segmented on the basis types and end users.Based on types, the market has been segmented into serological testing, biopsy, and others. The serological testing is sub-segmented into tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibody- IgA, serum and Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) antibody-IgG, serum, and others.Based on the end users, the market has been segmented as hospitals & clinics, homecare, research organizations, and others.Browse Full Report Details @Regional analysis:The Americas account for a significant market share owing to extensive use of medications and high expenditure on the health care. Additionally, the fastest uptake of new technology in the US drives the tTG testing market. Also, concentration of major research companies and research organizations in the developed countries of this region add fuel to the market growth.Europe is the second largest market in the world due to high income and high healthcare penetration.Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly over the forecast period and China and India are likely to lead this market due to the fast growing healthcare sector.Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are estimated to drive the Middle East & African market. The African region is expected to witness a moderate growth owing to poor economic and political conditions and poor healthcare development during the review period.The report for Global Tissue Transglutaminase Testing Market by Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain a deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives a clear picture of the current market scenario which includes past and estimated future market size with respect to value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides detail information about and strategies used by top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.ContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Tissue Transglutaminase Test Market Research Report- Global Forecast till 2023 chain related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Meat Snacks 2017 Global Key Players  Jack Link's, ConAgra, Oberto Sausage, Monogram Foods, Hormel Foods, Marfood Market Analysis and Forecast to 2022

Meat Snacks Market

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1751089-global-meat-snacks-market-research-report-2011-2023

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1751089-global-meat-snacks-market-research-report-2011-2023

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1751089-global-meat-snacks-market-research-report-2011-2023

Meat Snacks Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com adds Meat Snacks Market Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Report Details:This report provides in depth study of Meat Snacks Market using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization. The Meat Snacks Market report also provides an in-depth survey of key players in the market which is based on the various objectives of an organization such as profiling, the product outline, the quantity of production, required raw material, and the financial health of the organization.Leading vendors in the market are included based on profile, business performance etc. Vendors mentioned as follows:Jack Link'sConAgraOberto SausageMonogram FoodsHormel FoodsNew World FoodsBridgford FoodsThanasi FoodsGolden Valley NaturalMarfoodOld WisconsinCampofrioDanish CrownKerry GroupKlement's SausageMeatsnacks GroupShuanghuiYurun GroupJinluoYouyou FoodsDelisiLaiyifenHuangshanghuangMengdu SheepBaicaoweiYanker ShopBangbangwaMeat snack is a type of snacks that one of its raw materials is meat. Some of them like jerky, ham sausage etc.This report offers an overview of the market trends, drivers, and barriers with respect to the Meat Snacks market. It also provides a detailed overview of the market of different regions across United States, Europe, China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia and Others. The report categorizes Meat Snacks market by By Material, By Age Group, By Price, By User, and application.Request a Sample Report @The objective of report is to define, segment, and project the market on the basis of product type, application, and region, and to describe the content about the factors influencing market dynamics, policy, economic, technology and market entry etc.Based on products type, the report describes major products type share of regional market. Products mentioned as follows:JerkyMeat sticksPickled sausageHam sausagePickled poultry meatOthersBased on Application, the report describes major application share of regional market. Application mentioned as follows:Daily useFunctional useBased on region, the report describes major regions market by products and application. Regions mentioned as follows:Asia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaComplete Report Details@Major Key Points in Table of Content:1 Market Overview1.1 Objectives of Research1.1.1 Definition1.1.2 Specifications1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 by Type1.2.1.1 Jerky1.2.1.2 Meat sticks1.2.1.3 Pickled sausage1.2.1.4 Ham sausage1.2.1.5 Pickled poultry meat1.2.1.6 Others1.2.2 by Application1.2.2.1 Daily use1.2.2.2 Functional use1.2.3 by Regions2 Industry Chain2.1 Industry Chain Structure2.2 Upstream2.3 Market2.3.1 SWOT2.3.2 Dynamics.7 Market Competitive7.1 Global Market by Vendors7.2 Market Concentration7.3 Price & Factors7.4 Marketing Channel8 Major Vendors8.1 Jack Link's8.1.2 Profile8.1.2 Business Performance (Sales Revenue, Cost, Gross Margin)8.2 ConAgra8.2.1 Profile8.2.2 Business Performance (Sales Revenue, Cost, Gross Margin)8.3 Oberto Sausage8.3.1 Profile8.3.2 Business Performance (Sales Revenue, Cost, Gross Margin)8.4 Monogram Foods8.4.1 Profile8.4.2 Business Performance (Sales Revenue, Cost, Gross Margin)8.5 Hormel Foods8.5.1 Profile8.5.2 Business Performance (Sales Revenue, Cost, Gross Margin)8.6 New World Foods8.6.1 Profile8.6.2 Business Performance (Sales Revenue, Cost, Gross Margin)8.7 Bridgford Foods8.7.1 Profile8.7.2 Business Performance (Sales Revenue, Cost, Gross Margin)8.8 Thanasi Foods8.8.1 Profile8.8.2 Business Performance (Sales Revenue, Cost, Gross Margin)8.9 Golden Valley Natural8.9.1 Profile8.9.2 Business Performance (Sales Revenue, Cost, Gross Margin)8.10 Marfood8.10.1 Profile8.10.2 Business Performance (Sales Revenue, Cost, Gross Margin)8.11 Old Wisconsin8.12 CampofrioContinued.Buy now @Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Sales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Automated hospital beds Market Reflecting USD 2,553.4 million by 2023, At a CAGR of 5.97%

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4250

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/automated-hospital-beds-market-4250

Market Research Future published a research report on Automated hospital beds Market Research Report - Global forecast till 2023 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Global Automated Hospital Beds Market Information: By Type (Semi-Automatic, Fully Automatic), By Technology (Basic, & Smart), By Type of Treatment (Critical Care, Acute Care, & Long Term Care), By Usage (General Purpose, Intensive Care, and others), and By End User (Hospitals & Clinics, and others) - Forecast Till 2023Market Synopsis of the Global Automated Hospital Beds MarketMarket ScenarioIn some cases, patients experience difficulty getting in and out of beds where automated hospital beds play major role in solving this problem. Automated hospital beds allow patients to sit and get out of the bed in a position with comfort. Additionally, they are extremely beneficial for the doctors and nurses while performing critical procedures and treatment to the patients.The global automated hospital beds market is growing at a steady pace and is expected to reach USD 2,553.4 million by 2023 from USD 1,590.1 million in 2016 at a CAGR of 5.97% during the assessment period 2017-2023. Rising number of various acute and chronic illness, rising geriatric population, increasing obese population, developing design and technology of the hospital beds for the betterment and comfort of the patients, and increasing healthcare expenditure drive the growth of the market.On the other hand, high cost of automated hospital beds may hamper the growth of the market over the forecast period.Get a Copy of Sample Report @Key Players in the Global Automated Hospital Beds Market ArjoHuntleigh Gendron Inc. Hill-Rom Invacare Corporation Linet spol. s r.o. Medline Industries, Inc. Paramount Bed Holdings Co., Ltd. StrykerKey Findings The global automated hospital beds market and is expected to reach USD 2,553.4 million by 2023 at CAGR of 5.97%. Fully Automatic hospital bed segment accounted for 55% share of the global automated hospital beds market, by type in 2016 and is expected to reach USD 1,571.9 million by 2023 Europe holds the largest market share of the automated hospital beds and was valued USD 572.7 million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD 893.8 million by 2023 Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region across the globe and expected to grow at a rate of CAGR 4.42% during the forecast period.Browse Full Report Details @Segments:The global automated hospital beds market is segmented on the basis of type, which include semi-automatic hospital beds and fully automatic hospital beds.On the basis of technology, it is segmented into basic automated hospital beds, and smart automated hospital bedsOn the basis of type of treatment, it is segmented into critical care, acute care, and long term care.On the basis of usage, it is segmented into general purpose, intensive care, delivery/birthing, pediatric, bariatric, pressure relief, psychiatric care, and others.On the basis of end user, the market is segmented into hospitals & clinics, reproductive care centers, dentistry, home users, and othersRegional Analysis of the Global Automated Hospital Beds MarketThe Europe region accounted for the largest share of USD 177.5 million in 2016 owing to the well-developed infrastructure in the healthcare, high healthcare expenditure, and the presence of the leading players.North America is the second largest automated hospital beds market in the globe. The North American market is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period owing to well-developed healthcare structure and increasing investment in research and development in healthcare. Moreover, the government encouragement to improve hospitals infrastructure will boost the market growth over the review period.In Asia Pacific region, rising number of research & development institutes, increasing number of hospitals, and the demand for cost-effective automated hospital beds drive the market growth.The Middle East & Africa is expected to show steady growth in this market due to low technological saturation and less availability of innovative healthcare technologies during the given period.The report on the global automated hospital beds market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain deeper insight to the market and industry performance. The report gives a clear picture of the current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regionsContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Automated hospital beds Market Research Report - Global forecast till 2023 chain related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Patient Monitoring Devices Market Growth with Worldwide Industry Analysis to 2022

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2484

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/patient-monitoring-devices-market-2484

Market Research Future published a research report on Patient Monitoring Devices Market - Global Forecast To 2022 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Patient monitoring devices market information, by Product type (Central monitoring stations, Portable bedside monitors, Electrocardiogram (ECG) Devices, Hemodynamic Monitoring Devices, Fetal and neonatal monitors, Respiratory Monitors, Weight management monitors, Temperature monitoring devices, and Others), by end user (Hospitals and clinics, Ambulatory care centers, Home care, and others) - Forecast to 2022Market Synopsis of Patient monitoring devices Market:Market Scenario:Patient monitoring devices in this report refer to the sensors which are used in smart wearable devices. Global Patient monitoring devices market is driven by increasing demand of wearable for infants and continuously evolving sensor technology. With increasing personal care and health consciousness, for tracking biometrics such as calories burnt, heart rate and others, the demand for wearable fitness trackers and other wearable is increasing. Rapid expansion of internet of things (IoT) is driving demand of Patient monitoring devices in various application areas such as healthcare and fitness, consumer electronics and others.Get a Copy of Sample Report @Key Players for Patient Monitoring Devices Market: GE Healthcare Roche Diagnostics BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG Abbott Laboratories Siemens Healthcare Philips Healthcare CAS Medical Systems, Inc, Spacelabs Healthcare Honeywell International, Inc. Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co.Study objectives of Patient monitoring devices Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 7 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Patient monitoring devices market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the Patient monitoring devices market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by product type, by end user and its sub-segments. To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Patient monitoring devices market.Browse Full Report Details @Segments:Patient monitoring devices market has been segmented on the basis of product type which comprises Central monitoring stations, Portable bedside monitors, Electrocardiogram (ECG) Devices, Hemodynamic Monitoring Devices, Fetal and neonatal monitors, Respiratory Monitors, Weight management monitors, Temperature monitoring devices, and others. On the basis of end user, the market is segmented into Hospitals and clinics, Ambulatory care centers, Home care and others.Regional Analysis of Patient Monitoring Devices Market:Considering the global scenario of the market, North America region is believed to be the largest market for Patient monitoring devices. Moreover the European market is also growing and second largest market for Patient monitoring devices. On the other hand, Asia-Pacific market is expected to grow at the fastest pace in the Patient monitoring devices during the forecasted period. Rest of the World is likely to have a limited but steady growth in the market.The report for Patient Monitoring Devices Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regionsContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Patient Monitoring Devices Market - Global Forecast To 2022 chain related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
ADHD Therapeutics Market - The Biggest Trends to watch out for 2017-2024 By Market Research Future

ADHD Therapeutics

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1573

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/adhd-therapeutics-market

Market Research Future.com add new report of ADHD Therapeutics Market Research Report  Global Forecast To 2024 it contains Company information, geographical data and Table of ContentStudy Objectives ADHD Therapeutics Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 8 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the ADHD therapeutics market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the ADHD therapeutics market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by drug type, distribution channels and its sub-segments. To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global ADHD therapeutics market.Intended Audience ADHD drug manufacturers ADHD drug suppliers Research and Development (R&D) Companies Government Research Laboratories Independent Research Laboratories Government and Independent Regulatory Authorities Market Research and Consulting Service Providers Medical Research Laboratories Academic Medical Institutes and UniversitiesKey Players For ADHD Therapeutics Market: Concordia International Corp. Eli Lilly And Company Highland Therapeutics Inc. Janssen Global Services LLC NEOS Therapeutics Inc. Novartis AG Noven Pharmaceuticals Inc. Pfizer Inc. Shire Teva PharmaceuticalRequest a Sample Report @Market Synopsis Of ADHD Therapeutics Market:Segments:Global ADHD Therapeutics Market Has Been Segmented On The Basis Of Drug Types Which Comprises Of Stimulants And Non-Stimulants. On The Basis Of Distribution Channels, Market Is Segmented Into Hospitals, Clinics, Pharmacies, Research Laboratories And Others.The Report For Global ADHD Therapeutics Market Of Market Research Future Comprises Of Extensive Primary Research Along With The Detailed Analysis Of Qualitative As Well As Quantitative Aspects By Various Industry Experts, Key Opinion Leaders To Gain The Deeper Insight Of The Market And Industry Performance. The Report Gives The Clear Picture Of Current Market Scenario Which Includes Historical And Projected Market Size In Terms Of Value And Volume, Technological Advancement, Macro Economical And Governing Factors In The Market. The Report Provides Details Information And Strategies Of The Top Key Players In The Industry.Table Of Content1. INTRODUCTION2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY3. MARKET DYNAMICS4. MARKET FACTOR ANALYSIS5. GLOBAL ADHD THERAPEUTICS MARKET, BY DRUG TYPE6. GLOBAL ADHD THERAPEUTICS MARKET, BY AGE GROUP7. GLOBAL ADHD THERAPEUTICS MARKET, BY END USERS8. GLOBAL ADHD THERAPEUTICS MARKET, BY REGION9. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE10. COMPANY PROFILE11. CONCLUSION12. APPENDIXBrowse Full Report Details@About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact: Akash Anand, Market Research Future +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comWise 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
Microelectronic Medical Implants Market Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2017-2022

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2370

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/microelectronic-medical-implants-market-2370

Market Research Future published a research report on Microelectronic Medical Implants Market Research Report - Global Forecast To 2022 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Microelectronic Medical Implants Market Information, by Product (Neurostimulators, Drug Infusion Pumps), by Application (Pacemakers, Defibrillators, Neurostimulators, Spinal Fusion Stimulators, Implantable Drug Pumps) - Forecast till 2022Market Synopsis of Microelectronic Medical Implants Market:Market Scenario:The global market of microelectronic medical implants is growing at a rapid pace. The global Microelectronic Medical Implants market is growing at the CAGR of around 9.1% for the forecasted period. The major factors that are influencing the market for microelectronic medical implants are increasing advancement in field of healthcare, increasing demand for nano technology in the field of life science and healthcare and increasing innovation in capsule endoscopy. A portion of the prominent trends that the market is witnessing incorporate rise in medical implant equipment with technology advancement, rising prevalence of cardiovascular issue, epilepsy are driving the market.Get a Copy of Sample Report @Key Players for Microelectronic Medical Implants Market: Abiomed Inc Biomet Inc. Cyberonics Inc. Envoy Medical Medtronic Inc. Microsemi Corporation. Neuropace Inc. Retina Implant AG St. Jude Medical Inc. Worldheart CorporationStudy objectives of the Market: Providing a detail analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years related to various segments and sub-segments of the Microelectronic Medical Implants market. Giving insights about factors affecting the market growth. Analyzing the market based on price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porters Five Force analysis etc. Giving the past revenue and estimated future revenue of the markets segments and sub-segments with respect to the main market and various markets globally. Giving regional level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospect. Giving regional level analysis of the market with respect to segments, by product, by application also giving regional level analysis of the markets sub-segments. Providing an overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market; comprehensively analyzing their core competencies and drawing the markets competitive structure. Tracking and analyzing competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments along with research and developments in the global Microelectronic Medical Implants market.Regional Analysis of Microelectronic Medical Implants Market:North America is the largest market of global microelectronic medical implants market. The North American market for microelectronic medical implants is expected to grow at the CAGR of 8.7%. Europe is the second largest market for Microelectronic Medical Implants which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.9%. Asia Pacific region is expected to be fastest growing region of the global Microelectronic Medical Implants market.Browse Full Report Details @Segments:Global microelectronic medical implants market has been segmented on the basis of product which comprises neurostimulators, drug infusion pumps and others. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into pacemakers, defibrillators, neurostimulators, spinal fusion stimulators, implantable drug pumps, hearing implants, eye implants, ocular implants and others.The report of Microelectronic Medical Implants market by Market Research Future comprises extensive primary research along with the detail analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain a deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives a clear picture of current market scenario which includes past and estimated future market size with respect to value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides detail information and strategies of top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study about different markets segments and regions.ContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Microelectronic Medical Implants Market Research Report - Global Forecast To 2022 chain related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Retail Automation Market : Structure and Overview of Key Market Forces Propelling Market

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/retail-automation-market

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/REP-GB-5017

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com

According to report, the global retail automation market is estimated to be valued at US$ 9,846.0 Mn by the end of 2017 and this is expected to increase to US$ 29,825.4 Mn by the end of the forecast period in 2027. This reflects a CAGR of 11.7% in terms of value.Opportunity Areas of Global Retail Automation Market are advancements in technology are encouraging companies in the global retail automation market to integrate retail automation products with intelligent personal assistant services to provide consumers with more power to control their shopping needs.Also, machine learning coupled with artificial intelligence will create a big impact on retail storefronts, as artificial intelligence is capable of interpreting customer behavioural data, lifecycle stages, and psychographic indicators such as emotional triggers to help brands engage with their target audience in a more meaningful and personalised manner.Obtain Report Details @The global retail automation market is segmented on the basis of industry into FMCG, Health and Personal Care, Apparel and Footwear, Hospitality, Consumer Electronics, Travel and Logistics, Oil & Gas, and Others. FMCG is the dominant segment with an estimated market revenue of about US$ 2 Bn by 2017 end and likely to increase to US$ 6.4 Bn by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 12.2%. Hospitality is the second largest segment with a CAGR of 11.9%.The global retail automation market is segmented on the basis of market into Organised Market and Unorganised Market. The Organised Market segment is the largest in terms of market value, estimated to cross US$ 25 Bn by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 11.8%.Make an Enquiry @Future Market Insights tracks the performance of the global retail automation market across the key geographies of North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding japan, Japan, and the Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to be the dominant regional market with a value share anticipated to increase 2.9X between 2017 and 2027.The North America retail automation market is estimated to be valued in excess of US$ 9 Bn by the end of 2027. North America is the most attractive market for retail automation across the world. The retail automation market in APEJ is expected to register high Y-o-Y growth rates throughout the forecast period.The report profiles some of the leading players operating in the global retail automation market. Companies featured include Diebold Nixdorf Incorporated, NCR Corporation, Datalogic S.p.A., FUJITSU, First Data Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Verifone, Posiflex Technology, Inc, Ingenico Group, and Honeywell International Inc.About UsFuture 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 centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.FMIs team of over 200 research analysts provides market intelligence at global, regional, and country level. Our analysts are committed to provide independent insights, relying on our cognitive defusion training module, which conditions them to look at data objectively and unbiasedly.ContactFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Automotive Labels Market - Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2017-2025

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/713

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/automotive-labels-market-713

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-discount/713

Automotive labels serve the purpose of displaying company name, cost, technical information, components information, other specifications, and barcode in automobiles. These labels are durable even in high temperature. They are required to cope with engine conditions including high temperature and exposure to liquids such as brake fluid, screen wash, and engine oil.Request Sample of Automotive labels Market:The growing demand from automobile industry for RFID labels and mandatory compliance with automotive labeling laws are the main drivers for automotive labels market. Emerging countries and new product launches open up new opportunities for the market growth. The initial cost of manufacturing is more if manufactured in small quantities, hence the cost to profit ratio is a concern to small manufacturers.Automotive Labels Market TaxonomyOn the basis of end use, the automotive labels market is segmented into:Asset LabelsDome LabelsBranding LabelsWarning LabelsInventory LabelsOn the basis of mechanism, the automotive labels market is segmented into:In-moldHeat TransferGlue-appliedPressure sensitiveOn the basis of identification methods, the automotive labels market is segmented into:HologramBarcodeRFIDOthersOn the basis of application, the automotive labels market is segmented into:Chassis LabelsEngine Component LabelsInterior LabelsExterior LabelsAsset tags are used to identify the product with unique serial number such as barcode. Dome labels are used to print the logo of the company. Branding labels and warning labels are used for printing brand name and cautions respectively for the appliances.Pressure sensitive labels are set on the application of pressure. Heat transfer labels are set on heat exposure and glue labels are applied by using adhesives. The segmentation based on application also depends on the label position.To Check the Trending Report of Automotive labels Market:Automotive Labels Market OutlookAsia Pacific is the largest and estimated to be the fastest growing market due to burgeoning growth in the automobile industry, which has been driven by high automobile sales rate in India and China. According to China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), sales of cars in China stood at 28.03 million in 2016 and 3.00 million in India.Europe is the second largest automobile labels market due to the well-developed public transportation sector. Cars, vans, trucks, and buses in the region are considered to be the quickest, safest, and cleanest in the worldNorth America is an emerging region in the automobile labels market. Demand for automobiles for heavy transportation has risen in the U.S. and Canada. A high preference for personal transportation in North America is expected to drive the automobile sector in the region.Latin America is projected to augment market growth due to the need of personal transports and high disposable incomes. Argentina is the largest export market in Latin America, which is also affected by economic downturn like most other countries in Latin America.To Get Discount on this Report:The major players in the Automotive Labels Market are 3M (U.S.), Avery Dennison Corporation (U.S), UPM-Kymmene Corporation (Finland), H.B. Fuller (U.S.), Sika AG (Switzerland), CCL Industries Inc. (Canada), Barry-Wehmiller Companies Inc. (U.S), Dunmore (U.S.), Lewis Labels Products Corp. (U.S), and Precision Contract Manufacturing (U.S).About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com
Renewable/Bio Jet Fuel Market - Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook And Opportunity Analysis, 2017-2025

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/679

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/renewable-bio-jet-fuel-market-679

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-discount/679

www.coherentmarketinsights.com/

Bio jet is an aviation fuel made from renewable and naturally derived raw materials. It is mixed with petroleum jet fuel and is suitable for use in a jet engine. Biojet fuels have lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to petroleum jet fuel. A major challenge for the bio jet market, however, is the lack of a viable source for the production of biofuels on a commercial scale which has resulted in the current high bio jet fuel prices, which is leading to the airline companies not buying bio jet fuel on a large scale.Request Sample of Renewable/Bio Jet Fuel Market:The need for the use of environmental friendly jet fuel in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation sector is a major driver for the bio jet market. The first test flight with bio jet fuel was completed in 2008 by Virgin Atlantic. Despite the need and airline support for bio jet, producers struggle to make renewable fuel cost-competitive with fossil fuels. Currently, biojet fuel is supplied through segregated logistics which leads to higher costs thus reducing its demand.Bio Jet Fuel TaxonomyBy category and pathwaysGas to jetFischer-Tropsch (FT)Gas FermentationSugar to jetCatalytic upgrading of sugar to jetDirect sugar biological to hydrocarbonsATJ alcohol to Jet fuelEthanol to jet(ETJ)Butanol to jet(BTJ)Oil to JetHydro processed Renewable JetHydro processes Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA)Catalytic hydrothermolysis.Hydrotreated depolymerized cellulosic jetOthersBy feedstockCellulosic cropsSugarOthersCellulosic wastes and residueCrop residueWood residueMunicipal solid wasteSeparated food wasteOthersOil cropsAlgalVegetable/Plant oilOthersOil wastes and residueAnimal fats/Waste oilGreasesCurrently blends of up to 50% bio jet fuel produced by either the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process, the Hydro generated esters and fatty acids (HEFA) process or Synthesized Iso-Paraffins (SIP) are used with petroleum jet fuel as aviation fuel mandated by ASTM. HEFA is around 40% more expensive than petrojet, while renewable jet fuels produced by other methods are 60-70% more expensive than conventional petro jet fuel. Hence, bio jet fuel produced by HEFA is found to be more cost effective than other production methods.Market outlookThe bio jet fuel market is the largest in North America due to its reliance on the fast growing aviation market. The U.S. civil aviation sector accounts for a substantial share in the aviation bio jet market. The planned expansion of aviation biofuel producing industries, along with the support of the Federal Aviation Administration a national authority with powers to regulate all aspects of civil aviation are expected to increase the consumption of biojet fuels in this region. Initiatives taken by various organizations such as SAFN, MASBI are working towards developing cheaper and efficient bio jet fuels. The US Department of Agriculture(USDA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the Navy executed an MOU to invest up to US$ 510 million along with the private sector to produce drop-in renewable jet fuel to power military and commercial transportationTo Check the Trending Report of Renewable/Bio Jet Fuel Market:In Europe, Oslo Airport became the first airport to offer jet bio-jet to all carriers through its usual supply mechanism in 2016. In the Netherlands in 2013, KLM, SkyNRG, Neste Oil, Schiphol Group, Port of Amsterdam and the Dutch government developed the BioPort Holland supply chain with an aim to boost the bio jet market in Europe. The EU Biofuels Flightpath has a target of producing two MM tones of renewable jet fuels every year by 2020, which is roughly 3%-4% of total jet fuel use in EuropeEmerging countries in the Asia-Pacific and Latin America region, such as India, China, and Brazil are expected to be major players in providing feedstock for aviation biofuel in the future. Also, China aims at reaching 7.5 billion gallons per year of aviation biofuel which will significantly boost the growth of the aviation biofuel market by 2020. In Australia, SkyNRG is working with Brisbane Airport since 2013 to convert it into the first bio port in the Asia-Pacific region.In January 2014 major companies such as Boeing, Etihad Airways, Takreer, Total along with Masdar Institute of Science and Technology teamed up for 'Biojet Abu Dhabi- Flight Path to Sustainability' developing a regional, sustainable aviation biofuel industry for the Middle East. In Africa, South African Airways with the help of SkyNRG, Boeing were able to fly the first biojet fuel in 2016.To Get Discount on this Report:The aviation industry is one of the strongest and fastest growing transport sectors. Due to the growing share of aviation to greenhouse gas emissions and orders issued by various governing bodies the upcoming bio jet market has a lot of potential to grow in the near future. However the bio jet market needs a continuous supply of feedstock at sufficient quantities and at low cost. It needs to be priced competitively with petroleum jet fuel. The increasing competition by other biofuel producers for feedstock will affect feedstock prices, thus hampering the growth of the bio jet fuel market. For the global commercialization of bio jet fuel the aviation sector will need to efficiently use the existing downstream infrastructure to lower transport and production costs. Key players operating in the global bio jet fuel market include Honeywell International Inc., Red Rock Biofuels, Targray Technology International Inc., Vega Biofuels, Argent Energy, GEVO, KFS Biodiesel GmbH & Co. KG, PetroSun, Inc., Shirke Energy, Archer Daniels Midland Company.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite:Visit Blog : globalresearchtrends.blogspot.in/
Cotton Yarn Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 Weiqiao Textile, Huafu, Henan Xinye Textile, BROS, China Resources, Huamao, Lutai Textile, Guanxing and Others

Cotton Yarn Market

https://goo.gl/2qwZAL

https://goo.gl/2qwZAL

https://goo.gl/2qwZAL

http://marketreportscompany.com

Global Cotton Yarn market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Weiqiao Textile, Huafu, Henan Xinye Textile, BROS, China Resources, Huamao, Lutai Textile, Guanxing and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Cotton Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fiber, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, and rope making.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Cotton Yarn Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:TexhongWeiqiao TextileHuafuHenan Xinye TextileBROSChina ResourcesHuamaoLutai TextileGuanxingHengfengShandong RuyiHuafangSanyangDashengLianfaVardhman GroupNahar SpinningAlokTrident GroupKPR Mill LimitedNitin SpinnersAarti InternationalSpentexDaewooBitratex IndustriesNishat MillsFortexParkdaleOtherGlobal Cotton Yarn Market: Key Product TypeHome TextilesApparelIndustrial TextilesOthersGlobal Cotton Yarn Market: Key ApplicationHospital & ClinicHome CareOthersGlobal Cotton Yarn Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Cotton Yarn Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Cotton Yarn 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 Global Cotton Yarn 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 @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Carded Yarn1.1.2.2 Combed Yarn1.1.2.3 Others1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Home Textiles1.1.3.2 Apparel1.1.3.3 Industrial Textiles1.1.3.4 Others.......................ContinueGlobal Cotton Yarn 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
Signal Jammer Market - Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 20172025

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/661

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/signal-jammer-market-661

www.coherentmarketinsights.com/

The signal jammer is a device used to protect devices from receiving signals from base station. According to Coherent Market Insights analysis, around 2991.4 thousand units of personal and commercial drones will be sold by the end of 2017 up from 2152.2 thousand units in 2016. This increasing sales of drones, in turn, is projected to fuel the market growth of signal jammer globally. Moreover, the increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles in restricted areas has become one of the key driving factors for the global signal jammer market. In addition to this, the increasing R&D investment by various government bodies across the globe will bolster the market growth over the forecast period. For example: the Battelle Memorial Institute in the U.S has developed signal jammers that are designed for the unmanned aerial vehicles, which is currently being used for training purposes by the U.S. government. Moreover, increasing global R&D investment in aerospace & defense sector also boost the market growth of signal jammer globally. According to Coherent Market Insights analysis, the global R&D expenditure in aerospace & defense sector was US$ 30.4 billion in 2016 up from US$ 29.8 billion in 2015.Request Sample of Signal Jammer Market:Signal Jammer Market TaxonomyOn the basis of application, the global signal jammer market is classified into:Military and defenseHome securityMilitary and defense segment held the dominant position in the global signal jammer market in 2016 and is projected to retain its dominance throughout the forecast period. The high governmental support to use the signal jammer in military and defense application acts as a key driver for the growth of the signal jammer market in the sector. The U.K. uses drone jammer technology, which helps track the UAV flown by terrorists. Similarly, the Russian government has taken initiatives to upgrade the helicopter fleet and the U.S. government has given contract award to Lockheed Martin for the testing and development of long range radar. Such government initiatives play a significant role in the growth of signal jammer market over the forecast period.Signal jammer Market Outlook  North America holds the largest market shareOn the basis of geography, global signal jammer market is classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America held the dominant position in the global signal jammer market in 2016 and is projected to retain its dominance throughout the forecast period. Due to the presence of major venders such as Northrop Grumman Corporation, Raytheon, Harris Corporation, and Lockheed Martin, the region witnesses immense growth potential. In addition to this, the high R&D investment by the U.S. in aerospace & defense segment will also add to the signal jammer market growth. According to Coherent Market Insights analysis, the U.S spent US$ 14.3 billion in aerospace & defense R&D in 2016. The increasing R&D spending by the U.S. is projected to propel the signal jammer market growth as well.To Check the Trending Report of Signal Jammer Market:Key Companies in the Global Signal Jammer MarketBAE Systems, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Raytheon, HSS Development, Harris Corporation, Israel Aerospace Industries, Lockheed Martin, MCTECH TECHNOLOGY, NDR Resource International, Stratign, and WolvesFleet Technology are some of the key companies in the global signal jammer market.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite:Visit Blog : globalresearchtrends.blogspot.in/
Denim Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 Vicunha, Isko, Arvind, Aarvee, Nandan Denim Ltd, Weiqiao Textile, Sudarshan Jeans, and Others

Denim Market

https://goo.gl/jxoTmx

https://goo.gl/jxoTmx

https://goo.gl/jxoTmx

http://marketreportscompany.com

Global Denim market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Vicunha, Isko, Arvind, Aarvee, Nandan Denim Ltd, Weiqiao Textile, Sudarshan Jeans, and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Denim is a textile of sturdy cotton warp-faced twill in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. It is a characteristic of most indigo denim that only the warp threads are dyed, whereas the weft threads remain plain white.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Denim Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:CanatibaVicunhaIskoArvindAarveeNandan Denim LtdWeiqiao TextileSudarshan JeansBlack PeonyOrta AnadoluJindal WorldwideEtco DenimRaymond UCOBhaskar IndustriesSangamOswal DenimsSuryalakshmiShasha Denims LimitedXinlan GroupAlik DenimFoshan Seazon Textile and GarmentCone DenimZhejiang Sitong Textile FashionWeifang Lantian TextileJiangyin ChulongBafang FabricHaitian TextileAdvance DenimKG DenimShunfeng TextileBossaShandong WantaiZhejiang HongfaSuyinOtherGlobal Denim Market: Key Product TypeLight DenimMedium DenimHeavy DenimGlobal Denim Market: Key ApplicationJeansShirtJacketOthersGlobal Denim Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Denim Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Denim 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 Global Denim 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 @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Light Denim1.1.2.2 Medium Denim1.1.2.3 Heavy Denim1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Jeans1.1.3.2 Shirt1.1.3.3 Jacket1.1.3.4 Others....................ContinueGlobal Denim 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
Dairy Blends Market: Global Key Players Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited, Dohler Group, Friesland Campina and Forecast to 2022

Dairy Blends Industry

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2334

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/dairy-blends-market-2334

Market Research Future published a half-cooked research report on Dairy Blends Market Is Expected to Grow at a Higher Pace By 2022.Market Synopsis of Dairy Blends Market:Market Scenario:Dairy Blends are milk concentrates with low-fat content as compared to other dairy spreads. The high water content helps in using the dairy blends for frying and baking purpose. They are also consumed directly as spreads. They are used in production of infant formula because of the nutrient content. Dairy blends constitutes of partially hydrogenated oil or liquid vegetable oils. Low fat dairy blends are used as a replacement of higher fat containing cheese and butter for breakfast. Consumers are getting more inclined towards toward low-fat containing spreads in their meals which help in fueling up the demand of dairy blends.Study Objectives of Dairy Blends Market:Detail analysis of the markets segments and sub-segmentsTo estimate and forecast market size by from, packaging, application and regionTo analyses key driving forces which are influencing the marketRegion level market analysis and market estimation of North America, Europe, Asia, and rest of the world (ROW) and their countriesValue chain analysis & supply chain analysis of the Dairy BlendsCompany profiling of major players in the marketCompetitive strategy analysis and mapping key stakeholders in the marketAnalysis of historical market trends and technologies along with current governmentKey Findings:Powder form of dairy blends is growing at a higher rate due to its higher shelf life.Top five exporters of Dairy Blends are Belarus, France, Belgium, Ireland and GermanyRequest Sample Report@Regional Analysis:The global Dairy Blends market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (ROW). Among these Europe region has the major market share followed by North America. Increasing consumption of dairy spreads and blends is supporting the growth of dairy blends market in developed countries of Europe and North America region. U.K., Portugal, France, Korea and Germany are the major importers of dairy blends and its products.Segments:Dairy Blends has been segmented on the basis of form which comprises powder, liquid and othersDairy Blends has been segmented on the basis of type which comprises milk protein concentrate, sweetener, thickener, nutritional enhancer and othersDairy Blends has been segmented on the basis of packaging which comprises bottles, bags, cans, boxes, sachets and othersDairy Blends has been segmented on the basis of application which comprises infant formula, ice-cream, yoghurt, bakery, confectionery, specialty flavorings, butter and cheese, beverages and othersAccess Report Details@The report for Global Dairy Blends Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regions.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Solutions, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028 Maharashtra, India
Disposable Medical Supplies Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 3M, Terumo Corporation, B. Braun Smith & Nephew, Abbott, C. R. Bard , Novartis and Others

Disposable Medical Supplies Market

https://goo.gl/msRwhD

https://goo.gl/msRwhD

https://goo.gl/msRwhD

http://marketreportscompany.com

Global Disposable Medical Supplies market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely 3M, Terumo Corporation, B. Braun Smith & Nephew, Abbott, C. R. Bard , Novartisand Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Disposable medical supplies are medical and surgical products which are intended for one use only. Disposable medical supplies mainly include injection and infusion products, wound care products, blood and dialysis products, medical implanting material, disposable clothing, incontinence supplies and surgical supplies etc.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Disposable Medical Supplies Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Johnson & JohnsonBaxterFreseniusBoston ScientificMedtronicBD3MTerumo CorporationB. BraunSmith & NephewAbbottC. R. BardNovartisConvaTecMedlineTeleflexHalyard HealthNitto MedicalColoplastSmiths GroupWeigaoBSN medicalLohmann & RauscherAnsellOtherGlobal Disposable Medical Supplies Market: Key Product TypeInjection and infusionWound careBlood and dialysisMedical implanting materialDisposable clothingIncontinence suppliesSurgical suppliesGlobal Disposable Medical Supplies Market: Key ApplicationHome healthcare & Nursing homeHospitals & Other medical institutionsOthersGlobal Disposable Medical Supplies Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Disposable Medical Supplies Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Disposable Medical Supplies 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 Global Disposable Medical Supplies 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 @Table of Contents:Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Injection and infusion1.1.2.2 Wound care1.1.2.3 Blood and dialysis1.1.2.4 Medical implanting material1.1.2.5 Disposable clothing1.1.2.6 Incontinence supplies1.1.2.7 Surgical supplies....................ContinueGlobal Disposable Medical Supplies 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
Relay Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 Omron, TE Connectivity, Panasonic, Fujitsu, NEC, Teledyne, ABB, Schneider Electric and Others

Relay Market

https://goo.gl/i6iZBk

https://goo.gl/i6iZBk

https://goo.gl/i6iZBk

http://marketreportscompany.com

Global Relay market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Omron, TE Connectivity, Panasonic, Fujitsu, NEC, Teledyne, ABB, Schneider Electric and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.A relay is an electrically operated switch. Many relays use an electromagnet to mechanically operate a switch, but other operating principles are also used, such as solid-state relays. Relays are used where it is necessary to control a circuit by a low-power signal (with complete electrical isolation between control and controlled circuits), or where several circuits must be controlled by one signal. The first relays were used in long distance telegraph circuits as amplifiers: they repeated the signal coming in from one circuit and re-transmitted it on another circuit. Relays were used extensively in telephone exchanges and early computers to perform logical operations.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Relay Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:OmronTE ConnectivityPanasonicFujitsuNECTeledyneABBSchneider ElectricEatonHoneywellFuji ElectricSharpRockwell AutomationFinderHELLASprecher+SchuhHongfaSong ChuanSanyouNingbo ForwardCHINT ElectricsDelixiHu GongSongle RelayTianyi ElectricalQunli ElectricNingbo HuikeOtherGlobal Relay Market: Key Product TypeElectromagnetic RelaySSR & Power ModuleCombined RelayGlobal Relay Market: Key ApplicationAutomotiveIndustrial ApplicationCommunication ApplicationGlobal Relay Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Relay Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Relay 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 Global Relay 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 @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Electromagnetic Relay1.1.2.2 SSR & Power Module1.1.2.3 Combined Relay1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Automotive1.1.3.2 Industrial Application1.1.3.3 Communication Application....................ContinueGlobal Relay 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
Automated Parcel Delivery Terminals Market: Industry Analysis And Detailed Profiles Of Top Industry Players

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/automated-parcel-delivery-terminals-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=11093

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/11093

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

The competitive dynamics in the global market for automated parcel delivery terminals is slated to change in the near future with new players upping the ante against the existing handful of well-entrenched ones. Currently, the latter, which are mostly centered in Europe, dominate the overall market.The market for automated parcel delivery terminals, which have been around for quite a while now in the parcel delivery business, has massive potential for growth on account of large number of underserved markets across the globe. Other factors providing tailwinds to their market are the booming ecommerce industry and rising cross-border delivery.Posing a roadblock to the global market for automated parcel delivery terminals, on the other hand, is their susceptibility to burglary. The considerable amount of space required for their set up is also hobbling their rapid take-up.A report by Transparency Market Research forecasts the global market for automated parcel delivery terminals to expand at a healthy 12.3% CAGR from 2017 to 2025. Expanding at this rate, the market is expected to be worth US$1.039 bn by 2025 from US$335.0 bn in 2015.Browse Our Report @Vis-a-vis volume, the report predicts the global market for automated parcel delivery terminals to expand at a robust 11.6% CAGR from 2017 to 2025 to reach 51,792 units by 2025 from 17,719 units in 2015.automated parcel delivery terminals marketThe global market for automated parcel delivery terminals can be broadly bifurcated into indoor terminals and outdoor terminals, based upon the type of deployment. Among the two, the indoor terminals holds a greater share as they cost comparatively lesser than outdoor terminals to install and operate. They also bring about easy recovery of parcels in difficult weather and offer better protection against burglary and vandalism. This has also resulted in their higher popularity.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @Depending upon ownership, the global market for automated parcel delivery terminals can be further divided into retailers, shipping and logistics companies, government organizations such as postal departments, and institutions such as universities. Among these, the shipping and logistics segment is predicted to outpace all others in terms of growth rate on the back of growing parcel volumes brought about by an exploding ecommerce industry.From a geographical standpoint, Europe dominates the global market for automated parcel delivery terminals at present. Its dominant position has resulted from the early adoption of automated parcel terminals by logistics companies, retailers, and various government organizations. Besides, presence of key players in the region has also worked in favor of the market. As per the TMR report, Europe held a share of about 68.1% in 2016.Browse Table Of Content @Europe is trailed by Asia Pacific in the global market for automated parcel delivery terminals. This is primarily owing to the considerable progress in the ecosystem for logistics in the developing economies of India and China. Similarly, development of logistics ecosystems in South Africa and Brazil are also catalyzing growth in the market in the Middle East and Africa and South America. Countries of Canada, the U.S., and the UAE are also predicted to contribute significantly to the global automated parcel delivery terminals market in the upcoming years.Some of the major participants in the global market for automated parcel delivery are InPost, Cleveron Ltd., KEBA AG, Smartbox Ecommerce Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Bell and Howell, LLC., Neopost group, ByBox Holdings Ltd., Winnsen Industry Co., Ltd., TZ Ltd., and ENGY Company.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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:
Baby Car Seat Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 Recaro, Graco, Takata, Combi, Maxi-cosi, Aprica, BeSafe, and Others

Baby Car Seat Market

https://goo.gl/q1DCe1

https://goo.gl/q1DCe1

https://goo.gl/q1DCe1

http://marketreportscompany.com

Global Baby Car Seat market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Recaro, Graco, Takata, Combi, Maxi-cosi, Aprica, BeSafe, and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Baby car seats, also known as baby car seats, are seats designed specifically to protect children from injury or death during collisions. Car manufacturers may integrate baby car seats directly into their vehicles design. Most commonly, these seats are purchased and installed by consumers.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Baby Car Seat Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:GoodbabyBritaxRecaroGracoTakataCombiMaxi-cosiApricaBeSafeChiccoJaneConcordKiddyBabyfirstStokkeAilebebeBest BabyWelldonBelovedbabyABYYGanenLutuleLekaOtherGlobal Baby Car Seat Market: Key Product TypeInfant Car SeatConvertible Car SeatBooster SeatGlobal Baby Car Seat Market: Key ApplicationShopping MallChain Specialty StoreAuto Parts ShopOnlineGlobal Baby Car Seat Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Baby Car Seat Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Baby Car Seat 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 Global Baby Car Seat 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 @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Infant Car Seat1.1.2.2 Convertible Car Seat1.1.2.3 Booster Seat1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Shopping Mall1.1.3.2 Chain Specialty Store1.1.3.3 Auto Parts Shop1.1.3.4 Online....................ContinueGlobal Baby Car Seat 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
India Wine Cooler Chest Freezer Market Insights Into The Competitive Scenario Of The Market

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/india-wine-cooler-chest-freezer-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=26024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/26024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

The market for wine cooler and chest freezers in India is being bolstered by a number of factors. At the forefront is the surging demand for processed foods and beverages brought about by the economic development in the country and rapid pace of urbanization that has not just upped the spending capacity of the people but also brought about changes in their lifestyle and eating habits. A rapidly expanding tourism industry is also said to be underpinning the growth in the market for it has led to the emergence of a copious number of hotels and cafes.Apart from that, the India wine cooler and chest freezers market is being boosted by the increasing focus on food safety and quality regulations. Wine coolers and chest freezers keep food fresh and cool, thereby helping to lower operational costs.Browse Our Report @In order to progress in the market, most companies are leveraging mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and partnerships. As per a report by Transparency Market Research, the India wine cooler and chest freezers market will likely expand at a 4.9% CAGR from 2017 to 2025 to reach a value of US$ 197.8 mn by 2025 from US$ 127.5 Mn in 2016.Depending upon the types of products, the two broad segments in the market are wine coolers and chest freezers. Among the two, the segment of chest freezers leads the market with a dominant share. In 2016, that dominant share stood at 65.0%. The market for chest freezers was worth US$82.3 mn in 2016. In the years ahead too, the segment is expected to hold on to its dominant share in the market in India. This is primarily due to the growth in the service and hospitality sector that consists of restaurants, food chains, and the tourism industries. Changing lifestyles and habits of consumers will also contribute to the growth in the segment. In terms of growth rate, however, the wine coolers market is slated to outpace chest freezers segment.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @The market for wine cooler and chest freezer in India can be segmented on the basis of application into cold storage and warehouses, retail, food and beverage processing, and hospitality. Of them, the food and beverage segment outshines all others in terms of market share. Hospitality is another key segment that generates substantial demand in the wine cooler and chest freezer market in India.Key regions in the India wine cooler and chest freezer market are North, East, South, and West India. South India, of them, is known to be a frontrunner in terms of revenue generation. This is mainly on account of high consumption of processed food and beverages in the region. The relatively higher economic growth in the region, in turn, is responsible to driving up demand by giving more money in peoples hands to spend.Browse Table Of Content @North India is another key segment with significant contribution to revenue in the wine cooler and chest freezer market. In the years ahead, the region will continue contributing to the overall revenue in the market. West India market too is predicted to clock a healthy in the upcoming years.Some of the key players operating in the India wine cooler and chest freezer market are Rockwell Industries Ltd., AB Electrolux, Haier lnc, Kieis Ltd., Elan Professional Appliances Pvt. Ltd, Williams Refrigeration, The Middleby Corporation, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Western Refrigeration Private Limited, and Whirlpool of India Limited.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:
North America Power Banks Market Comprehensive Evaluation Of The Market Via In-Depth Qualitative Insights

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/power-banks-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=4105

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/4105

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

The issue of mobile battery drainage is swelling with the rising penetration of high-speed internet. Social media mobile applications enabled by the internet and other services such as mobile games and video streaming consume high power, which in turn drains the battery. This is, thereby, escalating the demand for power banks. Besides this, the proliferation of smartphones is also working in favor of the global power banks market.According to a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the opportunity in the market will rise to a valuation of US$36.15 bn by the end of 2022, expanding at a remarkable CAGR of 25.9% between 2014 and 2022. The market holds immense potential, which is likely to encourage small players to foray into the arena. However, this will boost the competitive pressure on large players to offer quality products at low prices, which is expected to act as a stumbling block for key players. Furthermore, the advent of smartphones with solar panel fixed over screens is likely to slow down the rate of adoption of power banks in the long run.Browse Our Report @On the basis of product type, the global power banks market is segmented into solar power banks, portable power banks, and phone charging case. The portable power banks segment will continue to account for the leading share in the market in terms of both value and volume until 2022. The convenience offered by them is the primary factor that makes portable power banks the most preferred type. Moreover, rapid technological advancements are leading to the increase in functionality in portable power banks, thereby driving the growth of the segment.Based on power ratings, the report divides the market into above 20,000mAh, 8,00120,000mAh, 3,0018,000mAh, and up to 3,000mAh. The 3,0018,000mAh segment will remain dominant in terms of revenue throughout the forecast horizon. The spiraling demand for power banks with this power rating in industrialized economies in North America and Western Europe is supplementing the growth of the segment. These regions have a wide consumer base with two or more gadgets, which prefers cost-effective power banks that can charge multiple gadgets simultaneously.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @From the geographical standpoint, the global power bank market is categorized into North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. North America will be the forefront of growth throughout the same period, closely followed by Europe. The growth of these regions can be attributed to the presence of a large number of key players coupled with rapid technological advancements. The surging demand for power banks that can charge multiple devices at a time is also supplementing the growth of these regions.Asia Pacific, on the other hand, will expand at a phenomenal pace during the review period, with developing economies such as India and China emerging as sights of high growth rates. The proliferation of smartphones in these countries is playing a vital part in the expansion of the power bank market in the region. The rising penetration of high-speed mobile internet and availability of power banks at cheap prices are propelling the growth of the region.Browse Our Table Of Content @Some of the prominent companies operating in the global power bank market are MiPow Limited, Mophie Inc., Xtorm BV, Hitachi Maxell Ltd., EassyAcc.com Inc., Limefuel LLC, Sony Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Apacer Technologies Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and Anker and GP Batteries International 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. 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:
Body Armor Market Understanding The Key Product Segments And Their Future

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/body-armor-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=6961

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/6961

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

The ongoing soldier modernization programs initiated by several governments across the globe are augmenting the sale of body armor. Organizations are also investing in state-of-art armor as they come with enhanced mobility, lethality, sustainability, and survivability, states Transparency Market Research. The increasing investments in research and development activities to develop light-weight materials and to incorporate technical precision in manufacturing body armor suits is likely to drive the growth of the market in the near future. The rising threats of terrorism due to political instability are also expected to boost the demand for body armor in the near future.The report states that the opportunity in the global body armor market was worth US$3.30 bn in 2014 and is expected to reach US$4.33 bn by the end of 2021. Between 2015 and 2021, the overall market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.0%. The global market will also receive an impetus from laws mandating use of body armor among law enforcement and military personnel, as is seen across the U.A.E. Furthermore, the investments made by Brazil, Russia, the U.S., and India to develop sophisticated materials will also enhance the quality of body armor in the near future, thereby propelling their demand.Browse Our Report @The types of body armor available in the global market include type I, type II-A, type II, type III-A, type III, and type IV. The type IV body armor is being widely adopted by militaries across the world as they lend among the highest levels of protection. This armor claims to protect against .30 caliber armor piercing bullets along with single-hit protection from the type I, type II-A, type II, and type III threats. Replacement of obsolete armor with advanced versions will also propel the sale of type IV body armor in the coming years. Owing to these reasons, the type IV body armor segment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.6% between 2015 and 2021 in terms of revenue.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, and Asia Pacific are the key regional segments of the global body armor market. Of these, North America held a leading share of 50.3% in the global market in terms of revenue. By the end of 2021, this share will rise marginally to 50.4%. The persistent acquisition of advanced equipment by military organizations in the U.S. is the primary growth driver for the body armor market. Furthermore, the high incidence of handgun crimes is also likely to spur the demand for body armor during the forecast period.Browse Table Of Content @Some of the leading players in the global body armor market are Honeywell International Inc., Point Blank Enterprises, Inc., BAE Systems, Inc., Sarkar Defense Solutions, MKU Pvt. Ltd., and Safariland, LLC. Companies will have to focus on achieving technological precision to add features to body armor that not only prevent injury but also reduce the level of trauma. In the near future, players focusing on research and development are likely to garner the biggest shares in the overall market. Technology, LLC.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:
Global Protein Crystallization Market Report Size, Share, Growth and Forecast 2017

Reportsweb

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001851736/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-protein-crystallization-industry-market-research-2017

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001851736/discount

http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW0001851736/buy/2600

ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Protein Crystallization 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 Protein Crystallization 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 Protein Crystallization based on their definitions. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. What is more, the Protein Crystallization 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 Protein Crystallization market.2. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the Protein Crystallization 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 Protein Crystallization market.Get discount on report purchase atKey Point from Table of Contents:1 Industry Overview of Protein Crystallization1.1 Brief Introduction of Protein Crystallization2 Industry Chain Analysis of Protein Crystallization3 Manufacturing Technology of Protein Crystallization3.1 Development of Protein Crystallization Manufacturing Technology4Major Manufacturers Analysis of Protein Crystallization5 Global Production, Revenue and Price Analysis of Protein Crystallization by Regions, Manufacturers, Types and Applications5.1 Global Production, Revenue of Protein Crystallization by Regions 2012-20176 Global and Major Regions Capacity, Production, Revenue and Growth Rate of Protein Crystallization 2012-20177 Consumption Volume, Consumption Value, Import, Export and Sale Price Analysis of PROTEIN CRYSTALLIZATION by Regions 20178 Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Protein Crystallization9 Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Protein Crystallization10 Global and Chinese Economic Impact on Protein Crystallization Industry10.1 Global and Chinese Macroeconomic Environment Analysis11 Development Trend Analysis of Protein Crystallization 12 Contact information of PROTEIN CRYSTALLIZATION13 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Protein Crystallization14 Conclusion of the Global Protein Crystallization 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
Insect Repellent Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 Avon Products Inc., DuPont(Entomol), Reckitt Benckiser Group and Others

Insect Repellent Market

https://goo.gl/jzaZ8D

https://goo.gl/jzaZ8D

https://goo.gl/jzaZ8D

http://marketreportscompany.com

Global Insect Repellent Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Avon Products Inc., DuPont(Entomol), Reckitt Benckiser Group and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.An insect repellent is a substance applied to skin, clothing, or other surfaces which discourages insects (and arthropods in general) from landing or climbing on that surface. Insect repellents help prevent and control the outbreak of insect-borne (and other arthropod-bourne) diseases such as malaria, Lyme disease, dengue fever, bubonic plague, and West Nile fever. Pest animals commonly serving as vectors for disease include insects such as flea, fly, and mosquito; and the arachnid tick. Insect repellents are mainly used in home or personal health. Insect repellents are an alternative to the use of insecticides. They may be applied to the skin to protect an individual from the bites of mosquitoes, mites, ticks and lice or, less commonly, may be used to exclude insects from an area, such as in packaging to prevent infestation of stored products.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Insect Repellent Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:S.C. JohnsonSpectrum Brands3MAvon Products Inc.DuPont(Entomol)Reckitt Benckiser GroupSawyer ProductsTenderInsect ShieldExOfficio LLCCloemanAll TerrainHOMSJahwaLongrich BioscienceOthersGlobal Insect Repellent Market: Key Product TypeBody worn insect repellentNon body worn insect repellentOthersGlobal Insect Repellent Market: Key ApplicationGeneral populationSpecial population (baby, pregnancy, etc.)OthersGlobal Insect Repellent Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Global Insect Repellent Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Insect Repellent 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 Global Insect Repellent 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 @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Body worn insect repellent1.1.2.2 Non body worn insect repellent1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 General population.......................Continue (Global Insect Repellent 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
Hydrochloric Acid Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 Shin-Etsu Chemical, UNID, Orica Watercare, Detrex Chemicals and Others

Hydrochloric Acid Market

https://goo.gl/ZjVkh5

https://goo.gl/ZjVkh5

https://goo.gl/ZjVkh5

http://marketreportscompany.com

Global Hydrochloric Acid Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Shin-Etsu Chemical, UNID, Orica Watercare, Detrex Chemicals and Others This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is a clear, colorless, highly pungent solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl) in water. It is a highly corrosive, strong mineral acid with many industrial usesRequest for Free Sample Copy of Global Hydrochloric Acid Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Dow ChemicalOlinCovestroOxyChemAxiallINOVYNWestlake ChemicalBASFShin-Etsu ChemicalUNIDOrica WatercareDetrex ChemicalsCanexusSolvayERCO WorldwideDupontCoogee ChemicalsTessenderlo GroupAGCFormosa PlasticsOthersGlobal Hydrochloric Acid Market: Key Product TypeSynthetic Hydrochloric AcidBy-product Hydrochloric AcidOthersGlobal Hydrochloric Acid Market: Key ApplicationIndustrial HydrochlorideFood-Class Hydrochloric AcidOthersGlobal Hydrochloric Acid Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Global Hydrochloric Acid Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Hydrochloric Acid 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 Global Hydrochloric Acid 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 @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Objectives of Research1.1.1 Definition1.1.2 Specifications1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 by Type1.2.1.1 Portable1.2.1.2 Stationary1.2.2 by Application1.2.2.1 Home Application1.2.2.2 Commercial1.2.2.3 Automotive1.2.2.4 Others1.2.3 by Regions.......................Continue (Global Hydrochloric Acid 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
Bioactive Fillings Market Production, Share, Demand, Applications and Opportunities Market Research Report 2027

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/937

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/bioactive-fillings-market

Global Bioactive Fillings Market Information by Type (Direct Fillings), by Material (Gold fillings, Porcelain fillings, Glass Ionomer)- Forecast to 2027Study Objectives of Bioactive Fillings- To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 10 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Bioactive Fillings market - To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth - To Analyze the Bioactive Fillings market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. - To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW) - To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective - To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by Filling Types, Materials and its sub-segments. - To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market - To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Bioactive Fillings marketGet a sample report atGlobally the market for Bioactive Fillings is increasing rapidly the main reason for this is the growth is the increase in population with dental issues. The factors that influence the growth of Bioactive Filling market; increase in the volume of tooth repair techniques and the wide range of advantages of Bioactive or Dental material types provide such as less sensitive to moisture, long lasting filling, variety of colored fillings, protection of tooth from further decay and many more. The market for Bioactive Fillings is also growing due to the increasing demand for composite Dental Filling materials.SegmentsThe market for Bioactive Fillings is segmented in mainly two parts i.e. by Filling Types, by Material and its various sub-segments; by Ingredient Filling Types include Direct Filling and Indirect Filling. Whereas by Material include Gold fillings, Amalgam/silver fillings, Composite (plastic/glass) resins, Porcelain/Ceramics fillings, Glass Ionomer and others.Key PlayersThe key players that are involved in Global Bioactive Fillings market are Coltene Whaledent Pvt. Ltd (India), DenMat Holdings LLC (U.S), DMG Chemisch-Pharmazeutische Fabrik GmbH (Germany), GC Corporation (Japan), Heraeus kulzer gmbh (Germany), Ivoclar Vivadent (Schaan), Kerr Corporation (Canada) and Premier Dental (U.S).Browse complete report atNorth America US CanadaLatin AmericaEurope Western Europe Germany France Italy Spain U.K Rest of Western Europe Eastern EuropeAsia Pacific Asia China India Japan South Korea Rest of Asia PacificThe Middle East& AfricaThe report for Bioactive Fillings of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Market Research FutureMaharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@Marketresearchfuture.Com
Injectable Drug Delivery Devices Market - The Biggest Trends to watch out for 2027

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1211

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/injectable-drug-delivery-devices-market

Injectable drug delivery devices market research report, by type (devices and formulation), by application (immune disorder, cancer, diabetes and other), by end users (hospitals, homecare, clinics and other) - global forecasted till 2023Market scenario:Injectable drug delivery devices are the devices used to administer drugs into the circulatory system. It is the most effective and common route for the administration of most therapeutic agents to ensure a quick response. Injectable drugs are used when patient is unconscious and require quick effect. These devices are majorly used during treatment of diseases like cancer and diabetes. According to WHO in 2012, 14.1 million cancer cases around the world were registered out of which 6.7 million were women and 7.4 million were men. This number is expected to increase to 24 million by 2035. Increasing cancer population is the major factor for the growth of the market. Global injectable drug delivery devices market is driven by rising prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing occurrence of needle-stick injuries, increasing use of biologics. Technological advancements, improving patient compliance, beneficial reimbursement policies, increasing healthcare awareness and increasing geriatric population has also contributed to the growth of the market. Whereas, risk of blood-borne infections, safety concerns regarding the use of injectable, introduction of the alternative drug delivery devices would restrain the growth of the market.Global injectable drug delivery devices market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.8% during forecasted period.Get a sample report atStudy objectives global injectable drug delivery devices market To provide the detail information about drivers and factors restraining the market growth. To provide the market growth map over the forecasted period 2017-2023 To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 7 years of various segments and sub-segments of the global injectable drug delivery devices To provide the graphs and analyze the market on various factors like- Price Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis, Porters Five Force Analysis etc. To provide the trends and opportunities in global injectable drug delivery devices To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to the main geographies. To provide the overview of key players and their strategic profiles in the market and drawing a competitive landscape for the marketIntended Audience Injectable drug delivery devices manufacturers Injectable drug delivery devices suppliers Research and Development (R&D) Companies Medical Research Laboratories Market Research and Consulting Service Providers Academic Medical Institutes and UniversitiesSegmentationGlobal injectable drug delivery devices market is segmented on the basis of type into devices and formulation. Devices are further segmented into self-injection devices and conventional injection devices. By formulation, they are sub segmented into conventional drug delivery, novel drug delivery and others. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into immune disorder, cancer, diabetes, and other. And on the basis of end users the market is segmented into hospitals, homecare, clinics, and other.Regional analysisGlobal injectable drug delivery devices market is dominated by America owning to increasing patient population suffering from diabetes and cancer. Increasing aging population and technological development is also supporting the growth of the market. Europe accounts second largest market for injectable drug delivery devices which is followed by Asia Pacific. Huge patient population and rapid development of economies in countries of Asia Pacific is the major driver for the market in this region.Browse complete report atKey players for global injectable drug delivery devices marketBecton, Dickinson and Company (US), Baxter International (US), Schott AG (Germany), Eli Lilly and Company (US), Pfizer (US), Gerresheimer AG (Germany), Terumo Corporation (Japan), Antares Pharma, Inc. (US), Novo Nordik (Denmark), Sanofi SA (France), Unilife Corporation (US), Zogenix, Inc (US), Hospira, Inc (US), Presage Bioscience (US), MicroCHIPS, Inc (US), Pearl Therapeutics Inc (US), Genentech Inc. (US), Bend Research (US)The report for global injectable drug delivery devices market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives a clear picture of the current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regions.At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Market Research FutureMaharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@Marketresearchfuture.Com
Release Liners Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 Delfortgroup, Siliconature, Infiana, Xinfeng Group, and Others

Release Liners Market

https://goo.gl/uQzGxd

https://goo.gl/uQzGxd

https://goo.gl/uQzGxd

http://marketreportscompany.com

Global Release Liners Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Delfortgroup, Siliconature, Infiana, Xinfeng Group, and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.A release liner is a material made up of paper or plastic which functions as a carrier for the pressure-sensitive label stock. It has specialized non-stick coatings on one or both ends. It is coated with a release agent on one or both sides, which prevents it from making bonding with the material. The release agent stimulates release effect against any material coated with adhesives. Release liners protect the adhesive prior to its initial application. Release liners come in different forms such as in paper or plastic films and can be printed or non-printed. Primarily release liners are made up from glassine or super calendered kraft paper. In this report, we only focus on paper and film Release Liners.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Release Liners Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Expera Specialty SolutionsMondiAhlstrom-MunksjLoparexUPMNan Ya PlasticsLINTECFelix Schoeller3MPolyplexDelfortgroupSiliconatureInfianaXinfeng GroupLaufenbergDupontItasaMTi PolyexeSaint-GobainRossellaGlatfelterRoad MingFujikoShangXin PaperFormulaMITSUI BUSSANPenta-TechGlobal Release Liners Market: Key Product TypeSCKCCKPCKPolyolefinBO-PETBOPPOthersGlobal Release Liners Market: Key ApplicationCompositesGraphic artsHygieneLabelsTapesIndustryMedicalEnvelopesOthersGlobal Release Liners Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Global Release Liners Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Release Liners 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 Global Release Liners 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 @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 SCK1.1.2.2 CCK1.1.2.3 PCK1.1.2.4 Polyolefin1.1.2.5 BO-PET1.1.2.6 BOPP1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Composites1.1.3.2 Graphic arts1.1.3.3 Hygiene1.1.3.4 Labels1.1.3.5 Tapes......................Continue (Global Release Liners 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
Tilapia Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, Viet Nam, Colombia and Others

Tilapia Market

https://goo.gl/iXWfvx

https://goo.gl/iXWfvx

https://goo.gl/iXWfvx

http://marketreportscompany.com

Global Tilapia Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, Viet Nam, Colombia and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.The global tilapia market is expected to increase stably. With the rapid expansion of tilapia production capacity in Southeast Asia and South Asia in recent years, the market gradually saturated, is expected in the next few years will enter a stable growth period.Price of tilapia is expected to go down, on the wave of increased production. In the USA, the price of fresh tilapia fillets is at present (December 2015) US$ 2.3/kg, which compares to US$ 1.85/kg for catfish. By comparison,The EU market is still relatively small, but growing very strongly. Tilapia is thus on its way to become a major supplier of protein both in the developed and the developing world. Fortunately, there is no risk that increasing tilapia imports into the USA or Europe will take away affordable protein from the poor of the world, as the tilapia going as cheap products on the local markets would not be sellable on the Western market. These tilapia coming from intensive farms, from small water areas or rice farms are generally very Small and not very homogenous. On the other hand, the product going for export is of constant quality, size, colour and texture. It is to be hoped that the increase in production and exports of tilapia will increase employment in the producing countries.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Tilapia Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:ChinaEgyptUSAIndonesiaPhilippinesThailandBrazilViet NamColombiaEcuadorMyanmarMalaysiaUgandaBangladeshOthersGlobal Tilapia Market: Key Product TypeNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)Latin America, Middle East and AfricaOthersGlobal Tilapia Market: Key ApplicationTilapiaTilapia filletOthersGlobal Tilapia Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Global Tilapia Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Tilapia 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 Global WiFi Wireless Speakers 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 @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Objectives of Research1.1.1 Definition1.1.2 Specifications1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 by Type1.2.1.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.2.1.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.2.1.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.2.1.4 Latin America, Middle East and Africa1.2.2 by Application1.2.2.1 Tilapia1.2.2.2 Tilapia fillet1.2.3 by Regions.......................Continue (Global Tilapia 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
Herbal Medicine Market Report for Period 2011 till 2022 Dabur, Herbal Africa, Natures Answer, Bio-Botanica and Others

Herbal Medicine Market

https://goo.gl/4kjJX1

https://goo.gl/4kjJX1

http://marketreportscompany.com

Global Herbal Medicine Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Dabur, Herbal Africa, Natures Answer, Bio-Botanica and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Herbal medicine--also called botanical medicine or phytomedicine refers to using a plants seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes. Herbalism has a long tradition of use outside of conventional medicine. It is becoming more mainstream as improvements in analysis and quality control along with advances in clinical research show the value of herbal medicine in the treating and preventing disease.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Herbal Medicine Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:TsumuraSchwabeMadausWeledaBlackmoresArkopharmaSIDO MUNCULArizona NaturalDaburHerbal AfricaNatures AnswerBio-BotanicaPottersZandNature HerbsImperial GinsengYunnan BaiyaoTongrentangTASLYZhongxinKunming PharmaSanjiuJZJTGuangzhou PharmaTaijiHaiyaoOthersGlobal WiFi Wireless Speakers Market: Key Product TypeDetoxificationMedicineAntipyreticMedicineAigestantMedicineBloodCirculationMedicineOthersGlobal Herbal Medicine Market: Key ApplicationWesternHerbalismTraditionalChineseMedicineHomeopathyAyurvedaOthersGlobal Herbal Medicine Market: Key RegionAsia PacificEuropeNorth AmericaSouth AmericaMiddle East and AfricaThe Global Herbal Medicine Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Herbal Medicine 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 Global Herbal Medicine 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 @Global Herbal Medicine 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
A fascinating story was published in Ad Age yesterday, detailing the rise of the Modelorama chain of beer stores in Mexico and the recent efforts of Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) to encourage Mexican workers, both at home and in the U.S., to either stay in Mexico or return to their native country in order to become franchisees. AB-owned Grupo Modelo, which operates the Modeloramas, has even produced an emotion-laden documentary in praise of the opportunities that the chain purports to create for family-owned and operated franchise businesses. Ad Age seems to suggest that the renewed focus on this Modelorama chain is something of a response to President Donald Trumps continued anti-immigration statements. To quote the story:

We said thats a great opportunity, says Daniel Haskell, business unit head of Modelorama. Why dont we launch the brand through an initiative that lets people know in an impactful way that they dont have to go to the other side of the wall to find opportunity?

The choice to describe this as the launch of the brand is something of an odd one, considering the Modeloramas have been around for some timeat least since 2013, when AB InBev acquired Grupo Modelo. Oddly, the Ad Age story then immediately goes on to say that at this time, Modelorama was such a neglected product that no one even remembers when the first Modelorama opened. For a while, the name was changed to Corona, Modelos flagship beer. Some outlets used both names, in an excess of confused branding.

And yet, there are apparently 8,000 Modelorama stores across Mexico representing 15% of Grupo Modelos sales, and that number is exploding. Grupo Modelo is reportedly opening two or three per day currently, which adds up to 873 new Modeloramas in 2016 and more than 900 so far in 2017. And the cost of getting started with the company is incredibly small, by American standards: Just $5,000 in order to become a Modelorama franchisee, according to Haskell.

In terms of AB InBevs role, the stores stand to be extremely profitable. With low start-up costs and seemingly nonexistent regulation in terms of distribution, they amount to a series of 8,000 stores that sell nothing but AB InBev products, including Bud Light, Corona, Modelo Especial, Stella Artois and Victoria, along with some partnerships with companies such as Coca-Cola and Nestle water. A small number of Modelorama Premium boutiques also exist in higher-income cities and neighborhoods, which would offer more artisanal and craft beers, and premium brands like Stella. If these premium locales are successful, could they become a destination for American former-craft breweries acquired by AB InBev? Will the company start shipping cans of Goose Island down to Mexico City, or perhaps a (slightly) closer choice such as Four Peaks? According to the article, up to 15% of Modelorama outlets would eventually be under the Modelorama Premium banner, which suggests there will soon be hundreds of these stores in Mexico looking for artisanal and craft beers to selland presumably they mean those fully owned by AB InBev, unless theyre planning on working with Mexican craft breweries, which certainly seems unlikely. Perhaps Grupo Modelo will begin construction of more faux-craft breweries of its own within Mexico?

Obviously, the Modelorama format will be confined exclusively to Mexico, given currently existing three-tier laws that separate beer producers, wholesalers and retailers. But as the number of locations continues to grow, it looks more and more like a savvy business decision by AB InBev that will allow them to unload a whole hell of a lot of beer in Mexico at a minimum of cost and maximum profit.
By Benjamin Jumbe

Bureaucracy and corruption have been cited as some of the factors frustrating UK investors seeking to start up business in Uganda.

This was revealed by Lord Dolar Popat from the House of Lords during a meeting with the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga whom he hosted to a dinner in London yesterday.

Lord Popat who was born in Uganda and is currently the British Prime Ministers trade envoy for Rwanda and Uganda said British investors are keen to focus more in the areas of trade and investment however expressing concern with the slow pace of doing business in Uganda.

The Speaker said that she would take up the issue with the responsible ministries, acknowledging the need to tackle these issues head-on adding that Uganda is interested in more investment that would create employment.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 16:32:03

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aben Resources Ltd. (TSX-V:ABN) (OTCBB:ABNAF) (Frankfurt:E2L2) (the "Company") is pleased to report that the Company has now completed 9 holes and 2,445 metres of its expanded 1st Phase drill program. Assays are pending and are expected to start being received by the Company and continue through to the end of October. This drill program is considered the 1st Phase of what will be a multi-phase/multi-year exploration program guided by the extensive data compilation completed by the Company. The data obtained is based on historic exploration results made available when the Forrest Kerr Property was assembled in 2016. This historic data includes over 120 drill holes, 2,100 rock and 18,000 soil samples property-wide. This comprehensive study has helped our team generate several exploration and drill targets based on a regional scale.

Golden Triangle, BC claims map:

http://www.abenresources.com/i/maps/ABN_Golden_Triangle_map.jpg

This first drill program is designed to test and confirm 2 historic drill intercepts and to better define the nature of the mineralizing systems with which they are associated. The Company will determine further drill plans for this program when assays are received and evaluated.

Forrest Kerr Gold Project Summary:

Historical drilling results at the Forrest Kerr Project have ranged from trace values to several high-grade intercepts such as 9.97 g/t gold over 29.3 metres, including 125 g/t gold over 0.8 metres and 91 g/t gold over 1.9 metres, in hole RG91-21 in the Carcass Creek Zone as well as 33.4 g/t gold over 11 metres, including 326 g/t gold over 0.5 metres, in hole RG91-16 at the Boundary Zone. This high grade mineralization is within 200 metres vertical depth of surface and the Carcass and Boundary Zones are approximately 4 kilometres apart, leaving robust discovery potential along strike, at depth and at other regional targets on the Property.

Aben's Forrest Kerr, BC project map:

http://www.abenresources.com/i/maps/FK-007.jpg

The historical drill holes at the two main target areas, the Carcass and Boundary Zones, were drilled decades ago with limited follow up work due to limited accessibility, high drilling costs and a less comprehensive understanding of the geology. Since then, major infrastructure improvements have been made including the Galore Creek access road on the northern extent of the Property as well as roads and powerlines within the southern boundaries of the Property where hydroelectric facilities have been constructed in recent years. In addition, rapid glacial retreat over the past 25 years has exposed extensive new areas of outcrop exposure in this highly prospective region. Aben's technical team has spent over a year analyzing and reinterpreting the historical exploration and geological data with the help of structural geologists to gain a stronger understanding of the existing targets and high-grade gold mineralization at the project.

*Note: Aben has not been able to independently verify the methodology and results from historical work programs within the property boundaries. However, management believes that the historical work programs have been conducted in a professional manner and the quality of data and information produced from them are relevant. In addition, management cautions that past results or discoveries on proximate land are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved on the Forrest Kerr Property.

Cornell McDowell, P.Geo., V.P. of Exploration of Aben Resources, has reviewed and approved the technical aspects of this news release and is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

In other news that positively affects Aben Resources, the Federal and the Yukon Governments have announced over $360 million in combined federal and territorial funding to improve road access in two mineral-rich areas: the Nahanni Range Road in southeastern Yukon and the Dawson Range in central Yukon. The Company's 100% held 18,300 acre Justin Gold Project is contiguous with Golden Predator's advancing high-grade 3 Aces gold project which is traversed by the Nahanni Range Road for approximately 30 km.

Justin Gold Project, Yukon location map:

http://www.abenresources.com/i/maps/Justin_Location.jpg

Improvements to the Nahanni Range Road will include upgrades along its 188 km length from its junction with the Campbell Highway to the border between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Aben's Justin Project camp is located at km 143 on the Nahanni Range Road. This camp is currently being utilized by Golden Predator for its 3 Aces project and by Aben personnel for a sampling, mapping and trenching program supported by the Yukon Government through a YMEP grant.

The "Yukon Resource Gateway Project" is critical to help advance exploration and develop new mining projects with improved access to our Justin Project and others, for the benefit of the Yukon's First Nations, rural Yukon communities, and Canada in general.

Aben's CEO, Jim Pettit states: "This move to upgrade infrastructure into these mineral-rich regions of the Yukon will have the same knock-on effects as the upgrades to infrastructure in the very active Golden Triangle region of British Columbia where our flagship Forrest Kerr Project is located. Aben's Justin Project and camp are located along the Nahanni Range Road, and any upgrades to access should help bring down costs. Aben believes the Yukon is one of the best jurisdictions in Canada for exploration and mining."

The Company is spending $100k on the Justin Project this year for further mapping, sampling and trenching. This will help expand our current knowledge and understanding of the intrusive-related gold system discovered by Aben in 2011.

About Aben Resources:

Aben Resources is a Canadian gold exploration company developing projects in British Columbia's Golden Triangle, the Yukon, and Saskatchewan. Aben's flagship Forrest Kerr Gold Project is located in the Golden Triangle of BC where the Company currently owns certain mineral tenures outright and has agreements in place with various third-parties whereby it has the exclusive right to a 100% interest in the 23,000-hectare property area.

For further information on Aben Resources Ltd. (TSX-V:ABN), visit our Company's web site at www.abenresources.com.

Aben Resources has approx. 53.2 million shares issued and outstanding.

ABEN RESOURCES LTD.

"Jim Pettit"

______________________

JAMES G. PETTIT

President & CEO

For further information contact myself or:

Don Myers

Aben Resources Ltd.

Director, Investor Relations

Telephone: 604-639-3851

Toll Free: 800-567-8181

Facsimile: 604-687-3119

Email: info@abenresources.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements." All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although management believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration and development successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedar.com for further information.

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

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

Source: Aben Resources Ltd via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 15:59:01

Whats happening during Biker Summer 2017? Moto-tyres.co.uk is asking bikers from ten European countries about their tour plans.

The survey is running until 30th September 2017  join in now and win biker equipment worth more than 1,700 pounds!

Biker Summer 2017 campaign: Last Chance to Win Great Prizes from Moto-tyres.co.uk

insignis Agentur fur

Kommunikation GmbH (GPRA)

Henning Jahns

Tel.: +49-511-132214-14

Fax: +49-511-132214-99

delticom@insignis.de

or

Delticom AG

Anne Lena Peters

Tel.: +49-511-93634-8909

Fax: +49-511-93634-8301

anne.lena.peters@delti.com

Moto-tyres.co.uk wants to know: For the fifth year in a row, the online motorbike shop is asking bikers from ten European countries about their Biker Summer 2017 travel plans, favourite destinations and longest tours. For survey participants, Moto-tyres.co.uk and its sister shops in other European countries are raffling prizes to get every bikers heart beating faster, including vouchers for new motorbike tyres, a GARMIN motorbike GPS navigation system, and a GoPro camera with helmet attachment. For more information and a link to the survey, go to: www.moto-tyres.co.uk/promotion-biker-summer-2017.h. The Biker Summer 2017 campaign is running until 30th September 2017  so you still have time to join in and win top-quality equipment for your next bike tour.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201709190061

Biker Summer 2017 campaign: Last chance to win great prizes from Moto-tyres.co.uk (Photo: Business Wire)

For even more biker equipment, head to Moto-tyres.co.uks online shop. Customers can choose from tyres of all types from all the best known manufacturers, from top-quality premium brands to high-performance quality tyres. Thus, each and every biker can find the perfect product for their particular needs and preferences, and can kick-start their Biker Summer 2017 with the best equipment.

About Moto-tyres.co.uk

Whether you're looking for chopper, sport-touring or scooter tyres: bikers will find everything their heart desires in this renowned online store's range. Accessories such as bike tubes and motor oil complete Delticom's bike range. The two-wheeler tyre specialist's portfolio includes all established premium bike tyre manufacturers such as Metzeler, Pirelli, Continental, Dunlop, Bridgestone and Michelin, as well as renowned quality brands such as Heidenau, Avon, Maxxis and Mitas.

Online store for end users: www.Moto-tyres.co.uk

Further online stores in Europe: www.MotorradreifenDirekt.de (DE), www.MotorradreifenDirekt.at (AT), www.MotorradreifenDirekt.ch (CH), www.Pneus-Moto.fr (FR), www.Motorbandenmarkt.nl (NL), www.Moto-Pneumatici.it (IT), www.NeumaticosDeMoto.es (ES) and more.

Online store for dealers: www.Yourtyres.co.uk

About the company: www.delti.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201709190061
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 20:00:11

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 399 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for California Gold Mining Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Toronto, Ontario (FSCWire) - California Gold Mining Inc. (TSX Venture:CGM). has issued a press release with the following headline:California Gold Announces Proposed Private Placement of UnitsTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on California Gold Mining Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/California Gold Mining Inc.Source: California Gold Mining Inc. (TSX Venture: CGM, OTCQX: CFGMF, ISIN: A14ZUC, WKN: CA1302641040)Date: September 19, 2017Time: 2:00 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of California Gold Mining Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 12:00:12

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 397 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Canadian Zeolite Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Canadian Zeolite Corp. (TSX Venture:CNZ). has issued a press release with the following headline:Canadian Zeolite Achieves Repeat Sales in Ontario and Western CanadaTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Canadian Zeolite Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Canadian Zeolite Corp.Source: Canadian Zeolite Corp. (TSX Venture: CNZ, ISIN: CA1368001097, WKN: A2AEE1, OTCQB: CNZCF, FWB: ZEON)Date: September 19, 2017Time: 6:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Canadian Zeolite Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Cardiovascular Information System Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 14:00:05

Press Information

Coherent Market Insights

1001 4th Ave, #3200



Seattle, WA 98154



Mr. Shah

CEO

+1-206-701-6702

email

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/cardiovascular-information-system-market-20





# 669 Words

1001 4th Ave, #3200Seattle, WA 98154CEO+1-206-701-6702

Rampant rise in incidence rate of cardiovascular diseases worldwide, is fueling demand for a system that can aid physicians in managing patients cardiovascular medical records. This cardiovascular information system is a web-based system that would allow easy report generation and distribution. The cardiovascular information system (CVIS) provides on-time access to cardiovascular electronic medical records (EMR) in images, reports, and waveforms. The prime benefit of cardiovascular information system is that the patient safety and quality of care is improved by providing healthcare experts access to individuals cardiovascular medical records. Implementation of cardiovascular information system would help hospitals eliminate duplicate entries and reduce errors. From the formulation of operational strategies to the use of multiple functionalities from multiple locations, cardiovascular information system has been immensely useful and efficient.Request a sample copy of this report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/20 Cardiovascular Information System Market TaxonomyThe market in cardiovascular information system can be analyzed on the basis of application as follows:Cardiac and peripheral catheterization: This involves the insertion of a catheter into the heart chamber for the diagnosis and treatment of a particular heart conditionHemodynamics monitoring: It is based on invasive measurement of cardiac output, pulmonary arterial, and venous pressuresElectrophysiology: Electrophysiology is characterized by the study of diagnosis and treatment of electrical activities of the heartEchocardiography: An echocardiogram is a test used to create images of the heart with the help of sound wavesVascular ultrasound: Vascular ultrasound is a painless and non-invasive test to create images of arteries and veins, using a high-frequency sound wavesNuclear cardiology : Nuclear cardiology involves the usage of a radioactive tracer into the bloodstream for the identification of coronary heart disease and severity of prior heart attacksOn the basis of system, the market has been segmented as follows:CVISCPACSOn the basis of software delivery mode:CloudOn-premiseOn the basis of end users:HospitalsDiagnostic LaboratoriesPrivate ClinicsAsk for customization: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/20 Cardiology picture archiving and communication systems (CPACS) are slightly different from the radiology picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), in terms that CPACS support DICOM structure reporting for echocardiography measurements that is lacking in the PACS. The CVIS system on the other hand is data driven and stores patient information in the CVIS database for patient record and data reporting.Cardiovascular Information System Market Outlook - Growing Integration of Healthcare and IT to boost demand in Developing NationsOn the basis of geography, the global cardiovascular information system market can be segmented into five major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Rest of the World (RoW). Prime factors contributing towards growth of cardiovascular information system industry are increasing need to streamline the workflow and strengthen referral relationships, thereby focusing more on patient care. Furthermore, creation of a single point of access to all cardiac images helps physicians to make better treatment decisions at timely intervals. Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as a major market in the near future, mainly due to growing demand of cardiologists to produce a report from the CPACS while viewing the cardiac images, and appropriate integration of reports, images and measurements into a patients complete record. Also, increasing need to create an enterprise information management solution and need to reduce healthcare costs would also propel growth of cardiovascular information system market.Click here to know more about this report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/cardiovascular-information-system-market-20 Various companies provide cardiovascular information system to hospitals for a better and streamlined flow of procedures. Some of the top companies operating in the cardiovascular information system market are McKesson Corporation, Philips Healthcare, GE Healthcare, Cerner Corporation, Merge Healthcare, Agfa Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare, Agfa Healthcare, Fujifilm Medical Systems, Digisonics, Inc., and Lumedx.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.
Market Data Forecast

PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 08:09:41

Press Information

Market Data Forecast

2nd Floor, Lakeview Plaza, Kavuri Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500033, India.



Mr. Abhishek Shukla

Sales Manager (International Business Development)

Direct Line: +1-888-702-9626; Mobile: +91 998 555

email

http://www.marketdataforecast.com





# 712 Words

2nd Floor, Lakeview Plaza, Kavuri Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500033, India.Sales Manager (International Business Development)Direct Line: +1-888-702-9626; Mobile: +91 998 555

According to the report Europe Hydroponics Market by Equipment (HVAC, LED Grow Light, Communication Technology, Irrigation Systems, Material Handling, Control Systems & others), by Type (Aggregate (Closed Systems (The Water Culture System, The EBB and Flow System, Drip Systems, and The Wick System), Open Systems) & Liquid (Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), Floating Hydroponics, and Aeroponics)), by Crop Type (Tomato, Lettuce & Leafy Vegetables, Cucumber, Pepper & Strawberry), & by Input Type (Nutrients, Growth Medium), and by Region  Industry Analysis, Share, Size, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2016-2021) published by Market Data Forecast, the European Hydroponics Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16% and reach USD 120.39 million in 2021 from USD 57.32 million in 2016. Europe Hydroponics Market is the largest regional market because of its advanced agricultural techniques.Browse report details @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-hydroponics-market-2112/ Hydroponics is a part of hydroculture, the technique for developing plants without soil, utilizing mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent. Plant Roots are submerged in solvents for nutrients and normally, the solvent would be perlite or gravel. The supplements in hydroponics can be from fish waste, duck compost, or ordinary supplements.There are many factors driving the market. One of the important drivers is that hydroponics gives higher yield compared with conventional agricultural techniques. It additionally gives farmers the capacity to develop crops in regions that can't support crops in soil. Moreover, hydroponics removes the use of counterfeit maturing operators and pesticides, which helps in making nutritiously superior vegetable items. Lack of awareness about the hydroponic agriculture system and high investment are some of the factors restraining the market growth to an extent.Europe Hydroponics Market is segmented based on Equipment, Type, Crop Type and Input Type. Based on Equipment, market is segmented into HVAC, LED Grow Light, Communication Technology, Irrigation Systems, Material Handling, and Control Systems. Based on Type, market is segmented into Aggregate & Liquid. Based on Crop Type, market is further segmented into Tomato, Lettuce & Leafy Vegetables, Cucumber, Pepper & Strawberry. Based on Input type, market is further segmented into Nutrients, Growth Medium. On the basis of Aggregate hydroponics systems, market is further segmented into Closed Systems, Open Systems. Based on Liquid Hydroponic systems, market is segmented into Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), Floating Hydroponics, and Aeroponics. On the basis of Closed systems, market is further segmented into The Water Culture System, The EBB and Flow System, Drip Systems, and The Wick System. HVAC has the largest market share, followed by LED grow lights, in 2014. HVAC is dominating the market as heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning are the major elements required to create a controlled environment for hydroponic cultivation.Request Sample Market Brochure of the report for more information @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-hydroponics-market-2112/request-sample Geographically, market is further segmented into UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, and Spain. Europe has always been at the front line of executing advanced procedures in hydroponic smart Greenhouse cultivation. Nations, for example, The Netherlands, Spain, and France have extensive zones under Greenhouse development. However, in The Netherlands, producers generally grow their plants in simple tunnel like greenhouses without the use of atmosphere control advances. Hydroponics has prospered in Scandinavian nations where traditional farming procedures are nearly impossible amid the winter season.Major Players dominating the market are Argus Control Systems, Koninklijke Philips NV, Greentech Agro LLC, Logiqs B.V., Lumigrow, Inc. and General Hydroponics, Inc.Procure this report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/cart/buy-now/europe-hydroponics-market-2112 Make an Inquiry before buying @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-hydroponics- market-2112/inquireBrowse other related reports:North America Hydroponics Market - http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-hydroponics-market-2107/ APAC Hydroponics Market - http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-hydroponics-market-2115/ Latin America Hydroponics Market - http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/latin-america-hydroponics-2118/ MEA Hydroponics Market - http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/middle-east-and-africa-hydroponics-market-2121/ About Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and skillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.Media Contact:Abhishek ShuklaInternational Business Development ManagerMarket Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626; Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit MarketDataForecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 13:30:12

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 385 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for EVIO, Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Bend, OR (FSCWire) - EVIO, Inc. (OTCQB:SGBYD). has issued a press release with the following headline:EVIO Labs Prepared to Fund California Cannabis Laboratory ExpansionTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on EVIO, Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/EVIO , Inc.Source: EVIO, Inc. (OTCQB: SGBYD, WKN: A12D6X, ISIN: US82662D1081)Date: September 19, 2017Time: 7:30 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of EVIO, Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
By Benjamin Jumbe

Police have confirmed the killing of yet another Woman in Entebbe Municipality.

The police spokesperson Asan Kasingye has identified the deceased as 38 year old Harriet Nantongo, who has been a resident of Kabale A, Katabi Town council.

The deceased, a mother of 2 was a wife to a one Noah Musiba who was reported missing on 13th Sept, 2017.

She was washing Polythenes at a dumping site in Nkumba Bufulu near Nkumba University and her body was discovered this morning after residents mounted a search assisted by police.

The Kampala Metropolitan Police south RPC Siraj Bakaleke who visited the scene has urged residents to move in groups, assuring them that police is doing its best to ensure that criminals behind these killings are apprehended.

So far over 20 women have been killed in Wakiso district in a period of 3 months.
GONORRHEA DIAGNOSTIC MARKET  GLOBAL INDUSTRY INSIGHTS, TRENDS, OUTLOOK, AND OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS, 20162024

Gonorrhea Diagnostic Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 10:57:00

Press Information

Coherent Market Insights

1001 4th Ave, #3200



Mr. Shah

CEO

2067016702

email

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/gonorrhea-diagnostic-market-126





# 858 Words

1001 4th Ave, #3200CEO2067016702

Ease of Testing: Can be done on non-invasive and self-collected specimensSexually transmitted Diseases (STDs) are one of the leading health problems globally, affecting the quality of life and triggering serious morbidity and mortality. Gonorrhea is the most common among the various sexually transmitted diseases with the age group of 15 to 24 years being the largest affected group. Around 350,062 gonorrhea cases were reported in the U.S. in 2014, with the national gonorrhea rate increasing to 110.7 cases per 100,000 population. There are major complications when infected with sexually transmitted infections, which have a detrimental effect on the reproductive system and can adversely affect health of the child conceived by an infected mother. Infertility, cancers, and pregnancy complications are among the major complications that can arise from the disease. Symptoms of gonorrhea in men include painful urination, swelling of testicles and pus discharge. In women, symptoms encompass excessive vaginal discharge, painful urination, and abdominal pain. Various complications such as ectopic pregnancy, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) and Epididymitis are most common among females.Request a sample pdf Copy of report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/126 Thus, these complications further indirectly impact through facilitating sexual transmission of deadly virus such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and therefore, it also significantly adds to disease burden. In 2012, approximately 357 million new cases of curable STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and trichomoniasis) were reported worldwide, which include 78 million cases of gonorrhea occurring at the age group of 1549 year-olds. More than a million Sexually Transmitted Infections are acquired every day of which around 50% infections turn into Sexually Transmitted Diseases.Uncomplicated Gonorrhea: Developing Drugs for TreatmentFactors driving growth of the gonorrhea diagnostic market include increase in transmission of sexually transmitted infection. For instance, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on STD Surveillance Report, in 2013, there were around 1.4 million reported cases of chlamydia, a rate of 456.1 cases per 100,000 population and in 2014, there were 350,062 reported cases of gonorrhea (a rate of 110.7 per 100,000) in the U.S. Lack of biomedical products is a serious factor contributing to high incidence rate of STDs in low income countries. For instance, estimates by the International Conference on Population and Development (2011), for Sub-Saharan Africa, indicates that only nine organizations donated condoms per year to people in the age group of 1549-years and that only one female condom per year is available for every 10 women of the same age range. Condom supplies in many high-burden countries are still inadequate. Lower treatment cost for the test, where STI prevention counseling and HIV screenings are some of many free preventive care benefits under the Affordable Care Act, though the tests themselves may cost you. In the U.S., private health centers charge up to US$ 79 for individual STI tests and US$ 249 for comprehensive STI tests. The Florida Department of Health, for instance, charges only $45 for its comprehensive STI test. However, lack of STI prevention counselling and dearth of trained laboratory specialists are some of the factors restraining growth of the global gonorrhea diagnostics market.Artificial intelligence and diagnostic imaging are in the testing phases and expected to dominate the gonorrhea diagnostic marketThe global gonorrhea diagnostic market is segmented on the basis of diagnostic type, end user, and geography. On the basis of diagnostic type, the gonorrhea diagnostic market is divided into diagnostic imaging, molecular diagnostics, flow cytometry, chromatography, gel micro droplets, liposomes, differential light scattering (DLS), artificial intelligence, and monoclonal antibodies test. Molecular Diagnostic is sub-segmented into Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAAT) and swab tests.On the basis of end user, the gonorrhea diagnostic market is classified into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, diagnostic centers, clinics, and others.Gonorrhea diagnostic market traction is expected to be fueled by Growing Prevalence of STDs in Asia PacificRegional segmentation by Coherent Market Insights comprises North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. North America accounts for the largest market share, mainly due to presence of major players and adoption of advanced medical technologies in countries such as U.S. and Canada. In 2013, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there were over 3.3 million cases of gonorrhea registered. Europe is the second-largest gonorrhea diagnostic market, owing to the increasing prevalence of the disease in the region and largely unmet needs in effective diagnosis and treatments. In 2013, according to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 52,995 gonorrhea cases were reported across 28 countries in the region; 61% of all cases were reported in the U.K. Growing disposable income and increasing awareness levels among the populace in Asia Pacific, along with a large population base is expected to drive the market in Asia Pacific in the near future.Get discount on this report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-discount/126 Licensing approval: Approved for endocervical, vaginal, urethral, urine specimensKey players operating the gonorrhea diagnostic market include Becton, Dickinson and Company, Baxter International, Inc., Pfizer Inc., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Fresenius SE & CO. KGaA, Medtronic plc, Smiths Group plc, Terumo Corporation, Moog, Inc., F. Hoffmann-la Roche Ltd., and Johnson & Johnson. Major companies in the market are constantly working towards introducing innovative tests and lower the costs in order to improve patient outcomes and enhance profitability.
Healthcare Analytical Instrumentation and Systems Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 14:06:20

Press Information

Coherent Market Insights

1001 4th Ave, #3200





Seattle, WA 98154



Mr. Shah

CEO

+1-206-701-6702

email

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com





# 589 Words

1001 4th Ave, #3200Seattle, WA 98154CEO+1-206-701-6702

Analytical instruments and systems are devices that are used to for product analysis across various industries. There are different types of analytical instruments such as chromatography, electrophoresis, PCR, flow cytometers, and many others used across different industries. Application in chemical and healthcare research is extensive of these analytical instruments. These devices aid in substance separation, identification, and evaluation with different techniques. With increasing research and development across the globe, demand for analytical instruments is growing rapidly. Moreover, with increasing sample size and data generation through these samples, managing information has become crucial. Laboratories generate tons of information annually which need to be documented for further processes. Therefore, there are information systems developed that aids in managing the process and outcomes of the analytical tests.Request a sample copy of this report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/31 Market TaxonomyThe global healthcare analytical instrumentation and systems market is characterized by a range of analytical devices and systems. Therefore, based on different parameters, the global healthcare analytical instrumentation and systems market is analyzed in following segment:Based on the type of analytical instruments:ChromatographySpectrophotometerElectrophoresisPCRFlow cytometersMicroscopyMicroarrayMembrane separation/FiltrationX-ray CrystallographyProtein FractionationAnalyzersOthersBased on the technology:High-throughputMedium throughputLow ThroughputBased on the end-user:Research LaboratoriesDiagnostic LaboratoriesAcademic InstitutesIncrease in Contract Research Activities to Fuel Growth in the Developing EconomiesWith rapid adoption of new technologies owing to easy availability of funds, demand for advance analytical instruments and systems is high in the developed economies such as the U.S., U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Canada, Japan, and Australia. However, other regions such as Middle East, Latin America and South East Asia are expected to be the prospective markets in the near future. Major pharmaceutical companies are outsourcing their drug research and development services (CRO) to various countries such as China, Singapore, Malaysia and India, which is propelling the growth of the analytical instrumentation and systems market. This results in high adoption rate of precise analytical instruments in these countries. Moreover, highly developing biotechnology industry, is also contributing to the demand analytical instruments and systems.Ask For Customization: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/31 Stringent Regulatory Standard for Healthcare Products to Drive the Development of Advance and Precise TechnologiesThe global healthcare analytical instrumentation and systems market is witnessing a commendable growth due to the rising demand for process automation technologies and continuing product innovations. Furthermore, stringent regulatory and testing standards are expected to boost the growth of advance analytical instrumentation and systems in the near future. Additionally, increasing usage of analytical instruments in biotechnology is further driving the growth of this market.The global healthcare analytical instrumentation and systems market is highly fragmented due to the participation of many global as well as regional players in this market. The market is expected to witness a high growth rate due to the growing demand for finer process analyses and stringent regulatory policies. Some of the key players involved in the analytical instrumentation and systems market are ABB Ltd., Analytical Systems International / Keco, Electro-Chemical Devices, Inc., Emerson Electric Co., Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS), Mettler-Toledo International Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. and Yokogawa Electric Corporation.Click here to know more about this report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/healthcare-analytical-instrumentation-and-systems-market-31 About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 20:46:11

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 390 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for King's Bay Gold Corporation--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver BC. (FSCWire) - King's Bay Gold Corporation (TSX Venture:KBG). has issued a press release with the following headline:Kings Bay Closes $217,500 Private PlacementTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on King's Bay Gold Corporation, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/King's Bay Gold CorporationSource: King's Bay Gold Corporation (TSX Venture: KBG)Date: September 19, 2017Time: 2:46 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of King's Bay Gold Corporation and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
The Latin America Fragrance Ingredients Market had a market value of USD 2.62 billion in 2016 and is forecasted to exhibit a CAGR of 6.13% and reach USD 3.53 billion by 2021.

Market Data Forecast

PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 10:42:30

Press Information

Market Data Forecast

2nd Floor, Lakeview Plaza, Kavuri Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana



Abhishek Shukla

Sales Manager

+1-888-702-9626

email

http://marketdataforecast.com





# 461 Words

2nd Floor, Lakeview Plaza, Kavuri Hills, Hyderabad, TelanganaSales Manager+1-888-702-9626

The Fragrance Ingredients market is showcasing immense potential in the given forecast period. The market continues to gain momentum with the rise in demand for personal and other consumer products. The trend grew after the regulation, REACH was brought up in the European Union.View Full Report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/latin-america-fragrance-ingredients-market-2279/ Fragrances are an intricated mixture of natural and synthetic ingredients. A single perfume may contain as few as ten to as much as hundreds of aroma chemicals or ingredients in minute but calibrated amounts. These ingredients are generally used in products such as cosmetics, soaps, fine fragrances, detergents etc.Free sample of the report is available @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/latin-america-fragrance-ingredients-market-2279/request-sample The Industry has experienced an increase in the demand for natural fragrance ingredients lately, hence gaining interest from many companies in the market. Other key factors driving the fragrance ingredients market include, changing consumer preferences, increasing demand for cleaning products, significant advancement in technology. Apart from this, the market also faces some restraints and challenges. They include expensive research and development and compliance with quality and regulatory standards. Synthetic product related concerns have also been one of the factors holding back the market from reaching its actual potential.Inquire before buying @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/latin-america-fragrance-ingredients-market-2279/inquire The Latin America market for Fragrance Ingredients has been segmented by type and application. Based on segmentation by type the market is divided into aroma chemicals and essentials oils, which are further classified into Mentha Arvensis, Orange, Eucalyptus, Citronella, Cedar wood and Terpenes, Musk Chemicals, benzenoids respectively. On the basis of Application the segmentation is done into Cosmetics & toiletries, Soaps & Detergents, Fine Fragrances. The essential oils accounted for highest market share in segmentation by type and contain a market share of up to twice as much as aroma chemicals. Based on segmentation by application the market is dominated by soaps and detergents, while on the other side cosmetics and toiletries is expected to exhibit the highest growth rate in the upcoming years. On the basis of geography, the Latin America market is analysed under various regions namely Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and rest of Latin America.Some of the major companies leading the Latin America market share include BASF SE, Frutarom Industries Ltd., Firmenich International SA, International Flavors and Fragrances Inc., Givaudan SA, Mane SA, Symrise AG, Robertet SA, Takasago International Corp, T. Hasegawa Co. Ltd.About Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and sksillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.
The Latin America Silage Inoculant Market was worth $17.39 million in 2016 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 3.50%, to reach $20.65 million by 2021.

Market Data Forecast

PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 10:37:20

Press Information

Market Data Forecast

2nd Floor, Lakeview Plaza, Kavuri Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana



Abhishek Shukla

Sales Manager

+1-888-702-9626

email

http://marketdataforecast.com





# 384 Words

2nd Floor, Lakeview Plaza, Kavuri Hills, Hyderabad, TelanganaSales Manager+1-888-702-9626

Silage Inoculants are the microbial inoculants. They improve silage quality and control the preservation process of forage ensuring maximum nutrients retention at the time of feeding.Silage Inoculants are used in treating crops with sufficient water soluble carbohydrates and moisture content. Fermentation of silage is a very uncontrollable process which leads to nutritional losses in the silage. Silage inoculants products are slowly gaining attention of consumers as it is a cost effective solution.View Full Report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/latin-america-silage-inoculant-market-572/ The growth of the Latin America Silage Inoculant market is majorly driven by factors such as the rise in meat consumption and increase in mass production of meat. Strict regulatory structures, volatile economies, and lack of awareness are the key challenges for the companies in the market.Free sample of the report is available @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/latin-america-silage-inoculant-market-572/request-sample The Latin America Silage Inoculant market is segmented based on type and application. On the basis of type, the global Silage Inoculant market is segmented into Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus brevis, Propionibacteria freundenreichii, and others. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into Cereal crops, Pulse Crops, and others.Inquire before buying @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/latin-america-silage-inoculant-market-572/inquire Latin America market region includes countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and remaining countries of South America. The Latin America market is one of the fastest growing market for silage Inoculants. Brazil accounts for the largest market share and is expected to lead the market during the forecast period. This region is expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities, mainly due to the rise in disposable incomes in developing economies, primarily in Brazil.Some of the major companies dominating this market are Cargill, ADM, Dupont, Volac, Nutreco, Lallemand, ForFarmers, CHr.Hansen and others. Existing companies such as ADM and Nutreco have been actively involved in acquisition of regional players to strengthen their market presence.About Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and sksillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 17:53:01

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lectra appoints Olivier du Chesnay as Chief Financial Officer

Paris, September 19, 2017 - Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials, is pleased to announce the appointment of Olivier du Chesnay to the role of Chief Financial Officer.

Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Lectra since May 2013, Olivier du Chesnay was already supervising management control, statutory consolidation and audit, headquarters' accounting, cash flow, credit management and change risk management, as well as more recently sales administration.

"Over the past four years, Olivier du Chesnay has successfully led many projects to improve our processes, while at the same time coordinating the Group's financial management with rigor, efficiency and leadership. He will support the company to achieve the financial objectives articulated in Lectra's new strategic roadmap," states Daniel Harari, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lectra.

"I am confident about the growth prospects for the company, which are empowered by sustained investments in innovation. This commitment will reinforce Lectra's leadership and customer value proposition, by facilitating the implementation of Industry 4.0 principles for its customers," underlines Olivier du Chesnay. "I am delighted to support the Group through this new strategy, one which will open a new page in Lectra's history."

Prior to joining Lectra, Olivier du Chesnay acquired 15 years' experience in financial positions at the heart of major groups Saint-Gobain, Accenture, Sperian Protection and Honeywell Safety Products, where he was Financial Director for the EMEA and India division from 2010 to 2013. Olivier du Chesnay is a graduate of the EDHEC business school and the London School of Economics.



About Lectra

Lectra is the world leader in integrated technology solutions (software, automated cutting equipment, and associated services) specifically designed for industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles, and composite materials to manufacture their products. It serves major world markets: fashion and apparel, automotive, and furniture as well as a broad array of other industries. Lectra's solutions, specific to each market, enable customers to automate and optimize product design, development, and manufacturing. With more than 1,600 employees, Lectra has developed privileged relationships with prestigious customers in more than 100 countries, contributing to their operational excellence. Lectra registered revenues of $288 million in 2016 and is listed on Euronext.

For more information, please visit www.lectra.com

Contact - Lectra Headquarters / Press Dept.: Nathalie Fournier-Christol

E-mail: n.fournier-christol@lectra.com

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 64 42 37 - Fax: +33 (0)1 53 64 43 40





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

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

Source: LECTRA via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 10:36:04

Press Information

Market Data Forecast

Plot # 127 & 128, 2nd Floor Lake View Plaza,



Amar Co-operative Society, Kavuri Hills,



Madhapur, Hyderabad - 500081.



Abhishek Shukla

Sales Manager (International Business Development)

76809 52236

email

http://www.marketdataforecast.com/





# 650 Words

Plot # 127 & 128, 2nd Floor Lake View Plaza,Amar Co-operative Society, Kavuri Hills,Madhapur, Hyderabad - 500081.Sales Manager (International Business Development)76809 52236

In medicine, devices are often necessary to create suction. Suction may be utilized to clear the airway of blood, saliva, vomit, or other secretions for a patient to be able to breathe. Suctioning can prevent pulmonary aspiration, which often causes lung infections. In pulmonary hygiene, suction is utilized for removing fluids from the airways, to facilitate breathing and prevent growth of infectious microorganisms.View Full Report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/middle-east-and-africa-medical-suction-devices-market-3174/ Key factors fuelling the growth of this market are the paradigm shift to home healthcare from traditional healthcare settings and the growing need for compact and portable devices. Furthermore, the increasing adoption of home care has caused the demand for portable suction devices to rise due to their reliability, ease of use, high durability & robustness. This helps healthcare providers and patients to utilize suction devices without any assistance. The secondary factors contributing to the development of this market are augmenting geriatric population (with the rising aging population the demand for emergency care rises, which further increases the demand for handheld devices which provide instant relief to patients), falling prices of suction devices, growing incidences of chronic respiratory diseases, and increase in the number of surgical procedures (which have increased the utilization of suction devices that are specifically utilized during surgeries). Moreover, emerging markets have opened an array of opportunities for companies in the medical suction devices market.But still, the highly commoditized market and limited reimbursement policies are very likely to hamper the growth of this market to a certain extent during the aforementioned forecast period.Get Free Sample Report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/middle-east-and-africa-medical-suction-devices-market-3174/request-sample The Middle East and Africa Medical Suction Devices market can be categorized into four categories: by Portability, by Type, by application and by end user. On the basis of portability, Medical Suction Devices market is classified into Handheld Suction Devices and Wall-Mounted Suction Devices. The non-portable category is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the aforementioned forecast period because of the rising number of surgical procedures and the high price of the devices. If we go by type, Medical Suction Devices market is segmented into Ac-Powered Devices, Battery-Powered Devices, Dual-Powered Devices and Manually Operated Devices. The electrically powered vacuum systems category commanded the largest market share in 2016. It is because of the widespread awareness and rising adoption of these devices in surgical settings. Further, on the basis of application the market can be categorized into Airway Clearing, Surgical Applications and Research and Diagnostics. Last but not the least, on the basis of end user the market is segmented into Hospitals and Clinics, Home Care, Prehospital and Other End Users.By geography, the Middle East and Africa Medical Suction Devices market has been categorized into Middle East and Africa. It is last in terms of market share. UAE is the leading player in this region.Buy now @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/cart/buy-now/middle-east-and-africa-medical-suction-devices-market-3174 Major companies in the Medical Suction Devices market are Allied Healthcare Products Inc. (U.S.), ATMOS MedizinTechnik GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Drive Medical (U.S.), INTEGRA Biosciences (Switzerland), Medela Holding AG (Switzerland), Medicop (Slovenia), Precision Medical, Inc. (U.S.), SSCOR, Inc. (U.S.), ZOLL Medical Corporation (U.S.), Weinmann Gerate fur Medizin GmbH + Co. KG (Germany), Laerdal Medical (Norway), MG Electric Ltd (Colchester), Labconco Corporation (U.S.), Welch Vacuum (U.S.), Amsino International Inc. (U.S.) and Olympus Corporation (Japan).About Market Data Forecast:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, they cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. From all-encompassing umbrella markets to extremely specific niche markets covering all the major regions across the globe as part of the research scope, their research services offer one of a kind specialities with competitive pricing options. For more information, kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 10:37:53

Press Information

Market Data Forecast

Plot # 127 & 128, 2nd Floor Lake View Plaza,



Amar Co-operative Society, Kavuri Hills,



Madhapur, Hyderabad - 500081.



Abhishek Shukla

Sales Manager (International Business Development)

76809 52236

email

http://www.marketdataforecast.com/





# 581 Words

Plot # 127 & 128, 2nd Floor Lake View Plaza,Amar Co-operative Society, Kavuri Hills,Madhapur, Hyderabad - 500081.Sales Manager (International Business Development)76809 52236

Defibrillator is a significant tool in cardiopulmonary resuscitation indicated in cardiac arrhythmia. Numerous advancements have occurred in defibrillator technology ranging from manual to automated ones, and implantable defibrillators to ensure continuous care for patients afflicted from ischemic heart disease or the ones with high risk of cardiac arrest.Rising demand of defibrillators because of the legislative policies by governments of developed countries which are conducive to market growth is a key driver of this market. Growing awareness about the prevalence of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) among the younger population is another minor factor contributing towards the market growth.View Full Report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-defibrillators-market-3147/ In spite of that, issues regarding the use of implantable and external defibrillators coupled with lack of awareness on sudden cardiac arrests (SCAs) can hamper the growth of this market. Frequent product recalls conjoined with growing pricing pressure on market players also inhibit market growth to a certain degree.The North America Defibrillators market can be categorized into two categories: by product, and by end user. If we go by product, Defibrillators market is segmented into Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDS) and External Defibrillators. Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDS) is further segmented into Transvenous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (T-ICDS) (Biventricular ICDS/Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillators (CRT-DS), Dual-Chamber ICDS and Single-Chamber ICDS) and Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (S-ICDS). External Defibrillators is further categorized into Automated External Defibrillators (AEDS) (Semi-Automated External Defibrillators and Fully Automated External Defibrillators), Manual External Defibrillators and Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillators (WCDS). Of all the product categories of the defibrillators market, the S-ICDs segment is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR during the aforementioned forecast period.Get Free Sample Report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-defibrillators-market-3147/request-sample This is primarily attributed to its rising adoption due to its advantages such as growing number of research activities to support the adoption of S-ICD systems coupled with less-invasive approach and proven efficacy. Last but not the least, on the basis of end users the market is segmented into Hospitals, Clinics, & Cardiac Centres, Pre-Hospitals, Public Access Markets and Home Care. The hospitals, clinics, & cardiac centres category is projected to command the largest share of the defibrillators market in 2016. But still, the public access markets segment is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR in the aforementioned forecast period.By geography, the North America Defibrillators market has been categorized into US and Canada. It is largest market in terms of market share. US is the leading market in this region. This contribution can be attributed to supportive government policies, growing incidence of cardiovascular diseases, savoury reimbursement schemes, growing awareness, and rise in training programs.Buy now @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/cart Major companies in the Defibrillators market are Medtronic PLC (Ireland), St. Jude Medical, Inc. (U.S.), Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.), BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG (Germany), LivaNova PLC (U.K.), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), ZOLL Medical Corporation (U.S.), Cardiac Science Corporation (U.S.), Physio-Control, Inc. (U.S.), and Nihon Kohden Corporation (Japan).About Market Data Forecast:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, they cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. From all-encompassing umbrella markets to extremely specific niche markets covering all the major regions across the globe as part of the research scope, their research services offer one of a kind specialities with competitive pricing options. For more information, kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 19:43:14

Press Information

Transparecny Market Research

Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.com



Rohit Bhisey

Head Internet Marketing

+1-518-618-1030

email

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com





# 591 Words

Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.comHead Internet Marketing+1-518-618-1030

Originating from Italy, pasta is now considered a global cuisine. Typically made from unleavened dough of durum wheat flour blended with eggs or water, it is available in the market in various shapes. To entice consumers, small and large manufacturers are now experimenting with different ingredients ranging from chickpea flour and rice flour to tomato, spinach, carrot, or beet juices and different herbs and spices for enhanced flavor and color.Request to view Sample Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=10982 The global market for pasta can be classified into spaghetti, macaroni, and noodles. It can also be bifurcated into fresh and dried pasta. While the former is prepared from a simple dough of eggs and flour, the latter is made from finely ground semolina flour and water, sans egg mostly. Fresh pasta has a comparatively shorter shelf life than dried pasta and hence it is more expensive. Dried pasta generates accounts for a dominant share vis-a-vis sales in the global market for pasta. The overall global pasta market is expected to grow moderately in the upcoming years. Global Pasta Market: Trends and OpportunitiesBy dint of being an easy dish that can be prepared without much effort, pastas have become popular worldwide. This, coupled with their longer shelf life, has driven the growth of this market so far. Other factors providing a tailwind to the market are the high nutritional quotient of pastas and solid distribution channels such as supermarkets/ hypermarkets and departmental stores. To further improve margins, astute players are manufacturing pasta not just with added flavors but also with added value such as more fiber, less carbohydrate, gluten-free, and fortified. Some of the big ticket companies have also gone on to announce the use of only natural additives in their products. This recent trend to manufacture healthier varieties of pasta is expected to boost growth substantially in the coming years.However, branded pasta companies  like many other staples  are finding it tough to safeguard their market share from private labels, especially in consolidated markets. Private labels steal a march with more or less decent quality goods that are priced lower.Global Pasta Market: Regional OutlookGeography-wise, the global market for pasta has been segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and the Rest of the World. Among them, Europe accounts for maximum percentage share in terms of consumption and North America comes next. Markets in China and India, emerging economies whose growth rate has surpassed that of all other countries in the world, have proved to be tough ones to crack. Per capita sales of pasta is low in India and China on account of lesser priced regional staples such as rice and noodles. Besides the lack of affordability and cultural preferences, the abundant availability of pasta is another factor hobbling the growth of the Asian markets. Going forward, however, tables might likely turn due to rising per capita income in emerging economies, particularly India and China. This, coupled with rising urbanization, is anticipated to push substantial growth in the near future.Companies Mentioned in the ReportTo study the vendor landscape of the market, the report has profiled companies such as American Italian Pasta Company, Armanino Foods of Distinction Inc., Campbell Soup Company, Nissin Foods Holdings Co., Ltd., Fiori-Bruna Pasta Products, ConAgra Foods, Inc., Strom Products Ltd., and General Mills. Their recent developments and historical roadmap have been studied in the report in detail.Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=10982
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 19:43:59

Press Information

Transparecny Market Research

Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.com



Rohit Bhisey

Head Internet Marketing

+1-518-618-1030

email

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com





# 649 Words

Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.comHead Internet Marketing+1-518-618-1030

Protective packaging machines are those machines which are used across diverse set of industries to enable the manufacturers in ensuring the safety of consumer products, industrial equipment, and electronic gadgets among others. Protective packaging, as against conventional packaging, protects and preserves the product during its transit and storage. Protective packaging technology facilitates the safe delivery of goods to the customers. With a steady growth of e-commerce industry, the demand for protective packaging has in turn witnessed a steady increase, leading to the rise in the adoption of the protective packaging machines in the market. Protective packaging machines have a high demand across various industries in order to protect their products from abrasion, and other damages that may result due to improper handling and storage. The demand for protective packaging in the US is expected to expand at a moderate pace during the forecast period. As such, demand for protective packaging machines is in turn slated to witness a steady growth over the forecast period. Increasing demand, especially from Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America is expected to emerge as a major growth driving factor for global protective packaging machines market.Request to view Sample Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=10991 Protective Packaging Machines Market Dynamics: Drivers & ChallengesWith steady increase in disposable income across key economies across the globe, penetration of internet and internet shopping or e-shopping has witnessed a steady rise over the recent past. The growing prominence of e-commerce, especially in such developing economies, is expected to result in increasing demand for protective packaging. This in turn is expected to result in a steady growth of protective packaging machines market over the forecast period. Continuous growth in the manufacturing and retail sectors is likely to propel the demand for protective packaging machines during the forecast period. Industry efforts to do away with conventional packaging methods which are not necessarily effective in terms of functionality, are expected to result in development of novel packaging solutions. Moreover, increasing efforts towards development of bespoke packaging solutions intended to effect savings in terms of weight and bulk are likely to result in steady growth of global protective packaging machines market over the forecast period. The relatively higher cost associated with adoption and use of some of the protective packaging machines vis-a-vis conventional packaging methods may act as a deterrent to the growth of global packaging machines market during the forecast period.Protective Packaging Machines Market: SegmentationDepending on the types of machines that are used for protective packaging, global protective packaging machines market has been segmented in to following key types.air cushion machinesbubble sheet manufacturing machinesprotective foam machinesPaper Fill MachinesOthersGlobal protective packaging machines market can be segmented on the basis of application into following key market segments.Industrial EquipmentElectronic GadgetsConsumer goodsMedical equipmentOthersProtective Packaging Machines Market: Regional OutlookDepending on geographical regions, global packaging machines market can be divided into seven major regions including North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific protective packaging machines market is expected to witness a relatively faster growth as compared to that of the other regions of the globe.Protective Packaging Machines Market: Key PlayersSome of the players operating in global protective packaging machines market include:3G Packaging Corp.Atlantic PackagingAutomated Packaging Systems Inc.KOCH Pac-Systeme GmbHORVED S.p.A.Storopack Hans Reichenecker GmbHRanpak Corp.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies and product types, application.Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=10991
By Moses Kyeyune & Benjamin Jumbe:

A section of lawmakers opposed to the lifting of the Constitutional age cap for presidential candidates is today expected to appear before the police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to answer to allegations of offensive communication and inciting violence.

Police yesterday summoned Members of Parliament (MPs) Mohammad Nsereko, Monica Amoding, Theodore Ssekikubo and Banarbas Tinkasimire to aid investigations on their alleged offense.

According to a September 15th letter from the Director of Criminal Investigations, the MPs are required today for questioning.

However, Buyaga County MP Bernabas Tinkasimire says he cannot be intimidated and will not backdown on resisting the lifting of the age limit for running for president.

Speaking to KFM, Tinkasimire who is currently in Israel says he is ready to face off with the police when he returns in two weeks.

The summoned MPs addressed a news conference recently and vowed not to support the push for amendment of article 102(b) of the constitution to lift the age limit for running for president.

The current age limit is 75 but the changes to the constitution would allow President Yoweri Museveni whose current age is said to be 73 to run for president again in 2021.

Meanwhile an NRM caucus meeting is set for tomorrow ahead of presentation of a motion seeking leave for the introduction of a private members bill, pushing for the amendment of the Constitution by Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 19:43:20

Press Information

Transparecny Market Research

Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.com



Rohit Bhisey

Head Internet Marketing

+1-518-618-1030

email

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com





# 622 Words

Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.comHead Internet Marketing+1-518-618-1030

In order to meet the customers growing need for convenient packages and growing emphasis on developing sustainable packaging alternatives, the traditional packaging forms are being replaced by the novel and flexible forms of packaging. One such novel form of packaging is the re-closable pouch. The term re-closable pouch refers to a pouch that, as against conventional packaging pouches, can be resealed or closed after use or dispensing the contents of the package. Re-closable pouches, also referred to as re-sealable pouches, have witnessed a swift growth in demand as compared to that for conventional pouches. Re-closable pouches can be customized and manufactured in a variety of shapes and sizes and thus prove to be an ideal solution to numerous packaging needs. The demand for re-closable pouches have been projected to witness a steady growth during the forecast period. Re-closable pouches find application across various end user industries including pharmaceuticals, personal care, food and beverage.Request to view Sample Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=10994 Market Dynamics: Drivers, Opportunities, & RestraintsRe-closable pouches market has witnessed a steady growth over the forecast period. The uniqueness of the re-closable pouches is their ease of use, versatility of design, and sustainable form of packaging among others. The demand for the re-closable pouch packaging exists across diverse set of industries. However, food & beverages industry is a major end use industry for re-closable pouches. As such, growth of food and beverages industry in general and the emphasis on developing aesthetically appealing yet functional packaging solutions is expected to drive the demand for re-closable pouches over the forecast period. Major factors propelling the demand for re-closable pouches are their versatility, barrier properties and sustainability. The fact that these re-closable pouches are available in multitude of shapes, sizes and colors plays a crucial rule in enhancing the shelf appeal. Some of the variants of re-closable pouches include those with handles, zippers, caps, among others. Thus, a re-closable pouch is one of the most versatile packaging solution that is functional so also aesthetically appealing. Another major advantage of re-closable pouches is their composition. The materials and laminated films that these re-closable pouches are made of help them resist relatively higher temperatures vis-a-vis conventional packaging, thus improving shelf life of the contents. The relatively higher costs for these re-closable packages as compared to conventional packages may act as an impediment to the growth of global re-closable pouches market over the forecast period.Re-closable pouch packaging market- SegmentationRe-closable pouch packaging can be segmented on the basis of type, end use and application. Depending on the type of re-closable pouches, re-closable pouch market has been segmented intoside-gusset pouchstand up pouchspoutVacuum pouchOthersOn the basis of applications, re-closable pouch market has been segmented in to the following key market segmentsFood & BeveragesPharmaceuticalsPersonal CareRe-closable pouch packaging market- Regional OutlookDepending on geographical regions, global packaging machines market can be divided into seven major regions including North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East & Africa.Re-closable pouch packaging market: Market PlayersSome of the players operating in global re-closable pouches market include:Ampac Holdings, LLCMondi GroupAccredo Packaging, Inc.Pacific Bag, Inc.LPS Industries, LLC.Glenroy Inc.Kung Long Hong Co. LTDThe research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies and product types, end use industry.Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=10994
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 21:04:04

Press Information

Transparency Market Research

Contact Us





Transparency Market Research



90 State Street, Suite 700



Albany, NY 12207



Tel: +1-518-618-1030



USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453



Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com



Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.com/



Rohit Bhisey

Internet Marketing Head

5186181030

email

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/





# 441 Words

Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: www.transparencymarketresearch.com/Internet Marketing Head5186181030

Rice inventories are increasing as the rice supply is continuously improving globally. Rice is one of the major food staples and mainstay for the rural population and their food security. Moreover rice is used as a wage commodity for workers in cash crop or non agriculture sectors in some countries such as India among others.The global rice market can be segmented according to product type such as long grain white rice (high quality), long grain white rice (low quality), long grain parboiled rice, long grain fragrant rice, broken and medium grain milled among others.Request Sample Copy of the Report@The market can be segmented geographically into North America, APAC, Europe and RoW regions.The global rice market is expected to grow with a healthy single digit CAGR from 2013 to 2019.The key driver of this market is the growing fast food industry and restaurants. Rice is one of the favorite cereals for most of the consumers. The growing population is second driver for increasing consumption of rice globally. The demand for fragrant rice is increasing gradually globally. Moreover long rice (high quality) is one of the premium class rice and it is not consumed on a regular basis.The distribution channel includes hypermarkets/supermarket, departmental stores and stores among others. Asia Pacific is the major producer and exporter of rice globally. However China and India are of the major consumers and producers.Some of the key players in rice industry are Riceland foods Inc., V.A.P Foods ltd and KRBL ltd among others.Request TOC of the Report@The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, North Africa)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 19:43:22

Press Information

Transparecny Market Research

Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.com



Rohit Bhisey

Head Internet Marketing

+1-518-618-1030

email

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com





# 553 Words

Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.comHead Internet Marketing+1-518-618-1030

Over the recent past, global packaging industry has focused on developing and adopting packaging solutions that address specific needs of the product that is to be packaged, so also effect overall packaging cost and weight savings. Shrink wrapping technology is one such cost effective packaging technology which has been adopted across a diverse set of industries including food, beverages and pharmaceuticals. It involves loosely wrapping a polymeric shrink film on the product that is to be packed and subsequently subjecting the same to heat with the help of a shrink tunnel. Heat thus applied results in alteration in molecular reorientation which eventually results in film shrinkage and a snug fit with the product. Shrink tunnels are basically heat chambers that are placed over a conveyer. Depending on the principle used to heat the film, shrink wrap tunnels may be radiant heat tunnels which use infrared radiation for heating the film, or steam shrink wrap tunnels that employ steam to effect film heating. A third variant of shrink wrap tunnels involves hot air circulation are termed as convective shrink wrapping tunnels. Demand for shrink wrap tunnels is expected to be driven by increasing adoption of shrink wrap technology for packaging especially across developing geographies of the globe. Request to view Sample Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=11000 Shrink Wrap Tunnels Market Dynamics: Drivers, Opportunities, & RestraintsOne of the major growth driving factors for global shrink tunnels market are the economic benefits such as cost, material, time and weight savings associated with the use of this technology vis-a-vis conventional packaging. Besides economic benefits shrink wrapping also entails certain functional benefits such as ensuring ease of handling and durability of the package. Thus growing preference for adoption of shrink wrapping technology is expected to propel shrink wrap tunnels market over the forecast period. Beverage industry is one of the major industries that has employs shrink wrap technology for packaging. Growth of global beverage industry is thus expected to in turn result in a steady growth of global shrink wrap tunnels market over the forecast period. However, shrink wrap technology is one among many alternatives available for packaging. Growth in adoption of technologies such as vacuum wrapping may impede growth of global shrink wrap tunnels market during the forecast period.Shrink Wrap Tunnels Market Dynamics: SegmentationDepending on the technology used, global shrink wrap tunnels market can be segmented in to following three key market segments:RadiantConvectiveSteamOn the basis of the end use industry, global shrink wrap tunnels market can be segmented in to following key market segments:FoodBeveragesPharmaceuticalsPersonal CareOthersShrink Wrap Tunnels Market Dynamics: Regional OutlookDepending on geographical regions, global packaging machines market can be divided into seven key regions namely North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East & Africa. Amongst the aforementioned regions, shrink wrap tunnels market in Asia-Pacific, home to nearly 60% of global populace, is expected to witness a relatively faster growth in terms of market value during the forecast period. Growth in food and beverage industry in this region is expected to emerge as key growth driving factor for shrink wrap tunnels market over the forecast period. Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=11000
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 19:43:28

Press Information

Transparecny Market Research

Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.com



Rohit Bhisey

Head Internet Marketing

+1-518-618-1030

email

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com





# 627 Words

Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: www.transparencymarketresearch.comHead Internet Marketing+1-518-618-1030

The swift growth in the automotive sector owing to the increasing vehicle production is predicted to fuel the stainless steel round bar market. Within the industry of construction, stainless steel round bars are highly utilized in structural parts that are exposed to bridge pins, tie rods, heavy load, and other load transfer devices. The rising penetration of stainless steel (SS) round bars within the construction industry is stimulating the development of the global stainless steel round bar market.Request to view Sample Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=11027 This report offers a comprehensive analysis of the market by presenting the key dynamics impacting the overall growth of the market. These dynamics include drivers, challenges, and opportunities. The top segments present in the market are benchmarked on the basis of their growth rate, general attractiveness, and size in the market. Analysis tools such as SWOT analysis and Porters five forces model have also been taken into consideration while presenting the competition present in this market. In addition, the key trends and the market attractiveness analysis have been highlighted through this study.The top technological developments taking place in the stainless steel round bar market and their impact on the development of this market have also been presented. The regulatory scenario, and the micro and macro-economic indicators have also been presented in the purview of this report. The weaknesses and strengths of the key market vendors have been highlighted under the competitive landscape section of the reportStainless Steel Round Bar Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global stainless steel round bar market is highly utilized in the manufacturing of numerous products such as dairy equipment, anchor bolts, industrial nozzles & valves, food processing equipment, sanitary fittings & faucets, machine and automotive shafts, reinforcing bars, and various other hardware products. Hence, the increasing application areas of SS round bars will positively impact the development of the global SS round bar market. In addition, the increasing utilization of SS round bars in the sector of oil and gas in the offshore and onshore construction projects and the increasing employment in the application of heat exchangers will work in favor of the growth of the overall market. SS round bars present numerous excellent properties such as sustainability, fire resistance, toughness, magnetism, thermal and electrical conductivity, fire resistance, and high corrosion resistance, among others. The demand for SS round bars is on the rise due to these excellent properties exhibited by them, hence driving the growth of the overall market. On the other hand, the skyrocketing cost of nickel may negatively impact the development of the global stainless steel round bar market.Stainless Steel Round Bar Market: Region-wise OutlookOn the basis of geography, the stainless steel round bar market was led by Asia Pacific in 2014 and this trend will continue all through 2023. This is owing to the swiftly rising human population, increasing infrastructure expansion, and the rising expending of governments in favor of SS round bars in this region. In Asia Pacific, Japan, India, and China are the top contributors driving the development of the market in this region. North America and Europe, respectively, trailed Asia Pacific in the same year. This is owing to the booming automotive industry and the increasing industrialization in these two regions. Key players Mentioned in the Report are:The leading players in global stainless steel round bar market are ArcelorMittal, Allegheny Technologies Incorporated, CRS Holdings Inc., Dongbei Special Steel Group Co. Ltd., Crucible Industries LLC, Garelick Steel Company, Shri Bhagavati Bright Bars Limited, J. H. Stainless, ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG, Valbruna Stainless Inc., Walsin Lihwa Corporation, and Tsingshan Holding Group Co. Ltd., among others. Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=11027
Dry heat sterilization equipment such as hot air oven are used to sterilize metal instruments, needles and petroleum products.

Sterilization Equipment Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 11:51:33

Press Information

Coherent Market Insights

1001 4th Ave, #3200 ,Seattle, WA



Mr Shah

CEO

2067016702

email

http://www.coherentmarketinsights.com





# 792 Words

1001 4th Ave, #3200 ,Seattle, WACEO2067016702

Sterilization is a process that kills, eliminates, deactivates or removes all form of life and other biological agent form specific surface, fluid, medication or in biological culture. Sterilization can be achieved through various means such as chemicals, heat, irradiation, filtration and high pressure. So on basis of different means of sterilization there are different sterilization equipment. Sterilization equipment are mainly required in laboratory particularly microbiology and medical. Autoclave is a most important sterilization equipment as it can be used to sterilize laboratory equipment such as glassware and micro centrifuge tubes. Chemicals, fluids, water or food used for experiments are also sterilized in autoclave. Besides autoclave there are dry heat sterilizing equipment like hot air oven. Steam sterilization equipment like autoclave are used to sterilize glassware, surgical instruments, and medical waste. Dry heat sterilization equipment such as hot air oven are used to sterilize metal instruments, needles and petroleum products. Glass beads sterilizers are employed for the instruments which are re-used. But Glass beads are not FDA approved.Sterilization market has gained traction in the recent past due to increasing awareness about infection and diseases caused due to non-sterile environment. The increase in investment in research and healthcare infrastructure focus on public health sterilization equipment is increasing significantly. Serious issues occurring due to utilization of unsterilized equipment leads to spreading of HIV and lethal hepatitis threating public health. Government is also engaged in uplifting and improving the use of sterilization equipment, Food and drug administration (FDA) approves the product to market only when it is produce in sterile and hygienic conditions. Department of health and human services have formed the guidelines for disinfection and sterilization in healthcare facilities in 2008 which is updated again in 2014 and February 2017 according to various new infection such as Ebola virus disease. The medical waste should also be decontaminated use sterilization equipment and then disposed so that there is no threat of disease spreading.Request a sample copy of this report@Global Sterilization equipment market taxonomy.By Product typeAutoclave,Bench Top Autoclave,Vertical Autoclave,Vertical Mobile Autoclave,Floor Standing Autoclave,Portable Autoclave,Hot Air Oven,Bench Top Hot Air oven,Low temperature sterilizers,Hydrogen Peroxide Sterilization,Ethylene Oxide Sterilization,Formaldehyde Sterilization,Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Sterilization,Ozone-based Medical Sterilization,Superheated Water Spray Sterilization,Filter sterilization,Ionizing Radiation Sterilization,Electron,X-ray,GammaBy TechnologyGravity,Vacuum,Steam,Forced convention,Natural conventionBy End UserPharmaceutical Manufacturers,Diagnostic Labs,Medical Device Manufacturers,OthersIncrease in health awareness fuels the growth of sterilization equipment market:The increase in population and emergence of importance regarding awareness of sterilization and cleanliness among the people is expected to result in a prominent increase of sterilizing equipment market on every progressing day. Development in global medical equipment facility has in turn caused high impact on sterilization equipment market. Moreover, apart from the healthcare department, the food and beverages industries are also one of the prime consumers and contribute a huge segment in the Sterilization equipment market. With extensive use of sterilized containers for packaging and storing food supplies, the food industry sector poses a potential to increase the sterilization equipment market. TSO3 Inc. (TSO3) an innovator in sterilization technology for medical devices in healthcare settings, reported sales for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 amounted to US$ 432,987, as compared to US$ 254,370 in 2013.Major regions growth engines of the sterilization equipment marketIncreasing the number for surgical process in hospital is aggressively propelling the demand for sterilization equipment in countries like the U.S. and Canada. Whereas Asia pacific countries such as Japan and China shows significant growth for sterilization market due to evolving medical facility and compulsion of government for utilization of sterilized equipment to avoid the increasing incidence of hospital-acquired infections. Moreover increase in investment for medical services in Middle East and Africa expects the increase in sterilization equipment market. However, high cost of sterilization equipment in emerging economies act as barrier for revenue sales growth of sterilization market.Major acquisitions to support growth of sterilization equipment marketCantel Medical Corp 2016, revenue increased 17.7% to a record US$ 664.8 million from US$ 488,749 in 2014. Key players operating in sterilization equipment market Cantel Medical Corp. (USA), 3M Company (USA), Belimed AG (Switzerland), Andersen Products, Inc. (USA), Advanced Sterilization Products (USA), Matachana Group, Sterile Technologies, Inc. (US), Getinge AB (Sweden), Sterigenics International, Inc. (USA).Talk To Our Analyst@About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@ coherentmarketinsights.com
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 15:00:12

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 386 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Subscribe Technologies Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Subscribe Technologies Inc. (CSE:SAAS). has issued a press release with the following headline:Subscribe Technologies Announces the Pre-Launch of FinTech Service LenderTech.com To view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Subscribe Technologies Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Subscribe Technologies Inc.Source: Subscribe Technologies Inc. (CSE: SAAS)Date: September 19, 2017Time: 9:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Subscribe Technologies Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 13:00:37

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 396 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Theralase Technologies Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Toronto, Ontario (FSCWire) - Theralase Technologies Inc. (TSX Venture:TLT). has issued a press release with the following headline:Theralase Lead Anti-Cancer Drug Effective in the Destruction of Throat CancerTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Theralase Technologies Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Theralase Technologies Inc.Source: Theralase Technologies Inc. (TSX Venture: TLT, ISIN: CA88337V1004, WKN: A0DLB7, OTCQX: TLTFF)Date: September 19, 2017Time: 7:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Theralase Technologies Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-19 07:35:02

's-Hertogenbosch, 19 September 2017

In the period from 12 September 2017 until 18 September 2017 Van Lanschot Kempen has repurchased 96,000 of its own shares (depositary receipts for Class A ordinary shares). The shares were repurchased at an average price of 26.05 per share for a total amount of 2,501,260.

These repurchases are part of the share buy-back programme for at most 300,000 of own shares, which was announced on 7 June 2017 and 29 August 2017. The total number of shares repurchased to date is 213,030.

More information, including a detailed overview of the repurchase transactions under this programme, is available on www.vanlanschotkempen.com/sharebuyback.

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

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

About Van Lanschot Kempen

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

vanlanschotkempen.com

Disclaimer

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

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

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

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

Source: Van Lanschot Kempen via Globenewswire


By Ruth Anderah

Former Ethics and Integrity Minister Miria Matembe has dragged the 10th Parliament to the Constitutional Court accusing it of unlawfully removing presidential term limits during the Constitutional amendments of 2005.

Matembe together with other rights activists; Centre for Constitutional Governance and Legal Brains Trust say it was wrong for parliament to amend the law on term limits without first consulting the public through a referendum.

The petition received by the Constitutional Court registry today, is also accompanied by an affidavit signed by renowned law Professor Fredrick Ssempebwa who chaired the 2001 Constitutional Review Commission that was charged with studying and recommend changes to the 1995 Constitution.

Prof. Ssempebwa however contends that his commission did not recommend the review of Article 105 that concerns presidential term limits but rather referred the issue to be decided through a referendum on grounds that it touched on the foundation of the Constitution.

He adds that he chose to support Matembe in this move because the procedure of the enactment of the 2005 Constitution contravened democratic principles as the deletion of presidential term limits continues to bring Constitutional disorder in the country.

In her petition Matembe recounts the fraudulent acts that happened in parliament during the 2005 Constitutional Amendements where MPS were intimidated and bribed with 5 million shillings each on top of breaching parliamentary rules of secret ballot to ensure that the bribed MPs voted for removal of term limits.

She now wants court to declare as unconstitutional the act of parliament to amend the law on term limits to give way for people to contest for presidency for more than 2 terms as earlier prescribed by the 1995 Constitution.

Matembes petition comes at a time the NRMs Raphael Magyezi is set to table a private members bill to debate the amendment of Article 102(b) to remove the presidential age limit without going for a referendum as provided for in Article 1(4) of the Constitution.

Court is yet to summon the Attorney General who has been named as the respondent to file his defence on behalf of parliament.
By Shamim Nateebwa:

The police chief General Kale Kayihura blames the increased deaths resulting from road accidents on laxity among police officers and road users.

Kayihura was speaking at the city mortuary during a requiem mass in honor of the 13 Tanzanian who perished in the Katonga accident along the Kampala- Masaka high way on Sunday night.

He has urged religious leaders to work with police and sensitize the public on road safety.

He said the government of Uganda will meet all funeral expenses of the deceased and medical expenses for the 6 injured persons that are nursing wounds at Nsambya hospital.

Meanwhile, while addressing mourners, the All Saints Cathedral Provost Rev Micheal Mukwana challenged government officials to stop politicking and focus on developmental issues like constructing good roads.

He also commended Katonga Region Police spokesperson, Philip Mukasa recovering at least 60% of the deceaseds property.

The bodies of the deceased have been transported to Tanzania for burial.
By Benjamin Jumbe

President Yoweri Museveni has blamed the South Sudan conflict on lack of ideology and politicians who push forward identity politics and forget the interests of the people.

Identity is important but it should not be promoted at the expense of the common interests of the people. Even Uganda was a failed state but was rescued by a student movement that taught people to forget about identity politics, he said.

The President was last evening meeting the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley whom he briefed about the security situation in South Sudan, Burundi and Somalia at Uganda House in New York.

The President, who is in New York to attend the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, said there was need to unite the various factions of the SPLM through mediation as the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn works on the wider unity of the other parties.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, an average of more than 1,800 South Sudanese refugees a day have fled to Uganda in the past year.

In addition to the million refugees now hosted by Uganda, a million or even more South Sudanese refugees are being hosted by Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic.

Ambassador Nikki Haley commended President Museveni and the government of Uganda for the support towards the refugees and the reform efforts in Somalia and South Sudan.

Uganda has been a good example on what it means to take in refugees. US offers its support as you continue to do that, she said.

Earlier at a meeting with other world leaders over UN reforms, President Museveni, said Uganda supports President Donald Trumps political declaration on UN reforms, which aim at creating a more lean and efficient institution.
The United Nations food relief agency has warned that as the new school term starts, millions of children across Africa risk going to school hungry or dropping out altogether, due to lack of financing for nourishing school meals.

According to UN News Center, Abdou Dieng, West and Central Africa Regional Director of the World Food Programme says that by failing to fully fund school meals, world leaders are collectively short-changing the next generation and Africas future.

Speaking in Montreal, Canada, at an annual forum on child nutrition, co-sponsored and hosted by the World Food Program (WFPs) Centre of Excellence against Hunger, Dieng said school meals are one of the best investments the international community can make to ensure a head start for young children in some of the worlds poorest countries.

In many areas of the region, WFP is the sole or main provider of school meals but over the years it has shrunk its coverage due to a $76 million funding gap.

Studies show that the meals help improve attendance and performance rates.
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.




Collaboration between Samsung and Relief International to focus on the importance of education for children

By: TRACCS jordan

from the event

End

-- Samsung Electronics Levant announced the inauguration of its latest smart labs in cooperation with Relief International, to support education for Syrian refugees at Zaatari camp.The inauguration of the smart labs stems from implementing Samsung's strategy that aims to elevate education, utilizing its technologies and expertise in the local communities it operates in, where the solutions and the devices Samsung offers will give the chance for the children to participate in interactive education, which will help the children in having a brighter future and discovering new limits for their abilities.In this cooperation, Samsung rehabilitated 2 labs, equipped with the latest technology, in addition to transforming the land to a safe playground for children. Samsung smart labs are within Makani centers funded by UNICEF, which targets boys and girls aged between 5 and 24. These centers serve children who drop out and are not attending schools, encouraging them to enroll in formal education, and providing bridging education to those who struggle with formal schooling.Mr. Changsup Lee, Samsung Electronics Levant President commented: "Being present in the local communities, obligates us to be an active member of the community. And despite the efforts that has been made to elevate education at Zaatari Camp, we still have to do more and we are excited for the cooperation with Relief International. With these smart labs capabilities, the children will have an equipped space to help them receive more entertaining methods of education and obtain life skills, which is of great importance to enrich their knowledge"."At Samsung, we believe in what technology can achieve, and technology is a source of inspiration for those kids who are in need to build a brighter future, to be able to innovate and enable them to build a normal life and prepare them for a more better and hopeful future", he added.At the smart labs, the children will receive various related technology topics that will help them to unleash their potential and creativity. The courses will include modern languages, social media, photography, filmmaking, art and painting.Ms. Nancy Wilson, Relief International global CEO, is in Jordan for the handover, and observed: "We have already seen children who were disinterested in formal schooling become highly engaged in creative and meaningful projects in our social innovation labs. Based on that enthusiasm, many have found the desire to further their formal schooling as well, realizing that gives them tools to achieve their dreams. These smart labs will provide very powerful tools for them to be creative in more ways, increase their collaboration, and strive for even bigger dreams. And building more pathways for learning and hope is what we are all about.""We are proud to be partnering with Samsung on this leadership initiative,"she noted.It is worth mentioning that Samsung Electronics Levant pays particular attention to education in the Levant region (Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq) through partnerships and projects aimed at focusing on youth's role and development.
The organisers of the Kenya Mining Forum have just announced that Mr Satchu will be a keynote speaker at the annual gathering in Nairobi, which has been moved from November to take place from 4-5 December.

By: Kenya Mining Forum

Kenya Mining Forum: Kenyas mining star is shining bright

Media Contact

Kenya Mining Forum

annemarie.roodbol@ spintelligent.com

+27217003500 Kenya Mining Forum+27217003500

End

-- "Kenya's free market credentials give it a unique opportunity to crowd international and domestic investors in. I expect lift-off in the mining sector over the next 5-10 years." This is according to the leading Kenyan investment and business guru Aly-Khan Satchu, CEO of Rich Management Ltd.The organisers of thehave just announced that Mr Satchu will be a keynote speaker at the annual gathering in Nairobi, which has been moved from November to take place from 4-5 December. Mr Satchu, who will address the opening session on "began hiscareer in banking in the City of London before returning to Kenya 11 years ago and founding his investment advisory firm."I had always studied and traded the commodities markets" says Mr Satchu, "however, the opportunity to take a close look at the mining industry came via Base Resources on whose Base Titanium Kenya Board I serve. It has been a unique opportunity to see a best of breed mining operation up close and personal. Base will parlay its Kwale success into a SSA wide operation in due course."With regards to the main challenges facing the Kenyan mining sector he says "the sine qua non of a successful mining sector is policy making stability and certainty. I believe we have that. These investments are typically big ticket and have a long life. We need to be cognizant of these realities. In the comparison (see Tanzania and SA), Kenya's mining star is shining bright. The biggest challenge remains capital and building out a capital markets which can support the industry."According to Mr Satchu the Kenyan government "has a crucial and necessary role to play. There is a lot of propaganda around the industry and we need to be wary of the resource nationalism argument. The government needs to play its role so that whilst the government receives its fair share, local communities are also empowered. If that equation is interfered with licenses to operate will be more difficult."During the upcomingthe Rich Management CEO will also chair the Investors Breakfast: "I am very excited to be chairing this discussion. Investors are the missing ingredient. I am keen to tease out how we crowd investors in and how we construct a best of breed capital markets which allows us to capture more value."The complete interview with Mr Satchu can be viewed here: http://www.kenyaminingforum.com/ Aly-Khan-Satchu- Interview This yearis once again hosted by the Kenya Ministry of Mining, in collaboration with the Chamber of Mines.A varied conference programme focuses on industry issues and challenges ranging from finance, legislation, women in mining, the gemstone sector to CSR. The expo showcases leading technology and services for the sector while a practical workshop programme offers free training and up skilling for mining professionals.Base Titanium is the returning diamond sponsor for, heading up a strong list of leading mining companies and industry suppliers atAcacia Mining is also a gold sponsor again this year along with Panafrican Group. More early confirmed sponsors are Kilimapesa Gold, ALN, Conco, Dassault Systemes, ESRI Eastern Africa, HH&M, Scania, Socabelec and Spruceland.Theis organised by Spintelligent, a well-known trade conference and expo organiser on the African continent. The company has particular expertise and experience in mining and infrastructure development events; including the long running flagship shows such as DRC Mining Week in Lubumbashi, Nigeria Mining Week in Abuja, Future Energy East Africa (formerly EAPIC) in Nairobi, Future Energy Nigeria (formerly WAPIC) in Lagos and African Utility Week in Cape Town.Conference and expo: 4-5 December 2017Venue: Safari Park Hotel & Casino, Nairobi, KenyaWebsite: http://www.kenyaminingforum.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/kenyaminingforLinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8530207Senior communications manager: Annemarie RoodbolTelephone: +27 21 700 3558Email: annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.com
Artist Believes Dennis Rodman, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un can all get along and thwart disaster.

By: COLOR CODING DNA

1 2 3 4 5 Kim Jong-Un Kim Jong-Un Traits Donald Trump Kim Jong-Un Donald Trump Kim Jong- Un Greg Herzog

End

-- Artist Paints Kim Jong -Un and President Trump using COLOR CODING DNA technique in hope for Peace with North Korea: Believes Dennis Rodman, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un can all get along and thwart disaster.Herzog believes he has broken the code of Kim Jong-Un and President Trump.If any U.S. President could create peace with North Korea its Donald Trump. President Trump can get his first real big victory as President of the United States by meeting with Kim Jong- Un and stopping the madness with North Korea. Dennis Rodman is not too far off.The president has threatened "fire and fury and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before" a statement many took to mean a nuclear strike.Rodman has visited with Kim several times, even as North Korea has carried out a series of nuclear and missile tests and Trump has responded with warnings of a "massive" military response.Ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman has said he wanted to "straighten things out" between his BFF Kim Jong Un and President Trump as the two leaders face off over the rogue regime's nuke program.Rodman has praised Trump, even though the president could be "a little bit crazy sometimes."Rodman last visited North Korea in June and his earlier trips stoked talk that he could somehow help the U.S. cut a deal with the North, although his comments on Kim have also drawn ridicule.Rodman has said "I just want to try to straighten things out for everyone to get along together."President Trump And Kim Jong- Un have overlapping personality traits, that can actually allow them to get along. Both love power and control. Trump Is a reality TV President and Kim Jong- Un loves reality T.V., among other American things.Lets all hope and pray that this painting represents peace with North Korea.Mr. Herzog is a former sub four minute miler and conditioning specialist in New York City and Fairfield County, CT. Greg has worked with competitive athletes, as well as individuals from the ages 5-94, and has made studying human performance his life's work. This extensive experience led to the development of "QUANTUM MAPPING," a mathematical equation to predict and change behavior, as well as a QuantumReaction Theory: COLOR CODING DNA, to help better understand an appreciate the foundation of the makeup of a subject in regard to performance.COLOR CODING DNA is a Quantum Reaction Theory using a geometric mathematical equation,where X# of points represents the makeup of a subject. Each degree of expression within the context of each point is color coded and weighted accordingly.The COLOR CODING DNA painting process is strikingly similar to the way patterns in Nature evolve. Since its discovery in the 1960's, chaos theory has experienced spectacular success in explaining many of natures processes. A mathematical system can be designed to generate COLOR CODING DNA trajectories, where the degree of chaos can be tuned. Many natural chaotic systems form fractals in the patterns that record the process.For more information contact Gregherzog@sbcglobal.net
A heating and cooling company in the Ann Arbor area becomes only the fifth in the state of Michigan to earn Mitsubishi Elite Diamond Dealer status.

By: CMR Mechanical

Andy Bobo, co-owner of CMR, recieves Mitsubishi Elite Diamond Contractor honor.

Contact

Andy Bobo

***@cmrmechanical.com Andy Bobo

End

-- CMR Mechanical, heating and cooling contractors in Ann Arbor, Michigan, are proud to announce that they've become a Mitsubishi Elite Diamond Dealer.CMR Mechanical was honored to become only the 5th Mitsubishi Elite Diamond Contractor in Michigan. This was a team effort from Mitsubishi, Young Supply and the professionals at CMR Mechanical. "Our excellent service techs and installers made this happen," says Andy Bobo, co-owner of CMR Mechanical. "Mitsubishi makes an excellent product and we have learned to fit it into the right applications. Our customers are thrilled that they can heat and cool their homes without ductwork."According to Energy Star, Mitsubishi Electric is America's No. 1 selling brand of ductless cooling and heating technology. They have nine systems that qualify for the Energy Star Most Efficient 2013 designation, making them the leader in Most Efficient ductless products. Call CMR Mechanical today to get your Mitsubishi ductless system installed!: Located in Dexter and Ann Arbor, Michigan, CMR Mechanical is a local family oriented business https://cmrmechanical.com/ that focuses on quality HVAC products and customer service in the Dexter, Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Ypsilanti, Plymouth, Milan, Whitmore Lake, and Saline. They live and breathe in the world of, geothermal systems, high-efficiency, and have been in business long enough to understand both the big picture and the critical details.
UBM Development AG has succeeded in securing another transaction with a forward funding structure: Corestate Capital Holding acquired the micro living project QBC 6.2 in Vienna for 27m. We continue to focus on the mega trend urbanization. We were early movers in the area of student housing in Germany and

Photos: ZOOM VP.AT



[]
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.
Caldecott Medalist Dan Santats After the Fall, due in October, reimagines the Humpty Dumpty story as a victory over fear. Humpty used to watch the birds he loves from his perch on top of the wall, but hes so scared of heights after his catastrophic fall that he cant even face climbing the ladder to his bunkbed. He takes up crafting paper airplanes, but his best effort lands on top of his wall. Not only does he master his terror to climb to the top and retrieve the airplanein an unexpected transformation, he sheds his shell and takes flight himself. Santat and his editor at Roaring Brook, Connie Hsu, talk about their working relationship, the perils of narrating in the first person, and what it takes to make an egg fly.

The author-editor relationship can work all sorts of ways. The two of you seem like a team, like collaborators. Connie, can you talk about what Dan brings to the collaboration?

Hsu: When Dan approaches an idea, hes not afraid to think big. Hell come in with something ambitious, out of the box, fresh, fearless, and it pushes me as an editor: how can I help him realize that vision for his book? His art is always fantastic; Ive become accustomed to that level of work and ability. Not every artist can approach a character the way he does. He just nails it. Hes not afraid. Hell do five different sketches to get a scene right, to get an emotion right, to get a page turn right.

Dan, how does it look to you?

Santat: I think the word that would best describe our partnership is trust. I think that the key to our relationship is that we hold each other in equal regard. We check our egos at the door.

There are cases that she feels very strongly about the way a story should be handled and Ill have completely the opposite feeling. We listen to each other. Because she gets to see what I do before anyone else does, I rely on her to give me her unfiltered opinion of whether the work is doing its job. Also, Im an artist, Im not a strong writer. I rely on Connie to clarify what I write.

Was it that way from the beginning?

Santat: The turning point in our relationship, I remember, was when she was at Little, Brown. She was just starting out as an editor. Her notes didnt seem honest enough for me. She would dance around the edges to spare my feelings.

Hsu: Dans agent Jodi [Reamer of Writers House] told me before we worked on The Adventures of Beekle, Dont be afraid to push him. She could tell somehow when I was keeping her posted that there were things I wanted to ask him to redo but I didnt want to lead him astray. It was his vision and I wanted to be respectful. I was feeling out what the relationship would be between editor and creator. She kept saying, Push him, Push him! And once that gate was opened, he was game to try anything, and that also opened up the possibilties for what our collaboration could lead to.

Santat: For example, with After the Fall, she was convinced that it should not be narrated in the first person. She was adamant.

Hsu: My fear was that it would be too dramatic. You know how first-person narration can sound: I was in pain. I was scared.

Santat: So I had it in third person. And it sounded so didactic. But she was willing to experiment. She said, OKimpress me! I came back a week later with the manuscript rewritten in the first person, and she read it and she said, You convinced me.

Hsu: What I had forgotten about was that if you narrate in first person, it requires you to say less. You can cut right back.

An early article about the book in PW described it as a story about how Humpty Dumpty had to climb back up the wall to retrieve a piece of him that was missing. That was his big achievementretrieving the missing piece. How did that book change into this one, with its striking final transformation?

Santat: The story is a metaphor about overcoming anxiety. Its a story about my wife.

Shed been dealing with anxiety and with postpartum depression after the birth of our second child. During the worst of it, it was a strain on the marriageit was hard to keep going. I felt like I didnt know her. She gave up things that were really important to her. And then, when she finally got help, it was like I got my wife back. That dark cloud went away and I got the person I knew back. That was the missing piece. It was about six to eight weeks before the Caldecott when we were ironing it out. Piecing it back together. Winning the medal made everything better. I think it saved my life. People have told us were like newlyweds.

Hsu: In the first version, Humpty Dumpty never gets put together properly. The expected arc of the story is, Humpty falls, Humpty climbs back up. Dan wanted him to be transformed. He wanted Humpty to be transformed forever. And so that change with the piece never felt quite big enough.

Santat: The idea changed in a conversation with Connie and me. We talked for an hour and half, tossing out ideas, asking, What constitutes a big enough moment? And Connie pushed me across the line. Hey! she said. Humpty Dumpty is an egg! Whats inside him? And I said, And a bird pops out of him! and we had this really dark conversation about Alien. It felt so shocking, but also so on the nose. For five minutes I was just sitting on the phone saying, Can we do that? Its insane! Can we do that? Why dont you give it a try?, she said quietly.

I went right into sketches. I was really excited. A good majority of the subsequent discussions was about smoothing out that ending and getting the pacing right. The whole thing was showing Humpty hatching without it being horrific. We finally realized that we couldnt show Humpty from the front or from the side. I did seven or eight sketches and got frustrated. I thought, This is good enough! When we showed it to people we got some wild reactions: Did a bird just fly right through him? So we had to simplify it even more. Connie said, Try it again. Trust me. This isnt communicating the way you want it to.

Hsu: When I look at my book folder, I see 16 different versions of the text

and art files. And even during the round before we got it right I was thinking, Well never get there.

Santat: When people read it, those cracks [in Humptys shell] show up four pages earlier, but they mostly dont see them. Your mind doesnt dare to think it. The overwhelming response comes at the end; Oh, right, hes an egg! Even grownups dont realize whats happening.

Hsu: And if we can nerd out a little, when it was being narrated in the third person, the lines read, Humpty knew something was different! But when Dan changed the voice back to first person, we didnt need a line there at all. It just takes that one quiet moment to make the story sing. Once that line was removed, the book was done.

Dan, what are you working on now?

Santat: Well, one of the things Im working on is You Bad Son, a memoir of what it was like growing up Asian-American in a white, Christian, American town. For most of my childhood I was trying not to be an Asian-American. In middle school and high school you try to blend in with the crowd. You dont want to have that kind of shame. Then I read [Gene Luen Yangs] American-Born Chinese. I ran into Gene at Miami International Airport and I told him, Your book changed my life. Writing [the memoir] is like releasing these demons, laying everything out on the table.

Hsu: So where is it?

Santat: Im working on it...

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat. Roaring Brook, $17.99 Oct. 3 ISBN 978-1-62672-682-6
Founded by Alice Curry in 2014 to publish childrens books by authors and illustrators from diverse cultural backgrounds, London-based Lantana Publishing has garnered impressive accolades during its first three years. The publisher was shortlisted for the Bologna Prize for Best Childrens Publisher of the Year (Europe Category) at the 2017 Bologna Childrens Book Fair, and earlier this year Curry received Britains Kim Scott Walwyn Prize, celebrating exceptional women in publishing.

Now Lantana is entering the American market with the release of four picture books this fall, which clearly reflect its core mission. Distributed by Lerner Publisher Services, Lantanas debut U.S. list features the work of authors and illustrators whose backgrounds are rooted in an array of countries.

Lantanas story began in the early 2000s, when Curry and Caroline Godfrey were literature-loving friends at the University of Oxford. A decade later, when Curry decided to make her vision for a new publishing house a reality, Godfrey took a year off from her teaching career to help Lantana in its start-up phase. When she returned to teaching (remaining associated with the company), another university friend, Katrina Gutierrez, came on board to help Curry with the day-to-day running of the business.

Lantana was born from a need to level the playing field for childrens authors and illustrators of all backgrounds, explained Curry of the companys genesis, which reaches back to her childhood. Being of the white majority culture and privileged to travel extensively with my family while I was growing up, I noticed a lack of books about children from other parts of the world, she said. This was an observation that was hammered home during my doctorate in childrens literature and my subsequent freelance work for an education outreach charity. I became increasingly aware of the inequalities in childrens publishing, that certain voices are rarely heard.

As this observation came into clearer focus, Curry opted to launch Lantana to open up a space for these rarely heard voices. I was working from a deeply held belief that all children deserve to see themselves in the books they read, and that everyone is poorer if we fail to give our children the chance to develop empathy, compassion, and wonder through stories that cross borders, she noted.

An Open Call

In just three years time Lantana has published authors and illustrators from nearly 20 countries, a number that Curry hopes will continue to increase. We have an open call of submissions on our website, which encourages authors and illustrators to submit their work, whether or not they are represented by agents, she said. Many childrens book creators of diverse backgrounds have reported difficulties in finding representation for subject matter considered niche. We actively look for niche and then work with authors to make their ideas and experiences accessible to a wider general readership.

Lantanas debut U.S. titles, which were previously released in the U.K., demonstrate the extent to which the company, in Currys words, has gone some way to filling a gap in the childrens book market. The winner of last years Childrens Africana Best Book award, Chicken in the Kitchen, tells of a Nigerian girl who awakens to find a giant chicken causing mischief in her home. This book by Nnedi Okorafor (born in the U.S. to Nigerian parents) features art by Iranian-British illustrator Mehrdokht Amini. The Tigon and the Liger, by British author Keilly Swift and Japanese illustrator Cosei Kawa, is set in the jungles of India and delivers a message of inclusivity and embracing differences. In The Wooden Camel, written by Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu and illustrated by Italian artist Manuela Adreani, a boy learns the importance of keeping ones dreams alive. And rounding out the first American list is Sleep Well, Siba and Saba, a bedtime tale centering on sisters in Uganda. This debut picture book by Ugandan-American writer Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl is illustrated by French artist Sandra van Doorn.

Curry anticipates that Lantana will release at least eight picture books annually in the U.S.a combination of new titles released simultaneously in the U.K. and Americanized editions of books previously released there.

We are very excited to be introducing our first books in the U.S., Curry said. It is a much larger market than the U.K., but has a similar aesthetic and a similar desire to diversify its childrens literature, as can be seen from the fantastic successes of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign. We are deeply grateful to Lerner for enabling us to reach new readers in this exciting market. And future Lantana releases will transport American readers to additional shores, she added. Look out for titles set in Syria, India, China, Malaysia, and more next year.

Chicken in the Kitchen by Nnedi Okorafor, illus. by Mehrdokht Amini. Lantana Publishing, $17.99 Sept. ISBN 978-1-911373-15-5

The Tigon and the Liger by Keilly Swift, illus. by Cosei Kawa. Lantana Publishing, $17.99 Sept. ISBN 978-1-911373-16-2

Sleep Well, Siba and Saba by Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl, illus. by Sandra van Doorn. Lantana Publishing, $17.99 Oct. ISBN 978-1-911373-09-4

The Wooden Camel by Wanuri Kahiu, illus. by Manuela Adreani. Lantana Publishing, $17.99 Oct. ISBN 978-1-911373-12-4
This years Small Press Expo, an annual festival of indie and self-published comics and graphic novels held Sept. 16-17 in Bethesda, Maryland, seemed influenced more than ever by the current political climate and the comics community's reaction to it.

The shift was evident not only in the number of books referencing the Trump administrationthe most notable from Shannon Wheeler (Sh*t My President Says) and R. Sikoryak (The Unquotable Trump)but in a number of passionate speeches about race in America at Saturday nights Ignatz Awards ceremony.

Although an official count has not been released, attendance seemed about the same as usualroughly between 4,000 and 5,000 over the weekend. Most publishers told PW sales were good.

Highlighting this years show were two special guest artists: Tillie Walden, author of Spinning (First Second), a graphic memoir about her life as an elite figure skater and coming out as gay; and Emil Ferris, author of the surprise hit graphic novel, My Favorite Thing is Monsters (Fantagraphics), which features a precociously thoughtful, fictional 10 year-old girl who is also gay and loves the world of monster fanzines, in a story set in late 1960s Chicago just as Dr. Martin Luther King is assassinated.

This years show also presented a 10th anniversary celebration panel for publisher Annie Koyama and Koyama Press. But in the wake of Trumps election (and the resistance to it) there were more than few panels focused on cartooning and the influence of issues of race, diversity and the LGBTQ community and gender identity. CXC executive director Tom Spurgeon moderated a panel on The Free Press featuring cartoonists Keith Knight, Ben Passmore, and Ann Telnaes; while a panel entitled Genderfluidity, Technology and Futurism, featured artists Jeremy Sorese, Kevin Cazp and Rio Audry Taylor.

The embrace of diversity carried over to this years Ignatz Awards, the SPX festival awards for the best work of the past year. Ferriss My Favorite Thing is Monsters won Outstanding Graphic Novel and Outstanding Artist. The Award for Outstanding Anthology went to Elements: Fire An Anthology by Creators of Color, edited by Taneka Stotts; and Passmores Your Black Friend won the prize for Outstanding standalone comic.

Speeches from presenters and winners reflected both the close-knit community that SPX fosters and the realities of racial injustice in the U.S. Most Promising Newcomer winner Bianca Xunise was not there to accept, but sent a statement that concluded: Hopefully today is just the beginning of hearing more black and brown voices in comics. We have so many stories to tell. And not just sad or scary ones but ones about love and ordinary stories about life.

Another blockbuster panel saw acclaimed artists Jillian Tamaki (Boundless) and Eleanor Davis (You And A Bike And The Road) in conversation about their multi-layered works. Tamaki praised the comics medium for its ability to play with a whole level of communication that is independent of what is written down. Davis said that many people had misunderstood her much admired Libbys Dad comic but If everyone understands my work it may be too obvious.

On the exhibition floor, Fantagraphics publicity director Jacq Cohen said the publishers biggest sellers were Ferriss My Favorite Thing is Monsters, along with Sophie Goldsteins House of Women and D.J. Bryants collection of scabrously surreal short stories, Unreal City. Fantagraphics was also offering a new edition of Charles Forsmans disturbing 2013 graphic novel, The End of the Fucking World, which is being developed into a Netflix series, and his latest work, I Am Not Okay With This, another troubling portrait of a desperately odd suburban kid.

Koyama Press featured, among other works, Sex Fantasy, a book length collection of cartoon narratives by Sophie Foster-Dimino that won an Ignatz in 2015 as a mini-comic. Top Shelf was featuring Nate Powells Omnibox, a boxed collection of his pre-March graphic novels which include Swallow Me Whole, Empire, and You Dont Say.

Top Shelf was also offering advance copies of Bottled, a new graphic novel by Australian cartoonist Chris Gooch. Also from Top Shelf: Gumballs, a periodical series by Erin Nations, that details his gender transitioning with oddball humor and understated emotion that will be released as a book collection in 2018.

SPX also marked a few transitions: Secret Acres co-publisher Barry Matthews is leaving the company and he took a farewell tour around the show. And Retrofit publisher Box Brown is going on hiatus from the small press publisher to focus on his own comics work, such as his upcoming biography of Andy Kauffman. Big Planets Jared Smith will take over in his absence.
Global content services provider TVT/DMC has announced that all 87 channels from its former facility are now operating from its new Amsterdam facility.





The all-IP platform officially launched in June 2017 and is said to enable TVT/DMC to commission and deliver new channels to market in a matter of hours instead of weeks. The move is said to achieve the companys vision to deliver Europes first fully operational, virtualised private broadcast cloud in less than two years.TVT/DMC boasts that its platform offers its customers  such as A+E Networks, AMC Networks, FOX Networks Group, Liberty Global, Scripps Networks Interactive and Sony Pictures  unprecedented flexibility, scale and capacity, extending the type and quality of services available. The platform gives TVT/DMC the ability to accelerate time to market, reduce hardware requirements and maintain full control over their content. It also provides pop-up channels for market testing and companion channels for special events on OTT platforms. The platform was enabled by a number of key partners including Pebble Beach Systems, Cisco, Equinix, Red Hat, Super Micro and VMware.This is a landmark achievement for our newly united company and a true technological feat that reflects our teams strong vision and desire to realise an all-IP, cloud enabled world, said TVT/DMC chief executive Ian Brotherston. As first movers in this area, we are incredibly proud of our pioneering platform and the opportunity to take an exciting new approach to media management and playout.
Snap has blocked access in Saudi Arabia to Al Jazeera video content on its Snapchat social media network  a move that has been denounced by the Qatar-based news network.





The Saudi Arabian Government told Snap that Al Jazeeras news reports violated local laws. Confirming the move to Reuters, the social media company said: We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate.Al Jazeeras Arabic language news channel was added to Snapchat Discover in May.We find Snapchats action to be alarming and worrying. This sends a message that regimes and countries can silence any voice or platform they don't agree with by exerting pressure on the owners of social media platforms and content distribution companies, said Mostefa Souag, acting director general, Al Jazeera Media Network.This step is a clear attack on the rights of journalists and media professionals to report and cover stories freely from around the world, he added.Morad Rayyan, head of incubation and innovation research at Al Jazeera, said as a US based, publically traded company, Snapchat stands for freedom of expression.We are urging them [Snapchat] to review the decision that was made. They were the ones who invited us to be one of their news partners for the region.Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar on 5 June, along with neighbouring Gulf states of UAE and Bahrain, plus Egypt. Among the sanctions applied was a block on the reception of Al Jazeera broadcasts either online or via satellite.
The Afghan Air Force (AAF) has received its first U.S.-made UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters as part of a planned replacement of its aging fleet of Russian-made helicopters.

"The first Afghan Air Force UH-60s arrived today at Kandahar Air Field" in southern Afghanistan, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement posted on Facebook late on September 18.

"The AAF is transitioning from the Mi-17 to the UH-60 as part of recapitalization efforts to modernize the helicopter fleet," it added.

Reports say the United States plans to supply as many as 159 refurbished Black Hawks to Afghanistan in the coming years to replace Afghanistan's Soviet-era Mi-17s, whose age makes them increasingly difficult to maintain.

Bolstering the Afghan Air Force is a central part of President Ashraf Ghani's four-year road map to improve the country's security forces as the government is struggling to beat back insurgents in the wake of the exit of most NATO forces in 2014.

A U.S. report found earlier this year that the Taliban controls or contests control of about 40 percent of the country, and security forces are also fighting against militants affiliated with the extremist group Islamic State (IS).

More U.S. Troops On Way

Also on September 19, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said most of the 3,000 additional troops the United States is deploying to Afghanistan are on their way.

Mattis told Pentagon reporters that he didn't want to give precise numbers but said he was sending "over 3,000" troops to Afghanistan, where they will bolster the approximately 11,000 American forces already there.

"Most of them are on their way or under orders now, and I'd prefer not to give any more information that helps the enemy," he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump last month announced a new Afghanistan strategy he said was aimed at defeating the Taliban after nearly 16 years of war.

Defense officials say the president's new strategy for Afghanistan will try to repeat the success of U.S. efforts over the past two years to strengthen Iraqi security forces against the Islamic State group with better training, logistical support, and the battlefield backup of U.S. artillery, and air strikes on enemy positions.

The United States is also pressing for NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in Afghanistan.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, dpa, and RFE/RLs Radio Free Afghanistan


Most of the 3,000 additional troops the United States is deploying to Afghanistan are on their way, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on September 18.

U.S. President Donald Trump last month announced a new Afghanistan strategy, which he said was aimed at defeating the Taliban, who continue to mount deadly attacks, control large areas, and kill thousands of Afghan servicemen and civilians after nearly 16 years of war.

Mattis told Pentagon reporters that he didn't want to give precise numbers but said he was sending "over 3,000" troops to Afghanistan, where they will bolster the approximately 11,000 American forces already there.

"Most of them are on their way or under orders now, and I'd prefer not to give any more information that helps the enemy," he said.

Defense officials say the president's new strategy for Afghanistan will try to repeat the success of U.S. efforts over the past two years to strengthen Iraqi security forces against the extremist Islamic State group with better training, logistical support, and the battlefield backup of U.S. artillery and air strikes on enemy positions.

The United States is also pressing for NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in Afghanistan.

Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters


TBILISI -- The wife of an Azerbaijani journalist who had sought refuge in Georgia but disappeared and reappeared in custody in Baku has urged Georgian authorities to do more to investigate his plight.

Leyla Mustafayeva told reporters in Tbilisi on September 19 that her husband, Afqan Muxtarli, was followed by the same people days before he disappearing on May 29.

A day later, Azerbaijani authorities said he was in custody in Baku on suspicion of illegally crossing the border and smuggling money.

Mustafayeva said that Georgian investigators and the prosecutor's office, who vowed to investigate her spouse's abduction, had not achieved any noticeable results, and called on Georgian officials to increase their efforts to find the people she believes abducted her husband.

Muxtarli's lawyer, Archil Chopikashvili, who was with Mustafayeva, told journalists that his client's "abduction" in Georgia and incarceration in Azerbaijan were politically motivated, as he was well-known for his writing about high-level government corruption in Azerbaijan.

International rights defenders and Western governments have called on Baku to release Muxtarli.

European lawmakers passed a resolution in June calling on Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release Muxtarli and drop all charges against him.

Muxtarli and his wife fled to Georgia in 2015, fearing for their safety over his investigations into Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's alleged links to corruption.
BAKU -- Azerbaijan's embattled Turan news agency says the authorities have reinstated a tax claim against the independent news outlet.

Turan said in a statement on September 19 that the Department of Local Revenues in Baku had informed the agency that a claim that it owes 37,000 manats ($21,500) in unpaid taxes and penalties for 2014-16 had been reinstated.

No reason was given for the move. On September 12, the department had informed Turan that the tax claim had been dropped and its frozen assets had been unblocked.

Turan director Mehman Aliyev was arrested in late August and charged with tax evasion and abuse of powers. He was released from pretrial detention and placed under house arrest on September 12.

Turan was established in 1990 and has published online reports in Azerbaijani, English, and Russia. It also has cooperated with leading international news agencies about stories in Azerbaijan.

Rights and media group have accused Azerbaijan of using tax-evasion allegations to pressure Turan.

Giorgi Gogia, the South Caucasus director of Human Rights Watch, said earlier this month that the case against Turan's Aliyev was "the latest in a vicious crackdown on critical media in the country."

Azerbaijan is ranked 162nd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2017 World Press Freedom Index.
It is conceivable, although judging by past practice unlikely, that the arrest on August 24 of Mehman Aliyev, longtime head of Azerbaijan's last remaining independent news agency, Turan, may come to be seen as a turning point in that country's track record of suppression of dissent and media freedom.

Aliyev was released from pretrial custody on September 11, but he remains under police supervision and the charges against him of tax evasion and illegal entrepreneurship have not been dropped despite pressure from the U.S. State Department to do so. The Tax Ministry has, however, withdrawn its demand for over 37,000 manats ($21,759) in back taxes that served as the grounds for the charge of tax evasion, the news portal Caucasian Knot reported on September 16.

Four developments may, separately or in combination, have influenced the decision to release Aliyev from pretrial custody. The first is pressure from the U.S. State Department and from international organizations, including the Council of Europe and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (Democrat-Illinois) had proposed adding to a draft bill on foreign aid for 2018 sanctions against the Azerbaijani officials involved.

The second is an investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) that concluded that Baku operated a $2.9 billion slush fund from which bribes or sweeteners were reportedly channeled via shell companies and European banks to European politicians, summaries of which were published in the British newspaper The Guardian and elsewhere in early September.

Ali Hasanov, a longtime aid to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (no relation to Mehman), told the Turkish daily Hurriyet that those "groundless, biased, groundless, and provocative" allegations were concocted and spread by British intelligence and the "Armenian lobby."

President Aliyevs office similarly issued a statement blaming the Armenian lobby and international financier George Soros. It explicitly denied that either President Aliyev or any members of his family have any relation to the charges contained in the [OCCRP] report. The release of the Turan head could thus have been intended to counter the negative impact of those damaging allegations.

The third is that Mehman Aliyev had himself written to the president after being assured by staff from the countrys human rights ombudsman that they would do everything in their power to secure his release. Mehman Aliyev told journalists that he informed the president about the work of his agency and its commitment to the highest journalistic standards and professional ethics. He said he asked to be released from pretrial detention but did not engage in any negotiations to that end. He also added that he did not wish to be the cause of international sanctions against Azerbaijan.

The fourth and final development was a rare public statement by members of Azerbaijans political and artistic establishment implicitly criticizing the authorities treatment of Mehman Aliyev. On September 5, the same day that a Baku court rejected a formal application by Aliyevs lawyer to release him from pretrial custody, a group of 15 parliamentarians, prominent writers, and three journalists appealed to President Aliyev for Aliyevs release on bail. They stressed his services to his country and the high regard in which he, and Turan, are held abroad.

It is of course possible that that appeal was orchestrated by the presidential administration to create a pretext for apparent magnanimity. But no such public appeal preceded a second, unrelated move: the early release from prison on September 14 of 14 of the 17 men jailed in January in connection with an altercation between Muslim believers and police in the village of Nardaran, a hotbed of radical Shi'ite Islam, in November 2015 during which two police officers died.

Then on September 15, Faiq Amirov, financial director of the opposition newspaper Azadlyq, was released from prison after serving two months of a 39-month term on charges of tax evasion and inciting interethnic hatred to which he had pleaded not guilty. The prison term was commuted to a suspended sentence.

Fuad Aleskerov, an adviser to President Aliyev, told the news portal Caucasian Knot that the release of Mehman Aliyev and the 14 men from Nardaran is in line with the implementation of the humane ideas and principles outlined in a presidential edict from February on "making criminal punishment more humane."

Aleskerov did not explain why that edict is being applied so selectively: 157 other Azerbaijani citizens who have been formally designated political prisoners remain in prison. They include Talekh Bagirzade, a charismatic young Islamic theologian serving a life sentence for his imputed role in the Nardaran events; Ilgar Mamedov, leader of the opposition movement Republican Alternative (ReAl); and Gozel Bayramly, deputy chair of the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front. Bayramly was arrested on May 25 at the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan and charged with attempting to smuggle $12,000 into the country. She is in poor health and, according to her lawyer, can barely walk without the support of her cellmates.

In presumably giving the green light for the release of Mehman Aliyev and the 14 Nardaran villagers, the presidential administration may have calculated that the PR benefits of releasing from custody a journalist known and respected in the West far outweighed the possible damage his agency could inflict, especially in terms of influencing developments within the country, and that the Nardaran villagers posed little danger given that their influence does not extend nationwide. That pragmatic line of reasoning would also explain why international appeals to release jailed opposition politicians such as Mamedov have gone unheeded.

On the other hand, the releases could reflect the tactic of reprisal followed by concession in the face of international pressure that dates back to the tenure of Ilham Aliyevs father and predecessor as president, Heydar Aliyev. For example, just four weeks before the November 2000 parliamentary elections, Heydar Aliyev pressured the Central Election Commission to reverse its earlier rulings barring all but five of the 13 parties that applied to contest the ballot under the party list system from doing so. Politicians and observers in Baku suggested at the time that those reversals were in part a response to pressure from the U.S. State Department and in part motivated by concern not to jeopardize Azerbaijan's acceptance into full membership of the Council of Europe. That leniency did not, however, continue after the elections.

It is thus too early to predict whether the release of Mehman Aliyev marks the start of a less heavy-handed policy toward Azerbaijans independent media, or was simply intended to deflect the threat of U.S. sanctions. And even if the pressure on journalists and bloggers is relaxed somewhat, pressure on opposition parties, whom President Aliyev branded in February a fifth column...out to damage most sacred values of the state, is more likely to intensify in the run-up to the presidential election due in the fall of 2018.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL
An Iranian teenager sneaks up behind a cleric in the capital, Tehran, and knocks his turban off his head before dashing off.

The incident, uploaded on social media, is part of a new tactic employed by anti-government demonstrators in Iran.

Nationwide antiestablishment protests have raged across the Islamic republic since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died on September 16 shortly after she was arrested for allegedly violating the hijab law on women's dress.

As the authorities have waged a deadly crackdown on the rallies, some demonstrators have turned to new tactics to sustain the monthslong protests, including tipping off Islamic clerics' turbans in the streets.

Many Iranians associate members of the clergy with Iran's Islamist regime, which many blame for the repression and corruption in the country.

While some Iranians have praised the "turban throwing" as an act of resistance, others have expressed concern that low-level clerics who are not affiliated with the state could become the victims of harassment and violence.

Lawmaker Mohammad Taghi Naqd Ali on November 10 called the new trend "the devil's conspiracy" and warned that young protesters tossing clerics' turbans were "playing with the lion's tail."

State media reported the arrests of two people in recent days who were accused of knocking off clerics' turbans.

London-based human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr said the tactic was a "brave and revolutionary act." Sadr, the co-founder of the rights group Justice for Iran, told RFE/RL that protesters were "humiliating" clerics without resorting to violence. "They're [targeting] the clergy's turban as a symbol of the crimes and corruption of the past 43 years as well as the privileges clerics have enjoyed," she said.

"There is no violence in it, and it also includes youthful mischief, which highlights the spirit of the revolution," Sadr added, referring to the monthslong protests that have posed the biggest threat to the establishment in years.

But Ahmad Zeidabadi, a Tehran-based journalist and former political prisoner, said that some of the clerics targeted in the streets "may be critics or even victims of [state] policies."

"This phenomenon...mainly targets clerics who do not hold any government positions," he said on Twitter, adding that senior clerics in powerful positions rarely appear in public and are often protected by security guards if they do.

Reformist cleric Hojatoleslam Ahmad Heidari, who was jailed in the past for his support for the opposition Green Movement, warned that the new trend could taint the "beautiful face of [the] protest movement against oppression and injustice."

"You're right to be angry at those wearing turbans," Heidari wrote on the news site Esafnews.com. But he added that "those who have a hand in power and are your target" are out of reach. He said many of the clerics targeted were "young and elderly" clerics who are not sitting in "ivory towers."

Attacks on clerics, particularly those who attempt to enforce Islamic codes in public, had been on rise in Iran even before the protests erupted, forcing many clerics to appear in public without their robes and turbans.

Last week, a cleric was reportedly hospitalized after being wounded in Karaj, near Tehran, amid antiestablishment protests in the city. The hard-line Fars news agency claimed that protesters attacked the cleric with knives.

Hassan Fereshtian, a Paris-based Iranian cleric and researcher, said the turban-throwing trend was the result of the "suppressed anger of the past four decades."

"If it aims at eliminating the clergy, we could be facing the start of violence," he warned in comments to RFE/RL's Radio Farda. "In fact, the clergy should be eliminated from the centers of power. But they shouldn't be eliminated from society."

Fereshtian, a student of the late dissident Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, expressed hope that Iran will reach a point "where secular people can live peacefully next to the clergy and unveiled women next to those who choose to wear the hijab."

In the past year, regime supporters have knocked off the turbans of clerics who had criticized the establishment, including former Interior Minister Abdollah Nuri and former parliament speaker Mehdi Karrubi, who has been under house arrest since 2011 for disputing the 2009 reelection of former President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
Police have deployed in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk to prevent a deadly clash from developing into ethnic violence ahead of a referendum on Kurdish independence, reports say.

Local residents and officials said on September 19 that checkpoints were erected across Kirkuk overnight after a Kurd was killed in a clash with the guards of a Turkmen political party office in the city.

Two other Kurds and one Turkmen security guard were reported wounded in the violence.

Tensions rose in the ethnically-mixed city after its Kurdish-led provincial council voted this month to include it in a referendum planned in Iraqs Kurdish semiautonomous region.

Kurdish leaders want to hold the vote on September 25, despite opposition from the Baghdad government and the international community, including Iraqs neighbors Turkey and Iran.

Kirkuk lies outside the boundaries of the Kurdish semiautonomous region and is claimed by both the Kurds and the central government.

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters took control of the city in the summer of 2014, when the extremist group Islamic State swept across northern and central Iraq.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
Ukrainian diplomats have visited a Ukrainian teenager held in Russian custody on terrorism-related charges for the first time since his arrest.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maryana Betsa wrote on Twitter that Ukrainian consuls visited Pavlo Hryb on September 18.

Betsa said that Ukrainian physicians have not been allowed to examine Hryb.

"We demand doctors' access," she wrote.

Hryb's father, Ihor Hryb, said earlier that his son has a medical condition, which he did not specify, and needs special treatment and drugs on a regular basis to avoid a possible hemorrhage.

Hryb, 19, went missing in late August after he traveled to Belarus to meet a woman he met online in what his relatives believe was a trap set by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

The FSB subsequently informed Kyiv that Hryb was held in a detention center in Russia on suspicion of abetting terrorism, without giving any details.

Ihor Hryb has said his son was openly critical of Russian interference in Ukraine on social media.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on September 8 protested Hryb's detention and demanded that Moscow grant consular access to the teenager "and explain in detail all of the reasons for his detention."

The ministry condemned what it called Russia's "persecution of Ukrainian citizens in Russia and elsewhere, groundless detentions of Ukrainians, violation of their rights to have fair trials, and their convictions on fabricated and politically motivated charges."

Kyiv and Moscow have been locked in a standoff over Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and Moscow's backing of armed separatists in a war that has killed more than 10,000 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.

With reporting by UNIAN


Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev's meeting with a leading Kyrgyz presidential contender, Omurbek Babanov, has sparked controversy in Kyrgyzstan, where a presidential election is scheduled for October 15.

The Kazakh presidential website said on September 19 that Nazarbaev "stressed the necessity to further strengthen ties between the two brotherly nations" at his meeting in Almaty with Babanov.

The Kazakh presidential website's description of the meeting looked like coverage of talks between two equal leaders. The date of the talks was not mentioned.

"During the years of Kyrgyzstan's independence I have always tried to fruitfully work with all your presidents," Nazarbaev said at the talks. "We will be continuing to effectively cooperate with a new president the Kyrgyz nation grants its trust,"

Babanov said in response that when he was Kyrgyzstan's prime minister, Nazarbaev was "always providing us with all possible assistance."

"We accept with joy the successful achievement of brotherly Kazakhstan," Babanov said.

Abdyjapar Bekmatov, a member of Kyrgyzstan's Central Election Commission, told RFE/RL that the commission will study the content and subject of the reported talks and will issue its own assessment of the meeting.

"The commission will study the talks to find out if the meeting was linked to election campaign and will make an assessment," Bekmatov said.

Outgoing Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has publicly supported another presidential candidate, also a former prime minister, Sooronbai Jeenbekov.

Atambaev, who took office in 2007, is barred by Kyrgyzstan's constitution from seeking a second term.

Thirteen candidates have been registered to run for president in the October 15 vote.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 18 attended a joint military exercise with Belarus near NATO's eastern flank that has fanned already deep tensions between Moscow and the West. The war games are officially set to involve 12,700 troops. But Western officials have said the maneuvers could include some 100,000 personnel in what they call a Russian show of power amid the ongoing standoff with the West over Russian aggression in Ukraine. (Reuters)
U.S. media are reporting that federal investigators have wiretapped President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders and now plan to indict him.

According to The New York Times, which cited two people it said were close to the case, U.S. agents informed Manafort on September 18 that they planned to indict him when they raided his home in Virginia in July.

CNN, citing anonymous sources, reported the same day that investigators had a secret order to wiretap Manafort both before and after the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Manafort is one of several close Trump advisers who are now being investigated by Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his probe of alleged Russian interference in the election.

Manafort became Trump's campaign manager in June 2016 but was forced to resign two months later after reports of his business relationship with the party of Ukraine's former Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych.

Manafort and his attorneys did not immediately respond to the reports.

CNN said the secret court that oversees warrant requests under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act issued warrants to wiretap Manafort starting in 2016 before the election.

Such warrants require the approval of top FBI and Justice Department officials, and law enforcement has to demonstrate to the court that there is reason to believe the subject of the investigation may be acting as an agent of a foreign power.

CNN said interest in Manafort deepened because of intercepted communications between him and Russian operatives, and among the Russians.

It said the government eavesdropping continued into 2017, including a period when Manafort was known to talk to Trump after he became president. CNN said it was unclear if Trump was picked up on the surveillance.

CNN said the FBI was not listening in June 2016 when the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., Manafort, and top White House adviser Jared Kushner, who is also the president's son-in-law, met with a Russian lawyer who had promised to deliver negative information on Trump's rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

With reporting by Reuters, CNN, dpa, and New York Times


Prominent writers in Russia's Chuvashia and Bashkortostan regions have urged President Vladimir Putin to stop discouraging the mandatory study of indigenous languages in regions with large ethnic-minority populations, warning that a shift away from the practice could sap Russia's strength and sow discord.

In an open letter to Putin on September 18, ethnic Chuvash author Anatoly Kibech said that dropping mandatory Chuvash language classes at schools in the region on the Volga River could lead to the "weakening of friendly relations between young people in Chuvashia," and the "weakening of Russia as a whole."

"None of the local languages in Russia's ethnic regions imposes a threat to Russia's territorial integrity," Kibech wrote, referring to regions with large populations of indigenous ethnic groups.

"On the contrary, representatives of ethnic indigenous people are more patriotic, more pro-Russian than...people who ignore ethnic cultures. The better the ethnic feelings of Russia's peoples are, the stronger their love to their motherland."

Putin caused concern among champions of local culture in regions such as Chuvashia when he said, while visiting the Republic of Mari El in July, that it was "impermissible to force someone to learn a language that is not their mother tongue, as well as to cut the hours of Russian language [instruction] in Russia's ethnic republics."

In August, Putin followed up by ordering the Prosecutor-General's Office to investigate whether children in the so-called ethnic republics or regions were being forced to study local languages -- which have official status alongside Russian in many of the regions and in some cases are a required subject at state schools.

In the wake of Putin's statement and the order to prosecutors, some Russian-speaking parents urged the authorities in those regions to abandon mandatory studies of languages other than Russian. Several of them did so.

In Bashkortostan, where Bashkir-language classes had been mandatory, parents were asked ahead of the start of the school year on September 1 whether they wanted their children to study Bashkir.

A well-known writer in Bashkortostan, Flyur Galimov, accused Putin of violating the Russian Constitution with his moves discouraging mandatory indigenous-language classes.

He said the change had already caused rifts in Bashkortostan, where at least 1,000 activists rallied on September 16 to demand reinstatement of mandatory Bashkir-language classes in schools across Bashkortostan.

"If that flame is ignited it will be impossible to extinguish it and red rivers might start flowing," Galimov said in a separate open letter, urging Putin "not to cut off our tongue."

Kibech likewise also warned Putin that diminishing the role of indigenous languages could lead to discord across the country and "make our federation weaker."

On September 14, the Council of Chuvash Elders called Putin's moves "another attack against the indigenous languages of the Russian Federation."

On September 7, the Education Ministry of Tatarstan, across the Volga from Chuvashia, declared that calls to end mandatory studies of the Tatar language in the republic contradicted federal and regional laws guaranteeing that the local languages of ethnic republics are official state languages along with Russian.

Also on September 18, Fail Alsynov, the leader of an unregistered group that promotes Bashkir culture and language in Bashkortostan was fined 750 rubles ($12) for refusing to obey police at the rally on September 16 in the regional capital, Ufa.

Alsynov's group, Bashqort, organized the rally.
Oksana Semykina feared reprisals when she complained about having to work lots of overtime with little time off, but being shipped off to a psychiatric hospital wasn't one of them.

But that's exactly what happened to the 36-year-old policewoman in early August, shortly after she expressed concerns to supervisors about her work with the K-9 unit at a St. Petersburg police precinct.

A police union official said the cop-on-cop case marked a first in Russia, where police locking up critics in psychiatric hospitals is a tradition that dates back to the early Soviet days.

The case sparked an outcry in Russia, and more than 230,000 people signed an online petition addressed to President Vladimir Putin calling on him to intervene to free Semykina, who was drugged unconscious before being transported on August 4 to the Kashchenko Psychiatric Hospital, where she reportedly revived only two days later.

Adding to the outrage was the fact Semykina was no opponent of the Kremlin. In fact, she had served in Russia's armed forces and received awards "for 15 years of impeccable service" in the K-9 police unit, according to the petition.

The campaign, spearheaded in large part by her mother, Antonina Gres, created enough public pressure that a local court examined Semykina's forced admission. After only seven hours of deliberations the court ruled on September 8 that Semykina had been unjustly interned. She walked free the same day as supporters and friends cheered on social media.

Since then, Semykina has kept out of the public eye, recuperating from what family and lawyers say was a nightmarish experience, including forced drug injections that left her dazed and confused. She will now be transferred to a K-9 unit in Stavropol, where her mother lives, and what Semykina had reportedly requested from her superiors in the first place.

Russia's Investigative Committee is reportedly looking into the circumstances surrounding Semykina's case and operations at the police station, although the powerful committee has not confirmed those Russian media reports. The K-9 division of the St. Petersburg Police Department is also keeping mum, refusing to comment on the case.

Drugged, Then Diagnosed

Dmitry Povarov, chairman of the central committee of a union representing Interior Ministry employees, says he has sent a formal request to the Prosecutor-General's Office, the Interior Ministry, and the Health Ministry to investigate the legality of Semykina's forced hospitalization and whether those involved, from the police to staff at the psychiatric hospital, acted properly.

According to Povarov, this is the first time a police officer has been sent to a psychiatric hospital following an argument with superiors.

Povarov says Russian law enforcement officers are being pushed to the limits due to cutbacks. "Overtime and unpaid work during time off, that's our burden. Since the Interior Ministry made 10 percent staffing cuts, complaints have skyrocketed," Povarov explains to RFE/RL's Russian Service.

Semykina had spent three nights at the Kashchenko Psychiatric Hospital before her mother learned of her whereabouts following frantic calls to local hospitals.

Gres says staff at the hospital were less than willing to divulge any details about her daughter or her condition. "I said, 'I'm her mother and I have the right to know what's happened to my daughter,'" Gres recounts in an interview with RFE/RL's Russian Service. "They told me, 'There is nothing for you here.' They even said that we shouldn't come there, that they wouldn't let us in."

Gres says her daughter had never before complained to her supervisors about long hours and lack of time off, reasoning that it was "pointless."

Her lawyer, Andrei Vlasov, says he saw the marks from the injections administered to Semykina, who awoke only after two days. According to Vlasov, staff at the psychiatric hospital assessed that Semykina was suffering from mental problems, including "symptoms of schizophrenia," while she lay unconscious at the facility for those two days.

Vlasov says Semykina was in "terrible shape" when he saw her, barely able to talk and eyes half-open. He says she had been injected with haloperidol, used to treat schizophrenia, and other drugs.

Vlasov says a local court had rubber-stamped an official request to have her admitted there, stressing that this was not unusual. "The court hears 20-30 such cases a day, spending no more than 10 minutes on each," Vlasov claims.

Anton Sereda, a member of the Citizens' Commission on Human Rights, says that the NGO has received "lots" of complaints about people being wrongly placed in psychiatric hospitals, although he offers no hard numbers.

Drugging Dissent

A close colleague who spoke to RFE/RL says Semykina called her the night before the fateful day. "She was afraid that they might puncture her tires, but we couldn't imagine in our worst dreams that she would end up spending a month in a psychiatric hospital," says the colleague, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution.

The colleague says Semykina approached her supervisor and requested a transfer to Stavropol, saying she couldn't cope with the endless overtime and lack of time off.

The colleague claims that all the K-9 officers were stressed out from a growing work load, due in part to a high attrition rate at their precinct. "I once worked 21 shifts without a break, and on the 22nd I went to my supervisors and said, 'I'm on the point of collapsing,'" the colleague says.

A day after that August 3 encounter, Semykina was blocked from entering the police precinct. Undeterred, she scaled a fence and entered the premises. She had a heated exchange with a supervisor, culminating with her apparently knocking a tablet from his hands. Shortly after that, staff from the local psychiatric hospital were at the scene, sedating Semykina before taking her away.

During the Soviet era, dissidents were often committed to insane asylums. The practice made a comeback about 15 years ago, and activists say it is increasingly being used to punish political opponents, whistle-blowers, journalists, and those with nonmainstream religious views.

Human rights groups say the use of psychiatric punishment against political dissidents in Russia surged after opposition groups held nationwide demonstrations in 2012 to protest the reelection of Vladimir Putin as president.

Written by Tony Wesolowsky, with reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service correspondent Yelizaveta Mayetnaya
To his family, Stanislav Petrov wasn't the man who may very well have saved the world in 1983.

He was instead a modest man who was wary of accolades, held his closest relatives dear, and lived out his final days in a suburban Moscow apartment with his son, Dmitry.

Petrov, who as a Soviet lieutenant colonel made a critical decision to disregard an early-warning satellite system suggesting the United States had launched a nuclear attack, died on May 19. His death went unnoticed until earlier this month, when Karl Schumacher, a German blogger and filmmaker who was friends with Petrov, first reported it.

In one of the few interviews he has given to the press, Dmitry Petrov told RFE/RL that his father had been ill since November 2016, hospitalized with intestinal problems. He was a heavy smoker, as well.

Petrov's role in possibly preventing nuclear catastrophe went unheralded for years. That his death was also overlooked until four months afterward was in some ways a reflection of his modesty.

"I didn't tell anyone [about his death], because something like this isn't some kind of wedding or celebration. It's just the regular death of a person. That's why I didn't tell anyone, just relatives. As for the rest, I started telling them gradually. If someone asked, I told them, of course," Dmitry said.

"The things most dear to him were his family and friends. I told them, of course. As for the rest -- if someone calls, I tell them. I didn't make any special appeals to anyone," he said.

Suspicious Early Warnings

On September 26, 1983, Petrov was on duty at a bunker outside Moscow when the alarm bells on the early-warning system known as Oko went off shortly after midnight.

As he recounted for the BBC in 1998, a satellite had indicated that five ballistic missiles had been fired at the Soviet Union.

His orders were to notify his superiors, who likely would have approved a counterstrike that would have led to a full-on nuclear exchange.

Petrov didn't, because, as he said later, he thought that it seemed odd that a U.S. nuclear strike was launched with just five missiles. What's more, he didn't entirely trust the new launch-detection system, only recently installed, and ground-based radars had failed to corroborate the launches.

A satellite was later discovered to be the culprit, mistaking the sun's reflection off the tops of clouds for a missile launch. The computer program that was supposed to filter out such information failed to do so.

Praised, Then Shunted Aside

Then 44, Petrov was first praised and, he said, was promised a reward. But none came. He was later reprimanded and reassigned. He said that the flaws found in the early-warning system embarrassed high-ranking officers and scientists. He retired early from the military and later had a nervous breakdown.

Dmitry said he was 12 at the time the incident occurred, and Petrov told no one in the family about it, mainly because the information was highly classified, but also because it was exceedingly technical. He remembers his father being at work for three days straight afterward, not sleeping while a special commission investigated the event, and him later coming home completely exhausted.

"He never talked about his work, not to anyone. He didn't like to talk about it because it was very complicated, his work and what was the point of explaining these details to his wife or his children," Dmitry said.

'Just Doing His Job'

It was only after the Soviet collapse that word began to leak out about the incident, and articles began appearing in the Russian media.

"Of course, I was overcome by horror at what could have happened," Dmitry said. "I was of course extremely surprised to learn what happened, and that he was silent about it. Obviously, he couldn't say anything about it...at that moment when the world literally was hanging by a strand of hair."

The curtain of obscurity he lived behind in his later years was lifted in 2006 when he received an award at the United Nations from the Association of World Citizens for "the part he played in averting a catastrophe." Russia's mission to the United Nations downplayed Petrov's story.

He gained further notoriety in 2014 with the release of a Danish documentary called The Man Who Saved The World. Petrov never considered himself deserving of the accolades that came later in his life, Dmitry said.

In Fryazino, the town northeast of Moscow that was home to scientists and other important officials, not many people knew of Petrov's story, though if any asked, Dmitry said he would share the details.

"Few people are interested in this. He did what he did. You know how people respond to this sort of thing? He did it and to hell with him. Some respect him. Some people simply don't care. Some are totally indifferent. Some think that he doesn't deserve any awards," he said.

"The city administration doesn't know yet [that he died], I think," Dmitry said. A local military veterans organization is, however, preparing an official gravestone.

"He was doing his work and he never considered himself was a hero, he was simply doing his job. That's all," Dmitry said.
Russia has requested the extradition of a Russian cybercrime suspect who was arrested in Greece at the request of the United States, his lawyer and a Greek judicial official say.

Aleksandr Vinnik's lawyer, Xanthippe Moyssidou, told the Associated Press news agency that his client told the Greek authorities on September 19 that he would not contest Moscow's extradition request.

Vinnik is wanted in Russia on fraud charges totaling $11,000, AFP quoted a judicial official as saying on condition of anonymity.

Vinnik was arrested in the Greek tourist resort of Halkidiki on July 26 at the request of U.S. law enforcement officials, who accuse him of running a $4 billion money-laundering scheme using the virtual currency Bitcoin.

The U.S. Justice Department said in its indictment that Vinnik, who is also known by the nickname Sasha Vemye, was the operator of BTC-e, a currency exchange used to trade the digital currency since 2011.

According to U.S. authorities, Vinnik "stole identities, facilitated drug trafficking, and helped to launder criminal proceeds from syndicates around the world."

In addition, BTC-e "was noted for its role in numerous ransomware and other cybercriminal activity."

U.S. officials alleged that Vinnik and BTC-e obtained funds from a Japan-based Bitcoin exchange that collapsed in 2014 after being hacked.

A sizeable portion of the funds stolen from the exchange, known as Mt Gox, were deposited in accounts controlled, owned, and operated by BTC-e and Vinnik, according to the indictment

The Treasury Department has fined BTC-e $110 million for "willfully violating" U.S. anti-money-laundering laws, and Vinnik $12 million.

Vinnik is the latest Russian citizen to be accused by the United States of cyber-related crimes, arrested in third countries, and then subjected to extradition proceedings.

Moscow has complained vociferously that U.S. officials were "kidnapping" Russian citizens abroad.

Greece's judiciary will now have to decide whether to extradite Vinnik to Moscow or Washington.

With reporting by AFP and AP
Russian police say they have eradicated a major online marketplace for illegal drug purchases.

In a document made available to some Russian media outlets on September 19, the Interior Ministry informed lawmakers that the operations of an online network known as the Russian anonymous marketplace (RAMP) were "completely halted" in July.

The document was a letter sent by Deputy Interior Minister Mikhail Vanichkin to Anton Gorelkin, a State Duma lawmaker, in response to a query from members of the lower house of parliament.

RAMP had operated since 2012 on the Dark Web, part of the Internet that is accessible only with certain software and is usually used anonymously.

Vanichkin's letter says police launched a special operation to stop RAMP following high-profile media reports revealing the details of the online store's operations.

No more details about the operation were given.

The letter also said that some 3,775 drug-related crimes committed via the Internet had been uncovered so far in 2017, leading to the detention of 1,583 suspects and the seizure of more than 760 kilograms of illegal drugs.

It said that 1,345 websites used for selling drugs were shut down across Russia.

Based on reporting by TASS, Meduza, and RBK
A Russian website posted a video it said showed an errant rocket from a helicopter hitting close to at least two people watching the joint Russian-Belarusian exercise Zapad 2017, prompting statements from the military that left it unclear when the incident occurred and whether anyone was badly injured.

The video, posted on September 19 by a site called 66.ru that says it is based in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, shows a man walking near a row of vehicles and what appears to be a rocket fired by a helicopter in the background slamming into the ground or a military truck a few feet away, setting off an explosion and sending the person filming the footage sprawling:

The 66.ru report quoted a source it did not identify as saying that two people were seriously injured and that the incident occurred "yesterday or the day before," but no specific date was given.

No statement was posted on the Russian Defense Ministry website in the hours after the video was posted, but state-run Russian media and independent outlets quoted the press service of the Russia's Western Military District as saying that the video did depict an actual incident in which a helicopter fired an errant rocket.

The press service did not say when the incident occurred and it was not clear whether it was denying that it happened during Zapad 2017, which started on September 14.

Russian President Vladimir Putin observed part of the exercise on September 18 in the Leningrad region near St. Petersburg.

"A target was misidentified by the sighting system of one of the helicopters," state news agency RIA Novosti quoted the press service as saying. "As a result of the strike by the unguided rocket, one truck without people in it suffered damage."

The quote carried by media outlets made no reference to people or injuries.

The St. Petersburg-based news site Fontanka.ru website in St. Petersburg, citing unnamed sources, reported that three missiles were fired at an area where civilian and military vehicles were parked late on September 18. The report said that one person was hospitalized.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, declined to comment and referred questions to the Defense Ministry.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service, Current Time TV, RIA Novosti, Meduza, TASS, Dozhd, and Interfax


Countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad say they will not support the reconstruction of the war-torn Middle Eastern country until there is a political transition there.

"We believe that the only way forward is to get a political process going and to make it clear to the Russians, the Iranians, and the Assad regime that we...will not support the reconstruction of Syria until there is such a political process, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on September 18 in New York.

"And that means...to a transition away from Assad," Johnson said. He was speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Friends of Syria Group, an alliance of mainly Western and Gulf Arab countries, on the sidelines of the annual General Debate of the UN General Assembly.

U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield said that all participants in the meeting agreed that "there has got to be a political process if there is to be any international participation in the reconstruction of Syria."

Russia and Iran have backed Assad and his government throughout the war in Syria, which is now in its seventh year. Russia substantially stepped up its involvement in September 2015, launching a campaign of air strikes and increasing its military presence on the ground.

Earlier, France said it was vital that major powers worked together to help revive UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva, warning that a status quo in Syria risked leading to the country's permanent fragmentation and opening the door to new radical Islamist groups.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said France would call a meeting with the four other permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, Russia, and the United States -- this week to discuss developing a group "bringing together the main actors in the Syrian conflict.

Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said the French proposal was not discussed at the Friends of Syria meeting.

"If the contact group had Iran in it, that would be difficult for us," a senior U.S. official was quoted as saying to explain Washingtons position.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
DUSHANBE -- A former top officer at Tajikistan's Anticorruption Agency has been convicted on corruption charges and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Relatives told RFE/RL that Firuz Holmurodzoda, a former head of the agency's Investigative Directorate, was convicted of fraud and bribery and sentenced by the Supreme Court on September 19.

The Supreme Court also ordered Holmurodzoda's property confiscated and barred him from holding high office for five years after serving his term, according to relatives.

Five former subordinates of Holmurodzoda were also sentenced to lengthy prison terms, they said.

The trial was closed to the public and neither prosecution nor defense lawyers would comment to journalists about the case.

Authorities in the economically struggling Central Asian country launched an antigraft crackdown in April targeting officials and former officials of the Anticorruption Agency and the Customs Service.

Officials have not disclosed details of their investigations.
Final preparations were in full swing at Zaidullo Khudoyorov's home in southern Tajikistan as the family got ready to celebrate the marriage of his eldest daughter.

Just hours before the party, however, a group of local officials raided the house and confiscated most of the food the family had prepared for the banquet.

The officials deemed the quantities of food "wasteful" and in violation of a newly amended Tajik law that regulates and limits how much families spend on weddings, funerals, and all other private functions.

"We managed to prevent a lawbreaking in the village," said Kholmurod Ibrohimov, an official who took part in the August 26 raid, in Dahana, on the outskirts of the city of Kulob.

"During the raid, we established that the family prepared a wasteful amount of food, such as special flatbreads and halva for the banquet at the bridegroom's house," Ibrohimov said on September 18, after reports of the seizure emerged. "We seized the food and handed it over to the Kulob psychiatric hospital."

Ibrohimov also pointed out that the cost of the food was incompatible with the "impoverished" family's income.

The law -- locally known as "tanzim" or the "regulation" -- was initially adopted in 2007, after longtime President Emomali Rahmon said the cost of the lavish wedding and funeral traditions was putting a financial strain on families in the impoverished Central Asian country.

Khudoyorov, an unemployed father of seven children, depends on irregular income of odd jobs and the vegetables grown in his courtyard.

Khudoyorov, 44, says he had told his wife and other female relatives not to prepare the food that, according to local custom, the family of the bride sends to the bridegroom's house ahead of the party.

Khudoyorov is relieved that he escaped a potentially hefty fine for violating the law on the regulation of private functions.

The law now stipulates up to a $4,000 fine for the offenders and some $5,700 for repeat offenders. In a country where teachers and other public sector workers make around $150 a month, the government says the high penalties are designed to discourage people from risking violating the rules.

In late August, Tajikistan's parliament approved the amendments to expand the law, introducing new limits and bans. According to the new changes, government officials may be removed from their post if they or their immediate family members violate the law to throw a lavish party.

The amendments also ban large feasts for certain traditional gatherings, such as celebrating the naming of a newborn, a baby's first haircut, or infant boys' circumcisions.

Instead, the families are encouraged to open bank accounts for their children and spend the money on their education and well-being.

The amendments also strictly limit traditional feasts in funerals and outlaw numerous death anniversaries -- such as the seventh-day or six-month anniversaries -- to relieve the host families of financial burden.

Despite relatively low living standards and widespread unemployment, Tajiks sometimes throw extravagant wedding parties they can barely afford. Families often save up for years and men work as migrant laborers to collect money for weddings.

In August, Rahmon ordered local officials to explain the "regulation" law to people and distribute copies of the law to every household to root out long-standing traditions.

Back in Dahana, his daughter newly married, Khudoyorov said his experience "will set an example to all families in the neighborhood."

Written by Farangis Najibullah with reporting by RFE/RL's Tajik Service correspondent Mahmudjon Rahmatzoda
Speaking to the UN General Assembly in New York on September 19, U.S. President Donald Trump said the deal reached with Iran on its nuclear program was "an embarrassment to the United States." Trump said other nations should join the United States in pressuring Iran to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons. (Reuters)
Police in Ukraine are investigating clashes that broke out on September 18 after a court acquitted 19 defendants who were tried over deadly violence between pro-Russian and Ukrainian activists in the southern city of Odesa in May 2014.

Police used tear gas to disperse some 100 activists protesting the acquittals at a court in Chornomorsk, the town near Odesa where the trial was held.

Ruslan Forostyak, adviser to the Odesa regional police chief, said on September 19 that 20 police officers and 15 officers of the National Guard were injured.

Outside of eastern Ukraine, where a war that broke out in April 2014 has killed more than 10,000 people, the May 2, 2014 unrest in Odesa was the deadliest violence to erupt in connection with Russia-backed efforts to foment separatism in Ukraine after Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych was pushed from power by protests that February.

A total of 48 people were killed in Odesa that day, most of them in a blaze that was apparently set off by firebombs thrown inside a building where they had sought refuge amid the street fighting. Russia and Ukraine have blamed one another for the violence and deaths.

The 19 people who were acquitted had been charged with inciting clashes on Odesa's Hretska Square that led to the death of six people.

Two of the acquitted, a Russian and a Ukrainian, were rearrested shortly after the hearing and charged with separatism.
KYIV -- Mikheil Saakashvili, the ex-governor of Ukraine's Odesa region and former president of Georgia, has arrived in Ukraine's capital, where he vowed to challenge the revocation of his Ukrainian citizenship.

Speaking to journalists outside the building of the presidential administration on September 19, Saakashvili demanded that the presidential office and state bodies provide him and his lawyers with all the documents related to President Petro Poroshenko's decree stripping him of citizenship.

Saakashvili -- formerly Georgian, then Ukrainian -- has been a stateless person since Poroshenko's decision in July.

He defied Ukrainian authorities on September 10 and made a chaotic crossing into the country from Poland, helped by hundreds of his supporters.

Addressing supporters in the western city of Chernivtsi on September 13, Saakashvili said that he had returned to Ukraine to help solve the country's "political crisis" -- "not simply" to challenge the revocation of his Ukrainian citizenship.

On September 18, a court in Ukraine's western Lviv region was scheduled to start hearings into what officials called his illegal entry into the country, but the hearing was postponed to September 22.

Ukraine's top prosecutor has said that Saakashvili will not be arrested or extradited to Georgia, where the ex-president is wanted on allegations of corruption during his time in office.

"Saakashvili will not be arrested in this case, Saakashvili cannot be extradited from this country while he has a residence permit or other document that he has filed," Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko said on September 16, suggesting that the stateless ex-leader may have a document allowing him to remain in Ukraine.

Lutsenko also said that those who helped bring Saakashvili across the border would face criminal charges but would not be arrested.

But he added that those who "beat Ukrainian border guards" would face arrest and prosecution.

Authorities claim that several border officers were injured in the altercation at the border with Saakashvili's supporters.

The Georgian government is seeking Saakashvili's arrest and extradition on allegations that he misappropriated property and abused his powers when he was president of his native country from 2004 to 2013.

He denies the allegations and says Georgia's extradition request was made on behalf of "oligarchs" who fear his presence in Ukraine.

After leaving Georgia for self-imposed exile in the United States in 2013, Saakashvili went to Ukraine in 2015 to work for the country's pro-Western authorities as governor of the Odesa region.

He lost his Georgian citizenship when he was granted a Ukrainian passport in 2015 because Georgia does not allow dual citizenship.

Saakashvili quit as governor in November 2016, complaining of official obstruction of anticorruption efforts, accusing Poroshenko of dishonesty, and charging that the government in Kyiv was sabotaging crucial reforms.
ODESA, Ukraine -- A court in Ukraine's Black Sea port city of Odesa has arrested the director of a youth camp, where fire killed three girls on September 15.

The Kyiv District Court in Odesa on September 18 placed Petros Sarkisyan in a detention center for two months without possibility of bail on suspicion of violations of fire safety regulations that led to the deaths.

Authorities said on September 16 that the fire swept through the camp's two-story, wooden building shortly before midnight on September 15.

Police said that 42 children were inside the building at the time of the fire.

After extinguishing the fire, rescue workers found the remains of two girls and said that a third girl was unaccounted for.

Fragments of a third body that are believed to belong to the missing girl were found later.

Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko, on September 18, expressed condolences to the relatives of the three girls and Odesa residents.

He also said that he has put the investigations of the tragedy under "special control."

On May 27, President Petro Poroshenko visited the Viktoria youth camp, and as media reports said then, "personally inspected and reopened" the camp after renovation works.

Ukraine and other former Soviet nations continue to be plagued by frequent deadly fires due to aging infrastructure and often slipshod fire-safety practices.
GARRETT  Garrett High School is celebrating homecoming with activities this week. This years theme is Harry Potter.

Friday, each class, as well as several other student organizations, will display their decorated floats in the parade. Floats will leave the high school student parking lot at 6 p.m. for the homecoming parade. The route  changed from previous years  will be west on Houston Street, south on Randolph Street, and then east on Warfield Street to the middle school parking lot. Homecoming float judging will be from 6:30-6:45 p.m.

Homecoming court will be recognized at halftime of the football game on Memorial Field followed by the announcement of this years homecoming royalty.

Homecoming king and queen candidates are seniors Class of 2018 Grace Birkhold, Chloe Hinkle, Sam Gram, Beck Davis, Julio Aburto and Joel Mix.

Homecoming court members are juniors Grace Shoudel, Reese Furnish, Kobe Lucarelli and Dustin Hornbeak; sophomores Addi Hickman, Jadah Shroads, Clayton Fielden and Warren Joseph; and freshmen Sarah Cooper, Sheri Boucher, Brady Cook and Colton Weimer.

The football game will kick-off at 7 p.m. against the West Noble Chargers.

Presentation of Hall of Honor inductees will be during halftime of the homecoming football game versus West Noble on Memorial Field. They include Edward S. Allen (1959), Steven Fike (1963) and Edward Placencia (1964).

Earlier in the day, a one-hour, all-school assembly will begin at 10:40 a.m. in the Performing Arts Center where Hall of Honor inductees will share stories about his or her career path and/ or life journey during the session for about 10 minutes apiece.

Potterpuff and the annual snake dance and bonfire will be Wednesday. Games start at 6 p.m. and gates to the football field open at 5:15 p.m. Admission is donation of a canned food item for a local pantry. At conclusion of the flag football games, students will be escorted by the fire department to the lot by the tennis courts and baseball field for the snake dance and bonfire. All students are invited to come enjoy apple cider, donuts, music and a pep rally. Students are asked to bring their own lawn chairs to the event.

The Homecoming Dance, The Yule Ball will be Saturday, Sept. 23 in the cafeteria from 8-11 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $5 singles or $7 couples. The dance is open to Garrett High School students only. No jeans will be permitted

Earlier in the week, was selected Mr. Railroader Sunday in the Performing Arts Center.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has hailed Ukraine's recapture of Kherson during a surprise visit to the strategic southern city as the possible "beginning of the end of the war," but warned that such victories came at a high price.

The liberation of Kherson over the last few days was one of Ukraine's biggest successes in nearly nine months since the start of the Russian invasion and sparked days of celebration but also exposed a humanitarian emergency for the residents of the city.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

"This is the beginning of the end of the war," Zelenskiy said in an address to the Ukrainian troops in the city. "We are step-by-step coming to all the temporarily occupied territories."

But he also reminded Ukrainians that the success came at a high human cost.

"The price of this war is high. People are injured. A large number of dead. (Russian forces) have left or escaped -- we believe that they have escaped because our army has surrounded the enemy and they were in danger," Zelensky said.

"There were fierce battles, and the result is -- today we are in Kherson region."

"We are moving forward," Zelenskiy told Ukrainian soldiers in the city, thanking NATO and other allies for their continuing support in the war against Russia.

"We are ready for peace, peace for all our country," he said.

As fierce fighting continues in eastern and southern Ukraine, the Kremlin refused to comment on Zelenskiy's visit to the city, but spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "You know that it is the territory of the Russian Federation."

Russia, which still controls about 70 percent of the wider Kherson region, illegally annexed it and three other Ukrainian regions in September following referendums that Kyiv and the West have labeled as a sham.

Wary Ukrainian officials maintained a curfew in the liberated Kherson region amid fears that mines and booby traps could still maim and kill civilians.

The governor of Kherson region, Yaroslav Yanushevych, said the authorities had decided to maintain a curfew from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. and ban people from leaving or entering the city as a security measure.

"The enemy mined all critical infrastructure," Yanushevych told Ukrainian TV. "We are trying to meet within a few days and (then) open the city," he said.

Zelenskiy's visit to the region came a day after fresh evidence of war crimes was being uncovered in Kherson following the departure of Russian troops.

Zelenskiy said Ukrainian investigators uncovered hundreds of war crimes in areas freed from Russian occupation.

"Investigators have already documented more than 400 Russian war crimes," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on November 13. "The bodies of dead civilians and servicemen have been found."

"The Russian Army left behind the same savagery it did in other regions of the country it entered," he said.

The allegations could not be independently verified. Russia denies its troops intentionally target civilians.

Zelenskiy said "stabilization and the restoration of law" has been established in 226 settlements in the region, while the Defense Ministry said it had recaptured 179 settlements and 4,500 square kilometers along the Dnieper River over the past week.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff reported continued fierce fighting along the eastern front in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The Ukrainian armed forces' southern command said on November 14 that Russian forces continued to "inflict fire damage on our troops and de-occupied settlements along the right bank of the Dnieper" even after the liberation of Kherson city, which Zelenskiy described as "a historic day."

Yanushevych warned people in an online message about reports of humanitarian aid arriving in downtown Kherson's Liberty Square and urged people to steer clear of the city center as demining operations were due to proceed there.

Zelenskiy also warned Kherson residents about the presence of Russian mines. "I am asking you please not to forget that the situation in the Kherson region remains very dangerous," he said.

Russian officials' announcement that their forces were withdrawing across the Dnieper, which bisects the Kherson region and Ukraine, followed a seemingly hugely successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in the country's south in recent months.

U.S. President Joe Biden hailed the retaking of Kherson as a "significant victory," raising confidence that Moscow will not occupy its neighbor as intended when it invaded in late February.

"I can do nothing but applaud the courage, determination, and capacity of the Ukrainian people," Biden told a press conference after meeting with Chinese President Xi Xinjping on November 14.

"I think you are going to see things slow down a bit because of the winter months...I think it remains to be seen exactly what the outcome will be."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned on November 14 that Ukraine should brace for a difficult winter.

"The coming months will be difficult. Putin's aim is to leave Ukraine cold and dark this winter," he told a press conference in The Hague after meeting the Dutch foreign and defense ministers.

Stoltenberg urged continued international support for Kyiv and said Russia's military capability should not be taken lightly.

"We should not make the mistake of underestimating Russia. They still control large parts of Ukraine. What we should do is strengthen Ukraine's hand."

With reporting by Reuters and AP
The URL has been copied to your clipboard

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

U.S. President Donald Trump has called on members of the United Nations General Assembly to take a harder line against threats posed by North Korea and Iran, saying the United States could be "forced" to "totally destroy North Korea" if the UN fails to convince Pyongyang to "cease its hostile behavior" and suggesting that Washington may withdraw from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers.

In his first address to the UN General Assembly, Trump spoke in tough terms about the threat to global security posed by North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

He referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as "Rocket Man," saying he was on a "suicide mission."

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," Trump said.

"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," Trump said. "The United States is ready, willing, and able. But hopefully, this will not be necessary. That's what the United Nations is all about. That's what the United Nations is for. Let's see how they do."

Trump welcomed recent UN Security Council sanctions imposed against North Korea over its latest nuclear weapons tests, but told the General Assembly that "we must do much more."

"It is time for all nations to work together to isolate the Kim regime until it ceases its hostile behavior," Trump said.

"If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph," Trump said. "When decent people and nations become bystanders to history, the forces of destruction only gather power and strength."

The UN Security Council has imposed several rounds of sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Pyongyang warned on September 18 that more sanctions and pressure will only make it accelerate its nuclear program.

The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers, Wang Yi and Sergei Lavrov, called for a peaceful end to what they termed a "vicious cycle" on the Korean Peninsula as they met in New York, China's Foreign Ministry said on September 19.

Moscow and Beijing are calling for North Korea to stop its missile and nuclear tests in exchange for the United States and South Korea holding off on future large joint military drills.

WATCH: Trump Calls On Iran To 'End Pursuit Of Death And Destruction'

Iran Nuclear Deal 'Worst, Most One-Sided'

Trump also said it was "far past time" for the countries of the world to confront Iran, which he called "a reckless" and "murderous regime" that is "undermining peace throughout the Middle East."

He said Tehran cannot be allowed to continue developing its "dangerous missiles."

Speaking about Iran's nuclear deal with six world powers, Trump told the General Assembly, "We cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program."

Trump said the Iran nuclear deal was "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."

"Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it. Believe me," Trump said.

"The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy," Trump said, describing the country as an "economically-depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos."

"It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction."

Iranian President Hassan Rohani responded to Trump's criticism by telling reporters the United States would forfeit the world's trust if it exited the 2015 nuclear deal  which was also signed by France, Britain, Russia, China, and Germany.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described Trump's remarks at the UN as "shameless" and "ignorant."

"Especially in the part where he mentioned the great Iranian nation, his comments were without content, just empty slogans that are not worth reacting to," Zarif told Iran's state-run Fars news agency.

"The shameless and ignorant comments of the U.S. president, which ignore the realities of Iran in its domestic and foreign policies and its fight against terrorism, reveal the depth of how uniformed Trump is," Zarif said. "It also reveals his demagogic behavior and rhetoric."

In an English-language post to Twitter, Zarif said, "Trump's ignorant hate speech belongs in medieval times, not the 21st-century UN-unworthy of a reply. Fake empathy for Iranians fools no one."

French President Emmanuel Macron said it was a big mistake to criticize the nuclear deal, and that not respecting the accord would be irresponsible because it was a "good deal."

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's remarks about Iran, saying in a statement that he had "never heard a bolder or more courageous speech" at the United Nations in more than 30 years.

U.S. and UN watchdogs monitoring compliance have found Iran has adhered to the accord, which eased international economic sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities.

However, the Trump administration has frequently charged that Tehran breaks the "spirit" of the deal, including by continuing to test-launch ballistic missiles and rockets capable of carrying nuclear warheads. It has also lobbied for tougher nuclear inspections in Iran, including at military sites.

Trump also had criticism for Russia and China, saying, "We must reject threats to sovereignty from the Ukraine to the South China Sea."

"We must uphold respect for law, respect for borders, and respect for culture, and the peaceful engagement these allow," Trump said.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate on September 18 strongly backed a $700 billion defense policy bill that calls on the Pentagon to fight Russian propaganda and start building a new cruise missile in a move critics say will lead to the demise of a major Cold War treaty.

The 1,215-page National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed by 89 to 8, also includes a provision broadening the government's ban on using Kaspersky Lab software in government computers.

Under the cruise missile provision, the Defense Department is authorized to spend $65 million to begin development of a new ground-launched cruise missile in response to allegations that Russia has been violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.

Russia has repeatedly denied U.S. accusations that it has tested and deployed a missile that violates the landmark agreement, known as the INF, demanding more evidence from Washington. It also in turn has accused the United States of violating the treaty with certain launch systems being deployed to Eastern Europe.

Ahead of the vote, a group of arms control experts and former U.S. government officials warned that building a new missile would hasten the demise of the treaty. A pair of senators co-sponsored an amendment that would undo the cruise missile authorization, but it never came up for a vote.

The bill also directs the Defense Department to report to Congress on Russian attempts to spread disinformation or propaganda, through social media applications or related Internet-based means, to members of the Armed Forces with probable intent to cause injury to the United States or advantage the Government of the Russian Federation.

That provision reflects growing alarm in Washington about Russian propaganda efforts ever since  U.S. intelligence report released in January concluded that Russia engaged in a hacking-and-propaganda campaign to try and sway the presidential election.

The ban on Kaspersky software extends to the U.S. military a ban on civilian government contractors' use of the software that was announced by the Department of Homeland Security last week.

Under the homeland security order, government agencies have 90 days to start removing the software from agency computers.

The Kremlin has condemned the ban as a violation of international trade laws and company founder Eugene Kaspersky has repeatedly denied that his company, one of Russias most successful technology firms, has connections to Russian intelligence agencies.

The defense bill includes a proposal to let the Pentagon spend up to $100 million on deepening U.S. security cooperation with the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three are NATO members bordering Russia which have sounded alarms about nearby Russian military activities and have called for more support from both NATO and the United States.

The bill also maintains funding for Ukrainian military support and authorizes the treatment of injured Ukrainian military personnel in U.S. military facilities.

The legislation also calls for $60 billion to fund wartime missions in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and other places, and $8.5 billion to further build up U.S. missile defense systems.

The bill received strong backing from both Democrats and Republicans, a show of bipartisan cooperation that contrasts to the uncertainty and disagreement over many other Washington matters since Trumps election.

While the Russian- and European-related measures were not controversial, other parts of the bill address controversial issues such as President Donald Trumps proposed ban on transgender troops in the armed forces.

Some parts of the bill must still be reconciled with a defense policy bill passed earlier by the House of Representatives, though no major changes are expected.


He has always insisted the shooting was a mistake, saying he thought an intruder had entered his home and he feared for his safety. He initially served one year of a five-year prison sentence for manslaughter. He could have been jailed for life. However, Judge Thokozile Masipa decided six years would be sufficient. Now, The National Prosecuting Authority will claim the sentence was too short. South Africas Supreme Court of Appeal will hear arguments on 3 November that the athletes jail term needs to be lengthened.



Atteridgeville Correctional Center

Prosecutors always asked for Pistorius the six-year murder sentence to be extended. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel last month argued in court that the six-year sentence , less than half the minimum 15-year sentence for murder in South Africa , was shockingly lenient. Commentators say The Supreme Court of Appeal judges wont do anything with the sentence to make it longer. At least, this is the hope. Oscar Pistorius, now at Atteridgeville Correctional Center, in Pretoria, celebrated his 30th birthday in jail. As part of his rehabilitation programme, Pistorius will be expected to grow vegetables and work in the orchards. His family is only a few miles away.
Showcased at 2016 Auto Expo in concept format, TVS Apache RR 310 S has been spied on test once again. Set for launch in India on 6th Dec, the latest video was posted by a YouTuber.

The Bajaj Dominar rider spotted the Akula test mule and decided to chase it. Sadly, the Akula rider too realized that he is being followed, and thus opened the throttle. Soon the Dominar rider realized that it was not possible for them to catch up. In spite of travelling at over 150+ kmph, the Dominar rider saw the Akula pull away from him. It is possible that the Akula is doing a speed of 160-170 kmph. Watch the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFsJrT87s2Q

Sporting many changes from the bike on display at Auto Expo, Apache RR310S is powered by a a 313cc, single cylinder, liquid cooled petrol engine, which also powers the BMW G310R and G310GS. This engine will offer 34 hp peak power at 9,500 rpm and 28 Nm torque at 7,500 rpm mated to a 6 speed manual transmission. Mileage could be in the region of 30 kmph.

A larger fuel tank, clip on handle bars, fully digital instrument cluster and a more aggressive riding stance is also evident on the RR 310S. The front fairing receives a large sized windscreen offering sufficient protection against wind and rain. Other features on board TVS Apache RR 310 S are upside down forks in the front, monoshock at the rear, front and rear disc brakes with ABS, etc.

To be produced at the TVS plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, Apache 310 will be the TVS flagship upon launch. It will sit above the Apache 200 in the company lineup and will compete with KTM RC 390, Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Yamaha R3 where segment is concerned. But talking about price, it can also compete with the likes of Bajaj Dominar 400, Mahindra Mojo, Honda CBR250R, KTM RC200, KTM Duke 390, etc.

With a speedo indicated top speed of 175 kmph, new TVS Apache 310 will be among the fastest motorcycles in the segment. We expect a launch price of INR 1.8 lakh


U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 23936 / September 19, 2017 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Francisco Illarramendi, et al., No. 3:11cv-78 (D. Conn. filed Jan. 14, 2011)



United States v. Illarramendi, No. 3:11-cr-0041 (D. Conn. filed March 7, 2011). SEC Obtains Final Judgment Against Entities Used to Perpetrate Multimillion Dollar Ponzi Scheme The Securities and Exchange Commission has obtained a final judgment against eight entities that a former Connecticut-based fund manager whom the agency charged with perpetrating a years-long, multimillion dollar Ponzi scheme, used to defraud investors. The judgment, entered on September 18, 2017 by the Honorable Janet Bond Arterton of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut against all eight entities, permanently enjoins Highview Point Partners, LLC and Michael Kenwood Capital Management, LLC from violating sections 206(1), 206(2) and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder, and permanently enjoins Highview Point from violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The judgment, which the entities agreed to without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, does not order disgorgement or penalties against the entities based on the court-appointed receiver's four distributions of recovered assets totaling over $330 million to defrauded investors and creditors. To date, the majority of claimants have received back 92% or 100% of their verified losses. The court's entry of judgment against the entities resolves this litigation in its entirety. The fund manager, Francisco Illarramendi, is serving a sentence of 13 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in a parallel criminal case. Earlier this year, following a grant of summary judgment on the SEC's claims, Judge Arterton entered judgment against Illarramendi and ordered him to pay approximately $25.8 million in disgorgement and a $1 million penalty. https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2017/lr23936.htm

Modified: 09/19/2017
Straight shot up U.S. 31 to I-94 finally open in Berrien County

Last few miles had been unfinished since 2004 because of a lack of money to pay for it.
Update 9/18 at 8:15 p.m. EDT: The National Hurricane Center has declared Hurricane Maria a "potentially catastrophic category 5 hurricane." This article has been updated to show that the storm has been upgraded from a category 4 to category 5 hurricane.

The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will cease observations today (Sept. 18) through Thursday (Sept. 21) and keep its visitor center closed through Sept. 28, due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Maria, officials said today on Twitter.

The facility is home to the second-largest radio telescope in the world, with a primary dish measuring 1,000 feet wide (305 meters) and 167 feet deep (50.9 meters), set into a slight depression in a mountain range. The telescope is used to study a wide variety of cosmic phenomena, look for near-Earth asteroids that could potentially collide with the planet and search for signs of alien civilizations.

This image of Hurricane Maria was taken by NOAA's GOES East satellite on Sept. 18 at 10:45 a.m. EDT (1445 GMT) as it strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane just east of the Leeward Islands. Puerto Rico, home to the Arecibo Observatory, is just to the upper left of the storm. (Image credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project)

High winds from the storm are expected to reach Puerto Rico early Tuesday (Sept. 19), with the storm likely making landfall about 8 p.m. EDT (midnight GMT on Sept. 20). Earth-observing satellites from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been tracking the storm's path through the Atlantic.

"Due to the threat of Hurricane Maria, The Arecibo Observatory has begun hurricane readiness procedures," officials said on Twitter. "The preparations will include securing the telescope, physical facilities and research equipment."

Officials also said they were delaying planned social media posts in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

This graphic shows areas affected by Hurricane Maria, and the expected dates and times when the storm will arrive at those locations. (Image credit: NOAA)

Hurricane Maria is barreling down on many Caribbean islands that were devastated by Hurricane Irma, which swept through the region earlier this month. The Arecibo Observatory also closed during Hurricane Irma, although officials reported no significant damage from the storm.

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
An illustration of the proposed privately-funded Project Blue space telescope, which would look for Earth-like planets orbiting Alpha Centauri.

WASHINGTON  NASA has signed a Space Act Agreement with a private organization currently raising funds for studies of a space telescope designed to look for habitable planets around a nearby star.

New York-based BoldlyGo Institute announced Sept. 13 the unfunded Space Act Agreement with NASA to support development of Project Blue, a small space telescope intended to search for any Earth-like planets that may be orbiting Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to our sun.

"We're pleased to be working with NASA on this ambitious public-private partnership," Jon Morse, chief executive of BoldlyGo, said in a statement announcement the agreement. "Having access to NASA's scientific and technical expertise throughout the mission lifecycle is invaluable."

The agreement, which involves no exchange of funds, gives BoldlyGo access to NASA expertise as it develops the Project Blue spacecraft and carries out studies of Alpha Centauri. BoldlyGo will also provide both raw and processed data collected by the mission to publicly available NASA data archives.

The Project Blue mission, as currently conceived, will fly a spacecraft with a telescope 45 to 50 centimeters in diameter. The telescope will be equipped with a coronagraph designed to block the light from Alpha Centauri's two stars, allowing it to directly image any planets orbiting them. It is based on a concept called Alpha Centauri Exoplanet Satellite, or ACESat, proposed to NASA for a Small Explorer mission competition in 2014 but not selected.

"Much of the coronagraph imaging technology needed for Project Blue to take direct images of exoplanets from space has been developed through NASA-funded programs," Morse, a former director of NASA's astrophysics division, said in the statement.

The new Space Act Agreement comes as BoldlyGo makes a second attempt to raise money for initial studies of Project Blue. BoldlyGo started a fundraising campaign on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo Sept. 6, seeking to raise $175,000 to complete engineering studies for the Project Blue spacecraft. As of Sept. 14 the campaign had raised more than $68,000, with a month remaining.

In November 2016, BoldlyGo attempted a similar crowdfunding effort, but with the more ambitious goal of raising $1 million. That effort ended in December when the campaign received $335,000 in pledges on the Kickstarter website. With Kickstarter's all-or-nothing funding model, BoldlyGo did not receive any money. Indiegogo, by contrast, has a flexible funding model that will allow BoldlyGo to receive all the money pledged even if it does not achieve its goal of $175,000.

The crowdfunding campaign, though, is only a small fraction of the overall cost of the Project Blue mission. BoldlyGo estimates the total cost of the mission to be approximately $50 million, with a launch as soon as 2021.

BoldlyGo expects to raise the bulk of the mission's cost not through crowdfunding but instead with more traditional philanthropic contributions. "We've already made initial progress in our fundraising, and in the vigorous efforts that we're embarking on we'll seek out a broad spectrum of supporters including major research foundations, individual and family foundations, corporate sponsorships, and in-kind partner contributions," the organization notes in the description of the project on its Indiegogo campaign page.

One challenge for that effort is that space science projects like Project Blue are still widely seen as in the domain of government agencies alone. Morse, speaking at the Dawn of Private Space Science conference in New York in June, acknowledged those problems.

"So far, what we have found is when we approach a lot of people, they say, 'Well, isn't NASA doing this?'" he said. "Yes, NASA is doing that, but there's room to do a lot more." Morse added that BoldlyGo was now working with a consultant to develop a program for approaching foundations for funding.

The Space Act Agreement with BoldlyGo is not the first time NASA has offered such a partnership with a private organization seeking to develop a space telescope. NASA signed a non-reimbursable Space Act Agreement with the B612 Foundation in 2012 to support Sentinel, a space telescope proposed by the organization to look for potentially hazardous near Earth objects.

NASA, however, terminated the agreement in the fall of 2015, citing a lack of progress by B612 in developing Sentinel. The foundation said in June it was no longer pursuing Sentinel, seeking instead to work on other projects, including potential smallsat missions, to look for near Earth objects.

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
Bir-Lehlu, Sep 18, 2017 (SPS) - The President of the Republic, Secreatry-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, addressed a congratulatory message to the President of the Republic of Guatemala, His Excellency Jimmy Morales Cabrera, on the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of his country.

The President of the Republic expressed sincere congratulations to President Jimmy Morales Cabrera on the occasion of the National Day of the Republic of Guatemala, wishing more progress and well-being to the people of this sisterly Republic.

He also expressed the will of the SADR Government to further strengthen the ties between the two countries. (SPS)

062/090/TRA




New York, Sep 18, 2017 (SPS) - United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed Sunday the intention of his personal envoy for Western Sahara Horst Kohler to visit, shortly, the region to relaunch the peace process, frozen since 2012.

The secretary general welcomed his personal envoys intention to visit the region. He underlined the importance of the visit to relaunch the political process in a new spirit and new momentum, in accordance with the resolution 2351 (2017) of the Security Council, said UN in a note sent to press correspondents. Adding that Kohler awaits with interest to visit the region and work with the parties in a spirit of trust and compromise.

Horst Kohler took up his post on 8 September in New York where he held several meetings and consultations to relaunch the negotiations between the Polisario Front and Morocco, said UN in its statement.

In this regard, UN emissary Antonio Guterres met with UNs top officials as well as African Unions peace and security commissioner, said the source.

Horst Kohler held talks with the representatives of the two sides in conflict and those of neighbouring countries and member States.

These meetings continued until September 16, according to the source. (SPS)

062/090/APS




O ne of Britains richest men Jim Ratcliffe has called on the government to back a 600 million plan to build a new 4x4 in the UK or face losing production to Germany.

The billionaire chairman of Ineos, which owns the Grangemouth oil refinery, said financial sweeteners from Theresa Mays government could swing his decision to build the new motor, based on the famous Land Rover Defender, in the UK instead of overseas.

Ideally we would like to build it in the UK but it has to make economic sense, he said

There are a number of vacant facilities in Germany and they are perfectly suited. It will be a challenge to do it in the UK. Weve got higher risk and higher cost.

The plan would create 1000 direct jobs and up to 10,000 indirect jobs, he said.

The company has held early discussions with the government about financial support.

A new plant would be based between Scotland and Hull and could cost up to 400 million, he said.

Ratcliffe, 64, has taken inspiration for the 4x4 from the Defender vehicle, a favourite of the Queen and Fidel Castro, which was axed last year by Jaguar Land Rover.

The new vehicle will be offered in petrol, diesel and hybrid versions. Twenty-five thousand will be made per year. The first will roll off the production line in 2020.

We hope its going to look cool and not an homogenous jelly mould SUV, Ratcliffe said.

The idea was dreamt up by Ratcliffe and friends at The Grenadier pub in Londons Belgravia, where he launched it on Tuesday morning
R yanairs attempts to pull out of a tailspin could be hit by striking pilots leading to hundreds more flight cancellations and passenger misery, it emerged on Tuesday.

Pilots met yesterday in Dublin to consider some form of industrial action and meetings across other European bases, including in the UK, are expected this week.

If a formal ballot does not take place, pilots could call in sick en masse. This tactic was used by 250 Air Berlin pilots last week, forcing the airline to cancel more than 100 flights.

CITY SAYS BUY, BUY, BUY Airline analysts think that Ryanairs latest customer fiasco is a buying opportunity for investors with an eye on the budget airlines long-term growth. JPMorgan and Societe Generale claim the share sell-off, which wiped 1.3 billion off the value of the company, was overdone. JPMorgan, the most bullish analyst on the stock, thinks that there could be 25% upside in the shares.

The threat of industrial action comes as Ryanair battles to ride out the storm surrounding its flight cancellations.

It has said these are necessary to give pilots leave and to sort out a problem created by new regulations which require it to change the way pilots annual flying hours are calculated.

Analysts following Ryanair have calculated that the impact of the costs is about 25 million, although the company has suggested its staff costs will permanently increase by between 20 million and 30 million.

For analysts and the airline, the big unknown is the reputational damage.

If passengers decide to boycott Ryanair, because of its unreliability and shoddy treatment of customers, then it will need to slash prices to tempt them back.

Damian Brewer, analyst at RBC, said rivals, like Vueling, had had to cut fares sharply to overcome a poor reputation.

We see reputation damage beyond the direct cost, the analyst said. Other airlines are hoping to take advantage of the chaos which has affected 400,000 passengers by taking out newspaper advertising for their seats.

The Irish pilots union, IALPA, insists Ryanairs explanation for the mess-up in scheduling holiday leave is not the whole reason behind the flight cancellations, which are leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

IALPA says 718 pilots have quit the airline this year. Many have been tempted to join fast-growing Norwegian, which has set up a base in Dublin.

Meanwhile, passengers are reporting that rebooking flights, with Ryanair and its rivals, is costing them considerably more than the original booking.

Ryanair has also ended talks with rival Norwegian, which would see it work with the competitor to provide transfers between the Irish airlines short-haul flights and Norwegians long-haul services.
I n her interview today, Theresa May says its great that the Evening Standard has shone a light on the scandal of modern slavery. Let us repay the compliment. Mrs May did more than any previous Home Secretary to raise awareness of the scandal that, in her words, hidden beneath 21st-century Britain, thousands of people are living in servitude.

The Modern Slavery Act she took through Parliament in 2015 introduced tougher penalties for slave masters, including life sentences for the worst crimes, and is now a model that other countries like Australia have followed.

Today, as Prime Minister, Mrs May is continuing the fight against modern slavery by seeking international agreement for further action at the United Nations in New York. We wish her every success.

The Evening Standard's special investigation seeks to complement that high-level diplomatic action by enlisting the help of our many readers in spotting the slavery that exists around us in our communities.

The special panel we have convened, chaired by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, will come forward with recommendations for additional action  and it is good to hear Mrs May welcome that.

In the battles over Brexit, and over the future direction of the Conservative Party, some harsh words have been said about the Prime Minister.

Her advisers created a poisonous atmosphere among senior Tories. But they are now gone, and a much more consensual team has recently replaced them in Downing Street.

Mrs Mays critics in her party will want to respond in kind.

We can reflect that strong differences of opinion do not need intemperate language, even when said in jest. Whatever the future holds for her leadership, todays interview reminds us of Mrs Mays qualities.

First Irma, now Maria

Hurricane Maria is following much of the path laid by Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean, and, like Irma, is bringing devastation in its wake

The Prime Minister of Dominica has observed that we have lost all that money can buy  which, mercifully, means that the toll so far is on livelihoods, not lives. Yet the impact of Maria is still potentially calamitous.

After Dominica, hurricane warnings are in place for Guadeloupe, St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Many of us think of the Caribbean in terms of exotic holiday destinations or as the playgrounds of the rich, yet the islands are also home to very poor communities who are far removed from all this.

Their infrastructure, their economy  heavily dependent on tourism  and their livelihoods have already been devastated by Irma and the damage will be compounded by Maria.

They need emergency help in the short term and long-term assistance over time. There are more than 1,300 British troops already in the region and that team is being bolstered. At present, OECD restrictions on the way overseas aid may be spent means the Governments aid budget may not officially be used for disaster relief in the Caribbean because the islands GDP is too high.

Yet the need of these communities is palpable and urgent. Plainly, the aid budget should be used to help British territories which are helpless victims of a natural disaster.

Get children off screens

London parents are already keenly aware of the dangers from their children spending every waking moment online but now theres something else to be worried about: Moorfields eye hospital says too much time in front of screens makes children short-sighted.

Another reason to get them outside to play.
1. Twinning is winning

Its now positively de rigueur to head out to the shows in a matching outfit to your mate, a detail not lost on Susie Lau and Tina Leung (above), who paired up in pistachio green Molly Goddard this weekend.

And, perhaps due to the fact that Burberry was showing at 7pm, on Sunday the collective fashion press turned out in trench coats. Vetements was among the brands most widely represented in the trenches, alongside - of course - Burbs and no doubt a smattering of M&S.

2. Ready for this jelly?

There was an unmistakable and totally audible footwear squeak on the front row at Simone Rocha, thanks to a host of pearl and jewel embellished jellies.

Simone Rocha SS18 at LFW / Catwalking.com

Mary Katrantzou brought a seaside sense of humour to proceedings with her collection of inflatable bags featuring flamingo and whale motifs in addition to her own lattice cut lace-up jelly booties.

3. Lets Vogue

As new Vogue editor Edward Enninful took his place on the front row at Burberry, two seats remained empty until the last minute. Cue his bezzie Naomi Campbell and supermodel royalty Kate Moss, who had plenty of lols taking selfies of each others razor-sharp cheekbones.

Burberry "September 2017" - celebrity guests 1 /32 Burberry "September 2017" - celebrity guests Burberry at LFW Edward Enninful, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Naomi Campbell, Cara Delevingne and Kate Moss Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Stormzy Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Kate Moss, Edward Enninful, Christopher Bailey and Naomi Campbell Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Jourdan Dunn and Cara Delevingne Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Iris Law Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Adwoa Aboah and Naomi Campbell Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Ben Cobb and Luke Day Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Bee Shaffer and Anna Wintour Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Julia Restoin Roitfeld Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Raffey Cassid Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Christopher Bailey and Cara Delevingne Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Selah Marley, Jordan Vickors and Mabel McVey Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Alison Loehnis Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Julie Adenuga and Maya Jama Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Hayett McCarthy and Jefferson Hack Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Cara Delevingne and Phoebe Waller-Bridge Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Hayett McCarthy (L) and Lennon Gallagher Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Glenda Jackson Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Justine Simons Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Cara Delevingne and Edward Enninful Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Edward Enninful, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss Dave Benett

4. Now thats what I call music

As well the Pet Shop Boys trend, Eighties music fans were in for a treat at the Emporio Armani after-party, where Norwegian band A-Ha made a surprise appearance and performed a string of hits, including, to the delight of the audience, Take On Me.

Emporio Armani SS18 at London Fashion Week 1 /34 Emporio Armani SS18 at London Fashion Week Emporio Armani at LFW Olivia Palermo arrives at the show Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Liam Payne arrives at the show Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Ellie Goulding arrives at the show Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Models walk the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Detail on the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Models walk the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Models walk the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW A model walks the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Models walk the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Models walk the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW A model walks the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW A model walks the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW A model walks the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Detail on the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Models walk the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Models walk the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW A model walks the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW A model walks the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW A model walks the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW A model walks the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Models walk the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW A model walks the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Models walk the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Models walk the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Detail on the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images Emporio Armani at LFW Models walk the SS18 runway AFP/Getty Images

5. Its all about Elfie

When we heard that 16-year-old Elfie Reigate was the first name to be signed to Kate Mosss model agency, we knew that this girl was destined for big things. So of course, she was everywhere this LFW.

Walking at a slew of fashion weeks biggest hitters, from Simone Rocha to Preen, Reigates rising star shone most brightly. And at Topshop and Burberry, Ms Moss was also there to offer a supportive squeeze backstage.
Check Republic

When you have an archive as iconic as Burberry, why seek inspiration from anywhere else? And so it transpired that for his latest collection, Christopher Bailey looked forward by looking back.

The Burberry check is a big part of who we are and its fundamental to the iconography of the brand, he said backstage. I wanted to have pride in it.

As a result, the Burberry check staged its biggest comeback since it reached its unfashionable peak around 2002.

It was splashed across classic trenchcoats, rain macs and giant shoppers in an east London showcase which brought grime artist Stormzy to the front row.

Burberry "September 2017" - celebrity guests 1 /32 Burberry "September 2017" - celebrity guests Burberry at LFW Edward Enninful, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Naomi Campbell, Cara Delevingne and Kate Moss Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Stormzy Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Kate Moss, Edward Enninful, Christopher Bailey and Naomi Campbell Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Jourdan Dunn and Cara Delevingne Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Iris Law Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Adwoa Aboah and Naomi Campbell Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Ben Cobb and Luke Day Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Bee Shaffer and Anna Wintour Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Julia Restoin Roitfeld Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Raffey Cassid Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Christopher Bailey and Cara Delevingne Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Selah Marley, Jordan Vickors and Mabel McVey Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Alison Loehnis Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Julie Adenuga and Maya Jama Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Hayett McCarthy and Jefferson Hack Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Cara Delevingne and Phoebe Waller-Bridge Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Hayett McCarthy (L) and Lennon Gallagher Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Glenda Jackson Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Justine Simons Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Cara Delevingne and Edward Enninful Dave Benett Burberry at LFW Edward Enninful, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss Dave Benett

But without doubt the most exciting revelation is that the infamous Burberry cap made a triumphant return to the catwalk. And with this being the brands see-now, buy-now September collection theyre already available in store. Accept no imitations.

Burberry "September 2017" at LFW

Wet wet wet

If theres one thing Londoners do well its rainwear. And so, intent on ensuring next spring is no damp squib, designers offered a deluge of haute wet weather wear which sought to give your North Face windbreaker a run for its money.

Mary Katrantzou SS18 at LFW

At Mary Katrantzou, vinyl macs in punchy shades of daffodil, lime and tangerine were gathered at the waist and worn with scuba tops and pool-inflatable handbags.

Meanwhile at Anya Hindmarch, floral jacquard anoraks and transparent raincoats with 3D floral embellished collars was among the chicest dog-walking attire around.

Hankies at the ready

Welcome to the Noughties everyone, because the handkerchief hem is back. But fear not  Roland Mourets offering had a far more demure vibe than the turn-of-the-century crop tops we all remember, with longer length tunics and midi-dresses that wont require a pair of I Was Born To Make You Happy era Britney low slung jeans to set them off.

Roland Mouret SS18 at LFW

Crowning glory

Erdem Moralioglu isnt just excited about the launch of his H&M collaboration this November  judging by yesterdays collection, hell be tuning in to watch season two of The Crown. He used some of Her Majestys favourite pastel shades, as well as regal ribbons on the shoulders of dresses and Argyle cardigans.

Erdem SS18 at LFW

Giorgio Armani had a similar idea. The Queen can wear whatever, he said at a preview of his Emporio Armani show. Its her attitude thats most important.

Disco ball silver

Its about showing your personality in a fun and free way, said Donatella Versace, ahead of her Versus show on Saturday. You need to be yourself. For the queen of Italian fashion, that meant rodeo cowgirls, a lot of skin and lashings of magpie sparkle.

Versus Versace SS18 at LFW / Catwalking.com

Glitter ball silver also featured in Topshops made-for-dancing line, while Anya Hindmarch went full D-I-S-C-O by suspending a mirror ball of ginormous proportions from the ceiling of a makeshift house for her shows finale.

The cuff n cascade

If you were preparing to pack away your statement cuffs in favour of a more streamlined, soup-friendly sleeve next season, think again.

Roksanda SS18 at LFW / Rex Features

Roksanda has decreed that hands shall remain unseen next spring as she unveiled a new take on the enduring trend. Featuring on appliqued organza evening tops and bright silk tunic dresses worn over contrasting trousers, the style  which were dubbing the cuff n cascade  puffs out at the wrist before tumbling down into a fluid waterfall ruffle.

Je suis Anglaise

If anyone can take the twee connotations of the classic fabric broderie Anglaise and spin it into something altogether more contemporary, its Simone Rocha, whose collections  and venues  always have a distinct undercurrent of Goth.

Simone Rocha SS18 at LFW

Rochas fabric came with oversized floral holes and was fashioned into tulip-shaped skirts and heavily layered dresses with huge frills. Antonio Berardi also showcased next level broderie Anglaise; his spin was to make it into trouser suits.

Pirate radio

Trust Henry Holland to provide London Fashion Week with the LOLs. There were pirate hats, seaweed-sequin sandals and starfish-print suits in a show which put swashbuckling fun firmly on the agenda. But, this being House of Holland, the opportunity for a good party was not to be missed.

House of Holland SS18 at LFW

With the addition of wavy rainbow prints and oversized bum bags, the result was more Original Pirate Material than it was Long John Silver  and we definitely want to join his crew.

Curl up with a good book

A welcome thought for fashion editors who are only halfway through fashion month  its not over until October, with Milan and Paris still to come  is the idea of popping on some slippers and snuggling down on the sofa with a nice cuppa.

Ports 1961 SS18 at LFW

Ports 1961 delivered the dream, with checked silk pyjama sets and oversized dressing gowns, blue and white willow pattern-esque prints that would have looked at home on a china tea set, and hems that actually embodied the relaxation mood by curling up at the edges.

Slips and knits

Slip dresses were everywhere this LFW but how to wear them in Londons lessthantemperate climes, where spaghetti straps alone dont really cut it? Meet Preen by Thornton Bregazzis knit-slip  a silky dress with a built-in jumper arrangement and added bling.

Christopher Kane SS18 at LFW / Catwalking.com

The design duo stepped away from the grungy, ugly-pretty direction theyve followed in recent seasons, instead brazenly embracing the girliest of sugar pinks and lashings of lace.

West End girls

Citing the legendary venues Madam Jojos and Soho Revuebar as inspiration, and with a Pet Shop Boys soundtrack (music trend klaxon: Burberry also used the electronic tunes of Neil and Chris), Topshop had a Soho showgirl spirit.

Topshop "September 2017" at LFW

Magpies will be drawn to the Iggy-skinny silver trousers, and while a marabou mini might not make the ideal 18-hour dress, its the party-girl customer that the high street giant is more interested in. Accordingly, it has dropped the prices to boot.

Tea towel trousers

Sometimes the most ordinary of objects can inspire the most extraordinary things. For Jonathan Anderson, it was the tea towel. I liked the idea of the normality of something that you touch on a daily basis, said Anderson backstage, who also cited the ease of the everyday as a key motivation.

JW Anderson SS18 at LFW / Rex Features

The result was trousers trimmed with a JW Anderson branded strip made to resemble the classic linens from his Irish upbringing. Totally brilliant, and definitely not made for mopping up split milk.

Stay puft

A surprise hit at this weeks shows was the puffball skirt. Once the reserve of girls with corkscrew perms and a penchant for leg warmers, this voluminous eye-catcher  which first enjoyed success after Princess Diana wore one at the Cannes film festival in 1987  was given a revamp at Mary Katrantzou, Erdem and Emilia Wickstead.

Emilia Wickstead SS18 at LFW

The latter designer, whose label is favoured the Duchess of Cambridge, created a demure floral dress that was definitely more charity fundraiser than school disco.

Domestic bliss

For his latest collection, Christopher Kanes infatuation with the suburban housewife reached its peak. I have always been obsessed by that pristine woman; so clean, so proper, yet having an emotional breakdown inside, said Kane.

Christopher Kane SS18 at LFW / Catwalking.com

In fetishising household objects, the designer presented laundry bag lace gowns, loop mop knits and wash- cloth cocktail dresses in a palette of bleach bottle blue and marigold yellow. Clean and kinky was how he described it. Wed also like to add ingenious.
A third man has been arrested in Wales over the Parsons Green terror attack.

The 25-year-old man is being held under the Terrorism Act after he was arrested in Newport at about 7.08pm on Tuesday, the Met Police said.

Thirty people were injured after a homemade bomb in a Lidl bag exploded on a packed District Line Tube train on Friday morning.

Police are searching the address in Newport following the arrest.

Parsons Green explosion incident on the Tube - In pictures 1 /36 Parsons Green explosion incident on the Tube - In pictures Images emerged on social media of flames spilling from a bucket which appeared to be on the train Kett News Emergency services on the platform at Parsons Green Metro An injured woman is assisted by a police officer close to Parsons Green station in west London after an explosion on a packed London Underground train Dominic Lipinski/PA Armed police stand by a cordon outside Parsons Green tube station Kevin Coombs/Reuters Police, fire and ambulance crews descended on the station Cllr Daniel Holden An injured woman is comforted outside the station Reuters Bomb disposal and armed police unitson the scene at Parsons Green Jeremy Selwyn Personal belonglongs and a bucket with an item on fire inside it, are seen on the floor of an underground train carriage at Parsons Green station Sylvian Pennec/Reuters Police with a woman after the incident at Parsons Green Metro Nick Crowley shows his charred forehead following an explosion whilst on the Tube Nick Crowley Armed British police officers walk through the carriage of a London underground tube carriage at Parsons Green underground tube station in west London AFP/Getty Images Tube carriage and emergency services on the tracks after explosion Sky News Police and emergency services at Parsons Green Station following reports of an explosion on a tube train. Kerry Davies/Daily Mail An injured woman is led away after an incident at Parsons Green underground station in London Reuters Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley speaks to the media outside New Scotland Yard, London, after a terrorist incident was declared following a blast which sent a "fireball" and a "wall of flame" through a packed London Underground train PA A forensics officer on the platform at Parsons Green station in west London after Scotland Yard declared a terrorist incident following a blast which sent a "fireball" and a "wall of flame" through a packed London Underground train PA A tube train at Parsons Green station in west London after Scotland Yard declared a terrorist incident following a blast sent a "fireball" and a "wall of flame" through a packed London Underground train PA A police officer and a sniffer dog pictured near Parsons Green tube station Reuters View of emergency services on the tracks at Parsons Green Sky News Commuters were left traumatised by the incident Reuters Bomb disposal units rushed to the scene Reuters Crowds gather outside Parsons Green tube station AFP/Getty Images A woman reacts outside Parsons Green tube station Reuters Emergency services tend to panicked commuters outside Parsons Green Tube station Emma (Twitter) Images emerged of a bucket alight reportedly on the District Line train @RRigs Fire crews, police and ambulance crews rushed to the scene Richard Aylmer-Hall/PA Police vehicles line the street near Parsons Green tube station Reuters

Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "This continues to be a fast-moving investigation.

A significant amount of activity has taken place since the attack on Friday. We now have three men in custody and searches are continuing at four addresses. Detectives are carrying out extensive inquiries to determine the full facts behind the attack.

Two men arrested on Saturday are still being held in custody.

Syrian refugee Yahyah Faroukh, 21 is one of the men being questioned by officers having been arrested as he left work at a fast food restaurant in Hounslow on Saturday.

An 18-year-old Iraqi refugee, suspected of planting the device, is being questioned after he was arrested at the port of Dover on Saturday as he tried to buy a ferry ticket.

Police are continuing to search two homes in Surrey and a commercial property in Hounslow following the arrests.

CCTV footage has emerged appearing to show the 18-year-old suspect on his way to plant his homemade device.

The video shows a figure dressed in grey carrying a distinctive white Lidl carrier bag outside Ecco La Vera pizzeria in Vicarage Road in Sunbury-on-Thames around 80 minutes before the explosion.

There were claims today that the teenage suspect was reported to the counter terrorism strategy Prevent in the months before the attack.
T he family of one of the Parsons Green terror suspects spoke of their shock at his arrest, saying he loves the UK, it was reported today.

As detectives were granted more time to question Syrian refugee Yahyah Faroukh, his brother was reported as saying: I cant believe he has anything to do with terrorism.

The 21-year-old, who came to the UK in 2013, was arrested by undercover officers as he left work at a fast food restaurant in Hounslow on Saturday.

In a series of tweets last night Jenan Moussa, a reporter for the Arabic Al Aan TV station, revealed she had spoken with Faroukhs brother and sister-in-law, who live in the Netherlands.

A police forensic tent at the scene of the attack at Parsons Green station / PA

His brother said: Im shocked by his arrest. Hes ambitious, loves the UK, studies to be journalist. He said he had spoken to his brother last week when he seemed normal.

He said: My brother is only a suspect. Hope hell be cleared soon. His sister-in-law added: He wouldnt hurt an ant.

Thirty passengers were injured when a homemade bomb in a Lidl bag partially exploded on a rush-hour District line train at Parsons Green station on Friday morning.

Emergency workers help people to disembark a train near the Parsons Green / Pool via AP

An 18-year-old Iraqi refugee, suspected of planting the device, is being questioned after he was arrested at the port of Dover on Saturday as he tried to buy a ferry ticket.

Police have now been granted an extension to question the 18-year-old until Saturday and Faroukh until Thursday.

Detectives and forensic experts were today still searching the house where he had been fostered by Ronald Jones, 88, and his wife Penelope, 71, as well as Faroukhs house in Stanwell near Heathrow airport.

According to Ms Moussa, Faroukh and his family left Damascus in 2012 at the height of the Syrian civil war and moved to Egypt.

Forensic officers at work at the scene of the blast / PA

The following year he is said to have travelled alone by boat from Egypt to Italy and arrived in the UK as a 16-year-old unaccompanied refugee.

He is believed to have also been placed with the Jones family and lived there until earlier this year. Police and intelligence agencies are investigating if the two suspects met overseas or at the Sunbury foster home.

Faroukhs brother told Ms Moussa he had not been contacted by the Dutch or UK authorities since the arrest, adding: He visited us recently (during Eid) in the Netherlands after [our] father passed away in Egypt.

The development came as fresh CCTV footage appearing to show the suspect on his way to plant his homemade device was discovered.

The video shows a figure dressed in grey carrying a distinctive white Lidl carrier bag outside Ecco La Vera pizzeria in Vicarage Road in Sunbury-on-Thames around 80 minutes before the explosion.

There were claims today that the teenage suspect was reported to the counter terrorism strategy Prevent in the months before the attack.
T his is the dramatic moment a gang of moped thugs armed with weapons targeted a luxury jewellers in central London.

The footage shows four suspects wielding an axe, a hammer and a knife outside Mappin & Webb on Fenchurch Street on Tuesday morning.

The video was filmed from the inside of a lorry that was being driven past the scene shortly after 10am.

Shocked bystanders looked on as one of the suspects, dressed in an orange jacket and a black helmet, repeatedly struck the store window with a large axe.

One suspect is seen striking the window of Mappin & Webb in Fenchurch Street with an axe

In the footage, the gang can be seen leaving the scene on two mopeds after failing to smash their way inside the luxury jewellers.

One witness told the Standard they had seen an axe-wielding man trying to smash the windows to the shop, while three other suspects who were also carrying weapons kept a lookout.

She said the glass window, which was in front of a display of Rolex watches, was damaged but had not shattered and that the gang had left empty handed before police arrived.

The four armed suspects outside the luxury jewellers in central London

An area outside the shop was cordoned off into the afternoon. The store sells luxury watches by the likes of Rolex, and Jaeger-LeCoultre and diamond jewellery.

City of London Police told the Standard officers were investigating the incident and appealing for information.

A spokesman for the force said: We were called at 10.07am on Tuesday, September 19, to a report of an attempted burglary from a shop in Fenchurch Street.

A police cordon outside Mappin & Webb on Fenchurch Street after the attempted burglary / @shelleyshovel

The attempt was unsuccessful and no items were stolen, and no one was injured.

Officers from the City of London Police will now carry out a full investigation into the incident, which involved four people riding motorbikes and wearing helmets attempting to break the shop window.

No arrests have been made.

Officers are asking anyone with any information to contact the City of London Police on 020 7601 2999 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
L eading suffragist campaigner Millicent Fawcett is set to become the first woman celebrated with a statue in Parliament Square, it has been confirmed.

City Hall announced on Tuesday that plans to build the bronze statue had been given final approval in the iconic square, with work to begin later this year.

Westminster City Council approved London Mayor Sadiq Khans planning application, paving the way for the statue to be built just yards from the figure of Winston Churchill.

It is hoped the statue will be unveiled in time for the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which gave some women in the UK the vote for the first time.

The announcement comes after feminist campaigners pushed City Hall to present plans for a statue of a woman in Parliament Square.

Designer Gillian Wearing with a model of the statue

The statue will show Ms Fawcett at the age of 50 holding a placard which reads courage calls to courage everywhere, which she read after the death of famous suffragette Emily Davison.

Ms Davison was killed when she walked onto the race track at the Epsom Derby in 1913.

Mr Khan said: As a proud feminist at City Hall, I have given Carolines inspired campaign my full support and am delighted that we have been given the go-ahead to bring the first ever statue of a woman to the centre of British democracy in Parliament Square  something which is long overdue.

Next year marks a century since the start of womens suffrage in the UK - one of our countrys most pivotal moments  and our mission now is to ensure that we can begin the centenary celebrations with the unveiling of this landmark piece.

This will be one of the most momentous and significant statues of our time and I know that Gillian Wearings exceptional talent and unique insight will do great justice to the movement and Millicent Fawcetts legacy.

Honour: Millicent Fawcett, who founded the National Union of Women's Suffrage / PA Archive/PA Images

We want this statue to depict the strength and determination of the women who dedicated their lives to the fight for womens suffrage and to inspire many generations to come  and I know Gillians creation will do just that.

The bronze figure has been designed by artist Gillian Wearing and will join statues of famous figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill in the square.

Campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez began lobbying City Hall for a statue of a woman in May 2016, setting up a change.org petition which gathered 85,000 signatures.

Sam Smethers, of the Fawcett Society, said: Putting a statue of a woman in Parliament Square is long overdue but it is absolutely right that it is Millicent Fawcett who is being commemorated.

She made it her lifetime's work to secure votes for women.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said: Aged just 22 Millicent Fawcett gave her first speech on womens suffrage and then campaigned relentlessly for nearly 50 years before the vote was finally given to women.

I am proud that this beautifully designed statue of Fawcett in Parliament Square will inspire a new generation to champion her struggle for equality and womens rights.
La Crosse Area Retired Educators will meet for lunch at Moxies Pub (in AmericInn, 1835 Rose St., La Crosse) at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 2.

Everyone who has retired from Wisconsin public schools is invited. Onalaska High Schools History Day Project Winners, Vikram Ailtiani and Claudia Belgado, will discuss their research and show videos produced for 2017 History Day. The cost of the meal is $11. Reservations can be made through Karen Broadhead, 608-788-2485 or Marlene McCabe, 608-781-1039.
T heresa May has said she expects Boris Johnson to remain as Foreign Secretary after he insisted the Cabinet was a nest of singing birds.

The Prime Minister said Mr Johnson was doing good work heading up the Foreign Office as she arrived at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

It comes after the former London mayor issued an open challenge to the Prime Ministers Brexit policy at the weekend by releasing a 4,000-word essay setting out his personal demands for Brexit.

The Foreign Secretary, who is also in New York for the UN summit, publicly dismissed reports that he might be on the verge of quitting and denied the Cabinet was split over Brexit insisting: We are a nest of singing birds.

No 10 sources have said a Cabinet session will be held on Thursday to attempt to reach a Brexit policy that Mrs May can announce in her crucial speech in Florence, Italy, on Friday.

Prime Minister Theresa May hosts a meeting of business leaders to discuss trade links after the UK leaves the EU as part of her visit to New York / PA

Mrs May and Mr Johnson have not seen each other since his Brexit demands were published in the Daily Telegraph at the weekend.

Their schedules at the UN assembly do not coincide until Wednesday when Mr Johnson is due to be in the audience for Mrs May's formal address to the UN.

He was not due to join the PM at a reception for Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday evening, Mrs Mays spokesman said.

Asked whether she was confident that ministers at the Cabinet meeting would be united behind her strategy, Mrs May told Sky News: "Yes, the Cabinet is absolutely clear about the destination we are aiming for in relation to our European negotiations.

"We want to make sure we get the best possible deal for the United Kingdom as we leave the European Union.

"What we want to do is to ensure not just a good deal on trade, but also on our future security and relationship on law enforcement and criminal justice."

And challenged over calls for Mr Johnson to face the sack, she said: "Boris is doing good work as Foreign Secretary. He has been doing that here at the United Nations."

Speculation has been rife that Mr Johnson may resign or be sacked after his explosive article setting out his personal blueprint for Brexit overshadowed the run-up to the Florence address.

The essay sparked reports that the Cabinet is split between those like Chancellor Philip Hammond, who favour an "EEA-minus" deal similar to Switzerland's involving payments for access to the single market, and those including Mr Johnson who prefer a "Ceta-plus" arrangement involving a simple free trade deal like Canada's.

Asked if Mrs May thought Mr Johnson would remain in the Cabinet beyond the weekend, the PM's spokesman told reporters in New York: "Yes. Boris Johnson is the Foreign Secretary and, as the Prime Minister has said, he is doing a good job."

Earlier today, Ken Clarke launched a scathing attack on Mr Johnson for making dishonest claims and self-publicising at the expense of government unity.

The former chancellor said that in any normal circumstances the Foreign Secretary would be fired for publishing his 4,000 word article pressing for a hard Brexit.
T heresa May today called on the United Nations to unite behind tough action to end modern slavery.

The Prime Minister issued an official call to action as world leaders met in New York, setting her sights on a historic international pledge to confront the scandal.

The text was being agreed at a special modern slavery event hosted by Mrs May in the margins of the UN General Assembly.

In an exclusive interview, she told the Standard: I am calling on the leaders at the UN General Assembly to work collaboratively and internationally  but also to look at their own situation.

She said world opinion was shifting significantly, from widespread scepticism that slavery could still exist, to a new position of being determined to act. It is becoming more and more talked about, she said.

People are committed to doing something. Many wrongly believe slavery was ended by the actions of William Wilberforce. Sadly, the estimates are that potentially millions of people around the world are impacted by this.

The Prime Minister welcomed the Evening Standards investigation into the horror of modern slavery in London, saying: Its great that the Evening Standard has shone a light on this issue.

When victims come out of it, the trauma of what has happened to them is very grave. But the message that overwhelmingly I hear from them is, Please  stop this happening to other people.

Britain will host an international summit for prosecutors to identify ways of stepping up cross-border co-operation and getting more convictions. Mrs May will also announce the launch of specialist training courses for investigators and measures to increase awareness of the issue among frontline police officers.

The Crown Prosecution Services complex case unit will also get extra training to improve UK expertise in dealing with slavery cases and supporting victims.

In addition, the UKs permanent mission to the UN in New York will co-host a high-level event with Denmark to launch a major media campaign, Why Slavery?.

Foreign leaders who back the call to action will sign a pledge to adopt measures at home and abroad to eradicate slavery. Each will commit to develop domestic legislation and work on national plans to prevent people falling into slavery, strengthen law enforcement, clean up supply chains and support victims.

Some countries, including Australia, are bringing in laws modelled on Britains trailblazing Modern Slavery Act 2015, which imposed tough sentences on slave masters of up to life imprisonment.

Britains anti-slavery commissioner, Kevin Hyland, has called for a radical reform of the system set up to identify and help victims, to encourage more to come forward.
C hildren playing with Nerf guns must wear eye protection to avoid serious injury, doctors have warned.

Experts from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London's Old Street said bullets from the guns could lead to internal bleeding around the eye as well as blurred vision.

They treated three patients with sore eyes and blurred vision as a result of playing with the hugely popular toy guns.

The doctors recommended wearing protective eye goggles when using the toys, and also called for a review of the safe age limit.

Nerf toys, which are manufactured by Hasbro, include a range of guns, blasters, and bows and arrows aimed at children aged eight and over.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, the A&E medics told how a 32-year-old man was shot in the eye from eight metres away by a child with a Nerf gun. He suffered blurred vision and a red eye.

A 43-year-old woman was shot in her right eye from a distance of one metre and complained of blurred vision and a red, sore eye.

An 11-year-old child also suffered a shot in his right eye from a distance of two metres. He complained of pain, blurred vision and a swelling of the eye.

Check-ups in the following weeks showed that their sight had returned completely and the bleeding had stopped.

The authors said that while there was a good outcome for these three patients, the ability of Nerf guns to cause problems was worrying and could lead to long-term vision loss.

"It is important to note that the risk of having an eye injury with the Nerf darts also comes from the fact that a projectile can harm when it travels fast enough."

They said: "This case series emphasises the seriousness of ocular injury from Nerf gun projectiles and calls into consideration the need for protective eyewear with their use.

A spokeswoman for Hasbro said: "Product safety is of utmost concern at Hasbro.

"Nerf products are designed based on years of consumer insights and research and undergo rigorous reviews and testing to assure that they are safe and fun to play with and meet or exceed global standards and regulations.

"Nerf foam darts and foam rounds are not hazardous when used properly.

"Consumers must never aim Nerf blasters at a person's eyes or face, should only use the foam darts and foam rounds designed for specific Nerf blasters and never modify darts or blasters."
N etflix customers have been warned not to fall for an apparently convincing scam targeting people this week.

Fraudsters are sending emails claiming users' accounts have been disabled which tell customers: You may want to update your payment details.

The email, which bears many of the hallmarks of official correspondence from the popular streaming service, also contains a link for customers to reactivate their account.

Action Fraud, the polices national cyber crime reporting centre, put out a warning on Twitter: There's a bogus #Netflix email doing the rounds this week that's designed to snatch your bank details!

Many police accounts then retweeted the alert in a bid to spread awareness and urge caution.

A spokesman for Netflix said: We take the security of our members' accounts seriously and Netflix employs numerous proactive measures to detect fraudulent activity to keep the Netflix service and our members' accounts secure.

Unfortunately, scams are common on the internet and target popular brands such as Netflix and other companies with large customer bases to lure users into giving out personal information.

Experts advise people to be wary of emails with embedded links and instead suggest visiting websites directly using your browser if in any doubt.
O nline jihadist content attracts more clicks in Britain than any other country in Europe, a major new report warns.

Analysts found the Islamic State terror group (IS) was still pumping out vast volumes of internet propaganda despite coming under intense military pressure in Iraq and Syria.

Experts say the group produces around 100 pieces of new content in an average week - but this is a conservative estimate.

The in-depth study by think tank Policy Exchange says tens of thousands of users access jihadist material online from all over the globe.

Researchers found the UK was the fifth most frequent location from which content was accessed - after Turkey, the US, Saudi Arabia and Iraq - and registered the largest number of clicks in Europe.

Concerns over the availability of terrorist material such as execution videos and bomb-making instructions on the internet have intensified after Britain was targeted by its fifth terror attack of the year.

In a forward for the paper, former US military chief General David Petraeus highlighted last week's events at Parsons Green.

He said: "The attempted bombing of an underground train in London last Friday - using a device that can be built from instructions available online - merely underscored once again the ever-present nature of this threat."

Gen Petraeus warned that efforts to combat extremism online to now have been "inadequate".

He wrote: "There is no doubting the urgency of this matter. The status quo clearly is unacceptable."

The 131-page assessment finds that the decline of IS - also known as ISIS or Daesh - in the online space has been "significantly overstated".

It says: "For at least a year, the production of content has continued despite the death of key figures, loss of territory and ongoing fighting."

The report details how:

In an average week IS produces over one hundred new articles, videos and newspapers;

They are disseminated across a "vast ecosystem" of platforms, file sharing services, websites and social media;

IS now uses encrypted messaging service Telegram as the core communication platform for talking to sympathisers;

But jihadists have not abandoned other platforms, with content also regularly accessed via Facebook, Google and Twitter;

Three in four people (74%) want big internet companies to be more proactive in locating and deleting extremist content, according to a poll.

The paper suggests the Government may wish to consider new laws to counter the possession and consumption of extremist material online.

Lead author Dr Martyn Frampton said governments and security services have been playing a "fruitless game of 'whack-a-mole"' which is focused on removing individual pieces of content.

He warned: "The evidence suggests that we are not winning the war against online extremism.

"If the internet companies won't do what their customers want and take more responsibility for removing this content, then government must take action through additional regulation and legislation."

This week Prime Minister Theresa May and French president Emmanuel Macron will hold talks to discuss possible new measures to tackle the problem.

It emerged earlier this year that Britain and France are looking at plans that could see technology firms face fines if their efforts are not up to scratch.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd warned the internet must not be a "safe space" for terrorists and criminals.

She said: "I have made it crystal clear to internet bosses that they need to go further and faster to remove terrorist content from their websites and prevent it being uploaded in the first place."

Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube have set up the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism to spearhead efforts to clamp down on extremist content.

Twitter says terrorist content has no place on the platform.

Figures published by the microblogging site show 636,248 accounts were suspended in total between August 2015 and December 2016 for the promotion of terrorism.

Google said violent extremism was a "complex problem", adding: "We are committed to being part of the solution and we are doing more every day to tackle these issues.

"We are making significant progress through machine learning technology, partnerships with experts and collaboration with other companies through the Global Internet Forum - and we know there is more to be done."

Facebook said it is committed to fighting online extremism and works "aggressively" to remove terrorist content as soon as it becomes aware of it.

A spokeswoman added: "We've also built a shared industry database of 'hashes' - unique digital 'fingerprints' - of violent terrorist videos or images, which we're actively expanding and is helping us to act on such content even more quickly."



Reporting by PA
T he devastated parents of an 18-year-old Briton who died while backpacking in Cambodia have accused local authorities of trying to cover-up his death because they failed to save his life.

Adored son Kit Mallinson was found unconscious on board a bus while travelling the south-east Asian country  but was denied vital hospital treatment because ambulance crew could not find his insurance documents, even though they were in his bag.

His parents, Serena and Guy Mallinson, told an inquest in Bournemouth on Tuesday Mr Mallinson was instead taken to a public hospital which they said lacked important equipment and medication for his pneumonia.

The hearing was also told the British Embassy was not notified until the evening of the next day. The embassy then informed Mr Mallinson's parents, who immediately arranged for him to be transferred to the private Royal Angkor International Hospital where he died six hours later in the early hours of December 14, 2016.

Mrs Mallinson said: "For reasons we do not understand, the embassy was not contacted for two days."

Mr Mallinson said: "When I asked the policeman why, he said he told his boss and he shrugged his shoulders, he couldn't care less."

He added that legal documents sent from the Cambodian authorities were full of inaccuracies and said they were a "cover-up" for their failures.

Fighting back tears, Mrs Mallinson added: "He was the most gorgeous boy, he was just adored by us all, he was kind, had a fantastic sense of humour, he was just a beautiful, beautiful boy.

"He was meant to be having the adventure of a lifetime, he was meant to be home by Christmas, we are all completely devastated.

"He would be so devastated by this because he was very excited about the next stage of his life and he should be at university now.

"I feel he was let down so very, very badly by the Cambodian authorities and it's incredibly hard not to be able to hold them accountable in any way.

"If they had done their job properly Kit would still be alive."

Coroner Rachael Griffin said that Mr Mallinson, from Bridport in Dorset, had complained of a chesty cough in the days before his death.

She said toxicology tests carried out in the UK showed he had taken both codeine and benzodiazepine sleeping pills, probably taken for the long bus journey, from Sihanoukville in the south of the country, to Siem Reap, the home of the famous Angkor Wat ruins.

Taken together, the two drugs could have worsened his chest infection, the coroner said.

Recording a narrative conclusion, Ms Griffin said: "On the balance of probabilities, the delay in his medical treatment was contributory to his death."

She added: "If anything good can come from Kit's death, it's a warning of the use of medication, such as the use of sleeping tablets if they are travelling long distances, as I do not think the potential consequences are fully recognised."

Mr Mallinson had been volunteering for Raleigh International during his gap year. Following his death, his parents set up a JustGiving fundraising page to continue to raise money for the charity. Donate here.
S tranded Ryanair customers have branded the airline a disgrace as boss Michael OLeary apologised over the cancellation of thousands of flights.

The budget airline faces paying out 17.7 million (20 million euro) in compensation over shelving 50 flights for the next six weeks.

More than 200 of the cancelled flights are either into or out of London Stansted, with a handful in Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham also affected.

Mr OLeary branded the situation a mess and blamed the cancellations on the over-allocation of pilots holidays over a busy period.

The company look set to lose 4.4 million in profits, the airline's chief executive said as he made a grovelling apology at a press conference.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has apologised to customers / PA

He said: Clearly there's a large reputational impact, for which again I apologise.

We will try to do better in future.

However, when asked if his job was at stake over the chaos, he replied: No, I don't think my head should roll, I need to stay here and fix this."

Many customers who have been offered alternative flights said they were forced to pay out hundreds of pounds for extra accommodation and taxis after being flown to the wrong airports.

Carrie Ann Woodgate and her partner, Alan Fosberry, from Newcastle, discovered their flight home had been cancelled mid-way through a break in Wroclaw, Poland

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Woodgate said that her holiday had been a "total disaster".

The couple were offered a refund of their 19.99 tickets, or a rescheduled flight for the following Thursday - four days after their original flight.

"I feel pure frustration and anger at Ryanair for leaving us stuck in the middle of Poland. We rely on these companies to get us home, Ms Woodgate told the BBC.

Harry Bilaver, from London, was due to travel to Tallinn, Estonia, for his son's first birthday party.

However, at 21.00 the night before flying, he received a text message telling him it had been cancelled.

Mr Bilaver told the BBC: "The cancellation wasn't the end of the world, but it was a real inconvenience for me and my partner."

"My partner was stuck in Tallinn with my young son and unable to prepare for his birthday party.

"We have lost three days of our holiday."

Another couple hit out at the airline after discovering their flight from Edinburgh had been axed.

They are now heading out to the Scottish capital and have no idea how they are going to get back home after the four day trip to visit family.

The pair, from Portsmouth, told the Daily Mail: They are going to refund the flight, but everything is up in the air. We could be hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

Because of the late notice getting a flight home it's going to be very expensive.

Mr O'Leary said customers whose flights have been cancelled will have received an email by Monday evening.

This will inform them what flights they can transfer to which will be "hopefully on the same or, at worse, the next day".

Under EU law, passengers given less than 14 days notice of a flight cancellation are entitled to claim compensation worth up to 250 euro (221) depending on the timing of alternative flights and if the issue was not beyond the responsibility of the airline, such as extreme weather.

Mr O'Leary said: "If they're not satisfied with the alternative flights offered, they can have a full refund and they will all be entitled to their EU261 compensation entitlements.

"We will not be trying to claim exceptional circumstances.

"This is our mess-up. When we make a mess in Ryanair, we come out with our hands up.

"We try to explain why we've made the mess and we will pay compensation to those passengers who are entitled to compensation, which will be those flights that are cancelled over the next two weeks."

Cancelled flights are listed here and cover the period up to October 28.
A London headteacher who went missing while kayaking alone in the Amazon had written of her fears of being robbed or killed days before.

Emma Kelty, 43, disappeared after sending a distress signal from a position 150 miles west of the Brazilian jungle city of Manaus, in a remote area known as a drug-trafficking route and for pirate attacks.

Ms Kelty, of Finchley, was trying to paddle from the source of the Amazon in Peru, through Brazil, to its mouth at the Atlantic.

The experienced adventurer was 42 days into a 4,000-mile trip when she vanished last Wednesday.

Ms Kelty's kayak, found by search teams / Brazilian Navy

Ms Kelty had been documenting her journey on her blog and social media and using a GPS tracker so friends and family could follow her.

Loading....

Her kayak and some of her belongings, including clothes and food, were found on a sandbank close to riverside Lauro Sodre, between the remote towns of Coari and Codajas.

Ms Kelty wrote of the danger in a Facebook post on September 10: So in or near Coari (100km away) I will have my boat stolen and I will be killed too. Nice. Two days later, after travelling past the town, she posted: Am in the clear. All OK.

However, authorities said she was entering the most lawless stretch of the river when she went missing.

The final picture she posted online on Sept 10 shows her tent on an island on the river in heavy rain / Twitter

In the past year there have been many attacks by drugs gangs and pirates, including one incident when a local police chief disappeared after a confrontation with armed gangsters.

It is believed Ms Kelty had stopped to pitch her tent beside the river on Wednesday night when she triggered an emergency locator which informed her team back in the UK that she was in trouble.

A navy rescue vessel patrols the Amazon in search for Ms Kelty / www.naval.com.br

Since then, 60 Brazilian Navy personnel have been searching for her, using a helicopter, two boats and three divers. A team from the special homicide and kidnap squad also arrived in the area to investigate local reports that she could have been attacked by pirates who regularly target boats passing through.

Police chief Ivo Martins, who is leading the investigation, said: It is a trafficking route, but were not necessarily linking the case with drugs trafficking. Its possible that she might have been snatched.

Its possible that she might have got lost too. We always believe that she might be well, alive, and we will work to find her.

Ms Kelty, whose family are believed to live in Taunton, Somerset, had been working at the Knollmead Primary School in Surbiton but quit to go travelling.

Emma Kelty posted this picture online on September 10 with the caption: "Enjoying a moments peace ... all is calm and just enjoying just being." / Twitter

A spokeswoman for the school said: She was headteacher here. It is very sad to hear what has happened. We wish her well.

Ms Kelty became the sixth woman to ski unassisted to the South Pole in January this year, and has also completed a 2,600-mile solo hike across the US among other challenges.

Blogger William Nascimento, from the town of Coari, said that many local people reported seeing Ms Kelty rowing along the river in her fluorescent safety vest, and that he believed she had been kidnapped.

Adventurer Emma Kelty disappeared while kayaking in the Amazon

He said: Everybody is afraid of travelling through that stretch because of the pirate attacks. They are ruthless and bloodthirsty.

It is crazy that this woman decided to row along the river on her own, even stopping to pitch her tent. No one who knows this part of the river and the pirates would even think about doing that.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: We are supporting the family of a British woman who has been reported missing in Brazil, and are in contact with the Brazilian navy.

A former neighbour in Finchley said: She is a lovely woman and a very private person. She moved away two years ago when she sold the flat.

I dont know if she had a partner because she kept to herself but she was a teacher for a while. I know she likes adventure and was very active when she lived here. She is very fit.

I was devastated when I found out what happened and I hope the police over there find her safely.
A 13-year-old girl is believed to have become one of Indias youngest ever "honour killing" victims after her father allegedly beat her head against a wall and set her on fire because he saw her talking to a boy.

The teenager was beaten and strangled by her father before he set fire to the body and tried to pass off her death as suicide, police in the Nalgonda district of southern India, said.

The girls father had noticed his daughter frequently talking to a boy in the Chintapally village where they lived.

He lashed out and killed her on September 15 after he saw her talking to the boy again, hitting her head against a wall before strangling her, police said.

Her mother is then believed to have helped set fire to the body so the parents could make out their daughters death was suicide.

Police said her father believed she was going to visit her uncle regularly to find a way to talk to the boy, according to the Hindustan Times.

When he questioned her, she explained it was just casual talk and he flew into a fit of rage, according to the newspaper.

Nampally police inspector Bala Gangi Reddy said the parents admitted during interrogation that they killed her out of anger that her deed would spoil their reputation in the village.

An honour killing refers to the murder of a person by a family member motivated by a belief that the victim had brought shame to the family.

It is thought the girl is one of the youngest ever victims of an honour killing in India.

Womens rights activists say the government must pass legislation to recognise the crime as unique in order to target perpetrators for prosecution.

The lack of a separate law defining such crimes means some police officers still record them in the larger murder category.
H urricane Maria barreled into the Caribbean spreading mind-boggling devastation to islands still recovering from the effects of Irma.

The "potentially catastrophic" storm lashed the island of Dominica late on Monday as it hurtled towards the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rica.

Hurricane Maria was upgraded on Monday evening to a category five storm on Saffir-Simpson scale as it battered the island with 160mph winds, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported.

Prime Minister of the former British colony, Roosevelt Skerrit, said in a desperate Facebook post that the island had "so far lost all what money can buy and replace".

Path of Hurricane Maria - map

He added that the storm had blown the roof off his official residence and said he feared news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as landslides threatened catastrophe on the island.

Women in Dominica prepare for Hurricane Maria / AP

He wrote: The roof to my own official residence was among the first to go and this apparently triggered an avalanche of torn away roofs in the city and the countryside.

We will hit the road, as soon as the all clear is given, in search of the injured and those trapped in the rubble.

I am honestly not preoccupied with physical damage at this time, because it is devastating...indeed, mind boggling. My focus now is in rescuing the trapped and securing medical assistance for the injured.

Mr Skerrit added that he believed the islands ports and airports would be inoperable for several days.

People board up windows in Dominica / AFP/Getty Images

Following roughly the same path as deadly Irma, which left dozens dead earlier this month, Maria is on a track to make landfall in Puerto Rico by Wednesday, according to the agency's latest bulletins.

Millions more in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, still reeling from Irma, have another day or two to prepare for the storm, forecasters said.

Category 5 hurricane: Soldiers board a Navy landing craft during an evacuation in advance of Hurricane Maria (REUTERS) / Reuters

Briton Carolyne Coleby, who is a photographer and a sheep farmer on the Caribbean island of Montserrat described the situation as "very serious".

Speaking to the Press Association as Maria began to approach, the 52-year-old said: "It is raining and the winds are picking up - it is going to hit us from the south, which is very serious."

This graphic from the National Hurricane Center shows the location and possible track of tropical storm Maria / EPA

Montserrat escaped the clutches of Hurricane Irma relatively unscathed, but Ms Coleby said people have been told to be "much more worried this time".

"This is the most serious hurricane we have had so far, it is the third one in two weeks, but this is serious for us because of the direction it is approaching," she added.

Soldiers wait on a beach for a Navy landing craft as their unit evacuates in advance of Hurricane Maria (REUTERS) / Reuters

Ms Coleby said just 5,000 people call Montserrat home, and that she has lived on the island for more than 10 years.

"We have never experienced a hurricane season like this, it is just crazy, it is obviously climate change," she said.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised against travelling to the British Virgin Islands and Montserrat.

British officials have also advised against travelling to the overseas territory of Anguilla, where a tropical storm warning is in effect.
Coulee Region residents are marking U.S. Constitution Week on Saturday by standing up for voting rights and fighting against gerrymandering during a rally planned by the La Crosse County Democratic Party.

Emily Bunting of Viola, one of a dozen plaintiffs in a case arguing that Wisconsins districts are unfairly drawn to benefit Republicans, will share her experiences as part of the potentially ground-breaking case and talk about the importance of fair voting districts. Local and state officials and Democratic gubernatorial candidates also will speak at the rally, which will run from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Cameron Park, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and King Street.

I feel like our democracy is really at risk. Our votes are our voice in democracy and if our votes dont mean anything  Ive always voted, and this is the first time Ive felt like Im voiceless, Bunting said.

Being a part of the case, Gill v. Whitford, opened her eyes to the significance of gerrymandering.

I think people thought, Oh, thats something those politicians do. Theyre always trying to get the advantage, Bunting said.

However, she said, its not the same as regular politicking.

Its a huge assault on our voting rights and our ability to vote and have our vote count for anything, Bunting said.

Former La Crosse Mayor John Medinger, a longtime member of the Democratic Party, said the county Democrats are holding Saturdays rally to shine a light on voter suppression and disenfranchisement, and give people an avenue to do something about it.

We want to tell people that their vote counts and that western Wisconsin is an important part of the process, Medinger said.

The way the districts for state Assembly, Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives are drawn basically guarantees the election outcome before a ballot is cast, he said.

Its so fundamentally important that the districts be drawn in a way where both political parties have a chance, Medinger said.

Whats going on in Wisconsin right now is not just, he said. Its not moral.

The issue is particularly serious in states like Wisconsin, which traditionally has about equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans.

A lot of people wonder what the big deal is, but if you can take a small percentage of the population that traditionally vote Democratic  and thats the target of these voter suppression laws, older folks and college students  and make them ineligible to vote, you can tip the balance in a lot of elections, Medinger said.

Medinger, along with Viterbo University professor Keith Knutson and retired professor Mike Smuksta, questioned the constitutionality of the districts, adding that the system should be more transparent.

If we encourage our students to vote and we get a pretty good turnout at Viterbo, and their voting and the districts have been manipulated so their vote is not going to count in the full manner of other citizens, that is, in and of itself, a transgression of the 14th Amendments equal protection clause, Knutson said.

The rally will bring attention to the issue, as well as give people of all political leanings a chance to talk to gubernatorial candidates and their representatives.

We have to spread the conversation into a larger arena, so politicians will maybe start to feel the pressure, Bunting said.

Previous U.S. Supreme Court cases alleging partisan gerrymanders ran into problems because there was no way to measure the impact.

Now theres a way to measure. The social sciences have enhanced their ways to detect and measure gerrymander, Bunting said.

While this event is organized by Democrats, everyone is welcome, with organizers and speakers saying the issue affects everyone.

I think of it as a voting rights issue. I dont think Democrats should be able to gerrymander any more than Republicans. I dont think anyone should gerrymander. We know how to create districts with partisan symmetry, Bunting said.

The event will also cover topics such as President Donald Trumps Commission on Election Integrity, voter fraud and voter suppression tactics.

After the rally wraps up, the officials and candidates will be available to talk and answer questions at the Brickhouse, across the street from the park.
H urricane Maria barrelled over Dominica and Guadeloupe spreading mind-boggling devastation" as flood water deluged streets and gales tore the roofs from homes.

Maria was downgraded to a category four after making landfall on the former British colony of Dominica but quickly intensified, the National Hurricane Center reported.

Guadeloupe faced widespread flooding as the president of Dominicas home was battered by the category five storm's 160mph gales.

Where will Maria hit next?

The storm is closely following in the path of Hurricane Irma which claimed dozens of victims last month.

Devastation: Maria battered the city of Petit-Bourg on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe / AFP/Getty Images

Puerto Rico looks set to suffer a direct hit early on Wednesday as the eye of the storm rages towards the island.

Officials issued stark warnings to residents that they must leave their homes or die.

Huge gusts: A man walks in a flooded street in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe / Reuters

"You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you're going to die," said Hector Pesquera, the island's public safety commissioner.

"I don't know how to make this any clearer."

Destruction: Flood waters deluged Guadeloupe / Reuters

Governor Ricardo Rossello said 500 shelters capable of taking in up to 133,000 people had been made available in Puerto Rico.

He also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to bring drinking water and help restore power immediately after the storm.

Hurricane Maria - In pictures 1 /45 Hurricane Maria - In pictures Trees are ripped out in a car park in San Juan, Puerto Rico AFP/Getty Images An uprooted tree covers a small house in the village of Viard - Petit Bourg, near Pointe-a-Pitre AFP/Getty Images A man and his daughter flee from the rain on a beach in San Juan, Puerto Ric AFP/Getty Images Islanders board up windows of a business in Puerto Rico AFP/Getty Images Powerful winds and rains of hurricane Maria battering the city of Petit-Bourg on the French overseas Caribbean island of Guadeloupe AFP/Getty Images Rocks swept by strong waves onto a road in Le Carbet, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Maria which bore down menacingly on the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday after devastating the tiny island nation of Dominica and Hurricane Jose (top) are both seen in the Atlantic Ocean Reuters Refugees are seen at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum refuge in San Juan, Puerto Rico AFP/Getty Images Five U.S. Navy vessels maneuver around Hurricane Maria before eventually returning to assist the U.S. Virgin Islands, in the Caribbean Sea REUTERS Storm damage to a tool shed/dog house, caused by Hurricane Maria in Bouillante, Guadeloupe AP A lady holds her rosary as she takes part in a prayer circle at a makeshift at the Juan Ponce de Leon Elementary School before the arrival of Hurricane Mari, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, AP Shoppers at a Wal Mart load up on supplies in preparation for a direct hit from Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico Getty Images People stand next to debris at a restaurant in Le Carbet, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria AFP/Getty Images People clear debris in Saint-Pierre, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria AFP/Getty Images A motorist drives on the flooded waterfront in Fort-de-France, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria AFP/Getty Images A man walks in a flooded street after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe island Reuters A man looks at a fallen tree as he walks along a street after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe island Reuters A man removes a branch in a flooded street after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe island Reuters Shopping carts are seen in a flooded parking after the passage of Hurricane Maria on the outskirts of Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe island Reuters A flooded street in Pointe-a-Pitre after the powerful winds and rain of hurricane Maria battered the French overseas Caribbean island of Guadeloupe AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Maria approaching the Leeward Islands, as the hurricane intensified into a "potentially catastrophic" category five storm and continued on a collision course with British overseas territories already battered by Irma NOAA/PA Hurricane Maria flattened homes in Dominica Members of the Guadeloupe Adapted Military Service Regiment gather detritus on 18 September 18, 2017, as they clean Sandy Ground on the French Caribbean island of Saint-Martin, after it was hit by Hurricane Irma, and in order to limit the risk of flooding and projectiles as Hurricane Maria approaches the Caribbean AFP/Getty Images Members of the Guadeloupe Adapted Military Service Regiment gather detritus on 18 September 18, 2017, as they clean Sandy Ground on the French Caribbean island of Saint-Martin, after it was hit by Hurricane Irma, and in order to limit the risk of flooding and projectiles as Hurricane Maria approaches the Caribbean AFP/Getty Images 40 Commando Assault Engineers boarding up windows at Road Town Police Station in preparation for Storm Maria on the British Virgin Islands EPA Prefet de Guadeloupe People board up windows in Dominica AFP/Getty Images Women in Dominica prepare for Hurricane Maria AP Army soldiers wait with their belongings on a beach for transport on a Navy landing craft while evacuating in advance of Hurricane Maria Reuters Crewmen brace themselves from the propeller wash of a Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey departing the aboard the USS Kearsarge as U.S. military continues to evacuate from the U.S. Virgin Islands in advance of Hurricane Maria Reuters Category 3 hurricane: Soldiers board a Navy landing craft during an evacuation in advance of Hurricane Maria Reuters Soldiers wait on a beach for a Navy landing craft as their unit evacuates in advance of Hurricane Maria Reuters Hurricane Maria makes landfall in Puerto Rico in Fajardo AFP/Getty Images Winds lash the coastal city of Fajardo in Puerto Rico as Hurricane Maria arrives AFP/Getty Images

"This is going to impact all of Puerto Rico with a force and violence that we haven't seen for several generations," he added.

"We're going to lose a lot of infrastructure in Puerto Rico. We're going to have to rebuild."

Safety measures: Soldiers barricade homes in Guadeloupe / EPA

Which other regions are at risk?

Hurricane warnings have been posted for the US and British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat.

St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands would face "a very, very long night," territorial Governor Kenneth Mapp said on Tuesday.

A tropical storm warning was issued for Martinique, Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten and Anguilla.

Will Maria batter America?

Maria is not expected to hit the US but Hurricane Jose threatens huge storm surges on the East Coast despite looking unlikely to make landfall.

A tropical storm warning was posted for coastal areas in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and tropical storm watches were issued for parts of New York's Long Island and Connecticut.
T he British Government has refused to rule out joining its US ally in using military force against North Korea after Donald Trump threatened to totally destroy the rogue state if necessary.

The US President said he would be left with no choice but to totally destroy North Korea if forced to in a dramatic speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

He sparked gasps of shock among members as he called dictator Kim Jong-un a rocket man on a suicide mission for himself and his regime.

Downing Street has since confirmed it would consider joining Mr Trump in military action against North Korea.

Pedestrians walk under a large-scale monitor displaying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on a TV news broadcast in Tokyo following a recent missile test / EPA

In a statement, a spokeswoman said no-one wants to see military action" but "it would be wrong to rule anything out".

Mr Trump has been criticised in some quarters for his inflammatory rhetoric as North Korea has escalated its nuclear and missile tests in recent weeks, but he told the UN: "Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime."

Speaking about the US, he added: "If it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

The US President also urged UN member states to work together to isolate the Kim government until it ceases its "hostile" behaviour in the form of several recent missile launches that have sparked global outrage.

US President Donald Trump has met with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as they meet at the United Nations this week / REUTERS

In the lengthy maiden speech to UN delegates, Mr Trump also attacked Iran and Venezuela while criticising the UN itself for allowing countries with human rights violations to sit on the international body's human rights panel.

Following Mr Trump's address, a Number 10 spokeswoman said: "We are clear that North Korea's actions are provocative and destabilising and our focus is on increasing the pressure on them to change course.

"As President Trump said, the international community must continue to work together to confront rogue regimes and that is exactly what the Prime Minister will be doing in discussions with world leaders in New York this week.

"No-one wants to see military action, but as we progress with efforts to secure a peaceful diplomatic resolution it would be wrong to rule anything out."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a launching drill of one of the rogue state's missiles / AFP/Getty Images

The speech came after North Korea threatened to speed up its nuclear programme if the UN continued to impose sanctions on the rogue state.

In a strongly worded statement released on Monday, Pyongyang described a new set of UN sanctions as the most vicious, unethical and inhumane act of hostility.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urged Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi to keep up the pressure on North Korea after the pair met at the UN in New York.

Mr Johnson also met Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono and reiterated the UK's solidarity with Japan over the threat it faces from Mr Kim's regime.

Speaking after the meetings, the Foreign Secretary said: "China has a vital role to play and unique economic influence over North Korea. It controls more than 90% of North Korea's external trade, including its oil supplies, making them perfectly placed to put the kind of pressure on Kim Jong Un that will make him take notice.

"As the Prime Minister said during her recent visit to Japan, the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with them in the face of North Korean aggression.

"Last week the harshest UN sanctions placed on any nation in the 21st century were imposed on North Korea. They must now be enforced."
O ctopuses are building miniature underwater cities because they dont want to live alone, scientists have discovered, countering a long-held belief that the marine creatures prefer solitude.

Until now, biologists thought octopuses only interacted to mate, kill, or eat each other. But the unearthing of a small octopus city built by the octopus tetricus, otherwise known as the "gloomy octopus", has proved they can live peacefully side by side.

Dubbed Octlantis, the octopus residence is built partially out of octopuses meal leftovers: clam shells. These are strewn around a rocky outcrop about 10m (33ft) below the seas surface.

The commune was found off the coast of New South Wales, Australia in Jervis Bay during a scientific study published in the journal Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology.

Octopuses living in the structures 13 bedrooms, or burrows, carry their prey home and put the remains in a heap nearby. Not only does this a stabilise soft sediment, but the deliberate placement of remains could be an example of ecosystem engineering, to encourage more tasty shellfish to come and live nearby.

The octopuses were found to use the remains of their meals to attract other prey / Sylke Rohrlach/Wikipedia

The octopus is known for its high intelligence in comparison to other marine life, but researchers have only just begun to understand how sociable the creature can be. In 2006 scientists claimed that only three species out of more than 300 could tolerate each others company.

The running summary has been that solitary octopuses get together to mate, and, if that doesnt work out, for cannibalism, David Scheel, professor of marine biology at Alaska Pacific University told The Times.

Thats a very restricted realm of behaviours. It creates this notion that if two octopuses interact, and one of them is not inclined to mate, then one of them is trying to kill the other.

In another, larger commune a few hundred metres away, the number of octopus housemates fluctuated between ten and 15. Scientists saw octopuses reach a tentacles out to one another, but not quite touch, in a gesture that the researchers suspect may be a kind of chemical tasting.

The animals were seen mating, but scientists witnessed no attempts at cannibalism. However, when an unfamiliar octopus approached the commune, it was frightened off by two aggressive guards.

In this species, were seeing a whole bunch of sub-lethal behaviours, Professor Scheel told The Times.

Were seeing reaching, were seeing chases, were seeing signalling, were seeing behaviours that might indicate a reply to the signal meaning Come on, youd better back up.
V iolence has erupted on an American university campus following a vigil for a student shot and killed by police.

A police car was set on fire and had its windscreen smashed as videos emerged of police handcuffing individuals who had been forced to the ground.

Three arrests were made and two officers received minor injuries as about 50 people marched to the police station last night in Atlanta, Georgia.

The vigil was held for Scout Schultz, 21, who investigators said had been advancing on police with a knife when he was shot on Saturday night in Atlanta.

The Georgia Institute of Technology computer engineering student, who identified as neither male nor female and was a leader in the schools LGBTQ community.

Scout Schultz, 21, was armed when she was shot by police in the US state of Georgia / Facebook

Investigators said Schultz had called 911 before the incident to report a suspicious person on campus.

In the call, Shultz describes the person as a white male, with long blonde hair, white T-shirt and blue jeans who is possibly intoxicated, holding a knife and possibly armed with a gun on his hip, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman said, adding that three suicide notes were found in the students room.

Investigators recovered a multi-purpose tool that included a knife at the scene but did not find any guns.

Flanked by Mr Schultzs parents yesterday, the familys lawyer Chris Stewart said the officer who shot Schultz overreacted.

The mentally ill are looking for a way out when theyre having a full breakdown, and theres no way you should be able to use a police officer to take your life when that person isnt threatened, he said.

Authorities have not identified the officer who shot Mr Schultz nor have they released the audio of the 911 call, which came in around 11.17 pm on Saturday, according to the GBI.
T wo people are believed to have been seriously injured after a helicopter accidentally fired at onlookers during a Russian military training exercise.

Shocking footage shows what appears to be two missiles fired from a chopper before exploding just feet away from three people.

Smoke billows into the air following the blast as the person filming the Zapad-2017 (West-2017) Russian-Belarusian war games flees.

According to Russian website 66.ru, two people were seriously injured and two parked cars were destroyed when the Ka-52 short-circuited and fired the weapons at a training ground near St Petersburg.

Danger zone: Helicopters fly towards onlookers / 66.RU

A source told the site: The weapons chains were switched on, they turned on, but there something was shortened, and the missiles descended.

The victims were most likely journalists.

The video is believed to have been filmed between September 14 and 18 during the joint strategic exercise for Russian and Belarusian troops.

'Accidental blast': Two people were injured during the incident at the Zapad-2017 war games / YouTube / ELEKANAL BELSAT

The event is being monitored by NATO.

It yesterday attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin who was pictured watching weapons training through binoculars.

War games: Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the Zapad-2017 event / REUTERS

While the Russian government has said the war games will involve only about 12,700 soldiers in all, Germany has disputed this number and said there will be closer 100,000 troops involved.

"Anyone who doubts that only has to look at the high numbers of participating forces in the Zapad exercise: more than one hundred thousand," said German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen.
J udge Rinder has said that there shouldnt be same-sex dance couples on Strictly Come Dancing as it will make the show too political.

The former contestant rejected calls to mix up the gender pairings on the BBC show, denying that it would be a step forward for the LGBT community.

Would it be a big step forward for the LGBTQI community if there were same-sex couples on Strictly? Do me a favour," he told the Radio Times.

"Some things ain't politics and Strictly is one of them."

On the dancefloor: Judge Rinder on last year's Strictly / BBC/Guy Levy

The criminal barrister and TV star, who married long-term partner Seth Cummings in 2013, said he had no intention of dancing with a man when he competed in last years show.

There will be a time for same-sex dancing, he said. I think what annoyed me slightly is that I seem to be getting it in the neck.

"One of the first questions I was asked when I joined Strictly Come Dancing last year was, 'Ooh, how come you're dancing with a woman?

Strictly Come Dancing 2017 Contestants - in pictures 1 /25 Strictly Come Dancing 2017 Contestants - in pictures Alexandra Burke and Gorka Marquez PA Chizzy Akudolu and Pasha Kovalev PA Mollie King and AJ Pritchard PA Debbie McGee and Giovanni Pernice PA Ruth Langsford and her partner Anton du Beke PA Amy Dowden and Brian Conley PA Charlotte Hawkins and Brendan Cole Ray Burmiston/BBC/PA Mollie King and AJ Pritchard PA Alexandra Burke and Gorka Marquez PA Oti Mabuse and Jonnie Peacock PA Debbie McGee and Giovanni Pernice PA Susan Calman and Kevin Clifton PA Chizzy Akudolu and Pasha Kovalev PA Aston Merrygold and Janette Manrara PA Gemma Atkinson and Aijaz Skorjanec PA Simon Rimmer and Karen Clifton PA Joe McFadden and Katya Jones PA The Reverend Richard Cole and Dianne Buswell PA Nadiya Bychkova with her celebrity partner Davood Ghadami PA

The answer was always, 'What a thoroughly absurd question!' My sexuality, in terms of Strictly or whatever else I do in my life, ought to be as irrelevant as the length of my big toe.

This years contestant Susan Calman, who is married to a woman, said she has faced criticism for having a male dance partner.

I wanted to dance with a man. I am not being held hostage by the BBC. I'm still well gay and proud of it, she said.

Judge Craig Revel Horwood recently said that there would probably be same sex couples on the show in the future.
R yan Gosling has opened up about the moment he was punched by Harrison Ford on the set of Blade Runner 2049.

Gosling, 36, said he was far from angered by the blow, and instead described the moment as a privilege.

Speaking at a photocall in Madrid, Spain, ahead of the films release he said: Will I say it was my fault because my face leaned in a little too close to his fist? It happens.

Its not something Im ashamed of  if its going to happen, let it be delivered by Harrison Ford.

It was a privilege.

Blade Runner 2049 - Trailer 2

Goslings comments were in response to Ford, who said the La La Land star was 90 per cent to blame for getting hit because his job was to be out of the range of the punch.

Recalling the moment he told GQ: I punched Ryan Gosling in the face. Ryan Goslings face was where it should not have been.

In character: Ryan Gosling as LAPD officer, K

His job was to be out of the range of the punch. My job was also to make sure that I pulled the punch. But we were moving, and the camera was moving, so I had to be aware of the angle to the camera to make the punch look good.

You know, I threw about a hundred punches in the shooting of it, and I only hit him once.

The highly-anticipated follow-up to the 1982 cult classic sees Ford reprise his role as blade runner Deckard, while Gosling plays LAPD officer, K.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film also stars Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Carla Juri, Barkhad Abdi, and Dave Bautista also star.

Blade Runner 2049 is slated for UK cinema release on October 6.
F ilm fans have dubbed the new Tomb Raider poster a photoshop fail after spotting Alicia Vikanders contorted neck.

The eagerly-awaited first-look at the Oscar-winner in character as Lara Croft left some people rather confused as they tried to work out what had gone wrong.

Following a series of badly-airbrushed film posters in recent months, the new Warner Bros attempt seems to have taken creative licence with the Swedish stars body.

The heavily-photoshopped image shows the actress bending around in an uncomfortable-looking way, with a bizarrely long neck.

The only way Vikander's neck makes sense in this poster is if the movie was originally TOMB RAPTOR, wrote one person on Twitter.

Another posted: They need to try and get more original with how to pose a strong female character in a poster...Also what happened with Alicia's neck?

You're all going to feel really bad about your snarky quips when it turns out that's just what Alicia Vikander's neck looks like now, wrote another Twitter-user.

Other posters that have been dubbed photoshop fails in recent months include those for Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Black Panther.

Alongside the poster the studio also released a 15-second teaser trailer of Vikander in character in the iconic role, based on the video game.

Vikander takes over the role from Angelina Jolie, who starred in 2001s Lara Croft: TombRaider and The Cradle of Life in 2003.


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
This page may have been moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable. To help you find what you are looking for:

Enter Search Term(s):

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

Thank you for visiting state.gov.
ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) is becoming less of a mystery since the group lost control of the major urban centers it long held. Mosul was lost in July and dead bodies, and talkative survivors are still being found in the city. A month later the smaller city of Tal Afar, between Mosul and the Syrian border, was taken while in Syria American backed Kurdish and Arab rebels have taken most of Raqqa, the ISIL capital. For Western, especially European, counter-terrorism agencies these victories and the continued intelligence gained from the wreckage and survivors provides a much more accurate picture of how many Western Moslems joined ISIL, how many are still alive and where they are now. Current estimates are that about 5,000 EU (European Union) born (or legally resident) Moslems went to the Middle East to join ISIL. About a third have died and about 15 percent have already returned. That leaves about half of these EU residents still out there. Many are apparently still loyal ISIL members but these European ISIL members are no longer as valuable to ISIL as they once were. Thats because much more is known about them. Not just names, but details of how they were recruited, how they got to Syria or Iraq and what they have done while they are there.

The Western intelligence agencies, especially the Americans, have long been collecting and sharing data on their citizens who are known or suspected of going to join ISIL. That body of information expanded considerably since early 2017 because many more European ISIL members were captured alive or their bodies were found and identified. As more ISIL leaders and headquarters were captured more electronic devices (laptops, smart phones) were captured. While some of the more experienced ISIL personnel know how to hide data on these devices, most ISIL members dont and Western intelligence agencies have developed efficient tools (mainly software) for quickly translating and organizing captured data and then comparing to what is already available. This is not a new resource but one that has, since the late 1990s, grown in capability and the number of nations using it. This makes it possible for bits of information collected in different parts of the world over months or years to be constantly scanned for signs of where specific individuals are and what they are up to.

For example Iraqi security forces have already arrested over a thousand foreigners (mostly young women) found hiding in, or trying to flee, Mosul who either admit they are ISIL members or were trying to hide it. Many of these are young women from other Moslem countries or the West who had extensive contact with EU Moslems who joined ISIL. Some of the ISIL women were captured wearing explosive vests or near lots of weapons. These captives are highly prized by the intel collectors because once captured these young women often speak freely and at length about what they saw and did. The same often applies to male ISIL recruits from the West and, to a lesser extent, recruits from other Moslem nations. Currently Iraq is holding about 1,500 family (mainly wives and children) members of known ISIL members and the adults are a good source of intel because the wives dont want to be prosecuted.

This personal testimony can be checked against other intelligence especially that collected recently from captured documents, especially electronic ones. While often forbidden, many lower ranking ISIL have smart phones as well. Not as many ISIL documents on those but lots of pictures and interesting texts and emails to each other and people back home.

The information indicates that most of the surviving ISIL EU members are not interested in coming home and, because most belong to families originally from Moslem nations, they can pass for locals in the Middle East if they dont talk and dress like a local. The reluctance to return home is partly due to continued belief in ISIL goals but many are apparently fearful of being identified and prosecuted if they return. The news travels fast (usually via the Internet) about such prosecutions in Europe and there are suspicions that many of those who have returned and not prosecuted have become informers in return for leniency. These former ISIL members provide information, either first hand or second hand, about who is doing what and that gives intel agencies a nearly real-time picture of what their foreign ISIL recruits are up to. For the moment they are mainly trying to not get caught and reorganize to continue fighting. Unfortunately for ISIL they cannot do that in secret, or at least not as secretly as they once thought.

The intel agencies are particularly interested in where the ISIL money is. Hundreds of millions of dollars is believed to have been moved out of Iraq and Syria and dispersed into bank accounts and other hiding places. A lot of this cash has already been stolen or, less frequently, seized by a government. What remains can finance a lot more death and destruction and finding it is a priority.
Air forces are run by veteran pilots and is not surprising that these organizations resist the adoption of combat UAVs, or even UAVs controlled from the ground by non-pilots. Yet military experience and scientific studies (with control groups as well as military pilots and civilian non-pilots with lots of flight simulator experience) continues to demonstrate that the computer game experience is valuable and after 2001 was increasingly put to use. This is part of a larger dispute about the value of computer simulations in general. Yet in the military there is already ample evidence that the simulations do not get sufficient credit for what they have accomplished so far.

By 2000 many combat pilots had come to realize this. By then PC based commercial flight simulator games had convinced a generation of combat pilots that they can be effective without the 360 degree visuals of a real warplane cockpit. This was an unanticipated side effect of PC based flight simulator games. With only a small (usually under 21 inch diagonal) CRT in front of them showing the view in one direction, pilots were able to hit a key to look right, left or to the rear and still size up the situation and take effective action. Crude, clumsy, but it worked. But the senior air force commanders were reluctant to take this much further, other than to use PC flight simulators to screen those applying for flight school. This was more popular in the navy and army.

By 2005 the army went even further when they discovered, much to the dismay of parents everywhere that experience with video games was, more and more, proving to be a lifesaving skill on the battlefield. By then many crucial military systems used video game type controllers. Troops with thousands of "wasted" hours playing video games quickly become expert at using the military gear. This includes RWS (remote control weapons, particularly the CROWS 12.7mm machine-gun turret found on armored hummers and Stryker vehicles), several models of combat robots and UAVs (like the Raven). Research confirmed that eye-hand coordination was enhanced in proportion to the hours spent playing video games. This helped with everything from operating a fire control system in a tank, ship or aircraft, to using remote control surgery gear. Yes, even surgeons who found time to play video games have an easier time using the growing number of automated gear they use.

As an additional bonus, the army has found itself with lots of reservists that had programming and video game skills, thus making it easier to create simulators for the new equipment, using video game-like interfaces. Since 2005 the army has been particularly successful putting some of these simulators (like the one for CROWS) on the "America's Army" online game. There, potential recruits can learn what it's like to use items based on video game technology. The army was not surprised that many teenagers proved able to quickly become adept at using CROWS, both the on-line simulation version as well as the real thing. This proved to be a literal lifesaver in Iraq and Afghanistan where, since 2004, the army was using the remote control turret weapons more. This was largely because the then new remote control gun turret designs actually worked, and suddenly they could not get enough of them. Within a few years the army had over 5,000 of these CROWS turrets in service and that more than doubled by 2010.

The main reason for adopting CROWS was that the enemy was no longer able to knock out the turret gunner, early in a firefight, and take away a lot of the vehicles firepower. Because of CROWS, once the enemy opens fire, they are the ones in trouble. The remote turret tends to begin delivering accurate fire right away, and is much more immune to enemy fire than a human gunner. If the vehicle is a Stryker, the enemy will soon find themselves dealing with half a dozen or so heavily armed infantry, who get out of the vehicle and come at the ambushers. The enemy (Iraqi or Afghan) don't like that. They also don't like how some of the CROWS turret equipped vehicles will come after them. All those accurately aimed bullets coming their way, and no enemy soldiers in sight, is demoralizing.

The idea for CROWS has been around for nearly half a century. Years of tinkering, and better technology, eventually made the remote control gun turret effective and dependable. CROWS has been a real lifesaver, not to mention anxiety reducer, for troops who drive through hostile areas a lot, and have a turret mounted gun (usually in a hummer). The guy manning the turret mounted machine-gun is a target up there, and too often, the enemy gets you. Not with CROWS. The gunner is inside the vehicle, checking out the surroundings on a computer monitor (with night vision and zoom capabilities). CROWS also has a laser rangefinder built in, as well as a stabilizer mechanism to allow more accurate fire while the vehicle is moving.

The accuracy of the fire, and uncanny speed with which the CROWS gun moves so quickly and deliberately, is due to something few officers expected. The guys operating these systems grew up playing video games. They developed skills in operating systems (video games) very similar to the CROWS controls. This was important, because viewing the world around the vehicle via a vidcam is not as enlightening (although a lot safer) than having your head and chest exposed to the elements (and any firepower the enemy sends your way). But experienced video gamers are skilled at whipping that screen view around, and quickly picking up any signs of danger.

Many Iraqis and Afghans, especially those attacking these vehicles, got distressed while watching a CROWS turret being exercised by some video game addict inside the vehicle. That's because the most noticeable part of CROWS, as it swivels and "looks" around, is the machine-gun. Many Iraqis don't even recognize the vidcam and other sensors. They think the machine-gun is, well, sort of R2D2 with a bad attitude and a license to kill.

The one drawback to all this video game experience was that the young men with the best video game skills were often in terrible physical shape. The U.S. military found that many recruits were quick to learn and use things like UAV and remote gun turret controllers (because of previous video game experience), but were in terrible physical shape. The latter problem was solved in basic training, which was extended for promising recruits who needed more time to get into shape. That did not always work but now army combat veterans handing basic training had an additional incentive to get these nerds through basic.
In the time since Satya Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer as Microsoft boss in 2014, the company has experienced a resurgence that's seen its market value rise by $250 billion. But things could have turned out differently if Amazon chief Jeff Bezos had got his way.

In an extensive profile of Nadella by Fast Company's Harry McCracken, the CEO's old manager at Microsoft --- Doug Burgum --- reveals that Bezos attempted to convince Nadella to join him at Amazon more than a decade ago.

"Early on, Jeff Bezos was trying to recruit him [Nadella]," said Burgum, who is now governor of North Dakota. "It was my job to re-recruit him."

Burgum managed to get Nadella to stay by assuring him that Microsoft offered more opportunities than a mere online bookseller; a fairly accurate description of Amazon before it expanded into one of the largest companies in the world.

"I was wrong about my characterization of Amazon," Burgum added. "But I was right about convincing Satya to stay."

As head of Microsoft's former Business Solutions Group, Burgum had been preparing Nadella to become his successor, but Steve Ballmer wanted him to run the engineering arm of Windows Live Search, which went on to become Bing. After later heading Microsoft's Server & Tools Group, Nadella took over from Ballmer as the company's leader in February 2014.

Despite being business rivals, it seems that Bezos and Nadella still retain a mutual respect. The pair recently joined forces to allow their smart assistants --- Alexa and Cortana --- to access each other's unique skills. Bezos reportedly first suggested the idea of a collaboration to Nadella at Microsoft's CEO Summit in May 2016.
He will hold meetings with the top representatives of some 10 countries, including China, Egypt, the U.S., the UK, and Germany. | Read More
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 -- Edmunds, the leading car shopping and information platform, today announced a first-of-its-kind augmented reality (AR) feature that will help consumers visualize and determine whether different vehicles will fit in their garages, parking spaces and driveways. This new capability will be available on the Edmunds app for iPhone, making it easier than ever for consumers to research and find the perfect car.

Edmunds experts say a critical and often overlooked step in the shopping process is to confirm that the car you're looking to purchase can fit where you're planning to park it. Many dealerships offer extended test-drive programs that allow shoppers to take the vehicle home for a night, but this isn't always an option. This new AR feature from Edmunds allows car shoppers to virtually conduct the "fit test," with as many vehicles as they wish, from the convenience of their iPhone.

"Mobile-driven AR technology is evolving in ways that we can now start to leverage it to make car shopping easier and more convenient, similar to the disruption we're seeing elsewhere in retail," said Brock Stearn, Edmunds' director of immersive technology. "By developing and making this industry-first AR feature available within our robust suite of car shopping tools, Edmunds continues to lead the way in empowering consumers to make informed decisions throughout their car shopping journey."

This new feature was developed by Edmunds on the Apple ARKit. The feature will be available alongside editorial reviews, photos and videos in the Edmunds app for iOS 11. The feature leverages depth-sensing, area learning and motion-tracking technology to scan a local environment and create a 3D mesh of an environment. This 3D mesh is used with ARKit to determine if the 3D model of a vehicle can fit within that environment.

For the user, the experience is as simple as opening the application, which uses the phone's camera to scan a garage or parking space and then overlays a 3D model representative of the selected vehicle into the image. For driveways and other areas without walls, users will be able to create "virtual walls" in order to provide the same functionality. Once an area is learned, the user can cycle through different vehicles to see which ones may safely fit or not. Specifications of nearly all U.S. vehicles from 1990 to present will be supported.

This new feature will be available on the Edmunds app version 12.0 with the release of iOS 11 on the iPhone 6s and later. Users can look for the feature in both the Tools menu and Vehicle Overview pages in the Edmunds app by tapping on the button labeled "Can It Fit?"

About Edmunds

Edmunds is the leading car information and shopping platform, helping millions of visitors each month find their perfect car. With products such as Edmunds Your Price, Your Lease and Used+, shoppers can buy smarter with instant, upfront prices for cars and trucks currently for sale at more than 13,000 dealer franchises across the U.S. Edmunds' in-house team of unbiased car shopping experts provide industry-leading vehicle reviews and shopping tips, as well as welcome all car shopping questions to the free Shopper Advice line at 1-855-782-4711, via email at help@edmunds.com, via text at ED411 and on Twitter and Facebook. The company is regarded as one of America's best workplaces by Fortune and Great Place to Work. Edmunds is based in Santa Monica, California, and has a satellite office in downtown Detroit, Michigan.
Photo: SPL IMAGES/Getty Images

A series examining the outer edges of style.

Im a masochist, and I know it. My favorite workouts end with quaking muscles and the occasional dry-heave. My ideal weekend activities involve the risk of bodily injury. Call me a wimp, and Ill endure just about anything to prove you wrong. So when I went to Korea a few months ago, I had to try the V-line facial  a procedure with a reputation for being so painful, it leaves grown women in tears.

Having a face shaped like the letter V is a beauty ideal in many Asian cultures; Im Chinese, and Ive been told my whole life by brutally honest relatives that my face is too round. The V-line facial is designed to give you that elusive V shape, with a pointed chin and strong cheekbones. Its offered all over Korea and also goes by several other names, like the Acupressure Facial or the Korean Massage Facial. At the Shangpree Spa in Seoul, its known as the Contour Facial and lasts 80 minutes. The spa is one of the best in Koreas skin-care-obsessed capital, with facialists undergoing three years of training before they can even touch a client.

When I arrive, the English-speaking receptionist looks appalled. A Westerner, asking for such pain? She warns me multiple times that its going to hurt and gently tries to steer me toward the spas signature facial instead. But all this deterrence just makes me want it more.

Once I strip and wrap a robe around my body, Im led to the treatment room. Someone escorts me to a corner bed far away from other guests. Maybe they expect me to scream? I lie down and my facialist, who is tiny, introduces herself before warning me again that this will be extremely painful. I can take a break at any time, she adds. Then she tucks me under the sheets and slips my legs into sleeves that pump air in and out, giving them a gentle massage.

The pleasant whirring below my waist lulls me into a sense of calm as she begins rubbing my face. Her hands make soft, soothing circles from my forehead down to my neck and further down my chest to my armpits. I feel confident  this is going to be a breeze.

But then my facialist, who cant weigh more than 110 pounds, begins to apply pressure to my jawline with her hands, using the strength of 20 Crossfit junkies. Hand over hand, she makes her way up to my cheekbones and over to my temples like a Swedish masseuse. Its cool, I tell myself. This isnt unbearable, just uncomfortable. Still, Im mildly concerned when she mentions that she considers her strokes gentle.

Following the stroking comes the pressing, and this is when it begins to get really gnarly. She hits all my pressure points, including a particularly sensitive area near my salivary glands, where she pushes so hard that drool pools into my mouth. I want to suck my spit back in, but Im too busy forcing breaths in an attempt to modulate my discomfort. A tiny puddle accumulates on my right shoulder.

But the worst is yet to come, as she moves to kneading like a physical trainer after a big game. My cheekbones are surprisingly tender, and she goes at them so vigorously that I hear muscle grinding over bone. I grit my teeth and reminds myself that Im a masochist and pain is pleasure.

You lose track of time when youre at a spa; even more so when youre on the receiving end of a V-line facial. Ten minutes pass, or maybe its 20, and then my facialist shapes her hand into some sort of diabolical claw and jams it into my skull for one final stroke. Relief! Blissful relief. Were finished  with one side of my face. She holds a mirror above my head to show the results, and Im pleasantly surprised to find that my left cheekbone and jawline look more defined. I nod in approval, feeling confident that the pain is worth it.

Unfortunately, my facialist takes my silence as a sign that I can handle even more pressure on the right side. Did you know your body responds to extreme discomfort by sweating profusely from both the scalp and soles of the feet? With every stroke I clench my toes, fingers, and eyes and drench the entire massage table.

Since Ive memorized the massage pattern, I begin a mental countdown to the finish. When she runs her hands through my hair for the final time, I break and finally let out my first and only huff of relief. My facialist pats me on the shoulder and tells me Im her best customer, and suddenly it all feels worth it.

Following the massage is your standard facial  a sheet mask followed by a rubber mask and a gentle slather of Shangprees array of products. I go back into the changing room and examine my face. Much to my shock, I see a defined jawline and cheekbones. Too bad I cant touch them without wincing. Despite all the intense pressure, my face isnt bruised. It looks lifted and well rested. And better yet, I can brag to all my friends: I survived the worlds most painful facial.

It takes a full week before I can brush my teeth without the dull ache in my cheek, and another two for the slimming effect to wear off. As my face slowly returns to normal, I found myself weirdly nostalgic for the pain  and for the results. So until I can find a way back to Seoul, Ill be searching YouTube for massage techniques to figure out just how much torture I can inflict upon myself. Pretty hurts, and I think I love it.
Wisconsin residents and visitors could carry hidden weapons without first obtaining a license or training under a bill lawmakers advanced on Tuesday.

Republicans on the Senates judiciary and public safety committee agreed to move the bill forward, allowing the full Senate to take up the bill next month.

But its unclear if the proposal has a path to Gov. Scott Walkers signature. In June, Walker said he wanted to keep the states current law related to concealed weapons, because it requires training and a permit.

Committee chairman Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, told reporters Tuesday he thinks the bill will make it to the Senate floor and to Walkers desk, however.

Hed sign this, Wanggaard said of Walker.

A spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and a spokesman for Walker did not respond to a request for comment.

On school grounds

The bill lawmakers approved Tuesday also allows residents to carry concealed weapons into schools and on school grounds if they have a state permit and school officials have not prohibited their presence. But it would allow permit holders to carry guns within 5 feet of their vehicles on school grounds, or inside their vehicles, regardless of whether a school prohibits guns inside buildings.

The measure also allows residents convicted of felonies and those subject to restraining orders to possess muzzle-loading guns and guns manufactured before 1898 and allows Wisconsin residents to carry electric weapons known as Tasers without a license.

Wanggaard said the proposal would enhance public safety because it would eliminate tension created when residents carry weapons openly, as current state law allows, and eliminates the possibility of parents or grandparents carrying guns with permits to be charged with a crime while dropping off children at school.

This would allow that grandparent or parent to pull in the parking lot, drop their child off and if they have to get out of the car, go around to unbuckle their child or take them out of the carseat  they can do that and as long as they are within 5 feet of the car, theyre still OK, he said.

But Democrats and anti-violence advocates at the hearing said the measure, particularly the elimination of a training requirement, is reckless.

I dont understand this concept ... of being less informed with something that is so deadly, said Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee. We dont even allow people to drive a car without a license and some training.
Watertown landowners will be involved in new Corps flood-control study

After 30 years, a new flood control feasibility study will include the input of landowners and supply a multitude of options other than a dry dam.
OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau is encouraging Canadian companies that work with Boeing to speak out against the U.S. aerospace giants trade dispute with Montreal-based rival Bombardier.

The comments come after some of Canadas largest aerospace firms wrote to Trudeau earlier this month urging his government not to walk away from its plan to buy 18 of Boeings Super Hornet fighter jets.

The signatories said the countrys aerospace industry stands to greatly benefit from the purchase, an interim plan aimed at meeting the militarys immediate needs, and asked him to personally ensure the plan moves ahead.

But instead of addressing the government, Trudeau said Tuesday, those companies should be directing any concerns they have about the trade battle  and its potential impacts on their business  at the source of the problem.

They should communicate that message to Boeing, Trudeau said during a wide-ranging news conference in which he also addressed the deficit and proposed tax changes before flying to the UN in New York.

I encourage people who work with Boeing across the country to tell that company to what extent their actions against Canadas aerospace industry is not in their interest, certainly not in the interests of Canadians.

The Liberal government has threatened for months to scrap its interim Super Hornet purchase  a temporary shore-up for Canadas aging CF-18 fleet  at an estimated cost of $6 billion, unless Boeing backs off Bombardier.

But Boeing has shown no signs of backing down.

Read more:

Trudeau threatens to not buy Boeing fighter jets to protest firms trade complaint

British come to Bombardiers defence in dispute with Boeing

Boeing walked away from talks with Trudeau government: ambassador

The company has accused Bombardier of selling its CSeries passenger jets to U.S.-based Delta Air Lines at an unfairly low price with help from government subsidies, and says the case has implications for its long-term health.

The U.S. International Trade Commission will release the preliminary results of its investigation next week, and a finding against Bombardier could result in fines or tariffs.

It could also threaten Bombardiers deal with Delta, which involves up to 125 of the Canadian companys CS100 passenger jets.

The prime minister has gone out of his way to step up pressure on Boeing in recent weeks in the wake of unsuccessful secret talks between the Chicago-based company and the federal government.

That includes calling the governor of Missouri, where the Super Hornets are built, and enlisting the help of British Prime Minister Theresa May, whose country is home to a large Bombardier plant.

Trudeau has also hinted that Boeing could be blocked from taking part in an upcoming competition to replace Canadas CF-18 fleet in its entirety, which will involve buying 88 new aircraft at an estimated cost of up to $19 billion.

Such a course of action is unlikely, given the potential legal implications for the government if it tries to ban a specific company from vying for the contract.

Many defence experts believe the real reason the Liberals wanted to buy interim Super Hornets in the first place was to sidestep the legal quandary associated with their promise not to purchase the oft-maligned F-35 stealth fighter.

The prime minister said Tuesday that he was still hopeful the government, Bombardier and Boeing would be able to resolve the dispute through talks, even after the trade commissions ruling on Sept. 25.

Regardless of the results of the preliminary ruling, he said, discussions will continue and we will continue to defend aerospace jobs in this country and the economic growth that comes with it.

Read more about:

SHARE:
Colombian-Canadian musician Lido Pimienta is the winner of this years $50,000 Polaris Music Prize.

I dont have a speech prepared. I thought my brothers from A Tribe Called Red were going to win and be up here, she said.

I did not expect to be up here holding back tears.

Pimientas Spanish-language album La Papessa, which translates as high priestess, was regarded as a dark horse in the race for the Polaris prize.

Many of the songs on the independent release touch on politically charged themes such as the global water crisis and patriarchy. But since the album wasnt sung in either English or French, it fell under the radar in Canada, even among music aficionados.

Last years winner Montreal electronic and hip hop producer Kaytranada announced Pimienta as the winner on Monday night at The Carlu.

The Polaris Music Prize is an annual award that goes to the best album produced by a Canadian artist or band. The winner is selected by an 11-member jury voting by secret ballot.

This is Pimientas first time on the Polaris short list. La Papessa is described as a self-released album as Pimienta did not have a publicist or record label when it was released in 2016.

Pimienta was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, but is now based in Toronto. Her music is described as electronic that incorporates Latin-America, Indigenous and Afro-Colombian styles.

This album is about breaking up and getting yourself back together, Pimienta said.

Her debut album, Color, was released in 2010.

Pimienta immigrated to Canada 10 years ago and began collaborating with artists like A Tribe Called Red and releasing music without a label. She spoke about race openly backstage, expressing hopes that being chosen for this years Polaris was a sign of a thirst for more diversity in Canadian music.

Me and my crew, its mainly brown people, Indigenous folks, Black folks, she said, before explaining what message she hopes the Polaris recognition sends other visible minorities.

You dont have to be white, you dont have to be skinny, blond, sing in English or French, and you can stand by what you want to do  (and) what you want to say.

She also thanked her son, her mother for enduring white supremacy in Canada and single mothers for inspiring her work.

Pimienta performed earlier in the evening, and was introduced by Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein.

Before Pimienta finished her speech when she accepted her award, she made sure to note that her monitors were not working during her performance.

I dont mean to throw shade but when I was up here I could not hear myself. My monitors were not f------ working.

But thank you, motherf---ers, she said before walking off the stage.

The other nine artists and bands on the shortlist will receive $3,000. The list includes Gord Downies Secret Path, Leonard Cohens You Want It Darker, Feists Pleasure, and A Tribe Called Reds We Are The Halluci Nation.

Other performances at the gala highlighted missing and murdered Indigenous women in Tanya Tagaqs performance of Nirvanas Rape Me.

Former winners of the prize include Arcade Fire, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Caribou.

With files from The Canadian Press

Read more about:

SHARE:
Relationships are all about compromise, but everyone has lines that they just cant cross. And in the U.S., since the election of President Donald Trump, political divides have been even more contentious than usual.

For many straight liberal women (and some queer women, too), avoiding Trump voters is yet another hurdle to modern dating. While the majority of unmarried female voters cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton, 32 per cent of them voted for Trump. And if you search thoroughly enough in liberal-leaning regions of the U.S., as I did for this story, youll find conservative, heterosexual women who arent keen on dating a Hillary supporter. Even eight months into Trumps presidency.

Michelle, the 47-year-old founder of Tshirts4Patriots, is one of those people. She spoke on the condition that only her first name be used, as did all of the women interviewed for this story. Michelle is a Trump voter who lives in Laguna Hills, Calif.  a city that voted for Trump but whose county went to Clinton. Last year, Michelle began an on-again, off-again relationship with a Trump supporter whom she met while he was working for her cousin.

Read more: Talking politics on a first date? Smooth move, it turns out

When she first started dating him before the election, his enthusiasm for Trump wasnt a huge attraction for her. Michelle  whos of Spanish and Native American ancestry  says shes always considered herself an independent and has probably dated a liberal without knowing it. Shed never prioritized a potential partners politics before, but Michelle said that shes realized that she only wants to be with somebody that supports our president, period.

Why did she change her mind about politics and dating? Well, for one, she didnt want to date a man whod oppose the Trump-centric T-shirt company she was starting. But her shift in priorities was also bound up with her opinion that certain media outlets unfairly misrepresent Trump. Michelle said she couldnt be with someone who, in her opinion, is uninformed enough to fall for such propaganda.

Michelle gets offended when people assassinate his character, as she put it, by calling Trump racist, sexist or homophobic  or by saying that he never wouldve made it without a loan from his dad.

I just cant be with somebody whos closed-minded like that, she said. Theyre believing all those labels that are just political propaganda. I cant be with somebody that just listens to tabloids or nightly news, because theres a lot of hate being promoted.

When Michelle found herself single again at the beginning of Trumps administration, she perused TrumpSingles.com , a dating site for Trump supporters. However, she didnt find anyone she was interested in and ended up closing her account.

She also created a dating profile on eHarmony, specifying on her page that she wasnt looking for snowflakes. The men on eHarmony seemed to be mostly liberal, she said, and some responded negatively to her snowflake comment. Again, Michelle didnt find anyone in whom she was that interested, and ended up going back to dating the guy shed met through her cousin. That relationship ended again a couple of months ago when he moved away. For the moment, Michelle is trying to focus on her T-shirt business instead of dating.

Like Michelle, a lot of people are signalling their politics on their dating profiles. Elizabeth, a 24-year-old white woman in Washington, D.C., who has worked on Republican political campaigns and voted for Trump, said shes dated Democrats before and doesnt have a problem with it. Still, on dating apps, Ive always had the policy of putting a picture or something in my bio that hints at the fact that Im a Republican, she said, such as a picture of her with a recognizably conservative politician. If thats something they have a problem with, then they probably shouldnt even swipe on me.

Its very important to Elizabeth to find a long-term partner who wants to get married and have kids. She wants a husband whos OK with her staying at home when the kids are young but who also supports her continuing her career when theyre a little older. Additionally, she said she could only settle down with a man whos anti-abortion and who respects her desire to raise her kids in a Christian household. Although she doesnt think these traits are confined to political conservatives, she does think shes more likely to find a Republican who matches these specifications than a Democrat.

Soon after the election, Elizabeth started dating a Republican whom she met on Tinder. She admitted that it is a little easier to date someone who moves in the same political circles. Dating a liberal in this heated political climate, she says, might be more difficult because a lot of Democrats are a little less open to hanging out with people that are so pro-Trump.

Before she started seeing her boyfriend, did she ever feel like she had a dating advantage because male Trump voters outnumber female ones?

Eh, not really.

After the election, I think I had over 200 pending Facebook friend requests from random guys that all had Trump profile pictures or bald eagle profile pictures, she said. So yes, she received extra attention  but she wasnt into it. Its just a little much and Im not really interested in people that just friend random girls on Facebook, she explained.

Even several months after Trumps inauguration, she continues to receive Facebook requests from random conservative guys.

By the time the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) rolled around in February, Elizabeth was steadily dating her boyfriend, but she still had to steer clear of those types of guys wearing the MAGA (Make American Great Again) hats that are like, creepin, she said. Guys that are young and very involved with politics, in both parties, can tend to err on the side of being a little creepy.

Later, Elizabeth noticed that some of the guys who were a little too friendly at CPAC ended up getting jobs in Trumps administration.

The creepy people are now in higher-up places in D.C., which is kind of disturbing, she said.

In addition to the creep factor, Elizabeth isnt that interested in MAGA-hat-wearing men because she considers herself more of an establishment Republican and feels that Trump isnt a real Republican. Even though she and her boyfriend both voted for Trump, they were hesitant about it, she said, and havent been pleased with everything hes done in his administration.

Even conservative women who didnt vote for Trump feel pressured to defend him on dates. When liberal guys find out that Deborah, a 24-year-old white woman in Boston, is a conservative, they often ask her how a woman could possibly vote for Trump. Thats the awkward moment when she tells them that she, too, wasnt happy with Trumps statements about grabbing womens genitals; thats part of why she voted for conservative independent Evan McMullin instead.

Deborah says she doesnt like feeling pressured to defend someone she didnt vote for and she doesnt like the way the men she goes on dates with judge her for her political opinions. She tries to avoid talking about politics if she can, but thats become very difficult, especially in the past few months.

Politics comes up on most (dates) now just because of everything thats been going on recently, especially since Charlottesville, she said, referring to the violence in Virginia last month. Its hard for people not to talk about it, so it just comes up. And then most of the time I just try not to even say anything.

If she offers an opinion, such as, I can understand the president (saying theres) multiple sides at fault here, then her date just gets completely mad, she said.

With the exception of abortion, which she is against, shes open to dating men who have different viewpoints as long as they dont respond so negatively to hers.

The hardest part for me since I moved to Boston is getting used to that culture up north, she said, explaining that the guys she meets can come off as kind of gruff.

Deborah is from D.C., where she says she was able to find more guys with Southern manners because the city is a larger blend of north and south than Boston.

I like manners; I like chivalry. I want the guy to open the door for me, Deborah said. She likes men who respect me as a woman but then also realize that I can have intellectual conversations with them, as well as conversations about sports.

So what kind of guys did she date before she moved to Boston?

I dont want to be stereotypical, but  the Southern frat boy, she said. Unsurprisingly, they generally tend to be more Republican when it comes to politics.

Read more about:

SHARE:
MONTREALCanada is not ready to handle a second wave of Latin American asylum seekers who may already be starting to flee the United States, says the head of Canadas border-guard union.

The federal government revealed Tuesday that 5,712 refugee claimants had arrived in Canada in the month of August alonean 82 per cent jump from July.

But Customs and Immigration Union president Jean-Pierre Fortin said there has been an ominous change in the demographics.

This summer, most of the asylum seekers who crossed the Canada-U.S. border were Haitian citizens alarmed about the looming expiration of their special immigration designation, known as the Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.

In May, the Department of Homeland Security extended the TPS for Haitians for just six months and advised 58,000 Haitian citizens living and working in the U.S. to prepare to return home. Instead, thousands fled to Canada believing the country would be a safe haven from deportation.

That meant that, in August, the RCMP intercepted 5,530 people crossing illegally into Canada in the province of Quebec, while 102 people crossed into British Columbia and 80 entered in Manitoba. No other RCMP interceptions occurred in other Canadian provinces.

Those figures have pushed the total number of asylum seekers entering illegally into Canada in 2017 to 13,211.

The overwhelming majority11,896 peopleopted to enter Canada in the province of Quebec, via an easily accessible hole in the border along Roxham Rd.

In September, Fortin said, the flow of people crossing the Canada-U.S. border had slowed to about 90 people a day. He estimated that less than a quarter of those are Haitian nationals.

Instead, they are increasingly citizens of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaraguathree countries whose citizens are also eligible for Temporary Protected Status in the U.S., but who are equally concerned that U.S. President Donald Trumps administration will not renew their status when it expires between January and March 2018.

There are more than 250,000 Salvadorans, Nicaraguans and Hondurans with Temporary Protected Status.

We dont think the government is ready to face another crisis, Fortin said. I dont think theyre going to be in a position to double the numbers that we had in August. Just think about us getting over 10,000 people coming in (each month).

A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency could not provide more precise details on the nationalities of asylum seekers.

Separately, the Quebec government provided an update Tuesday on the provinces immigration department website. It said that the majority of asylum seekers coming into Quebec are from Haiti, India, Mexico, Colombia and Turkey.

But the federal government has been proactively trying to head off a second wave of asylum seekers from El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dispatched Montreal Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez to Los Angeles earlier this month to meet with lawmakers, diplomats, immigration advocates and members of the Latino community and spread the message that Canada was no automatic safe haven for migrants.

Rodriguez himself was born in Argentina and came to Canada with his family as political refugees.

Last month, the Canada Border Services Agency started compiling a list of suppliers who might be able to provide winterized trailers for 200 people at the Lacolle border crossing, including dormitories, a cafeteria, bathroom facilities and a medical clinic, suggesting the agency is preparing for continued migration in the coming months.

Fortin said union members who are complaining about being overworked and deprived of the necessary resources want to bring the RCMP, CBSA and Immigration officials together in a single location.

We still strongly believe that we should go on a military base in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. It would be way more convenient.

Read more about:

SHARE:
OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau has cracked open the door to joining the U.S. ballistic missile defence program, reversing Canadas long-standing opposition in the face of North Koreas new capabilities to strike North America.

Trudeau said Tuesday that North Koreas reckless behaviour is a threat to global peace. For months, North Korean President Kim Jong Un has conducted weapons tests that show increasing capabilities by the isolated nation.

However, Trudeau declined to comment directly on U.S. President Donald Trumps threat at the United Nations that America would totally destroy North Korea if it continues its development of nuclear weapons and missiles.

I share everyones concern over the reckless behaviour by the North Korean regime, and continue to believe that working with partners and allies in the region and around the world . . . is the best way to de-escalate this situation, the prime minister told a news conference.

As for what the president may have said, I look forward to seeing his speech myself.

Recent testing by North Korea has revealed its ability to strike parts of North America with a missile, possibly one equipped with a nuclear warhead. That capability has restarted debate whether Canada should reverse its long-held position and join the U.S. missile defence program, designed to use land-based missiles to intercept incoming missiles.

Trudeau, who just last month said longstanding Liberal opposition to missile defence wouldnt change any time soon, appeared more open. On Tuesday he said his Liberal government has not changed its position for the time being.

Were continuing to look at the situation, he said.

We have not changed our position at this point, but we continue to engage in thoughtful ways to ensure were doing everything we can and we must do to keep Canadians safe, the prime minister said.

Lt.-Gen. Pierre St-Amand, the Canadian officer who serves as deputy commander of NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, pointedly warned that the U.S. is under no obligation to defend Canada against an incoming missile.

Were being told . . . that the extant U.S. policy is not to defend Canada, St-Amand told a parliamentary committee last week.

Paul Martins minority Liberal government in 2005 ended negotiations to join the controversial continental ballistic missile defence plan despite pressure from the U.S. administration of George W. Bush to sign on to the shield, a decision that pleased a big chunk of the Liberal caucus and voting base, but angered Americans.

We simply cannot understand why Canada would in effect give up its sovereignty, its seat at the table, to decide what to do about a missile that might be headed towards Canada. It's very perplexing to us, Paul Cellucci, then U.S. ambassador to Canada, said at the time.

There's a lot of terrorism threats directed towards the United States ... You don't have to miss by much to have a missile headed towards Canada, Cellucci said.

Government briefing notes later by the Star revealed that bureaucrats were ready to make a strong case for Canada's participation.

While the government favoured diplomacy and disarmament to curb the missile threat, defensive measures were seen as a prudent complement to protect against ongoing proliferation, the notes said.

Since 2005, committees of the senate and the House of Commons have urged the federal government to reconsider its stance.

And the chorus of Liberal voices in support of joining missile defence has grown, including Liberal MP Mark Gerretson (Kingston and the Islands), a member of the defence committee; former Liberal parliamentary secretary of defence John McKay (Scarborough-Guildwood); former Liberal defence ministers Bill Graham and David Pratt; and retired general and Liberal-appointed senator Romeo Dallaire.

The Liberal governments new defence policy unveiled last spring committed the government to examining through NORAD modernization, territorial defence against all perils, including threats from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and other future technologies to provide Canadians with greater security at home, in the words of Defence Minister Harjit Sajjans spokesperson Jordan Owens.

Canada and the U.S. jointly monitor maritime and air approaches to North America through NORAD.

Under an August 2004 amendment to its mission, Canadians at NORAD headquarters can interpret U.S. satellite and radar data about incoming missiles and transfer it to officials at the missile defence system, the United States Northern Command.

That means Canadians could track an incoming missile but be left on the sidelines during the discussion about how to respond.

With files from Tonda MacCharles

Read more about:

SHARE:
The citys medical officer of health is recommending all Toronto schools, including small, private schools that charge tuition, become eligible to apply for student nutrition programs.

The extension of municipal funding for student nutrition programs in Toronto to independent schools serving higher needs communities will allow more children and youth to benefit from access to healthy foods, says a report to the citys board of health.

As estimated 300 additional schools will be added to the Student Nutrition Program eligibility list  including high-priced private institutions such as Upper Canada College  but approval would depend on the financial needs of the students.

Read more:

National school food program needed

Better snacks needed in kids school lunches

Could UCC apply? Yeah I guess so. Will they apply? Highly unlikely. If they apply, will they get it? I will bet my bottom dollar that they will not get it, said Councillor Joe Mihevc, chair of the board of health that will consider the recommendation at next weeks meeting.

Currently, about 600 of the citys 800 public and Catholic schools meet the eligibility criteria for the program. The city contributes about $12.5 million a year  which is 18 per cent of the total cost. The province pays the rest.

The Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, is recommending the board adopt the request for an additional $624,824 to gradually extend municipal funding in 2018 to student nutrition programs in independent schools.

Representatives from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs approached the city a few years ago arguing that the funding should include students who attend independent schools, including private, faith-based schools that charge tuition.

They brought it to our attention and said its not fair from a human rights point of view, Mihevc said.

Noah Shack, the groups director of policy, wrote in email that thousands of children who receive scholarships to attend independent schools face daily challenges of poverty.

The false stereotype that independent schools are elite settings only for the affluent masks this reality. There are many other types of independent schools, such those catering to children with special needs, he wrote.

Independent school students from low-income families who otherwise qualify should not be denied access to the Student Nutrition Program. CIJA is one of a number of stakeholders that have engaged with the city to ensure their voices are heard.

City staff looked at the policy and agreed on the social equity program, you have to treat all people the same, Mihevc said. As long as you can put them on the same paradigm or grid, irrespective if its a Catholic school or public school or French or English board, they have to be treated the same as independent schools.

The board of health asked the city solicitor for an opinion which is contained in confidential legal advice. But Mihevc acknowledged the city faced a potential human rights complaint if the city refused to extend the program.

You cant prejudice someone on the basis of whether theyre in an independent school, or a Catholic school or a public school, he said.

To determine which schools are eligible, the medical officer of health is recommending the city use an assessment method, similar to what is used in public schools, which uses student postal codes and compares it with neighborhood household income.

Mihevc said he had no idea how many of the 300 schools will become eligible if the board of health and then city council approve the recommendations.

SHARE:
Two weeks ahead of Const. James Forcillos high-profile appeal hearing, Crown prosecutors are defending the jurys decision to find the Toronto police officer guilty in the attempted murder of Sammy Yatim, who died in a hail of Forcillos bullets in July 2013.

After six days of deliberation, a jury last year found Forcillo not guilty of second-degree murder in Yatims death  but convicted him of attempted murder in the now infamous streetcar shooting that killed 18-year-old Yatim.

The conviction does not accord with logic or common sense, Forcillos lawyers argued in documents filed to Ontarios Court of Appeal in May, asking for the officers conviction to be quashed or for a new trial to be ordered.

Read more:

Sergeant who Tasered dying Sammy Yatim faces misconduct charge

Bail extended for officer in Sammy Yatim shooting

As a matter of common sense, the suggestion that an accused can be legally justified in killing someone, but criminally liable for attempting to kill that same person within the span of less than 10 seconds, is unfathomable, Forcillos lawyers wrote, calling the conviction a compromise verdict.

But in a written response filed with the court Friday, Crown lawyers say there no logical or factual inconsistency in the jurys verdicts.

The two verdicts in this case were not inconsistent. They arise from different factual and legal bases, which were clearly explained to the jury by both Crown and defence counsel in their opening and closing addresses, and by the trial judge in the charge to the jury, write Crown lawyers.

Forcillo, currently suspended without pay by the Toronto police and out on bail, will be back in court next month for the appeal of the unprecedented attempted murder conviction of a cop in an on-duty shooting.

Yatim was killed just after midnight on July 27, 2013, moments after the teenager exposed himself and pulled a small knife on unsuspecting passengers on the Dundas St. W. streetcar. Yatim was alone on the streetcar by the time police arrived.

As Yatim stood at the front door of the streetcar holding the pocket knife, Forcillo shot at him in two distinct volleys separated by five-and-a-half seconds. He fired three times then, as Yatim lay on the floor of the streetcar paralyzed and dying, six more times, striking him a total of eight times.

The jury determined Forcillos first three shots  during which the fatal shot was fired to the heart  were not a criminal act. But it found the second volley was neither justifiable or in self-defence, and convicted him of attempted murder.

The jury was entitled to find Forcillo guilty of attempted murder for any of the shots in the second volley, if the jury found that Mr. Yatim was alive during the second volley, that any of the shots were not justified, and that (Forcillo) had the specific intent to kill when he fired an unjustified shot, the Crown wrote in its response to Forcillos lawyers arguments.

Forcillos lawyers also argued that trial judge Justice Edward Then incorrectly accepted the Crown position that the second volley of shots was a separate event. In their response, the Crown said if Then had not specifically instructed the jury on their option to convict Forcillo of attempted murder, they would have been left in an all or nothing situation, perhaps feeling compelled to render a guilty verdict to sanction conduct that they found morally reprehensible but that did not cause death.

In a scathing sentencing decision released in July 2016, Then handed down a six-year prison sentence, finding the shooting of Yatim was unnecessary and unreasonable and excessive from the outset of the second volley.

The six-year sentence is one year longer than the mandatory minimum of five years jail time for attempted murder with a weapon, something Forcillos lawyer say violates the Charter.

Any reasonably informed observer would not support the imposition of severe jail sentences on those who make errors in judgment in the heat of the moment and pose little to no danger to society, Forcillos lawyers argued in their written submission.

if the conviction is upheld, Forcillos lawyers asked the Court of Appeal to find that the mandatory minimum sentence violates the Charter, and that a suspended sentence should instead be imposed.

The Crown, however, says the sentence imposed was fit and, indeed, at the bottom of the range this Court has set for attempted murder.

Forcillos lawyers have also argued several other grounds for appeal, including Thens decision to disallow a defence witness to testify about suicide by cop and to exclude evidence about Yatims text message history and Google searches. Months before he died, Yatim had searched the easiest way to kill yourself and how to commit suicide without feeling any pain.

wgillis@thestar.ca

SHARE:
A man is in critical condition after an early Tuesday morning shooting in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood.

Toronto police Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook said they rushed to an apartment building on Henry Lane Terrace, near Lower Jarvis St. and The Esplanade at around 12:10 a.m. for reports of possible shooting.

When emergency services arrived, they located a man believed to be in his 40s lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a trauma centre in life-threatening condition.

Douglas-Cook said people who called in after spotting the victim didnt hear any gunshot sounds in the area.

There is no suspect information. Police are investigating.

SHARE:
Let Beverley stay!

The chant rang out over a symphony of car horns Tuesday morning in the intersection of Yonge and Bloor Sts. as Black Lives Matter Toronto held court to protest the impending deportation of a Jamaican woman who recently gave birth to her new son.

At 8:07 a.m., organizers strode into the intersection holding signs and megaphones, and joined hands to keep traffic at bay. In the middle of their circle, where the roads converged, a small table was set up, containing protest representatives, Beverley Braham, her husband and her son.

Braham, who is married to a Canadian and now has a Canadian child, balanced her newborn son on her lap as she spoke to press.

All I ask is to stay with my family, she said.

Braham was first threatened with deportation in March, when she was 31-weeks pregnant. She was given an extension of three months so that she could have her child, but now Canada Border Services Agency has told her that she must be back in Jamaica by Sept. 21.

For Black Lives Matter, we are in support of black families, and we believe that black immigrant lives matter, said Syrus Marcus Ware, a member of Black Lives Matter Toronto. Were here today to demand that Beverley Braham be allowed to stay in Canada. She is going through her 12-month sponsorship and its not yet up; its unjust that theyre deporting her at this point.

Despite the continuing blare of honks threatening to drown her out, Braham detailed how she was locked in a detention centre for three days, starting on Sept. 6.

They refused to let me see my child. They took away my baby from me and they tell me I have to leave, she said. In detention, they didnt have any food to give me for my child . . . (and) they refused to give me my baby stuff because (the detention officer) told me that I am under arrest. Ive never ever breached any of the conditions that was given to me; Ive always complied. The only thing I did wrong was I overstayed my time.

She said that, after she went to the courts on Sept. 8, she was released by the judge as she hadnt breached her conditions. Mina Ramos, a member with End Immigration Detention Network, called the situation ridiculous.

A sponsorship application is supposed to take a max of 12 months. Her application has already been for 11 months. She needs to be able to stay until that process is heard, Ramos said. People cannot be held in immigration detention. They should not have to choose between their families and being deported to a country where they have not been for years. We demand that she stay, that her sponsorship application be heard, and that she not be held in detention during this process.

The protest went on for just under 20 minutes. By 8:23, the table was packed up, and traffic was let through at 8:25. A representative with Black Lives Matter Toronto said that police had been notified the night before that the protest would be happening. There was no visible police presence during the 20 minutes that Black Lives Matter Toronto held the intersection, but officers were seen speaking to organizers shortly after they let the traffic move back through.

This process of breaking up black families has been happening since slave labour camps, when they sold members of our family up and down the river, said Ware. This is no different. Theyre separating a mother from her family, from her child. This is completely unacceptable.

She is not the only one who has been separated from her family because of immigration detention. Two hundred and forty-one kids have been held in immigration detention from 2011 to 2015, Ramos added. This happens all the time.

Black Lives Matter Toronto is hoping that a public outcry will help stop Braham from being deported. Braham said she is also suffering from medical issues and has a blood clot in her lungs. Faced with the choice of taking her son with her to Jamaica and separating him from his father, or going alone and having to leave her entire family behind, Braham is lost.

Canada is about family, she said. So why do you want to separate us?

SHARE:
Hes ringing up a sale at the cash register. Hes looking out the window. Hes streaking out from behind the counter. Hes bursting through the door. Hes raising his arms.

As if to say: STOP!

But theres no audio on the surveillance footage.

And the last we see of Jayesh Prajapati is a blur of red and yellow  his Shell gas uniform jacket  disappearing out of the frame, at the front passenger edge of what we know is an older model silver Isuzu Rodeo SUV as it peels off in stop-frame slow motion.

From the witness stand, Det. Robert North explains whats barely visible immediately after, just a speck of red protruding for a split second: This is what I believe to be Mr. Prajapati starting to go underneath the vehicle.

Later, almost 78 metres from that Shell station at 850 Roselawn Ave., police would discover Prajapatis shoes; one over here, one over there.

Just beyond, finally dislodged from the undercarriage of the SUV as it crossed a set of unused railway tracks, the 44-year-olds lifeless body, death caused by multiple blunt and crushing injuries.

A husband and father, a good man, well-liked by residents in the area for whom that gas station provided a handy convenience store. Ill honour you for next time, hed say to regulars from the public housing building across the street, if they happened to be cash-short for a jug of milk, a loaf of bread.

Read more: Gas station attendant was dragged along Roselawn Ave., murder trial hears

A man who, as recalled outside court Tuesday by Liberal MP Mike Colle  this is his riding, the gas station he frequented, Prajapati someone he knew  would travel two hours by TTC every day, getting to his job from the family home in Etobicoke.

A hard-working immigrant from India with a masters in chemistry who, said Colle, had obtained his Canadian citizenship not long before that night, Sept. 15, 2012.

A dreadful loss of a human life. Over $112.85.

That amount, Crown attorney Jenny Rodopoulos told a jury Tuesday, is what the driver of the SUV hadnt paid after gassing up, after filling two jerry cans with gasoline as well, shoving them in the back seat of the vehicle.

The SUV just took off into the night, dragging Prajapati away, wedged beneath.

Max Tutiven was arrested in Montreal three years later. He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

The Crowns theory is that either Mr. Tutiven saw Mr. Prajapati in the path of his travel and intentionally drove at and struck Mr. Prajapati with his vehicle and, rather than stopping, chose to keep driving, Rodopoulos told jurors in her opening address. Or, even if Mr. Tutiven did not intentionally drive at Mr. Prajapati, after striking Mr. Prajapati with his vehicle, Mr. Tutiven chose not to stop and chose to continue driving, knowing that he was dragging Mr. Prajapati underneath his vehicle.

On the first day of the trial, the jury was shown scores of still images taken from surveillance tape captured by several different cameras at and around the station. They also watched moving segments of those tapes.

But none of the cameras actually caught the point of impact.

There are, however, said Rodopoulos, eyewitnesses present and who will testify about what they saw. Those witnesses, court was told, include two men who were at the cash register just before Prajapati apparently spotted the SUV driver getting into his vehicle after replacing the gas nozzle without paying.

Another witness, from his 18th floor apartment across the street, heard someone yelling, followed by a sickening sound of dragging and squealing tires, said Rodopoulos. When he heard a voice shout Someone call 911! he went on the balcony and saw an SUV fleeing along Roselawn, in the area of Marlee Ave. north of Eglinton Ave.

A further witness, said Rodopoulos, will testify about both hearing and seeing the dragging of Prajapati from her balcony.

On the video snippets played Tuesday  Prajapatis widow, Vaishali, in the courtroom  the SUV driver is clearly visible going about his business, looking this way and that, but never removing a wallet from his pocket.

In coming days, jurors will also watch security video, Rodopoulos said in her road map introduction, of six earlier gas thefts that had occurred at different stations around Toronto between Nov. 10, 2011 and Aug. 24, 2012. All of the videos show a male suspect  who the Crown alleges was Mr. Tutiven  driving an older model silver Isuzu Rodeo, attending the Esso and Shell gas stations, pumping gas into the vehicle and into some red canisters, and then driving away without paying for the gas. These videos show the same suspect using the same vehicle and stealing gas in the same fashion as the male who killed Mr. Prajapati.

Same guy as the man now sitting in the courtroom next to his defence lawyer, she said.

It will be for the judge to explain the relevance of similar fact evidence.

A gas-and-dash crime, as alleged.

Except this one ended with a dead employee, a widowed wife and a fatherless son.

What Mr. Prajapati didnt know when he went to work that evening was that he would never finish his shift.

The trial continues.

Mea Culpa: Sherry Brydson, heiress, is the granddaughter of newspaper proprietor Roy Thomson and niece to Ken Thomson, late owner of the Globe and Mail. Information that appeared in this column space Monday was incorrect.

Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

SHARE:
Like many public servants, Tom Campbell avoided reporters.

In life, he kept his distance. In death, however, he has opened up.

At his behest, his daughter sent an email the other day signalling that one of Ontarios most influential deputies was finally ready to go public.

Hello Martin. Yesterday my father, Tom Campbell died.

You wrote a piece about him in 1984 when he was deputy minister of finance and you might be interested to know that at dinner on the night before his death, your piece was a topic of conversation.

Campbell, 83, had kept a copy of that newspaper profile all this time, despite refusing an interview with the rookie reporter who wrote it. Now, according to his daughter Alexandra, 44, he was ready, belatedly, to talk  from the grave.

As much about how he lived his life as how he ended it.

I did ask my Dad, What if I told Martin some of these things now, after you die? And he said, Sure. 

Read more:

803 Canadians had medically assisted deaths in first six months of federal law

Dying with dignity cant be forced on doctors  or hospitals: Cohn

Ontario sets out rules for physician-assisted deaths

But before the epilogue is written, one must go back in time.

Campbell had once helmed the provinces sprawling health ministry, where lobbyists pressed him to help people suffering from terminal illnesses die with dignity. The deputy had listened respectfully, knowing full well his hands were tied by his political masters and prevailing public opinion, but hed challenged the group:

Why should we do it? he asked at the time.

This year, Campbell had his answer, when the roles were reversed. Suffering from the excruciating pain of bladder cancer, he quietly chose Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID).

But to fulfil his final wish, he first had to rely on his old skill set as a deputy to navigate the Byzantine rules laid down by bureaucrats in the corridors of power hed once inhabited. The irony was not lost on the former mandarin, a shy but forceful introvert whod always been a stickler for formality and rules.

I dont want to be a science experiment, he told his children, declining desperate attempts at surgery as the cancer invaded his lymph nodes and the pain worsened.

A deputy treasurer must be cold-blooded in wielding a budget axe to balance the governments books. No surprise that he would be similarly decisive about his own circumstances.

Campbells daughter says he had excellent care from the two physicians who assessed his bid for MAID. But the drawn-out procedures for collecting information and granting permission were frustrating and dehumanizing.

After securing the final approvals, Campbell tried new pain medications without success before announcing to his family (including his wife Mary Mogford, also a former deputy, and son John): I want to do this . . . this is happening tomorrow.

His daughter describes it as a moment of enormous relief  from the physical pain, but also the mental limbo. He worried that others would still not benefit from the procedure as he had.

It sounds crazy but the chance to have an assisted death gave him the courage to keep living through the summer, Alexandra explained. He was very adamant that the legislation has not gone far enough. And he hopes that having been former deputy minister of health for Ontario might give some weight to the cause.

Over coffee, she explained that her father believed the procedures could be streamlined so that people who clearly qualify for medically assisted death are not forced to take heroic  or humiliating  steps to comply. At times, it felt as if the roadblocks made death harder for patients only to make life easier for the bureaucracy.

Despite securing permission from his Toronto doctors, it was difficult to relay that approval to another jurisdiction so that he could die with loved ones at his suburban home. He faced an unexpected 72-hour delay in filling the approved prescription. And having watched two of his sisters struggle with dementia, the inability to sign an advance directive for MAID created fear and frustration for my Dad, she said.

Throughout his career, Campbell had always projected precisely the opposite  outer calm and inner confidence. A downhill skier from northern Ontario, he scaled the heights of the Toronto power structure during the Progressive Conservative dynasty that culminated with premier Bill Davis, and later chaired Ontario Hydro.

Publicly, he kept his mouth shut and his tie tightly knotted  to the point that one of his political masters described (in that 1984 profile) ordering him to loosen his collar at a staff meeting. Privately, though, Campbell fussed over every budgetary comma, political coda, and even the dress code for budget day.

He was too loyal to disclose it at the time, but as his daughter told me this month, Campbell had begged then-treasurer Frank Miller to dress appropriately when delivering his budget in the early 1980s. Miller wouldnt back down, concealing his trademark tartan jacket until just before he walked into legislature for the solemn occasion.

That act of defiance was one of Campbells lingering regrets, for he believed it detracted from the budget and trivialized the work of the public service. But perhaps Miller (who died in 2000) was gently pushing back against his powerful deputy, whose grip on the budget process was legendary.

That symbolic power struggle stayed with Campbell. A sign that, in life as in death, there are some things one cannot fully control.

Martin Regg Cohns political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca, Twitter: @reggcohn

SHARE:
UNITED NATIONS (TNS)  President Donald Trump delivered a forceful inaugural speech to a packed U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, a sprawling 42-minute address that ranged from warlike to flowery and that challenged some long-cherished tenets of U.S. foreign policy.

With the cavernous hall packed so full that scores of people jammed into the aisles, Trump caused a stir when he mocked North Koreas ruler, Kim Jong Un, as Rocket Man on a suicide mission and threatened his depraved regime.

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself and its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, Trump added.

Another buzz arose when he warned that parts of the world are going to hell, vowed to crush loser terrorists and condemned a small group of rogue regimes as the scourge of our planet.

Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terrorists, but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity, he said.

But Trump also praised U.N. programs that have fought disease, helped countries after wars and natural disasters, sheltered millions of refugees and educated women and girls.

He saluted U.N. peacekeeping missions for stabilizing conflicts in Africa, and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for leading efforts to make U.N. operations and agencies more efficient.

He called for restoration of democracy and political freedoms in Venezuela, where he said the socialist regime of Nicolas Maduro has brought a once-thriving nation to the brink of total collapse.

To put it simply, we meet at a time of both immense promise and great peril, he said.

It is entirely up to us whether we lift the world to new heights or let it fall into a valley of disrepair, he said. We have it in our power, should we so choose, to lift millions from poverty, to help our citizens realize their dreams and to ensure that new generations of children are raised free from violence, hatred and fear.

If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph, he added. When decent people and nations become bystanders to history, the forces of destruction only gather power and strength.

Trump began, as he often does in public gatherings, by boasting about his time in office.

The United States has done very well since Election Day, he said, claiming credit for a rising stock market, low unemployment and a military that he said will soon be the strongest it has ever been.

Trump jettisoned traditional U.S. positions advocating for human rights and democratic reforms, and spoke instead of the importance of national sovereignty as the bedrock of international cooperation.

Without mentioning Russia or China, he added that we must reject threats to sovereignty, from the Ukraine to the South China Sea.

The United States and its allies have accused Russia of illegally seizing the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine and backing an armed insurrection there, and have sought to block China as it builds up disputed islands and shoals in the South China Sea.

I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always and should always put your countries first, Trump said to applause. The nation-state, he added, remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition.

He insisted the United States would be a great friend to the world, but added, We can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return.

Trump has used that argument to try to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, to announce plans to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change and to refuse to support an 11-nation trans-Pacific trade agreement.

He also renewed hints that he would withdraw from the landmark nuclear disarmament deal with Iran. The 2015 deal, which eased international sanctions in exchange for Irans destroying or dismantling its nuclear development program, was blessed by the U.N. Security Council and is monitored by a U.N. nuclear watchdog agency.

We cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program, Trump said to scattered applause.

He called it one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into and an embarrassment to the United States.

And I dont think youve heard the last of it, he added. Believe me.

The Trump administration faces an Oct. 15 deadline to certify to Congress that Iran is complying with its obligations under the deal. If Trump refuses, Congress will have 60 days to decide whether to re-impose nuclear-related sanctions, in effect breaking the U.S. part of the agreement.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson conceded this weekend that Tehran is in technical compliance, but he faulted it for fostering instability across the Middle East that he said violated a preamble of the accord.

Any U.S. presidents first U.N. speech would merit attention. But Trumps garnered more interest because of his unpredictable nature and because he was highly critical of the U.N. during his campaign, calling it wasteful, useless and ineffective in defending democratic values.

But at a luncheon Guterres hosted Tuesday for nearly 200 presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and diplomats, Trump suddenly was full of extravagant praise for the global body, saying in a toast that there is no better forum, there can be no better forum.

The potential of the United Nations is unlimited, and I really believe  Ive met your representatives, and I know you well, he said. You are going to do things that will be epic, and I certainly hope you will. But I feel very, very confident.
WALTON, Ont.It rained on their parade.

And the muddy fields prevented Ontarios political leaders from taking part in the annual autumnal rite: competing on tractors to determine who can plow the straightest furrow.

But in the final International Plowing Match before the June 7, 2018 provincial election, Premier Kathleen Wynne could find comfort in the fact that, unlike last year, she was not booed or jeered by participants at the yearly rural expo.

That may be due to her governments decision to reduce residential electricity bills by 25 per cent this year, though there remains lingering unhappiness about hydro rates.

Ill leave it to the analysts to determine what the reception is or not, but were working hard for a fairer Ontario where everyone has opportunity, said Wynne when asked about the warmer welcome this year than at the 2016 plowing match.

Im here because agriculture is so important. No matter the party lines, it is important that we support each other, she said at the massive event hosted on Jack Ryans farm about 200 kilometres northwest of Toronto.

The premiers strong defence of supply-management policies  a cornerstone of Canadian agriculture because it protects dairy farmers, among others  as NAFTA negotiations heat up with the U.S. and Mexico was applauded at the events opening ceremonies.

Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown noted that supply management issue is not a partisan issue because all parties support it at Queens Park.

But Brown stressed that it is closer to home that farmers need to have a hearing.

He said the forthcoming labour reforms in Bill 148  which will raise the $11.40-an-hour minimum wage to $14 in January and $15 in 2019  is causing alarm on the family farm.

There is a frustration. I am glad that Queens Park has descended on Huron County because its important to hear these concerns, the PC leader said.

Its not necessarily over the $15  its the pace. Its giving notice so that you can adapt, he said.

Brown, who has promised to bring in a revenue-neutral carbon tax if elected next year, said we want to do our part for the environment and rural Ontario wants to do its part for the environment.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who has led the push for a $15 minimum wage, criticized the Liberals for trying to exploit it for electoral gain next spring.

I cant speak to why the Liberals chose to do the things that they did, said Horwath.

We were pretty clear when we brought forward our own policy on minimum wage to try to give some advance warning and notice to the business community and to the farming community that when New Democrats form government were going to look to increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, she said.

Green Leader Mike Schreiner pointed to the soggy fields and said the extreme weather due to climate change is something all Ontarians are living with these days.

In all, as many as 100,000 people are expected to descend on this years plowing match by the time it wraps up on Saturday.

Read more about:

SHARE:
HONG KONGDespite international condemnation of Burmas campaign of violence against the Rohingya people, there have been few calls for a return to the sort of sanctions that were long a feature of the countrys relationship with the West.

After a Rohingya militant group attacked police outposts last month, Burmas military, along with vigilante groups, launched a crackdown in the western state of Rakhine, triggering a refugee crisis that has sent more than 400,000 Rohingya fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh.

On Monday, Boris Johnson, Britains foreign secretary, led a discussion of the Rohingya crisis among foreign ministers attending the UN General Assembly. Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto head of Burmas government, last week decided not to attend the General Assembly.

Read more:

Trudeau appeals to Burmas Suu Kyi to publicly condemn atrocities against Rohingya Muslims

What Canada must do about the human rights crisis in Burma

Johnson called the violence a stain on Burmas reputation and urged action from Suu Kyi.

It is vital that Aung San Suu Kyi and the civilian government make clear these abuses must stop, Johnson said in a statement.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said Mondays meeting, attended by Burmas national security adviser and deputy foreign minister, was productive but the situation remains dire. She urged the government to end military operations, grant humanitarian access and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes.

People are still at risk of being attacked or killed, humanitarian aid is not reaching the people who need it, and innocent civilians are still fleeing across the border to Bangladesh, Haley said.

Ministers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Denmark also attended the closed meeting. The British statement said the meeting urged Burma to implement recommendations of a commission led by former UN chief Kofi Annan calling for economic development and social justice to counter deadly violence between Buddhists and the Rohingya.

But despite the criticism, analysts say the United Nations is unlikely to act against Burma. Burmas government has said it was working with Russia and China to block any efforts to punish it over the crackdown in Rakhine state.

The Security Council did condemn the violence last week, its first such unified statement on Burma in nine years. But China blocked an effort by Egypt to add language calling for Rohingya refugees to be guaranteed the right to return to Burma from Bangladesh, Agence France-Presse reported. The government of Burma, a majority-Buddhist country, does not recognize the Rohingya, most of whom are Muslim, as citizens.

With regional powers vying to gain influence in Burma, Chinas government sees potential benefit in backing Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy, while she faces international criticism, said Yun Sun, a scholar at the Stimson Center in Washington.

This is basically an opportunity for China and a vulnerability of Aung San Suu Kyi, she said. The Chinese government says the Rohingya issue doesnt affect us and by supporting Aung San Suu Kyi we dont lose anything.

Instead we gain the potential friendship of the government, Sun said.

The state-run Myanmar News Agency quoted Chinas ambassador to Burma last week as saying his country supported the crackdown in Rakhine state.

The stance of China regarding the terrorist attacks in Rakhine is clear, it is just an internal affair, said the ambassador, Hong Liang. The counterattacks of (Burmese) security forces against extremist terrorists and the governments undertakings to provide assistance to the people are strongly welcomed.

China, like Russia, holds veto power in the UN Security Council as a permanent member, meaning it can block any efforts to sanction Burma.

In another sign that China is drawing closer to Burma, last week it opened an interim liaison office in Naypyidaw, the remote city that was inaugurated as Burmas capital in 2005. Most foreign missions have stayed in Rangoon, the countrys former capital.

One factor that may increase Chinas support for the military crackdown is the recent opening of a Chinese-operated oil terminal at Kyaukpyu port in southern Rakhine state. While the militarys campaign is being carried out in the north of Rakhine, China would be concerned if the violence expanded and imperiled the terminal, Sun said.

On Monday, Human Rights Watch called for targeted sanctions against Burmas military. It also called for new restrictions on the sale of arms to the country.

Burmese security forces are committing ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya and disregarding the condemnation of world leaders, John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. The time has come to impose tougher measures that Burmas generals cannot ignore.

For decades, Burma was one of the worlds most isolated countries, with the United States and other Western countries enforcing sanctions against its military-led government. But as the military has gradually released some of its political control, the countrys interaction with the rest of the world has grown dramatically.

The European Union and the United States pulled back broad sanctions after elections in 2012. Then last year, then U.S. president Barack Obama dropped sanctions on aid from Washington to the government of Burma, as well as restrictions on several dozen people with ties to the former military government.

That move was made in recognition of the advancement of democracy in Burma. But human rights groups worried it would also reduce the leverage the United States had to try to curb abuses against the Rohingya.

Last week, U.S. Sen. John McCain said he would remove language from a defence-spending bill that would fund co-operation between the militaries of the United States and Burma. McCain has called on Suu Kyi to do more to help the Rohingya.

Suu Kyi, who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her long struggle against military rule, has many fans among lawmakers around the world, and that may insulate Burma from more serious censure from the United States and other governments.

The U.S. Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said last week that publicly condemning Aung San Suu Kyi, the best hope for democratic reform in Burma, is simply not constructive. He noted that under Burmas constitution, she is barred from the presidency and her civilian government has no authority over the military. Her position is an exceedingly difficult one, he said.

Sean Turnell, an economic adviser to Suu Kyis office, said her civilian government needs international support, not uninformed ostracism or irresponsible or calculated incitement.

The people who lead this government are the same people who faced down evil for decades, he added. They remain (Burmas) best hope.

SHARE:
When alarms began to ring and a control panel flashed in front of Stanislav Petrov, a 44-year-old lieutenant colonel seated in a secret bunker south of Moscow, it appeared that the world was less than 30 minutes from nuclear war.

The siren howled, he later said, but I just sat there for a few seconds, staring at the big, backlit, red screen with the word launch on it. His chair, he said, began to feel like a hot frying pan.

Petrov, an official with Russias early-warning missile system, was charged with determining whether the United States had opened intercontinental fire on the Soviet Union. Just after midnight on Sept. 26, 1983, all signs seemed to point to yes.

The satellite signal Petrov received in his bunker indicated that a single Minuteman missile had been launched and was headed toward the East. Four more missiles appeared to follow, according to satellite signals, and the protocol was clear: notify Soviet Air Defense headquarters in time for the militarys general staff to consult with Yuri V. Andropov, the Soviet leader. A retaliatory attack, and nuclear holocaust, would likely ensue.

Yet Petrov, juggling a phone in one hand and an intercom in the other, judged that the red alert was a false alarm. Soviet missiles, armed and ready, remained in their silos. And American missiles, apparently minutes from impact, seemed to vanish into the air.

I had a funny feeling in my gut, Petrov told The Washington Post in 1999. I didnt want to make a mistake. I made a decision, and that was it. He celebrated with half a litre of vodka, fell into a sleep that lasted 28 hours and went back to work.

While the 50-50 decision may have averted catastrophe, it ultimately destroyed the career of Petrov, who died May 19 at his home in Fryazino, a centre for scientific research near Moscow. He was 77.

His death  much like the defining moment of his life  was largely unreported. It was announced by Karl Schumacher, a friend and political activist who said he heard the news from Petrovs son, Dmitri, and that Petrov had been sick for the last six months with an internal disease.

The colonels brush with history came six months after President Ronald Reagan christened the Soviet Union an evil empire, and just three weeks after Korean Air Lines Flight 007 wandered into Soviet airspace and was shot down, deteriorating U.S.-Soviet relations even further.

When NATO held a military training exercise known as Able Archer 83 that November, Soviet officials interpreted Western troop movements as preparations for a pre-emptive strike. The country began readying its expansive nuclear arsenal, and the West seemed primed to escalate its own efforts when an intelligence official in the U.S. air force, Leonard Perroots, chose  like Petrov  not to respond to the apparent provocation. (The incident inspired the recent television series Deutschland 83.)

Yet while Perroots was lauded at the time and went on to direct the Defense Intelligence Agency, Petrov became a pariah in the Soviet military, a scapegoat for what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity in the early-warning systems software.

Instead of identifying a group of missiles, the software had spotted the suns reflection off the top of clouds.

Petrov said he was initially skeptical of the launch because only a handful of missiles had been fired  when people start a war, he told The Post, they dont start it with only five missiles  and because Soviet ground-based radar had shown no evidence of an attack.

But a military investigation chastised and eventually reassigned Petrov, in large part for not keeping a detailed log of his actions during the five minutes it took him to decide the alarm was false. (His hands were full, he said.) He had also thwarted a protocol that was designed to take such a weighty decision out of the hands of humans. A computer, not an individual officer, would decide whether missiles were imminent, and thus whether retaliatory action might be necessary.

In later years, Petrov sometimes said that he was simply in the right place at the right time. Most of his comrades, he said, would probably have confirmed the approaching missiles rather than questioned the alerts from the computer.

In fact, according to Peter Anthony, a Danish filmmaker who directed The Man Who Saved the World, a 2014 documentary on Petrov, he wasnt supposed to be there in the first place. Another officer was sick, Anthony said, so Stanislav had to take over.

Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov was born on Sept. 7, 1939, in Chernigovka, an airbase north of Vladivostok. His mother was a nurse, and his father was an aviation engineer who had flown fighter planes during World War II. He was once shot down by the Japanese, resulting in a severe head injury and an admonition to his aviation-minded son: Never fly.

When his mother became pregnant with a second child, his parents decided they could not support a family of four, and enrolled Petrov in a military academy.

He studied long-distance radar systems and was stationed in the Far East, where he met his wife, Raisa, who was working as a cinema operator at a military base in Kamchatka.

Petrov eventually retired from the military to care for her during her treatment for brain cancer. Reliant almost entirely on a state pension, he was reduced at one point to growing potatoes outside his apartment building to feed his family. For a time, he made soup by boiling water with a leather belt for flavour.

His wife died in 1997. In addition to his son, Petrov is survived by a daughter, Yelena, and two grandchildren.

His story began attracting wide attention only in the late 1990s, after Gen. Yury Votintsev, the retired Soviet missile-defense chief, published a memoir describing Petrovs previously classified role in preventing a nuclear disaster.

Until a Pravda journalist knocked on the door of the familys apartment building, Anthony said, Raisa Petrov had believed her husband was a pilot.

Oh, your husband has saved the world from nuclear war, the reporter said, leading Petrov to slam the door and, at least at first, tell his wife that the reporter had been lying.

He was, Anthony said, afraid that he was being tested.

SHARE:
WASHINGTONThe U.S. Senate has overwhelmingly approved a sweeping defence policy bill that would pump $700 billion (U.S.) into the military, putting the U.S. armed forces on track for a budget greater than at any time during the decade-plus wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Senators passed the legislation by a 89-8 vote Monday. The measure authorizes $700 billion in military spending for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, expands U.S. missile defences in response to North Koreas growing hostility and refuses to allow excess military bases to be closed.

The 1,215-page measure defies a number of White House objections, but U.S. President Donald Trump hasnt threatened to veto the measure. The bill helps him honour a pledge to rebuild an American military that he said had become depleted on former president Barack Obamas watch.

Read more:

Pentagon chief Mattis freezes Trumps ban on transgender troops

Rising tensions with North Korea bring back Cold War-era nuclear fears

Sen. John McCain and other national security hawks have insisted the military branches are at risk of losing their edge in combat without a dramatic influx of money to repair shortfalls in training and equipment.

An animated McCain, the Armed Services Committee chairperson, bemoaned the limits imposed on military spending by both Democrats and Republicans. He said the rash of training accidents and crashes  since mid-July, nearly 100 service members have been killed or injured in close to a dozen mishaps  can be linked to the budget cuts.

My friends, more of our men and women in uniform are now being killed in totally avoidable training accidents and routine operations than by our enemies in combat, McCain said. Where is the outrage about this? Where is our sense of urgency to deal with this problem?

Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said senior military leaders are taking a close look at whether strict budget constraints are to blame.

Among them was a proposal by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Susan Collins that would have protected transgender service members from being kicked out of the armed forces. Gillibrand and McCain seek to achieve the same goal through separate legislation they introduced late last week. That bill also is supported by Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services panel.

Approved by the Armed Services Committee by a 27-0 vote in late June, the overall Senate bill provides $640 billion for core Pentagon operations, such as buying weapons and paying troops, and another $60 billion for wartime missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. Trumps budget request sought $603 billion for basic functions and $65 billion for overseas missions.

With North Koreas nuclear program a growing threat to the U.S. and its allies, the bill includes $8.5 billion to strengthen U.S. missile and defence systems. Thats $630 million more than the Trump administration sought for those programs, according to a committee analysis.

North Korea last week conducted its longest-ever test flight of a ballistic missile, firing an intermediate-range weapon over U.S. ally Japan into the northern Pacific Ocean. The launch signalled both defiance of its rivals and a significant technological advance.

The legislation directs the Defence Department to deploy up to 14 additional ground-based interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, an increase that will expand to 58 the number of interceptors designed to destroy incoming warheads. The department also is tasked with finding a storage site for as many as 14 other spare interceptors, and senators envision an eventual arsenal of 100 with additional missile fields in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

The White House, in a statement issued earlier this month, called the order for more interceptors premature given the Pentagons ongoing review of missile defence programs.

Despite the push for the additional billions in military spending, major hurdles need to be cleared before all the extra money materializes. Lawmakers will have to work out a deal that lifts the caps on federal agency budgets, including the Pentagons, mandated by a 2011 law. Congress has passed temporary relief from the limits before, but senior military officials have urged for the law to be repealed altogether.

Sen. Bob Corker said he voted against the defence bill because the measure blows the budget caps by nearly $83 billion. Corker, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, also said the overseas missions account is repeatedly abused to pay for normal operations. A self-described fiscal conservative, Corker is weighing whether to run for a third term.

As their House counterparts did, the Senate bill rejects Mattis plan to launch a new round of base closings starting in 2021. He told lawmakers in June that closing excess installations would save $10 billion over a five-year period. Mattis said the savings could be used to acquire four nuclear submarines or dozens of jet fighters. But military installations are prized possessions in states and lawmakers refused to go along.

The bill allots $10.6 billion for 94 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, which is two dozen more than Trump requested. The bill also provides $25 billion to pay for 13 ships, which is $5 billion and five ships more than the Trump sought.

Read more about:

SHARE:
ATLANTAThree people face charges after violent clashes with campus police at Georgia Tech following a vigil for a student fatally shot by officers, a university spokesperson said Tuesday.

Police shot and killed Scout Schultz, 21, Saturday night after the fourth-year student called 911 to report an armed and possibly intoxicated suspicious person, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

The GBI on Tuesday identified the officer who shot Schultz as Officer Tyler Beck but did not provide any other information about him. Beck is on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation, Georgia Tech said on its website.

The officer had been with the campus police department for about 16 months, according to state records.

On Monday night, Georgia Tech issued alerts urging students to shelter indoors because of violent protests. Video posted on social media showed a campus police vehicle burning in the street and officers pinning people to the ground as onlookers shouted at them.

After Mondays peaceful vigil, about 50 protesters marched to the campus police department, university spokesperson Lance Wallace said. A police vehicle was burned and two officers suffered minor injuries, with one taken to a hospital for treatment and later released.

Georgia Tech president G.P. Bud Peterson in a letter to the university community Tuesday said he believes the problems were caused by people intent on creating a disturbance and inciting violence.

We believe many of them were not part of our Georgia Tech community, but rather outside agitators intent on disrupting the event, he added. They certainly did not honour Scouts memory nor represent our values by doing so.

The university said three people were arrested during the protest but hasnt said whether they were students.

Fulton County Sheriffs Office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said Vincent Castillenti, of Decatur, faces two counts of aggravated assault on an officer and two counts of wilful obstruction of law enforcement officers.

Jacob David Wilson, of Atlanta, faces two counts of aggravated assault against a peace officer and three counts of criminal trespass, Flanagan said.

Andrew Xavier Monden, of Atlanta, faces charges of interference with government property and inciting rioting, Flanagan said. Georgia Tech had identified the third person arrested as Cassandra Monden.

In a statement released through attorney Chris Stewart, Schultzs family urged protesters to remain peaceful.

The GBI has said an officer responding to a 911 call about 11:17 p.m. Saturday shot Schultz as the student advanced on officers with a knife and refused commands to put down the knife. Stewart said Monday that the GBI confirmed to him that Schultz was holding a multipurpose tool and that the knife blade was not out.

Stewart says he plans to sue over the shooting.

Schultz was the one who called 911, GBI spokesperson Nelly Miles said in an emailed statement Monday.

In the call, Shultz describes the person as a white male, with long blond hair, white T-shirt and blue jeans who is possibly intoxicated, holding a knife and possibly armed with a gun on his hip, Miles said, adding that three suicide notes were found in Schultzs dorm room.

Georgia Tech has refused to release the 911 audio.

Investigators recovered a multi-purpose tool at the scene but didnt find any guns, Miles said.

Peterson, in his letter Tuesday, called Schultzs death a tragic loss but urged people to await the results of the investigation and not draw conclusions too quickly.

Schultz was president of Pride Alliance at Georgia Tech. The fourth-year computer engineering student used the name Scout, rather than the given name Scott, and preferred the pronouns they and them rather than he or him.

Im bisexual, nonbinary and intersex, Schultz wrote in a Pride Alliance profile.

William Schultz told reporters Monday that his child had a 3.9 GPA and was on track to graduate early in December.

Lynne Schultz told the Journal-Constitution over the weekend that her oldest child had struggled with depression and attempted suicide two years ago.

After that, Scout Schultz went through counselling, William Schultz said. Scout Schultz spent this past summer at home and there were no obvious problems when school resumed last month, the elder Schultz said.

SHARE:
French President Emmanuel Macron issued a ringing defence of global co-operation Tuesday, telling world leaders that solving major challenges otherwise will be reduced to the survival of the fittest.

In his first appearance at the UN General Assembly, Macron vowed to press ahead with the Paris accord to combat global warming, although the United States has said it is withdrawing.

He also said France wont close any door to dialogue with North Korea and that it would be a grave error to unwind the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran as it faces strong criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump. Macron also called for investing in education and health, and he proposed appointing a UN representative for press freedom.

Seven decades after the end of World War II and the creation of the United Nations, international bodies are confronting doubts, Macron said.

We have allowed the idea to proliferate that multilateralism is a kind of game, a game for diplomats sitting around a table, he said, but have come up short on addressing such major threats as climate change.

Today, more than ever before, we need multilateralism to work on that and other global issues, such as war and terrorism, Macron said.

We can only address those challenges through multilateralism, he said, not through survival of the fittest.

Macron presented a counterpoint to Trump, who in his own debut speech at the General Assembly a few hours earlier had urged countries to embrace their own national sovereignty to do more to ensure their own prosperity and security.

Read more:

At UN, Donald Trump threatens to totally destroy North Korea

Trump, in UN debut, urges world body to focus more on people and less on bureaucracy

As Trump mocks Kim Jong Un as Rocket Man, U.S. advisers warn North Korea to end weapons program or face attack

Trump had tough words for North Korea, threatening to totally destroy the Asian nation if the U.S. is forced to defend itself or its allies against aggression, and also for the Iran pact, which he called an embarrassment to the U.S. He hinted that his administration could soon declare Iran out of compliance with the deal, which could unravel it.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, warned that the threat of a nuclear attack is at its highest level since the end of the Cold War and fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings.

His message in his first state-of-the-world report since taking the reins of the United Nations on Jan. 1, was implicitly directed at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but also at Trump. The two have traded tough rhetoric amid Pyongyangs continuing nuclear and missile tests.

Speaking to presidents, prime ministers and monarchs at the opening of the General Assemblys annual ministerial meeting, the UN chief put nuclear peril as the leading global threat, warning that we must not sleepwalk our way into war. He said there must be a political solution to North Koreas activities, stressing: This is a time for statesmanship.

Beyond the nuclear threat, Guterres painted a grim picture of a troubled world facing grave challenges with many people hurting and angry because they see insecurity rising, inequality growing, conflict spreading and climate changing.

Societies are fragmented, he said. Political discourse is polarized. Trust within and among countries is being driven down by those who demonize and divide.

We are a world in pieces, Guterres said. We need to be a world at peace.

Guterres said there are seven threats and tests that stand in the way: nuclear peril, terrorism, unresolved conflicts and systematic violations of international humanitarian law, climate change, rising inequality, unintended consequences of innovation, and people on the move.

These issues are expected to dominate the six-day meeting. On day one, however, the spotlight was on Trump and Macron.

Many world leaders were getting their first chance to hear and meet Trump. He said the United States seeks harmony and friendship, not conflict and strife on the world stage, but he warned that Americans can no longer be taken advantage of.

He said all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and Islamic extremists that inspire them. And it is time to expose and hold responsible nations that provide funding and safe harbour to terror groups, Trump said.

He spoke after Guterres and Brazils president, who for more than 35 years has been the first leader to address the 193-member General Assembly.

Brazilian President Michel Temer, charged last week with obstruction of justice and leading a criminal organization, continued the tradition.

He said the UN has represented hope and prospects for a more just world for the last 70 years and at this time in history, marked by so much uncertainty and instability, we need more diplomacy, not less  and we need the UN more than before.

But Temer said it is imperative to reform the UN, particularly to expand the powerful Security Council to align it with the reality of the 21st century. Brazil is part of a group with Germany, India and Japan seeking permanent seats on the council.

Not far behind North Korea on the list of issues needing urgent international attention is the plight of Myanmars Rohingya Muslims, victims of what Guterres called a campaign of ethnic cleansing that has driven nearly 400,000 to flee into Bangladesh in the past three weeks.

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who cancelled plans to attend the General Assembly in a decision widely seen as a response to international criticism, earlier Tuesday defended the government and said her country does not fear international scrutiny. She invited diplomats to see some areas for themselves.

Guterres told leaders in his general assembly address that I take note of Suu Kyis speech.

We are all shocked by the dramatic escalation of sectarian tensions in Myanmars Rakhine State, he said. The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations, and allow unhindered humanitarian access. They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long.

The world leaders gathered as hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm, smashed the small Caribbean nation of Dominica with 257 km/h winds. It ripped the roof off even the prime ministers residence and caused what he called mind-boggling devastation. The storm was on a track to strike Puerto Rico on Wednesday.

On Monday, Guterres and top government officials from several countries devastated by the other Category 5 storm, hurricane Irma, addressed a hastily called UN meeting and appealed for help to rebuild following that storms destruction.

Guterres has repeatedly focused on the challenge posed by climate change.

He called this years hurricane season the most violent on record and warned that extreme weather linked to climate change is having an impact all over the world, including floods in southern Asia and landslides and droughts in Africa.

Read more about:

SHARE:
NAYPYITAW, BURMA  Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and de facto leader of Burma, stood before a room of government officials and foreign dignitaries on Tuesday to at last, after weeks of international urging, address the plight of the countrys Rohingya ethnic minority.

But those who expected Suu Kyi to eloquently acknowledge a peoples oppression were disappointed.

In her speech, delivered in crisp English and often directly inviting foreign listeners to join us in addressing Burmas problems, she steadfastly refused to criticize the Burmese military, which has been accused of a vast campaign of killing, rape and village burning.

The security forces have been instructed to adhere strictly to the code of conduct in carrying out security operations, to exercise all due restraint and to take full measures to avoid collateral damage and the harming of innocent civilians, she said.

As she spoke, more than 400,000 Rohingya, a Muslim minority long repressed by the Buddhists who dominate Burma, had fled a military massacre that the United Nations has called a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. The lucky ones are suffering in makeshift camps in Bangladesh where there is not nearly enough food or medical aid.

Read more:

Rohingya Muslims being wiped off Burmas map

Trudeau appeals to Burmas Suu Kyi to publicly condemn atrocities against Rohingya Muslims

Aung San Suu Kyis shameful hypocrisy: Editorial

A stark satellite analysis by Human Rights Watch shows that at least 210 of their villages have been burned to the ground since the offensive began on Aug. 25. Bangladeshi officials say that landmines had been planted on Burmas side of the border, where the Rohingya are fleeing.

Suu Kyi tried to mollify her critics by saying she was committed to restoring peace and the rule of law.

We condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence, she said. We feel deeply for the suffering of all the people caught up in the conflict.

But, asking why the world did not acknowledge the progress made in her country, she also boasted that Muslims living in the violence-torn area had ample access to health care and radio broadcasts. And she expressed uncertainty about why Muslims might be fleeing the country, even as she sidestepped evidence of widespread abuses by the security forces by saying there had been allegations and counterallegations.

It was a remarkable parroting of the language of the generals who locked her up for the better part of two decades, and in the process made a political legend of her: the regal prisoner of conscience who vanquished the military with no weapons but her principles.

But she is also the daughter of the assassinated independence hero Aung San, who founded the modern Burmese army. And she is a member of the countrys elite  from the highest class of the ethnic Bamar Buddhist majority.

Officials in Suu Kyis government have accused the Rohingya, who have suffered decades of persecution and have been mostly stripped of their citizenship, of faking rape and burning their own houses in a bid to hijack international public opinion. She has done nothing to correct the record.

A Facebook page associated with her office suggested that international aid groups were colluding with Rohingya militants, whose attack on Burmese police posts and an army base precipitated the fierce military counteroffensive. In a statement, her government labelled the insurgent strikes brutal acts of terrorism.

It has been a stunning reversal for Suu Kyi, 72, who was once celebrated alongside the likes of Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa. The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to her for her nonviolent struggle for democracy and human rights.

During her address, made from a vast convention centre in Naypyitaw, Burmas capital, Suu Kyi tried to evoke a program of grand goals including democratic transition, peace, stability and development.

But she also cautioned that the countrys long experience with authoritarian rule and nearly seven decades of ethnic conflict in Burmas frontier lands, have frayed national unity.

People expect us to overcome all these challenges in as short a time as possible, she said, noting that her civilian government only took office last year. Eighteen months is a very short time in which to expect us to meet and overcome all the challenges that we are facing.

There were worrisome signs from the moment she entered a power-sharing agreement with the military after her National League for Democracy won 2015 elections.

Burmas generals  who ruled the country for nearly half a century and turned a resource-rich land into an economic failure  stage-managed every facet of the political transition. The Tatmadaw, as the Burmese Army is known, made sure to keep the most important levers of power for itself.

It also effectively relegated Suu Kyi to the post of state counsellor by designing a constitution that kept her from the presidency.

Its always a dance with the generals, said Win Htein, an NLD party elder. She needs to be very quick on her feet.

Win Htein, a former military officer who served alongside some of the Tatmadaws highest-ranking generals, warned that Suu Kyi had to placate an army with a history of pushing aside civilian leaders under the pretext of defending national sovereignty.

The army, they are watching her every word, he said. One misstep on the Muslim issue, and they can make their move.

Yet even before the compromises that accompanied her ascension to power, Suu Kyi was already distancing herself from the hopes invested in her by the rest of the world.

Let me be clear that I would like to be seen as a politician, not some human rights icon, she said in an interview shortly after her release from house arrest in 2010.

Such a recasting of her role has disappointed Suu Kyis fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureates. In an open letter, Desmond Tutu, the South African former archbishop, advised his dearly beloved younger sister that if the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Burma is your silence, the price is surely too steep.

Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi social entrepreneur and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, was even more pointed.

She should not have received a Nobel Peace Prize if she says, sorry, Im a politician, and the norms of democracy dont suit me, he said in a telephone interview with The New York Times. The whole world stood by her for decades, but today she has become the mirror image of Aung San Suu Kyi by destroying human rights and denying citizenship to the Rohingya.

All we can do, he said, is pray for the return of the old Aung San Suu Kyi.

Beyond her personal legacy, the direction of Suu Kyis leadership carries global consequence.

People are invested in her because we need her to succeed. This is a democratic moment, and she represents Burmas democratic promise, said Derek Mitchell, the former U.S. ambassador to Burma. The country sits at the crossroads of Asia in a region where democracy is in retreat, which makes Burmas success even more important.

In Tuesdays speech, Suu Kyi, acknowledged the state of democracy in her country.

We are a young and fragile democracy facing many problems, she said, but we have to cope with them all at the same time.

But she also stressed that more than 50 per cent of Rohingya villages in Burmas western state of Rakhine remained intact. And she seemed to borrow vocabulary from a self-help manual when she described the need to research why certain villages had not been touched by the violence.

We have to remove the negative and increase the positive, she said.

Through the current Rohingya crisis, and a series of military offensives against other ethnic armed groups, she has taken pains to publicly support the military.

We do not have any trust in Aung San Suu Kyi because she was born into the military, said Hkapra Hkun Awng, a leader of the Kachin ethnicity from northern Burma, one of more than a dozen minorities whose rebel armies have fought the Tatmadaw over the decades. She is more loyal to her own people than to the ethnics. Her blood is thicker than a promise of national reconciliation.

Even before the mudslinging of the 2015 election campaign, Suu Kyi was sidestepping questions about the sectarian violence in Rakhine that disproportionately affected the Rohingya. Rather than condemning pogroms against the persecuted Muslim minority, she has dismissed accusations of ethnic cleansing and called, instead, for rule of law to solve any problem.

Because most Rohingya were stripped of their citizenship by the military, it has not been clear how any laws might apply to them. Indeed, even though Suu Kyi said Tuesday that Burma was prepared to repatriate refugees who can establish that they are residents of Burma, that may be a formidable task for people who are unlikely to have documents proving they lived in Burma before fleeing across the border.

I can confirm now that we are ready to start the verification process at any time, and those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems and with full assurances of their security and their access to humanitarian aid, she said.

Suu Kyi has largely shielded herself from the media and has holed up in Naypyitaw, Burmas bunkered capital, which was unveiled more than a decade ago by a junta paranoid that the former capital, Rangoon, might be vulnerable to foreign invasion.

Earlier this month, Suu Kyi chose not to attend the UN General Assembly, where her stance on the Rohingya would surely have met with criticism. Just a year ago, as the nations new civilian leader, she attended the annual assembly and was celebrated by world leaders.

Still, Suu Kyi is attuned enough to public sentiment to understand the deep reservoir of anti-Muslim sentiment in Burma. Even though a Muslim bloc had been a loyal patron of the NLD for decades, the party did not choose to stand a single Muslim candidate in the 2015 polls.

If anything, her equivocations on the Rohingya have given currency to the widely held assumption in Burma that they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who have occupied land that rightfully belongs to the Burmese.

Since Burmas political transition began, a virulent strain of Buddhist extremism has pushed such attitudes further into the mainstream. Influential monks have preached anti-Muslim rhetoric and pushed successfully for a law that circumscribes interfaith marriage. NLD elders have prayed at the feet of one of the movements spiritual godfathers.

Buddhist nationalist radicalism has been allowed to spread basically unchecked, said Min Zin, the executive director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar. The government is doing very little to stop it.

SHARE:
LONDONBritish police have arrested a third suspect in connection with the bomb that partially exploded on a London subway last week.

Police said they arrested a 25-year-old man in Wales on Tuesday evening under the Terrorism Act. They say a property in Newport, Wales 225 kilometres west of London, was being searched.

Two other men arrested over the weekend  an 18-year-old refugee from Iraq and a 21-year-old from Syria  remain in custody. Neither has been charged. London police have not released details from the investigation.

Read more:

London police questioning 2 ex-foster children over subway bomb

U.K. police make significant arrest in London blast investigation, though threat level still critical

London police arrest second man in connection with subway attack

Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command, said searches were underway at four different locations, including three that were in progress before Tuesday. The searches may take some days to complete as detectives seek to determine the full facts behind the attack, Haydon said.

He asked the public to look out for anything that seems out of place, unusual, or just doesnt seem to fit in with day-to-day life and to notify police immediately if something seems amiss.

The homemade explosive device, which had been placed inside a bucket that was enclosed by a shopping bag, injured 30 people when it partially detonated inside a crowded subway car on Friday morning.

The subway was stopped at the Parsons Green station when the device went off.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the rush-hour explosion would have caused many more injuries if it had fully detonated.

Britains official terrorist threat level was raised to critical after the attack  meaning an attack was judged to be imminent  but it was lowered after the first two arrests.

Those suspects are believed to have at one point lived in a foster home in Sunbury, a suburb southwest of London. Details about the third suspect have not yet emerged.

Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has claimed responsibility but British officials have said they dont see proof of a connection yet.

SHARE:
For generations, Rohingya Muslims have called Burma home. Now, in what appears to be a systematic purge, the minority ethnic group is being wiped off the map.

After a series of attacks by Muslim militants last month, security forces and allied mobs retaliated by burning down thousands of Rohingya homes in the predominantly Buddhist nation.

More than 500,000 people  roughly half their population  have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh in the past year, most of them in the last three weeks.

And they are still leaving, piling into wooden boats that take them to sprawling, monsoon-drenched refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Read more: Trudeau appeals to Burmas Suu Kyi to publicly condemn atrocities against Rohingya Muslims

What Canada must do about the human rights crisis in Burma

Burmas Suu Kyi skips UN General Assembly amid condemnation over Rohingya crisis

In a speech Tuesday, Burma leader Aung San Suu Kyi did not address a UN statement that the army has engaged in a textbook case of ethnic cleansing. Instead, she told concerned diplomats that while many villages were destroyed, more than half were still intact.

UN General-Secretary Antonio Guterres told the General Assembly on Tuesday that I take note of Suu Kyis speech.

This is the worst crisis in Rohingya history, said Chris Lewa, founder of the Arakan Project, which works to improve conditions for the ethnic minority, citing the monumental size and speed of the exodus. Security forces have been burning villages one by one, in a very systematic way. And its still ongoing.

Using a network of monitors, Lewa and her agency are meticulously documenting tracts of villages that have been partially or completely burned down in three townships in northern Rakhine state, where the vast majority of Burmas 1.1 million Rohingya once lived. Its a painstaking task because there are hundreds of them, and information is almost impossible to verify because the army has blocked access to the area. Satellite imagery released by Human Rights Watch on Tuesday shows massive swaths of scorched landscape and the near total destruction of 214 villages.

The Arakan Project said Tuesday that almost every tract of villages in Maungdaw township suffered some burning, and that almost all Rohingya had abandoned the area.

Sixteen of the 21 Rohingya villages in the northern part of Rathedaung township  in eight village tracts  were targeted. Three camps for Rohingya who were displaced in communal riots five years ago also were torched.

Buthidaung, to the east, so far has been largely spared. It is the only township where security operations appear limited to areas where the attacks by Rohingya militants, which triggered the ongoing crackdown, occurred. Separated from the other Rohingya townships by mountains, and with more Buddhists and more soldiers, Buthidaung has historically had fewer tensions.

In her speech, Suu Kyi noted that most Rohingya villages did not suffer violence, and said the government would look into why are they not at each others throats in these particular areas. Rohingya refugees angrily viewed that as the government deflecting blame for attacks by its own forces.

The Rohingya have had a long and troubled history in Burma, where many in the countrys 60 million people look on them with disdain.

Though members of the ethnic minority first arrived generations ago, Rohingya were stripped of their citizenship in 1982, denying them almost all rights and rendering them stateless. They cannot travel freely, practice their religion, or work as teachers or doctors, and they have little access to medical care, food or education.

The UN has labelled the Rohingya one of the worlds most persecuted religious minorities.

Still, if it werent for their safety, many would rather live in Burma than be forced to another country that doesnt want them.

Now we cant even buy plastic to make a shelter, said 32-year-old Kefayet Ullah of the camp in Bangladesh where he and his family are struggling to get from one day to the next.

In Rakhine, they had land for farming and a small shop. Now they have nothing.

Our heart is crying for our home, he said, tears streaming down his face. Even the father of my grandfather was born in Myanmar.

This is not the first time the Rohingya have fled en masse.

Hundreds of thousands left in 1978 and again in the early 1990s, fleeing military and government oppression, though policies were later put in place that allowed many to return. Communal violence in 2012, as the country was transitioning from a half-century of dictatorship to democracy, sent another 100,000 fleeing by boat. Some 120,000 remain trapped in camps under apartheid-like conditions outside Rakhines capital, Sittwe.

But no exodus has been as massive and swift as the one taking place now.

The military crackdown came in retaliation for a series of co-ordinated attacks by Rohingya militants led by Attaullah Abu Ammar Jununi, who was born in Pakistan and raised in Saudi Arabia.

Last October, the militants struck police posts, killing several officers and triggering a brutal military response that sent 87,000 Rohingya fleeing. Then on Aug. 25, a day after a state-appointed commission of inquiry headed by former UN chief Kofi Annan released a report about the earlier bloodshed, the militants struck again.

They attacked more than 30 police and army posts, causing casualties.

It was the excuse security forces wanted. They hit back and hard. Together with Buddhist mobs, they burned down villages, killed, looted and raped.

That sent a staggering 421,000 fleeing as of Tuesday, according to UN estimates.

The military crackdown resembles a cynical ploy to forcibly transfer large numbers of people without possibility of return, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said earlier this month in Geneva, calling it a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

It could be months before the extent of the devastation is clear because the army has blocked access to the affected areas. Yanghee Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burma, said at least 1,000 civilians were killed. The government claims more than 400 died, the vast majority Rohingya militants. They put the number of civilians killed at 30.

Whether its the end game for the Rohingya in Burma remains to be seen, said Richard Horsey, a political analyst in Rangoon. It depends in part on whether arrangements will be made by Bangladesh and Burma for their eventual return and the extent of the destruction.

We are still waiting for a full picture of how many villages are depopulated versus how many were destroyed, he said.

Read more about:

SHARE:
WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trumps lawyer will return to Capitol Hill for a public hearing next month after the Senate intelligence committee abruptly cancelled a closed-door staff interview Tuesday morning.

Committee leaders said they called off the interview after Michael Cohen sent a public opening statement to the media just as the meeting was about to start. Senate intelligence committee Chairman Richard Burr and the panels top Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, issued a sharp statement saying the panel had asked Cohen to refrain from public comment and that they would request he return  this time for a public hearing.

We declined to move forward with todays interview and will reschedule Mr. Cohens appearance before the committee in open session at a date in the near future, Burr and Warner said in the statement. The committee expects witnesses in this investigation to work in good faith with the Senate.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

Later in the day, the committee scheduled the public hearing for Oct. 25. Cohens lawyer, Stephen Ryan, said Cohen had accepted the invitation.

The Senate intelligence committee is one of several congressional panels investigating Russias interference in the presidential race and potential ties to the Trump campaign. Special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of investigators are conducting their own criminal investigation.

Burr and Warner said the committee changed its rules after Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, publicly released his 11-page prepared remarks to the panel ahead of his own closed-door interview with the panel. That interview went forward with Kushner answering questions for several hours.

Burr said the committee doesnt want witnesses to release in public what they are saying behind closed doors.

Weve changed the agreement that we have with people since Jared Kushner was in, and this is the model well follow, he said.

Cohens lawyer said they issued the public statement because the meeting had been leaked to the press.

Cohen stayed in the committees offices about an hour and a half before emerging and telling reporters that the committee had decided to postpone his interview. His interview had been expected to focus at least in part on a discussion to develop a Trump Tower in Moscow right as the presidential campaign was unfolding, a real estate deal he disclosed last month in a statement to congressional investigators. In a prepared statement obtained by The Associated Press ahead of his appearance, Cohen said that the proposal was abandoned before the first Republican primaries and was solely a real estate deal and nothing more.

After leaving the committees offices, Cohen attorney Ryan said the statement was factual, it was accurate, and we stand behind that statement. Ryan said that Cohen still intends to voluntarily co-operate with the committee as well as its counterpart in the House, which is carrying out a similar investigation.

Cohen spoke briefly, saying Ill be back.

Read more:

Russian-American lobbyist in Trump Tower meeting spoke to grand jury: source

Mueller examining Trumps draft letter that could reveal his reasons for firing Comey

Investigation into U.S.-Russian ties gets more serious

In his statement last month, Cohen said he had worked on the Moscow real estate proposal with Felix Sater, a Russian-born associate who Cohen said had claimed to have deep connections to Moscow. Cohen also has said that he emailed Russian President Vladimir Putins press secretary after Sater suggested that the proposal would require approvals within the Russian government.

The discussions about the potential development 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.

In his statement Tuesday, Cohen said the proposal was solely a real estate deal and nothing more.

I was doing my job, he added.

The Trump Organization has previously said that the licensing deal was not significantly advanced and that no site or financing materialized during the negotiations.

Cohen also denounced allegations from a dossier produced by an opposition research firm, calling the document lie-filled and fabricated. He said he had never discussed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else a plan to hack into email accounts or to interfere with the election.

Given my own proximity to the President of the United States as a candidate, let me also say that I never saw anything  not a hint of anything  that demonstrated his involvement in Russian interference in our election or any form of Russian collusion.

Read more about:

SHARE:
BATON ROUGE, LA.A 23-year-old white man was arrested Tuesday and accused of cold-bloodedly killing two Black men and shooting up a Black familys home in a string of attacks last week that police say may have been racially motivated.

A law enforcement official said authorities found a handwritten copy of an Adolf Hitler speech at Kenneth James Gleasons home, and investigators said surveillance footage and DNA on a shell casing link him to the crimes.

Authorities said he would be charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of a homeless man and a dishwasher who was walking to work. In each case, the killer opened fire from his car, then walked up to the victim as he lay on the ground and fired again repeatedly, police said.

I feel confident that this killer would have killed again, interim Police Chief Jonny Dunnam said.

Gleasons attorney, J. Christopher Alexander, said his client vehemently denies guilt, and we look forward to complete vindication.

Authorities found the Hitler speech during a search over the weekend, according to the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still going on.

Asked whether police suspect the shootings were motivated by race, Sgt. LJean McKneely said: Were not completely closed off to that. Were looking at all possibilities at this time, so were not going to just pinpoint that.

District Attorney Hillar Moore said he may seek the death penalty.

It appears to be cold, calculated, planned (against) people who were unarmed and defenceless, he said.

Authorities also said that just after midnight on Sept. 10, Gleason fired into the home of a Black family who lived three houses down from Gleason and his parents.

Resident Tonya Stephens said her two adult sons were home at the time and she was away at her nurses job. Three bullets pierced the front door and struck furniture, but no one was hurt.

Stephens said her family had seen Gleason sleeping in his car or speeding down the street, but she never had any dealings with him and I never paid him any mind.

In the other shootings, neither victim had any connection to Gleason, investigators said.

The first killing occurred Sept. 12, when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was gunned down. The second took place last Thursday night, when 49-year-old Donald Smart was shot on his way to his job at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students.

Authorities said ballistics tests determined that the same gun was used in all three shootings. Also, they said DNA found on one of the shell casings matched genetic material on a swab they took from Gleason.

Investigators have not found the 9 mm gun but said Gleason bought such a weapon last November. He also ordered a silencer in July, but it had not arrived yet  thankfully, the prosecutor said.

One of the big breaks in the case came when a security company noticed a white man in a red car removing his license plate and perhaps putting a gun in the trunk while parked at the companys office.

The company reported the suspicious activity to police and followed up with them after the second shooting, giving authorities surveillance video and photographs. Investigators found Gleasons red car on Saturday.

Louisianas capital city is in the grips of a surge in bloodshed. The number of homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish has already surpassed last years total of 62, The Advocate newspaper reported this month.

Baton Rouge has been through a lot of turmoil in the last year, the police chief said. If not for Gleasons arrest, he could have potentially created a tear in the fabric that holds this community together.

Racial tensions escalated in the city in the summer of 2016 when a Black man was shot to death by white police officers outside a convenience store. About two weeks later, a Black gunman targeted police in an ambush, killing three officers and wounding three before he was shot to death.

The city of approximately 229,000 is about 55 per cent Black and 40 per cent white.

Gleason did not appear to have any active social media profiles. A Louisiana State University spokesman said Gleason attended the school from the fall of 2012 to fall of 2013. He had transferred to LSU from Baton Rouge Community College.

Gleason was arrested in Phoenix in December on charges of shoplifting wine and razors. Police said he was homeless at the time. The case was dismissed the following month.

During the search of Gleasons home, authorities also found 9 grams of marijuana and vials of human growth hormone, according to police.

SHARE:
That wasnt a U.S. president at the UN General Assembly threatening to rain nuclear destruction on the planet, it was a failed preacher with long yellow hair from Nutbucket, Fla., threatening to rain nuclear destruction on the planet, same difference.

Either way, the odds of tens of millions of people dying by the time this enraged addled man leaves office are ballooning. Take it to the limit, Donald Trump! He wont be able to resist that white mushroom cloud, that final glorious statement.

And what better place to announce it than the UN, where, as he sees it, funny-coloured foreigners soak up American money. Trump gave not a speech, but a sermon. It was so bad it was unholy.

Read more: At UN, Donald Trump threatens to totally destroy North Korea

Donald Trumps 6 false claims about Asia bring total to 588

One hesitates to deride Trump on a cheesy social scale  is that not what made Americans elect him?  but heres what he had to say about the UN in better times, specifically on Twitter on Oct. 3, 2012.  The cheap 12 sq. marble tiles behind speaker at UN always bothered me. I will replace with beautiful large marble slabs if they ask me.

And here he stands now, President Kitchen Backsplash.

It is difficult to sum up the speech, despite having taken notes while watching on three screens, because the whammos, the bone chips and viscera, came at us faster than they could be wiped away.

He threatened to totally destroy North Korea, I got that bit, but at one point, I stopped and asked my companion, Sorry, who is going to hell? Did I hear that?

Apparently I did, and the answer is some portions of the world.

Trumps cowboy world view is Black Hats vs. White Hats. If the righteous many dont confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph, he said. This was pretty formless but then the list of people and things that he finds objectionable grew long as a serpents tail.

It included North Korea and a certain leader he didnt name, certain countries who dont pay their UN membership fees  oh, they know who they are  loser terrorists, economic migrants, certain countries on the UN Human Rights Council, Cuba, President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Bashar Assad of Syria, Iran and everyone who sails in and with her, international trade tribunals, bureaucracy, and many more. Saudi Arabias great, though.

This is only a shopping list, of course. Huge accretions of grievance lie beneath the mention of trade tribunals, nuclear treaties, and red tape.

And then there was the weird reference to sweet little Japanese girls being kidnapped to work as translators. Apparently someone had told Trump that personalization really grabs an audience. But its an American thing. It strikes a false note.

Just as we have never seen Trump laugh, we have never seen him express genuine affection for another human. He shakes his wifes hand; its nice of her to take it.

Trumps fake personal angle gives Americans the impression theyre going to war over that religion student Otto Warmbier.

There are many matters no one had the courage to explain to Trump, who is not an idiot, he is a box of idiots. For instance, that 2013 Iran treaty was both multilateral and a genuine triumph if the sole aim was to prevent Iran having nuclear weapons.

And then there are minor things. Rocket Man was not a ridiculous Slim Pickens riding an H-bomb to vaporization in Dr. Strangelove, he was a depressed astronaut who missed his wife and kids.

Did no one tell Trump that threats and inaccurate ridicule are the wrong way to approach a madman? On the same day in Danzig in 1939, Hitler told Britain, One does not send ultimatums to the Germany of today  may London take note!

This is why you never threaten to spit in your kids milk, because youre going to have to deliver. So now what, Donald? The U.S. will no longer promote democracy, the world is black and white (mostly black) and youve basically promised a nuclear war. For the next three years you and the world will not be on speaking terms.

And this is why you will need the UN, as a note passer. UN, tell Canada we can grow our own softwood. Also hardwood. Yeah, tell them that.

I see parade circled in my notes. Yes, Trump is planning a huge military parade in front of the White House for next July 4.

What a Kremlinesque year lies ahead.

hmallick@thestar.ca

Read more about:

SHARE:
News that Toronto is one big step closer to a long-term safe injection site is most welcome, particularly as this city, like many in North America, grapples with a growing opioid addiction crisis. It's also a reminder of the important work ahead.

In the month since a pop-up injection site opened in Moss Park, the volunteer staff has accommodated nearly 2,700 visits and administered 26 doses of naloxone, the antidote to these deadly drugs.

As City Councillor Joe Cressy told the Stars David Rider last week, the Moss Park project provides yet further proof that safe-injection sites work and underscores the need for more of them.

Cressy announced that, with winter approaching, the Moss Park site, currently operating out of a tent, will likely move to a nearby building. That's a good thing. Such sites have been shown to reduce the risk of overdose and needle-transmitted disease, while increasing the likelihood that users will get the help they need.

Three years ago, when I started working on safe injection, the question was, Should we do it? Cressy told Rider. Now the question is, Why cant we do it sooner to save lives?'

Toronto's embrace of safe-injection sites is a key step as the city seeks a smarter approach to the prevention and treatment of drug addiction, especially amid the opioid crisis. But a comprehensive approach requires a level of information and transparency the city has so far refused to adopt.

Crucial data, such as up-to-date numbers on opioid-related overdose deaths, are simply not available.

The statistics are grim, and show a steep uptick in opioid-related ER visits and deaths starting five years ago. By 2015, 200 Torontonians were hospitalized as a result of opioid use. That year, 129 people suffered fatal opioid overdoses in Toronto, compared with 56 who died by homicide.

But the data available are episodic and incomplete. Detailed information on the dimensions of the problem and what is working and what is not is essential if Toronto is going to have a comprehensive drug strategy.

The provincial government recently committed $222 million, spread over three years, to the citys anti-opioid programs. A permanent downtown safe-injection site is an excellent step in the right direction. But the wise and accountable spending of the province's money will require a real commitment to good data and transparency.

Correction  September 22, 2017: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the city of Torontos most recent statistical report on opioid addiction is from 2015.

SHARE:
Jim Cramer says U.S. steel giant Nucor Corp. (NUE) - Get Free Report is a "pounding-the-table" buy at current prices.

"This is the only steel company that is [worth buying], people," Cramer said during an exclusive monthly conference call with members of his Action Alerts PLUS club for investors. "It's down 9% for the year? That's highly unusual."

Cramer -- who recently established a Nucor position for his charitable trust -- said he had long wanted to buy the stock, but waited for a rally the began with Donald Trump's election last November to reverse. Nucor rose from a $46.55 intraday low a few weeks before the election to as high as $68 in the weeks afterward on speculation that Trump's talk of trade protectionism and U.S. infrastructure spending would boost domestic steelmakers.

However, the stock has been mostly falling since then, closing at $54.27 on Monday. Cramer said Nucor has fallen out of favor as hopes for Trump-induced infrastructure spending and protectionism faded -- particularly after the president recently dumped economic-nationalist adviser Steve Bannon. "When Bannon got fired and we didn't get infrastructure, the stock got hammered," Cramer said.

But the stockpicker said he appreciates the stock's 2.8% dividend yield, and has liked NUE ever since meeting late legendary Nucor chief Kenneth Iverson back in the 1980s. Cramer also had high praise for current Nucor CEO John Ferriola.

"John Ferriola is doing a pretty good job, and I know John pretty well," Cramer said. "I'm 'pounding the table' Nucor right here."

(This story has been updated.)

Want to join in on Jim's monthly conference calls? Click here for a free 14-day trial subscription to Action Alerts PLUS and hear all of the latest call, plus get e-mails before Jim makes any trade and enjoy lots of other exclusive material.

Watch: Jim Cramer, Caterpillar, Facebook, HP Enterprise, Autozone and Fed EX

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:

Action Alerts PLUS

, which Cramer co-manages as a charitable trust, is long NUE.
Bayer AG said Tuesday that its takeover of Monsanto likely won't be wrapped up until early next year and asked European regulators for an extension to the deadline on its investigation into the proposed $66 billion deal.

Bayer wants an extra 10 working days, the the German drug and pesticides maker said, in order to facilitate "an appropriate evaluation given the size of the transaction." That would take the deadline to Jan. 22, 2018, if approved, and pushes the deal's completion date into early 2018.

In view of this, an anticipated closing of the deal in early 2018 is now more likely than end of 2017," said Bayer board member and Crop Science division president Liam Condon. "Bayer has submitted applications for clearance to almost all of the around 30 relevant authorities, and has already received approvals from over one-third of them," the company added.

Bayer shares were marked 0.33% lower in Frankfurt and changing hands at 110.21 each by 10:45 am local time, extending their three-month decline past 10.6%.

The deal has proved something of a thorn in the side of the Monheim, Germany-based group, with the European Commission only last month launching an in-depth investigation into the proposed tie-up amid concerns it could hurt European farmers.

"Seeds and pesticide products are essential for farmers and ultimately consumers," said commissioner Margrethe Vestager in a statement on Tuesday, Aug. 22. "We need to ensure effective competition so that farmers can have access to innovative products, better quality and also purchase products at competitive prices."

Analysts have warned that scrutiny of the combination could be more rigorous than usual as the merger is the third of three agricultural inputs mega deals following Dow Chemical Co.'s $130 billion merger with DuPont Co. and ChemChina's $43 billion takeover of Switzerland's Syngenta AG. Both of those deals were subjected to an EU in-depth probe that resulted in asset sales before they were cleared to conclude.

The EC said it would decide on the transaction's fate on January 8, 2018, and that it was consulting with other competition authorities that are also reviewing the deal, including the Department of Justice in the U.S. and the antitrust authorities of Australia, Brazil, Canada and South Africa.

Bayer's shares were hit hard earlier this year when it lowered its full-year sales and earnings estimates thanks in part to a surging euro and challenging business conditions.

Bayer said it expects full-year sales to rise to 49 billion ($58.7 billion), down 4% from its previous guidance and forecasts adjusted operating profit to grow "by a high-single-digit percentage" compared to its prior aim of a growth rate in the "low teens". The group said its planned acquisition of Monsanto remains on track and that its "making progress in our discussions with regulatory authorities"

The outlook changes followed the company's June profit warning, which it said was based on weakness in a key market in Brazil and the recent rise in the European single currency.

The Leverkusen, Germany-based group said at the time that weakness in its crop science market in Brazil would lead to a a 300 million to 400 million hit to its full-year earnings and added that "unfavorable currency developments" and a weaker-than-expected performance in its consumer healthcare division would also trim its bottom line.

The euro, Bayer's reported currency, has risen to a January 2015 high of 1.1980 against the U.S. dollar this month, capping a year-to-date advance of nearly 14%.

Don't miss these top stories on TheStreet:
American CEOs are sending a signal on their desire for tax reform as the legislative debate advances on Capitol Hill.

Nearly nine in 10 CEO chief executive respondents to the Business Roundtable's latest economic outlook survey, released Tuesday, identified the tax code as the most important disadvantage to the U.S. economy relative to other major economies. The results land as Republicans in Washington, D.C., make their slow march toward delivering a tax bill that the White House has promised by the end of the year.

The Business Roundtable each quarter surveys its CEO members to gauge sentiment on the state of the economy and business planning.

Their third-quarter survey of 140 executives found that the group's CEO Economic Outlook Index jumped to 94.5, up from 93.9 in the second quarter and well above its historical average of 80.0. Plans for hiring increased during the third quarter, while expectations for sales and capital investment fell.

CEOs projected 2.1% GDP growth in 2017, up 0.1% from their June prediction.

"The survey results demonstrate that CEOs remain confident in the U.S. economy and that we must seize on the opportunity to continue to press for pro-growth economic policies that create jobs and fuel wage growth at all levels of the economy," said Jamie Dimon, Business Roundtable chairman and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) - Get Free Report chairman and CEO, in a statement accompanying the results.

Both Dimon and Business Roundtable president and CEO Joshua Bolten emphasized the importance of tax legislation.

"Our CEOs are committed and actively engaged in the effort to pass tax reform because they recognize that it will make us stronger as a country and create more opportunity for all Americans," Dimon said in a statement.

"On tax reform, CEOs are more than optimistic, they are counting on tax reform to get done," Bolten said in a call with reporters Tuesday discussing the results.

Business Roundtable on Tuesday also released a report on the tax code and foreign acquisition of United States companies. By its analysis, a "competitive" corporate tax rate, which it pegs at 20% compared to the current 35%, would have kept 4,700 companies in the United States from 2004 to 2016 and resulted in the acquisition of $1.2 trillion in cross-border assets by U.S. companies over the same period instead of a loss or $510 billion.

The report, an update of a 2015 EY study, also estimates foreign direct investment would have been $195 billion higher from 2004 to 2012 under a 20% corporate tax rate.

President Donald Trump campaigned on a pledge to reduce the corporate tax rate to 15% and is reportedly very tied to the number; however, most analysts say a number in the 20-28% range is more realistic.

Bolten said a 15% rate would be "terrific" but isn't the end-all, be-all. "The Business Roundtable's objective in tax reform is a fiscally-responsible bill that a. substantially lowers the corporate tax rate to internationally-competitive levels and b. shifts from a worldwide system of taxation to a territorial system," he said.

It's no secret that the promise of tax reform has been a major point of focus in the C-suite and on Wall Street since Republicans took control of both houses of Congress and the White House last November. But progress has been slow moving.

The GOP has yet to produce meaningful legislation. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said last week that an outline of the Republican tax plan currently being worked on by the so-called "Big Six" will be released the week of September 25. It is unclear what specifics, if any, that plan will provide on items such as tax rates or potential revenue raisers.

Republicans are also stuck in a sort of chicken-and-egg situation in their attempt to pass tax legislation through reconciliation. The process requires them to put a budget together before drafting a tax bill, but budget writers want to have an idea of what a tax bill might look like so they know where to aim.

Senate Republicans are considering writing a budget that would allow for up to $1.5 trillion in tax cuts, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. If the Congressional Budget Office were to determine accompanying legislation would increase the deficit over a 10-year window, Senate rules would require that parts of it, or the entire thing, would have to expire after a decade.

While most in Washington and on Wall Street agree permanent tax reform is preferable, they're open to a short-lived effort as well. "Permanent is better than temporary, and temporary is better than nothing," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has often said.

"There's much more agreement than might appear on the surface and from the outside of the process," Bolten said. "If everybody's headed in the same direction...then I think there is good reason for optimism."

"Business Roundtable CEOs overwhelmingly regard the U.S. tax system as a major disadvantage when it comes to competing with the rest of the world," Bolten said. "Failure to pass tax reform would cement that disadvantage to the detriment of all Americans."
Facebook Inc.'s (FB) - Get Free Report efforts to regain access to the Chinese market could pay dividends as soon as next year, according to a note from Mizuho Tuesday.

Mizuho Securities analyst James Lee met with multiple industry contacts during the firm's recent trip to the country. His contacts tell him that the company's reentry into China's strictly regulated cyberspace is imminent.

Lee notes that Facebook has recently hired former Chinese government officials as executives to lobby for its interests. Lee also sees China's recent acceptance of AirBnB as another positive sign.

"This approach appears to be aligned with Chinese government's policy to globalize local companies and could help pave the way to get the ICP license," Lee said. "If approved, we believe FB will likely operate an Instagram-like app, for photo & video sharing or VR-gaming platform through Oculus."

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:
A week after several wireless carrier CEOs expressed a desire for greater discipline with this year's iPhone promotions, sweetened deals for the coveted Apple (AAPL) - Get Free Report devices have started appearing. Sprint (S) - Get Free Report and AT&T (T) - Get Free Report have deals for free iPhones with trade-ins or added services, while Verizon (VZ) - Get Free Report and T-Mobile (TMUS) - Get Free Report provide discounts but have stopped short of deals for free iPhones.

"iPhone offers this fall are more restrained than they were last year," noted Jeff Moore of Wave7 Research.

Sprint kicked things off with a 50% discount on the monthly lease payment for an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus with a trade in. On Monday, Sprint improved on that with an offer for a free iPhone 8 with 64 GB of memory (list price: $699) with the trade-in of either an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, or one of Samsung's (SSNLF) just-released models, including the Galaxy S8, S8 Plus and Galaxy Note8.

Meanwhile, AT&T made the first free iPhone offer on Friday with a buy one get one free deal for the iPhone 8 in which customers get up to $700 off the price of a higher-priced iPhone 8 with more memory or iPhone 8 Plus. Customers have to get DirecTV service for $29.99 per month, however, in addition to signing up for an additional line for $20 a month.

"The only standalone free iPhone 8 offer we've seen so far is from Sprint and even this offer is less than meets the eye, since it requires trade-in of a highly valuable device of recent vintage -- iPhone 7/Plus, Galaxy S8/Plus, or Note 8," Moore said. "[And] AT&T's free iPhone 8 offer requires a new line and AT&T TV services." AT&T makes similar offers for other smart phones, he added.

For its part, Verizon is offering $300 off an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus with the trade-in of a wide variety of phones, including the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, 7 or 7 Plus; a Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus; or high-endmodels from other manufacturers.

While T-Mobile has often initiated aggressive promotions in the past, for now, it is sticking with a $300 discount on an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus with a trade-in of an iPhone 6 or newer model, similar to Verizon's offer.

Apple is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AAPL? Learn more now.

Watch: Get Your First Look at the Futuristic Apple iPhone X

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:

Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson added that trade-in values for iPhones are higher than the last cycle "making offers that sound the same on paper less costly [for the carriers] than last year's."

At a September Goldman Sachs conference in New York, most of the wireless CEOs spoke of taking a responsible approach to iPhone promotions after free trade-in offers and other deals got overheated during the last iPhone cycle, hurting profit margins.

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam heralded the industry's "discipline" with respect to its iPhone promotions at the Goldman conference, before AT&T and Sprint announced their free iPhone deals.

T-Mobile COO Michael Sievert suggested that 2018 will not be a replay of last year, when the carrier led the way with free iPhones with trade-ins. T-Mobile's current trade-in discounts and a new offer for free Netflix (NFLX) - Get Free Report service "are exciting promotions, but going all the way to free, that didn't look like a great thing," he said.

Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said at the conference that "so far, things seem to be very responsible, which is good, but if one of our competitors goes very aggressive, we will do the same," he said.

Claure also tweeted that Sprint would not be undercut.

The Sprint boss may not have been throwing down the gauntlet, Moffett suggested, so much as urging restraint.

"Far from being an irrational opening salvo, Claure's pre-emptive tweet about 'matching any offer' may actually have been a well-considered message to his competitors to remember what went wrong in 2016," he wrote.
Hurricane Maria's destructive tear across the Caribbean is well underway, with the Category 5 storm obliterating parts of Dominica, killing at least one person in Guadeloupe and threatening "catastrophic" damage to Puerto Rico within 24 hours.

Maria strengthened once again Tuesday afternoon and is now hurling 165 mph (265 kph) winds as it moves in on St. Croix.

"No generation has seen a hurricane like this since San Felipe II in 1928," Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Tuesday. "This is an unprecedented atmospheric system."

Rossello urged Puerto Ricans to find safe shelters immediately, as emergency workers "will not be available to help you once the winds reach 50 mph."

"We need to keep in mind that we must also protect the lives of these first responders. It's time to act and look for a safe place if you live in flood-prone areas or in wooden or vulnerable structures," Rossello said.

Maria has already killed one man in Guadeloupe after he ignored orders to stay inside and was struck by a falling tree, the island's government said.

Two other people are missing after a boat sank off the coast of La Desirade, a smaller island near the mainland of Guadeloupe. The government said about 80,000 people, or 40% of the households on the island, are without power.

The storm also caused "widespread devastation" in Dominica, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said Tuesday.

The hurricane shredded the prime minister's house overnight and left much of the island -- population 73,000 -- in ruins.

"So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace," Skerrit posted on Facebook Tuesday. He said his greatest fear was "news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains."

A few hours earlier, the Prime Minister posted, "My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding."

Maria is now the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in Dominica, a former French and British colony whose economy relies heavily on tourism and agriculture.

Now, Maria is taking aim on Puerto Rico and Islands already crippled by Hurricane Irma.

'Don't go out under any circumstances'

As of Tuesday afternoon, Maria was centered about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of St. Croix -- putting the island within reach of Maria's tropical-storm force winds -- and was headed west-northwest at 10 mph. At the speed it was going, Maria was less than 24 hours from San Juan.

While Maria moves closer to St. Croix, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, preparations against life-threatening storm surge, flooding and destructive winds "should be rushed to completion,' the National Hurricane Center said.

Puerto Rico said its biggest airport, the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport near San Juan, will close at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday. Airports in Ponce and Aguadilla will close today at 6 p.m.

A hurricane warning is in effect Tuesday for St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, the US and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Culebra, Vieques and part of the Dominican Republic.

"A dangerous storm surge accompanied by large and destructive waves will raise water levels by as much as 7 to 11 feet above normal tide levels in the hurricane warning area near where the center of Maria moves across the Leeward Islands and the British Virgin Islands," the hurricane center said.

Guadeloupe's regional government tweeted a stern warning to residents Tuesday: "Don't go out under any circumstances."

Puerto Rico says Maria 'will be catastrophic'

Maria will pummel the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday night and Wednesday as "an extremely dangerous Category 4 or 5 hurricane," the National Hurricane Center said. It could bring up to 2 feet of rain and a storm surge of up to 9 feet.

That would make Maria the first Category 4 or 5 hurricane to make landfall in Puerto Rico in 85 years.

In the capital city of San Juan, residents cleared store shelves of water and other supplies.

A CNN producer who was driving from the airport Tuesday said there were still some vehicles on the road. Of the two gas stations she passed, one was open. Many shops were already closed, she observed.

Some tourists from California told her that the hostel they are staying at moved them to an interior room when the men were unable to find flights home.

Gov. Rossello has declared a state of emergency. And US President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico to aid with federal assistance.

Puerto Rico sheltered many of the evacuees who fled from other Caribbean Islands during Hurricane Irma earlier this month. Now those evacuees and native Puerto Ricans are bracing for devastation.

"This is an event that will be damaging to the infrastructure, that will be catastrophic," Rossello said. "Our only focus right now should be to make sure we save lives."

The governor said 500 shelters are available on the island.

"We expect to feel storm winds, tropical storm winds, (from) Tuesday up until late on Thursday. That's about two-and-a-half days of tropical storm winds," Rossello said.

"On Wednesday we will feel the brunt -- all of the island will feel the brunt of sustained Category 4 or 5 winds."

The Puerto Rico Convention Center in the capital San Juan to the north -- which is still housing Hurricane Irma evacuees from other Caribbean islands -- is preparing to accept thousands of residents as the worst of the storm is felt.

Martinique largely spared

One bit of good news emerged from the Caribbean: The French island of Martinique suffered no major damage, the French Interior Ministry tweeted Tuesday.

Maria knocked out power to about 50,000 homes, and 10,000 homes had no water. But overall, the damage assessment was "reassuring," the French Interior Ministry said.

The director general of French civil security, Jacques Witkowski, said only two people on Martinique suffered minor injuries.

Rapid intensification

In just 30 hours, Maria's intensity exploded from 65 mph on Sunday to 160 mph by Monday night, the National Hurricane Center said.

The British Foreign Office said more than 1,300 troops are on standby, either on affected islands or in nearby locations, ready to help after Maria tears through.

One military team has been deployed to the British Virgin Islands, and a British military reconnaissance team is on standby to go to the British territory of Montserrat.

The HMS Ocean is set to arrive in the area at week's end with 60 tons of government supplies.

Another hurricane, Jose, is also churning in the Atlantic and has spawned tropical storm warnings for part of the US East Coast.

While forecasters don't anticipate Jose making landfall in the US, it's still expected to cause "dangerous surf and rip currents" along the East Coast in the next few days, the hurricane center said.

CNN's Jaide Timm-Garcia, Sarah Faidell, Matou Diop, Jamie Gray, Judson Jones, Brandon Miller, Taylor Ward and Karen Smith contributed to this report.
Someone please wake up Nike (NKE) - Get Free Report ; it keeps pressing snooze. It is losing market share to Adidas, so it needs to step up its social-media and SEO game.

A simple Google search shows why Adidas (ADDYY) is running away with Nike's lunch.

Try this: Search "Best Adidas Sneaker" and see what consumers will consider to be the top 5 sneakers. The No.1 shoe is the $170 Runner. The lineup is gender neutral, but skews to the masculine.

Then search "Best Nike Sneaker" and the No. 1 image is the $60 Tanjun, positioned on its toe ... like a ballerina. But isn't the company targeting men, who tend to spend more than women on sneakers anyway?

So, perhaps Nike should put more effort into its search engine optimization, to make sure the right-priced sneakers are seen by the right audience.

In addition to it kicking butt in the stores and on Google search, Adidas' website is aesthetically better than Nike's, with its static landing page and models. And "Adidas is just more innovative," says TheStreet's Senior Editor Michelle Lodge.

How long has Micheal Jordan been retired? Yet Nike is holding on. Does it really think Air Jordan can compete in today's market?

Imagine if the lower-priced Adidas Shell sneakers, made popular by the 1980's rap duo Run DMC, had not reinvented itself. It's not the Run DMC; it's the Shell and it's awesomely comfortable.

Meanwhile, Nike is gearing up for yet another September Air Jordan release. Yet, Nike's sales are off and Wall Street is rolling out the downgrades.

Adidas Google Search Results

Nike Google Search Results

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:
The following companies are subsidiares of BorgWarner: Akasol AG, B80 Italia S.r.l., BERU AG, BW El Salto S.A. De C.V., BWA Receivables Corporation, BWA Turbo Systems Holding LLC, Borg Warner Europe Holdings (PDS) B. V., BorgWarner (China) Investment Co. Ltd., BorgWarner (Reman) Holdings L.L.C., BorgWarner (Thailand) Limited, BorgWarner Aftermarket Europe GmbH, BorgWarner Alternators Inc., BorgWarner Arden LLC, BorgWarner Arnstadt RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Asia Inc., BorgWarner Automotive Asia Limited, BorgWarner Automotive Components (Beijing) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Brasil Ltda., BorgWarner Chungju Co. LLC, BorgWarner Comercial e Distribuidora de Pecas para Veiculos Automotores Ltda., BorgWarner Comercializadora PDS S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner Componentes PDS S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner Cooling Systems (India) Private Limited, BorgWarner Cooling Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Diversified Transmission Products Services Inc., BorgWarner Drivetrain Engineering GmbH, BorgWarner Drivetrain Management Services de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Drivetrain de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Electric Motors L.L.C., BorgWarner Emissions Systems (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Emissions Systems (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Emissions Systems Holding LLC, BorgWarner Emissions Systems India Private Limited, BorgWarner Emissions Systems LLC, BorgWarner Emissions Systems Portugal Unipessoal LDA, BorgWarner Emissions Systems Spain S.L.U., BorgWarner Emissions Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner Emissions Talegaon Private Limited, BorgWarner Engineering Ketsch RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Engineering Kibo RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Esslingen GmbH, BorgWarner Europe GmbH, BorgWarner Europe Holding S.a. r. l., BorgWarner Gateshead Limited, BorgWarner Germany Holding GmbH, BorgWarner Germany Holding Services GmbH, BorgWarner Germany REH GmbH, BorgWarner Germany REM GmbH, BorgWarner Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, BorgWarner Global Holding S.a. r. l., BorgWarner Heidelberg I RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Heidelberg II RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Heidelberg REH GmbH, BorgWarner Heidelberg REM GmbH, BorgWarner Holding Inc., BorgWarner Holdings Limited, BorgWarner Hungary Kft., BorgWarner IT Services Europe GmbH, BorgWarner India Holdings Inc., BorgWarner Investment Holding Inc., BorgWarner Ithaca LLC, BorgWarner Ketsch Plant RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Ketsch REH GmbH, BorgWarner Ketsch REM GmbH, BorgWarner Kft., BorgWarner Kibo RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Korea Holdings (PDS) B.V., BorgWarner Korea Holdings LLC, BorgWarner Korea LLC, BorgWarner Limited, BorgWarner Ludwigsburg GmbH, BorgWarner Ludwigsburg RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Markdorf Plant RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Markdorf REH GmbH, BorgWarner Markdorf REM GmbH, BorgWarner Massachusetts Inc., BorgWarner Mauritius Holdings Ltd., BorgWarner Mexico Holding BV, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings II LLC, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings LLC, BorgWarner Morse Systems India Private Limited, BorgWarner Morse Systems Italy S.r.l., BorgWarner Morse Systems Japan K.K., BorgWarner Morse Systems Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Muggendorf RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner NW Inc., BorgWarner Netherlands Holdings (PDS) B.V., BorgWarner Oroszlany Kft., BorgWarner PDS (Anderson) L.L.C., BorgWarner PDS (Changnyeong) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Indiana) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Livonia) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Ochang) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Thailand) Limited, BorgWarner PDS (USA) Inc., BorgWarner PDS Brasil Produtos Automotivos Ltda., BorgWarner PDS Irapuato S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Technologies L.L.C., BorgWarner Poland Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Pyongtaek LLC, BorgWarner Romeo Power LLC, BorgWarner Rzeszow Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Shenglong (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner South Asia LLC, BorgWarner Southborough Inc., BorgWarner Spain Holding S.L.U, BorgWarner Sweden AB, BorgWarner Systems Lugo S.r.l., BorgWarner Thermal Systems Inc., BorgWarner Thermal Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner TorqTransfer Systems Beijing Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Tralee Ltd., BorgWarner Transmission Products LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Arnstadt GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Korea LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Tulle S.A.S., BorgWarner Trustees Limited, BorgWarner Turbo & Emissions Systems France S.A.S., BorgWarner Turbo Systems Engineering GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems LLC, BorgWarner Turbo Systems Worldwide Headquarters GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner Turbo and Emissions Systems de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner UK Financing Ltd., BorgWarner UK Holding and Services Ltd., BorgWarner US Holding LLC, BorgWarner USA Industries L.L.C., BorgWarner United Transmission Systems Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Waterloo Inc., BorgWarner Wrexham Limited, Cascadia Motion LLC, Creon Insurance Agency Limited, Delphi Technologies, Dytech ENSA, Gustav Wahler GmbH u. Co. KG, Haldex, Kuhlman LLC, Kysor Europe Limited, M. & M. Knopf Auto Parts L.L.C., NSK-Warner (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., NSK-Warner K.K., NSK-Warner Mexico S.A. de C.V, NSK-Warner U.S.A. Inc., New PDS Corp., Old Remco Holdings L.L.C., Old Remco International Holdings L.L.C., Remy International, SeohanWarner Turbo Systems LLC, Sevcon, Sevcon New Energy Technology (Hubei) Company Limited, and Transmission Systems AutoForm LLC.

Read More
BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
Telefonica, S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Europe and Latin America. The company's mobile and related services and products comprise mobile voice, value added, mobile data and Internet, wholesale, corporate, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services. Its fixed telecommunication services include PSTN lines; ISDN accesses; public telephone services; local, domestic, and international long-distance and fixed-to-mobile communications; corporate communications; supplementary value-added services; video telephony; intelligent network; and telephony information services, as well as leases and sells handset equipment. The company also provides Internet and broadband multimedia services comprising Internet service provider, portal and network, retail and wholesale broadband access, narrowband switched access, high-speed Internet through fibre to the home, and voice over Internet protocol services. In addition, it offers leased line, virtual private network, fibre optics, web hosting and application, outsourcing and consultancy, desktop, and system integration and professional services. Further, the company offers wholesale services for telecommunication operators, including domestic interconnection and international wholesale services; leased lines for other operators; and local loop leasing services, as well as bit stream services, wholesale line rental accesses, and leased ducts for other operators' fiber deployment. Additionally, it provides video/TV services; smart connectivity and services, and consumer IoT products; financial and other payment, security, cloud computing, advertising, big data, and digital telco experience services; virtual assistants; digital home platforms; and Movistar Home devices. It also offers online telemedicine, home insurance, music streaming, and consumer loan services. The company was incorporated in 1924 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.
Philippines.

ND: (1974-1985).

2 Piso

UNC

Blue on multicolor underprint. J. Rizal at left. Central Bank Seal Type 2.

Back: Scene of Aguinaldo's Independence Declaration of June 12, 1898. Overprint: ANG BAGONG LIPUNAN (New Society) on watermark area, 1974-85.

Watermark: J. Rizal.

UV: legend in curve over Rizal portrait fluoresce orange.

In un-circlated condition, as per pics.

Pictures are scans of the note(s) you will receive in this auction.

I only use courier services, rural is more expensive but this ensures safer delivery. All goods delivered to your door. If you live at a rural address and opt for the urban tab, you will not receive your items.

I will combine to save postage, please pay the higher amount of shipping and the other items can be added free of charge. I DO NOT OFFER FREE POSTAGE UNLESS STATED.

I can hold on to items for 3-4 days and combine shipping costs but please contact me if you wish to do so. I prefer payment within 2 days of the auction closing. Any items bid on and not paid for will be relisted and negative feedback listed.

Happy bidding, thanks for looking.
Hamlet: Prince of Denmark - William Shakespeare Author: William Shakespeare isbn: 9781905716807

A young prince meets with his father's ghost, who alleges that his own brother, now married to his widow, murdered him. The prince devises a scheme to test the truth of the ghost's accusation, feigning wild madness while plotting a brutal revenge. But his apparent insanity soon begins to wreak havoc on innocent and guilty alike. Hamlet's combination of violence and introspection is unusual among Shakespeare's tragedies. It is also full of curious riddles and fascinating paradoxes, making it one of his most widely discussed plays.Illustrated throughout by Sir John Gilbert (1817-1897), famous for his depictions of historical scenes. As well as Shakespeare, he illustrated works of Sir Walter Scott, Cervantes, Wilkie Collins and Wordsworth.With an Introduction by Dr Robert Mighall.

Collectors Library Edition

The Collectors Library Editions consists of pocket sized complete works, story anthologies and scholarly abridgements, all containing the finest illustrations. Beautifully designed for all who love classic literature produced to traditional high standards; substantial books bound in real cloth, illustrated throughout, with head and tailbands, ribbon markers, top edge gilt and handsome jackets.

2010 Hardback 216 pages Good condition

THIS ITEM IS IN STOCK READY FOR IMMEDIATE SHIPPING

We ship every working day by Fast Post for delivery as soon as possible.

COMBINED SHIPPING: I will ship up to 6 items together for 4.90 p&p, above this it may be a little more depending on size eg I can send 5kg for 9.80 p&p. Please pay when you've finished buying or use the shopping cart.
Events, Thursday, in New York: (i) Flagship reforms for a more effective African Union: a conversation with Rwandan President Paul Kagame (Brookings Institution); (ii) Income inequality trends in sub-Saharan Africa: launch of UNDPs 440-page study

Yesterday, in New York: launch of NEPADs Infrastructure Financing For Africa Initiative

UNCTADs High-level Panel at the 64th Session of the Trade and Development Board: Accelerating progress in building productive capacities in Least Developed Countries and other vulnerable economies

Trade ministers talk global developments at AU meeting (SAnews)

African Ministers of Trade on Monday met in Ethiopia on priority issues for the continent in the current Doha Development Round. SAs trade minister, Rob Davies: On the new issues being proposed for rule-making in the WTO, the meeting agreed that there was no negotiating mandate on the new issues. It is premature to consider multilateral rules on e-commerce and in South Africas view, priority should be given to cooperation, addressing the digital divide and exploring options for promoting digital industrial policy.

10th Session of the Committee on Regional Cooperation and Integration: a focus on CFTA shared gains (UNECA)

The CRCI (31 October - 2 November, Addis Ababa) will be held under the theme Implementation of the Continental Free Trade Area and Shared Gains. The meeting will be held back-to-back with Expert Group Meetings that will review and discuss a number of crucial publications on various themes, including policy options for boosting intra-African investment through regional harmonization of investment policies and treaties; how the promotion of Africas industrialization can be strengthened through infrastructure development and smart industrialization through trade in the context of Africas transformation. Participants will also discuss policy options needed to strengthen agribusiness and agro industries as pathways to sustainable and inclusive Africas transformation.

Bruce Byiers: Regional organisations in Africa  mapping multiple memberships (ECDPM)

One consequence of this is the overlapping memberships of multiple organisations that characterise most African countries, now shown in this new interactive map of 39 African regional organisations developed by ECDPM. But as the map also shows, there are a whole range of other regional organisations of which countries are members where politics are key. Egypt is member of at least five African regional organisations, all of which together offer fora for diplomatic discussions around trade, water, and energy, not to mention the issues that can be raised on the margins of such fora. The map lights up when one looks at the DRC with its membership of 14 organisations, or Burundi with 13, and Rwanda with 11. These high numbers may just reflect geography  those in the centre will always be on the edge of other arbitrarily defined regional boundaries. But is that the only factor?

ECOWAS, UNOWAS strengthen institutional cooperation with ECCAS

ECOWAS and the UN Office for West Africa and Sahel have reiterated their commitment to support the development of the institutional capacity of the Economic Community of Central African States in order to mitigate peace and security challenges in both Communities. At a three-day workshop on interregional Exchange and Good Practice in Abuja, the ECOWAS Commissions Vice-president, Edward Singhatey stated that the gathering was yet another example of the growing international cooperation among relevant stakeholders in and around the region, in their collective resolve to collaborate and jointly confront the challenges that threaten our collective security.

Ghana commits to ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol (Ghana Business News)

Mr Charles Owiredu, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, said the two Protocols together, aims to create a single ECOWAS Regional Community, devoid of obstacles and impediments to free movement of people, goods, services and capital. Indeed, it is our steadfast conviction that free movement, constitute the cornerstone of our regional integration efforts, and serves as the basis for unlocking the dividends thereof, with an immense potential to advance the sustainable development of our Region. The Deputy Minister said this at the inauguration of the National Steering Committee in Ghana of the Regional Monitoring Mechanisms for Free Movement of Inter-State Passenger Vehicles, Persons and Goods within ECOWAS. The two-day meeting is being organised within the framework of the ECOWAS-Swiss Agreement for the removal of harassment along ECOWAS highways and the joint ECOWAS EU funded 10th European Development Fund (EDF) -Project Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa.

Where to Invest in Africa 2018: RMBs Investment Attractiveness Index

In this edition of Where to Invest in Africa 2018, RMBs Investment Attractiveness Index, which balances economic activity against the relative ease of doing business, illustrates how subdued levels of economic activity have diluted several scores on the index when compared to last year, resulting in some interesting movements within the Top 10. Notable omissions from the Top 10 this year are Nigeria and Algeria, which have fallen from numbers six and 10 to numbers 13 and 15 respectively. Ethiopia and Rwanda, on the other hand, have climbed three and four places respectively. But probably the most notable change is that South Africa has fallen from first place for the first time since the inception of the report, ceding its place to Egypt which is now Africas most attractive investment destination. [Egypt knocks SA from top investment spot in Africa]

Ghana: Economy on positive trajectory as balance of trade to hit surplus in 2018 - Fitch (GhanaWeb)

Ghanas economy is on positive trajectory as the nations balance of trade is expected to move into a surplus in 2018, the first time in at least two decades, BMI, research outfit of ratings agency Fitch has predicted. The projection will see a further strengthening of the local currency which is expected to end the year 2016 at GHS4.33 to the US dollar. The cedi began the year 2017 with a rate of GHS4.20 against the American greenback. According to BMIs report, oil growth which is expected to increase by about 60 percent this year over that of 2016 will significantly boost the countrys balance of trade. Presently, crude oil is trading at US$53.27 and is expected to end the year at US$ 54.0 per barrel. [BMIs Ghana Trade and Investment Risk Report: request executive summary]

Ghana: Address bureaucracy in granting business permits (Graphic)

The Turkish Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Nesrin Bayazit, has asked the government to address the perennial bureaucratic procedures that businesses go through before getting permits and licences to operate in the country. She acknowledged the stringent steps being taken to address the challenge and urged the government to expedite action to overturn the hurdle to attract investors into the country.

Tanzania: Oil, gas local content regulations almost ready (Daily News)

Oil and Gas Local content regulations will come into effect in November this year, the government has said. National Economic Empowerment Council acting Director of Local Content Esther Mmbaga said in Dar es Salaam that both the policy and law are in place and the government is only finalising the regulations. Speaking to the Daily News on the sidelines of the first oil and gas annual congress, Ms Mmbaga said a lot of work will be needed to build local capacity skills for effective participation in the new oil and gas sector. The government will work closely with investors to ensure successful implementation of local content in the country, she said.

Indonesia, Namibia agree to enhance bilateral trade cooperation (Antara News)

Indonesias Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi held a bilateral meeting with her Namibian counterpart Netumbo Nandi-Ndiatwah, and the two ministers agreed to intensify cooperation to boost bilateral trade. Indonesia will increase its economic cooperation with Namibia, including those under the Preferential Trade Agreement between Indonesia and SACU, Marsudi noted in a statement here, Tuesday. The two ministers held the bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. [Namibia to ratify SADC Treaty on Arms Trade]

India: State Bank of Mauritius may become first to open local subsidiary (Economic Times)

State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) is likely to become the first foreign bank to open a wholly-owned subsidiary almost four years after the Reserve Bank of India allowed overseas lenders to open local units in India. SBM is awaiting a final approval from RBI and has laid out an ambitious business plan for what will be the largest market for the government-owned lender from the island nation. We have identified 25 to 30 SME and retail clusters and our distribution is targeted around that. We expect to start 30 to 40 branches within five years in tune with the different branch formats allowed by the RBI, said Siby Sebastian, India CEO at SBM.

Nigerias $7bn cashew export target under threat  NCAN (Vanguard)

National Cashew Association of Nigeria, NCAN, has warned that unless something urgent was done to address the leadership crisis rocking the association, the Federal Governments $7 billion cashew export target annually would be derailed. Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Vice President of NCAN, East Zone, comprising cashew-producing states in the South-East and South-South states, Mr. Chuks Nkanele, declared that currently, there was a huge demand for cashew from Nigeria, but lamented that the country was struggling to meet up with less than 1% of the demand. He also warned that unless something was done urgently to curb the activities of foreign produce buyers that had invaded the country, Nigerias foreign exchange earnings from cashew export would be completely eroded.

EU team assesses Ghanas export readiness (Graphic)

A three-member team of auditors from the Food and Veterinary Office of the EU is in the country to assess the quality of Ghanas vegetables. The audit will enable the EU office on food safety to reconsider a three-year-old embargo on vegetables export from Ghana to the EU Market. The auditors who are expected to end their duty tour by Saturday, September 21, 2017, will among other things thoroughly assess the sanitary and phytosanitary systems in Ghana required for ensuring the safety of food items and fresh produce.
By now, you've probably heard of Marie Kondo and her popular method of organization called KonMari that involves only keeping objects that bring joy to your life.

Kondo has written several books that not only help people to declutter their homes but also to bring a sense of calm and happiness to their lives. Her books have been such a success that she now has her own series on Netflix entitled "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo."

On the show, Kondo goes to different people's homes and helps them tackle overwhelming amounts of clutter. Some episodes focus on families that had to downsize drastically from a large home to an apartment, and others are more emotional with a family member not being able to get rid of a loved one's possessions after they've passed away.

For those who don't have a Netflix account, her bestselling books provide the same valuable tips and tricks.

How to organize not only your home but also your daily tasks

Marie Kondo's second book, "Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up" is an even deeper dive into the territory she covered in her first how-to bestseller, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up." The follow-up book includes illustrations of how to fold odd-shaped clothes and organize drawers, how to pack a suitcase and store reusable bags, how to tidy a desk, and what to do with everything from warranties to baking supplies. The author goes into specific detail about what order you should follow for your tidying, and how to handle different rooms of your home. (And by detail, we're talking not just how best to fold underwear and socks, but what kind of box to keep them in, and how they should fit into your closet as a whole.)

Her approach is about how the parts fit together cohesively, with each part carefully considered. She writes in the clothing chapter: "If you view your closet as a small room, you will be able to create a beautiful storage space." In a word, this book is exhaustive, and just the thing Kondo's many (many) fans have been clamoring for  more KonMari (that's Kondo's moniker for her method of organizing). I agree with Kondo when she suggests that if you're already a fairly proficient organizer, you can just jump right into "Spark Joy," but if you're not, you might want to start with "Life-changing Magic" first.

I loved "Spark Joy." It's fun to read, accessible and can be absorbed in two-page bites, though I read it in a couple of sittings. But before I continue, I have to make a disclaimer: I feel a very strong kinship with Kondo, and reading her books is like meeting a more obsessive, quirkier, Japanese version of myself. Just like Kondo, I spent my young teenage years organizing friends' rooms after school. When I worked at a nature center for the summer when I was 15, I reorganized it entirely  and I did it in two days, from the crammed closets to the visitor exhibits, and transformed it into an open, welcoming space where hikers would want to linger.

I have long seen the stuff that surrounds me as imbued with some kind of energy of its own, and like Kondo, I like to see that my things are well taken care of and that they serve a purpose. If something is off in some way, I get rid of it. I'm no minimalist  my home is filled with art and books and textiles and plants  but there's little that I would discard if I got rid of the things that didn't spark joy. When I look at my possessions, I get a positive thrill, just as Kondo's main principle holds. Every object has a home and is happiest when it is there.

I don't know how common this kind of thinking is, but my sense is that it's not. So the following is based on the fact that I'm already KonMari-fied in most of the ways she describes. But I'm far from alone. There's something deeply attractive about Kondo's point of view  otherwise her first book wouldn't have been translated into 35 languages.

It's not about organizing; it's about what you surround yourself with

What is it about this particular kind of organizing that attracts devoted crowds to every Marie Kondo appearance? Underneath the specifics of organizing  which, let's face it, everyone from Martha Stewart to celebrity organizers has written about  something else lurks. It's a profound message about our stuff.

Most of us have too many things that we've spent too much money on or we don't take care of well, and we create an incredible amount of waste in the pursuit of it, both in energy to create it and landfill space when we finally toss it. Guilt is the common emotion when people are faced with a pile of their things.

Why all the stuff and all the guilt? Could it be that it's because we use buying, collecting, gathering  accumulating, basically to take the place of things missing in our lives? That's one idea. Or maybe our things are a distraction because we'd rather not think about more difficult issues. You'll notice neither of my hypotheses are about the practical challenges of organizing.

So, perhaps we need a spiritual and practical answer for a problem that is both spiritual and practical  not just one or the other. Kondo provides just that, peppering her book with the nuggets of what I think of as "the spirit of things," which could be an alternate title for this second book.

Saying thank-you changes your perspective

Kondo asks us to hold objects in our hands to understand how they make us feel, and to thank those things for the work they've done that we discard them. They are, like the Velveteen Rabbit, alive in their own way. She writes, towards the end of "Spark Joy," "There are three facets to the spirit that dwells in material things: the spirit of the materials from which the things are made, the spirit of the person who made them, and the spirit of the person who uses them."

This perspective may derive from Japanese Shinto beliefs. Kondo suggests that when she writes: "... it occurred to me that Japanese people have treated material things with special care since ancient times." Her example is the concept of yaoyorozu no kami (literally, 800,000 gods): "The Japanese believed that gods resided not only in natural phenomena such as the sea and the land but also in the cooking stove and even in each individual grain of rice, and therefore treated all of them with reverence," she writes.

Others have picked up on the spiritual side of Kondo's work, and why it's appealing, but see it pointing to their own beliefs: Karen Swallow Prior in the Washington Post writes: "Decluttering, like cleanliness, has become almost its own religion. But its real magic is in the joy of recognizing that the desire to create order amid chaos, to resist the dirt of decay, reflects the order and purity of the one who created us."

And Laura Miller at Slate thinks all this concern about our stuff is really about something deeper than the ideas above, mainly death. "Kondos books constitute an insistent if oblique consideration of our own mortality, and the soon-to-be-departed, dear reader, is you. Death: the supreme life-changing magic," Miller writes.

Our things, whether clothing, decorative objects, tools or kitchen appliances, take time, attention and energy, so only those worthy of that expenditure are worth keeping. Unused, unwanted and unloved things are a terrible distraction  so if you change your mindset about them via Kondo's "spark joy" approach, you are likely to consume less, be more thoughtful about what you buy, and tend towards fixing something you love rather than tossing it. Or  and this is a revolutionary idea  love it anyway, despite its small flaws. (This isn't a new concept, the Japanese word for appreciating what is imperfect is wabi-sabi  you may have heard of it.) All of this conscious consumption is likely to have financial and waste-reduction benefits  as well as mental health, and possibly spiritual perquisites too.

When you boil Kondo's thousands of words down a la Michael Pollan's advice on eating (Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants), you might get something like this: Love your things. Not too many. Recycle the rest.

Seems quite sensible to me.
A single 16-ounce serving generates, on average, 4.5 pounds of perfectly edible food waste.

A few months ago, I wrote an article called 'Stop Juicing. Start Eating' that pointed out the nutritional pitfalls of drinking too much juice. Lack of fiber and too many calories in a single glass are the main issues. But there's another side to juicing that should be considered. As pointed out by Elizabeth Royte for Modern Farmer, juicing creates tons of perfectly edible food waste. In fact, a single 16-ounce serving of cold-pressed juice generates, on average, 4.5 pounds of pulp waste.

'It's compostable!' you might think. Yes, in theory, but it's more complicated than that. Pulp is wet, heavy, and hard to transport. Carting it to a composting facility is costly and not something that many small businesses want to bother doing, especially if it's not mandated by the city or municipality.

Then there is the counterintuitive problem of juice pulp being so compostable that many composters don't want it; it breaks down too quickly. Will Brinton, founder of a soil-testing company in Maine, explains why:
So "Potential Tropical Storm 15" is expected to be named Maria and be a hurricane in the next 24hrs. It is currently listed on NHC website as "Potential Tropical Cyclone 15". Current models (all are pretty much in agreement on strengthening and track) are showing it hitting Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic mid week around the 20th. My question is, what is the typical SOP for the hotels. Will they give you option to leave or is it a forced evacuation and they refuse to let you stay? If I wanted to ride it out, will they let you?

I am scheduled to arrive tomorrow, Sunday and as of right now it is not named, no watches, no warnings so canceling the trip and taking advantage of the insurance is not doable.

Here's to hoping Jose` slows down, and pulls Maria north...

Edited: 5 years ago
We did a split last year. 4 nights at CSA and 3 nights at Catcha. We figured we could eat and drink our fill for the first days of our trip and then head to the cliffs and get comfortable at our cottage on the cliffs. We picked up some provisions at the store across the street from Catcha and had our drinks at our spot on the cliffs. We dined at Ivan's for most of our meals, it was just too easy to walk over to our table. We either did breakfast or lunch, and then had dinner. We went to The Lodge at Tensing Pen one night. There are any number of restaurants that are close and reasonable.

Having been to Negril beach side 5 times we were happy to finally stay on the cliffs. We have always enjoyed our trips for meals on the cliffs in previous stays. While we enjoyed our stay we are more beach people and will not be staying cliff side for longer stays going forward. This year we are starting out for one night on the cliffs at Xtabi before we head to the beach.

I think you will enjoy the opportunity to experience a stay on the cliffs. Catcha was great, quaint, wonderful views, pool, nice staff and for those more adventurous than us great water access. We have stayed at CSA three times. It is a solid all inclusive with very nice accommodations, marvelous beach, good food, decent entertainment and lots of inclusions. We just sit under a tree on the beach and walk Long Bay so the cost is not worth it for us. But it is a great resort for an introduction to Negril. For whatever reason, we find ourselves drawn to Negril when we decide on heading to the Caribbean. Heading back on the 30th. Can't wait.
I have flown in the other direction with a number of different airlines depending on which stopover city I felt like visiting. So I have had stopovers in Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific, Seoul with Korean Airlines and Dubai with Emirates. In the case of Korean, the connecting flight in some cases is not until the next day. In that case you can get a night of free accommodation. I have not used this myself, but I have a friend who did. He did not get to see much of Seoul during his stay. I chose to stay 3 nights at Seoul at my own expense, so this way I was able to see more of the city.
>>2 week trip to Australia in Feb and was wondering if it was feasible to go to Sydney and Melbourne and Cairns in that time period.<<

3 destinations in 2 weeks is doable.

>>I was thinking of maybe flying instead of driving to those cities? or maybe travel by train?<<

Definitely fly. It is too far to drive. With some exceptions, train travel is not scenic or efficient in Australia.

>>If anyone has suggestions on what to do in those cities.<<

Why did you shortlist those cities?

Sydney and Melbourne are alright to visit in February. Cairns has wet season in February and while people can still visit then the assumption would be you are keen to see it. If you are asking what to see there, are you interested in alternative suggestions more suitable for that time of year?
Hello,

If I am reading your post correctly, it sounds like you are planning to travel in 2 months from now (so in the month of November). You should then be aware that Central Vietnam (Hoi An/Hue in particular) are very rainy during November. Hoi An especially is prone to flooding. Even Nha Trang will be typically rainy in late October and into November. So for your beach stay, I would definitely recommend heading to Phu Quoc for sure since the weather should be beautiful there in November. Since you expressed interest in seeing the Mekong Delta (which you cannot do on the same day as Cu Chi), you can even opt to stay a night in the Mekong Delta and then continue from Can Tho directly to Phu Quoc.

In fact, I would suggest to structure the itinerary ideally to start from Taipei to Hanoi, then travel from North to South in Vietnam. After Hanoi and Halong Bay - then head to Central (Hue and Hoi An) for 2-3 nights. If you are interested in history then Hue is a fascinating and beautiful city. Hoi An is about a 3 hour drive away from Hue. So you may wish to spend 1 night in Hue and then 2 in Hoi An or vice-versa. When you stay in Hoi An, you can also visit Danang (but most people spend the time in Hoi An as the UNESCO town is very interesting (with bars and restaurants for nightlife), and you can do day trips to local villages from there by boat and bicycle - it's very charming. Danang is bigger, more developed. You can see the Marble Mountains and some museums in Danang if you desire. It is about a 35 minute drive between Danang and Hoi An.

After Hoi An, fly to Ho Chi Minh City, then do the Mekong Delta - and then head to Phu Quoc for your beach stay before returning home. That way you are not backtracking.

Enjoy your time in Vietnam. It sounds like it will be a great trip.

Dianna Upton

Asia Product Manager, Travel Beyond
You can't go past the tea ceremony. I've attended the usual tourist one where you observe the formal ceremony and then are served some tea with the sweets but in Kyoto, we were taken to a small establishment where the guests are shown how to make the tea with whisk and tea powder. Of course this is not the full ceremony but then again, the hands on aspect really gives you a nice appreciation of what is involved.
By monorail to/from Hamamatsucho and Haneda is 490yen o/w and by Keikyu rail is 410yen o/w to/from Shinagawa and Haneda.

http://www.haneda-airport.jp/inter/en/access/train.html

As SammyF1oyd said, you want to use the JR Pass for long distance travels as much as possible for value for money. Activate the pass on the last day of the first 4 days in Tokyo in order to visit Mt. Fuji to ride to Otsuki by JR Ltd. Exp. from Shinjuku and then travel to Kyoto next day and so on for the total of 7 days. Traveling within Tokyo is cheap ~200yen per a ride on either JR or Metro for just about any tourist destinations.

Note:I am not sure if the 2 day unlimited ride Fuji Kyuko round trip ticket is still available. You can check at Otsuki,Fujikyu station ticket window (not from the ticket vending machines). I even exchanged for this discount ticket after finding out and even after buying a ticket from the vending machine for my day trip.
I should add that I also think it is unlikely many areas of Japan would be a target. The only major targets for north korea would be first Guam where the US bases its heavy bombers and is known to hold nuclear weapons, Hawaii where a major fleet is based and South Korea. There is too much pride at steak here and above all the north koreans seem to hate Americans more than they hate Japanese this means that their main targets would be to strike America and hit their primary target. Sure Japan has Yokosuka, but again it is heavily defended and even for north korea to try and fire at Yokosuka first would mean sacrificing their primary goal of not being able to hit America. I think the main targets would be initially South Korea, I think the artillery would be aimed at troop locations and not the city as they know if they just try to level the city then they will be taken out and leave their front line open to an onslaught from the South Korean front line that was not touched due to the targeting of Seoul. The Americans only use Seoul as propaganda to let the north know that is their main fear as to try and get them to concentrate on building and maintaining their artillery opposed to nuclear weapons.
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.
The Mayor of the nation's capital city says the police are working and it is not for him to assess their performance.

This,. as he called on the entire society to work together on getting rid of any perception that crime is an opportunity.
Militants launched 14 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in ATO area in Donbas over the past day. Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded.

This is reported by the ATO press center.

The tensest situation was observed near the industrial area of Avdiivka (18km north of Donetsk), where Ukrainian positions came under grenade launcher, heavy machine gun and small arms fire. Russian-backed militants also launched seven 82mm mortars on Pisky (12km north-west of Donetsk) and shelled Zaitseve (67km north-north-east of Donetsk), using weapons on infantry fighting vehicles.

In Mariupol direction, illegal armed formations used heavy machine guns and 82mm mortars to fire at Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol).

In Luhansk direction, ATO troops came under enemy fire near Novotoshkivske (53km north-west of Luhansk).

ol
The U.S. Senate has approved the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (NDAA), which envisages the allocation of $500 million to support Ukraine in the security and defense sector, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has reported on his Twitter page.

According to the report, the document authorizes the delivery of lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine.

"For the first time, at the legislative level, it is proposed to provide Ukraine with such defensive means as air defense and sea surface surveillance radars, naval missiles, and coastal ships," reads the statement.

The U.S. administration and both parties in the Congress are in favor of providing Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons. However, the final decision on this matter is to be made by U.S. President Donald Trump.

op
Canada and the United Kingdom will launch a joint training course for the Ukrainian military next year.

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau said this after the meeting with Head of the British Government Theresa May, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"I am pleased to announce that we will deepen our cooperation in the field of security and defense in Eastern Europe, confronting Russian aggression there. We agreed to take concrete measures to improve our defense cooperation through the new training program for the Armed Forces of Ukraine which will be launched early next year," Trudeau said.

"Next month, we will conduct in Latvia joint Canadian-British military exercises which will take place within the framework of NATO combat groups in Eastern Europe," said Canadian PM.

As the press office of Justin Trudeau reports, Canada and the UK "will continue to partner in Ukraine to support defence reform and institutional capacity building."

ol
A trade turnover between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland has increased by 30% during the first quarter of 2017.

Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Poland on Security, Consular Affairs and Eastern Policy Bartosz Cichocki said this during his visit to Kyiv.

"We are happy to note that the turnover for the first quarter of 2017 increased by 30%, and we expect that these financial indicators will continue to grow," the diplomat said.

He also said that the volume of financial transfers from Poland, which was carried out by 1.2 million Ukrainians, working or studying in the Republic of Poland, amounted to 8 billion zloty. "This is over 3% of the Ukrainian GDP, which is a significant support that comes from Poland," Cichocki said.

ish
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has met with Swedish and Polish counterparts Margot Wallstrom and Witold Waszczykowski as part of his working visit to New York on September 18 to attend the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.

"During the meeting, the sides discussed the ways of Ukraine's interaction with Poland and Sweden as part of the UN, in particular the Security Council," the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported on Monday, September 18.

Klimkin thanked his colleagues for consistent support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, which these countries provide within the UN, other international organizations and forums. He also emphasized the need to continue political and diplomatic pressure on Russia as an aggressor country, as well as counteracting Russian destructive actions and propaganda.

As part of the initiative of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, the parties discussed the deployment of a UN peacekeeping operation in Ukrainian territory which could contribute to restoring peace and security in the Donbas.
The parliamentarians of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia, which are part of the Eastern Partnership format, are planning to demand that the European Parliament adopt a resolution on political support for the three states and the development of a roadmap for their accession to the European Union.

Moldovan Deputy Parliament Speaker Iurie Leanca stated this after a meeting between representatives of the legislative bodies of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia, which was held in Italy, an Ukrinform correspondent in Moldova reports.

"We agreed to work out a joint appeal of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia to the European Parliament and call on European legislators to adopt a resolution on political support for our states and the development of a roadmap for joining the European Union. It was also agreed that the parliaments of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia will develop a plan of joint measures on trilateral cooperation in bringing national legislation into line with European standards and implementing joint infrastructure projects and projects in the field of energy security," Leanca said.

The parliamentarians of the three countries adopted a joint declaration on the need to rethink the format of the Eastern Partnership.

The meeting was held in the context of the Eastern Partnership summit to be held in Brussels.

Eastern Partnership consists of six countries: Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Belarus.

op
First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economic Development and Trade Stepan Kubiv today pays a one-day working visit to Odesa, where he will chair a meeting of the Ukrainian-Moldovan Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Ukrinform learned this from the press service of the Odesa Regional State Administration. "A meeting of the Interstate Ukrainian-Moldovan Commission will take place at the reception house of the Odesa Regional State Administration. Following the meeting, a protocol will be signed with the participation of the Ukrainian first vice prime minister and the Moldovan deputy prime minister," reads a statement. ish
Taking into account the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian soldiers who oppose Russian aggression, NATO should provide Ukraine with military and technical assistance.

Ukrainian presidential advisor Anders Fogh Rasmussen said this in exclusive comments to an Ukrinform correspondent in Brussels.

"I was impressed by the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian forces. However, the soldiers I met need equipment to locate the enemy, to jam their communications, and to communicate securely among themselves. All this is defensive equipment that NATO allies could and should provide," he said.

Rasmussen also stressed that no country should have a problem with providing Ukraine with defensive weapons.

"This conflict has caused villages to be cut in half, water supplies interrupted, millions of Ukrainians living under occupation, and an endless flow of weapons and manpower in the region. We need an international peacekeeping force across the region to protect people and critical infrastructure. This can only be effective if the peacekeepers have a mandate to cover the entire territory - to the border - and to protect the thousands of innocent people caught up in this conflict," Rasmussen said.

As reported, on September 17, a foreign delegation headed by Ukrainian presidential advisor Anders Fogh Rasmussen visited the positions of Ukrainian troops and the settlements of Donbas affected by the Russian occupation forces.

ish
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and State Secretary of the Foreign Ministry of Iceland Stefan Haukur Johannesson discuss the issues of deepening political contacts between Ukraine and Iceland.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported.

"One of the main issues was the counteraction of Russian aggression and the need to maintain a regime of European sanctions against the Russian Federation, as well as strengthening of pressure on the Russian side to ensure human rights protection in the temporarily occupied Crimea. In this regard, the attention of the Icelandic side was drawn to numerous violations by Russia of its relevant international and legal obligations," the report reads.

The foreign ministers discussed prospects for the development of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, including the use of the mechanisms of the European Free Trade Association.

ish
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has discussed with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger the implementation of the Minsk agreements and political and diplomatic settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

As the Ukraines Foreign Ministry press service informs, the meeting was held within the framework of the general debate of the 72nd regular session of the UN General Assembly.

"The parties discussed the prospects for the deployment of UN peacekeeping operation on the territory of Ukraine. The Minister noted that such a mission should operate throughout the entire territory of the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including along the temporarily uncontrolled part of the Ukrainian-Russian border," the statement reads.

Klimkin stated that ensuring constant monitoring of the Russian-Ukrainian border was an indispensable factor of the full implementation of the Minsk agreements.

ol
Within the framework of the participation of Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin in the 72d session of the UN General Assembly, he met with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia Marija Pejcinovic Buric.

The parties discussed, in particular, the rehabilitation of people injured as a result of military operations in the ATO zone, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported.

"The interlocutors discussed a number of issues, in particular, the planned visit of the Croatian president to Ukraine, the security situation in the region, initiatives within the framework of international organizations, as well as rehabilitation of the victims of the ATO," the statement reads.

The issue of expanding cooperation in the energy sector was one of the main topics. In this context, the parties agreed to discuss this issue in detail during Klimkin's visit to Zagreb in the near future.

ish
The Council of Europe welcomes Ukraine's progress in combating hatred and discrimination, but points to current problems in this sphere.

This is stated in the fifth report by the Council of Europe's European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), which was made public on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"While we welcome the progress achieved, there are issues that still give rise to serious concern. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has led to a sharp rise in hate speech over the past three years and has had a negative effect on vulnerable groups in general," ECRI Chairperson Christian Ahlund said.

According to the Council of Europe press release, in its new report on Ukraine, ECRI commended new legal provisions to combat discrimination, progress in investigating hate crimes, steps towards integrating Roma and solidarity towards internally displaced persons (IDPs).

At the same time, according to the authors of the document, "efforts must be stepped up to end racist violence against LGBT and Roma and hate speech dominating public discourse, and to improve conditions of IDPs."

"I trust the authorities will take on board the recommendations of the report," Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said. "For our part, the Council of Europe remains committed, including through the currently developed Action plan for Ukraine 2018-2021, to continue working with the country's authorities in countering hate speech and discrimination against minorities, and promote tolerance and mutual understanding," he added.

ECRI noted that the Law on Prevention and Combatting Discrimination enacted in 2012 is largely in line with its recommendations, and that the introduction of provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the Labor Code in 2015 was a positive development.

"The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has led to a sharp increase in hatred over the past three years and has negatively affected vulnerable groups as a whole," Ahlund said.

The ECRI report stresses that as a result of the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and of the armed conflict in parts of Eastern Ukraine, political discourse has been dominated by anti-Russia rhetoric. However, there have reportedly been few incidents of harassment or abuse of individuals or groups on the basis of their Russian identity in Kyiv or other areas.

The report states that, "while there is a high degree of solidarity towards IDPs in Ukrainian society, and most were welcomed with understanding and support in 2014, the initial sympathy now appears to be waning. IDPs encounter difficulties with residence registration, which hampers access to rights, housing and employment."

"In 2014 and 2015, there was an increase in serious violence against LGBT persons. Racist violence committed by police continues to be reported, as well as their failure to intervene to stop racist and homophobic attacks," the authors say.

ECRI also gives a number of recommendations to the Ukrainian authorities. The following two require priority implementation and will be followed up in two years: specifically include reference to sexual orientation and gender identity as grounds in the Criminal Code and thus criminalize incitement to homo/transphobic hatred; and waive court fees in cases of Roma seeking to prove their identity for the purpose of obtaining personal identification documents.

Among other recommendations are granting investigation powers to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights; explicitly including sexual orientation and gender identity as grounds in the Law on Principles of Prevention and Combating Discrimination in Ukraine; establishing a system of collection of statistics on Roma integration; facilitating access of Roma children to pre-schools, as well as putting an end to their racial segregation and bullying in schools; improving access of refugees to social benefits, housing, education, language learning and employment; solving the housing and employment issues of IDPs and investing in their integration; as well as establishing a body independent of the police and prosecution authorities to investigate allegations of racially-motivated misconduct by the police.

The report covers the situation from 2011 up to March 23, 2017. It does not take into account the situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which are currently not under the effective control of the Ukrainian authorities to whom the report and its recommendations are addressed.

ECRI is a human rights body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts, which monitors problems of racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, intolerance and discrimination on grounds such as "race," national/ethnic origin, color, citizenship, religion and language (racial discrimination); it prepares reports and issues recommendations to member States.

op
Over 21,600 Hasidic pilgrims from 12 countries have already arrived in Uman, Cherkasy region, to mark the Jewish New Year - Rosh Hashanah, the media liaisons office of the Cherkasy regional police has reported.

"As of the morning of September 19, more than 21,600 Hasidic pilgrims from 12 countries arrived in the city of Uman for the celebration of Rosh Hashanah," reads the statement.

Some 40,000 pilgrims are expected to arrive in Ukraine this year to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, which falls on September 20-22. About 500 Ukrainian police officers and at least 15 Israeli police officers will maintain public order in Uman.

op
Cambodian-Americans from several states gathered at the State Department building in Washington, DC last Friday to protests against political repression in Cambodia.

Last week, the Cambodian authorities arrested the leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, Kem Sokha, who was later charged with espionage in a case widely seen as politically motivated.

Several independent media outlets have also been forced to close in recent weeks in what analysts say is a broad crackdown on dissent ahead of next years general election.

Protesters unfurled banners and held Cambodian and American flags as they marched on Friday.

Leong Sophorn of Chicago said the demonstrators were demanding that the U.S. government apply more pressure to Phnom Penh to release Sokha and several other CNRP politicians detained over the past two years.

So we dont want to see dictators in Cambodia anymore. We want Cambodian citizens to have rightful freedom so that they can vote and choose their leader freely without any pressure like nowadays, he said.

He added that Cambodia would face economic issues as well as the possibility of sanctions if it continued to move closer to China, its biggest donor, and lender.

If Hun Sen keeps threatening citizens and arguing with the U.S., I think it will not be good in the future. If the U.S. stops imports particularly farmers and workers in Cambodia will lose their jobs.

Mam Vireak, a Khmer American living in Ohio, said the governments actions were immoral but hoped it would lead to Cambodians turning out in large numbers to vote against the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party next year.

All institutions are under pressure from the Hun Sen government, which is ruling the country, he added.

The U.S.-Cambodia relationship has deteriorated since Sokhas arrest, with Hun Sen calling for the arrest of American citizens he claims were involved in a conspiracy with Sokha to overthrow him.

The government has yet to produce any evidence to substantiate the claims, referring only to a years-old video of a public speech given by Sokha where he referred to receiving advice from Americans and Canadians on setting up a human rights group in the early 2000s.

Venerable Chum Vichet, a monk from a temple in Minnesota, said he wanted to see the current political impasse resolved so that Cambodians could develop the country as a democracy.

We see that the world, including the U.S., is sending messages. It should be enough for the current government to wake up and admit their wrong actions that are not accepted by their allies around the world, he said.
For Sameth Mell, this is a good week.



A Cambodian refugee, he learned in May that he had won this year's community voice award for championing social justice, given by the Seattle International Examiner.

Mell, who works to assist Southeast Asian refugee and immigrant communities, will receive the award at a ceremony on Thursday.

The International Examiner, a nonprofit newspaper, and website serving the Asian Pacific islander community has been honoring outstanding Asian leaders across the United States since 1991.

Lexi Potter, a community relations manager at the newspaper, said Mell is being recognized for his deep-rooted commitment to helping those underrepresented in society.

"Sameth is a force to be reckoned with. We deeply admire the dedication, persistence, and spirit he injects into advocacy work," she told VOA Khmer.

Mell said he was surprised by the award, because, you know, I do this work not because I want to gain this type of recognition."

"Its a community imperative, its a social justice imperative and a personal imperative for me to actually speak up, said Mell, 34, a resident services manager at Mt. Baker Housing Association, which is dedicated to providing affordable housing in one of the nations hottest real estate markets. Price gains for local homes in Seattle were more than twice the national average of 5.8 percent earlier this year.

Like many survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide that killed 1.7 million Cambodians from 1975 to 1979, Mells family fled their homeland seeking refuge from political instability and war.

Born in Thailands Kao I Dang refugee camp in 1983, Mell knows poverty firsthand. When he was four years old, he helped his single mother - his father died of leukemia in the camp - feed her five children by going from dumpster to dumpster to collect aluminum cans for redemption.

Mells family arrived in Seattle, which has approximately 20,000 residents of Khmer origin, in 1985. For most of his childhood, they relied on state welfare, public housing, and food stamps.

Those were trying times, he recalled. Choking on his words and with tears in his eyes, he said, Im getting emotional, 'cause thats a story that a lot of us might not want to talk about.

Velma Veloria, a retired Washington State legislator, is the only Filipina to represent Southeast Seattles 11th District. She told VOA Khmer that Mell is engaged and looped in with communities and issues across the board.

"He has the right political analysis. He understands peoples places in society and he works to elevate that," she said.

Veloria, who works with Mell at the Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees, and Communities of Color, says Mell's personality makes him a natural-born leader.

"Hes ready and willing to learn," she said. "Hes not afraid to go out on a limb. Hes been really patient, and hes encompassing and he has access to a lot of different types of group and people."

About 716,000 refugees displaced by war in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam came to settle in the United States from 1975 to 1985, according to SEARAC.

Mell says Seattles large communities of those refugees and their families are in part the consequence of American operations in Cambodia and Laos during the Vietnam War.

Laos and Cambodia were traversed by the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a route communist North Vietnam used to supply guerrillas fighting in South Vietnam.

In Laos, a technically neutral country, the CIA began bombing operations in 1964. Over nine years, the U.S. unloaded 2.5 million tons of bombs on Laos.

In Cambodia, another neutral country, the U.S. dropped 110,000 tons of bombs, a barrage that lasted for over a year, in what was ultimately a vain attempt to stop the supply chain.

These issues that have happened in the past didnt happen in silos, and in order for us to progress as a community, we have to recognize that our history did not begin with the Khmer Rouge, Mell said. A lot of the stuff that happened was also a part of the impact of U.S foreign policy.

And that its okay to ask the U.S. government  local, state, county, and national - that they need to invest in our communities, he added.



William Oung, chair of the Cambodian American Community Council in Washington State, says Mell speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves.

"Hes trying to put Cambodian-Americans on the map, working on immigration issues with Philippine and Ethiopian communities, and working on low-incoming housing for the various populations," he said.

Barbara Boyd, 56, a resident of a subsidized housing unit at the Mt. Baker Villager Apartments, says Mell is a veritable resource library for his clients. He provides residents with bus tokens, access to an energy-assistance program and food, so that "we can focus on our other living needs."

Mell elevates the Cambodian-American community to another level, Oung said. "He takes us to the public at large and he bridges the gap."

His next goal, Mell says, is even more visibility for his community: "I want to make sure that other Cambodian-Americans are visible as well. Thats why I helped to build leadership in the Cambodian community."

Former state Representative Velma Veloria has a different vision for her friends future: "We need more people like him in the state legislature."
The closure of independent media, NGOs and the arrest of Cambodias opposition leader, Kem Sokha, in recent weeks, has raised concerns that the countrys economy could suffer repercussions.

Economists, shopkeepers and political analysts who spoke to VOA Khmer this week said they were already noticing signs of a slowdown.

Sou Chantha, a political scientist, said the situation in Cambodia was worse than in the lead-up to previous elections and was likely to affect tourism and the economy.

From now until the election day, the political situation is unlikely to calm down and political tensions will increase, affecting the economy. I think maybe after the election, especially after a new government is formed, the economic situation will stabilize, he said.

Prime Minister Hun Sens government has in recent weeks detained three political party leaders, ordered a U.S.-funded democracy promotion NGO to close its office and forced the closure of more than two dozen FM radio stations and the Cambodia Daily newspaper.

U.S. Ambassador William Heidt said in a statement last week that the steps taken by the government were isolating it from the international community. The U.S. Embassy has also recently issued a security warning for Cambodia and warned that escalating tensions may cause tourists visiting the region to spend their money in neighboring countries instead.

Som Seantung, the owner of Piphubmode, a jewelry and fashion store in Phnom Penh, said that he had seen sales decreased sharply compared with the same period last year, a trend he attributed to the rising political tensions.

My sales reduced more than 50 percent because of the political situation and the approaching election. We are concerned and are following the political situation. We hope it gets better so that we can have more investment, he said.

Nget Chou, a senior economic adviser at a consultancy in Phnom Penh, said investors had become warier of Cambodia since tensions began to escalate. There are few companies starting businesses. I have spoken with some investors and it seems they are watching the situation and waiting until it gets better, he said.

Cambodias economy relies heavily on a small number of sectors, notably textile manufacturing, tourism, real estate and construction, which are all easily impacted by political upheaval, analysts said.

Son Chhay, a senior opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker, said the potential impact on Cambodias economy was worrying.

We see that Cambodia receives aid mostly from Western countries for development. They give customs exemptions on our exports ... especially in the textile and garment sectors, he said.

If these countries react, we could see our economy in serious trouble.

The garment and textile sector alone employs some 700,000 Cambodians and last year exports totaled about $6 billion, according to the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia.

Despite the concerns, Sok Eysan, a ruling Cambodian Peoples Party spokesman, denied there would be any significant economic impact as a result of the tensions.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday called on Cambodians to rise up and oppose foreign interference in the country, escalating anti-U.S. rhetoric by accusing the United States of imperialism and hypocrisy regarding human rights commitments.

Speaking to thousands of garment workers in the capital, Hun Sen gave a brief history of attempts by Washington to overthrow the regime of former King Norodom Sihanouk and the secret U.S. bombing campaign in Cambodia in the 1970s.

Please all compatriots, stand up and carry out national policy, protect our sovereignty and oppose foreign interference, he said.

The past grave suffering conducted by American imperialism. We havent forgotten the bombs and unexploded ordnance left on our soil. This story is happening again, he added.

The remarks came a few days after Hun Sen called on Cambodians to learn Mandarin Chinese as part of a wider pivot towards Beijing following the arrest of Kem Sokha, an opposition leader, who was jailed on treason charges earlier this month.

The premier last week ordered police and immigration officials to investigate American citizens who he alleged had been working as spies in the country and had engineered mass protests during and after the 2013 general election.

He also called on U.S. Ambassador William A. Heidt to clarify allegations of U.S.-involvement in fomenting a color revolution in Cambodia and questioned whether the United States had received information that terror groups were ready to launch attacks on Cambodia after the embassy issued a routine security warning for Cambodia in response to the rising tensions.

A U.S. Embassy spokesman declined to comment on the comments.

Kem Monovithya, Sokhas daughter and a Cambodia National Rescue Party spokeswoman, said on Twitter that the comments were very dangerous rhetoric that could easily backfire.
Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi condemned human rights violations taking place in western Rakhine state, where ongoing violence has led more than 400,000 ethnic Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh in recent weeks.

But in a highly anticipated national speech from the capital, Naypyitaw, Tuesday, the Nobel Peace laureate refused to assess blame on Myanmar's security forces, who have been accused of engaging in "ethnic cleansing" against the Rohingya.

Aung San Suu Kyi has come under strong international criticism for not speaking out more forcefully on the situation. She canceled her appearance at the United Nations General Assembly this week in part to address the ongoing crisis at home.

She told a group of foreign diplomats in attendance that her country does not fear international scrutiny, and offered her assurance that any human rights violations or "acts that impair stability and harmony" will be dealt with "in accordance with strict norms of justice."

But she insisted that all "allegations are based on solid evidence before we take action."

"It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abnegate responsibility," she said.

Concerns about Rohingya



Independent analyst Richard Horsey told VOA Aung San Suu Kyi had to balance international concerns about the plight of the Rohingya with nationalist sentiments among the country's majority Buddhists:

"I think the content of the speech demonstrated very clearly how fine a line she feels she has to tread between what really are diametrically opposed views between the majority of people in Myanmar and much of the international community," he said.

Rohingya militants attacked Burmese security forces in late August. Since then, analysts and rights workers say the Burmese military has carried out a brutal crackdown that has burned entire villages and killed fleeing women and children.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International reacted to Tuesday's speech with skepticism. Regional director James Gomez issued a statement saying Aung San Suu Kyi and her government "are still burying their heads in the sand over the horrors unfolding in Rakhine State," and said the speech "amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming."

Aung San Suu Kyi also said Myanmar will set up a verification process for those refugees who wish to return home, and vowed their request "will be accepted without hesitation."



In Geneva Tuesday, Marzuki Darusman, the head of the United Nations' fact-finding mission on Myanmar, asked the Human Rights Council to extend the mission's mandate until next September. Myanmar has refused the allow the U.N. investigators to enter the country, but Darusman told the Council that Aung San Suu Kyi's comments "bode well" for the potential success of the mission.

However, Htin Lynn, Myanmar's ambassador to the U.N.-backed council, told the panel his government "reiterates its position dissociating from the resolution" that created the fact-finding mission.

The world body's International Organization for Migration updated its estimate of the number of Rohingyas who have fled to Bangladesh at 421,000.

Diplomats discuss humanitarian crisis



On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York Monday, diplomats from the United States, Britain and other countries concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine called for an end to the violence and for measures to relieve Rohingya refugees' suffering. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said it was a "productive meeting about the dire situation," but that no improvement has been seen on the ground in the area where displaced Rohingyas have been fleeing into Bangladesh.

"We continue to hear reports of violence and suffering," Haley said afterwards. "People are still at risk of being attacked or killed, humanitarian aid is not reaching the people who need it, and innocent civilians are still fleeing across the border to Bangladesh."



British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson convened the meeting with Haley, Myanmars national security adviser and deputy foreign minister, and other senior officials. Ministers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Denmark attended the private meeting.



In addition to their call for an end to violence and full, unimpeded access for humanitarian workers from the United Nations and other agencies, Boris Johnson said the ministerial group felt that "while Burma has undoubtedly made encouraging progress towards democracy in the last few years, the situation in Rakhine, the terrible human-rights abuses and violence are a stain on the countrys reputation.



As I have repeatedly said, no one wants to see a return to military rule, so it is vital that Aung San Suu Kyi and the civilian government make clear these abuses must stop, he added. Johnson said he was encouraged by the discussion and participation of the senior Burmese officials.
Around 100 Turkish tanks and armored vehicles are massed on the Iraqi-Kurdish border, ostensibly for military exercises, that coincide with a hardening of Ankaras political rhetoric against the independence referendum by Iraqi Kurds.

Government spokesman Bekir Bozdag said Tuesday the vote is being driven by a sick mentality and warned it threatened to spark regional chaos.

Bozdag said these kinds of steps in the region will ruin regional security and shatter comfort, peace and stability. He added all countries in the region will be negatively affected by it and nobody can tolerate that.

Ankara fears independence by Iraqi Kurds could fuel similar secessionist demands from its restive Kurdish minority.

Bozdag said a final decision on Turkish action will be made at a National Security Council meeting Friday. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim warned Monday everything was on the table if the Iraqi Kurds went ahead with the vote.

Former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who served in Iraqi Kurdistan, says there is little Ankara can do to change the mind of Iraqi Kurdistan's regional president, Massoud Barzani.

Mr. Massoud Barzani has no choice but to go ahead with this referendum. If not for Iraqi Kurdistan's future, for his own political legacy. And he has made clear he is not going to run for the president again, already his term expired.

And also he added no Barzani will run in the next presidential elections following the referendum. So he has no choice but to go ahead with this referendum in my mind, and he will not yield to any pressure.

Despite mounting political and military pressure, observers question whether Turkey would or could back up its saber rattling. Economic sanctions on Iraqi Kurds would be a double-edged sword, while any military action could drag Turkey into a quagmire and possibly isolate the country.

Analysts note the toughest rhetoric is coming from ministers rather than President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a possible sign Ankara is not ready to back its talk with action.
Aung San Suu Kyis first speech on the weeks-old Rohingya crisis in Myanmar was a nationally televised event that many hoped would signal a new direction or perhaps an inspiring attempt to mend the conflict with the power of oratory.

Many observers, however, say the 30-minute address Tuesday by the de facto leader did not rise to the occasion, and may have obscured the more serious allegations against the countrys military.

Its rather an important time and there were lots of expectations both within the country and abroad, especially abroad, that she will come up with something that can really defuse the current crisis, said Khin Zaw Win, director of the Yangon-based Tampadipa Institute, a research organization.

Even if she cant carry it out, you need to come up with a clear and forceful speech. And I just emphasize the term "speech" because thats what politicians do, and that is what is expected of her. But even the speech, I would say, fell short.

Muslim interfaith leader U Aye Lwin, a member of Aung San Suu Kyi's commission tasked with finding a solution to the crisis in Rakhine, said, "We are very pleased with her speech" and added he was impressed she did not deny adverse conditions in the country.

"I would like to express my recognition on her effort," U Aye Lwin said, while pointing out that Muslims in Rakhine do not have full access to health care and education as Aung San Suu Kyi stated in her address.

More than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Rakhine for Bangladesh, according to aid agency estimates, and Myanmar has had to defend itself against allegations of ethnic cleansing.

The outflow started after members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked police posts August 25, its second strike in less than a year since it emerged in October 2016 as a force willing to carry out deadly operations for Rohingya rights.

In her remarks, Aung San Suu Kyi did not specifically address claims from one side or the other, and appealed to the international community to help Myanmar in a positive way, an allusion to the condemnation that has rained down on her since the crisis started.

"She talked effective points," Shwebo resident Kyaw Lwan Moe said of Aung San Suu Kyi. "She said she is willing to accept international aid and invite cooperation from the international community."

The criticism has been a stark contrast to the praise Aung San Suu Kyi has traditionally received as an icon of the pro-democracy movement who led her party to election victory in 2015.

It is a friendly appeal to all those who wish Myanmar well, she said of her speech, which she delivered in English and referred to as a diplomatic briefing even as it was broadcast on Myanmar state media and in front of City Hall in downtown Yangon, where crowds gathered.

She questioned why so many Rohingya Muslims had left when others were living peacefully in the state, and chastised critics for not giving Myanmar credit for other forms of progress. Observers estimate two-thirds of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh.

She also lumped Rakhine into other issues facing Myanmar, such as the peace process with ethnic armed groups, which some took as an attempt to minimize the seriousness of the issue.

While Aung San Suu Kyi referred to the rule of law and condemned all rights violations, some believe she wound up obscuring the gravity of the claims against the military, presenting what Amnesty International called a mix of untruths and victim blaming.

There is overwhelming evidence that security forces are engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing. While it was positive to hear Aung San Suu Kyi condemn human rights violations in Rakhine state, she is still silent about the role of the security forces in this, James Gomez of Amnesty International said.

Matthew Smith, co-founder of NGO Fortify Rights, described the speech as a "profound disappointment."

"She failed to provide the leadership and guidance needed to end atrocity crimes. She effectively denied what's happening, again," he said in an email.

Nyan Win, a spokesman for Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy party, defended the remarks. He said it was a good speech and that she struck a measured tone.

Because she did not blame to any other person and she tried to do the best things for the Rakhine state situation, he said.

The stateless Rohingya minority have long been denied basic rights in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which views them as immigrants from Bangladesh. The situation took a turn for the worse in 2012 when religiously-motivated riots killed hundreds and sent more than 140,000 Rohingya Muslims into IDP camps.

The attacks have stymied Aung San Suu Kyis efforts to find solutions in Rakhine, most notably by appointing the commission chaired by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The commission delivered its final report hours before the August 25 attacks commenced.

Aung Kyaw Moe, a Yangon-based peacebuilding activist, praised the initiatives that Aung San Suu Kyi has taken, such as the commission; but, he said he was surprised to hear Aung San Suu Kyi talk about the problem in Rakhine as one obstacle among many, when to him it's the "most burning issue" in the country.

"The country will not be peaceful if one group or one community is left behind, regardless of their status in the country as indigenous people or citizens of whatever," he said.
Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi says her government condemns all human rights violations in western Rakhine state, where over 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have been forced to flee to safety into neighboring Bangladesh.

In an address Tuesday in the capital of Naypyitaw before a group of foreign diplomats, the Nobel Peace laureate, who serves as Myanmar's state councilor, said her country does not fear international scrutiny, and offered her assurance that any human rights violations or "acts that impair stability and harmony" will be dealt with "in accordance with strict norms of justice."

But she insisted that all "allegations are based on solid evidence before we take action."

She said Myanmar will set up a verification process for those refugees who wish to return home, and vowed their request "will be accepted without hesitation." But she also said many Muslims have remained in their homes, which have not been destroyed in the conflict, and invited the diplomats to join her government in finding out why those Muslims have integrated successfully in Rakhine state.

Rakhine state has been engulfed in violence since a group of Rohingya militants attacked dozens of police posts and an army base Aug. 25. Security forces responded with an aggressive counteroffensive that triggered the current exodus, which the United Nations has described as "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing."

Long admired as a beacon of democracy over her decades of defiance towards Myanmar's former ruling military junta, Aung San Suu Kyi has borne the brunt of international criticism for her government's response to the violence. She has previously dismissed reports of the crisis in Rakhine state as "fake information designed to promote the interests of "terrorists."

The Rohingya are considered to be Bangladeshi migrants and are denied citizenship in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, even if they can show that their families have been in Myanmar for generations.
During a peaceful protest moments before St. Louis would erupt into three nights of racially charged riots, five people confronted a black police officer alone in his Jeep.

"How do you sleep at night?" Lisa Vega, who is Hispanic, asked the officer through an open window. Next to Vega, two black men and two black women nodded.

Such questions are typical of what African-American police officers face every time a white colleague kills a black man in the United States.

Black cops are sometimes accused by their fellow African-Americans of betraying their race by joining the police, while at the same time they face pressure from their colleagues to stand by another officer.

A number of police departments across the United States have been accused of excessive force and racially discriminatory conduct in recent years, fueling a public debate and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The black cop in the Jeep calmly responded that he slept well and that he had bills to pay. He declined to be interviewed by the reporter who witnessed the encounter.

Peaceful daytime protests in St. Louis turned into three nights of vandalism and unrest that resulted in at least 123 arrests. With rain falling, Monday night's demonstrations remained peaceful.

The disturbances were provoked by the acquittal last Friday of white former Officer Jason Stockley, 36, who was charged with first-degree murder in the 2011 shooting death of African-American Anthony Lamar Smith, 24, following a police chase.

Prosecutors accused Stockley of planting a gun in Smith's car, but Judge Timothy Wilson found the officer not guilty in a nonjury trial.

Consequences

St. Louis Detective Sergeant Heather Taylor took a stand against Stockley, publicly declaring in a video message posted on YouTube and a police association website three days before the verdict that he should be convicted.

"Someone needed to say it," said Taylor, 44, president of the Ethical Society of Police, an association formed by black officers in 1972 to combat racism within the St. Louis police department and improve community relations.

She sees her role as calling out fellow officers for unjustified killings, which she hopes police of all races will eventually embrace.

But doing so has consequences.

After she appeared in the video with Redditt Hudson, co-founder of the National Coalition of Law Enforcement Officers for Justice, verbal abuse poured in, largely on social media and from retired officers because, she said, no officer would dare confront her on the job.

"I was called everything. You name it," Taylor said, citing the most offensive of racial and misogynistic slurs.

Taylor said she was unbowed by the attacks from the law enforcement family, but rejection from her fellow African-Americans cuts deep.

"Things like that, they hurt me," she said. "But just imagine if law enforcement didn't have minorities."

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department did not respond to requests by Reuters for comment.

Code of silence

Demonstrator Bill Monroe said Taylor's video came too late to be effective, and he expressed little confidence that reformers like her could improve the system from within.

Monroe, 71, is a black former St. Louis police detective with gray dreadlocks who is writing a screenplay about his experiences on the force in the 1960s and 1970s. He marched with a T-shirt reading "Anthony Lamar Smith" and a U.S. flag hanging upside down on its staff, a U.S. sign of distress.

"My community is in distress, and that's why I walk amongst those brothers and sisters trying to get justice," Monroe said.

While all police officers still encounter an internal code of silence that prevents them from speaking out more forcefully against abusers, this is especially true for black cops, Monroe said.

"Nobody wants to be known as a troublemaker," he said.

Taylor, the president of the largely black police association, expressed confidence that police culture could change with steps such as hiring more officers of color. In a city that is 44 percent white and 49 percent black, according to U.S. Census data, only 29 percent of St. Louis police are black, Taylor said.

In the meantime, she faces resistance within and outside the force. Taylor grew up in what she called the ghetto of St. Louis and said her fellow African-Americans were shortsighted in their criticism of black cops.

"I wish that people who felt that way would walk in our shoes," Taylor said. "Walk in our shoes and you would see how difficult it is to be a minority or a double minority in this police culture."
Brazil's new attorney general took office on Monday amid questions about how aggressively she will pursue the country's massive corruption probe.



Raquel Dodge, 56, replaces Rodrigo Janot, who last week charged President Michel Temer with leading a criminal organization and obstruction of justice. In July he formally accused the president of corruption.



Temer appointed Dodge from a three-person list of nominees submitted by federal prosecutors. He passed over the top nominee, who is considered an ally of Janot.



The first woman to hold the position of attorney general in Brazil, Dodge said at her swearing-in ceremony that that no one is above the law and that Brazilians "do not tolerate corruption and expect results.''



She didn't mention the charges against Temer, who attended the event.



During his term in office, Janot played a key role in the so-called "Car Wash'' probe into inflated construction contracts and enormous kickbacks that has led to the jailing of dozens of the country's elite and charges against the current and former presidents.



Janot's office brought 35 charges against political figures and opened 450 investigations into politicians, officials and business leaders. It reached 159 plea bargain deals that have been used to amass evidence against other suspects.



Dodge has a more reserved style, preferring lengthy investigations before bringing charges.



But she has shown a willingness to go after politicians. In 2010, she oversaw an investigation that led to first arrest of a sitting governor in Brazilian history. Several allies of Temer were charged in the case.



It will be up for Dodge to decide whether Temer will be once more charged of corruption. Brazil's Supreme Court has authorized further investigations into allegations linking the president to alleged favors for a company.



Skeptics have criticized Dodge for holding an off-the-agenda visit with Temer after being nominated, and one of her staunchest supporters was Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes, who has been flamboyantly critical of the Car Wash prosecutions.



Celso Villardi, a criminal law professor at the Fundacao Getulio Vargas, a university and think tank, said he believes Dodge will face severe pressure, but won't shy away from Car Wash.



He noted she had extensive support from her peers, and said, "No prosecutor wants to block investigations.''



In his final days in office Janot was hyperactive, bringing charges against several politicians, including former Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff as well as Temer. The president could be suspended from his job if two thirds of federal deputies decide to send the case for trial in the country's Supreme Court.
For Sameth Mell, this is a good week.



A Cambodian refugee, he learned in May that he had won this year's community voice award for championing social justice, given by the Seattle International Examiner.

Mell, who works to assist Southeast Asian refugee and immigrant communities, will receive the award at a ceremony on Thursday.

The International Examiner, a nonprofit newspaper and website serving the Asian Pacific islander community, has been honoring outstanding Asian leaders across the United States since 1991.

Lexi Potter, a community relations manager at the newspaper, said Mell is being recognized for his deep-rooted commitment to helping those underrepresented in society.

"Sameth is a force to be reckoned with. We deeply admire the dedication, persistence, and spirit he injects into advocacy work," she told VOA Khmer.

Mell said he was surprised by the award, because, you know, I do this work not because I want to gain this type of recognition."

"Its a community imperative, its a social justice imperative and a personal imperative for me to actually speak up, said Mell, 34, a resident services manager at Mt. Baker Housing Association, which is dedicated to providing affordable housing in one of the nations hottest real estate markets. Price gains for local homes in Seattle were more than twice the national average of 5.8 percent earlier this year.

Like many survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide that killed 1.7 million Cambodians from 1975 to 1979, Mells family fled their homeland seeking refuge from political instability and war.

Born in Thailands Kao I Dang refugee camp in 1983, Mell knows poverty firsthand. When he was four years old, he helped his single mother - his father died of leukemia in the camp - feed her five children by going from dumpster to dumpster to collect aluminum cans for redemption.

Mells family arrived in Seattle, which has approximately 20,000 residents of Khmer origin, in 1985. For most of his childhood they relied on state welfare, public housing and food stamps.

Those were trying times, he recalled. Choking on his words and with tears in his eyes, he said, Im getting emotional, 'cause thats a story that a lot of us might not want to talk about.

Velma Veloria, a retired Washington State legislator, is the only Filipina to represent Southeast Seattles 11th District. She told VOA Khmer that Mell is engaged and looped in with communities and issues across the board.

"He has the right political analysis. He understands peoples places in society and he works to elevate that," she said.

Veloria, who works with Mell at the Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees and Communities of Color, says Mell's personality makes him a natural-born leader.

"Hes ready and willing to learn," she said. "Hes not afraid to go out on a limb. Hes been really patient, and hes encompassing and he has access to a lot of different types of group and people."

William Oung, chair of the Cambodian American Community Council in Washington State, says Mell speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves.

"Hes trying to put Cambodian-Americans on the map, working on immigration issues with Philippine and Ethiopian communities, and working on low-incoming housing for the various populations," he said.

Barbara Boyd, 56, a resident of a subsidized housing unit at the Mt. Baker Villager Apartments, says Mell is a veritable resource library for his clients. He provides residents with bus tokens, access to an energy-assistance program and food, so that "we can focus on our other living needs."

Mell elevates the Cambodian-American community to another level, Oung said. "He takes us to the public at large and he bridges the gap."

His next goal, Mell says, is even more visibility for his community: "I want to make sure that other Cambodian-Americans are visible as well. Thats why I helped to build leadership in the Cambodian community."

Former state Representative Velma Veloria has a different vision for her friends future: "We need more people like him in the state legislature."
When Chinas Communist Party hosts a once-in-five-year congress next month, one key thing political analysts will be watching for is a name: Xi Jinping.



Chinas current leader is one of the most powerful the country has had in decades, analysts argue, but one way his stature could be raised even further is to have his name added to the partys constitution.



If it is, Xi could join others in the partys pantheon such as former leader Deng Xiaoping and strongman Mao Zedong.



Since Mao Zedong ruled China, the key thoughts, ideas and ideals of the countrys Communist Partys leaders have been added to its bodys constitution as it has single-handedly ruled one of the worlds most populous nations. But not all have had their names tagged on to their ideals.



The practice is something like President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal, said David Kelly, director of research at China Policy, a Beijing-based consulting company.



[When] you think of Roosevelt, you think New Deal, he said. Powerful people want to leave these monuments behind as their legacy. To have that, it extends the lifetime of their political influence.



When he retired in 2002, Jiang Zemins idea Three Represents was added to the partys constitution. Later in 2007, Xi Jinpings predecessor Hu Jintao had his Scientific Outlook on Development added. But only Deng and Mao had their names branded onto their ideas in the Constitution.



Late Monday, Chinese state media announced that during next months meeting, the party will write key theory and strategic thoughts outlined in the meeting into its constitution. The meeting opens on October 18.

'Xi Thought'



How Xi Thought or his name might be amended into the document is unclear, but some see the broad outlines of what type of changes could be made already taking shape.



Yang Kai-huang, head of Ming Chuan University's Cross-Strait Research Center in Taiwan, said a comment one of Xi Jinpings former aides and current Jiangxi Provincial Governor Liu Qi made provides a clue. In a speech during political meetings earlier this year, Liu Qi mentioned the phrase, Xi Jinping Governance: New Thoughts, New Theories and New Strategies.



He is not the only one mentioning the phrase, although most dont put the words Xi Jinping and governance so close together.



Yang said it would be too arrogant if it was called Xi Thought and a show of disrespect to Mao. And theory (as in Deng Xiaoping Theory), is too narrow as Xi has covered more areas such as Cultural, military development and Taiwan policies than Deng Xiaoping.



"His [Xi's] thoughts are actually a combination of those of both Mao and Deng. There wouldn't be Xi [thought] without Mao's Sinicization of Marxism or Deng's initiation of open market reforms," said Yang.



China Policys Kelly said that given Xis control of all government agencies, the media and propaganda, he can use any label he likes.



He will, because he can, make himself the owner of Xi Jinping thought and then he will mix some domestic ingredients, very likely under the heading of creating a moderately prosperous society, and foreign policy advances that include Belt and Road, but probably will use the language of the China Solution, he said.



Kelly adds China did not behave like a major power under Hu Jintao, but it has under Xi Jinping.



Some say the formula is meaningless and mostly about power, a game that political party leaders play.

Political commentator Paul Lin said thoughts written into the party charter are nothing but empty words. For example, he asked, "Was Hus Scientific Development really scientific? And while Xi has talked about rule of law, does he rule the country in accordance with the law or his own rules?"

Whats clear is that its a move to further consolidate his power. Power is exactly what is on Xis mind.

Yang said Chinas definition of "rule of law" is different from the West, there have been some improvements under Xi, such as cases in which citizens filed lawsuits against government officials or made demands for transparency.

Whats lacking in Xis rule is his tolerance [for dissidents], he said. If he can further achieve a set of rules or laws to show a higher degree of tolerance for dissidents that will be another important milestone for us to watch.
Billboards featuring Melania Trump and the slogan just imagine how far you can go with a little bit of English were removed Tuesday from the Croatian capital after her lawyer threatened a lawsuit.



The billboards were part of a marketing campaign by a private English language school in Zagreb, which tried to persuade Croats to learn English by reminding them of the Slovenian-born U.S. first lady's personal experience.



But Mrs. Trump did not accept what was apparently meant to be a joke about her English, spoken with a heavy accent. Her Slovenian lawyer demanded that the billboards, showing Melania Trump delivering a speech standing before a fluttering American flag, be immediately removed.



I'm satisfied with the fact that the school admitted that they violated the law and that they are ready to remove the billboards and [Facebook] ads, lawyer Natasa Pirc-Musar told The Associated Press. We are still analyzing possible further legal steps.



Melania Trump has hired the law firm to protect her image, which has appeared on various products in her native Slovenia, including cakes, underwear and tourism advertisements.



Pirc-Musar said that the Croatian school has apologized for the billboards, but that the statement also needs to be published by the Croatian and Slovenian state news agencies.



We are very sorry that the billboards were misunderstood as something intended to mock the U.S. first lady, Ivis Buric, a spokeswoman for the school, American Institute, said. It was meant to be something positive, to show her as a role model.



Buric admitted that the short advertising campaign turned out to be ``very successful'' because of the wide publicity it received both locally and internationally. She said that the school intends to put up new billboards, this time without Melania Trump's image.



Melania Trump was born in neighboring Slovenia as Melanija Knavs. She left Slovenia in her 20s to pursue an international modeling career before meeting Donald Trump at a Fashion Week party in New York in 1998.
A Czech appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that went against a Somali student who accused a nursing school of discrimination because she wears a hijab.



Ayan Jamaal Ahmednuur demanded an apology and 60,000 koruna ($2,750) in compensation but the Prague 10 district court ruled in January there was no evidence of discrimination.



Ahmednuur appealed but Prague's Municipal Court ruled on Tuesday that the school didn't discriminate against her.



Czech law doesn't ban headscarves in general but the court said Ahmednuur has no right to defy the rules set by the school.



The verdict is final.
U.S. President Donald Trump, in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, will harshly criticize North Korea, Iran and Venezuela.

"He will speak in extremely tough terms about the North Korean menace and the threat it poses to our security and the security of all the nations in that room," according to a senior White House official who gave reporters a preview of the address. "And he will talk about, as well, the enablement of the North Korea regime."

Trump will call on U.N. members Tuesday to confront Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile programs, and block them before North Korea's military becomes more formidable, according to the official.

Without citing specifics, the official said the president will speak about Iran and the tension between its government's direction and policies and the desires of its people.

Trump said Monday that the United States will walk away from the Iran nuclear deal it agreed to in 2015, along with five other nations, if Washington deems the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency is not tough enough in monitoring it.

The senior official, who refused to be identified, briefed reporters by telephone Monday about Trump's prepared speech, which is expected to be the president's most widely viewed address since his inauguration eight months ago.

Trump was to speak about political and economic instability in Venezuela just hours after his working dinner Monday night with Latin American presidents.

Terrorism will also be a major focus of the speech, the senior administration official said.

'Enormous opportunity'

White House officials said Trump's message to the world's nations gathered in New York for the General Assembly session was intended to be deeply philosophical, building on the president's remarks earlier this year in Poland and Saudi Arabia on the theme of "principled realism."

"The president spent an enormous amount of time crafting, developing and fine-tuning his address in every respect," according to the senior White House official.

The speech contains an "optimistic vision for international cooperation based on respecting individual sovereignty," but "everyone in the world who needs to be delivered a message in the speech will understand what messages are being delivered and in the way and fashion that that message is being delivered," the official told reporters.

Trump's address at the United Nations is likely to be his most widely viewed speech since his inauguration eight months ago. Asked what reception the administration hopes Trump's message will receive, the senior official said there is "no question that it is a huge event," and noted it also would be an "enormous opportunity to demonstrate U.S. leadership and U.S. values."

As a presidential candidate and after taking office, Trump repeatedly berated the United Nations, calling it a talking shop that is utterly weak and incompetent and "not a friend of democracy."

On the eve of his maiden speech to the world body, he toned down his criticism substantially. Flanked by U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Trump said the United States encourages "all member states to look at ways to take bold stands at the United Nations, with an eye toward changing business as usual and not being beholden to ways of the past which were not working."

'Less tweets, more substance'

The chairman of the Senate's Armed Services Committee, Republican John McCain, told VOA he hoped Trump would speak about "how we have to stand up for the things we believe in, about the fundamental principles of democracy, about what Ronald Reagan used to say [America was]  a shining city on a hill. We have to assume moral leadership as well as the military and other leadership of the world. And we are not adhering to that."

The vice chairman of the Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence, Democrat Mark Warner, said he hoped the president "recognizes there is a great deal of responsibility" in presenting "a case in front of of all the assembled leaders of the world."

"Part of leadership is bringing appropriate decorum to the office," Warner told VOA. "So the less tweets and the more substance, the better."

Republican Senator Roy Blunt, who sits on appropriations subcommittees for defense and diplomacy, said Trump is known for the frankness of his public remarks, so no one should "worry too much about ruffled feathers or what kind of response the president gets. If you are doing the right thing, people will often be critical of you, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that."
Egypt said Tuesday it will host the reorganization of Libya's army, currently an eastern-based force led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter.



A statement signed by the Egyptian Committee on Libya said that Libyan military officers who met in Cairo recently chose Egypt as a starting point for plans to unify the army.



The group, chaired by Egypt's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy, didn't say which officials took part in the meeting, or provide further details.



A Libyan officer welcomed the initiative, thanking the Egyptian army "for facilitating such an opportunity for army officers to meet and find common ground."



"The army is open to discussion with all parties excluding terrorist organizations," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief reporters. "The army doesn't recognize any unofficial armed group but has opened discussions in the hope that militias will disband and join as individuals."



Libya sank into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moammar Gadhafi. It is split between rival parliaments, governments and militias in the east and west, but in late July its rival leaders pledged to cooperate. Egypt has backed Hifter in his conflict with the Tripoli government and associated militias.



The Egyptian statement said the Libyan officers pledge to maintain Libya's territorial integrity and create a modern and inclusive, civil democratic state based on a peaceful transfer of power.



Instability and banditry in the oil-rich country has turned it into a haven for people trafficking and migration to Europe.



Italy last month reached a verbal agreement with the country's western government, led by the internationally recognized but weak Fayez Serraj, to provide equipment, boats and salaries to militias working to stop the flow of migrants.



The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution welcoming recent efforts to bring opposing sides together, with Secretary General Antonio Guterres saying that the time is right for mediation to restore peace.
A summer of natural catastrophes, from epic hurricanes to scorching wildfires, has exposed another peril in disaster-prone states: How to pay for the rescues, repairs and rebuilding.

The combined tab from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma is expected to hit $200 billion or more. While the federal government is expected to pay most of that, the affected state and local governments have to start paying for recovery now and eventually could be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars or more.



States vary on how prepared they are to weather such costs. Florida and South Carolina, both hit by Hurricane Irma, are among the dozen or so states that do not have dedicated disaster funds and opt to cover the expenses after the fact, potentially by dipping into reserves or shifting money from other state agencies.



Experts say such pay-as-you-go disaster funding can be risky. Add an economic downturn when reserves are low and budgets are tight, and state and local officials could easily find themselves struggling to pay for recovery and rebuilding.



Even putting money into a dedicated disaster fund may not be enough.



In Montana, where wildfires raged across the state this summer, threatening hundreds of homes and destroying a historic lodge in Glacier National Park, the firefighting costs so far have exceeded the amount set aside in a special disaster fund by $20 million.



"It took us all by surprise," state Rep. Nancy Ballance said.



All but a handful of states maintain so-called rainy day accounts, but in most cases "rainy day" is a misnomer: The money is typically used to get through economic downturns rather than responding to natural disasters. States tapped, and in many cases depleted, their rainy day funds to avoid massive cuts and maintain critical services after tax revenue plummeted during the recession.



Several states have struggled to rebuild their savings since then because tax revenue hasn't rebounded enough to provide a cushion. In all, 33 states reported tax revenue coming in below forecast last year.



New Jersey's rainy day fund has been empty since 2009. Pennsylvania's is so small it would barely fund government operations for two hours, according to a recent study by the Pew Charitable Trusts.



Texas, hit hard by Hurricane Harvey last month, has the largest rainy day fund of any state  $10 billion  but state officials are keeping that as a last resort.

Gov. Greg Abbott has said he wants to consider what other funding might be available first. That could include tapping into money already allocated to state agencies.



Others in Texas, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have advocated for tapping into reserves now.



"If this isn't a rainy day, I don't know what is," Patrick said last week.



Georgia is one of the states better prepared financially to handle the unexpected costs of a disaster. It has a dedicated emergency fund with roughly $20 million available annually and a rainy day fund with approximately $2.4 billion, England said.

"Thankfully, our economy is in pretty good shape right now," said state Rep. Terry England, chairman of the House budget committee in Georgia, where all 159 counties reported damage from Hurricane Irma. "If this had hit in 2010 or 2011, it might have been a little bit different."



In addition to budget reserves, 28 states have established special funds to help residents and businesses after a disaster. The downside: Several are not currently funded, according to the National Emergency Management Association.



California is among the states with a dedicated disaster fund  for fighting wildfires  but already has burned through more than half the $427 million it set aside this year, with Southern California's fearsome Santa Ana wind season looming. Even if that fund runs dry, however, the state will tap other sources, said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the state Department of Finance.



"There has never been a situation when the state's finances would be an impediment to deploying crews and materials to knock down a fire as soon as possible to save lives and property," he said.



Montana's wildfire season has left lawmakers there facing difficult decisions.



The state typically keeps between $50 million and $100 million on hand for wildfire costs. This year, after a relatively wet winter and facing an estimate of lower than expected tax revenue, lawmakers authorized the governor to use some of that money to help fill a budget gap  leaving about $30 million in the fund.



Then disaster struck in the form of several large wildfires, and the state has now spent more than $50 million on fire suppression since the beginning of July.



"We thought we would be OK with fires," said Ballance, chairwoman of the House budget committee, "so we took the money to use in other ways."



With tax revenue down, the state has depleted its reserves and emergency funds. The governor has asked state agencies to prepare for 10 percent cuts to fill a projected $227 million budget shortfall.



While the federal government spends tens of billions to help communities recover, the assistance is not guaranteed and the amounts generally cover only a share of the recovery costs  up to 75 percent.



The federal share also might be changing.



President Donald Trump's budget proposal calls for cutting billions of dollars from agencies involved in disaster management. At the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Trump has proposed cutting the disaster relief budget by $667 million, targeting grants that help state and local governments prepare for natural disasters.

In addition, FEMA is considering a change to how it reimburses states for disaster costs. It would require them to pay a predetermined amount before the federal government would provide money to repair or replace damaged infrastructure.



The main challenge, experts say, is for state and local officials to set aside money ahead of time.



"It's very difficult for elected officials to pay attention to disaster funding when the sun is shining and the sky is blue," said Trina Sheets, executive director of the National Emergency Management Association.
Investigators with the United States government wiretapped the former chairman of President Donald Trumps campaign under a secret court order issued prior to the 2016 election and then again after the election, according to a CNN report.

Separately, The New York Times reported federal agents picked the locks on Paul Manaforts house during a raid earlier this summer before telling him he would be indicted, though they did not specify the charges.

Manafort served as Trumps campaign manager for about two months in the summer of 2016, but he was forced to resign after reports surfaced about his financial relationship with Viktor Yanukovych, the former pro-Russia president of Ukraine.

The wiretapping of Manafort, according to CNN, began in 2014 while he was the subject of an FBI investigation regarding political consulting work he did for the Ukrainian ruling party. The wiretap was discontinued in 2016 due to a lack of evidence uncovered, but was re-started under a new warrant later that year and continued at least into early 2017.

According to CNN, the new warrant was related to an FBI investigation into contacts between the Trump campaign and Russians.

President Trump has previously accused the administration of Barack Obama of having his wires tapped in Trump Tower. While Manafort owns a residence in Trump Tower, it is unclear whether the wiretapping took place there.

Both the FBI and its National Security Division say they have no records of wiretapping Trump Tower.
As many as three dozen domestic and international flights at New Zealand's Auckland Airport have been canceled Tuesday as it struggles to deal with a weeklong fuel shortage.

New Zealand's main airport has lost 70 percent of its jet fuel supplies since a digger ruptured the main pipeline that carries fuel to the facility, forcing many air carriers to refuel at other airports in the Pacific region. The accident has also cut off supplies of high-grade gasoline at Auckland gas stations, although fuel supplier Z Energy says stocks of regular gasoline are still plentiful.

The pipeline's owner says the repairs will not be completed until sometime next week.

Prime Minister Bill English says a naval tanker and military trucks have been assigned to transport fuel to ease the shortage, and has ordered all lawmakers and public employees to avoid any unnecessary air travel until the situation is resolved.

The fuel disruption has placed enormous pressure on English with Saturday's national elections on the horizon. Jacinda Ardern, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, accused English of ignoring warnings about the pipeline's vulnerability.

"One pipeline, one digger, and New Zealand grinds to a halt," Ardern told reporters Tuesday. The 37-year-old politician has led the Labour Party from a certain electoral defeat to a tight race with English's ruling National Party.
Two Iraqi men have been arrested in the German capital on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization and war crimes as part of the Islamic State group, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

A 31-year-old, identified only as Raad Riyadh A. A. in line with privacy laws, and 19-year-old Abbas R. were both arrested Monday in Berlin, prosecutors' spokeswoman Frauke Koehler said. They're both alleged to have joined IS in Mosul in June 2014 and participated in the killing of two Shiite Muslims.



Four months later, prosecutors said, they were involved in the execution of a captured Iraqi military officer.



While in Iraq, Raad Riyadh A.A. is also accused of extorting money from businesses to support IS and procuring weapons from the Iraqi army and police forces for the group.



After arriving in Germany in July 2015, Raad Riyadh A.A. tried to recruit two other Iraqis and convince a third to carry out a suicide attack, Koehler said.



In a separate case, a 24-year-old Syrian was arrested in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on allegations he was a member of multiple foreign terrorist organizations, including IS. Majed A. was arrested Sept. 13 and is also accused of weapons violations.



In 2013, he joined a militia affiliated with the Nusra Front group in Syria to fight against the Assad regime, Koehler said. He ended up with IS in 2014 and fought against Kurdish forces in northern Syria before entering in Germany in August 2015.
Hate crimes have jumped by nearly 20 percent in major U.S. cities through much of this year, after increasing nationally by 5 percent last year, according to police data compiled by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University at San Bernardino.

The number of hate crimes in 13 cities with a population of over 250,000 rose to 827 incidents, up 19.9 percent from 690 reported during the same period last year, according to the study. Only two cities - Columbus, Ohio, and Riverside, California - posted declines.



Among the nations six largest cities, including New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, the number of hate incidents increased to 526 from 431 last year, up 22.4 percent, according to the study.



In New York City, hate crimes jumped 28.4 percent; in Los Angeles by 13 percent; in Philadelphia by 9 percent; in Chicago, by 8.3 percent, and in Phoenix, Arizona, by a whopping 46 percent. Houston, the nations No. 4 city, bucked the trend, reporting five incidents through July 31, the same number as last year.



Major hate crimes reported this year included the stabbing of an African-American man in New York City in March; the fatal stabbing of two men protecting a hijab-wearing Muslim woman in Portland, Oregon in May; and the killing of a protester in Charlottesville, Virginia last month.



All were committed by avowed white supremacists, said Brian Levin, director of the hate and extremism studies center in California.



If 2017 ends with an overall increase, it would mark the third consecutive annual rise in hate crimes, something not seen since 2004, according to Levin said.

What is a Hate Crime?

A hate crime is often defined as a violent crime motivated by hate based on race, color or national origin, among other factors.



Most hate crimes go unreported. According to a recent report by the federal government's Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than half of the 250,000 hate crimes that took place each year between 2004 and 2015 were not reported to the police.

The FBIs annual hate crime report for 2016 is due in November. In 2015, the FBI recorded 5,850 hate crimes, up 7 percent from 5,479 incidents in 2014. Hate crimes targeting Muslims jumped 67 percent in 2015, the FBI said.

In addition to Muslims, the recent spate of hate-spurred violence has targeted Jews, African-Americans and members of the LGBTQ community, Levin said.

Recent Offenses

The California State University study comes just weeks after violent protests in Charlottesville shone a spotlight on violent racism. One person was killed and many others injured after a man with known white-supremacist views drove his car into a crowd of protesters.



President Donald Trump was widely criticized for equivocating in his condemnation of the incident, placing the blame on the "many sides" present in Charlottesville, rather than specifically criticizing the white-supremacist groups who gathered for the rally and marched through the town at night carrying flaming torches and calling out slogans reminiscent of fascist displays in Nazi Germany.



Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, speaking at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute this week, condemned the incident in Charlottesville, where we saw and heard people openly advocate racism and bigotry, and commit terrible acts of violence.



The Department of Justice is investigating the incident as an "act of domestic terrorism." DOJ "makes it a priority to investigate and prosecute federal hate crimes, particularly in places where local authorities fail to carry out their responsibility to protect civil rights," Rosenstein said.

Trends



Hate-crime rises in large cities tend to far outpace increases nationally. Even if the current trend continues for the rest of the year, the overall increase in U.S. hate crimes is likely to remain in the single digits.



The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism estimates that the number of hate crimes reported to police throughout the United States last year increased by about 5 percent, topping 6,000 incidents for the first time since 2012.

Levin, the center's director, said that hate crimes have increased during every presidential election since 1992.



Last year, he said, there were "profound spikes" in hate crimes around the Nov. 8 elections. In New York City, for example, 34 percent of all hate crimes reported during 2016 occurred after the vote.
As Ethiopia's ethnic Oromo community prepares to celebrate the annual cultural festival known as Irreecha, questions linger about whether officials have learned from the deadly stampede that ruined the 2016 event.

A 33-page report released Tuesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) calls for the government to investigate the response of its security forces during last year's festival. Dozens of people were trampled as security forces fired tear gas and live rounds, according to witnesses who spoke to HRW and sources who spoke to VOA.

The Ethiopian government says about 55 people were killed, while opposition groups put the number as high as 700.

HRW called for restraint on the part of security forces and urged the government to show preparedness leading up to the Oct. 1 event, to be held in the town of Bishoftu.

"The government should take urgent steps to ensure Irreecha 2017 unfolds with far greater restraint and competence on the part of the security forces, and that effective steps are taken to minimize and de-escalate any risk of violence," HRW said.

The Ethiopian government did not respond to requests for comment regarding the report.

The government has expressed regret over the deaths at the 2016 festival, but also absolved its security forces, blaming the pandemonium and deaths on "anti-peace forces."

Festival becoming more political

The tone of Irreecha has become more political in recent years. HRW says the government was aware of that shift going into the 2016 festival.

"While Irreecha is ostensibly apolitical, many regular Irreecha attendees told Human Rights Watch that recent years have not only seen increasing crowds, but also increased government involvement and increased expressions of resistance to government policies," according to the report.

The Oromia region experienced anti-government protests in 2016 that led to clashes with government forces and left more than 100 people dead.

Protesters at last year's Irreecha were unhappy that government representatives were present at what has historically been a cultural Oromo festival, according to HRW. In addition, the report quotes an attendee who said that local police who speak Afaan Oromo were replaced by federal security forces in 2016, heightening the tension.

HRW said a smaller or lower-profile security presence might help ease tension in the crowds this year. Soldiers who do attend should be trained to respect free speech and expression, HRW said.

"Security forces should expect and tolerate free expression, which may be critical of the policies of the ruling party and not use force or threat of force to silence critical speech," HRW said.

Ahead of last year's festival, some young people were warned not to attend, according to the report.

"The local police and some local government officials came to my school and took me and several classmates into the principal's office," one 14-year-old student from East Wollega zone told the authors of the report. "They told us not to go to Irreecha, and to tell other students not to go. They suspected we would protest the government there."
As violence unfolded near the University of Virginia-Charlottesville recently, international students about to start school in the U.S. asked themselves: What just happened?

Devesh Sahai, a junior in economics and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia-Charlottesville (UVA), was in India when Charlottesville dissolved into violence. He said he has never felt threatened by white supremacy and has not faced discrimination since he joined UVA in fall 2015.

But the events in a park near campus made him a lot more cautious when he returned this fall.

On several occasions, I have had to deal with ignorance towards my cultural background, but at no point have I found this ignorance malicious, said Sahai.

Among the uninformed questions about his ethnicity?

What part of India is Dubai in? or Do you speak Indian? Sahai explained. (Answer: Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates along the Persian Gulf. And, most of India speaks English because the British colonized the country for nearly 200 years.)

UVA hired Virginia firm MSA Security to assess safety-risks for large campus events, and it has increased campus police on UVA grounds, among other safety measures, according to University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan on Thursday.

Such events obviously make you consider the limitations of freedom of expression, Sahai said. While an integral tenet of democracy, freedom of expression needs to have boundaries  freedom of expression needs to be curtailed the moment it turns violent.

Ali Muhsen, an environmental systems engineering senior at the Pennsylvania State University in State College from Kuwait, has weighed freedom of expression on college campuses. He says he is against it becoming a platform for hate, or supremacy.

Giving a stage and an audience to someone who will encourage and spread hatred is not something Id ever encourage, wrote Muhsen to VOA Student Union.

At UC-Berkeley, 132 faculty members are pondering the same issues.

The faculty members have written to the campus community and called for a boycott of classes and campus activities during Free Speech Week September 24-27. The Berkeley Patriot, a conservative student group, said it had invited conservative personalities Milo Yiannopoulos, Steve Bannon and Ann Coulter to speak.

As faculty, we cannot ask students and staff to choose between risking their physical and mental safety in order to attend class or come to work in an environment of harassment, intimidation, violence and militarized policing, the faculty letter stated.

But this week, Bannon and Coulter said they would not be at the event because of "logistical issues," the Daily Californian reported.

Muhsen moved to the United States to study for an undergraduate degree in engineering in fall 2012, he said. He is part of the Kuwaiti Student Association on campus and is managing public relations for his club this semester.

Like Sahai, Muhsen said he has not faced discrimination in the United States, except when someone used a racial slur against him at a pit stop enroute to another city, he recalled.

White supremacy doesnt frighten me because I have hope that the world will not allow for such a thing to continue and grow stronger, Muhsen wrote to VOA StudentU.

Neither does it frighten Jack Liu, an agribusiness management junior at the Michigan State University, who said he sometimes feels unsafe on campus because of the unpredictable nature of colleges campuses across the United States.

It's like we never know what is going to happen in next second no matter where you are.

Liu who is from Zhengzhou, China, moved to the United States for college in fall 2015.

While Sahai, Muhsen and Liu say they dont worry about white supremacy, its presence continues to grow on college campuses, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Since September 2016, 188 instances of white supremacist propaganda have been identified on 126 college campuses in 39 states, it said in a press release.

Liu hopes that incidences of violence such as Charlottesville never occur at MSU or any other campus in the future.

It was terrible what happened, he wrote to VOA StudentU, and it made students want to hide in fear or be afraid.

Please leave a comment here, and visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, thanks!
Israels military on Tuesday shot down an Iranian-made drone being operated by members of the Hezbollah militant group as the drone approached the Golan Heights, the military said.

According to the Israeli military, the drone was shot down with a Patriot interceptor missile over the Golan de-militarized zone after being launched from an airbase near Damascus.

"As we understand, it was on a reconnaissance mission along the border and the Golan Heights on behalf of Hezbollah," an Israeli military spokesman, Jonathan Conricus, told reporters.

The Golan area, which separates Israel from Syria, has seen some spill-over violence from the Syrian civil war.

On several occasions, Israel has used air strikes in the Golan Heights to stop weapons deliveries to Hezbollah fighters in the area.

Earlier this month, Syria's army accused Israeli warplanes of hitting one of its positions, killing two people in an attack that a monitor said targeted a site where the regime allegedly produces chemical weapons.

Israel and Syria are still technically at war after Israel seized around 1,200 kilometers of land in the Golan Heights from Syria during the Six Day War of 1967.

News of the drones downing came just hours before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to address the U.N. General Assembly about Irans rising influence in the region, particularly in Syria.
Israel and the U.S. inaugurated the first American military base on Israeli soil on Monday, which will serve dozens of soldiers operating a missile defense system.

The move comes at a time of growing Israeli concerns about archenemy Iran's development of long-range missiles. Together with the U.S., Israel has developed a multilayered system of defenses against everything from long-range guided missile attacks from Iran to crude rockets fired from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.



The base's opening is largely symbolic and isn't expected to bring operational changes. But the Israeli military says that along with other measures, it sends a message of readiness to Israel's enemies.



"It's a message that says Israel is better prepared. It's a message that says Israel is improving the response to threats," said Brig. Gen. Zvika Haimovich, the commander of Israel's aerial defense.



The base is located within an existing Israeli air force base and will operate under Israeli military directives.



Israeli and U.S. military officials cut a ribbon at the base Monday, where the American and Israeli flags flew side by side and soldiers from both countries commingled.



Israel's multi-tier missile defense system includes the Arrow, designed to intercept long-range ballistic missiles in the stratosphere with an eye on Iran, and Iron Dome, which defends against short-range rockets from the Gaza Strip. David's Sling is meant to counter the type of medium-range missiles possessed by Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants.



Israel considers Iran to be its greatest threat, citing the country's nuclear ambitions, its development of long-term missiles, hostile anti-Israel rhetoric and support for anti-Israel militant groups. Israel has grown increasingly concerned about Iran's involvement in the civil war in neighboring Syria, where its troops are supporting President Bashar Assad.



Israel is worried that Iran and its proxy Hezbollah will establish a long-term presence in Syria near the Israeli border.
Kenyas election drama continues. The country is scheduled to hold its new presidential poll on October 17, but there is already talk of postponement due to technical issues and arguments over the electoral commission. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, which annulled the results of last months vote, has come under fresh fire from ruling party supporters.



Police fired tear gas Tuesday to disperse ruling Jubilee party protesters demonstrating outside the Supreme Court, demanding the removal of two justices. The protesters say the justices met with opposition attorneys before the Supreme Court overturned the victory of their candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta, in the August 8 presidential election.



Chief Justice Maraga spoke to reporters, saying the court will not be intimidated.



The judiciary, as currently constituted, cannot and shall not guarantee a particular outcome to any individual. We call upon Kenyans of good will to stand up for the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law. On our part, we are prepared to pay the ultimate price, to protect the constitution and the rule of law, Maraga said.

The chief justice announced on September 1 that a new poll should take place within 60 days, due to what he called irregularities and illegalities by the electoral commission in the transmission of election results.

The Supreme Court has until Friday to release the full details of what it says went wrong in August. That will leave the electoral commission, or IEBC, less than a month to correct issues ahead of the re-run election scheduled for October 17.



There is already talk of a postponement.

University of Nairobi lecturer Herman Manyora said the election can be organized within the constitutional time limit.



Not necessarily on October 17, but Im convinced within the 60 days provided by the constitution, we shall have the election. It may be pushed maybe a week, maybe the 24th, maybe the 31st, but within the 60 days, yes, Manyora said.

However, opposition leader Raila Odinga and his NASA coalition have threatened to boycott the polls if demands like the removal of key IEBC officials are not met.

Adding to the challenges, the French IT company that supplied the August election systems has told the IEBC the systems need to be reinstalled, and therefore, will not be ready by October 17.



Given these issues, political commentator Barrack Muluka questions whether the election will take place even by the end of October.

If it does and NASA boycotts it, he says, there could be bigger problems.



Because I dont think that NASA would stay out and say, Okay, so you went on with the elections, and we stayed out because we didnt think the ground was level enough, but carry on. I dont think they would sit down and say that they have lost out, and they would be satisfied with that. I suspect that we would see a new wave of activities, perhaps not very pleasant ones, Muluka said.

The ruling Jubilee party has said the re-run should proceed as scheduled on October 17.
In his United Nations General Assembly speech Tuesday, American President Donald Trump said the United States is "ready, willing and able" to "totally destroy" North Korea in response to its "reckless pursuit" of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

His comments come just two days after U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the U.N. Security Council would be "perfectly happy" handing responsibility for dealing with North Korea to the Pentagon. When asked about her comments, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Monday said there are military options the U.S. can take without putting Seoul at great risk, but he declined to go into detail when pressed by reporters.



But regional security analysts Grant Newsham with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo, and Bong Young-shik with the Yonsei University Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul have told VOA there are major risks associated with any of the measures that have been publicly discussed.



High risk - military strike



Preemptive U.S. military air or missile strikes to take out North Korean nuclear and missile sites are unlikely to end the nuclear threat, and there is a high risk of deadly counterattacks that could draw China and the entire region into war, say these analysts.



Really if a military strike or approach is considered, the U.S. had better be ready to go all in and be ready to finish it, said Newsham, who was interviewed before the latest escalation of tensions.



North Korea has hundreds of mobile missile launchers, many of which are kept in underground bunkers that would be hard to detect and target.



Even if U.S. strikes could destroy all of the countrys nuclear and long-range missile facilities, North Korea could still attack Seoul and other regions near the inter-Korean border with artillery and chemical weapons that could kill millions in South Korea.



By taking unilateral military action against North Korea, the United States would be putting its own security needs ahead of its allies in Asia and would likely trigger a regional political backlash, the analysts said.



They will put almost all South Korean citizens against the United States because it is totally against the very purpose of the security partnership between the United States and South Korea, said Bong.



Even limited military actions, these analysts say, could too easily draw the United States into another military quagmire that could cause massive devastation and economic ruin.



No benefit - nuclear allies



Either deploying American nuclear weapons in South Korea and Japan or allowing them to acquire their own may bolster U.S. support for its allies in Asia, but these analysts say they will not likely restrain North Korea.



The United States withdrew tactical nuclear weapons from South Korea in 1991. Subsequently the two Koreas signed an agreement to keep the peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

North Korea later walked away from the agreement, citing the threat of a U.S. invasion.



Analysts say reintroducing nuclear weapons in the South, and deploying them in Japan for the first time, would likely legitimize the Norths nuclear arsenal and justify its efforts to develop long-range ballistic missile deterrence. It would also weaken the international commitment to maintain sanctions against Pyongyang and could spark a global nuclear buildup.



Difficult  effective sanctions



The analysts say imposing real economic pain remains the best of the bad options to restrain North Korea from continuing to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.



You have to put North Korea in a situation where the leadership has to decide between the continuous pursuit of nuclear weapons and missiles, and its survival. And I dont think North Korea is very close to being forced to make such a big decision, said Bong.



Despite two recent rounds of stepped up international sanctions, the economic pressure imposed on North Korea has not had a restraining influence so far.



Speaking before the latest sanctions announcements, Newsham said world governments have allowed the regime to get the money they need to survive and that has always been the regimes key vulnerability, the need for money.



The Norths key economic trading partner China is reluctant to strictly implement crippling measures that might destabilize the region or lead to the collapse of its ally.



North Korea has also been able to get around the imposed international restrictions by using companies in friendly countries like China to act as illicit fronts.

Youmi Kim contributed to this report.
Peru's prime minister said on Monday that the country's new Cabinet will focus on reviving public investments as it seeks to mend fences with the opposition party that forced President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski to form a new government.

Congress ousted the former Cabinet last week following a dispute over education reforms, fueling fears that political fighting might hurt economic growth that has already slowed sharply this year due to floods and a graft scandal.

Mercedes Araoz, Peru's new prime minister, said on local broadcaster RPP that she was optimistic about rebuilding a working relationship with the opposition. A key test will be efforts to rapidly rebuild parts of Peru hit by flooding, Araoz said.

Congress will likely vote on whether to give Araoz' Cabinet a vote of confidence in the first week of October, she added.

Araoz is a ruling party lawmaker and former finance minister in the 2006-2011 term of former President Alan Garcia.

Forecasts for an economic recovery in Peru hinge on the government increasing public investments that fell 10.4 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2017.

"Now's the time. We can't fall behind in this process" of increasing public investments, Araoz said.

President Kuczynski, a center-right politician and former Wall Street banker, vowed to work to modernize Peru and strengthen the economy of the world's second-biggest copper producer.

But his first year in office has been marked by slowing economic growth and clashes with Congress, where the right-wing populist party of his former rival Keiko Fujimori has a majority.

Fujimori welcomed the new Cabinet on Twitter after it was sworn in on Sunday and said Kuczynski's government still has four years to "mend its ways and make progress."

Similar remarks from opposition lawmakers signaled Congress would likely give the new Cabinet a vote of confidence. But after previous efforts to reset relations failed, it was unclear how long the new truce might last.

Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk analysis company, said Peru has a score of 4.44 out of 10 - a "high risk" ranking - on its government effectiveness index.

Despite Fujimori's support for the new Cabinet, "the re-tooled team will remain hostage to the Fujimorista-controlled Congress, with Kuczynski's political credibility continuing to ebb," said Maplecroft analyst Eileen Gavin.

If Congress fails to approve of the new Cabinet, Kuczynski can summon new legislative elections.
As Hurricane Irma flooded the working-class neighborhoods behind Havana's seaside Malecon, a photographer for the Cuban Communist Party newspaper watched two men pulling broken furniture out of the calf-high water.



Nearby four others sat on plastic chairs playing dominoes in the filthy water, which reached halfway up their legs to a makeshift wooden table balanced on their knees. Juvenal Balan snapped a photo and posted it online with a comment declaring it "incredible'' that the four were playing while "others work together to mitigate the damage.''



Then, something unexpected happened. The photo went viral and ignited a furious and complicated debate about the state of Cuban society.



Many on the island and in Cuba's sprawling international diaspora saw Sunday's scene as a textbook example of "social indiscipline,'' a commonly heard phrase in the country that's used to bemoan the flouting of prized civic values like cleanliness, politeness and helping one's neighbors.

But for others the photo symbolized another, equally Cuban quality: good-humored resilience in the face of difficulty, even disaster.



"What savages!'' one woman wrote on Balan's Facebook page. "Throw them in jail,'' another said.



A day later the platinum-selling Cuban reggaeton band Gente de Zona had an entirely different spin.



The band posted Balan's photo on its official Facebook page, cropped to focus on the domino scene and not the men collecting trash, and declared: "Putting a good face on bad times.''



"The essence of the Cuban spirit is reflected in this photo!'' the band or its social media manager wrote. The cropped image got more than 8,000 likes and drew a similar reception on dozens of other pages aimed at Cubans.



In Italy, expatriate Cubans spent days arguing about the meaning of the image on an Italian-language chatroom.



"Cubans on the island and in the diaspora are taking this image and reading all sorts of things into it about contemporary Cuban society,'' said Michael Bustamante, an assistant professor of Latin American history at Florida International University who tweeted about the photo this week. "Some are seeing a sign of social irresponsibility or a symptom of a crisis of morals. [Other] people are seeing the triumph of the Cuban spirit over incredible odds.''



There were similarly polarized reactions to other images this week of Cubans having fun amid the crisis: women laughing and apparently dancing in knee-high floodwaters, teenage boys diving from an overpass into a flooded tunnel converted into an ad-hoc pool.



Writer Oscar Sanchez Serra addressed the sociopolitical implications in an essay in the Communist Party newspaper, Granma.



"Our rich and infinite jokiness is one thing. Indiscipline and irresponsibility is another,'' he wrote. "We must reject the image that craziness and thoughtlessness are part of our nature. ... It is not a joke but rather fuel for mocking us that in the middle of a situation created by Irma's gigantic, devastating impact, in the middle of the Havana streets, submerged to their waists, four men were playing dominoes.''



Balan told The Associated Press that he was taken by the contrast of people working to clear floodwaters on Aguila Street, four blocks from the Malecon, and the domino players.



"I'm seeing women with brooms, families trying to get trash out of the water. I see these men on the right trying to collect trash and unblock drains, I imagine,'' Balan said. "And there I see the people playing dominoes, an unusual case not because of the dominoes but because of the moment.''



If Balan had shown up a little earlier, he would have seen those same men working to unblock drains and clear trash, according to six neighbors interviewed by AP.



"This was not any kind of indiscipline,'' said Angel Caballero, a 54-year-old construction worker who was playing dominoes but did not appear in the photo. "While some of us were working to try to get the water to go away so it would not rise more and run into our houses, others were taking turns playing.''



Irma's floodwaters have now receded and the debris has been collected, leaving water-stained walls as practically the only visual reminder of the storm's havoc in Havana. That, and pictures like Balan's.



Eddy Dennis, a gray-haired 51-year-old parking attendant seen pulling furniture from the water, said what the image showed was neighborly cooperation and mutual effort in the face of Havana's worst flooding in years, if not decades.



"It was something communal that all the neighbors were doing in the spirit of unity,'' Dennis said. "Those who got tired would sit down and play dominoes. We had spent the whole night on our feet, and it was a way to de-stress in the face of disaster.''
A multi-million-dollar banking flap being investigated in Vietnam this month casts light on a tough corruption problem that nips at the Southeast Asian countrys explosive economic growth.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security last week began investigating three companies under state-owned gas and oil giant PetroVietnam on suspicion of trying to divert $5.2 million from OceanBank, a domestic financial institution.

Widespread corruption

The case, analysts say, points to widespread corruption Vietnam. They point to construction, land use contracts and government procurement as particular sore spots. People are also asked for side payments to process official paperwork or get out of traffic violations.

In terms of corruption in Vietnam, I do think its a serious problem here and I think the government recognizes that, said Frederick Burke, partner with the international law firm Baker McKenzie in Ho Chi Minh City.

Corruption, known to cause waste in business, could hobble economic growth.

Growth driven by export manufacturing makes Vietnam a darling in Asia among foreign investors. The economy grew between 5.2 percent and 6.68 percent each year from 2012 to 2016.

The nonprofit advocacy group Transparency International placed Vietnam at 113th out of 176 countries and regions that it evaluated in 2016 for perceptions of corruption.

It doesnt constrain growth. Its just an added cost of business, said Song Seng Wun, Southeast Asia-specialized economist with the private banking unit of CIMB in Singapore. When its corrupt, thats just wastage without any addition to capacity or contribution to productive economic activities.

New York-based business compliance consultancy Gan Integrity calls corruption pervasive in Vietnam. It says companies are likely to face bribery, political interference and facilitation payments across industries. Land development and construction fall especially to corruption, the consultancy says.

Reasons for the corruption

Inadequate salaries for government workers, some of whom need extra money to provide for their families, causes a lot of the corruption, said Trung Nguyen, international relations dean at Ho Chih Minh University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Complex regulations have also pushed companies to seek permitting shortcuts, another source of corruption.

People with capital sometimes hold back expansion to avoid getting enmeshed in graft, adding to a large underground economy, Nguyen said.

He added Vietnamese also face graft when they ask government offices for documents and if police stop them in traffic, eroding overall public confidence in government services.

I think its very bad, he said. I have so many friends and they dont want to open big businesses in Vietnam because they think that they will have to deal with the government and they have to bribe them, and it violates their ethics and their principles.

PetroVietnam probe

The PetroVietnam probe, as described in Vietnams English-language media, fits into a bigger issue at OceanBank.

Reports say more than 50,000 people and 400 organizations benefited from what prosecutors call illegal interest payments worth $70.4 million.

From 2010 to 2014, bank executives offered loans and set deposit rates, above state-approved limits to key customers, including PetroVietnam, local media have reported.

The Vietnamese news website VnExpress calls this case one of the biggest bank fraud flaps ever brought to court in Vietnam.

Some legal cases start with allegations brought by unhappy company employees, Burke said. Only squeaky clean firms can build reputations strong enough to eliminate solicitations for graft, he said.

We do see from time to time perfectly good businesses get disrupted completely by some allegation of corruption, he said. Often our employment disputes turn into compliance cases and they trigger full investigations. People lose their jobs. Its quite traumatic.

Multinationals get used to graft as a cost of business in emerging economies, Song said, but countries that try to stop corruption grab more sympathy.

Around Asia, investors face similar barriers in Indonesia, the Philippines and China.

Most countries around the Asia Pacific ranked in the lower half of the 2016 corruption perceptions index.

Anti-corruption efforts

Government attention to the issue has surfaced in Vietnam with the roll-out of the Anti-Corruption Law in 2005, a 2009 law on government procurement and the National Strategy on Anti-Corruption, which is due to run through 2020. Domestic media may be widely reporting the OceanBank case to discourage others from graft, Burke said.

In October 2016, the government gave an unusually candid report to the legislature, saying numerous officials had been neglecting their duties and failing to uphold moral standards and political virtues, VnExpress reported.

Gan Integrity says sentences for graft in Vietnam range from fines to capital punishment, but that enforcement is lacking.

Vietnams anti-graft work, Song believes, is a work in progress.

But Transparency International says it sees little public information about the outcomes of anti-corruption work.

Vietnams top leadersare not united in stopping the problem, Nguyen said. I dont think they have political will to end corruption.
With strong White House backing, Senate Republicans are mounting a last-ditch effort to reform health care in America, forcing Democrats to mobilize furiously for a battle they thought they had won: preserving the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

With a September 30 deadline looming for passing health care legislation, on Tuesday the Senate's Republican leadership endorsed a new proposal that would break up Obamacare and transfer funds to all 50 U.S. states to craft their own health care programs.

"It would repeal the pillars of Obamacare and replace that law's failed approach with a new one, allowing states and governors to actually implement better health care ideas by taking more decision-making power out of Washington," said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

The bill, put forward by Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, took many on Capitol Hill by surprise, given that the Senate voted down previous Republican health care proposals, and a bipartisan bill is being crafted to strengthen Obamacare rather than scrapping the 2010 law.

"We thought that this issue was finished, and it's been revived," Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois told VOA. "We are taking it very seriously, because this version of the bill, the Graham-Cassidy version, is worse than anything they [Republicans] have brought to the floor before. This would be devastating, and we need to rally our troops again."

In late July, Senator John McCain of Arizona was one of three Republicans who joined with Democrats to defeat an earlier effort to replace Obamacare. With Republicans holding 52 seats in the 100-member body, the party once again can afford only two defections and pass Graham-Cassidy with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tie-breaking vote.

Already, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has announced he opposes the bill, blasting it as "Obamacare-lite." Another Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, is voicing deep concerns about the legislation.

"From the initial analysis I've done, it would mean $1 billion less for the state of Maine for Medicaid and other federal health care spending," Collins said on ABC News. "I'm also concerned that the bill does not afford automatic protections to people with pre-existing [health] conditions."

'Voting blind'

McCain supports ending Obamacare, but remains critical of the truncated process Republicans are using to try to quickly pass legislation on health care, which accounts for one-sixth of the U.S. economy.

"I am not supportive of the [Graham-Cassidy] bill yet," McCain told reporters. "You've heard me time and time again: We need to go through the regular [legislative] order [in the Senate]. You have hearings, you have amendments, you have debate to bring it to the floor, and you have bipartisan support."

The path McCain suggested would take months. The Senate's parliamentarian has ruled that, after September 30, a three-fifths vote would be required to advance health care legislation, giving Republicans fewer than two weeks to pass Graham-Cassidy with a simple majority vote.

"Everybody knows that the opportunity [to end Obamacare] expires at the end of the month," McConnell said.

Only one Senate hearing has been scheduled on the bill, and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said it will be unable to provide a projection of Graham-Cassidy's impact on the nation's health care coverage by September 30.

"To consider a bill like this without a full CBO score is worse than negligent, it's grossly irresponsible," said the Senate's Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York. "Senators will be voting blind."

Graham insisted the legislation he co-authored is sound.

"I'm trying to take the money and power in Washington and send it back closer to the patient," the South Carolina senator said. "State control of health care will work, because the people in charge will be accountable to you."

White House support

President Donald Trump has been highly critical of Senate Republicans for failing to end Obamacare. Speaking aboard Air Force Two on Tuesday, Vice President Pence said the White House enthusiastically backs Graham-Cassidy.

"I want to make sure that members of the Senate know the president and our entire administration supports Graham-Cassidy," Pence said. "We think the American people need this. Hard facts: Obamacare is collapsing."

In June and July, protesters defending Obamacare swarmed the Capitol almost every week, holding sit-ins at lawmakers' offices and clogging hallways as well as Capitol grounds.

On Tuesday, a woman who identified herself as Jennie was one of only a few dozen demonstrators present for a rally against the Graham-Cassidy bill.

"I'm nervous about this one. I think it surprised a lot of people. It came out of nowhere," Jennie said. "I don't want our health care taken away. My daughter has asthma. She also has scoliosis, which result in needing massive spine surgery. If this [Graham-Cassidy] passes, it will affect all of us."

Democrats said a strong public outcry is urgently needed if the Republican bill is to be defeated.

"Years from now, when your child is denied health care  and you are facing bankruptcy, you'll regret being silent this week," tweeted Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
For generations, Rohingya Muslims have called Myanmar home. Now, in what appears to be a systematic purge, the minority ethnic group is being wiped off the map.

After a series of attacks by Muslim militants last month, security forces and allied mobs retaliated by burning down thousands of Rohingya homes in the predominantly Buddhist nation.

More than 500,000 people - roughly half their population - have fled to neighboring Bangladesh in the past year, most of them in the last three weeks.

And they are still leaving, piling into wooden boats that take them to sprawling, monsoon-drenched refugee camps in Bangladesh.

In a speech Tuesday, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi did not address a U.N. statement that the army has engaged in a "textbook case" of ethnic cleansing. Instead, she told concerned diplomats that while many villages were destroyed, more than half were still intact.

U.N. General-Secretary Antonio Guterres told the General Assembly on Tuesday that "I take note" of Suu Kyi's speech.

"This is the worst crisis in Rohingya history," said Chris Lewa, founder of the Arakan Project, which works to improve conditions for the ethnic minority, citing the monumental size and speed of the exodus. "Security forces have been burning villages one by one, in a very systematic way. And it's still ongoing."

Using a network of monitors, Lewa and her agency are meticulously documenting tracts of villages that have been partially or completely burned down in three townships in northern Rakhine state, where the vast majority of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya once lived. It's a painstaking task because there are hundreds of them, and information is almost impossible to verify because the army has blocked access to the area.

Satellite imagery released by Human Rights Watch on Tuesday shows massive swaths of scorched landscape and the near total destruction of 214 villages.

The Arakan Project said Tuesday that almost every tract of villages in Maungdaw township suffered some burning, and that almost all Rohingya had abandoned the area.

Sixteen of the 21 Rohingya villages in the northern part of Rathedaung township - in eight village tracts - were targeted. Three camps for Rohingya who were displaced in communal riots five years ago also were torched.

Buthidaung, to the east, so far has been largely spared. It is the only township where security operations appear limited to areas where the attacks by Rohingya militants, which triggered the ongoing crackdown, occurred. Separated from the other Rohingya townships by mountains, and with more Buddhists and more soldiers, Buthidaung has historically had fewer tensions.

In her speech, Suu Kyi noted that most Rohingya villages did not suffer violence, and said the government would look into "why are they not at each other's throats in these particular areas." Rohingya refugees angrily viewed that as the government deflecting blame for attacks by its own forces.

The Rohingya have had a long and troubled history in Myanmar, where many in the country's 60 million people look on them with disdain.

Though members of the ethnic minority first arrived generations ago, Rohingya were stripped of their citizenship in 1982, denying them almost all rights and rendering them stateless. They cannot travel freely, practice their religion, or work as teachers or doctors, and they have little access to medical care, food or education.

The U.N. has labeled the Rohingya one of the world's most persecuted religious minorities.

Still, if it weren't for their safety, many would rather live in Myanmar than be forced to another country that doesn't want them.

"Now we can't even buy plastic to make a shelter," said 32-year-old Kefayet Ullah of the camp in Bangladesh where he and his family are struggling to get from one day to the next.

In Rakhine, they had land for farming and a small shop. Now they have nothing.

"Our heart is crying for our home," he said, tears streaming down his face. "Even the father of my grandfather was born in Myanmar."

This is not the first time the Rohingya have fled en masse.

Hundreds of thousands left in 1978 and again in the early 1990s, fleeing military and government oppression, though policies were later put in place that allowed many to return. Communal violence in 2012, as the country was transitioning from a half-century of dictatorship to democracy, sent another 100,000 fleeing by boat. Some 120,000 remain trapped in camps under apartheid-like conditions outside Rakhine's capital, Sittwe.

But no exodus has been as massive and swift as the one taking place now.

The military crackdown came in retaliation for a series of coordinated attacks by Rohingya militants led by Attaullah Abu Ammar Jununi, who was born in Pakistan and raised in Saudi Arabia.

Last October, the militants struck police posts, killing several officers and triggering a brutal military response that sent 87,000 Rohingya fleeing. Then on Aug. 25, a day after a state-appointed commission of inquiry headed by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan released a report about the earlier bloodshed, the militants struck again.

They attacked more than 30 police and army posts, causing casualties.

The security forces hit back and hard. Together with Buddhist mobs, they burned down villages, killed, looted and raped.

That sent a staggering 421,000 fleeing as of Tuesday, according to U.N. estimates.

"The military crackdown resembles a cynical ploy to forcibly transfer large numbers of people without possibility of return," Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said earlier this month in Geneva, calling it a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing."

It could be months before the extent of the devastation is clear because the army has blocked access to the affected areas. Yanghee Lee, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, said at least 1,000 civilians were killed. The government claims more than 400 died, the vast majority Rohingya militants. They put the number of civilians killed at 30.

Whether it's the end game for the Rohingya in Myanmar remains to be seen, said Richard Horsey, a political analyst in Yangon. It depends in part on whether arrangements will be made by Bangladesh and Myanmar for their eventual return and the extent of the destruction.

"We are still waiting for a full picture of how many villages are depopulated versus how many were destroyed," he said.
A Russian attack helicopter mistakenly fired at least one rocket into a crowd of spectators during a large-scale military exercise in western Belarus simulating a counterattack against NATO forces.

The Russian military acknowledged that a rocket was fired by accident by a helicopter, but insisted that no one was hurt in the incident. It also would not say when or where the incident took place.

However, several Russian online media portals have reported that as many as three people were injured and two vehicles were destroyed.

A video posted on the British news site theguardian.com showed two helicopters flying low over a field where several men dressed in camouflage were watching the drills. One of the helicopters fired several rockets that appeared to hit a vehicle close to the spectators.

The helicopter drill was part of Zapad, a large-scale joint military exercise with Belarus taking place along the border with NATO countries west of Russia.

The exercises, which began Thursday and run through Wednesday, have raised concerns in the Baltic nations that Russia may be using the drills to prepare for a possible future invasion  in the same manner as Moscow prepared for its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
2 People remove debris of a collapsed building looking for possible victims after a quake rattled Mexico City. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 7.1 while Mexico's Seismological Institute said it measured 6.8 on its scale. The institute said the quake's epicenter was seven kilometers west of Chiautla de Tapia, in the neighboring state of Puebla.
A racially mixed crowd of demonstrators locked arms and marched quietly through downtown St. Louis Monday morning to protest the acquittal of a white former police officer in the killing of a black suspect, following another night of unrest and more than 120 arrests.

The latest action follows three days of peaceful protests and three nights of vandalism and unrest in the city that has been rocked since Friday, when a judge announced he found Jason Stockley not guilty in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith.

Hundreds of riot police mobilized downtown late Sunday, arresting more than 120 people and seizing weapons amid reports of property damage and vandalism. The arrests came after demonstrators ignored orders to disperse, police said.

"I'm proud to tell you the city of St. Louis is safe and the police owned tonight," Interim Police Chief Lawrence O'Toole said at a news conference early Monday.

Protesters marched through St. Louis' posh Central West End and the trendy Delmar Loop area of nearby University City on Friday and Saturday. Protesters also marched through two shopping malls in a wealthy area of St. Louis County.

On Sunday, more than 1,000 people had gathered at police headquarters and then marched without trouble through downtown St. Louis. By nightfall, most had gone home.

But the 100 or so people who remained grew increasingly agitated as they marched back toward downtown. Along the way, they knocked over planters, broke windows at a few shops and hotels, and scattered plastic chairs at an outdoor venue.

According to police, the demonstrators then sprayed bottles with an unknown substance on officers. One officer suffered a leg injury and was taken to a hospital. His condition wasn't known.

Soon afterward, buses brought in additional officers in riot gear, and police scoured downtown deep into the night, making arrests and seizing at least five weapons, according to O'Toole. Later, officers in riot gear gathered alongside a city boulevard chanting "whose street, our street"  a common refrain used by the protesters  after clearing the street of demonstrators and onlookers.

"We're in control. This is our city and we're going to protect it," O'Toole said.

Mayor Lyda Krewson said at the same Monday news conference that "the days have been calm and the nights have been destructive" and that "destruction cannot be tolerated."

Early Monday, more than 150 protesters marched arm-in-arm, some carrying signs, to city hall. Police turned traffic away as the marchers blocked a busy St. Louis street during the rush hour crush. Once at city hall, they found their voices, chanting: "I know that we will win." The protesters then marched four blocks to a city court building, where they chanted again, then dispersed. The next protest is scheduled for Monday evening in University City.

Also Monday, high school students in at least two suburban districts protested the Stockley ruling. In Kirkwood, about 100 students walked out and held a brief rally, while 250 students in Webster Groves staged what school officials described as a peaceful demonstration.

The recent St. Louis protests follow a pattern seen since the August 2014 killing of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson: The majority of demonstrators, though angry, are law-abiding. But as the night wears on, a subsection emerges, a different crowd more willing to confront police, sometimes to the point of clashes.

Protest organizer Anthony Bell said he understands why some act out: While change can come through peaceful protests, such as those led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., years of oppression has caused some to turn violent.

"I do not say the [unruly] demonstrators are wrong, but I believe peaceful demonstrations are the best," Bell said.

Many protesters believe police provoked demonstrators by showing up in riot gear and armored vehicles; police said they had no choice but to protect themselves once protesters started throwing things at them.

Stockley shot Smith after high-speed chase as officers tried to arrest Smith and his partner in a suspected drug deal.

Stockley, 36, testified he felt endangered because he saw Smith holding a silver revolver when Smith backed his car toward the officers and sped away.

Prosecutors said Stockley planted a gun in Smith's car after the shooting. The officer's DNA was on the weapon but Smith's wasn't. Dashcam video from Stockley's cruiser recorded him saying he was "going to kill this [expletive]." Less than a minute later, he shot Smith five times.

Stockley's lawyer dismissed the comment as "human emotions" during a dangerous pursuit. St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson, who said prosecutors didn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Stockley murdered Smith, said the statement could be ambiguous.

Stockley left the police department and moved to Houston three years ago.
Stanislav Petrov, a former Soviet military officer known in the West as "the man who saved the world" for his role in averting a nuclear war over a false missile warning at the height of the Cold War, has died at 77.

Petrov's German friend, Karl Schumacher, said Tuesday that he died on May 19. Schumacher called Petrov earlier this month to wish him a happy birthday, but was told by Petrov's son Dmitry that his father had died. The Russian state Zvezda TV station only reported the death on Tuesday.

Petrov was on night duty at the Soviet military's early warning facility outside Moscow on Sept. 26, 1983, when an alarm went off, signaling the launch of several U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles. The 44-year-old lieutenant colonel had to quickly determine whether the attack was real. He chose to consider it a false alarm, which it was.

The incident was particularly harrowing as it happened at one of the tensest periods of the Cold War when the Soviet Union appeared to genuinely fear a surprise U.S. nuclear attack.

A few weeks earlier, the Soviets had shot down a passenger plane flying to South Korea from the U.S., suspecting it of spying, killing all 269 people aboard. The United States, after a series of provocative military maneuvers, was preparing for a major NATO exercise that simulated preparations for a nuclear attack.

In a 2015 interview with The Associated Press, Petrov recalled the excruciating moments at the secret Serpukhov-15 control center when the fate of the world was in his hands.

"I realized that I had to make some kind of decision, and I was only 50/50," Petrov told the AP.

The responsibility was enormous.

If he had judged it a real launch, the top Soviet military brass and the Kremlin would have had no time for extra analysis in a few minutes left before the incoming nuclear-tipped missiles hit Soviet territory. They would have likely ordered a retaliatory strike, triggering a nuclear war.

"It was this quiet situation and suddenly the roar of the siren breaks in and the command post lights up with the word 'LAUNCH,'" Petrov told the AP. "This hit the nerves. I was really taken aback. Holy cow!"

Within minutes of the first alarm, the siren sounded again, warning of a second U.S. missile launch. Soon, the system was reporting that five missiles had been launched.

Petrov recalled standing up as the alarm siren blared and seeing that the others were all looking at him in confusion.

"My team was close to panic and it hit me that if panic sets in then it's all over," he said.

Petrov told his commander that the system was giving false information. He was not at all certain, but he was driven by the fact that Soviet ground radar could not confirm a launch. The radar system picked up incoming missiles only well after any launch, but he knew it to be more reliable than the satellites.

The false alarm was later determined to have been caused by a malfunction of the satellite, which mistook the reflection of the sun off high clouds for a missile launch.

Petrov was not rewarded for his actions. In fact, he received a reprimand for failing to correctly fill the duty log and retired from the military the following year.

Although his commanding officer did not support Petrov at the time, he was the one who revealed the incident after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. If Col. Gen. Yury Votintsev had not spoken out, Petrov said he himself "would have forgotten about it like a bad dream."

After his story was told, Petrov has received accolades, international awards and became known as "the man who saved the world."

But his role won him little fame in his homeland. He continued to live in a small, unkempt apartment in the Moscow suburb of Fryazino. There have been no official reports or statements about his death from any Russian government agency.

Schumacher said it was important for him to let the world know about Petrov's passing because "we owe this man a lot."
Dirty money? Swiss investigators are perplexed about who flushed tens of thousands of euros down toilets in Geneva. And why?

Bundles of shredded 500-euro notes, worth about $120,000 or 100,000 euros, were found clogging toilets at a bank and three nearby restaurants.

The high-value euro notes are due to be discontinued in 2018 over fears they are being used in illegal activities, including money laundering and sponsoring terrorism.

The notes will remain legal tender, but the European Central Bank will stop producing them following a European Commission inquiry into their use.

Destroying legal tender is not an offense in Switzerland, but police want to know the circumstances that would lead someone to flush money down a toilet.

The Tribune de Geneve newspaper, which first reported the unusual deposit, said it appeared the money belonged to unnamed Spanish women who had placed it in a safe-deposit box at the bank.

Police have not disclosed the women's identities and are unsure why they would have wanted to dispose of the euros.

"We are not so interested in the motive, but we want to be sure of the origin of the money," said Vincent Derouand, spokesman for the Geneva prosecutor's office.

"Clearly, it's very surprising," he said.
Togo will hold a referendum in the coming days on limiting presidential terms, after parliament failed Tuesday to put such a change into the country's constitution.

Announcing the decision to put the constitutional change to a popular vote, parliament head Drama Dramani told lawmakers: "You have voted for the revision of the constitution, but it's the people who will decide, by referendum, in the next few days."

Even though 62 of 63 lawmakers present backed the bill to set a two-term limit on the presidency, an opposition boycott meant the vote fell short of the four-fifths majority required to change the constitution.

Opposition members were angry that the measure did not include a clause that would make Faure Gnassingbe's ongoing presidency illegal and, with the possibility of two more five-year terms, could leave him in power until 2030.

Gnassingbe, now in his third term and whose family has ruled the former French colony for 50 years, had been president since succeeding his late father in 2005.

Thousands of people have joined anti-government demonstrations this month and more protests are planned for Wednesday and Thursday.

Gnassingbe's opponents have been seeking term limits for more than a decade, to align the former French colony with most of its West African neighbors.
Describing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as Rocket Man on a suicide mission, U.S. President Donald Trump used his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly to warn the Pyongyang regime that its current course could lead to total destruction.

North Koreas reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life, Trump told a packed U.N. General Assembly hall.

No nation, on Earth, has an interest in seeing this band of criminals armed itself with nuclear weapons and missiles. The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, the president said.

Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime, he added.



WATCH: Trump warns North Korea

North Koreas U.N. ambassador left the hall before Trump arrived, and his seat remained empty throughout the presidents 42-minute address.

Iran, Venezuela

The president was equally harsh in his comments on Iran, describing its government as a corrupt dictatorship that hides behind the false guise of democracy. It has turned a wealthy country with rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos, Trump said.

Reading from two teleprompters on the dais, Trump told the assembly the Tehran government had used its vast resources to fund terrorist groups that kill innocent Muslims and attack its peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbors.

We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles and we cannot abide by the agreement if it provides cover for an eventual construction of a nuclear program, the president said.

The U.S. leaders list of world trouble spots included Venezuela. The socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the good people of that country, he said.

Trump drew chuckles from many in the audience when he noted that, The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented."

'America First' policy

The president touched on a broad spectrum of topics, from the recent spate of deadly hurricanes to his vision of America First and the concept of sovereignty, which observers saw as the beginnings of a Trump Doctrine.

We must protect our nations, their interests and their futures. We must reject threats to sovereignty from the Ukraine to the South China Sea, Trump said. We must uphold respect for law, respect for borders and respect for culture and the peaceful engagement these allow. And just as the founders of this body intended, we must work together and confront together those who threaten us with chaos, turmoil and terror.

Reaction on Capitol Hill



Initial reactions to the address were sharply divided. On Capitol Hill, they fell along predictably partisan lines.

Republican Senator Corey Gardner (R-CO) applauded the tough line on North Korea. "The president made it clear that countries around the world have a choice - to do business with North Korea or the United States, Gardner said. When asked by VOA about Trumps use of the term Rocket Man to describe North Koreas leader, he replied, Rocketman, madman - it fits."

Democratic Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts, like his Republican colleague a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Trump would do better to speak of tougher sanctions than the possibility of nuclear war.

"The president should be talking more about imposing even tougher sanctions on North Korea, having the Chinese agree that they are going to cut off all oil into the North Korean economy. I think that would increase the likelihood that the North Koreans would come to the table, Markey said.

Political scientist Thomas Whalen of Boston University predicted the speech would be well received by Trumps conservative base, but might send the wrong message to the international community.

Apart from the expected bashing of the North Korean and Iranian regimes, Trump trumpeted his vision of "national sovereignty," which looks highly unfavorably on multinational trade deals and globalism in general, Whalen told VOA. Indeed, Trump made it clear that he is putting America first and foremost. Whether this will make for a safer and more secure world remains to be seen."

International reaction



Zalmay Khalilzad, who served as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in the George W. Bush administration, took a more sanguine view. He said one presidential speech will have little or no effect on Americas reputation in the world, since most nations base their views of the United States on policies, which tend to transcend administrations, not on the views or actions of any individual president.

While they may see great [short term] changes, they see great continuity over decades, whether a Democratic or Republican president. There is also this continuity that occurs, although emphases on some issues do change from time to time.
U.S. President Donald Trump, in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, doubled down on criticisms of North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela.



Trump warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he described as "rocket man", that the United States is prepared to "totally destroy" his country if Pyongyang continues moving forward with its nuclear ambitions.



WATCH: Trump warns North Korean leader



On his favorite social media outlet Tuesday, Trump expressed anticipation as he makes the most important speech of his presidency. "Big day at the United Nations - many good things, and some tricky ones, happening," he tweeted. "We have a great team. Big speech at 10 a.m."



North Korea, Iran, Venezuela



Those who have seen the text of his speech said Trump will call on U.N. members to confront Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile programs, and block them before North Korea's military becomes more formidable, according to administration sources.

Without citing specifics, an official briefing reporters said Trump would speak about Iran and the tension between its government's direction and policies and the desires of its people.



Trump said Monday that the United States will walk away from the Iran nuclear deal it agreed to in 2015, along with five other nations, if Washington deems the U.N.s International Atomic Energy Agency is not tough enough in monitoring it.



The senior official, who could not be identified according to briefing rules, said Trump would also have strong words about political and economic instability in Venezuela just hours after his working dinner Monday night with Latin American presidents.

Terrorism will also be a major focus of the speech, the senior official said.



UN reforms



Administration officials said Trump's General Assembly message is intended to be deeply philosophical, building on the president's remarks earlier this year in Poland and Saudi Arabia on the theme of principled realism."



The president spent an enormous amount of time crafting, developing and fine-tuning his address in every respect, according to the senior White House official.



As a presidential candidate and after taking office, Trump repeatedly berated the United Nations, calling it a talking shop that is utterly weak and incompetent and not a friend of democracy.



At his U.N. debut Monday, he toned down his criticism substantially at an event dedicated to reforming the organization. Flanked by U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Trump said the United States encourages all member states to look at ways to take bold stands at the United Nations, with an eye toward changing business as usual and not being beholden to ways of the past which were not working."

Meetings with foreign leaders

Trump also held one-on-one meetings with Frances President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then had dinner with key Latin American leaders.

State Department Director of Policy Planning Brian Hook said both meetings had dealt primarily with Irans mischievous role in the greater Middle East.

One of the things thats common to both the meetings, the French and the Israelis, is this deep and abiding concern about Irans activities in Syria; and broadly, whether its in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon. One of the things they discussed was not allowing the Lebanization of Syria, Hook told reporters.

Asked to explain the term Lebanization, he said, Iran takes advantage of failed states, and civil wars, and wars generally. It is the kind of environment that is conducive to activating their proxy network, and they are doing that in Syria.

Hook said Trump repeatedly voiced concern that the two international deals signed by President Barack Obama, on Irans nuclear program and climate change, were unfair to the United States.

The president focused repeatedly in [these] meetings on fairness. It was a theme he returned to again and again that he thought it [the Paris accord] was badly negotiated Hook said. He also thought the Iran deal was badly negotiated.

Steve Herman at the White House and Michael Bowman on Capitol Hill contributed to this report.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened his first General Assembly gathering Tuesday, warning that North Korea's nuclear ambitions are the world's most serious challenge.

"Today proliferation is creating unimaginable danger, and disarmament is paralyzed," Guterres said in New York.

"Millions of people live under a shadow of dread cast by the provocative nuclear and missile tests of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," the secretary-general said, referring to North Korea by its formal name. "I condemn those tests unequivocally."

Guterres commended the unity of the U.N. Security Council in its recent tightening and imposing of economic sanctions on Pyongyang, saying the move sends "a clear message" to the leadership there.

"Fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings," he warned. "The solution must be political  this is a time for statesmanship  we must not sleepwalk our way into war."

Less than an hour later, U.S. President Donald Trump took the podium to deliver his first U.N. address and warned North Korea that if the United States is forced to defend itself or its allies the U.S. would have "no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

"Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," Trump said, using his recently coined nickname for Kim Jong Un. "The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary."

In his UNGA speech, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari proposed that the U.N. Security Council send a delegation to Pyongyang to engage the North Korean leader.

"The crisis in the Korean peninsula underscores the urgency for all member states, guided by the spirit of enthroning a safer and more peaceful world, to ratify without delay the treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons," he said. That treaty will be open for signatures at the United Nations starting Wednesday morning.

Global challenges

U.N. chief Guterres, who took office January 1, outlined several other threats and challenges facing the world and urged multilateral solutions.

"We are a world in pieces," Guterres told world leaders. "We need to be a world at peace."

Of the numerous entrenched conflicts in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, he said "no one is winning," and the most vulnerable in society are paying the highest price as combatants "thirst for outright military victory, at any cost."

On terrorism, the secretary-general said there is no cause or grievance that justifies such actions, but cautioned against heavy-handed approaches in dealing with it, saying they are counterproductive.

"As soon as we believe that violations of human rights and democratic freedoms are necessary to win the fight, we have lost the war," he cautioned.

During his UNGA address, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said there are more than 20 international terrorist groups that have a presence in his country.

"The future of Afghanistan matters, because we are on the front line of the global effort to eradicate terrorism," he told the assembly.

Myanmar

Guterres, whose primary pillar is the prevention of conflict, called out the growing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar that has sent more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh in the past month. He recently referred to the military's abuses as ethnic cleansing.

On Tuesday, the secretary-general acknowledged a speech in Myanmar earlier in the day by de facto civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"But let me emphasize again: The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access," Guterres said. "They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long."

The plight of the Rohingya minority was a common theme among leaders addressing UNGA Tuesday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose phone call with Aung San Suu Kyi this month marked her first public comments on the situation, called the crisis "almost ethnic cleansing."

"The international community has not given a good account of itself regarding the humanitarian plight which Rohingya Muslims have been exposed to," Erdogan said. "If this tragedy in Myanmar is not stopped, the history of humanity will face the embarrassment of another dark state."

Nigeria's Buhari cautioned that the Myanmar crisis is "very reminiscent of what happened in Bosnia in 1995 and in Rwanda in 1994," referring to the Srebrenica massacre and the Rwandan genocide.

Iran nuclear deal

Another issue that took center stage Tuesday at the UNGA was the Iran nuclear agreement.

President Trump declared the 2015 deal to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb "an embarrassment," and "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions" the U.S. ever entered into. He suggested he may pull U.S. support for it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the agreement would not stop Iran from getting atomic weapons.

"That's why Israel's policy regarding the nuclear deal with Iran is very simple: Change it or cancel it, fix it or nix it," Netanyahu told the General Assembly. "Nixing the deal means restoring massive pressure on Iran, including crippling sanctions, until Iran fully dismantles its nuclear weapons capability."

The Israeli leader also had a tough message for Iran's leaders.

"Those who threaten us with annihilation put themselves in mortal peril," he warned. "Israel will defend itself with the full force of our arms and the full power of our convictions."

Climate change

During Tuesday's speech, the U.N. chief also spoke of the importance of mitigating the impact of climate change and urged governments to implement the Paris climate accord.

"It is high time to get off the path of suicidal emissions," Guterres said. "We know enough today to act  the science is unassailable."

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke extensively on the issue, linking it to a number of natural disasters around the world in recent months, and echoing Guterres' call to nations to move forward on the Paris agreement.

"That agreement is not up for renegotiation; it binds us, it rallies us together. Taking it apart would mean taking apart a pact that exists not just between states but between generations. It can be improved, we can have new contributions, new input, but we will not backtrack," Macron said Tuesday.

Leaders will address the Assembly all week. Speakers Wednesday include British Prime Minister Theresa May, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Myanmar's second vice president, U Henry Van Thio.
NEW YORK (AP) _ The Trump administration will press its concerns about unexplained incidents harming American diplomats in Cuba during a meeting this week in Washington, as the United States considers shuttering its recently re-opened Embassy in Havana.

U.S. diplomats will host Cuban official Josefina Vidal, who has been the public face of Cuba's diplomatic opening with the U.S., and other Cuban officials, a State Department official told The Associated Press. Vidal has served as the chief of U.S. affairs for her country's foreign ministry and was recently named Cuba's ambassador to Canada, whose diplomats also were harmed by the mysterious incidents.

The United States plans to raise concerns and discuss the status of the ongoing investigation, which has yet to determine a cause of culprit for what the U.S. has variably called "incidents" or "health attacks." The Trump administration will be represented by John Creamer, the deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for Cuba, said the official, who wasn't authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity.

Though the conference is part of an ongoing series of "Bilateral Commission" meetings the two countries have held since restoring relations in 2015, it will take on heightened significance - and sensitivity - in light of the incidents.

Vidal, who helped negotiate the detente, has represented Cuba at the regularly scheduled meetings before. But the diplomatic opening appears to be in jeopardy given grave U.S. concerns about what has transpired in Havana since November 2016.

An Ongoing Investigation

On Sunday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson disclosed that the Trump administration is considering closing down the embassy, the strongest indication to date that the United States might mount a major diplomatic response. The two former foes reopened embassies in Washington and Havana in 2015 after a half-century of estrangement.

"We have it under evaluation," Tillerson said of a possible embassy closure. "It's a very serious issue with respect to the harm that certain individuals have suffered. We've brought some of those people home. It's under review."

Of the 21 medically confirmed U.S. individuals affected - diplomats and their families - some have permanent hearing loss or concussions, while others suffered nausea, headaches and ear-ringing. Some are struggling with concentration or common word recall, The Associated Press has reported.

Some victims felt vibrations or heard loud sounds mysteriously audible in only parts of rooms, leading investigators to consider a potential "sonic attack." Others heard nothing but later developed symptoms.

The State Department has emphasized that the U.S. still doesn't know what has occurred. Cuba has denied any involvement or responsibility but stressed that it's eager to help the U.S. resolve the matter.

The U.S. has said the tally of Americans affected could grow as more cases are potentially detected.

The last reported incident was on Aug. 21, according to a U.S. official briefed on the matter. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and requested anonymity.

Closing the Embassy

A decision to shutter the embassy, even temporarily, would deal a demoralizing blow to the delicate detente that President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro announced in late 2014. The next year, embassies were reopened and restrictions on travel and commerce eased - signs of a warming relationship that displeased some hard-liners in Cuba's government. President Donald Trump has reversed some of the changes, but left many in place.

Tillerson spoke on CBS' "Face the Nation" as world leaders and top diplomats descended on New York for annual U.N. General Assembly meetings. President Donald Trump will give his first speech on the major global platform this week.

Cuba is also represented at the U.N., but it's not expected Trump will meet with any Cuban leaders or officials during his visit.

The U.S. hasn't identified either a culprit or a device. Investigators have explored the possibility of sonic waves, an electromagnetic weapon, or an advanced spying operation gone awry, U.S. officials briefed on the probe told the AP. The U.S. hasn't ruled out that a third country or a rogue faction of Cuba's security services might be involved.

In Washington, lawmakers in Congress have been raising alarm over the incidents, with some calling for the embassy to be closed. On Friday, five Republican senators wrote Tillerson urging him to not only shutter the embassy, but also kick all Cuban diplomats out of the United States - a move with dramatic diplomatic implications.

"Cuba's neglect of its duty to protect our diplomats and their families cannot go unchallenged," said the lawmakers, who included Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who led the effort, and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a prominent Cuban-American and critic of the U.S. detente.

The incidents have frightened Havana's tight-knit diplomatic community, raising concerns about the potential scope. At least one other country, France, has tested embassy staff for potential sonic-induced injuries, the AP has reported.
The U.S. Senate intelligence committee on Tuesday canceled a closed-doors interview with President Donald Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen and called on him to appear before the panel in an open session, saying it was disappointed he released a statement despite a request that he refrain from public comment.

"As a result, we declined to move forward with today's interview and will reschedule Mr. Cohen's appearance before the committee in open session at a date in the near future," the committee's leaders, Republican Senator Richard Burr, and Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the vice chairman, said in a joint statement.

"The committee expects witnesses in this investigation to work in good faith with the Senate," they said.

The committee had scheduled an interview between its investigators and Cohen as part of its investigation into Russia's reported interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential

election and whether Trump or his top aides colluded with Moscow.

The intelligence panel, other congressional committees and special counsel Robert Mueller are investigating Russia's reported interference in the election and whether Trump or top aides colluded with Moscow.

The Russian government denies any attempt to influence the election, and Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion, calling the investigations a "witch hunt."

In his statement, Cohen denied that he or Trump colluded with Russia to interfere in the election, and said such charges were made to discredit Trump's presidency.

"I emphatically state that I had nothing to do with any Russian involvement in our electoral process," Cohen's statement said. "Given my own proximity to the president of the United States as a candidate, let me also say that I never saw anything

- not a hint of anything - that demonstrated his involvement in Russian interference in our election or any form of Russia collusion," Cohen said.

Cohen and his attorney, Stephen Ryan, had traveled to Capitol Hill for the closed-door interview with committee investigators, but were told the meeting had been postponed.

"We didn't want to send a message except for what we do is behind closed doors," Burr later told reporters at the Capitol.

Cohen's name surfaced in a dossier, compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, that reported Cohen played an important role in liaison with the Russian government and secretly met with Kremlin officials in Prague in August 2016.

The Steele dossier, Cohen said in his statement, is "riddled with falsehoods and intentionally salacious allegations."

"I have never in my life been to Prague or to anywhere in the Czech Republic," he said.

Current and former U.S. intelligence officials have said that while they cannot verify all the details in the Steele dossier, neither have they debunked it entirely.

Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Russia, said on Tuesday there was no question that Moscow meddled in the 2016 U.S. election, and pledged to bring up the issue with the government there.

"There is no question, underline no question, that the Russian government interfered in the U.S. election last year," Huntsman, who has also served as U.S. ambassador to China, said at his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing.
The White House reconfirmed Monday the United States is pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord  a decision President Donald Trump announced in June.

"The Paris Climate Accord is simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries, leaving American workers  who I love  and taxpayers to absorb the cost in terms of lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories, and vastly diminished economic production," Trump said.

The White House on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to withdrawing from the Paris Climate agreement, saying it poses serious obstacles for the United States.

Gathering at U.N.

But at a gathering Monday of global city, state, business, and environment leaders on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, there was a different view.

"From infrastructure, to finance to procurement, the opportunities are endless," said Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Patricia Espinosa. "This includes expanding transit to include electric buses as we have seen in the U.N. climate change host city of Bonn in Germany or making buildings more efficient by using sustainable material just as we are seeing in many cities in India."

The C40 Talks of global megacity leaders, hosted by the New York Times, voiced strong support for efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, despite the U.S. pulling out of the agreement.

Eight cities on their own

"Mankind is engaged in a race to prevent the oncoming disasters," said Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. "Two weeks ago in Texas, a week ago in West Indies and Florida, hurricanes of an unprecedented magnitude are predicting similar tragedies in the future."

Hidalgo announced that eight cities  Boston, Durban, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Mexico City, New York, and Paris  would deliver their own climate action plans to further drive action against climate change.

"We can not longer afford to be cautious," added Higalgo. "The times to be courageous has come. Global cities' mayors share the same visions. They are at the forefront of social, democratic, and climate challenges."

Even without Washington's participation, at the state and city level, U.S. officials at the C40 Talks, said they're pressing ahead to curb emissions and promote clean energy.

'Very dead horse'

California Governor Jerry Brown said cities and states can still make a profound difference on climate change without Trump administration support. He said Trump is riding a "very dead horse" in denying climate change was a serious problem.



"But because our system of checks and balances has so many other power centers in business, in states, the influence of other countries, he will not be successful in the direction in which he's going," Brown added.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said 375 American cities have subscribed to the Paris Agreement's reductions, despite the U.S. pulling out.

"Cities represented by both parties and by independents," de Blasio said. "So, the grass roots in this country are not only speaking, they're acting."

Modern standards for all buildings

He vowed New York City would go even further with dramatic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions through strict upgrades on city codes for their main source of emissions  energy-inefficient old buildings.

"The majority of our carbon emissions now come from our buildings in this city. And, in too many cases, buildings that have not been brought up to modern standards. And, it we don't intervene, that doesn't change fast enough," said de Blasio. "We've got approximately a million buildings in this city. But, the ones that are older and outdated do a really profound disservice to the rest of us and to the earth because they produce a huge amount of those emissions. In fact, it's under 15,000 buildings that create a quarter of the emissions in this city."

By upgrading old buildings through tough mandates and subsidized loans, the city's reduction in emissions by 2030, if achieved, would equal taking 900,000 cars off the road, added de Blasio.

Tina Trinh contributed to this report.
The WTO dispute settlement system is "deficient" and has often ruled in favor of free trade that overlooks details of a trade agreement, U.S. trade envoy Robert Lighthizer said on Monday.

Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Lighthizer, a trade lawyer, made clear that the administration was poised to push for major changes to the global trade system during upcoming meetings of the Geneva-based trade body. WTO member countries will meet in Buenos Aires on Dec 10.

U.S. President Donald Trump called the World Trade Organization a "disaster" during his presidential campaign and his administration has sought to unilaterally go after countries like China that it thinks is breaking trade rules.

"There are a number of issues on which there is pretty broad agreement that the WTO dispute settlement understanding is deficient," said Lighthizer, highlighting problems with WTO staffing and transparency.

"The United States sees numerous examples where the dispute settlement process over the years has really diminished what we've bargained for or imposed obligations that we do not believe we agree to," he said.

He added: "There have been a lot of cases in the trade remedies laws where in my opinion the decisions are really indefensible."

Since its launch in 1995 the WTO has become the main venue for resolving trade disputes between countries. The Trump administration has begun to launch trade investigations under statutes seldom used in the WTO era, including a "Section 301" probe of China's intellectual property practices.

Lighthizer did not threaten a U.S. withdrawal from the WTO, but emphasized his own dissatisfaction with some of its rulings.

In a letter in March, the Trump administration made clear that U.S. law supersedes WTO rules -- a view that could be invoked should Congress adopt policies that are later challenged by other member countries as violating WTO rules.

"We've had tax laws struck down, we've had other provisions where the WTO has taken...the decision they were going to strike down something they thought shouldn't happen, rather than

looking at the agreement as a contract," he said.

Lighthizer emphasized that the Trump administration was reviewing all trade agreements and would seek to renegotiate those that did not benefit U.S. workers and businesses.

"I believe, and I think the president believes, that we must be proactive," he said, "We must demand reciprocity in home and international markets. So expect change, expect new approaches and expect action."
A South African court in Pretoria on Tuesday heard deliberations from a Zimbabwean lawyer representing the Zimbabwe Embassy, which wants to be involved in First Lady Grace Mugabes case involving model Gabriella Engels.

According to Timeslive, Simba Chitando opposed an application filed by AfriForum, acting on behalf of Engels, seeking the inclusion of President Robert Mugabe in the case in which Engels claims that she was assaulted by Mrs. Mugabe, who found her socializing with her two sons, Robert Junior and Chatunga.

AfriForum says the inclusion of President Mugabe in the case will ensure that they deliver summons accordingly as the president is a well-known person.

But Chitando, reports Timeslive, challenged this move saying it is unconventional.

AfriForum wants the court to review and declare as null and void a decision by the South African government to grant diplomatic immunity to Mrs. Mugabe.

The Zimbabwean first lady claims that she was attacked by Engels when she found her stoned while in the presence of her sons.

Engels has dismissed these utterances as a big lie.
The URL has been copied to your clipboard

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

World leaders gather in New York, beginning Sept. 17, for their annual U.N. meetings that promise a busy agenda amid numerous ongoing conflicts. The talks follow increased nuclear and ballistic missile activity from North Korea and a growing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.
[This story has been optimized for offline reading on our apps. For a richer experience, you can find the full version of this story here. An Internet connection is required.]

Last week, the United Nations top human rights official called Burmas ongoing military campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority group in that countrys Rakhine state a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

This is what he meant: Using a pretext of rooting out Islamist insurgents, Burmas military, together with Buddhist villagers, is terrorizing the Rohingya, emptying and razing their villages, and attempting to hound them out of the country.





Of a total of 1.1 million Rohingya that remained in Burma despite repeated waves of violence since the late 1970s, more than 420,000 have fled to neighboring Bangladesh in just the past month. New arrivals are building makeshift settlements near established camps where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from previous exoduses already live. Most are women, children and the elderly.

Conditions are dire. Food is scarce. Aid agencies are worn thin. The monsoon rain is torrential.

Burmas de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Tuesday acknowledged the suffering in Rakhine state but sidestepped allegations of atrocities committed by the Burmese military.

The human catastrophe has captured the worlds attention. But it has also caused a lot of confusion. Didnt Burma just undergo a democratic transition? Isnt it led by Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who was once seen as a force for reform? Why are Buddhists perpetrating an ethnic cleansing against Muslims?





How did we get here?

The mass exodus of the Rohingya from Burma has underpinnings in events that took place centuries ago, as well as in events that took place weeks ago.

The coast of what is now Burmas Rakhine state was the center of what was once called the Kingdom of Arakan. The name Arakan has since been morphed into Rakhine and Rohingya over the years to describe both the indigenous and Muslim populations of the region.

Muslims lived in Arakan both as traders and as slaves captured by the kings army from nearby Bengal. Over time, they developed a unique language that is not mutually intelligible with Bengali. Rakhine Buddhist and Muslim populations had been interacting for centuries by the time the Bamar, a larger ethnic group from the inland, took control of the coast in 1785. (The Bamar give their name to Burma, the modern country also known as Myanmar.)



Rohingya refugees walk toward Teknaf mainland after coming from the island of Shah Porir Dwip. (Ismail Ferdous/For The Washington Post)

Within 40 years, the British had usurped the Bamar and ruled the Arakan coast as part of a vast colony stretching from there to the Hindu Kush. Muslims from Bengal began to move to the Arakan coast in even greater numbers during this period, in search of work in the colonial economy, in many cases supplanting Arakanese labor and stirring local resentment. The perception of the Rohingya as outsiders and illegal immigrants grew during this period and was only exacerbated when the British armed local Muslims during World War II to fight the Arakanese, who largely sided with the Japanese.

After past bouts of violence, many Rohingya would return and resettle. This time around, the Burmese government has warned that only Rohingya with verifiable ties to Burma will be allowed back. The systematic disenfranchisement of the Rohingya makes it unlikely most will meet that criteria.





The Rohingya are intensely unpopular in Burma. The states official stance is that the Rohingya ethnic group doesnt exist. Instead, they are referred to as Bengali, a rhetorical linkage to a foreign land that many have never stepped foot in, despite sharing cultural similarities. Burma doesnt recognize the Rohingya as citizens, rendering them stateless and limiting their access to public services.

Last week, the Burmese militarys commander in chief, Aung Hlaing, wrote this in a Facebook post: They have demanded recognition as Rohingya, which has never been an ethnic group in Myanmar. Bengali issue is a national cause and we need to be united in establishing the truth.

(Hlaing has visited Japan, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, India and Thailand in recent years. In Germany this summer, he was received with full military honors.)

The state has found further justification for an anti-Rohingya campaign in recent attacks on police and army posts by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a ragtag militia with ties to Saudi and Pakistani money that claims to be the Rohingyas defenders. Analysts say there may be as few as 1,500 fighters in their ranks. Arsa, as the group is known, declared a unilateral ceasefire this month to little effect. The government and military categorically rejected negotiating with terrorists.

Suu Kyi canceled her trip to the U.N. General Assembly and instead addressed Burma from the capital Naypyidaw on Tuesday. Speaking in English, she said: It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abnegate responsibility. We condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence. But, ultimately, how much power does Suu Kyi have?



A makeshift Rohingya refugee camp between Teknaf and Coxs Bazar in Bangladesh. (Ismail Ferdous/For The Washington Post)

When Burmas military junta agreed to democratic concessions starting in 2011, the world lauded Suu Kyi for her years of dedication to the cause. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Burma and embraced her. The United States and others lifted most sanctions. Suu Kyi won resoundingly in free elections.

But Burmas constitution remains written in a way that bars Suu Kyi from becoming president, because she has a foreign-born spouse and children. That clause was written by the junta with her in mind. Thus she is called Burmas de facto leader, assuming the role of state counselor.



Rohingya grab for aid handouts of clothing and food on in Tankhali, Bangladesh. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

In many important ways, the military still controls the country. A quarter of seats in the parliament are reserved for the military, as are the ministries of Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Defense. The military holds a majority of seats on the National Defense and Security Council, which has the power to dissolve the government.

That means the military could step in and replace Suu Kyi if they felt she was interfering with their plans. Whether they would risk renewed sanctions to do that is unclear.

But a long-held goal of the Burmese military may be in sight  the full-scale expulsion of Rakhine states supposedly illegal immigrants.





The military campaign has been brutal, according to eyewitness testimony collected by journalists and human rights advocates.

Leave, or we will kill you all, an armed group of Rakhine Buddhist civilians told the Rohingya of one village, according to an exclusive Reuters report from Burma this week.





In some cases, that threat has been followed through. Reporting from the refugee camps in Bangladesh, The Washington Posts Annie Gowen spoke to people who fled the village of Maung Nu, which was incinerated by Burmese soldiers. Fortify Rights, a Southeast Asia-focused human rights organization, estimates the death toll in Maung Nu and three nearby villages to be 150.

We were all watching what the military did. They slaughtered them one by one. And the blood flowed in the streets, a 10th-grade teacher named Soe Win told Gowen.

The Burmese government says that at least 176 Rohingya villages have been completely emptied across three townships, or counties, of Rakhine state: Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung. Sloshing through dangerous terrain, muddied by the monsoons, hundreds of thousands of people have made their way to Bangladesh.





Those who have survived the onslaught in the villages face land mines planted along the border, presumably aimed at killing escapees. Others make the treacherous crossing of the wide estuary of the Naf River, which separates Burma from Bangladesh. Hundreds have died in capsized boats, and boatmen have been charging exploitative rates for a ride that usually costs 50 cents, forcing some to spend or barter what little they carried on their backs.

Photos from Bangladesh have documented the incredible suffering of those making the perilous escape. Sons carry their feeble, aging parents in bamboo baskets across raging streams. Mothers weep over their drowned babies. A group gathers on the banks of the Naf, gazing back at the smoke rising from the fields they once called home, doubtful of what lies ahead.
William Jefferson Clinton" by Chuck Close, oil on canvas, 2006, is part of the upcoming reopening of The Presidents Hall's most popular exhibition on the American presidents at the National Portrait Gallery . (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

Less glory, more humanity. Thats the goal of the National Portrait Gallerys modernized exhibition of American presidents, a show that offers an honest look at the strengths and weaknesses of Americas leaders and the growth of presidential power.

Andrew Jacksons brief biography mentions both his expansion of the vote and his punitive Indian policies. Woodrow Wilsons efforts to promote world peace are noted alongside his regressive actions with regard to womens voting rights and other civil liberties. John Quincy Adamss intelligence is hindered by his tactless temperament, while Bill Clintons biography explains that his denial of a sexual relationship with a White House intern, while under oath, led to his impeachment.

Were hoping to address the histories that are difficult as well as the history we celebrate, NPG Historian Kate Lemay said.

Reopening Friday, the renovated exhibition includes more text than the previous version, and all of it in Spanish and English. The Smithsonian museum adopted a bilingual policy in 2014, with the hopes of presenting all exhibitions in English and Spanish by next year. The first special exhibition with dual language text opened last year; Americas Presidents represents the first permanent exhibition to feature Spanish and English text.

[Smithsonians popular Hall of Presidents to close for renovation]



A photograph of President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev by Diana Walker from 1987, left, which documents the summit meeting in Washington, D.C., and an oil painting of Reagan by Aaron Shikler from 1980, right, are part of the upcoming reopening of The Presidents Hall. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

The presidents are grouped into six thematic sections that address the social changes in the country  westward expansion, the Civil War, social reforms  and how the power of the presidency was linked to them.

A letter from George Washington, an early campaign button for Abraham Lincoln and a political cartoon about Franklin D. Roosevelt add much-appreciated texture to the many formal portraits. This expansive approach also allows the museum to add images of a few women  first ladies and presidential children  to the all-boys club.

Our country thinks of its history in terms of who is president, Chief Curator Brandon Fortune said.

The museums prized full-length portrait of Washington  the Lansdowne portrait painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796  returns to its place of honor at the gallerys entrance, luminous after an 18-month restoration. Washington, Jackson, Lincoln, both Roosevelts, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan are given expanded treatments.

Many of the portraits are by well-known artists, including Norman Rockwell (Richard Nixon) Chuck Close (Clinton) and Elaine de Kooning (Kennedy).

[Iconic portrait of George Washington comes down for high-tech cleaning]

Among the museums most popular exhibits, the presidents gallery also sparks criticism from visitors who see slights and bias in the presentation. People bring politics into the space, said Fortune with a shrug. Everyone has an opinion.

Lemay says their factual approach should thwart any controversy. If you stick to the history, it will speak for itself, she said.

The exhibition features digital tables where visitors can learn more about the presidents and their era. There are tabs for legacy, challenges, major achievements and campaign for each officeholder, with letters and photographs as illustrations. These are like sound bites, to get people into it, Lemay said.

The six-month renovation updates the previous exhibit, which opened in 2006 and remained on view until earlier this year. The 44th president  Barack Obama  is represented by a diptych by Close until the commissioned portrait is unveiled early next year. Museum officials remain mum on the identity of the artist and the exact date it will go on view.

As is the custom, a portrait of President Trump will be added to the exhibition once he leaves office.


Massimiliano Scotti of Vigevano, Italy, serves up a sample of his gelato at the 2017 European Gelato Festival last week in Florence, Italy. He won first prize for his original flavor, a blend of milk, rice and honey. (Gelato Festival)

Some people say gelato is the Italian word for ice cream. Dont believe them, cautions Gabriele Poli, founder of the Gelato Festival, a yummy competition that named its 2017 European champion last weekend in Florence, Italy  and is about to come to the United States for the first time.

There are technical differences between the two treats: Gelato typically has about half the fat of ice cream and is made with less air, a process that intensifies the flavor, Poli explains. But more important than such details is gelatos historical significance: It brought together ice, dairy and sugar for a treat that would become world famous.

It dates back to the Renaissance, an important period in European history when there were many advances in art, architecture, science . . . and dessert.

As legend has it, says historian Zeffiro Ciuffoletti (pronounced choo-fo-LET-ti), the inventor was a smart guy named Bernardo Buontalenti (bwohn-tah-LEN-ti, a name that means good talents). He worked for the powerful Medici family, and in 1559, he



The festival took place outside Florence, Italy, after several earlier rounds in other European cities. (Gelato Festival)

was put in charge of throwing a big party for important visitors from Spain. To wow them, he unveiled a recipe unlike anything they had tasted. Rich people couldnt get enough of the stuff, Ciuffoletti says. When sugar and ice become widely affordable a few hundred years later, gelato became a food everybody could enjoy.

That includes Poli, a self-described gelato addict, whose mission since launching the festival in 2010 has been to help people get to know gelato. In addition to tasting different flavors and talking to chefs, attendees are invited to stare through the windows of the Buontalenti Lab, a truck equipped with blast freezers, turbomixers and other machines that help create something lickable.



All the gelato in the competition is made on site in a large truck with several freezers and mixers. (Gelato Festival)

The coolest thing is this: All of the gelato you can taste at the festival is made in the truck, Poli says.

And all of it is something youve never tried before.

The flavor needs to make people dream, adds Poli, who believes each cone at the festival should contain a story.

These tasty tales were on display a few days ago as 16 competing chefs  each a winner from a series of preliminary competitions held across Europe  served up their creations on a hilltop overlooking central Florence.

This is a fusion of two cultures, the best of Italy and the Middle East. Tell me what you think, was Akash Vaghelas (va-GEH-lah) pitch for Creme dela Baklava, topped with pieces of flaky pastry and a dash of crushed pistachios.

Before handing over a cone, Carmelo Pannocchietti (pahn-o-KEE-eh-ti) gave his ricotta cheese concoction a citrusy spritz from a perfume bottle. Why? Its his expression of gelato as a woman, he explained.

Leaning over the counter, David Equi shared that he had handpicked the raspberries for his sorbet in Scotland. (Sorbet counts because its made like gelato, only with water instead of dairy.)

Massimiliano Scotti of Vigevano, Italy, who won first place, locked eyes with each person who approached him, and promised his simple blend of milk, honey and rice was how gelato is meant to be.

Washington, D.C., resident Jacqueline Policastro, one of some 50,000 people attending the festival, was gobbling it all up.

Having the worlds best in the place where it started is bucket list for me, she said between licks of a lemon-curd flavor. She and her husband, Mike McCarthy, planned their entire Italian vacation around the festival.



Gelato flavors at the competition included a red pepper-strawberry creation, center. (Gelato Festival)

With fans like that, no wonder Gelato Festival America kicks off in Boulder, Colorado, on September 29, before bouncing to three other Western cities. Next year, Poli says, the plan is to bring competitions to eight more spots, including one near Washington.

There is a big need for this, he adds, noting that Americans consume more frozen desserts than anyone else in the world and insisting that more of it should be gelato.

Policastros tip for first-time festivalgoers: Pace yourself.

Its harder than I thought to finish all of these, she said. And then she lined up for another cone.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of Jacqueline Policastro. The story has been updated.

Victoria Jordan Rodriguez of the James Beard Foundation, who served on the expert panel in Florence, suggests swirling your spoon around the cup to check consistency. It shouldnt be too hard, or too stretchy, she says. And chunks of ice are a no-no. As for flavor, her advice is to consider the balance and freshness of the ingredients.
People remove debris of a collapsed building after a quake rattled Mexico City on Tuesday. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 7.1, smaller than the devastating earthquake that struck the city 32 years ago to the day. (Omar Torres/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

This story has been updated.

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake jolted central Mexico on Tuesday, killing at least 104 people as buildings collapsed in plumes of dust. Thousands fled into the streets in panic, and many stayed to help rescue those trapped.

Scores of buildings collapsed into mounds of rubble or were severely damaged in Mexico City and nearby states. Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said 44 buildings collapsed in the capital alone.

Mancera said at least 30 had died in Mexico City, and officials in Morelos, just to the south, said 54 had died there.

At least 11 others died in Puebla state, according to Francisco Sanchez, spokesman for the states Interior Department.



Remains of a damaged building stands after Tuesdays earthquake in Mexico City. Thousands of people fled office buildings during the quake. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

Governor Alfredo del Mazo said at least nine had died in the State of Mexico, which also borders the capital.

The U.S. Geological Survey calculated its magnitude at 7.1 on the Richter scale and said it was centered near the Puebla state town of Raboso, about 75 miles southeast of Mexico City.

In Mexico Citys Roma neighborhood, which was struck hard by the 1985 quake, piles of stucco and brick fallen from buildings littered the streets. At least one large parking structure collapsed.

At a nearby market, a worker in a hard-hat walked around the outside warning people not to smoke as a smell of gas filled the air.

Market stall vendor Edith Lopez, 25, said she was in a taxi a few blocks away when the quake struck. She said she saw glass bursting out of the windows of some buildings. She was anxiously trying to locate her children, whom she had left in the care of her disabled mother.

Pictures fell from office building walls, objects were shaken off flat surfaces and computer monitors toppled over. Some people dove for cover under desks.

Earlier in the day workplaces across the city held preparation drills on the anniversary of the 1985 8.1-magnitude quake, which killed thousands of people and devastated large parts of Mexico City.

Much of Mexico City is built on former lake bed, and the soil is known to amplify the effects of earthquakes even hundreds of miles away.
Columnist

Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Dear Carolyn: My husband and I have an ongoing disagreement about how much technology we allow in the kids lives. Theyre exposed to so much of it during the week that I think the weekends should serve as nature retreats (so to speak). I worry that were depriving the kids when we let their world be dictated by screens. What do you suggest?

 World View

World View: Unless he wants them on screens for the majority of their days, your kids will be better served by your compromising with your husband than they will by your winning the battle for tech-free weekends.

I say this as a deep skeptic of the value of screens in kids lives, and a witness to what can go wrong with Internet overexposure to kids way too young to handle it. You-I-we are the first wave of parents raising kids in a world where most of them have access to everything, on an easily concealed device, often starting at ages younger than 10. So, you shield your kid, then your kid is in a classroom/playground/locker room with a 10-year-old talking porn. Its horrifying.



(Nick Galifianakis/For The Washington Post)

But your best chance against the encroachment of values you deplore isnt a weekend lockdown that your own partner is reluctant to help you enforce; your staunchest ally is actually the strength of your marriage and the warmth of your home environment.

Yes, do build outdoor time into your weekends  make it your family time. Make sure their world is dictated by a balance of things, like your interests and theirs, and necessities, and charity, and etc.

And flexibility belongs there, too. If your husband were all in, then Id say, great, go for it (though Id urge you to be mindful of the level of buy-in you get from your kids, especially over time, since rigidity is a great way to lose them).

But since you and your husband disagree, the emphasis is better placed on finding ways to balance your needs with the needs of people you love  and finding ways to have technology available without its owning you. There are a lot of good examples to set in there.

If he can agree with you on this goal, then chances are hell work with you on reaching it.

Re: Screens: I think it is important to distinguish among what the tech is being used FOR. There are kids who will play games, chat with friends on social messaging, watch science videos, read books, teach themselves Italian (no, really) on tech, and that in my mind is different from 24/7 Minecraft, which itself is also different from 24/7 Grand Theft Auto.

 Anonymous

Anonymous: Right, thanks. This is huge.

Even with the good things, too, theres a risk of excess.

Re: Screens: Would your husband be okay with the opposite approach? No tech at home during the week? This is essentially what we do although we don't have hard and fast rules about it.

I read a really good article a few years ago talking about having specific purposes for tech, too. Example: Desktop computer is for homework, not for games or TV. The iPad is for games, etc.

 Outside the Box

Outside the Box: Since the goal is to have boundaries that make sense, not war, then more options and ideas can only help. Thanks.

Write to

Carolyn Hax

at

tellme@washpost.com

. Get her column delivered to your inbox each morning at

wapo.st/haxpost

.
WASHINGTON, D.C.  For Bang Warren, a retired entrepreneur and self-described political junkie, money was no object when it came to seeing Hillary Clinton.

I paid twelve fifty on StubHub for two tickets, she said, standing outside of the Warner Theatre, nearly two hours before Clintons first stop on a speaking tour promoting her new book. No, not twelve dollars and fifty cents. Twelve hundred and fifty dollars.

The women beside her in line nodded their heads in approval. The former Democratic candidate for president may be one of the least popular politicians in America  a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that only 30 percent of respondents had a positive view of her  but in Clinton Country, her base still loves her.

Its going to be more than worth it, Warren said. Especially if I can get a selfie with her.

Here in this midsize city known as a bastion of liberal sensibilities that last year gave Clinton 90.1 percent of its vote, her weary fans  from the itinerant flacks and Hill staffers, to the workers with deep roots in the local nonprofit and think-tank communities  dont seem to mind her flaws. These disenfranchised residents, many of them tired of being belittled as swamp creatures by the new power elite running the country, see Clinton as the rare pol who is solidly on their side.

And so it was a festive atmosphere on 13th Street Northwest, amid the Pussy Power buttons and the Nasty Woman T-shirts, as folks clamored to snap up copies of her new book, What Happened, while eagerly parsing quotes from her recent NPR interview with Terry Gross. (She damn well better not rule out contesting the election!)



Clinton Country: The scene outside the Warner Theatre as fans waited to hear her speak. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

When Clinton took the stage  resplendent in a bright fuchsia jacket and a smile that seemed natural after weeks of reading, writing, walking in the woods and, as we were to learn, drinking wine  she did so to a lasting standing ovation. She promised her people they hadnt seen the last of her.

None of us can afford to go quietly away, she said. We need our voices, we need our energy. . . . Were not going to go anywhere. Were still fighting and still moving.

[Review: Clintons account of how she was shivved in the 2016 presidential election]

Clinton played to the crowd, joking about how she had to win a campaign against both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, discussing at length about her love for hot sauce and her disdain for the current administrations casual relationship with facts.

She sat for more than an hour, chatting with her former speechwriter and longtime friend Lissa Muscatine, the co-owner of the Politics and Prose bookstore, which hosted the event. It wasnt a hard-hitting interview (Whats your favorite flavor of ice cream? Chocolate.), but that didnt seem to bother this crowd. This was not a time to talk about emails, or Bernie Sanders, or whether she should have spent more time in Wisconsin or used the word deplorables.

Instead, Clinton spoke about the need for federal workers to stick it out in their jobs, even if they feel like they are working for a government that doesnt care about them.

I hope that we can maintain a core of experienced public servants in our government because at some point theyre going to need you, and the country is going to need you, she said. And I hope youre still there.

Its the kind of rhetoric that strikes a chord in the nations capital, a city whose primary industry  jobs associated with government  has been threatened by the current administration.

Sometimes it feels like my family members who voted for Trump are against me, my country is against me and my administration is against me, a bureaucrat with the Environmental Protection Agency who declined to be identified said after leaving the theater. It was nice to be around someone who made it known that she cares. I ugly-cried through plenty of it.



Were not going to go anywhere, Clinton told the packed house. Were still fighting and still moving. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

At times, the evening took on the air of a wake. (For Clintons candidacy? For democracy? For a truth-based society?) This meant lots of tears, lots of old stories, and lots of laughter. It also meant lots of work for the venues bartenders, one of whom said the bestseller appeared to be wine, lots and lots of wine. She then turned to a group of young women who had ordered five large pinot grigios and informed them they were $20 a piece.

Thats crazy! the young woman said, turning to her friends and quickly whipping around back to the bar. Well take four.

(Later, Clinton was asked on stage whether she preferred drinking vodka or chardonnay. It depends on how much time I have, she replied.)

Yet the evening felt like a better-days celebration. During his introduction of Clinton, Politics and Prose co-owner Bradley Graham noted that former staffers from Clintons failed presidential campaign were in the audience  her director of communications, Jennifer Palmieri, and her press secretary, Brian Fallon, were among those spotted  and the crowd went wild cheering for them.

Still, its not only the regions Democrats who are seeing Clinton through rose-colored glasses. In Washington, even some of the most hardened Republicans find themselves missing their former foe.

Staffers for America Rising, a conservative research organization that worked against her election last year, had designs on attending the book event. Not for work, really. Just for fun.

The HRC obsession around here wont go away anytime soon, said Jeremy Adler, a spokesman for America Rising Squared, a related organization. Shes still missed, and Fight Song is still the most popular song played at our parties.

Alas, Rising staffers soon found that the event was sold out, and tickets on the secondary market were out of reach, thanks to demand from people such as Clinton superfan Bang Warren.

At the end of the night Clinton left the stage to more thunderous applause. The crowd filed outside to collect copies of their books, and pose for pictures kissing its cover.

I didnt get a selfie, Warren said as she exited the theater. But I did get to shake her hand. I got to touch my hero. It was totally worth it.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Lissa Muscatine had pointed out the Hillary Clinton campaign staffers in the audience. It was Bradley Graham who said that, in his introduction of Clinton.
Dear Heloise: My grandson was just deployed to Iraq. What can we send him for a care package? When should we mail out for Christmas?

Kathy T., Kane, Pa.

Kathy T.: A big Heloise hug to your grandson, Kathy! Here are some ideas of what to send and what not to send, and when.

Send:

Personal wipes

 Sunflower seeds, peanuts, chewing gum, hard candies, powdered electrolyte drink mix

 Beef jerky and energy bars

 AA batteries, eyedrops, toothbrush and toothpaste, zippered storage bags

 Prepaid phone cards, multiuse knife tools

Dont send:

 Alcohol

 Pork products

 Chocolate (coated candies are okay)

 Hand sanitizer (wipes are less messy)

 Compass, sunscreen, flashlight (soldier should already have these)

 Salacious magazines

Give your package at least 15 days to get to your grandson. And readers, you must send the package to a specific service person; packages to Any Service Member are not allowed.

Dear Heloise: I read you in the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald. Instead of clipping articles I find of special interest, I take a photo of them with my cellphone. From there, I can crop and send them to a file I've created for that category. Easy to keep, no yellowing, and easy to retrieve and use/share. I've done this with Heloise hints!

Scott Y., via email

Dear Heloise: I work in human resources. If Ive pulled your resume and want to speak to you about a job, I expect you to ask questions during the interview. But here are some things not to say:

Anything that shows that you dont know about my company.

I havent done this before, but 

Bad-mouthing previous supervisors or jobs.

Im better than all the other candidates.

This will be great for my career path.

Dont say, I dont know  think of something to say regarding the question.

I love your suit  flattery of me is not appropriate.

I hope these phrases wont be used by job seekers. Have confidence in yourself, and show me that.

Mary H. in Oregon

Dear Readers: Here's a partial list of places where you should locate the exits, for safety's sake:

 movie theater

 airplane

 office building

 museum

 restaurant

Dear Heloise: I mark all window/door locks in the open position with a red felt pen. I know immediately when they are left open. Many times, company will open a window or slider and leave it unlocked.

Linda in California

Heloises column appears six days a week at

washingtonpost.com/advice

. Send a hint to

Heloise

, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Tex. 78279-5000, or email it to

Heloise@Heloise.com

.
After 13 years in prison for first-degree murder, a Baltimore man walked free Tuesday afternoon as the Baltimore states attorneys office joined his defense team in asking for his exoneration.

States Attorney Marilyn Mosby formally apologized at a news conference to Lamar Johnson and his family for what her office now believes was his wrongful conviction.

The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, which investigates suspected wrongful convictions, began looking into Johnsons case in 2010. Last year, the project presenting its findings to the states attorneys Conviction Integrity Unit  the first of its kind in Maryland  which, after its own investigation, agreed that Johnson was innocent.

The public must know that justice is the only barometer of success, Mosby said.

Johnson, 34, was sentenced to life in prison in 2006 for the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Carlos Sawyer in March 2004.

Johnson first became a suspect after a police informant provided a nickname of a possible shooter, and Johnson was mistakenly identified as using the same nickname, officials said.

In its review, the states attorneys office concluded that eyewitness testimony during the trial was flawed and that the two witnesses who identified Johnson as the gunman had said that he merely looked similar to the shooter, Mosby said. Another witness testified that another person  not Johnson  had fought with the victim minutes before his death, according to the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project.

During the course of its six-year investigation, the organization faced many challenges in building Johnsons case, said Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, the projects legal director. Apart from the trouble with finding witnesses and the reality that memories had faded, the team struggled to overcome peoples fears about cooperating in investigations, Dehghani-Tafti said.

"The hardest thing was getting witnesses to talk," she said. "It takes an extradordinary amount of courage to speak up about a crime, and maybe even more to speak up 10 years later."

Members of Sawyers family have long been convinced that Johnson was innocent, but Mosby said Johnsons release was a bittersweet moment.

They now must face the unsettling reality that Carloss attacker has not yet been brought to justice, she said.

Surrounded by family members at the news conference, Johnson described the frustration and despair he experienced in prison, but he said that with therapy and his familys support he hoped to put the past 13 years behind him.

The moment of release from prison can be overwhelming, said Shawn Armbrust, the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project's executive director. While there is joy about finally getting the exoneration they've fought for, former prisoners like Johnson start putting together how much they've lost, she said.

Having secured his GED while in prison, Johnson said he hoped one day to own a franchise. He also told others who believe they are wrongfully convicted to write to the innocence project for help.

I finally got justice, he said.
On health-care issues in the District, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) acknowledged during a news conference that these are stubborn issues, but said there have been marked improvements in the last decade. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

The Districts poorest residents are still forced to travel far outside their neighborhoods for their health care, according to a report released Tuesday by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser.

Less than 25 percent of Medicaid patients living east of the Anacostia River see a primary-care doctor in their Zip code. Despite efforts to expand services in Wards 7 and 8, many still call 911 emergency services for their basic health needs. And residents needing specialty care must commute downtown where most of the medical specialists are clustered.

These are some of the issues addressed in the mayors 168-page plan for the Districts health-care systems. The plan, which since 1989 has been required by law to be completed every five years, is broad in scope and short on specific recommendations.

The regularly scheduled report, however, was presented at a time when the citys only public hospital, United Medical Hospital, is struggling financially and its quality has been suffering. Last month, the facility, which also is the only full-service hospital east of the river, was forced to close its maternity unit due to a series of grave mistakes.

[Dangerous mistakes led to shutdown of United Medical Center obstetrics ward]

Health imbalances among District neighborhoods have been persistent and long-standing. Ten years ago, when then-Mayor Adrian Fenty released his plan, he listed eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities as a priority.

Bowser (D) acknowledged during a news conference that these are stubborn issues but said there have been marked improvements in the last decade.

The Districts ability to expand Medicaid coverage  the public insurance program for the needy and disabled  under the Affordable Care Act has meant that 97 percent of all residents have insurance, she said.

Since 2006, the city had committed to use its share of federal tobacco settlement funds to build community health centers in areas where residents have no easy access to primary-care doctors, promising at least one clinic each in Wards 7 and 8  which are now in place.

A number of health issues, including asthma, depression, diabetes and heart disease, are highest in Ward 8, according to the report.

Former mayor and council member Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7), who is widely expected to challenge Bowser in the next mayoral primary, has been openly critical of her commitment to bringing better health care to Wards 7 and 8.

What has been missing from the Districts health-care landscape is any leadership or vision by the current mayor suggesting she is an advocate for bringing health equity to the East End of the District, Gray said. The mayors recent budget failed to articulate a vision for how the city will address the health disparities abundantly evident in key areas of the city.

Having high rates of insurance coverage and added medical facilities havent been enough on their own to enhance the quality of care in low-income areas.

Obstacles in transportation and to healthy shopping options are among the impediments that can still undermine good health, said Maria Gomez, president and chief executive of Marys Center.

Gomez agreed that health access has expanded in some neighborhoods where service was acutely lacking. But people in some of those same areas continue to face other daunting daily challenges, she noted.

As long as people dont have safe and permanent housing or dont have enough food to eat and we dont coordinate those services that are so crucial to health, were not going to continue to make the gains weve made, Gomez said.

Last month, low-income District residents filed a federal lawsuit over what they contend are failures in a food-stamp program that at times left them without money for food.

The mayors overview of the Districts health system touched on these barriers, but did not delve into those specific problems.

It did not address the closure of the obstetrics wards at UMC and also at Providence Hospital in Northeast Washington, which has left women in those neighborhoods with few options for their maternal health care.

Earlier this month, the mayor announced that a replacement hospital will be built on the St. Elizabeths campus in Southeast Washington, but that plan is in the very early stages.

To keep UMC afloat until then, the mayor hired the consulting firm Veritas. A Washington Post analysis discovered that the founders of the firm, hired at $300,000 a month by the city, were contributors to the mayor's political campaign and that consultant fees have been rising under the no-bid contract to stanch financial losses at the medical center.

The mayors five-year report, which does not suggest any specific policy change, is intended as a guide to help the city make decisions about where to focus resources and to enhance programs including some already proposed on the health-care front, Bowser said.

In a city facing a glut of nonemergency 911 calls for health events, Bowser cited a proposed pilot program that would place nurses in 911 call centers to help triage calls so that fire equipment and ambulance crews are reserved for life-threatening issues and 911 callers without urgent health matters can be directed to a primary-care doctor or clinic. That pilot program, in which nurses would talk with callers to identify their issues, is expected to start in February 2018.

The city has said that it handles more than 200 calls a day from city residents who need medical care but are not experiencing life-threatening crises.
Gov. Larry Hogan (R), at the Maryland State House in Annapolis on April 10, says that the latest health-care proposal in the U.S. Senate will cost our state over $2 billion annually while directly jeopardizing the health care of our citizens. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Tuesday announced his opposition to Senate Republicans latest effort to undo the Affordable Care Act.

He said the legislation  being written by Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and known as the Graham-Cassidy bill  would cost Maryland too much money and put residents health care at risk.

Unfortunately, the Graham-Cassidy bill is not a solution that works for Maryland, Hogan said in a statement. It will cost our state over $2 billion annually while directly jeopardizing the health care of our citizens.

Hogan's rejection of the plan is in keeping with his previous opposition to this summer's failed attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which passed the House but died in the Senate.

We need common-sense, bipartisan solutions that will stabilize markets and actually expand affordable coverage, the statement said. It is time for Republicans and Democrats to come together, fix what is so clearly broken, and finally get something done for the American people.

[Would the House pass Graham-Cassidy? Its not a slam dunk.]

Hogan spoke out on the same day that 10 other governors from both parties, including Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) of Virginia, sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) rejecting the plan GOP leaders have embraced.

As I have said from the start, the Affordable Care Act needs to be fixed, Hogan said. I will support any solution  no matter which side of the aisle it comes from  that helps us reach this outcome.

Hogans stance puts him in line with the majority of the Maryland congressional delegation who are Democrats, including Rep. Jamie Raskin (D), who will participate Tuesday night in a forum to discuss Medicaid in Silver Spring.
Democrat Krishanti Vignarajah, a former policy director for first lady Michelle Obama, officially launched her campaign for governor Tuesday at the apartment complex outside Baltimore where she lived with her parents after the family fled Sri Lanka decades ago.

Before anything else, I was an immigrant and proud daughter of schoolteachers, she told an audience of about three dozen, including her husband, National Wildlife Federation chief executive Collin OMara, and their infant daughter.

She said as governor she would push for mandatory paid family leave for new mothers and fathers and for universal prekindergarten and make education her top priority.

Vignarajah, 37, has said she is driven to run partly by the retirement early this year of U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), which left all statewide elected offices in Maryland filled by men for the first time in many years.

A graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School, Vignarajah lives in Gaithersburg and worked for Michelle Obama for a little more than two years after a stint as a senior adviser at the State Department. She previously worked at a New York-based consulting firm and a Chicago-based law firm and has taught at Georgetown University.

Vignarajah, who was nine months old when her family immigrated to the United States with green cards, announced last month that she would join the packed field of Democrats vying to challenge the popular incumbent, Gov. Larry Hogan (R), in 2018.

Other declared candidates include Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, former NAACP president Ben Jealous, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, state Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery), entrepreneur Alec Ross and Baltimore lawyer and former University System of Maryland Board of Regents chair James L. Shea. Policy consultant Maya Rockeymoore is also weighing a bid.

They say no man can beat Governor Hogan, she said during her announcement. Well, Im no man.

Shortly after Vignarajah said she would run, one of her potential rivals, on the condition of anonymity, raised questions to news organizations including The Washington Post about her voter registration. A review of records by The Post showed she was registered in both Maryland and the District in recent years, had lived in both places, and voted in the District from 2010 to 2014 but in Maryland in 2016.

Maryland law requires gubernatorial candidates to have lived and been registered to vote in the state for five years immediately preceding the election. D.C. law prohibits people from registering to vote when they are registered elsewhere.

The Maryland State Board of Elections has asked Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) to weigh in on whether a person who registered in the state but later voted in another jurisdiction would be considered a registered Maryland voter.

Mary Wagner, voter-registration director for the elections board, said the attorney generals office is unlikely to provide an answer before Vignarajah files paperwork with the state to enter the race. The filing deadline for the June primary is Feb. 27.

Wagner said the board would have canceled Vignarajahs voter registration if D.C. officials had notified the state that she was also registered in the District.

Vignarajah did not take questions Tuesday and declined to comment on her eligibility for office.
A motorist crashed into three vehicles, left the scene of two of the crashes, and carjacked a Virginia state government truck Tuesday evening in a few frenzied minutes on some of the busiest stretches of roadway in the Washington region, according to the Virginia state police.

After the last of the crashes, on Interstate 95, the motorist fled, and police said they took someone into custody about a half hour after the incident began on the Capital Beltway, the police said.

According to a state police account of the automotive chaos, events began in the city of Alexandria about 6:30 p.m. when a black sedan crashed into another vehicle in the westbound lanes of the Capital Beltway, and then took off.

A subsequent collision disabled the black sedan, the state police said. They said the driver then got out and carjacked a Virginia Transportation Department truck that had responded to one of the crash scenes. In the truck, the motorist headed south on on Interstate 95, striking one more vehicle on his way, the police said. Again, they said, the motorist did not stop.

As it headed south, the state truck finally became disabled, the state police said. At that point, the police said, the driver ran away.

Police said a man was taken into custody in a house in the 7000 block of Backlick Road in the Springfield, Va., area. The state police said in a statement issued Monday night that it was believed the suspect was under the influence of an illegal substance.

There was no immediate report of any charges. No names were released as of 1 a.m. Tuesday, and it was not clear if anyone was injured at any point.
D.C. police have charged a man with fatally shooting his stepbrother in the head last week in Northwest Washington during what authorities said was an argument over snitching.

Antonio Williams, 36, of Northwest, was charged with second-degree murder while armed. He was arrested Monday by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.

The shooting occurred about 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 10 in an apartment building in the 600 block of Newton Place NW, in the Park View neighborhood.

The victim was identified by police as the suspects stepbrother, Antwaun Smith, 41, of Northwest. Police said he was shot once in the head with a .45 caliber handgun and was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police said Smith and Williams lived a block apart.

An arrest affidavit filed Tuesday in D.C. Superior Court said Williams believed his stepbrother had cooperated with police in the investigation of a recent robbery because Williams got a longer sentence.
Vandalism is seen Tuesday on the Lincoln Memorial. (Justin Wm. Moyer/The Washington Post)

A man was arrested Monday after police say he vandalized the Lincoln Memorial.

A U.S. Park Police officer observed the man about 1 p.m. using a penny to scrawl the letters HYPT MAEK on the fifth pillar on the north side of the memorial, authorities said.

The man, identified as 21-year-old Nurtilek Bakirov, of Kyrgyzstan, was arrested and charged with malicious destruction of property.

Sgt. Anna Rose, a Park Police spokeswoman, said during a news conference Tuesday that Bakirov was a student in the Washington area. Bakirovs attorney didnt return a request for comment.

Conservators are evaluating the damage to the monument to determine the best method for repairing it, police said.

It is unclear what the words mean, and they are difficult to see. The writing appeared to be Cyrillic and could include a reference to Bakirovs first name.

[Lincoln Memorial vandalized with red spray paint]

Documents filed in D.C. Superior Court indicate the letters cannot be fully removed, but could be treated with polish in a process that would cost about $2,000.

Justine Bello, a architectural conservator for the National Park Service, said the vandalized area was small and the stone would weather out over time. When the Lincoln Memorial is vandalized, she said, staff decide how to respond on a case-by-case basis, testing treatments on a small area of the stone before proceeding.

This is permanent damage, she said. That is troubling.

The Lincoln Memorial, dedicated in 1922, was vandalized in August when someone defaced it with red paint. Theres no indication that incident was related to this one, Rose said.

In another incident in February, someone wrote cryptic messages in black permanent marker on the memorial, the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial and the D.C. War Memorial, including the words, "Jackie shot JFK."

In 2015, a case was dismissed against a Chinese woman who was suspected of tossing green paint on several D.C. landmarks, including the Lincoln Memorial, after a judge determined she was incompetent to stand trial.

Keith Alexander, Peter Hermann and Zofia Smardz contributed to this report.
A Maryland lobbyist has been charged with bribery in connection with a wide-reaching investigation into the Prince Georges County liquor board and state lawmakers.

Matthew Gorman, an attorney and lobbyist based out of Hyattsville, is expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt on Friday for a hearing in which federal court records indicate he may plead guilty to one count of bribery.

A plea agreement would not be final until Gorman admitted guilt in court and a judge accepted it.

Gorman, who represented mainly liquor businesses, is accused of giving William A. Campos, a former state delegate and County Council member, at least $1,000 in exchange for favorable action from Campos of official matters, according to federal court records. The alleged bribery took place in 2015, but federal authorities did not specify what Campos promised in return for the cash in their files charging Gorman.

Authorities filed charges against Gorman on Thursday. Gorman and his attorney did not return messages seeking comment.

[Federal bribery charges filed over Prince Georges County liquor licenses]

Campos pleaded guilty in January to accepting about $40,000 to $50,000 from various sources in exchange for official action. He admitted to funneling more than $325,000 in government money earmarked for charitable giving to those who gave him personal payments while he was on the County Council, according to his plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

A sentencing date has not been set for Campos, a Democrat from Hyattsville who had served as a state delegate starting in January 2015 before he resigned eight months later.

Federal authorities have charged eight people, including Campos and Gorman, in their investigation into the liquor board and state and local lawmakers since the probe became public in January.

[Marylands liquor patronage system has to go]

Former delegate Michael L. Vaughn (D-Prince George's) is awaiting trial on conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud charges. He is accused of accepting more than $100,000 from liquor store owners in exchange for favorable votes on legislation that would benefit those who paid him.

Others charged include: David Dae Sok Son, the former director of the liquor board accused of acting as a middleman to facilitate bribes; Anuj Sud, a former county liquor board commissioner accused of taking money in exchange for favorable votes; and Young Jung Paig and Shin Ja Lee, liquor store owners accused of funding bribes.

Son and Sud are awaiting trial. Paig and Lee have pleaded guilty but have not yet been sentenced.

Felix Nelson Ayala, a Rockville accountant accused of giving Campos cash in exchange for government money funneled to a nonprofit associated with Ayala, pleaded guilty to bribery in August. He has not yet been sentenced.
A suspect sought in the fatal shooting of a Maryland man and the wounding of another person in Georgetown in July has been arrested in West Virginia and extradited to the District, police said Tuesday.

Demarius Anton Jackson, 24, of Hyattsville, Md., was charged with second-degree murder while armed in the July 8 shooting, which occurred at about about 2:50 a.m in the 3500 block of Water Street NW.

[Police identify suspect in Georgetown killing]

The victim was identified as Kennedy Javier Amaya-Olivares, 19, of Severn, Md.. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The second victim, who was not identified, was hospitalized.

Police issued a warrant for Jacksons arrest in August and found him in Morgantown, W.Va., on Sept. 12. He was returned to the District on Tuesday.



D.C. police have arrested Demarius Anton Jackson, 24, in a fatal shooting in Georgetown. (Metropolitan Police Department)

Authorities have not described a possible motive. Additional details are expected after Jackson makes his initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court, possibly on Wednesday.
Three suspects were arrested and charged in a Saturday killing in Prince George's County. The suspects, clockwise from left, are Carlos Cardenas-Banegas, Wilfredo Cardenas-Banegas and Kevin Soriana-Hernand. (Courtesy of Prince George's County Police)

Two brothers and another man were arrested and charged in connection with the killing of a teenager over the weekend in Riverdale, Md., authorities said.

Police in Prince Georges County arrested Carlos Cardenas-Banegas, 29, and Wilfredo Cardenas-Banegas, both of Riverdale, along with Kevin Soriana-Hernand, 18, of Landover Hills. They are charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Carlos Garita-Salazar, who was also from Landover Hills.

Police responding early Saturday morning to a report of a shooting in the 6000 block of 67th Pl. found Garita-Salazar inside a car. He had trauma to the upper body and was pronounced dead on the scene, according to police.

The three suspects are being held in jail on a no-bond status.

The killing comes as the D.C. region has seen roughly 190 homicides so far this year, according to a tracking done by The Washington Post. Of those, 68 have been in Prince George's County.
Charges will not be filed against a Prince William County police officer who fatally shot a 15-year-old during a call Friday, prosecutors announced Monday.

The teen, whom police identified Tuesday as Ruben Urbina, was shot as officers were responding to a report of a hostage situation at a home in Haymarket.

Its always tragic when a young person loses his life, said Prince William County Commonwealths Attorney Paul Ebert. But there comes a time when police have to do what police have to do, and this was one of those occasions.

The ruling dismayed Urbinas family, who said in an interview Monday that they felt the shooting was not justified.

Ebert said the situation began when the teen called 911 to say he had a bomb strapped to his body, was holding his mother hostage and had a knife. Ebert also said the teen indicated he didnt mind being shot by officers.

[Prince William County police officer fatally shoots male teenager]

Ebert said the teen had attempted suicide the night before and was suffering from a mental disturbance. Urbinas brother, Oscar, 18, said Urbina had previously been in treatment for a mental condition, which he declined to specify, but he had been doing well recently.

When officers arrived at the teens home in the 6800 block of Hartzell Hill Lane around 10:45 a.m. Friday, Ebert said the teen struck his brothers girlfriend with a three-foot-long crowbar and then moved aggressively toward officers. The officers commanded the teen to drop the crowbar, but he did not comply, Ebert said.

When the teen was less than 10 feet away, an officer fired twice. Police said in a news release Monday that Urbina had raised the crowbar over his head in a threatening manner before he was shot.

The teen was struck in the upper body, Ebert said. Police said the officers rendered aid, but the teen was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman who was struck with the crowbar was transferred to the hospital for treatment and is expected to recover. No officers were injured.

When asked if he thought less lethal force could be used, Ebert answered: I dont think so.

Ebert said officers later found a knife at the scene. He also said the encounter was challenging because the teen was wearing a coat, so it was difficult to see if he had concealed a weapon or indeed had a bomb. Police said no bomb was found and determined there was no hostage situation.

On Tuesday, police identified the officer who shot Urbina as Robert Choyce, 35, a seven-year veteran of the force. Choyce is a member of the departments tactical team and has not been involved in any other on-duty shootings.

Authorities said the officer was not wearing a body camera.

Oscar Urbina said the family was distraught about Urbinas killing and that police had not given a full account of what actually happened. He declined to detail what information hadnt been reported by authorities, saying the family wanted to consult with an attorney first.

Theres a lot of stuff that prosecutors dont know or want to hide, Oscar Urbina said. They are trying to make the shooting look justified.

Oscar Urbina said his brother was a sophomore at Pace West, a special education school in Gainesville. He said he was funny, enjoyed computer games and liked to go on long walks.

Prince William County Police Chief Barry M. Barnard said the situation was difficult for the family and the officer involved.

This whole event is a tragedy for the family, Barnard said. At the same time, its a traumatic event for an officer. No officer comes to work wanting to use force.
People on Sept. 4 protest the closure of the Georgetown Branch Trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

A federal judge held off deciding Tuesday whether larger trees may be cut to build the Purple Line while a lawsuit against the rail project continues.

The delay allows Maryland officials to decide  at least for now  when to clear-cut a popular recreational trail.

Tree-clearing along the heavily wooded Georgetown Branch Trail between downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring will begin Monday, according to Chris Doherty, a spokesman for Purple Line Transit Partners, the states private partner on the project.

After a hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Judge Richard J. Leon said Purple Line opponents and Maryland officials could negotiate the tree-cutting start date while they await his decision on the opponents request for a preliminary injunction.



Workers install orange and white barriers with trail closed signs on the Georgetown Branch Trail. The trail was closed Sept. 5. (Katherine Shaver/The Washington Post)

That injunction would prohibit tree-clearing until the opponents 2014 lawsuit against the 16-mile project is resolved.

A state contractor began clearing underbrush and smaller trees on Sept. 5, after closing the three-mile trail to the public for four to five years of Purple Line construction.

A lawyer for the MTA told Leon in a recent court filing the state planned to allow the contractor to begin cutting trees of all sizes Sept. 18.

However, the state agreed to postpone full-scale tree-clearing  the trail is shaded by hundreds of towering, mature trees  until Sept. 20, to give Leon time to hear opponents preliminary injunction request.

[Purple Line opponents seek ban on tree-cutting during lawsuit]

Project opponents have argued allowing trees to be cut before their lawsuit is resolved would cause irreparable environmental damage.



A sign shows the new train that will run on the Purple Line during a groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 28 in Hyattsville, Md. (Oliver Contreras/For The Washington Post)

State officials have said the opponents are rehashing unsuccessful legal arguments and that delaying tree-cutting would jeopardize the projects overall schedule and add millions to the more than $2 billion construction costs.

John M. Fitzgerald, a lawyer and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said he expects Leon could rule on the preliminary injunction as soon as Wednesday.

Theres no reason why  you cant leave 80-year-old trees standing, Fitzgerald said.

[Georgetown Branch Trail closes for Purple Line construction]

Regardless of what Leon decides, the fight over the trails trees is likely to continue.

The losing side is expected to immediately appeal Leons order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

That court is already scheduled to hear oral arguments Nov. 1 in the states appeal of Leons earlier ruling requiring the state to redo the Purple Lines ridership forecasts to reflect Metros decline.

Leon told Purple Line opponents he was struggling with whether he even has the authority to rule on a preliminary injunction while the appeals court considers the Metro ridership issue. I still think its a stretch on the jurisdiction, he said.

He noted the appeals court had recently sided with the state on whether Purple Line construction could begin before the appeal is decided. On July 19, that court restored the projects environmental approval, which had allowed tree-cutting and other construction work to begin while judges consider the appeal.
CALIFORNIA

Father charged with killing his children

Prosecutors charged a father Monday with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his children in West Sacramento, saying a belt was used in two of the killings.

Prosecutors filed the charges against 32-year-old Robert William Hodges in the deaths of 11-year-old Kelvin Hodges, 9-year-old Julie Hodges and Lucas Hodges, nearly eight months.

Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said the two older children were killed with a belt but would not say how it was used or give other details, including a motive.

The charging documents dont say how the infant was killed.

Prosecutors also charged Hodges with the attempted murder of his wife, Mai Hodges, after she called police Wednesday to report she had been assaulted.

Arriving officers found the three children dead and Robert Hodges missing; he was arrested hours later. Police have said Mai Hodges did not witness the slayings.

Relatives and neighbors said there were no apparent problems or abuse in the marriage.

 Associated Press

MISSISSIPPI

2 inmates on the run from prison

Two inmates, including a convicted murderer, have escaped from Mississippis largest prison. Officials say the escapees are armed and dangerous.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections said Monday that James Sanders, 41, and Ryan Young, 22, broke out from the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Corrections officials think they escaped their unit between late Sunday and early Monday, when they were discovered missing.

Sanders was sentenced to life in prison in 2000 after a Lafayette County murder conviction.

Young was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2015 after being convicted of burglarizing a vehicle and a residence, grand larceny, and being a felon possessing a gun.

 Associated Press

ALABAMA

Bus employees accused in rape of Auburn student

Two men who worked for a company that runs the Auburn University transit system have been charged in the alleged rape of a student on one of the buses.

James Don Johnson Jr., 32, of Auburn, Ala., and Tony Martin Patillo, 51, of Columbus, Ga., were arrested Saturday, the Auburn city police department announced Monday. Each is charged with first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy in the Friday night attack.

Police received a report late Friday about a man exposing himself while standing over a woman on a city street. When officers responded to the call, they detained Patillo but initially were unable to find the woman, the department said in a news release. Police later found and interviewed the 18-year-old woman.

An investigation showed that the woman appeared to be incapacitated when she boarded a Tiger Transit bus earlier, and that she was sexually assaulted on the back of the bus by Patillo while Johnson drove the bus and engaged in actions to perpetuate the crime, the police news release said. Patillo left the bus with the woman, and that was when a passer-by reported seeing him standing over her, authorities said.

Johnson and Patillo have been fired from their jobs with First Transit, a private company that runs the bus system, Auburn University said. The company is required to conduct background checks of its employees, the school said. The university said it is reevaluating its relationship with First Transit.

 Associated Press
SYRIA

Assad troops advance toward U.S.-allied SDF

Syrian troops battling the Islamic State militant group crossed to the eastern bank of the Euphrates River in Deir al-Zour on Monday, threatening a potential standoff with the U.S.-backed forces operating there.

But a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition downplayed concerns, saying both advancing forces are maintaining lines of communication to avoid conflict.

Col. Ryan Dillon said the top commander of the U.S.-backed Syrian forces has maintained open lines of communication with his counterpart in the Syrian government to avoid friction. This is the first indication of direct contact between the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as the race for control of the oil-rich Deir al-Zour province picks up speed.

Dillon said deconfliction talks with Russia, which backs Assad in the conflict, also have increased in a bid to avoid ground friction as both sides work toward a common goal  thwarting the Islamic State.

The SDF has been waging an offensive against the group on the eastern side of the Euphrates.

The Syrian troops crossing to the eastern bank tightens the governments grip on the city of Deir al-Zour by closing in on the militants from all sides, except for a narrow waterway flowing south.

 Associated Press

INDIA

Rohingya pose threat to security, officials say

Indias government said Monday that it has evidence that there are extremists who pose a threat to the countrys security among the Rohingya Muslims who have fled Burma and settled in many Indian cities.

Indias Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed on behalf of two Rohingya refugees challenging a government decision to deport members of the ethnic group.

The lawyer representing the Rohingya said the decision was discriminatory.

This is clearly a case of religious discrimination and an attempt to arouse an anti-Muslim feeling, Prashant Bhushan said.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the government will provide evidence of Rohingya links with extremist Islamist groups at the next hearing.

The petition was filed after Indias junior home minister, Kiren Rijiju, said last month that state governments had been ordered to identify and deport illegal immigrants, including Rohingya Muslims.

Rijiju said India would deport all Rohingya refugees, including about 16,500 registered by the United Nations as refugees.

Many Rohingya living in India fled persecution in Burma in 2012. According to the United Nations, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled Burma in recent weeks since a renewed military crackdown.

 Associated Press

TURKEY

30 newspaper staffers on trial in coup effort

Thirty journalists and executives from a Turkish newspaper shut down last year went on trial Monday, facing life sentences over charges that they had links to a coup attempt.

The former employees of Zaman are charged with membership of an armed terror organization and attempting to overthrow the government, parliament and the constitutional order through their alleged links to cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Zaman was affiliated with U.S.-based Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of instigating the coup attempt, but denies involvement.

The indictment calls for three consecutive life sentences for the Zaman staff.

The Justice Ministry said in July that more than 50,000 people had been arrested and 169,013 subjected to legal proceedings since the putsch.

 Reuters

Suspected suicide attackers kill 12 in Nigeria: Suspected suicide bombers killed at least 12 people and injured 26 in northeast Nigeria's state of Borno, the epicenter of the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency, the chairman of the local emergency agency said. Nobody has asserted responsibility for the attacks, but the use of suicide bombers is a hallmark of Boko Haram.

Oct. 28 election set for Iceland: Iceland will hold elections on Oct. 28 after the ruling coalition collapsed amid a scandal about a proposed pardon for a sex offender. The president said it was clear there was no chance of forming a new government from the existing parliament. Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson resigned Saturday after one of his coalition partners quit over a bid by his father to help clear the name of a convicted pedophile.

 From news services
FRANCE

557 migrants removed from makeshift camp

French police encircled a makeshift migrant camp in a wooded area near Dunkirk on Tuesday, evacuating 557 people, the prefecture of the Nord region said.

It was the second such operation in two days in northern France, where asylum seekers and migrants gather in hopes of making it across the English Channel to Britain.

Sixty children were among those removed from the camp. Seven of them had been living on their own, the prefecture said.

Police detained 16 other people, the prefecture said in a statement without elaborating.

Migrants have been staying in the area since an official camp housing about 1,500 of them burned to the ground in April.

Many of the evacuated migrants are Afghans and Iraqi Kurds, but there are also Iranians, Pakistanis and Sudanese.

A huge makeshift camp in Calais, about 30 miles west of Dunkirk, was emptied of at least 7,000 migrants in October.

 Associated Press

BOSNIA

65 skulls found at site linked to war crime

The remains of at least 65 victims have been retrieved from a mass grave recently found in central Bosnia at the site of one of the most gruesome crimes of Bosnias 1992-1995 war, forensic experts said Tuesday.

Lejla Cengic from Bosnias Missing Persons Institute said the remains, which included 65 skulls, were found in a grave at the Koricanske Stijene cliff near Mount Vlasic. The remains are thought to belong to some of the more than 220 non-Serb civilians executed in the area by Bosnian Serb forces on Aug. 21, 1992.

Most of those killed were taken from notorious Serb-run detention camps near the northwestern town of Prijedor and told that they were going for a prisoner exchange.

The victims are thought to have been forced out of a convoy of several hundred civilians whom Serbs were deporting from Prijedor. They were ordered to line up atop the 990-foot cliff and then executed. Once the victims fell into the abyss, Serb police threw bombs at them to ensure nobody would survive.

After the killings, the Bosnian Serbs removed the bodies from the bottom of the cliff and buried them in several locations in the wider area of Koricanske Stijene.

Since the end of the war, the remains of 25,500 people have been found by forensic experts in mass graves across Bosnia.

 Associated Press

BELGIUM

German WWI U-boat found; 23 bodies inside

An intact German World War I submarine containing the bodies of 23 people has been found off the coast of Belgium, authorities said Tuesday.

Western Flanders Gov. Carl Decaluwe said the find on the floor of the North Sea is very unique.

Its quite amazing that we found something like this, Decaluwe said. The impact damage was at the front, but the submarine remains closed, and there are 23 people still onboard.

The UB II-type dive boat is 88 feet long and almost 20 feet wide, and it is lying 82 to 98 feet below the surface.

From the damage to the front of the vessel, it appears that the sub may have struck a mine with its upper deck. Two torpedo tubes have been destroyed, but the lower tube is intact and closed.

Decaluwe said the U-boat was found by researchers.

About 18 U-boats were stationed with the Flanders Flotilla in Bruges between 1915 and 1918. Thirteen of them were destroyed.

It is the 11th such wreck to be found in Belgian waters.

 Associated Press

Israel says it downed Hezbollah drone headed toward Golan: The Israeli military said it shot down an Iranian-made spy drone operated by the Hezbollah militant group as it approached the Golan Heights, and vowed to take further tough action against any attempts to violate Israel's sovereignty. An Israeli military spokesman said the drone was on a surveillance mission near the border. He said Israel shot it down after it entered the demilitarized zone between Syria and the Israeli-controlled side of the Golan. Israel and Hezbollah are bitter enemies.

3rd arrest made in London subway attack: Police have arrested a third suspect in last week's London subway bombing. Police said that a 25-year-old man was arrested in Wales and that a property in Newport, Wales, was being searched. Two other men arrested over the weekend  an 18-year-old refugee from Iraq and a 21-year-old from Syria  remain in custody. The partially exploded bomb injured 30 people when it detonated inside a subway car.

 From news services
Columnist

Here's the problem with suggesting that upsetting speech warrants "safe spaces," or otherwise conflating mere words with physical assault: If speech is violence, then violence becomes a justifiable response to speech.

Just ask college students. A fifth of undergrads now say its acceptable to use physical force to silence a speaker who makes offensive and hurtful statements.

That's one finding from a disturbing new survey of students conducted by John Villasenor, a Brookings Institution senior fellow and University of California at Los Angeles professor.

In August, motivated by concerns about the narrowing window of permissible topics for discussion on campuses, Villasenor conducted a nationwide survey of 1,500 undergraduate students at four-year colleges. Financial support for the survey was provided by the Charles Koch Foundation, which Villasenor said had no involvement in designing, administering or analyzing the questionnaire; as of this writing, the foundation had also not seen his results.

Many of Villasenor's questions were designed to gauge students' understanding of the First Amendment. Colleges, after all, pay a lot of lip service to "freedom of speech," despite high-profile examples of civil-liberty-squelching on campus. The survey suggests that this might not be due to hypocrisy so much as a misunderstanding of what the First Amendment actually entails.

For example, when students were asked whether the First Amendment protects hate speech, 4 in 10 said no. This is, of course, incorrect. Speech promoting hatred  or at least, speech perceived as promoting hatred  may be abhorrent, but it is nonetheless constitutionally protected.



Results based on online survey of 1,500 undergraduate students at U.S. four-year colleges and universities, all U.S. citizens, conducted Aug. 17-31. For a confidence level of 95 percent, the margin of error is between approximately 2 percent and 6 percent, depending on the group. (Aaron Williams)

There were no statistically significant differences in response to this question based on political affiliation. But there were significant differences by gender: Women are more likely than men to believe hate speech is not constitutionally protected (49 percent vs. 38 percent, respectively).

Students were asked whether the First Amendment requires that an offensive speaker at a public university be matched with one with an opposing view. Here, 6 in 10 (mistakenly) said that, yes, the First Amendment requires balance.

The most chilling findings, however, involved how students think repugnant speech should be dealt with.

Villasenor offered a hypothetical that may sound familiar to those who recall recent fracases at California State University at Los Angeles, Middlebury College , Claremont McKenna College and other institutions:

Lets say a public university hosts a very controversial speaker, one known for making offensive and hurtful statements. Would it be acceptable for a student group to disrupt the speech by loudly and repeatedly shouting so that the audience cannot hear the speaker?



Results based on online survey of 1,500 undergraduate students at U.S. four-year colleges and universities, all U.S. citizens, conducted Aug. 17-31. For a confidence level of 95 percent, the margin of error is between approximately 2 percent and 6 percent, depending on the group. (Aaron Williams)

Astonishingly, half said that snuffing out upsetting speech  rather than, presumably, rebutting or even ignoring it  would be appropriate. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to find this response acceptable (62 percent to 39 percent), and men were more likely than women (57 percent to 47 percent). Even so, sizable shares of all groups agreed.

It gets even worse.

Respondents were also asked if it would be acceptable for a student group to use violence to prevent that same controversial speaker from talking. Here, 19 percent said yes.



Results based on online survey of 1,500 undergraduate students at U.S. four-year colleges and universities, all U.S. citizens, conducted Aug. 17-31. For a confidence level of 95 percent, the margin of error is between approximately 2 percent and 6 percent, depending on the group. (Aaron Williams)

There were no statistically significant differences in response by political party affiliation. Men, however, were three times as likely as women to endorse using physical force to silence controversial views (30 percent of men vs. 10 percent of women).

None of this bodes well for the alt-rights Berkeley Free Speech Week events next week.

Judging from the lineup  which includes professional troll Milo Yiannopoulos and Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich  the apparent goal of this event is not to help students face hard truths or grapple with thoughtful conservative viewpoints. It's to say disgusting things in an attempt to provoke liberals into doing something stupid, surrendering any claim to moral high ground. If that happens, President Trump's "both sides" comments will ring a little truer, while liberals and colleges are further cemented as whataboutist bogeymen for the right.

In truth, lefties can do more to call out threats to civil liberties perpetrated by their ideological allies. And colleges can do more to promote freer debate. But many of Villasenor's results  like those from other data sources  show that the right is also astonishingly open to shutting down speech.

What's more, colleges alone are not to blame for these findings. Other data suggest that freshmen are arriving on campus with more intolerant attitudes toward free speech than their predecessors did, and that Americans of all ages have become strikingly hostile toward basic civil and political liberties.

Colleges provide a crucible for Americas increasingly strained attitudes toward free discourse. But they are just the canaries in the coal mine.
Columnist

This citys annual gridlock festival, otherwise known as the U.N.General Assembly, is a proper metaphor for the United States current state of affairs.

While Manhattans already snarled streets filled beyond capacity with limos toting dignitaries, a quieter, less-theatrical group of thinkers and leaders was meeting to discuss strategies for a rising new political center.

The Sunday event was the inaugural "Ideas Summit" of the New Center, the policy arm of No Labels, an organization dedicated to restoring bipartisanship and a centrist governing philosophy in Washington. Organizers presented their first policy book with solutions to "re-center America." And about 100 politicians, financial backers and others convened to hear former British prime minister Tony Blair in a conversation with Joe Lieberman,a former U.S. senator from Connecticut and a No Labels co-chair, about the dire need to counter partisan ideology and the concerning global rise of strongman leadership. (Disclosure: I moderated.)

If such a gathering seems vaguely Third-Way-ish in a This Is Us, you-need-a-hug sort of way, it is also a serious attempt by serious people to give Blairs politically homeless a place to land and from which to lead.

If we cant mobilize the center, he said, the consequences will be driven deep.

Blair, who has been hitting the media and think-tank circuit hard this past week, isn't new to the No Labels movement, which he finds compatible with his own push for progressive centrism in Britain, despite his status as something of a political pariah these days. In his spare time, he's also pursuing Middle East peace through his namesake institute and recently offered proposals to reverse Brexit, which he considers a terrible mistake.

Lending his support to No Labels is also consistent with his view that the United States and Britain must work together to protect and advance our shared values. On Sunday, he noted as hopeful signs the recent election of centrist French President Emmanuel Macron and the likely reelection next week of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Contrary to early criticism of No Labels as a front for right-leaning 1-percenters, and its predicted failure, the groups composition and much of what it proposes are very much in the middle of the muddle. Successful by most measures, the organization has about 15 staffers and, importantly, a group of committed financiers who can underwrite political campaigns in the absence of party support. Theres also a Problem Solvers caucus of 43 members of Congress who have committed to work for solutions rather than political points.

Going forward, the New Center is building a website that will aggregate news and commentary, call out those on both sides whose bias is showing, and offer a fact-checking operation that includes crying foul when context is manipulated. Just last week, caucus members visited the White House to share ideas with President Trump, who recently has shown signs of cooperative behavior, notwithstanding his U.N. shout-out to Rocket Man (Kim Jong Un) and his open threat to destroy North Korea.

Although the New Center policy book offers no foreign policy counsel, Blair did note that Trumps tweets and nicknames for others, though entertaining, probably arent helpful. Which is a very grown-up way of putting things  and precisely the way I would characterize this rather Mother and Father (not mom and dad) group. Mature, practical and a little bit (refreshingly) boring, the centrist crowd doesnt mind being gruff at times (Call laziness what it is) but also recognizes the need to help the unemployed or unemployable find a place within a globalized economy.

On the domestic front, inclusiveness means helping people not only get jobs but also relocate to where the jobs are. Greater equality also means taxing all income equally, including profits from capital gains and dividends.

One of the groups more ambitious ideas, which also has been suggested by Republicans on Capitol Hill, combines tax reform with infrastructure. Suffice to say, tax reforms that beckon American businesses to return to the United States would not only create jobs but also produce income to pay for infrastructure, which would beget more jobs and more income, thus stimulating the larger economy.

President Barack Obama leaned  and Trump is leaning  toward this idea, which smacks of something like cooperation. Problem-solving, said Blair, needs to be seen again as winning and cooperation should be rightfully understood as a powerful force.

But, I asked, can centrism really become a movement? Does it need a party?

Said Lieberman: Theres nothing in the Constitution that says we have to have a two-party system. We can do whatever we want.

Indeed, we can.

Read more from Kathleen Parker's archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook.
Columnist

Leaders of both major parties are wrong to think of the 2016 election as some kind of fluke. I believe a political realignment is underway, and those who fail to discern its outlines could end up powerless and irrelevant.

With all respect to Hillary Clinton, her newly published memoir, What Happened, doesnt really tell what happened. It is perhaps inevitable that she would focus on the daily twists and turns of the campaign. It is understandable that she would blame James B. Comey, Vladimir Putin and the media for damaging her prospects  and that she would play down her own strategic and tactical missteps.

But take a step back and look at the election through a wider lens. Clinton, with all her vast experience and proven ability, was defeated by Donald Trump, a reality-television star who had never before run for office, displayed near-total ignorance of the issues, broke every rule of political rhetoric and was caught on videotape bragging of how he sexually assaulted random women by grabbing their crotches.

Thats not just unlikely, its impossible. At least it should have been, according to everything we knew  or thought we knew  about politics. Yes, Comeys last-minute revival of Clintons email scandal robbed her of momentum. Yes, her neglect of the Rust Belt was a terrible mistake. Yes, the Russians were working hard to defeat her, with the blessing  and at least the attempted collusion  of the Trump campaign.

But the election never should have been close enough for relatively minor voting shifts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania to elect the likes of Trump. The election never should have been close enough for Clinton to lose Florida and barely eke out a win in Virginia.

In retrospect, the alarming possibility of an election-night surprise should have been apparent. Trump never should have won the Republican nomination over a field that included so many talented politicians. And Clinton never should have had to work so hard to win the Democratic nomination over Bernie Sanders, an aging socialist from Vermont who wasnt even a Democrat until he entered the race.

None of what happened should have happened. And it is a mistake to blame Clintons character flaws, Trumps mastery of Twitter or the medias compulsion to chase every bright, shiny object. Something much bigger and deeper was going on.

My view is that the traditional left-to-right, progressive-to-conservative, Democratic-to-Republican political axis that were all so familiar with is no longer a valid schematic of American political opinion. And I believe neither party has the foggiest idea what the new diagram looks like.

I dont think Trump can see the new spectrum either, as evidenced by the way his approval ratings have plunged since his inauguration. But both he and Sanders deserve credit for seeing that the old model has outlived its usefulness.

Look at the issues on which Trump and Sanders were in basic agreement. Both doubted the bipartisan consensus favoring free-trade agreements, arguing they had disadvantaged U.S. workers. Both spoke of health care as a right that should be enjoyed by all citizens. Both pledged to strengthen, not weaken, entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Both were deeply skeptical of U.S. involvement in foreign wars, vowing to do their nation-building here at home. Both advocated mammoth, job-creating investments in infrastructure. Both contended the system was rigged to favor the rich and powerful at the expense of everyone else.

Leave aside for the moment the fact that Trump has not fulfilled his promises. The overlap in what he and Sanders said they would do is striking  as is the contrast between what Clinton and Trumps GOP rivals were saying.

Trump was uniquely transgressive on one issue  immigration. He addressed the anxieties of white working-class voters by presenting immigrants as all-purpose scapegoats.

The Trump and Sanders campaigns revealed that there are large numbers of voters whose views are not being reflected by Democratic or Republican orthodox positions. Are the parties adapting? Democrats seem to be inching toward support of truly universal health care, while Republicans have thus far thought better of taking health insurance away from millions of people. Perhaps this is a start.

But I see no evidence yet that either party is engaged in the kind of fundamental rethinking I believe is called for. So it is a mistake to assume that Trump is necessarily a one-term president or that Sanders is done politically. You know the saying: In the land of the blind, a one-eyed man is king.

Read more from Eugene Robinson's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
Timothy Jost is an emeritus professor at Washington and Lee University law school.

The Senate is on the verge of launching a dangerous experiment. Having failed for months to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Republicans hope to dump onto the states the problem of providing low- and moderate-income Americans with access to health care. So long as they are determined to push forward without meaningful Democratic input, they have until Sept. 30 to act under Senate rules. The Graham-Cassidy bill  their last chance to meet this deadline  would simply hand the states block grants and abandon to them millions of Americans whom the ACA now helps.

In doing so, however, Graham-Cassidy would radically redistribute health-care funding. It would effectively strangle the efforts of states  predominantly Democratic  that have been most successful in extending coverage under the ACA's Medicaid expansion, tax credits and cost-sharing reductions. Conversely, it would lavish funding on states  predominantly Republican  that have resisted the coverage expansion opportunities the ACA offered. It would also allow states to waive the basic health insurance protections the ACA has given individuals with preexisting conditions. Finally, like previous Republican bills, it would cap federal Medicaid funding growth at levels that would force states to cut back on traditional Medicaid coverage, further increasing the numbers of the uninsured.

If passed, Graham-Cassidy would proceed in three stages. The current ACA premium tax credits and Medicaid expansion would remain in place for 2018 and 2019. But the bill would immediately  indeed retroactively  end the individual- and employer-mandate penalties, while offering nothing in return to encourage healthy enrollees to maintain coverage. The bill would also do nothing to compensate insurers for the reductions they must make in deductibles and other cost-sharing for low-income enrollees, an issue that is currently driving up premiums. The bill includes some funding that could be used to help stabilize insurance markets, but does not specify how the money would be used, and in any event, it provides too little money. Under this law, it is quite possible that the individual insurance markets could collapse in some states before 2020.

In 2020, the second stage of Graham-Cassidy would go into effect. Between 2020 and 2026, funding the states currently receive would be reallocated according to a complex formula that would, subject to several adjustments, base each states share on its portion of the U.S. population with incomes between 50 and 138 percent of the federal poverty level. While the sponsors of the bill assert that this is fair, it would create numerous problems.

To begin, it would dramatically cut funding for states that have successfully extended coverage under the ACA. California would effectively receive $28 billion less in 2026 than under currently projected funding, New York $19 billion less. On the other hand, the bill would just as dramatically expand funding for states that have largely ignored their uninsured: Funding for Texas would increase $8 billion over currently projected levels.

While additional funds could allow ACA-resistant states to do more to cover their uninsured, states would first have to establish programs to distribute the money. This would likely require state legislation, administrative rules and possibly the establishment of new agencies. And state action would have to await for federal agencies to first adopt their own rules implementing the bill. It is hard to see how this could all take place between now and 2020.

Further, Graham-Cassidy would allow states to waive the ACA requirement that insurers must cover essential health benefits, such as prescription drugs or mental health and substance-use disorder services, as well as the ACA's prohibition against insurers charging higher premiums to people with preexisting conditions. States would have to describe how they intend "to maintain access to adequate and affordable health insurance coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions," but it is unclear what "adequate and affordable" means and difficult to understand how coverage could meet this standard if services to treat preexisting conditions are not available or if individuals with preexisting conditions can be charged higher premiums. Moreover, the bill contains no mechanism for revoking funding to a state if it fails in fact to meet its commitments.

Graham-Cassidy allows states to spend up to 15 percent of their grants on covering traditional Medicaid enrollees through private insurance. States could simply replace their traditional Medicaid expenditures with Graham-Cassidy funding or use the funds to make up for Medicaid shortfalls as other provisions in the bill limit federal funding of traditional Medicaid. This would reduce the money available to cover the low- and moderate- income people that the ACA now covers.

Finally, the entire block-grant program depends on private insurer participation. But insurers would face 50 different state regulatory and financing systems, each of which could change from year to year. Many private insurers may decide this is just too risky a market to play in.

The third stage of Graham-Cassidy would arrive in 2027, as the bills appropriations and funding formulas expire. Congress would have to pass legislation essentially establishing a new program at that point. And it would have to pay for it in some way. Any states that expanded their programs in response to Graham-Cassidy would have to embrace the possibility of massive funding shortfalls at that time. A very risky experiment indeed.

Americans have decisively rejected Republican schemes to repeal the Affordable Care Act all summer. They should tell the Senate to reject Graham-Cassidy as well.
HE WAS often called "the man who saved the world," and in some sense, he did. On the night of Sept. 26, 1983, in a period of Cold War tension, Stanislav Petrov, a lieutenant colonel on duty at a missile attack early-warning center south of Moscow, was jolted by an alarm of a U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile attack on the Soviet Union. What happened next offers lessons for today. They are worth recalling now that it is being reported that Mr. Petrov, 77, died May 19, living alone outside Moscow.

The alarm on that September night was the result of data passed from Soviet early-warning satellites monitoring for possible missile launches by spotting the heat from a rocket engine against the dark background of space. The newest satellite, Oko No. 5, was the most sensitive, and sending more than double the usual signals to computers at Mr. Petrov's center, Serpukhov-15. Mr. Petrov knew the satellite's data had to be checked; there could be errors at dusk, when the missile fields being watched passed from day to night, a murky and blurry zone.

On this night, the data from Oko No. 5 triggered the attack alarms, a warning of high reliability, and it fell to Mr. Petrov to respond. He was frightened, but he reasoned that the United States would not start a nuclear war with just one missile. He called his superior and declared it was a false alarm. Next, the sirens went off and he faced a report of five missiles launched; he again told his superiors  based entirely on a gut instinct  that it was a false alarm. By doing so, he prevented a chain of reactions by higher-level officials that could have led to catastrophe.

This may sound like ancient history. But what matters today, long after the Cold War, is that nuclear-armed missiles in the United States and Russia are still on launch-ready alert , an anachronism from days when both superpowers believed that deterrence should be based on a cocked-pistol threat of mutual annihilation. Hair-trigger alert was purposely built to launch U.S. land-based missiles about four minutes after a president gave the order, and submarine-based missiles about 12 minutes after the order. Today's tensions with Moscow, however aggravating, do not require this level of alert. Modest and verifiable measures with Russia to reduce the alert times of some land- and sea-based nuclear-armed missiles (and it should be done jointly, not unilaterally) would go a long way toward avoiding accident or miscalculation. False alarms happened often on both sides during the Cold War, and since. The possibility of error looms elsewhere, too, such as in the tensions with North Korea and between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.

Despite all the precautions, if a decision has to be taken to launch nuclear-armed missiles  and every president is schooled in a procedure to do so  it may be amid enormous uncertainty, fear, chaos and technical fallibility. Thank goodness Mr. Petrov did the right thing. Now the world, led by the United States and Russia, should find a way to back away from this danger.
Laurence H. Tribe is university professor and professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School. Ron Fein is the legal director of Free Speech for People, which has filed an amicus brief in the Arpaio case.

A federal judge in Arizona will soon consider whether to overturn President Trumps pardon of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio. The answer to this question has consequences not just for Arpaio and the people he hurt but also for the entire country. And although the conventional legal wisdom has been that a presidential decision to grant a pardon is unreviewable, that is wrong. In this circumstance, Trumps decision to pardon Arpaio was unconstitutional and should be overturned.

For more than 20 years, Arpaio ran the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office with shocking cruelty and lawlessness, especially against Latinos. In 2011, a federal judge issued an injunction in a lawsuit challenging the practice of detaining and searching people for, in essence, driving while Latino. The judge found evidence that the sheriff's office engaged in racial profiling and stopped Latinos just to determine their immigration status. He ordered it to cease detaining people without reasonable suspicion of a crime.

Arpaio flagrantly ignored the injunction, and in May 2016, the judge found him to be in civil contempt of court. In July, a second federal judge found him in criminal contempt, which can be punished by imprisonment. Three weeks later, Trump pardoned Arpaio. Trump's Justice Department argues that is the end of the matter, but many constitutional law scholars and advocates disagree. The judge has scheduled an Oct. 4 hearing and ordered further briefing.

To understand why Trump's pardon of Arpaio is so dangerous, step back to 1962, when a federal court ordered the all-white University of Mississippi to admit African American James Meredith. When the Mississippi governor refused to comply, the court directed the Justice Department to prosecute him for criminal contempt of court.

At the time, many anti-integration governors vowed "massive resistance" to court-ordered desegregation. The legal struggle against segregation relied on the power of court orders  enforceable by imprisonment for contempt.

Now imagine a president such as Trump pardoning the governor for contempt, while praising him, as Trump lauded Arpaio, for "doing his job."

The message to segregationist officials would have been clear: just ignore federal court integration orders; the president will have your back if the court tries to enforce them through its contempt power.

No official could have failed to hear that message in the Arpaio pardon. Nor could have any Trump associate in possession of evidence bearing on criminal or impeachable activity by the president. The signal to them all is: You can treat any court order to testify, even with a grant of immunity, as a friendly request and politely decline. You can count on a pardon to protect you from criminal prosecution.

Is this use of the pardon power constitutional? In most cases, however controversial, courts should not second-guess the president's use of the pardon power. But when the Constitution says that the president "shall have Power," that does not mean unlimited power. It means power that is not inconsistent with other parts of the Constitution.

For example, the Constitution says "Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes," but that doesn't mean Congress can tax white people at a different rate than black people. The Constitution says the president "shall have Power" to make treaties, but that doesn't mean he can make a treaty that abolishes freedom of speech.

The power to pardon is limited by the Fifth Amendment's guarantee that no person be "deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." That guarantee requires that courts must be able to issue and enforce injunctions to stop constitutional violations by government officials. Otherwise, compliance with a court order would be optional.

In 1925, the Supreme Court upheld President Calvin Coolidge's pardon of a speakeasy operator who had violated a court order to stop selling liquor during Prohibition. But the court has not considered a pardon for contempt since 1925. And it has never considered a pardon issued to a ranking government official for disobeying a court order to stop a systemic practice of violating individuals' constitutional rights.

The framers suggested one solution to the prospect of such abuse. During a Virginia debate over whether to ratify the Constitution, George Mason worried that the president might "pardon crimes which were advised by himself." James Madison replied that a president who did so could be impeached. Trump's pardon of Arpaio should trigger congressional hearings on whether it constitutes an impeachable offense.

But it strains logic to suggest that, although a president can be removed from office for an unconstitutional pardon, the pardon itself must be judicially enforced. By pardoning Arpaio for his willful disobedience of a court order to stop violating Arizonans constitutional rights, Trump has pulled the republic into uncharted waters. Our best guide home is the Constitution.
Columnist

In his prescient science-fiction novel The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson describes a post-national world in which people organize themselves into affinity groups called phyles. Some choose to be Victorians, emulating the beliefs and aesthetic of 19th-century Britain. Others identify with the values and dress of the Boers. The Celestial Kingdom is a Chinese culture phyle. In The Diamond Age, globalization has erased the nation-state and left people  always hungry for belonging  to identify themselves entirely by culture.

A provocative new essay by Andrew Sullivan, America Wasnt Built for Humans, describes the emergence of two American phyles. One is more racially diverse, urban, secular and globalist. The other is largely white, rural and exurban, religious and nationalist. Their conflict is the context of American politics. At stake is the idea that American describes a single people.

In Sullivans description, the myths that used to help unify the country  the ideal of assimilation, the idea of Americas founders as exemplars of constitutional values  have been weakened. We dismantled many of our myths, he argues, but have not yet formed new ones to replace them. The result is the dangerous triumph of cultural identification over unifying political ideals.

Who is at fault for the depth of this mental divide? It is the nature of political polarization that both American tribes blame each other. Sullivan blames them both, but not quite equally.

According to Sullivan, members of the blue tribe have created problems in the realm of ideology. Some have promiscuously accused the red phyle of hate speech and white supremacy, rendering the terms less powerful when required to describe the real thing. Neo-Marxist ideologies on race and gender have become the premises of higher education, the orthodoxy of a new and mandatory religion, says Sullivan. (The essay may generate some controversy for Sullivans forthright criticism of the recent direction being taken by Ta-Nehisi Coates on racial issues.)

But it is the red tribe, in Sullivans view, that has most effectively injected tribalism into politics. It was Barry Goldwater (by opposing the Civil Rights Act) who re-racialized the competition between the two parties. It was then-California Gov. Pete Wilson who cultivated a fear of migrants for political purposes. It was Newt Gingrich who disdained comity and embraced politics as combat. And it is President Trump who has given angry whites their own form of identity politics.

As an electoral matter, Sullivan finds the two American tribes eerily balanced and committed to obliterating the other side. We are seeing what happens when an unrepentant tribalist controls the presidency. Depending on the political fate of the House of Representatives, we may see what happens when the opposing tribe tries to remove him.

The problem identified by Sullivan is that tribalism is our default value  the "our" here covering all Homo sapiens . The ability to quickly and intuitively distinguish "us" from "them"  likely someone from another tribe intent on taking resources or lives  was a tremendous evolutionary advantage on the plains of Africa. It is slightly less helpful in the halls of Congress. But the history of demagoguery shows how useful it can be in the gaining and holding of power. "We have created a Star Wars civilization," said E.O. Wilson, "with Stone Age emotions."

Sullivan believes that America's founders would have been surprised by our cultural tribalism and skeptical that any republic could survive it. I'm inclined to think that Alexander Hamilton  who viewed men as essentially "ambitious, vindictive and rapacious"  would be unfazed. But few (or none) of the founders would have viewed political parties based on cultural identification as a positive thing.

Most interestingly, Sullivan proposes a response to tribalism that is not structural but essentially spiritual. He urges a renewed appreciation of individuality, citing himself  a gay Catholic, conservative independent, religious secularist  as a misfit challenge to tribal conformity. As an evangelical Christian sympathetic to gay rights, a Republican critic of Trump and a compassionate conservative, I can relate. We need a political system that makes room for human complexity.

Sullivan also urges mutual forgiveness as the basis for genuine reconciliation. No tribal conflict, he says, has ever been unwound without magnanimity. We need the spirit of Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela in our politics, which is essentially to call for a miracle. It is the secret strength of democracy that miracles occasionally happen.

Read more from Michael Gerson's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook .
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S campaign against immigrants who are in the country illegally has triggered a backlash in some Democratic-leaning states and localities. Perhaps the most sweeping example just emerged from the state legislature in California, which extended so-called sanctuary protections to people who lack legal authorization to live in the United States. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) agreed to sign the legislation, known as the California Values Act, after insisting on changes that injected a much-needed dollop of restraint to the original bill, which disregarded public safety in its determination to shield illegal immigrants.

The bills supporters boast that it has made California, where at least a fifth of the nations roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants live, the first bona fide sanctuary state. Local police and sheriffs may no longer ask about peoples immigration status in many cases, nor hold most detainees behind bars at the request of federal immigration agents.

Similar if less sweeping laws in scores of cities and counties nationwide have infuriated the Trump administration, prompting the Justice Department's counterproductive threat to withhold federal law enforcement funds from so-called sanctuary localities. In a challenge to that threat brought by Chicago, a federal judge ruled last week that the funds could not be withheld without Congress's say-so.

The California bill, like the court ruling, limits the administrations enforcement discretion. It does so in keeping with common sense.

In its modified form, the bill, passed by lawmakers on a straight party-line vote, allows  but does not require  localities to cooperate in detaining and handing over undocumented immigrants convicted of one or more on a list of some 800 violent and serious crimes. They include sex offenses, arson, domestic violence and even some lesser crimes chargeable either as misdemeanors or felonies.

It's critical that even the state's most liberal precincts  we're talking to you, San Francisco  receive that message. It's one thing to stand on the principle that illegal immigrants, most of whom have been in the country for 15 years or more, are a productive and vital part of America's social fabric. It's another to turn a blind eye to undocumented residents who have committed major crimes, imperil public safety and should be removed. As Mr. Brown put it on NBC's "Meet the Press," those who have committed serious crimes "have no business being in the country."

The final bill allows more cooperation between federal and local law enforcement agencies than many advocates for illegal immigrants would like. Immigration agents will be allowed to interview people in jails, though theyll be barred from setting up offices in them, and theyll have access to some California enforcement databases under rules set by the state attorney general.

The attempt at striking a legislative balance prompted the state police chiefs' association, but not the sheriffs' association, to drop its initial opposition to the bill. The generally more lenient stance by police reflects the challenge they face in cultivating strong relations with immigrant communities, without which neither victims nor witnesses will cooperate with them. Such on-the-ground facts have carried the day in California. The administration should take note.
Monday, September 18, 2017



Uganda, photo by Rod Waddington

In Uganda, refugees are given a plot of undeveloped bush land to call their own as well as a machete to tame it.

The land comes from government negotiations with community landowners who hope that by giving up their undeveloped land, they'll get neighborhood schools, clinics, and roads built by international aid agencies in return.

This in-depth report from the BBC looks at the daunting task of converting bush land to farm land.

It's a unique system. One that offers the tantalizing promise of truly giving refugees a new home.

-KitJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2017/09/uganda-where-refugees-get-land.html
Reading the many reviews about Ken Burns's "The Vietnam War" PBS series, including Mark Atwood Lawrence's Sept. 17 Outlook essay, "Vietnam War through the lives of those profoundly shaped by it," I came to the conclusion that Americans care only about their side and their enemy, the communist regime of Hanoi. The innocent South Vietnamese civilian casualties are only a bystander story. The My Lai massacre of a few hundred Vietnamese civilians was elevated to a national disgrace, while the Hue massacre (about 6,000 South Vietnamese civilians killed, some buried alive, including three German medical professors and one's wife) was barely mentioned. Is that fair? Where is the South Vietnamese side?

Duong Nguyen, McLean
Michael Cohen, a close associate of President Trump and former lawyer for his business, has agreed to speak to the Senate Intelligence Committee for a public hearing next month, after investigators abruptly canceled a private Tuesday session with him.

The Oct. 25 hearing is part of the committee's ongoing investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, and it came together just hours after committee investigators dismissed Cohen from the private interview. Cohen had arrived with his attorney, Steve Ryan, but left after about an hour, informing reporters waiting outside that committee staff told him they did not wish to proceed.

We will come back for a voluntary interview whenever we can to meet with them, and we look forward to voluntarily cooperating with the House committee and with anyone else who has an inquiry in this area, Ryan said.

In a joint statement, committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.), and ranking Democrat Mark R. Warner (Va.) said the session was canceled because Cohen made public statements before his interview "in spite of the Committee's requests that he refrain from public comment."

As a result, we declined to move forward with todays interview, they said. The Committee expects witnesses in this investigation to work in good faith with the Senate.

Cohen is not the only witness to publicly release a statement ahead of a meeting with investigators  Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, did the same before he huddled with committee investigators several weeks ago. But Burr said the committee changed its policy after the Kushner meeting, reworking its agreements with other witnesses. Cohen's experience, he said, should be a warning to those who might try to spin the public before they are done speaking with investigators.

This is the model well follow, Burr said, speaking of the decision to postpone Cohens session and insist on a public hearing. We dont expect individuals who come behind closed doors to publicly go out and tell . . .

Their side of the story only, Warner said, finishing Burrs sentence.

Cohen had planned to use the session to vigorously deny playing any role in Russias efforts during the presidential election campaign. Ryan told reporters that Cohen stood by written testimony he had submitted to the committee for its review, which had been obtained by The Washington Post.

That statement was factual, it was accurate, it was respectful, and we stand behind that statement, Ryan said.

According to that statement, Cohen had planned to tell the committee that he has never engaged with, been paid by, paid for or conversed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else to hack or interfere with the election.

Also in the written testimony, Cohen denied playing any role in efforts to hack Democratic Party computers or help create fake news stories to boost Trumps campaign.



Michael Cohen steps out of a cab Tuesday on Capitol Hill, where he is testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

"I emphatically state that I had nothing to do with any Russian involvement in our electoral process," he said.

Instead, Cohen had planned to ask the committee to reach a "public conclusion"  one way or the other  about the truth behind allegations that were raised about him in an opposition-research dossier compiled before the election by a former British spy working on behalf of Trump's political opponents.

Former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele reported that Cohen had helped orchestrate the Russian effort, meeting with Kremlin representatives in Prague to discuss finances and strategy. The unverified dossier became public in January, when it was posted online by BuzzFeed.

[House Intelligence Committee subpoenas DOJ, FBI for dossier documents]

In the written testimony, Cohen called the document riddled with total falsehoods and intentionally salacious accusations.

Noting that Steele's work mentions his name more than a dozen times and damaged his reputation, Cohen said he is confident that the Senate's investigation will conclude that neither he nor Trump was involved with Russia's intervention in the campaign.

"The accusations are entirely and totally false," Cohen said, insisting that he has never been to Prague or the Czech Republic.

Committee staff members could have used the session to question Cohen about the dossier. But their questions also could extend into other Russia-related areas where he has acknowledged activity.

Cohen was one of Trump's most trusted confidants during the years following the success of Trump's reality TV show "The Apprentice," as the celebrity mogul expanded his business worldwide by licensing his name to development projects in India, Panama, Turkey and elsewhere. Cohen left the Trump Organization in January, when Trump became president, and since has served as a personal lawyer to the president.

Cohen also turned over internal emails to Congress last month that show that he served as a point person for the Trump Organization on the latest attempt to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, even appealing to a Kremlin official  after Trump had launched his presidential bid. Before doing so, however, Cohen sent an email to Dmitry Peskov, top spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking him to intervene to propel the project forward. Cohen said the Kremlin aide didn't respond, and that he was simply "doing my job."

In a statement that accompanied the emails, Cohen said he began discussions about the project in September 2015 with Felix Sater, a Russian emigre who has worked on previous Trump projects. The discussions were the most recent of repeated failed attempts by Trump to build in Moscow dating to the late 1980s.

In October 2015, Trump signed a letter of intent agreeing to move ahead with a Moscow developer named Andrei Rozov. But Cohen said he pulled the plug on the deal in January 2016, impatient about a lack of progress on the project.

[Top Trump Organization executive asked Putin aide for help on business deal]

"This was solely a real-estate deal and nothing more," he said in his written testimony to the committee. "I was doing my job."

Another episode that could have been on the panel's agenda also involved Sater. In January, shortly after Trump became president, Cohen and Sater met at a New York hotel with a Ukrainian parliamentarian who was pushing a peace proposal for the former Soviet Republic.

In interviews at the time, Cohen said the Ukrainian lawmaker had said that his plan came with Russian government approval. The New York Times, which first reported the meeting, reported that Cohen said he took an envelope containing the proposal to Washington and left it in the office of national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn resigned days later after he misled Vice President Pence and the public about his interactions with Russia's ambassador.

However, Cohen has insisted to The Post that he took an envelope containing the plan to his New York City apartment and threw it away. He said he had merely advised the Ukrainian that Flynn was the appropriate person to receive his idea.

Tom Hamburger contributed to this report.
President Trump on Monday listens to a question during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Palace Hotel in New York. (Evan Vucci/AP)

President Trump on Tuesday will present a vision of U.S. engagement with the world in a maiden address to the United Nations that aides said will be consistent with the nation's "values and traditions" but will not focus on advancing democracy abroad.

This dichotomy of a U.S. leader pledging to shape global conditions to ensure America's prosperity and security without explicitly promoting its way of life is expected to distinguish Trump's speech from those of his White House forebears.

The president's nationalist agenda has led to widespread anxiety among the U.S. allies and partners who have gathered here this week among the more than 150 foreign delegations at the 72nd U.N. General Assembly. Amid mounting global challenges, foreign leaders are carefully watching Trump's moment on the world stage for signals about his willingness to maintain the United States' traditional leadership role.

Although Trump campaigned on a policy of putting America first and spoke dismissively of international bodies such as the United Nations and NATO, he has offered a tentative embrace of them as he seeks to rally international support to confront destabilizing threats from North Korea, Iran and the Islamic State.

Trump began several days of diplomacy at the United Nations with a session Monday devoted to reforming the institution  a theme during his outsider presidential campaign and a key demand of some of his conservative supporters. The focus on reducing bureaucracy lent a critical tone to Trumps debut.



Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, left, and President Trump shake hands while British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, second from right, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres greet each other before a session about reforming the United Nations at the U.N. headquarters in New York City. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

In brief opening remarks, he said the United Nations had not lived up to its billing upon its creation in 1945, asserting that it suffered from a bloated bureaucracy and mismanagement. Trump urged his fellow leaders to make reforms aimed at changing business as usual, but pledged that his administration would be partners in your work.

Make the United Nations great, the president told reporters when asked about his message this week, riffing off his campaign slogan. Not again. Make the United Nations great. Such tremendous potential, and I think well be able to do this.

White House aides said the address would be consistent with Trumps foreign policy speeches this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he challenged other nations to do more in the global fight against terrorism, and in Warsaw, where he warned that Western civilization was under attack.

President Barack Obama used his final U.N. address last year to urge his peers to continue to embrace the multilateral cooperation that had marked the post-World War II era, and to warn of a global retreat into tribalism and building walls  an implicit reference to Trump just weeks before the 2016 presidential election. Trump campaigned on a pledge to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and to curtail immigration.

In the vast U.N. chambers, Trump will give a clear-eyed view of the challenges facing the international community and offer a path that is based on outcomes, not ideology, said a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the presidents speech.

Trump, as he has before, intends to emphasize the need for other nations to take up more of the burden of providing for their own prosperity and security, rather than relying on the United States.

Its a shared risk, the administration official said. Nations cannot be bystanders to history. The aide added that Trump will talk about the need to work toward common goals. But he will not tell them how to live. He will not tell them what system of government to have. He will ask countries to respect the sovereignty of other nations. Thats the rationale for the basis of cooperation.

Foreign leaders have sought to influence Trump this week on a range of issues.

Trumps first meeting with a world leader here was with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a choice meant to underscore the U.S. commitment to Israel and displeasure at what U.S. officials see as systemic anti-Israel bias at the United Nations.

It was also a nod to the open question of U.S. participation in the U.N.-backed nuclear deal with Iran  one of the most pressing issues hanging over the session this year. Netanyahu, who will also address the gathering Tuesday, opposes the international deal and lobbied hard against it during the Obama administration.

When we look at the agreement, we have reservations, Israels U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, said in an interview. We should not be the one who will tell our allies what to do and how to do, but we have some hand-on experience.

Trump, whose administration faces an Oct. 15 deadline to certify whether Tehran has complied with the agreement, said last week that Iran had violated the spirit of the deal by supporting terrorism in the Middle East. A statement that Iran is not complying would set off a congressional review of whether to reimpose some U.S. sanctions, which could sunder the deal.

The president believes the deal is deeply flawed, said Brian Hook, a State Department official who accompanied Trump in his meetings with foreign leaders Monday. Trump told his foreign counterparts what he thinks are the shortcomings, Hook said.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who will address the United Nations on Wednesday, told CNN that a U.S. withdrawal would harm American credibility.

Exiting such an agreement would carry a high cost, Rouhani said.

The White House said Trump spoke by phone Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is not attending the U.N. meetings, to discuss North Koreas efforts to destabilize Northeast Asia with its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Ahead of the meetings, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley lauded the United Nations for a pair of recent votes to enact severe economic sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The sanctions seek to cut off oil imports to the regime of Kim Jong Un  who Trump recently dubbed "Rocket Man"  and block exports from the country.

In another bilateral session Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron pressed Trump to keep the United States in the Paris climate accord. Trump, who told him the deal imposed oppressive regulatory burdens on American businesses, has vowed to withdraw the United States from the agreement at the earliest opportunity, in 2020.

There is a worrying degradation of the world environment, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a news conference. Without mentioning Trump by name, Le Drian lamented an increasing breakdown of international cooperation and withdrawal out of fear or selfishness.

Yet as Trump sat down with Macron, he reflected fondly on his official trip to Paris in July to watch a Bastille Day military parade down the Champs-Elysees. This, the president ruminated, would be an import from abroad that has his support.

It was a tremendous thing, Trump said. And to a large extent, because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July Fourth in Washington, down Pennsylvania Avenue. . . . Were going to have to try and top it.
A final GOP effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act burst into view this week in the Senate, where leaders began pressuring rank-and-file Republicans with the hope of voting on the package by the end of the month.

The renewed push comes nearly two months after the last attempt to overhaul the law known as Obamacare failed in a dramatic, early-morning vote, dealing a substantial defeat to President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and prompting many to assume that the effort was dead.

The latest proposal would give states control over billions in federal health-care spending, repeal the laws key mandates and enact deep cuts to Medicaid, the federally funded insurance program for the poor, elderly and disabled. It would slash health-care spending more deeply and would probably cover fewer people than the July bill  which failed because of concerns over those details.

The appearance of a new measure reflected just how damaging Republicans consider their inability to make good on a key campaign promise of the past seven years: to repeal and replace President Barack Obamas signature domestic policy achievement.

But trying again brings its own perils. It remains far from certain that McConnell can marshal the 50 votes he needs to pass the measure. Already under fire from Trump for falling short in the earlier effort, McConnell could see his standing with the president and other Republicans suffer all the more if he fails again.



Sen. Bill Cassidy R-La.), left, and Sen. Lindsey O. Graham R-S.C.) are two of four sponsors of a fresh effort to replace the Affordable Care Act. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Even Republicans who support the bill, including its chief sponsors, Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.), Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), Dean Heller (Nev.) and Ron Johnson (Wis.), acknowledged the uncertainty of the moment. And McConnell has not committed to bringing the bill to the floor.

I just told Bill Cassidy hes a grave robber, said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), one of McConnells top lieutenants. This thing was six feet under, and I think hes revived it to the point where theres a lot of positive buzz and forward momentum. But it still comes down to, in the Senate, getting 50 votes.

[The new GOP health-care measure goes further than the failed one]

Still, the fresh flurry of activity marked the most serious attempt since the failed July vote to revive the long-standing Republican pledge to undo a law that has been vilified on the right. Among those joining the effort is Vice President Pence, who has been making calls to GOP senators and governors in support of the bill, according to a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the vice presidents private talks.

Part of the hurry results from the need to act before Sept. 30, when procedural rules expire that allow the Senate to pass legislation related to taxes and spending with a simple majority  and without any Democratic votes.

For McConnell, the path forward is politically perilous. His relationship with Trump has grown toxic since the July vote, prompting the president to approach leading Democrats to discuss a tax code overhaul as well as a potential deal protecting undocumented immigrants brought to this country as children.

Another failure for McConnell could embolden Trump and Democrats to continue working with each other.

[A new strategy for Trump? Democrats cautious but encouraged by fresh outreach.]

But if the embattled Senate leader can shepherd a health-care bill to passage, sending the effort to fulfill a core Republican promise over to the House, he could set himself on a path to restoring his footing in other talks. Such an outcome could also help Republican senators who are facing reelection campaigns in 2018 and coming under increasing attacks from insurgent conservative challengers over the failure to repeal Obamacare.

In addition to the political turmoil, the unexpected return to health-care legislation has put the nations insurance industry in a state of uncertainty. After concluding that the effort was all but dead in July, some GOP senators reached out to Democrats to try to shore up the insurance marketplaces created under the ACA.

Now, industry officials must once again prepare for the possibility of a fresh and dramatic overhaul.

Cassidy has stopped short of predicting that his bill will pass, telling reporters that his goal was to write legislation that sets a marker for conservative health-care policy.

Were trying to set up good policy, Cassidy said Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. Whether its done now or later, the good policy will still be there.

With Democrats united firmly against the bill, Senate GOP leaders can afford to lose only two of 52 Republican votes, enabling them to pass the measure with a tiebreaking vote from Pence. They lost three in the July vote: Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine).

None of those three committed to voting for the bill Monday, expressing reservations if not outright opposition.

We need more information. I need to talk to the governor again, said McCain, whose home-state governor, Republican Doug Ducey, endorsed the bill Monday. Ducey had also endorsed the previous bill, so his current stance is not necessarily a clue as to what McCain will do.

McCain warned against rushing ahead. We just need to have a regular process rather than, Hey Ive got an idea, lets run this through the Senate and give them an up-or-down vote,  he said.

Murkowski said she was trying to learn more about the proposals impact on Alaska and consulting with her governor. On her way to McConnells office Monday afternoon, she wouldnt say whether she was leaning for or against the bill.

Collins, who is seen by many Republicans as the strongest opponent of replacing the ACA, said Monday that she worries that millions could lose coverage under the new plan.

Adding to the challenge for Republican leaders: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Monday that he is a firm no at this point.

I think this is a game, Paul said. I think this is a game of Republicans taking money from Democratic states. What happens if Democrats take power back?

The proposal would slash health-care spending more deeply and would probably cover fewer people than the July bill, which failed precisely because of such concerns. Under the new bill, starting in 2021, the federal government would lump together all the money it spends on subsidies distributed through the ACA marketplaces and expanded Medicaid programs covering poor, childless adults who earn up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

This approach would generally result in less money for states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA and more money for states that didnt. Thats because it would redistribute the money allotted to the 30 states that opted to expand Medicaid and spread it out among all 50 states.

Congresss nonpartisan budget analyst said Monday that it is working to provide a preliminary assessment of the bill by early next week but will not estimate how the measure would affect health insurance premiums or the number of people with coverage until later.

The notice from the Congressional Budget Office angered Democrats, who warned that any attempt to vote on the GOP legislation poses a serious threat to ongoing negotiations on a plan to stabilize the current health insurance markets and strengthen subsidies for out-of-pocket expenses.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) dismissed the GOP plan as a way to hide a massive cut to Medicaid and criticized Republican leaders for moving forward without a complete assessment of who would be covered and how much it would cost.

It would be outrageous for our Republican colleagues to vote for this bill without knowing its effect on people, Schumer said. That, whatever your ideology, would be nothing short of a disgrace.

Democrats have virtually no way to stop the legislation from being approved if at least 50 Republicans unite. But Schumer vowed to use every procedural tool available to create roadblocks.

He warned Monday that the renewed GOP repeal push could upset talks between Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and the committee's top Democrat, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), to offer a different approach that could pass the Senate with votes from both parties.

Even if the bill passed the Senate, it would face an uncertain outlook in the House.

Its too early to tell whether all the Freedom Caucus guys will be supportive or not because we dont know what amendments will get added to the Senate bill, said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. The bill could also meet resistance from Republican lawmakers from states that expanded Medicaid, given the sweeping changes it proposes.

Republicans are on a tight deadline to vote  before Sept. 30  if they hope to avoid being blocked by Senate Democrats. Senate budget rules allow some tax and spending measures to pass with 51 votes, instead of the 60 needed for most legislation, meaning the 52 Senate Republicans could pass a bill on their own. But those rules, which were written specifically to enable the health-care law, expire at the end of the fiscal year, and GOP leaders hope to write next years rules to focus on hoped-for changes to the tax code.

McConnell did not mention the health-care push when he opened Senate business Monday afternoon.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), McConnells top deputy, said, Were having a serious discussion, but its still preliminary.

Asked how the process of securing votes was going, he replied: Thats one of the things Im not talking about.

Paige Winfield Cunningham, David Weigel, Abby Phillip, Mike DeBonis and Elise Viebeck contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost
Senate Republicans and the White House pressed ahead Tuesday with their suddenly resurgent effort to undo former president Barack Obamas signature health-care law, even as their attempt was dealt a setback when a bipartisan group of governors and several influential interest groups came out against the proposal.

Powerful health-care groups continued to rail against the bill, including AARP and the American Hospital Association, both of which urged a no vote. But it was unclear whether the opposition would ultimately derail the attempt, as key Republican senators including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said they had yet to make up their minds.

The measure marks the last gasp of Republican attempts to dramatically gut Obamas Affordable Care Act, which has added millions of people to the ranks of the insured through a combination of federally subsidized marketplaces and state-level expansions of Medicaid, leading to record lows in the number of those without health insurance. The Graham-Cassidy bill  named for Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (La.)  would convert funding for the ACA into block grants for the states and would cut Medicaid dramatically over time.

The bill  coming two months after a previous failed repeal effort in the Senate  is the subject of a last-ditch lobbying push by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the Trump administration, led by Vice President Pence, ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline for Senate action.

In a letter to Senate leaders, the group of 10 governors argued against the Graham-Cassidy bill and wrote that they prefer the bipartisan push to stabilize the insurance marketplaces that Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) had been negotiating before talks stalled Tuesday evening.

The governors who signed the letter are particularly notable, since some are from states represented by Republican senators who are weighing whether to back the bill. Among the signers were Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I), who holds some sway over Murkowski, a potentially decisive vote who opposed a previous Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Nevertheless, Murkowski said Tuesday afternoon that she was still weighing her options and explained how her position on the bill might ultimately differ from her opposition to the repeal effort that failed dramatically in July.

If it can be shown that Alaska is not going to be disadvantaged, you gain additional flexibility. Then I can go back to Alaskans, and I can say, Okay, lets walk through this together. Thats where it could be different, she said.

But Murkowski, who has been in close contact with Walker, said she did not yet have the data to make such a determination. Alaskas other Republican senator, Dan Sullivan, said he was still mulling whether to support the bill.

[Reminder: Its very unusual to vote on a health-care bill before Congress knows what it will do]

On the other side, a group of 15 Republican governors announced their support for the Senate bill Tuesday evening. The list includes Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R), whose backing could help influence Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has frequently criticized the legislation for failing to fully repeal the ACA.

On Tuesday, Pence traveled from New York, where he was attending the annual United Nations General Assembly session, to Washington with Graham in a sign of the White Houses support for the proposal.

My message today is I want to make sure that members of the Senate know the president and our entire administration supports Graham-Cassidy, Pence told reporters on the flight. We think the American people need this.

Graham added that President Trump called him at 10:30 p.m. Monday.

He says, If we can pull this off, itll be a real accomplishment for the country,  he recalled.

Trump has played a limited role in building support among senators in recent days, but it is possible that his participation will increase as a potential vote nears. He has, however, been in touch with some governors, including a weekend call with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R), according to aides.

Pence attended the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon, where he said the current health-care system is collapsing and the bill fulfills key GOP promises to return control to states and rein in federal entitlement programs, according to several GOP senators.

Afterward, McConnell declined to ensure a vote on the bill but said his team is working to secure sufficient support.

Were in the process of discussing all of this. Everybody knows that the opportunity expires at the end of the month, said McConnell, referring to the limited window Republicans have to take advantage of a procedural tactic to pass a broad health-care bill without any Democratic support.

Democrats say the ACA needs modest improvements by Congress but is working well overall, and they have railed against a process in which Republicans are pressing ahead with few hearings on legislation that would affect an industry that accounts for about a sixth of the U.S. economy.

The current bill would give states control over billions in federal health-care spending and enact deep cuts to Medicaid. The Medicaid cuts in particular are a major source of concern to the governors, both in terms of imposing a per capita limit on what states would receive and putting restrictions on how they could spend any federal aid on their expanded Medicaid populations.

Medicaid was expanded under the ACA to provide states with generous funding if they opted to cover adults earning up to 138 percent of the poverty level. Many Republican-led states decided against an expansion following a Supreme Court decision allowing them to opt out.

The fact that the bill also would restrict states abilities to tax health-care providers to fund their Medicaid programs posed a problem for several governors, as well.

In a sign of how alarmed state officials are about the prospect of funding cuts, Louisianas health secretary sent a letter to Cassidy on Monday saying that their state could see disproportionate cuts with significant impacts on people with preexisting or complex and costly conditions.

"This would be a detrimental step backwards for Louisiana," wrote Rebekah Gee, who posted her letter on Twitter on Monday.

And although Walker has not played a visible role in the national health-care debate until now, certain aspects of the new bill pose an even bigger challenge for Alaska than previous proposals did. Health-care premiums are particularly expensive in the state, given its many remote areas. Premiums on the ACA market average roughly $1,000 a month for an individual, according to the most recent federal data.

Since federal tax credits over time would be equalized and based on the number of low-income people in a given state, that new calculation would eliminate the more generous subsidies Alaska enjoys.

Given the complex nature of the Graham-Cassidy proposal, it is difficult for state officials and health-care analysts to predict exactly how much money a given state would gain or lose if the legislation were enacted. But early estimates suggest that states with expanded Medicaid programs and active participation in the ACA markets could face major cuts.

An initial estimate for Colorado, according to state officials, suggests it could lose at least $700 million in annual federal funding by 2025. Since the state has roughly 450,000 people in its Medicaid expansion program and another 100,000 receiving premium tax credits on its health-care exchange, that could translate into hundreds of thousands of Coloradans losing coverage.

The governors who have been most outspoken in their criticism of the bill negotiated behind the scenes to bring as many state executives on board as possible, according to aides, tweaking the language of Tuesdays letter over the past couple of days to get maximum support.

Others who signed the letter in opposition to Graham-Cassidy included John Kasich (R-Ohio) and Brian Sandoval (R-Nev.). Sandovals positioning puts him at odds with Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), who has been touting the bill as another co-sponsor.

Pence said Trump told him to reach out to some Democrats, and he spoke to Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) over the weekend. But after reviewing the bill, Manchin said, he told Pences aides he could not support the legislation.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said hes confident no Democrat will vote for the legislation, because it hurts people in every state.

Democrats had been working furiously since Monday to advance talks between Alexander and Murray on a deal to immediately stabilize ACA insurance marketplaces with federal subsidies. The negotiations rapidly escalated after weeks of slow but consistent talks once it became clear that Senate GOP leaders were serious about holding a health-care vote before the end of the month, according to several Senate aides.

Alexander on Tuesday played down expectations of reaching an agreement this week, telling reporters the pair had reached an impasse.

"During the last month, we have worked hard and in good faith but have not found the necessary consensus among Republicans and Democrats to put a bill in the Senate leaders' hands that could be enacted," Alexander said in a statement.

Democrats denied that the talks had fallen apart, accusing Republicans of walking away despite making progress on areas of disagreement. Schumer spokesman Matt House said Democrats offered to accept a number of GOP requests, including waivers to give states more latitude in how they spend federal dollars and the creation of new low-cost plans under the ACA.

This is not about substance, House said in a statement. The Republican leadership is so eager to pass Graham-Cassidy that theyre scuttling a balanced, bipartisan negotiation.

Many Democrats, including Murray, said they hoped the talks could still be salvaged despite roadblocks from Republicans.

"I am disappointed that Republican leaders have decided to freeze this bipartisan approach," Murray said in a statement. "But I am confident that we can reach a deal if we keep working together."

Ed OKeefe and Ashley Parker contributed to this report.
It wouldnt be 2017 if congressional Republicans werent trying to pass legislation to kill the Affordable Care Act.

And it wouldnt be 2017 if there werent dual cases to be made that they may actually succeed  and that the likelihood of success looks extremely thin.

The advent of the Graham-Cassidy plan means the GOP has another chance to rebound from its stinging defeats on health care and fulfill its long-standing promise to overhaul the ACA. Doing so could take health insurance coverage or medical benefits away from millions of people, but with Republican leaders desperate for a strategic victory, and with less than two weeks to pass budget-related legislation with 51 rather than 60 Senate votes, they are working hard to persuade undecided lawmakers to vote yes.

Success is not guaranteed, of course. Notably, Congress's nonpartisan budget analyst has not said how much the bill would cost or how many people could lose health insurance. But proponents of Graham-Cassidy said they had momentum as the week began. Remember: The measure will die in the Senate if more than two Republicans vote no.

As the next two weeks unfold, here are the players to watch, starting with the senators expected to determine the bills fate.



Sen. Lisa Murkowski R-Alaska) was one of three Republicans to vote no on the last repeal attempt. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

[Latest health-care push comes with big risks for Republicans]

 Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)

Collins is considered the most likely of any Republican senator to vote no on the legislation, which would transfer billions in federal health-care spending and policy authority to the states. Collins has expressed concerns about the measure, according to the Bangor Daily News, and Planned Parenthood's strong opposition to the bill could give her further pause.

During the last health-care vote, Collins didn't hesitate to be one of three Republicans to vote no. Without a significant rewrite (hint: losing a provision to defund Planned Parenthood), it's hard to see her switching positions on a measure that critics have called even more harmful than previous ones.

 Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)

Like Collins, Murkowski was one of the three Republicans to vote against the GOP's last attempt to undo the health-care law. And like Collins, she received warm thanks in her state after that vote. Even if the provision to defund Planned Parenthood were eliminated, it's not clear how the new bill, which by some accounts would negatively affect coverage for even more Alaskans, would move Murkowski to yes. But she tends to be somewhat more open to legislative dealmaking. So far, she has been silent on Graham-Cassidy.

 Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)

Paul announced his opposition to the bill Friday, calling it "Obamacare Lite" and rebuffing an offer from co-sponsor Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to go over the details. On Monday, he said that nothing could change his mind.

Yet Pauls past comments suggest that he could be open to cajoling, particularly if leaders are one vote short or if the bill undergoes changes.

"If they cannot get to 50 votes, if they get to [an] impasse, I've been telling the leadership for months now that I will vote for a repeal," Paul told ABC News in June. "It doesn't have to be 100 percent repeal. . . . That's what I want, but if you offer me 90 percent repeal, I'd probably vote for it. I might vote for 80 percent repeal."

 Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

McCain stopped the GOP's last health-care push with a dramatic thumbs-down on the Senate floor. This time, he's vacillating in a way that suggests his vote is up for grabs.

When asked about Graham-Cassidy earlier this month, McCain said he would support it  then backtracked in a statement about assessing its effect on Arizona. McCain also said he wanted to consult with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R), who has since endorsed the plan.

But not all signs point to McCain voting yes. On Sunday, he cautioned Republicans against the instinct to "ram through our proposal" without Democratic votes and complimented a separate, bipartisan effort to draft health-care legislation in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

That effort is "doing fine," McCain told CBS. "Bring it to the floor. Have debate. Have amendments."

 Other possible swing votes

Collins, Murkowski, Paul and McCain are worth watching closely as the week proceeds. But other Republican senators could come out in opposition to Graham-Cassidy, throwing leaders math into doubt.

Sens. Rob Portman (Ohio) and Jerry Moran (Kan.), for instance, told reporters Monday that they were still reviewing the bill. Expect reporters to continue to grill them about it.

 GOP governors whose states expanded Medicaid

Ducey, Nevada's Brian Sandoval, Massachusetts's Charlie Baker and Ohio's John Kasich fall into an interesting political category: Republican governors whose states expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

This means their states would have a lot to lose from Graham-Cassidy's Medicaid cuts. It doesn't mean all of the governors will oppose the bill, however. Although Baker and Kasich have criticized the plan, Ducey endorsed it Monday.

It's important to track the governors' positions because they could influence how Republican senators from their states vote. After all, it was Sandoval's opposition to one of the health-care bills this summer that drove Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) to oppose it. (Heller supported the last version of an overhaul, known as the "skinny repeal," and is now a co-sponsor of Graham-Cassidy.)

 The Congressional Budget Office

This group of nonpartisan budget analysts holds enormous power in the current debate.

The CBO assesses bills impact on the federal budget before lawmakers vote on them, and it has often calculated how health-care measures would affect insurance premiums and the number of people with coverage.

These are politically potent figures that can determine how centrist lawmakers vote on health-care bills. But the CBO said Monday that it won't be able to release them "for at least several weeks" in the case of Graham-Cassidy. This means senators will decide their positions on the measure without the CBO's analysis of how it would affect premiums and coverage. It also means that the Senate will probably vote on the bill before the CBO releases its complete report.

 Sens. Cassidy, Heller, Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)

These are the plans four original co-sponsors, and their political circumstances help illustrate why they joined on the bill.

Graham is up for reelection in 2020 and could throw his hat in the ring for president again. As a serious critic of President Trump, he will be looking for ways to reach out to voters who support the White House. Having his name first on the bill that repeals the Affordable Care Act would be a major selling point for a senatorial or presidential campaign.

Cassidy, a doctor, is a more junior member of the Senate who wants to shape health-care policy. Before partnering with Graham, he was working with Collins on a separate plan.

Heller is up for reelection in 2018. His role in legislation that cuts Medicaid could help him fend off a Republican primary challenger, but it could also make him more vulnerable in a general election in his purple state, especially if Sandoval opposes the bill.

Johnson is from a state that didn't expand Medicaid and whose governor, Scott Walker (R), supports the block-grant concept at the heart of the proposal. There's little political downside for him to sign on. Johnson is also a longtime critic of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who by some measures has the most to lose with the latest push.

 McConnell and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.)

Republican congressional leaders face the prospect of ending the first year of GOP control in Washington without enacting the party's central policy priority of the past seven years. If Graham-Cassidy passes, the victory could relieve that burden and help shore up their relationships with the president. McConnell is under particular pressure because it was the Senate that sank the most recent attempt to pass a bill. If the latest effort fails, McConnell's culpability for inaction will only grow.

 Trump

Trump seems to have all but forgotten about health care, choosing instead to focus on tax reform and immigration. If he starts cajoling lawmakers, it could bring some undecideds toward yes  or, depending on his degree of tact, push them toward no.

Amber Phillips contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost
In her first major speech on the worsening Rohingya crisis, Burma's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, sidestepped allegations Tuesday of atrocities committed against the stateless Muslim minority and cast the conflict as just one of many problems ailing the country.

Appearing to cast doubt on claims that the military has burned homes, killed civilians and driven families over the border into Bangladesh, Suu Kyi told an audience of diplomats, observers and journalists in the capital, Naypyidaw, that there have been allegations and counterallegations.

There has been much concern around the world with regard to the situation in Rakhine. It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abnegate responsibility. We condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence, she said, vowing to look into the abuses but stopping short of identifying perpetrators.

We feel deeply for the suffering of all the people who have been caught up in the conflict, she added. Burma is also known as Myanmar.

This was the first time that Suu Kyi has publicly addressed the nation since the crisis began Aug. 25, when insurgents from the newly formed Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked dozens of police posts in the northern part of Rakhine state.

The militants killed at least 12 members of the security forces and triggered a military campaign that has driven more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims into neighboring Bangladesh.

It also has prompted a torrent of international criticism.

Top U.N. officials have described the campaign as ethnic cleansing, and harrowing accounts of atrocities allegedly carried out by Burmas armed forces have emerged from refugees in camps in Bangladesh with a chilling consistency.

[Blood flowed in the streets: Refugees from one Rohingya hamlet recount days of horror]

Burmas government says it is hunting terrorists and has killed hundreds of combatants. It argues that Buddhists and other non-Muslim civilians also have died in the violence.

While acknowledging the suffering and concern, Suu Kyi seemed puzzled as to why some people were leaving, since so many have stayed behind.

We want to find out why this exodus is happening, she said, speaking in English and referring to her remarks as a diplomatic briefing. I think it is very little-known that the great majority of Muslims in Rakhine state have not joined the exodus.



Residents attend a public gathering in front of City Hall in Rangoon, Burma, on Tuesday to listen to a speech by de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. (EPA) )

She avoided the use of the term Rohingya except to refer to the insurgent group. Burma does not recognize the Rohingya, insisting that they are immigrants from Bangladesh despite having lived here for generations.

In a recent interview, Aung Lynn, Burmas ambassador to the United States, rebutted allegations of ethnic cleansing and, channeling President Trump, pointed to the false media.

Pressure has been building on Suu Kyi to speak out against the violence, and she has left many former supporters disappointed by her apparent reluctance to condemn it, leading to calls for her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize to be revoked.

But supporters argue she is preserving her political capital in a primarily Buddhist country of 52 million that does not see Rohingya rights as a top priority and in which many view the more than 1 million Rohingya Muslims as foreign interlopers.

[How did the Rohingya crisis come to this?]

Suu Kyis attempt at balance Tuesday may resonate locally with supporters who do not understand the international focus on the plight of the Rohingya.

We would like you to think of our country as a whole, not just as little afflicted areas, she said.

She said that since Sept. 5, there have been no more military operations, but satellite photos and smoke rising from burning villages visible across the border in Bangladesh belie the claim.

On Thursday, outside the vast Balukhali refugee camp in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, which abuts the border, black smoke was visible in the sky from at least two locations burning on the Burmese side.

The existing camps in Bangladesh are overflowing with refugees, many of whom have set up makeshift shelters of bamboo poles and black plastic sheeting or are squatting by the side of the road.

Chris Lewa, of the Arakan Project activist group, said an analysis of satellite images showed that a large number of villages were burned in the area of Rathedaung township in Rakhine on Sept. 8 and 9, sending an estimated 8,000 Rohingya fleeing toward Bangladesh. Lewa described the burning as total devastation.

The stateless minority has been without rights or citizenship for decades. But while waves of migration have occurred before, experts say this is the largest exodus in such a short time . Bangladesh is already home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees.

The influx of refugees has revived long-standing tensions between the two countries. Bangladesh has complained that Burma has been violating its airspace and possibly laying land mines along the border. Officials in Bangladesh also have said the death toll could be in the thousands.

[Rohingya refugees crossing into Bangladesh face another threat: Land mines]

In her speech Tuesday, Suu Kyi made dubious claims about development in Rakhine, saying health-care services were available to everyone without discrimination. That is contrary to the experience of tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have been confined to camps in the central part of the state since communal violence erupted in 2012.

The speech signaled an attempt to reach as broad an audience as possible and was a nod to the international community, which needed no translation to understand her words.

Foreign reaction to the speech was swift and harsh, however. James Gomez, Amnesty Internationals regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement that Suu Kyi and her government were burying their heads in the sand over the horrors unfolding in Rakhine State.

But it appeared to go over well at home. In a rare attempt at wide distribution, state television and radio channels broadcast the speech domestically, and a live screening of it was held in downtown Rangoon in front of City Hall, attracting a large audience.

Many people attended to show their support, waving signs that said, We stand together with Mother Suu.

In the decades-long fight for democracy in Burma, the military was Suu Kyis greatest foe, and it still holds considerable power, even though her party won elections in 2015.

But a common foe in Rakhine has made them newfound allies.

We will stand by Aung San Suu Kyi. We will stand by our government. We will stand by our army, one sign said.

Cheers went up and red balloons were released into the air over City Hall when Suu Kyi appeared onscreen to speak.

Zaw Win Phyoe, owner of a cellphone shop, said he came out to show support.

We want to stand with our leader, he said.

He argued that the issue was about immigration from Bangladesh, not Muslim and Buddhist ties.

I have Muslim friends, so many Muslim friends, no problem, he said.

Annie Gowen in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Read more

Analysis: The shameful silence of Aung San Suu Kyi

How Burmas Rohingya crisis went from bad to worse

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
The footage is striking: Two Russian helicopters swoop in low over a muddy field in the direction of a man walking past some civilian cars; a black plume rockets out from one of the aircraft; an explosion sounds, and smoke fills the screen. The next scene shows nothing but wreckage.

Russian media reported Tuesday that three people were wounded in the incident, which reports described as an accidental launch of an air-to-surface missile in the direction of spectators at one of the sites of Russias Zapad-2017 military exercises.

The Russian defense ministry did not dispute the authenticity of the video, which first appeared on a social media Tuesday and quickly spread to news reports. But the military, in the midst of war games designed to show off the military might and tactical precision of Russia's reformed armed forces, dismissed the report of injured spectators as a "purposeful provocation or someone's personal stupidity." In a statement, it said that a helicopter had accidentally fired a rocket at an empty truck during a training exercise, but that no one was hurt.

The Zapad, or West, exercises have featured an impressive show of forces as Russian and Belarusan military units simulate the response to an attack by an imaginary Western Coalition. The muscle-flexing, which began Thursday, highlights the scope of a fighting force that has taken a crash course of reforms and upgrades over the last decade.

The report of the misfired rocket came a day after President Vladimir Putin, dozens of international observers and more than 100 journalists took in an impressive 45-minute display of air and land firepower in a simulated battle at a firing range in northwestern Russia. That event went off without incident.

The state-owned NTV television station cited what it described as an official report detailing the incident involving an attack helicopter. The report said that the incident took place Saturday, that spectators were not seriously injured and that two cars were also damaged.

The report gave no other details on the civilians purported to be injured. Earlier, the news site 66.ru reported that two spectators were hospitalized with serious injuries after an inadvertent strike by a state-of-the-art Ka-52 helicopter.

The Defense Ministry denial cited Sept. 18, a different day than the claimed incident in the NTV report. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

[ What would a Russia-NATO war look like? Russia is war gaming it right now]

The military report cited by NTV said that on Sept. 16, a lieutenant colonel and a senior lieutenant carried out a sortie at 2:47 p.m. from an aerodrome to practice live-fire combat exercises.

Russia has invited NATO to attend events at the war games  at Mondays exercise, a Post reporter saw observers from Germany, Italy, Croatia and Norway, all NATO countries. But NATO leaders have said that Russia is not being completely transparent about the war games, which they say may actually involve up to 100,000 troops.

Leaders of the Baltic nations that would be on NATOs front line in a land war with Russia have said this years edition of Zapad appears to be a simulation of an attack against NATO forces in Eastern Europe.



A photo provided by the Russian Defense Ministry shows a Russian soldier during a military exercise at a training ground near Kaliningrad, Russia, on Sept. 18, 2017. (AP)

Moscow has insisted that the exercises, which are held every four years, would rehearse a strictly defensive scenario and involve no more than 12,700 troops, just below the level that would require Russia to allow NATO observers under an international agreement.

Russia sees itself hemmed in by a hostile, expanding force in NATO. Putin has vowed to prevent revolutions in the former Soviet region similar to the 2014 rebellion that established a pro-Western government in Ukraine.

Read more:

The enemy is clear in Russian-Belarusan war games

What pro-democracy activists in Belarus fear most about Russias war games

Putin is using the Soviet defeat of Hitler to show why Russia needs him today

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
An ultrasound machine and a hospital bed are covered in rubble and debris on Tuesday after a reported airstrike by Syrian government forces in a village in northwestern Idlib province. (Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images)

Militants linked to al-Qaeda began a large-scale offensive Tuesday against government targets in western Syria, state media and opposition activists said, prompting a fierce response by pro-government forces and potentially impeding international efforts to quell fighting in that part of the country.

The campaign started Tuesday morning when insurgents  led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a former al-Qaeda affiliate  launched attacks on government-held villages in Hama province, just south of extremist-controlled Idlib province.

Their offensive was met with airstrikes and mortar fire, including attacks on medical facilities and personnel in rebel-held areas, activists said. One medic was reported killed in an airstrike on al-Tih hospital in southern Idlib, according to activists. Further strikes were reported on field hospitals in Khan Sheikhoun, the site of a deadly chemical-weapons attack in April that the United Nations has blamed on Syrian government forces.

[Russian-backed deal on Syria safe zones leaves U.S. wary]

The fresh fighting threatened to upend a months-long initiative by Iran, Russia and Turkey to establish what they call de-escalation zones in four regions of Syria, including parts of Hama and Idlib, which also hosts a growing number of displaced civilians.



People walk through rubble past a damaged ambulance Tuesday following a reported airstrike by Syrian government forces in the village of al-Tahh, in northwestern Idlib province. (Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images)

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, rejected talks that took place over months in the Kazakh capital of Astana. The militant group denounced the negotiations as a "betrayal" and a plot to hand opposition areas over to the Syrian government.

Iran and Russia are staunch backers of President Bashar al-Assad and have contributed troops and military assets to crush Syrias rebellion. The conflict began in 2011 as a popular uprising but quickly morphed into a brutal civil war, sucking in world powers and fueling the rise of the Islamic State militant group.

[Bin Ladens son steps into fathers shoes as al-Qaeda attempts comeback]

The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced last week that Iran, Russia and Turkey had agreed to deploy armed observers on the edge of Idlib, where troops would provide a cordon with checkpoints and watchtowers. It was unclear when those forces would be deployed.

The insurgent offensive Tuesday was the largest in the area since March, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based monitoring group said the campaign kicked off with heavy shelling and machine-gun fire on government-held villages in northern Hama, including along a highway that links the capital, Damascus, with other provinces.

[Syrian rebels losing out to al-Qaeda-linked extremists]

A spokesman for HTS, Imad al-Din Mujahed, told an opposition outlet that the group did not want to broadcast its reasons for launching the offensive. The outlet, Enab Baladi, quoted a media activist linked with HTS as saying that the battle was in response to the agreement on de-escalation zones.

The militants will continue to fight to prevent the establishment of such a zone in Idlib, said the activist, Abu Baraa al-Qahtani.

Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul and Heba Habib in Stockholm contributed to this report.

Read more

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Iraqi forces outside the town of Akashat in Anbar province on Sept. 15 prepare for military operations against the Islamic State. (Moadh Al-Dulaimi/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi forces backed by U.S. airstrikes began an assault on the Islamic State in western Anbar province Tuesday, breaching one of the last two militant strongholds in Iraq where the group's elusive leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is thought to be possibly hiding.

A force composed of army units, police and tribal fighters from the area launched the attack at dawn near the town of Ana, located on the Euphrates River about 60 miles from the Syrian border, Iraqs military said in a statement.

Additional troops from Iraqs elite counterterrorism forces are expected to join the fight as it moves west toward the border with Syria.

The battle for the remaining Islamic State bastions in Anbar is expected to be complex because of the porous Syrian border and the vast desert terrain, which is difficult to surround and choke off. The challenges in Anbar are well known to U.S. forces after years of combat against al-Qaeda in the province a decade ago.





U.S. intelligence officials believe that 5,000 to 10,000 militants are in the area, moving easily between Anbar and the neighboring Syrian province of Deir al-Zour, which they still largely control.

Iraqi and U.S. military officials have said Baghdadi is probably holed up in the region, moving between safe houses along the border.

There have been frequent claims that Baghdadi was killed in an airstrike, but the reports have not been corroborated. Last month, the outgoing commander of U.S. coalition forces, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, said he believes that Baghdadi is still alive, contradicting Russian assertions that the militant leader probably died in an airstrike.

[U.S. abandons outpost in Syria, ceding ground to Iranian proxies]

Tuesday's announcement came without the usual fanfare that has accompanied such campaigns in the past, underscoring how far Iraq has come in diminishing the Islamic State's influence and territorial dominance in the country.

The Islamic State has been evicted from 90 percent of the Iraqi cities and towns it held, including the northern city of Mosul, and the launch of each battle was usually accompanied by a televised speech from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The Anbar campaign is expected to push westward from Ana along the Euphrates to the town of Rawah and end in the border outpost of Qaim.

Brett McGurk, the White House envoy for the campaign against the Islamic State, said in a Twitter post early Tuesday that major operations were underway in western Anbar. A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition confirmed in a separate Twitter post that the Iraqi forces were being backed by American airstrikes.

The Islamic State is now under pressure from three large offensives in one of its last major territorial holdings, the Euphrates River Valley, which straddles Iraq and Syria. From the west, Syrian regime forces backed by Russia and Iran are moving on Deir al-Zour. Meanwhile, U.S.-backed forces are pushing into the province from the north. With the start of operations in Iraq on Tuesday, the Islamic State is also being pressed from the east.

The convergence of these forces, which often have competing interests and loyalties, sets the stage for a complicated military campaign that puts rival forces fighting a common enemy into proximity, raising the possibility of clashes.

Iraqi forces are separately preparing to fight for the northern town of Hawijah, a battle that has been delayed and complicated by a political dispute over who will control it once the Islamic State is evicted.

Hawijah sits in Kirkuk province, which is due to participate Monday in a controversial referendum on Kurdish independence from Iraq. Kurds and Arabs both have a historical claim to the province and have jockeyed for position over who should lead the fight for Hawijah.

Read more:

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Iraqi Kurds are set to vote next week on independence from Iraq in what many say is a popular expression of their desire for self-determination after suffering for a century under war and dictatorship.

But their staunchest ally, the United States, opposes the move, as do Iraqi rivals and regional powers. They say it could spark new conflicts and aggravate old ones at a time when the nation is on the cusp of defeating the Islamic State.

Kurdish officials pushing the Sept. 25 referendum say there is no need to panic. The poll, which is widely expected to result in a resounding vote to secede from Iraq, is simply an important first step in what would be a lengthy but amicable divorce from the Iraqi state, they say.

We will ourselves not initiate a clash or a fight, said Rowsch Shaways, a former deputy prime minister of Iraq and the head of the Kurdish delegation negotiating with Baghdad. We are pledging dialogue and a peaceful solution.

Still, the lead-up to next weeks vote has already resulted in political fallout and threats of violence, and the United States has shown little ability to persuade the Kurds to delay the referendum in favor of continued negotiations with Baghdad over disputed territories and revenue-sharing.



Iraqi Kurds take part in an event in Irbil on Sept. 16 to urge people to vote in the independence referendum. (Safin Hamed/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

Neighbors Turkey and Iran, concerned over calls for independence by their own sizable Kurdish populations, have threatened to close borders and cancel trade and security agreements with Iraqi Kurdistan.

Anxiety over the referendum was most evident in Kirkuk, a province in central Iraq that has vast oil reserves and is populated by a mix of Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens. Over several decades, it has been the center of demographic manipulation projects based on the ethnicity of whoever hoped to rule it.

Violence flared in the provincial capital, also called Kirkuk, on Monday night when gunfire outside the headquarters of a local Turkmen party left two Kurds dead, prompting Kurdish riot police to descend on the scene. Najat Hussein, an official with the provincial government, said several vehicles and motorcycles drove by the headquarters and opened fire. Guards at the party office shot back, killing two of the alleged attackers, he said.

Hussein said it was not immediately clear whether the violence was related to the referendum. We hope it wont be the spark that will be the beginning of a fire that will inflame the whole city, he said.

Police imposed a curfew following the fatal shooting and other smaller skirmishes that broke out between Kurds and Turkmens, local officials said. In one instance, people torched a police car.

Kirkuk has been claimed by both Arabs and Kurds for decades, and a U.S.-brokered process after the 2003 invasion to determine the citys disposition has gone nowhere.

It is legally under the authority of the central government but has been governed by Kurds since 2014, when Kurdish peshmerga fighters took Kirkuk as the Iraqi military buckled and retreated under the threat of an Islamic State assault.



Turkish tanks are seen near the Habur crossing between Turkey and Iraq during a military drill on Sept. 18, 2017, a week before Iraq's Kurdish region holds an independence referendum. (AFP/Getty Images/AFP/Getty Images)

[Battle for Mosul: How Iraqi forces defeated the Islamic State]

Since then, the semiautonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, which the United States helped create in northern Iraq after 1991, has asserted its power, exporting oil independently and patrolling its prosperous streets.

Iraq's parliament last week voted to oust the Kirkuk provincial governor, a Kurdish physician with dual U.S. citizenship, over his support for the referendum. He has refused to step down. For months before that, he and his Arab deputy governor stopped talking because of differences over the independence vote.

Streets here are bereft of the green, orange and white Kurdish regional government flags and banners urging participation that have lined boulevards in other Kurdish cities.

Entreaties to vote yes are more subtle, and the loud campaign for high turnout that has produced massive rallies in the Kurdistan capital, Irbil, has been replaced with quieter debates among neighbors and friends who hope the referendum will not disturb their fragile coexistence.

I have lots of Kurdish friends, and there are no tensions, said Ahmed Waleed, a 31-year-old Arab who owns a mens clothing shop. No one knows if this will continue after the referendum.

The United Nations has opposed the referendum, saying it threatens Iraq's unity. No international observers will participate in monitoring the vote, raising questions about its credibility.

Rakan Saeed al-Jobouri, the Arab deputy governor of Kirkuk, said Arabs there have come to him with fears of forced displacements by Kurdish security forces under the rubric of fighting terrorism. Human Rights Watch said this has already happened since late last year.

Legally, constitutionally and practically, [the referendum] is totally compromised, he said.

Jobouri said that if independence is approved, he and other Arab officials in the city will ask Baghdad for federal protection  which raises the specter of Iraqs military entering the city to assert control and potentially sparking armed conflict with peshmerga forces already in Kirkuk.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who opposes the referendum, said he would deploy Iraq's military to restore order if unrest breaks out in response to the vote. On Monday, Iraq's Supreme Court ordered the suspension of the referendum after Abadi argued that it is unconstitutional. But Kurdish officials did not budge.

Kirkuk has also been the focal point of internal Kurdish disagreements about the prospect of an independent state. It is controlled by a political party whose members have questioned the intentions of Kurdistan President Masoud Barzanis party.

[Barzani: The time has come for independence vote]

Kurdish critics of Barzani say he is using the vote to solidify his power and legacy at a time when his authority is weak because of a financial crisis. Declining oil prices have stalled the economy, and civil servants and peshmerga fighters have not received full salaries for years. The regional government is billions of dollars in debt, and its deputy prime minister said the economic decline is a greater threat to Kurds than the Islamic State.

Enthusiasm for the referendum has also been tepid in Sulaymaniyah, one of the three large provinces that make up the Kurdistan region.

Analysts say Barzani is overreaching by including Kirkuk in the referendum. If the vote for independence there comes back no, or if yes fails to win by a large margin, Baghdad could use the results for leverage to scuttle the overall project for Kurdish independence. Holding a referendum there without concern for Arab and Turkmen interests could result in the refusal of independence and resorting to violence, said Kamal Chomani, a Kurdish analyst with the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Peace, who opposes the referendum.

Kirkuks status has implications beyond Iraqs borders and could ignite a wider regional conflict.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has chided Barzani  a longtime ally  for political inexperience in pressing ahead with the referendum. Erdogan has repeatedly described the territorial integrity of neighboring Iraq as sacrosanct and a matter of national security for his country.

Opposition leaders have pressed Erdogan to take a harder line on the vote, citing Turkeys deep ties to Turkmens in Iraq, especially in Kirkuk.

The Turkish army said Monday that it has launched military exercises on the border with Iraqi Kurdistan, according to local Turkish news reports.

[Quest for independent Kurdistan enters a new phase]

The United States has used the rhetoric of fighting terrorism to encourage Barzani to postpone the referendum, but the episode has illustrated a rare instance of U.S. impotence in swaying Kurdish leaders. After months of failed talks, the White House issued a blunt statement last week urging the Kurdish government to call off the vote, which it described as "provocative and destabilizing."

A U.S. official involved in negotiations with the Kurds, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive talks, said that the Trump administration has not threatened to withhold the Defense Departments $22 million fund for the peshmerga but that it could be used as a lever of influence.

Defunding the peshmerga, however, would damage U.S. interests in Iraq, where it is heavily involved in the fight against the Islamic State, the official said. Instead, diplomats have urged the Kurds to consider Iraqs unpredictable politics.

They have argued that Abadi, a pro-U.S. prime minister who has pushed back against Iranian influence, is the best partner the Kurds have to secure their interests. Holding the referendum could empower more-sectarian political forces and bring them to power in Iraqi elections next year, the official said.

Kurdish officials leading the referendum effort acknowledge that it will not lead to a sovereign state soon. Instead, they say it is a democratic exercise that strengthens their hand with Baghdad in ongoing talks over a future independent state and its borders, said Shaways, the Kurdish negotiator.

For their part, Kurds eager for their own country said they are willing to endure any hardships resulting from the vote.

Being part of Iraq has never brought us peace and never will, said Saman Xoshnaw, 46, a grocery shop owner. We are ready to face any difficulties as a result of our decision. We have to sacrifice to get freedom.

Aaso Ameen Schwan in Irbil and Kareem Fahim in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Read more

The Islamic State is on the run in Iraq, but some major battles remain

ISIS is near defeat in Iraq. Now comes the hard part.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
President Trump took a domestic agenda that has emphasized nationalism and sovereignty and in his first address to the United Nations on Tuesday made it the foundation of his foreign policy.

The speech before the global body was notable for its tone, which largely sidestepped the statesmanlike language of his other foreign policy addresses. In his attacks on the United States enemies  especially North Korea and Iran  Trump was bellicose and direct. In those moments, he sounded a lot like his Twitter feed.

Trump referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as Rocket Man and accused him of being on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The president promised to totally destroy North Korea if it attacked the United States or its allies.

He hinted that he would soon pull the United States out of the international nuclear deal with Tehran, a move that would unnerve U.S. allies who are also parties to it.

That deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I dont think you have heard the last of it, he said. Believe me.

In previewing the speech for reporters, one senior White House aide described it as a deeply philosophical address that would explain how America fits into the world, how it operates, what its values are.

These have been subjects of often intense debate in a White House split between foreign policy traditionalists and Trumps senior political advisers who have helped shape his America first agenda. Trumps initial instincts often have been to upend U.S. foreign policy  or at least question the core principles that have guided it  before pivoting back to a more traditional stance.

Trumps U.N. speech struggled with these conflicting impulses to the point of incoherence. In paying homage to American generosity on the world stage, Trump cited several U.S.-funded global health programs that the budget his administration released May 7 calls for significantly cutting.

He praised the Marshall Plan, which rebuilt Europe after World War II, even as he has repeatedly vowed that the United States days of nation-building are finished.

In some moments, Trump suggested that his commitment to sovereignty  a word that he repeated 21 times in the 40-minute speech  would lead to a less interventionist foreign policy.

Strong, sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures and different dreams not just coexist but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect, he said. He vowed to follow a policy of principled realism that would be guided solely by the United States interests.

In other instances, Trump outlined a far more expansive role for the United States. The president was selective in his view of bad actors  North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Syria and Venezuela  whose sovereignty did not merit respect. He made little mention of China or Russia, congratulating both on their recent U.N. vote for more sanctions on North Korea and offering only a brief mention of Moscows violations of Ukraines sovereign territory.



President Trump addresses the U.N. General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

He cast Iran as a murderous regime whose destabilizing activities in the world must be stopped. The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy, he said.

Trumps message seemed most muddled when he extended to Venezuela his list of enemies who had forfeited some aspects of their sovereignty. In this instance, Trump said that the United States respect for sovereignty is also a call to action.

In an unintentional echo of President George W. Bushs activist freedom agenda, he said the United States should help Venezuelas people regain their freedom, recover their country and restore their democracy.

Trump attributed Venezuela's near-collapse to the imposition of a "socialist dictatorship" rather than the authoritarianism and corruption most experts blame. He vowed the United States would "take further action" if the Venezuelan government "persists on its path."

Trump cast his presidency as an avatar of international renewal  a great reawakening of nations  built around his unique vision of global leadership and sovereignty. He described the world as weak and divided but suggested that a renewed patriotic spirit, national self-interest and cooperation among sovereign nations in pursuit of shared goals could cure most international ills.

The true question for the United Nations today and for people all over the world . . . is a basic one, Trump said. Are we still patriots? Do we love our nations enough to protect their sovereignty and take ownership of their future?

As he has repeatedly at home, Trump used the principle of sovereignty to mount an attack on mammoth multinational trade deals that he said had empowered faceless global bureaucracies over nation-states. At home, he said, the deals sent factory jobs overseas and hollowed out the middle class.

Our great middle class, once the bedrock of American prosperity, was forgotten and left behind. But they are forgotten no more, and they will never be forgotten again, Trump said.

It was unclear, though, how Trumps emphasis on sovereignty would lead to the great reawakening and global comity that he was promising.

There is general agreement on the threat posed by North Korea, but China and Russia have a somewhat different idea on where their national sovereign interests lie in determining how to confront Pyongyang. On Iran, while the Sunni Muslim world and Israel largely share the U.S. view that the nuclear agreement is detrimental, most European allies differ.

Global issues that occupied Trumps predecessors went unmentioned or were noted only in passing. President Barack Obama used his last speech before the United Nations to warn of the severe strains on the international system that the United States built in the wake of World War II.

By contrast, Trump complained about "unaccountable international tribunals and powerful global bureaucracies" that sapped the sovereignty of nations. He did not discuss climate change, nonproliferation, human rights or the Middle East peace process that had been a staple of previous presidents' speeches. Nor did he acknowledge the suffering in Burma, also known as Myanmar, where U.N.-

described "ethnic cleansing" has driven nearly a half-million people from the country in recent weeks.

White House officials described the speech as part of a trilogy that began in May in Saudi Arabia, where Trump first described a foreign policy of principled realism, and continued during his July remarks in Poland. His U.N. address echoed those earlier speeches emphasis on real-world outcomes over inflexible ideology.

But the U.N. speech cast the United States and Trump in a far bigger role on the global stage. In looking after U.S. interests and defending the principles of sovereignty and patriotism, Trump said he was hoping to spark a rebirth of devotion across the world.

At the United Nations, Trump was an America first president with grand and global ambitions.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (fifth from left) and other foreign ministers meet at the United Nations for a discussion on Syria on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017. (Stephanie Keith/Reuters)

The Islamic State is rapidly losing control of territory in Syria, but donor countries will not reconstruct the war's damage until a "credible" political process emerges from negotiations, a senior U.S. official said Monday.

David Satterfield, the State Departments acting assistant secretary for Near East affairs, told reporters that was the consensus of diplomats from 17 countries and organizations from Europe and the Middle East who met with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to discuss Syria on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Satterfield said the war against the militants in Syria and Iraq is progressing faster than anticipated.

The defeat of ISIS is underway, he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.

We are all committed to humanitarian aid, he added. And that will continue to flow, of course. But the reconstruction of Syria depends very much on that credible political process.

Their biggest lever, Satterfield said, is that without a political process, youre not going to get the kind of investment by the international community thats really necessary for the reconstruction of Syria.

The coalition that met in New York does not include Russia, which has troops in the country and backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Earlier Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Syrian and Russian forces had crossed the Euphrates River near the Islamic State stronghold of Deir el-Zour and forced out militants. It said the troops were heading east and broadening the seized foothold.

Their advance could lead to a confrontation with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, whose fighters have waged a separate offensive against the Islamic State. Two days earlier, the SDF said Russian airstrikes hit its fighters, which Russia denied.

Satterfield noted the United States and Russia have lines of communications known as deconfliction, through which they try to avoid faceoffs.

Were engaged in working with Russia, deconfliction with Russia, as we each move on defeating ISIS, he said. Its not a rivalry. Its not a contest.
The Department of Homeland Security has submitted to the White House a classified report on screening foreign travelers wanting to enter the United States  a key document President Trump is likely to rely on as he decides the future of his controversial travel ban.

With a major portion of the ban set to expire Sunday, DHS officials in recent days sent a report to the White House that meets the requests that the president laid out in the executive order in an effort to establish better screening and vetting of persons to the United States, department spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said.

Hoffman declined to say exactly what the report recommended, although he asserted it was not meant to form the basis of a permanent ban. Last week, citing an attack in London, Trump had written on Twitter that his ban should be far larger, tougher and more specific.

[Citing London terrorist attack, Trump calls for expansion of his travel ban]

The intention of it is not to create a ban of any sort, Hoffman said. It is to ensure that we have the ability to screen and vet people traveling to the United States.

Trump's travel ban  which barred the issuance of new visas to residents of six Muslim-majority countries and blocked the entry of all refugees  was contemplated as a temporary measure, designed to give DHS officials time to assess the information the United States is able to get about those coming to the country.

The portion of the ban affecting citizens of the six countries was to expire in 90 days, and the portion affecting refugees was to expire in 120 days. The 90-day period expires Sunday, according to spokesmen for the Justice Department and DHS.

[Which of your family members could visit under the travel ban]

While the ban was in effect, DHS and other officials were to assess the information other countries provided to the United States to help with vetting. Those countries that could not produce the necessary information or come up with a plan to do so were to be included on a list sent to the president. Those on the list risked being named in a Presidential proclamation that would prohibit the entry of appropriate categories of foreign nationals, according to Trumps executive order.

Hoffman declined to say whether the report to the president included such a list, although he said it was created in response to the executive order's demand for one. He also declined to say what officials will do after Sunday, referring questions on that subject to the White House.

Everybody is aware of the timeline, and we are focused on ensuring that persons traveling to the United States are properly vetted and screened before coming here, regardless of where theyre coming from, he said.

The White House declined to comment on the future of the ban, offering only that the administration would ensure we only admit those who can be properly vetted and will not pose a threat to national security or public safety.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on Oct. 10 on whether the travel ban is legal. In the meantime, officials have been allowed to impose only a limited version of the measure, exempting those with a bona fide connection to the United States, such as a job or family member here.

The refugee portion of the ban is set to expire Oct. 24, U.S. officials have said, probably before the Supreme Court will have made a decision. It is possible the case could be moot, and it is also possible the Trump administration will impose new restrictions that could be met with fresh legal challenges, U.S. officials have said.
The United States' closest allies in Asia seemed blindsided by President Trump's latest outburst against North Korea, in which he threatened not just to act against Kim Jong Un's regime, but also to destroy an entire country of 25 million people.

In his maiden speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump derided Kim as "Rocket Man" and said the United States would "totally destroy North Korea" if needed to protect its allies.

Those allies, Japan and South Korea, were silent on Trumps threat to bring war to their neighborhood, while China and Russia both warned that Trump risked fueling tensions.

China's nationalist Global Times newspaper ran a cartoon captioned "Bully pulpit" showing Trump holding a megaphone, shouting "America First," while the state-owned China Daily newspaper said Trump's speech was "full of sound and fury."

Todays dangerous deadlock has been the result of Pyongyangs and Washingtons persistent pursuit of their own interests in disregard of other countries efforts to persuade the two antagonists to talk, the China Daily wrote in an editorial Wednesday morning. His threat to totally destroy [North Korea] if need be will, therefore, likely worsen the already volatile situation.

The silence from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was particularly telling, because he has been eager to agree with Trumps every utterance on dealing with North Korea. A spokesman for Abe, Motosada Matano, declined to comment on Trumps speech.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, whom Trump accused of trying to "appease" North Korea by wanting to talk to the regime, has also been trying hard in recent weeks to show he is in sync with the U.S. president.

Moons spokesman pointedly avoided reacting to Trumps total destruction line, saying the speech underscored the urgency of dealing with North Korea and that Seoul believed Trump remained committed to peace.

We believe he expressed a firm and specific stance regarding the important issue of maintaining peace and security now facing the international community and the United Nations, the spokesman, Park Soo-hyun, said in a statement.

"Also, we believe he clearly showed how seriously the U.S. government takes this issue by allocating an unprecedentedly long period of time to address the North Korean nuclear and North Korean issues in his U.N. address as a U.S. president," he said.

[ Why Trumps threat to totally destroy North Korea is extraordinary  even for him ]

In his speech, Trump said that if Kim Jong Uns regime continued to threaten the United States and to destabilize East Asia, his administration was prepared to use force.

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, Trump said.

Tensions between the Trump administration and Kims regime have risen to new heights as North Korea has fired increasingly long-range missiles, including two that are theoretically able to reach the mainland United States, and has detonated a hydrogen bomb.

As these tensions have mounted, Trump has warned Kim that he will feel the full fire and fury of the United States and that the United States was locked and loaded.

Successive U.S. administrations have long considered military options for dealing with North Korea highly problematic because the Kim regime could immediately retaliate by unleashing waves of conventional artillery on the South Korean capital, causing widespread devastation. The greater Seoul area is home to 25 million people, almost all of whom are within range of North Korean artillery.

Analysts said that Trumps speech would ring alarm bells in the region.

American rhetoric on North Korea has traditionally been quite restrained, they havent been trying to match the North Korean rhetoric, said John Delury, an American professor of international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul.

So there is a genuine concern here: Is the Trump administration serious? Are they going to take us into the war weve avoided having since 1953? he said, referring to the end of the Korean War.

Narushige Michishita, a Korea expert at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, said that while the Abe government supported a hard line on North Korea, many Japanese people would also be concerned about Japans suffering during any conflict.

The use of massive force would cause a huge amount of destruction in South Korea, but Japan might also suffer, he said.

[ Trumps menacing United Nations speech, annotated ]

For China, the military option was unimaginable and too costly, said Cui Zhiying, director of the Korean Peninsula Research Center at Tongji University in Shanghai.

War is an unimaginable option, and it should not be an option at all. It would hurt all parties, everyone on the peninsula and in the Northeast Asia region, he said. Peaceful, diplomatic dialogue is the only way to solve this issue, he said.

Cui cautioned that military action from the United States would drag China into a difficult position as it would have no choice but react.

"China does not want to see war or chaos in North Korea," he said. "If the United States were to take military actions, China would have to react, simply because it's right on its doorstep."

In Russia, which has largely defended North Koreas interests although it supported the tightened sanctions, Trumps remarks were seen as a dangerous harbinger of instability.

Leading members of the Russian foreign policy establishment said that Trumps statements echoed his inexperience and were potentially dangerous for U.S. allies.

Any military conflict means deaths of civilians. It is especially odd as the U.S. considers South Korea and Japan its allies, and they could be affected in case of a strike, Andrei Klimov, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in Russias upper house of parliament, told the Interfax news agency in an interview Tuesday.

While Russian officials were initially excited about Trumps readiness to overturn the international order, a promised detente with Russia has failed to materialize, while bellicose rhetoric against Russian partners such as North Korea and Iran has been stepped up.

At least unlike his predecessors, he didnt put Russia among the main threats to mankind and even praised our country for cooperating with the Security Council on North Korea, Konstantin Kosachyov, another senior member of Russias upper house of parliament, wrote in a post on Facebook.

But Trump's speech was "disappointing," said Kosachyov, who was in New York for this week's summit, particularly for "the extremely dangerous statements about the readiness to 'totally destroy North Korea' and exit the Iran deal as 'one of the worst for the U.S. and an embarrassment.' Plus Syria, Cuba and Venezuela as though they were the worst dictatorships in the history of mankind."

Denyer reported from Beijing. Luna Lin in Beijing and Andrew Roth in Moscow contributed to this report.

Read more

Why havent sanctions on North Korea worked? Two very different theories

U.N. imposes new sanctions on North Korea following missile tests

How to escape North Korea

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
North Korean Ambassador to Spain Kim Hyok Chol talks with the news media in Madrid in April 2017. The Spanish Foreign Ministry on Sept. 18, 2017, asked him to leave the country by the end of the month. (Angel Diaz/European Pressphoto Agency/EFE)

Spain has given the North Korean ambassador assigned to Madrid until the end of September to leave, becoming the fourth country this month to expel Pyongyang's representative in the wake of the regime's sixth nuclear test.

The Spanish government, in announcing the move, follows similar steps by Mexico, Peru and Kuwait.

The expulsion will please Trump administration officials, who have been asking countries with diplomatic relations with North Korea to scale them back as a way to further isolate Kim Jong Uns regime.

The United States has been leading efforts to punish the regime for its repeated missile launches this year, which Pyongyang says are part of an effort to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile aimed at reaching the U.S. mainland.

But these efforts have intensified following North Koreas huge nuclear test Sept. 3, which experts say appears to have been the detonation of a hydrogen bomb, as Pyongyang claimed, rather than the relatively smaller atomic bombs it had previously exploded.

[ North Korea nuclear test may have been twice as strong as first thought ]

The Spanish Foreign Ministry said it was expelling Kim Hyok Chol, who became North Koreas first ambassador to Spain when the country opened an embassy in Madrid at the beginning of 2014.

"Today, the North Korean ambassador was summoned and was told of the decision to consider him as a persona non grata, therefore he must stop working and abandon the country before 30 September," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to the Reuters news agency. It also announced the move on Twitter.

This month, just four days after the nuclear test, Mexicos Foreign Ministry said it had given the North Korean ambassador to that country, Kim Hyong Gil, 72 hours to leave the country.

"With this diplomatic step, Mexico expresses to the North Korean government its categorical repudiation of its recent nuclear activity, which is an increasingly brazen violation of international law and which poses a serious threat to the Asian region and to the world," the ministry said in a statement.

North Korea is a growing threat to the world but particularly to key allies of Mexico such as Japan and South Korea, it said.

Before leaving, Kim Hyong Gil sharply criticized the decision.

Mexico took an ignorant measure to declare an ambassador of a revolutionary regime from an independent country as persona non grata, he said in a statement to the Mexican news media, as reported by the specialist website NK News. I condemned and totally rejected the U.N. Security Councils sanctions resolution as an infringement on our independence.

[ U.N. agrees to toughest-ever sanctions against North Korea ]

The Security Council approved the latest set of sanctions against North Korea on Sept. 11.

Peru also took extra steps to limit the North Korean presence in Lima. The Peruvian government had said in July that it would reduce the number of diplomats accredited there, in accordance with a U.N. Security Council resolution passed late last year.

That resolution, No. 2321, required member states to reduce the number of staff at North Korean diplomatic missions and consular posts, and to limit the number of bank accounts to one per diplomatic mission and one per diplomat.

During a trip to Latin America in August, Vice President Pence called on Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Peru to sever all diplomatic relations with North Korea.

The day after the latest nuclear test  the same day that the U.N. Security Council passed its latest resolution  the Peruvian government told North Koreas ambassador in Lima, Kim Hak Chol, he had five days to leave. He had been in Lima since the end of 2013.

These moves follow an announcement from Kuwait that it would expel the North Korean ambassador there, So Chang Sik, as part of a move to scale down Pyongyangs diplomatic presence in Kuwait City.

The Kuwaiti government had decided to reduce the number of diplomats accredited to the country from nine to four, it said in a notice to the United Nations dated Aug. 22 but not disclosed until last week. It said the ambassador would be among the diplomats whose accreditation was revoked.

Kuwait also said it would stop issuing visas to North Korean passport holders.

This is significant because Kuwait accepts North Korean laborers, who work as doctors or on construction sites earning money for the regime. This is another practice that Washington is actively trying to stop as part of its efforts to punish Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program.

Read more:

Why havent sanctions on North Korea worked? Two very different theories

U.N. imposes new sanctions on North Korea following missile tests

How to escape North Korea

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...
The first of its kind in Asia, ILLUMI RUN is set to give runners an exhilarating neon experience with its iconic ILLUMI Glow Water. This non-competitive run will see participants run, walk and dance through the different themed ultraviolet music zones whilst being splashed with ILLUMI Glow Water. The fun continues after the run with a music festival at Selangor Turf Club. There, they will be treated to a line-up of LIVE acts against the backdrop of psychedelic neon displays.Oliver Tan, CEO of MPI Generali Insurans Berhad said, as the pioneer general insurer to organize community based runs in Malaysia, MPI Generali Run has been kick-starting the local running calendar since 2012 to encourage healthy lifestyle. After six years, we felt it is the right time to seek a more engaging activity with our base of runners, new runners, business partners, employees and customers. We are proud to have the opportunity to present this first in Malaysia ultimate festival on the run experience that combines wholesome fun, community spirit and promote running at the same time.We are thrilled to have this opportunity to bring ILLUMI RUN to Malaysia for the very first time. The reception from our partners here in Malaysia has given us the confidence that this event will be an even more epic experience. We are committed to creating a glowing experience for all our runners and we promise an evening of good clean fun. Get ready to run and glow, said Jeffrey Foo, Director of Infinitus Productions Pte Ltd.Targeting over 8,000 participants, each of them will be equipped with a SWAG bag full of cool merchandise that will get them revel in neon vibes. The event will be complemented with a nightlife atmosphere, creating a clubbing experience enroute, bringing the ultimate neon night run to life.ILLUMI RUN also believes in giving back to the community and will be pledging monetary support to S.O.S Kids, a community support group who aims to improve the care of the critically sick and underprivileged children based in Sarawak. The funds will be raised through registration fees as well as add-on donations from participants. Through ILLUMI RUN, the event hopes to raise awareness for S.O.S kids and contribute more funds towards their efforts to provide better medical care for these children.For more information, please go to www.illumirun.com/my
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/09/2017 (1882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba government has taken a big step forward in its efforts to tackle what its own finance minister admits is a horrendous amount of internal red tape.

Finance Minister Cameron Friesen told a Manitoba Chamber of Commerce breakfast event on Tuesday the government has completed a baseline count of how many regulatory regulations there are across its entire operations, which include government departments, Crown corporations, the Workers Compensation Board and various government agencies and boards.

The tally is 906,824 requirements within 12,393 documents.

Thats quite horrendous, he said, adding the government remains fully committed to doing something about it.

The first step was to introduce new legislation last spring, called the Regulatory Accountability Act, which requires it to establish and maintain a comprehensive inventory of all of its regulatory requirements.

Its also now required to release those numbers on a yearly basis to show what progress is being made to reduce the provincial red-tape burden on businesses, individuals, other levels of government and non-profit agencies.

Friesen told the breakfast crowd the government recognizes it isnt enough to just identify the magnitude of the red-tape burden. Concrete steps also must be taken to reduce it.

Thats why the new legislation also requires that every time the government introduces a new regulation, two others must be eliminated, he said. That rule will remain in effect until 2020, when the government will move to a one-to-one system where one regulation is eliminated every time a new one is introduced.

Our goal is to be Canadas most improved province for regulatory accountability by 2020, Friesen added.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), which releases a national report card each January on the red-tape-reduction performance of each province, said Tuesday that Manitobas new baseline count of regulatory requirement is the most comprehensive in Canada. With it, the province has taken another major step towards being a North American leader in cutting red tape, it said.

Red tape is a huge hidden tax on everyone. It increases prices, reduces job opportunities and stresses people out, said Laura Jones, the CFIBs executive vice-president and chief strategic officer.

Manitoba deserves high praise for making that hidden tax more visible today. Its a very promising step towards making things better not just for those who directly get tangled up in red tape, but all Manitobans who suffer as a result.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Finance Minister Cameron Friesen says the province found a horrendous amount of red tape in its operations  906,824 regulatory requirements in 12,393 documents.

The CFIB, which had previously given Manitoba a failing grade when it comes to red-tape reduction, also praised it for being the first province to legislate a cap on the number of government regulatory requirements.

To date, British Columbia has been Canadas undisputed leader in red-tape reduction, but Manitoba has announced a more comprehensive measure and has beat B.C. in being the first province to legislate a cap, Jones said. If things continue this way, it will be the Manitoba model that everyone is talking about.

Jonathan Alward, CFIBs director of provincial affairs for Manitoba, said while Manitoba still has a lot of work to do in actually cutting red tape, they have all the right ingredients.

The CFIB estimates the regulatory requirements cost Canadian businesses $37 billion annually, with one-third of that ($11 billion) considered unnecessary red tape. It says that in Manitoba, all federal, provincial and municipal regulations cost businesses $1.2 billion annually, with $360 million of that considered to be red tape.

Seven out of 10 business owners in Manitoba say red tape is limiting their ability to create jobs, Alward noted. The governments focus on this couldnt be more timely or more important.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/09/2017 (1883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After its last rally was interrupted by AntiFa demonstrators, Winnipeg Alternative Media is planning another rally and says a group in Alberta that has been linked to anti-government extremists has offered to travel to Winnipeg to provide security for the event where confrontations are expected.

Its for free speech and against AntiFa and Nazism, said organizer Josh Sigurdson, who in 2013 co-founded the anti-mainstream media organization. It is organizing the rally in Winnipeg on Sept. 30, in response to a Sept. 9 rally outside the CBC building, he said by phone Monday. At it, the anti-mainstream groups other co-founder, Todd McDougall, criticized state-run media, on a bullhorn when he was allegedly assaulted and called a Nazi, Sigurdson said.

We arent going to allow bullies to confront everyone who doesnt have their views, Sigurdson said. The Sept. 9 rally was originally billed as a World Coalition Against Islam rally against immigration but was cancelled.

Avi Selk / Dallas Morning News Files Members of the Three Percenters represent three per cent of the American population who refuse to disarm.

Winnipeg Alternative Media  which says it isnt against immigration  showed up on its own outside the CBC to protest war-mongering propaganda, Sigurdson said.

AntiFa felt that was the same thing as banning Islam from Canada, Sigurdson said. The anti-fascist group had gotten the word out that it was holding a counter-protest against hate and its supporters went after McDougall, he said.

A lot of gullible, young university students showed up, Sigurdson said.

McDougall was spat upon, pushed around and someone tried to pull down his pants, Sigurdson said.

I want people to not be afraid to have different opinions and to be vocal about them and when they go out onto the streets, theyre not going to be beaten up or pushed into traffic, he said. We want to have a conversation with these people and try to reason with them we have nothing to do with Nazism but were being called Nazis.

He said some of the AntiFa supporters on Sept. 9 were waving Maoist and Stalinist communist flags. The AntiFa movement is comprised of militant anti-fascist groups that sometimes use violent or destructive tactics.

The rally planned for Sept. 30 outside city hall from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. is to stand up against violent, childish communists waving AntiFa flags, Winnipeg Alternative Media said in a news release.

Like many places throughout Canada and the United States, it has become impossible to express views at public rallies without this violent mob of mislead (sic) kids attacking and calling whoevers speaking oppressive, fascist, nazi, racist and every other buzzword under the sun with absolutely no evidence of their claims, the release said.

We cannot stand for people with different views being muzzled, it said.

We dont just need visual diversity, but diversity of thought as well.

Sigurdson said some members of the LGBTTQ* and Muslim communities who dont feel AntiFa speaks for them have said they will be at the rally.

The Sept. 30 event has been threatened with violence by AntiFa, Sigurdson said. An Alberta representative of the group known as Three Percenters has offered to provide security at the Winnipeg rally, he said.

The Three Percenters are a freedom group that stand for individual liberty, Sigurdson said.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Hundreds attended a rally against hate outside the legislative building earlier this month.

But according to the Anti-Defamation League in the U.S., Three Percenters are part of an anti-government extremist movement that promotes the idea that the federal government is plotting to take away the rights of American citizens and must be resisted. The league says the group has been trying to make inroads in the U.S. military.

In Canada, the group is on Facebook with a cover photo of a soldier carrying an assault rifle. The groups profile picture is a skull and assault-rifles-as-cross-bones image with the slogan come and take them over the guns. The national page offers links to Three Percenters across Canada including Manitoba.

We are a Patriot group of Canadians that love our country and want to preserve our rights and freedoms and free speech. Canadian Three Percenters are made up of Patriots from all over Canada and the U.S.A., we are a countrywide network from coast to coast, the group says.

A photo posted on its timeline shows an armed soldier in front of a Canadian flag above text that reads, Its time to step on some toes and take our country back.

Sigurdson said he has been told by white nationalists as well as AntiFa representatives to expect confrontations. He said he wasnt aware that the rally is being held on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and the most important holiday in the Jewish faith.

Interestingly we have quite a lot of Jewish folks coming out in support of us, he said in an email Monday afternoon.

We are just looking to converse and try to aid the massive divide we are seeing today in the media from both sides of the spectrum, he said by email.

Hopefully people will be civil.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/09/2017 (1882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I hadnt expected the message Tara Harts older sister and mother had waiting for me when I called Sunday afternoon to see how they were doing after they had finally shared their feelings about Wab Kinew in that mornings Free Press.

But then neither Melanie Hart, nor her mother, Wendy Bird, had expected to get the message they got earlier in the day, either.

Nahanni Fontaine, the New Democratic Party MLA and self-styled champion of all Indigenous womens issues, had sent a Facebook message that morning asking if she could drop by for a visit that afternoon with the two of them.

Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press files NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine was at Wab Kinews side when he announced his candidacy for leadership of the Manitoba NDP in April.

And Tara, too.

One Indigenous woman to another, Im thinking.

Fontaine reached out to the family after she had read that mornings Free Press, which happened to be the day after Wab Kinew won the NDP leadership in a landslide. What Fontaine had read would cast a shadow over Kinews victory and threaten to throw an even longer one over the partys hopes for victory in the next provincial election.

Given those circumstances, it makes Fontaines messaging appear more calculated than comforting.

The Free Press column contained new and disturbing details from an interview with Taras mother and sister, in which they expressed their lingering anger at Kinew for continuing to lie and deny two charges of domestic assault dating back 14 years, when Tara was his common-law partner and they both drank heavily.

The charges were subsequently stayed but the hurt remains for Tara and her family, along with disturbing memories of what Tara told her mother about what led to the charges.

In a story by The Canadian Press last week, Tara described publicly for the first time how she suffered severe rug burns after she said Kinew threw her across a room.

Taras mom had more information that suggests where the second assault charge may have come from.

Her mother said Tara alleged Kinew opened the door of the high-rise apartment they shared, grabbed her by the hair and pulled her into the hallway.

And my girl was crying, Wendy told me.

There was more.

Wendy said her daughter told her Kinew also threatened to throw her off the balcony.

Soon after Fontaine read that, she would be reaching out to the family.

To simply listen, as Fontaine emphasized, and offer support and see if theres any role I can play in navigating through this hurtful situation.

Fontaine added this in the message sent to Melanie: And if your family doesnt feel its good or necessary to have me visit, I completely understand.

Of course, Fontaine understands why the family might not want to visit with her.

But just in case she doesnt, Ill let Melanie put it in her own words.

I dont trust her.

Where was Fontaine when the family needed her support?

Fontaine was standing up beside Kinew, proudly and loudly saying she supported a changed man 100 per cent.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Above: Wendy Bird (left) and Melanie Hart, Tara Harts mother and sister, allege Wab Kinew continues to lie about assaults on Tara 14 years ago.

Fontaine even said that after Tara  responding to reporters requests over Facebook  broke her silence after years of trying to put it behind her and, in the process, exposed herself to hurtful online abuse.

And now, suddenly, when the one allegation from Kinews acknowledged violent criminal past threatens to haunt him, Fontaine reaches out.

Melanie said it wasnt the first time they had communicated. She claimed she contacted Fontaine when she pressed a domestic assault charge of her own against another powerful Indigenous leader, the man she was living with then, Chief Wallace Fox of the Onion Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.

.I reached out to Nahanni for support at the time, Melanie recalled when we spoke again Sunday. She had nothing to say. Why now?

Melanie believes she knows the answer.

Under the circumstances, Melanie and her family have a right to be skeptical about the timing of Fontaines contacting them.

They have a right to interpret her reaching out as a desperate attempt at damage control for the NDPs new leader  and the partys future. And a cynical attempt by Fontaine to use her status as an Indigenous woman with a reputation for standing up for Indigenous women to manipulate three others into forgiving a man who hasnt asked to be forgiven.

Kinews calculated and carefully crafted answers about apologizing to the family for causing them hurt because he ran for office is almost as insulting as the idea of sending Fontaine, of all people, as his peacemaking emissary.

Kinew needs to stand up and tell Tara Hart  and her mother and sister  that hes sorry for all damage hes done.

And mean it.

Thats his only chance for damage control.

Instead, he stands back and lets Fontaine attempt to do the navigating for him by acting comforting when the family feels she is simply calculating.

Shame upon shame upon shame.

The shame of it for all of us  for the people of Manitoba in desperate need of bright, compelling and compassionate leadership they can trust and believe in  is that Kinew may never get the chance to really prove hes a changed man.

And, ironically, this may be the new party leaders best and last opportunity.

gordon.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/09/2017 (1883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wab Kinew is busy hiring staff, meeting with MLAs to assign caucus roles and planning strategy as he prepares for the resumption of the Manitoba legislature in a little over two weeks.

On Monday, the newly minted Manitoba NDP leader was conducting media interviews and moving into the spacious office afforded the leader of the official Opposition on the main floor of the Legislative Building.

With the new job also comes a bigger paycheque. Kinew will receive a $51,745 increase in pay on top of his base MLA salary of $94,513 (effectively, $93,025, as all legislative assembly members have agreed to return or donate the 1.6 per cent pay bump they received in the spring).

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Newly-elected NDP Leader Wab Kinew in his new office at the Manitoba Legislature.

The NDP had been operating without a permanent leader since their April 2016 election defeat. Logan MLA Flor Marcelino had filled in on an interim basis. Former leader Greg Selinger remains the MLA for St. Boniface.

Kinew said Monday he wants the NDPs message to become more focused, with an emphasis on health care and job creation.

I am the leader now. I have my own team and its a new direction, he told the Free Press.

Kinew, 35, said his clear victory at the weekend convention  he took three-quarters of the delegate vote against challenger Steve Ashton  sent a strong message that New Democrats want a united party after years of division.

I think that more than a mandate for myself, what the vote represented on Saturday was a mandate to put division behind us and to focus on unifying the Manitoba NDP, he said.

Four members of the 13-member NDP caucus supported Ashton  a 35-year MLA who lost his Thompson seat last year  for the leadership.

I will be working hard to bring everybody back together, both in caucus but also in the larger party, too, Kinew said. There are still some New Democrats who are on the sidelines, who are still nursing hurt feelings. While I respect those feelings, its time to move on and go back to serving the people of Manitoba.

Some party members and supporters are concerned about how Kinew has responded to news of past allegations of domestic abuse when he was in his early 20s. He was charged with two counts of domestic assault against former common-law partner Tara Hart 14 years ago, but the charges were later stayed.

Kinew has repeatedly denied assaulting Hart, who spoke out about the allegations last week. Her sister and mother became emotional in an interview with the Free Press over the weekend, angered by the new NDP leaders denials.

I knew this family well at one point in my life, Kinew said Monday. And while Ive been clear about the allegations themselves, I do recognize that the bigger picture here is, clearly, I did something to hurt them emotionally  that there are issues that are left unresolved.

And because I know that I was at an unhealthy place in my life at that time, I do accept responsibility for leaving things unresolved, for hurting them in whatever emotional ways that I did. And so I do apologize for leaving things unresolved and for whatever damage I did.

Asked how he will get past the matter now, Kinew said thats out of his hands.

The first thing I acknowledge is that its not up to me when I get past it. People have questions  media, just the average person, supporters have questions. And as long as people have those questions Im going to continue to answer them with honesty and integrity and as best as I can, he said.

He said he also wants to assure Manitobans that he will continue to be a voice to try and end violence against women, workplace harassment (and) sexual misconduct.

One of the things as a man who is a leader  one of the things that I have to do is to create space for women to lead on this issue  both people on my team, caucus members, but also more generally the activists and the people who are leading a lot of these conversations in public.

Meanwhile, the NDPs federal leader, Tom Mulcair, dismissed criticism about Kinews past Monday while speaking with reporters in Ottawa.

I think that Wab Kinew gave complete answers to that, and hes now the leader of the party in Manitoba and I congratulate him for his victory, he said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/09/2017 (1883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Seven years ago, on a breezy day in late August, my live-in partner put his hands around my throat and slammed me into our couch. Wed been arguing, again, and this time his anger lashed out like lightning, a sudden electric shock.

In retrospect, the attack didnt last long: a handful of heartbeats, a few seconds. At the time, it felt neverending. All I could see were the dark pools of his eyes, which stared cold and glassy and hollow. All I could hear was a silence.

I believe that then doesnt always have to mean ever

Last week, I drove an old friend to the airport. Hed moved away many years ago. So as I recounted my last relationship  with the flatness of time and years of practice  it fell on him as a fresh horror.

I would have killed that guy, if I knew, my friend said.

I shrugged. Nah, I replied. Lets not go there. Hes not a bad guy.

And its true, believe it or not, that I dont consider the man who hurt me to be an irredeemably bad person. Years later, unprompted, he wrote me to apologize. It was a sincere apology, issued without requests or qualifications.

Because the apology was offered honestly, I accepted. Somewhere inside, old scars became mended.

So theres no torch for him in my heart now, but no anger either. He was not a healthy person back then, but I believe that then doesnt always have to mean ever. For him and everyone around him, I want only for him to be better.

Yet if he were ever to step forward as a leader, and some enterprising reporter asked me about our time together, I would tell them what happened. I would tell them about those few seconds in August 2010, his hands, my fear.

Its something the public would deserve to know so they could test his avowed transformation. So they could hold him to account, with new information. So they could demand honest answers to the right questions.

This is, of course, a roundabout way of saying that I believe Tara Hart, who  after the case was raised in media coverage  last week told her truth about how Wab Kinew assaulted her in 2003.

For me, its very simple: there is no credible reason not to believe her.

Harts account of what happened is supported by her mother and sister, and by court documents filed at the time. (Charges were eventually stayed.) She has nothing to gain by coming forward, and was initially reluctant to do so.

Its so long ago, its in the past, she told APTN. I didnt want it to come out I wanted this to go away. I wanted the court documents to go away.



On this, I can relate. Confining the past to the past and moving on  that is something I choose every day. That Hart spoke about her experience is incredibly brave. It would have been easier for her to let politics wash her truth away.

And telling my story, too, is a way of saying I understand the cognitive dissonance Kinews NDP supporters are faced with, two clashing images inside the same picture: one a man they admire, the other a man who hurt an ex-partner.

In truth, its hard for me to reconcile those pictures, too. I am not close with Kinew, though I know him in passing. I worked with him at CBC, many years ago, and liked him. I saw his gifts as a broadcaster, and long admired them.

So as the news of the 2003 assault charge broke in recent weeks, I, too, needed time to watch what was unfolding. To touch the places in myself that were uncomfortable with what I was learning, and listen to what they were saying.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Melanie Hart (right) and Tara Hart's mother, Wendy Bird who said "I want to be his friend. I want to forgive him. If Wab would come out and say, Yes, I did that forgive me for what I did'... But hes denying it."

Above all, it was time for me to hear others, especially Indigenous women, lead the conversation.

Now, it is time for me to speak. Because what I have heard from too many NDP supporters has been a whole lot of nothing. When the epitaph for this era of the Manitoba NDP is written, that will be the coldest, hardest reckoning.

After hearing Harts account, on the cusp of Kinews leadership victory, the NDP could have chosen many paths to hear and support her. They could have welcomed Harts disclosure, acknowledged its weight, called for clarity.

I wish it never came out and didnt have to be this way. Im sorry if I upset anyone.

 Tara Hart on Facebook

Instead, when confronted with that cognitive dissonance, too many chose to sidestep the issue entirely  at least, until after the leadership vote was done.

That silence has revictimized Hart, to the extent her mother says she is now in hiding. That silence has left her a vulnerable target  and enabled mudslinging detractors. It has forced her to relive her pain with little protection.

I wish it never came out and didnt have to be this way, Hart wrote on Facebook last week. Im sorry if I upset anyone. Im sorry I went threw (sic) this and that it came up so long after. I hate it.

This should be utterly unconscionable to all Manitobans, and particularly to all NDP members. A silence that leaves an Indigenous woman so unsupported is completely at odds with the partys claim of being a champion of women.

For this, they cannot point fingers at political shenanigans by the Tories. The silence from some quarters has split the party, at a time when most aim for a unified front. Its hard to be unified when so many feel so betrayed.

On the weekend, several NDP loyalists I know announced they are leaving the party, on the pain of that silence.

So where can a province go from here? As long as the situation remains unresolved  Kinew denies Harts account of the assault  it will hang over Manitoba politics like a dark fog, obscuring the landscape and hiding the truth.



Wab Kinew is now the leader of the provincial NDP. He is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. So the NDP will have to find a way forward  and perhaps there are guideposts in previous responses to Kinews behaviours.

From the beginning of Kinews political career, his clear ambitions attracted ferocious opposition. In early 2016, the focus landed on his old rap lyrics and tweets, which were splattered with homophobic and misogynistic sentiments.

Yet back then, and before he ran for office, Kinew apologized for those transgressions. He spoke and wrote openly about his struggles with anger, two of his past brushes with the law, and the people that called him to account.

To my mind, at that time, his apology was genuine. The journey to healthier behaviour he described rang true.

Heres another thing, too: many young Indigenous men look up to Kinew. Some of them have struggles in their own pasts, and dream of building better lives. Some have said or done things they do not want to define them forever.

For them, its important the public be willing to accept that people are not ruled by past mistakes. That people can change, if they accept responsibility, apologize honestly and work to make amends to those they have hurt.

So when Kinew apologized then, it charted a course towards something like healing. He laid out a path that others could follow, to a more positive way of being. He reached out to individuals and groups to make those amends.

What Tara Hart revealed last week, of course, is something else entirely, something far worse than cruel tweets and lyrics. For her, there has been no reconciliation. The way this news broke has only deepened her familys hurt.

I want to be his friend. I want to forgive him, Wendy Bird, Tara Harts mother, told the Free Press. If Wab would come out and say, Yes, I did that forgive me for what I did. Us as a family. Women But hes denying it.

Between that ache for an apology, and Kinews previous mea culpas, perhaps theres a lesson to be taken.



What the NDP must do, and do now, is publicly plot a course to accountability from its new leader and for survivors. It must acknowledge this effort is coming late  and should have happened before Saturdays leadership vote.

Here, it can look to Indigenous tradition, which has a wealth of knowledge about restorative justice  frameworks that offer stronger roadmaps to uncovering real truth and healing than the institutional justice system.

If Kinew has changed from the person Tara Hart knew, he must once again show us his work

It can begin this process by thanking Tara Hart for telling her story without requesting anything further of her  including her time. It must find a way to offer her the support she needs to navigate the stress it has brought her.

Then, the party must begin to tell the public exactly what Kinew and the NDP have done to address the past and current fractures, what they are doing, and what they intend to do next. This part will be incremental and ongoing.

In short: if Kinew has changed from the person Tara Hart knew, he must once again show us his work.

This needs to happen  and not for Kinews sake. He is a grown man who has chosen the limelight of a political life; he can shoulder public scrutiny of his current and past actions. The rehabilitation of his image is not a priority here.

No, this is for the sake of Indigenous women and all victims of domestic violence. This is for Tara Hart and other survivors who have and will ever speak out. This is for a future where we can confront these issues head-on.

Yes, even when it comes from people we want to admire. Or at the hands of people we love.

And it is for the sake of Manitobans, who, whether theyd ever vote NDP or not, deserve far better from the official opposition. At the very least, come 2020, Manitobans deserve a choice they can make with a clean conscience.

But here, we crash against one hard fact: this type of reconciliation cannot happen if Kinew stands by his statement that the assault never happened. Theres no way around it, and as long as its in place, I dont know what else to say.

So the end brings us back to the beginning, to a simple flame that will not be extinguished: I believe Tara Hart. I believe her when she says that, on one night in 2003, Kinew assaulted her, that she told RCMP and her family.

Like with the man who hurt me, I do not believe this makes him an irredeemably bad person. I do believe it means that we need more than silence, side-stepping or denial from him, and from the party that chose him to lead them.

Faced with that belief, what decisions the NDP makes now will define the party for years to come. For my own sake as a survivor, for the sake of all Manitobans and this province I love, I only hope they can make the right ones.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca

THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods Wab Kinew, Manitoba NDP candidate for Fort Rouge, listens as Premier Greg Selinger responds at a news conference in Winnipeg, Friday, March 11, 2016. The woman at the centre of 14-year-old allegations of domestic violence against Manitoba NDP leadership candidate Wab Kinew says she was thrown across a room and left with rug burn on her legs.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/09/2017 (1882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ottawa will pump $19 million over the next four years to combat the provinces soaring diabetes epidemic on First Nations under a new health care deal that will focus on foot care.

Health Canada approved the funding and the lead Manitoba agency, Nanaandawewigamig, the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba, announced it in Portage la Prairie Tuesday.

It is believed to be the first ever regional program designed for and delivered by Indigenous people in their own communities to stem rising rates of amputation, one of the most tragic complications of diabetes

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES A podiatry room in the Saul Sair Health Centre in the Siloam Mission.

We recognized the need and we have been working on obtaining funding to support these services for nearly 20 years, said Pimicikamak Chief Catherine Merrick, Nanaandawewigamig board chair, in a statement Tuesday.

The funding allows Manitoba First Nations to follow through with standing recommendations for care from Diabetes Canada, formerly known as the Canadian Diabetes Association.

The announcement was made at the Nanaandawewigamig annual general meeting on the Long Plains urban reserve in Portage la Prairie.

Rates of diabetes are three to five times higher for Indigenous Canadians compared to the general population. On some First Nations, 26 per cent of residents have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

In Manitoba, diabetes affects roughly one in five (18.9 per cent) First Nations people, compared to 4.5 per cent of the rest of the population. First Nations people are also 18 times more likely to have an diabetes related amputation.

Without strategic intervention, treating diabetes is expected to rise nearly 30 per cent to $639 million by 2020, according to figures released with the funding announcement.

With proper foot care, an estimated 85 per cent of amputations are thought to be preventable.

We are pleased that (Ottawa) is investing in a preventative approach which will support the the reduction of further complications. . ., said Keewatin Tribal Council nursing officer Anita Crate, who co-chaired efforts to secure funding.

Noting that foot care is an insured service in British Columbia and Alberta but not in Manitoba, Crate urged the province to take a second look at the impact of diabetes on the rest of the province.

The province of Manitoba should strongly consider this as an insured service for all Manitobans who have diabetes. Its invest now or pay later with more costly services such as physician billing, surgical costs, hospitalizations, rehab services and so forth, Crate warned.

Ottawa has funded diabetic foot care programs here in the past, but never more than a few hundred thousand dollars a year, funnelled through the University of Manitobas Northern Medical Unit, which Ottawa uses to supply fly-in doctors to the north.

With the announcement, Ottawa made the funding available for the first time through a First Nations-run agency. Nanaandawewigamig will work directly with Manitoba tribal councils to provide the services. First Nations that arent aligned with tribal councils will be provided with their own funding. There was no word on the date services would be rolled out.

The multimillion funding allows First Nations their first ever opportunity to collaborate meaningfully with the province to create a system of seamless diabetes and kidney health care on First Nations with limited access to doctors.

In 2016, health-care experts with the secretariat asked Ottawa for more than $19 million over four years for diabetes-related foot-care clinics in all of Manitobas 60-plus First Nations communities. This past summer, federal health-care officials and First Nations diabetes advocates met over two days to set up a plan to roll out services.

Until now, nine Manitoba First Nations had advanced programs in this specialized area, 21 others have basic services and the rest  34 communities, mostly in the north  have no services.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/09/2017 (1882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Canada is on-track to hit its biggest boom in asylum-seekers since 2001, but Ottawa says its part of a normal fluctuation in people making refugee claims.

Data released Tuesday show a slight August drop in the number of asylum seekers making illicit crossings from the United States into Manitoba, though the numbers almost doubled in Quebec.

But Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen is expecting many more people to seek asylum in Canada  hes expecting some 40,000 claims in 2017, the Free Press has learned.

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES

That would be the highest number since 2001, when the number of claims surpassed 44,000. Its more than an estimate this summer by the University of Calgarys School of Public Policy, which said Canada should expect 36,610 asylum claims by years end.

Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel attended a Monday meeting with New York City immigrant groups, where Hussen tackled myths about Canadas asylum process.

Rempel said one representative asked Hussen how many asylum claims Hussen anticipates, and he answered 40,000. Hussens office has confirmed that number, with a spokesman saying it was based on the trends in both regular claims, like arriving at an airport and asking for asylum, and irregular ones, which involve violating border rules.

Every forecast within the government says its going to increase, Rempel said. The government still isnt taking long-term, systemic fixes, to make sure their process stays orderly.

But Ottawa said Tuesdays data suggest that claims are falling.

The numbers fluctuate, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters. Some months they go up; some months they go down. Most recently theyve been going down.

80 people intercepted in Manitoba

The data show the RCMP intercepted 80 people in August in Manitoba, all of whom likely crossed in fields near Emerson. That means 813 people have crossed into the province in the first eight months of 2017.

Meanwhile, the data suggest an almost doubling of asylum seekers crossing into Quebec compared with the previous month, which had seen a near-fourfold jump in July. The RCMP intercepted 5,530 people in that province last month.

Goodale said all Canadian and international laws are being enforced thanks to border guards and RCMP officers.

But Rempel said its misleading to say Tuesdays numbers are a normal fluctuation, because they dont match the number anticipated at the start of the year. She said the 40,000 estimate means Ottawa will reassess its budgets and Canadians will start doubting an immigration system they strongly trust.

People look at this and say its not fair, Rempel said. She cited backlogs on everything from groups wanting to privately sponsor refugees, to hearings for those who arrive in Canada to claim asylum. The hearing delays mean thousands wait for years and draw on benefits, including those from countries with a low asylum-claim success rate.

This is unplanned migration, Rempel said, fearing a lack of policy will mean Canadian politics "devolving into either side of the ditch, left or right.

Debate worrying: Rempel

This summer, the federal Liberals have sent MPs to Florida, California and New York to quell rumours among certain groups such as Haitians and Latinos that Canada offers easy asylum claims. The moves come as the U.S. winds down a temporary-stay program for as many as 30,000 people while its increasing deportation raids.

Last month, Minnesota groups said Manitoba could face hundreds more African asylum seekers, but that hasnt happened yet. The government has hinted it will expand its outreach to different communities.

In recent years, people have crossed outside of border stations at places such as Emerson to claim asylum through a legal loophole.

The number of these claimants rose during former U.S. president Barack Obamas increased deportations, and further intensified under current President Donald Trump to 13,211 in the first eight months of this year.

Since 2004, the Safe Third Country Agreement has forbidden most people from making an asylum claim at the Canada-United States land border, but a 1951 UN agreement prohibits countries, including Canada, from prosecuting or deporting people who cross illegally in order to make an asylum claim.

Critics say that provides an incentive for people to cross along remote, unpatrolled parts of the border before reporting themselves to Canadian police. In Manitoba, many originally come from Somalia and Ghana.

At least one woman died of hypothermia in May while attempting the crossing near Minnesota.

Rempel said the Tories want to expand the 2004 agreement to include flashpoints like Emerson, to send claimants back to the U.S.

She knows that violates the 1951 UN rules, but says Canada needs to overhaul its entire refugee system to deal with trends like genocides, climate refugees and transnational asylum paths that have people walking into Canada at a rate never seen before.

Canada is just seeing the effects of this now and were not in a position to be nimble enough to change our processes to reflect that, she said from New York, where the UN Secretary General said the global refugee system needs reform.

I worry about this debate.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/09/2017 (1883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With legislation to dissolve the Manitoba Taxicab Board looming, ride-sharing giant Uber is revving its engines at the Manitoba start line.

Data gathered by the San Francisco-based company and shared with the Free Press shows that from January to July this year, more than 30,000 people in Winnipeg opened its app looking for a ride on a service not yet available in this region.

Jaap Arriens / NurPhoto / Sipa USA / TNS Uber is keeping an eye on Manitoba and its ride-share legislation.

Already operating in more than 40 municipalities across Canada  including Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton and Calgary  and more than 70 countries, Uber and similar companies have so far been shut out of Manitoba due to provincial regulations.

In March, however, the Progressive Conservative government introduced legislation that will dissolve the taxicab board  the licensing and regulatory body governing the industry  and will let municipalities set the rules by which vehicle-for-hire services could operate in the province. In April, the NDP opposition used legislative rules to push back the implementation of the Local Vehicles for Hire Act (Bill 30) until November.

Should it pass in the legislature, the worlds largest ride-sharing company will be ready  and the residents of Winnipeg willing  Uber Canada spokeswoman Susie Heath said in an email.

We look forward to continuing to work with the province of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg to bring Uber to the province soon, so that Manitobans can benefit from another safe, reliable way to get around their communities and flexible income-earning opportunity, Heath said.

Uber Canada did not respond to requests for further comment.

SUPPLIED BY UBER - each dot represents the location of the first time a unique user opened the app in Winnipeg from January to June 2017.

Michael Diamond, spokesman for the Winnipeg Taxi Alliance, said the industry expects Bill 30 to pass and is preparing arguments for the municipal level.

There are small places where the bill can be improved upon, but we do not expect, nor are we asking for the bill to be pulled, Diamond said.

Our ask of (Winnipeg) city hall and council will be the same as in the legislature that regulations are sensible, that they protect consumers, drivers and are applied equally to all players in (the) same industry. Michael Diamond, Winnipeg Taxi Alliance

It doesnt matter which level of government is putting the regulations together, our only goal is to see one set of rules  that there are not unequal regulations applied to providers offering the same service.

Our ask of (Winnipeg) city hall and council will be the same as in the legislature that regulations are sensible, that they protect consumers, drivers and are applied equally to all players in (the) same industry, he said, Sales tax, GST, we shouldnt be put at a competitive disadvantage by having some providers not having to (collect) that. We (also) feel there should be one insurance pool for people driving for profit.

A spokesman for Brian Bowman said the Winnipeg mayor has not wavered in his support for opening the city to ride-sharing entities  but will not play favourites if the province hands decision-making powers to the municipalities.

Uber is just one of those options and the mayor hasnt, for example, supported Uber over other ride-sharing alternatives or vice-versa, the spokesman said in an email.

Mayor Bowman has consistently, for many years, supported ride-sharing options that benefit citizens and work for everyone. In his state of the city address in February, prior to provincial legislation being introduced, he publicly committed to working with the province and the provincial taxicab board to move forward with introducing ride-sharing options in Winnipeg, the spokesman said.

While the legislation has not yet been passed by the province, the City of Winnipeg is actively preparing an administrative report for councils consideration in order to be ready for its passage and proclamation should that occur this fall.

scott.emmerson@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/09/2017 (1883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The interim president of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority says its time to talk about racism in the health-care system.

Real Cloutier spoke with the Free Press following the release of the interim recommendations from the working group tasked with looking at the role racism played in the death of Brian Sinclair.

The 45-year-old Indigenous man died of a treatable bladder infection after he was left alone and uncared for for 34 hours at the Health Sciences Centre emergency department nine years ago.

Winnipeg Free Press files Brian Sinclair died after waiting 34 hours for care at the Health Sciences Centre in 2008.

Cloutiers comments are in line with the groups call for health-care stakeholders to take a more direct approach to confronting racism.

The group unveiled its initial findings to a packed crowd Monday at the University of Manitoba. It recommended not just that anti-racist policies be adopted and implemented, but there be institutional support for independent investigations in cases where complaints are brought forward.

Although there is plenty for the WRHA to consider moving forward, Cloutier was struck by comments about the difficulty people still face in naming and talking openly about racism.

Youll notice people dont actually die of racism, they die of infection, said Sherene Razack, author of Dying from Improvement: Inquests and Inquiries into Indigenous Deaths in Custody. Were at a loss to name what exactly happened in that emergency room.

People seem to only understand racism as individuals with swastikas, she said, instead of whole systems that perpetuate the persistent devaluing of Indigenous life.

Sinclair didnt die because one person wanted him to die, rather, as the group wrote in its interim report Out of Sight, He was not seen as a patient needing care staff assumed that he was homeless or intoxicated or just hanging around.

Tackling that assumption is where the WRHAs focus must go, Cloutier said.

There have been a number of improvements since Sinclair died  new Indigenous partnerships, cultural sensitivity training, standardized policies around triage  he doesnt want to diminish.

However, Cloutier said, its time to build on what he deems a greater awareness of Indigenous history to tackle health-care providers assumptions.

I think to talk about systemic racism today is different than even 10 years ago, he said.

I think theres an acknowledgement that we make that its not that people go out overtly to discriminate, but its the assumptions we make.

Sinclair arrived at the HSC emergency department in September 2008 with a doctors letter outlining his condition, but he wasnt properly registered.

No health-care workers attended to him at any point during the next 34 hours, not even when members of the public tried to advocate on his behalf.

He vomited multiple times, he slumped into his wheelchair, he became increasingly ill and still staff told concerned members of the public he was not sick, but rather sleeping or intoxicated.

Its a story that repeats itself, Razack told the crowd at the University of Manitoba: You cant imagine how many people died calling for help in places where they should have had help.

It wont be as easy as the WRHAs year-old mandatory online course to learn about Indigenous history, Cloutier acknowledged, although he plans to address the groups recommendations at the WRHA board level.

We have to be attentive and objective when providing care and thats going to be a more difficult cultural change in our system, he said. Its the assumptions we make, thats the piece thats more subtle and we need to address.

How do you get into peoples headspaces and the assumptions we make? How do you improve our health-care system so youre not drawing a conclusion about why people are seeking care?

Bottom line, Cloutier said, is it shouldnt matter what brings someone to the clinic or the hospital, it should only matter theyve come.

Were there to provide care and compassion.

The groups final report is expected sometime in 2018.

jane.gerster@freepress.mb.ca

Brian Sinclair Working Group Report
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/09/2017 (1882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As heads of government meet this week in New York at the United Nations General Assembly, one UN member state, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), is brutally punishing its Muslim minority, burning their villages, rounding them up in camps and driving them into neighbouring Bangladesh. Canada should use the UN gathering to focus attention on this ethnic-cleansing campaign against the Rohingya minority and support practical measures to stop it.

Some observers, horrified by the Myanmar armys cruel maltreatment of the Rohingyas, have proposed symbolic gestures of protest. Former Liberal cabinet ministers Lloyd Axworthy and Allan Rock want Canada to ask the Norwegian authorities to take away the 1991 Nobel peace prize from Aung San Suu Kyi, who was then a peaceful protester against Burmese military rule and is now Myanmars unofficial head of government. Others have suggested cancelling the honorary Canadian citizenship that was granted to her in 2012 by John Baird, foreign minister at the time. In those days, her non-violent resistance to the military dictatorship was widely admired.

These symbolic gestures, akin to pulling down the statue of an ex-hero who has fallen out of fashion, would forcefully express disapproval of the Myanmar governments conduct. They would not, however, do any good for the Rohingyas. The Myanmar army does not care in the least whether Ms. Suu Kyi keeps her Nobel prize and her honorary Canadian citizenship.

Associated Press Photo Myanmars State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi

The Myanmar government last year appointed former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to head a commission of inquiry on Buddhist-Muslim conflict in Myanmars Rakhine state. The commissions report, published in August, proposed citizenship rights for Rohingyas and social development measures to alleviate their poverty.

The government ignored the report, responded fiercely to attacks of a self-appointed Rohingya defence force and continues severe repression against the civil population. The army says it is merely resisting terrorists. Ms. Suu Kyi parrots the army line, perhaps because she believes it or perhaps because she is the armys puppet.

Canada is now campaigning for election to the UN Security Council. The ethnic cleansing in Myanmar might be stopped if Canada and other governments used the machinery of the United Nations to assemble a coalition and prepare a plan. This is a chance for the United Nations to show that it is still useful. It is also a chance for Canada to show that it has the diplomatic skills  and enjoys the international esteem  to be a player once again in the corridors of world power.

The appointment of the Kofi Annan commission showed that the Myanmar government wants a way out of the Rohingya problem. The content of the commission report provides a starting point for a discussion with neighbouring Buddhist-majority and Muslim-majority states.

Canada has done enough ethnic cleansing of its own over the years that it cannot go around lecturing other countries about their maltreatment of ethnic minorities. But Canada can, in all modesty, trade on its reputation as a helpful fixer, free of ulterior motives. We are not trying to boss anyone around or steal anyones natural resources. We will stand up for maltreated Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists or Christians. Were just trying to get people to stop killing each other.
The 'Saturday Night Live' star is opening up on what she loves about impersonating stoic political figures.

It was a big night for Kate McKinnon at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, and not just because she won for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

The Saturday Night Live star made her first public appearance with girlfriend Jackie Abbott at the awards show, and was seen hugging her before going up to accept her statuette. McKinnon is the first openly gay female cast member on the NBC show.

MORE: Emmys 2017 -- The Winners, Where to Watch Them and What's Next!

Several of the 33-year-old comedian's fans were quick to record the moment she hugged Abbott and posted it on social media.

RuPaul's Drag Race judge Michelle Visage also shared a photo to Instagram with the couple backstage, writing: "I have SUCH a crush on #KATEMCKINNON SO HAPPY SHE WON!!! Her girlfriend Jackie was just as lovely as she is!!"

I have SUCH a crush on #KATEMCKINNON SO HAPPY SHE WON!!! Her girlfriend Jackie was just as lovely as she is!! Photo creds @thairinliesaphoto A post shared by Michelle Visage (@michellevisage) on Sep 18, 2017 at 7:17am PDT

According to Abbott's website, she is a "New York City actor and artist, born in Stamford, Connecticut." Like her girlfriend, she too has a sense of humor.

When describing herself, Abbott writes: "She once had an Irish step dance recital on the stage where The Maury Show now films."

WATCH: Ben Affleck Supports Girlfriend Lindsay Shookus as She Wins an Emmy for 'Saturday Night Live'

Just moments after taking the Emmys stage, McKinnon spoke with ET, and was still reeling from her big win. "It's overwhelming and I'm just so honored to be a part of this year at this amazing show," she said. "It's too much. The other nominees are so unbelievable."

Here's more with McKinnon:

Related Gallery

Related Articles
When Emily Beckett went in for her 10-week pregnancy scan, the last thing she expected to get was a sign from the other side.

Mom-to-be Emily Beckett holding photos of her grandmother and her ultrasound. (Photo: Emily Beckett)

But the 23-year-old says that her late grandmother decided to make an appearance in the ultrasound photos, leaving the mom-to-be shocked and happily surprised.

Beckett, who lives in Liverpool, England, had her routine scan in August and was taken aback when a nurse told her of the bizarre sight in the top corner of her ultrasound.

Beckett says she was shocked by what she saw in her ultrasound images. (Photo: Emily Beckett)

It was a complete shock, Beckett told the Liverpool Echo. When the nurse said she could see another face, I just presumed she was talking about the baby.

Becketts grandmother Elizabeth Jean Booth, who died from cancer in 2014, was like a second mom to her and sister, Gemma.

My nan was like a parent to myself and my sister Gemma, so Im not surprised she has decided to make an appearance  she wouldnt have wanted to miss out on my pregnancy, she told the Liverpool Echo.

With Emilys gran making no secret of her wish for grandchildren when she was alive, the mother-to-be has described the sighting as a gift, and shes hoping Jean will make another appearance during her next scan in November.

Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Fox News commentator Scottie Nell Hughes says Fox News blacklisted her after she accused Fox Business Charles Payne of rape.

Hughes is now suing the Making Money host, who last month returned to work after being suspended during an investigation into sexual assault allegations against him.

She also accuses Fox News of leaking her name to the National Enquirer after she reported the alleged rape.

Also Read: Charles Payne to Return to Fox Business Network as Sexual Harassment Investigation Ends

In her suit, Hughes accuses Payne of raping her in 2013, when they were preparing to appear on a Fox program.

In July 2013, while they were both in New York City to appear on a Fox program, Payne pressured his way into Ms. Hughess hotel room for a private discussion. Tragically, Payne sexually assaulted and raped Ms. Hughes, reads the suit, filed Monday in federal court in New York. Despite her clear refusal of his advances and telling him no and to stop, Payne forced her to engage in sexual intercourse against her will. Too shocked and ashamed to speak out, Ms. Hughes told no one about what happened.

The suit also accuses Fox of reacting with appalling cruelty when she reported the alleged sexual assault and rape to the network, and accuses Fox spokesperson Irena Briganti of leaking her name to the National Enquirer.

Also Read: Fox Business Host Charles Payne Denies Sexual Harassment Allegations: 'An Ugly Lie'

When Scottie Nell Hughes, a political commentator who regularly appeared on Fox News and Fox Business Network, dared report to Fox that she had been sexually assaulted and raped by Fox anchor Charles Payne, Fox responded with an appalling cruelty, the suit reads. In late June 2017, Ms. Hughes, confidentially, contacted lawyers at Paul Weiss, the outside firm hired by Fox to conduct internal investigations following the barrage of sexual harassment allegations, to disclose the details about the sexual assault and rape, and other relevant facts of her unlawful treatment, the suit reads. The lead independent lawyer suggested that it would be best to reach a business solution rather than conduct a formal investigation. The Paul Weiss lawyer explained that a formal investigation simply would open a can of worms.

Story continues

The suit goes on to allege that Foxs public-relations machine then launched into high gear by leaking her name and issuing a self-serving statement' from Payne.

Just days later, Fox made clear that a business solution was not feasible. Simultaneously, the wheels of the Fox public relations (PR) machine launched into high gear. Suddenly, Ms. Hughess manager received a call from a reporter at the National Enquirer seeking comment on a breaking story about Ms. Hughes and Payne. Fox, through its notorious spokesperson, Irena Briganti, leaked Ms. Hughess name to the National Enquirer, knowing that Ms. Hughes was a victim of a violent sexual assault, the suit reads. Despicably, Fox leaked Ms. Hughess identity to the National Enquirer at the same time that it emailed a self-serving statement, purportedly drafted by Payne, that expressed his sorrow at having engaged in what he described as an affair with Ms. Hughes.

Also Read: Fox Business Host Charles Payne Suspended Amid Sexual Harassment Investigation

Eventually, Hughes says, she was blacklisted by Fox.

Ms. Hughes went from appearing on Fox programs four or five times a week to only appearing five times in total over a ten-month period, the suit reads. Eventually, she learned that Fox had blacklisted her.

Payne was suspended on July 6. On Sept. 8, Fox Business Network confirmed that he would return to the network following the investigation into the sexual harassment claims against him. No details on the actual results of the investigation were made available.

The claims against Payne came from a female political analyst who was a frequent guest on his program, Making Money, among other Fox shows. She claimed to have been coerced into a sexual relationship with the married man.

For his part, Payne has admitted to having an affair with his accuser  but hes strongly denied harassing the woman in question

My complaint speaks for itself. What is most important to me is that justice will prevent other women from going through the nightmare Im now living, Hughes said in a statement provided to TheWrap. On my behalf, [Hughes law firm] Wigdor LLP will expose Foxs unconscionable conduct, including leaking my name to the media. I am grateful to my husband, family, friends and colleagues for the outpouring of love and support.

Paynes attorney, Jonathan Halpern, called the lawsuit baseless and the accusations outrageous.

My client Charles Payne vehemently denies any wrongdoing and will defend himself vigorously against this baseless complaint, Halpern said in a statement provided to TheWrap. We are confident that when the evidence is presented in this case, Mr. Payne will be fully vindicated and these outrageous accusations against him will be confirmed as completely false.

In a statement to TheWrap, a Fox News spokesperson called the lawsuit a publicity stunt and bogus.

The latest publicity stunt of a lawsuit filed by Doug Wigdor has absolutely no merit and is downright shameful. We will vigorously defend this, the spokesperson said. Its worth noting that Doug is Ms. Hughes third representative in the last six months to raise some variation of these claims which concern events from four years ago, since it apparently took some time to find someone willing to file this bogus case.

In response to Foxs statement, Hughes attorney Douglas Wigdor called Foxs reply desperate.

Fox cannot spin its way out of this crisis  especially when only Fox is to blame for what happened. Regardless of the fact that the sexual assault and rape, as alleged, happened in 2013, the events exposing Foxs liability exposure (as opposed to Payne) occurred less than two months ago when Fox Executives at the highest levels leaked Ms. Hughess name to a tabloid, Wigdor said. The representatives that Fox refers to in its statement include her agent and a lawyer not admitted in NY, so the suggestion that Ms. Hughes was shopping for a lawyer is yet another desperate attempt at avoiding the real issues and blaming the victim. Sadly, nothing has changed at Fox.

Alleging retaliation, discrimination, defamation and other counts, the suit seeks unspecified damages.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Charles Payne to Return to Fox Business Network as Sexual Harassment Investigation Ends

Fox Business Host Charles Payne Denies Sexual Harassment Allegations: 'An Ugly Lie'

Fox Business Host Charles Payne Suspended Amid Sexual Harassment Investigation
Kevin Harts family is standing by his side.

Sources tells PEOPLE the comedians pregnant wife, Eniko Parrish, is supporting her husband amid allegations of cheating and an alleged extortion attempt  and that there is absolutely no divorce talk.

She obviously knows about the cheating allegations. To her, Kevin is a great husband, said a source. Eniko is aware that Kevin has been accused of being a ladies man. She doesnt care. He is her husband and he always comes home to her.

Despite Kevins well-known affection for the ladies, he loves his family, and his wife is behind him with the extortion case, said another source close to Parrish. That kind of thing comes with the territory, and he will do everything to beat it.

Someone tried to set Kevin up in a failed extortion attempt, Harts rep confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE. As law enforcement is involved, we cannot comment further as it could affect the investigation.

According to the source, the family is focused on seeing the investigation through.

The legal issue seems to be more important to the family than any sexual gossip that goes along with it, added the second source.

Parrish was photographed Sunday with her wedding ring on, walking her dog in L.A.

The alleged extortionist reportedly told TMZ that he or she was trying to get money and expose Hart for cheating. The person also claimed to have seen Hart partying in Las Vegas last month, and accused the actor of cheating on Parrish with several women.

Im at a place in my life where I feel like I have a target on my back, Hart said in the emotionally charged clip. And because of that I should make smart decisions. And recently, I didnt. You know, Im not perfect. Im not going to sit up here and say that I am or claim to be in any way shape or form.

He continued: I made a bad error in judgement and I put myself in a bad environment where only bad things can happen and they did. And in doing that I know that Im going to hurt the people closest to me, whove I talked to and apologized to, that would be my wife and my kids.

Hart, whos dad to daughter Heaven, 12, and son Hendrix, 9, with ex-wife Torrei and is expecting a baby boy with Parrish, added that there are no excuses for his wrong behavior and described the situation as a s-y moment.

With reporting by LINDA MARX.
Police in Louisiana suspect a 23-year-old white man killed two black men in separate attacks in Baton Rouge last week authorities believe were racially motivated, according to multiple reports.

Kenneth Gleason was arrested Sunday on drug charges. Investigators do not have enough evidence to charge Gleason with the two killings, reports NBC News.

Detectives used shell casings recovered from both scenes to link the fatal shootings of Bruce Cofield, 59, and Donald Smart, 49, to a single shooter.

Witnesses described seeing the same car fleeing both shooting scenes. Investigators, according to The Advocate, say Gleason drives a similar vehicle.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

According to WAFB, the shooter initially fired at the men from the car. Once the victims were wounded, the shooter exited the vehicle and fired several more rounds into the lifeless bodies.

The first shooting occurred Tuesday night, and killed Cofield, who was homeless. The second shooting happened Thursday night when Smart was walking to work. Smart is survived by a son and two daughters, according to reports.

According to The Advocate, Smart worked as a dishwasher at Louies Cafe in Baton Rouge.

 PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: 35 Real Cases That Inspired the Show Law & Order is on sale now.

Ive seen 26 years of folks washing dishes in a busy diner, and this guy is untouchable, Louies general manager, Fred Simonson, told the paper. When you have an employee like Donald, hes the type of person whos going to make the person next to him better.

It wasnt immediately clear Monday if Gleason has legal representation. He has not entered pleas to the charges he faces.

Reports alleged Gleasons home was searched Saturday; officers found less than a gram of marijuana along with vials of human growth hormone.

Gleason allegedly told police the drugs were his.
Nicole Kidman's impassioned acceptance speech was one of the highlights of the Emmys -- but careful listeners noticed something both telling and troubling.

The actress devoted the conclusion of her speech to her immediate family, with special recognition to her two children. The only problem? She has four.

I have two little girls, Sunday and Faith, and my darling Keith, who I ask to help me pursue this artistic path, and they have to sacrifice so much for it, Kidman said as she accepted her award for Outstanding Lead Actress in "Big Little Lies."

She then spoke directly to the girls: "So this is yours. I want my little girls to have this on their shelf and to look at it and go, Every time my mama didnt put me to bed, it is because of this. I got something."

Noticably absent was any mention at all of older children Isabella, 24, and Connor, 22, both of whom she adopted with ex-husband Tom Cruise. Like their father, both kids are practicing Scientologists.

Ex-Scientologist Leah Remini, who has made it her mission to shine a light on the controversial religion, has openly spoken about the common practice of "disconnecting," or ceasing all contact, with people of whom the Church disapproves. Many believe that Isabella and Connor are no longer permitted to have any contact with Kidman.

Nicole Kidman didnt mention her kids w/ Tom Cruise in her speech. Thats cause they were forced to disconnect from her by Scientology, tweeted New York Magazine writer Yashar Ali.

In 2015, Isabella got married in a Scientology ceremony. Her mother was allegedly banned from attending, according to press reports at the time.

It has also been long rumored that Cruise himself has "disconnected" from his other ex-wife, Katie Holmes, and their young daughter Suri.
For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.

In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, President Donald Trump threatened to totally destroy North Korea if the rogue nation failed to back down in its increasingly aggressive nuclear maneuvers.

If the U.S. is forced to defend itself and its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, Trump said. He also said that North Korea threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of life.

Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime, Trump said of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, repeating an Elton John-themed dig the president has used before, but this time in a formal setting. It is time for North Korea to realize that the denuclearization is its only acceptable future.

Also Read:Kimmel Mocks the Trumps' Latest Weird Hand Moment: 'Like a Robot From 'Westworld

Trump, referring to North Koreas Kim Jong Un: Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime https://t.co/GTAZY6y6tIpic.twitter.com/sdGgelbksa  CNN (@CNN) September 19, 2017

Major portions of the world are in conflict and some in fact are going to hell, Trump continued, suggesting that it was up to the UN to fix those conflicts. The powerful people in this room, under the guidance and auspices of the United Nations can solve many of these vicious and complex problems.

Also Read:Overheard Trump Lawyers Are 'Bumbling' and 'Stupid,' Says 'Morning Joe' Host Joe Scarborough

But Trump sees the United States share of that cost burden to be unfair. We pay 22 percent of the entire budget and more, Trump said.

Story continues

Trump also spoke of his dislike of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I dont think youve heard the last of it  believe me, he said. The president is expected to announce extended sanctions relief for Iran later this week, CNN reports.

Related stories from TheWrap:

'Rick and Morty' Creator Dan Harmon Tells Us Whether Evil Morty Was Inspired by Trump

FBI Wiretapped Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort

Trump Hotels Swap Usual Charities, Guests for Clients Seeking Political Influence

13 Stars Who Imagined Violence Against Donald Trump, From Kathy Griffin to Anthony Bourdain (Photos)
Jada Pinkett Smith has studied Scientology, but says shes not a Scientologist.

The actress has long been linked to the controversial organization, and chatter about it cropped up again during the weekend following a piece in the Daily Beast with  you guessed it  Leah Remini. The onetime star of King of Queens left Scientology in 2013 and didnt do so quietly, writing a book (Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology) and helming a show (Leah Remini: Scientology), for which she recently picked up an Emmy.

Jada Pinkett Smith, on the red carpet in August, is shooting down Leah Reminis claim that shes a Scientologist. (Photo: Getty Images)

I know Jadas in. I know Jadas in. Shes been in Scientology a long time, Remini told the website in a story that ran on Saturday. I never saw Will [Smith] there, but I saw Jada at the Celebrity Centre. They opened up a Scientology school [called New Village Leadership Academy], and have since closed it. But Jada, I had seen her at the Scientology Celebrity Centre all the time.

Pinkett Smith did not return multiple requests for comment on the story, which noted her husband, Will, is not part of the organization, but she did comment on social media on Tuesday morning. She shared this on Facebook and Twitter.

I recently lit Shabbat candles with Rabbi Bentley at Temple Sinai but I am not Jewish, Pinkett Smith wrote. I have prayed in mosques all over the world but I am not a Muslim; I have read the Bhagavad Gita but I am not a Hindu; I have chanted and meditated in some of the most magnificent temples on earth but I am not a Buddhist; and I have studied Dianetics, and appreciate the merits of Study Tech but I am not a Scientologist. I practice human kindness, and I believe that we each have the right to determine what we are and what we are not.

She ended by writing, NO ONE ELSE can hold that power.

Remini has long claimed that Pinkett Smith is a Scientologist. In her 2015 book, she detailed a strange story about a night, while she was still in the organization, when she was at Tom Cruises estate along with the Smiths. During the evening, the Mission: Impossible star, a high-level member of the organization, insisted they play a game of hide-and-seek with a bunch of grown-ups. She talked about how bizarre the whole thing was, and when she objected to playing, Cruise said, Well, good. So youre It, then, and tagged her before running off into his 7,000-square-foot mansion.

Story continues

Remini pointed to that hide-and-seek story during her interview with the Daily Beast, saying, I had hoped that [Jada] had left [Scientology], but this was the tell-tale sign that she was still in. She was on Bravos Watch What Happens Live a few weeks ago promoting her film [Girls Trip], and Andy [Cohen] said to her, Have you read Leah Reminis book? and he was like, What was that whole thing about playing tag? and she said, Oh, she lied. He goes, Isnt that weird, to play tag? and she goes, No, the kids were there. That was untrue. Bullsh***. There were no kids there. I was like, OK, alright, youre gonna do that? More power to ya.

For what its worth, the Daily Beast article claims Will is not a Scientologist. Its just Jada.

Needless to say, the Church of Scientology has issues with everything Remini has said since she left in 2013. It has called her book revisionist history and has released multiple statements straight-up bashing her.

As for the Smiths, who have been together 23 years, theyve long been the target of many rumors  Scientology is just one of them. During the same WWHL interview, Pinkett Smith denied another report that they are swingers. Yo, I wish, she quipped. I wish.

The Daily Beasts full interview with Leah Remini will run later this week.





Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
The 2017 Emmy Awards are about television, but politics are clearly on the forefront of everyones minds. First, host Stephen Colbert opened the show with some jabs at President Donald Trump, and even brought out former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer to make some jokes about the audience size.

Then, Kate McKinnon won the Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy series for her role on Saturday Night Live, where she often played presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. In her acceptance speech, she was quick to thank the woman she so frequently impersonated on live TV.

Being a part of this season of SNL was the most meaningful thing that I will ever do. So I should probably just stop now, she joked while accepting the award. Thank you to Hillary Clinton for your grace, McKinnon added.

This is the SNL stars second consecutive Emmy for the role of supporting actress, and after the crazy 2016 presidential race, lets just say it was well deserved.

RELATED: Hillary Clinton Opens Up About Life After the Election

For more from the 2017 Emmys, check out the best red carpet looks in our gallery.
Emilia Clarke arrives at the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscars Party in West Hollywood with brown hair - Reuters

Emilia Clarke shot to fame for her role as the silvery blonde Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. The actress made no secret of the painstakingly long time it took to attach the hair extensions every day for filming to transform her from brunette to blonde.

Hairstylists on set have to braid her hair before fitting a bald cap and then fixing the wig in place. Perhaps next season they won't need the wig though as the actress unveiled her new platinum blonde locks on Instagram this afternoon.

She's not the only celebrity to have gone platinum blonde this year. Kim Kardashian unveiled icy blonde hair at New York Fashion Week earlier this month. It's not the first time Kim has gone platinum, but this time round she opted for a chicer, silvery tone.

Credit: Charles Sykes /Invision

In fact, there's been quite a few from Olivia Wilde and Kate Mara to Katy Perry and Cara Delevingne. Model Karlie Kloss showcased her platinum blonde hair at Dior's Haute Couture show in Paris in July.

The hair colourist behind Karlie's transformation, Christina Cessna revealed on Instagram that it took just a couple of hours to achieve the icy blonde hue. And also mentioned Olaplex, an in-salon treatment that helps rehydrate and protect hair when you're dying it.

According to hair stylist Adam Reed, its not just celebrities going platinum. I have seen more and more of my clients going for really light blondes this season, edging towards pure and platinum most of the time, says Adam.

Story continues

The introduction of incredible colour conditioning additives has made platinum a not too distant dream for most people, adds Reed, who uses LOreal Professionnel SmartBond treatment in his salons, Percy & Reed. It allows me to lift the hair colour and create the perfect base to go platinum without leaving the hair feeling dry or brittle.

For those who are keen to follow in the celebs footsteps, here's a handy guide to go platinum blonde...

How to go platinum

Platinum is a tricky colour to achieve and if you're serious about it, book in for a colour consultation and an expert will be able to talk you through the process and how long it will take. A DIY job with bleach and toner could go horribly wrong if you've never gone blonde before.

Be prepared for it to take a few colour appointments for you to achieve that icy platinum finish, especially if youve dyed your hair previously. Those with naturally medium brown to light blonde hair colour will find this an easy service to achieve in one hit, says Lisa Castilla from Lockonego. Those with naturally darker shades can achieve these but over a longer period of time.

Id suggest keeping the bleach to lowest level possible and re-doing it a few times, says celebrity hair colourist Josh Wood, who took Edie Campbell from black to blonde for the YSL Beaute campaign a couple of years ago.

How to look after platinum blonde hair

Keeping your hair in good condition is vital so I recommend using products that are specifically for bleached hair that will stop it from looking and feeling brittle, says Wood. Both Pureology Perfect 4 Platinum Shampoo, 13.20, and Conditioner, 16.40, and Charles Worthington Colour Enhancer Violet Toning Shampoo, 5.99, and Conditioner, 5.99, are good ranges to invest in to avoid your platinum from dulling or looking brassy.

Best hair care products for platinum blondes

Using a mask once a week will also preserve the shine and gloss to keep your colour looking premium, says Wood, who has created a particularly impressive range of glossing masks, 10, for just that purpose. There are also a plethora of in-salon treatments that help nourish dry, post-bleached hair and revive your platinum. For instant and long-lasting results look to Olaplex, which is available nationwide and gives your hair a new lease of life (even if you don't go platinum, it's worth booking in for a treatment).

Castilla also recommends minimising your use of heated appliances and having a regular trim to keep your platinum looking glossy and chic rather than unkempt.

Even if you take Wilde and Mara's approach and have darker roots, it's worth noting that you will still need to book a salon appointment to tone and dye your locks every six weeks, minimum. Without roots, it will be more like every three weeks, depending on how quickly your hair grows.

And when you want to go back...?

Unless you are blonde, going from platinum back to your natural hair colour can be just as long a process. You will need to keep dying over the blonde to avoid it from coming through or going brassy. The quickest solution is to cut it off and go short.

The best products for blonde hair
A group of American college students who were attacked with acid in France over the weekend have forgiven their assailant.

The four young women from Boston College were attacked Sunday in the city of Marseille.

Watch: Man's Scalp is Burned After He's Grazed by Fireball During London Terror Attack

Following the late morning assault, French police arrested a 41-year-old female suspect who they referred to as "disturbed."

Two of the victims suffered facial injuries, with one of those two also sustaining a possible eye injury, a spokeswoman for the Marseille prosecutors office told The Associated Press.

Despite the trauma they suffered, the students say they've already forgiven their attacker.

The victims have been were identified as Boston College juniors Courtney Siverling, Charlotte Kaufman, and Michelle Krug  and junior Kesley Korsten, who is a student at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark.

The women will also stay in Europe and remain in the study abroad program, Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn said.

"We are very fortunate," Dunn added. "There could've been a very serious incident, but the girls were treated in a hospital in Marseille and have been released and are intending to return to Paris today.

Watch: New Video of London Terror Attack Shows Terrified Bar Patrons Hiding in Bathroom

"All four of the girls are going to stay in Europe, it seems at this stage, and continue their studies and we're very proud of them and the way they comported themselves and happy that they'd be returning safely to their studies in Paris and one of the students is studying, actually, in Copenhagen."

Officials in Marseille prosecutors office said the suspect did not make extremist threats during the attack and there were no obvious indications that the womans actions were terror-related.

Watch: Security Experts on How to Stay Safe During Terrorist Attack

Related Articles:
Its the destinations that offer both the adventure and the relaxation that you need after the big day and what better way to spend your honeymoon than close to home? Youll be whisked to the white beaches of Mexico or the Volcanoes of Costa Rica in a short 3 or 4 hours. This is North and Central America: A region full of startling geographical wonders, colonial heritage, and fascinating people. Were sharing with you a taste of our favorites destinations and hotels from North and Central America (margaritas and sunshine included). Like what you see? Hop on over to Black Tomato to chat with a travel expert!

Mexico With five days, countless spa treatments and centuries worth of history and tradition later, theres no doubt that this is the tropical getaway that will impress both parties. The charm of the Yucatan Peninsula will sweep you off your feet (again) and have you falling right into honeymoon bliss. Lay by the pool and book a rejuvenating spa treatment at Chable Resort and Spa or step back in time and venture to the archaeological site of Chichen Itza, famous for its ancient Maya ruins.

Panama The happiest place in the world sits in one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet  Bocas Del Toro. If you decide to venture to this archipelago, you cant go wrong with staying at the luxury Cabana built over the water, a Black Tomato favorite. Insider Tip: head to Panama Citys old quarter where youll find beautiful architecture and bohemian markets, perfect for exploring the citys 400 years of history.

Hawaii Relaxation on the calm ocean front, canoeing, cooking lessons, and many, many cocktail hours. Oh  and all this accompanied with breathtaking views of the surrounding coast lines. Venture to the west coast of the Big Island in Hawaii and stay among the untouched tropical haven of Hualalai at Four Seasons. Suites are named after Hawaiian landmarks with subtle and elegant colors, and near any one of the properties seven pools. Make sure to check out the kings pond for the 1.8 million gallon aquarium with over 4,000 tropical fish from more than 75 specifies swimming throughout. This has to be the most colorful pool anywhere in the world!

Story continues

Nicaragua Nicaragua is the wild child and one of Central Americas best-kept secrets. Its bold and expansive and can be explored in many ways. Whether you are looking for a romantic getaway, a wellness retreat, or an adventurous escape, all signs are pointing to the Jicaro Eco Lodge. Everything used in Jicaro is sustainably sourced, from the food on your plate to the bed youll rest your head on. You truly feel at home at Jicaro, among the luscious rainforest on the private island of Lake Nicaragua. Want to head on a trip-of-a-lifetime a little farther than North and Central America? Weve collaborated 12 OMG-worthy itineraries with the travel experts.

Style Me Pretty Contributor
Hopefully, someone learned a lesson.

A fifth-grade teacher in Irmo, South Carolina, has been suspended after the instructor asked students to imagine they were members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Columbia, South Carolina, station WACH-TV is reporting that the unidentified teacher at Oak Pointe Elementary School assigned students this question: You are a member of the KKK. Why do you think your treatment of African Americans is justified?

Another question asked: You are a freedman. Are you satisfied with your new life? Why or why not?

Local teacher on administrative leave after KKK homework question

Learn more: https://t.co/wiGr9nSNw2#WACHFOX pic.twitter.com/uQHAx7QEpb  WACH FOX (@wachfox) September 16, 2017

The KKK questions came to light Thursday after a man named Tremain Cooper posted the assignment on Facebook and said he couldnt believe the questions and that they made his nephew upset.

How can she ask a 5th grader to justify the actions of the KKK, Cooper wrote, according to WIS-TV in Columbia.

Are our children being forced to learn about the kkk? This homework is a joke! I don't understand the purpose! pic.twitter.com/6AlzNdBmvW  Wrap Queen 3000 (@work4realz) September 15, 2017

After news about the insensitive assignment spread, Lexington-Richland School District 5 released this statement to media:

School District Five is taking this matter very seriously. We took immediate action to investigate once the concerns over the assignment were brought to our attention, and the teacher has been placed on administrative leave as part of our standard personnel investigation procedures. We have been in communication and will continue to be in communication with families to let them know our actions and next steps. South Carolina standards for 5th grade require lessons on Reconstruction and discriminatory groups including the KKK. We must teach the standard, but we are taking steps to ensure this particular assignment will never be used again in District Five schools. We understand the seriousness of this matter particularly in light of the events taking place in our country at this time. We want to ensure that our students, parents, staff and community know that we are giving this matter our full attention.

Story continues

The school district has not said how long its investigation might take.

Sadly, racially insensitive class assignments arent uncommon.

In March, students in South Orange, New Jersey, were given an assignment suggesting that they recreate slave auction posters as part of a Colonial America history lesson.

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
One of the four Boston College students sprayed in the face with acid at a train station in France early Sunday had kind words for her suspected attacker, who authorities have described as disturbed.

Michelle Krug, a junior who is studying abroad in France, said she and the other three victims are doing okay after a woman, who apparently suffers from a mental illness, threw hydrochloric acid at the group at the Marseille-Saint Charles train station. The acid, which Krug said was weak and from a water bottle, got into one of her eyes and another students eyes. All four students were treated for burns and for shock at a hospital and are expecting a quick recovery, she said. Authorities arrested a disturbed 41-year-old French woman in connection with the attack but have not yet disclosed her identity.

I ask that if you send thoughts and prayers our way, please consider thinking about/praying for our attacker so that she may receive the help she needs and deserves, Krug wrote on Facebook. Mental illness is not a choice and should not be villainized.

Boston College identified the other three victims as juniors Courtney Siverling, Charlotte Kaufman and Kesley Kosten.

It appears that the students are fine, considering the circumstances, though they may require additional treatment for burns, Nick Gozik, director of Boston Colleges Office of International Programs, said in a statement.
It was the Emmys moment everyone was talking about ... but thats not necessarily a good thing.

Sean Spicers surprise appearance at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, where he seemingly made light of the time he lied about the crowd size at President Donald Trumps inauguration, shocked just about everyone.

This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period, Spicer said from behind a podium he wheeled onto the stage.

Then came the backlash. The appearance drew a slew of responses online, and most of it was critical, according to social media research firm Fizziology.

So how did it even happen?

Sean Spicer gave some viewers a chuckle with his surprise #Emmys cameo, but others weren't laughing https://t.co/r14ZUhzNSw pic.twitter.com/CJBOTOcRFV  CBS News (@CBSNews) September 18, 2017

CNN reports that the idea to bring in Spicer came from Emmys host Stephen Colbert, and he and producers anticipated there would be backlash. It all came together days before the show, when Colbert wondered aloud if Spicer might play along. According to the report, one of his producers then formally pitched the idea.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter on how it came together, Spicer said, I had a conversation with Stephen [Colbert] and his executive producer. He continued, They came up with a concept, and I thought it was kinda funny. I said Id be there.

The former White House press secretary later told Deadline the appearance was an opportunity to be a little self-deprecating and laugh at yourself.

Though, many didnt see the humor.

Melissa McCarthy's reaction to Sean Spicer at the #Emmys is all of us pic.twitter.com/HkgFfipDFJ  Mashable (@mashable) September 18, 2017

Melissa McCarthy, who famously played Spicer on SNL and was caught by Emmys cameras during Spicers cameo, previously said that the former White House press secretary shouldnt be in on the jokes about him.

Story continues

On Monday, her rep told HuffPost she couldnt comment on Spicers appearance because she was working on a film, but plenty of other celebrities shared their unflattering reactions.

For example, actor Zach Braff said hes not ready to laugh with Spicer, calling him evil:

I'm not ready to laugh "with" Sean Spicer. I think he is an evil, opportunistic liar that hurt our country.  Zach Braff (@zachbraff) September 18, 2017

Actress Jenny Slate stated she was truly so grossed out anyone would consider having the real-life Spicer there, adding, What is wrong with you? Wake up.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Truly so grossed out by A GROUP of people ever even considering the idea of real life Spicer at the Emmys. What is wrong with you? Wake up.  jenny slate (@jennyslate) September 18, 2017

Some publications posted takedowns following the appearance, such as The New York Times The Shameful Embrace of Sean Spicer at the Emmys or The Daily Beasts Sean Spicer at the Emmys: Dont Make This Guy a Folk Hero.

Many critics of the moment said the Emmys played a hand in normalizing Spicer, which is similar to the criticism Jimmy Fallon faced after inviting Trump on his show for an interview, during which the host tousled the now-presidents hair.

However, according to the CNN report, Colbert wasnt worried about that perception:

Donald Trump normalized Spicer, a source involved in the production said.

The negative criticism was strong, but it wasnt universal. Speaking on the moment backstage, actor Alec Baldwin, who has been an outspoken critic of the Trump presidency and had just won an Emmy for essentially mocking the president on SNL, said, People in the business and the average person is very grateful for him to have a sense of humor and participate.

He continued, Spicer obviously was compelled to do certain things that we might not have respected, we might not have admired, we might have been super critical of in order to do his job, but Ive done some jobs that are things that you shouldnt admire or respect me for either. He and I have that in common.

In an interview with The New York Times on Monday, Spicer said he regretted criticizing accurate news reports that the crowd for former President Barack Obamas inauguration was bigger than the one for Trumps.

Of course I do, absolutely, said Spicer.

Representatives for Spicer, Colbert, CBS and the Emmys did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment.

Also on HuffPost

Actors Sarah Paulson (L) and Allison Janney attend the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Gina Rodriguez and Shemar Moore speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Shailene Woodley, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, and Zoe Kravitz speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Host Stephen Colbert (2nd from R) performs onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the Crown, John Lithgow, speaks onstage during the 69th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer speaks onstage during the 69th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Anna Chlumsky (L) and Ellie Kemper walk the red carpet during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actor Kate McKinnon accepts the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series award for "Saturday Night Live" onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Issa Rae and Riz Ahmed speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actor Laura Dern accepts the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie award for "Big Little Lies" onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Anna Faris and Allison Janney speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Comedian Dave Chappelle and actor Melissa McCarthy speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actor/director Donald Glover accepts Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for 'Atlanta' (episode 'B.A.N.') onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actor Rachel Bloom performs onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Director Jean-Marc Vallee accepts Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special for 'Big Little Lies' onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Jane Fonda speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Host Stephen Colbert is dragged offstage during the 69th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Alexis Bledel and Gerald McRaney speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actor Alexander Skarsgard accepts Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for "Big Little Lies" onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

TV personalities Seth Meyers and James Corden speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actor Ann Dowd accepts the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for "The Handmaid's Tale" onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Host John Oliver accepts the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series for "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Alec Baldwin accepts the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for "Saturday Night Live" onstage during the 69th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Sonequa Martin-Green and Jeremy Piven speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Writers Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe accept the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series award for "Master of None" onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Rashida Jones and Mark Feuerstein speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Jim parsons and Iain Armitage speak onstage during the 69th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Lea Michelle and Kumail Nanjiani speak onstage during the 69th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Priyanka Chopra and Anthony Anderson walk onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Audrey Morrissey and crew members accept the award for Outstanding Reality Competition Program for "The Voice" onstage during the 69th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus accepts Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for "Veep" from actor Debra Messing onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus accepts Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for "Veep" onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Actors Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon with cast and crew of "Big Little Lies" accept the Outstanding Limited Series award onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Writer-producer Norman Lear and actor-comedian Carol Burnett speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court sided with the beverage industry on Tuesday, granting its request to block a San Francisco ordinance mandating health warnings for soda and other sugary drinks. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that San Francisco's ordinance unfairly targeted one group of products. The plaintiffs, including the American Beverage Association and the California Retailers Association, were likely to succeed with their claim that the ordinance was unjustified and violated commercial speech under the First Amendment, the court ruled. The San Francisco ordinance is part of a growing national movement seeking to curb consumption of soft drinks and other high-calorie beverages that medical experts say are largely to blame for an epidemic of childhood obesity. Many localities also have moved to tax sugary beverages. John Cote, a spokesman for San Francisco's city attorney office, said the city is disappointed and evaluating all options. "San Francisco remains committed to being a leader when it comes to protecting the health of our residents, especially our children," Cote said. San Francisco passed an ordinance in June 2015 requiring advertisers within the city to include a warning statement that said drinking high-sugar beverages contributed to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. A growing body of research has identified sugary drinks as the biggest contributors to added, empty calories in the American diet, and as a major culprit in a range of costly health problems associated with being overweight. A federal judge had rejected the industry's request for a pretrial injunction but had put the ordinance on hold pending the result of the appeal. A three-judge 9th Circuit panel on Tuesday unanimously decided that the lower court was wrong to deny the injunction. San Francisco's warning requirement is misleading and deceptive by focusing on a single product, the 9th Circuit ruled. "The warning is required exclusively on advertisements for sugar-sweetened beverages, and not on advertisements for other products with equal or greater amounts of added sugars and calories," the court wrote. The California State Outdoor Advertising Association is also among the plaintiffs. (Reporting by Dan Levine and Ben Klayman, editing by Marcy Nicholson and Cynthia Osterman)
Days after President Donald Trump referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as rocket man and members of his administration made it clear military options against Pyongyang remained on the table, Defense Secretary James Mattis sought to calm growing fears of American intervention on the Korean Peninsula by arguing that the United States had military options at its disposal that wouldnt necessarily spell disaster for allies in the region.

When pressed on Monday about escalating rhetoric from the White House regarding Kims nuclear ambitions, Mattis was asked during a press briefing at the Pentagon if there were any military strategies for dealing with North Korea that would protect Seoul, the South Korean metropolis home to 25 million people. In a terse comment that surprised international relations experts, Mattis hinted that there were, although he refrained from elaborating.

Yes there are. But I will not go into details, he said. When asked if they might include the use of lethal force, he replied: I dont want to go into that.

If such military options do exist, they are largely new to analysts studying the Korean Peninsula.

I dont know what plan would not put Seoul at risk, said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. The bottom line is: North Korea does have the artillery. Its vague enough that I want to give [Mattis] the benefit of the doubt, but I cannot conceive of a way where you would militarily engage with North Korea and not put Seoul at risk.

Seouls geographic proximity to North Korea has been a deterrent for U.S. military intervention on the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang has thousands of traditional arms  rocket launchers and cannons  buried in the mountains just north of the Demilitarized Zone that could rain down upon Seouls skyscrapers if Kim felt threatened. The weaponry, built up in the decades since the end of the Korean War, is heavily fortified and would be almost impossible to take out in one fell swoop.

Story continues

Jonathan Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution specializing in Korea and China, was puzzled by Mattis statements, arguing that the defense secretary is usually a voice of real reason in the Trump administration.

Hes a very sober, careful guy, Pollack said. Frankly, I havent got a clue about what hes talking about ... He knows what the terrain looks like, he knows what the risks are, he knows how deeply buried and dispersed the North Koreans are... I guess Im having difficulty connecting the dots.

Mattis comments could unnerve American allies in South Korea as they once again raise the prospect of unilateral action by the U.S. against the north, Pollack added.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has openly warned the U.S. against doing just that, and has worked to use diplomacy and deterrence to counter Kim. The United Nations recently imposed harsh new sanctions against Pyongyang and the U.S. and South Korea staged joint bombing drills over the Korean Peninsula this week in a show of force.

But Trump officials continue to raise the specter of military action and signal that they are losing patience with Kim. North Korea recently conducted its second test of a ballistic missile that flew over Japan, following up on its sixth, and by far the most powerful, nuclear test earlier this month.

If our diplomatic efforts fail, though, our military option will be the only one left, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday. To be clear, we seek a peaceful solution to this.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., echoed those sentiments on CNN that same day, saying: If North Korea keeps on with this reckless behavior, if the United States has to defend itself or defend its allies in any way, North Korea will be destroyed.

However, its unlikely such destruction would be one-sided.

Vipin Narang, an associate professor at MIT studying nuclear proliferation, said any expectation otherwise seemed like extremely heroic assumptions.

It is more likely that we cannot have 100 percent certainty in disarming the country, he said in an email. Any attack on North Korea that doesnt fully annihilate its conventional and WMD forces exposes Seoul and U.S. forces and dependents, Japan, U.S. territories, and even possibly the U.S. homeland  to potentially massive destruction.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
- EPA

Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmas de-facto leader, sought to restore her tarnished reputation and defend her country on Tuesday by saying that most Rohingya Muslim villages have not been affected by spiraling violence which has forced more than 400,000 refugees to flood across the border.

But the Nobel Peace Prize laureate was condemned by Amnesty International for refusing to blame Burmas army for carrying out abuses against the minority group.

Ms Suu Kyi, who was speaking for the first time on the escalating crisis, also said there had been allegations and counter-allegations that need to be investigated.

The world has watched with growing concern as Rohingya Muslims flee into neighbouring Bangladesh amid claims of rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmars powerful army in the troubled Rakhine State.

The security offensive, which was launched after a Rohingya militant group staged a series of attacks against police outposts, was branded a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" by the UN.

Ms Suu Kyi has faced mounting criticism for not doing enough to protect the Rohingya after fresh violence flared last month

In a closely watched televised speech on Tuesday, Mr Suu Kyi said more than half of Rohingya villages were not affected by the military response, as she invited diplomats into the Rakhine State to observe the security operation.

"There are allegations and counter allegations and we have to listen to all of them. And we have to make sure these allegations are based on solid evidence before we take action," Ms Suu Kyi said.

Rohingya refugees flee Burma

But the Burmese leader also said the restive Rakhine State is just one of many complexities her nascent democracy faces.

"We are a young and fragile country facing many problems, but we have to cope with them all," she said. "We cannot just concentrate on the few."

Ms Suu Kyi also said her country did not fear international scrutiny over the crisis, and that anyone found to be responsible for abuses would be held to account.

Story continues

Human rights violations and all other acts that impair stability and harmony and undermine the rule of law will be addressed in accordance with strict laws and justice," she said.

"We feel deeply for the suffering of all the people caught up in the conflict."

James Gomez, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said it was positive to hear Ms Suu Kyi condemn rights abuses.

But the campaigner criticised her for being silent on the role of security forces in carrying out ethnic cleansing.

Aung San Suu Kyi today demonstrated that she and her government are still burying their heads in the sand over the horrors unfolding in Rakhine State, he said.

At times, her speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming.

Profile | Aung San Suu Kyi
Mr Obama is being paid $400,000 for each speech: Getty

Former President Barack is reportedly set to be paid $1.2m for a series of speeches to major Wall Street firms, less than a year after he left the White House.

Earlier this year, Mr Obama attracted criticism from several Democratic senators when it was revealed he was to speak at a September conference organised by financial services company Cantor Fiztgerald.

Now, it has been reported that in addition to the speech he is due to give next week, the former president has already been paid $800,000 for two speeches he delivered to Wall Street firms - Northern Trust Corp, which he spoke to last month, and an address last week to the Carlyle Group.

World: "After Clinton/Goldman speech debacle, Dem leaders can't make themselves look any more chummy with Wall St"



Obama: "Hold my beer" pic.twitter.com/DLrj5QYQUA  David Sirota (@davidsirota) September 18, 2017

Bloomberg News said the former president will be speaking at a three-day event organised by Cantor Fitzgerald for current and prospect clients, where he will make remarks and take questions.

Howard Lutnick, CEO of the company, which lost more than 600 staff during the 9/11 attacks, told the news organisation: Everybody would like to come. Hopefully, we will really talk about the Affordable Care Act in interesting and nuanced ways, which I think is really cool.

Hillary Clinton, the woman whom Mr Obama hoped would succeed him in the White House, found herself under intense criticism during the 2016 presidential election campaign over speeches she gave to Wall Street firms, after she stepped down as secretary of state.

Reports said she made a total of 92 speeches to banks, financial services organisations and suchlike between 2013 and 2015, earning up $21.6m in two years but also opening her up to criticism from rivals such as Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump who claimed she was an elitist who was out of touch with the concerns and interests of ordinary voters.

Story continues

In October 2013, she was paid $225,000 - her standard fee - to speak at Goldman Sachs Builders and Innovators conference, held at the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain Resort in Marana, Arizona.

The series of speeches to Wall Street firms does not represent the first time Mr Obama has earned a speaking fee since leaving the White House. In April, he received $400,000 for a 90-minute conversation with presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin at New Yorks Pierre Hotel, at an event organised by A&E Networks, a cable network.

Kevin Lewis, a spokesman for Mr Obama, told Bloomberg News that since leaving office, he had given speeches true to his values.

His paid speeches in part have allowed President Obama to contribute $2m to Chicago programmes offering job training and employment opportunities to low-income youth, Mr Lewis said.

Yet some have questioned Mr Obamas actions. Earlier this year, when it emerged he would be appearing the Cantor Fitzgerald event, Mr Sanders, the Vermont senator, said it was unfortunate the former president had agreed to take part.
According to Christian numerologist David Meade, a verse in the Bible proves the end of the world is nigh on Sept. 23, 2017.

Meade says the quote, which can be found in Luke 21: 25 to 26, allegedly has a code.

This code matches the dates of recent events ranging from the past month's solar eclipse and onwards to Hurricane Harvey, which he claims are signs of the apocalypse.

The biblical verses read:

25: There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken."

"'26: Mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."

RELATED: Top signs of the 'biblical rapture'



Meade's theory is built around Nibiru, also known as Planet X, which he described as a "wandering" planet that has long been lost in our solar system and reportedly hit Earth before. The mythical planet has also been tied to the 2012 Mayan "Year Zero" apocalypse theory in the past, which never actually occurred.

According to British news outlet The Sun, Meade said he believes the planet will pass Earth on Sept. 23 and bring about a score of volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and earthquakes that will eventually lead to the end of the human race.

However, NASA has repeatedly called Meade's Planet X theory a hoax and the Roman Catholic, Protestant or eastern Orthodox branches of Christianity have yet to endorse the Christian numerologist's claims either.

For a bulk of evangelical Christians, Revelation 12:12 describes what the beginning of the rapture will look like.

The passage states: "And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth."

Story continues

SEE ALSO: Is the 'biblical rapture' happening right now? The signs are already here

The woman's astrological sign is a Virgo in the biblical passage, and on Sept. 23, the sun and moon will reportedly be in Virgo, according to Fox News.

But author Jonathan Sarfati wrote that the same occurrence has already happened four times in the last millennium, according to the Express.

"As usual with any astrology (or Christian adaptations of it), one cherry-picks the stars that fit the desired conclusion," Sarfati wrote, according to the British outlet. "There is nothing to suggest that 23 September is a momentous date for biblical prophecy, and Christians need to be careful about being drawn into such sensationalist claims."
Billy Bush and his wife, Sydney Davis, are calling it quits after nearly two decades of marriage.

Bush's lawyer somewhat downplayed the report, telling Page Six, "I can confirm they are now separated, and on a short-term break."

The news comes just about a year since Bush was infamously heard joking around with Donald Trump in a leaked Access Hollywood audio clip. The video, which includes Trump telling Bush he likes to grab women "by the p---y," cost Bush his coveted multi-million dollar gig anchoring NBC's "Today."

Despite the tepid confirmation from Bush's lawyer, a Davis source told Page Six that she is "10,000 percent out of there. It's splitsville. They are done." The source added that Bush "is not a victim."

The two, who wed in 1998, share three daughters. Bush's rep, claiming that it's "not true that Billy's wife has left him," said the ex-couple is still "committed to a bright future."
Billy Bush is no longer a celebrity newsman, but he continues to make headlines in the space. The latest? That he has split with his wife, Sydney Davis, after 20 years of marriage.

Page Six was first to report the news with a confirmation from Bushs attorney, Marshall Grossman, who said, I can confirm they are now separated, and on a short-term break.

The lawyer offered no timeline as to when the short-term break would end.

Billy Bush and Sydney Bush, pictured at an event in 2007, have separated, Bushs lawyer tells Page Six. (Photo: John M. Heller/Getty Images)

According to the New York Posts gossip site, Grossman refused to discuss the reasons behind the split. He did, however, say it was not caused by infidelity.

Their separation comes nearly one year after the notorious tape of Bushs lewd 2005 conversation with Donald Trump, then the star of The Apprentice, was made public on Oct. 7, 2016. In it, Bush egged on Trump as he spoke about Bushs Access Hollywood co-star Nancy ODell as well as the soap opera star Arianne Zucker, and ultimately he lost his job at the Today show over it.

Bush, who is part of the famous political family, later talked about how his middle daughter, Mary, cried when she first heard her fathers conversation with Trump, which the latter chalked up to locker room banter. However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter from May in which Bush addressed the scandal for the first time, he said his wife Sydney was supportive of him throughout the ordeal.

My wife, Sydney, knows the environment and the atmosphere I was in at the time, and she knows very well the person she married, he said. She has been very supportive from the very beginning.

Here is a photo Bush posted following the scandal with his wife:

Beautiful Day. Beautiful wife. Thank you for sharing the trail. #shesinbettershapethanme #gratitude A post shared by William Bush (@billybush) on May 20, 2017 at 11:25am PDT

She also appeared in his Instagram feed over the summer:

A beach bar is always a good call. #cabo time. A post shared by William Bush (@billybush) on Jul 10, 2017 at 3:17pm PDT

Bush and Davis were married in April 1998 and are parents to three daughters.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
A bipartisan group of governors urged Senate leaders Tuesday against considering the latest attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, calling instead for a bipartisan effort to improve the existing law.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), 10 governors said the bill, sponsored by Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.), should be abandoned in favor of legislation written via a bipartisan, open process.

We ask you to support bipartisan efforts to bring stability and affordability to our insurance markets. Legislation should receive consideration under regular order, including hearings in health committees and input from the appropriate health-related parties, reads the letter.

Improvements to our health insurance markets should control costs, stabilize the market, and positively impact coverage and care of millions of Americans, including many who are dealing with mental illness, chronic health problems, and drug addiction.

The letter is signed by five Democrats (Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards), four Republicans (Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott) and one independent (Alaska Gov. Bill Walker).

Read the full letter here.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, also opposed the bill in a separate letter, arguing the funding cuts will directly jeopardiz[e] his citizens health care.

Cassidy-Graham, as the bill is known, is the latest attempt by GOP senators to push through a repeal bill before Sept. 30, the last day the Senate can pass a health care bill with a simple majority.

The bill got almost no public scrutiny until the last week or so, nor has it gone through the normal congressional committee process. And because its Republican backers are hoping to vote by next week, the Congressional Budget Office wont have time to produce a complete analysis of the legislation  meaning senators wont know how much premiums will cost or how many people will have insurance under the bill before voting on it.

Story continues

While the exact effects are unknown, its still likely this bill would result in millions of Americans losing their health care coverage. The legislation would eliminate Obamacares subsidies as well as that laws funding for Medicaid expansion by 2020. Instead, states would receive block grants to use as they see fit to help their low-income residents get coverage. States would no longer be required to follow key Obamacare regulations that guarantee coverage for people with pre-existing conditions as well as coverage for maternity, mental health and other key benefits.

According to a preliminary analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the bill would reduce federal spending on health care by roughly $400 billion over the next decade. The legislation would also enact Medicaid cuts, in addition to ending Obamacares expansion of the program.

Proponents of the bill argue that the block grant model will give states more flexibility to run their own health care systems. Some analysts, however, have said that because the funding isnt adjusted for actual coverage costs or enrollment numbers, many states (particularly those where Obamacare has worked best, such as New York and California) will see severe cuts over time. According to the CBPP analysis, 42 states plus the District of Columbia would experience net funding cuts by 2026.

So far, the same three senators who killed the last attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act remain the key potential swing votes  GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), John McCain (Ariz.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). A fourth Republican senator, Kentuckys Rand Paul, has already said he opposes the bill. Without him, Republican leaders need to win over two of the other three senators.

The governors letter may prove influential in how those three senators vote.

Walkers opposition, for example, could give Murkowski political cover (or new reason) to vote no on the bill. Collins, meanwhile, seems the most likely to vote against the bill, but hasnt yet given a firm answer as to where she stands.

Of course, gubernatorial influence has its limits. McCain has said hes still unsure and has raised concerns with the rushed process, even though Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) endorsed the bill Monday.

Kasich, who along with Hickenlooper has previously called for bipartisan reforms to shore up the insurance markets, is a key signatory of the letter, as Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) also hasnt backed the bill yet. However, Kasich also spoke out against Julys skinny repeal plan, which Portman ultimately voted in favor of.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
His maiden address was unlike any delivered by a US president, and when it was over a sense of incoherence and menace hung in the air

Donald Trumps maiden address to the UN general assembly was unlike any ever delivered in the chamber by a US president.

There are precedents for such fulminations, but not from US leaders. In tone, the speech was more reminiscent of Nikita Khrushchev, Fidel Castro or Hugo Chavez.

It did echo George W Bushs 2002 axis of evil speech. That was delivered to a domestic audience, and there was little doubt that in his mind Trump was looking beyond the stony foreign faces looking up at him from the hall  where his customary pauses for applause were filled with uneasy silence  to the cheering crowds of supporters that carried to him to his stunning electoral victory, and to the centre of the world stage.

He did not even bother to mention climate change, generally seen as the greatest threat to the planet at the UN, but viewed as a liberal hoax by much of Trumps political base  a view he has encouraged over the years.

The speech struck some of the darker notes of Trumps earlier rhetoric, like the American carnage he described at his inauguration in January, and his evocation of an embattled western civilisation in his speech in Poland in July.

All three used fear as their major key. All three bore the combative hallmark of his chief speechwriter, Stephen Miller, a nativist acolyte of Steve Bannon, Trumps former chief strategist who has left the White House but clearly still wields formidable influence.

Like Bush, Trump offered the world a black-and-white choice between the righteous many against the wicked few  but his choice of language was far blunter than his predecessor. There can not have been many, if any, threats to totally destroy another nation at a UN general assembly. He did not even direct the threat at the regime, making it clear it was North Korea as a country that was at peril.

Story continues

Trump issued the warning just minutes after the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, had appealed for calmer rhetoric. Fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings, Guterres had said in his own first general assembly address, and it was clear who those remarks were directed towards.

Trumps rhetoric was aimed at a jumpy and defensive regime at a time of high tension. In the aftermath of North Koreas sixth nuclear weapons test and second launch of a ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific, the US has resumed overflights of the Korean peninsula by heavy bombers, even carrying out practice runs with real bombs near the demilitarized zone.

The day before Trumps address, the US defence secretary James Mattis claimed that there were many military options for dealing with Pyongyang, even suggesting, cryptically, that some of those options did not put Seoul at risk.

Kim Jong-un and his regime expect to be targeted by a decapitation strike and have shaped their military strategy accordingly, threatening annihilation of Seoul and other targets within reach of its nuclear missiles and artillery.

Like Bush 15 years ago, Trump concentrated on trio of enemies: although the current president removed Iraq and added Venezuela alongside North Korea and Iran. Iran was included for being its regional role, such as its backing for the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, and also because of the nuclear deal that Tehran sealed with six global powers in 2015, including the US.

Trump used the green marble UN podium to pour scorn on the agreement, the signature foreign policy achievement of Barack Obama, the predecessor he so blatantly despises.

Venezuela was targeted for the socialist policies of the Nicolas Maduro government and the erosion of its democracy, but Trump did not attempt to distinguish Venezuelas faults from other autocratic regimes with whom Trump has sought to cultivate.

Saudi Arabia was not mentioned. Nor was Russia, although there was, early on in the speech, a rare public expression of support for Ukrainian sovereignty.

Nor was there any explanation of how the castigation of these rogue regimes dovetailed with the dominant theme of the first half of Trumps speech, which was devoted to the assertion of the undiluted sovereignty of the nation state.

Seeking to draw a sharp line between his view of international relations and those of his predecessors in the Oval Office, Trump stressed that diverse nations had the right to their own values and culture without the interference of outsiders. The UN was there as a forum for cooperation between strong and independent nations, not to impose global governance from on high.

In a briefing on the eve of the speech, a senior White House official had insisted that Trump had pondered long and hard over this deeply philosophical segment of his address, as it marked an important exposition of his approach to foreign policy, labelled principled realism.

Trump and his administration have frequently invoked such ideas to justify the absence of criticism for Saudi Arabia, Russia and other perceived partners for their appalling human rights records.

With Tuesdays address, however, Trump punched yawning holes in his own would-be doctrine, singling out enemies, expressing horror at their treatment of their people and threatening interference to the point of annihilation.

What was left, when the muted applause died down in the UN chamber, was a sense of incoherence and a capricious menace hanging in the air.
WEYBRIDGE, England  A cabinet of curiosities was a room, often in a wealthy person's manor or castle, dedicated to the preservation and display of a varied collection of objet, often entirely unrelated by theme or category. These items were arranged to fascinate a viewer, to demonstrate the collector's erudition and to create a sense of awe at their dominion. They were often freaky, and a wee bit janky.



Much of the same could be said for the Brooklands Museum  a delightful transportation-oriented hodgepodge plopped in the middle of the English countryside, near Weybridge  though it comes by it far more naturally than some minor lord's stockpile of Galapagoan tortoise shells and Norwegian sparring spears. And this is exactly why you must visit.



The site houses one of the most eclectic hoards of vehicular ephemera ever gathered. Do you want to see a group of perfectly preserved or restored $400,000 post-World War I Brough motorcycles? How about one of Ayrton Senna's F1 McLaren show cars? A skinless and wingless Vickers Wellington World War II bomber with its geodesic alloy structure exposed? Or a wooden-framed 1917 Vickers Vimy like the one used for the first crossing of the Atlantic?





Brooklands Museum

Brooklands Museum

Brooklands Museum

Brooklands Museum





Perhaps you fancy the hand-built 1933 Napier Railton, a silver-billet bullet wrapped around a top-speed record-setting 24-liter W12 aircraft engine? Or speed king Malcolm Campbell's actual workshop and tools? Or incidentally strolling by a lawn-parked grouping of club members' cars from the neo-classical 1970s Panther motor car company?



If none of that is up your alley, there are also many examples of the genius of aeronautical engineer/savant Barnes Wallis. Life-size versions of the "Bouncing" and "Earthquake" bombs he designed to destroy German infrastructure in WWII. Or the vacuum-sealed Stratospheric Chamber and supersonic wind tunnel that Wallis constructed on-site to help the British Air Force design planes that could achieve Mach 2.



Did we mention there's also a 1910 Crowley Flat Twin, the radical engine from the first airplane designed and built by a British woman? A six-wheeled 1976 Range Rover "Commando" aviation runway rescue truck, and a 4-D theater that screens interactive filmic iterations of historical automotive and aeronautical experiences? (Note: The fourth dimension is apparently not time, but shakable seats.)





Story continues

Brooklands Museum

Brooklands Museum

Brooklands Museum

Brooklands Museum





Oh, and off in a rainy courtyard outside, behind the bathrooms, there's the first Concorde ever built, which you can climb up into and sit inside to fulfill your fantasy of being a louche Space Age business traveler. That is, so long as your fantasy includes watching a treacly devotional video about supersonic travel improbably (and wonderfully) scored by Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now."



Why in the world is all of this here? Well, first off because Brooklands was originally a racetrack. In fact, it was the first purpose-built automotive racetrack in the world, constructed in nine months starting in 1906, by hand, by 1,500 Navvies  infrastructural manual laborers better known for digging canals. The track was a 2.75-mile oval of concrete with a couple of bends and an additional half-mile finishing straight.



To help prevent the shoddy, balloon-tired vehicles of the era from flying off the edge of the elevated circuit, the track was steeply banked, nearly 30 feet high in some places. This was not an entirely effective precaution, and there apparently are many period photos of racers and/or their vehicles becoming unfortunately airborne.



Because the track's surface was hand-laid in approximately one zillion patches of variously sourced concrete, it wore unevenly, causing even greater issues for drivers, particularly at speed. Still, the track stayed in consistent use until 1939, when it was bombed by the Germans during WWII.





Brooklands Museum





In the meantime, the big grassy area in the middle of the oval had become one of the country's first airfields. Flights began in 1908, a flight school opened in 1910 and famed British aeronautics company Vickers Aviation opened a factory on-site to support the war effort in 1915. It has continued, in various permutations and successors, into present day.



The site was thus the location of nearly every major advancement in British (and often global) aeronautical and military achievement, and it is where Vickers set up its factory for production of its alliteratively named Viking, Valetta, Varsity, Viscount, Vanguard and VC10 passenger and cargo aircraft. It was also the build site for significant portions of the massively enticing, ill-timed, needle-nosed supersonic king of the skies, the aforementioned Concorde, an Icarian invention and the closest wealthy civilians have ever come to time travel. Bow and weep, budget airlines passengers.



A portion of the site was turned into a museum in 1987, incorporating a grab bag of original structures, including a clubhouse, factory, garage and outbuildings  many of which now house random assortments of objects and some of which house cafes, theaters and gift shops. Portions of the original track still exist as well, and though not much can be accomplished racing-wise on that portion, the museum education program still drives kids around the straight and some of the banked portions, at secure velocities, to demonstrate basic ideas of physics and fun.



The remainder of the site has been appropriated by a tremendous office park. Many aerospace companies still have their headquarters here, and there's an outpost of ubiquitous British retailer Marks & Spencer.



Also present is a tremendous Mercedes-Benz World brand experience center, which showcases the premier vehicular product of the country that the site was, for much of its existence, wholly dedicated to defeating and destroying. The British excel at collection and categorization, and at innovation. But their true calling is in irony.



Related Video:
Back in 2009, Bugatti showed a four-door concept called the Galibier, and it seemed like it would make it to production. That project stalled out, though, sidelined during the development of the Chiron. The idea of a four-door Bugatti hasn't been completely discarded, though, and, as Automotive News reports, the supercar manufacturer might ready the car for 2024.



"The four-door car is not dead," Bugatti President Wolfgang Durheimer told Automotive News at the Frankfurt Motor Show, where the automaker showed a Chiron that set a 0-249-0 speed record of 42 seconds. Durheimer also suggested it would be Bugatti's sole model, as he said, "For the time I can foresee, [Bugatti] will be a one-model brand." The Chiron will be Bugatti's model for eight years, with replacement scheduled around 2024 or 2025.



Bugatti hasn't decided on the powertrain for its next model, and is considering all its options, be they internal combustion, electric or hybrid. What matters, Durheimer said, is that it provides the level of performance Bugatti customers expect from the brand. Bugatti also considered electrifying the Chiron's powertrain, but, Durheimer said, abandoned the idea due to weight and packaging challenges. The company was still able to achieve 1,500 horsepower through traditional means.



Related Video:
Rohingya refugees wait to be transported to Cox's Bazar after their arrival in Bangladesh - REUTERS

Pressure grew on the Burmese government on Monday amid calls for sanctions on the country's army for orchestrating the ethnic cleansing of the country's Rohingya Muslims.

Human Rights Watch called on the United Nations Security Council to impose "targeted sanctions" on the Burmese military for a campaign of house burnings that has driven hundreds of thousands of people out of the country.

Burma's state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to deliver an address on the crisis on Tuesday Credit: HEIN HTET/ EPA

The call came as the UN General Assembly prepares to convene in New York and the day before Aung San Suu Kyi, the defacto leader of Burma, also known as Myanmar, delivers a highly anticipated national address about the crisis.

Some 410,000 Rohingya muslims have fled into neighbouring Bangladesh since the Burmese military launched what it says is a counter terrorism operation in Rakhine state on August 25.

Aid groups and Bangladeshi authorities are struggling to provide medical services, food, and housing to the refugees, about half of whom are thought to be children.

Hasanul Haq, Bangladesh's information minister, has said the influx includes 70,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women.

The Burmese military says it is carrying out a counter insurgency campaign against the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a militant group that carried out a string of deadly attacks on Burmese border guards in the region last month.

Some 410,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Burma Credit: CATHAL MCNAUGHTON/ REUTERS

Refugees arriving in Bangladesh have described a systematic campaign of house burnings, mass shootings, and beheadings by Burmese troops and vigilante mobs drawn from the local Rakhine Buddhist community.

Ms Suu Kyi is expected to deliver a national televised address on Tuesday after pulling out of a scheduled appearance at the United Nations General Assembly.

It is unclear whether Ms Suu Kyi, a life-long democracy campaigner and opponent of the country's powerful generals, would be able to rein in the military campaign even if she wanted to.

Sameeda Begum holds her daughter Zulakeha Banoo after they were separated from her husband while crossing into Bangladesh Credit: Dar Yasin/AP

However, she has faced mounting criticism from the international community for failing to speak out against the violence.

Human Rights Watch said the United Nations should impose travel bans and asset freezes on officers believed to be involved in the campaign as well as an embargo on arms sales to the country.

Burmese security forces are committing ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya and disregarding the condemnation of world leaders, said John Sifton, the group's Asia advocacy director. The time has come to impose tougher measures that Burmas generals cannot ignore.
California prosecutors have accused a man of using a belt to kill two of his three children in a domestic violence incident last week that left all three kids dead, PEOPLE confirms.

Robert Hodges, 32, is charged with three counts of premeditated first-degree murder in connection with the deaths,Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said at a news conference on Monday.

Hodges is also charged with two counts of use of a deadly weapon and one count of attempted murder, for an alleged altercation with his wife, Reisig said.

The children were found dead in an apartment in West Sacramento, California, on Wednesday night, authorities have said.

At 9:22 p.m., police responded to a call at the residence. On their way to the scene, officers received another call that there were possibly three children deceased, according West Sacramento police Sgt. Roger Kinney.

Its horrific and very difficult to deal with, Kinney previously said.

Officials identified the deceased children as Kelvin Hodges, 11; Julie Hodges, 9; and 7-month-old Lucas Hodges.

The criminal complaint alleges their dad used a belt as a deadly weapon against Kelvin and Julie, but the coroners office has not disclosed how Lucas died.

The mother is holding up the best she can, considering her three children were murdered, Kinney told PEOPLE about Hodges wife, whose identity has not been released due to the nature of the incident. She has a lot of family support.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Robert Hodges

Hodges was arraigned on Monday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is being held without bond.

He requested a public defender and is expected to return to court on Oct. 2 for a preliminary hearing.

In the series of charges against Hodges, court documents state there were special circumstances in multiple murders and accuse him of lying in wait. Under California law, this makes him eligible for the death penalty should he be found guilty.

Story continues

Reisig told reporters on Monday that it could take months to determine whether prosecutors would pursue an execution.

The community has been shaken by the news.

Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto told the Sacramento Bee that it is the worst mass killing in the county since he took office in 1999.

It is absolutely devastating to a lot of us, even those of us not directly involved in the investigation, Prieto said. This is the first triple homicide that Im aware of. But even a double or triple homicide of adults is a different issue. When you start talking about infants, its just so devastating.

 PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: 35 Real Cases That Inspired the Show Law & Order is on sale now.

West Sacramentos Sgt. Kinney said many of the first responders were rattled at the scene and counselors have been provided.

Something like this is very disturbing, he said. The officers are absolutely impacted, along with the firefighters, and certainly the family, the neighbors  this call is going to have quite a bit of emotion.

Its horrific, and its very difficult to deal with, he said. This is going to take not hours, not days. Its going to take a long time to come to grips with what happened there.
The newly-inaugurated Mikvah Taharat EL in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic looks like any other Jewish ritual bath. Bricks of Jerusalem stone line the walls, the water is blue and clear, and the decor features light pastels. But as you can learn from the plaques on the wall, this mikvah, a first for the island, has been seventy-seven years in the making.

It began in 1940, as the Jews of Europe searched desperately for a safe haven from Nazi persecution. Most countries were closed to them, but the Dominican Republic welcomed Jews with open arms. The Steinmetz family from Hungary arrived in the republic in 1939, and quickly became leaders of the fledgling Jewish community, which peaked at 1,000 in 1943.

In 1940, a letter arrived from the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, who wanted to know how the refugee community was faring on the isolated island. Upon hearing that the community had no mikvah, he urged Rabbi Chananya Steinmetz to arrange the construction, offering practical advice and financial support. Despite Rabbi Steinmetzs efforts, the mikvah did not materialize, and along with the most of the refugees, the family departed the Dominican Republic after the end of World War II.

Forty years passed. The Steinmetz family resided in Venezuela, and their son Efraim (Efry) became an international businessman. On a trip to New York he visited the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. You know, there is no mikvah in the Dominican Republic, the Rebbe told him. You must arrange a mikvah in the Dominican Republic!

Though he protested that he had not been on the island in four decades, the Rebbe insisted, and Efraim sent two rabbinical students to arrange the construction. They returned empty-handed: the community numbered only twenty-five families and had no land on which to build. Steinmetz relayed the message to the Rebbes secretary, only to receive the response: The Rebbe insiststhe Jews in the Dominican Republic must have a mikvah. Again, two young men traveled to the island, only to meet with failure once more.

I told the Rebbes secretary, Ill make a deal with you, Efraim later related. We cant build a mikvah in Santo Domingo, so well build one in Venezuela instead. Indeed, he funded the construction of a mikvah on Isla de Margarita off the coast of Venezuelabut the Rebbe was not satisfied. Where is the mikvah in Santo Domingo? he asked.

Nearly thirty years passed, and the Jewish community in the Dominican Republic grew, welcoming expats from around the world as well as increasing numbers of Jewish tourists. In 2007, Rabbi Shimon and Michal Pelman established Chabad of the Dominican Republic to serve the Jews of the island. As more families made the Dominican Republic their home, with most of the 400 Jews on the island residing in Santo Domingo, the need for a mikvah became more pressing. Last year, Chabad of Puerto Rico opened a mikvah, relates Michal Perman, but before that the closest mikvah was in Miamia two-and-a-half hour flight away!

In 2013, the Pelmans acquired a property and began building the mikvah. After seventy-seven years, the mikvah was finally completed this year. The emissaries dedicated the mikveh to Mr. Leon Sragowicz o.b.m., who donated the initial funds but passed away before he could see its completion.

The plaques on the wall tell a small part of the story, displaying dedications to Rabbi and Mrs. Steinmetz and both Rabbi Schneersons (sponsored by the Steinmetz family). Yet, while the story of the mikvahs building has concluded, the tale of its role in the communitys future is just beginning.

When Laura S., a local architect, visited the Chabad House to help her daughter with a school project on Judaism, she learned that the Pelmans were seeking an architect to draw up plans for the mikvah and offered her assistance. After their meeting, she stayed for services, recognized a community member as a relative, and ultimately discovered that she herself was Jewish.

According to Pelman, many women in the community have expressed interest in learning more about the mikvah, and over seventy people attended the inauguration earlier this year. A mikvah is a sign of Jewish life, muses Michal, and this will encourage more families to settle down here.

To learn more about Chabad of the Dominican Republic, visit www.chabadominican.com.
Designer Hussein Chalayans London Fashion Week presentation turned a lot of heads.

The design house, which describes itself as alternative luxury fashion, sent models down the runway in Swarovski-encrusted headgear.

Not one for Tesco's: 165,000 Swarovski crystals embellished the headdresses at Hussein Chalayan  #LFW pic.twitter.com/6SOBngI5MF  Pandora Sykes (@PINsykes) September 17, 2017

Models present creations by British designer Hussein Chalayan during his catwalk at London Fashion Week on Sept. 17. (Photo: CHRIS J RATCLIFFE via Getty Images)

The models walking out to take their places. (Photo: CHRIS J RATCLIFFE via Getty Images)

What do you make of the headgear? (Photo: CHRIS J RATCLIFFE via Getty Images)

Chalayan opened up about the theme of the show and described it as the idea of the lost individuals in a digital world. And living with the opinion of others, but at the same time being empowered by the entitled state, according to Vogue.

Many loyal followers of Chalayan described the show as a masterpiece, brilliant and one of your best shows ever on the brands Instagram page and New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman described the look as Motherboard chic and disassociation.

But, of course, people on Twitter had other thoughts:

C'moff it. They've just got their heads stuck in some fancy art work. https://t.co/wrlRbMcPAn  Jimmy (@HowisonJim) September 17, 2017

one time i got my head stuck in a toilet seat at sears https://t.co/Eyuj9ypnJd  Curt Hopkins (@curthopkins) September 17, 2017

CHALAYAN IS THE FUTURE pic.twitter.com/rsBt7G7PMy  chalukya (@pradabinbag) September 17, 2017

These are an absolute joke! Swarovski crystal-studded stocks?! How very 1750 Puritan punishment!  Demolition Jan (@JannyCrosscheck) September 18, 2017

Somehow, the headboards arent even the craziest thing weve seen yet at London Fashion Week. Christopher Kane recently sent models down the runway in rhinestone Crocs:

Story continues

A model walks the runway at the Christopher Kane Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2018 fashion show on Sept. 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo: Victor VIRGILE via Getty Images)

And at New York Fashion Week, Helmut Lang introduced us all to bras that double as purses:

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

A model walks the runway at Helmut Lang Seen By Shayne Oliver show during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 11 in New York City. (Photo: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho via Getty Images)

And let us not forget the My Pussy, My Choice show from Berlin-based design house Namilia:

A model walks the runway at the Namilia fashion show during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 9 in New York City. (Photo: Frazer Harrison via Getty Images)

What will the rest of London Fashion Week bring us?

Related...

There Were A Lot Of Vulvas Showing At Namilia's New York Fashion Week Show

These Bras Double As Purses, And They're The Best Part Of Helmut Lang's Collection

Ugly Crocs Are Back (Again) At Christopher Kane's London Fashion Week Show

Also on HuffPost

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
New York (AFP) - The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers called for a peaceful end to the "vicious cycle" on the Korean peninsula as they met in New York for the UN General Assembly, Beijing said Tuesday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov urged all parties to seek a "peaceful resolution" to the current stand-off with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The Korean Peninsula nuclear problem must be solved through peaceful means," it quoted Wang as saying, adding that "the current deepening vicious cycle must be broken".

"Restoring peace talks is also a necessary step to carrying out the UN Security Council's resolution," he said.

Lavrov said Russia's position on the issue is "completely identical" to China's, the statement said.

Russia has joined China's call for a "dual-track" approach in which North Korea suspends its weapons programme in return for the United States halting military drills in the region.

The White House said earlier that US President Donald Trump had spoken with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over the phone, saying the two leaders were "committed to maximizing pressure on North Korea through vigorous enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions".

Trump is currently in New York for the UN General Assembly but Xi -- who has a major Communist Party congress next month that will cement his leadership for the next five years -- is not attending the event.

The UN Security Council last week imposed a fresh set of sanctions, though Washington toned down its original proposals to secure support from China and Russia.

Regional tensions have soared this month as North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and staged an intermediate-range missile test over Japan.

Trump has not ruled out a military option for dealing with Pyongyang.

The US flew four F-35B stealth fighter jets and two B-1B bombers over the Korean peninsula on Monday in a show of force.

Separately, China and Russia began a joint naval exercise east of the Korean peninsula.
BEIJING (Reuters) - The North Korean nuclear issue must be resolved peacefully, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart during a meeting at the United Nations, China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The United States and South Korea, and separately Russia together with China, started military drills on Wednesday in a show of force against North Korea, which has repeatedly defied the United Nations to conduct nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Wang said in a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday that China would strictly implement U.N. Security council sanctions and stressed that "parties directly involved" must also take action and responsibility. "The current deepening vicious cycle must be broken. Resuming peace talks is an equally important step in implementing security council resolutions," Wang said, according to a statement on the foreign ministry website. Russia has supported China's "suspension-for-suspension" proposal, where the United States and South Korea would agree to halt joint military drills while North Korea halted missile and nuclear tests. Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about keeping pressure on North Korea using economic sanctions imposed through the United Nations, the White House said on Monday. Trump and Xi spoke on the phone days after Trump and his aides publicly discussed potential military action against North Korea. Trump said on Friday he was "more confident than ever that our options in addressing this threat are both effective and overwhelming". Pyongyang carried out the latest in a rapid series of missile launches by firing another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday, soon after its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3, in defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Christian Shepherd; Editing by Paul Tait)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China supports efforts by the Myanmar government to protect its national security and opposes recent violent attacks in the country's Rakhine state, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The military response to insurgent attacks in the western region of Myanmar last month sent more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded ethnic cleansing. Myanmar's government says about 400 people have been killed in the fighting. Britain, France and Australia urged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday to push for an end to military violence against Rohingya Muslims. Her national security adviser said those who had fled could return but the process had to be discussed. Wang told Guterres at a meeting at the United Nations on Monday China "understands and supports" Myanmar's efforts to protect its security in Rakhine and hopes the "fire of war" can soon be extinguished, China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. China expresses sympathy with those who have fled into Bangladesh and will send humanitarian aid to Bangladesh, Wang said. "China advocates Myanmar and Bangladesh resolving the problem via dialogue and consultation," the Foreign Ministry cited Wang as saying. "China is willing to continue promoting peace talks in its own way, and hopes the international community can play a constructive role to ease the situation and promote dialogue," he said. China and Myanmar have close economic and diplomatic ties and China has defied expectations that democratization in the former Burma could lead to weaker relations between the two countries. About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face draconian travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Paul Tait)
By Philip Wen BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Singapore on Tuesday sought to put recent difficulties in their relationship over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea behind them as Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong began a trip to Beijing. Singapore is not a claimant to any disputed part of the South China Sea but is home to the biggest port in Southeast Asia, and has made clear its open economy depends on continued free navigation in the area. China is also suspicious of Singapore's good military relations with the United States and self-ruled Taiwan. Meeting in the Great Hall of the People, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told Lee that China and Singapore had maintained mutual respect. Singapore, Li said, is an important member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and next year will be rotating chair of ASEAN. "I trust this will inject new energy into not just China-Singapore relations but also China-ASEAN relations," he said. China is worried it could face fresh criticism over its actions in the South China Sea when Singapore becomes ASEAN's chair, and is putting pressure on the city-state to make sure that doesn't happen, people familiar with the situation have told Reuters. Lee said he was grateful for the attention to the bilateral relationship but also for the "opportunity to discuss how to work together in the regional context and with ASEAN." Singapore hopes it will be able to bring China and ASEAN closer together, Lee added. The visit of Lee so close to the opening of next month's Communist Party Congress demonstrates the maintenance of high level visits between the two countries, said Bai Tian, the vice director of the Asian department at the Chinese Foreign Ministry. "This is an important political signal," Bai said. Overall development of bilateral ties was fairing well, and both leaders agreed to "strengthen coordination and cooperation on international and regional matters", according to a readout of the meeting provided by the Chinese foreign ministry. The United States and Singapore announced an enhanced defense relationship in late 2015, which included deployments of long range P-8 surveillance planes out of Singapore - aircraft which frequently track Chinese submarines. Singapore also has close though unofficial ties with self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a Chinese province. Tensions between the two countries burst into the open last November when Hong Kong port authorities impounded nine Singaporean armored military vehicles being shipped home from training grounds in Taiwan. Hong Kong released the vehicles earlier this year amid rare open debates in both Singapore and China about a deteriorating relationship. (Reporting by Philip Wen; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, in September 2016. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Jason Chaffetz, the former Utah Republican congressman, said he knows he is the subject of a widely circulated anecdote in Hillary Clintons newly-released memoir of the 2016 campaign, What Happened. But he doesnt intend to read it.

There is no possible way you could get me to read that book, Chaffetz said Monday. I read the cover and the question is asked and the question is answered in the same page: What happened? Hillary Clinton happened. You dont need to know anything else. Its just  it was a train wreck.

Chaffetz, known for his relentless investigations into Clinton in his role as chairman of the House Oversight Committee, posted a photo of himself shaking hands with the former secretary of state on Inauguration Day with a less-than-gracious caption.

So pleased she is not the President. I thanked her for her service and wished her luck. The investigation continues. A post shared by Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) on Jan 20, 2017 at 12:31pm PST

In her book, Clinton hit back.

We headed up the stairs to leave the platform and go back inside the Capitol, shaking hands along the way, Clinton wrote. I saw a man off to the side who I thought was Reince Priebus, head of the Republican National Committee and incoming White House Chief of Staff. As I passed by, we shook hands and exchanged small talk.

Later I realized it hadnt been Priebus at all. It was Jason Chaffetz, the then-Utah Congressman and wannabe Javert who made endless political hay out of my emails and the 2012 tragedy in Benghazi, Libya. Later, Chaffetz posted a picture of our handshake with the caption, So pleased she is not the President. I thanked her for her service and wished her luck. The investigation continues. What a class act! I came this close to tweeting back, To be honest, thought you were Reince.

When asked if he knew he was mentioned in the book, Chaffetz laughed and affirmed that he had seen that in the news. (Political figures are known for giving books the Washington read, standing in a bookstore, flipping through the index, looking for their own names.)

Addressing the apparent case of mistaken identity, he added, Nobody but nobody has ever thought that I was Reince Priebus.
Two days ago, a friend who invested in Bitcoin asked me how secure her Coinbase investment was. She had plans to put her coins in cold storage, but as a security stopgap was relying on two-factor authentication (2FA) through Coinbase, as many people do. My main question: What kind of two-factor?

The problem with 2FA is that often a distinction isn't made between SMS-based 2FA, which sends a code to the user via text, and 2FA that requires a user to respond to a push verification sent to a specific physical device. Security researchers at Positive Technologies have demonstrated yet another reason that the former is bad news. After identifying the Gmail account associated with a Coinbase account, they were able to use the well-known security holes in Signaling System 7 (SS7)  an international telecom protocol that allows phone networks to route texts and calls between users  to intercept the SMS-based verification code to commandeer it, theoretically draining all of the cryptocurrency stored within. All the researchers needed was a name, a phone number and an educated guess about a user's Gmail account, as you can see in the demo video below.

"Exploiting SS7 specific features is one of several existing ways to intercept SMS," said Positive Technologies Telecommunications Security lead Dmitry Kurbatov. "Unfortunately, it is still impossible to opt out of using SMS for sending one-time passwords. It is the most universal and convenient two-factor authentication technology."

In spite of the security community's warnings, this particular hack isn't just hypothetical  it actually showed up to wreak havoc in German banks earlier this year.

The difference between the kinds of two-factor authentication might seem subtle, but it's worth repeating. Because users can check text messages across devices (through iMessage, Google Voice, etc.), text-based 2FA spreads out the potential attack surface. Instead of a code being sent to one place  like a purpose-built smartphone app or a separate authenticator device  it's distributed throughout a set of services that might have their own vulnerabilities. True two-factor authentication, the good kind, sends a verification prompt to one place: the device you're holding in your hand. SMS-based 2FA is vulnerable not only to hackers who might be leveraging technical loopholes in SS7, but also to any social engineer willing to talk their way around a Verizon employee.

Story continues

What's also worth repeating are the known security concerns around SS7. In March, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and California Representative Ted Lieu  two of the tech-savviest members of Congress  wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding to know what the U.S. government was doing to combat the threat and spread awareness about its existence. It's important to remember that any government actively exploiting SS7 for surveillance purposes might drag their feet in sounding the alarm. Of course, SS7 doesn't just open Coinbase to hacks  it could impact any service that offers an SMS-based 2FA option.

"This hack would work for any resource that uses SMS for password recovery," Kurbatov told TechCrunch. "If a hacker is able to repeat the same logic of password recovery via SMS to get access to the account, then the attack works."

To deal with this, Kurbatov suggests that users have a separate phone number for online services through something like Google Voice. Beyond that, there isn't much consumers can do to protect themselves against an SS7-based exploit, they can choose app-based 2FA methods like Duo or Google's iOS in-app feature and demand that all companies provide a non-SMS 2FA option to help users prove that they are who they say they are. Until that becomes the universal standard, expect to see this kind of vulnerability getting more attention from security researchers and hackers alike.
A lawsuit filed against Columbus, Ohio, accuses the police there of using excessive force against black residents.

The civil rights complaint was filed on behalf of Timothy Davis, who was arrested September 1 on a warrant that alleges he assaulted a police officer. Cellphone footage taken at the scene of the arrest shows officers resorting to punching and kicking Davis after attempting to restrain him.

One officer has been removed from patrol duty after stating at the time: I'm going to choke the life out of you," the Associated Press reported. The lawsuit alleges other officers attempted to prevent the public from seeing what was happening by standing in their way.

Following the incident, a police spokesman, Sergeant Dean Worthington, told the AP that punching and kicking are allowed under police policy, and decisions on using force are dependent on a suspects behavior.

The federal lawsuit, which was filed on Saturday, comes almost 20 years after a similar complaint from the Justice Department in 1999 alleged officers routinely violated civilians rights by using excessive force and conducting illegal searches.

The new lawsuit, seen by the AP, alleges: The unconstitutional conduct of the City of Columbus Police Department towards civilians, particularly African-Americans, has not changed.

The Justice Department officially closed the earlier case in 2004, after Columbus police changed their policies and agreed to share footage of police training with the department.

The new lawsuit comes as the department faces criticism over two police shootings: of 13-year-old Tyre King in September of last year, and of Henry Green, 23, in June 2016. Both victims were black, while the officers who shot them were white. In both cases, the officers were cleared.

Related Articles
Kevin de Leon, Anthony Rendon, Donald Trump. (Yahoo News photo-illustration; photos: Mark J. Terril/AP, Rich Pedroncelli/AP, Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images, AP)

The day after Donald Trump was elected president, Californias top two legislators announced in a joint statement that the Golden State would be lead[ing] the resistance to Trumps agenda.

California will defend its people, declared Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, both Democrats. We are not going to allow one election to reverse generations of progress.

For the next 10 months, much ado was made over Californias pugilistic posture, toward the president, as the Los Angeles Times recently put it. Ambitious left coast politicians seized on every available opportunity to remind voters that they opposed the man in the Oval Office. Again and again, California touted itself the one place powerful enough  and progressive enough, with Democrats leading the entire government  to thwart the commander in chief.

But how much of this resistance was rhetorical, and how much was substantive?

Nows the time to ask. On Friday, Californias legislative year finally ended. Lawmakers departed Sacramento for their home districts, not to return until January. In their wake they left a trail of legislative successes  and failures  that hold important lessons for national Democrats still figuring out how to move forward under Trumps rule.

The main takeaway? That even in a progressive paradise like California, where Republicans are almost entirely powerless, the Democratic Party is deeply divided over how, exactly, to resist: with protest or with pragmatism.

On Sunday, Rendon described 2017 as Californias most productive and progressive legislative session in memory. He had a point. Legislators sent hundreds of bills to Gov. Jerry Brown, nearly all of which addressed key liberal priorities: lower drug costs, free community college, more parental leave, increased education funding, more affordable housing.

Its also true that most of Sacramentos big, headline-grabbing moves wound up being about Trump in one way or another. Over the course of 2017, California Democrats introduced more than 35 #stateofresistance bills meant to block the presidents policy agenda, according to the L.A. Times; four have since become law or part of the state budget, and eight more await the governors signature.

Story continues

From left: State Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, Gov. Jerry Brown and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount, walk through the Capitol to a news conference to discuss the passage of a pair of climate change bills, Monday, July 17, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. Brown backed the measures, which will extend the states cap-and-trade program and aim to improve local air quality. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

After Trump refused to release his income tax returns, for instance, Sacramento sent Brown a bill  not yet signed  that would deny California ballot access to any future presidential candidate who does the same. When Trump yanked America out of the Paris climate agreement, Sacramento extended Browns landmark cap-and-trade program. When Trump continued to rail against illegal immigrants, Sacramento set aside $65 million to fund legal assistance for residents facing deportation  and then, after Trump announced he was ending President Barack Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, ponied up another $10 million in loans for college students brought to the country illegally as young children.

The list goes on. When Trumps education secretary, Betsy DeVos, moved to roll back Obama-era Title IX guidance, Sacramento beefed up state regulations designed to prevent sexual harassment and sexual violence at schools and colleges. And after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stepped up their raids under Trump, Sacramento passed a bill that would transform California into a sanctuary state of sorts by limiting communication between law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.

The legislatures resolutions, which do not carry the force of law, were even more antagonistic toward Trump. One demanded that Congress censure the president for his equivocal response to last months violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville; another seized on his popular-vote loss to call for the end of the Electoral College. All in all, Sacramento passed more than two dozen Trump-bashing resolutions before adjourning for the year, according to the L.A. Times.

And yet, despite the flurry of anti-Trump activity, serious fissures developed over the course of the session between two types of Democrats. Call them the protesters and the pragmatists.

The protesters, led by De Leon, tended to be concentrated in the more liberal state Senate.

Donald Trump is a threat to everything we stand for as a great state, de Leon recently told the L.A. Times. So its not just as president of the Senate, or as a senator, but more importantly as an ordinary citizen and son of a single immigrant mother that I take these positions.

Meanwhile, Rendon emerged as a brake on the Senates ambitions, declaring as early as February that he was tired of talking about Trump and publicly fretting in his L.A. Times interview last week that, at times, Democrats had devolved into symbolism.

Members of the California Nurses Association and supporters rally at the Capitol calling for a single-payer health plan, Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The demonstrators were demanding that Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount, bring a health care bill, SB 562, by state Senators Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Garden, and Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, to a vote in the Assembly. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

As a result, many anti-Trump bills were scaled back from their original sweeping premise, as the Times put it; others flamed out entirely. De Leons sanctuary state bill squeaked through at the last minute, but only after the governor and police softened its protections for undocumented immigrants convicted of certain crimes. The L.A. Times added that: De Leons proposal to enshrine large portions of federal environmental regulations, such as clean air and water protections, into state law  in anticipation of rollbacks from the Trump administration  withered without a vote Friday night. And two bills that would punish private companies that aided Trump in his as-yet unrealized bid to build a wall on the countrys southern border failed to advance.

Sacramentos most spectacular flameout, however, involved single-payer health care (as we previously reported). With Trumps push to repeal Obamacare dominating the agenda in Washington, D.C.  and California Democrats suddenly enjoying supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature  two state senators earlier this year introduced a bill (SB 562) designed to wipe out Californias private insurance market and create a single-payer system.

The old barriers, it seemed, had finally broken down. The stars were aligned. But after SB 562 passed the Senate, Rendon (who insists he supports single-payer) abruptly intervened in late June and shelved the bill for the remainder of the 2017 session.

SB 562 was sent to the Assembly woefully incomplete, Rendon snapped. Even senators who voted for SB 562 noted there are potentially fatal flaws in the bill, including the fact it does not address many serious issues, such as financing, delivery of care, cost controls, or the realities of needed action by the Trump administration and voters to make SB 562 a genuine piece of legislation.

Gov. Brown, meanwhile, piled on.

Where do you get the extra money? Brown told reporters. You take a problem and say Im going to solve it by something thats even a bigger problem, which makes no sense.

Progressive activists were furious. Rendon and his family received death threats. Outside the speakers Capitol office, one protester pretended to stab a bear in the back with a fake knife; the blade had Rendon written on it.

Sacramentos single-payer implosion neatly illustrates the larger conflict that will continue to bedevil national Democrats as they struggle to chart a path back to power in the Age of Trump. Is protesting the president with passionate rhetoric and pie-in-the-sky policy proposals the best way to regain control in Washington, D.C.? Or is pragmatism the smarter play?

Its a conflict thats been on vivid display on Capitol Hill in recent days. Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders finally introduced his signature Medicare for all legislation, and several top 2020 presidential hopefuls  Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York  quickly signed on to co-sponsor the bill.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at a news conference about the Child Care for Working Families Act at the U.S. Capitol, Sept. 14, 2017, in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

But Nancy Pelosi  the leader of the House Democrats and a Californian herself  did not.

I dont think [single-payer] is a litmus test, Pelosi told the Washington Post, instead calling on Democrats to release a wide range of proposals to fix and improve the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).

It isnt helpful to tinkle all over the ACA right now, Pelosi added in an interview with MSNBC. Right now we need to support the Affordable Care Act and defeat what the Republicans are doing.

This isnt the only time Pelosi has angered the protest wing of her party. Earlier this year, Pelosi refused to require that every Democrat support abortion rights, noting that many of her relatives are not pro-choice. (You think Im kicking them out of the Democratic Party? she scoffed.) And in recent weeks, Pelosi and her Senate counterpart, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have struck a pair of deals with President Trump, first on the debt ceiling and then on DACA. In response, angry protesters confronted Pelosi in San Francisco on Monday, chanting All of us or none of us and We are not a bargaining chip.

Pelosis strategy is fairly simple: accomplish as much as possible, given the circumstances  then let the electoral chips fall where they may. You can never satisfy everybody, she told the Post last week. We dont have a responsibility to get nothing done.

Whether that sort of pragmatism will pay off at the ballot box remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the protests will continue  in California and beyond.

Editors note: This article has been updated to reflect several additional attributions to the Los Angeles Times that did not appear in the initial piece.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
Hurricane Maria has rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm with the potential to gain more strength as it moves across the Atlantic Ocean. On Monday morning, it started heading straight for the islands battered by Hurricane Irma less than two weeks ago.

It is time to seek refuge with a family member, friend, or move to a state shelter because rescuers will not go out and risk their lives once winds reach 50 miles per hour, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said at a press conference Monday when he issued a state of emergency for the U.S. territory.

Puerto Rico, along with both the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands, are bracing for a hit from Maria on Wednesday night, according to the National Hurricane Centers forecast. As of Monday even, the storm was packing 130 mph winds and set to bring storm conditions to Dominica, Guadeloupe and Martinique later at night.

NOAA is now issuing QuickLooks for Hurricane Maria: https://t.co/5DRf8hxLcm pic.twitter.com/a2IQesxMPZ  NOAA's Ocean Service (@noaaocean) September 18, 2017

The threat of destructive rain  predicted to be as high as 20 inches in some areas  severe winds and storm surge come just as many who live in the Caribbean attempt to get back on their feet after Irma, which claimed at least three lives in Puerto Rico, at least four in the British Virgin Islands, and at least three in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where electricity may not be restored for months.

For many people, the onslaught has required some tough decision-making.

Were not going to rebuild, Nina Gross, 72, told the Los Angeles Times while waiting for a ferry evacuating U.S. Virgin Island residents from St. John ahead of Maria. She had moved there with her husband 46 years ago and lost everything  a lifetime of labor and love  to Irmas destruction.

Story continues

Irma largely spared Puerto Rico but still knocked out power for about a million residents, which is simultaneously grappling with its worst economic crisis in modern history and has been in a near-continuous recession for the last 10 years.

As Maria neared, Rossello said that about 85 percent of customers in and around San Juan, the territorys capital, were still without electricity because of Irma. Another 11 percent were still without drinking water.

While its far too early to say whether Maria will threaten Florida, the news of yet another major hurricane picking up strength so shortly after Irma pummeled much of the state has triggered anxiety among some residents and slowed down some tourist businesses.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jessie Smith told Florida Today that it never hurts to be prepared.

What I would just say for people that are panicky and just kind of worried about it, be prepared like you would any other time during hurricane season, she said. We are at the peak of hurricane season. Septembers the peak, so it isnt really any surprise to see multiple storms out in the Atlantic.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
When Richard Monecks dog got loose in Florida more than a year ago, he gave up hope that hed ever see her again.

Moneck said the dog, Relay, escaped from his dads backyard in West Palm Beach in February of 2016. Despite hours of searching, they couldnt find her.

Read: Purr-Fect Ending: Stray Kitten Rescued After Shutting Down Traffic on Busy Highway

We went to the gas station, and we figured wed ask them if they had footage of her walking on the sidewalk, and they did, Moneck said. Some guy we saw on camera whistled for the dog to come over and that was the last I had seen her ever.

Moneck, 18, had Relay for two years before her disappearance. She was a stray dog who his family took in and he said losing her was hard.

I was devastated," Moneck said. "I cried."

But as fate would have it, the 4-year-old German shepherd-mix turned up on Tuesday  in New York.

Relay was reportedly turned over to Bobbi and the Strays Animal Rescue in Freeport on Long Island. After employees at the rescue scanned for her microchip, they contacted Monecks dad.

"I thought it was a scam at first," Moneck said. "I thought, 'Why would my dog be up in New York? I thought it was far-fetched."

But when the rescue organization texted a picture of Relay to the family, they knew employees at rescue were for real.

I was really shocked, Moneck said. I doubt she walked all the way up there. Whoever took her brought the dog to a shelter.

Read: Dogs Annoyed by 4-Month-Old Rescue Calf Who Thinks He's One of Them

However it happened, Moneck said hes just blessed to have his beloved pup back again.

The pair will be reunited soon. A family friend is helping take care of the dog in New York until then.

Im feeling really relieved. Id never thought Id see the dog again. And now shes coming back to me and I feel really happy, Moneck added.

Story continues

Watch: Rescuers Spend 3 Hours Cleaning Dog Found Trapped in a Barrel of Hot Tar

Related Articles:
President Donald Trumps first address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday prompted a mix of praise and condemnation from U.S. politicians and world leaders.

A packed room of international diplomats listened as the president peddled his America First agenda, pushed for U.N. reform and issued another stern warning to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who Trump called a rocket man [on] a suicide mission.

Many Democrats criticized Trump for his bombastic rhetoric against North Korea and his suggestion that he would not renew the Iranian nuclear deal.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) called Trumps remarks dangerous, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) accused the president of using the U.N. to threaten war.

Dangerous rhetoric & abdication of values from Pres Trump at #UNGA. Congress must stand by the Iran deal & work to deescalate tensions w/ NK  Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) September 19, 2017

NEW: @SenFeinstein: Pres. Trump's #UNGA speech "greatly escalated the danger we face from both Iran and North Korea" https://t.co/e2BNY9yz9o pic.twitter.com/CMdf7gx5dq  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 19, 2017

Others, mostly Republicans, commended Trump for showing leadership, including former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton.

.@realDonaldTrumps #UNGA speech was his best yet as President. He was clear & direct in his criticisms of #NorthKorea & #Iran.  John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) September 19, 2017

.@realDonaldTrump has shown our world tremendous leadership since taking office. #UNGA  Rep. Todd Rokita (@ToddRokita) September 19, 2017

Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who has criticized Trump over his rhetoric in the past, called the speech strong and needed.

Story continues

President Trump gave a strong and needed challenge to UN members to live up

to its charter and to confront global challenges.  Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) September 19, 2017

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) didnt listen to Trumps address live, but said he was glad the president made the rocket man comment.

Well, good for him, Hatch told reporters. Im glad he said that. Its about time that somebody talked turkey on that little bastard over there.

World leaders also weighed in on Trumps comments, which threatened action against the Venezuelan government if the country continues on a path to impose authoritarian rule

Jorge Arreaza, Venezuelas foreign minister, accused Trump of injecting racist and supremacist theory into his speech.

We do not accept threats from President Trump or whoever in this world, Arreaza said in a statement. We are people of peace, peaceful people, and we want relations of mutual respect.

He continued: This racist and supremacist theory which hes exposing, this return to the Cold War, for a moment we didnt know if we were listening to President Reagan in 1982 or President Trump in 2017.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted praise for Trump, claiming he had never heard a sharper or more courageous speech at the U.N.

President Trump told the truth about the dangers lurking for the world, and urged to stand up to all the power to ensure the future of mankind, Netanyahu tweeted.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Related...

Trump Threatens To Totally Destroy North Korea

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Donald Trump speaks with US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley before a meeting during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 18 September 2017: AP

Speaking at the United Nations for the first time as US President, Donald Trump decried its "mismanagement" and "bureaucracy", but was full of praise for the global bodys mission as he began a busy week of diplomacy.

With North Korea, the Rohingya refugee crisis in Burma, an increasingly confident Russia and climate change among a host of looming global issues, Mr Trump pushed for reform of the UN during his first meeting.

Expected to admonish foes - and perhaps even praise enemies like calling Kim Jong-un "rocket man" - during his major speech on Tuesday, his usual fiery rhetoric and riffing giving way to friendly greetings with UK Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and sticking to reading prepared remarks may see some world leaders relax just a bit.

In recent years the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement, while the United Nations on a regular budget has increased by 140 per cent and its staff has more than doubled since 2000, Mr Trump said.

I am confident that if we work together and champion truly bold reforms the United Nations will emerge as a stronger, more effective, more just and greater force for peace and harmony in the world, Mr Trump added.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, one of the few members of the administration that has received high praise for her leadership, appears to have had some influence over the President speaking in New York.

In the past, Mr Trump repeatedly called the UN just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.

He also threatened to cut off US funding for the UN, which currently covers approximately 22 per cent of the overall UN budget and 28 per cent of the peacekeeping budget.

In the context of the reform discussion, however Mr Trump only mentioned the US burden of funding once and heaped praise on Mr Guterres efforts to change business as usual.

Story continues

However, Mr Trump first plugged his Trump Organisation-owned residential building across the street from the UN campus, saying he first saw potential in the neighbourhood of Turtle Bay there but that without the UNs presence, the project would not have been a success for him.

He then said the UN was founded on truly noble goals, a far cry from his vitriol on the campaign trail which was being discussed in the hallways ahead of his appearance.

Mr Trump also called for setting specific metrics for success for UN Peacekeeping forces, but did not elaborate what that means in terms of ever-changing violent conflicts around the world.

He harkened back to his business world experience, saying that the UNs staff has nearly doubled in the last two decades but the world has not seen the results for the investment. What he and Ms Haley deem are results is still to be determined.

Some 128 countries were invited to attend Monday's reform meeting after signing on to a US-drafted 10-point political declaration backing efforts by Mr Guterres to initiate effective, meaningful reform. UN Security Council veto powers Russia and China did not sign the declaration.

In April Mr Trump hosted the UN Security Council in an unusual White House luncheon.

At the meeting, Mr Trump made clear his dislike of the fact that the US shoulders much of the burden for funding the UN, but noted that he would be less concerned about this if the UN did a "good job".

The President has used the word unfair to describe American taxpayer contributions to both Nato and the UN before. He echoed the statement during his first UN meeting.

Mr Guterres, using a phrase of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, also said the world should get value for money and the organisation should keep in mind the hardworking taxpayers who underwrite its work, language not used by a Secretary-General in recent memory.

His speech began a busy week of diplomacy for Mr Trump, who is scheduled to meet separately with more than a dozen world leaders along the sidelines of the UN. In his first bilateral meeting, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Trump declared that they are giving it an absolute go on Middle East peace talks. Mr Trump is to meet with the head of the Palestinian Authority later in the week, but the White House has played down prospects for a breakthrough.

US National Security adviser HR McMaster said Iran's destabilising behaviour would be a major focus of those discussions. While seated next to Mr Netanyahu, a vociferous critic of the Iran nuclear deal, Mr Trump declared you'll see very soon when asked if the US would stay in the agreement. Mr Netanyahu labelled it a terrible nuclear deal.

Mr Trump also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, touching on the issue of the nuclear deal with Iran and climate change. Mr Trump also said that he had enjoyed a military parade while in Paris on Bastille Day, and suggested he might look to do something similar on the Fourth of July.

A slew of events are taking place in the coming week centered around addressing climate change and discussions have taken on a particular urgency given the recent withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement.

The accord, signed in December 2015 by nearly 200 countries and formally joined through an executive order by former President Barack Obama, aims to reduce carbon emissions and tackle global warming.

Mr Trump has said that the deal was unfair to American workers, particularly in the coal and steel industries.

His announcement was met with strong language from nearly every world leader and expert who lamented that the world second largest polluter would not work towards the goals laid out in the agreement.

A recent report by the Wall Street Journal suggested that there was some possibility of the US staying in the deal, but the White House quickly put the kibbosh on it.

Director of the National Economic Council Gary Cohn held a breakfast with energy ministers from several G20 countries on Monday, but suggested that the White House position had not changed and they were looking to withdraw without major changes to the agreement.

The White House has said that participants discussed "promoting energy security, driving economic growth, and reducing emissions at home and globally."

It suggests that perhaps Mr Trump will say something regarding energy security in his speech tomorrow, but whether that is to push for "clean coal" rather than a more sustainable, climate-friendly mix remains to be seen.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that says dissention and conflict are at their highest level since the Cold War, while cooperation among nations has become more difficult.

He said there "a worrying degradation of the international environment, what sounded like a thinly-veiled jab at Mr Trumps simplistic America First doctrine.

He was likely also talkign about the threat from north Korea's nuclear ambitions - with an escalating war of words between the US and the North Korean regime having been a central feature of the last few weeks.

The UN has passed the most stringent sanctions ever, with the vote coming just after Ms Haley claimed that Pyongyang and its mercurial leader Kim Jong-un were begging for war. She noted that though the US did not want to use its military, its patience is running thin.

It was no small feat to get a unanimous vote given that Russia and China both have trade relations with the isolated nation.

What may still be a concern for world leaders about Mr Trumps speech tomorrow is his response to the sanctions that banned all textile exports and put a cap on fuel supplies.

For their part, both China and Russia have jointly called for a mutual freeze of activities with North Korea ceasing their nuclear programme if the US halts military drills with ally South Korea, which Pyongyang sees as a provocation. The US has repeatedly rejected the proposal.

Mr Trump noted that the sanctions, regardless of how limiting they are on Pyongyangs economy, are nothing compared to what ultimately will have to happen.

To some, it showed Mr Trumps fatalistic view towards using military action against Pyongyang.

TJ Pempel, a political science professor at the University of California - Berkeley, previously told The Independent that the crux of the North Korea comments was that Mr Trump devotes zero time to understanding the complexities of any foreign policy issue.

That could also be a cause of the anxiety over Mr Trumps speech tomorrow - which most of the nations in the General Assembly will be watching with interest.
Spring beauty trend to try now Electric neon makeup made a bold statement on the runways at New York Fashion Week. (Photo: NARS)

If theres one beauty lesson to take away from New York Fashion Week, its that electric neon makeup isnt just for ravers. Vivid shades of yellow, orange, blue, and green are actually flattering on all skin tones and work beyond the dance floor.

NARS led the charge on this trend, using painterly swatches to brighten models eyelids at Novis, Rachel Comey, and Delpozo. On the Fenty x Puma runway, we saw these dynamic tones extended to the manicures, with extra long, rectangular-shaped vibrant nails. MAC Cosmeticss artists backstage at Chromat remixed the traditional inner-corner highlight by using an unconventional tangerine pigment near the tear ducts.

The key to pulling off electric neon makeup is to keep the rest of the skin glowy and fresh. Heavy black eyeliner or bold lipstick and blush would compete with the bright hues. A natural-looking highlight is OK. But if theres anything weve learned from The Blonds and Christian Siriano, color-clashing with your clothes is fair game!

Scroll through to see different ways you can add electric neon makeup to your beauty routine.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooLifestyle.
Dylann Roof is escorted into the court room at the Charleston County Judicial Center in Charleston, South Carolina on April 10, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Update (Sept. 20, 2017): The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused Dylann Roofs request to fire his Jewish and Indian lawyers, The Associated Press reported.

The court denies the motion for substitution of counsel on appeal, the judges wrote on Tuesday.

Earlier:

White supremacist and convicted mass murderer Dylann Roof has petitioned to remove two lawyers from his defense team.

Roof claimed it was impossible for him to trust his court-appointed attorneys, according to a handwritten letter filed Monday with the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, that was obtained by BuzzFeed and reported on earlier by South Carolinas The State. Roof identified the attorneys, Alexandra Yates and Sapna Mirchandani, as Jewish and Indian, respectively. He also described them as his political and biological enemies.

Because of their race, he wrote, it was quite literally impossible that they and I could have the same interests relating to my case.

Dylann Roof is very fortunate to live in a country where everyone is entitled to a fervent defense. pic.twitter.com/iaAaGR7lKJ  Seamus Hughes (@SeamusHughes) September 18, 2017

Roof, 23, killed nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, during a 2015 shooting rampage. He later said hed hoped the slayings would ignite a race war.

In December, Roof was convicted in federal court of 33 hate crime charges related to the shooting. He was sentenced to death for his crimes.

Yates and Mirchandani were appointed to Roofs case after the sentencing, according to The Post and Courier. The attorneys are now working to appeal his death sentence.

In his recent petition, Roof requested that Yates and Mirchandani be dismissed from his defense team and replaced.

I am confident after meeting my current attorneys that they will be unable to represent me in an efficient manner, he wrote, noting that he had clashed with his former attorney, the renowned death penalty lawyer David Bruck, who is Jewish.

Story continues

Brucks ethnicity was a constant source of conflict even with my constant efforts to look past it, Roof wrote.

Roof had sought to represent himself but ended up permitting Bruck to take the role of lead counsel during the guilt phase of his trial. He told Bruck that he hated him and would kill him if he was ever released from prison. In response to plans by his attorneys to present a mental health defense, Roof called his legal team the sneakiest people I ever met.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to show the courts refusal of Roofs request.

Related Coverage

Dylann Roof Stopped At Second Black Church Immediately After Massacre

Dylann Roof To Plead Guilty To State Murder Charges

Dylann Roof Ordered To Provide Handwriting Samples To Investigators

Jury Recommends Death Sentence For Dylann Roof

Dylann Roof Indicted On Federal Hate Crime Charges

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Beijing (AFP) - European companies suffer from "promise fatigue" over China's failure to follow through on pledges to open its market, the EU Chamber of Commerce in China said Tuesday.

The chamber issued an annual 400-page report detailing the regulatory barriers that continue to hinder investment in the world's second-largest economy.

European businesses are "suffering from accumulated 'promise fatigue', having witnessed a litany of assurances over recent years that never quite materialised," the position paper said.

The chamber urged the ruling Communist Party to "supplant words with concrete actions and provide reciprocal access to its market".

The restrictions imposed on foreign investments force companies from abroad to partner with local firms and often share vital technology -- if they are not barred altogether from accessing a certain market, the chamber said.

Chinese firms face no such restrictions in EU markets, Chamber president Mats Harborn told reporters prior to the report's release.

"We are now calling for the abolition of foreign investment laws," he said, stating that they made China's investment climate too complex, unpredictable and opaque to attract foreign capital.

"The numbers speak for themselves: Chinese investments in Europe rose 77 percent last year, while EU investments in China fell by a quarter," Harborn said. EU investment fell a further 23 percent in the first quarter of 2017.

A May survey published by the Chamber showed 54 percent of EU companies operating in China felt they were treated worse than local counterparts.

A study in January by the American Chamber of Commerce in China found more than four in five US companies feel the country is less welcoming to foreign businesses than in the past.

On Monday, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer slammed China's approach to its economy, calling Beijing's policies an "unprecedented" trade threat to which the World Trade Organization was not prepared to respond.

Story continues

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang retorted at a regular press briefing Tuesday that "China firmly supports an open world economy and improves its business environment. We are the advocate, contributor and architect of the multilateral trade regime".

Responding to the EU Chamber's concerns, he praised the country's "great achievements" since it began market reforms in the late 70s, stating: "I dont understand why certain parties would doubt our reform and opening up, which benefits both China and the world."

- Cheese and cybersecurity -

The lack of access belies the rhetoric of Chinese leaders.

In January, President Xi Jinping hailed globalisation at the World Economic Forum in Davos and insisted that China was committed to "opening up".

Later that month a government circular pledged to "create an environment of fair competition" and "strengthen efforts to attract foreign investment".

But foreign firms still worry about the business climate in the Asian giant.

In recent weeks, Chinese customs officials barred the import of certain mould-ripened cheeses containing cultures traditionally used in Europe, including Camembert, Brie and Roquefort.

The sudden move came with little explanation, taking effect even though new national food safety standards for cheese more than two years in development had not yet been announced.

"It's very surprising, and we can't understand the rationale behind it," said Harborn.

New Chinese rules to begin October 1 that require inspection certificates even for certain low-risk food products were "out of line with international practice", the EU Chamber report stated, and could dramatically reduce agriculture, food and beverage imports.

Harborn also expressed concern over China's strict new cybersecurity law, which since its implementation on June 1 has required that tech companies store user data inside the country, among other things.

Without greater transparency on China's part, the vaguely worded legislation would likely further bar fair competition and undermine trust, he said.

"A lack of trust is really detrimental for attracting foreign investment."
Can wedding guests ever wear white? Its controversial. (Photo: Getty Images)

Is it ever OK for wedding guests to wear white?

A local news reporter in Alabama is asking after sharing that she recently wore a white dress to a friends wedding  a style choice that didnt sit well with some guests.

I wore white to a friends wedding and got a salty look from a few folks, Tonya Terry, a WSFA 12 news anchor, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. Is not wearing white to a wedding still a thing? Its 2017 for goodness sake!

Fans could not agree whether the color choice is appropriate or insensitive: You have all of the colors of the rainbow to choose from and you chose white? Its bad form, wrote one Facebook user. No, I think the rule that guests not wear white went out with the rule that only virgin brides can wear white, countered another.

Someone else added, There was a time that you had to wear black to a funeral and now people wear bright colors, plaids, stripes, whatever. I think the times have changed and you can wear whatever is decent and hopefully modest. You look great!

Celebrities arent exempt from such wedding style scrutiny. In 2014, Britney Spears mom, Lynne, wore a white dress  one that closely resembled a wedding dress  to youngest daughter Jamie Lynns nuptials. That year, Beyonce wore a $350 white tank dress to sister Solanges ceremony, and in 2011, Pippa Middleton wore a long white cowl-neck gown to sister Kates 2011 wedding to Prince William. All three women made headlines for their choices.

Even wedding pros dont always agree on whether guests have a green light to wear white.

The answer is pretty much a flat no, unless its a specific request from the couple, Amy Shey Jacobs, founder and creative director of Chandelier Events, tells Yahoo Lifestyle, adding that brides are typically the only ones permitted to wear any shade of white, including snow white, diamond white, soft white, cream, or off-white.

Theres one exception: Sometimes the mothers or bridal parties have been asked to wear white, mostly as a fashion statement. However, that dates back to ancient Rome, where the courts required 12 witnesses at a marriage ceremony and bridal parties would dress exactly as the bride to ward off evil spirits, she says.

Story continues

According to Jen Glantz, founder of Bridesmaid for Hire, a service that offers everything from stand-in bridal party members to same-day coordinators, contemporary ceremonies have rewritten the rules.

Ive seen brides skip flower arrangements and use that money to get five times as many desserts, or couples forgo the first dance, the bouquet toss, and even bridal parties, Glantz tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

For guests who are dying to wear white, Glantz suggests adding colorful accessories or color-blocking their outfits to offset focus on the main hue.

Glantz and Shey Jacobs agree that not all brides would take offense to their guests wearing white, but its always wise to check beforehand. However, Shey Jacobs offers this rule of thumb: If you have to question whether the bride would be mad about your outfit, put it back on the rack.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
By Michelle Nichols NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday about Rohingya Muslims flooding into her country from Myanmar, but she expects no help from him as he has made clear how he feels about refugees. As Trump left an event he hosted at the United Nations on reforming the world body, Hasina said she stopped him for a few minutes. "He just asked how is Bangladesh? I said 'it's doing very well, but the only problem that we have is the refugees from Myanmar'," Hasina told Reuters in an interview. "But he didn't make any comment about refugees." A Myanmar military response to insurgent attacks last month in the country's Rakhine state sent more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded as ethnic cleansing. The Myanmar government says about 400 people have been killed in the fighting. Hasina, who is due to address the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, said Trump's stance on refugees was clear, so it was not worth asking him for help with the Rohingya Muslim refugees. "Already America declared that they will not allow any refugees," she said. "What I can expect from them, and especially (the) president. He already declared his mind ... so why I should ask?" "Bangladesh is not a rich country ... but if we can feed 160 million people, another 500 or 700,000 people, we can do it." A senior White House official was unaware of the exchange but said Trump was deeply interested in the subject and that "he would definitely engage if it were brought up." Shortly after taking office in January, Trump tried to put a 120-day halt on the U.S. refugee program, bar Syrian refugees indefinitely and impose a 90-day suspension on people from six predominantly Muslim countries. "The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!" Trump said on Twitter on Friday. Trump says the move is needed to prevent terrorist attacks and allow the government to put in place more stringent vetting procedures. There is a key Supreme Court hearing next month on the constitutionality of his executive order on the ban. About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Hasina said she wanted to see more international political pressure on Myanmar to allow the Rohingya to return. "(Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi) should agree that these people belong to her country and that Myanmar is their country. They should take them back," she said. "These people are suffering." Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of international criticism for not stopping the violence. Myanmar national security adviser Thaung Tun told Reuters on Monday that Myanmar would ensure those who left their homes could return, but there was "a process we have to discuss." U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged the Myanmar government to end military operations, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes. "People are still at risk of being attacked or killed, humanitarian aid is not reaching the people who need it, and innocent civilians are still fleeing across the border to Bangladesh," Haley said after Britain hosted a meeting on the crisis in New York on Monday. A U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, Patrick Murphy, is due in Myanmar this week. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Additional reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, with reporters at the Capitol, Sept. 19, 2017. (Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  The Senates buzzer-beater attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare may come down to two independent-minded Republicans who voted no on the last go-round: Lisa Murkowski and John McCain.

Without support from the GOP holdouts, it is difficult to see how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., can whip 50 votes for the new health care bill before Sept. 30, the deadline to use the reconciliation process that requires a simple majority to push through the legislation.

The Graham-Cassidy bill would devolve Medicaid and Obamacare subsidy spending to individual states, leading to big cuts for some blue states like Massachusetts while boosting red states that did not expand Medicaid under Obamacare. It also repeals Obamacares individual and employer mandates.

Murkowski told reporters Tuesday she was under intense pressure on the bill and would decide whether to back it once she was sure how it affected her home state of Alaska.

Im still looking for data that walks me through how Alaska actually does, she told an NBC reporter. My governor has said, Hey, I like flexibility, but if I get half as much money, flexibility doesnt help me.

Alaskas independent governor, Bill Walker, signed a letter Tuesday urging the Senate to drop the Graham-Cassidy bill and come up with a bipartisan solution to health care.

Murkowski added if its shown Alaska gets more money and more flexibility, she could walk people back home through the plan and sell it.

Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., suggested his objections over the process that led to his no vote in July had not been adequately addressed. McCain returned to the Senate in the summer after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer and chastised his colleagues for not working together on legislation.

Senate Republicans have scheduled a finance committee hearing on the Graham-Cassidy bill for Monday, which some speculated could swing McCain over to backing the bill. But the Arizonan did not sound impressed.

Story continues

You think that thats regular order? McCain asked reporters. I always thought regular order was hearings and debates and amendments and then to the floor with debates, discussion and amendments. Thats what I thought regular order was.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close friend of McCains and the author of the bill, says hell work the phones over the next few days to try to convince wavering senators to get to yes. President Trump will also apply pressure, he said.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has already come out against the bill, dubbing it Obamacare Lite because it leaves many of the Affordable Care Acts taxes in place. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters she had concerns about the bills effect on people with preexisting conditions. If both of them vote no, the GOP conference cant lose any more senators and still pass the legislation, making the focus on McCain and Murkowski more urgent.

Sen. John McCain speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill, Sept.19, 2017. (Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters)

Both Murkowski and McCain are well insulated from political pressures. McCain, a self-styled maverick of the chamber, just won reelection and is also battling a potentially fatal disease. Murkowskis next election, meanwhile, is more than four years away, and the Alaska senator won her race in 2010 on a write-in campaign as an independent after losing the Republican primary. She owes less to the Republican Party than most other GOP senators.

Alaska Republican Party officials debated censuring her at their committee meeting recently for her vote in July, but ended up rejecting the idea. The reactions went from condemning her to rebuking her to Lets start a campaign fund to find a replacement for 2022, said Alaska Republican Party Chairman Tuckerman Babcock. All these things were brought up at our central committee meeting, but all of them were defeated.

Still, its possible Republican leadership could cut a deal with Murkowski that favors her state and gets her to yes, while Graham could prevail upon his friend McCain to come on board.

Getting so close again to a repeal and replace effort is giving some senators a feeling of deja vu.

Were probably within one or two votes, but weve been there before, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told Yahoo News.

McConnell, however, is unlikely to bring the bill to the floor unless he has an ironclad 50 votes, not wanting to repeat the public failure of late July when McCain killed the effort with a surprise late-night no vote.

If we were to go forward we would have to act before September 30, McConnell told reporters when asked when the bill would be introduced on the floor.

Thats a big if.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Facebook's admission that Russian-linked advertisers spent $100,000 on ads leading up to and after the 2016 presidential election has led to serious questions about their effects. But how did they make it through the social network's filters? Four anonymous advertisement monitors explained to The Verge that, as contractors handling hundreds to thousands of ad parts per day, they weren't adequately prepared to screen the propaganda and keep it off the site.

Three of the four workers were at Facebook during the June 2015 to May 2017 time frame during which these ads hit the social network. According to them, each used screening software to evaluate specific portions of an advertisement queued up for review, perhaps vetting images or text segments but never looking at the whole ad. The workers typed in key codes to tag each segment with descriptors, which enabled them to quickly but not critically sift through material, the anonymous sources told The Verge. They were on the lookout for sexually explicit or violent material as well as scams, not subtle attempts to influence the election.

Or, as one worker told The Verge, "They weren't screening for, like, propaganda or anything." They were looking more for marketing attempts capitalizing on fear to sell products, not change opinions.

The Russian-backed ads had some criteria that could've potentially raised red flags among reviewers, but the massive volume of advertisements flowing in daily meant there was room for the ones in question to sneak by. An algorithm was also used to screen ads, which the workers were constantly training, they told The Verge; Conceivably, it could have approved all the Russian-backed content.

We've reached out to Facebook for comment and will include it when we hear back.
Facebook is serious about using Groups to propel its new mission to "bring the world closer together." That's why it's made a big-name hire for the product leader for the Facebook Groups team. Former Change.org COO and president Jennifer Dulski will take the role.

In a Facebook post, Facebook's CPO Chris Cox wrote, "This is a big day for us because we've been trying to recruit Jen for a long time. Many of you already know she's a product star whos focused on social impact." We've reached out to Facebook and Dulski for further comment.

Dulski wrote on her own Facebook that, "At a time when our world seems increasingly divided and people are often feeling more alone, it is more important than ever to help people create and be part of communities that are meaningful to them -- communities that teach us about each other and remind us of what we share rather than what pulls us apart."

Prior to her 4.5 years at Change.org, Dulski was a group VP at Yahoo, then co-founded local deals startup The Dealmap, which she sold to Google in 2011. She's also sat on the boards of TEGNA (formerly Gannett), Little Passports and Move Inc. Dulski resigned from the TEGNA board today to avoid any conflicts of interest.

Facebook Groups already has 1 billion users out of the social network's 2 billion total, and 100 million people belong to what Facebook calls "meaningful Groups." But Facebook has set of a goal of getting 1 billion people into meaningful groups. In June the company rallied Group admins together in Chicago for a summit where it announced new features like Group analytics and member request questionnaires.

There's a huge opportunity for Dulski to bridge the gap between sharing publicly or to hundreds of friends in the News Feed, and communicating directly with close friends via Messenger. Groups is where users can forge important bonds with strangers who share their hobbies, ambitions, life phases, medical conditions or political affiliation.

Story continues

Facebook's new Admin Recommended Groups feature

Creating those ties isn't just a way for Facebook to differentiate itself from broadcast networks like Twitter and chat services like Snapchat. The product could drive Facebook's hope to mend its polarized community in the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election that divided people by party lines, geographic location and beliefs on controversial issues like immigration and healthcare.

Facebook has taken the rap for purportedly helping Donald Trump win the presidency through the distribution of false news and political ad buys by the Republican campaign and Russian agents seeking to influence the election. If Dulski can build better discovery, communication and moderation features into Groups, it could show people that Facebook can assemble them with their communities rather than pitting people against each other.

You can read Dulski's full post about joining Facebook below.

https://tcprotectedembed.com/protected-iframe/c691290201a4764e3ad999f7435fd372-24588526-1603003 ( function() { var func = function() { var iframe = document.getElementById('wpcom-iframe-c691290201a4764e3ad999f7435fd372-24588526-1603003') if ( iframe ) { iframe.onload = function() { iframe.contentWindow.postMessage( { 'msg_type': 'poll_size', 'frame_id': 'wpcom-iframe-c691290201a4764e3ad999f7435fd372-24588526-1603003' }, "https:\/\/tcprotectedembed.com" ); } } // Autosize iframe var funcSizeResponse = function( e ) { var origin = document.createElement( 'a' ); origin.href = e.origin; // Verify message origin if ( 'tcprotectedembed.com' !== origin.host ) return; // Verify message is in a format we expect if ( 'object' !== typeof e.data || undefined === e.data.msg_type ) return; switch ( e.data.msg_type ) { case 'poll_size:response': var iframe = document.getElementById( e.data._request.frame_id ); if ( iframe && '' === iframe.width ) iframe.width = '100%'; if ( iframe && '' === iframe.height ) iframe.height = parseInt( e.data.height ); return; default: return; } } if ( 'function' === typeof window.addEventListener ) { window.addEventListener( 'message', funcSizeResponse, false ); } else if ( 'function' === typeof window.attachEvent ) { window.attachEvent( 'onmessage', funcSizeResponse ); } } if (document.readyState === 'complete') { func.apply(); /* compat for infinite scroll */ } else if ( document.addEventListener ) { document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', func, false ); } else if ( document.attachEvent ) { document.attachEvent( 'onreadystatechange', func ); } } )();
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the launch of a Hwasong-12 missile - REUTERS

The number of North Korean defectors successfully completing escapes to South Korea has fallen by 12.7 percent in the first eight months of the year.

In a report, South Korea's Ministry of Unification said 780 people managed to reach safety in the South between January and August, but that figure was a significant decline on the same period one year previously as Pyongyang has stepped up its efforts to halt defections.

China has also increased security along its border with the North, Yonhap news reported, and is increasingly repatriating defectors who manage to get into China.

Rights groups believe that China detained at least 41 refugees in July and August and, despite requests from Seoul that they be permitted to travel on to South Korea, they are expected to be repatriated.

At a glance | North Koreas human rights record

Human rights groups say that North Koreans who are sent back are invariably punished by imprisonment in labour camps or prisons for political offences, both of which "have long been documented to be facilities where torture, starvation and inadequate medical care are endemic", according to the Human Rights Watch NGO.

Of those who were able to reach South Korea, nearly 57 percent were farmers or manual workers.

Significantly, the report adds, there has been an increase in the number of defectors from the relatively privileged classes in North Korean society, such as government officials.

There are also reports of families fleeing the reclusive republic for their children's education. Analysts also believe that the number of people braving the landmines, tripwires and machine guns that are trained aross the Demilitarised Zone in a bid for freedom is indicative of growing despair in the North.

In June alone, no fewer than three North Korean solidiers negotiated the DMZ and handed themselves in to their South Korean counterparts. In the same month, seven civilians were rescued from rickety boats after making the crossing to the South.

Quoting a security official in Seoul, South Korean media said the surge in defections across the world's most heavily fortified border is "unprecedented" and that the risks they are taking indicate growing levels of discontent - or desperation - within North Korea.
The first images of one of the suspects being held by U.K. police after the bomb blast on a London subway train on Friday have appeared in British media.

Yahyah Farroukh, a 21-year-old from Syria, is being questioned under Britain's Terrorism Act, meaning that he is suspected of being involved in extremist-related activities.

He was recently registered as a resident at an address that police searched in the British country of Surrey, to the southwest of London after the attack. Officers detained him at a fried chicken shop named Aladdin's on Saturday night, according to reports by Sky News.

On Friday at around 8.20 a.m. local time an improvised explosive device, or IED, detonated inside a bag bearing the name of German supermarket Lidl, injuring 29 at Parsons Green subway station in west London, most with flash burns. Fitted with a timer, the device did not detonate fully.

09_18_Yahyah_Farroukh

Facebook

Farroukh's Facebook page says that he is from the Syrian capital, Damascus, which has been wracked by fighting for more than six years in the protracted civil war.

In one post on his page, he shared an image of a candle being lit for Syria. It read: "So the UK government has authorised bombings in Syria, God protect all the innocent people that are going to be killed in the process #pray4Syria"

09_18_Yahyah_Farroukh_2

Facebook

Another suspect, an 18-year-old man, was detained at Dover Ferry port on Saturday while attempting to get to France. Police believe he is the suspect pictured in CCTV images of a man holding a similar Lidl bag.

British media reported that he is an Iraqi orphan who moved to Britain when he was 15 years old after his parents died in his home country.

Both men had spent time in the same care of foster parents, Penelope and Ronald Jones, who have fostered almost 300 children.

Story continues

09_18_Parsons_Green

ITV News

The Islamic State militant group (ISIS) claimed responsibiity for the bomb blast on its Amaq news agency but authorities are yet to present any indication that the jihadist group played a role in the attack. It is rare for ISIS to claim an attack when the perpetrators are still at large.

It represented the fifth act of terror on British soil this year. Four others included three vehicle rammings in Londontwo on bridges and one outside a mosque, targeting Muslimsand a suicide bomb attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. The attacks have killed 37 people in total.

After Friday's plot and the ensuing stampede the blast caused at the station, all but one of those injured has now left hospital.

British police increased the country's threat level to "critical" after the attack, but lowered it again to "severe" following the arrests of Farroukh and the 18-year-old man.

Related Articles
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - A hopeful France set out at the United Nations Monday to persuade the United States to stay in the Paris climate agreement, as Donald Trump's administration insisted it was not changing gears.

Gary Cohn, the chief White House economic adviser, reiterated Trump's opposition to the landmark accord as he met over breakfast with officials from other major economies at the start of the UN General Assembly, an annual week of diplomacy.

But French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, whose government has made preserving the agreement reached in the French capital in 2015 a top priority, held out hope.

"We take note of President Trump's statements on not respecting it, but for the moment no action has been taken and we can still hope to persuade him," he told reporters.

"We have to make sure that international pressure is strong and that we do not stop the agreement from being implemented," he said, noting that French President Emmanuel Macron has called a climate summit for December 12 in Paris.

The Trump administration has sent out mixed messages on the Paris deal in recent days.

European officials suggested after a climate meeting in Montreal on Saturday that Washington might be ready to re-engage with the pact.

That prompted a firm pushback from the White House which insisted its stance was unchanged -- only for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to assert a day later that the US was studying ways to cooperate with other countries on what, he said, "is still a challenging issue."

- Extreme weather -

Trump, whose Republican Party has strong ties to the fossil fuel industry, has said that the Paris agreement is unfair to the world's largest economy.

In pulling out, the United States would be the only country outside the Paris accord other than war-torn Syria and Nicaragua, which had pressed for a stricter deal.

The agreement, championed by Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, calls for countries to set their own plans with a goal of keeping global warming over this century under two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels.

Story continues

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that there was no time to spare, estimating that more than 20 million people have already been displaced by floods, storms or other extreme weather linked to climate change since 2008.

"In Paris, we rose to a global challenge. Now we have an even bigger challenge: raising ambition and staying on course," Guterres said.

But in the wake of Trump's move, the UN chief focused on action by non-state players such as businesses and regional governments.

Governor Jerry Brown of California, the most populous US state, has called a meeting of non-governmental players on climate change for next year.

"America is not run by Donald Trump," Brown told a forum called by Guterres.

"We are a country of diverse power centers, and mobilizing those power centers that are not controlled by the president is still a very worthwhile goal and very powerful," he said.

- Action at local level -

Former vice president turned environmental champion Al Gore warned of the rapid worsening of climate change, pointing out that Hurricane Harvey which battered Texas last month was the type of rain that was only likely to happen every 25,000 years.

"We are departing the familiar bounds of history as we have known it since our civilization began," Gore told a conference of the World Economic Forum on the UN sidelines.

Both Gore and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is serving as a UN special envoy on cities and climate change, said that the United States could still meet its Obama-era commitments through private sector action.

"We are winning this, but we must win it more quickly," Gore said.

Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs investment banker, at his meeting with officials of major economies discussed the role of US energy technology in both economic growth and lowering carbon emissions, a White House official said.

The official said that Cohn made clear during the breakfast that Trump is "withdrawing from the Paris agreement unless we can re-engage on terms more favorable to the United States."

arb-leb-cat-sct/jm
WASHINGTON  Hillary Clinton criticized Russias interference in the 2016 election, telling a packed theater Monday night in the nations capital that the U.S. media got played and joking that she ran against both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin last year.

Clinton, who is on a media tour promoting her new book, What Happened, was introduced at the event to thunderous applause as having won 3 million more votes than the Republican nominee. Trump now lives in the White House, but Washington remains a Democratic stronghold in which more than 90 percent of the district voted for Clinton last year.

Onstage, Clinton recapped the infamous day last October when the Obama administration announced Russia was behind the hacks of the Democratic National Committee, the Washington Post broke the Access Hollywood tape story, and Clintons campaign chairmans emails began getting released on WikiLeaks. The U.S. intelligence community later accused the Kremlin of feeding the emails to WikiLeaks.

John Podestas emails were stolen  I hate the word hacked; they were stolen, Clinton said of her former campaign chairman. She sarcastically called it such an amazing coincidence that WikiLeaks dumped his emails within an hour of the Washington Post publishing the tape of Trump boasting about groping women. And she insisted that people close to Trump certainly knew about Russias interference.

She said that the Russians and their allies  whoever they turn out to be  sent the press on a wild goose chase over Podestas emails because releasing them created the illusion of transparency.

If you think youre getting something from behind the screen maybe its more legitimate even though youre being played by a bunch of Russians, Clinton said of the medias attitude. (Clinton has also recently said that Trump is being played by Putin, Russias president.)

A copy of former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons new book, What Happened, sits backstage as she launches a 15-city book tour at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Earlier on Monday, the former secretary of state told NPR host Terry Gross in an interview that she would not rule out questioning the legitimacy of Trumps win if its discovered that Russias interference was deeper than is known. But she also said she doesnt think theres a mechanism to overturn the results.

Story continues

At this event, Clinton was questioned by her former speechwriter and the owner of the D.C. Politics & Prose bookstore, Lissa Muscatine.

At one point, Muscatine asked Clinton to choose between two options in a playful list, including Chardonnay or vodka? Muscatine ended the questions with Putin or Trump?

Yeah  well, I have to take that under advisement for the following reason: I ran against both of them, Clinton quipped.

Clinton warned that Russias weaponizing of information was a major threat to U.S. democracy, and praised Congress for looking into Facebook hosting Russia propaganda during the election. She talked about how fake news sites spread the false story claiming Podesta was involved in child trafficking at a D.C. pizza restaurant, which prompted a disturbed man to show up with a gun at the restaurant and open fire. (No one was injured.)

I think its one of the most serious challenges we face in politics, Clinton said. If we dont get a handle on information that is not just controversial [and] protected by the First Amendment, but aimed at spreading lies to the extent that can cause behavior like we saw in this terrible instance, it will not stop.

Clinton also spoke about how she believed former FBI Director James Comeys letter in late October hurt her with white women voters, a majority of whom voted for Trump. In her book and in many interviews about it, Clinton has said Comey played a decisive role in her loss by announcing he was looking into more of her emails just before Election Day.

It stopped my momentum and it played into concerns women have about whether they are making a mistake with their vote, Clinton said. We could see that a lot of women in particular turned away; they were discouraged. I dont blame them  they didnt know what to believe.

Clinton said women are also under pressure from people around them about whom to vote for. When a woman runs she has to work extra hard to convince other women that she can do the job shes running for, she said.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
Ten months after a gunman opened fire in a D.C. pizza parlor over a debunked conspiracy theory involving 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her campaign chairman, John Podesta, it was revealed that Clinton had quietly supported the pizzeria in the wake of the shooting.

Monday evening, during the first stop of Clintons book tour for her new campaign memoir, What Happened, the evenings host, Lissa Muscatine, co-owner of the popular Washington bookstore Politics and Prose, told the crowd that Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had purchased a number of pizzas from Comet Ping Pong and sent them to a local after-school literacy program.

I told you what was going on and you responded instantly and were so supportive, recalled Muscatine, whose bookstore is located just down the street from the pizza place. A few days after that, you and your husband said, What can we do to support Comet?

On Dec. 4, 2016, Edgar Welch fired an AR-15 rifle in the establishment. It was later reported that Welch had driven from his home in North Carolina to investigate the unsubstantiated claim that Clinton and Podesta had secretly run a child sex ring in the basement of the pizza place. No one was hurt, but the incident had a chilling effect in Washington, where the vitriol of the 2016 campaign had yet to feel so close. Welch was later sentenced to four years in prison.

The conspiracy theory, one of the more outlandish falsehoods that gained traction in an already wild election season, emerged from a misreading of a cache of leaked emails from Podesta published by the group WikiLeaks.

This is a terrible example of what can be done by people who are malicious, unacquainted with the truth and pursuing their own agendas, Clinton said of the shooting.

I cant tell you how important it was ... that you and President Clinton were there for us, Muscatine told Clinton. Ive never had a chance to thank you publicly.

Story continues

Clinton did manage to find some humor in the incident.

In one of the emails, John Podesta is talking about pizza. Hes Italian and Greek, so you know, Clinton recalled, soliciting laughter from Muscatine and the nearly 2,000 people gathered for the book event at the Warner Theatre in downtown Washington.

Hillary Clinton quietly supported a D.C. pizza place after a gunman opened fire there last year. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signs copies of her new book 'What Happened' during a signing event at Barnes and Noble bookstore in New York City on 12 September 2017: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton has said that she would not rule out questioning the legitimacy of the 2016 US election over the investigation into Russian interference.

The former Secretary of State told National Public Radio she would dispute Donald Trumps win if it turns out that allegations of Russia hacking were more insidious than the country originally thought.

She said: Look, if I lost to another Republican I would be disappointed. I would not agree with a lot of their approach toward economics and other important issues, but I wouldn't fear for my country.

Her comments on the Fresh Air programme come at a time when there are parallel investigations being run by Congress, and the FBI under Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, into alleged ties between the Trump campaign team and Russian officials and whether Russian interference in the election was done to benefit Mr Trump.

However, this is not to say Ms Clintons would officially call a challenge.

Ms Clinton said she would raise questions, but I don't know if there's any legal constitutional way to challenge the results.

She won the popular vote by nearly three million ballots but Mr Trump won the electoral college, putting him in office.

Ms Clintons new book What Happened is an illustration of her frustration with the events surrounding the election regarding Russia.

She claimed that Mr Trump knew [Russians] were trying to do whatever they could to discredit me with emails, so there's obviously a trail there.

Mr Mueller, for his part, is also said to be investigating whether FBI Director James Comey was sacked by Mr Trump in order to potentially obstruct the FBIs investigation into the matter.

Ms Clinton also said that had she won the election by electoral college vote, she would have appointed an independent commission dedicated to investigating the matter rather than publicly questioning the American intelligence community the way Mr Trump has done.

In my first day as president [if] the intelligence community came to me and said, The Russians influenced the election, I would've never stood for it.
By Greg Torode and Venus Wu HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's leader urged an immediate end to independence debates in the Chinese-ruled global financial hub on Tuesday, warning that the issue was harming the city's relationship with Beijing's Communist Party leaders. Insisting that the government did not want to intervene on university campuses, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the campaign was "organized and systematic" rather than simply an issue of freedom of speech. "This has already deviated from the so-called, 'Why aren't we able to talk about this?' point of view. It is clearly attacking 'one country, two systems' ... and destroying the relationship between Beijing and Hong Kong," Lam said. "It is not in the interests of Hong Kong's development and must stop." Lam said the calls "violated" the Basic Law, the constitutional document securing Hong Kong's broad freedoms of speech and assembly after Britain returned its former colony to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 under the "one country, two systems" banner. While the Basic Law enshrines far broader civil and commercial freedoms than exist in mainland China, some legal experts warn that a sustained independence campaign could break laws against sedition. Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have warned that independence discussions are a red line that can't be crossed, saying the city is an inalienable part of China. Some students have placed banners on "democracy walls" on campuses in recent days, sparking anger and counter campaigns from Hong Kong-based mainland students. Some mainland Chinese students and pro-China patriotic groups have since sought to rip down some posters, sparking heated exchanges with Hong Kong students and free speech advocates. Pro-independence activists should be "killed" and treated without mercy, Junius Ho, a pro-Beijing lawmaker, said during a rally on Sunday, sparking outrage and calls for police to act. The widening controversy sparked criticism from Chinese state media, as well as a rare joint statement from the heads of Hong Kong universities, declaring that the universities did not support Hong Kong independence. Lam said she believed university management would be able to handle the issue without government action. Asked about Lam's warnings, Chris Patten, Britain's last governor of Hong Kong, urged greater efforts to engage Hong Kong's restive young people. "It's unwise to think that you can simply shut it down by, and I'm sure Carrie Lam wouldn't suggest this, by locking students up," Patten told Reuters. "These aren't people to be frightened of. They are the future. And you've got to persuade them why they're wrong." While the students should "back off" counterproductive independence debates, he said, they should continue to push for democracy and the rule of law to secure their freedoms. "This is an extremely moderate community," Patten later told a meeting at the Foreign Correspondents' Club. "If you give Hong Kong a bit more democracy, you've got to recognize that it's a moderate place and people will behave responsibly." Patten was critical, however, of the Hong Kong government's decision to seek a resentencing of democracy activist Joshua Wong and others, calling it a "political decision" that should have been better thought out, given the criticism it provoked. He also mentioned a Reuters report that Hong Kong's Justice Secretary Rimsky Yuen had overruled department colleagues in pursuing prison sentences for the democracy activists. "He's a grown-up, he must know  that actions have consequences," Patten added. "Not to understand what signal that would send to the rest of the world strikes me as being, to be frank, a little naive." (Reporting by Greg Torode and Venus Wu; Additional reporting by James Pomfret; Editing by Paul Tait and Clarence Fernandez)
Hugh Jackman (left) plays Senator Gary Hart (right) in his new film The Front Runner. The 48-year-old actor is spotted in costume while on set in Atlanta. (Photo: Backgrid/AP Images)

If you dont already heart the casting of Hugh Jackman as senator-turned-disgraced presidential candidate Gary Hart, a newly released set of photos may change your mind. The Logan star is currently filming The Front Runner, a dramatized account of Harts tumultuous 1988 Oval Office campaign directed by Jason Reitman and co-scripted by Reitman, Jay Carson, and Yahoo News journalist Matt Bai, whose book All the Truth Is Out inspired the film. The shots below were snapped on the films Atlanta set, presenting a trim Jackman rocking the classic shirt-and-tie combo of a politician on the campaign trail, along with perfectly coiffed 80s hair.

Hugh Jackman as Senator Gary Hart in The Front Runner, on set in Atlanta (Photo: Backgrid)

Full view of Hugh Jackman as Senator Gary Hart in The Front Runner on set in Atlanta. (Photo: Backgrid)

Another view of Hugh Jackman as Senator Gary Hart in The Front Runner on set in Atlanta (Photo: Backgrid)

For those who didnt live through it the first time, the 1988 campaign started out with Hart as a top contender for the Democratic nomination, with a healthy lead vs. Republican frontrunner George H.W. Bush in initial polls. But then word of Harts infidelity with then-actress Donna Rice (played by Sara Paxton in the film) reached the press, derailing his candidacy and putting a strain on his home life with his wife, Lee (Vera Farmiga). (Real life spoiler alert: the two remained together and are still married.) Likely eyeing a 2018 release  when the country will be in the midst of a pivotal Congressional elections and the potential for political scandals will be on voters minds The Front Runner should make the past feel a whole lot like the present.

Hugh Jackman says his daughter told him to lip-sync in The Greatest Showman:

Read more from Yahoo Movies:
Budapest (AFP) - Hungary is set to launch another state "national consultation" about US financier and philanthropist George Soros, the government said Tuesday, six months before expected general elections.

The campaign would be to investigate public views on the "Soros plan", and would likely be launched next month, government spokesman Bence Tuzson told public radio, without giving further details.

Last week a top official in the ruling Fidesz party, Lajos Kosa, said that this "Soros plan" includes Europe accepting a million migrants per year and the demolition of Hungary's anti-migrant border fences.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has regularly attacked the Hungarian-born Soros in the last year, calling him a "public enemy" for his alleged backing of uncontrolled mass immigration.

A national consultation earlier this year also focused on Soros, seen as a liberal bogeyman by Budapest who funds a raft of civil society groups in central and eastern Europe.

An image of the 87-year-old laughing adorned billboard posters alongside a message urging Hungarians "not to let Soros have the last laugh".

The posters, some of which were daubed with anti-Semitic graffiti, were widely condemned including by Soros himself and Hungary's main Jewish organisation, which called them "poisonous".

The drive is the latest of a series of taxpayer-funded "national consultations" by Orban's government comprising questionnaires sent to households and accompanying mass media "public information" campaigns.

The first one, in 2015, included a questionnaire asking households about "immigration and terrorism".

That survey was sharply criticised, notably by the UN refugee agency UNHCR which expressed "shock" at its questions and said it could boost xenophobia in the EU country.

Another campaign titled "Let's Stop Brussels" asked citizens for advice on how to deal with European Union policies that the government said threatened Hungarians' independence.

Hungarian media reported Tuesday that Orban told a recent closed party meeting immigration would be the main theme of the run-up to the next election, likely to be held in April.
St John Island (United States) (AFP) - Hurricane Maria closed in on the US Virgin Islands Wednesday as the US National Hurricane Center warned of a "potentially catastrophic" impact from a storm that has already killed at least two people in the Caribbean.

Winds packing 160 miles (255 kilometers) an hour were already lashing the US islands as Maria barreled westwards, forecast to make landfall before heading to Puerto Rico.

"Preparations against life-threatening storm surge and rainfall, flooding and destructive winds should be rushed to completion," the NHC said, warning the eye of the Category Five hurricane was approaching St Croix, one of the US Virgin Islands.

"Very violent and intense right now as we have just begun to experience hurricane force winds," said 31-year-old Coral Megahy late Tuesday, as she hunkered down on St Croix. "We can hear debris banging on the aluminum windows as well right now."

On St John Island, locals reported seeing trees swirling in the wind, with rain coming "sideways" as Maria continued on its path of destruction after battering the island of Dominica and other territories in the eastern Caribbean.

Arriving just as islanders are struggling to recover from devastating Hurricane Irma, which struck earlier this month, Maria claimed two victims in the French territory of Guadeloupe, where two other people were missing.

One person was killed by a falling tree as powerful winds whipped the archipelago, authorities said, while another died on the seafront. Two more disappeared when their boat went missing in the storm.

Judi Buckley, former senator for St Croix Island, traveled to St John from her South Carolina home to help with the Irma relief effort -- only to get caught up in Maria.

"We have become the Irma relief hub and our brothers and sisters across the pond can't afford for us to be crippled," she said, referring to those on St Croix.

Story continues

On neighboring Dominica, premier Roosevelt Skerrit posted on Facebook that there were initial reports of "widespread devastation," with official communications to the island completely cut off in the wake of the storm.

The airport and ports have been closed on the tropical island of 72,000 people.

St Martin, a French-Dutch island that was among the worst hit by Irma with 14 dead, was under a maximum "violet" alert, with people ordered to stay indoors.

A similar measure was in place in the British Virgin Islands.

"Our islands are extremely vulnerable right now," the territory's premier Orlando Smith said in a statement, warning that the storm could turn debris left by Irma into dangerous projectiles.

On Puerto Rico, Governor Ricardo Rossello described Maria as "the worst storm of the last century."

Schoolteacher Noemi Aviles Rivera, 47, who experienced Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Georges in 1998, said: "I'm not denying I'm scared. I feel worried because it's the first time I'll see a hurricane of this magnitude."

- 'Everything is shaking' -

Guadeloupe was serving as a base for aid flights to Irma-hit French territories after the hurricane, and there were fears that major damage there could hamper the relief operation. Authorities announced a driving ban, with several areas around the largest city Pointe-a-Pitre flooded and fallen trees blocking many roads.

Some 40 percent of households in the territory of 400,000 were without power.

"Everything around me is shaking," former French minister Victorin Lurel told BFMTV from his home in the south of the island.

The Dominican Republic, whose east coast was battered by Irma, ordered citizens in part of the north to evacuate ahead of Maria's arrival.

St Kitts and Nevis, the British island of Montserrat, and the Puerto Rican islands of Culebra and Vieques were also on alert.

- Preparing for the worst -

Britain, France and the Netherlands boosted resources for the Caribbean ahead of the storm, after facing accusations that they were ill-prepared for the damage done by Irma in their overseas territories.

"We are planning for the unexpected, we are planning for the worst," said Chris Austin, head of a UK military task force set up to deal with the aftermath of Irma.

France said 110 more soldiers would be deployed to the region after widespread complaints of looting and lawlessness on St Martin after last week's storm.

Building supplies were hurriedly flown in to help islanders repair roofs torn off by Irma as Maria approached.

- Hurricane series -

Irma left around 40 people dead altogether in the Caribbean before churning west and pounding Florida, where the toll of deaths linked to the hurricane rose to 58 on Tuesday.

The hurricane broke records when it whipped up winds of 295 kilometers per hour for more than 33 hours straight.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the lethal sequence of hurricanes was "one of the direct consequences of global warming."

Macron hosted US President Donald Trump in Paris in July when he sought to persuade the US leader to reconsider his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord.

Many scientists are convinced that megastorms such as Irma are intensified by the greater energy they can draw from oceans that are warming as a result of climate change.

burs-acb/hg
By Sarah Dadouch BEIRUT (Reuters) - Jihadists launched an offensive against government-held parts of northwestern Syria near Hama on Tuesday in their biggest attack there since March, triggering heavy air strikes on rebel territory, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It said air strikes hit three hospitals, a medical center and premises used by a rescue service in rebel-held Idlib. A Syrian military source denied the report, saying only insurgent convoys and positions had been hit. The insurgent attack north of Hama revived hostilities in the northwestern region near the Turkish border that has been relatively calm in recent months as Russian-led diplomacy seeks to shore up ceasefires in western Syria. Islamist militants who hold sway in Idlib reject the diplomacy, including a tripartite deal struck last week by Moscow, Tehran and Ankara to deploy an observer force on the edge of an Idlib "de-escalation zone". A Syrian army source cited by state media said the attack launched on several fronts was being repelled, and the insurgents had suffered losses. "The clashes are continuing and the air force and artillery are targeting the headquarters and movements of the terrorist convoys in the area," said the source. An insurgent source told Reuters that rebels were making advances in the northern Hama countryside, in an area where President Bashar al-Assad and his allies have been steadily rolling back rebel gains over the last two years. The Observatory said insurgents taking part in the assault included Tahrir al-Sham, the jihadist Turkistan Islamic Party, and rebels fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army. They had captured four villages, it said. The ex-Nusra Front, which cut ties with al Qaeda and rebranded last year, spearheads the Tahrir al-Sham alliance of Islamist groups. A media outlet run by the Damascus-allied Lebanese group Hezbollah said Syrian army air strikes were targeting insurgents in the northern Hama and southern Idlib area. Insurgents advanced to within a few km (miles) of government-held Hama city earlier this year, before the Syrian army and its allies retook the territory in April. Ceasefire deals in western Syria - for years the main theater of the war - have helped the Syrian army and its allies advance against Islamic State in the east, where government forces are battling IS in Deir al-Zor. A U.S.-backed militia force, the Syrian Democratic Forces, is waging a separate offensive against Islamic State in Deir al-Zor province, focusing on areas on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. The rival forces have generally stayed out of each other's way, with the river often acting as a dividing line. Syrian government forces and their allies have however crossed into the SDF's area of operations on the eastern bank of in recent days. The Hezbollah-run media unit said on Tuesday that government forces and their allies captured a village and parts of the nearby town of Khasham on the eastern bank. Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Syrian soldiers, with Russian air power, "continued to expand the captured area" in recent days. "Despite the persistent resistance of ISIS (Islamic State) fighters, Syrian troops managed to free more than 60 square kilometers of terrorists on the left bank of the Euphrates, he said. (additional reporting by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber in Moscow; Writing by Tom Perry; editing by Mark Heinrich)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Tuesday the Iran nuclear agreement must be changed or the United States could not remain part of the pact. Tillerson, in an interview on Fox News, said the so-called sunset clauses, under which some of the 2015 deal's restrictions on Iran's nuclear program expire over time, were of particular concern. "If we're going to stick with the Iran deal there has to be changes made to it. The sunset provisions simply is not a sensible way forward," Tillerson said. "It's just simply ... kicking the can down the road again for someone in the future to have to deal with." (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday threatened to react with force to a "wrong move" by U.S. President Donald Trump in regard to the landmark nuclear deal signed with world powers in July 2015.

"Any wrong move by the domineering regime regarding the [nuclear accord] will face the reaction of the Islamic Republic," he said, according to state television.

Trump suggested last week that Iran was breaching "the spirit" of the agreement. The deal lifted crippling sanctions on Iran's economy in return for a reining back of its uranium enrichment program. He has until October to decide if the U.S. will continue to be party to the agreement, which he chastised the Obama administration for signing.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to rip up the deal, arguing that it provides the Iranian regime with billions that it can use on expanding its support for proxy groups opposed to the U.S. and its allies across the Middle East.

"Iran, which is a powerful nation, will not give in to pressure and will not bow," Khamenei said in an address to police officers in Tehran, the capital.

"The corrupt, lying, deceitful U.S. officials insolently accuse the nation of Iran...of lying, whereas the nation of Iran has acted honestly and will continue on this path until the end in an honest manner," he added. "The Americans should know...there will be no retreat by the Islamic Republic."

12_17_khamenei_01

Reuters

This is not the first time Iran's highest religious figure has threatened to act if the U.S. violates the agreement. In June 2016, he took aim at Trump during the presidential campaign when the future U.S. president pledged to tear up the deal.

"The Islamic Republic won't be the first to violate the nuclear deal. Staying faithful to a promise is a Koranic order," Khamenei said, according to state media. "But if the threat from the American presidential candidates to tear up the deal becomes operational, then the Islamic Republic will set fire to the deal."

Story continues

Iran is set to be a major subject at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, which President Hassan Rouhani will be attending. Iran has continued to conduct ballistic missile tests, which it says are not in violation of the agreement.

Washington accuses it of funding and exporting extremism across the Middle East, fostering instability in the region in order to boost what has been termed as its "Shiite Crescent."

Iran supports Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen and Sunni Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Iran considers Israel its arch-nemesis, and its support of Hamas and Hezbollah represents backing for two groups that have fought four wars with Israel since 2006.

Related Articles
Al-Sagra (Irak) (AFP) - Iraqi forces backed by paramilitary units were preparing Monday to attack the last stronghold of the Islamic State group in the western desert bordering Syria, an AFP correspondent said.

Armoured vehicles advanced on a road across a rocky plain as troops on pick-up trucks armed with machineguns watched from behind dusty embankments.

The vehicles were approaching Anna, one of three towns still in the jihadists' hands about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Syrian border, in the vast province of Anbar.

After retaking Anna and then Rawa, the Iraqi forces will target Al-Qaim, the last of the towns before the border with the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor.

The IS jihadists are also under pressure from Syrian government forces backed by Russian air power and an alliance of Arabs and Kurds supported by a US-led coalition.

"The objective is to bring the entire province of Anbar back into the fold of the nation," Lieutenant General Rashid Flaih, head of Anbar's paramilitary units, told AFP.

Operations had already been carried out and "many jihadists have been killed," said General Abed Jabbur Mathlum, the deputy commander for the area.

The battle for the towns, where more than 1,500 jihadists are thought to be holed up, comes as Iraq prepares to launch an assault on Hawija, another IS stronghold about 300 kilometres north of Baghdad.

Iraq dealt IS a heavy blow in July when it recaptured second Mosul from the jihadists three years after they overran swathes of the country's north.
Al-Sagra (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi security forces and paramilitary units on Tuesday seized a village in one of the last pockets of territory controlled by the Islamic State group in the vast western province of Anbar, bordering Syria.

"Our forces have taken the whole of Al-Rayhanna village, attacking from three directions, and have killed seven terrorists," an Iraqi colonel told AFP.

Some IS fighters had fled towards the town of Anna, "eight kilometres (five miles) to the west, which is our next objective", he said.

The Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight against IS in Iraq said infantry and armoured units backed by the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary alliance launched the assault at dawn to retake Al-Rayhanna and the nearby town of Anna.

The operation was supported by Iraqi army helicopters and warplanes from the US-led coalition battling IS in Iraq and Syria, a general in the area said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The head of Anna's municipal council, Abdel Karim al-Ani, confirmed Iraqi forces had taken control of Al-Rayhanna and raised the Iraqi flag on public buildings.

The colonel said coalition aircraft had destroyed a suicide car bomb driven by a jihadist who was trying to reach security forces to detonate the vehicle.

Anna, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of the border with Syria, is one of three towns in Anbar province still under IS control.

After retaking the town, Iraqi forces are expected to target Rawa to the northwest and finally Al-Qaim, which is close to the border with the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor.

Three years after IS took control of large parts of Syria and Iraq, Iraqi forces are pushing to retake all areas seized by the jihadists, scoring their biggest victory in July with the recapture of second city Mosul.

Iraq is preparing to launch an assault against another of the jihadists' remaining strongholds, the town of Hawija about 300 kilometres (185 miles) north of Baghdad.

IS is also under pressure in Syria, where a US-backed alliance of Kurds and Arabs is battling to retake the jihadists' de facto capital Raqa and Russian-backed regime forces are fighting for control of the city of Deir Ezzor.
Branson in Puerto Rico on Sept. 11, 2017. (Photo: Richard Branson via Twitter)

Billionaire Virgin founder Richard Branson blasted President Trump on Tuesday for refusing to address climate change amid a string of powerful hurricanes that have lashed the United States, Caribbean and Virgin Islands in recent weeks.

Climate change is real, Branson said on CNNs New Day Tuesday. Ninety-nine percent of scientists know its real. The whole world knows its real except for maybe one person in the White House.

Branson, who rode out Hurricane Irma in a concrete bunker on his private Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, said it was an indescribable experience.

For five hours it just felt like the bunker was  was going to crack, Branson said. And then, when we got into the eye of the storm suddenly this deathly hush and we tentatively opened the door and saw the utter devastation. I mean, everything laid bare.

The Virgin Islands are now bracing for Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph.

Slideshow: Hurricane Maria barrels into the Caribbean >>>

.@richardbranson rode out Irma in the Virgin Islands. "It was indescribable," he says. https://t.co/CmUMGR6cAp  New Day (@NewDay) September 19, 2017

When Irma crossed Necker Island, it was a Category 5 storm. But Branson said it was effectively a Category 7, with wind gusts topping over 200 mph.

Slideshow: Hurricane Irma pounds Florida >>>

You know, categories stop at Category 5 because they never thought it would go up to Category 7, he said.

Branson said he wouldve ridden out this storm, too, but he had already agreed to speak at a climate change conference in New York City. He said he wanted to use the platform to address the Trump administrations plan to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, which was adopted by 195 member states and the European Union at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change convention in Paris.

Story continues

Slideshow: Hurricane Irma thrashes the Caribbean >>>

I was at the Paris talks, Branson said. It felt like so much hope that the world was going to rally around to deal with this problem. And then, of course, what happened in America when people denied climate change and said that they wouldnt rally around and help the rest of the world get on top of this problem. So I just wanted to get here to talk about it.

My experience of Hurricane #Irma, how you can help local #BVI community & what now needs to happen https://t.co/uB3B1lj1tn pic.twitter.com/wp9hAyQGoG  Richard Branson (@richardbranson) September 18, 2017

Scientists have said the storms are going to get more, and more, and more intense and more and more often, he added. I mean, weve had four storms within a month, all far greater than have ever, ever, ever happened in history. And I think that sadly this is the start of things to come.

On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was reconsidering his decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. But White House officials pushed back on that report Monday, saying that Trump intends to follow through with the withdrawal unless the U.S. can renegotiate more favorable terms.

The Trump administration has been criticized for its reluctance to accept that climate change is real. After touring the destruction left by Irma in Florida last week, Trump was asked by reporters whether Irma and Harvey had made him rethink his views on climate change.

Slideshow: Aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Florida >>>

Well, weve had bigger storms than this, Trump replied. And if you go back into the 1930s and the 1940s, and you take a look, weve had storms over the years that have been bigger than this. If you go back into the teens, youll see storms that were as big or bigger. So we did have two horrific storms, epic storms. But if you go back into the 30s and 40s, and you go back into the teens, youll see storms that were very similar and even bigger, OK?

Read more from Yahoo News:
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel shot down a pilotless plane over the Golan Heights on Tuesday and said it was probably an Iranian-built aircraft on a reconnaissance mission for the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group along Israel's frontier with Syria. The incident came hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to address the U.N. General Assembly and cite Israeli concerns about an entrenchment in Syria of Iranian and Hezbollah forces that have been helping Damascus beat back Islamist-led rebels. The drone was launched from an air base near Damascus and was downed with a Patriot interceptor missile over the Golan demilitarized zone that has separated Israeli and Syrian forces since the ceasefire deal that followed their 1973 war, the military said. "As we understand, it was on a reconnaissance mission along the border and the Golan Heights on behalf of Hezbollah," a military spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus, told reporters. "Our intelligence suggests it was ... Iranian-made." Asked whether the drone might have been armed, Conricus said that information was not yet available. He said Israeli warplanes had also been scrambled. Officials from Syria, Hezbollah and Iran had no immediate comment on the incident. The Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 conflict, has seen spillover violence from the Syrian civil war. Israel has at times fired to foil what it deemed deliberate cross-border attacks. "Our message is: The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) will not allow any violation of Israeli sovereignty and we will not allow Iranian forces, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad or Shi'ite militias of any kind to approach the Israeli borders," Conricus said. (This story has been corrected at paragraph 3 to show demilitarised zone established after 1973 war.) (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Jeffrey Heller/Mark Heinrich)
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to fight an "Iranian curtain" descending on the Middle East, pledging to prevent Tehran from ever establishing a permanent foothold in Syria.

Netanyahu -- who in recent years has coined his own sort of theater at the annual United Nations speech marathon with podium props and dramatic warnings -- was in a lighter mood for 2017, cracking jokes and rejoicing over the rise of US President Donald Trump.

But his message was ultimately no less severe as he chose to echo Winston Churchill's 1946 speech that declared that communist Eastern Europe had come under an "Iron Curtain" of Soviet subjugation.

"From the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, from Tehran to Tartus, an Iranian curtain is descending across the Middle East," Netanyahu warned the General Assembly.

"Those who threaten us with annihilation put themselves in mortal peril. Israel will defend itself with the full force of our arms and the full power of our convictions.

"We will act to prevent Iran from establishing permanent military bases in Syria for its air, sea and ground forces," he said, also vowing to prevent Iran from producing any weapons that could hit the Jewish state.

Iran has been aiding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iraq's government in their fights against the Islamic State group, which has claimed responsibility for a slew of bloody attacks around the world.

Iran's ruling Shiite clerics are also sworn foes of Israel and have supported the militant movements Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories.

Netanyahu has long insisted that Iran, which also has tense relations with major Sunni Arab states, is the pre-eminent threat and unsuccessfully fought to scuttle Iran's 2015 deal with global powers to give up its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

Netanyahu said he was proven right and that Iran since the agreement has been "like a hungry tiger unleashed, not joining the community of nations but devouring nations, one after the other."

Story continues

- High praise for Trump -

The right-leaning Israeli leader heaped praise on Trump, who in his own speech hours earlier said the deal with Iran championed by his predecessor Barack Obama was an "embarrassment" and separately threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if the regime attacks.

In years of listening to UN speeches, "none were bolder, none were more courageous and forthright than the one delivered by President Trump today," Netanyahu said.

UN inspectors say Iran has fulfilled its commitments to give up its nuclear activities under the agreement, which was reached with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.

Netanyahu has doubted Iranian intentions and voiced concern that some provisions on curbing uranium enrichment do not go beyond 2025.

Netanyahu directed his barbs at Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranians in May overwhelmingly re-elected President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate who has campaigned on the nuclear deal and better relations with the West.

The Israeli leader drew a distinction between Iranians and their government, saying in Farsi to the Iranian people: "You are our friends."

Iran, unlike Israel's Arab neighbors, still has a thriving Jewish community. Until the 1979 Islamic revolution overthrew the US-allied shah, Iran was Israel's primary ally in the region.

Netanyahu opened his speech not with his often booming voice but a grin. He boasted of further breaking his country's diplomatic isolation by visiting six continents in the past year -- a first for a prime minister of Israel.

"Now, it's true, I haven't yet visited Antarctica, but one day I want to go there too because I've heard that penguins are also enthusiastic supporters of Israel," he said, explaining that the birds can see black-and-white moral distinctions.
I was 13 when the black woman I was rooting for on American Idol won. After black women failed to reach the top spot in the first two seasons, Fantasia finally did. With vocals straight out of a church choir in North Carolina, she deserved it.

All the black people I knew  my mom, classmates and acquaintances  were so proud. We celebrated this moment together. Fantasias victory on one of Americas most watched television shows at the time wasnt just a win for her: It was a win for us.

Issa Rae, a co-creator and the star of the HBO sitcom Insecure, stood on the Emmys red carpet on Sunday and proudly proclaimed to a Variety reporter who asked which people she was cheering for, Im rooting for everybody black. When I heard that, I jumped up and shouted: Same, Sis! Same! Because thats what Ive been doing all my life. And apparently many other people have, too, because Varietys video went viral on Twitter, garnering more than 16,000 retweets and countless reshares up and down my social media timelines.

Issa Rae arrives at the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Dan MacMedan via Getty Images)

But what so many people missed in her comment is that expressing black pride is not the same as being racist toward whites.

Talk about racist! You are one! a Twitter user wearing a Make America Great Again hat wrote.

Ms. Raes critics dont understand that when it comes to racial pride, the playing field is not level. Black pride does not carry the power to shut others out as white pride does. And thats the difference. Hollywood has a long history of privileging whiteness, from who gets to greenlight movie ideas to whom studios target for consumption. While white people have the luxury of turning on any given channel and seeing themselves reflected with nuance and depth onscreen, black people havent been so fortunate.

Though Insecure wasnt nominated this year, Ms. Rae was there to unequivocally support others who broke down more of Hollywoods white-male-dominated doors. And it was genuine: Later that night, she tweeted her congratulations to Lena Waithe, who became the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing.

Story continues

Youve been killing it for SO long! Get. Yours. Boo! @LenaWaithe #Emmys #BlacksAllZay #SaidWhatISaid, she wrote, affirming her initial comment.

Ms. Waithe replied with reciprocal support: Love you sis! You got next!! I have a feeling your speech gon be way funnier than mine.

When black artists are honored at an esteemed award show like the Emmys, its no secret whom we want to win. The fact that black actors, writers and directors in 2017 are still becoming the first black person to ever receive X award should make that clear.

Black pride isnt designed to block the progress of others. It is meant to empower and create space for black people to celebrate and honor ourselves in a country that tells us in no uncertain terms that black lives do not matter. Its a necessary escape when racial tension in the world is too much to bear. Its a tool for survival in a world that doesnt want to see you win.

We take enormous joy in seeing Lena Waithe, Donald Glover and Sterling K. Brown walk away with trophies. Their wins give us more hope that our stories will be told in more nuanced, sensitive and multidimensional ways. We will continue to celebrate one another and will always be rooting for everybody black.

This piece was originally featured on The New York Times.

Also on HuffPost

Actress Meagan Good.

"Insecure's" Yvonne Orji.

"Blackish" actress Tracee Ellis Ross.

Actress Keesha Sharp.

"Being Mary Jane" actress Gabrielle Union.

President of Universal Television Pearlena Igbokwe.

Actress Aja Naomi King, honoree and star of "How to Get Away With Murder."

Singer LeToya Luckett.

Broadway and screen actress Cynthia Erivo.

Yvette Nicole Brown, best known for her role on "Community."

"Insecure" star Issa Rae.

"The Mindy Project" actress Xosha Roquemore.

TV personality Bevy Smith.

"Blackish" actress Yara Shahidi.

Janelle Monae, star of "Hidden Figures" and "Moonlight."

Vickey Juedy of "Orange is the New Black."

"How to Get Away With Murder" and "Fences" star Viola Davis.

Teyonah Parris, star of "Chiraq."

Laverne Cox, star of "Orange is the New Black" and "Doubt."

Melina Matsoukas, director of "Lemonade" and HBO's "Insecure."

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Rome (AFP) - Italy's populist 5-Stars are ready to shoot for political gold: the anti-establishment movement will elect a candidate this week it hopes will make history by beating traditional parties to the top job.

Hot favourite Luigi di Maio, 31, the movement's most popular politician, is running in an internal ballot against seven unknowns and is widely believed to have the vote in the bag.

The snappily-dressed lower house deputy has been openly groomed to run for prime minister in the spring 2018 general election by comic Beppe Grillo, who co-founded the 5-Stars (M5S) in 2009.

The movement, which bases much of its appeal on fighting corruption and has promised a referendum on membership of the euro, emerged as a major political force in 2013 and went on to score stunning local victories, including taking control of Rome and Turin last year.

And despite a poor performance at local elections in June, for months now the 5-Stars have been neck and neck in the polls with the centre-left ruling Democratic Party (PD), with recent projections showing they would win almost 30 percent in a national race.

Telegenic Di Maio will go up against six totally unknown candidates and a low-profile senator in an electronic vote this week that has both amused and irked traditional parties and the country's mainstream media.

"Di Maio's lone run for the 5-Stars," said the La Stampa moderate daily, while the left-wing Il Fatto Quotidiano asked: "Do you want Luigi or Di Maio? One real candidate and seven fakes".

The winner will be announced late Saturday at a 5-Star meeting in the northern coastal city of Rimini.

The ballot will be hosted on a computer platform managed by a private company, Casaleggio Associati, which was set up by Gianroberto Casaleggio, who co-founded the movement with Grillo and who died in 2016.

Critics say the platform allows no independent review of the voting process and rivals on the left and right have accused the movement -- which summarily expels dissidents -- of holding a "joke" ballot.

"A M5S primary like in North Korea," said PD senator Andrea Marcucci.
GQ announced the return of the Best New Menswear Designers program for the eleventh yearfor the first time ever with an international twistcelebrating the Coolest Designers on the Planet. The project, established in 2007, traditionally recognizes the best young menswear designers in the country and works to advance the talented up-and-comers. This year, GQ editor-in-chief Jim Nelson and creative director Jim Moore took the program international, curating young talent from Paris, Tokyo and Brooklyn. The Coolest Designers on the Planet will collaborate with Gap on a limited-edition collection, to be sold in the fall exclusively at select Gap stores around the world. Men's designer Jey Perie of Kinfolk, and John Caruso, VP of Mens Design at Gap take the BUILD stage to discuss the program with Senior Fashion Editor, Garrett Munce.
California Gov. Jerry Brown compared President Donald Trump and his supporters who deny climate change with ancient cave-people.

Theyre both kind of very similar, the 79-year-old Democrat said Monday in New York, according to Politico. You should check out the derivation of Trump-ite and troglodyte, because they both refer to people who dwell in deep, dark caves.

He also called Trump stupid and dangerous and silly.

I mean, come on, really, calling the North Korean dictator Rocket Man? he said, referring to a tweet Trump sent Sunday.

Brown was in New York for Climate Week NYC, held as world leaders arrive in the city for the United Nations General Assembly.

Since the election of Trump, who has called climate change an expensive hoax that was created by and for the Chinese, Brown has become a leading voice in the fight against global warming.

Weve got the scientists, weve got the lawyers and were ready to fight. Were ready to defend, Brown vowed last year after the presidential election. If Trump turns off the satellites, California will launch its own damn satellite.

Also on HuffPost

Strengthen city, county and state climate efforts

If the federal government refuses to stand up against climate change, itll be more important than ever for cities, counties and states to pick up the slack and become climate leaders. That means committing to divest from fossil fuels, embrace clean energy, set emissions targets and develop climate action plans, among other measures.



The ominous signals coming out of D.C. point to even more work needed at the city and state level, said Kate Kiely, national media deputy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. In November, the NRDC announced partnerships with 20 cities across the country from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Houston, Texas, to make strides in renewable energy.



According to Brune, cities could have an especially big influence in the climate change fight. We should be pushing cities to go 100 percent clean energy and to reject natural gas and coal and other fossil fuels, he said. A majority of people now live in cities, so this could have a dramatic impact.



In the U.S., at least 20 cities have made commitments to rely completely on clean energy.



People should organize and get their own cities to move forward, Brune said.



Contact your mayor, city council, or county or state representative and get them to set a timeline to stop using fossil fuels.

Push companies and institutions to divest from fossil fuels

There are a lot of things that the president cant undo. He cant stop the fact that solar and wind are cheaper than coal and gas. He cant change the fact that dozens of businesses have already committed to clean energy, Brune said.



As of December, more than 640 institutions worldwide, including several universities, churches and for-profit companies and banks, have pledged to divest from their fossil fuel investments. According to Go Fossil Free, a 350.org campaign, the commitments amount to more than $3.4 trillion.



Consumers should petition companies to ditch their fossil fuel investments, and students should urge their schools and colleges to do the same.



As we wrap up the hottest year in history, we know that investments in the fossil fuel industry fund these climate impacts. Thats why its more critical than ever that we push our institutions to divest from the fossil fuel companies that are knowingly perpetuating the climate crisis, Lindsay Meiman, U.S. communications coordinator for 350.org, told HuffPost.



Want to push a company, school or place of worship to divest from fossil fuels? 350.org has a list of resources to help you start a campaign. Or find an existing one to get involved in.

Put your money where your mouth is

Petitions and protests can be powerful, but moving your money speaks volumes too. As a consumer and as an investor, ensure you're not personally financing climate change. This means, for example, choosing banks that are free of fossil fuel connections.



Your ATM card or checking account or your mortgage, these should not be financed by companies that are taking your checking fees or other payments to subsidize the Dakota Access Pipeline or finance drilling offshore. Make sure your money aligns with your values, Brune said.



In September, Amalgamated Bank became the first North American bank to commit to divest 100 percent from fossil fuels. Aspiration has bank accounts that are fossil fuel-free, and Beneficial State Bank has credit cards that dont invest in fossil fuels.



Anthony Hobley, CEO of the Carbon Tracker Initiative, said consumers should also ensure that their pensions, 401(k) or other retirement savings accounts are similarly not underwriting fossil fuel companies.



A lot of pressure can be made through the financial industry, Hobley said from London. Ordinary people who hold pensions can put pressure on companies through their pensions. Put pressure on the people who manage your money and thats one way to keep pressure on those companies too.



The financial services companies that manage retirement accounts arent used to getting many letters from the people whose money they manage, Hobley added. It wouldnt take much of an organized effort for them to take notice.



Are your investments supporting fossil fuels? FossilFreeFunds.org is a web tool that allows people to check whether their individual investments or employer-provided 401(k) is supporting coal companies, oil and gas producers, and fossil-fired utilities.

Making a "financial case" for clean energy

Hobley believes the best chance we have of convincing Trump to care about climate change is to make a compelling financial case for renewables.



With new clean energy technologies getting more efficient and cheaper than fossil fuels, a transition to renewables is inevitable, said Hobley. Its just a matter of time.



Trump can no more stop this transition than a previous U.S. president couldve stopped the transition from steam locomotives to the automobile or the typewriter to the computer. The technological genie is already out of the bag, he said. Its not a case of if, but when. But the when is important because of the 2 degrees budget, and thats where a lack of political leadership or resistance can have a real impact.



Clear political leadership from both the U.S. and China could mean a "smoother" and faster transition to clean energy. A lack thereof, however, could make it easier for big oil and gas companies to stay in denial  and that would be to their detriment, Hobley said. It would mean pouring more money, billions or trillions of dollars, into fossil fuel assets that we simply dont need.



Trump now has the opportunity to make the United States a leader in clean energy.



These are complicated and highly technical products, Hobley said. With an educated and skilled workforce, these are the kinds of things that should be manufactured in the U.S.



Creating new jobs was a central part of Trumps election platform. Maybe someone should remind him that the clean energy industry creates more jobs per unit of energy than coal and natural gas. In 2015, the number of U.S. jobs in solar energy overtook those in oil and natural gas extraction for the very first time.



A 2015 report by NextGen Climate America found that a transition to clean energy would add a million jobs by 2030 and up to 2 million jobs by 2050, while increasing the nation's gross domestic product by $290 billion and boosting household income.



We should be citing such figures and urging utility companies and public utility commissions to embrace clean energy. (Public utility commissions regularly hold hearings that are open to the public. Attend them, and voice your thoughts!)

Speak out!

Whats the single biggest way you can influence climate change? According to the NRDC, its speaking up.



Talk to your friends and family, and make sure your representatives are making good decisions, Aliya Haq, deputy director of NRDCs Clean Power Plan Initiative, wrote in a blog post. The main reason elected officials do anything difficult is because their constituents make them.



In the coming months and years, there will be mass mobilizations that folks should join to push back against Trumps regressive policies and hateful rhetoric, said 350.orgs Meiman. Folks can engage online by joining online actions, signing petitions and contributing their voice on social media to push back on Trumps agenda.



You can also participate in protests in your area or join and support local nonprofits in their fight against climate change.

Reduce your own carbon footprint

Power your own home with renewable energy, invest in energy-efficient appliances and lightbulbs, and remember to weatherize.



Building heating and cooling are among the biggest uses of energy, said NRDCs Haq. Make your home more energy-efficient by sealing drafts and ensuring your home is adequately insulated and ventilated too.



Also consider changing your diet. Cut down on meat consumption or even eliminate it from your diet completely, Brune said. I do think that people can have a powerful impact on the environment just by eating less meat.



It takes 14 times as much biologically productive land to produce 1 ton of beef as it takes to produce 1 ton of grain, according to the Global Footprint Network.



Global livestock is also responsible for 14.5 percent of all anthropogenic carbon emissions, data from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization shows.



Driving a fuel-efficient vehicle is another way to reduce your carbon footprint. You can also take steps to be more fuel efficient when you're on the road, no matter what car you drive.

Support environmental journalism

A major shortcoming of journalists during the presidential election was their failure to highlight climate change as a vital topic  and to force Trump (and Hillary Clinton, too) to address this crisis.



Over the next four years, Trump needs to be held accountable, and the press must make climate change a central issue in his presidency.



The Society of Environmental Journalists, a nonprofit membership organization supporting environmental journalists in the U.S. and around the world, aims to improve the quality, accuracy and visibility of reporting on the environment. You can also support nonprofit environmental news outlets such as Inside Climate, Grist and High Country News.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Jimmy Kimmel isnt seeing the love between President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania.

And its because of interactions like the one on Friday, when Trump greeted the first lady with a formal handshake after she introduced him at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. You go sit down, honey, the president said while nudging her offstage.

Twitter had its say right after the awkward moment  but the talk show host had to wait until his show Monday to weigh in.

Kimmel called the exchange the most uncomfortable display of affection between any husband and wife this year. And thats saying something, considering the cringe-worthy moments the two have shared in the hand-holding department.

She should have just walked off that stage and kept walking all the way to Slovenia, he said.

After showing a highlight reel of POTUS and FLOTUSs unromantic moments, there was only one thing left for Kimmel to do: capture touching moments with an audience handshake cam.

Watch above.

Also on HuffPost

Sophie Theallet

Sophie Theallet ignited the conversation about dressing Melania Trump when she wrote an open letter in November 2016 refusing to do it -- and encouraging other designers to follow suit. As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect for all lifestyles, I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next first lady," she wrote.

Tom Ford

Tom Ford was refusing to dress Melania Trump even before she became first lady. Ford said on "The View" in December 2016 that he'd previously declined to dress Trump because she is "not necessarily my image," adding his belief that the first lady, no matter who she is, should wear clothing the American people can relate to. President-elect Donald Trump responded by claiming Ford was never asked to dress his wife. "I'm not a fan of Tom Ford," he said.

Christian Siriano

Although he originally said in December 2016 he would have to wait and "see how it goes" before making a decision about dressing Melania Trump, Siriano told Time in April 2017 he doesn't think he would dress the first lady. "She is representing whata happening politically and whats happening politically right now is not really good for anyone, he said.

Zac Posen

Posen said in March 2017 that he doesn't plan on dressing the first lady any time soon. "I'm staying away from bringing my brand into politics," he said, citing "issues that are being questioned that are fundamentally upsetting" to him including LGBT and women's rights.

Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs told WWD in November 2016 that he "has no interest whatsoever" in dressing the first lady, opting instead to put his "energy into helping out those who will be hurt by [Donald] Trump and his supporters."

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Lara Trump stepped out looking flawless just one week after giving birth.

The new mother accompanied husband Eric to watch President Trump give a speech in front of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday morning. Lara and Eric also took the opportunity to introduce their baby boy and President Trump's 9th grandchild, Luke, to his aunt and uncle Ivanka and Jared.

For the outing at the United Nations, Lara dazzled in a Rebecca Taylor fit and flare dress, which perfectly showed off her toned legs. The 34-year-old kept her highlighted brunette tresses in a wavy hairstyle and her makeup simple. She took a style cue from first lady Melania Trump, who looked gorgeous in a Calvin Klein suit at the same event, opting for a pair of pointy stilettos to polish off her look.

Earlier today, brunette beauty also posted two photos -- one with Ivanka and Jared and another paying tribute to the past seven days she has spent with her newborn.

"Happy one week on earth, Luke! We love you so much!  #JustDiscoveredHisHands ," Lara captioned the snap.

It's hard to believe that Lara just gave birth with how fit she looks in the photo, but fitness was a huge part of her pregnancy and she was still working out even after her due date.

Just minutes later, she also posted a photo with her baby boy alongside her husband, Jared and Ivanka.

"Luke was so excited to meet Aunt Ivanka & Uncle Jared! ," she captioned the adorable photograph of the group.

Lara and Eric welcomed their first child, Eric "Luke" Trump, last Tuesday at 8:50 a.m., and the proud parents have already shared plenty of pictures of their baby boy. Just last week, a hilarious photo of Eric trying to buy diapers for the first time made its rounds on the internet.

RELATED: See the outfit Melania wore at the UN General Assembly:


BERLIN  A week before Germanys federal elections, Berlin is blanketed in a layer of campaign posters, from Angela Merkel and the Christian Democratic Unions bland slogan For a Germany in which we live well and happily to the far-right Alternative for Germanys proclamation of preferring bikinis over burqas.

But one set of signs are particularly bizarre, even cryptic.

The future of Germany is the New Silk Road! reads one pinned to a streetlight near Berlins main train station.

Cultural renaissance instead of barbarism, reads another. And, Germans can stop world war!

These posters, in a matching blue and yellow color scheme, all urge Berliners to vote BuSo.

What the posters dont say is that BuSo  short for Burgerrechtsbewegung Solidaritat, or Civil Rights Movement Solidarity  is a political party founded and operated by eccentric American millionaire Lyndon LaRouche and his German wife, Helga Zepp-LaRouche. For decades, the couple has lead a global political network with a devotion to conspiracy theories, anti-Semitism, and a belief in a looming doomsday economic collapse that will kill billions  but it is otherwise malleable in its beliefs.

LaRouche started on the far left of American politics before swinging to the far right in the 1970s. Today, as BuSo attests, the LaRouche movements enthusiasms are focused on promoting the interests of Russia and China in the West. And Beijing, at least, has been happy to reciprocate LaRouches support.

BuSos German-language website  which has a Russian-language version but no English  lists Zepp-LaRouche as its founder. The party operates 11 different offices around Germany, according to its website, and advocates a patchwork platform of grand but vague ideas  including an overhaul of global banking as the only way to stop the collapse of the financial system, Germanys exit from the European Union, a new German currency, extraterrestrial human colonization, a renaissance of culture and science, and nuclear energy for all so that hunger and misery can be overcome all over the world. The website also makes the claim that the roots of the strange coalition of financial institutions, foundations, media, and environmental organizations go back to the eugenics movement of the Nazis and their environment, a longtime LaRouche obsession. Other quirks, such as the belief that the British royal family runs the global drug trade, have been publically dropped over the years.

Story continues

But outdated obsessions have been replaced with LaRouches newfound fascination with Chinese President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative, also called the New Silk Road  which explains why campaign posters promoting the initiative as Germanys saving grace now paper Berlin. Its hard to tell what motivates that interest, whether its a remnant of LaRouches long-standing obsession with patterns of global trade, or a skillful attempt to appeal to the political mood in Beijing, where the project has become a shibboleth for support of an increasingly powerful Xi.

BuSo did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

In the United States, LaRouchites have long been treated as a legitimate, if unhinged, political movement. But in Germany, they are seen as a political cult  and a potentially dangerous one. In 2003, a 22-year-old British man died under mysterious circumstances after traveling to Wiesbaden, LaRouches main base in Germany, to attend a LaRouche event billed as a rally against the Iraq War. No charges were brought, but BuSo and its ideology were portrayed unflatteringly in the extensive media coverage that followed. Germany is particularly sensitive about any groups that could be portrayed as a cult  most Germans, for instance, favor banning Scientology.

On their own, the LaRouchites seem hardly more threatening to German democracy than any fringe political group, through they are a well-funded one. (LaRouches money stream is uncertain, but the associated PAC raised $6 million last U.S. election cycle, seemingly from donations from the over 5,000 members.) Nobody knows them. Sometimes they have their people on the street, and if you talk to them, they are kind of crazy, said Stefan Liebich, a member of the German parliament, in an interview with Foreign Policy. They invest a lot of money for their posters, but no one will vote for them.

The question is whether LaRouchites real audience isnt in Germany but rather in China, where theres growing evidence the movement has influential followers. Journalists associated with the LaRouches news outlet, the Executive Intelligence Review, are regularly invited to Chinese government press conferences in Washington and are quoted extensively in Chinese state media, where they often parrot government propaganda.

If China is choosing to waste its time and energy on a fringe group, thats hardly a worry. But theres the dangerous possibility that Chinese officials and academics actually think the LaRouche movement is a serious Western group. For a middle-aged Chinese official with little experience in or contact with the West, distinguishing between LaRouches Schiller Institute and, say, the Brookings Institution, the Cato Institute, or other mainstream think tanks is tough.

And the LaRouchites are telling the Chinese what they want to hear: that China is the future and that Xi is respected globally. When Chinese media wanted to praise Xis call with U.S. President Donald Trump, for instance, they went to German expert Helga Zepp-LaRouche. Even if the officials and journalists dealing with them recognize theyre cranks, praise from compliant Westerners is useful currency in Chinese politics. (China Dailys Chen Weihua, for instance, is a U.S. resident; that didnt stop him from writing a puff piece about the group this August.) And in a country struggling to understand how Western politics works, conspiracy theories can be dangerously tempting.

Nobodys listening to the LaRouche movement in Berlin. But they might be in Beijing.

Photo Credit: Steffi Loos/Getty Images
Associated Press

Jose Irizarry accepts that hes known as the most corrupt agent in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration history, admitting he became another man in conspiring with Colombian cartels to build a lavish lifestyle of expensive sportscars, Tiffany jewels and paramours around the world. The way Irizarry tells it, dozens of other federal agents, prosecutors, informants and in some cases cartel smugglers themselves were all in on the three-continent joyride known as Team America that chose cities for money laundering pick-ups mostly for party purposes or to coincide with Real Madrid soccer or Rafael Nadal tennis matches. We had free access to do whatever we wanted, the 48-year-old Irizarry told the AP in a series of interviews before beginning a 12-year federal prison sentence.
Moscow (AFP) - Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet military officer who is widely credited with helping prevent a nuclear war with the United States, has died aged 77, his son told AFP on Tuesday.

Petrov, whose extraordinary story was told in a documentary titled "The Man Who Saved the World", received several international awards, was honoured at the United Nations and met Hollywood superstars such as Robert De Niro and Matt Damon.

Yet Petrov lived in a small town outside Moscow and died in relative obscurity on May 19, his death making headlines in Russia and abroad only months later when a German friend wrote a blog post about his death.

In September 1983, Petrov was an officer on duty at a secret command centre south of Moscow when an alarm went off signalling that the United States had launched intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The officer -- who had only a few minutes to make a decision and was not sure about the incoming data -- dismissed the warning as a false alarm.

Had he told his commanders of an imminent US nuclear strike, the Soviet leadership -- locked in an arms race with Washington -- might have ordered a retaliatory strike.

Instead the 44-year-old lieutenant colonel reported a system malfunction and an investigation that followed afterwards proved he was right.

- 'He simply did his job' -

Petrov came home only several days later but did not tell his family about what had happened.

"He came home knackered but did not tell us anything," his son Dmitry said.

Several months later Petrov received an award "for services to the Fatherland" but the incident at the control centre was kept secret for many years.

In 1984, he left the military and settled in the town of Fryazino some 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of Moscow.

Petrov's story only came to light after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and over the years he became the subject of numerous media reports in Russia and abroad.

Story continues

A modest, self-effacing man, Petrov never thought of himself as a hero, said his son.

"My father could not have cared less. He was always surprised that people were making a hero out of him," he said.

"He simply did his job well," Petrov's son said, adding that his father received some hundred letters from Europeans thanking him for averting the outbreak of a nuclear war.

"The Man Who Saved the World", a documentary film directed by Danish filmmaker Peter Anthony and narrated by US actor Kevin Costner, was released in 2014.

Footage of the elderly Petrov is combined with re-enactments of what happened at that secret control centre in 1983.

"I categorically refused to be guilty of starting World War III," Petrov said in the film. "I felt like I was being led to an execution," he said of those dramatic moments.
A year or so ago in this space  or what feels like a year  I predicted that it would be only a matter of time before U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be annoying the hell out of one another, and that anyone who believed that Trumpland would produce a dramatic improvement in the U.S.-Israeli relationship ought to lie down and wait quietly until the feeling passed. After all, thats been the traditional pattern in relations between Republican presidents and Likud prime ministers; I just figured sooner or later these two willful, suspicious, and brittle egos were bound to clash over something, most likely because Netanyahu would overplay his hand in some provocative policy toward the Palestinians.

Clearly unlike Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny, I was not dead on balls accurate; at least so far, Ive been dead wrong.

As Netanyahu and Trump met Monday at the United Nations General Assembly for the third time in the presidents first eight months  a first in the history of U.S.-Israeli relations  even Im a little stunned by how the relationship has blossomed seemingly without serious disruption and complication.

So where did I wander off the highway? And what, if anything, might change in what appears to be not just an extended honeymoon but a pretty happy marriage?

Changing the channel

Trump may be unpredictable on many issues, but when it comes to the U.S.-Israeli relationship hes been preternaturally and consistently pro-Netanyahu, supporting a tough-minded, right-wing government more or less across the board and avoiding fights and unpleasantness. Trump is the first U.S. president to visit Israel so early in his term, the first to pray at the Western Wall, the first in decades to refuse to endorse Palestinian statehood,the first to declare in a White House statement his intention to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, and the first to appoint as U.S. ambassador a longtime supporter of settlements  David Friedman, who recently publicly referred to the alleged occupation of the West Bank.

Story continues

Only twice can I recall such head-spinning transitions  Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush to Bill Clinton  where successors willfully went about profoundly improving both the style and substance of their predecessors relations with Israel. Tensions later surfaced, but whether that is likely under Trump is not at all clear. Nothing on the horizon suggests it. Clearly keeping consistent with his effort to try to undo almost everything his predecessor had done, Trump is determined to ameliorate, if not eliminate, anything and everything related to the U.S.-Israeli tensions of the Barack Obama years  and to replace it with a kind of Era of Good Feelings not seen since the James Monroe administration.

Trump seems to instinctively grasp that fighting with Israel to protest settlements is a loser, that it wouldnt produce a concrete gain for him, would make it appear that he is just like Obama, and would cost him politically. When he did raise the settlements issue, it was to gently chide, not hammer, the Israelis, opining that settlements werent good for peace and suggesting that Israel hold off for a bit. This tone is light-years away from the Sturm und Drang that marked eight years of bitter battles between Netanyahu and Obama.

Nothing to fight about

Trump appears to want to keep ahold of the warm embrace, at least for now. Eight months in, its pretty clear that the president has defused if not reframed the two primary points of contention  Iran and the peace process  that created so much trouble in U.S.-Israeli relations under Obama.

On Iran, Trump has been hostile to the 2015 nuclear accord from the get-go. His foreign policy and national security advisors  primarily Secretary of Defense James Mattis, national security advisor H.R. McMaster, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson  seem to have convinced him that maintaining the deal makes sense for a while, but it was only a matter of time before Trumps policy of undoing all that was Obama would kick in. Hostility toward Iran also deepened thanks to the presidents budding bromance with Saudi Arabias (rabidly anti-Iran) King Salman and Tehrans own efforts to expand its influence in the region. Netanyahu, however, was not happy with the administrations willingness to defer to Russia (and thus to Iran) in Syria.

Still, the White Houses Iran policy has eliminated a major source of tension with Jerusalem and put Trump and Netanyahu personally on the same page. Remember, Netanyahu is a man who has warned of Irans threat to Israel for decades and who sees his own role primarily in terms of leading Israel out from under the shadow of an Iranian bomb. How undermining the Iran accord would keep Tehran away from a nuke escapes me. But from Netanyahus perspective its a windfall.

Sensing things are moving his way, Netanyahu recently advised the administration to cancel or fix the nuclear deal. Indeed, in little more than a year, hes witnessed a transition from an administration that defended and touted the Iran nuclear deal as its most important foreign-policy accomplishment to one that sees it as Satans finger on Earth. Within weeks of his meeting with Trump, the president may choose not to certify the Iran accord and in doing so create a downward cycle toward its demise.

The other great source of tension, of course, is the peace process. Here, theres been a sea change from the style and substance of the Obama administration. Instead of ensuring that theres sufficient daylight between the United States and Israel, to demonstrate credibility with the Arabs, Trump has gone out of his way to bond with Jerusalem like a barnacle to the side of a boat. Hes taken differences with Israel on settlements out of the public conversation, refused to press Netanyahu to commit to Palestinian statehood, pushed the Palestinians on ending support for violence and terror, pressed them to end payments to prisoners and martyrs, and vigorously defended Israel at the United Nations. Palestinians report that his envoys consistently betray a pro-Israeli bias.

Indeed, despite a promise to pursue the ultimate deal (a conflict-ending peace agreement), the administration itself seems increasingly dubious about its prospects. In a leaked transcript of a briefing with White House interns, Jared Kushner  the presidents son-in-law and lead negotiator  wondered whether a peace deal was possible and what, if anything new, the administration might contribute to a solution. All of this paints a picture of an administration adrift on the peace process  a reality that has helped ease tensions with an Israeli government that fears any U.S. initiative that might require tough decisions on big issues such as borders and Jerusalem.

Trumps team ensures a love affair with Israel

Personnel doesnt always shape policy. But the team the Trump administration has assembled to work the peace process is composed of individuals whose passion, support, and sensitivities to Israeli needs and concerns exceeds anything weve seen in recent years. Between Kushner; the presidents envoy, Jason Greenblatt; and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, you have individuals who are not only strongly pro-Israel, but also highly sympathetic to the settlement enterprise  and whose lives as American Jews have been deeply shaped by their collective experience with Israel. Add in the highly influential Israeli ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, who has direct lines to Trump, and you have a pretty tight circle of circle of individuals reinforcing pro-Israeli sensibilities.

But lets be clear. Gaining Israels confidence on peacemaking is critically important, and that means understanding Israels situation, particularly when it comes to security. It also demands fairly assessing the needs of the Palestinians and Arabs, too. I speak with some experience on these matters. During the George H.W. Bush/James Baker years, I was part of a small group of advisers that also included American Jews with strong attachment to Israel. But the circle of analysis and prescription included the secretary of state, other advisers around him, and the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, which balanced out the policy.

The system didnt work nearly as well during the Clinton administration, when those of us working the negotiations tended to place more importance on Israels needs than on those of the Palestinians. But even then, we at least tried to wrestle with how to reconcile Israeli and Palestinian needs on both interim and permanent status issues and had our share of very tough fights with both Netanyahu and Ehud Barak. Given the composition of the current peace process crowd, I just dont see any of this playing out. In fact, it seems that Trumps peace-process team reserves the honey for the Israelis and the vinegar for the Palestinians.

Looking back now, my prediction last year of impending trouble in the U.S.-Israeli relationship was always something of a fraught prediction, particularly based on my own longstanding analysis. My view has always been that Israel is the only country in the region where theres any mutual coincidence of values and interests. Despite all of Israels transgressions and imperfections  largely centered on its policies toward Palestinians  the behavior of its neighbors was far worse and would remain so. Marry that to the resonance of the Israel issue in a presidents domestic political calculations and, bingo, you produce a pretty enduring bond.

What might create serious tensions in the U.S.-Israeli relationship going forward? In a galaxy far, far away, you might argue that its an administration committed to pursuing Trumps ultimate deal. And there are reports that Washington is considering putting something on the table in the next several months. But back here on Planet Earth, with all the other foreign policy travails, domestic headaches, the start of congressional midterm season, the possibility of a Netanyahu indictment, and the grim prospects for the success of any peace plan, the odds are long.

Maybe Trump will go ahead with his peace plan, after all. Maybe Netanyahu will overreach and do something to provoke him. Stranger things have happened, and were only eight months in. Still, in Trumpland, the odds of a major falling out between the United States and Israel just doesnt seem likely to be one of them.

Photo credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
Melania Trump means business!

The first lady accompanied husband President Trump to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday morning. Of course, Melania looked totally flawless in her business attire.

The 47-year-old donned a relaxed Calvin Klein gray suit with a simple black button-down underneath. She polished off her look with her go-to pair of black pumps, simple makeup and her tresses perfectly blown out.

The first couple made their entrance together at the annual gathering of world leaders, with Melania just a couple of steps behind President Trump. While the president addressed the press, the first lady stood right behind him with one hand in her trouser pocket.

The look garnered quite a reaction from the Twitter community, with many praising Melania for the professional look.

" @ MELANIATRUMP looking like an independent woman in a pant power suit. Not First Lady like at all. Separating herself gradually?" one user wrote.

Another person posted: "Wow, Melania looks incredible in a suit; don't @ me."

Wow, Melania looks incredible in a suit; don't @ me  Dina Fierro (@dinafierro_) September 20, 2017

Later in the day, while addressing the UN crowd filled with world leaders, President Trump turned heads after claiming that the United States will "totally destroy" North Korea. The first lady remained expressionless throughout President Trump's speech, which definitely caused the rest of the audience to react.

Melania's outing comes just weeks after sparking backlash for her fashion while visiting regions hit by Hurricane Harvey. The first lady found herself at the center of controversy after wearing stilettos while boarding the plane going to Texas. However, she changed into a more casual outfit -- without the heels -- upon landing in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The designer of Melania's favorite shoes, Manolo Blahnik, recently revealed his thoughts on her Hurricane Harvey shoe scandal.

Story continues

"I don't think she's insensitive," he told Harper's Bazaar UK. "I think she's working non-stop to make it work -- possibly she was just wearing the shoes she left New York in."

He continued: "Yes, I think probably she could have worn Hunter boots, but she was wearing what she was wearing. I'm not good at advising people on what to wear because they wear what they want to."

To see Melania's business attire, check out the slideshow above.
Michael Flynn and his son both appeared destined for key roles in the Trump administration: AP

Donald Trumps ousted national security adviser has established a fund to raise money to meet the tremendous legal costs he faces as a result of him being investigating by special prosecutor Robert Mueller.

Former general Michael Flynn was in February forced to resign from Mr Trumps team after it emerged he had misled people about his contacts with Russian officials. It has since emerged that both he and his son have become a focus of Mr Muellers probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russias alleged attempt to interfere with the 2016 election.

It has also been reported that Mr Flynns son, Michael G Flynn, has become a target for investigators as a result of his work for his fathers lobbying firm.

We deeply appreciate the support of family and friends across this nation who have touched our lives. https://t.co/O08co3DRpn 2/2  General Flynn (@GenFlynn) September 18, 2017

Mr Flynns relatives are behind the online legal defence fund, which asks veterans, and all people of goodwill to contribute. The fund was established by Mr Flynns brother, Joe, and sister Barbara Redgate.

The costs of legal representation associated with responding to the multiple investigations that have arisen in the wake of the 2016 election place a great burden on Mike and his family, they said in a statement.

They are deeply grateful for considering a donation to help pay expenses relating to his legal representation.

Mr Flynn, who has been quiet on social media for at least a month, posted a statement from him and his wife, to thank his siblings for their input.

Lori and I are very grateful to my brother Joe and sister Barbara for creating a fund to help pay my legal defense costs, he said.

Mr Flynn was fired by Mr Trump as national security adviser after less than a month on the job. The ousting came 18 days after a senior Justice Department official warned that Mr Flynn could be blackmailed because Moscow knew he made misleading statements about his contacts with Russian officials, including Russias Ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak.

Story continues

Reuters said that in August, Mr Flynn reported income of at least $1.8m, according to an amended financial disclosure form, which included paid speaking engagements to Russian entities, including the Kremlin-funded RT TV and Volga-Dnepr Airlines and payments for lobbying for the Turkish government.

Investigators are said to be looking at whether payments from foreign clients to Mr Flynn and his company, the now-inactive Flynn Intel Group, were lawful.
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson took on climate change deniers in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Harvey devastating entire regions of Texas, Florida and other parts of the gulf. Tyson became visibly frustrated when discussing those who cherry pick scientific facts -- including the media -- simply to deny the existence of man-made global warming.

"Fifty inches of rain in Houston! This is a shot across our bow, a hurricane the width of Florida going up the center of Florida! Tyson exclaimed, in an interview with CNNs Fareed Zakaria that aired Sunday. What will it take for people to recognize that a community of scientists are learning objective truths about the natural world and that you can benefit from knowing about it?"

Tyson also ridiculed the news media for often picking one scientific paper and touting it to their audiences as major news. Oh, heres a new truth, if this study holds it, he said in a mocking tone.

"It requires a whole system of people's research all leaning in the same direction, all pointing to the same consequences," he added. "That's what we have with climate change, as induced by human conduct."

Tyson reiterated that he believes humans as a whole are wasting precious time, money and overall resources by engaging in the mere existence of man-made global warming effects instead of pursuing actual tactics to engage what he sees as a worsening worldwide crisis.

"The day two politicians are arguing about whether science is true, it means nothing gets done. Nothing." he told CNN on Sunday. "It's the beginning of the end of an informed democracy, as I've said many times. What I'd rather happen is you recognize what is scientifically truth, then you have your political debate."

It is truth, whether or not you believe in it, he said. And the sooner you understand that, the faster we can get on with the political conversations about how to solve the problems that face us.

Story continues

Tyson added that it may already be too late for some of the worlds great cities, especially those sitting near the coasts.

"I worry that we might not be able to recover from this because all our greatest cities are on the oceans and water's edges, historically for commerce and transportation," he told CNN. "And as storms kick in, as water levels rise, they are the first to go.

"And we don't have a system -- we don't have a civilization with the capacity to pick up a city and move it inland 20 miles, he continued. That's -- this is happening faster than our ability to respond. That could have huge economic consequences."

The celebrity scientist, who is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at New Yorks Rose Center for Earth and Space, has had more than one foray with climate change deniers. He has particularly targeted the Trump administration for pulling out of the Paris Agreement earlier this year as well as Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bosserts outright refusal to connect climate change to either recent hurricanes strength.

If I and my advisors had never learned what Science is or how & why it works, then Id consider pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord too, Tyson tweeted in May.

If youre in denial of global warming, youre in denial of objective scientific truths, he continued. Thats not a political stance, thats an ignorant stance.

Tyson explicitly directed his criticism at climate change deniers as images of the Texas damage flooded news outlets. Hmm. Dont see much denial of @NOAA climate scientists who have predicted Hurricane Harveys devastating path into Texas, he tweeted on Aug. 25. And he made a very similar argument as the U.S. rallied together to watch Augusts much-hyped total solar eclipse. Odd. No one is in denial of Americas Aug 21 total solar eclipse. Like Climate Change, methods & tools of science predict it.

Related Articles
A man yells at police in riot gear in University City, Mo., on Sept. 16, just before a crowd turned violent. (Photo: Jeff Roberson/AP)

For the past four nights in St. Louis, peaceful daytime protests over the acquittal of a former police officer charged with the fatal shooting of a black motorist in 2011 have degenerated into violent clashes with police, resulting in more than 100 arrests.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson announced Tuesday that in anticipation of a fifth evening of protests, she would postpone scheduled town hall events where she was expected to discuss various issues  including crime and the police. The images of broken glass, protesters dousing themselves with milk to counteract police pepper spray, and defiant demonstrators facing off against officers clad in riot gear evoked memories of the unrest that unfolded on the streets of nearby Ferguson just three years ago.

Related slideshow: Protests erupt in St. Louis after ex-officers acquittal >>>

In the wake of Ferguson, protests over police shootings in cities including Chicago, Baltimore, New York and Minneapolis made clear that the problems between police and the black community, in particular, exist well beyond Ferguson. But the clashes this week in St. Louis suggest that racial problems run deep in this former slave state.

It is clear to me that what we are seeing and feeling is not only about this case. And Im also clear that the root cause of this is not protesters, nor really police, wrote Krewson in an open letter explaining her decision to cancel Tuesdays town halls. What we have is a legacy of policies that disproportionately impact people along racial and economic lines. This is not an opinion, this is supported by stacks of numbers. This is institutional racism.

Lyda Krewson on April 4, the night she was elected mayor of St. Louis. (Photo by J.B. Forbes, jforbes@post-dispatch.com)

A study published this summer by 24/7 Wall Street named St. Louis the 10th most segregated city in America, with 39.3 of the citys black residents living in predominantly black neighborhoods. The study also found a poverty rate of 29.9 percent among African-Americans in St. Louis, compared with a white poverty rate of 8.5 percent.

Story continues

According to the study, the roots of St. Louiss racial divide can be traced back to the 1950s, with the construction of the notorious Pruitt-Igoe towers, which the authors call one of the most famously disastrous cases of racially segregated government housing.

Abandoned by most white residents after racial discrimination in public housing was banned with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pruitt-Igoe succumbed to crime and neglect until it was demolished in 1972.

Though its been more than a half century since the Civil Rights Act was enacted, some state and local officials continue to push policies that hark back to Missouris segregated past.

A 2016 report from the state attorney generals office found that black drivers in Missouri were 75 percent more likely to be pulled over than white drivers. This spring Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican, signed a bill making it harder for businesses to be sued for racial discrimination. The bill was introduced by Republican state Sen. Gary Romine, whose own rent-to-own furniture company was sued by a former employee who claimed that he was regularly subjected to racial slurs from his supervisor and that there was a map hanging on a wall inside the store where someone had drawn a circle around a majority black neighborhood with the message do not rent.

Together they prompted the NAACP to issue its first-ever travel advisory for Missouri, warning African American travelers, visitors and Missourians to pay special attention and exercise extreme caution when traveling throughout the state. Derrick Johnson, CEO of the national organization, termed the conditions in Missouri unconscionable and simply unacceptable in a progressive society.

Police officers detain a man protesting on Sept. 16, the day after the not-guilty verdict in the murder trial of Jason Stockley, a white former St. Louis police officer, charged with the 2011 shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith, who was black. (Photo: Joshua Lott/Reuters)

Not even police officers are exempt from the racial divisions that exist throughout Missouri and in St. Louis in particular.

Last year, the Ethical Society of Police  which was created in 1968 by black St. Louis police officers in response to racial bias within the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department  released a report (PDF) outlining the pervasive problems of discrimination that officers of color continue to face at the department today.

For example, while the demographics of St. Louis are pretty evenly split  47 percent Caucasian, 47 percent African-American  the report notes that 63 percent of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is Caucasian, 34 percent is African-American, and just 3 percent (a whopping 42 employees) is Asian, Hispanic, Latino or another race.

The racial disparities grow increasingly more stark by rank: According to the report, as of Feb. 15, 2016, 75 percent of the departments lieutenants, captains, majors, and colonels were white. African-Americans, on the other hand, made up 24 percent of these commander positions, while just 1 percent were officers of Asian, Hispanic, Latino or other ethnic backgrounds. Similar, and even more drastic, discrepancies were noted in the racial makeup of various specialized units within the department.

According to the report, These biases have played an unfair role in discipline, promotions, and transfers.

If the department cant seem to manage racial tensions and issues inside itself, what does that predict for how well they can manage those tensions outside on the street? asked John Chasnoff, a longtime police reform advocate with the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression in St. Louis.

Marchers in St. Louis on Sept. 17, after the verdict in the murder trial of Jason Stockley. (Photo: Joshua Lott/Reuters)

At the urging of both the Ethical Society of Police and many members of the public, Krewson oversaw the retirement of the citys police chief, Sam Dotson, on her first day in office this April.

To her credit, we pushed and we got a very open process for selecting the new chief, said Chasnoff, referring to Krewsons appointment of a citizens advisory committee to give the public a say in the search for a new police chief. So thats a good thing, but its taking longer than just the mayor deciding who to hire.

In the meantime, interim Chief Lawrence OToole has already started to make his mark, pushing for St. Louis police officers to be armed with high-power rifles and overseeing more than 100 arrests during protests over the not-guilty verdict last weekend in the murder trial of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley.

Were in control, this is our city and we are going to protect it, OToole said at a press conference Monday.

In the wake of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, and the police response to subsequent protests, various investigators and research groups descended upon the small St. Louis suburb, learning that the police in Ferguson were just one small part of a patchwork of municipal police departments scattered throughout the broader St. Louis area.

A report (PDF) released in April 2015 on problems with policing in the St. Louis region by the nonprofit Police Executive Research Forum concluded, The fragmentation of policing is inefficient, undermines police operations, and makes it difficult to form effective law enforcement partnerships to combat crime locally and regionally.

Demonstrators protest on Sept. 17 outside the St. Louis Police Department headquarters in response to the verdict in the Stockley trial. (Photo: Jeff Roberson/AP)

Chasnoff noted an additional unique factor about the St. Louis municipal police department, which, after 152 years under state jurisdiction, came under local control in 2013.

The St. Louis police department isnt fully integrated into local government yet, Chasnoff said. I think theres a history in the department of lack of accountability that goes way back.

Richard Rosenfeld, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, disagrees.

Rosenfeld said that while he certainly thinks there is long-standing tension between minority communities in St. Louis and the local police departments, I dont think that tension is necessarily any greater in St. Louis than it is in any number of other places.

Tension tends to be concentrated in disadvantaged minority communities, he added, pointing to cities like Milwaukee and Minneapolis as other examples.

Rosenfeld and four of his colleagues published a study in 2015 that analyzed police shootings in St. Louis between 2003 and 2012. The study found that the frequency of shootings in a given neighborhood was not predicted by racial composition or economic status, but rather by the level of violent crime  but the correlation was not what one would expect. Instead, it was the least violent areas that tended to have the most police shootings.

In neighborhoods where violence is not exceptionally high, officers are not all that experienced in dealing with tense individuals on the street, Rosenfeld explained. We think those incidents are more likely to end in police shooting rather than de-escalation.

In more violent neighborhoods, on the other hand, police are more experienced.

This analysis, he suggests, helps explain what happened in the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in suburban Ferguson.

Protesters on Sept. 17, after the verdict in the Stockley trial. (Photo: Joshua Lott/Reuters)

The shooting that occurred in Ferguson might have occurred in any range of suburban areas in the U.S., said Rosenfeld, arguing that, if not for Ferguson, the fallout from the Stockley case would not likely have made national headlines.

Theres no question, the spotlight is on St. Louis because Ferguson, for whatever reason, figured as the first major [police shooting] that generated considerable community unrest, he said. The St. Louis area has been tagged as a place that may be particularly prone to these kinds of incidents, but I think thats simply because the Ferguson incident generated widespread unrest.

Chasnoff agreed, noting that the so-called Ferguson effect not only has drawn more national attention to police violence in St. Louis, but has affected how the local community responds to such incidents.

We have a heightened awareness  and hypersensitivity to issues here after Ferguson, Chasnoff said. Were more organized and were more frustrated.



Read more from Yahoo News:
Aba (Nigeria) (AFP) - A dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed after clashes between pro-Biafra supporters and Nigerian security services was relaxed on Monday, as the government blasted social media "quacks and internet trollers" for stoking tensions.

The Abia state government in the country's southeast last week ordered people off the streets from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am because of the unrest.

But it now said it had scaled back the start time to 10:00 pm "until further notice" because "relative peace and calm" had returned.

Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement have clashed with the police and the military in Abia and neighbouring Rivers state over the last week.

IPOB wants an independent state for the Igbo people who dominate the region, reviving secessionist sentiment that led to a brutal civil war 50 years ago.

Fears the violence could take on a wider ethnic dimension were sparked last week after violence against Igbos living in the central city of Jos, where two people were killed.

On Saturday, police in the southern state of Delta said suspected IPOB members shot dead four people in a market dominated by Hausa-Fulani traders from the north.

IPOB claims the army, which has flooded the Abia state capital Umuahia and its commercial hub Aba with troops, is seeking to curtail its activities.

But the military, which has branded the group "a militant terrorist organisation", maintains it is conducting a routine operation against violent crime in the area.

Nigeria's highest-ranking army officer, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, told reporters in Abuja on Monday the soldiers' presence was "in line with their constitutional role".

On social media, pro-Biafra supporters regularly call for the break-up of Nigeria, which is almost evenly split between a mainly Muslim north and largely Christian south.

It is also home to hundreds of ethnic groups and languages.

But Information Minister Lai Mohammed accused IPOB of using "fake videos ... to mislead the international community and win their support".

He called the attempt to manipulate public opinion "the activities of quacks and internet trollers", rejecting IPOB claims of genocide against Igbos as "lies and propaganda".

"What we have in the southeast is a clampdown on a band of lawless people who have no regard for the laws of the land," he added.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during the United Nations General Assembly: Seth Wenig/AP

The head of the UN has issued a stark warning to Donald Trump and the leader of North Korea, saying: We must not sleepwalk our way into nuclear war.

In the opening address to the 2017 UN General Assembly, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that fiery talk could lead to fatal misunderstandings. This is the time for statesmanship, he added.

Speaking as tension between North Korea and the West continues to grow following Pyongyangs sharp escalation of its testing of intercontinental missiles and nuclear payloads and sabre-rattling from the US, Mr Guterres said when tensions rise so does chance of miscalculation.

Mr Guterres spoke shortly before Mr Trump was to give his inaugural address to the body he frequently disparaged while on the election campaign trail.

It is expected that Mr Trump will urge the United Nations member states on to increase the pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

Briefing journalists on the eve of his address, White House officials said Mr Trump would also target Irans nuclear programme, single out Venezuela for criticism and refer to Islamist militants as losers.

Reuters said in his speech, Mr Trump will also seek to lay out his America First vision for a US foreign policy that is aimed at downgrading global bureaucracies, basing alliances on shared interests, and steering Washington away from nation-building exercises abroad.

Big day at the United Nations - many good things, and some tricky ones, happening. We have a great team. Big speech at 10:00 A.M.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2017

In his speech, he will seek to rally the world to help the United States and its Asian allies reduce North Korea to pariah status and pressure Iran to rein in everything from ballistic missile launches to interference in Syria.

In his speech, Mr Guterres made an appeal for unity. He said our world was increasingly integrated but that the sense of global community is being disintegrated.

He added: Mobility - I do not see it as a threat, though some do. We do not just face a refugee crisis, but one of solidarity.
A man was arrested Saturday in Ohio for trying to scare his daughter by chasing her around the neighborhood wearing a clown mask, reports said. Another man was also arrested for firing a gun amidst the melee that ensued.

The father, Vernon Barrett, Jr., was charged with child endangerment and inducing panic.

On Saturday shortly after 10 p.m. EDT, Barrett Jr. chased his six-year-old daughter wearing the mask apparently in a bid to discipline her.

The scared girl ran into a neighboring apartment in Boardman Township, Mahoning County, and begged the people there to save her.

Before running into the apartment, the girl had reportedly jumped into a strangers car. She reportedly told the residents in the apartment that a clown was chasing her, according to the police, the New York Times reported.

Police said the family looked out of the window and saw Barrett Jr.. Dion Santiago, a man at the apartment pulled a gun and fired a shot into his yard. Though it didn't hit Barrett Jr., it stopped him from chasing his daughter and remain on the scene till the police arrived.

Barrett Jr. was arrested and Santiago was charged with using weapons while intoxicated, according to the police.

The father initially told the police he reportedly wore the mask as part of a prank, but later accepted he was using it to discipline his daughter instead of spanking her as she had been misbehaving, according to Fox40.com.

Barret Jr. cited an incident with the girl's mother to justify what he did. He told the police the girl's mother has been serving jail time for child endangerment after being convicted for breaking four of the girl's ribs after beating her, ABC affiliate WYTV reported.

Clowns have always maintained a terrifying presence in American popular culture, something which has been propagated and exploited by Hollywood.

Recently, police in Pennsylvania were "terrified" after a prankster tied a red balloon to a sewer grate, probably as a tribute to Stephen King's horror film "It" that released on Sept. 8. The movie is about a killer who poses as a clown to hunt down children.

Story continues

"A certain movie is coming to theaters in two days, and a local prankster took it upon themselves to promote the movie," the Lititz Borough Police Department wrote on Facebook. "We give points for creativity, however we want the local prankster to know that we were completely terrified as we removed these balloons from the grates and we respectfully request they do not do that again. If you're not sure what we're talking about, search It and watch the preview, but we suggest watching the preview with a friend or coworker with all the lights on and the sound down low."

Since the movie doesnt portray clowns in the best light, local clowns in Ohio expressed fears that it would negatively impact their business.

"I wish they could use some other character to do a horror movie instead of a clown," Diamonds the Magical Clown, who refused to divulge her real name, told WJW-TV after the sewer grate incident. "A clown is supposed to be a symbol of happiness."

Related Articles
The students behind the University of Californias Free Speech Week said on Monday their events will go on despite not being able to rent large indoor event spaces.

Well do it outdoors if we need to, Pranav Jandhyala, a sophomore member of the Berkeley Patriot, the student group organizing the week, told the Washington Post.

The events, planned for Sept. 24 to 27, are set to feature controversial speakers like former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos, conservative commentator Ann Coulter and former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon. Yiannopoulos promised the events after protesters forced him to cancel a planned speech at the university in February.

The University of California at Berkeley has emphasized its commitment to free speech throughout the protests over the past year. While students were organizing this week on their own, they planned to use school venues.

However, university officials on Monday said the Berkeley Patriot group had missed multiple deadlines and would not be allowed to use the indoor spaces it sought, according to the Washington Post.

An outdoor space will likely increase security concerns around the event, according to the Post. Berkeley has been on high alert over the past year, and especially since the election of President Donald Trump. Protesters from the right and left have frequently clashed as students invited various speakers to campus or demonstrated against other political events.

More than 100 faculty members have called for a boycott of events and classes during the Free Speech Week to protect the safety of students and the campus.

A university spokesman told the Post that Free Speech Week organizers need to comply with school regulations to keep their remaining event spaces. If they do not do so, they could reschedule, he said.

We continue to hope that the student organization will meet its obligations and provide the campus and UCPD with the information needed to complete security arrangements, Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof told The Post. The University cannot defend spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide security arrangements for events based on a schedule built on a long list of unconfirmed speakers and/or a news release issued by an external commercial enterprise.

But Yiannopoulos and Jandhyala, the Berkeley student, said they believe the university is trying to derail their event.

Everything they say and do is designed to bully and intimidate their students into canceling the event., Yiannopoulos told the Post via email. The event will proceed regardless. They dont get to select our itinerary or talk programme.
Pakistan's newest female superhero has vowed to battle venal officials and protect battered women, as her creator tries to inspire the next generation to fight injustice in a deeply patriarchal society.

The new "Pakistan Girl" comic series is based on Sarah, a normal teenager with a pet cat who discovers she has superhuman powers after waking from a coma caused by a blast in her village.

Donning a green cape, Pakistan's national colour, the protagonist whips a man beating a woman in a market and saves a young girl taken hostage by a bribe-seeking police officer in the series' first comic book released this summer.

The creator of the English-language comic says he hopes the superhero will give young girls across Pakistan a role model and embolden them to fight corruption and violence in a country where crime is rife in major cities and corruption is the norm.

"There's a huge shortage of female role models and superheroes in the mainstream media here," author Hassan Siddiqui told AFP.

"We wanted to create a strong female character for the girls in Pakistan and even the young boys in Pakistan that they can look up to."

Women in conservative Pakistan have fought for their rights for decades, in a country where so-called "honour killings" and other violence against women remains commonplace.

Netizens on social media have welcomed the comic, writing largely positive reviews online and calling for more superhero stories in the future.

"Its a very brilliant step by you guys... I'm a big fan of Marvel and DC comics and looking forward for this too," wrote fan Syed Hassan Nasir on Facebook.

The author said he now plans to work on an Urdu version of the comic with the aim of reaching millions of readers across the country. He is also mulling a possible animation adaption.

- New education -

But reaching the masses won't be easy.

Pakistan's education system has been woefully underfunded for decades, exacerbating illiteracy with more than half of the countrys eight-year-olds unable to read.

Story continues

According to a 2016 government study, a staggering 24 million Pakistani children are out of school, with a larger share of girls staying home than boys -- 12.8 million compared to 11.2 million.

But new fan and school principal Saadia Adnan hopes the comic will provide a new way to help educate children, while also steering them clear of gender stereotypes.

"I think we should be teaching them through this kind of literature because that's actually the tender age when they are building their own images of their future life," said Adnan after browsing through a bookstore copy.

Siddiqui's latest creation follows the success of his earlier comic series "Pakistan Man" -- a moustachioed hero who battles one nemesis named "The Corrupter" and another villain responsible for banning Youtube.

"Siddiqui's first comic, 'Pakistan Man', sold like hot cakes and I hope this book, which is already doing good with sales, will follow suit," said Ahmad Saeed, owner of Islamabad's biggest bookstore Saeed Book Bank.

Pakistan Girl also follows in the footsteps of the countrys hit 2013 comic "The Burka Avenger", which chronicled the adventures of a mild-mannered teacher who fights gangsters trying to close down the girls' school where she works.
Season 25 of Dancing With the Stars got off to an inspirational start when ESPN host and former paralympian, Victoria Arlen, put on an incredible performance. Victorias dance was particularly amazing considering she was paralyzed for 10 years! Victoria got sick when she was 11 and slipped into a vegetative state for four years. She only started walking about a year-and-a-half ago, so even though she didnt get the highest score of the night, just being out there on the dance floor was a victory for Victoria. During her post-dance interview with host Tom Bergeron, Victoria said, This is beyond what I could have ever hoped or imagined. As for the rest of the cast -- electric violinist Lindsey Stirling and Hamilton star, Jordan Fisher, were the best dancers of the night, each scoring 22 with the judges. While one half of the Property Brothers, Drew Scott, on the other hand, needed some renovating. Judge Len Goodman told Drew, If you were a house, you would be a fixer-upper. Married couple Nick and Vanessa Lachey both hit the dance floor, and Vanessa edged out her hubby the first week, 21 to 18. And WWE champion, Nikki Bella, body-slammed her dance partner. Meanwhile, her life partner, John Cena, tweeted that he was proud of her for stepping out of her comfort zone.
A 22-year-old Ohio State University student was found dead last weekend in Columbus, Ohio, after being shot by her boyfriend, according to police.

Here are four things to know about the case.

Authorities found Kyle Lafferty and 22-year-old Heather Campbell both dead with gunshot wounds in a Columbus apartment around 2:33 a.m. A Columbus Police Department spokesperson tells PEOPLE that the killings were not random and likely stemmed from a domestic incident.

Police say its unclear whether Campbell lived at the home, but the spokesperson says she and Lafferty may have been living together.

Campbells grandmother told the Columbus Dispatch that they had just rented the apartment together after dating for about eight months.

She seemed like she adored him and he seemed to adore her, the grandmother said, according to the paper. Hed been here and met most of the family. Everyone liked him a lot. He had a really good job. They seemed to be making plans for the future.

2. Bodies Were Discovered by Victims Friend

A woman who knew both Campbell and Lafferty found them dead at the residence, on Olentangy River Road, the police spokesperson says.

The woman, who described herself as Campbells best friend, reportedly called 911 after discovering the bodies in the kitchen.

I refuse to go back in there, she said, according to The Lantern, Ohio States student newspaper.

I literally walked in their front door and theyre right there, the friend continued. Because she lives in my apartment building and she hasnt answered my phone calls since yesterday. So I went in there and the door was unlocked and they were right there on the floor.

I dont know what to do, the friend said while sobbing, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

From left: Heather Campbell and Kyle Lafferty

3. Killer Was Potentially Going to Be an Ex

Columbus police say Lafferty was a current boyfriend or potentially going to be an ex-boyfriend, noting that investigators are awaiting a toxicology report to determine the pairs physical state at the time of the killings.

Story continues

According to reports, a tenant above the apartment where Campbell and Lafferty were found dead had reported an apparent altercation between them the day before their bodies were discovered.

I heard extreme arguing. I heard loud banging, the woman told a dispatcher in an early-morning call Saturday, according to the Dispatch. It was terrifying. I said [to my boyfriend], That sounds like domestic violence. We need to go downstairs. 

She said that as they were going to the other apartment, they heard three gunshots, the Lantern reports. She then went outside and called police, according to the paper.

Police responded soon after to the downstairs apartment but got no answer at the door and left after checking to see if other people had reported gunshots, according to the Dispatch.

Campbell and Lafferty were found inside the next day, by her friend.

 PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: 35 Real Cases That Inspired the Show Law & Order is on sale now.

Heather Campbell

4. School Community and Friends Are Heartbroken

Campbell, of Strongsville, Ohio, was a psychology major, Ohio State officials tell PEOPLE. She was finishing up her degree and was a former officer in the Navy, her grandmother told the Dispatch.

Lafferty was a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, according to the paper.

We are heartbroken to learn about this tragedy, Ohio State said in a statement. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.

Those who knew Campbell have remembered her as caring and full of life. (PEOPLE could not immediately reach her family.)

I cant believe this is real. My heart is broken. i love you so much heather.I know youre in heaven right now, or where ever it is that good people go because you are an amazing person, one person wrote in a Facebook post alongside photos of Campbell with friends.

The post continued, You seriously helped make me who I am and have always been such a big part of my life.
By Brendan Pierson

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Peruvian man was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Monday after he pleaded guilty to U.S. charges of defrauding investors out of more than $1.2 million, using a video pitch that featured the Trump Building in downtown Manhattan, where he had an office.

Pedro Jaramillo, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan, according to U.S. prosecutors. His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

Jaramillo, a Peruvian national living in the New York City borough of Queens, was arrested last December. He pleaded guilty in April to commodities fraud and wire fraud.

Prosecutors said Jarmaillo ran a "Ponzi-like" scheme in which he solicited money from more than two dozen investors, promising them steady returns from commodity futures contracts. In fact, prosecutors said, Jaramillo spent investors' money on himself, and used it to repay earlier investors.

"Many victims  including retirees, working professionals, and manual laborers  lost their life savings, and Jaramillo now faces the substantial term in prison his crime merits," acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said in a statement.

Jaramillo advertised his services in a YouTube video that featured Wall Street, the stock exchange and himself standing before the Trump Building, a 72-story building at 40 Wall Street owned by President Donald Trump, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan.

Jaramillo maintained an office in the building where he met potential investors, the prosecutors said. No one involved with the building has been accused of wrongdoing.

Why do you think large companies and financial institutions invest in Wall Street? Jaramillo asked in Spanish in the video, which was set to Frank Sinatra's song "New York, New York," according to prosecutors. It is the heart of capitalism at a worldwide level. And I want to introduce you to it.

By the time of his arrest, Jaramillo had stopped returning calls from investors, who learned he planned to move back to Peru, the criminal complaint said.

(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)
By Rich McKay

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Violent clashes erupted overnight between police and protesters after a memorial vigil for a Georgia Tech student killed by campus officers, and the school's president on Tuesday blamed the unrest on "outside agitators."

The clashes at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta broke out when several dozen of the almost 500 people who had attended the vigil for slain student Scout Schultz faced off with officers at the campus police headquarters, the school said.

Two Georgia Tech officers were injured and a police car was damaged, the school said in a statement. Images of a police vehicle burning were posted online by multiple local media outlets.

University President G.P. "Bud" Peterson said in a letter on Tuesday to student, faculty and staff that people at the vigil had been joined by others bent on inciting violence.

"We believe many of them were not part of our Georgia Tech community, but rather outside agitators intent on disrupting the event. They certainly did not honor Scout's memory nor represent our values by doing so," Peterson said.

Three people were arrested and charged with inciting a riot and battery on an officer, officials said. Only one of them is a current Georgia Tech student, the university said on Tuesday.

Schultz, a 21-year-old engineering student from Lilburn, Georgia, was shot late on Saturday after a standoff with campus police outside a dormitory. Police officials say Schultz was wielding a knife and disobeyed commands to drop it and stop walking toward officers.

The Georgia Tech shooting came as police across the country are facing protests and scrutiny over the use of deadly force. A Washington Post database shows 706 people have been shot and killed by U.S. police this year.

Schultz' family and its attorney said the student held a multipurpose utility tool and the blade was not extended. Schultz' parents, Lynne and William Schultz, said at a news conference on Monday that Schultz had a history of mental illness and may have been having a mental episode when shot.

Story continues

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Schultz left three suicide notes and had called 911 claiming to see a young man with a knife and possibly a gun on campus. No firearms were found.

Schultz's parents and their attorney have asked why police did not use non-lethal means to subdue a young student. The parents said they plan to sue the police and university.

(Reporting by Rich McKay; additional reporting by Ian Simpson)
President Donald Trumps vow at the United Nations Tuesday to totally destroy North Korea if it attacks the U.S. will be taken very seriously in that country, which was utterly leveled by U.S. bombers six decades ago. American aircraft dropped more bombs on North Korea between 1950 and 1953 than they did in the entire Pacific Theater of World War II  635,000 tons vs. 503,000 tons. The destruction was so extensive, and so thorough, that bomber crews spent much of the war searching for targets.

American planes bombed everything that moved in North Korea, every brick standing on top of another, said Dean Rusk, the State Department official in charge of east Asia at the time. A Soviet study later estimated that 85 percent of structures in the country were leveled. Some 32,000 tons of the bombs dropped were napalm, the jellied gasoline incendiary weapons that burst just above ground level and stick to human flesh.

We . . . eventually burned down every town in North Korea, Gen. Curtis LeMay, who headed the Strategic Air Command, later boasted to Air Force historians. Over a period of three years or so we killed off, what, 20 percent of the population of Korea, as direct casualties of war or from starvation and exposure?

This history, still obscure in the United States, is constantly cited by the government of North Korea (which technically remains at war with the South, and by extension its ally the United States, the Korean War having ended not in a peace treaty but a ceasefire.) It is, in fact, much of the reason the country is still ruled by the family of the dictator who began the war in 1950 by invading the Western-leaning South shortly after Washington pulled its forces out. Like his grandfather and father, Kim Jong Un keeps the history alive in order to justify his hold on power, and his investment in the nuclear weapons and missiles that, together, might shortly threaten the U.S. mainland.

But the fears reside in a shared memory, which Trumps threat brought to vivid new life at the U.N.
President Trump threatened to totally destroy North Korea in his first speech to the United Nations, but said that the international body could still prevent war.

Speaking Tuesday morning at the General Assembly, Trump said that Rocket Man  his nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un  was putting his entire country at risk with recent missile and nuclear weapon tests.

We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, he said. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary.

Trump painted a dark portrait of the state of the world in his speech, but argued that self-interested international cooperation could still triumph. He argued that terrorism, illegal drugs, human trafficking, rogue regimes and authoritarian governments are all threats to international peace.

Terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and spread to every region of the planet, he told the assembled leaders at the U.N.s New York headquarters. Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terror but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity. Authority and authorization powers seek to collapse the values, the systems and alliances that prevented conflict and tilted the world toward freedom since World War II. International criminal networks traffic drugs, weapons, and people.

But Trump argued that his America First approach to foreign policy could help countries work together.

As president of the United States, I will always put America First, just like you, the leaders of your countries will always and should always put your country first, he said. All responsible leaders have an obligation to serve their own citizens and the nation-state remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition.
Doha (AFP) - Qatar accused Bahrain on Tuesday of abusing a routine fisheries enforcement case to deepen a three-month diplomatic crisis between the emirate and its Gulf neighbours.

"The State of Qatar condemned the statement issued by the Bahraini interior ministry on the detention of 15 Bahraini boats carrying 20 sailors, describing it as a desperate attempt to escalate the ongoing diplomatic dispute," the official QNA news agency reported.

An interior ministry official said the 15 Bahraini fishing boats seized by the Qatari coastguard, most of them over the past three days, had been operating illegally in the emirate's waters and had been held under routine procedures.

The 20 fishermen on board would be released within the next three days while the courts would decide what happened to the boats.

The official told QNA the Coast and Borders Security Department had repeatedly warned the fishermen not to operate in Qatari waters and not to use harmful fishing practices.

Qatar had a longstanding territorial dispute with Bahrain over the waters and small islands that separate the peninsula from the main islands of its maritime neighbour which was only resolved by the International Court of Justice in 2001.

In June this year, Bahrain joined with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in breaking off diplomatic relations with Qatar and severing all sea and air links.

The four governments issued a string of demands of the emirate, notably that it follow them in blacklisting the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group and downgrading relations with Iran.

Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, has held talks in Turkey, Germany and France over the past week to try to find a way out of the crisis and is due to meet US President Donald Trump in New York later on Tuesday.
By Yara Bayoumy and Jeff Mason UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Tuesday renewed a call for "unconditional dialogue" to end a political crisis pitting Qatar against four Arab states while U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected the dispute to be resolved quickly. Speaking from the podium of the 193-member United Nations General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim renewed the call "for an unconditional dialogue based on mutual respect for sovereignty". Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar on June 5, suspending air and shipping routes with the worlds biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, which is home to the regions biggest U.S. military base. The nations say Doha supports regional foe Iran and Islamists, charges Qatars leaders deny. Kuwait has been trying to mediate the dispute and the United States has taken an increasingly robust role in trying to bring an end to the crisis, but as yet to no avail. Trump and Sheikh Tamim later held a meeting in which the emir was careful to emphasize the strong Qatar-U.S. relationship after Trump appeared to be more sympathetic to the Saudi position at the start of the crisis. Qatar hosts Al Udeid air base, the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East. "As you said, Mr. President, we have a problem with our neighbors," Tamim said, adding that with Trump's intervention, "hopefully we can find a solution for this problem." Trump, who has said he would be willing to mediate the worst dispute in decades among the U.S.-allied Arab states and Qatar, said he had a "very strong feeling" the dispute would be solved "pretty quickly". In a speech severely criticizing the four Arab states' conduct during the dispute, the emir said the countries were inflicting damage on the "war on terror". "The countries who imposed the blockade on the State of Qatar interfere in the internal affairs of many countries, and accuse all those who oppose them domestically and abroad with terrorism. By doing that they are inflicting damage on the war on terror," Sheikh Tamim said in his speech to the annual gathering of world leaders. "We have refused to yield to dictations by pressure and siege." Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia suspended any dialogue with Qatar, accusing it of distorting facts, just after a report of a phone call between the leaders of both countries suggested a breakthrough in the Gulf dispute. Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by the telephone with Qatars Emir in the first publicly reported contact between the two leaders since the start of the crisis. (Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by James Dalgleish)
President Donald Trump threatened North Korea and its leader on Tuesday during his first United Nation address.

Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Rocket Man, a reference to the countrys recent missile and nuclear tests, and said he was on a suicide mission.

We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, Trump said, before adding that hopefully this will not be necessary.

Trumps comments come after Kim said the nation would continue working on its various weapons programs despite international condemnation. North Korea has also threaten U.S. territory Guam and has fired missiles over U.S. ally Japan.

Trump also spoke about the treat of terrorism throughout the world and doubled down on his America First foreign policy.

Read President Trumps full address to the United Nations here:

It is a profound honor to stand here in my home city, as a representative of the American people, to address the people of the world.

As millions of our citizens continue to suffer the effects of the devastating hurricanes that have struck our country, I want to begin by expressing my appreciation to every leader in this room who has offered assistance and aid.

The American people are strong and resilient, and they will emerge from these hardships more determined than ever before.

Fortunately, the United States has done very well since Election Day last November 8th. The stock market is at an all-time high, a record. Unemployment is at its lowest level in 16 years, and because of our regulatory and other reforms, we have more people working in the United States today than ever before. Companies are moving back, creating job growth the likes of which our country has not seen in a very long time.

And it has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense. Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been.

For more than 70 years, in times of war and peace, the leaders of nations, movements and religions have stood before this assembly. Like them, I intend to address some of the very serious threats before us today, but also the enormous potential waiting to be unleashed.

Story continues

We live in a time of extraordinary opportunity. Breakthroughs in science, technology and medicine are curing illnesses and solving problems that prior generations thought impossible to solve.

But each day also brings news of growing dangers that threaten everything we cherish and value.

Terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and spread to every region of the planet. Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terrorists, but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity.

Authority and authoritarian powers seek to collapse the values, the systems and alliances that prevented conflict and tilted the world toward freedom since World War II.

International criminal networks traffic drugs, weapons, people; force dislocation and mass migration; threaten our borders. And new forms of aggression exploit technology to menace our citizens.

To put it simply, we meet at a time of both immense promise and great peril.

It is entirely up to us whether we lift the world to new heights or let it fall into a valley of disrepair.

We have it in our power, should we so choose, to lift millions from poverty, to help our citizens realize their dreams and to ensure that new generations of children are raised free from violence, hatred and fear.

This institution was founded in the aftermath of two world wars to help shape this better future. It was based on the vision that diverse nations could cooperate to protect their sovereignty, preserve their security and promote their prosperity.

It was in the same period, exactly 70 years ago, that the United States developed the Marshall Plan to help restore Europe. Those three beautiful pillars, theyre pillars of peace: sovereignty, security and prosperity.

The Marshall Plan was built on the noble idea that the whole world is safer when nations are strong, independent and free. As President Truman said in his message to Congress at that time, our support of European recovery is in full accord with our support of the United Nations. The success of the United Nations depends upon the independent strength of its members.

To overcome the perils of the present and to achieve the promise of the future, we must begin with the wisdom of the past. Our success depends on a coalition of strong and independent nations that embrace their sovereignty, to promote security, prosperity and peace for themselves and for the world.

We do not expect diverse countries to share the same cultures, traditions or even systems of government. But we do expect all nations to uphold these two core sovereign duties: to respect the interests of their own people and the rights of every other sovereign nation.

This is the beautiful vision of this institution. And this is the foundation for cooperation and success. Strong, sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures and different dreams not just coexist, but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect. Strong, sovereign nations let their people take ownership of the future and control their own destiny. And strong, sovereign nations allow individuals to flourish in the fullness of the life intended by God.

In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch. This week gives our country a special reason to take pride in that example.

We are celebrating the 230th anniversary of our beloved Constitution, the oldest constitution still in use in the world today. This timeless document has been the foundation of peace, prosperity and freedom for the Americans, and for countless millions around the globe whose own countries have found inspiration in its respect for human nature, human dignity and the rule of law.

The greatest (sic) in the United States Constitution is its first three, beautiful words. They are We the people. Generations of Americans have sacrificed to maintain the promise of those words, the promise of our country and of our great history.

In America the people govern, the people rule and the people are sovereign.

I was elected not to take power, but to give power to the American people where it belongs.

In foreign affairs, we are renewing this founding principle of sovereignty. Our governments first duty is to its people, to our citizens, to serve their needs, to ensure their safety, to preserve their rights and to defend their values.

As president of the United States, I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always and should always put your countries first.

All responsible leaders have an obligation to serve their own citizens, and the nation-state remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition.

But making a better life for our people also requires us to work together in close harmony and unity to create a more safe and peaceful future for all people.

The United States will forever be a great friend to the world, and especially to its allies. But we can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return.

As long as I hold this office, I will defend Americas interest above all else. But in fulfilling our obligations to our own nations, we also realize that its in everyones interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure.

America does more than speak for the values expressed in the United Nations charter. Our citizens have paid the ultimate price to defend our freedom and the freedom of many nations represented in this great hall. Americas devotion is measured on the battlefields where our young men and women have fought and sacrificed alongside of our allies, from the beaches of Europe, to the deserts of the Middle East, to the jungles of Asia.

It is an eternal credit to the American character that even after we and our allies emerged victorious from the bloodiest war in history, we did not seek territorial expansion or attempt to oppose and impose our way of life on others.

Instead, we helped build institutions such as this one to defend the sovereignty, security and prosperity for all.

For the diverse nations of the world, this is our hope. We want harmony and friendship, not conflict and strife. We are guided by outcomes, not ideology. We have a policy of principled realism rooted in shared goals, interests and values.

That realism forces us to confront the question facing every leader and nation in this room. It is a question we cannot escape or avoid. We will (sic) slide down the path of complacency, numb to the challenges, threats and even wars that we face, or do we have enough strength and pride to confront those dangers today so that our citizens can enjoy peace and prosperity tomorrow?

If we desire to lift up our citizens, if we aspire to the approval of history, then we must fulfill our sovereign duties to the people we faithfully represent.

We must protect our nations, their interests and their futures. We must reject threats to sovereignty, from the Ukraine to the South China Sea. We must uphold respect for law, respect for borders and respect for culture, and the peaceful engagement these allow.

And just as the founders of this body intended, we must work together and confront together those who threaten us with chaos, turmoil and terror.

The scourge of our planet today is a small group of rogue regimes that violate every principle on which the United Nations is based. They respect neither their own citizens, nor the sovereign rights of their countries.

If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph. When decent people and nations become bystanders to history, the forces of destruction only gather power and strength.

No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well-being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea. It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans, and for the imprisonment, torture, killing and oppression of countless more.

We were all witness to the regimes deadly abuse when an innocent American college student, Otto Warmbier, was returned to America only to die a few days later. We saw it in the assassination of the dictators brother using banned nerve agents in an international airport. We know it kidnapped a sweet 13-year-old Japanese girl from a beach in her own country to enslave her as a language tutor for North Koreas spies.

If this is not twisted enough, now North Koreas reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life. It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict.

No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles.

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

The United States is ready, willing and able. But hopefully, this will not be necessary.

Thats what the United Nations is all about. Thats what the United Nations is for. Lets see how they do.

It is time for North Korea to realize that the denuclearization is its only acceptable future.

The United Nations Security Council recently held two unanimous 15-to-nothing votes adopting hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea. And I want to thank China and Russia for joining the vote to impose sanctions, along with all of the other members of the Security Council. Thank you to all involved.

But we must do much more. It is time for all nations to work together to isolate the Kim regime until it ceases its hostile behavior.

We face this decision not only in North Korea. It is far past time for the nations of the world to confront another reckless regime, one that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing death to America, destruction to Israel and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room.

The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy. It has turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos.

The longest suffering victims of Irans leaders are, in fact, its own people. Rather than use its resources to improve Iranian lives, its oil profits go to fund Hezbollah and other terrorists that kill innocent Muslims and attack their peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbors.

This wealth, which rightly belongs to Irans people, also goes to shore up Bashar al-Assads dictatorship, fuel Yemens civil war and undermine peace throughout the entire Middle East.

We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles. And we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program.

The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I dont think youve heard the last of it, believe me.

It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Irans government end its pursuit of death and destruction. It is time for the regime to free all Americans and citizens of other nations that they have unjustly detained. And above all, Irans government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors.

The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Irans people are what their leaders fear the most.

This is what causes the regime to restrict internet access, tear down satellite dishes, shoot unarmed student protesters and imprison political reformists.

Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the people will face a choice: Will they continue down the path of poverty, bloodshed and terror, or will the Iranian people return to the nations proud roots as a center of civilization, culture and wealth, where their people can be happy and prosperous once again?

The Iranian regimes support for terror is in stark contrast to the recent commitments of many of its neighbors to fight terrorism and halt its finance.

In Saudi Arabia early last year, I was greatly honored to address the leaders of more than 50 Arab and Muslim nations. We agreed that all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and the Islamic extremism that inspires them.

We will stop radical Islamic terrorism, because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation, and indeed, to tear up the entire world. We must deny the terrorists safe haven, transit, funding and any form of support for their vile and sinister ideology. We must drive them out of our nations.

It is time to expose and hold responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like Al Qaida, Hezbollah, the Taliban and others that slaughter innocent people.

The United States and our allies are working together throughout the Middle East to crush the loser terrorists and stop the reemergence of safe havens they use to launch attacks on all of our people.

Last month, I announced a new strategy for victory in the fight against this evil in Afghanistan. From now on, our security interests will dictate the length and scope of military operations, not arbitrary benchmarks and timetables set up by politicians. I have also totally changed the rules of engagement in our fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups.

In Syria and Iraq, we have made big gains toward lasting defeat of ISIS. In fact, our country has achieved more against ISIS in the last eight months than it has in many, many years combined. We seek the deescalation of the Syrian conflict and a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people.

The actions of the criminal regime of Bashar al-Assad, including the use of chemical weapons against his own citizens, even innocent children, shocked the conscience of every decent person. No society can be safe if banned chemical weapons are allowed to spread. That is why the United States carried out a missile strike on the air base that launched the attack.

We appreciate the efforts of the United Nations agencies that are providing vital humanitarian assistance in areas liberated from ISIS. And we especially thank Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for their role in hosting refugees from the Syrian conflict.

The United States is a compassionate nation, and has spent billions and billions of dollars in helping to support this effort. We seek an approach to refugee resettlement that is designed to help these horribly treated people, and which enables their eventual return to their home countries to be part of the rebuilding process.

For the cost of resettling one refugee in the United States, we can assist more than 10 in their home region. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we offer financial assistance to hosting countries in the region, and we support recent agreements of the G-20 nations that will seek to host refugees as close to their home countries as possible. This is the safe, responsible and humanitarian approach.

For decades, the United States has dealt with migration challenges. Here in the Western Hemisphere, we have learned that over the long term uncontrolled migration is deeply unfair to both the sending and the receiving countries.

For the sending countries, it reduces domestic pressure to pursue needed political and economic reforms, and drains them of the human capital necessary to motivate and implement those reforms.

For the receiving countries, the substantial costs of uncontrolled migration are borne overwhelmingly by low-income citizens whose concerns are often ignored by both media and government.

I want to salute the work of the United Nations in seeking to address the problems that cause people to flee from their homes. The United Nations and African Union led peacekeeping missions to have invaluable contributions in stabilizing conflicts in Africa.

The United States continues to lead the world in humanitarian assistance, including famine prevention and relief in South Sudan, Somalia, and northern Nigeria and Yemen. We have invested in better health and opportunity all over the world, through programs like PEPFAR, which funds AIDS relief; the Presidents Malaria Initiative; the Global Health Security Agenda; the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery; and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, part of our commitment to empowering women all across the globe.

We also thank the secretary general for recognizing that the United Nations must reform if it is to be an effective partner in confronting threats to sovereignty, security and prosperity.

Too often, the focus of this organization has not been on results, but on bureaucracy and process. In some cases, states that seek to subvert this institutions noble ends have hijacked the very systems that are supposed to advance them.

For example, it is a massive source of embarrassment to the United Nations that some governments with egregious human rights records sit on the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The United States is one out of 193 countries in the United Nations, and yet we pay 22 percent of the entire budget and more. In fact, we pay far more than anybody realizes.

The United States bears an unfair cost burden. But, to be fair, if it could actually accomplish all of its stated goals, especially the goal of peace, this investment would easily be well worth it.

Major portions of the world are in conflict, and some, in fact, are going to Hell. But the powerful people in this room, under the guidance and auspices of the United Nations, can solve many of these vicious and complex problems.

The American people hope that one day soon the United Nations can be a much more accountable and effective advocate for human dignity and freedom around the world.

In the meantime, we believe that no nation should have to bear a disproportionate share of the burden militarily or financially. Nations of the world must take a greater role in promoting secure and prosperous societies in their own regions.

That is why, in the Western Hemisphere, the United States has stood against the corrupt, destabilizing regime in Cuba and embraced the enduring dream of the Cuban people to live in freedom.

My administration recently announced that we will not lift sanctions on the Cuban government until it makes fundamental reforms.

We have also imposed tough, calibrated sanctions on the socialist Maduro regime in Venezuela, which has brought a once-thriving nation to the brink of total collapse.

The socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the good people of that country. This corrupt regime destroyed a prosperous nation by imposing a failed ideology that has produced poverty and misery everywhere it has been tried. To make matters worse, Maduro has defied his own people, stealing power from their elected representatives to preserve his disastrous rule.

The Venezuelan people are starving and their country is collapsing. Their democratic institutions are being destroyed. This situation is completely unacceptable, and we cannot stand by and watch.

As a responsible neighbor and friend, we and all others have a goal. That goal is to help them regain their freedom, recover their country and restore their democracy.

I would like to thank leaders in this room for condemning the regime and providing vital support to the Venezuelan people.

The United States has taken important steps to hold the regime accountable. We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people.

We are fortunate to have incredibly strong and healthy trade relationships with many of the Latin American countries gathered here today. Our economic bond forms a critical foundation for advancing peace and prosperity for all of our people and all of our neighbors.

I ask every country represented here today to be prepared to do more to address this very real crisis. We call for the full restoration of democracy and political freedoms in Venezuela.

The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented.

From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems.

America stands with every person living under a brutal regime. Our respect for sovereignty is also a call for action. All people deserve a government that cares for their safety, their interests and their well-being, including their prosperity.

In America, we seek stronger ties of business and trade with all nations of goodwill. But this trade must be fair and it must be reciprocal. For too long, the American people were told that mammoth multinational trade deals, unaccountable international tribunals and powerful global bureaucracies were the best way to promote their success.

But as those promises flowed, millions of jobs vanished and thousands of factories disappeared. Others gamed the system and broke the rules. And our great middle class, once the bedrock of American prosperity, was forgotten and left behind. But they are forgotten no more and they will never be forgotten again.

While America will pursue cooperation and commerce with other nations, we are renewing our commitment to the first duty of every government, the duty of (sic) our citizens. This bond is the source of Americas strength and that of every responsible nation represented here today.

If this organization is to have any hope of successfully confronting the challenges before us, it will depend, as President Truman said some 70 years ago, on the independent strength of its members. If we are to embrace the opportunities of the future and overcome the present dangers together, there can be no substitute for strong, sovereign and independent nations; nations that are rooted in their histories and invested in their destinies; nations that seek allies to befriend not enemies to conquer, and most important of all, nations that are home to patriots, to men and women who are willing to sacrifice for their countries, their fellow citizens and for all that is best in the human spirit.

In remembering the great victory that led to this bodys founding, we must never forget that those heroes who fought against evil, also fought for the nations that they loved. Patriotism led the Poles to die to save Poland, the French to fight for a free France, and the Brits to stand strong for Britain.

Today, if we do not invest ourselves, our hearts and our minds in our nations, if we will not build strong families, safe communities and healthy societies for ourselves, no one can do it for us. We cannot wait for someone else, for faraway countries or far off bureaucracies. We cant do it.

We must solve our problems to build our prosperity, to secure our future, or we will build vulnerable to decay, domination and defeat.

The true question for the United Nations today, for people all over the world who hope for better lives for themselves and their children, is a basic one: Are we still patriots? Do we love our nations enough to protect their sovereignty and to take ownership of their futures? Do we revere them enough to defend their interests, preserve their cultures and ensure a peaceful world for their citizens?

One of the greatest American patriots, John Adams, wrote that the American Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people. That was the moment when America awoke, when we looked around and understood that we were a nation. We realized who we were, what we valued and what we would give our lives to defend. From its very first moments, the American story is the story of what is possible when people take ownership of their future.

The United States of America has been among the greatest forces for good in the history of the world and the greatest defenders of sovereignty, security and prosperity for all. Now we are calling for a great reawakening of nations, for the revival of their spirits, their pride, their people and their patriotism.

History is asking us whether we are up to the task. Our answer will be a renewal of will, a rediscovery of resolve and a rebirth of devotion. We need to defeat the enemies of humanity and unlock the potential of life itself. Our hope is a word and world (sic) of proud, independent nations that embrace their duties, seek friendship, respect others and make common cause in the greatest shared interest of all, a future of dignity and peace for the people of this wonderful Earth.

This is the true vision of the United Nations, the ancient wish of every people and the deepest yearning that lives inside every sacred soul.

So let this be our mission and let this be our message to the world: We will fight together, sacrifice together and stand together for peace, for freedom, for justice, for family, for humanity and for the almighty god who made us all.

Thank you. God bless you. God bless the nations of the world. And God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis may be working separately for the time being  Macklemores solo album, Gemini, just came out, and Lewis is busying himself with production projects (he produced/co-wrote Keshas comeback single, Praying) and his own music  but the two are still best buddies, as evidenced by their adorable rapport while record shopping at Denvers Wax Trax store.

Its a bond theyve shared since meeting on Myspace in 2006, after which Lewis became the rappers photographer and, later, his artistic partner. We had nothing in common at that time, admits Macklemore (real name: Ben Haggerty) with a laugh. Ryan was like, You like Jedi Mind Tricks? Oh, youre not really that familiar? Well, we dont have anything to talk about, then.

But the two ended up in each others top eight friends  and they still are, in real life.

It was all so very dramatic, like, are you the first top friend or the second top friend? There was a hierarchy! Lewis chuckles, remembering Myspaces post-Friendster, pre-Facebook heyday. And you would bump around, too. Youd wake up one day, youd think you were friends with Jonathan, and then you dropped from No. 5 to No. 7. It was like everyone had their own little Billboard charts of friends, and you didnt know where you were going to end up.

Lewis gets even more nostalgic thinking about the mid-aughts, when music was taking over the internet like never before. When we first started making music, youre talking about, like, the pinnacle peak of mixtapes really emerging and becoming a thing. The emergence of blog reviews. So a whole shift, you know? And the beginnings of a lot of different peoples careers, like Wiz Khalifa coming out with a mixtape.

I actually think were almost to the time that Myspace can now make a comeback.  Nobody has replaced what the Myspace music player really was. They truly put the music player side by side with social media in a way that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, nobody else ever did. And for artists in particular, that was your real good gauge of where somebody was at in their career.

Story continues

So, are Lewis and Macklemores personal legacy Myspace pages still up and running? God, I hope not, groans Lewis.

Get even more nostalgic with the longtime friends and fellow music obsessives, as they go from digital to analog and dig through Wax Traxs vinyl crates  reminiscing about Kanye West, Digital Underground, Queen, Master P, and more.

Kanye West, The College Dropout

Macklemore: This is a great album. I love this album.  This was an imperative album to hip-hop.

Lewis: Whats your favorite song on the album?

Macklemore: It might be Jesus Walks.

Lewis: Its gotta be Jesus Walks!

Macklemore: Yeah, my favorite would be Jesus Walks. I really like Get Em High. Family Business was great. Although I was hip to Kanye before this came out, and he had a demo of Family Business that I had probably a year before. And then he rerecorded it and put it in on this.

Lewis: And you like the first one much better, right?

Macklemore: Yes, I liked the messed-up recording.

Lewis: Thats usually how it is.

Macklemore: This is a great album. It changed hip-hop.  I will say that up until this point, you have a 50 Cent, dominant gangster rap [style]. And then Kanye came out and he was this, like, liberal arts dude who was an artist, who wasnt from the street, didnt really rap about it, came out being vulnerable, talking about insecurities, talking about his shortcomings, putting that on a record and really opening up an emotional side of rap that hadnt been there before. Like, its OK to be myself. Its OK to talk about what I am and what Im not, and I dont need to have this persona in order to, for one, make successful music, and two, make good music that resonates with hip-hop.

Digital Underground, Sex Packets

Macklemore: This is the rap music that I fell in love with at the tender age of 7 years old. I got Sex Packets. My friends mom was very lenient in terms of any sort of rules. He got Sex Packets, and then I got to dub the tape. I was 7, and that changed my life. My next-door neighbor was super into rap music. I always think about this: Had it not been for my neighbor being super into rap, like if he was into heavy metal and that was the first thing that I heard at the age of 6 or 7, would I be into death metal?

Kesha, Rainbow

Lewis: Shes amazing.  Shes a powerful force in the studio, but shes super-positive. She definitely has a bit of a hippie soul. Shes very fun, super-creative, and she works really, really hard. Id never worked with her before. Obviously stepping in and meeting somebody brand-new with a really kind of intense emotional record  as opposed to, like, Hey, nice to meet you, lets make like a dance song!  you kind of have to grow a relationship with somebody quickly to do it. Most people dont have to have their big seasons of challenge on such public display.

Macklemore: I would echo everything Ryan said about Kesha. She was in Seattle, working with Ryan on some other records, and we got in the studio for a day, an evening [for a track on Macklemores Gemini album, Good Old Days]. She was late  which Im still resentful about! [Laughs] But she showed up with a great spirit, just completely open.  And just a great person. I love her. I think shes a great friend now, and its been great to see Praying take off and her album go to No. 1. You know, Im rooting for her.

Outkast, Stankonia

Macklemore: I really love this album. Theres so many cuts off here. Such a great balance of Andre, Big Boi, singing, rapping, features  its the perfect amount of all of it. The production, Organized Noize  classic. What a duo. They are iconic. I mean, to come out with Bombs Over Baghdad [B.O.B.] as their first single, when they had Ms. Jackson too? They had Ms. Jackson ready to go for radio, so to come out with Bombs Over Baghdad as their first single, with that video, was so forward-thinking. Like, you talk about Kanye always reinventing himself  Outkast always reinvented themselves. They always pushed the envelope of what was going to be the new sound. I mean, some stuff, like, took years for hip-hop to catch up to.

Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Lewis: I love this album. This is my favorite Kanye album  and I like all the Kanye albums. But like, All of the Lights features like 35 people, including Elton John, Fergie, Kid Cudi  and dont forget his cousin Tony! That record is crazy for me, the production that I love. That record hit a certain bar of epic-ness. But you also have Power, whole different feel to it. You also have Runaway. You also have him basically breaking Nicki Minaj and her having the best verse over any dude in the album. One of the best verses probably of that year [on Monster].  And then you also open up the album with Nicki Minaj speaking in a British accent, which is pretty hard too. I just love this album.

Macklemore: This is his most critically acclaimed album.

Lewis: The College Dropout, I would say, is the MC side of Kanye. Simultaneously, this dude is coming out and innovating the sound of hip-hop. And his original sound is, you know, everybody knows, is speeding up slow samples and having chipmunk vocals and this whole vibe that I dont think anyone had quite done. And that was his first move. And this is what makes Kanye such an innovator in hip-hop, is that he wasnt gonna do that forever. He was gonna figure out how to do that again and do that again. And you have Graduation flowing to this, flowing to 808, flowing to Yeezus  constantly trying to innovate and being dissatisfied with doing the same thing.

Master P, Ghetto D

Lewis: No Limit Records art was the most innovative album art! Not just their records, but their jewel cases that were straight thick orange or blue. Thats how you knew Snoop Dogg switched camps, because he comes out with a solid blue album. That was a big deal when he went over to No Limit, briefly. It was a whole different jewel case. Its almost like they invented it.  but the use of diamonds and sparkles on albums? And pixelated JPEGs and drop shadows?

Macklemore: It was fire.

Lewis: Fire! But let me go back to what changed my life. So my introduction into hip-hop was very much, you know, Jay-Z, Eminem, DMX. But then when I got the Master P Ghetto D classic album, I fell in love with No Limit Records. Silkk the Shocker, C-Murder, Mercedes. Like, what I appreciate about that album, and about Master P in general, is that he seems like a real one-take Timmy. The dubs were never really lined up with the vocals.

Macklemore: Particularly with Silkk.

Lewis: Right. I mean, the No Limit camp, they came in tough, really doing ad-libs and dubbing all their vocals, but they were never always on, so it always had this loose feel, like, you feel like youre just in a basement with people

Macklemore: And the homies are drunk, right?

Lewis: It was purposely rough around the edges, and things are a little off-beat, but it doesnt matter.

Queen, News of the World

Lewis: Its very hard to not notice We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions. Queen usually have one life-changing worldwide banger on every album, but this particular album has two. I feel like Queen were the early masters of the We record. The records that you put on in arenas. The records that you put on when youre going into a challenge. The records that inspire you. They make you feel larger-than-life, godly. I think Freddie Mercury was a genius. I think he had an unbelievable ability to bring people together through music. I think he had an unbelievable ability to go from one space in a song and then take you to a completely different space and then go back. Incredible performer. Queen has always been one of my main inspirations, especially when Im trying to make anything big. They just knew how to do it.

Foxy Shazam, The Church of Rock and Roll

Lewis: The Foxy Shazam music videos are incredible. And [frontman] Eric Nally [who sang on Macklemore & Ryan Lewiss track Downtown] not only has the sound, but he just is it. Backstage hes the gentlest, kindest, most tranquil human being, but then he gets onstage and hes f***ing crazy. And hes also super-inventive, like what hes able to do with his body. His knees get bloody. He takes the pain for the people. Which is how you can compare him to a Freddie Mercury. They both go all-in. Theyre committed. Its just in their blood. It was amazing to work with him on Downtown.

John Williams, Star Wars score

Lewis: To me, John Williams is the Kanye of film. Youre talking about a guy that wrote the themes to Jaws, Indiana Jones, E.T., Harry Potter, Star Wars. I can keep going. John Williams wrote this soundtrack to Star Wars when Star Wars was not expected to be a massive production. It had a finite budget. A lot of people thought it would fail. And John Williams, who works nine to five, goes home at 5 oclock, wrote this in 30 days. And forever he remains an inspiration to me because of what he does. I think hes one of the greatest top-liners. Hes made some of the catchiest melodies that do not have words, but we can all hum it.  And we just dont really do that in film anymore.

John Coltrane, Crescent

Macklemore: My [favorite song] would be Wise One by John Coltrane. Ive been asked the question of what is my favorite song too many times, where I had to come up with something. It is John Coltrane, Wise One. Final answer. Soundtrack to my life.

Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly

Macklemore: Very conceptual album. Very conceptual. Listening to this from front to back with the skits, its a movie.

Lewis: Its like an intense movie.

Macklemore: And one that you should listen to all the way through.

Lewis: All the way through. Meant to be a singular piece.

Macklemore: I remember when we listened to this, it was just like, F***, Kendrick did that?

J Dilla, Donuts

Macklemore: J Dilla. One of the greatest producers of all time, in any genre. He is Detroit. He is the standard Detroit. He has potentially the best drums and was the most influential in drum programming in the history of hip-hop.

Jay-Z, The Black Album

Lewis: This, to me, is one of the best hip-hop albums of all time. Theres not a bad song on this album.

Macklemore: I would disagree with that, but yes. Its very good. Justify My Thug is a skipper.

Lewis: You could be right, but bro, what more can I say? Encore, Change Clothes, Dirt Off Your Shoulder, Moment of Clarity, 99 Problems, Lucifer? And My 1st Song, which is in 3/4! This is a classic. What I also appreciate about this album is that he put out the a cappellas, which allowed all his producers to have moments. Like Danger Mouse made The Grey Album, which was the Beatles and The Black Album vocals. And it was phenomenal.

Follow Lyndsey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Amazon, Tumblr, Spotify
By Antonio Denti ABOARD AQUARIUS RESCUE SHIP (Reuters) - Migrants rescued in the Mediterranean last week said they had been lucky to dodge increased sea and police patrols along the Western coast of Libya that have dramatically reduced arrivals in Italy since July. Last month, Reuters reported that an armed group was stopping departures from the city of Sabratha, which had been the main springboard for smuggling for the past two years, although some boats are still getting through. On Thursday, the Aquarius rescue ship, run by humanitarian groups SOS Mediterranee and Doctors without Borders (MSF), picked up two rubber boats carrying a total of more than 260 migrants who had left from Sabratha. "If you are unlucky they will catch you ... there's so many ships in the sea," Buba from Sierra Leone told Reuters a day after being picked up. He declined to give his last name. "If you are lucky you make it." Italy has led the European Union's strategy to try to bolster the capability of local authorities and especially the Libyan coast guard so that they can shut down the central Mediterranean smuggling route, now the main one to Europe. Arrivals in Italy of rescued migrants fell 50 percent in July from a year earlier, and declined more than 80 percent in August -- two months that had been peak periods during the previous three years. Overall, there have been more than 100,000 arrivals in Italy this year, a decline of more than 20 percent compared to 2016, official data show. "In the Libyan waters, at Sabratha, there are plenty of police," said Umaru, another migrant from Sierra Leone. Using a slang word for police to describe the forces stopping the boats, Umaru said: "When the karabouche (police) come they will take you to the jail. When they take you to the jail they will ask you to send money to let them free you." The Italy-EU strategy has been strongly criticized by charity groups, including MSF, because migrants returned to Libya by the coast guard are detained arbitrarily in filthy centers with no healthcare, little food and abusive jailers. Often they must pay a ransom for their freedom. Noor Cornelissen, the humanitarian affairs officer on the Aquarius, said it was common to hear stories from migrants who have been repeatedly returned to Libya. "We talked to people who this has happened to, maybe two, three or even four times," she said. "They find themselves in Libya, in captivity ... they have to pay ransom to get out," she said. "They tell us that at that point it's just being bought and sold, bought and sold ... whether they are being held by officials or by informal groups or even by private individuals." (Writing by Steve Scherer; Editing by Catherine Evans)
Russia and China have kicked off naval drills from the largest Russian port in the region bordering North Korea, whose recent nuclear tests will likely cast a tall shadow over talks at the United Nations this week.

Both Russia and China officially condemn the Norths aspirations to develop nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities. However, the two have blamed Pyongyangs progress in this mission on U.S. sanctions and its military support for allies near North Korea.

While Beijing and Moscow have avoided fully pardoning North Koreas actions or fully condemning U.S. support for regional allies, they have been much more direct in their mutual support.

As part of the Marine Cooperation 2017 drill, China and Russia began jointly practicing naval combat in July in the Baltic Sea. The two navies kicked off the Pacific stage of the drill this week, focusing on coastal combat during the first few days before moving out to the Sea of Okhotsk, nearer to Japan.

Sailing into the Russian port of Vladivostok, the Chinese navy greeted Russian sailors with a 21-gun salute, and Russia responded in kind, Russian Pacific Fleet Captain Vladimir Matveev told state news agency Tass on Monday. This is Russia's main Pacific port and the capital of Russias Primoriye region, which borders North Korea.

As part of the Chinese navys deployment, Beijing sent its Shijiazhuang destroyer, its patrol ship Da Qing, the integrated supply ship Dong Pinghu and the rescue vessel Changdao, Russian naval news site Flot reports.

According to Matveev, Russia is sending the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs, its new corvette Sovershenniy (Flawless), the rescue ship Igor Belousov, an R-11 missile boat, the small anti-submarine ship Sovetskaya Gavan (Soviet Harbor), the hydrofoil Victor Faleev, an MB-93 tugboat and two diesel-powered submarines whose names he did not divulge.



Neither navy linked the drill directly to the North Korea tensions. Russia and Chinas militaries have made an open effort to close ranks in recent years, holding a handful of joint drills and training events. Russias defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, announced in June that the two countries plan a series of military events to strengthen international security.

Story continues

Russia has made a concentrated attempt to increase its trade with China and within the Asia-Pacific region in general, especially in the aftermath of the collapse of relations with Europe in 2014. Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine continues to hinder Russian plans to increase business with Europe due to sanctions.

Related Articles
Russia does military exercises regularly, but this years version, underway right now, deserves especially close attention. Its called Zapad (West) and involves thousands of troops doing maneuvers on the borders of the Baltic states and Poland. The motivating scenario is to defend against an imagined invasion of Belarus by foreign-backed extremists. One of the fictional enemy states, Vesbaria, seems to be a thinly disguised Lithuania; the other, Lubenia, looks a bit like Poland. There will no doubt be the usual low-level provocations, with Russian planes buzzing borders, that will make the whole passive-aggressive show of strength look more like an invasion of the West than the other way around.

One extra element this time, however, is that these are joint exercises with Belarus, and not everyone in Belarus is happy to play host. The exercises are being staged in the northwest of the country, given the name of another fictional state, Veyshnoria. This is the historical heartland of real Belarusian nationalism, where Belarusian activists in the early 20th century competed with Poles, Lithuanians, and Jews to claim the old Tsarist administrative region of Vilna. Unfortunately for the Belarusians, much of this became Vilnius, the capital of modern-day Lithuania. But the rest remains in the northwest of modern Belarus, with the division testament to the long-standing love-hate relationship between Baltic peoples and Belarusians. Hence the Baltic-style spelling of Veyshnoria.

But the region also voted for President Aleksandr Lukashenkos main opponent, the nationalist Zianon Pazniak, the last time Belarus had a real competitive election, back in 1994. So Zapad is directed as much against an internal enemy as against NATO powers, namely nationalists backed by the West. And that, worryingly, is the same scenario that Russia claimed to detect in Ukraine in 2014.

Some Belarusians have had fun with this. Veyshnoria now has its own Twitter account. You can buy T-shirts and mugs. Some 7,000 people have applied for its passports.

But theres a serious aspect to all this, too. Russian exercises have a habit of becoming real. The Kavkaz (Caucasus) maneuvers in 2008 were basically a dry run for the invasion of Georgia. The last version of Zapad in 2013 preceded Russian action against Ukraine. The most notorious exercise of all was in 1981, when massive maneuvers were used to intimidate Communist Poland into suppressing the Solidarity movement. The fear this time is that Russian troops might manufacture an excuse to stay behind. In which case, the same scenario of nationalist extremists could be used as an excuse to save Lukashenko or even depose him. The official figure of only 12,700 soldiers involved would not be enough to occupy Belarus, but other estimates are 10 times as high.

Other neighbors are equally alarmed. NATO now has revolving forward deployments in Poland and the Baltic states. The U.K. has 800 troops in Estonia, the United States up to 1,000 in Poland. Ukraines official statement declares that such exercises have been used repeatedly to achieve hidden military-political goals. Transition of the state border and military invasion into the territory of Ukraine is not excluded.

But Belarus bears the closest scrutiny. Tensions between Belarus and Russia have been growing acutely since 2014  if not yet by enough for Belarus to dare to pull out of Zapad completely (though it has invited in neutral observers). In observing the exercises, the West would be wise not to treat Belarus as a potential belligerent but rather as an increasingly reluctant ally of Russia.

Lukashenkos priority has always been survival. Belaruss priority has always been protecting its sovereignty. The close relationship with Russia used to help on both counts. Now it is seen as laying Belarus open to the same kind of hybrid war or active measures used by Russia against Ukraine, especially as Moscows definition of loyalty has grown ever more demanding since 2014.

Lukashenko has taken elementary precautions to try to ensure that his security services are more loyal to him than the Ukrainian equivalents were to former President Viktor Yanukovych. But this has proved a Sisyphean task, as they are so closely institutionally connected with Russia. Senior Belarusian officers and KGB (a name Belarus is still proud to use) still do their training in Russia.

Lukashenko has maneuvered to appear diplomatically neutral. The capital of Belarus has hosted the Minsk process on peace in Ukraine. Belarus has not backed Russia militarily over Crimea or in eastern Ukraine and has resisted fierce pressure for several years to host a Russian air base on its territory.

Lukashenko has tried to balance Russia by expanding his options with the West. Belarus had been under sanctions since a rigged election in 2010 and subsequent crackdown against protests. But all political prisoners were released in August 2015. The EU then lifted its sanctions in February 2016 (though the United States was unable to follow, as its hands are more closely tied by the Belarus Democracy Act, passed in 2004). Lukashenko has sought loans, flirted with the IMF, and deepened relations with any organization that wont lecture him too hard about his democratic credentials. This year, Belarus took the chair of the Central European Initiative, and the city of Minsk hosted the Parliamentary Assembly for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. EU officials have explored ways to make Belarus a real, rather than nominal, member of its flagship Eastern Partnership policy. In just two days in July, no fewer than four separate EU delegations visited Minsk.

Lukashenko, who was indifferent or even hostile to traditional Belarusian nationalism before 2014, has quietly pushed a program of soft Belarusianization. He has rejected Russian President Vladimir Putins pet idea that Belarus is part of the Russian world. Schoolbooks are being rewritten.

Lukashenko has endorsed pre-Soviet historiography beloved by nationalists, like the ancient history of Polatsk (in the north of Veyshnoria), as our historical cradle  a peaceful, hard-working, and friendly state, independent of both Moscow and Kiev. Lukashenko has even used Belarusian in public speeches, which is a first.

Peace has become Belaruss new brand. It appeals to a very conservative population and gives Belarus another card to play with the West by posing as a donor of security in the European region. On a visit to Minsk in August, the streets were lined with state-sponsored billboards proclaiming, We Belarusians are a peaceful people, which is also the first line of the national anthem.

Lukashenko doesnt want Ukrainian-style revolution either, but this is a tougher task. Traditionally, Lukashenko, who has survived in power as a dictator since 1994, has bought political acquiescence with economic growth. For 20 years, Belarus was not booming exactly but avoided the extremes of social dislocation, corruption, and oligarchy seen in Russia and Ukraine. The economy grew fairly solidly until 2008. Its initial wobbles thereafter could initially be blamed on the global economic crisis, but severe systemic problems set in in 2014. GDP fell by 3.9 percent in 2015 and 2.6 percent in 2016.

The secret of Lukashenkos success was Russian subsidies  namely cheap oil and gas, though the benefit of these schemes was often split with Russian oligarchs. But, reeling under sanctions, Russia could no longer afford to be so generous. Moreover, it didnt want to be, so long as Belarus was not playing ball over foreign policy. Russia also had to sort its own economy out first, via a sudden and unilateral devaluation in 2014 that hit Belarusian exports hard. Both countries have also struggled with lower oil prices. Lukashenkos other main lifeline is the two modern oil refineries he inherited from the Soviet Union.

All this has undermined Lukashenkos social contract with his traditionally passive population. Outside of Minsk, provincial towns depend on big state employers, which now only offer lower wages and part-time work. Migrant work in Russia has collapsed. The new reality is that there are two Belaruses: Minsk has a booming IT industry, but in the regions people struggle by on average wages as low as $150 a month.

This was the background to the unprecedented social unrest the regime faced this spring. Big demonstrations attracted thousands of people  and in small towns like Polatsk and Vitebsk, not just Minsk. The trigger was Lukashenkos misguided parasite tax, a ham-fisted attempt to relieve pressure on the beleaguered state budget by forcing the economically inactive to pay a poll tax of about $250. But the definition of inactive was extremely broad, including young mothers and those looking after relatives, netting about 450,000 people in a workforce of 4.5 million. The result was a revolt of his people, rather than the traditional opposition, which Lukashenko had to allow breathing space. The decree was suspended but not withdrawn  a revised version is due in late September. Hundreds of people were eventually arrested and given administrative fines, but there were no serious sentences, unlike in previous protests. The long-term problem wasnt solved.

Russia was reluctant to throw Belarus a lifeline. Compounded economic disputes have festered since 2014. The best that Lukashenko could get was a belated deal with Putin at St. Petersburg in April but with all sorts of strings attached. An additional loan of $1 billion was promised. Gas prices were discounted through to the end of 2019. Crude oil supplies to Belaruss refineries were increased. But the hidden strings were unknown; Lukashenko spent most of the meeting alone with Putin. Belarus admitted that it had to pay arrears of $726 million in gas payments. Putin suggested that Belarusian refined oil should be diverted to Russian rather than Baltic ports. Rumors flew of an unknown security agenda or of unfinished business due to be completed by pressure during Zapad. Putin himself has taken a moderate line, but Russian nationalist critics of Lukashenko are being given a lot of media space.

How should the West respond? There should be contingency planning if Russian troops do outstay their welcome. The West should be better placed than it was over Ukraine in 2014 to detect fake scenarios (attacks on Russian troops, incursions over Baltic or Ukrainian borders) or invented excuses to impose a de facto Russian base in Belarus.

In the longer term, the West should remember that supporting dictators for reasons of realpolitik doesnt always work out well. Whatever Lukashenkos desire for a more balanced foreign policy, he hasnt liberalized his countrys domestic politics. (It has even maintained the death penalty, the last country in Europe to do so.) But Belarus has to change. Its economic model is unsustainable, its security strategy extremely fragile. The West should encourage Belarus to take every small step in the direction of reform and proper sovereignty. The West should also encourage Russia not to overreact to such steps while preparing for it to do just that.

Photo credit: ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images
A meteorite struck Earth so hard 38 million years ago that the crash caused the hottest known temperature on our planets surface.

Scientists calculated the heat while they were investigating an impact crater in Canada. According to a study in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, the temperature caused by the meteorite strike had to be at least 4300 degrees Fahrenheit because the crash made the mineral zircon transform into cubic zirconia  and thats the minimum temperature required for such a reaction.

This new temperature determination is the highest recorded from any crustal rock, the study says.

A meteorite is a space rock that makes it to Earths surface, not to be confused with a meteor, which is a rock that enters Earths atmosphere and burns up. While they are still in outer space, these objects are meteoroids or asteroids.

Meteorite impacts tell us a lot about the history and formation of the solar system and our planet. As the study notes, when the space rocks hit the ground, both they and sections of Earths crust instantly melt and vaporize, influencing the planets shape.

But that same melting and vaporizing also makes it hard to learn about the rock that hit Earth and other details about the crash site and the subsequent reaction.

In the early solar system, scientific models show that the planets and the moons were frequently smacked with rocks. About 4 billion years ago, the inner planets, were subject to a period called the late heavy bombardment, causing explosive crashes and huge craters.

sunrise-1756274_1920

Photo: Pixabay/public domain

However, since the scorching temperatures generated by a meteorite impact are so short-lived and high, it is difficult for scientists to measure them. As a result, according to the study, the temperatures on the Earth and the moon in these bombardment models are not very exact. If they were more precise, they could also paint a clearer picture of how the Earths crust evolved.

Story continues

Although the crater the scientists were looking at, the Mistastin Lake crater in western Labrador, is only about 38 million years old, placing the impact much more recently in Earths history, it can help scientists better understand such impacts and how they shaped our planet. Because the crater is 17 miles wide, the object that smacked down was likely quite big.

It was so big that it hit hard enough to transform zircon into cubic zirconia  the scientists found evidence of that transformation as they were studying the Mistastin crater. According to a report on the research, previous research has shown that zircon needs a temperature of 4300 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2370 degrees Celsius, to make that change, so the impact had to be at least that hot.

That minimum temperature in the Mistastin crater is the hottest natural temperature ever discovered or recorded on Earths surface, the report said.

It was also the first time scientists have used zirconia to work backward and figure out how hot a meteorite impact was.

The scientists wrote in their study that the results are more closely bridging the gap between nature and theory.

Related Articles
Sir Richard Branson has called for a "Marshall Plan" to rebuild the British Virgin Islands in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Irma and fears of further damage by Hurricane Maria.

The Virgin Group founder, who is currently in New York to push for greater action on climate change at the UN General Assembly, said that he feared Hurricane Maria would add to the "catastrophic damage" the islands had suffered earlier this month.

Hurricane Maria was following a similar path to Irma, and strengthened to a category five storm on Monday night.

Richard Branson on Necker Island Credit: Virgin.com/Virgin.com

The US National Hurricane Centre declared it had upgraded the hurricane to its highest category after recording 160mph winds and issued warnings for islands including the British Virgin Islands and Montserrat.

UK International Development Secretary, Priti Patel, said the Government is under no illusion about the possible impact of Maria and said they are taking steps to prepare communities.

Damage on Necker Island Credit: Virgin.com/Virgin.com

Sir Richard's private Necker island, which is part of the British Virgin islands, was devastated earlier in September by Hurricane Irma.

Writing on his Virgin blog on Monday, the British billionaire said that his team "are doing everything we can to help people on the ground to prepare, and aid efforts are continuing".

Damage on Necker Island, British Virgin Islands Credit: Virgin.com/Virgin.com

"These hurricanes are causing unimaginable destruction; in the BVI infrastructure has collapsed, but we are working hard with some incredible partners, from the Royal Marines to aid agencies, the Puerto Rican authorities to the local BVIslanders, to help get the islands back on their feet," he wrote.

Story continues

"My thoughts are turning to working with others to help create a long-term Marshall Plan for the BVI, and for the Caribbean to be reconstructed and rejuvenated with clean energy and new jobs. However, as they prepare for another hurricane, the BVIs people need the world's attention now."

Sir Richard has launched the BVI Community Support Appeal to raise funds for those affected by the hurricanes.

Hurricane Irma batters the Caribbean, in pictures
By Dan Levine

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Diego attorney Dulce Garcia has regularly defended clients in immigration court. Now, she is the one seeking legal relief.

Brought to the United States illegally by her parents as a child, Garcia is one of six immigrants who sued the Trump administration on Monday over its decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. Since it was authorized in 2012 by President Barack Obama, the program has provided protection from deportation and the right to work legally to nearly 800,000 young people.

Garcia's case, filed in San Francisco federal court, is the first to be brought by DACA recipients, known as Dreamers, since U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced earlier this month that the Obama-era policy would start winding down in March 2018, according to Garcia's lawyers.

It is among several lawsuits challenging the decision to end DACA, including two cases brought by state attorneys general.

The legal claims in all of the cases, including Garcia's, are similar: that the Trump administration did not follow proper administrative procedure in rescinding DACA, and that making enforcement promises to a group of people, only to revoke them, violates due process.

The Trump administration has said it is ending DACA because Obama overstepped his constitutional authority when he bypassed Congress and created the DACA program unilaterally. President Donald Trump called on Congress to enact a law to protect DACA recipients and last week angered some of his fellow Republicans by negotiating with top congressional Democratic leaders on possible legislation.

During the 2016 presidential election Trump ran on a hardline immigration platform, promising to end DACA and strengthen border protections in order to increase jobs for U.S. workers.

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.

"I CRIED RIGHT THERE"

The daughter of a hotel housekeeper and a welder, Garcia arrived in Southern California from Mexico at the age of 4. A few years later, she said, her family was ousted from their apartment because the property contained illegal units.

Story continues

"We were living out of my dad's truck for a little bit there," she said.

Garcia decided to become an attorney after working for a criminal defense lawyer in high school. She put herself through school working for lawyers and performing other jobs such as parking cars.

After Obama announced DACA in 2012, Garcia, now 34, seized the opportunity. When she filled out forms for a social security number in 2013, the government clerk congratulated her.

"I cried right there," she said.

The case on behalf of Garcia and other DACA recipients could be heard with two separately filed San Francisco DACA cases, one brought by the University of California and the other by a group of state attorneys general, led by California's Xavier Becerra. Another group of attorneys general, led by New York's Eric Schneiderman, filed a lawsuit over DACA on September 6 in Brooklyn federal court.

Legal experts have said court challenges to Trump's decision could face an uphill battle because a president typically has wide authority in implementing immigration policy.

Jirayut "New" Latthivongskorn, another plaintiff in the lawsuit on Monday, was brought to the United States from Thailand when he was nine. Latthivongskorn is now a fourth year medical student at University of California San Francisco and a master's degree candidate in public health at Harvard. His DACA work authorization expires in January 2019.

His medical residency is not set to begin until a few months after that, and could be impossible if he loses his authorization to work legally.

"I have all these big ideas about how I want to change the world and change systems around health care," he said. "The fact I might not be able to get there is troubling and frustrating."

Garcia said that having to advise some of her DACA clients that there may be no help for them while at the same time trying to address her own immigration status takes a toll.

"That's a reason why I don't do exclusively immigration law," she said. "It would wear me down too fast."

(Reporting by Dan Levine; Editing by Sue Horton and Mary Milliken)
Chinese authorities have detained a software developer for selling computer services that allow internet users to evade Chinas Great Firewall, which blocks access to thousands of websites, from Facebook to Twitter to some news outlets, a media report said said.

The software developer, who is from the coastal province of Jiangsu, near Shanghai, was arrested in late August and held for three days for building a small business to sell virtual private networks, the Global Times newspaper reported, citing the official Xinhua news agency. VPNs create encrypted links between computers and allow Chinese web users to see blocked sites by hiding the address from government filters.

Subscribers paid 10 yuan, or about USD1.50, for one month of the developers service. Authorities also seized the developers earnings, which totaled 1,080 yuan, or about $165.

Some internet businessmen have faced far harsher punishments: Earlier this year, a 26-year-old entrepreneur who sold VPN services in Dongguan, near Hong Kong, was sentenced to nine months in prison.

Beijing launched a campaign early this year to stamp out the use of unlicensed VPNs, part of a broader crackdown over control of information ahead of Octobers twice-a-decade ruling party congress. China restricts how licensed VPNs are used, but has yet to disclose what those restrictions entail.

VPNs are part of daily life for many Chinese. A survey by GlobalWebIndex said 14 percent of Chinese internet users employ a VPN daily, meaning China may have as many as 100 million regular users.

Some 8.8 percent of people in the survey use VPNs to look at restricted sites, according to GlobalWebIndex.

China has introduced a range of internet restrictions over the past year, including requiring every business with a website to obtain an Internet Content Provider license.

Wang Sixin, deputy dean of the School of Literature and Law at Communication University of China, told the Communist Party-

owned Global Times that the new regulations are aimed at creating rule of law on the internet.

Web users will be prone to harmful  even terrorist  information on the internet if it isnt appropriately regulated, Wang said. AP
The Dadbag. (Photo: Dadbag)

The term beer belly could soon have a whole new meaning.

The Dadbag is a fanny pack that is designed to look like a hairy mans stomach.

Albert Pukies, a 27-year-old who lives in London, England, invented the fabric pouch.

My inspiration was seeing all the posts about dad bods being cool, he told HuffPost. I think people want them because of that reason. You can have a dad bod without any health issues.

The dad bod refers to a 2015 trend started by a college student who claimed girls everywhere are going nuts for a specific male body type that strikes a nice balance between a beer gut and working out.

So Pukies, who makes his living as an art director, decided to design a few versions of that ideal.

Its obviously meant to be funny but I do want to produce them, Pukies told HuffPost. Im looking for manufacturers at the moment.

Puckies told HuffPost hed like to sell them for about $30 a pop and he is considering a Kickstarter campaign.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Regardless of what you may think about the bag, it is a clever design. Plus Pukies seems to have a good sense of humor about his invention.

When asked what one would carry in the Dadbag, he replied with:

Im thinking of typical dad items, like beer, medicine, a sandwich, wallet, sunglasses, keys.

Because, really, what dad doesnt leave the house without a sandwich?

To find out more about the Dadbag, check out Pukies site here.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
North Korean Ambassador to Spain, Kim Hyok Chol, talks during an interview with the media in Madrid, Spain, 21 April 2017 - EFE

Spain on Monday ordered North Koreas ambassador to leave the country by September 30 in protest over Pyongyangs nuclear tests, which it has criticised as "a serious threat to peace".

"Today, the ambassador of North Korea DPRK in Spain has been declared persona non grata," the foreign ministry said on its English twitter account. The ministry added on its Spanish account that the ambassador has until the end of the month to leave the country.

In late August, Spain had warned that Pyongyangs nuclear and ballistic missile programmes "create a serious threat to peace in the region and to global security," saying they "would have consequences on bilateral relations".

The ambassador was also summoned to Madrid at the time and told to reduce the number of diplomatic staff, which include an ambassador and two diplomats, according to a foreign ministry spokeswoman.

The North Korean embassy opened in 2014.

things facts you didn't know about north korea

North Korea  the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK)  has repeatedly conducted missile launches in recent months, despite being barred from doing so under United Nations rules.

It carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test earlier this month, and fired a long-range ballistic missile over Japan that landed in the Pacific.

South Korea flexes its military muscle after North's nuclear test

It prompted renewed sanctions from the UN Security Council, which is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the matter during the annual General Assembly gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

This latest move by Spain followed decisions from both Peru and Mexico to expel the North Korean ambassador on their territory.
There are more than 100,000 saltwater crocodiles in northern Australia. They grow more 20 feet long, weigh over 1000 pounds, and bite with a force exceeding the weight of a small car. And yet there are a group of people crazy enough to hunt them. They cruise around in boats at night with nothing more than a big light, a big harpoon, and a gun, searching for pairs of glowing eyes peeking just above the water.

Its somewhat unnerving, says photographer Trevor Frost. Its not like I think the crocodile is going to jump out of the water and eat me on the boat. But its eerie. Eyes are everywhere.

Frost tagged along on 11 hunts for his ongoing series Cult of the Crocodile. The project captures all aspects of the croc-human relationship, from a breeding farm producing highest-quality skins to delighted tourists gawking at crocodiles gobbling up chicken meat. Heres this creature thats been around for millions of years unchanged, he says. It can kill people. Some people love it. Some people hate it. And theres this entire industry around it."

Nicknamed "salties," the Australian crocodile lurks in warm rivers, lagoons and billabongs, chomping down on large beasts like pigs, water buffalo, and even sharks. But in the 1960s, the crocodile disappeared almost completely due to over hunting. The government banned killing them in 1971, and the population quickly bounced back. Today, a crocodile management program provides incentives-based conservation, allowing for a regulated $100 million commercial industry that includes collecting wild eggs, breeding, and about 1,200 hunting permits a year. Hunters must describe the crocodile they want to kill, then film the death so authorities can verify it was cruelty-free. Many crocodiles are killed due to complaints from locals about them wandering too close to neighborhoods or eating their cattle.

Frost lives in Richmond, Virgina and became fascinated with crocodiles when he visited Australia in 2013 on assignment. He met hunter Aaron Rodwell while purchasing a souvenir crocodile tooth, and Rodwell eagerly showed Frost a cell phone video of him wrangling a croc with his bare hands. Frost was hooked. The hunters are exposing themselves to a serious amount of risk in order to get a crocodile, and it could go either way," he says. "The crocodile could get one of them. Or they could get the crocodile.

He shadowed Rodwell and his partner Roger Matthews on hunts over the next three years. The men set sail in a small aluminum boat at night, beaming a spotlight into the water to pick up the creature's eyes. They then quietly sidle up beside it and thrust a harpoon in its neck, letting the croc thrash and hiss in the water up to several hours until it tires out. They then lasso its jaw shut, hoist it onto the boat, and execute it with a .22 revolver. There were some close calls. Once, Frost was shooting when a 16-foot croc chomped down on the side of the boat and shook it violently. When you hear, Get the fuck down! thats when its scary, he says. Afterwards your heart is beating a thousand miles an hour.

The cinematic images are fascinating, strange, and often downright grisly. In one photo, a man sits in a hot tub with baby crocs he keeps as pets. In another, Rodwell and Matthews pose proudly with a crocodile strung up in a tree. It's something you don't see every day, but not so unusual in a land of 100,000 crocs.
Can Mark Leiter hang in against the Dodgers on Thursday? (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Its a slow Tuesday afternoon and youre thinking about a pitcher streamer. You play in a competitive league, so you need to look an extra day ahead, consider the Thursday schedule.

You see Mark Leiter of the Phillies.

Hes carrying an ERA just under 5 and hes up against the Dodgers, thats bad. But its a home game for Philly and hes matched against Kenta Maeda (a good pitcher but not LAs ace or No. 2); thats good.

And lets look a little deeper at Leiters performance numbers. Hes posted a 1.29 WHIP, which is solid  and when an ERA and WHIP conflict, I tend to trust the WHIP. Hes striking out just under a batter per inning, and hes getting almost three whiffs for every walk. His last two turns have been ordinary (12 IP, 8 ER), but he did collect 18 strikeouts in those appearances.

Keeping the ball in the park has been Leiters biggest bugaboo, and maybe the Dodgers will get him there  although LAs offense has come back down from its summer peak. But if youre chasing strikeouts in a deeper league, Leiter misses enough bats to push onto your page. Leiter is widely available, owned in just five percent of Yahoo leagues.

 Its hard to find a large bank of data that will support Clayton Richard, but hes been solid of late. If you aggregate his last eight turns, you get a 3.31 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, playable for most mixed leagues. And that run has come against some tricky competition; two LA starts, a trip to Colorado and Miami, five road starts in all.

Richards Thursday start is a home date with the Rockies  and we know how Colorado tends to struggle away from home. When you get the Colorado offense at normal sea level, theyre the 22nd-best scoring offense in the league. Richard wont fit the profile for someone playing in a shallow league, but these are the kinds of pitchers you have to consider in the deeper pools. Hes owned in 10 percent of the Y.

 Its always a funny thing when a prospect comes to the majors and maintains his Triple-A production, or improves on it. But sometimes we see exactly that  nice run, Rhys Hoskins. And maybe its happening, on a much smaller scale, with Jeimer Candelario in Detroit.

Story continues

Candelario, a third baseman, was a key piece in the Justin Wilson/Alex Avila trade package with the Cubs. Candelario was respectable with his two Triple-A clubs, posting a .265/.343/.484 slash with 15 homers in 110 games. The Tigers called him up in September.

All The Candy Man has done over the last three weeks is mash  20-for-57, two homers, 11 walks against nine strikeouts, 1.000 OPS. Hes become the teams dedicated No. 2 hitter. And yet, hes oddly available in 89 percent of Yahoo leagues.

No one suggests Candelarios true talent level is anything like what hes done in Detroit, but lets stick with whats working. Hes going to play, and be locked into a decent lineup slot. He wasnt a blue-chip prospect before 2017, but the 23-year-old did sneak onto a Top 100 list. Ill make some room for him. Candy Man, tell em the truth.
Aung San Suu Kyi faced mounting criticism Tuesday over what some world leaders are now calling the "ethnic cleansing" of Myanmar's Rohingya minority, despite her plea for patience from the international community.

The head of Myanmar's civilian administration pledged to hold rights violators to account over the crisis in Rakhine state, but refused to blame Myanmar's powerful military for the attacks that have driven 421,000 Muslim Rohingya out of her mainly Buddhist country.

But her speech, delivered in English and clearly aimed at deflecting international anger as world leaders gathered at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, failed to quell international anger at reports that the Rohingya are being burned out of their homes.

"The military operation must stop, humanitarian access must be guaranteed and the rule of law restored in the face of what we know is ethnic cleansing," French President Emmanuel Macron told world leaders gathered for the week of high-level diplomacy.

The United States has been careful not to blame Myanmar's civilian leadership for the attacks because the country's military retains control of security operations in troubled areas like northern Rakhine, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was moved to call Suu Kyi.

While Tillerson welcomed the pledge to crack down on abuses, he also urged both the government and the military "to address deeply troubling allegations of human rights abuses and violations" during the telephone conversation, his spokeswoman said.

Macron and Tillerson's concerns echoed those of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who issued a blunt demand that Myanmar halt military operations and of Britain, which suspended training courses for the Myanmar military in light of the violence in Rakhine.

"The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access," Guterres told the General Assembly.

Story continues

"They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long."

Amnesty International joined the outcry, saying Suu Kyi was "burying her head in the sand" over documented army abuses and claims of rape, murder and the systematic clearing of scores of villages.

And in New York, there was pressure from leaders like Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, who compared the crisis to the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

"If this tragedy in Myanmar is not stopped, the history of humanity will face the embarrassment of another dark stain," Erdogan said, calling for the Rohingya sheltering in Bangladesh to be allowed to return to the homes in which they "have lived for centuries."

In her long-anticipated speech, Suu Kyi -- a former political prisoner and Nobel Peace laureate who won international acclaim for her role in campaigning for a return to elected rule in Myanmar -- failed to offer any concrete way out of the crisis.

Supporters and observers say the 72-year-old lacks the authority to rein in the military, which ran the country for 50 years and only recently ceded limited powers to her civilian government.

Myanmar's army acts without civilian oversight and makes all security decisions, including its notorious scorched earth counterinsurgency operations.

- Repatriation pledge -

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25.

An army-led fightback has left scores dead and sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh.

In her 30-minute speech, Suu Kyi reached out to critics who have condemned her failure to speak up for the stateless Rohingya and promised to repatriate refugees in accordance with a "verification" process agreed with Bangladesh in the early 1990s.

"Those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems," she added.

In less than a month, just under half of Rakhine's million-strong Rohingya minority has poured into Bangladesh, where they languish in overcrowded refugee camps.

It was not immediately clear how many would qualify to return.

But their claims to live in Myanmar are at the heart of a toxic debate about the group, who are denied citizenship by the state and considered to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi's repatriation pledge "is new and significant," said Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar, explaining it could allow for the return of those who can prove residence in Myanmar -- rather than citizenship.

But in the monsoon-soaked shanties in Bangladesh, there was anguish among refugees over how they would meet any requirements.

"We don't have any papers," said 55-year-old Abdur Razzak.

"If the government is honestly speaking to resolve our crisis, then we are ready to go back now," he added. "Nobody wants to live in such squalid conditions as a refugee."

- No more violence? -

Suu Kyi insisted army "clearance operations" finished on September 5.

But AFP reporters have seen homes on fire in the days since then, while multiple testimonies from refugees arriving in Bangladesh suggest such operations have continued.

Without blaming any group, Suu Kyi promised to punish anyone found guilty of abuses "regardless of their religion, race or political position."

And she insisted Rakhine was not a state in flames, saying: "More than 50 percent of the villages of Muslims are intact."

Around 170 Rohingya villages have been razed, the government admits. Rights groups say satellite evidence shows the damage is more widespread.

While stories of weary and hungry Rohingya have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for them among Myanmar's Buddhist majority.

Around 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.

Loathing for the Rohingya has brought the public, including pro-democracy activists, into an unlikely alignment with an army that once had them under its heel.

Suu Kyi's speech was warmly welcomed in Myanmar, even though no Burmese subtitles were provided.

"She told the real situation to the world on behalf of Myanmar people," Yu Chan Myae told AFP.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump will give his first address to the General Assembly of the United Nations. Despite his relatively short political career, he has plenty to say about the intergovernmental organization tasked with maintaining international order. Looking at his past statements about about the body offer a view of what he will be after at the General Assembly.

Read more: Nikki Haley pledges "a new day for the U.N." ahead of Trump's first address

Great areas of contrast with the body are clear: The U.N. has rallied nations to fight climate changesomething Trump calls a hoaxand late last year passed a resolution viewing Israeli settlements as tainting the peace process with Palestiniansan action Trump said will make it much harder to negotiate peace.

From 2011 onward, he started making the creed that has become his most frequent: calling for the organization to have its funding cut.

Spending

This will be high on Trump's agenda. The U.S. gives roughly $8 billion to the United Nations through mandatory and voluntary payments each year, divided between peacekeeping and other operations.

Trump has criticized the U.N. for spending decisions in both those areas, and has also slammed it for something closer to his heart: its buildings.

A property mogul, Trump in 2012 criticized the marble tiles he will speak in front of at the General Assembly Hall. The cheap 12 inch sq. marble tiles behind speaker at UN always bothered me, Trump tweeted in October that year. I will replace with beautiful large marble slabs if they ask me.

During the 2016 campaign for the Republican primaries candidate, he continued his criticism of the New York building, lamenting that the body spent more than a billion dollars to renovate it, when he only spent $320 million to build his own Trump World Tower, located opposite the U.N.s HQ.

An ambassador from, I think it was Sweden, called up. Mr. Trump can I meet you? Why? Trump said, detailing the conversation during a campaign stop in Kiawah, South Carolina, in February 2016. Im on a committee, Trump said the ambassador told him. We dont understand how you can spend $320 million to build this buildingbrand-new, beautifuland yet were spending a billion dollars to just fix up the United Nations?

Story continues

I said, because of two reasons: corruption and incompetence. Its very simple, Trump said, stating that former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan didn't care about the cost of renovations. The renovation story he was referring to was from 2006the same year he told CNN that taxpayers should be more outraged by the fact that the United Nations, which has the power to do great things, doesn't do anything. That, to me, bothers me a lot more than their renovation bills.

Global warming

Just days before the 2016 election, Trump told a rally in Florida that his administration will also cancel billions and billions of dollars in global warming payments to the United Nations.

Those payments will disappear, he said, and we will use all of that money to invest in theenvironmental infrastructure of our country.

In June, he stated that he will withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, an agreement within the United Nations. (Reports this week suggested that the U.S. may seek to re-engage with the deal at the upcoming meeting, though Trumps national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, has denied any such change.)

In his government budget proposal for 2018 this spring, Trump stripped out the $3 billion the Obama administration set aside for the Global Climate Change Initiative to help other nations meet their targets agreed under the Paris deal. The U.S. has already given $500 million dollars, and the president is expected to cancel this money entirely.

The Middle East

Climate change is not the first time Trump threatened to cancel U.N. funding. If the UN unilaterally grants the Palestinians statehood, then the US should cut off all its funding. Actions have consequences, Trump tweeted in 2011. The U.N. voted to recognize a Palestinian state in 2012, making it a nonmember observer at the body.

He again berated the organization over its approach to Israel in December 2016, when the United Nations Security Council voted 14-0 to demand an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th, Trump warned in a tweet after the vote.

Trump has consistently criticized the U.N. for a perceived lack of action to solve problems. The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad! Trump tweeted in December 2016, more than a month after winning the presidency.

In April, he melded further criticism of the body with his customary self-aggrandizement, telling U.N. Security Council ambassadors during a meeting, I think that the United Nations has tremendous potentialtremendous potentialfar greater than what I would say any other candidate in the last 30 years would have even thought to say, but it hasn't lived up to the potential and you just don't see the United Nations, like, solving conflicts.

On Monday, he made more specific threats regarding U.N. work, warning the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a letter that the group isnt tough enough in its monitoring of Irans nuclear program and that Washington will discard its nuclear deal with Iran and five other countries if the agency doesnt crack down. The IAEA says Iran is complying with the deal.

What he'll say in his speech

Cost-cutting will likely be a big feature. Ahead of his address Tuesday, Trump told a U.N. meeting on reforming the organization that the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement. He urged Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to cut through the bureaucracy, reform outdated systems and use metrics to evaluate a peacekeeping missions success.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley told CNNs State of the Union during an interview Sunday that Trumps speech will mark a new day at the U.N.

I think that the pleas he made in terms of trying to see change at the United Nations have been heard, and I think what we'll do is see him respond to that, she said.

The president is going to say the United Nations cant be effective unless it reforms its bureaucracy and unless it achieves a higher degree of accountability for member states, Trumps national security adviser, H.R. McMaster said bluntly in an interview Sunday with ABCs This Week.

The U.S. has already put some of Trumps aims into motion, sending around declaration on U.N. reforms for member nations to sign. More than 100 nations have signed so far, and Guterres has prepared a package of changes in response.

However, Aaron D. Miller, a former U.S. Middle East diplomat and distinguished fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center, advised observers not to get their hopes up for Trumps reform agenda. Trump endorses UN reform process. Sounds reasonable Let's not go overboard on a transformed Trump, he tweeted. However, he added that there could yet be surprises, because the General Assembly is Trump's biggest stage yet.

Related Articles
The Indian government told the country's top court on Monday that the Muslim Rohingya who have fled Myanmar are a serious security threat as it sought to justify moves to deport up to 40,000 of the refugees.

Mukesh Mittal, a senior home ministry official, said the Supreme Court must let the government to take a decision in Indian interests because of Rohingya links to extremist groups.

The case is being heard as Bangladesh struggles with more than 410,000 Rohingya who have flooded across the border since August 25 when the military in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim group.

Countries across the region fear they will feel the fallout from the crisis.

"Some of the Rohingyas with militant background are also found to be very active in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mewat and have been identified as having a very serious and potential threat to the national security of India," Mittal said in a written submission to the Supreme Court.

The statement highlighted the "serious potential" for an "eruption of violence against the Buddhists who are Indian citizens who stay on Indian soil".

It also said the government had intelligence indicating links between Rohingya refugees and Islamic State and other extremist groups.

Rohingya community leaders have denied any link with Islamist extremism.

The statement came in response to a petition filed at the Supreme Court challenging a government decision to deport the Rohingya, many of whom have been in India for the past decade.

Many experts have questioned where India could send the Rohingya.

Human Rights Watch urged India, the world's biggest democracy, to follow the international principle of non-refoulement which prohibits sending back refugees to a place where their lives are in danger.

- Stateless and homeless -

"India should not be behaving like the abusive Myanmar government," said HRW's South Asia director Meenakshi Ganguly.

Story continues

"There should be no collective punishment. If there is credible evidence of militancy against individuals, that should be brought before the court," she told AFP.

The United Nations says there are 16,000 registered Rohingya in India, but many more are undocumented. The government puts the figure at 40,000.

About 7,000 of them live in shanties in India's Jammu region in the Himalayas where they say they have faced hostility from the majority Hindu community there.

The government of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi said last month it had asked state authorities to identify and deport Rohingya living in their territory.

It says the Rohingya cannot use the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees since India was not a signatory to either.

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, representing the Rohingya at the Supreme Court hearing, said the Indian constitution "provides equal rights and liberty to every person" including non-citizens.

Myanmar claims the community are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship.

The stateless Rohingya have been fleeing Myanmar for decades.

The latest exodus began after Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Rakhine state on August 25 triggering a military backlash. The UN has said the army action could amount to ethnic cleansing.

Mohammad Salimullah, one of the two Rohingya petitioners, said the authorities in New Delhi had always been helpful so he was hopeful the court would support the refugees.

"In the five or six years that we have been here, we have never felt that we are foreigners here nor have we ever felt any kind of fear," Salimullah told AFP ahead of the case.

While Bangladesh has been the main destination for Rohingya over the years, some have ended up in India and Nepal. There are also some in Pakistan.

The hearing will continue next month.
The mayor of a small South Carolina town was stopped by police as he puttered down a dark highway in a lawn mower, drinking a can of beer, dashcam video appears to show.

John Gardner of Aynor, population 763, was riding a mower on a two-lane road when officers from the Horry County Police Department turned on their flashing lights, the footage shows.

Read: Tell Us How You Really Feel: Man Mows 'A-H*** Into Lawn With Arrow Pointing to Neighbor

Hes not stopping, a female officer says, laughing. He later pulls to a stop after one of the cops screams at him.

You know who I am? the mayor asks.

"I know you," an officer replies.

Gardner, who also is the chief financial officer for Horry County Schools, apologized.

You have an open container of Miller Lite. You were drinking going down the road, an officer says.

You aint supposed to have that," the other cop is heard saying. "Am I right or am I wrong?"

Gardner was not charged. The video was recently released by the police department at the request of a local news agency.

Read: Firefighters Finish Mowing Lawn for Man Who Collapsed While Tending Grass

Horry County police spokeswoman Krystal Dotson said that no police report was available because the incident was just a contact/traffic stop, and no report was generated. The case was not turned over to the Aynor Police Department, she said, according to WMBF-TV.

In an interview last week with a local paper, Gardner said the beer was not open. It was unopened to the best of my knowledge, he said.

An unidentified person arrived to drive away the mower, the video shows. It was not clear how the mayor got home.

Watch: Man Who Mowed Lawn With Tornado in the Background: 'I Just Kept My Eye on It'

Related Articles:
You dont have to be a rocket scientist to know that a world leader shouldnt hurl schoolyard insults at Kim Jong Un.

But on Tuesday, President Donald Trump called the North Korean leader a Rocket Man on a suicide mission during his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles, he said. The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

Trumps doomsday warning comes after the United Nations Security Council enacted sanctions on Pyongyang, North Koreas capitol, due to its nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

In response, Twitter users launched some jokes of their own.

Me: "Look Rocket Man is trending.. I wonder what Elton John is up to. He's a delight." Looks at Twitter

"We're all gonna die."  Duane Rollins (@24thminute) September 19, 2017

I think it's gonna be a long, long time till other countries respect this nation again. #RocketMan  Fredrick Soukup (@21stcenturyfred) September 19, 2017

"Rocket Man Is on a Suicide Mission" is that underrated b-side track I discovered while going through my dad's record collection.  Greg Gonsky (@GregGonsky) September 19, 2017

Remember when JFK went to UN and called Khrushchev Rocket Man & threatened to totally destroy Russia if he didn't remove missiles from Cuba?  Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) September 19, 2017

Calling Kim Jong-un #Rocketman while threatening nuclear war proves that DT is the only world leader w/the guts to give Kim an equal peer.  John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) September 19, 2017

I can't imagine seeing this quote in a textbook as a kid and being expected to care about our stupid civilization pic.twitter.com/7fhjZOYqzL  Mike Tunison (@xmasape) September 19, 2017

"OK, heres the deal: I'll read all the boring parts of this speech you wrote for me, but in exchange I get to call Kim Jong Un rocket man."  McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) September 19, 2017

If you're going to give Kim Jong-Un a nickname, why go with "Rocket Man"? Why not "Lil' Kim"?  Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) September 19, 2017

#RocketMan, Burning out his fuse out here alone. pic.twitter.com/1l2HRDTecA  Nick Johnston (@NickHJohnston) September 19, 2017

#RocketMan is on a suicide mission. If necessary I will send in B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets! #UNGA  Donald J. Drumpf (@RealDonalDrumpf) September 19, 2017

Lots of Elton John nicknames at the UN. Trump called Kim Jong Un "Rocket Man" while Trump is known as "Tiny Hand-Sir". #UNGA #RocketMan  Will Presti (@WillPresti) September 19, 2017

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Oil extended gains above USD50 a barrel in New York as Iraq raised the prospect of OPEC taking further steps to clear a global supply glut.

Iraq said theres support in the OPEC to deepen output curbs by about 1 percent. Still, Iraq has failed to deliver the supply cuts it committed to under the current agreement. U.S. refiners are delaying scheduled maintenance as they resume operations after Hurricane Harvey, supporting demand for crude.

While oil has rebounded in two weeks, prices have struggled to hold above $50 a barrel this year as rising U.S. output stifles supply curbs led by OPEC members and allies such as Russia. Caribbean islands still recovering from Irma are bracing for a third hurricane strike in two weeks, as Maria tracks toward the U.S. coast.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the United States is ready to "totally destroy" North Korea and vowed to confront Iran's "murderous regime" over its weapons program.

In his first address to leaders gathered at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump warned North Korea not to pursue its nuclear missile program in his starkest language yet, deriding its young leader Kim Jong-Un with the nickname "Rocket Man" and threatening to end his country.

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," he said. "The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary."

As to Iran, Trump appeared to pave the way towards tearing up the nuclear deal signed in 2015 between six world powers and Iran.

Trump said the accord had failed to rein in the regime's subversive role in Middle East conflicts, and sent a clear signal that he intends to declare Tehran in breach of the deal when he reports to Congress next month.

"We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program," Trump told the assembly.

"Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it," he said.

"Believe me. It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction."

Many of the assembly's members, including US allies and Iran deal signatories France and Britain, favor retaining the accord -- under which Iran surrendered much of its enriched nuclear fuel and exposed its nuclear sites to international monitors.

But some of Trump's closest advisors fear the agreement leaves Iran too close to the threshold of being able to quickly develop a nuclear weapon when restrictive clauses in the deal begin to expire in 2025.
President Donald Trump managed to sneak in a plug for one of the famous properties bearing his name Thursday while making his first address to the United Nations, a comment that is sure to ignite further criticism of the billionaire for using his office for personal gain.

Before Trump outlined, in broad strokes, his hopes of reform and better management at the international diplomatic body, he snuck in a comment about his own Trump World Tower.

"I actually saw great potential across the street, to be honest with you, and it's only for the reason that the United Nations was here that that turned out to be such a successful project," Trump said according to USA Today.

The tower is adjacent to the United Nations headquarters on the ritzy east side of Manhattan. When it was completed in 2001, it was the tallest entirely residential building in the world.

The presidents use of the phrase such a successful project reminded some critics that the president frequently praises his prior workdevelopment projects that still benefit him and his family.

Last month, following the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, the president was criticized not only for his controversial comments blaming "many sides" for the violence, but also for boasting about the size of his winery just outside the historic city.

The billionaire real estate mogul placed his assets in a trust and is no longer the head of his global organization, but he and the rest of the Trump family have come under scrutiny for potentially using their new political power to enrich themselves.

The sister to the presidents son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner reportedly cited her brother during a presentation to Chinese investors in Beijing on a real estate project run by the Kushner family, and Trump extended a program that allowed real estate investors to gain a visa faster if they invested $500,000 into a U.S. property, according to The Washington Post.

Story continues

The Trump Organization also profits from its management of the Trump International Hotel. In June, the Government Accountability office and the General Services Administrations (GSA) Office of Inspector General launched probes into how the hotel obtained its lease from the GSA. The GSA stated that the lease was in full compliance in March, but that claim is now in question.

Earlier this year, the hotel was used to hold a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee, raising $10 million.

Related Articles
NEW YORK  President Trump will use his maiden speech to the U.N. General Assembly to condemn Iran, call for global action on North Korea, and unapologetically defend his nationalistic America First stance before wary world leaders, administration officials said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is skipping the annual diplomatic crush in New York, but Trump will at least implicitly criticize Beijing in his Tuesday speech for not doing enough to tighten an economic vise on North Korea.

Trump will speak in extremely tough terms about the North Korean menace and the threat it poses to our security and the security of all the nations in that room, a senior White House official told reporters. And he will talk about, as well, the enablement of the North Korean regime and what that means too.

Its not clear whether the president, who has repeatedly denounced President Obamas nuclear deal with Iran, will declare whether he intends to certify that Tehran is complying with the deal by an Oct. 15 deadline. But he will deliver a message aimed at the Islamic republics people, the official said.

One of the greatest threats to the  status quo in Iran is the Iranian people themselves, Trump will make clear, according to the official. And so there will obviously be some discussion about the tension between the direction the country is currently being run in and the desires of the people and what kind of future they want to have.

The speech from the rostrum of the United Nations will put Trump in front of his largest in-person audience of world leaders. Foreign capitals have taken note of the presidents past addresses, like his demand in Saudi Arabia that all countries confront terrorism, and his nationalist clarion call in Poland, where he vowed to defend our civilization.

Trumps presidency has been shaped by a range of clashes with global allies. The president suggested he would not honor NATOs mutual-defense provision unless partner nations stepped up defense spending. He scrapped U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, upsetting leaders in Japan, South Korea and a number of other countries worried about being in the shadow of a rising China. He called for ending the U.S. trade deal with South Korea, shocking Seoul at a time when both countries need to cooperate on North Korea. He withdrew from the Paris Agreement to fight climate change, a step French President Emmanuel Macron has urged him to reconsider. And Trump has repeatedly said Mexico will pay for the border wall he promised during his campaign, something Americas southern neighbor flatly rejects.

Story continues

Trump will return to the themes of increased burden-sharing and nation-state sovereignty principles that some in his audience may hear as U.S. retrenchment from international cooperation and strident nationalism.

I think the main message is Make the United Nations Great. Not again, make the United Nations great, Trump told reporters on Monday. Such tremendous potential, and I think well be able to do this.

Hes not interested in nation-building, not interested in creating democracies through the use of the U.S. military, but is interested in creating stability in the world, the senior White House official said. And Trump will mount a defense of our civilizational values and what makes us special.

During his campaign and since taking office, Trump has repeatedly expressed skepticism about alliances like NATO, trade pacts and associations like the European Union. He may not do so explicitly on Tuesday, but the perspective that drives those sentiments will be on display.

Its an appeal to each nation to use sovereignty as the basis for mutual cooperation, the idea being that rather than appealing to a top-down model of global bureaucracy, the official said.

In essence here, what the president is doing is explaining how the principle of America First is not only consistent with the goal of international cooperation, but a rational basis for every country to engage in cooperation, because all countries that are sovereign put the needs of their own citizens first, the official said.

The official denied that Trumps message amounted to a criticism of the United Nations. The United Nations, as the president will explain, was conceived from the idea of independent nation-states cooperating together, he said.

Asked what threatened U.S. sovereignty, the official replied with a familiar list that included immigration, trade agreements and other international accords  which Trump criticized throughout the 2016 campaign.

Those of us who are lucky enough to have the chance to be advisers are working for a person whos had a deeply developed worldview for decades, in terms of reshaping Americas  establishing fairness in Americas relationships with other countries and creating a foreign policy that is driven by outcomes, not by ideologies, the official said.

The official described Trump as appreciating the importance of the moment, saying: Theres no question that its a huge event.

Read more from Yahoo News:
President Donald Trump forcefully defended the United States and condemned North Korea and Iran in his first speech before the United Nations General Assembly, hailing strong, sovereign nations and urging fellow world leaders to put your countries first, while trying to strike a cordial tone on the international alliances he had previously criticized.

As president of the United States, I will always put America first, he said. The United States will always be a great friend to the world and especially to its allies, but we can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal in which the United States gets nothing in return.

Trumps speech Tuesday was an important test on the world stage, as the U.N. grapples with international crises, including North Koreas growing nuclear program, terrorism and climate change.

Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime, Trump said, referring to his nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

He then said the U.S. will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea if the regime does not tamp down its nuclear development and if it threatens the U.S. and its allies.

In a clear nod to his conservative base, Trump pledged to crush the loser terrorists and stop radical Islamic terrorism.

He also strongly indicated that he would not remain in the Iranian nuclear deal, which is up for renewal next month, calling it one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the U.S. has ever entered into and an embarrassment.

Trumps speech presented another opportunity to push his America First foreign policy vision, this time in front of an international body he has often maligned.

During his presidential campaign, Trump regularly criticized the United Nations for mismanagement and ineffectiveness. And in December, he referred to it as a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.

The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2016

On Monday, he pledged to make the United Nations great, a nod to his campaign slogan.

Story continues

The main message is make the United Nations great. Not again. Make the United Nations great, Trump told reporters. Such tremendous potential, and I think well be able to do this.

In his speech Tuesday, Trump celebrated the international alliances formed after World War II, a sharp contrast from his campaign rhetoric.

Yet he remained critical of the United Nations role and fiercely put forth his America First platform, boasting at the beginning of his scripted remarks that the United States has done very well since Election Day.

The reaction to Trumps speech among the world leaders in the room was muted at best and stone faced, according to a press pool report from The New York Times Peter Baker. At the conclusion of the presidents remarks, there was fuller, polite applause, though not rousing or enthusiastic.

While in New York, Trump has been speaking with world leaders gathered for the U.N. meeting. On Monday, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss peace in the Middle East, which Trump has boasted he can reach, as well as the Iran nuclear agreement, which Netanyahu fiercely opposes.

Youll see very soon, Trump told reporters, when asked if the U.S. would stay in the agreement.

Later in the day, Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron, with climate change as one topic of contention. Macron has been trying to convince Trump to reverse the decision he made earlier this year to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement.

According to the White House, the two leaders discussed how best to protect the environment while promoting economic growth.

Trumps busy week has not gone without a hitch.

Ahead of his meeting with Macron, Trump told reporters that he wants a military-style parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington on July Fourth, referring to the French Bastille Day parade he saw during his July visit to Paris on the invitation of Macron. Trump said Monday that he admired Frances display of military might.

Trump also took the time to promote one of his New York real estate properties before giving remarks at a meeting about U.N. reform.

I actually saw great potential right across the street, to be honest with you, Trump said, apparently referring to his Trump World Tower property near the United Nations. And it was only for the reason that the United Nations was here that that turned out to be such a successful project.

This article was updated with reaction to Trumps remarks.

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

President Donald Trump kisses First Lady Melania Trump after disembarking form Air Force One upon arrival at Paris Orly airport on July 13, 2017, beginning a 24-hour trip that coincides with France's national day and the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I. Donald Trump arrived in Paris for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal backing home.

A woman holds a placard in support of Trump as he arrives in Paris.

First Lady Melania Trump speaks with children as she visits Necker Hospital for children on July 13, 2017 in Paris, France.

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, welcomes First Lady Melania Trump while his wife Brigitte Macron President Trump outside the Army Museum during a ceremony at Les Invalides in Paris, on July 13, 2017.

Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron stand during the US and French national anthems.

Trump is welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron during a welcome ceremony at Les Invalides in Paris.

French President Emmanuel Macron shares a laugh with Trump as they arrive at the Elysee Palace.

Trump and Macron review troops during a welcome ceremony.

Macron and Trump talk during the welcome ceremony.

Trump, First lady Melania Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and his wife Brigitte Macron listen to the Director of the Army Museum, David Guillet, as they visit Napoleon Bonapartes tomb at Les Invalides in Paris, on July 13, 2017.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
In a speech likely to draw comparisons with George W Bushs axis of evil, the president will tell nations they must confront the twin threat to global security

White House official says Donald Trumps first speech to United Nations on Tuesday will focus on world regimes that threaten security. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump will use his first address to the UN general assembly on Tuesday to call for international action to confront North Korea and Iran, which he will portray as twin threats to global security, the White House said.



The US president will warn member states that they risk being bystanders in history if they do not mobilise to confront such threats, according to a senior White House official.

The official also said Trump would use his address to sketch out his vision of how nation states could cooperate in the face of such challenges without compromising their sovereignty. In that way, the official argued, asking for other nations to take part in collective action was consistent with Trumps America First approach.

The presidents speech will focus on world regimes that threaten security, the official said.

Obviously one of the chief regimes that will be singled out in this regard is the regime of North Korea and all of its destabilising hostile and dangerous behaviour, as well as of course the regime of Iran, he argued.

And in those two cases as well as others, an appeal to other nations to do their part in confronting these threats, and understanding it is a shared menace and that nations cannot be bystanders in history, the official added. And if you dont confront the threats now, they will only gather force and become more formidable as time passes.

Trumps speech will seek to distinguish between the Iranian government and its population, and the president will suggest that they are at odds.

One of the strategic implications of the speech is to point out that one of the greatest threats to the status quo in Iran is the Iranian people themselves, the White House official said.

So obviously there will be some discussion of the tension between the direction the country is currently being run in and the desires of the people and what kind of future they want to have. So there is a lot of strategic thought in the speech in terms of how to separate out the government from the people of Iran.

Story continues

The crisis in Venezuela and the enduring threat of terrorism will also be discussed in Trumps speech, the White House official said.



Trumps decision to single out North Korea and Iran is likely to draw comparisons with George W Bushs state of the union speech in 2002, in which he described North Korea, Iran and Iraq as the axis of evil.

Little more than a year later, Bush led the invasion of Iraq on the claim, later proved groundless, that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Trumps call to action against Iran is likely to win even less support than Bushs rallying cry against Iraq 15 years earlier. Iran signed a deal in 2015 accepting strict curbs on its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief, and the other signatories, the permanent members of the security council and Germany, say that Iran is abiding by the agreement. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) agrees.

The UK, Washingtons key ally in Iraq, has stated repeatedly that it remains committed to the 2015 nuclear deal. Like France, Germany, Russia and China, it will resist any move to bracket Iran together with North Korea.

Donald Trump with the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and UN ambassador Nikki Haley in New York on 18 September. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

While there is security council consensus that North Korea poses a major threat to international security and stability, there are differences on how tightly the country can be squeezed economically. China, its neighbour and major trade partner, does not want to trigger a regime collapse, and has resisted US calls for a complete oil embargo and naval blockade.

On Monday, Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to maximize pressure on North Korea.

In challenging the viability of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, the US is a lonely voice on the security council. One of Trumps few allies in his assault on the agreement, Benjamin Netanyahu, met the US president in New York on Monday.

Two hours later, Trump met the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the same hotel room, and the French government made it clear that Macron would be arguing for the US to keep faith with the nuclear deal.

Frances foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, argued the deal was vital to global security.

Its essential to maintain it to prevent a spiral of proliferation that would encourage hardliners in Iran to pursue nuclear weapons, the minister told journalists in New York on the sidelines of this weeks UN general assembly.

Trumps administration also faces isolation and accusations that it is itself a bystander to history by his intention to leave the Paris accord on climate change, which would put the US in the company only of Nicaragua and Syria.

Administration officials have suggested in recent days that the US might not leave the accord if it could be renegotiated.

He did say to President Macron that he looks forward to continuing discussions with him, said Brian Hook, the director of policy planning at the state department. He is, I think, open to a number of different approaches that properly balance protecting the environment with protecting American workers and promoting economic growth and not giving an unfair advantage to other countries.



The US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, is due to meet his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, for the first time on Wednesday evening at a session of a joint commission established by the signatories of the 2015 nuclear agreement.

On the even of his maiden UN speech, Trump made a brief appearance at a meeting about reform of the organisation. He praised the secretary general, Antonio Guterres, describing him as fantastic.

He extolled the noble goals of the organisation, but warned that in recent years the United Nations had not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement.

In his remarks, Trump  a former property developer and TV reality show host  could not resist a plug for his golden Trump Tower across the road from the UN headquarters. Because of the location, he said, it had turned out to be such a successful project.
For a year, Steve Bannon and Donald Trump thrived in one of the most controversial alliances in U.S. political history, as the Breitbart chief was credited with providing the intellectual ballast and strategic vision behind the real estate moguls astonishing journey to the White House.

Now, while they remain on the same side regarding most policy questions, the U.S. Senate race in Alabama has turned them into adversaries.

Steve Bannon, Trump

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

On Saturday, Trump tweeted about attending a campaign rally for the incumbent senator, Luther Strange, a former state attorney general who has the backing of the GOP establishment. Though he announced his support for Strange ahead of the August 15 primaries, Trump had not campaigned alongside Strange.

I will be in Huntsville, Alabama on Saturday night to support Luther Strange for Senate. Big Luther is a great guy who gets things done! Trump wrote.

Senior Republicans have spent weeks attempting to persuade Trump to get behind Stranges campaign, according to Politico. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell fears that a Strange loss could spark a damaging civil war in the GOP ahead of next years mid-term elections. Such a battle could drain Republican funds from contested Democrat seats.

Bannon, who was ousted from the White House amid savage internal feuding in August, is throwing his weight behind Strange's opponent, Roy Moore, a controversial former judge. Bannon believes a Moore victory could act as a catalyst in his mission to defeat other establishment Senate Republicans who he believes are out to derail Trump's populist agenda.

Among the McConnell-tied Senate incumbents Bannon is reportedly tilting against are Jeff Flake in Arizona, Dean Heller in Nevada, Bob Corker in Tennessee and Roger Wicker in Mississippi.

In Alabama, Moore seems poised for victory in the September 26 vote, having led in virtually every poll since going head-to-head with Strange.

Story continues

Political observers in Alabama believe Bannons influence has done little to boost Moore, but his friendship with billionaire anti-establishment GOP donors such as Robert Mercer could help close the considerable financial advantage Strange enjoys.

"The biggest help Bannon could provide Moore is financial," Brent Buchanan, a Montgomery-based Republican strategist, told AL.Com Sunday. "That has yet to be seen."

The Great American Alliance PAC, which is run by a Bannon protege, is reportedly bankrolling a Moore bus tour through the state this week. The group is expected to host a pro-Moore rally attended by Sarah Palin.

Meanwhile, the Senate Leadership Fund, which is closely connected to McConnell, has pumped millions of dollars into attacks ads against Moore, and some observers believe Trumps backing for the candidate could swing the election.

The president is extremely popular here. His approval numbers are in the mid-80s among Republicans, Blake Harris, an Alabama Republican strategist, told Politico. Even more, he's got a record of drawing huge crowds in this stateso a visit could definitely make a difference in what is predicted to be a pretty low-turnout election.

Some have even suggested that the widening rift in the Republican Party could spell the end of decades of two-party dominance of the American political system, with populists possibly breaking off to form a party that would challenge the GOP from the right. Michael Beschloss, a presidential historian, told The New York Times the conditions were so ripe for a split: Ive been startled that this has not happened.

It would be a mistake, though, to interpret Trump's position in the Alabama race as indicating he is throwing aside the populist insurgency that brought him to power. In recent weeks he has attacked McConnell ally Flake, who is facing a primary challenge for his Arizona Senate seat.

As the contest for the soul of the GOP intensifies, everything apparently is in play.

Related Articles
NEW YORK  President Trump bluntly warned in a speech to the United Nations on Tuesday that the United States may be forced to totally destroy North Korea if that country proceeds with its nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile programs.

Condemning the depraved North Korean regime as a major threat to global security, Trump mocked its leader, Kim Jong Un, saying: Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, the president told world leaders in his first address to the annual U.N. General Assembly.

That unusually martial language from the U.N. rostrum drew a rebuke from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, who said that the president used the United Nations as a stage to threaten war and said his bombastic threat did nothing to help defuse the crisis.

Trumps stark message came in a roughly 40-minute speech in which he also sharply criticized China, mildly rebuked Russia, condemned Venezuelas government, and suggested he might scrap the Iran nuclear deal. Overall, the tone was a nod back to his 2016 campaigns unapologetically nationalist approach to world affairs.

President Trump addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly. (Photo: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always and should always put your countries first, the president said. In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch.

Some of Trumps toughest language targeted China, North Koreas primary patron and trading partner.

Slideshow: World leaders faces react to Trumps U.N. speech >>>

It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict, he said, without explicitly naming Beijing. No nation on earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles.

Story continues

Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the General Assembly, as he frequently does. Other absent leaders included Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Trump also pressed for global action to rein in Tehran and hinted that he could either tear up the Iran nuclear deal, which he pronounced one of the worst and most one-sided accords Washington has ever signed, or declare that the Islamic Republic is not in compliance with the agreement.

We cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program, he said. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I dont think youve heard the last of it, believe me.

President Trump speaks during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Russia rated only a couple of passing mentions in the speech: Trump lumped its invasion of Ukraine among threats to sovereignty that deserve condemnation, but praised Moscow for joining recent unanimous 15-0 U.N. Security Council votes to tighten sanctions on North Korea.

But Trump, who in mid-August had floated a possible military option to respond to Venezuelas slide into chaos, railed at length against that countrys leader, Nicolas Maduro.

The Venezuelan people are starving, and their country is collapsing. Their democratic institutions are being destroyed. This situation is completely unacceptable, and we cannot stand by and watch, the president said. We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people.

Trump further vowed to stop radical Islamic terrorism, a phrase he had left out of recent speeches, and declared, It is time to expose and hold responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups. He did not name names.

President Trump speaks during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly. Notable absentees included Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Again and again, the president returned to the theme of national sovereignty, describing international trade deals and immigration as threats to Americas identity.

The United States will forever be a great friend to the world, and especially to its allies, he promised. But we can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return.

And he blamed mammoth multinational trade deals, unaccountable international tribunals and powerful global bureaucracies for lost jobs and shuttered factories in the United States.

Returning to a core theme of his campaign, Trump said: Our great middle class, once the bedrock of American prosperity, was forgotten and left behind. But they are forgotten no more, and they will never be forgotten again.

Trumps presidency has been shaped by a range of clashes with foreign allies. The president has suggested that he would not honor NATOs mutual-defense provision unless partner nations stepped up defense spending. He scrapped U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, upsetting leaders in Japan, South Korea and a number of other countries worried about being in the shadow of a rising China. He called for ending the U.S. trade deal with South Korea, shocking Seoul at a time when both countries need to cooperate on North Korea. He withdrew from the Paris Agreement to fight climate change, a step French President Emmanuel Macron has urged him to reconsider. And Trump has repeatedly said Mexico will pay for the border wall he promised during his campaign, something Americas southern neighbor flatly rejects.

Trump made no mention of the Middle East peace process or international efforts to combat climate change in his remarks.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Senior adviser Stephen Miller leaves the White House: REUTERS

The Trump administration suppressed a study showing refugees brought $63bn (46.6bn) in economic benefits to the US, it has been claimed.

The draft report showed refugees contributed vastly more in revenue to the US government than the state spent to help them between 2005 and 2014.

But internal machinations, reportedly led by Donald Trumps senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, saw only the cost details included in the final version, which showed refugees relied more per head than US citizens on state assistance.

The leaked draft was obtained by the New York Times. Right-wing ideologue Mr Miller, it reported, had intervened personally to press for the removal of information demonstrating refugees economic contributions.

It was not clear who made the final decision, the paper said.

Mr Trump commissioned the study from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which he tasked with uncovering the cost of refugee programmes.

Next month Mr Trump will decide where to cap the number of refugees the US will admit in the coming year. Currently the figure sits at 50,000 under his travel ban.

Some who backed the study claimed it had been suppressed, the Times reported.

A White House spokesman told the NYT: This leak was delivered by someone with an ideological agenda, not someone looking at hard data.

The actual report pursuant to the presidential memorandum shows that refugees with few skills coming from war-torn countries take more government benefits from the DHHS than the average population, and are not a net benefit to the US economy.
In the aftermath of the recent typhoons, Sands China Ltd. is continuing its aid to local non-government organizations, by assisting Caritas Macau, Macau Special Olympics (MSO), and the Association of Parents of the People with Intellectual Disabilities of Macau.

The gaming operator has been providing the associations with transportation support by purchasing new vehicles to replace damaged ones, so as to help them maintain their essential operations.

Sands China is providing three 7-seater vans with drivers for Caritas Macaus Good Take Express, which provides accessible transport services for the elderly, for those suffering from chronic illnesses, and to assist people with reduced-mobility with trips between home and hospital.

To assist Macau Special Olympics (MSO) students, the company is providing three buses with drivers and one van to transport MSO members to school.

The company will provide support to the association until their own damaged buses are repaired and services are fully resumed.

Two buses and drivers are also being provided for the Association of Parents of the People with Intellectual Disabilities of Macau, helping the association to continue to provide support and assistance to its members, allowing them to continue taking advantage of their learning opportunities by transporting them to class and day care.

According to a statement issued by Sands China, the group will continue these interim services as needed. Meanwhile, the company has also donated MOP250,000 to each of the organizations for their emergency use, such as for the repair of typhoon-damaged service vehicles. The company has also pledged to replace the organizations damaged vehicles.

Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd., said: We are a resilient community, and Sands China is happy to do its part to assist with relief efforts and help community organizations get back to providing essential services to their members.
The U.S., South Korea and Japan undertook a joint bombing exercise Sunday, dropping live ammunition on a test range in South Korea. The mock attack was a show of force in retaliation to North Korea test-launching a ballistic missile that flew over Japan Thursday.

The mission consisted of two bombers from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, four Marine F-35B from a U.S. base in Iwakuni, Japan, four Korean fighters and four Japanese fighters, according to a press release by U.S. Pacific Command.

U.S. Pacific Command maintains the ability to respond to any threat in the Indo-Asia-Pacific theater at a moments notice, said the release.

The bombing run comes at a time of heightened tension between the U.S. and North Korea. The Thursday missile launch was the second time in less than three weeks that North Korea sailed a missile directly over Japan. The United Nations (U.N.) Security Council passed ever-stricter sanctions on North Korea last week on Monday.

The sanctions came after North Korea conducted its sixth and largest nuclear bomb test. North Korea claimed the test was a thermonuclear hydrogen bomb. Updated analysis of the blast by experts say that the North Korean claim is likely accurate.

If North Korea keeps on with this reckless behavior, if the United States has to defend itself or defend its allies in any way, North Korea will be destroyed, said U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley to CNN Sunday. And we all know that, and none of us want that.

President Donald Trump mocked North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Un, Sunday calling him Rocket Man, on Twitter.

I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!, tweeted Trump.

I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 17, 2017

North Korea fired back Monday calling the sanctions the most vicious, unethical and inhumane act of hostility, via their state media wing, the Korean Central News Agency.

Story continues

North Korea also test-launched two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July, proving the country theoretically could strike the continental U.S. with a missile. 

Related Articles
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson said he was not going to resign, when questioned on Tuesday following reports that he could quit before the weekend if his Brexit demands were not met by Prime Minister Theresa May. May is due to make a speech on Brexit on Friday and the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that close friends of Johnson believe he will have no choice but to walk away if she advocates permanently paying for access to the EU's single market. Speaking in New York, Johnson was asked by reporters if he planned to resign in footage aired by Sky News. "No ... of course not, we're going to deliver a fantastic Brexit," he said. "We're working together, and the key thing is to make sure Britain can take advantage of the opportunities that Brexit provides." May later backed Johnson in an interview with Sky News. "Boris is doing good work as Foreign Secretary," she said, according to a Tweet by Sky News reporter Beth Rigby. May also said she was confident of getting her whole senior team of ministers to back her Brexit strategy, which she is due to lay out at a specially convened cabinet meeting on Thursday before making her Brexit speech in Florence on Friday. (Reporting by William James, Kylie Maclellan and Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Stephen Addison)
Addis Ababa (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday urged Ethiopia to investigate deadly clashes between two of the country's major ethnic groups that have caused tens of thousands to flee.

Fighting broke out in recent weeks along the border between the Oromia and Somali regions, which Oromia president Lemma Megersa said earlier this week led to "brutal killings" and the displacement of 50,000 people.

Details of what started the fighting remain unclear, but the US embassy in the capital Addis Ababa said it had received "troubling reports of ethnic violence and the large-scale displacement of people".

"We urge the Ethiopian government to conduct a transparent investigation into all allegations of violence and to hold those responsible accountable," the embassy said in a statement.

The state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported that the military has been deployed to quell the unrest, and 200 people accused of participating in the violence have been arrested.

Ethiopia is divided into ethnically-based federal regions, and the Oromo and Somali people have for years argued over who controls arable lands located along their shared border.

Leaders of the two regions signed an agreement in April to resolve the boundary dispute, ENA reported.

At a press conference on Sunday, Megersa blamed "individuals" for the latest bloodshed.

"This situation is very dangerous for the country, so we have to stop it and bring back peace and stability," Megersa said.

Oromia was rocked by months of anti-government protests that started in 2015 and left more than 940 people dead.

The clashes led to the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency in October 2016 that was repealed last month.

Somali has its own challenges, particularly failed rains that have plunged swaths of the region into drought.

Ethiopia's government and the United Nations announced in August that 8.5 million people were in need of food aid because of the drought, up from an estimated 7.8 million in April.
Thessaloniki (Greece) (AFP) - Moscow has requested the extradition of a Russian national also wanted in the United States for laundering billions of dollars through a Bitcoin exchange he operated, a judicial source said Tuesday.

Alexander Vinnik, who headed BTC-e, an exchange he operated for the Bitcoin crypto-currency, was indicted by a US court in late July on 21 charges ranging from identity theft and facilitating drug trafficking to money laundering.

He has been languishing in a Greek jail since his arrest on July 25 in the tourist resort of Halkidiki, near the northern city of Thessaloniki.

According to the judicial source, Vinnik said he would not contest Moscow's request, dated August 10. He is wanted there on separate fraud charges totalling 9,500 euros ($11,000).

According to US authorities, Vinnik, 37, "stole identities, facilitated drug trafficking, and helped to launder criminal proceeds from syndicates around the world."

In addition, BTC-e "was noted for its role in numerous ransomware and other cyber-criminal activity," receiving more than $4 billion worth of bitcoin over the course of its operation.

BTC-e, founded in 2011, became one of the world's largest and most widely used digital currency exchanges, but according to the indictment, it was "heavily reliant on criminals" engaged in identity theft and drugs, as well as corrupt public officials.

Vinnik was also charged with receiving funds from the infamous hack of Mt. Gox -- an earlier digital currency exchange that eventually failed, in part due to losses attributable to hacking.

The Treasury Department has fined BTC-e $110 million for "wilfully violating" US anti-money laundering laws, and Vinnik $12 million.

In July, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin hailed Vinnik's arrest and indictment, saying that cracking down on illegal uses of the cyber currency is a key goal of US regulators.

The Greek justice system will now have to decide whether Vinnik heads to Moscow or Washington.
Xbox 360 controllers have long since been replaced by Microsoft, but an unlikely source is getting a second lifespan out of them: the U.S. Navy. The Navy is starting to use repurposed Xbox 360 controllers to control the periscopes on some of its submarines, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

In the past, many Virginia-class submarines used mast-mounted cameras to see above the water and they required helicopter-like joysticks that required extensive training and were costly to use. According to Lockheed Martin, a standard control panel would usually be $38,000 per unit.

For the Navy and partner Lockheed Martin, a major reason behind the change was familiarity. In surveys, younger officers said they disliked current scope controls and found them to be clunky to operate. In addition, many millennial-aged sailors grew up playing video games and already know how to use a gaming controller, which made the skill transfer extremely easy for crew members. Lockheed Martin said sailors were able to pick up the controller scheme within minutes and for the Navy, the shorter training time is a secondary benefit.

Plus, Xbox 360 controllers, which run around $30, cost way less than a military grade joystick for a submarine. Senior Chief Mark Eichenlaub, who is the USS John Warners assistant navigator, told the Pilot the lower price tag for hardware is an added upside to the change. The Navy plans on implementing the new Xbox 360 hardware on future Virginia-class submarines.

I can go to any video game store and procure an Xbox controller anywhere in the world, so it makes a very easy replacement. Eichenlaub said.

The Navy is the latest military branch thats looked towards video games as a way of making tasks easier for soldiers. The Navys LaWS laser weapon system was tested back in 2014 and features a video game-style controller to find targets. Elsewhere, gaming controllers have also been used to run everything from drones to bomb-disposal robots.

Story continues

Related Articles
Two tourists, one from Indonesia and one from Thailand, were found to possess in possession with forbidden weapons in their luggage while boarding international flights, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) informed at a press conference.

Both cases occurred on September 17 around 4.30 p.m. with just 10 minutes separating the incidents. In the first case, a security guard from the airport was processing luggage after check-in when a metal weapon known as a brass knuckle was detected. Brass knuckles are used to inflict damage when punching during a hand-to- hand fight.

The security called the PSP, that sought the luggage owner and took him to the police station for questioning.

During questioning the man, aged 40 and from Indonesia, told officers that he had bought the weapon in Hong Kong on September 9 for HKD75 and that he only had the intention to use it as a decorative item. He said he was unaware of Macau laws regarding such objects.

In a separate case, a man from Thailand in his 20s, who claimed to be a physician, was stopped by airport security after his backpack was flagged on the x-ray machine as carrying a suspicious object.

Further investigation on the bag revealed a gun bullet inside. After being taken to the police station for questioning, the man said the backpack, which he borrowed for the trip to Macau, belonged to his father.

He claimed that his father was a hobbyist shooter and possessed a license for that activity in Thailand, saying that he was unaware that the bag had any ammunition inside.

The bullet was delivered to the PSPs Division of Guns and Ammunition and was confirmed to be perfectly operational.

The tourists were both presented to the Public Prosecutions Office yesterday, where they were charged with the possession of forbidden weapons.

In separate cases reported by the Judiciary Police (PJ) at the same press conference, there were two unusual cases of theft.

The first occurred on September 15 at around 2.30 p.m., when a local man left his bicycle unlocked, placed on top of his own motorcycle, while taking one of the bicycle wheels to a shop to fix a punctured tire. When returning to the place where he had left it, the bicycle was gone.

The man claims to have recorded a loss of about HKD33,000.

In the other theft case, a German tourist was reported to have had his luggage stolen while transferring by shuttle bus from Taipa Ferry Terminal to his hotel in Cotai.

The man said he placed the luggage as indicated by the staff in the bus luggage compartment when boarding the bus, but when he got off the luggage was gone. He said the luggage contained several of his possessions including an iPad worth HKD4,000 and some sunglasses also worth a similar amount.

Both cases are currently under investigation by the PJ.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Venezuela on Tuesday accused Donald Trump of racism and seeking a new Cold War after the US president told the United Nations he was ready to act to "restore their democracy."

"This racist and supremacist theory which he's exposing, this return to the Cold War, for a moment we didn't know if we were listening to president Reagan in 1982 or President Trump in 2017," Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said.

"We do not accept threats from President Trump or whoever in the world. We are people of peace -- peaceful people -- and we want relations of mutual respect," Arreaza told reporters at the United Nations.

He called Trump's first speech at the United Nations "sad for the world," saying he "talked as a general of the army, to invade other countries."

Venezuela has been rocked by months of economic chaos and deadly protests as President Nicolas Maduro consolidates control, including through a new Constituent Assembly that wrests power from the opposition-dominated legislature.

In his speech, Trump called the situation in Venezuela "completely unacceptable" and called for help so the country's people can "regain their freedom, recover their country and restore their democracy."

"The United States has taken important steps to hold the regime accountable. We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people," Trump said.
A statue of Confederate commanding general Robert E. Lee is seen in the crypt of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on August 24, 2017. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images)

Leaders at a Virginia church formerly attended by Confederate general Robert E. Lee have decided the congregation will no longer bear his name.

R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church in Lexington, Virginia, is reverting to its original name, Grace Episcopal Church, after a vestry vote on Monday, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

The decision came after two years of intense debate and discussion within the small church community. The church held retreats and anonymous surveys to help members consider the issue. It hired a conflict resolution consultant. Some leaders resigned from their posts to protest inaction on the measure, while other members decided to leave the parish altogether.

Rev. Tom Crittenden, the church rector, said that the violent and deadly white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August is what tipped the scale.

Charlottesville seems to have moved us to this point, Crittenden told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Not that we have a different view of Lee historically in our church, but we have appreciation for our need to move on.

The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, U.S., September 16, 2017. (Photo: Joshua Roberts / Reuters)

The general was a military man who inherited slaves through his wealthy wife, Mary Anna Custis Lee. He kept black men and women in bondage at the Arlington House in Virginia for at least five years, before freeing them in 1862. One former slave testified that Lee brutally punished slaves who tried to escape.

During the Civil War, Lee rose through the ranks to become the general in chief of the Confederate Army. When the war ended, the former general moved to Lexington to help run Washington College, which is now known as Washington and Lee University.

He also began attending Grace Episcopal Church and reportedly helped revitalized the struggling congregation. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, he became the church senior warden and stayed in that leadership post until he died in 1870.

The church was renamed to honor Lee in 1903.

White supremacists, holding shields with a symbol of Vanguard America on them, gather under a statue of Robert E. Lee during a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 12, 2017. (Photo: Joshua Roberts / Reuters)

But since 2015, the churchs name has been a source of tension for congregants. Members began to question it after the Charleston church shooting, when white supremacist Dylann Roof massacred nine black worshippers inside a South Carolina church.

Story continues

Members who wanted to preserve the name believed Lee would abhor white supremacy, anti-Semitism and similar movements. They viewed Lee as a reconciler after the Civil War.

The debate in the church took place against a nationwide debate over whether to rename Confederate memorials. Some see the monuments as a part of the nations heritage and history, while others say that they celebrate Americas racist past.

Lee himself was opposed to the idea of constructing Confederate monuments, believing it was not wise to keep open the sores of war. After his death however, his name became a symbol of Southern pride and The Lost Cause narrative, which reimagines the Civil War as a fight for the constitution, rather than a fight about slavery.

In a statement issued last month, the churchs vestry board members wrote: Lee was widely admired in both the North and the South as a man of virtue and honor and as among the leading reconcilers of our fractured land. We do not honor Lee as a Confederate. Nor do we subscribe to neo-Confederate ideas in honoring him. We honor Lee as one of our own parishioners, a devout man who led our parish through difficult years in post-Civil-War Virginia.

Mondays vote was applauded by vestry board member Doug Cumming, who told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that people in the church community have been hurt and are feeling exhausted by the debate.

He was the senior warden of our church, were proud of that, its part of our history, but were not going to put that on a sign out on the street because its misunderstood, Cumming said.

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

I am taking action to relocate the Confederate statues. We have thoroughly examined this issue, and heard from many of our citizens.  Mayor Jim Gray (@JimGrayLexKY) August 12, 2017

Citing events in #Charlottesville #Baltimore City Council adopts resolution calling for immediate destruction of confederate monuments #WBAL pic.twitter.com/9IiiGpfr99  Vanessa Herring (@VanessaWBAL) August 14, 2017

I'm sending a letter to @NatlParkService & will intro a resolution calling for the removal of Gen. Pike statue once we're back in session https://t.co/NuoFDTXNgr  David Grosso (@cmdgrosso) August 14, 2017

JUST IN: Jacksonville City Council President calls for starting process of moving confederate monuments/memorials off public property. pic.twitter.com/AVJGqZ9CPs  Stephanie Brown (@SBrownReports) August 14, 2017

Its time to move forward. These monuments should come down. - RC https://t.co/Lw9m6ZYbQJ  Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) August 15, 2017

JUST IN: City of Franklin to remove Robert E. Lee monument in Warren County. @Enquirer  Jason Williams (@jwilliamscincy) August 16, 2017

A look at the now covered Confederate Monument in Linn Park. Mayor Bell ordered the statue covered this afternoon. @WBRCnews #Birmingham pic.twitter.com/VbqYLSwZ1t  Jamiese Price (@ThePriceReport) August 16, 2017

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
STOCKHOLM  Volvo Cars is doubling investment in its first U.S. plant under construction to add a second production line at a total cost of $1 billion, a source with knowledge of the plans said, as the carmaker heads for a fourth straight year of record sales.

The move to raise capacity even before completion of the plant in Charleston, South Carolina, will ultimately add 2,500 workers to the 2,000 already being recruited by the Swedish carmaker ahead of its 2018 opening, the source told Reuters.

A Volvo spokeswoman declined to comment. The increased investment was first reported by the Charleston-based Post and Courier newspaper.

The Charleston plant expansion is a vote of confidence in Volvo's sales momentum, buoyed by a revamped lineup led by the flagship XC90 SUV, even as U.S. auto market growth tails off. Volvo's U.S. sales are off 7.2 percent so far this year, but they are up by 8.7 percent overall globally. Volvo has blamed supply shortages for the dip in U.S. deliveries but vowed to reach a new global sales record.

Under the ownership of Chinese carmaker Geely's unlisted parent company, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, Volvo has recovered from a sales slump in its final years under previous owner Ford and is now challenging larger premium rivals such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Volvo is one of Sweden's largest companies by revenue.

Reporting by Niklas Pollard and Johannes Hellstrom.



Related Video:
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The well-preserved wreck of a World War One German submarine, possibly still containing the bodies of its 23 crew members, has been found off the Belgian coast. The use of submarines, often referred to as U-boats, in World War One to disrupt British trade routes in the English Channel and the North Sea was a key part of German tactics. The 93 German U-boats stationed in Belgian ports downed more than 2,500 ships but were also a target themselves, with 70 of them lost at sea, killing 1,200 sailors. It was not yet clear which of the 11 known wrecks of the German submarines had been found, and authorities said they would not give the exact location of the wreck to deter looters. "Of the 11 downed U-Boats in Belgian waters, this one is the best preserved example," the province of West Flanders said. Belgium's North Sea minister said he would investigate whether the wreck could be recognized as a heritage site. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Alexander Smith)
At this years United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), an annual meeting where dignitaries from 193 nations gather in New York City, world leaders are expected to discuss a number of conflicts with implications for global health, including climate change and the ongoing refugee crisis.

The theme of this years UNGA General Debatewhere world leaders, including President Donald Trump, will deliver statements on issues of international concernis Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet. While the debate officially kicks off on Tuesday, much of the action happens outside the main halls, where experts and leaders share solutions to pressing problems and often invite the public to observe or participate.

UN leaders say that global health will likely receive significant attention, even though it is not on the formal agenda as it was last year, when there was a high-level meeting on antibiotic resistance. Without health, there is nothing, says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), in an interview with TIME. At the UNGA, I think people are starting to realize that health is central. Its very important to fight poverty, very important for economic growth, very important for employment, very important for equity, very important to prevent epidemics.

Here are the health topics likely to make waves at this years meeting.

Universal health coverage

The ability of people and communities to receive health services without undergoing financial hardship is one of the new top priorities for the WHO. Access to health services should not be a privilege; it should not be a luxury, said Tedros (as he prefers to be called) during a panel at the Social Good Summit on Sept. 17. People should not die because they are poor.

An estimated 400 million people around the world lack access to one or more essential health services. On Monday, leaders from Japan, France, Thailand and Senegal, as well as groups like the WHO and World Bank, will meet to discuss how countries are moving towards universal health coverage, and ways that the UN is providing support.

Story continues

Climate change

Climate change and its impact on health will also be a prominent topic of discussion at the conference. On Sept. 15, the United Nations released a report revealing that after decades of steady declines, global hunger is on the rise: 815 million people were affected by hunger worldwide in 2016, which is 38 million more people than in 2015. Climate change and the spread of violent conflict are two reasons for the increase, the report says.

Yet the link between climate change and public health isnt well understood, even among world leaders and people in medicine. There is still a lot that needs to be done, says Patricia Espinosa, the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In places where you have problems of air pollution, people understand it better, said Espinosa during a press briefing. But beyond that, [concern over] the linkage between these floods and outbreaks of lots of different diseases is not yet so evident. Its there, but we need to work a lot on that still.

The refugee crisis

Today, there are an estimated 65.6 million forcibly displaced people worldwide and 22.5 million refugees. Melissa Fleming, the chief spokesperson at the UN Refugee Agency, says there are serious concerns about the health of those who are fleeing, since many are wounded or in weak physical condition. Theres a lot of hunger, babies who are tiny and not receiving any nutrition, said Fleming during a press briefing. The worry is with so many people arriving in really congested spaces without the proper infrastructure and sanitation in place, you can have any number of outbreaks.

Antibiotic resistance

At last years UNGA, antibiotic resistance was called a major global threat by world leaders during a high-level meeting on the issue. (Last year marked only the fourth time in history that the heads of state have met to discuss a health problem.) While superbugs are not on the formal agenda this year, leaders will meet on Thursday to discuss what progress has been made since last year, when leaders committed to developing action plans for their countries. The UN has cited estimates that if nothing changes, the number of people who die from antibiotic-resistant infections will reach 10 million a year in 2050.

We have this good resolution now that was endorsed at last years UN General Assembly, says Tedros. What is missing is a buy-in from countries. We have to work very, very hard at the country level to really go into action.

Where the U.S. stands

The U.S.s stance on health has changed somewhat since last years meeting. Health care reform remains stunted. Earlier this year, the U.S. made the decision to reinstate the Mexico City Policy (also referred to as the global gag rule by opponents), which prohibits foreign aid from the U.S. to be given to any nongovernmental organization (NGO) abroad that discusses abortion as a family-planning option. The U.S. has also placed a substantially lower cap on the number of refugees allowed to enter the U.S. and exited the Paris Agreement on climate change in June. Still, UN leaders say they expect the U.S. to continue to engage in these issues, even if not always on the federal level.

We said from the beginning when the announcement was made about the intention by the U.S. government to withdraw from the Paris Agreement that we really regret that decision, says Espinosa. On the other hand, we are also seeing a scenario internationally where the regions, the cities, the businesses, everyone, [are] playing a bigger role than they used to in the past, and this has been strengthened even more after the announcement by the U.S. government.
By Chris Kenning

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A Wisconsin appeals court on Tuesday upheld the state's "right-to-work" law, which bars mandatory union membership and prohibits unions or employers from requiring non-members to pay dues.

The decision by the state's 3rd District Court of Appeals overturned a lower-court ruling from 2016 finding it violated the state constitution. In July, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago threw out a similar federal challenge and also ruled the law constitutional.

The 2015 law has been in effect during the legal challenges.

Lawyers for the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, the International Associations of Machinists and United Steelworkers, who brought the case, could not be immediately reached ON Tuesday. The ruling could be appealed to the state's Supreme Court.

It marked a win for Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker, who emerged as a leading union antagonist during a 2011 fight over legislation to roll back public employee collective bargaining rights and has championed the right-to-work law.

When it was enacted, it drew thousands of protesters to Madison, the state capitol.

Twenty-eight states have passed right-to-work legislation, according to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which opposes union organizing.

(Reporting by Chris Kenning; Editing by Dan Grebler)
One womans request for a retweet ended up raising lot of awareness about breast cancer. (Photo: Getty Images)

A woman who asked her followers to retweet a breast cancer meme in honor of her daughter, who is battling the disease, unexpectedly touched the lives of many.

On Sunday, Twitter user Fiona J shared a popular meme by Worldwide Breast Cancer called #KnowYourLemons, which shows how breast cancer can look in different people, as illustrated by a carton of lemons. Tweeting this because my young daughter is fighting breast cancer, she wrote. If it gets 1 retweet it might save a life.

Tweeting this because my young daughter is fighting breast cancer. If it gets 1 retweet it might save a life. pic.twitter.com/tESVytpl7C  Fiona J (@LucidWhim) September 17, 2017

However, during the next 48 hours, the post by the mother  who lives in England  was retweeted 217,000 times and received thousands of messages from breast cancer survivors, loved ones of patients, and those who were motivated by Fiona to conduct their own breast exams. The creator of the #KnowYourLemons campaign even responded, thanking the mom for spreading breast cancer awareness.

Wishing you all the luck  Amy has just completed her chemo. Onwards and upwards!  Fiona J (@LucidWhim) September 18, 2017

I feel your pain. My 27 yo daughter is having a double mastectomy on 9/25. ACA provisions are saving her life.  theresa corral (@tcorral1256) September 19, 2017

Thank you so much. Amy will be astounded by all the support. It needs saying, men must be vigilant too  breast cancer doesn't discriminate  Fiona J (@LucidWhim) September 17, 2017

I had a mastectomy 5years ago if this scan is clear I'm in remission I didn't have a lump a scan picked up two the size of rice xx  joyce scott (@Indinlily) September 17, 2017

Retweeted. Just made me do a self exam. All the best to your daughter.  BikerBecca (@BikerBecca) September 19, 2017

My wife just had all clear today after 2 years of ops and treatment. You can beat this. Good luck x  Steven Jones (@stevechomsky) September 19, 2017

Thx so much for using our #knowyourlemons to educate so many people on about the 12 signs of breast cancer  Know Your Lemons (@knowyourlemons) September 18, 2017

Fiona J did not return Yahoo Lifestyles request for comment.

Story continues

The #KnowYourLemons campaign was launched by Corrine Ellsworth-Beaumont, a 38-year-old single mom in Mesa, Arizona, who lost both of her grandmothers to breast cancer. After my second grandmother died in 2003, I realized that prevention was something I needed to know, Ellsworth-Beaumont tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

At the time, Ellsworth-Beaumont was studying for her masters in fine art and design, and she began brainstorming a concept that would resonate. Since breasts are sexualized in our culture and cancer is associated with death, I realized that my message would essentially be sex death, which wouldnt work in conservative parts of the country, she says. Theres also the fact that 20 percent of people in the U.S. have literacy problems, so I needed a grabby image and it couldnt be scary.

One day, while sitting in church, Ellsworth-Beaumont suddenly came up with lemons. Theyre bright and friendly, and if you cut them navel to navel, they resemble the interior of the breast, she explains.

Last January, when an emoji breast cancer meme went viral on Facebook, so did the #KnowYourLemons campaign, reaching 170 million people on social media. Ellsworth-Beaumont, who is the only person in the world to hold a PhD in graphic design and breast cancer communication, is now raising money on Kickstarter for an app that guides women through breast exams and helps them recognize the symptoms of the disease.

If everyone who retweeted the meme donated a dollar to our cause, says Ellsworth-Beaumont, we could help save so many more lives.

Read more on Yahoo Style + Beauty:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.




A total of 295,800 individuals have participated in cultural activities in Macau in the second quarter of 2017, resulting in a cultural activity participation rate at 54 percent, down by 0.9 percentage points year-on-year.

According to the Statistics and Census Services (DSEC) survey on Participation of Residents in Cultural Activities, which was aimed at ages 16 and above, the number of local residents participating in cultural activities totaled to 261,100, with a participation rate of 59 percent down slightly by 0.2 percentage points.

Analyzed by the type of cultural activity, going to the cinema remained the most popular activity for local residents, with 173,400 participants, up by 2.1 percent year-on-year.

With the government organizing a number of film screenings to promote Macau film culture, there has been a continuous increment in the number of local residents who had watched locally-produced films and videos, growing by 3.1 percent year-on-year to 36,200.

Local residents going to libraries increased by 13.2 percent year-on-year to 129,500; with the activity participation rate being 29.3 percent, up by 3 percentage points.

The survey showed that students had a participation rate of 79.4 percent compared to non-students which was at 24.4 percent.

In addition, local residents visiting museums or World Heritage sites rose slightly by 1.4 percent year-on-year to 115,400.

Of these local residents, 87,900 visited word heritage sites and 77,600 visited museums, up by 6.6 percent and 3.4 percent respectively year-on-year.

Meanwhile, there were 79,500 local residents attending performances, down by 12.2 percent year-

on-year.

The average attendance per participant rose by 0.3 to 2.6. Music/dance performances were more popular among local residents, with 57,500 participants (72.4 percent), while theatre performances had 49,600 participants (62.4 percent).

There were 34,900 local residents attending art exhibitions, down by 8.9 percent year-on-year; 99.6 percent of these residents also participated in other types of cultural activities.

The proportion of those who took part in four or more types of activities rose by 12 percentage points to 63.6 percent.
https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/themes/techcrunch-2017/features/shortcodes/vidible-callback-js.php?id=19

This summer the TC team took a brief trip to Shenzhen, where I met Wells Tu, whose company TimeKettle has made an earpiece that translates spoken Chinese to English and vice versa in near real time. Having created a functioning prototype (it isn't vaporware; we tried it, as you can see above) he and the team are now heading to Kickstarter to raise the money for their first run of the gadget.

The device, or rather devices, are pretty foolproof: you open the case, put one earpiece in your ear, and give the other to the person you want to talk to. They automatically sync to a smartphone app, then detect which language each person speaks and translate it as they speak.

In our tests, it worked pretty well  there's noticeable lag, but the team was in the middle of optimizing for that when I talked to them in June. But that's pretty much impossible to avoid in the current state of machine translation. And really, the draw is that you can just put this thing in your ear and then make eye contact with your partner and chat more or less like normal. That's much preferable to both of you staring at a phone together.

Right now, the system supports Chinese and English, but new languages can (and will, Wells told me) be added via the companion app.

If you move quick, you'll be able to grab a set for $99, but of course the price goes up from there.
At some point, without anyone asking whats all the fuss about? Benjamin Netanyahu turned his United Nations speech into part of the Israeli calendar, into one of the High Holy Days. Theres Rosh Hashanah, theres Yom Kippur, theres Sukkot, theres Simchat Torah and theres Netanyahus speech. They all have an almost identical theological value.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The media wasnt so obsessed with what the prime minister would say at the UNas if the future of the Zionist enterprise depends on the speechin the days of Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon or Ehud Olmert, and even earlier.

Netanyahus meetings with US presidents have also turned into a reality show. From 2009 to 2016, the question was: How bad will the meeting with Barack Obama be? Since Donald Trumps election, the question has been of course: Will the prime minister succeed in convincing Trump, Israels greatest friend since the destruction of the Temple, to cancel or make significant changes in the nuclear agreement with Iran, and to stop nagging Israel about the Palestinians?

Netanyahu and Trump at the UN, Monday. The Israeli prime minister has turned his meetings with US presidents into a reality show (Photo: Reuters)

With previous prime ministers, the meetingseven if they included misunderstandings or disagreementswere businesslike and mostly cordial (excluding Begin and Jimmy Carter). They were based on trust, reliability and goodwill. Only with Netanyahu, the nations fate depends on the actual meeting, which is always historic.

Netanyahu has turned the UN speech from a pretty insignificant event into the essence of the Zionist future. Netanyahu is misleading the public and the media into believing he is one of the leaders of the world. Moving countries, cancelling agreements, sketching geopolitics, designing a super strategy for the entire world. In what other country is the media preoccupied with the content of the speech for three days? Britain? Japan? Chile? Nigeria? For them, its just a speech.

Governing and conveying messages through speeches is possible, like in Winston Churchills case, only when coupled with diplomatic action and courage, rather than just overwhelming paragraphs about the future of the planet if the world fails to deal with Iran.

With the absence of a diplomatic agenda, Netanyahu goes back to Iran. Well always have Iran. In his defense, he truly believes in and is deeply convinced about the power and extent of the strategic threat posed by Iran. Iran affects his perception of the Palestinian issue, the submarine purchase, the relations with Russia and with the United States. It has been his credo every time he faces his voters since 2009, and it remained his credo even after the failure of his clumsy and unsophisticated attempt to thwart the nuclear agreement in 2015, including his Congress speech behind President Obamas back.

This time, however, the drama is artificial. Granted, Trump doesnt like the agreement. But Secretary of Defense James Mattis, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and White House Chief of Staff John Kellywho are all retired generalshave no intention of cancelling it.

The false pretense that the US will supposedly withdraw from the agreementby failing to certify it on October 15 as requiredis misleading. The agreement isnt being cancelled. What Netanyahu can do, quietly and without bragging unnecessarily, is to create pressure to change Irans negative and dangerous regional conduct. Its not part of the agreement, but thats where the joint agenda with the US lies.

And that cant be done through speeches aimed at impressing Coalition Chairman David Bitan.
International traffickers have tried many ways to smuggle African rhino horns to Asia, concealing them inside wooden Buddha statues, stashing horn pieces in lobster heads kept in a refrigerated container and disguising horn portions as the bases of painted statues.

Now, conservationists say, some criminal groups are processing rhino horns into powder and trinkets in South Africa before export, a trend that could reflect changing consumer tastes and make it harder for law enforcement to intercept the illegal cargo.

The development highlights the difficulty of countering criminal syndicates, some of which include Chinese nationals, which show versatility in the face of periodic anti-poaching successes by security officials, who have reported confiscations of intact rhino horns at the main international airport in Johannesburg in past months. South Africa, which has about 80 percent of the continents rhinos, has experienced record levels of poaching in the past decade.

Recent investigations by South African police discovered small, home-based workshops where rhino horns were cut into small pieces, beads and bracelets, or packaged as powder, TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network, said in an analysis released Monday. The development will test overstretched law enforcement agencies if traffickers expand such operations, and growing evidence that swindlers are making fake rhino horn products out of cow horns adds to the challenge, the report said.

If someone walks through an airport wearing a necklace made of rhino horn, whos going to stop them? said Julian Rademeyer, who co-wrote the report and is the author of Killing for Profit, a book about the illegal rhino horn trade.

Rademeyer said he had been aware of the increasing phenomenon of locally manufactured rhino horn products destined for export since last year. Similarly, elephant ivory products have also been produced in Africa before shipment to illegal markets elsewhere.

The TRAFFIC report cites a June case in which police raided a house east of Johannesburg and found a workshop containing large rhino horn beads, some of them polished, and horn pieces cut into cylindrical shapes. Two Chinese nationals and a Thai woman were arrested. In a 2016 case, the report said, police conducting a raid in a Johannesburg suburb with a large Chinese community seized a bag of rhino horn powder, a large number of ivory bangles and carvings, pangolin scales and other illegal items. Two suspects were detained.

Vietnam and China have the main illegal markets for rhino horn, which is viewed by consumers as a treatment for cancer, hangovers and other ailments, even though it is made from the same substance has human fingernails and there is no evidence that it has medicinal value. Wealthy consumers perceive a horn as a status symbol and there is also a growing market for rhino horn jewelry and other trinkets of the kind being produced in South Africa before export.

A researcher in South Africa who was not involved in the TRAFFIC study said the local manufacture of rhino horn products was a fairly new development because horn processing usually occurred in Asia.

This obviously creates a different problem for us to detect it and to stop the trade, said Melville Saayman, a professor in tourism management and economics at South Africas North-West University who led a survey of rhino horn consumers in Vietnam.

A large number of people prefer the powder, but there are those who use it for lucky charms. So they would like a piece of the horn, Saayman said. He added that Asian distributors and sellers traditionally prefer to receive intact horns from Africa because then they can chop them into whatever form to meet consumer needs.

TRAFFICs China team have noted rhino horn beads and bracelets for sale on the internet, indicating that rhino horn is morphing into a luxury product trade in addition to its use in traditional medicine, said Tom Milliken, a rhino expert at the wildlife trade monitoring network.

Also, no one along the trade chain from Africa to Asia is really looking for rhino horn products, the law enforcement focus is completely on horns or pieces of horns, Milliken said. Thus, the production in Africa probably achieves a dual purpose: Its cheaper to produce the products and the products are more likely than horns to be smuggled with impunity. Christopher Torchia, Johannesburg, AP
Former Malaysian strongman Mahathir Mohamad says the opposition alliance campaigning to topple the countrys corruption-tainted leader can win the next general elections and pull Malaysia back from a slide into kleptocracy.

The energetic 92-year-old, Asias longest-serving leader before stepping down in 2003, has made a high-profile return to politics in a bid to oust his protege, Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has clung to power despite an epic corruption scandal that involved hundreds of millions of dollars passing through his bank accounts.

Mahathir told The Associated Press in an interview that the disparate opposition coalition he has spearheaded to contest elections due by mid-2018 is tapping into anger at the corruption scandal and the rising cost of living.

Lots of people feel that Najib has destroyed much that has been built for this country, he said.

People are calling our leader a crook. That is not something I would like to see perpetuated. It must change back to the days when we were doing well.

Najib has sacked critics in his own government including an attorney-general and deputy prime minister and muzzled the media since the corruption scandal erupted two years ago. The U.S. and several other countries are investigating allegations of cross-border embezzlement and money laundering at 1MDB, a state investment fund set up and previously led by Najib to promote economic development but which accumulated billions in debt.

The U.S. Justice Department says at least USD4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB by associates of Najib, and it is working to seize $1.7 billion taken from the fund to buy assets in the U.S, potentially its largest asset seizure ever.

Its complaint filed with a U.S. District Court says more than $700 million landed in the accounts of Malaysian Official 1, which it did not name but through descriptions of that officials role in the fund and government, as well as other details, made clear was Najib. A statement in January 2016 from Malaysias Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali, who replaced Abdul Gani Patail following his sacking by Najib for pursuing an investigation, said the millions in Najibs accounts were a political donation from the Saudi royal family that was mostly returned. Najib has denied any wrongdoing.

Mahathir said he doesnt want to be prime minister again and that his aim is simply to topple Najib and restore Malaysias reputation. He keeps a hectic schedule, crisscrossing the country to speak at political rallies. He has undergone two heart bypass surgeries but shows no sign of slowing down.

Despite speculation that Najib may call elections this year, Mahathir said he believes polls will be held in 2018 because Najib wants time to strengthen his support in eastern Sabah and Sarawak states on the island of Borneo.

The two states, both strongholds of rural Malay support for the governing National Front coalition, jointly contribute about a quarter of parliamentary seats and helped Najib win the 2013 polls despite losing the national popular vote to the opposition for the first time.

We will win support on the ground, Mahathir said. We hope to win with a simple majority.

Yet gerrymandering will make it tough to win more seats than the ruling coalition. The Election Commission last year redrew electoral boundaries that critics said created more Malay-majority seats to ensure victory for Najib though opposition parties are contesting it in court.

A doctor by training, Mahathir is credited with transforming Muslim-majority Malaysia from an economic backwater into a modern trading nation that has leapt past most of its Southeast Asian neighbors in living standards. But his rule was also clouded by authoritarianism and maverick outbursts on the international stage.

Whatever may be the differences in the past, the problem that we face with Najib is far greater. If we dont get rid of him, we will achieve nothing, he said.

Mahathir said he once thought Najib would be admired like his father  Malaysias second Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein  but Najib went from bad to worse with the 1MDB scandal.

It turned the former mentor into Najibs most strident critic. Mahathir often voices his criticism on his blog, Chedet.cc, taken from a childhood nickname given by his sisters, and attended a massive street rally in Kuala Lumpur last year that called for Najibs resignation.

Mahathir then formed the Bersatu party together with Najibs former deputy Muhyiddin Yassin, who was sacked last year for questioning the premier about the scandal.

Even more dramatically, Mahathir this year persuaded his former political nemesis, including opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim who was imprisoned on Mahathirs watch, to accept Bersatu into Anwars opposition coalition.

Anwar was Mahathirs deputy until he was sacked in a power struggle in 1998 and later imprisoned on charges of corruption and sodomy that Anwar said were trumped up. Anwar was freed in 2004 but in 2015 he returned to prison following a second sodomy conviction that critics said was a political conspiracy to break up the opposition.

Mahathirs comeback is a boost to the opposition that has been plagued by infighting. His popularity with ethnic Malays may also make the opposition more palatable to those voters, who are the bedrock of Najibs ruling coalition. Recently, the alliance announced they would contest elections under a single logo and have a common constitution.

Mahathir said there is a deep reservoir of anger among urban voters, and while the rural poor might not feel affected by the graft scandal, they are upset by a higher cost of living that partly stems from an unpopular goods and services tax.

Najibs meeting last week with President Donald Trump was aimed at seeking political legitimacy, Mahathir said, but it backfired after he pledged billions of dollars of investment for the U.S. economy while there are economic problems at home.

This country has the capacity to become a fully developed country if the right policy and plans are carried out, he said. But under Najib, we run the risk of becoming a bankrupt country, a failed country. Eileen Ng, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, AP
A rupture in the main pipeline carrying jet fuel to New Zealands largest airport has disrupted the travel plans of thousands of people and is expected to cause further flight cancellations and delays into next week.

Auckland Airport spokeswoman Lisa Mulitalo said yesterday that 41 international and domestic flights have been canceled since Saturday due to low jet fuel supplies. She said other flights have been delayed or re-routed.

Mulitalo said the airport handles about 465 flights daily and most are still operating as normal. She said the airport is urging travelers to check their flight information online and get in contact with their airline if needed.

The pipeline also carries diesel and gasoline, although the shortages have been most acutely felt so far by airlines.

New Zealands military has stepped in to help by offering a naval tanker and truck drivers to transport fuel and by cancelling a planned military exercise with Singapore to help preserve fuel.

Its been made very clear to all of those working on this that the government will commit whatever resources and effort are required to get this sorted out as quickly as possible with a minimum of disruption, said Minister of Energy and Resources Judith Collins in a statement.

Passenger Benjamin Sila told The New Zealand Herald newspaper he was traveling from Thailand to Samoa and was in transit in Auckland when he was saddened to discover his flight was cancelled.

I just want to go home and see my daughter, he said. I was really looking forward to it.

He said he now planned to travel home via Sydney.

Air New Zealand said jet fuel supplies at the airport are only about 30 percent of normal levels and 2,000 of its customers will be affected yesterday alone.

Some of its flights are being canceled while others to North America and Asia are being redirected to refueling stops at airports in the Pacific or Australia, the airline said.

Aviation is a critical transport industry and the lifeblood for tourism and we are naturally extremely disappointed with this infrastructure failure, Air New Zealand captain David Morgan said in a statement.

The underground pipeline runs about 170 kilometers from an oil refinery to Auckland.

Greg McNeill, a spokesman for pipeline owner Refining New Zealand, said a digger or other machinery appears to have damaged the pipe and then acidic soil had corroded it further until it failed Thursday.

He said his company should be able to fix the pipe and have it operating again by Sept. 26 at the latest, although it would take another 30 hours after the jet fuel arrives in Auckland for it to settle and be recertified.

McNeill said operators first noticed a drop in pressure in the pipeline on Thursday afternoon, and teams flew overhead by helicopter to locate the leak.

He said about 60,000 liters of fuel spilled from the rupture. He said the leaked fuel was contained in the surrounding soil and in a culvert and had not seeped into waterways.

McNeill said installing a second pipeline, as some people are calling for in light of the leak and flight disruptions, would require a big commitment from the industry and cost about 300 million New Zealand dollars (USD220 million). AP
For a stowaway who made a 16-kilometer journey squeezed in a wheel arch, a koala was lucky to escape with just scratches.

The driver of the four-wheel vehicle was unaware of the extra passenger until they arrived at their destination in the outskirts of Adelaide, Australia, and he heard some unusual cries.

After seeing the koala in the wheel arch, he immediately called animal rescuers, who removed the wheel and eventually extricated the frightened but very lucky animal.

You think youve seen it all. No, Ive never seen anything like that and its absolutely incredible, said Fauna Rescue worker, Jane Brister.

The koala suffered superficial injuries and was covered in grease from under the car.

She was crying a little bit, she was a little bit shaken, she was certainly in shock but I rushed her straight to the vet, Brister said.

The koala was dubbed Kelli, after one of the firefighters who rescued her.

Kellis one of our fine station officers and she led the rescue crew that day and she was quite excited to have such a good outcome, said Dave Juniper of the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service.

After being cleaned up and monitored for a week, it was released back into the bush on Saturday. AP
ABB Ltd. is accelerating expansion in China with a plan to double robot production capacity as part of a bid to become the biggest provider worldwide of the industrial-automation equipment, said Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer.

The blueprint includes doubling the number of robotics research employees in China, where a close rival Kuka AG  backed by Chinese appliances-maker Midea Group Co.  is seeking to unseat ABBs lead in the USD11 billion industry in the nation. ABB also plans to seize on a growing industry in China for electric vehicles by supplying more charging facilities, Spiesshofer said.

The push is part of ABBs broader ambition to surpass Fanuc Corp. of Japan as the top global provider in robotics and automation and also take the lead in e-mobility infrastructure in China, which this month unveiled a decision to phase out combustion- engine cars. The moves come as Spiesshofer prepares to wrap up a four-year restructuring plan under which the Swiss company regrouped operations and resisted investor pressure to break up its businesses to better realize shareholder value.

ABB is ahead of Kuka globally, we are ahead of Kuka here in the market and our ambition is to stay so, Spiesshofer said in an interview in Shanghai Sept. 16. ABB leads Kuka and Fanuc in the Chinese market, while the Swiss company trails Fanuc in global sales of robotics equipment, according to an ABB presentation.

Zurich-based ABB also absolutely has the ability to be No. 1 in e-mobility infrastructure in China, said Spiesshofer, adding that he met with the mayor of Shanghai to discuss the companys plan to boost robot production. He didnt provide a timeline or figures for the increase in capacity and research employees. ABB currently employs more than 17,000 people in 139 Chinese cities.

China is installing more robots than any other nation as its vast manufacturing industry increases automation to move up the value chain. The country added about 90,000 robots last year, a third of the global total, and this will rise to 160,000 in 2019, figures from the International Federation of Robotics show. The government wants domestic robot makers to have half of the market by 2020, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

ABB is willing to provide technology and other forms of support to its local partners to help them become strong players in their own right, Spiesshofer said. More than 80 percent of the robots ABB sells in China are developed, produced and shipped in the nation, he said.

The recent decision by China, the worlds biggest auto market, to determine a timetable to end sales of vehicles powered by fossil fuels in line with a global trend provides another growth opportunity. Spiesshofer said ABB is working with regional governments on pilot projects for charging facilities in places like public carparks, where its more common for drivers in China to leave their cars than in private garages.

As many as 800,000 charging stations will be built this year alone, according to the official China Daily. ABB has the manufacturing capacity in place to support that pace, Spiesshofer said.

Charging stations are part of ABBs electrification products division, which contributed $9.9 billion in revenue last year, or about 29 percent of the companys total. The robotics and motion business, which includes robots as well as motors and drives, accounted for $7.9 billion, or about 23 percent.

These are among four new divisions, the other two being industrial automation and power grids. ABB regrouped its businesses after Spiesshofer resisted a call  led by its second-largest shareholder, Swedish activist investor Cevian Capital AB  to break up the company. It also placed the power grids business under review and promised to cut costs to boost profitability.

That page is turned and we are moving into the future, the CEO said. The shares rose 0.3 percent to 23.51 Swiss francs as of 12:51 p.m. in Zurich, valuing the company at 51 billion francs ($53.2 billion).

He said organic growth would be the companys focus, with acquisitions a secondary possibility. In April, it paid $2 billion for Austrian company Bernecker & Rainer Industrie-Elektronik GmbH to help the company move away from its traditional hardware business and expand in higher-margin software.

Spiesshofer declined to comment on whether ABB is bidding for General Electric Co.s industrial solutions business, which the U.S. company is looking to unload amid a shift in its portfolio.

Consolidation in the robotics and automation industry is ongoing, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jawahar Hingorani said, referring to ABBs potential interest in the GE business. The U.S. is a strategically important market for ABB, and it wouldnt be surprising to see the company look to shore up market share there, he said.

Spiesshofer said ABBs restructuring efforts would be completed this year, after the companys unclear identity led it to move in a convoluted direction when he started as CEO four years ago.

Today we have a crisp, clear identity. We know for what we stand, Spiesshofer said. 2018 will be the first year of what I call the new normal. It will be then steady-state sailing. Bloomberg
Saudi Arabia is considering a plan to phase out subsidies for gasoline and jet fuel in November at the latest, as the worlds biggest oil exporter pushes a program to curtail spending after a global slump in prices.

The government would boost gasoline to parity with varying international prices under the plan, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. At current levels, this could result in a hike of about 80 percent for octane-91 grade gasoline to about 1.35 riyals per liter (0.36 cents), the person said on condition of anonymity. The government plans to delay increases in other energy prices until early 2018, the person said.

Authorities are expected to make a final decision on the plan in September or October, the person said. The Saudi finance, economy and energy ministries didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Energy-subsidy reform is a key part of Saudi Arabias plan to overhaul the economy, along with the sale of stakes in state-owned entities, including the worlds biggest crude exporter known as Saudi Aramco. The kingdom raised fuel prices in December 2015 and announced plans for further increases. Authorities have also announced plans for a cash transfer program that would start before further subsidy cuts to help Saudis cope with the impact as the economy struggles with the worst slowdown since the global financial crisis.

It is important for the Saudi government to cut subsidies in order to ease pressures on budget deficit, Tariq Qaqish, managing director of the asset management division at Mena Corp. Financial Services LLC in Dubai, said by email. Not only the transportation and logistics sectors will be affected significantly, any company that is involved in production and needs to transfer their end products to consumers will be affected.

The kingdoms benchmark Tadawul All Share Index climbed 0.3 percent at 12:57 a.m. in Riyadh on Monday. The transportation index fell 0.7 percent, the most in a month.

Removing energy subsidies is politically sensitive in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, where many nationals have grown accustomed to generous state benefits and handouts. The slump in revenue from oil exports have left governments with few options as they grapple with rising budget deficits.

Saudi Arabias budget gap soared to more than 15 percent of economic output in 2015 before authorities unveiled a plan to transform the economy and balance the budget by 2020.

The neighboring United Arab Emirates became the first country in the oil-rich region to remove subsidies on transport fuel when it began linking gasoline and diesel prices to global oil markets in August 2015.

Gasoline and jet fuel would undergo immediate, one-time increases under the Saudi plan, while the government would raise prices of other fuels gradually between 2018 and 2021, the person said.

The government may put a ceiling on increases in diesel and heavy fuel oil to limit any negative impact on the economy, as both fuels are used for power generation and industrial activities, the person said. Electricity rates would rise gradually as power providers passed on at least some of the increase in fuel prices, the person said.

Benchmark Brent crude has lost about 2 percent this year and was trading at USD55.63 a barrel yesterday at 11:22 a.m. in London.

The government is taking its first step in removing subsidies for some fuel, said John Sfakianakis, director of economics research at Gulf Research Center. And over the long term, the economy will become a more efficient user of energy in general, and gasoline in particular. Wael Mahdi, Vivian Nereim, Bloomberg
Chinas economic model represents an unprecedented threat to the world trading system that cant be addressed under current global rules, President Donald Trumps top trade negotiator said.

There is one challenge on the current scene that is substantially more difficult than those faced in the past, and that is China, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said last night in a speech in Washington. The sheer scale of their coordinated effort to develop their economy, to subsidize, to create national champions, to force technology transfers and to distort markets in China and throughout the world is a threat to the world trading system that is unprecedented.

The World Trade Organization and the rules that underlie the international trade arbitrator werent designed to deal with Chinas current approach to its economy, he said.

Lighthizer said he doesnt want to jump to any conclusions from an ongoing investigation the USTR is leading on alleged intellectual property violations by China under Section 301 of the Trade Act. The provision allows the president to unilaterally impose tariffs and other restrictions to protect U.S. industries from unfair trade practices by outside nations.

Lighthizer said that he doesnt want to prejudge the investigations outcome, but he gets an awful lot of complaints, especially from American chief executives from major companies about having to create joint ventures to operate in China then hand over their technology.

It was the first major public speech by Lighthizer, 69, who was confirmed in May as USTR. He worked for decades as a trade lawyer, representing clients including U.S. Steel Corp. He served as a deputy USTR under Ronald Reagan, earning a reputation as a hard-nosed negotiator. He also has deep political experience from his time as a senior aide to former Senate Finance Committee Chairman Bob Dole.

Lighthizers remarks come as the U.S. prepares for the third round of negotiations with Canada and Mexico on a revised North American Free Trade Agreement from Sept. 23-27 in Ottawa. Lighthizer has said the U.S. is seeking a major overhaul of the deal that will benefit American workers.

Were moving at warp speed, but we dont know if well get to a conclusion, he said. Robert Lighthizer, Bloomberg
The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes yesterday, three days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan.

The United States often sends powerful military aircraft in a show of force in times of heightened animosities with North Korea. The North launched its latest missile as it protested against tough new U.N. sanctions over its sixth nuclear test on Sept. 3.

Yesterdays flyovers over the Korean Peninsula involved two B-1Bs and four F-35Bs from the U.S. military and four F-15K fighter jets from South Korea, according to the South Korean and U.S. militaries. The U.S. and South Korean planes practiced attacks by releasing live weapons at a firing range in South Korea, the U.S. Pacific Command said in a statement.

The U.S. warplanes also conducted formation training with Japanese fighter jets over waters near the southern island of Kyushu, according to the Pacific Command.

Since Kim Jong Un took power in North Korea in late 2011, his nation has tested weapons at a torrid pace. The country flight-tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July. Its nuclear test in September was its most powerful to date.

Many experts say its only a matter of time until Kim achieves his stated objective of possessing reliable nuclear-tipped missiles capable of striking anywhere in the mainland U.S.

State media on Saturday quoted Kim as saying that North Koreas final goal is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the U.S. and make the U.S. rulers dare not talk about military option for the North.

Alarmed by North Koreas advancing weapons programs, many conservatives in South Korea have called for the reintroduction of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in the South. But the liberal-leaning government of President Moon Jae-in said it has no intention of requesting that the U.S. bring back such weapons.

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo told lawmakers yesterday that it is not proper to reintroduce U.S. nuclear weapons. He previously said the idea should be deeply considered by the allies, inflaming already-heated debate on the issue.

Meanwhile, Chinas Communist Party newspaper yesterday criticized the United States for demanding that Beijing put more pressure on North Korea to rein in its weapons programs.

The so-called Chinas responsibility theory is essentially moral kidnapping, the Peoples Daily said in a commentary. It also noted that sanctions should not harm legitimate economic and trade exchanges between North Korea and the outside world and the lives of everyday people.

China accounts for about 90 percent of North Koreas trade and sends largely free crude oil shipments to the North. Beijing has been increasingly frustrated with North Koreas nuclear drive, but it still doesnt want the North to collapse and cause a wave of refugees to cross the border into China and American troops to move into North Korea.

Chinas foreign ministry said yesterday that military threats being made by North Korea and the U.S. were counterproductive.

Some related parties keep sending threatening messages both in words and deeds that include warnings of military actions to each other, ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters at a regular briefing. But actually, these kinds of actions didnt help solving the problem but further complicate the situation, which do no good to the resolution of the peninsular issue.

Instead, he said, the international community should strictly implement the sanctions imposed on North Korea by the U.N. Security Council.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel also said in comments reported Monday by the Bild daily that the world should wait for the sanctions to bite, but that visions and courageous steps such as direct negotiations with North Korea are also needed. Hyung-Jin Kim, Seoul, AP
On a sweltering Washington summer day, President Donald Trumps motorcade pulled up to the Pentagon for a meeting largely billed as a briefing on the Afghanistan conflict and the fight against the Islamic State group.

There, in the windowless meeting room known as The Tank, Trump was to be briefed on the state of Americas longest-running war as he and his top aides plotted ways ahead. But, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with the meeting, it was, in reality, about much more.

Trumps national security team had become alarmed by the presidents frequent questioning about the value of a robust American presence around the world. When briefed on the diplomatic, military and intelligence posts, the new president would often cast doubt on the need for all the resources. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson organized the July 20 session to lay out the case for maintaining far-flung outposts  and to present it, using charts and maps, in a way the businessman-turned-politician would appreciate.

The session was, in effect, American Power 101 and the student was the man working the levers. It was part of the ongoing education of a president who arrived at the White House with no experience in the military or government and brought with him advisers deeply skeptical of what they labeled the globalist worldview. In coordinated efforts and quiet conversations, some of Trumps aides have worked for months to counter that view, hoping the president can be persuaded to maintain  if not expand  the American footprint and influence abroad.

The result of the meeting and other similar entreaties may start to become clear this week, as Trump heads to New York for his first address to the United Nations General Assembly. The annual gathering of world leaders will open amid serious concerns about Trumps priorities, his support for the body he is addressing and a series of spiraling global crises.

Trump, who seized as his mantra America First and at times unnerved world leaders with his unpredictability, is expected to offer warmth to the United States allies and warnings to its adversaries, particularly North Korea and Iran. The presidents envoy to the global body suggested a presidential message that would focus on the basics on Americas role in the world.

I personally think he slaps the right people, he hugs the right people, and he comes out with the U.S. being very strong in the end, Ambassador Nikki Haley said.

In the weeks since the briefing in the Tank, Trump has split with top adviser Steve Bannon, the engine of many of his nationalist, isolationist policies. He threatened war with North Korea and agreed to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, abandoning his promise to withdraw quickly. Announcing the plan, Trump acknowledged the influence of his advisers.

My original instinct was to pull out  and, historically, I like following my instincts, he said. But all my life Ive heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office; in other words, when youre President of the United States. So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle.

On July 20, Trump, Bannon, then-White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, senior adviser Jared Kushner and others stepped from the presidential motorcade and filed down a corridor adorned with formal portraits of former joint chiefs chairmen and into Room 2E924, identified by a small, unobtrusive plaque as The Tank, to join Vice President Mike Pence, Mattis and Tillerson as well as a host of briefers.

Armed with charts, maps and diagrams, those briefers spent the next roughly 90 minutes explaining to Trump the critical importance of forward worldwide deployments of U.S. military, intelligence and diplomatic assets, according to two current officials and one former official familiar with the meeting. While the war in Afghanistan and against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq were major topics, the stationing of U.S. personnel in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America were also covered, said the officials who were not authorized to discuss details of the highly classified briefing and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The officials said the purpose was to answer one of Trumps most persistent questions of his national security aides: Why does the U.S. government need so many people abroad? As such, it was a comprehensive look at military bases, embassies and consulates, CIA stations and other intelligence posts, presented by experts sitting around a large conference table and in chairs lining the walls.

To be successful, Mattis and Tillerson decided they should use talking points and commentary with which they believed Trump would be most familiar: the role that the military, intelligence officers and diplomats play in making the world safe for American businesses, like The Trump Organization, to operate and expand abroad. American troops provide stability, diplomats push rule of law and anti-corruption measures and the intelligence community provides context and analysis that drive the first two, the briefers explained, according to the officials.

The implications of American retrenchment in an age of increasing international competition were also discussed, the officials said. One chart presented included two maps depicting the exponential growth of Chinas presence in Africa over the past two decades and its impact on U.S. national security and private foreign investment, according to the officials.

Trump emerged and declared it a very good meeting.

As a student, Trump is known to be alternatively eager and easily distracted.

CIA chief Mike Pompeo has called Trump both an avid and voracious consumer of intelligence. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, speaking just a day after the Pentagon meeting, told an audience at the Aspen Security Forum that Trump interrupted briefings so often that he and his team frequently needed to circle back to their main points multiple times.

What we found is someone who has not been in government, not been in the intelligence business, not having relationship to that, but is asking an awful lot of questions and a lot of them were good questions, he said.

White House aides have readied a crash course for Trump as he prepares for the General Assembly, in part necessitated because the president has delayed some of his preparations, choosing instead to focus on the federal governments response to a pair of massive hurricanes and, to a lesser extent in recent days, his dealings with Democrats on immigration issues, according to the officials and advisers. AP

Trump urges United Nations to reform

President Donald Trump made his debut at the United Nations yesterday, using his first appearance to urge the 193-nation organization to reduce bureaucracy and costs while more clearly defining its mission around the world. But while Trump chastised the U.N.  an organization he sharply criticized as a candidate for president  he said the United States would pledge to be partners in your work in order to make the body a more effective force for peace across the globe. In recent years, the United Nations has not reached its full potential due to bureaucracy and mismanagement, said Trump, who rebuked the U.N. for a ballooning budget. We are not seeing the results in line with this investment. Matthew Lee & Jonathan Lemire, New York
A piece of Hong Kongs history wont come cheap.

Thats why Mandarin Oriental International Ltd.s USD3.8 billion disposal of the Excelsior Hotel, featured in the Pink Panther movies and linked to the Noon Day Gun immortalized by Noel Coward, is smart.

By selling the only four-star hotel in its five-star portfolio, Mandarin takes advantage of record prices while reducing its reliance on the citys competitive market.

Unlike its parent Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd., the British trading house associated with Hong Kongs founding more than 150 years ago, Mandarin Oriental is a mainly local play. While Jardine profits from its ownership of Hongkong Land Holdings Ltd., the biggest landlord in the Central business district, its also a major player in Southeast Asia. Mandarin Oriental has its name on luxury hotels and residences worldwide, yet it still makes 54 percent of Ebitda from Hong Kong and Macau.

That has been bad news. Fewer big-spending mainland tourists, the hotel groups bread and butter, are coming to Hong Kong  they now prefer London, Paris or Tokyo. Until it announced plans for a sale of Excelsior in June, Mandarin Orientals Singapore-listed shares were underperforming those even of its parent.

The disposal of the 848-room property, with a gross total floor area of 684,000 square feet, turns a burden into a bonus. The hotel, built in 1973, is run down and would have needed an expensive refit. Easier to sell it for office redevelopment, for which permission has been granted, at the top of the market. Mandarin is tapping into the renewed buzz around Hong Kong office space since May, when Henderson Land Development Co. paid a record $3 billion for a former car park in the city.

The one challenge Mandarin faces is a smaller pool of buyers, as capital controls prevent mainland investors from taking a lead role. Chinese investment in Hong Kongs office sector fell to 8 percent of total investment volumes in the first half, compared with 31 percent last year, according to JLL.

Interest in the site is testament to the Excelsiors location: Its in the retail paradise of Causeway Bay, three subway stops from Central, with sea views and history, as the first plot of land acquired by the British in 1841. The sale has attracted at least five bidders, according to reports, including a Chinese-backed consortium of Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. and Hysan Development Co. and a tie-up between Hong Kongs Chinese Estates Holdings Ltd. and longstanding mainland ally China Evergrande Group.

When it abandoned a Hong Kong listing for Singapore in the early 1990s, before the territorys 1997 handover to China, Jardine Matheson was accused of being short-sighted. With this deal, its anything but. Nisha Gopalan, Bloomberg
Emerging concern



Anyone who has plucked a tick off a pants leg knows they are tough. But UC research is demonstrating just how hardy they are.



A UC study published in 2016 by the journal Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases suggests that ticks have little problem surviving a typical Ohio winter. Benoit, Rosendale and their student co-authors examined the cold tolerance of the American dog tick by exposing them to temperatures as cold as -9 degrees Fahrenheit. They determined that no ticks survived more than two hours at that temperature. But ticks could withstand temperatures just above 0 degrees and most survived temperatures in the 20s for at least two weeks.



The same group co-authored another study in the Journal of Experimental Biology that found that ticks could withstand long periods of drought, enduring dehydration even when they go without food for as long as 18 weeks.



Some tick species appear to be expanding their range, which means the diseases they carry could be an emerging concern, Rosendale said.



We expect to see more reported cases of Lyme disease, he added. Warmer temperatures and milder winters are allowing them to survive. Were seeing a change in population distribution and increases in numbers as well.



Local parks are paying close attention to the UC research. As part of the permit, UC agreed to share its surveillance findings.



It is a public health issue. We want to be aware of what we have in our parks  if there are diseases present and how people can protect themselves, said Zurijanne Carter, natural resources specialist for the Great Parks of Hamilton County.



The park district occasionally gets calls from residents concerned about disease after finding a tick, she said.



The research UC is doing would go a long way toward knowing more about ticks in Ohio, Carter said. Its similar research in how we monitor mosquito-borne illness.



Benoit has published research on a variety of parasites, including tsetse flies. He traveled to Antarctica this year to study a different kind of arthropod, mites.



But ticks abide even there, in one of the most hostile and remote parts of the planet. They live off  what else?  penguins.




TWIN FALLS  The Southern Idaho Association of Health Underwriters  an organization of health insurance agents, brokers and professionals  has announced its 2017-2018 board.

Guy Stubbs was recently installed as SIAHU president.

I am a Jerome native who has returned to the area after living in Boise for 17 years," Stubbs said in a statement.

Stubbs graduated in 1991 from Montana State University in Billings, with a degree in education.

Local agents and brokers serve as a source of truth about healthcare coverage that links the needs of citizens, business and policymakers to create a healthy, more fiscally responsible American healthcare system," he said.

The 2017-2018 board consists of:

President: Guy Stubbs, Hall and Associates, Jerome

President-elect: Colby Fiala, Magic Valley Insurance, Filer

Past president: Chelsea Lyda, Health Plan Partners, Twin Falls

Secretary: Rhonda Bartholomew, Hub International, Jerome

Treasurer: David Wilcox, Magic Valley Insurance, Twin Falls

Legislative: Chelsea Lyda, Health Plan Partners, Twin Falls

Media Relations: Alma Tyree, Hub International, Twin Falls

Awards Chair: Sue Stokesberry, Hub International, Twin Falls

Communications: Steve Moore, Blue Cross of Idaho, Twin Falls

HUPAC: Brett Thomas, Magic Valley Insurance, Twin Falls

Membership/retention: Ryan Heider, Magic Valley Insurance, Twin Falls

Professional development: Steve Moore, Blue Cross of Idaho, Twin Falls

The National Association of Health Underwriters is headquartered in Washington, D.C. For information, visit www.nahu.org.
Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in Southern California has won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot. The winning numbers drawn Tuesday morning at the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee were: white balls 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, and the red Powerball was 10. The jackpot ticket was sold at Joes Service Center in Altadena, northeast of Los Angeles. The business will receive a maximum Powerball bonus of $1 million. The Multi-State Lottery Association said Monday nights scheduled drawing was delayed by nearly 10 hours until Tuesday because a participating lottery had issues processing sales. The jackpot was by far the largest lottery jackpot ever won, topping the previous record $1.586 billion prize won by three Powerball ticketholders in 2016.
TWIN FALLS  Nine in 10 College of Southern Idaho students surveyed in the spring said their entire college experience has been good or excellent.

CSIs board of trustees heard a report Sept. 18 about results from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement. Its given at community colleges nationwide to gauge how plugged in students feel on campus and whether they feel supported as they pursue their education.

CSI uses the results to help shape revisions to its yearly strategic plan  what the college needs to focus on and areas for improvement.

Were looking at how engaged our students are, said Chris Bragg, CSIs associate dean of institutional effectiveness.

CSI has given the survey  developed by the University of Texas at Austin  to students for at least 15 years. It received this years results about a month ago.

Across the CSI campus, students are asked to spend one class period each spring filling out a survey.

Trustee Jan Mittleider said the results are good, hearty data on where the college needs to be going and how to improve. I think this is very exciting.

Board chairman Karl Kleinkopf said he hasnt seen this kind of data often at the college and its very good.

Each fall, a committee at CSI looks at annual strategic plan revisions and sets benchmarks for the next fiscal year.

The plan will go to the CSI board in February and will be submitted to the Idaho State Board of Education in March, for approval over the summer.

Bragg shared with CSI trustees a few results from the student engagement survey.

One of them: About 80 percent of students start their college education at CSI  much higher than most U.S. community colleges, but CSI is also more geographically isolated, he said.

Survey results are above and below the U.S. average for other community colleges from 2013-17 for a question about how often students worked harder to meet their instructors expectations.

Results also bounced around over the years for whether students feel theyre acquiring the knowledge and skills theyll need for the workplace.

Over the years, between 73 and 80 percent of CSI students surveyed said the college emphasizes helping them get the support they need to succeed in college.

Between 96 and 97 percent surveyed would recommend the college to a friend or family member.

During their meeting, trustees also:

Approved a Head Start/Early Head Start report.

The program is putting in a request for about $6.6 million in federal government funding for the upcoming budget year, director Mancole Fedder said.

The bulk of it will go toward providing Head Start services for 457 preschool-age children. About $1.1 million is to provide Early Head Start services to 92 younger children.

CSIs Head Start/Early Head Start program has 147 employees.

Heard a campus technology update.

CSI is continuing to work on a project to upgrade its website, but has missed some status dates, said chief technology officer Kevin Mark.

That was affected largely by having to make many decisions about the websites design and content, he said.

Another factor: some severe issues with Jenzabar, a student information software system CSI uses, Mark said.

Heard a presentation given to state legislators earlier this month in Mini-Cassia.
TWIN FALLS  No children were on board a school bus when a vehicle crashed into it Monday afternoon on Blue Lakes Boulevard North.

The crash was reported just before 3 p.m. in front of Les Schwab Tire Center.

The bus was heading to Harrison Elementary School and no children were on board, Twin Falls School District spokeswoman Eva Craner said.

There was minimal damage to the bus, which has a wheelchair ramp and transports special needs students.

After the bus was evaluated, it continued to Harrison Elementary to pick up students, Craner said. It was about three minutes late.

A car rear-ended the bus near the center turn lane. Traffic is backed up in the area.

The cars front hood was bent in half and the air bags were deployed.

A police officer was on scene interviewing three people who were in the car and firefighters swept up debris.
The original people of faith were told not to eat an apple. Today, people of faith are told they cant sell apples. On Friday a judge granted a brief reprieve to the Michigan apple farmers barred from selling apples at a farmers market near Lansing. The family, Roman Catholics, had stated they would not lease their bucolic orchards for same-sex marriages. What this has to do with selling fruit at an open-air market mystifies me but in a city where a large state university dominates the skyline the local political machine is alt-left.

A great many professors dressed as Pete Seeger impersonators dominate government. Christian faith is anathema to much of the college crowd. The farmers missed their biggest sales opportunity during summer. Theyll need to peddle a lot of cider in the waning days of this years market. Ive often wondered if there is more to the leftist demands we be complicit in what we consider their unnatural nuptials. Will they next insist the faithful participate in the honeymoon boudoir romp?

A quarter century ago when police in Texas rousted two gay men from their own bedroom in their own home I was mortified. So was the Supreme Court of the United States. Even the stellar conservative justices sided with privacy and the rights of two consenting adults to pursue their own lives and make their own choices. Our Founding Fathers wouldve been proud. They didnt dwell on legislating morality.

As I respect the privacy of neighbors with differing lifestyles I also demand they respect my church, my faith and my personal relationship with the Lord. And might I add they respect my freedom of religion, one of five liberties enshrined in the Constitution of the United States. Find another orchard for your wedding! Its certainly clear the culture has moved to a point where there are many clergy, churches and wedding halls happy to serve you.

You can call me a hater for not catering to your every whim but let me remind you Ive a greater obligation to God. If my holy book and the institution where I worship make it clear my surrender to modern culture could damn my soul then youll understand why I wont kowtow to the latest fashions. And why isnt the gay mafia harassing Muslim bakers, Sikh photographers and Hindu orchard owners? Is there a belief youll destroy Christianity first and then mop away Americas minority faiths? Despite what you may believe, I surely dont hate my Muslim counterparts. Actually, I admire the response youre likely to get when you try and compel them to abandon what they believe.

Or do you leftists believe Christians are doormats? You heard somewhere were supposed to turn the other cheek, right? Some scholars tell us turning a cheek was meant as an insult in the context of the times. A means of showing the oppressor you can take abuse and not that youre a shrinking violet.

In Colorado a Christian baker agreed to bake the cake for a same-sex wedding, but drew a line when it came to some requests for decorating. Many bakeries across the country already have demarcation lines. Most wont depict pornography or write obscene jokes across a cake. What we view as an abomination is in the eye of the beholder. Its obviously subjective. Once more, find someone else to decorate your darned cake!

A friend left the Republican Party several years ago and got re-elected to office as a Democrat. In his home state it gave him better committee assignments. Then he started barking about public accommodations law. Our founders made their own demarcation line. There were things the government couldnt do to its citizens. Government cant discriminate. Amendments and courts are taking original ideas about liberty and God-given rights when government is constrained in modern laws about housing, hiring and religious tests for government office. Somewhere along the path these were extended to private enterprise. First, I wouldnt eat at any restaurant where an owner didnt like my looks, skin color or faith. Instead I would reward someone else. Its the beauty of capitalism. Another guy will succeed by filling a void.

Public accommodations legislation is about enshrining and enforcing politeness. Being impolite is a choice. Liberty and choice are synonymous. We may not like a nasty neighbor or shopkeeper but we cant force them to be nice (perhaps controlling mean is the purview of faith). Forcing a photographer to take your picture wont make him like you.

The liberal will argue bending you to his will is the price of licensing for your business. Let me remind you, the founders werent big on licensing. Much of modern requirements for hanging out shingles is an effort to control the competition by powerful business lobbies.

Heres our dilemma. You may have an idea for the next big thing. You may also be a devout Christian and fear some compromises jeopardize your only chance for eternal life. Youre left with two options: Surrender or abandon your idea. Even if what you plan to sell would benefit your neighbors.

Ill close with this. Twenty-five years ago there were people living alternative lifestyles and they just wanted to be left alone. Now maybe you can return the courtesy!
UAE National flagship carrier Emirates has decided not to run flights to Auckland international airport in New Zealand, after local authorities announced cut of all aviation fuel supplies due to technical problems, after the airport oil pipeline was cut off by a log digger Thursday.

The company notes that its aircrafts will stop in Melbourne, Australia, for fuel supply, online media Arabian business reports.

Emirates flight EK449 operating from Auckland to Dubai between 18-24 September, will stop in Melbourne for refuelling due to the Auckland Airport fuel shortage, which has affected most international airlines, a spokesperson of the company said.

Passengers will not be required to disembark in Melbourne.

Emirates further notes that it took precautions for its passengers who need to reach the New Zealander airport.

All flights coming into Auckland have been advised to carry enough extra fuel to get out of the country, while long-haul flights are being redirected to refuelling stops at other New Zealand or international airports, Arabian Business reports.

Up to 27 flights from Auckland were suspended until Sunday and the restauration of fuel supplies could take between 10 to 14 days.
Seasoned war crimes investigator Carla Del Ponte Monday told the UN human rights council that she decided to resign from the Commission of Inquiry because of an unacceptable impunity enjoyed by warring factions in the Syrian conflict.

The former ex-Yugoslavia and Rwanda war crimes prosecutor last month indicated that she was resigning from the Commission of Inquiry (COI) for Syria arguing that the UN Security Council has never wanted to refer the Syrian case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or open a court to try criminals in the Syrian conflict, which is going on since March 2011.

In her farewell address to the council, the former Swiss attorney general spoke vocally about the total impunity witnessed despite the war crimes committed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition.

I resign to put an end to my frustration, she said.

Seven years of crimes in Syria and total impunity. That is not acceptable, she added.

The commission has issued several reports but never got access to Syria. They only relied on photos, interviews, testimonies, documents and medical reports.

In August, Carla Del Ponte said all sides in the conflict were on the wrong side.

Everyone in Syria is on the bad side. The Assad government has perpetrated horrible crimes against humanity and used chemical weapons. And the opposition is now made up of extremists and terrorists, Del Ponte said.

About 400,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict, and millions joined the ranks of refugees.

Russia early this month blocked a UN report, which lambasted the Bashar side for crimes committed by the Syrian army and its allies, including Iran and Russia.

Russias UN envoy Alexey Goltyaev accused the commission of being biased as it overlooked war crimes committed by the US and its allies who seek, he had said, to ouster the embattled Syrian President.
Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
Authorities in Tanzania have arrested 20 people accused of homosexuality in the East African nations semiautonomous region of Zanzibar.

Twelve women and eight men were arrested in a hotel where they were receiving training on HIV/AIDS education programs, local media reports.

We rounded them up because we suspect that they were engaged in homosexuality in Zanzibar, which is illegal in Zanzibar and is against the law of the country, the regional police commander Hassan Ali Nasri was quoted as saying.

President John Magufuli earlier this year vowed to arrest and deport those campaigning for gay rights and to ban organizations protecting homosexual interests.

He is on record saying, Those who wish to teach such things do not like us, brothers. They brought us drugs and homosexual practices that even cows disapprove of.

Gay male sex is punishable by anything from 30 years to life imprisonment under Tanzanian law, but there is no such ban on lesbian relations.

Homosexuality is illegal in 38 of 54 countries in Africa, and is punishable by death in Mauritania, Sudan and Somalia, according to Amnesty International.

Ugandas Yoweri Museveni has called homosexuals disgusting while former Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh threatened to slit the throats of gay men.
The mayor of Sikasso in southern Mali, Kalifa Sanogo, on Sunday announced his candidacy for the countrys next presidential election.

Yes, at the request of thousands of my supporters gathered Saturday in Sikasso, I agreed to be a candidate in the 2018 presidential election, Kalifa Sanogo was quoted by AFP as saying.

Kalifa Sanogo, former CEO of the Malian textile development company (CMDT), is mayor of Sikasso, about 380 km south of Bamako. According to AFP, Sanogo is the first to enter the presidential race.

Mali was scheduled to hold a referendum on constitutional reform on July 9th. On June 21st, two days before the campaign for the referendum was to start, the vote was postponed sine die following widespread demonstrations.

The constitutional changes were meant to implement clauses of the Algiers Peace Agreement signed between the Malian government and former rebel groups in 2015, and to correct deficiencies and shortcomings in the constitution.

The peace deal has so far failed to quell unrest in the north. Without significant progress in the implementation of the peace accord, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keitas ambition to win a second term could be in jeopardy.

Keita has not said yet whether or not he will run for the presidential elections, scheduled for late 2018.
Supporters of Kenyas ruling party who started protests Monday have gathered Tuesday outside the Supreme Court to demand the removal of the judges who nullified President Uhuru Kenyattas re-election in August.

Ruling Jubilee Party supporters also burned tires and blocked one of the major highways into the capital, Nairobi.

The protests came a day after three petitions were filed asking the Judicial Service Commission to remove Chief Justice David Maraga, Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu and Justice Isaac Lenaola, reported AP. The petitions claim misconduct and bias on the part of the judges. Maraga and three other justices ruled 4-2 to annul Kenyattas re-election and call for a new election, which is set for Oct. 17.

Maraga was quoted by AP as saying that the demonstrations are clearly intended to intimidate the judiciary and individual judges.

The judges are prepared to pay the ultimate price to protect the Constitution and the rule of law, he said.

The nations judiciary said on Tuesday that attempts to intimidate Kenyas Supreme Court judges are unlawful and savage in nature.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga had challenged Kenyattas win at court, claiming the election results were rigged. The Supreme Court ruled the electoral commission committed irregularities and nullified the elections results.
422 internally displaced families will receive homes, says PM

More than 400 internally displaced families from the Russian occupied regions of Georgia  Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) - will move to brand new apartments soon.Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced at the governmental meeting that under the governments decision, an additional 422 internally displaced families will be gifted new homes.He added that these flats will be in four cities and towns across the country: the capital of Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Tskaltubo in western Georgias Imereti region, and Gori in the ShidaKartli region in eastern Georgia.Kvirikashvili said that since 2012, more than 15,500 internally displaced families have been given new homes."And, of course, this process will continue, he added.All of Georgias internally displaced people (IDPs) came from either Tskhinvali region or from Abkhazia - two Georgias Russian-occupied regions. Statistics showed that there were up to 206,600 IDPs registered in Georgia by the end of 2013. One of the main issues facing them was access to adequate housing.
Lion's share of tourists in Georgia come from Azerbaijan

The majority of tourists who visited Georgia in January-August of 2017 were from Azerbaijan, according to the message published on the website of Georgian National Tourism Administration.In the first eight months of the current year the number of international arrivals in Georgia amounted to 5,059,106, showing an increase of 18.9 percent compared to the same period in 2016, said the message.As many as 1,148,484 people from Azerbaijan visited the country in the mentioned period while in 2016 the amount of Azerbaijani tourists was 1,039,991.During the period of January-August of 2017, Azerbaijan recorded a 10.4 percent increase in the number of international arrivals to Georgia compared to the same period last year.
Henry began the news conference [Wednesday] in Madison by saying hed considered violating the law to disclose his testimony, but said he [sic] after he was warned by friends he was risking arrest, he decided to publicly ask Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall to allow his testimony to be released.

He said the testimony would show Strange hasnt been honest about his recusal in the Hubbard investigation. Our news partners AL.com summed up the case against Hubbard.



Alabama State Rep. Mike Ball (R-Madison) also spoke. Ball said hed raised concerns to Strange about how Hart was using and leaking grand jury testimony. Ball said Strange didnt appoint a special counsel as requested and instead, sent him a letter [to] say the matter had been reviewed and his office had found no wrongdoing.

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  For over one hundred years, Alabamians manufactured clothing in Alexander City for a company called Russell. Today you can still buy Russell Athletic gear in Alex City but it wont be made locally.

It will likely be made by workers in Honduras, El Salvador, or China.

In a strange twist of fate, one of the key figures who helped bring about this transfer of jobs out of Alabama is now campaigning for the Senate seat formerly occupied by Jeff Sessions. Even stranger still, his campaign ads promise that he will Kill Unfair Trade Deals.

His name is Luther Strange.

The company now known as Russell Brands was founded in 1902 by Benjamin Russell on the ashes of Alex Citys business district, which had suffered a devastating fire months earlier. Russell expanded and thrived in the decades that followed, eventually becoming the largest manufacturer of athletic apparel and uniforms in the country. It became, at one point, the exclusive producer of uniforms for Major League Baseball.

At its height, Russell employed at least 7,000 people in Alabama.

Strange enters the Russell story as a lobbyist for the powerful political broker and law firm Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. Russell paid the firm $660,000 for Stranges lobbying efforts between 2000 and 2006. One of Russells major political focuses at the time: getting the U.S. to sign onto a NAFTA-style free trade agreement with Central American countries.

Details of Stranges lobbying efforts are hard to come by.

Whatever it was Strange did on behalf of Russells free-trade politics, it was effective. The U.S. Senate approved the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement, known as DR-CAFTA, in 2005. The very next year, Russell announced that it would move thousands of jobs out of Alabama to Mexico and Honduras.

Russell said the company will eliminate about 2,300 jobs from its global workforce of 15,000. About 1,700 of the jobs cuts will be in the United States, with about 1,250 in Alabama, the Associated Press reported in 2006. About 1,200 of the U.S. jobs will eventually be replaced by hiring in Honduras and Mexico, the company said.

The cuts initially left Alex City with 2,000 Russell jobs. But more cuts were to come. The company was purchased by Berkshire-Hathaway and merged into the Fruit of the Loom business. It has since laid off hundreds of more workers in Alex City and Wetumpka.

Russell apparel is now manufactured in facilities all over the world, including four plants in the Dominican Republic, six in El Salvador, and nine in Honduras, according to the companys 2010 statement. Wages for apparel workers in those countries can be as low as $1 dollar per hour. The company has 19 facilities in China.

Lobbying for the Central American free trade pact was a very lucrative job for Luther Strange. But for thousands of Alabamians it was far more devastating than that 1902 fire that nearly destroyed Alex City.

A senior adviser to the campaign of Judge Roy Moore, the conservative frontrunner for the U.S. Senate in Alabama against Strange in Tuesdays upcoming GOP primary runoff, told Breitbart News that Stranges efforts to lobby to send Alabama jobs to Central America and elsewhere is staggering.

Luther Stranges record of self-dealing is staggering, Drew Messer, a senior adviser to the Moore campaign, told Breitbart News. In his former life as a Washington lobbyist, he was paid big bucks to work for implementing CAFTA, the trade debacle that sent thousands dof Alabama jobs to Mexico and Honduras and thousands of small businesses into bankruptcy. Stranges entire career has been marked by putting his own interest over the people of Alabama.

The Strange campaign, meanwhile, has not responded to a request for comment.

But what makes all of this even more interesting is the fact that President Donald Trumpwho campaigned in 2016 against exactly the type of behavior that Strange engaged in for years as a lobbyistis now heading to Alabama to campaign for Strange. On Wednesday evening, as more and more details about Stranges lurid history continued dripping out to the public, Trump even called Strange tough on trade, among other issues, on Twitter.

But surely, at that time, Trump had no idea that Strangeas a lobbyistsupports shipping Alabama jobs overseas to places like Mexico, Central America, the Dominican Republic, and China. But now the White House does, and has not responded to a request for comment. On Thursday morning, Breitbart News informed White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and communications director Hope Hicks of this forthcoming investigative reporting from Breitbart News on Stranges history on trade, and asked them how President Trump believes this is tough on trade. They have not commented.

Despite Trumps and Vice President Mike Pences decision to publicly endorse and campaign for Strangethe president will campaign for Strange on Friday, and the vice president on MondayMoore maintains his lead in the race. Moores lead over Strange is in large part because despite the presidents backing politically of Strange, policy-wise Moore is much more in line with the presidents campaign agenda.

Moore, in a recent exclusive interview with Breitbart News here in Montgomery, even made clear he stands with the president on trade policy.

I think thats one of the strongest points I agree on with the president, Moore told Breitbart News when asked what he would do to bring factories and jobs back to America from foreign countries.

I agreed with the president before he was president, he continued. I agree with the presidents position from even before he was president. This is one of the greatest travesties in our country. I agree with free tradeour country was established on free tradebut its not free trade when governments become involved in the trade process like what has happened in certain foreign countries. I think that that warps this concept and its allowed businesses to go overseas to Mexico, China, wherever. I support the president 100 percent in bringing industry back into our country. Quite frankly, I think it can be brought back into our countrywe dont lose the technology, we dont lose the skill sets. We can develop those again. I know steel plants, sock factories all across Alabama and the South have been taken.

Strange, meanwhile, has said nothing of the sortand as of this writing, refuses to do an interview with Breitbart News supporting the president on trade, and refuses to renounce his lobbyist history for the exact type of trade deals that President Trump campaigned against.

Breitbart News Matthew Boyle reported from Montgomery, and Breitbart News John Carney reported from New York City.




@alextdaugherty

Every member of Congress from South Florida is in favor of extending a temporary program run by the Department of Homeland Security that allows Haitians to live and work in the United States.

Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Delray Beach, led a letter on Monday to acting DHS secretary Elaine Duke signed by every member of Congress who represents Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties urging the Trump administration to extend Haiti's Temporary Protected status for 18 months.

"The Haitian people, and now their government, continue to work diligently to rebuild the country after the earthquake, cholera outbreak, and Hurricane Matthew," the letter said. "This work will be made more difficult if the country must also welcome back over 50,000 Haitian nationals at once."

Former DHS secretary and current White House chief of staff Gen. John Kelly extended Haiti's TPS status for six months instead of 18 earlier this year and he also said that Haitian nationals in the United States should begin making plans to return home. Haiti's TPS status runs out in January 2018.

Hastings was part of a group of Democrats who huddled in the Haitian embassy last week to discuss a strategy for getting more awareness about how important TPS is for Haiti.

The letter was also signed by Sens. Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson along with Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Curbelo, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Frederica Wilson, Ted Deutch and Lois Frankel.

View the letter here.
I ask that you form a commission to review any after action reports created by state and local EOCs, utilities, state agencies, medical facilities, or other critical service providers, and to evaluate and oversee recovery projects, Brandes wrote to Scott Tuesday. This would ensure that state and county needs are triaged and met in a manner that leverages every disaster relief dollar, and that the assessments of the response and recovery actions taken by both public and private entities become best practices to prepare for future events.
I ask all of you, and our colleagues in the Senate, to join me in setting aside the business as usual of pork projects, Corcoran said, and instead invest all of those funds to either assist those in need after Hurricane Irma or prepare Florida against the threat to life and property that will surely come with future storms.
via @katieglueck

He was gracious and measured, stern but soberand tough on Russiaas he addressed the greatest challenges facing the United States.

Standing in a hotel ballroom a few blocks from the spot where Donald Trump was threatening to totally destroy North Korea, Jeb Bush offered a glimpse of the presidency that could have been.

At some point the president is going to have to go from this ad hoc diplomacy, or whatever the foreign policy is, to something thats clear and coherent, Bush, one of Trumps vanquished 2016 opponents, told a hawkish hotel ballroom audience gathered Tuesday for the United Against Nuclear Iran conference. Because at the end of the day, too much chaos, and being unreliable, creates real dangers.

Bush, the former Florida governor, was once considered the overwhelming favorite to win the GOP presidential nomination. Instead, he was forced out well before the primary season was over, his efforts at a joyful campaign rooted in a muscular view of American leadership trampled by the nationalist Trump and his rowdy, populist-leaning campaign.

The sharp contrasts in tone and ideology that played out during that racewhich have divided the Republican Party ever sinceunfolded again Tuesday morning, within the span of two hours and less than a mile apart here in Manhattan.

As Trump mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a Rocket Man who is on a suicide mission for himself, Bush opted for the traditional if overused term rogue nation, noting that Pyongyang needs to be called out.

As Trump glossed over threats from Russia to focus on other adversaries, Bush referred to Moscow as a curse for President Trump--remarks that come as Trump's White House grapples with probes into Russian influence in the 2016 election and possible ties to his campaign.

And as Trump leaned into his longtime campaign message of America First, Bush warned of dangers when the U.S. leaves a void, embracing the more internationalist view the Republican Party has recently represented, until now.

Our vacillation, our pulling backthere was a big void and Russia took full advantage of it, he said, when asked by MSNBC host and former George W. Bush communications director Nicolle Wallace whether America is doing enough to make Russia play a more constructive role in Iran.

Read more here.
Missoula County anticipates getting more than a half-million dollars from an equipment auction at the former Smurfit-Stone mill in Frenchtown. But its going to take a while before entities like the Frenchtown School District or the Frenchtown Rural Fire Department see a nickel from the approximately $1.2 million in delinquent taxes owed by an out-of-state corporation.

Anna Conley, the senior civil deputy county attorney with the Missoula County Attorney's Office, said although she has not received an exact final accounting from the auction company, the county expects to receive $522,009.24 from the sale of items like boilers, machinery and parts that took place in August.

They are having a hard time recovering the proceeds from one buyer, and we are waiting to see what the actual post-auction expenses for labor are, she explained.

The total gross sales from the auction were $666,149.10, so the auction company took the difference for operating expenses and profit. However, Conley said the rest of the money should take a bite out of the $1.2 million in outstanding debt on the property.

The former mill site is owned by M2Green, otherwise known as Green Investment Group, an Illinois-based company whose website says it specializes in redeveloping brownfield sites. However, since it bought the site in 2011, there have been no cleanup efforts, no redevelopment and lots of silence from the company. The Missoulian has reached out to M2Green several times for comment on the property and has never heard back.

The 3,200-acre Smurfit site was a paper pulp mill from 1957 until 2010 when all the workers were laid off and the plant was shut down. Tons of hazardous chemicals harmful to humans and wildlife were used or produced there, and more than 900 acres consist of unlined ponds used to store treated and untreated wastewater and sludge from the mill.

A few gravel berms are all that separate the Clark Fork River from polluted areas. The federal Environmental Protection Agency is investigating the property to determine whether to declare it a Superfund site.

The county has sued M2Green seeking a judgment for delinquent taxes, and the Missoula-City County Health Department has filed an action under the countys community decay and public nuisance ordinance asking M2Green to clean up certain aspects of the property.

The auction proceeds is just one piece of a larger ongoing proceeding, Conley said.

The county is going to hold the auction proceeds in escrow until officials are absolutely sure they won't have to take any of the money back.

Folks in Frenchtown have been getting a little impatient waiting for the money they are owed to come rolling in.

"The taxing jurisdictions have been wanting to know, understandably, what they will receive and when," Conley said.

***

On Tuesday, an aquatic ecologist and a river restoration export will give a lecture at the Missoula Insectarium about how insects can help give scientists clues to the legacy of heavy metals pollution in the Clark Fork River.

Will McDowell, who heads Clark Fork restoration projects for the nonprofit Clark Fork Coalition in Missoula, will be joined by Sean Sullivan, an aquatic ecologist and invertebrate taxonomist for Missoula-based biological consulting firm Rhithron Associates, will speak at about 7 p.m.

Sullivans work focuses studying the tiny bugs and algae in the river to develop ecological assessments.

The community structure (of invertebrates) can give an overall picture of aquatic ecosystem health and integrity, he explained.

McDowell will talk about the unprecedented efforts to clean up the Clark Fork River after a more than 100-year legacy of mining and pollution.

Doors open at 6:30, and admission is $5 for members or $8 for non-members. Admission includes two complimentary drinks and entry to the Insectarium. For more information visit missoulabutterflyhouse.org/event/bugs-and-brews-9/.
LAUREL  A Montana high school donated all of the money from its homecoming budget for fire relief in the state.

KULR-TV reports Laurel High School also helped raise money and donated the proceeds to the Montana Stockgrowers Association, a nonprofit organization with the mission to protect and enhance Montana ranch families' ability to grow and deliver safe, healthy, environmentally wholesome beef to the world.

The school's senior class collaboratively decided to use the funds that would normally go to making a float.

The school's Student Body President Austin Amestoy says the seniors put those funds toward a fire relief fund and from there, they used the time they spent making the float to collect more donations for the fund.

Laurel High School donated more than $1,100 for the relief fund.
Montana's two U.S. senators and U.S. representative all issued sharp criticisms of the Food Safety and Inspection Service's treatment of a Butte meat plant Monday, and vowed continued action to hold the Department of Agriculture and the inspection agency accountable.

The reactions followed a two-day series in The Montana Standard detailing more than a decade of conflict between the agency's Montana front line supervisor, Dr. Jeffrey Legg, and small meat plants in the state, particularly Riley Meats in Butte.

The series detailed multiple occasions when Legg made demands of Riley's and other meat plants that were not consistent with or based on federal regulations. In 2008, Riley Meats owner Bart Riley received a letter from the agency saying that an internal review had found at least six allegations of willful harassment and intentional acts to intimidate or torment Riley were substantiated, and seven more were either partially confirmed or possibly true. But in the letter, the agency's deputy assistant administrator added that no action against Legg was needed. Legg continues to fill the same position.

FSIS' deputy assistant administrator for public affairs, Aaron Lavallee, did not respond to an emailed request for comment Monday.

"What happened to Mr. Riley is entirely unacceptable," U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, said Monday. "Any federal bureaucrat who harasses Montanans and purposely makes it harder to do business should be fired."

Tester, who has contacted FSIS several times on behalf of Riley, added, "The federal government must give small business owners the support they need to succeed, instead of numerous, painful checklists that cost time, money and heartburn."

Republican Sen. Steve Daines said Monday that "Montana businesses and producers deserve to have federal regulations enforced in a transparent, equitable and accountable manner and follow the letter of the law." He added that regulations "need to be based on sound science and food safety, not bureaucratic red tape."

Daines, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee, is working to expedite nominations to key positions within FSIS and its parent department, USDA.

Upon reading The Montana Standard's series, Daines initiated inquiries with FSIS and the Agriculture Committee, a staffer confirmed.

U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte also weighed in Monday, saying, "It is unacceptable for federal bureaucrats to target family businesses." He said he would continue his work in regulatory reform "so that out-of-control bureaucrats with a grudge can't push around our family businesses, shut down plants, and threaten Montana jobs."

Gianforte, a Republican member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, pledged to "investigate this matter thoroughly. I will not tolerate bureaucratic misconduct and abuse."

Tester, who serves on the Agriculture subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, encouraged anyone who has experienced "similar incidents" to reach out to his agricultural liaison, Jesse Anderson, at 406-449-5401.
In the 1970s, Sam Reynolds, an editorial writer at the Missoulian, had a birdcage-like box nailed to his office wall in the old newsroom on Higgins Avenue. He posted a sign on the door of the box that read, Inside this cage lives the most destructive animal on the planet.

Open the door and youd see your mirrored image.

His editorial-page voice echoed mainstream sentiments of a budding environmental movement. Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson were important reads. Earth Day in a college town full of tree-huggers was a grassroots celebration. John McPhee had just published Encounters with the Archdruid, a celebration of David Brower's resistance to plan to dam up the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Utah writer Edward Abbey spoke to a journalism class at the University of Montana. His rant-for-pay focused on the value of destroying Glen Canyon Dam. His performance was irresponsible. Nothing about flood control, water storage for downstream urban development or power generation. It was vulgar. He was offensive. We loved it.

The environmental sensibility reflected in Reynolds opinion pieces was a long time coming. Given the rhetorical fog and political impasse over Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah, Im afraid it will be a long time gone.

Whether President Trump shrinks the monument to 160,000 acres, as The New York Times has reported, or leaves its present border intact, questions related to protection of artifacts of early human habitation have largely been answered. Those irreplaceable archaeological sites will remain unprotected, awaiting results of a protracted court battle, easy targets for vandals and looters.

Its a politically inconvenient fact that the federal governments Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and Interior Department do not have the resources to manage the 1.3 million-acre parcel. Its already seeing increases in unmanaged tourist visits, and thats not likely to change.

There was another way, however; one that respected our democratic processes and the rural natives of all ethnicities and their forebears. It could be a model to resolve future environmental disputes.

In June of 2015, a group of ranchers, environmentalists, American Indians, ATV riders, miners, hunters and archeology buffs  collectively known as the San Juan County Lands Council  produced a plan to protect the Bears Ears and Cedar Mesa area of southeastern Utah.

The proposal, several years in the making, was the product of a locally driven process that respected the rich tapestry of rural life. For the most part, members of the group knew each other or their families, their histories and, for better or worse, their reputations.

While the results of the group didnt please everyone, it demonstrated that a bit of face-to-face civility, transparency and a spirit of compromise can possibly overcome even seemingly intractable, deeply held racial, cultural and political beliefs.

A similar process is the only way Bears Ears will be protected.
MUSCATINE  Brian Freitag said Monday morning the Muscatine City Council must work to improve streets, sewers, railroad crossings, plus attract more businesses to the city's Southend.

Freitag has lived in Muscatine's 4th Ward his entire life and is now running to fill the seat that will be left open by Councilman Bob Bynum in the Nov. 7 election. Bynum is not seeking re-election. Along with Freitag, Nadine Brockert and Larry Murray are running in the 4th Ward.

Talking with about 20 residents at Musserville United Methodist Church on Oregon Street Monday, Freitag said entrances to the Southend need to be cleaned up.

"On Grandview, the industrial connector and near the Redwood Hotel, there's all this open land that could be developed," he said. "First impressions are everything."

He passed around photos of overgrown weeds and vegetation along streets in the 4th Ward, saying it looks like Muscatine has forgotten to care for part of the city. Freitag wants the city to offer incentives or stricter penalties for people to clean up their yards.

Several residents also complained about the long stretches of time trains sit at railroad crossings in the Southend, with some residents claiming they have sat in traffic for 30 minutes or longer.

"They've got the Quiet Zone project uptown, but I'd like to see them hear the train I've got in my backyard," 4th Ward resident Jack Hillier said.

"Trains are always blocking the intersections, and if there's a medical emergency, they have to go around them," Freitag said.

At Monday's meeting, former Muscatine school board member Nancy Panther said that with several new housing developments proposed in the city, she worries the city is providing too many tax incentives to large corporations and not enough to small businesses.

"I agree we're in need of low-income and senior housing, and even middle income, but to give private companies money to provide that, you're taking money away from schools," she said.

Others thought the city should not provide tax breaks to developers looking to build low-income housing units, where rent is still $700 or more. Resident Linda Hatfield said she thinks the city wants houses in the 4th Ward to continue to deteriorate so more industrial businesses can be built. She also argued her property taxes are now higher than what is affordable.

Hillier said he was upset because all of the new housing developments are proposed in the north side of Muscatine, with nothing planned in the Southend.

Freitag also spoke with residents about his goal to have the city once again fund the "safe streets program." He said his stepson has had his garage broken into four times and has seen a rise in burglaries and other crimes.

Mayor Diana Broderson said the program used to clean up graffiti and create neighborhood safety plans and agreed it should be funded again.

Residents also discussed the need for a grocery store in the Southend. Freitag said he is reaching out to developer Tom Meeker to talk about the potential plans. Some said they need a grocery store that includes a pharmacy  another gap in the 4th Ward's retail market.

Freitag said he hopes to hold more events and plans to continue speaking with residents in the area about their concerns.

Thursday is the final day for mayor and city council candidates to file nomination papers to have their names on the Nov. 7 ballot.
Allsteel Inc. of Muscatine has been awarded a 2017 Top Workplaces honor by the Des Moines Register.

Allsteel won the honor based on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by Workplace Dynamics, LLC, a leading research firm that specializes in workplace improvement.

Several aspects of Allsteel's workplace culture were measured, including alignment, execution and connection.

"We are delighted to be recognized as one of the best places to work in the state of Iowa," Allsteel President Brandonn Sieben said in a press release.

"That the award is based on the feedback from our members is particularly gratifying. We constantly strive to create a strong member-owner culture in which we all understand where Allsteel is headed, how we'll get there, and the feeling that everyone is in it together," he said.
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
Adventist Health St. Helena recently took the first steps to consider a program called the Blue Zones Project.

The Blue Zones Project is a community-based initiative that works to make healthier choices easier, said a news release from the hospital.

The Blue Zones project was borne out of National Geographic explorer Dan Buettners examination of communities across the globe where people were happily living the longest, said the release.

Buettner uncovered common denominators among these Blue Zones, such as moving naturally and having a sense of purpose.

Buettner partnered with Healthways in 2009 to spread the Blue Zones Project throughout the United States and help communities accelerate transformation through a comprehensive set of solutions designed to improve overall well-being.

These solutions have measurably lowered healthcare costs, increased productivity, and improved the quality of life for residents in those places, said the release.

Adventist Health St. Helena is committed to helping our community live healthier, longer lives and we are excited to support this effort, said Dr. Steven Herber, president and CEO of Adventist Health St. Helena.
NEW YORK  Equifax, under pressure from a massive data breach, says it had a separate incident earlier this year. That may mean even more scrutiny as the company deals with the aftermath of a security failure that exposed the information of 143 million Americans.

Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Attorney General has filed suit against Equifax. And Equifax says about 100,000 Canadian consumers may have had their personal information compromised.

Heres the latest on the breach:

AN EARLIER BREACH

Equifax says it had a security breach earlier this year that involved a different part of the company than the one accessed in the larger hack.

The breach involved TALX, which is Equifaxs human resources and payroll service. The company said theres no evidence that the TALX breach, which happened between March and April this year, and the wider breach are related.

The TALX breach, which at the time was relatively minor, is likely to attract additional scrutiny.

Three executives at Equifax were found to have sold stock in the days leading up to the time when Equifax disclosed the more serious breach. Equifax says the three executives, which includes the companys second-highest ranking employee, its chief financial officer, were unaware of the bigger breach when they sold their shares.

Equifax hired the same cybersecurity company, Mandiant, to handle both breach investigations.

STATE ACTION

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey sued Equifax on Tuesday, making it the first state to take direct legal action against the company following the breach. Its lawyers say that Equifaxs negligence exposed more than half the states adult population to the breach, and the company was negligent in dealing with security threats, including the software vulnerability that has become the center of the investigation.

Attorney General Healey is seeking unspecified civil penalties, restitution and damages for the impacted residents.

TRANSUNION AND EXPERIAN NOW UNDER SCRUTINY

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is questioning two other credit-monitoring companies, TransUnion and Experian, about what precautions they have taken to protect sensitive consumer information. In letters to company executives, the Democratic attorney general asked them to describe their existing security systems, as well as what changes theyve made since the Equifax hack.

The breach, he wrote, has raised serious concerns about the security of private consumer information held by the nations largest consumer credit reporting agencies. The letters also ask whether the companies are considering waiving the fees for consumer credit freezes. The costs of those vary by state.

WHAT IS EQUIFAX DOING?

Equifaxs CEO has been called to testify before Congress on Oct. 3, and the company announced last week that its chief information officer and chief security officer would be leaving the company immediately. It also has bulked up its call centers and is waiving fees for credit freezes.

The credit data company also released a detailed, if still muddled, timeline of how it discovered and handled the breach.

Equifaxs stock has fallen more than a third since the scandal broke.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Consumers should be vigilant and diligent. That means:

 Closely monitoring their credit reports, which are available free once a year, and stagger them to see one every four months.

 Keeping watch, possibly for a long time. Scammers who get ahold of the data could use it at any time  and with 143 million to choose from, they may be patient.

 Considering freezing your credit reports. That stops thieves from opening new credit cards or loans in your name, but it also prevents you from opening new accounts. So if you want to apply for something, you need to lift the freeze a few days beforehand.
Ryanair Holdings sought to contain the damage caused by scrapping hundreds of flights through the end of October, promising to compensate affected passengers and apologizing for the mismanagement that led to a shortage of available crews.

With mass cancellations set to leave about 400,000 passengers in the lurch, Europe's biggest discount airline is likely to take a 25 million-euro ($30 million) profit hit from refunds and compensation, the Dublin-based company said Monday, three days after announcing the surprise cutbacks that started on Saturday. The disruption stemmed from Ryanair scheduling too many pilots for vacation.

"We f---ed up here, and we have to fix it," Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary said on a conference call. "We should have seen it coming. This will have a reputational impact."

As a short-term fix, Ryanair will offer a fare sale and payments to pilots who are willing to waive vacation days, while to avert future issues, the company will spend 20 million euros to 30 million euros next year to hire additional crew. The effort includes signing bonuses and poaching from insolvent Alitalia and Air Berlin, with the push taking on greater urgency as Ryanair's staff gets targeted by competitors, most notably Norwegian Air Shuttle.

The cancellation fiasco exacerbated a two-week-old spat with the Nordic carrier, which claims to have hired about 140 pilots from Ryanair since the start of 2017.

While Norwegian offers the prestige of long-haul flying, "they also have a highly dubious business model that loses money hand over fist," O'Leary said. "We do need to tactically respond" to the rival's overtures, adding that Ryanair will be offering "loyalty bonuses" to prevent captains being lured away.

The growing feud took on a new dimension when the Irish carrier said it had ended talks about feeding passengers to Norwegian's transatlantic routes. That was an about-face from just a week earlier, when O'Leary said he was looking for a deeper relationship than a deal reached between Norwegian and EasyJet at London's Gatwick airport.

"Given our concerns over Norwegian's financial viability, we have brought to an end the discussions with Norwegian," O'Leary told reporters at a press conference in Dublin, adding that talks on feeder deals with Air Europa and Aer Lingus are continuing.

Norwegian confirmed that "previous discussions with Ryanair are no longer active" and reiterated that O'Leary's comments on the state of its finances "have no root in reality," a spokesman said.

While Ryanair's scrapped flights account for only about 2 percent of its usual 2,500 daily services, the cause was avoidable and stems from the company's aggressive strategy. As it ramped up capacity, Ryanair overscheduled its crews, causing it to scramble to meet holiday requirements by Irish authorities. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and the Spanish Public Works Ministry said Monday that they intend to ensure the airline respects regulations on compensating passengers for abandoned flights.

The blunder undermines O'Leary's efforts to improve Ryanair's image and woo more lucrative customers. Ryanair began its Always Getting Better program in 2014 to make flying with the no-frills carrier less onerous, introducing faster boarding for business travelers, discounts for children and sleeker aircraft cabins.

"It is the potential for long-term damage that concerns us," Damian Brewer, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, said Monday in a note to clients. "The poor PR could deter future bookings and may well put off more time-sensitive higher yielding demand, like business trips, if the carrier is seen as unreliable and less punctual."

Ryanair shares fell 1.9 percent, paring the stock's gain this year to 15 percent and valuing the company at 19.9 billion euros.

After initially leaving customers in the dark, the budget carrier released the full list of cancellations through the end of October late Monday. Most of the cuts, which average less than 50 per day, are on routes with heavy frequencies or from busy bases to make rebooking easier.

"We were trying to give too many pilots blocks of four weeks leave," said O'Leary. "We need to get to the bottom of where the gap arose, why the warning systems didn't trigger. But villainizing myself or someone down the food chain isn't for today."

Ryanair has been running its system at the limit, with 97 percent of seats occupied in August, when the carrier flew 12.7 million passengers. Flights are operating as usual for customers who haven't received emails from the carrier.

The airline is mandated by the Irish Aviation Authority to bring staff time-off in line with the calendar year as of Jan. 1, requiring it to let employees use up vacation days before the end of 2017. That left the carrier without enough pilots and flight attendants to operate its full fleet of Boeing 737s until the start of its winter timetable in November.

"My apologies to our investors but also primarily to our customers for any uncertainty or any inconvenience we've caused you over the weekend," O'Leary said. "It wasn't done lightly, it wasn't done out of some dismissive or 'don't-care' attitude."
Eating pine nuts dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times, when they were preserved in honey.

Pine nuts were also a common Native American food, ground the old fashioned way using a large stone. In winter, pine nuts sustained tribes.

Enjoyed by many cultures around the world they have many names: Indian nuts, pinon, pignon, pignolia, pignol-I, pinolos, pinhao, and pignole.

Pine nuts are packed with protein, dense with nutrients, and a very high concentration of amino acids needed for proper growth. They are rich in Vitamins A and lutein, both of which support sharper vision.

They contain heart-friendly monounsaturated fat. Their Vitamin D contributes to stronger bones and being rich in Vitamin C, they help boost immunity. Their pino-le-ic acid might make you feel fuller faster. A good source of iron, which is great news for the circulatory and nervous systems. This little nut fights free radicals, while the protein and magnesium are an excellent source of energy. These are a major, storable, multi faceted food.

Yes, its true that pine nuts come from the pine cones of a variety of pine trees around the world. This means not all pine nuts taste the same. They will also be different shapes. Most well known, and considered best are the pine nuts, or pinole, imported from Italy. They tend to be expensive, but there is a way to save on cost and still enjoy.

If you live in an area with pine trees, they are free for the taking. A number of web sites offer harvesting instructions. Harvest begins late summer into fall and you want to collect the cones while they are still closed, otherwise squirrels get the nuts before you. Kept in a dry space, over time they open so you can get the nuts.

Pluck from the trees or simply pick up fallen cones. The kids can help with these. First you must get all the nuts out of the cones. Do this by banging cones around in an old sack until the nuts fall out. You could pick them out by hand, but the resinous pitch wont come off your hands easily. Evidently, its important to have a good hammer. The darker the nut outside, the better the nut inside. Discard nuts with holes in them as this means some insect got there ahead of you.

Remove the thin skins. Some suggest soaking the nuts in water for 12-24 hours so they plump up and are easier to peel. Cracked pine nuts are yellowish-orange, translucent and soft. They can be eaten at this point and are delicious.

Its important to store your harvested nuts properly because the nut oils can become rancid pretty quickly. For immediate use, store some in a glass jar in a cool dark cabinet. Take out what you need and close the lid tightly. Place the rest in a zip lock bag and store them in the freezer. They will be delicious for months. Again, taking out what you need each time, leaving the rest in the freezer. You may notice a slight softness when the nuts thaw.

Lightly toasting after thawing helps bring back some of the crunch. This is irrelevant in cooking.

With pine nuts we immediately think pesto, pasta or cookies, but you have so many other options. Make a Torta Della Nonna, or Grandmothers Cake.

Top a green or fruit salad, or a baked brie, garnish a crepe Suzette or instead of peanut brittle make pine nut brittle.

There is a drink in Siberia called ke-drov-ka. You need a bottle of vodka filled to 2/3 capacity. The rest is filled with pine nuts in the shell  about half a cup. They fall to the bottom. Close the cap and put in a dark place for at least three weeks. The liquid turns dark like brandy. The longer it sits, the darker it gets. The essential oils in the shell make it very smooth, soft and easy to drink. No need to filter, just drink in small shots. Again, Im told, the best chaser is a dill pickle or marinated mushrooms. Before you drink, it should be chilled or popped into the freezer for an hour where it thickens, with a concentrated nutty aroma and taste.

Some people eat the nuts after the vodka is consumed, and rumor has it that one can get drunk just from doing that. If anybody tries it, please let me know.

Just another way to gather from nature, and mangia bene.

Torta Della Nonna

(Grandmothers Cake)

Crust:

3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. Baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Zest from 1 lemon

7 oz. unsalted butter, softened

4 large egg yolks

2 whole eggs

Powdered sugar for garnish, optional

Combine dry ingredients and zest. Add softened butter. Mix well. Texture will be rather coarse. Add whole eggs and egg yolks.

Place dough on floured dry surface and knead until mixture comes together. Dont over handle. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Press each piece into flat disk, wrap in saran and refrigerate 30 minutes. Place chilled dough on floured dry surface and roll out to approx. 1/8 inch thick round.

Place one round of pastry into tart pan or pie dish that has been buttered and floured (or spray treated) and press dough into the corners. Allow some excess over edge of your pan.

Filling

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean- scraped (or equivalent liquid extract)

2 strips lemon peel

5 large egg yolks

1/3 cup flour

Toasted pine nuts

Heat milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla and lemon peel until mixture is hot. Do not boil.

In separate bowl, whip egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar until blended. Slowly stir in flour. Blend well. Slowly whisk in hot liquid.

Pour filling back into pot and cook over medium heat until filling has thickened and is bubbling. Whisk often to keep milk from burning.

Immediately pour filling through fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Press filling through mesh using a wooden spoon or spatula, being sure there are no lumps.

Cover filling with plastic wrap so that no skin forms. Chill minimum 1 hour. Chilling 2 hours is even better.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spread filling into the crust evenly. Cover filling with remaining dough round. Press edges together to seal the torta. Trim excess dough.

Bake 40 minutes or until crust is golden.

Toasting Pine Nuts

Place rack in top third of oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment and spread pine nuts evenly in single layer. Toast nuts 5 to 10 minutes, stirring with wooden spoon every 2 or 3 minutes for even toasting. Remove nuts from oven when golden brown and releasing rich aromas.

Allow torta to cool thoroughly in pan. Invert onto serving dish and sprinkle generously with pine nuts. Sprinkling with powdered sugar is optional.
Californians interested in keeping this states toughest-in-the-world standards for automotive pollution heaved a sigh of relief when the federal Environmental Protection Agency in early August reversed an earlier decision to delay imposition of new national ozone standards for at least a year.

That move came after California and 15 other states sued to force EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to back down, and he did before his action could take hold. Pruitts reaction also gave rise to optimism among defenders of several other California laws threatened by a variety of officials named by President Trump.

But now it seems such optimism may have been premature. For only weeks after his turnabout on new ozone limits mandated under ex-President Barack Obama, Pruitt began a new process that could greatly increase automotive smog.

He opened a 45-day public comment period on a proposed rewrite of standards for carbon emissions and other kinds of greenhouse gases emitted by cars and trucks, aiming to ease the pollution-controlling tasks of both carmakers and oil companies.

Pruitt, the former attorney general of Oklahoma, frequently sided in his prior job with oil companies and others in lawsuits aiming to eliminate some EPA rules. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is now seeking documents in an effort to determine whether Pruitt had actual conflicts of interest in several actions hes lately taken that achieve goals of the lawsuits he formerly pursued against his current agency.

We are moving forward with an open and robust review of emissions standards, Pruitt said as he began the public comment period during which anyone can react to proposed changes.

The effect of the changes Pruitt seeks in corporate average fuel economy standards (often called CAFE standards) would cause new emissions produced in the other 49 states to far overbalance cutbacks in greenhouse gases made under California rules.

It would mark a return to pre-2000s days when there were major differences between cars sold in California and what were known as 49-state cars. Gradually, as other states adopted Californias rules, many of those differences had disappeared before Pruitt took over.

He has backed off early efforts to eliminate the California waiver provisions of the federal Clean Air Act, the law that has let this state maintain tougher pollution standards than the rest of America since then-President Richard Nixon signed it 47 years ago.

Current federal standards adopted under Obama created an emphasis on gas/electric hybrids and electric- and hydrogen-powered cars.

Not surprisingly, the auto industry likes Pruitts latest move, which could result in revoking or greatly revising todays standards everywhere but in California. Said Mitch Bainwol, head of the Auto Alliance group of carmakers, The administration is fulfilling its commitment to reinstate midterm evaluation of future fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards.

Both environmental and consumer advocacy groups blasted the EPA action. EPA is bringing back questions that have already been asked and answered, said a statement from Consumers Union, parent of the Consumer Reports magazine. The group said polls show 90 percent of Americans want even better fuel efficiency than offered by todays new cars.

A scaling back of todays rules would place America far behind several other countries in seeking reduced dependency on oil and gasoline. Germany and France, for example, have laws that will ban all sales of gas-powered cars within the next two to three decades.

An anti-smog rollback could also threaten California-based electric car companies like Tesla and Faraday, as well as making white elephants of the statewide string of hydrogen refueling stations now being partially financed by gasoline taxes via the state Energy Commission.

It all creates a very uncertain future for Californias smog standards, which have dramatically improved the states air quality over the last half century.

If the EPA attempts to backtrack on the existing standards, its almost certain California and many other states would sue to block the move. But with a U.S. Supreme Court dominated by conservative Republicans, theres a strong possibility the Trump administration would prevail.
The Gulf Coast has been badly battered by hurricanes in recent weeks. Harvey submerged much of Houston, causing destruction that will take years and billions of dollars to undo; Irma roared north through Florida, and with the power still out across much of the state, the damage is still being tallied. The storms elicited a nation of nervous weather-watchers and exposed several myths.

Myth No. 1: A busy year of named storms is more dangerous and costly.

This seems intuitive. The Weather Company has raised the number of named storms that it expects to develop in its latest 2017 Atlantic hurricane season outlook, warning of "higher-than-normal landfall risks in the northeast U.S." Colorado State University's seasonal outlook said that the probability of major hurricanes making landfall in the United States was above normal this year "due to the forecast for an above-average season."

Actually, there is only some correlation between the total number of storms in a season and the number of storms making landfall. In 2004, there were 15 named storms, and eight struck the United States. In 2010, there were 19 named storms but only two U.S. landfalls. (The total in both years was well above the long-term average for the Atlantic.) It only takes one roaring storm for an inactive season to be considered awful: 1992 saw just seven storms, well below the average, but one of them was Hurricane Andrew, at the time the nation's costliest hurricane.

How many storms make landfall depends on tropical currents, such as the trade winds, that steer hurricanes. These systems shift around and can strengthen or weaken. For instance, if the Bermuda High current moves closer to the U.S. mainland, as it did in 2004 and 2005, more storms land on our shores. If the Bermuda High moves closer to Africa, more tend to curve over the ocean instead of striking the United States.

Myth No. 2: A Category 4 hurricane will cause more damage than a Category 2.

The well-known Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale defines five categories of storms. These levels are based on the maximum sustained wind, which seems like the most meaningful metric. "The lower the pressure, the more intense the hurricane, especially in terms of wind speed and damage," the ABC affiliate in Chicago reported this month. And before Harvey, news outlets suggested that as a Category 4 storm, it would be "stronger" than Katrina.

But size matters, too. Both the size of a storm's wind "footprint" and the strength of its winds control the height of the storm surge. Compare Hurricanes Charley (2004) and Ike (2008). Charley packed 120 mph sustained winds and was very small. Ike was about 10 times larger but considerably weaker, with 95 mph winds. Charley's surge along Florida's west coast was in the six-to-seven-foot range, while Ike devastated the Texas-Louisiana coast with a very broad surge reaching 12-to-17 feet in height. The difference in surge heights largely reflected Ike's much larger size.

Storm rainfall, which can be catastrophic, also has little to do with wind intensity. Some of our worst coastal flooding disasters from tropical cyclones have come from humble tropical storms: Allison, for example, brought inland Texas about 40 inches of rain in 2001.

Myth No. 3: Inland cities don't need to worry about hurricanes.

When hurricanes strike the United States, attention focuses on the coastline, where watches and warnings are issued. According to LiveScience, the big cities at greatest risk are coastal ones: Houston; New Orleans; Mobile, Ala.; Tampa; Miami; Boston; New York and others. "If you live hundreds of miles inland," the automobile site Jalopnik put it in an article on how to escape a storm's path, ". . . you don't need to worry."

It's true that storms lose 50 percent of their wind intensity within 12 to 18 hours of landfall. But hurricane remnants have surprisingly long reach. Many storms throughout U.S. history have projected formidable hazards hundreds of miles inland, sometimes days after landfall. And tropical remnants that join with preexisting weather systems, such as fronts and jet stream disturbances, have new sources source of energy to sustain them. Inland hazards have been particularly devastating over the mountainous regions of the East Coast, where steep terrain lifts tropical moisture.

Infamous examples include Camille (1969), which made landfall over Louisiana but killed half its victims days later in a horrific flood in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Agnes (1972) made landfall in the Florida Panhandle but unleashed its worst flooding in central Pennsylvania. And Ivan (2004) first struck Alabama but spun up a record-breaking swarm of damaging tornadoes across Northern Virginia and central Maryland.

Myth No. 4: The biggest threat from a hurricane is the wind.

Hurricanes are huge, atmospheric vortices, and they are properly feared for their widespread, high-energy onslaughts of wind. The Weather Channel holds that "wind is responsible for much of the structural damage caused by hurricanes." Floridians understandably see wind as their enemy: Hurricane Andrew (1992) was a landmark storm, killing 65, to the tune of $27 billion, most of this because of winds exceeding 175 mph.

But wind is only one of a deadly triad of impacts that hurricanes deliver. The storm surge - a sudden rise in sea level along the coast, where ocean water is pushed inland by the hurricane's strongest winds - causes far more fatalities. The maximum surge is confined to the eyewall of the storm, but its effects can be broad: In 1876, a storm surge killed as many as 400,000 people in a single cyclone along coastal Bangladesh. A recent study shows that, in the United States, the majority of hurricane-related deaths come from water.

Sometimes this means storm surge, but more often people drown in freshwater. Torrential rains often dump six to 12 inches or more, leading to flash flooding. Hurricane Katrina (2005) produced the highest death toll of any hurricane - at least 1,000 - since the Okeechobee hurricane in Florida in 1928, and most of the fatalities were drownings.

Myth No. 5: Forecasters hype the threat to advance the climate change agenda.

Rush Limbaugh and Matt Drudge have both said since last year that the media and the National Hurricane Center overhype hurricanes to play up global warming.

But the mission of the National Weather Service, which raised urgent warnings about the latest hurricanes, is to protect property and save lives. And it only makes sense for local news outlets and private forecasters to follow their lead; it is a standard, and responsible, practice for these organizations to post every official watch and warning issued by the hurricane center.
Keiths note: I do not recall the NASA SLS mafia heading out to a specific state to talk to see how local companies are helping out on SLS  at least not recently. Is this just a one-off thing to curry favor in the Vice Presidents home state  or are they going to start doing this for every state in the union? And are the going to do this for other NASA programs? If this is a national effort then that would be an interesting way to demonstrate just how wide an industrial base is required to build large space hardware. But if this is just a dog and pony stunt to kiss up to the VP then its value will be minimal. This also smells like the beginning of a slow motion effort to assure the SLS faction that NASA has got their back.

Checking this page at NASA.gov you get this list of companies that support SLS/Orion and GSDO *(Ground Systems Development and Operations) in Indiana. So there is certainly a there  there  as there is across the country.

So NASA, what is the next state that the SLS road show will be visiting?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpr8II3zEVs]

Remarks by President Trump to the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly

United Nations

New York, New York

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, world leaders, and distinguished delegates: Welcome to New York. It is a profound honor to stand here in my home city, as a representative of the American people, to address the people of the world.

As millions of our citizens continue to suffer the effects of the devastating hurricanes that have struck our country, I want to begin by expressing my appreciation to every leader in this room who has offered assistance and aid. The American people are strong and resilient, and they will emerge from these hardships more determined than ever before.

Fortunately, the United States has done very well since Election Day last November 8th. The stock market is at an all-time high  a record. Unemployment is at its lowest level in 16 years, and because of our regulatory and other reforms, we have more people working in the United States today than ever before. Companies are moving back, creating job growth the likes of which our country has not seen in a very long time. And it has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense.

Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been. For more than 70 years, in times of war and peace, the leaders of nations, movements, and religions have stood before this assembly. Like them, I intend to address some of the very serious threats before us today but also the enormous potential waiting to be unleashed.

We live in a time of extraordinary opportunity. Breakthroughs in science, technology, and medicine are curing illnesses and solving problems that prior generations thought impossible to solve.

But each day also brings news of growing dangers that threaten everything we cherish and value. Terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and spread to every region of the planet. Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terrorists but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity.

Authority and authoritarian powers seek to collapse the values, the systems, and alliances that prevented conflict and tilted the world toward freedom since World War II.

International criminal networks traffic drugs, weapons, people; force dislocation and mass migration; threaten our borders; and new forms of aggression exploit technology to menace our citizens.

To put it simply, we meet at a time of both of immense promise and great peril. It is entirely up to us whether we lift the world to new heights, or let it fall into a valley of disrepair.

We have it in our power, should we so choose, to lift millions from poverty, to help our citizens realize their dreams, and to ensure that new generations of children are raised free from violence, hatred, and fear.

This institution was founded in the aftermath of two world wars to help shape this better future. It was based on the vision that diverse nations could cooperate to protect their sovereignty, preserve their security, and promote their prosperity.

It was in the same period, exactly 70 years ago, that the United States developed the Marshall Plan to help restore Europe. Those three beautiful pillars  theyre pillars of peace, sovereignty, security, and prosperity.

The Marshall Plan was built on the noble idea that the whole world is safer when nations are strong, independent, and free. As President Truman said in his message to Congress at that time, Our support of European recovery is in full accord with our support of the United Nations. The success of the United Nations depends upon the independent strength of its members.

To overcome the perils of the present and to achieve the promise of the future, we must begin with the wisdom of the past. Our success depends on a coalition of strong and independent nations that embrace their sovereignty to promote security, prosperity, and peace for themselves and for the world.

We do not expect diverse countries to share the same cultures, traditions, or even systems of government. But we do expect all nations to uphold these two core sovereign duties: to respect the interests of their own people and the rights of every other sovereign nation. This is the beautiful vision of this institution, and this is foundation for cooperation and success.

Strong, sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures, and different dreams not just coexist, but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect.

Strong, sovereign nations let their people take ownership of the future and control their own destiny. And strong, sovereign nations allow individuals to flourish in the fullness of the life intended by God.

In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch. This week gives our country a special reason to take pride in that example. We are celebrating the 230th anniversary of our beloved Constitution  the oldest constitution still in use in the world today.

This timeless document has been the foundation of peace, prosperity, and freedom for the Americans and for countless millions around the globe whose own countries have found inspiration in its respect for human nature, human dignity, and the rule of law.

The greatest in the United States Constitution is its first three beautiful words. They are: We the people.

Generations of Americans have sacrificed to maintain the promise of those words, the promise of our country, and of our great history. In America, the people govern, the people rule, and the people are sovereign. I was elected not to take power, but to give power to the American people, where it belongs.

In foreign affairs, we are renewing this founding principle of sovereignty. Our governments first duty is to its people, to our citizens  to serve their needs, to ensure their safety, to preserve their rights, and to defend their values.

As President of the United States, I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries will always, and should always, put your countries first. (Applause.)

All responsible leaders have an obligation to serve their own citizens, and the nation-state remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition.

But making a better life for our people also requires us to work together in close harmony and unity to create a more safe and peaceful future for all people.

The United States will forever be a great friend to the world, and especially to its allies. But we can no longer be taken advantage of, or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return. As long as I hold this office, I will defend Americas interests above all else.

But in fulfilling our obligations to our own nations, we also realize that its in everyones interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous, and secure.

America does more than speak for the values expressed in the United Nations Charter. Our citizens have paid the ultimate price to defend our freedom and the freedom of many nations represented in this great hall. Americas devotion is measured on the battlefields where our young men and women have fought and sacrificed alongside of our allies, from the beaches of Europe to the deserts of the Middle East to the jungles of Asia.

It is an eternal credit to the American character that even after we and our allies emerged victorious from the bloodiest war in history, we did not seek territorial expansion, or attempt to oppose and impose our way of life on others. Instead, we helped build institutions such as this one to defend the sovereignty, security, and prosperity for all.

For the diverse nations of the world, this is our hope. We want harmony and friendship, not conflict and strife. We are guided by outcomes, not ideology. We have a policy of principled realism, rooted in shared goals, interests, and values.

That realism forces us to confront a question facing every leader and nation in this room. It is a question we cannot escape or avoid. We will slide down the path of complacency, numb to the challenges, threats, and even wars that we face. Or do we have enough strength and pride to confront those dangers today, so that our citizens can enjoy peace and prosperity tomorrow?

If we desire to lift up our citizens, if we aspire to the approval of history, then we must fulfill our sovereign duties to the people we faithfully represent. We must protect our nations, their interests, and their futures. We must reject threats to sovereignty, from the Ukraine to the South China Sea. We must uphold respect for law, respect for borders, and respect for culture, and the peaceful engagement these allow. And just as the founders of this body intended, we must work together and confront together those who threaten us with chaos, turmoil, and terror.

The scourge of our planet today is a small group of rogue regimes that violate every principle on which the United Nations is based. They respect neither their own citizens nor the sovereign rights of their countries.

If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph. When decent people and nations become bystanders to history, the forces of destruction only gather power and strength.

No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the wellbeing of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea. It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans, and for the imprisonment, torture, killing, and oppression of countless more.

We were all witness to the regimes deadly abuse when an innocent American college student, Otto Warmbier, was returned to America only to die a few days later. We saw it in the assassination of the dictators brother using banned nerve agents in an international airport. We know it kidnapped a sweet 13-year-old Japanese girl from a beach in her own country to enslave her as a language tutor for North Koreas spies.

If this is not twisted enough, now North Koreas reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life.

It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply, and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict. No nation on earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles.

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary. Thats what the United Nations is all about; thats what the United Nations is for. Lets see how they do.

It is time for North Korea to realize that the denuclearization is its only acceptable future. The United Nations Security Council recently held two unanimous 15-0 votes adopting hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea, and I want to thank China and Russia for joining the vote to impose sanctions, along with all of the other members of the Security Council. Thank you to all involved.

But we must do much more. It is time for all nations to work together to isolate the Kim regime until it ceases its hostile behavior.

We face this decision not only in North Korea. It is far past time for the nations of the world to confront another reckless regime  one that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing death to America, destruction to Israel, and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room.

The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy. It has turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos. The longest-suffering victims of Irans leaders are, in fact, its own people.

Rather than use its resources to improve Iranian lives, its oil profits go to fund Hezbollah and other terrorists that kill innocent Muslims and attack their peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbors. This wealth, which rightly belongs to Irans people, also goes to shore up Bashar al-Assads dictatorship, fuel Yemens civil war, and undermine peace throughout the entire Middle East.

We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program. (Applause.) The Iran Deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I dont think youve heard the last of it  believe me.

It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Irans government end its pursuit of death and destruction. It is time for the regime to free all Americans and citizens of other nations that they have unjustly detained. And above all, Irans government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people, and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors.

The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Irans people are what their leaders fear the most. This is what causes the regime to restrict Internet access, tear down satellite dishes, shoot unarmed student protestors, and imprison political reformers.

Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. Will they continue down the path of poverty, bloodshed, and terror? Or will the Iranian people return to the nations proud roots as a center of civilization, culture, and wealth where their people can be happy and prosperous once again?

The Iranian regimes support for terror is in stark contrast to the recent commitments of many of its neighbors to fight terrorism and halt its financing.

In Saudi Arabia early last year, I was greatly honored to address the leaders of more than 50 Arab and Muslim nations. We agreed that all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and the Islamist extremism that inspires them.

We will stop radical Islamic terrorism because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation, and indeed to tear up the entire world.

We must deny the terrorists safe haven, transit, funding, and any form of support for their vile and sinister ideology. We must drive them out of our nations. It is time to expose and hold responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like al Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Taliban and others that slaughter innocent people.

The United States and our allies are working together throughout the Middle East to crush the loser terrorists and stop the reemergence of safe havens they use to launch attacks on all of our people.

Last month, I announced a new strategy for victory in the fight against this evil in Afghanistan. From now on, our security interests will dictate the length and scope of military operations, not arbitrary benchmarks and timetables set up by politicians.

I have also totally changed the rules of engagement in our fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups. In Syria and Iraq, we have made big gains toward lasting defeat of ISIS. In fact, our country has achieved more against ISIS in the last eight months than it has in many, many years combined.

We seek the de-escalation of the Syrian conflict, and a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people. The actions of the criminal regime of Bashar al-Assad, including the use of chemical weapons against his own citizens  even innocent children  shock the conscience of every decent person. No society can be safe if banned chemical weapons are allowed to spread. That is why the United States carried out a missile strike on the airbase that launched the attack.

We appreciate the efforts of United Nations agencies that are providing vital humanitarian assistance in areas liberated from ISIS, and we especially thank Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for their role in hosting refugees from the Syrian conflict.

The United States is a compassionate nation and has spent billions and billions of dollars in helping to support this effort. We seek an approach to refugee resettlement that is designed to help these horribly treated people, and which enables their eventual return to their home countries, to be part of the rebuilding process.

For the cost of resettling one refugee in the United States, we can assist more than 10 in their home region. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we offer financial assistance to hosting countries in the region, and we support recent agreements of the G20 nations that will seek to host refugees as close to their home countries as possible. This is the safe, responsible, and humanitarian approach.

For decades, the United States has dealt with migration challenges here in the Western Hemisphere. We have learned that, over the long term, uncontrolled migration is deeply unfair to both the sending and the receiving countries.

For the sending countries, it reduces domestic pressure to pursue needed political and economic reform, and drains them of the human capital necessary to motivate and implement those reforms.

For the receiving countries, the substantial costs of uncontrolled migration are borne overwhelmingly by low-income citizens whose concerns are often ignored by both media and government.

I want to salute the work of the United Nations in seeking to address the problems that cause people to flee from their homes. The United Nations and African Union led peacekeeping missions to have invaluable contributions in stabilizing conflicts in Africa. The United States continues to lead the world in humanitarian assistance, including famine prevention and relief in South Sudan, Somalia, and northern Nigeria and Yemen.

We have invested in better health and opportunity all over the world through programs like PEPFAR, which funds AIDS relief; the Presidents Malaria Initiative; the Global Health Security Agenda; the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery; and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, part of our commitment to empowering women all across the globe.

We also thank  (applause)  we also thank the Secretary General for recognizing that the United Nations must reform if it is to be an effective partner in confronting threats to sovereignty, security, and prosperity. Too often the focus of this organization has not been on results, but on bureaucracy and process.

In some cases, states that seek to subvert this institutions noble aims have hijacked the very systems that are supposed to advance them. For example, it is a massive source of embarrassment to the United Nations that some governments with egregious human rights records sit on the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The United States is one out of 193 countries in the United Nations, and yet we pay 22 percent of the entire budget and more. In fact, we pay far more than anybody realizes. The United States bears an unfair cost burden, but, to be fair, if it could actually accomplish all of its stated goals, especially the goal of peace, this investment would easily be well worth it.

Major portions of the world are in conflict and some, in fact, are going to hell. But the powerful people in this room, under the guidance and auspices of the United Nations, can solve many of these vicious and complex problems.

The American people hope that one day soon the United Nations can be a much more accountable and effective advocate for human dignity and freedom around the world. In the meantime, we believe that no nation should have to bear a disproportionate share of the burden, militarily or financially. Nations of the world must take a greater role in promoting secure and prosperous societies in their own regions.

That is why in the Western Hemisphere, the United States has stood against the corrupt and destabilizing regime in Cuba and embraced the enduring dream of the Cuban people to live in freedom. My administration recently announced that we will not lift sanctions on the Cuban government until it makes fundamental reforms.

We have also imposed tough, calibrated sanctions on the socialist Maduro regime in Venezuela, which has brought a once thriving nation to the brink of total collapse.

The socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the good people of that country. This corrupt regime destroyed a prosperous nation by imposing a failed ideology that has produced poverty and misery everywhere it has been tried. To make matters worse, Maduro has defied his own people, stealing power from their elected representatives to preserve his disastrous rule.

The Venezuelan people are starving and their country is collapsing. Their democratic institutions are being destroyed. This situation is completely unacceptable and we cannot stand by and watch.

As a responsible neighbor and friend, we and all others have a goal. That goal is to help them regain their freedom, recover their country, and restore their democracy. I would like to thank leaders in this room for condemning the regime and providing vital support to the Venezuelan people.

The United States has taken important steps to hold the regime accountable. We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people.

We are fortunate to have incredibly strong and healthy trade relationships with many of the Latin American countries gathered here today. Our economic bond forms a critical foundation for advancing peace and prosperity for all of our people and all of our neighbors.

I ask every country represented here today to be prepared to do more to address this very real crisis. We call for the full restoration of democracy and political freedoms in Venezuela. (Applause.)

The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented. (Applause.) From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems.

America stands with every person living under a brutal regime. Our respect for sovereignty is also a call for action. All people deserve a government that cares for their safety, their interests, and their wellbeing, including their prosperity.

In America, we seek stronger ties of business and trade with all nations of good will, but this trade must be fair and it must be reciprocal.

For too long, the American people were told that mammoth multinational trade deals, unaccountable international tribunals, and powerful global bureaucracies were the best way to promote their success. But as those promises flowed, millions of jobs vanished and thousands of factories disappeared. Others gamed the system and broke the rules. And our great middle class, once the bedrock of American prosperity, was forgotten and left behind, but they are forgotten no more and they will never be forgotten again.

While America will pursue cooperation and commerce with other nations, we are renewing our commitment to the first duty of every government: the duty of our citizens. This bond is the source of Americas strength and that of every responsible nation represented here today.

If this organization is to have any hope of successfully confronting the challenges before us, it will depend, as President Truman said some 70 years ago, on the independent strength of its members. If we are to embrace the opportunities of the future and overcome the present dangers together, there can be no substitute for strong, sovereign, and independent nations  nations that are rooted in their histories and invested in their destinies; nations that seek allies to befriend, not enemies to conquer; and most important of all, nations that are home to patriots, to men and women who are willing to sacrifice for their countries, their fellow citizens, and for all that is best in the human spirit.

In remembering the great victory that led to this bodys founding, we must never forget that those heroes who fought against evil also fought for the nations that they loved.

Patriotism led the Poles to die to save Poland, the French to fight for a free France, and the Brits to stand strong for Britain.

Today, if we do not invest ourselves, our hearts, and our minds in our nations, if we will not build strong families, safe communities, and healthy societies for ourselves, no one can do it for us.

We cannot wait for someone else, for faraway countries or far-off bureaucrats  we cant do it. We must solve our problems, to build our prosperity, to secure our futures, or we will be vulnerable to decay, domination, and defeat.

The true question for the United Nations today, for people all over the world who hope for better lives for themselves and their children, is a basic one: Are we still patriots? Do we love our nations enough to protect their sovereignty and to take ownership of their futures? Do we revere them enough to defend their interests, preserve their cultures, and ensure a peaceful world for their citizens?

One of the greatest American patriots, John Adams, wrote that the American Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people.

That was the moment when America awoke, when we looked around and understood that we were a nation. We realized who we were, what we valued, and what we would give our lives to defend. From its very first moments, the American story is the story of what is possible when people take ownership of their future.

The United States of America has been among the greatest forces for good in the history of the world, and the greatest defenders of sovereignty, security, and prosperity for all.

Now we are calling for a great reawakening of nations, for the revival of their spirits, their pride, their people, and their patriotism.

History is asking us whether we are up to the task. Our answer will be a renewal of will, a rediscovery of resolve, and a rebirth of devotion. We need to defeat the enemies of humanity and unlock the potential of life itself.

Our hope is a word and world of proud, independent nations that embrace their duties, seek friendship, respect others, and make common cause in the greatest shared interest of all: a future of dignity and peace for the people of this wonderful Earth.

This is the true vision of the United Nations, the ancient wish of every people, and the deepest yearning that lives inside every sacred soul.

So let this be our mission, and let this be our message to the world: We will fight together, sacrifice together, and stand together for peace, for freedom, for justice, for family, for humanity, and for the almighty God who made us all.

Thank you. God bless you. God bless the nations of the world. And God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Photo and video credit: The White House




- Ambassador has until the end of this month to comply.





- US President Trump is expected to urge world leaders to jointly confront North Korea.
- Weapons sales to Saudi Arabia exceed $8bn.







- British government only benefit $40 million in corporate tax.





- These figures fall within the duration of the ongoing Yemen war.

According to a new report, British arms dealers have reaped hundreds of millions of dollars from the sales of arms to Saudi Arabia since the start of the ongoing war in Yemen.





The report fromWar Child (a Children's charity) indicates that since Saudi Arabia entered a coalition to intervene in the conflicts in Yemen in March 2015, British companies such as BAE systems and Raytheon have earned revenues exceeding $8bn from dealings with Saudi Arabia, generating profits estimated at almost $775m.





The UK government, however, has received just $40m of corporate tax, the report said.





"This tax revenue figure is pitifully small and comes at the cost of thousands of children who have been killed, injured, and starved by a conflict that this trade has helped sustain," the report said.
- More sanctions will speed up North Korea's nuclear programme.





- North Korea aims to continue pursuing their ultimate goal.





- The US says that North Korea's missiles are not currently threatening "any of us."

Tougher sanctions against North Korea will only lead to a hastened nuclear programme, Pyongyang said, as US and Chinese leaders agreed to "maximise the pressure" on the regime of Kim Jong-un.





The Kim Jong-un led government was recently slapped with a textile exports ban that would see them lose over a billion dollars annually.





"The increased moves of the US and its vassal forces to impose sanctions and pressure on the DPRK will only increase our pace towards the ultimate completion of the state nuclear force," a statement on North Korean state media said on Monday, using the acronym for the country's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.





State news agency KCNA, quoting a foreign ministry statement, said the economic restrictions were an "act of hostility to physically exterminate the people of" North Korea.





"[The US is] disseminating the fraudulent claim that the sanctions and pressure are geared to the so-called peaceful solution," it said.





US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis played down the threat of North Korea's recent missile launches.





"Number one, those missiles are not directly threatening any of us," Mattis said on Monday.
- China in support of national security efforts of Myanmar but against the violence against Rohingya.





- Hopes the war ends soon.





- Aims to send humanitarian aid to Bangladesh.

The Chinese Foreign Minister has disclosed to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutererres that China supports the efforts of the Myanmar government to maintain its national security but opposes the recent violence towards Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State.







Wang told Guterres at a meeting at the United Nations on Monday China "understands and supports" Myanmar's efforts to protect its security in Rakhine and hopes the "fire of war" can soon be extinguished, China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.





China expresses sympathy with those who have fled into Bangladesh and will send humanitarian aid to Bangladesh, Wang said.





"China advocates Myanmar and Bangladesh resolving the problem via dialogue and consultation," the Foreign Ministry cited Wang as saying.





"China is willing to continue promoting peace talks in its own way, and hopes the international community can play a constructive role to ease the situation and promote dialogue," he said.
- US President expected to make his debut address





- Trump to urge world leaders to confront North Korea and Iran.





- Warns the UN of being left behind.

In his debut speech at the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump will call on the UN to confront North Korea and Iran or risk being 'bystanders in history a Whitehouse official has confirmed.





President Trump will also be aiming to use his address to sketch out his vision of how nation states could cooperate in the face of the such challenges without compromising their sovereignty.





The official also said Trump would use his address to sketch out his vision of how nation states could cooperate in the face of the such challenges without compromising their sovereignty. In that way, the official argued, asking for other nations to take part in collective action was consistent with Trump's "America First" approach.





The president's speech will focus on "world regimes that threaten security", the official said.





"Obviously one of the chief regimes that will be singled out in this regard is the regime of North Korea and all of its destabilising hostile and dangerous behaviour, as well as of course the regime of Iran," he argued.





"And in those two cases as well as others, an appeal to other nations to do their part in confronting these threats, and understanding it is a shared menace and that nations cannot be bystanders in history," the official added. "And if you don't confront the threats now, they will only gather force and become more formidable as time passes."





"One of the strategic implications of the speech is to point out that one of the greatest threats to the status quo in Iran is the Iranian people themselves," the White House official said.





"So obviously there will be some discussion of the tension the direction the country is currently being run in and the desires of the people and what kind of future they want to have. So there is a lot of strategic thought in the speech in terms of how to separate out the government from the people of Iran."
- Bangladesh PM says Trump is unconcerned about Myanmar crisis.





- Claims she does not expect to receive any help from him.





- US Official denies claim and states that Trump is very concerned about the issue.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has disclosed that based on her conversation with Donald Trump, she does not expect any help from the U.S. President towards the ongoing Myanmar refugee crisis which has seen over 400,000 Rohingya Muslims flee into Bangladesh.





Sheikh Hasina stated that President Trump did not seem to be concerned with the situation as he did not make any comments regarding the issue.





"He just asked how is Bangladesh? I said it's doing very well, but the only problem that we have is the refugees from Myanmar'," Hasina told Reuters in an interview. "But he didn't make any comment about refugees."





"Already America declared that they will not allow any refugees," she said. "What I can expect from them, and especially (the) president. He already declared his mind ... so why I should ask?"





"Bangladesh is not a rich country ... but if we can feed 160 million people, another 500 or 700,000 people, we can do it."





Meanwhile, a senior White House official was unaware of the exchange but said Trump was deeply interested in the subject and that "he would definitely engage if it were brought up."
Luis Rodriguez discusses Creating Community in Troubled Times

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill.  A community and urban peace activist who also happens to be a former poet laureate of Los Angeles visits Southern Illinois University Carbondale to talk about Hearts and Hands: Creating Community in Troubled Times.

Luis Rodriguez will deliver his talk at 7 p.m. on Sept. 26 in the SIU Student Center, Ballroom D. A book signing and reception immediately follows his lecture.

Rodriguez is a leading Chicano writer with 15 books of poetry, childrens literature, fiction and nonfiction to his credit. He is also a community and urban peace activist, mentor, healer and youth and arts advocate. Finally, he is a former street gang member.

Rodriguez tale of healing through art, inspired by a mentor who was a youth worker at a local community center, and his message of how to find peace, is one he has told at universities and prisons, migrant camps and conferences, libraries and homeless shelters all over this country as well as in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe and Japan.

His books include Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A., which has sold nearly 500,000 copies; It Calls You Back: An Odyssey Through Love, Addiction, Revolutions and Healing, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist; and Hears and Hands: Creating Community in Violent Times. His most recent collection of poetry, Borrowed Bones, is available from Curbstone Books, part of Northwestern University Press.

Rodriguez will also lead a poetry workshop at 11 a.m. on Sept. 27 in the John C. Guyon Auditorium in Morris Library.

The University Honors Program sponsors Rodriguez visit to SIU. An endowment from Nancy Kreftmeyer Glassman makes the annual Michael and Nancy Glassman Distinguished Lecture possible. The SIU Hispanic Resource Center also sponsors this visit.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-18 20:43:27|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Veep" ruled this year's biggest night in U.S. television on Sunday, thanks to Emmy wins for outstanding drama and comedy series. "Big Little Lies" and "Saturday Night Live" were also big winners.

"I know the world is getting crazy, but look on the bright side -- TV is getting better," said Stephen Colbert of "The Late Show," who hosted the Emmys.

Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" was crowned best drama series, also earning Elisabeth Moss a best actress and Ann Dowd a best drama supporting actress and winning best drama directing for Reed Morano and writing for Bruce Miller. The victory is a huge win for the streaming service.

HBO's "Veep" won the Emmy Award for comedy series, while its star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, took home her unprecedented sixth consecutive win for playing fictional politician Selina Meyer. No other performer has been honored with more Emmys for a single role.

"This is and continues to be the role of a lifetime and an adventure of utter joy," said Louis-Dreyfus when she took the stage.

In limited series category, HBO's "Big Little Lies" came out on top, winning for best series, for actors Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgard, as well as for writing and directing.

"It's been an incredible year for women in television," said costar and producer Reese Witherspoon. "Can I just say bring women to the front of their own stories and make them the heroes of their own stories. Thank you for that opportunity and for audiences to wrap their arms around us."

Nicole Kidman, who won her very first Emmy, said the project came about because of the frustration that as women "we weren't being offered great roles." "So, now, more great roles for women please," she said.

The NBC's "Saturday Night Live" picked up wins for best variety sketch series, directing for seven-time Emmy winner Don Roy King and in acting categories for Kate McKinnon and Alec Baldwin.

"I suppose I should say at long last Mr. President, here is your Emmy," Baldwin said when he opened his acceptance speech for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for his work impersonating U.S. President Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live."

John Lithgow, who has now won a total of six Emmys, won this year for supporting actor in a drama series for his performance in the Netflix drama The Crown.

The Emmy for outstanding variety talk series goes to "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" for the second consecutive year.

"Game of Thrones' was absent from this year's Emmys, because it wasn't eligible. To qualify for this year's ceremony, a program had to air episodes between June 1, 2016 and May 31, 2017.

The HBO's decision to push the recently concluded seventh season of "Game of Thrones" from its usual spring slot to the summer made the episodes ineligible for the 2017 awards.

Last year, the show had taken home 12 awards from 23 nominations. Colbert jokingly thanked "Game of Thrones" for not being eligible for Emmys this year, making room for other shows to win.

This has also been a good year for diversity in TV.

Riz Ahmed won outstanding lead actor in a limited series for his portrayal of Nasir "Naz" Khan in "The Night Of."

Ahmed is the first male actor of Asian descent to win an Emmy award for acting. The Good Wife's Archie Panjabi won outstanding supporting actress in a drama series in 2010.

"I want to say it is always strange reaping the rewards of a story based on real world suffering," Ahmed said in his Emmys acceptance speech. "But if this show has shown a light on some of the prejudice in our societies, xenophobia, some of the injustice in our justice system, then maybe that is something."

Sterling K. Brown won his second back-to-back Emmy for his role in the series "This Is Us" and in his speech honored Andre Braugher, who was the last black man to claim top drama performance honors, for "Homicide: Life on the Street" in 1998.

"It does feel different but for different reasons. I'm the first African-American in 16 years nominated. That kind of blows my mind," he said.

Lena Waithe became the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for outstanding writing for a comedy series, for Netflix's "Master of None," sharing the award with series co-creator Aziz Ansari, who is of Indian heritage.

Netflix's "Black Mirror" episode "San Junipero" also won a lot on Sunday. Creator Charlie Brooker won writing for a limited series or movie, and later the episode picked up the Emmy for TV movie.

"Go home, get to work, we have a lot of things to fight for," Bruce Miller closed the show with a thank you and a call to action.

The 69th annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony was held at the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday evening, and was aired on the CBS.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-18 22:49:54|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

PYONGYANG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday condemned the press statement released last week by the United Nations Security Council, which urges implementation of Resolution 2375 after the DPRK conducted another medium-range ballistic missile test.

In a spokesman's statement, the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifically pointed the finger at the United States for its alleged role in bringing about the U.N. Security Council press statement, and lashed out at the latest U.N. sanctions on the DPRK in response to its nuclear programs.

It said that "the anti-DPRK sanctions campaign of the U.S. has grown so reckless as to impose a full-scale blockade of all sections to include areas directly related to the livelihood of civilian population as well as foreign trade of the country."

"This is the most vicious, unethical and inhumane act of hostility to physically exterminate the people of the DPRK, let alone its system and government," it said.

In a press statement released on Friday after closed-door consultations, the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council condemned "the highly provocative launch of a ballistic missile" by the DPRK earlier in the day.

The missile launch, which violates U.N. Security Council resolutions, came just days after the council imposed fresh sanctions on the DPRK over its nuclear test on Sept. 3.

On Sept. 13, the DPRK Foreign Ministry also condemned and categorically rejected the latest U.N. Security Council resolution.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 00:10:49|Editor: Liu

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) will amend its constitution at the upcoming national congress.

The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Monday deliberated a draft amendment to the constitution at a meeting presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

AMENDING PARTY CONSTITUTION

Amending the constitution at the 19th CPC National Congress on the basis of the new situation and tasks would promote the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics and Party building, said a statement issued after the meeting.

It said the amendment must include the key theories and strategic thought presented by a report to be delivered at the 19th CPC National Congress.

"The amended constitution must fully represent the latest sinicization of Marxism, new governance concepts, thought and strategies of the CPC Central Committee since the 18th CPC National Congress, as well as new experience in adhering to and strengthening Party leadership and in strict Party governance," according to the statement.

It also noted that the amendment should make the CPC more vigorous, stronger and enable it to keep a close connection with the people.

The draft amendment will be submitted to the seventh plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, which will be held on Oct. 11, for discussion.

The CPC constitution was last amended in 2012.

REPORT TO CONGRESS

The meeting also reviewed the draft report by the 18th CPC Central Committee to the 19th CPC National Congress. The draft will be submitted to the seventh plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee for discussion.

"Wisdom should be pooled to draw up a report which conforms to the common wish shared by the Party and people of all ethnic groups, meets the requirements for socialist development with Chinese characteristics and adapts to the new situation and tasks for the work of the Party and the country," the statement said.

"The 19th CPC National Congress is a very important meeting to be held at a critical stage when China is striving for achieving a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, and at a critical time for the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics."

It also said that the congress has a great significance in inspiring and mobilizing people to forge ahead.

The statement said it is imperative to analyze the development trend of the world and China, take into account new requirements for the country's development and new expectations from the people, and summarize the experience that the Party has gained from leading the people to advance the reform and opening up and the building of socialist modernization.

"The people-oriented development thought should be implemented to solve the conspicuous problems faced by the country and a strategic plan should be made for the causes of the Party and the country to promote balanced economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress and coordinated implementation of the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy," the statement said.

The Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy refers to building a moderately prosperous society, deepening reform, advancing law-based governance and strengthening Party self-governance.

STRICT PARTY GOVERNANCE

The meeting reviewed a report on the implementation of the eight-point frugality code by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee since the code was introduced in 2012 and the political bureau's role in leading the Party to improve work styles.

It said that the eight-point rule has played an important role in safeguarding the Party's authority and tightening the flesh and blood ties between the Party and the people.

The meeting also asked the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and leading officials at all levels to take the lead in overcoming formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance, saying that efforts should be made to address both symptoms and root causes of unwanted work styles.

The meeting also studied a draft work report by the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection to be submitted to the upcoming 19th CPC National Congress.

It called for upholding and strengthening the leadership of the Party, promoting clean governance, and deepening the anti-corruption battle to pave way for achieving the two centennial goals and the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 01:06:16|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

By Xinhua Writer Wang Lili

SINGAPORE, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's upcoming visit to China will push forward the bilateral all-around cooperative partnership progressing with the times, said a Chinese diplomat here on Monday.

In a written interview with Xinhua, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore Fang Xinwen made the remarks on the eve of Lee's visit to China.

According to Chinese statistics, Singapore's investment to China last year has accounted for 85.2 percent of the total investment China has attracted from the countries and regions along the Belt and Road, meanwhile China's investment to Singapore amounted to nearly 30 percent of China's total investment to the countries and regions along the Belt and Road, Fang said.

Moreover, Singapore stands as China's largest service trade partner among the countries along the Belt and Road, according to Fang.

Since the Singapore-China Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation decided in February this year to pin the Belt and Road Initiative as the new important field of bilateral cooperation, relevant cooperation has demonstrated robust momentum, the Chinese diplomat said.

The three inter-governmental cooperative projects, namely Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-City, and the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative, have catered to the requirements for economic growth and strategic planning of the two Asian countries.

By making use of Singapore's strengths including those in the fields of finance, management and planning and design, as well as China's engineering and manufacturing industrial advantages, the three projects have proven to be mutually beneficial, Fang said.

The Singaporean leader will pay an official visit to China on Sept. 19-21 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The two sides are expected to exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 01:21:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

HELSINKI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- While automobiles may have excellent protection against thieves, rats can find a way to get in through the chasis, media reported on Monday.

Jouni Siltala, technical chief at the pest control company Rentokil, told newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that rats have penetrated cars and tired to make a nest in the car.

Siltala speculated that rats have found a route via the engine space. "This has happened in open air parking lots where holes of rats are in the vicinity."

Researcher Otso Huiti at the Finnish Natural Resources Centre told Helsingin Sanomat that the warm winters of recent years have helped the rat population grow in Finnish cities.

In Helsinki, the eradication directed in recent years against rabbits has benefited the rats. The rats have often occupied the holes inhabited earlier by the rabbits.

The Finnish Natural Resources Centre is trying to assess the size of the rat population. Huiti noted that the "city ecology" of rats is not much researched. "Scientists have rather concentrated on ways of killing the rats," he said.

Last winter rats managed to occupy the parkette outside the National Theatre and the statue of Finnish writer Aleksis Kivi. The area has been since under special observation.

Biologist Raimo Pakarinen at the city of Helsinki declined to describe the rats as aggressive. "They are not any more aggressive than ducks or seagulls approaching a person in the hope of getting food."

Pakarinen said that the movements of rats could be observed through GPS-gadgets attached to them, but the signals of equipment may not penetrate the structures in the city's sewage system, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 02:11:44|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

ZAGREB, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China would like to see more robust and fruitful economic cooperation with Croatia, said Chinese Ambassador to Croatia Hu Zhaoming during a press briefing here on Monday.

"We would encourage more and more people be more practical or pragmatic on cooperation. This is the time we do something real on the ground, for the people... Let's start doing something", said the ambassador.

Hu believes that "China-CEE 16+1 mechanism", a platform created in April 2012 by China and 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, is benefiting both sides.

"Many countries are benefiting a lot from that", said Hu, adding that Croatia could take a leading role in areas such as tourism and small and medium-size enterprises.

"This is good, but we hope that Croatia can do more within this platform", said the ambassador.

He welcomed the participation of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic at the China-CEE countries (16+1) summit in Riga last year, only days after his inauguration as the head of the government.

In the Latvian capital, China and Croatia signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the construction of ports and relevant infrastructure.

"Two governments are working on implementing the memorandum... We hope that in the near future we shall have breakthroughs in cooperation in building ports and relevant infrastructure, as well as in other areas", said Hu.

The trade volume between the two countries reached 1.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, and has increased more than 30 times since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations 25 years ago.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties and Chinese National Day, the ambassador announced a huge celebration will be held at the amphitheatre in Pula on Sept. 29, referring to the Roman-style oval amphitheatre built in 1st century.

The theme of the celebration will be "A Brighter Future Together".
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 02:36:52|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the killing of a Tanzanian peacekeeper serving in the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The secretary-general urged the authorities of the DRC to swiftly investigate this incident and bring the perpetrators to justice, said Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric in a statement.

Guterres called on all armed groups in the DRC to stop violence and to avoid a further deterioration of the security situation in the country.

The Tanzanian soldier was killed on Sunday in a clash with suspected members of an armed group, the Allied Democratic Forces, in Mamundioma in North Kivu province. Another peacekeeper was injured.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 03:17:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

LISBON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa is backing Finance Minister Mario Centeno to be the next president of Eurogroup, according to Portuguese media reports on Monday.

Speculation has been growing in recent weeks that Centeno could take over from Jeroen Dijsselbloem at the helm of Eurogroup, the body that brings together the 19 finance ministers of the members in the eurozone.

Dijsselbloem is expected to lose his job as finance minister in the next Dutch government with coalition negotiations currently under way, with his party having fared badly in the March elections.

Centeno has repeatedly refused to rule himself out of the running for the Eurogroup hotseat and it seems he now has prime minister's backing. When asked in a weekend interview by local media whether he would recommend Centeno for the role, Costa said "Why not put a candidate forward?"

Centeno, who has been described as the Ronaldo of European finance by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, is riding high following Portugal's exit from the excessive deficit procedure in May and its return to investment grade status on Friday, with the Standard & Poor's agency having lifted Portuguese debt out of the junk bracket.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 03:22:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

AMMAN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China sees great potential in boosting cooperation with Jordan in various areas as the bilateral political ties are solid and strategic, Chinese Ambassador to Jordan Pan Weifang has said.

In a speech at the Arab Thought Forum held on Sunday, Pan highlighted China's rising role in global affairs, citing that China has become the world's second largest economy.

The ambassador said that China has great potential in enhancing cooperation with Jordan through providing funds and investment.

He said China is keen on increasing investment in Jordan, referring to several projects by Chinese investors in the Kingdom in the field of textile, LED lights and other areas.

The envoy stressed that energy cooperation was another successful example of the collaboration between the two sides, noting that China has provided 1.6 billion U.S. dollars to finance Jordan's largest oil shale power plant with a total capacity of 470 megawatts.

Pan added that under the Belt and Road Initiative that aims to connect China with the world, several infrastructure projects including rail lines are to be built in Jordan with China's help.

"Jordan and China have several areas for increased cooperation, and we expect more in the future," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 03:27:21|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

Lucy Peng, the executive chair of Ant Financial, an affiliate of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, attends a meeting on "The Role of the United Nations" in regard to financing the 2030 Agenda at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 18, 2017. Ant Financial called on delegates at the UN conference to form a digital finance working group in order to push forward the UN's 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Ant Financial, an affiliate of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, called on delegates at a UN conference to form a digital finance working group in order to push forward the UN's 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"Governments, international institutions and private companies shall look for a common solution to advance technology innovations for digital inclusive finance," said the company's executive chair, Lucy Peng, at a meeting on "The Role of the United Nations" in regards to financing the 2030 Agenda.

She said that in a digital era, technology has been and will play a vital role in supporting inclusive and sustainable development around the world because it will make financial support more readily available for ordinary people.

Peng shared two of the company's successful practices in digital financing and sustainable development with the audience.

Currently, small and micro businesses can apply for a loan through Ant Financial's online platform within three minutes and receive the money immediately upon approval, according to Peng.

The company has so far provided loans for more than 7 million companies. The average amount of the loans is 5,000 U.S. dollars.

"The practice is a clear demonstration of the power of technology as it has helped so many micro businesses and startups," said Peng.

In order to support sustainable development, Ant Financial launched Ant Forest, a platform for tracking individuals' carbon footprint, in August last year.

Ant Forest allows users to collect "energy points" through their actions in the real world that can be used to grow virtual and, ultimately, real trees.

To date, 230 million users of Alipay, Ant's mobile and online payments app, have activated AntForest accounts, according to the company. About 65 percent of users who have the accounts are people under 28 years of age.

Ant Financial and its partners, including environmental NGOs -- the SEE Foundation and China Green Foundation -- have thus far planted 10.25 million trees, equivalent to a 1.22 million-tonne reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the event that finance is pivotal for success and the choices people make on finance will be critical.

"We can choose to bemoan the lack of financing for the 2030 Agenda in a world awash with so much unproductive and unrewarding finance. Or we can grasp the opportunity to reshape finance according to our urgent, collective needs," said Guterres.

He said that he will champion key international initiatives that can harness large-scale changes in financing and financial system development, such as in the fields of digitalization and climate finance and in cooperating with major investment initiatives.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 03:57:29|Editor: Liu

Video Player Close

DAMASCUS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army and its allies have seized control of over 75 percent of the capital city of Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria following battles with the Islamic State (IS), a monitor group reported on Monday.

The progress came as the Syrian forces stripped IS of key areas including the Huwaijet Saqer over the past 24 hours, an advance that enabled the army to tighten the noose on IS militants, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Earlier in the day, a military source told Xinhua that the air base of Deir al-Zour had resumed operation on Monday amid major progress by the Syrian army and its allies.

The first patch of two cargo planes loaded with large quantities of supplies for Syrian forces landed at the air base on Monday morning, as the Syrian army has secured the vicinity of the base, the source said on condition of anonymity.

He said the Syrian warplanes had resumed operations in the air base and had been taking part in the battles against the IS militants.

Last week, the Syrian army broke the IS siege on the air base, just days after breaking the siege of the Brigade 173 west of Deir al-Zour.

During the siege, warplanes could not take off from or land on the base as IS would target them.

Meanwhile, the Observatory said Syrian reconnaissance forces, backed by Russian air forces, had reached the eastern bank of Euphrates River in Deir al-Zour.

The London-based watchdog group added that the forces crossed the river using water bridges following intense shelling on IS positions in the eastern bank of the river.

A day earlier, the Observatory said the Syrian army managed to besiege IS militants in parts of Deir al-Zour, following the recapture of the towns of Muraiyieh and Jafra.

The Syrian army is now 25 km away from the city of Mayadeen in the countryside of Deir al-Zour Province, a city deemed as the capital of IS in Deir al-Zour.

Deir al-Zour is the last major stronghold of IS, as the terror-designated group is also losing its de facto capital of Raqqa to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which has captured large swathes of the city in northern Syria.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 04:07:31|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

KHARTOUM, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Monday urged the Sudanese government to undertake reforms at all levels to attract foreign investment.

"There are no European economic sanctions imposed on Sudan, but it is very important for Sudan to undertake reforms at all levels in order to attract foreign investment," Jean-Michel Dumond, head of the EU delegation to Sudan said in a statement Monday.

Dumond said the current visit by a delegation of Sudanese officials and businessmen to a number of EU countries is an opportunity to exchange views on the investment opportunities in Sudan.

The Sudanese delegation, led by Sudan's State Minister of Investment Osama Faisal, is visiting several European countries, including Belgium and Germany, to publicize Sudan's investment opportunities.

According to UN statistics, direct foreign investment in Sudan dropped from 2.3 billion U.S Dollars in 2010 to 1.3 billion dollars in 2014 before resurging to 1.7 billion dollars in 2015.

Sudan is seeking to attract foreign investment to the sectors such as agriculture, livestock farming, mining, real estates, infrastructure and power generating.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 04:22:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

BUJUMBURA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Burundi on Monday urged the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) to provide circumstances on the reported killings of at least 30 Burundian refugees last week on the Congolese territory.

After being informed that the Burundian refugees were killed following alleged clashes between the refugees and the Congolese army, the Burundian government through the foreign ministry urged the DR Congo government to investigate the killings and identify perpetrators, said Burundian Government Spokesman Philippe Nzobonariba.

Nzobonariba said the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the DR Congo as well as the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission should also give clarifications about the killings.

According to the UNHCR, the DR Congo is currently hosting around 40,000 Burundian refugees.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 04:57:51|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

U.S. President Donald Trump (C, front) speaks at a high-level UN reform meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley signaled on Monday that President Donald Trump may not be wielding as big a stick as some feared in his appearances at the UN's annual General Assembly debate.

In introducing Trump to a pre-debate Declaration of Support for UN Reform, she said that through Trump's "businessman's eye" for potential, "he sees great potential not just in this reform movement but in the United Nations itself. He shares your commitment to creating a more effective advocate for peace and human rights."

In a Tweet last December, Trump called the world organization, "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!" He also had tweeted, "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th," causing many observers to anticipate major changes in the United State's relationship with the world organization.

But Monday's U.S.-sponsored meeting indicated the change Washington is seeking is more inclusive, from within the organization, than singular pressure from the White House.

"The Declaration of Support for United Nations Reform began as a way to give momentum to Secretary-General (Antonio) Guterres' effort to bring greater efficiency, accountability and transparency to the United Nations," Haley said.

"We thought that having member states put their names on a document would help insure that these goals don't remain just words but become part of the culture of the UN," she said. "The response that we've had has been nothing short of fantastic, 128 nations have signed on to the declaration as of this morning and we are still counting. That is a super majority."

The ambassador also expressed gratitude to the declaration's co-hosts, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Slovakia, Thailand, United Kingdom and Uruguay, whose representatives flanked Guterres, Trump and Haley on the podium.

"The fact that so many are committed to seeing the UN succeed is gratifying," she said. "It is a sign not only that change is desperately needed but that it will be achieved. You are the reason that change is coming to the UN."

There have long been reform efforts at the United Nations and efforts to make the organization more efficient have moved nearer the forefront during the run-up to this year's General Assembly general debate.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 05:53:09|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

By Xinhua Writers Sun Oumeng, Yuan Yue

NEW YORK, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The rising of pop-up stores showed future trend of retail, Elizabeth Layne, the chief marketing officer (CMO) of Appear Here, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"We think of pop-up stores as just part of the retail equation," Layne said. Retail business has been changing and brands look at retail in a different way.

Pop-up stores have been attractive because of low cost of renting real estate, lack of demand for other types of stores, and entrepreneurs who want to try out their concept and get a chance to see how the public reacts to it in different ways.

"We think of this really is the future of retail," said Layne.

Appear Here is a leading online marketplace for short-term retail space, like an Airbnb for retail. The company allows brands to book space online for short term easily and simply and in just a couple of short steps, which just fits the pop-up stores perfectly.

"They're able to discover the space online, pay online, sign legal agreements online, and then book their space," said Layne.

The brands using Appear Here platform to open pop-up stores showed variety.

"We see everyone from independent brands all the way up to big e-commerce players to multinational brands and they do it for different reasons whether it's for testing a market, for a marketing campaign, for experiential marketing or for even an event," she said.

The idea that a store could be open for a limited period of time and then closes and something else comes in, makes the pop-up store likely to attract more attention than just a regular store opening that that's intended to be permanent in that way.

Meanwhile, many brands view pop-up stores as a marketing tool as much as a retail opportunity.

"Many brands will use pop-up stores or short term retail to test the market, to reach out to new customers and acquire customers, to build brand awareness gate, or they'll do it as an in-between other marketing endeavors as opposed to more traditional media outlets," Layne added.

She also mentioned that pop-up stores showed a future trend of online-offline synergies.

An e-commerce brand could book retail space and open pop-up store for a few reasons. One is to connect to their consumers offline; two is for brand awareness, so a way for example, a brand booked space in London because they wanted to test a new market and really build their brand presence in London; and then lastly its customer acquisition, so people will see the brand as they're walking down the street and they'll be able to try it out in person before then ultimately buying online," she said.

"I think pop-ups allow these sorts of brands of flexibility to test retail and try out new markets while building their customer base that ultimately transact online," Layne said.

"I think you're seeing online brands looking to branch into offline, and then offline brands looking to branch into online, and seeing the synergies between the two. The future of retail isn't online, or isn't an offline, it's a bit of matches," she added.

Layne said the mission of Appear Here is to make it available to any brand to set up a shop, build a network of the best retail cities in the world, starting with London, Paris and New York, and gave access to brands both big and small.

"We work with independent brands, startups e-commerce brands, all the way to big blue chip brands like Nike, Google and Apple," she added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 06:33:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

MADRID, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish government on Monday took the decision to expel Kim Hyok Choi, the ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to Madrid, capital of Spain.

The Spanish Foreign Ministry announced the decision in a tweet published just after 20:00 local time, which reads: "The North Korean Ambassador was called to a meeting and informed he is 'persona non-grata. He will have to leave his functions by 30/9 (September 30)."

The move is a response to the continued nuclear and missile tests by the DPRK regime and the Spanish government informs that it was "necessary to take this step because these programs are a serious threat to international peace and security."

Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said that Spain "had repeatedly warned the DPRK Ambassador and authorities" about the tests and on Sept. 1 Spain had told the DPRK Embassy to reduce the number of diplomats in the country following a missile test by DPRK.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 06:38:17|Editor: Liu

Video Player Close

OTTAWA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Canada and Britain are working towards a new bilateral free trade deal after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.

After their meeting Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May told a joint press conference that they agreed to a smooth transition of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union and Canada after Britain leaves the EU and is no longer a party to that agreement.

The Canada-EU trade deal eliminates well over 90 percent of all barriers in trade between Canada and the European Union, and as such provides "an excellent basis for ensuring a smooth transition," Trudeau said.

CETA officially comes into effect on Thursday.

"After that, there will obviously be opportunities for us to look at particular details that could be improved upon for the specific needs and opportunities in the bilateral relationship between the U.K. and Canada," he said.

"But as a strong basis for a smooth transition, CETA is perfectly designed, and will be able to ensure -- for investors, for companies and for workers and consumers -- a smooth transition," added the Canadian prime minister, who will lead a Canadian delegation to attend the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

May, who arrived here for one-day visit, said that using the Canada-EU agreement as the basis for a forthcoming new bilateral deal makes sense and would ensure the best path forward for all parties.

"We want to ensure that for businesses and individuals, that there is as smooth a changeover, when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, as possible; we want to see as little disruption to economies and to people's lives," she said.

The two leaders also discussed their joint interest in resolving the aerospace trade dispute, in which Boeing alleges Canadian government subsidies to Bombardier led to a deal to sell 75 jets to Delta Airlines for a lower price.

Bombardier is both a major Canadian company and a significant employer in Northern Ireland, with 5,000 workers in Belfast making up about 10 percent of the area's manufacturing jobs.

May said she'll reiterate Bombardier's importance to Northern Ireland to Trump later this week.

Trudeau said Canada will continue to stand up for jobs against "unwarranted actions" by Boeing that are in its own "narrow interest," not the principle of open trade.

"We won't do business with a company that's trying to sue us," Trudeau said of Canada's potential purchase of Boeing fighter jets.

A preliminary decision from the U.S. Commerce Department on the dispute is expected next week. The final decision, which could include financial penalties.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 07:37:49|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

Suspected Taliban militants stand handcuffed in Jalalabad city, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Sept. 18, 2017. Afghan security personnel captured 13 suspected Taliban militants during an operation in Nangarhar province, a local official said on Monday. (Xinhua/Rahman Safi)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (2nd R) and U.S.President Donald Trump (1st R) are pictured during a high-level UN reform meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 18, 2017. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday called for a change of bureaucracy in the United Nations. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley signaled on Monday that President Donald Trump may not be wielding as big a stick as some feared in his appearances at the UN's annual General Assembly debate.

In introducing Trump to a pre-debate Declaration of Support for UN Reform, she said that through Trump's "businessman's eye" for potential, "he sees great potential not just in this reform movement but in the United Nations itself. He shares your commitment to creating a more effective advocate for peace and human rights."

In a Tweet last December, Trump called the world organization, "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!" He also had tweeted, "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th," causing many observers to anticipate major changes in the United State's relationship with the world organization.

But Monday's U.S.-sponsored meeting indicated the change Washington is seeking is more inclusive, from within the organization, than singular pressure from the White House.

"The Declaration of Support for United Nations Reform began as a way to give momentum to Secretary-General (Antonio) Guterres' effort to bring greater efficiency, accountability and transparency to the United Nations," Haley said.

"We thought that having member states put their names on a document would help insure that these goals don't remain just words but become part of the culture of the UN," she said. "The response that we've had has been nothing short of fantastic, 128 nations have signed on to the declaration as of this morning and we are still counting. That is a super majority."

The ambassador also expressed gratitude to the declaration's co-hosts, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Slovakia, Thailand, United Kingdom and Uruguay, whose representatives flanked Guterres, Trump and Haley on the podium.

"The fact that so many are committed to seeing the UN succeed is gratifying," she said. "It is a sign not only that change is desperately needed but that it will be achieved. You are the reason that change is coming to the UN."

There have long been reform efforts at the United Nations and efforts to make the organization more efficient have moved nearer the forefront during the run-up to this year's General Assembly general debate.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 10:59:14|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

VIENNA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should fully comply with its obligations under all relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the head of IAEA said on Monday.

"The nuclear test by the DPRK on Sept.3, its sixth and largest to date, is extremely regrettable," Director-General Yukiya Amano said at the opening of the 61st IAEA General Conference in Vienna, stressing that the agency will strive to return to the DPRK when political developments make it possible.

Amano's appointment to a further four-year term starting Dec. 1 was approved by the General Conference on Monday.

He also said maintaining high-quality programs and delivering concrete results for member states are key to IAEA's contribution to international development, peace and security.

A wide range of topics from growing international cooperation in nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety, to strengthening the IAEA's activities related to nuclear science, technology and applications, as well as key elements concerning the peaceful use of nuclear technologies, are set to be discussed at the week-long annual conference.

"The agency will continue to deliver high-quality programs and respond promptly to member state needs," said Amano, who has been in office since 2009, reiterating that the agency will continue to contribute to international peace and security, as well as the lives of millions of people.

The modernization of the IAEA nuclear applications laboratories near Vienna was making excellent progress and the new Insect Pest Control Laboratory would be inaugurated in a week's time, he said.

"When completed in a few years' time, the expanded laboratory complex will greatly increase our capabilities as a technology holder, to the benefit of all 168 IAEA member states," he added.

"Iran is now subject to the world's most robust nuclear verification regime," he said, adding that the nuclear-related commitments undertaken by Iran under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are being implemented.

Amano reminded delegates of the importance of safety and security in all uses of nuclear technology either for power or non-power purposes.

The IAEA plays a central role in ensuring effective international cooperation, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 11:09:17|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

YANGON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar government has allocated an additional fund of 20 billion kyats (14.7 million U.S. dollars) to urgently repair the damaged portion of the border fence with Bangladesh and build it into an upgraded and secured one, said a press release of the President's Office late Monday.

For 2017-18 fiscal year, more than 8 billion kyats had been permitted for the undertakings.

Moreover, Myanmar government has also assigned the Construction Ministry to urgently build the Mayu mountain range road network consisting of two main roads running parallel to and going across the mountain range to ensure the border security as well as that in Maungtaw region.

The incumbent government formed a central committee for the implementation of peace and development in northern Rakhine state on May 30, 2016 with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi as chairperson.

Myanmar authorities said last week that it will upgrade its border fence with Bangladesh by extending the coverage and patching some damaged vents for security purpose.

U Zaw Htay, director-general of the President Office, disclosed that some vents were found along the border and over 64 km of fence are needed to be enclosed.

The over 270 km Myanmar-Bangladesh border fence construction project started in 2009 during the previous government with an approved fund of 190 billion kyats in total for the last nine fiscal years.

The border fence project is leaving 67 km of the length yet to be completed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 11:09:18|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

KATHMANDU, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The conclusion of the final phase of local polls, the first in nearly two decades, in Nepal has greatly helped to smooth implementation of the new constitution adopted by the Parliament in September 2015, Speaker of the Parliament Onsari Gharti said on Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of people took part in the local polls on Monday held in Terai region of Nepal, close to the border with India.

"By holding the third round of local polls yesterday, we have accomplished an important step to implement the new constitution," the parliament speaker said.

She hoped that the provincial and parliamentary elections later this year will be a great achievement for the country's prolonged transition that began in 2008 after the country became federal republic after abolishing the 240-year monarchy.

People voted for their candidates during the one-day elections conducted from 7:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. local time on Monday in 136 local units of eight districts of province 2 in the Terai region.

A total of 37,236 candidates are in the fray, the election commission said.

The final phase of local elections will elect 6,627 representatives. There are one metropolitan city, three sub-metropolis, 73 municipalities and 59 rural municipalities in the province 2 in southern Nepal. As many as 60,000 police were deployed to ensure security during the elections.

The voter turnout was around 73 percent, according to the election commission.

"We have held elections successfully in a very peaceful manner with the encouraging number of people who voted for their candidates with full of enthusiasm," Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav told a press conference on Monday.

The third round of elections has been postponed twice due to agitation launched by Terai-based ethnic parties who were opposing the new constitution.

The province 2 was a flashpoint of months-long agitation launched by some regional ethnic parties in protest of the new constitution promulgated in September 2015 seeking changes in the constitution.

They claimed that the national charter was discriminatory for them.

Earlier similar elections were held in provinces 3, 4 and 6 on May 14 and in provinces 1, 5 and 7 on June 28.

The last local representatives were elected in 1997.

The local polls are part of the final step in the peace deal that ended a 10-year civil war in 2006, and paved the way for provincial and general elections later this year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 11:29:25|Editor: Yurou

Video Player Close

CANBERRA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A coalition of leading Australian health experts has called for a 20 percent tax on sugary drinks to combat obesity.

The group, made up of 34 high-profile health organizations including the Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) and Cancer Council, on Tuesday delivered the "Tipping the Scales" action plan to the federal government calling for obesity prevention to become a national priority.

The plan includes a 20 percent tax on beverages containing added sugar and an embargo on unhealthy food advertising on television during prime time when most children are watching.

Jane Martin, executive manager of the OPC, said that widespread obesity was having dire effects on Australia's economic and physical wellbeing.

"63 percent of Australian adults and 27 percent of our children are overweight or obese," Martin said in a media release on Tuesday.

"Our kids are bombarded with advertising for junk food, high-sugar drinks are cheaper than water, and sugar and saturated fat are hiding in so-called 'healthy' foods. Making a healthy choice has never been more difficult."

"The annual cost of overweight and obesity in Australia in 2011-2012 was estimated to be 6.85 (billion U.S. dollars) in direct and indirect costs. But Australia still has no strategy to tackle our obesity problem. It just doesn't make sense."

In addition to key recommendations such as the tax and advertising embargo, the coalition also called for additional funding for public education campaigns and mandatory health ratings on all food by 2019.

Anna Peeters, a professor of public health at Deakin University, said if current trends continued, 1.75 million Australians aged 20 and over would die as a result of obesity between 2011 and 2050.

"Obesity poses such an immense threat to Australia's physical and economic health that it needs its own, standalone prevention strategy if progress is to be made," Peeters said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 12:24:39|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

CANBERRA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Australia's "enormous appetite" for the crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as "ice," has forced the federal government to announce a new global strategy to protect Australians from the international drug trade, Justice Minister Michael Keenan said on Tuesday.

Speaking to the press alongside representatives from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in Perth, Keenan said that the strategy, called the International Engagement Methamphetamine Disruption Strategy (IEMDS) would better protect the local community from the scourge of ice.

"Australia has an enormous appetite for crystal methamphetamine, which is otherwise known as ice. Indeed, the demand here is the highest in the world," Keenan told the media.

"The government has been very concerned about ice - particularly about the effects it has on users - and we were determined to do something about it."

In a press release Keenan said the IEMDS would pave the way for "enhanced co-operation between government agencies and our regional and global partners as we work to stop the trafficking of methamphetamine."

"The strategy we release today is an important measure for strengthening international engagement, with a focus on disrupting the supply of methamphetamine at its source," Keenan said.

The minister pointed to Taskforce Blaze - a joint cooperation effort between Australian and Chinese to fight illicit drugs - as one of the examples of why further international cooperation would help stop ice from ruining the lives of Australians.

"Taskforce Blaze is a great example of the effectiveness of this international cooperation, with Australian and Chinese authorities stopping 13 tons of drugs, including 6 tons of methamphetamine, from reaching our streets," Keenan said.

"Make no mistake: the (federal) government will continue to use every weapon in our arsenal to break the business models of drug dealers and organized crime gangs that rely and thrive on the profits of illicit drugs."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 12:34:43|Editor: An

Video Player Close



Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) shakes hands with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during their meeting at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, on Sept. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the two sides pledged to boost cooperation in tackling hot spot issues.

Wang said that China hopes the United Nations can play a more important role as the number of uncertainties and destabilizing factors increases.

China appreciates the fact that the United Nations and the secretary-general himself highly agree with the ideas put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping, such as the building of a community of shared future for mankind, the building of an open global economy, and the rebalancing of economic globalization, said Wang.

China is willing to cooperate with the United Nations on the basis of the above-mentioned consensuses, and work to safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, to promote multilateralism, to increase investment in development, to enhance peacekeeping capacity so as to deal with various global challenges.

With regard to the situation in Rakhine State of Myanmar, Wang said China is opposed to violence in the region and understands the Myanmar government's efforts to maintain stability of the country.

China expects to see the end of war and an end to people's sufferings as soon as possible, Wang said, adding China is sympathetic with the people who have fled to Bangladesh and will provide humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh.

China's stance is that Myanmar and Bangladesh should solve impending issues through dialogue and consultations, Wang said.

China is willing to encourage talks and push for peace in it own way, and hopes the international community can play a constructive role in helping reduce tension and promoting dialogue, he added.

Guterres said the United Nations attaches importance to China's international status and influence, appreciates China's leading role in peacekeeping, in handling hot spot issues, in tackling climate change and in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The United Nations is willing to cooperate with China and make joint efforts in dealing with various global challenges, he said.

The United Nations attaches importance to China's stance on Rakhine State of Myanmar and hopes that China will play an important role in reducing tension, using its influence, he added.

Wang and Guterres also exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Wang is in New York for the General Debate of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 12:39:45|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) shakes hands with the President of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak during their meeting at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, on Sept. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday applauded efforts of the United Nations General Assembly when meeting with Miroslav Lajcak who chairs the 72nd session of the assembly.

China supports the role of the United Nations, the most authoritative and most representative international organization, in maintaining international peace and promoting common development, said Wang.

The current session of the General Assembly takes development as a priority and builds this year's General Debate around the theme of "focusing on people."

China appreciates the arrangements, which are in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and with the aspirations of the member states, he said.

UN reform has recently attracted much attention, he said, adding China supports UN reform and hopes reform will be carried forward in a stable manner with respect for the opinions of member states.

Lajcak said the international community welcomes China's increasingly important role in international affairs, and hopes that China can display leadership in conflict prevention, settlement of hot spot issues, peacekeeping and the implementation of the 2030 agenda.

The United Nations will enhance cooperation with China to carry forward work in security, development and human rights in a balanced way, he said.

The United Nations attaches importance to China's view on UN reform and will push this process forward in an incremental manner, he said.

Wang is in New York for the annual General Debate of the UN General Assembly.


Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 12:49:47|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate passed on Monday its version of a defense policy that would pump 700 billion U.S. dollars into the country's armed forces.

The Senate, controlled by Republicans, passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2018, which starts Oct. 1, with an 89-8 vote.

The 1,215-page bill authorizes about 640 billion dollars for Pentagon's main operations, including purchase of weapons and equipment, and financial support to the troops.

Besides, some 60 billion dollars are set to be earmarked to fund U.S. wartime missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.

It also includes a wide range of provisions, including an expansion of U.S. missile defense, a ban on Moscow-based Kaspersky Labs products in the federal government, and rejection of the closing of more military bases.

The House of Representatives' version of the NDAA was passed at a similar level of military spending in July, which is well beyond the roughly 620 billion dollars approved last year, after defying the automatic, across-the-board budget cuts set in the 2011 Budget Control Act.

The two versions of the NDAA must be reconciled before Congress can work out a final version to submit to the president. The NDAA has been passed for 55 straight years in Congress.

U.S. President Donald Trump has not threatened to veto the measure despite his criticism of part of the NDAA.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 12:59:50|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (1st R) meets with his Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin (1st L) in New York, the United States, on Sept. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday met with his Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin, with the two sides pledging to enhance cooperation.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and bilateral relations now enjoy a solid foundation, Wang said.

China is willing to deepen practical cooperation with Ukraine by seizing the opportunity of the Belt and Road Initiative and carry forward the strategic partnership between the two countries on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, said Wang.

The Belt and Road Initiative, put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, is aimed at building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road through concerted efforts of all related countries to benefit all participants by promoting unimpeded trade, financial integration, infrastructure inter-connectivity and closer people-to-people exchanges.

China supports a political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine through dialogue and negotiations on the basis of the new Minsk agreement, he said.

Klimkin said his country fully supports China's Belt and Road Initiative and is willing to deepen cooperation with China within this framework so as to push for practical results for bilateral relations.

Ukraine appreciates China's impartial stance on international and regional affairs and hopes China will play an even bigger role in efforts to solve Ukraine's crisis, he said.

The two foreign ministers are in New York for this year's General Debate of the UN General Assembly.




Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 13:09:55|Editor: Yang Yi

Video Player Close

by Xinhua writers Guo Ying and Zhao Wanwei

BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A secret team in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has the task of pretending to be online consumers who test-buy purchases from the billion-plus products on its platforms.

They spot check about 100,000 products and invest around 100 million yuan (about 15.15 million U.S. dollars) a year on average. Around one in four online shops are checked annually.

"Spot checks are not random. They are guided by big data from our platforms," said team leader Qin Seng. Using product ratings, consumer disputes and other information, the team builds a model to identify suspected counterfeits and shops that sell counterfeits.

The whole process is videoed to retain evidence. The sample purchases are sent to rights holders or authoritative quality inspection agencies. If identified as fake, the products are removed from the platform. The vendors can face the closure of their online shops. If identified as genuine products, they are stored as Alibaba' s assets.

Alibaba's Storehouse of Counterfeit Evidence is a 300-square-meter warehouse in Alibaba Group's Xixi Park, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Counterfeits can be stored there for more than three years as legal evidence.

The spot checks are symptomatic of China's battle against counterfeits in the Internet era.

Chai Haitao, deputy director of the Office of National Leading Group of the Fight against IPR Infringement and Counterfeiting, said that with the rapid development of China's Internet economy, infringements and counterfeits are constantly renewed.

"We need to strengthen cross-sector, cross-regional, and cross-border cooperation to combat counterfeits. We also need to mobilize enterprises, industry organizations and the public," Chai said.

Alibaba's Anti-Counterfeiting Special Task Force, formed last year, actively works with local law enforcement agencies, said Qin Seng.

"After we clean up online shops selling counterfeits, the counterfeiters usually change their identities and places of dispatch, using more covert means to continue selling online," Qin said.

The team uses big data to identify counterfeits and the vendors, affiliated dealers and factories suspected of producing or selling counterfeit items. They pass evidence to the public security, administration of commerce and industry, quality inspection, food and drug supervision and other law enforcement agencies. At the same time, they investigate the evidence in the field.

The team faces many risks in their offline probes.

"Most counterfeiting dens are hidden and well-organized. For example, we encountered a village producing counterfeits. The villagers installed cameras everywhere and when they saw outsiders entering, they became vigilant and even threatened us," Qin said.

Alibaba's cooperation with local authorities to locate counterfeit sources has proved effective. They have partnerships with the public security bureaus of 13 provinces.

In 2016, Alibaba submitted 1,184 leads to law enforcement agencies; helped public security bureaus arrest 880 suspects; assisted in the closure of 1,419 counterfeit manufacturing locations; and helped seize merchandise worth more than 3 billion yuan (about 455 million U.S. dollars).

In August, with evidence from Alibaba, police in Loudi, Hunan Province, broke up a ring producing and selling counterfeit weight-loss drugs, with a sales network in more than 20 provinces. Total trade by the ring exceeded 100 million yuan (about 15.15 million U.S. dollars).

In the eyes of Sun Jungong, vice president of Alibaba, spot checks and data-driven proactive monitoring protect a good shopping environment on the platform itself, while cooperation with law enforcement agencies shows effective collaborative governance.

"We hope to take advantage of Alibaba's big data and strong data-mining capabilities. By expanding offline cooperation, we aim to tackle this issue at its source," Sun said.

Professor Wang Xin, of Peking University Law School, said the rapid development of China's e-commerce platforms and the emergence of new online shopping models have provided more sales channels for fake goods.

Wang said China has made great efforts in recent years to stamp out intellectual property right (IPR) infringements, by improving laws and setting up specialist IPR courts.

However, the penalties for counterfeit producers and sellers are not enough of a deterrent, Wang conceded. Many counterfeit makers receive suspended sentences or fines.

He suggested recidivists should be banned from entering the market again forever.

Alibaba' s analysis has also found some online consumers buy counterfeits knowingly.

Sun Jungong said raising awareness among consumers is essential to fight counterfeiting.

"Everyone can do their bit to stop counterfeit goods. If society reaches a consensus, as with drink-driving, we are more likely to tackle this problem," Sun said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 13:20:01|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

TALUQAN, Afghanistan, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Police have arrested a police officer on charge of shifting a Taliban commander from a war affected area to safer place in Takhar province, provincial police spokesman Abdul Khalil Asir said Tuesday.

"A police officer was attempting to shift Taliban commander Mawlawi Lal from Khawjaghar district to Yangi Qala district in his car but fortunately was identified and arrested by police in a checkpoint on Monday," Asir told Xinhua.

Police have also recovered some documents that indicate Mawlawi Lal involvements in subversive activities, the official said.

Taliban militants have not commented.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 13:20:04|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

NEW DELHI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A 15-year-old girl in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was killed after falling off from the third floor of her school building, police said Tuesday.

The girl's family alleged she was thrown off by someone and has asked for a detailed investigation into her death.

The incident happened at a school in Deoria district, about 318 km east of Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.

"Yesterday at Modern Montessori Inter College here a class XI student, had gone to toilet on the third floor of the school building. Minutes after she was found lying in a pool of blood on the ground floor of school premises," a police officer posted in Deoria said.

The girl, according to the school officials was immediately rushed to hospital, but she succumbed on the way.

The father of girl has lodged a police complaint in connection with the death of her daughter, alleging she was thrown off from the third floor.

The CCTV system at the school is out of order.

"CCTV cameras at the school have not been working for some days," Mithilesh Mishra, school principal said.

Last week a seven-year-old boy was found with his throat slit in the washroom of his school in neighboring state of Haryana.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 13:25:12|Editor: Yang Yi

Video Player Close

CHANGCHUN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A total of 124 people in connection with more than 280 Internet and telecom fraud cases were apprehended in northeast China's Jilin Province, local police said Tuesday.

Police started investigating in May, when a resident in Liaoyuan City claimed she had lost more than 540,000 yuan (82,000 U.S. dollars) of investment in an online company in Shaanxi Province.

Police went to Changchun, Qingdao, Changsha and Xi'an to investigate and located the den in an office building in Xi'an after retrieving more than 20,000 pieces of transaction data and 80 hours of surveillance footage.

In late August, police in Liaoyuan and Xi'an arrested 124 suspects in a joint operation. More than 200 computers and 100 scripts for cheating victims out of money were seized. The suspects were taken back to Liaoyuan in early September.

Preliminary investigation showed the ringleader, identified by the surname Zheng, set up the company in 2016 and lured fresh graduates to join the company with false promises of high pay.

They drew online investors in the name of spot trading, which turned out to be fake. The cases involved nearly 100 million yuan (about 15 million U.S. dollars).

Further investigation is under way.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 13:30:13|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. forces planned to send its F-22 and F-35A stealth fighter jets to a South Korean air show set to be held next month, local media outlets reported Tuesday citing Seoul's defense ministry.

The Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition, called ADEX, for 2017 was slated to be held from Oct. 17 to Oct. 22 at the Seoul Air Base in Seongnam city, south of the capital.

State-of-the-art combat planes will participate in the biennial air show, including F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightening II fighter jets.

The U.S. fighter jets were expected to make a test flight during the show, according to local media reports.

In addition to the fighter jets, the U.S. military will send other aviation assets, including Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) aircraft, A-10 Thunderbolt attack plane, V-22 Osprey vertical take-off and landing plane and the Bell 429 helicopter.

South Korea's air force will display F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets, its homegrown T-50 supersonic advanced training plane, KT-1 training jet as well as P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft, its indigenous KUH-1 Surion chopper and the AH-64D Apache attack helicopter.

The biennial Seoul air show, first held in 2009, would bring together about 400 defense companies from over 30 countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 13:45:15|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday that the United States would send more than 3,000 troops to Afghanistan.

"It is exactly over 3,000 somewhat and frankly I haven't signed the last of the orders right now as we look at specific, small elements that are going," Mattis told reporters.

"Most of them are on their way or under orders now," he added.

The move came weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan strategy in a national address, in which he called a rapid exit of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan "unacceptable."

A Pentagon spokesperson said last month that 11,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan, thousands more than the previously acknowledged 8,400, which does not include troops on temporary assignment.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 14:05:19|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

Afghan displaced children play outside their mud houses in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 19, 2017. More than 250,000 Afghans have been displaced so far this year by conflicts and prolonged insurgency, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Tuesday. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah)

KABUL, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- More than 250,000 Afghans have been displaced so far this year by conflicts and prolonged insurgency, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Tuesday.

"From Jan. 1 to Sept. 16, 2017, more than 250,000 people have fled their homes due to conflicts in Afghanistan," it said in a statement.

About 1,300 undocumented Afghan returnees from Pakistan returned to the country within the past week, a significant increase of returns of more than three times compared to the previous week, the statement said.

According to the statement, from Sept. 10 to Sept. 16, a total of 1,037 registered refugees returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan as well as 20 from Iran.

"Since January, UNHCR has assisted the return of 49,134 Afghan refugees to their home-country," the statement read.

Within the past one week, over 26,000 displaced people, undocumented returnees and refugees received humanitarian assistance, according to the statement.

More than 1 million Afghans have been displaced due to conflicts since 2001 as worsening security situation and the ongoing insurgency have forced the people to leave their houses for safer places.

The Afghan civilians also continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 1,660 civilians were killed and over 3,580 others injured in conflict-related incidents in first half of the year, according to figures released by the United Nations mission in the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 14:15:22|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

JAKARTA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian authorities have raised the alert status level for a volcano in Bali following increased activity, senior officials said here on Tuesday.

Head of mitigation department of national volcanology agency Devy Kamil Syahbana said that the alert level of Gunung Agung volcano located in Karang Asem district was raised to the second highest level on Monday night and the dangerous zone area has been extended in the north, south, southeast and southwest of the volcano.

"We raised the alert status because there has been a hike in seismic activity. The evacuation zone actually at the radius of 6 km from the crater, but it has been extended to 7.5 km for the areas in the north, south, southeast and southwest," he told Xinhua by phone.

Several volcanic and tectonic quakes have occurred, said Syahbana.

Spokesman of national disaster agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told Xinhua in a text message that a total of 44 villagers had fled their home and took shelters in safer ground.

However, the spokesman urged the people to keep calm and confirm the information they have gotten.

A total of 200,000 foreign holiday makers visit Bali island every month, the center of Indonesia's tourism industry, according to the national statistics bureau.

The Gunung Agung volcano which last erupted in 1963-1964, is still active, with a large and very deep crater which occasionally belches smoke and ash.

Indonesia, an archipelagic nation with over 17,500 islands, is home to 129 active volcanoes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 15:05:44|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

PANAMA CITY, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Sunday that China and Panama can become long-term reliable partners that can enjoy shared progress and prosperity.

Wang made the remarks while meeting with Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, Panama's vice president and foreign minister, during his visit to the Latin American country.

The foreign minister hailed the first 100 days since China and Panama established diplomatic ties by giving it "a full score of 100 points."

Over the past more than three months since the two countries established diplomatic ties, the two sides have seen intensive exchanges and early results of bilateral cooperation, said Wang.

During these 100 days, the two sides opened their respective embassies in each other's countries, initiated negotiations on more than a dozen cooperation agreements concerning trade, investment, quality inspection, maritime transportation, aviation, finance, tourism, culture and justice so as to build up the basic framework for long-term development of China-Panama relations, he said.

Wang noted that a group of Chinese firms came to Panama a few days ago, and signed at once contracts for the export of Panamanian goods to Chinese markets valued at 38.7 million U.S. dollars.

He said China would like to join hands with Panama tightly and continue to strengthen exchanges at all levels and in various sectors so as to promote mutual understanding and trust.

Meanwhile, Wang noted that China welcomes Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela to visit China later this year so as to boost the two countries' cooperation in economy, trade, investment, industrial capacity, maritime transportation, aviation, tourism and culture.

Wang also said that China is willing to work with Panama to enhance the political foundation for bilateral ties, and is ready to volume up its communications and coordination with Panama in multilateral affairs, and help preserve Panama's legitimate rights on international occasions.

For her part, Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado said that her country values its traditional friendship with China, and welcomes more Chinese businesses to invest in Panama.

The Latin American country hopes to negotiate and reach a free trade agreement with China as early as possible and to cooperate with China in infrastructure, finance, maritime transportation, aviation, tourism and culture so as to benefit the two peoples, she said.

She also noted that her country will firmly abide by the one-China policy and honor its promises in the joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations without having any form of official contacts or exchanges with Taiwan.

On Sunday, Wang also attended the inauguration ceremony of the Chinese embassy in Panama, together with Varela.

In a speech delivered at the ceremony, Wang said that although there were interruptions in the development of China-Panama relations, bilateral ties have finally embarked upon a correct path with bright prospects.

"This is a historic moment for China-Panama relations," Wang said, noting that the Chinese embassy will strictly observe its duty to implement the Chinese government's policy of friendship with Panama, so as to open up a new era of common development.

He said that the two countries were charting down a new long-term path which "will bring hope, cooperation and mutual benefits."

"History will remember that the decision to establish diplomatic relations between Panama and China met the fundamental, long-term interests of both countries," said Wang in the speech.

President Varela said that it was the will of both countries to build a "relationship of trust," accompanied by dialogue and mutual benefits.

Varela also vowed to "always seek common good and prosperity for our peoples."

Wang arrived in Panama on Saturday, where he was received by Varela.

In June, Panama became the second Central American country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, after Costa Rica in 2007.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 15:30:54|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

KINGSTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Hurricane Maria hit the eastern Caribbean state of Dominica on Monday evening, leaving a trail of damage that couldn't be assessed immediately.

Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit's post on Facebook on Monday evening said, "My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding (sic)."

The prime minister was later rescued.

Schools and government offices in Dominica were closed on Monday and warnings issued, urging people to avoid dangerous areas.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said that Maria's maximum wind speed reached 160 miles per hour (about 257 km) when it hit Dominica.

In August 2015, tropical storm Erika battered Dominica and killed 31 people.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 15:51:01|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

BAGHDAD, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi security forces on Tuesday launched a new offensive to drive out Islamic State (IS) militants from a town and nearby areas in Iraq's western province of Anbar, the Iraqi military said.

Two Iraqi army's infantry divisions and a brigade of armored vehicles, backed by paramilitary tribal fighters, advanced to liberate the town of Aana, some 280 km northwest of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, and the nearby Rayhana area from IS militants, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah from the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a brief statement.

The operation came three days after another offensive that completely recaptured Akashat and reopened a nearby strategic road near the Iraqi-Syrian border.

Earlier, the Iraqi security forces dislodged IS militants from the key cities of Anbar Province, including Ramadi and nearby Fallujah, but the areas near the border with neighboring Syria, including Aana, Rawa and al-Qaim as well as the vast rural areas across the province, are still under the control of IS militants.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 16:01:04|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

by Xinhua Writer Ma Jianguo

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Leaders around the world have gathered in New York for the 72nd UN General Assembly (UNGA). UN officials said Chinese President Xi Jinping's concept of building a community of shared future for mankind agrees well with the theme of UNGA.

This year's UNGA, kicked off on Sept. 12, carries the theme of "Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet," which is widely hailed as in perfect harmony with President Xi's concept.

"We can say it's a symphony," said Jorge Chediek, director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping's shared destiny among all peoples is in accordance with the UN values," Chediek said, adding that China's commitment to connectivity, trade, cultural and people-to-people exchanges is very important for developing countries.

Chediek said that President Xi showed China's vision for global governance, and China's contribution was an example with significant resources devoted to South-South cooperation.

The official, who attended the Belt and Road summit in May in Beijing, said that China's Belt and Road Initiative, which is committed to connectivity, and the idea of promoting Chinese investment in least developed countries are really fulfilling the idea of a community of shard future for mankind.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that "we live in a world with global problems -- climate change, terrorism, inequality -- and there is no way we can solve (them) on a country-by-country basis."

"We see, more and more, that only global solutions can address global problems. And for global solutions to be possible, we need to have mechanisms of governance allowing countries to come together and manage together the problems of our times," he said.

Guterres' remarks are in perfect tune with Xi's concept.

Miroslav Lajcak, president of 72nd General Assembly, said that "China has long been a faithful partner of the United Nations, and a steadfast proponent of peace, diplomacy, and the multilateral system."

The UN official said that with war and conflict, terrorism and violent extremism, inequality and poverty, and the impacts of climate change, Xi's concept of a community of shared future for mankind provides an inspirational vision.

"Only by working together on the basis of mutual understanding and shared responsibility will we be able to maintain international peace, achieve inclusive and sustainable development, protect our natural environment, and combat climate change," he said.

In January this year, Xi delivered a speech entitled "Work Together to Build a Community of Shared Future for Mankind" at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland.

"All countries should jointly shape the future of the world, write international rules, manage global affairs and ensure that development outcomes are shared by all," said Xi.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 16:06:09|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

JERUSALEM, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. army inaugurated its first military base in Israel, which sends a message of readiness to Israel's arch enemy Iran in the region, local media reported on Tuesday.

The base's opening comes as Israel faces a slew of regional threats, especially from its arch enemy Iran, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said.

The Israeli military said the new base, located inside an existing Israel Air Force base in the southern region, sends a message of readiness to Israel's enemies, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

The American military base houses dozens of U.S. soldiers operating radar device alongside Israeli soldiers as U.S. radar has been operational on site for a decade, using American civilians to operate it.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 16:06:10|Editor: An

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese regulators are taking steps to shut down the country's cryptocurrency exchanges and ban trading of digital cryptocurrency to rein in financial risks.

All Beijing-based cryptocurrency exchanges had to halt new user registration by midnight on Sept. 15 and publicly notify users when they formally close, according to a policy document issued by local regulators this week.

The document, issued by the Beijing branch of a central bank-led committee overseeing online financial risks, also required all cryptocurrency exchanges under its purview to submit detailed plans to exit the market by 6 p.m. on Sept. 20., according to the Xinhua-run Economic Information Daily.

It also reported that Shanghai bitcoin exchanges had been told to shut down last week.

Shanghai-based BTC China, one of the largest Chinese bitcoin exchanges, said last Thursday that it would close by the end of the month. It was followed by Huobi and OKCoin, two large Chinese cryptocurrency exchanges, which announced last Friday that they would notify all users to halt trading by Sept. 30.

The move came after China's central bank ordered a complete halt on Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) on Sept. 4, a digital coin fundraising scheme, in which technology start-ups issue their own digital coins, or tokens, to investors to access funds.

"ICOs, in essence, are a type of unauthorized and illegal public fundraising suspected of being related to criminal activities such as financial fraud and pyramid schemes," the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said.

ICOs allowed companies to issue tokens, or cryptocurrencies, to investors in exchange for currencies of more liquid value such as Bitcoin, without the need to follow rules associated with traditional channels such as IPOs.

Unlike IPOs, in which investors buy stocks in companies, investors in ICOs receive digital coins developed by the firms, which could appreciate in value if the companies fare well and demand for their currencies grows.

"The cryptocurrency exchanges must be regulated, for it has created fertile ground for scammers looking to take money from ignorant investors under the guise of ICOs," said Li Aijun, an expert of Internet finance law at the China University of Political Science and Law.

So far this year, 65 ICOs in China raised 2.62 billion yuan (397.5 million U.S. dollars) from 105,000 investors, according to a report by the National Committee of Experts on the Internet Financial Security Technology.

"Cryptocurrency exchanges also provide channels for money laundering, criminal financing and dodging foreign exchange control with no effective supervision," said Xue Hongyan with Suning Financial Research Institute.

China's bans on ICOs and cryptocurrency exchanges are part of a broader campaign to curb the country's financial risks as the country faces a build-up of debt, and booming new financial products challenge regulations.

Starting from the end of last year, China launched a regulatory windstorm with major financial regulatory bodies rolling out policies to identify and punish many types of illegal activity.

In April, amid complaints about reckless speculation on financial markets, the China Banking Regulatory Commission outlined 10 detailed fields for strengthened risk control, including traditional sectors such as credit, liquidity, real estate and local government debt as well as non-traditional areas such as Internet finance.

The China Insurance Regulatory Commission recently asked insurance firms to report typical cases and data on new types of fraud.

Other regulatory upgrades included the introduction of a new committee on financial stability and development, announced during a two-day National Financial Work Conference in July.

"Chinese regulators' ban on cryptocurrency exchanges is a timely manner to address risks arising from technology-based finance, but it is not a denial of innovative technology such as blockchain," said Sun Guofeng, head of the financial research institute affiliated to People's Bank of China.

The blockchain business, a form of decentralized or fluid database, which keeps track of digital transactions, is "supported by regulators and actively promoted by financial institutions," Xue said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 16:26:20|Editor: liuxin

Video Player Close

The Handmaid's Tale cast and crew pose with their Emmys in Los Angeles, California, U.S., Sept. 17, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

by Julia Pierrepont III

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The star-studded 69th annual Primetime Emmy Awards opened with a bang with Stephen Colbert's gender-bending chorus line as he sang, "The world may be the worst we've ever seen, but it's never been better on your TV screen!"

In a welcome show of inclusion and diversity, the clear winners of this year's Primetime Emmys were women and minorities.

Hollywood's de facto Year of the Woman continued with female-centric, "The Handmaiden's Tale", "Big Little Lies" and "Veep" taking home the top Emmy prizes.

Hulu's "The Handmaiden's Tale" is based on award-winning author Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel about a Christian, misogynist, totalitarian society that forces enslaved women to reproduce on demand.

It beat out fan favorite "Stranger Things" to win Outstanding Drama Series and earned lead actress, Elisabeth Moss, the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Award, and Bruce Miller the Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series Award.

The HBO's "Big Little Lies", penned by David E. Kelly and starring Academy-award winner Nicole Kidman, Academy-award winner Reese Witherspoon, and Cannes Film Festival winner Shailene Woodley, is about hidden domestic abuse in suburbia.

It took home the Outstanding Limited Series Award, while Kidman, Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgard garnered the Outstanding Lead Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actress and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series Awards, respectively.

The ABC's "Veep", a hilarious and insightful satire on American politics starring Julia Louis-Dreyus, beat out "Master of None", "Atlanta", "Silicon Valley", and "Black-ish" amongst others to win Outstanding Comedy Series, its sixth nomination and third straight win.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus also took home her sixth straight win as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Award, putting her in the history books for winning the most Emmy's for the same role.

In her acceptance speech, Louis-Dreyfus joked prophetically that "Veep" writers had abandoned a story line about impeachment "because we were worried that someone else might get to it first."

Female Director Reed Morano won Outstanding Directing for Drama Series for "The Handmaiden's Tale", while Lena Waithe was the first African-American woman to win an Outstanding Writer of a Comedy Series Award for "Master of None".

Ms. Waithe's speech was especially poignant: "And last but certainly not least, my L.G.B.Q.T.I.A. family. I see each and every one of you. The things that make us different. Those are our superpowers. Every day when you walk out the door, put on your imaginary cape and go out there and conquer the world, because the world would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren't in it."

Ms. Waithe shared the award with Indian-American writer, producer and actor Aziz Ansari, who won the same category last year with his writing and producing partner, Chinese-American Alan Yang, best known as the award-winning writer and co-executive producer of the hit comedy series "Parks and Recreation" and "South Park." They were the first Asian-Americans to win Emmys in this category.

Perhaps in counterpoint to the heightened racial tensions fostered by the Trump administration, this year's nominations were heavy on minority-themed series and/or minority starring vehicles.

These included: Netflix's "Master of None", which follows the humorous trials and tribulations of the son of East Indian-immigrants; the NBC's "This Is Us", chronicling a blended, multi-racial family with white and black triplets; FX's "Atlanta", about two African-American cousins trying to improve their lives and find fame and fortune in the rap music scene.

The nominations also included the ABC's "Black-ish", about an upper-middle class African-American family trying to hold on to bits of their urban cultural identities; the HBO's "The Night Of", which immerses us in the racially-motivated injustice within the American justice system.

The HBO's "Silicon Valley", about a posse of young high tech geniuses ineptly navigating the quicksand of Silicon Valley IT startups, features the brilliant comedic talents of Pakistani-American Kumail Nanjiani, whose "The Big Sick" was a surprise hit in theaters this summer; and who could forget "RuPaul's Drag Race", hosted by legendary, gay, African American transvestite Ru Paul, an endlessly diverting drag-queen makeover competition on LogoTV that ticks the boxes and tickles our funny-bones.

Surprise winner Riz Ahmed edged out the favorite Academy award-winner Robert De Niro ("Raging Bull") to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for "The Night Of". Ahmed is the first Asian actor to win an Emmy in this category.

"This year's Emmys are proof positive that, no matter who you are, if you work hard, have good ideas and refuse to give up, you can actually make it in Hollywood," Newcomer TV producer Ellie Shoja told Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 16:31:22|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

PANAMA CITY, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Confucius Institute at the state-run University of Panama (UP) plans to inaugurate new headquarters here in the Panamanian capital to boost cultural exchange between China and the Central American country.

New facilities are being readied at the UP, including two classrooms for basic and advanced students of Mandarin, a library, an audiovisual department, and some administrative offices, said Junhui David Wu, general director of the UP's Confucius Institute.

Wu has been working on the project for 11 years, with the support of the PU and the Chinese embassy. Reflecting the new spirit of partnership between Panama and China, each government is financing 50 percent of the project.

China's presence in Panama can be traced back to at least 150 years ago, but the two countries cemented their bilateral relationship by formally establishing diplomatic ties in June.

"The Confucius Institute is a center for teaching Mandarin to people around the world...and this space will provide a venue for young Panamanians and officials from different institutions, or people from NGOs, who want to learn Mandarin," Wu explained.

According to Wu, the courses provided by the institute are designed for airport or customs officials, border agents, police officers and businessmen who need to communicate in Chinese. The language teachers will be supplied by Beijing International Studies University, he added.

When completed beyond the end of the year, Panama's Confucius Institute will join a network of 500 such language centers around the world.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 16:36:23|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- At least four Taliban militants were killed and another was wounded when Afghan air force struck their positions in eastern province of Nangarhar, authorities said Tuesday.

Afghan air force bombed militants' hideouts in Bati Kot and Achin districts on Monday, leaving four Taliban insurgents dead and one other wounded, the army Corps 201 Selab said in a statement.

The Afghan army also launched a cleanup operation early Tuesday morning, in some vicinities of the neighboring mountainous Kunar province to track militants there, the statement noted.

The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants as the Taliban militants and Islamic State (IS) fighters have been attempting to take territory and consolidate their positions across the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 16:56:30|Editor: An

Video Player Close

MANILA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Discussions are underway between the Philippines and Chinese tour operators and investors to open more direct chartered flights from China to Philippine provinces in a bid to lure more Chinese tourists, officials said here Tuesday.

Philippine Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo said that Chinese investors have expressed their willingness to invest in new hotels and resorts in the Philippines, particularly in Puerto Princesa in Palawan province.

Teo was in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, from Sept. 10 to 14, to attend a meeting of the 22nd United Nations World Tourism Organization, an agency responsible for the promotion of responsible and sustainable tourism.

While in Chengdu, Teo said she met with Chinese tour operators to further boost the already thriving tourism routes between China and the Philippines.

Teo said the Philippine and Chinese tour operators are planning new chartered flights between Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, and Boracay, one of the Philippines' top tourist destinations, and Chongqing, a major city in Southwest China, to Boracay.

Moreover, Teo said that investors have also expressed interest to develop hotels and resorts in Puerto Princesa. She said the Chinese investors have recently made inspections around Puetro Princesa for possible development.

"With improved diplomatic relations between Manila and Beijing, we are assured of a more eloquent business and people-to-people exchanges between our two nations," Teo said in a statement last week.

She said the Philippines is trying to meet its target of a million Chinese tourists this year.

In a bid to lure more Chinese tourists and investors to the Philippines, the Philippine government said in August it will soon issue landing visas to Chinese nationals who wish to visit the Philippines.

At present, records from the Philippine Department of Tourism show that China is the Philippines' third largest source of foreign arrivals, after South Korea and the United States.

From January to July this year, the department said that the number of Chinese tourists to the Philippines totaled 454,962.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 17:01:37|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

GAZA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas Movement, announced Tuesday the death of one of its members in a resistance tunnel located in the southern Gaza Strip.

The man identified as Hani Shalouf, 24, died while working in a resistance tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, the Brigades said in a brief press release.

Shlouf is the third activist, affiliated to Al-Qassam Brigades, to be killed within five days in "resistance" tunnels in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian armed factions often call the term "jihadist mission," on the conditions of death of their activists in a work accident, or an error during armed exercises.

Israel has intensified attacks to destroy the Hamas ground tunnels from the Gaza Strip into Israel.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 17:16:45|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

HONG KONG, Spet. 19 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming signing of a free trade agreement between China's Hong Kong and ASEAN will further boost cooperation between the two sides under the Belt and Road Initiative, said a speaker at a forum on Hong Kong-ASEAN economic relations held here on Tuesday.

The 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) jointly announced earlier this month that they are to sign in November the ASEAN-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement and the ASEAN-Hong Kong Investment Agreement.

Speaking on the prospect of the Hong Kong-ASEAN FTA, Jonathan Choi, chairman of the Hong Kong-based Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, said that the FTA, which covers trade in goods and services, investment, economic and technical cooperation, as well as dispute settlement mechanism, will bring new business opportunities for the two sides and will help Hong Kong explore the rapidly growing consumer market of ASEAN.

Choi made the remarks at the Hong Kong-ASEAN Summit 2017, a forum organized by local radio Metro Finance on the economic and trade relations between Hong Kong and ASEAN.

More than one speaker at the forum talked about the growing share of Asia in the global economy and the increasing importance of the area to Hong Kong.

"The shift in gravity (towards Asia) is speeding up, and this is the biggest structural change" currently in global economy and trade, said one of the speakers, David Carbon, chief economist of DBS bank, who also emphasized ASEAN's increasing importance to Hong Kong.

Closer Hong Kong-ASEAN economic and trade relations will further promote the two sides' cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, Choi said, adding that Hong Kong could play the roles of connector, investor and operator in its cooperation with ASEAN members in projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Professor Chen Kwan Yiu, chairman of HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education, said in the opening speech at the forum that to be a "regional super-connector" along the Belt and Road routes, Hong Kong needs better management of its external economic relations and the signing of Hong Kong-ASEAN FTA is one of the relevant measures.

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.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 17:26:49|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

NEW DELHI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A major fire broke out at a school in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Tuesday, police said.

All 200 students of Rajaji SKD Academy in Rajajipuram area in state capital Lucknow had a narrow escape as teachers and the school authorities managed to evacuate them right on time.

"The fire started on the ground floor of the school and soon spread to other areas. Alert teachers immediately got the students out. There were no casualties," a police official said.

Fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, he said, adding that one portion of the school building has been completely gutted in the fire.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, the official said.

"The school is a private one. We will book the owners if any kind of negligence is found on their part. We will also investigate if the school had all fire fighting measures," he added.

Fire in Indian schools are not uncommon mainly due to poor safety standards followed by most of them and lack of fire safety equipment on the premises. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 17:46:57|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

The 2017 Pingyao International Photography Festival is held in Pingyao, north China's Shanxi Province, Sept. 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

PINGYAO, Shanxi, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- More than 2,000 photographers from 23 countries and regions gathered at Pingyao, one of China's best preserved ancient towns, in the northern province of Shanxi.

More than 16,000 photos by photographers in the United States, Britain, France and Sri Lanka among others are on display at the 17th Pingyao International Photography Festival (PIP), which opened Tuesday.

"It is a unique opportunity to participate in this festival. It is my first trip to China," said French photographer Philippe Vermes, known for his black-and-white portrait photography, at the opening ceremony.

"Photography is a binding force. It is the reason that we are here today to participate in this diverse and colorful cultural exchange," he said.

Photos that show China's industrial development by domestic photographer Wang Yuwen are on display in a special zone for exhibiting Chinese contemporary photography.

This year's festival also features works by American aerial photographer Jamey Stillings and leading British artist Marcus Lyon. The latter, in his work Somos Brasil (We are Brazil), documented more than 100 Brazilians through photography, sound and DNA sampling.

There will also be slide shows, videos, workshops, symposiums and forums during the week-long festival.

Launched in 2001, the annual PIP festival has been running for 17 years. Advocating diversity, internationalism and professionalism, it is considered an important stage for international photographers to display their talent.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 17:51:59|Editor: An

Video Player Close



President of the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce (SRCIC) Lu Jianzhong (1st L, back) speaks at the 10th World Chambers Congress in Sydney, Australia, Sept. 19, 2017. The 10th World Chambers Congress kicked off in Sydney on Tuesday, with some of the world's brightest minds on hand to discuss ways to transform the future of business and stoke the economy. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

SYDNEY, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The 10th World Chambers Congress kicked off in Sydney on Tuesday, with some of the world's brightest minds on hand to discuss ways to transform the future of business and stoke the economy.

More than 1,000 international delegates, from businesses and governments, will attend the biennial, three-day event at the Harbour city's International Convention Centre.

The World Chambers Federation (WCF) held its first congress in France in 1999, to mark the 400-year anniversary of the world's oldest business chamber -- the Marseille- Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

This year, one of the centrepieces of the meeting is the newly formed Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce (SRCIC), which formed in 2015.

"The WCF is an organization with long history and enjoys a strong international reputation and influence over the globe," President of the SRCIC, Lu Jianzhong said, when he addressed the forum.

"It is sophisticated and has extensive experience in chamber management and cooperation development."

"The Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce, on the other hand, is young, and like every young institute, is full of energy."

Eying strong growth potential and a positive outlook for cooperation between the SRCIC and the WCF, Lu said the aims of his not-for-profit, non-governmental, transnational business confederation was to share resources with the WCF and the broader business community in order to strengthen connectivity and promote the recovery of world economy.

For Lu, cultural exchanges between nations and its representatives are as important as the economic transactions.

"We hold the Silk Road Spirit in mind, which is peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit," Lu explained.

"Our mission is to achieve shared growth through discussion and collaboration, and our goal is win-win, multi-win and all-win outcomes."

The vast majority of chamber members that Xinhua spoke to at the event, believe the key areas in which global business can be improved to attain more mutually beneficial outcomes is through the reduction of transaction costs, better integration between countries and a more streamlined approach to international trade.

Lu explained that boosting services through foreign investment in the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China, would help address these concerns and act as a vehicle for prosperity and global economic growth.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 17:57:02|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

by Xinhua Writer Shi Xiaomeng

BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- With Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong beginning his official visit to China on Tuesday, the two countries are expected to discuss deepening cooperation in various sectors.

During the visit, which concludes on Sept. 21, Lee will meet Chinese leaders to exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

He has spoken positively about the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China, calling it an approach to closer cooperation between China, its neighbors and its trade partners.

In January 2016, China and Singapore launched a joint project, the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI), to link western China and southeast Asia through Chongqing, a municipality in western China.

The CCI will develop a more direct and shorter trade route between western China and Southeast Asia, thereby lowering logistical costs, enhancing cross-border trade flows, and catalyzing the economic development of both regions.

Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has said that the CCI can provide financial services to regional projects and offer personnel training programs to countries along the route. This can be one of the aspects for further cooperation between China and Singapore.

Besides the CCI, there are two other substantial government-to-government cooperative projects between the two countries. These are the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park established in easter-central Chinese province Jiangsu in 1994, and the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city 150 km from Beijing, founded in 2008.

There is also a tradition of longstanding exchanges between the business enterprises and civil societies of the two countries.

With such a long tradition of close cooperation, China and Singapore have been sharing common interests, have gained rich experience, and will find opportunities to upgrade their relationship, which will benefit the region and beyond.

For example, both China and Singapore are supporting free trade against the backdrop of rising anti-globalization in parts of the world. The two are negotiating to upgrade the free trade area agreement, which, at this moment, is more critical than ever.

Moreover, Singapore will become the rotating president of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year. If it can act as a coordinator between China and ASEAN, the two sides will have a chance to upgrade their partnership to a higher level and promote regional development.

Looking ahead, for China and Singapore, there is much more to come.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 18:07:11|Editor: An

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will head for New York Wednesday to attend a ministerial meeting on the Iran nuclear issue, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

According to spokesperson Lu Kang, Iran, the United States, Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany will hold the meeting at the UN headquarters.

The meeting will discuss implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and give political guidance to the follow-up implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, Lu told a routine press briefing.

According to the JCPOA, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran will be removed if the country proved abides by the deal over the next few years.

"JCPOA is an important outcome of international security governance, as well as an example of resolving international hot-spot issues through diplomacy," Lu said. "It plays an important role in upholding the international non-proliferation regime and maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East."

Lu said that China had always firmly supported the JCPOA and participated in its implementation. He said he hoped that the parties concerned would build political consensus, and properly manage and control their differences through the upcoming meeting.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 18:12:13|Editor: An

Video Player Close

Liu Yunshan (L), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sept. 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

HANOI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan said Tuesday that the stable and healthy development of Sino-Vietnamese relations is conducive to the reform and opening up of the two countries.

Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, arrived in Hanoi on Monday for an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

During meeting here with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Liu said the CPC and the CPV constitute a community of shared destiny with strategic significance.

The sound and stable development of the bilateral ties will help to solidify the ruling position of the two parties, which is in the interests of the two parties and people of the two nations, said Liu.

The two economies are highly complementary, with huge potential for practical cooperation, he said.

He called on the two sides to synergize the China -proposed Belt and Road Initiative with Vietnam's Two Corridors and One Economic Circle plan to facilitate the production capacity cooperation.

He also suggested the two nations properly manage and control their divergences, so as to create favorable environment for bilateral cooperation.

China is ready to make joint efforts with Vietnam to upgrade bilateral pragmatic cooperation, said Liu.

Phuc, for his part, said the close high-level contacts have promoted the friendly cooperation between the two countries.

Vietnam is willing to work with China to carry out the consensus reached by General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, he said.

Phuc agreed with Liu on synergizing the two countries' development strategies. He suggested the two sides deepen cooperation in investment, trade and major projects, properly deal with differences, so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 18:12:13|Editor: liuxin

Video Player Close

DOHA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Qatar accused Bahrain on Tuesday of abusing a fisheries case to deepen the diplomatic crisis between the emirate and its Gulf states, the official QNA news agency reported.

Qatar condemned the statement issued by the Bahraini Interior Ministry on the detention of 15 Bahraini boats carrying 20 sailors, QNA said.

An interior ministry official said the 15 Bahraini fishing boats, seized by the Qatari coastguard, had been operating illegally in the emirate's waters and had been held under routine procedures.

The 20 fishermen on board would be released within the next three days while the courts would decide what happened to the boats.

The official told QNA the Coast and Borders Security Department had repeatedly warned the fishermen not to operate in Qatari waters and not to use harmful fishing practices.

Qatar had a longstanding territorial dispute with Bahrain over the waters and small islands that separate the peninsula from the main islands of its maritime neighbour which was only resolved by the International Court of Justice in 2001.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 18:22:19|Editor: liuxin

Video Player Close

NEW DELHI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Indian federal government has decided to form an inter-ministerial committee to monitor implementation of safety measures in schools across the country, officials said Tuesday.

The announcement came in the wake of last week's brutal killing of a seven-year-old student in Gurgaon of Haryana and rape of a girl by a school peon in New Delhi.

The decision to form the inter-ministerial committee was taken Monday during a meeting between Human Resource Development minister Prakash Javadekar and Women and Child Development minister Maneka Gandhi, a senior official said.

The minister for Women and Child Development told the media that the committee will be constituted of six secretaries, who will be responsible of monitoring the implementation and progress of safety guidelines in schools.

Meanwhile, Gurgaon's Ryan International School, which opened on Monday, 10 days after the murder of the boy, has been shut down again for a week due to security reasons.

The boy's father has expressed concerns that reopening of school will tamper the evidence. He has appealed to the Supreme Court that the school should remain closed until the Central Bureau of Investigation, which has taken over the case from the state police, completes its probe.

On Monday, a 15-year-old girl in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was killed after falling off from the third floor of her school building. The girl's family alleged she had been thrown off by someone and has asked for a detailed investigation into her death.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 18:37:26|Editor: liuxin

Video Player Close

SINGAPORE, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Singapore will invest in its people, capabilities and networks to build a more secure and resilient digital community, said Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean on Tuesday.

Teo said at the opening ceremony of the second Singapore International Cyber Week that by investing in the three areas, Singapore can raise the overall quality of cybersecurity, advance the vision of being a Smart Nation, and contribute to regional and international efforts to build a safer and more secure cyberspace.

The deputy prime minister said Singapore will be investing in its people and growing the pool of cybersecurity professionals. He disclosed that the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore will develop a new academy to train cybersecurity professionals and will partner leading industry players to train those in government and critical information infrastructure sectors.

He said Singapore will strengthen the national cybersecurity capabilities, in which strengthening the resilience of the country's physical infrastructure is a priority.

According to Teo, the Singaporean government is thus developing a new Cybersecurity Bill, to provide regulatory powers to strengthen the resilience of critical information infrastructure and essential services. The bill will enable the government to take pre-emptive action to protect against cyber threats, and improve Singapore's capability to respond to incidents.

Teo said Singapore will work to strengthen the international networks. He called on all countries to work together at different levels so as to address cyber-threats effectively.

The Singapore International Cyber Week 2017, themed as "Building A Secure and Resilient Digital Future Through Partnership," provides an integrated platform for over 6,000 international and regional policy makers, thought leaders, industry experts and visitors to forge partnership, engage in critical dialogues and knowledge-sharing for a secure and resilient cyberspace.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 18:37:27|Editor: liuxin

Video Player Close

BERLIN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- German populist party AfD has accused Google of sabotaging its digital campaign in the final stage of the German elections, the magazine SPIEGEL reported on Tuesday.

Thor Kunkel, head of the AfD campaign, has hired U.S. specialist firm Harris Media based in Texas to manage the digital campaign and is now complaining that significant parts of the AfD campaign were blocked by Google.

"We do not have problems with any other platform," says Kunkel, adding, "Google is sabotaging us, disadvantaging us in the political competition."

With practically all German parties paying campaign money to Google, Facebook and Twitter, this is the first time that U.S. internet companies are playing such a central role during the German election. According to Kunkel, AfD had originally planned to spend a five-digit figure on advertising its anti-Merkel website alone.

Harris Media and Google's adword team have exchanged various emails that SPIEGEL has access to. In these emails titled "Problem-Reports" or "advertisement declined", Google is saying that the AfD content is designed to "hoax the customer" as well as to publicize "dangerous and derogatory content".

Campaign chief Kunkel calls Google's behavior an "improper interference with the forming of the political will", and vowed to retaliate by boycotting Google in return, instead investing the planned budget in Facebook advertisement.

Google confirmed on Monday that the AfD text advertisements are approved by now but that the advertisement video in question was still blocked.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 18:42:30|Editor: liuxin

Video Player Close

ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- More than 70,000 ethnic Oromos have been displaced from Ethiopia's Somali regional state after a week of clashes with ethinic Somalis that left scores dead.

A smaller number of ethnic Somalis numbering around 300 have also been displaced from Oromia regional state.

Speaking exclusively to Xinhua on Tuesday, Negeri Lencho, Minister of Ethiopia Government Communication Affairs Office (GCAO) says the Ethiopian government has formed a national taskforce to help with the needs of the displaced people.

He further said despite isolated clashes on Monday on the border between Oromia and Somali regional states, the area is generally calming down.

"The border areas between the two regional states is being currently manned by the Ethiopian army to prevent a repeat of the last week's deadly clashes," said Lencho adding that the national taskforce is helping those displaced people that have indicated a desire to return back to their original residences.

Ethiopia's biggest regional states Oromia and Somali have been locked in a dispute over the delineation of their common boundary for almost two decades.

A referendum in October 2004 was supposed to demarcate the boundary between the two regional states, but its implementation has been stalled ever since with both sides accusing each other of non-compliance with the referendum results.

Over the past week, heavy clashes along the Oromia-Somali boundary spilled into ethnic violence which has left scores of people dead and tens of thousands displaced.

As part of the efforts to calm the situation, the Ethiopian federal government announced on Saturday roads that cross both regional states will be guarded by the federal police and security forces of both regional states will withdraw from border locations.

In addition, the statement from the federal government said it will engage in disarmament of weapons held by civilians in the area of the conflict.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 18:42:33|Editor: liuxin

Video Player Close

LONDON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- More than 34,000 complaints against the police in England and Wales were filed in the past year, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said Tuesday in its annual report.

The total number, 34,103 was slightly down on 2015-2016 when 34,247 complaints were received by IPCC. Within the complaints there were 63,752 allegations made against police officers.

London's Metropolitan Police, the biggest police force in Britain, topped the list with 5,836 complaints, a seven percent reduction compared to the previous year. The Met was followed by the West Yorkshire force with a 16 percent increase in complaints to 2,167.

The report showed that neglect of duty against the police, with 23,666 complaints, accounted for 37 percent of the total.

Second in the list of complaints were assaults by police officers, totaling 5,014, with included 132 allegations of sexual assault by police officers, with complaints of harassment and oppressive conduct generating 3,531 complaints.

Almost 2,600 people complained of unlawful, unnecessary arrest or detention by the police, while 1,028 complaints were filed alleging malpractice or perjury.

In the report, the IPCC said police forces remain inconsistent in their approach to handling complaints made by the public and the way complaints are handled.

The IPCC has repeated its call for the complaints system to be simplified, and for a consistent approach to complaints and complainants across the more than 40 police forces.

There will be significant changes next year to the police complaints system, including a greater role for police and crime commissioners, who will decide on appeals that do not go to the IPCC.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 18:42:35|Editor: liuxin

Video Player Close

BERLIN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Five days before the German federal election, no potential alternative is seen for either Chancellor Merkel or the continuation of the current German government, transferring the question to how Merkel will form the new German government.

Most polls see Merkel's conservative union (CDU/CSU) comfortably sitting between 35-37 percent, more than 10 percentage points ahead of Germany's other large party, the Social Democrats (SPD).

"Chancellor Merkel will most likely stay," said Thorsten Schneider-Haase, head of political research at research group Kantar Emnid Institute.

As to the potential coalition partner of Chancellor Merkel, there are quite a few coalitions that are possible on paper but impossible in political reality.

Everything is pointing at a continuous coalition between the CDU/CSU and the SPD yet within a 2-percent error margin, so a coalition with the Liberals (FDP) is not completely off the table, since it's currently polled between 8-9 percent and thus ready to re-enter the German parliament.

Similar to many other European countries, the political landscape in Germany has changed fundamentally over the past two decades.

Both polled around 10 percent, the populist right-wing party AfD and the far-left party Die Linke increased the number of parties that have passed the 5-percent hurdle to enter the German parliament from four to six.

The increase in the number of represented parties has made it very hard for the coalitions of the old days -- either conservatives and liberals or social democrats and the green party -- to get a majority in Germany.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 18:52:39|Editor: An

Video Player Close

MACAO, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Macao's sixth legislative election has completed the audit process of vote counting, and despite a few dozens of ballots being recognized as invalid, the result of election remained unchanged, an election audit committee said on Tuesday.

Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Legislative Election General Auditing Committee announced that there are 39 spoiled ballots recognized as invalid after auditing. According to the final result, there are 174,872 eligible voters casting their votes and 172,628 ballots are valid.

The elected members of the sixth Legislative Assembly remain unchanged compared with the preliminary result, which showed that 14 candidates won the directly-elected seats, and 12 won the indirectly-elected seats.

After receiving the audited vote counting of direct and indirect election, the SAR chief executive will appoint another seven seats, adding the total seat number of the sixth Legislative Assembly to 33.

In line with the Basic Law, the new legislature is composed of 33 seats including 14 directly-elected seats, 12 indirectly-elected seats, and seven others which will be appointed by the SAR chief executive.

The term of office of the sixth Legislative Assembly is four years, which will start in October 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 19:12:51|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

BAGHDAD, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi government said at least three people were killed and 34 others wounded Tuesday when three suicide bombers attacked a restaurant in Iraq's north-central province of Salahudin.

The incident took place before noon when two suicide bombers detonated their explosive vests at al-Qal'a Restaurant in al-Hajjaj area in the south of the oil refinery town of Baiji, some 200 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Brig. Gen. Saad Maan, Interior Ministry spokesman, said in a statement.

Security forces arrived at the scene and shot dead a third suicide bomber in front of the restaurant, the statement added.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such suicide attacks targeting security forces and crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.

In Salahudin, the IS is still in control of Makhoul mountain range and the villages between the range and the western bank of the Tigris River.

The town of Shirqat on the eastern bank of the river, about 280 km north of Baghdad, as well as its surrounding villages and rural areas that stretch to the IS-held town of Hawijah in the western part of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, are also under IS rule.

Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units have freed the provincial capital Tikrit, about 170 km north of Baghdad, and other key cities and towns in the predominately Sunni Arab province of Salahudin.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 19:38:02|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

Nepal Army personnel participate in a parade in celebration of the second anniversary of Constitution Day at Nepal Army Pavilion, Tundikhel, Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 19, 2017.(Xinhua/Sunil Sharma)

KATHMANDU, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Nepal on Tuesday celebrated the second anniversary of the promulgation of its new constitution as a national festival.

Two years have passed since the Himalayan nation promulgated its new constitution at the historic Constituent Assembly in 2015.

A special function was organized to mark the Constitution Day at the Nepal Army pavilion in Kathmandu, attended by President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, among others.

The new national statute named "Nepal Constitution-2072" was promulgated by then President Dr Ram Baran Yadav. It is the first constitution in the country to have been drafted by the people's representatives, which features 35 parts, 308 articles and nine schedules.

The constitution has been regarded as an important document, guaranteeing the rights of people of all languages, and religion, women, indigenous nationalities, minorities and others.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 19:38:03|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

BAGHDAD, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Clashes erupted in Iraq's ethnically-mixed city of Kirkuk on Tuesday amid preparations for the Kurdish independence referendum next week, a local Turkmen official said.

The Iraqi Kurds plan to hold the referendum on Sept. 25 in three governorates as well as in disputed areas that are controlled by Kurdish forces but claimed by Baghdad, including the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

Baghdad, Turkey, Iran and the international community have rejected the vote and asked the Kurds to call it off to avoid further destabilizing the region.

Gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on the offices of the Iraqi Turkmen Front. The guards returned fire, killing one and wounding two of the assailants.

Kirkuk is home to Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen and Christians. Kurdish forces took control of the province and other disputed areas in the summer of 2014, when the Islamic State group swept across northern and central Iraq and the Iraqi armed forces crumbled.

On Monday, Iraq's top court suspended the northern Kurdish region's referendum on independence.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 19:43:06|Editor: An

Video Player Close

HONG KONG, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Council of Social Service on Tuesday launched a pilot flat-share scheme aimed at enabling non-governmental organizations (NGO) to run hundreds of cheap temporary homes to rent to needy individuals and families, according to local media.

The council, a federation of non-government social service agencies of Hong Kong, said that 26 landlords have already agreed to contribute a total of 332 units under the Community Housing Movement, Radio Television Hong Kong reported.

During a three-year project period, the council aims to solicit a total of 500 units to be shared by some 1,000 families.

Council chairman Bernard Chan said at the launching ceremony Tuesday that they aim to provide "a new option of affordable and decent housing" for the grassroots.

Eligible applicants will be those proven to be in need of transitional housing, such as low-income families who have been waiting for public housing units for more than three years. The rent will be less than one-fourth of the tenants' household income.

Under the scheme, the council will act as an intermediary to solicit the flats and sublet them to NGOs for operation. The Community Chest, a charity in Hong Kong, has allocated 50 million HK dollars (about 6.41 million U.S. dollars) to fund the project. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.8 HK dollars)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 19:43:08|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

KAMPALA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has told the United States envoy to the UN that he is making efforts to help end fighting in neighboring South Sudan that has forced over 1.6 million people to flee the country.

Museveni, according to a State House statement issued here on Tuesday, said as a mediator, he is trying to bring together the warring factions of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) together.

"The President said there was need to unite the various factions of the SPLM and that he was mediating talks to unite the SPLM as the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn works on the wider unity of the other parties," the State House statement said.

Museveni was meeting Ambassador Nikki Haley on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York.

Since fighting broke out in South Sudan in December 2013, Uganda hosts more than one million South Sudan refugees, according to figures by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The east African country says it needs more international support to be able to cater for the increasing number of refugees from South Sudan.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 19:48:09|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

JAKARTA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian national police has suggested nations in Southeast Asia set up a joint force which will carry out a cyber-patrol in an effort to prevent spread of radicalism and extremism in the region.

Deputy Chief of Indonesian National Police Commissioner General Syafruddin disclosed on Tuesday that he had delivered the proposal at the 11st ASEAN ministerial meeting on transnational crime in the Philippines, scheduled from Monday to Thursday.

The deputy chief said that the joint force will immediately detect terrorist's activity in the cyber world.

"We (have to) set up cooperation on surveillance and monitor the activities of cells of terrorists," Syafruddin said in a statement.

Terrorists, including the IS members, have intensively used Internet for their communication and supporting their other activities, particularly in plotting suicide strikes or in spreading extremism.

In Indonesia, suicide bombers have used Internet for communication and supporting their deadly missions, police said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 20:03:16|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

TALLINN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Estonia on Tuesday signed the Tallinn e-energy declaration with the aim of digitizing the energy market further.

It was signed by Estonian Minister for Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Kadri Simson and European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete.

The declaration recognizes the importance of the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the role of the European Union in fighting climate change with its on-going transition to a low carbon economy.

EU member states and EU industry associations are expected to sign the declaration, as the signatories aim to enhance cooperation between the public sector and companies.

"Building the secure energy sector of the future requires broad cooperation among all stakeholders," Simson said, highlighting digitalization and energy.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 20:23:24|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (C) arrives to deliver a speech at the Myanmar International Convention Center-2 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Sept. 19, 2017. Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday called on the international community to cooperate for constructively tackling the issue of the northern Rakhine state. (Xinhua/U Aung)

NAY PYI TAW, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday called on the international community to cooperate for constructively tackling the issue of the northern Rakhine state.

Aung San Suu Kyi made the remarks in her special speech at the Myanmar International Convention Center-2 in Nay Pyi Taw Tuesday related to the government's national reconciliation and peace efforts following her cancellation to attend the ongoing 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Aung San Suu Kyi voiced government's pledge to implement the recommendations by the Advisory Commission, led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, saying that those recommendations will help bring speedy improvement to the situation of the state within the shortest time frame.

Briefing government's efforts to restore the situation in Rakhine state at the convention center, attended by 700 participants, including 120 foreign diplomats, Suu Kyi stressed that there had been no armed clashes nor clearance operation since Sept. 5, but she was concerned about reports that numbers of Muslims are fleeing across border to Bangladesh.

She said she wants to determine the cause of the recent exodus of Muslims from Rakhine state by talking to those who have fled as well as those who stayed, while inviting the diplomatic community to join the investigation.

She warned that action would be taken against anyone regardless of race, religion and political stance who violated human rights in Myanmar.

Aung San Suu Kyi voiced the Myanmar government's readiness to start verification process of refugees in Bangladesh at any time as part of the refugee repatriation process in line with the 1993 Agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar, saying that verified refugees, who were from Myanmar, will be accepted and provided with full assurance of security and other humanitarian aid and encouraging the Muslims to join the process.

She highlighted the government's social economic development in Rakhine, disclosing that the Rakhine state's socio-economic development plan 2017-2021 has been drafted to boost regional development in various sectors, including infrastructure and electrification as well as creation of new job opportunities for local people through private-public partnership.

She stressed that all people in Rakhine state have access to education and healthcare services without discrimination.

She also said the government is trying to promote inter-communal religious harmony by engaging interfaced groups.

With regard to relations with Bangladesh, Aung San Suu Kyi said the government is trying to enhance the existing relations, expecting the Bangladeshi home minister to visit Myanmar to jointly handle the security affairs of the border.

Terrorists launched fresh attacks on police outposts in Rakhine on Aug. 25, displacing residents from a number of areas in Maungtaw district.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) during their meeting as part of an effort to revive the Middle East peace process ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. (Reuters Photo)

CAIRO, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have met for the first time in public in a bid to break peace talks stalemate, official MENA news agency reported on Tuesday.

Egyptian authorities said in a statement the two had met on Monday ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Sisi separately met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his residency, where they agreed to continue working toward a two-state solution.

The meeting came just days after Egypt helped broker an agreement with the Palestinian Hamas group to dissolve the administration that runs Gaza and hold talks with Abbas' Fatah movement, its Palestinian rivals.

For much of the last decade, Egypt has joined Israel in enforcing a land, sea and air blockade of the Gaza Strip, a move to punish Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since a brief Palestinian civil war in 2007.

Netanyahu said ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors have been improving and that cooperation exists "in various ways and at different levels."

Egypt was the first of a number of Arab countries to recognize Israel under the U.S.-sponsored peace accord in 1979.

But Egyptian attitudes to its neighbour remain icy due to what many Arabs see as the continued Israeli occupation of land that is meant to form a Palestinian state.

Egypt has recently hosted delegations from Fatah and Hamas to help reach an agreement between the two sides.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 21:03:52|Editor: An

Video Player Close

SHANGHAI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's first television show featuring robot combat competitions will be aired in October.

The show, "Fighting, My Bots," is scheduled to be aired each weekend on Anhui TV, one of its producers, a Shanghai-based company focusing on robotic fighting, said on Tuesday.

One of the show's anchors is expected to be humanoid robot Jia Jia developed by the University of Science and Technology of China, a life-like, with natural eye movements and speech.

The camera crew will collect news about the progress of robotics in the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Israel and Japan.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 21:03:52|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

PARIS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron's approval ratings were hit by fresh decline as more French people regarded him as "a bad president", a poll showed on Tuesday.

An Odoxa survey for L'express, France inter radio and regional newspapers said Macron collecting 44 percent of positive rating in September, sharply down from 58 percent of favorable opinions reported in June.

"In two months, we report collapse of the President's popularity. Henceforth, 56 percent of the French think that he is a bad president. It's worse than (former head of state) Francois Hollande at the same period," the pollster said.

After a short-lived honeymoon at the Elysee Palace, Macron, once the country's political star, saw his public support tumbling as anger over proposed labor reform continued.

Last week, thousands of people took to the streets in French cities to express their refusal of the president's reform to lessen rigid labor rules to create more jobs.

Further mass demonstrations are planned for this week in what labor unions and opponents hope will prove big enough show of force to make Macron reconsider the reform.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 21:08:56|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and eight others injured in a factory explosion in Pakistan's southern city of Sukkur on Tuesday, police said.

Feroz Shah, deputy inspector general of police of Sukkur, said that the explosion occurred when Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) of police was diffusing explosives in a cement factory in Sukkur, which killed five people, including two BDS personnel and a Rangers' official and left eight others injured.

"The deceased persons were busy with diffusing explosives present in the factory when the blast took place. The injured include at least six Rangers personnel, a factory manager, and a staffer," said Shah.

The cause of the explosion is not known yet, said the police officer, adding that they are trying to determine whether it was due to the explosives planted by some miscreants or just happened during BDS work.

Rescue teams and security forces rushed to the scene and shifted the bodies and injured to the Sukkur Civil Hospital.

The law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area for further investigation.

Syed Murad Ali Shah, chief minister of the country's southern Sindh province, has expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the precious lives and sympathized with the bereaved families.

The chief minister has also sought a detailed inquiry report from the concerned authorities about the incident.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 21:08:58|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

MOGADISHU, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) police have handed over an assortment of critical office equipment to the Somali Police Force to help enhance their capacity to deter terror threats in the country.

AMISOM Deputy Police Commissioner Christine Alalo handed over the equipment donated by Denmark to the police in Mogadishu. She said the consignment will help in facilitating the work of police officers to maintain law and order.

"We have a mandate here in Somalia and our mandate is to build the capacity of the Somali police forces. This is in terms of training, mentoring, operational support; you see the Formed Police Unit (FPU) that undertake day and night patrols," Alalo said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

"We also do strategic advising, but most of all, we are supposed to support them in terms of logistics and equipment, (and) to equip the police stations," she added.

The equipment which included office furniture, desktop computers, printers, folding chairs, tables, cabinets, solar torches and solar lamps, will be distributed to various police stations in Mogadishu.

The AU mission's police skills and mentors Somali police officers to effectively maintain law and order across the country.

They also train them on the consequences of sexual and gender-based violence, human rights observance and protection in conflict and post- conflict environments, community policing, traffic management and basic criminal investigation techniques, which are critical areas in the maintenance of law and order.

General Ahmed Hassan Malin, the commander of the Banadir Police Station, said the cabinets will be used for storing documents and the solar torches for night patrols.

"We are grateful for the donation brought to us by our brothers at AMISOM Police. We will distribute them to four police stations in Banadir and I know they will enhance greatly our operations," Malin said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 21:19:07|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

RAMALLAH, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A advisor of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday that Abbas will focus on the U.S. initiative to revive the peace process and the two-state solution in his upcoming keynote speech at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

"Abbas will demand implementation of all international legitimacy resolutions concerning Israel and ending its occupation, although U.S. President Donald Tump has not mentioned clearly his position toward the two-state solution," Nabil Sha'ath, Abbas' advisor for international affairs, told official Palestinian radio station Voice of Palestine.

The U.S. has requested three to four months to present a peace initiative based on the ideas put forward by the American envoys during their recent meetings with Palestinian and Israeli leaders, Sha'ath noted.

Also on Tuesday, Palestinian Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rdineh urged the international community to turn the Palestinian statehood bid into the reality on the ground.

It is possible to achieve peace based on the resolutions of the international legitimacy "if the U.S. administration is determined to do so," he said.

The Palestinians won its statehood bid in 2012 because of the international recognition of Palestine as a state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, Abu Rdineh noted.

"We are keen to urge the international community to turn this into a reality," he said.

Abbas is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Trump on Wednesday, hours before he is expected to address the UN General Assembly.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 21:44:22|Editor: An

Video Player Close

by writers Cheng Lu and Lin Li

BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- After just a week in Tsonyi County, Tibet Autonomous Region, doctor Huo Zhiping had two babies named after him, because he performed caesareans on their mothers.

Huo, an obstetrician with a medical team from Central Hospital of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), was a volunteer in Tsonyi County this summer.

The newborns, Huo Dangsheng and Huo Yousheng, were the first babies delivered locally via cesarean operation in the county.

LIFE STORIES IN NAMES

With her baby boy in her arms, Chode remembers her fear about his birth. She was diagnosed with a deficiency of amniotic fluid and the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck.

"Chode needed a caesarean, but we had never performed one," said Changchub Drolma, head of the People's Hospital of Tsonyi County, the only hospital in the county.

Expectant mothers like Chode were usually transferred to hospitals in Lhasa, across more than 700 kilometers of mountain roads. "The trip was perilous for both mothers and babies," said Changchub Drolma.

Chode was lucky as the medical team was in the county for a week.

"On the plateau, it's hard to know the condition of mother and baby with such little natural oxygen," said Zhang Yanzong, who led the medical team.

Huo pointed out that Chode was 36 years old, which made complications such as postpartum bleeding more likely.

The altitude also affected the doctors who had to perform the operation while taking in bottled oxygen themselves. "Lack of oxygen makes you slow in your reactions," Huo said.

After one and and a half hours, a baby boy was delivered.

"Thanks to doctor Huo and others in the medical team," said new father Pasang. The couple decided to name their son after Huo, so he would remember who had saved his life.

One day later, Sangye Drolma, 28, came to the hospital from a township more than 200 km away. She showed signs of a difficult childbirth.

After a cesarean lasting around 70 minutes, her daughter was born. She also named the girl after Huo.

These naming stories remind Yang Wensheng, Party Secretary of Tsonyi County, of his own family.

Yang's mother had a difficult delivery when giving birth to his older sister in northwest China's Shaanxi Province over 60 years ago. The doctor on duty told his parents that only one could survive, either the mother or the baby.

"It was their first baby," Yang said.

But a doctor named Yang rushed to hospital from home and performed surgery that saved both mother a baby girl.

"My father felt so indebted that he decided to name my sister after the doctor. He even said no matter how many children he had, they would all be named Yang," he recalled.

The Tibetan family kept its word. All nine children have the surname Yang.

IMPROVED MEDICARE ON THE PLATEAU

Home delivery was preferred in rural Tibet, causing high maternal and infant mortality. Tibetans believed that home births were more "natural" and it was difficult for many who lived in remote areas to get to hospital.

When the plateau was liberated in 1951, its maternal and infant mortality rates stood at 50 per and 430 per 1,000 respectively. The figures had dropped to 1 and 16 per 1,000 in 2015.

Behind the change is improved medical care and more acceptance of hospital births. More than 90 percent of Tibetan women choose hospital births now. Tibet covers hospital costs for mothers from rural areas and offers a one-off payment of 1,000 yuan (around 150 U.S. dollars) each time they deliver in a hospital.

With 22 medical staff, the People's Hospital of Tsonyi County can treat simple illnesses and perform some surgery. Patients with severe problems still have to go to Lhasa.

"The medical situation in Tsonyi has improved a lot in recent years," said Yang. Tibetans who were once unable to afford to see a doctor, now regularly visit government clinics and hospitals.

Through a government "pairing-up" program since 1994, various provinces, municipalities, central government departments and state-owned enterprises have provided personnel, materials, financial and technological support to Tibet.

In 2002, CNPC, China's largest oil and gas producer and supplier, began to support the county, said Li Anming, director with the emergency office of CNPC Central Hospital. Affiliated hospitals started to send medical teams to the county in 2009. So far, nearly 100 doctors have volunteered to go there. Local Tibetan doctors and nurses also visit affiliated hospitals for training each year.

Hou's medical team received more than 950 patients and performed four operations, including the two caesareans, in just a week.

"Most of patients traveled over 200 km to see us. I was touched by their trust," said Huo.

Before leaving Tsonyi, Huo put the photos of the two Tibetan babies in his suitcase.

"I started missing this place before I even left, missing my 'daughter' and 'son,'" he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 21:44:23|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

TEHRAN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iran is seeking foreign investments to develop its airports, an official with Iran Airports and Air Navigation Company said, Financial Tribune daily reported Tuesday.

Iran has not signed deals with foreign firms on developing its aviation infrastructure since January 2016 when Tehran and world powers implemented the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the JCPOA, Yadollah Aqaei-Saem was quoted as saying.

The Islamic republic needs to lure investments to build new airports and terminals, as well as develop Iran's air traffic control systems, Aqaei-Saem said.

Earlier this year, it was announced here that Iran had reached a preliminary agreement with the French construction firm Vinci to develop airports in the two Iranian cities and tourist hubs of Mashhad and Isfahan.

Iran's aviation system was hit hard by international sanctions that were to end with the nuclear deal's implementation.

However, a set of existing sanctions by the United States forbids transactions with Iran in the U.S. dollar.

Besides, new sanctions by the United States following the JCPOA, discourage foreign companies from approaching Iran.

Currently, Iran plans to develop the airports of Mehrabad, Imam Khomeini, Tabriz, Mashhad, Isfahan, Kerman and Shiraz mainly through foreign investments.

Rahmatollah Mahabadi, Iran Airports and Air Navigation Company's chief executive officer, said there is a need for 5 billion U.S. dollars' investment in Iranian airports.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 21:49:25|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The orders for China's large passenger jet, the C919, reached 730 on Tuesday after four customers signed purchase plans with the maker.

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), the Shanghai-based manufacturer of the C919, signed the contracts with four domestic leasing companies at the Beijing Aviation Expo which opened Tuesday.

It was the largest number of orders since the first C919 plane made its maiden flight in May.

COMAC is advancing test flights, according to Wu Guanghui, vice president of COMAC.

The company plans to produce six planes for test flights. The second is expected to make its maiden flight at the end of this year.

With a standard range of 4,075 kilometers, the C919 jet is comparable to the updated Airbus 320 and Boeing's new generation 737 planes.


        

                  .     .     .
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 22:14:34|Editor: An

Video Player Close

Liu Yunshan (L), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sept. 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

HANOI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan said Tuesday that the sound and stable development of relations between China and Vietnam will greatly benefit both.

"The sound and stable development of bilateral ties will help to solidify the ruling position of the two parties, which is in the interests of the two parties and peoples of the two nations," Liu said during a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, arrived in Hanoi on Monday for an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

The CPC and the CPV constitute a community of shared destiny with strategic significance, Liu said.

Liu also said that China and Vietnam are two highly complementary economies, having huge potential for practical cooperation.

While calling for an alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with Vietnam's Two Corridors and One Economic Circle plan to facilitate production capacity cooperation, Liu suggested the two neighbors properly manage and control their differences so as to create a favorable environment for cooperation.

For his part, Phuc said Vietnam is willing to work with China to implement the consensus reached by General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping.

Phuc agreed that the two countries should synergize development strategies, saying they should deepen cooperation in investment, trade and on major projects, while properly dealing with differences, so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples.

On Monday, Liu met with CPV chief Trong. During the meeting, Liu said that China and Vietnam are both socialist countries led by communist parties, and it is important to strengthen relations between the two parties and countries.

Trong expressed the hope for more inter-party exchanges and cooperation, especially experience-sharing on state governance and party building, while urging the two countries to cement political mutual trust, strengthen their traditional friendship and promote their comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

During his meeting on Monday with Tran Quoc Vuong, a member of the Politburo of the CPV Central Committee, secretary of the CPV Central Committee and head of the Committee's Inspection Commission, Liu said it is a priority for the two countries to turn the consensus reached by Xi and Trong into concrete actions.

Vuong said Vietnam is ready to work with China to implement the consensus, strengthen political mutual trust, enhance practical cooperation in various fields and promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties.

On Tuesday, Liu also met with Chairperson of the National Assembly of Vietnam Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Liu said he hoped the National Assembly of Vietnam would play an active role in cementing the friendship between the two peoples. Friendly people-to-people exchanges are indispensable for developing bilateral ties, he added.

Ngan said that maintaining the traditional bilateral friendship is a firm policy of Vietnam.
A motorcyclist rides past a painted wall on the streets of Juba, capital of South Sudan, Aug. 6, 2017. South Sudanese youth who have been torn apart by over three years of civil war, are using music, poetry, fashion, drama, comedy and dance to advocate for peace and unity. (Xinhua/Gale Julius)

JUBA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Fresh clashes between government forces and rebels on Monday have killed at least 25 people in northern South Sudan, officials said Tuesday.

Information Minister in Northern Liech State Lam Tungwar said rebels aligned to the country's former deputy president attacked Nhialdiu town in the early hours of Monday, leaving at least 25 people dead.

"We lost 19 people during the fighting in Nhialdiu Payam and an additional six people died later. Among the dead were three women, six police officers and an old man," Tungwar told Xinhua by phone.

South Sudan has been embroiled in more than three years of conflict that has taken a devastating toll on the people of the country.

A peace pact signed in Addis Ababa in 2015 under intense international pressure was shattered again following renewed violence between government and opposition troops in the capital Juba in July 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 22:24:36|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

BANGKOK, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- An estimated 23.5 million foreigners visited Thailand during this year's first eight months, said a senior Thai government official on Tuesday.

The 23.5 million foreign tourists to Thailand, mostly from China, accounted for a 5.36 percent increase from the same period last year and brought some 1.2 trillion baht (about 35.3 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism-related incomes to the country, according to Pongpanu Svetarundra, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Those earnings represented a 7.47 percent increase from the corresponding period last year, he said.

According to a report from the ministry, Chinese tourists, the biggest contributor to Thai tourism, accounted for some 30 percent of total foreign tourists and contributed some 30 percent of total earnings from foreign tourists.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 22:29:38|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

GAZA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Three Islamic Hamas movement's militants died in tunnel collapse incidents in the Gaza Strip in the past five days, the group and Gaza-based rights group said Tuesday.

One Hamas militant, Hani Chalouf, died while working in a tunnel collapse in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah earlier on Tuesday, according to the group's armed wing.

Earlier this week, two other Hamas militants also died in two separate tunnel collapse incidents in Gaza City and in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis.

The Gaza-based al-Mizan Center for Human Rights said in an official statistic that 30 militants from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad died in tunnels collapse incidents since Jan. 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 22:29:39|Editor: An

Video Player Close

DUBAI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), the biggest industry free zone in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said on Tuesday that it has signed a deal with China to boost bilateral trade and economic ties.

DMCC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Xi'an International Trade & Logistics Park in central China's Shaanxi Province at the Xi'an Dubai Free Trade Zone Economic Cooperation Conference 2017 held in China, DMCC said in an e-mailed statement.

The purpose of the MoU is to open doors for businesses in the UAE and China hoping to expand into new markets as well as organizing joint trade missions and economic delegations, the statement said.

Both sides also aim "to work together on creating a joint special economic zone passport for easier and more seamless cross-border trade and collaboration," it added.

Gautam Sashittal, chief executive officer of DMCC, said developing "closer ties in China" has become "a priority for DMCC."

"By signing this agreement with the Xi'an International Trade & Logistics Park, we aim to further help member companies in our Free Zone connect and trade across China and the UAE, while easing barriers to doing business globally," he said.

Xi'an International Trade & Logistics Park was established to help Xi'an, the capital city of Shaanxi, adjust its industrial structure and upgrade its service industry, in order to make the city an inland logistic hub.

As the starting point of the Silk Road in ancient times, Xi'an is playing an important role in the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, which aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient trade routes.

According to DMCC, China remains the UAE's top trading partner, with annual non-oil trade at about 46 billion U.S. dollars.

Earlier this month, the UAE's Ministry of Economy announced that the country's investment in China totalled 2.1 billion dollars in 2016.

Last week, DMCC announced it signed a MoU with the China Chamber of International Commerce to explore the possibility of establishing a joint business council, organizing bilateral trade delegations, as well as enhancing collaboration in the legal service sector.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) shakes hands with the President of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak during their meeting at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, on Sept. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday applauded efforts of the United Nations General Assembly when meeting with Miroslav Lajcak who chairs the 72nd session of the assembly.

China supports the role of the United Nations, the most authoritative and most representative international organization, in maintaining international peace and promoting common development, said Wang.

The current session of the General Assembly takes development as a priority and builds this year's General Debate around the theme of "focusing on people."

China appreciates the arrangements, which are in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and with the aspirations of the member states, he said.

UN reform has recently attracted much attention, he said, adding China supports UN reform and hopes reform will be carried forward in a stable manner with respect for the opinions of member states.

Lajcak said the international community welcomes China's increasingly important role in international affairs, and hopes that China can display leadership in conflict prevention, settlement of hot spot issues, peacekeeping and the implementation of the 2030 agenda.

The United Nations will enhance cooperation with China to carry forward work in security, development and human rights in a balanced way, he said.

The United Nations attaches importance to China's view on UN reform and will push this process forward in an incremental manner, he said.

Wang is in New York for the annual General Debate of the UN General Assembly.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 22:54:50|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

Sun Weimin(L) , vice chairman of Suning Group, receives the award of appreciation from Dr. Govinda Raj Pokharel, head of Nepal's National Reconstruction Authority during the Handover Ceremony in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 19, 2017. The China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA), the first Chinese NGO working in Nepal, has completed the rebuilding of this quake-damaged school and the handover ceremony took place on Tuesday. The reconstruction project was carried out by the CFPA with financial support from a Chinese company Suning Group. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma)

By Shristi Kafle

KATHMANDU, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Just a few kilometers away from the Ring Road in Nepal's capital city Kathmandu on Tuesday, colorful balloons and national flags of Nepal and China dominated the whole street leading toward a community school.

Despite the public holiday on the occasion of the Constitution Day, hundreds of school students were queued up in the pavements carrying fresh flowers, balloons in hand and with uncontrollable laughter.

The occasion was indeed special as the Yuba Sahabhagita Secondary School was getting a new building and classrooms under the Chinese assistance, and for them, a new educational journey.

The China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA), the first Chinese NGO working in Nepal, has completed the rebuilding of this quake-damaged school and the handover ceremony took place on Tuesday. The reconstruction project was carried out by the CFPA with financial support from a Chinese company Suning Group.

Sun Weimin, vice chairman of Suning Group, who attended the handover ceremony, told Xinhua: "Through the bright classrooms, we are very glad to bring smiles on the faces of students who experienced the deadly disaster. This can be regarded as a new chapter in the ties between Nepal and China."

This is the first school reconstruction project completed by a Chinese firm.

The handover ceremony was attended by not just the students, but also their parents, government and embassy officials, newly-elected local representatives and members of the community.

The community school, established in 1985, was severely damaged in the earthquake in April 2015.

After the quake, nearly 500 students were compelled to study in temporary learning classrooms for over two years.

"We were teaching our students in the temporary classrooms for two years amid weather adversities and congestion. Finally, we have our own building and brand new classrooms, all thanks to China and the Chinese organization," Kamal Rimal, the principal at Yuba Sahabhagita Secondary School, shared with Xinhua.

Teachers and parents expressed the hope that the new school building will enable the students to learn in more pleasing and comfortable environment.

"We were awarded as the best community school by the government two years ago. we are commit to be the best in coming days as well," the principal said.

Apart from the handover of the school building, the Chinese organization also distributed schools bags and stationeries to support the quality education of students.

Fifteen-year-old Sonu Bhujel, a Grade 10 student, shared her happiness with Xinhua.

"For two years, we faced extreme sun and rain and faced several troubles in temporary classrooms. We are very happy to learn in the new building now and with new stationaries."

Her classmates and juniors echoed the similar statements with joys.

There are 12 classrooms in the newly built two-storey building while the school administration has also asked the Chinese side to construct computer and science labs along with a library.

At a time when the Nepali government has completed reconstruction of only half of the quake damaged schools in the 14 worst hit districts, officials highly appreciated the assistance from China for the recovery of the Himalayan nation.

Dr. Govinda Raj Pokharel, head of Nepal's National Reconstruction Authority, an authorized body to carry out the reconstruction tasks, told Xinhua: "China is one of the biggest donors and the neighbor helping Nepal in reconstruction process in various areas. Through such school projects, China is also trying to mobilize its social sector to help the government of Nepal and the Nepalese people, which is really praiseworthy."

The CFPA, which started works in Nepal right after the earthquake, has been focusing on health, education and community development programs.

Hepatitis B screening and public health advocacy, epidemic prevention, water and sanitation, love package to students are some of its major programs launched in different parts of Nepal.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 22:54:51|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

HELSINKI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A new top economic research center will be established in Helsinki, as Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila announced on Tuesday the launch of the new Graduate School of Economics (GSE).

The new institution aims at securing doctoral level education in all major branches of economics in Finland.

Erkki Liikanen, the Governor of the Bank of Finland, said in a statement on Tuesday that the Bank has had difficulty in recruiting doctor level employees with a command of the local languages, Finnish and Swedish.

The project will be practically handled jointly by Helsinki University, Aalto University and the Helsinki Swedish language school of economics.

Beyond the state role as the main financier of universities in Finland, this unit will get additional financing from the Bank of Finland, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education. Education minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen said the GSE will hopefully also attract private money.

The GSE will employ fifteen professors. Recruitment will be open to both Finnish and international applicants. The school is interested in applicants at various stages of their academic careers.

Sipila said the GSE will make it possible that Finland in the future will be a growing ground for top economic experts.

Finnish born Nobel laureate Bengt Holmstrom was present at the launch presser. He began his academic career in Finland, but is today a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

During this year "academic brain drain" has been a frequent subject in domestic media. The concept refers to the decisions by high end university researchers to leave Finland and accept employment abroad.

People who have left Finland have often cited bureaucratic academic structures and also uncertainty of long term financing as their grounds for leaving Finland. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 22:59:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

KABUL, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Over 300 Afghan families, who had fled violence for safer areas, were waiting for aid in northern Afghanistan's restive Faryab province, a private news agency, Pajhwok Afghan News, reported Tuesday.

They had fled their homes after heavy clashes between security forces and Taliban insurgents over the weekend, which killed a 12-year-old boy, injured five people and damaged 50 houses in an airstrikes targeting Taliban.

"Some 300 of the total 600 families living in Moqani area had been displaced to Maimana city, capital of province, by the conflict and inside Pashtunkot district as well," said the report, adding the displaced families faced acute shortage of food and warm clothes.

Mohammad Rahim, provincial refugee and repatriation director, was quoted in the report as saying that the department would provide aids to the displaced families after their exact number was made clear through a survey.

More than 1 million Afghans have been displaced due to insurgency and conflicts in the Central Asian country within the past 16 years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 23:04:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

MOSCOW, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, the first joint Sino-Russian university, will light up the path for further educational cooperation between the two countries, said Victor Sadovnichy, rector of Russia's top Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU).

"MSU is ready to share its know-how and start not only language training, but also natural science research programs at the most advanced level from the very first months," Sadovnichy said in a recent interview with Xinhua about the university jointly founded by the Shenzhen municipal government, Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and MSU.

Last week, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, located in south China's metropolis of Shenzhen, held a ceremony to open its inaugural semester with the first class of 113 undergraduate students.

The studies at the university actually began in August, when the first students from China started intensive Russian language courses, Sadovnichy told Xinhua.

He believed that the most important characteristic of the university was teaching in three languages: English, which is the recognized language of modern science, Russian and Chinese, which will undoubtedly play a key role in building a new model of cooperation between countries along the new Silk Road.

"Thanks to the support of the Shenzhen government, educational laboratories equipped with the most advanced equipment which will allow students to start their scientific work directly have been opened in the first months," Sadovnichy said.

Joint scientific work at the university is one of the best formats for rapprochement, cooperation and exchanges of ideas, he said.

The university will accept undergraduate and graduate students from China and abroad, with international students making up 30 percent of them. It plans to accommodate up to 5,000 students in the coming years, and begin to enroll doctorate students in 2018.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin both sent congratulatory messages to celebrate the inaugural semester of Shenzhen MSU-BIT University.

Xi said in his message that education is a major impetus for the development of a country and a key bond to promote exchanges between different peoples.

Cooperation has played a positive role in promoting mutual understanding between the two peoples as well as the development of the Sino-Russian comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, Xi said.

Putin said in his message that educational cooperation is a key component of the Russia-China strategic partnership.

Sadovnichy said the university is a perfect starting point for the development of new innovative projects and entire trends in economic and social cooperation between the two countries.

"The capacity of the existing educational systems of our countries certainly allows and requires the establishment of more joint universities in the future," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 23:09:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

LUSAKA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Zambia is among 15 member countries of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) that have adopted the regional industrialization strategy aimed at speeding up the industrialization agenda, the regional bloc said on Tuesday.

Adopted by the COMESAA Council of Ministers in 2015, the COMESA Industrial Policy defines key interventions at both regional and national levels to speed up industrial development in the region.

Thierry Mutombo, director of industry at the regional bloc said in a statement that the document defines different responsibilities for the private sector as an engine in driving the strategy while COMESA institutions have been given specific tasks to perform in supporting the implementation of the strategy.

He said that those in the diaspora form part of the strategy because of their contribution in providing not only financial resources but also skills and technology capabilities.

Under the 10-year strategy, the member states envisage to create jobs and wealth in the region through a structural economic transformation.

Last week, ministers responsible for industry in member countries attended a meeting in Lusaka, the Zambian capital, to make final touches to the document.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 23:14:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

SOFIA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Bulgaria-China business forum that was held here on Tuesday drew representatives from some 50 companies and aimed to deepen bilateral ties between the countries.

Organized by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Beijing Sub-Council (CCPIT Beijing), the event provided information to help Bulgarian and Chinese companies do business with each other.

Addressing participants, Lin Bin, vice chairperson of CCPIT Beijing, said CCPIT and BCCI had maintained very good relations.

Lin said she sincerely hoped that the efforts of the two business associations would lead to Chinese and Bulgarian companies achieving better results.

Vasil Todorov, general secretary of BCCI, said in turn that Bulgarian business was interested in conducting more of such events with Chinese companies.

Todorov added that BCCI and CCPIT Beijing had been working successfully since 1985, and updated their cooperation agreement in 2015.

According to the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, China was Bulgaria's second largest export destination outside the European Union (EU) and the third largest non-EU importer in 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 23:35:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the General Debate of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday strongly pressured the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to give up its nuclear weapons and criticized the Iran nuclear deal in his first speech at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

Trump warned that the United States "will have no choice than to totally destroy" the DPRK unless Pyongyang refrains from its nuclear tests and missile launches.

He also blasted the nuclear deal with Iran as "one of the worst and one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 23:50:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

AMMAN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A total of 71 Jordanians stranded in Caribbean island of Saint Martin by Hurricane Irma arrived in Jordan on Tuesday by air, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

A Royal Jordanian air force plane on Monday headed to Saint Martin to airlift Jordanians back to the kingdom under directives from Jordanian King Abdullah II, the report said.

Zaid Al Louzi, secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the ministry was closely following up on the situation, while the Jordanians voiced appreciation for being airlifted back home, especially after the severe damage caused by the hurricane.

"I was worried because my daughter and three grandchildren are on the island. I am happy that they returned home now," Mohammad Sadeq, who was at the airport waiting for his relatives, was quoted as saying.

Saint Martin, an island shared by the French and Dutch administrations, was hit most badly by the hurricane with 95 percent of its territory destroyed.

The hurricane left over 80 people dead in the Caribbean and southern United States.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 23:55:24|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

Rita Liu (L), Alipay's chief in Europe, and Antti Aumo, Vice President of Finpro, exchange signed documents in Helsinki, Finland, Sept. 18, 2017. Chinese digital payment platform Alipay has got the endorsement by Finnish authorities to promote the use of the paying method. Finpro, an umbrella organization comprising sectors that promote tourism, investment and export for Finland, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Alipay on Monday to enhance the cooperation. (Xinhua/Li Jizhi)

HELSINKI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese digital payment platform Alipay has got the endorsement by Finnish authorities to promote the use of the paying method.

Finpro, an umbrella organization comprising sectors that promote tourism, investment and export for Finland, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Alipay on Monday to enhance the cooperation.

The number of overnight stays by Chinese tourists in Finland from January to July this year grew by 43 percent compared with last year, which is the fastest growth among all foreigners, according to Heli Mende, head of global sales promotion of Visit Finland, a tourism industry committee under Finpro.

Mende said it is very important to understand the needs of travelers coming to Finland so that they can enjoy better travel experiences.

"Alipay is a perfect example of this kind of development, and we can make it easier for travelers to come to Finland, to go to restaurants, to buy souvenirs, or to pay their accommodation in hotels and so on," she said.

The access of Alipay has increased rapidly in the Nordic, with a global off-line shopping festival was launched in the Arctic city of Rovaniemi last year, and the first on-board Alipay was activated on Finnair flights early this year.

Stockmann, a leading department store in the Nordic, also introduced Alipay as one of its payment tools earlier this month. Stockmann Group's CEO Lauri Veijalainen said the Chinese payment system is straight-forward and client-friendly, which coincides with the high-level services that Stockmann is well known for.

"Alipay with its all supplementary products will be a very good part of that (Stockmann's service), from today actually," said Veijalainen, referring to the installation of Alipay system in the Stockmann flagship in central Helsinki starting on Monday.

Rita Liu, Alipay's chief in Europe, said the cooperation with Finnish authorities would further explore the scenarios that have access to Alipay and thus better serve Chinese tourists.

"Chinese not only can buy things abroad with Alipay, they can also have fun at more recreational facilities with more information at hand and easier payment methods," she told Xinhua after the MOU was signed.

Apart from tourism, the utilization of Alipay will also enable faster growth of business exchange between China and Finland, said Antti Aumo, Vice President of Finpro.

"Whether it is export of goods from China to Finland, from Finland to China or investments from China to Finland, all those will result in the increase in business travel," he said.

"Alipay is a significant payment platform in China. It makes it easier in increasing the business travelers to be able to pay with the financial instrument that you are familiar with in your home market," added Aumo.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 00:05:27|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

HANOI -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan said Tuesday that the stable and healthy development of Sino-Vietnamese relations is conducive to the reform and opening up of the two countries.

Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, arrived in Hanoi on Monday for an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). (China-Vietnam-Visit)

- - - -

NAY PYI TAW -- Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday called on the international community to cooperate for constructively tackling the issue of the northern Rakhine state.

Aung San Suu Kyi made the remarks in her special speech at the Myanmar International Convention Center-2 in Nay Pyi Taw Tuesday related to the government's national reconciliation and peace efforts following her cancellation to attend the ongoing 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). (Myanmar-Northern State)

- - - -

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong's pension fund, Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF), a system which covers 73 percent of the employed population in Hong Kong, needs to address problems to manage risks, a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report said on Tuesday.

The problems include high fees, unattractive returns, a reliance on paper-based processing, and a blanket approach that offers few incentives for members to pay more into their MPF portfolios, said PwC's Review of Hong Kong's MPF System: Recommendations for Key Reforms. (HK-Pension)

- - - -

MACAO -- China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Chief Executive Chui Sai On on Tuesday congratulated the 26 newly-elected legislators.

Chui said in a statement that with the smooth progress of the sixth legislative election on Sunday, 14 candidates won the directly-elected seats and 12 won the indirectly-elected seats. (Macao Election-Chief Execytuve-Congradulations) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 00:05:28|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

HONG KONG, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong Customs arrested on Tuesday two saleswomen of a medicine shop suspected to have engaged in unfair trade practice by applying a false trade description on a proprietary medicine.

Customs officers conducted a test-buy operation at a medicine shop in To Kwa Wan, an area on the eastern shore of Kowloon peninsula, on Tuesday afternoon.

Two saleswomen were suspected to have applied a false trade description on a brand of medicine by stating it was a particular brand of medicine.

The two women, aged 43 and 42, were arrested for being in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Customs and Excise Department of the HKSAR government said.

Investigation is ongoing and the arrested persons have been released on bail pending further investigation, it said.

The customs reminded traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to procure services at reputable shops.

Under the TDO, any person who in the course of any trade or business applies a false trade description to any goods or services commits an offence.

The maximum penalty is a fine of 500,000 Hong Kong dollars (about 64,072 U.S. dollars) and imprisonment of five years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 00:05:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

SHANGHAI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A female fugitive wanted for graft under an Interpol red notice returned from the United States to China and turned herself in on Tuesday, said Shanghai police.

The 59-year-old suspect surnamed Min was previously a saleswoman at a cable company in Shanghai. She was accused of embezzling 300,000 yuan (45,800 U.S. dollars) of the company's fund and fled to the United States in 2001.

In 2014, Interpol issued a "red notice" for Min, who has U.S. nationality. She was persuaded by Shanghai police to return and hand herself in. She flew back to Shanghai on Tuesday evening.

The arrest is part of Operation Fox Hunt 2017, a campaign to catch economic fugitives hiding overseas. This year, Shanghai police have arrested 64 suspects under the operation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 00:05:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

Liu Yunshan (L), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with Cambodia's acting head of state and Senate President Samdech Say Chhum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sept. 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan met with Cambodia's acting head of state and Senate President Samdech Say Chhum on Tuesday, agreeing to strengthen bilateral relations.

"China and Cambodia are good neighbors, friends, brothers and partners," said Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

The China-Cambodia friendship has stood the test of the changing international landscape and shown great vitality, and bilateral relations are at an all-time high, Liu told Say Chhum, who is also vice president of the Cambodian People's Party.

China attaches great importance to developing relations with Cambodia and will work with Cambodia to deepen comprehensive strategic cooperation and realize common prosperity for the sake of the two peoples so as to foster a community of shared destiny, Liu said.

Liu thanked Cambodia's valuable support on issues concerning China's core interests, saying China will do its best to help Cambodia in its national development.

Stressing party-to-party relationship is an important component of bilateral relations, Liu said China will work with Cambodia to implement the consensus of the leaders of the two political parties, maintain close high-level exchanges and share experiences in national governance to guide the development of bilateral ties.

On behalf of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Say Chhum thanked Liu's visit to Cambodia ahead of the upcoming 19th CPC National Congress, saying Cambodia treasures the traditional friendship with China.

Cambodia is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation with China in sectors including economy and trade, push forward the cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, boost communication and coordination between the two sides on regional and international affairs, he said.

Noting the People's Party is willing to enhance friendly exchanges and cooperation with the CPC, he wished the 19th CPC National Congress success.

Liu is heading a CPC delegation on an official visit to Cambodia after his trip to Vietnam.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 00:05:31|Editor: ZD

Video Player Close

Syria n soldiers stand in a barren area following battles with the Islamic State (IS) in the countryside of the southern province of Sweida Aug. 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

MOSCOW, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday accused the United States and the Syrian opposition of trying to hamper the successful advance of the Syrian government troops against Islamic State (IS) terrorists.

"The closer the end of IS in Syria, the more evident it becomes who is really fighting IS and who has been imitating this fight in the last three years," the ministry's spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

He said the advancing Syrian government troops supported by the Russian Air Force managed to break the fierce resistance and liberate more than 60 square km of territory on the left bank of the Euphrates River in the last 24 hours.

But their advance was hampered by a sudden rise of the water level in the Euphrates and a two-fold increase of the speed of its current after the government troops started crossing the river, Konashenkov said.

In the absence of precipitation, the only source of such changes in the water level could be a man-made discharge of water at the dams north of the Euphrates, which are held by the opposition formations controlled by the international coalition led by the United States, he said.

In addition, according to reports of Syrian commanders from the front line, the most serious counter-attacks and massive fire on the Syrian troops were coming from the northern direction, where the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDS) and U.S. Special Forces units operated, Konashenkov added.

The United States has been recently heavily backing the Kurdish-led SDS in their push to capture Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS in Syria.

"If the international coalition headed by the U.S. is unwilling to fight terrorism in Syria, let it at least abstain from creating obstacles to those who do it continuously and efficiently," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington is seeking a deescalation of the ongoing conflict in Syria and "a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people."
An Afghan man prays in front of a tomb of a victim who was killed in U.S.airstrikes in Khalil Abad village, outskirt of Pul-e-Alam, Afghanistan, Sept. 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Ahmadi)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday that the United States would send more than 3,000 troops to Afghanistan.

"It is exactly over 3,000 somewhat and frankly I haven't signed the last of the orders right now as we look at specific, small elements that are going," Mattis told reporters.

"Most of them are on their way or under orders now," he added.

The move came weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan strategy in a national address, in which he called a rapid exit of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan "unacceptable."

A Pentagon spokesperson said last month that 11,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan, thousands more than the previously acknowledged 8,400, which does not include troops on temporary assignment.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 00:40:46|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

by Bedah Mengo

NAIROBI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Supreme Court will on Wednesday issue its comprehensive ruling on why it nullified the victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta in Aug. 8 polls.

The ruling, which was expected to be out Tuesday and is eagerly awaited, will be ready on Wednesday, according to the court's registrar.

However, as the judges write the last words in their verdict, the Supreme Court was under siege Tuesday, facing attacks from the public and politicians who are calling for the investigation of some judges who they accuse of gross misconduct while hearing the petition challenging Kenyatta's win.

Kenyatta's Jubilee Party has accused the court of denying them victory while acting in cohort with the opposition National Super Alliance (NASA).

Kenyatta early this month called the four judges who nullified his win crooks and promised to "fix" the institution if re-elected.

On Tuesday, his Jubilee Party supporters camped outside the Supreme Court, protesting its decision against Kenyatta and calling for the resignation of the judges.

"We will not leave this place unless the judges resign or rescind their decision. The court should not issue out a flawed ruling," said a man carrying a placard faulting the court and demanding Kenyatta be declared the president.

On Monday, a man, believed to be a Jubilee Party supporter, filed a petition at the Judicial Service Commission seeking the removal of two supreme court judges.

The two judges are among the four, including the chief justice, who annulled President Kenyatta's win citing irregularities and illegalities that affected the entire electoral process.

On Tuesday, the Judicial Service Commission, a body that employs judges, acknowledged receiving the petitions, against the chief justice, his deputy and Judge Lenaola.

Chief Justice David Maraga, after a meeting of the commission, said the judiciary will defend its independence and not allow any attacks which are only meant to intimidate judges.

"We are ready to pay the ultimate price to defend the judiciary's independence," he said. "We will not allow attacks from politicians and any other quarters."

Opposition supporters and critics have questioned the attacks on the judiciary, describing the petitions and protests as a blackmail to the judges so that they do not release the full judgement.

Lawyer Otiende Amollo, who represented NASA at the Supreme Court during the election petition, accused Jubilee Party of hypocrisy.

"When the Supreme Court rules in your favor, the judiciary is firm; When otherwise, it becomes a court of crooks," he said. "What degree of hypocrisy?"

However, Kenyatta's supporters praised the petitions and demonstrations, saying their victory was stolen as judges worked with the opposition.

Jubilee lawmaker Ngunjiri Wambugu accused the opposition and the Supreme Court of executing a civilian coup under Kenyatta's nose.

"If elections are not held in 60 days, on the 61st day Uhuru Kenyatta should be sworn in for his second term," he said.

Analysts warned that Kenya is hurtling toward a dangerous path as key institutions that are the pillars of democracy come under attack.

"If the judiciary or Supreme Court for that matter is destroyed, where would Kenyans run to for recourse?" said Henry Wandera, an economics lecturer. "This is a bad precedent the country is setting but if there is evidence the judges were influenced let the law take its course."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 00:45:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

LISBON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Campaigning for local elections that will officially take place on Oct. 1 began in Portugal on Tuesday.

Over 12,000 candidates nationwide will canvass for votes on three fronts as the electorate is asked to select a Municipal Chamber, a Municipal Assembly and a Parish Assembly. There are 308 municipalities and 3,091 parishes.

In each Municipal Chamber, the councillor with the most votes becomes mayor. The race for the Lisbon mayorship will be a closely observed contest. Incumbent Fernando Medina of the center-left Socialist Party did not run last time. He took over from Antonio Costa mid-term, when Costa resigned the mayorship to contest the general election.

Medina is expected to win in his own right this time, but faces competition from 11 other candidates.

The main opposition Socialist Party came out on top in the last local elections, held in 2013, taking control of 150 chambers. The ruling center-right Social Democratic Party finished second with 106 while the independents won control of 13 chambers.

Campaigning will cease on Sept. 29, leaving one day of reflection before polls open on Oct. 1.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 01:31:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

LUANDA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Higher Education Teachers' Union (SINPES) has admitted the possibility of going on strike in October because its members have not been receiving their salaries for two months and subsidies since 2011, a situation that is blamed to the Ministry of Finance.

This was said on Tuesday at a press conference by the SINPES secretary general, Eduardo Peres Alberto, clarifying the non-teaching staff of the public higher education institutions of the country is also not receiving their salaries and the respective bonuses, a situation he considers as violation of the workers' rights.

"We decided to file a complaint against the Ministry of Finance for violation of the rights of teachers and non-teaching workers, the recurring salary arrears (July and August) and the general cut of subsidies since 2011", he said.

The approval by the Cabinet Council of the Statute of the Teaching and Remuneratory Career of Higher Education, as well as the general curricular norms are other demands made by SINPES to the next government.

At the press conference, Eduardo Peres Alberto did not rule out the possibility of a strike if the concerns presented are not met promptly by the authorities.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 01:51:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

TIRANA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) landed Tuesday in Albanian capital where they will hold several meetings with the country's top officials.

Sources from Albania's finance ministry informed that the focus of the IMF mission discussions with Albanian authorities would be new government's ruling program, budget revisions and the possibility for a new agreement.

The mission has arrived at a time when Albania's newly sworn-in government is about to begin the restructuring process, the implementation of the new government program and the expected completion of the new draft budget.

Prior to the 2017 election, senior Albanian officials announced that this fall would mark a new cooperation agreement with the IMF, following the conclusion of the previous 3-year recovery program.

After the 3-year program completed late February this year, the IMF in Albania has been playing a monitoring role with an eye on the implementation progress of the recommendations.

The IMF Permanent Representative in Albania has voiced IMF willingness to cooperate closely with the government that emerged from the June 25th elections.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 01:51:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The General Assembly of the United Nations on Tuesday kicked off its annual general debate, with heads of state and government representatives gathering at the UN headquarters to present their views about pressing world issues.

In his annual report on the work of the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted "nuclear peril," stressing that "global anxieties about nuclear weapons are at the highest level since the end of the Cold War."

"I condemn those tests unequivocally," he said.

The UN chief listed the most serious threats facing the world, including nuclear peril, terrorism, unresolved conflicts and systematic violations of international humanitarian law, and climate change.

Guterres began intense diplomatic activity Monday with a round of high-level events, among others, on UN reform, financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.

This year's Assembly President, Miroslav Lajcak of Slovakia, delivered the keynote opening speech, highlighting peace and prevention.

"UN is unfortunately spending too much time and money reacting to conflicts, and not enough on preventing them," the GA president said.

A stronger focus on people should also be high on the agenda for UN, Lajcak said, as people would "see the United Nations' blue flag as a first sign of safety and the beginning of change."

The president highly commended the Paris Climate Agreement, saying it "has shown the world's effort to improve the lives of all people, and secure the future of the planet we live on."

Brazilian President Michel Temer, whose country holds the traditional role of first national speaker, became the first world leader to present his views on issues of major concern.

Temer was followed by United States President Donald Trump, as leader of the host nation.

On Monday, the United States organized a meeting on reform of the UN where Trump took the floor.

The theme of the General Debate of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly is "Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet," and in that spirit world leaders and senior national representatives are expected to launch discussions that will define international responses to many of the global challenges of the day.

Other highlights include an event on women's economic empowerment; a ministerial-level Security Council debate on reform of UN peacekeeping operations; a special meeting of the Assembly to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and a two-day high-level meeting on the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

To engage people all over the world in the important conversations happening at the UN General Assembly this year, the United Nations is hosting the SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) Media Zone at the UN headquarters.

Established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly occupies a central position as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations.

Comprising all 193 members of the United Nations, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 01:56:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

NAIROBI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- African countries have pledged to tame illegal trade in timber and other forest products by ensuring that the sub-sector makes a meaningful contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a conservationist said on Tuesday.

Kenya's Chief Conservator of Forest Emilio Mugo said representatives from Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania and Zanzibar (Tanzania) who met in Nairobi on Tuesday agreed to take stern action against those caught in the illegal trade of the products.

"Illegal trade in timber and forest products is not only degrading the rich forests assets of the region but also represents an enormous loss in economic values and livelihood opportunities to the countries," Mugo said at the end of a two-day meeting.

He noted that the meeting marks a significant step forward in efforts to ensure timber trade in Eastern Africa is managed in a way that brings equitable benefits to all.

Mugo said that the meeting agreed to assist people with timber products to benefit from the products by ensuring that they reap maximum profit from the consumers.

The meeting followed the Zanzibar Declaration meeting that was signed in September 2015 during the XIV World Forestry Congress in South Africa.

Since signing the declaration, the countries have seen huge progress in addressing rampant illegal trade in the member countries.

They agreed develop a mechanism to collaborate on implementation of trade governed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

"We have jointly agreed to pursue the Global Environmental Facility funding opportunity to help improve our forest cover and also fight climate change effects," Mugo added.

The members also agreed to deal with produce seized from illegal trade and raise fund to help improve the state of environment in the region.

The Kenya Forest Service is partnering with the Timber Manufacturers Association in establishing tree seedlings to help achieve and surpass her set goal of 10 percent tree cover.

The tree nurseries in the country currently produce 2.5 million indigenous seedlings and are set to increase to 4.5 million.

"This will immensely boost the rehabilitation program throughout the country," TMA chairman Benson Gitau said.

He noted that trees will be planted especially in arid and semi arid regions to help reduce land degradation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 02:06:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

RIYADH, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday to donate 15 million U.S. dollars for the Rohingya refugees fleeing from Myanmar, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The aid is part of a series of programs to assist the Rohingya refugees, especially projects that will help them to be financially independent, said Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabiah, the General Supervisor of Riyadh-based King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (KSRelief).

A crackdown by Myanmar's army, launched in response to attacks by Rohingya militants on Aug. 25, has pushed vast numbers of refugees from the Muslim minority across the border.

The violence has incubated a humanitarian crisis on both sides of the border and put intense global pressure on Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 02:16:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

VILNIUS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Notable differences in the quality of ingredients in identical products that multinational food companies sell in Lithuania, compared to Germany, were found after testing a few dozen of products, Lithuania's agriculture ministry announced on Tuesday.

Research of 33 products was carried out by the State Food and Veterinary Service of Lithuania. In 23 of the tested products, there was a difference in the taste, ingredients, color or consistency, the ministry said in a statement.

"If a customer buys a product which is well known all over the EU, he surely expects that it will be the same from Vilnius to Lisbon, and producers should guarantee that," Agriculture Minister Bronius Markauskas was quoted as saying in the statement.

According to the ministry, the main difference is that the German products tested contained less chemical ingredients and colorants, and contained more sugar than artificial sweeteners than the products sold in Lithuania. Sunflower oil is being used for producing potatoes chips in Germany rather than controversial palm oil discovered in the same product in Lithuania, the ministry added.

Local media reported that it found more chocolate (35 percent) in German Milka chocolates than those sold in Lithuania (32 percent chocolate), while peach-flavored Nestea in Germany contained only sugar, compared to additional artificial sweeteners in Nestea's Lithuanian version of the product.

Some producers argue that they change the ingredients to appeal to local tastes, but Markevicius dismissed this argument, local website vz.lt reported.

"The quality differs as they try to make the product cheaper," the minister said, calling for certain regulations at the EU level.

According to the minister, 80 percent of Lithuanians believe they are not getting equal quality food products as consumers in Germany, Austria, and other Western EU states.

Markevicius noted that the European Commission had already noticed inequality as regards products quality in different EU countries, and expressed his hope that producers would implement corresponding adjustments prior to the Commission taking action to make product quality equal across member states.

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, paid special attention to these double standards in his State of Union speech last week.

"I will not accept that in some parts of Europe people are sold food of lower quality than in other countries, despite the packaging and branding being identical," Juncker said.

The double standards issue within EU, discovered not only in food stuffs, but also in cosmetics, household chemicals, and other products, has been a subject of recent public debate in Central European countries, including Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 02:16:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

PRAGUE, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- One person died and another injured in an explosion that occurred Tuesday in the Jugo military quarters in Vyskov, Czech republic, said Czech Defence Ministry.

Jakub Fajnor from the ministry's press department said the explosion occurred before 09:00 a.m. in an underground part of the building used by the military police.

Fanjnor said the victim of the explosion and the injured man were Czech military police officers and their families were informed of the misfortune, adding that it seems the explosion was not caused by an attack or deliberate action.

The police arrived on the site soon after the blast and they later handed the investigation to the military.

Local media reported that the explosion was caused by grenades exploded in the quarters, but the information was not confirmed by Czech Defence Ministry.

Vyskov is the seat of a Czech military academy.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 02:21:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

KIEV, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Former Georgian President and ex-governor of Ukraine's Odessa Oblast region Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday voiced an intention to challenge the loss of his Ukrainian citizenship in court.

While speaking to reporters outside the Ukrainian presidential administration building, Saakashvili said he planned to file a lawsuit to the court after getting all the necessary documents from the Ukrainian authorities.

The politician said he had instructed his lawyers to submit an official request to the presidential administration and other state bodies to grant him the documents that substantiate the revocation of his citizenship.

Saakashvili, 49, who served as Georgian president from 2004 to 2013, was granted Ukrainian citizenship in May 2015 and was appointed as governor of Ukraine's southern Odessa Oblast region.

On July 26, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko revoked Saakashvili's Ukrainian citizenship over allegedly submitting false information while applying for a passport.

Saakashvili has refused to accept the loss of his Ukrainian citizenship, saying the decision to deprive him of the passport was politically motivated.
A German sausage stall in the International Green Week in Berlin, Germany, Jan. 18, 2013. (Xinhua/Ma Ning)

VILNIUS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Notable differences in the quality of ingredients in identical products that multinational food companies sell in Lithuania, compared to Germany, were found after testing a few dozen of products, Lithuania's agriculture ministry announced on Tuesday.

Research of 33 products was carried out by the State Food and Veterinary Service of Lithuania. In 23 of the tested products, there was a difference in the taste, ingredients, color or consistency, the ministry said in a statement.

"If a customer buys a product which is well known all over the EU, he surely expects that it will be the same from Vilnius to Lisbon, and producers should guarantee that," Agriculture Minister Bronius Markauskas was quoted as saying in the statement.

According to the ministry, the main difference is that the German products tested contained less chemical ingredients and colorants, and contained more sugar than artificial sweeteners than the products sold in Lithuania. Sunflower oil is being used for producing potatoes chips in Germany rather than controversial palm oil discovered in the same product in Lithuania, the ministry added.

Local media reported that it found more chocolate (35 percent) in German Milka chocolates than those sold in Lithuania (32 percent chocolate), while peach-flavored Nestea in Germany contained only sugar, compared to additional artificial sweeteners in Nestea's Lithuanian version of the product.

Some producers argue that they change the ingredients to appeal to local tastes, but Markevicius dismissed this argument, local website vz.lt reported.

"The quality differs as they try to make the product cheaper," the minister said, calling for certain regulations at the EU level.

According to the minister, 80 percent of Lithuanians believe they are not getting equal quality food products as consumers in Germany, Austria, and other Western EU states.

Markevicius noted that the European Commission had already noticed inequality as regards products quality in different EU countries, and expressed his hope that producers would implement corresponding adjustments prior to the Commission taking action to make product quality equal across member states.

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, paid special attention to these double standards in his State of Union speech last week.

"I will not accept that in some parts of Europe people are sold food of lower quality than in other countries, despite the packaging and branding being identical," Juncker said.

The double standards issue within EU, discovered not only in food stuffs, but also in cosmetics, household chemicals, and other products, has been a subject of recent public debate in Central European countries, including Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 02:36:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

HELSINKI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Finnish pride in the country's educational system appears to have been hit hard again in the annual Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) survey of education.

In the latest version of OECD's Education at a Glance 2017, Finland still leads in providing public financing to universities, vocational schools and basic education.

However, Finland goes below average in the share of 24 to 34-year-olds having university education. The Finnish ratio is now 41 percent while the OECD average is 43 percent.

Minister of Education Sanni Grahn-Laasonen admitted on Monday the results "are a serious matter". The minister said the aim of the current government is to raise the ratio of university education to 50 percent of the population.

Grahn-Laasonen recalled Finland was at the top in 1991, but since then 55 countries have bypassed Finland.

Newspaper Helsingin Sanomat noted in an editorial on Monday that the share of university educated is merely an indicator but it indicates the high speed of education development in other countries.

"Finland cannot afford remaining in the middle level," the paper concluded. It also noted that many Finns may still live in the belief that their country is a top educator.

LOW-EDUCATED INCREASINGLY UNEMPLOYED

The Finnish educational dilemma increasingly connects with the needs of the labour market and the problems people with failure in education encounter. The number of those 20 to 24-year-olds that are neither at school nor at work increased from 13 percent in 2005 to 20 percent in 2016.

Unemployment among Finns who have only received basic education increased from 37 percent in 2005 to 50 percent in 2016, Yle reported.

The OECD report noted the high level of dropouts in vocational (trade) schools. A columnist on Yle last week described the situation in the vocational schools, following staff cutbacks, as "a dangerous experiment with humans".

Grahn-Laasonen said on Monday that the from next year, teachers in vocational schools would give their students more personal guidance.

Grahn-Laasonen underlined that the increased quality demand of the labour market accentuates the need to make sure the whole age group gets secondary education. She said 17 percent of Finns currently do not complete secondary education.

EARLY EDUCATION A POLITICAL ISSUE

OECD pointed out that the attendance in early childhood education services in Finland remains relatively low even though they are of high quality and publicly funded.

In Finland, only 53 percent of 2-year-olds are enrolled in early childhood educational development programs while the EU average is 58 percent. Finland only reaches the level of the other Nordic countries at the age of six.

Early education outside home has been a hot political issue in Finland due to disagreements in the coalition government until this autumn. The Finns Party insisted maintaining the current level of financial support for the care at home.

Following the split of the populist party, their ministers dropped the resistance recently and the government now plans to submit plans to parliament that would make early education outside home also financially attractive.

Grahn-Laasonen noted research supports the view that early pre-school education has a positive impact on learning later during the childhood. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 02:56:43|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

ANKARA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkey could stop the oil exports of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) if the latter insists on the independence referendum, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.

Volkan Ozdemir, head of the Ankara-based Institute for Energy Markets and Policies, said Turkey holds "important power in its hands," as the KRG's oil trade is conducted through Turkish territories.

If Turkey stops KRG's oil transfer, the KRG's independence plan could be shelved, he said.

Ozdemir explained that KRG has exported its oil to international markets through Turkey in the last few years, independently from Baghdad's central government.

He added that the oil revenue-sharing deal between the governments in Baghdad and Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Region, has already lost its validity.

"At a time when oil prices are getting close to 60 U.S. dollars per barrel, Erbil gained economic independence from Baghdad with the help of this trade," Ozdemir said.

As one of the most important income for KRG, the oil trade has been largely dependent on land transportation through border gates with Turkey.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 03:16:52|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

KAMPALA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The bodies of 14 Tanzanian nationals killed in a Sunday night road accident in the central Uganda district of Mpigi were on Tuesday transported home, a government spokesperson said.

Col. Shaban Bantariza, Uganda's deputy government spokesperson, said that Uganda and Tanzania police worked together for the repatriation of the bodies for burial.

The 14 died on spot and 17 others were injured after a Kampala bound lorry rammed into a Coaster bus at Katonga, along the Kampala-Masaka highway.

The incident happened as the deceased and injured were returning to Tanzania after attending a Saturday wedding ceremony of a relative in the capital, Kampala.

"This was a tragic incident...our two sister police agencies worked together for the transportation of their bodies back home," said Bantariza.

The bodies were airlifted to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The police attributed the cause of the fatal road accident to careless and reckless driving.

Uganda registers at least 20,000 road accidents with over 2,000 deaths each year, making it one of the countries with the highest road accident fatality rates in the world, according to police figures. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 03:16:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

VALLETTA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ground Handling operations of Air Malta will be hived off into a separate company wholly owned by the government, Maltese government announced on Tuesday.

An agreement has been signed between Maltese government and the General Workers' Union, in which all employees working in Ground Handling sections to be assigned to a separate company.

"The new company will offer services to other airlines and it will also manage cargo operations," said Malta's Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi. "It will have a new business plan in order to generate further growth, investment in new equipment, and generate new business."

Air Malta Chairman Charles Mangion said that now the airline can focus more on its core business of flight operations.

Meanwhile, Air Malta has introduced a new system of cheap fares intended to attract more customers, who prefer traveling with just a hand luggage.

"We want Air Malta to be a Mediterranean hub linking Europe with North Africa and the Middle East," said Mangion.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 03:21:59|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The government of Tanzania on Tuesday banned weekly tabloid Mwanahalisi for two years for publishing seditious news and failure to adhere to professionalism.

Hassan Abbas, Director General of Information Services and the Chief Government Spokesperson, said that the ban extended to the tabloid's online publications.

In its Monday, September 18, 2017 publication, the tabloid carried a story with the headline, "Tumuombee nani, Magufuli au Tundu Lissu?" It literally means "Whom should we pray for Magufuli or Tundu Lissu?" and when they were given a chance to defend themselves, they had no strong arguments, Abbas told a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

Magufuli is the country's president and Lissu is an opposition Member of Parliament who was recently wounded after he was shot by gunmen in Dodoma.

Abbas said the tabloid had on several occasions been publishing stories that were unethical, despite the fact that his office had tried to talk to the editors several times, but nothing was taken seriously.

In addition said Abbas, on January 30, this year, the weekly tabloid published a story with a Kiswahili headline: "Ufisadi ndani ya Ofisi ya JPM", literally meaning Corruption within JPM office. JPM is a popular acronym for John Pombe Magufuli but the story was about Kibaha education institution.

The spokesperson said the ban was in accordance with section 12 of the new Information Services Act.

This was not the first time the government had attempted to ban Mwanahalisi. In 2012, the government also tried to shut down the tabloid, but the editors went to court and the ban was ruled illegal.

Another Mwanahalisi publication, Mawio, was banned earlier this year.

Reporters Without Borders, which monitors press freedom, ranked Tanzania 83rd out of 180 countries in their 2017 World Press Freedom Index.

"Abuses against journalists and media outlets - including suspensions and closures, threats, attacks, and arrests are frequent," the group said in their overview of Tanzania. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 03:22:00|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Monterey Park, a small city of Los Angeles county, was designated as the 3rd best place to live in America of 2017 by Money Magazine.

The ranking, released by the magazine Monday, was evaluated from the aspects of healthy economy, affordable house and high quality of life. The Fishers City of Indiana is on the top of the list, and Allen of Texas was the second.

Monterey Park is part of a cluster of cities locate in San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles region, with most of residents being Asian Americans. According to the 2010 Census, the city has a total population of 60,000 and nearly half of its residents are Chinese descents.

"I am not surprise about it, since we have the spectacular views, high quality of education and a lot of recreational parks here. But I think the most important is we have diversity of residents with multicultural environment," Teresa Sebastian, the mayor of Monterey Park told Xinhua Tuesday. "I am very glad we got this laurel, and we will make more effort to make the city even better."

Monterey Park, located 8 miles (13 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles, is one of the largest concentration of Chinese Americans in the United States. The Chinese restaurants can be seen everywhere in the city, so that Chinese people from every corner of Los Angeles would drive to the hillside suburban city to taste their hometown's cuisine on weekends.

"When we moved here, we only consider it's convenient to go to the Chinese supermarket and eat Chinese food. For the Asians, it's much easier to live here than other areas, since you don't have to know a lot of English, and you can find any food of your hometown here," Ziyuan Gao, who has lived in Monterey Park for five years, said.
Syrian soldiers stand in a barren area following battles with the Islamic State (IS) in the countryside of the southern province of Sweida Aug. 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

MOSCOW, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday accused the United States and the Syrian opposition of trying to hamper the successful advance of the Syrian government troops against Islamic State (IS) terrorists.

"The closer the end of IS in Syria, the more evident it becomes who is really fighting IS and who has been imitating this fight in the last three years," the ministry's spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

He said the advancing Syrian government troops supported by the Russian Air Force managed to break the fierce resistance and liberate more than 60 square km of territory on the left bank of the Euphrates River in the last 24 hours.

But their advance was hampered by a sudden rise of the water level in the Euphrates and a two-fold increase of the speed of its current after the government troops started crossing the river, Konashenkov said.

In the absence of precipitation, the only source of such changes in the water level could be a man-made discharge of water at the dams north of the Euphrates, which are held by the opposition formations controlled by the international coalition led by the United States, he said.

In addition, according to reports of Syrian commanders from the front line, the most serious counter-attacks and massive fire on the Syrian troops were coming from the northern direction, where the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDS) and U.S. Special Forces units operated, Konashenkov added.

The United States has been recently heavily backing the Kurdish-led SDS in their push to capture Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS in Syria.

"If the international coalition headed by the U.S. is unwilling to fight terrorism in Syria, let it at least abstain from creating obstacles to those who do it continuously and efficiently," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington is seeking a deescalation of the ongoing conflict in Syria and "a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people."
File Photo: Pakistani demonstrators shout slogans during a protest in support of Rohingya Muslims in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar, June 5, 2015. Protesters expressed serious concerns for the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and called for peaceful existence of all communities in the country. (Xinhua/Umar Qayyum)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday highlighted "nuclear peril" while addressing the General Assembly, which kicked off its annual general debate.

"Today global anxieties about nuclear weapons are at the highest level since the end of the Cold War," he said.

"Millions of people live under a shadow of dread cast by the provocative nuclear and missile tests of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," he added.

"I condemn those tests unequivocally," he said.

In his annual work report to the General Assembly, Guterres said that "our world is in trouble. People are hurting and angry. They see insecurity rising, inequality growing, conflict spreading and climate changing."

The UN chief listed the most serious threats that face the world, including nuclear peril, terrorism, unresolved conflicts and systematic violations of international humanitarian law, and climate change.

"The use of nuclear weapons should be unthinkable. Even the threat of their use can never be condoned," he said.

"I call on the DPRK and all member states to comply fully with Security Council resolutions," said the UN chief.

The secretary-general said that last week's unanimous adoption of resolution 2375 "tightens sanctions and sends a clear message regarding the country's international obligations."

"I appeal to the Council to maintain its unity," he said, adding that "only that unity can lead to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and -- as the resolution recognizes -- create an opportunity for diplomatic engagement to resolve the crisis."

Once again, the UN chief stressed that the solution "must be political. This is a time for statesmanship."

"We must not sleepwalk our way into war," he warned.

Speaking of terrorism threat, the UN chief said that "nothing justifies terrorism -- no cause, no grievance."

"Terrorism continues to take a rising toll of death and devastation," he said, adding that "It is destroying societies, destabilizing regions and diverting energy from more productive pursuits."

He stressed that "Stronger international cooperation remains crucial against terrorism."

Turning to humanitarian crisis in Myanmar's Rakhine State, the UN chief emphasized that "the authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations, allow unhindered humanitarian access and recognize the right of refugees to return in safety and dignity."

The secretary-general warned that "we will not be able to eradicate terrorism if we do not resolve the conflicts that are creating the disorder within which violent extremists flourish."

Talking about climate change, Guterres said that "millions of people and trillions of assets are at risk from rising seas and other climate disruptions."

He noted "we should not link any single weather event with climate change. But scientists are clear that such extreme weather is precisely what their models predict will be the new normal of a warming world."

The UN chief urged the governments to implement the historic Paris Agreement with ever greater ambition, adding that he welcomes the initiatives of the thousands of private enterprises, including major oil and gas companies that are betting on a clean, green future.

The General Assembly of the United Nations on Tuesday morning started its annual general debate, with heads of state and government and other senior national representatives gathering at the UN headquarters to present their views about pressing world issues.
People attend the unveiling ceremony of a statue of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Russian inventor of the fabled AK-47 assault rifle, in downtown Moscow on September 19, 2017. (AFP PHOTO)

MOSCOW, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russia's sole state arms exporter Rosoboronexport has signed seven contracts to deliver over 100,000 AK weapons to foreign markets this year, the company said Tuesday.

"Asia-Pacific, Middle Eastern, African and Latin American countries are interested in the AK assault rifles. In 2017, we have concluded seven contracts for supplies of more than 100,000 of various AK weapons and have entered talks on supplies of the rifles with a number of other customers," Rosoboronexport's CEO Alexander Mikheev said at an unveiling ceremony of a monument dedicated to the prestigious designer of the AK series Mikhail Kalashnikov.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of the legendary AK-47 rifle, which represents the masterpiece among the small arms Kalashnikov designed.

Over 15,000 weapons originally designed by Kalashnikov have been built under a production license in 2017, bringing the total rifles produced since 2001 up to several hundred thousand, Mikheev said.

Among all Russian-made small arms, Kalashnikov's assault rifles are the most popular with foreign customers, which are currently in service with some 100 foreign military forces, according to Rosoboronexport.

The company said it has so far exported more than one million various rifles in total.

Currently, Rosoboronexport is promoting the AK-74M and AK-100 family of rifles (AK-101, AK-102, AK-103, AK-104 and AK-105) in the international market, and new models of the AK rifle are expected to be presented soon.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 03:52:09|Editor: Mengjie

Video Player Close

Gerald Mbanda, Head of Media Affairs and Communication Department at the Rwanda Governance Board, speaks to Xinhua in an exclusive interview about Rwanda's image in local and foreign press in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda, on Sept. 19, 2017. Mbanda on Tuesday called on local media to tell their own story about Rwanda as foreign media often portray Rwanda's image in prejudiced and negative terms. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)

by Frank Kanyesigye and Lyu Tianran

KIGALI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A senior Rwandan media official on Tuesday called on local media to tell their own story about Rwanda as foreign media often portray Rwanda's image in prejudiced and negative terms.

Gerald Mbanda, Head of Media Affairs and Communication Department at the Rwanda Governance Board, spoke to Xinhua in an exclusive interview about Rwanda's image in local and foreign press.

RGB has been able to promote media development in the country ensuring that the national media policy is implemented to achieve a highly performing and sustainable media industry, serving as a key driver of the country's development, said Mbanda, whose mission is centered on promoting professionalism in the media industry in Rwanda.

"Foreign media often portray Rwanda's image in prejudiced and negative terms. What they report about is not a true reflection of what is happening on the ground. When it comes to western media, particularly, nothing positive comes out of Rwanda," he said.

For instance, in the last presidential elections, many international media said there was climate of fear in Rwanda. However, the opposite was happening in Rwanda. The elections reflected mood of jubilation and climate of cheer, which needs to be reported by local media to disapprove biased reporting of some international press, said Mbanda.

Rwanda was ranked as a media freedom country in 1993 by American watchdog organization Freedom House when the central African country was burning with hate propaganda by local media houses that promoted ethnicity and genocide, he added. "If this is what they call media freedom, a country like Rwanda would not need this freedom," he said.

"Foreign media always have their own agenda which is different from what is happening in Rwanda. Usually there is a big disappointment in the coverage of the foreign media when they try to portray what is happening in our country," said the senior media official.

He said that negative reporting and presentation of poor images of Rwanda and Africa in general are very unfortunate and leaves one with doubts about the professionalism of the international media.

According to him, Rwanda is an example of success and positive stories in Africa rising from almost a failed state in 1994 to one of the most promising countries on the continent.

The 1994's Rwanda genocide claimed over one million lives, mostly ethnic Tutsis. After ending the genocide, the Rwandan government, which brought parties that did not participate in the genocide together, started the journey of reconstruction and reconciliation.

"It's time that we tell our own story as members of local media," he said.

According to him, Rwanda now has more than 35 radio stations, 15 television stations and dozens of print and online media, which can tell the narrative of the Rwandan situation far more effectively than international media will ever do.

The Rwandan government initiated comprehensive media reforms, where the media law was revised and the articles that were seen as hindrance to media development were amended, he said.

In 2013, Rwanda introduced Access to Information Law that guarantees access to data held by public institutions. The law also allows media self-regulation whereby the print media entirely self-regulate, while broadcast media partially self-regulate.

The law states that any public official who refuses to give journalists information will be taken to court.

Mbanda also said foreign media can play a better role in Rwanda if they are willing to focus on the developmental side rather focusing on negative stories about Rwanda or Africa.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 04:02:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during the General Debate of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 19, 2017. The General Assembly of the United Nations on Tuesday kicked off its annual general debate, with heads of state and government representatives gathering at the UN headquarters to present their views about pressing world issues. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday defended the Paris Agreement on climate change and asked concerned parties to retain the Iran nuclear deal.

"This (Paris) agreement is not up for re-negotiation, we will not back-track," Macron told the UN General Assembly, shortly after a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement has startled the world.

"I fully respect the decision of the United States. The door will always be open," said Macron, who spoke for the first time at the United Nations. "We must shoulder our responsibility. The planet will not negotiate with us."

On Iran, he said the international agreement reached in July 2015 between Tehran and the six countries of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States was a "solid, robust agreement that verifies that Iran will not build a nuclear weapon."

"Renouncing it would be a grave error, not respecting it would be irresponsible," he warned.

Trump, in his speech, slashed Iran, calling the Iran nuclear deal an "embarrassment to the United States."

The General Assembly of the United Nations on Tuesday kicked off its annual general debate, with heads of state and government representatives gathering at the UN headquarters to present their views about pressing world issues.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 04:12:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the general debate of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday strongly pressured the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to give up its nuclear weapons and criticized a landmark Iran nuclear deal in his first speech at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

In his over-40-minute talk, Trump threatened that the United States "will have no choice than to totally destroy" the DPRK unless Pyongyang refrains from its nuclear tests and missile launches.

Trump's threat came minutes after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, also delivering his debut address to the UN General Assembly, said that the Korean Peninsula crisis should be solved through political process.

"We must not sleepwalk our way into war," Guterres warned.

Trump also took aim at the nuclear deal reached between Iran and world powers of Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany in July 2015, under which Iran agreed to limit its uranium-enrichment activities in return for the lifting of Western and international sanctions.

Trump called the Iran nuclear deal, reached during the Obama administration, "an embarrassment" for the United States, indicating that he may not recertify the deal at its mid-October deadline.

Trump blasted the deal as "one of the worst and one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."

According to the Iran nuclear deal, or formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran will be removed if the country proved abides by the deal over the next few years.

"JCPOA is an important outcome of international security governance, as well as an example of resolving international hot-spot issues through diplomacy," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

"It plays an important role in upholding the international non-proliferation regime and maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East," said spokesperson Lu Kang in Beijing.

In his maiden show, Trump also criticized Islamic extremists.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 04:17:25|Editor: Mengjie

Video Player Close

U.S. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer (C) testifies during a hearing on recent U.S. Navy incidents before Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol in Washington D.C., the United States, Sept. 19, 2017. Top leaders of the U.S. Navy were urged to do better on Tuesday as they appeared before the Senate hearing over a series of deadly ship collisions involving the Pacific fleet. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Top leaders of the U.S. Navy were urged to do better on Tuesday as they appeared before a Senate hearing over a series of deadly ship collisions involving the Pacific fleet.

"We must also call you to task and demand answers. As leaders of our Navy, you must do better," Senator John McCain, head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Navy Secretary Richard Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson.

The hearing was held in the wake of several Navy ship collisions, including one in August in which USS John S. McCain, a guided-missile destroyer, collided with an oil and chemical tanker near Singapore, leaving 10 U.S. sailors dead and five injured.

The highly-publicized incident came after seven sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald, also a guided-missile destroyer, and a container ship collided off the coast of Japan in June, along with two other non-deadly collisions involving the Navy vessels also this year.

McCain said those incidents are "preventable" but now it will cost an estimate of 600 million U.S. dollars for repairs.

"It is simply unacceptable for U.S. Navy ships to run aground or collide with other ships," the Republican senator said. "To have four such incidents in the span of seven months is truly alarming."

Richardson told the hearing that the Navy was conducting reviews and probes, while blaming the incidents on "the corrosive confluence of high operational tempo, inadequate budgets and budget uncertainty."

"But make no mistake, sir, while these factors do exert a negative force on the challenges we face, at the core, this issue is about leadership, especially command," Richardson said.

Two senior Navy commanders were relieved of duty Monday by Vice Admiral Phil Sawyer, the commander of the Japan-based Seventh Fleet, bringing the total number of fired commanders to six, including the top three officers of the Fitzgerald.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report early this month that the Navy has "increased deployment lengths, shortened training periods, and reduced or deferred maintenance to meet high operational demands, which has resulted in declining ship conditions and a worsening trend in overall readiness."

The report said the crew are being overworked and undertrained but some vital maintenance is not being completed on time.

Spencer stressed that Congress has added training and other requirements to the Navy over time. "No one is taking a rock out and the rucksack is getting pretty damn heavy," he said.

Fatal training accidents have taken the lives of four times more service members than real combat has over the last three years, McCain said as he noted Congress' responsibility.

"Years of budget cuts, continuing resolutions and sequestration have forced our military to maintain a high operational tempo with limited resources," he argued.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday he was reviewing if there was link between recent military accidents and budget caps.

"I am not willing to say right now that there is a direct line between sequestration and what has happened. I am willing to say we are going to take a very close look at that," he told reporters.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 04:22:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

by Eric J. Lyman

ROME, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Italian government is gearing up to use its rare veto power it has over strategic private companies amid worries that a foreign entity -- French media giant Vivendi -- may have quietly amassed a controlling stake in Telecom Italia, the former Italian state telephone monopoly.

Italian law gives the government what is called a "golden share" or "golden power" to block certain developments for domestic companies considered strategic, such as major utilities, transport companies, or telecommunications. Use of the power has been threatened a handful of times in the past but never actually used.

At the center of this case is the concern that Vivendi's influence with Telecom Italia has become too powerful. Vivendi's 24 percent stake in the Italian company doesn't surpass any formal limits: a shareholder is only required to notify CONSOB, Italy's security regulator, once its stake in a strategic company surpasses 25 percent.

But CONSOB says Vivendi has de facto control over Telecom Italia, exercising influence over the company's operations and decision making and appointing two-thirds of the Telecom Italia board of directors.

"This situation is far more complex than simply determining whether Vivendi's stake is above or below 25 percent," Rocco Panetta, an attorney specializing in antitrust issues for Rome's Panetta & Associati law firm, told Xinhua. "The challenge is to understand how Vivendi is using its influence at Telecom Italia, and that is not an easy task."

For its part, Vivendi denies wielding undue influence in Telecom Italia. The company formally notified the government of its position in Telecom Italia Sept. 15, but it stressed that it participates in only "management and coordination" at the Italian company.

"This notification as made voluntarily, and is something no other investor has been compelled to do before this," Vivendi said in a statement published in the Italian media.

The stakes of the process are very high. If found guilty of failing to notify the government of having acquired a controlling stake in Telecom Italia Vivendi could face a fine of up to 300 million euros (360 million U.S. dollars). It could also be forced to take on some of Telecom Italia's 25 billion euros (30 billion U.S. dollars) in debt, or to sell some of its shares in the company.

Vivendi has already been under scrutiny in Italy for taking a 29-percent stake in Mediaset, Italy's largest broadcaster. Unlike Telecom Italia, Mediaset is not considered a strategic business.

Still, AGCOM, the main Italian communications sector regulator, has called on Vivendi to reduce its stake in either Mediaset or Telecom Italia to below 10 percent to avoid holding too much influence in the communications sector.

Vivendi says it is working on a plan to transfer most of its Mediaset shares to a special trust. But that may not be enough.

Meanwhile, tensions between Italy and France are already high after France took steps to block an Italian company from taking over France's STX Shipyards, something the French government considers a strategic holding.

"We probably wouldn't be having these problems if it was not a French company involved," Raffaele Barberio, director of the Key4biz news site, said in an interview.

It is in that context that Carlo Calenda, Italy's minister for industry, threatened use of the government's veto power to sanction Vivendi and perhaps force it to reduce its stake in the telecoms giant.

Italian government officials are expected to meet Sept. 25 to debate the situation. Calenda said standing up to Vivendi was a matter of national sovereignty, though he did so without mentioning the French company by name.

"We are heading toward a period when international economic relations will become more difficult," Calenda said in a Sept. 16 media briefing. "Italy must maintain the ability to be assertive in order to defend its own assets."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 04:32:34|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

MAPUTO, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Mozambican authorities announced here on Tuesday the arrest of nine Malawians found to be carrying out illegal mining in the National Reserve of Niassa, northern Mozambique.

According to police in that province, the so-called 'garimpeiros' were carrying out activities in the district of Mecula.

"The citizens detained have been researching and exploiting mineral resources within the Niassa National Reserve, and it is the second time they have been found and expelled, but some of them (six) returned," said Miguel Bilhardo from local police.

He added that the citizens are in illegal situation, and they will be repatriated within days, due to the lack of space in jails of that province.

"In addition to the threat to the environment, what is most worrying us as authorities is the fact that the illegal mining activities are done in places of high risk of landslide," said Bilhardo.

The illegal miners have been searching for gold, green tourmaline, and copper, using sieves and sacks to extract the minerals. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 04:57:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

PRAGUE, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed here Tuesday by Czech and Chinese officials to boost bilateral cooperation in the sphere of general aviation.

According to the document signed by Advisor of the President of the Czech Republic Jan Kohout and a senior official from Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, the touchpoints and common interests were found in the aircraft manufacturing, light aircraft trade, construction of the general aviation airports, development of air traffic systems, flying security management, and flight personnel training programs.

Representatives of Czech and Chinese aviation enterprises, including Chengdu International Railways Co. Ltd, Czech Metrans Inc., among others, have signed a Protocol of Intentions lining up the above prospects.

The event was hosted by New Silk Road Institute Prague (NSRIP) and Chengdu Municipal People's Government in cooperation with the Sino-Czech Aviation Association. In May 2017 Prague became a new member of the Silk Road Think Tank Network held in Beijing.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 05:53:08|Editor: ZD

Video Player Close

by Xinhua writer Wang Bowen

JERUSALEM, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The first U.S. permanent military base unveiled in Israel Tuesday reveals the two sides' readiness to enhance bilateral cooperation and further curb Iran.

Israel and the United States have been working towards the base during the past two years, and all facilities necessary for a permanent military presence will be put in place soon, by when several dozens of U.S. soldiers will be stationed, said Zvika Haimovitch, head of the Aerial Defense Division in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

The IDF announced on Monday that the United States has opened a permanent military base at Israel's southern region of Negev desert.

Haimovitch told the press that the base would be established at the School of Air Defense, not disclosing whether the Americans would take part in any combat operations.

The base's opening comes as Israel faces a slew of regional threats, especially from its arch enemy Iran.

Iran has continued to work on both its nuclear program as well as its ballistic missiles, despite international criticism has kept Israel and the United States on high alert.

Analysts believe the open of the base is a follow-up move to further watch and curb Iran, whose relationship with the United States has increasingly deteriorated after the U.S. President Donald Trump took office.

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

However, Trump, who during his election campaign had called the Iranian nuclear deal a "disaster" and "the worst deal ever negotiated," approved new economic sanctions on Tehran last month for its missile program, which triggered worries about possible U.S. termination of the nuclear deal with Iran.

To better respond to missile threats, Israel and the United States have been working together to develop several missile defense systems. On Sunday, the IDF opened a new Iron Dome battalion, adding additional defense capabilities to Israel's air defense.

"The American base and the establishment of the new battalion bring more capabilities," Haimovitch stated.

The two countries have long maintained a good rapport with each other in terms of military cooperation, with the United States providing financial support to help develop Israel's military capabilities and Israel keeping an eye on hostile states such as Iran.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 06:08:18|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi government said at least three people were killed and 34 others wounded Tuesday when three suicide bombers attacked a restaurant in Iraq's north-central province of Salahudin.

The incident took place before noon when two suicide bombers detonated their explosive vests at al-Qal'a Restaurant in al-Hajjaj area in the south of the oil refinery town of Baiji, some 200 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Brig. Gen. Saad Maan, Interior Ministry spokesman, said in a statement. (Iraq-Suicide Bombing)

- - - -

GAZA -- Three Islamic Hamas movement's militants died in tunnel collapse incidents in the Gaza Strip in the past five days, the group and Gaza-based rights group said Tuesday.

One Hamas militant, Hani Chalouf, died while working in a tunnel collapse in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah earlier on Tuesday, according to the group's armed wing. (Gaza-Tunnel collapse)

- - - -

ANKARA -- Turkey could stop the oil exports of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) if the latter insists on the independence referendum, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.

Volkan Ozdemir, head of the Ankara-based Institute for Energy Markets and Policies, said Turkey holds "important power in its hands," as the KRG's oil trade is conducted through Turkish territories. (Turkey-Iraq-Kurds)

- - - -

TRIPOLI -- The bodies of five foreign workers kidnapped in Libya two years ago were found in the eastern city of Derna, local media reported Tuesday.

Libya's Shura council of the port city Derna said in a statement on Monday that the five foreign workers were found following the defeat of IS, when soldiers searched west of Derna city. (Libya-Worker) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 06:08:20|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

TRIPOLI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified gunmen shut down a fuel pipeline in the western Libyan city of Zawiya that feeds the capital Tripoli, the national oil corporation said on Tuesday.

"An armed group entered the refinery in Zawiya and forced operators to cut fuel supplies to the capital," the corporation said in a statement.

The statement said the corporation took emergency measures by redirecting tank ships to upload fuel into Tripoli's fuel store.

"Those acts of vandalism that aim to create chaos and trouble will only increase the suffering of the people," the statement said.

The corporation confirmed that necessary legal actions will be taken in case the pipeline remains shut.

Zawiya oil refinery, which feeds western and southern Libya with fuel, has been attacked by armed men several times in the past few years.

Libya's oil sector, the country's main source of income, has been suffering due to clashes between rival militias in oilfields and ports.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 06:23:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

HOUSTON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A large fire broke out on Tuesday at a refinery of Valero Energy in the U.S. state of Texas.

Emergency crews were battling to extinguish the blaze at the 335,000 barrel per day refinery in Port Arthur, about 150 km east of Houston.

No casualties have been reported so far.

The Valero Port Arthur Refinery was commissioned in 1901 and has had many process additions and improvements in its history.

The refinery is strategically located on the Texas Gulf Coast. The refinery's location accommodates its extensive logistics system, which includes access to Gulf Coast water-borne crude oil via the refinery docks or other terminals nearby.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-20 06:23:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

SANAA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A family of nine members were killed in a fresh airstrike launched by Saudi-led coalition on a house in Yemen's northwest province of Hajjah Tuesday, a provincial security official said.

The airstrike hit the family's house in Mazra'ah village in Kashar district.

The victims were mostly children. The residents distributed pictures of the victims through social media.

This is the latest airstrike targeting civilians in the war-torn Arab country.

On Sept. 6, a coalition airstrike targeted a house in Alsadah village, also in Hajjah, killing six family members.

On Sept. 3, two women and a child were killed and six others wounded when another airstrike hit a family's home in Washahah district in Hajjah, according to local officials.

Hajjah is located near the southern border of Saudi Arabia.

In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict to back internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi against Iranian-backed Houthis, which invaded the capital Sanaa militarily and seized most of the country's northern provinces.

More than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the war that also displaced over 3 million, according to UN agencies.

The country has also been hit by a deadly cholera outbreak and is on the edge of famine.
Police raid Ian Alleynes studio

Alleyne claimed that the police, while holding a warrant, and facing no opposition from Synergy staffers, still broke down the door to his studio.

The officers including members of the Central Division Central Task Force arrived at Alleynes studio at 3.45 pm and executed their search warrant. The raid was aired live via Alleynes social media page and on Synergy television.

Mr Jones, you cant take that. It take months to format those things.

You cannot seize that...those things are aired on television, Alleyne is heard telling officers. His attorney Gerald Ramdeen is also seen in the live feed.

The officers, some heavily armed, stood guard outside the studio and prevented Synergy staffers and Alleyne from entering while other officers examined laptops, computers and other recording devices.

An officer warns the person recording the incident to step back.

Listen mister the borse, how many times have we spoken to you? This is a police operation move back, the officer tells the cameraman.

The warrant states that police came to look at footage of a homicide that took place last week. The warrant says nothing about seizing equipment, a female Synergy staffer says. Alleyne then accused the police of working on behalf of the government to terrorise him.

I know what going on. They break down the door to get in here.

I am not giving out my sources they will come for Roodal Moonilal, David Lee. They will come for the Opposition Leader...

anyone who speaks out against them, they will come for, Alleyne says.

He then claimed that what the police really came for was a document related to the Petrotrin fake oil scandal. They did not come for arms and ammunition or drugs...

they came for information. This is the next step by government to muzzle those who are standing up against them. All those who called those jamette are now coming after them, Alleyne said. As the officers began to leave, the crime show host shook hands with several of them before muttering sarcastically, great is the PNM!
Media workers give statement to police

Trinidad Guardian photographer Kristian De Silva and reporter Sasha Wilson were asked to make themselves available for an interview shortly after 2 pm yesterday. The two journalists complied with the request and were interviewed at length involving an alleged physical and verbal assault levelled against them last Friday.

On Saturday, acting Police Commissioner Harold Phillip revealed that a police investigation was launched into reports of attacks on the media and that ASP Hunte of the Professional Standards Bureau was mandated to carry out the probe. Another media worker, Phil Britton of One Caribbean Media (OCM) and a female reporter of that company were also attacked by a person while seeking an interview on the compound of A & V Oil and Gas Limited last Wednesday.

Britton was yesterday still awaiting information from the police on when he will be called to be interviewed. The windshield of Brittons private vehicle was smashed by a beer bottle last Wednesday and he was threatened while on official assignment for TV6 outside the A & V compound in Penal.

The matter was reported to the Penal police and sources revealed that officers were hesitant to take the report.

However, sources revealed that an officer of the Penal Police Station who is allegedly a close relative of a person identified in the fake oil allegations, has been named as being one of the persons involved in the attacks against media workers.

The officer was supposed to be interviewed yesterday, but investigators decided that a few matters had to be sorted out before this officer was interviewed. Senior police officers said that if it is confirmed that a policeman was involved in assaulting media workers, this would be condemned in the strongest manner and also that the matter will not be swept under the carpet. On Sunday, both Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and members of the Opposition condemned attacks against media workers.
3 murders in 12 hours

Police said that at about 5.30 am yesterday, gunmen stormed the home of Nekyon Jones at Benedictine Street in Carenage.

According to reports, the 39-year-old man and his mother were at the house when the gunmen broke in.

Following a chase, Jones was cornered and shot multiple times. He was later taken to the St James Health Centre but was pronounced dead on arrival. Relatives yesterday refused to comment on the incident.

Hours before Jones was gunned down, the father of twin boys lost his life at Chanka Trace in El Socorro. Primnath Ramadeen died after he was shot at about 8 pm on Sunday.

According to reports, Ramadeen was washing a car outside a house at Chanka Trace, while a group of men was liming in the same area.

A vehicle arrived and its occupants pointed weapons and opened fire. Ramadeen and two others were wounded and later taken to hospital where he died while receiving treatment.

Relatives described him as a church-going person who merely was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Relatives added that he was a CEPEP worker who did any odd job so as to support his family including his twin sons.

In another incident, 21-year-old Amado Hernandez was shot while standing outside the Santa Cruz home of a female friend.

A theory police have is that Hernandez was shot by the estranged lover of the woman.

Hernandez father Felix said he (the victim) left his home on Saturday morning to visit the 29-year-old woman. At about 5.30 pm, relatives were notified that he had been shot dead.
2 charged for stealing dead soldiers gun

Magistrate Michelle Maharaj-Brown granted Devon Wilson and Dillon Thomas a total of $400,000 bail when they stood before her charged with four offences.

The accused men both of Fifth Company Village in Moruga, were not called upon to plead in the First Court.

Supt Pragg of the Southern Division charged both with larceny of the firearm and ammunition as well as possession of the firearm and ammunition.

Siparia resident Gay, 31, a member of an elite unit of the Regiment, died on September 4 following a shootout at a wake in Fifth Company Village. Reports are that the dying soldier fell to the ground with his service weapon still in his hands. But by the time police arrived at the scene, the weapon was gone.

Five other persons including colleague Lance Cpl Marc Blunt and four civilians, sustained gunshot wounds. The soldiers, both dressed in plain clothes, were working undercover at the wake. Yesterday, attorney Dane Halls represented Thomas, 35, while Wilson was unrepresented by counsel.

The magistrate granted each accused man $200,000 to be approved by a clerk of the peace and adjourned the matter to October 16. Police attorney Ramdath Phillip prosecuted. No one has been charged with Gays killing.
As indicated by the Africas billionaire, the African-drove coalition of organizations, will look to enhance the well being and prosperity of Africans, both inside the working environment and outside the more extensive groups. He expressed that the organization will create and convey impactful well being programs crosswise over Africa, developing learning, building proof for future speculation and fortifying coordination among African donors, business pioneers, organizations and neighborhood business systems.

Dangote Foundation and GBCHealth have joined forces to forge a new model of partnership, African Business Coalition on Health (GBCHealth) in Africa. Chairman of Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, shared plans to build an African Business Coalition on Health (ABCHealth), during the Bloomberg Global Business Forum, he was co-hosting, and which took place alongside the United Nations General Assembly this week in New York.

The Coalition is expanding on the authority, notoriety of the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the experience, of GBCHealth. Basic issues that will be the concentration of the partnership ranges from sustenance to jungle fever, with needs recognized and concurred by nearby initiative. Through his Foundation, Dangote has made a phenomenal commitment to GBCHealth of US$ 1.5 million more than three years as a suggestion to take action and a flag to the African business group of the significance of cooperating and putting resources into well being.

Co-chair of GBCHealths Board of Directors , Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede said, This coalition brings together two heavyweights in the health and development arena, Together we have an opportunity to demonstrate how investing in health and creating healthier populations, can help business maximize shareholder value, accelerate economic growth and make entry into new markets more feasible.

The coalition will have five primary objectives over its first three years:

Incubate partnerships on priority health programs to enhance and accelerate results; Work directly with companies to optimize workplace and community health programs; Advocate for policies and initiatives that drive system-level changes; Create a hub of data and insights specific to Africa and African business; and Curate leadership events to convene and drive action around common health issues, across sectors

The program will kick off in Nigeria and roll out through business regions in Africa and beyond over the next three years.

In her comments, CEO of the Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, said GBCHealth has a strong track record of bringing diverse groups together to improve the health wellbeing of communities,We look forward to collaborating to build an African business community united as a force for healthier and more inclusive development.

What is needed now is an approach that combines the value of local insights and trusted networks with the leverage of a global platform and expertise to support the more coordinated and impactful involvement of the African private sector across the continent and within the global development community, commented Mr. Aig-Imoukhuede.

The coalition builds on the local-to-global business approach we have developed in Nigeria through our work with the Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA). The Aliko Dangote Foundation has demonstrated expertise in implementing result-oriented health programs in Nigeria and across Africa. We look forward to our collaboration to bring insights from this work to a global audience, said Nancy Wildfeir-Field, President of GBCHealth.

Immediate plans include hiring an African based CEO for ABCHealth, and building a support base for the coalition working towards a launch in early 2018.

The foundation is generously providing office space and support for coalition staff over the first three years of development.
While speaking at the special session of the Supreme Court where he administered oath on 29 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria on Monday, the Chief Justice of Nigeria revealed that it has established a special court for corruption.

Justice Walter Onnoghen during his swearing-in as 20th Chief Justice of Nigeria

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen has directed heads of the divisions of courts to establish a special court for corruption and financial crimes cases, Daily Sun reports.

This, he explained will curb the unnecessary delay associated with the prosecution of such cases.

In addition, the CJN has further directed heads of courts to compile and forward to the National Judicial Council (NJC), comprehensive lists of all corruption and financial crime cases with them.

Justice Onnoghen disclosed the measures Monday at the special session of the Supreme Court where he administered oath on 29 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).

Speaking in the presence of Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, former Vice President Alex Ekwueme and other dignitaries including state governors and past Chief Justices of Nigeria, Justice Onnoghen said they were aimed at supporting the fight against corruption of the present administration.

In order for the National Judicial Council (NJC) to monitor and effectively enforce the foregoing Policy, the CJN announced that an Anti-Corruption Cases Trial Monitoring Committee will be constituted at the next Council meeting.

The committee, he explained, would be saddled with, among other things the responsibility of ensuring that both Trial and Appellate Courts handling corruption and financial crime cases key into and abide by our renewed efforts at ridding our country of the cankerworm.

Justice Onnoghen further directed Heads of Courts to clamp down on both Prosecution and Defence Counsel who indulge in the unethical practice of deploying delay tactics to stall criminal trials.

He said; Heads of Courts are now to report such cases to the NJC which in turn, would transmit them to the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, in the case of Senior Advocates, and Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee in the case of other Legal Practitioners.

Heads of Courts have been directed to designate in their various jurisdictions, one or more Courts, depending on the volume of such cases, as Special Courts solely for the purpose of hearing and speedily determining corruption and financial crime cases.

Where such cases come on appeal, to either the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court, Special Dates on each week, shall be fixed solely for hearing and determining such appeals.

The CJN noted that the judiciary cannot win this war alone; hence the need for collaboration and interface with stakeholders in this noble cause.

We are under no illusion that the fight against corruption would be an easy one, as we are already aware that when you fight corruption, corruption fights back; but we are determined to win it. We require all hands to be on deck to fight this monster.

We in the Supreme Court, having reduced the pre-election appeals in the course of the Third Term of the last Legal year, will devote much of this First Term in dealing, by way of task work, with the identified eighteen (18) EFCC, ICPC, and Economic Crime cases alongside the normal Civil, Criminal, and Political cases, he revealed.

The CJN observed We must not lose sight of the indispensable role of the judiciary in the fight against corruption.

Corruption continues to place the judiciary in the eye of the storm, but, we cannot allow that to deter us or weaken our resolve. It is regrettable that the image of the Judiciary has been tarnished by the notion that the Nigerian Judiciary is bedeviled by corrupt elements, hence the need for an image building parade.

We must accept that acts of misconduct of a few rub off on the rest of the judiciary and create the impression that all judicial officers have their hands soiled with the proceeds of corruption. Let me be clear here; it is not going to be business as usual for the few unscrupulous elements in our midst.
President Muhammadu Buhari, has vowed to continue to fight corruption in Nigeria until it is completely eradicated from Nigerias polity.

Buhari stated this at the 2017 Annual National Management Conference organized by the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) in Abuja.

The President, who was by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, said his administration will fulfill its vow of eliminating all forms of corrupt practices in Nigeria so as to put the country on the path of greatness and prosperity.

Buhari said: To set this country on the path of greatness and prosperity, complete elimination of all forms of corrupt practices must be in the front burner and our collective consciousness always.

You will agree with me that a great nation is the reward of great leadership built on good governance with strict adherence to the ideals and principles of corporate governance. This is our motivation and value proposition. My administration will, therefore, continue to fight corruption and associated social vices at all levels until they are exterminated from our body polity.

He said the theme of the conference  Corporate Governance and Institutional Performance, was apt and relevant towards charting a new course and national reorientation.

By choosing this theme as the focus of this years conference, the institute has further demonstrated that it is committed to supporting the Federal Government in achieving its drive to reposition and turn around the nations economy, he added.

Buhari said the institution of corporate governance had aided his administration in delivering the dividends of democracy to the nations teeming populace especially in the areas of providing security, fighting corruption, employment generation and diversification of the economy.

I further challenge the institute to improve its visibility at public sessions of the National Assembly when bills are being considered so as to make more robust professional management input that will be most relevant in the public domain, he said.

The President, NIM, Prof. Munzali Jibril, in his remarks, said the institute would continue to support the Federal Government as it strives to eliminate corruption across the country.

As we journey into the future, we will neither relent in our quest to bequeath a well-trained and productive workforce to the nation, nor will we be tired until mismanagement, maladministration, corruption and other social vices which have hampered Nigerias development are minimised in our polity, he said.
A motorboy has been arrested after men of the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted a Dangote truck carrying contraband goods.

The dangote truck seized by men of the Nigeria Customs Service

The Nigeria Customs Service has seized a truck belonging to the Dangote Cement Company in Ogun State with about 3,000 cartons of contraband frozen poultry valued at over N47 million.

This was made public by the Comptroller of NCS in the state, Sani Magudu during a press conference on Monday. He said the driver escaped after the truck was impounded but the motorboy was apprehended. The truck, with the inscription Ibese 13 and registration number ICT-13E-047, was parked on Monday within the command premises in Abeokuta fully loaded with the products.

Mr. Madugu said investigation showed that the frozen poultry was being transported into Nigeria from Benin Republic.

A trailer belonging to Dangote Group loaded with 3,000 cartons of frozen turkey was intercepted on Saturday 16th September,2017 at about 3.45 a.m. along Sagamu-Abeokuta interchange, he said.

He said the smugglers were not aware that they were being monitored from the point of packaging of the products until the vehicle was impounded at about 3.45 a.m. on Saturday at Sagamu interchange, which links the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

We are one step ahead of them. The smugglers now connive with Dangote truck drivers. We started monitoring them from their loading spot to Sagamu interchange where the vehicle was intercepted, he said.

He said the products in over 3,000 cartons were valued at N47,250,000.00 and had duty value of N20,250,000.
The nationwide strike called by the United Labour Congress of Nigeria commenced on Monday and led to the shutdown of fuel depots in Apapa, Lagos and other parts of the country, threatening the supply of petroleum products to filling stations.

One of our correspondents gathered that oil workers under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers were partaking in the strike.

The Executive Secretary, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association, Mr. Olufemi Adewole, said, We got to our offices and we saw that they (NUPENG members) were not working.

He said the shutdown of the depots would affect the supply of petroleum products once the stock in filling stations dried up.

We hope the Federal Government will call them and speak to them so that the problem can be resolved speedily, he added.

Adewole noted that prior to the commencement of the strike, some of the associations members were not loading petroleum products because of the debts owed them by the government.

He said, So many of them have been driven out of business; we are hoping that the government will pay us so that we can start working. If there is no money to trade and the workers are not working, definitely they cannot be paid.

We will have to lay them off instead of retaining them and incur debts every month until the government pays us so that we can come back to business.

An official of an independent marketing company in Lagos stated that if the strike continued till Thursday, there would be scarcity of products as many filling stations would begin to run out of fuel stock.

No depot is working now. The ULC set up surveillance teams who are parading all the depots to see if anyone is working, he added.

The South-West Chairman of NUPENG, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, said, We are part of the ULC and we are on strike since morning. There is no loading at depots nationwide. We voted the government into power and let us join hands together to talk to them when it is appropriate.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has invited the executive of NUPENG workers to a conciliatory meeting, which is expected to hold today (Tuesday).

According to a statement on Monday by the Deputy Director of Press, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowookere, the meeting is at the instance of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige.

Towards apprehending the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the NUPENG workers, the minister has scheduled a crucial conciliatory meeting with the president and executive of NUPENG on Tuesday, the statement read in part.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation asked members of the public not to engage in panic buying of products, adding that it had more than 1.6 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit in stock, enough to last for 48 days.

It also said it had in stock sufficient quantities of Automotive Gas Oil or diesel, Dual Purpose Kerosene and Aviation Turbine Kerosene to serve the country.

The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, said in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, The government is consulting the union and the NNPC is also consulting the union on the strike issue.

He added that the government was working hard to arrive at an amicable resolution of outstanding issues with the concerned industry unions.

The ULC had said it hoped to cripple all modes of transportation within the nation, cause total blackout nationwide, cut-off petroleum products supplies, and disrupt banking operations.

Its demands comprise the ban on the stationing of the soldiers and policemen in its members workplaces and factory premises; establishment of a task force by the Federal Ministry of Labour to carry out factory inspections; immediate review of the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria; and immediate payment of all the arrears of salaries owed workers at all levels of government.

The ULC President, Joe Ajaero, while assessing the impact of the strike on Monday, said, We urge all Nigerians to bear with us as this is a necessary sacrifice we all must make to assist those in government to be more responsible and responsive to the demands of Nigerian workers and masses.

We urge the patriots, who are working behind the scene to get the matter resolved, to put pressure on the Federal Government to listen to Nigerian workers and the masses, whom it claims to lead. That is the only way we can get this matter amicably resolved.

The ULC issued the strike notice following the governments failure to recognise the body as a labour federation despite allegedly fulfilling all conditions stipulated by law.

According to it, the failure of the government to recognise the group violates the constitution of Nigeria, which guarantees freedom of association, as well as the Trade Union Act.

According to Ajaero, the affiliates of the ULC that joined the strike on Monday are the National Union of Electricity Employees; Academic Staff Union of Research Institutes; National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees; NUPENG and Nigerian Union of Railway Workers; National Union of Lottery Agents and Employees, among others.

However, aviation unions affiliated to the ULC shunned directives to shut down the Nigerian airspace.

The unions are the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals; Aeronautical Information Services Association of Nigeria; and the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers.

Normal flight operations by airlines were observed at both the international and domestic wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

The General Secretary, NUR, Mr. Segun Esan, said, Not all railway workers might have joined the strike on Monday, but as the days go by, there would be full participation and compliance.

However, normal operations took place in banking halls across the country despite the claim that NUBIFIE had joined the strike, while normal train services operated in Lagos and other major cities.

Meanwhile, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, and his counterpart at the Trade Union Congress, Bobboi Kaigama, described the ULC as an illegal body.

In a statement jointly signed by Wabba and Kaigama, they said that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment had acted within the confines of the law by not registering the ULC and the affiliates it put forward.

They said, No unregistered organisations or individuals can hold our dear country to ransom.

We urge the Federal Ministry of Labour and workers to discountenance the threats of this illegal association. The ministry must be steadfast in upholding the laws governing trade union practice in the country.

Finally, our colleagues are still members of the labour family, in unity lies our strength. We once again extend our hands of comradeship and urge them to return to the fold.
The National President of Niger Delta Youths Coalition for Peace and Progress, has made new revelation over the Abuja home of former President Goodluck Jonathan, which was burgled some months ago.

Goodluck Jonathan

Some youth leaders from Niger Delta region have alleged that contrary to what the authorities had put out to the public that former President Goodluck Jonathans house was not robbed in July, it was an indirect way of searching the property because they believed large amount of money was being housed in the said property.

They described the robbery as a ploy to continue to harass the former president and his family by security agencies, and by extension the region where he comes from.

The property bought in 2004, according to the former president was totally stripped bare by the thieves who stole every movable item in the house including furniture sets, beds, electronics, toilet and electrical fittings, as well as all internal doors and frames.

Addressing journalists, on Sunday after an assessment of Jonathans house at Gwarimpa, Abuja, the National President of Niger Delta Youths Coalition for Peace and Progress, Pastor Olayinka Jude Teidor, accused the Federal Government of being behind the travails the former first family was facing.

He has therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to speak out over the alleged harassment, failure of which they would forced to seek the option of protecting the lives and property of Jonathan and his family members.

Teidor said that all the items carted away from the house should be returned with immediate effect and those behind the raid publicly prosecuted.

According to him, the people of the region have had to endure numerous provocation by the government and its agents, expressing sadness that Jonathan has not been accorded respect and protection due a man of his status compared to others in the other region of the country who have served in the same capacity.

Teidor said, We strongly believe the federal government is involved because agencies of government are involved. Where are security men drafted to provide security to the property.

For Gods sake, he is not an ordinary citizen, he is the immediate past former president and he and his wife are former first family and if this can happen to that kind of personality, it means we are not saved in the Niger Delta.

We are aggrieved, pained and we are calling on federal government that this matter should not be swept under the carpet. He is a public figure so the investigations ought to be made public so that Nigerians will know.

Teidor said that going by media reports, those involved in raiding Jonathans house had been apprehended and being prosecuted but wondered why the items that were carted away had not been made public.

He said; They should make public the things recovered and how the matter is being treated.

We are very pained. The Niger Delta is still being marginalised, the road from Edo to Kogi state is deplorable. All those things are making us to be angry and now they are maltreating the former first family from the Niger Delta.

We are calling on the federal government led by President Buhari to step in. We want the Federal Government to release every fund ceased from the former first family especially that of former First Lady Patience Jonathan.

She is not the only former First Lady, there is obvious connivance in this administration. For Gods sake she has not held any appointment.

She was a former deputy governors wife, former acting governors wife, former governors wife, former vice presidents wife, former acting presidents wife and former presidents wife

In all these period she will enjoy some patronage and good will from the people from Nigeria and other parts of the world.

She is a grassroots person, she is also a business woman. For Christ sake, we have seen former first families opening universities here and outside this country. We have seen where former public officers are investing their loot outside this country.

But this is a lady who is living here, she has not ran away, providing jobs for people. This is the same person they are subjecting to this kind of treatment and we feel pained and threatened.

The Niger Delta is aggrieved and we are calling on the federal government to step into this matter and hands off all the properties belonging to the former first families and to protect their properties and business concerns.

Please we want to see fairness. Nigeria is passing through turbulent times, we are all aware of what is happening in the south east.

This is not hate speech this is hate personified being directed to a region. If they are doing this to the most prominent person from the region by extension you are doing it to the entire Niger Delta. We are pained.

The youth leader cautioned the federal government to show restrain.

We are calling on the federal government to show restrain in their activities against the former first family, they should do the needful so that Nigerians will see that they are transparent, they are not selective. This kind of thing they are doing to the former First Lady is enough for her to develop health challenges. It is not fair.

We are also calling on former heads of state, Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalami Abubakar to mediate in this matter because what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Let them treat this matter fairly. The Federal government should leave Jonathan and his family alone. We are not happy. 

Also collaborating what the President of the group had said, its General Secretary, Charles Jumbo from Bonny Island described the alleged ill treatment to Jonathans family as despicable.

Jumbo said, This is a despicable act. As a matter of fact going by history I dont think there is any former leader in the whole of Nigeria who has experienced this kind of robbery.

It is mind blowing that the first family, the highest ranking Niger Deltan can be subjected to this level of treatment. It is on record that no former first family has faced this type of harassment. We have every reason to believe that the security agencies are culpable because how can you explain this level of robbery.

As a matter of fact, we want to believe that the security agencies are involved in this. We know the police arrested some suspects. Those who were supposed to be protecting the property were the same ones that stole the property.

At the moment we dont know if they were found with any of the property looted from the place, we dont have any conclusion as to the matter. This act is very worrisome.

If the president do not step in and take the right action to call on the agencies of authority to conduct a proper investigation, we can look at the other sides of events in the Niger Delta because we are aggrieved. We are very displeased with what we have seen and it is not acceptable by any standard.

When asked which other option they will be considering if the government does not heed to their demands, Jumbo said they will resort to taking up the responsibility of protecting the family.

He said, Jonathan is an illustrious son from the region and the most high ranking who cannot be given the bearest form of protection. We cannot stand and fold our arms and watch he and his family being treated in this manner.

We are not going to break the law of course but we are going to mobilise ourselves in large numbers so that the protection the government cannot provide for them we will provide for them ourselves.

When asked what the group expected the government to do in the immediate, he said, There are two prayers. One, the federal government through the president must put together a full panel of enquiry and everybody who is responsible for this act is brought to book.

Secondly, it is out of place that all this while there has been fictitious report about the former first family and the president has not made any statement.

The president must make a public statement to debunk the claims that are not true so that the reputation of the first family is not dented. The government should apologise for some of the things that have been said about them that are not true.
Qatar and Britain have signed a letter of intent to buy 24 Typhoon fighter jet.

The agreement, signed by Qatars Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah and Britains Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, aims to strengthen cooperation and mutual support in the military and technical fields between the two countries, the report said.

Fallon said that this agreement will be the first major defense contract with Qatar, one of Britains strategic partners.

This is an important moment in our defense relationship and the basis for even closer defense cooperation between our two countries, he added.

The two sides had a meeting afterwards, discussing aspects of cooperation in the military field, especially in the field of combating terrorism and violent extremism, as well as the regional issues.

On June 15, Qatar and the United States had signed a deal for the purchase of F-15 fighter jets with an initial cost of 12 billion U.S. dollars.
President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a presidential proclamation proscribing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

According to report, this is in a move to take the heat off the army and to ensure that due process is followed.

Our reporter gathered that the president signed the proclamation on Sunday before his departure for New York.

Last Friday, the defence headquarters (DHQ) declared IPOB a militant terrorist organisation. South-east governors subsequently issued a statement, proscribing the group.

But the military has come under severe criticism for the declaration. Though Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, said the DHQ only made a pronouncement and not a declaration on the group.

On Monday, Senate President Bukola Saraki described the action of the military and the governors as unconstitutional.

Saraki said due process was not followed, and that the senate would launch an independent investigation into the matter.

Our reporter said with the signing of the proclamation, a source in the attorney-generals office explained that the presidency had effectively initiated the formal process of proscribing IPOB in accordance with the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011, and that it had also paved the way for the attorney general of the federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) to head to court to give legal backing to the presidential proclamation.

It cited sources as saying Buhari was keen on signing the proclamation before his departure for New York in order to have the right response in the event that the question over the declaration by the army was posed by other world leaders who have been watching events in Nigeria.

The issue was extensively debated between Buhari, the AGF and other aides before he left for the UN General Assembly and the president decided to sign the declaration before leaving for New York, so he could say that due process was being followed if the question was raised by other world leaders at the UN, our reporter quoted the sources as saying.
Following an onslaught against the Indigenous People of Biafra by the Army, leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu has said he will not go on exile.

IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu has declared that he will not embark on an exile following threats of his rearrest by the federal government. He said the IPOB or himself cannot be intimidated into hiding by the federal government.

This was made public in a statement released by the media and publicity secretary Emma Powerful.

Our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has made it abundantly clear to all and sundry that he is NOT going on exile as a result of these childish threats from Hausa Fulani dominated Nigeria Government. the statement read.

Powerful also said: IPOB family members worldwide under the command and leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remain nonviolent, irrespective of the well documented brutal killings of unarmed peaceful demonstrators, abductions, torture, illegal detentions and summary executions of detainees by the Hausa Fulani Islamic run Nigeria Police and Army.

IPOB remains impregnable and no man born of a woman can stop the agitation for Biafra restoration. Until the Hausa Fulani Islamic Nigeria Government fix a date for referendum to settle the issue of Biafra in a civilized and democratic manner, this raging agitation led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will continue.

With the situation on ground today concerning Biafra freedom, we pity the APC Party and Nigerian Government led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari for choosing the uncivilized path of brute force and intimidation as opposed to referendum.

We urge every Biafran, no matter where you are, to remain resolute and strong because Biafra is tantalizingly closer than we expect. It is crystal clear that IPOB led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is ordained by (Chukwu Okike Abiama) God Almighty which no man can stop. We are winning this battle, Powerful added.

He further added that contrary to claims that Kanu has gone into hiding for fear of being rearrested, Kanu fears no human on earth and await the federal government to carry out its plan.

Major General Muhammadu Buhari and his APC band of thugs should be the ones hiding from IPOB not us from them. It is unfortunate that some people in Arewa North do not know who Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is hence they keep coming up with laughable fabrications designed to demystify our leader, to no avail.

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu they privately acknowledge, knows no fear and is undeterred by side rantings of the vocal parasitic few, who cannot imagine their existence without crude oil money coming from Biafraland.

This wicked lie and malicious fabrication is the work of the enemies of Biafra, who enjoy their perfect slave status and will remain servants to Arewa North all their lives, Powerful said.
Egypt plans to issue a new $1.8 billion bond by the end of November and a new $10 billion Eurobond program next year, Finance Minister Amr El Garhy said on Monday.

According to the official, the finance ministry would determine the currency of its next Eurobond issuance within two weeks.

The issue will be in the range of $1.8 billion after the approval of the cabinet, he said, adding that Egypt aims to issue bonds worth between $3 and $4 billion during the first quarter of next year.

Garhy told Reuters Tuesday that his ministry is looking to issue Euro-denominated Eurobonds to fulfill short-term obligations and to diversify its currency basket.

In January, Egypt sold $7 billion in five, ten, and 30-year bonds, part of its return to international markets since the 2011 Arab-spring. The country faces a financing gap of about $10 billion for the current fiscal year and foreign reserves have dried amid difficult economic reforms.

The government is expecting to receive the last $1 billion instalment of a three-year World Bank loan and the last $500 million from the African Development Bank to revamp its economy.

The economy is to grow 3.9 percent by the end of 2017 and will be largely driven by public investment and net exports, according to the World Bank, while the finance ministry expects growth rate to reach 4.75-5.0 percent in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2017-2018.

GDP growth this year is reported to be slower, down from an estimated 4.3 percent in the same period last year.
Head of the self-imposed Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar Monday in Tunis indicated that terrorism in the North African country will be soon eradicated adding that his LNA is a powerful army.

But we have a powerful army, and very soon we will get rid of the story of terrorism in Libya, he said after meeting President Caid Essebsi.

Haftars visit to Tunis came following an African Union-sponsored meeting in Congo Brazzaville last week to mediate the Libyan crisis.

Libya descended into a deep crisis since 2011 following the fall and death of Muammar Gaddafi who ruled the oil-rich country for several decades.

The Islamic State group (IS), taking advantage of rivalries between Libyan factions vying for power, entered the country in 2014. Despite losing its Sirte stronghold in December, the group is still active and last August it dealt a heavy blow to Haftar forces by killing nine LNA militaries and at least two civilians.

They were summarily slaughtered and some were decapitated in the attack that took place in the town of Al Joufra, located in the southeast of the country.

After it was expelled from Syrte, Benghazi and other cities on the Libyan coast, the terrorist group redeployed to the south of the country, where the presence of the military is less heavy.

In July, Haftar announced victory over extremist fighters in Benghazi after three years of fierce battles.

The Head of LNA, backed by Egypt, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia, has been opposed to UN-backed Presidency Council (PC) and its aligned Government of National Accord (GNA).

The rivalry between Haftar and PC led by Faiez Serraj has plagued the political settlement of the Libyan crisis and reconstruction of the country, prompting several countries to try to mediate between the two political rivals.

Last July, President Emmanuel Macron of France convened a meeting between the two men, who agreed to set aside their contentions and make way for peace, endorsing the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) signed in Skhirat, Morocco, in December 2015, as the only political roadmap for the countrys reconstruction.

The two men convened that there could only be a political solution to the Libyan crisis, and pledged to work to put the Libyan Political Agreement approved at Skhirat into full operation.

Yet, on the ground, no concrete moves have been made so far.
The sustained efforts made by King Mohammed VI worldwide for the promotion of tolerance, the consolidation of inter-cultural relations and coexistence have been recognized by the international foundation Global Hope Coalition, which granted the Sovereign a Special Recognition Award.

This prestigious prize has been handed over to the Kings brother Prince Moulay Rachid during a ceremony held Monday in New York on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly.

The event brought together Heads of State and government and heads of United Nations agencies, business leaders, cultural icons, philanthropists and human rights activists.

Speaking on this occasion, UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, who chaired the Global Hope Coalition Summit in NY, recalled the visit she made two months ago at the invitation of King Mohammed VI to the city of Fez and its old medina, included in the UNESCO world heritage list.

The moves made by the Moroccan Sovereign for the promotion of tolerance seek to counter extremism and radical ideas by strengthening the values of mutual respect and openness, added Irina Bokova, hailing the actions launched by the Monarch for his country and for the world.

The Global Hope Coalition is an initiative bringing together public leaders, private sector and civil society advocates in the fight against intolerance and violent extremism.

The Global Hope Coalition, officially launched in September 2017, seeks to provide a global platform to bolster the civil society campaign to fight violent extremism and intolerance, preserve cultural heritage, and promote intercultural dialogue.

The Coalition endeavors to identify, engage, mobilize, and foster the global network of Everyday Heroes fighting extremism and intolerance. It also aims to build bridges of entente and understanding throughout the world.

Besides the special gala dinner held on Monday evening, the coalition convened a Joint Action Meeting on Women, Children and the Trauma of Extremism.

The panel of renowned experts, led by Prof. Phyllis Magrab of Georgetown University, discussed the urgent need to protect and assist the most vulnerable victims of terrorism and violent extremismwomen and children. They underscored the devastating long-term effects on emotional well-being, growth and development on those exposed directly or indirectly to the impact of violent extremism and terrorism.
Northwest Reverb - Reflections by James Bash and others about classical music in the Pacific Northwest and beyond
From time to time, Ive wondered what it must be like to live in a truly tribal society. Watching Iraq or Syria these past few years, you get curious about how the collective mind can come so undone. Whats it like to see the contours of someones face, or hear his accent, or learn the town hes from, and almost reflexively know that he is your foe? How do you live peacefully for years among fellow citizens and then find yourself suddenly engaged in the mass murder of humans who look similar to you, live around you, and believe in the same God, but whose small differences in theology mean they must be killed before they kill you? In the Balkans, a long period of relative peace imposed by communism was shattered by brutal sectarian and ethnic warfare, as previously intermingled citizens split into unreconcilable groups. The same has happened in a developed democratic society  Northern Ireland  and in one of the most successful countries in Africa, Kenya.

Tribal loyalties turned Beirut, Lebanons beautiful, cosmopolitan capital, into an urban wasteland in the 1970s; they caused close to a million deaths in a few months in Rwanda in the 1990s; they are turning Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, into an enabler of ethnic cleansing right now in Myanmar. British imperialists long knew that the best way to divide and conquer was by creating countries riven with tribal differences. Not that they were immune: Even in successful modern democracies like Britain and Spain, the tribes of Scots and Catalans still threaten a viable nation-state. In all these places, the people involved have been full citizens of their respective nations, but their deepest loyalty is to something else.

But then we dont really have to wonder what its like to live in a tribal society anymore, do we? Because we already do. Over the past couple of decades in America, the enduring, complicated divides of ideology, geography, party, class, religion, and race have mutated into something deeper, simpler to map, and therefore much more ominous. I dont just mean the rise of political polarization (although thats how it often expresses itself), nor the rise of political violence (the domestic terrorism of the late 1960s and 70s was far worse), nor even this countrys ancient black-white racial conflict (though its potency endures).

I mean a new and compounding combination of all these differences into two coherent tribes, eerily balanced in political power, fighting not just to advance their own side but to provoke, condemn, and defeat the other.

I mean two tribes whose mutual incomprehension and loathing can drown out their love of country, each of whom scans current events almost entirely to see if they advance not so much their countrys interests but their own. I mean two tribes where one contains most racial minorities and the other is disproportionately white; where one tribe lives on the coasts and in the cities and the other is scattered across a rural and exurban expanse; where one tribe holds on to traditional faith and the other is increasingly contemptuous of religion altogether; where one is viscerally nationalist and the others outlook is increasingly global; where each dominates a major political party; and, most dangerously, where both are growing in intensity as they move further apart.

The project of American democracy  to live beyond such tribal identities, to construct a society based on the individual, to see ourselves as citizens of a peoples republic, to place religion off-limits, and even in recent years to embrace a multiracial and post-religious society  was always an extremely precarious endeavor. It rested, from the beginning, on an 18th-century hope that deep divides can be bridged by a culture of compromise, and that emotion can be defeated by reason. It failed once, spectacularly, in the most brutal civil war any Western democracy has experienced in modern times. And here we are, in an equally tribal era, with a deeply divisive president who is suddenly scrambling Washingtons political alignments, about to find out if we can prevent it from failing again.

Tribalism, its always worth remembering, is not one aspect of human experience. Its the default human experience. It comes more naturally to us than any other way of life. For the overwhelming majority of our time on this planet, the tribe was the only form of human society. We lived for tens of thousands of years in compact, largely egalitarian groups of around 50 people or more, connected to each other by genetics and language, usually unwritten. Most tribes occupied their own familiar territory, with widespread sharing of food and no private property. A tribe had its own leaders and a myth of its own history. It sorted out what we did every day, what we thought every hour.

Tribal cohesion was essential to survival, and our first religions emerged for precisely this purpose. As Dominic Johnson argues in his recent book God Is Watching You, almost all indigenous societies had a common concept of the supernatural, and almost all of them saw their worst threats  hunger, disease, natural disasters, a loss in battle  as a consequence of disobeying a god. Religion therefore fused with communal identity and purpose, it was integral to keeping the enterprise afloat, and the idea of people within a tribe believing in different gods was incomprehensible. Such heretics would be killed.

The tribes that best survived (and thereby transmitted their genes to us) were, moreover, those most acutely aware of outsiders and potential foes. A failure to notice incoming strangers could end your life in an instant, and an indifference to the appearances of other human beings could mean defeat at the hands of rivals or the collapse of a tribe altogether. And so we became a deeply cooperative species  but primarily with our own kind. The notion of living alongside people who do not look like us and treating them as our fellows was meaningless for most of human history.

Comparatively few actual tribes exist today, but that doesnt mean that humans are genetically much different. In his book Tribe, Sebastian Junger relates a little-known fact about the Americans who pioneered the frontier. In the centuries in which white Europeans lived alongside Native American tribes, many Europeans split off from their fellow colonists, disappeared into the wilderness, and joined Indian society. Almost no natives voluntarily did the reverse. Thousands of Europeans are Indians, and we have no examples of even one of those Aborigines having from choice become European, wrote one 18th-century Frenchman. There must be in their social bond something singularly captivating and far superior to anything to be boasted of among us. That something, Junger argues, was being a member of a tribe.

Successful modern democracies do not abolish this feeling; they co-opt it. Healthy tribalism endures in civil society in benign and overlapping ways. We find a sense of belonging, of unconditional pride, in our neighborhood and community; in our ethnic and social identities and their rituals; among our fellow enthusiasts. There are hip-hop and country-music tribes; bros; nerds; Wasps; Dead Heads and Packers fans; Facebook groups. (Yes, technology upends some tribes and enables new ones.) And then, most critically, there is the Uber-tribe that constitutes the nation-state, a megatribe that unites a country around shared national rituals, symbols, music, history, mythology, and events, that forms the core unit of belonging that makes a national democracy possible.

None of this is a problem. Tribalism only destabilizes a democracy when it calcifies into something bigger and more intense than our smaller, multiple loyalties; when it rivals our attachment to the nation as a whole; and when it turns rival tribes into enemies. And the most significant fact about American tribalism today is that all three of these characteristics now apply to our political parties, corrupting and even threatening our system of government.

Illustration: Art Handler

If I were to identify one profound flaw in the founding of America, it would be its avoidance of our tribal nature. The founders were suspicious of political parties altogether  but parties defined by race and religion and class and geography? I doubt theyd believe a republic could survive that, and they couldnt and didnt foresee it. In fact, as they conceived of a new society that would protect the individual rights of all humanity, they explicitly excluded a second tribe among them: African-American slaves. Within a century, that moral and political blind spot cleaved the country down the middle and led to the kind of bloody, manic, and brutal tribal warfare we now think of as something that happens somewhere else.

But it did happen here, on a fault line that closely resembles todays tribal boundary. For a century after the Civil War, this divide, while still strong, was nonetheless diluted by myriad other ethnic loyalties, as waves of European immigrants came to America and competed with each other as well as with those already here. Some new tribes, such as Mormons, were accommodated simply by the ever-expanding frontier. And in the first half of the 20th century, with immigration sharply curtailed after 1924, the world wars acted as great unifiers and integrators. Our political parties became less polarized by race, as the FDR Democrats managed to attract more black voters as well as ethnic and southern whites. By 1956, nearly 40 percent of black voters still backed the GOP.

But we all know what happened next. The re-racialization of our parties began with Barry Goldwaters presidential campaign in 1964, when the GOP lost almost all of the black vote. It accelerated under Nixons southern strategy in the wake of the civil-rights revolution. By Reagans reelection, the two parties began to cohere again into the Civil War pattern, and had simply swapped places.

The failed nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court was perhaps the first moment that a hubristic GOP nominated a figure on the far right, and an increasingly vocal left upended previous norms for judicial hearings, using race and gender as political weapons. Mass illegal Latino immigration added to the tribal mix as the GOP, led most notably by Pete Wilson in California, became increasingly defined by white immigration restrictionists, and Hispanics moved to the Democrats. Newt Gingrichs revolutionary GOP then upped the ante, treating President Bill Clinton as illegitimate from the start, launching an absurd impeachment crusade, and destroying the comity that once kept Washington from complete partisan dysfunction. Abortion and gay rights further split urban and rural America. By the 2000 election, we were introduced to the red-blue map, though by then we could already recognize the two tribes it identified as they fought to a national draw. Choosing a president under those circumstances caused a constitutional crisis, one the Supreme Court resolved at the expense of losing much of its nonpartisan, nontribal authority.

Then there were other accelerants: The arrival of talk radio in the 1980s, Fox News in the 90s, and internet news and MSNBC in the aughts; the colossal blunder of the Iraq War, which wrecked the brief national unity after 9/11; and the rise of partisan gerrymandering that allowed the GOP to win, in 2016, 49 percent of the vote but 55 percent of House seats. (A recent study found that a full fifth of current districts are more convoluted than the original, contorted district that first gave us the term gerrymander in 1812.) The greatest threat to a politician today therefore is less a candidate from the opposing party than a more ideologically extreme primary opponent. The incentives for cross-tribal compromise have been eviscerated, and those for tribal extremism reinforced.

Add to this the great intellectual sorting of America, in which, for generations, mass college education sifted countless gifted young people from the heartland and deposited them in increasingly left-liberal universities and thereafter the major cities, from which they never returned, and then the shifting of our economy to favor the college-educated, which only deepened the urban-rural divide. The absence of compulsory military service meant that our wars would be fought disproportionately by one tribe, and the rise of radical Islamic terrorism only inflamed tribal suspicions. Then theres the post-1965 wave of mass immigration, which disorients in ways that cannot be wished or shamed away; the decision among the countrys intellectual elite to junk the melting pot metaphor as a model for immigration in favor of multiculturalism; and the decline of Christianity as a common cultural language for both political parties  which had been critical, for example, to the success of the civil-rights movement.

The myths that helped us unite as a nation began to fray. We once had a widely accepted narrative of our origins, shared icons that defined us, and a common pseudo-ethnicity  whiteness  into which new immigrants were encouraged to assimilate. Our much broader ethnic mix and the truths of history make this much harder today  as, of course, they should. But we should be clear-eyed about the consequence. We can no longer think of the Puritans without acknowledging the genocide that followed them; we cannot celebrate our Founding Fathers without seeing that slavery undergirded the society they constructed; we must tear down our Confederate statues and relitigate our oldest rifts. Even the national anthem now divides those who stand from those who kneel. We dismantled many of our myths, but have not yet formed new ones to replace them.

The result of all this is that a lopsided 69 percent of white Christians now vote Republican, while the Democrats get only 31. In the last decade, the gap in Christian identification between Democrats and Republicans has increased by 50 percent. In 2004, 44 percent of Latinos voted Republican for president; in 2016, 29 percent did. Forty-three percent of Asian-Americans voted Republican in 2004; in 2016, 29 percent did. Since 2004, the most populous urban counties have also swung decisively toward the Democrats, in both blue and red states, while rural counties have shifted sharply to the GOP. When three core components of a tribal identity  race, religion, and geography  define your political parties, youre in serious trouble.

Some countries where tribal cleavages spawned by ethnic and linguistic differences have long existed understand this and have constructed systems of government designed to ameliorate the consequences. Unlike the U.S., they encourage a culture of almost pathological compromise, or build constitutions that, unlike our own, take tribal conflict seriously. They often have a neutral head of state  a constitutional monarch or nonpartisan president  so that the legitimacy of the system is less easily defined by one tribe or the other. They tend to have proportional representation and more than two parties, so its close to impossible for one party to govern without some sort of coalition. In the toughest cases, they have mandatory inclusion of minority parties in the government.

In Northern Ireland, for example, since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, there are intricate arrangements in which no regional government for the province can exist without support from at least two parties representing the Catholic minority and the Protestant majority. The first minister and the deputy first minister have to be from different parties, one Catholic and one Protestant. If one or the other drops out, power reverts to Westminster. The Belgian government, to take another example, is required to have both French- and Flemish-speaking parties, representing the two linguistic and cultural tribes that make up the country.

These contrivances are not fail-safe, especially if the divisions are too great  such as Cypruss experiment in the 1960s. But they can channel tribal conflict constructively and thereby weaken it. The Netherlands is the clearest success story. Its three main tribes (or pillars, as they became known) were, for many years, Catholic, Protestant, and socialist. Each had its own political culture, media, and unions. But these were divided into five parties (one socialist, one conservative, one Catholic, and two Protestant). In practice, this required tribal cooperation through constant coalition governments that gravitated toward the center. Over time, as secularism took hold, the Netherlands evolved into a much more familiar variety of ideological parties, but its tradition of compromising, coalition governments remains.

The United States is built on a very different set of institutions. There is no neutral presidency here, and so when a rank tribalist wins the office and governs almost entirely in the interests of the hardest core of his base, half the country understandably feels as if it were under siege. Our two-party, winner-take-all system only works when both parties are trying to appeal to the same constituencies on a variety of issues.

Our undemocratic electoral structure exacerbates things. Donald Trump won 46 percent of the vote, attracting 3 million fewer voters than his opponent, but secured 56 percent of the Electoral College. Republicans won 44 percent of the vote in the Senate seats up for reelection last year, but 65 percent of the seats. To have one tribe dominate another is one thing; to have the tribe that gained fewer votes govern the rest  and be the head of state  is testing political stability.

What you end up with is zero-sum politics, which drags the country either toward alternating administrations bent primarily on undoing everything their predecessors accomplished, or the kind of gridlock that has dominated national politics for the past seven years  or both. Slowly our political culture becomes one in which the two parties see themselves not as participating in a process of moving the country forward, sometimes by tilting to the right and sometimes to the left, as circumstances permit, alternating in power, compromising when in opposition, moderating when in government  but one where the goal is always the obliteration of the other party by securing a permanent majority, in an unending process of construction and demolition.

And so by 2017, 41 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of Democrats said they disagreed not just with their opponents political views but with their values and goals beyond politics as well. Nearly 60 percent of all Americans find it stressful even to talk about Trump with someone who disagrees with them. A Monmouth poll, for good measure, recently found that 61 percent of Trump supporters say theres nothing he could do to make them change their minds about him; 57 percent of his opponents say the same thing. Nothing he could do.

One of the great attractions of tribalism is that you dont actually have to think very much. All you need to know on any given subject is which side youre on. You pick up signals from everyone around you, you slowly winnow your acquaintances to those who will reinforce your worldview, a tribal leader calls the shots, and everything slips into place. After a while, your immersion in tribal loyalty makes the activities of another tribe not just alien but close to incomprehensible. It has been noticed, for example, that primitive tribes can sometimes call their members simply people while describing others as some kind of alien. So the word Inuit means people, but a rival indigenous people, the Ojibwe, call them Eskimos, which, according to lore, means eaters of raw meat.

When criticized by a member of a rival tribe, a tribalist will not reflect on his own actions or assumptions but instantly point to the same flaw in his enemy. The most powerful tribalist among us, Trump, does this constantly. When confronted with his own history of sexual assault, for example, he gave the tiniest of apologies and immediately accused his opponents husband of worse, inviting several of Bill Clintons accusers to a press conference. But in this, he was only reflecting the now near-ubiquitous trend of whataboutism, as any glance at a comments section or a cable slugfest will reveal. The Soviets perfected this in the Cold War, deflecting from their horrific Gulags by pointing, for example, to racial strife in the U.S. It tells you a lot about our time that a tactic once honed in a global power struggle between two nations now occurs within one. What the Soviets used against us we now use against one another.

One of the great attractions of tribalism is that you dont actually have to think very much. All you need to know on any given subject is which side youre on.

In America, the intellectual elites, far from being a key rational bloc resisting this, have succumbed. The intellectual right and the academic left have long since dispensed with the idea of a mutual exchange of ideas. In a new study of the voting habits of professors, Democrats outnumber Republicans 12 to 1, and the imbalance is growing. Among professors under 36, the ratio is almost 23 to 1. Its not a surprise, then, that once-esoteric neo-Marxist ideologies  such as critical race and gender theory and postmodernism, the bastard children of Herbert Marcuse and Michel Foucault  have become the premises of higher education, the orthodoxy of a new and mandatory religion. Their practical implications  such as safe spaces, speech regarded as violence, racially segregated graduation ceremonies, the policing of micro-aggressions, the checking of white privilege  are now embedded in the institutions themselves.

Conservative dissent therefore becomes tribal blasphemy. Free speech can quickly become hate speech, hate speech becomes indistinguishable from a hate crime, and a crime needs to be punished. Many members of the academic elite regard opposing views as threats to others existences, and conservative speakers often can only get a hearing on campus under lockdown. This seeps into the broader culture. It leads directly to a tech entrepreneur like Brendan Eich being hounded out of a company, Mozilla, he created because he once opposed marriage equality, or a brilliant coder, James Damore, being fired from Google for airing civil, empirical arguments against the left-feminist assumptions behind the companys employment practices.

Its why a young gay freelance writer, Chadwick Moore, could have a record of solid journalism, write a balanced profile of Milo Yiannopoulos for Out magazine, and then be subjected to an avalanche of bile from readers and a public denunciation signed by many of his fellow gay journalists. He lost his relationship with the magazine shortly thereafter. Moore is a fascinating case in how tribalism now infects everything. After being ostracized by his own tribe, he flipped, turned into a parody of MAGA conformity, and became an employee of Milo Inc.

There is, of course, an enormous conservative intellectual counter-Establishment, an often incestuous network of think tanks, foundations, journals, and magazines that exists outside of universities. It, too, has fomented its own orthodoxies, policed dissent, and punished heresy.

Conservatism thrived in America when it was dedicated to criticizing liberalisms failures, engaging with it empirically, and offering practical alternatives to the same problems. It has since withered into an intellectual movement that does little but talk to itself and guard its ideological boundaries. To be a conservative critic of George W. Bush, for example, meant risking not just social ostracism but, for many, loss of livelihood. I recall being applauded by the conservative media  and trashed by the left  when I endorsed Bush in 2000 and used my blog to champion the Iraq War. But when I realized the depth of my mistake, regretted my own tribal rhetoric, and wrote about it, I was immediately transformed into an unmentionable leftist. My writing career survived because I had my own blog and a foot in liberal media. But most others have no such escape routes.

And so, among tribal conservatives, the Iraq War remained a taboo topic when it wasnt still regarded as a smashing success, tax cuts were still the solution to every economic woe, free trade was all benefit and no cost, and so on. Health care was perhaps the most obvious example of this intellectual closure. Republican opposition to the Affordable Care Act was immediate and total. Even though the essential contours of the policy had been honed at the Heritage Foundation, even though a Republican governor had pioneered it in Massachusetts, and even though that governor became the Republican nominee in 2012, the anathematization of it defined the GOP for seven years. After conservative writer David Frum dared to argue that a moderate, market-oriented reform to the health-care system was not the ideological hill for the GOP to die on, he lost his job at the American Enterprise Institute. When it actually came to undoing the reform earlier this year, the GOP had precious little intellectual capital to fall back on, no alternative way to keep millions insured, no history of explaining to voters outside their own tribe what principles they were even trying to apply.

George Orwell famously defined this mind-set as identifying yourself with a movement, placing it beyond good and evil and recognising no other duty than that of advancing its interests. Its typified, he noted, by self-contradiction and indifference to reality. And so many severe critics of George W. Bushs surveillance policies became oddly muted when Obama adopted most of them; Democrats looked the other way as Obama ramped up deportations to levels higher than Trumps rate so far. Republicans, in turn, were obsessed with the national debt when Obama was in office, despite the deepest recession in decades. But the minute Trump came to power, they couldnt be more enthusiastic about a tax package that could add trillions of dollars to it. No tribe was more federalist when it came to marijuana laws than liberals; and no tribe was less federalist when it came to abortion. Reverse that for conservatives. For the right-tribe, everything is genetic except homosexuality; for the left-tribe, nothing is genetic except homosexuality. During the Bush years, liberals inveighed ceaselessly against executive overreach; under Obama, they cheered when he used his executive authority to alter immigration laws and impose new environmental regulations by fiat.

As for indifference to reality, todays Republicans cannot accept that human-produced carbon is destroying the planet, and todays Democrats must believe that different outcomes for men and women in society are entirely a function of sexism. Even now, Democrats cannot say the words illegal immigrants or concede that affirmative action means discriminating against people because of their race. Republicans cannot own the fact that big tax cuts have not trickled down, or that President Bush authorized the brutal torture of prisoners, thereby unequivocally committing war crimes. Orwell again: There is no crime, absolutely none, that cannot be condoned when our side commits it. Even if one does not deny that the crime has happened, even if one knows that it is exactly the same crime as one has condemned in some other case  still one cannot feel that it is wrong. That is as good a summary of tribalism as you can get, that it substitutes a feeling  a really satisfying one  for an argument.

When a party leader in a liberal democracy proposes a shift in direction, there is usually an internal debate. It can go on for years. When a tribal leader does so, the tribe immediately jumps on command. And so the Republicans went from free trade to protectionism, and from internationalism to nationalism, almost overnight. For decades, a defining foreign-policy concern for Republicans was suspicion of and hostility to the Soviet Union and Russia. In the 2012 election, Mitt Romney called Moscow the No. 1 geopolitical enemy of the United States. And yet between 2014 and 2017, a period when Putin engaged in maximal provocation, occupying Crimea and moving troops into Ukraine, Republican approval of the authoritarian thug in the Kremlin leapt from 10 to 32 percent.

And then there is the stance of white Evangelicals, a pillar of the red tribe. Among their persistent concerns has long been the decline of traditional marriage, the coarsening of public discourse, and the centrality of personal virtue to the conduct of public office. In the 1990s, they assailed Bill Clinton as the font of decadence; then they lionized George W. Bush, who promised to return what they often called dignity to the Oval Office. And yet when a black Democrat with exemplary personal morality, impeccable public civility, a man devoted to his wife and children and a model for African-American fathers, entered the White House, they treated him as a threat to civilization. Even as he gave speeches drenched in Christian allegory and offered a eulogy in Charleston that ended with a cathartic rendition of Amazing Grace, they retained a suspicion that he was secretly a Muslim. And when they encountered a foulmouthed pagan who bragged of grabbing women by the pussy, used the tabloids to humiliate his wife, married three times, boasted about the hotness of his own daughter, touted the size of his own dick in a presidential debate, and spoke of avoiding STDs as his personal Vietnam, they gave him more monolithic support than any candidate since Reagan, including born-again Bush and squeaky-clean Romney. In 2011, a poll found that only 30 percent of white Evangelicals believed that private immorality was irrelevant for public life. This month, the same poll found that the number had skyrocketed to 72 percent.

White supremacist wins no converts, and when actual white supremacists march in the streets, you have no language left to describe them as any different from all Trump supporters.

Total immersion within ones tribe also leads to increasingly extreme ideas. The word hate, for example, has now become a one-stop replacement for a whole spectrum of varying, milder emotions involved with bias toward others: discomfort, fear, unease, suspicion, ignorance, confusion. And it has even now come to include simply defending traditional Christian, Jewish, and Muslim doctrine on questions such as homosexuality.

Or take the current promiscuous use of the term white supremacist. We used to know what that meant. It meant advocates and practitioners of slavery, believers in the right of white people to rule over all others, subscribers to a theory of a master race, Jim Crow supporters, George Wallace voters. But it is now routinely used on the left to mean, simply, racism in a multicultural America, in which European-Americans are a fast-evaporating ethnic majority. Its a term that implies there is no difference in race relations between America today and America in, say, the 1830s or the 1930s. This rhetoric is not just untrue, it is dangerous. It wins no converts, and when actual white supremacists march in the streets, you have no language left to describe them as any different from, say, all Trump supporters, including the 13 percent of black men who voted for him.

Liberals should be able to understand this by reading any conservative online journalism and encountering the term the left. It represents a large, amorphous blob of malevolent human beings, with no variation among them, no reasonable ideas, nothing identifiably human at all. Start perusing, say, townhall.com, and you will soon stumble onto something like this, written recently by one of my favorite right-tribalists, Kurt Schlichter: They hate you. Leftists dont merely disagree with you. They dont merely feel you are misguided. They dont think you are merely wrong. They hate you. They want you enslaved and obedient, if not dead. Once you get that, everything that is happening now will make sense. And, yes, everything will. How does Schlichter describe the right? Normals. Its the Inuit and the Eskimos all over again.

This atmosphere can affect even the finest minds. I think of Ta-Nehisi Coates, the essayist and memoirist. Not long ago, he was a subtle, complicated, and beautiful writer. He could push back against his own tribe. He could write critically of the idea that there never is any black agency  to be African-American is to be an automaton responding to either white racism or cultural pathology. No way you could actually have free will. He could persuasively push against nihilism and paranoia among his own, to champion the idea of being critical, not just of the larger white narrative, but of the narrative put forth by those around you. He could speak of street culture as someone who lived it and yet knew, as he put it in an essay called A Culture of Poverty, that  I aint no punk may shield you from neighborhood violence. But it cannot shield you from algebra, when your teacher tries to correct you. It cannot shield you from losing hours, when your supervisor corrects your work. He could do this while brilliantly conveying the systemic racism that crushes the souls of so many black Americans.

He remains a vital voice, but in more recent years, a somewhat different one. His mood has become much gloomier. He calls the Obama presidency a tragedy, and describes many Trump supporters as not so different from those same Americans who grin back at us in lynching photos. Hes written about how watching cops and firefighters enter the smoldering World Trade Center instantly reminded him of cops mistreating blacks: They were not human to me. In his latest essay in the Atlantic, analyzing why Donald Trump won the last election, he dismisses any notion that economic distress might have played a role as empty and ignores other factors, such as Hillary Clintons terrible candidacy, the populist revolt against immigration that had become a potent force across the West, and the possibility that the pace of social change might have triggered a backlash among traditionalists. No, there was one meaningful explanation only: white supremacism. And those who accept, as I do, that racism was indeed a big part of the equation but also saw other factors at work were simply luxuriating in our own white privilege because we are never under racisms boot.

A writer is entitled to shift perspective. Whats more salient is his audience. He once had a small but devoted and querulous readership for his often surprising blog. Today, his works are huge best sellers, and it is deemed near blasphemous among liberals to criticize them.

How to unwind this increasingly dangerous dysfunction? Its not easy to be optimistic with Trump as president. And given his malignant narcissism, despotic instincts, absence of empathy, and constant incitement of racial and xenophobic hatred, its extremely hard not to be tribal in return. There is no divide he doesnt want to deepen, no conflict he doesnt want to start or intensify. How on earth can we not resist?

But we should not delude ourselves that this is all a Trump problem. What Obama could not overcome would have buried Hillary Clinton, who, almost uniquely in public life, carries the scars of our tribal era. Her campaign made no effort to persuade deplorables, just to condemn them, and her core strategy was not to engage those on the fence but to maximize the turnout of her demographic tribe.

In fact, the person best positioned to get us out of this tribal trap would be  well  bear with me  Trump. The model would be Bill Clinton, the first president to meet our newly configured divide. Clinton leveraged the loyalty of Democrats thrilled to regain the White House in order to triangulate toward centrist compromises with the GOP. You can argue about the merits of the results, but he was able to govern, to move legislation forward, to reform welfare, reduce crime, turn the deficit into a surplus, survive impeachment, and end his term a popular president.

Trump is as much an opportunist as a tribalist; he won the presidency by having an intuitive, instinctive grasp of how to inflame and exploit our tribal divide. His base is therefore more fanatically loyal and his policy views even more, shall we say, flexible than Clintons. His recent dealings with the Democratic congressional leadership have flummoxed party leaders and disrupted our political storytelling. Thats something worth celebrating. His new openness to trade legislating DACA in return for stronger immigration enforcement is especially good news. If Trump is right that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his followers would still support him, hes surely uniquely capable of cutting deals with the Democrats while keeping much of the Republican base in line (and kneecapping Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell). Two new polls back this up. Rasmussen found that 72 percent of Republican voters support Trumps working with Democrats; YouGov found that Republicans backed Trumps deal with Schumer and Pelosi by 62 to 18 percent.

The Democrats are now, surprisingly, confronting a choice many thought they would only face in a best-case-scenario midterm election, and their political calculus is suddenly much more complicated than pure resistance. Might the best interest of the country be served by working with Trump? And if they do win the House in 2018, should they seek to destroy Trumps presidency, much like GOP leaders in Congress chose to do with Obama? Should they try to end it through impeachment, as the GOP attempted with Bill Clinton? Or could they try to moderate the tribal divide? Maybe its no longer a complete fantasy that they might even find a compromise that reforms the Affordable Care Act while allowing Trump to claim he replaced it  and use that as a model for further collaboration. But if Democratic leaders choose to de-escalate our tribal war rather than to destroy their political nemesis, would their base revolt?

Or maybe we can just reassure ourselves that our tribalism is mainly a function of the older generations racial and cultural panic and we will slowly move through and past it. Maybe Trumps victory is just one last hurrah of an older, whiter American identity, that we can outlast without a cathartic crisis or conflict. One trouble with this hopefulness is that whiteness is a subjective term. Its possible that more Latinos will identify as white in the future, as other immigrant minorities have over time, thereby maintaining our tribal balance. Its also possible that our ethnic and cultural divide could very much worsen in the meantime, especially as the demise of the old white majority becomes closer to statistical reality. White Christians are panicked and paranoid about religious freedom now. How will they feel when vastly more secular and multiracial generations come to power? And if the Democrats try to impeach a president who has no interest in the stability or integrity of our liberal democracy, and if his base sees it, as they will, as an Establishment attempt at nullifying their vote, are we really prepared to handle the civil unrest and constitutional crisis that would almost certainly follow?

Tribalism is not a static force. It feeds on itself. It appeals on a gut level and evokes emotions that are not easily controlled and usually spiral toward real conflict. And there is no sign that the deeper forces that have accelerated this  globalization, social atomization, secularization, media polarization, ever more multiculturalism  will weaken. The rhetorical extremes have already been pushed further than most of us thought possible only a couple of years ago, and the rival camps are even more hermetically sealed. In 2015, did any of us anticipate that neo-Nazis would be openly parading with torches on a college campus or that antifa activists would be proudly extolling violence as the only serious response to the Trump era?

As utopian as it sounds, I truly believe all of us have to at least try to change the culture from the ground up. There are two ideas that might be of help, it seems to me. The first is individuality. I dont mean individualism. Nothing is more conducive to tribalism than a sea of disconnected, atomized individuals searching for some broader tribe to belong to. I mean valuing the unique human being  distinct from any group identity, quirky, full of character and contradictions, skeptical, rebellious, immune to being labeled or bludgeoned into a broader tribal grouping. This cultural antidote to tribalism, left and right, is still here in America and ready to be rediscovered. That we expanded the space for this to flourish is one of the greatest achievements of the West.

Perhaps Im biased because Im an individual by default. Im gay but Catholic, conservative but independent, a Brit but American, religious but secular. What tribe would ever have me? I may be an extreme case, but we all are nonconformist to some degree. Nurturing your difference or dissent from your own group is difficult; appreciating the individuality of those in other tribes is even harder. It takes effort and imagination, openness to dissent, even an occasional embrace of blasphemy.

And, at some point, we also need mutual forgiveness. It doesnt matter if you believe, as I do, that the right bears the bulk of the historical blame. No tribal conflict has ever been unwound without magnanimity. Yitzhak Rabin had it, but it was not enough. Nelson Mandela had it, and it was. In Colombia earlier this month, as a fragile peace agreement met public opposition, Pope Francis insisted that grudges be left behind: All of us are necessary to create and form a society. This isnt just done with the pure-blooded ones, but rather with everyone. And here is where the greatness of the country lies, in that there is room for all and all are important. If societies scarred by recent domestic terrorism can aim at this, why should it be so impossible for us?

But this requires, of course, first recognizing our own tribal thinking. So much of our debates are now an easy either/or rather than a complicated both/and. In our tribal certainties, we often distort what we actually believe in the quiet of our hearts, and fail to see what aspects of truth the other tribe may grasp.

Not all resistance to mass immigration or multiculturalism is mere racism or bigotry; and not every complaint about racism and sexism is baseless. Many older white Americans are not so much full of hate as full of fear. Equally, many minorities and women face genuine blocks to their advancement because of subtle and unsubtle bias, and it is not mere victim-mongering. We also dont have to deny African-American agency in order to account for the historic patterns of injustice that still haunt an entire community. We need to recall that most immigrants are simply seeking a better life, but also that a country that cannot control its borders is not a country at all. Were rightly concerned that religious faith can easily lead to intolerance, but we neednt conclude that having faith is a pathology. We need not renounce our cosmopolitanism to reengage and respect those in rural America, and we dont have to abandon our patriotism to see that the urban mix is also integral to what it means to be an American today. The actual solutions to our problems are to be found in the current no-mans-land that lies between the two tribes. Reentering it with empiricism and moderation to find different compromises for different issues is the only way out of our increasingly dangerous impasse.

All of this runs deeply against the grain. Its counterintuitive. Its emotionally unpleasant. It fights against our very DNA. Compared with bathing in the affirming balm of a tribe, its deeply unsatisfying. But no one ever claimed that living in a republic was going to be easy  if we really want to keep it.

*This article appears in the September 18, 2017, issue of New York Magazine.
Paul Manafort was warned about an indictment, and somehow Trump supporters see good news. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

For some time, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn have been vying for the undesirable title of Trump associate most likely to be taken down by the Russia probe. Manafort pulled ahead on Monday night with the release of two explosive reports that revealed hes been intermittently under federal surveillance since 2014, and special counsel Robert Muellers prosecutors recently told him that they plan to indict him.

According to CNN, the FBIs investigation of Manafort dates back to at least 2014, long before Trump was even a candidate. They originally became interested in Manafort due to his consulting work on behalf of Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russia former Ukrainian president whos been accused of corruption.

The wiretap on Manafort had to be approved by the court established under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, meaning federal judges found that there was probable cause to believe Manafort was an agent of a foreign power. Sources say that surveillance was eventually discontinued owing to a lack of evidence (and Manafort recently registered as a foreign agent retroactively).

FISA warrants must be continually renewed, and Manafort was not under FBI surveillance when Donald Trump Jr. invited him to a meeting with several people connected to the Russian government in June 2016. But the FBI obtained a new FISA warrant that extended at least through early 2017 as part of its investigation into possible contacts between Trump officials and Russian operatives.

That gap could prove crucial as prosecutors and investigators under Mueller work to determine whether theres evidence of a crime in myriad connections that have come to light between suspected Russian government operatives and associates of Trump. Manafort has denied that he knowingly had contact with Russian agents.

It was previously reported that the FBI raided Manaforts Alexandria, Virginia, home in July, and a New York Times report offers some new details:

Paul J. Manafort was in bed early one morning in July when federal agents bearing a search warrant picked the lock on his front door and raided his Virginia home. They took binders stuffed with documents and copied his computer files, looking for evidence that Mr. Manafort, President Trumps former campaign chairman, set up secret offshore bank accounts. They even photographed the expensive suits in his closet.

The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, then followed the house search with a warning: His prosecutors told Mr. Manafort they planned to indict him, said two people close to the investigation.

They seem to be pursuing this more aggressively, taking a much harder line, than youd expect to see in a typical white collar case, Jimmy Gurule, a Notre Dame law professor and former federal prosecutor, told the Times. This is more consistent with how youd go after an organized crime syndicate.

Apparently, in their probe of Manafort, federal agents might have scooped up some information on the boss as well. Manfort was being wiretapped during a period when he was known to be in communication with Trump, and its possible that the president was picked up during the surveillance. Trump didnt seem that concerned, however, as he kept chatting with Manafort even after it was widely reported that he was the target of an FBI investigation.

The conversations between Manafort and Trump continued after the President took office, long after the FBI investigation into Manafort was publicly knwn, the sources told CNN. They went on until lawyers for the President and Manafort insisted that they stop, according to the sources.

Manafort has a residence in Trump Tower, but its unclear if the FBI surveilled him there. Still, according to Trump supporters, the important takeaway from these reports isnt that the presidents former campaign manager may have engaged in illegal activity, but that Trump was right when he claimed Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory.

So CNN finally admits it! Manafort was wiretapped. This is what Trump has been saying all along!



Once again he was right.  RD (@real_defender) September 18, 2017

.@BarackObama had Paul Manafort wiretapped BEFORE & AFTER the 2016 election.... looks like @realDonaldTrump was right again! pic.twitter.com/IEFBhxUhUK  GITMO KAG2020  (@President1Trump) September 19, 2017

Of course, we still dont know if the FBI surveilled Trump Tower. Or if they were listening in the final days of the campaign. And apparently the target wasnt Trump. And Obama wouldnt have had anything to do with an independent FBI probe. But other than that, Trump has been completely vindicated.
Lindsey Graham wants to reorder the U.S. health-care system for the purpose of trolling Bernie Sanders. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Perhaps the oddest thing about the last-ditch Republican plan to repeal Obamacare is that it is being sold not as a repeal of Obamacare  which is popular  but instead as a rebuke to a law that does not yet exist. If you want a single-payer health-care system, this is your worst nightmare, Lindsey Graham has boasted of his plan. Hell no to Berniecare. Grahams weird promise that his plan ends single-payer health care has somehow taken hold, to the point where Republicans appear to believe it would foreclose even public debate on left-wing alternatives. The bill stops us from having conversation in the future about Medicare for all, claims Senator Tim Scott.

It is bizarre to believe that directing power from the federal to the state level is irreversible. For an example of a major health-care law that federalized the role of health-care funding and regulation, we merely have to look at  the last one. To be sure, if state-based health-care regulation creates a paradise of universal coverage and low rates, then nobody will have much incentive to change it. But Republicans have zero examples of any such experiment working, and no reason to believe that lower funding levels will do anything other than reduce the amount of care.

Enacting a massive legislation change with unmeasured but far-reaching effects in order to preempt future legislation is an act of incredible irresponsibility. But whats most perverse is that it fails the test of internal logic. To the extent that the passage of Grahams bill will affect the chances of Medicare for All passing soon, it will be to make it more rather than less likely.

Democrats in Congress are in the early stages of a partywide debate over their legislative priorities should they regain control of government in 2021. They see two main obstacles in the path of passing a Medicare-for-all bill. First, the Senate filibuster restricts the ability of a major party to write sweeping legislation without a supermajority (which Democrats are unlikely to obtain). Second, the political costs of voting for some kind of single-payer program, which would disrupt existing arrangements for more than 100 million people and/or include large tax increases, would be very steep.

The internal Democratic debate concerns whether it is worth taking on these costs. Senate institutionalists are loath to alter the chambers rules to weaken or abolish the filibuster. And many Democrats shy away from the costs of a large welfare-state expansion. What bolsters their hesitation is precisely the assumption that Obamacare is working well. As Bill Scher argued very recently, [W]hy should Democrats prioritize junking what was just successfully defended, at enormous political risk, when there are so many other moral imperatives that warrant a robust and urgent policy response? If Congress passes a bipartisan bill to fund the state exchanges, and the Trump administrations sabotage efforts fail, Democratic advocates of maintaining Obamacare would be vindicated.

What could alter that internal calculus? If Republicans repealed Obamacare. It would make it easier for the left to argue that the programs compromise structure is a failure, that its markets are inherently susceptible to sabotage by Republican administrations, and that the risk of political capital is worthwhile. And the method used to pass repeal  a hastily assembled reconciliation bill devoid of serious analysis  would make fools of the partys Senate institutionalists. Democrats would be incentivized to pass a sweeping 50-vote Medicare expansion, with the goal of creating as many beneficiaries as possible, as quickly as possible.

Heightening the contradictions of the system is a longtime tactic of radicals on the left. How strange to see this very dialectic embraced by the far right.
Look at the actions coming from his administration, not the words. Photo: Chris Kleponis/Bloomberg via Getty Images

This past weekend, the Trump administration seemed to signal that maybe the United States participation in the Paris climate accords was still up for negotiation. After weeks of wall-to-wall coverage of how climate change fuels the megastorms that have hammered Texas, Florida, and the Caribbean  and with several similar weather systems teed up in the oceans around us  a U.S. official sat in on a meeting of nations that did sign the climate treaty, and a European Union official left with the impression that the U.S. would not withdraw but instead review the terms under which they could be engaged.

Its no wonder the European official was confused. Since The Wall Street Journals report to that effect, weve had a flurry of White House officials insisting the president hasnt altered his stance  and carefully adding that he is open to having his mind changed. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the administrations position remains the same, and the U.S. is withdrawing unless we can reenter on terms that are more favorable to our country. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said the presidents ears are open if  [his] very legitimate concerns with Paris were addressed. On Monday, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn said the U.S. would withdraw, unless it could secure terms more favorable to the United States.

That sounds sensible  like the opening gambit of a negotiation  but its actually meaningless. First, each signatory to Paris set its own targets for reducing the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Second, each country has complete latitude to decide how it reaches those targets. Third, the accords dont even provide penalties against countries that promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions and then fail to do so. From an international perspective  or even an oil-and-coal-industry perspective  its hard to see what withdrawing from the treaty accomplished.

A new U.S. president could have said, Im lowering our Paris target, or Im changing the way we plan to meet the target  and then dealt with the criticism at international gatherings. That approach would have kept the U.S. inside the treaty  and inside the process that sets the rules for follow-up over the next few years.

Thats why the right way to look at the latest statements from the Trump administration is through the lens of politics. Reviewing the terms of engagement is a wonderfully diplomatic phrase to drop on the eve of President Trumps first foray into the wilds of the United Nations. It suggests to foreign governments that there might be a deal to be had, or at least some value in engaging with the administration on climate. It gives the same impression to Americans who want to believe whatever iteration of Trump pivots to center were on this week. It gives the media a plot twist. And it gives the president a chance to reassure his conservative base that hes never changing. He gets all these benefits simply from a trick of rhetoric.

This tactic is, strangely, fundamental to how Trump governs. He ends protections for young out-of-status immigrants, making them vulnerable to arrest and deportation  and then announces something that looks like a six-month waiver and says its Congresss job to fix the problem. He announces that transgender individuals may no longer serve openly in the U.S. military  with a time delay and a pretense of wiggle room for the secretary of Defense. In addition to climate, Trump seems to be gearing up for the same puppet show on U.S. participation in the six-party agreement that suspended Irans nuclear weapons program and provided for intense inspections of the countrys nuclear facilities.

Funnily enough, although diplomacy depends on a gloss of misdirection and half-truths, the international-affairs community is especially unready to deal with a leader who doesnt say what he means.

So heres a simple way to understand where Trump really stands on climate: Look at the discrete, domestic policies that would make the U.S. economy cleaner and greener  there, the administrations position is deeply at odds with Paris. Though slowed by lawsuits, the White House insists it is moving ahead to replace or repeal entirely the power-plant standards that would have provided a major proportion of the emissions cuts the U.S. promised at Paris. Another major chunk of U.S. cuts were to come from higher requirements for auto mileage, which the administration is also reviewing  while Britain and France have outlawed gasoline-powered cars as of 2040, and China is moving to become the Detroit of the electric car.

If those policy choices stick, whether we keep our name on Paris is irrelevant. They would mean the U.S.  the worlds second-largest emitter now and largest single emitter over time  will not be able to comply with the targets Obama committed to in Paris. Nor will U.S. businesses be able to reap the economic benefits of the shift to a green economy. While China looks to become a new Detroit, we risk a future of selling each other horse-drawn carriages. Perhaps well do diplomacy with courier pigeons, too.
A picture taken on September 19 shows the powerful winds and rains of Hurricane Maria battering the city of Petit-Bourg, on the French overseas Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Photo: Cedrik-Isham Calvados /AFP/Getty Images

Hurricane Maria remains at Category 5 strength. The potentially catastrophic storm is packing sustained winds of 165 miles per hour as it churns toward the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, threatening to tread on some of islands that were brutalized by Hurricane Irma two weeks ago.

Hurricane Maria is now less than 24 hours from Cat 5 landfall in Puerto Rico.



I can't emphasize this enough: This is a catastrophic storm. pic.twitter.com/ZVGJX2pbbL  Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) September 19, 2017

Puerto Rico is bracing for a head-on hit from Maria, potentially the strongest storm to make landfall in a century.

Well defined concentric eyewalls showing up on San Juan radar. A sign that #Maria getting larger & more dangerous pic.twitter.com/oajHU47oPj  Eric Blake  (@EricBlake12) September 19, 2017

Marias rainbands have already begun scrape the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, but both places will get the brunt of the storm late Tuesday into Wednesday. In Puerto Rico, the National Weather Service is warning of catastrophic wind impacts and life-threatening storm surge. Rainfall could exceed 12 inches, with some isolated areas seeing more than two feet.

Here's the latest track for extremely dangerous Hurricane #Maria. Eye will pass over or very nearby St. Croix, Vieques, and San Juan. pic.twitter.com/yMx4vfJNIJ  Eric Fisher (@ericfisher) September 19, 2017

Governor Ricardo Rossello instructed all citizens to find shelter before the storm. The government is opening 450 shelters to house about 125,000 people. You have to evacuate. Otherwise, youre going to die, Public Safety Commissioner Hector Pesquera warned.

About 200 people still remain in shelters and tens of thousands are without power after Irma dealt just a glancing blow to the island, reports the Miami Herald. Maria promises to be substantially stronger; Rossello warned that Puerto Ricans could be without power for some time.

A man walks by a shop covered up with boards before the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on September 18. Photo: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images

Before bearing down on Puerto Rico, Maria will threaten the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, which have barely begun to recover from Irma.

Showers with wind gusts of 30-40 mph associated with the outer bands of Hurricane Maria affecting the USVI. #prwx #usviwx pic.twitter.com/Xz0s3IQsR0  NWS San Juan (@NWSSanJuan) September 19, 2017

Debris is still strewn across the British Virgin Island of Tortola, where officials fear unsecured wreckage from Irma could be whipped up by the winds and become deadly projectiles. Mudslides are also a major concern, as Irma stripped away much of the islands greenery, loosening the soil and leaving little to hold it in place. Weve been around the worlds shitholes  this is far worse than Afghanistan, a Royal Marine running ground operations said to BuzzFeed about the islands conditions. And thats before Maria wallops the British Virgin Islands with a second round.

A curfew, beginning at 6 p.m., will go into effect on the British Virgin Islands. We are preparing for the worst; that is what we have to do, given the very vulnerable state of the communities there, Benito Wheatley, the BVI representative to the U.K. and the European Union told The Guardian. Even if its not a direct hit, you can imagine that just a storm of that size coming anywhere near the BVI in its current condition could be very damaging.

On the U.S. Virgin Islands, fears center around the populous island of St. Croix, which dodged Irma, unlike St. John and St. Thomas. Maria is expected to slice about ten miles south of St. Croix, pummeling the island with winds, rain, and heavy surf. St. Thomas and St. John will likely see tropical-storm conditions, but how substantial a blow they receive will depend on Marias final track as it approaches the territories Tuesday.

U.S. Virgin Islands governor Kenneth Mapp imposed a curfew starting Tuesday morning, and encouraged people to take refuge at one of three shelters set up on St. Croix. Otherwise, Reuters reports, Mapp suggested crawling into a bathtub with a mattress, to steel against the winds should the roofs get peeled away. This is a live animal, Mapp said Monday. Do not take any comfort.

Maria has already left a trail of utter devastation in its wake. The storm took direct aim at the tiny island of Dominica overnight, its 160 mile-per-hour winds triggering an avalanche of torn-away roofs in the city and the countryside, the countrys prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, said in a Facebook post. His own roof was among those wrenched away by wind gusts, and he had to be rescued from his flooded home. The main hospital in the capital was also reportedly badly damaged. So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace, Skerrit wrote of the mind-boggling damage. My greatest fear  is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains.

LO ULTIMO | VIDEO - Imagenes del #HuracanMaria a su paso por la isla de #Dominica donde ha llegado a categoria 5 #19Sept pic.twitter.com/JHbRSKom2Q  AlbertoNews (@AlbertoRodNews) September 19, 2017

No deaths or injuries have yet been reported in Dominica  but conditions sidelined search-and-recovery efforts at least until late Monday. Lines of communication remain down. Where we are, we cant move, a police official on Dominica told the Associated Press.

Maria also grazed Martinique, where thousands lost power  but that island appears to have dodged the hurricanes full wrath. In Martinique, reconnaissance operations are still underway but already we can see that there is no significant damage, Jacques Witkowski, the head of Frances civil protection and crisis response, told reporters in Paris.

#OuraganMaria Inondation a FDF apres le passage de Maria durant la soiree pic.twitter.com/JEpBAoZGOr  RCI Martinique (@RCI_MQ) September 19, 2017

Witkowski said a communication blackout with Guadeloupe prevented officials from gauging the level of damage to that island. Guadeloupe prefect Eric Maire reported flooding at the outset of the storm. Videos and photos show winds whipping trees, and roads submerged.

This video was taken on Monday night in Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe, as Hurricane #Maria pummels the island https://t.co/iR5nUYIWfn pic.twitter.com/i2XKnOcgF3  CNN International (@cnni) September 19, 2017

This post has been updated throughout.
By encouraging John McCain to vote for the Graham-Cassidy bill, Arizona governor Doug Ducey could help make Trump a winner on health care after all. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Republicans have been seeking to end Medicaid as we know it and shift responsibility for the program and its costs to the states for most of the programs existence. Ronald Reagan tried it in 1981, as did Newt Gingrich in 1995, and George W. Bush in 2003. The usual vehicle for proposing a gradual federal drawdown of Medicaid has been a block grant, which offers states reduced federal funding in exchange for greater (or total) flexibility in running the program. A more recent twist has been the per capita cap which adjusts federal funding to the number of people deemed eligible in each state. Republican (and sometimes Democratic) governors have long been cheerleaders for this concept, though they are generally not as willing as members of Congress or conservative activists to contemplate a compete federal abandonment of Medicaid to the states at some point down the road. Indeed, the residual federal fiscal commitment to Medicaid has been a touchy point even within the GOP, as evidenced by the ambivalence of Republican governors over this years GOP efforts to make both a mandatory per capita cap and an optional block grant for Medicaid part of their Obamacare repeal-and-replace plans.

Now, with the suddenness of a thunderstorm, the threat to Medicaid is back. Indeed, the Graham-Cassidy bill that represents the last-chance Republican initiative to get rid of Obamacare is heavily based on the idea of state flexibility in exchange for greatly reduced Medicaid  and tax credits to purchase Obamacare insurance  funding. Once Republican governors wake up to the possibility of this bill becoming law, their reaction could be influential.

It is important to understand, however, that Graham-Cassidy has a wrinkle that could divide GOP governors: The new block grant it creates out of Obamacares tax credits and Medicaid expansion money will be distributed to the states without regard to whether they exercised their option to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. As a result, it will redistribute a lot of money from the 31 expansion states to the 19 non-expansion states. Indeed, some non-expansion states will get quite a short-term windfall (the kind most governors care about), before a decline in block-grant funding and then the overall Medicaid per capita cap that Graham-Cassidy borrowed from earlier GOP proposals kick in, making life difficult for all states.

Another twist that could adversely affect Medicaid-expansion states is that they will not be able to use the new block-grant money to reenroll people in Medicaid: If they want to cover them, it will have to be via private health insurance. So, as in so many other aspects of this proposal, flexibility to cut eligibility and benefits. Thats also true of another feature Graham-Cassidy picked up from the Senate version of Trumpcare:

[L]ike BCRA, the proposal would allow states to elect to run a portion of their traditional Medicaid programs as a block grant, with more freedom to eliminate eligibility groups whose coverage is now mandatory, eliminate mandatory benefits, and make other changes that reduce Medicaid spending by withdrawing assistance. As with work requirements and shortened eligibility periods, these tools might help reduce Medicaid spending while at the same time shifting more indigent health care costs directly back onto local budgets or other portions of states own budgets.

So there are two block grants in play: one mandatory block grant involving additional money provided by Obamacare that channels Medicaid money into other kinds of health-care assistance (there are few if any limitations here), and another option block grant for the traditional Medicaid program that facilitates benefit reductions and restrictive changes in eligibility.

Youd think Graham-Cassidy would be catnip for a number of the 17 Republican governors from non-expansion states, many of whom are itching for the freedom to cut Medicaid anyway. That would include Maines Paul LePage, who probably doesnt have a lot of pull with Senator Susan Collins. But two of the three key governors with GOP senators on the fence are from expansion states: Alaska (independent Bill Walker) and Doug Ducey (Republican from Arizona).

With John McCain publicly deferring to his judgment on Graham-Cassidy, Doug Ducey briefly occupied a catbird seat of great importance. For whatever reason, and without much ado, he endorsed the bill today.

Thats a bit surprising, since Arizona would be fiscally punished for expanding Medicaid, and Ducey also publicly complained about the idea of a Medicaid per capita cap earlier this year. Perhaps hes really itching for the flexibility to get rid of some Medicaid enrollees: In a Medicaid waiver application filed during the latter days of the Obama administration, Ducey asked for a five-year lifetime limit on Medicaid benefits for able-bodied adults; that idea was rejected.

The waiver route to state flexibility could make a comeback if Graham-Cassidy fails; even with McCains vote (and hes still not onboard, thanks to concerns about the irregular procedure being used to advance this bill), Republicans are, at this point, one senator short of 50. On an entirely separate track, Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray have been working on a possible bipartisan deal that would stabilize Obamacare insurance markets in exchange for less restrictive conditions on the kind of waivers states can obtain to experiment using Obamacare and Medicaid money.

But the hallowed Republican idea of offering flexibility in use of federal health-care funds so long as there are less of them every year could still achieve a long-awaited triumph if Graham and Cassidy get that 50th Senate vote. And if that happens, get ready for Medicaid cuts at both the federal and state level as far as the eye can see.
A job kind of well done. Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

During an address to AIPAC in 2016, Trump said the United Nations was not a friend of democracy, its not a friend to freedom, its not a friend even to the United States of America. Trump has promoted a sometimes isolationist agenda, is fond of the phrase America first, and has generally unnerved committed allies around the globe.

So his speech at a forum on U.N reforms could have gone off the rails. Instead, it ended up being pretty boring.

There was only one real moment of Trumpian strangeness during the remarks, and it was the very first thing the president said:

I actually saw great potential right across the street, to be honest with you, and it was only for the reason that the United Nations was here that that turned out to be such a successful project.

The building Trump was referring to, naturally, is Trump World Tower.

Though it was a solipsistic way to kick off an important speech  its so typical of Trump to view the rest of the world, even the official assembly of the worlds leaders, as a footnote to the saga of his own wealth, Slates Fred Kaplan writes  the comment ranked relatively low on the Trump bizarreness index.

If Trump could limit himself to just one inexplicably weird statement per public appearance, the world would be better off.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Trumps speech on Monday was before the U.N. General Assembly.
Trump on Tuesday. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday morning, President Trump said that if forced to defend itself or our allies, the United States will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

Using his new, Elton Johnthemed nickname for Kim Jong-un, Trump said that Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

If the U.S. "is forced to defend itself for its allies, we'll have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," Pres. Trump says pic.twitter.com/00PUupXKBQ  CBS News (@CBSNews) September 19, 2017

The United States is ready, willing, and able, he continued. But hopefully, this will not be necessary. Thats what the United Nations is all about. Thats what the United Nations is for.

North Korea and its nuclear program, Trump said, threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of life. He warned that if the righteous many dont confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph.

Loud murmurs filled the hall after Trumps totally destroy comment, Reuters reports. North Koreas ambassador had left his seat before Trump arrived.

During his remarks, which were a stark contrast to the mild address he gave on Monday, Trump also bashed the Iran nuclear deal, calling it an embarrassment, and saying, I dont think youve heard the last of it. Believe me.

"Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States," Pres. Trump says of Iran nuclear deal https://t.co/wkj3nL9w7K pic.twitter.com/oSSDhdaWH0  CBS News (@CBSNews) September 19, 2017

He labeled Iran a rogue nation, accused it of sponsoring terrorism, and said that it is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Irans government end its pursuit of death and destruction.

Trump has long railed against the nuclear agreement put into place by President Obama, though it is still unclear whether he intends to end it.

The president referred to loser terrorists, who want to tear up our nation or tear up the entire world. And he said the world must fight against radical Islamic terrorism, a phrase that H.R. McMaster, his national security adviser, had pushed him for him to avoid.

Trump also asked that countries pledge help to crisis-racked Venezuela, calling for the full restoration of democracy, and singling out the nations leftward drift as the cause of its failings.

The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented, he said to scattered laughter.

Trumps belligerent address earned at least one fan among heads of state: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that he had not heard a more courageous speech in his 30 years at the U.N.
A group of mostly Syrian refugee families rides the subway during a tour of Manhattan on April 21, 2017. Photo: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

Ahead of an October 1 decision on how many refugees to admit into the United States next year, the New York Times reports that the Trump administration nixed a report showing that displaced people are beneficial to the U.S. economy. Commissioned by the White House in an effort to help justify its anti-immigration policy platform, the full document never made its way to President Trump, and officials believe it was suppressed before it got there.

The Times has the details of what the never-published report found:

The internal study, which was completed in late July but never publicly released, found that refugees contributed an estimated $269.1 billion in revenues to all levels of government between 2005 and 2014 through the payment of federal, state and local taxes. Overall, this report estimated that the net fiscal impact of refugees was positive over the 10-year period, at $63 billion.

But White House officials said those conclusions were illegitimate and politically motivated, and were disproved by the final report issued by the agency, which asserts that the per-capita cost of a refugee is higher than that of an American.



Rather than include the key data, the final draft limited its findings to how much money Department of Health and Human Services spends on an average refugee compared to a U.S. citizen. By that metric, it found that refugees seek government services more often, reflecting a greater participation of refugees in H.H.S. programs, especially during their first four years.

Stephen Miller, the Trump teams preeminent immigration hawk, has been arguing that the U.S. should greatly reduce the number of refugees allowed into the country. The Trump administration already halved President Obamas refugee quota from about 100,000 to about 50,000 people this year, but Miller wants to go much further in the future. (Even the numbers Obama approved were minuscule, on a per-capita basis, compared to Canada and many European countries.) Whatever quota the Trump administration arrives at will likely be the lowest in decades.

Miller, the 32-year-old former Jeff Sessions aide, has had a hand in most of the presidents big nativist moments. He authored the infamous American carnage inauguration speech and other addresses that have portrayed immigrants as animals who commit grisly crimes. And, not surprisingly, he appears to be one of the central voices that squashed the report in question; the Times reports that Miller personally intervened in the discussions on the refugee cap to ensure that only the costs  not any fiscal benefit  of the program were considered, according to two people familiar with the talks. Never mind that many other studies have also shown that refugees are a benefit, not a drain, to American society.

From immigration to climate change to health care, the Trump White House has shown that it wont let facts and figures get in the way of preconceived notions.
Photo: KM Asad/NurPhoto via Getty Images

In Myanmar, Facebook has become an essential communication tool and a vital method of spreading the word about the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, who are facing violence from the countrys military. But activists inside and outside Myanmar have told the Daily Beast that Facebook is removing posts documenting the violence, supposedly for violating community standards, cutting off a vital means of organizing the community and documenting the ethnic cleansing  and raising questions, again, about Facebooks role as a distributor of information.

Facebook told the Daily Beast that the company is looking into it, and pointed to its community standards  but those community standards are vague and unevenly enforced, and, as weve written about before, depictions of or discussions of violence fall into a large gray area in the middle. One activist reported that his descriptions of military atrocities, such as #Rohingya homes in the downtown of #Maungdaw are still being set ablaze by the #Myanmar military & #Rakhine extremists, were removed by Facebook. Another user had a poem about the violence taken down, though its difficult to see how the poem violated Facebooks standards since it only described the turmoil in vague, non-graphic terms.

Its unclear why the posts are being targeted, but its possible for dedicated groups to brigade a given post or user, reporting content or people to the service en masse to give the impression of an urgent violation. The examples of posts taken down, provided in the Daily Beasts report, are clearly unwarranted, but the overzealous silencing of users also comes on the heels of new Facebook rules about what can and cant be monetized on the platform. Descriptions of Myanmars current upheaval, even for informative purposes, cannot be. Facebooks implicit position is clear: Anything that might be distressing is discouraged, at the very least.
Clerics in Karamoja are considering banning indecent dressing in church with the aim of fostering discipline, decency and morality among Christians.

According to the clerics, many Christians in Karamoja have adopted miniskirts and skimpy attire for church service.



Rev. Capt. Simon Peter Loduk, the Karamoja diocesan secretary, says the dress code especially among women is tempting and annoying. He notes that there is need to respect the church since it is a house of worship.

A church in Karamoja

Reverend Loduk says indecent dressing is a sign of immorality, which the church can't tolerate.

"It is so surprising that even the faithfuls go to places of worship, in the churches, in the mosques, religious places with indecent dressingIf you are able to dress well if [President] Museveni is coming, before the Kabaka [king of Buganda], before the kings of this world why should you come dressed in such a way to a worshiping place?", he said.



According to Rev. Fr. Paul Ngole, the Vicar General at Regina Mundi, Moroto Catholic diocese, indecent dressing stirs sexual immorality in church. He urges all stakeholders to condemn the vice at all levels of leadership since it sets a bad precedence for the young generation.

"How do you become comfortable? We condemn it everybody must be well dressed and above all in church and not only in church but in public gatherings. Because the people who are grown up should be able to set a good example to those who are growing up. That is the legacy of morality", said Ngole.



Richard Aruk Maruk, the Mt. Moroto Regional Police Commander has welcomed the proposal by the church describing it as a good gesture.

"It is obscene, it so much the message given by people with improper dressing to insult other people", he said.



In July this year, ministry of Public Service permanent secretary, Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire issued a circular reminding civil servants to adhere to the dress code provided for under the government standing orders.


Father Eric Justin Uma

Father Eric Justin Uma, the Holy Rosary Parish Priest in Gulu Town has asked Christians across the country to back members of parliament opposed to the proposed scrapping of the presidential age limit from the Constitution.



Last week, NRM legislators endorsed a proposal to amend article 102(b) of the Constitution, which restricts the presidential age to between 35 and 75 years age. They argue that the article is discriminatory to the young people and denies the country of competent and experienced elderly leaders.



The move is seen as an attempt to pave way for President Yoweri Museveni, who would be ineligible to seek another term in the 2021 polls.



Now Fr. Uma says since the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party legislators have outnumbered their colleagues in opposing the proposed amendment, rendering the opposition vulnerable, it is now up to the citizens to block the amendment.

According to the priest, protecting the Constitution is not the sole responsibility of opposition, but it is the responsibility of all Ugandans, adding that Christians and Ugandans are the only weapon left to protect the constitution.

He warns that removing the presidential age limit from the Constitution will entrench bad governance in the country. He says people should join hands in rejecting the proposal because their will is mightier than guns.
There was a bomb scare at Stanbic bank branch in Gulu this afternoon grounding business for over three hours.

The bomb scare was triggered by the presence of an abandoned Ipsum vehicle registration number UAL 227S parked in the bank's compound.



Management at the bank asked clients to vacate the bank at about 12pm, saying the car had been abandoned since last evening. They called in security to investigate the vehicle whose owner was not in the facility.

A team of heavily armed police and UPDF soldiers cordoned off the bank and searched the vehicle for explosive materials before towing it off to Gulu Central Police station. Police then identified the owner of the vehicle as Mola Ocen, a businessman in Gulu town.



He was detained immediately for questioning as to why he abandoned the vehicle at the bank without an attendant. Patrick Jimmy Okema, the Aswa River Region police spokesperson, says no dangerous item was found in the vehicle during the search.



It is unclear where the security personnel deployed at the bank where when time the car was being parked.

In 2015, a group of assailants used a vehicle to raid Gulu Central Police Station killing an officer and injuring others in a gun fire exchange.


Big Oil has been wheelin' and dealin' across the globe as geopolitical risks mount, and OPEC delivered a sigh of relief to crude markets with a signal that has brought the bulls out to play.

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

 The EIA projects total world energy consumption will rise by 28 percent between 2015 and 2040, with most growth coming from developing countries.

 Non-OECD Asia accounts for nearly two-thirds of the growth, and that category is dominated by China and India.

 All major energy sources will see demand rise except for coal. Renewables post the strongest growth rate at 2.3 percent per year.

Market Movers

 Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) said it began restarting its Deer Park refinery in Texas on Sunday, a facility that has a capacity of 325,000 bpd. ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) could restart most of its Beaumont refinery by the end of the week.

 Sanchez Energy (NYSE: SN) was downgraded by Piper Jaffray from Overweight to Neutral, on concerns over leverage. Its price target was cut from $14 per share to just $6.

 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission overruled New York States denial of a permit for the Millennium natural gas pipeline, arguing that the state took too long to make a decision. The decision puts the project on path to begin construction, pending more permits. The short distance pipeline will service a 630 MW natural gas plant set to begin operations early next year. The pipeline is owned by TransCanada (NYSE: TRP), DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) and National Grid (NYSE: NGG).

Tuesday September 19, 2017

WTI and Brent hit fresh highs in early trading on Tuesday, with oil demand looking particularly robust and fears over hurricane damage to the market having receded. Both benchmarks were at their highest levels in months but saw a slight drop off as trading continued.

Refiners profit on hurricane outages. After a quarter of U.S. refining capacity was knocked offline, fuel shortages cropped up, creating a unique opportunity for unaffected refiners. Youve got a lot of refiners running at full tilt, and theyre going to make better margins, Sandy Fielden, an energy analyst with Morningstar Inc., told the WSJ. Supply and demand is effectively telling the market that theres a big incentive to produce more. Refining margins for some East Coast and Midwestern processors have jumped by as much as a third, the WSJ says. PBF Energy (NYSE: PBF), a company with refining assets in the Northeast and the Midwest, has seen its stock price surge by as much as 26 percent since August 21. Related: Reserves vs Valuations: Exxons Permian Predicament

Conflicting reports on U.S. withdrawal from Paris climate agreement. The WSJ reported over the weekend that the U.S. might not actually withdraw from the Paris climate accord, despite President Trumps decision to do so in June. The Trump administration denied any change in policy, and the Presidents top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, met with climate ministers from around the world on Monday. He told them that the U.S. would only stay in the Paris climate pact if the terms of doing so were more favorable. However, the administration routinely fails to recognize the fact that the pact consists of voluntary, not mandatory, targets. In theory, the administration could revise its commitments and stay in the pact.

OPEC considering longer cuts. Iraqs oil minister hinted that OPEC might consider deeper and longer cuts, pushing the current output limits out through the end of 2018. Jabbar al-Luaibi said the group could take an additional 1 percent off of global supply, which would help to further rebalance the market. Still, he said there is no firm decision yet.

Russias Rosneft to invest in Kurdish pipelines. Rosneft said that it will invest in gas pipelines in Kurdistan, a crucial source of investment for the semi-autonomous region in Iraq ahead of its independence referendum next week. The investment could exceed $1 billion and grow Rosnefts gas business.

Trump admin works to open up drilling in Alaskas ANWR. The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is trying to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), a hotly contested region in Alaska that has been off limits for oil and gas drilling for decades. Permitting drilling would require an act of Congress, but the Post reports that the Department of Interior is working on draft rules to allow seismic testing in ANWR, a necessary precursor to drilling. It is not clear how interested oil and gas companies would be in ANWR, given its remote (i.e., expensive) location.

U.S. shale production to grow more slowly. The EIA said that U.S. oil production from its top shale basins will rise by 79,000 bpd in October, the first time in seven months that the monthly increase will come in below 100,000 bpd. The Eagle Ford will actually see a decline in output by 9,000 bpd, in part because of outages related to Hurricane Harvey. The Permian will still add a sizable 55,000 bpd in October.

Seadrill files for bankruptcy. Offshore oil drilling company Seadrill filed for bankruptcy last week after coming to an agreement with creditors. The deal will result in a fresh injection of $1 billion while also wiping out existing shareholders, according to the FT.

Energy stocks up, more room to run. Energy stocks just completed their first four-week stretch of gains this year, a sign that they may have bottomed out and could be heading higher. The Energy Select Sector SPDR exchange-traded fund, according to CNBC, is down 12 percent so far this year, a much steeper drop than the price of oil. Some analysts and major investors think that the market overdid the selloff this year, expecting much more shale production, which would have pushed oil prices down further. The rather large decline for the ETF suggests there is a lot of lost ground that could be regained going forward, which might mean stronger stock gains in the near future. "It needs to play a little catch up yet," Rob Thummel, portfolio manager at Tortoise Capital, told CNBC, referring to the ETF.

Iran accuses U.S. of sabotaging nuclear deal. Top Iranian officials have accused the U.S. government of undermining the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. President Donald Trump has suggested that he would decertify Irans compliance with the accord in October, a move that could lead to the unraveling of the agreement. At that point, the U.S. Congress could move to re-impose U.S. sanctions. However, the U.S. will probably burn a lot of international good will if it goes down this path, and could be on its own pursuing a heightened confrontation with Iran. The international body that oversees the nuclear deal has said that Iran has in fact complied with its commitments, contrary to what the U.S. President has portrayed. Related: Iran Looks To Ramp Up Production

Vitol increases cash-for-crude trade with Kazakhstan to $5 billion. The FT reports that the worlds largest independent oil trader, Vitol, has agreed to increase its deal with Kazakhstan to provide cash in exchange for crude oil, a trading relationship that will reach $5 billion. Arrangements of this type have been on the rise since oil prices halved from $100 per barrel in 2014 down to $50 today. Vitol and its peers, such as Glencore and Trafigura, have loaned out billions of dollars to cash strapped oil producers, including Kazakhstan, Russia and Kurdistan.

Norways sovereign wealth fund tops $1 trillion. The value of Norways sovereign wealth fund just surpassed the $1 trillion mark. The worlds largest sovereign wealth fund has increased in value substantially this year on the back of strong equity markets and a weakening U.S. dollar. The fund has been seeded with oil revenues since it was established decades ago, with the mission to benefit Norway long after the oil is gone.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Irans crude oil production is expected to grow to 4 million bpd by the end of the current Iranian year, March 20, 2018, the chief executive of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), Ali Kardor, told Irans news agency Tasnim on Tuesday.

Iran is currently pumping over 3.8 million bpd of oil, the manager added. Exports of crude oil and gas condensates now exceed 2.6 million bpd, but are further expected to increase as the country plans to raise its output in the second half this year and in early 2018.

OPECs third-largest producer, Iran, is not reducing production under the OPEC output cut deal. The country has argued in the talks that it needed to restore the market share which it had lost to Western sanctions on its oil exports. Still, under the OPEC agreement, it is supposed to be keeping a cap on its output at just below 3.8 million bpd. Over the summer months, Iran produced just over 3.8 million bpd, according to OPECs secondary sources.

Earlier this month, NIOCs Kardor said that Iran planned to increase its crude oil production to 4.5 million bpd by 2022, according to Irans oil ministrys news service, Shana.

Irans crude oil exports are seen rising to 2.5 million bpd within five years, the manager noted.

The higher crude oil production is expected to come from a 420,000-bpd increase at the West Karoun oil field, and another 280,000-bpd rise in output from oil fields in central and southern Iran and offshore, according to Kardor. Related: The Worlds Largest Offshore Oil Field Is Back In Action

Iran plans to increase its condensate production to reach 864,000 bpd within five years, Kardor said.

Gas output is expected at 1.3 billion cubic meters per day in 2022, thanks to more production at South Pars, according to NIOCs manager.

In early July, Frances energy major Total SA signed a contract to develop phase 11 of the South Pars gas field in Iranthe worlds biggest gas fieldmarking the first Iranian Petroleum Contract (IPC) with a Western major since most sanctions on Iran were lifted.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Ethnic tensions are heating up in Kirkuk, the center of northern Iraqs oil industry, ahead of an independence referendum that the Kurdistan Regional Government has slated for September 25. Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic city, is the key to the control of the regions oil riches and Baghdad has indicated more than once that it has no intention of letting its control slip and fall entirely in the hands of the Kurdish government.

The city lies outside the boundaries of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region, and Baghdad and Erbil have been locked in a dispute over whose claim to the city is the legitimate one for years. Iraqs claim is that the city and surrounding oil fields are not part of its territory. Yet it was the Kurdish Peshmerga forces that kept the city from falling into the hands of Islamic State in 2014, cutting the terrorists access to its beloved oil.

Earlier this month, Reuters notes, the provincial council voted to include Kirkuk in the independence vote, which sparked inter-ethnic tensions. These yesterday led to clashes that left one dead and three wounded and prompted the deployment of police forces in the city.

Tensions will only continue to rise in the runup to the vote. The KRG is facing stiff international opposition to the referendum, with Western European powers, the U.S. and UN all arguing that a referendum would distract the Iraqis and the Kurds from the fight against IS, which has not yet been completely dislodged from the region.



Related: The Kurdish Referendum Could Reshape Oil Markets

Baghdad has already called the vote unconstitutional and a prelude to the break-up of Iraq. Shiite militias are threatening to drive the Peshmerga out of Kirkuk if the vote goes as planned.

Interestingly enough, it seems not all Kurds are in favor of the referendum, according to Al-Monitor. Author Kamal Chomani wrote in June this year the referendum is seen as a political card aimed at moving control over the Kirkuk oil fields from the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The South African mining industry got more bad news this week, with sources saying major platinum producer Lonmin has been threatened with a possible shutdown of its mines, after being cited by regulators for non-compliance in its local social programs.

But elsewhere, the news for platinum producers was even worse. With one of the worlds largest miners saying it may be forced to close a world-leading mining operation.

Thats Zimbabwean miner Zimplats. Which said this week that government policies in the troubled nation are threatening to make the Mimosa mine  the countrys largest producer  uneconomic.

Representatives from Zimpats told reporters the main issue is a new export tax imposed by Zimbabwe officials. Who are planning to charge a 15 percent duty on outgoing shipments of unprocessed platinum concentrates.

That would apply to all of Zimplats current platinum production  with the company still in the study phases of building an in-country platinum upgrading plant.

And company officials say the extra tax will drive the mine into unprofitability which could force the company to shut down production completely.

As Zimplats executives put it, It is crunch time as we would rather park the resource than post losses. With sources noting that such a drastic path has been agreed upon by Zimplats co-owners Impala Platinum and Sibanye-Stillwater in the event the export tax does go ahead. Related: Mexicos 2018 Election Could Derail Its Oil Boom

A shutdown at Mimosa would be a major blow to global platinum supply. With the mine having produced over 555,000 ounces of PGMs in 2016.

That equates to 75 percent of Zimbabwes platinum and palladium production  and 5 percent of worldwide output. Which could be lost nearly overnight if Zimplats pulls the plug for economic reasons.

The deadline for such a decision is fast approaching, with the export tax scheduled to go into effect at the beginning of 2018. Watch for any moves from Zimbabwe officials to back down  and announcements from Zimplats management on potential next moves if no changes are made.

By Dave Forest

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The Lake Merced Fair that Could Have Been

by Woody LaBounty

(Adapted from article published in Outside Lands magazine, Jan-Mar 2015, and is put online with support from the Schwemm Family Foundation.)

In 1915, San Francisco celebrated the centennial of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), the fair that remade a swampy area called Harbor View into a wonderland of exhibit halls, courts, plazas, technology showcases, a Joy Zone, and a Tower of Jewels centerpiece.

All that remains of the PPIE in todays Marina District (other than Marina Green) is Bernard Maybecks haunting Palace of Fine Arts, an imagined ancient ruin of domed temple and colonnade beside a tranquil lagoon. With full-figured reliefs of mournful weeping women atop ochre columns, the whole landscape is a Maxfield Parrish painting come to life.

Built to resemble something from antiquity, the Palace feels eternal, like it has always been where it is, but if west side boosters had had their way, the fair, with its dazzling attractions and architecture, could have been on the shores of Lake Merced.

After San Francisco beat out New Orleans and won a Congressional vote to host the 1915 Exposition, organizers faced an intra-city battle on where to put it. The San Francisco Chronicle described the problem on March 5, 1911: There is hardly a section of San Francisco that has not many to do it reverence in asserting it to be the logical and only defensible place in which the exposition should be established. Harbor View, Lake Merced, Golden Gate Park, the waterfront around the Ferry Building and the Bay View District all had supporters.

In making a decision, the fairs Board of Directors had to weigh land title issues, weather, topography and natural beauty, as well as the political clout of boosters.

Our friend Ron Ross has been kind enough to share a proposed site plan prepared by the Lake Merced Fair Site Association. The creation and opening of the Panama Canal was a primary inspiration for the fair, and engineer J. E. Popes plan for Merced Park has a number of references to the ocean-connecting waterway. The expositions midway in the upper right is nicknamed The Canal, and where the San Francisco Zoo would eventually reside, a Venetian-themed zone features a Panama Canal in miniature. Grand courts, plazas, and fountains are situated where the Merced Manor and Lakeshore developments would be built south of Sloat Boulevard. One wonders if the proposed Tropical Orchard in the southwest corner of the plan may have struggled with the areas fog.

By the time President Taft came out to perform the groundbreaking in October 1911, a whole city compromise had been reached, spreading the fair from Telegraph Hill to Golden Gate Park, but excluding Lake Merced. (In the end, the whole city ended up only being the Marina.) So, when the president pushed his spade into the sandy loam of Golden Gate Parks Polo Fields he might as well have been digging the grave of the Merced Park Fair.

Why didnt Lake Merced win? Grading and landscaping on such a large site would have been costly. Transportation was a key factor as well. Thousands visit world fairs, but most are local, and at the time, few lived near Lake Merced. Getting everyone out to the southwest section of the city would have required the proposed Twin Peaks streetcar tunnel to be finished quickly. The tunnel was a very expensive project and didnt end up opening until 1918.

If the PPIE had come to Lake Merced there is no surety wed have something like Maybecks masterpiece still standing there, or that wed have anything left at all. The fair architecture was meant to be temporary, and outside of the Palace of Fine Arts and Marina Green, the entire wonderful fair of 1915 has been replaced by apartment buildings, houses, and flats.

Still, as it must have been for the Lake Merced boosters a hundred years ago, its fun to imagine the glorious fair around the lake that could have been.

Contribute your own stories about western neighborhoods places.
Ghana has signed a major gas deal with energy giant Gazprom to boost the energy sector of the economy.



This came to light last Friday when a delegation from Gazprom  a Russian company  called on President Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House after the signing of the Gas Sales Agreement (GSA) with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).



Present at the meeting were the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko; Board Chairman of GNPC, Freddie Blay and members of the management team, as well as the Transport Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah.



The GSA is expected to add 1,000 megawatts to Ghanas power supply and possibly save the country over $1 billion, according to sources at the ministry of energy.



A regasification terminal at Tema would be constructed under the agreement, which replaces two signed competing contracts for the same Tema liquefied natural gas (LNG) project by the previous Mahama administration, which were both over-priced and over-sized.



President Akufo-Addo said, This new agreement is a positive one that is going to play a very important role in the economic life of Ghana.



For him, the decision by Gazprom to establish a base in Ghana was testament to efforts made by the current government over the last eight months to try to put a better framework in place to encourage private sector participation in the growth of the economy.



After putting in place measures to improve the countrys fiscal and monetary policy, as well as improve the economic and business climate, he indicated, We are now focusing on the very key area of power and energy.



That, he said, was because If we are going to succeed in pushing the industrial development of our country rapidly, the supply of gas to our country is now a matter of very great importance for us.



President Akufo-Addo added, All of us are going to do whatever we need to do to make sure that this relationship that we have now begun to build becomes a strong, positive and successful one.



On his part, head, International Business at Gazprom, Pavel Oderov, said, This is a very big day for us at Gazprom; we have signed today the second biggest LNG supply contract in our portfolio. With Gazprom producing 11% of the worlds gas, we are more than honoured to become a supplier of LNG to Ghana. We are absolutely sure that we will become a reliable partner for the energy industry in Ghana.



Ghana Saved $1bn



The new LNG deal, which has saved Ghana over $1 billion, has been described in the international energy market as a masterstroke.



The previous Mahama administration entered into contracts with three different companies (namely, Quantum Power Ghana, West African Gas Limited and Kaheel) for the supply of LNG and the construction of its associated import terminal.



The aggregate contractual commitment made to these companies amounted to 1000 mmscf/d (only 25% of which was the countrys needs as prescribed by the World Bank and the ministry of energy at the time or $25bn over the term of the contracts).



From a broader perspective, this was equivalent to more than half of Ghanas 2016 GDP.



A fourth entity, called the Tema LNG (TLNG), also made submissions to the government but was not successful.



Needless to say, if all the three contracts had been made effective, the country would have suffered a devastating and longstanding impact on its balance sheet.

Source: Daily Guide









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

Featured Video
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said it will use every available means to repel moves by President Akufo-Addo to alter the historical records of the country.



According to General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, it is an established fact that Dr. Kwame Nkrumah fought for the Independence of Ghana and not the Presidents father, Edward Akufo-Addo or his grandfather, J.B Danquah as he wants all of us to believe.



President Akufo-Addo has come under a barrage of attacks after he revealed plans to present a legislation before Parliament to set aside August 4 as a day to celebrate Ghanas founders, including The Big Six, ditching September 21, the original date.



The Big Six were six leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the leading political party in the British colony of the Gold Coast. They were detained by the colonial authorities in 1948 following disturbances leading to the killing of three World War II veterans. They are pictured on the front of the Ghana cedi notes.



Ebenezer Ako-Adjei  founding member of the UGCC; Edward Akufo-Addo  founding member of the UGCC and subsequently Chief Justice of Ghana and president of Ghana and Joseph Boakye Danquah  founding member of the UGCC.



The rest are Kwame Nkrumah  Prime Minister of Ghana and first president of Ghana; Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey  founding member of the UGCC and William Ofori Atta  founding member of the UGCC.



The President prefers September 21, which is the birthday of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, be observed with a holiday in his memory.



The Conventions Peoples Party (CPP) founded by Dr. Nkrumah, has kicked against the move describing the proposals as lame.



Speaking on the Dwaso Nsem morning show on Adom FM Tuesday, September 19, 2017, Johnson Asiedu Nketia known in political circles as General Mosquito described the proposals as a waste of time.



He said the NDC, which believes in the ideals and principles of Dr. Nkrumah, will vehemently resist any attempt by President Akufo-Addo to change Ghanas history suggesting, the government should hold a funeral in honour of his ancestry.



We wont allow Akufo-Addo to change our history so he should organised a funeral to honour his ancestry in his hometown.



Meanwhile, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) say they will be embarking on a solidarity march on Thursday, September 21, 2017, to commemorate the Founders Day Celebration and the birthday of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the Founder and first President of the Republic of Ghana.

Source: Today Newspaper









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
National Vice Chairperson for the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Madam Anita De-Soso says the proposal by President Akufo Addo to make August 4 as the Founders Day will not change the worldwide celebration of September 21 as Founders Day to honour Kwame Nkrumah.



She stressed that President Akufo Addo cannot re-write the countrys history to satisfy his personal interest as it is undeniable fact that Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is the founder of Ghanas Independence.



Speaking on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Madam Anita De-Soso maintained that the sympathizers of Kwame Nkrumah like herself and Nkrumahist [believers of Nkrumah ideologies] will celebrate Nkrumahs birthday as a Founders Day and not as Memorial Day proposed by Nana Akufo Addo.



Nobody can rewrite our history again for us. John the Baptist talked about Jesus Christ before He began His work but today we talk about Jesus Christ; God has blessed our Founder who is Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. I have already said that whether Akufo Addo and NPP like it or not, we will celebrate Nkrumahs birthday as a public holiday and this coming Thursday, many programmes are underway by Kwasi Pratt and other Nkrumahist to celebrate Nkrumahs birthday as the Founders Day, she indicated.



The NDC former Womens Organizer stressed that inasmuch as President Akufo Addo and NPP want to fix another public holiday on August 4 to include others as the Founders of Ghanas Independence, the fact remains that Ghana is not the only country which celebrates September 21 as Founders Day.



It is up to Akufo Addo and the NPP to add another public holiday on August 4 to celebrate Founders Day but the truth of the matter is that the Founders Day is not only celebrated in Ghana but other African countries as well and they celebrate it as a holiday and so Nana Addo cannot change this history, she argued.



She stressed that other African countries see in Dr. Kwame Nkrumah a leader who died to resurrect them from death to realise the importance of fighting for independence and total emancipation.



We want Akufo Addo to know that whether he likes it or not, we will celebrate Founders Day on September 21 and if he wants to add another holiday on August 4 as another Founders Day, we thank him; already we have so many public holidays in Ghana. Nobody can compare himself to Kwame Nkrumah because he is peerless, she fumed.



The President has decided to propose a legislation to Parliament to designate 4th August as FOUNDERS DAY, and 21st September as KWAME NKRUMAH MEMORIAL DAY, both of which will be observed as public holidays.



But in the meantime, the President has issued an Executive Instrument to commemorate this years celebration of KWAME NKRUMAH MEMORIAL DAY as a public holiday.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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

Featured Video
LAKE GEORGE  The people who brought Tiki Tours to Lake George this year are looking at doing something similar on the streets, with a vehicle that includes pedaling bicyclists who provide the power.

Lawyer Greg Teresi and business partner Anthony Ali want to launch tours of the village with the 16-passenger pedal vehicle. All of the pedals are connected to a main shaft, which turns the wheels. The vehicle has no engines.

The vehicle has six bicycle seats on each side and four in the back. Teresi call the ones in back the freeloaders, because they dont pedal.

Our employee steers the vehicle, can apply the brakes when needed, turn signals, horn, controls the radio and things like that, he said.

The vehicle travels at about 10 miles per hour. Passengers are on their seats, pedaling away, for five or 10 minutes between restaurants. They spend about half an hour at each of three or four stops, Teresi said.

Nothing in vehicle or traffic laws prohibits the bicycle from being in the road, he said.

Teresi operates two of the vehicles in Schenectady, two in Troy and one in Hudson. The charge is $25 per seat in the Schenectady and Troy locations, according to the website. Teresi said the charge in Lake George would likely be $35 per seat during the week and $40 on the weekends.

Teresi said the multiple-person bicycle contraptions originated in Europe and have started to catch on in the U.S. within the past several years. He is proposing two-hour tours. The vehicles are equipped with all the necessary lights, brakes and horns.

What were trying to do is provide people with a unique way to get around the village, something a little bit different, a lot like the tiki boats that we launched this summer. Were hoping that the village would be receptive to it, he said.

Tiki Tours began offering 60- or 90-minute tours of the lake in vessels that resemble a floating tiki bar.

The proposal would call for people to bring their own alcohol, if the village permits it. The Village Board would have to waive its open container prohibition to allow that, however.

Teresi said the company's drivers always make sure that passengers who are drinking have safe rides home, whether it be with an Uber, Lyft, taxi or a friend.

The tentative plan is to stay off most of the main thoroughfare of Canada Street by traveling Dieskau Street, which runs parallel to Canada, except briefly when crossing over to Ottawa Street.

The tours have been successful in other communities, with about 90 percent occupancy each weekend, Teresi said. The vehicles get hired for corporate events, birthday parties, family reunions, college reunions and high school reunions.

Its a unique way to see the municipality, he said.

Teresi said the complaint he has heard from passengers on the Tiki Tours is that there is nothing new in the village.

We thought maybe we could provide a different type of service, he said. The bars and restaurants have been very receptive to it. It brings in new customers that they might normally see.

Teresi said the Tiki Tours season exceeded his expectations, but he did not have specific numbers at this point.

If the board approves the proposal, he hopes the business would be running this spring.

Mayor Robert Blais said the request came in late, so he only introduced it briefly to the rest of the board at the end of Mondays regular meeting.

The board would review the matter and discuss it at its next meeting. The next regular meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 16.
WHITEHALL  When Megan Boule started planning her wedding reception two years ago, she knew she wanted something unique, a venue no one had used before.

She and her parents started searching and looked as far as Lake Placid.

Her father Joe Rozells mental calculator kept ticking as they received quotes for catering fees as high as $20,000.

With a more modest budget in mind, the family turned around and decided to look right in their backyard. A new idea came about while the family spent Christmas at their camp on County Route 18 in Whitehall.

He finally just said, Lets just build a barn, said Boules mother, Hillary Rozell.

After nearly two years of work, Megan and Preston Boule had their dream wedding reception on Sept. 2 in a 40-by-60 rustic barn that sits next to a manmade pond on 13 acres of wilderness.

It just means the world to me that they would go to such an extreme to make our day perfect and it truly made it that much more special, said Boule, who is a physician assistant at Granville Family Health.

Joe Rozell, who owns fuel and excavation companies, contracted out some of the work and leaned on friends and family to help with the rest. Their Amish neighbors put on the roof.

Joe had this vision. Everything here is his idea, said Hillary as she stood at the barn Thursday.

Sitting at the end of a long dirt road edged in tall trees, the rustic barn has white lights winding their way up the rough cut beams where gossamer and burlap are tied in bows. A flea market chandelier hangs from the center.

When they were nearly done with construction, the Rozells realized that others may want to use the facility for future functions. And last week, the family started a Facebook page to rent out the property.

They call the structure The Barn at Castle Creek, named for a creek that runs to the property and feeds a nearby beaver pond.

Their introductory rental fee is $4,000, which Hillary said is far less than most other venues.

Right now, the barn has electricity through a generator. The family rented a portable bathroom for the wedding. Interested parties will need to have events catered and supply their own tables and chairs. The barn can hold 150 seated guests comfortably. The Rozells still plan to install bathrooms, a bar for receptions and tables and chairs.

If we rent it, we rent it, if we dont, we dont, said Hillary, who said the family will continue to spend weekends relaxing at the camp and on the property, where Joe likes to hunt.

People interested in renting the barn can contact Rozell on Facebook or call her cell phone at 518-361-3130.

If anything, the Rozells are proud of the barn and know that perhaps their younger daughter might use it for her future wedding someday.

Well see, Hillary said. Well see.
QUEENSBURY  The local couple accused of the shooting and robbery of a store clerk in Hague has been indicted on 23 charges by a Warren County grand jury, including counts for four home burglaries done before the shooting.

Vittorio L. Vito Campano faces 12 charges and his girlfriend, Christine W. Tomko, 27, was charged with 11 in an indictment handed up on Monday for the April 25 holdup at Hague Market that left store owner James Rypkema with several gunshot wounds. Both will be arraigned on the indictment Wednesday before Warren County Judge John Hall.

State Police said Campano shot Rypkema with a .22-caliber rifle several times in the torso and an arm, leaving him with rounds in him that could not be removed safely. He has resumed work at the store despite limitations with his right arm from his injuries.

The shooting came during a holdup, with Tomko allegedly going in the store ahead of Campano.

Police said the duo, who are from Queensbury, stole a small amount of money, and that the robbery was part of a weeks-long, multi-theft crime spree around Warren County.

The grand jury indictment includes counts for the robbery and shooting and April home burglaries in Lake George and Warrensburg, during which, police said, thousands of dollars in valuables, including guns, were stolen from homes on Truesdale Hill Road, Flat Rock Road and Route 418. Some of it was recovered as far away as New Jersey, where Campano had lived.

Campano faces 12 charges, including two counts each of attempted murder and first-degree robbery, four burglary charges and lesser counts for possession of a weapon and possession of stolen property.

Tomko faces 11 counts, including attempted murder for allegedly acting in concert with Campano when he shot Rypkema. She also faces charges of robbery, burglary, possession of stolen property and possession of a weapon.

Both Campano and Tomko are being held in Warren County Jail, pending arraignment. His defense lawyer, Warren County Public Defender Marcy Flores, said she had no comment on the case Tuesday.

Tomkos lawyer, Greg Teresi, said he also had no comment Tuesday.

The case was delayed for months as Campano underwent a mental health exam, but last month he was found capable of understanding the case against him and assisting his defense counsel.

The attempted murder and robbery counts could bring up to 50 years in state prison, while the burglary charges are each punishable by up to an additional 15 years in state prison.
FORT EDWARD  Treating 16-year-olds as children in the justice system will be surprisingly expensive for Washington County.

It looks as though its going to double the caseload of our department, said Probation Director Anthony White.

Adding workers to cover that caseload would cost an estimated $122,000, he said.

His office would supervise the children rather than sending them to jail. Starting next October, 16-year-olds will be kept out of the adult system; a year later, 17-year-olds will also be treated as children.

But the changes will go beyond the Probation Department. The county wont be able to use its new centralized booking system for the adolescents, because that would entail placing them in an adult holding cell for up to 12 hours. The new system offers arraignments, with public defenders for each person, at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. when court is not normally in session. But defendants have to wait in a holding cell until their arraignment, and teens can no longer be kept the holding cell with adults.

That means prosecutors, defenders and a judge will have to be on call to handle serious cases involving adolescents. Its not expected to happen too often  law enforcement already tries to give adolescents appearance tickets whenever possible, rather than immediately arresting them. Most teenagers charged in Washington County face misdemeanor counts, and only five to 10 adolescents are charged with felonies each year.

At the Youth Bureau, costs will also go up. They expect to see a significant increase in electronic monitoring, as one option to keep the adolescents out of jail.

Youth Bureau Director Mike Gray also wants to spend $5,000 on a new mentoring program for the adolescents that would pair them with students from SUNY Adirondack.

The students would be carefully matched and would receive training in advance, he said. They would get college credit for their work.

They would also get a stipend from the county to pay for activities with the adolescents.

Raise the Age kids are at-risk kids, Gray said. Theres a real need for mentoring. We have everything all set for January.

But the county is looking for cuts, and Gray said the program could be axed if necessary.

The state may cover a great deal of the costs associated with Raise the Age. But its not yet clear what will be approved, warned Budget Officer and Hebron Supervisor Brian Campbell.

Its not like everythings going to get covered, he said. When they say its all covered, its not going to be that close.

The supervisors plan to approve some contingency budgeting. They may allow probation officers to go to a 40-hour workweek (up from 37.5 hours), but only after the state finishes its budget next April. If that budget seems to include the funding for additional juvenile officers, then the county will approve the expense. The county may also hold off on adding an additional officer, which White says he needs for Raise the Age, until just before the program goes into effect in October.

White said he wants to move the probation department officers to 40 hours a week as soon as possible.

But Campbell put the brakes on that.

If we pass this, theres no way to back off if the money doesnt come, he said.

Instead, they will wait, and also only add a new employee next September. That allows time for training before the October start date for Raise the Age.

Campbell said the new officer should be funded by the state, but written guidance has made it unclear.

Your new person should be automatically funded by Raise the Age, he said. The problem is their (expletive) sheet has me madder than hell.

The county will have to painstakingly document every hour of work to show that it was needed for Raise the Age activities, raising the specter of denials for part of the expense.

Theres no way to know in advance. Campbell is not a fan of that uncertainty.

Public Defender Mike Mercure noted the state did pay for the additional lawyers needed this year when the state settled a lawsuit. The state agreed that public defenders should be at defendants arraignments, which required the county to increase hours for many lawyers and add a full-time lawyer.

I think its been beneficial. And I think they did step up and fund what they said, Mercure said.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
I feel 'betrayed', have 'no respect' for Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag, says Cristiano Ronaldo

T20 World Cup: Anil Kumble thinks separate teams in red-ball, white-ball cricket is the way forward

Sam Billings pulls out of playing in IPL 2023 in order to focus on longer format of the game
Bond was set Tuesday at $25,000 cash-only for a Davenport man accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl while she slept.

Clarence Ford III, 32, was booked into the Scott County Jail at 8:15 p.m. Monday on charges of first-degree burglary, a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison, and third-degree sexual abuse, a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29.

The incident happened Sunday, according to an arrest affidavit filed by Davenport police in support of the criminal complaint.

Ford, according to the affidavit, entered the girls residence through an unlocked door and fondled her. When the girl awoke, he hid in her closet, according to the affidavit.

The girl told her mother, who then forced Ford from their residence, according to the affidavit.

Davenport Police Maj. Jeff Bladel said Ford has an "association" with the girl's family but did not know the exact relationship.

Ford listed in a financial affidavit filed in Scott County District Court that he works for the Davenport Community School District.

School district spokeswoman Dawn Saul said Ford was hired in February as a substitute custodian and became a full-time custodian at West High School in August.

He has been placed on administrative leave with pay, she added.

Saul said that any employee who is hired by the district undergoes an extensive background check and are run through the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, the National Sex Abuse Registry, and Department of Human Services child and adult abuse registries. The district also checks out-of-state records going back seven years for employees who do not live in Iowa, she said.

Preschool employees undergo additional DHS checks and are fingerprinted, Saul said. If the employee is a teacher, they are subject to the above checks and are checked through the FBI per state law, she added.

It is a robust process, Saul said.
A Davenport woman accused of striking a Rock Island Arsenal police officer with her car and fleeing police in May was sentenced Tuesday to eight months in prison.

Lateisha Diamond Willett, 24, will serve a year of supervised release once she completes her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

She pleaded guilty in July in U.S. District Court, Rock Island, to aggravated fleeing and eluding. In exchange for her plea, prosecutors dismissed additional charges of aggravated resisting a peace officer and driving while driver's license suspended or revoked.

According to court documents, Willett struck the officer with her front bumper after a traffic stop near Armstrong Avenue and the Illinois side of the Government Bridge on May 17.

After evading the police, she returned to Arsenal Island before police brought the car to a stop and physically removed the woman from her vehicle, according to court documents.

She continued to resist as officers placed her hands behind her back. One of the officers suffered an abrasion after kneeling on broken glass that was in the street after the window was broken, according to court documents.

Willett was taken to a local hospital for injuries. She later admitted to police that her driver's license was suspended, according to court documents.
DIXON, Ill.  A northern Illinois man authorities say was being investigated for child abuse fatally shot his 5-year-old and later turned the gun on himself.

Dixon police and the Lee County Sheriff's office say they received a report of two shots fired at a home in Dixon. Investigators found Christopher Michaels dead and his father, Robert W. Michaels, breathing but unresponsive with a handgun lying next him.

Sauk Valley Media reports Michaels was later pronounced dead from a head wound at a Rockford hospital.

Dixon Police Chief Danny Langloss said late Monday that Michaels was under investigation for child abuse. He said the victim was not his son.

Langloss said Christopher and his mother had gone to Michael's home, and his dad asked whether the boy wanted to play a video game. He barricaded himself and the child in a room, after which the woman said two gunshots were fired.
CAMANCHE, Iowa - Misdemeanor theft charges have been dismissed against Camanche City Councilman Bill Wruck, who was accused of bypassing the water meter at his home last year.

In a motion to dismiss filed Tuesday, County Attorney Mike Wolf wrote that "additional discovery by the parties" resulted in the issuance to and payment of civil fines by Wrucks wife, Bethany, resulting from the use of a sand point well.

Court records show that she was cited Friday for use of water from a sand point well to be used for human consumption and failure to pay the appropriate amount of rent for a public sewer connection.

Bethany Wruck paid more than $1,100 in fines and court costs on the two tickets, according to court records.

Wolf said Tuesday that the case is closed.

Bill Wruck said he was "happy to be vindicated of all the charges."

"There was no merit to the allegations," he said. "I did not do any of the things I was accused of."

The 42-year-old was charged in June with third-degree fraudulent practices, an aggravated misdemeanor, and fifth-degree theft, a simple misdemeanor.

According to court documents, Camanche City Administrator Andrew Kida reported possible water meter tampering to the Clinton County Sheriffs Office and said the city had looked at previous water records for Wruck's home in the 300 block of 15th Place.

City water records indicated there were six days of zero consumption in June 2016; 22 days of zero consumption in July; 41 days of zero consumption between late August and mid-October; and seven days of zero consumption in November, according to court documents.

Kida estimated that the cost of the water not billed to Wruck was less than $200, according to court documents.

Wruck is a field services technician for Iowa American Water. His duties include reading, testing and installing water meters, according to the court documents.
The old Bettendorf School Board gave way to the new board Monday night, with Gordon Staley being re-elected as its president.

Andrew Champion, Adam Holland and Richard Lynch, board members elected a week ago today, took the oath of office from board secretary Colleen Skolrood.

The swearing-in followed a meeting where the outgoing board wrapped up old business and said farewell to three members who were ending their service.

One of the first orders of business was to elect officers: Staley returned as president of the board on a 7-0 vote, and Stacey Struck was chosen as vice president on a 5-2 vote.

The only prolonged discussion was prompted by board member Paul Castro, who was taking part in the meeting by telephone.

During a presentation on committee structure, Superintendent Michael Raso had identified three as the "most important" overall: Audit/Finance, Policy Review and Facility.

Castro suggested that having two new board members on the facility committee was unwise. He questioned Champion and Lynch on their background in facilities.

In the end, it was agreed that the three committees would include the following members: Audit/Finance: Champion, Lynch and Michael Pyevich; Facility: Castro, Lynch and Staley; Policy Review: Champion, Holland and Struck.

As the old board was winding up its work, Pepper Trahan offered thanks to the audience of about 30 people: "Thank you to the community who gave me this opportunity the past eight years," she said. "Thank you to all who helped me in the past."

Trahan, the only board incumbent on the ballot in last week's election, lost her seat.

Also joining the board this year are three student representatives, Ryan Longenecker, a junior, Nyah Block, a senior, and James Baker, a junior, who is an alternate board member. Longenecker gave a report to the board, focusing on the upcoming Student Hunger Drive and Homecoming.

The new board ended the evening with a training session, scheduled to last two hours and conducted by Harry Heiligenthal leadership development director from the Iowa Association of School Boards, Des Moines.
The other day, I was writing a tidbit about class reunions. Once, our class had its 60th. Not many of my classmates are left now, and come to think of it, weve seen it all. Weve been through a few wars and riots and the atomic age and I Love Lucy and the advent of the wonder of the computer. Mickey Mouse, too. A schoolmate, Phil Steffen, and I once agreed that at our age, we are neither here nor there. Weve just had to adjust.

When we were little kids, Superior Dairy in Davenport and Bakers in Illinois delivered milk in a horse and wagon. I remember waking up to the clip-clop of a horse that always knew what house to stop at. In the summer, the ice man cometh in a big open truck that hauled coal to our houses in winter. Our ice man was a husky fellow named Kluever, who chipped off pieces of ice for us to suck on. The blocks of ice in his truck went into ice boxes that always spilled water on the floor as the block melted. Anyone who had a Frigidaire or a cone-topped GE was to be envied.

SOME OF the first radio music I can remember was Hal Kemps orchestra playing Ti-Pi-Tin on our four-legged Fada radio. We anxiously awaited 6 oclock on Sunday nights to hear comedian Jack Benny. Our version of TV was movies, like Disneys Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

We saw running boards come and go. Now, theyre back again on some models that look like World War II Jeeps. We saw convertibles go away; now, theyve returned in all their flash and glory. A millionaire, in my 1935 lexicon of dreams, was someone who made $10,000 a year. He maybe drove one of those Nash cars that turned the back seat into a bed.

When I was young, some cars were as big as tanks. I have a 1937 ad for Kruse Motor Co. in Davenport. In 60-point letters (thats big) it shouted ALL STEEL AND TWO YARDS WIDE, touting the new Buick that had a special foot button for bright lights.

How can I tell the kids of today about the thrill of seeing the aluminum Rocket locomotive roll into the Rock Island and Davenport depots. Our parents drove us to the tracks to see this streamliner cut through Davenport. It was called the Denver Rocket, stirring our dreams of riding it to the Great West.

FOR SPECIAL occasions, there was Al Klasss Town & Country restaurant in Bettendorf with its big trunk of cheap free toys for kids to take home after having supper with mom and dad. We looked forward to the toys more than their ice cream desert.

As we grew up, we had our own automobile, and only three of us (always at least one girl) could squeeze into the front seat of my Ford coupe. A big night on the town was to sit at a table at the Dutch Inn in downtown Rock Island and have fried chicken.

All these memories were part of our generations innocence. We were probably neurotic as heck, full of stress, but we were too dumb to know it.
The No. 1 job of the governor is to raise wages and improve the standard of living for all working people, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Cathy Glasson told a nationwide audience of progressives over the weekend.

Im truly sick and tired of working people in our state getting beat up, Glasson, a Coralville nurse and president of Service Employees International Union Local 199, told members of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee on a conference call Sunday.

She was referring to the Republican governor and GOP-controlled Legislature that gutted union rights, lowered wages, took away health care services from womens health and went on to privatize a Medicaid system that had worked and gave contracts to their corporate friends.

Glasson has been talking to Iowans around the state as she considered formally entering the race for the Democratic nomination for governor. She said what she learned is that working Iowans want a bold, progressive governor who is not going to be a sellout to corporations and CEOs  someone who is not afraid to take on big challenges, make big plans and take bold, progressive steps.

Glasson participated in the Progressive Change Campaign Committees candidate training program over the summer. Committee co-founder Adam Green called her a gut-level economic populist  (who) could end up being one of the top bold progressives running for governor this cycle.

More than just campaigning for governor, Glasson said she is building a bold, progressive movement so Iowans have a voice in government and to give working people a reason to stand in line at the polls.

Iowans want Democrats who stand for big ideas, she said.

In fact, that to win an Iowa Democratic primary in 2018 and in 2020, candidates need to be a champion for big, bold populist economic ideas like Medicare-for-all, Glasson said. This is really about building a national movement across the country beyond 2018 and leading to the presidential cycle in 2020.

Glasson said that as governor, her agenda would be raising the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour, expanding union rights, passing universal, single-payer health care  on the state level if Congress wont enact a national Medicare-for-all plan  and making clean water the birthright of every Iowan.

She also wants to restore collective bargaining rights for teachers and other public employees. Glasson said she would demand the Republican-controlled Legislature, which increased K-12 funding by 1.11 percent  $40 million  this year, open the purse strings.

I would veto anything less than 4 percent school funding, she said. Thats what we used to do in the past, but now, its not a priority anymore.

High state spending on schools is necessary to give teachers the pay raises they need so we can attract and retain quality educators.

Glasson has scheduled a campaign event at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the DoubleTree Hotel & Convention Center in downtown Cedar Rapids. Supporters around the state will gather at several locations at that time to watch her launch video before hitting the streets to canvass for Glasson. Among the locations is the Stone Fountain at Vander Veer Botanical Park, Main and West Lombard streets, Davenport.
DES MOINES  Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday she supports a GOP plan that would end the big bureaucratic Affordable Care Act approach by giving more flexibility to states in how they use federal dollars to address the health care of their residents.

Reynolds said at her weekly news conference Tuesday that she is joining 20 other governors in supporting the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson legislation being offered in the U.S. Senate that would repeal Obamacare and send federal money for the health care law to the states as block grants.

Right now, what we have is not working. Its unsustainable, its unworkable, and its collapsing before our very eyes, she said. People were sold a bill of goods on Obamacare.

Reynolds said the block grant approach worked in reforming the welfare system by giving states the flexibility to craft their own approaches to managing their cases, which helped to lower welfare rolls significantly while helping people function independently instead of relying on government assistance.

The Republican governor said she envisioned a system that would pass through funds, not shift costs, to the state level where officials then could focus on preventive measures, better medication management and other approaches designed to produce healthy outcomes.

I believe right now thats the only vehicle we have to fix a broken system, Reynolds said. It can work. I believe right now this is the only vehicle that we have to address Obamacare that is failing.

However, the Democratic National Committee came out against Graham-Cassidy approach to replacing the Affordable Care Act, calling it the worst Republican repeal bill yet.

Also Tuesday, a bipartisan group of 10 governors came out in opposition to the latest GOP attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Four Republicans, five Democrats and independent Alaska Gov. Bill Walker signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urging against consideration of the Graham-Cassidy plan, which repeals Obamacare's individual and employer mandates and replaces subsidies with block grants. Instead, the governors said they were in favor of the ongoing bipartisan efforts to reach agreement for legislation that would stabilize the individual market.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nate Boulton, a Des Moines state senator, was critical of Reynolds for supporting a plan that would cut federal matching funds and grants to Iowa.

The Graham-Cassidy Block Grant Health Care bill will cause Iowans to lose $2.3 billion by 2027, worsening the burdens on low- and middle-income families, especially those with disabilities, seniors and children as they struggle to access quality health care, he said in a statement.

This administration has already defunded Planned Parenthood, closed two of our four state mental health institutions and privatized Medicaid, he added. Iowans deserve improvements to our health care system, not further cuts to a system already at risk.

Short term, Reynolds said her focus is on stabilizing Iowas collapsing individual insurance market. She said she hopes a decision will come soon on federal approval of a short-term waiver that would redirect Obamacare subsidies for 2018 so Iowans would have more private insurance options. Enrollment begins in November.

I can tell you that all parties want to get to yes, so Im cautiously optimistic because doing nothing is not an option, Reynolds said.

The states insurance commissioner has proposed redirecting the federal Obamacare subsidies, paying insurance companies directly for care of seriously ill customers along with higher subsidies for younger, healthy Iowans who buy insurance.

On another health care topic, Reynolds defended Iowas decision to switch most of its $5 billion Medicaid program to privately managed care, saying the system that commenced in April 2016 is not perfect but is working to replace a fee-for-service approach that was not sustainable or affordable for taxpayers.

Were not going back, Reynolds told reporters. "This the direction that were going in."

Another Democrat running for governor in 2018, Dr. Andy McGuire, said the stories she is hearing from Iowans in traveling the state is that Medicaid patients are not being served well by the system being run by three private managed care organizations.

Today, Gov. Reynolds defended Medicaid privatization by saying, It takes time. Iowas most vulnerable citizens simply cant afford to wait any longer, McGuire said in a statement. If Gov. Reynolds is serious about making the health care of Iowas most vulnerable citizens a priority then she needs to admit when she is wrong, and call Medicaid privatization what it is  a mistake.
Gay marriage. Marijuana legalization. The atom bomb. Interplanetary travel. The internet.

The species has never seen change at the pace of the past century. And, at some level, it's feeding political discontent here and abroad.

Last week, for instance, U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a well-known conservative Republican from Utah, kicked out a news release calling for the nationwide legalization of medical marijuana research. Hatch argued that legal weed could be a viable substitute for the powerful opiate-based painkillers that have hooked entire communities. Seems reasonable enough. The language in Hatch's statement  not unlike jokes made by stoner icons Cheech and Chong  say a lot about the speed at which this conversation has evolved.

It's "high time" the country seriously researched marijuana's medical applications, Hatch said. His statement included phrases such as "to be blunt," "joint effort," "delving into the weeds" and "high hopes."

Someone from Hatch's press office had a good time with the release. But it's a fascinating level of levity from a senator who  in office since 1977  was supportive President Reagan's War on Drugs known for that commercial with a fried egg and the catch phrase, "This is your brain on drugs." The former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Hatch sponsored several efforts in the 1990s to crackdown on drugs.

Like pot, it was not too long ago that the idea of gay marriage was a fringe issue. It's now supported by the majority of the country, some 62 percent, according to Pew Research Center. Some 40 percent of Republicans support it now, up from 21 percent in 2001. The Catholic Reformation  a relatively speedy cultural revolution in historical terms  took 94 years, if you measure from the day Martin Luther picked up a hammer to the first publication of the King James Bible in 1611.

Farm equipment used during Jesus' life would have been more familiar to my great-grandparents than the satellite-guided titans that now rule the fields.

Stone. Copper. Bronze. Iron. In each instance, the fundamental material hung around for centuries or eons. Not so for steel and silicon.

Compare that to modern standards, the internal combustion engine is downright ancient at just more than a century old. My grandparents witnessed rural electrification, the birth of atomic weapons, the space program, the civil rights movement and the promulgation of motorized transportation. They watched as Newton's universe gave way to Einstein's relativity. Toward the end her life, my 92-year-old grandmother was sending text messages.

In contrast, ox carts went pretty much unchanged for millennia. From Athenian trader to American homesteader, the tech was practically static for hundreds of generations.

The internet has accelerated social evolution to literal light speed. Philosophical, technological and political revolutions hinge on the speed at which information and ideas move. A few hundred years ago, it would take months to get a letter from the North American continent to the Old World. Now that information is instant. Add to that the wholesale democratization of literacy throughout the industrialized world and people have access to more information  and misinformation  than at any point in human history.

It seems apparent that the rapidness of change, especially over the past few decades is fueling the belief in some corners that everything they hold dear is under attack. Any new idea ultimately challenges the accepted worldview of large swaths of the population. These are significant, fundamental belief systems around which people and groups have crafted entire identities. It used to take generations for such arguments to fully form and cast aside tradition. Now, it happens in a matter of years.

This reality is both a testament to the power of the movement of information and the pressure applied to those invested in the old ways. No one should be shocked that such sweeping upheaval leaves some longing for the nostalgic comfort of the good old days, Polio and all.
As a citizen of the United States, I am appalled that some feel all Republicans and a lot of Democrats who voted for Donald Trump should be ashamed for voting for Donald Trump rather than Hillary Clinton. You are shaming more than half of our country; get over it. The Democrats lost. Lets get together like all the people did with our two major hurricanes where Democrats and Republicans worked together.

The Iran deal started by President Obama marked the beginning of the nuclear arms race. Our nation lost our AAA credit rating because Obama spent so much money during his presidency. In 2013, 20 percent of Americans were on food stamps.

If president Obama did all the good stuff as you said, why? Enough already. I could go on forever, but lets forget the past and look at the future. All these statistics are statistics, not always the truth.

We are the strongest nation in the world. Let us keep it that way. God bless America. I am not a registered Democrat or Republican.

Larry Amerine

Davenport
A spectacular afternoon of Bach, Brahms and Beethoven with internationally acclaimed musicians will open the Black Hills Chamber Music Societys new season.

The societys 2017-2018 concert series, A Season of Sensational Strings, will bring five strings-based ensembles from around the state, nation and world to Rapid City.

So many people who come to our concerts love strings, said Justine Estes, president of the Black Hills Chamber Music Societys board of directors. For chamber music, strings are one of the most popular ways that composers have written music.

Cellist Dmitry Kouzov and Russian pianist Yulia Fedoseeva will delight local music lovers with an afternoon of world-class music. Kouzov trained with Mstislav Rostropovich, renowned as one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century. Classical, romantic and a little bit of everything will be included as the duo performs works from Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Brahms and more, Estes said.

Were thrilled for the first concert.  Mr. Kouzov is one of most famous cellists in the world, Estes said. When we listened to him play, even though it was online, the sound of his cello is one of the most beautiful cellos we had heard. Its so all-involving that you feel the emotion hes trying to give to the audience.

Known for her passionate and musical interpretations and impressive technical facility, pianist Fedoseeva is an acclaimed soloist, chamber musician and teacher. She has performed throughout Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Some people who come to our concerts will have heard of the Kouzov Duo and some not. I think the audience will love them, Estes said.

After the Kouzov Duo concert, concertgoers can attend a reception and talk to the musicians.

Described as music with friends, chamber music offers music lovers the opportunity to enjoy exceptional performances in a smaller, more intimate setting than traditional symphony orchestra concerts. Chamber music typically is performed by a duo, trio or quartet, and each musician must be a strong soloist.

When only a few musicians are playing, you feel closer to the musicians as youre sitting in the audience, Estes said. Its a different kind of music. Its personal. You can hear everything.  Chamber music is the idea of a conversation between friends.

Estes hopes the lineup for the upcoming season will encourage those whove never attended a chamber music concert to try it.

You have to experience chamber music to understand why its so wonderful, she said.

In addition to the Kouzov Duo, the Black Hills Chamber Music Societys 2017-2018 season will include:

Telegraph Quartet, Oct. 29: The award-winning San Francisco-based quartet plays a repertoire of standard chamber music, contemporary and non-standard music. The quartet has performed internationally and is planning to release its first album this year. Telegraph Quartet is the Quartet-in-Residence at the San Francisco Conservatory.

 J. Laiten Weed High School Honors Orchestra, Feb. 24: This will be a performance by the top 22 students from South Dakota All-State Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Jungho Kim, Director of Orchestras at Augustana University in Sioux Falls. They really play beautifully. You can tell these kids could be professional someday. Its a wonderful concert, Estes said.

 Irrera Brothers piano and violin duo, April 15: The brothers are graduates of the Eastman School of Music, where in May 2014 they became the first siblings ever in the schools history to graduate together, each with their Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. As soloists and a duo, the Irrera Brothers are acclaimed, award-winning musicians who perform a mix of classical and modern music. The Irrera Brothers newest album, Vitali, Scarbrough, Rachmaninoff can be downloaded on iTunes.

 Jasper String Quartet, May 6: The Jasper String Quartet was formed at Oberlin Conservatory in 2006. This award-winning ensemble is acclaimed for performing with vitality and verve. Jasper String Quartet is the Professional Quartet in Residence at Temple University's Center for Gifted Young Musicians and the 2017-18 Guest Artist in Residence at Swarthmore College. The quartet recently released its first album, Unbound.
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
Anglers have a window of opportunity to fish the Sturgis City Dams before they are again closed to the public.

The dams are scheduled to be drained next week so engineers can inspect and test the structural integrity of the dam structures. All licensed anglers are invited to fish the dams for another week or so prior to the draining operation. State fishing regulations apply.

"People have been very excited about being able to fish up there," said Sturgis City Manager Daniel Ainslie.

After the city announced the dams would be open to fishing, both Ainslie and Sturgis Public Information Officer Christina Steele were inundated with questions on the city's Facebook page about the rules concerning fishing the dams.

The state has stocked rainbow trout in the dams in the past and so state fishing rules apply for any anglers using the city dams. There is a five fish per day limit, and those who fish must have a license.

"As it drains, if there are as many fish in there as there are now, some of them will die. We are trying to encourage people to fish," he said.

Once the analysis is done, the city will allow the dams to fill again. Next spring, the South Dakota Game Fish & Parks will again stock the dams with rainbow trout.

To access the dams from Sturgis, drive south on Vanocker Canyon Road. About 3 miles south of Belle Joli Winery, turn left onto U.S. Forest Service property. Drive a short distance to a small parking area, and the dams are about a 2-mile hike from there. There is no vehicle access available.

Ainslie cautions people to look for signs so they don't trespass on private property.

"After the rally this year, we put up some additional signage letting people know the rules," he said. "There's also signs that tell people not to climb on the dams. That's a common sense thing, but we want to remind people to be safe when they are out there."

After the Sturgis City Council in June approved a Sturgis Watershed Visitor Master Plan, the city realized it needed to determine the structural integrity of the dams, Ainslie said.

They first spoke with several engineering firms and then floated the idea of having students use the analysis as a senior project. The city has since partnered with the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology to do an analysis of the four dams.

"It will be a value to the taxpayers here in Sturgis and a value to the students," he said.

Scott Kenner, department head and professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Mines, will oversee five seniors who will determine how sound the dam structures are and also perform a risk assessment that will show what the consequences would be if the dams failed.

"We have people who have speculated what might happen if the dams fail, but it is much better if we have engineers who can determine the dams' drainage basins and tell us where there would be an impact and where there wouldn't," Ainslie said.

The assessment is to be completed in December or January, he said.

It should give the city a full analysis they have never had and a good idea as to whether they need to do any repairs, Ainslie said. He said the city council will need to determine how they proceed depending on the conclusions of the final report.

"At that point we will have to see if there are significant repairs that have to be done. And if there are, then it will have to be a council discussion as to whether we want to spend money to make repairs, or what are the options," he said.

In order to fully inspect the dams, the city will begin letting water out of the spillways at the dams. The area will close to fishing around Sept. 25 once the draining project begins.

The dams are spring fed and act as a holding area for the watershed, so the idea is to let out more water than comes in for the inspection to take place.

"That water is not used domestically by the city anymore," Ainslie said.

In 1978, the city of Sturgis purchased the domestic water distribution and storage infrastructure from the Jarvis Davenport heirs that was originally built in the early 1900s. Due to Environmental Protection Agency regulations, the above ground water storage system  aka City Dams  was abandoned as a source of drinking water for the city of Sturgis. For the last 40 years, the only public recreational use of the City Dams property has been through executive privilege or outright trespass.

So why has the city turned its eye to the City Dams and decided to open the area for recreational use?

"This is an asset that city taxpayers have paid a significant sum for, and the residents really haven't seen much use of it," Ainslie said. "Many councils have talked about the prospect that this should be used by the public or it should be sold."

Ainslie said having the City Dams just a short distance from Sturgis enhances the quality of life of local residents.

"It's just a peaceful, tranquil area where people can hike up on an afternoon and enjoy nature," he said.
NISLAND  The Nisland Board of Trustees made a decision to remove Harold Grays fence that has encroached the right of way by the citys dump. Several letters have been sent to Gray without result. The fence will be removed by the citys maintenance man with a deputy standing by on Oct. 2 if Gray has not moved it himself.

Following some discussion about yard clean up and not considering just one persons yard, the trustees decided to table any further action on processing any violations. There are several yards that need attention, so the board decided to delve into the proper process of taking care of violators to the city ordinances.

Utilization of the building was again discussed with several more ideas brought before the board. Some of the ideas included a craft fair, farmers market, bingo, or even a movie night. The board feels that there must be some way to encourage the community to get involved in the town.

Luaine Shaykett brought a complaint before the board saying that she had been assessed on her taxes for property she didnt own at the time of the assessment. This situation took place when Harold Gray was board chairman. It will be looked into further.

The next Board of Trustees for Nisland will meet Monday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Nisland Town Hall.
With a vacancy rate of just 3.1 percent, finding adequate and affordable housing in Chadron can be a challenge, and a new housing study shows reinforces the need for the community to be aggressive in addressing its housing issues.

Keith Carl of Hanna:Keelan Associates presented a summary of the citys recently completed housing study Monday, highlighting that by 2022 the citys target should be to have provided 252 units, either through new construction or rehabilitation of older homes for resale or rent.

Thats a pretty steep demand, Carl said. There needs to be a proactive approach.

That target will provide affordable housing for some of the cost-burdened households  those that currently spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing  and replace 25-40 percent of the current housing that is in badly worn or worn out condition. It will also help create a 7 percent vacancy rate, which is considered healthy, Carl said. Additionally, it will provide opportunities for current homeowners and renters to upgrade their living situation  renters looking to purchase, for example, or increasing the number of bedrooms.

Of the 252 units included in the five-year target, 64 are estimated to be allocated for home ownership, with another 188 slotted for rental properties. The housing study estimates the budget to meet that goal at $43.3 million, but Carl noted that there are a variety of funding sources that can contribute to that. Should the city see whats termed an economic development boost from a large business relocating to the area, the five-year targets jump to 312 units and a budget of $53.6 million.

Some will be private investment by property owners, while the city can create partnerships and work with agencies like Housing and Urban Development, Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, Midwest Housing Development fund, Aging Office of Western Nebraska and more.

The housing study also details a housing action plan, presenting a list of possible programs or activities for the city to consider.

The first step to capitalizing on those partnerships is creating a Community-wide Housing Partnership, accessing community groups, organizations and funding sources and branching out to work with other state and federal agencies.

The more partnerships you create, the more buckets of money you have access to, Carl said. There are achievable results.

Other operational items in the action plan include:

*creating a Chadron Land Bank Program to secure land for future housing developments

*creating a Community-wide Housing Investment Club to create a bank of funds to invest in housing developments

*establishing an Employers Housing Assistance Program to encourage major employers to partner in housing programs

*expanding the Continuum of Residential Care program for elderly housing needs

*hosting an annual Chadron Housing Summit to review accomplishments and opportunities

The plan also calls for activities such as creating a housing code inspection and rental licensing program in the housing preservation category, as well as moderate rehabilitation of 75-100 units to meet low and moderate income needs and the purchase and demolition of 35-50 substandard housing units and placing the property in the land bank.

For the elderly population, the housing study suggests adding 40 duplex/triplex units, as well as 18 single family, patio and town home units. The study also suggests the need for another eight to 16 long term care units.

For families, the city needs to explore rent to own options, as well as a general rental housing program that will add 90 to 112 units to the existing stock. A family homeownership initiative to make 30 units of single family, patio home or town home units available for mixed income families was also suggested, as was a downtown housing initiative for eight owner and 24 rental units in the upper floors of the existing commercial buildings.

The complete housing study is available for review at the City of Chadron offices.
STATE OF

SOUTH DAKOTA )

) SS

COUNTY OF FALL RIVER )

Daniela Malcoci, )

Plaintiff, )

vs. )

Mark A. Mills, )

Defendant. )

IN CIRCUIT COURT

SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

23 DIV 17-

THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA SENDS GREETINGS TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT: MARK A. MILLS

You are hereby summoned and required to answer the Complaint of the Plaintiff, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer on the attorney for Plaintiff, Patrick M. Ginsbach, of the address below, within thirty (30) days from the date of the service of this Summons upon you, exclusive of the date of such service.

IF YOU FAIL TO DO SO, judgment by default may be rendered against you as requested in Plaintiffs Complaint sixty (60) days after the completed service of Plaintiffs Summons and Complaint.

NOTICE:

South Dakota law provides that upon the filing of a Complaint for divorce or separate maintenance that upon personal service of the Complaint and Summons on the Defendant, a Temporary Restraining Order shall be in effect against both parties until the final Decree is entered, the Complaint is dismissed, or until further order of the Court. Either party may apply to the Court for further temporary orders or modification or revocation of the Order.

INITIAL CUSTODY ORDER

Pursuant to SDCL 25-4A-11 et seq., upon service of this Summons the attached visitation guidelines become an Order of this Court. Any minor children of this marriage shall remain in the custody of the parent who has been the primary caregiver for the minor children for the majority of the time in the 30 days preceding the filing of this Summons and Complaint, unless the parties otherwise agree. The guidelines are subject to any provisions established by a South Dakota Court in a temporary or permanent domestic protection order, an order arising out of an abuse or neglect proceeding, as bond condition arising out of a criminal case, and an order in any other proceeding affecting child custody or support.

The attached guidelines shall apply and continue in effect unless the parties agree or the Court otherwise orders. The imposition of these standard guidelines create no presumption as to who shall be awarded custody at any hearing. An agreement by the parties for visitation other than the standard guidelines must be in writing, signed by both parties, and filed with the Court.

If either party objects to this initial custody order, the Court shall order a hearing which shall be held not later than 30 days after the date of the objection. The Court shall then issue its temporary custody and visitation order after considering the best interest of the child(ren) consistent with the provisions of SDCL 25-4-45.

IF EITHER SPOUSE VIOLATES ANY OF THESE PROVISIONS, THAT SPOUSE MAY BE IN CONTEMPT OF COURT.

TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER

BY ORDER OF THE COURT, YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE ARE:

A. Restrained from transferring, encumbering, concealing or in any way dissipating or disposing of any marital assets, without the written consent of the other party or an Order of the Court as may be necessary on the usual course of business or from the necessities of life. You are to notify the other party of any proposed extraordinary expenditures and to account to the Court for all extraordinary expenditures made after the temporary restraining order is in effect; and

B. Restrained from molesting or disturbing the peace of the other party; and

C. Restrained from removing any minor children of the parties from the state without the written consent of the other party or an order of the Court; and

D. Restrained from making any changes to any insurance coverage for the parties or any child of the parties without the written consent of the other party or an order of the Court unless the change under the applicable insurance coverage increases the benefits, adds additional property, persons, or perils to be covered, or is required by the insurer.

IF EITHER PARTY VIOLATES ANY OF THESE PROVISIONS, THAT PARTY MAY BE IN CONTEMPT OF COURT.

DATED this 18th day of April, 2017.

/s/Patrick M. Ginsbach

PATRICK M. GINSBACH

Attorney for Plaintiff

441 N. River St.

Hot Springs, SD 57747

(605) 745-5161

Published once at the total approximate cost of $195.62.

Sept 19, 26, Oct 3, 10
STURGIS | Jason McEntee says films and music can be used in many different ways for people to make connections with wars, past and present.

McEntee, department head and professor of English at South Dakota State University, says he has worked with veterans groups and the Sioux Falls VA hospital about how films, music and the written word engage veterans there.

"Expression has a healing power," said McEntee of his work in this environment. "It also keeps the dead alive."

"From the earliest cave drawings to the digitalization of today," said McEntee, "It tells the story of what coming home means."

McEntee shared that for every soldier that has seen combat, the coming home story is a bit different.

He named films about wars such as Platoon, First Blood, Redemption, Hurt Locker, Deer Hunter and even a VHS-only film titled A Soldiers Sweetheart, which was the film version of O'Brien's book that shows that war stories come in all shapes and sizes.

"No matter who we are, we are fascinated with war stories; with coming home stories," said McEntee.

McEntee spoke Saturday at the Sturgis Community Center as the keynote speaker for the Sturgis Big Read.

He shared his perspective on author Tim O'Brien and his noted book, "The Things They Carried," a novelized book the New York Times describes as a shocking sense of what it felt like to tramp through a booby-trapped jungle, carrying pounds of supplies and ammunition as well as rifles and grenades.

"It is a blend of fiction with memoirs," said McEntee. He said that you can't expect pure fact in any war oriented publication as the telling of the stories is the important part. It shows how violence and combat is immoral and that films based on publications such as O'Brien's, show the conflict of having to kill.

The ultimate point is that the tradition O'Brien began using facts and fiction to tell the story, is being used today by many other authors and soldiers telling their stories.

The event at the community center Saturday night was just one part of Sturgis Big Read lasting from early September through November.

Last week was the kickoff party and a book distribution, with and art show continuing throughout the event until Nov. 11. On Friday, O'Brien will share with Sturgis Brown High School English classes and then will be at the community center that evening for a reception and presentation.

On Saturday, musicians Paul Peterson and Loren Erickson shared Vietnam Era Music prior to the speaker to set the mood for the specific presentation.

Other events through September include Col. Larry Mayes, USAF Ret., presenting on Friday, September 29 on the Vietnam War's impact at home. In October, events include: Oct. 3 at 6 p.m., Vietnam Combat Vet Round Table and October 5 at 6 p.m., Battles on the Homefront: The Families of War, both in the Erskine Building. On Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Peidmont Legion Hall will be a round table discussion by vets from multiple conflicts.

There will also be a USO Variety Show on Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. Admission will be charged.
A Sioux Falls prison inmate has been indicted on murder charges in connection with the killing of a man who walked away from the Rapid City Community Work Center in January.

Thomas P. Lucero, Jr., 26, is facing one count of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault, according to a news release from the South Dakota Attorney General's Office.

Moses Dubray, 32, was found dead Jan. 11 along S.D. Highway 89 in Fall River County. Authorities say he died from a gunshot wound to the head. The day before, on Jan. 10, Dubray had walked away from the Rapid City Community Work Center, his assigned unit while he served a five-year burglary sentence.

Sara Rabern, spokeswoman for the attorney general's office, declined to answer questions about the case, citing an ongoing investigation.

Lucero was convicted on first-degree robbery charges in 2013. He was granted parole in 2015 and then violated the conditions of his parole. Lucero turned himself in on an active warrant as a parole absconder in January. He is currently incarcerated at the Jameson Annex of the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.

I want to thank the grand jurors for their service, the prosecutors and investigators for their tireless work on this case and the community for their assistance on this case, Attorney General Marty Jackley said in the release.

This case is being investigated by the Fall River County Sheriffs Office and the Division of Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted by the Fall River County States Attorney and the attorney generals office.
Gov. Dennis Daugaard has proclaimed today as Ben Reifel (Lone Feather) Day in South Dakota, in honor of the first Native American from the state to serve in Congress.

Reifel, a Republican, won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1960 and served five consecutive terms. In 1970, he decided to retire rather than seek a sixth term.

A member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Reifel was born Sept. 19, 1906, in a log cabin in Parmelee. His mother was Lucy Burning Breast, a Lakota. His father was William Reifel, who was of German descent.

From humble beginnings, Ben Reifel was a true Lakota leader, Steve Emery, state governments secretary of tribal relations, said in a statement.

Known as Lone Feather in English, Reifel died of cancer Jan. 2, 1990, at the age of 83 in Sioux Falls. His papers take up nearly 20 feet of space at the Briggs Library at South Dakota State University in Brookings. They contain memorabilia, scrapbooks, campaign items, and personal items from his time in the House and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and his post-congressional speaking career.

To honor Reifel, members of Congress changed the name of Cedar Pass Visitor Center at Badlands National Park to Ben Reifel Visitor Center. The law took effect Nov. 5, 1990.

According to a news release from the South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations, Reifel was instrumental in locating the U.S. Geological Surveys Earth Resources Observation and Science Data Center in South Dakota; gaining support to keep Ellsworth Air Force Base at Rapid City; and securing passage of legislation that created the National Endowment of the Humanities and the National Arts Council.

Ben Reifel embodied the spirit of the Dakotas, and his contributions to this state and country continue to make a difference for many of our citizens, Emery said.
When Rep. David Johnson and a group of local Republican legislators arranged a closed-door meeting with a select group of community leaders, it raised the question: who among local Republican legislators has earned the right to be called an authentic Republican? Every Republican officeholder runs as a conservative, but how do we hold them accountable and determine whether they live up to their claims?

SD Citizens for Liberty, Inc. believes that the best guidelines with which to measure legislative performance are found in the provisions of the U.S. Constitution and the South Dakota Constitution, both of which every legislator swears to uphold when taking the oath of office. Our founding documents along with the planks of the national and South Dakota Republican platforms provide a reliable gauge to determine conservative bona fides.

SDCFL has already released our first legislative scorecard for 2017 dealing exclusively with legislation related to Second Amendment rights. Unlike national organizations, we document every opportunity each legislator had to cast a vote in support of the Second Amendment  including votes cast in committees  and calculate their score as a percentage. The Second Amendment is fundamental to our freedom and not simply a social issue as Rep. Johnson stated. As such, it is deserving of a dedicated scorecard. An interactive version can be found on SD Citizens for Libertys Facebook page or on our website: sdcitizensforliberty.com. It features links to the state website where the bills, the votes and legislators information are available. Also included are references to the platform planks and/or constitutional references that we used to determine the correct vote, which is also explained. We contrast the letter grade the NRA gave each legislator with our actual performance score in order to compare the two; this is guaranteed to raise some eyebrows.

Due out soon is the 2017 House and Senate Conservative Review that gives a composite score for each legislator based on a wide-ranging list of bills affecting the lives and the pocketbooks of all South Dakotans (Rep. Johnson will be relieved to know that none of them involve bathrooms). Like the Second Amendment scorecard, it is well-referenced and features interactive links.

After reviewing our work, American Conservative Union Foundation Deputy Director of Policy Fredrick McGrath admitted in an email that the view from Washington can be blurry. He complimented SD Citizens for Liberty for the considerable work we have done and praised the inclusion of committee votes into the scoring process because that provides voters with a clearer picture of each legislators performance.

Compiling these evaluations is labor intensive work; there are no convenient shortcuts. Every vote must be entered by hand. To insure accuracy, we give all legislators the opportunity to double-check our work before we publish.

Back to the question of who among local legislators is authentically Republican? SD Citizens for Liberty will release the 2017 Conservative Review at an event (open to the public) very soon. The performance of all 105 South Dakota Legislators will be made clear.
GOOD: Rapid City soon will celebrate a new addition to Sioux Park that comes from the heart of a grieving family. In March 2015, 18-year-old Nehemiah Larimer died when the scooter he was driving was struck by a car at the busy intersection of Canyon Lake Drive and Sheridan Lake Road. The death of the senior was mourned by his classmates, faculty and staff at Rapid City Stevens High School where he was known as a student leader with a bright future. One of his passions was slacklining, or walking or balancing on a tightrope that is a few inches from the ground. On Thursday, the city's Parks and Recreation Department plans to dedicate the Nehemiah Larimer Memorial Slackline and Balance Park at Sioux Park. The event starts with a slacklining clinic at 5 p.m. followed by a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony at 6 p.m. Thanks to the efforts of his parents, Kayne and Emily Larimer, and the city, the community now has an exciting new feature in the park system and a fitting memorial for someone who left us far too early. The public is invited to the event, which will be held in the southeast corner of the park.

BAD: If you arent in the habit of immediately checking your city utility bill when it arrives in the mail, it is time to do so unless you like to wait for potential surprises. According to a story last week in the Journal, the city has been receiving complaints from residents who have received utility bills that are whoppers, sometimes several thousand dollars over what is typically owed for a month of service. And while some Rapid City residents were overcharged, others were billed again for service in previous months. City officials claim this is the result of a new software system installed earlier this year and they are now working with software maker Tyler Technologies to fix a problem that can really add up. However, another resident told the Journal that she received a $3.2 million utility bill, which the city attributed to human error. Clearly, this all points to the need to keep a close eye on future utility bills. If you have any problems with your bill, call the city at 394-9300.

UGLY: No matter how hard it tries, South Dakota seems to have a problem reducing its prison population. According to the states Corrections Commission, the state averaged a daily male inmate population of more than 3,300 from January through August and more than 500 female inmates each month since April. The commission went on to say that this is first time the inmate population has consistently reached those levels. The news comes after the Legislature approved changes in 2013 to slow prison growth. While we expect law enforcement personnel and prosecutors to do all they can to get criminals off the streets and incarcerated if necessary, it does come at a high cost to taxpayers. The growth in prison population also can serve as a canary in the coal mine of sorts for a society. It is important for the state to continue its efforts to reduce the number of inmates and thats going to require more study and hard work.
Moscow court refuses to acknowledge tycoon Ismailov firms debt to Cypriot companies

MOSCOW, September 19 (RAPSI)  The Moscow Commercial Court has dismissed petitions filed by two Cypriot companies to include 59.3 billion rubles ($1 billion) owed by Tropicano Business Club controlled by businessman Telman Ismailov in the creditors' list, according to court records.

Aquila Trading Limited demanded 52.8 billion from the Tropicano Business Club, while Apeldon Consultans (Overseas) Limited asked the court to add 6.5 billion rubles to the list of creditors' claims. The court recognized arguments of the creditor in the first case as unsound.

On June 6, the Moscow Commercial Court introduced a monitoring procedure regarding Tropicano Business Club.

Telman Ismailov, who controls AST Group and is one of Russias richest men, clashed with law enforcement authorities in 2009 over the Cherkizovsky outdoor market, which evolved from a mere flea market into an industrial-scale distribution hub for Chinese imports during the oil boom. The market was closed after sanitary authorities found major violations.

In March, the Moscow Commercial Court declared Ismailov bankrupt and initiated procedure for selling his property. Later, the Tenth Commercial Court of Appeals upheld this ruling.
Number of terrorist crimes in Russia drops tenfold in last 5 years

MOSCOW, September 19 (RAPSI)  Number of terrorist crimes has dropped 10 times in the last 5 years, RIA Novosti reported Tuesday citing first deputy head of the National Antiterrorism Committee Igor Kulyagin.

The official noted that there is a stable pattern indicating reducing number of these crimes in Russia.

In the latest development of Russias antiterrorist policy, the State Duma MP Adalbi Shkhagoshev proposed a bill envisaging more severe punishment for recruiting terrorists, including life terms. According to an explanatory note to the document, the bill is aimed to amend the Criminal Code to make efforts targeting recruitment or other forms of involvement into organizing and financing of crimes of terrorist nature and, in more general terms, extremist and terrorist activities more efficient.

Earlier, the Interior Ministry prepared a concept of national migration policy, including provision on cancellation of Russian citizenship for committing terrorist and extremist crimes.

The concept also introduces further changes to the national legislation, namely an option to decline a motion for acquiring or reinstating Russian citizenship for foreign citizens and people without citizenship extradited to other countries for criminal prosecution or enforcement of sentence.
EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio - A 174-unit apartment complex that serves low-income renters is on financially rocky ground, barely two years after an affordable-housing group bought Forest Hills Park Apartments with the ostensible goal of sprucing it up.

The out-of-town landlord, LEDAHF-East Cleveland, LLC, recently missed a debt-service payment on bonds issued to fund the company's September 2015 purchase and renovation of the property. Regions Bank, the trustee for the bondholders, issued a notice of default on Sept. 1. Now the trustee and some of the bondholders are trying to figure out their options, raising the possibility of another change in who's in charge at 13995-14015 Superior Road.

Built in 1949, Forest Hills Park Apartments consists of two, eight-story buildings linked by a parking garage. The complex sits east of Lake View Cemetery and south of Forest Hill Park, where Superior slopes up toward the East Cleveland border with Cleveland Heights.

As of June, 60 of the apartments were vacant, according to a research note from S&P Global Ratings. That's a 65.5 percent occupancy rate, despite steady demand for affordable housing in Cuyahoga County and rents that start at less than $600 a month, based on online listings. The complex is losing money - so much so, S&P reported, that the landlord doesn't have enough cash to turn over empty units and fill them after tenants leave.

On Sept. 1, S&P lowered its rating on the bonds from a B-minus grade to a D, citing the missed payment. The ratings agency previously had knocked the bonds down a notch, based on the likelihood of a default. "In our view, the project's strategy and management are both poor, due to ongoing operational issues," S&P analysts wrote in a June report.

LEDAHF-East Cleveland, an affiliate of the nonprofit Linked Economic Development & Affordable Housing Foundation, bought the apartments for $3.75 million two years ago. At the time, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority issued just over $5.9 million in bonds to finance the acquisition and renovations. The port highlighted the deal - which doesn't put the agency or taxpayers at risk financially - as its first affordable-housing transaction and first East Cleveland project.

"We're pretty much at arm's length," Rhonda Bever, the port's finance director, said this week. "There's not a lot we can do."

Beyond its maritime activities, the port gets involved in financing real estate projects as part of its mission to support economic development and create jobs. In the case of Forest Hills Park Apartments, the port essentially acted as a middle man, allowing LEDAHF to secure a loan at more attractive terms. And LEDAHF committed to making debt-service payments using rents collected from tenants at the apartments.

But the situation ended up being much more complicated.

According to S&P, LEDAHF underestimated how much work the buildings needed, including boilers, elevators and plumbing upgrades. The company also aggressively ousted "problem tenants" and people who weren't paying their rent, causing occupancy to plunge.

Cuyahoga County records show the landlord fell behind on property-tax payments and has been sparring with the East Cleveland City Schools over what the complex is worth.

An executive with the Linked Economic Development & Affordable Housing Foundation, based in Virginia, didn't respond to a request for comment.

But public filings and postings on the group's website indicate that the nonprofit sold its stake in the property to another company, Social Housing, Inc., late last year. Peter Wasserman, an Atlanta-area businessman listed in nonprofit records as the contact for Social Housing, didn't respond to an inquiry through the LinkedIn networking site.

Wasserman also is the president of Alliance Fund Management, LLC, an Atlanta-based business that finances affordable-housing deals. But the automated phone system at his office said that his voicemail hadn't been set up.

Records related to the bonds identify Alliance Fund Management as the asset manager for Forest Hills Park Apartments. Asset managers focus on boosting the value of a property and, in turn, the investment returns from that real estate.

Reached by phone Friday, though, Alliance Fund Management executive David Perloe said the company was a consultant and is no longer involved with the East Cleveland property. Then, citing an incoming call, he ended the conversation.

LEDIC Realty Co., the property manager, didn't respond to a request for comment.

Forest Hills Park Apartments doesn't draw on direct government subsidies. But many of the renters - 68, as of this week - rely on federal housing vouchers provided by the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. The voucher program, once known as Section 8, pays a direct subsidy to a landlord on behalf of very low-income families and elderly and disabled tenants.

Participating properties have to meet minimum standards for health and safety.

East Cleveland's building and housing manager didn't respond to an inquiry about Forest Hills Park, where tenants have complained in the past two years about garbage piles and faulty heating. The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Cleveland Tenants Organization haven't fielded recent complaints from renters, representatives said.

On Monday evening, plywood covered the occasional window at the building. One set of doors on Superior hung open, with nobody monitoring who entered and left.
America must return to conservative principles of less government,reduced taxes, less spending and a balanced budget! Cut,cap and balance!




One of my favorites is Chick and Ruth's Delly on Main Street in Annapolis.





Chick and Ruth Levitt opened the deli in 1965, and their son Ted began working there as a teenager.













Ted and his wife Beth took over the place in the 1980's, and have built a restaurant known for colossal sandwiches named after politicians, plus burgers, crab cakes, milkshakes, and breakfasts.





Ted and Beth also operate the Scotlaur Inn, bed and breakfast, and have raised money for cancer research and veterans charities.





Ted is also one of those rare deli owners who bakes their own rye bread and it is the best.













Now after 52 years of working nearly seven days a week, Ted posted on Facebook Monday that he and Beth are retiring, and they have sold the business to a longtime customer Keith Jones.





For the politicans who serve in Annapolis, the lobbyists who cajole them, the reporters who cover them, for the Midshipmen who serve at the Naval Academy, and for the tourists in Annapolis, Chick and Ruth's is an oasis.





It's an oasis of corned beef, and matzo ball soup, omelets, bagels, milkshakes, and chocolate topped cookies.













It has kept all of us well fed and nourished through long nights of committee hearing and debates.





His matzo ball soup preserved what was left of my voice at the start of a legislative session one year, when I was battling laryingitis.





For the Midshipmen, Ted has provided fuel through all night study sessions. Chick and Ruth's delivers to the Naval Academy, and one of his employees can be found at the security gate of the Naval Academy making those deliveries.





In 2015, in an interview for Maryland's News This Week, Ted told me that he never let politics influence his business. He said he learnedd that from his Dad. He said all are welcome, and he'll fix them anything they like.





Incidentally he told me the #18, Ben Cardin Corned Beef Reuben is a popular seller, along with the Governor Larry Hogan Hero (cheese steak). Hogan also wanted a bipartisan crab soup put on the menu. It's a combination of Maryland Crab and Cream of Crab, and Ted told me it is a popular seller.





Our late friend and colleague Lou Davis even has a menu item on the board. The Lou Davis is a combination of scrambled eggs, lox and onions.













Places like Chick and Ruth's are becoming more and more rare in our world, where you can get anything you want, and be treated like a king or queen by the staff.





The good news is Ted says Keith Jones plans on changing nothing, including the daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, weekday mornings at 8:30 and weekends at 9:30.





As for Ted, besides sleeping in, he plans on restoring antique cars and model trains and making music boxes.





Beth will continue to sell real estate.





I will also assume Ted is available to meet anyone for lunch.





I hope to meet Ted for lunch, and I know a place where we can have lunch. The guy who just sold the place is really cool.





Good luck Ted and thanks.

















A number of times in this space I have expressed by appreciation of Kosher or Kosher Style delis.
German Horst Koehler, the new Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara, is about to undertake his first tour of the Maghreb countries to re-activate the stalled negotiations process.

The former German president, who took up his functions in New York early September, expressed his intention to embark on his new mission, but without revealing his agenda.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the intention of his Personal Envoy to travel to the region, while stressing the importance of the visit to relaunch the political process in a new spirit and a new dynamic, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2351 (2017), it was stated at the UN.

However, the UN emissary is likely to run up against the stubborn opposition of Algeria and of the Polisario leaders to the goal set by the UN: bringing the political process back on track in a new dynamic and a spirit of realism, as stressed by the Security Council in its 2351 resolution.

The self-determination referendum option being unworkable and impracticable, as recognized by the UN itself, there remains the Morocco-proposed autonomy initiative for the Sahara. Apart from the fact that it was at the origin of the launch of the negotiation process in 2007, the autonomy plan is welcomed by the Security Council as a serious and credible basis for the settlement of the Sahara issue.

The problem is that Algeria and the Polisario reject the autonomy solution, preferring to nurture the Sahrawi republic whim, an entity ostentatiously dubbed RASD by its Algerian creators more than forty years ago, but which has no political or legal existence on the ground and which is not recognized by the UN or by any major world capital.
Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Dr. Chris Lutman received his medical degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He completed his residence in obstetrics and gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medicine Center and was fellowship trained at Duke University Medical Center. Lutman is board certified in gynecologic oncology, as well as hospice and palliative medicine. He can be reached at 346-3456.
I know I may have said this before but I used to think that a school was only as good as the three-legged stool that it is - parents, teachers/staff and principal. I soon learned that without a good principal, you might not ever want to sit on that stool. I have also often wondered if Seattle Schools had just bad luck/poor judgment about principals or if other districts have the same kind of churn. And principals aren't the same category as teachers. They don't have a union per se but in SPS, they have their own org, PASS (Principals Association of Seattle Schools). They oversee hundreds of students, not a single class. They have to juggle multiple balls of budget, discipline, curriculum and governance of a staff. That plus make parents and students feel good about the school. It was also an interesting fact for Seattle Schools that only until recently, they had three principals who had all graduated from the school that they now oversaw. That was Martin Floe at Ingraham High
"We think of Antarctica as a wasteland," Fraser says, "but even in that extreme environment life thrives in amazing placeson rocks on top of mountains, in the lower layers of sea ice, in dry 'deserts'why not also in these warm, hospitable caves hollowed out by steam between the ice and the rock?"

In East Antarctica, Lake Vostok is buried under 2.3 miles (3.7 kilometers) of ice and hasn't been near open air for some 15 million years. Samples taken from the lake in an unrelated study yielded genetic sequences for 3,507 recognizable species, according to a 2013 study, as well as about 10,000 species not yet known to science. Scientists have also found hardy forms of bacteria within networks of salty liquid water discovered at Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys, which feature striking, blood-red falls of iron-rich outflow.

Advertisement

However, scientists must be mindful of whether the DNA they find at these extreme Antarctic sites represents life that truly exists there, or organisms that were transported in and persisted only temporarily. "Organisms could be transported aerially  especially microbes and spores  or by inadvertent contamination of clothing, scientific gear, etc.," says Bradley Tebo, a professor at Oregon Health and Science University who has also gone on expeditions to take samples at Mount Erebus.

Indeed, Connell says her team was aware that a British group summited Mount Erebus over 100 years ago and visited many of the sites where they took their samples. Six men from the team of British explorer Robert Falcon Scott ventured up the 12,448-foot-tall (3,794-meter-tall) volcano in 1912 to collect geological specimens and do surveys of the region.

"We found fragments of ash trees and other things that they likely had in their equipment," Connell says. "So one of our questions is which of the DNA represents things that were left over from these very early expeditions to Antarctica and which may represent life there now?"

Still, the DNA discoveries at Mount Erebus may only represent a fraction of diverse life housed within its volcanic ice caves. Antarctica is home to more than 100 volcanoes, each of which may host its own network of ice caves and tunnels.

"We don't yet know just how many cave systems exist around Antarctica's volcanoes, or how interconnected these subglacial environments might be," Charles Lee, another co-author of the research, said in a statement. "They're really difficult to identify, get to and explore."

Antarctica may be difficult to get to and explore, but there are even more challenging places. Many scientists believe understanding the life and its subsurface environs in the harsh climate of Antarctica could lend clues to possible life on places in even more extreme locations  like Mars.

"This research, and other research indicates that volcanic activity can foster life in extreme conditions," Fraser says. "And yes, there is the potential that around volcanoes on other planets and moons we might find life, even when exposed atmospheric conditions are harsh."

Now That's Interesting NASA takes great effort to ensure that robots sent to Mars are not contaminated with traces of life from Earth. Such traces can throw off results from sampling performed by rovers while on the red planet. Of course, distinguishing native DNA from contaminating DNA in samples from Antarctica is easier, since the location in question is already here on Earth. Connell says researchers are able to take direct samples and can then perform culture tests to determine whether life is still active at the geothermal locations. She and her colleagues have been performing these kinds of tests and plan to publish results soon.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Showers and a possible thunderstorm during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 59F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low around 40F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
 "Why Did a Federal Judge Sentence a Terminally Ill Mother to 75 Years for Health Care Fraud?" | Main | Can an assistant public defender in California make nearly $300,000 per year? 

September 19, 2017

Pushing back on criticisms of AG Sessions returning Justice Department to "failed mindset of its past"

In this post last week, I noted the National Review commentary authored by two former US Attorneys which focused on the Sessions charging/sentencing memo to complain that "Attorney General Jeff Sessions has returned the Justice Department to the failed mindset of its past." I now have just noticed that Andrew McCarthy has penned this lengthy response at National Review under the headline "On Criminal Justice, Sessions Is Returning DOJ to the Rule of Law." Here is an excerpt:

The authors lament that Sessions has reinstituted guidelines requiring prosecutors to charge the most serious offenses and ask for the lengthiest prison sentences. This, the authors insist, is a one-size-fits-all policy that doesnt work. It marks a return to the supposedly ineffective and damaging criminal-justice policies that were imposed in 2003, upsetting the bipartisan consensus for criminal-justice reform that has supposedly seized todays America. This is so wrongheaded, its tough to decide where to begin. In reality, what Sessions has done is return the Justice Department to the traditional guidance articulated nearly four decades ago by President Carters highly regarded attorney general, Benjamin Civiletti (and memorialized in the U.S. Attorneys Manual). It instructs prosecutors to charge the most serious, readily provable offense under the circumstances. Doesnt work? This directive, in effect with little variation until the Obama years, is one of several factors that contributed to historic decreases in crime. When bad guys are prosecuted and incarcerated, they are not preying on our communities. The thrust of the policy Sessions has revived is respect for the Constitutions bedrock separation-of-powers principle. It requires faithful execution of laws enacted by Congress.... Absent this Justice Department directive that prosecutors must charge the most serious, readily provable offense, the executive branch becomes a law unto itself. Bending congressional statutes to the executives policy preferences was the Obama approach to governance, so we should not be surprised that a pair of his appointed prosecutors see it as a model for criminal enforcement, too. But it is not enforcement of the law. It is executive imperialism.... Criminal statutes can be modified by legislation, which reflects the judgment of the peoples representatives. The fact that they have not been, notwithstanding the purported consensus for reform, suggests that the public is not convinced of the need for such modification  or, perhaps, that our representatives grasp the need for a check on the judges. Unable to change the law, the reformers are reduced to arguing that justice happens only when prosecutors ignore the law. If youre Jeff Sessions and you say, No, you know, I think well have them follow the law, youre a Neanderthal.... Vance and Stewart have a point when they object to Attorney General Sessionss unfortunate fondness for what they call adoptive forfeiture policies. As we at National Review have contended (as has Justice Clarence Thomas, Kevin Williamson reminds us), civil asset forfeitures are property seizures without due process of law. A federal spoils system incentivizes police to grab with both hands. Regardless of their effectiveness against drug lords, such forfeitures should be halted  the police should be required to proceed by criminal forfeiture and prosecution, with the due-process safeguards that entails. But that is because civil forfeitures offend the Constitution, not because they feed a left-wing narrative about fractured policecommunity relations. Attorney General Sessions is enforcing the law, and doing so within a noble Justice Department tradition of giving force to Congresss expression of the public will. He is not altering the law by executive fiat, the preference of President Obama, Attorneys General Holder and Lynch, Professor Vance, Mr. Stewart, and the bipartisan minority they portray as a consensus. There is a great deal I dont like about the legal system either. Statist government has enacted far too many laws, such that the federal government has criminalized too much of what used to be the province of state regulation  or unregulated private behavior. The drug laws do have severe penalties and may work injustice in some cases  although fewer than Vance and Stewart suggest: Though the hands of federal judges are tied by mandatory minimums, they are not bound to follow advisory sentencing guidelines or prosecutorial recommendations. I would certainly be open to mitigating penalties in exchange for thinning out the federal penal code and transferring areas of enforcement responsibility back to the states. The point, however, is that this has to be done by legislation, not by executive autocrats under a stealthy distortion of prosecutorial discretion. If Professor Vance and Mr. Stewart are right that we are in a new era, if the public has truly been won over to the notion that incarcerating criminals is counterproductive, the next step is very simple: Pass laws that amend the penal code. In the meantime, the Justice Departments job is to enforce the laws we have. As Attorney General Sessions recognizes, that means charging the most serious, readily provable offense.

There is more to this commentary, and it merits a full read. I have emphasized the points about the rule of law and the distinct roles of the distinct branches because it stands as the most conceptually principled defense of the Sessions Memo on prosecutorial policies. At the same time, this defense lack a bit of nuance in failing to acknowledge that a large measure of congressional dysfunction, rather than the obvious will of the people, is precluding amendments to the federal penal code.

In red and blue states nationwide for nearly a decade, in various initiative votes from California to Oklahoma and from Alaska to Florida, the American people and their representative have been amending penal codes to be less harsh in many ways (especially to nonviolent offenders and marijuana users). But very little similar work has gotten done in Congress largely because leadership will not even allow reform bills to come up for a full vote. There are good reasons to think we could and would get many amendments to the federal penal code if up-or-down votes were allowed on various leading reform proposals --- e.g., the GOP-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee voted 75% in support of a massive sentencing reform bill in October 2015. In light of the reality that significant federal sentencing reform seems to gets significant majority support when it gets a vote, one cannot quite say that full enforcement of existing federal criminal laws is fully compliant with the will of the people.

September 19, 2017 at 09:00 AM | Permalink

Comments

Exactly right, Doug. In fact I'd say it lacks more than "a bit of nuance." This piece is so disingenuous that, in it's author's words, it's tough to decide where to begin. To hold up the failure of Congress to pass comprehensive (or even any) justice reform as evidence of lack of consensus is either woefully naive or intentionally dishonest. As you say, the state-level evidence undermines his thesis that the "will of the people" is not on the side of reform. Not to mention the fact that Congress's inability to pass meaningful legislation on this issue boils down to a few people -- one of whom, incidentally, is Jeff Sessions. To argue that Sessions is returning the DOJ to "the rule of law" and simultaneously that there's no "consensus" for reform because a few people like Jeff Sessions stopped it is such transparent bullshit.

Posted by: Ain't Nick | Sep 19, 2017 11:00:33 AM

Ain't. Same pro-criminal false propaganda. Before you get any credibility, we need one thing. The home address. We are going to place all the criminals you want released in the houses surrounding yours. We will seize them under Kelo, and put up to 8 criminals in each house around yours, without approval by the zoning board. If you are white, you are a racist who wants to dump these toxic criminals onto minority neighborhoods, so you can get a little more job security. If you are black, your betrayal of black crime victims is an abomination.

Posted by: David Behar | Sep 19, 2017 2:31:13 PM

You are so tiresome, David. I don't know how Doug tolerates you on this board, but he's a better man than I.

Posted by: Ain't Nick | Sep 20, 2017 11:02:10 AM

Argument also lacks "nuance" in failing to acknowledge that the exercise of prosecutorial discretion is baked into the system. Hard to imagine a system without this and hard to argue Congress is unaware of it. Also hard to argue Congress mandates exercise of discretion in a particular way by passing a harsh statute without repealing more lenient ones.

Posted by: iggybosh | Sep 24, 2017 7:00:52 AM

Post a comment
 Might Justice Gorsuch juice up the SCOTUS sentencing docket ... perhaps starting with IAC case from Arkansas? | Main | Pushing back on criticisms of AG Sessions returning Justice Department to "failed mindset of its past" 

September 18, 2017

"Why Did a Federal Judge Sentence a Terminally Ill Mother to 75 Years for Health Care Fraud?"

The question in the title of this post is the headline of this recent law.com article about a notable (and notably harsh) federal sentencing. Here are some of the details, with some commentary to follow:

A federal judge in Texas sentenced a terminally ill woman to 75 years in prison last month for bilking Medicare  an apparent record sentence for the U.S. Department of Justice for health care fraud. Marie Neba, 53, of Sugar Land, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon of the Southern District of Texas on eight counts stemming from her role in a $13 million Medicare fraud scheme. Neba, the owner and director of nursing at a Houston home health agency, was convicted after a two-week jury trial last November. At the sentencing on Aug. 11, the government recommended a 35-year imprisonment, said Michael Khouri, who started representing Neba as her private attorney shortly after the trial... The unusually lengthy sentence for what health care fraud legal experts call a relatively routine case has them scratching their heads, even in this recent era of the federal governments crackdown on health care fraud. Neba, the mother of 7-year-old twin sons, was diagnosed in May with stage IV metastatic breast cancer that has spread to her lungs and bones, according to Khouri, who has filed an appeal of the conviction and the sentence. She currently is receiving chemotherapy treatments and is in custody in a federal detention center. Marie Neba is a mother, a wife and a human being who is dying. If there is any defendant that stands before the court that deserves a below-guideline sentence  its this woman that stands before you, Khouri argued before Harmon at the sentencing hearing, according to a transcript recently obtained by ALM.... Patrick Cotter, a former federal prosecutor who heads the government interaction and white-collar practice group at Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale in Chicago, said given the circumstances, he would have expected Neba to receive a sentence of several years in prison. Nothing is surprising in that she went to jail and not for six months, he said. But how you get anything close to 75 years is beyond me and makes no sense at all. In 35 years, I have never heard of the governments [prison term] recommendation being doubled by the judge, particularly when the government is asking for a tough sentence anyway. Gejaa Gobena, a litigation partner at Hogan Lovells and former chief of the DOJ Criminal Divisions Health Care Fraud Unit, concurred. We prosecuted hundreds of cases and never had a sentence approaching anywhere near this, Gobena said. Legally, the answer to how the long sentence came about is not that difficult: Harmon, applying several enhancements under the federal sentencing guidelines, imposed the statutory maximum prison term on each charge, and then ran them consecutively. I am not a heartless person. I think I am not. I hope I am not, Harmon told Neba before announcing the sentence. It must be a terrible experience that you are going through, Ms. Neba, and I dont want you to think that by sentencing you to what I am going to sentence you to that Im trying to heap more difficulties on you because I am not.  Its just the way the system works, the way the law works. You have been found guilty of a number of counts by a jury, and this is what happens. Even so, historically, the case is highly unusual, breaking the previous record by 25 years. Since a pair of U.S. Supreme Court decisions in December 2007 that reaffirmed that the federal sentencing guidelines are merely advisory, federal trial judges have much greater latitude to impose what they think are appropriate sentences, even if the guidelines call for higher or lower sentences. The longest health care fraud sentence prior to Nebas came in 2011, when Lawrence Duran, the owner of a Miami-area mental health care company, was sentenced to 50 years for orchestrating a $205 million Medicare scheme that defrauded vulnerable patients with dementia and substance abuse. The next longest? Forty-five years in 2015 for a Detroit doctor who gave chemotherapy to healthy patients, whom federal prosecutors then called the most egregious fraudster in the history of this country. According to court documents, Neba, from 2006 to 2015, conspired with others to defraud Medicare by submitting more than $10 million in false claims for home health services provided through Fiango Home Healthcare Inc., owned by Neba and her husband and co-defendant, Ebong Tilong. Using that money, Neba paid illegal kickbacks to patient recruiters for referrals and to Medicare beneficiaries who allowed Fiango to use their Medicare information to bill for home health services that were not medically necessary nor provided, and, all told, received $13 million in ill-gotten Medicare payments, the documents said. Neba was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, three counts of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, one count of payment and receipt of health care kickbacks, one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and one count of making health care false statements. Four co-defendants, including Tilong, have pleaded guilty in the case. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 13.... Harmon, through her case manager, declined to comment on the case. The transcript, however, reveals several factors that influenced her decision to impose the lengthy prison term, including: Most importantly, Nebas sentencing guideline range of life imprisonment (though Harmon was proscribed by statutory maximums from imposing a life sentence);..... Nebas attempt to obstruct justice by telling a co-defendant, before arraignment in the federal courthouse, to keep to her story, specifically not to tell anybody that she, [the co-defendant], was paying the patients. Nebas decision to go to trial on the charges, rather than plead guilty and provide some sort of government assistance, also played a role in her sentence. Had she pleaded guilty to one or more of the charges at the very beginning without obstruction of justice, and received the highest credit for cooperation for doing so, Nebas sentencing guideline range would have been 14.5 years, federal prosecutor William Chang told Harmon during the hearing. Had the same thing happened and she received no [credit] whatsoever, it would be 21.8 years, he added. If she had gone to trial and been convicted, but no obstruction of justice, the sentence would have been 30 years on the calculation of the guidelines. So, we want the court to understand the United States principal position for what it seeks. Khouri, Nebas attorney, said he plans to challenge on appeal the manner in which the sentencing guideline range was calculated and argue, among other matters, that the sentence is excessive.

I have quoted so much of this press report because the more details it provides, the more perverse the entire federal sentencing system seems along with the perversity of this particularly extreme sentence. For starters, though we supposedly have a federal sentencing system designed to sentence a defendant based principally on the seriousness of her offense, this defendant's guideline range ballooned from less than 15 years imprisonment to life imprisonment essentially because she put the government to its burden of proof at a trial and said the wrong thing to a co-defendant.

Trial penalty guideline calculations notwithstanding, now that the guidelines are advisory, a prosecutor and a judge would need to be able to justify such an extreme functional LWOP sentence based on all the 3553(a) statutory factors. No matter how seriously one regards health care fraud, I cannot fully understand how any of these factors (save the guideline range) can support this extreme sentence in this not-so-extreme case of fraud. If reasonableness review has any substance whatsoever, and if the facts in this article are accurate, it seems to me that this sentence ought to be found substantive unreasonable.

September 18, 2017 at 08:35 PM | Permalink

Comments

"Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein Delivers a Constitution Day Address"

Prosecutorial discretion is the major theme.

"Prosecutors have broad authority to decide what crimes to investigate, which people to prosecute, and what charges to file."

https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/deputy-attorney-general-rod-j-rosenstein-delivers-constitution-day-address

Posted by: Joe | Sep 18, 2017 9:30:27 PM

The judge appears to have imposed the statutory maximum for each of the eight counts of conviction, with all of them running consecutively to each other.

Glancing at the sentencing transcript, the district court adopted the PSR's Guidelines calculation, which called for a life sentence (total offense level of 43, and a criminal history category of I). This shows the absurdity of the current fraud guideline, which focuses excessively on loss amount. Under the law of the Fifth Circuit (assuming no errors in the Guidelines calculation), this within-Guidelines sentence is "presumptively reasonable." While this presumption of reasonableness is theoretically rebutable, I'd be curious to know if any defendant has ever actually rebutted it in the Fifth. I doubt it.

The saddest part is that the defendant may well die before the appellate process concludes, given her late-stage cancer. This would actually be boon for her surviving family, since a defendant's death during the appellate process abates ab initio the entire criminal proceeding, and would thus vacate the $13,000,000+ forfeiture money judgment (likely imposed in violation of the Excessive Fines Clause and contrary to Honeycutt) as well as the separate $13,000,000+ restitution order.

Posted by: Anon | Sep 18, 2017 9:30:46 PM

As to the main article, the judge's attempt to wash his hands of blame is not totally convincing given the guidelines are merely advisory. If she does die, to be blunt about that, even a relatively reasonable sentence might mean the appeals process would be outstanding before she does. A small solace for her personally, perhaps, since there are children involved. Less ideal for the public good generally.

Posted by: Joe | Sep 18, 2017 9:52:09 PM

I'm sorry but a fraud of this magnitude is fully deserving of execution, given that outcome is barred a functional life sentence is a more than appropriate substitute.

Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Sep 18, 2017 9:55:38 PM

She should receive the Italian death penalty, her crime causing damages exceeding the value of a human life.

In addition, the tax payer may end up spending $million for her health care. Whatever insurance covers her, it is cancelled. All costs are to the prison.

Posted by: David Behar | Sep 18, 2017 10:58:38 PM

Perhaps, the defendant will use her skills to help the prison get her expensive health care without paying for it.



Posted by: David Behar | Sep 18, 2017 11:30:25 PM

And if she's still alive when the appellate process runs (assuming the sentence stands at anything more than a functional life sentence) I would say she is no longer entitled to life-extending treatment, only hospice type pain relief.

Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Sep 19, 2017 12:49:56 AM

https://goo.gl/VL17PN

read

Posted by: Naomi | Sep 19, 2017 6:03:56 AM

If she's terminally ill, then the sentence is like one of those 1000 year sentences I think you used to see in Oklahoma. In any event, Doug, I am curious why you think that the "functionality" of this sentence matters all that much? If the fact that this is a "functional LWOP sentence" has a big impact on what the sentence should be, then the necessary implications of that view far-ranging.

The sentence seems extreme to me when compared to others--but I don't have a problem with it. (By the way, the bogus chemo guy should have gotten the death penalty.) I don't know why the judge didn't just give her the guidelines sentence and be done with it given, as a practical matter, she ain't serving 75 years.

Posted by: federalist | Sep 19, 2017 11:38:18 AM

should say "are far-ranging"

Posted by: federalist | Sep 19, 2017 11:38:45 AM

Various times there is a symbolic quality to these sentences -- many times, it is not likely or even possible for the person to serve the sentence applied. There is a theoretical chance in various cases that one or more of the sentences will drop away because of problems with the convictions etc. But, it often seems largely symbolic, to underline the breadth of the crimes.

Posted by: Joe | Sep 19, 2017 12:21:17 PM

Federalist,

As I understand it her guideline recommendation was for life but the statutory max was 20 years. The judge ran the sentences consecutively in order to approximate a life sentence.

Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Sep 19, 2017 12:42:54 PM

Federalist,

This was a within-Guidelines sentence (at least assuming the PSR was correct in its Guidelines calculation). The Guidelines called for life, which exceed the statutory maximums of every count of conviction, which varied from 5-20 years. So the judge imposed consecutive statutory maximum sentences on each count, which came to 75 years.

Because the sentence is within the Guidelines range, appellate substantive reasonableness review will essentially be a rubber stamp. And under Harmelin v. Michigan and Lockyer v. Adrade, Eighth Amendment proportionality review in the non-capital context is largely a dead letter.

Posted by: Anon | Sep 19, 2017 2:03:45 PM

Going back to the opening post:

"this defendant's guideline range ballooned from less than 15 years imprisonment to life imprisonment essentially because she put the government to its burden of proof at a trial and said the wrong thing to a co-defendant"

The wrong thing? That's one way to put it. Going by the summary provided (as usual, I'm somewhat wary about doing so alone, but will for the sake of a rough sense of things), the "wrong thing" happened to "obstruct justice." Yes, this can be verbal. The summary noted "no cooperation" might lose you about seven years. But, she didn't merely not cooperate. She obstructed. This to me essentially warrants losing some years.

My first link provides examples of what happens with you don't plea, but without going, we are talking over 20 years now. For someone who might not last a fraction of that. But, anyway, the legitimacy of encouraging plea bargain by this point is accepted. So, again, we are talking, what, approaching thirty years?

That does sound like enough, so the jump to 75 is a bit absurd, but we aren't talking a twenty year old here who very well might get out at 50. We are talking a middle aged woman with cancer. So, the sentence to me is largely symbolic. There is a certain gratuitous nature to it, and that has emotional appeal, but push come to shove, just how much does it mean in this case?

OTOH, it can serve as a precedent, and the principles defended can help a defendant where it might matter more. As to the 8th Amendment claim, Prof. Berman has pushed for more teeth there, but for now, the Supreme Court simply does not apply that to non-capital / offenses by minors. A case where she would get 30 years anyway does not seem such a blatant case where the Supreme Court would intervene.

So, the best hope there is non-8A arguments, such as reasonableness review or in some other case the breadth of a statute or vagueness or whatever. Which has been at times successful.

Posted by: Joe | Sep 19, 2017 2:35:39 PM

"Italian death penalty"

Disgusting as Always.

Posted by: Claudio Giusti | Sep 20, 2017 11:13:42 AM

I found most notable the quoted comments from judge to defendant, where the judge is wringing her hands about whether she (herself) is a good person, or perhaps too vengeful or harsh. But then she took the easy way out, and told the defendant the law made her do it, as if she slept through the training on advisory guidelines. Instead of hiding behind the guidelines, she should have acknowledged how much excitement and holy pleasure it gave her to unleash and unload and rain down upon the miserable defendant. Double the government recommendation? What a rush!

Posted by: iggybosh | Sep 24, 2017 7:22:38 AM

Granted I am a defense attorney now. But I was a prosecutor (federal and state) for 13 years. This is absurd. Judges feel pressure and succumb by issuing overly long sentences. That is the opposite of the intent behind the federal sentencing guidelines. How can one person get a 5 year cap and she get 75 years for example -- for the SAME thing? By way of example, capital murderers do not get this much time (as they are eligible after 40). Regular murder, child molesters, drug dealers, aggravated robbers, get less than this each day in court. They are eligible for release after 30 years even if they get the max. Someone is making a political statement here. 75? Give me a break. What is more egregious? This is excessive. There is no argument here otherwise. Even armed bank robbers don't get consecutive sentences most of the time. Consecutive sentences are rare and should be used sparingly -- not here.



Posted by: The Equalizer | Jul 29, 2018 3:23:31 PM

Post a comment
After the San Francisco Police Department played a cat-and-mouse game with the organizers of that Patriot Prayer rally in August, the city of San Francisco is left holding a hefty bill of $775,000 for their troubles, as the Chronicle reports.

98% of that $775,000 is going towards paying for the SFPD officers' overtime pay. According to police spokesperson Sgt. Michael Andraychak, all available SFPD officers were working that day. "No one was allowed discretionary time off," he said. The remainder of the bill covers various operating and logistical costs, like food, water, and van rentals.

This $775,000 bill comes only from the SFPD; other agencies, such as Public Works (who put chain-link fences at Alamo Square), the San Francisco Sheriff's Department, and the U.S. Park Police have not revealed their estimated costs for working on that day. Andraychak also pointed out that the SFPD has a fund dedicated to covering the costs of such activity (called "First Amendment activity"), and they're still within budget.

Organized by Joey Gibson, the Patriot Prayer rally was originally scheduled to be held in Crissy Field, with Gibson filing for permits with the city. After much controversy and despite much local outcry, the National Park Service chose to grant Gibson a permit, and began to work on containment plans and safety infrastructure for the rally with the SFPD. Many of their preparations turned out to be for naught, as Gibson announced that Patriot Prayer was pulling out, cancelling the rally only 23 hours before it was scheduled to begin. Much of the infrastructure that was set up for the rally was then taken down, only to be redirected to Alamo Square, where Gibson said he would hold a "press conference," despite not having the proper permits for an assembly there.

Counter-demonstrators turned out in droves first thing Saturday morning as marches, protests, and sit-ins took place all across the city, some centered around the fenced-off Alamo Square. Gibson did end up popping up, though, appearing in Pacifica and in a few places around the city (including Crissy Field) in an attempt to garner some attention before ultimately being drowned out by protesters.

The East Bay's got its own troubles brewing too, as UC Berkeley's forthcoming "Free Speech Week" will also surely rack up a hefty bill for the city and the college, as protests and demonstrations are planned to take place all throughout. We already learned on Friday that the comparatively peaceful and small protests around last Thursday's Ben Shapiro event cost the university $600,000.

Related: Mayor Ed Lee May 'Send A Bill' To Feds For Saturday Protests
President Donald Trump will be none too pleased that the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history just got greater. In the wake of last weeks revelation that Facebook sold $100,000 worth of fake news ads to phony Russian bot accounts during the election, weve also learned that Facebook claims they have no idea how far that ad buy may have spread nor had they any idea that their platform allowed buyers to purchase ads targeting groups with interests like "Jew hater and How to burn jews. Special prosecutor into the Russian meddling Robert Mueller, however, seems to have a knack for getting information from Facebook that theyd previously claimed to not know about or were unwilling to produce.

Bloomberg reports that Facebook has handed over troves of additional information to the special prosecutor that they did not disclose in their testimony last week to the Senate and House Intelligence committees. Thats based on Fridays original report from the Wall Street Journal (which is behind a paywall) asserting that Facebook Inc. has handed over to special counsel Robert Mueller detailed records about the Russian ad purchases on its platform that go beyond what the company shared with Congress last week.

That account makes it sound like Facebook voluntarily gave up more information in the interest of being good citizens, which may be fake news (or more likely, aggressive message management by Facebook PR). Additional reporting by CNN tells us that Mueller served Facebook with search warrants to pry out copies of the some 3,000 Russian-bought ads that were not voluntarily made available in last weeks testimony to the congressional committees. Facebooks privacy policy asserts that account records can only be disclosed if Facebook is handed a subpoena, a court order, or a search warrant. And apparently the privacy policy still applies, even when Facebook knows that youre a Russian bot account.

While the squeeze here is being applied to Facebook, legal analysts assume that this means Mueller is connecting dots to charge foreign nationals or U.S. citizens with a crime. Bob Mueller went to a federal judge and presented evidence and convinced the judge that a crime was committed involving foreign individuals contributing to a political election here in the United States through their actions on Facebook, former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti told CBS News this weekend. [Mueller] would have to sort of lay out evidence showing that this crime had occurred, not just merely say so, but actually, you know, records that he had obtained, testimony that had been given or interviews that people gave to the FBI, that prove to this judge that there is a good reason to believe that a crime had occurred. It's a very serious and significant move forward for the Mueller investigation.

CBS 5 spoke to a former FBI agent who worked under Mueller for some additional tea-leaf reading context on what the issuing of this search warrant means. Companies have to recognize the search warrant, they can be held in contempt, former assistant special agent of the San Francisco FBI Jeff Harp told CBS 5. And who gets held in contempt? Well, the CEO can be held in contempt.

The fact that Facebook has been substantially more forthcoming to Muellers team than they have been toward congressional investigators has not gone unnoticed by, naturally, congressional investigators. It was my belief that the Russians were using those sites to interfere in our elections, and the first reaction from Facebook was, No. Youre crazy, Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Mark Warner complained to Reuters last week, following Facebooks testimony. I think what we saw yesterday in terms of their brief was the tip of the iceberg.

As CNet points out, weve seen a real sea change in Facebook and Googles attitudes toward whether they unwittingly allowed foreign influences on their platform to affect the 2016 U.S. election. Facebook, currently responding to search warrants, originally called such claims a crazy idea. Google, for their part, claimed there was no evidence bots bought any ads for the 2016 election on their platform, yet for some reason banned fake news sites from Google AdSense the week after the election.

Related: Newly Appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller Spent Much Of His Career In San Francisco
One Asian American family in San Francisco has been the target of hate mail since putting up a Black Lives Matter sign in their window.

KRON 4 reports that Debbie Lee has had the sign up in the window of her Forest Knolls/Twin Peaks home since 2015. But despite having been up all this time, it's only just recently that she started receiving threatening letters in the mail about the sign.

Lee told CBS that one letter, which was just placed in her mailbox in July, read, "BLUE LIVES MATTER! Get rid of your sign or WE will!" Following that one, another letter came, this time saying, "Its time to replace your BLM sign. How about CHINK LIVES MATTER". The letters all culminated in one, which Lee said felt like a direct threat. She said, "Its the threat of If you dont take it down, we will which implies that they are going to come do something to our property, to ourselves."

Lee expressed worry about not knowing exactly who's been leaving the letters, saying, "We think it might be someone in the neighborhood because they know we are Asian. But despite that, she and her family remain undeterred in their expression of support for the BLM movement. Moreover, they've doubled down on it, placing more signs in their window that read, "STANDING WITH MY NEIGHBORS AGAINST HATE." As well, at a community meeting on Monday where she was to speak about her experience, Lee was greeted with a round of applause.

To be sure, it's unsettling to think that the person or persons responsible for the letters continues to feel emboldened in our current political climate to deliver this attack on their neighbors. As you've likely heard before, and according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of hate crimes spiked directly after the election, with 1,094 incidents taking place just within 34 days November 8th, 2016. The Huffington Post reports that across the country, cities are seeing a marked rise in bias and hate-related crimes throughout 2017 thus far.

Here in the Bay Area, we've seen dozens of reports of hate-related incidents over the last 10 months, many of them not physically violent and involving notes like this, like a campaign of letters sent to mosques here and around the country, and a "White power" note left on one woman's car in Noe Valley.

Related: Swastika Flyers Surface In Alameda, Adding To Hate Crime Count
VIDEO: Chaos at @NancyPelosi #DACA event as 40+ undocumented hijack her news conf in SF: "We are not your bargaining chip! Let us speak!" pic.twitter.com/KC2WyrjqSy  Doug Sovern (@SovernNation) September 18, 2017

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was shouted down and run out of her own press conference yesterday as a group of young activists took the stage in protest of her support of a bipartisan immigration bill currently making its way through the Senate.

Prior to the protesters showing up, Pelosi described a dinner she had with Trump and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, where they discussed what it would take to get the DREAM Act  which has been kicking around the Senate since 2001  passed into law. According to the Washington Post, one of the provisions they discussed included "unspecified plans to bolster border security along the U.S.-Mexico border," in exchange for protection for all DACA enrolleessome 800,000 youth and young adults.

The youth, later identified as members of the local activist group RISE, shouted, "We are not your bargaining chip! Let us speak!" Once they were on the stage, they listed their demands for Pelosi, which included a demand that she state her commitment to protecting the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. As well, they shared their demand for a "clean bill," referring to the DREAM Act, which was to be discussed at the conference. Later, one of the protesters addressed Pelosi's earlier comments about her dinner with Trump, saying, "First you said you supported a clean Dream Act. And last week you announced that you had agreed and I quote you, To work out a package of border security. Your words. Or were you misquoted? We cannot say, however, that we are surprised."

In ceding this point about border security, many feel that the Democratic party has lost touch with the immigrant population they're supposed to be protecting. In a statement to Mother Jones, Itzel Guillen of the Southern Border Communities Coalition said, "It is unconscionable that we would accept any deal that essentially trades our safety for that of the safety of our family members and neighbors. Our communities are already hyper-militarized, with unaccountable border agents patrolling our communities and asking people for their papers at any time and for any reason." Thus, by allowing the administration to strengthen its "border security," Guillen and others are worried that it would also then result in further harassment of people already in-country.

After trying to seize control of the conference by shouting back over the protesters, Pelosi said, "Since you dont want to listen, well have to just go." She then left the venue, followed by the other House representatives and activists who where scheduled to speak.

Pelosi chased out of her own press conference pic.twitter.com/Afqnzu9woM  Evan Sernoffsky (@EvanSernoffsky) September 18, 2017

Later that day in Sacramento, Pelosi appeared again to discuss the DREAM Act and call for its passage. As the Chronicle reported, in speaking to reporters, she commented that she understands where the activists are coming from, and that she "understands their fear." She then said that the DREAM Act was only a first step in the Democrats' long journey towards immigration reform.

The bitter struggle for proper immigration reform has spanned multiple presidencies, and if the constant stonewalling or wheeling and dealing shown by lawmakers is anything to go by, then more demonstrations and protests like these are almost certainly to be expected going forward. According to the Pew Research Center, about 1.1 million youth are eligible for DACA benefits, but only about 800,000 are officially enrolled. What's clear is the activists' mindfulness regarding those who aren't enrolled, which serves as a great example of unity. What isn't so clear (yet) is whether it will have the effect they're hoping for.

Related: Bay Area Residents React To Trump Killing 'Dreamers' Program, Protests Planned
The story of a bizarre attempted robbery on BART that some thought was too strange to be true...was actually true, it appears, after the transit agency released surveillance video of the woman they say is responsible for the crime.

As previously reported, 32-year-old Oakland resident and BART passenger Julie Dragland says that she had to fake a seizure after a mysterious person handed her a note demanding her property as she rode a train through San Francisco.

There are 2 guns pointed at you now," the note read. "If you want to live hand back your wallet + phone NOW + do not turn around and be descreet. Do not turn around until after you have left civic center + you will live.

Dragland pretended she was having a seizure to avoid complying with the demand, and said she believed that the person who had handed her the note hopped off the train as passengers gathered around her to offer medical assistance.

So I if I fake a seizure or fake like Im passing out, Im not even not complying, Dragland told CBS 5. Im scared and reacting so, I started slumped over to the left and started shaking and people started to notice and theyre like, Are you okay? Are you okay?'

I was terrified and then I started to be like, is somebody really going to shoot someone for a phone and a wallet?"

When Dragland reported the threatening note, BART police searched area stations for the suspect, but found no one matching the description. After reviewing surveillance footage from the train, BART says that the photos above and below depict the suspect in the attempted robbery.

According to BART, the video from the Dublin-bound train confirms Dragland's account of the incident.

"Video from the train shows the suspect was seated behind the victim who was sitting alone," BART writes in a press release. "The suspect, who was also alone, is seen reaching over the victim's shoulder which is when the suspect may have dropped the note."

According to BART, the video shows the suspect getting up to flee the train as Dragland feigned her medical issue, disappearing into the crowds at Powell Street Station.

The suspect, whom BART describes as "a white female, possibly in her 30's with long strawberry blonde hair," did not appear to be armed. She's not previously known to BART police, they say.

"I've been with BART police 19 years and I've never seen anything like this," said Deputy Chief Lance Haight at a Monday press conference reported on by ABC 7.

Dragland has said that she's not interested in pursuing charges against the suspect, as the robbery didn't actually happen. But BART police are undeterred in their investigation, saying that as many as 30 people were on train at the time of the robbery attempt, and they're hoping someone might have witnessed the incident and will come forward with more information. Those who think they recognize the suspect or who have more information on the case are asked to call BART PD at 510-464-7040.

Previously: Bizarre BART Mugging Attempt Goes Sideways When Victim Fakes Seizure
Photos like the one above will be a thing of the past, should a San Francisco Supervisor have his way. After years of crimes at one of the city's hottest tourist areas, city leaders are now saying the spot should be closed from dusk until dawn  apparently the only solution they can find for the issue.

We're talking, of course, about the top of Twin Peaks. For the last few years, police say that it's become a locus of crime, with muggings and car break-ins at the top of the list. In February of 2016, two people were shot and killed there. Fantasy Decuir and Lamonte Mims allegedly shot well-known location manager Edward French there in July of this year during a robbery, killing him as well.

According to San Francisco Police Department Captain John Sanford, who spoke with NBC Bay Area, "a lot of these incidents that have occurred after" dark.

Issues there include "partying, which is one thing, drinking and so forth," Sanford says. "But that leads into fights, which has happened quite a bit up there."

But while the 2016 slayings led then-SF Supe Scott Wiener to call for a stronger police presence in the area, now-SF Supe Norman Yee has a new strategy for 2017: Just shut the whole thing down. He's proposing "gates at both entrances that lead up to Twin Peaks to keep vehicles out of here from dusk until dawn," NBC Bay Area reports.

"If you put it down half a mile, most kids, most people that are going to do bad things are not gonna walk up the hill," Yee says. And, obviously, their innocent (and oft-tourist) targets also won't be up there either, blocked as they are by the gates.

Police tell NBC that the patrols that followed French's slaying have definitely deterred crime, but apparently that's not enough for Yee, who I can only assume during his years as a teacher did that thing where if one kid misbehaved the whole class got punished.

But, of course, we're not talking about classroom shenanigans, we're talking about robbery and murder. And if the police can't effectively police the area, perhaps the only solution is to remove it from full-time use?

Yee tells NBC that he has "a lot of support from other members of the board." If things go his way, he hopes to have those gates up and running by the end of the year.

Previously: A New Law Enforcement Algorithm Helped Free Twin Peaks Shooting Suspect 5 Days Before The Crime
The fashion week will give fashionista an overview of the latest fashion trends and styles from Vietnamese & international designers, such as Thuy Nguyen, Devon Nguyen, Phuong My and others.



Launched for the first time in 2014, the long-week fashion show is expected to connect Vietnamese designers to the worlds fashion industry.

Organized twice per year, the Vietnam International Fashion Week meeting international standards has blown a new fresh air into Vietnam fashion industry and given a deep impression on devotees.





By GIA BINH  Translated by Kim Khanh
The new decree clear says that sales of liquors without permits is illegal.



Moreover, selling alcohol products containing banned materials or substandard products that fail to meet food safety or without clear indications of origin is illegal.

Additionally, ordering of alcoholic products online, by mail or telephone will also be governed under the new law.

The decree also bans advertising of alcohol.

Sale of alcohol to the public requires the seller to have a license.

It is illegal to manufacture without a permit; accordingly, households making wine to sell to company must register with local peoples committee.

Distributors must have stamp on alcohol products to distinguish between domestic manufactured and imported wine.

By PHAN THAO - Translated by UYEN PHUONG
The Shepherd Express serves as a clearinghouse for all activities in the Greater Milwaukee area that peacefully push back against discriminatory, reactionary or authoritarian actions and policies of the Trump administration and other activities that seek to thwart social justice. We will publicize and promote actions, demonstrations, planning meetings, teach-ins, party-building meetings, drinking-discussion get-togethers and any other actions that are directed toward fighting back to preserve our liberal democratic system.

Thursday, Sept. 21

SURJ Anti-White Supremacy 101 Workshop @ Riverwest Public House Cooperative (815 E. Locust St.), 7-9 p.m.

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is organizing a workshop at the Riverwest Public House that aims to teach participants, through group discussions and activities, about the ways white supremacy shapes power and institutions.

Friday, Sept. 22

Voces De Resistencia Opening Reception @ Union Art Gallery (2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.), 5-8 p.m.

Voces de Resistencia: Contemporary Latinx Activist Artists showcases works by local and national Latinx artists who have created artwork in response to politics, social movements, immigration, borders and cultural identity.

NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner @ The Pfister Hotel (424 E. Wisconsin Ave.), 5:30-9 p.m.

The Milwaukee branch of the NAACPs annual Freedom Fund Dinner will feature a talk from special guest speaker Jane Elliot, award-winning documentarian and creator of the blue eyes, brown eyes social experiment.

Saturday, Sept. 23

Backpack Full of Cash Screening @ Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (5130 W. Vliet St.), 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA) will host a screening of Backpack Full of Cash, a feature-length documentary that explores the growing privatization of public schools and the resulting impact on Americas most vulnerable children.

Voter and Civic Engagement Campaign @ Accion Ciudadana de Wisconsin (221 S. Second St.), 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Accion Ciudadana de Wisconsin, Latino Voting Bloc of Wisconsin and Citizen Action of Wisconsin have come together to organize a weekly Saturday campaign of knocking on doors and phone banking to get people thinking about the 2018 elections. Volunteers can go out and talk to voters about the issues that they care about and get them involved in different events happening in the community.

Peace Action Wisconsin: Stand for Peace @ The corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Water Street, noon-1 p.m.

Every Saturday from noon-1 p.m., concerned citizens join with Peace Action Wisconsin to protest war. Signs will be provided for those who need them. Protesters are encouraged to stick around for conversation and coffee afterward.

Friends of the Shepherd Help support Milwaukee's locally owned free weekly newspaper. LEARN MORE

To submit to this column, please send a brief description of your action, including date and time, to savingourdemocracy@shepex.com. Together, we can fight to minimize the damage that the Trump administration has planned for our great country.
See a map of where some famous Sioux Cityans once lived. Click on the name of the person to read more about them or on the number pin to see t
WAYNE, Neb. | Agriculture's importance to the area is pretty much a given.

Corn, beans, hogs, cattle and a number of other crops and animals are common sights from Siouxland highways, as are the many businesses that owe their existence to the agriculture industry.

It's no surprise, then, that high schools across the area have developed agriculture education programs that expose students, farm and city kids alike, to several aspects of agriculture.

But it is a surprise that until this year, a school the size of Wayne High School, with a high school enrollment approaching 300 students, did not offer agriculture-specific classes.

"I was surprised, just knowing the community and knowing the area," said Toni Rasmussen, who in December was hired as the school's first ag teacher and in August began teaching ag classes and helping the school charter a Future Farmers of America chapter.

A farm kid herself who was involved in FFA before graduating from Boone Central High School in Albion, Nebraska, Rasmussen is tackling the challenge of starting a program from square one with classes in introduction to agriculture, animal science, agribusiness and plant science. She again was surprised by the level of interest students had in the classes and in FFA. It's not just kids who live on farms who signed up. Many seem to realize that the ag industry has deep roots that affect many facets of a rural area.

"Kids see that just because you don't have a direct tie to agriculture doesn't mean you don't have a tie," Rasmussen said.

Those with direct ties are taking advantage of the chance to learn more about an industry in which they plan to seek a career.

"I was so excited," junior Mariah Frevert said when she learned last spring that ag classes would be available this year. "I want to be in agriculture. I want to be a veterinarian. This is just really preparing me for the future."

Frevert is also the first president of the school's fledgling FFA chapter, which has attracted interest from nearly 30 students.

The interest is encouraging for Rasmussen and school administrators, who had long desired an ag program. When one of the school's two industrial technology teachers retired last spring, high school principal Mark Hanson, a former ag teacher himself, said it presented the school with an opportunity to add to and strengthen its career/technical education, or CTE, program.

"It really fills in an area I think we were lacking in," Hanson said.

Community response, especially from local businesses, to the new program has been positive, Hanson said. But the most encouraging response has been from students, many of whom are excited to explore new classes or join FFA, which offers leadership opportunities and more in addition to ag education. Having an ag program exposes students to concepts and careers they never may have realized existed.

"To me, it's going to open up a lot of possibilities for kids to things they're not even aware of," Hanson said.

And for students already contemplating careers in agriculture, it gives them a head start on their preparations.

"It would be good to know some of the basic things for college that will help you later," said Casey Koenig, a sophomore who said he's considering a career in precision agriculture.

It's comments like those that Rasmussen said she has grown accustomed to hearing as she and her students begin exploring their new ag program together.

"I think about once a week I'll hear, 'I'm glad we have ag classes,'" Rasmussen said.
SIOUX CITY | Seven Siouxland motorcyclists will be spending the next 12 days riding a route that will take them on historic Route 66, from Chicago to Long Beach, California.

Will they be getting their kicks on Route 66? No, they're on a mission to raise awareness and funds for UnityPoint Health -- St. Luke's Children's Miracle Network (CMN).

"This is the second year I've participated in Ride for Miracles as a Siouxland Miracle Rider," said Matt Thompson. "Last year, we had three motorcyclists riding along the Great Lakes, covering nearly 4,000 miles and raising more than $25,000.

"We're being more ambitious this year," Thompson, vice president of W.A. Klinger, added. "We have six guys covering more than 5,000 miles with a goal of raising more than $50,000."

The riders -- including Thompson; Steve Panzer, a St. Luke's Cardiology and Cardiovascular Associates nurse; Mike Unger, a UnityPoint Clinic Urgent Care physician's assistant; Steve Schmidt, senior vice president of Security National Bank; Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew; Henry Van Dorn, a South Sioux City business owner; and Jon Heil, a self-employed handyman -- departed Sioux City for Chicago on Monday morning.

From Chicago, they will be making their way to Los Angeles, all on motorcycles.

Even though 12 days is a long time to be away from work and family, Thompson said it is worthwhile.

"There's no way to describe what Ride for Miracles meant to me," he said. "It has been a life-altering experience."

Plus it was an experience that Mike Unger wanted to be a part of.

"I'm so excited about making this trip that it feels like I have ants in my pants," he said.

Unger said all the riders pay for their own travel expenses.

"We want to make sure that any money we raise will go back to CMN," he said.

"On this ride, it's all about the kids," Schmidt added, nodding his head in agreement. "Being blessed with two healthy children and five healthy grandchildren, I have a real desire to work on behalf of CMN."

That is, if he's able to find his motorcycle in the morning.

"At 67, I'm the oldest rider," Schmidt said with a grin. "Steve Panzer has been assigned to make sure I'm on my bike every morning."

Panzer denied being Schmidt's watcher but, as a second-year rider, does know the ropes.

"Steve will do just fine," Panzer said. "Being a part of this group of riders will be like joining an awesome brotherhood."

St. Luke's Children's Miracle Network funds touch nearly 24,000 pediatric visits and serve children from 36 counties throughout Northwest Iowa, Northeast Nebraska and Southeast South Dakota.

Panzer said he didn't mind the light rain coming down as the riders made their departure.

"Last year, we experienced all types of weather on our journey," he explained. "That's similar to the journey experienced by sick and injured kids and babies. We don't mind experiencing a few dreary days or a few potholes if it results in bringing some light into the life of our miracle kids."
SIOUX CITY | Former Briar Cliff University president Bev Wharton will receive an honor on the Sioux City campus Thursday.

Briar Cliff officials plan to dedicate the Beverly A. Wharton Learning Center, the main academic hub for the Universitys undergraduate programs. Wharton was the ninth and longest tenured president of Briar Cliff University and school officials want to notably honor her.

Wharton retired after 15 years at the end of the 2015-16 year.

The learning center, which features the latest in technology, laboratories and expanded classrooms, was one of several additions under Whartons presidency. The dedication is set for 5 p.m. Sept. 21.
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa | The driver of a pickup truck died early Tuesday after eluding police and later crashing into East Okoboji Lake.

The male driver, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at Lakes Regional Healthcare, according to a news release from the Spirit Lake Police Department.

Spirit Lake police initiated a traffic stop on a Ford F-150 pickup at 12:30 a.m., when the driver sped away. After a short pursuit, officers lost contact with the pickup. It was located a few minutes later after it had traveled through a residential yard, struck a small utility shed and come to rest in East Okoboji Lake.

The incident remains under investigation, and more details will be released later, the news release said.
SIOUX CITY | The Iowa State University Extension will be conducting free public workshops about the emerald ash borer in Sioux City and Onawa, Iowa.

The meetings are scheduled for 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Monona County Extension office, 119 Iowa Ave., in Onawa; and 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Woodbury County Extension office, 4728 Southern Hills Drive, in Sioux City.

RSVP by Oct. 8 by contacting the Extension office at which you plan to attend the meeting. In Monona County, call (712) 423-2175 or email mbeerman@iastate.edu. For Woodbury County, call (712) 276-2157 or email ksolberg@iastate.edu.

Meeting participants will learn how to identify ash trees and the emerald ash borer, signs of ash borer infestation, ash tree treatment options, how to restrict the spread of the ash borer and ash tree replacement options.

Presenters will be Donald Lewis, an Iowa State entomology professor and ISU Extension entomologist; Mike Kintner, of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship; and Lindsey Barney, a forester with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The emerald ash borer has destroyed millions of trees in several states in the United States. It has been found in 52 Iowa counties, the nearest being Buena Vista County, where the pest's presence was confirmed in Alta earlier this year.
IOWA CITY, Iowa  After lawmakers earlier this year cut base appropriations for Iowas public universities by $30 million, the state Board of Regents is trying a new tack: Its requesting that lawmakers approve $12 million specifically for financial aid to resident undergraduate students, board documents made public Monday show.

The board, which will formalize its request at a special meeting Sept. 25, is not asking for any additional incremental increase in base general funding for the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa beyond the $12 million.

That, in a sense, is something the institutions started planning for over the summer when the universities proposed sharp annual tuition increases for the next five years  under the assumption there would be no bump in state aid for general operations.

UI and ISU suggested a 7 percent annual hike for resident undergrads, and UNI suggested a 5 percent annualized increase  which some argue would make more financial aid imperative.

Although it has heard tuition pitches from each university, the board has not yet unveiled the rates it will consider. Regents plan a first consideration in October and a final vote in December.

Students and lawmakers have criticized the universities tuition proposals, saying they could price some students out of the market  especially first-generation and low-income students, who are a growing percentage of Iowa high school graduates.

Some have urged the board to up its advocacy for more state support instead, and board members will consider those avenues as well.

University leaders vowed to increase financial aid offerings while insisting the need for more tuition revenue is dire, with faculty members leaving for better-paying institutions.

If lawmakers approve the $12 million increase in appropriations for resident undergrad aid, the UI and ISU would get $5 million each and UNI would get $2 million, according to the proposed funding request made public Monday.

The $12 million would increase the states $483 million allocation for general aid to the public universities in the current budget year by 2.5 percent to $495 million in fiscal 2019. That percentage falls within the Higher Education Price Index range as analyzed by the UI Economic Research Institute.

Documents also point out, in arguing for the increase, the state has no financial aid funding designated solely for students attending Iowas public universities.

Those students currently have to apply for aid through programs available to all sectors  like the All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship, which received a $3.1 million appropriation this year; or the Iowa National Guard Education Assistant Program, with its $2.8 million appropriation.

Pointing to the states Iowa Tuition Grant, the board contrasted the millions that lawmakers commit annually specifically for students who attend private or for-profit schools  $46.6 million this year for nonprofit enrollees and $1.5 million for those heading to for-profit institutions.

The $12 million appropriations request for financial aid to undergraduate students from Iowa would be available solely to students attending one of Iowas public universities, according to the board proposal.

Regents reported Iowa ranks last in the country in need-based aid awarded to students at public institutions.

If lawmakers approve the request, board spokesman Josh Lehman said, the universities would work with regents to determine how to allocate it  whether based on need or on first-generation students, for example.

When asked Monday about the regent proposal, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said, As with all funding requests, we will have to wait and see how much revenue will be available next fiscal year before making any commitments.

The boards ask for $12 million more in general university appropriations is part of its fiscal 2019 total request of $622.35 million, which includes funding for the boards special schools, regional centers, Iowa Public Radio and special purpose uses like UIs state hygienic lab and ISUs agriculture experiment station.

During the boards special meeting next week, each university president also will give a report on efficiencies and reallocations in light of deep cuts they had to make following the state funding cuts.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said he supports committing more resources to residential undergrad student aid, but would like to see the board ask for even more  noting what the board did also: that state support for higher education in Iowa remains well below 2009 levels even as enrollment has skyrocketed.

Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, said he cant predict whether the request would receive legislative support given the majority partys complete botching of the budget, along with a general disdain for public education.

I certainly think its a fair proposal and one that I will work across the aisle to successfully balance the budget, he said.
Northwest Iowa lost a true advocate in Des Moines with the resignation of State Sen. Bill Anderson from the Iowa Legislature this past week. It is a bittersweet moment as I wish my colleague, legislative roommate and friend all the best as he starts a new chapter in his professional career as the economic director of Cherokee Area Development Corp.

The last seven years have been an amazing economic success for Northwest Iowa, and Sen. Anderson deserves recognition for his focused leadership, institutional knowledge and passion for this side of the state. Together, Bill and I have shared many legislative successes and betrayals as our friendship has grown over many laughs and tears in and out of Des Moines. Politics is mean, and at times cruel, yet Sen. Anderson always kept his focus on people, while producing tangible results. Senator Anderson needs to be recognized as the legislative hero for autistic children and will go down in the history books as a true champion for the completion of Highway 20.
Having lived in Sioux City and Northwest Iowa for many years, I have many friends whose first language isn't English. However, I applaud these people for trying to find a better life in our great community. People of other cultures are all around us and are integrated into our Iowa communities. I believe we as Iowans accept this fact and keep to our traditions of independence, community and libertarianism. Why wouldn't a person from a different culture want to live here? I take it as a point of pride.

However, when I read about our congressional representative, Steve King, saying that undocumented persons should remain "in the shadows," I cannot help but be upset that he wants human beings to suffer quietly. How can a person who vaunts the rule of law also hold that people should not report crimes for fear of deportation. A crime against an undocumented is still a crime. And this is a crime upon us all, as Iowans as well as humans. Just because a person is here illegally does not mean Iowans should stand by and allow people to be abused. Being here undocumented may violate the law, but we must not grant amnesty to those who attack those in the shadows.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ulu Bismarck Crawley, is the new Chairman of the Noumea Convention.

Ulu takes over from outgoing chair, Mike Walsh.

The decision was made last week during the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (C.O.P) to the Noumea Convention, for which S.P.R.E.P is the Secretariat. The meeting was part of the build up to S.P.R.E.Ps 28th Meeting of Officials, which opened last night.

Nine members of the Noumea Convention attended, namely Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, France, Republic of the Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the United States of America.

Leota Kosi Latu, Director General of S.P.R.E.P, welcomed the election of Ulu as the new Chair of the Convention for the next two years and acknowledged the efforts of Mr. Walsh for his role as Chair since 2015.

Ulu said the effects of human activities continue to threaten our biological resources both directly and indirectly.

As the Framework for Pacific Regionalism recognises the countries and territories of the region are linked by the ocean, its conservation and sustainable management is of critical importance to us all, he said.

The Noumea Convention is a vital tool in achieving this. The challenge of how we best work together to ensure the sustainable use of our oceans, while protecting our marine biodiversity and ecosystems needs to be highlighted in the application of the Convention.

The Noumea Convention provides a legal instrument to ensure that environmental management and sustainable development of natural resources is implemented throughout the Pacific. Since the Convention came into force in 1990, there have been increasing challenges and issues faced by the Pacific region.

The number of governments present in Samoa reflects the commitment from the Parties, which is reflected in the work undertaken since the last COP meeting in 2015 to address the challenges of environmental management and pollution control in the region.

The activities of the Parties and the Secretariat achieved under the Convention, often with shoestring budgets, reflected the true value of the Convention, said Leota.

There have been increasing demands and emerging pressures within our regions natural resources not just from within the region, but from multiple global scale drivers. The Noumea Convention has to address many of the pressing and emerging issues we face today such as climate change and ocean acidification.

The main achievements and key successes of the Noumea Convention over the last two years have been in the areas of marine and coastal conservation, Environmental Impact Assessment (E.I.A) and marine pollution.

Over the last two years, there have been a number of significant achievements in the Pacific, which suggests that strengthening the use of the Noumea Convention as a legally binding instrument for sustaining the regions environment is critically important, said Mr. Walsh.

We call upon other countries to ratify the Convention.

The twelve Parties to the Noumea Convention are: Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, France, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and the United States of America.
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
See the obits in your Facebook or Twitter stream. Obits are posted to our fb News Page , or our main Twitter page . Just click on one of the buttons below. RSS is also available.
WASHINGTONArizona Sen. John McCain and Navy Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations, spoke briefly following Tuesday's hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. (Photo by Connor Hoyt)

WASHINGTON

(Sept. 19, 2017)After four Navy collisions within the past year resulting in the deaths of 17 seamen, Arizona Sen. John McCain on Tuesday told military officials he had arrived at a simple conclusion: sailors are being worked too hard."All you have to do is use common sense," said McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a Navy veteran. "I'm not sure we need a studyWhen somebody is working 100 hours a week, over an extended period of time, they're going to make mistakes."A Government Accountability Office report presented as testimony cited a 2014 Navy study of a standard workweek that found sailors were on duty 108 hours a week. John Pendleton, the GAO's director of defense capabilities and management, said sailors are expected to work only 81 hours per week. The GAO is the nonpartisan auditing arm of Congress.The hearing came nearly two weeks after U.S. Navy officials and government auditors told the House Armed Services Committee that there were a multitude of problems facing the U.S. Seventh Fleetincluding insufficient training and a lack of quality ship maintenancethat may have played a part in the collisions.The most recent collision took place when the USS John S. McCain, a guided-missile destroyer named after the senator's father and grandfather, collided with an oil tanker near Singapore on Aug. 21. Among the sailors killed in the collision was Kevin Sayer Bushell, 26, of Gaithersburg Maryland and Timothy Thomas Eckles Jr., 23 of Manchester, Maryland.Two months earlier, the USS Fitzgerald, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, collided with a container ship near the Japanese coast. Seven U.S. sailors died as a result of the accident, including 24-year-old Xavier Alex Martin of Halethorpe, Maryland."They were patriots and will not be forgotten. We're going to back our words with actions," Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer said in his Senate testimony. "We have a problem in the Navy and we're going to fix it."Spencer said a Navy-wide comprehensive review would be complete by mid-October.In 2015, Pendleton made 14 recommendations to the Department of Defense to improve the Navy's preparedness. He said Tuesday the most important of those was to allocate "dedicated training time."As it stands, the Navy's optimal 36-month fleet schedule includes 6.5 months of ship maintenance, 9.5 months of crew training, a 7-month deployment and 13 months of sustainment, or the provision of the necessary resources to prolong operation until a mission is completed, according to the Pentagon.However, the Navy has struggled to adhere to that timeline since it was implemented in November 2014, according to Pendleton's GAO report.Slowed ship maintenance has led to what Pendleton called "a vicious cycle" because ships are required to stay on deployment for longer periods of time, placing a strain on sailors. The GAO reported that between 2011 and 2014, just "28 percent of scheduled maintenance for surface combatants was completed on time and just 11 percent on time for aircraft carriers."The report said that it would take "at least 19 years and a Navy-estimated $4.86 billion" to modernize the shipyards. The extended maintenance cuts into designated training time, which causes fleets to either train marginally or defer the training period altogether.As a result, the Seventh Fleet, despite the fact that 37 percent of its ships' certifications had expired, had operated under the assumption that it was always ready because it was perpetually in motion, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said.Though McCain conceded that budget sequestration has been an issue for the Navy, he said the issue of overworked sailors is one that can be fixed immediately.Richardson concurred."We're going to leave no stone unturned," he repeated several times. "I want to get these answers now, but I want to get them right."Richardson noted that extended work weeks for some officers resulted in a Sept. 16 mandate that they get enough sleep.Richardson anticipated that it would take a serious culture change to mitigate the extended workweek, saying that the "can-do" attitudes of some sailors cause them to take pride in working long hours. The admiral likened the phenomenon to college students savoring their "all-nighters."McCain said he was pleased that the investigations into the collisions are underway, but reiterated that some of the issues, such as overworked sailors, should be addressed more quickly."As leaders of our Navy, you must do better," said McCain, pausing after each word for emphasis. "It's the bare minimum we owe to the young men and women who risk their lives."
(AP) Authorities in Tanzania's semiautonomous region of Zanzibar have detained 20 people accused of engaging in same-sex activities, police said Saturday, the latest incident in a crackdown on homosexuality in the East African country.

Twelve women and eight men were arrested following a police raid on a hotel where the suspects were attending a workshop, said regional police chief Hassan Ali.

"Yes, we rounded them up because we suspect that they were engaged in homosexuality in Zanzibar, which is illegal in Zanzibar and is against the law of the country," he said, adding that police "will intensify (their) vigilance against those groups."

Homosexuality is criminalized in Tanzania, and sex among men is punishable by jail terms ranging from 30 years to life imprisonment.

Tanzanian authorities recently have cracked down on homosexuals. In September 2016, the government temporarily suspended HIV/AIDS outreach projects targeting gay men.

In February, the government stopped 40 privately run health centers from providing AIDS-related services, accusing them of catering to homosexuals.
(WB) A Russian human rights advocate awaits trial under her countrys so-called gay propaganda law for sharing social media posts relating to sexual education and LGBT rights.

Evdokia Romanova, 27, works with the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YCSRR) in the city of Samara, and began working with young people around issues of HIV and comprehensive sexual health education. She will appear in court on Monday and if found guilty will be fined up to 100,000 rubles ($1,750).

This is a lot of money, especially considering the average salary in my home region. This is basically five average monthly salaries, which is outrageous, Romanova told the Washington Blade. The way propaganda is officially defined by the Russian Federation does not relate in any way to the posts I was making.

Romanova received a call from an unknown number on July 26 asking her to come in to the police department to submit witness testimony against an unknown party.

When I asked for any details in particular, they said I would be given them only in the police department, Romanova said.

She was suspicious and consulted with the director of her organization and a lawyer before arriving at the police department. When she arrived, she was presented with charges under Article 6.21, part 2 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses which criminalizes propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships among minors using Internet.

They lied to me on the phone that I had to be a witness to somebody else, Romanova said. I found out that this is the way they always work. They frighten people and they lie to people to get them into the police department.

The articles Romanova shared to social media related to topics such as the same-sex marriage vote in Ireland and information about an exhibit that depicted issues of the violence faced by LGBT teenagers in St. Petersburg.

Evdokia Romanovas case file reveals that the charges most likely relate to her membership of the YCSRR and that her crime was the reposting of links to the YCSRR website and media publications, said an Amnesty International release.

Nobody should be prosecuted for talking about important things to them, Romanova added. Especially when people talk about justice and when they talk about protection of certain groups of the population  nobody should be persecuted for that.

Romanova believes that the propaganda law makes it easy for people to demonize any kind of information regarding LGBT rights.

For people who are homophobic, for instance, any kind of sharing of information regarding LGBT rights is propaganda, but this is ridiculous and outrageous, she said. Sharing information regarding LGBT rights and LGBT people is not banned. It is not against the law.

Amnesty International has been mobilizing support for Romanova by encouraging its members to send letters on her behalf to prosecutors and human rights officials within the Russian government.

Even with her court appearance so close, Romanova told the Blade that she was not allowed to see all the case files and accusations against her.

I didnt even get a chance to read the files deeply because in the police department, there were two unidentified men always giving comments about my case, laughing sometimes, Romanova said.

What she did see appeared to be to have been poorly translated files from the English language posts she had made.

Its very frustrating, said Romanova. Even though the case was made on very poor police investigation and police work, knowing the way the justice system works in Russia, I have all the chances to lose.

Romanova told the Blade that one of the men grabbed the files roughly from her, saying they did not need to show it.

This person then asked me questions about an Austrian citizen living in Samara, and this person is my partner. Hes my fiance, and were getting married in two weeks, said Romanova. He started asking me questions and said perhaps we should do some checking and see if his documents were fine, and if not, he should be kicked out of the country.

This was my main fear when I started working on human rights in Russia, that something could happen to my family, Romanova added.

Romanova said that despite the fears and frustrations from this case, she remains committed to working for human rights in Russia.

As a human rights activist in Russia you fear a lot, she said. Living in this unstable environment, you never know what will be the next law that will be dreadful for your work. Its extremely scary, but at the same time it is so important and inspires you for further action.

 Helen Parshall, Washington Blade courtesy of the LGBTQ Media Association.
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.
Mars' Crust NASA

NASA scientists have found evidence that Mars crust is not as dense as previously thought, a clue that could help researchers better understand the Red Planets interior structure and evolution.

A lower density likely means that at least part of Mars crust is relatively porous. At this point, however, the team cannot rule out the possibility of a different mineral composition or perhaps a thinner crust.

The crust is the end-result of everything that happened during a planets history, so a lower density could have important implications about Mars formation and evolution, said Sander Goossens of NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Goossens is the lead author of a Geophysical Research Letters paper describing the work.

The researchers mapped the density of the Martian crust, estimating the average density is 2,582 kilograms per meter cubed (about 161 pounds per cubic foot). Thats comparable to the average density of the lunar crust. Typically, Mars crust has been considered at least as dense as Earths oceanic crust, which is about 2,900 kilograms per meter cubed (about 181 pounds per cubic foot).

The new value is derived from Mars gravity field, a global model that can be extracted from satellite tracking data using sophisticated mathematical tools. The gravity field for Earth is extremely detailed, because the data sets have very high resolution. Recent studies of the Moon by NASAs Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, mission also yielded a precise gravity map.

The data sets for Mars dont have as much resolution, so its more difficult to pin down the density of the crust from current gravity maps. As a result, previous estimates relied more heavily on studies of the composition of Mars soil and rocks.

As this story comes together, were coming to the conclusion that its not enough just to know the composition of the rocks, said Goddard planetary geologist Greg Neumann, a co-author on the paper. We also need to know how the rocks have been reworked over time.

Goossens and colleagues started with the same data used for an existing gravity model but put a new twist on it by coming up with a different constraint and applying it to obtain the new solution. A constraint compensates for the fact that even the best data sets cant capture every last detail. Instead of taking the standard approach, known to those in the field as the Kaula constraint, the team created a constraint that considers the accurate measurements of Mars elevation changes, or topography.

With this approach, we were able to squeeze out more information about the gravity field from the existing data sets, said Goddard geophysicist Terence Sabaka, the second author on the paper.

Before taking on Mars, the researchers tested their approach by applying it to the gravity field that was in use before the GRAIL mission. The resulting estimate for the density of the moons crust essentially matched the GRAIL result of 2,550 kilograms per meter cubed (about 159 pounds per cubic foot).

From the new model, the team generated global maps of the crusts density and thickness. These maps show the kinds of variations the researchers expect, such as denser crust beneath Mars giant volcanoes.

The researchers note that NASAs InSight mission  short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport  is expected to provide the kinds of measurements that could confirm their finding. This Discovery Program mission, scheduled for launch in 2018, will place a geophysical lander on Mars to study its deep interior.

For the teams model, along with the derived density map and crustal thickness models, visit: https://pgda.gsfc.nasa.gov

For more about NASAs Mars explorations, visit: www.nasa.gov/mars
Mercury's Pole Brown University

The scorching hot surface of Mercury seems like an unlikely place to find ice, but research over the past three decades has suggested that water is frozen on the first rock from the Sun, hidden away on crater floors that are permanently shadowed from the Suns blistering rays.

Now, a new study led by Brown University researchers suggests that there could be much more ice on Mercurys surface than previously thought.

The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, adds three new members to the list of craters near Mercurys north pole that appear to harbor large surface ice deposits. But in addition to those large deposits, the research also shows evidence that smaller-scale deposits scattered around Mercurys north pole, both inside craters and in shadowed terrain between craters. Those deposits may be small, but they could add up to a lot more previously unaccounted-for ice.

The assumption has been that surface ice on Mercury exists predominantly in large craters, but we show evidence for these smaller-scale deposits as well, said Ariel Deutsch, the studys lead author and a Ph.D. candidate at Brown. Adding these small-scale deposits to the large deposits within craters adds significantly to the surface ice inventory on Mercury.

The idea that Mercury might have frozen water emerged in the 1990s, when Earth-based radar telescopes detected highly reflective regions inside several craters near Mercurys poles. The planets axis doesnt have much tilt, so its poles get little direct sunlight, and the floors of some craters get no direct sunlight at all. Without an atmosphere to hold in any heat from surrounding surfaces, temperatures in those eternal shadows have been calculated to be low enough for water ice to be stable. That raised the possibility these radar-bright regions could be ice.

That idea got a boost after NASAs MESSENGER probe entered Mercurys orbit in 2011. The spacecraft detected neutron signals from the planets north pole that were consistent with water ice.

For this new study, Deutsch worked with Gregory Neumann from NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center to take a deep dive into the data returned from MESSENGER. They looked specifically at readings from the spacecrafts laser altimeter. The device is mostly used to map elevation, but it can also be used to track surface reflectance.

Neumann, an instrument specialist for the MESSENGER mission, helped to calibrate the altimeters reflectance signal, which can vary depending upon whether the measurement is taken from directly overhead or at an oblique angle (known as off-nadir). That calibration enabled the researchers to detect high reflectance deposits consistent with surface ice in three large craters for which only off-nadir detections were available.

The addition of those craters to Mercurys ice inventory is significant. Deutsch estimates the total area of the three sheets to be about 3,400 square kilometers  slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island.

But another major aspect of the work is that the researchers also looked at reflectance data for the terrain surrounding those three large craters. That terrain isnt as bright as the ice sheets inside the craters, but its significantly brighter than the average Mercury surface.

We suggest that this enhanced reflectance signature is driven by small-scale patches of ice that are spread throughout this terrain, Deutsch said. Most of these patches are too small to resolve individually with the altimeter instrument, but collectively they contribute to the overall enhanced reflectance.

To seek further evidence that such smaller-scale deposits exist, the researchers looked though the altimeter data in search of patches that were smaller than the big crater-based deposits, but still large enough to resolve with the altimeter. They found four, each with diameters of less than about 5 kilometers.

These four were just the ones we could resolve with the MESSENGER instruments, Deutsch said. We think there are probably many, many more of these, ranging in sizes from a kilometer down to a few centimeters.

Knowing that these small-scale deposits exist, and that theyre likely the source of the slightly brighter surface outside craters, could dramatically increase the ice inventory on Mercury. Similar small-scale ice deposits are thought to exist on the poles of the Moon. Research models have suggested that accounting for these small-scale deposits roughly doubles the amount of lunar real estate that could harbor ice. The same could be true on Mercury, the researchers say.

How this polar ice may have found its way to Mercury in the first place remains an open question, Deutsch says. The leading hypothesis is that it was delivered by water-rich comet or asteroid impacts. Another idea is that hydrogen may have been implanted in the surface by solar wind, later combining with an oxygen source to form water.

Jim Head, Deutschs Ph.D. advisor and co-author of the research, said the work adds a new perspective on a critical question in planetary science.

One of the major things we want to understand is how water and other volatiles are distributed through the inner solar system  including Earth, the Moon and our planetary neighbors, Head said. This study opens our eyes to new places to look for evidence of water, and suggests theres a whole lot more of it on Mercury than we thought.

Reference: New Evidence for Surface Water Ice in Small-Scale Cold Traps and in Three Large Craters at the North Polar Region of Mercury from the Mercury Laser Altimeter, Ariel N. Deutsch, Gregory A. Neumann & James W. Head, 2017 Sept. 14, Geophysical Research Letters [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017GL074723/full].

The study was supported by NASA through the Harriet G. Jenkins Graduate Fellowship (NNX16AT19H) and the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute.
Planetary formation NASA

Scientists have long been intrigued by the surfaces of terrestrial bodies other than Earth that reveal deep similarities beneath their superficially differing volcanic and tectonic histories.

A team of scientists from NASA, Hampton University and Louisiana State University propose a new way of understanding the cooling and transfer of heat from terrestrial planetary interiors and how that affects the generation of the volcanic terrains that dominate the rocky planets. Based on the present dynamics of Jupiters tidally heated moon, Io, the scientists hypothesize that the geological histories of the solar systems terrestrial bodies, specifically Mercury, Venus, Moon and Mars, are consistent with a mode of early planetary evolution involving heat-pipes. They further propose that heat-pipe cooling is a universal process that may explain the common features seen on the surfaces of terrestrial planets.

The teams findings are discussed in a paper recently published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

We believe that the concept of a heat-pipe mode of planet formation is important and will help explain the evolution of all rocky planets, said Dr. Justin Simon, NASA planetary scientist, Center for Isotope Cosmochemistry and Geochronology in the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston and a coauthor of the paper. If shown to be correct, it will be discussed along with the theories of plate tectonics, planetary magma oceans and the giant impact theory for the origin of the Moon.'

The scientists hypothesize that heat-pipe cooling was involved in the evolution of all terrestrial planets including early Earth and represents the transition from the magma ocean to the rigid-lid or plate tectonic modes of planetary evolution. Heat-pipes transport heat from the interior to the surface via mantle melting and magma ascent. The resulting eruptions lead to global volcanic resurfacing by which older volcanic layers are progressively buried and pushed downward to form thick, cold and strong mechanical lithospheres.

The authors review the observations relevant to the formation of the surfaces of each of the terrestrial planets and current models that have been proposed to explain them. They then discuss the major outstanding problems and show how the heat-pipe hypothesis can resolve these in a consistent way across all planets.

The terrestrial bodies in our solar system look different enough that the classical view is that they all formed differently, at least in terms of making their outer shells. If our analysis holds merit, it points in the direction of a universal model for the early development of terrestrial planets, across our solar system and beyond, said Dr. Alexander Webb, associate professor, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.

The authors note that Mercury was globally resurfaced early in its evolution by volcanic eruptions emplacing smooth plains with few identifiable eruption centers. The authors conclude that the geological observations of the planet point to an episode of heat-pipes operating for somewhat less than the first billion years of Mercurys evolution. The surface of Venus is also dominated by lavas with broad plains made up of numerous flows spanning hundreds of miles or kilometers at low slope with few identifiable source structures. Venus does not display sufficient volcanic flux to currently experience active heat-pipe cooling, but the authors conclude that the thick, stagnant lithospheric lid is a relict of heat-pipe operation that ceased rapidly several hundred million years ago.

Among the most important surface features on Mars are its large volcanos, ancient cratered terrains and the crustal dichotomy between the elevated southern hemisphere and the depressed northern hemisphere. It remains unclear which processes were responsible for the formation of the dichotomy, but the authors conclude that a strong ancient lithosphere created by heat-pipe volcanism would have aided in the preservation of this ancient feature. Similarly, the Moon stands out as having a shape that is dramatically out of hydrostatic equilibrium, but preserving a disequilibrium shape requires a strong, early-formed lithosphere. The authors argue that a strong lithosphere is precisely the expected behavior of a body experiencing heat-pipe cooling.

The team brought together geological, geochemical and geochronological evidence from the terrestrial bodies in our solar system to show that heat-pipes may have provided the primary mechanism of crustal formation and resurfacing. The heat-pipe hypothesis provides a uniform explanation for common features of the known terrestrial planets that have not undergone plate tectonics and should be considered an important aspect of their evolution.

The development of this theory is a great example of how exploration of our planetary neighbors, in this case [Jupiters moon] Io, has led to a deeper understanding of Earth as well as rocky planets across the galaxy, said Dr. William Moore, professor of Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Hampton University, Virginia.

Heat-pipes should also occur on rocky exoplanets orbiting other stars. A planet twice the mass of Earth should take more than twice as long to cool because the surface area does not grow as fast as the mass. For large exoplanets, the lifetime of the heat-pipe mode may exceed the lifetime of Sun-like parent stars and thus any subsequent plate-tectonic phase may never be observed. This study forces us to rethink our expectations of what types of surfaces and atmospheres to expect as we expand our exploration of other solar systems.

To view the paper, go to:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X17303242

To learn more about ARES, go to:

http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov
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.
San Franciscos very first Tamper Tantrum event rocked the Github HQ over a buzzy weekend in September, bringing with it a set of spicy conversations around science, relationships, and the future of coffee. Since 2009, the traveling podcast has engaged novel coffee concepts through discussion and debate, and its second journey to the US was no exception.

Part lecture series, part immersive coffee experience, the day started with coffees from Intelligentsia, Hasbean, AKA, Sweet Bloom, Madcap, and host company Wrecking Ball. Tamper Tantrum host and Hasbean Coffee owner Steve Leighton took the stage with 2012 US Barista Champion and Counter Cultures green coffee buyer Katie Carguilo, who seamlessly covered TT co-founder Colin Harmons hosting duties.

World Coffee Researchs Hanna Neuschwander started us off with a mission to discuss the future of coffee. Setting her reference frame for the talk at 2050, a year well within the professional lives of most audience members, she broke down the challenges facing coffee as a crop, then turned her focus to the opportunities those challenges provide. By 2050, she explained, if demand keeps growing in proportion to the population, well need to double the worlds coffee production. Meanwhile, if climate change progresses at its current rate, well lose half the arable coffee land by 2050. So, she said, coffee agriculture is at a crossroads.

While the challenges to the coffee supply are well-known (climate change, pests, labor shortages), the opportunities presented by Neuschwander were novel: F1 hybrids bred not only for drought, frost, and pest resistance, but also for exceptionally high cupping scores, all of which means more profit for producers.

As F1 hybrids, it was pointed out, these coffees wont breed true to seed and only provide one generation of plants for farmers. When audience members raised concerns about these valuable hybrids being used as a control mechanism in the way that genetically modified corn seeds have been, Neuschwander explained that WCR will be pursuing plant breeders rights, which will protect their intellectual property from being monetized and controlled by anyone else, but which will also mean others have to pay to proliferate the plant.

Reflecting on the controversy of releasing only F1 hybrids for trial, some audience members felt that it would be more ethical to keep these varieties open-source in the future. Emma Sanchez, assistant manager at Verve, acknowledged the complexity. Its very much a grey area.

After Neuschwander left the stage, we were joined by UC Davis Professor Bill Ristenpart. A chemical engineer, he pioneered a massively popular freshman seminar on coffee and is working with UC Daviss new coffee campus to create a masters program for in-depth coffee research.

Their vision: To take the work of organizations like WCR and figure out what happens next.

Theyll be researching the science behind green coffee storage, roasting, brewing, and sensory assessment, among many other variables that have lacked substantial scientific research. To illustrate how much of current coffee science is based on specious or outdated work, he broke down the equations that underpin the popular Brewing Control Chart, which, he revealed, was based almost entirely on the brews of 1950s housewives using percolators.

When asked about the practical outcomes for coffee workers as research progresses, Ristenpart expressed a goal of creating certification programs for higher-level coffee education based on modern science. In fact, he revealed that the SCA is about to fund the development of a new Brewing Fundamentals course.

After an extended coffee break, former investment banker and current owner of Finca Argentina Alejandro Martinez took the stage to discuss the importance of relationships in coffee as a means to achieve equity. He introduced the problem that coffee production does not make money, and because of that, the children of producers dont want to take over that work.

Martinez then proposed the solution: relationships. When he started his farm eight years ago, he sold coffee at the volatile C price, never knowing if he was actually going to recoup the investment of a seasons planting, harvesting, and processing. When he started to form personal relationships with buyers and focused on increasing quality, he realized that it was the only way to assure consistency and the ability to invest in new projects. When costs shift for a producer or a buyer, real avenues of communication are the only thing that can ensure that everyones needs and interests are considered. If the roaster has to shoulder a higher price than they can afford and their business folds, that hurts the producer; if the producer cant get enough money for their crop and has to stop growing coffee, that hurts the buyer. These symbiotic relationships, he says, are the road to sustainable supply chains.

After a tasty allergen-friendly lunch by Github, we reconvened for a talk by Wrecking Ball owner, former Q Director and current Q instructor Trish Rothgeb on the parallels between the first, second, and third waves of coffee and feminism, as well as some thoughts on what comes next. Inspired by third wave feminism, Rothgeb coined the term third wave coffee back in the early 00s. As in feminisms third wave, which embraced the personal as political, coffees third wave allowed companies to realize a personal vision of their businesses, embracing the fact that not every company could please every customer. During the third wave, we experimented with rarefied roasting styles and smaller menus, and we centered personal relationships in the buying process through direct trade. Congratulations, she said. We did it. We completed the third wave.

So what comes next? Rothgeb introduced a school of feminism that actually predated the third wave, which has recently been gaining traction in the coffee community: intersectionality. Conceptualized by and for black women, the mission of intersectionality is to legally challenge notions of oppressive institutions, addressing the interdependent and interlocking structures of systemic oppression that construct society as an individual and group experience. Building on the work of coffees black women activists like Michelle Johnson, Rothgeb proposed that there is no fourth wave to coffee or feminism; now that their third waves are complete, there is only intersectionality and the work of dismantling oppressive structures across the globe in every setting.

While inspired by her talk, certain audience members felt that the issues discussed were all too apparent in that very room, where there were no black women invited to speak and only one black woman attendee. Since its introduction into the coffee communitys popular lexicon at Expo 2017, the concept of intersectionality has been thrown around in many contexts without centering black women, and unfortunately, that sidelining is representative of the very real work the coffee community has yet to do, said one attendee who chose to remain anonymous.

After Rothgebs talk, Carguilo and Leighton teamed up to interview Pim Techamuanvivit, owner of Michelin-starred SF Thai restaurant Kin Khao. While not a classically trained chef, Techamuanvivit does not identify as self-taught. I didnt sit under the bodhi tree and understand all of a sudden how to cook Thai food, she joked, I learned from my family, I learned from other chefs.

She discussed how perceptions of popular Thai food lead people to pigeonhole Thai cuisine in the same way that the popularity of Starbucks has led people to pigeonhole coffee. People are resistant to paying for what they perceive as ethnic food, she said, noting that people will gladly pay a higher price for the same ingredients at an American restaurant. Like many specialty coffee shops, she doesnt feel that she needs to meet every customers expectation of what Thai food should be. Despite the fact that shes not doing what every other restaurant does, she made it very clear that she isnt elevating Thai food; she is just expressing an aspect of it that has been underrepresented in American Thai cuisine.

Last but not least, Carguilo and Leighton squared off in a heated debate on whether or not it is exploitative to use pictures of coffee producers in the marketing and sale of coffee. Colleen Anunu of Fair Trade USA joined Carguilo to argue that the use of producer photos is exploitative, while Royal Coffees Mayra Orellana-Powell paired up with Leighton to argue that it isnt. Wrecking Balls Nick Cho moderated.

Carguilo and Anunu started by acknowledging the privilege they hold as white women, then laid out the bones of their argument: these images are supposed to act as proof that producers arent exploited, but in doing that, they actively promote the consumption of brown bodies and distract people from the real issues of equity that arent being addressed. Theyre meant to pacify consumers rather than promote change, the team argued. And, they asserted, given the asymmetries of power between producers and coffee buyers, how can producers give true consent?

On the other side, Leighton argued that these photos arent meant to ensure traceability; theyre meant to give emotional impact and personal connection to the stories that sell coffee. If these photos are effective, they allow buyers to pay producers more. Orellana-Powell, a renowned coffee producer, scored what was perhaps the winning point by explaining that if we really see coffee producers as equals, we have to acknowledge that they want their hard work to be appreciated just like we do stateside. If we acknowledge them as equals, we have to acknowledge that they have the agency to give real consent and express their wants and needs, even within an asymmetrical power balance, just like we all do. The audience voted, and Leighton and Orellana-Powell were declared the winners.

The eight-hour jam-packed roster definitely left attendees with a lot to unpack, and a central question throughout the day was the role of equity in the future of coffee. Can interpersonal relationships solve traditional imbalances of power within the supply chain? Will technology empower entrenched systems to move forward uninterrupted, or will it act as a means to question old assumptions? Is the current crossroads of climate change an opportunity to change our base systems, or can we solve problems piecemeal by addressing them individually? Tamper Tantrum isnt here to answer those questions but to ask them.

RJ Joseph (@RJ_Sproseph) is a freelance journalist, publisher of Queer Cup, and coffee professional based in the Bay Area. Read more RJ Joseph for Sprudge.

Photos by Cris Mendoza, except where noted.
Classy campaigner Quick Shot continued on pace for a career year by following live cover to a hard-fought victory in the $14,000 'Plainridge Special' pacing feature at Plainridge Park on Monday afternoon.

Hes Marvelous (Nick Graffam) took the lead and smoked the first quarter in :26.3. In front of the grandstand, Rooster Rabbit (Mike Eaton) pulled first up with Quick Shot (Chris Long) right on his back. From there, everyone kept the same positions past the half and to the three-quarters in 1:22.4.

Midway through the final turn Quick Shot tipped three-deep and by the top of the lane the three horses were strung across the track. Hes Marvelous bowed-out and that left Rooster Rabbit and Quick Shot who then separated from the field. Pacing stride for stride, the two battled all the way down the stretch with Quick Shot getting up in the shadow of the wire to win by a head in 1:51.3.

It was the fifth win of the year for Quick Shot ($7.80) who now boasts $66,483 in earnings for lessee/trainer John Bowman.

In the $10,000 co-featured pace, My Mind Is Made Up (Greg Merton) trailed by 10 lengths in a :25.4 first panel before pulling first-over at the three-eighths to out-duel Grand Galop Semalu (Steve Nason) for the lead at the top of the lane and then hold off SB Mikes Hot Beach (Shawn Gray) in deep stretch to win in 1:50.4.

It was the third win of the year and a new lifetime mark for My Mind Is Made Up ($6.40) who is owned by the Jesmeral Stable and trained by Monique Cohen.

Race Secretary Paul Verrette has started writing special condition races for Massachusetts bred horses making their first starts of the year in advance of the Massachusetts Sire Stakes (MASS) that begin later this month on Monday (Sept. 25).

Todays first race featured two- and three-year-old MASS eligible pacers and Twelve (Shady Character-Sabine Hanover) went gate to wire in 1:57.4 with a snappy :28.4 last quarter for trainer/driver Eddie Davis, Jr. Twelve ($5.40) was bred by and is owned by Dean Malin.

Im A Clown (Im Gorgeous-Lordy Miss Scarlet) was second and Tanzanite Love (Im Gorgeous-Love Rocks) was third.

Greg Merton tacked on three more wins to his gaudy total for the year (176) while trainers Monique Cohen and Joe Nelson each had to stable victories.

Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Tuesday with post time at 2:30 p.m.

(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)
Authors Note

This article was originally published by Global Research in February 2010 under the title:Europes Five Undeclared Nuclear Weapons States

The media, politicians and scientists have remained silent. The focus was persistently on Irans non-existant nuclear weapons. And now the focus is on North Korea.

Double Standards? All eyes on North Korea

Amply documented, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Turkey are in possession of nuclear weapons which are deployed under national command against Russia, Iran and the Middle East.

Following the failed July 2016 military coup in Turkey, the media reported on Turkeys nuclear weapons stored and deployed at the Incirlik airbase.

The US National Resources Defense Council in a February 2005 report confirmed Turkeys deployment of 90 so-called tactical B61 nuclear weapons, some of which were subsequently decommissioned

Russia or countries in the Middle East such as Syria and Iran ( quoted in The stockpiling and deployment of tactical B61 in these five non-nuclear states are intended for targets in the Middle East. Moreover, in accordance with NATO strike plans, these thermonuclear B61 bunker buster bombs (stockpiled by the non-nuclear States) could be launched against targets in( quoted in National Resources Defense Council, Nuclear Weapons in Europe , February 2005, emphasis added)

In 2016, press reports including Deutsche Welle confirmed the deployment of Turkeys 50 B61 nuclear weapons out it Incirlik air force base. But this has been known for years. It took the media ten years to acknowledge that Turkey (a non-nuclear State) possesses a sizeable nuclear arsenal. There was however some confusion in the media reports as to the nature of the nuclear bombs stored and deployed at Incirlik. They are B61 gravity bombs [of the bunker buster type] with nuclear warheads, with an explosive capacity of up to 170 kilotons (up to 12 times a Hiroshima bomb).

The accuracy of the numbers of bombs quoted in the media reports remains to be acertained. Some of the bombs were decommissioned. Some of them may have been replaced with a more recent version including the B61-11.

It should be emphasized that in the last few years, the Pentagon has developed a more advanced version of the B61, namely the B61-12, which is slated to replace the older versions currently stored and deployed in Western Europe including Turkey.

Nuclear weapons are on the table: A trillion dollar nuclear weapons is now being contemplated by the Pentagon.

The notion of deterrence has been scrapped These so-called mini-nukes are intended to be used.

Under The Pentagons so-called Life Extension Program, the the B61 nuclear weapons are intended to remain operational until at least 2025.

Are these five countries undeclared nuclear powers?

Should we be concerned?

The number of nuclear bombs deployed is far greater than those of the DPRK, which is object of economic sanctions and war threats.

Turkey, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and Italy possess B61 nuclear bombs, deployed under national command and targeted at Russia, Iran and the Middle East.

Michel Chossudovsky, July 30, 2016, minor revisions, September 17, 2017

* * *

Europes Five Undeclared Nuclear Weapons States

by Michel Chossudovsky

Global Research

February 12, 2010

Far from making Europe safer, and far from producing a less nuclear dependent Europe, [the policy] may well end up bringing more nuclear weapons into the European continent, and frustrating some of the attempts that are being made to get multilateral nuclear disarmament, (Former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson quoted in Global Security, February 10, 2010)

Is Italy capable of delivering a thermonuclear strike? Could the Belgians and the Dutch drop hydrogen bombs on enemy targets? Germanys air force couldnt possibly be training to deliver bombs 13 times more powerful than the one that destroyed Hiroshima, could it? Nuclear bombs are stored on air-force bases in Italy, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands  and planes from each of those countries are capable of delivering them. (What to Do About Europes Secret Nukes.Time Magazine, December 2, 2009)

The Official Nuclear Weapons States

Five countries, the US, UK, France, China and Russia are considered to be nuclear weapons states (NWS), an internationally recognized status conferred by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Three other Non NPT countries (i.e. non-signatory states of the NPT) including India, Pakistan and North Korea, have recognized possessing nuclear weapons.

Israel: Undeclared Nuclear State

Israel is identified as an undeclared nuclear state. It produces and deploys nuclear warheads directed against military and civilian targets in the Middle East including Tehran. Iran There has been much hype, supported by scanty evidence, that Iran might at some future date become a nuclear weapons state. And, therefore, a pre-emptive defensive nuclear attack on Iran to annihilate its non-existent nuclear weapons program should be seriously contemplated to make the World a safer place. The mainstream media abounds with makeshift opinion on the Iran nuclear threat. But what about the five European undeclared nuclear states including Belgium, Germany, Turkey, the Netherlands and Italy. Do they constitute a threat?

Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy and Turkey: Undeclared Nuclear Weapons States

While Irans nuclear weapons capabilities are unconfirmed, the nuclear weapons capabilities of these five countries including delivery procedures are formally acknowledged. The US has supplied some 480 B61 thermonuclear bombs to five so-called non-nuclear states, including Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.

Casually disregarded by the Vienna based UN Nuclear Watchdog (IAEA), the US has actively contributed to the proliferation of nuclear weapons in Western Europe. As part of this European stockpiling, Turkey, which is a partner of the US-led coalition against Iran along with Israel, possesses some 90 thermonuclear B61 bunker buster bombs at the Incirlik nuclear air base. ( National Resources Defense Council, Nuclear Weapons in Europe , February 2005) By the recognised definition, these five countries are undeclared nuclear weapons states.

The stockpiling and deployment of tactical B61 in these five non-nuclear states are intended for targets in the Middle East. Moreover, in accordance with NATO strike plans, these thermonuclear B61 bunker buster bombs (stockpiled by the non-nuclear States) could be launched against targets in Russia or countries in the Middle East such as Syria and Iran ( quoted in National Resources Defense Council, Nuclear Weapons in Europe , February 2005)

Does this mean that Iran or Russia, which are potential targets of a nuclear attack originating from one or other of these five so-called non-nuclear states should contemplate defensive preemptive nuclear attacks against Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Turkey? The answer is no, by any stretch of the imagination.

While these undeclared nuclear states casually accuse Tehran of developing nuclear weapons, without documentary evidence, they themselves have capabilities of delivering nuclear warheads, which are targeted at Iran. To say that this is a clear case of double standards by the IAEA and the international community is a understatement.

Click to See Details and Map of Nuclear Facilities located in 5 European Non-Nuclear States

.(National Resources Defense Council, Nuclear Weapons in Europe , February 2005) The stockpiled weapons are B61 thermonuclear bombs. All the weapons are gravity bombs of the B61-3, -4, and -10 types.2 . Those estimates were based on private and public statements by a number of government sources and assumptions about the weapon storage capacity at each base

Germany: Nuclear Weapons Producer

Among the five undeclared nuclear states, Germany remains the most heavily nuclearized country with three nuclear bases (two of which are fully operational) and may store as many as 150 [B61 bunker buster ] bombs (Ibid). In accordance with NATO strike plans (mentioned above) these tactical nuclear weapons are also targeted at the Middle East. While Germany is not categorized officially as a nuclear power, it produces nuclear warheads for the French Navy. It stockpiles nuclear warheads (made in America) and it has the capabilities of delivering nuclear weapons.

Moreover, The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company  EADS , a Franco-German-Spanish joint venture, controlled by Deutsche Aerospace and the powerful Daimler Group is Europes second largest military producer, supplying .Frances M51 nuclear missile. Germany imports and deploys nuclear weapons from the US. It also produces nuclear warheads which are exported to France. Yet it is classified as a non-nuclear state.

Order Directly from Global Research

by

Michel Chossudovsky
Warner Music NashvilleChris Janson will mark the release of his sophomore album by hanging out at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Missouri natives second release, Everybody, comes out Friday, and on Saturday, hell be the subject of a Songwriter Session in the Halls Ford Theater. If you cant make it to Nashville for the free event, you can watch it online starting at 11:30 a.m. CT at CountryMusicHallOfFame.org/streaming.

Everybodys lead single, Fix a Drink, is already a top ten hit. Chris will also play Nashville's Ascend Amphitheater on Saturday night with Sam Hunt and Maren Morris, as Sam's 15 in a 30 Tour passes through Music City.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
It's Election season and our editor's mailbox is overflowing. Who do your neighbors support? Read about it here.
An 18-year-old Clatskanie man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old boy when Lewis was still a minor.

Columbia County sheriff's deputies arrested John Kenneth Lewis after receiving a report on Sept. 8 that he had assaulted a boy, who was his neighbor at the time.

According to a sheriff's office press release, the assault took place in a different part of the state.

The identities of the 6-year-old boy and his family have not been released by law enforcement, citing privacy concerns.

Lewis was arrested without incident and was taken to the Columbia County Jail in St. Helens, Oregon. He is being held on bail of $29,500.

Lewis faces charges of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree sodomy.

Investigators believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with information about the case, is asked to call the Columbia County Sheriff's Office dispatch at 503-397-1521.
Kaitlyn Senn has always been impressed by her four-year-old nieces sense of style  the young fashionista can assemble a trendy ensemble with ease.

Shes very picky, its funny to go shopping with her. I always wanted a little store for her to go shopping in as opposed to just Target, Senn said Monday.

Inspired by her niece Stella, the 30-year old recently opened a new childrens clothing boutique offering unique, trendy items for even the pickiest of young hipsters. Her new boutique, called Kait & Stella, is located inside of Posh on Commerce at 1314 in downtown Longview.

Kait & Stella sells girls clothing from infant sizes to size 14, plus boys infant clothing. In the next month, Senn will add boys clothing up to size six.

Senn aims to find fashionable items that you wont find on the shelves of big box chains.

I definitely want to stand out and be different. I want it to be somewhere people can go to get their kids or their grandkids something thats a little more special than just something from Target and Walmart, Senn said. I try to strive for good quality because I know kids wear and tear so much on their clothes.

The shop could fit naturally on a street in downtown Portland or Seattle: Floral rompers are displayed alongside striped leggings and elephant patterned onesies that look like they were torn out of a J.Crew or Anthropolgie junior catalog. Neutral tones, pastels and natural colors give the boutique a down-to-earth, modern feel that is a far cry from the loud, glitzy look of a Limited Too or Justice store.

I definitely like a more simple look, something that can be worn every day to school  I try to think, Can they wear it everywhere? Can they get more than one use out of it? Senn said.

Kait & Stella is Senns first venture into the fashion world. The Longview native moved back home almost a year ago from Bellevue, where she worked as a preschool teacher and often admired her students trendy clothes.

I loved the fashion that the little kids had. I just thought I had to bring it all back here, Senn said.

Last December she started working as a part-time employee for Posh on Commerce, and within months she and Poshs owner Michelle Philbrook developed an idea to launch a kids clothing shop.

I just came home to help my parents and kind of start a new chapter in my life, and it happened to get be in fashion. Im starting to learn that I love it, Senn said.

Although Senn is new to fashion, shes learning the ins and outs of running a retail business from Philbrook, who has extensive retail experience and was a regional buyer for Macys for 15 years. The two traveled to Los Angeles in August to meet with vendors for their respective businesses. Senn frequently goes to Portland or Seattle for vendor fairs to find and chose new items for her boutique.

Eventually, Senn said, she wants to expand her business to her own storefront where she hopes to sell kids shoes and pet accessories, too. But for now shes happy to start small, and grateful for the support shes received so far.

A lot of people thank us because they dont have to drive to Portland (for clothes), Senn said. People are really wanting to see Commerce (Avenue) come alive. We get a lot of thank yous and its good to see that support from our town.
Possession  Washington State Patrol troopers Saturday arrested Mark Keith Webster, 41, of Sacramento, Calif., on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle.

Theft  Longview police Sunday arrested Joseph James Beaudoin, 44, of Longview on suspicion of second-degree theft.

Malicious Mischief  Woodland police Sunday arrested Robert Malave Aponte, 51, of Philadelphia on suspicion of two separate malicious mischief offenses.

Possession  Cowlitz County sheriffs deputies Sunday arrested Eric Alan Johnson, 35, of Kalama on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle, possessing motor vehicle theft tools, an ignition interlock violation and first-degree driving with a suspended license.

Drugs  Longview police Monday arrested James Alexander Moore, 24, on suspicion of a felony drug offense.

Burglaries

500 block of Oak Point Road, Longview. Saturday. Shotgun, bow and arrow, TV, VCR, $2,300 in cash and a cigarette machine.

7000 block of Ocean Beach Highway, Longview. Sunday.

Vandalism/Malicious Mischief

500 block of Holcomb Road, Kelso. Saturday. Removal of garage sale signs.

1000 block of Mount Saint Helens Way, Castle Rock. Saturday. Suspect hit and kicked motorcycle.

1400 block of Dike Access Road, Woodland. Sunday. Suspect broke several items in bathroom.

Thefts

1200 block of Mount Saint Helens Way, Castle Rock. Saturday. Suspect unsuccessfully tried to break into vending machine.

800 block of Ocean Beach Highway, Longview. Saturday. Various items.

1200 block of Third Avenue, Longview. Sunday. Orange construction cones.

Vehicle Prowl

1400 block of North Second Avenue, Kelso. Friday. Garmin GPS navigation.

100 block of Fifth Avenue, Kelso. Sunday. Ignition removed from car, CD player, articles of clothing and prescription medicine.

Stolen Vehicle

3700 block of Ocean Beach Highway, Longview. Sunday. Black Nissan pickup, Washington C59327H
The Cowlitz PUD commissioners will hold a public hearing on the utilitys proposed 2.5 percent power rate increase from noon to 2 p.m. today in the utility's John Searing Auditorium on 961 12th Ave. in Longview.

A second hearing will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night, also in the PUD auditorium (an earlier version of this story failed to report the evening meeting.)

Under the proposal, the average residential customer using 1,500 kilowatt hours of power would pay an extra $3.20 more a month.

A citizens panel is recommending the commissioners approve a rate hike to cover the cost of increased wholesale power from the Bonneville Power Administration. The PUD gets 90 percent of its power from the BPA, which is raising its rates 5.4 percent starting Oct. 1. Its also decreasing its transmission rate by 0.7 percent.

PUD officials say theyre using the utilitys cash reserve account as a shock absorber to reduce the blow of BPA wholesale rate increase. The PUD would have had to raise rates about about 4.5 percent if it did not dip into cash reserves, officials said Monday.

Bonneville markets wholesale power from Columbia River hydroelectric dams to utilities throughout the region. It traditionally has been the lowest-cost provider of wholesale power in the region. Increases in recent years, some driven by the cost of protecting fish and wildlife, have made it less competitive versus other sources. The PUDs power purchase contract obligates it to buy BPA power until 2028.
Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman is redoubling her efforts to move the states May presidential primary to March, a move she says would give residents more say in electing the nations top leader.

After time off to receive treatment for a cancer diagnosis, a healthy Wyman is hitting the road to build support for her top priority for the 2018 legislative session.

In an interview with The Daily News on Monday, Wyman, a Republican, said she wants a coalition of Western states to form a primary election bloc to serve as a counterweight to the Super Tuesday primary traditionally held by about a dozen states in February or March. A majority of the Super Tuesday states are from the South, giving them what many election observers call an inordinate influence on presidential elections.

Wyman said a previous bipartisan attempt to shift Washingtons presidential primary failed because Democrats were reluctant to jettison the state partys caucus system. However, that could change after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanderss upstart campaign crushed establishment favorite Hillary Clinton by 45 points in Washington, Wyman said.

Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson is pushing a similar proposal that would move the states presidential primary forward by two months into early March. Meanwhile, California lawmakers recently voted to move the Golden States presidential primary to early March in 2020. That bill still awaits Gov. Jerry Brown's signature.

Wyman said shed love to see a western equivalent to Super Tuesday.

I would love to coordinate and do the same thing, especially if we could get a regional primary, she said. If we could all go on the same day, thats huge. Then I think well get attention from those national candidates who will actually come here and do more than just fundraise.

Wyman said party rules for presidential primaries should permit such an arrangement so long as other states dont attempt to supercede Super Tuesday.

Wymans proposal would also allow unaffiliated voters to vote in either major partys primary contests.

As the states top election official, Wyman is also asking lawmakers to grant her office the authority to remove candidates from the ballot when they have suspended their campaigns.

During the 2016 Republican presidential primary, only Donald Trump, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz were actively campaigning when it was time to print Washingtons primary ballots. However, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and neurosurgeon Ben Carson also would have appeared on the ballot despite effectively ending their bids.

According to Washington law, candidates must agree to have their names removed from a ballot. Wyman said her office contacted Rubios campaign and he readily agreed. But Carson wouldnt, so his name stayed on the ballot.

Wyman also said while the results of a recent study showed voter fraud in Washington is a minor issue, any amount of voter fraud is unacceptable.

President Trump made headlines shortly after his inauguration by claiming that more than 3 million people voted illegally nationwide. He has provided no evidence to support the claim, though Trump recently created a commission to investigate electoral fraud in last Novembers election.

A recent study revealed 74 potential cases of suspected voter fraud out of 3.36 million votes cast in Washington last fall. That would give the state a 0.002 percent rate of suspected voter fraud in the last election if those cases are confirmed.

Make no mistake, there is no acceptable level of people breaking the law and committing fraud, Wyman said. Its still 74 votes that they negated of other voters who were eligible.

That number could still seem high to those who remember Washingtons 2004 gubernatorial election, in which Democrat Christine Gregoire beat Republican Dino Rossi by 129 votes after a recount.

Three of the suspected voter fraud cases were from Cowlitz County.

According to public records, one individual allegedly voted in two different states; one individual allegedly tried to use a deceased persons identity to vote; and one person allegedly voted in two different counties. Wymans office has turned its findings over to the Cowlitz County Prosecutors Office.
Editors note: Todays editorials originally appeared in The Olympian and The Columbian. Editorial content from other publications is provided to give readers a sampling of regional and national opinion and does not necessarily reflect positions endorsed by the Editorial Board of The Daily News.

It is time to end the argument, once and for all, whether the Washington Legislature is exempt from state public records law.

Legislators claim they are exempt from the law requiring disclosure of records. Earlier this year  with a few exemptions  lawyers acting on behalf of legislators refused sweeping requests by news reporters for emails, office calendars showing whom legislators met with, and other public records.

In response, The Associated Press and other news groups in our state filed suit in Thurston County Superior Court. The lawsuit challenges the claim that a 1995 change in disclosure law shields legislative records.

Obviously we disagree with that. Lawmakers claim is at odds with the public interest  not to mention the will of Washington voters. Way back in 1972, our states voters overwhelmingly approved Initiative 276 in a bid to put sunlight on government operations.

The intent of I-276 was pretty clear: Open the books of government for public inspection. This applied to state and local government agencies, campaigns and candidates for political office. There was no specific exemption for state lawmakers and their records.

As The AP reported Tuesday, news groups asked for records this year from all 147 Washington legislators. The requests included calendars showing exactly with whom legislators met during the regular and special sessions that ran from January to June. This coalition of news groups also requested copies of text messages that were part of legislative duties.

It was not a stretch for reporters to want to know who had key lawmakers ear on critical issues. Of special interest was the communications by legislative leaders on the historic public school funding issue that was the centerpiece of the 2017 sessions. The public ought to know what lawmakers were saying to interest groups in emails.

Every taxpayer should care. Legislators ultimately provided billions of dollars in new state funding for K-12 schools in response to the landmark Supreme Court ruling in a case known as McCleary. That 2012 ruling said the state was not meeting its obligation under the Washington Constitution to fully fund basic education.

Lawyers for the House and Senate have cited the 1995 amendments to records law to support their claim the records act does not apply to legislators.

What is interesting is that House and Senate lawyers have been careful in past years not to push too hard on this claim. In fact they did comply with a number of limited records requests, while insisting at the same time they were not legally required to provide the records.

Often the House chief clerk or secretary of the Senate left it to an individual lawmaker to decide which email records to release. That approach wasnt good enough.

This shortcoming became clearer this year after news organizations asked to learn who legislators were talking to in connection with K-12 public school funding.

The wheels of justice turn slowly.

Equifax scandal stinks

There are many appalling aspects to a recently revealed data breach at consumer credit reporting giant Equifax. But the primary lesson from the scandal is the need for strong federal oversight of financial institutions.

This runs counter to the wishes of many in Congress, with Republicans arguing that consumer protections should be rolled back. In June, the House of Representatives passed the Financial CHOICE Act, which would reverse many of the provisions passed in the wake of the nations 2008 financial collapse; the Senate is working on its own version of the bill.

If members of Congress have any desire to embrace the populist agenda that helped lead to President Trumps election, if they have any concern for the public, they will recognize the importance of protecting consumers rather than promoting the wishes of Wall Street. If they have any doubt about such a need, examine the situation unfolding at Equifax.

On Sept. 8, officials announced a data breach in which the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of 143 million Americans were exposed. That leaves more than half the adults in the country at risk for identity theft. Credit information can play a role in determining who gets hired for a job, mortgage rates for home buyers, and credit card approvals.

Equifax officials discovered the breach in July, and three executives reportedly sold some of their stock before alerting the public to the hack six weeks later. That should draw intense interest from regulators and from lawmakers interested in accountability for financial institutions. In addition, Equifax initially allowed consumers to sign up for free credit monitoring  an offer that included fine print saying customers could not sue the company. That caveat generated criticism, resulting in changes to the offer as a data hack turned into a public-relations nightmare.

Equifax, along with Experian and TransUnion, is one of three major credit reporting agencies in the United States, giving it much power while being subject to little oversight. Credit reporting companies adhere to the same security rules as banks but do not face the same scrutiny. That becomes problematic when, as CNN reported, Equifax has been quietly collecting financial histories of hundreds of millions of people for decades and when the company is unable to keep that information secure.

Last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and 11 other Democratic senators introduced a bill to help consumers deal with the fallout from the breach. Credit reporting agencies like Equifax make billions of dollars collecting and selling personal data about consumers without their consent, and then make consumers pay if they want to stop the sharing of their own data, Warren said. Meanwhile, experts have recommended that consumers place a freeze on credit accounts with the three major reporting agencies.

That is a good start, but in the long run the situation should result in Congress bolstering the power of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It is essential for restoring faith in our financial system and for safeguarding the public.
Dedicated to the Restoration of Progressive Democracy
Myanmar`s Suu Kyi condemns abuses in Rakhine but rights groups skeptical

NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi condemned on Tuesday human rights violations in Rakhine state and said violators would be brought to book, but she did not address U.N. accusations of a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims.



The Nobel Peace laureates remarks came in her first address to the nation since attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents on Aug. 25 sparked a military response that has forced more than 410,000 Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh.



Western diplomats and aid officials, hoping for an unequivocal condemnation of violence and hate speech, welcomed the tone of Suu Kyis message, but some doubted if she had done enough to deflect a barrage of global criticism for Myanmar.



Human rights group Amnesty International described her speech as little more than a mix of untruths and victim-blaming, saying she and her government were burying their heads in the sand for ignoring the armys role in the violence.



We condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence. We are committed to the restoration of peace and stability and rule of law throughout the state, Suu Kyi said in her address in the capital, Naypyitaw.



Action will be taken against all people, regardless of their religion, race and political position, who go against the law of the land and violate human rights, she said.



Long feted in the West for her role as champion of democracy in the Buddhist-majority country during years of military rule and house arrest, Suu Kyi has faced growing criticism for saying little about the abuses faced by the Rohingya.



The United States urged Myanmar on Monday to end military operations, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes.



Myanmars generals remain in full charge of security and Suu Kyi did not comment on the military operation, except to say there had been no armed clashes and there have been no clearance operations since Sept. 5.



Rohingya refugees arriving in Bangladesh have told of soldiers and Buddhist civilians attacking and burning villages as recently as last Friday. It was not possible to verify their accounts.


Workshop on academic program and curriculum format at BUP

Vice Chancellor of Bangladesh University of Professionals Maj Gen Salahuddin Miaji, rcds, psc speaking at a workshop on academic program and curriculum format held at Bijoy Auditorium of its campus in Mirpur Cantonment in the capital on Sunday.

Campus Report :



Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) organized a workshop on "Academic Program And Curriculum Format In Higher Education Institutions" at Bijoy Auditorium of its campus in Mirpur Cantonment in the capital on Sunday.

Vice Chancellor of BUP Maj Gen Salahuddin Miaji, rcds, psc was present as chief guest while Director of IQAC and Dean of Office of the Evaluation, Faculty and Curriculum Development (OEFCD) Commodore Syed Misbahuddin Ahmed, (C), NUP, ndc, afwc, psc, BN presented the keynote. Associate Professor of OEFCD of BUP and Curriculum Expert Kazi K Shahidullah (PhD) also attended the workshop as resource person.

The main purpose of this workshop is to create awareness among the faculty members to update/prepare educational programme and curriculum format to keep pace with the knowledge based society.

Moreover, BUP high officials, teachers and students were also present in the workshop.
Japan deploys missile interceptor near North Korea flight path

Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor missile system (PAC3) is deployed at the Hakodate base of Japan\'s Self-Defense Forces on Tuesday in Hakodate.

AP, Tokyo :

Japan on Tuesday moved a mobile missile-defense system on the northern island of Hokkaido to a base near recent North Korean missile flyover routes.

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor unit was deployed at the Hakodate base on southern Hokkaido "as a precaution" as part of government preparations for a possible emergency.

The relocation came after a North Korean missile was test-fired last week and flew over southern Hokkaido and landed in the Pacific off the island's east coast - the second flyover in less than a month.

The PAC-3 was brought from another base in Yakumo town on Hokkaido, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Hakodate. The system has a range of about 20 kilometers (12 miles).

Four more of Japan's 34 PAC-3 units, largely used to defend the capital region, were relocated to southwestern Japan recently after North Korea warned of sending missiles toward the U.S. territory of Guam.

Japan currently has a two-step missile defense system. First, Standard Missile-3 interceptors on Aegis destroyers in the Sea of Japan would attempt to shoot down missiles mid-flight. If that fails, surface-to-air PAC-3s would try to intercept them.

Japan's Constitution, which limits the use of force to self-defense, only allows the military to shoot down missiles that are heading to Japan, or debris falling onto Japanese territory. Onodera has said a new security law passed in 2015 might allow it to shoot down a Guam-bound missile if it poses a critical security threat to Japan and its top ally, the United States.

The United States and South Korea and separately Russia together with China, carried out military drills in a show of force against North Korea, which has defied U.N. Security Council resolutions to conduct nuclear tests and ballistic missile tests.

Trump and Xi spoke on the phone days after Trump and his aides publicly discussed potential military action against North Korea. On Friday, while delivering an address at a military base outside of Washington, Trump said he was "more confident than ever that our options in addressing this threat are both effective and overwhelming."

Trump is attending the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, while Xi is not. North Korea's nuclear threat is likely to loom large on the agenda.

The two leaders also discussed Trump's coming China visit, the Xinhua News Agency said.

"Xi said China and the United States share extensive common interests and have seen sound momentum of exchanges and cooperation in various areas at present," Xinhua said.

Xi called on both sides to work closely to ensure a fruitful trip and inject new impetus into the development of Sino-U.S. relations, the report said.

"The Chinese leader said he is happy to maintain communications with the U.S. leader on a regular basis over topics of mutual concern," it said.

Trump will likely visit China in November as part of a trip that will take him to an ASEAN summit in the Philippines and an APEC summit in Vietnam.
Trump expresses his hopes for peaceful settlement to ME crisis

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shaking hands with US President Donald Trump in New York

AFP, United Nations :

US President Donald Trump again expressed his hopes for a peaceful settlement to the Middle East crisis Monday as he met Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu was the first leader to have a one-on-one with Trump at the US president's first United Nations General Assembly, an annual week of high-level diplomacy.

The conversation in New York will be dominated by talks of North Korean provocations, the Iran nuclear deal, the crisis in Syria and the debate on climate change.

But Trump was at pains to remind reporters that he has not forgotten his pledge to help negotiate an end to the long dispute between Israel and the Palestinians.

"We're going to be discussing many things; among them, peace between the Palestinians and Israel-it will be a fantastic achievement," he said, sitting with Netanyahu.

"We are giving it an absolute go. I think there's a good chance that it could happen. Most people would say there's no chance whatsoever," he said.

"I actually think with the capability of Bibi and, frankly, the other side, I really think we have a chance," he insisted.

"I think Israel would like to see it, and I think the Palestinians would like to see it. And I can tell you that the Trump administration would like to see it.

"So we're working very hard on it. We'll see what happens. Historically, people say it can't happen. I say it can happen."

Netanyahu thanked Trump for his and the United States' support for Israel, and said he wanted to focus on the Iranian threat and Tehran's growing clout in Syria.

But he also agreed to discuss the "opportunity for peace" between Israel and Palestinians and, in his preferred emphasis, "between Israel and the Arab World."

Trump is due to meet the Palestinian leader, Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday, again at the UN assembly.

The Palestinians are keen to clarify US support for a two-state solution to the stand-off with Israel, the focus of international diplomacy since at least the 1990s.

Some members of Netanyahu's government oppose such a deal, and the premier is a defender of Jewish settlement building on occupied land claimed by Palestinians.

Trump's Middle East envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior aide Jason Greenblatt have been ferrying between leaders from the two sides for months.

But Palestinian officials have become increasingly frustrated by the White House's ambivalent stance.

Trump and Netanyahu were also meeting on the day that, according to a senior Israeli officer, Israel and its US ally opened their first joint missile defense base.

The site, in southern Israel, will fly a US flag and strengthen the region's defenses, said Brigadier General Tzvika Heimowitz, head of Israeli missile defenses.
Mega development projects centering Mongla Port taken

Prof. ABM. Mosharraf Husain, Bagerhat :

Government has taken a number of mega development projects centering Mongla Sea Port in order to face the challenge of vision-2021.

By this time a number of projects were already completed while some others are ongoing position. The rest development projects are waiting for getting final approval from the authorities concerned. If all the projects are completed within the scheduled time Mongla will be the biggest sea port in the south-west region and it will be able to play an important role in exporting and importing goods.

By this time the income and handling of goods of the port increased to a great extent and surpassed all the previous records. Due to the untiring efforts of Commodore AKM Faruk Hasan, Chairman of the Port authorities the development works (of the port) are in progressing satisfactorily. But this benefit of the development of port is availing by the export-importers and all others concerned with the port. Due to the continuous development of the port and existing facilities the export-importers are now very interested to use the port.

Mongla port authorities disclosed, the present Govt. has taken extensive development projects centering Mongla Sea Port. Out of them the worth mentioning projects are - construction of 4-lane Highways and railway link from the Padma bridge to Mongla port, 4-lane Highways and rail communication from Panchagar (Banglabamdar) to Mongla port (for the transportation of goods of Nepal and Bhutan through Mongla port) and side by side the development of bridges and culverts, expansion of Mongla EPZ, founding of Special Economic Zone, completion of Khanjahan Ali air port within a short time, increasing the navigability of the river Rupsa and Mongla-Ghasikhali water channel, establishing a Marine Academy, a Technical Training Institute and a Tourist Spot at Mongla provided with all the facilities for touring the Sundarban forest, supply of gas to Mongla through the pipe lines, construction of a hanging bridge over the river Mongla in order to connect the new port area with the old port area and a flyover from Digraj to the food silo at Joymonirghol of old Mongla port, construction of a water purifying centre, founding a University, a Medical College providing with a 250 bed hospital, a shopping complex, a modern auditorium and modern fish processing centre at Mongla, construction of a mega shopping complex, an ultra modern convention cum community centre, multistoried buildings and a port based new town through PPP (Public Private Partnership). Under the development project multistoried buildings will also be constructed in the old port area in order to provide the affected traders and businessmen there. Not only that but also mills and factories will be constructed in the hinterlands of the port. 5 star hotels, a recreation centre, a wood and timber processing industry, a honey processing industry, a re-rolling steel mill and a paper mill will also be constructed in the port area under the Development Project of the Mongla Port.
Relief goods worth Tk 2 cr sent to Ukhiya Rohingya camps

Sarwaruddin with Mir Aslam, Raozan :



Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Railway and ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury MP will proceed towards Kutupalong , Ukhiya along with 200 metric tons of essential commodities worth about Tk.2 crores aimed at distributing to the Myanmar escapee Rohingya nationals .

It is learnt under the leadership of the local legislator, Raozan Upazila Awami League and its front organisation leaders and activists will accompany the lawmaker to help facilitate the distribution process of the relief goods peacefully. While contacted Upazila Nirbahi officer Shamim Hossain Reza told that lawmaker ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury will start journey towards Ukhia today morning (Wednesday) along with the relief convoy.

In the meantime all relief goods were stored at Upazila Sadar godown and later packed in poly bags for smooth distribution. The relief materials include 150 tons rice, 2 lac pcs of OR saline, 1.5 lac paracetamol tablets, 12thousand milk-power packets, 12 thousand bottles of tooth power. 5 tons lentils, one thousand tents, 10000 pcs of new clothes, 11 lakh biscuit packets, 30 thousand tea leaf packet, 24 thousand glucose D , 12thousand pcs of soap, 7 thousand bottles of mineral water, 1,028 mugs, 1025 buckets , 1028 mosquito curtains, 5 thousand household utensils, sugar and essential items. Sources said General Secretary of ruling party and Minister Obaidul Kader will remain present in the distribution program as chief guest.

This was disclosed by the lawmaker in the press conference. Among others, UNO Md Shamim Hossain Reza, Upazila AL President Kamaluddin Ahmed, Panel Mayor Jamiruddin Parvez, OC Raozan thana Kefayetullah were present in the press meet.

To procure the relief goods, people one Pourashava, 14 union parishads and students , teachers and people irrespective of opinions extended help in the programs of relief goods procurement, our Raozan correspondent sources said.

Ctg Red Crescent provides humanitarian assistance

Chittagong City Red Crescent Unit has come forward to help the people from Rakhine State of Myanmar.

Tk 3,70,000 was handed over to the National Headquarters of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society from Chittagong City Unit as a part of humanitarian assistance.

Treasurer of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society Adv Touhidur Rahman received the check of donations at the Chairman's Office of the National Headquarters yesterday morning.

Executive Committee Member of Chittagong City Unit H. M Salahuddin handed over this check. S.M Ahmad, Director of Youth and Volunteer Department of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, Social worker Muntasir Mamun and Mrs. Kashfia Kamal were also present on the occasion.

Chittagong City unit's executive committee member H.M Salahuddin stated that some philanthropic people of Chittagong under the leadership of Mr. Muntasir collected this money from their friends and relatives.

Bangladesh Red Crescent Society's Treasurer Adv Touhidur Rahman informed that Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has continued to distribute food and other essential items to Myanmar nationals who have taken shelter in Bangladesh. Free treatment is also being provided to them. The money received from the Chittagong City Unit will also be used to support the vulnerable People from Rakhine state of Myanmar.

BHMA's free medical services

A homeopathic medical team of the Chittagong Unit of Bangladesh Homeopathic Medical Association conducted two- day long free medical camp at Teknaf Kutupalang refugee camp on Friday and Saturday last.

While contacted the phsysicians of the team told that extending medicare facilities to the hapless Rohingyas is moral obligations and it is our moral duty to save the lives of the ailing refugees flee from neighbouring Myanmar.

The BHMA leaders called upon the govt, non-govt organizations and foreign aid groups to come forward to save the lives of the millions of refugees sheltered in Bangladesh .

Among others, Chief Editor of Homeo Chetona, Chairman , of Bishwajanin Shanti Sanga Principal Dr Abdul Karim, divisional govt representative of BHB Dr.Saleh Ahmed Suleman , BHMA Chittagong District Unit President Advocate Dr Samiuddin, General Secretary Dr.Md. Shamsuddin, Principal of Dr Zakir Hossain Homeo Medical College Dr.Nurul Amin and executive members of the unit were present there in the camp , BHMA sources said.


Dhaka Dynamites hand over prize jersey contest

CEO of Dhaka Dynamites Obeid Nizam (3rd from right) shaking hands with Sourav Akib (2nd from right) at the Dhaka Dynamites Headquarters in the city\'s Gulshan recently.



Dhaka Dynamites, the defending champions of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), have identified a winner of the "Design & Win" Contest, a competition conducted by the BPL team for their fans to submit a jersey design for the new season that starts on November 3rd, said a Dhaka Dynamites press release.

Participants were encouraged to submit their designs on the Dhaka Dynamites website at the end of July.

The winner, Sourav Akib, was chosen from a pool of over five hundred design submissions from fans around the world.

The prize for the winning entry was a Dhaka- Bangkok return air ticket, which was handed over to Sourav at the Dhaka Dynamites head quarter in Gulshan recently.

Dynamites CEO Obeid Nizam, expressed his gratitude to the fans for participating in the contest.

Dhaka Dynamites begin their title defense against new entrants Sylhet Sixers on November 3rd.
IEDCR to collect samples from Rohingyas to detect contagious diseases



A special medical team will be sent to the south-eastern region of the country to collect samples from Rohingya people to find out any communicable disease.

"We will send a special team today to collect samples from Rohingya people who have taken shelter at Cox's Bazar, Teknaf and Ukhia areas feeling from Rakhine state of Myanmar due to violence," said Senior Scientific Officer of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Dr ASM Alamgir while talking to BSS on Tuesday.

The team will collect samples from them to detect if any Rohingya is infected with infectious disease, he said.

"Almost all the children need treatment for malnutrition as their immune system is weak due to undernourishment," said the officer of the country's national disease monitoring arm.

The Health Ministry took the decision to send the special team to different camps in Cox's Bazar, Teknaf and Ukhia areas followingan HIV positive Rohingya refugee has been identified on Monday.

"An HIV positive Rohingya refugee has been identified at Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia and the patient has been kept in an isolated place with required treatment," he said.

"Apart from this, 32 medical teams are working to distribute 120,000 measles vaccines, 40,000 polio vaccines and 38,000 vitamin tablets provided by the government," added Dr Alamgir.

"Many Rohignyas are suffering from diarrhoea, acute respiratory throat infection, pneumonia, chronic skin disease called 'psoriasis' and fever due to intake of contaminated food and water," said the senior scientific officer.

Director General of Health Services Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad told BSS that a medical team on Monday visited different camps with a view to detecting various types of sexually-transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.

He said special arrangements would be made for pregnant women and the people, who have high blood pressure, diabetes and other long-term diseases.

According to the foreign ministry, at least 300,000 Rohingyas entered Bangladesh in the last few weeks.
Rohingya issue and security of Bangladesh

Professor Dr. Md. Iqbal Hossain :

Two reverse news published in the daily newspapers about Rohingyas, as a conscious citizen, making us human being on one hand, while fearing future security of the country. Every day, like animals, people are being killed in Arakan, Myanmar and the unclaimed bodies of people are roaming around the Naf River. As a human being, the view of the scene is astonishingly horror. Today no news is seen on TV or can not be seen on any site of social media, only the dead bodies of people especially women torture images are coming in front of us vigorously. We need to protest it.

Bangladesh has given shelter to Rohingyas due to humanitarian reasons, although Bangladesh is bearing the burden of huge population. Is Bangladesh showing wrong attitude by providing them shelter? All of us, including the world's powerful countries have just requested to open the border of Bangladesh for them. But the Burmes autocrat authorities were expostulate to protect hundreds years resident Arakani Rohingyas. Now a day's we are hearing that the reason behind supporting this genocide of Burmese government involves local and international economic relations with other countries. For the sake of business interest, the Indian Prime Minister visited Rangoon and supported the Myanmar government's Arakan policy. From the early beginning, China has been supporting Myanmar blindly. How the world is digesting and avoiding these mass killings, we are witnessing as a citizen of Bangladesh.

Another sad and horrifying aspect of the Rohingyas repression is going on in the name of Buddhism by some inhuman Buddhist although Buddhism known as a peace-loving religion in the world. They are also following the road of other religious fanatics. Although I believe these killings and Buddhism are not the same. By breaking the name of Buddhism, some Buddhist religious opportunists are carrying out these massacres for their own benefits. Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi (!) became one of the key fanatics in this ongoing genocide at Arakan against Rohingyas. Hamid Dabashi is the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University wrote in his column "There are no more villages left, none at all. The accounts of the systematic ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Myanmar, now effectively ruled by the world renowned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, are finally making it to the mainline news these days. "There are no more people left, either. It is all gone." so Aung San Suu Kyi does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize because she a person so blatantly affiliated with genocide should not carry the title "Nobel Peace Prize laureate".

Rangoon has repeatedly said that there is no headache for millions of refugees who have entered Bangladesh. Burmese are condemned because of all these inhuman behavior and activities, but they do not seem to have their shame and humanity. Persecution of women in Arakan reminds us the oppression of Pakistani invaders during liberation war in 1971. It is wondering to us, how does India and China sympathetically support the persecutor Myanmar's principle? The Myanmar government has right to take action to control the allegations of terrorist attacks in Arakan, but is this the way of controlling terrorists attacks by killing so many people, apparently genocide? The world remains silent in the face of the massacre of Rohingyas.

Bangladesh is doing much for Rohingyas but is Bangladesh accurately representing in the world's communities her stands on Rohingyas? This is highly questionable. If India and China tolerate the massacre of Myanmar for their business interests, then Bangladesh can show it's generosity to bring stability to the Seven Sisters in East India. Are the commercial interests of China and India's not in Bangladesh? I think Myanmar is planning to send hundred thousand Rohingyas in Bangladesh time to time. Suppose sending hundred thousand and returning one thousand after dialogue, rest of them are staying in Bangladesh. In this way, they have made the final decision to free Arakan from the Rohingyas.

If the Myanmar's Govt. had the intention to overthrow terrorists or the Rohingya terrorists', then they would not send such violence to the people in Bangladesh. There are many ways to get rid of terrorists. If needed, joint operation with Bangladesh could have been conducted or UN cooperation could have been taken. Then why is the genocide? These humanitarian disasters could be Myanmar's official decisions but Bangladesh is now facing socio-economic and security risk.

Many people lose their mental powers to read and see the news of this genocide in magazines and social media. Those who are concerned about Bangladesh are concerned about the present and future security and stability of this country. Density of population in Bangladesh is alarming in the survey of local and foreign organizations. It does not have the ability to carry extra pressure. For the last four decades, the human pressure on the Rohingyas has left Bangladesh out of it; but now not able to bring eight lakh refugees pressure. Britain is forced to make a difficult decision to leave the European Union without being able to take the pressure of six hundred illegal immigrants even though Great Britain is one of the largest economies in the world. The Brexit process basically started from this. In that case, Bangladesh is far behind basis of economic direction.

Rohingya crisis has created Security and environment threat in eastern part of Bangladesh and it is gradually deteriorating as per news. Humanitarian application must be protected, but in the future, the overall safety of Bangladesh is to be thought of by the administration. Rohingya's past record and behavior with the administration is not very pleasant. Many times their militant connections came in the news papers.

Many Jordanians complain that Palestinian refugees are sitting on their necks now in Jordan and they are now riding on their necks. Jordanian general said to me about that. Now news came in the newspapers that incoming Rohingya people are mixing with the whole country including Chittagong. It is not desirable in any way. I believe government will take necessary action for the the better of the country. Government should now fix a place for them by setting a specific area. There should be strict surveillance in that area so that they cannot scatter. To accommodate them, transferable tents should be arranged. Effective action will be taken to restore the mentality of children and women. The diplomacy to strengthen the international community has to be strengthened. The government will have to make more efforts to get more information about this. As India and China are our friends, I believe both of these countries in Myanmar can get the most effective results if they can work confidently.



(The writer teaches in Islamic University, Kushtia, [email protected])
Our inactive diplomacy is deplorable : We shall need armed support

IT'S almost a month since Myanmar has started to push Rohingya Muslims illegally into Bangladesh; creating a burden for an economically weaker country like ours. Our government waiting eagerly for the international power houses to act quickly and solve the problem for us. But all our so-called proven friends like India, China and Russia have taken the side of Myanmar. Decision made by Russia and India is even more shocking for us as these two countries helped us a great deal during our independence. Our government claimed that relationship with India has reached a new height during their tenure. If that is the case then why do not they help us at such a crucial stage?





It is true that we have shed a lot of blood and fought bravely for our independence but without the diplomacy of Indira Gandhi it won't have been possible as most of the world did not even recognize the crime committed by Pakistan Army and said that it was their internal problem. Diplomacy and war both should go in the favour of a nation to make them capable of surviving. During 1971, Indira travelled to USA, UK, Europe, Russia and every other place to show the world the true picture of the war crime committed by the Pakistan Army. Now we are at the same position were India was in 1971 and our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is in the place of Indira Gandhi. India had an interest in 1971 to weaken Pakistan Army for good by helping us to gain independence but now they have no interest to help us. Myanmar is a new market to sell weapons and nobody would want to take action against them. But we must solve the Rohingya problem as we cannot help them to stay in our country for too long.







Our Prime Minister repeatedly telling the world media that if we can feed 160 million people we can also feed 1 million extra people. But this is not any intelligent statement, is it? This is not a policy against forcing nearly ten lakhs of people on us by Myanmar military. Bangladesh itself is facing food crisis. The Prime Minister cannot think of any other way then how to follow the line of India. After meeting President of the United States Donald Trump she said, we cannot rely on the United States. But the Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque at a press conference gave a different version. According to him the US will be on our side.







Three Muslim countries Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia have already criticized Myanmar. Now our government must send diplomats to other countries as well to get their support. Obviously we won't get support from all of them, but we must try to get support from as many countries as possible and we have to do it quickly. If required we may need armed support as this situation may get worse.






Ex-country treatment proves doctors' commercial mentality

AN increasing number of Bangladeshi patients flock to neighbouring countries, including India, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia for 'better treatment' draining out foreign exchange, as per reports of a local daily.





Thousands of patients, including politicians, go abroad every year for even ordinary medical treatment while doctors have claimed that Bangladesh has almost all the medical facilities, health rights activists said. Patients going abroad, however, said that they lacked confidence in the healthcare providers here.





Health rights activists also blamed behavioural problems and quick profit making mentality of the health service providers for the situation. Post-treatment care is really poor in our hospitals, be that public or private.





Health economists said that the outbound medical tourism was draining out huge foreign currencies but there was no policy or mechanism for overcoming the situation. There is no national data on patients going abroad for treatment. According to Export of Health Services Survey conducted by Directorate-General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics of India, Bangladesh was the largest foreign user of India's health services exports in 2015-16.





Of the 460,000 inbound patients to Indian hospitals, more than 165,000 were from Bangladesh accounting for the highest export earnings of about $0.34 billion in 2015-16, said the survey.





It said that average earning per patient was $2,084 from Bangladeshi patients, the second highest next to $2,906 from Pakistani patients. Dhaka University Health Economics Professor Syed Abdul Hamid termed the outbound medical tourism as just importing services in exchange of foreign currencies.





There are about 100 offices or agencies of foreign hospitals only in Dhaka and each of them sends 10-15 patients every day to those countries, said Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Idrisi of International Business Centre for Medical Tourism, an agency that sends patients to hospitals in Delhi, Chennai and Bangkok.





One of the reasons for patients flocking abroad was inadequate health facilities in the country as only few hospitals or institutes could provide tertiary-level treatment. Another reason is that doctors in Bangladesh were less communicative and often blamed for commercial behaviour with the patients. However, the prevalence of the idea that doctors in general are not to be trusted must have a certain root in the reasoning. Many people have heard of cases of medical malpractices by doctors here, especially when major treatment is required, and so the impetus for going abroad gains further momentum.





There is no single way this will change. Until some of our doctors think of our patients as human beings and not cash cows, until they strive to continually improve themselves and take required levels of training, until they communicate easily and effectively, our countrymen will not trust them. Anyone who has even remotely the financial ability will take their patients outside the country. Its not that we have excellent doctors, but they are so few, and see so many patients, that their good work remains unrecognized.
Atrocity on Rohingyas barbaric: Amartya Sen



Nobel laureate Prof Amartya Sen and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales have offered to be signatories to the open letter written by Nobel peace laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus to the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) calling for an intervention to end the human crisis in the Rakhine state of Myanmar.

In a letter to Yunus Centre on Tuesday, Amartya Sen expressed his willingness to add his name to the list of signatories to the open letter, said a Yunus Centre release.

Prof Sen wrote to Prof Yunus that he does not usually add his name to joint statements but the 'the atrocity in Burma on the Rohingyas is so intolerably - and so uniquely - barbaric that I have to sign the letter' and requested to add his name urgently to the list, it added.

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales also wrote to the Yunus Centre that he is proud to add his name to the list.

Arif Naqvi, a Middle East-based business leader and philanthropist, also requested to add his name to the letter. The open letter to the UNSC signed by Nobel laureates and global eminent citizens was sent on September 13. With the addition of new three names, the number of signatories to it stands at 36, including 13 Nobel laureates.

In the letter, Dr Yunus said the human tragedy and crimes against humanity have taken a dangerous turn in the Arakan region of Myanmar. It needs your (UNSC) immediate intervention.
Satellite image shows mass destruction: HRW

214 villages totally destroyed in Rakhine State

Amid heavy downpour and strong wind Rohingya refugees from Myanmar continued to pour into Bangladesh through Naf River and different border points. This photo was taken from Majhipara border point at Shahparir Dwip in Teknaf Upazila of Coxas Bazar

Staff Reporter :

New analysis of satellite image from Myanmar's Rakhine State shows the near total destruction of 214 villages, Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday said.

"These images provide shocking evidence of massive destruction in an apparent attempt by Burmese security forces to prevent the Rohingya from returning to their villages," said Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director at HRW

The detailed satellite images, made possible due to a clearing of monsoon cloud on September 16, 2017, revealed destruction from burning much greater than previously known.

They show the destruction of ten of thousands of homes across Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships, part of the Burmese security forces' campaign of ethnic cleansing that has forced over 400,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

New maps of the damage show near total destruction of the 214 villages seen in satellite imagery analyzed by HRW, with more than 90 percent of the structures in each village damaged.

The images corroborate accounts gathered by Human Right Watch from refugees who have described arson, killing, and looting by the Burmese military, police, and ethnic Rakhine mobs.

"World leaders meeting in the UN should act to end this mounting crisis and show Burma's military leaders they will pay a price for such atrocities," Phil Robertson said.

World leaders meeting in the United Nations should urgently adopt a General Assembly resolution condemning the Myanmar military's ethnic cleansing, while the UN Security Council should impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo.

Ethnic Rohingya Muslims fleeing security forces in Myanmar's Rakhine State have described killings, shelling, and arson in their villages that have all the hallmarks of a campaign of "ethnic cleansing."

"While Aung San Suu Kyi may not have the power or authority to rein in the Myanmar military, she can speak out and also ensure that the UN Fact-Finding Mission is able to enter Burma," Robertson said.

"Concerned governments should not wait for her to act. They should impose targeted sanctions on those most responsible for the terrible atrocities taking place."


Rice price to go down

Staff Reporter :

The country's businessmen have said that the rice price will go down by Tk two to three in the next few days.

They said this after a meeting with the government on Tuesday at the food ministry.

The business leaders and the government reached a consensus over the issue in the meeting.

According to the business leaders, the government agreed to allow use of plastic bags and to help quicken release of rice-carrying trucks stuck at land ports.

Rice Millers Association General Secretary AKM Layek Ali said that the government accepted their demands. "The rice price will go down by Tk 2-3 in the next few days."

At the beginning of the meeting, the ministers called upon the traders and rice mill owners to extend their cooperation to the government by bringing down price of rice within purchasing capacity of people.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury and Food Minister Qamrul Islam came up with the call equivocally during the meeting held with traders at secretariat.

It will not be wise to increase rice price by creating artificial crisis in the market and the traders should help the government by bringing down the price of rice, they said. In the meeting, Tofail Ahmed said that a rumour that India has stopped exporting rice to Bangladesh has increased the price of rice.

"It is evident that the price of rice must be reduced," Tofail said urging the rice traders not to plunge the people into troubles by creating artificial crisis in the market for extra profit illegally.

Expressing grave concern over the skyrocketing price spiral of rice, Qamrul Islam said such type of crisis has been created for the first time in the country's history. "There is no shortage of rice in the country. Then why did the price of rice go up," Qamrul asked the rice traders.

"It is nothing but an artificial crisis," Qamrul said pointing finger at the traders.

The rice traders denied the allegation by presenting several causes behind the hike of rice price in the market. They also placed some demands including use of plastic sacks instead of jute one to import rice for at least three months.

At one point, Bangladesh Auto-Major and Husking Mill Owners Association President Abdur Rashid assured the government that they will try their level best to bring down the rice price immediately.
Suu Kyi tries to deceive international community: Rohingya leader

A member of the Rohingya community who campaigns for the rights of the Burmese ethnic group in Europe has rejected de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi's speech, saying she tried to 'deceive' the international community.

She presented 'factually and verifiably wrong information', Ibrahim Mohamed, founder of the European Rohingya Council or ERC, told bdnews24.com after her speech.

Suu Kyi made her first speech since attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents on Aug 25 sparked a military response that drove over 410,000 Rohingya into neighbouring Bangladesh on Tuesday and condemned any human rights violations in Rakhine State.

The Nobel peace laureate also said her country is ready to welcome back refugees who have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh after verification.

The Bangladesh government has yet to make any official comments on her address, but a senior official at the foreign ministry told bdnews24.com that Dhaka had long been pressing Myanmar on the 'joint verification' of the Rohingyas who have lived in Cox's Bazar for decades.

Myanmar took back 236,599 Rohingyas to their homeland through a bilateral agreement in 1992 when they recognised them as 'members of Myanmar society'. About 2,500 verified refugees remained behind in the camps, but Myanmar has yet to take them back.

European Rohingya Council founder Ibrahim Mohamed.

European Rohingya Council founder Ibrahim Mohamed.

Ibrahim Mohamed said: "As we expected, Aung San Su Kyi tried to deceive the international community with factually and verifiably wrong information."

"First of all she covers for the military and other security forces who have been committing genocide. She acts as a shield. She did not condemn the security forces. Instead she blamed Rohingyas," he explained.
Suu Kyi hides abuses by army

Says Rohingyas in BD will be able to return after a process of verification

Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said her government does not fear "international scrutiny" of its handling of the growing Rohingya crisis.

It was her first address to the country about the violence in northern Rakhine state that has seen more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims cross into Bangladesh.

Ms Suu Kyi has faced heavy criticism for her response to the crisis.

She said there had been no "clearance operations" for two weeks.

In her speech in English to Myanmar's parliament, Aung San Suu Kyi said she felt "deeply" for the suffering of "all people" in the conflict, and that Myanmar was "committed to a sustainable solution for all communities in this state".

Ms Suu Kyi, who has decided not to attend the UN General Assembly in New York later this week, said she nevertheless wanted the international community to know what was being done by her government.

Hours after her speech, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva called for full access to the region so it can investigate the situation "with its own eyes".

What is the crisis about?

Rakhine has faced unrest and sporadic violence for years, but the current crisis began in August with an armed attack on police posts which killed 12 people.

That was blamed on a newly emerged militant group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa).

The Rohingya, a mostly Muslim minority, are denied citizenship and equal opportunities by the Myanmar government, which says they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. They are largely despised by the wider Burmese majority-Buddhist population. The attack lead to a massive security crackdown by the military, which the UN's human rights chief later said seemed like a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".

Rohingya Muslims started leaving in vast numbers, crossing into Bangladesh with tales of their villages being burned and saying they were facing persecution at the hands of the military. Thousands of Rohingya had already fled to Bangladesh in recent years.

Media captionRohingya Muslims had to decide what to bring and what to leave.

Access is restricted to the area, but on a government-controlled trip for journalists the BBC found reason to question the official narrative that Muslims were setting fire to their own villages.

The Myanmar government does not use the term Rohingya - calling the group Bengali Muslims instead - and Ms Suu Kyi did not do so in her speech.

Delivering her address in a tone of measured defiance, she said she and her government "condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence".

She did not address allegations against the military, saying only that there had been "no armed clashes or clearance operations" since 5 September.

She said most Muslims had decided to stay in Rakhine and that indicated the situation may not be so severe.

She said she wanted to speak to both Muslims who had fled and those who had stayed to find out what was at the root of the crisis.

She said the government had made efforts in recent years to improve living conditions for the Muslims living in Rakhine: providing healthcare, education and infrastructure.

She also said that all refugees in Bangladesh would be able to return after a process of verification.

Ms Suu Kyi has overwhelming support in her home country, where she was a political prisoner for years before coming to power.

But her speech has been criticised internationally for failing to address the allegations of abuse by the military.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, who is in neighbouring Bangladesh, disputed the claim that there had been no clearance operations since 5 September, pointing out that he had seen villages being burned days after that date.

Amnesty International said Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was "burying her head in the sand" by ignoring the abuses by the army.

"At times, her speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming," the rights group's director for South East Asia and the Pacific, James Gomes, said in a statement.

Aung San Suu Kyi is either completely out of touch or wilfully blind to the realities of what her army is up to.

It is simply not credible to say we don't know why more than 400,000 Rohingya have fled. The evidence is being gathered every day in the testimony of refugees.

There were other moments that raised eyebrows. Like when she presented as good news the fact that more than half the Muslims in Rakhine haven't fled. Or when she said that there had been no clashes in Rakhine for the last two weeks.

To say as she did that "all people in Rakhine state have access to education and healthcare without discrimination" is simply wrong.

The Rohingya, particularly those in camps around Sittwe, have long been denied access to the most basic services, in particular healthcare.

While Ms Suu Kyi is the de facto head of the government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, it is the military which holds real power in Rakhine state as it is in charge of internal security.

The Burmese military says its operations in the northern Rakhine state are aimed at rooting out militants, and has repeatedly denied targeting civilians.

Ms Suu Kyi has previously said the narrative was being distorted by a "huge iceberg of misinformation" and said tensions were being fanned by fake news promoting the interests of terrorist.
BD expects no help from Trump: Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is seen talking to US President Donald Trump during the opening session of the 72nd United Nationsa General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York on Monday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) :

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday about Rohingya Muslims flooding into her country from Myanmar, but she expects no help from him as he has made clear how he feels about refugees.

As Trump left an event he hosted at the United Nations on reforming the world body, Hasina said she stopped him for a few minutes. "He just asked how is Bangladesh? I said 'it's doing very well, but the only problem that we have is the refugees from Myanmar," Hasina told Reuters in an interview. "But he didn't make any comment about refugees."

A Myanmar military response to insurgent attacks last month in the country's Rakhine state sent more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded as ethnic cleansing.

The Myanmar government says about 400 people have been killed in the fighting.

Hasina, who is due to address the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, said Trump's stance on refugees was clear, so it was not worth asking him for help with the Rohingya Muslim refugees.

"Already America declared that they will not allow any refugees," she said. "What I can expect from them, and especially (the) president. He already declared his mind ... so why I should ask?"

"Bangladesh is not a rich country ... but if we can feed 160 million people, another 500 or 700,000 people, we can do it."

A senior White House official was unaware of the exchange but said Trump was deeply interested in the subject and that "he would definitely engage if it were brought up."

Shortly after taking office in January, Trump tried to put a 120-day halt on the U.S. refugee program, bar Syrian refugees indefinitely and impose a 90-day suspension on people from six predominantly Muslim countries.

"The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!" Trump said on Twitter on Friday.

Trump says the move is needed to prevent terrorist attacks and allow the government to put in place more stringent vetting procedures. There is a key Supreme Court hearing next month on the constitutionality of his executive order on the ban.

About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Trump assures US support to BD

Badrul Ahsan from New York :

The US President, Donald Trump, has assured Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of his country's all out supports on the Rohingya issue while talking on the sidelines of a high level meeting on UN reforms on Monday.

"During the sidelines conversations of the high level meeting, Trump raised the Rohingya issue and gave the assurance of his country's support to Bangladesh," Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, Ihsanul Karim, disclosed this at a press briefing at Hotel Grand in New York on Monday night.

He said the US President also enquired about the current state of Bangladesh economy when Sheikh Hasina said it was progressing well.

Referring to the conversation at the UN headquarters, Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque said, "President Trump said the United States will stand beside Bangladesh on Rohingya issue."

Bangladesh is now reeling on a disastrous situation after exodus of over 400,000 Myanmar nationals of Rohingya ethnicity since August 25 when the Burmese army launched an anti-Rohingya clampdown.

Previously, Bangladesh also accommodated another 400,000 of them for years as they fled their home to evade atrocities there.

Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also reiterated New Delhi's assurance to remain beside Bangladesh on every issue, including the Rohingya one, and extend help to resolve the crisis.

The foreign secretary said that Sushma Swaraj informed the Bangladesh premier that she would visit Dhaka on October 23-24 to attend a Joint Commission meeting.

Earlier, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi also made a courtesy on Sheikh Hasina at the UN Headquarters.

The UN refugee agency wants to help Bangladesh resolve the Rohingya problem, he said, adding he also planned to visit Bangladesh to observe the situation on the ground.

Sheikh Hasina said all UN agencies are welcome to work with her government in handling the issue but Bangladesh would exclusively carry out the task of the registration of displaced Myanmar nationals who took refuge in the country.


Checking intensified to stop spread of refugees

Amid escalating concern that the Rohingyas might spread out across the country, cops setup check-posts at different places of country including capital Dhaka. This photo was taken from the city\'s Tikatuli area on Tuesday.

Staff Reporter :

Amid escalating concern, the police have intensified checking vehicles to prevent Rohingya refugees from spreading to other districts in an attempt to control the situation.

Top brass of police has also instructed its members to remain alert and take every possible measure in this regard, officials said on Tuesday.

Earlier on September 10, the police headquarters issued directives to the Superintendents of Police in Cox's Bazar, Bandarban and Chittagong, additional inspector general of Special Branch, Director General of Rapid Action Battalion and Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police to take necessary measures to stop spread of Rohingyas.

The officials concerned, including three SPs, have especially been asked to intensify surveillance on road, water and airways so that the Rohingya refugees cannot move from Cox's Bazar to country's other parts.

They have also been asked to update the list of the refugees and remain alert to ensure that Rohingya women do not fall victim to sexual harassment. Besides, the police were asked to intensify vigilance as none of the Rohingyas could get involved in smuggling or other crimes.

As per directives, seven check-posts have been set up in different strategic points of Cox's Bazar surrounding the Rohingya camp.

Earlier, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the government has alerted the law enforcement agencies to remain alert in this regard.

Officials said the government has a plan to introduce special identity cards for the new Rohingyas. But, the refugees will have to go through a registration process for obtaining the special ID cards.

They also said twenty-seven police check-posts will be set up at different places of the division, including Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari, to halt their spread. The detained Rohingyas will be sent to a temporary shelter at Balukhali in Ukhiya upazila.

Meanwhile, the refugee camps have already been beyond capacity and new arrivals were staying in schools or huddling in makeshift settlements with no toilets along roadsides and in open fields.

The refugees began pouring from Myanmar's Rakhine State after a Rohingya insurgent group launched attacks on security posts Aug. 25, prompting Myanmar's military to launch "clearance operations" to root out the rebels.
Rohingya Muslims being wiped off Myanmar`s map

AP :

For generations, Rohingya Muslims have called Myanmar home. Now, in what appears to be a systematic purge, they are, quite literally, being wiped off the map.

After a series of attacks by Muslim militants last month, security forces and allied mobs retaliated by burning down thousands of homes in the enclaves of the predominantly Buddhist nation where the Rohingya live.

That has sent some 417,000 people fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh, according to U.N. estimates. There they have joined tens of thousands of others who have fled over the past year.

And they are still leaving, piling into wooden boats that take them to sprawling, monsoon-drenched refugee camps in Bangladesh. Their plight has been decried as ethnic cleansing by U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and few believe they will ever be welcomed back to Myanmar.

"This is the worst crisis in Rohingya history," said Chris Lewa, founder of the Arakan Project, which works to improve conditions for the ethnic minority, citing the monumental size and speed of the exodus. "Security forces have been burning villages one by one, in a very systematic way. And it's still ongoing."

Using a network of monitors, Lewa and her agency are meticulously documenting tracts of villages that have been partially or completely burned down in three townships in northern Rakhine state, where the vast majority of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya once lived. It's a painstaking task because there are hundreds of them, and information is almost impossible to verify because the army has blocked access to the area. Satellite imagery released by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, limited at times because of heavy cloud coverage, shows massive swaths of scorched landscape.

The Arakan Project has found that almost every tract of villages in Maungdaw township suffered some burning, and that all of Maungdaw has been almost completely abandoned by Rohingya.

Of the 21 Rohingya villages in Rathedaung, to the north, only five were not targeted. Three camps for Rohingya who were displaced in communal riots five years ago also were torched.

Buthidaung, to the east, so far has been largely spared. It is the only township where security operations appear limited to areas where attacks by Rohingya militants, which triggered the ongoing crackdown, occurred.

The Rohingya have had a long and troubled history in Myanmar, where many in the country's 60 million people look on them with disdain.

Though members of the ethnic minority first arrived generations ago, they were stripped of their citizenship in 1982, denying them almost all rights and rendering them stateless. They cannot travel freely, practice their religion, or work as teachers or doctors, and they have little access to medical care, food or education.

The U.N. has labeled the Rohingya one of the world's most persecuted religious minorities.

Still, if it weren't for their safety, many would rather live in Myanmar than be forced to another country that doesn't want them.

"Now we can't even buy plastic to make a shelter," said 32-year-old Kefayet Ullah of the camp in Bangladesh where he and his family are struggling to get from one day to the next.

In Rakhine, they had land for farming and a small shop. Now they have nothing.

"Our heart is crying for our home," he said, tears streaming down his face. "Even the father of my grandfather was born in Myanmar."

This is not the first time the Rohingya have fled en masse.

Hundreds of thousands left in 1978 and again in the early 1990s, fleeing military and government oppression, though policies were later put in place that allowed many to return. Communal violence in 2012, as the country was transitioning from a half-century of dictatorship to democracy, sent another 100,000 fleeing by boat. Some 120,000 remain trapped in camps under apartheid-like conditions outside Rakhine's capital, Sittwe.

But no exodus has been as massive and swift as the one taking place now.

The military crackdown came in retaliation for a series of coordinated attacks by Rohingya militants led by Attaullah Abu Ammar Jununi, who was born in Pakistan and raised in Saudi Arabia.
Huge foods being wasted

Refugees suffering from shortages of relief

Reza Mahmud from Cox's Bazar :

A large quantity of foods for Rohingya refugees is being wasted in government storages due to mismanagement and manpower shortage.

As a result, the refuges are being deprived of sufficient foods, aid workers said

"A large quantity of foods received from individuals and voluntary organisations are being rotten and wasted in government storages in Teknaf, Ukhiya and Cox's Bazar as the local administration has not sufficient manpower to distribute those among the refugees in time," said Ahmed Monir, a local volunteer at Unsiprang temporary Rohingya camp in Teknaf.

The Unsiprang temporary camp, now home for more than one lakh refugees, was established on the Eid-ul-Azha day.

On the other hand, Monir said, the refugees in different camps and shelters centre are also sufferings due to shortages of food and other relief items.

Foods like, apple, orange, bananas, puffed rice, chira, rice and sugar were also being wasted due to storages of godowns using to keep those after collecting from the volunteers, witnesses said.

"The fruits are naturally perishable. But the dry foods like rice, puffed rice, chira, pulses, chanachur and sugar are being wasted due to dumping for long and keeping in unsecured temporary places," said another volunteer preferring anonymity.

During a spot visit at Unsiprang, Thaingkhali, Kutupalong and Balukhali refugee camps and roadside makeshift shelters in different areas, this correspondent found that most of the Rohingya people were hungry due to lack of foods.

The refugees are mostly relying on relief donated by various voluntary organisations. Only a few of the people admitted that they got relief from the administration.

When contacted, the Additional District Magistrate Khalid Mahmud of Cox's Bazar avoided answering about the food wastage.

He added: "I am suffering from fever and failed to answer your question. Please, contact with our Deputy Commissioner."

However, the Deputy Commissioner could not be contacted despite several attempts.

Sources said, tonnes of foods and other relief materials are being brought in the areas by different voluntary organizations and individuals every day.

But the relief operations are being done in an unorganized manner since the district administration failed to make the much needed coordination among the aide agencies and voluntary organisations. As a result, all refugees are not being covered by their programme.




Suu Kyi still burying her head in the sand

Reacting to the speech by Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's State Counsellor and de facto leader, on September 19 on the crisis in Rakhine State, Amnesty International said she and her government are still burying their heads in the sand.





The human rights body's reaction came after the Nobel Peace Prize winner made a long awaited address to the nation for the first time since the attacks by Rohingya insurgents on August 25 sparking a military response that has forced to flee more than 410,000 Rohingyas to neighbouring Bangladesh. But she was in denial of the crisis created for Rohingyas. She did not even mention the name Rohingyas. She said the situation has to be examined. A BBC correspondent commented that her speech could have been a script written by the military in Myanmar. The international agencies and human rights groups were highly critical of her. The United Nations has earlier branded the military operation in the Western state of Myanmar as ethnic cleansing. Aung San Suu Kyi did not address that accusation but said her government was committed to the rule of law.





The government of Myanmar should address the entrenched discrimination that has left the Rohingyas trapped in a cycle of abuse and deprivation for decades. Forcing thousands to flee due to the actions of a misguided few is not the way a government should behave. But it is exactly what the military junta in Myanmar are doing.





Why can't Suu Kyi see the situation on the ground for herself? When even the BBC has shown that entire villages are being burned by Buddhists working secretly at the behest of the police, when numerous refugees speak of the horrors of rape and death inflicted on them by a trigger happy army who are too intent on killing their own people, why then, one may ask, is Suu Kyi silent. Does she not have the power to condemn those who are doing the killings? Why can't she censure the security forces who are conducting such search and destroy operations?





Clearly, she values her relations with the army too highly to think of the Rohingya -- after all, they are not the majority in Burma. Since the Burman, who are Burma's majority people, are not affected, why should anyone bother? This attitude of Suu Kyi smack of a desperate attempt at appeasement -- her words indicate that her chief priority is her relations with the army, and the pogrom is secondary.





This obviously raises questions about the quality of leadership she seeks to bring, but also that the political game in Myanmar is worth the sacrifice of an entire community. The US has dispatched an envoy to Myanmar to express its "grave concern" with the violence in Rakhine, a US State Department official told AFP. Patrick Murphy, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia, will meet with government leaders and travel to the state capital of Rakhine but not the conflict zone further north, the official said. The US was a key partner in pushing along Myanmar's democratic transition, which saw the army step down from 50 years of brutal junta rule and allow the free elections in 2015 that swept Suu Kyi into office. But will there be any tangible result -- it remains to be seen.





It is most disappointing to see that we have no leadership and the Prime Minister is not anxious not to seek support of the Western countries. She is not hopeful about US help. Although the Foreign Secretary said the opposite supporting America's cooperation. But she is not feeling betrayed by India, China or Russia who she considered her government's most trusted and tested friends. We must learn to think independently as an independent country.




Brad Barket/Getty ImagesAzealia Banks isn't shy about offering her opinion on, well, anything...and this time she's doling out some business advice to Lil Uzi Vert.

The "Chasing Time" rapper tweeted at Lil Uzi, "Nooooo uzi. Marilyn is played out!! PICK TRENT REZNOR INSTEADD!! @LILUZVERT!!!!!"

The "Marilyn" in Banks' tweet refers to rock superstar Marilyn Manson, who told Consequence of Sound last week about his plan to work on Uzi's next album.

Lil Uzi, on the other hand, took Azealia's plea with a grain of salt.

According to the blog That Grape Juice, he referred to her -- in a now-deleted tweet -- as someone who was "never in fashion,"

Uzi then claimed his comment wasn't a diss, saying in another deleted tweet, "Relaaaaaaax just was playing i get bored 2."

Meanwhile, Azealia continued to give Uzi Vert even more Twitter advice.

"Marilyn Manson is like an old white weirdo lol," she says.

"I get what your [sic] going for aesthetically. But all that rape culture [his] generation Represents is super creepy. You don't need to align urself with rapey old white bros to get rock."

She ended her thoughts to Lil Uzi with the message, "Just my two cents. Congrats on all your success and new music. I love what you're doing. Peace xx."

Azealia Banks is gearing up for her first North American tour in two years. Tickets are on sale now via azealiabanks.com.

Meanwhile, Lil Uzi Vert's debut album, Luv is Rage 2, falls one notch this week to #2 on the Billboard 200.

It debuted at number one following its August 25 release.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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.
Human nature is such that there comes a point in life where each of us begins to consider our legacy  what we have done that makes a difference or what we need to do to leave things better than they were.

For Carbondales Darrell Bryant, the realization was that it was time to support the things that are important to him.

Im at the age where I am beginning to think about what Ive accomplished and about my legacy, Bryant, 57, said. Its something Ive been doing. What can I do? What can I give back? Where can I make an impact? I dont think you think about it when you are younger, but at some point you begin to think about what people will say when youre gone.

Bryants been looking out for others most of his life. Born in Carrier Mills, he moved to Carbondale in 1980 where he studied finance at Southern Illinois University and worked in banking. After four years in retail, he decided to return to school and study respiratory therapy.

Thats how I got into medicine, he says.

First, he worked as a respiratory therapist at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. About 17 years ago, he was named a department manager for Southern Illinois Healthcare, using both his medical experience and his business degree. When the SIH Medical Group was formed in 2007, he was at the helm. Today, he is Chief Operating Officer, supervising medical care from more than 270 providers.

I oversee all of the providers and directors, handling day-to-day operations and all that entails  form patient experiences to financial areas to contracts with the providers, he said.

Bryant says his varied experiences benefit him daily. Ive had a lot of experience from the hospital size, the bedside, too. For me, it has been a privilege to serve patients and now to serve those who take care of patients.

During his 30-plus years as a resident of Carbondale, Bryant says he has often enjoyed and appreciated the arts offered in the community and that is one of the places where he has chosen to give back. As a member of the Friends of McLeod Summer Playhouse, he says he wants to continue to see the summer theatrical offerings.

Whats different about McLeod is that it is professional theater, he said. Actors love coming to Carbondale to be part of McLeod Summer Playhouse and we are known nationwide. Professional theater gives us all a taste of a larger city. You see some things like youd see at the Fox Theater right here in Carbondale.

He says the Friends of McLeod Summer Playhouse works to ensure performances continue and he serves on the board for the organization, overseeing Singing With the Stars, an annual event that features local business people and dignitaries singing in a friendly competition.

Its our only fundraiser and weve doubled attendance for that event, he said.

Bryant also recently joined the board of Carbondale Community Arts.

Im looking to further my involvement there. Im getting to know the organization and ways that I can be of service there. I believe in CCAs mission of celebrating creativity and encouraging cultural opportunities for youth and adults throughout the region.

Based upon his work with McLeod, Bryant anticipates hell be helping raise funds.

Ive never thought of myself as a fundraiser for not-for-profits, but I guess I am a quiet fundraiser by getting people involved who later turn into contributors. Im going to be involved. The arts in Carbondale are something that Im passionate about. I think it distinguishes us from other communities.

He said he wants to help because arts-based organizations need it.

Groups like this are struggling and it seems that funds are drying up for everyone. We cant count on state or government assistance for the future, so we have to help, he said. I am at the time of my life when it is time for me to start giving something back and doing something for the organizations that I have enjoyed for so long. It is something I care about, so its easy to do.

Giving back and leading others to giving is something Bryant says he will continue for years to come as he continues to consider a legacy.
Jon Daveys office on the upper floor of Southern Illinois Universitys Quigley Hall is an eclectic place. Bookcases line one wall, complete with books are architecture and design, sometimes double-parked on the shelves. Certificates, plaques and photos line the opposite wall commemorating trips to Europe, his service in the military and in recognition of honors for teaching excellence and public service. A number of tables are pushed together along with a desk, a sort of depository for papers, books and files and even a few Lego building blocks, all relating to the classes he teaches, the camps he leads and countless community projects. The window overlooks some of SIUs oldest and most distinguished buildings.

Its a perfect office for the 65-year-old Davey.

Its been a long journey to this place, but in talking to him, you get the idea that he wouldnt have had it any other way.

The son of a minister, Davey says he developed a nose for adventure and a willingness to try things at an early age. He says that spirit was enhanced by frequent moves as a child.

I went to six different grade schools, he said. Wed get to a new town, mom would rip the map out of the phone book and give it to me and my two brothers and say, see you guys at supper. I got really use to exploring and traveling.

Eventually, the family moved to Mount Vernon, where Davey went to high school and then studied at Rend Lake College before duty called.

I didnt have any political friends and I got drafted, he said. I didnt have to go to Vietnam; I ended up going to Berlin. I hated the military because it confined my spirit. I loved the military because it gave me so many opportunities. It really was a great time.

After discharge, Davey returned to Southern Illinois and began studying architecture.

Architecture was something I always wanted to do. In fact, I remember vividly a dream one night where all of my architecture tools (the skills necessary) were given to me, he said.

He earned a bachelors degree from SIU in architecture  what would eventually be the first of five degrees he earned from the institution. A post-graduation extended trip back to Europe resulted in lots of slides of buildings throughout the continent.

I came back and called anyone I could think of and said that Id come give a presentation. I guy named LeRoy Dawson had me give a lecture at SIU and when I was done, he told me that I should apply to teach because, I had the gift for teaching. I was invited to teach in 1981 as the first SIU architecture graduate to be invited back to teach, first as a visiting lecturer, progressing up the academic ladder. Hes now been a full-time faculty member for more than 35 years, earning the departments teacher of the year award five times.

Over the years, Davey has frequently asked his students why they have chosen to study architecture. Often the responses have perplexed him  and led him to a new venture.

Theyd say to me, Dad says I can draw, or Mom says I can pick out colors. Thats not a reason to choose architecture or interior design so I thought I would do a camp, he said.

Davey said he threw together the first summer Kids Architecture Camp at SIU.

I had 35 students the first year and remember, I never had taught grade school kids in my entire life. I knew nothing about discipline, he said.

Davey said with the camp he was able to take a new approach to teaching architecture.

Up to that point, schools of architecture were not very hands-on, but I wanted that. I wanted the kids to touch concrete, so I got a concrete truck to come to campus. I wanted to take what we teach in four years at the University and teach it to kids in one week.

He says the camp, now it its 26th year, is about more than buildings and design.

I look for teachable moments, he said. We talk about life, about philosophy, about anything.

He obviously has been successful with it. Hes seeing second-generation campers and many camp alumni are now practicing architects. Many other former campers come back to teach at the camp.

The same is true for Daveys other summer project, Lego camps.

The Lego thing is another story, he concedes. I dont like Legos; its not my foray, but kids and parents like it. It helps kids learn processes and again, its about teachable moments.

Davey leads architecture-focused trips abroad, assists with the renovations of Carbondales R. Buckminster Fuller Dome and is finishing a book on kids architecture. He says it can be a catalyst for learning about more than design.
For someone who spent her career in the United States Navy  a branch of the armed services that deals mainly with ships  airplanes have had a lot to do with the life of retired Vice Adm. Nancy Brown.

First, there was the way that the Marion native chose a college.

I always knew I wanted to go to college. Im not sure why, said Brown, 65. I guess my parents instilled that desire in me. When I got ready to make the decision, my dad said I could life at home and go to SIU or I could go to Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. I went to Stephens and graduated in three years.

How she got to Stephens involved an airplane.

My dad was a pilot, a very early aviation pioneer. He was one of the original American Airlines pilots and he owned his own plane when he was young, she said. I dont know if it was true or not, but he used to tell the story that one day he had engine problems and he had to land in this open field. There, sitting on the fence was a young woman in English riding attire and with her horse. He found out that she went to Stephens College and he was always so impressed by that he said if he had a daughter, he wanted her to go to Stephens.

Brown says she always knew she wanted to go to college, but nearing the end of her studies in American history, it dawned on her that she had never considered life after college. Armed with a teaching certificate, she returned to Marion to look for a job. Trouble was, lots of other new graduates returned, too, and teaching jobs were hard to find.

I was pretty depressed. One day my dad said to me, Why dont you join the Navy? and the reason he picked the Navy was he thought they had the best food, she said.

She said she convinced a recruiter to let her enlist and was chosen for Officer Candidate School.

I packed up my little car and headed to Newport, Rhode Island, she said. At that point, I dont even think I knew that the Navy had ships.

Brown considers herself fortunate to get into communications for the Navy  working with radio contact, radar and satellite transmissions.

I wanted to be as close to the action as I possibly could, and this was as close to an operational environment as you go get because at the time women couldnt go on the ships.

Communications was a good fit for her. In fact, after Brown was given command of a communications station, the Navy also decided that it should be an area of emphasis and that there probably should be an admiral in charge of communications.

They started looking for somebody and I was about the only one at that time who had experience.

She was selected to be a vice admiral in 2009, one of just 15 female admirals in the branch. The post and her leadership skills led to experiences she will never forget.

Every disaster weve had, it seems Ive been in the middle of it, she said. I was the first female flag officer on the ground in Iraq; I lived in one of Saddams palaces; when Katrina hit, I was responsible for reconstituting communications.

Brown also completed two tours of duty at the White House under President Clinton. As the highest ranking military member at the White House, she was ultimately responsible for all of the military support provided to the military branch of government including communications, Air Force One (another airplane circumstance) and presidential security details.

Brown considers herself lucky.

It wasnt my planning or forethought, it was luck. I just always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, she said, acknowledging the same fortune during the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. A meeting she was scheduled to attend where and when the plane hit was moved to a different building just hours before.

Upon retirement in 2009, Brown and her husband Peter Hesser (a decorated U.S. Marine) returned to her familys Centennial farm. She says she began to look for ways to give back.

The first thing I got involved with was the VFW and the American Legion, trying to do what I could. Then I got involved with the honor guard rituals team doing funerals.

Again, airplanes came into play. She said this time it started with a local news story about Honor Flights  a program that takes military veterans to Washington at no cost. She knew she had to be involved.

I didnt even know that there was an Honor Flight here. I had been involved in other places, so I volunteered and the next thing I know, Im on the board and Im working full time to help. It was a lot of work getting to where we could actually do the first trip. But, I tell you, that morning at the airport, seeing the veterans, how excited they were and interacting with them, hearing their stories, made it all worth it.

Accompanying the veterans, she continued to give back.

Whens the last time an admiral offered to get you water? she asked the guests, then proceeded to bring each one a bottle of water.

Using her skills and contacts, she made the trip special.

One of the veterans was a SeeBee, part of the construction unit in the navy, she said. I asked one of the police officers escorting our bus if we could drive by the memorial for the SeeBees and he suggested taking this veteran in the squad car.

Brown said the veteran was taking in the police car with lights flashing to the memorial.

I have pictures of him touching it and hes in tears. I still get emotional talking about it. To be able to do something like that is very special, she said.

Brown is planning the second Honor Flight and hopes to continue to offer two trips each year.
Herrin resident Ron Ferguson loves telling a story about a woman from Mexico and her children who he met upon their very first visit to Marions Boyton Street Community Center in Marion, where he serves a chairman of the board of directors.

The kids were very shy with me, but I guess thats because Im pretty imposing. Im 6 feet 5 inches tall and 300 pounds, he said with a smile, before continuing the story. I wasnt what they are used to, but over time, theyve started to smile and speak to me very respectfully. I think Ive won them over. Its meaningful to me that Im someone they are comfortable with.

Its hard not to be comfortable with Ferguson, 67. He is a sort of gentle giant  polite, kind and caring. Especially caring about the way everyone is treated within a community.

Ive always been community minded because my mom always preached to us to be careful with what we do with our stewardship, he said. When you are given gifts, you have to be a good steward of those gifts, she would say. That really sank in with me and Ive always tried to give back more than Ive received.

Ferguson learned those lessons well growing up in West Virginia. He learned not only respect, but hard work, too. After serving two years in the Army overseas, Ferguson attended college during the day and helped his stepfather build homes in the evening. To make ends meet, he took a job in one of the states many coal mines.

With a family to feed, you need an income worthy of taking care of them, he said. "I worked in the coal mines for five years while I was going to school. I went to class at night and worked in the mines during the day.

Ferguson earned a degree in industrial relations and labor studies, then began a string of jobs in the chemical and coal industries that would take him to eight states in 33 years including at a mine in Southern Illinois, where he met his wife of 31 years, Jackie. After retiring from a position in Pennsylvania, he returned to our region.

My wife was from here and her mother was still living at the time, so we came back, he said. I enjoy it here.

Similar to what he did in the other places he lived, Ferguson got involved in charitable and civic causes right away.

In Pennyslvania, I got involved in a lot of community issues things, both through the Masonic lodge and through church. In Madisonville, Kentucky, I was involved in a lot of community activities and issues that we were having with the school board, he said. The first was an issue with young ladies of color not being allowed to be cheerleaders. We gathered a group and tried to do something about it, which we did. All of a sudden, I was given the opportunity to be involved in more things. Once you start being involved, you get drawn into more.

In Southern Illinois, he was asked to serve as a member of the board of the Boyton Street Center.

The center came into being out of the minority community marching and protesting because there was nothing for them, he said. There was a community center on Boulevard, but it was primarily thought of as for the Caucasians. The African-Americans could go there, but it was whether you felt comfortable going there. In 1987, the Boyton Street Community Center was guilt basically for the minority community. Now that is one of the things we are trying to overcome  the perception that it is a minority community center. Were trying to change it. We have a multicultural community center, but its taking time to build that. Sometimes its a difficult road to embark on, because you dont convince people overnight.

Ferguson said the center focuses on programming for area youth, including an after-school program with tutoring and a summer food program which ensure kids receive healthy meals when school is not in session. All in all, he says he finds the work very rewarding.

You want to have a sense of contributing to something; not just that youve contributed to, but the feeling that you get something back. For me its being able to help someone and seeing the kids succeed. Without that, I dont think many people would be involved.

Hes also behind a group called Sacred Conversations on Race, a discussion group established following the incidents in Ferguson, Missouri.

The key is that we want people to keep coming and to keep talking because if you keep coming and you keep talking, hopefully, we will find common ground. We want people to come and share their feelings, to open up taboo subjects, talk freely and accept that others have different views. The whole point is to break down barriers, he said.
CARBONDALE  The person who submitted the proposal favored for purchase of the old fire station on South Oakland Avenue says he intends to redevelop the property as a wood shop and public studio space where local artists can work and collaborate.

The city has recently come under fire by members of the Arbor District neighborhood, where the station is located, for considering proposals for sale of the property without the input of local residents.

City leaders say they are merely following protocol for sale of real estate and have refused to disclose much about the nature of the proposal they settled on, as the matter was discussed in closed session.

An agenda for Tuesday nights City Council meeting, which will include a public hearing on the sale of the property, revealed that the city negotiated a contract with John Deas and Alison Smith, who plan to create a mixed-use property that will consist of artists' workshops, gallery space, and a craft beer tasting room featuring the products of local breweries.

Deas said the public space at the fire station would be separate from Olivias Vintage, his prestigious international business that sells vintage guitars online, often for tens of thousands of dollars.

That business has grown immensely over the years, Deas wrote in an email. I have been branching out with a second business  artisanal milling and finishing high-end wood for artistic and functional designs. I am currently involved in the creation of a custom build-out of a recording studio that is relocating to a new facility in Los Angeles. My desire is to offer similar resources and unique designs for a public space in Carbondale.

He said the fire house property would function as a much needed work space and social environment for artists currently in the area and for attracting artists from outside of Southern Illinois.

One of our goals in working with others in the area is to help make Carbondale a city that will attract creative minds from outside the area  a city artists and others will want to relocate to. We are eager to form working relationships with those already present in the community who share this goal and are actively making it a reality, Deas wrote, quoting from the proposal.

The fire station property provides adequate space for members of the creative community to collaborate on projects and share resources, and the property is within walking distance for residents in the surrounding neighborhoods, Deas said.

Deas and Smith submitted a bid of $50,000 for the property, $32,000 below the competing bid. That proposal was for a farm-to-table restaurant and brewery.

Deas said the property was listed on the citys website without an asking price and that he and Smith calculated their offer by considering improvements required to transform the property into a uniquely designed landmark.

The city has been open to offers and interested in suitable proposals that would benefit the community, Deas said.

The regular City Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.
An Anna man has been sentenced to 42 months in the Illinois Department of Corrections after being found guilty of burglary in June.

According to a news release from Union County States Attorney Tyler R. Edmonds office, Daniel Jacob Bible will serve 42 months in prison and two years supervised release for one count of burglary, a class 2 felony.

Bible was found guilty of the crime during a two-day trial in June, the report said. He was arrested after breaking into a Jonesboro business in January.

The case was investigated by the Jonesboro Police with assistance from the Union County Sheriffs Office.

 The Southern
Puerto Rico, where more than 45,000 homes and businesses are still without power after Hurricane Irma, braced Tuesday night for an even more powerful blow as Maria headed directly for the US territory.

Many of its 3.4 million residents live on the eastern half of the island, which forecasters worry will endure the brunt of the most powerful hurricane ever to hit Puerto Rico.

The Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 175 mph (281 kph) will smash into the Virgin Islands Tuesday night. It has already obliterated parts of Dominica and killed at least one person in Guadeloupe.

Puerto Rico will get hit hard Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center said, and the storm could be catastrophic.

Residents of Puerto Rico, who were spared some of Irma's wrath when that hurricane's core passed north of the island, boarded up homes and businesses Tuesday. People who fled to the US territory as Maria advanced on their islands sought refuge in hotels and shelters.

Jessica Mangiaracina and Bob Perkins came to San Juan from St. Thomas with their two children. Irma destroyed everything around them and threw the island into chaos.

It took them six days to get off St. Thomas, they said, killing chickens for food and making their way through areas being looted.

They got to Puerto Rico by catamaran, where, like many others, they tried to get a flight out with no success.

Now they are coping with the reality that they've escaped into the middle of Hurricane Maria's angry path.

When asked what their current plan is, Perkins responded, "survive."

The couple is among thousands of people in shelters.

Millions of Puerto Ricans are hoping to survive what could be the most powerful storm to ever hit the island. Maria could be the first Category 4 or 5 hurricane to make landfall in Puerto Rico in more than eight decades.

"No generation has seen a hurricane like this since San Felipe II in 1928," Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Tuesday. "This is an unprecedented atmospheric system."

Rossello urged Puerto Ricans to find safe shelters immediately, as emergency workers "will not be available to help you once the winds reach 50 mph."

"We need to keep in mind that we must also protect the lives of these first responders. It's time to act and look for a safe place if you live in flood-prone areas or in wooden or vulnerable structures," Rossello said.

Maria has already killed one man in Guadeloupe after he ignored orders to stay inside and was struck by a falling tree, the island's government said.

Man killed by falling tree in Guadeloupe

Two other people are missing after a boat sank off the coast of La Desirade, a smaller island near the mainland of Guadeloupe. The government said about 80,000 people, or 40% of the households on the island, are without power.

The storm also caused "widespread devastation" in Dominica, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said Tuesday.

The hurricane shredded the prime minister's house overnight and left much of the island -- population 73,000 -- in ruins.

"So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace," Skerrit posted on Facebook Tuesday. He said his greatest fear was "news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains."

A few hours earlier, the Prime Minister posted, "My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding."

Maria is now the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in Dominica, a former French and British colony whose economy relies heavily on tourism and agriculture.

'Don't go out under any circumstances'

As of Tuesday evening, Maria was centered about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southeast of St. Croix -- putting the island within reach of Maria's tropical-storm force winds -- and was headed west-northwest at 10 mph. At the speed it was going, Maria was less than 18 hours from San Juan.

While Maria moves closer to St. Croix, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, preparations against life-threatening storm surge, flooding and destructive winds "should be rushed to completion,' the National Hurricane Center said.

Puerto Rico's biggest airport, the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport near San Juan, closed Tuesday night.

A hurricane warning is in effect Tuesday for the US and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Culebra, Vieques and part of the Dominican Republic.

Puerto Rico says Maria 'will be catastrophic'

Maria could bring up to 2 feet of rain and a storm surge of up to 9 feet to Puerto Rico, sparking flooding and mudslides, CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar said.

In the capital city of San Juan, residents cleared store shelves of water and other supplies.

A CNN producer who was driving from the airport Tuesday said there were still some vehicles on the road. Of the two gas stations she passed, one was open. Many shops were already closed, she observed.

Some tourists from California told her that the hostel they are staying at moved them to an interior room when the men were unable to find flights home.

Gov. Rossello has declared a state of emergency. And US President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico to aid with federal assistance.

Puerto Rico sheltered many of the evacuees who fled from other Caribbean Islands during Hurricane Irma earlier this month. Now those evacuees and native Puerto Ricans are bracing for devastation.

"This is an event that will be damaging to the infrastructure, that will be catastrophic," Rossello said. "Our only focus right now should be to make sure we save lives."

The governor said 500 shelters are available on the island.

"We expect to feel storm winds, tropical storm winds, (from) Tuesday up until late on Thursday. That's about two-and-a-half days of tropical storm winds," Rossello said.

"On Wednesday we will feel the brunt -- all of the island will feel the brunt of sustained Category 4 or 5 winds."

The Puerto Rico Convention Center in the capital San Juan to the north -- which is still housing Hurricane Irma evacuees from other Caribbean islands -- is preparing to accept thousands of residents as the worst of the storm is felt.

Martinique largely spared

One bit of good news emerged from the Caribbean: The French island of Martinique suffered no major damage, the French Interior Ministry tweeted Tuesday.

Maria knocked out power to about 50,000 homes, and 10,000 homes had no water. But overall, the damage assessment was "reassuring," the French Interior Ministry said.

The director general of French civil security, Jacques Witkowski, said only two people on Martinique suffered minor injuries.

Rapid intensification

In just 30 hours, Maria's intensity exploded from 65 mph on Sunday to 160 mph by Monday night, the National Hurricane Center said.

The British Foreign Office said more than 1,300 troops are on standby, either on affected islands or in nearby locations, ready to help after Maria tears through.

One military team has been deployed to the British Virgin Islands, and a British military reconnaissance team is on standby to go to the British territory of Montserrat.

The HMS Ocean is set to arrive in the area at week's end with 60 tons of government supplies.

Another hurricane, Jose, is also churning in the Atlantic and has spawned tropical storm warnings for part of the US East Coast.

While forecasters don't anticipate Jose making landfall in the US, it's still expected to cause "dangerous surf and rip currents" along the East Coast in the next few days, the hurricane center said.

CNN's Jaide Timm-Garcia, Sarah Faidell, Matou Diop, Jamie Gray, Judson Jones, Brandon Miller, Taylor Ward and Karen Smith contributed to this report.
Two Allendale County men have been accused of kidnapping and multiple other crimes in a home invasion that happened earlier this month, according to Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell.

These individuals needed to be taking off the street immediately, the sheriff said Tuesday. This was a violent incident that resulted in one victim being shot, another terrorized and a family pet killed in this senseless act.

Devante Rasberry, 24, and Henry Ginn Jr., 25, were each charged with two counts of kidnapping, one count each of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, first-degree assault and battery, discharging a firearm into a dwelling, ill-treatment of animals and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime.

Both Rasberry and Ginn appeared in court on Monday before Orangeburg County Magistrate Peggy Doremus, who denied bond.

The two suspects were apprehended through a combined effort of the sheriffs office and agents with the U.S. Marshals Service.

At around 9:40 a.m. Sept. 1, someone knocked on the door of a Longwood Drive couples home. The stranger initially explained he had car trouble but then pulled out a pistol while forcing his way into the home, according to a sheriffs office incident report.

During a confrontation in which the gunman demanded a particular door be unlocked, the gunman shot a male resident of the home in the leg.

A second subject had entered the residence.

The victim who had been shot had crawled into a bedroom where he retrieved a handgun. He fired twice at the second subject.

The intruders then fled while the woman inside the residence ran to a neighboring home to call 911.

A pitbull was shot during the incident.

Investigators later learned a person checked in at a Lowcountry hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm. A tip then came in from the public claiming the subject with a gunshot wound was involved in the Longwood incident.

Both Ginn and Rasberry were identified as suspects and taken into custody late Sunday.

At this point, robbery is believed to have been the motive.

Inv. Steven Thompson is leading the ongoing investigation.
As the United States and North Korea -- both armed with incendiary rhetoric and nuclear weapons -- taunt and challenge each other, the crisis in East Asia underlines an important, immutable but much-ignored law of international relations: Peripheral disputes have a dangerous tendency to grow into principal areas of conflict.

A century ago, few Americans gave even a fleeting thought to Korea. The nation came up a handful of times on the Senate floor in 1919, primarily over the question of Korean self-governance, but a resolution supporting an independent Korea failed to be reported out of the relevant committees of both the House and Senate, and the topic was swiftly forgotten.

No one would have guessed that the United States, already on the rise as a world power, would face a nuclear-armed North Korea in a deadly standoff a century later.

The dispute between the United States and North Korea is one of several unlikely turns in diplomatic affairs, a reminder that the most improbable corners of the world can be the most fertile grounds for international strife. From the Congo crisis of the early 1960s and the Falklands War of 1982 to the French combat in Chad in 1983 and the brief American conflict on the Caribbean island of Grenada only months later, the major powers have often found themselves in difficulties in distant, remote lands.

It has happened for years. The British fought the Boer War at the opening of the 20th century, and the French and Germans nearly came to blows in the Agadir Crisis of 1911 in Morocco. Afghanistan, sometimes regarded as the graveyard of empires, has been fought over by the British three times and the Russians twice; it engaged Canada for about a dozen years and has ensnarled Americans for 15 -- and counting.

American presidents have faced unlikely crises in unlikely places since Thomas Jefferson joined the Tripolitanian War in the Barbary States of North Africa in the first years of the 19th century. Some 175 years later, President Jimmy Carter found his administration convulsed in a crisis in Iran, where American diplomats were held hostage for 444 days by students and prison guards supporting Iranian theocrats.

The current crisis involving North Korean nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles -- which by some estimates make a large portion of North America vulnerable to attack -- is a classic example of this phenomenon, presenting President Donald Trump with a classic conundrum. But unlike the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, the Crimean War of 1853-1856, or the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763 (fought in part in North America, then a faraway outpost of the British Empire), this potential confrontation puts millions of people at risk.

At the heart of this conflict is Kim Jong Un, who, like his predecessors Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, considers the Korean War still to be in progress. There was an armistice in 1953, to be sure, but North Korea maintains the conflict still rages, with the recent set of summertime provocations merely being an extension of a war that began two-thirds of a century ago, in 1950.

A mere 48 days before the outbreak of the Korean War, the United States formally -- though not particularly visibly -- agreed to provide military aid to France in its struggle in Indochina.

The Pentagon Papers, the internal American government study that 21 years later would be the subject of a major American constitutional dispute over its release, set out the context and implications of that agreement, which was supported by President Harry Truman. The language from the Pentagon Papers is stark:

"The decision was taken in spite of the U.S. desire to avoid direct involvement in a colonial war, and in spite of a sensing that France's political-military situation in Indochina was bad and was deteriorating. Moreover, predictions that U.S. aid would achieve a marked difference in the course of the Indochina War were heavily qualified."

U.S. Secretary of Defense Louis A. Johnson explained the situation for Truman, telling him, "The choice confronting the United States is to support the legal government in Indochina or to face the extension of communism over the remainder of the continental area of Southeast Asia and possibly westward."

Johnson was ousted six months later, but that fateful sentence controlled, and later summarized, American foreign policy in Vietnam for a generation.

"Prior to 1950, Vietnam wasn't important to American strategists at all," said Edward Miller, a Dartmouth College expert on the Vietnam War and a principal adviser on the war to Ken Burns, whose 10-part, 18-hour documentary series on Vietnam begins airing on PBS Sunday evening. "The United States had no natural ties with Indochina. No one from here traded with Vietnam and no one visited it. The idea that the United States would fight a huge war in Vietnam was unthinkable."

Now, of course, the word often applied to a war with North Korea involving powers possessing nuclear weapons is "unthinkable." It is a reminder that what was considered unthinkable in one decade -- in places regarded as peripheral -- can suddenly and chillingly seem plausible in another.
Trend:

General Debate of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations has opened in New York.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, first lady Mehriban Aliyeva and Leyla Aliyeva attended the event.

General Debate was opened by Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres.

President of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly Miroslav Laj?ak, President of Brazil Michel Temer, President of the United States of America Donald Trump addressed General Debate.




UAE's Federal Electricity & Water Authority (Fewa) recently signed an agreement with Al Fardan Exchange, a leader in the UAE remittance market, to improve customer experience and provide seamless payment solutions across the country.



Shaikha Murad Abdullah Karam, director of Revenue & Customer Credit Dept Revenue Department of Fewa, said: Fewa is committed to offering our customers choice by providing a range of innovative solutions and striking the right partnerships. Todays agreement with Al Fardan Exchange will expand our network of payment partners in the UAE making it more accessible for all our customers.



Osama Al Rahma, CEO of Al Fardan Exchange, said: It is a great pleasure to be associated with Fewa and we are sure that this tie up will be mutually beneficial for both organizations as well as for the customers. We always look for ways to add value to our services and offer additional facilities to our customers.



The partnership increases Fewa customers choice of making payments for all its services across 65 branches of Al Fardan Exchange in the country.  TradeArabia News Service
Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad Esco), a company owned by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), has started a project to retrofit 243 buildings for Wasl Properties in different parts of Dubai, UAE.



The project will increase energy efficiency of the building, achieving annual savings of over Dh15 million ($4.08 million) as a result of upgrading the air conditioning and lighting systems, said a statement from the company.



The project, worth Dh69 million ($18.8 million), was awarded to Smart Automation Energy (SmartAE), which specialises in retrofitting and upgrading of buildings. It is scheduled to be completed within one year, it stated.



The project includes installing photovoltaic solar systems on the roofs of buildings with a capacity of 4.5 MW, as well as retrofitting the existing systems in the buildings.



This includes the replacement of eight compressor units for central cooling units, adding condensers to the central units, replacing 796 old air-conditioning units, and upgrading 618 units.



The project will also improve the central air conditioning systems in 230 buildings, using the latest smart technologies. Approximately 71,000 units will be also replaced by high efficiency LED lamps, said the statement.



According to Dewa, all its initiatives and projects are aimed at make Dubai a global role model for clean energy and green economy, ensuring energy supply and efficiency.



"This project supports the Dubai Side Management Strategy 2030 to reduce electricity and water demand by 30 per cent by 2030 through programmes," remarked Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the managing director and chief executive of Dewa.



"These are green-building regulations, retrofitting of existing buildings, district cooling, wastewater reuse, laws and standards to raise efficiency, energy-efficient street-lighting, and the Shams Dubai initiative to enable building owners to install photovoltaic panels on rooftops to generate electricity from solar power," he noted.



Etihad Esco, stated Al Tayer, provides investment opportunities to companies that specialise in energy efficiency, in addition to financial institutions, and green technology and equipment suppliers.



"We are currently retrofitting over 30,000 buildings in the emirate in the first phase of the project, to ensure energy efficiency and manage energy demand," said the top official.



"The project is worth a total Dh30 billion ($8.12 billion). We expect to achieve financial savings of Dh82 billion ($22.32 billion), with expected savings of Dh52 billion ($14.15 billion)," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain's government has officially blacklisted G P Zachariades Civil Engineering and Contractors (GPZ), a construction firm at the centre of a pay dispute in the kingdom since last November, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.



For further details visit http://www.gdnonline.com
Euro Auctions, the leading international auctioneers of construction machinery and agricultural equipment, recently held its first ever sale at the company's new permanent site in Dubai, UAE, where bidders packed into the impressive sales arena, confirming Euro Auctions successful arrival in the Middle East.



A total of 448 lots went under the hammer at this inaugural sale from an initial 50+ consignors, the majority of whom were local and were entrusting Euro Auctions to market their equipment for the first time, said the company in a statement.



Approaching 500 bidders registered for this sale, many from across the region and around a third of whom were new to the Euro Auctions experience. Over 50 were successful first time buyers and over 25 per cent of sales, both by buyers and by value, were transacted via the internet.



Much of the equipment will be remaining in the region, with buyers from the UAE snapping up over 65 per cent of the equipment on offer, closely followed by buyers in Saudi Arabia and Oman, together accounting for a further 10 per cent, stated the leading international auctioneer.



In total, buyers from 45 countries registered for this sale with bidders in the UK and from across Europe collectively accounting for a further 20 per cent, while bidders in Asia also placed successful bids.



On its debut sale, Jonnie Keys, the commercial manager at Euro Auctions, said: "We are delighted with both the reception and the support we have received in establishing a new sales facility in Dubai and in delivering our first successful auction here."



We have long wanted to expand the Euro Auctions brand into the Middle East, and in particular into the UAE, as part of our continued global development. In Dubai we have a strong and stable operating base that will add another four sales per year to our international calendar, noted Keys.



Euro Actions has leased a 91,000-sq-m site in the Jebel Ali Free Zone that includes a purpose-built auction complex covering over 3,000 sq m with a 360-seat, fully air conditioned enclosed auction arena as well as ancillary buildings, workshops and infrastructure.



"The company has all the necessary services and logistic licences in place for the new venture and will trade under the Euro Auctions brand," noted Keys.



"We already have many excellent relationships with buyers and sellers across the Middle East and Africa but having a permanent presence in the region is opening the door to many new buyers and sellers, some of whom committed to our next event before even leaving the first," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Gulf Capital, one of the largest and most active alternative asset managers in the Middle East, has announced full exit from its portfolio company, Reach Employment Services, a leading manpower outsourcing company in the UAE, generating a return of over two times its original investment.



The sale of Gulf Capital's 80 per cent stake in Reach Employment Services, in a structured management buyout, represents a complete divestment from the company, said a statement from Gulf Capital.



The company worked closely with the Reach Employment Services management team to transform the business from a single city, single sector focused company into a highly diversified operation with over 150 clients operating in a number of industries across the public and private sectors in the UAE.



The aggressive expansion and diversification programme enabled Reach to achieve an impressive growth in the number of clients, the entrance into a number of new sectors and the doubling of the company's profitability, it stated.



During Gulf Capital's ownership period, Reach increased its net profits by 110 per cent, the statement added.



CEO Dr Karim El Solh said: "We have enjoyed working and partnering with the talented team at Reach Employment Services and embarking together on this exceptional growth journey."



"The strategy of expanding the company aggressively across new sectors and geographies has firmly positioned Reach today as the leading manpower outsourcing company in the UAE. This investment cements Gulf Capital's track record of backing local companies and transforming them into market leaders across emerging markets," remarked Dr Solh, who is also the chairman of Reach.



Reach today has a remarkable franchise and a strong management team and is well positioned to continue its impressive growth trajectory in the future, he added.



Malik Melhem, the chief executive of Reach Employment Services, said: "Gulf Capital proved to be an outstanding, high value-add partner as we embarked on our journey together and transformed Reach into the market leader it is today."



"Gulf Capital was instrumental in shaping the company's new growth strategy and in helping us to install the infrastructure and processes required to enable us to grow and scale rapidly. With our strong foundation and leading franchise, we are well positioned to continue our growth in the future," he added.



Muhannad Qubbaj, the senior managing director at Gulf Capital, said: "We were particularly pleased to have partnered with Mr. Melhem and his management team on this exciting transaction."



"The remarkable growth of Reach and the subsequent successful exit of this investment highlights Gulf Capital's strong operational involvement in its portfolio companies and its ability to generate attractive returns to its investors," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The Abraaj Group, a leading investor operating in growth markets, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide education, primary care interventions and more complex treatment for NCDs, communicable diseases and mother/child healthcare.



The partnership will build a trusted referral pathway that ensures patients from the IFRC network can access quality and affordable treatment options in the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund (AGHF) network. It will also provide patients from AGHF hospitals with quality follow up care within the community setting.



The partnership resulted from a shared commitment to ensure local communities are provided with accessible healthcare services and education as well as early intervention for NCDs, said a statement.



The collaboration will build on the IFRC's role as an auxiliary government provider of prevention, disaster and response services, alongside Abraaj's expertise in delivering accessible, affordable quality care through a network of hospitals and clinics.



Commenting on the partnership, Arif Naqvi, founder and group chief executive at The Abraaj Group, said: Our partnership with IFRC demonstrates our continued belief in the integral role that private capital plays in moving the needle to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The delivery of accessible healthcare to low and middle-income families in growth markets is an important step in the development of these markets. This MoU serves as an opportunity to create a platform that will increase access to NCD education and prevention to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands. The partnership has started in Nairobi but has the capacity to expand into communities across Sub-Saharan Africa and into South Asia. The scale and ambition we have jointly envisaged is critical in order to positively impact health outcomes and give us a real opportunity to deliver the SDG goals.



Elhadj As Sy, secretary general at The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said: The IFRC welcomes a unique opportunity to work in partnership with Abraaj and other corporate actors to build a better, more ethical world. If we are to fund the mammoth task of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals  and truly travel the last mile to reach the most vulnerable people  we need to mobilise the corporate sector. It's a two-way partnership: business development requires a stable, safe and healthy community  and those communities need business growth. IFRCs new partnership with Abraaj represents this sort of shared value enterprise. The IFRC is the ultimate local actor, trusted by communities and with access to match. We are pleased to work with the right corporate partners to meet the healthcare SDGs.



AGHF brings together a range of partners from healthcare technology companies, foundations, development financing institutions and institutional investors to fundamentally address poor healthcare outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. AGHF's network currently comprises 2,600 hospital beds, 24 diagnostic units and 17 primary care clinics that deliver

healthcare services to more than 3 million patients per year. - TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Economy, the department of economic development of Dubai emirate, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Frost & Sullivan, a technology intelligence gathering company, to launch the Future Industry and Foresight Centre.



The aim of the centre is to strengthen awareness among business and industry groups as well as government regulators on the critical trends in industry, technology, society and economy that will help transform Dubai, said a Wam news agency report.



With this knowledge, Dubai economy will be better prepared and positioned for the future economy. The collaboration also aims to enhance the emirates economic contribution to new and emerging industries, the report said.



As per the MoU, the parties will co-operate to leverage mutual strength to support the global and local interests of the business community and industry regulators in Dubai. Frost & Sullivan is the knowledge partner of Dubai Economy and will provide relevant insight reports, and co-organise workshops for the business community in Dubai across all key industries, to help prepare them to capitalise on the opportunities and challenges of the future.



The partnership will provide strategic support to Dubai Economy through the sharing of best practices, global insights on trends, technologies, and key industry developments. It will also provide access to industry thought leaders and analysts on global business outlook through briefings conducted by Dubai Economy. Further, the partnership will lead to the organising of industry workshops with Dubai Economy for the benefit of Dubai-based businesses and government regulators.



"The collaborative partnership will enhance the knowledge capabilities of the business and industry community as well as government departments. We look forward to sharing new and exciting insights on trends in all areas that can be translated into current initiatives. Our goal is to help industry and government departments be future-ready," said Mohammed Shael Al Saadi, CEO, corporate strategic affairs sector in Dubai Economy.



Aroop Zutshi, global president and managing partner, Frost & Sullivan, stated: "Our aim is to combine the strengths of Dubai Economy and Frost & Sullivan to assist Dubai-based businesses to prepare for the big changes that will define the future. Frost & Sullivan has pioneered the Mega Trends programme that allows organisations to envision the future and leverage the mega changes that disrupt collapse and transform industries."



Dubai Economy will announce the formal launch of the centre before the end of 2017 with scheduled activities and publications, the report said.
US-based Air Products, a leading industrial gases company, has signed an agreement with Dhahran Techno Valley Company to build and develop a world-class technology centre in Saudi Arabia.



"We are delighted and proud to be building this world-class Industrial Gases technology centre in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," said Seifi Ghasemi, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Air Products.



Located in the prestigious Dhahran Techno Valley Science Park, the centre will serve as the cornerstone for industrial gas technology and project development in Saudi Arabia.



Dr Samir Serhan, Air Products' executive vice president, said: "This investment by Air Products represents yet another example of our company's strong commitment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both in terms of investment in the country's future and in the development of its people. Once complete, the centre will become the hub through which Air Products will provide technology expertise in support of new opportunities for industrial gases in the region. The centre will deliver the latest technology from Air Products, focused on providing improvements in process safety, energy efficiency, reliability and operational excellence to serve our regional customers."



"Air Products has worked in Saudi Arabia since the 1970s and made long-term investments in the country since 2012 in conjunction with our joint venture partners," added Richard Boocock, Air Products' president, Industrial GasesMiddle East, India, Egypt and Turkey.



"Today, in conjunction with our partners ACWA, Air Products is developing the world's largest industrial gas complex to supply 75,000 metric tons per day of oxygen and nitrogen to Saudi Aramco's power station and refinery in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. The technology centre is our latest step in demonstrating our long-term commitment to The Kingdom in developing local talent, technology and industrial gas projects in Saudi Arabia."



"Dhahran Techno Valley is a prominent destination for energy research that fosters industry-academia partnerships while remaining focused and committed to technology development and innovation. Air Products represents an excellent addition to our partner base and diversification strategy  moving from upstream to downstream," said Dr Khaled Al-Sultan, chairman of Dhahran Techno Valley Company and Rector of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.



Air Products' new technology centre is currently being designed and is expected to be fully operational by 2019. As the company's new technology centre and primary base for technology support in The Kingdom, the centre will ultimately become a base for collaboration with regional universities, as well as for supporting all of Air Products' technical activities in the region.



During design and construction of the new centre, Air Products will base its operations from offices in Al Khobar.



The Dhahran Techno Valley Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), is a key driver of the Dhahran Techno Valley Ecosystem, which was created to promote a knowledge-based economy in Dhahran and in the Eastern Province. This ecosystem includes KFUPM, national champions such as Saudi Aramco, SABIC and SEC, technology partners and small-to-medium size enterprises.  TradeArabia News Service
OBS Group, a diversified group based in Dubai, and France-based Legendre Transport & Logistic Group have announced the launch of a new joint venture to tap into the opportunities in the logistics market across the GCC.



The new company, Legendre-BinSulaiman, is headquartered in Dubai and is an equal partnership between the two companies.



Legendre-BinSulaiman has already acquired an impressive portfolio of clients during the last few months and hopes to lead the sector with its services, expertise and market know-how.



OBS Group has been active in the regions transport and logistics industry for many years through its subsidiary OBS Global Logistics. With the formation of Legendre-BinSulaiman, OBS Group is now looking to take the offering to their current and future customers to a more efficient level and obtain global reach, a statement said.



Based in France, China, Vietnam and West Africa, Legendre Transport & Logistic Group is known for its proficiency in multimodal transport, industrial packaging, industrial transfer, storage, and other related services. By associating itself officially with OBS Group, the Legendre Transport & Logistic Group confirms its international expansion, particularly in the Middle East, where it has been operating for the last nine years, the statement said.



Legendre-BinSulaiman combines regional expertise with international premium standards to offer top rank transport and logistics solutions to its customers, in the Middle East and worldwide covering over 182 countries. The company has set new standards in the logistics and supply chain industry by addressing the regions needs for sophisticated and efficient offerings such as reverse logistics, it said.



The two groups also combine their specialties in various sectors, to name a few, water treatment, renewable energy, beauty and cosmetics, automotive as well as the world of fine art and events, and can meet the needs of transport, logistics and packaging.



Dr Omar Bin Sulaiman, Chairman of the OBS Group, stated: We are pleased that this significant growth opportunity has advanced from a joint venture with Legendre Transport and Logistic Group. Our progress in the logistics industry demonstrates further the strength of our dynamic and versatile business model, enabling us to support and meet the local demands of our customers in their territories.

Legendre Group international director and member of the board of directors of the Legendre Group Benoit Honnart has been handed over the reins of the new company.



Highlighting the importance of the companys collaboration with OBS Group, Honnart said: We are collaborating with a strong and well-known partner with regional insight. We want to use our expertise to cast a wider vision at these changing markets.  TradeArabia News Service


Palmarium, a swiss private family office and investor, through its subsidiary VIEO BV has announced the acquisition of Lebara Group and the Lebara trademark companies.

Lebara is one of Europes fastest growing mobile companies with more than 5 million active customers and operations in 10 countries, including Saudi Arabia.

As the value brand for the worlds travellers, students and migrant community, Lebara offers inclusive and accessible products and services.

Through its 275,000 outlets, Lebara has a unique reach to its growing customer base of over 3.5 million.

Lebaras culture is driven by innovation and business successes and has a diverse workforce and best-in-class customer service with numerous industry awards.

Palmarium gives Lebara strong backing and expertise to grow and drive the digitalisation of the business.

The founders of Lebara are leaving the company. The new leadership team is led by Graeme Oxby as CEO.

Graeme Oxby is a highly experienced CEO for innovative telecoms companies, including prominent brands such Three and Virgin. At Virgin he transformed its business from prepay only to a contract business. Most recently he was Managing Director of Liberty Globals European Mobile Business, where he successfully launched five new territories.

Lebara is a vibrant and exciting growth business with a great deal of potential. Im excited to be at the helm, and believe this acquisition, combined with the strength of the new leadership team and its strong investors, will take this business to the next level. Oxby said. - TradeArabia News Service
Sage, the market and technology leader for cloud accounting, people and payroll, and payment systems, today announced that ICT industry veteran Pieter Bensch has assumed his new role as the companys executive vice-president for Africa and Middle East.



Bensch will lead the growth of Sages business across the region and focus on expanding its leadership in the market for cloud-based accounting, people and payroll, and payments software.



He will also oversee the local strategy to help business builders and entrepreneurs move to an admin-free world by 2020. He will work closely with Aaron White, regional director for Sage Middle East, to deliver the Sage vision in the Middle East.



Bensch joins Sage from HPE (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise), where he was managing director for South Africa. Prior to joining HP, Bensch held a range of senior positions at Oracle, including vice-president of Oracle Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), vice-president of customer support for MEA and vice-president and managing director of Oracle SA.  TradeArabia News Service


UK-based surveillance solutions business Synectics has secured multiple contracts for onshore and offshore oil and gas developments, spanning Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran.



Encompassing a broad mix of Synectics surveillance and security management solutions, the contracts will see the business deploy over 700 COEX camera stations across the Middle East region  in a number of cases incorporating new, customer-led feature developments.



Off the Egyptian coast, Synectics will be providing an offshore platform with a range of C3000 HD IP, C2000 HD IP and C2000 (PTZ and fixed) camera stations, with specific models featuring new onboard analytics capabilities developed to meet the customer brief. The COEX camera stations, compatible with the on-site VMS, will enable edge-based tripwire detection, negating the need for separate analytics integration.



Darren Alder, divisional director  Oil & Gas, said: Our ethos is always to offer truly tailored solutions that meet exact customer requirements as demonstrated in a number of these latest wins. In Egypt, this was about delivering edge-based capabilities. With another contract  one of two recent UAE projects we have secured  the requirement was for an additional layer of protection to their field equipment.



In this instance, we were the only provider able to colour-coat camera stations to exact specifications, while ensuring that the coating used still met strict regulatory requirements around aspects such as electrostatic and insulation performance.



The recent wins also include three substantial Saudi Arabian projects  a gas plant, a major refinery and terminal development, and an offshore platform. All three will take delivery of COEX C3000 HD IP and C2000 HD IP cameras (PTZ and fixed) for process control and security monitoring. For two of the projects, these cameras will be deployed as part of full end-to-end safety, security and process monitoring solutions, driven by Synectics Synergy 3 command and control platform.



Darren continued: To secure these contracts we had to undergo a rigorous and comprehensive approved supplier process to demonstrate integration and working practice capabilities  crucial characteristics given the scale of developments involved. One of the projects alone will see us work in partnership with 13 different Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) companies.



Rounding off the series of wins, Synectics has also announced it is to supply end-to-end process and security management solutions to protect four phases of a significant Iranian development, comprising onshore, offshore and associated infrastructure elements. In each case, Synergy 3 will integrate COEX C3000 HD IP and C2000 HD IP (PTZ and fixed) cameras with site security and process control solutions for comprehensive site protection.  TradeArabia News Service
An evening devoted to Prosecco is coming to 55&5th, The Grill - the UAE capitals swanky Manhattan-style restaurant and lounge located at The St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi.



Serata Frizzante, or sparkling evening, will celebrate the fancy Italian fizz with two hours of free-flowing bubbles, plus a generous selection of crostini, pizza, and other small bites.



The event will be hosted by Federica Bon of winery Nino Franco, which has been making the drink for almost a century. Based in Valdobbiadene, in the Veneto region of north-east Italy, the family-run firm came to global prominence in the 1980s, when a descendant of founder Antonio Franco promoted Prosecco as Italys answer to Champagne.



The pale-colored vino is sweet yet pleasantly fresh, with a fruity flavour reminiscent of ripe apple, almond and candied lemon peel. Tick tock, its Prosecco oclock!



Serata Frizzante will take place on Tuesday, 26th September from 7pm to 9pm. It will be held in the bar and terrace areas of 55&5th, The Grill, an upscale eatery whose name bears the address of the original St. Regis New York.



Entry is Dh195 ($53) per person. The price includes two hours free-flowing Prosecco, canapes and covers all service charges and fees. - TradeArabia News Service
The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) organized a familiarization trip for the largest Indian wedding planning agencies from September 11 to 13.



The selection of the 10 Indian wedding planning agencies was based on the quality of their work as well as their experience in planning weddings abroad.



In addition, 30 companies from the kingdom were invited to attend a forum, which will be held on October 12 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC). The companies included major hotels, wedding planning agencies, travel logistics companies, and banquet halls. During the forum, the representatives had the opportunity to meet with the Indian wedding planners to discuss future opportunities in this sector.



We are delighted to host the largest wedding planning agencies to promote the wide range of wedding services available in the Kingdom, along with the international luxury hotel chains and boutique offerings. The BTEA is keen to host such events that aim to showcase the kingdoms offerings as a wedding destination. said the advisor to the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, Dr. Ali Hassan Follad.



Developing this vital sector comes in line with the BTEAs 2016-2018 strategy aimed at promoting Bahrain as a wedding destination for its diverse offerings that also makes it an ideal destination for families and international tourists, he added.



In addition, a tour around the kingdom was also organised where the Indian delegation had the chance to visit some of Bahrains tourist attractions such as Bahrain International Circuit, Ahmed Al Fateh Islamic Center, and Bahrain National Museum. The tour also included visits to some of the Kingdoms luxury hotels including the Gulf Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, and Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea and Spa. - TradeArabia News Service
Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village
Schools

Head Start, Early Head Start in food program

Wyoming Child and Family Development, Inc., announces its participation in the Child Care Food Program, offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Meals will be provided at Head Start, 301 West B Street, and Early Head Start, 160 N. Washington, in Casper.

The same meals will be made available to all enrolled children at no separate charge regardless of race, color, national origin, age, sex, or handicap, and there is no discrimination in the course of the meal service.

'Portable Masterpieces' at CC Sept. 22

Before the Internet, before television, there was radio! And before radio, was Vaudeville. The small orchestras of radio shows and vaudeville stages performed music from the golden days of steamer trunks, wicker chairs, potted palms, and all-night soirees. The concert will take place at Casper College Wheeler Concert Hall in the Music Building on Friday, September 22, at 7:30 p.m. There is no charge.

Portable Masterpieces has performed in vintage opera houses and theaters across the Western United States. Recognized for the exemplary variety of approaches to engagement and a history of high quality programming Portable Masterpieces will enlighten and entertain. Bring your family and friends to a concert by Portable Masterpieces for an evening of ragtime, light classical and snappy radio tunes.

CY honors veterans

CY Middle School would like to honor all veterans at our Veteran's Day Program on Friday, Nov. 10, 2017. Please plan to arrive at 8:45 a.m. Refreshments will be served and the program should last around 45 minutes. CY is located at 2900 Cyclone Dr. If you have any questions or would like to RSVP, please call the office at 253-2700. The CY Middle School Community is grateful for your service.

Register for Early Head Start

Early Head Start, a United Way agency, serving pregnant women and children birth to age 3, is accepting applications for the 20172018 program year. Different program options are available, including a full-day program. Please call 2659562 or 473-5848 to enroll or visit www.wyomingchild.org.

Apply for Head Start

Head Start is currently accepting applications for the 2017-2018 school year. Head Start is a free, quality preschool program that prepares children for school. Applications are available at 301 W. B Street in Casper. Head Start is a United Way agency. Call 577-1864.
I've held a bunch of jobs at the Star-Tribune: cops reporter, health writer, features coordinator, assistant content director and now editor. But for a glorious 18 or so months, I held perhaps my least deserving but most enjoyable title: food critic.

Yes, I wrote a food column, and yes, it was a play on my last name. Hungry Like the Wolf debuted in December of 2013 and ran until the summer of 2015. That itself is a minor miracle, given that I'm not at all qualified to judge food, as I don't like fish, pork or exotic vegetables like cucumbers. Also, because my editor allowed me to write about existentialism and science fiction.

Since I put down my fork and knife, a ton of new restaurants have opened in Casper. Some of those restaurants make food that's really tasty, and occasionally I'll get sad that I don't write about tasty food anymore. So I'm going to give it a shot and get the band back together for one final gig. Here are my favorite restaurants to debut in Casper post-Hungry Like the Wolf.

Himalayan Indian Cuisine

I love my wife and children. I love my parents and siblings. I even love my dog, despite his shedding and constant need for attention. After that, there's a three-way tie for my affection: indie rock, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Indian food.

You're probably saying, "Josh, that's very nice, but a lot of people like Indian food. That doesn't set you apart or make you special." And technically, you'd be right in that that none of us is exceptional, at least when considering the absolute size and age of the universe and the likely possibility that our universe is but one in a larger multi-verse. But you'd be wrong about my love of Indian food. Think about the depth of the Mariana Trench or the splendor of the Grand Canyon. Now multiply is by a 1,000 suns and you arrive at Josh's love of Indian food.

For a long time, that love was of the bitter, star-crossed variety. That's because there was no Indian restaurant in Casper. No longer. We are now home to an Indian restaurant. (That's quite possibly the most joyful sentence of my career.) It's called Himalayan Indian Cuisine and you can find it in downtown Casper.

It's got a swell lunch buffet that always leave me uncomfortably full. You'll find all the standards like chicken tikka masala, plus a few Himalayan options like the chicken chili. But the restaurant hits another gear with its dinner menu. The spices get bolder, the flavors more rich. I'd particularly recommend the korma and the rogan josh. (Not because of my name, silly.) The samosas are killer and the nan is complimentary at lunch. Stop reading and go try it. I'll wait.

Racca's Pizzeria Napoletana

When I first moved to Casper, pizza options were ... limited. There were the delivery places and not much else. I'm not going to call what happened next a pizza revolution, but we have good, locally made options now. That's both good and bad in that pizza makes me fat but also makes me happy.

The best of the bunch is Racca's, which offers fantastic food, great drinks and a cool downtown atmosphere. The crust is the real hero here: chewy and full of flavor. So are the fresh ingredients that make the toppings so tasty. I'd recommend the Lirguria, a basil pesto pizza topped with chicken, red onions, mozzarella, Romano and pine nuts. For cocktails, try the Backwards Wild Man, which has locally made rum and mead. And make sure you try the desserts, particularly the pannacota, which is so blissfully creamy that I'm tearing up thinking about it. But really, I've enjoyed everything on the menu, so try whatever you want because you'll like it.

Miss Sara's Gourmet Grilled Cheese

Technically, this is not a restaurant, in that it's a food truck and lacks things like a permanent building with classy decor and a toothpick dispenser. I don't care. It's great so I'm putting it on my list. Humanity took a great leap forward when some genius decided to class up the grilled cheese sandwich. No longer did we have to apologize for loving carbs, butter and cheese. We were foodies, sampling the richness of life via our stomachs.

I'd recommend the Berry Cheesy, which has mozzarella, a blueberry balsamic reduction sauce and spinach, which makes it incredibly healthy so don't worry about a thing. Or if you're like me, and you don't believe in half measures or restraint, try the mac and cheese sandwich. Then nap away the afternoon, content in your own good decision making.

Arepa Barn

Speaking of places where you'll want to nap afterward: Meet the Arepa Barn in north Casper. The food is very good, but also very rich. I mean that in the best way possible. It serves mostly arepas and empanadas, so prepare for a lot of grilled dough on the outside and meat on the inside. They give you a bunch of sauces to try and there's one with avocado and garlic and I won't talk about it in more depth because I try not to get emotional at work.

Here's another thing you should know about the Arepa Barn: The people who run it are about as friendly as you'll find at a restaurant. One of the owners comes by and shakes hands with every customer. It's an inviting environment, so if you're not sure about trying something new, don't worry, they will treat you right.
Government officials throughout Natrona County said they were shocked when a random state audit in 2015 revealed that the treasurer of Mills had embezzled roughly $60,000 from the town. Lisa Whetstone was later convicted of the crime and on July 24 was ordered to pay back the stolen funds and sentenced to five years of supervised probation.

But Whetstones sentencing was not the end of the story for Mills.

The scandal led the town to re-evaluate how its government operates, according to Mills Mayor Seth Coleman.

Coleman, who was a Council member at the time of Whetstones arrest, said officials determined the town needed more checks and balances and implemented a series of changes. Employees handling the towns cash now undergo full background checks and a polygraph test, and the duties that used to fall solely on the town treasurer have been divided between current treasurer Christi MacRae and town clerk Christine Trumbull.

Trumbull said Thursday it was an easy adjustment that she believes helps protect the towns funds.

Our roles intertwine, so we have that double check system, she explained.

Coleman added that this was a budget-neutral decision because it involved only shifting duties, not hiring a new employee. But other changes have come at a cost.

The town also purchased a more advanced accounting software system for about $40,000, said Coleman.

Mills is in the process of hiring a town administrator, a newly created position, to oversee day-to-day transactions and serve as an intermediary between the Town Council and other departments. Coleman, who could not provide a salary estimate for the position at this time, said he hopes the administrator will be hired by the end of the year.

Additionally, the town now pays a CPA to conduct an annual audit, according to Coleman. Before the states random audit in 2015, the town of Mills had not been audited in almost three decades.

Pam Robinson, the administrator for the public funds division of the Department of Audit, explained Monday that the department used to audit small-town governments every four years  until the departments budget was cut in 1992.

Small-town governments were not audited by the department again until a budget increase in 2005 allowed audits to resume on a limited basis, recalled Robinson.

The state defines small towns as those with a population of under 4,000.

Given that state audits are happening less frequently than in previous decades, Robinson advised town council members and mayors to take on more active roles.

When you get into smaller towns and they have fewer people [working for the town] thats when the mayor and council need to get involved, she said, explaining that they need to check over financial transactions.

About one town official is found to be embezzling in Wyoming every three years, added the administrator.

One of these officials was in Evansville, according to town clerk Janelle Underwood. A former treasurer embezzled from the town in the 1970s.

Whetstones arrest didnt spark any major changes in Evansville because many of the checks and balances being enacted in Mills already exist there, said Underwood, adding that she suspects the towns experience with embezzlement in the 70s taught officials the importance of being cautious.

The treasurer and town clerk already share financial duties, she explained, and the town hires a CPA each year to conduct audits.

Although having an official embezzle could lead citizens to lose trust in their government, Coleman said most Mills residents have been understanding because they know the Council has made positive changes.

Not that he blames those who might be upset.

As a resident, I was angry  not even just as a public official, he recalled.

Mills councilman Mike Pyatt, who said he ran for Council after the embezzlement incident because he wanted to help the town improve, added hes confident that Mills has taken the right steps to restore trust.

Whatever erosion of trust there was, it will come back, he said.
Pathways Innovation Centers enrollment is at roughly 250 students  a quarter of its capacity  but a school official said he was confident that number would grow as more students become aware of the facilitys offerings.

Including students from the Star Lane Center  which shares a campus with Pathways  there are 350 students in the $42 million building, which started its second year at the beginning of September and can hold a total of a thousand students per day. To help boost enrollment at Pathways, officials announced a new plan in June that partially overhauled the facilitys system.

Students at Pathways can earn certifications and real-world experience in a number of industrial and professional areas, from welders to certified nursing assistants.

Ron Estes, who was appointed principal of Pathways after Chad Sharpe stepped down for personal reasons, said Friday that the project had a rough beginning last year, though he said he wasnt sure exactly what caused it.

But he said that a new plan  which involves more advanced, academy-based learning in the mornings for juniors and seniors and introductory classes to underclassmen in the afternoon  will help boost enrollment. He said that by 2020  if not earlier  the facility will be at full capacity.

As part of the shifting Pathways strategy, a team of district officials, including the principals at Kelly Walsh, Natrona County and Roosevelt, all have a hand in the facilitys administration.

Previously, academies were offered in both the mornings and afternoons to upperclassmen. But now, younger students can take classes in the afternoons. Estes said officials hope that will introduce more students to what Pathways has to offer.

Estes was adamant in defending the project and said any criticism from the community  rooted in the belief that the district spent millions on a project at a time of financial crisis  was incorrect.

It is working, he said.

Its also important to note that the planning for the building started around six years ago, before the state fell into an education funding crisis brought on by a downturn in the energy industry.

Still, its undeniable that Pathways has experienced a slow start. Officials have said that its natural for a brand-new project to take a little while before its fully accepted. Estes said it will take baby steps to get Pathways to where the district wants it to be. One of those steps is bringing more students, both high- and middle-schoolers, into the building to see it.

He urged students, parents and other members of the community to visit the campus and see the equipment available.

Thats how things are going to move forward, he said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  With President Donald Trump, a good enemy deserves a good nickname.

In his debut appearance before the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, Trump embraced his latest label  calling North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "Rocket Man."

An apparent reference to the Elton John song, which Trump sometimes played at campaign rallies, "Rocket Man" is the latest Trump-nickname to enter his colorful lexicon. During the 2016 race, he battled with Sen. Marco Rubio ("Little Marco"), Sen. Ted Cruz ("Lyin' Ted") and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ("Crooked Hillary").

"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself," said Trump as he addressed the General Assembly. He previously used "Rocket Man" on Twitter Sunday.

I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 17, 2017

Trump's mockery of the dictator quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, where users shared memes of Kim sitting at a piano wearing the oversized sunglasses that were part of John's signature look in the 1970s. Others shared images of Kim riding a missile like a horse. One Twitter user noted that The Economist magazine used the term to describe Kim's father on a 2006 cover.

Some of the most attention-grabbing reactions from social media:

Representatives for John did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The song "Rocket Man" was on Elton John's 1972 album "Honky Chateau." Trump enjoyed playing the song at his rallies, as well as another Elton John hit "Tiny Dancer."

But John's team made clear that he had not given permission to Trump to use the music. And in an interview with The Guardian in February 2016, John said: "I don't really want my music to be involved in anything to do with an American election campaign. I'm British."

John added: "I've met Donald Trump, he was very nice to me, it's nothing personal, his political views are his own, mine are very different, I'm not a Republican in a million years."

After his election last year, a member of Trump's transition team said John would perform at the inauguration. But the musician's team quickly shot down the report.

___

Associated Press writer Patrick Mairs contributed from Philadelphia.
Everyone likes free money. But with the Wyoming Legislature facing a more than $700 million deficit in education funding, lawmakers are especially eager for ways to generate new revenue without raising taxes or fees.

That thirst for new cash has led them to reexamine outstanding payments owed to the state. People or companies owe Wyoming roughly $80 million.

While $80 million may not sound like much considering the states total budget, legislators at the Interim Joint Revenue Committee meeting in Buffalo last week were plenty interested in recovering it.

Every dollar we can collect is a dollar we dont have to raise, said Rep. Mike Madden, R-Buffalo.

(The revenue committee has been tasked by legislative leadership with generating proposals to raise $100 million, $200 million and $300 million and passing along recommendations to the Legislature.)

Rep. Don Burkhart, R-Rawlins, reached out with a private contractor that recently began debt collection for South Dakota. CGI Group, which is based in Canada but has existing contracts with the state of Wyoming, has offered to conduct a free assessment of the states current collection practices and offer recommendations.

One solution may be hiring CGI itself to start collecting on the $70 million to $84 million currently owed to the state. The companys arrangement with South Dakota is free to taxpayers, with CGI being paid with a percentage of the payments it collects.

South Dakota Debt recovery center to start collecting for state courts SIOUX FALLS, S.D.  A new collections center to recover money owed to state agencies and pro

Burkhart said that before CGI began working with South Dakota that state was operating similar to how Wyoming currently does, with each agency responsible for collecting its own payments and a lack of consistency.

Some of them were OK at it and some werent, he said.

State auditor Cynthia Cloud agreed that using an outside contractor to help collect on debt owed to the state would be helpful.

This is something thats a gap in the administration of government, she said. Its really not the main focus of agencies.

Late fees

The committee agreed to advance a bill that will allow state agencies to add a 20 percent surcharge to past-due payments. The fee is intended to both serve as an incentive for people and companies to make payments on time as well as a way to fund the collection of debt if a private contractor like CGI is hired.

James Hale of CGI said that the company could provide both the software needed to consolidate payments owed to every state agency as well as collections staff. Hale said CGI would be able to execute best practices in debt collection, such as automatically sending letters to debtors.

Hale said CGI had collected 27 percent of the debt owed to South Dakota. An equivalent performance in Wyoming would generate $15 to $20 million.

While lawmakers were supportive of doing more to collect debt owed to the state, some chafed slightly at the actual debt collection methods mentioned by Hale. When Hale described predictive dialers  which allow call centers to be more efficient  Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, was unimpressed.

Thats wonderful, he said dryly.

Variation among agencies

Much of the money owed to the state is in the form of unpaid fines issued by courts. While unpaid state taxes also account for some of the outstanding money, Department of Revenue Director Dan Noble said that his agency was relatively efficient at collecting debt. Tax bills increase by 10 percent for each month past due and agency investigators travel the state to collect payments.

Lawmakers agreed that even if a private contractor is hired to do the states debt collection, each agency could still maintain some autonomy. For example, while some agencies might want to immediately refer all outstanding payments to the centralized debt collection system, others like the Department of Revenue might attempt to collect the payments for several months before turning the remaining balance over to the centralized system.

The Legislature may also consider suspending Wyoming Game and Fish licenses and even drivers licenses of state residents who owe money to public agencies.
2017 has been a tumultuous, roller-coaster year and were not even at the finish line.

But come late December, were going to need a few laughs to get us through the finale.

Thank goodness funny man Jay Leno likes us. Hes giving Tucson a belated Christmas gift on Dec. 28 when he headlines a show at the Casino del Sol Event Center, 5655 W. Valencia Road.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, through tickets.casinodelsol.com. No prices were set.

Leno is one of several big-name comedians and big-deal comedy shows heading our way in the coming months.
HAWKINS IS FACING DEATH VERY CALMLY

_____

Since His Conversion to Catholicism He Has Undergone a Radical and Marked Change.

_____

SENDS A STATEMENT FOR STAR READERS

_____

Composed Message to His Mother Which He Read Into His Phonograph.

_____

This afternoon at 1 oclock, the span of the life of E. W. Hawkins will have been measured and he will have paid the penalty for the murder of Albert Leonhardt, when the trap drops and he is executed in the patio of the county jail. It is the second time this summer that the supremest manifestation of the power of the law will have been made in Pima county and it is the first time in the history, at least of recent years, in Arizona, that one season has witnessed the death of two criminals for differing offenses in the same county.

There has been a great lack of interest in the Hawkins case as compared with the Groce case, in that there was much public sympathy for the former condemned man, and organized effort was made to gain for him a commutation. In the Hawkins case, however, there has been no sentiment whatever in his favor and it is doubted if ever a man walked to the scaffold with the memory of a smaller effort on the part of the public to save his life.

On the contrary, there have been probably a thousand applications for invitations to the hanging. There will not be more spectators, officially invited, however, than at the last one. Sheriff Pacheco has been very discriminating in his list-making and has wisely done everything to keep it from having the appearance of a morbid amusement spectacle. The main body of the guests will be admitted to the court yard and the newspaper men will witness the hanging from the sheriffs private office. On the scaffold will be the officers and Father Timmermans, the spiritual advisor of Hawkins. Quite a number of people from Cochise county and from Fort Huachuca may be present.

Hawkins is spending the last few hours of his life in comparative peace. His wonderful nerve or nonchalance has never deserted him. When a reporter for the Star called yesterday he turned to his phonograph, a favor of the sheriff, and one which passes the hours acceptably, and put on the record, Everybody Gives Me Good Advice. Then he laughed as he remarked: Thats a fact all right.

Every possible wish which he expresses is granted by the officers and his last hours will be as pleasant as they can be made. Since his profession of religion, Hawkins has been behaving himself very differently from his wont theretofore and he is earning more consideration from the officers and the prisoners in the jail than they would have deemed possible before. But he is still as cool as an iceberg and seems to regard his going to the scaffold as of no more occasion for anxiety than walking into a bath room.

Wednesday night he sent the following letter to the Star office, which will likely be his last statement in writing that will ever be known has having been issued from his hand. He had repeatedly asked for permission to make a statement after his conversion and said that he wanted to make it to the same newspaper and the same representative who first published his detailed confession, made last February, which is explanatory of the personal character of the letter. The letter is published in full in order that the mental processes of the man and the motives and ideas of things which actuate him a few hours before his death may not be disfigured by any elimination:

Tucson, Ariz., Aug. 12th, 1908.

Dear Sir:Was very glad to see you yesterday. Will do as you requested me to do but there is no sensation to this. I am a full-fledged Catholic now, and was baptized and made my confession through Father Timmermans to God this afternoon and Ive been walking on air, as it were, ever since. Although outwardly I may not show it, I am at peace and contented inwardly and am resigned to my fate.

I owe the kind Sisters of St. Joseph for my present happiness for interesting themselves in behalf of my soul and my gratitude will last forever, as my soul is saved. I have always been a Christian and my poor mother taught me to be one, yet I was adverse to confessing and therefore very miserable at heard to what I now am.

In regard to my hanging, it does not worry me in the least, and although the time is drawing near for it, I feel safer in my faith of Gods mercy.

The hardest of all of it was my parting from my unfortunate little wife and baby. Still, I bore it well, and so did she.

Of course, you can publish this in any form you wish, as long as the contents are published right. You see, I am writing this to you personally. Not long ago I signed an affidavit charging Dick and Arnold with breaking an immunity agreement, and I understand it was sent to Gov. Kibbey, but at any rate it seems that a story was current that I had not signed it. I not only signed it, but I was the one who drew it up, and honestly, too, there was no joke about it.

You were gone quite a while, werent you, but you look just the same, and healthy, too. I should like to give you a good article, but am very busy on some private matters and cannot tonight. Come all the way in tomorrow and have a talk. I also have a fair cigar for you, if you do.

Well, guess Ill close for this time, with best wishes to you, I remain,

Yours truly,

E. W. HAWKINS

There is really a very remarkable change in Hawkins from the man he was when first arrested and when later on the witness stand in the Metzler trial. All the braggadocio, all the bravado, all the profanity and meanness are gone, and in its stead there is a very quiet, pleasant, rather handsome young fellow who receives his callers with an air of good breeding and self-possession that is admirable. He talks affably about subjects as they are brought up and does not seem to have the slightest lack of courage.

Whatever may be the depth of his conversion, it is certain that it has had a sobering and bettering effect without the offset of having made him morose and sullen. His actions now almost convince one that, under the right environment, he would have made a very good citizen. He does not seem anxious to talk about his new-found religion, but remarks concerning it crop out every once in a while, as for instance yesterday afternoon when he asked George Knight to stay with him all night. I will pray for you in Heaven if you will. Knight has been on the sea and Hawkins calls him his Old bunk mate. They have passed many hours of the death watch together, telling tales of their life on the ocean, Knight seems to have developed a genuine affection for Hawkins and the latter certainly is very partial to his watch. Knight granted his request and stayed last night.

Hawkins remarked yesterday that he proposed to stay up all night, as he would have plenty of chance to rest later on. He smiled as he said it, and in fact that is a peculiar trait that he has developed recently, a sort of placid, genial smile and humor that are new to him.

He has been spending much of the time in writing his farewell letters and they are models of feeling and expression. They go to his mother, sister and wife.

He has gotten much pleasure out of the phonograph and lately has been filling blank records. The only bizarre thing that he has done in the last few days has been to compose a song about his execution, which he put on one of the records yesterday. Yesterday, however, he had really an unusual and thoughtful inspiration. He sent for some blank records and then composed a message to his mother, which he put into one of the blanks with the remark that his mother will always have an opportunity to hear his voice.

His favorite pieces are The Holy City and Asleep in the Deep. And he plays them over and over again. At times he goes to the wall, where hangs a beautiful ebony crucifix and mother-of-pearl rosary and kisses them. I told my wife that I would kiss them often in the last few hours in thought of her, and they are to go to her after the hanging, he said in explanation.

Hawkins will not weaken as the last moment approaches. He will go through with it with the same dignity that Groce did. The thing that sustains him, however, is something stronger than the bravado that was his chief characteristic formerly. He explained it yesterday to his won satisfaction when he said: No, I am not going to falter. I had plenty of physical courage all the time, that I do not believe would have carried me through. But the good Sisters have given me the spiritual courage, and now I know I can made it all right.

The Hawkins who will be executed is not at all the Hawkins who robbed and stole and murdered, but a very different and really likeable boy. The metamorphosis has been accomplished by the Sisters and the priest who took his case in hand when it seemed hopeless. There have been thousands of men dropped into eternity equally as bad who have really been altered by the wonderful religious influence of the Catholic religion which goes to every death cell, and the change in Hawkins is another testimony to the good that the church does.

There will be no sensation about the execution today. It will be both quiet and dignified, and Hawkins will do his full share toward making it so.
PHOENIX  The spouse of a gay Tucson woman who has given birth is entitled to the same parental rights as if she had been a man, even when theyre not biologically related to the child, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled today.

Chief Justice Scott Bales, writing for the majority, acknowledged that Arizona laws dealing with presumption of paternity use terms like "father, "he and "man. Those laws say the husband in a marriage is presumed to be the parent of any child born within 10 months of a marriage.

He conceded that Suzan McLaughlin could not possibly be biologically related to the child born in 2010 to Kimberly McLaughlin, to whom she was legally married at the time.

But Bales said all that is irrelevant in the wake of the historic 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling declaring that states have no right to limit marriage to one man and one woman. More to the point, he said, the nation's high court concluded that same-sex couples are entitled to civil marriage on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples.

"It would be inconsistent with (the 2015 ruling) to conclude that same-sex couples can legally marry but states can deny them the same benefits of marriage afforded opposite-sex couples, he wrote.

Today's ruling is a broad victory in for gay rights  and not just involving questions of divorce and child custody.

Some foes of same-sex marriage have argued that the 2015 ruling permits only the marriage of same-sex couples. People like Cathi Herrod of the Center for Arizona Policy said none of that disturbs other Arizona laws like those giving preference in adoption to a heterosexual married couple.

But Bales said he and his colleagues believe what the U.S. Supreme Court decided "will require a reassessment of various state statutes, rules, and regulations to the extent they deny same-sex spouses all of the benefits afforded opposite-sex spouses. He said that includes everything form taxation, property rights and hospital access to campaign finance rules  and adoption rights.

Bales said that could occur on a piecemeal basis, as those denied those rights file suit. But he said the better alternatives would be for the governor and Arizona lawmakers to comb through the rules and laws and eliminate those that discriminate.

"Like the judiciary, the legislative and executive branches are obliged to follow the United States Constitution, he said. "Through legislative enactments and rulemaking, our coordinate branches of government can forestall unnecessary litigation and help ensure that Arizona law guarantees same-sex spouses the dignity and equality the Constitution requires  namely, the same benefits afforded couples in opposite-sex marriages.
Gov. Doug Ducey has thrown his support behind the latest plan to kill the Affordable Care Act, despite estimates showing it will cost the state billions in lost federal dollars.

In a brief statement Monday, the governor called the Graham-Cassidy bill the best path forward to repeal and replace Obamacare.

The governor provided no details on why he supports the plan. Nor was he available for comment, having gone to Illinois for the Republican Governors Association conference.

But what Ducey did say suggested that the proposal to replace the federal program with block grants to each state meets his goal to give states more flexibility and more options moving forward.

Potentially more significant, Ducey is acknowledging that the window to actually do something  and do it without Democrat votes  is closing rapidly.

Senate rules that would allow approval on a simple majority self-destruct when the federal fiscal year ends Sept. 30. After that, it likely would need a filibuster-proof margin of 60 to clear the chamber, in which there are only 52 Republicans.

What makes Duceys support significant is not the governor himself, who has no vote on Capitol Hill.

Instead, it is his influence on John McCain, the states senior senator. And McCain, who refused to support earlier repeal-and-replace efforts, has said repeatedly that his backing for any plan is contingent on the views of his home-state governor.

But even that may not be enough.

McCain spokeswoman Julie Tarallo told Capitol Media Services on Monday that her boss is reviewing the bill to assess its impact on the people of Arizona. But she said he is wary of these kinds of last-minute maneuvers with the details hammered out in offices and sent to the floor in a rush.

As he has said before, Sen. McCain believes health-care reform should go through the regular order of hearings, open debate, and amendments from both sides of the aisle, Tarallo said.

Arizonas other senator, Jeff Flake, said in a Twitter post the plan has my support and ought to be brought to the Senate floor. But that is little surprise, as Flake as backed prior efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

The legislation is being crafted by three Republicans: Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Dean Heller of Nevada.

In essence, it would blow up the Affordable Care Act with its system of mandated health insurance and subsidies for those who cannot afford the premiums.

Instead, the federal cash  at least some of it  would be given to the states in the form of block grants to let them decide exactly how they want to fashion their own health-care systems for those who do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford commercial health insurance.

States could also scrap many of the regulations that now exist under the Affordable Care Act. And it would cut federal Medicaid dollars.

Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the states Medicaid program, has yet to do its own full-blown analysis of the effect of the proposal. That includes how the changes would affect the fact that the federal law has paved the way to adding more than 400,000 people to the AHCCCS rolls.

The governor and his staff have been talking directly to those involved in drafting the legislation, he told Capitol Media Services.

Scarpinato, however, took a slap at the conclusions reached by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities showing that whats in the federal bill would mean the loss of $80 billion nationally by 2026, including a $1.6 billion loss for Arizona.

And if the federal law expires as proposed in 2027 and the block grants go away entirely, the same organization puts the price tag for Arizona at $6.9 billion out of $8.6 billion in current federal dollars.

Scarpinato sniffed at the numbers. This is a very left-wing group, he said.

But Scarpinato did not have any immediate figure of his own. And an AHCCCS spokeswoman said any comments have to come from the Governors Office.

The biggest effect could surround those 400,000 now getting care through AHCCCS who were not getting it before 2013.

More than 82,000 of those are people who are earning more than the federal poverty level, $20,420 a year  the normal limit for Medicaid coverage. The Affordable Care Act expanded that to 138 percent, with the federal government picking up virtually the entire additional cost.

But to qualify for those dollars, Washington required that the state restore coverage for single adults below the federal poverty level, people whose care was eliminated as part of a budget-balancing move at the beginning of the decade. There are more than 317,000 Arizonans in that category.

And there are other implications: The state legislation to expand AHCCCS and restore coverage was made contingent on a certain flow of federal dollars. If those dry up, so does $265 million a year being collected from hospitals that finance it.

While the Ducey administration would provide nothing more than the governors statement of support, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Steve Farley was more vocal.

Endorsement of a bill that could hurt our state badly without knowing the facts of the bill amounts to governmental malpractice, said Farley in a prepared statement.

This loss of funding will cause real harm to our state, he said. For those with serious health issues, the consequences could be dire.

Whats also working against the bill is that the Congressional Budget Office has said it cannot do a full analysis of the measure before the end of the month in terms of both costs and the number of people who would lose care.

And there is opposition from the conservative side of the slate.

Michael Needham, CEO of Heritage Action, the sister of the Heritage Foundation, said in a release that the measure would make some improvements over the current situation. But it would not actually deliver on the Republicans seven-year campaign promise to repeal and replace Obamacare.
The Tucson City Council could be close to signing off on an agreement allowing the University of Arizona to build a six-story Honors College dorm complex north of campus.

A four-page staff memo outlines the key concessions the council wants regarding the 1,056-bed dorm in exchange for waiving its much-discussed legal objections to development, which is just north of campus planning boundaries.

Those requests largely cover various zoning issues, requiring the university and its partner in the dorm project American Campus Communities to follow regulations related to building height, parking, traffic, lights as well as a prohibition on balconies, a pool and rooftop amenities at the residence hall.

And $189,000 from the UA to the city.

The memo suggests the university pays for the conveyance of the multiple parcels to university control, with a figure based on a value of $10.50 per square foot. The UA and the city of Tucson have previously agreed on using this unit value for real-estate transactions.

In exchange, the city would give to the UA North Fremont Avenue between East Mabel and East Drachman streets for the project. The section on Freemont would be between the planned dorm complex and the recreation center.

The proposed Honors College multi-block project spans about eight acres between Adams and Mabel streets, and between Park and North Santa Rita Avenues. The project would include a residence hall, classroom space, office space, a recreation center, dining hall and parking garage.

The council could sign off as early as its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 19, but not everyone is willing to back the plan until the university releases the finalized documents ahead of Octobers Arizona Board of Regents meeting. The university is expected to ask for ABORs approval of the project, as well as how the project will be operated and maintained, as the last step before construction could begin.

The memo signed by City Manager Mike Ortega is neutral on the proposal, but Councilman Steve Kozachik is concerned the city will give its best bargaining chip if it signs the agreement, suggesting the city should simply just wait a few more weeks.

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild said the proposal from the university is the product of several meetings between staff and the university and says he sees some concessions inside the proposal to meet the concerns of neighborhood residents. Ortegas memo said the UA has clarified for the city on how the project will be controlled, operated and maintained when it comes to the role of ACC, a private developer.

For example, Freemont Street around the project would be limited to pedestrian and bicycle access, although a fire lane would allow for fire vehicles to enter the road in an emergency.

Rothschild said the agreement would be conditional on the UA meeting some conditions, and says City Attorney Mike Rankin has yet to make a determination whether the agreement between the UA and the dorm developer ACC would strip away the citys zoning rights. One of the terms would be the university operating the Honors residence hall as a UA dorm.

The Honors dorm has become a test case for the university to see whether the university has the legal rights to build outside of the established campus boundaries without having to follow local zoning codes.

As an entity of the state, the university does not have to meet specific zoning codes related to height of buildings as it is outside of the citys jurisdiction. However, it is unclear whether the properties owned by ACC that are part of the project would also be immune to local zoning regulations.

Rothschild said until those agreements are finalized between ABOR and ACC, the city does not know if it has zoning rights related to this project.

The proposed Honors College multi-block project spans about eight acres between Adams and Mabel streets, and between Park and North Santa Rita Avenues. The project would include a residence hall, classroom space, office space, a recreation center, dining hall and parking garage.
Former Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll is hoping to fill the recently vacated position of justice of the peace for Green Valley Justice Court.

Since leaving the Pima County Board of Supervisors earlier this year, Carroll has been working with the local nonprofit Amity Foundation, which he would leave if chosen by the board for the position, Carroll told the Star.

This is a dream job for me, he said.

No other applicants had submitted paperwork expressing interest, though the last day to do so is Friday. A public forum with all candidates will be held in Green Valley on Sept. 27, prior to the boards vote on who will be the new judge Oct. 17.

The previous judge, Lisa Royal, stepped down from the four-year elected position in August, citing concerns about the declining caseload in the court, which serves Green Valley, Sahuarita, Corona de Tucson, Arivaca and Amado.

In 2010, there were 18,363 cases filed at the Green Valley Justice Court, the vast majority of them civil traffic matters. In 2016, only 2,962 cases were filed, according to state court data. One of the contributing factors to the decline was the removal of a traffic camera in 2014, according to Royal, who has since been hired as the Pima County Consolidated Justice Court administrator, a position she previously held from 2005 to 2013.

It had started to decline, and within two years it was really dropping dramatically, particularly after the enforcement camera was taken down, Royal said, who was appointed to the court in 2013 and elected to a full term in 2014. We still dropped down even further. Even without the camera, we were averaging 4,000 tickets a year and were down to 1,700.

As a result of the decreased caseload, Royal was earning fewer judicial productivity credits, which are used to determine salaries for justices of the peace. In 2015, she was assessed as having 215 credits, qualifying her to receive 65 percent of a Superior Court trial judges $145,000 salary, or $94,250, according to recent county salary data.

In her resignation letter, Royal said she anticipated those credits falling below 200 in coming years, which would have resulted in a 10 percent pay reduction. Royal told the Star her workload was already resembling part-time status.

I love to work, but I was only on the bench maybe for four hours a day, she said. In the letter, Royal endorsed Ron Newman, a practicing attorney who has experience as a judge pro tempore at the Green Valley Justice Court. However, Newman, who has not made up his mind about applying, also expressed some concerns about the declining caseload.

In this case, the population has gone up, but filings have decreased, and thats an area of concern, said Newman, who unsuccessfully ran for Precinct 10 justice of the peace in 2016. Seventy thousand people live in this precinct. It is important to maintain that court to service those citizens. I, for one, would be uncomfortable making people travel 30 to 40 miles to go to court.

Carroll also expressed some concerns about the future of the Green Valley Justice Court.

There are parts of the Justice Court that need to be addressed as soon as possible, Carroll said. The declining caseload and the possibility of closing the court are some concerns.

Carroll, unlike Newman, is not an attorney, which is not a requirement to be a justice of the peace in Arizona. Steve Christy, the new District 4 supervisor, said that in the past, there have been non-attorney justice court judges who have succeeded in the position.

I knew several JPs who were very capable without any law experience, Christy said. Ray certainly knows the area, and he will go through the process the same as anyone else. He has the experience of the district behind him.

According to Carroll, his biggest sell is the fact that he is unable to receive a second pension should he be chosen to fill the rest of Royals term.

Theres no double-dipping, no second pension available after becoming supervisor, Carroll said. You do get benefits, like health insurance.

The League of Women Voters-organized forum will be held at the Las Campanas Community Center, 565 W. Belltower Dr., at 6 p.m., Sept. 27.

C.J. DInnocente is a University of Arizona journalism student who is an apprentice at the Star. Contact him at starapprentice@tucson.com.
Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images via ABCDaughtry is doing their part to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.



The band has announced theyll be donating $50,000 to Habitat Hammers Back, a Habitat for Humanity initiative to help repair and rebuild in the aftermath of the storms. Theyre encouraging their fans to make a donation as well.



"We've been struck by the images coming out of Texas and Florida after these two devastating storms," frontman Chris Daughtry says in a statement. "The destruction is enormous, but so is the love and compassion we've seen with people helping each other out.



He adds, Habitat for Humanity is already on the ground helping folks assess damage, dig out and repair their homes. We're making a donation to Habitat, and we'd like to ask you to join us by visiting Habitat.org/Hurricanes to make a contribution today."



The band also posted a video to their Facebook page to help spread the word.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
A woman trying to rescue her missing dog on the Tucson Mountains fell and sustained injuries Tuesday morning.

She and her dog were both rescued Sept. 19 by Drexel Heights Fire District Technical Rescue Team, along with Southern Arizona Rescue Association and other agencies.

The rescue operation began at 8:15 a.m., said Tracy Koslowski, a Drexel Heights Fire Department spokeswoman.

The woman was taken to Banner-University Medical Center Tucson, and the dog was taken to a veterinarian clinic. Both were treated for injuries and are expected to make a full recovery, Koslowski said.

The dog went missing about a week ago, and recently a hiker found a dog and gave it water. The hiker posted photos of the dog on social media, and the dog's owner reached out to the hiker. Both met this morning where the dog was seen last before the owner began searching for her dog, said Koslowski.
With the official start of the fall season just three days away, it's not too soon to start thinking of all the perks that come with a change in season.

For this particular season, one of the perks seems to be a plethora of festivals to celebrate Halloween, Oktoberfest and all other things autumn-related.

With so many festivals taking place across Arizona over the next several weeks, Only in Your State has curated a list to help guide readers to the 11 best.

It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Tucson's All Souls Procession earns a much-deserved spot on the list. Scheduled for November 5, the annual procession "celebrates life, mourns the death of loved ones, and brings the community together for a two-mile procession through downtown," according to Only in Your State.

A short drive from Tucson, Willcox's Fall Pumpkin Celebration at Apple Annie's Orchard also makes the list. Running from September 23 through October 29, the festival features pick-your-own-pumpkins and other fall veggies, a corn maze and freshly-made pumpkin treats.

Not to be left out, Tombstone's Helldorado Days also makes the list. The weekend-long festival running from October 20 through 22 showcases the legendary town "with reenactments, an 1880s fashion show, a carnival, and plenty of other fun activities," Only in Your State says.

There are eight other festivals across the state, so check out the full list here and get some inspiration for a weekend road trip.
Arizonas charter-school system is being widely abused to enrich charter-school operators and their families with public dollars, often at the expense of students, according to a detailed report from the centrist think tank Grand Canyon Institute.

The report found that 77 percent of all Arizona charter schools engage in some form of related-party transactions that enrich charter-school owners, board members or their families, and that the system lacks the checks and balances necessary to ensure charter-school funds are primarily used for educating students.

The report, based on a three-year forensic audit of Arizonas charter-school finances, focused primarily on related-party transactions. Thats when charter schools, which are nearly all nonprofit entities funded almost entirely with tax dollars, spend tax dollars on non-competitive bids with for-profit companies that are owned by the charter operators, board members or their immediate relatives.

Oftentimes, those related-party transactions are real estate deals where the charter leases property from a company owned by the charter holder, board members or their families. Other times they purchase curriculum from the charter-school holders for-profit company, hire teachers from an employment-services company owned by the charter holders relative or contract for management services from a company owned by a member of the charters corporate board, according to the report.

Those practices would be illegal for public school districts, which are subject to competitive-bid laws.

Lax financial oversight (of Arizonas charter school system) enables ethically challenged practices to occur systematically without the kind of public disclosures that the same behavior would receive in a district, the report states.

Complicating the issue, the annual financial reports and audits filed by charter schools contain widespread irregularities and are at odds with the numbers the schools provide to the IRS, making the information that is publicly available questionable, the report states. The report relies on publicly available data with identified related-party transactions, but notes there is ample evidence that not all the related-party transactions were recorded in the audit.

The think tank is careful to note that while none of the widespread problems outlined in its report are illegal, the behaviors fall short of sound business practices and underscore that the free-market approach of lax regulation on schools has gone too far.

But the Arizona Charter Schools Association and politicians who support the charter movement say there shouldnt be a rush to make changes to the charter system, which is outperforming district schools by most metrics.

They argue the checks and balances on charters are mostly sufficient. And while there may be some bad actors, the reports findings that 77 percent of charter-school operators are engaging in some form of self-enrichment conflates related-party transactions with financial cheating.

Eileen Sigmund, president of the Arizona Charter School Association, said just because a charter holder uses tax dollars to do business with someone in their family doesnt necessarily mean theyre scamming the taxpayer.

Theyre saying if theres a husband-and-wife team, thats a related-party transaction. One maybe a top-notch professor and the other may have extensive real estate holdings and is trying to make his wifes dream a fiscal reality, she said.

But Curt Cardine, the reports author who spent three years using forensic-accounting tools to analyze the publicly available documents compiled in the report, said findings that 77 percent of charter operators engage in self-dealing already exclude instances where the related-party transaction resulted in a cost-savings to the public.

The report makes a series of recommendations, though it doesnt go so far as to call for an outright ban to related-party transactions for charter schools. Instead, the Grand Canyon Institute is asking for charters to be held to the same public-bidding procurement process as public district schools, and that related-party transactions be clearly disclosed on uniform financial audits.

But Sigmund wasnt ready to commit to any of the reports recommendations, saying any changes should be carefully considered to ensure they dont harm charters ability to serve students.

And she defended charters ability to skip competitive-bidding practices and award large contracts to family members, saying at the end of the day, the bad actors will be caught by the state charter school board.

Besides, she said, all the government red tape around procurement practices results in bureaucratic waste, which is one of the many reasons charters are outperforming district schools.

All of the procurement rules (at district public schools) dont necessarily translate into a great public education for our kids, Sigmund said.

Arizonas charter school program began in 1994, with hope of offering students a variety of learning experiences through public education. There are now 547 charter schools in the state, and in the last school year, enrollment in the charter system reached an all-time high of roughly 180,000 students, according to the Arizona Charter School Association.

Kathy Senseman, president of the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools, which regulates charter schools, said the board examines charters annual audits, but hasnt turned a close eye to related-party transactions because theyre legal under state law.

Whether the Legislature will take up the issue is uncertain.

Republican Rep. Paul Boyer of Phoenix, chairman of the House Education Committee, said he hasnt looked into the issue or read the Grand Canyon Institutes report, but his understanding is that charter schools were given fewer regulations because theyre supposed to operate differently than traditional public schools  be more nimble, less bureaucratic and better-able to serve students who had been stifled in a traditional public-school setting.

He said the tradeoff for that lower level of regulation is that charters have fewer resources to accomplish their goals  unlike traditional public schools, charters do not receive funding from bonds or overrides.

The deal was less regulation, less money, he said.

He said what really matters is if a charter school is getting strong academic results.

Charter schools like Basis  which Cardine described as the poster child for related-party transactions  are getting results, Boyer noted.

But Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, a Phoenix Republican who has been critical of Arizonas push for school choice without accompanying accountability, said since both types of schools deal with public money they should be held to the same standards, including procurement standards.

Weve given district schools more and more regulation, while not requiring the same of these very nimble charters, and we wonder why the public schools arent as successful. Were not asking for transparency, were not asking for accountability  except for from district schools, she said.
The county will be seeking an outside auditor to review all future expenses and the past five years worth of Pima County Attorneys Offices expenses from its anti-racketeering fund.

Earlier this year, shortly after former sheriffs Chief Deputy Chris Radtkes conviction for misuse of federal Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) funds, Arizona legislators tightened laws governing the use of such money and how it will be distributed.

One recent change in state law requires the Pima County Board of Supervisors to review and approve the County Attorneys Office requests for money from the County Attorney Anti-Racketeering Revolving Fund.

The federal money, which comes from funds seized from individuals accused of crimes, is meant to be used by the County Attorneys Office and local law-enforcement agencies for crime-fighting and crime-prevention purposes.

In the past, the county attorney was responsible for approving all requests for money from the anti-racketeering fund, including its own. The new law requires that except in emergencies, the County Attorneys Office must submit an application to the Board of Supervisors and receive its approval before using any money in the fund.

In a 4-1 vote, the board decided to adopt the policy, which requires certification by County Attorney Barbara LaWall, or a designated deputy county attorney, that the proposed expense is for an authorized law-enforcement purpose.

What I think this policy does do is provide a lot more transparency than we were seeing in the past in regard to RICO expenditures, said County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.

The policy also requires the county attorneys finance department to provide a detailed explanation of what the money will be used for, which is much more transparent than the limited information law-enforcement agencies often provide in their requests, Huckelberry said.

The requests will be made either as direct expenditures, which directly serve law-enforcement purposes of the County Attorneys Office, and indirect expenditures, which indirectly serve by funding community-based programs, activities or events. Direct expenditures will be incorporated into the annual budget, but the indirect expenditures will be presented individually to the board for approval.

The policy also provides funds for the board to hire outside counsel to review any proposed use of money from the anti-racketeering fund, which Supervisor Sharon Bronson proposed the board make use of and hire an outside entity to review the past five years worth of expenditures to ensure laws were followed.

Although the policy allows the board to review only the county attorneys request for money from the anti-racketeering fund, some supervisors would like to have the opportunity to review other agencies requests for funding.

It was the County Attorneys Office overseeing 18 years of misuse of funding, said Supervisor Ally Miller. Had the whistleblowers not come forward, we wouldve never known about it. I would like to see the board have a more strict policy where were reviewing all of it.

Last September, Radtke was indicted on multiple felony counts of conspiracy to launder money and theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, in connection with more than $500,000 in purchases that were unrelated to crime fighting or prevention.

In February, he accepted a plea agreement for three misdemeanor counts of theft of federal funds and was sentenced to one year of probation, 100 hours of community service and ordered to pay $3,000 in fines.

The County Attorneys Office is still responsible for approving RICO requests for all law-enforcement agencies in the county, including the Tucson, Marana and Oro Valley police departments.

The county attorney is supportive of the new policy that the Board of Supervisors adopted. We favor transparency, said Chief Deputy Pima County Attorney Amelia Cramer. All of the anti-racketeering fund documents are and have been public records for decades and are open for the board to review as they see fit.

In the situation of the Sheriffs Department and Radtke, federal court documents showed that individuals in the department committed fraud against the County Attorneys Office when filing their requests for RICO funds, Cramer said.

There was no documentation in the County Attorneys Office that revealed that fraud, so this new review and policy and procedure is not something that could necessarily prevent somebody from committing a crime and committing fraud, Cramer said.

In February, the attorneys office changed its procedure for disseminating money from the anti-racketeering fund to reduce the likelihood of someone perpetrating fraud on the office, Cramer said.

Now, the law enforcement agency can submit a proposed expenditure request, but they dont get a final approval. They get approval that it would be a legally authorized expenditure under the law and guidelines as they exist today, Cramer said.

The agency can then go ahead and make the purchase and submit the receipt to the County Attorneys Office before being reimbursed.

Supervisor Ramon Valadez, who voted no, said hed rather the board make decisions regarding future expenditure requests.

We chose an overall direction where were potentially handing off our responsibility to a third party, and Im not comfortable with that, Valadez said.
Tucson police are asking the public for help in identifying a woman captured on a surveillance camera who is wanted in connection to an assault and carjacking in midtown.

The crime occurred July 30, police said.

A woman climbed into a vehicle on the city's north side at a Walmart Neighborhood Market parking lot at East Grant and North Alvernon Way, according to a Tucson Police Department Facebook post Monday, Sept. 18.

The woman forced the driver to take her to a grocery store in midtown near East Speedway and North Swan Road, police said. Once in the grocery store parking lot, the woman assaulted the driver who was able to escape. The driver suffered minor injuries, police said.

The assailant then drove off in the victim's vehicle, which has been located by police. Authorities did not release where the vehicle was found.

Police released a photo of the assailant who is described as white and is in her 30s. She is medium to heavy set and may have recently injured her left foot.

Investigators ask if anyone knows the woman or has information about her whereabouts, to call 88-crime, an anonymous tipster hotline.

If anyone sees the woman, do not approach her and call 911 immediately, police said.
U.S. Rep. Raul M. Grijalva was arrested during a protest Tuesday morning in front of Trump Tower in New York City.

The Tucson Democrat was one of three congressmen arrested as part of a march demanding Congress pass the DREAM Act, legislation that provides a path for permanent residency for young people brought here illegally as children, and to take action to protect more than 800,000 young illegal immigrants who are in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a Grijalva staff member confirmed.

The three were among a small group of demonstrators who sat down and blocked traffic on Fifth Avenue and refused to move, according to The Associated Press. Reps. Adriano Espaillat, D-New York, and Luis V. Gutierrez, D-Illinois, were also arrested by New York City police officers in front of Trump's corporate headquarters and personal residence.

The Democratic speaker of New York's City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito, also was handcuffed and led away by police.

Protest organizers had said prior to the event that the lawmakers planned to get arrested.

President Donald Trump has said he will end the DACA program in six months and that Congress will have to pass legislation that protects young illegal immigrants.

In 2013, Grijalva was arrested along with 200 people in Washington D.C. during a march in support of immigration reform.

Grijalva is an ardent critic of Trump.

Last month, Grijalva said it was time to use the 25th Amendment, which provides the procedures for replacing the president or vice president in the event of death, removal, resignation, or incapacitation to be put to use to remove Trump.

Trump earlier Tuesday delivered an address at the United Nations. He was scheduled to stay at Trump Tower on Tuesday evening, but wasn't present for the protest.
WASHINGTON (AP)  With President Donald Trump, a good enemy deserves a good nickname.

In his debut appearance before the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, Trump embraced his latest label  calling North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "Rocket Man."

An apparent reference to the Elton John song, which Trump sometimes played at campaign rallies, "Rocket Man" is the latest Trump-nickname to enter his colorful lexicon. During the 2016 race, he battled with Sen. Marco Rubio ("Little Marco"), Sen. Ted Cruz ("Lyin' Ted") and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ("Crooked Hillary").

"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself," said Trump as he addressed the General Assembly. He previously used "Rocket Man" on Twitter Sunday.

I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 17, 2017

Trump's mockery of the dictator quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, where users shared memes of Kim sitting at a piano wearing the oversized sunglasses that were part of John's signature look in the 1970s. Others shared images of Kim riding a missile like a horse. One Twitter user noted that The Economist magazine used the term to describe Kim's father on a 2006 cover.

Some of the most attention-grabbing reactions from social media:

Representatives for John did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The song "Rocket Man" was on Elton John's 1972 album "Honky Chateau." Trump enjoyed playing the song at his rallies, as well as another Elton John hit "Tiny Dancer."

But John's team made clear that he had not given permission to Trump to use the music. And in an interview with The Guardian in February 2016, John said: "I don't really want my music to be involved in anything to do with an American election campaign. I'm British."

John added: "I've met Donald Trump, he was very nice to me, it's nothing personal, his political views are his own, mine are very different, I'm not a Republican in a million years."

After his election last year, a member of Trump's transition team said John would perform at the inauguration. But the musician's team quickly shot down the report.

___
WASHINGTON  Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is recommending that four large national monuments in the West be reduced in size, potentially opening up hundreds of thousands of acres of land revered for natural beauty and historical significance to mining, logging and other development.

Zinkes recommendation, revealed in a leaked memo submitted to the White House, prompted an outcry from environmental groups that promised to take the Trump administration to court to block the moves.

The Interior secretarys plan would scale back two huge Utah monuments  Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante  along with Nevadas Gold Butte and Oregons Cascade-Siskiyou. The monuments encompass more than 3.6 million acres  an area larger than Connecticut  and were created by Democratic administrations under a century-old law that allows presidents to protect sites considered historically, geographically or culturally important.

Zinkes plan also would allow logging at a newly designated monument in Maine and urges more grazing, hunting and fishing at two sites in New Mexico. It also calls for a new assessment of border-safety risks at a monument in southern New Mexico.

Bears Ears, designated for federal protection by former President Obama, totals 1.3 million acres in southeastern Utah on land that is sacred to Native Americans and home to tens of thousands of archaeological sites, including ancient cliff dwellings.

Grand Staircase-Escalante, in southern Utah, includes nearly 1.9 million acres in a sweeping vista larger than the state of Delaware. Republicans have howled over the monument since its creation in 1996 by former President Bill Clinton.

Cascade-Siskiyou protects about 113,000 acres in an area where three mountain ranges converge, while Gold Butte protects nearly 300,000 acres of desert landscapes that feature rock art, sandstone towers and wildlife habitat for bighorn sheep and the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise.

Zinke had previously announced that no changes would be made at Arizona monuments, which include Ironwood Forest outside Tucson, Sonoran Desert and Vermilion Cliffs.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the 19-page memo, which was submitted to the White House last month and has not been officially released.

Two marine monuments in the Pacific Ocean also would be reduced under Zinkes memo, and a third monument off the Massachusetts coast would be modified to allow commercial fishing. Commercial fishing also would be allowed at two Pacific sites, west of Hawaii and near American Samoa.

President Trump ordered a review of 27 sites earlier this year after complaining about a massive land grab by Obama and other former presidents.

Its gotten worse and worse and worse, and now were going to free it up, which is what should have happened in the first place. This should never have happened, Trump said in ordering the review in April.

National monument designations add protections for lands known for their natural beauty with the goal of preserving them for future generations. The restrictions arent as stringent as for national parks, but include limits on mining, timber cutting and recreational activities such as riding off-road vehicles.

No president has tried to eliminate a monument, but boundaries have been trimmed or redrawn 18 times, according to the National Park Service.

Zinkes recommendations to pare down the four western monuments  and allow more economic activity at three other sites  represent an unprecedented assault on our parks and public lands by the Trump administration, said Jamie Williams, president of the Wilderness Society.

This callous proposal will needlessly punish local, predominantly rural communities that depend on parks and public lands for outdoor recreation, sustainable jobs and economic growth, Williams said, vowing to challenge in court any actions by the Trump administration to reduce the size of the monuments.

It was not clear from the memo how much energy development would be allowed on the sites recommended for changes, but Zinke said in the report that, Traditional uses of the land such as grazing, timber production, mining, fishing, hunting, recreation and other cultural uses are unnecessarily restricted.

Those restrictions especially harm rural communities in western states that have traditionally benefited from grazing, mining and logging, said Zinke, a former Montana congressman.

Zinke claims to follow Teddy Roosevelt, but hes engineering the largest rollback of public land protection in American history, said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, another environmental group.

A spokeswoman for Zinke referred questions to the White House, which said in a statement that it does not comment on leaked documents.

If Trump adopts the recommendations, it would quiet some of the worst fears of his opponents, who warned that vast public lands and marine areas could be lost.

But significant reductions in the size of the monuments, especially those created by Obama, would mark the latest in a string of actions where Trump has sought to erode his Democratic predecessors legacy.

The recommendations cap an unprecedented four-month review based on Trumps claim that 1906 Antiquities Act has been misused by recent presidents to create oversized monuments that hinder energy development, grazing and other uses.

By sealing off more than 3 million acres in solidly Republican Utah, Obama and Clinton hurt local economies in rural areas that depend on logging and ranching, said Matt Anderson of the conservative Sutherland Institute.
Re: the Sept. 18 article "Phoenix homeowner associations foreclosing on thousands of homes."

A recent article in the Star regarding Homeowners associations' foreclosure being unfair to the homeowner was very slanted against HOAs. The HOA is comprised of people who live in a neighborhood, and who want their neighborhood maintained in a certain way, usually prescribed in rules. It is the responsibility of people in the neighborhood to pay dues to the HOA to perform neighborhood maintenance and enforce rules. If homeowners in the neighborhood do not pay their dues, their neighbors must pay for them.

I believe most HOAs have clearly written rules in terms of what happens when dues are not paid. The notification for violations and penalties are prescribed in state statutes. If one chooses to live in a neighborhood, they need to be responsible and contribute to the upkeep of the neighborhood. Otherwise, they should move to a place where they feel more comfortable. Neighbors do not want to be placed in a position of foreclosing on their neighbors!

Dave Locey

Foothills
Senator Lindsey Graham recently said in an interview, Take all the money under Obamacare and block-grant it back to the states. This is one of the boldest states rights assertions since Grahams predecessor, Sen. James Chesnut Jr., resigned from the U.S. Senate to draft the Ordinance of Secession prior to the Civil War. The Graham-Cassidy bill  the latest Republican attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act  strips millions of Americans of their health care.

It is absolutely deplorable to place Sen. John McCains good friends name in front of this abominable bill, then tailoring it to elicit Gov. Doug Duceys support in order to lure McCain from his principled position. McCain defeated the last effort at repeal and insisted that all Senate procedures be employed to a bill of such importance to millions of Americans. Stay strong, Sen. McCain. Our people badly need to see a principled institutional hero in action.

David Rollins

North side
Writer Matthew R. Shay should read the Star to see the facts on the consequence of cutting corporate taxes. In the same edition his column appeared, the Business section had an article describing the failure of corporate tax cuts by Kansas to stimulate their economy. The facts are that corporate tax cuts have not increased employment or salaries.

Shay conveniently fails to point out that corporate taxes are on profit, after the cost of salaries, new hires, manufacturing, purchasing, research and development, or business expansion generally, have been subtracted from revenue. Profits thus go entirely into the pocket of the owner or investors, into savings for future years, or (pre-tax) to buy back their stock (also in the Business section article). Competition for trained staff, and demand for products or services drive employment and salaries.
President Trump told the United Nations on Tuesday that our country may "totally destroy" North Korea. That could only be accomplished with the use of nuclear weapons. Would we drop atomic weapons on that nation and watch the radioactive fall-out drift onto South Korea and Japan, our allies? Would we launch such a devastating war without the approval of our ally, South Korea, the nation in the middle of this? I hope that this threat is another one of the president's emotional, unreasoned outbursts, and not the real policy of the United States.
Arizonas ban of the Mexican American Studies program in the Tucson Unified School District was only one of many discriminatory education policies that our state has faced. Arizonas English-only instruction policy for English-learning students builds on this legacy of racism in our schools.

Until the Legislature repeals the English-only policy, which has the identical purpose of extinguishing diversity in our schools, TUSD should invest in bilingual programs for all students.

I learned the power of bilingual education at an early age. Starting in kindergarten, I attended a Japanese immersion program at a public school. Our teachers taught in Japanese every morning and in English every afternoon.

My bilingualism opened many doors for me. In high school, I competed in a Japanese speech contest and won a trip to Japan. This eye-opening trip led me to study Japanese in college and to my first job: working at a bilingual film camp in Tokyo. My immersion in Japanese motivated me to study other languages. I realized the value of Spanish skills to employers and I learned Spanish to meet the demands of the job market.

After my undergraduate studies, I completed a graduate program at the University of Arizona for speech-language pathology and specialized in bilingual childrens speech and language development. Today, I work with many Spanish-speaking students in the Peoria School District, and my bilingual skills have been an immeasurable professional asset.

It is heartbreaking to see that many of my students are held back by the school system when they speak a second language at home. I believe that Arizona could be a leader in encouraging what virtually all education researchers tout as the extreme benefits of educating children to speak and read more than one language.

Instead, we are rejecting the extraordinary value of a bilingual education and the effects on EL children are alarming. In Arizonas schools, 91,000 EL students are forced to sit in classes that are taught in a language they do not understand without any support in their primary language.

These students are consequently left with marginal skills in their first language and, as research shows, less-developed English skills as well. As a result, EL (English learner) students are not keeping up in classrooms across the state.

How do we know that the English-only policy is holding back our students in comparison to states that support bilingual education? One needs to look no further than Arizonas abysmal 18 percent high school graduation rate of EL students to see the effects.

In Tucson, there is hope. The Tucson Unified School District has been experimenting with dual-language courses, and many administrators understand the importance of these programs. I am deeply concerned that due to lackluster results, TUSD seems ready to scrap the programs.

However, audits have shown us that the issue is not that TUSDs bilingual programs are failing, they simply need more resources. It is clear that TUSD needs to fully support these programs and not pull the plug on innovation.

Today, Tucson has the chance to guide the state. We have demanded that ethnic studies be reinstated in the schools to celebrate the diverse culture of our border community and we will demand the end of all racist policies affecting our education system.

When TUSD fully embraces dual-language education, it will result in a dramatic improvement of academic performance and graduation rates for our EL students. These changes will benefit the entire state and will be the first step toward rejecting Arizonas devastating, discriminatory English-only policy.
Two naval vessels from South Korea began their visit to Vietnam after arriving at a seaport in the central city of Da Nang on Monday.

Destroyer ROKS Kang Gam Chan (DDH-979) and combat support ship ROKS Hwacheon (AOE 59) of the Republic of Korea Navy carrying 633 sailors and officers docked at Tien Sa Port in the morning.

According to Rear Admiral Yang Yong-Mo, the trip, scheduled for September 18 to 21, is on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of South Korea-Vietnam diplomatic ties.

Officers stand on the ROKS Kang Gam Chan. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Aside from meeting Da Nangs leaders and their counterparts at the 3rd Regional Command of the Vietnam Peoples Navy, the South Korean officers will also visit children and some local charity centers.

A special musical event will also be organized for the visiting naval soldiers at the East Sea Park.

As part of the trip, 11,000 books on Korean language teaching will be donated to the citys library, the Danang University of Foreign Language Studies, and other local institutions.

Combat support ship ROKS Hwacheon (AOE 59) of the Republic of Korea Navy. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Launched in March 2006, Destroyer ROKS Kang Gam Chan is designed for reconnaissance missions, anti-submarine patrols, and anti-submarine and ground attacks.

The vessel is 150 meters long, 17.4 meters wide, 38.5 meters tall, and weighs 5,500 metric tons.

It can reach a maximum velocity of 54km per hour and is equipped with air-to-ground, air-to-surface, and anti-submarine missiles.

The ROKS Hwacheon is a Cheonji-class combat support ship whose main missions are to supply fuel and food as well as undertake rescue efforts.

Combat support ship ROKS Hwacheon (AOE 59) of the Republic of Korea Navy. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Officers from the 3rd Regional Command of the Vietnam Peoples Navy give flowers to their counterparts from South Korea. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Missile system of the ROKS Kang Gam Chan. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Vietnamese Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong has said that Vietnam attaches special importance to ties with China during the reception of a top-ranking Chinese official in Hanoi.

Trong on Monday received Liu Yunshan, Politburo Standing Committee member and Secretary of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, as the latter commenced his two-day visit to Vietnam.

During a reception in Hanoi on Monday, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam expressed his wish that Vietnam-China relations would develop healthily and steadily for the interests of the two countries people as well as for regional and global peace and development.

He wished that CPC, led by President Xi Jinping, would successfully organize its 19th National Congress, poised to open in Beijing on October 18.

Liu, who is in Vietnam on Monday and Tuesday, said he believed that the Vietnamese people would continue to reap greater successes under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, led by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

He affirmed that the Party and State of China regarded the development of traditional friendship and cooperation with Vietnam to be of great significance.

The guest wished to work closely with Vietnam to prepare for the upcoming visit of President Xi, as well as the Chinese leaders attendance at the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Da Nang in November.

It will be Xis first foreign trip following the 19th CPC National Congress.

On the same day Liu also met with Tran Quoc Vuong, permanent member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, for talks on measures to fully and effectively implement common perceptions and agreements between leaders of the two Parties and countries.

The leaders discussed the strengthening of political trust and friendship, improvement of collaboration in diverse areas, and settlement of issues on the East Vietnam Sea in a proper manner.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
https://twitter.com/ABCNewsBrisbane/status/909961662630739968

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate has snubbed an ABC crew from a press conference after last nights Four Corners program, which questioned councillor relationships with developers.

Channel Nine, Channel Seven and TEN, come upstairs please, a staffer told crews this morning before telling an ABC crew not to film her (they did anyway).

Im just relaying the message, she said.

Last night reporter ABC alleged how deals are being done on the Gold Coast and whether developer donations are influencing decision making. ABC revealed deputy mayor Donna Gates voted in favour of developer applications linked to her campaign donors nearly 30 times since 2016, acknowledging a conflict of interest.

Mark Willacy told viewers the mayor had refused to respond to ABC questions, and following their repeated requests, and had apparently had the local ABC bureau removed from the distribution list for the mayors daily media alerts.

Today he described the piece as lazy journalism.

Meaning, well, heres the end result of how we want to put out to tarnish the Gold Coast and its representative and lets ask all the other whinging people how to get to that means to the ends, he said.

The reporting is flawed in that instance.

The apparent ABC ban also follows the mayor calling ABC staff stupid  idiots in council.

For the stupid Four Corners, who asked me the question about one of the items that why did I declare my perceived conflict of interest and remain in the room? Its because I have firmly the opinion that I could participate in the debate and vote on this matter in the public interest, he said.

Quote me on that, you idiots.

Mayor Tate is also he same mayor who told ABC his city and the Logies went hand in hand.

Its befitting because its a tacky industry coming to a tacky city, he said.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has excluded @abcgoldcoast from his press conference after @4corners investigation into developer donations. pic.twitter.com/CSX5jHu9uc  Tom Forbes (@tomforbesGC) September 19, 2017

Oh no, we've even upset the meter maids! By saying Gold Coast is 'sometimes trashy' over this shot. Sorry ladies, love your work! #4Corners pic.twitter.com/vOtqYHBQ5N  Sally Neighbour (@neighbour_s) September 19, 2017

Another gem from @MayorTomTate today: 'I don't call it journalism. I call it bullshit.' After #4Corners on Gold Coast developer donations  Sally Neighbour (@neighbour_s) September 19, 2017

Latest from Gold Coast mayor Tate: 'I'd be interested to put my hand up as ABC chairman and if I do..4 Corners, I think it'll be 2 Corners.'  Sally Neighbour (@neighbour_s) September 19, 2017

Source: News Corp, Brisbane Times
Yesterdays vote in favour of CBS was a major win for CBS -and for Network TEN staff.

The vote went overwhelmingly to CBS, described by TEN News as a humiliating corporate defeat ton millionaire mates Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon (which would have gone down a treat airing on WIN).

Murdochs lawyers had tried to put off todays creditors meeting, said reporter Ursula Heger, but when that was put to a vote, they were the only hands raised in the room.

No doubt staff had a gutfull of recent mismanagement, constant talk of cutbacks and lack of investment. As TV Tonight revealed last week, Gordon & Murdoch had also planned to cease leasing TEN offices in Sydney, Melbourne & Adelaide. By contrast, the wealthy CBS had no such plans.

Everybody was going to do equal or better under CBS, an unnamed employee told Reuters.

Staff were concerned about the impact on the company or the newsroom if the CBS offer was rejected. Staff are more excited about the company under CBS than they are under the other deal.

But while the vote was passed the CBS still needs the approval of the Foreign Investment Board and Gordon & Murdoch may yet seek to appeal a court ruling this week, and could go to court again, with FOX, when KordaMentha applies to have shares in the broadcaster transferred to CBS.
Tonight The Feed hears from former Muslims in Australia who have turned away from extreme Islam, but are now living double lives.

Journalist Patrick Abboud said: For years Id heard whispers that there was a secret network of ex-Muslims living in Australia, and it stayed with me. I wanted to understand why it was so difficult to turn away from this religion. So, when Awal contacted me I knew it was time to tell the story of this underground group of young Aussies turning their back on Islam. Becoming Ex-Muslim is one of the most challenging documentaries Ive ever worked on, but also one of the most rewarding.

Names have been changed for these interviews.

A growing movement of young Australians is turning its back on the more conservative forms of Islam. The Feeds Patrick Abboud has gained exclusive access inside a secret network of young ex-Muslims, as they invite television cameras in to tell their stories for the very first time.

Walking away from any religion comes with consequences, but leaving Islam can be particularly difficult, especially if youve been raised with views that are in conflict with the modern and moderate faith practiced by the vast majority of Australian Muslims. Those turning away are living double lives, hiding their decisions from family and community out of fear of abuse and even physical reprisals. Thats certainly the case for the young people who told their story to Patrick Abboud.

Theyre rebelling against extreme versions of Islam, like that advocated by Hizb ut-Tahrir, that restricts their freedom and constrains their choices. Its an interpretation that says apostates  or unbelievers  should be put to death. Out of fear, these ex-Muslims have found refuge in secret meetings online and in person.

Awal*, the 24yo gatekeeper of the hidden ex-Muslim network, believes its worth the risk to tell her story in order to normalise the process of leaving Islam in society. Rashti* left the faith after suffering abuse from her father back in Pakistan and she is now an integral member of the group in Australia, and Ahmad* and Urwa* are currently leading double lives, in limbo and relying on the network for support.

Sydney Imam and solicitor, Sheikh Haisam Farache says that Islam in Australia is a broad religion and the extreme conservatism that these young ex-Muslims have rejected is a narrow cultural interpretation practised by few, rather than a religious one.

Muslim group Hizb ut-Tahrir declined to be interviewed for the documentary but described the ex-Muslims in fear of their group as fakes in a comment to The Feed.

Sheihk Haisam Farache will answer audience questions live on The Feed Facebook page after the episode from 8pm Tuesday 19 September

*Names have been changed

7.30pm Tuesday 19 September on SBS VICELAND.
Help India!

By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit his Loksabha constituency Varanasi on September 22, and following the same Yogi Adityanath led administration has passed a controversial order.

Support TwoCircles



On September 15, the district minority welfare officer at Varanasi issued a letter to all Madrassas of the city to bring Muslim population for a Samvaad programme.

PM Modi was scheduled to talk to Muslim women in the same Samvaad programme on Friday. As per the issued letter, a seating arrangement of 700 people was done for the same Samvaad programme.

In the order issued, district minority welfare officer Vijay Pratap Yadav wrote and signed, .you are being given the responsibility of bringing the minority women at the programme site, which was addressed to managers and principles of all aided and non-aided Madarssas of the city.

It ordered each Madrassa teacher to bring 25 women with them. The order becomes controversial as it also dictated the Madrassa teachers to bring people from their outside of Madrassa community as well.

The order immediately sparked the tension among the teachers. It was called off after seeing the citywide protest of Madrassas teachers and association members.

Deewan Sahab Zama, the general secretary at the Teachers Association Madaris Arabia, said that the madrassas had been assigned a task that should have been given to BJP workers.

We are not workers of BJP or Muslim Rashtriya Manch of RSS, said Zama. The association had already called to withdraw the order.

A meeting with Madrassas representatives was put on Monday to discuss the arrangement for the aforesaid programme, but the meeting was eventually called off on Sunday.

Senior officials at the district administration have claimed that auditorium may get packed on its own, but they did not say anything whether the Modis interaction with Muslim women will be held or not.
Help India!

New Delhi, (IANS): The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) on Tuesday expressed concerns at the seeming regularity of encounter deaths of alleged criminals in Uttar Pradesh.

It said the state police is mandated to guarantee that the Constitutional rights and legal safeguards of all arrested persons are upheld.

Support TwoCircles



In a press release, CHRI said the office of Director General of Police in Uttar Pradesh has released data between March and September this year relating to 420 gunfights across the states eight zones in a war against criminals.

It said about 15 people have been killed, 481 arrests made, and 88 police personnel injured and noted that this is exceptionally unusual.

While we recognise the criminal elements the police are up against, the police and political leadership must insist that all policing functions within the law. Without this, we lose the difference between the law and the outlaw, said Devika Prasad, Coordinator, Police Reforms Programme.

The release said the state government must strictly comply with both the Supreme Courts and the National Human Rights Commissions (NHRC) guidelines to investigate the 15 killings.

There is little information available on the arrests made, besides the scale. The UP Police is mandated to guarantee that the constitutional rights and legal safeguards of all arrested persons are upheld at every stage. It is solely for the courts to decide whether they are innocent or guilty, it said.

The release said that the police have reported that departmental and magisterial inquiries are being conducted after each gunfight.

However, the state is bound to register a First Information Report and initiate a full criminal investigation into any killing by police in an encounter. CHRI reminds the state government and UP Police that they are accountable for the deaths caused and arrests made, it said.

The CHRI said that guidelines of the Supreme Court given in PUCL vs State of Maharashtra require that any killing in an encounter is independently investigated and no cash or gallantry awards and benefits be given to police personnel for homicide.

It said that NHRC guidelines also mandate that any death resulting from police action is reported with details to the Superintendent of Police within 48 hours, followed by supplementary reports including the post mortem, inquest, magisterial inquiry report and reports on forensics and ballistics experts.

The reasoning behind this is that the police must always be law abiding and not be tempted into excess use of force, abuse of power, or illegality.

CHRI is an independent, international organisation committed to protecting and promoting human rights in Commonwealth nations.
Help India!

TCN News

Nahas Mala, President Students Islamic Organization of India has demanded a fair and impartial probe by a competent authority into the series of fake encounters in Haryana, eleven of them in the Nuh district itself the latest being that of a boy called Munfaid.

Support TwoCircles



Sourcing the fact-finding report of Citizens Against Hate, Mala said, Munfaid was called upon by the police authorities asking him to become an informer in exchange for dropping all false charges against him. He was later shot dead.

The fact-finding team which visited the Nuh district just a day after the encounter has listed 15 such incidents happened in various places across the state. The team reported that Munfaid was called by the Haryana crime branch to do some of their work in return for which Munfaid was promised removal of his name from a rape case.

Mala said, It might not be mere coincidence that the news of Haryana fake encounter was brought into the light on the anniversary of Batla House encounter killings. This clearly shows how prejudicial our system is and the Muslims in the country, especially the youth continues to be prone to encounter killings.

Justice in such cases are never delivered, Batla house encounter being the best example, he added.
When will these hurricanes leave the Caribbean Islands alone? They've been hit by almost every major hurricane that's come along in the past few weeks: Harvey, Irma, Juan, Katia, and now Hurricane Maria. This new storm is a category 5 hurricane, which is very severe; it's the category that Irma was assigned at its peak strength when it was raging towards the Florida Keys.

According to the Prime Minister of the Caribbean Island of Dominica where the people have faced the worst of the storm's wrath, the island has been "brutalised and devastated" by the onslaught of Hurricane Maria.

Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit wrote on his official Facebook page that the hurricane had ripped the roof off his house, which he had to be rescued from before he could appear on TV to give a statement. He admitted in his Facebook post that he was "at the complete mercy of the hurricane." The storm hit the island's eastern coast last night and has been raging on ever since, heading towards the south-western region for Roseau, the former capital of the British colony.

Hurricane Maria reclassified as category 4 after Dominica hit

After Dominica was hit and faced the brunt of Hurricane Maria, the storm moved on and is now on its way to more islands in the eastern region of the Caribbean.

It's a joke; these regions are still struggling to get food and water and medical attention to the people who fell victim to Hurricane Irma, and already there's another one on its way. After it left Dominica earlier today, leaving a path of destruction in its wake, the storm was reclassified as a category 4. Apparently it got a lot out of its system in Dominica, enough to get knocked down a whole category, but it's still going strong.

According to statistics produced by the United States National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Maria is a "major hurricane" with its sustained wind speeds reaching a maximum number of 155 miles per hour. They warn that this storm will continue to gain strength over the course of the next couple of days and will still be "extremely dangerous" as it continues its course to ravage the British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Prime Minister Skerrit confirmed that people have died at the hands of the hurricane in Dominica, but that the local authorities won't know exactly "how many dead there are" until tomorrow morning when reports start coming in and the chaos has calmed down as the hurricane is moving on.

Skerrit added that the damage done to the island of Dominica that he's seen so far is "mind-boggling." And apparently he's not the only person whose roof was torn from their house by the winds of Hurricane Maria. He said that the roofs have been ripped off the properties of "almost every person I have spoken to." This is serious stuff. He said that the primary goal of the emergency services in Dominica right now is "rescuing the trapped and securing medical assistance for the injured," and that the island will need "help of all kinds" in the recovery process following the hurricane's destructive fury.

Why is this happening?

Is it really a coincidence that all of these hurricanes have come along in the months following US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris agreement. It's a UN treaty that's been signed by damn near every country in the world, even North Korea, to reduce the effects of climate change on the future of our world so that it doesn't, you know, die on us or anything. It was a landmark back when President Barack Obama signed it and it was a step in the right direction for America, the second largest carbon emitter in the world after China, and for our environment. But then Trump had to stick his big nose in and pull out of the accord and now the world is being battered by hurricanes, specifically in the surrounding areas of America, and now Hurricane Maria in the Caribbean Islands.

Is that really a coincidence, or is it some kind of Biblical plague sent by a vengeful God? Or perhaps it's Mother Earth retaliating against the human race. Either way, it's not great, and people are losing their lives.

The locals of Dominica managed to escape the devastating atrocities of Hurricane Irma, but they were warned about further troubles on their way. It was recommended that they head to the nearest supermarket and stock up on supplies and essentials like food and water in anticipation of another hurricane. Now that the other hurricane has arrived in the form of Hurricane Maria, they'll be glad they listened to the warnings and stocked up.
On Tuesday morning, Donald Trump made his first appearance in front of the United Nations General Assembly. Keeping with typical Trump-style rhetoric, the president mocked and trolled his political opponents, including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Trump at the U.N.

When Donald Trump was running for president, one of the biggest criticisms people had was over his tone and style. Often reckless, the former host of "The Apprentice" made headlines on an almost daily basis by mocking his political opponents, often giving them his own creative nicknames.

In the GOP primary, Trump would go on to label former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as "low energy," Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as "Little Marco," and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as "Lyin' Ted." In the general election, Trump took his attacks even further by referring to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as "Crooked Hillary." The majority of the mainstream media and critics blasted the billionaire real estate mogul, calling Trump out for his unprofessional nature. Fast forward to present day and Trump hasn't slowed down one bit, amping up his targeting on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, calling him "Rocket Man" on Twitter for his recent use of testing nuclear bombs. As reported by NBC News on September 19, Trump continued his attack at the United Nations.

Pres. Trump at U.N.: We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission https://t.co/rGswYlXlxJ  NBC News (@NBCNews) September 19, 2017

While speaking in front of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday morning, Donald Trump doubled down on his previous comments, putting focus on his political enemies and rival nations, including North Korea and their leader.

"If forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," Trump said in an apparent threat of war. "Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime," Trump added.

POTUS: "No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well-being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea" pic.twitter.com/EwBrdmXuP3  CBS News (@CBSNews) September 19, 2017

"The United States is ready, willing and able," Donald Trump continued.

"This is what the United Nations is all about...lets see how they do," he noted, before personally thanking China and Russia for their help in implementing sanctions against North Korea.

.@POTUS: "If [the U.S.] is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea." #UNGA pic.twitter.com/kOWbXCx5mB  Fox News (@FoxNews) September 19, 2017

Twitter reacts

Within minutes of Donald Trump's remarks about North Korea, critics on social media didn't hold back. "How many lies have you counted in Trump's #UNGA speech so far? I have stopped counting at 8 big ones, but there are many more," Terrel J. Starr tweeted.

How many lies have you counted in Trump's #UNGA speech so far? I have stopped counting at 8 big ones, but there are many more.  Terrell J. Starr (@Russian_Starr) September 19, 2017

"Rocket Man"



Really, Donnie? At the U.N.? In front of the entire world?



The POTUS is a petulant, immature child. #embarrassing #UNGA  Ron Asher (@rmasher2) September 19, 2017

Dictators, tyrants, Nazis, KKK, ISIS, and all other extreme groups are disposable  Deidre Eversull (@DeidreEversull) September 19, 2017

"This is no longer a speech by President Trump, this a roast beyond roasts," one Twitter user added.

"U.N. General Assembly members are smirking at this fool as he airs his grievances like a child," another tweet noted.

This is no longer a speech by President Trump, this a roast beyond roasts. Here's looking at you:

Iran

North Korea #UNGA  Calvin _ (@analyticalps) September 19, 2017

OMG, cringing. @realDonaldTrump you're speaking at the UN not one of you r "w/supremacist" rallies. So embarrassing.  Lisa Lamb (@LisaLamb8493707) September 19, 2017

not sure what Elton John has to do with North Korea  Larry McIntosh (@larrymcintosh1) September 19, 2017

Trump at the United Nations: "...we will crush the loser terrorists..."



Nikki Haley is all of us.#UNGA pic.twitter.com/CtJ94e5wPi  Holly O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) September 19, 2017

"OMG, cringing.

@realDonaldTrump you're speaking at the UN not one of you r "w/supremacist" rallies. So embarrassing," an additional Twitter user posted. "not sure what Elton John has to do with North Korea," a tweet mockingly said in reference to Trump's "Rocket Man" remark. As the backlash continued, it showed that critics of the president were not pleased with his speech to the United Nations.
On Tuesday night protesters gathered at the University of Virginia (UVA) in reaction to what had gone on in Charlottesville last month. However, their actions have caused a mixed reaction due to what they did to a statue of Thomas Jefferson.

Who were these protesters and what were they protesting?

The dozens of protesters, estimated to number around 100 people, gathered on Tuesday night. They were there to protest the university's response to the white nationalist rallies that took when they marched through UVA holding tiki torches. The next day that culminated in clashes with counter-protesters in Charlottesville where the school is located and ended with a horrific car attack.

The Daily Progress reported that the protesters covered up Jefferson's statue and held up Black Lives Matters signs, as well as ones that called him a racist and a rapist. Jefferson, whose statue stands in front of the school's rotunda that he personally designed, founded the school and of course, was the third President of the United States.

The protesters were calling on the school to meet the demands issued by the Black Student Alliance following those white national rallies. These demands include the removal of all the Confederate plaques on the Rotunda and adding context to Jefferson's statue. One person was arrested at the protest for public intoxication and the shroud has since been taken down.

Reaction from UVA's president

The President of the University of Virgina, Teresa Sullivan, reacted by sending separate statements on the protest and shrouding of Jefferson's statue to the students and facility at the university, as well as to alumni. Yesterday Sullivan said that she vehemently disagreed with the protestors decision to cover up the statue, although she noted their right to freely protest.

She wrote in her statement that they were desecrating ground that a majority of people thought of as sacred by putting up the black shroud. She also discussed how Jefferson himself was a big believer in the right to freedom of expression. Sullivan went on to mention how she believes that the school is at another key point in regards to protest and debating issues, much like during the Vietnam War, Watergate or 9/11.

Currently, an outside firm, as well as a group of leaders at the school, have been reviewing the university's response to the white nationalist rallies last month.

Protesters cover the Thomas Jefferson statue in Charlottesville on UVA's campus: #RVA pic.twitter.com/HLdsGYvG6Y  Allison Norlian (@AllisonNBC12) September 13, 2017

UVA students protest school's Charlottesville response, cover Thomas Jefferson statue in black cloth https://t.co/8UbNSJZY4D pic.twitter.com/8P0VfCTVrW  Blavity (@Blavity) September 14, 2017
First Lady Melania Trump usually keeps a low profile, but has recently found her name in the headlines. After sending out an innocent tweet wishing the United States Air Force a happy birthday, critics of Donald Trump decided to voice their opposition on social media.

Melania on Twitter

It all started back in the summer of 2015 when Donald Trump brought his family with him to the floor of Trump Tower. In doing so, the former host of "The Apprentice" caused a media frenzy when he announced that he was running for president, and would do so as a member of the Republican Party.

Despite initially being viewed as a joke, Trump found surprising success and was named the GOP nominee at the Republican National Convention last July. During the event, Melania Trump was put center stage and gave a speech to those in attendance and millions around the world. However, Melania came under fire after it was exposed that her speech was plagiarized from one given by former First Lady Michelle Obama years earlier. In the year that has followed, Melania has been criticized for a variety of reasons, from her ad nauseam defense of the president, to her apparent hypocritical attempt to end cyber bullying. As seen on her Twitter account on September 18, Melania wished the United States Air Force a happy birthday, but it was quickly met with criticism.

Happy Birthday @USAirForce! Thank you to the heroes who protect us & the families who love them! pic.twitter.com/K88ik9be02  Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) September 18, 2017

Taking to her Twitter feed on Monday was Melania Trump who acknowledged the anniversary of the United States Air Force. "Happy Birthday @USAirForce!" Melania tweeted, before adding, "Thank you to the heroes who protect us & the families who love them!" Not long after her tweet, the backlash begun from her critics, with some pointing out that Donald Trump avoided the military at all cost.

Twitter reacts

Though Melania Trump appeared to send out an innocent tweet to the Air Force, those who oppose Donald Trump didn't hold back in their response. "Brave men, not draft dodgers," one tweet read.

Brave men, not draft dodgers.  sef (@sef_____) September 18, 2017

And yet your husband didn't serve with three deferments. So much respect  Mojompls (@mojompls1) September 19, 2017

"The people that voted for your husband are the ones that say to immigrants.

'Speak English I can't understand you,'" another tweet added. "And yet your husband didn't serve with three deferments. So much respect," one Twitter user noted.

What a disservice to the military. Imagine defending the country and then having to sit through this airhead gold digger yap on and on. OMG.  James Hill (@realjamesh) September 18, 2017

How's the cyber bullying campaign going?  Sharron (@Papacciola) September 18, 2017

The people that voted for your husband are the ones that say to immigrants. "Speak English I can't understand you."  Mojompls (@mojompls1) September 19, 2017

"How's the cyber bullying campaign going?" one tweet sarcastically asked. "What a disservice to the military. Imagine defending the country and then having to sit through this airhead gold digger yap on and on. OMG," yet another post read. As the negative reaction continued, the rift between those on the left and right showed that it wouldn't be ending anytime soon.
Romanian-American actor Sebastian Stan is reprising the role of Bucky Barnes A.K.A. the Winter Soldier for the fourth time in next year's "Avengers: Infinity War," where he joins his best bud Captain America (Chris Evans) to save the world from Thanos (Josh Brolin). The 35-year old, who is also known for his roles in Jonathan Demme's "Ricki and the Flash," Ridley Scott's "The Martian," and Bryan Buckley's "The Bronze" is returning as the Avenger to fight Thanos when he threatens to destroy the world. The actor recently opened up about working with directors Joe and Anthony Russo again for the upcoming blockbuster, sharing that it wasn't a stressful experience at all, despite the culmination of almost all of Marvel's superheroes to date.

Actor was still starstruck

Sebastian Stan told Collider in a new interview that the set of "Avengers: Infinity War" was "kind of loose and relaxed," but he would still get starstruck when he would meet other Marvel superstars. While he didn't really indicate which actors or actresses he felt starstruck towards, he did share that "Youre always like oh, so and so walked by meits always a little bit like a double take." Nonetheless, he admitted that "everyone's just having a good time" on set. In fact, "Guardians of the Galaxy" actor Dave Bautista, who plays Drax in the film and will reprise his role in the upcoming "Infinity War," was so grateful to have met and worked with Robert Downey Jr.

, who once again reprises his role as Tony Stark A.K.A. Iron Man.

Stan praises the Russo brothers

This isn't the first time Sebastian Stan works with the Russo brothers, as both Joe and Anthony were also at the helm for "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Captain America: Civil War." In the latter, Stan's Bucky Barnes submitted himself for cryogenic sleep in Black Panther's Wakanda until they find a cure for his brainwashing so that he wouldn't be used as a weapon to hurt other people.

He will be called to arms once again when the Avengers have to assemble and face the Mad Titan Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War."

'Infinity War' actor hasn't read the script despite filming

While Sebastian Stan has concluded filming his scenes for "Avengers: Infinity War," he admitted that he hasn't read the entire script just yet.

Comicbook.com reported that according to the actor, he was unaware of the storyline of the entire film because he didn't read the script at all. This is mostly because Marvel remains secretive of the plot of what they hope would be the biggest films of next year. Stan explained, "There's just an element of trust, it's a family system and at this point...between the writers and the Russos. I feel like they know very well what I'm going to be bringing."

"Avengers: Infinity War" opens on May 4, 2018.
On Sunday night, the 69th annual Emmy awards took place and involved many jokes about Donald Trump, with some actors taking serious shots at the president. While Trump has not personally spoken about the show, Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway didn't hold back her thoughts.

Conway on Emmy's

When Donald Trump announced his plan to run for president back in June 2015, he quickly made enemies with the majority of the mainstream media and the liberal-leaning Hollywood celebrities. Trump's remarks about illegal immigrants from Mexico being "rapists" and "murderers" instantly drew a line in the sand between those who support and oppose the former host of "The Apprentice." During the 2016 presidential election, Trump's surprising popularity made him the butt of a joke on comedy shows and late-night TV, highlighted by veteran actor Alec Baldwin's portrayal of the president on "Saturday Night Live." In the nine months since Trump has been in office, backlash from Hollywood has only increased, which has caused an even wider divide among liberals and conservatives around the country.

Following the trolling of Trump at the Emmy Awards on Sunday night, Kellyanne Conway gave her opinion during a September 18 interview on Fox News.

Joining the hosts of Fox News' morning show "Fox & Friends" on Monday was Kellyanne Conway who wasn't too pleased with how celebrities handled their thoughts about Donald Trump at the Emmy Awards. "It's the sameness, Conway lamented. They got plucked and polished and waxed and some of them didnt eat for two months," Conway said, before asking, "And for what?" The former Trump campaign manager didn't stop there, as she moved forward in her rant to smear the stars of Hollywood.

.@KellyannePolls reacts to anti-Trump rhetoric at the Emmy Awards pic.twitter.com/zgdGNgpOLd  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) September 18, 2017

Kellyanne Conway continued her attack, stating that all the celebrities just "read the stuff other people write" for them.

"People have the right to speak freely...but again, to what end?" she went on to say. "You're alienating at least 63 million Americans who supported this president," Conway claimed, while going on to add, "you are showing the world that you're so easy with an insult to our leader.

Next up

While Kellyanne Conway took time to bash Hollywood and the Emmy Awards, Donald Trump has more important issues to worry about.

While the president addresses the United Nations General Assembly, he's also facing an approval rating that is down to just 35 percent as the majority of the American people lose confidence in the commander in chief.
On Sunday night, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer made a shocking appearance at the 69th annual Prime-time Emmy awards. After the show was over, Spicer spoke about one of his biggest regrets during his short time in the White House.

Spicer on crowd

Not long after Donald Trump defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton last November, he started to put together the team that would surround him in the White House. While many of the names hired and nominated by the former host of "The Apprentice" came with controversy and baggage, the selection of Sean Spicer to be the new press secretary was one of the choices that received minimal criticism.

Spicer had previously worked for the Republican National Committee, and had been well respected by the party. Despite this, Spicer struggled out of the gate while working for Trump, which was evident after he made blatantly false statements about the size of the crowd that came to the see the new president for his inauguration. In the months that would follow, Spicer was unable to stay out of the headlines, receiving so much bad press that "Saturday Night Live" brought on actress Melissa McCarthy to play him on the program. After multiple blunders, Spicer was replaced over the summer by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, as he stayed out of the spotlight until his return to the Emmy Awards on Sunday night.

Elaborating further on the issue, Spicer spoke to the New York Times on September 18.

Sean Spicer said he now regrets one of his most infamous moments as press secretary: Of course I do, absolutely. https://t.co/mMNGwCM7eA  The New York Times (@nytimes) September 18, 2017

As Stephen Colbert ended his opening monologue as host of the Emmy Awards, Sean Spicer came on stage with a moving podium, similar to what was seen during the "SNL" sketch with Melissa McCarthy.

Spicer mocked the aforementioned inauguration crowd blunder, claiming that this year's Emmy's would be seen by more people than ever before. Following his appearance, Spicer admitted that he regretted his lie about the inauguration while speaking to the New York Times.

Some Emmy viewers were not interested in laughing along with Sean Spicer https://t.co/gf3Qfl1gi6  The New York Times (@nytimes) September 18, 2017

"Mr.

Spicer said he now regrets one of his most infamous moments as press secretary," the New York Times reports. The paper adds that Spicer's regret is in reference to "his decision to charge into the White House briefing room in January and criticize accurate news reports that Barack Obamas inauguration crowd was bigger than President Donald J. Trumps." When asked if he thought Donald Trump would be angry with his satirical performance at the Emmy's, he replied, "I certainly hope not."

Twitter reacts

While Sean Spicer appeared to have some fun at the Emmy Awards, not everyone was happy about his appearance and his regrets about working in the White House. "So, we are rewarding @seanspicer for lying through his teeth day after day in the name of the trump?

The Republican Party? It's not cute," Chelsea Handler tweeted.

So, we are rewarding @seanspicer for lying through his teeth day after day in the name of the trump? The Republican Party? It's not cute.  Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) September 18, 2017

Spicer lied everyday to nullify the idea of objective truth.Don't let him off the hook bc he regrets his dumbest lie https://t.co/kaKLBerd3R  Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) September 18, 2017

So @seanspicer is now making guest appearances on awards shows by invitation? WTF Have u forgotten he too betrayed the people n lied daily  Sweetcher  (@sweetcher62) September 18, 2017

"Spicer lied everyday to nullify the idea of objective truth.Don't let him off the hook bc he regrets his dumbest lie," Dan Pfeiffer added.

"A note to Sean Spicer and the other former Trump administration officials. Once you've sold your credibility, you don't just get it back," Randy Bryce noted.

People seem irritated today that Sean Spicer appeared on the #EmmyAwards.



They shouldn't be.



They should be fucking furious.  Bryan Behar (@bryanbehar) September 18, 2017

A note to @SeanSpicer and the other former Trump administration officials. Once you've sold your credibility, you don't just get it back. pic.twitter.com/XmwZXPjH9c  Randy Bryce (@IronStache) September 18, 2017

Sean Spicer was horrible in Jan 2017



Sean Spicer is horrible today



Sean Spicer will be horrible tomorrow



Stop normalizing horrible  Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) September 18, 2017

"So @seanspicer is now making guest appearances on awards shows by invitation?

WTF Have u forgotten he too betrayed the people n lied daily," another Twitter user wrote. As the backlash continued, it showed that many Americans are not willing to forget Sean Spicer's time under Donald Trump anytime soon.
The iPhone X, Apples latest high-end smartphone, is finally here, and all the rumors and speculations circulating internet prior to its release have died down. So what do experts have to say about iPhone X? The device received mixed reactions, to say the least.

Many people have praised the iPhone X for its overall design and vibrant display, while others criticized it for the innovation (or lack thereof). Also, some experts have concerns about the Face ID and dont have any idea how it will play out in the real world.

Know Your Mobile cited that almost all of the new features Apple boasted on their flagship device have already been done by other smartphone manufacturers for the past four years.

These include an OLED display, wireless charging, and even Face ID.

What about the Ordinary People? Do they think the iPhone X is worth buying at a whopping $1,000? Heres what they have to say, as shared by CNET.

Theres a new iPhone?

Thats right, while most Apple fans have waited a whole year for the announcement of the next Apple device; others were totally oblivious about the latest product.

CNET asked a Starbucks barista in Marin, California named Kurshina, what her thoughts are about the iPhone X. She simply replied, Is there a new one? She was later told that the new product will cost $1,000 and Kushina said that she would not be buying the new one. She added that she couldnt even work her iPhone 7.

The manager of Starbucks, Melissa, also didnt know about the device. She said that her iPhone 4 was already enough for her and she only uses it for work.

CNET also got the same reply when they asked a waiter in a restaurant in Santa Ana.

Nothing exciting

After asking people who really didnt know about the iPhone X, CNET went to a Target in Brea, California, where people will most likely know about the latest Apple Device.

However, a staff member at an electronics department simply stated there is nothing exciting about the new product.

In addition, a staffer at a restaurant in Yorba Linda, California, stated he knew about the iPhone X reveal, but mostly about how Apple had failed to unlock the device with Face ID during the presentation.

A waitress at the restaurant was concerned about the Face ID, in particular, saying that she wouldnt feel safe enough with the technology. She added that shes perfectly fine with her iPhone 6.

What do you think about the iPhone X? Are you willing to pay $1,000 for it? Let us know in the comment section down below.
A delegation of nearly 50 people from the US state of Iowa started their 10-day visit to China on Sunday and a groundbreaking for a China-US Friendship Demonstration Farm, believed to be the first of its kind, is set for Saturday.

Terry Branstad, the new US ambassador to China, will attend the ceremony, according to a news release from the Iowa Sister States commission, a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to manage Iowa's official relationships with foreign states and provinces. The organization was established when Branstad was governor.

The China-US Friendship Demonstration Farm, to be located in Luanping county, Hebei province, will include an educational agriculture site modeled after a farm near Maxwell, Iowa, owned by Rick and Martha Kimberley and their son Grant. The demonstration farm is a joint project of Iowa and Hebei. Its educational components will include visuals of modern agriculture technology such as machinery, and advances such as grain storage and drying, as well as test plots.

Rick Kimberley, president of Kimberley Farms Inc, told China Daily that the demonstration farm will occupy a total area of 1,214 hectares. "The first phase will be a recreation of my home and buildings," Kimberley said.

"When President Xi Jinping was at my home and farm (as vice-president, in 2012), he said that he wanted to use my farm as a model of modern agriculture to China. So they will recreate my home and buildings."

The demonstration farm will use the same modern equipment and technology that the Kimberleys use. There will be demonstration plots for seeds and demonstrations of the use of equipment.

"The farm will create an environment for learning and showcasing modern farming practices and techniques," Kimberley said. "There will also be a conference center."

After the groundbreaking, there also will be a Hebei-Iowa agriculture seminar and Branstad will host a reception, according to the news release.

In 1983, then-governor Branstad signed the Iowa-Hebei Sister State/Province agreement with then-Hebei governor Zhang Shuguang. The "relationship is one of Iowa's most famous and visible relationships since it was formally recognized by Chinese President Xi Jinping", according to a news release. In 1985, Xi, then a county leader in Hebei province, visited Iowa through the sister-state/province program.

In 2012, when Xi returned to Iowa as vice-president of China, it was his first time back to the state since 1985. During his visit, he met with several "old friends" from 1985, and made visits to new places such as the Kimberleys' farm. During that visit he declared that Chinese farms should be modeled after the Kimberley farm, according to the news release from Iowa Sister States commission.

Those attending the event include Kim Heidemann, Iowa Sister States executive director, and board members Luca Berrone, Grant Kimberley and Will Zhang, Rick Kimberley and representatives from companies and groups involved in China-US trade and relations, such as Cozen O'Connor, China-Iowa Group, Diamond V, TransOva, Sukup Manufacturing, Hy-Line International, Principal Financial, Syngenta, John Deere, Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer.
Christopher Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA. Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn

Despite predictions that President Donald Trump's statements and actions might reduce the number of tourists from China and other countries visiting the US during the summer, the head of a US nonprofit travel promotion agency said early indications show a steady stream of visitors.

"Anecdotally, we are talking about a good season overall," said Christopher Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA, the destination marketing organization that promotes tourism in the US, in an interview. "Our partners are saying there weren't any dramatic decreases."

The rates of Chinese visitors to the US have been steadily increasing. In 2015, there were approximately 2.6 million. Goldman Sachs estimates that the number of Chinese visitors to the US will reach 5 million annually by 2025.

"China is the largest outbound market in the world," said Thompson. The National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) at the US Department of Commerce reported that China was the single-largest source of international tourism spending in the US in 2016 and on average each Chinese traveler spent about $7,500 during a trip to the US.

This week, more than 200 US and Chinese tourism-industry leaders and government officials will meet in Atlanta (Wednesday-Saturday) for the 11th annual US-China Leadership Summit. The summit, which alternates between the US and China yearly, provides a forum for officials to discuss major issues that affect tourism between the two largest economies in the world.

"This is a chance for leadership from the government and private sector to get together and discuss the major issues and how to increase the number of visitors between the two countries," Thompson said.

The summit also provides business sessions and networking opportunities and comes a year after the completion of the 2016 US-China Tourism Year, which then-President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly designated to recognize the development of Sino-American tourism.

Current NTTO projections suggest by 2018, the UK and China will likely be the top-two overseas source markets. It's expected that double-digit increases in the number of Chinese arrivals each year will continue through 2020. Brand USA is active in China and has established offices in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shanghai to market the country to China's growing middle class.

Last year's summit was held in the Chinese city of Yinchuan, the capital of China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Brand USA arranges the summit in conjunction with the China National Tourism Administration, the agency responsible for tourism development in the mainland.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (left) and US President Donald Trump pose for a photo prior to a high-level UN reform meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept 18, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

UNITED NATIONS -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US President Donald Trump on Monday called for a change of bureaucracy in the United Nations.

Guterres and Trump made their remarks at a high-level UN reform meeting in New York.

Guterres said that efforts were needed to change "fragmented structures" and "byzantine procedures" in the UN, making it a more "nimble and effective, flexible and efficient" global organization.

He also mentioned that the UN is making progress on a broad and bold reform agenda to strengthen itself.

"We are pursuing sweeping management reform -- to simplify procedures and decentralize decisions, with greater transparency, efficiency and accountability," Guterres added.

Meanwhile, reforms on UN peacekeeping operations and the development system, as well as strategies to achieve gender parity and end sexual abuse, were also underway, noted the UN chief.

Addressing the meeting, Trump said that the United Nations has been kept from reaching its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement.

He praised Guterres for laying out a vision to reform the UN, noting that there has been changes under the secretary general.

In his speech, Trump pointed out that the United Nations on a regular budget has increased by 140 percent, and its staff has more than doubled since 2000.
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (R) speaks with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a welcoming ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Sept 18, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

OTTAWA - Canada and Britain are working towards a new bilateral free trade deal after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.

After their meeting Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May told a joint press conference that they agreed to a smooth transition of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union and Canada after Britain leaves the EU and is no longer a party to that agreement.

The Canada-EU trade deal eliminates well over 90 percent of all barriers in trade between Canada and the European Union, and as such provides "an excellent basis for ensuring a smooth transition," Trudeau said.

CETA officially comes into effect on Thursday.

"After that, there will obviously be opportunities for us to look at particular details that could be improved upon for the specific needs and opportunities in the bilateral relationship between the U.K. and Canada," he said.

"But as a strong basis for a smooth transition, CETA is perfectly designed, and will be able to ensure -- for investors, for companies and for workers and consumers -- a smooth transition," added the Canadian prime minister, who will lead a Canadian delegation to attend the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

May, who arrived here for one-day visit, said that using the Canada-EU agreement as the basis for a forthcoming new bilateral deal makes sense and would ensure the best path forward for all parties.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres is seen on a screen as he speaks during the Financing the 2030 Agenda, 'The Role of the United Nations' at the UN Headquarters in New York, Sept 18, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

The business community has a critical role to play in innovating new financial models to achieve sustainable development goals (SDG), UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday.

"This is now an objective that can only work if the whole of society engages. The role of the business community, the private sector, the financial sector is absolutely crucial," said Guterres in his opening remarks at the 9th annual UN Private Sector Forum during the 72nd UN General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York.

"Finance can make or break all our carefully laid plans. We have a blueprint for peace, prosperity and dignity for a healthy planet in the 2030 Agenda; and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are our roadmap for inclusive, sustainable and fair globalization," he said.

The UN chief said his strategy will focus on three key areas: making the 2030 Agenda more firmly embedded into international economic and financial policy making; working harder to support countries in brokering partnerships for innovative finance; and championing international initiatives that can harness finance for critical areas.

"The world has the resources to deliver the 2030 Agenda," he said. "Let us organize ourselves and liberate them and deliver them to where they are needed most."

More than 300 chief executives, government leaders and UN and civil society leaders attended the forum that was titled Financing the 2030 Agenda: Unlocking Prosperity. It included a program which identified solutions that all sectors should take to drive capital towards achieving the UNs SDGs.

Guterres said a finance summit will be planned in New York for next September to build upon these efforts.

In her keynote speech, Swiss President Doris Leuthard highlighted the key role the global finance community plays in achieving the SDGs.

"We know the money is here. We have to really redirect financial flows into green and resource-efficient investments that promise good financial performance and social dividends," Leuthard said.

In Switzerland, she said, investments seeking social impact in developing countries were estimated at nearly $10 billion in 2015 and were managed by companies based in Switzerland.

With increased climate-related humanitarian crises and recovery needs due to recent events, finance is a particularly timely issue in relation to the global fight against climate change.

Former US vice-president Al Gore urged business leaders to take action to support climate change adaptation, resilience, mitigation and recovery.

"We are seeing tremendous progress, but we must make faster progress," Gore said.

"I hope that the correct way to interpret the recent news reports is that the United States will lower its ambitions stated in Paris, but remain in the Paris Agreement," Gore said. "For those that doubt that we can succeed in this challenge, always remember that political will is itself a renewable resource."

UN Global Compact CEO Lise Kingo called for greater business and UN collaboration.

"Mobilizing public and private finance will be essential if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals," Kingo said.

The UN Private Sector Forum this year was hosted by Secretary-General Guterres and organized by the UN Global Compact in collaboration with other organizing partners.

Wanglinyan@chinadailyusa.com
Members of one of the eight participating bands off stage accompany orchestra ensembles on stage during a concert in Chicago on Sunday. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

Chinese music filled the air in Chicago on Sunday, captivating the city and participants from neighboring states.

The historic concert featuring dance and choir mixed with Western music and classical opera filled the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park with excitement and applause.

"Music is a universal language," said Jan Zheng, president of the Dongfang Chinese Performing Arts Dance Group, who also worked on organizing the free concert for 10,000 spectators.

"We have more than 30 performing troupes from Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois today," said Zheng, along with performers from China and Canada.

The concert, titled Friendship Lasts Forever, involved 1,000 participants on and off stage.

"I'm very excited to be here today," said Hong Lei, Chinese consul general in Chicago. "This concert is a showcase of the artistic level of Chinese and American performers and the importance of friendship between the two countries."

Hong said that "the US-China relationship now is the most important bilateral relationship in the world", and "the concert demonstrates a strong foundation in America's Midwest to further such relationship".

Mark Heckler, president of Valparaiso University (VU) in Indiana, praised the concert as a celebration of culture and friendship with China.

"It is 'friendship lasts forever', as the concert is called," he said.

The Confucius Institute at Valparaiso (CIVU) played a key role in making the concert a reality, Heckler said. He also expressed appreciation for the university's 25-year partnership with China.

The show opened with the powerful Dance of the Golden Snake, the popular Raga Jasmine, and In a Place Far, Far Away, performed by the Meifeng Traditional Chinese Orchestra of CIVU with the Silk Cedar-American Ensemble.

The prelude was followed by the Massed Band, in which the Windiana Concert Band, VU Chamber Concert Band and Meifeng Chinese Music Ensemble were joined by 10 high school bands from different Midwestern states off stage.

Jeffrey Doebler, a conductor who dressed in a traditional black Chinese gown with two embroidered golden dragons, conducted the bands on and off stage by turning to face the bands alternately.

The concert's sound echoed beyond the Pritzker Pavilion to the entire park and was met with enthusiastic applause from a diverse audience.
China and Russia agreed that the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue must be solved through peaceful means, according to a statement released on Monday by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the road map jointly proposed by China and Russia is "realistic and feasible", and both sides need more understanding and support from the international community.

Wang made the remarks during his meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in New York on Monday during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly.

The joint initiative issued on July 4 is based on China's proposal for a dual-track approach and "suspension for suspension initiative" and Russia's step-by-step approach.

China will continue to strictly implement the UN Security Council resolutions and shoulder due international obligations, while other relevant parties should assume their responsibilities and play their roles in the peninsula nuclear situation, Wang said in the statement.

The "worsening vicious cycle" must be broken, he said, adding that resumption of dialogue and negotiation is also necessary part of implementing the resolutions.

China urged for calm from all relevant parties on Sept 13 as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea rejected the latest UN Security Council resolution imposing new sanctions in response to its Sept 3 nuclear test.

Lavrov said Russia shares China's stance on the peninsula nuclear issue, and China and US need to jointly push for efforts to solve the issue peacefully, according to the statement.

Wang expressed appreciation for Russia's contribution to the recent ninth BRICS Summit in Xiamen earlier this month. He said both sides need to be well-prepared for a series of important high-level exchanges this year and push for more concrete achievements in bilateral relations.

Lavrov said Russia is willing to deepen strategic collaboration with China in the framework of BRICS, the UN and Shanghai Cooperation Organization. While meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the UNGA on Monday, Wang expressed China's hope for the UN to play a more important role, as the world faces multiple uncertain and unstable factors. He vowed to deepen cooperation with the UN to cope with various global challenges.

Wang said that the UN and secretary-general strongly agree with a number of initiatives and proposals advocated by President Xi Jinping, including building a shared future, an open world economy and rebalancing the process of economic globalization, which was appreciated by the China side.

China is willing to further strengthen cooperation with the UN and safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the process of multilateralism, along with investment in development issues and improving the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations.

Guterres said the UN put strong emphasis on China's international status and influence and appreciates China's leadership in peacekeeping efforts, solving hot issues, countering climate change and implementing the 2030 sustainable development goals. The UN is willing to work with China to solve world challenges.

In his meeting Monday with Miroslav Lajcak, president of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, Wang said China appreciates that the assembly stresses development and holds a "human-oriented" general debate, in line with the sustainable development goals and the will of members.

The reform of the UN has drawn concerns from various parties, Wang said. China supports UN reform, but at the same time, China hopes that the process can be advanced steadily on the basis of fully listening to the views of UN member states, Wang said.

Lajcak said the UN pays attention to China's view on UN reform and will promote the process in a step-by-step way led by member states.

US President Donald Trump hosted a short event on Monday on his first visit to UN headquarters as president.

"In recent years, the United Nations has not reached its full potential due to bureaucracy and mismanagement," Trump said. "We are not seeing the results in line with this investment."

Guterres has said the UN's "Byzantine procedures" and "endless red tape" need to be addressed.
A New York City transit bus and a Dahlia tour bus collided, spinning around before slamming into a building in the city's borough of Queens, New York, US, September 18, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

NEW YORK  The driver of a tour bus killed in a spectacular collision with a city bus in Flushing, Queens on Monday previously had been fired by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) when it learned of his prior drunken driving arrest.

The crash in the busy intersection killed two other people and injured 19, according to the MTA. Four of the injured were in critical condition as of Monday evening.

The tour bus driver, Raymond D. Mong, was dismissed as an MTA driver in 2015 after he slammed his car into two other cars on Interstate 95 near New Haven, Connecticut, and then fled the scene, according to police and the MTA, The New York Times reported.

Mong, 49, received a suspended sentence and was placed on 18 months' probation after being convicted of driving under the influence and evading arrest.

Mong was later hired as a driver for Dahlia Group Inc of Flushing, whose buses have been involved in prior major highway accidents.

In February 2003, two passengers died and 28 were hurt when a Dahlia bus traveling from Manhattan to Atlantic City skidded off the road and landed on its side. In February 2016, a Dahlia bus ended up on its side traveling from New York to the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut, injuring 14 passengers.

In video of Monday's crash provided by WABC-TV, the MTA bus is seen making a right turn from Main Street onto major thoroughfare Northern Boulevard just after 6:15 am when the Dahlia bus, proceeding down the boulevard, barrels into it.

The crash knocked the charter bus, which was not carrying any passengers, onto the sidewalk and into a Kennedy Fried Chicken restaurant, starting a small fire that the FDNY quickly extinguished.

"The bus came barreling down the street so fast, so fast, it was like an airplane," Tammy Yew, 77, told the Times, in Mandarin. Yew was waiting in the median at Northern Boulevard.

A picture of the Dahlia bus' speedometer showed it stuck at 60 mph, double the speed limit in the intersection, abcnews.go.com.

Also killed were a passenger on the MTA bus and a passer-by who was run over, according to officials. Reports said the other victims were Gregory Liljefors, 55, and Henry Wdowiak, 68.

Dahlia has been cited for prior speeding violations, according to federal records, and was prioritized by federal officials for unannounced inspections, said a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration official, the ABC website reported. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate Monday's crash.
Ambassadors rarely directly address their concerns about the country where they are posted to the people who reside there.

However, China's Washington envoy Cui Tiankai did that at least twice recently.

Both times he spoke out when rhetoric in the US threatened to undermine Sino-US trade or derail bilateral relations, both of which put the interests of the people in both countries in harm's way.

The first time was two months ago when he attended a meeting of US governors. The parley followed some ups and downs in China-US relations in the first half of this year, including the Trump administration's early challenge to the One-China Policy and Washington's imposing of high punitive tariffs on Chinese goods which fueled protectionism.

Problems in China-US relations mostly come from the federal government, but it is always the states that foot the bill, he said during an event that was part of the US National Governors Association's meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, on July 13.

As is in China, ultimately it is the workers, entrepreneurs, overseas students and visitors in the US who will suffer. "This is unfair to them," the Chinese ambassador said. "Congressmen should be very clear what their voters' needs are, and should know better how to fulfill their obligations to the people in their constituencies."

To understand the extent that economic relations of the world's two largest powers are intermingled, one only needs to know that every US state and almost every congressional district has Chinese investments, which combined have created 141,000 jobs for Americans, mostly in manufacturing sector.

Overall, China-US trade volume has grown from $2.5 billion in 1979 when the two countries established official diplomatic relations, to $524.3 billion last year, a jump of 209 times.

The second time Cui expressed his concerns to Americans was last weekend at the Chinese embassy, when he was asked to comment on the so-called "secondary sanctions" on China. US President Donald Trump tweeted earlier this month that Washington is considering "stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea".

US Senator Tom Cotton, a Trump ally, again talked about "putting pressure on China" on Sunday.

Cui said that if someone were to pressure China or impose sanctions on China over the DPRK's repeated missile tests, such an attempt would be "off-target", and it would probably not be supported even by many US citizens.

"Workers at US airplane factories, farmers growing soybeans, companies that sell smartphones to China, manufacturers that enjoy large market shares in China, companies in the service sector that have gained trade surplus in China, US states that engage in robust trade with China would all stand against it," the ambassador said on Sept 15.

China and the United States have benefited tremendously from bilateral trade. And people in both countries have the right to reap benefits from a good China-US relationship. Such a right should not be impaired by any means.

Three months ago, I attended a US-China think tank symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, where I learned some very telling figures and heard anecdotes about bilateral relations.

In 2016, General Motors sold 3.87 million automobiles in China, or one car every eight seconds, Hong Lei, China's consul general of Chicago, told the symposium on June 12. Ford Motor Co sold one automobile every 25 seconds for a total of 1.27 million that year. McDonald's, which boasts of at least 2,200 stores in China, sells 1,600 hamburgers every minute.

In a visit to the Des Moines-based Principle Financial Group, the company's president, Dan Houston, told Hong that by 2030, the world's GDP will be equally distributed among China, the US and the rest of the world.

"He asked me where should he go as a multinational enterprise if he did not go to China?" Hong said.

I think Ambassador Cui has actually addressed concerns of Houston and his peers.

Contact the writer at huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com
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.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to streamline 464 to 612 conditions for establishing new businesses, equivalent to some 38.15 to 50.3 per cent of the total business conditions. Photo dantri.com.vn

HA NOI  The Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to streamline 464 to 612 conditions for establishing new businesses, equivalent to some 38.15 to 50.3 per cent of the total business conditions.

This was the information released by Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh at a meeting late last week.

Specifically, the ministrys administrative reform team together with representatives of departments submitted a report to the minister on reviewing and simplifying business conditions, proposing a roadmap to reduce business procedures and conditions, as well as specific monitoring options.

Accordingly, the working group proposed two options.

First, the working group proposed to cut 464 conditions, equivalent to 38.15 per cent of total business conditions. In particular, 180 of 350 conditions for the food business sector were recommended to be cut.

Second, it suggested 612 conditions be removed, equivalent to 50.3 per cent, from total 17 sectors. In particular, the food business sector would see 331 out of 350 business conditions eliminated.

The 17 business sectors for which procedures to set up businesses would be simplified include petrol, gas, chemicals and alcohol, as well as cigarettes, food, electricity and franchising; along with logistics, commercial inspection, multilevel-marketing and e-commerce.

Therefore, after reduction, total remaining conditions are 752 if option one is chosen and 604 conditions if option two is applied.

As for the food business sector, Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan, director of the ministrys Legislation Department, said option one was proposed based on the current regulations of the Food Safety Law 2010, thus there would not be many changes.

However, if option two was implemented, it would be very time-consuming, as in this case, it would be necessary to regulate standards for different types of food businesses, which would be foundations for business performance examination and supervision.

Minister Anh requested that authorities evaluate the impact of the simplification of administrative procedures on business operations and the people.

"The results of this review will show us that efforts to remove business conditions are indeed on the right path, necessary and helpful in tackling difficulties for businesses, minister Anh emphasised.

The reduction of business conditions and the removal of difficulties for enterprises would be a key task throughout the process of administrative reform, the improvement of the institution and the creation of a transparent investment environment, he added.

At the meeting, the minister asked departments to continue reviewing other regulations and business conditions for removal and report back to him on September 21 for a final decision.

Earlier, the Government required ministries to review business conditions following market mechanisms of OECD and proposed that those hindering competitiveness be removed.  VNS
Financial leasing institutions are the lastest solution to resolve capital shortages of local businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Photo dangcongsan.vn

HA NOI  Financial leasing institutions are the lastest solution to resolve capital shortages of local businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Financial leasing has been a popular channel to mobilise capital globally, with total revenue of up to US$1 trillion per year.

Financial leasing is a credit activity in the mid-and-long-term through the leasing of machines, equipment, transport vehicles and other assets, such as office buildings.

In the United States, 80 per cent of firms, ranging from SMEs to large companies on the list of Fortune 500, have leased some of their machines and equipment used in production and trading. In addition, over 30 per cent of total equipment was provided through financial leasing contracts.

In Japan, revenue from annual financial leasing was some $50 billion.

However, according to Phan uc Tu, BIDVs general director, the financial leasing market in Viet Nam is small, with total outstanding of VN8.7 trillion ($383 million), accounting for only 0.16 per cent of total outstanding credit.

Tu said foreign investors were surprised to learn about the financial leasing situation in Viet Nam. Financial leasing has been taking place for a long time in Viet Nam. However, despite 20 years of development, there are only 11 financial leasing companies, the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) said.

Viet Nam is still a potential market for the development of financial leasing, especially SMEs, which account for over 95 per cent of the countrys total firms, he said in a seminar on financial leasing opportunity in Viet Nam last week.

When joining in financial leasing activities, businesses could use new technologies and access capital to buy assets.

Last week, BIDV-SuMi TRUST Leasing Co, Ltd (BSL) -- the first financial leasing joint venture between a Vietnamese bank and a foreign financial institution in Viet Nam -- officially opened.

BSL is a joint venture between the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV) and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank (SuMi TRUST) of Japan.

The joint venture, with charter capital of VN900 billion, is expected to attract more than 3,200 Japanese firms operating in Viet Nam that have been using financial leasing services. It was also expected to appeal to other FDI and local companies in the country.

BSL would connect equipment producers and suppliers to support end-users to find suitable machines for their demand as well as financial solutions, BSLs general director Nguyen Thieu Son said.

Nguyen Van Than, chairman of Viet Nam Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises Association, said a small bicycle producer in the northern province of Hai Duong had received a big order.

However, he was not capable of expanding production because of capital shortage and it was hard to get access to bank loans, thus leaving him with no choice but to refuse the order.

Than believed financial leasing would be an effective solution for Vietnamese SMEs.

Nguyen Trong Du from the central bank said one of the special characteristics of financial leasing companies was not only providing capital support, but also receiving deposits from organisations. Therefore, it would be a channel for capital mobilisation, especially mid-and-long term, in the future.

Du said SBV would continue to complete the legal framework to facilitate financial leasing activities.  VNS
HA NOI  The use of cryptocurrency and blockchains in Viet Nam is currently limited to just one per cent of the total population, though experts anticipate that the number could grow to 30 million users in the next ten years.

Nonetheless, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has clearly stated that unlike legal tenders, cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are not considered real money and thus not recognised as payment methods in Vietnamese law.

Bitcoin was first introduced to Viet Nam in 2009, and has since experienced double-digit growth each year in terms of users, and an average daily transaction value reaching the thousands of US dollars, according to Bitcoin Vietnam Co ltd., the self proclaimed first bitcoin platform in the country, established in 2014.

Subsequently, bitcoins blockchain, its own open, distributed ledger that records transactions between two parties using the coin in a verifiable and permanent way, is now also accessible in Viet Nam.

As of late August this year, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had ordered relevant agencies to draft a legal framework for cryptocurrency and other digital assets, which could mean that bitcoin and its like will be one day accepted in Viet Nam under appropriate management.

Nevertheless, at the moment, the issue has a number of loose ends, as the SBV still finds digital currency hard to control. Since bitcoin is a decentralised digital currency, its payment and control system works without a central administrator, so it poses latent administrative risks to the SBV in particular and central banks in general.

Investors money, SBVs headache

Back in July, the SBV sent out a document clearly stating its non-involvement in managing bitcoin on the Vietnamese financial market, as this particular cryptocurrency is not a payment method according to the SBV.

This official document also stressed that since bitcoin and litecoin are not legal tender or legitimate currency, the acts of initial coin offering, generation, and use of such cryptocurrency as means of payment in place of legal tender are all prohibited with established sanctions.

The SBV stated that such prohibition is to keep investors safe against the speculative nature of cryptocurrency, especially when there has been a reported surge in the number of bitcoin mining rigs imported to Viet Nam, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC).

In reality, the increase in demand for bitcoin mining rigs has troubled administrative authorities, as the GDVCs list of contraband goods according to Decision 187/2013/N-CP does not regulate these machines, which are computers designed specifically for the decryption of bitcoin and litecoin, through which the process of adding transaction records to bitcoins blockchain can be completed, thus generating new coins.

The SBV and the GDVC have reason to believe that the hike in demand for mining rigs is due to a misunderstanding on the part of investors, as they mistakenly consider the aforementioned draft scheme to be an official recognition of bitcoin in Viet Nam.

As such, new concerns have arisen for Vietnamese authorities. Since bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies are not accepted as legal payment in Viet Nam, the main purpose of most entities importing these mining rigs is to resell them at a higher price instead of actually generating new coins.

This would surely lead to a loss for many speculative investors, especially when the lifespan of these rigs is just around two to three months, with replacements worth more than $3,000.

The SBV has repeatedly warned domestic investors of the systemic risks that lie therein, but seemingly to no avail.

A coin toss

Back in 2009, the exchange rate for bitcoin was about 30 US cents per bitcoin, and it is now roughly US$4,000 per bitcoin, with a record high of $5,000, stated Ha Ton Vinh, Chairman and CEO of Stellar Management Corporation during a September conference on digital cash and blockchain in Ha Noi.

He commented that the sharp hike in the value of bitcoin is due to investors speculation, creating hundreds of millionaires in the span of less than a decade while expanding technology and financial application over other economic sectors with about $2 billion spent on bitcoin research over the past five years.

In Viet Nam, cryptocurrency, or digital cash, is available in popular forms such as debit or credit cards, or the recently introduced mobile wallets, and in rarer forms such as bitcoin or litecoin, said Terry OHearn, Chief Executive Office at iMozi Canada Inc, at the same conference.

According to OHearn, digital currency allows for direct transactions through an online payment device without the need for an intermediate financial entity, thus cutting down on transaction costs and increasing convenience.

After reaching up to $4,693 per bitcoin on August 29, 2017, the coins value has been gradually decreasing after China slapped restrictions on initial coin offerings, though there is no sign of speculation letting up.

Commercial bitcoin sites record a total capitalised value of the cryptocurrencys market of up to $120 billion, allowing for a staggering return on investment (ROI) ratio. Any bitcoin investors with enough sway and funding can enjoy an ROI of 150 per cent in a month, as oppose to the stock markets 11 per cent monthly.

As high returns come with equally high risks, the positive nature of the bitcoin market has soon been replaced with grim warnings from experts on the overblown value of the coin due to too much speculation, which can crash at any moment, leading to unimaginable devastation on financial markets.

Jean Y. Foo, Founder and CEO of Singaporean Mastermind Crate, pointed out at the said September conference that the difference between legal tenders such as the US dollar or Japanese yen and cryptocurrency is that while the former must be regulated by a third party during transactions, such as a Central Bank, the latter simply forgoes this step and relies on technological advances for security.

Therefore, there is no actual guarantee or failsafe mechanism against the coins bubble bursting, should it actually happen. And with the many risks that bitcoin investors and users must face online such as cyber attacks, theft, or blocked transactions, the SBV cannot guarantee their safety and financial security.

Still, as Vinh suggested, while several countries such as Japan now accept bitcoin as a legal payment method, it is nonetheless unregulated in the majority of economies including Viet Nams and is even heavily restricted in China. Thus, its definitive status as part of the economy is yet to be decided.  VNS
HA NOI  The Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank) has announced that it will pay cash dividends to the shareholders of 2016.

The payment rate will be 7 per cent, meaning that for each share, the shareholders will receive VN700 (31 US cents). At this rate, the bank will pay dividend worth VN2.6 trillion for 3.72 billion shares held by the stakeholders.

Of the total dividend, the State Bank of Viet Nam, which is holding 64.46 per cent of the banks charter capital, as of June 30, 2017, will receive VN1.68 trillion. The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, the banks strategic investor, will get VN514 billion, thanks to its ownership of 19.73 per cent of Vietinbanks charter capital.

The dividend is scheduled to be paid on October 17. The last day for the investors to register for reception of the dividend is September 28.

The dividend is subject to individual income tax of 5 per cent, and the dividend that the shareholders will receive is already taxed.  VNS
HA NOI  Vissai Cement Corporation, part of Vissai Group, officially launched the QuickFill Clean (QFC) eco-friendly cement paper bags on Monday at the Vissai Ninh Binh cement plant.

The QFC cement sacks are produced by leading Swedish packaging company BillerudKorsnas.

Vissai has studied and tested many types of cement sacks produced in different countries for both the domestic and export market. However, BillerudKorsnas product is by far the most competitive in terms of technology and cost, Vissais deputy general director Nguyen Tien at told Viet Nam News.

In April 2017, Vissai and BillerudKorsnas signed a Letter of Intent on QuickFill Clean cement paper sacks, positioning Vissai as a pioneer in adopting the eco-friendly packaging product for Viet Nams cement sector.

Under the agreement, Vissai will become the only unit to use BillerudKorsnas cement packaging in Viet Nam for a period of two years.

The current use of KPK sacks in Viet Nam is estimated to cause economic losses due to leakage during the packaging and transportation process. This leakage means that cement producers regularly have to pack extra cement in every 50kg bag to ensure the correct amount reaches the final consumers. This leakage is also a threat to cement factory workers, construction site workers and the environment.

One of the biggest advantages of the QFC paper sack is that it is very clean and doesnt waste cement like the current packaging used in Viet Nam, resulting in significant financial saving for the company. Besides this, it is also advantageous for workers because they dont have to breathe the cement dust,Mark van der Merwe, BillerudKorsnas business development director - sack solutions, told Viet Nam News.

With the widespread use of new high-porous paper cement bags worldwide, cement leakage can be virtually eliminated, minimising economic losses and worker and environmental hazards. However, these new solutions also require changes in the handling of sacks throughout the supply chain.

Paper sacks have been used in many of the neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Indonesia for many years, so they know how to handle them. However, in Viet Nam, workers used to be familiar with handling the plastic sacks with the hooks. So the paper sacks that we are introducing in Vietnamese market are 70 per cent stronger than the sacks we use in Indonesia and Thailand, Stefan Andersson, BillerudKorsnass technical service manager  sacks solutions told Viet Nam News.

According to the 2015-35 plan, Viet Nams cement industry will grow at a rapid rate of some 10 per cent annually. With large-scale investment in the infrastructure sector, expected financial expenditure is above US$100 billion.

With the rapid development of the cement industry, the use of green packaging is considered one of the most effective solutions to ensure safety of workers and minimise environment pollution.  VNS
HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc assigned the Ministry of Construction to study Cambodias permanent prohibition on sand exports and the impact on the construction materials market in Viet Nam.

The assignment was given after Cambodia issued the ban on sand exports to protect the countrys environment in July.

Phuc asked the construction ministry to issue proper solutions and guide localities to take the initiative in stabilising the local construction materials market. He said Viet Nam would continue to implement the policy of not exporting all kinds of sand to foreign countries.

According to statistics from the ministrys Construction Material Department, licensed sand mining can meet only 60-65 per cent of the demand of large cities. Meanwhile, Viet Nam is rapidly developing its infrastructure, therefore the demand for sand is constantly increasing.

The countrys demand for sand in 2015 was some 92 million cu.m. The volume is predicted to reach 130 million cu.m. by 2020.

Statistics revealed that Viet Nams total sand resources are estimated at 2.3 billion cu.m.

Insiders said with this rapid pace of construction, the supply of sand will be exhausted in less than 15 years.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also warned that if there is no planning and no alternative material, there is a risk of no sand being left for construction.  VNS
QUANG TRI  Residents in central Quang Tri Provinces Trieu An Commune have used steel net to block trucks carrying seafood to a local seafood processing company.

The action is a protest against pollution and horrible smells coming from the companys premises, the online Dan tri newspaper reported.

The processing facility belongs to Viet Trung Elites United International Aquatic Products Co.Ltd located in Trieu Phong Districts Trieu An Commune. The stink is reported to have affected 30 households.

Nguyen Van Dung, a resident in Tan Phu Hoi Village in Trieu An Commune said the smell began several months ago and seriously affected the lives of residents.

People had asked the company to check its wastewater treatment and solve the problem, but the situation has not been improved, he said.

Nguyen Van Phuong, vice chairman of Trieu An Communes Peoples Committee, said that the committee conducted an inspection on September 12 and found the smell came from a large number of stale shrimps heads.

On September 13, residents installed a steel net to block trucks carrying seafood to the company.

Following a meeting held later on between leaders of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, environmental police and representatives of the company, the company was ordered to stop operations until it solved the problem.

The company was also requested to build a reservoir to contain treated wastewater.

Le Minh Hoa, a director of the company, admitted the situation to the newspaper, saying that the wastewater treatment system had a technical problem that caused the annoying smell.

The company said it had to stop operations and repair the system.  VNS
HA NOI  Artist couple Anh Tu and Viet Dung will hold a concert featuring South Korean folk and modern music pieces at the Ha Noi Opera House on September 30.

The concert, titled Forever, comprises five parts, giving audiences a chance to discover Korean music through songs from the movies. The artists will also perform popular songs and music pieces from famous television series and motion pictures.

Korean folk song Arirang, often considered the unofficial national anthem of South Korea, and songs from the Dea Jang Geum series and The King and the Clown and Bridal Mask will open the concert.

The musicians will play pieces of Trot music, regarded as the origin of K-pop, during the latter part of the night. The concert will also see performances of romantic songs from popular series Glass Shoes, Winter Sonata and Forever and Star in My Heart.

In addition, South Korean pop songs and Vietnamese song Noi Vong Tay Lon (Great Circle of Viet Nam) will be performed at the concert. The musicians are teachers from the Viet Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM) and artists of the Viet Nam National Symphony and Orchestra.

After Ha Noi the concert will be held in Seoul in December to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Viet Nam and South Korea (1992-2017).

Forever concert producers include music director Anh Tu, art director Viet Dung and choreographer Thanh Nam.

Tu, a talent violinist, is the youngest Vietnamese musician to perform with the Asian Youth Orchestra and the youngest violin teacher at VNAM.  VNS
HCM CITY  South Korean girl group T-Ara will host a concert in HCM City on November 4 to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and South Korea.

The group, consisting of Qri, Eunjung, Hyomin and Jiyeon, will perform songs from their latest extended play Whats My Name? released in June.

They will also present their hits, including TTL (Time to Love), Bo Peep Bo Peep, and Roly-Poly.

Vietnamese pop stars Noo Phuoc Thinh, Soobin Hoang Son and Toc Tien will join the group at the 7th Military Gymnasium in Tan Binh District.

T-Ara debuted in 2009. Their first album Absolute First Album was popular in Asia with hits Lies, Time to Love and Bo Peep Bo Peep.

In 2011, the band made their debut in Japan and released three albums in Japanese. Apart from four studio albums, the group has nine extended plays in Korean.

T-Ara has toured across South Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Viet Nam.  VNS
HA NOI  The Swedish embassy has helped launch a nationwide competition designed to inspire Vietnamese college and university students to brainstorm ideas for environmentally sustainable production and responsible consumption in Viet Nam.

Entitled Innovate Like a Swede, the competition is co-hosted by the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Science and Technology, in addition to the Swedish embassy. It runs from September 18 to November 11.

The competition encourages the participating students to find solutions to help Viet Nam reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It focuses on goal No 12, sustainable use of natural resources and environmentally conscious development.

Participants will compete to generate ideas and possible products and services that contribute to the sustainable production and responsible consumption. Their submissions to the competition can be technical solutions or concepts.

For Sweden, reaching the SDGs is very high priority and as an embassy we work to promote these values in Viet Nam and to encourage an exchange of knowledge and ideas between our two countries," said Johan Alvin, the Swedish embassys second secretary, at the competitions opening ceremony.

Viet Nam faces many challenges, but with these challenges comes the opportunity to be innovative and to think outside of the box, Alvin said. This is something that we want to encourage through Innovate Like a Swede.

Entries may comprise anything from completely new ideas that have not been developed to innovative ways of using existing solutions. A jury consisting of representatives from the Swedish companies and universities in Viet Nam will judge the entries on the basis of feasibility and commercial viability, degree of innovation and potential level of impact.

The winning team will be rewarded with a study visit to Swedish companies regional headquarters in Singapore in 2018. Runner-up teams will get internships at Swedish companies in Viet Nam.

"Innovate like a Swede will be a chance to show participants science creativity and a rewarding experience for Vietnamese students from all universities and colleges, said Pham Quang Hung, deputy-head of the Education Ministrys International Co-operation Department. I hope many students will join the competition and win the award.  VNS
MEXICO CITY  Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced plans on Monday for an US$840 million Mayan theme park on the Caribbean coast to rival the major theme parks in the United States.

The park, dubbed Amikoo -- or "friend" in the Mayan language -- will have rides and characters based on Mayan mythology and be built in two phases in the so-called Riviera Maya, a stretch of pristine beaches on Mexicos southeastern coast.

"Were going to compete with other (parks) up there (in the United States), and Im sure ours will be better," Pena Nieto said at a ceremony also attended by the Mexican investors behind the project.

Pena Nieto said the park would bolster Mexicos place as a "high-quality tourism destination."

Mexico became the eighth most-visited country in the world last year, according to the World Tourism Organization, with 35 million international arrivals who spent some $19.6 billion.

The vital sector represents some 8.7 per cent of the Mexican economy.

The new 120-hectare park will have attractions such as a flight simulator that lets visitors fly over popular Mexican tourist attractions, a mock submarine and a pirate ride.

It will also have a 320-room hotel, a Mayan archeology and anthropology museum, and dedicate 75 per cent of its property to environmental conservation.

The first phase is set to open in November 2018 and the second two years later.

Investors say they expect four million to 4.5 million visitors per year.  AFP
HA NOI  Chairman of the a Nang Peoples Council and Party Central Committee member, Nguyen Xuan Anh, has been found to hold the main responsibility for multiple violations by the Peoples Council Standing Committee during the 2015-20 tenure, the Central Inspection Commission said yesterday in a report following a four-day meeting.

The Central Inspection Commissions report said Xuan Anh violated democratic principles and Party and State regulations by making arbitrary appointments to city government positions.

Anhs actions were deemed to cause division and affect the solidarity and unity in the Standing Committee of the Peoples Council.

His use of inappropriate certifications and "dishonesty in declaration" also violated the code of ethics for party members, the report said.

The Central Inspection Commission also condemned him for not being conscious of setting an example when receiving two cars and two houses as gifts from private enterprises, creating public outrage. a Nang Peoples Council Standing Committee has returned the two cars, valued at nearly VN 2.5 billion (US$110,000), to the enterprises following instructions from Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in March 2017.

Vice Chairman of a Nang Peoples Council, Huynh uc Tho, also shouldered blame for violations committed by the Peoples Council Standing Committee. Tho is held accountable for violations in the areas of land and urban management.

The Central Inspection Commission concluded that the offences by a Nang Peoples Council Standing Committee members Nguyen Xuan Anh and Huynh uc Tho are serious and that disciplinary actions are in order.

Other violations

The Party delegation to Gia Lai Peoples Committee was also slammed, with the committee violating land management regulations and opening five extra border gates in the 2011-16 tenure and the 2016-21 version of the committee deemed not determined enough in rectifying its predecessors wrongdoings.

Pham The Dung, former deputy secretary of the Gia Lai province Peoples Council and former chairman of the Peoples Committee, was accused of nepotism for his proposal to appoint his unqualified relatives to vacant positions.

The inspection commission also said the Central Highlands ak Nong Provinces Party Standing Committee ran afoul of financial management regulations and was negligent in its oversight responsibilities for the investment and construction of the provinces archive building.

The inspection commission also said it was investigating and imposing disciplinary measures on the Party Standing Committee (tenure 2005-10 and 2010-15) as well as some member boards of the state-owned VinaChem (Viet Nam National Chemical Group) for violations that led to serious losses.  VNS
If the Law on Planning is not passed during the next session of the National Assembly (NA), many opportunities would be missed, as the law relates to the establishment of a planning strategy for the next five years, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said at a meeting yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Dan

HA NOI  If the Law on Planning is not passed during the next session of the National Assembly (NA), many opportunities would be missed, as the law relates to the establishment of a planning strategy for the next five years, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said at a meeting yesterday.

The NA Standing Committee (NASC) yesterday continued its session discussing the draft Law on Planning, which faces many differing opinions.

The draft law, which has been reviewed by the NA in previous sessions, in principle met the demands of developing a legal framework regulating planning activities, said the NA Economic Committee Chairman Vu Hong Thanh.

However, it needed to be revised in line with current laws to ensure its feasibility, as well as avoid any overlaps with other regulations, Thanh told the meeting.

According to NA Deputy Chairman Phung Quoc Hien, the Government had revised some clauses on regional and provincial planning.

The draft law regulates that setting up, approving and implementing construction planning would adhere to laws on Construction, Land, Environment and other related laws, Hien said.

However, the NA Economic Committee did not agree with the Governments revisions and suggested the draft law should keep the contents as presented at the NAs last session in June. But some committee members said that the revision was a force majeure in the current situation.

If items are revised, the law would depart from its original intention, said Thanh.

Hien said that the revisions for the items would create conflicts between the Law on Construction and the draft Law on Planning.

The Law on Construction regulates that regional and provincial planning are designated by the Ministry of Construction. But the draft Law of Planning stipulates the activity would be overseen by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Planning and Investment, with the participation of an evaluation council.

This should be reconsidered, said Hien.

The NA chairwoman said that the purpose of promulgating the Planning Law was to create a breakthrough in planning as well as wipe out planning regulations in many different laws.

The Chairwoman did not agree with amendments made to clauses on regional and provincial planning.

The NASC asked the Government to review the Draft Law on Planning to ensure the law comes into effect on January 1, 2019 as per the schedule.

In the afternoon meeting, the NASC discussed issues relating to the revised Law on Credit Institutions, such as exemptions of responsibilities for those who take part in restructuring specially-controlled credit institutions and zero ong banks.  VNS
BRUSSELS  Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue and Vice President of the European Commission Jyrki Katainen have agreed to facilitate all-level visits, particularly the visit to Viet Nam by President of the European Council Donald Tusk.

During their meeting in Brussels on September 18, both leaders shared the view that the approval of the Viet Nam  EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement has created an important legal framework to further deepen the relationship between Viet Nam and the EU.

Regarding the EU  Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), Hue said amid rising protectionism, the signing and ratification of the deal would be meaningful to the promotion of trade liberalisation.

The two sides pledged to step up final procedures for the early signing and ratification of the agreement. The EU side will also improve Viet Nams capacity to fully and effectively enforce EVFTAs commitments.

Within the multilateral cooperation framework, Viet Nam and the EU will continue working closely and strengthening consultation to enhance cooperation efficiency, especially at the Asia  Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the ASEAN  EU Dialogue.

Hue asked the EU to maintain official development assistance to Viet Nam via bilateral and multilateral channels while supporting Mekong Sub-regional cooperation programmes, the ASEAN Community and its central role in the evolving regional architecture.

Meeting Secretary General of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Kunio Mikuriya, Hue urged the WCO to continue assisting member customs agencies and suggested specific cooperation areas between the two sides.

He proposed the WCO backs Viet Nam in realising the World Trade Organisation Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA), affirming that his country sees the implementation of the deal as part of activities to reform administrative procedures, develop the economy and attract foreign direct investment.

Mikuriya, for his part, spoke highly of Viet Nams achivements in trade liberalisation and facilitation. He shared information regarding apparatus and governance as well as joint work between customs and management agencies in border areas.

The same day, the Vietnamese official met European Union Chief Negotiator for the EVFTA Mauro Petriccione. He also delivered an opening speech and hosted a round-table meeting with nearly 100 business representatives from Belgium and the EU.

Earlier on September 17, the Deputy PM held a working session with Rent-A-Port, which specialises in the design and development of marine infrastructure and industrial zones in Belgium.

Host and guest discussed Rent-A-Ports current projects in Viet Nam and the possibility of developing green industrial zones and renewable energy projects in Viet Nam in the near future.  VNS
QUANG NAM  At the beginning of this school year, teachers and students at Phan Ngoc Nhan Primary School in the central province of Quang Nam were very curious about the used shipping container that had materialised in their school yard over the summer break.

The container is a present from a Swiss organisation to the school and has been turned into the schools new library, painted an eye-catching orange and outfitted with a glass door and windows.

"No one imagined such a perfect library, says school principal Luu Cuc. The air-conditioned room contains over 1,000 books, four desks and dozens of chairs. Four laptops connect the library to the internet. No one thinks they are in a container when they come in, Cuc said.

We call it a five-star library, Cuc said, adding that it was far superior to the schools previous library, which failed to meet the demand of its 800 students.

Since the 27 sq.m container was opened, it has become a favourite destination of many students during breaks and after school.

A fifth grader, Nguyen Thanh Quy, said he usually went to the container library after school to relax and read new books. I find many interesting books here. I will read all books in this library, Quy said.

In 2015, the Darius Foundation, a Swiss non-governmental organisation, built the first container library in collaboration with Maersk Vietnam at the Long Binh ien Secondary School in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang as part of a project to build libraries for children in rural areas.

The library, built at a cost of VN250 million (US$11,000), has six computers and 1,000 book titles.

A used container turned into a library in Phan Ngoc Nhan Primary School in the central province of Quang Nam.  Photo dantri.com.vn

Similar school libraries, some of them mobile, have been built in other provinces, including Can Tho and Soc Trang.

Mobile libraries provide children in rural areas with the opportunity to access books they would never have otherwise, as well as laptops with access to the world wide web. The libraries are expected to help narrow computer skill gaps between children in urban and rural areas.

Six years ago, the Darius Foundation launched a mobile schools project for rural children in the Mekong Delta region, providing computer and internet skills training in modified containers. However, once every three months the 10 mobile schools move to new locations for new courses, and the children have almost no access to computers for practice. Accordingly, the library was developed to secure the results of the training program in computer and internet skills.

All schools in Viet Nam are supposed to have a library. However, school libraries often fall short of the needs due to modest investment.

Speaking at a book fair last year, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Manh Hung said that on average, a Vietnamese reads four books yearly, including 2.8 textbooks and 1.2 books of other kinds.

Meanwhile, a Singaporean reads about 14 books a year, Malaysians 10 books and in developed countries like France, Japan and Israel, every person reads 20 books per year, on average.

Early last year, the ministry asked education and training institutions to promote reading culture at schools by improving public awareness of the pleasure and importance of reading books, increasing training for librarians, improving reading skills and ability to search for information.

Particularly, teachers at kindergartens are asked to spend time reading books to children and encouraging parents to do the same.

The ministry also called for contributions and co-operations from individuals and organisations in developing school libraries.  VNS
CENTRAL REGION  The Doksuri storm swept through the central provinces of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh in just a few hours on Friday morning, but the impacts will last a lot longer than local residents expected.

Thousands of residents in the provinces have suffered loss of life and property, damage to homes and businesses, as well as the devastation of crops.

In Ha Tinh, local residents in Ky Anh District face a critical shortage of both drinkable water and water for daily use. Locals relied on well water as the main source of water before the wells were salinated from rising tides caused by the Doksuri storm.

All wells in the districts Ky Ninh Commune were salinated and locals are thirsty, said Le Cong uong, the communes chairman. A report released by the local Centre for Hygiene, Clean Water and Environment said a total of 1,800 wells in the district had been contaminated with salt water.

Water taken from one local well smelled bad and could not be used for washing. Nguyen Van Loc, a local said the well water caused itchy skin after it was used for bathing.

Local authorities have urged the provinces water plants to urgently supply water to thirsty residents. The only source supplied to the commune so far has been bottles provided by charity trips to the site.

In Quang Binh, a power cut caused by damage to the power grid by the storm continues. According to Electricity of Viet Nam in Quang Binh, a total of 102,749 residents have not yet been reconnected to power after the storm.

All residents in rural areas in the provinces Bo Trach and Minh Hoa districts will have to endure a lack of power for several more days. In the municipal city of ong Hoi, about 10 per cent of city dwellers are in the same situation.

Around 74,000 power clients in Ha Tinh will have to wait longer for repairs to be completed, having been left in the dark for four days since the storm hit the province.

Locals have experienced more losses than officially reported in statistics by authorities, and will face ongoing difficulties for a long time.

In Ha Tinh, reports showed no grapefruit trees had been uprooted by Doksuri, with damage statistics for orchards at low levels. But actual losses to farmers were higher than reported, reaching some VN170 billion (US$7.46million) over a total 400ha of grapefruit in the provinces Huong Khe District.

The loss accounts for fruit ripped from trees, which were nearly ripe for harvest. The fruits need half a month to ripen, but the winds caused all of them to fall from the trees. The fallen fruit can only be sold very cheaply, said Bach inh Viem, a local with 250 grapefruit trees on his farm.

The districts Phuc Trach is one of the best grapefruit growing areas in the country and local farmers waited a year for a bumper crop before Doksuri ruined it. Grapefruit is the key economy of [the district]s Huong Thuy Commune and the loss is sure to send many families into poverty, said o Cong Anh, an official from the commune.

Three days after the storm, a power line connected to a pump station in the provinces Can Loc District fell, killing five cows in a field. Cows are big property for farming families, but that particular incident was not listed in damages caused by the storm.

In Quang Binh, power grids connected to Phong Nha Township, a tourism hotspot of the country, have not yet been repaired. Power cuts cause losses for local tourism, as visitors cut short their trips and food reserved for meals goes bad without adequate refrigeration.

According to Nguyen Chau A, director of caving operator Oxalis, the storm caused no major damage to local property and the environment, but the local tourism sector was hit hardest by post-storm incidents.

Also in Quang Binh, female teachers in Quang Phu Primary School in the provinces Quang Trach District had to give up time at home to work. Last weekend, they left their damaged houses and went to assist with repairs at the local school.

The fear of broken dykes is rising in the provinces after the storm. Le Van Thanh, chairman of Cuong Gian Commune in Ha Tinh said the local dyke system had been badly damaged due to strong waves during the storm.

He said locals had helped reinforce it with bamboo and sand bags, but that was a temporary solution.

Dykes in Cam Nhuong Commune suffered landslides at the base and seemed ready to collapse at any time.

The division of agriculture and rural development in Cam Xuyen District said dykes in the district had been built to endure a level 9 storm, but Doksuri was rated at level 12.

ang Ngoc Son, deputy chairman of Ha Tinh Peoples Committee said the province was waiting for national budget allocation for dyke repair as the local budget was insufficient. VNS
HA NOI  The Investigation Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday it has issued an arrest warrant for three suspects on charges of appropriating property at OceanBanks Hai Phong branch.

The property was valued at VN500 billion (US$22 million).

The three accused are Tran Thi Kim Chi, 33, former director of OceanBanks Hai Phong branch and a resident of Nam inh Province; Le Vuong Hoang, 26; and Nguyen Thi Minh Hue, 27. Both Hoang and Hue are former officers at the branch and from Thai Binh Province.

The three suspects were determined to have fled this month, the agency said.

The defendants were investigated and wanted for related violations at OceanBanks Hai Phong branch in connection with the mobilisation of savings accounts. Some 20 customers, who have deposit books with the money amounting to $22 million, were not included in the banks database.

Specifically, information on the deposit cards did not match information recorded in the core banking system on the senders name and the amount of savings.  VNS
HA NOI  A man from Ha Nois Gia Lam District has been suspended from air travel for nine months after threatening aviation security staff with using a mine.

According to the Viet Nam Aviation Agency, Le Tuan Huu was boarding a flight from Ha Noi to Cam Ranh City in the southern central coastal province of Khanh Hoa at Noi Bai International Airport on Sunday.

The agency said the mans action was a threat to security and he should be penalised, according to Dan Tri news website.

The ban took effect from September 16 this year to June 15, 2018.

Viet Nam Airlines has asked all airlines departing from Viet Nam to ensure Le Tuan Huu is not allowed to travel.

Previously, two female passengers were also suspended from air travel for six months after creating a disturbance by arguing on the plane.  VNS
HA NOI  The number of unemployed university graduates grew sharply in the second quarter of 2017, while the countrys unemployment rate declined slightly compared with the previous quarter, according to data of the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs.

In the second quarter, 183,100 holders of bachelors or masters degrees couldnt find jobs, up 44,200 compared with the previous quarter, the report said. In the meantime, as many as 1.08 million working-age Vietnamese were unemployed in the second quarter, 20,000 fewer than in the previous quarter.

The unemployment rate in the Mekong River Delta and southeastern provinces reached 2.95 per cent and 2.65 per cent, respectively. The northern midlands and mountainous region and Central Highlands, registered the lowest unemployment rate, at 0.95 and 1.05, respectively.

About 24.5 per cent of the unemployed have been out of work for more than 12 months.

ao Quang Vinh, director of the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs, blamed the high unemployment rate among holders of university and higher degrees on low demand in the business sector in the second quarter. A lack of working experience also causes high unemployment among new graduates, he said.  VNS
TOKYO  Japan will Tuesday deploy an additional missile defence system on its northern island of Hokkaido, a defence ministry spokesman said, days after North Korea launched a missile over the island.

"We are deploying a PAC-3 system at about noon" to a base of the nations Ground Self-Defense Force in the southern tip of Hokkaido, said Kensaku Mizuseki.

According to local officials, Japan has already deployed the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile defence system to another part of Hokkaido.

But Mizuseki declined to confirm where in Japan other PAC-3 systems were deployed, citing the sensitive nature of defence information.

The move comes with tensions on the Korean peninsula at fever-pitch after Pyongyang carried out its sixth nuclear test and fired two missiles over Japan in the space of less than a month, sparking emergency warnings to take cover.

North Korea has threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and said Saturday that it sought military "equilibrium" with arch-enemy the United States by developing a full nuclear arsenal.

For his part, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he would "never tolerate" the Norths "dangerous provocative action" and has urged the international community to ramp up pressure on Pyongyang.

The UN Security Council, which condemned the launch as "highly provocative," will hold a new ministerial-level meeting Thursday on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, focused on enforcing sanctions on the North Korean regime.

US military options

The United States has "many" military options against North Korea, including some that dont put Seoul at risk, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday.

His comments come after President Donald Trumps administration ramped up pressure on North Korea on Sunday, warning Pyongyang will be "destroyed" if it refuses to end its "reckless" nuclear and ballistic missile drive.

"There are many military options, in concert with our allies, that we will take to defend our allies and our own interests," Mattis told Pentagon reporters.

He did not provide details, but he responded affirmatively when asked if these included options that would not put Seoul at grave risk.

Mattis also confirmed that the US and Seoul had discussed the option of sending limited-size "tactical" nuclear weapons to South Korea.

North Koreas weapons drive is set to dominate Trumps address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday and his meetings with South Korean and Japanese leaders this week.

Tensions flared when North Korea tested what it termed a hydrogen bomb many times more powerful than its previous device.

The North also fired a ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific on Friday, responding to fresh new UN sanctions with what appeared to be its longest-ever missile flight.

Amid calls for the United States and Japan to shoot down such missiles, Mattis said there was no need to do so because they were not a direct threat.

"The bottom line is that in the missiles, were they to be a threat, whether it be the US territory Guam, obviously Japan, Japans territory, that would elicit a different response from us," he said.  AFP
CHICAGO  Protests simmered for the fourth straight day Monday in St Louis, Missouri amid outrage over the acquittal of a white former police officer in the shooting death of a black man.

Dozens marched peacefully, some carrying "Black Lives Matter" signs, through the Midwestern citys downtown streets and in front of city hall, while some 250 high school students also briefly marched out of school.

After dark, a large crowd of demonstrators gathered outside the St Louis City Justice Center, a prison.

Police said there were no arrests or incidents, after a weekend in which dozens were arrested as largely peaceful protests turned violent three days running. On Sunday alone, police booked 123 demonstrators.

"The days have been calm and the nights have been destructive," Mayor Lyda Krewson said at an early morning news conference.

"After the demonstration, organisers announced that the daytime protest was over. But a group of agitators stayed behind, apparently intent on breaking windows and destroying property. This is not acceptable."

The public outcry is over a judges ruling Friday that there was not enough evidence to convict former police officer Jason Stockley of murdering Anthony Lamar Smith, a black man, following a 2011 car chase.

Protesters have marched through city streets, clashed with police, thrown bricks through the windows of businesses and overturned trash cans.

Protesters broke a window and splattered paint on the mayors home as well.

The violence led to the cancellations of several cultural events over the weekend -- including concerts by rock giants U2 and pop star Ed Sheeran.

Police suffered minor injuries and responded with force, appearing in riot gear and arresting protesters.

Journalist arrested

"Once again, a group of criminals set out to break windows and destroy property. Tonight, those criminals are in jail," acting police chief Lawrence OToole said.

"Some criminals assaulted law enforcement officers and threw chemicals and rocks at them."

But activists and observers fired back on social media, claiming police had been excessively aggressive toward protesters.

They also challenged reports of confiscated chemicals, claiming the substances were merely apple cider vinegar used to counteract weapons such as pepper spray.

Among those arrested Sunday was a journalist for the St Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper, who was caught up with a crowd as police corralled about 100 people who they said had not complied with orders to disperse.

"We are closed in on all four sides now I have no idea where people are supposed to go. People freaking out," Mike Faulk wrote in one of his final dispatches on Twitter prior to his arrest. He was released more than 13 hours later Monday afternoon.

In an account published by the newspaper, Faulk said several officers knocked him down and a foot pushed his head into the pavement before an office squirted pepper spray in his face.

It cited other witnesses as saying police hit and roughed up people who would not obey orders to keep their hands behind their backs.

The police union, meanwhile, was taking donations for officers working long shifts during the turbulence.

The American Civil Liberties Union criticized the St Louis police response, saying officers have at times acted illegally.

"From eyewitness and filmed accounts, we continue to see the St Louis Metropolitan Police Department engage in unacceptable, unlawful and unconstitutional behavior," the civil rights group said.

Why?

The ACLU claimed an officer dangerously drove a police car backwards into a crowd, and that other officers used excessive force and unlawfully detained people.

"We urge everyone to ask themselves a bigger question: Why are these protests happening?" the rights group said.

Stockleys acquittal was the latest example of the difficulty US prosecutors face in charging law enforcement officers following controversial deaths of citizens.

A number of cases brought against officers in various US cities have failed to send officers to jail -- including in the nearby states of Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

St Louis has a history of tension between police and its black communities.

The city and its suburb Ferguson became the focus of national attention following the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown, which sparked protests and disturbances.

Brown, an 18-year-old African American, was shot to death by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

Wilson was not charged by local or federal prosecutors, but the incident led to a Justice Department investigation that found a pattern of civil rights violations by the Ferguson police.

Eric Holder, president Barack Obamas attorney general, concluded that Ferguson police "routinely violate" constitutional rights, including unjustified arrests and unreasonable use of force.  AFP
The door opens and the visitor steps inside. Curiosity gets the best of Oliver and he trots over, followed by a dozen other wagging tails, to check things out. Finding much ado about nothing, the 150-pound Neopolitan mastiff ambles away, canine crew in tow, for another round of play.

Such are the days of Happy Dogs Daycare, a social gathering spot in downtown Waterloo for all pups, big and small. The facility, located at the corner of West Sixth and Jefferson streets, recently celebrated its two-year anniversary.

This is our baby, said operations manager Samantha Schwarte. We started with a completely empty facility and grew from there.

The building has housed a number of previous businesses, including a dance studio and consignment shop. For Schwarte, the wide-open space was the perfect spot for Happy Dogs playground and boarding facility.

Inside, gates and fences allow for many variations of canine social gatherings. Dogs that prefer the company of a few can be separated from larger packs that like raucous play. Theres an outdoor area for potty trips, as well as outdoor space to run and take a dip in the doggy splash pools.

Everyone goes through a temperament test to make sure we are right for the dog and vice versa, Schwarte said.

Based on those evaluations, Happy Dogs staff recommends the best days for a dog to attend.

We create certain packs for certain days, Schwarte said. We are very big on knowing the dogs and their play styles and finding the most suitable spot and day for them.

Among those whove found a spot at Happy Dogs is Bubba the boxer, who is deaf; Ruger, a Rhodesian ridgeback; and Dragon, a small, mixed-breed fluffball who runs with the big dogs. Theyre joined by many other shapes and breeds from around the Cedar Valley, including a jaunty Irish setter, a spirited goldendoodle and a lumbering Burnese mountain/Saint Bernard mix.

From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, dogs play and are taught basic obedience and manners.

The dogs build their own routine, said Faith Heiple, assistant manager. They play, and everyone gets tired around 10:30 and takes a nap, then get up and do it all over again.

Facilities like Happy Dogs are in high demand as pet owners aim to give their pets fulfilling lives. In the U.S., 60.2 million households own a dog, according to the American Pet Products Association. Additionally, Americans will spend an estimated $69.3 billion on their pets this year.

Dog owners know it is beneficial to socialize their pet, Heiple said.

And the earlier, the better, Schwarte added. Dogs learn together and grow together. Here, they all get the same opportunity to succeed.
WATERLOO  The Black Hawk County Gaming Association is ready once again to make the case against building a casino in Cedar Rapids.

Three proposals were submitted to the state gaming commission for a gaming license in February, and they will get their first real chance at a public input meeting next week.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission will hold a meeting beginning at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 26 at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cedar Rapids Convention Complex, 350 First Ave., in Cedar Rapids. An exact agenda and time frame for public comment will be available Friday on the gaming commissions website https://irgc.iowa.gov/.

BHCGA President Tim Hurley made clear during a BHCGA board meeting Monday hes going to be among those speaking in opposition.

No one wishes ill will to our fellow Iowans or the good people in Linn County, but by golly, they said no (to a casino for years)  and that window closed, Hurley told the county gaming association. So, the door closed. Im sorry. But the point is well do our best to represent you well and represent our position.

Hurley and Beth Knipp, BHCGA executive director, said they would not bring up new themes to make the case against a new casino but rather continue to hammer home, using new data, the current gaming market is already saturated. The state has 22 casinos.

UPDATE: Iowa casino revenue shows modest growth DES MOINES  Revenue for Iowas 19 state-licensed casinos grew modestly in fiscal 2017, but 

Hurley said The Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo plans to speak in opposition by focusing on economic impact and local jobs.

Cedar Rapids has been working for about the past four to five years to get a casino. A bid that began in 2013 was ultimately nixed by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in April 2014. The new proposals brought forth in February are from Cedar Rapids Development Group LLC, which made two different proposals, and Wild Rose Cedar Rapids LLC.

Hurley also noted the fact there are three different proposals could help the local casino.

You can see that theres almost some infighting going on down there, which is to our advantage in a way, Hurley said.

Waterloo group to 'likely' oppose revived Cedar Rapids casino plans WATERLOO  The Black Hawk County Gaming Association is likely to oppose two new Cedar Rapids

Eric Johnson, a BHCGA board member, said he sees the commission decision as a choice between policy or politics. He said if the commission chooses policy, it will note its own criteria for granting new licenses and find the market is saturated. If it chooses politics, it could opt to support the states second biggest city in its efforts to get a gaming license.

Hopefully, theyre following policy, because this shouldnt be approved if thats what theyre following, Johnson said.

Hurley agreed, noting, Ill be, maybe, the most surprised person in the room if theyre successful.

The state commission will get public input at Tuesdays meeting. It will hold a meeting in October to present a study on any impacts of a new casino in Cedar Rapids. It will make its final decision at a Nov. 16 meeting.

Separately, during the BHCGA meeting, the board heard a presentation from the city of Cedar Falls for a new public safety building. The building is estimated to cost between $9.8 million and $10.8 million, for which it is asking the association to offer a $750,000 grant.

Cedar Falls seeks gaming grant for new safety building CEDAR FALLS  The city is applying for what would be, in Cedar Falls, a record dollar amount

Cedar Falls Public Safety Director Jeff Olson told the board the overall cost could be less if the board were to approve the funds for the grant at its November meeting. The city has been told if it can approve a contract before the end of the year, its likely to receive a lower cost estimate.

Though grant requests typically need six months between requests and approval, the board did not note any problems with moving up the timeline. Thats due in part to the associations new policy for cities to submit possible requests looking out 12 months, 24 months and 36 months, so the association had ample knowledge of the project before the formal request in July.
Landlords to host speaker

WATERLOO  The Landlords of Black Hawk will host Dave Gibb from Legally Mine at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Elks Club.

He will speak on The Keys to Locking Out Lawsuits and Lowering Taxes.

RSVP at BlackHawkLandlord@gmail.com. Dinner is $15 at the door, served at 6:30 p.m.; there is no charge to attend program.

Planning for PurpleLight set

CEDAR FALLS  The Cedar Falls affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network will host a meeting of volunteers at 6:30 p.m. today in hospitality room 3 of Covenant Medical Center, 3421 W. Ninth St., Waterloo.

The meeting will focus on planning the Oct. 22 Pancreatic Cancer Action Networks PurpleLight, a gathering of survivors, family and friends who have felt the impact of pancreatic cancer. Anyone interested in planning the next PurpleLight is encouraged to attend. Bottled water and snacks will be available.

For information, contact Amy Jardon at ajardon@pancanvolunteer.org or at 290-7691.

Latin America

is topic of talk

CEDAR FALLS  The Great Decisions discussion group will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. today in the conference room of the Cedar Falls Public Library.

Discussion will follow after viewing a 30-minute DVD on Latin Americas Political Pendulum, especially Venezuelas political crisis.

The program is sponsored by the Cedar Falls branch of AAUW and the Cedar Valley United Nations Association.

Anyone interested in this topic is welcome.

USS Orion reunion slated

WATERLOO  The Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau will welcome the USS Orion AS-18 reunion to Waterloo this week.

The USS Orion AS-18 was commissioned in 1943 and decommissioned 50 years later in 1993. This year marks the military groups 28th reunion, which rotates between the Eastern, Midwest and Western regions each year.

Forty people from across the United States are expected.
CEDAR FALLS  The Iowa Board of Regents will request an additional $12 million in state funding for new undergraduate financial aid programs at the three public universities, but it will not seek increases to the universities general funding in the next fiscal year.

The board will meet at 10 a.m. Monday in Urbandale to discuss its fiscal year 2019 state appropriations request. The meeting will be livestreamed at http://www.iowaregents.edu/.

The $12 million request would offer $5 million at each Iowa State University and University of Iowa for financial aid and $2 million for financial aid at the University of Northern Iowa.

The request comes after the board formed a subcommittee this summer to look at tuition at the three state universities. The report issued earlier this month noted Iowa ranks last in the nation for need-based financial aid to public university students. The state designates no funding for students at the public universities.

UPDATE: Nook presents five-year outlook for UNI budget CEDAR FALLS  University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook summed up the institutions bu

The board did not make a recommendation on tuition rates after its tuition task force offered a report at the Sept. 7 meeting. It plans a first reading on proposed tuition rates for next year during its October meeting at UNI.

Regents President Mike Richards offered no predictions after the September board meeting about what the proposal might be.

Were going to come in with the right number, Richards said at the time.

But the report made clear if appropriations remain flat, the universities will need to raise tuition.

Tuition task force makes clear need for state aid IOWA CITY  The tuition task force report delivered to the Iowa Board of Regents on Thursday

Iowa State and University of Iowa reported if appropriations dont rise, they will need annual increases of 7 percent for the next five years.

UNI President Mark Nook offered the board three different scenarios. If the state appropriation were to remain flat, Nook estimated, the board would need an increase close to 7 percent in fiscal year 2018, but then would need increases in of 5.2 percent, 3.7 percent and 3.1 percent in consecutive years following.

Nook told the board in September the budget submitted is extremely conservative, and asked for a 2 percent appropriation increase for UNI, allowing the school to keep tuition increases closer to 2 percent.

Without more state funding, Nook said, UNI tuition would climb about 5 percent a year for the next five years.

I think most people in the state say thats a significant increase. Its predictable. We know exactly what it is, but its right on the edge of whether or not thats reasonable, he said.

The boards request for flat state appropriations not only means the potential for higher tuition rates but also signals no attempt to regain the $30 million lost during the previous legislative session.

Increasing enrollment bigger focus for UNI CEDAR FALLS  University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook took a different approach in p

Between cuts in the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years, UNI saw a reduction in its base state funding of $3.3 million. The regents funding request for fiscal year 2019 remains at the reduced 2018 figure of $93.7 million.

The board also will hear a report from university presidents on efficiencies and reallocations at their respective universities during Mondays meeting.
Here are some of the most interesting, noteworthy or most frequently asked questions since the start of the year.

Q: Is there a way to get an answer to a question without having to read the paper every day?

A: Not really. That's the point, really - to enjoy the questions and answers from everyone, and watch for yours.

Q: Years ago, Iowa had a governor who suggested on weekends and holidays people drive with their lights on during the day. Which governor said that?

A: We think it was Gov. Norman Erbe. A December 1961 Courier article said Erbe was asking motorists to take part in a "lights-on" campaign during the Christmas and New Year's holidays. But it looks as if his successor, Gov. Harold Hughes, agreed - a 1963 article quotes Hughes as saying "Let's get behind this Lights On for Safety' campaign 100 percent."

Q: Since the inauguration has President Trump changed his hairstyle? Does he have a hairpiece?

A: He says it's real and has occasionally invited people to tug it to make sure.

Q. How many newspapers does Lee Enterprises own? Where are they located?

A. Lee is based in Davenport and has 46 daily newspapers and a joint interest in two others, along with digital products and nearly 300 specialty publications in 21 states. In Iowa, Lee owns the Globe Gazette in Mason City, the Quad-City Times in Davenport, theMuscatine Journal and the Sioux City Journal, in addition to The Courier. For the full list of papers, go to www.lee.net.

Q: Who were the folks on the gaming board who referred to the Fourth Street bridge as the world's longest urinal?

A: It was a comment by Geoff Grimes.

Q: When they talk about transparency in government, what does that mean?

A: It means openness and accountability, particularly by holding open meetings and providing full accounting of all governmental actions. That's the only way citizens can hold public officials accountable and prevent them from using their positions for their own gain.

Q: How many of the lower 48 states have roundabouts?

A: Every state has at least some, according to a 2015 New York Times report, including Alaska and Hawaii. Florida has the highest number, while Maryland has the highest percentage. The lowest numbers appear in Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota.

Q. When was the last time an American was executed for treason?

A. As far as we can tell, it was Herbert Haupt, who was executed in 1942 as a German enemy agent. In 1952, Tomoya Kawakita was convicted and sentenced to death for torturing American POWs, but President Dwight Eisenhower commuted the sentence to life imprisonment. It's extremely hard to prove treason; many wrong-doers are actually charged with something else, like espionage.

Q: Why can't we keep daylight savings times the way it is right now year around? Who can we contact about this?

A: Daylight saving time - meant to save energy and make good use of daylight hours - was first implemented in the United States during World War I. A 1966 act of Congress made DST uniform nationally from the end of April through the end of October, and there have been refinements since. To change it, you could start with your state senators and representatives.

Q: In the July 3 Courier the printing of the Declaration of Independence shows the word unalienable instead of inalienable. Is this correct or a misprint?

A: It's correct; that's the way the original was written. But the debate over which form of the word is right goes back centuries. According to a Washington Post report, "In early drafts of the Declaration - in the handwriting of its primary author, Thomas Jefferson, as well as another writer, John Adams - our rights were inalienable.' The quote as inscribed on the Jefferson Memorial in the nation's capital also says inalienable.' But theDeclaration, as printed under the order of Congress, says unalienable.'" It's suggested Adams changed the final version to "unalienable," which may have been more common at the time.

Q. What is the origin of the term "Indian giver?"

A. It goes back to the days of the early settlers, who often accused native Americans of giving gifts and then asking for them back. Most historians agree settlers frequently misinterpreted offers of loans or trade as gifts, though. The phrase is now generally considered offensive.

Q. What is the current year in the Chinese calendar?

A. It's the Year of the Rooster.

Q: Can the city condemn the old greyhound park and tear it down?

A: The city of Waterloo obviously could attempt to take legal action to seize theproperty. A court ultimately determines the outcome. It may require a lot of money for legal fees, because the property is already embroiled in a legal battle between theowners, National Cattle Congress, and the Sac and Fox Tribe of Iowa, which has a lien. Also, if the tribe's claim to ownership has merit with the court, its tribal sovereignty could play an issue in any attempt by the government to seize it.

Q: Is it disrespectful to simply refer to the president as "Trump"?

A: No. General newspaper style is to refer to a person the first time in an article using the person's title, if there is one, and full name: President Donald Trump, Sen. Charles Grassley, Gov. Terry Branstad. On following references, just the last name is used: Trump, Grassley, Branstad. It's the exact same way we referred to his predecessor.

Q. Is the Sullivan Brothers home where they grew up still standing? If so, what is theaddress?

A. No. Sullivan Park is there now. A large boulder with a plaque in the park marks where the home was located.

Q: Why are the people in Congress allowed to vote on different items after theyve received money from lobbyists from health care and pharmaceuticals? Arent they being paid to vote that way?

A: Many people argue our current campaign finance system amounts to legalized bribery, but the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled political donations are a form of free speech.

Q: Will Michelle Obamas mother receive a pension for living in the White House for eight years and being a babysitter?

A: Of course not. The rumor evidently goes back to a story on the Boston Tribune website, a fake news site that makes up stories to lure readers. Presidents receive pensions, but first ladies do not, and first grandmas dont either.

Q: How does Mrs. Branstad feel about moving to China at their age?

A: Gov. Terry Branstad said what helped secure his desire to serve as ambassador of China is when his wife and the rest of the family said they were intrigued by the idea and they thought even the grandchildren spending some time in China would be a great experience for them. He repeatedly has said the family had several discussions about the move, and has acknowledged some anxiety about it as well.

Q: Did more famous people die in 2016 than usual or is there just more information out there and we hear about everything?

A: Many end-of-year articles noted it seemed a lot of celebrities died in 2016. One objective measure  sort of  was in 2016 there was a little more than 50 percent increase in BBC pre-prepared obituaries compared with 2015. Obituaries are pre-prepared for famous people. Similarly, a statistical analysis by James OMalley of Gizmodo, a design, technology and science fiction website, found 2016 was by a small margin the worst year for celebrity deaths  followed by 2014, then 2015. It also found not only did we lose the most celebrities of recent years but many of those who died were significantly more famous than the people who have died in previous years.
Credit: Lindsey ByrnesTwo bands known for taking lengthy hiatuses between albums will hit the road together next year.

Death from Above and At the Drive In are embarking on a European tour beginning February 23 in Geneva, Switzerland. The tour also includes stops in Germany, France, the U.K., Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Visit AttheDriveIn.com or DeathfromAbover1979.com for ticket info.

Earlier this month, Death from Above released their new album Outrage! Is Now. It's the follow-up to the band's 2014 sophomore effort The Physical World. That disc arrived a full 10 years after their 2004 debut album You're a Woman, I'm a Machine.

Meanwhile, At the Drive In's new album inter alia, which was also released this year, arrived 17 years after their last effort, 2000's Relationship of Command.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
DES MOINES  Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said Tuesday he has joined a bipartisan group of state attorneys general investigating the manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioid drugs as part of a widespread probe into the nations opioid epidemic.

The 40 states, plus the District of Columbia, served investigative subpoenas for documents and information, also known as civil investigative demands, on Endo, Janssen, Teva/Cephalon, and Allergan, and served a supplemental civil investigative demand on Purdue Pharma, according to Millers office.

The opioid epidemic is nothing short of a public health crisis that kills dozens of Iowans every year and more than 100 people a day nationwide, Miller said. Beyond those numbers, this epidemic profoundly impacts affected patients, their families, our communities, and our health care system, Miller added. As state attorneys general we can collaboratively use the law to investigate the cause and scope of this problem, and we can work together to help address it.

The attorneys general previously launched an investigation of Purdue Pharma. Millers office announced the multi-state investigation in June, though at the time did not name the firm.

The states also are seeking documents and information about distribution practices from three pharmaceutical distribution companiesAmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKessonwhich together manage about 85 percent of the nation's opioid distribution.

The information that state attorneys general seek will enable the states to investigate and evaluate whether manufacturers and distributors engaged in unlawful practices in the marketing, sale, and distribution of opioids, Millers office said in a news release.

Nationwide, opioids  prescription and illicit  are the main driver of drug overdose deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions latest report, opioids were involved in 33,091 deaths across the U.S. in 2015, and opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999.

In Iowa, a state Department of Public Health report issued in March indicated there have been significant increases over the last decade in the number of Iowans identifying heroin and opioids as their drug of choice when they began seeking treatment, and in the number of overdose deaths.
CEDAR FALLS  More than 70 Cedar falls residents or members of a church on Main Street have petitioned the City Council to reconstruct Main Street as is and leave the intersection of 12th Street signalized with no roundabout.

The City Council received and filed the petitions at Monday nights meeting.

Companion petitions were submitted  one from members of First Presbyterian Church, 902 Main St., and other from residents of the community at large.

Both petitions have the same language, requesting the City Council vote to reconstruct Main Street using the current design of four lanes with a signalized intersection at 12th Street.

The petitioners add, We feel the road functions very well under its current design and that any changes would have a detrimental impact on available parking while increasing the construction cost.

In the petition from the church, members of First Presbyterian say they are concerned over the availability of Sunday parking if the road changes. Having already lost parking on State Street, it would be an additional burden to church members and visitors to also lose parking on Main Street as well.

City officials and consultants have been reviewing the possibility of reducing automobile traffic from four lanes to two and adding on-street bicycle lanes, similar to what now exists on State and Clay streets paralleling Main Street. Off street bike/pedestrian lanes, basically wider sidewalks, also has been offered as an option, though there was a question as to whether that would require some tree removal.

Four lanes would be necessary to accommodate the churchs needs as well as the needs of the entire downtown community, church members wrote in their petition.

Consultants with Ankeny-based Snyder & Associates also have discussed the possibility of adding roundabouts at 12th and 18th streets, replacing traffic signals there.

At a previous work session council members asked Snyder representatives to come back with cost estimates for the various alternatives. They have suggested some grant money may be available for safety improvements associated with the roundabout construction, although officials noted the incidence of traffic accidents on the street and at those intersections is comparatively low.

While cost figures were presented at previous public input meetings, no cost figures were presented at the most recent council work session and consultants changed a previous position in presenting a possible 18th Street intersection roundabout as an option.

Council members anticipate revisiting the various alternatives and costs at a future work session.

Main Street has been the subject of discussion at numerous public meetings over the past year. The road, once part of U.S. Highway 218, has received little significant improvement over the past 15 years and needs reconstruction, city staff has said.

Under a recommendation presented by Snyder, Main Street would be reduced from four lanes to three, with one lane of travel in each direction and a center turn lane, generally from Sixth Street to Seerley Boulevard, with on-street bicycle lanes from Sixth Street to Seerley Boulevard. The consultant is recommending roundabouts at 12th Street, near the Cedar Falls Recreation Center, and 18th Street by the citys main fire station. Both intersections are presently signalized.

Snyder also recommends city pursue state traffic safety improvement funding for the work. Construction is anticipated for 2019.
DES MOINES  Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday she supports a GOP plan that would end the big bureaucratic Affordable Care Act approach by giving more flexibility to states in how they use federal dollars to address the health care of their residents.

Reynolds said at her weekly news conference she is joining 20 other governors in supporting the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson legislation being offered in the U.S. Senate that would repeal Obamacare and send federal money for the health care law to the states as block grants.

Right now what we have is not working. Its unsustainable, its unworkable and its collapsing before our very eyes, she told reporters. People were sold a bill of goods on Obamacare.

Reynolds said the block grant approach worked in reforming the welfare system by giving states the flexibility to craft their own approaches to managing their cases, which helped to significantly lower the welfare rolls while helping people function independently instead of relying on government assistance.

The Republican governor said she envisioned a system that would pass through funds, not shift costs, to the state level where officials then could focus on preventive measures, better medication management and other approaches designed to produce healthy outcomes.

I believe right now thats the only vehicle we have to fix a broken system, Reynolds said. It can work. I believe right now this is the only vehicle that we have to address Obamacare that is failing.

However, the Democratic National Committee came out against Graham-Cassidy approach to replacing the Affordable Care Act, calling it the worst Republican repeal bill yet.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nate Boulton, a Des Moines state senator, was critical of Reynolds for supporting a plan that would cut federal matching funds and grants to Iowa.
WATERLOO  City police and traffic officials are urging patience as they put together a system to deploy potentially hundreds of public safety cameras throughout Waterloo.

Police Chief Dan Trelka told members of the City Councils public safety committee Monday such a network of surveillance cameras could be five years away.

But thats my ultimate goal, he said, to have several hundred cameras throughout the community that a police officer can simply access (on a computer) with a double-click.

Council members in the past year have been discussing how to fund and create a program that would place cameras in neighborhoods with high crime rates to help police investigations. The program needs both cameras and the infrastructure to transmit and save the videos in a location accessible to law enforcement.

Funding questions delay police camera purchase WATERLOO  City officials got their wires crossed over plans to deploy more surveillance cam

Even if we had cameras all over the city, we dont have the manpower to constantly surveil, watch the monitors, Trelka said. So its important from an investigatory standpoint for them to record.

While the city currently has about six pole cameras police can move to criminal hot spots, Councilmen Steve Schmitt and Tom Lind have been pointing to a system like Dubuque, which has more than 900 cameras.

Schmitt said hes been meeting with city officials in Dubuque and with Mediacom in Waterloo, which might have fiber cable available to connect cameras.

Mediacom has an interest in joining with us, he said. But until we know where wed like to put them, that conversation isnt going anyplace.

Interim Public Works Director Sandie Greco said she too has been discussing the situation with Dubuque, while the Traffic Operations Department has been using state and federal traffic grants to install the necessary infrastructure.

The Dubuque system grew out of traffic monitoring cameras at intersections later utilized by law enforcement to help track crime. Most of Dubuques 900-plus cameras are still run by traffic engineers at intersections, but the city has started rolling out cameras at public parks and around buildings.

Waterloo has nearly 30 intersections with traffic monitoring cameras now, but has installed 28 miles of fiber optic cable to support even more traffic cameras in the future. That system could then branch into neighborhoods without signalized intersections.

We are not far behind Dubuque, Greco said. We dont have the cameras out there, but we are getting the infrastructure like they have.

We are doing it the right way, she added. Its going to take a little bit longer but we want to make sure that were doing it right, so we dont have to go back in and redo something.
Even Bernie Sanders must wonder whether the United States is ready for a universal, single-payer health care program. Nevertheless, the independent Vermont senator proposed such a program last week in the Senate, along with 16 Democrat co-sponsors. But with Republicans in charge in the House, Senate and White House, Sanders plan probably has little chance of adoption.

Still, the battles over Obamacare have forced us to confront the shortcomings of health care in our nation. And the Republicans feckless efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare remind us President Obamas namesake was never more than a best-possible half-measure between effective universal coverage and the high-cost, low-coverage pre-Obamacare system. Whether were ready to adopt it or not, at the least Sanders proposal reminds us the problem is still unresolved.

On Sept. 12, the day before he filed his bill in the Senate, Sanders laid out in the New York Times his case for single-payer health care coverage that doesnt find its lifeblood in the profit motive. His arguments are familiar. Why dont we find them more convincing?

For example, why doesnt the fact every other developed nation has been able to provide some version of reasonable health care to every citizen move us to do such a thing ourselves? After all, as Sanders notes, most of these countries are able to provide coverage at a much lower per capita cost and with better medical outcomes.

Evidence of these remarkable facts isnt hard to find. For example, a recent Los Angeles Times article cites data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development indicating U.S. per capita expenditure for health care for 2015 was more than $9,000; the expenditure in countries such as France, Britain and Japan was around $4,000.

Yet, by nearly every measure, other countries have better health outcomes. The same article cites an indicator known as mortality amendable to healthcare. According to the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, for every 100,000 people who died in 2013 before the age of 75, in the U.S. 112 died as the result of conditions that could have been remedied with more effective and timely health care. The comparative figure in France is 60.

Of course, interests that have a stake in maintaining the profit motive in health care will discount this sort of evidence. But theyve never been able to answer this essential question: If most other countries are able to provide better and less expensive health care to every citizen, why cant we find a way to do the same or better job of serving one of our citizens most essential needs?

Sanders makes a good case. But heres why Id like to see us set our minds to producing an effective, efficient, universal health care program: Our nation could benefit from a unifying project.

Except for the era surrounding the Civil War, its hard to think of a time when weve been more divided. The political chasms between  and among  our parties seem unbridgeable. The considerable gap between the well-to-do and the impoverished is growing. Even the shattering divisions of racism are re-emerging.

Our often-divisive country has a history of building cohesion around national, government-sponsored, unifying projects. Whatever you think of it now, a primary effect of a national postal system was to enhance our sense of nationhood by providing the same, low-cost delivery service to every citizen, rich or poor, and no matter how far-flung.

Our nationhood was enhanced by the programs that helped us recover from the Great Depression. By working together to win World War II. By national desegregation. By building an interstate highway system. By winning the race to the moon.

So suppose we said: Look, as a nation we are going to find a way to provide effective, efficient health care for every citizen. Whether health care is a right or a privilege is immaterial; what matters is citizenship in our splendid nation bestows the most essential prerequisite for the pursuit of happiness, good health. Now thats something that could, indeed, bring us together.

Impossible? Lets not underestimate ourselves.
Mississippi man accused of threatening guests with rifle at LaCenter motel
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)
Sep 19, 2017 | By David

As 3D printing becomes more and more accessible to people outside the manufacturing, science, and technology sectors, were starting to see its potential realized in all sorts of interesting ways. The combination of 3D printing and fashion, for example, may not seem like the most natural fit, but it is starting to become an everyday reality all over the world.

In New Zealand, a recent exhibition at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) demonstrated what is now possible at the intersection between digital manufacturing and fashion design.

3Ders spoke to Simone Leonelli, of the W230 design studio in Perth, about his aptly named Blurred Boundaries exhibition, and the ways that 3D printing and fashion design interact. Originally from Italy, where he worked as a Interior and Furniture Designers for several major brands, he moved to Australia to work as both a jewelry and architectural designer. Inter-disciplinarily projects have always been his favorite, due to their development process being ''always intriguing and challenging."

"The concepts of fashion are forever developing through different processes and technologies," Leonelli told 3Ders. "One of the most exciting and fluid methods of nowadays expression is achieved by the use of computational design and 3D printing manufacturing...3D printing is a process that can be adapted to many different sectors and disparate tasks. It is an incredible piece of technology which is still at its initial stages of discovery.

"The true scope of its flexibility and scalability is yet to be discovered, with R&D labs announcing new developments everyday. It is impossible to produce geometric modelling through traditional manufacturing methods, complexities can simply not be achieved through injection mould, or even milling processes. Although you might be able to carve these shapes by hand, it would be extremely labor-intensive. This method therefore allows me [to] maximise productivity [without] compromising on the quality of the design.

Blurred Boundaries was a part of the Telstra Perth Fashion Festival Program, and showed 3D printed garments and accessories inspired by the beauty of the sea. Leonelli described it as an exploration of fashion, biological structures, and technology. "Its forms are not driven by imitating nature's designs, but rather as a combination of the way in which nature designs and its human interpretation," he said.

The exhibition came about as a result of Leonellis "Fashion Total Look" project, started this year. After previously experimenting with 3D printed elements in combination with fabrics and other traditional materials, he began to produce garments exclusively through 3D printing. His studio uses two regular desktop FDM 3D printers, and mostly prints with PLA filament. This thermoplastic was the favorite of his team due to its being non-toxic, biodegradable, and bioactive, derived from renewable resources such as corn starch, cassava roots, chips, or sugarcane.

(All images: Florian Michaud)

Describing his workflow to 3Ders, Leonelli said that he uses computational design methodologies, which allow him to handle complex geometries and non-standard objects. "Additive manufacturing is the key [to translating] what is going on in the display of my laptop into real tangible objects," he said. "The beauty of working with these high-tech tools is the possibility of working without following a standard workflow or hierarchy.

"You can, for example, flip the object upside down to mimic the reverse engineering process, begin with the finished product or result, and work backwards. You can even jump from one part of the timeline to another with a huge amount of flexibility and freedom...3D print manufacturing makes creative ideas simple to produce. It is currently one of the most efficient ways to transform design ideas into products."

Leonelli has several other projects currently in the pipeline, and more of his work can be found here. Based on this most recent exhibition, coupled with the gathering momentum of the 3D printing world and 3D printed fashion in particular, we doubt this is the last well hear from Leonelli and the innovative w230 studio.

Posted in Interviews

Maybe you also like:












Sep 19, 2017 | By Tess

NASA has successfully tested a prototype for a 3D printed rocket engine component made from two different metal alloys. The 3D printed rocket part underwent thorough tests over the summer at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The component, a rocket engine igniter, marks the first time that NASA has been able to successfully combine two metal alloys in a functional part using 3D printing. Marshall engineers say this breakthrough could lead to faster development times and lower production costs for engine igniters in the future.

It is a technological achievement to 3D print and test rocket components made with two different alloys. This process could reduce future rocket engine costs by up to a third and manufacturing time by 50 per cent, said Preston Jones, the director of the Engineering Directorate at Marshall.

A rocket engine igniter, for those unfamiliar with the internal parts of a rocket, is used to trigger the engines start sequence. Traditionally, the critical engine component is made using a complex and laborious process called brazing, which combines two metals by melting a filler metal into a joint [to create] a bi-metallic component.

While an effective method, brazing can be a slow and expensive process, as it requires manual labor and various different steps to complete. By 3D printing two metal materials into a single part, NASA has opened the doors for a more efficient and cost-effective way to manufacture rocket engine igniters.

Eliminating the brazing process and having bi-metallic parts built in a single machine not only decreases cost and manufacturing time, but it also decreases risk by increasing reliability, explained Majid Babai, advanced manufacturing chief and project lead at Marshalls Materials and Processes Laboratory.

Researchers examine a segment of the 3D printed igniter prototype

By diffusing the two materials together through this process, a bond is generated internally with the two materials and any hard transition is eliminated that could cause the component to crack under the enormous forces and temperature gradient of space travel, he added.

The part itself was made from a copper alloy and Inconel, which were combined using automated blown powder laser deposition, a hybrid 3D printing process developed by Illinois-based machining expert DMG MORI which integrates 3D printing and computer numerical-control machining capabilities.

The engineers at Marshall were able to leverage DMG MORIs hybrid additive system to produce the igniter part in a single print. The printed component, which measures 10 inches in height and 7 inches in width, is purportedly at the smaller end of what the 3D printer can manufacture.

Additionally, DMG MORIs system offers a unique feature: users can choose to have their parts interior machined during the printing process. In other words, the printer can go between additive manufacturing and machining in a single print, perfecting a components interior structure before its exterior is finished.

Testing for the part was carried out by a team of engineers at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center led by Robin Osborne, a senior engineer at ERC, Inc. The testing process consisted of over 30 low-pressure hot-fire tests, which were meant to show that the 3D printed igniter prototype was functional.

Microscope image of igniter cross section showing how both metals have inter-diffused

(Images: NASA)

After the numerous hot-fire tests, researchers from the University of Alabama were given the part to deconstruct and analyze. In the end, they found that the two metals that made up the part had inter-diffused well, and had created a strong bond in the part.

Were encouraged about what this new advanced manufacturing technology could do for the Space Launch System program in the future, said Steve Wofford, manager of the SLS liquid engines office at Marshall. In next generation rocket engines, we aspire to create larger, more complex flight components through 3D printing techniques.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

Maybe you also like:












Sep 19, 2017 | By Tess

A team of researchers from the University of Nottingham and Kingston University in the UK have developed a new algorithm that can transform a 2D photo of a face into a pretty accurate 3D image.

Typically, to generate a 3D model of a persons face, one would have to use some sort of 3D scanning or photogrammetry technology to capture images of the subject from various angles. This technology, as we see on a regular basis, is quite accessible and is offered through a range of smartphone apps as well as standalone devices.

Still, being able to turn a single two-dimensional image into a 3D model is something that has remained difficult for developers and challenged researchers in many fields. As the Nottingham and Kingston researchers explain: 3D face reconstruction is a fundamental Computer Vision problem of extraordinary difficulty.

That is why, despite how rudimentary the graphics may seem, this new artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm is actually pretty exciting.

Basically, the researchers managed to build their algorithm by training a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with data sets of 2D facial images and 3D scans of the same faces. This enabled the program to effectively learn how to construct a 3D model from a flat image.

Now, the software can read any 2D face image (provided its forward-facing) and use its knowledge to generate a protruding 3D model of the face.

Those interested in the software can create their own 3D face models here. More than just a fun tool to make 3D selfies with, however, the algorithm could have important applications in virtual reality, as it could be used to create realistic avatars, or in the cosmetic industry to virtually test makeup, for instance.

Other research projects dedicated to transforming 2D images into 3D models are currently underway at a number of universities. A team from the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research lab, for example, is developing a way to generate 3D objects from simplistic 2D color images.

Their software, which has been geared towards shapes rather than detailed faces, uses a technique called hierarchical surface prediction to map out a shapes boundaries and possible dimensions.

For now though, I have to say I am content to keep plugging in various peoples faces into the 3D face reconstruction tool developed by the joint UK team. After all, who doesnt want to see their own face transformed into a strangely unsettling 3D pop-out?

Posted in 3D Software

Maybe you also like:









opal wrote at 9/20/2017 11:10:27 AM:Great words are written in this article. Thanks a lot for Sharing




Sep 19, 2017 | By Benedict

Researchers at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland are developing 3D printing materials for wound care in hospitals. The materials use cellulose nanofibrils, and have been paired with printed electronics for next-level healthcare.

When you think of medical 3D printing applications, a few things probably come to mind: 3D printed titanium implants, 3D printed surgical models, and even the 3D bioprinting of human tissue. But one of the more niche uses of additive tech within hospital walls is for wound care, an area of treatment that is benefitting greatly from new developments in materials and fabrication techniques.

Using cellulose nanofibrils, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is developing a 3D wound care product for monitoring wound condition in hospital care. And although it could be a while before these products are approved for use on patients, variations on the new materials are already being tested on non-medical products like textiles and indoor decorations.

The appeal of cellulose lies in its functional properties. For example, by making a wound care product from the nanofibrils, VTT scientists think they can attach a protein to a 3D printed adhesive bandage to help promote the growth of skin cells around a wound. In addition, the wound area remains flexible instead of developing stiff scar tissue.

The scientists say that cellulose nanofibrils are suitable for the development of 3D printing pastes because they have a high level of mechanical strength, as well as having positive effects on viscosity and biodegradability. In general, the use of cellulose has an effect on a 3D printed structures moisture tolerance, rigidity, and flexibility.

By using nanocellulose, we have succeeded in creating 3D structures that absorb liquids three times more efficiently than the compared alginate fibre dressings commonly used in wound care, commented Panu Lahtinen, a senior scientist at VTT. By absorbing moisture from a wound, the materials can ultimately shorten healing time.

Amazingly, the printed wound care product can even incorporate electronics. VTTs prototype combines nanocellulose, a protein used in wound care, and printed electronics. Measurement electrodes are printed with silver ink onto a film made of polyurethane-nanocellulose, and these electrodes provide connection points for a wireless FlexNode reader, also developed at VTT.

The FlexNode reader, connected to the wound and attached to the patient with gauze, is a true example of next-generation healthcare technology, as it wirelessly transmits temperature or bioimpedance data from the wound to a hospital computer. This allows medical staff to be constantly tuned in to the status of a patients recovery, alerting them if there are signs of infection or other complications.

However, the 3D printed wound care gel also plays a key role. Containing nanocellulose, alginate, and glycerol as its active ingredients, the gel keeps the wound healthy while acting as a buffer between the body and the electronic components.

The VTT researchers are, however, aware that they need to take things slowly.

(Images: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland)

With nanocellulose not yet approved for medical use, the team are trying out other uses for the materials, including bio-based printing materials for textiles, mock-ups, indoor decoration elements, and therapy applicationsall in the domain of wound care. In these attempts, the researchers have been able to print both flexible and rigid structures, depending on the case at hand.

If the medical world decides that nanocellulose should be approved for medical use, it might not be long before we see skin-encouraging, message-transmitting wound care on patients around the globe.

A paper documenting the researchers findings, 3D-Printable Bioactivated NanocelluloseAlginate Hydrogels, has been published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

The project is being carried out in collaboration with the University of Tampere, and is funded by The Academy of Finland under the BioDisp3D program.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

Maybe you also like:












Justin Gillis in The New York Times:

As Hurricane Harvey bore down on the Texas coast, few people in that state seemed to understand the nature of the looming danger. The bulletins warned of rain falling in feet, not inches. Experts pleaded with the public to wake up. J. Marshall Shepherd, head of atmospheric sciences at the University of Georgia and a leading voice in American meteorology, wrote ahead of the storm that the most dangerous aspect of this hurricane may be days of rainfall and associated flooding. Now we know how events in Texas turned out. Dr. Shepherd and his colleagues have spent their careers issuing a larger warning, one that much of the public still chooses to ignore. I speak, of course, about the risks of climate change. Because of atmospheric emissions from human activity, the ocean waters from which Harvey drew its final burst of strength were much warmer than they ought to have been, most likely contributing to the intensity of the deluge. If the forecasts from our scientists are anywhere close to right, we have seen nothing yet. In their estimation, the most savage heat waves that we experience today will likely become routine in a matter of decades. The coastal inundation that has already begun will grow worse and worse, forcing millions of people to flee. The immense wave of refugees that we already see moving across continents may be just the beginning.

Scientists urged decades ago that we buy ourselves some insurance by cutting emissions. We yawned. Even today, when millions of people have awakened to the danger, tens of millions have not. So the political demand for change is still too weak to overcome the entrenched interests that want to block it. In Washington, progress on climate change has stalled. The administration has announced its intent to withdraw from the global Paris climate accord. And top Trump appointees insist that the causes of climate change are too uncertain and the scientific forecasts too unreliable to be a basis for action. This argument might have been halfway plausible 20 years ago  or, if you want to be generous, even 10 years ago. But today?

Today, salt water is inundating the coastal towns of the United States, to the point that they are starting to put giant rulers in the intersections so people can tell if it is safe to drive through. The city leaders are also posting no wake signs  not on canals but on the streets, to stop trucks from plowing through the water so fast as to send waves crashing into nearby homes. We all see the giant storms, more threatening than any in our lifetimes  and while scientists are not entirely comfortable yet drawing links between the power of these hurricanes and climate change, many people are coming to their own common-sense conclusions.

More here.
Forget about surfing and suntanning. Waikiki Beach and its immediate Honolulu surrounds are becoming a destination for foodies and artists.

Award-winning chefs are opening restaurants there, highlighting the quality and tradition of Hawaiian cuisine but, of course, with a modern twist. Artists from all over the world are landing there to showcase their talents at the POW!WOW! Festival, one of the biggest events dedicated to street murals. The result of this creative initiative is visible in Kaka'ako, an urban arts and cultural district just a couple miles from Waikiki. If you are planning a trip to Honolulu, take our guide to the best eats and art in town.





ART

Kaka'ako District



All the murals painted on the warehouses in this emerging arts and culture district are the works of a movement called the Pow!Wow! Festival. Founded by notable muralists Kamea Hadar and Jasper Wong, Pow!Wow! serves as a global network where street artists from all over the world meet once a year in March Honolulu for the weeklong event. The festival gathers graffiti artists from Europe, Middle East, Asia and the U.S., giving each the opportunity to paint a mural and take part in art shows and lectures. To see all the past works, start your walk from Lana Lane Studio, an artist collective and also a creative coworking space located in a repurposed warehouse. // Lana Lane Studio, 327 Lana Lane, (Kaka'ako), lanalanestudios.com, powwowhawaii.com





EAT+DRINK

Salmon and avocado toast. (Courtesy of Arvo Cafe)

Arvo Cafe



Owned by Australian couple Mason and Dixie Rose, this healthy cafe, located inside the beloved botanical boutique Paiko, is a good place to have lunch (their avocado toast is bomb, made with avocado, Vegemite, tomatoes, feta, arugula, edible flowers and a squeeze of lemon) or just sip a flat white. // 675 Auahi St. (Kaka'ako), arvocafe.com

The Pig & The Lady



This family-run restaurant, owned by James Beard nominee chef Andrew Le, serves traditional Vietnamese food incorporating Hawaiian ingredients. Seated on rustic communal tables in a casual and funky environment, you can enjoy their famous, LFCtwice fried chicken wings with peanuts, kaffir lime and cabbage salad. For something lighter, you can opt for the green papaya salad made with Makaha mango ngoc cham, preserved lemon, roasted peanuts and fried herbs. Don't miss the signature pho, which easily serves two. A second location, the charmingly named Piggy Smalls, recently opened in Ward Village. // 83 N. King St. (Chinatown), thepigandthelady.com

The Lanai Restaurant (Courtesy of The Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach)

The Lanai

A the Hyatt Centric hotel in Waikiki Beach, The Lanai restaurant serves chef Yoshi Ohata's tapas-style plates, highlighting authentic Hawaiian ingredients in Japanese cuisine. Try the kona kanapachi sashimi, with jalapeno, micro shiso and amaranth, or the spicy scallop with ponzu and truffle oil, both of which are easily pairable with the colorful, kitschy cocktails. You can find a Strawberry Mule, a Blue Hawaii (white rum, blue caracao and pineapple), and a traditional Lava Flow. The best tables are those closest to the pool. // Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach, 349 Seaside Ave. (Waikiki Beach), hyattcentricwaikikibeach.com

Mud Hen Water



Born and raised in Honolulu, chef Ed Kenney brings to the table a modern interpretation of the food he grew up eating. Grab a table on the outdoor patio, a convivial space with a mural of intertwined hands by German artist Case Maclaim, and make a family-style feast with the yaki o Pa'i'ai (a poi cake roasted in nori); roasted beet "poke" with seaweed, avocado and smoked macadamia nuts; grilled he'e, or octopus in stewed taro leaves. The cocktails are killerwe love the exotic Vishnu's Vice, which uses local olena (turmeric) as an ingredient. // 3452 Waialae Ave. (Honolulu), mudhenwater.com

The South Shore he'e roll. (Courtesy of Kaimuki Superette)

Kaimuki Superette



Another Ed Kenney outpost, this stylish delicatessen is the place to pick up breakfast or a casual lunch. Find hearty warm dishes such as quinoa with Chinese long beans and kabocha pumpkin; roasted roots cooked with cumin and served with sumac and smoked yogurt; or one of their signature sandwiches. We like the South Shore he'e roll with poached octopus, celery seed, tarragon aioli on buttered bun. // 3458 Waialae Ave. (Honolulu), kaimukisuprette.com

Leonard's bakery



Famous for its malasadas, a pillowy Portuguese doughnut without the hole, Leonard's started in 1953 and the drive-in design shows it proudly. Among the varieties of malasadas available (chocolate filled or coconut-custard filled), the original is always the most popular. // 933 Kapahulu Ave. (Honolulu), leonaridshawaii.com

KoHana's tasting room. (Courtesy of Ko Hana Rum)

KoHana Rum Farm at Manulele Distillers



What a surprise to find a high-quality rum distillery in Honolulu. KoHana Rum Farm is surrounded by acres of sugarcane fields. From the deck you can see Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor and the Waianae Mountains. Usually, before starting the tour, a small glass of pressed sugarcane juice is offered. Then after a quick visit to the field and the lab, you can sip all the varieties of rum they producewhite agricole rum, Koho (barrel-aged agricole rum), and Kokoleka (cacao and honey rum). // Manulele Distillers, 97-1770 Kunia Rd. (Honolulu), kohanarum.com
Faithful foodies will already have heard the buzz: There's a new all-star chef dining experience that celebrates our local legends. And yes, it's too good to pass up.

Since its launch in London in 2004, the Tastemaker Collective has built a repertoire of high-profile culinary events around the world. On September 26th, the much-hyped series will finally arrive in the U.S., with its inaugural American event in San Francisco.

Our city was a no-brainer, according to Justin Clarke, Tastemaker's global head of culinary. "San Francisco is the gateway of culinary culture in the U.S., and Tastemaker celebrates this by bringing chefs from Paris, London, and Hong Kong to highlight the diverse global influences that make up the city's unique gastronomic identity," he said.

Through October 1st, teams of local and international superstar chefs will prepare dynamic dinner party experiences, accessible for the price of a ticket, at some of the city's very best restaurants.

(Courtesy of Taste Festivals)

The week begins with a bang at Coi, where Michelin two-starred chef Daniel Patterson teams up yet again with frequent collaborator Mandy Aftel, the Berkeley-based perfumer, for a seven-course seafood dinner ($350 per person) expertly paired with succulent wines; guests will take away autographed copies of their duo's book, The Art of Flavor. On Wednesday evening, look for a fusion of Mexican and French cuisinesconcocted by Gabriela Camara (Cala), Juan Arbalaez (of Paris' Nube), and Rafael Gomes (of Paris' Grand Cur)in a multi-course meal ($120-165 per person) dedicated to sustainability at Cala.





Dinners throughout the rest of week bring surprises including an izakaya-style meal prepared by Evan Rich and Hong Kong chef Matt Abergel ($250 per person, at Rich Table) and an epic supperclub with DJs and robust bites at Fort Mason ($48 per person). This Saturday night event will bring the energy with cooking demo, mixologists, bartender battles, live music and dancingand of course food from the likes of Dominique Crenn.





Crenn also finishes off the week with a Sunday supper at Atelier Crenn along with Michelin one-star chefSven Chartier (of Saturne in Paris). With just eight tables, this one is naturally already sold out.





Tastemaker Collective will be launching across the U.S. with festivals in American 10 cities in 2018, and has plans to return to San Francisco for annual deliciousness.

// Tickets are on sale now in limited quantities and can be purchased at tastemakersf.com.
While she aces her new role as ultra-focused intelligence director Patricia Campbell on NBCs The Brave (Mondays, 10 p.m. ET), Anne Heche readily cops to a little off-duty chaos. Youll have to excuse me, Ive just been in three different time zones and my brain is a little off, she says about a minute into our chat, after apologizing for a slight delay in tracking her down.

As for where, exactly, she is? That parts a little unclear. It was supposed to be Chicago  where she and her two sons, Homer, 15, and Atlas, 8, are meeting up with her partner, James Tupper, as he wraps up a film. But having just arrived at a strip mall, somewhere outside the city, she says, I could be anywhere! I have just been dumped into what we are calling the Marriott Oasis, which exists in every state in the country, and which weve been visiting a lot this summer.



Entertainingly zany, or as she puts it, a bit of a goofball, Heche clearly enjoys playing with our expectations of her. (You may recall the title of her very candid 2001 memoir, Call Me Crazy.) In fact, when it comes to coordinating the complicated logistics of her life right now  as she and Tupper debut major roles on different TV programs  she appears to be directing the action with a cool head.



Keeping her boys on a normal school schedule, she says, is a major goal, but she otherwise tries to stress the value of seizing opportunities when they arise. I tell them, 'Guys, these are good problems to have,'  she says, describing how she and Tupper asked their sons to help them swiftly move out of their L.A. residence, which they are renting out, and set up up a kind of swing home in Albuquerque, N.M., where The Brave films. The hope, says Heche, is that the pair can tag-team parent during shows that we hope to film simultaneously, but not at exactly the same time.



Her new role is indeed a major opportunity for Heche, who has been steadily working in TV since her film career almost flatlined nearly two decades ago. Its also a perfect vehicle to challenge any assumptions about her acting range. After all, wry and winsome Heche might not be the first almost-50 actress youd imagine as the tough-as-nails deputy director of intelligence for the DIA, monitoring the bodycams and satellite feed in a just-OK suit. But on the small screen, her ability to mix vulnerability with a quiet authority draws you to her somewhat-staid character as much as to the highly trained hotties in the field.
Senate Bill 17 would require drugmakers to notify health insurers and government health plans at least 60 days before any price increase that would amount to 16 percent over a two-year period. In addition, companies would have to explain why they were raising prices. California would publish that information on the web, which would make it available to regulators, insurers and consumers in other states as well. Price increases dont happen in a vacuum, Hernandez said.

The legislation passed by large margins in both houses, despite strong opposition from drugmakers, who said it would add red tape and focused only on list prices rather than what patients actually would pay. "It's unfortunate that lawmakers chose to score political points instead of addressing patients' concerns with access and affordability to medicine, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said in an email.

Last year, Vermont became the first state to require pharmaceutical companies to submit information justifying the cost of 15 drugs whose prices have risen substantially. Maryland recently enacted a law empowering state officials to investigate generic drug cost hikes and impose fines for price-gouging.
It's easy to make a mistake when taking medications, especially if you have multiple medical conditions to contend with. Often people will take the wrong dose or take a follow-up dose too soon after the first one. And sometimes the professionals make mistakes, too, such as a pharmacist dispensing medications in the wrong concentration. Unfortunately, these types of mistakes are on the rise, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Toxicology.

The Food and Drug Administration estimates that 1.3 million people are injured by medication errors annually in the U.S. This study examined a small subset of the errors, analyzing data collected by poison control centers across the country and counting errors that happened outside health care facilities that resulted in life-threatening situations and even death.

In this specific subset, the number of errors more than doubled from 3,065 cases in 2000 to 6,855 cases in 2012. In the study period, more than 67,000 such errors occurred, resulting in 414 deaths. Many of the mistakes were preventable, the researchers found. Additionally, the actual number could be much higher, as the study includes only nonhealth care facility errors reported to poison control centers, which may not include all incidents.

The study looked only at the age categories of under or over 20, not an older population specifically. However, the medications most frequently associated with serious medical outcomes included those commonly taken by individuals over 50, lead researcher Nichole Hodges tells AARP. These included cardiovascular medications used for high blood pressure, analgesic pain relievers (e.g., acetaminophen and opioids), and hormones, primarily insulin and sulfonylurea, which are used in the treatment of diabetes.



One in five errors were associated with cardiovascular drugs, including those for high blood pressure, a category that doubled in errors over the time period studied. Errors for medications often tied to diabetes increased over 300 percent. Cardiovascular medications and analgesics were responsible for two-thirds of the deaths included in the study.

"We know from prior studies that the use of many medications is increasing in the U.S., particularly in the categories of cardiovascular medications and hormones, such as insulin, that are used to treat rising rates of diabetes in the country. It is likely that the increase in medication errors found in this study is due in large part to this trend," says Hodges, a research scientist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.



Prevention Tips

Among adults, the most common types of medication errors identified in this study were related to dosing errors, taking the wrong medication and inadvertently taking a medication twice. To avoid such errors, Hodges recommends that people:
Any caregiver who has shaved an adult will likely agree with this painful assessment: It can hurt. It can hurt the caregiver to keep doling out those nicks and cuts, not to mention the recipient who keeps getting them.

Thats why Gillette, the shaving-products manufacturer, has developed a new razor, TREO, thats specifically designed for caregivers who shave others. The blade works with little to no water and uniquely protects skin from nicks and cuts. The handle is designed more like a paintbrush than a razor, to create a comfortable angle for the caregivers wrist. And a lubricating gel is built into the handle so that facial hair stays hydrated.

For the nations 43.5 million caregivers  some 75 percent of whom shave a loved one or patient once every three to five days  The razor breakthrough may represent one of the first signs of hope in a task often fraught with difficulty. As Americas population continues to age, our basic needs are evolving and our reliance on others is increasing. The nation currently has about 46 million adults age 65 and older, but that number is expected to more than double, to 98 million-plus, by 2060.

Gillettes caregiving innovation adds a competitive twist to the global nearly $50 billion mens grooming market, which has seen a plethora of discount newcomers  from Dollar Shave Club to Harrys  threaten Gillette's century-old dominance.

With TREO, Gillette, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, is tapping into a potentially massive market of older adults and caregivers worldwide who are searching for a reasonably comfortable shave. The product could be used in nursing homes, assisted living communities, residential care facilities, hospice care facilities and, of course, by home caregivers.

It all began with some heart-tugging social media comments (mostly on Twitter and Facebook) that Gillette noticed from adult children who are acting as caregivers for their parents. As a result, the company sent employees to observe shaving rituals at several nursing homes in and around London.

We realized we had to completely change the way we think about assisted shaving, says Sushant Trivedi, global brand manager at Gillette.
Coastal development destroys natural barriers such as islands and wetlands, promotes erosion and flooding and positions more buildings and people in the path of future destruction, according to researchers and policy advisers who study hurricanes.

Yet nothing seems to curb America's appetite for life near the sea, especially in the warmer climates of the South.

From 2010-2016, two of Florida's fastest-growing coastline counties  retirement-friendly Lee and Manatee, both south of Tampa  welcomed 16 percent more people. Overall growth of 10 percent in Texas Gulf counties and 9 percent along Florida's coasts during the same period was surpassed only by South Carolina.

Cindy Gerstner, a retiree from upstate New York, moved to a new home in January in Dunedin, Fla., west of Tampa. The ranch house sits on a flood plain three blocks from a sound off the Gulf of Mexico. She was told it hadn't flooded in 20 years  and she wasn't worried anyway.

"I never gave it a thought," she said during a visit to New York as Irma raked Florida. "I always wanted to live down there. I always thought people who lived in California on earthquake faults were foolish."
Business roundup: New Mexican restaurant plans to open in Aberdeen

A new Mexican restaurant is hoping to be open this fall. Owners hope the new space can be ready in at most two months.


Richmond Vanadium Project JV Agreement Complete

Perth, Sep 19, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Intermin Resources Limited ( ASX:IRC ) ("Intermin" or "the Company") refers to its ASX announcement of 13 December 2016 in relation to the Joint Venture with AXF Resources ("AXF") covering the Richmond Vanadium - Molybdenum Project in Queensland.



The Company is pleased to advise that it has now executed the formal Joint Venture Agreement ("JVA") and issued 3,416,666 fully paid ordinary shares in the Company at an issue price of $0.12 per share after receiving the Part 2 payment of $410,000 pursuant to the terms of the Joint Venture.



In addition, AXF has been issued 1,791,666 options (1:2) with an exercise price of 17 cents and expiry date of 31 August 2018.



Commenting on the Joint Venture, Intermin's Managing Director, Mr Jon Price said:



"With the current excitement around the use of Vanadium redox batteries for the growing energy storage market, we look forward to working with our JV Partners on the Richmond Project to unlock the potential of this very large resource".



To view the release, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/8RT18M85





About Horizon Minerals Limited





Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed.

Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline.

Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage.


30,000 Tonne Shipment Completed - Additional Sale Confirmed

Sydney, Sep 19, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Bauxite producer, Australian Bauxite Limited ( ASX:ABX ) (ABx) has completed the 30,000 tonne bauxite cargo and has invoiced the customer today. The customer will pay 90% of the invoice value immediately and the remainder on proof of weight via ship's survey.



Because this delivery has been completed 3 weeks ahead of schedule, an additional sale for 5,000 tonnes of a different cement-grade bauxite specification has been agreed and will be carried in a separate hold in the same ship.



This multi-product transport arrangement is how ABx can deliver bauxite of several specification in separate ships holds for delivery to separate customers, thus achieving cheaper transport costs per tonne and being able to service each customer's specific grade requirements.



The current contracts for land transport, port stevedoring, TasPorts and other logistics contracts have been extended for a week to transport this additional sale tonnage, again well ahead of the planned ship loading dates.



Specifications of the 30,000 tonne sale are as follows:



- Tonnage: 30,000 tonnes +/- 10% (ie. 33,000 tonnes maximum)



- Product: Cement-grade bauxite, blended to the customer's specification



- Source of Bauxite: Bald Hill Bauxite Project, Campbell Town, Northern Tasmania



- Dispatch Port: Bell Bay Port of Launceston, Tasmania (see Figure 1 in the link below)



- Delivery date: Before 30 September 2017 (COMPLETED 19 September 2017)



- Point of sale: Free alongside "FAS" (ie. delivered to the ship's side)



- Ship loading: Customer's account



- Basis of tonnes: As measured by independent ship's survey



- Invoice dates: 90% payable on delivery to berth, 10% remainder payable on ship's survey tonnage.



- Payment Terms: 7 days from invoice dates



Mine Site Operations



Stornoway Projects Pty Ltd has carried out the specialist operations at the mine site, including an important product assembly procedure that allows the blending of product to customer's specification.



Land Transport Arrangements



Dave Wagner & Son Pty Ltd has delivered the bauxite from the mine stockpile to port of Bell Bay ahead of schedule. Wagners transported the previous bauxite shipments and works well with all stakeholders.



Port Arrangements



QUBE Logistics at Bell Bay for the stevedoring services and the stockpiling arrangements, in conjunction with TasPorts.



ABx considers this consistent handling to be the best way to assure tight quality controls that ABx wishes to be known for in the market. Inspections by two customers' agents confirmed this.



ABx's CEO Ian Levy paid credit to the ABx marketing team, Operations Manager, Nathan Towns, COO Leon Hawker and Logistics Manager, Paul Glover; "The team reported progress daily to all parties, including the customer. ABx is blessed with over 70 years of marketing experience in its marketing team and has the in-house skills to carry out grade control to ISO standards."



ABx's Chief Operating Officer, Leon Hawker commented; "We have again confirmed our reputation of on-time delivery of large tonnage cargoes of bauxite produced and blended to customer's requirements. Bell Bay Port is an ideal export port for bulk-shipments of our bauxite and other products that can be co-shipped in large vessels. This is a core strength of our business." See Figure 2 in the link below.



ABx's Logistics Manager, Paul Glover commented; "Our bauxite is well suited to being blended to customers' requirements and multi-product shipping is a new capability that we have been keen to demonstrate. Ours is a very clean bauxite due to efficient processing by Stornoway contractors at the Bald Hill mine and careful transport pit-to-port by Wagners, in close coordination with QUBE stevedores and TasPorts."



Our customers appreciate that:



ABx bauxite is the best favour they can do for themselves and their cement plant.



This sale is a continuation of ABx's ongoing business, which is due to be expanded by additional purchasing from several offshore centres, subject to appropriate currency exchange rates.



Fertiliser Sales Recommenced



ABx's sales into the fertiliser industry have recommenced over the past month and will continue at a low tonnage but continuous rate for the rest of the year.



To view figures, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/G8L25W01





About Australian Bauxite Ltd





Australian Bauxite Limited (ABx) (ASX:ABX) has its first bauxite mine in Tasmania & controls the Eastern Australian Bauxite Province. ABx's 11 bauxite tenements in Queensland, New South Wales & Tasmania totalling 662 km2 are all 100% owned, unencumbered & free of third-party royalties. ABx's bauxite is gibbsite trihydrate (THA) bauxite that can be processed into alumina at low temperature.

ABx has committed a large proportion of its expenditure into Research and Development to find ways to capitalise on the main strengths of its bauxite type which is very clean, free of all deleterious elements and partitioned into layers, nodules, particles and grains of different qualities that can be separated into different product streams using physical, chemical and geophysical methods.

ABx has declared large Mineral Resources in northern NSW, southern NSW, Binjour in central QLD & in northern Tasmania.

ABx's first mine commenced at Bald Hill near Campbell Town, Tasmania in December 2014 - the first new Australian bauxite mine for more than 35 years.

ABx aspires to identify large bauxite resources in the Eastern Australian Bauxite Province and has created significant bauxite development projects in 3 states, Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania. Its bauxite deposits are favourably located for direct shipping of bauxite to both local and export customers.

ABx endorses best practices on agricultural land, strives to leave land and environment better than we find it. We only operate where welcomed.
It is sad that Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, one of independent Indias most celebrated soldiers and one of the heroes of the 1965 war with Pakistan passed away. India has lost a great son; in fact, he was a jewel in the throne of our Armed Forces .Throughout the 1965 war, Singh showed exemplary leadership, and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan and subsequently the rank of the CAS was upgraded to that of Air Chief Marshal. Even after his retirement he was active and never thought he was a retired soldier. He was mentally and physically all around. India lost its icon of military history who always led from the front and we will never forget his outstanding service to the nation.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Churches Destroyed and Looted By ISIS Being Restored in Syria

In the Syrian city of Maaloula (Ma'loula) The Christian Church began to commence services in the Christian monastery of St. Thecla. The pilgrims from all around the world traveled to religious shrines before the war. It was almost completely destroyed and looted by ISIS and Al-Nusra Front. When under pressure from the Syrian Arab army the Retreating Islamists took everything valuable from the temples, including ancient icons, historical manuscripts, icon lamps and altar-cross, church furnishings, tombstones and other valuable items. The militants destroyed everything they could not hastily take along; some of the buildings were burned. After the liberation under the support of the government of Syria the citizens of Maaloula started rebuilding churches, assembling church furnishings, religious books and other objects piece by piece. While in the city there is no influx of tourists and worshippers but locals are sure that people from all over the world, pilgrims, will be able to visit holy places again with the onset of peace and the creation of zones of de-escalation. But the Christians try not only to rebuild Maaloula, they try to rebuild the relationship between them and the Muslims shattered by ISIS. A Syrian priest reiterates the fact that Christians will strive to rebuild the trust that has been tainted by violence perpetrated by Islamic State. "We have to rebuild trust between Muslims and Christians even if it's not easy," said a Syrian priest Father Mtanios Haddad. Expressing optimism for a return to his homeland, he said: "We'll be back, yes. We will return to Iraq, to Mosul, to Syria, to Maalula, to Beirut and to every place we have lived. They are our homes and our lands. So, what are we going to leave them for? To whom? To what civilization? We must go back and rebuild trust between ourselves little by little. Even if it's not easy." Father Haddad is a Syrian and represents the Greek-Catholic patriarch in Rome. According to him, presence of Christianity in the Middle East is not optional but a necessity. "I am convinced that coexistence will not end," he said. "It should not end, because if it does, there will be no Christian presence. Without this presence, a new Jihad war could begin between a Muslim East and a Christian West. This Christian presence is what ensures the victory of balance and coexistence," he explained. Maaloula is ancient city where most of the inhabitants speak the language of Jesus Christ, the Semitic Aramaic. It is located in the Rif Dimashq Governorate in Syria, 56 km to the northeast of Damascus, and built into the rugged mountainside, at an altitude of more than 1500 m. It is known as one of three remaining villages where Western Aramaic is still spoken, the other two being the nearby villages Jubb'adin and Al-Sarkha (Bakhah).There are two important monasteries in Ma'loula: the Eastern Catholic Mar Sarkis and Greek Orthodox St. Thecla. The convent of St. Thecla holds the remains of Thecla, which the second-century Acts of Paul and Thecla accounts a noble virgin and pupil of St. Paul. According to later legend not in the Acts, Taqla was being pursued by soldiers of her father to capture her because of her Christian faith. She came upon a mountain, and after praying, the mountain split open and let her escape through. The town gets its name from this gap or entrance in the mountain. However, there are many variations to this story among the residents of Ma'loula. Mar Sarkis One of the oldest surviving monasteries in Syria. It was built on the site of a pagan temple, and has elements which go back to the fifth to sixth century Byzantine period. Mar Sarkis is the Assyrian name for Saint Sergius, a Roman soldier who was executed for his Christian beliefs. This monastery still maintains its solemn historical character. Mar Sarkis has two of the oldest icons in the world, one depicting the Last Supper. Other monasteries There are also the remains of numerous monasteries, convents, churches, shrines and sanctuaries. There are some that lie in ruins, while others continue to stand, defying age. Many pilgrims come to Ma'loula, both Muslim and Christian, and they go there to gain blessings and make offerings.
Iraqi Assyrians to Trump: Don't Forget Us

The Sumar-Khalasawi family. Macomb County, Michigan -- If you are looking for early clues about whether President Trump will win re-election in 2020, you'd do well to look to an immigration detention facility in Youngstown, Ohio, where nearly 200 Iraqi Christians are imprisoned. Their fate will profoundly influence how Trump is perceived by one of his most loyal voting blocks, and thus help determine whether he wins re-election in 2020. Most of the detained are Chaldeans, who practice Eastern Rite Catholicism, from the Detroit metro area. Tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians have resettled in the United States in recent decades, first to flee the chaos of the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, then to avoid the genocidal intentions of the Islamic State and other jihadist Islamic groups.About 120,000 Chaldeans live in southeast Michigan, the largest concentration of Chaldeans anywhere in the U.S. They have erected churches, started businesses, and become pillars of their communities.Chaldeans have also become reliable supporters of Republican political candidates, including, last year, of Donald Trump. Many Chaldeans liked Trump's pro-life views and generally conservative policy positions.But most were persuaded to vote for him after he promised to protect them.On June 11, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested and detained 114 Detroit-area Chaldeans in immigration raids. Another 85 Iraqis from other parts of the country have also been incarcerated. Most of the men (and a couple of women) came to the U.S. legally and acquired green cards, which were revoked after they were convicted of crimes. But these men and women weren't deported because Iraq refused to take them.That changed in February, when the Iraqi government agreed to accept these immigrants in exchange for being dropped from the list of countries on Trump's travel ban. The immigrants were taken to a detention center in Youngstown, Ohio, where they now await deportation.Some of the detained immigrants committed murder and rape. But most committed lesser, non-violent crimes, paid their debt to society, formed families, and began contributing to their communities.Hadeel Khalasawi falls into the latter category. I learned of Hadeel's story when my brother, Jordan, and I visited his family at Kabob And More, their restaurant in Hazel Park, Mich. Hadeel immigrated to the U.S. as a child. When he was 17 years old, Hadeel committed a nonviolent gun crime and spent the next 9 years in prison. With his criminal conviction, Hadeel lost his permanent resident status.But he was never forced to leave the country, and over the next couple decades, Hadeel married, had two children, and became a stepfather to his wife Sumar's daughter, Marcella.Sumar, Marcella, and Sumar and Hadeel's two sons, Mariano and Malano, are U.S. citizens. Sumar doesn't protest the U.S. government's right to deport criminal immigrants who have lost their permanent resident status. But she says that it's wrong that the government waited so long to do so. "They should have deported them from day one after they committed their crimes," she said."If they didn't want them in this country, they should have sent them back, not let them go and after 20 or 30 years come and snatch them away from us and break our hearts. ...My husband did make mistakes. He paid for his crimes. They let him out. He started a family. And now they just came after we built this life together. What's more, Sumar and other Chaldeans say, their loved ones face near-certain death in Iraq, where the U.S. government has declared a genocide is taking place against Christians and other religious minorities. "Eventually he's going to get killed," Sumar said of Hadeel if he is forced to return to Iraq. "My husband has tattoos of Christianity. He's a target there after he goes there.""This is my home, this is his home," she said of the U.S.. "He came here when he was four. He doesn't know nothing about Iraq." Sumar blames the Trump administration for her family's predicament. "Mr. Trump promised he would help the Chaldean community, he said this is his number one priority, to help them. That was the first thing he said, that he was going to help them. But he did the opposite."On the campaign trail, Trump regularly lamented the deaths of Middle Eastern Christians at the hands of Islamic jihadists, and promised that if he became president he would protect them.On Election Day, Trump became the first Republican to win Michigan in nearly 30 years. Trump won Michigan by winning Macomb County, a county that had twice voted for Barack Obama. Trump's 48,000-vote edge here more than eclipsed his 13,107-vote advantage statewide. Trump won Macomb by winning over its white working-class population with promises to restrict immigration and bring back jobs. But he also won by attracting the support of Chaldeans, who came out like never before to vote for Trump. One Chaldean woman I spoke with reckons that 80 percent of Michigan's Chaldeans voted for Trump, "all on the promise that he would protect Christians in the Middle East."Hadeel's step-daughter, Marcella said it "felt like a really big piece of me was stripped away" when her father was taken away in June. "He took a piece of all of us with him. He was the one to wake me up in the morning, take me out to eat... We did everything together. He is my father, not biologically, but he earned the privilege to be my father." "I blame Trump," Marcella added. "[Hadeel] has a family. All of them have families...and he took away the one thing that built the family: the father."Sumar added, "We respect this country, we love it. We pay our taxes. We voted for Trump because the things he said and he lied to us. I'm so embarrassed to say this but our president lied to us. Later that day, I spoke with Hadeel, who called in from the detention center. Hadeel said he hopes Trump "could find it in his heart to look over this, and give us a second chance." The Trump campaign also repeatedly called for the creation of safe zones for persecuted people across the Middle East. Many Chaldeans and other Christians have been calling for a safe haven for Christians in the Nineveh Plain, the establishment of which many Iraqi Christians see as their only chance of survival there. Eighteen months ago, Congress and the U.S. State Department declared that a genocide is taking place against Christians and other religious minorities in parts of Syria and Iraq.Nahren Anweya, an Assyrian-Christian activist in Macomb County, believes the Obama administration didn't do enough to help persecuted Christians. She became an outspoken supporter of Trump, who pledged to take up the Iraqi Christian cause. Anweya's activism included speaking at several Trump campaign rallies in Michigan and appearing as a surrogate on national media outlets.Many Iraqi Christians voted for Trump with the expectation that he would champion the creation of a safe haven for their loved ones in Iraq, she said, "and I really hope he does not let us down.""We are still waiting," she said when I met her at her home in Sterling Heights, Mich. "We hope that we are not let down. It's a life and death situation for us. We still have hope for him and we're praying everyday that he will follow through." It seems crass to mention politics when discussing the plight of hundreds of families and the fate of entire religious and ethnic groups. But the political implications for Trump are stark. Macomb County was one of three counties in three states that determined the 2016 election, and the Chaldeans played a leading role in propelling Trump to his improbable victory. As a result, they could play a leading role in making him a one-term president if he lets them down.
September 18, 2017

The first image that appears on screen is that of a boy mimicking the overflight of planes. He then pretends to be armed and searching for a village, throwing hand grenades and raking a target with bursts from a machine gun. Deaf and mute, 13-year-old Mohammed escaped from Kobani, in northern Syria, shortly after Islamic State fighters seized it in January 2015.

In the short video by Erkan Ozgen, a Turkish-Kurdish artist from Diyarbakir, Mohammed uses his body to express the violence he has witnessed. When he concludes his on-screen narrative with a swift hand movement that indicates a decapitation, a half-suppressed scream arose in the darkened room where a dozen people breathlessly watched. As the audience got up to leave, one young man remarked, Perhaps a good neighbor is simply one who doesn't kill you.

The short video, ironically titled Wonderland," is one of the most political works in the 15th Istanbul Biennial, a contemporary art exhibition held every two years in Istanbul. This year's theme is A Good Neighbor, a deceptively simple, yet emotionally charged proposition in a region where neighbors are divided by ideology, ethnicity, religion and politics.

Since we chose the title, there has not only been a coup attempt in Turkey, but the world witnessed the aftermath of the Brexit referendum and [Donald] Trump being elected US president, in part by promising to erect a border wall between the Unites States and Mexico, said curator Michael Elmgreen, of Elmgreen & Dragset, at the opening press conference for the biennial on Sept. 12. A good neighbor may sound banal, but there are many issues underlining the phrase, almost as if there is a question mark at the end.

The 2017 biennial coincides with the art fair Contemporary Istanbul and the opening of Ai Weiwei On Porcelain at the Sakip Sabanci Museum. The event will provide a much-awaited boost for the tourism sector in Istanbul, standing out as the largest cultural event since last year's attempted coup and the referendum to switch to a presidential system, resulting in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gaining even more power. Suddenly, Istanbul's bobo, bourgeois-bohemian, Karakoy and Tunnel neighborhoods are buzzing with international artists, gallery owners and museum directors, culture journalists and art lovers.

Despite the giddiness of the tourism sector, politics has cast a dark shadow over the biennial, which runs Sept. 16 through Nov. 12 at six downtown venues. The works by 56 artists from 32 countries reveal the difficulties of finding a good neighbor, let alone being one, in today's world, plagued by war, destruction, repression, pollution, immigration and totalitarian regimes.



Candeger Furtun's nine pairs of ceramic legs in a hammam, Aug. 19, 2017. Photo by IKSV

A series of posters around the city raises the question of what makes a good neighbor. Is a good neighbor someone who leaves you alone? one poster asks, a thinly veiled reference to Turkish artist Burcak Bingols surveillance cameras, one of the most photographed pieces of the biennial. Bingols work, Follower, acknowledges the global culture of surveillance and consists of cameras made of white porcelain and decorated with flowers that have been installed in 20 locations. Whether a good neighbor is, indeed, someone who leaves you alone is being considered today in Turkey against the backdrop of a culture of snitching, including recent headlines about a man who complained about his neighbor to the police for wearing shorts in Ankara, the capital.

The cameras are two-way objects, Bingol told Al-Monitor on the sidelines of the biennial. We are not simply being watched, we also watch others, including through social media.

Another installation, at the Istanbul Modern, consists of nine pairs of disembodied male legs arranged side by side in a hammam. Each pair of legs is arranged in an open position, indicative of manspread, the infamous masculine gesture that claims surrounding space. Made by Candeger Furtun, a female Turkish artist, the appendages represent Turkey and its neighbors. One pair has a hand on the leg in a gesture suggestive of aggression or assertiveness, the owner posturing to establish himself as the alpha male. It is a gesture that many Turks would associate with Erdogan, who recently said that if there is going to be any bullying, he would be the one doing it.

The flaking murals of the Moroccan artist Latifa Echakhch are just a few steps away. What remains of the murals show people demonstrating, an obvious reference to the 2013 Gezi Park protests and how the spirit of resistance eventually faded. Echakhch had previously made a similar mural about Tahrir Square. The young tour guides refer to the mural as the sequel to the artists works on Tahrir Square, while the biennial guide makes it clear that the work, Crowd Fade is about Gezi.

The destruction of homes and the reluctant departure of neighbors in the Middle East figure predominantly at the biennial. Iraqi artist Mahmoud Obaidis paintings Make War, Not Love display disconnected body parts that recall Ahmed Saadawis Frankenstein in Baghdad, which revolves around a creature created from body parts scattered around Baghdad after bombings. The large drawings show distorted and disjointed bodies, isolated buildings, and trees and assorted geometric shapes. The visitor, even without knowing the title of the work or the nationality of the artist, perceives the fragmentation and destruction in the drawings, which somewhat recall Picassos Guernica.

Another work by Obaidi, Compact Home Project, is a series of eight books with metal covers containing some of his sketches, newspaper clippings and letters. These are what I have carried with me as home, he told Al-Monitor at the press preview of works. Obaidi escaped Iraq in 1991 amid war with a fake passport, becoming an international nomad.

In 2003, war raged across Iraq for the fourth time, and I finally realized that I would never go home, Obaidi wrote in the biennials Book of Stories, which contains artists' personal narratives. I entombed the fragmented remnants of my nomadic life inside twelve artists books. These objects then only existed inside this artwork, as traces of impossible return, shadows of an infeasible life and parodies of a non-existent home.

The same sense of loss animates Iranian artist Mirak Jamals paintings on plasterboard based on drawings he had made as a child. Some depict scenes from Iran through a childs eyes during the period before his family left, in 1979, before the revolution. Home Sweet Home, a three-channel film by Volkan Aslan, shows a young woman repotting a plant and another rolling a cigarette. It eventually becomes clear that one home is on top of the other, and both are floating on the sea on an unknown journey.

Despite the theme of this year's biennial, the political criticism is so subtle that it has led some to blame censorship and self-censorship. At the Sept. 12 press conference, the first question for the curators was, Did you experience censorship?

After some uncomfortable moments, the two curators said there had been nothing that they had wanted to do but could not. Ingar Dragset noted that art can create a language of resistance different from that found in the media. He further explained, Art is not there to react the same way as politicians or the media, using the same simplified populist language.
Black River EntertainmentIt looks like Kelsea Ballerini is heading back to High School this Friday.

Why would he want to change when every memory bows to him // 9.22, Kelsea tweeted on Monday, along with a photo of herself posing in front of the bleachers in either a stadium or a gym.

It didnt take long for Kelseas fans to figure out the Peter Pan hit maker was quoting the lyrics to her song High School, and that she plans to release it on Friday.

Kelsea wrote the track by herself after moving to Nashville, but had never recorded it until her forthcoming album Unapologetically. Shes frequently sung it in concert, however, and has always referred to it as one of her favorites.

High School will be the third instant download available from Kelsea's sophomore album, due November 3. So far, if you pre-order Unapologetically, you can immediately download the first single, Legends, as well as the title track.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
September 18, 2017

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in New York on Sept. 17 to attend the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, where he will defend the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Meanwhile in a speech in Tehran, Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned of an Iranian response should the United States back out of the nuclear deal reached with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.

The nation of Iran has stood strong, said Khamenei, speaking to the countrys military leaders. And any action by [the United States] regarding the nuclear deal will encounter the Islamic Republics response. With respect to the actions Khamenei expects from Iranian officials in response to American threats to back out of the nuclear deal, the supreme leader made a reference to "corrupt American leaders" and said, "Iran is a powerful nation and will not submit to pressure.

Khamenei added in regard to US behavior and the nuclear deal, Every day they show their trickery and mischief. It proves the veracity of the Imams [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's] words, who called America the Great Satan. In reality, the United States is the worst of the devils.

On Irans nuclear goals, Khamenei said that the country needs to attain a capacity of 20,000 megawatts from its nuclear plants in the coming years. He added, But America, which is opposed to the scientific progress of Iran and other countries, stood against this legal movement and imposed oppressive sanctions.

Khamenei said Iranian officials previously "reached the conclusion to negotiate and to waive a portion of their rights for the sanctions to be removed. But today despite all of the numerous contracts and commitments and discussions in the negotiations, we see Americas approach to this negotiation has been tyrannical and bullying.

Khamenei was not the only Iranian official to discuss the nuclear deal and the United States. Parliament speaker Ali Larijani told a local television station in West Azerbaijan province that US congressional moves to block the sale of US planes to Iran is a clear violation of the nuclear deal. He said, This is very strange because America says that Iran has violated the spirit of the nuclear deal while they are the ones who do not observe the original agreement. Last week, the US House of Representatives adopted two measures that could block the sale of US-made aircraft to Iran.

Larijani further observed, I think American officials are afflicted with backwardness. Previously they have not been this backward. He said that even the Europeans are not supportive of US attempts to back out of the nuclear deal. Citing US desires to leave the Paris Climate Agreement, Larijani said the United States has become devoid of reason and that the Americans are only isolating themselves.

Echoing Khamenei and other Iranian officials on the possibility of an American withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Larijani said, The Islamic Republic will go forward with the nuclear and other regional issues with prudence and the actions of Iran will be measured and thorough.
September 19, 2017

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani left Tehran for New York on Sept. 17 to attend the UN General Assembly session. His brief but important visit serves Iran with an opportunity to hold talks with some of the leaders of the countries with whom Iran signed the nuclear deal. Rouhani hopes to persuade them to stand up to US President Donald Trump, who has vowed to scrap the landmark accord.

The first time Rouhani went to the United States was following his election in 2013. Back then, remarkable decisions and occurrences happened, such as his unprecedented phone call with then-US President Barack Obama  a brief conversation that has been described as the stepping stone for the 2015 nuclear deal. The interactions between Tehran and Washington persisted during Obamas presidency, but with Trump taking over the White House this year, Iran and the United States have gone back to square one, and ties are getting tense as the new resident of the White House has repeatedly threatened to tear up the nuclear deal.

Knowing the importance of Rouhanis trip to the United States, Iranian news websites and newspapers are covering the presidents meetings and are asking politicians opinions about this.

Noting the negative view of Trumps team toward Tehran, Mohammad Hossein Malaek  the former Iranian ambassador to China under President Mohammad Khatami  said Sept. 19, Trump will attempt to put Iran at a defensive position [at the UN]. During the past four years, members of Mr. Rouhanis government have managed to attract the attention of the public opinion and [establish] an effective interaction with the media by relying on peaceful talk, but it is likely that this years presence [of Rouhani] will be affected by the extensive propaganda of the Trump government.

The Iranian government is hoping that holding negotiations with heads of European states will help them, as the US government is lobbying against the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Malaek said, Taking advantage of bilateral meetings [on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session] can turn the page in favor of Iran. Trump has launched an offensive regarding the JCPOA and will use the atmosphere to make the European countries accompany [it against Iran]. [Therefore], Iranian officials should seize the opportunity of bilateral meetings to defend their position on the JCPOA. He added, Given Iran's commitment to fulfill its obligations under the JCPOA, the Europeans will certainly resist [the US] pressures.  Mr. Rouhani and Mr. [Mohammad Javad] Zarif have been doing well in the diplomatic arena to bring Europe closer to Iran.

Moreover, moderate Heshmatollah Falahat Pishe stated Sept. 19, In the course of [Rouhanis] visit [to the United States], the president must undoubtedly engage in [talks] to resolve the issues of the JCPOA and to make the necessary consultations with the authorities of the European countries in this regard.

Emphasizing the significance of Rouhanis meetings with heads of state, Falahat Pishe continued, If we reach our goals with the JCPOA on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, then we have definitely achieved a great win.

Mentioning the Sept. 20 ministerial meeting of the Joint Commission between Iran and the P5+1, Javid Qorbanoglu, a former senior diplomat with Irans Foreign Ministry, wrote in the reformist Shargh Daily on Sept. 18, Zarif is going to meet his counterparts, while Yukiya Amano  director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency  has emphasized in its reports Irans respect for its commitments to the JCPOA.  In contrast, the illogical and adventurous approach of Trump has put the [United States] in a standoff.

He added, For the first time in the history of global relations, America has been isolated on an international issue. Iran has at least the support of five countries of P5+1, and [they are also] in serious disagreement with the anti-JCPOA approach of the United States."

Apart from the JCPOA issue, Iranian figures expect Rouhani to bring up the crises in the Middle East such as the Yemeni and Syria issues as well as the Rohingya Muslims ordeal in Myanmar. Myanmars issue should be on top of the presidents agenda. On the other hand, unity and integrity of the Iraqi states are critical to the Islamic Republic of Iran because Iraq is the neighbor of Iran," said conservative parliament member Seyyed Hossein Naghavi Hosseini on Sept. 19.

He added, The issue of the referendum in Kurdistan is a new sedition that has been launched by some countries. Therefore, this should be raised by the president at the United Nations."
September 13, 2017

BAGHDAD  At Jabbar Khmats Theater Clinic, patients suffering from psychological problems find relief by taking the stage to act. The Iraqi academic and actor launched the Theater Clinic to aid those suffering mentally from the conflicts that have plagued Iraq.

Theater Clinic, unlike traditional theaters, aims to find therapeutic solutions for victims of war and social crises, said Khmat, who began his career in theater therapy treating victims of the 1988 chemical attacks by Saddam Hussein's government against Halabja, in Iraqi Kurdistan. This type of art helps patients break out of their isolation. Their participation improves their vocal and physical skills and enhances their ability to communicate. Khmat explained, The project also allows patients to compose scripts to be performed on stage.

Khmats efforts are similar to those of Dr. Jan Ilhan Kizilhan, a German-Iraqi psychotherapist who, with funding from the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg and the German Ministry of Science, established in March an institute at the University of Dahuk, in Iraqi Kurdistan, to train therapists. Students are being trained in psychotherapy and psychotraumatology with the ultimate goal of helping to alleviate the suffering of victims of terrorism and war. At present, there are estimated to be only 20 psychiatrists in the Kurdistan region. Previously, Kizilhan had participated in a program to provide therapy to some 1,100 victims of the Islamic State (IS), mainly Yazidis and some Christians, and help them relocate in Germany.

Telling Al-Monitor about past work, Khmat said, The patients performed the play I Exist in the auditorium of the Health Directorate in Halabja [in 2015], and the audience was surprised how patients could offer brilliant work and act just like normal people, if not more so. The goal of the psychological clinic mixing drama with psychology is to give individuals space in which to express buried feelings by acting them out.

Such an approach is not new to the Middle East. In October 2015, the Foundation for Contemporary Culture staged a performance of Girls of Baghdad at the Theater Forum in Baghdad, on the banks of the Tigris, as part of a drama therapy project. In January, Al Jazeera reported on a Jordanian doctor's use of music therapy to treat mentally ill patients, given the effect of music on the body's chemistry and thus the mind. In Egypt, Al Ghad Theater presented Shaman, a play the theater director called a form of drama therapy given its theme of dealing with psychological issues.

The goal of the psychological clinic mixing drama with psychology is to give individuals space in which to express buried feelings by acting them out.

According to Khmat, who is based in Dahuk, projects like Theater Clinic in Iraq face obstacles in carrying out their work. He described the states failure to adopt qualitative projects as a barrier to strategic therapeutic programs.

Most government and private institutions in Iraq do not care much about creative projects, Khmat lamented. They look for projects that offer quick profit, commissions and deals because of the widespread corruption.

For Khmat, it was this marginalization that led him to take matters into his own hands. The lack of financial support prompted me to finance the project at my own expense, and this is weighing me down because theatrical clinics should eventually turn into therapeutic institutions with proper headquarters, trainers and full-fledged theater therapy training programs, he said.

Another obstacle is the role of women, Khmat remarked, noting that it is hard to employ women in his project. Not many women want to work in the art sector. I searched a lot for the right female actors and the right women to work behind the scenes as assistants, trainers and designers.

Khmat criticized the lack of encouragement and support that therapeutic theater receives from art schools and institutions. [They] are accustomed to traditional approaches and ignore an advanced project that can be still be executed within Iraqi capabilities.

This opinion is supported by the head of the Iraqi Psychological Association, Qassim Hussein Salih, who told Al-Monitor that in addition to earning a Ph.D. in psychology in 2000, he studied theater at the Academy of Fine Arts, where he has also taught. The curriculum needs development so that actors can learn ways to analyze personalities, Salih said. During my teaching experience at the academy, I took students to a mental hospital in Baghdad for a closer look at how art is used to treat mental patients.

Clinics should cooperate with the Iraqi Psychological Association to establish a center for psychotherapy through art, said Salih, who, from 1991 to 2006, hosted Beware of Despair, a radio program in which actors read plays, assuming the roles of people with mental issues. The association can coordinate with theatrical clinics to organize events and develop a strategy for the development of an integrated treatment project on stage.

Khmat, despite his current difficulties, will keep working to institutionalize his initiative. The next project will be with cancer patients at Al-Amal Hospital in Baghdad and will be dedicated to women suffering from breast cancer, he said.

He also expressed the hope that he can expand Theater Clinic beyond Iraq to other parts of the Middle East. The management of the Cairo International Festival of Contemporary and Experimental Theater, which is held from Sept. 20 to 30, asked me to direct a workshop on therapeutic theater, Khmat said, calling it a positive gesture and recognition of Theater Clinic and its therapeutic goals.

Khmat foresees a promising future for Theater Clinic at Arab festivals and organizations and called on academic institutions and donors to support it. Development of the project to its full potential could contribute to more Iraqis receiving help with mental illness through theater and other creative outlets instead of pharmaceuticals.
September 19, 2017

On Sept. 14, HaBayit HaYehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett and the No. 2 member of his party, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, dropped a political bombshell with their initiative to limit the power of the Supreme Court. It could eventually lead to a genuine constitutional crisis.

The two described the move as nothing less than revolutionary. It will be based on their proposed Basic Law legislation, which would limit the Supreme Court's authority to overturn laws approved by the Knesset. As of now, the Supreme Court can overturn laws if the judges interpret them as conflicting with Basic Laws (Israel has no constitution). What Bennett and Shaked are proposing is a set of clearly defined conditions under which the court could overturn a law, limiting its power to those circumstances only. Furthermore, the law would include an Article of Overruling, which would allow the Knesset, under certain conditions, to approve a law even though it was overturned by the Supreme Court. Bennett and Shaked have yet to set the parliamentary majority, which will be needed to reject the Supreme Court's decision to overturn a law. But based on their tenuous relationship with the legislative branch, it is reasonable to assume that it would not require a special majority.

Assuming that the initiative evolves into a piece of proposed legislation and wins majority support among the coalition, it could lead to a constitutional crisis. It will likely be brought before the Supreme Court itself. The court will then have to rule on a legislation concerning its own power and authority and impacting its special position as the gatekeeper of Israeli democracy.

Ever since their proposal was made public, the two leaders of HaBayit HaYehudi have given numerous interviews to the media. They describe their proposal as intended to strengthen democracy and as the basis for the creation of a formal constitution for Israel. In an interview with Army Radio, Shaked said that the Basic Law would prevent the Supreme Court from gnawing away at the power of the Knesset and restore an important balance between the different branches of government.

Shaked and Bennett's constitutional revolution is occurring in a convenient (for them) political climate. Israel is ruled by a right-wing government, and many of that government's senior members, including Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, have already marked the Supreme Court as an arm of the left. Among the settlers, many of whom support HaBayit HaYehudi, the Supreme Court is often perceived as an enemy who prefers the Palestinians over them.

Ironically, the group that provided the greatest momentum to Shaked and Bennett's dramatic move was the Supreme Court itself. This month alone, its justices overturned several new laws passed by the Knesset over the past few months. These rulings form the basis of the two ministers' main argument against the court.

On May 14, the Supreme Court stopped  so far with an injunction only  a law splitting up the public broadcasting corporation after it was passed by the government. This law was part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's own efforts to attack the strength and journalistic independence of the new broadcasting corporation. The petition to the Supreme Court was brought by Knesset members from the opposition and the public broadcasting corporation itself.

On Aug. 6, the Supreme Court shocked everyone again when it announced that it had overturned a law taxing people who own three or more apartments, the flagship initiative of Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon in his effort to reduce housing costs. The judges ruled that there was a significant flaw in the legislative process and the law must be brought back to the Knesset's Finance Committee for further discussion. The ruling stated that while the law would have dramatic implications, it was passed in a rushed manner, under pressure and a sense of great urgency. Five separate appeals opposing the law were brought to the court by Knesset members from the opposition, apartment owners and businesspeople.

On Aug. 11, the Supreme Court criticized the Knesset again when it overturned an amendment to the law, which allowed the government to lock up asylum seekers in the Holot Detention Center for as long as three years. An expanded panel of nine judges ruled that the law stood in direct conflict with the Basic Law Concerning Human Dignity and Freedom. This time, again, the court's ruling was a personal blow to Netanyahu, who first proposed this amendment to the legislation.

They want to undermine the Supreme Court's ability to rein in and critique the legislative and executive branches and grant the government unlimited and unsupervised power.

On Sept. 12, the Supreme Court overturned the amendment to the Recruitment Law, which the Knesset passed in 2015. This was a law passed by the current government at the demand of the ultra-Orthodox parties to replace the Law Concerning the Equal Sharing of the Burden, which was passed by Yesh Atid in the previous government. The amendment, which was overturned last week, exempted ultra-Orthodox youth from compulsory military service. The Supreme Court ruled that the law was a severe violation of the value of equality and the constitutional right to human dignity.

Disqualifying a law is certainly a dramatic ruling, more so when several laws are disqualified or suspended over short laps of time. In this case and in the other cases as well, the Supreme Court made its decisions based on the justices interpretation of the Basic Laws or when a flaw was detected in the law-adoption procedure. So their decisions were punctual, reasoned and not political in nature. Still, Bennett and Shaked are using this exceptional series of rulings to justify the law that they are proposing to circumvent the Supreme Court's decisions.

In an interview with Channel 2 on Sept. 17, Bennett said, "Supreme Court justices, who are not elected by the public, can overturn laws with ease. Just last month, it exceeded its authority excessively.  We want to determine the Supreme Court's authority by law and at the same time determine under what circumstances it can act this way. There is nobody that can do such things without having the proper authority." He added, "These new circumstances in which overturning laws has become routine will force us, the legislators elected by the public, to take action to restore the proper balance of power between the different branches of government. That is what we are doing today."

Behind his lofty language about "determining authority" and "a balance of power between the different branches of government" are far-reaching implications concerning the continued existence of a democratic form of government in Israel. Bennett and Shaked's claim that they want to formalize legislative processes and authorities is nothing but a smokescreen concealing their real objective. They want to undermine the Supreme Court's ability to rein in and critique the legislative and executive branches and grant the government unlimited and unsupervised power.

So far, it looks like this is little more than a test balloon being released by HaBayit HaYehudi leaders. They want to see how much support their initiative really has in the Knesset and among the public, and how far they can push it  especially now when their Nationality Law is in the process of being legislated, too. This law would formalize the Jewish identity of the State of Israel through legislation and grant its Jewish character preference over various democratic components of statehood. In May, the law passed its initial reading in the Knesset.

Netanyahu and the other right-wing ministers have yet to respond to Bennett and Shaked's initiative. The ultra-Orthodox already regard the Supreme Court as a nemesis, meaning that they will not oppose the proposed legislation. For the most part, the general public is apathetic, while the opposition has been unable to gather enough momentum to fight back against Bennett and Shaked's disorderly behavior. What this means is that once again, all eyes are on Kulanu Party Chairman Moshe Kahlon. Despite his resounding silence, he is expected to oppose the initiative, at least according to several reports. It is, in fact, quite conceivable that despite all the socio-economic initiatives that he is trying to advance, his most important role in the Netanyahu government will be to preserve the power and independence of the Supreme Court.
September 19, 2017

Russian President Vladimir Putins calendar has been full lately. On Sept. 13, both Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Putin at his summer residence in Sochi.

Thats not surprising, though. Now that the full-scale Syrian peace settlement is underway, were seeing a flurry of negotiations. Everyone wants a smooth ride without anyone taking advantage of anyone else. Top-level assurances are necessary.

Putins meetings came just a day before the latest round of Syrian talks began in Astana, Kazakhstan, where Russian, Turkish, Iranian and Syrian delegations settled the remaining issues concerning de-escalation zones. The agenda included delineating the Idlib zone and finalizing monitoring mechanisms. It will also be important to launch a joint campaign against Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, militants based in Idlib. Should this work out well, the parties can move to the next stage, which is political resolution.

In a surprise move just before the Sept. 14-15 talks, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu flew to Damascus to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Following hot on the heels of the ministers trip, Irans Zarif arrived in Sochi to compare notes.

Zarifs arrival also coincided with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's return from a trip to Saudi Arabia, where he reiterated that Moscow doesnt intend to mediate a boycott of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt.

At this point, Russia is only interested in keeping a potential confrontation between enemies Saudi Arabia and Iran from harming the peace settlement in Syria. Iran, in its turn, needs to make sure its interests will be respected in Syria and that Russia will not change sides. This is particularly important in light of preparations for Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Sauds visit to Russia slated for early October.

One can say the Lebanese prime ministers arrival in Sochi has emerged as part of such preparatory work.

Russia has always given Hariri a red-carpet welcome. This is not conditional upon the importance of Lebanon to Russia. Hariri is the key to Saudi Arabia, and Russia considers Saudi Arabia the key to the Middle East.

Hariri is the key to Saudi Arabia, and Russia considers Saudi Arabia the key to the Middle East.

King Salman is certain to visit Moscow, and we firmly believe that his trip will positively impact upon the Arab and Muslim world, Hariri said when asked about the outcomes of his talks with Putin.

The Lebanese prime minister benefits directly from fence-mending between Russia and Saudi Arabia, which Russia does at the possible expense of offending Iran. The Sochi talks between Hariri and Putin focused on military and technical cooperation, a major sticking point in bilateral relations. A 2015 deal for Russia to supply Kornet anti-tank missiles and T-72 tanks  a contract worth $500 million  has yet to materialize. In Moscow, rumors have it that money is the issue; other talk suggests that intra-Lebanese differences are blocking the deal. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive.

Moreover, Washington, Lebanons leading military supplier, would hardly approve of Beirut cooperating with Moscow. Beirut receives its required military assistance gratis, but in the spring there was speculation that the program could be curbed or a credit line could be set up instead. Though the United States still supplies military hardware, there are concerns that US equipment is ending up in Hezbollahs hands. Gen. Michel Aoun, who became Lebanons president in October, maintains strong links with the organization.

Lebanon received relatively little in the way of international aid, compared with some other countries, when the Islamic State (IS) infiltrated its borders, teaching the Lebanese army a bitter lesson: It cannot rely on anyone but itself in protecting its people.

Hariris visit to Russia followed the successful campaign of the Lebanese to drive IS out of the country. This is a triumph for the army that regional actors have not taken seriously so far. Yet the success wouldnt have been possible without Hezbollah, which is claiming the biggest share of credit for defeating IS. The group stole the limelight, stripping the prime minister of a possibility to reap political dividends. Still, if Hariri manages to clinch the agreement with Moscow on military supplies from Russia, it would be a major boost for him.

In addition to the Kornet missiles and T-72 tanks that Russian media reported, Lebanon is eager to buy Kalashnikov assault rifles and machine guns; sniper rifles, including full-bore target ones; disposable rocket launchers; and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

Hariris meeting with Putin addressed financial details of the future deal, Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper reported: Lebanon hopes that Russia will agree to cut prices or give a loan to pay for the supplies, as the parties jointly engage in the fight against terrorism.

In fact, there is one more option. Saudi Arabia could agree to foot the bill. From this perspective, it is peculiar that talks are being held ahead of Salmans visit to Russia. What would matter in this case is that Saudis do not concern themselves  like some in the United States do  with whether Russian military hardware will fall into Hezbollahs hands. Israel does have such fears and will go out of its way to secure US assistance to downscale Russian-Lebanese military-technical cooperation.

Apart from the weapons deal, Hariri has other interests in Russia. He seeks to attract Russian investment to build railways and motorways, power stations, dams and airports. He also needs access to the Russian market for Lebanese agricultural products. Russian oil and gas companies are already quite enthusiastic about potential deals. They actively submit bids to develop Lebanese deposits (Novatek and Lukoil) and contemplate new projects (Gazprom).

Post-conflict Syria is another field for cooperation. Hariri has suggested that the territory of Lebanon  the port in Tripoli in particular  could be used for deploying materials for post-war reconstruction of Syria. China has already gone down that road. Whether Russia really needs it  given its direct access to Syrian ports  is an open question, but why should it waste a chance to gain a foothold in neighboring Lebanon?

So far, Russia has not ensured its presence in the country. Federal Customs Service data show trade between Russia and Lebanon amounted to $539 million in 2016. There have been numerous bold statements about plans to step up trade and economic ties to the level of political cooperation, but there has been only one attempt to improve the situation over the recent years. We shall see whether both parties manage to convert rhetoric into action this time.
September 18, 2017

Hamas has announced that it is dismantling the Gaza administration it created half a year ago. On Sept. 16, the movement also said that it is willing to hold general elections in the Gaza Strip. Representatives of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rushed to Cairo, where they met with Hamas' Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar and with his deputy Khalil al-Hayya. Sinwar was the man who decided to create the shadow government that nearly brought disaster to both Hamas and the people of Gaza. The two Hamas men discussed with Abbas representatives their desire to bring an end to the crisis between Hamas and Fatah as quickly as possible.

Palestinian reconciliation would surely involve former senior Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan, even though he is Abbas bitter rival.

Even before this announcement, Hamas had taken another step toward reconciliation with Fatah. On Sept. 14, some 100 Fatah families who lost loved ones or suffered severe injuries or material destruction in the 2014 war received compensation in two ceremonies, one in Gaza City and the other in Khan Yunis. Dahlan raised the money in the Gulf states, and the Hamas movement distributed it to the families. The families received $50,000 each, and another 700 families are waiting to receive compensation as well. "Their time will come, too," a source close to Dahlan in Gaza told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. He went on to say that Hamas is hopeful that all of the families will receive compensation by the end of the year.

To pay them all, Dahlan will have to raise some $35 million more. "Quite a few families lost their homes in the Gaza war and [some] victims are crippled, so they cannot work for their livelihood. This sum will be enough for them to cover their debts." He went on to explain that $50,000 is enough to buy a modest apartment in Gaza.

The move has implications far beyond the actual payments. According to the same source, "Dahlan recognized that reconciliation cannot be limited to a paper agreement if they want to turn over a new leaf. Without reconciliation that begins at home between the families of the injured and Hamas, it would be impossible to think about overall reconciliation between the movements. That is why Dahlan decided to work in concentric circles. The first circle is, of course, Gaza."

Dahlans supporters were present at the ceremonies. Hamas apologized and Dahlan's funds were distributed. Who would have thought? Once, not too long ago, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas' military wing) put a hefty price on Dahlan's head, but now he's raised the money that will lend substance to Hamas' apology and request for forgiveness, according to Dahlan's associate in Gaza.

Dahlan and his supporters in the West Bank and Gaza may have been purged from Fatah, but in private conversations with Al-Monitor, they reiterated that Abbas decision was illegal, and they were and continue to be loyal members of the movement. One of them claimed that Dahlan, whom they admire, is doing everything for "the sacred cause" of mitigating the suffering of his people in Gaza. He added that one way of doing so is to bring about reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah so that the two movements can wage a joint struggle against the blockade on Gaza and the Israeli occupation.

Dahlans supporters utterly rejected the notion that his fundraising activities were intended to restore his position in Fatah and help him replace his rival Abbas and lead the movement one day. But even if we assume that Dahlans intentions were free of any political ambitions, it is obvious that there can be no reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas without him.

The Fatah families in Gaza  both those who already received compensation and those slated to receive it later in the year  are well-aware of who raised these enormous sums of money for them and is helping them rebuild their lives. And when Hamas' representatives apologize and grant a generous financial compensation package, there is sure to be a rush of emotions, and some will find it within themselves to forgive the movement for the misery of the past decade.

"Abbas is trapped because he knows that his rival did more for the members of his movement than he did," said the Gaza source. "While Abbas was cutting salaries, firing people and causing a horrific humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Abu Fadi [Dahlan] set to work to fix what Abbas destroyed. How do you think people here in Gaza will treat Dahlan now, whether they originally supported him or not? Will anyone still want to keep him out? Will they really tell him, 'Thank you for all you've done, but now you can go?'"

So far, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has offered no official response to Dahlan's initiative in Gaza. Nevertheless, a Fatah source in the West Bank told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that for years, Dahlan and his people have been trying to purchase status in the movement and that it wont work. He said that Dahlan's supporters may get stronger in Gaza and work together with Hamas, "but in the end, people will remember that he collaborated with Izz ad-Din al-Qassam when they expelled Fatah from Gaza during the coup and shot people in the legs, and are now pleading for reconciliation because they face a crisis."

Dahlan knows how to evoke all sorts of emotions from his rivals in Fatah and the PA. Even though he has no official standing, they know that nothing will happen if they dont take him into account in any political deal between Fatah and Hamas.
September 19, 2017

RAMALLAH, West Bank  Fatah movement member Azzam al-Ahmad said on Palestine TV on Sept. 10, The decision to convene the Palestinian National Council [PNC] is final. Contacts are still ongoing with the different Palestinian factions to agree on the details of the meeting.

Ahmad added that President Mahmoud Abbas had previously requested to speed up the discussions with the factions so as to reach an agreement upon his return from the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. Meetings will be held throughout the month of September with the PLO factions in Ramallah.

Meanwhile, meetings with the other factions such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), whose leadership is based abroad, the PFLP-General Command and the Vanguard for the Popular Liberation War (As-Saiqa) are scheduled for October in Beirut.

Fatah continues to reject the participation of Hamas in the PNC until the administrative committee in the Gaza Strip is dissolved and the national reconciliation government is able to function in Gaza. In March, Hamas formed the administrative committee to run the Gaza Strips affairs. The committee was made up of seven subordinate ministries to act on behalf of the national reconciliation government. This prompted Abbas to take a series of punitive measures against Gaza.

Hamas cannot be part of the meeting and the PLO in light of the continued division, Ahmad said. He based his argument on the PLO Central Committees Aug. 9 recommendation, whereby the PNC ought to convene as soon as possible, with the presence of the councils members only. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which are not members of the PNC, rejected along with the PFLP this recommendation and have been calling for the establishment of a national council that includes all Palestinian factions at home and abroad.

Palestinian factions disagree with Abbas vision to convene the PNC in Ramallah. A source in Fatah, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Al-Monitor, President Abbas is insisting on convening the PNC in the presidential headquarters in Ramallah while holding discussions via video conference with members based abroad. The president also refuses to hold the conference in any Arab country.

There are several reasons behind Abbas insistence on convening the PNC before the end of the year, most importantly because it will be held in the presidential palace, as Abbas confirmed in an April 3 interview with the Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, which will allow him to keep a close eye on the course of the sessions and the ensuing decisions.

Whats more, convening the PNC will deal a severe blow to the alliance between Hamas and the loyalists of dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan. If convened, new blood would be brought into the PNC. This means Abbas will make sure to block any interventions by Arab countries in the council, and maintain the independent Palestinian decision-making process. The PNC session would also guarantee the councils legitimacy to play a pivotal role in the future in case of any emergency presidential vacuum and block all possibilities for Hamas-affiliated PLC speaker, Aziz Dweik, to make it to the presidency in the event of the death of Abbas, as provided by the Palestinian law.

According to Article 37 of the Palestinian Basic Law, in the event the position of the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) becomes vacant in case of death, resignation or loss of legal capacity, the president of the PLC shall assume presidential tasks temporarily for a period of no more than 60 days during which free and direct elections shall be held to elect a new president. This was the case after the death of late President Yasser Arafat, when then-PLC President Rawhi Fattouh assumed the post of PA president.

Meanwhile, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the PFLP insist on adhering to the Cairo agreement of May 11, 2011, and the results of the PNC Preparatory Committees meeting, which includes both Hamas and Islamic Jihad as members. The committee convened in Beirut on Jan. 10 and agreed to form a national council that would gather all Palestinian factions.

Omar Shehadeh, a member of the PFLPs political bureau, told Al-Monitor, We flatly reject holding the PNC in its current form, as it will not be able to address any political challenges in the Palestinian arena. We insist on a national unity council that includes everyone as the only path toward solving the division crisis.

Abbas wants to convene the PNC in Ramallah, which the PFLP considers a wrong move that only allows Abbas to tighten his grip on the national decision. We will not allow the holding of a council that would harm the PLO. We will escalate our rhetoric to prevent the PNC from convening in Ramallah, as the highest legislative body in Palestine should not convene with the permission or approval of Israel, he added. Council members based abroad or in Gaza need permits from Israel to enter Ramallah to participate in any PNC session. These permits could be denied by Israel.

Some Fatah and PLO officials had said in August that the PNC was scheduled to be held at the beginning of September in its current form. But following the events in Jerusalem and at Al-Aqsa Mosque, it was postponed due to Abbas political commitments and to give another chance to broader discussions with the different factions to ensure their participation in the councils session.

Taysir Khaled, a member of the PLOs Executive Committee, told Al-Monitor, Convening the PNC has become a national necessity to reinvent the PLO and its institutions. The holding of the PNC should serve as a launchpad to restoring national unity and unifying the political system [in Palestine].

The PNC is the highest authority for the Palestinian people, setting the regulatory policies for the PLO. The councils living members number 691 and the deceased 83.

Given the significance of the PNC as the highest legislative authority in the country, some press reports said that Abbas seeks to take advantage of the holding of the council to appoint a successor as the head of the PLO and the PA in the event of his sudden death. However, Mahmoud Ismail, a member of the PLOs Executive Committee, dismissed such claims, telling Al-Monitor that the PNC is not likely to discuss Abbas succession.

Appointing a successor or a deputy to Abbas will not be touched upon during the PNC session. The president is still there and the PNC is the highest legitimate Palestinian authority responsible for making such a decision, Ismail said.

Abbas will be taking part in the UN General Assembly meeting, where he will meet with US President Donald Trump and several world leaders on the sidelines, most likely including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

It is possible that a meeting between Abbas and Netanyahu could set the wheel of peace negotiations back in motion. Abbas could find himself forced, upon his return to the Palestinian territories, to convene the PNC in its current form in Ramallah, shrugging off the factions objections, to gain legitimacy for moving forward with a new round of negotiations with Israel.
September 18, 2017

Predictions that US sanctions will drive Russia and Iran closer to each other appear to be on target. Moscow and Tehran are already coordinating closely on negotiations to end the civil war in Syria, and they may consider strengthening their cooperation in other spheres once Damascus is squared away.

The US Congress' Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (HR 3364) revitalized talk of a strategic relationship between Russia and Iran. Russian analysts and policymakers have been attentively studying the experience of Iran, whose government and people have been grappling for many years with the consequences of international and unilateral US sanctions. Moscow has long tried to capture something useful from Irans experience, but eventually tends to conclude that Irans case is very different economically, geopolitically and in terms of political organization and industrial development. Thus, the argument goes, even if some experience is to be borrowed, it should be done carefully and with duly appraised adjustments.

Yet a sense of common destiny between Moscow and Tehran has been on the rise since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. American and European sanctions against Russia at that time made Russian and Iranian leaders ponder the prospects of a greater consolidation in their complicated relationship. Now that sense is being reinforced by new sanctions from a common antagonist  the United States.

Iran proved that a country can live under sanctions and show growth in gross domestic product, even when actual development is in deep stagnation. Previous sanctions against Iran, though, targeted mostly domestic projects and its oil exports.

In 2015, experts from the Institute of Strategic Analysis predicted Russian GDP would decline 1-2% annually, noting that delayed effects of the sanctions would show up only after several years. Russia had alternative import plans in place even before the Ukraine crisis.

With the new sanctions, the incentive to find more alternatives is stronger.

What happens to the projects abroad where Russian participation exceeds the restrictions of sanctions? The constraint means American technology cannot be supplied for the upstream projects related to the Arctic, deep water and shale oil if the share of Russian companies in those projects exceeds 33%. Russias state-owned oil giant Rosneft holds significant interests in some major projects  such as Solimoes in Brazil (45% share) or Petroperiha in Venezuela (40% share). Rosneft predicts the sanctions will hurt US interests.

Though sanctions against Iran and Russia were passed in a single act, the reasons for and the targets of those sanctions are different, thus implying the governments responses might be different. The pressure on the Russian energy sector might be an implicit act of "unfair competition," as the Kremlin suggests, on the part of the United States to eliminate a big competitor in the oil and gas market under a political pretext.

However, the United States could also have another agenda  to strike against Russias income-generating sector, which acts as a guarantor of that governments legitimacy. The ability of sanctioned Russian companies to operate in the shadow market  the way Iranian companies did  as well as to invest in research and development, will define Russias overall ability to overcome the sanctions.

According to experts in Russia, such as those at Capital Economics, Russias economic situation wound up being negatively affected not so much by the sanctions imposed against Russia in 2014 but rather by the slump in oil prices and by a boomerang effect from counter-sanctions Russia imposed against the European Union. Even though it has been three years since the first wave of sanctions, and Russian citizens acknowledge they feel the effect, they believe the recent sanctions wont inflict additional damage. Therefore, a politically destabilizing effect on Russia, similar to that anticipated from the crippling sanctions against Iran in 2012, is highly unlikely, even in the midterm perspective.

As for Iran, these sanctions seem to be an attempt by the United States to overcome an inability to knock down the nuclear deal  the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)  in a direct way. In a broader context, the sanctions are meant to send a message to Tehran that Washington still interprets Irans policies in the region as subversive  and the Trump administrations attempts to derail the JCPOA follow the same line. The sanctions act refers to Irans destabilizing role in the region, ambitions in developing its ballistic missile program and infringement on human rights in the country  the "sin list," similar to that before the JCPOA. Thus, in a very rough comparison, claims against Iran and Russia will look alike: human rights violations and regional and extra-regional ambitions backed up by military power or an ongoing commitment to develop it. Moscow has already given its first response by forcefully downsizing the American diplomatic corps in Russia. Meanwhile, the Iranian parliament is considering a bill that would significantly increase (by about $600 million) funding of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the main facilitator of all those activities for which Iran is blamed.

Naturally, Iran observes the effect of sanctions on Russia but also notices the unhappy voices in Europe blaming the United States for not consulting its European partners, even though their trade relations with Moscow are going to be affected. In turn, Iran claims the new sanctions violate the letter and spirit of the JCPOA, while the agreement itself, reached by Iran and six world powers  the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany (P5+1)  from Tehrans viewpoint was an invitation for the European players to return to mutual projects.

It appears that while mulling over its own options, Tehran is looking forward to Moscows reaction. Will Russia stop seeking another "doomed-to-fail" reset with the United States and stand alongside Iran to enhance mutual military capabilities and pledge stronger commitments by the new "axis of resistance" to world arrogance? About two months ago during a Friday prayer, Mohammad Saudi, an imam in the Iranian city of Qom, called on Iran, Russia and North Korea to give a consolidated response to the US sanctions.

But Moscow is unlikely to support Irans bellicose attitude, expressed in statements such as the one IRGC commander Mohammad Ali Jafari made in July. Before imposing the sanctions," he said, "America [should] clear its bases within a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) radius around Iran. Moscow so far has tried to maintain diplomatic responses. Besides, the different nature of the sanctions may provoke Iran to adopt an even more militarized attitude, but Russias priorities will be economic resistance and a search for new sustainable partners or ways to bypass the economic sanctions.

It looks like the countries will continue to explore opportunities beyond bilateral military cooperation, paying visits to each others capitals and sending respective delegations to one another. Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani discussed common issues by phone Aug. 14, predicting that Russia and Iran would be developing stronger ties soon. The countries again reiterated their intentions to lift visa restrictions when Russian Ambassador to Iran Levon Dzhagaryan brought a delegation of Russian businessmen to the Iranian region of Kermanshah in August. On the same occasion, the ambassador again brought up the close partnership between Moscow and Tehran regarding Syria, where the blood of Iranians and Russians is being spilled next to each other.

Though pondering the sanctions unifying drivers is an entertaining intellectual exercise, theres little evidence that they will evolve into a strategic relationship.
September 19, 2017

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey  Seated in the shade of Diyarbakirs ancient city walls, a group of elderly Kurds animatedly discuss the independence referendum that affects their kin in neighboring Iraq. The mood of the conversation seems to sour when the topic moves to Israel, the sole country to have openly endorsed the Kurdish bid for statehood. The men, whose demeanor reveals they are pious Muslims, are clearly unhappy with Israels support, a sentiment that is widespread in conservative Kurdish quarters.

No good will come from anything if Israel has a finger in the pie. If [Kurdish statehood] is going to happen with Israels support, then best it doesnt happen at all, 65-year-old Mustafa Sayar told Al-Monitor, as the others in the group approved.

Their view, however, can hardly be described as an overwhelmingly popular one among Kurds. Civic society activist Mithat Akcan, for instance, is among the Kurds who welcome the Israeli backing. While scores of Muslim countries around Kurdistan, small and big, oppose the referendum and are thinking of myriad sanctions and even war, Israels support is positive and on the mark, he told Al-Monitor.

In Turkeys nationalist and conservative quarters, Kurdish gains are routinely viewed with suspicion, perceived as American or Israeli ploys or conspiracies to divide Turkey or sow foment in the Muslim world. The same themes are abuzz again in the nationalist, conservative and pro-government media, with the news outlets underscoring Israels support for Iraqi Kurdistan.

Regardless of their political affiliations, Kurds overwhelmingly back the independence referendum. Israels support, however, has become a point of contention between conservative Kurds and the others.

Huseyin Yilmaz, the deputy chair of the Kurdish-dominated Islamist Free Cause Party (Huda-Par), believes that Israel is not sincere in its support and, therefore, its backing will not harm the Kurdish cause.

He has his own theories on why Israel would back the Kurds. First, by openly declaring its support for the referendum, Israel is actually trying to foment discord among Muslims. By doing so, it is seeking to hamper the support that Muslim individuals, groups or countries might give to the referendum. In other words, it is trying to strengthen the hand of the opponents of the referendum, Yilmaz told Al-Monitor.

And if the referendum succeeds, he argued, Israel will seek to exert influence over Kurdistan, expecting gratitude for its support. It will try to implement its projects and exercise dominance over the new state. It will try provocations to pit that state against its neighbors. Most importantly, it will try to make that state dependent on Israel, he added.

Referring to arguments that an independent Kurdistan would become a second Israel in the region, Yilmaz said, If so, we are asking neighboring states why they are leaving the Kurds dependent on Israel. We are calling on Turkey to embrace Kurdistan as a big brother, as [the inheritor] of the Ottomans. Dont push the Kurds into Israels lap and dont make them dependent on America and the imperialists.

On the opposite side of the political spectrum, Bayram Bozyel, the deputy head of the Kurdistan Socialist Party and a member of a platform that has sought to promote the referendum in Turkey, sees the fuss over Israels support as manipulation and hypocrisy.

Every country takes a position in line with its interests. This should not bother the Kurds, Bozyel told Al-Monitor.

Muslim Kurds need a reminder that [almost] all Muslim countries have relations with Israel today. Turkey was among the first to recognize Israel and has had military, political and strategic ties with it, he said. Those who raise the Israel argument in the way of Kurdish rights are not honest. This is hypocrisy. They should first look at themselves. Its Muslim countries  Turkey and Arab countries  that keep Israel on its feet today.

Bozyel was confident that Israels support would not harm the referendum process because the Kurdish problem existed long before Israel was established. He faulted Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syria for failing to reconcile with their Kurdish communities for decades, dismissing the talk of a second Israel as manipulation to discredit the Kurdish independence bid. This has nothing to do with Israel, he said. The Kurds want their freedom.

The Iraqi Kurds relations with Israel have long stirred debate and controversy. Some have even alleged that the family of Massoud Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government, is of Jewish origin, but the Kurds have given little credence to those claims.

Kurdish support for the referendum remains robust despite some divergent views. The focus on Israel is not without reason. Turkey sees the potential Kurdish state as a threat. For Turkeys conservative government, however, convincing conservative Kurds of this threat is not easy, even though it has enjoyed solid support among them. Hence, linking the referendum to Israel is the most convenient way, which is why the pro-government media are underscoring Israels support in chorus. Yet, they seem to miss the fact that even Huda-Par, the most Islamist among Kurdish-dominated parties, remains unperturbed and supportive of the referendum.
September 18, 2017

Around 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 31, a group of villagers were hit by fire from a Bayraktar TB2 tactical armed drone in a picnic area about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the border city of Hakkari, a frequent scene of terror operations.

Mehmet Temel, a 35-year-old father of four children, who had no involvement in any terror activity and who did not have a criminal record, was killed and three others were wounded. Those wounded were later detained by security forces on charges of collaboration with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The incident, first reported by Amberin Zaman on Sept. 6, has since become a major agenda item.

A deeper analysis of the issue is necessary as the Turkey-PKK clashes have been rapidly becoming drone-centric. It didnt attract much attention in the media, but at the end of August the PKK attacked a Turkish army military outpost near Semdinli with an off-the-shelf drone carrying an explosive modified from an AGS-17 grenade launcher round and wounded two Turkish soldiers in the first PKK drone attack in the 40 years of clashes.

On Sept. 8, 2016, Turkey introduced the Bayraktar TB2 tactical drone armed with MAM-L (smart micro munition with a modified UMTAS missile, with a range of 8 kilometers [5 miles]) in counterterror operations against the PKK. Security sources in Ankara told Al-Monitor that since September 2016, about 2,000 PKK militants have been neutralized, about 600 of them (30%) by armed drones. Recently, Turkish media widely reported that armed drones neutralized 61 PKK militants just in the previous month. The Daily Sabah said 21 senior leaders of the organization were killed by armed drones in the past year.

Six TB2 drones were delivered to Turkish land forces in June, giving the army 18. The Gendarmerie Command attached to the Interior Ministry uses six and the national police have four for a total of 28 TB2 drones in active duty in counterterror operations.

The Turkish government is planning to increase the number of armed drones to 120 in four years. The Turkish Interior Ministry is the only civilian ministry in the world using armed drones in counterterror operations within national borders. Meanwhile, the Turkish defense industry is working full speed to develop medium-altitude long-endurance drones such as ANKA-S, pilotless combat planes and tactical kamikaze drones. Six ANKA-S models  with 18 hours' endurance time at 23,000 feet that can be controlled via satellites  will be delivered to the Turkish air force this year, to be followed by four more in 2018.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will thus have the capability of commanding the drones from an operations center hundreds of miles away. Ankara, aware of the operational effectiveness of armed drones in counterterror operations, is determined to increase both the drones' numbers and capabilities. But while Ankara is deeply engrossed in efforts to improve the effectiveness of the drones, concerns pertinent to moral, ethical and legal discussions of this process are lagging.

Although it has been more than a year since Turkey introduced armed drones actively to counterterror operations, it has not yet informed the public how these systems will be utilized and under what conditions. Today the Turkish army, the air force, the Gendarmerie Command, the National Police and the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) have armed drones in their arsenals. However, until today, there has been no initiative to achieve standardization and coordination among these agencies on drone warfare. Each agency is operating its own system with its own in-house institutional culture and standard operating procedures.

Moreover, oversight and monitoring mechanisms of the executive branch over drone warfare have not been established yet. Given the prevailing conditions of the state of emergency, establishing a parliamentary body to provide oversight of drone warfare and enabling civil society, the media and universities to participate in this monitoring seems unlikely.

Comprehensive legislation to regulate the use of armed drones in counterterror operations doesnt yet exist while there is an absolute need to draw the legal framework that covers the manufacturers of drones, the command centers and the actual users of the weapons because of the possibility of collateral damages and accidents.

The ramifications of excessive reliance on armed drones in counterterror operations in the strategic cultures and modus operandi of Turkeys security actors should be analyzed to better understand the changes brought to the military ethics and moral values of the security forces.

An informative, useful intellectual debate on the socio-cultural effects of remote-controlled killing is practically impossible nowadays because the slightest criticism of the armed-drone tactics is labeled as treason and supporting the PKK.

In northern Syria, the efforts of the PKK-affiliated People's Protection Units to enhance reconnaissance/surveillance capabilities with unmanned aerial vehicles for the first time, such as with the US-made RQ-20 Puma and civilian model DJI Phantom UAVs, are continuing. The PKK has definitely increased its interest in armed drones. Security officials in Ankara said there have been three armed drone attacks against Turkish military outposts on the Iraqi border between June and August.

In sum, the increasing use by both Ankara and the PKK of armed drones indicates that we are now facing a new dimension in the Turkey-PKK conflict. There is as yet no extensive debate and reporting on this new dimension because the combat zone is far away, in remote rural areas of the country. If what has been so far an essentially rural-area combat is transferred to cities, there will be more civilian casualties. In short, if the drone-centric dynamic of the conflict combines with dynamics of urbanization of the conflict, the human cost of the Turkey-PKK conflict will be much higher. One can only hope that both Ankara and the PKK are aware of the ramifications.
September 19, 2017

The monthslong Saudi-led blockade against the tiny Gulf emirate of Qatar has not impacted the American forces stationed there, a top US Air Force general told Al-Monitor today.

Located just south of the capital Doha, al-Udeid airbase hosts more than 10,000 US troops. Its been a major hub for the US Air Force in the Gulf for 15 years and is the only American runway in the Gulf long enough to allow US B-52 bombers to target Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria.

No impact, Gen. Robin Rand, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, told Al-Monitor when asked about the blockade's effect of the blockade on US operations. In fact, were flying more sorties per week now than we were before the embargo.

The Air Force first deployed B-52 bombers to al-Udeid in April 2016 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, a US-backed effort to eliminate IS safe havens. First introduced in the 1950s, the Boeing-made strategic bomber gives US forces the ability to attack targets deep inside Iraq and Syria. Before the United States started using al-Udeid in 2001, the military stationed B-52s in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and flew occasional missions from a Navy facility at Diego Garcia, an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Rand said three B-52 squadrons operating on six-month rotations since 2016 have flown an increasing number of bombing missions against the militant group. The US-led coalition in Iraq and Syria conducted more than 5,000 strikes on IS targets in August, a record for the three-year mission.

Typically, the Air Force stations one bomber squadron at al-Udeid that includes six B-52 aircraft. The 185,000-pound plane can hold around 70,000 pounds of weapons, such as mines, missiles and the US militarys strongest bunker-busting bombs.

Rands comments at the Air Force Associations annual conference come as the Pentagon has pushed to maintain US-Qatar military relations throughout the embargo. In June, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Qatar had a "strategic" role to play against IS, despite persistent criticism from Gulf countries that Doha supports Islamist groups and is too cozy with Iran. Qatar recently put more than $5 billion into upgrading facilities at al-Udeid.

When asked how a continued embargo could impact US bombing missions in the long term, Rand played down any immediate concerns.

Obviously, if we werent working out of al-Udeid there would be a little bit of a transition," he said. "But were not being told to prepare for that.
September 14, 2017

Iraqs fight to defeat the Islamic State wont end with the military defeat of the group.

As the US-backed Iraqi Security Forces liberated Mosul and Tal Afar this summer, retreating fighters continued to leave behind scores of complex improvised explosive devices (IEDs), deliberately hidden in populated areas to kill and injure civilians. US officials tell Al-Monitor that American support for the Herculean effort to clear those vestiges of the three-year war might be needed for decades.

If youre looking at the scope of contamination in these areas that have been liberated from [IS], its analogous to Europe after World War II [where] theyre still finding stuff today, Jerry Guilbert, deputy director for programs in the State Departments Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, told Al-Monitor. This is ultimately going to have to be viewed as a long-term problem thats in need of a local solution. Its going to take years and years and hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up all of it.

"Its going to take years and years and hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up all of it."

US and Iraqi troops have been dealing with the IED threat since the beginning of US military operations in Iraq in 2003. The State Department estimates that Iraq is contaminated by up to 15 million land mines and unexploded ordnance, some dating back as far as the 1940s.

To deal with the threat, the Donald Trump administration has requested $40 million in Iraqi demining funds for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, more than twice the initial fiscal year 2017 request (supplemental funding eventually brought that total to $48 million). From 2003 through 2015, the United States spent more than $300 million on bomb disposal in Iraq, according to the State Department.

While State Department demining efforts in Iraq have historically focused on cleaning up after conflicts such as the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s and hazards left during Saddam Husseins occupation of Kuwait, officials say IS militants have deliberately targeted civilians in densely populated areas. Theyve placed booby traps in everything from household products such as refrigerators, shoe racks and vacuum cleaners to dead bodies.

One US-partnered organization even found IEDs in Syrian peach orchards, specifically designed to deny food supplies to returning villagers. The extent of civilian-targeted explosives left in the groups wake is like nothing State Department officials have seen in the history of the weapons-removal program, which has operated in more than 30 countries for a quarter of a century.

IS is trying to sow confusion, tragedy and death in its wake as it recedes, Guilbert said. Its a level of evil that we just havent seen elsewhere.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that most Iraqi cities retaken from IS will require IED clearance for residents to return. A UN Security Council resolution adopted last year also calls on Iraqs government to accelerate the clearance of IEDs from areas liberated from IS to speed up the return of refugees and internally displaced people, who still number in the millions.

While demining organizations can only account for a fraction of casualties in Iraq, the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor identified 39 victims of booby traps in 2016. In 2015, undetonated explosives caused at least 55 casualties, and another 63 the year before.

To deal with the threat, the State Department-led program to clear Iraq of IS' IEDs is taking an approach that's different from traditional explosive ordnance programs. Working with the United Nations, the Iraqi government and local administrators in heavily contaminated cities like Mosul and Ramadi, US officials are directing an audit of key critical infrastructure threatened by the explosives before doing a broader survey. Explosive ordnance disposal teams that include contractors and military personnel also continue to follow the front lines of combat.

The US-led coalition has helped train more than 110,000 Iraqi security personnel, including instructions for countering IEDs, Pentagon officials say. While the State Department eventually hopes to leave the Iraqis in charge of IED clearance, the difficulty of clearing densely populated areas jammed with explosives that have multiple switches means that the effort often requires ordnance-disposal experts with 15 years of experience in a modern military force.

In cities such as Mosul, much of which was leveled in the house-to-house fight to clear IS, IEDs have been found tangled amid the remaining infrastructure and rubble, making them challenging to remove safely.

This goes all the way back to 2003. They had to do kind of the same thing  clearing mines and ordnance, Mark Hiznay, associate director of the Arms Division at Human Rights Watch, told Al-Monitor. This new conflict has added a new layer of dealing with the legacy of war. Think of it as lasagna, piled up on top of each other.

Record levels of US-led coalition airstrikes have also left behind hazards. The Associated Press reported that Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, departing commander of the US-backed campaign to defeat IS, had declassified 81 locations where anti-militant airstrikes left unexploded munitions. A spokesperson for the operation told Al-Monitor that the information was provided to UN demining partners through the US Embassy in Baghdad.

Even though IS has lost more than 90% of the area in Iraq that it once considered its caliphate, State Department officials insist the program will continue to be a US focus even after the defeat of the militant group.

Were probably going to remain involved in Iraq for a while, Guilbert said. This is a major priority for the US government.
September 19, 2017

The trial of 31 journalists, writers and executives from the shuttered Zaman newspaper started at the courthouse of the maximum-security penitentiary in Istanbuls Silivri district Sept. 18. The defendants are accused of membership in the network of Pennsylvania-based preacher Fethullah Gulen to which many Turks refer as the Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization, or FETO. The Turkish government is accusing Gulen of instigating last summers coup attempt.

The story of Zaman, founded in 1986, parallels the rise and fall of the Gulenist network. Just like Gulen and his followers, Zaman rose to prominence in the 1990s as a moderate voice of conservative Muslims in Turkey. In the 2000s, thanks in no small measure to the ascendance of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the ruling partys good relations with Gulen, Zaman became Turkeys highest-circulated daily newspaper. Meanwhile, Gulens influence within the Turkish state  especially in the judiciary, the police and the armed forces  expanded.

But in the wake of the fallout between the AKP and Gulenists in 2013, Zaman first came under the control of government-appointed trustees in April 2016 and then was permanently closed on July 27, 2016  11 days after the failed putsch. Around the same time, the authorities arrested scores of Zaman-affiliated journalists for membership in FETO and aiding the coup attempt.

The defendants in the Zaman case, 22 of them in pretrial detention, are something of a whos who of Turkish intelligentsia. They include political scientists Sahin Alpay and Mumtazer Turkone, veteran journalist Nazli Ilicak, theologian Ali Bulac and human rights lawyer and Al-Monitor writer Orhan Kemal Cengiz.

Turkish and international news outlets reported that during their opening defense statements, many of the defendants expressed regret for their past affiliation with Gulenists. Alpay apparently said, I must confess that until [the day of the coup] I was not aware that [Gulens] movement had a side that could be involved in illegitimate affairs. That members of the Gulen movement were involved in the July 15 coup  shocked me and threw me into a deep sense of error.

While Turkone pointed out that he always opposed coup attempts and July 15 was no different, Bulac wondered how the defendants could have known FETOs true intentions when those who ran the state  [President Recep] Tayyip Erdogan, [former Deputy Prime Minister] Bulent Arinc, [former Prime Minister] Ahmet Davutoglu and [Prime Minister] Binali Yildirim  could not. Bulac added that had he really been part of FETO, he would have fled abroad like its prominent members. Those defendants who have had their day in court expressed regret for their past affiliation with Gulen, but reminded everyone that they were not the only ones with such a history.

Indeed, Gulenists dominated so much of Turkeys political, economic and social life in the 2000s and early 2010s that it was impossible to do anything without them. In the media, education, foreign trade and the state bureaucracy, followers of Gulen and their sympathizers were everywhere. For many people in the public and private sectors, working with Gulenists was not just expected, but mandatory. The orders to do so came from the very top of the state.

In addition, accusations of aiding and abetting FETO and membership in FETO have become something of a boogeyman that some people use to get those they dislike into trouble. As Al-Monitor writer Kadri Gursel (who is in custody himself for another case) wrote in August 2016, Turkish drivers with the letters FG in their license plates rushed to change their registration while authorities sometimes detained relatives of Gulenists who were not themselves affiliated with the network at all. What started as a necessary purge after the coup attempt eventually turned into a witch hunt.

The Zaman trial  like other cases in which the defendants did not have much political power to begin with  gives the impression that the AKP government is only strong enough to go after minor players or only interested in punishing those who oppose it. Meanwhile, the big fish, Gulen, remains at large.
Birmingham Museum of Art has appointed Graham Boettcher as its new director.

Boettcher will succeed Gail Andrews, who will retire in Oct. 6, held the position since 1996. When she retires, she will have worked at the museum in some capacity for more than 40 years.

Boettcher, a Bellingham, Washington native, holds a doctoral and bachelor's degree from Yale University in art history, and a master's from the University of Washington. He joined the Birmingham Museum of Art in 2006 as a curatorial fellow. After his fellowship ended, he was hired in the newly created position of Curator of American Art. In 2016, he was promoted to deputy director.

Boettcher will officially start the role on Sept. 20.

Andrews announced her retirement in March, and the Board of Trustees compiled a search committee that conducted a national search with the help of Russell Reynolds Associates. The committee's vote to select Boettcher was unanimous.

"Over the course of the interview process and indeed over the last decade of his service to the Birmingham Museum of Art, Graham has proven himself as a distinguished scholar of art history, a dedicated steward of our collection, and a highly-regarded community leader who is committed to realizing the mission and vision of our prized institution," James Outland, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said in a press release. "Graham has created new avenues for accessing art, from both a visitorship perspective and financial standpoint."
A key figure in sculpting the southern rock sound is no longer with us.

Decatur native Johnny Sandlin, a 2016 Alabama Music Hall of Fame inductee, has died at age 72, according to the Decatur Daily.

Sandlin is best known for his work with the Allman Brothers Band, co-producing with the bluesy improvisational rock group their album "Brothers and Sisters." That 1973 LP moved more than seven million units and contains the Allman Brothers' biggest hit, country-tinged romp "Ramblin' Man," as well as one of their best-loved instrumentals, melodic seven-minute-plus opus "Jessica." Prior to that, Sandlin mixed the Allmans' final album featuring legendary guitarist Duane Allman, 1972's "Eat a Peach."

But Sandlin's history with the Allmans runs deeper than that. He played drums with siblings Gregg and Duane Allman in their '60s, pre-Allman Brothers group Hour Glass. After Hour Glass broke up and a stint as a session drummer in Miami, Sandlin relocated to Macon, Ga., where he became recording engineer, producer, head of A&R and label vice-president at Capricorn Records, the leading southern rock imprint.

In addition to the Allman Brothers Band, Sandlin produced, mixed and mastered albums for Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Elvin Bishop, Wet Willie, Bonnie Bramlett, Cowboy and many others. Sandlin was also a producer on the infamous 1977 "Two the Hard Way" LP Gregg Allman made with then-wife Cher, released under the name "Allman and Woman."

During the late-80s and early-90s, Sandlin's sound reached a new, younger audience through his work with Athens, Ga. jam-band Widespread Panic. Sandlin produced Widespread's 1991 self-titled sophomore album and also worked some on their 1988 debut LP "Space Wrangler." Sandlin produced, mixed and engineered Widespread Panic's 1993 album "Everyday," which was recorded at Sheffield's Muscle Shoals Sound. Other notable latter day jam-bands Sandlin worked with include Derek Trucks Band and Aquarium Rescue Unit. For years, he operated his own studio, Duck Tape, in Decatur. He also worked with top Alabama bands such as internationally touring Huntsville blues combo Microwave Dave & The Nukes.

Sandlin's extensive discography contains at least five platinum albums and 10 gold albums.

Last year, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in an impressive class also including Rolling Stones (and former Allmans) keyboardist Chuck Leavell, ex-Grateful Dead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux-McKay, funky rockers Wet Willie and session aces the Muscle Shoals Horns.
Most of us, sometimes even journalists, find it difficult to resist the temptation to click on a salacious headline, particularly ones about our hometowns or state. But these days, made-up "news" is easier to disseminate, thanks to social media. That's why, when headlines make us do a double-take, we should also do a double-check and be sure the stories are factual. Kelly Kazek | kkazek@al.com

Don't Edit

'It' movie photo from Warner Bros. Pictures

Checking a storys veracity can also be difficult because fake news sites have learned to copy the look and style of reputable media sites. People should always visit the site and check the bottom of the home page, or the About Us page, to see if the website is described as a parody news site. However, some sites dont admit to making up stories, such as one that posted a story last week about an Alabama woman who died while watching the movie It. Although Snopes reports it as a fake site, it claims to be an award-winning newspaper in Jackson, Miss., but has no list of reporters or contact numbers or email addresses.

Readers can also search for the headline on the web. If no other sites are reporting the story, particularly the media in the state where the story reportedly took place or national news sites, it is likely fake.

Don't Edit

Source: Snopes.com

Another way to check the veracity of stories is to visit Snopes.com, a fact-checking and rumor debunking site. Snopes has a well-known reputation for researching the sources of stories and reporting whether they are credible. The screenshot above taken by Snopes shows that the fake Alabama Observer site is no longer online.

I was visiting Snopes.com this week to read the origins of a fake news story and came across several sensational headlines about Alabama that have appeared online in the past year. Below are the stories and the Snopes determinations.

Don't Edit

'It' movie photo from Warner Bros. Pictures

1. Headline: Huntsville woman dies in cinema while watching IT remake

Fact check: This story is false and can be found online using a variety of town names, such as Syracuse, NY. Although the "story" contains just enough details to make it seem real, a victim's age and the name of the theater, some clues that it isn't real are: It doesn't quote any authorities such as a law enforcement agency and it gives more space to describing the plot of the film than the supposed death.

Click here to read the Huntsville version. (Note: Fake stories often disappear from the web and links will be broken.)

Click here to read the Snopes report.

Don't Edit

Original screenshot with 'fake news' added by ALcom

2. Headline: High school teen shot after police mistake saxophone for machine gun

Fact check: In August 2016, the site TMZworldstar reported an Alabama officer who was a member of the Ku Klux Klan killed a black teen in Gary, a town that doesn't exist. The fake story surfaced in the wake of the shooting death of a St. Louis, Mo., teen by officers there. His photo was used with the fake story, Snopes said.

Click here to read the full Snopes report.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

AP File Photo

3. Headline: Alabama legislator angry that state of Georgia allowed in Olympics

Fact check: This is one of those stories created by a parody site like The Onion meant to poke fun of Alabama by implying a senator confused the country of Georgia with the state of Georgia. The story quotes a senator who doesn't exist from a town that doesn't exist, saying: "On behalf of the nearly 5 million people who call the Yellow Hammer State home, we request that Alabama be allowed to compete in future Olympic games  just as you've permitted the State of Georgia to do." This is, of course, fake.

Click here to read the Snopes report.

Don't Edit

Movie poster via Wikimedia Commons

4. Headline: Alabama man suspected of creating real-life human centipede on the run

Fact check: This horrifying story is, thankfully, false. It was inspired by a disturbing horror film called "The Human Centipede." The story appeared on a site called "The Alabama Observer" in October 2016. Notice it was released near Halloween. It alleged that a man in Pullman County  there is no such county in Alabama  had kept women in a warehouse against their will.

Snopes found evidence that the Alabama Observer site was created the same day the story appeared. The site is no longer online.

Click here to read the full Snopes report. The details in the fake news story are particularly gruesome so read at your own discretion.

Don't Edit

AP File Photo

5. Headline: Breaking: Attorney General Jeff Sessions to be disbarred after bar complaint filed by thousands of lawyers

Fact check: Earlier this year, several political sites reported U.S. Attorney General and Alabama native Jeff Session was (or was scheduled to be) removed from the Alabama Bar, saying, "Sessions has already committed four different types of professional misconduct during his time as Attorney General."

While it is true some attorneys' groups have filed complaints against Sessions, he has not been disbarred. Click here to read the Snopes report.
Dauphin Island Elementary School is unusual among public schools in Mobile County. The mayor knows many of the students by name. Children ride bikes to school and leave them unlocked. And now, the school's entire fourth grade, all 12 of them, have brand-new binoculars so they can participate in one of the island's most popular pastimes: birdwatching.

After they each received a pair of 8x42 Eagle Optics binoculars Monday afternoon, the school's 12 4th-graders stepped outside their classroom onto a raised wooden deck to try them out. As if on cue, an osprey who frequents a tower standing in the sand dunes swooped in, landing atop the structure.

"This is awesome!" said one of the girls. Several students looked up "osprey" in their brand-new field guides.

Although the students will go on a few birding field trips with their new binoculars in the course of the school year, it's obvious that they don't have to go far to see some interesting sights.

"You could not be in a better spot for birdwatching," said Don McKee, one of the birders who helped fund the gift that was given to Susan Watt's 4th-grade class. The wooden deck just outside Watt's classroom is situated next to a tall stand of pine trees, overlooking the sand dunes that stand between the school and the Gulf of Mexico.

McKee's wife, Dena McKee, had the idea for the binoculars after meeting a woman on a cruise whose teenage son is one of the nation's top birders. "I said I'd love for every kid on Dauphin Island to have a pair," she said.

The McKees, along with Ralph Havard, president of the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuaries board, and longtime birding enthusiast Eugenia Carey, contributed money toward the gift. Each pair of binoculars cost $100, and the students also received field guides valued at about $20. The binoculars will stay in the classroom until the end of the school year, when the students can take them home.

"Hopefully you'll use them for years to come when you bird-watch," Don McKee told the students. Later, he mentioned that "the best birders start young, when their eyes and ears are good."

He and his wife are longtime birdwatchers who lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast until they discovered Dauphin Island. After coming to the island with their camper for years, they spotted a lot for sale near Cadillac Square and built a small house. They lost their home in Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina, and decided to move to the island permanently.

Likewise, Eugenia Carey came to Dauphin Island in 1986 and was smitten. "The first time I stepped foot here, I bought a house," she said. She came back every spring, finally relocating there from Boca Raton, Fla., when she retired in 2004.

"Dauphin Island is in the top 10 birding spots in the United States," McKee told the students when he gave them their binoculars. "I live at Dauphin Island primarily because of the birds. This is a great spot to view them. I'm excited to have young friends out there with me."

Mayor Jeff Collier was also in the classroom for the presentation. Birding, he said, "is a big part of our local economy." He stressed that children also need to learn how important it is to be "good stewards of the environment."

"Maintaining birding opportunities is something worthwhile for us to do," he said. "We're thankful for the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuaries' donation to the fourth grade."
New York, NY  Taylor Moore, a 20-year-old college student from Arkansas, wants to be able to attend class, stay in the dorms, or go to the schools library without having to encounter the student who sexually assaulted her  rights US anti-gender discrimination laws, known as Title IX, are supposed to protect.

Schools receiving federal funds  this essentially includes all of the about 5,000 US colleges  must protect the rights of those who have been sexually assaulted or harassed. But what they need to do to adequately protect those students has long been a subject of debate.

Betsy DeVos, the US secretary of education, has vowed to overhaul guidelines introduced by the Obama administration in 2011. Survivors of sexual assault had hailed those guidelines for making it easier for those who had been sexually assaulted to come forward and get on-campus justice, which is unrelated to criminal prosecution. But others have derided the guidelines as trampling on the rights of accused students.

The effects of sexual assault are profound, Moore told Al Jazeera.

[My attacker] saw me naked, he touched my naked body, she said, adding, of the possibility of seeing her assailant, it makes me feel small and very insecure and just violated all over again.

The Obama administration guidelines were introduced after decades of surveys continually found that about one in five women is sexually assaulted while in college. They also accompanied a gradual shift in social awareness about what constitutes rape and sexual assault to include psychological coercion, exemplified by the FBIs 2012 removal of the word force from its definition of rape.

It was so hard to come forward with what happened to me and actually tell somebody, said Moore, but I knew that something would be done under the guidelines.

DeVos, in a speech at George Mason University in early September, promised to protect the rights of sexual assault survivors, as well as other students. But, she said, the accused are being mistreated in campus kangaroo courts under the current guidelines.

One rape is one too many. One assault is one too many, she said, later adding, one person denied due process is one too many.

During the speech, DeVos had referenced Moores own story: In a dorm room at Southern Arkansas University, Moores boyfriends roommate, naked, tried to force himself on her. It was during finals in Moores first semester at the school. Her boyfriend looked on, in apparent support of the attack.

Moore had met DeVos, along with several other survivors, in July. She told her about the attack and her schools inadequate response.

DeVoss words and actions were conflicting, Moore said.

It meant a lot that in her speech [DeVos] talked about my story because that reassured me and lets me know that she was listening, said Moore. But her rescinding of the guidelines, it doesnt send a good message to survivors. It doesnt make me feel very safe on my campus.

OPINION: Sexual assault in the time of Trump

The battle of coming forward

While the vast majority of sexual assaults are not reported, the number of recorded incidents on college campuses jumped from 4,000 in 2012 to 5,000 in 2013, a 2016 report by the National Center for Education Statistics showed. Many survivor advocates believe more people were willing to come forward after the guidelines were released.

Carly Mee, a lawyer with the survivors rights group, SurvJustice, which also represented Moore, said the guidelines, while only technically a clarification of current laws, had a thawing effect for those who were dealing with the trauma of campus sexual assault. Any guidelines that are less firm, or an administration that seems less likely to enforce them, could change that, she said.

It gave survivors a tool to bring to schools that says Hey, this really clearly says what you need to be doing, and youre not doing it,' Mee said.

If criteria in the guidelines were not met, federal funds could be withheld from schools, and furthermore, the Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights would investigate complaints that a school was not following the guidelines and publish a public list of schools being investigated.

Most importantly, said Mee, who was sexually assaulted during her first week of college in California in 2009, the guidelines made survivors feel like they would not be fighting for their civil rights alone. Mee said she was left traumatised and confused after she was attacked because it was different from the stranger in the bushes narrative of rape she had been warned about.

Its such a battle to think about. Is it even worth coming forward? Is anything actually going to come of this? Am I going to be dragged through the mud by the accused student? she said. The dear colleague letter made it so survivors didnt have to carve out that [civil rights] space any more, it was already there, and they just had to take that tool and bring it forward.

READ MORE: By the numbers  Sexual violence in high school

Overcorrecting the problem?

The Obama era guidelines were quickly criticised, including by professors of law and academic professionals. The guidelines required schools to use a preponderance of evidence standard when deciding if an attack occurred. This meant over 50 percent of the evidence must indicate an individual committed the assault  a standard lower than in criminal proceedings, but the same as those used in civil rights cases.

But without the protections available in civil court  the ability to subpoena evidence and witnesses and conduct cross-examination, along with the investigative limitations of school fact finders  the accused are denied due process, argues Joe Cohn of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a group to which DeVoss familys foundation has previously donated money.

Even with a fact-finder who felt that it was 49.9 percent likely that the person really didnt do it, the school was still obligated to punish, said Cohn. Even with that massive amount of doubt.

Critics like Cohn say schools also feared both public shaming and the loss of funding, which, when coupled with messaging that only one side of the issue mattered, led many schools to overcorrect for the problem. On top of biases in the process, some schools unreasonably broadened the definitions of sexual assault and harassment in their policies, he said.

It set up an environment where institutions were trying to stay clear of the bad publicity and trying to stay clear of federal enforcement, said Cohn, because no one wants to be on the front fold of the newspaper, basically being accused of harboring rapists, so it really skewed the process [towards those making the allegations].





A database kept by the group, Title IX for All, has tracked 170 lawsuits filed by students accused of campus sexual misconduct who believe their civil rights were denied. The vast majority of the cases were filed after 2011.

In one Virginia lawsuit, a student expelled from Washington and Lee University charged that the school had displayed a gender bias in determining that he had assaulted a female student. In another case in Massachusetts, a student alleged that Amherst College investigators did not fully investigate evidence that indicated the alleged assault was consensual, according to local reports.

In both cases, federal judges allowed the cases to proceed, but they settled out of court.

Justin Dillon, a lawyer who represents accused students, said cases like these exemplify a system that encourages schools to sacrifice the rights of the accused to appear tough on sexual assault.

Being falsely accused of rape takes an absolutely enormous and life-changing effect on your life. It can ruin your life. Ive seen it happen, said Dillon, who has represented students at about 60 colleges.

Survivor advocates, however, say critics are overstating the prevalence of false sexual assault reports. Studies put the rate of those reports at between two to 10 percent, but even those figures are inflated due to inconsistent definitions and protocols, or a weak understanding of sexual assault, one report showed.

Under a spectre of sexual assault

DeVos has not yet announced any new Title IX guidelines, but said she would open up a notice-and-comment period as they are decided. The process, which is meant to allow public feedback and is standard when an agency changes rules that affect the bodies it governs, was not followed before the Obama administration announced their guidelines in 2011.

Four prominent survivor groups told Al Jazeera they are only aware of the administration meeting with survivor organisations once, while also meeting with a controversial mens rights group. They said no future meetings are planned, and there has been no further communication with the administration.

The Department of Education contested those claims in a statement to Al Jazeera. The Secretary, as well as her team in the office for Civil Rights, have met many times with sexual assault survivors and the groups that represent them, those who have been falsely accused under Title IX, and university presidents, general counsels and others who are charged with enforcing Title IX on their campuses, said Liz Hill, the press secretary for the department. Those conversations started before the [July] Title IX summit and continued after.

The department did not immediately provide further details on those meetings.

The administration remains under the spectre of Donald Trumps comments about sexual assault. Survivors say they are also concerned with a June internal memo issued by Candice Jackson, who heads the Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights, which advised federal investigators to no longer probe systemic patterns of discrimination at colleges.

Jackson, herself a rape survivor, in a July interview with the New York Times, said that 90 percent of college sexual assault reports fall into the category of regrets after a breakup or drunken encounter. She later apologised for the comments, but survivors fear that flippant attitude pervades the administration  and will be reflected in new guidelines.

I think it really shows whats behind their actions here, honestly, said Neena Chaudhry, senior council at the National Womens Law Center. It perpetuates all these rape myths about women and girls and people who are coming forward.

Survivors groups have called for mobilisations across campuses, urging students to write letters to their administrators in support of the current guidelines. For Moores part, she has since transferred schools and is pursuing a nursing degree. She hopes to have another chance to talk to DeVos soon.

I think the answer lies with colleges, not with changing the guidelines, she said. If they do the processes the right way the first time, it doesnt violate anyones rights, the accused or the survivor.

I feel like if there was another meeting, and I got to voice my opinion about that, then it would make me feel a lot better, Moore added, because I know [DeVos] listened to my story the first time, so I think that she would listen to my opinion again.
Greek Orthodox Church plunged into renewed crisis as its leaders are accused of selling off land to Jewish settlers.

Occupied East Jerusalem  The Greek Orthodox Church has been plunged into a renewed crisis in the Holy Land as its leaders are accused of selling off land to extremist Jewish settlers in prime locations in Jerusalems Old City.

Hundreds of Palestinians rallied in the city this month to call for the removal of Patriarch Theophilos III, claiming that he had colluded with a settler organisation.

The settler group, Ateret Cohanim, has been working for decades to evict Palestinians from their homes and shops in the Old City, including around important holy sites such as the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The land deal, initiated back in 2004, brought down Theophiloss predecessor, Irineos, more than a decade ago after he sold an option for a 198-year lease on three strategically located properties in the Old City to front companies representing Ateret Cohanim.

Secret tape recordings of Ateret Cohanim officials have in the past raised concerns that Israel is strong-arming each new Greek Orthodox Patriarch into selling land by refusing to agree to recognise his appointment until he cooperates with the settler group.

Much is at stake, as nearly a quarter of land in East Jerusalem is reported to be Church-owned, including the Mount of Olives, Sheikh Jarrah and large swaths of the Old City  all sites targeted by the settler movement.

The issue of land sales is especially contentious in East Jerusalem because the city is supposed to become the capital of a future Palestinian state.





But the controversy stretches much further, with growing numbers of Palestinian Christians outraged at a wave of recent land sales by the Patriarch inside Israel and the occupied West Bank. The Greek Orthodox Church is reputedly the second-largest landowner in the country after the Israeli state itself, with title deeds to some 400sq km, according to local Palestinian Christians.

More than 300 Palestinians filed a criminal complaint to the Palestinian attorney general in Ramallah last month, accusing the Patriarch of treason. They said they were forced to act after the Church refused to make public details of its real-estate deals.

The land sales have triggered a broader campaign demanding an end to the Churchs dominance by Greek-born clergy. Protesters this month were among those calling for Palestinian clerics to take over the Patriarchate.

Adi Bajali, who attended the protest in Jerusalem and is a member of the Orthodox Central Council, which represents Orthodox communities in Israel, Palestine and Jordan, said the Patriarch was behaving like a dictator.

This land does not belong to him  it belongs to our community. It is our future and our childrens future, he told Al Jazeera.

Israel has a declared intention to make all of the land here Jewish. Our mother Church should not be assisting them by stripping us of our birthright.

The dispute over the land sales in Jerusalem has been escalating since an Israeli judge ruled last month against an appeal by the Orthodox Church seeking to overturn the 2004 deal.

At the time, church officials blamed a rogue adviser, Nikolas Papadimos, for making the deal.

Two of the buildings, which currently serve as hotels, are close to Jaffa Gate, an entrance into the Old City that Israeli officials and settlers have been trying to Judaise. The area, although home to thousands of Palestinians, has effectively become the main gateway from West Jerusalem in Israel to the Western Wall and the Old Citys main settler colony, the Jewish quarter.

The third building is in the Muslim quarter, an area where Ateret Cohanim has been aggressively buying properties to encircle the al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Maher Sahlieh, a Jerusalem member of the Orthodox Central Council, said the sales were causing Palestinians in East Jerusalem sleepless nights.

Many thousands of them, including the majority of Palestinian Christians in the city, live on Church-owned land, he told Al Jazeera. These sales put their future in the balance.

In court, Theophiloss officials argued that the sale of the three buildings was void because Papadimos had no authority to make the transaction. The Jerusalem court ruled that the deal was valid as money exchanged hands.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate was unavailable for comment.

But in an apparent move to calm the rising tide of anger, leaders of the regions main Churches this month condemned the ruling as an example of recent breaches of the status quo regarding Church property.

We see in these actions a systematic attempt to undermine the integrity of the Holy City of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and to weaken the Christian presence, they wrote in a joint statement.

The statement also condemned a bill recently introduced in Israels parliament to allow the Israeli state to take over Church properties leased to private companies. Hundreds of Jewish families in West Jerusalem are up in arms after the Church secretly sold the lease to Israeli developers, leaving their future uncertain.

Although Theophilos denounced the court ruling and promised to appeal it to a higher court, it may prove hard to placate Palestinian Christians.

READ MORE: Palestinians in East Jerusalem battle for their homes

In July, 14 local Orthodox institutions  representing many of the half a million Greek Orthodox Christians in the occupied territories, Israel and Jordan  severed ties with Theophilos and his synod.

They have called on Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and Jordan to force Theophiloss removal. Under Jordanian law, they noted, the Patriarch is not allowed to sell Church property.

So far the PA and Jordan have kept a low profile. Many Palestinian Christians suspect that Theophiloss position is being safeguarded by Israel and the United States.

Theophilos needs the approval of the PA and Jordan, so if they wanted to they could force him to step down, said Sahlieh. It is time for them to act.

In Jerusalem, some protesters argued for a new schism like the one that split the Orthodox Church from Rome in 1054. Among the chants accusing the Patriarch of being a collaborator were cries of Free the Patriarchate from Greek influence. Some 500 years ago, under Ottoman rule, control of the Orthodox Church in the Holy Land passed to Greece.

We need a grass-roots revolt, Asad Daoud, an Orthodox Christian from the Galilee who attended the rally, told Al Jazeera.

We must refuse to pray in the churches. We must boycott them until we get our Church back.

Palestinian priests occupy only two seats in the Churchs 18-member synod. Atallah Hanna, the only Palestinian serving as a Greek Orthodox archbishop, has been repeatedly punished by the Patriarch for speaking out.

He did so again after the court ruling, issuing a statement: Those who sell and forfeit our real estate and Orthodox endowments do not represent our Arab Church, its heritage, identity and historical presence in this holy land.

Bajali said the Orthodox community was beset with rumours that the Patriarchate had allegedly hidden away proceeds from the sales in overseas bank accounts.

Daoud agreed: They are thieves and will sell everything unless we stop them. Where has all the money from these sales gone? Why have they not built schools or cultural centres for our community? They have done nothing.

The protest in Jerusalem was the latest development in a campaign by local Christians that has been gaining ground for several years.

At Orthodox Christmas in early 2015, large numbers of Palestinians protested against Theophilos in Bethlehems Manger Square as he arrived at the Church of the Nativity. Six youths were arrested, as demonstrators denounced what they termed a Greek occupation of their Church.

The local population were enraged by sales of land near Bethlehem, including a site next to the Mar Elias monastery, that freed up land for the expansion of settlements of encircling Jerusalem.

As well as selling land in the occupied territories, the Church is reported to have made deals to sell plots worth millions of dollars in Israel, including in West Jerusalem, Jaffa, Haifa, Nazareth and Caesarea, the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hana Swaid, a Palestinian Christian and a former member of the Israeli parliament who now heads an organisation monitoring land problems for Palestinians in Israel, said things had got markedly worse under Theophilos.

The Patriarch is selling more and more land, he told Al Jazeera. The Church used to offer long-term leases on its land, but kept the ownership. Now its selling the title deeds, too. The Church has betrayed the community.

READ MORE: Behind the headlines in Jerusalem

Palestinians in Israel, who comprise a fifth of its population, are concerned about the land sales because Israel has an official policy of Judaising territory.

Palestinian communities in Israel had most of their lands seized by the state in the 1950s and 1960s, leaving them with no room to expand, said Swaid. Today, 93 percent of Israels territory is nationalised, held on behalf of world Jewry rather than Israeli citizens.

Bajali pointed out that much of the Churchs current lands had either been bequeathed by local Christians during the Ottoman period or bought with donations from Orthodox pilgrims.

The land was given to the Church as an endowment, for safekeeping and to benefit the Orthodox community as a whole, he said. If the Patriarch keeps selling it, in another 100 years there will be nothing left  and no Christians here.

In court documents, the Patriarchate has stated that it is mired in debt, a claim that local Christians struggle to accept.

If they are really that hard-up, why have they not come to us asking for help? said Daoud. We would rather raise money for the Church and keep the lands than have the lands sold off.

Swaid said one possible reason for the land sales was a desire by the Church to increase its influence with Israel against its chief rival, the Vatican.

I dont believe the Church needs the money, but it is in competition with the Catholic Church and selling land brings it closer to the Israeli authorities, he said.

READ MORE: Palestinians demand removal of church patriarch

There are also suspicions that Theophilos and his predecessors may have been selling land to settlers and Israeli companies under more direct pressure, said Sahlieh. A new Patriarch requires recognition not just from Jordan and the PA, but from Israel, too.

An investigation by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in early 2006, shortly after Theophilos was enthroned, suggested that recent Patriarchs had been strong-armed behind the scenes into collusion with Israel and settler groups.

Israel refused to recognise Theophilos for nearly two and a half years after his appointment. His predecessor, Irineos, was also denied recognition  in his case, for nearly four years, until shortly before the Jerusalem land sales went through.

In secret recordings, a senior official in Ateret Cohanim boasted that the settler group effectively had a veto over Israels approval of a new Patriarch. It withheld its agreement until the new Patriarch started selling land.

Asaf Baruchi, an adviser to Matityahu Dan, chairman of Ateret Cohanim, stated: When [Irineos] sold to us, he became Patriarch  Now, the second one [Theophilos] wants to be Patriarch. And the second one hasnt become patriarch  why?  Were still with the first one (Irineos), because he sold to us.

Irineos bolstered suspicions of collusion in a lawsuit he filed in 2005 to block the Jerusalem land sales. He said that, when he originally refused to sell to Ateret Cohanim, Dan came to his office and threatened an atomic bomb would explode in the courtyard unless the Patriarch signed. Two weeks later, the Israeli media reported the sale had gone through.

Swaid said it was time for real change. Things wont improve as long as the Church acts like a foreign entity and ignores its responsibilities and duties to the local Palestinian population.
A historic independence vote later this month in Iraqi Kurdistan could accelerate the Kurdish path towards sovereignty and finally gift Iraqs Kurds with a state of their own after a centurys worth of conflict, mass atrocities and genocide. While the referendum could generate the momentum for Kurdish independence, as well as formalise the process, it will have no immediate administrative and organisational impact, since the vote will not be legally binding. But, the Kurdish push for statehood will not be without its challenges, least of all resistance from regional powers. Turkey and Iran, in particular, have historically resisted Kurdish self-determination, often through armed confrontation.





Iraqi Kurdistans neighbours have been stuck between a rock and a hard place ever since a Western-imposed no-fly zone was established over northern Iraq in 1991, which allowed the two dominant parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), to establish their own autonomous region, complete with its own political system (including elections), institutions, and foreign relations.

Despite the unhelpful geopolitical environment of the 1990s that saw Kurdistan surrounded by powerful, resource-rich neighbours and their powerful armed forces  who were far better positioned then, than they are today, to invade and militarily end the de-facto Kurdish state  the 1992 Iraqi Kurdish elections, the first of its kind in Iraqs history, established the path towards sovereignty that the Kurds are currently moving along today.

Despite the landmark elections and continued Western enforcement of the no-fly zone, governance was not without its challenges. Kurdistans political process was still nascent. Hostile neighbours surrounded the Kurds and had no interest in seeing this new emerging democracy advance further, for both domestic and geopolitical reasons. Inevitably, regional powers, including Turkey, Iran and Syria, alongside the Baath regime, began their efforts to destabilise the region, principally through fostering division among the parties, manipulation and by offering patronage to rival parties and movements.

READ MORE: The looming question of Kurdish independence in Iraq

However, at the same time, Iraqi Kurdistan has, since the 1990s, been regarded by regional powers like Turkey as a conduit through which to counter and manage its own Kurdish issue and the Kurdistan Workers Party(PKK), the Kurdish rebel group that has fought the Turkish state for the past forty years. Both the KDP and the PUK worked alongside Turkey to combat the PKK, whose Marxist-orientated vision of Kurdish nationalism runs contrary to their social-democratic and liberal outlook. Both Barzani and Talabani were provided with Turkish passports, which allowed them to travel freely outside of Iraq and Turkey, and were even allowed to establish official representation in Ankara.

Turkey is not actively encouraging Kurdish statehood but has transformed its 1990s economic relationship with the KRG into a regional security arrangement of which Iraqi Kurdistan is a key pillar. by

Todays political cooperation between Ankara and the KRG is an extension of these ties. Since 2003, Turkey has slowly moved towards accepting what many regard as the inevitability of Kurdish statehood, yet one that will be heavily aligned with Ankara and that will constitute a crucial source of natural gas and an important buffer between Turkey and an Iran-aligned Baghdad government. In addition to Turkey, the Gulf has also positioned itself in a way that allows it to capitalise on Iraqi Kurdistans hydrocarbons, which, with sovereignty, the Kurds could export without suffering punitive political and economic measures from Baghdad.

Turkey is not actively encouraging Kurdish statehood but has transformed its 1990s economic relationship with the KRG into a regional security arrangement of which Iraqi Kurdistan is a key pillar. Despite its initial intransigence after the Kurds gained autonomy in 1991, Ankara has invested extensive resources in Kurdistans economy, has helped build a pipeline that enables it to independently export its hydrocarbons and that, as a result, has helped integrate Kurdistan into the international system  despite knowing that this could one day transform the region into an independent Kurdish state.

There will continue to be words of warning from Ankara, perhaps even threats, but that has far more to do with Turkeys own Kurdish politics and the ongoing conflict against the PKK. While a Kurdish state could embolden the PKK and its sister groups in Syria, Turkey is in a far stronger position to forestall Kurdish secession in Turkey and has both regional and international support to suppress a potential domino effect that could encourage Iranian, Turkish and Syrian Kurdish secession, at least for the foreseeable future. Contrary to the simplistic, often sensationalist analysis that Kurdish independence would somehow precipitate the end of Iraq and other states  despite the lack of empirical evidence that would support such a scenario  there is simply too much resistance regionally and internationally to any wholesale changes to the state system in the Middle East.

REPORTERS NOTEBOOK: Kurds to vote on independence despite warnings from neighbours

Others, like Iran, will need more convincing. The notion of a US-aligned Kurdish state that has vast hydrocarbons, a viable economy, strong ties to the US and the Gulf and sits adjacent to its borders constitutes a nightmare scenario for the Iranian regime. Iranian apprehensions additionally centre around, firstly, a weakening of its position in Iraq and, therefore, regionally; secondly, the possibility that a Kurdish state will rejuvenate its own Kurdish factions who, over the past year, have conducted a series of attacks on regime targets.

Indeed, since the Syria conflict, the opportunity structures for Kurdish resurrections throughout the region have increased. However, while the renewal of hostilities with Iran represents an opportunity for groups like the Kurdistan Democratic Party  Iran (KDPI) to revitalise Irans Kurdish national liberation movement, Iranian Kurdish groups lack sufficient external patronage and resources as well as the support bases within Iran that could enable it to mount a serious insurgency against an Iranian regime that is at the peak of its power since the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Moreover, Iranian Kurdistan suffers from serious securitisation and under-development (rivalled only by the deprived areas of Sistan and Baluchistan in southeast Iran) and the Iranian regime has reinforced its security and military zones in the areas adjacent to KDPI bases in northern Iraq. In other words, Iraqs Kurdish state-building efforts are unlikely to be replicated, meaning that Iran is positioned to manage any potential spillover effect of Iraqi Kurdish statehood.

It is, however, up to the KRG to win the war of narratives and the intellectual battle that can convince their friends and foes that a Kurdish state will bring opportunities, rather than problems. While regional powers like Iran may attempt to prevent such a state through armed confrontation or by way of its Shia militia proxies in Iraq, Tehran will, nevertheless, have to factor in Americas response. The Trump administration is becoming increasingly belligerent towards Iran and may need little convincing to militarily engage the Iranian regime  if and when Tehran decides to confront Americas favourite ally.

Ranj Alaaldin is a Visiting Fellow at Brookings Doha Center. He specialises in Iraq and the modern history of the Middle East and holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Condemnation of the brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing being carried out against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is growing around the world, with the Dalai Lama, the Pope, Nobel Laureates and world leaders from many countries calling for an end to hostilities.





There is no easy way to end the suffering there, but it is imperative that the world speaks out as one against such atrocities, yet the UK governments voice has barely been heard at all. Of all the countries that should be playing a role in protecting the vulnerable Muslim minority people in Myanmar, the UK should be leading efforts, as blame for the conflict in those lands is very easily traceable back to British Colonial times.

Even without knowing the dark secrets of British involvement, people are horrified about what is happening in Myanmar, with hundreds of thousands of people forced from their homes by violent vigilantes, either led by or with help from the army and stories of rapes and murder commonplace, alongside the dramatic footage of burning villages. The hatred which has been stirred up by nationalists is all too obvious in the TV reports and the Islamophobia that has been created by (among others) Ashin Wirathu, a monk who calls himself the Buddhist Bin Laden, is truly frightening.

READ MORE: Coxs Bazar  Chaos all around at Rohingya camps

If the UK and other western countries do not tackle this and condemn the attacks on a Muslim minority people, this inaction will again be seized upon as evidence of the Wests hatred of Islam by extremists with another agenda. They will do nothing to help the Rohingya but will use their name for propaganda and recruiting more fighters for their cause, just as they have with previous examples of Muslims being persecuted.

The Rohingya have been living in those lands for over two hundred years, but resentment over the internal displacement of Buddhists stems back to 1826 when Britain annexed the part of Myanmar where most Rohingya Muslims live today. Bengali Muslims arrived in large numbers to become labourers and administrators for the British, but it is not the colonists who are blamed for this in todays nationalist narrative, but the descendants of these migrant workers.

Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948, but the position of the Rohingya Muslims has become ever more perilous. The United Nations has described the Rohingya Muslims as the most persecuted minority in the world. Attempts at creating an independent state for themselves have failed, and they have been denied citizenship in their own country since 1982 and with it the right to education, healthcare or even property ownership.

Far from speaking out against the violence, Aung San Suu Kyi has hidden behind the same language of having to fight terrorists as was used by Bosnian Serbs in the 1990s, Western leaders in the War on terror in Iraq and Libya, Israels persecution of Palestine and Saudi Arabia destroying the lives of the poor people in Yemen. Although she is not alone in her hypocrisy, as a Nobel Laureate, expectations of her are much higher. Yet her response so far has been mealy-mouthed, and the British government have not held her to account when they most certainly have the opportunity to do so. Last year the UK sold weapons worth half a million pounds to the government in Myanmar, which could very well be used against the Rohingya now. 250k was taken from the UKs aid budget to train the army there, which in this climate of violence is completely inexcusable.

Aung San Suu Kyi has personal as well as political ties with the UK, having a British husband and two sons born and raised in the UK. She not only graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, but returned to live in the UK after working briefly at the UN. She married British scholar Michael Aris in 1972, and lived in the UK until 1988, giving birth to and raising their two sons Alexander and Kim Aris there. Her sons continued to be raised in the UK by their father when she returned to Burma to first look after her ailing mother and then to lead the political opposition, and hence are British citizens.

When the Taliban blew up ancient monuments to Buddha in Afghanistan, there was an immediate angry reaction to the desecration of such important artefacts of cultural significance  rightly so. The problem is that rape, murder, and the destruction of peoples homes in Myanmar has not inspired the same level of reaction.

OPINION: Only international pressure can save Rohingya now

The UK needs to step up and provide leadership in alleviating the suffering in Myanmar:

1. The Myanmar government is stopping UN aid from getting in: we must demand that blocks are removed immediately so that humanitarian aid can reach people. Charities are raising money already, so we must ensure it gets to where people need it most. There is also a huge humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh where the UK must play a leading role in aid efforts.





2. Our government must acknowledge the UN findings of ethnic cleansing and slow genocide and the hate speech being used by the military, Buddhist extremists and nationalists against Rohingya Muslims. We must stop using the language of ethnic tensions, as this is misleading and disingenuous; instead, we must join the coalition of genocide charities, Nobel Peace Prize winners, and faith leaders in condemning what is happening in the strongest possible terms.

3. We must demand unequivocal condemnation from Aung Sang Suu Kyi: A UN report has already gathered damning evidence. Its recommendations need to be implemented, and the UK should use its place on the Security Council to more effect.

4. We must demand that citizenship rights be immediately given to Rohingya Muslims, the denial of which over many decades has made this latest persecution easier.

5. UK aid to Burma must be stopped (especially military training) until the situation is acknowledged and a way of measuring the results of any such training is established.

6. We should propose the re-implementation of sanctions which were lifted when democracy was supposed to have been introduced. The current human rights violations are not just on a par with, but even worse than those that had been taking place under the military regime.

Salma Yaqoob is an activist, commentator and broadcaster who was named by the Guardian as: The most prominent Muslim woman in British public life. Harpers Bazaar magazine also named her among the thirty most influential women in the country. She appears regularly on Question Time, where she is best known for having given the former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith a dressing down over expenses and inequality. Salma has also appeared on BBC Newsnight, Channel Four & ITV news and written columns for the Guardian and others. She has received numerous awards, including an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University for services to public life, having served as an elected councillor in the city. Salma is a qualified psychotherapist with a degree in Human and Applied Psychology, as well as Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Integrative Psychotherapy. She works as a Senior Manager in an NHS Mental Health Trust.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
There are various accounts of Fridays protest, in which a 10-year-old girl was among those killed. Heres what we know.

On Friday, security forces in Democratic Republic of the Congo opened fire on a crowd of protesting Burundian refugees.

At least 39 people  including a 10-year-old girl  were killed and 94 others wounded in the incident in South Kivu.

Of those wounded, 37 were treated in nearby Kamanyola, while 57 were critically injured and airlifted to Goma for medical care.

Details of the incident are still unclear, with various accounts and official government statements contradicting the UNs comments on the matter.

Here is what we know so far:

What happened?

On the night of September 12, the national army (FARDC) patrol arrested four Burundian refugees armed with weapons in the Congo town of Kamanyola in South Kivu province.

Al Jazeera has since seen a video showing the four refugees carrying sticks.

They were held for two days by the army and were then taken to the general migration directorate.

On Friday, September 15, at around 16:00 GMT, Burundian refugees and asylum seekers living in the area left their camps and went to the office of the National Intelligence Agency to protest the detainment of the four men.

The protesters, a group of a few hundred, were concerned the detainees would be repatriated and handed over to the Burundian government.

These people came to Congo for protection. Not to be killed by Florence Marchal, spokesperson for MONUSCO

According to a witness who spoke to Al Jazeera, who will remain anonymous for security reasons, two local police officers tried to stop the refugees from approaching the office of the National Intelligence Agency.

According to reports, collaborated by a statement from an interior ministry official, troops tried to disperse the crowd by firing warning shots in the air. The refugees responded by throwing stones as it became clear that they would be physically stopped from airing their concerns.

According to the witness, one refugee grabbed a gun from a Congolese soldier and shot him dead.

It was then that the soldiers opened fire on the crowd, shooting wildly and indiscriminately.

How many people were killed?

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that death toll had risen to 39, including 15 women and a 10-year-old girl.

Around 114 others were injured, of whom 57 were airlifted by UN helicopters to the towns of Bukavu and Goma. The UN confirmed that one soldier was killed.

According to the Congolese government, five soldiers were killed.

There are currently more than 2,000 refugees in the Kamanyola area, close to the Burundi border.

Following the incident, around half of the refugees moved into the vicinity around the MONUSCO base, for safety.

How has the Congolese government responded?

The Congolese government claims that the army was attacked by armed persons and not refugees.



Lambert Mende, the countrys minister of media and communication, told Al Jazeera there had been an exchange of fire and described the encounter as an attack on the army.

The [Congolese army] suffered an attack by armed persons. They are not refugees. Who identified them as refugees? An inquiry is opened to identify them, he said.

The government has opened an inquiry into the incident, he said.

The Congolese army is expected to release a statement once the investigation is complete.

How has the UN responded?

The UN says that those protesting outside the Congolese office were refugees and asylum seekers who had applied for international protection.

Babar Baloch, a UNHCR spokesman based in Geneva, said that the agency has multiple accounts indicating the protest was peaceful but took an ugly turn and the security forces fired live fire indiscriminately into the crowd.

MONUSCO, the UN mission in Congo, condemned the incident and called for an immediate investigation into the matter.

Florence Marchal, MONUSCO spokesperson, described the response of Congolese forces as disproportionate.

These people came to Congo for protection. Not to be killed, she said.

Maman Sidikou, head of MONUSCO, also said in a statement that he was shocked with the large number of civilian deaths and called on authorities to swiftly open legal actions to establish truth and do justice to victims.

How many Burundian refugees live in the DRC?

Most Burundian refugees arrived in Congo after the unrest of 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to change the constitution and run for a third term in office.

Around 300,000 people fled to neighbouring countries as violence and intimidation spread to all parts of the country.

There are currently 44,000 Burundian refugees in Congo.

Nkurunziza won presidential elections later in 2015, but the country remains on edge with the UN documenting a series of assassinations and targeted killings over the past two years.

The Burundian government has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, but people continue to leave Burundi out of fear.

Congo is home to hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced persons who fled violence and intimidation. Activists and human rights organisations say that Congo is ill-suited to host refugees.

State control and capacity in these territories are limited, with local security forces often a source of insecurity for the population. Social services are barely functional to nonexistent, and standards of living are extremely low, Refugees International said in a report in May 2016.

Further, more than 50,000 Congolese in these two territories are internally displaced, with more than 360,000 IDPs in South Kivu province as a whole.

Dismas Nkunda, chief executive officer of Atrocities Watch Africa, told Al Jazeera that for many, coming to Congo is a last resort.

Its like jumping from the frying pan and into the fire, Nkunda said, from the Ugandan capital, Kampala.





Is it safe for Burundian refugees to return?

The UNHCR said that 7,200 Burundian refugees have returned so far but that it did not see large scale returns in 2017 given there had been an increase in refugee numbers in early 2017.

Violence, human rights violations and fear of persecution are the main reasons for their departure to the DRC, the UNHCR said in a report released in May 2017.

The total refugee population is expected to grow to over half a million by end 2017  making it potentially the third biggest refugee situation in Africa, the UN Agency said.

Burundi has repeatedly urged refugees to return home and officials in Tanzania, home to more than 250,000 refugees, have also asked Burundians to return home.

Following a meeting with Nkurunziza in July, Tanzanias President John Mugufuli, asked Burundian refugees to return, saying that he has been assured that the place was now calm. He was immediately criticised for the suggestion that Burundi was now stable.

READ MORE: UN commission: Burundi commits crimes against humanity

Uganda, currently hosting more than 45,000 Burundian refugees also asked refugees to return home.

Nkunda told Al Jazeera that there is concerted campaign to get refugees back home. It is an attempt to show that the country is stable when it isnt, he said.

In September 2017, UN investigators said that Burundian troops were killing, committing torture and sexual violence, and other serious crimes against Burundi citizens.

We also noted a lack of will on the part of the Burundian authorities to fight against impunity and guarantee the independence of the judiciary. As a result, there is a strong likelihood that the perpetrators of these crimes will remain unpunished.

Baloch from the UNHCR said that repatriation has to be voluntary. He also said he was not aware of an attempt by Congo to repatriate Burundian refugees.

Will the Burundian refugees in the DRC gain justice?

Though Congo has opened an investigation, it is unclear that justice will be served for victims of this massacre.

Anneke Van Woudenberg, executive director of Rights and Accountability in Development (Raid), told Al Jazeera that letting such actions pass without justice would do nothing to help avert abuses by security forces in the future.

Justice is rare in Congo, thats true, but there has been an uptick on bringing cases of abuses by security forces to trial, usually military trial.

This is a clear example of where that should happen. A huge number of refugees/migrants have been killed, which demonstrates at best an over-reaction by the security forces and at worst woeful deliberate killings, van Woudenberg said.

Follow Azad Essa on Twitter: @AzadEssa
Amsterdams mayor, who has been gravely ill for several months, has officially stepped down from office, prompting an outpouring of grief and admiration in the Netherlands.

Eberhard Van der Laan, who was diagnosed with metastasised lung cancer, said in a letter on Monday that all options of treatment were exhausted and that he could no longer fulfil his duties.

Your support has helped me enormously, he said. It was a great privilege to be the mayor of the prettiest and dearest city in the world.

He went on to thank Amsterdams citizens for placing their trust in him for the past seven years and for working with him in times of both agreement and objection.

No-nonsense approach

Van der Laan, considered by many as the most popular Dutch politician in recent years, is known for his no-nonsense approach in local politics, which earned him an ever-increasing fan base in the Netherlands.

Many used #VanderLaan on Twitter to express their support for the Labour Party politician, while Dutch media called the mayor a folk hero.

It's so sad  our best Amsterdam citizen, mayor #eberhardvanderlaan Eberhard van der Laan is ill and had to decide to stop working. you pic.twitter.com/0BiK7fNBhq  Ariane Inden (@ArianeInden_me) September 18, 2017

Prime Minister Mark Rutte reacted on Twitter, calling it very sad news, and expressing admiration for his courage and openness.

Rutte added that the whole country empathises with him and his family.

In 2013, Van der Laan, a heavy smoker, was also treated for prostate cancer.

He was given a 7.7 score on his job performance in 2015, a particularly high score, according to daily newspaper De Volkskrant.

On Facebook, people called for a public round of applause at his mayoral residence on Wednesday.

This summer, Van der Laan, 62, appeared in a wide-ranging TV interview that drew over a million viewers, who watched the live broadcast in bars and theatres across the city.

The host of the programme asked what the mayor hoped would be his legacy in the Dutch capital.

That it remains the kind city it is, he said, while fighting tears.
World leaders should take threat of nuclear peril seriously, says UN chief, discouraging fiery talk on North Korea.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned world leaders against war with North Korea, calling on them to take the threat of nuclear peril seriously.

We must not sleepwalk our way into war, said Guterres on Tuesday at the annual summit of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

When tensions rise, so does the chance of miscalculation. Fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings, he said in his first state-of-the-world report since taking the top job at the UN on January 1.

The solution must be political. This is a time for statesmanship.





His message on fiery rhetoric was implicitly directed at North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but also at the United States and President Donald Trump, who later warned of totally destroying North Korea if it does not back down.

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, Trump told the UNGA, shortly after Guterres speech.

Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary, Trump added, referring to the North Korean leader with a nickname he gave last week on Twitter.

The UN Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions against North Korea since 2006 and Guterres appealed for the 15-member body to maintain its unity on Pyongyang.

Rohingya, migration, climate

Guterres, a former head of the UN refugee agency, also urged the Myanmar government to end the vicious cycle of persecution, discrimination, radicalisation and violent repression that has seen more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims flee into neighbouring Bangladesh.

He called for the UN and humanitarian agencies to be allowed access to Rakhine to offer aid.

Guterres also addressed the issue of global migration.

The number of refugees on the move in the world can be managed with a global sharing of responsibility, he said.

I myself am a migrant, as are many of you. But no one expected me to risk my life on a leaky boat or cross a desert in the back of a truck to find employment outside my country of birth, Guterres said.

Safe migration cannot be limited to the global elite.

He also spoke about the climate change, calling on the world to get off the path of suicidal emissions.

We know enough today to act. The science is unassailable, he said, reiterating his message to global leaders to implement the Paris Agreement with ever greater ambition.
In her first comments on Rohingya crisis, Myanmars leader says she is concerned over Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh.

Aung San Suu Kyi said she feels deeply for the suffering of all people caught up in conflict-torn Rakhine state in her first comments on the crisis since the latest violence began last month.

We are concerned to hear the number of Muslims fleeing areas to Bangladesh, she said in a televised address on Tuesday, adding that Myanmar condemns any human rights violations that may have exacerbated the crisis.





Aung San Suu Kyi also said she was concerned over Muslims and others who have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has come under increased criticism over the past month as more than 410,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh, escaping what the UN has described as ethnic cleansing.

Those who have fled have told stories of indiscriminate killings, rape, torture and arson by Myanmar security forces in Rakhine State, where the majority of the Rohingya live.

On Monday, leaders from the UK, US, France, Canada and Australia had urged Aung San Suu Kyi to push for an end to violence against the Rohingya.

In her address, Aung San Suu Kyi said it is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abnegate responsibility, adding that Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny over the Rohingya crisis.

She invited outside observers to visit Rakhine and see the problems in person.

READ MORE: Who are the Rohingya?

The security forces have been instructed to adhere strictly to the code of conduct in carrying out security operations, to exercise all due restraint and to take full measures to avoid collateral damages and the harming of innocent civilians, she said.

While Aung San Suu Kyi does not have control over the military, she had been criticised over her silence about the violence in Rakhine.

Human rights violations and all other acts that impair stability and harmony and undermine the rule of law will be addressed with strict norms of justice, she said.

Verification process

Aung San Suu Kyi said that her country stood ready at any time to verify the status of the Rohingya who have fled violence in the last month to aid the return of those eligible for resettlement.

We are prepared to start the verification process at any time, she said referring to those who have fled in the unprecedented exodus to Bangladesh, without guaranteeing a return for all of the refugees.

It is not immediately clear how many of the estimated 410,000 Rohingya who have fled Myanmar would qualify to return.

Al Jazeeras Scott Heidler, who attended the speech at Naypyidaw, said Aung San Suu Kyi expressed good faith in vowing to repatriate citizens of Myanmar from Bangladesh.

But he added that the majority of the Rohingya are not treated as citizens in Myanmar and lack the proper documentation to begin with.

To prove they were from a certain village is going to be a monumental task.

Al Jazeeras Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from Coxs Bazar, said Bangladesh had started a biometric registration process for Rohingya refugees.

But the repatriation process will be based on trust and confidence in what Bangladeshs government says.

Shielding the military

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Bangkok, James Gomez, Amnesty Internationals regional director for Southeast Asia, condemned what he called Aung San Suu Kyis silence on the suffering and plight of the Rohingya.

It almost came across that she was shielding the military, Gomez said, adding: What is the role of the military if she says there have been no attacks since September 5 in Rakhine state; then why is the burning going on?

The issues of landmines on the border, incidences of disappearances of boys and men. Can we hold the military accountable? Is there going to be impunity?

Gomez, however, said Aung San Suu Kyis invitation to diplomats and observers to enter Myanmar was a positive step and called on her government to provide unfettered and independent access to UN investigators and others.

The latest round of violence in Myanmar began on August 25 after Rohingya fighters attacked more than 30 police and army posts, prompting a security crackdown on the Rohingya.

The mostly Muslim minority is not recognised as an ethnic group in Myanmar, despite having lived there for generations. Rohingya have been denied citizenship, which has effectively rendered them stateless.
South Korea and the US also stage exercises in the Korean Peninsula, conducting a joint bombing drill.

China and Russia have started joint naval drills in the waters near the Russia-North Korea border, local media reported.

The exercises, which began on Monday off Russias southeastern port of Vladivostok, are the second part of China and Russias Joint Sea-2017 programme that started in June.

The drills, which include submarine rescue and anti-submarine exercises, are not directly linked to increasing tensions over North Korea, Chinas state-owned Xinhua news agency reported.





The exercises are taking place in the Sea of Japan and, for the first time, the Okhotsk Sea.

South Korea and the United States also staged military drills in the Korean Peninsula on Monday, conducting bombing exercises involving six US planes and four South Korean fighter jets, according to Song Young-moo, the South Korean defence minister.

Joint drills organised by Washington and Seoul are now being conducted two to three times a month these days, he said.

READ MORE: North Korea tensions  All the latest updates

Tensions have been rising on the Korean Peninsula in recent weeks, following North Koreas sixth, and most powerful, nuclear test to date on September 3.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) voted unanimously to impose fresh sanctions on North Korea last week after a meeting on September 11 in response to the crisis.

Pyongyang has claimed the measures  including a ban on textiles and a cap on oil supplies  will speed up North Koreas nuclear weapons programme.

The increased moves of the US and its vassal forces to impose sanctions and pressure on the DPRK will only increase our pace towards the ultimate completion of the state nuclear force, a statement on North Korean state media said on Monday, using the acronym for the countrys official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

READ MORE: N Korea says sanctions will speed up nuclear programme

China and Russia have repeatedly called for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

However, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, claimed the UNSC has now run out of options and has warned the matter may now need to be turned over to the Pentagon.

We have pretty much exhausted all the things that we can do at the Security Council at this point Were trying every other possibility that we have, but theres a whole lot of military options on the table, she told CNN on Sunday.

Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, claims Pyongyang needs a nuclear weapons programme to deter the US from invading the isolated state.

The US and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.
Forecasters warn the now Category 5 storm has the potential to be catastrophic as it makes landfall on Dominica.

Hurricane Maria has grown into a maximum-strength Category 5 storm, US forecasters said, as it made landfall on the island of Dominica.

The potentially catastrophic hurricane had top winds of 257kph as it touched down around 01:15 GMT in Dominica, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.





Dominica, a heavily forested former British colony that is home to 72,000 people, lies in the eastern Caribbean about halfway between the French islands of Guadeloupe to the north and Martinique to the south.

Maria is the fourth major Atlantic hurricane of the year, and forecasters warn it is on a likely collision course with the US territory of Puerto Rico.

The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, urged island residents in a social media advisory to brace for the storms arrival, saying: It is time to seek refuge with a family member, friend or head to a state shelter.

If it continues on its current path, it is expected to hit the US territory by Wednesday.

Puerto Rico narrowly avoided a direct hit two weeks ago from Hurricane Irma, which reached a rare Category 5 status and ranked as the most powerful Atlantic storm on record before devastating several smaller islands, including the US Virgin Islands of St Thomas and St John.

A live animal

Residents of some islands fled in advance of the storm.

Beth Tamplin Jones, 45, rode out Hurricane Irma earlier this month in the pantry of a friends house in the US Virgin Islands.

It was so intense, said Jones, who evacuated from St John to Puerto Rico last week and then caught a flight to Atlanta, where she planned to remain until Maria passed.

Were in hurricane alley, so weve had other storms, but nothing like this, Jones told Reuters news agency, referring to Irma, which killed more than 80 people in the Caribbean and the US mainland.

I dont think anybodys ever been hit by a storm like that. To see another one coming is just so discouraging.

US Virgin Islands Governor Kenneth Mapp warned residents not to underestimate the threat from Maria, or its potential to change track. Just remember this is a live animal, he said.

The island of St Croix appeared to be in the path of hurricane-force force winds, with nearby St Thomas and St John seeing tropical storm-force winds, Mapp said, adding, given the current conditions of St Thomas and St John, thats not good.

Dangerous storm surges

Maria was expected to whip up storm surges  seawater driven ashore by wind  of up to 2.7m above normal tide levels, the NHC said.

Parts of Puerto Rico could see up to 64cm of rain, it added.

Hurricane and tropical storm warnings and watches were in effect for a string of islands in the area, including the US and British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda and the French-Dutch island of Saint Martin.

Puerto Rico opened shelters and began to dismantle construction cranes that could be vulnerable to Marias high winds.

Forecasters were also tracking Category 1 Hurricane Jose, packing 120km/h winds and located about 405km east of North Carolina and stirring dangerous surf and rip currents to much of the US Eastern seaboard.

Maria marks the 13th named Atlantic storm of the year, the seventh hurricane so far this season and the fourth major hurricane  defined as Category 3 or higher  following Harvey, Irma and Jose, the NHC said.

Those numbers are all slightly above average for a typical season, which is only about half over for 2017.
The Caribbean has been hit by another Category 5 hurricane which now has other islands in its sights.

Dominica is the latest Caribbean island to suffer at the hands of a Category 5 hurricane.

The tiny, mountainous, volcanic island  home to about 73,000 people  felt the full force of Maria around 01:00 GMT on Tuesday. Sustained winds were in excess of 250 kilometres per hour (km/h).

This is the first Category 5 hurricane to hit Dominica in records stretching back to 1851. The last time the island suffered a major hurricane was in 1979 when Hurricane David was responsible for the deaths of 40 people.





On the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale, Category 5 winds cause catastrophic damage: A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse  most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.

There are no wind reports to back up these satellite-derived winds, as wind anemometers across the island ceased reporting before Marias landfall.

Dominica was extremely unlucky to suffer a direct hit from Maria, as this is a much smaller cyclone than Hurricane Irma, which devastated other parts of the Caribbean earlier in September.

READ MORE: What you need to know  Hurricane Irma and its impacts

Marias eyewall is just 15km in diameter, and the hurricane force winds expend across a 60km diameter, centred on this eyewall.

It will be some time before a proper assessment of Marias impact can be made.

In the meantime, Maria is heading towards more island communities.

It remains a Category 4 system, with sustained winds of almost 250km/h, taking to the very top of Category 4 limits.

Maria underwent a dramatic intensification from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in just 24 hours. There is the possibility that it could even return to a Category 5 before it strikes the islands of the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico all within the next 24 hours.

The problem facing the whole region is that sea surface temperatures (SST) are several degrees Celsius above average. These warm waters provide the energy for hurricane development.

Latest predictions from the US National Hurricane Center keep Maria as a Category 4 system as it hits the US Virgin Islands at around 08:00 GMT on Wednesday and Puerto Rico at 12:00 GMT that same day.

Because of the relatively compact nature of Maria, there is a good chance that it will pass to the south of the British Virgin Islands, although the islands are under a hurricane watch.

The likely impact on both the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico include catastrophic winds, a storm surge of between two and three-and-a-half metres, surf and rip currents and rainfall of up to half a metre. Such vast amounts of rain could well result in mudslides and flash floods in such a mountainous island as Puerto Rico.

After that, Marias track tends to curve to the right, taking it to the northeast of the Bahamas, but close enough to bring some rain and rough seas.
Sheikh Tamim renews call for talks based on mutual respect for sovereignty to end the Gulf diplomatic crisis.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has said that a group of Arab countries imposing an unjust blockade on Qatar are seeking to destabilise a sovereign state.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar and imposed a land, air and sea blockade against it, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. Qatar has strongly and repeatedly denied the allegation.

I stand before you while my country and my people are subjected to an ongoing and unjust blockade imposed since June 5 by neighbouring countries, Sheikh Tamim said, addressing the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis  All the latest updates

He asked if this was not the definition of terrorism, saying that the moves by the blockading countries were an assault against a sovereign state and a violation of human rights.

The countries who imposed the blockade on the state of Qatar interfere in the internal affairs of many countries, and accuse all those who oppose them domestically and abroad with terrorism. By doing so, they are inflicting damage on the war on terror, said the emir of Qatar, which is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East.

We have refused to yield to dictations by pressure and siege.

Sheikh Tamim also renewed a call for dialogue to end the Gulfs worst diplomatic crisis, saying his country is open to resolving the dispute through talks without preconditions.

He said an unconditional dialogue based on mutual respect for sovereignty was needed.

On international matters, Sheikh Tamim called on Myanmars government to stop violence against Rohingya minority and appealed to Palestinians to complete their national reconciliation.

He also said Israel continues to impede a full and lasting peace by rejecting the Arab peace initiative of 2002 and by continuing its settlement policies in occupied territories.
Analysts say US presidents fiery language against North Korea and its leader distances the prospect of negotiations.

US President Donald Trumps highly-combative remarks against North Korea and its leader at the United Nations will only harden Pyongyangs resolve to continue developing its nuclear programme, analysts have warned.

Using what was described as unprecedented language, Trump made his debut address at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday.

In a wide-ranging 45-minute speech, the most anticipated foreign policy address of his tenure, Trump vowed that the US would totally destroy North Korea if it is forced to defend itself or its allies.

He also mocked Kim Jong-un, North Koreas leader, saying: Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully, this will not be necessary.

The sharp escalation in rhetoric came weeks after Trump warned that North Korea would be met with fire and fury like the world had never seen if it continues expanding its nuclear programme.





I expected him to talk tough and strong  but I did not expect him to talk quite that tough and quite that strongly, said Donald Kirk, a journalist and author of several books on Korea.

He said Trumps remarks made the prospect of negotiations extremely unlikely.

North Koreans are not going to back down  if anything they are going to increase the tempo of their programme, Kirk told Al Jazeera from South Koreas capital, Seoul. I think we can forget about North Korea saying, lets go to negotiations.'

Kirk also said he expected that Trumps fiery approach would not be adopted by other leaders who are otherwise highly critical of North Koreas actions.

We are in for some quite interesting questions here, and a lot of it is not going to be favourable to Trump, he said. I get the general impression that tensions will increase and the line is drawn ever deeper.

Neoconservative line

Mark Farha, assistant professor of international relations at the Doha Institute, said that Trump had  once again  embraced an interventionist foreign policy.

READ MORE: UN chief warns against war with North Korea

He did so gradually in the speech; in the beginning, he began in a more conciliatory manner, and towards the end, he adopted squarely a neoconservative line of regime change and war in fact, Farha told Al Jazeera.

He is trying to square the circle, because  if you had a poll [in the US] 75 percent of people would be against escalation against Iran and North Korea, but here is Trump harking back to the neoconservatives.

Steps towards undermining Iran

In his speech, Trump also attacked Iran, accusing it of being a rogue state and a murderous regime. He said the US could not abide by an agreement if it provided cover for the construction of a nuclear programme.





Sultan Barakat, director at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute, also said that Trumps rhetoric had raised the stakes.

North Korea now has the script and the excuse to why they need the [nuclear] programme, he told Al Jazeera. If they havent got one they need to work very quickly to develop one if they have that direct threat.

Barakat noted, however, that Trumps comments about Iran were more worrisome.

With the current circumstances and the alliances he is building with Saudi Arabia, Israel and other nations, I fear there is more chance of him taking some further steps towards undermining Iran than North Korea, said.

Trump has to certify in mid-October whether he believes Iran is abiding by a historic seven-nation agreement signed in 2015.

Al Jazeeras James Bays, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, said Trumps comments on Iran were nothing new, as he has made it clear time and again that he is against the pact.

Yet, saying it in this setting, in front of world leaders, and calling the deal the worst and most one-sided transaction in US history and an embarrassment to the US, I think that really makes it hard now for Trump not to de-certify the deal and pull out of it  and thats just what all the other players in the international community dont want, he said.
Spanish police have seized posters, promoting a planned referendum, on independence in Catalonia.

Spanish police have seized posters, promoting a planned referendum on independence in Catalonia.

The controversial vote is planned for next month, but the Spanish central government has ruled it illegal.

Al Jazeeras Karl Penhaul reports from Berga, Spain.
Refugees reject Aung San Suu Kyis claim that Rohingya are safe in Myanmar, as Amnesty accuses her of victim blaming.

Rohingya refugees who fled violence in Myanmar have dismissed leader Aung San Suu Kyis stated concern over their plight, as activists accused her government of burying their heads in the sand over violence tearing through Rakhine state.

In a sprawling and squalid camp on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, Rohingya refugees on Tuesday rejected Aung San Suu Kyis claim that many members of their minority group were safe in Myanmar and said her vow to repatriate displaced Rohingya carried no weight.

Suu Kyi is a traitor. We cant rely on her words, said Sultan Ahmed, who arrived in Coxs Bazar in Bangladesh along with hundreds of thousands of refugees two weeks ago.

The 80-year-old told Al Jazeera that he did not believe the de facto leader would act on her words because everything is run and decided by the army.

Aung San Suu Kyi is only a name there. Nobody cares about her, he said.

READ MORE: Aung San Suu Kyi condemns all human rights violations

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has faced fierce international criticism for saying little about the abuses faced by the Rohingya.

She broke her silence on Tuesday, condemning all human rights violations in Rakhine State, and vowing to take action against those who commit abuses.

However, she failed to comment on the military offensive that sent more than 420,000 Rohingya pouring across the border into Bangladesh, an operation the UN has branded as ethnic cleansing.

Abdul Hafiz, a Rohingya man in Kutupalong, was angered by Aung San Suu Kyis implication that Rohingya were themselves responsible for their plight.





Aung San Suu Kyi had said more than half of Rohingya villages were not affected by the violence, and invited diplomats and observers to visit those villages so they could learn why Buddhists and Muslims are not at each others throats in these particular areas.

Let them see the plight of the people there, Hafiz told the Associated Press news agency.

They have kept people in confinement. Let the world media know from them whether we are tortured or living in joy.

Shah Ahmed, a 60-year-old refugee who fled Maungdaw in northern Rakhine State two weeks ago, said he also no longer trusted Aung San Suu Kyi.

But he told Al Jazeera he was ready to return to his village if her government would ensure peace, our safety and return of our property.

Mixed responses

Human rights groups were sceptical too, criticising Aung San Suu Kyi for failing to condemn the armys alleged abuses, as well as her claim that army operations had ceased on September 5.

While it was positive to hear Aung San Suu Kyi condemn human rights violations in Rakhine state, she is still silent about the role of the security forces, Amnesty said in a statement.

Aung San Suu Kyi today demonstrated that she and her government are still burying their heads in the sand over the horrors unfolding in Rakhine State, the rights group said.

At times, her speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming.

Message to the world from Arba Khatun, a Rohingya

Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch, referring to Aung San Suu Kyis assertion that military operations had ended, asked: If that is true, then who is burning all the villages weve seen in the past two weeks?

He said satellite images showed about half of all Rohingya villages had been torched and it was time that Aung San Suu Kyi, the government and the military faced the fact that the security forces dont follow a code of conduct and shoot and kill who they want.

Ronan Lee, a Rohingya researcher at Deakin University, said Aung San Suu Kyis speech was deeply concerning from a humanitarian point of view.

It was likely to provide the military with genuine solace and certainty that she will not call on them to stop what they are doing, he told Al Jazeera from Melbourne.

Meanwhile, foreign diplomats who were present in Naypyidaw as she gave her speech gave an overall positive reaction to her address.

The ambassador of China, Hong Liang, welcomed Aung San Suu Kyis speech saying it would improve understanding. Nikolay Listopadov, Russias ambassador to Myanmar, said there was no evidence of ethnic cleaning.

Mohammad Sufiur Rahman, Bangladeshs ambassador to Myanmar, said: I simply say one thing, that whatever she said is encouraging and we have to implement that in the right spirit.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Murphy also attended the address but did not comment.

Additional reporting by Saif Khalid in Coxs Bazar. Follow him on Twitter @msaifkhalid
Hours before she delivers national address, leaders call on Suu Kyi to push for an end to violence in Myanmars Rakhine.

Leaders from the UK, US, France, Canada and Australia have urged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to push for an end to violence against the Rohingya.

The comments come before a scheduled televised national address by Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday, in what the US has called a defining moment for Myanmars de facto leader.





Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has come under increased criticism over the past month as more than 410,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh, escaping what the UN has described as ethnic cleansing.

Those who have fled have told stories of indiscriminate killings, rape, torture and arson by Myanmar security forces in Rakhine State, where the majority of the Rohingya live.

What we are trying to get everyone to agree is that, number one, the killings have got to stop, and the violence has got to stop, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told Reuters news agency before hosting a ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss ways to resolve the Rohingya crisis.

And we look not just to the military but also to Daw Suu to show a lead on that, he said.

The meeting included ministers from Canada, Denmark, Turkey, Australia, Indonesia, Sweden, Bangladesh, the US and a representative from the European Union.

In a statement afterwards, Johnson said that while Myanmar had made encouraging progress towards democracy in the last few years, the situation in Rakhine, the terrible human rights abuses and violence are a stain on the countrys reputation.

It is vital that Aung San Suu Kyi and the civilian government make clear these abuses must stop, he said.

The latest round of violence in Myanmar began on August 25 after Rohingya fighters attacked more than 30 police and army posts, prompting a security crackdown on the Rohingya.

READ MORE  Who are the Rohingya?

The mostly Muslim minority is not recognised as an ethnic group in Myanmar, despite having lived there for generations.

Myanmars national security adviser, Thaung Tun, told Reuters after Mondays meeting that his country will make sure that everybody who left their home can return to their home, but this is a process we have to discuss.

He added that Myanmar wants to make sure that everybody who needs humanitarian assistance gets it, without discrimination. That is one thing we agreed on.

Johnson said he was encouraged by our discussion and by the participation of the senior Burmese [Myanmar] representatives, but we now need to see action to stop the violence and open up immediate humanitarian access.

Tragedy of enormous proportions

About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face restrictions on movement and are denied citizenship in a country where they have been persecuted for decades.





Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told Reuters that she wanted to hear Aung San Suu Kyi offer a solution to what is a tragedy of enormous proportions.

She said that during the ministerial meeting in New York there was unanimity in the view that the violence must end and that there be a ceasefire.

And we emphasised the need for humanitarian support to get through and also that the Rohingya must be able to return home, Bishop said.

While Aung San Suu Kyi does not have direct control of the military, she has been criticised for not speaking out against the plight of the Rohingya and for not doing more to stop the violence.

The United States urged the Myanmar government to end military operations in Rakhine State, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes, US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said in a statement after the meeting.

People are still at risk of being attacked or killed, humanitarian aid is not reaching the people who need it, and innocent civilians are still fleeing across the border to Bangladesh, Haley said.

READ MORE: No food, no shelter  Rohingya suffer in Bangladesh

A spokesman for the Department of State said the US urges the [Myanmar] government to act quickly to restore the rule of law, investigate alleged human rights abuses and violations, and to hold security forces and others responsible for abuses and violations fully accountable for their actions.

US-Myanmar ties improved after the military began withdrawing from government in 2011 and paved the way for a 2015 election won by Aung San Suu Kyis party. But the military retains a strong hand in government and remains responsible for security.

Continued silence

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on Aung San Suu Kyi to publicly condemn the violence in Rakhine, adding that by doing so she can help guide the people of Myanmar to surmount these deep ethnic divisions.

Writing to Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday, Trudeau said that that it was with profound surprise, disappointment and dismay that your fellow Canadians have witnessed your continuing silence in the face of the brutal oppression of Myanmars Rohingya Muslim people.

Aung San Suu Kyi was given honorary Canadian citizenship in 2007.

Human Rights Watch UN Director Louis Charbonneau called for strong UN action to compel Myanmar security services to end their ethnic cleansing campaign.

With so many influential leaders gathered in New York, the next step should be work on a UN General Assembly resolution condemning the abuses and a Security Council resolution to impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the commanders leading this brutal campaign, he said.

However, Myanmar earlier this month said it was negotiating with China and Russia, both permanent, veto-wielding, members of the Security Council, to block any bid to censure the country over the violence.

Aung San Suu Kyi was originally expected to attend this weeks UN General Assembly, but pulled out to address more pressing manners.

Her televised speech to the nation on Tuesday is expected at 03:30 GMT.
US president and Qatari emir discuss Gulf diplomatic crisis on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Shortly after addressing the United Nations General Assembly, US President Donald Trump and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met in New York to discuss the Gulfs major diplomatic crisis.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar and imposed a land, air and sea blockade on it, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. Qatar has strongly and repeatedly denied the allegation.

The US president, who called the emir a friend, said after Tuesdays meeting that he believed the dispute would be solved quickly.

We are right now in a situation where we are trying to solve a problem in the Middle East and I think we will get it solved. I have a very strong feeling that it will be solved pretty quickly, Trump told reporters.

READ MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis  All the latest updates

For his part, Sheikh Tamim said Washington and Doha had a very strong relationship. Qatar is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East.

The Qatari emir also said that he believed Trumps interference will help a lot in the dispute.

We have always said that we are open to dialogue and we will always be open to dialogue, he said.

Trump had initially sided with the Saudi-led group and called Qatar a funder of terrorism. Yet, some other US officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, adopted a more measured tone.

Over the past few weeks, Trump has also worked to broker a way out of the dispute, and in his meeting with Sheikh Tamim made no mention of his past claim that Qatar was funding terrorism.

Earlier on Tuesday, Sheikh Tamim criticised the countries behind the blockade on Qatar in his address to the UN General Assembly.

The countries who imposed the blockade on the state of Qatar interfere in the internal affairs of many countries, and accuse all those who oppose them domestically and abroad with terrorism. By doing they are inflicting damage on the war on terror, he said.
US president expresses hope military action will not be necessary to thwart risk of North Korean nuclear attack.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to totally destroy North Korea if his country is forced to defend itself or its allies, in a highly-combative debut speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Addressing world leaders and representatives from 193 countries gathered in New York, Trump on Tuesday warned that the US would be forced to confront North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if he continued Pyongyangs reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Al Jazeeras James Bays, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, said that Trump had used the strongest language you can possibly have in a speech.

You have never heard a US president saying that in the UNGA, threatening to totally destroy another country, Bays said. I dont think you have heard any other leader [using this language], despite 72 years of sometimes very controversial bombastic speeches.

READ MORE: UNs Antonio Guterres warns against North Korea war

Trump also attacked Iran in his speech, accusing it of being a rogue state and a murderous regime. He said the US could not abide by an agreement if it provided cover for the construction of a nuclear programme

The US president addressed the UNGA for about 45 minutes. Here are some of the subjects he covered in his speech.

North Korea

North Koreas reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life.





It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime but would arm supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict.

No nation on earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles.

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully, this will not be necessary.

Iran

The Iran deal was one of the worst and one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.

The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind a false guise of a democracy. It has turned a wealthy party with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos.

The longest suffering victims of Irans leaders are in fact its own people. Rather than use its resources to improve Iranian lives, its oil profits go to fund Hezbollah and other terrorists that kill innocent Muslims and attack their peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbours.

READ MORE: Irans Khamenei  Tehran will not bow to US bullying

This wealth which rightly belongs to Irans people also goes to shore up Bashar al-Assads dictatorship, fuel Yemens civil war and undermine peace throughout the entire Middle East.

We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilising activities while building dangerous missiles and we cannot abide by the agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear programme.

United States

Fortunately, the United States has done very well since election day last November 8. The stock market is at an all-time high. A record!

Unemployment is at its lowest level in 16 years. And because of our regulatory and other reforms, we have more people working in the United States today than ever before. Companies are moving back, creating job growth the likes of which our country has not seen in a very long time.

And it has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700bn on our military and defence. Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been.

As president of the United States, I will always put America first  We can no longer be taken advantage of, or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return. As long as I hold this office, I will defend Americas interest above all else.
Silk Way West Airlines, a growing cargo operator based in Azerbaijan, and Alaska Airlines on Thursday signed contracts with Boeing for two freighters apiece  but that is where the similarities ended. Silk Way West said it will take two 777-8s, the largest plane available from Boeing (NYSE: BA) and one so modern it isnt []
Earlier this week, former congressman Ron Paul, an Air Force veteran, penned an op-ed for Fox News denouncing Congress' hidden agenda in pushing forward Section 1615 of the National Defense Authorization Agreement (NDAA). The bill language in Section 1615 is cloaked with the appearance it would eliminate U.S. dependence on Russian rocket technology, however, the bill instead would be weakening the Air Force by cutting off all competition in the aerospace industry, creating a monopoly benefitting only one company, Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Not surprisingly, Paul's op-ed has ruffled a few feathers in the military-industrial complex, and a few have even gone so far as to accuse him of being in the pockets of defense contractors. But as one may expect, Doctor Paul falls on the right side of the issue.

Currently, there are only two competitive companies the Air Force can employ for the use of Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV), a military satellite launch program used by the U.S. Air Force intended to assure access to space for the U.S. government. They are the United Launch Alliance (ULA) and SpaceX.

There is one major difference between the two companies: ULA uses and relies on the Russian-made RD-180 engines for the first stage of launch, while SpaceX does not.

And now due to tense political relations between Russia and the United States in recent years, the U.S. government will completely phase out the use of RD-180 engines within a few years, which means if new launch vehicles are not developed, SpaceX will soon have the entire industry all to itself in one growth-killing, government-created monopoly.

One problem though, the U.S. government is not currently equipped nor ready to altogether jettison the Russian-made engines, and certainly do not have the necessary backup resources to do so. The SpaceX-made engines severely lack in comparison to its Russian counterpart, and cannot "reach four of the eight critical military orbits". Defense Secretary Ashton Carter even admits that currently the Pentagon has no other alternative than to use the RD-180 engines for the safety of our country. This will change because of the private partnerships moved forward by the government to develop new, American-made engines. However, if Section 1615, which prevents the funding of new launch vehicles, becomes the law of the land, these engines will do nothing to preserve competition.

Critics argue these motors will ensure the current RD-180-dependent launch vehicle remains in the marketplace. This argument could not be further from the truth, and analysts have said so on multiple occasions.

For example, former Under Secretary of Defense Frank Kendall and former Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that any effort to simply replace the RD-180 with a substitute engine would require extensive design and engineering changes, as well as significant dynamic and acoustic testing, and would ultimately result in a new launch system, which would require recertification. In other words, the only realistic procurement option left would be SpaceXs Falcon 9.

In conjunction with the government-built SpaceX monopoly and the occasional inefficiencies of the company's end-to-end space launch services, it is extremely troubling considering how important launch vehicles are to United States self-defense, diplomatic endeavors, and conflict deterrent operations. In the words of the National Science and Technology Council, access to and use of space is central for preserving peace and protecting U.S. national security."

Politics aside, everyone's goal here should be to preserve peace as well as ensure national security, and the Pentagon has been clear: at this time, the Department cannot depend entirely on only one source for critical national security satellites." Which is why U.S. law currently mandates "the availability of at least two space launch vehicles."

The irony here is that SpaceX was once -- and to some extent, still is -- a victim of similar political gimmicks. Up until 2014, there was far less progress in spaceflight because the government was relying on a single provider, ULA. That is, until SpaceX filed a lawsuit against the Air Force, forcing a settlement outside of court and granting a multibillion-dollar contract with the company. Since then, SpaceX has come in and shook things up, lowering costs and greatly advancing the nation's technological progress.

Over the past several years, SpaceX has sent large donations to both Republicans and Democrats, most likely to advance its legislative priorities. A favorite target of theirs is Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Senate Chairman of the United States Committee on Armed Services, donating to both the McCain Institute and his political campaigns. With over 70 percent of SpaceX's funding supported by the government, it is glaringly obvious why it is willing to support any and every candidate, especially the ones with the most influence.

However, SpaceX does not just provide funds to politicians -- it has even gone to the next level of political maneuvering by paying lobbying firms directly, for the advancement of its interests related to past NDAAs.

No matter what military industrial complex talking heads might say, Doctor Paul is right on the mark; Section 1615 is just another congressional shell game, shuffling procurement money around to please those with the best Washington lobbyists. Those who support aerospace privatization should not support Section 1615. Rather, they should eliminate government's involvement in engines, launch vehicles, and all aspects of space launch systems all at once.

However, even if Congress passes this NDAA provision, there is a lot to be optimistic about: one company is working on producing a new, privately-funded EELV to beat Congress at its own game. Special interests may win the battle this time, but they won't win the war in the years to come. It's time for a new race to space.

Jillian Lane Wyant is a media consultant and former Press Secretary for Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
Generic terrorism struck again in London last Friday. Thats what it always is initially -- an act of terrorism without specific cause. Its the etiquette. As if Londons tube bombing could possibly have been done by a rogue Anglican. What are the Vegas odds on that?

Then ISIS took credit. But no admission by pols and elites on either side of the pond that Islamic terrorists acted to kill, obedient to their faith. The narrative must remain chaste: Islams basic tenets couldnt possibly be the motivation. Maiming and killing innocents (or in the parlance, infidels) is filed under other causes.

As recently as Monday, Reuters was cryptic about the bombings cause and its perpetrators. Under the headline, British police arrest second man over London train bomb, this:

"It is inevitable that so-called Islamic State, or Daesh, will reach in and try to claim responsibility. We have no evidence to suggest that yet, [British Interior Minister Amber] Rudd told the BBC.

But then Rudd tipped her hand:

But as this unfolds, and as the police do their investigations, we will make sure that we find out exactly how he [the first suspect] was radicalized, if we can. [Italics added]

The radicalized Catholic? Jew? Atheist? Ariana Grande fan?

Reuters wont even hint at the identities of the nabbed suspects, though the first is rumored to be Iraqi. An ongoing police investigation and all that. So much for scoops.

Mentioned at Reuters, but elaborated on in Mondays "Counter Jihad Report", this wrinkle to Fridays train bombing:

Last decade, Ronald and Penelope Jones were being feted for their work as foster parents. Now their suburban Surrey home was raided in an investigation into the train bombing in London. The Joneses had won praise for fostering hundreds of children. But their growing interest in taking in refugees from Muslim countries turned their pleasant home with its wooden fences and green backyard into a ticking time bomb.

Seems that many of the children that the Jones sheltered were, in fact, young men who passed themselves off as boys. Or so goes the story. More needs to be learned about the Jones couple. Were they well-meaning dupes or somehow complicit?

But lets go with the story. Lets say the Ronald and Penelope were naive, but well-intentioned, dunderheads. As the "Counter Jihad Report" asserts:

The couple became interested in fostering refugees when the media barraged helpless listeners with sob stories of Syrian suffering.

There you go. A fruit of failing to name and explain the nature of Islamic militancy and its menace to the West: fuzzy-brained do-gooders facilitating terror acts from their home.

The establishment narrative continues to dictate that the terrorist is a lone-wolf -- a social misfit on par with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The Birmingham concert massacre could well be Columbine High. Unfortunate and criminal, but it reveals societal pathologies -- not asymmetric warfare. Highly irregular warfare, the intent being to demoralize the citizenry, breaking down their will over time to not just resist Islams advance, but defeat it.

But every former goatherder and his brother living in Londons Muslim neighborhoods knew the truth immediately on Friday. Every non-Muslim Brit knew it, too. Ruling PC, however, forbids public acknowledgement. Doing so means near-instant castigation. If youre high enough up the food chain, what ensues are mockery, character assassination, ostracization  and, if the powers-that-be can get you -- loss of job. In the U.K., Katie Hopkins and Nigel Farage are rare birds. Most everyone else must submit to grotesque denial and the torturing of the truth.

This decadent, truth-denying approach to the Islamic fundamentalist assault on the West isnt a passing moment. Its revealing. And deeply troubling. Its the outgrowth of decades of intellectual and moral decay. The result is a spreading cultural squalor. And its quite intentional. It erodes, bit by bit, societal bedrock. It challenges and demeans time-tested principles. It derides virtues, common sense, enlightened self-interest (individual and communal). It slanders national interest. Protecting a societys core beliefs and values from alien and opposing beliefs and value systems is bigoted -- or racist, to use the all-purpose smear.

Western intellectuals and academics have been and are the driving force in this generations-long campaign to destroy Western Civilization. Islam -- specifically, the millions of Muslims that now live in Western Europe -- is a Trojan Horse. Its a Trojan Horse not of an external enemys making, but built by Westerners who loathe their own societies.

Post WWII, Muslims came first to Western Europe at the invitation of governments. The need was cheap labor. Two great wars had killed tens of millions of Europeans. Prior to WWI, birthrates were dropping throughout Europes affluent countries. They continued to do so.

Over time, what was a practical move was seized upon by the anti-Western left. The growing masses of Muslims in Western Europe came to be regarded as a weapon.

The collection that makes up the antis -- progressives, statists, atheists, nihilists, or some combination -- recognized in Islam valuable hostile elements, useful in laying low the West.

The Wests own haters are responsible for Ronald and Penelope Jones -- and Lord knows, countless other dupes, high and low. The facile-minded and, thus, vulnerable, whove bought that Western commitments to tolerance, fairness, equal rights, and inclusion mean Muslims have automatic places at the table. Not just Muslims, mind you, that reciprocate and seek true assimilation -- theyre a minority. But any Muslim, because the root cause of terrorism cant be an ideo-religion and its tens of millions of fervent adherents.

Thats led to the fantasy indulgence of Western Europes establishments (and here, too) that given time, Muslims will assimilate into Western societies. Merkel, Macron, and May are poster children for this make-believe. Add clerics, like Pope Francis.

Decent-paying jobs, Xbox, and rubbing elbows with Hindus, Christians, and atheists in daily life will pacify Muslims. Muslim killer bees mating with Western honey bees will eventually produce drones. The affectations of Islam will remain, but harder, aggressive, deadlier aspects of the faith with vanish. Peace, love, and harmony will hold sway.

But this conviction underestimates, if not demeans, the power of religion. Materialism and godlessness may be the ways for modern Western progressives, but not for billions of people of various faiths worldwide. It certainly isnt for Muslims, who take the tenets of their religion seriously -- as in soul-savingly serious as in heaven or hell serious.

It evades the history of Islam -- right into modern times. The rationalizations cant alter the facts. Islam has expanded through Al Hijra -- conquest via migration. And, not incidentally, through the sword, through conquest. Violence, killing, and submission or death are intrinsic to Islams growth. Mohammed was a warrior, and not in the Salvation Army way.

Mohammed invented the rationale for the violence and bloodshed endemic through Islams long history for the bloodshed committed in the name of Allah across the globe today. Ask Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia about the Religion of Peace. As of September, 2015, the Gatestone Institute estimated that One Christian [is] Slaughtered Every Five Minutes  by Muslims.

Western Europes future is dark  unless clear-sighted, courageous leaders are lifted up by its peoples. Leaders with the courage to speak the truth, and the resolve to remove the menace from their midst.
Repealing and replacing ObamaCare, a popular Republican campaign issue for the past seven years, has been far less urgent as a legislative issue. Just goes to show that talk is cheap. Empty promises from Republican congressional candidates running for reelection, meaningless bills for show only, passed by Congress knowing they would never become law after being shredded by the Obama veto pen.

Now with once-in-a-generation control of the executive and legislative branches, an opportunity to lead and govern, the GOP cant seem get their heads out of their nether regions to do something of significance. Simple things like what they have been promising their constituents.

Why is the clock ticking? Come September 30, Republicans will no longer be able to repeal ObamaCare with only 51 Senate votes based on Senate rules on reconciliation. On October 1, less than two weeks away, 60 votes will be needed to advance any legislation. Tick tock.

Sure, the Senate can change the rules, but dont hold your breath waiting for that. The Senate already failed on their first repeal attempt in July. They created the September 30 deadline through the budget resolution passed in January. Back when they were basking in the light of Donald Trumps electoral coattails. The proverbial dog chasing the car finally catching it and asking itself, What now?

Republican senators have a bill they are hoping to pass before the deadline in a few weeks. Sponsored by Senators Cassidy, Heller, Johnson and Graham, the bill ends ObamaCare subsidies and mandates, both employer and individual. It gives block grant dollars to the states to spend at their discretion for Medicaid recipients.

Not the repeal promised to voters, but at this point the best we can hope for. Far better than doing nothing, which has been the GOP Senates track record so far this term.

If this bill fails to launch, then its back to the filibuster and 60 votes necessary to pass anything. Good luck getting a handful of Democrats on board with anything short of single-payer. Which, based on recently uncovered video, Senator Bernie Sanders in 1987 admitted, would bankrupt the nation.

So what? We are $20 trillion in debt with well over $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities. Congress and previous presidents have already bankrupted the nation. Bernies plan would cost $32 trillion over ten years, chump change compared to our unfunded obligations. Fire up the printing presses at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Print more money. Borrow it from China. Whatever.

Back to the Senate bill. The Congressional Budget Office needs to analyze and score the bill before it can be considered. Can they do that in less than two weeks? Have they even started? Tick tock.

What if all GOP senators arent on board? Senator Rand Paul isnt, as it doesnt provide enough of an ObamaCare repeal. Then there are the three stooges who voted against the skinny repeal last July, Senators McCain, Murkowski, and Collins. McCain might vote for this bill, as his BFF Lindsey Graham is a cosponsor. Then again, Senator Maverick might slight his pal just to stick it to his non-BFF President Trump. Too close to call at this point. And unlikely to gain any Democrat senators, except perhaps a moderate like Joe Manchin.

The CBO will likely score the bill badly. Their assumption is that if individuals are not forced by the government, via the muscle of the IRS, to purchase insurance, they wont. This leads to all persons formerly falling under the individual mandate scored incorrectly by the CBO as "uninsured" without mandates under the new bill. When in reality, most will find alternative insurance more suited to their needs when essential benefits and other insurance mandates disappear.

The clock is ticking. If the Senate can drag something across the finish line, the House can hopefully tweak and improve it, getting something to President Trumps desk for signature. If not, then Republicans can campaign for reelection in 2018 touting their empty promises and legislative impotence. Tick tock.

Suppose the President gives up on his partys legislative incompetence and has another dinner with his new pals Chuck and Nancy? Who knows what might emerge from the Democrat swamp? Not single-payer and certainly not a repeal. The current trajectory of ObamaCare is unsustainable and everyone knows it. The President promised to fix it. If his political partners, the GOP, cant muster the will to do their jobs, Trump will find new partners.

September 30 is less than two weeks away. Will the Republicans make good on their longstanding promises to repeal and replace? Or will they continue to fiddle while Rome burns, facing a hostile electorate in 2018? All because they dont approve of President Trumps tone and demeanor?

A recent Politico-Harvard poll found, More than 80 percent of Republican voters think repealing and replacing ObamaCare should be an extremely important priority for Congress. Clearly their constituents want this fixed. As does their President. The time for talk and excuses is over. The clock is running. Can the GOP Congress deliver? Tick tock.

Brian C Joondeph, MD, MPS, a Denver based physician and writer. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Back in the Oughts, John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira hit the big time with The Emerging Democratic Majority. They told liberals exactly what they wanted to hear: that women, minorities, educated, and young people were voting Democratic, and there would be more of them every year. The future was ours, comrades.

But now Judis, writing in the New Republic, says he was wrong. Why?

The answer is really rather simple. His prophecy relied on a Census Bureau assumption, that Moses supposed erroneously.

[The Bureau] projects that the same percentage of people who currently identify themselves as Latino or Asian will continue to claim those identities in future generations. In reality, thats highly unlikely. History shows that as ethnic groups assimilate into American culture, they increasingly identify themselves as white. Oh no! Whiteness is not a genetic category, after all; its a social and political construct that relies on perception and prejudice.

Remember when Irish, Italians, and Jews were not seen as whites? Probably not, because they were other a century ago.

In the 2010 Census, 53 percent of Latinos identified as white, as did more than half of Asian Americans of mixed parentage. And that percentage is bound to grow.

So no Emerging Democratic Majority after all, because everyone ends up wanting to be white. Who knew?

But surely there is hope. Surely, Asian Americans at least can be tempted into the educated voting category and bribed with government-funded academic sinecures so that they identify with the urbanist metrosexual Creative Class rather than the international capitalist conspiracy.

Only now, according to Richard Florida, the Creative Class and its ideopolises are Very Bad Things that increase inequality.

The way for Democrats to win, writes Judis, is the way that Democrats from Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama won, not by identity politics but by portraying themselves as the candidates of the common folk and the middle class against Wall Street and other special interests.

There is no need, in short, for Democrats to choose between appealing to white workers and courting people of color. By making a strong and effective case for economic justice, they can do both at the same time.

Allow me to translate. Democrats should fight elections based upon offering the greatest amount of free stuff to the greatest possible number of voters, and not limit their appeal by offering free stuff to small subsets of the electorate.

But, for me, the notion of economic justice bears a frosty sound. It is eternally forward-looking from a Year Zero, imagining and implementing what Frankfurt Schools Max Horkheimer called the right kind of society.

What the economic justice believers do not begin to confront is the accumulated injustice of over a century of economic justice politics.

They do not care about the white working class, that they cast aside half a century ago.

They do not care about ordinary middle-class citizens, that obey the law, go to work, and follow the rules.

They do not care about a generation of college students, that were impoverished by student debt slavery so that university administrators might diversify and include.

And yet John B. Judis is all about selling the American people on economic justice.

I say there is no such thing as justice, only injustice. The most that government can do is ameliorate some of the injustice, the road-kill it has carelessly cast aside through its blind pursuit of economic justice.

The recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida point this up. What price economic justice when your home is flooded and the power and water are shut off? People dont care about economic justice then, they only care about surviving, and then, helping other people survive.

Black Swan guy Nassim Nicholas Taleb understands this when he writes:

Survival comes first, truth, understanding, and science later[.]

And economic justice comes after that. Because economic justice isnt worth a nickel to me unless I survive.

I am reading an analysis of the Frankfurt School -- so you dont have to -- and the maddening thing is the way that these lefty intellectuals sneer at the preservation of contemporary society and lust for its transformation into the right kind of society.

They think that the economic problem has been solved, and that all that remains is to award the prizes to the deserving. In fact the economy, like all life, must constantly renew and revive itself, from the individual to the family, to community and nation, and a society that forgets this basic fact of survival is heading straight for the fate of the Soviet Union and Maoist China.

I tell you what I think. I think it is a crime against humanity that we normals have not made economic justice as much a pejorative as white supremacist.

Maybe the Hispanics and Asians will figure it all out for us as they explore their essential whiteness in the years to come.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class.
The radical Marxist revolutionary organization from the 1960s, the Black Panthers, will be the subject of an academic study conducted by the University of California-Berkeley to discover and honor the group's legacy.

The study is being funded by the American taxpayer via a grant for about $100,000 from, curiously, the National Park Service.

Washington Free Beacon:

"This cooperative research project between the National Park Service (NPS) and the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) on the Black Panther Party (BPP) is anchored in historical methods, visual culture, and the preservation of sites and voices," according to the funding announcement. "The project will discover new links between the historical events concerning race that occurred in Richmond during World War II and the subsequent emergence of the BPP in the San Francisco Bay Area two decades later through research, oral history, and interpretation." "Committed to truthfully honoring the legacy of BPP activists and the San Francisco Bay Area communities they served, the project seeks to document the lives of activists and elders and the landscapes that shaped the movement," the government said. "Producing an annotative bibliography that includes scholarly texts, newspaper, and magazine articles will be useful for future scholars of the movement. Equally significant, the project will document how the BPP impacted the visual arts, music, dance, and styles of the 1960s, 70s and 80s [and] will underscore the vastness of its impact on American culture." "Bay Area sites that shaped the BPP will be identified in an effort to memorialize a history that brought meaning to lives far beyond the San Francisco Bay Area," the agency added. Request for comment from the National Park Service was not returned. The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 and originally championed self-defense and the arming of African Americans in California. The party quickly moved to the left, advocating for "revolutionary intercommunalism" and for abolishing capitalism. Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton introduced a 10-point platform that called for "an end to the robbery by the capitalists of the black community" and for all black men to be immediately released from prison. The FBI labels the Black Panther Party as advocates for "the use of violence and guerilla tactics to overthrow the U.S. government." The group dissolved in 1982. The New Black Panther Party was the subject of a voter intimidation case when two of its members stood outside of a polling station in Philadelphia wearing paramilitary clothing and holding a billy club during the 2008 presidential election. Original members of the Black Panther Party say the new group, which identifies as a Black Nationalist organization, has no connection to their party.

Needless to say, the National Park Service should stick to managing campsites and creating Smokey the Bear commercials. I'm sure that 100 grand could be better used to run our beautiful national parks.

U.C. Berkeley can study whatever they want. If they want to "honor the legacy" of what several commentators have referred to as a "glorified street gang," that is their right.

But why use taxpayer money? Can't they get one of their rich, far-left alumni to give them the cash?

Of course they can. But that's not the point. The answer to why they want to use taxpayer money is that they can. Several agencies are standing in line to fund nonsense like this, so why not take advantage?

More to the point is who the Black Panthers were, what they did, and why "honoring" them is such a travesty.

There have been many critiques written about the Panthers  some looking to condemn them, others to excuse their "revolutionary" activities. It's true that the Panthers tried to organize some of the poorest neighborhoods in America, setting up community centers, food banks, medical centers, and what they referred to as "Learning Centers." As David Horowitz explained in his amazing memoir, Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey, the Learning Center in San Francisco doubled as a front for criminal activities.

Those criminal activities included murder. In fact, Horowitz explains that the killing of a couple of close friends by the Panthers started the intellectual process that took him from radical leftist to conservative intellectual.

Horowitz dates the onset of his disillusionment to the time when he used his clout to get a job at the Learning Center for an acquaintance, a white accountant named Betty Van Patter who had worked with him at Ramparts. Weeks into the job, she disappeared; a transparent lack of curiosity among the Panther leaders made it clear they knew where she was. In fact, she had been murdered; her body soon washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay. Around the same time, Fay Stender, Huey Newton's former attorney, had become the target of a Panther vendetta for her refusal to smuggle a revolver into prison to help the gunman George Jackson escape. One day, a hit man arrived at her door, forced her to sign a "confession," shot her five times, and left her for dead. A year later, paralyzed and hiding from reprisal in Hong Kong, Stender took her own life. If Horowitz's conscience began to gnaw at him, his colleagues took a different view; for them, curiosity about Van Patter's or Stender's fate was tantamount to disloyalty to the cause. Horowitz recounts how, at Stender's funeral, speaker after speaker went up to the platform to remember Fay  lawyers who worked with her, comrades who had served with her, friends who loved her. They were political activists who would normally have made a political symbolism out of the most trivial occurrence. Yet ... they had nothing to say about the sequence of events that had ended her life. It was this silence that shattered Horowitz's world. "If we [progressives] actually succeeded in making a revolution in America," he recalls thinking, "and if the Panthers or similar radical vanguards prevailed, how would our fate be different" from that of the victims of Stalin's purges? "Our injustice, albeit mercifully smaller in scale, was as brutal and final as Stalin's. As progressives we had no law to govern us, other than that of the gang."

The leader of the Black Panters, Huey Newton, met his own violent end in 1989, shot dead in the street by a drug dealer.

The real "legacy" of the Black Panthers is not what Berkeley or the Park Service would like to hear. The left transformed a street gang with ultra-violent tendencies, masking their criminal activities in the rhetoric of revolution and radical chic anti-capitalism. If that sounds familiar, think of Black Lives Matter. Giving a patina of respectability to street thugs began with the Black Panthers in the 1960s and continues today.
I checked for any new texts from my wife as I walked into the Everything Your Pet Deserves Super Store. It turned out that the birdseed was at the back of the store, across from the Pet Chapel and the gravestones. It took me a few minutes to find the right one. They have more types of birdseed than bread in a grocery store. Fortunately, my wife texted me with the specific one she wanted. As I turned to head to the cash register, I looked up and saw Jerry, an old friend from yoga class, headed my way.

"Robert!" he called out. "Hey, how are you? Long time no see. How are you, anyway?"

"Good, good, Jerry. And you?"

"Awesome! I'm sure you heard about the prison thing, right?"

"Awesome news, right?"

"I know! And it's exploding all across the country. Last I heard, since that first guy came out yesterday morning, there have been 347,281 other inmates who have self-identified as innocent. Can you imagine?"

"Awesome."

"I just heard on the radio that there are 'Right to be Innocent' celebrations breaking out all over."

"I heard that, too. And there are freedom marches heading for state and federal prisons. By noon, there won't be a stitch of yellow ribbon or a yellow rose to be had anywhere in the country."

"Wow! But the best is, did you see the guy they interviewed on TV this morning? The way he teared up when he said, 'Just like you and me, they were born innocent.' That really choked me up."

"It really hits home, doesn't it? They were born that way."

"And the money it'll save! We've been wasting $50 billion a year on incarcerating these poor souls. Fifty billion a year! That doesn't even include the cost of the courts, parole boards, enforcement, bureaucratic nightmares like the Sex Offenders Registry, etc., etc., etc."

"I know, right?"

"After we convert the prisons to something that helps society, we can use that money to help them catch up on the years they lost. Right? Like therapy, schooling, housing, cars, and phones. Whatever. I'm glad it's finally over. They're right: we do owe them."

"I know, right?"

"But hey, back to what's up with you. That seed you're buying is the best stuff on the market. I didn't even know you had birds."

"We don't. This morning, my wife self-identified as a canary. I'm just picking up lunch."

A resident of Colorado for 40 years, Mike Kirkwood has authored a collection of short works, What If, and a novel, Fathers. Both are available at www.amazon.com.
As I witness the unfolding foul politics in America of censorship and the gradual decimation of the most important right guaranteed by our Constitution, that of free speech, I reflect back to sad moments of my independent school teaching.

I consider myself privileged to have taught for 25 years at a selective private high school for girls in the Pacific Northwest. I taught math, including all those topics many readers might consider difficult or even worthless  trigonometry, logarithms, calculus, etc. The girls I taught were diverse in a way: some locals, many from Asian countries, whose parents had chosen to send their daughters to a rigorous English-only independent school, eventually hoping (and rightfully expecting) them to be admitted to a credentialed, name-brand American university. My school did this well. I did my job well also.

During my many years of teaching maths, occasionally, a precocious student would test the waters and ask me a question designed to detour my intended lesson, mostly towards political events of the day. I knew what she was doing, and she knew I might oblige her. And while I did not often allow these detours, sometimes I felt the sincerity of the question and the momentousness of the topic worthy.

I especially remember one early-morning class when a worldly, smart girl asked my opinion about some current newsworthy event, and the topic quickly turned to free speech  a thing near and dear to my heart. I smiled and asked, "I'll go here for a moment if you really don't want to learn about integrating by the partial fractions method." The unanimous response invited us onward.

"You know," I shared, "our Constitution is a remarkable document. It recognizes and codifies many things we rarely consider but take for granted. For example, the First Amendment guarantees us free speech. We can say anything we want to say, even negative things about our government, and we don't have to worry about being grabbed in the dark of night and later 'disappeared.'"

A few students woke from their early class stupor.

"But what about the person who says 'hate' things?" asked the provocateur. Her question was genuine.

"Well," I continued, "I agree that some people with this freedom will say things you and I disagree with  even noxious things."

"So they shouldn't be allowed to say them?"

"I understand your concern," I admitted, "but I fear where this eventually takes us."

High school students can be silly, and emotional, and spirited, but I learned over my many years teaching them that they can be challenged if done so with a cautious rhythm.

"Did you know that there are places in this world where you cannot stand on the corner of a street and protest the president without being taken away by authorities and even thrown into a prison? I think the fellow who stands up on his soapbox and says stupid, vile, contemptible things should be permitted to do so. I might listen to him for a few minutes but decide he is an idiot and that I do not agree with his opinion...and I will walk away and ignore him."

Students nodded their heads.

"But if you will allow the State to determine he is a fool, or bigot, or racist, and then allow the State to take him away, well you have now also made it possible for the patriot or the genius with his grand and inspiring ideas to be taken away as he speaks on a different corner. And then his ideas  ideas you might adore  can be silenced, too.

"There are places in this world where you dare speak your mind with great fear. There are places where the powerful State will interrupt or silence you, perhaps put a bullet in the back of your head after you dare to contest the way things are. And this is the price you will pay when you prohibit free speech of new ideas, or old ideas, or nonsense ideas...or golden ideas.

"I say let the idiot or fool speak his mind, and you and I can ignore him and walk away. But if you will silence the bad, you may also silence the good."

After 25 years in this privileged but dangerous employ, I have since moved on to other teaching adventures, after enduring ugly moments of censure and hypocritical shame from my administration  mostly because in private schools, tuition depends on the happiness of the clientele. Sadly, today, should any student be made uncomfortable at any moment, the administration is quickly informed thereof, and consequences soon follow. Recent events at Google, Penn State, Middlebury College, and Berkeley are stings of this nasty bee's nest.

I encourage teachers of integrity and courage to push back against the madness we observe daily in our educational system. Freedom of speech is the most profound gift our founding fathers gave to us. Losing it, we will lose all.
Since nobody else seems to want to stick their neck out, this old fool might as well do it and point out the obvious: those who have shouldered the heavy lifting in the disaster and rescue work in South Texas and South Florida during our hurricane events have been  with plenty of exceptions, of course  those hated white males the left loves to disparage. Yep, those despicable conquerors of Caucasian extraction, who are responsible for all the ills of the world, were repeatedly caught on camera in countless settings and poses doing the unthinkable: helping people of color in dire straits reach safety, shelter, and succor.

If you care to take the time to review the endless stream of videos out there from these disasters, particularly of the widespread flooding from Harvey, one truth quickly jumps out at you: the Americans driving those boats and operating other rescue vehicles are far and away mostly white males, and a disproportionate number of those being rescued are people of color. Yes, there are numerous Hispanics and some blacks among the rescuers, but the undeniable reality is that the bulk of that huge rescue team was lily-white  and, even worse for liberals, Southerners, which represents a truly inconvenient truth for all those rabid progressives who would have the world believe that Southern White Males are all vicious racists, most of whom have freshly laundered white-sheet KKK attire hanging in their closets.

It's almost as if all those wicked, Southern, white men didn't understand the role the media and the liberals had typecast for them and just went out there for some unfathomable reason.

This brings to mind the Cajun Navy, a bunch that might be described someday as a hate group by the SPLC. It's a loose amalgam of mostly white Louisiana fisherman and hunters who streamed into the stricken area by the hundreds, if not thousands, hauling their bass boats and air boats to into rescue missions of thousands of people, regardless of ethnicity or color. Yes, there were some black and Hispanic men out there driving boats and picking up the helpless, but in the videos being shown by the media at the time of the operation, the vast majority of independent boat rescuers were those hated white males.

There's a problem, though: just a few weeks later, visual evidence of what I've described is disappearing. If you Google images of the "Houston rescue efforts," you'll find mostly white people being assisted, with only some people of color. On a recent check, pic after pic was of white victims, not blacks or Hispanics. Here are the first two images that come up.

Is Google, a propaganda apparat of the Democratic Party, not about to buck the party commandment that white males are evil personified? Perhaps they simply can't allow that to happen, so once again, the truth and reality of America and its good people smack Democrats square in the face, and it looks like they're doing their best to exercise their control over the media to suppress it.

However much the Dems try to cover it up, one wonders how hurricane refugees who were rescued by white males are going to react the next time they hear some black social justice warrior or some dimwit pol like Sheila Jackson Lee telling them that their greatest societal enemy is that cold, uncaring white male who lives only to keep them oppressed. You suppose that it just might create some doubt in their acceptance of party dogma? I'm thinking those black and brown folks rescued may have a bit of a different view.
Russia is currently conducting massive military exercises in the Baltic country of Belarus, which, significantly, sits on the border of the Baltic states and Poland  countries Russia has overtly threatened in recent months. The imagined scenario is to defend against foreign-backed extremists from invading.

But some experts claim we've seen this before.

Foreign Policy:

Russian exercises have a habit of becoming real. The Kavkaz (Caucasus) maneuvers in 2008 were basically a dry run for the invasion of Georgia. The last version of Zapad in 2013 preceded Russian action against Ukraine. The most notorious exercise of all was in 1981, when massive maneuvers were used to intimidate Communist Poland into suppressing the Solidarity movement. The fear this time is that Russian troops might manufacture an excuse to stay behind. In which case, the same scenario of nationalist extremists could be used as an excuse to save Lukashenko or even depose him. The official figure of only 12,700 soldiers involved would not be enough to occupy Belarus, but other estimates are 10 times as high. Other neighbors are equally alarmed. NATO now has revolving forward deployments in Poland and the Baltic states. The U.K. has 800 troops in Estonia, the United States up to 1,000 in Poland. Ukraines official statement declares that such exercises have been used repeatedly to achieve hidden military-political goals. Transition of the state border and military invasion into the territory of Ukraine is not excluded. But Belarus bears the closest scrutiny. Tensions between Belarus and Russia have been growing acutely since 2014  if not yet by enough for Belarus to dare to pull out of Zapad completely (though it has invited in neutral observers). In observing the exercises, the West would be wise not to treat Belarus as a potential belligerent but rather as an increasingly reluctant ally of Russia.

It should be noted that Russia has carried out dozens of military exercises in the past that didn't threaten anyone. And there is a penchant for the Western press to beat war drums with Russia on a regular basis.

But two things stick out in the current situation:

1. It is undeniable that Vladimir Putin is becoming more aggressive in his words and actions toward the Baltic nations and former Warsaw Pact countries in eastern Europe.

2. While a fragile peace is holding in Ukraine, some NATO military experts see signs that Russia is about to conduct a massive intervention to carve out a pro-Russian enclave in the east.

A military move in Belarus will probably not trigger a NATO response, especially if it's handled the way Putin has managed the Ukraine situation. Russian "volunteers" assisting the Belarus army in fighting "foreign extremists" give NATO enough of an excuse not to intervene. Similar scenarios in Lithuania and Latvia would be harder to pull off, but we shouldn't underestimate either Putin's aggressiveness or NATO's hesitancy.

Poland is an entirely different story. NATO would have no choice but to go to war. Is that what Putin really wants? There are some analysts who believe that Putin knows that his military is inadequate to the task of defeating NATO at this time. But his military modernization program is on track, and there may be a point of time in the near future when the correlation of forces are in his favor. In the meantime, he will seek to hollow out NATO from within, using the various crises in the region to separate the U.S. from the rest of the alliance.

If successful, he won't have to go to war. NATO  already in deep trouble  will collapse into irrelevancy. In that case, it would be a Russian walkover in the Baltics.

China, North Korea, Iran  these are all vital issues facing the U.S. But relations with Russia may be the most difficult matter facing the president and State Department. Managing that relationship peacefully will occupy the attention of the U.S. government for years to come.
If true, this is a blockbuster, which vindicates one of President Trump's most famous and most roundly criticized tweets, and which may have far-reaching implications. CNN is claiming in an exclusive report based on unnamed sources (which always means caution is necessary) that:

US investigators wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the election, sources tell CNN, an extraordinary step involving a high-ranking campaign official now at the center of the Russia meddling probe. The government snooping continued into early this year, including a period when Manafort was known to talk to President Donald Trump.

This seems to vindicate President Trump's roundly ridiculed assertion of wiretapping in the Trump Tower.

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

Manafort not only spoke to Trump in this period, but lived in the Trump Tower. Also vindicated are Devin Nunes, who was forced to recuse himself from the Russia probe for revealing this to the president and public, and Mark Levin, who was roundly criticized for being the source for Trump's tweet about wiretapping in Trump Tower.

The information was fed to Robert Mueller's team that has been searching for a crime. It was the Comey-led FBI in the Lynch-led DoJ, in the Obama presidency, that reportedly used the FISA Court to obtain a warrant, quite possibly based on the phony dossier, that has provided material to get Manafort and pressure him to find something to squeal about and catch a higher-up. The legitimacy of that warrant now is in question. I am not a legal scholar, but it seems to my eyes that a fishing expedition powered by a phony warrant lacks legitimacy.

There could be legal trouble ahead for Comey and Clapper. As Kristina Wong noted at Breitbart:

The Justice Department and the FBI denied that Trump was being wiretapped. Comey later in March disputed Trump's claims  in testimony that lawmakers could now find misleading. He told the House intelligence committee, "With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI." The New York Times also reported that Comey had said Trump's claim was false, and that he had asked the Justice Department to publicly reject it, according to the BBC. James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence, also told Congress that intelligence agencies did not wiretap Trump, nor did the FBI obtain a court order to monitor Trump's phones, according to the BBC report. The New York Times has just revealed some more details of the level of bullying being employed as Team Mueller puts the squeeze on Manafort to squeal and find some sort of Trump crime to trade for leniency in whatever charges they may be able to find against him. Paul J. Manafort was in bed early one morning in July when federal agents bearing a search warrant picked the lock on his front door and raided his Virginia home. They took binders stuffed with documents and copied his computer files, looking for evidence that Mr. Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, set up secret offshore bank accounts. They even photographed the expensive suits in his closet. The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, then followed the house search with a warning: His prosecutors told Mr. Manafort they planned to indict him, said two people close to the investigation. The moves against Mr. Manafort are just a glimpse of the aggressive tactics used by Mr. Mueller and his team of prosecutors in the four months since taking over the Justice Department's investigation into Russia's attempts to disrupt last year's election, according to lawyers, witnesses and American officials who have described the approach. Dispensing with the plodding pace typical of many white-collar investigations, Mr. Mueller's team has used what some describe as shock-and-awe tactics to intimidate witnesses and potential targets of the inquiry. Mr. Mueller has obtained a flurry of subpoenas to compel witnesses to testify before a grand jury, lawyers and witnesses say, sometimes before his prosecutors have taken the customary first step of interviewing them. One witness was called before the grand jury less than a month after his name surfaced in news accounts. The special counsel even took the unusual step of obtaining a subpoena for one of Mr. Manafort's former lawyers, claiming an exception to the rule that shields attorney-client discussions from scrutiny.

The Times delicately presents this hardball as "set[ting] a tone."

Professor Jacobson wryly observes:
The Washington Post reports that a "chilling new study' shows that large numbers of college students are hostile to free speech. They believe that shouting down speakers they don't like and committing violence against them is acceptable. They fail to recognize that 'hate speech' is protected by the First Amendment."

According to columnist Catherine Rampell:

A fifth of undergrads now say it's acceptable to use physical force to silence a speaker who makes "offensive and hurtful statements." That's one finding from a disturbing new survey of students conducted by John Villasenor, a Brookings Institution senior fellow and University of California at Los Angeles professor.

I believe that the professors are the ones teaching the students to be against free speech. Look how many share the views of the student body with their "I need some muscle over here" kind of talk in front of the students. Melissa Click of the University of Missouri got fired after public exposure of that remark, but the fact remains that she would have kept on teaching this sort of thinking had she not been caught on camera. And she is not alone. The latest practitioner of incitement to violence is one Professor Stephen Isaacson of John Jay College, who said he was privileged to teach "future dead cops."

I chalk it up to the political atmosphere. If professors are bad on free speech, so is the political class that succors them.

President Obama's attorney general, Loretta Lynch, and her fellow Democrat state attorneys general threatened legal action against those who disagree with the government on climate change. Now, that is dangerous.

The IRS blocked political opponents of the president through tax regulations in order to infringe on their free speech. Our government stifled the groups' ability to raise money and spread their message before the elections by failing to approve their tax-free status. That is not only extremely dangerous; it is illegal.

The article about the state of things, how the assault on free speech has filtered down from the top, is useful. The First Amendment is extremely important for our freedom and future. I am glad that the press, even on the left side, in this Washington Post column, recognize that. It is a shame they didn't come down hard on Obama when he and his agencies stifled diverse thought.
The California community colleges love their DACA students. Well, not necessarily the students themselves, though their rhetoric attests to that. Community colleges actually love all the free funding the DACA students provide  both federal and state.

Colleges actively recruit DACA students and the free funding they bring. But once those students enroll in classes, that's where college love goes to die. DACA students, like most students, are simply counted as beans.

Once the students are enrolled, promised services are not always provided. Thanks to AB705, DACA students, like most students now, are allowed to enroll in classes for which they are often woefully unprepared. Colleges proudly grant their students the inalienable "right to fail," which many students do.

Unless they are socially passed by soft-hearted liberal teachers, once unprepared students fail, they become disenchanted with college and drop out, leaving the rest of the community to pick up the tab after the colleges have filled their financial coffers, and after the faculty have seen their mandatory union dues flow upstream to the Democratic Party.

When Democrats say they support DACA DREAMers, that's just liberal doublespeak. In fact, it's the DACA students who support the colleges, the faculty and their union bosses, and eventually the Democrat politicians.

Is it any wonder why the state of California is sinking under its own false sympathy?

See the press release here.
When Canadian doctor Samuel Bean lost his first two wives, Henrietta and Susanna, within 20 months of each other, he decided that the best way to honor them would be to create a tombstone dedicated to a hobby they both enjoyed solving puzzles. The doctor had them buried side by side in Rushes Cemetery near Crosshill, Wellesley Township, Ontario, and a single gravestone was placed over their graves. The gravestone bore a puzzle, one that kept historians stumped and amateur cryptologists busy for the next eighty years.

A replica of the gravestone can still be seen in Rushes Cemetery. The original stone was badly weathered and was replaced with this durable granite replica in 1982. The stone is about 3 feet high, and features a finger pointed skyward with the words Gone Home above the two womens names. Underneath the names is a grid carved with 225 seemingly random numbers and letters.

Without doubt, Dr. Samuel Bean must have received many requests to reveal the meaning of the cryptic message, but he would have none. Then in 1904, while holidaying in Cuba, Dr. Bean fell overboard from a sailboat and drowned. The secret of the coded gravestone was forever lost.

It was in 1947, some eighty years after Dr. Beans wives were buried, that the puzzle was first deciphered by the cemetery caretaker John L. Hammond, whose own grave is nearby. Hammond had copied the inscription, took it home and over the course of several months figured it out.

To solve the puzzle, start at the seventh column from the left and at the seventh letter from the top and read in a zig-zag way. If solved correctly, it should read:

IN MEMORIAM

HENRIETTA 1ST WIFE OF S BEAN M. D.

WHO DIED 27TH SEP 1865 AGED 23 YEARS 2 MONTHS & 17 DAYS

& SUSANNA HIS 2ND WIFE

WHO DIED 27TH APRIL 1867 AGED 26 YEARS 10 MONTHS & 15 DAYS

2 BETTER WIVES 1 MAN NEVER HAD

THEY WERE GIFTS FROM GOD BUT ARE NOW IN HEAVEN

MAY GOD HELP ME S. B. TO MEET THEM THERE

However, the puzzle appears to have a few errors, as TheRecord.com observes:

There is a single letter-discrepancy between the two stones. In line 7, column 8, the original's "D" became an "E" on the replica  as it should be. However, there remains one seeming error: in line 8, column 14, each stone shows "B" but this has no place in the puzzle. If made an "O" it completes the word "SO" in the puzzle's final phrase. I like to think that Samuel had these false letters engraved into the original marble to have the last laugh on his township neighbours.

Photo credit: Mac Armstrong/Flickr

Dr. Bean wasnt the first to incorporate puzzles into headstones.

At the eastern end of the churchyard of St Mary's Priory Church, in Monmouth, Wales, there is the gravestone of John Renie, a house painter who died in 1832. Renies gravestone comprises a rectangular carved 285-letter acrostic puzzle. From the larger H on the center square the sentence "Here lies John Renie" may be read in any direction. It is claimed that the sentence may be read a total of 46,000 different ways. It is believed that Renie carved the stone himself, possibly in a bid to confuse the Devil, so ensuring Renie a safe passage to heaven.

Photo credit: Wikimedia

Photo credit: Robert Cutts/Flickr

Again, in the church of San Salvador, in the Spanish city of Oviedo, there is a tomb with the Latin phrase SILO PRNCEPS FECIT engraved upon it such a way that the words can be read in 270 or 2024 different ways, depending on which source you believe.

Silo, Prince of Oviedo, or King of the Asturias, succeeded Aurelius in 774, and died in 785. No doubt, observed Barkham Burroughs, in his Encyclopaedia of Astounding Facts and Useful Information, published 1889, the above inscription was the composition of some ingenious and learned Spanish monk.

Photo credit: asturtsalia.blogspot.com

via Futility Closet
Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images(INDIO, Calif.) -- A recidivist jewel thief who became famous for her decades-long international crime spree is out of jail after her latest sentence.

Doris Payne, 86, has a long rap sheet of robberies to her name, but most recently was arrested at a Walmart in July when she allegedly violated the terms of her probation from an earlier sentence.

At a hearing on Friday, DeKalb Superior Court Judge Linda Hunter revoked Paynes probation, sentenced her to time served and released her.

Payne had been charged with a misdemeanor for violating the terms of her three-year probation and ban from any mall in DeKalb County for admittedly stealing a $2,000 necklace, when she was arrested on July 18 at a Walmart in Chamblee, Georgia. She allegedly had stolen $86.22 worth of items from the store's pharmacy, grocery and electronics departments, ABC affiliate WSB-TV reported.

The misdemeanor shoplifting charge from that alleged incident is still pending and Payne is due to appear in court October 16, according to her attorney.

She has a misdemeanor shoplifting charge from Chamblee, Georgia, that is currently pending and we will be aggressively defending her on that case," Marissa Goldberg, one of Payne's attorneys, told ABC News.

Payne has previously gotten out of jail early on good behavior.

Cynthia Williams, a public information officer for the Dekalb County Sheriffs office confirmed to ABC News that Payne was released from custody before the end of the day Friday.



She was the subject of a 2013 documentary, "The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne," which described her as "a poor, single, African-American mother from segregated 1930s America" who became "one of the worlds most notorious and successful jewel thieves."



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
ROME - The 10th edition of the "Festival della Letteratura di Viaggio" (Travel Literature Festival) will return to Rome on September 22-24, following stops in Ostuni on September 8-10 and in Brindisi (September 18).

The festival is dedicated to tales of the world, places, and culture, through various forms of travel narrative, and in Rome will take place at Villa Medici with the awarding of the La Navicella prize to Moroccan-born writer Tahan Ben Jelloun.

Three photography exhibitions will open to the public at Villa Celimontana, headquarters of the Italian Geographic Society, as part of the festival: "Journey Around the World in 80 Images", "Catalonia des del cel" (Catalonia is the festival's guest of honour) and "Who Wants to be a Minor?", by Lebanon-based German photographer Timon Koch.

Koch accompanied experts from Mixed Migration Platform in their research work on living conditions and legal protection of unaccompanied minors, mainly Syrian refugees, in Lebanon and Greece, working in particular with Luigi Achilli, a researcher from the Migration Policy Center in Florence.
TUNIS - The Tunisian Education Ministry issued a statement denouncing the "unacceptable aggression" towards a teacher at the Okba Ibn Nafaa elementary school in Sousse, specifying that it has opened an investigation to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident and those responsible.



The statement refers to physical and verbal aggression by parents of the teacher's students on the first day of school last Friday.



Accused by parents of being "a bad teacher, a non-believer and having a bad influence on their children", the teacher was physically jostled to the point where she had to be accompanied by law enforcement on subsequent days to enter her classroom. The Sfax prosecutor's office has issued three custody orders for those responsible for the aggression against the teacher.



In its statement the Education Ministry rejected "every form of verbal, moral and physical violence against teachers", appealing to parents of students to respect their role as an integral part of the educational system.



Parents accused the teacher of "atheism and Satanic practices".



The ministry dismissed the accusations and highlighted that the teacher has 33 years of experience, 10 of which are in the school in Sfax where the incident took place.



Although the ministry doesn't want the case to become politicised, the case highlights the distance between the secular and Islamic worlds in a society in continual transformation such as that of Tunisia.



The defamation campaign against the teacher, a sort of "witch hunt" orchestrated most likely by Islamic extremists, brought forth a wave of general indignation.



Since 2014 the Tunisian Constitution expressly prohibits accusing someone of being a non-believer.



The teacher is a member of the Sfax branch of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD).



Numerous political parties and civil society organisations immediately spoke out against the aggression and expressed support for the teacher, warning "against the dangers and repercussions of such drifts".


ANSAmed - Today's events in the Mediterranean

(ANSAmed) - ROME, SEPTEMBER 19 - These are some of the main events scheduled for today the Euro-Mediterranean area: DUBAI - Speciality Food Festival, one of the most important promotional platforms dedicated to the food and farming sector, continues (until 20/9). ISTANBUL - The 15th Biennial continues with expositions, symposiums, and workshops (until 12/11).



BELGRADE - Yugoslav Film Archive - Festival of Italian Film continues (until 24/9).



TUNIS - Visit by a delegation of the EU Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Commission (until 22/9).



PARIS - 2nd Biennial of Photography in the Contemporary Arab World continues (until 12/11). ROME - Confindustria headquarters - Press conference to present Italia Africa Business Week. (ANSAmed).




GAZA - The political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, called Palestinian President Abu Mazen to discuss possibilities for Palestinian reconciliation following the decision by Hamas, actively defended by Egypt, to dissolve its "shadow government" in Gaza and to allow for the return of Palestinian National Authority (PNA) government ministers.



According to the local press, Abu Mazen expressed satisfaction for these developments, but still hasn't ordered the annulment of a series of sanctions he adopted in recent months against Hamas in Gaza.



Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah should arrive in Gaza at the start of next week, according to local sources.



A member of the Mazen-led al-Fatah party said Abu Mazen also intends to go to Gaza, which he hasn't visited in years, but that a date for the eventual visit still hasn't been chosen.



Meanwhile, Hamas reaffirmed its willingness to turn over management of the Gaza Strip to the PNA on civil matters, but not on security.
If youre considering a subscription to the Disney Plus streaming service, you may be wondering how much it costs. The service is available on both
Sheikh Mohammed Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, was the chief guest for Indias annual Republic Day celebrations in January.

He was joined by a contingent from the UAE armed forces, who participated in the Republic Day parade, the event that showcases Indias military power, as well as its cultural diversity.

The crown prince was the first chief guest in more than 50 years who was not a head of state or government (though he is the UAEs president-in-waiting).

The status of chief guest is an honour that India has traditionally given to countries that are pivotal to its diplomacy and security. Last years chief guest was French President Francois Hollande, while the previous one was then US President Barack Obama.

The crown princes visit to India followed Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modis, state visit to the UAE in August 2015  his first to a GCC country and the first by an Indian prime minister for 34 years.

Ties between India and the UAE have been growing stronger on the back of ever-closer economic cooperation.

As Asias fastest-growing economy, India has a huge and growing appetite for energy, and is a major importer of oil. Consequently, it is the UAEs largest trading partner (with bilateral trade totalling $58 billion in 2016), and is the second-largest destination for the UAEs oil exports.

The UAE is Indias third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and its fifth-largest supplier of crude oil. It hosts Indias second largest expatriate population (after Saudi Arabia), consisting of 2.6 million people, who work and send money back to their families. They form the UAEs largest expatriate group.

The two nations aim to increase bilateral trade by 60% over the next five years, with India hoping that the UAE will act as a gateway for exports to the wider MENA region, while the UAE has launched a $75 billion investment programme into Indias infrastructure, including airports, ports, and highways, as well as construction and petrochemical projects.

India and the UAE are particularly keen to expand cooperation in the energy sector, and the two heads of state signed an agreement to allow for the storage of crude oil by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in Mangalore and to further strengthen the strategic relationship between the countries in the field of energy.

The two state visits mark a new stage in a strengthening relationship between the two nations, which is increasingly underpinned by an emphasis on investment, security and defence.

Zikrur Rahman, a former Indian ambassador to Palestine, explained the attraction of closer links between India and the UAE: Gulf countries like the UAE feel threatened by the changing scenario in the west with the rise of right-wing parties. They feel it is time to look east, where they know India is a dominant economy with indigenous defence capabilities.

The increasingly close relationship between India and the UAE may come at Pakistans expense. Muslim Pakistan has long enjoyed a privileged position with the Arab world and the Gulf States, and especially with Saudi Arabia, providing military assistance and manpower as well as diplomatic support.

But the UAE and its neighbours have concerns about growing extremism and political Islamism, and relations with Pakistan have been cooling since the inauguration of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in June 2013.

Sharif is seen in some circles as having been too accommodating to Islamist movements, and relations were further soured by Pakistans refusal to deploy troops for service in the Yemen conflict, and by the killing of five UAE diplomats in a bomb attack in Afghanistan in January 2017  an attack attributed by some (including Abdul Raziq, Kandahars police chief) to Pakistans inter-services intelligence organisation.

The UAE has found its disquiet about Pakistan and political Islamism increasingly converging with Indias own security concerns.

Certainly, expanded cooperation on counter-terrorism and counter-extremism lies at the heart of the new UAE-Indian strategic agenda, and the two nations have set in place agreements to share intelligence and ensure greater cooperation between their security and intelligence agencies. They are already working to combat radicalisation and to thwart the financing of extremist groups.

India and the UAE are also to enhance defence and maritime security cooperation, and will work together to produce a range of military weapons.

Following talks between the crown prince and the Indian prime minister, supported by Indian defence minister, Manohar Parrikar, and UAE armed forces deputy supreme commander, General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a comprehensive strategic partnership that included wide-ranging defence and energy provisions was signed.

Under the agreement, public and private sector institutions in India and the UAE will cooperatively undertake studies, research, development, manufacturing and technology transfer, with the aim of jointly producing and selling defence equipment.

Such cooperation has, in fact, already started. On September 28 2015, Emirates Defence Industries Co (EDIC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indias Reliance Defence Limited. The two companies will jointly explore opportunities for building capabilities in the areas of aviation, defence equipment and vehicles, armament manufacturing, defence electronics, commercial and naval ships, and especially in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of military equipment and platforms. The partners hope to find synergies that will allow them to leverage one-anothers capabilities, while also reducing costs.

One of EDICs subsidiaries is the Advanced Military Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Centre (AMMROC). A joint venture between Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky and Mubadala (now EDIC), AMMROC provides MRO services for a wide range of fixed and rotary wing aircraft  including many types that are in service in India, whose annual military aircraft maintenance bill is currently estimated at a hefty $12.23 billion.

With the Boeing C-17, BAE Hawk, Dassault Mirage 2000, Pilatus PC-7, and Lockheed Martin C-130J in service in both countries, there is certainly scope for cooperation and rationalisation.


BRICS limited edition luxury amenity kits come in a selection of four colours for autumn  yellow, navy blue, blush and tan  and will be presented to passengers flying long-haul in First Class and Business Class.

First and Business Class passengers travelling on Qatar Airways medium-haul routes will be offered amenity kits from leading fashion brand Nappa Dori featuring a new series of destination images printed on the kits canvas exterior, including Thailand, the Netherlands, China and Doha. Frequent travellers can add the new keepsake designs from both brands to their collections, which combine vintage and contemporary styles and contain a range of must-have handy travel accessories.

First Class and Business Class long-haul passengers can enjoy a luxury amenity bag created exclusively for Qatar Airways by stylish Italian luggage brand BRICS. The miniature versions of the Bellagio and Sintesis suitcase features a hard-shell with a Tuscan leather trim. Each bag contains exclusive products from Italys Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio, the environmentally friendly olive oil company. The skin care range includes lip balm, hydrating facial mist, and anti-ageing moisturiser in Business Class, with added Night Recovery Cream for First Class kits. Socks, eyeshades and ear plugs complete the range with the addition of a BRICS signature luggage tag for First Class.

Medium-haul customers flying in First Class and Business Class enjoy bespoke luxury amenity kits developed by artisan brand, Nappa Dori, which has gained global recognition for its luxury handcrafted travel and fashion accessories. The kits feature select images from destinations around the world served by Qatar Airways, and contain socks, eyeshades and lip balm from Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio.
Flight SV481 landed at 16:00 hrs local time and was welcomed by a traditional water salute upon arrival at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU).

The new holiday destination has joined the airlines network as its 87th destination. The new route is expected to generate interest from holiday makers from Saudi Arabia, as well as the wider Middle East region and beyond, connecting through King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah.

Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines, His Excellency Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al Jasser remarked how the new route is complementary to the accelerated transformation plan currently underway at the airline as part of its SV2020 Vision, which includes major expansion plans across all facets of its operations: We are pleased to open this channel of friendship with Mauritius, enabling greater cooperation and create new business opportunities. SAUDIAs flights to Mauritius will provide a new travel option for our guests, and a new leisure destination to explore and enjoy.

Continued Eng. Al-Jasser: The SV2020 Vision is about growth, technological advancements, modernizing and expanding the fleet. We are fully committed to delivering best-in-class service to our valued guests.

SAUDIAs route map covers 87 destinations across four continents, flying to Africa, the Middle East, Europe and North America daily from its hubs in Jeddah and Riyadh.
Ayci said Turkish Airlines was more interested in the B787-9 from Boeing and the A350 from Airbus due to the fact that they are new generation aircraft offering superior performance in terms of range, capacity and operating costs.

The aircraft, he said, have already been studied by his staff and are suitable for longhaul routes the airline is looking at opening in 2018 - Sydney Kingsford Smith (Australia) and Mexico City in particular.

"We want to make the best possible decision about choosing the type of aircraft and the means for getting there," he was quoted by Harbeler magazine. He added that Turkish Airlines has yet to decide on whether to fly to the Australian metropolis in 2018 or whether it will be direct or transit. "We already know Mexico City, and we're working on it," he added.

On Turkish Airlines' Chinese growth plans, Ayci said colleagues of his were already in talks with major investors in the Far East over partnerships that would gain it increased access to the all-important Chinese market and even India. Currently, Turkish Airlines' Chinese operations are modest in comparison to other airlines with only Beijing Capital, Guangzhou, and Shanghai Pudong served.

"We want to enter China by establishing partnerships," he said. "I am saying China, but do not just read it as China, as in an airport operation in China, or an airline partnership. It dominates all the countries around it. But we can also partner with companies in these countries and be with China. Partnerships with other companies that have long international experience will allow us to indirectly enter those regions. We will continue to ask for increased frequencies and traffic rights at every level."
If youre an art-lover (and writer) headed toward Malta, as I was last June, the first artwork that comes to mind is Caravaggios masterpiece in the Valetta cathedral, The Beheading of St John the Baptist. Brilliantly conceived and titanic in size12 ft by 17 ftit is the only work Caravaggio ever signed. It hangs in a separate room in the cathedral shared only with Caravaggios St. Jerome Writing, which would certainly catch your eye if set in an ordinary paintings gallery. Here it might be overlooked!

While I did visit those worksmy only complaint is that the cathedral keeps visitors very far away from the St. John work and I did not bring, as one Japanese tourist did, a pair of binocularsI wanted to write about something different, something not as well known, something that needed more attention. Caravaggio has lines waiting to see his works.

On the other hand, the little gallery in Maltas National Museum of Archaeology that houses Sleeping Lady (c. 3000 B.C.) was empty most of the time I was there. I had her to myself. She is tiny, unlike the Caravaggio, but there too one cannot get too close.

Nonetheless, I wrote her for the wonderful Wall Street Journal masterpiece column, and my article, A Powerful Symbol of a Lost Civilization, was published on Saturday.

The Sleeping Lady is quite strange, as youll read (if you cannot get behind the WSJ pay wall, you can find the article on my Facebook pageI made the post public.). A few excerpts:

she is corpulent, with bulging upper arms, wide hips and ballooning thighs that overwhelm her small headshe is nearly complete and wonderfully detailed considering that whoever made her had only primitive tools of bone, stone and, possibly, wood with which to work. She is naked to the waist, revealing ample breasts. She wears a skirt covering her knees that is decorated near the bottom with fine pleats and dots that some believe resemble embroidery. Both the front and back of her skirt are marked down the center, as if joined by a seam, and the skirt seems to have a waistband. Sleeping Lady has so far proved to be unique, but she comes from a culture that produced other so-called fat ladiesinterpreted by some scholars as goddessesmother goddesses, earth mothers, fertility goddesseswhose obesity signifies the abundance of the land in which they were a totem

She is different from the others, though, and I prefer the interpretation of her as an illustration of death, or death as eternal sleep, perhaps an allusion to belief in an afterlife.

Now you have another reason to visit Maltaand there are many more.

Photo Credits: Courtesy of the WSJ (top), Wiki Commons (middle), and me, a photo of the museum wall label showing her from above (bottom)
The new terminal building will be made operational before January 2019, it said.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will also develop a greenfield airport at Hirasar in the Rajkot district of Gujarat on build, operate and maintain basis.

Mumbai: National airports operator AAI plans to invest Rs 1,530 crore in the development work of the existing airports in Lucknow and Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh and Deoghar in Jharkhand to cater to the growing air traffic demand.

Besides, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will also develop a greenfield airport at Hirasar in the Rajkot district of Gujarat on build, operate and maintain basis.

According to a statement on Monday, the AAI plans to construct new integrated passenger terminal building at Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at an estimated cost of Rs 1,230 crore, which has seen significant traffic growth in the last five years.

Once completed, the new terminal building will have a capacity of 6.35 million passengers per annum and will be able to handle 4,000 passengers during the peak hour, the AAI said.

The AAI will also develop a new civil enclave at Allahabad ahead of the Ardh Kumbh Mela, to be held in January 2019, at an estimated cost of Rs 125.76 crore. The new terminal building will be made operational before January 2019, it said.

AAI said it also plans to develop the present Deoghar airport for carrying out operations of Airbus 320 and four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft C-130 types at an investment of Rs 401.34 crore at a fixed-cost and at Rs 427.43 crore on completion cost basis.

The Deoghar airport development work will be carried out in line with the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the AAI, Jharkhand government and DRDO in March this year, it said.

As per the MOU, there will be financial input to the tune of Rs 50 crore by the Jharkhand government, Rs 200 crore by the DRDO and the balance cost will be borne by the AAI. For the greenfield airport at Hirasar in Rajkot, Gujarat government has provided the land free of cost. The construction of the greenfield airport is aimed at matching with the traffic potential of Saurashtra region, amid the high economic growth, the AAI said.
The finance minister said that various government initiatives to encourage digital transactions are going to make a major advance in that direction.

New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Monday that the compulsion of using digital payments after demonetisation has now become a habit and as a result high denomination currency in circulation has come down.

He said e-payments will gather pace on account of government initiatives and technology advancement.

Obviously in the month of November, December and January, a lot of people went in for digitisation in terms of mode of payment more out of compulsion rather than finding it a more convenient method to transact, but that compulsion created a habit for many, said Mr Jaitley after the launch of mobile app Tez  a Hindi word which means fast  for digital payments developed by Google for India.

We reached a peak figure (after the demonetisation), then it marginally slipped and is now bound to pick up again, he said.

The finance minister said that various government initiatives to encourage digital transactions are going to make a major advance in that direction.

As we stand today, the high denomination currency has squeezed... The squeeze process is going to happen in the natural course of the economy. The second important test is as a consequence of this how much we are able to expand the number of assessees and the tax base, both direct and indirect," he said.

Built on the government-backed Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Tez allows users, free of charge, to make payments straight from their bank accounts, Google said.

The app was built for India and is available in English and seven Indian languages (Hindi, Beng-ali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu).

Tez works in partnership with four banks to facilitate the processing of payments across over 50 UPI-enabled banks.
As of now, the threshold limit for traders to compulsorily register under GST is an annual turnover of Rs 20 lakh.

The government is planning an easier set of compliance norms for small businesses with annual turnover of under Rs 20 lakh. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: In a bid to broaden the tax base and encourage smaller traders to register under the Goods and Services Tax regime, the government is planning an easier set of compliance norms for small businesses with annual turnover of under Rs 20 lakh.

This decision comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged tax officials to help these traders and small businesses to migrate to the GST rule, said media reports.

As of now, the threshold limit for traders to compulsorily register under GST is an annual turnover of Rs 20 lakh.

For the new tax regime to benefit the common man, every entity in the production chain- from raw material provider to the final retailer should be registered, many of whose annual turnover is below the threshold. According to a report in TOI, many large companies are already registering the traders under them. Those getting left out are increasing the pressure on the large companies.

The modalities of the compliance rules are being worked out by the CBEC.
The meeting was scheduled to be held on October 24 but was preponed in view of the engagements following Diwali festival.

The 22nd meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, will be held on October 6.

New Delhi: The 22nd meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, will be held on October 6 to deliberate on GSTN glitches and ironing out issues faced by exporters, a ministry official has said.

The meeting was scheduled to be held on October 24 but was preponed in view of the engagements following Diwali festival.

The next meeting of the Council will be held through video conferencing on October 6, the official said.

This will be the second time that the Council meeting would be held through video conferencing. The last such meeting was held on July 17 -- the first meeting after the roll out of Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1.

The issues that are expected to be discussed include the findings of the Group of Minister (GoM) on technical glitches on the GST Network portal.

Also, some relief to exporters could be on cards as Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia headed panel met 8 export promotion associations on Tuesday to understand their concerns.
Broader Nifty was trading below the 10,150-level.

Mumbai: The BSE Sensex turned flat paring initial gains, easing 16.36 points at 32,407.40 following mild bouts of profit-booking in capital goods, power, energy and financials sectors amid lower Asian trend.

Broader Nifty was trading below the 10,150-level. Key indices traded in small ranges as investors turned cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting beginning later on Tuesday.

Oil & Gas, auto, realty and industrial counters witnessed buying interest.

The Sensex resumed higher at 32,522.44 and moved in a range of 32,524.11 to 32,358.63 before quoting at 32,407.40, at 1100 hrs, marginally down by 16.36, or 0.05 per cent.

The NSE 50-share Nifty slipped from all time high level of 10,178.95, it was also trading marginally down by 8.35 points or 0.08 per cent at 10,144.75. Major losers were Coal India 1.62 per cent, Axis Bank 1.07 per cent, SBIN 0.72 per cent, ITC 0.69 per cent and L&T 0.52 per cent.

Gainers included Tata motors 4.55 per cent, Tata Motorsdvr 2.12 per cent and Kotak Banks 1.78 per cent. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth

Rs 96.92 crore yesterday, as per provisional data released by the stock exchanges.

While, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 775.61 crore, as per provisional data. Overseas, most Asian markets were trading lower as investors awaited clues from the Federal Reserve on future

monetary policy.

The US stocks registered fresh record closing high yesterday as investors looked ahead to the outcome of a key Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday.
Rabia said the CBI has failed despite having all the powers and skills required to get to the bottom of her daughter's death.

Mumbai: In an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jiah Khan's mother Rabia Khan on Monday asked for justice and bashed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its incompetence.

"For some reason, the CBI was reluctant to take over the case from the beginning, and in 15 months of delay in their findings, the CBI investigation got compromised. It would be an insult to the capabilities of the CBI to say that the CBI just failed to conduct a proper investigation," said the letter written by Rabia Khan.

She further wrote that there is no doubt that the CBI has all the powers and skills required to get to the bottom of Jiah Khan's death.

"But somehow, the CBI investigation went off track, for reasons best known to them. Instead, the CBI's own independent forensic expert opinion is inconclusive and does not rule out either homicide or suicide," the grieving mother wrote in her letter.

She also claimed that the CBI had simply recycled the "already compromised" information provided by the Juhu Police, adding that the worst is in their own report, they deliberately "distorted" certain information.

"I am a British citizen, the mother of Jiah Khan, who was murdered in India - Mumbai on June 3, 2013. It has been four years now that I have been persistently fighting for justice. All the forensic evidence that I have obtained from experts in India and England is pointing towards homicide," she wrote.

Rabia Khan also wrote that the analysis of the forensic experts shows that the injuries on actress Jiah Khan's body are inconsistent with the alleged suicidal hanging where all forensic evidence strongly suggests that she was murdered and then hanged to make it look like a suicide.

"The Hon'ble Bombay High Court, in July 2014, transferred the investigation to the CBI with a clear mandate to find out whether my daughter's death was homicidal or suicidal, and if it was found to be homicidal, to launch a further investigation and take appropriate action," Rabia's letter said.

Rabia further said that anyone looking at the actual facts in the case can realise that the case has been heavily "managed".

Targetting actor Aditya Pancholi and his son Sooraj Pancholi, who is the main accused, Rabia wrote, "It is not my task to speculate about the police's and the CBI's motivation, but a connection and the influence of the accused father Aditya Pancholi would not be too far-fetched."

Rabia Khan further said that the forensic expert, Jason Payne James, in his report, clearly stated that this appears to be a "staged homicide."

"I approached the Hon'ble High Court earlier this year with all the relevant grievances and expert reports requesting reinvestigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The CBI opposed, but the Hon'ble High Court noted in its order that all the points raised in my petition can be submitted to the trial court," Rabia said.

Rabia Khan said that she had submitted her application to the trial court through the state-appointed Special Public Prosecutor Dinesh Tiwari, who knows the history of this case from the beginning.

"Following this submission, the CBI has been trying to remove SPP Tiwari and to replace him with one of its own prosecutors, who has no knowledge about the case and has been displaying a hostile attitude towards me," she claimed in her letter.

Khan said that recently, when her application to submit key evidence and forensic expert reports was argued in the trial court, the CBI, along with the accused, strongly opposed their recognition by the court.

"Now the main point is that if the CBI, who has joined hands with the accused, is not with the victim and not willing to cooperate with me, then how is justice going to be served," Rabya Khan stated in her letter.

"I fail to write in words my pain and grief. I expect answers to my daughter's death. May God guide you and help us to get justice," she wrote.

She further said that God has placed the Prime Minister on high position to help her against injustice.

Rabia, on April 20, claimed that she has the capacity of evidence to prove that her daughter's suicide was a murder.

The step has come after the petition filed by Jiah's mother, was withdrawn after the apex court refused to intervene in Bombay High Court's order, which denied a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the matter.

Rabia had moved the Supreme Court as her plea seeking an SIT was rejected by the Bombay High Court on February 9.

Jiah was found hanging in her room on June 3, 2013.

A week later, the Juhu police had arrested Sooraj Pancholi on charges of abetment to suicide.

The CBI took over the probe from the Maharashtra Police on the Bombay High Court's orders. Rabia Khan had moved the High Court, alleging that her daughter had been murdered and demanding that the CBI probe the matter.
Complaint has been filed against Shraddha Kapoor and a producer of the movie in the magistrate court in Andheri.

Mumbai: A Dadar-based garment manufacturer has filed a complaint against Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor and one of the producers of the movie, Haseena Parkar accusing them of cheating and criminal breach of trust.

The complainant, M&M Designs, which is in the business of manufacturing, marketing and sale of branded designer costumes, under its brand label AJTM (Aj Mistry & Thea Minhas) has claimed that there was barter deal for supplying costume for the lead actor. It claims that there was a barter agreement between the designer and the producer of the film.

As per the agreement, Ms Kapoor was supposed to do promotional activities of the brand label AJTM and the store for supplying the costume. However, according to the complainant the producer did not fulfil the promise and the actor did not undertake promotional activities for them.

According to complainants lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee, M&M Designs had supplied dresses for the lead actor in the movie. They have filed a complaint in the metropolitan magistrate court, Andheri. The case will come up for hearing on October 26. The movie is based on the life of underworld don Dawood Ibrahims sister Haseena Parkar also known as Aapa. It is scheduled for release on September 22. Despite attempts spokesperson of the producer of the film was not available for the comments.

The complainant has alleged that despite reminders, neither the actor nor the producer took any promotional activities for M&M Designs as per the agreement.

According to the complainant, the makers of the movie were fully aware of the fact that if they fail to perform their roles, duties and obligation under the said agreement then the complainant shall incur huge monetary losses.
In 2013, Shumon Haq was booked for rash driving in London. In the prison, inmates radicalised him.

New Delhi: A 27-year-old suspected Al Qaeda operative, who had come to India to train and radicalise Rohingyas to fight against the Myanmar Army, was arrested from east Delhi on Sunday evening.

He was sent to police custody till September end by a city court on Monday after the investigators said he was required to be quizzed to unearth aspects relating to recruitment of youths for terror activities in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar.

Initially, the accused tried to mislead the police by claiming that his real name is Shumon Haq. He even showed them a fake voter ID card issued from Kishanganj, Bihar, but subsequently, he was identified as Samiun Rahman, alias Raju Bhai, a British national of Bangladeshi origin, they added.

The Delhi polices special cell had been working to gain information about Rahman since July. The sleuths had learnt that one Raju Bhai of Al Qaeda is trying to set up base in Delhi to carry out terrorist activities here.

The police team deployed sources in the NCR and other states to get information on him. It was further learnt that Raju Bhai is in Delhi and is attempting to recruit people for the purpose of jihad, said Pramod Singh Kushwah, deputy commissioner of police (special cell).

On Monday, the police learnt that Raju Bhai would come to Vikas Marg, Shakarpur (near ITO), to meet one of the probable Jihadi recruits, he said.

Raju Bhai was nabbed and it was later that the police learnt his real name. A pistol of 9mm calibre, laptop, mobile phones, $2,000, 13,000 in Bangladeshi currency and Indian currency were recovered from him, Mr Kushwah added.

It was found that he is a trained militant and has visited Morocco, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Turkey, Syria and Bangladesh, apart from India for terrorist activities, added the officer.

In 2013, he was booked for rash driving in London and sent to six months imprisonment. In the prison, inmates radicalised him, said a police official. He got influenced by the ideology of Al Qaeda and joined it. He obtained three-week training in their camp in Syria and fought there till 2014. While he was in Syria, their group came to know about the atrocities on Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar.

With his Bangladesh background, he was selected to raise a fighter group there. In 2014, he arrived in Bangladesh to radicalise youths to join Al Qaeda with the help of one Yasina, a resident of Bangladesh and an old al-Qaeda cadre,said the officer. He visited Dhaka and other places and radicalized dozens of youths in Bangladesh for their entry into Myanmar from Chittagong.

However, he was arrested in Bangladesh for terrorist activities in 2014 and after imprisonment of about three years he was released on bail in April this year, said the officer. He was in contact with his outfit members via Facebook, whatsApp and telegram and after being released on bail, he contacted Muhammad al-Jawlani, head of al-Nusrah Front , who directed him to go to India.

In July, he entered India with the objective of setting up base in Mizoram and Manipur to fight for Rohingya Muslims, raise funds and incite youths, said the officer. During this period, he stayed at various madrasas in Kishanganj (Bihar), Hazari Bagh (Jharkhand), NCR and other places.

It is believed that he was in touch with a number of youths to incite them to join al-Qaeda, added Kushwah. He visited Delhi frequently for this cause. He was also involved in cultivating people through Facebook and Telegram app. He was in contact with his outfit members of Syria, including Jawlani and other countries through various chat applications and protected sites.

The government had told the parliament on August 9 that according to available data, more than 14,000 Rohingyas, registered with the UNHCR, were staying in India.

However, some inputs indicate that around 40,000 undocumented Rohingyas were staying in India, mostly in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan regions.
This is despite the Haryana chief minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, announcing that a CBI investigation would be carried out into the murder.

Pradyuman's father has expressed disappointment over the delay in handing over the case to the CBI even after the CM's announcement. (Photo: PTI)

Gurgaon: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday said it has not received any notification from the Haryana Government for further investigation into the murder of seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur at the Ryan International School.

This is despite the Haryana chief minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, announcing that a CBI investigation would be carried out into the murder.

Pradyuman's father Varun Thakur has expressed disappointment over the delay in handing over the case to the CBI even after the chief minister's announcement.

"On 17th night, I got to know that the school will open on the 18th. So, I wrote a letter to the Deputy Commissioner. Till the CBI takes over the case and they start their initial enquiry, the school should not be functional because they can try to tamper with the evidences. Earlier also, this was done. So, I notified him through the mail," he said.

"I don't know the whole procedure of this but I had hoped that after the announcement by the chief minister, there will be a quick action on this and after that the CBI will take it into their hands and the investigation will start, because already there is a lot of delay. But as I am getting the information, the CBI has not got any notification on this. I am surprised to know this," he added.

Meanwhile, the school, which opened on Monday -- 10 days after the murder of Pradyuman - has been shut down again for a week.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has declined the hearing of anticipatory bail application of Ryan Pinto, Grace Pinto and Francis Pinto - owners of the Ryan International Group.

On September 8, seven-year-old Pradyuman was found dead inside the toilet of the Ryan International School, Gurgaon, with his throat slit.

Following the incident, school's bus conductor was convicted of the crime, but the case took a complicated turn after family of the accused claimed that he was being wrongly framed and that the school authorities were trying to mislead.

Various campuses of the school were closed for a few days, following the furore that erupted after parents took to streets in a bid to protest against the lack of security for children inside the school premises.
Uber's chief brand ambassador was also not happy about it.

A Uber promotional message sent to customers in Bengaluru outraged many social media users for being sexist.

In the message, husbands were urged to let your wife take a day off from the kitchen" by taking advantage of its Uber Eats food delivery service, BBC reported.

The tweet reportedly read: "Dear husbands, a gentle reminder - today is Wife Appreciation Day."

After receiving a series of angry tweets over the message, the company removed the tweet and apologised.

"We've removed it, and we apologise," Uber stated on the social media platform.

Bozoma Saint John, Uber's chief brand ambassador also shared her outrage and said it was "unacceptable".
Those with terror links should be treated accordingly, says West Bengal CM.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with chief secretary Malay De and expelled Gorkha Janamukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang and other in a press meet at Nabanna. (Photo: Asian Age)

Kolkata: Opposing the Centres stand against providing asylum to the Rohingyas in the country, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed that all of them are not terrorists.

Some of them, who have terror links, should be treated accordingly, she asserted at Nabanna, the state secretariat, in the evening while adding that those who are innocent should not suffer because of others.

The Trinamul Congress supremos observations came on a day the Union government told the Supreme Court that the Rohingyas pose a serious threat to national security in India. Objecting the deportation of the Rohingyas, Ms Banerjee said, Seeking information from us the Centre has directed to prepare a list of the Rohingyas, the children, staying here.

It has also instructed for their deportation. Our child commission, however, does not agree with it. Expressing her sympathy for the Rohingyas she added, I think all commoners are not terrorists. A few can be terrorists.

The terrorists should be considered as the terrorists. There is a difference between the terrorists and the commoners. There may be some good and bad people in each community.

She also said, But community is community. We can not compromise any terrorist activity with anybody else. If there are any terrorists, the government is there to take action against them. But the commoners should not suffer. It is a humanity. If the commoners suffer then the humanity will also suffer.

Her disagreement with the Centre on the issue came on the heels of her tweet supporting the Rohingyas.

We do support the @UN appeal to help the Rohingya people. We believe that all commoners are not terrorists. We are really concerned, she tweeted on September 15.
This no-holds-barred approach of China won it immediate gratification in terms of low-hanging fruits in an increasingly polarised world.

China is the ace practitioner of realpolitik, wherein sovereign emotions and morality invested in the cultural, ideological, religious or even political moorings are not germane. It makes strange bedfellows across the continents to fructify its widely believed destiny of the expansionist Chinese Century, and its historical paranoia of regime-survival by aligning with the near-pariah states of Enver Hoxhas Albania, junta-ruled Myanmar, Kim dynastys North Korea or even the Rawalpindi-controlled Pakistan. China is quick to pounce upon any opportunity to drive home a wedge-of-convenience to suit its own topical necessities, as historian Jon Halliday had noted on the Sino-Albanian alliance as, one of the oddest phenomena of modern times, here were two states of vastly differing size, thousands of miles apart, with almost no cultural ties or knowledge of each others society, drawn together by a common hostility to the Soviet Union.

Cold algorithms like my enemys enemy is my friend is the simplistic outlook that affords a Communist China to define an Islamic Pakistan, as an all-weather friend. A calculated empowerment of Pakistan as a counter-lever to India and the crucial alternate route for an economic corridor via Gwadar port (CPEC) clearly overrides any ideological dichotomy emanating from the treatment of its own Uighur Muslims. In the transactional and mutually-gratifying calculus of realpolitik, the larger geostrategic fitment of a Sino-Pak dimension is iron-clad, as opposed to the romantic imperatives of a natural ally in the Indo-US realm.

The second fundamental of the Chinese realpolitik has been the paradoxical carrot and stick that it routinely deploys to ensnare its neighbourhood and beyond. The border blockade in 2016 of the land-locked Mongolia (for Dalai Lama visit and economically cozy-up to India) and the brazen disregard for the unfavourable verdict in the petition by the Philippines at the International Tribunal, was rebutted by a stoic, China does not accept any recourse to third party dispute settlement; nor does China accept any solution imposed on it. Later President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines admitted to the soft-pedalling with China, despite its favourable verdict owing to the cheque-book diplomacy of China, wherein billions of dollars of Chinese investment in infrastructure were dangled, but only after the Chinese Premier had ostensibly told Mr Duterte, were friends, we dont want to quarrel with you, we want to maintain the presence of warm relationship. But if you force the issue, well go to war, literally intimidating and then buying out the Philippines. Similarly, in 2015, Xi Jinping had pledged an unprecedented $60 billion for Africa. Commodities like oil from Angola, Nigeria and Sudan, copper from Zambia and Congo, uranium from Namibia, the list of commodities for Beijing were irresistible. The non-preachy attitude of the Chinese regime was also a welcome break for the quasi-despots of the Zimbabwe and Angola, who were used to lectures on human rights and democracy by the West. Yet, while Chinas trade to Africa has shot up from $10 billion in 2000 to $220 billion by 2014, murmurs of an imminent debt trap, portents of vassal states and Chinas neocolonialism are increasingly gaining currency.

This no-holds-barred approach of China won it immediate gratification in terms of low-hanging fruits in an increasingly polarised world. The collateral benefit of an anti-West sentiment, automatically accrued to Beijing as the alternate superpower on the global sweepstakes, as opposed to a much-depleted Moscow.

However, chickens are coming home to roost, after the initial hoopla of Chinas success via geostrategic initiatives like String of Pearls, Silk Route, One Belt One Road, etc. Today, virtually the entire Asean region (except the Philippines) is joining hands with Taiwan, Japan and South Korea in forming an anti-Chinese bloc. The muscularity of OBOR has the West-friendly nations in the Central Asian republics in a bit of a quandary after the optics in Mongolia. The opportunistic plunge in Kathmandu post the blockade of 2015 is a thawing memory with increasing normalcy with India.

But the recent baring of the basic instincts of Chinas expansionism, following the recent Doklam impasse, has not gone unnoticed in Rangoon, Kathmandu, Dhaka or the other capitals in the emerging world. The perception of the imminent strings attached to Chinese realpolitik masked as beneficence, are shaping furiously.

Stoking the latent embers was the US President Donald Trump, who had earlier elevated China as the number one problem, in his run-up to presidential campaign. Mr Trump has not shied away from naming and shaming China as the principal enabler for North Koreas hair-raising belligerence. Mr Trump called Chinas bluff on North Korea with straight accusations of duplicitousness.

Beyond the meek protestations on Mr Trumps obvious inelegance with diplomatic niceties, both Russia and China have recently supported UNSC Resolution 2375 against North Korea. that embarrassingly includes maritime interdiction of cargo vessels, restricts joint ventures, imposes debilitating sanctions, besides a host of other clause that tighten the noose around Pyongyang.

In recent times, China has rightfully been made to swallow the universal indignity of being held responsible for North Koreas routine bailouts that have led to Pyongyangs global blackmails.

Similarly, Doklam has again raised the question marks on Beijings expansionist intent, as it tom-toms its infrastructural carrots across the globe. Pakistans own credibility issues have magnified with its sharp swerves towards its all-weather friend, whereas the growing footprint of the Dragon in Djibouti, Maldives and in the newly-created artificial islands in the South China Seas, are feeding further fears. Recent calculations of the global cost that is directly attributable to the Chinese realpolitik are coming to the fore, like never before.
'He just asked how is Bangladesh? I said its doing very well, but the only problem that we have is refugees from Myanmar,' Hasina said.

New York: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she spoke to US President Donald Trump on Monday about Rohingya Muslims flooding into her country from Myanmar, but she expects no help from him as he has made clear how he feels about refugees.

As Trump left an event he hosted at the United Nations on reforming the world body, Hasina said she stopped him for a few minutes.

He just asked how is Bangladesh? I said its doing very well, but the only problem that we have is the refugees from Myanmar, Hasina told Reuters in an interview. But he didnt make any comment about refugees.

A Myanmar military response to insurgent attacks last month in the countrys Rakhine state sent more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded as ethnic cleansing.

The Myanmar government said about 400 people have been killed in the fighting.

Hasina, who is due to address the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, said Trumps stance on refugees was clear, so it was not worth asking him for help with the Rohingya Muslim refugees.

Already America declared that they will not allow any refugees, she said. What I can expect from them, and especially (the) president. He already declared his mind ... so why I should ask?

Bangladesh is not a rich country ... but if we can feed 160 million people, another 500 or 700,000 people, we can do it.

A senior White House official was unaware of the exchange but said Trump was deeply interested in the subject and that he would definitely engage if it were brought up.

Shortly after taking office in January, Trump tried to put a 120-day halt on the US refugee program, bar Syrian refugees indefinitely and impose a 90-day suspension on people from six predominantly Muslim countries.

The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct! Trump said on Twitter on Friday.

Trump said the move is needed to prevent terrorist attacks and allow the government to put in place more stringent vetting procedures. There is a key Supreme Court hearing next month on the constitutionality of his executive order on the ban.

About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Hasina said she wanted to see more international political pressure on Myanmar to allow the Rohingya to return.

(Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi) should agree that these people belong to her country and that Myanmar is their country. They should take them back, she said. These people are suffering.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of international criticism for not stopping the violence. Myanmar national security adviser Thaung Tun told Reuters on Monday that Myanmar would ensure those who left their homes could return, but there was a process we have to discuss.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged the Myanmar government to end military operations, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes.

People are still at risk of being attacked or killed, humanitarian aid is not reaching the people who need it, and innocent civilians are still fleeing across the border to Bangladesh, Haley said after Britain hosted a meeting on the crisis in New York on Monday.

A US deputy assistant secretary of state, Patrick Murphy, is due in Myanmar this week.
Trump raved about his visit to Paris last July 14 -- which featured military fly overs, parades of horse guards, other military hardware.

United Nations: US President Donald Trump on Monday revealed plans to transform America's Independence Day celebrations next July 4 into a vast military parade, styled on France's Bastille Day.

"We're actually thinking about Fourth of July, Pennsylvania Avenue, having a really great parade to show our military strength," Trump said at the start of a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.

During brief remarks, Trump raved about his visit to Paris in July 14, this year-- which featured military fly overs, parades of horse guards, assorted tanks and other military hardware.

"To a large extent, because of what I witnessed we may do something like that on July Fourth in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue," said Trump, indicating he had discussed the event with White House chief of staff John Kelly.

"We had a lot of planes going over, and we had a lot of military might and it was really a beautiful thing to see," he said. "We're going to have to try and top it."

"We'll see if we can do it this year, but we certainly will be beginning to do that."

America's Independence Day is associated with fireworks and barbecues rather than the country's military might.

Trump aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, have confirmed that they considered a military parade for his inauguration last January.

Since then Trump has embraced military backdrop for several speeches and presidential visits, travelling twice to the USS Ford aircraft carrier.

Just this week he appeared in front of a B-2 bomber at a military base just outside Washington.

This latest plan is sure to fuel criticism from detractors, who allege Trump has struck the type of militaristic tone more commonly seen in authoritarian regimes.
The President said terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and have spread to every region of the planet.

US President Donald Trump said terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and have spread to every region of the planet. (Photo: AP)

United Nations: In his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump threatened to totally destroy North Korea, citing its nuclear weapons program.

The US President said, "If the United States is forced to defend itself and its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

Trump denounced North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un, saying the nation threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of life as a result of its nuclear weapons program.

But the president also said America would act alone if needed. He emphasized an America first agenda, and said that while the United States would forever be a great friend to the world and especially to its allies, his primary responsibility was to Americans.

He said US wants harmony and prosperity and not conflict and strife.

Hitting out at North Korea for its recent missile test, Trump said, "It is time for North Korea to realise that denuclearisation is its only acceptable future."

Trump said North Korea is on a suicide mission for its people and its regime.

Trump said North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons threatens entire world with immense loss of human life adding that no one has shown more contempt for its people than the regime in North Korea.

The President said he will put United States first and ask all the leaders to put their countries first.

The President said terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and have spread to every region of the planet.

Trump said, We will stop radical Islam terrorism because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation or tear up the world.



Trump said, "Best of the United States, is the first three words of its constitution - We the people."
In his maiden UN speech, US Prez says US would totally destroy North Korea if required.

United Nations: A bellicose Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that Rocket Man Kim Jong-un is on a suicide mission and threatened to totally destroy North Korea if it targets the US or its allies.

In his maiden, thunderous 41-minute address to the 193-member United Nations on Tuesday, the US President said, The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary.

Mr Trumps remarks rattled the leaders gathered before him in the green-marbled UN General Assembly hall, where minutes earlier UN secretary general Antonio Guterres had appealed for statesmanship.

As loud, startled murmurs filled the hall, Mr Trump described Mr Kim in an acid tone saying, Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime. His most direct military threat to attack North Korea was his latest expression of concern about Pyongyangs repeated launching of ballistic missiles over Japan and underground nuclear tests.

Mr Trump urged the UN to work together to isolate the Kim government until it ceases its hostile behaviour. He said North Koreas pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable cost of human life.

In what may have been a veiled prod at China, the Norths major trading partner, Mr Trump said, It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict.

Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom crossed her arms. It was the wrong speech at the wrong time to the wrong audience, Ms Wallstrom later told the BBC.

North Koreas mission to the UN did not respond to a request for comment. A junior North Korean diplomat sat in the delegations front-row sea, the Norths United Nations mission said.

Mr Trump boasted of Americas military strength, signalled he was ready to rip up a nuclear accord with the murderous regime in Tehran, and berated US foes in Pyongyang, Venezuela, Syria and Cuba.

Mr Trump pilloried Iran as a corrupt rogue state and threatened to rip up the landmark international deal struck in 2015 to curb Tehrans nuclear programme. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I dont think youve heard the last of it. Believe me, it is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Irans government end its pursuit of death and destruction.

But, the US leader added, the greatest threat to the Tehran regime was not the American military, but the Iranian people who want change.

The speech provoked strong responses almost immediately drawing praise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu although against expectations Mr Trump did not mention the Middle East Peace peace process, which he has promised to pursue. In over 30 years in my experience with the UN, I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech, said Mr Netanyahu. President Trump spoke the truth about the great dangers facing our world and issued a powerful call to confront them in order to ensure the future of humanity, he said in a statement.

Mr Trump did not back away from his populist America First campaign rhetoric, but instead suggested it should be an example to other UN members. Our respect for sovereignty is also a call for action. All people deserve a government that cares for their safety, their interests. As long as I hold this office, I will defend Americas interests above all else, but in fulfilling our obligations to our nations, we also realise that it;s in everyones interests to seek the future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure. After decades in which America has led the drive towards a global rules-based order, Mr Trump indicated his foreign policy would define the national interest more narrowly.
Unofficial results showed Kulsoom Nawaz secured 61,254 votes 30,412 less than her husband had obtained (91,683 votes) in 2013 elections.

Islamabad: In a hotly contested and closely watched by-election for Lahore NA-120 constituency, Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, won the seat comfortably but by a narrow margin, leaving the ruling party vulnerable in the general elections.

Unofficial results showed Kulsoom Nawaz secured 61,254 votes 30,412 less than her husband had obtained (91,683 votes) in 2013 elections.

Runners-up Dr Yasmin Rashid of the PTI bagged 47,066 votes  5,255 less than she had secured in 2013 elections while contesting against Nawaz Sharif at that time.

Contrary to the expectation, the turnout remained quite low. Though a low turnout is a hallmark of all by-elections, it was not an ordinary contest by any means. Also, all parties ran a vigorous campaign for a month to woo the voters.

The election results however, came as a great solace to the shattered PML-N after the ouster of Nawaz Sharif as the Prime Minister and subsequent filing of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) references against members of the Sharif family.

The ex-Premier was disqualified as member of the parliament by the Supreme Court in July after a legal battle over charges that he and his family had hidden their wealth overseas.

His wife Kulsoom Nawaz is currently hospitalised in London with lymphoma and she won Sundays electoral race in absentia, with her daughter Maryam Nawaz running a vigorous campaign to bring the party and the family a direly needed victory.

Despite the defeat, the main opposition candidate Dr Yasmin Rashid did unexpectedly well. A medical doctor and teacher by profession, she ran a hectic day-and-night campaign which she continued even on Eid days.

The two parties had made it a fight between those who stood with the Supreme Court decision of disqualifying Nawaz and the ones who did not accept that decision. But both failed to clearly establish their respective stance as they saw considerable reduction in their vote bank in the constituency: the PML-N by 30,412 and the PTI by 5,255 votes.
Her refusal so far to defend the Rohingya over nearly a month of violence has baffled and enraged the international community.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has been decried overseas for failing to condemn the generals, with whom she is in a delicate power-sharing arrangement. (Photo: AP)

Naypyidaw: Aung San Suu Kyi said Tuesday that Myanmar stood ready "at any time" to verify the status of the 4,10,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in the last month to aid the return of those eligible for resettlement.

"We are prepared to start the verification process at any time," she said referring to those who have fled in an unprecedented exodus to Bangladesh, without guaranteeing a return for all of the refugees.

It was not immediately clear how many of the estimated 410,000 Rohingya who have fled Myanmar would qualify to return.

But the subject of their claims to live Myanmar is at the heart of a toxic debate about the Muslim group.

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi reached out to the global community Tuesday in a broad appeal for support over a refugee crisis the United Nations has decried as "ethnic cleansing", urging outsiders to help her nation unite across religious and ethnic lines and offering a pathway back to the country for some of the Rohingya Muslims forced to flee by army operations.

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since August 25, leaving hundreds dead and driving more than 410,000 of the Rohingya minority from Myanmar into Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, has been decried for failing to speak up publicly for the stateless Rohingya or urge restraint from the military.

But in 30-minute televised speech Tuesday she reached out to her critics, deploying the soaring rhetoric that once made her a darling of the global rights community.

"Hate and fear are the main scourges of our world," she said.

"We don't want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicity...we all have the right to our diverse identities."

Myanmar's army has previously it will not take back people linked with "terrorists" -- suggesting many came from the hundreds of Rohingya villages that have subsequently been burnt to the ground.

Inside Myanmar, supporters say the 72-year-old lacks the power to rein in the army, with whom she is in a delicate power-sharing arrangement.

The UN has accused Myanmar's army of "ethnic cleansing" over a campaign of alleged murder and arson that has left scores of Rohingya villages in ashes.

The army denies that, insisting its operations are a proportional response to the late August raids by Rohingya militants, who they label "extremist Bengali terrorists".

Since then just under half of Rakhine's Rohingya population has poured into Bangladesh, where they now languish in one of the world's largest refugee camps.

A further 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of the August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militant group.

Suu Kyi skipped this week's UN General Assembly in New York to manage the crisis at home and deliver her televised address -- the biggest yet of her time in office.

Siege mentality

Analysts say Suu Kyi must walk a treacherous line between global opinion and Islamophobic anti-Rohingya views at home, where the military has curdled hatred for the Muslim minority.

While stories of weary and hungry Rohingya civilians streaming into Bangladesh have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for the Muslim group among Myanmar's Buddhist majority.

Many reject the existence of a Rohingya ethnicity and insist they are "Bengalis" -- illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

That narrative has justified the denial of citizenship for the estimated one million Rohingya who lived in Rakhine before the recent crisis.

Loathing for the Rohingya has brought the public, including prominent pro-democracy activists, into an unlikely alignment with an army that once had them under its heel.

A siege mentality has emerged in Myanmar with the UN, international NGOs and foreign media the focus of ire for apparent pro-Rohingya bias.

Many Facebook users changed their profile picture on Tuesday to carry a banner with a photo of 'The Lady' and saying "We stand with you Daw Aung San Suu Kyi" -- using an honorific.

Tensions over the status of the Rohingya have been brewing for years in Myanmar, with bouts of anti-Muslim violence erupting around the country as Buddhist hardliners fan fears of an Islamic takeover.

Although the military stepped down from outright junta rule in 2011, it kept control of security policy and key levers of government.

Any overt break from the army's policy in Rakhine could enrage the generals and derail Suu Kyi's efforts to prevent a rollback on recent democratic gains.

Observers say the military may be deliberately destabilising her government with one eye on 2020 elections.

Commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing has emerged during the crisis as an unexpectedly popular figure, pitching himself as a defender Myanmar's territorial integrity and the Buddhist faith.
The Express Tribune reported that the Pakistan government has prepared a three-option toughest diplomatic policy.

Islamabad: Pakistan is ready with a tough diplomatic policy if the US imposes any sanctions on it or lowers Islamabads major non-Nato ally status over failure to crack down on militants, according to a media report.

Pakistans new strategy comes after US President Donald Trump, while unveiling his new policy for South Asia and Afghanistan, criticised Pakistan for providing safe havens to militants.

A day after Mr Trumps announcement, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson suggested that US could downgrade Islamabads status as a major non-Nato ally if it does not crack down on militants.

The Express Tribune reported that the Pakistan government has prepared a three-option toughest diplomatic policy.

According to official sources, the policy includes gradually limiting diplomatic relations with the US, reducing mutual cooperation on terrorism-related issues and non-cooperation in US strategy for Afghanistan. The last option may include a ban on using Pakistani land for Nato supplies to Afghanistan, according to the newspaper.

However, the policy will be implemented after the approval of the National Security Committee.

Meanwhile, the US and Pakistan are expected to sort out their differences during the meetings between their leaders on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session starting tomorrow.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is expected to meet US vice-president Mike Pence while the foreign ministers of the two countries are also expected to meet.
The justice said the court had to run legal proceeding and that this act of non-seriousness would not be tolerated.

Islamabad: Pakistans Supreme Court was moved on Tuesday to restore former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who was ousted on July 28 by the top court for hiding assets.

The application, submitted by a citizen Shahid Orakzai, stated that the decision of Nawaz Sharifs ouster had suspended 40 articles of the Constitution, and destroyed the federal system.

The petition prayed the SC to revert the decision of former premiers disqualification that it announced on July 28, and to stop National Accountability Bureau (NAB) proceedings against the Sharif family.

It has been requested to form a form a seven-member bench to review Panama Papers case verdict, as it is SCs constitutional responsibility to protect the federal system.

The petitioner said the judges of the apex court did not have the insight into constitutional procedure, and no lawyer in Panama case informed the judges about the federal system.

The application said the courts decision not only dissolved the cabinet, but also left the President alone, therefore, Nawaz Sharif should be restored.

Meanwhile, an Accountability Court here reissued summons to Sharif family for September 26 over references filed by NAB in London flats and Azizia steel mill cases as they failed to appear on Tuesday.

During the hearing, a comprehensive report related to Nawaz Sharif, his children and son-in-law Mohammed Safdars summons was submitted in the court. NAB prosecutor said that Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawazs security in-charge claimed that he was ordered to not receive the notice.

The justice said the court had to run legal proceeding and that this act of non-seriousness would not be tolerated. The court also dismissed NABs plea to issue arrest warrant for Sharif family and called on the members on September 26. The court directed to paste summon notice on the wall of Nawaz Sharifs house.

Nawaz Sharif, his children Maryam, Hassan and Hussain are currently in London because of the health issues of Kulsoom Nawaz.

Earlier, the court had issued summon to Sharif family for September 19 in Flagship Investments reference. The former PM and his sons were nominated as accused in the reference that deals with the ownership of 16 offshore companies.

Supreme Court had directed NAB to prepare references in which one was regarding Al-Azizia Steel Mill while the other two were about London flats and 16 offshore companies held by the Sharif family.
UN chief urges Army pull back, Amnesty says Nobel winner burying head in sand.

Naypyidaw/Yangon, Myanmar: Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi pledged Tuesday to hold rights violators to account over the Rohingya crisis but refused to blame Myanmars Army, as the UN chief demanded an end to the military campaign and a better deal for the Muslim minority.

In her first address to the country about the violence in northern Rakhine state that has seen some 421,000, she called for patience and understanding.

In the address, delivered entirely in English and timed to pre-empt censure at the UN General Assembly in New York, Ms Suu Kyi said that her government does not fear international scrutiny of its handling of the growing Rohingya crisis.

Im aware of the fact that the worlds attention is focused on the situation in Rakhine state. As a responsible member of the community of nations Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny, she said.

The Nobel peace laureate had earlier announced her decision not to attend the UN General Assembly.

Ms Suu Kyi, who has faced heavy criticism for her response to the crisis, said in her 30-minute speech to Myanmars Parliament that she felt deeply for the suffering of all people in the conflict, and that Myanmar was committed to a sustainable solution for all communities in this state.

We want to find out why this exodus is happening, she said. I think it is very little known that the great majority of Muslims in Rakhine State have not joined the exodus.

Ms Suu Kyi avoided the use of the term Rohingya except to refer to the insurgent group. Myanmar does not recognise the Rohingya, insisting they are immigrants from Bangladesh despite having lived here for generations.

Myanmar stood ready, she said, to repatriate refugees in accordance with a verification process agreed with Bangladesh in the early 1990s.

Those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems, she added.

She insisted that the Armys clearance operations finished on September 5.

Hours after her speech, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva called for full access to the region so it can investigate the situation with its own eyes.

Amnesty International said Ms Suu Kyi was burying her head in the sand over documented Army abuses and claims of rape, murder and the systematic clearing of scores of villages.

At the General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres joined the international outcry. The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access, Mr Guterres told the assemblys opening. They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long.

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25. An Army-led fightback has left scores dead and sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh.

The UN has called it a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

Supporters and observers say the 72-year-old Suu Kyi lacks the authority to rein in the military and she has to avoid alienating her supporters by being seen to take the side of a Muslim minority that enjoys little sympathy in a country that has seen a surge of Buddhist nationalism.

Thats why, some diplomats said, she had not squarely addressed the problem of violence in her speech.

In monsoon-soaked shanties in Bangladesh, there was anguish among refugees over how they would meet any requirements to return.

We dont have any papers, said 55-year-old Abdur Razzak.

If the government is honestly speaking to resolve our crisis then we are ready to go back now, he added. Nobody wants to live in such squalid conditions as a refugee.

But her domestic audience was happy.

Thousands of supporters cheered and let balloons float into the sky in Yangon as they watched Ms Suu Kyis speech on a big screen. Social media saw a blizzard of posts with the message: We stand with Aung San Suu Kyi.
Head of Brexit department Oliver Robbins shifted to Cabinet Office as PM Theresa Mays EU adviser.

London: One of Britains senior-most Brexit officials was on Monday shunted to the Cabinet Office after just over a year in the job, in what marks the latest row to hit the UK governments divorce from the European Union.

Oliver Robbins has been moved to 10 Downing Street from the department for exiting the European Union (DexEU) to take on a new coordinating role, which will see him work more closely with Prime Minister Theresa May.

In order to strengthen cross-government coordination of the next phase of negotiations with the European Union, the Prime Minister has appointed Oliver Robbins as her EU adviser in the Cabinet Office..., a DexEU statement said.

However, the main reason behind the shift is being attributed to tensions between him and Brexit secretary David Davis.

The latest wrangles were triggered by an article by UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson reviving his claims that the countrys National Health Service would be 350 million a week richer after Brexit. While this figure has come under dispute since he first used it, his decision to re-open the debate is being widely seen as a challenge to the PM by trying to take centre-stage within the Brexit debate.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled in parents favour, finding the school had discriminated against Sidhak, it said.

Melbourne: A Sikh family in Australia won a legal battle on Tuesday against a Christian school which refused to enrol their five-year-old son because of his turban.

Sidhak Singh Arora was due to start preparatory at Melton Christian College in Melbournes northwest this year.

But his patka (childrens turban) does not comply with the schools uniform policy which prohibits students from wearing any type of religious head covering.

Sagardeep Singh Arora and his wife Anureet said the school breached the Equal Opportunity Act act by not allowing Sidhak to wear a patka when they tried to enrol him in 2016, Herald Sun reported.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) ruled in the parents favour, finding the school had discriminated against Sidhak, it said.

Whilst MCC is a Christian school, it has an open enrolment policy which means that it accepts enrolments of students from other faiths, VCAT member Julie Grainger found.

A little over 50% of the school community does not identify explicitly as Christian and many families at the school have no religious beliefs, the report said.

It is not reasonable to accept enrolment applications from students from non-Christian faiths only on the condition that they do not look like they practice a non-Christian religion, it said.

The school could have amended its uniform policy to allow Sidhak to wear a turban in school colours, the VCAT finding added.

Grainger ordered the parents and the school to sit down and negotiate an agreement on what orders can be made to resolve the situation.

The Arora's previously said they still wanted Sidhak to attend the school, as it is where his cousins study and it is close to their home.
by Yaxue Cao

The dissident was a protege of the Party, one of the first Chinese students sent abroad after Mao Zedongs death. After he returned home, he abandoned his medical career and founded a movement for democracy. Released in 1998, he was abducted in Vietnam in 2002 and taken to China where he was sentenced to life in prison. "I know that everything of mine was given by you, and that all glory belongs to you. I will absolutely not fail in the mission you gave me.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews/China Change)  Last Friday, Dr. Wang Bingzhangs family  his wife, children and siblings in Canada and the United States  received a letter from him in Shaoguan Prison, Guangdong. He shared a special prayer with them on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of his kidnapping and arrest.

Wang Bingzhang (1947- ) was among the first Chinese students sent overseas to study after the Cultural Revolution and Deng Xiaopings rise to power. He studied medicine at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, from 1979 to 1982. He was the pride of the Chinese Communist Party and founded a journal, China Spring, starting a movement to transform China into a democracy.

He sought the abolition of one-party rule; the separation of the party from the government, military and judiciary; the separation of the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary; the direct election of national leaders; and federalism. He also laid out five goals for economic reform: the establishment of a market economy; the co-existence of multiple economic systems; the protection of private property; independent unions; and farmers land ownership and usage rights. Most of these demands can be found in the stated goals of other dissidents and pro-democracy groups in China, like Liu Xiaobos Charter 08 .

The establishment of a Democratic Party in 1998 led to his arrest and expulsion from the country. In 2002, during a trip to Vietnam to meet with other activists, Wang was kidnapped and brought back to China. After he was beaten and left in front of a Buddhist temple, he was arrested. After six months of silence and a trial lasting one day, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for espionage and terrorism.

My loved ones, June 27, 2017 is the 15th anniversary of when I was abducted and imprisoned. On this special day, Ive made a special prayer that Id like to share with all of you:

To my Holy Creator, my Lord in Heaven, God, Heavenly Father, Holy Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit:

Your servant Wang Bingzhang prays to you. On June 27, 2002, 15 years ago now, I was abducted and from that day on have been imprisoned in solitary confinement.

I thank you for staying by my side for these 15 years, offering me support and guidance. I thank you for making use of me, and for giving me a special mission: from the time you created humankind, setting out that it was my mission to help promulgate the natural laws, norms, standards, and truths you established for man to live by, as shown in ancient civilization, the classic texts of the world, and in the works of our ancestors. I have come to realize that you have a grand plan for the salvation of the world and humankind; to make this mad world return once more to norms you established, and to help the lost world of man return to your embrace. I feel greatly honored that I can make a small contribution to the grand plan you have laid out. I know that everything of mine was given by you, and that all glory belongs to you.

I will absolutely not fail in the mission you gave me. Ill continue to cherish myself, Ill keep my mind and body in good order, and live the years you allotted me. Under your teaching, inspiration, and guidance, I do your work every day. I guarantee that your selection of me, your deep love, your accompaniment, your divine inspiration, and your grace encourages me to be braver and work without fear, even if I have to spend another 15 years in jail. I will redouble my efforts and leave behind a record that renders glory to your sacred name.

Amen.

I love you all,

Wang Bingzhang

From solitary confinement in Shaoguan Prison

June 27, 2017
by Marcelo Farias Dos Santos

Fr Marcelo, 33, from Brazil, is bound for the mission to Japan after attending a training course in Phnom Penh. After studying Asia in books, he will experience it in person. The Cambodian Church, a small seed in the great field of the Buddhist world, bears witness. Being "tools of God's love" is very important.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews)  The training course for missionaries who joined the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) between 2009 and 2015 has just come to an end. This international group represents the present and the future of our institute.

I was fortunate enough to go through this experience and I thank the Lord, especially for two reasons. The first is that I met again old friends, whom I had not seen in a long time. At present, they proclaim the Gospel in many parts of the world, each on their own mission.

The second reason is that I discovered the mission in Cambodia, a country with a fascinating culture where a young and vibrant Christian community offers everyone a joyful witness.

After performing my ministry in Italy for seven years, which included missionary outreach and studies, my superiors decided to send me to Japan this year. Asia has always been my dream and this destination makes me think that perhaps it was also God's dream for my life.

However, I must admit that what I knew about this great continent did not go beyond what I read in many books and articles, saw in some documentaries, and the stories of various friends who bear witness to their faith in Jesus in various Asian countries. Now something has changed.

For me, the ten days of training in Cambodia were a first taste of the great Asian continent. I cannot deny that the impact was strong: culture, language, climate and society are very different from any other place I encountered in the West. But rather than scare me such diversity has fascinated, seduced me. I cannot say I know Cambodia  that requires time  but the experiences I have had here have certainly had a profound impact on me and made me think.

For example, although we were all foreigners in our group, people were not afraid of us and greeted us with joy, and this made us feel at home.

How wonderful it would be if we received such a welcome everywhere in the world. If everybody could feel home at home . . . no one would feel like an outsider. We would all be citizens of the world on our way to our true homeland: heaven.

The life of the Cambodian Church made me reflect a lot. This is a small Church, a minority in the middle of an ocean of people belonging to other religions, especially Buddhism, who do not know Jesus.

I knew already that Christianity is a minority religion in Asia. But it is one thing to read about it in books, and it is another to see it with its own eyes. We travelled across the country, visited several places and met many people, miles and miles by car without seeing a single cross, church or image of the Virgin in front of which to pray Hail Mary. In Cambodia, the Church of Jesus is truly leaven in the mass, mustard seedlings in the middle of the fields, a small presence, almost invisible, but faithful and lively.

In addition to the missionaries attending the course we met a very special person, Ming Prakoth, sister of Mgr Joseph Chmar Salas, the first and only Cambodian bishop (whose cause of beatification is underway) who died when he was only 39 years old in September 1977 during the genocide committed by the Khmer Rouse regime.

Her story profoundly touched us all, especially since it is free of any form of hatred or rancour. Despite the atrocities experienced, her words conveyed hope and joy.

The witness of these people renewed in me the passion for the mission and I hope to be for the Japanese people what they were for their fellow countrymen, namely, wonderful tools of God's love.

Thank you, Cambodia! It was a truly beautiful experience. Asia is a challenge I welcome with joy. In a few hours, I will take the plane that will bring me back to Italy. On Sunday in Milan, I will receive the crucifix of departure and the missionary mandate for Japan. I am leaving from Asia, but it is to Asia that I will be back very soon.
by Mathias Hariyadi

"Spreading rumours and falsehoods on social media about the rebirth of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) is nonsense, a fantasy," said historian Asvi Marwan Adam of the Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI). The goal is to make Jokowi less popular and crate frictions with religious leaders, especially those of the Nahdlatul Ulama.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  There is a desire to create difficulties for the current Indonesian administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in order to make him less popular and cause frictions with religious leaders, especially those of the Nahdlatul Ulama, this according to Asvi Marwan Adam, a historian at the Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI).

Yesterday protests broke out against an event promoted by the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI). At first the large crowd gathered peacefully, but then violence suddenly broke out.

According to Adam, the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) became a hot topic and three potential groups are behind it, namely bad politicians, bad business people and radical religious groups.

A major rally was held late Sunday afternoon against the YLBHI (pictured), following rumors spread through social media that it was promoting a public debate on the PKI and communism, triggering the "counterattack".

Around the world communism is historically dead and former communist states have become more democratic nations. In Indonesia, communism and the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) are also dead, but their ghosts are still "kept alive" and haunt the country, driving the security services to react to anything that smacks of communism and PKI.

On 30 September 1965, seven Army Generals were killed by the secret service of President Sukarno for unknown reasons. This September, once again the "hot issue" of the PKI and communism has come back to create problems for the current Indonesian administration.

During the massive campaign to capture PKI followers launched by President Suharto and his New Order regime, thousands of members of the PKI  leaders, officials and sympathisers  died, disappeared or were exiled to some island without due process.

When President Jokowi came to power in October 2014, some radical changes were implemented in Indonesia, breaking away from bad economy practices. Good planning and infrastructural development were promoted.

"Spreading rumours and falsehoods on social media about the rebirth of the Indonesian Communist Party is nonsense, a fantasy," Adam said. This political game is orchestrated by someone who wants to create divisions in the countrys political life.

Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, daughter of President Sukarno and head of the Indonesian National Party-Marhaenism, said the campaign against President Jokowi is meant to undermine his re-election in 2019.

The presidents plans to boost trade with China have nothing to do with political ideology. Other nations have good trade relations with Beijing, so there is no need to worry.
In her first public talk on the Rakhine crisis, the Democratic leader promises to pursue "all human rights violations and outlaw violence" and the return of those who fled. From September 5 there are no conflicts.

Yangon (AsiaNews) - Myanmar is not afraid of an "international inquiry" on the Rakhine violence against Rohingya. Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi said in a largely anticipated televised discourse today at Nay Pyi Taw.

International personalities have criticized the Nobel Peace Laureate for keeping silent on the violence that is taking place against the Islamic minority of her country by the Burmese army. Todays speech was the first since the outbreak of the crisis, although she has said in recent weeks that there has been a "huge iceberg of misinformation".

Since August 25, after some attacks on the armed forces by Rohingya militants, the army responded with a tough campaign that killed hundreds of dead and pushed more than 400,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

The "Lady" did not directly condemn the military, but said that since September 5 "there have been no armed clashes and no cleansing operations" in the territory. The UN has instead condemned the operations as an "ethnic cleansing".

"We," he said, "dont want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicity ... we all have the right to our diverse identities.

"We condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence. We are committed to the restoration of peace and stability and rule of law throughout the state. "

Expressing deep suffering for "all the people caught up in the conflict, she said that " Human rights violations and all other acts that impair stability and harmony and undermine the rule of law will be addressed in accordance with strict laws and justice. "

Since in 1995, a fragile democracy has been emerging in the country, Aung San Suu Kyi has been excluded from the presidency, but is a state adviser and foreign minister. Economic and military power, however, remains in the hands of the armed forces. According to some analysts, the Rakhine conflict was fomented to undermine Aung San Suu Kyis attempt to reconcile the entire nation. At the same time, there are suspicions that the Rohingya crisis is being harnessed by Islamic fundamentalist groups to call for a new holy war.

"We want to find out why this exodus is happening. We would like to talk to those who have fled as well as those who have stayed. I think it is very little known a great majority of Muslims in the Rakhine state have not joined the exodus."

The Democratic leader says that her country is ready to organize the return of those who fled to Bangladesh but also to verify the identity of the exiles. In Myanmar there are about 1 million Rohingya, Bengalese Muslim migrants and Hindus. They are not part of the minorities officially registered in the state, most of them have no Burmese citizenship.

To face the crisis in the country, Aung San Suu Kyi did not travel to New York to attend the UN General Assembly. Today's speech addressed to her fellow countrymen is also addressed to the international community.
The data are found in two reports by the International Labour Organisation, the Walk Free Foundation and the International Organisation of Migration. Forced marriage is one form of modern slavery. Three quarters of all victims are women and girls.

New York (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Last year, more than 40 million people were treated as slaves and about 152 million children were forced to work, this according to two reports released today by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) with the Walk Free Foundation in partnership with the International Organisation of Migration (IOM).

According to experts, at least 40.3 million people were victims of modern slavery in 2016, as forced labourers as well as sex and domestic workers.

With respect to children, most of those aged 5 to 17 engaged in child labour were found in Africa (72.1 million), followed by the Asia-Pacific region (62 million).

"Forced labourers produced some of the food we eat and the clothes we wear, and they have cleaned the buildings in which many of us live or work," the groups said in a report released on Tuesday.

Forced marriage, which is widespread in Muslim majority South Asian countries, is included for first time in worldwide statistics.

Some 15.4 million people, mostly women, are forced into marriage, a figure that probably underestimates the problem. More than a third of them are under age at the time of marriage.

The new estimates also show that women and girls are disproportionately affected by modern slavery, accounting for almost 29 million, or 71 per cent of the overall figure.

Women represent 99 per cent of the victims of the sex industry and 84 per cent of forced marriages.

An estimated 25 million people were in forced labour at any moment in time in 2016. Out of them, 16 million people were in forced labour exploitation in the private sector such as domestic work, construction, agriculture.

The causes of exploitation range from poverty to the need to repay debts. The report notes that the problem is widespread in all countries.

The second report released today on child labour contains frightening figures: 152 million children  64 million girls and 88 million boys  are subject to child labour and account for almost one in ten children around the world.

Approximately one third of children aged 5 to 14 engaged in child labour are outside the education system, 38 per cent of children are in hazardous work aged 5 to 14 and almost two-thirds of those aged 15-17 work more than 43 hours per week.

These kids cannot get an education and build a better future for themselves.
Following Christs example, we must suffer and empathize with the needy, not help them "from afar", because there are those who are dirty, who "do not shower," who "stink." With our "intercessory prayer," with our "work" as Christians, we must be able to help people who suffer, to "return to society", "family life", work; in short: to "everyday life".

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  To suffer and empathize together with others, drawing close to them to help restore their dignity: This is the attitude that the Christian should before those who suffer and are in need, said Pope Francis during Mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta, commenting on today's Gospel from Luke dedicated to the account of Christs resurrection of Nain's son.

"Compassion is a feeling that involves, it is a feeling that comes from the heart, from the gut, it involves everything. It is not the same as "pity", or ... "what a shame, poor people!": No, it is not the same. Compassion involves. It is "suffering with". This is compassion. Remembering that in the Old Testament the "poorest slaves" were widows, orphans, strangers, Francis added: "The Lord is moved by a widow and an orphan ... But you have a crowd here, why not talk to the crowd? Leave it be ... thats life ... there are tragedies that happen, they happen ... No. That widow and that dead orphan were more important to him than the crowd he was talking to and who followed him. Why? Because his heart, his guts were involved. The Lord, with his compassion, was involved in this case. He was compassionate."

Compassion therefore pushes us "to draw near," the Pope reiterated: you can see so many things but you do not get closer to them. "Draw near and touch reality. Touch. Do not look at her from afar. He had compassion - first word  he drew close - second word. Then he performs a miracle and Jesus does not say, Look, I will keep on walking': no. He takes the boy and what does he say? 'He restored him back to his mother': restore the third word. Jesus performs the miracle of restoration, he returns people to their place. And that's what he did with redemption. He had compassion - God had compassion - He came to us in His Son, and restored us all to the dignity of God's children. He recreated us all. "

The exhortation is to "do the same", to follow Christs example, to approach the needy, not to help them "from afar" because there are those who are dirty, "do not shower," "stink."

"We often watch the news or read newspaper headlines, the tragedies ... just look, the children do not have to eat in that country; in that country children are soldiers; women are enslaved in that country; in that country ... oh, what a calamity! Poor people ... I turn over the page and move on to the romance, to the gossip that comes later. And this is not Christian. And the question I would ask now, looking at everyone, also at myself: 'Am I able to have compassion? To pray? When I see these things, do they come home to me, through the media ... do they move me, my gut feeling? Does my heart suffer with those people, or do I feel pain, do I say 'poor people', and so ... '. And if you cannot have compassion, ask for this grace: 'Lord, give me the grace of compassion'"!

With the "prayer of intercession," with our "work" as Christians, concludes Francis, we must be able to help people who suffer, to "return to society", to "family life", work; in short: to "everyday life".
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Protests, threats, arson attacks on cinemas screening the film "Matilda", about the affair between the future Tsar and a young ballerina of the imperial theatre. Nationalists decry a patriotic and religious scandal (Tsar Nicholas was canonized in 2000). Reparatory pilgrimages announced. The Orthodox Church suggests banning the projection of the film.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - For several months, Russia has been rocked by a rather singular scandal, which is stoking the feelings of the population about the very identity of the country. The Russians are protesting over a rumoured affair, recalled by a film about the life of the last Tsar and his relationship with a Polish ballerina.

The film "Matilda", shot by director Aleksej Uchitel ', is not even officially commercialized, and was only shown in some theaters in Vladivostok, the far east of the country. Its release is scheduled for late October, but there is a risk that it will not make it to cinemas, although the controversy over its contents is fuelling anticipation of its release. The film tells the story of the romantic relationship between the 22-year-old heir to the throne Nikolaj Romanovich, the future Tsar, and the 18-year-old Polish dancer of imperial theater Matilda Kshesinskaya, from 1890 until Nicola II was crowned in 1896.

The movie trailer depicts a kind of love triangle, similar to the "over-crowded" marriage of Charles and Diana of England, which took place between the young emperor, his wife Aleksandra and the dancer. In the story, the empress plays the role of jealous and revengeful wife, ready to exact her vendetta on her young rival. These elements are used in many soap-operas around the globe, except that Nicholas and his wife were canonized in 2000, along with other members of the imperial family, as holy martyrs of the Orthodox Church, assassinated in Ekaterinburg in the Bolshevik summer of 1918. Their remains, despite the uncertainty of their authenticity, lie in the cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg, in a chapel beside the tombs of other Romanov Tsar dynasties.

Scandalized nationalists

After the appearance of the first trailers in 2016, a wave of anger swept the nation, in defense of religious sentiments and the reverence of the sacred figure of the Tsar. The anti-Matilda crusade was launched by a young deputy of the State Duma, Natalia Poklonskaja, a well-known character in the Russian chronicles of recent years. In February 2014, she served as a prosecutor in a provincial town in Crimea, when the conflict between Russians and Ukrainians broke out, and her controversial resignation was the signal of the patriotic retreat of Russians in the peninsula. After the referendum on the annexation in Moscow, Poklonskaja was appointed by Putin as general prosecutor of the new Crimea. In that role, she distinguished himself for the cruel repression of the Tartar minority in the region before being "promoted" to parliament in 2016. After launching protests against "Matilda," the deputy also said she witnessed miraculous lacrimation of a bust of Nicholas II, of which she is a devotee, in a chapel of Simferopol in Crimea.

Poklonskaja has become a spokesman for a nationalist movement called "The Cross of Tsar", who denounced the film because it contained serious historical rumors offensive of religious sentiments, especially for the erotic scenes of intimate relations between Nikolaj and Matilda. The controversy has mounted throughout 2017, up to paroxysms in the last few weeks. In August, the industry monopoly in Ingushetia, a region of the Russian Federation (moreover, a majority Muslim), refused to show the film in its halls. The same decision was taken by cinema managers in the city of Kemerovo, Siberia, and by some of the country's operators. A radical orthodox movement called "Forty Quarantines" (a medieval term for the whole of Moscow's churches) was launched against the film at the beginning of August, announcing that it would organize mass protests against the showing of the film, in the form of prayer vigils and reparation pilgrimages.

Threats and protests

Another more extremist movement, called the "Christian State  Holy Russia", sent threatening letters to film directors, informing them of their boycott of the film Matilda. In the letters they even arrived at threatening possible damages and fires at cinemas that refuse to comply with the request.

In fact, at the end of August, there were several fires at cinemas in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg and other cities, as well as acts of vandalism of various dimensions, up to cars being crashed against movie theaters. The "Christian State" leader, Aleksandr Kalinin, denied all responsibility of the attacks. Political representatives, including Putin himself, have hitherto been timidly trying to defend the director Uchitel, presenting him as a "good patriot" in the name of artistic freedom.

Several Orthodox Church hierarchs took far more negative positions, supporting the idea of a ban on screening the film. Bishop Tikhon (Sevkunov), Putin's "spiritual father", emphasized the historical falsification, stating that relations between Tsar Nikolas ceased well before his enthronement. Patriarch Kirill has avoided intervening directly in the debate.

The controversy promises to mount further in the coming weeks, highlighting the different shades of Russian patriotic ideology: the most radical one, which appears to be more widespread and aggressive than previously thought, the more "ideological and sovereign" State, and that of the Church itself, generally more moderate, but with expressions that overlap the first two. The Polish ballerina, a symbol of the temptations of the degraded West, continues to upset the souls of Holy Russia.
Firstly only women enjoyed this opportunity. The measure also provides for two days leave for school activities. The Cabinet approves a law to ensure the fulfillment of the military service by the wealthiest strata of society.

Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Not only women soldiers, but also men can take an hour per day to take care of their children under a measure approved yesterday by the Cabinet.

Before, only women could take time off for children's day care under 12 months of life. The measure also provides for a two-day annual leave days to supplement for both sexes if parents attend formal childcare events or schools, including meetings with teachers.

The Cabinet also approved a law to ensure that the children of senior public officials, celebrities and high-income families do not circumvent mandatory military service. Legislation provides that wealthy families belonging to the highest income tax band (about 3,000 people) are subject to government control over the military service.
by Lissy Maruthanakuzhy*

A member of the Congregation of the Daughters of St Paul, she eventually turned to poor fishermen in Kerala While our media mission caters to the elite and intellectuals. Then, in 2008, she travelled with Mgr Thomas Menamparampil to the jungle villages in Assam, where the missionaries can enter into the agony of the masses who were like sheep without a shepherd".

Guwahati (AsiaNews)  "[M]issionaries among the poor attend to their physical and economic needs. They help fill the hungry stomachs because Jesus also cared for such needs. These missionaries find immediate results in the joy of the people they help, writes Sister Lissy Maruthanakuzhy, a member of the Congregation of the Daughters of St Paul in India, in a lively forward description of her missionary experience.

Her first time was with the poor fishermen of Kerala, her state of origin. Subsequently, her superiors sent her into the jungle in Assam with Mgr Thomas Menamparampil, archbishop of Guwahati and a well-known Indian peace activist.

Involved in media side of the mission that caters to elites, encountering the daily difficulties of village life was a shock to her. However, it led her to rediscover the very meaning of the message of Christ, who invites us to serve the downtrodden. Her thoughts about her experience follow.

It was the desire to become a missionary that brought me to the Daughters of St. Paul in Mumbai, western India, more than four decades ago.

There, I learned the first lessons of a media missionary through theory and practice. Our mission was to proclaim the Gospel through the media of communications, we were told.

Our classes included some training in the printing press section. While my companions composed text for printing, I proofread or operated a machine that folded the printed sheets of a book. "Every sheet can redeem a soul," our formation director told us, to instil in us concentration as well as the importance of what we were doing.

We were also introduced to the importance of art, films and audio-visual materials.

Our trainers told us to be patient and reminded us what our founder, Blessed Fr. James Alberione, an Italian priest, had said in the beginning  that we would never see the fruit of our mission.

Although I was happy and contented in all that I did, the desire to be a missionary who worked among the poor in unknown places still tugged at my heart.

It was ironic that, for my introduction into such a mission, I was sent to Kerala, my native state in southern India. In Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram), the state capital, I got a chance to visit families of fisherfolks in the coastal areas as part of parish renewal programs.

There I encountered stark poverty that challenged my existence as a missionary. While our media mission caters to the elite and intellectuals, missionaries among the poor attend to their physical and economic needs. They help fill the hungry stomachs because Jesus also cared for such needs. These missionaries find immediate results in the joy of the people they help.

The house visits inspired me to spend even my leisure time for the needy.

I now think that all of that was God's way of preparing me for a still bigger mission.

That came when my provincial asked me to work with a missionary archbishop in northeastern India. I had not seen Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati in person until then, but I knew of him since we had published one of his books. I asked my superior what I was expected to do. "You will have to accompany the archbishop on his village journey," she answered.

I had heard about the archbishop's famous mantra for missionaries in Asia: "Whisper to the soul of Asia. No loud proclamation of faith, but gentle nudging at the heart of your neighbour in silence and love."

This is what he does when he visits villages, I learned after joining him in May 2008. To be honest, I dislike travel, but I was willing to join the archbishop's journeys just to know what he did with villagers.

Thus, began my two journeys  one to interior villages and another into my own inner self.

A missionary's debut

The archbishop told me that his trips offered him opportunities to know his priests in their workplaces and villagers in their real-life situations.

My village journey began the day after my arrival. We set out to a village at 6:30 a.m. and returned after midnight. As he dropped me at the convent, Archbishop Menamparampil told me to be ready by the next afternoon to go to missions in the opposite direction.

As I was tired, I skipped the morning Mass. "Archbishop Thomas inquired about you," my sisters returning from Mass told me.

I felt ashamed. The archbishop, who is much older than I am, celebrated Mass at 6:30 a.m. even though he was more tired than I was after the previous day's long journey. I could visualize a faint smile on his face, thinking of a missionary's weakness.

That day I promised not to repeat that behaviour. The archbishop, who has spent nearly six decades as a missionary in northeastern India, taught me that a missionary needs determination and commitment the most. No obstacle should stop a person committed to his duty to proclaim Christ to the poor.

We began the second day with me thanking the prelate for his understanding. He had given me enough time to revamp for another tedious mission trip. On the way, he stopped at different mission places  first to meet the sisters and priests because, they seldom got visitors, and then to replenish ourselves.

While the priests and nuns vied with each other to attend to him, the archbishop was much concerned about me, a first-timer on a tough mission terrain. But I had already become a "tough" missionary, at least in my mind.

We reached our destination around 5 p.m. After refreshing ourselves, we set out with the parish priest to an interior village. There was no proper road, and our vehicle swayed on the uneven path. It zipped past forests and villages. The parish priest later told me that underground militants stayed in those villages.

He then asked the prelate, "Archbishop, you were in a five-star hotel two days ago, and now you are in this jungle. How do you manage this?" He knew that the archbishop had just returned from an international meeting in Rome.

"This is our life. We are missionaries," he answered as the jeep skidded through a paddy field, making me wonder if we would ever reach the destination.

Capturing the world

Soon a thatched house and a few people came into our view.

After the vehicle stopped, the driver turned to me and asked, "How is your back?" I was touched by his concern for my bad back. But I felt quite well and refreshed that night. Healing had taken place with my willingness to venture out into the unknown for the sake of Jesus.

The archbishop told me such miracles are part of a missionary's life. Miracles are not only in healing the sick or multiplying loaves. They are also about refining perceptions, transforming hearts or opening eyes to deeper meanings.

Mass in that tiny, thatched village chapel was amazing. I felt so much at home in the May heat, sitting among the villagers in their worn-out clothes. They offered rice, vegetables and live chicken at the offertory. The joy I felt that night is still fresh in my mind. I felt as if I had captured the world. No one in my community had this unique experience.

Cultural programs followed the Mass and it was around 10:30 p.m. when we reached the catechist's house for dinner. Seeing my discomfiture with the salt less meal, the archbishop said, "Over the years, missionaries develop a missionary stomach that helps them adjust to everything."

That was my second lesson in missionary life in two days.

Would I be able to develop a "missionary stomach," I asked myself while walking sleepily through paddy fields after dinner to the place where we stayed.

It dawned on me that one needed more than a "missionary stomach" to survive in those villages. To answer nature's call, I looked around for a toilet and found none. The open fields came to my rescue.

Since the place had no toilet, I decided to get up early in the morning. Alas, even at 4:30, the sun was up and the villagers were already out with their cattle. So, I had to wait for our return to the parish house at 8:30 a.m. to use its newly built toilet  a pit with two fresh banana stems placed across it. One slip would recreate the scene from the movie "Slumdog Millionaire."

I enjoyed being so close to nature, drawing fresh water for a bath. It was fine for a day or two, I said to myself, but those missionaries lived for years in this situation.

The sacrifices the missionaries made to keep their people rooted in their faith are inexplicable. They would walk miles to teach catechism to prepare people for first Communion or confirmation. They would live in a one-room hut with a family for a whole week and forgo a bath because of water scarcity.

Agony of the masses

With every trip to a village, I was slowly converted from a city missionary to a village missionary.

It was again Archbishop Menamparampil who explained a village missionary's joy amid inconveniences. What drew people to Jesus was not his impressive eloquence, but his ability to enter into the agony of the masses who were like "sheep without a shepherd," unable to see meaning in their distressing condition.

The journeys helped me understand how missionaries from other cultures adjusted to the local lifestyle.

The archbishop's voice resounded in my ears: "A strong sense of mission gives meaning to one's life. One is able to stand any trouble as long as one sees meaning in what one does."

All I can say to that is "Amen."

* Sister of the Congregation of the Daughters of St Paul
The supreme court intends to examine the appeals received on the vote. At the heart of the dispute is the "constitutionality" of the referendum. A Kurdish delegation waits in Baghdad for an official meeting. Concern among world news agencies: the vote is likely to weaken the Arab-Kurdish anti-Isis alliance and trigger a new internal conflict.

Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Iraqi Supreme Court has ordered the suspension of the Kurdistan independence referendum scheduled for September 25, which has already raised many divisions and heated debate regionally and internationally. Meanwhile, in world press - with the exception of Israel, the only power that favors the secession of Erbil - for the cancellation of the upcoming vote continue to grow.

Less than a week after the referendum consultation, the supreme court judges issued "the order to suspend the organization" until "appeals received" are considered; at the heat of the matter is the question of the "constitutionality" of the vote itself.

Supreme Court spokesman, Ayas al-Samouk, confirmed the deposition of "numerous appeals" over the past few weeks. Judicial sources add that at least eight parliamentarians resorted to the tribunal to halt the referendum. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office also intervened, which does not intend to loose a region rich in oil and strategic in the struggle of Islamic State jihadists (IS, formerly Isis).

So far, Kurdish President Massud Barzani, in the front row in the struggle for independence, did not want to comment on the supremacy of the Supreme Court. Today, a Kurdish delegation is waiting for Baghdad to discuss with the Iraqi government the issue; the meeting will not be attended by the premier, who is already in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

British Defense Minister Michael Fallon has already arrived in Erbil, trying to convince Barzani to block the referendum. "I will tell Massud Barzani - said Fallon - that we do not support the Kurdish referendum" and we will work for an "alternative" plan.

The widespread fear is that the pro-independence vote could weaken the Arab-Kurdish alliance, which has proved to be crucial in the fight against the IS militaries in Iraq and neighboring Syria. Added to this is the danger of a new war within Iraq - as recently pointed out by the Chaldean Patriarchate, who is calling for dialogue and reconciliation  but is opposed by Arabs (Iraqis) and Kurds.

Turkey is also moving on the regional chess board, in view of a vote that is likely to fuel the internal separatism in the south-eastern, Kurdish majority region, home to separatist struggles in the past. Hence the decision to deploy troops to the Iraqi border and to promote a series of military operations.

Analysts and experts point out that the birth of a Kurdish bastion in an already controversial area is likely to fragment the Middle East region even further: a divided Iraq would end up significantly reducing the chances of influence exerted by Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia. And even the United States is ready to suspend military aid to Kurdistan if Erbil's leadership goes ahead with the vote.

The situation is equally critical in neighboring Syria, where the Kurds have played a strategic - and fundamental - role in the struggle against Isis. The area at the center of the dispute is that of Deir ez-Zor and the territories east of the Euphrates River, which are among the richest oil resources in the subsoil. It also has a strategic importance for Damascus, for the many connecting routes it offers, and for Tehran itself, because it is part of the so-called "Shiite corridor" linking the capital of the Islamic Republic to the Mediterranean.
By David Glance, Director of UWA Centre for Software Practice, University of Western Australia

Eddie J Rodriquez/Shutterstock

It would be an understatement to say that advertising as the main business model of the internet is in a crisis.

For a start, there is the fact that Google and Facebook between them suck up most of the revenue from digital advertising. They accounted for 99% of revenue growth in digital advertising in the US in 2016 and took 77% of all advertising spending in that same year.

Then there is the growth of ad blockers, whose use grew 30% also in 2016. Worse still, attempts to simply deny access to users with ad blockers (until they whitelisted the site) resulted in 74% of users simply leaving and not visiting that site.

If that wasnt bad enough, Google is joining the ad blocking fight by building ad blocking directly into its Chrome browser. To cap it all, Apple has introduced intelligent ad-tracking prevention into Safari that has resulted in the American Association of Advertising Agencies to publicly oppose the move.

Like it or not, advertising, and the battle for the publics attention, is one of the principal means of supporting everything on the web that is free. Charging for services has been a long and hard battle that has only worked for some companies in some areas of the web.

This is what makes a recent move to generate revenue using a relatively untapped user resource an intriguing possibility.

The Pirate Bay website is infamous for providing access to pirated copies of movies, music and other digital media. It recently ran an experiment where certain visitors to the site had a program run on their computers that mined the cryptocurrency Monero for as long as the visitors stayed on that page. Users noted the spike in the utilisation of their computer processor and discovered that the site was secretly running a program without their knowledge.

The Pirate Bay later released a statement saying that they had been testing the code as a possible way of replacing advertising as a means of creating revenue. Initially, there had been a bug which allowed the program to claim all of the processing power of the computer when only a smaller amount was intended to be used.

Surprisingly, comments on this statement were supportive of the move. As far as users were concerned, the use of their computer processing power for the brief time they were on the site was seen as being less obtrusive than the usual pornographic ads that Pirate Bay normally showed. Their only complaint was that the Pirate Bay should inform them that this was happening rather than doing it covertly.

The statement from Pirate Bay made it clear that the code could still be blocked by users not wanting to participate in this type or revenue generation scheme.

What is ingenious about this approach however is that it has long been assumed that the only thing that the public could offer sites on the Internet was their attention. This has even lead to the idea of the attention economy being the only economic model for the Internet.

However, Amazon, and other companies involved in cloud computing have shown that access to computing resources is also a scarce resource and is worth a huge amount of money. Amazons Web Services business is worth US$12 billion a year.

Whilst the Pirate Bay is using consumers processing power for the production of cryptocurrency, this type of distributed processing on home computers has been used to search radio astronomy data for extra-terrestrial life and explore protein folding to advance research into various diseases. These particular projects are voluntary at the moment, but this approach could be used by commercial companies who are willing to pay for users time.

Better still, users could even share in the revenues generated by a site using their computer or mobile phone for this type of processing work. This was the motivation for the Golem project which described itself as the AirBnB for computers, where users would explicitly turn over their computer for commercial companies to use.

Somewhat more ironically, sites like Pirate Bay could even use some of the revenue raised to donate back to the movie and music companies whose content it is helping to share.

The meteoric rise of ad blockers has highlighted how much consumers despise ads on sites. It has resulted in a pitch battle between content providers desperate to find a business model to support what they do, and customers who are unwilling to pay and hate the ad-driven alternative.

Using a different resource that is not attention seems to actually represent a win-win for both the site and consumer, although it would probably not come as a welcome development to Google and Facebook.

Originally published in The Conversation.
Photo of flooded vehicles in Houston by the Texas Air National Guard.

Hurricane Irma was comparatively milder to the hurricane that flooded many parts of Houston.

The bulk of the damage that Florida sustained from the hurricane was caused by wind with only minimal flooding, meaning that it is expected that fewer vehicles will be declared total losses as a result of Hurricane Irma.

Online auction company Copart expects that it will process roughly 7,500 additional salvage vehicles as a result of Hurricane Irma. The additional volume due to Hurricane Irma will be pretty negligible to the Florida auction market; given that on average the company processes approximately 150,000 salvage vehicles a year in the state, noted Copart CEO Jay Adair.

John Kett, CEO and president for Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA) told Vehicle Remarketing that its still too early in IAAs recovery process to give an expected number of vehicles its auctions will take in as a result of Hurricane Irma. However, he did note that the company is expecting it to be a smaller event than Hurricane Harvey.

Many people are still in the process of returning to their homes in Florida and have not filed a claim to their insurance provider. If an insurance company doesnt have a claim filed then it cannot send an assignment to IAA to go recover a vehicle from a policy holder. As Florida residents return to their homes and begin filing their claims, IAA will then be able to form a clearer picture of just how many cars it will be taking in, said Kett.

IAA and Copart locations suffered minimal or no damage. They were able to resume operations immediately following the storm. They did have to run their buildings on generator power for a small amount of time.

Update on Houston

While the effect that Hurricane Irma had on the companies' operations in Florida was relatively mild, Houston was a different story.

A large percentage of the Houston was in multiple feet of water, opening the door to much more cars suffering flood damage, which in turn increased the forecast for vehicles heading to salvage auction when compared to Florida.

Kett said that IAA doesnt have a completely accurate number just yet, due to similar reasons noted for Florida, but it can say that it expects the number to be near what was collected from Hurricane Sandy.

In Houston, Adair told Vehicle Remarketing that Copart expects somewhere in the range of 85,000 vehicles.

Its a pretty major event for Houston, to say the least, said Adair.

This rise in volume is poised to double the amount of vehicles that Copart typically sells in Houston, given that on average the company sells 60,000 units a year in the city.

While the effects of Hurricane Harvey will definitely be felt in Houston, Adair doesnt think that the effects of both Hurricane Irma and Harvey will have much of an impact into the overall salvage industry. The salvage market sells about 4 million cars every year, and the additional volume brought by the two hurricanes just wont have any noticeable effect, he said.

The Real Challenge

The real challenge brought forth by the increased volume, specifically in Houston, is the logistical nightmare that is collecting and storing all these cars.

In Houston its more of a logistics thing. Having the land, the trucks and the logistics of getting the vehicles picked up when youre not used to doing that kind of volume. You have to ship trucks in from around the country, fly people in from around the country and house them. Its a massive logistics play but nothing Copart cant handle, and so far weve picked up about half [our projected] volume, said Adair.

Florida, he added, will be added work, but wont cause too many logistical issues. Copart has enough real estate to store 50,000 additional vehicles; the 7,500 expected vehicles in that state wont be a problem, Adair said.

IAA secured additional real estate in Texas and in Florida earlier this year and has been working to secure additional land as soon as it heard that hurricanes were headed toward those states. IAA has also been able to leverage the KAR family of companies to provide additional real estate when needed, said Kett.

Originally posted on Vehicle Remarketing
Photo of Mumbai Sklyine courtesy of Deepak Gupta/Wikimedia Commons.

Ford has signed a memorandum of understanding with Mahindra Group to strengthen its position in India and support Mahindras expansion into other global markets, the company announced.

The agreement with the Indian multinational car manufacturing corporation is designed in part to improve Fords distribution within India, according to release from Ford. Other areas that the alliance may focus on include mobility; sourcing and commercial efficiencies; connected vehicle projects; and vehicle electrification.

Teams from both companies will collaborate for up to three years, according to Ford. Any further strategic cooperation between the two companies will be decided at the end of that period.

The memorandum of understanding we have signed today with Mahindra will allow us to work together to take advantage of the changes coming in the auto industry. The enormous growth potential in the utility market and the growing importance of mobility and affordable battery electric vehicles are all aligned with our strategic priorities, said Jim Farley, Ford executive vice president and president of global markets.

Mahindra offers electric vehicles in India, and owns majority stake in Ssangyong Motor Company in Korea. The company has made several investments in ride sharing platforms in the U.S.
A building design of the new KAR campus in Carmel, Indiana. Photo courtesty of KAR Auction Services.

KAR Auction Services, Inc. will develop a new corporate headquarters and campus in Carmel, Ind. The 13-acre site will host a new, 250,000 square-foot office building featuring an open floorplan and collaborative workspaces, the remarketing company announced.

Nearly 1,600 of KARs 17,400 employees are located in Indiana, and the new location provides space for an additional 400 jobs.

Construction on the new campus is scheduled to break ground in early 2018 with a target move-in date in the second half of 2019.

KAR has made central Indiana home for nearly 30 years and currently has 10 auction and office locations in Carmel, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Plainfield, and South Bend. Over the past five years, the company has expanded operations to more than 300 locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom and added more than 5,000 jobs, including 700 in Indiana.

KAR is expanding its Indiana footprint and planning for future global growth with the $80 million project. KAR's new headquarters and campus will house the company's innovation, technology, and data as a service divisions and serve as the U.S. headquarters for TradeRev, KAR's mobile app-based auction subsidiary.

The new corporate offices will be located two miles south of KAR's current headquarters, reaffirming the companys longstanding commitment to Carmel and central Indiana. The campus will feature a three-season outdoor courtyard, and will incorporate design ideas from KAR employees across the globe.

The development team assisting KAR with this project includes CBRE Group LLC, Ginovus LLC, Ice Miller, PURE Development, RATIO Architects, Shiel Sexton, and US Realty.
Graphic courtesy of istockphoto.com

A city in New Zealand launched an electric car-sharing service that will grant the public access to a fleet of 100 vehicles available at 10 hubs.

A pool of 70 vehicles will be available in Christchurch in November at three hubs, according to the New Zealand Herald. In February, an additional 30 vehicles will be added as well as the seven additional hubs.

The service in Christchurch will look to reduce in emissions and offer a more efficient use of vehicles to residents and businesses, according to the New Zealand Herald.

The service will be implemented by Yoogo, a New Zealand fleet management company, according to Stuff. Interested drivers can sign up for the service online or via smartphone app.

The first hubs in the service will be at a Christchurch airport and art gallery, with Hyundai Ioniq and BMWi3 vehicles available, according to the New Zealand Herald.
Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(BATON ROUGE, La.) --A 23-year-old white man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon and two counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated criminal damage to property and illegal use of a weapon by Baton Rouge, Louisiana, police today in connection with three shootings that took place this month.



Kenneth Gleason, 23, was arrested this morning by detectives from the Baton Rouge Police Department after a crime lab processed DNA evidence that allegedly linked Gleason to shell casings found at the scene of two of the shootings that left two black men dead, police said in a press conference.



Bruce Cofield, 59, and Donald Smart, 49, were both shot and killed within five miles of each other last week. In the shootings, the suspect first fired from his car and then exited the vehicle to shoot the victims while they were on the ground, according to police.



Witness accounts in certain circumstances and ballistic analyzation of the homicides helped link the two, Sgt. Don Coppola, a public information officer with the Baton Rouge Police Department, told ABC News.



Gleason allegedly also fired shots at a Sandy Ridge residence on Sept. 11. Police did not provide additional information.



Gleason was initially named as a person of interest in the investigation into the killings of Smart and Cofield.



Gleason was occupying a vehicle that matched the description of the one seen in the area of the killings, Coppola alleged.



On Sunday, Gleason was released from jail after being booked on two drug charges. He was arrested again on Monday for allegedly stealing "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" from a local bookstore last week, police said.



After the crime lab processed the DNA evidence this morning, Gleason was charged with the killings, police said.



While Baton Rouge Police spokesman Sgt. L'Jean McNeely told ABC News that the killings "could possibly be racially motivated," police said in a press release Tuesday that the "motive is still unclear and this is an ongoing investigation."



Police had initially questioned Gleason for hours and searched his home and his vehicle, but didnt have enough evidence to charge him in the murders when he was arrested on drug charges on Saturday, McNeely said.



Law enforcement allegedly found schedule 1 narcotics  marijuana  and schedule 3 narcotics, which were some kind of human growth hormone at Gleasons house on Saturday, Coppola said, and Gleason was arrested.



Gleason was released Sunday on bond, which had been set at $3,500.



Neither Gleason nor his family responded to ABC News request for comment.



Coppola said he was not aware if Gleason had any previous criminal record, and a background check showed only a traffic violation that had been dismissed by the court from earlier this year.



Police said Cofield, who was homeless, was killed on Tuesday. Smart was shot on Thursday while he was on his way to work at a cafe.

The Smart family has not commented on Gleasons arrest.



The district attorney's office said it was too early to know if Gleason has legal representation.



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
The Chief Justice David Maraga has called all the arms of Government willing to abolish the judiciary to call referendum and Kenyans will vote for their interest. The calls come just after demonstrations held at the supreme court after the ruling."If leaders are tired of a strong and independent Judiciary, they can call a referendum and abolish it all together," CJ Justice David Maraga said."Judiciary is ready to pay the ultimate price to protect the rule of law." he added.The meeting followed two petitions challenging the credibility of the CJ himself, and Supreme Court judges Philomena Mwilu (Deputy Chief Justice) and Isaac Lenaola.The CJ further condemned the Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet for ignoring their calls to provide security to all Government facilities."He has repeatedly ignored calls to act, exposing Judicial officers, property, and litigants to danger," Maraga said."These attacks have become even more aggressive.. .the attacks are denigrating, demeaning, degrading and are meant to cow the institution.Such acts are savage," he stated."If anything happens to individual judges, staff and their families, those making inciting statements will be held responsible," he said.He said the judiciary will not take directives from other arms of government on how it should execute its mandate."We will not allow anybody to dictate to us how we discharge our mandate ...we want to state that the rule of law must be allowed to take place at all times," he said.The Judiciary has called out the political parties to exercise their respect and if willing to follow the Kenya constitution, they must follow the due process. The Judicial service commission is regarded as independent and must be independent according to the constitution as echoed by the activists.
The attorneys general of 41 states, including Florida, are investigating opioid makers for possible deceptive practices that may have contributed to the nation's opioid epidemic.

41 states subpeonaing opioid makers for documents

Looking for deceptive practices contributing to the opioid epidemic

In Florida, 1,616 people died in the first six months of 2016

Attorney General Pam Bondi joined state attorneys across the country in issuing subpeonas from the following opioid manufacturers:

Endo International -- Percocet, Opana ER

Janssen Pharmaceuticals -- Duragesic, Ultracet, Ultram

Teva Pharmaceuticals -- manufactures generics like Hydromorphone, Morphine and Oxycodone

Allergan -- Kadian, Norco

The group also asked for additional documents from Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, among others.

The group also demanded documents from distribution companies AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson.

Over the last decade, the growth of opioids has contributed to drug overdoses across the country. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, in the first six months of 2016, 1,616 people died with at least one prescription drug contributing to their death.

Bondi says prescription drugs are cited more often than illegal drugs as the cause of drug-related deaths in Florida.

Florida citizens continue to become addicted to opioids and die daily -- meanwhile, prescription drug manufacturers, distributors and the medical profession all point fingers at each other as the cause of this national crisis, said Bondi in Tuesday's announcement. This far-reaching multi-state investigation is designed to get the answers we need as quickly as possible. The industry must do the right thing. If they do not, we are prepared to litigate.

You can read the letters sent to the pharmaceutical companies by going to the attorney general's website.
Michael Steuer, MD, spoke with DeSoto Times-Tribune on MidSouth Pain Treatment Center's expansion in recent years and how its clinics and surgery centers treat chronic pain.

The practice currently has one ASC in Southaven, Miss. and an ASC in Germantown, Tenn. MidSouth also has a clinic in Oxford, Miss., a clinic in Jackson, Tenn., and a third clinic in Cordova, Tenn. As MidSouth's president and owner, Dr. Steuer says the various surgery center and clinic locations aim to provide access to chronic pain management services to North Mississippi and other community residents.

Treating low back pain comprises the bulk of the practice's case load. Dr. Steuer and his colleagues are also treating cancer pain and various rare neurological diseases that may result in pain. Steven Richey, MD, and Bradley, DO, treat patients alongside Dr. Steuer at MidSouth Pain Treatment Center.
Augusta (Ga.) University Medical Center disclosed a potential breach of patient information five months after the associated phishing attack, The Augusta Chronicle reports.

The hospital announced Sept. 15 a phishing attack hit two faculty email accounts April 20 and April 21, according to The Augusta Chronicle. Hospital officials said the two email accounts were immediately frozen. The attacks allegedly allowed an unauthorized third-party to gain access to the email accounts and potentially view the information inside, an investigation concluded July 18.

The investigation also determined fewer than 1 percent of Augusta University Medical Center patients were impacted by the breach, according to a Sept. 15 notice delivered to employees and obtained by Becker's Hospital Review.

There is no evidence patient information was accessed or misused, Jim Rush, the hospital's chief integrity officer, told The Augusta Chronicle. However, the two faculty email accounts comprised some names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, financial account information and diagnosis information, among other data, for a few thousand patients.

To avoid future security incidents, Mr. Rush said the hospital would provide staff training on how to identify suspicious emails. The hospital also established a toll-free line to answer questions from affected patients.

Editor's note: Becker's Hospital Review reached out to Augusta University Medical Center for comment and will update as more information becomes available.
The Texas Medical Center's Health Policy Institute has released national survey findings highlighting consumer and physician feelings regarding healthcare costs and various other topics.

The Texas Medical Center's Consumer & Physician Survey, conducted in August 2017, involved more than 9,000 consumers across 15 states and more than 450 physicians nationwide. Consumers came from Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.

Here are six findings from the survey.

1. Nearly all consumers (98 percent) view health insurance as important to them and their families, the survey found.

2. Consumers spend less in other areas to cover healthcare expenses. Nearly half of consumers (49 percent) must cut back on other expenses to pay for healthcare.

3. Most consumers reported they can only afford to spend about 2 percent of their income on healthcare, according to the survey. The Texas Medical Center's Health Policy Institute notes this is in contrast to the ACA, under which coverage is considered "affordable" if it is not more than 8.2 percent of income.

4. Forty-seven percent of physicians and 28 percent of consumers said they believe insurance companies are most to blame for rising healthcare costs. Thirty percent of consumers and 19 percent of physicians said drug and device manufacturers are most to blame.

5. The survey found only 1 in 3 physicians are paid 100 percent salary, while the rest are paid, in part, through fee-for-service.

6. A majority of physicians (69 percent) want to be paid through a straight salary, or a salary with relatively small incentives, according to the survey.

Read the full survey findings here.
For the past year, Edgility has worked to bring mission control  a concept most readily associated with NASA launches and military operations  to the healthcare space.

The San Francisco-based startup, which operates under the trademarked banner "The joy of practicing medicine," aims to improve healthcare operations with data science. Its business centers on building a platform for "situational awareness," or a cognitive system that processes information to provide team members with insights into their "mission," in this case, efficient hospital functions.

"[Our goal] is to essentially bring air-traffic-control-like situational awareness to transform healthcare operations," says Balaji Ramadoss, PhD, founder and CEO of Edgility. The platform brings together data from across a clinical network, such as a health system, to oversee logistics so physicians can focus on patient care, rather than operational or administrative demands, Dr. Ramadoss explains.

Prior to founding Edgility, which launched August 2016, Dr. Ramadoss served as vice president for technology experience and innovation at Stanford (Calif.) Health Care. "The urge to solve this problem, and the need for situational awareness in healthcare, got me very excited," he says. "My wife, too, is a partner in this. She has extensive healthcare experience, so she quit her PwC job and I quit my Stanford job, and we started this company together."

Becker's Hospital Review caught up with Dr. Ramadoss to discuss how the Edgility team communicates the importance of situational awareness to hospital leaders.

Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Question: What prompted you to found Edgility?

Balaji Ramadoss: I was working at Stanford Health Care, where we had some of the smartest brains in the country and were strategically located by Silicon Valley. That allowed me to think bigger and to look at healthcare in its macro form. I started to study how complex systems operate. I looked at NASA mission control; how they manage the shuttle launch and all the complexities associated with it. Or how packages are shipped, tracked and delivered. Or aircraft control; how it guides pilots through take off, flight status changes, weather patterns and everything through baggage claim. After studying all of this, we started envisioning bringing this level of control and coordination to health systems.

Q: How does Edgility fit into the broader healthcare landscape?

BR: Physicians and nurses are spending more time coordinating logistics than caring for patients. With Edgility's transactional data model, we control the operational data physicians and nurses are currently involved with. Our idea is, when we control this operational data, Edgility can enable physicians and nurses to spend more time with their patients and focus on their wellness plans rather than the technology aspect of what they do. We call it bringing back "The joy of practicing medicine" for physicians and nurses, and that's how we fit into the healthcare landscape.

Q: What challenges has Edgility faced since its launch?

BR: One major thing we have struggled with is awareness. That's the challenge we face every day. I've looked at the market, and there's just a few groups starting to take about this concept of situational awareness. We are a brand new segment of technology. The KLAS ratings do not have ratings for situational awareness. And for Edgility, it's not just a technology platform, but a new operating model for healthcare we have to communicate. It's an awareness campaign, and we have to let hospital leaders know they should demand the same amount of coordination other industries are getting. It's a message that resonates really well with the CEOs and the COOs, but our challenge is getting to them.

Q: What advice do you have for other health IT companies working to improve situational awareness in the hospital setting?

BR: Situational awareness is not about cramming more alerts into mobile devices. I see a lot of IT companies trying to do that, but it's all of this information and data that's driving physicians and nurses to the edge because they're already oversaturated with technology. We need to start thinking about situational awareness as not another stream of information that physicians and nurses need to act on, but as a support system for them. That's the model we should go after. We're always saying technology cannot change patient experience or clinical outcomes until the experiences of physicians and nurses are changed. We need to start investing in physician and nurse experiences.

Q: What are some of your goals for Edgility in the next year?

BR: Edgility is focused on developing three key partnerships with leading health systems in the next year. We hope these health systems will not only take advantage of our data catalog, but also help us develop the platform, bringing it to the next level. That's one goal for Edgility, looking for these three key partnerships. My personal goal, as part of Edgility, is continuing to educate and communicate on the value of situational awareness and the need to restore "The joy of practicing medicine" to physicians and nurses.
The ACA repeal bill proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., has gained momentum in recent days as Republicans whip votes ahead of the September 30 budget reconciliation deadline.

As of Tuesday morning, here are 10 things you need to know about the Graham-Cassidy bill.

1. The Congressional Budget Office has said it could take several weeks before it can provide a point estimate for the bill's impact on the budget deficit, insurance coverage or premium costs. The CBO is aiming to release a bare-bones analysis by early next week. The Senate has also scheduled two hearings on the bill for Monday and Tuesday.

2. The budget reconciliation rule, which allows the Senate to pass healthcare bills with a simple majority vote, is set to expire September 30. This deadline is key as it allows Senate Republicans to pass legislation on a party-line vote, meaning 50 votes are needed for passage.

3. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said that he will bring the bill to the floor for a vote and support it if Mr. Graham and Mr. Cassidy can demonstrate they have the 50 votes necessary to pass it.

4. The big question now is whether the Republican party can drum up 50 votes in 11 days. One vote is out: Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he will not support the bill because it maintains ACA taxes and does not do enough to repeal the ACA, according to MSNBC.

5. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) has endorsed the bill, according to CNBC, which is important given the influential role of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. He cast the deciding vote that killed Republican ACA repeal efforts in July when he sided with Democrats and voted against the "skinny" repeal bill, along with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. It is unclear how Mr. Ducey's endorsement will affect Mr. McCain's support of the proposal. He had previously said he would vote for Graham-Cassidy if Mr. Ducey supported it, but has since said he is not yet supportive of the bill.

6. The fact that a vote on the legislation may occur before the CBO can release its full score of the bill may hinder support from Sens. Collins, Murkowski and McCain.

7. Rebekah Gee, MD, secretary of health in Mr. Cassidy's home state of Louisiana, has come out against the proposal, writing that "in its current form, the harm to Louisiana from this legislation far outweighs any benefit," making particular note of cuts to Medicaid expansion.

8. President Donald Trump has said he supports the bill and will sign it into law if it crosses his desk.

9. Analysts say the Graham-Cassidy measure would more drastically remold the ACA by giving states virtually unlimited control over federal dollars that are currently spent on marketplace subsidies and Medicaid expansion. The bill looks to roll back Medicaid expansion and eliminate federal premium subsidies and instead distribute the money spent on these programs to states in the form of block grants. A per-capita Medicaid cap would be imposed under the bill, setting a limit on the amount of Medicaid dollars each enrollee is eligible to receive. Because block grant funding is also capped, states would not be able to give premium subsidies to those who become eligible for such subsidies if their economic conditions change.

10. Under Graham-Cassidy, block grant funding will grow slower than the rate of rising healthcare costs. Though Sens. Cassidy and Graham tout the bill's emphasis on state flexibility, the rate of block grant funding growth would leave states with 34 percent less funding for healthcare by 2026 than they would have had under the ACA, according to The Washington Post. This lack of growth is especially pronounced for states that expanded Medicaid, with states like California and New York facing a 50 percent decrease in healthcare funding by 2026. The bill also allows states to waive certain ACA essential health benefits, no longer providing protections for those with preexisting conditions.

More Articles on Leadership:

University of Chicago Medicine to rebrand, alter leadership structure

New York judge revokes Martin Shkreli's bail after offering $5k for a strand of Hillary Clinton's hair

Bernie Sanders' Medicare-for-All bill: 4 things to know
Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, granted Kingsport, Tenn.-based Wellmont Health System and Johnson City, Tenn.-based Mountain States Health Alliance's request for a certificate of public advantage Sept. 19.

The health systems filed COPA applications in Tennessee and Virginia. Health officials in both states must approve the applications to protect the merger from intervention by the Federal Trade Commission, which publicly stated its opposition to the proposed deal on multiple occasions citing antitrust concerns.

"This has been an unprecedented and complex process, and I appreciate the time, effort and resources everyone involved has put into making it a productive one," Dr. Dreyzehner said. "I also appreciate the legal expertise and guidance of the Attorney General and his staff as we've put into place measurable goals and terms and conditions to ensure that in granting approval, there is a clear public benefit to the health and wellbeing of residents of the region."

The boards of Wellmont Health System and Mountain States Health Alliance also voted to approve the terms of a final merger agreement Sept. 18 prior to the Tennessee health department's decision, WJHL News reports.

The proposed merger must still be approved by Virginia health officials. Virginia State Health Commissioner Marissa Levine, MD, announced the agency's intent to delay its decision on the proposed merger Sept. 18. The deadline was pushed back to Sept. 30.

The health systems initially declared plans to merge in April 2015.
In response to the Britain's physician shortage, the country's National Health Service is trying to attract American physician assistants by offering 41 days of paid vacation and $1,350 to cover relocation costs, according to The Daily Mail.

The NHS hopes to recruit 3,200 PAs and promises to pay for flights home during holidays for any American physician assistants hired. All non-British PAs will earn $40,460 annually.

"The UK is also perfectly placed for taking trips short trips overseas to other countries," NHS promotional material advertises. "You can reach most European destinations in just a few hours from London which makes the UK a fantastic travel hub from which to explore Europe and even further afield."

More Articles on Human Capital and Risk:

Parkridge Medical Center hiring for more than 100 jobs

Nurses picket California hospital amid contract negotiations

Are your employees truly aligned with your strategic priorities?
Registered nurses and nurse practitioners protested at more than 20 Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente medical centers across the state Monday over what they deem as inadequate staffing, reports The Press Democrat.

The RNs and nurse practitioners, who are represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, are urging Kaiser to agree to seven proposals they say would improve patient care, union officials said in a news release. These proposals include "improved RN staffing in hospitals to protect sicker patients sometimes inappropriately placed in hospital units with fewer RNs" as well as "increased RN staffing in clinics, call centers and home health and hospice where Kaiser is increasingly shifting care delivery," among others.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California and the CNA have been in negotiations since mid-July, with the current contract set to expire at the end of this month.

In an emailed statement to Becker's Hospital Review, Debora Catsavas, senior vice president of human resources at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, said Kaiser has been engaging in good-faith bargaining throughout negotiations.

She added, "We respect and value our nurses, who are the best in healthcare, and are proud that Kaiser Permanente is a recognized leader in health care quality and safety. Our first priority is always the health and safety of our patients and members. Decisions about patient care are made by our physicians, based on what is best for the patient. We comply with state mandated nurse staffing ratios, and often exceed them."
The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Friday the former CEO of University Medical Center in Las Vegas cannot be tried a second time on charges of theft and misconduct due to a previous mistrial, which triggered double jeopardy protection, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The former executive, Lacy Thomas, was fired from UMC in 2007 after an audit revealed the hospital had lost $34 million for the year, nearly double the $18.8 million Mr. Thomas told supervisors the hospital would lose, according to the report.

In 2008, he was charged with five counts of theft and five counts of official misconduct. Prosecutors alleged contracts UMC awarded to five companies during Mr. Thomas' three-year tenure were unnecessary or duplicative, giving illegal benefits or gains to Mr. Thomas' friends.

The case ended in a mistrial in 2010 after prosecutors failed to share hundreds of pages of evidence with the defense.

On Friday, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled Mr. Thomas cannot be retried on the theft and official misconduct charges.

"All evidence before the district court in this case suggests that the prosecutor intentionally and improperly withheld exculpatory documents," the court wrote in its decision. "This conduct was egregious, and caused prejudice to Thomas which could not be cured by means short of a mistrial. Therefore, double jeopardy bars reprosecution of Thomas on all counts."

More articles on legal and regulatory issues:

Ex-CFO of Florida medical group settles false billing allegations for $100k

11 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements

Former Cleveland Clinic executive charged in $2.7M fraud scheme
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed to hear a 2014 class-action lawsuit filed by employees of Pittsburgh-based UPMC filed against the health system, the Tribune-Review reports.

The plaintiffs seek damages from a data breach discovered in 2014, which reportedly exposed personal information from 62,000 employees and former employees, including names, Social Security numbers and bank accounts, among other data.

In February 2015, Allegheny County Judge R. Stanton Wettick dismissed the class-action lawsuit, which alleged UPMC had a legal duty to secure its employees' data, according to the Tribune-Review. Mr. Wettick concluded the health system didn't claim to protect information while collecting it.

The plaintiffs appealed to the Supreme Court after a three-judge panel of the state Superior Court upheld Mr. Wettick's ruling in January. Plaintiffs proceeded to appeal the case to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Editor's note: Becker's Hospital Review reached out to UPMC for comment and will update as more information becomes available.
Attorneys general from 37 states are urging insurers to alter their coverage policies to prioritize non-opioid pain medications over opioids for the treatment of chronic pain not related to cancer.

Here are three things to know.

1. The leaders made their request Monday through a letter sent Monday to America's Health Insurance Plans, the health insurance industry's primary trade group. The letter comes a day after ProPublica and The New York Times published an investigative report, which highlighted insurer practices that restrict the use of non-addictive painkillers.

"Insurance companies can play an important role in reducing opioid prescriptions and making it easier for patients to access other forms of pain management treatment," wrote the attorneys general in the letter. "The status quo, in which there may be financial incentives to prescribe opioids for pain which they are ill-suited to treat, is unacceptable. We ask that you quickly initiate additional efforts so that you can play an important role in stopping further deaths."

2. In a statement to ProPublica, Cathryn Donaldson, a spokeswoman for America's Health Insurance Plans, said the organization shares the commitment of the attorneys general in bringing about an end to the nation's opioid epidemic.

"Recent research shows that non-opioid medications, even over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen, can provide just as much relief as opioids," said Ms. Donaldson. "Patients and their care providers should talk openly and honestly about pain and how to manage it  from lifestyle changes and exercise to over-the-counter options and clearly understanding the dangers of opioids."

3. The letter is a part of ongoing efforts by the attorneys general to investigate the causes of the opioid epidemic and the entities most responsible for its onset, according to ProPublica. The officials are also investigating the potential role of drugmakers and drug wholesalers in facilitating the public health crisis.

"Everyone  including and especially insurance companies  have an obligation to address the opioid epidemic," said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who is among the attorneys general who signed the letter. "Insurers must take a hard look at the systemic problems in our healthcare system that result in the over-prescription of opioids and fuel the cycle of addiction."

More articles on opioids:

Netflix's Heroin(e) documentary shines light on women fighting West Virginia's opioid epidemic

IHI to develop intervention tool for safer opioid prescribing

10% of patients prescribed 76% of opioids, study finds
Board members of Idaho's individual health insurance exchange, Your Health Idaho, flagged Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke's Health System's contract to counsel exchange enrollees as a possible conflict of interest, KIVI-TV reports.

Under a recently awarded partial contract, St. Luke's counsels enrolling consumers on Your Health Idaho as they navigate coverage options. Concerned Your Health Idaho board members claim the contract, which includes other insurers, lacks an auditing system to dissuade health systems from guiding consumers toward the most financially beneficial plans. St. Luke's has a joint insurance policy with SelectHealth, a health plan of Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City.

St. Luke's spokesperson Anita Kissee told Becker's Hospital Review via email St. Luke's has "one of the smallest portions of an overall contract with YHI (less than 10 percent of the contract approved last week. [St. Luke's] has $18,000 out of $277,000). There is no auditing system for the entire state, not just St. Luke's."

St. Luke's officials further denied the board members' allegations. The system said its Your Health Idaho counselors sign affidavits pledging impartiality and are "fingerprinted and undergo background checks."

"Of the applicants St. Luke's enrollment counselors have assisted through the entire enrollment process in the last two years, the majority of the applicants selected a plan with Mountain Health CO-OP, the second most selected plan was SelectHealth, then Blue Cross, Bridgespan and Pacific Source," Ms. Kissee said in a prepared statement to KIVI-TV.

In addition, Ms. Kissee told KIVI-TV the health system tracks which plans enrollees choose to ensure counselors are unbiased. However, Pat Kelly, executive director of Your Health Idaho, told board members last week the exchange does not gather that information.

"We track the information, but YHI does not request it from us. Were that to change, St. Luke's would be fully supportive of the Your Health Idaho oversight function," Ms. Kissee said.

"We follow the specific rules of Your Health Idaho, just as all other counselors are required. This is something we've done now for several years with no questions or concerns, along with other healthcare organizations as well, and for some reason is being highlighted this year," Ms. Kissee added. "In addition, we do not [necessarily] seek out YHI enrollees. We are included on a list of counselors available, and people reach out directly to St. Luke's. Why they choose to turn to us for guidance is a personal decision, but some reasons could be that we are a trusted health partner in our community, they may have been treated at St. Luke's in the past, or their doctor may be connected to St. Luke's."

For the full report, click here.



This article was updated Sept. 20 at 11:27 a.m. to reflect the correct spelling of Ms. Kissee's name and include commentary from St. Luke's.



More articles on payer issues:

Anthem reverses ACA exchange exit in Virginia to fill 63 bare areas

Highmark adds 450 Pennsylvania physicians to value-based network

Cigna reprises 'TV Doctors' ad campaign
To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below
What the new Marks and Spencer store at Craigavon could look like

A new Marks and Spencer store in Northern Ireland will create 80 new jobs and a further 100 during its construction.

Marlborough Retail Park in Craigavon, Co Armagh, will become the supermarket chain's 21st store. It comes as the company celebrates 50 years here.

The multi-national retailer is the first new tenant at the site, which was formerly home to B&Q. Marks and Spencer will take around 16,000 sq ft for a new foodhall, as part of the overall 80,000 sq ft development.

And according to property agents CBRE, there will be a further 100 jobs delivered throughout the construction.

CBRE is retained along with DTZ McCombe Pierce, on behalf of a private client on the leasing of the scheme.

Alana Coyle, director at CBRE, said: "It is fantastic to secure M&S as the first new letting at Marlborough Retail Park.

"We are confident that the retailer will act as a major anchor tenant and catalyst for further development at the retail park in Craigavon. Conversations with other high calibre occupiers are at an advanced stage and we expect to make further announcements in the near future.

"It is encouraging to see the redevelopment of this vacant B&Q site and the continued improvement to the offering in Craigavon, providing continually improving quality and choice for customers."

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph last week, Marks and Spencer boss Steve Rowe said: "We're adding about 200 jobs in Northern Ireland, which is a continuation of our success story here.

"Some of our largest market shares are here in Northern Ireland - including our second-largest food market share."

M&S in Northern Ireland also has a market share of around 8%, double that in the UK as a whole and second only to Glasgow at 9%.

And over the 50 years since it opened in Belfast, Mr Rowe said "the biggest change is the scale of our food business".

When it opened its first store in Donegall Place in the city in 1967, M&S was predominantly a clothing retailer and its food offering was relatively small.

The new Craigavon store is helping to fill the huge space left behind when B&Q shut more than half its store network here.

In 2015, the DIY chain confirmed it was shutting more than half its Northern Ireland network, resulting in the loss of up to 300 jobs.

Earlier this summer, a vacant B&Q store in south Belfast was given a new lease of life as a leisure and creative hub. The team behind the T13 project at the Titanic Quarter - a former shipbuilding warehouse - are replicating their scheme at the large empty premises on Boucher Road. The former B&Q store had been sitting vacant for more than a year.

Speaking about the new Craigavon store, Gareth Wilson, Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, said: "This is a good news story for our borough and it is so encouraging to see inward investment in the area. There was concern when B&Q withdrew from the site at Craigavon, and some months later to see a major retailer such as Marks & Spencer invest in our borough is a hugely positive indication that we are very much open for business."
Toys R Us has confirmed that its Northern Irish operation will be not be affected by the its filing for protective bankruptcy in the United States and Canada.

In a statement, the global toy retailer said that it would be "business as usual" for its UK operation, with its four outlets in Northern Ireland unaffected.

Toys R Us has around $5bn worth of long-term debt on its balance sheet, a substantial chunk of which needs to be repaid next year.

The company has approximately 1,600 Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores and e-commerce sites around the world, with around 64,000 employees.

In company records filed last month for its UK operation, it recorded a pre-tax loss of 673m for the period ending January 28, 2017.

In recent times its sales have been hit by a growing share of the market going to online retailers.

A spokesperson for the store has said it is taking the action to allow it "to restructure its finances while continuing normal business operations" and that its European and Australian operations would not be affected.

The toy giant also has licensed stores and joint venture partnerships in Asia, which number around 225, and has confirmed that these are not effected by the filing.

The company's chairman and chief executive officer Dave Brandon said he was "confident" that the action would allow the store to "live on for many generations".

"Our customers around the world can continue to count on an outstanding shopping experience and excellent service whenever, wherever and however they choose to shop with us. As the holiday season approaches, our global team members are ready to serve the millions of kids and families who will be shopping with us," he said.
Blu Hydrangea and Cherrie Ontop at the launch of Culture Night Belfast

Culture Night Belfast returns with thousands are expected to take to the streets for an evening filled with theatre, music, arts, and an all round bit of craic.

So, if you've never been or if you just want to find out what's happening, here's everything you need to know:

When is Culture Night taking place in Belfast?

Culture Night Belfast takes place on Friday, September 22 from 12noon-10pm.

What's going on this year then?

This year's theme is cultural biodiversity and there will be over 300 free events for everyone to enjoy.

Where will they take place?

With over 100,000 people expected to attend this year, Culture Night Belfast has expanded its perimeters.

Events will be held on the city centre streets from the City Hall all the way through to the Cathedral Quarter.

And, due to Culture Night's increase in popularity, events will now be held in the City Quays at Belfast Harbour.

Expand Close Blu Hydrangea and Cherrie Ontop at the launch of Culture Night Belfast / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Blu Hydrangea and Cherrie Ontop at the launch of Culture Night Belfast

Will there be information points on the streets so I know what's going on?

Yes, there will be 'Culture Night Hubs' located around the city centre on the night which will be the main point of contact for information, first aid, lost property and lost people.

These are located at:

Belfast City Hall

Rosemary Street/Lombard Street

The Big Fish

St Annes Cathedral

Royal Avenue (Outside Culture Night Office)

Edwards Car Park (Outside the Black Box).

Will I be able to get my car parked in the city centre?

Organisers are advising people to leave their car at home if possible as there will be no on-street parking available in and around the Cathedral Quarter on the night - this includes Donegall Street, North Street, Union Street, Kent Street, Academy Street, Exchange Street, Hill Street, Waring Street, Skipper Street, Talbot Street and Royal Avenue.

Expand Close Culture Night Belfast / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Culture Night Belfast

What about public transport?

Translink are putting on a late-night Metro service at midnight and 1am on selected main routes.

For more information, visit www.translink.co.uk/culturenight or call 028 90 66 66 30

What are the highlights of this year's Culture Night?

Literally too many to mention, but here are some of our top picks:

1. Belfast Salutes the Sun at City Hall

Time: 1pm  2pm

2. Culture Night Parade - Kicking off from upper Royal Avenue

Time: 4pm

3. Medieval Swordsmanship at Writer's Square

Time: 4pm - 9pm

4. CBSM Drum and Brass at St Anne's Cathedral

Time: 6pm - 7pm

5. Belfast Roller Derby Live at the Big Fish

Time: 6pm - 9pm

6. Parkour Stunt Demos at the Big Fish

Time: 6pm - 9pm

7. Slow Bike Race at Royal Avenue

Time: 6.15 pm

8. Pro Wrestling Ulster live at St Anne's Square

Time: 6.30pm - 9.30pm

9. Belfast Ukulele Jam at St Anne's Square

Time: 9pm - 10pm

10. Belfast Circus School's Sideboard Sideshow at Belfast Harbour

Time: 4pm - 5pm

And the most important question of all, what will the weather be like on Friday?

The Met Office is forecasting there will be some rain on Friday but it should clear up later in the evening.

So bring appropriate clothing but hope the rain decides to bypass Belfast all in the name of culture.

For a full programme of events, visit www.culturenightbelfast.com
Ahead of the NI March for Men in Belfast on Saturday to raise funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK, Kerry McKittrick talks to sufferers Billy Dickson and Mervyn Bryans about why men here need access to the latest surgical treatments for the disease.

Each year more than 1,000 men in Northern Ireland are diagnosed with prostate cancer. The good news is that the illness has an 84% survival rate and, as with most cancers, early detection is key.

Treatment of the disease depends on each individual's case but the three main options are: radiotherapy, brachytherapy - the implantation of tiny radioactive seeds in the prostate - or the removal of the prostate by surgery.

The prostate gland is generally nine inches inside the body, so removal is a major operation. At the moment in Northern Ireland the only removal option available is open surgery.

However, those willing to travel to England can have robot-assisted keyhole surgery which is much less invasive and has a significantly reduced recovery time. This kind of surgery does not yet exist in Northern Ireland as there is currently no funding for the equipment.

Charity Prostate Cancer UK is currently calling for an urgent review into the provision of surgery options here. For now, though, NI men opting for robot-assisted surgery must gain approval from their local health authority and travel across the water for their operations.

An additional ordeal or those who travel is the prospect of having to go through airport security and flights just a couple of days after having had a major medical procedure. The charity is campaigning for men to have the more advanced treatment as close to home as possible.

We talk to two local men who made the journey to Cambridge about their experience.

'It was rough for my wife as there wasn't anyone there to support her'

Retired community worker Billy Dickson (59) lives in Belfast with wife Jacqui (54). They have two children, Deborah (25) and Mark (22). He says:

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year. My GP called me in for a routine check-up purely because I was the right age for it last November. After an examination he said that my prostate was swollen which concerned him. My PSA (Prostate Specific Antigens) level was high too so he referred me to a consultant. Two weeks later I went back for biopsies - I had 12-13 of which four were cancerous.

Afterwards I got a letter to go to the Ulster Hospital in Belfast for the results - I was told to bring someone with me. I met with the consultant who told me that this cancer is graded one to 10, with 10 being the worst case scenario. I had grade seven and I didn't hear a thing he said after that, which is probably why they tell you to bring someone along.

I was referred to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge for a consultation with Mr Shah. You visit the urology clinic and the ages of the men there range from some in their 20s to some in their 70s. In a sense this was a good thing for me as I realised I wasn't the only personwith this. Mr Shah said that part of the tumour had ruptured and it needed to be removed. I went home and returned two weeks later for the surgery.

As it turned out, by the time I went for surgery the tumour was fully ruptured so instead of taking three and a half hours the operation took seven.

Expand Close Billy Dickson with his wife Jacqui / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Billy Dickson with his wife Jacqui

I think it was rough for my wife Jacqui because she was sitting outside on her own in the hospital for the whole time.

There wasn't anyone there to support her because we were in England. She was just waiting for someone to tell her everything was okay. All Mr Shah would tell her was that the operation was technically challenging, but he got all of the cancer.

I was discharged the next day and spent the night in hospital accommodation, but that's not available for most people. Most men have to check into a hotel before they go home the following day. I have to say the staff at the hospital were fantastic, very slick.

The surgery, which requires six incisions to the stomach, was done on the Thursday and we came home on Sunday. I had to get a wheelchair through the airport because I was catheterised, so it was a bit embarrassing.

We had to travel to England for the surgery because there is no equipment to do it robotically in Northern Ireland. There was discussion about it a few weeks ago, but the health authorities here haven't got the funding and, because of the current state of Stormont, nothing can be sorted out currently.

I didn't have any other treatment when I came home. It did take me a while to recover but if someone had told me in April that I would feel as good as I do today I wouldn't have believed them. I don't think I'll ever feel 100%, I'm at 90% and I'm happy with that. I did exactly what the doctors told me to do afterwards, so I don't have to use pads any more. I've spoken to other men who had the same surgery when I did and one man has no bladder control at all.

I had my PSA level taken a couple of weeks ago and it was 0.03 - before surgery it was 4.7. I'm monitored every six months at the Cancer Centre in Belfast and it will be five years before I can say I'm cancer free. But I'm happy with the way I am.

At a fundraiser a few weeks ago I was talking to other men and found it really helpful.

My wife Jacqui has organised the March for Men to raise awareness about the disease and the treatment options here. We've been astounded how many people have been affected by prostate cancer - both men and women have contacted us.

Women are usually the people who encourage men, whether it's their husbands, sons or another male family member, to go and get checked out - so information is important for them too.

The march is to help men who have been through this kind of thing in Northern Ireland because there is very little support for us. We don't have anywhere to go to talk about things and this is our way to get the word out about prostate cancer.

It's something that has been happening in England for a while now, but this is the first time it's happened here. It's not just for men to take part in - we want to raise women's awareness just as much."

The NI March for Men to raise funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK will take place on Saturday at the Stormont Estate in Belfast. For more information search for Northern Ireland March for Men on Facebook

'I had to fly home with a catheter attached ... not ideal'

Expand Close Close watch: Mervyn Bryans / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Close watch: Mervyn Bryans

Retired civil servant Mervyn Bryans (63) lives in Belfast with wife Yvonne and they have a daughter, Catherine (25). He says:

I was working in northern Iraq when I diagnosed with prostate cancer five years ago. It was necessary for me to have a full MOT for insurance purposes.

My PSA level had increased in the space of a year and there was also the issue that my grandfather had, what he called waterworks problems. My mother had also had breast cancer although medics don't know if that is related. Prostate problems on the male line can increase the likelihood of grandchildren having it.

I went to my GP for the usual tests and was referred to an urologist who recommended a biopsy. The doctors carried out 19 biopsies and one tested positive for cancer. They didn't seem worried about it and told me they would monitor me for a year.

There's nothing to prepare you when you get a letter from the Cancer Centre in Belfast; I was deemed to be low risk until the cancer had increased by 40%. At that point I was a candidate for brachytherapy - seed implants of radioactive materials. I had that four years ago and everything was fine after that. After testing every six months, though, my PSA level was still high and the urologist asked if I would be happy to pay 3,000 to go to London for a scan, which I did. It's not available any other way.

The results came back to say there was a problem. My only option was surgery which could involve either a full opening from pubis to navel or the robotic surgery in Cambridge.

There's a big difference between the two - the first has a much longer recovery period but the robot has an equally good success rate.

I went over to England in May this year which was arranged by the team at the City Hospital in Belfast. My surgery lasted for five and a half hours.

Two days later I was discharged and had to check into a hotel for a night. It was totally not fit for purpose - there wasn't even a lift in the building. I had a catheter in as well as a drainage tube and was in quite a lot of pain. The next day I had to fly home, including going through security with all of the medical stuff still attached to me. It was not the ideal situation.

I had problems with my catheter and had to go to A&E here but the doctors didn't have my notes which was quite stressful. I'm okay now. I will have to attend the Cancer Centre every six months for the next five years and it's fantastic - the people there are very knowledgeable."

Prostate Cancer UK would like to hear from anyone living in Northern Ireland who has had a similar experience, having travelled to England for prostate cancer surgery. Email campaigns@prostatecanceruk.org

Signs and symptoms of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer that's contained inside the prostate (called localised prostate cancer or early prostate cancer) doesn't usually cause any symptoms. But some men might have some urinary problems. These can be mild and happen over many years and may be a sign of a benign prostate problem, rather than prostate cancer. The advice is always to get checked out by your GP.

Changes to look out for include:
The number of stroke victims in Northern Ireland could more than double over the next 20 years without proper investment in prevention, a report warns today.

The Stroke Association claims over 110,000 people across the UK could be saved from having a stroke by 2035 if research was better funded.

Its report said that over the next two decades, more people every year will be living with stroke.

This means the annual number of stroke survivors in Northern Ireland could more than double to over 57,000 by 2035.

The report warns that around a third (19,000) of these could be living with long-term disabilities.

Barry Macaulay, director for the Stroke Association in Northern Ireland, said: "It's clear that we need to act now to prevent Northern Ireland from sleepwalking towards a stroke crisis."

However, the findings claim a 10m investment into prevention research could change the story and save 114,000 people in the UK from having a stroke.

Mr Macaulay added: "The fact is that most strokes are preventable, but there's still a lot we don't know. This report highlights some of the key areas that desperately need investment.

"We are currently funding a number of smaller studies focusing on stroke prevention, including blood pressure management, treatments for atrial fibrillation (AF), and the prevention of haemorrhagic stroke.

"The annual number of stroke survivors is expected to increase dramatically by 2035 and the cost to the NHS in Northern Ireland is set to rise to over 203m in 2035 from around 64m in 2015."

The Stroke Association estimates there are almost 37,000 stroke survivors in Northern Ireland.

Almost 35,000 people are known to have AF, which increases a person's risk of stroke five times.

However, many patients are on a treatment that is not effectively lowering their stroke risk, or may not even have had the condition diagnosed.

Around 260,000 people have been diagnosed with high blood pressure in Northern Ireland, which is the biggest controllable risk factor for stroke.

However, it is thought that a further 180,000 may be unaware that they have the condition.

Mr Macaulay continued: "Stroke causes a greater range of disabilities than any other condition, but research into stroke remains underfunded."

The study was undertaken at Queen Mary University of London and the London School of Economics.

Professor Anita Patel, who led the research, said: "Our findings suggest that more people are likely to survive stroke over the next 20 years, and by 2035 many hundreds of thousands of stroke survivors will be living with long-term disabilities.

"Increasing our investment into stroke research will help us turn the tide for people with a higher risk of stroke, allowing us to take steps to prevent the condition more widely."
A teacher is suing Facebook over postings alleging a failure to safeguard pupils at a west Belfast secondary school, the High Court in Belfast has heard

A teacher is suing Facebook over postings alleging a failure to safeguard pupils at a west Belfast secondary school, the High Court in Belfast has heard.

Libel action is also being taken against an anonymous group of parents behind a social media page focused on De La Salle College.

Proceedings centre on claims that a priest invited into the Catholic boys' school questioned three students about their sex lives during confession.

Allegations that a group of pupils were then taken to see the same priest in the Irish Republic after he was banned from the school also feature in the case.

The teacher who has brought the case is not being named for legal reasons.

Damages are being sought against Facebook and a second defendant referred to as a person or persons unknown adopting the pseudonym Concerned Parents of De La Salle.

Earlier this year an independent review commissioned by the secondary school's board of governors examined its child protection measures.

The report looked into allegations by three pupils that the priest made inappropriate comments to them during a visit in May 2013.

It involved claims that the schoolboys had been asked about their sexual habits, including whether they viewed pornography.

The complaints were referred to the PSNI, but no further police action was taken as none of the boys' parents wanted to make a complaint, according to the published review.

It found that, in all cases, the pupils' allegations had been reported to the relevant designated teacher.

The teacher taking the legal action was never subject to any police investigation.

A preliminary hearing in the case involved arguments on the meanings behind comments posted on the Concerned Parents of De La Salle Facebook page.

Lawyers for the teacher and the social media giant advanced different assessments on the level and seriousness of the alleged defamatory content on the website.

No defence has been entered at this stage on behalf of the second, unidentified defendant.

Gavin Millar QC, for the plaintiff, contended that the allegations directed at his client were being portrayed as facts.

"The core of the libel is the criticism for a failure to safeguard children in (the teacher's) care," he said.

Mr Millar insisted his client was being accused of having exposed pupils to the priest's alleged misconduct.

But counsel for Facebook told the judge that the comments could have a range of meanings.

Following submissions Mr Justice Burgess reserved judgment on the initial stage in the case.
A search for missing man Nathan Shields takes place in Clarendon Dock on September 18th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

A missing Belfast teenager has been found safe and well just hours after his distraught family had issued a heartfelt appeal for him to come home.

Nathan Shields had been missing since he was last seen on Sunday, something his family said was "totally out of character".

Yesterday, the 18-year-old's father, Bryce Anderson, and sisters Chelsea and Colby joined volunteers at searches in the city for the former Malone College pupil. Police also carried out a search around Belfast Harbour with Lagan Search and Rescue.

But late last night his relieved father Bryce revealed: "He has been found safe and sound."

He said Nathan had been found in the Finaghy Road South/Upper Lisburn Road area.

He said there were "no words to describe" the family's relief and that they had "got the result many parents don't".

Earlier, Nathan's mum, Diane Shields, had pleaded with her son to return home, reminding him "how much we all love him".
In a dramatic turn of events on Tuesday following three murder trials, County Londonderry man Fred McClenaghan finally admitted his guilt and was jailed for life for the cold blooded shotgun murder of his former lover 51-year-old Marion Millican.

The mother-of-four was blasted in the chest at point blank range by McClenaghan who had gone to the Portstewart laundrette where she had worked on March 11 2011.

On Tuesday his Belfast Crown Court trial was to hear further evidence regarding the circumstances following the shooting, but this did not happen.

Then after lunch, in the dramatic turn, defence QC John McCrudden applied to trial judge Mr Justice Coulton for the murder charge to be put to McClenaghan again.

Mr McCrudden in thanking the judge and jury of seven women and three men said that in a case of "great complexity" matters had to be dealt with and "as a result of the time afforded to us I have been instructed by my client to have him rearraigned on the charge of murder".

McClenaghan, who until today claimed that the killing of Mrs Millican was an accident committed as he botched his own suicide, replied in a quiet voice, "guilty" when the murder charge was read to him again.

Mr Justice Coulton then told the 55-year-old from Broad Street in Magherafelt: "You have pleaded guilty to the offence of murder and that being so the only sentence I can impose on you by law is life imprisonment."

The judge added that next month he will hold a tarriff hearing to determine how long the county Londonderry man must serve before he is considered for release by the Parole Commissioners.

In the past McClenaghan, who has only ever admitted the manslaughter of Marion Millican, was twice convicted and jailed for life with a tarriff of 16 years being fixed, both of which were subsequently overturned on appeal which until today could not be reported.

During each of his trials, McClenaghan maintained he accidentally shot her while intending to kill himself in front of her, but the prosecution has always insisted that what happened was no "accident .... this was a case, simply, of murder."

The prosecution even rejected his guilty plea to her unlawful killing, entered during his second trial. The jury in that trial also rejected the manslaughter plea, and convicted him, as had the original jury, of murder.

His trials had heard that after splitting from her husband Kenneth in September 2009, Mrs Millican had formed a relationship with McClenaghan the following year, a relationship, described as peppered with "episodes of violence".

At the start of this, his third trial last week, prosecution QC Richard Weir claimed that when, because of it, that relationship soured and ended around Christmas that year, McClenaghan became consumed by "a burning resentment of her".

What was more, by the following March a planned reconciliation between Mrs Millican and former husband Ken was "well advanced".

While Mr Weir also said that McClenaghan talked of suicidal feelings, he had confided in a nurse he wanted to kill his former partner.

The court heard that McClenaghan told one counsellor: "I am afraid of what I am capable of. My plan is to kill my girlfriend and myself."

He also told a psychiatric nurse he felt abandoned by his girlfriend and was angry at her for ending their relationship.

On the day of the shooting McClenaghan armed with a 100-year-old antique shotgun, never registered with police throughout its history, went to the launderette to confront Mrs Millican who was having lunch with her work colleague Pamela Henry.

As he appeared, Mrs Millican said, "you are not going to believe who this is?", before McClenaghan grabbed her by the arm, telling her, "you are coming with me for a talk".

Fearing for her life, she refused, and McClenaghan initially fired a shot into the floor, before her colleague managed to make good escape. Moments later there was another blast from the shotgun leaving Mrs Millican lying dying face down in a pool of blood.

McClenaghan fled the scene, dumping his shotgun in a ditch by the roadside as he drove to Kilrea where he confessed to the sister of a former partner that he had just "shot a girl in Portstewart".

He also claimed that he wanted only to talk to her but she pulled on the shotgun and as they struggled it went off. He later told detectives sent to arrest him: "I am saying it was me".

During eight subsequent interviews McClenaghan remained mostly silent as detectives questioned him, until that is, his solicitor presented police with a prepared written statement.

In it McClenaghan apologised for the shooting and claimed: "It was my intention to kill myself in front of Marion, who would witness my suicide.

"I didn't intend to kill or harm Marion ... her death was an accident. I am truly sorry."

However, by his plea on Tuesday McClenaghan has finally accepted what the Mrs Millican's family, and friends have known all along, and what the prosecution has always claimed that what happened was "murder, pure and simple".
Dissident republican activist Dee Fennell arrives at Laganside Court in Belfast as the trial is set to start , on terrorist charges relating to a speech he gave during an Ester Rising commemoration at a cemetery in Lurgan in 2015. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press

Judgement was reserved on Tuesday in a terrorist trial involving north Belfast dissident Damien 'Dee' Fennell.

In a one-day case held at Belfast Crown Court, the 35-year old was charged with three offences arising from a speech he gave at St Coleman's cemetery in Lurgan in April 2015.

The Easter Rising event was held on April 5, and included a speech given by 'dedicated Republican activist' Dee Fennell. The speech was later uploaded onto the Irish Republican Prisoner Welfare Association's YouTube and Facebook pages.

Fennell, from Torrens Avenue, is accused of and denies three charges arising from comments he made in the eight-minute speech - namely encouraging terrorism, inviting support for the Irish Republican Army and encouraging support for the IRA.

In the speech, Fennell talked of an armed struggle within the political context of partition and occupation, telling the crowd that the armed struggle was legitimate before, during and after 1916, and remains a "legitimate act of resistance" in 2015.

He also quoted former Sinn Fein president Marie Drumm in his speech, and said to a crowd around 70 people at the cemetery "It isn't enough to shout up the IRA, the important thing is to join the IRA."

Telling those gathered "we will not accept British Rule", Fennell also says in his speech "ask yourself is it enough to support Republicanism or could you be a more active Republican?"

The video, which was played to the Diplock non-jury trial at Belfast Crown Court, also mentioned two people who Fennell said were murdered by loyalist death squads assisted by the authorities.

The father of six also spoke of opposition to the Army and the rejection of British law in the six counties.

It is the Crown's case that Fennell rebuked Sinn Fein for welcoming the Queen to Ireland. Fennell told those at the cemetery: "The only welcome the IRA gave to a member of the British Royal family was delivered in a boat off the coast of Sligo."

It is the Crown's case that Fennell's words and message amounted to both encouraging terrorism and encouraging support for the IRA.

However, this view has been rejected by Fennell, who makes the case that he gave his personal opinion as opposed to encouraging anyone to engage in violence.

When he was arrested following a search of his house on April 20, 2015, he was taken to Antrim Serious Crime Unit where he refused to answer any questions. However, his solicitor handed police a pre-prepared statement on behalf of Fennell.

In the statement, he said: "While giving a detail a detailed analysis of the existing political context in Ireland drawing upon history, I gave a personal opinion as to why both armed struggle and the IRA exist.

"At no stage did I encourage anyone to join any organisation. At no stage did I encourage anyone to engage in violence against anyone."

In the statement, Fennell also said his arrest was "politically motivated."

Fennell's barrister launched two separate applications in a bid to get the charges against him withdrawn. However, these requests were refused by trial judge Geoffery Miller QC.

The defence barrister asked the Judge to consider that the speech given by Fennell was done within the context of a commemorative ceremony, adding there was "nothing in the message that would encourage people to commit acts of terrorism".

The barrister also accepted that while Fennell's comments about the Royal Family were "distasteful", this could not be deemed as encouragement to carry out such an act.

After listening to submissions from both the Crown and defence, and after being informed that Fennell would not be giving evidence, Judge Miller reserved judgement and said he would give a ruling "as soon as is practical".
Members of the emergency services work near Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017. Pic / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Handout photo issued by Sylvain Pennec of a bucket on fire on a tube train at Parsons Green station in west London amid reports of an explosion. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Friday September 15, 2017. See PA story TRANSPORT Explosion. Photo credit should read: Sylvain Pennec/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

Armed British police officers stand on duty outside Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station. Police and ambulance services said they were responding to an "incident" at Parsons Green underground station in west London on Friday, following media reports of an explosion. A Metro.co.uk reporter at the scene was quoted by the paper as saying that a white container exploded on the train and passengers had suffered facial burns. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / ===RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / @RRIGS - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS NO ARCHIVES - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS FROM FROM ALTERNATIVE SOURCES, THEREFORE AFP IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DIGITAL ALTERATIONS TO THE PICTURE'S EDITORIAL CONTENT, DATE AND LOCATION WHICH CANNOT BE INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED == / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Handout photo issued by Sylvain Pennec of a bucket on fire on a tube train at Parsons Green station in west London amid reports of an explosion. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Friday September 15, 2017. See PA story TRANSPORT Explosion. Photo credit should read: Sylvain Pennec/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

Armed British police officers stand on duty outside Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017. Pic Wires

Members of the emergency services work near Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station. Police and ambulance services said they were responding to an "incident" at Parsons Green underground station in west London on Friday, following media reports of an explosion. A Metro.co.uk reporter at the scene was quoted by the paper as saying that a white container exploded on the train and passengers had suffered facial burns. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

People stand in the street by a Police car close to Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station. Police and ambulance services said they were responding to an "incident" at Parsons Green underground station in west London on Friday, following media reports of an explosion. A Metro.co.uk reporter at the scene was quoted by the paper as saying that a white container exploded on the train and passengers had suffered facial burns. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Members of the emergency services work outside Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station. Police and ambulance services said they were responding to an "incident" at Parsons Green underground station in west London on Friday, following media reports of an explosion. A Metro.co.uk reporter at the scene was quoted by the paper as saying that a white container exploded on the train and passengers had suffered facial burns. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

An armed British police officer works near Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station. Police and ambulance services said they were responding to an "incident" at Parsons Green underground station in west London on Friday, following media reports of an explosion. A Metro.co.uk reporter at the scene was quoted by the paper as saying that a white container exploded on the train and passengers had suffered facial burns. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Handout photo issued by Richard Aylmer-Hall of emergency services attending an incident at Parsons Green station in west London amid reports of an explosion. Pic: Aylmer-Hall/PA Wire

Emergency services attending incident at Parsons Green station in west London amid reports of an explosion. Pic: Richard Aylmer-Hall/PA Wire

Handout photo issued by James Treen of emergency services attending an incident at Parsons Green station in west London amid reports of an explosion. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Pic: James Treen/PA Wire

Handout photo issued by James Treen of emergency services attending an incident at Parsons Green station in west London amid reports of an explosion. Pic: James Treen/PA Wire

Members of the emergency services work near Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station. Police and ambulance services said they were responding to an "incident" at Parsons Green underground station in west London on Friday, following media reports of an explosion. A Metro.co.uk reporter at the scene was quoted by the paper as saying that a white container exploded on the train and passengers had suffered facial burns. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

An armed British police officer stands with a member of the emergency rescue services near to Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station. Police and ambulance services said they were responding to an "incident" at Parsons Green underground station in west London on Friday, following media reports of an explosion. A Metro.co.uk reporter at the scene was quoted by the paper as saying that a white container exploded on the train and passengers had suffered facial burns. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Armed British police officers stand on duty outside Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017. Pic wires

Members of the emergency services work alongside an underground tube train at a platform at Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station. Police and ambulance services said they were responding to an "incident" at Parsons Green underground station in west London on Friday, following media reports of an explosion. "We are aware of an incident at Parsons Green tube station. Officers are in attendance," London's Metropolitan Police said on Twitter. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

An injured woman is assisted by a police officer close to Parsons Green station in west London after an explosion on a packed London Underground train. Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Armed police close to Parsons Green station in west London after an explosion on a packed London Underground train. Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

An image taken from a user generated content uploaded on social networks on September 15, 2017, shows a white container burning inside a London Underground tube carriage. Police and ambulance services said they were responding to an "incident" at Parsons Green underground station in west London on Friday, following media reports of an explosion. A Metro.co.uk reporter at the scene was quoted by the paper as saying that a white container exploded on the train and passengers had suffered facial burns. Pic: PA wires

A armed British police officer walks through the carriage of a London underground tube carriage at Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station. Police and ambulance services said they were responding to an "incident" at Parsons Green underground station in west London on Friday, following media reports of an explosion. A Metro.co.uk reporter at the scene was quoted by the paper as saying that a white container exploded on the train and passengers had suffered facial burns. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Members of the emergency services work near Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station. Police and ambulance services said they were responding to an "incident" at Parsons Green underground station in west London on Friday, following media reports of an explosion. A Metro.co.uk reporter at the scene was quoted by the paper as saying that a white container exploded on the train and passengers had suffered facial burns. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Members of the emergency services work alongside an underground tube train at a platform at Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station.. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Emergency services outside Parsons Green station in west London after Scotland Yard declared a terrorist incident following a blast sent a "fireball" and a "wall of flame" through a packed London Underground train. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday September 15, 2017. See PA story TRANSPORT Explosion. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Handout photo taken with permission from the Twitter feed of @ASolopovas of emergency services outside Parsons Green tube station in west London after Scotland Yard declared a terrorist incident. Pic: @ASolopovas/PA Wire

A third man has been arrested over the London Parsons Green bombing.

Scotland Yard said the 25-year-old man was arrested in Newport in Wales in connection with the terror attack.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The 25-year-old man was arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act at approximately 7.08pm at an address in Newport.

"The arrest was carried out by officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, supported by colleagues from Gwent Police and the Welsh Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit (WECTU).

"A search is taking place at an address in the Newport following the arrest."

The family of the second suspect questioned over the Parsons Green bombing earlier insisted he was innocent and "loves the UK", according to reports.

Yahyah Farroukh, 21, and an 18-year-old man remain in custody after detectives were granted more time to question them over Friday morning's bomb attack on a London Underground train.

The older man's family expressed their shock after the Syrian refugee was arrested on Saturday night as he finished a shift at a fried chicken takeaway.

His brother Hamed told the Mailonline from Egypt that Farroukh did not mix with extremists.

He said: "He is a good guy. He works in a restaurant to make a living. He would not hurt anyone.

"My father, God bless his soul, brought us up to live decently and with high morals. Yahyah has never mingled with bad guys or militants or Daesh people."

The family said they left Damascus, in war-torn Syria, in 2012 and moved to Egypt, where their ill father died recently.

Farroukh had travelled to the Netherlands to visit them during the Muslim holy period of Eid, shortly after the death, they said.

Scotland Yard said magistrates had granted warrants allowing the 18-year-old to be held until Saturday, and Farroukh until Thursday.

The news came as fresh CCTV footage emerged that appears to show the Parsons Green bomb suspect on his way to plant his homemade device.

The video, obtained by the Press Association, shows a figure dressed in grey carrying a distinctive white Lidl carrier bag around 80 minutes before the explosion that injured 29 people.

Both Farroukh and the younger man, understood to be the suspected bomber, are believed to have spent time in foster care with Penelope and Ronald Jones, aged 71 and 88 respectively, who previously received MBEs for services to children and families.
The funeral of David Ward in Dungiven, with the coffin draped in both the tricolour and Starry Plough

The funeral of David Ward in Dungiven, with the coffin draped in both the tricolour and Starry Plough

Unionists have hit out after a priest fulfilled the dying wish of a lifelong republican and allowed his coffin to be draped in the Irish tricolour and Starry Plough during his funeral.

Requiem Mass for Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) member David Ward took place on Saturday morning at Dungiven Parish in Co Londonderry.

His coffin was carried into the church draped in the tricolour and the Starry Plough - a flag closely associated with the INLA.

Church authorities banned national flag and paramilitary trappings on coffins inside churches at the end of the 1980s.

Then Bishop of Derry Edward Daly introduced the ban after shots were fired over the coffin of an IRA man inside the grounds of Londonderry's Long Tower Church in 1987.

DUP MP Gregory Campbell said allowing flags inside churches was "harking back to the violence and murders of the past".

"It's 2017, we shouldn't be having these kind of trappings at funerals," he said. "Given that it was 30 years since the last time this happened - and for the most part the ban has been adhered to - that is an indication of a move away from the past.

"This is a very retrograde step and hopefully as a result of this, various Catholic Churches that might be facing this same type of scenario will take a more consistent approach to try and move forward rather than harking back to the violence and murders of the past."

But IRSP member Willie Gallagher, who was at the funeral, urged the Catholic Church to change their flag policy and "show courtesy to republicans".

"David was a friend, an IRSP member and a comrade," he said. "David had made his wishes known, that he wanted the flags on his coffin.

"The family had told the priest that if the church insisted on removing the Starry Plough and tricolour from the coffin in the church, they would refuse to go into the chapel and take him straight for burial. The priest accepted that."

Mr Gallagher added: "It is an important thing for republicans to have their flags on.

"It was so important to David Ward that he left it in his final wishes and the family wanted to honour his wishes.

"It was a personal touch for the family and we would call on the Catholic Church to allow all republican funerals the courtesy to have the flags left on the coffins during the funeral Mass.

"Times have changed. There are no shots fired over the coffin in the church grounds. All that we are asking for is to have the flags kept on during the Mass. For us, taking a flag off is really a sign of disrespect on behalf of the Catholic Church."

Dungiven Parish Priest Fr Seamus Kelly refused to comment.

A spokesperson for the Catholic Church said the flags were completely covered during the Mass - a claim refuted by those in attendance.

"By prior agreement with the family of the deceased, a large white pall (which is a large white cloth symbolising baptism) was placed over to completely cover the coffin," the spokesperson said. "The two flags, which had been placed on it by the family, were completely covered by the pall throughout the funeral liturgy."

After three decades, the debate around flags at funerals was again sparked in March after the tricolour-draped coffin of former Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness was allowed into Long Tower Church during his Requiem Mass.
A rally in solidarity with probation officers threatened by dissident republicans will be held today, union leaders have said.

It will take place at lunchtime outside the Probation Board's Belfast headquarters in North Street.

Carolyn Ewart, of the NI Association of Social Workers, said: "Probation officers play a vital role in supporting offenders to transform their lives in what are often difficult transitional periods.

"Their work, which is of great value in improving our society, contrasts sharply with the callous threats made against them."

The PSNI contacted the board to advise that the threat level against some members has been raised, particularly in republican areas. Board chiefs briefed 400 members of staff. Security advice has been provided to all staff and the PSNI is to organise personal security at some sites.

NIPSA official Dooley Harte said today's rally was intended to show anger and disgust at the "disgraceful" threats.
Family and friends at the funeral of Co Down man Rory McCabe

A young Co Down man who died tragically in Thailand has been described as "bright and able", and someone who "always had a smile on his face".

Rory McCabe, who was aged in his early 20s, had been travelling around the world this year.

The Carryduff man had been in the southeast Asian country earlier this month when he died suddenly in what has been described as a "drowning incident".

It is understood the former Our Lady and St Patrick's College student had been travelling home from Australia, and had decided to stop off in Thailand to explore a bit of the country.

Rory died on Tuesday, September 5, and was laid to rest yesterday morning in his native Carryduff following a tearful funeral service at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church where a contingent of former classmates, as well as teachers from Our Lady and St Patrick's College were among the mourners.

Requiem Mass was conducted by Father Michael Sheehan, who during his homily, paid tribute to Rory and the impression he had left on people during his short life.

"Rory was a young man who loved people and life, he made friends easily and loved to be surrounded by them, a gentle guy who loved music and nature and was committed to the environment as well as human charitable causes, a man who touched so many lives, many more than his family had known," Fr Sheehan told mourners.

"From his school days in St Joseph's Primary School and Our Lady and St Patrick's Knock, to his days in the scouts and university, where he hated accountancy and grew to love criminology, Rory was well-known and loved.

"He had a gentle and trusting nature, in many ways he was adventurist and fearless."

Fr Sheehan added: "He loved life, loved to travel but also loved to come home, he had started a regime of healthy eating and workouts towards the end of his time in Australia and he had recently taken up photography with his new camera.

"But this tragic accident has stolen him from you, his family, his friends and our world and for each of you the world will be a dimmer place without his light and laughter and goodness."

Rory's former school principal Dermot Mullan described Rory as a very popular and sociable young man who always had a smile on his face.

"He was a good student - able, bright and intelligent - and he had achieved highly in his A-levels just before he left here four or five years ago," he told the Belfast Telegraph.

Rory is survived by his parents Brendan and Marion, siblings Niall and Rachael, and wider family circle, including many in the Clonoe area of Co Tyrone.

Derrylaughan Kevin Barry's GAC, from that area, extended their sympathies to Rory's family, some of whom are deeply involved with the club.
DUP leader Arlene Foster has pledged that the Prime Minister will do everything possible to resolve the trade dispute which threatens Bombardier jobs in Northern Ireland.

Theresa May yesterday held talks on the issue with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa and said she will raise it again with US President Donald Trump when she meets him later this week.

Canadian aerospace company Bombardier employs around 4,500 people in Northern Ireland. Rival firm Boeing claims Bombardier received subsidies allowing it to sell its CSeries planes at below-market prices.

The US Department of Commerce is expected to announce a decision on whether to impose duties against Bombardier next week.

Mrs Foster last night said: "We welcome the intervention by the Prime Minister. (The) Government at all levels have been ready to do whatever they can both in public and private to safeguard the Belfast Bombardier operation." Describing the firm as "of critical importance to the Northern Ireland economy", she said: "We will continue to use all avenues available to stand up for the local workforce. The CSeries is one of the most innovative aircrafts on the market. We will work tirelessly to assist the company to enter new markets and ensure the jobs in Belfast are protected as well as the hugely significant supply chain".

Speaking after meeting Mr Trudeau in Ottawa, Mrs May said she would be raising the dispute with Mr Trump later this week.

"I will be impressing on him the significance of Bombardier to the United Kingdom and particularly to jobs in Northern Ireland," she said. "We have discussed today how we can work together and to see a resolution of this situation which, from my point of view, I want to see a resolution that protects those jobs."

The Prime Minister has already spoken about the case in a phone call with Mr Trump last week, in which she raised concerns about the impact that a possible financial penalty for the Bombardier would have on jobs in Northern Ireland.

Mr Trudeau said Canada was looking to replace its fighter jet fleet, with Boeing's Super Hornet aircraft considered a potential replacement.

But he added: "We won't do business with a company that's busy trying to sue us and put our aerospace workers out of business."

Hitting out at Boeing's "predatory behaviour", Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: "At base it is ordinary workers who risk being the collateral damage in what is an increasingly dirty row between two giant corporations over market share."

The union's regional secretary for Ireland, Jimmy Kelly, urged the DUP and Sinn Fein to "make the most of their leverage and extensive networks of support globally to defend Bombardier jobs in Belfast".
UKIP's Northern Irish branch has been hit with a 3,500 fine for handing over an inaccurate spending return for the 2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election.

UKIP's Northern Irish branch has been hit with a 3,500 fine for handing over an inaccurate spending return for the 2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election.

The judgement was made by the Electoral Commission, the independent body tasked with overseeing elections and political finance in the UK.

In the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election in March, UKIP ran just a single candidate, Noel Jordan in the East Antrim constituency.

Mr Jordan received 4.2% of the first preference vote and was eliminated at the fourth count.

In its filing, the party said that its collective spending for the election had been zero, with expenditure covered by its candidate's return.

The Electoral Commission ruled some of its spending counted as party spending rather than candidate spending and should have been included in the return.

UKIP Northern Ireland has paid the fine.

Speaking about the ruling, the Electoral Commission's director of political finance and regulation Bob Posner said: "Annual accounts are the only information available to voters providing an overview of a partys finances. In the case of parties which do not receive donations above the reporting threshold, it is also the only information available to voters as to the partys income.

"That being the case it is important that these parties deliver accounts, and do so on time. The majority of smaller parties do so and we will take action where others do not."

Mr Posner added that it had made a request to the British government for an increase in the level of fine that can be imposed.

The maximum fine that the Commission can currently impose on a political party sits at 20,000, with fines proportionate to the offences committed.

A number of other cases are currently under investigation, and the Commission publishes its findings on a monthly basis.
The family of British adventurer Emma Kelty have paid tribute to their active and determined sister after she was robbed and murdered while kayaking alone in the Brazilian Amazon.

The 43-year-old former headteachers three siblings said she was dearly loved by us all and her strength will be sorely missed, in a statement released by the Foreign Office.

The Londoner was last heard from on Wednesday September 13, days after posting about her fears of being robbed or murdered in a jungle area in Brazils remote north used for drug trafficking.

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

Ivo Martins, head of the Amazonas state homicide division, told the Associated Press she was killed after being robbed and her body was thrown in the Solimoes River.

Three people were in custody, he told AP, including a teenager who had confessed to carrying out the killing with six other people.

In the Foreign Office statement, Ms Keltys brothers Piers and Giles and her sister Natasha said: Emma was an active and determined sister who challenged herself, latterly through her adventures on the Pacific Coast Trail, as well as in the South Pole and Amazon River.

In a world that is today a much smaller place, the explorer in our sister found herself seeking ways to prove that challenges were achievable. We are extremely proud of our sister who was dearly loved by us all and her strength will be sorely missed.

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

Ms Kelty was 42 days into a 4,000-mile trip from the Amazons source in Peru, through Brazil and to its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean, using a GPS tool, social media and blogging to let friends follow her progress.

Her last known location was around 150 miles west of the jungle city of Manaus, between the towns of Coari and Codajas.

The previous day she had tweeted about passing boats full of men with arrows and rifles, and the stretch of river she was attempting to travel is a known route for bandits and drug traffickers, local reports say.

Some of her belongings, including the kayak, were found by the Brazilian navy on Friday, Mr Martins had previously told local media.

Expand Close Emma Kelty (Family handout/PA) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Emma Kelty (Family handout/PA)

A Foreign Office spokesman said on Tuesday: We are supporting the family of a British woman following her death in Brazil and are in contact with the Brazilian authorities.

Olie Hunter Smart, an explorer who completed a similar route in 2015 and helped Ms Kelty plan her journey, said Coari was known to be a dangerous area.

Mr Smart, who is currently walking the length of India, said: The Emma that I met was an incredibly brave and courageous person who lived life to the full.

My thoughts go out to her close friends and family at this very sad time.

In a posting before the journey, Ms Kelty wrote that the adventure had four parts, and the third was getting through the notorious drug baron and organ harvesting folks.

The self-confessed adrenaline junkie had only begun serious kayaking earlier this year, weeks after skiing a return solo journey to the South Pole.

Last year police chief Thiago Garcez, whose body has never been found, was said to have been murdered by drug-runners in the area where Ms Kelty disappeared.
CCTV footage of a suspect linked to the Parsons Green bombing taken outside Ecco La Vera Pizzeria restaurant on Vicarage Road just after 7am last Friday, September 15

Detectives were last night granted more time to question two young men held in raids over the Parsons Green terror attack.

An 18-year-old man and a 21-year-old, identified by his employers as Yahyah Farroukh, were arrested on Saturday over Friday morning's bomb attack on a London Underground train.

Scotland Yard said last night that magistrates had granted warrants allowing the 18-year-old to be held until Saturday, September 23, and Farroukh until Thursday, September 21.

The men, who are understood to be from Iraq and Syria respectively, are believed to have both been fostered by the same British couple.

The news came as fresh CCTV footage was discovered that appears to show the Parsons Green bomb suspect on his way to plant his homemade device.

The video shows a figure dressed in grey carrying a distinctive white Lidl carrier bag around 80 minutes before the explosion that injured 29 people.

The footage was obtained from a camera outside Ecco La Vera pizzeria in Vicarage Road in Sunbury-on-Thames.

Both Farroukh and the 18-year-old man are believed to have spent time in foster care with Penelope and Ronald Jones, aged 71 and 88 respectively, who previously received MBEs for their work with children and families.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "They both remain in custody at a south London police station.

"Searches are continuing at two addresses in Surrey and a commercial property in Hounslow in connection with this ongoing investigation."

Farroukh was arrested after he finished his shift at a fried chicken shop in Hounslow, west London.

Video obtained by The Sun appeared to show forensic officers gathering evidence as he was held against the shutters of the neighbouring pharmacy.

According to his Facebook profile, Farroukh is originally from Damascus and living in London, having studied English at West Thames College.

Suleman Sarwar (43), who owns Aladdin's Fried Chicken in Kingsley Road, Hounslow, with his brothers, said "very normal" Farroukh worked at the takeaway and was arrested outside the shop after his shift at around 11.30pm.

He continued: "It was at that point that the police all grabbed him."
Theresa May and Boris Johnson face an awkward meeting at the UN headquarters (Leon Neal/PA)

Theresa May is expecting Boris Johnson to remain in her Cabinet as Foreign Secretary, Downing Street has said.

The comment came after Mr Johnson dismissed reports that he might be on the verge of quitting and denied the Cabinet is split over Brexit, insisting: We are a nest of singing birds.

Mrs May has called a special meeting of Cabinet at Number 10 on Thursday to discuss her crunch Brexit speech in Italy the following day, which a Downing Street source said would be a significant moment in the process of Britains withdrawal from the EU.

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

Speculation has been rife that Mr Johnson may resign or be sacked after an explosive article setting out his personal blueprint for Brexit overshadowed the run-up to the Florence address.

The essay sparked reports that the Cabinet is split between those like Chancellor Philip Hammond, who favour an EEA-minus deal similar to Switzerlands involving payments for access to the single market, and those including Mr Johnson who prefer a Ceta-plus arrangement involving a simple free trade deal like Canadas.

Mrs May and Mr Johnson are at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but her spokesman said they had not met since the Foreign Secretarys intervention.

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

Their schedules do not coincide until Wednesday when Mr Johnson is due to be in the audience for Mrs Mays formal address to the UN, and he is not due to join the PM at a reception for Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday evening, the spokesman said.

Asked if Mrs May thought Mr Johnson would remain in the Cabinet beyond the weekend, the PMs spokesman told reporters in New York: Yes. Boris Johnson is the Foreign Secretary and, as the Prime Minister has said, he is doing a good job.

Mrs May was meeting a series of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, as well as hosting a meeting on modern slavery which will be attended by US president Donald Trumps daughter Ivanka.

Expand Close Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson at the UN. (Seth Wenig/AP/PA) AP/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson at the UN. (Seth Wenig/AP/PA)

The PMs spokesman said that Mrs May had met Ivanka at the G20 summit in Germany in July, when Ms Trump expressed an interest in giving her backing to the campaign against modern slavery which the Prime Minister has spearheaded.

Mrs May is due to meet Mr Trump himself for private one-on-one talks on Wednesday.

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

Asked if Mrs May had confidence in Mr Johnson, the PMs spokesman said simply: Yes.

Mr Johnson spoke to TV cameras in New York after bumping into them at a hotel lift as he returned from a jog.

Asked if there was a Cabinet split on Europe, Mr Johnson said: No, we are a government working together. We are a nest of singing birds.

And asked directly if he would resign, he replied: No.

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

Mr Johnson said: We are working together, that is the key thing, to make sure that Britain can take advantage of the opportunities of Brexit.

A Telegraph report  dismissed as mischief by allies of the Foreign Secretary  suggested Mr Johnson would be prepared to quit by the weekend if Mrs May concedes too much to the European Union in her efforts to secure a trade deal.

Billed as the PMs most important update to the Governments position since her Lancaster House address in January, the Florence speech is thought likely to include an attempt to break the deadlock over the UKs financial settlement.

Speculation has been mounting she will offer to pay tens of billions of pounds to the EU during a two to three-year transition deal after the UKs formal exit in 2019.

The Foreign Secretary is understood to accept the idea of the UK paying its dues to Brussels during a transition period  but not for continued payments for access to the European single market on a permanent basis.

Veteran Tory Europhile Ken Clarke said Mr Johnson should have faced the sack for his Brexit intervention, while fellow grandee Lord Hague issued a call for Cabinet unity.

Former chancellor Mr Clarke said: Sounding off personally in this way is totally unhelpful and he shouldnt exploit the fact she hasnt got a majority in Parliament, and he knows perfectly well that normally the Foreign Secretary would be sacked for doing that  and she, unfortunately, after the general election, is not in the position easily to sack him  which he should stop exploiting.
A train pulls in to the platform at Parsons Green tube station (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

A third man has been arrested in connection with the Parsons Green terror attack, Scotland Yard said.

The 25-year-old was held in a counter-terrorism raid in Newport, south Wales, shortly after 7pm on Tuesday.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said a building in the town was being searched.

Two other men aged 18 and 21 remain in custody in connection with Fridays bomb attack on a London Underground train in south-west London.

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 raid was carried out by the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, assisted by Gwent Police and the Welsh Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit (WECTU) and an address in the town was being searched on Tuesday night.

Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Counter Terrorism Command, said: This continues to be a fast-moving investigation. A significant amount of activity has taken place since the attack on Friday. We now have three men in custody and searches are continuing at four addresses. Detectives are carrying out extensive inquiries to determine the full facts behind the attack.

Expand Close Police activity in Newport (Claire Hayhurst/PA) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Police activity in Newport (Claire Hayhurst/PA)

We anticipate that the searches will take some days to complete and may cause further disruption. However it is important that we continue with these searches and Id like to thank all those affected for their support, patience and co-operation.

The family of the second suspect questioned over the Parsons Green bombing earlier insisted he was innocent and loves the UK, according to reports.

Expand Close The incident took place on Friday (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The incident took place on Friday (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Yahyah Farroukh, 21, and an 18-year-old man remain in custody after detectives were granted more time to question them over Friday mornings bomb attack on a London Underground train.

The older mans family expressed their shock after the Syrian refugee was arrested on Saturday night as he finished a shift at a fried chicken takeaway.

His brother Hamed told the Mailonline from Egypt that Farroukh did not mix with extremists.

Expand Close Emergency services outside Parsons Green station in west London (Stefan Rousseau) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Emergency services outside Parsons Green station in west London (Stefan Rousseau)

He said: He is a good guy. He works in a restaurant to make a living. He would not hurt anyone.

My father, God bless his soul, brought us up to live decently and with high morals. Yahyah has never mingled with bad guys or militants or Daesh people.

The family said they left Damascus, in war-torn Syria, in 2012 and moved to Egypt, where their ill father died recently.

Farroukh had travelled to the Netherlands to visit them during the Muslim holy period of Eid, shortly after the death, they said.

Expand Close Police at a cordon on Cavendish Road, in Sunbury-on-Thames (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Police at a cordon on Cavendish Road, in Sunbury-on-Thames (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Scotland Yard said magistrates had granted warrants allowing the 18-year-old to be held until Saturday, and Farroukh until Thursday.

The news came as fresh CCTV footage emerged that appears to show the Parsons Green bomb suspect on his way to plant his homemade device.

The video, obtained by the Press Association, shows a figure dressed in grey carrying a distinctive white Lidl carrier bag around 80 minutes before the explosion that injured 29 people.

Both Farroukh and the younger man, understood to be the suspected bomber, are believed to have spent time in foster care with Penelope and Ronald Jones, aged 71 and 88 respectively, who previously received MBEs for services to children and families.
The Duke of Cambridge has spoken to former addicts on the controversial topic of legalising drugs.

William asked three individuals, helped by drug addiction charity the Spitalfields Crypt Trust (SCT), about the big dangers of lifting the ban.

He did not give his personal opinion but appeared to be on a factfinding mission, telling the trio that after meeting them and touring the SCT in Shoreditch, east London it was a question I had to ask.

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

For more than 50 years the charity has provided services for addicts who are usually rough sleepers, something William is likely to have come across in his support for the homeless charities Centrepoint, in his role as patron, and The Passage.

Sitting in the SCTs art room, the Duke said: Can I ask you a very massive question  its a big one  theres obviously a lot of pressure growing in areas about legalising drugs and things like that. What are your individual opinions on that?

I know its a big question, but you seem like the key people to actually get a very good idea as to, you know, what are the big dangers there  what are the feelings?

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

Heather Blackburn, 49, said she thought the legalisation of drugs was a good idea and that money was wasted on drug laws.

She added: Most of the people Ive known in recovery, 95% had massive trauma and terrible stuff happen to them and using drugs to cope and then you get put in prison, you dont get the facilities and the actual help you need, you get punished.

Which is not going to help anyone taking drugs, its going to do even more harm, I think.

When William asked: So there needs to be more of a social element to it? she replied there should be more help, such as psychiatrists, so people could turn their lives around earlier.

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 Duke added: So prison doesnt tackle the root cause of why someone is taking drugs? and Ms Blackburn replied No, it just punishes what youve done, not the reasons why.

Recovering alcoholic Grace Gunn, 19, who is training to become a midwife, told the future king: You cant just say, you know, drugs are illegal or now we can all go and do drugs, because it doesnt stop the fact were a nation of people hurting, and we cant undo all that overnight, it takes a long period of time.

Jason Malham, 45, a recovering heroin addict originally from Melbourne, Australia, said: Personally, I believe that they should not be made legal.

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

Williams brother Prince Harry was sent to a drugs rehabilitation clinic in 2002 after he admitted drinking alcohol when under age and smoking cannabis.

The Prince of Wales was believed to have sent his son to visit Featherstone Lodge Rehabilitation Centre in Peckham, south London, where he talked to heroine and cocaine addicts.

The Government said in its drug strategy published in July: We have no intention of decriminalising drugs. Drugs are illegal because scientific and medical analysis has shown they are harmful to human health.

Drug misuse is also associated with much wider societal harms including family breakdown, poverty, crime and anti-social behaviour.

We are aware of decriminalisation approaches being taken overseas, but it is overly simplistic to say that decriminalisation works.
Egypt said it will host the "reorganisation" of Libya's army, currently an eastern-based force led by General Khalifa Hifter.

A statement signed by the Egyptian Committee on Libya said Libyan military officers who met in Cairo recently chose Egypt as a starting point for plans to unify the army.

The group, chaired by Egypt's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Mahmoud Hegazy, did not say which officials took part in the meeting, or provide further details.

A Libyan officer welcomed the initiative, thanking the Egyptian army "for facilitating such an opportunity for army officers to meet and find common ground".

"The army is open to discussion with all parties excluding terrorist organisations," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The army doesn't recognise any unofficial armed group but has opened discussions in the hope that militias will disband and join as individuals."

Libya sank into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

It is split between rival parliaments, governments and militias in the east and west, but in late July its rival leaders pledged to cooperate.

Egypt has backed Gen Hifter in his conflict with the Tripoli government and associated militias.

The Egyptian statement said the Libyan officers pledge to maintain Libya's territorial integrity and create a modern and inclusive, civil democratic state based on a peaceful transfer of power.

Instability and banditry in the oil-rich country has turned it into a haven for people trafficking and migration to Europe.

Italy last month reached a verbal agreement with the country's western government, led by the internationally recognised but weak Fayez Serraj, to provide equipment, boats and salaries to militias working to stop the flow of migrants.

The UN security council has unanimously approved a resolution welcoming recent efforts to bring opposing sides together, with secretary general Antonio Guterres saying that the time is right for mediation to restore peace.

Gen Hifter's supporters meanwhile have been gathering signatures to a petition urging him to run the country for the coming four years.

One of the movement's founders, Mohamed Juma, said that a million signatures had been gathered over the past ten days, mostly at physical locations but also electronically.

There was no way to independently verify the number of signatures.

Gen Hifter has modeled himself after Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a close ally who led the Egyptian military's overthrow of an elected Islamist president in 2013 amid mass protests that were preceded by a similar campaign.

AP
The Israeli military has shot down a drone that attempted to enter the airspace above the Golan Heights.

Tuesday's army statement did not say who the drone belonged to, or where the interception took place.

It also was not clear whether the drone was meant to enter Israeli-controlled airspace or had accidentally approached it.

There were no reports of injuries.

Earlier this year, Israel intercepted another drone that strayed into the Golan airspace from neighbouring Syria.

Israel has largely stayed out of the fighting in the Syrian civil war.

But errant fire frequently spills over into the Israeli side of the Golan, which it captured from Syria in 1967.

In addition, Russian and Iranian forces are fighting in Syria in support of President Bashar Assad.

AP
Supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta, angry at the Supreme Court's nullification earlier this month of the August presidential election (AP)

Attempts to intimidate Kenya's Supreme Court judges after they nullified President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election have been "unlawful and savage in nature", the nation's judiciary said.

Meanwhile, ruling party supporters protested outside the court demanding the judges' removal.

The protests came after petitions were filed asking the Judicial Service Commission to remove Chief Justice David Maraga, Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu and Justice Isaac Lenaola.

The petitions claim misconduct and bias.

Mr Maraga and three other justices ruled four to two to annul Mr Kenyatta's re-election and call for a new election, which is set for October 17.

Jubilee Party supporters also burned tires and blocked one of the major highways into the capital, Nairobi.

The demonstrations that started on Monday "are clearly intended to intimidate the judiciary and individual judges", Mr Maraga said, adding that the judges are "prepared to pay the ultimate price to protect the Constitution and the rule of law".

Mr Maraga, who spoke to the press alongside other members of the Judicial Service Commission, also said Kenya's police chief Joseph Boinnet has repeatedly ignored calls by the judiciary to act on the threats.

Police spokesman George Kinoti called the accusation "not true," saying they have provided protection to all judges at their homes and workplaces.

Mr Kenyatta has called the Supreme Court judges "crooks" and warned of unspecified action against the judiciary if he is re-elected next month.

A non-governmental organisation on Monday filed two petitions claiming judges had improper contact with lawyers for opposition leader Raila Odinga during his court challenge of Mr Kenyatta's win.

Mr Odinga has claimed the election results were rigged.

The Supreme Court ruled the electoral commission committed "irregularities".

Separately, a French company that provided equipment for last month's elections says the biometric and results transmission equipment will not be ready for the new vote next month because it would have to be reinstalled.

"This represents a very significant amount of work, which cannot be secured by October 17," the company, OT-Morpho, said.

The statement raises more questions over whether the new election will be held on time.

Mr Odinga has demanded reforms in the electoral commission before the election takes place, including the removal of top electoral commission officials he claims were involved in electoral fraud.

He also wants OT-Morpho blacklisted and investigated for alleged complicity in electoral fraud.

In its statement, OT-Morpho denied Mr Odinga's accusations that the system it provided had been infiltrated by hackers.

OT-Morpho said it had conducted two separate independent audits that verified there was no infiltration or piracy.

AP
A Russian man identified as Alexander Vinnik, centre, is escorted by police officers to the courthouse at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki (AP)

Russia has requested the extradition from Greece of suspected cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik who is wanted by investigators in the United States, his lawyer said.

Vinnik was arrested in northern Greece in July and detained pending an extradition hearing later this month following a request from the US Attorney's Office.

He is wanted in the US over an alleged four billion US dollar bitcoin fraud case.

Vinnik's lawyer, Xanthippe Moyssidou, said Vinnik was also wanted in Russia on separate fraud charges.

She said he has told Greek authorities at a closed hearing on Tuesday that he would not challenge the request to extradite him to Russia.

In Greece, extradition disputes involving two or more countries are typically resolved by the justice minister.

"My client has been notified that Russia has made an extradition request.

"He declared that he was willing to return to his country," the lawyer said.

Vinnik, 37, was arrested on July 25.

According to US authorities, Vinnik ran digital currency exchange BTC-e, and was allegedly involved in laundering money from criminal proceeds.

He denies any wrongdoing.

The US extradition request is scheduled to be heard on September 29.

AP
Apart from the thousands of British servicemen who served in Cyprus from 1955 to 1959, very few people know that, in that time, we lost a total of 371 young soldiers, mostly National Servicemen and 21 British policemen.

I started a project about 18 months ago, searching for the relatives of the 371 British servicemen who lost their lives. My reason is to let them know that their loved ones have not been forgotten by their comrades and that a memorial (thanks to one man) has now been placed in The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. They should also know that, since 2009, the next of kin of the deceased are entitled to receive the Elizabeth Cross.

The memorial at The Arboretum was dedicated in August 2016. A service of remembrance will be held in August each year.

To date, I have contacted over 100 next of kin. Most have now received the Elizabeth Cross. At the moment, I am searching for the families of five men who came from Ireland and served with the Royal Ulster Rifles: Cpl Andrew Bryans, Rifleman Michael Joseph McDonnell, Rifleman Karl George Atkinson, Rifleman Daniel Donald Kinsella and Staff Sgt James William Lane.

I also have contact with the family of Eric Gillett and John White, from Liverpool, and would like to hear from any ex-servicemen who served in Cyprus from 1955 to 1959. Please contact me at: cyprusveterans@gmail.com.

Time is not on our side.

LES SMITH (EX-ROYAL HORSE GUARDS)

Rainford, Lancashire
Shutterstock.com

We live in dark, perilous times. We turn on the television and our computers each day and see young men and women violently killed by police and cops assassinated on the streets. The religious nones have taken a ram to traditional mores, furiously denouncing those who dont agree with them. Ordinary events like earthquakes and natural disasters rep heavy losses in human life. Political candidates are not trusted and have created social division. Peace and unity have become foreign terms. There is no question that there is a great deal at stake. Given our nations state of turmoil, many people wonder if Gods wrath is falling on America? Are we beginning to enter the end times? What will be the future of America?

The Bible addresses the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty (Revelation 19:15). And the Bible exults that Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10). It is God Himself who sent Jesus to rescue us from His own wrath. The Bible tells us, God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for usTherefore, we shall be saved by Him from the wrath of God (Romans 5:8-9).

There are at least five ways the Bible talks about Gods judgment. In judgment, God hands over the impenitent to hardening in this life. The Bible says, The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their righteousness suppress the truthTherefore God have them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity (Romans 1:18,24).

In judgment, God punishes nations in history, both Israel and others. The Bible tells us, You [Jerusalem] shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations all around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury (Ezekiel 5:15).

We also know from Scripture that there will be a final judgment of all people at the end of history. The Bible says, Because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when Gods righteous judgment will be revealed (Romans 2:5).

We know from Scripture that there is final judgment. Is God currently judging America? Some leading Christian voices believe we are facing final judgment and the end times are near. Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of famous evangelist Billy Graham, has warned that the end times are near and that Gods judgment will be poured out on America.

Our nation is in a mess. Why? Could it be because America is losing Gods blessing? His favor. Could our sin be provoking His judgment? Judgment that is not necessarily in the form of a nuclear dirty bombs, or another ISIS attack, or an economic collapse. But a Romans 1 judgment as God backs out of our national life and turn us over to ourselves, Lotz wrote on her website. Graham recalled the Old Testament story of God punishing the nation of Judah for disobeying Him and going their own way.

God warns a nation that judgment is coming. He doesnt want any to perish. But If a nation does not heed His warnings, He unleashes His anger and there is nothing  no one  who can prevent it, Lotz said. If God would judge His own beloved nation of Judah, why would we think America could escape?

Lotz emphasized that Americans must turn back to God in true repentance and stressed the importance of seeking God.

R.R. Reno, editor of First Things and one of Americas leading scholars of religion and politics believes our society is one step away from chaos and that Americans do not recognize their own country anymore. He warns, without a restoration of America as a Christian society, our culture will rapidly descend into an unhappy, shallow, lawless, and brutal place, divided more than ever between rich and poor and vulnerable to elite demagogues. Reno shows why a renewal of Christian ideas is fundamental in preventing the complete collapse of our country.

Yet, there is hope. While the post-Christian culture is failing, there is a solution that can save us all: a renewal of Christian ideals such as compassion, integrity, hard work and love. If we want to resort a Christian society, Christianitys public influence must be restored.

As Christians, we are called to put on the whole armor of God, and contend against the principalities, against the world rulers of this present darkness (Ephesians 6:11-12). We cant simply step aside. We owe our neighbors, Christian or not, a faithful witness to the truth, even if it provokes controversy. We follow a Lord who said, I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). This is all true! But the armor of God includes the equipment of the Gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15). Christians are called not to win debates and elections but to build a civilization of love, which is not an easy task, especially in our nation today, but a necessary one. There is no greater One we can turn to if we want to reflect love than God because He is love.

There is no denying that Christianity has been unseated as Americas moral center point and that weve paid a terrible price for it. Despite this, a Christian society is not only possible, but also desirable and we have the power to change this. In order for a Christianity society to be possible, it requires a restoration of Christian values in the private and public sphere. We must ask ourselves: to what is God calling each of us? How well are we responding to His call?

It also requires us to make an important decision: Will we seek to live in accord with the idea of a Christian society, or will we accept the instruction of a secular society? We should not underestimate the dangers we face. In this time and in this place, a relatively small number of Christians can inspire and reinvigorate the public imaginations of the disoriented majority. We can renew our society by restoring our voices as Christian citizens. We have an active God, and we are called to show His love actively to those around us as we go out as Disciples of Christ. When light stands next to darkness, light always wins. While we may live in dark times, we have hope, because God, who is the Light, always wins.

Lesli White is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth with a Bachelors degree in Mass Communications and a concentration in print and online journalism. In college, she took a number of religious studies courses and harnessed her talent for storytelling. White has a rich faith background. Her father, a Lutheran pastor and life coach was a big influence in her faith life, helping her to see the value of sharing the message of Christ with others. She has served in the church from an early age. Some of these roles include assisting ministry, mutual ministry, worship and music ministry and church council.
Hundreds of nationalists in Buddhist-majority Myanmar protested in Yangon on Monday against the recent terrorist attacks in violence-ridden Rakhine, the findings of an advisory commission that probed the causes of unrest in the state, and what they described as international interference in the countrys internal affairs.

The group, which included Buddhist monks, gathered in front of city hall to demonstrate against the Aug. 25 attacks by Rohingya Muslim militants in Rakhine and the recommendations of the Myanmar government-appointed Rakhine Advisory Commission.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) carried out the deadly assaults on police outposts and an army base in northern Rakhine state in what the Myanmar government called extremist terrorist attacks by Muslim insurgents.

Myanmars Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sept. 11 that ARSA had aimed to undermine the efforts of the government to find a lasting solution to the issue of Rakhine through the speedy implementation of the advisory commissions recommendations by conducting the attacks just after the release of a final report by the commission, led by former United Nations chief Kofi Annan.

The protesters also circulated leaflets rejecting 26 recommendations by the commission, opposing its call for reviews of the countrys citizenship law, an end to restrictions on the Rohingya in order to prevent further violence in the beleaguered region, the appointment of an independent authority to handle complaints about the citizenship process, clear statements about the rights of those rejected for citizenship, the appointment of a single person to oversee the countrys police forces, and the placement of the border police under the national police chief.

Myanmars President Htin Kyaw has formed a committee to implement the recommendations.

Local media are silent on this Bengali issue, [and] they dare not express the real news, said Thiha Thu, a nationalist who spoke at the rally, using a derogatory word for the stateless Rohingya who are considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denied citizenship under the countrys 1982 Citizenship Law.

They dare not point out the truth [because] they probably are influenced by oil dollars, he said, in an allusion to wealthy countries that support the Rohingya possibly financing the Myanmar media to report only one side of the story.

He also compared media organizations in Myanmar to Japans mafia, the yakuza, and to the mafia in Sicily, Italy, to cheers from the crowd.

Kyaw Thu Nyein, another speaker at the protest, said the group of nationalists is not affiliated with any political party or organization.

[We] are not affiliated with any political party, even though they have accused this protest event of being politically motivated, he said in a general reference to those who criticize Myanmar's Buddhist nationalists. How foolish they are!

Emptying villages

In the latest army offensive since the Aug. 25 attacks, nearly 180 of 471 Rohingya villages have been emptied of their inhabitants in northern Rakhines Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Rathedaung townships, according to the Myanmar government.

Satellite images analyzed by Human Rights Watch (HRW) between Aug. 25 and Sept. 16 indicate that more than 220 villages have been destroyed by fire in northern Rakhine. The government has accused the Rohingya of torching their own homes, but has not provided any evidence to support the claim.

More than 410,000 Rohingya refugees  over a third of Rakhines Muslim population of about 1.1 million  have poured into southeastern Bangladesh in the past three weeks to escape the violence. About 1,000 people have been killed in clashes and security sweeps by the countrys military, according to the U.N.

The refugees join another 400,000 Rohingya from Myanmar already living in camps in Bangladesh, tens of thousands of whom fled a military crackdown in October 2016 following earlier ARSA attacks on three border guard stations in northern Rakhine.

Rohingya refugees have reported that Myanmar soldiers have torched their villages and shot civilians as well as placed landmines along parts of the border with Bangladesh in the latest wave of violence.

The U.N. Security Council has condemned the violence, and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that ethnic cleansing in northern Rakhine has created a catastrophic humanitarian situation for the Rohingya refugees.

In this case, I think we have plenty of evidence that the Myanmar government is committing genocide against the Rohingya, said Gregory Stanton, a professor of genocide studies and prevention at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and president of Genocide Watch, a group that seeks to raise awareness and influence public policy concerning potential and actual genocide.

Some have said that it is, as simply as they put it, ethnic cleansing  [but] what they really mean is forced displacement which is a crime against humanity, he told the Myanmar Service of Radio Free Asia (RFA), a sister entity of BenarNews. But its more than that.

You can use genocidal measures as a way to terrorize people into leaving, and that is what the Myanmar government is doing right now, he said.

There is no excuse for genocide if a government supposedly mobilizes its troops to put down a so-called insurgency or a so-called terrorist attack, and instead they massacre large numbers of children, elderly people, women and so forth, who had nothing to do with that attack, he said. Its genocide.

International condemnation

On Sunday, HRW called on the U.N. Security Council and concerned countries to impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the Myanmar military in an effort to stop its ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya.

The call came as the U.N. General Assembly prepared open general debate on Tuesday in New York, though Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has opted not to attend the event, citing the crisis in Rakhine.

Burmese security forces are committing ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya and disregarding the condemnation of world leaders, said John Sifton, HRWs Asia advocacy director. The time has come to impose tougher measures that Burmas generals cannot ignore.

The group also called on the Security Council to demand that Myanmar allow humanitarian agencies to access refugees, permit the entry of a U.N. fact-finding mission assigned to investigate rights violations in Rakhine, and ensure the safe and voluntary return of those displaced by the violence.

Myanmars national security adviser Thaung Tun told Reuters on Monday that those who fled the violence will be able to return to Myanmar, though the process needed to be discussed.

The news agency also reported that Britain and France called on Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday to step up efforts to end the military violence against the Rohingya. The United States has also urged the government to protect civilians.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who has largely remained silent on the crisis and the plight of the Rohingya, is scheduled to address the Myanmar public about the situation in Rakhine on Tuesday.
A Rohingya refugee feeds her daughter in a building on the outskirts of Srinagar, in Indian Kashmir, Sept. 14, 2017.

The Indian government has told the countrys top court that it has evidence to link Rohingya refugees with terror outfits, while justifying its plan to deport some 40,000 members of the Muslim minority from Myanmar who have settled in India.

In an affidavit to the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Home Affairs said Monday it would confidentially share evidence collected by security agencies that indicated linkages of some of the unauthorized Rohingya immigrants with Pakistan-based terror organizations and similar organizations in other countries.

[The] Rohingya presence in the country has serious national security ramifications. There is a serious possibility of eruption of violence against Buddhists who are Indian citizens and who stay on Indian soil by radicalized Rohingyas, the ministry said in the affidavit, which was made public on Tuesday.

The government also has evidence of involvement of some Rohingya in plots by the Islamic State (IS) and other extremist groups to ignite communal violence in India, it said.

The Supreme Court is hearing an appeal lodged by two Rohingya refugees  Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir  against the deportation plan proposed by the countrys Hindu nationalist government, at a time when more than 400,000 Rohingya have fled to southeastern Bangladesh from a fresh cycle of violence in Myanmars Rakhine state since late August.

Coordinated attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) insurgents on Myanmar border police posts in Rakhine on Aug. 25 triggered the violence, according to the Myanmar government. Its military has been accused of carrying out mass atrocities against the stateless Rohingya, allegations that the government has rejected.

In India, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court that the government would share evidence that links Rohingya refugees with extremist groups at the next hearing on Oct. 3.

ARSA, however, has denied ties to any terror organizations.

ARSA feels that it is necessary to make clear that it has no links with Al Qaeda, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria  Lashkar-e-Taiba or any other transnational terrorist group and we do not welcome the involvement of these groups in the Arakan [Rakhine] conflict, ARSA said in a statement last week, two days after global terrorist organization al-Qaeda announced that its fighters would come to the defense of Rohingya.

A case of religious discrimination

Meanwhile, Indian analysts urged Prime Minister Narendra Modis government to deal with the persecuted minority compassionately.

This [deportation plan] is a case of religious discrimination and an attempt to arouse an anti-Muslim feeling, according to Prashant Bhushan, a lawyer representing the Rohingya refugees.

Vinay Kaura of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies expressed skepticism over the governments claim that Rohingya refugees were involved with terror groups.

It is possible that some extremist outfits might be attempting to radicalize Rohingya refugees. But aside from a couple of isolated incidents, we havent seen Rohingya breaking any laws in India, Kaura told BenarNews.

The government needs to follow a comprehensive and holistic approach while dealing with Rohingya refugees, he said.

Shakir Ali, general secretary of the All India Minorities Commission, said the Indian government should withdraw its plan to deport Rohingya refugees.

The Rohingya are treated worse than animals in Myanmar. How can India send them back, knowing very well that they will probably be killed there? he told BenarNews.

In its affidavit, the government said that by allowing Rohingya refugees to stay on in India, it would encroach upon the basic human rights of Indians.

The scheme of the Constitution makes it very clear that India, as a sovereign nation, has the first and the foremost constitutional duty and obligation toward its citizens to ensure that demographic and social structure of the country is not changed to their detriment, the affidavit said.

Already due to [an] existing large influx of illegal immigrants from neighboring countries, the demographic profile of some bordering states has undergone a serious change which is already causing the far-reaching complications in various contexts and is taking its toll and has a direct detrimental effect on the fundamental and basic human rights of the countrys own citizens, it said.

Indias National Human Rights Commission said it would oppose the governments plan.

We will intervene in the matter on [humanitarian] grounds. We are a human rights body and if these persons are deported back to their country, we see it as a violation of human rights, the Times of India quoted NHRC chairman H.L. Dattu as saying.

Describing the issue as a sensitive matter, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said: Whatever [the] Indian government will do will be in the nations interest. I request human rights bodies to not spread misinformation about India and the Indian government. Protecting the nation is our duty.
Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi addresses diplomats and staffers from United Nations agencies in the capital Naypyidaw about the crisis in western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Sept. 19, 2017.

De facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Tuesday she was committed to restoring stability and peace in violence-wracked Rakhine state, and appealed to the diplomatic community to help determine why hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled the area while more than half of their population remained.

An insurgent group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked three border police stations in northern Rakhine in October 2016, which were followed by a security crackdown and further clashes during which about 90,000 Rohingya Muslims fled their homes amid indiscriminate killings, torture, arson and rape.

On Aug. 25, ARSA attacks on 30 police outposts and an army base prompted further security operations during which more than 410,000 Rohingya fled similar violence blamed on Myanmar security forces. They have since been seeking refuge in neighboring Bangladesh.

We are committed to the restoration of peace, stability and rule of law throughout the state, Aung San Suu Kyi said in the capital Naypyidaw during a speech to diplomats and personnel from United Nations agencies.

The security forces have been instructed to adhere strictly to the Code of Conduct in carrying out security operations, to exercise all due restraint, and to take full measures to avoid collateral damage and the harming of innocent civilians, she said.

Human rights violations and all other acts that impair stability and harmony and undermine the rule of law will be addressed in accordance with strict norms of justice, she said.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who avoided using the words Rohingya or Bengalis to refer to the Muslims, said there had been no armed clashes or clearance operations since Sept. 5, despite numerous reports by Rohingya who have fled to Bangladesh during the past three weeks that Myanmar forces and Buddhist mobs had been indiscriminately killing civilians and burning their homes.

Myanmars government, in turn, has accused the Rohingya of torching their own villages.

Nevertheless, we are concerned to hear that numbers of Muslims are fleeing across the border to Bangladesh, she said. We want to find out why this exodus is happening. We would like to talk to those who have fled as well as those who have stayed.

The majority of the 1.1 million Muslims in Rakhine state had not fled and more than 50 percent of their villages were intact, she added.

They are as they were before the attacks took place, she said. We would like to know why.

This is what I think we have to work towards, Aung San Suu Kyi said. Not just looking at the problems, but also looking at the areas where there are no problems. Why have we been able to avoid these problems in certain areas? For this reason, we would like to invite the members of our diplomatic community to join us in our endeavor to learn more from the Muslims who have integrated successfully into the Rakhine state.

She also said Myanmar would soon begin a nationality verification process for refugees who had fled, in accordance with a 1993 agreement with Bangladesh that allows Rohingya who can prove residence in Myanmar to return to the country.

Not afraid of scrutiny

Aung San Suu Kyi also said Myanmar was not afraid of scrutiny by the international community over the Rakhine crisis, even though U.N. officials had called the crisis a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, as well as called on authorities to end military operations and allow humanitarian access in the region.

I am aware of the fact that the worlds attention is focused on the situation in Rakhine state, she said.

As I said at the [U.N.] General Assembly last year, as a responsible member of the community of nations, Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny and we are committed to a sustainable solution that would lead to peace, stability and development for all communities within that state, she said.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who serves as Myanmars state counselor and foreign affairs minister, is not attending the U.N. General Assembly, the annual meeting of diplomats and leaders from 193 countries, in New York this week, citing the Rakhine crisis at home.

When asked by Radio Free Asia (RFA) during an exclusive interview following her address why she had requested help from the international community in determining why Rohingya had fled en masse, Aung San Suu Kyi replied, Nobody can live in isolation in this age.

RFA is a sister entity of BenarNews.

Globalization is the norm, and we need to have enough courage to associate globally too, she said. So, if we prohibit outside visits [to Rakhine], itll be like we have something to hide. In the end, we have to rely on ourselves for our countrys development.

The Myanmar government has so far refused to grant visas to a U.N.-mandated fact-finding mission, which was appointed earlier this year to look into reports of atrocities in Rakhine state.

Accusations by the international community that the military had committed rights abuses in northern Rakhine were untrue and regrettable, Myanmar Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Sein Win told reporters after the speech by Aung San Suu Kyi.

As the state counselor said, we are carrying out the operations in accordance with the law, he said. And if they are not carried out according to the law, we will take action according to the law against those who did not. We will take action against those who violate the law.

As for the international accusations [of rights violations by security forces], I have to say it is regrettable, because those are not true, he said.

The army was not using force out of proportion, but just the necessary amount, Sein Win said.

Criticism from abroad

Rohingya living in Malaysia criticized Aung San Suu Kyis speech for not acknowledging the violence that Muslims in northern Rakhine have endured at the hands of the military following the Aug. 25 attacks.

People are dying, Muhammad Nur Islam, a Rohingya who is managing director of Rohingya Vision TV in the capital Kuala Lumpur, told BenarNews. What is she going to say? Her old style of image is not going to work anymore. She is a part of the genocide. She is complicit. It is in her hands to stop this, but she isnt going to stop it.

Shes making the decision to kill these people, and on top of that is blaming it on the Rohingya, calling them terrorists, he added.

Salim Majid, a Rohingya journalist based in Kuala Lumpur, said Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine had been burned and refugees were carrying the elderly on their backs as they tried to escape the violence and reach the Bangladesh border.

Those who are not killed in the villages die on the way to the border, he told BenarNews. Is Aung San Suu Kyi blind?

An analyst in India, however, gave a different perspective on her speech.

Though it was more of a diplomatic speech, its good that her government wants to find out why Rohingya are fleeing, Vinay Kaura, a foreign policy analyst from the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, told BenarNews.

Indias Hindu nationalist government is planning to deport some 40,000 Rohingya refugees who are sheltering on its soil back to Myanmar.

Rights groups react

Meanwhile, London-based Amnesty International reacted to Aung San Suu Kyis speech by accusing her of burying her head in the sand about the violence in Rakhine.

At times, the speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming, James Gomez, Amnesty Internationals regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement.

There is overwhelming evidence that security forces are engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing, he added. While it was positive to hear Aung San Suu Kyi condemn human rights violations in Rakhine state, she is still silent about the role of security forces in this.

Human Rights Watch said Tuesday that fresh analysis of satellite imagery from northern Rakhine, made possible because of a clearing of monsoon cloud on Sept. 16, revealed the near total destruction of 214 villages in northern Rakhine.

The group repeated its call for world leaders meeting at the U.N. this week to adopt a General Assembly resolution condemning the Myanmar militarys ethnic cleansing and for the U.N. Security Council to impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the country.

Hadi Azmi in Kuala Lumpur and Akash Vashishtha in New Delhi contributed to this report.
Survivors of the 1965-66 anti-communist purge gather in front of Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation headquarters in Jakarta, Sept. 16, 2017.

Updated at 1:30 p.m. ET on 2017-09-19

Indonesian activists expressed concerns Monday about fake news after a mob attack injured five police officers in central Jakarta late on Sunday.

Police fired tear gas and arrested 22 people when rioting erupted as dozens of people were staging an art performance at the headquarters of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), officials said.

The activists were presenting a performance, Asik Asik Aksi, an artistic expression of democracy in the form of music and poetry, on Sunday evening when a violent mob gathered outside the YLBHI and LBH offices. Organizers said the performance was meant to be a protest against police who stopped their seminar a day earlier.

The seminar was tied to political and social upheaval that occurred 52 years ago when bloody anti-communist purges swept Indonesia, according to event organizers. But police officials said it was stopped because organizers had not applied for a permit.

About 50 people, who were wearing paramilitary uniforms and claiming to be Laskar Merah Putih (Red and White Warriors), from demonstrated on Saturday, accusing the performance participants of being supporters of the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

The incident was triggered by fake news that went viral on social media and described the event as an effort to revive PKI, according to YLBHI chairwoman Asfinawati.

It is clear that a hoax or fake news was published, false propaganda went viral, calls to attack the LBH were conducted systematically, Asfinawati said in a joint statement with Jakarta LBH.

It went viral that this was a PKI event  but in fact, it was no such thing, the statement said.

Azriana, chairwoman of Komnas Perempuan (National Commission on Violence Against Women) condemned the violence and urged police officials to hold those accountable.

Act firmly against those who mobilized the masses to commit destructive actions, who play off one against another in the community and politicize the situation that triggered tension, she told a news conference.

Accusations that participants were holding an event to support the long-disbanded PKI were baseless, Azriana said.

Metro Jaya Police Chief Idham Azis said the incident was under investigation.

We do not know who mobilized the masses, he told reporters.

About 50 people who claim to be members of Laskar Merah Putih protest outside the YLBHI building in Jakarta, Sept. 16, 2017. (Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata/BenarNews)

Communism outlawed

At least 500,000 Indonesians died during a nationwide anti-communist purge that targeted suspected PKI members in 1965 and 1966, leading the government to declare communism illegal in the country.

YLBHI said police watched Sundays performances and acknowledged they were not related to PKI.

Muhamad Isnur, chairman of YLBHIs advocacy division, said about 130 people were in the building when the performance came to an end following disruptions from hundreds of protesters.

Participants were evacuated to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) building about 2 kilometers (1 mile) from YLBHI office.

The activists thanked Jakarta police for protecting people trapped in the building.

Other cases of fake news

Indonesia has had its share of fake news stories, including stories aimed at President Joko Jokowi Widodo and former Jakarta Gov. Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian who was convicted and jailed over comments deemed insulting to Islam.

In a Facebook posting last week, Jokowi said he had been asked by international leaders about social media in Indonesia. He said he responded by saying it was cruel, suggesting that mainstream media could be controlled but not social media.

This is the openness we are facing and we must all be ready, he said, warning that social media could also be used to spread slander, vilify and blame others and spread fake news.

On Sunday, The Straits Times reported that a police investigation confirmed the existence of a fake news factory against political targets in Indonesia.

The syndicate, known as Saracen, can charge millions of rupiah to publish and spread fake news or hate speech. The going rate for a quick-hit fake news story is 75 million rupiah (U.S. $5,650), the newspaper said.

This updated version clarifies what took place on Saturday and Sunday.
A Muslim boarding school in Indonesia strongly associated with Islamic State ideology is resisting community demands that it relocate due to its radical views.

Protesters showed up Monday at Pesantren Ibnu Masud, located in mountains about 120 km (74 miles) south of Jakarta, to see whether it had complied with a Sept. 17 deadline by the local government to close its doors.

A mob came to check if their demands had been met. They got information that the pesantren has gone on break, but is not being shut down, Bogor regency police chief Dicky Pastika said.

Tensions rose between the school and surrounding community after a staff member burned red-and-white bunting that had been hung near the school as part of community festivities for Aug. 17, Indonesias national day.

Bogor police named school staff member Muhammad Supriyadi (alias Abu Yusuf), 17, as a suspect. He confessed to being anti-Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and angry at seeing flags or bunting that represent the country, Dicky told BenarNews.

According to Agus Purwoko, chairman of Al Uruwatul Usro Foundation that oversees the pesantren, the young man is mentally disturbed. He claimed the incident was blown out of proportion by certain parties  he did not say who  to hurt the school.

We are not going to move, Agus told BenarNews, adding that the protesters were not from Sukajaya village, on the slopes of Salak Mountain in Bogor, a regency of West Java province.

People from around here are fine. The protesters are not people from here, theyve been brought in from outside, he said.

By Friday, the school had sent its 260 students home for at least two weeks, Agus said.

Theyre afraid, so what can you do? Just send them home, he said.

Agus Purwoko talks to reporters at Pesantren Ibnu Masud, Sept. 17, 2017. (Arie Firdaus/BenarNews)

Mention them all

Twelve people from the school departed for Syria to fight for Islamic State (IS) between 2013 and 2016, according to a Reuters report earlier this month that based the tally on court documents and interviews.

They included a 12-year-old boy who became an IS fighter but was killed in an air strike on Sept. 1, 2016. His father, jailed militant Brekele (alias Syaiful Anam), had approved the trip, according to Reuters.

Eighteen other people involved with the school have been arrested and charged with links to IS activities in Indonesia.

The figures were confirmed to BenarNews by Adhe Bhakti, a terrorism analyst with the Center for the Study of Radicalism and Deradicalization.

Several IS-linked figures are associated with the school, he said. He cited Aman Abdurrahman, the jailed founder of IS-linked Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, which carried out a terrorist attack in central Jakarta in January 2016 that left eight dead and a twin suicide bombing in East Jakarta in May 2017 that killed three.

Several of Aman Abdurrahmans followers send their children to the school, Adhe said.

When BenarNews asked about these individuals and their ties to the school, Agus replied with a laugh and an irritated tone of voice. Mention them all, he said.

He said he did not know Aman Abdurrahman, but a former colleague had been linked to the jailed militant.

The one who made this school is me. Then I involved others, including Hari Budiman, said Agus. Ibnu Masud was founded in 2007 in Depok, then moved to Bogor in 2011.

But I fired Hari around 2008 because of a difference in views. I also warned him, dont talk with people like that, Agus said without going into detail.

Regarding students and teachers going to Syria to join IS, Agus said this phenomoneon did not automatically mean that the school itself supports IS.

He gave the example of the son of Brekele, Haft Saiful Rasul, who died in Syria last year.

Is it possible that a student who was here for four months was inspired by us to go to Syria? No way! said Agus. There must have been some inputs from home.

The son of a staff member at Pesantren Ibnu Masud stands outside a classroom, Sept. 17, 2017. (Arie Firdaus/BenarNews)

Anxiety

When BenarNews visited Ibnu Masud on Sept. 16, the eve of the communitys deadline for its relocatation, anxiety was palpable. The school was empty except for its staff and some of their children.

Workers were busy installing surveillance cameras around the facility, assisted by a security guard  one of four the school has hired recently.

Agus sat in a chair between a badminton court and a mosque, talking with representatives of the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) in Jakarta, strategizing on how to react if a huge crowd of protesters inundated the school and chaos broke out.

Agus claimed that outsiders had already thrown rocks at the school.

After dawn prayers the next day, a staff member set buckets of water in a corner of the school courtyard, oblivious to the chill mountain air.

Just in case some one sets fires later, the staff member said.

The feared protests did not take place until Monday, and they were peaceful.

LBH Jakarta Director Alghifari Aqsa said his organization would arrange a meeting with local officials to discuss the school, but he did not say when.

But the way forward is clear. We encourage the pesantren to stay here, he said.
Philippine Sen. Leila de Lima (center), a top critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, is escorted by police officers and her lawyer following her arrest at the Senate in Manila, Feb. 24, 2017.

Southeast Asian lawmakers were barred Tuesday from visiting jailed Philippine Senator Leila de Lima, cementing their belief that she has been unjustifiably detained for speaking out against President Rodrigo Duterte.

The ASEAN Parliamentarian for Human Rights (APHR), composed of lawmakers from around the region who promote rights, said it had complied with a 10-day visiting notice demanded by the national police.

Seeking an appointment with a fellow legislator who has now been incarcerated and is in detention is something that we want to do, said Charles Santiago, a legislator from Malaysia and member of the group.

And not allowing us to visit her actually further affirms our beliefs that she is unjustifiably detained, otherwise the government doesnt have to worry about this, he said.

De Lima, a former human rights commissioner and the most vocal critic of the Duterte administrations crackdown on drugs that has left thousands dead, including children, has been jailed since February.

She is accused of receiving payoffs from drug traffickers in custody when she was the justice secretary, a charge she says was fabricated and meant to silence her.

Many here suspect that her arrest and ongoing detention was a political vendetta, even as Duterte has publicly denied any hand in it.

Her arrest, however, has not stopped de Lima from issuing stinging statements against the president, whom she has accused of moving to silence the political opposition amid his alleged strongman tendencies.

Another parliamentarian, Tian Chia, said the APHR was very disappointed at the denial of visitation rights. Chia said the parliamentarians were made to wait outside the heavily guarded detention center in Manila where de Lima is being held in a tiny cell.

The group said it had submitted a request to visit de Lima as early as Sept. 6, complying with a 10-day advanced notice for visitors.

We believe that if the authorities have nothing to hide, and if the authorities are doing things according to the principle of transparency, then we should not be denied from interacting and paying our visit to show our regards to her, Chua said.

The legislators believe that de Lima is innocent and her jailing is part of the intimidation campaign against her, which violates her rights as a legislator, Chia said.

We find her detention unjustifiable given shes a representative doing her work. She is now in jail and for standing up against President Duterte, so therefore, we are here to express our solidarity with her, Chua said.

Blood-thirsty gangsters parading as public officials

The incident marked the second time that a visitor was barred since Juli Minoves of the Liberal International group was refused access to de Lima in July.

In her message to the APHR delegates delivered by an aide, de Lima said Duterte was moving to instill fear among his perceived political opponents who questioned his brutal crackdown.

Fear that is slowly, but surely, co-opting or neutralizing our independent institutions. Fear that is converting our democratic government into an oppressive, authoritarian rule, backed by a mob of greedy and blood-thirsty gangsters parading as public officials and police officers, de Lima said.

She noted that in the Duterte-controlled congress, those who opposed the president and his policies had been attacked and threatened with expulsion.

The countrys Supreme Court Chief Justice, Lourdes Sereno, meanwhile, has been the subject of an impeachment complaint in congress, while the Commission on Human Rights  which has been investigating questionable killings  has also been threatened by a congressional budget cut that would render it, in effect, inoperative.

De Lima, a grandmother and lawyer, has been branded a prisoner of conscience by rights groups.

The former chairwoman of the Commission on Human Rights led an investigation into accusations of extrajudicial killings when Duterte was mayor of the southern city of Davao in 2008.

Duterte has never forgiven her for that, and in public speeches has said that de Lima used those accusations to smear him. Last year, he won the presidency, the same time that de Lima became a senator.

As head of the justice committee in the Senate, de Limas first act was to launch a probe into the killings, and she heard testimony from a self-confessed former hit man who claimed to have been employed by Duterte.

She was later pressured by peers who were allied with Duterte to step down as head of the committee. Subsequently, the president accused her publically of receiving drug money to fund her campaign.

Formal charges were later filed against her, and despite appeals she has filed in court, she remains in jail. She has repeatedly said that she feared for her life while in detention.
A new armed group has emerged in the southern Philippines, threatening to wage war against the government and Islamic State for bringing death and destruction to Marawi, the only Islamic city in the south of the largely Catholic country.

Calling itself the Maranao Victims Movement, the group is shown in a 14-minute video posted on social media demanding that the fighting end and the rights of Marawis more than 200,000 residents be restored.

Failing this, the group said it had no choice but to invoke jihad on the army and the IS-inspired militants. The group is shown clad in black shirts and armed heavily with grenade launchers and high-powered firearms. They speak the local Maranao dialect and shout Allahu Akbar (God is great).

Abu Ayla Mawaraw, the groups spokesman, told BenarNews Tuesday that they wanted the militants to leave the city and release their remaining hostages.

Civilians should also be allowed to return to their homes in areas cleared by the military, and the government should immediately cease its aerial bombardment that has reduced much of Marawi to rubble, Mawaraw said.

It warned the Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups that if they ignored their call we would be compelled to face you because by then you no longer care for the welfare of the people and you did not only fail to realize but have violated the essence of jihad in Islam, the group said.

To the government, this will be the last time that we will ask in relation to previous demands of various sectors of the Maranaw society, and that if the foregoing demands will fall to deaf ears, likewise, we will be compelled to fight for our rights that have been trampled upon, it said.

Maranao or Maranaw is a term used to describe ethnic Malay Muslims who live around Lake Lanao on the southern island of Mindanao. Most residents of Marawi are Maranao.

We take it seriously

The military on Tuesday said it was taken by surprise by the announcement, and was trying to ascertain if the group was legitimate.

But its emergence complicates a government assault already on its 154th day to force out the Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups whose ranks are believed to have fallen to about 80 from more than 600 when the battle began on May 23.

Military officials have said the fighting was nearing its end, as government forces have retaken key enemy strongholds, and rescued a Catholic priest at the weekend. But several Southeast Asian fighters are still believed to be fighting alongside Isnilon Hapilon, the acknowledged leader of the IS in the region.

Mawaraw said group members included Marawi evacuees whose relatives were slain inside the city.

What is more (painful) is that their remains have yet to be retrieved. Its almost four months now that we have been seeking shelters in evacuation centers or among our relatives homes in different towns, he said. Consequently, some passed away while many others fell sick, prompting us to unite and call to form our group.

Army Col. Romeo Brawner, the head of local forces in Marawi, said top military officials in the south are investigating the group. The video it posted on Facebook Monday has since been taken down.

We do not belittle this group. We take it seriously because they could encourage people outside of Marawi who have no idea what is really going on here, Brawner said.

At least 670 militants, 149 soldiers and 47 civilians had been killed in Marawi since fighting erupted on May 23.
ein Google-Unternehmen

Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben

Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen

Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. Mit den gewonnenen Informationen mochten wir verstehen, wie unsere Dienste verwendet werden, und die Qualitat dieser Dienste verbessern.

neue Dienste zu entwickeln und zu verbessern

Werbung auszuliefern und ihre Wirkung zu messen

personalisierte Inhalte anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen

personalisierte Werbung anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen

Wenn Sie Alle ablehnen auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies nicht fur diese zusatzlichen Zwecke.

Nicht personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung werden u. a. von Inhalten, die Sie sich gerade ansehen, und Ihrem Standort beeinflusst (welche Werbung Sie sehen, basiert auf Ihrem ungefahren Standort). Personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung konnen auch Videoempfehlungen, eine individuelle YouTube-Startseite und individuelle Werbung enthalten, die auf fruheren Aktivitaten wie auf YouTube angesehenen Videos und Suchanfragen auf YouTube beruhen. Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten.

Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen.
For Immediate Release, September 18, 2017



Contact: Brett VandenHeuvel, (503) 348-2436, bv@columbiariverkeeper.org

Jared Margolis, (802) 310-4054, jmargolis@biologicaldiversity.org

Stephanie Hillman, (206) 856-0340, stephanie.hillman@sierraclub.org

Janette Brimmer, (206) 343-7340, jbrimmer@earthjustice.org Proposed Washington Gas Refinery Defeated, Permits Ruled Invalid Port of Kalama Violated State Law by Failing to Evaluate Greenhouse Gas Impacts OLYMPIA, Wash. The Center for Biological Diversity, Columbia Riverkeeper and Sierra Club received a victory today in their challenge to a proposed methanol refinery in Kalama, Wash. Washingtons Shorelines Hearings Board ruled that the Port of Kalama and Cowlitz County violated the law by failing to disclose and evaluate greenhouse gas emissions from the worlds largest methanol refinery, proposed on the banks of the Columbia River. As a result, permits previously issued for the project are invalid. The board found that the environmental impact statement ignored off-site emissions associated with the project, including greenhouse gas emissions from production and transportation of natural gas and shipping methanol to Asia. Building a fracked gas refinery is dangerous for our climate, our communities and the habitat that species rely on, said Jared Margolis, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. We need to move forward with clean energy, not more fossil fuels.



As the Board has stated, this EIS completely failed to analyze the very significant climate impact from this large fossil fuel refinery, said Janette Brimmer, an attorney with Earthjustice. This order requires the refinery and the Port to follow the law; to finally take an honest, thorough, and hard look at all greenhouse gas pollution from and caused by this facility. We are asking Governor Inslee, a champion for a healthy climate, to get involved and help investigate the methanol refinerys greenhouse gas impacts, said Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper. You can't build a massive fossil fuel project like this and pretend that the impacts end at the property line, said Nathan Matthews, staff attorney for the Sierra Club. The public deserves to know the climate impacts of fracked gas, from the wellhead to the pipelines to refinery, all the way to the export to Asia. The parties are represented by Earthjustice. Background A subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences called Northwest Innovation Works seeks to build methanol refineries in Kalama, Wash. and Port Westward, Ore., to take advantage of the regions cheap natural gas (methane), electricity and water. The refineries would convert stunning volumes of methane gas into methanol for export to China, to make plastics. Each methanol refinery could consume 270 million cubic feet of methane gas per day, more than all other industry in Washington combined. Methane gas is a potent greenhouse gas. New studies show that extracting methane gas is a major threat to our climate because methane escapes into the atmosphere from gas wells and pipelines.
For Immediate Release, September 18, 2017



Contact: Brett Hartl, (202) 817-8121, bhartl@biologicaldiversity.org Senate Republicans Attack Environmental Safeguards for Power Line Rights-of-way on Public Lands Legislation Would Restrict Scientific Reviews, Innovation for Millions of Acres WASHINGTON The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on two anti-public lands bills, S. 1460 and H.R. 1873, which would undermine environmental laws to expedite the approval of rights-of-way for large electric transmission projects. Proper management of vegetation underneath transmission lines is necessary to minimize the risk of wildfires sparked by electrical power lines. But poor management of these areas can spread invasive species and fragment wildlife habitat. Innovative programs have shown that rights-of-way can be effectively managed to create and protect habitat for rare animals and plants and decrease threats to wildlife. This legislation would allow agencies to ignore these options. Dousing these lands with herbicides and blindly chopping down every plant in sight is not the right way to go, said Brett Hartl, government affairs director with the Center for Biological Diversity. We can manage these natural areas for wildlife and still minimize fire risk, but not if we ignore the science and shut the door to innovative land management. S. 1460, the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017  introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)  would waive environmental review of vegetation-management projects, preventing public input and scientific review of alternatives. In June, H.R. 1873, the Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), which would impose similar restrictions, passed the House of Representatives, 300 to 118. Federal regulations already require the land under electrical transmissions lines to be free of tall vegetation, including large trees, to prevent electrical wildfires. In the first eight months of the 115th Congress, Republicans have introduced more than 70 bills that attack public lands, weaken environmental safeguards on those lands, or turn over control to states and local governments. These attacks come despite the fact that the vast majority of voters across political parties support protecting and maintaining forests, national parks, monuments, and other public lands and waters.
For Immediate Release, September 19, 2017



Contact: Robert Ukeiley, (720) 496-8568, rukeiley@biologicaldiversity.org Court Orders Trumps EPA to Clean Up Deadly Soot Pollution in Six States Ruling Affects Pennsylvania, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey WASHINGTON In response to a lawsuit filed by two conservation groups, a federal judge has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce deadly soot pollution in Pennsylvania, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Jersey. The Clean Air Act lawsuit was brought by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Center for Environmental Health. In Mondays ruling the court found that the Scott Pruitt-led EPA is illegally delaying measures to reduce dangerous soot pollution generated in these states. The court ordered Pruitt to take action within 12 months for New Jersey and within 90 days for the other five states to get plans in place to reduce the spread of soot. Research has shown that exposure to the fine particulate matter that makes up soot triggers asthma and bronchitis and increases the risk of death from heart disease and lung cancer. The fewer particles of dangerous soot we release into the air, the fewer people die and get sick, said Robert Ukeiley, a senior attorney in the Center for Biological Diversitys environmental health program. We refuse to allow Pruitt to continue protecting polluting industries when we have the technology to win the war against soot. The Clean Air Act requires that states have plans in place to make sure that upwind states do not contribute significantly to air pollution problems in other states. States were supposed to have plans in place by December 2015 to prevent significant emissions of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns  about 30 times smaller than a human hair. The human body has no means of preventing particles that small from getting directly into the lungs and blood stream. When a state falls behind in designing and implementing the protective measures, the Clean Air Act mandates that the EPA take action to force compliance. Theres no question that soot can kill people, as well as cause heart attacks, strokes and childhood asthma and bronchitis, said Ukeiley. With such high stakes, we are going to continue to use the courts to resist Pruitts endless attempts at delay.
Starting your day with a cup of mushroom coffee can give a much-needed twist to your daily regimen. Many speak of its benefits, and some even prefer it to regular coffee. But given its unique
The private sector in Africa is playing a crucial role in the continent's economic development - more than it did a decade ago.

 Matthias Ziegler via 123RF

Following deep shortfalls in national budgets, African governments are turning to public-private partnerships (PPPs) to bridge the financing gap. Foreign investments supported by collaborative co-financing with development finance institutions offer the prospect of necessary capital to finance industries, build infrastructure, provide social amenities and create jobs.

Narrowing sub-Saharan Africas infrastructure gap could have a big effect on growth. For instance, growth of GDP per capita for the region would increase by an estimated 1.7% per year if the region were to close the gap with the median for the rest of the developing world, according to a World Bank report of April 2017.

Closing the infrastructure gap relative to the best performers in the world could increase growth of GDP per capita by 2.6% per year. The largest potential growth benefits would come from closing the gap in electricity-generating capacity.

In the last 10 years, the continent has welcomed partnerships in such infrastructure projects, with the construction of roads, bridges and dams being the most common. There are also partnerships in power generation, renewable energy, health and telecommunications.

Cote dIvoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and others, have benefitted from PPPs. Examples of PPPs at work in Africa, include the Henri Konan Bedie Bridge in Cote dIvoire; the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project in Kenya; Senegals Dakar-Diamniadio Road; power and water projects in Ghana, Nigeria and Rwanda; and the Tanger-Med port project in Morocco, among others.

However, even as PPPs continue to change the face of Africa through megaiprojects, experts are urging African governments to be careful and learn from failed PPPs when signing on to new partnerships.

Mukhisa Kituyi, the secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the UN body that deals with trade, investment and development issues, is advising governments to avoid bad debt by engaging experts with the necessary skills to negotiate favourable partnerships.

The Brooking Institutions John Mbaku, also a Professor of economics at Weber State University in the US, agrees with Kituyi on the need for African governments to ensure that PPPs work to the countries advantage. Potential negative impacts include ballooning debts and environmental damages.

The UK-based Bretton Woods Project, an institutional watchdog of World Bank and IMF policies, stresses the need for African countries to ascertain the true costs and benefits of PPPs over the lifetime of a PPP project. Governments should disclose information on risk assessments of such megaprojects, including potential environmental and social impacts.

For partnerships to work well there is a need for more informed consultations, broader civil society involvement and closer monitoring of projects by all stakeholders.

Source: Africa Renewal.
Multinational Unilever has launched an Africa hub in Johannesburg, South Africa, as part of its ongoing drive to grow its business of iconic brands across the African continent.

Bruno Witvoet, Unilever Africa president and Mechell Chetty, Unilever vice president for HR, Africa, at the opening of Unilevers new Africa hub.

The new Africa Hub Office will be based in a state of the art office in Atholl Towers in Sandton. This is a 5-star green rated modern and sustainable office that will serve as a collaboration space for Unilevers Africa leadership and its partners across the continent.

As a truly pan-African company we see the future of African business in collaboration, breaking down boundaries and exchanges of talent, said Bruno Witvoet, Unilever Africa president. Thats why we set up a new African Hub Office and, as a thriving well connected African capital, Johannesburg is the ideal location. We look forward to working from here with our partners, customers and suppliers to use our great brands to help build a brighter future for Africa.

Collaboration

The new Unilever Africa Hub office will be predominantly staffed by Unilever staff with pan-African responsibilities and act as a collaboration and co-working space that can tap into the detailed African knowledge of a company with sales in every corner of the continent of iconic foods, refreshments, personal and homecare brands like Knorr, Lipton, Omo, Sunlight and Pepsodent.

Not only is this a modern open plan collaborative environment for our pan-Africa staff to operate at the heart of the changing retail, marketing and consumer landscape in Africa," added Witvoet, its also a springboard for our South African talent into Africa and for our global and African talent to contribute in turn to the growing body of knowledge on African business here in South Africa.

The Unilever Africa Hub office will focus on pan African coordination and strategy with existing Unilever businesses continuing to operate unchanged in key markets across the continent, developing and building on their deep local roots.

That includes Unilever South Africa, which is headquartered in Durban and is a company deeply proud of its South African heritage selling consumers affordable and high quality brands for over 100 years.

Unilever South Africa is one of the largest FMCG companies in South Africa. The company is over 100 years old, with brands like Sunlight, OMO, Lux, Knorr, Vaseline, Shield, Sunsilk, Flora, and so on, that are household names throughout the country. Unilever South Africa has over 3 500 direct employees based across two offices and seven manufacturing locations in South Africa. The company has a created a further 10,000 plus indirect jobs through its value chain.
In the 2017 World Happiness Report by Gallup, African countries score poorly. Of the 150 countries on the list, the Central African Republic, Tanzania and Burundi rank as the unhappiest countries in the world.

Tristate Heart and Vascular Centre in Nigeria. Photo: Tristate Heart and Vascular Centre

Some of the factors driving unhappiness are the poor state of the continents healthcare systems, the persistence of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and the growth of lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes.

Few African countries make significant investments in the health sector  the median cost of healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa is $109 per person per year, according to Gallup. Some countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar and Niger, spend just half of that per person annually.

In 2010 only 23 countries were spending more than $44 per capita on healthcare, according to the World Health Organisation. These countries got funding from several sources, including government, donors, employers, non-governmental organisations and households.

Private investment is now critical to meet the considerable shortfall in public-sector investment, say experts.

While many international organisations, such as UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross, continue to support Africas healthcare system, private entities and individuals are also increasingly making contributions. For example, Africas richest person, Aliko Dangote, and the worlds second richest person, Bill Gates, have formed a partnership to address some of Africas key health needs.

In 2014 the Nigerian-born cement magnate made global headlines after donating $1.2bn to Dangote Foundation, which used the money to buy equipment to donate to hospitals in Nigeria and set up mobile clinics in Cote dIvoire.

A philanthropist himself, Gates wrote of Dangote in Time magazine: I know him best as a leader constantly in search of ways to bridge the gap between private business and health.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focuses, among other projects, on strengthening Africas healthcare resources. According to the Gates Foundation, as of May 2013 it had earmarked $9bn to fight diseases in Africa over 15 years. In 2016 the foundation pledged to give an additional $5bn over a five-year period, two-thirds to be used to fight HIV/AIDS on the continent.

While acknowledging the Gates generosity, locals noted that for many years the foundation had invested in the oil companies that have contributed in making health outcomes extremely poor in some areas of Nigeria. These companies include Eni, Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Total.

Facing a backlash, the Gates Foundation sold off some 87% of its investments in major coal, oil and gas companies, leaving approximately $200m in these stocks as of 2016. Groups such as Leave It in the Ground, a non-profit organisation advocating for a global moratorium on fossil exploration, are pushing for divestment.

The link between saving lives, a lower birth rate and ending poverty was the most important early lesson Melinda and I learned about global health, said Gates recently. The Gates Foundation supports reducing childhood mortality by supplying hospitals with necessary equipment and hiring qualified local practitioners to take care of patients and their children.

Dangote-Gates collaboration

In 2016, the Dangote Foundation and the Gates Foundation formed a philanthropic dream team when they announced a $100m plan to fight malnutrition in Nigeria. The new scheme will fund programmes to 2020 and beyond, using local groups in the northwest and northeast Nigeria. The northeast has for the past seven years been ravaged by the Boko Harams Islamic militant insurgency, affecting all healthcare projects in the region.

Malnutrition affects 11-million children in northern Nigeria alone, and Dangote said the partnership would address the problem.

The foundations had already signed a deal to work together to foster immunisation programmes in three northern states: Kaduna, Kano and Sokoto.

The Gates Foundation states on its website, Contributions towards the costs of the programme by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dangote Foundation, and state governments will be staggered across three years: 30% in year one, 50% in year two, and 70% in year three, with the respective states taking progressive responsibility for financing immunisation services.

The future of about 44% of Nigerias 170-million people would be greatly damaged if we dont solve malnutrition, said Gates, at a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

Building trust

Despite the many international and local efforts, cultural and religious factors often impede efforts to address Africas weak health infrastructure. For example, in 2007, religious leaders in northern Nigeria organised against aid workers administering polio vaccinations after rumours started circulating that the vaccines were adulterated and would cause infertility and HIV/AIDS.

In 2014, during the Ebola crisis, villagers chased and stoned Red Cross workers in Womey village in Guinea, accusing them of bringing a strange disease.

The big players may be Dangote and Gates, but others less well known are also making important contributions to Africas healthcare. After the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, for example, which resulted in the loss of about 11,300 lives, private companies in the three most affected countries  Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone  partnered with the government to fight the virus.

The Sierra Leone Brewery, for example, helped in constructing facilities for Ebola treatment. Individuals, such as Patrick Lansana, a Sierra Leonean communications expert, also volunteered their services for the Ebola fight. He said: I joined the fight against Ebola because I wanted to help my country. My efforts, and those of others, made a difference. It would have been difficult for the government and international partners to combat the virus alone.

Public-private partnerships

Private and public sectors need to collaborate to help Africas healthcare system from collapse, notes a report by UK-based PricewaterHouseCoopers consultancy firm. The report states that public-private partnerships, or PPPs, when fully synergised can bring about quality healthcare. Under a PPP in the health sector, for example, a government can contribute by providing the healthcare infrastructure, while private entities can be involved in the operations.

In a widely published joint opinion piece last April, Dangote and Gates stated that improving healthcare in Africa depends on a successful partnership between government, communities, religious and business leaders, volunteers, and NGOs. This ensures that everyone is rowing in the same direction.

Article published courtesy of Africa Renewal.
The harsh reality is that local retailers are still very early on their journeys towards leveraging big data. Traditional business models and a reliance on physical retail outlets still dominate our retail sector. But, as retailers consider the right big data strategies to power future sales growth, it could be instructive to look at the approaches of their online-only peers, those pure-play' digital retailers - both South African and international.

In general, e-commerce players have been far quicker off the mark when it comes to truly harnessing the power of big data. Around the world, traditional retailers are starting to learn from them, and starting to follow suit. For instance, US-based apparel retailer North Face has emerged as one of the trailblazers in this space  with a broad strategy of using everything from transactional data, to in-store behaviour, customer service interactions, and social media.

By understanding their customers more deeply, they create greater levels of loyalty and become more engaged in their customers lives (such as loyalty rewards for participating in outdoor events they sponsor). They can smartly personalise their marketing to fit with a persons interests, with the weather conditions, their location, and a host of other variables.

So, just what big data tricks can the bricks and mortar retailer learn from their digital counterparts?

Real-time insights

Online retail leaders realise that it isnt enough to simply build static profiles of their customers. Were fickle individuals, and our interests, tastes and ambitions often change. By taking a real-time approach to their data, retailers can keep their personalisation strategies on-point, and ensure that theyre communicating with their customers in the way that each customer prefers.

If an outdoor supplies retailer is able to discern  perhaps from social media  that a particular customer on a camping holiday in the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, they can promote certain goods that are appropriate to their holiday, to be easily collected at a nearby outlet. While it sounds fairly easy in principle, doing this at scale can be a very complex challenge, but its one that e-commerce leaders have shown is possible.

Strong focus on trust and security

Since the beginning of the e-commerce era, online retailers have gone great lengths to ensure the security of their services, and to overcome the trust barriers that make many people sceptical of shopping online. Physical retailers could take a leaf from this book: focusing on the physical security, the payments security, information security and other aspects of the customer trust relationship.

Digital retailers make clever use of big data to understand the barriers to online shopping, and reinforce the security and trustworthiness angles where needed. For traditional retailers, instead of regarding information privacy and security as a hygiene factor, they could use the strength of their information security as one of their key marketing attributes  creating a compelling branding opportunity.

The power of customer reviews

Many analysts believe that the biggest reason for Amazons incredible success has been its data algorithms that rank products based on customer reviews. Contrast this with the online face of your average South African retailer, and we can see a huge missed opportunity to leverage social validation.

In fact, research suggests that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations and customers generally read reviews before making a purchase.

Ecosystem strategies

If we look at the way the mechanisms of our favourite digital marketplaces  the mighty app stores  we see an ecosystem-based approach. Google, Apple and Microsoft use big data to suggest other recommended apps to users. By presenting other services based on his behaviour, this not only helps the user but creates opportunities for other app developers. Ultimately, this creates a network effect where the numbers of both users and app developers rockets upwards.

Theres nothing stopping traditional local retailers for adopting a similar approach. In our example of the South Coast camper, perhaps the outdoor supplies retailer could partner with activity centres in the local area, or 4x4 vehicle providers. Even if it doesnt directly benefit the retailer, theyll become more embedded and indispensable in their customers lives, again reinforcing strong feelings of goodwill and loyalty.

In other markets across the world, the principles of big data is infused into every stage of the retail process: predicting trends, choosing inventory, forecasting demand, optimising pricing, targeting customers, and tailoring ones sales approach across the right channels.

Its time for local retailers to realise that they could not only take a data-driven approach to their strategies, but could potentially even have an advantage over their digital pure-play peers. With in-store data they can mine a rich treasure trove of insights, and build even stronger customer profiles to provide the most personalised and value-adding experiences.
A new feature published on the University of Pretoria's (UP) Research Matters website focuses on the work by a team of researchers led by Professor Lise Korsten, who leads the food safety research programme at the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE), which is co-hosted by UP and the University of the Western Cape.

Together with her team of emerging and established researchers, Korsten - who is also co-director of the CoE - is investigating broad food safety-related concerns including how regulators can ensure that fruit and vegetables are free of potentially harmful pesticides, other agricultural chemicals and human and plant pathogens; how farmers can prevent contamination and reduce losses due to polluted water or human error; and, whether fresh produce from formal markets like retail stores are safer than fresh produce bought from informal traders.

In an ideal world, a farmer might sell a harvest of fresh produce to families nearby, who would eat that produce within the week. The more common reality in South Africa and the world, however, is that it can take up to three months or even more for food to travel from the farm to table. The longer this supply chain, the less control you have over the product and the harder it is to maintain quality and safety, says Korsten.

Our research helps ensure that fresh produce stays safe along that journey for as long as possible. Korsten explains that many complex factors must be studied so that farmers, sellers, consumers, government and everyone in between have access to the best information available to make sure that food is safe to eat, wholesome and nutritious.

Other research in Korstens programmes considers postharvest spoilage or contamination of fresh produce that might make food unfit for human consumption, and how this could be prevented by best practices and more effectively regulated by authorities. Weve been trained to recognise spoilage and it can look disgusting, says Korsten. She warns, however that unsafe food is not always easy to recognise - it could, for example, be contaminated by pathogens that are not visible, like Escherichia coli or Salmonella species.

Is fresh produce sold by informal traders safe to eat?

Another important focus of food safety research at UP is fresh produce sold informally, for instance from the back of a bakkie directly after harvest, or by informal traders who may have acquired produce not acceptable for formal markets.

Dr Stacey Duvenage, a postdoctoral researcher working with Korsten - and funded by the CoE - says preliminary research shows that at the point of sale, theres not much difference in safety between fresh produce sold formally and informally - although more research along the supply chain is needed, this is good news for the millions of South Africans who rely on either.

This article is a slightly edited version of one originally published by UP Research Matters.
The sixth annual FNB Franchise Leadership Summit takes place at Indaba Hotel Fourways on Thursday 16 November 2017, under the theme, Exponential growth through entrepreneurship. The event is attended by premium franchisors and companies that are interested in and those providing extended services in franchising as an expansion mechanism.

This year's speaker line-up includes:

 Brian Altriche, founder of RocoMamas (RocoMamas journey)

 Gerry Thomas - MD of Krispy Kreme South Africa (Investing in foreign brands: The case of Krispy Kreme)

 Ina Paarman - founder of Ina Paarman (The Ina Paarman story)

 Simon Alston - Executive Director at Infinitus Holdings (Creating a business that attracts investment)

 Emma Sadleir  Social Media expert (Navigating the minefield of social media)

 Jeff Zidel from Resilient Properties (The exponential growth of Resilient Properties)

 Mamello Matikinca, Head of FNB Economics (Economic overview)

Resilient industry

Morne Cronje, head of franchising at FNB Business

Morne Cronje, head of franchising at FNB Business says, Franchising remains one of the most resilient and powerful ways to stimulate entrepreneurship and job creation in South Africa despite the constrained economic climate. This year, we are putting the spotlight on entrepreneurship in the context of franchising, with insights from a great line-up of experts, who will shed important insights on how their businesses continue to defy the odds.

According to the latest survey of the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA), the franchise market contributes 13.3% to the South African Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and projected turnover is R587 billion. As a result, the sector employs over 300,000 people, with the retailing sector being the major employer.

The FASA survey further reveals that one in eight franchisors are represented outside of Africa, which means more franchise brands are looking at opportunities outside South Africa and the African content. The latter clearly epitomises the core of this years theme. Different franchisors and franchisees will unpack and offer strategies for entrepreneurs who want to use franchising as a model for expansion.

Franchising remains one of the key tenacious and growing sectors despite the floundering economy; more often than not this fact is often overlooked. These are among the many key topics that we will tackle at this years summit, concludes Cronje.
Fish is big business. The latest figures show that more than 165 million tonnes of fish are either captured or harvested in a year, with each person consuming more than 20kg of fish annually, according to the world average. Roughly $140bn worth of fish is traded globally per annum, with millions of people relying on jobs in fishing and fish-farming, not to mention the seafood industry which involves processing, transport, retail, and restaurants.

lapping via pixabay

The fisheries and aquaculture sector is also crucial to reducing poverty and eliminating hunger. This is particularly true for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, the vast majority of which are members of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP). ACP countries export as much as $5.3bn annually, with fisheries products making up half the total value of traded commodities in some countries.

Yet despite its undeniable importance, the sector faces severe challenges.

IUU fishing hurting efforts to cut poverty and sustain growth:

For a start, nearly a third of the world's assessed fish stocks are overfished, undercutting nature's ability to give high yields in the long term. Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing and overcapacity of fishing fleets are two of the biggest culprits, with IUU haemorrhaging billions in revenue for ACP states. In West Africa alone, more than 1bn is lost each year due to IUU fishing while in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, IUU claims at least 470m annually, with actual lost revenue to Pacific Island countries around 140m. Such losses hurt countries' efforts to cut poverty and sustain growth.

Barriers and poor infrastructure:

ACP's share of world fisheries trade remains minimal, although its regions are home to some of the world's most iconic and productive maritime zones. Trade barriers hinder competitiveness, as local producers struggle to attain the high product standards demanded by international markets. Poor infrastructure holds back economic gains, whether it involves lack of access to aquaculture production zones or lack of facilities to store or process fish in order to add value to products. Meanwhile, WTO rules, such as rules of origin, make it hard to take advantage of breaks given to vulnerable countries.

Environmental degredation

Environmental degradation is also a global challenge due to pollution, overfishing, and climate change. In the Caribbean for example, where more than 70% of the population lives along the coast, nearly two-thirds of coral reefs are threatened by human activities, while a third is threatened by coastal development and pollution from inland sources. Climate change effects such as sea surface warming, ocean acidification, rising sea levels and extreme weather events all lead to habitat destruction, diminished fish stocks and damaged ecosystems.

Such grave and cross-cutting challenges cannot be tackled by a country on its own.

Solutions must come through regional and international cooperation

Given the shared nature of fisheries resources and the similarity of the challenges, it is clear that solutions must come through regional and international cooperation. That is why government ministers in charge of fisheries and aquaculture in ACP countries are convening a major meeting in the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau from 18 to 21 September.

Ministers and senior officials from across sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific will put their heads together to generate joint approaches to ensure the sustainable development of some of ACP's most precious resources. The meeting follows momentous steps already taken an the global level, such as the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - including SDG 14, to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources; the Paris Agreement on Climate Change; and the FAO Port State Measures Agreement.

In Nassau, ministers will take stock of the ACP Strategic Plan for Action for Fisheries and Aquaculture, set out in five priority axes: Effective Management for Sustainable Fisheries; Promoting Optimal Returns from Fisheries Trade; Supporting Food Security in ACP Countries; Developing Aquaculture and Maintaining the Environment. The focus will be on bolstering high level shared commitments, sharing national or regional best practices and seeking consensus on priority issues that need multilateral action.

Unlocking the potential of the blue economy

Promising opportunities for the sector will be examined, seeking to unlock the potential of the blue economy. The blue economy promotes economic growth, social inclusion, and better livelihoods, while at the same time ensuring environmental sustainability of the oceans and coastal areas. At the meeting, the ACP Secretariat will launch the "Intra-ACP Blue Growth Initiative for Fisheries and Aquaculture", aimed at boosting private sector productivity and competitiveness of fisheries and aquaculture value chains in ACP countries and regions.

Fisheries and aquaculture are critical for poverty eradication and sustainable development in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. But a joint approach amongst the various countries - including active South-South cooperation - is needed to tackle shared challenges.
Business rescue has gained momentum as an alternative to liquidation since its introduction in 2011 through section 6 of The Companies Act. A principal difference between the two is that, while under the supervision of the business rescue practitioner, the company continues to trade, so that employees don't automatically loss their jobs as they would under liquidation.

As a result, more jobs are being saved, which is obviously, then, less devastating for all parties concerned, especially employees; but what happens, though, to the rights of employee and employer during the business rescue process?

Poor administration and poor human resources management are the primary difficulties with business rescue, as these significantly delay investigation into the affairs of the company as well as the practitioners ability to formulate a turnaround strategy, thus delaying the entire process.

Employment conditions remain unchanged

Regarding human resources, there are many misconceptions among staff when a company is under business rescue. It doesnt mean that their employment is immediately suspended and they continue to be protected by the Labour Act, says Justin Gordon, a business rescue practitioner at Hobbs Sinclair.

It is important to understand that all factors of the employment relationship remain intact and unchanged, unless an agreement is reached between employee and the business rescue practitioner, to change these conditions.

The practitioner will almost always look to the salary and wage bill to reduce monthly costs. Some changes are more drastic than others, such as a stop to all non-statutory bonuses, with incentive payments being the first to be contemplated and then implemented. Thereafter, depending on the reason for the business rescue process, reduced working hours, short time, renegotiated salary packages and conditions of service will follow, says HR specialist, Alan Bolt.

Employees are encouraged to form an employee committee, which has a mandate to deal with management on these issues. Although business rescue cannot alter the terms of the contract, it does affect certain rights.

Employment contracts

On the other side of the spectrum, employers are urged to consult extensively with employees about what is going on, why it is happening, what the procedures are and what the company plans to achieve through the process of business rescue. Because the process can be very destabilising, case studies show that this is when companies lose their most valuable employees and the fear of the unknown and the potential consequences force employees to start looking for alternative employment.

Bolt says that it is surprising how many companies, especially those in the SMME bracket, dont have their employment contracts in line or up-to-date and that under business rescue this can be costly. There are many businesses in South Africa which simply do not pay enough attention to their human resources, he states.

Fundamental requirements like appropriately prepared, industry-specific contracts of employment are essential in forming the foundation of any employment relationship. Appropriate work standards, policies and procedures (including discipline) are the tools that management have at their disposal to ensure a productive, efficient, disciplined workforce. Effective work relationship practices between employees and management will assist in maintaining positive relationships at work, and in so doing enable the productive management of staff, he explains.

Whilst the reasons for businesses faltering are numerous, effective staff management will ensure that there is one less reason.
For many years, African countries served as the growth engine for the global smartphone market. In 2016, however, global smartphone sales grew at a modest 2% and the landscape in Africa also saw a dip from what had been a 39% year-over-year growth rate.

Photo by Edho Pratama on Unsplash

On a more positive note, smartphone manufacturers and component developers believe another boom is right around the corner, and last years decline in smartphone shipments into Africa is likely to be a blip on the radar before high growth rates resume. Why? In many cases, external factors driven by economic turmoil in several African countries are to blame for some of the smartphone industry stagnation.

Nigeria, for example, experienced an economic downturn and a shortage of foreign exchange, which impacted sales of imported products, including smartphones.

Many African nations experience periods of economic instability but a few regions, particularly the Middle East, offer signs of hope for future growth.

The result of saturated market situations

Thats according to Dominique Friedl, head of corporate sales for South and sub-Saharan Africa at MediaTek, a leading semiconductor manufacturer and a major supplier of components to makers of mobile devices. He says that stalling smartphone growth last year caught the industry by surprise, but shouldnt be seen as a long-term trend.

The slow-down is the result of saturated market situations in several regions and complicated by economic headwinds in some countries. Strategy Analytics, though, expects the Africa Middle East region will be the growth engine for the global smartphone market in the upcoming years.

The Middle East region of Africa is projected to grow at 13% in 2017 and 9% in 2018, respectively. Both figures rate as the top marks among all major regions thanks in part to lower smartphone penetration rates and a generally healthy economic climate.

What will help the smartphone industry prosper?

With a sense of normality returning to economies across Africa, what will help the smartphone industry prosper in the next few years?

For one, industry leaders are expected to increase their focus on putting affordable smartphones in more peoples hands as mobile subscriber penetration approaches saturation levels across Africa.

This focus on smartphones, in turn, will help boost data revenues for network operators in a market where voice revenue growth has flatlined.

Go high, go low

According to the GSM Association, average selling price (ASP) of smartphones has fallen significantly in most markets across sub-Saharan Africa: smartphone average prices across Africa were $160 in 2015, down from around $230 in 2012. Sub $50 smartphones are becoming a reality, with prices below $30 as the next target. Cost effective components, leaner operating systems and larger volumes will help reduce the pricing and drive sales.

Two key factors could help bring the cost of devices down for consumers: the pending availability of Android Go, a streamlined version of the Google mobile operating system, and the rise of chipset manufacturers offering systems-on-chip (SoCs).

Android Go was designed for low-power devices, and it has anticipated that the operating system will enable handset manufacturers to ship smartphones that while not as full-featured as a flagship device, still offer a reliable and responsive end-user experience. Also, SoCs allow smartphone brands to design rugged and affordable 3G and 4G LTE devices for the mass market.

African countries continue to experience a degree of volatility due to factors such as currency and economic instabilities, lack of locally relevant content, and technical literacy and affordability.

However, falling smartphone and data prices should lead to the next African smartphone boom in the longer term.

Indeed, the GSMA projects an increase in the availability of low-cost devices in the region which could add a further half a billion smartphone connections by 2020.
NEWSWATCH: After months of speculation, the McLaren team has confirmed that it will split ways with engine supplier, Honda, at the end of the 2017 season and has also announced that it has signed a three-year partnership with Renault.

According to a report on F1 Fanatic, Zak Brown, McLaren executive director said: There has never been any doubt over Hondas commitment and energy to the mission of success in Formula One but our partnership has not flourished as any of us would have wished. It is certainly not for the want of effort on the part of either Honda or McLaren, but the time has come to move ahead in different directions.

From 2018, McLaren will be using Renault engines. According to Brown, the change gives McLaren the stability it needs to move ahead with its chassis and technical programme for 2018 without any further hesitation.

For more:
New property platform eazi.com has launched, offering another online avenue to buy and sell property in South Africa.

We deconstructed the process of buying and selling a home into the various elements that make up the transaction," explains CEO Shaun Minnie, "including the role of the estate agent. We then designed optimal solutions for each part of the transaction.

The eazi.com platform allows users to make and receive offers online at any time and from any location. When offers are received, they are displayed on the site, and all parties that have shown interest in the property are automatically updated, and have the opportunity to submit an improved offer.

Media includes video walkthroughs as well as drone footage and professional photography of every property. eazi.com offers a fixed transaction fee of R29,500 (payable only on successful sale), with a dedicated team assigned to each buyer or seller.

The South African property market has fundamentally changed in the last few years, says Minnie. Information that used to be available only to estate agents is now available to buyers and sellers  or at least, it should be. Our site displays all properties sold in your area with the actual sales price, so you can evaluate if youre submitting or receiving a fair offer.

For now, eazi.com is focused on Cape Town, but they have plans to launch in other major cities over the next few months.
The working environment across the world is rapidly changing and has brought with it a new set of obstacles that could impact your business and its processes.

Marc De Villiers

As more businesses shift from the traditional style of a working environment to a more sophisticated, streamlined and tech savvy environment, the importance of business process optimisation cannot be stressed enough.

Every organisation, whether it provides education to students or a whiskey to consumers, relies on repetitive tasks to accomplish its big picture goals. Contract management, invoicing, and hiring are just a few examples of processes that keep businesses moving.

The importance of software in business optimisation

The working environment requires technology that can quickly accommodate change in the product and its management. This includes problem reporting, tracking and planning systems, scheduling, and notification systems that can handle fast-paced information and lower your training and maintenance costs.

Photo by Farzad Nazifi on Unsplash

In a highly competitive world, every organisation is looking for software solutions that are not only cost-effective but tailor-made, faultless and bug-free.

Common software development practices

The following common practices are used to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies and markets:

The use of well-known frameworks to quickly change the product according to market needs

The use of evolutionary prototyping and experimentations via existing components

Ongoing customer acceptance through early adopters focus groups

Continuous value delivery, focusing on core functionalities that engage paying customers

Empowerment of teams to influence final outcomes

The use of metrics to quickly learn from consumers feedback and demand

The use of easy-to-implement tools to facilitate product development and handle fast-paced, changing information.

Ways software development can grow your business

Increasing inbound sales conversion rates

You may find at one or point or another that your business is failing to convert inbound traffic to sales, despite your marketing teams best efforts to drive visitors to your website.

Sales and marketing often engage in a tempestuous relationship, despite the importance of the two working together. It is vital to map out your marketing and sales processes in order for measurable targets to be set for the both the marketing and sales departments.

A good way of tracking this to use software that assesses your overall engagement from your audience on all platforms and how you can increase brand awareness.

Increasing team productivity

The number one productivity killer in any work environment would be uncertainty. Employees who are uncertain about their daily or weekly tasks may rely on their emails to prioritise and map their days.

An all-hands-on-deck work environment is usually found in a start-up where an employee may find themselves performing two or more roles in the business in order to keep costs down and hopefully drive growth and profit.

Introducing a daily schedule planner that maps out all the major processes and tasks for each employees role will mean that the daily and weekly rhythm of work can take place.

Releasing products faster

In any company, and especially a start-up, it is vital that bug fixes and product release schedules are mapped with the relevant software. This ensures products are not only released on time but means that more products are able to be steadily released to keep up with consumer interest.

New features to be mapped out on a platform are usually arranged in a wish list completed by the sales and management team. You can even introduce software that implements a scoring mechanism for prioritising bugs, feature releases and defines all decision-making criteria.

Improving revenue collection

When it comes to the revenue in your business, have you agreed on a particular billing cycle? Do you bill monthly, weekly, daily or on an ad-hoc basis?

Introducing software that optimises your credit and collection terms can ensure that your company is bringing in the revenue needed to pay for overheads, operational costs such as employee salaries and equipment costs  at the right time.

Improving staff happiness

The team is the catalyst for development and have the power to make or break your company. Keeping staff happy and satisfied in their jobs does not mean you have to roll out the red carpet, however, making a process easier for them like submitting expenses and holidays can mean that they feel a certain standard and process is kept to ensure fairness.

Implementing the correct process management software not only helps a business save on costs, it has the ability to create agile organisations that drive revenue, increase customer satisfaction and scale for growth.
Airports Company SA (Acsa), which operates all of SA's major airports, said on Monday it had increased revenue 3.4% to R8.6bn in the year to end-March, despite subdued domestic passenger growth and a surge in international departures.

 peshkova via Fotolia

Despite a hefty 35.5% drop in airport tariffs in April, the company was still expecting to be profitable in the current financial year, Acsa CEO Bongani Maseko said on Monday.

Profit to end-March increased 10.2% to R2.2bn, while aircraft landing volumes were flat for domestic flights, and up by 2.5% for international flights, indicating higher passenger utilisation of scheduled flights, Acsa said in a statement.

Return on equity was 11.3% compared to 11.5% in the previous period. Capital expenditure reduced by 31.3% to R893m. For the first time, Cape Town International Airport reported a total of more than 10-million arriving and departing passengers, with King Shaka International Airport reporting a total of more than five-million, for the first time.

Acsa has not escaped current focus on patronage networks in state-owned-entities, with the Economic Freedom Fighters putting pressure on its board in recent months. This ultimately led to the resignation of board member John Lamola in July, after reports emerged the controversial Gupta family allegedly had a hand in his appointment.

Maseko downplayed this on Monday, saying management had confidence in governance at the company, noting it had no issues with the auditor-general, and had received an unqualified audit.

In December, Acsa gazetted a five-year tariff scheme which would see interim freezes remaining in effect while the 35.5% drop took effect on April 1. Increases of 5.8% and 7.4% in 2018-19 and 2019-20 would follow. Acsa said it had expected all these changes and was therefore prepared for them.

Source: BDpro
At the eighth Ask Afrika Icon Brands Awards, held in Johannesburg last week, the most loved brands for 2017/2018 are Kiwi (1st place), Coca Cola (2nd), Sunlight (3rd), Maggie (4th), KOO (5th and 6th), Clover (7th), McCain (8th), I&J (9th) and Huletts ( 10th).

Overall winner - Kiwi. Image supplied.

According to the Ask Africa survey, South Africans are open to change, particularly when it comes to trying to save money in tough economic times. They are also firmly under the sway of global energies that are reshaping society in significant ways. Neither of this bodes well for brands that are not willing to adapt their marketing efforts to challenging times and a changing global milieu.

Icon brands are not a popularity contest but are about which brands South Africans use regularly and loyally. The results were gleaned from surveys of 15,284 consumers, aged 15-years and older (representing over 25 million adult South African consumers) to determine how South African consumers are changing, how they think and what is important to them.

This year only 28 brands made Ask Afrika Icon Brand status for 2017/2018 and it was noted that only 39% (11 brands) have higher solus ratings, implying that the majority of consumers are loyal to a repertoire of brands. That said the top achievers managed to retain more solus users compared with the rest of the brands in their ranking.

Other insights

Brands should be the best version of who South Africans would like to be  People judge brands far more harshly than they would themselves when it comes to high moral values. Locally and internationally, we have begun to look to corporates for perfection around ethical and values-based conduct. It could be that in a world where there is a growing sense that government systems are failing the people, the most-loved brands promise to deliver feelings of community, experience and entertainment.

Loyalty, whats that?  In the good old days loyalty was something people aspired to across all aspects of life but changing belief systems mean that loyalty no longer serves humanity as it once did. More people are claiming to be atheist or agnostic (about 23% of adults, up from 17% just 10 years ago) and significant numbers of Millennials grew up with divorced parents, or with parents who were never married. With this shift in traditional values, we are beginning to see that some big (as in long-established corporates and products) have also become less trusted. As a result, brands have to work harder to translate relevant and current benefits successfully to consumers. With South Africas constant political and economic flux, it should come as no shock that South Africans are particularly open to change. Out of 11 countries surveyed, South Africans came ninth in terms of brand loyalty, just one place ahead of China.What is surprising to note, however, is that while age plays a role in loyalty the results are not what you might think. In a sample of Millennials  aged 21 to 24; 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 - those aged between 25 and 34 showed similar levels of loyalty while millennials aged 21 to 24 showed much lower levels of loyalty. A similar trait can be observed in baby boomers (50 to 65) so, within a 15-year age range, opinions can differ considerably. What this means for marketers is that you cannot merely group people as Generation X or Millennial and expect their consumption of brands to be the same.

I think, I thunk a thought  Science is showing that peoples schizophrenic use of technology is changing the wiring in their brains. David Levy, professor at the Information School of the University of Washington calls the phenomenon popcorn brain. He says brains that are accustomed to the constant stimulation of electronic multitasking have become unfit for life offline where things pop at a much slower pace. As the human brain adapts physiologically to the stimuli of an online world, people are being rewired to crave the instant gratification, fast pace, and the unpredictability of constant change.

Me, my selfie and I - Peoples time online is also making them increasingly self-obsessed and there is a very strong sense of self-pretence. It is not so much about what is happening on the inside, as it is about setting themselves up to be seen as being successful and happy on social media. In this regard success is less about what they own and more about how they look and what they experience as well as the ethical causes they pretend to support and the awesome lifestyles they are perceived as having.

South Africans not as happy as they once were  the research shows that South Africans are seeing a slow decline in happiness with 51.2% of people surveyed claiming to be happy with their lives now, compared to 54.8% in 2015. Status and assets are becoming less important and, in a world so cluttered with stuff, South Africans are changing their focus to wellness, lifestyle and experiences to help them achieve happiness.

The truth isnt what it used to be  With terms like fake news becoming the norm and social media and the press being used to spread invented opinions and rumour, it is hard to know who or what to trust these days. The increased time online allows people to create a bubble around themselves that feeds into specific biases, opinions and blinkered worldviews. Ironically, it is globalisation and an increase in access to information that allows people to block out (unfollow) what they do not want to see and tap into increasingly polarised worldviews.

Implications for South African brands

It is becoming increasingly important for brands to be open, transparent and honest with the public if they hope to build long-term trust.

South Africans are looking to brands that fit into the paradigms that help them define the me that they would like the world to see them as.

As the social values and structures of South Africans change, loyalty is not as important as it used to be and there is no longer a need or desire to stick with what we know. As a result, brands can no longer expect absolute consumer loyalty, but need to create attainable experiences for their consumers that fit into polarised worldviews.

Consumers have varying expectations and the values they apply to themselves are not necessarily those they apply to governments and corporates. Brands need to apply a holistic approach in trying to reach consumers; a linear approach will no longer yield success.

The digital age means consumers are spending more time online comparing offers and looking for good deals before heading to the shops or purchasing online.

Monthly affordability is an important consideration. Contracts (such for a cellphone or computer) that can be paid off monthly, or even lease agreements are becoming popular ways of acquiring assets. Access to assets is becoming more important than owning them.

When times are tough, change is good

Consumers consume more holistically, so marketing strategies need to take in a combination of factors including not just quality and price but also where a brand fits in socially and what it stands for.

Taking all of the above into consideration it makes sense to expect loyalty numbers or solus usage levels to drop and to keep dropping until brands become successful at translating relevant and current benefits to consumers. Maintaining some form of loyal consumption is going to take a revolution in the way that consumers are marketed to.

The underlying trend is that new is better than known. Whipping up meaningful news about a 100-year-old product is not going to be easy, but it is necessary.
This October, South Africans can look forward to the return of South African born producer, songwriter and influencer, Esjay Jones who will be performing with Alien Ant Farm on the first three shows of their five-date tour. Jones recently collaborated with Alien Ant Farm's front man, Dryden Mitchell on the brand new single, Bonfire which is set for release on Friday, 22 September 2017 across all digital platforms worldwide.

Dryden Mitchell, Esjay Jones

Dryden was my date to the Grammys in 2014, we had an instant connection and have been great friends ever since our first label-introduced writing session. We have written many songs together that have not been released, so when the South African tour was 100% locked in, we jumped on the opportunity to release our first proper collaboration. We wrote and recorded the song in the celebrity suite at the Hard Rock Hotel in Palm Springs, California, which was a magical and unforgettable experience  I always have to pinch myself when I realise that I am writing music and am friends with people we used to watch on MTV in South Africa! says Jones.

Jones has had over a decade of success in the music Industry and during the first part she cemented herself as one of SAs top female rock vocalists fronting Durban-based rock band, Stealing Love Jones. The band achieved mainstream success with singles Kicks, A Little Easier, Out There and Limozeen, and shared the stage with major international bands such as Fall Out Boy, Violent Femmes, Jimmy Eat World and Groove Armada.

Grammy nominated mixing engineer, Ariel Chobaz, who has worked with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber and Drake, had great things to say about working with the talented Jones. "Esjay lives and breathes music, its a part of her being and she brings that dedication to every project. She is an incredible producer and writer and I can't say enough about her!"

Jones is currently working alongside actress Taryn Manning (Orange Is The New Black, 8 Mile, Hustle&Flow) on her new record.

Catch Esjay Jones live in South Africa with Alien Ant Farm on the following dates:

27 October  GoodLuck Bar, Johannesburg

28 October  Arcade Empire Halloween Party, Voortrekker Monument, Pretoria

31 October  Virgina Airfield, Durban

Alien Ant Farm live in Cape Town:

03 November  Mercury Live, Cape Town

04 November  Mercury Live, Cape Town

Tickets are available from www.tickets.middle8.co.za.
Bokeh Fashion Film Festival, now in its fifth year, has announced the introduction of the Emerging Creative Talent Award, with a R50,000 prize win confirmed for South Africa's top young creative.

Adrian Lazarus  Founder and Managing Director of Bokeh

The festival, which fosters local talent in the creative world of fashion films aims to celebrate the massive local talent pool in SA with the awards show.

"I always wanted to promote a sense of collaboration amongst the disciplines that help make fashion film the creative and vibrant a genre that it is. The students and graduates of fashion, film, design, advertising, music, make-up and hair colleges, and other related tertiary education facilities, are all encouraged to find a place at Bokeh where they can create teams with other young people wanting to produce fashion films. I think that its only through collaboration and being offered a hand up, that one can get to explore this highly creative world of Fashion Film, says Adrian Lazarus, founder and managing director of Bokeh.

Team work makes the dream work

The festival will issue a brief on the Bokeh website and social media pages on 15 October 2017, presenting the category guidelines and the film requirements. The teams then have two weeks to create treatments that accurately describe the films they wish to make, keeping in mind the original brief.

Five films from the Cape and five from Gauteng will be selected, and the teams will receive guidance and assistance to create their stated films. All films will be 90 seconds excluding credits, and have to be filmed over one day, in one location. Bokeh will supply cameras, lighting, locations (within reason), mentorship, editing facilities, and professional make-up artists to assist on set, as well as years of experience in film making. The final ten films will be complete works that each team member will be very proud of, and they will also be encouraged and assisted to enter these films into other international and local festivals.

The 2017 Emerging Creative Talent award was previously won by a team from AFDA Film School, also receiving the R50, 000 prize.

The exciting part of this category is that the team can be led by anyone from a copy writer, to a jewellery designer, make-up artist or film maker. Everyone has a great idea for a film, but without a creative team it will always remain just that  an idea.

The creatives are all encouraged to team up, explore ideas and take advice and input from every team member. Unlike features and commercials, the Fashion Film world is still in its infancy - comparable to where music videos were in the 80s. They are a safe space for directors and brands to experiment and test out style, format and content with audiences.

bokehfestival.co.za
#Newsmaker: M&C Saatchi Abel's Mpufane to lead the Bookmarks 2018

M&C Saatchi Johannesburg Group chairman Jerry Mpufane succeeds John Dixon as jury president of the IAB Bookmarks Awards, which celebrates its 10th year of rewarding excellence in digital and recognising the powerful impact interactive has on the overall marketing mix'.

Jerry Mpufane I am personally honoured to be able to lead the Bookmarks in the jury president role. It is my sincerest hope that my varied experience, having judged at many creative festivals, will add depth to an already strong jury lineup," says Mpufane. The Bookmark Awards sets the benchmark for the industry by celebrating award-winning work that inspires and educates the market about the power to build brands through creative, high-impact digital executions that deliver measurable results." Here, he comments further on what the role entails, how the digital landscape has evolved since the Bookmarks inception 10 years ago, and whats new in 2018... Congratulations on becoming jury president for the Bookmarks! Why are you excited to lead the Bookmarks next year? Congratulations on becoming jury president for the Bookmarks! Why are you excited to lead the Bookmarks next year?

The role of jury president is an opportunity to influence, as well as be influenced by the smartest digital brains in the country. We live in an exponential age, and the digital conversation is at the heart of this change. It is an honour to be a part of the conversation during a time of change.

Comment on your role as jury president. What does this entail? Comment on your role as jury president. What does this entail?

My role is to set the agenda for the marketing services industry. I will not be doing this on my own, because we have assembled a capable set of jurors with whom I share the same mission, being the task to push the industry forward.

How has your leadership and judging experience equipped you well for this position? How has your leadership and judging experience equipped you well for this position?

I have had the privilege to participate in many creative festivals as a judge. That experience counts for something. I am ready to lead the conversation, to rally opinions, and ultimately to make the tough decisions.

What are you currently reading/listening to for work? What are you currently reading/listening to for work?

In a fast-paced world, journals from some of the leading opinion makers are a must-read. We live in a new age, and we are all just figuring it out. Reading the works of the many creators out there is infinitely invaluable.

Comment on the current state of the digital landscape. How has it evolved since the Bookmarks inception? Comment on the current state of the digital landscape. How has it evolved since the Bookmarks inception?

The economy is not short of ideas, theres a lot of information out there. What we are short of are the creators who dare to make things look different. The Bookmarks occupy a unique position to reward and influence a new way of thinking.

What trends do you predict for the digital industry in 2018? What trends do you predict for the digital industry in 2018?

What will not change is the need for a sharper focus on human insight. The winning ideas are those which speak to the human truth. Theres no room for gimmicks, the consumer is already time-starved.

Is the Bookmarks going to do anything special to celebrate its 10-year anniversary? Is the Bookmarks going to do anything special to celebrate its 10-year anniversary?

Change. We will become more disciplined in terms of rewarding work that delivers a remarkable change.

Whats new next year? Whats new next year?

Diversity, diversity, diversity  of people, of ideas, of touchpoints. Overall, we have to recognise that the digital world touches so many more parts of our lives.

About Jerry Mpufane



Mpufane has more than 20 years experience in brand marketing, and has held executive-level positions in both the agency and corporate sectors.

In his role as chairman, hes responsible for leadership and synergy, executive client support, talent support, as well as transformation and industry Initiatives across the seven Group companies.

He has been a judge of the Bookmarks Awards, the Loerie Awards and the Prism Awards for a few years. Mpufane was previously the vice-chairman of the Association of Communications Agencies (ACA) and a member of the Board of the Loerie Awards.
South Africa is a popular destination for immigrants, especially from other African countries. Does their presence affect the employment chances of South Africans?

Protesters picketed against xenophobic comments reportedly made by Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba in 2016. Archive photo: Ihsaan Haffejee

On 1 May 2008, riots broke out against foreign nationals in Alexandra township, a densely populated settlement some two miles east of Sandton, sub-Saharan Africas financial centre. The iconic image of Mozambican national Ernesto Nhamuave being burnt alive shocked South African audiences and quickly spread across the world. Within two weeks, xenophobic violence had spread across South Africa. Those targeted were largely foreign African and South Asian nationals. After two weeks, more than 60 people had been killed and more than 100,000 displaced. The charges against immigrants are typical of anti-immigrant sentiment globally: a 2010 survey by the Southern African Migration Programme found that 60% of South Africans believe immigrants take jobs, whilst 55% believe that they worsen crime.

But in fact we know very little about the actual labour market effects of immigration to South Africa.

The best source of useful demographic information about immigrants in South Africa is the census, the most recent of which was in the 2011 census. There are, of course, problems with using this data. Demographic trends may well have changed in the six years since 2011. There is also a risk that immigrants may dodge census surveyors if they are scared of being victimised by the authorities, so that the data may underestimate immigration to South Africa. But, taking the data at face value, we can glean useful demographic features of immigrants compared to South African born workers.

The table below presents useful demographic, educational and labour market statistics for the locally-born population and immigrants. There were approximately two million immigrants recorded in the 2011 census, compared to 49.6 million South Africans. The vast majority of immigrants are black African (71.7%), with 4.2% of Indian or Asian ethnicity, reflecting the sizable Pakistani and Bangladeshi population in the country. Often small entrepreneurs (e.g. spaza shop owners), these groups have been consistently targeted in xenophobic attacks.

Zimbabwe is by far the largest immigrant country of origin, reflecting the influx of Zimbabweans during and after the countrys economic crisis in the early 2000s.

The large populations of people from Lesotho, Mozambique and Malawi reflect South Africas history as a destination for migrants to the gold and platinum mines.Immigrants are significantly more likely to hold a diploma or university degree.

A total of 1.5% of the immigrant population holds some form of post-school qualification, compared with only 0.3% of the South African population.

The census assigns employed people one of nine job categories. These categories are, in order: manager, professional, technician, clerk, sales and services, skilled agriculture, craft and related trade, plant and machine operator, and elementary. Elementary includes blue-collar factory workers, cleaners and other manual labourers. Migrants are 3.5% more likely to be involved in sales and services and almost 5% more likely to be in crafts and related trades, which may reflect the rich network of immigrant entrepreneurs in poor areas.

Finally, it is worth emphasising that more than 550,000 new immigrants moved into South African municipalities between 2001 and 2011. That is a sizeable influx of people for a country of South Africas size.

Table: Characteristics of locals and immigrants

Locals All Immigrants Recent Immigrants Demographic Characteristics Total population (in millions) 49.60 2.16 0.56 % of total SA population 95.81 4.19 1.08 % black 79.53 71.7 57.17 % white 8.51 16.88 34.69 % coloured 9.27 0.85 1.17 % Indian/Asian 2.41 4.20 3.42 % living in 4 largest metros 27.21 48.05 43.23 Education average years of schooling 9.27 9.21 8.52 % with post-school qualification 0.31 1.54 1.62 Employment employment rate (expanded) 58.78 77.17 77.73 % manager (CAT1) 4.80 7.47 8.88 % professional (CAT2) 4.31 5.64 6.24 % technician (CAT3) 5.88 5.56 6.40 % clerk (CAT4) 7.32 7.70 8.64 % sales and services (CAT5) 9.56 13.00 11.93 % skilled agriculture (CAT6) 0.55 0.68 .74 % craft and related trades (CAT7) 7.06 11.95 11.90 % plant/machine operator (CAT8) 3.98 4.91 5.58 % elementary (CAT9) 15.46 20.53 18.30 Immigrant Countries of Origin (%) Zimbabwe - 31.00 14.74 Mozambique - 18.08 25.16 Unspecified - 11.00 14.40 Lesotho - 7.84 9.25 Malawi - 4.02 2.12 Other - 28.06 34.33

Source: Authors calculations, South African census 2011.Expanded employment rate counts discouraged work-seekers as unemployed.Years of schooling figures are calculated only from population of working age.

Difficulties measuring the true effects of immigration

Generally, economists use a technique called regression analysis to address questions like these. Regression analysis is a statistical technique that measures, crudely, how well one variable explains another. The intuitive way to estimate the labour market effects of immigration would be to divide South Africa into geographical areas (say, municipalities), and compare how different levels in the immigrant population correlate with employment rates. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to do this credibly, because immigrants may move to particular areas because of other economic forces that also affect labour market outcomes.

This is a common problem in economic analysis, known as endogeneity. The intuition behind this is simple: suppose Johannesburg experiences positive economic growth in a number of industries before the 2011 census. This causes employment to rise, but also attracts immigrants to settle in Johannesburg. Thus, a naive correlation between the high proportion of immigrants in 2011 and employment might falsely suggest that immigration improves employment, when in fact the employment rates of both immigrants and locals were pushed up by other economic forces.

To get around this, the first step is to control for as many observable things as possible that might otherwise influence the job prospects of locals. Fortunately, the census reports a rich set of variables that can be included in a model, such as race, age, years of schooling, whether a person lives in a rural or urban area. Including these in a model means the risk of endogeneity is lower. However, there is still a risk that things you cant observe affect the migration decisions of immigrants and the labour market prospects of locals. Getting around this problem is tricky.

My models follow an approach pioneered by leading international migration economist David Card. I break up the whole South African working population into municipalities where they live and job categories, based on those reported in Table 1. I include all the controls above and also use what is called a fixed effect to pick up unobservable features that might influence labour market outcomes. This means that I include a dummy variable for each municipality and job category, that picks up anything affecting wages or employment not captured in the controls. The full technical paper is available on request.

Results from the models

Results from my models suggest that immigration either has a very small positive effect on overall employment in South Africa, or none at all, depending on the version of the model used (I run several versions of the same model for robustness). The models predicting a positive employment effect suggest that it is extremely small in magnitude. A 1% increase in the relative foreign population is predicted to increase employment of South Africans by between 0.003% and 0.01%. This result, while unsatisfying to an economist, is relevant politically, in that foreigners do not harm the average employment chances of locals  at least according to the census data.

However, the results become significantly more interesting when we break the census sample into job categories. My models predict that immigrants have an unambiguously positive employment effect on locals in elementary categories  these include factory workers, cleaners and manual labourers. A 1% increase in the relative immigrant population is predicted to increase employment of South Africans by 0.04% in this category.

This effect is difficult to explain but may indicate the foreigners are creating menial jobs where they settle.

Conversely, however, in the most skilled job categories, immigration has the opposite effect. In category five, sales and services, a 1% increase in the relative foreign population is predicted to decrease employment of South Africans by 0.03%. This may reflect increased competition from immigrant shop-owners.In higher skilled job categories, the predicted effect is also negative and is larger. For workers in category two, professionals, a 1% increase in the foreign population decreases South African employment by 0.1%.

This supports the claim that immigrants to South Africa are generally highly skilled, in that they appear to be competing more with workers in skilled job categories.

What to make of these results

Based on the evidence we have available, we can conclude with reasonable confidence that immigrants do not take jobs from South Africans overall  in fact, a best-case scenario suggests that they are creating a small number of jobs where they settle. However, when we hone in on particular job categories, we do see a small, negative employment effect for workers in better-skilled job categories. If we believe that immigrants are systematically under-represented in the census data, this may reflect a larger negative effect in reality.In any case, the predicted effects on both wages and employment, taken at face value, are extremely small. Further research into the skill profile of immigrants is needed to determine whether immigration is a potential solution to South Africas chronic shortage of skilled labour, as Ellis and Segatti (URL) suggest. It would also be interesting to explore how employers tap into immigrant networks within the country to source labour, as well and how immigrants in South Africa network with family and associates elsewhere in the world.



Published originally on GroundUp.



 2017 GroundUp. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The Gartner Symposium/ITxpo kicked off on Monday, 18 September 2017 at the CTICC and is expected to attract over 1000 attendees including 190 CIOs over four days. This is where the world's top CIOs gain a strategic view of the emerging trends shaping IT and business. The event aims to help CIOs approach critical challenges, make decisions with confidence, and achieve greater impact as leaders.

Neville Cannon

Neville Cannon, a research director focussing on the public sector and government in particular, addressed CIOs in his talk 'The digital government scenario: Capital T transformation in the public sector.'

Cannon pointed out some key issues when it comes to governments and the digital transformation journey.

There are two key issues, says Cannon:

- What does digital transformation look like in government?

- How can government CIOs lead and sustain transformation programmes?

What does digital transformation look like in government?

When it comes to future technologies, we tend to look at the global benchmarks (e.g. UK, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands etc.). However, the problem is that the context doesnt always transfer. The kinds of things that are driving other countries don't necessarily translate to our country and context.

Cannon asked delegates whether they know what it is that their service can do better. He reiterated that that is of utmost importance.

Transformation by its very nature is complex and comes with high risks. But digital transformation shouldn't just be about doing the big things - but rather about doing the big things and doing them well.

He says digital transformation isnt an option, we cant choose not to do it, but we can choose how to do it. The move to the outcome we want is built through incremental projects.

He went on to give some inspiring examples from all over the world where governments are making headway and starting with small projects as they embark on the digital transformation journey.

1. UK - Agility is the new normal at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

Opportunity: The UK Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency had the opportunity to replace an inflexible, expensive outsourced mainframe contract. It wanted to replace green screen terminals in 22,700 garages issuing vehicle safety certificates.

What was transformed and how: The organisation used an agile development methodology and microservice architecture. They cut across to Amazon Web Services production version in just 10 weeks.

Results:

- 50% savings were attributed to the award-winning project.

- Evaluating serverless computing to extend lessons learned.

2. Uganda - automation of airport operations

Opportunity: The Ugandan government saw the opportunity of a technological upgrade of the airport.

What was transformed and how: The transformation involved operational automation within the international airport as part of the government's plan to restructure the aviation sector and to boost tourism.

Results:

- Improved and more efficient flight procedures

- Standardised operations and enhanced safety

3. Botswana - automation of postal services

Opportunity: The government of Botswana saw the opportunity to digitise postal services along with providing value-added services.

What was transformed and how: Botswana Post upgraded to digital postal services that were in line with the e-government initiative and aimed at improving operational efficiency coupled with ease of usage. It primarily included the deployment of cloud infrastructure and upgrades of core infrastructure software.

It launched a mobile application for accessing postal services along with e-services such as vehicle license renewal and money transfer.

Results:

- 121 outlets of Botswana Postal have been computerised and interconnected to the postal network.

Government and businesses need to start seeing how different technologies can be brought together to lead to significant change.

As in the case of Botswana Postal, the process doesnt start with delivering letters better, because eventually there might not be letters to deliver. It's, in essence, about realising the world is changing.

How can government CIOs lead and sustain transformation programmes?

"Information and technology are at the heart of every digital government business strategy," says Cannon.

He recommends CIOs have a guiding policy (you need to be able to help your organisation through this process as a CIO), make strategic choices, and set guardrails (you need to understand the metrics that drive business success) to lead and sustain transformation programmes.

At the end of the day, digital transformation is a journey, not a destination. Make sure that the way you approach it is accommodating, business-led, and responsive.

"Only a sustained approach will ultimately take you forward", says Cannon.
To advance market access negotiations, last week South Africa hosted the 11th bilateral meeting between Trade Ministers of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the East African Community (EAC) in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.

The negotiations are being undertaken within the framework of the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA). The TFTA comprises of SADC, COMESA and the EAC, and it was launched in Sharma el Sheik, Egypt in 2015. The TFTA sets the foundation for the establishment of a larger market comprising 26 countries with a combined population of nearly 625 million people and an estimated total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of approximately US$1.0 trillion.

The TFTA is anchored on the developmental integration approach, which recognises the complementarities between market integration, industrial development and addressing infrastructure constraints.

The TFTA is an important initiative in the implementation of the vision of regional integration that is aimed at ensuring that the Eastern and Southern African countries achieve higher levels of integration, particularly in market integration. The main benefit of the TFTA is a larger, and growing regional market that overcomes smallness of national economies, achieves economies of scale and is able to provide a basis for enhanced intra-regional trade.

Importantly, it also offers the opportunity to address supply side constraints through industrialisation, thereby improving the regions competitiveness both in its own markets and globally.

The TFTA sets the foundation for the establishment of a larger market comprising 26 countries with a combined population of nearly 625 million people and an estimated GDP of US$1.0 trillion.

Thus far the TFTA Agreement has been signed by 20 countries, with South Africa and Madagascar being the most recent countries to sign in July 2017.

The primary aim of the market access negotiations between SACU and the EAC is to provide commercially meaning new markets to each side, to develop regional value chains and to enable SACU and the EAC to deepen integration.

Speaking on behalf of SACU, SA Minister Rob Davies underscored the importance of the negotiations providing new markets in important sectors such as automobiles, beef, wines and dairy products amongst others.

He noted that the EAC countries produce high quality products such as coffee, cut flowers and tea, amongst others. In her statement, Minister Amelia Anne Kyambadde of Uganda, speaking on behalf of the EAC, highlighted the importance of free trade between the two regions and the need to develop trade facilitating policies to underpin integration of trade among African economies.

The TFTA presents South Africa with an opportunity to further diversify the export base and to pivot towards more commercially meaningful new markets in Africa.

The Ministers agreed on the need to expeditiously conclude the negotiations before the end of 2017, to enable businesses to immediately benefit from the new market access. The Ministers agreed on a roadmap for conclusion of the negotiations by the end of 2017.
Ethiopian startup Meda Messenger is hoping for swift uptake after rolling out its cross-platform social app that allows users to chat and make payments.

Launched as a side project in 2015 but only just launched to the public, Meda Messenger aims to help Ethiopians to connect, buy and sell goods, and transfer money from a single chat screen.

It is a localised chat app for users with their own language and cultural context, chief executive officer (CEO) Biruk Hailu told Disrupt Africa.

Upon registration, a virtual bank account is automatically created for each user. Users can top up their Meda Wallet or make withdrawals by going to any agent or bank, and spend their money on the platform.

Meda has strong appeal to users since it offers 100 percent localised technology that merges social media and money transfer into a single messaging app, Hailu said.

He said the various existing channels of communication and banking are unintegrated, non-localised and require some level of know-how.

Our mission is to become the touchpoint of all walks of life, improving and enhancing African lives from farmer to scientist, the intended impact being fostering a connected, informed and vibrant society, Hailu said. Meda is built with locally contextualised design and content, encouraging users to not only exploit instant messaging in their own language and culture, but to do business at the same time.

The startup believes it is combatting slow adoption of technology due to language barriers, allowing any mobile owner to become a bank account owner without the need to go to any financial institution.

Meda Chat brings together instant messaging, social media, business, financial institutions and government into a single platform, becoming a tool for every point of users daily contact with the world, Hailu said.

The self-funded startup charges users commission of 1.5% per transaction, and also offers tools that allow business owners to reach users in a personalised and geographically targeted manner.

Ethiopia, being our home country, is our primary market, however the same problems exist in neighbouring countries and other parts of Africa. We have expansion plans in the next five years once the home market matures, Hailu said.
Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries

SUBSCRIBE
NAIROBI - China's Huawei said Monday it plans to foster all small segments in order to boost its market share in Kenya.

Huawei Technologies Kenya Managing Director Derek Du told Xinhua in Nairobi that the multipronged approach will enable the firm to maximize sales.

"Previously we focused either on the low-income or high-end segment, but now our new strategy will see us to focus on all consumer segments due to our large handset variety," said Du. In 2016, the technology firm had a 14 percent market share.

"Our target is that in the next five years, we expand our market share to 30 percent," Du said, adding Huawei will not only focus on marketing efforts but also on producing quality phones for the Kenyan market.

Early this month, Huawei launched the Y series phone that targets the low-income segment of the population.

"The Y series will enable us to capture the large and growing demand by the youth for entry level smartphones," the managing director said.

A few years ago, the Chinese telecommunication firm discontinued manufacturing feature phones in favor of smartphones.

"The main reason is due to the growing trend by consumers to demand phones with access to internet and social media browsing capabilities," he said.

The tech giant has invested heavily in Research and Development (R&D) in order to come up with innovative phones that meet consumer needs.

Du noted that his firm spends approximately 14 percent of its revenue on R&D annually in order to stay internationally competitive.

Globally, Huawei maintains 15 R&D centers, out of which 12 are focused on developing new mobile devices.
Canada NewsWire

TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2017

TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2017 /CNW/ - The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) and CIVIX are pleased to announce NewsWise, a news literacy program made possible with $500,000 in funding from Google Canada.

With the aim of tackling the issue of fake news, the CJF and CIVIX will work together to provide over 1.5 million school-aged Canadians (ages 9-19) a deeper understanding of the role journalism plays in democracy.

"Fake news accelerates distrust in our institutions, including distrust of the trained media who spend so much time trying to hold the powerful to account," says David Walmsley, chair of the CJF and editor of The Globe and Mail. "If we're going to foster trust in journalism, we need to reach the next generation of news consumers and ensure they understand the role journalism plays in our society. This initiative provides an arena to engage a younger audience and to ensure they're equipped with the skills to identify reliable sources of information."

NewsWise will be developed by CIVIX, the organization behind Student Vote, and CJF's network of academics and journalists. The program will be a part of the Student Vote activities, rolling out to coincide with the Ontario provincial election in 2018, and other upcoming local and provincial elections, culminating nationally with the 2019 federal election.

"Access to reliable news sources is critical to fully engaging in the democratic process," says Taylor Gunn, President and CEO of CIVIX. "Giving young Canadians an understanding of the role journalism plays in our society and the knowhow to find and filter information is essential in nurturing an informed citizenry for the long term."

The Student Vote program reaches 7,500 schools in the country, representing 98 per cent of Canadian school boards. Showcasing the role journalism plays in a healthy democracy, the program will provide Canadian students with the tools and knowledge to find and filter accurate information online. CJF will engage Canada's journalism community in supporting the delivery of the program.

About The Canadian Journalism FoundationFounded in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes excellence in journalism by celebrating outstanding journalistic achievement. Our signature events include an annual awards program featuring a must-attend annual industry gala where Canada's top newsmakers meet Canada's top news people. Through J-Talks, our popular speaker's series, we facilitate dialogue among journalists, business people, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society and the ongoing challenges for media in the digital era. The foundation also fosters opportunities for journalism education, training and research.

About CIVIXCIVIX is a national registered charity dedicated to building the habits of active and engaged citizenship among young Canadians. CIVIX provides experiential learning opportunities to help young Canadians practice their rights and responsibilities as citizens, and connect with their democratic institutions. Student Vote, the flagship program of CIVIX, is a parallel election for students under the voting age coinciding with official elections. In the 2015 federal election, 922,000 elementary and secondary students cast a Student Vote ballot from approximately half of all schools in Canada.

SOURCE Canadian Journalism Foundation
The Most Extensive and Reliable Source of Information Related to the Mexican Drugs Cartels.



You will not find this level of coverage anywhere else, join us!





WARNING:

Posts may contain strong violent material, discretion is advised.





COMMENTS:

We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately.




KPMG has been cleared by the British accounting watchdog over its auditing of HBOS in the run-up to the lenders near collapse in the 2008 financial crisis.

Britains Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said it had closed the investigation into KPMGs handling of HBOSs accounts, concluding that KPMGs work did not fall short of standards.

It added it does not believe there are grounds for further action.

The FRC said: "There is not a realistic prospect that a tribunal would make an adverse finding against KPMG in respect of the matters within the scope of the investigation.

"The firms work did not fall significantly short of the standards reasonably to be expected of the audit, the test that a tribunal would apply."

The decision will come as a relief to KPMG, which has also been drawn into a mounting scandal in South Africa over its work with the politically connected Gupta family.

KPMG launched a probe 15 months ago into KPMGs HBOS auditing in 2007 amid worries over whether the accountancy giant properly considered whether HBOS was a going concern in its 2007 accounts.

Former Treasury Select Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie said at the time the FRC probe was welcome, but overdue.

HBOS was taken over by Lloyds TSB in a rescue deal in the autumn of 2008 after expanding too quickly with risky lending, weak funding and management failures.

Lloyds then had to be bailed out with 20.5 billion of taxpayer cash in 2008.

HBOS, formed from the merger of Halifax and Bank of Scotland in 2001, had said in 2008 it would be able to fund itself and did not expect market conditions to worsen, according to the FRC.

KPMG "considered and accepted this conclusion" and HBOS published its accounts in February 2008 on that basis, the FRC said.

The FRC added: "The evidence of market conditions at that time did not show this decision of HBOS or the auditors assessment of it to be unreasonable at the time.

"The extreme funding conditions which arose in October 2008 were not anticipated."

The FRC said it conducted a "thorough" investigation, which saw it liaise with other regulators and gather expert advice from independent and experienced lawyers and audit professionals.

KPMG said : "We are pleased that the FRC has reached this conclusion after a thorough investigation.

"We have always maintained that our audit was robust and undertaken in accordance with the regulations and practice of the time."

It added industry-wide efforts have been made to improve auditing of banks.

KPMG said: "The collapse of HBOS and other examples of corporate failure and fraud in the last decade have highlighted a gap between what society expects of an audit and what an audit has been designed to do.

"Since 2008, whilst we recognise that there is more to be done, we have worked hard to contribute positively to this debate and have explored ways to close the expectation gap."

A damning review of the HBOS saga by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), which was published in November 2015, put the blame firmly on the banks executives.

It said they were "ultimately responsible" for the demise of HBOS.

Only one former HBOS executive has so far been punished and was fined 500,000 and banned for life from the industry in 2011.
A 31-year-old man, who was charged after a pipe-bomb was found by a child under a prison officers car, has been sent forward for trial to the circuit court in Dublin, writes Tom Tuite.

Mark OShea, who is of no fixed abode but originally from Cork, is accused of unlawful possession of explosives at St Aidans Park on June 11 last when an army bomb disposal unit was called out to remove a suspicious device.

Dublin District Court had refused jurisdiction to hear the case after an outline of the evidence was given. This means he will face trial in the circuit court which has tougher sentencing powers.

Garda Sergeant Liam Donoghue had told the court it was alleged the accused walked into the driveway of the house with a pipe bomb in a bag and left it under a car.

The device was found by a child, aged 8, who picked it up and brought it inside to his grandparents who looked at it and handed it to another man.

He began to open it and ball bearings fell out at which the house was evacuated.

The accused, who is in custody on remand, faced his latest hearing at Cloverhill District Court on Tuesday when he was served with a book of evidence by Garda Sergeant Donoghue.

Judge Blake made the order sending him forward for trial at the next term of the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. His next hearing will take place on Oct. 27, the judge said.

Mr OShea was warned that he must notify the prosecution within 14 days if he intended to use an alibi in his defence. The man spoke once saying, yes when asked if he understood.

At his first hearing Garda Sergeant Donoghue had told the court that Mr OShea make no reply when charged.

The offence is contrary to the Explosive Act as amended by the Offences Against the State Act.
Ibrahim Halawa's solicitor says there is no reason he cannot be home in Ireland by next week.

The 21-year-old Irish man was acquitted in Egypt yesterday after waiting four years behind bars for his trial to conclude.
Party celebrants could soon be faced with a fine if they launch balloons into the air in Co Cork, writes Sean ORiordan of the Irish Examiner.

Cork County Councils Environment Directorate has backed a request from a councillor to draw up bylaws to prevent the release of balloons because when they burst and fall back to earth they present a potentially deadly threat to wildlife.

Independent councillor Marcia DAlton, who proposed the bylaws, denied being a party-pooper, saying there were good reasons for imposing a ban.

She said that up to 95% of released balloons rise to an altitude of 8km where the pressure and temperature cause them to burst into small fragments. The remainder do not make it that high and can float many miles before descending back to the land or sea, semi-inflated.

Balloons can be made of either mylar or latex, said Ms DAlton. Mylar is a plastic and simply doesnt biodegrade. Latex in the natural state is biodegradable but balloons on land can take six months to biodegrade and 12 months at sea.

On land balloon fragments can harm wildlife, domestic animals and livestock.

In the sea turtles, birds and other surface-feeding animals can mistake floating balloons for jellyfish and may eat them. Balloons can directly cause a slow and miserable death by blocking the digestive tract, eventually leading to starvation.

Ms DAlton, who is an environmental engineer, won the backing of her colleagues for the bylaws at a meeting of the county councils Southern Division.

This story first appeared in today's Irish Examiner.
By Noel Baker

The vast majority of farmers are opposed to a state visit to Ireland by US president Donald Trump, with an opinion poll also finding a majority of rural dwellers believing he will damage Americas global standing.

The Irish Examiner/ICMSA poll also shows that despite these misgivings, 63% of farmers are in favour of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar visiting the White House for the annual St Patricks Day ceremonies.

Earlier this month, the Taoiseach told The New York Times it would be rude not to invite Mr Trump to Ireland, given he will be travelling to Washington next March.

Prior to being elected Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach, Mr Varadkar had said he wouldnt be keen on a state visit from Mr Trump.

That is still the prevailing view among farm families. The poll, conducted at agricultural shows across the country in August, shows that 53% of respondents disagreed that Mr Trump should be welcomed here, with 28% strongly disagreeing with the idea of a state visit.

Just 30% agreed with the idea of a state visit.

Digging deeper in the data, 40% of women were strongly opposed to a visit to Ireland by Mr Trump  a higher level of opposition than found among men, where 25% were strongly opposed and 51% were against the idea.

As for age groups, the strongest level of opposition to a US presidential visit to Ireland was among those aged 35 to 44, with 58% of respondents disagreeing with that proposition. The age group with the highest percentage of respondents strongly in favour of a state visit was that aged under 35, at 13%.

The poll was conducted at some of the largest agricultural shows in the country and respondents at Limerick Show, located close to Shannon Airport, had the lowest level of support for a presidential visit, at just 18%.

Just 5% of those polled disagreed with the statement that Trumps presidency will damage Americas reputation abroad, with 75% of respondents agreeing with the view that the US president will damage his countrys international reputation. Some 44% of those polled strongly agreed with that sentiment.

This chimes with an overall view that the Trump presidency will harm Americas reputation abroad. There is little divergence between respondents in terms of their farming background or farm size on this question, while in terms of age groups this view is strongest among those in the 45-54 group, at 81%.

As for the annual White House pageantry in March, 63% of farmers said the Taoiseach should visit Mr Trump on St Patricks Day, with 19% disagreeing.

Older farmers, particularly those aged 55 and over, are most in favour, at 68%, whereas the level of support is lowest at 53% among those aged 35 to 44. Support is also strongest among tillage and livestock farmers, and less pronounced among dairy and other farmers.

ICMSA president John Comer said the poll showed that farmers valued stability, continuity, and a conciliatory approach to leadership.

We do think that farmers really value a constructive attitude where you act as a team or a community  this might have something to do with the old meitheal concept where farm families came together and worked through everyones harvests as a group and in an agreed order, he said.

Perhaps farmers see President Trumps perceived attitudes to minorities and the way he seems to divide societies and a politics that seems to pit one group against another.

As for the traditional White House visit Mr Comer said farmers differentiate between the individual and the state and they want our traditionally close ties of family and friendship with the United States to be absolutely maintained.

Im glad to see that this practical distinction is borne out. I do not subscribe to the idea of tokenistic or symbolic snubs of the kind represented by not visiting the White House on St Patricks Day or not extending an invitation to the president to visit us in turn.

Many families in Ireland, my own included, have relations in the United States and we should be meticulous in making sure that whatever disagreements we have with the approach of a particular incumbent that that can never be interpreted as a disagreement with the United States itself or its people, he said.

This story first appeared in the Irish Examiner.
Update 5.53pm: A fire which has left a mother and three young children in hospital is now being treated as suspicious, according to investigating Gardai.

The fire occured at a flat at Tyrone Place, Inchicore around 11pm. The family were unable to get out of the flat as their only exit, the front door, was blocked.

The woman, in her 30s and named locally as Maggie Greene, was rescued from the first floor of the complex in the Inchicore area of Dublin but was fighting for her life at St James's Hospital.

An 8-year-old male and a 12 year old male were taken to Crumlin Childrens hospital where the 8 year old is described as being in a critical condition.

A 7-year-old girl was taken to Temple Street Hospital for treatment.

This incident is now being treated as suspicious.

The scene has been preserved and a technical examination is ongoing.

Investigating Gardai are seeking witnesses to this incident or to anyone who was in the vicinity of Tyrone place between 10.30pm and 12 midnight on yesterdays date ( 18/9/17) to contact them at Kilmainham Garda Station on 01- 666 9700, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

Scene of house fire in Inchicore in which four people including children were injured pic.twitter.com/7UmfazUPsN  Nicole Gernon (@nicole_gernon) September 19, 2017

Update 3.23pm: Neighbours have spoken out about helping to rescue a family who were caught up in a fire at their Inchicore flat.

A woman and her eight year old son are in a critical condition following the blaze while her two other children have non life threatening injuries.

A witness has described hearing the woman screaming for help.

"She was screaming for help, it was awful," she said.

"It was the quickest I've ever seen a fire brigade getting onto a scene but the neighbours came first with a ladder to help her.

"It was the most shocking thing I've seen in all my life."

5 fire engines & 5 ambulances are attending a domestic #fire in #Inchicore, 3 people have been rescued. Units from D'Barn & Tara St on scene pic.twitter.com/IIQ5SQpZwP  Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) September 18, 2017

Update - 9.05am: A woman and a child are in a critical condition following a fire in Inchicore.

The woman in her 30s and an eight-year-old boy are critical while a 13-year-old boy and seven-year-old girl were also injured.

It is understood the woman is the mother of the two younger children.

Gardai said she was critically ill in St James's Hospital.

Her eight-year-old son was taken to Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin where he was said to be also fighting for his life. The teenage boy was being treated in the same hospital.

The seven-year-old girl was taken to Temple Street Children's Hospital.

Earlier: Four people have been rescued from a fire in Inchicore in Dublin.

It is understood it broke out at around 11.15pm at an apartment block on Tyrone Place.

Five units of Dublin Fire Brigade attended the scene.

A woman in her 30s and three children are said to be in a serious condition in hospital.
Update 10.22am: Aung San Suu Kyi has defended her country's actions against the country's Muslim Rohingya minority, as international pressure to end the violence grows.

Representatives of Britain, United States, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Denmark have raised the issue with Burma's national security adviser on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Ms Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize winner, has chosen to stay away from the gathering but used a speech in Burma to respond to the outcry over the situation.

As #UNGA begins, almost 400,000 refugees flee ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. Refugees need a response & solutions now. https://t.co/RzonL7KPYc pic.twitter.com/T9lN9iBeMa  Amnesty International USA (@amnestyusa) September 18, 2017

Meanwhile, Ms Suu Kyi faced being stripped of the freedom of Oxford, the city where she studied and lived, as the council leader and lord mayor said she had "failed to live up to the reputation and beliefs we associated with you".

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled Burma to neighbouring Bangladesh following a military crackdown, but Ms Suu Kyi told foreign diplomats gathered in the Burmese capital Naypyidaw that "more than half" of their villages were not affected by the violence.

She invited diplomats to visit those settlements so they could learn, along with the government, "why are they not at each other's throats in these particular areas".

Ms Suu Kyi said: "I understand that many of our friends throughout the world are concerned by reports of villages being burned and of hordes of refugees fleeing.

"There have been no conflicts since September 5 and no clearance operations. We too are concerned, we want to find out what the real problems are."

Ms Suu Kyi read philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at St Hugh's College, Oxford, between 1964 and 1967, and spent much of the 1980s living in the city with her husband, Tibetan scholar Michael Aris and their two sons, Kim and Alexander.

During her long campaign for democracy in Burma she was awarded the freedom of the city in 1997, an honour she was able to accept in person in 2012.

In an open letter, Oxford City Council's leader Bob Price and Lord Mayor Jean Fooks said the city was home to a "wide range of faith communities" and "we know that you have in the past aspired to promote similar tolerance and inclusion" in Burma.

.@GreenJeanMEP has urged a strong response to the #Rohingya crisis from UNHCR, the EU and its member states - "don't let them off the hook". pic.twitter.com/XJDKZCpxxd  Jean Lambert Office (@OfficeGreenJean) September 19, 2017

"So we are shocked at the ethnic cleansing now taking place in your country."

Tom Hayes, a councillor on Oxford's executive board, said: "Unless she acts, we'll withdraw her freedom of the city."

Mr Mitchell, who became the first British minister in a generation to make a full official visit to Burma in 2011, defended the British military's training role.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "This is a contract for training troops at a very early stage, it's meant to address issues of respect for human rights and the treatment of civilians.

"This is clearly an absolutely critical area and I think Britain should get involved in that, it's at an early stage and if we can have some influence then I think it's most important."

Mr Mitchell added that when he met Ms Suu Kyi he "saw her enormous moral authority and the reverence with which she is held in Burma".

"I'm extremely disturbed she is not using that moral authority to condemn what is effectively ethnic cleansing," he added.

Deen Mohammed Noori, director at the Arakan Rohingya Organisation UK, told the same programme: "We Rohingya people expected from her to speak out and that she will start condemning this genocide that has taken place in Rakhine state."

- Press Association

Update - 8.49am: Amnesty International has accused Myanmar's government of "burying their heads in the sand" over the Rohingya crisis.

Earlier: Aung San Suu Kyi has spoken out about the Rohingya refugee crisis in a live address on television.

The Burma leader defended her country against international criticism over an exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, saying that most of their villages remain intact, and that it is important to understand why conflict did not break out everywhere.

The Nobel Peace laureate's global image has been damaged by violence since Rohingya insurgents attacked Burma security forces on August 25.

More than 400,000 Rohingya fled their villages, many of which were burned. The government blamed the Rohingya themselves, but members of the persecuted minority said soldiers and Buddhist mobs attacked them.

Live: Aung San Suu Kyi delivers speech addressing violence against Rohingya Muslims and refugees #AungSanSuuKyi https://t.co/j7zp4HUGmG  CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) September 19, 2017

Ms Suu Kyi told foreign diplomats gathered in Naypyitaw that "more than half" of Rohingya villages were not affected by the violence.

She invited the diplomats to visit those villages so they could learn, along with the government, "why are they not at each other's throats in these particular areas".

Her address came after a human rights organisation warned Rohingya Muslims were being wiped off the map in Burma.

The Arakan Project, which works to improve conditions for the ethnic minority, is documenting attacks on the three townships in the northern Rakhine state where Rohingya are concentrated.

It found that almost every tract of villages in Maungdaw had suffered some burning, and that all of Maungdaw had been almost completely abandoned by Rohingya.

Most Rohingya villages in Rathedaung, to the north, were targeted. So were three camps for Rohingya displaced in communal riots five years ago. Buthidaung, to the east, has so far been largely spared.

AP
Update 4.10pm: President Donald Trump, in a combative debut speech to the UN general assembly, threatened the total destruction of North Korea if it does not abandon its drive toward nuclear weapons.

Mr Trump, who has ramped up his rhetoric throughout the escalating crisis with North Korea, told the murmuring crowd at the UN that "it is far past time for the nations of the world to confront" Kim Jong Un and said Mr Kim's "reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons" poses a threat to "the entire world with an unthinkable loss of human life".

"Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime," Mr Trump said about the North Korean leader.

He said of the US: "If it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

Mr Trump, who has previously warned of "fire and fury" if Pyongyang does not back down, claimed "no one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the wellbeing of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea".

And he scolded nations that he said have enabled and traded with North Korea, seeming to slight China, though he did not mention it by name.

Elected on the nationalist slogan America First, Mr Trump argued that individual nations should act in their own self-interest, yet rally together when faced with a common threat.

In addition to North Korea, Mr Trump urged nations to join together to stop Iran's nuclear programme.

He declared the Iran nuclear deal an "embarrassment" for the United States.

He also condemned the "loser terrorists" who have committed violence across the globe.

US President Donald Trump says "rogue nations" pose a threat to the world, in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly pic.twitter.com/CNpJojcNaq  AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 19, 2017

Addressing the general assembly is a milestone moment for any president, but one particularly significant for Mr Trump, a relative newcomer to foreign policy who has at times rattled the international community with his unpredictability.

He has pulled the US out of multinational agreements, considered shrinking the US military footprint in the world and deployed bombastic language on North Korea that has been criticised by other world leaders.

Mr Trump frequently belittled the UN as a candidate and some within his White House believe the UN acts as a global bureaucracy that infringes on the sovereignty of individual countries.

But the president stood before world leaders and a global audience and declared that UN members, acting as a collection of self-interested nations, should unite to confront global dangers.

"I will always put American first. Just like you, the leaders of your countries, should and always put your countries first," said Mr Trump, who assured the UN that the US would not abdicate its leadership position in the world but needed other countries to contribute more.

"The US will forever be a great friend to the world and especially to its allies," the Republican president said.

"But we can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal in which the United States gets nothing in return."

 Donald Trump at The UN General Assembly: The Iran Deal is "an embarrassment to the United States" https://t.co/BRqkLebq05 pic.twitter.com/LcQUXW6ErE  FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) September 19, 2017

World leaders, many of whom will be seeing Mr Trump in person for the first time, are bound to take the measure of the man and study his every word for clues on how he views the US role in the world and within the UN.

While running for office, Mr Trump had labelled the UN weak and incompetent.

He has suggested it was "not a friend" to the United States or democracy while deriding it as "a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time".

He thundered often about putting "America first", and has withdrawn from what he considered multilateral agreements that he found unfavourable to the United States, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

He also announced his intention to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, which would leave the US one of only three countries outside the pact.

Aides have since suggested Mr Trump would be willing to renegotiate terms of the deal but European leaders have dismissed that approach.

Mr Trump has also frequently questioned the value of a robust American presence around the world.

When briefed on the government's diplomatic, military and intelligence posts, the new president would often cast doubt on the need for all the resources.

Some aides have suggested that Mr Trump employs "principled realism", making global decisions based on the best outcome for the United States.

The administration has also shied away from talk of nation-building or creating democracies through the use of the US military.

But Mr Trump has softened his rhetoric about the United Nations since taking office and cheered the recent Security Council resolution that approved new sanctions against North Korea.

- Associated Press

Update 3.45pm: Donald Trump has threatened to "totally destroy North Korea" if the US is forced to defend itself or allies against aggression in a strongly worded address to the general assembly of the United Nations.

Mr Trump, speaking in his home city of New York, also took aim at Iran in his speech at the world body's headquarters.

The US president described North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "rocket man on a suicide mission" following a series of weapons tests by the Pyongyang regime.

He also said the Iranian government was running an "economically depleted rogue state" whose chief export is violence.

Mr Trump signalled a stronger approach to Tehran, questioning the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran struck by his predecessor.

He said world leaders "cannot abide" by the agreement if it "provides cover" for Iran to eventually build its nuclear programme.

The US administration last week extended sanctions relief to Iran, avoiding imminent action that could implode the landmark agreement.

Update 2pm: Watch live coverage of the speeches, including Donald Trump's, at the 72nd United Nations General Assembly debate.

More than 100 world leaders, thousands of diplomats and advocates will convene in New York City from 19-25 September 2017. This years theme is Focusing on people  striving for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet.

Earlier: Formed in 1945, the United Nations General Assembly bills itself as the "chief deliberative, policy-making, and representative organ" of the global organisation.

The summit draws world leaders from all 193 member states and seeks to tackle issues like peace, security and development at the UNs headquarters in New York.

In theory, it is the most egalitarian of the UNs six main arms and operates under the principle of "one nation, one vote" on a litany of resolutions brought forward by different countries.

Decisions on the most important questions, like the admission of new members and approving the budget, require a two-thirds majority - while other motions need a simple majority.

All eyes will be on Donald Trump as he makes his debut address to the 72nd session of the Assembly today (2pm GMT) - a milestone for any US president.

Mr Trump, a frequent critic of the UN during his campaign for office, will use the speech to argue nations should act with self-interest, but work together against common enemies like North Korea.

In remarks to the world body on Monday, he criticised its bureaucracy and budgeting but pledged the US would be "partners in your work" in driving forward as an effective force for global stability.

Meanwhile, British PM Theresa May will hold one-on-one talks with a number of international leaders as part of her drive to promote "global Britain", as well as leading a session devoted to tackling the problem of modern slavery.

The Prime Minister will make her second address to the Assembly on Wednesday, having used last years speech to stress that Britain would remain global after Brexit.

Powers granted to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) under the UN Charter include;

:: Considering and approving the United Nations budget and establishing the financial assessments of member states;

:: Considering and making recommendations on the general principles of cooperation for maintaining international peace and security, including disarmament;

:: Making recommendations for the peaceful settlement of any situation that might impair friendly relations among countries.

It may also "take action in cases of a threat to the peace, breach of peace or act of aggression, when the Security Council has failed to act owing to the negative vote of a permanent member".

A new president is sworn in every year to preside over the forum - and this year it is Slovakian diplomat Miroslav Lajcak.

The Assembly meets intensively from September to December every year - and then from January as required until all issues on the agenda are addressed.

Regular sessions begin on the Tuesday of the third week of September and general debates with world leaders will run until September 25 this year.

Throughout its history, the Assembly has made political, economic, social and legal decisions "which have affected the lives of millions of people", the UN said, citing the Millennium Declaration as an example of its best work.

The declaration outlined commitment to freedom, equality, tolerance, solidarity, respect for nature and shared responsibility as six values fundamental to international relations in the 21st Century, the UN said.

- Press Association
In a first for the University of Bristol, Vice-Chancellor Professor Hugh Brady today signed an agreement with Australias Macquarie University to offer a programme of Dual Doctoral Awards, providing cross-global training opportunities for post-graduate researchers.

Macquarie University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bruce S Dowton, and a delegation of university leaders and senior academics, visited Bristol for the signing of the landmark agreement and high-level talks about potential academic collaborations.

Like Bristol, Macquarie University is a research-intensive university. The Sydney-based institution is the fourth largest university in Australia and is consistently ranked in Australias top ten universities.

The Bristol-Macquarie Cotutelle programme will fully fund up to 25 postgraduates over five years, who will spend two years at each institution, resulting in a PhD from both partners.

The two universities have an established history of successful collaboration: they have co-authored more than 40 research publications since 2014 and currently partner on a thriving undergraduate student exchange programme.

University of Bristol Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hugh Brady, said:

It is a great honour to welcome Professor Dowton and colleagues to the University of Bristol today. The signing of this agreement heralds a new chapter in our successful partnership with Macquarie University and opens up a wealth of new, global opportunities for both universities.

Bristol, like Macquarie, is a global institution and we are united in seeing internationalisation as key to addressing the challenges facing society today. The agreement is a first for Bristol  and a symbol of our commitment to developing similar partnerships with leading institutions, scholars and collaborators across the world.

Macquarie University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bruce S Dowton said the PhD partnership symbolised the global connectedness of universities, and education:

Our partnership with the University of Bristol will enable a new generation of researchers to make an even greater impact on the world, connected not only by collaborative research projects, and student exchange, but by shared values and a vision of education better connecting communities and transforming lives.

Dr. Terry McMaster, Director of the Bristol Doctoral College, which conceived and co-managed the project with Macquarie, said:

"The Cotutelle projects will simultaneously grow our PhD population and build research capacity, and do this in a sustainable, international and cost-efficient way. Already Macquarie and Bristol academics are co-evolving projects for joint recruitment this year.
Sydney-based mortgage broker and finance consultant Australian Financial Market has commenced an expansion phase after success in its financial planning division brought in more leads than the firm could handle.The leads have become a bit of a hurdle believe it or not, Australian Financial Market director Abdul Hawat told Australian Broker. So were looking at growing the team by putting another few brokers on board.At present, Hawat works alongside another senior broker and a support broker with the hope to expand this team by a further two brokers over the next month or so.The volumes just got to the stage which takes us off the road completely. I think weve got five applications that have got to be lodged today. Hence, were trying to put more people on board and take that pressure off our backs.Hawat has been a director of the financial planning practice for five years. This arm is now moving forwards at full steam under the old fashioned call centre model and an in-office customer service team, he said.A fair bit of growth is also coming through the mortgage space in addition to the firms financial planning division, Hawat said.Weve got a book thats been around for 11 years now. More importantly, weve got a big database of 60,000 leads who keep calling us wanting to do bits and pieces here and there.Hawat said he would be open to bringing on new-to-industry brokers as well as those with a bit more experience.Were happy to give someone an opportunity to come in and learn. Well assist people with getting their accreditation and learning how to work with credit to become a fully licensed broker within time.The staff, attitude and commitment were behind the rapid growth at Australian Financial Market, Hawat said. Brokers employed by the firm will also be given excellent lead generation opportunities, he added.The number of appointments and leads provided is unmatched in my opinion. In this industry, anyone can go in and start their own business. You can get your Cert IV, be mentored by someone, get your accreditation through an aggregator, and then go source your own leads. The hardest part is a lot of people cant afford to spend enough money up front to generate leads.Australian Financial Market spends hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in lead generation in addition to extra support measures such as training, Hawat said.At the same time, its an attractive remuneration where we pay upfront and also a trail. There are a lot of companies that provide leads which dont pay trail.
Australias largest credit union CUA has reported that more than one in four of its loans came through the broker channel throughout the 2017 financial year.The credit union provides members with a choice of home loan channels and brokers continue to be an important part of that mix, CUA national manager of broker Natasha Kelso told Australian Broker.Around 41% of CUAs mortgage lending was broker originated in FY17, which was relatively consistent with the previous year. We will continue to work closely with our growing network of more than 1,100 brokers to ensure we offer a consistent, high-level of service that matches their needs, she said.In total, $2.81bn of new loans was issued during FY17 with $1.64bn originated in the second half. This rebounded from the $1.17bn issued in the first half when CUA was impacted by extremely competitive market conditions as well as an active refinance market.The lacklustre first half means that total volumes of new loans actually fell by 4.0% year-on-year.The credit union brought in $2.53bn of new lending through owner occupier and investment loans while personal loan originations stood at $257m  a 37.9% increase on the previous financial year.Total loans under management were also up 3.0% at $11.53bn.Net interest income for FY17 sat at $239m, an increase of 2.9% from last year. This reflected greater volumes of interest revenue flowing from the lenders loan book, said CEO Rob Goudswaard.CUA Groups net profit after tax (NPAT) was $55.87m  an increase of 8.1% from the previous years results.The credit union brought in 13,400 new banking members during FY17, bringing the total number to just over 453,000.Over the past year, we helped nearly 10,000 members to buy or refinance their home or an investment property. We also assisted more than 12,000 members with things like buying a new car, taking a holiday or undertaking a renovation, setting a new CUA record for personal loans, Goudswaard said.
Eagles can tie franchise record, but first they have to fix one issue
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
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...
Campus News

She Persists symposium highlights women innovators

By SUE WUETCHER

Persistence is a feminist practice, one that has ruffled feathers as well as achieved major victories. And what is interesting is to see how women leaders today negotiate this legacy. 

Nineteenth-century inventor and visionary Nikola Tesla is being honored on Sept. 22 at the inaugural Buffalo Niagara Tesla Festival.

That celebration of Tesla best known for his design of the modern AC electrical system and efforts to harness Niagara Falls hydropower  prompted Carrie Tirado Bramen, associate professor of English and director of UBs Gender Institute, and Kelly Hayes McAlonie, director of UBs Capital Planning Group, to reflect on the wealth of local women innovators during that same time period. And they wondered: What about the women?

To address that question, the Gender Institute will present She Persists: Women Innovators in Buffalo, Then and Now, a symposium celebrating the accomplishments of major women in Buffalos past, as well as prominent women in the community today. It will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 26 in the Greatbatch Pavilion at the Darwin Martin House, 125 Jewett Parkway, Buffalo.

The event is free and open to the public; RSVP for lunch to rburke2@buffalo.edu.

The symposium is associated with the Tesla festival, and is also part of programming celebrating the Gender Institutes 20th anniversary.

Although the Tesla festival provided the impetus for the symposium, organizers decided to advance the idea of women innovators beyond the 19th century by featuring women who are carrying on this legacy today, Bramen says.

The symposiums morning session will focus on women innovators of the late 19th-century. Among them are Louise Bethune, Americas first professional female architect who designed Buffalos Lafayette Hotel; social services pioneer Maria Love, who opened the first day care center for poor working women in the U.S. in 1881 at 159 Swan St. in Buffalo; and urban reformer Harriet Townsend, founder of the Womens Educational and Industrial Union of Buffalo in 1884 and for whom UBs Townsend Hall was named.

The session will be led by McAlonie, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects who has worked to promote the work and legacy of Louise Bethune, and Despina Stratigakos, UB professor of architecture and an expert on women and diversity in architecture.

The symposium will turn during the afternoon session to four prominent contemporary women in Buffalo: Norma Nowak, executive director of UBs New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, and a pioneer in human genomics research; Joan Bozer, longtime Erie County lawmaker; Rahwa Ghirmatzion, an environmental activist and deputy director of PUSH Buffalo; and preservationist Bernice Radle, owner of Buffalove Development and a member of the Buffalo Zoning Board of Appeals.

Teresa Miller, vice provost for equity and inclusion, will moderate a panel discussion featuring the contemporary innovators.

Bramen says the panelists will talk about their mentors, the challenges women in general face today, their own personal and professional challenges, the notion of women in the public sphere having to grow a thick skin, and advice they have for young women.

To bring some immediacy to the event, Bramen says the title of the symposium references Nevertheless, she persisted  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells explanation for using a little-know Senate rule to silence Sen. Elizabeth Warren while she was delivering a speech last winter criticizing then-attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions. But, Bramen points out, the idea of women persisting has a much longer history.

Suffragettes such as Susan B. Anthony were commended by some women for their persistence  and criticized by others for being overly insistent, she notes.

Persistence is a feminist practice, she argues, one that has ruffled feathers as well as achieved major victories. And what is interesting is to see how women leaders today negotiate this legacy.

Bramen says former University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman came up with the phrase relentlessly pleasant to describe her leadership style, which combines feminine niceness with persistence.

One goal of the symposium, she says, will be to discuss the theme of persistence in terms of women and leadership today.
Information for Parents and Family

Welcome to the UB family. As your student enjoys this new and exciting time in their lives, its important to remember that you still have a critical role in providing the support they need to thrive. We look forward to working together to promote your students academic success, encourage their personal growth, and help them learn how to face new challenges and opportunities on their own.

Campus-Wide Resources

Were here to help parents and families of enrolled UB students by providing information about campus resources, offering advice about common student transition issues, answering your questions and making referrals to other departments on campus.

Preparing Students for Success

College is an exciting time for students to grow, learn and have new experiences. Here, they can learn how to deal with challenges  both big and small  and discover how to rely on themselves, make smart decisions and find the resources they need.

Helping Your Student Become a Mature, Independent Adult

At UB, we encourage you to let your student address the questions and concerns they may have. In our experience, most students appreciate the opportunity to be more independent and resourceful, once theyre given the chance. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are essential to ensure success in college and beyond, and building these skills starts with students who advocate for themselves and seek out what they need.

As a family member, you have a critical role in helping your student acquire the life skills that will continue to serve them long after they leave UB. We are here to give you the resources and support you can use to help your student thrive at UB  and far beyond.
The London Assemblys proposal to focus on building offsite manufactured homes to help it deliver the 50,000 new dwellings it needs every year has been welcomed by pan European insulation specialist Actis.

Actis has for some time been a champion of increasing the number of timber framed homes produced in the UK both to help speed up the build process and address the issues thrown up by the diminishing number of skilled trades people able to carry out tasks required by the traditional house building industry.

Regional Sales Director Jemma Harris says if the measures outlined in the London Assemblys recent planning committee report Designed, sealed, delivered  The contribution of offsite manufactured homes to solving Londons housing crisis  are adopted it should go a long way to providing much need new homes  with the added bonus of new career opportunities and reduced fuel bills for Londoners.

Building a timber frame house is around 30% faster than making one from brick and block. With a shrinking workforce and the likelihood that this situation will worsen in the light of Brexit, the off site option is a sensible way forward, Jemma said.

Elements such as wiring, plumbing and insulation take place in the factory - our insulation systems take between 25 and 50% less time to install than traditional alternatives  which all helps to speed up the process.

London Assembly planning committee chairman Nicky Gavron said in the report: Construction within a factory environment achieves quality control that ensures fast builds and lengthy lifespan. Once delivered to site they can be up in a matter of days or weeks, a vital advantage given the acute scale of demand London faces.

The Farmer Review has highlighted the skills challenge an ageing construction workforce and Brexit pose for housebuilding. Offsite manufacturing offers the opportunity for ambitious job creation.

Making homes in this way produces significant environmental benefits, from reduced deliveries, traffic and dust in construction to an outstanding energy performance. It also offers residents significant reductions in bills, removing many from fuel poverty.

Moving production from the construction site to a factory environment has many other benefits, especially in attracting a new demographic to the industry and diversifying the workforce. Being able to offer professional 'careers' in a permanent place of work should help the industry attract a broader pool of talent - especially women and young people.
How international students in South Jersey celebrate the holidays

South Jersey's international students share how they cope when they can't make it home for the holidays by finding new ways to celebrate the season.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has this week published new details of the findings against a group of six Burnham-On-Sea estate agencies which fixed commission rates.

The agencies  all based in the town  agreed to fix their minimum commission at 1.5 per cent.

The CMA has this week released new background information on the 2015 case for the first time as part of a reminder to all agents not to act uncompetitively.

The CMA says: By publishing our findings in this recent investigation, the CMA reveals exactly what the agents involved did, and is also reminding others to comply with competition law and avoid being fined.

A group of estate agents  all based in Burnham-On-Sea  had a meeting and agreed to fix their minimum commission rates at 1.5% with the aim of making the agents involved more money, so denying local home owners the chance of getting a better deal when selling their property.

With a bit of talking and cooperation between us, we all win! was their rationale. Email evidence also explained how the aim of the meeting will be to drive the fee level up to 1.5% and its really important we all give it the priority it deserves (making as much as profit as possible!).

At the meeting they agreed to form what is known as an illegal cartel  when two or more businesses agree not to compete with each other.

The estate agents took steps to ensure the minimum fee agreement was kept to by emailing each other when a specific issue arose, such as accusations of cheating on their agreement.

Each business also took it in turn to police the cartel to make sure everyone was sticking to the agreement  parties were to report any issues to the policeman immediately and get the matter resolved rather than let it fester and risk the agreement falling apart!'

Stephen Blake, Senior Director of Cartel Enforcement, added: Cartels are a form of cheating. They are typically carried out in secret to make you think you are getting a fair deal, even though the businesses involved are conspiring to keep prices high.

We are committed to tackling cartels regardless of the size of the businesses involved. We have taken action against estate agents before, and remain committed to tackling competition law issues in the sector.

James Munro, head of the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team, said: We welcome the CMAs reminder to the property sector of the importance of competition law. Being part of a cartel can have serious consequences for both businesses and individuals, so it is crucial that estate agents are aware of their competition law obligations.

As the industry regulator we use cases like this as a trigger to assess the fitness of an individual or business to engage in estate agency work. This can lead to a formal warning or lifetime ban in engaging in this work.

On 31st May, the CMA issued a decision finding that 6 estate agents had infringed competition law. The CMA imposed fines totalling 370,084 on Abbott and Frost Estate Agents Limited, Gary Berryman Estate Agents Ltd (and its ultimate parent company Warne Investments Limited), Greenslade Taylor Hunt, Saxons PS Limited and West Coast Property Services (UK) Limited.

The sixth party, Annagram Estates Limited (trading as CJ Hole), has not been fined as it was the first undertaking to confess its participation in the arrangement under the CMAs leniency policy and co-operated with the CMAs investigation.

Fines for Abbott and Frost, Gary Berryman, Greenslade Taylor Hunt and West Coast include a discount to reflect savings due to their admissions and co-operation with the CMA under settlement agreements. Fines for West Coast and GTH also include reductions for leniency under the CMAs leniency policy.
Eighteen outlets of fast-food major McDonald's have reopened in New Delhi on Tuesday even as joint venture partners Vikram Bakshi and McDonald's India Pvt Ltd (MIPL) remain embroiled in a dispute.
After discontinuing the sale of its unique stent, Absorb, plans to launch a second-generation variety of the product soon in the Indian market.

The company was working on the new stent called Falcon, said a company official. No launch date has been finalised for the product and it is still in the research stage, added the official.

The official said, We are working on the strut thickness to ensure that doctors are comfortable using it. The thickness of Absorb was such that doctors found it difficult to use.

The official argued that most doctors arent specialised to use Absorb and that if the thickness alters, it would be easier to implant the fully-absorbable stent.

A recent study said that Absorb was not superior to Xience Everolimus-Eluting Stent. Stents are mesh tubes used to treat blocked arteries.

As a first-generation device, Absorb requires greater attention to procedural detail to optimise results, including sizing the vessel appropriately and post-dilatation.

Absorb contributed to only 1 per cent of Abbotts global sales. The company withdrew it from the market on September 9.

The official said the company was considering the move for a long time.

With the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) capping the prices of stents, the company will have to comply with pricing norms. Now all coronary stents in India are capped at a price of Rs 30,180.

Before the price cap, Absorb was sold at Rs 2 lakh. The NPPA had asked the manufacturer to prove Absorbs superiority over other stents to secure a better price.
In a fresh blow to incumbent mobile operators, including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has cut the interconnect usage charges (IUC, also known as terminating charges) by 57 per cent to 6 paise per minute effective October 1, from 14 paise currently. In two years, the charges would come down to zero, meaning there wont be any payment for calls landing on other telcos networks.
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.
Dual cameras have been a key feature defining the smartphone industry all this year. But Taiwanese electronics major Asus takes the dual-camera game to the next level with the Zenfone 4 Selfie series  three selfie-centric smartphones, two of which have dual front camera set-ups.
The Delhi High Court on Monday put on hold the trial court proceedings against Uber India in respect of prosecuting and impounding of vehicles operating under its banner, by the AAP government for alleged violation of licence conditions.
Aluminium major National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) has teamed up with two more central PSUs- Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) and Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd (MECL)- to explore acquisition options through a joint venture agreement.The three central PSUs entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday with the objective of making the country self-reliant in select areas, where it faces issues of scarcity or complete lack of availability. In this respect, the plan involves increasing the availability of 12 strategic minerals.The MoU was signed by the respective heads of the firms- T K Chand, chairman cum managing director (CMD), Nalco, Santosh Sharma, CMD at HCL and Gopal Dhawan, CMD of MECL.

"The objective of the MoU is to set up a joint venture (JV) company namely Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL) to identify, explore, acquire, develop and process strategic minerals overseas for commercial use and to meet the domestic requirements across the country. It will provide a boost to Centre's Make in India drive as well," said Nalco in a statement.
If declining profitability has been a concern for the telecom industry since Reliance Jio disrupted the market with deep discounts, now theres much more to worry. The latest numbers show that the top three telcosBharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellularhave together lost close to 5 million subscribers in August.
The Adani SEZ at Mundra, Gujarat, which houses two mega-power projects based on imported coal, is witnessing a mega-green plan. Adani Green Energy has set up a 1,200-Mw solar cells and modules facility at the SEZ, now up and running to meet the upcoming demand for solar panels.
A Boeing 737 plane, with 183 passengers on board from Varanasi, skidded off the runway while landing at the Mumbai airport due to heavy rains on Tuesday night. The incident took place at around 10 pm, and resulted in the suspension of operations at the Mumbai airport. According to initial information, no injuries were reported. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation will enquire into the cause of the incident. SG-703 overshot the runway 27 on landing, and stuck in mud at the Mumbai airport. There was no fire, a Mumbai International Airport spokesperson said. The alternative runway too could not be used, because of low visibility. A spokesperson said, During the landing, the aircraft overshot the runway and skidded off into the unpaved surface due to wet runway conditions. All passengers were deplaned safely and taken to the arrival hall.
Cadila Healthcare Limited (Zydus Cadila), has entered into an exclusive agreement for the technical know-how for varicella vaccine production in the Russian Federation with Pharm Aid Ltd, headquartered in Russia. Pharm Aid Ltd, has been set up by Nacimbio together with Ishvan Pharmaceuticals Ltd, for the localisation of innovative vaccine production in Russia.
The Delhi Police Special Cell on Monday nabbed an near the Shakarpur area in Delhi, with the police stating that he was fighting for the cause of Rohingyas.

Photo: Shutterstock

Addressing the media here, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Special Cell Pramod Kushwaha said that the terrorist, going by the name of Shumon Haq, had come to Delhi to collect some documents, through people he had a setting with.

"His main purpose was to set up a base in Mizoram and Manipur, where he would have identified local Muslim boys, recruit them and send them to Myanmar as he was basically espousing the cause of Rohingyas," DCP Kushwaha said.

DCP Kushwaha said that he was in touch with many people in India, where the police have identified a few of them, through him, but added that they are working on it.

A Special Cell team, which was headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Govind Sharma, Inspector Kailash Bisht, Ravinder Tyagi and Inspector Chouhan, had caught the yesterday evening.

"A pistol, four bullet cartridges, laptops, and a mobile phone, which has a Bangladeshi SIM card, was found with him," DCP Kushwaha said.

DCP Pramod Kushwaha has said that foreign currency of 2,000 dollars - Rs. 13,000 of about Indian and Bangladeshi currency were found with him.

"We caught a voter identity card of the Kishan Gunj area and it was later found that he is a British National, who has a Bangladeshi origin," DCP Kushwaha added.

DCP Kushwaha stated that the terrorist has been associated with Al-Qaeda since 2013.

"In 2013, he ran away to South Africa and joined an al-Qaeda franchise. After that, he went to Syria and joined al-Ashraf front," he said while addressing the media.

DCP Kushwaha said that Shumon Haq got a three-month training there after which he participated in battle with the Syrian forces as well.

"In 2014, he was sent to Bangladesh. His purpose there was to set up the base and recruit people there that had to be sent to fight the Myanmar Army," DCP Kushwaha added.

The DCP said that the terrorist was arrested in Bangladesh under the terror recruit charges where he was in jail from September 2014 to April 2017.

When he got out of the jail through bail, he was directed to come to India.

"He is in touch with a lot of Bangladeshis regarding the issue. He is a hardcore terrorist, who has been part of the battles," he further said.

DCP Kushwaha added that the caught terrorist had no intention of carrying out a blast in Delhi.

When asked how he was connected to so many people across India and Bangladesh, DCP Kushwaha said that he is "tech savvy" and said, "He was connected to them through the internet and knows how to have protective chats and use the internet under protective encryption."

He also stated that besides Delhi, he has touched West Bengal and is in touch with a few people in South India and West India.

"When he was arrested in Bangladesh, it was estimated that about a dozen people were radicalised," DCP Kushwaha said.

His real name is said to be Shami-Uh-Rehman and has claimed that people are going through a lot in Syria and so fought against President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

DCP Kushwaha said that the terrorist is being further interrogated.

(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.)
Majority of telecom operators will seek legal redressal against Indian telecom regulator's decision of slashing mobile termination charges to 6 paisa per minute from 14 paisa, Cellular Operators' Association of India's Director General Rajan S Mathews said.

"Clearly this is a disastrous tariff order. We have indicated earlier that the regulator has to be transparent about how it is arriving at a number. This massive reduction is disastrous for the financial health of the sector. Majority of our members will look for legal redressal," Mathews told IANS.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India further said it will phase out mobile termination charges by January 1, 2020.

Mathews also said that customers will not be benefitted from this.
Keeping an eye on the rising air traffic in the country, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has proposed a new greenfield international airport in Odisha.



Due to certain limitations in the expansion of the Biju Patnaik International Airport, building a new airport is significant to handle the potential surge in air traffic in future.
In June this year, about a hundred people from Nuagaon village near Indias east coast marched towards a wall that the Odisha government is building around a 1,700 hectare piece of land on the villages periphery. The wall would mark the inclusion of the land1,253 hectares of which is forest land and is under disputein the state governments land bank, thereby restricting locals access to an area where they have traditionally harvested betel leaves, rice and fish.
Filing returns through the GST portal has been a tedious exercise for many. The first of a two-part series looks at the challenges and the steps the govt has taken so far to iron out the issues.



In its 21st meeting on September 9 in Hyderabad, the Goods and Service Tax Council (GSTC) decided to constitute a group of ministers (GoM) to sort out the problems taxpayers faced in filing returns on the GST portal.
The US has resumed fast processing of H-1B work visas in all categories subject to Congress-mandated limit, five months after it was suspended temporarily to handle the huge rush of applications for the work visas popular among Indian IT professionals.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year.

Premium processing of H-1B visa was suspended in April to handle huge rush of new petitions.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) resumed premium processing yesterday for all H-1B visa petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 cap, a media release said.

The FY 2018 cap has been set at 65,000. Premium processing has also been resumed for the annual 20,000 additional petitions that are set aside to hire workers with a US higher educational degree, it said.

When a petitioner requests the agency's premium processing service, USCIS guarantees a 15-day processing time.

"If the 15- calendar day processing time is not met, the agency will refund the petitioner's premium processing service fee and continue with expedited processing of the application," the USCIS said.

It said adding that the service is only available for pending petitions, not new submissions, since USCIS received enough petitions in April to meet the FY 2018 cap.

In addition to resumption of premium processing for H-1B via petitions subject to the FY 2018 cap, USCIS previously resumed premium processing H-1B petitions filed on behalf of physicians under the Conrad 30 waiver programme, as well as interested government agency waivers and for certain H-1B petitions that are not subject to the cap.

"Premium processing remains temporarily suspended for all other H-1B petitions, such as extensions of stay," the USCIS said, adding that it plans to resume premium processing for all other remaining H-1B petitions not subject to the FY 2018 cap, as agency workloads permit.
The Modi administration in a bid to incentivise the use of digital transactions has doled out Rs 200 crore as cash rewards, government statistics show. The biggest beneficiaries of the governments largesse have been RuPay debit card holders. These debit cards were issued to 220 million people while opening their bank accounts under the Jan Dhan programme for getting Indias unbanked population into the formal banking sector.
Over 1,400 units, amounting to around three-fourths of the overall registered flour mills across the country, are facing the threat of closure due to the Goods and Services Tax's (GST's) ambit being expanded to all branded food products.
Have you faced a situation where a merchant, say, a grocer, has asked you to pay extra because you wanted to pay using a card? That is because for every card swipe at a point of sale (PoS) terminal, the grocer has to pay a fee that is calculated as a percentage of the transaction value. Now, the government is working to reduce Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges to encourage . Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said compulsion of going digital post note ban has become a habit and e-payments will gather pace on account of government initiatives and technology advancement. In view of this, the government has proposed that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cap the merchant discount rate (MDR) on debit card transactions at Rs 200, according to a report published in The Financial Express.

RBI is yet to release the final guidelines on MDR.

According to FE, the ministry of electronics and information technology had in February made a presentation to the central bank suggesting the MDR be rationalised on a net-cost plus basis with an upper limit of Rs 200.

What is MDR?

The MDR is the charge a merchant pays to a bank for availing of card transaction services. Currently, banks are allowed to charge an MDR no higher than 0.25% on transactions of up to Rs 1,000 and a maximum of 0.5% on transactions of values between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000. Bigger transactions attract an MDR of 1%.

Demonetisation days

On February 16, RBI had proposed to drastically cut MDR charges on debit card payments from April 1 with a view to maintain momentum of digital transactions post note ban, especially among small merchants.

For small merchants with an annual turnover of Rs 20 lakh and special category merchants, like utilities, insurance, mutual funds, educational institutions and government hospitals, the MDR charge has been proposed at 0.40 per cent of the transaction value.

Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charge, which is levied on debit card transaction, would be even less at 0.3 per cent if the transaction is through digital PoS (QR Code), the RBI had said in a draft circular on rationalisation of MDR for debit card transactions.

The existing MDR is capped at 0.75 per cent for transactions up to Rs 2,000 and 1 per cent for over Rs 2,000.
If India fails to stand with the Rohingya today, will it be able to claim tomorrow that it is rightfully with the people of Baluchistan or Tibet?
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on September 14, 2017 (Thursday) released the schedule for its 2018-19 entrance examination. A total of 720 seats for M Phil/ PhD courses, 459 for BA programs and 1,118 seats for MA, M.Sc, M.Tech and MPH courses are offered by the JNU. Because of reduction in the number of seats for M.Phil and PhD courses, teachers and students have risen against the administration. The newly elected JNU students union said that they will rise and fight against such cuts.
Since October 2014, when Swachch Bharat Abhiyan commenced, Siachen troops have removed and sent back more than 63 tons of garbage to the Base.

These loads of garbage include packing material, barrels and perishables. On arrival of the trash to disposal areas, these are buried in deep trenches dug mechanically in areas which are not on run of the rivers and where landmass is not fragile.
As a part of the ongoing Swachhata Hi Sewa" campaign around 50 officials/officers of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) visited NP Co-ed Sr. Sec. School at Tilak Marg here today to sensitise the children about Swachhta" and also to clear the premises of the School. .

.

From NDMC Shri Virender Singh, Director (Personnel) was present. Shri N.C. Joshi, Principal of the School welcomed the officials of DoPT and explained about the Swachhta related activities being carried out jointly with DoPT in the school premises. From DoPT, Shri Suresh Kumar and Shri D.K. Sengupta, both Deputy Secretaries and Shri Rajeshwar Lal and Smt. Manjula Juneja, both Under Secretaries, attended the event. .

.

The children, along with teachers of the school, played two short Nukkad Natak" on Swachhta. Thereafter, a pledge on Swachhta was taken and officials appended their signature on the pledge board to mark the event. A short presentation was arranged on this occasion by the school regarding usage of Smart Boards which have been installed in all class rooms for digital knowledge of the subject matter and technology as well. .

.

The e-library of the school i.e. e-Granthalaya" was inaugurated by Women officers/officials of DoPT which is meant for the use of students of the school. Thereafter, officials of DoPT cleaned the premises of the school. At the end of the event there was an interactive session with the children of the School in which Shri Rajeshwar Lal and Smt. Manjula Juneja sensitized the children about hygiene and various Swachhta related issues. .

.

Around 150 children present on this occasion enthusiastically participated in the interactive session and cited self-composed poems in Hindi and English on Swachhta. The children were happy to see the government officials in interactive mode and cleaning their premises. Director NDMC and Principal of the School thanked the officials of DoPT for carrying out such an exercise which will develop their zeal and interest in keeping their surroundings neat and clean. .

.

The DoPT has drawn up an elaborate Action Plan for the Swachhta Hi Sewa campaign running from September 15, 2017 to October 2, 2017. The Department has constituted Swachhta Monitoring Committees in each of its three premises in Delhi. The DoPT is moving vigorously towards 100% implementation of e-office which will result in reduced paper consumption and less garbage. .

.
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh will inaugurate the first Pension Adalat here tomorrow. He will also award the Pensioners for their outstanding contribution towards Anubhav a platform for retiring employees for sharing their experience of working with Government. Moving ahead from e-governance to m-governance, a Mobile App has been created to avail the services of Pensioners Portal which will also be launched by Dr Jitendra Singh tomorrow. As a measure of welfare to the pensioners of Government of India, a workshop on Pre-Retirement Counseling (PRC) of 300 retiring Central Government employees is also scheduled to be held. The event is being organized by Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India. .

.

The objective of this workshop is to create awareness about the post-retirement entitlements as well as an advance planning for life after retirement. There will be four interactive sessions which will cover inter-alia, the road map to retirement, medical facilities for pensioners, re-engagement of retired people for voluntary social activities under Sankalp. There will be another session on Income Tax and other benefits for senior citizens as well as investment and financial planning for retired people and the Importance of writing a Will. .

.

The Pension Department in this programme will launch the first of a series of Pension Adalats which is being convened with the objective of bringing on a common table the aggrieved pensioner, the concerned department, the bank or CGHS representative, wherever relevant, so that such cases can be settled across the table within the framework of extant rules. .

.

The Mobile App to be launched tomorrow will be extending all the services meant for the pensioner, which are currently available on the Pensioners Portal of the department, to the mobile handset. With this App, a superannuating Central Government official will be able to monitor the progress of his pension settlement, and retired officials will be able to self-assess their pension through the pension calculator and will also be able to register their grievances, if any, and get updates on orders issued by the Department. .

.

The ANUBHAV AWARDS 2017 will be presented to 17 pensioners for their contribution towards creating institutional memory for the departments. Anubhav scheme had been instituted on the call of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to encourage retiring/retired employees to submit their experiences while working in the government with the objective to create an institutional wealth for the government for future governance as well as to enthuse and inspire the future generations of government officials in their respective assignments. .

.
Petroleum Minister co-chair 13th Inter-Governmental Commission meeting at Astana, Kazakhstan

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan will be visiting Astana, Kazakhstan from 19 - 20 September 2017 to co-chair the 13th Meeting of Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) with Kazakhstan.

Mr Kanat Bozumbayev, Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan will co-chair the meeting from Kazakhstan side.

The IGC meeting aims to follow up on the agenda set between India and Kazakhstan during the two visits of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Kazakhstan in July 2015 and June 2017.

During his visit, Shri Pradhan is scheduled to discuss various issues and ideas for stepping up the cooperation in energy sector, trade, economic, investment, transport & connectivity, agriculture, information technology, space, healthcare and cultural spheres between the two countries with his counterpart. The two sides are also expected to finalize a strategy and roadmap for expanding trade, economic and investment cooperation between the two countries.

The Minister is being accompanied by a delegation comprising senior officials from Ministries/Departments, including Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mines, Electronics & IT, Tourism, ISRO, Department of Atomic Energy, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and also high level executives from ONGC Videsh and Railway Board.
The Government of Singapore will set up a Skill Center at Guwahati which will cater to the entire North-Eastern region. This was stated here by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh after a meeting with a high-level delegation represented by the High Commissioner of Singapore, Mr Lim Thuan Kuan here yesterday. The Indian side led by Dr Jitendra Singh, consisted of senior officers from the Ministry of DoNER, Department of Space and Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, which are the three main areas where Singapore has expressed its keenness to collaborate with India. .

.

As far as Skill Centre at Guwahati, it was stated that an MoU has already been formalized between Singapore and the State Government of Assam. As a follow-up to this, a Skill Center is proposed to be set up at Guwahati by the year 2019 and the Ministry of DoNER will coordinate in this initiative. .

.

The Singapore delegation also expressed its preference to engage with India in the area of Space Technology for collaboration in peaceful uses of Outer Space". To this, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the issue will be followed up in an appropriate manner. .

.

The Singapore delegation also wanted to seek the experience and expertise of India's Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions to bring about value addition in public administration and governance in Singapore. Dr Jitendra Singh shared with them that there already exists an arrangement between Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) Mussoorie with Singapore, wherein a certain number of passing out Civil Services/IAS officers, accompanied by two faculty members, regularly undertake a visit to Singapore. .

.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, India and Singapore have always been favourably inclined towards each other and referred to the recent visit of the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore when a stimulating lecture by him was organized under the auspices of the NITI Aayog. .

.
German carmaker Audi is taking a lead in bringing more automated driving to roads, but rivals seem in no rush to follow while legal and regulatory uncertainties still cloud the technology.
US President said on Tuesday that the United States will be forced to totally destroy North Korea unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear challenge, mocking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a rocket man on a suicide mission.
The European Union unveiled plans on Tuesday to step up its response to cyber attacks, including a new intelligence-sharing agency, cyberwar games and product safety labels.

The proposals by the European Commission, the executive arm of the 28-nation bloc, come amid growing concerns over election hacking by foreign states, ransomware attacks and other cybercrime like identity theft and bank fraud.

"Cyber attacks are becoming more frequent, imaginative and global," Andrus Ansip, the European Commission Vice President for the Digital Single Market, told a press conference. "The EU needs to respond to them 24/7."

Building on an existing agency based in Greece, the new EU Cybersecurity Agency would help countries deal with cyber threats. It would also organise yearly pan-European cybersecurity exercises and ensure better sharing of intelligence.

The agency would also help create EU-wide certificates -- much like labels that are currently used for food safety -- for trusted energy, transport and other networks, as well as new consumer devices, like connected cars.

"I want high cybersecurity standards to become the new competitive advantage of our companies," said Mariya Gabriel, commissioner for the digital economy and society.

The EU will also launch cyber defence training next year and work with Brussels-based NATO on the issue.

Meanwhile, the commission also unveiled fresh steps towards creating what it calls a digital single market for data for the world's biggest free-trade bloc of around 500 million people and worth tens of billions of euros.

It proposed the free flow of non-personal data across the bloc, rather than have member states require firms to store and process data within their borders, unless there are public security reasons.

The new rules still have to be approved by EU states and the European Parliament.
French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin and a senior Vatican official were today ordered to stand trial for allegedly covering up for a paedophile priest accused of abusing several boy scouts in Lyon in the 1980s.

The most senior French Catholic official to be tried for failing to report a predator priest will go on trial on April 4 next year along with six co-defendants, a court in Lyon said.

Barbarin, who is archbishop of Lyon, is accused of having shielded priest Bernard Preynat from claims of abuse involving scouts in his Lyon parish.

The head of the Vatican's powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Spanish Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, is accused of complicity in the alleged cover-up.

In correspondence with Barbarin about the priest the Vatican's number three had advised the cardinal to take "necessary disciplinary measures while avoiding public scandal" -- seen as a warning to keep the abuse quiet.

The affair came to light in 2014 when one of the former scouts reported Preynat to the Church and demanded he be sacked.

But 66-year-old Barbarin -- one of the French Church's most prominent figures -- left him in his post for several more months.

In 2016, Preynat was charged with statutory rape and sexual assault but an investigation into Barbarin's silence on the issue was dropped for lack of evidence.

Ten people who claim to have been abused by Preynat pressed their case and succeeded in having it reopened.

If convicted of failing to report the abuse, he risks up to three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros ($54,000).

The four other defendants in the case are the archbishop of the southwestern diocese of Auch and a bishop from the central city of Nevers, both of whom formerly served in Lyon, as well as Barbarin's former chief of staff and Preynat's former direct superior.

Barbarin has denied any attempt to shield Preynat, saying he did not know how to deal with allegations relating to events dating back over two decades.

But after initially saying he first learned of the allegations in 2014 he admitted in 2016 to having known about the allegations for nearly a decade.

Since then he has been accused of covering up for another paedophile priest and promoting a third cleric who had been given a suspended sentence for sexually assaulting students.
smashed into the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica on Tuesday, with its prime minister describing devastating damage as winds and rain from the storm also hit territories still reeling from Irma.

Maria, which has been fluctuating in intensity between a Category Four and Category Five hurricane on its path through the Caribbean, hit Dominica with winds of up to 257 kilometres per hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

"We have lost all what money can buy and replace," Dominica's premier Roosevelt Skerrit posted on Facebook, saying there were initial reports of "widespread devastation".

"My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains."



Earlier, he said his roof had been blown off and house flooded, leaving him "at the complete mercy of the hurricane".

After being rescued, Skerrit appealed for "help of all kinds" but noted specifically that authorities would need helicopters to survey the damage.

Dominica's airport and ports have been closed.

After moving across the tropical island of 72,000 people, Maria churning north towards the British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The British archipelago, which is still mopping up after Hurricane Irma earlier this month, has been under curfew since yesterday, with residents ordered to stay indoors until after the storm, which is expected to hit tomorrow.

"Our islands are extremely vulnerable right now," the territory's premier Orlando Smith said in a statement, warning that the storm could turn debris left by Irma into dangerous projectiles.

The NHC warned Maria would "remain extremely dangerous" as it passed over the British and US territories.

The French territory of Guadeloupe -- the bridgehead for aid for Irma-hit French territories -- found itself in the eye of the storm today.

Heavy rain lashed the island and several areas were without power.

"Everything around me is shaking," a former French minister told BFMTV channel from his home in the south of the 400,000-strong island, which was on maximum-level "violet" alert.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said 110 more soldiers would be deployed to the region to reinforce about 3,000 people already there shoring up security, rebuilding infrastructure and distributing aid after Irma.

He warned of "major difficulties" if Guadeloupe was hard hit.

The Dominican Republic, whose east coast was battered by Irma, ordered citizens in part of the north to evacuate ahead of Maria's arrival.

St Kitts, Nevis, the British island of Montserrat, Culebra and Vieques are also on alert.

Martinique, a French island south of Dominica, suffered power outages but avoided major damage.

Criticised for the pace of relief efforts in their overseas territories devastated by Irma, Britain, France and the Netherlands said they were boosting resources for the Caribbean.

"We are planning for the unexpected, we are planning for the worst," said Chris Austin, head of a UK military task force set up to deal with Irma, as the British Virgin Islands readied for a new onslaught.

On the island of St Martin, which is split between France and the Netherlands, authorities announced a red alert ahead of Maria's arrival.

"We're watching its trajectory very closely, and we're preparing for the worst-case scenario," said local official Anne Laubies.

The Dutch navy tweeted that troops were heading to the two tiny neighbouring islands of Saba and St Eustatius to ensure security following widespread complaints after the first hurricane of looting and lawlessness on St Martin, among the worst hit by Irma, with 14 killed.

Irma left around 40 people dead altogether in the Caribbean before churning west and pounding Florida, where the death toll stood at 50 yesterday.

It broke records when it whipped up winds of 295 kilometres per hour for more than 33 hours straight.

Another hurricane, Jose, is also active in the Atlantic and has triggered tropical storm warnings for the northeastern United States.

Many scientists are convinced that megastorms such as Irma, and Harvey before it, are intensified by the greater energy they can draw from oceans that are warming as a result of climate change.
An accountability court in on Tuesday indicted former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and eight in a case related to illegal recruitment in the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco).

According to the National Accountability Bureau, Ashraf recruited as many as 437 people without taking merit into consideration.

The court has summoned witnesses to record their statements. Ashraf while speaking to the media rejected all charges filed by the NAB, Geo TV reported.

Along with the Gepco scam, Ashraf was already indicted by another accountability court in Islamabad in the rental power case. All accused, including the former federal mister for water and power, pleaded not guilty.

Ashraf is accused of misusing his authority during his tenure as minister to get approval from the Economic Coordination Committee for an increase in the down payment to the rental power companies from 7 per cent to 14 per cent, amounting to about Rs 22 billion.
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday condemned human rights violations in Rakhine state and said violators would be punished, but she did not address UN accusations of a campaign of ethnic cleansing by the military.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged Myanmar to halt its military campaign against Rohingya Muslims, just hours after Aung San Suu Kyi failed to quell an outcry in a much-anticipated address.

Addressing the opening of the UN General Assembly, Guterres said he "took note" of Suu Kyi's pledge to abide by the recommendations of a report by former UN chief Kofi Annan that has advocated citizenship for the Rohingyas.

"But let me be clear," Guterres said. "The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations, and allow unhindered humanitarian access."

More than 420,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee violence in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state in what the United Nations has described as "ethnic cleansing."

In her nationwide address, Suu Kyi insisted that army "clearance operations" in response to attacks by Rohingya militants had finished on September 5 and denied that Rakhine was in flames.

"More than 50 percent of the villages of Muslims are intact," she said.

The Nobel laureate called for patience and understanding of the unfurling crisis in her "fragile democracy" and pledged to resettle some refugees, but she did not speak out against the military campaign.

"We are all shocked by the dramatic escalation of sectarian tensions in Myanmar's Rakhine state," Guterres told world leaders.

In an interview earlier this week, Guterres described the address by Suu Kyi as "a last chance" to speak out and put in motion an end to the mass exodus.

The 1.1-million strong Rohingya have suffered years of discrimination in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship even though many have longstanding roots in the country.

Myanmar's second Vice President, Henry van Thio, is to take the podium at the assembly tomorrow after Suu Kyi decided against attending this year's world gathering.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the Government of India has released Rs. 3350 crores for Polavaram project and will give additional amount of Rs. 3850 crores soon for the project.

"Rs. 32000 crores are needed only for the displaced and for acquiring lands in the estimated total cost of Rs. 50,000 crores," he added.

The Chief Minister yesterday visited the site and monitored Polavaram project works.

While lauding the Central Government's cooperation, he opined that Polavaram can be the biggest project.

Chief Minister Naidu reminded that he held reviews 53 times, and visited the site 18 times in person.

He also said that 40 gates are ready as of now and icon construction will be started in October.

Chief Minsiter Naidu also asked the officials to work hard to finish off the project by 2018.

He further said that his government is trying to complete 28 irrigation projects in next 100 days.

Minister for water resources Devineni Umamaheawar Rao, endowments minister Paidikondala Manikyala Rao, West Godavari district collector K Bhaskar Rao and other officials were also present with him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a joint operation carried out by 20 Bn CRPF, the Civil Police and a Special Task Force (STF) in Assam's jamindar Terrang village on Monday, two suspects were held while several weapons including rifles and grenade were recovered.

Zona Singh Rongpi, a suspected member of terrorist group, Karbi People's Liberation Tiger (KPLT), and a link man, Manjeet Bhumij, were arrested.

The following recoveries were also made: Rifle AK-56-1, body no.19095741, two Grenades, 5.56 Amn (135 in number), 7.62 Amn (150 in number), AK 56 Mag (2 in number), Mag X95 (4 in number), and one Khukri.

Further details are awaited.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bharatiya Janata Party will hold a meeting of its Executive committee on September 25 here at Talkatora Stadium.

The meeting will also serve as the closing ceremony of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya birth centenary programme.

BJP chief Amit Shah will chair the meeting, whereas the Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with all the senior office bearers will be present.

The meeting will discuss organisational and current issues as well as future programmes.

The birth centenary celebrations of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya were inaugurated by the Prime Minister Modi and BJP Chief Shah during the Council meet in Kerala.

Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya was one of the most important leaders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner of the present day Bharatiya Janata Party.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Tuesday said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a 'herculean' task which is in its initial stages, and any discrepancies will be resolved by the Government and governing boards.

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the launch of the South Asia Chapter of Ethics Leadership Alliance, Co-Chairman of CII National Committee on Industrial Relations Pradeep Bhargava assured that while the glitches in the GST Network (GSTN) will be resolved, the nation will get healthier with the introduction of the new tax regime.

"The GST is a major challenge for the country, and did not come as a surprise. It is the result of relentless hard work by the government, who had prepared for months to get a consensus on the matter. Whatever loopholes are there, the government is acting on it and will fix it at the earliest. I have full faith that the nation will be healthier in the long run," he said.

Re-iterating this, former President of CII and CMD, Tractors India Ltd, Sumit Mazumdar stated that end products will get cheaper post GST, adding that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is looking into special considerations for small companies.

"The GST is a major step that was discussed for 15 years. Time and again, it was stalled for various reasons and became unpopular eventually. However, this government took it up and decided to go ahead. Anything new cannot be absolutely perfect; it is bound to take time," he added.

However, the Centre was lately criticized by the customers as the GSTN server crashed multiple times.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid refused to give any comment on ex- Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah's tweet on Rohingyas issue.

Asserting that one who deals with the situation would know better Khurshid said, "When someone speaks of territory or land and people that they are associated with very closely as he is with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the ground situation of the state. I want to leave the field to them because they know better."

"This threat, at least in J&K, is a post 2014 development. No such intelligence reports ever came up for discussion in Unified HQ meetings" Abdullah tweeted soon after the Centre filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on deportation of Rohingya Muslims from India and said that the illegal influx of the refugees will adversely affect the fundamental rights of Indian citizens and cause a threat to the security.

The apex court had told the government to submit the affidavit after a plea was filed before it against the deportation of the illegal immigrants to Myanmar.

"In light of what is stated hereinabove, as the subject matter of the petition is not justiciable, as the fundamental rights of Indian citizens would be adversely effected, as there is serious security threat or concern and when a just and fair procedure prescribed by law exists for deportation," the Centre said, in the affidavit.

It further stated that as evident from Article 19(1) of the Constitution, the right to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India as well as the right to move freely throughout the territory of India - is available only to the citizens of India and no illegal immigrant can file a plea in the apex court demanding the same.

"India, as a sovereign nation, has the first and the foremost Constitutional duty and obligation towards its citizens to ensure that the demographic and social structure of the country is not changed to their detriment due to the influx of illegal immigrants into the territory of India," the affidavit added.

Some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal and anti activities such as mobilisation of funds through hundi or hawala channels, procurring fake or fabricated Indian identity documents for other Rohingyas and also indulging in human trafficking, the Centre added.

"Illegal influx of Rohingyas, in significant numbers, has started into the territory of India since 2012-13 and the Central Government has contemporaneous from security agencies inputs and other authentic material indicating linkages of some of the unauthorised Rohingya immigrants with Pakistan-based terror organisations and similar organisations operating in other countries," the Centre said.

It further said that there is an organised influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar through agents and touts facilitating illegal immigrants Rohingyas into India via Benapole-Haridaspur (West Bengal), Hilli (West Bengal) and Sonamora (Tripura), Kolkata and Guwahati.

In its affidavit, the Centre also submitted that many of the Rohingyas figure in the suspected sinister designs of the ISIS and other extremist groups want to achieve their ulterior motives in India including that flaring up communal and sectarian violence in sensitive areas of the country.

"Stating that there are more than 40,000 Rohingyas in India, the Centre said that the illegal immigrants entered India from Myanmar using porous border between India and Myanmar.

Taking note of the Centre's affidavit, the apex court has adjourned the hearing in the matter to October 3.

The plea filed by the two Rohingya immigrants, Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir, who are registered refugees under the United Nations High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR), earlier stated that "this act (deportation) would be in contradiction with the Principle of Non-Refoulement, which has been widely recognized as a principle of Customary International Law".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of the Assembly elections in Gujarat, Bharatiya Janata Party's election-in charge for Gujarat Arun Jaitley trained his guns against Congress and said that the party doesn't manage to win in the state because of the party's aversion to development.

"For the last 3 elections, our main agenda has been development. This time, the inauguration of the Narmada Dam and the foundation of the Bullet Train, is a step in this direction. But, a third thing has come in front and it is that Congress is against development," he said while alluding \ to the opposition's jibes at the bullet train and Narmada Dam.

He added, "The Congress never did anything for the poor. Modi's biggest achievement is that he has managed to connect the BJP to the poor."

He also took a jibe at the number of cases of corruption against the Congress.

"We did not have a lot of work when we were in the opposition because something or the other used to come up in the papers every other day. The Congress should understand that the government which works with honesty; the government that develops and the one which helps the poor is the one which the public often chooses," he said.

Jaitley also criticised the way Congress handled internal and sensitive international issues in the past and praised Prime Minister Modi for his ability to handle such sensitive issues.

"We never made a big issue out of Doklam like them. The Prime Minister did a fantastic job. He found the solution with such ability. He turned a crisis into a solution," he said.

Speaking about the army, he said," Until some time ago we used to imagine if our army can attack terrorist camps. But, the surgical strikes last September proved that we are capable of doing it."

He also referred to the Kashmir situation.

"We have been able to tackle terrorists and separatists in the valley for some time now. Before this, the Congress used to speak about Kashmir in America instead of Pakistan," he said.

While speaking on the recent Rohingya issue, Jaitley said that Congress sees Rohingya as a vote-bank, which is why they are advocating their entry in the country.

"All these things (referring to Rohingya refugees) depend on the internal security and population control of a country. Internal Security and vote-bank are two very different things," he said.

Jaitley also said that the BJP is winning in all the states because the people have accepted the party all over the country.

He also said that since the state and central government is helmed by BJP, the party would emerge victorious this year as well.

Jaitley and Nirmala Sitharaman visited Gujarat for the first time after their appointment as in-charge and co-in charge last month.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Thane Court on Tuesday sent underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar and two others to police custody for eight days in connection with an extortion case.

Police sought custody of all three accused in involvement of collecting evidence, identification of other co-accused involved, collection of their voice samples, recovery of arms and ammunition.

Speaking to the reporters, Iqbal Kaskar's lawyer Shyam Keswani opposed police custody by saying that "they were surrounded by at least 50 police personnel at his sisters' residence while they did not possess any knife or even a single pin. Rights of a prisoner have been violated in this case, the way he was picked up from his house; also his lawyer was not allowed to meet him. I demand he should not be given police custody".

"The guidelines of Supreme Court in several reported judgments have been violated by police in this case. Also, the remand should not be given for more than three to four days. I demand some medications be allowed to Iqbal as he is a patient of blood pressure and some other ailments. He also should be allowed for two pair of fresh clothes in police custody," he said.

Iqbal Kaskar was arrested on Monday on the charges of extortion. The police said that they are investigating whether underworld don Dawood Ibrahim was involved personally in his brother's extortion rackets or not.

"Whether Dawood Ibrahim had an indirect or a direct involvement in this extortion racket run by Iqbal Kaskar will be probed," Param Bir Singh, the Police Commissioner of Thane, said.

Iqbal Kaskar used to issue threats in the name of his brother, Dawood Ibrahim, the police said today.

The police are also investigating if there is involvement of any politicians or corporators in the extortion rackets.

The Thane anti-extortion cell (AEC) apprehended younger brother of wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim.

According to reports, Iqbal Kaskar was arrested by former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma following charges of extortion.

Reportedly, Kaskar was nabbed against a complaint given by a builder who was facing extortion threats since 2013.

Besides Kaskar, two others, namely Israr All Jamil Sayyad and Mumtaz Eizaz Shaikh, were also arrested.

The builder was under huge debt post demonetisation and hence, decided to reach out to the police for help.

Reportedly, Kaskar had been threatening builders on behalf of Dawood and was demanding huge extortion money.

The builder was taken into confidence and a complaint of extortion vide under Section 384, 386, 387, 34 was registered at Kasarvadavali Police Station.

Four flats worth Rs. 5 crores in Rosa Bella society and 30 lakhs cash amount were extorted by the gang of lqbal Kaskar from the builder.

The calls for extortion were given to the builder when he purchased a plot in Thane.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Haryana Government on Tuesday recommended the Centre to transfer the case of the murder of seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further investigation, hours after it was revealed that probe agency was not contacted in this regard.

Haryana Home Secretary S.S. Prasad confirmed to ANI that the recommendation was indeed made to the government of India.

"The Haryana Government has recommended Government of India to transfer the case of Pradyuman Thakur to the CBI for further investigation," Prasad said.

In this regard, he also wrote a letter to the CBI to initiate the investigation.

Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar had promised a CBI investigation into the murder a week ago. However, the CBI, earlier in the day, stated that it did not receive any notification from the Haryana Government to take up the investigation.

Meanwhile, the school, which opened on Monday -- 10 days after the murder of Pradyuman - has been shut down again for a week.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has declined the hearing of anticipatory bail application of Ryan Pinto, Grace Pinto and Francis Pinto - owners of the Ryan International Group.

On September 8, seven-year-old Pradyuman was found dead inside the toilet of the Ryan International School, Gurugram, with his throat slit.

Following the incident, school's bus conductor was convicted of the crime, but the case took a complicated turn after family of the accused claimed that he was being wrongly framed and that the school authorities were trying to mislead.

Various campuses of the school were closed for a few days, following the furore that erupted after parents took to streets in a bid to protest against the lack of security for children inside the school premises.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hyderabad-based Fintech startup HighRadius raised USD 50 million in growth funding from Susquehanna Growth Equity to continue its aggressive growth and expand its presence globally.

HighRadius is led by CEO, Sashi Narahari, an IIT alumnus and enterprise technology veteran, and works with hundreds of Global 2000 companies, including Adidas, Starbucks, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson & Johnson, Warner Bros, Danone, Sysco and Zurich.

HighRadius currently employs over 500 people across US, India, and Europe.

As a cloud-based product company, HighRadius applies artificial intelligence and machine learning to all aspects of accounts receivable operations, including credit, collections, cash application, deductions and payments. Adoption of Integrated Receivables technology is expected to match that of Accounts Payable automation by 2020. The opportunity is further supported by the size of the B2B payments market, which is five times larger than the B2C market, yet severely under-served today.

"We have more than 350 clients on our Integrated Receivables platform powered by our Rivana Artificial Intelligence engine and the RadiusOne B2B payment network. This funding will help us accelerate our platform to thousands of companies globally. Susquehanna Growth Equity has a proven track record of backing leading financial technology companies, and is a perfect partner for our next stage of growth," said Sashi.

"Integrated Receivables is a USD 11 billion market in the early stages of adoption. HighRadius is the clear leader in receivables-focused SaaS solutions for large enterprises and the only cloud-based platform that covers the full range of functions and processes. We love backing bootstrapped companies like HighRadius, which has never raised outside funding, has grown at a 70 percent CAGR, and continues to be cash-flow positive," added Amir Goldman, Founder and Managing Director of Susquehanna Growth Equity.

In conjunction with the investment, Amir Goldman and Ben Weinberg from Susquehanna Growth Equity will join the HighRadius board of directors.

Atlas Technology Group acted as a financial advisor to HighRadius in this transaction.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India has asked for an investigation into North Korea's nuclear proliferation linkages, while also adding that those involved must be held accountable.

The disapproval about the linkages is being seen as a veiled reference to, perhaps a well-aimed swipe at, Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made the assertion during her trilateral meeting with the United States Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Monday, on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

When asked about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Raveesh Kumar, said the EAM deplored its recent actions and stated that "its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable."

"I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about," he added.

Swaraj's remark has come days after North Korea fired another mid-range inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) over Japan on Friday.

Also, on September 3, North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test in direct defiance of the United Nations sanctions.

Earlier last week, India and Japan also made a veiled reference to Pakistan in a joint statement they released after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

The joint statement condemned North Korea's nuclear programme as "a grave threat to global peace" and emphasised on holding "accountable all parties supporting the nation's nuclear ambitions."

Meanwhile, the issues of maritime security and connectivity were also discussed at the trilateral meeting between India, Japan and the US.

Addressing the media here, Kumar said the ministers emphasised on the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for the international law and peaceful resolution of disputes.

"This is the third trilateral meeting that took place. The issues of maritime security, connectivity and proliferation were discussed at the trilateral meeting between India, the US and Japan. The ministers emphasised on the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for the international law and peaceful resolution of disputes," he said.

On connectivity initiatives, Kumar said the importance of basing them on universally-recognised international norms, prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity was underlined.

He said that Sushma Swaraj's meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was not to discuss the issue of Rohingyas, but was just a courtesy meeting.

"EAM Sushma Swaraj met the foreign ministries of five countries. Tunisia, Latvia, the UAE, Denmark and Bahrain. She also called on the two heads of government of Bhutan and Bangladesh. Bangladesh was more of a courtesy call. Towards the end of the day, the EAM had a meeting with Ivanka Trump. Discussions were also held during her visit to India for the Global Entrepreneurs Summit and women empowerment," he added.

Kumar said that Swaraj met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE and discussed measures to attract foreign direct investment into India.

"In her meeting with Bahrain Foreign Minister, EAM Swaraj held discussions on regional issues, especially the situation in the Gulf," he added.

Sushma Swaraj arrived in New York on Sunday for seven days of back-to-back engagements centring around the UN General Assembly, including her first meeting with the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson.

Conclusively, Sushma Swaraj is set to have several bilateral meetings and multilateral commitments, apart from speaking at the UN general debate on September 23.

(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.)
New Delhi [India], Sep 19 (ANI): In new window Rohingya refugees are contemplating to shift from Bangladesh to India in the near future and a large scale infiltration of Rohingyas is feared, according to intelligence sources. North East India and West Bengal already have large population of foreign settlers who came from across the borders.

Reliable sources claim that radical Islamist groups like Al Qaida, the JuD of Pakistan and several other jihadist groups from Pakistan and Bangladesh have infiltrated into refugee camps as relief workers to draft young Rohingyas for terrorist operations. Needless to say ISI of Pakistan is actively planning to establish Rohingya in India.

They plan to execute "give India thousand cuts to bleed" through terrorist activities. The balance of population in border belts of our eastern and NE states is already tilted against original settlers.

There are nearly half a million Rohingya refugees living in mostly makeshift camps in Bangladesh. The majority remain unregistered. Bangladesh considers most of those who have crossed its borders and are living outside of camps as having "illegally infiltrated" the country. Bangladesh has often tried to prevent Rohingya refugees from crossing its border.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), formerly known as the al-Yaqeen Faith Movement, released a statement under its new name in March 2017, saying it was committed to "defend, salvage and protect [the] Rohingya community".

The group said it would do so "with our best capacities as we have the legitimate right under international law to defend ourselves in line with the principle of self defence".

The group is considered a "terrorist" organisation by the Myanmar government. Incidentally the group has claimed responsibility for an attack on police posts and an army base in Rakhine State, the south western coastal state of Myanmar. According to the government nearly 400 people were killed in bloody clashes.

In its March statement, the ARSA added that it "does not associate with any terrorist group across the world" and "does not commit any form of terrorism against any civilian[s] regardless of their religious and ethnic origin". The statement also said: "We [.] declare loud and clear that our defensive attacks have only been aimed at the oppressive Burmese regime in accordance with international norms and principles until our demands are fulfilled."

On September 9, the group declared a month-long unilateral ceasefire in Rakhine to enable aid groups to address the humanitarian crisis in the area. As result of strong military action by Myanmar Army exodus of women, children and old people from Rohingya settlements began into Cox's Bazar -a sea port town of Bangladesh. It is a popular foreign tourist centre.

According to the International Crisis group, the ARSA has ties to Rohingya living in Saudi Arabia.

As Rohingyas speak Bengali, they headed in large number towards Bangladesh. Many had their ancestral roots in that country. Initially, Bangladesh authorities were lenient but with rising number of emigrants from Myanmar, Dhaka chose, in August 2012 itself, to stop all humanitarian assistance to Rohingya Muslims.

The boat people headed towards Thailand. But, Thailand had kept an eye on the developments of Myanmar and put its navy on guard. Thailand's navy gave the boat people food and medicines but did not allow them land on its territories.

The Rohingyas turned towards Malaysia thinking that a Muslim majority country would give them shelter. But, Malaysia adopted the same policy as Thailand. Malaysian navy spurned all the moves by the boat people to set feet on its land.

Indonesia also did not welcome them.

However, in India many intellectuals and vote bank hungry political parties are openly supporting cause of Rohingyas.

(Writer VK Gaur is IG BSF (Retd) and has worked on the Bangladesh Border in the North East for several years. Views expressed in this article are his personal).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump's daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of the ongoing annual United Nations General Assembly session.

After the meeting, Ivanka took to Twitter and said that she has always respected Swaraj, adding that the EAM was charismatic and accomplished.

I have long respected India's accomplished and charismatic Foreign Minister @SushmaSwaraj, and it was an honor to meet her today. #UNGA https://t.co/IeAfBCOETO  Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) September 18, 2017

Ivanka discussed the issue of women empowerment with Sushma Swaraj.

Ivanka, will lead the U.S. delegation to India for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES 2017) in November this year to support women's entrepreneurship globally.

"IvankaTrump will lead the U.S. delegation to India this fall, supporting women's entrepreneurship globally," Trump said in a tweet last month.

Responding on Twitter, Ivanka had said, "Honored to lead the US delegation to #GES2017 in India & meet with Prime Minister Modi & passionate entrepreneurs from around the globe!"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Ivanka to visit the country during his meeting with President Trump in Washington in June at the White House.

Prime Minister Modi confirmed Ivanka's impending visit on his own account, tweeting that he was looking forward to her trip to India.

"Look forward to Ms. Ivanka Trump's presence at #GES 2017 Hyderabad as the leader of the US delegation," Modi tweeted last month.

The U.S. and India will co-host the three-day summit in Hyderabad that aims to present entrepreneurs a platform to meet startups and global leaders from across the world.
At a time when the safety of children in schools is already under scanner following the murder of a seven-year-old boy in Gurugram's Ryan International School, the principal of a primary school in Kanpur was found teaching children in an inebriated state.

Pradeep Kumar, the principal of a primary school in the Nevada village of Kanpur's Bilhaur, was found teaching children under the influence of alcohol.

A video of the drunk principal has surfaced on the social media putting a question mark on the safety of students in school.

The incident has come to light days after the Ryan International school murder case where a student's body was found, with his throat slit, in the school premises.

The incident invited nationwide outrage with people questioning the safety of students in schools.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kate Middleton, who has made her first appearance since her pregnancy announcement, has appeared in a video message to launch a national mental health campaign.

The Duchess of Cambridge introduced an animated film created by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families that focuses on that very subject.

"Hello, mental health is how we feel and think," she said. "Things that can't really be seen but that affect us every day, and talking about them can feel difficult."

"It helps us all to talk about our mental health: what to say and who to talk to when we have feelings that are too big to manage on our own," she said, "and how to listen and help if one of our friends is finding things difficult. Sometimes it's just a simple conversation that can make things better."

The Duchess of Cambridge has worked on other mental health initiatives with her husband Prince William and his brother Prince Harry as part of the Heads Together campaign.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said that the issues of maritime security, connectivity and proliferation were discussed at trilateral meeting between India, Japan and the United States.

Addressing the media here, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the ministers emphasised on the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for the international law and peaceful resolution of disputes.

"This is the third trilateral meeting that took place. The issues of maritime security, connectivity and proliferation were discussed at the trilateral meeting between India, the U.S. and Japan. The ministers emphasised on the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for the international law and peaceful resolution of disputes," he said.

On connectivity initiatives, Kumar said the importance of basing them on universally-recognised international norms, prudent financing and respect for sovereignity and territorial integrity was underlined.

When asked about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kumar said the EAM deplored its recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable.

He said that Sushma Swaraj's meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was not to discuss the issue of Rohingyas, but was just a courtesy meeting.

"EAM Sushma Swaraj met the foreign ministries of five countries. Tunisia, Latvia, the U.A.E., Denmark and Bahrain. She also called on the two heads of government of Bhutan and Bangladesh. Bangladesh was more of a courtesy call. Towards the end of the day, the EAM had a meeting with Ivanka Trump. Discussions were also held over her visit to India for the Global Entrepreneurs Summit and women empowerment," he added.

Kumar said that Swaraj met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the U.A.E. and discussed measures to attract foreign direct investment into India.

"In her meeting with Bahrain Foreign Minister, EAM Swaraj held discussions on regional issues, especially the situation in the Gulf," he added.

Sushma Swaraj arrived in New York on Sunday for seven days of back-to-back engagements centring around the U.N. General Assembly, including her first meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson.

Conclusively, Sushma Swaraj is set to have several bilateral meetings and multilateral commitments, apart from speaking at the U.N. general debate on September 23.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a Bizarre Development here at the 72nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the Pakistan Government has accused the Swiss Government of supporting terrorism.

This move by Pakistan comes in the wake of the Baloch, Sindhi and other oppressed minorities of Pakistan highlighting their plight through public expressions and demonstrations in Geneva on the sidelines of the UNHRC meet.

Clearly taken aback by the level of Human Rights charges and expression of the atrocities being committed by the Pakistani forces on the Baloch and Sindhi minorities, Islamabad has made a shocking charge on the Swiss authorities that Switzerland is encouraging terrorist actions from its soil.

Reacting to Pakistan's bizarre charge, Baloch and Sindhi leaders, who are organising anti Pakistan protests here, said, "It is ironic that the Pakistan government would accuse the Swiss government of allowing terrorists to use its soil for anti-Pakistan activities. Pakistan's role in sponsoring terror groups to further its strategic interests is a known fact. The Afghan Taliban, Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)all freely operate from Pakistani soil."

They further added that "recently, the US President Donald Trump has called Pakistan a safe haven for terrorists. Even China, Pakistan's closest ally, has issued a joint BRICS declaration that mentions terror groups being harboured in Pakistan".

Terming Pakistan's charge against the Swiss Government as "laughable", the Baloch and Sindhi leaders have today called upon the Community not to buckle under Pakistan's ridiculous charge and instead Sanction Pakistan immediately as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.

They said that this charge was yet another "ploy" by Pakistan to prevent the Baloch and other oppressed minorities of Pakistan from speaking at the UNHRC and highlighting the grim Human Rights situation in Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Tuesday announced a total of 948.54 million mobile subscriptions at the end of August 2017, with maximum numbers including that of Reliance Jio Infocomm.

The apex industry association representing leading Telecom, Internet, Technology and Digital Services companies in the country, stated that amongst the individual companies, Bharti Airtel Ltd continued to hold the top position, with 29.63 percent market share, closely followed by Vodafone India Ltd., which reported 208.14 million, while Idea Cellular Ltd. ended August with 191.06 million subscribers.

The report, which also provides mobile subscriber numbers across the individual circles, showed that UP (East) circle remained at the top with a total of 84.07 million subscribers, while Kerala reported the maximum subscriber additions, amongst the circles, ending the month at 0.17 million subscribers. Bharti remains the market leader in 13 circles, followed by Vodafone in five and Idea in three, the data showed.

"The telecom industry is contributing significantly to the Indian economy. The industry has ensured that Government's Digital India programme reaches the farthest corners of the country and everyone reaps the benefit of new communication technologies. We envision an empowered society where every individual participates in the economic growth of the country," said director general, COAI, Rajan S Mathews.

Mobile connectivity and data services have played a pivotal role in bridging the digital divide and moving India towards a truly equitable and democratic nation. The telecom industry, therefore, deserves urgent relief and an immediate intervention to encourage policy and regulatory stability, and facilitate growth, innovation and investment.

Adding to this, Mathews said that the industry remains committed towards working for a fully connected and digitally empowered India and furthering the Hon Prime Minister's vision.

"We remain hopeful for some serious and sustainable relief from IMG," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Myanmar State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi has broken her silence on the Rohingya crisis in the country and has said that the government does not fear scrutiny by the international community, even as more than 4,00,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from the northern Rakhine State.

"There have been allegations and counter-allegations that need to be investigated. The government still needs to find out what the real problems are," Suu Kyi said, in a nationally televised address, the first since an army crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority community was branded as "ethnic cleansing" by the United Nations.

Suu Kyi further stressed on the short time her government has been in power for, adding, "I am aware of the fact the attention is focussed on the situation in the Rakhine State as a responsible member of the community of nations. Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny and is committed to bring peace and sustainable solution that will bring peace, stability and development for all communities within that state."

"We don't want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicities. Hate and fear are the main scourge and a transition for us is a transition to democracy after half a century or more of authoritarian rule. We now are in the process of nurturing our nation and yet imperfect democracy. Peace and stability have to be achieved after nearly 70 years of internal conflict that started on the day of our independence back in 1948," she stated.

Myanmar's de-facto leader added, "I want to share what challenges our country is facing and the steps that we are taking to overcome them. This year I shall not be travelling to New York to attend the U.N. session. People have voted for democracy. They, in fact, have entrusted to us the task of carrying out three responsibilities: democratic transition, peace and stability and development. None of these challenges are either easy or simple."

She further said that development has to be achieved after nurturing democratic values, establishing peace and stability and achieving sustainable development. "Burma is a complex nation and its complexities are compounded by the fact that people expect us to overcome all these challenges in the shortest time as possible. I must remind you that our government has not been in power for even 18 months," she added.

"We too are concerned. We want to find out what the real problems are. We have to listen to every allegation. We have to make sure those allegations are based on solid evidence before we take any action," she further said.

Suu Kyi added that the majority of the Rohingya villages have not been affected by violence, adding that the military, which was accused of arson and indiscriminate killing, has been instructed to exercise restraint and avoid "collateral damage."

She also said that she was "deeply concerned" about the suffering of people caught up in the conflict.

"We are concerned to hear that numbers of Muslims are fleeing across the border to Bangladesh," she said, adding, "We want to find out why this exodus is happening."

Suu Kyi further said that an action would be taken against anyone, who goes against the law of the land or violates human rights, 'regardless of race or political position.'

During the speech, she mentioned the Rohingyas by name only once, in reference to the armed militant group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The national accountability court (NAB) in Pakistan will most likely issue bailable or non-bailable arrest warrants for the former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and his family members if they do not turn up in court after receiving two summons.

The accountability court again has issued summons to Sharif and his family members asking them to appear on September 26 after they failed to appear at today's hearing in connection with the Supreme Court-mandated corruption references.

The entire family had gone to London to be with Kulsoom Nawaz, who is recovering after a surgery. Maryam, who had led the NA-120 by-election campaign on behalf of her mother Kulsoom Nawaz for over a month, left for London on a foreign airline flight hours after her mother won the by-polls with over 61,000 votes.

"The Sharifs are anticipating the outcome of these references, therefore, they have no plans to appear before the accountability courts," the PML-N leader said.

A PML-N leader close to the Sharif family had told Dawn that "Nawaz Sharif and his children will not appear before the accountability court and they are likely to skip all the proceedings of the accountability courts."

The NAB had ordered that the family should appear before the court on September 26, directing that the summons be dispatched to the Sharif family's London address. Maryam Nawaz and her husband retired Captain Muhammad Safdar left for London on Monday to meet the rest of the family there.

During the court proceedings, the NAB prosecutors told the court that they were not allowed entry into the Sharif family's multiple homes and had to hand the summons to the guards, the Dawn reported.

The NAB prosecutor informed the court that the security officer said Hussain and Hasan Nawaz had instructed him not to accept the summons. He added that the summons was sent to the correct address.

PML-N leader Asif Kirmani also told the court that Kulsoom is scheduled to undergo another surgery in the next couple of days, therefore an exact date for the family's return cannot be ascertained.

"We had exercised restraint and not issued arrest warrants for members of the Sharif family after they refused to join the investigation," an NAB official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The final phase of local polls held in Nepal's Province no. 2 witnessed a voter turnout of 73 percent.

The Election Commission of Nepal informed that 73 percent voters of about 2.6 million eligible voters exercised their franchise in Monday's election.

Nepal has the constitutional obligation of holding the elections of Local Levels, Province and the National Assembly by first weeks of next year.

As per the time limitation, Nepal is progressing forward with the elections and the country is scheduled to hold the e7lection for the Province Council and National Assembly simultaneously in two phases in November and December.

Province no. 2 which has remained volatile since long period, on Monday voted peacefully in comparison to other provinces with no violence reported.

However, the Election Commission acknowledged nabbing of people who tried to vote with fake identity.

"There were some attempts to vote from other name but the active initiation of the Election Commissioner and Security bodies foiled the attempts and caught all the intruders who are set to get the punishment.

A total of 38 people who tried to vote with others name and 10 who violated the laws were nabbed by the police in the election of province no. 2's," said a statement from Chief Election Commissioner Dr. Ayodhi Prasad Yadav.

With the completion of the polling the task of collecting the ballot boxes from all around the polling stations is underway, the election commission said.

It also has acknowledged that the counting of votes in some area has started and some will start after garnering consensus amongst the political parties.

The southern plains of Nepal which has eligible voters of about 2.6 millions has 136 local levels.

The highly contested and volatile province no. 2 of Nepal has one Metropolitan City, three Sub- Metropolitan City, 73 Municipality and 59 Rural Municipality.

In the final phase of local polls, a total of 45 parties with 37236 candidates are in election fray out of whom 6627 will make their way to the post.

The final phase of local election will also signalize the popularity and prediction for a party to be the leading one in the upcoming elections to lead over the government and to exert a complete control over the provincial and the national assembly.

After the successful commencement of the local polls, Nepal is scheduled to hold the election of Province and House of representative in two phases in November and December.

The first phase of local polls was held on May 14 followed by second on June 28 this year.

The first and second phase election witnessed an turnover of 73 and 74 percent covering 615 local levels.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has said that America has many military options that will completely remove the threat posed by North Korea and also save Seoul from a brutal counterattack, but Pyongyang missiles lack the potential to 'directly threaten the American or the Japanese territory'.

Mattis warned of a "massive military response" and the potential to carry out "total annihilation" of the rogue state if it threatens to attack the United States and its allies.

"The United States and its allies have not shot down any North Korean missiles because Pyongyang is yet to launch one that directly threatens the American or the Japanese territory," Mattis said .

North Korean missiles have been falling "in the middle of the ocean."

"Were they aimed at Guam, or the U.S. territory, that would elicit a different response," Mattis added.

Mattis declined to say what kind of options he was talking about, whether those options would be "kinetic" - military-speak for lethal force like bombings, airstrikes or ground combat.

"I won't go into detail," he told reporters, at the Pentagon during an unannounced news conference on Monday.

Military analysts believe that if the United States made a pre-emptive strike on the North Korea, first of all first strike would be unlikely to eliminate all of North Korea's conventional and nuclear weapons including chemical or biological ones.

Secondly, 10 million inhabitants in Seoul would be put in Pyongyang's immediate cross hairs for retaliation, which is only 35 miles from the demilitarised zone along the border between North and South Korea, the New York Times reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India on Monday launched a scathing attack on Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meet and dubbed it as "the face of international terrorism".

India further asked Pakistan to shutdown terrorists manufacturing factories and bring the perpetrators of terrorism to justice

In a strong reply to Pakistan's statement at the 36th Human Rights Council Sessions, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer Dr. Vishnu Reddy said Pakistan has been the face of international terrorism.

"Even Pakistan Foreign Minister admitted that internationally banned outfits including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) are operating from within Pakistan. They must shutdown its terrorist manufacturing units and bring the perpetrators of terrorism to justice," Reddy said.

Reddy further apprised that concrete evidence on cross-border support for terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir has been handed over to Pakistan.

The IFS officer reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India and will remain so.

"Pakistan's unsolicited comments pertaining to Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir are factually incorrect and misleading. Let me reiterate that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India and will remain so," Reddy asserted.

"Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is run by a deep state and has become an epicentre of terrorism. Instead of working with sense of purpose to address issues, Pakistan resorts to shortsighted tactics of diverting attention," he noted.

The Indian diplomat further averred that it's high time for Pakistan to do deep introspection and focus energies on improving human rights situation and dismantling terror infra-in Pakstan and PoK.

"Foremost challenge to the stability in Kashmir and in the region is the scourge of terrorism. Pakistan's malicious attempt to hide interference behind facade of domestic discontent carries no credibility with world," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Power2SME announced today that it has secured an additional USD 36 million USD in capital for its Series E Financing round, in order to continue its meteoric growth and dominance as a B2B Digital Ecosystem platform for SMEs.

The latest round, representing the largest deal size for Power2SME, is a co-investment by its existing investors Inventus Capital Partners, Accel, Kalaari Capital and Nandan Nilekani with participation from IFC, a member of the World Bank Group.

Completing six years in January 2018, Power2SME pioneered the category of the B2B Buying Club for SMEs and boasts of a strong digital ecosystem platform for SMEs. Power2SME which commenced operations in 2012, offers a digital SME ecosystem that addresses some key SME challenges with the firm's 'enterprise grade solutions' for SMEs.

Its increased portfolio offering - addresses challenges in raw material procurement, Finance and MRO needs. Its B2B raw materials buying club (Power2SME.com) aggregates demand from SMEs for most commonly acquired raw materials (such as steel, polymers, yarns, chemical, etc.) and procures and sells these at competitive prices. Raw material accounts for 70 percent of the recurring costs of manufacturing SMEs every month.

Second, its platform (FinanSME.com) connects empaneled lenders with SMEs in order to provide working capital finance at better terms from banks and non-banking financial institutions for purchases on Power2SME. Third is a one stop shop addressing SME MRO needs (SMEShops.com) to meet the growing and frequent requirements of SME buyers for consumable industrial goods.

Today Power2SME, operates out of SEVEN offices and 14 states in India and has a current employee strength of 250. With a registered SME base of 50,000 SMEs, the company is steadfast in building India's number one digital ecosystem for SMEs delivering raw material procurement at competitive prices and access to finance at improved rates of interest thus driving higher efficiencies and profitability.

Power2SME's fast paced growth has been driven by dramatic year on year growth of 2.6 times. The firm achieved profitability in November 2016. Implementation of GST will further enable expansion of Power2SME into non-operational markets with ease thereby increasing the number of SMEs it can reach out to, thereby increasing the number of transacting SMEs on its platforms by up to ten times in the next five years.

Power2SME will use the additional financing to continue geo expansion, accelerate product growth and innovation, invest in additional sales and marketing resources, and continue evaluating strategic acquisition opportunities.

"Power2SME's goal is to empower SMEs to reach efficiencies of scale thus driving profitability for them. Our work has been driven by our vision to make SMEs bankable. Our deep networks and relationships with the banking sector and financial institutions helps us to make our SMEs succeed like never before," says R Narayan, Founder and CEO, Power2SME. "This capital gives us additional resources to expand quickly and strategically into new markets, innovate rapidly, and deliver on our vision."

"As demonstrated by their remarkable growth and widespread adoption, Power2SME clearly leads the market in the development and delivery of an Impactful B2B digital ecosystem," says Parag Dhol, MD, Inventus Capital Partners. "Our investment will help Power2SME capitalize on the growing demand for their solutions, and accelerate the company's pace of product innovation."

Mahendran Balachandran, Partner, Accel expressed that "Power2SME is the largest B2B commerce platform in India focused on delivering extraordinary value to SMEs, be it access to raw materials at highly competitive prices, access to working capital and introducing new technologies to improve procurement efficiency."

"In 2012, we invested in Power2SME because we believed in SME growth story." Says Vani Kola, MD, Kalaari Capital. "Since then, Power2SME has shown proof of concept of its procurement offering as well as its finance offering and has emerged as a leader in its category. For India, SME growth and empowerment will help in bringing up the GDP contribution of the sector to the nation and Power2SME is leading this change from the front. We are committed to helping the team become the dominant player in this market."

"MSMEs will play a critical role in making India a manufacturing hub; and thereby make the growth process more inclusive. The opportunity for both the government and private players such as Power2SME is large and focused and continued contribution could well bridge financial inclusion for the sector," said Nandan Nilekani, co -founder and Non-exec Chairman Infosys Ltd.

"Our investment in Power2SME will spur greater VC interest in the SME sector in the country and support India's vision to become a global manufacturing hub," said Ruchira Shukla, South Asia Regional Lead for Venture Capital at IFC, World Bank Group. "By working with SME-focused companies and partner financial institutions, we aim to improve access to finance for over one million SMEs in the next five years. Bridging the financing gap for women-owned enterprises is also a key focus for IFC's strategy in India."

Micro, small and medium enterprises form a large part of the Indian economy, accounting for 45 percent of the country's industrial output and 40 percent of its exports. There are 48.8 million MSMEs in India, which employ 111 million people. There is critical shortage of long-term funding for the sector. Some estimates put the gap at USD 320 billion against a total of demand of USD 500 billion. India has the largest base of SMEs in the world after China, however Indian SMEs contribute only eight to ten percent to the nations GDP as compared to 60 percent contribution by SMEs in China. This is a huge opportunity for both the government and Industry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least one person died and 23 were injured in a suicide attack in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, on Tuesday.

The mishap happened after a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt at the Pak-Afghan border in the Chaman town, The Express Tribune reported.

The bomber blew himself up in a parking area where the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) trucks were waiting for the document verification.

The Pakistan Police confirmed the attack and said, "A pedestrian came close to a vehicle of security forces near the parking lot and blew himself up."

"At least 22 people were injured in the blast," Assistant Commissioner Kashif Nabi said.

The injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital for medical assistance.

"We have received 22 injured with burns and wounds caused by splinters. A 12-year-old boy succumbed to his serious injuries during treatment," a hospital source said.

Three men with critical injuries were referred to a hospital in Quetta for treatment.

The border was closed soon after the blast, which was opened only a day ago.

Earlier, at least 50 people were killed or wounded in a similar attack, when a suicide bomber attacked the Pakistan Army in the city.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj met United States President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump in New York on Monday and discussed the issue of women empowerment.

Ivanka's forthcoming visit to India in November was also discussed.

Ivanka, will lead the U.S. delegation to India for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES 2017) in November this year to support women's entrepreneurship globally.

"IvankaTrump will lead the U.S. delegation to India this fall, supporting women's entrepreneurship globally," Trump said in a tweet last month.

Responding on Twitter, Ivanaka had said, "Honored to lead the US delegation to #GES2017 in India & meet with Prime Minister Modi & passionate entrepreneurs from around the globe!"

Trump has said that his daughter would use the GES 2017 conference to promote women's entrepreneurship around the .

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Ivanka to visit the country during his meeting with President Trump in Washington in June at the White House.

Prime Minister Modi confirmed Ivanka's impending visit on his own account, tweeting that he was looking forward to her trip to India.

"Look forward to Ms. Ivanka Trump's presence at #GES 2017 Hyderabad as the leader of the US delegation," Modi tweeted last month.

The U.S. and India will co-host the three-day summit in Hyderabad that aims to present entrepreneurs a platform to meet startups and global leaders from across the .

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Ambassador of India to Myanmar, Vikram Misri, on Tuesday said that Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi's State of the Union address on the Rohingya issue was encouraging and contained a very positive message.

Talking to media here, the Indian envoy said, "It was an encouraging address and contained a very positive message. I think we all appreciate the problems and complex challenges that Myanmar faces. The situation that has come about in the Rakhine state in recent days is something that has caused a lot of concern to not only people within the country but its neighbours, including us, too. It is a concern that we have shared at various levels. But it is also clear that this is something in which while we recognise the right of the authorities to provide security and defend themselves against violent attacks. That is also important in the same context to also prevent violence against innocent bystanders and civilians."

He further said that mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar's Rakhine state is a serious concern, adding that the international community stands ready to help the government of Myanmar in addressing these challenges.

"We would like the situation to be dealt with in the context of rule of law. What we heard in the remarks of the State Councillor today was encouraging from that perspective. She has spoken about the process by which Myanmar will be ready to take back the refugees who have gone across the border and further steps will be taken in accordance with laws here in terms of national verification."

He further said that aid, assistance and development must reach the affectted community.

"There are also challenges related to the internal situation in the state of security and development and humanitarian assistance, which must reach all people and not just one community," he added.

Delivering State of the Union address in Naypyitaw, Suu Kyi broke her silence on the Rohingya crisis in the country and said that the government does not fear scrutiny by the international community, even as more than 4,00,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from the northern Rakhine State.

"There have been allegations and counter-allegations that need to be investigated. The government still needs to find out what the real problems are," Suu Kyi said, in a nationally televised address, the first since an army crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority community was branded as "ethnic cleansing" by the United Nations.

Suu Kyi further stressed on the short time her government has been in power for, adding, "I am aware of the fact the attention is focused on the situation in the Rakhine State as a responsible member of the community of nations. Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny and is committed to bring peace and sustainable solution that will bring peace, stability and development for all communities within that state."

"We don't want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicities. Hate and fear are the main scourge and a transition for us is a transition to democracy after half a century or more of authoritarian rule. We now are in the process of nurturing our nation and yet imperfect democracy. Peace and stability have to be achieved after nearly 70 years of internal conflict that started on the day of our independence back in 1948," she stated.

Myanmar's de-facto leader added, "I want to share what challenges our country is facing and the steps that we are taking to overcome them. This year I shall not be travelling to New York to attend the U.N. session. People have voted for democracy. They, in fact, have entrusted to us the task of carrying out three responsibilities: democratic transition, peace and stability and development. None of these challenges are either easy or simple."

She further said that development has to be achieved after nurturing democratic values, establishing peace and stability and achieving sustainable development. "Burma is a complex nation and its complexities are compounded by the fact that people expect us to overcome all these challenges in the shortest time as possible. I must remind you that our government has not been in power for even 18 months," she added.

"We too are concerned. We want to find out what the real problems are. We have to listen to every allegation. We have to make sure those allegations are based on solid evidence before we take any action," she further said.

Suu Kyi added that the majority of the Rohingya villages have not been affected by violence, adding that the military, which was accused of arson and indiscriminate killing, has been instructed to exercise restraint and avoid "collateral damage."

She also said that she was "deeply concerned" about the suffering of people caught up in the conflict.

"We are concerned to hear that numbers of Muslims are fleeing across the border to Bangladesh," she said, adding, "We want to find out why this exodus is happening."

Suu Kyi further said that an action would be taken against anyone, who goes against the law of the land or violates human rights, 'regardless of race or political position.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and said that there is a fair chance for a U.S.-brokered peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

President Trump while discussing efforts made to achieve an enduring Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement with Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "That despite the difficulty, "I actually think with the capability of Bibi and, frankly, the other side, I really think we have a chance."

The two leaders met in New York for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), reaffirming the special relationship and unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "I want to say that under your leadership, the alliance between America and Israel has never been stronger, never been deeper."

The President also underscored the United States' unwavering commitment to Israel's security.

The United States and Israel have a strong and enduring relationship and have cooperated on a number of issues.

The two sides discussed their continued cooperation across a range of issues and stressed their goals of countering Iran's malign influence in the region and resolving the Syria crisis in a manner consistent with American and Israeli security interests.

Prime Minister Netanyahu in the end acknowled the strong relationship that the United States and Israel share and said, "Under President Trump, America's position towards Israel at the U.N. has been unequivocal, it's been strong, it's got both clarity and conviction."

President Trump also assured the Israeli Prime Minister that under his and Ambassador Haley's leadership, the United States will oppose unfair treatment of Israel at the United Nations.

"Such an honor to have my good friend, Israel PM @Netanyahu, join us w/ his delegation in NYC this afternoon," trump said in a tweet.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump on Monday highlighted the need for more international cooperation on UN reform in his United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) address.

He was flanked by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and United States Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who provided opening remarks.

Chief of Staff John Kelly and National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster were also in attendance.

"The declaration of support for United Nations reform began as a way to get momentum to Secretary General Guterres' efforts to bring greater efficiency, accountability and transparency to the UN," Haley said, adding "We thought that having Member States put their names on a document would help ensure that these goals don't remain just words, but become a part of the culture of the UN."

Trump spoke on the three main goals of UN reform.

"The United Nations was founded on truly noble goals. These include affirming the dignity and worth of the human person and striving for international peace, he said, adding that the yet in recent years, the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement," said Trump.

President Trump also commended the Secretary General's call for the United Nations to focus "more on people and less on bureaucracy."

Trump also emphasized on the need for greater accountability, equal distribution of military and financial burdens, and clearly-defined goals for peacekeeping missions.

Trump also encouraged Member States to participate in UN proceedings with "an eye toward changing business as usual and not being beholden to ways of the past which were not working.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The UNICEF Deputy Representative, Paul Edwards, on Tuesday hailed Myanmar State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi's statement welcoming the collaboration with United Nations to resolve the Rohingya crisis and said that it is start of a new period.

In an exclusive interview to ANI, the UNICEF Deputy Representative said, "She (Aung San Suu Kyi) is welcoming the collaboration with the international community, and with the United Nations. I hope that this is the start of a new period, where we can work together."

Addressing the media in capital Naypyitaw, Suu Kyi said that Myanmar has invited the international community to lead a commission that would help resolve long-standing problems in the Rakhine state.

"Myanmar has invited former U.N. general secretary Dr. Kofi Annan to lead a commission that would help us resolve the long-standing problems in the Rakhine state. We are determined to implement recommendations of the commission. They will bring speedy improvement in the situation within a short frame of time. The government is trying its best to restore the situation to normalcy," Myanmar's de-facto leader had stated.

Reacting to Suu Kyi's allegation and counter allegation statement, the UNICEF Deputy Representative said, "I think she is being very clear that law of the land will prevail and that is how, I think, the things should be."

Speaking on the Rohingya crisis in the country, Suu Kyi had said that the government does not fear scrutiny by the international community, even as more than 4,00,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from the northern Rakhine State.

"There have been allegations and counter-allegations that need to be investigated. The government still needs to find out what the real problems are," Suu Kyi said.

Suu Kyi further said that an action would be taken against anyone, who goes against the law of the land or violates human rights, 'regardless of race or political position.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Biocon rose 2.37% to Rs 365.50 at 09:17 IST on BSE after the company announced that the USFDA has completed its Vishakhapatnam unit's inspection with no observations.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 18 September 2017.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 17.98 points, or 0.06% to 32,441.74.

On the BSE, 49,000 shares were traded in the counter so far, compared with average daily volumes of 4.45 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 370 and a low of Rs 363.95 so far during the day. The stock hit a record high of Rs 424.15 on 19 July 2017. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 267.83 on 9 November 2016.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 300 crore. Face value per share is Rs 5.

Biocon said that the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) inspected the company's active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) manufacturing facility in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh from 11 September to 15 September 2017 and completed the audit without any observations. No form 483 was issued, the company said.

On a consolidated basis, net profit of Biocon declined 51.2% to Rs 81.30 crore on 5.6% decline in net sales to Rs 927.40 crore in Q1 June 2017 over Q1 June 2016.

Biocon is India's largest and fully-integrated, innovation-led biopharmaceutical 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.)
For technical know-how for varicella vaccine production in Russia

Cadila Healthcare has entered into an exclusive agreement for the technology know-how for varicella vaccine production in the Russian Federation with Pharm Aid, headquartered in Russia.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Coal India lost 2.49% to Rs 258.20 on BSE on reports the company's subsidiary Mahanadi Coalfields could face a penalty of more than Rs 20000 crore in violation of environmental laws illegal.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 21.39 points or 0.07% at 32,402.37

On the BSE, 14.89 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 4.37 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 262.65 and a low of Rs 257.30 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 337.50 on 22 September 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 234 on 11 August 2017.

The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 18 September 2017, rising 8.84% compared with 2.85% gains in the Sensex. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, gaining 4.19% as against Sensex's 3.6% gains. The scrip, however, underperformed the market in past one year, sliding 19.46% as against Sensex's 13.23% gains.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 6207.41 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Coal India's subsidiary Mahanadi Coalfields could reportedly face a penalty of more than Rs 20000 crore in the wake of a Supreme Court order that rendered all mineral production in violation of environmental laws illegal. The Odisha government is evaluating the company's liability after the top court in its 2 August 2017 verdict ordered the state to recover the value of all minerals produced without or in excess of caps under environment, forest laws, pollution control rules and mining plans.

Coal India's consolidated net profit fell 23.3% to Rs 2351.13 crore on 3.6% growth in net sales to Rs 18404.32 crore in Q1 June 2017 over Q1 June 2016.

Coal India is an organized state owned coal mining corporate. The government of India held 78.86% stake in the company as per shareholding pattern as on 30 June 2017.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There is a need for multi-dimensional approach from different sector from government, financial institutions, individual women entrepreneurs for a flexible integrated and coordinated specific approach for development and promotion of women, said Mr Keshav Prasad Maurya, Deputy Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh at an ASSOCHAM event.

"There will be end of ill governance and gundaraj in Uttar Pradesh and development will be seen soon, said Mr Keshav Prasad Maurya, Deputy Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh.

The objective behind this Standup women campaign is to promote entrepreneurship among women, scheduled castes and tribes by enabling them secure easier loans and this could be an engine of job creation for the youth.

He said, Our Prime Minister has been trying to increase innovations at the ground level where we have seen a major lacuna for the past few years, said Deputy Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh.

This scheme will transform the lives of Dalit and Tribal communities. Under the scheme, SC/ST and women entrepreneurs will be provided loans between Rs.10 lakh and Rs.1 crore for setting up new enterprises.

This will help in creating 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs throughout the country as every bank branch will be required to provide two such loans - to a Dalit or SC/ST person and a woman.

The scheme aims to empower every Indian and enable them to stand on their feet. It seeks to convert job-seekers into job-creators., said Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Demand for credit by startups is not as high as corporate entities, while they are more labour intensive. Nurturing these start-ups helps in their growth into larger industrial houses".

It has always been a tall task for women to start their own business. Women entrepreneurs are doing good in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and if they are given proper support then they would excel in this field.

In a commendable development, under the Standup India scheme launched in 2016-17 to support entrepreneurship among the Dalits, tribal and women, over 16000 new enterprises have come up in areas such as food processing, garments, diagnostic centres etc. As per the sixth Economic Census, there are a total of 8050819 establishments under female entrepreneurs in India Tamil Nadu has the highest percentage of female entrepreneurs at 13.5% out of the total establishments, whereas UTs and North Eastern states at the bottom, as per the report released during the event.

As per the report, Uttar Pradesh Information Technology & Start up policy is formulated to facilitate all stages of IT/ITeS industry encompassing Startups/Entrepreneurs, MSME (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) and large IT/ITeS Industry by providing best of the incentives with conducive policy framework.

The state has 482379 women led enterprises comprising 5.99% of total women entrepreneurs in India. There government in Uttar Pradesh is taking several initiatives to promote women led enterprises thereby, boosting employment in the state.

Women contribute significantly to the national income of the economy and help in maintaining the sustainability of the world community. They face many barriers majorly being socio-cultural attitude, legal barriers, financial barriers and family support. They lack accessibility to easy finance. Microfinance is an emerging tool for empowering women. Women can benefit from microfinance as many micro finance institution targets women.

It has been found that investing in women offers the most effective means to improve health, nutrition, hygiene, and educational standards for families and consequently for the whole of society.

In general, women need access to small loans (especially for working capital), innovative forms of collateral, frequent repayment schedules more appropriate to the cash flows of their enterprises, simpler application procedures and improved access to saving accounts. Thus, a special support for women in both financial and non-financial services is necessary.

The financial needs and support services required by women entrepreneurs will have to be researched and documented. Due to limited knowledge and experience in this area, financial institutions may have to begin the product development process with market research followed by pilots in select geographies.

Next, with an understanding of the needs of women entrepreneurs, financial institutions can focus on building a brand as a financial partner for women-owned businesses, catering to the full spectrum of their financial needs. A suite of financial products and services specifically tailored to the financial needs of these entrepreneurs can be offered, along with associated sourcing and marketing strategies.

In addition to developing tailored products and services and a women-friendly brand, financial institutions can align policies, procedures, and systems to become more accessible to women entrepreneurs. Financial institutions can build brands as banks that serve women entrepreneurs through targeted sourcing/marketing strategies, generate awareness about products and services, and provide tailored tools to women such as doorstep services, online, and phone support.

Since a key demand-side constraint is the lack of awareness of products and services, financial institutions should proactively build awareness about tailored products and services available. Banks could organise workshops, seminars, town council meets, and group discussions. Such events offer opportunities to women entrepreneurs to have one-on-one interactions with bankers and get to know about financial products and schemes for women. They also offer opportunities for women entrepreneurs to build networks.

Training programs on human resources, financial management, business management, marketing, and financing the venture. These skills can be extremely beneficial in supporting women entrepreneurs sustain and grow their enterprises, making them long- term and better customers.

MSME toolkit to help women businesses at different stages of the business cycle -inception, start-up and growth - in areas such as business planning, financial projections, input management, marketing, market linkage, and branding. Women-owned businesses that are unable to engage expensive advisory services can benefit from this type of intervention.

A simplified collateral regime will greatly encourage women entrepreneurs and enable access. Governments may focus on developing an effective secured transactions regime for women enterprises characterized by a wide range of allowable collaterals (immovable and movable), the establishment of clear priority rankings of claims over collateral, efficient collateral registries, and effective enforcement of collateral in case of default. Governments may focus on developing a credit guarantee scheme to enable women entrepreneurs borrow from formal financial institutions in the absence of collateral.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Government has accorded top priority to the agriculture sector

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh said that considering its importance, the Government has accorded top priority to the agriculture sector and Finance Ministry announced Rs.62,376 crore fund allocation for the sector in 2017-18. The government's aim is to increase the productivity and ensure farmers can get the remunerative price of their produce. The Government is also ensuring that along with special focus on dairy/animal husbandry/fishery, the agriculture education, research, and expansion system is further extended. Shri Radha Mohan Singh said that it is our responsibility to make special efforts to improve the agricultural sector so that it provides strong trade opportunities. Shri Singh said this today at the Two-Day Rabi Conference - 2017-18 organized at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Shri Radha Mohan Singh said at the Rabi Conference, crop wise target is fixed and arrangement of supplies to different states is decided in consultation with the officials of various state governments. The use of recent technologies and new practices in the agriculture sector is also reviewed. At the conference, strategy for the upcoming Rabi season is discussed, ideas and experiences are exchanged and a roadmap is prepared.

Shri Singh said that Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has a dream of doubling farmers' income by 2022 and to make his dream come true, we have launched several schemes. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Soil Health Card scheme, Neem Coated Urea and e-NAM are some of the major schemes which have been launched to increase production and farmers' income.

On the occasion, Union Agriculture Minister said that he has written to the State Governments to devise a strategy and focus on production to post-production activities while strategizing. Shri Singh said that to improve crop production, the Ministry has started the National Food Security Mission (NSFM), National Horticulture Mission (NHM), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Shri Radha Mohan Singh said that there is a special emphasis is to increase the production and productivity of oilseed crops. For this, the National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) has been started in 2014-15, which has three Mini Missions (MM) namely - MM on Oilseeds, MM on Oil Palm and MM on tree-borne oilseeds.

Expressing his happiness, Shri Singh said that various schemes of the Ministry have been converted into special missions, schemes, and programs to achieve of 4% targeted annual development in agriculture and allied sectors. The joint efforts of stakeholders resulted in a record food grain production in the country estimated to be 275.68 million tonnes in 2016-17. The production of the current year is 18.67 million tonnes, which is more than the average production of food grains in the last five years (2011-12 to 2015-16). The production is 24.11 million tonnes more than the production of food grains in 2015-16.

The total production of rice in the country is estimated at 110.15 million tonnes in 2016-17. This is 4.73 million tonnes more than the average rice output of 105.42 million tonnes in the last five years. During the year 2016-17, the production of rice has increased substantially to 5.74 million tonnes compared to 104.41 million tonnes in the year 2015-16.

Production of wheat is also estimated at 98.38 million tonnes, a record. Wheat production in 2016-17 is 6.09 million tonnes more than 92.29 million tonnes during 2016. Union Agriculture Minister said that the government is also protecting the interests of farmers by announcing the minimum support price for major agricultural commodities.

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 and The CMA CGM Group, a world leader in container shipping announced a strategic seven-year partnership which will simplify and transform CMA CGM's IT applications and improve customer service experience. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 18 September 2017.

Biocon said that the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) inspected the company's active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) manufacturing facility in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh from 11 September to 15 September 2017 and completed the audit without any observations. No form 483 was issued, the company said. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 18 September 2017.

Muthoot Finance said that the Company has completed the acquisition of Muthoot Homefin (India) (MHIL) by way of purchase of 88 lakh equity shares at Rs 44 per share aggregating to Rs 38.72 crore from existing shareholders and has made a further investment by subscribing to 2.27 crore equity shares at Rs 44 each, as approved by the board at its meeting held on 8 August 2017. Post investment, the company is holding 100% paid up share capital of MHIL which is Rs 97.72 crore consisting of 9.77 crore equity shares, and MHIL has become the wholly owned subsidiary of Muthoot Finance. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 18 September 2017.

NHPC informed that TLDP-III (132 MW) and TLDP-IV (160 MW) power stations in West Bengal, which were under complete shutdown from 12 July 2017 and 13 July 2017, were restored on 15 September 2017 and 14 September 2017 respectively. TLDP-III had contributed 4.89% of the company's total revenue in FY 2017 while TLDP-IV contributed 2.22% of the company's total revenue in FY 2017. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 18 September 2017.

Swan Energy, through its fully-owned subsidiaries, Swan LNG (SLPL) and Triumph Offshore (TOPL), physically executed three agreements with Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) for India's first LNG dedicated floating storage re-gasification units (FSRU) port project at Jafrabad, Gujarat. The LNG port project is first of its kind, all weather green-field port project being developed by SLPL. A pre order technical support agreement was signed by and between TOPL and MOL. A supervision agreement was signed by and among SLPL, TOPL and MOL. An FSU Bareboat Charter Agreement was signed by and between SLPL and MOL. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 18 September 2017.

Mahindra Lifespace Developers (MLDL), the real estate and infrastructure development arm of the Mahindra Group, and International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, announced a partnership for the development of multiple industrial parks across Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The partnership envisages investment across Mahindra Lifespaces' existing and upcoming industrial park projects, with its first investment in an approximately 350-acre industrial park near Ahmedabad. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 18 September 2017.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The sixth India Minerals and Metals Forum organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) focuses on Indian steel industry looking up to 2025; mining, production demand and delivery; Innovative applications for a future ready non- ferrous ecosystem; and Metals industry outlook- present challenges and future prospects. The Indian steel sector has grown rapidly over the past few years and presently it is the third largest steel producer globally, contributing to about 2% of the country's GDP. India has also crossed 100 MT mark for production for sale.

India is seen as a bright spot for the global steel production growth on account of the government's push to augment capacity and demand from the construction, automotive and infrastructure sectors. The government has been spearheading growth in steel production capacity, with upgrades being made to existing steel manufacturing units and state-owned companies stepping in to build new steel plants.

The Cabinet approved the National steel policy 2017 that envisages Rs. 10 lakh crore investment to create more capacity in the steel sector.

The development is significant as the steel sector is reeling under weak demand and rising raw material prices. The policy also aims at increasing supply of domestic coking coal to cut dependence on imports by half and production of 300 million tonnes by 2030.

The policy also emphasizes at increasing per capita steel consumption to 160 kg by 2030 and encouraging the industry to be a world leader on energy and raw material-efficient steel production in a safe and sustainable manner by maintaining quality standards for domestic steel products.

India's growing urban infrastructure and manufacturing sectors indicate that demand is likely to remain robust in years ahead.

Despite the current challenges, Indian steel industry still has significant potential for growth, underscored by the fact that the per capita steel consumption in the country at 61 kg is much lower than the global average of 208 kg.

However, in the non-ferrous segment, the non-ferrous metals industry (Aluminium, Copper, Zinc, Lead, Tin and Nickel) is looking for a level-playing field against the surge in imports due to inverse duty structure as well as dumping of cheap subsidized goods from China. The situation has been aggravated by India having the FTAs with ASEAN countries, which allows duty free imports of finished goods.

The Aluminium demand continued to remain strong following the steps taken by the government to boost the industrial production and infrastructure. The demand is also expected to rise following the focus on smart cities and improving prospects of business in construction industry.

Technology and innovation play an important role in achieving sustainable growth and impacting competitiveness. Today, mineral and metal industry across the globe is facing a serious economic crisis due to continuous fall in commodity prices, depleting raw material sources, non-availability of high-grade ores, stringent environmental rules and societal expectations.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A court here on Tuesday took cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) chargesheet filed against woman director of a Dubai-based company in a money-laundering case related to the .

After considering the chargesheet, Special Judge Arvind Kumar listed the matter for further hearing on October 3.

The Directorate had last week chargesheeted Shivani Saxena under various charges dealing with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. It is the second supplementary chargesheet filed in the case.

The ED in June last year filed first supplementary chargesheet against British Christian Michel James, Delhi-based Media Exim Pvt Ltd and its Director R K Nanda and former Director J B Subramaniyam in its ongoing money-laundering probe in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal.

The first chargesheet was filed in the case in November 2014 against businessman Gautam Khaitan, his wife Ritu, Chandigarh-based firm Aeromatrix and two alleged Italian middlemen Guido Ralph Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.

The chargesheet stated the three alleged middlemen managed to make inroads into the Indian Air Force to influence and subvert its stand regarding reducing the service ceiling of helicopters from 6,000 metre to 4,500 metres in 2005, after which AgustaWestland became eligible to supply a dozen helicopters for VVIP flying duties.

Shivani, the wife of Rajeev Shamsher Bahadur Saxena, a resident of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, was arrested on July 17.

The Directorate alleged Shivani and her husband Rajeev were partners and directors in Dubai-based companies UHY Saxena and Matrix Holdings Ltd, through which proceeds of the crime were routed and used in buying the immovable properties and shares.

According to the agency, Britain-based AgustaWestland International Ltd paid 58 million euros in kickbacks, through Tunisia-based Gordian Services Sarl and IDS Sarl, who transferred the money to Mauritius-based Interstellar Technologies Ltd in the guise of consultancy contracts and this, in turn, sent the money to these two Dubai companies.

Saxena was the second accused arrested by the Directorate in the case. In 2014, the agency had arrested lawyer Gautam Khaitan for his alleged role in routing the kickbacks in the purchase of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters. Currently, Khaitan is out on bail.

The case is based on the investigation being conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which had also arrested former IAF chief S P Tyagi and two others in connection with the case in 2016.

(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.)
An agitating Anganwari worker attempted to set herself on fire here on Tuesday but was saved by fellow protesters.

Anganwari workers have been protesting in Srinagar demanding an increase in their monthly remuneration.

The Anganwari scheme was started in the country in 1975. Under the scheme, local women employed as Anganwari workers offer a range of services to pregnant women, young mothers and children up to five years of age.

--IANS

sq/him/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Angry villagers on Tuesday pelted stones at a school in Rajasthan's Sikar district as news spread of the rape of a Class 12 girl by the school's director and a teacher.

The school's director, Jagdish Prasad, and a teacher, Jagat Singh Gujjar, have been detained for raping the 18-year-old student, police said.

"We have detained Jagdish and Jagat and are interrogating them," Kushal Singh, Circle Officer, Neem Ka Thana, told IANS on phone.

Around 100-150 angry villagers gathered outside the Janta Bal Niketan, a co-educational school, in a village near Ajitgarh in Sikar in the morning and pelted stones, breaking some of the windows.

"The school had to be closed," said Moolaram, Assistant Sub Inspector, Ajitgarh police station.

"There is general anger in the village. We never expected this kind of thing in our area. We are demanding that the school's registration be cancelled," said Ajit Singh, a local, on phone.

There are around 400 students in Janta Bal Niketan.

According to reports, the girl is in a critical condition and is undergoing treatment in a Jaipur hospital. "She is critical and is unconscious," a doctor at the SMS Hospital said.

The statement of the girl will be recorded after her health condition improves.

It is alleged that the two men raped the girl for two months on the pretext of taking extra classes.

After she became pregnant she was taken to a hospital in Shahpura where her abortion was carried out clandestinely. However, her condition deteriorated as she started to bleed profusely.

She was taken to a hospital in Ajitgarh where her family was told she had undergone an abortion and she was referred to a Jaipur hospital.

--IANS

as/him/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Invoking goddess Durga on earth, West Bengal on Tuesday observed Mahalaya with devotional songs, scriptural recitations and prayers as greetings on social media enlivened a rainy day.

Celebrated a week before the five-day Durga puja begins, Mahalaya essentially heralds the homecoming of the goddess.

Mahalaya signifies the end of Pitri Paksha (the period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors) and the beginning of Debi Paksha (period of the goddess).

Sheltered under umbrellas against the rain, thousands thronged the banks of river Hooghly -- palms clasped in prayers -- with the break of dawn to carry out special rituals called "Tarpan", in honour of their ancestors.

According to tradition, the sons offer food and prayers in the belief that the souls of the departed would smoothly make their transition to heaven.

Mahalaya is culturally synonymous with the iconic early morning broadcast of "Mahishasura Mardini" (the annihilation of the demon) invocation on All India Radio in the sonorous voice of Indian playwright and broadcaster Birendra Krishna Bhadra.

Following an over eight decade old ritual, Bengalis and even many non-Bengalis tuned in to the recordings of Bhadra's haunting voice, narrating the arrival of the goddess and the fierce combat between Durga and the Asura (demon) resulting in the slaying of the demon with the goddess's trident.

Peal of temple bells - echoing across neighbourhoods as devotees offered prayers - added to the fervour.

Dressed to the nines, residents scurried around crowded market places to wrap up the last spot of shopping with only a week left to go for the mega event.

Most enjoyed their day-off with food binges -- both traditional home-cooked food, as well as gourmet spreads at restaurants.

With attractive discounts, online shopping sites remained the top draw.

Cloaked in plastic sheets, at the potters' enclave in Kumartuli in north Kolkata, artisans worked frantically to give finishing touches to idols of the goddess while puja organisers hurried to put together the marquees (pandals) for inaugural.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter to wish everyone on Mahalaya.

According to Hindu mythology, goddess Durga, accompanied by her four children -- Ganesh, Kartik, Lakshmi and Saraswati -- descends to earth every year to visit her parents. That is when Puja is celebrated.

Durga, it is believed, stays for five days to eradicate evil from earth before returning to her husband, Lord Shiva, at Kailash on Dashami (the 10th day).

Durga, the slayer of the demon Mahishasur, sits astride a lion and wields an array of weapons in her 10 hands.

--IANS

sgh/ssp/in/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress's Maharashtra legislator Arif Naseem Khan on Monday announced plans to sponsor CCTVs in economically weak schools, especially in slums, "to ensure that students' security is not compromised in any manner".

The former state Minister also appealed to all the legislators and parliamentarians of Maharashtra to come forward with similar sponsorships for poor schools in the wake of the September 8 murder of a seven-year old student of Ryan International School in Haryana.

Addressing a meeting of over 100 school trustees, principals, parent-teacher associations, education department and police officials to discuss students security, Khan said parents and children have suffered a loss of confidence in schools after the Haryana incident.

"Many children may have been victims of mild or serious forms of offences on their school premises, but their parents are too scared to bring it to the notice of the schools or the police," Khan told IANS.

For this, he said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis must direct the Education Department to set up a special school helpline number where the students or their parents could report such instances without fear of repercussions and the government must promptly follow-up with remedial actions.

"It's a matter of regret that despite the Bombay High Court orders to the state government over a year ago to install CCTV in all schools, nearly half of the 5,000 plus schools in Mumbai remain without CCTVs and students, especially young girls, continue to be at risk," Khan said.

"After the Ryan International School incident, parents and students in all schools are under duress, which is not good for their academics, mental and physical health. The school managements, principals and teachers must win back their confidence and make going to school a safe and enjoyable experience once again," he told the various stakeholders.

Among other measures, the participants expressed the need for female teachers in all school buses and at PT classes to ensure safety of the students at all times, training on 'good touch-bad touch', a strict ban on entry of unauthorised persons in the school premises especially toilets/canteens/changing rooms, etc.

He asked police and Education Department officials at the meeting to comply with the court orders and enforce the ban on all tobacco products within 500 metres of every school on top priority.

--IANS

qn/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday said that after the "resounding" success of the "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" scheme, the Ministry is now targeting the problem of malnutrition.

"After the resounding success of Modiji's Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme that brought about a phenomenal change in the mindset, a similar approach is needed to fight malnutrition, particularly among mothers and children," she said.

The Minister was addressing the "National Conference on Mission Mode to address Under-Nutrition" here.

The conference was organised by the WCD Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, keeping in mind the goal of "Mission Malnutrition Free India-2022".

Gandhi gave away awards to three states -- Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat -- for substantial reduction in stunting (impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition) during the 10-year period between National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-3 and NFHS-4.

She also released a book "Forest Lanterns" containing essays on solutions to improve nutrition among children in tribal areas.

Gandhi said there is an urgent need to improve the quality of supplementary nutrition and to make the delivery system efficient.

"We must provide 1,000 calories to women and 600 calories to children under ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services). The focus of the entire mission should be to administer nutrition rather than feeding beneficiaries by giving nutrient dense food."

A change in policy is required to implement this, the Minister said. The Ministry will soon issue new guidelines on supplementary nutrition in this regard in the next few days which will supersede all existing guidelines.

"Similarly, a separate self contained protocol for severely and acutely malnourished (SAM) children will also be issued shortly," she added.

Minister of State for WCD, Virendra Kumar, said: "The country has succeeded in eliminating several difficult problems like chickenpox and polio and thus it should not be difficult to overcome the problem of malnutrition."

Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Parameswaran Iyer, said the problem of malnutrition is closely linked to the problem of drinking water and sanitation.

"The Swachh Bharat Mission is trying to achieve the goal of total sanitation which will also contribute to reducing malnutrition," he said.

--IANS

mg/him/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A four and a half months old Sudanese national suffering from transposition of the great arteries (TGA), a congenital heart defect, has been cured at a hospital here, hospital authorities said on Tuesday.

The boy, diagnosed with TGA in Sudan, was brought to the BLK Super Specialty Hospital since a surgery for this defect was not available in his native country.

According to medical science, the incidence of TGA is about 20 to 30 in 1,000 live births. About four cases out of the total happen to be serious defects, requiring palliative or corrective surgery in the first few weeks to prevent death.

The defect is due to abnormal development of the foetal heart during the first eight weeks of pregnancy.

In TGA, the large vessels that carry blood from the heart to the lungs, and to the body are connected improperly. If surgery is delayed, the left ventricle becomes progressively weaker and incapable of taking the load off the arterial system.

After examining the patient, the doctors decided to perform Atrial Switch or Senning's Operation, a strong medical procedure to cure TGA.

Explaining the procedure Sushant Srivastava, Director of Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery at BLK Heart Centre, said that in this operation, three incisions are made, two in the walls of the right and left atria, and one in the atrial septum.

"They are re-sutured in a way that superior vena cava (SVC) and inferior vena cava (IVC) blood is diverted into the left ventricle, the pulmonary artery and oxygenated pulmonary venous blood is diverted into the right ventricle and aorta," said Srivastava.

The patient was operated through mid sternotomy.

Initially, the patient was put on the heart lung machine and cooled to 28 degrees.

"The aorta was clamped and the heart was stopped. Both atria were opened and the atrial septum was divided. A synthetic gore-tex patch was used to redirect pulmonary venous blood through the left atrium incision into the right atrium and right ventricle and through it into the aorta," said Srivastava.

"The remaining right atrial wall was used to create a baffle to divert SVC-IVC blood into the left ventricle and pulmonary artery."

Once the surgery was complete, the child was put under observation and had a smooth recovery.

"The recovery of the child was uneventful. Cyanosis disappeared and the baby was discharged on the eighth post-operative day," said Srivastava, adding that the child's health improved dramatically and he gained weight within a fortnight after which he was taken back home to Sudan.

--IANS

rup/him/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tamil Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday amid an ongoing political crisis in the state.

Rao called on Rajnath Singh at his residence here, a day after Speaker P. Dhanapal disqualified 18 MLAs owing allegiance to rebel AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dinakaran.

Rao arrived in Delhi on Monday and met President Ram Nath Kovind and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The Governor, who has been urged by opposition parties and dissident AIADMK MLAs to immediately convene the assembly to enable a floor test, is yet to take a decision on when to ask Chief Minister K. Palaniswami to face a trial of strength.

Rao is expected to fly on Tuesday afternoon to Chennai where he would meet the Chief Minister and discuss a strategy on convening the assembly.

Speaker Dhanapal's decision to disqualify the 18 MLAs of the Dinakaran camp has given an edge to the ruling side in the number game in the assembly.

--IANS

rak-sar/in/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Political developments in Tamil Nadu in the wake of disqualification of 18 AIADMK MLAs gathered momentum on Tuesday with the arrival of Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao here and the Madras High Court set to hear the petition of the legislators against the Speaker's action.

Rao, who met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the national capital in the morning, reached here in the evening. He is expected to take stock of the situation with Chief Minister K. Palaniswami before possibly calling a session of the Assembly for a trial of strength, which has been the demand of Opposition parties led by DMK and the now-disqualified MLAs.

Meanwhile, in the High Court the counsel for the disqualified MLAs P.S. Raman mentioned the issue and sought an urgent hearing. Justice M. Duraiswami agreed to hear the matter on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the High Court will also hear an earlier petition filed by one of the disqualified MLAs P. Vetrivel. He had approached the court apprehending disqualification.

On its part, the major opposition party DMK held a meeting of its MLAs at the party headquarters and decided to take legal and democratic actions to bring down the AIADMK government. The party condemned the "undemocratic" action of the Speaker in disqualifying 18 legislators of AIADMK. The DMK party also demanded the resignation of Speaker Dhanapal and Chief Minister Palaniswami.

DMK Working President M.K. Stalin told the media after the meeting that they were confident that the High Court would give "good decisions" on their demand for an immediate floor test in the Assembly.

He virtually ruled out resignation of opposition MLAs when a reporter asked him a question in this regard. "Thanks for your wishes. The High Court's ruling will answer all your questions," he said. Similar was his reply when asked whether DMK would stake claim to form the government if the AIADMK government fell.

Addressing a meeting in Tiruchirapalli, sidelined AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dinakaran vowed to send the "corrupt" Palaniswami government home but ruled out aligning with DMK in case elections were held.

"We are confident of winning the elections after sending this government home. We will restore the rule of MGR and Jayalalithaa," he said.

"MGR started AIADMK against DMK which is our main enemy. How can we join hands with DMK," he said referring to media questions whether his faction would align with DMK.

--IANS

vj-vsc/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Islamic Hamas movement said on Tuesday that it is ready to resume a dialogue with Fatah.

The remarks were made by Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh at the Rafah border crossing on his return from Egypt, after 11 days of talks with Egyptian security officials on the Palestinian internal reconciliation, Xinhua reported.

"We are ready to receive the consensus government and we are ready to get back to Cairo in a few days to resume the dialogue with Fatah movement," said Haniyeh.

According to Haniyeh, his senior Hamas delegation discussed the political and security situation, Jerusalem, Israeli policies and the bilateral ties with Egypt during the past 11 days in the the most populous Arab country.

Hamas announced earlier that it had dissolved an administrative committee used to manage the daily affairs in Gaza. The forming of the committee had outraged Fatah leader Abbas, who insisted that it should be resolved in order to resume the dialogue with Hamas.

"We exerted tremendous effort and we moved in all directions in order to end the suffering of our people in Gaza through the gate of reconciliation and achieving unity," said the Hamas leader.

Haniyeh called on Abbas' Fatah Party to carry out equivalent steps, including the cancellation of all the unprecedented measures against Gaza.

"The administrative committee now is not active and doesn't practice its activities in Gaza anymore," he noted.

--IANS

ahm/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Haryana Police was found shot dead in his house, police said on Tuesday.

The body of Naresh Kumar Yadav, bearing a gunshot injury, was found in his residence in U block of DLF Phase 3 area, an officer said. His son was also found missing.

Yadav, 46, was posted at Faridabad.

"We are investigating the murder from various angles. We can't say anything clearly at this stage," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Manish Sehgal.

--IANS

pradeep/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
HDFC Bank's Facebook Messenger chatbot "OnChat" has registered a 160 per cent month-on-month growth in transactions, the company said on Tuesday.

"We are excited by the response HDFC Bank's 'OnChat' has received. The idea behind 'OnChat' is to allow customers to conduct transactions while they chat with friends on Messenger, thereby taking the user experience in the conversational banking space to the next level," said Nitin Chugh, Country Head - Digital Banking, HDFC Bank, in a statement.

"OnChat" has witnessed an exponential growth in the number of users and has received over 2.4 million messages.

"Number of returning users were close to 34 per cent that further bolsters the confidence in conversational banking," HDFC Bank said.

The service witnessed nearly 25 per cent usage by non-HDFC bank users as well, who used the bot to transact and use services.

The chatbot was launched in collaboration with Niki.ai, on Facebook Messenger platform in December 2016. It marked the bank's maiden foray into conversational banking.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based chatbot 'Eva' -- built for HDFC Bank by Bengaluru-based Senseforth AI Research -- has also successfully addressed over 2.7 million customer queries in six months to become the country's largest banking chatbot, the bank said earlier this month.

--IANS

ksc/na/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
Actor Hrithik Roshan, brand ambassador of Zebronics, will be seen walking the ramp after three years at the third season of Tech Fashion Tour organised by Exhibit Technologies here.

He will be a showstopper for designer Nikhil Thampi, who will showcase his first demi-couture collection Sylph.

"Hrithik has an amazing sense of style and is a gadget freak himself. When we approached him to be a part of Tech Fashion Tour, he loved the idea and readily agreed," Ramesh Somani, Founder and CEO, Exhibit Technologies, said in a statement.

To be held on September 20 at the St. Regis, the event will showcase new launches from the world of fashion and technology. It is presented by Volkswagen and powered by Zebronics, Swiss Eagle.

Thampi is one of the five designers who will be showcasing his new fashion collection with a blend of technology.

The collection has modern evening wear, comprising elegant gowns, tailored blazer sets and sharp separates. Combining his sleek tailoring with metallic embroidery, Sylph is targeted at women who are strong, bold and fiercely independent.

The designer will also be introducing a capsule line of contemporary menswear, in his signature cutting-edge style with interesting detailing for men who are unafraid to push the boundaries and go beyond simple tailored suits.

--IANS

dc/rb/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India on Tuesday welcomed as encouraging and positive Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's address on the situation in the country's Rakhine state where violence has triggered an outflow of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to neighbouring Bangladesh.

"It was an encouraging address and contained a very positive message," India's Ambassador to Myanmar Vikram Misri told the media after Suu Kyi's state of the union address on the issue.

"I think we all appreciate the problems and complex challenges that Myanmar faces," he said.

"The situation that has come about in the Rakhine state in recent days is something that has caused a lot of concern to not only people within the country but its neighbours, including us, too."

Breaking her silence over the ongoing crisis, Suu Kyi on Tuesday said she and her government "condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence" in the country and does not fear global scrutiny on the situation in Rakhine state.

The de facto leader made the remarks in her first national address over the Rakhine violence. She said she felt "deeply" for the suffering of "all people" in the conflict, and that Myanmar was "committed to a sustainable solution... for all communities in this state".

The UN office in Bangladesh said on Monday that around 415,000 refugees have entered the country since August 25 after the Myanmarese army launched a crackdown on the minority Rohingya community in view of a series of attacks on security personnel.

The Rohingyas do not enjoy citizenship status in Myanmar and are sparingly given refugee status in Bangladesh.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared New Delhi's concerns over the situation in Rakhine during a meeting with Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi when he visited Nay Pyi Taw earlier this month.

India has also extended humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh to handle the refugee crisis.

Suu Kyi, who decided not to attend the UN General Assembly in New York later this week, said she was "aware of the fact that the world's attention is focused on the situation in Rakhine" and that Myanmar "does not fear international scrutiny", CNN reported.

The leader said she nevertheless wanted the international community to know what was being done by her government. "It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abdicate responsibility. We condemn all human rights violation and unlawful violence."

In his remarks to the media, Ambassador Misri said that India has shared its concerns over the issue at various levels.

He said that while India recognsied the right of the authorities to provide security and defend themselves from violent attacks, it was also important to prevent violence against innocent bystanders and civilians

--IANS

ab/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The lawyer representing the family of Pradhuman -- the seven-year-old boy who was brutally murdered in Ryan International School in Gurugram in Haryana on September 8 -- on Tuesday questioned the delay in the CBI taking over the case.

"The family's hope of getting justice for Pradhuman hinges on an impartial investigation into the case. They need to know the seven-year-old's crime for which he had to pay with his life. Why was his life taken away? Why isn't the CBI taking over?" Sushil Tekriwal, the Supreme Court lawyer, told the media.

Raising more questions, Tekriwal also wanted to know why there was no lawyer representing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the hearing on the anticipatory bail petition of the Pintos, the owners of Ryan International Group.

"Is it that the Haryana government is deliberately delaying the handing over of case to CBI to save the Pinto family," he asked.

The advocate said Justice A.B. Chaudhari of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had recused himself from hearing the anticipatory bail petition of the Pintos as he knew the family personally. Now the hearing is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.

On the other hand, Varun Chandra Thakur, the father of Pradhuman, has questioned the very intention of the Haryana government over the matter. He said during his visit to their place, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had categorically stated that he would recommend a CBI probe into the gruesome killing of the child.

"Then we came to know the same day that he (the Chief Minister) had recommended CBI probe. But even after four days of his making the recommendation, there has been no progress in the matter," Thakur said.

He said he had written to the Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram urging him not to reopen the school now, as it could affect the evidence on the premises, but the district administration granted the permission to reopen. However, within hours of reopening on Monday, the school was closed again until September 24.

Thakur said: "Although it was relieving to know that state Home Secretary S.S. Prasad has written to the CBI for investigation into Pradhuman's case, nobody knows when exactly the investigating agency will take up the probe."

Meanwhile, problems seem to be mounting for the Bhondsi, Gurugram-located Ryan International School. A committee constituted by the state government has found a number of lapses on the part of the school management. The CCTV cameras were also found to be out of order.

--IANS

hindi-nir/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A forum on China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative kicked off in the Chinese city of Dunhuang, a key transit point in the ancient Silk Road, on Tuesday, attended by representatives of outlets and think tanks from 126 countries, including Nepal, a report said.

Hosted by the People's Daily, the event is being attended by representatives of over 300 media outlets and think tanks across the globe, the Kathmandu Post reported.

Earlier this month, Nepal Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, during a visit to Beijing, said his country is committed to undertake several big ticket infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The media forum has been held thrice since 2014. Last year, the forum attracted participants from 212 mainstream media outlets from 101 countries. The event is meant to promote the positive role of media in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative. This year's media forum is being under the spirit of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Delivering a keynote speech, Yang Zhenwu, president of the People's Daily, said a centre to strengthen cooperation among domestic and international media on the Belt and Road will be set up by the People's Daily.

Addressing the forum, Robin Li, co-founder and CEO of Baidu, said young people now access and exchange more videos than anytime before. Robin is one of the pioneers and leading figures in China's Internet industry. Since founding the company in January 2000, Robin has led Baidu to be China's largest search engine, with over 70 percent market share. Baidu is the largest Chinese search engine globally and the second largest independent search engine in the world.

--IANS

rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Myanmar government has allocated additional funds of 20 billion kyats ($14 million) to urgently repair a damaged portion of the border with Bangladesh, an official statement said.

For the 2017-18 fiscal year, more than 8 billion kyats had been allocated for the undertaking, reports Xinhua news agency.

The government has also asked the Construction Ministry to urgently build the Mayu mountain range road network to ensure the border security as well as that in the Maungtaw region.

The government formed a central committee for the implementation of peace and development in Rakhine state on May 30, 2016, with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi as the chairperson.

Myanmar authorities said last week that it will upgrade its border fence with Bangladesh by extending the coverage and patching some damaged vents for security purpose.

U Zaw Htay, director-general of the President Office, disclosed that some vents were found along the border and over 64 km of fence are needed to be enclosed.

The over 270 km Myanmar-Bangladesh border fence construction project started in 2009 during the previous government with an approved fund of 190 billion kyats in total for the last nine fiscals.

--IANS

ksk/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NMDC Ltd, India's largest iron ore miner, will fast-track several key under-implementation projects to substantially increase iron ore production and shipment, said the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Navratna public sector enterprise.

"NMDC has a huge pool of skilled manpower as well as technical expertise and the company will now fast-track all its ongoing projects, including earlier commissioning of a 3 MTPA Nagarnar integrated steel plant in Bastar (in Chhattisgarh)," N. Baijendra Kumar, who took charge as NMDC's CMD early this month, told IANS.

Kumar, a 1985 batch IAS officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, said: "NMDC will strive to raise its iron ore output up to 50 MT (million tonne) in fiscal 2017-18. The target is surely highly challenging but achievable."

Kumar, a bureaucrat with over three decades of experience, was Additional Chief Secretary, Industry and Energy, in Chhattisgarh, where NMDC produces roughly 70 percent of its total iron ore annually, before taking up the present post.

NMDC has several high quality iron ore mines at Bailadila hills in Maoist insurgency-hit Dantewada district. Bailadila hills are made up of the sprawling Bacheli and Kirandul iron ore deposits.

Kumar was among the few bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh who was known for taking quick decisions and time-bound execution of projects. He was always the part of the core team of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh for planning and implementing government's flagship schemes.

Outlining his priorities as CMD, Kumar said: "I know the NMDC from close quarters for a long time. It's very important assignment for me to serve such a reputed company as the CMD. The onus is on me to take it to further heights.

"The focus will be on expansion of existing iron ore mines besides opening more mines in Bailadila hills, some of them will be through joint ventures, to meet the growing demands from domestic and international markets," said the 57-year-old Kumar, who hails from Kerala.

--IANS

sujeet/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Normalisation of India-Denmark relations, that got a push with the launch of a direct flight between New Delhi and Copenhagen, will boost bilateral trade, which is billed to touch the $3 billion-mark by the end of 2017.

The relations between India and Denmark have historically remained cordial. In 2011, however, they were affected by the non-extradition of Niels Holck, better known as Kim Davy, a Danish national involved in what is known as the "Purulia Arms Dropping Case" in 1995.

India says he was involved in smuggling of weapons, which he air-dropped in West Bengal from a plane purchased in Latvia. He is said to have trafficked a total of four tonnes of arms.

Denmark blocked his extradition for trial in India leading to a setback to ties. Even in January this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of his extradition with a Danish minister and was assured full cooperation. "As the flow of investment grows and the two-way flow of businesses increase and a signal is sent out that the relations have normalised... then trade will also grow," Ambassador-designate to Denmark Ajit Gupte told IANS in an interaction at the Copenhagen airport here.

According to Gupte, national passenger carrier Air India's non-stop flight service launched last Saturday between New Delhi and Copenhagen acts as a "major positive step in normalising (bilateral) relations".

The combined commodities and services bilateral trade between India and Denmark increased to $2.82 billion in 2016 as compared to $2.80 billion in 2015.

In 2016, India had a trade surplus in commodities, while Denmark had balance of trade in its favour where services were concerned.

India's exports to Denmark include articles of apparel and clothing accessories, textile yarns, organic chemicals, general industrial machinery and iron and steel, among other items, whereas it imports medicinal and pharmaceutical products, electrical and power generating machinery.

In terms of investments, data from "Statistics Denmark" showed that the Danish foreign direct investment (FDI) to India was $758 million in sectors such as manufacturing, trade and transport, financial and business services.

"In the last five years the Danish investment has been over $5 billion in India... Denmark has also agreed to become the partner country in the forthcoming event, World Food India, in November 2017; so we even expect the investments in food processing industries to grow," Gupte noted.

Major Denmark-based companies like shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk Group, Cheminova Agro, F.L. Smidth & Co., Danfoss, Carlsberg and others have already invested in India.

(Rohit Vaid is in Copenhagen at the invitation of Air India. He can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in)

--IANS

rv/ag/sac/tb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iraqi forces on Tuesday started a new military offensive to recapture two areas in Anbar province from the Islamic State (IS) terror group, a military officer said.

The towns of Rayhana and Anah located near the Syrian border, were seized by the IS in 2014, reports Efe news.

The operation comes three days after the Iraqi forces liberated the western town of Akashat, a strategic area rich in minerals, including phosphates.

In August, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the radical group in Tel Afar, west of Mosul.

The IS still controls the western areas of Anbar.

--IANS

ksk/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday gave former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other family members another seven days to appear before the accountability court in connection with the Supreme Court-mandated corruption cases.

The order came on three cases submitted by the NAB against Sharif, his sons Hussain and Hassan, daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain Muhammad Safdar (retd). The NAB ordered that the family should appear before the court on September 26, Geo News reported.

Asif Kirmani, a close aide of Nawaz Sharif appeared before the court on behalf of Sharif Family and apprised the judge that due to illness of the former premier's wife Kulsoom Nawaz, all the family members were in London.

He also told the court that Kulsoom Nawaz is scheduled to undergo another surgery in the next couple of days, therefore an exact date for the family's return cannot be ascertained.

The court directed that the summons be dispatched to the Sharif family's London address.

During the court proceedings, NAB prosecutors told the court that they were not allowed entry into the Sharif family's multiple homes and had to hand the summons to the guards at each of the properties.

The prosecutors also said that earlier, Sharif's sons had refused to receive the summons.

A PML-N leader close to the Sharif family had told Dawn on Monday that "Nawaz Sharif and his children will not appear before the accountability court and they are likely to skip all the proceedings of the accountability courts".

Last month, the Sharif family and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had chosen not to appear before NAB after they were asked to join the investigation in different cases.

"The Sharifs are anticipating the outcome of these references, therefore they have no plans to appear before the accountability courts," the PML-N leader said.

Maryam, who had led the Lahore NA-120 by-election campaign on behalf of her mother Kulsoom Nawaz for over a month, left for London hours after her mother won the by-poll with over 61,000 votes.

Maryam and her husband Muhammad Safdar's departure has already triggered speculation that the entire Sharif family has gathered in London and may not return to face corruption and money laundering references filed against them in the accountability courts.

--IANS

soni/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vatican City, Sep 20 (IANS/AKI) Pope Francis on Tuesday called for peace and "concrete" aid for the victims of conflicts, the impoverished and the enslaved in the world.

"Let us work together to find concrete solutions to help the poor, refugees, victims of modern forms of slavery, in order to promote peace," Francis tweeted.

His nine-language @pontifex account has almost 34 million followers, the Twitter-tracking group Twiplomacy reported last month.

Twiplomacy tracks the social media use of world leaders.

--IANS/AKI

vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will co-chair the two-day meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) with Kazakhstan beginning on Tuesday in the central Asian nation's capital at Astana, an official statement said here.

According to the Indian petroleum ministry, Kazakhstan will be represented in the talks by its Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev.

"The IGC meeting aims to follow up on the agenda set between India and Kazakhstan during the two visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kazakhstan in July 2015 and June 2017," the statement said.

During Pradhan's visit, the two sides are expected to finalise a strategy and roadmap for expanding trade, economic and investment cooperation, it added.

The minister is being accompanied by a delegation of officials from various ministries, the Railway Board and the state-run oil explorer's foreign arm ONGC Videsh Ltd.

--IANS

bc/qd/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ULFA might hammer out a lasting solution to the "Assam problem" before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, its General Secretary, Anup Chetia, has said, adding that the BJP-led government must think seriously on how to bring the Paresh Baruah faction to the negotiating table which will augment lasting peace in the state.

"We hope that the next round of talks between Ulfa and the Centre will be formal talks," Anup Chetia alias Golap Baruah told IANS in an exclusive interview in his office.

"We are, in fact, working to finalise the modality to ensure land rights for the indigenous people of Assam and a constitutional safeguard for the locals here. These are the two main demands we are placing before the government of India to solve the Assam problem," said Chetia, adding that the outfit favours land rights for the indigenous people of Assam like it is in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and other northeastern states."

"The problem of Assam is unique. We have so many diverse ethnicities and no other state in India has a similar problem. Besides, lots of infiltration has taken place in Assam since centuries, which has compounded the problem," said Chetia.

Asked about the faction led by Paresh Baruah, who is yet to come to the negotiating table, Chetia said that lasting peace will come only when all the ULFA factions and other militant outfits are taken on board. "The central government must take the issue seriously. People ask me if I have taken any initiative to bring Paresh Baruah to the talks. No, I have not taken any initiative in this regard so far," he said.

"If you see all the peace accords signed by the government of India and the militant outfits of northeast India, you will realise that nothing has been executed (implemented) so far. The Mizo National front (MNF) had recently submitted a fresh memorandum to the government of India to implement the Mizo peace accord. The peace talks with the NSCN-IM have been on since 1997 but the government is yet to make public the framework agreement that has been signed. I am told that efforts are also on to bring the NSCN-K to the table. However, clarity is missing, which has complicated the issue," said Chetia.

The majority of the ULFA leaders, including its Chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa, who had been holed up in Bangladesh, were arrested by the authorities in 2010 and handed over to Indian authorities. Subsequently they agreed to sit for peace talks and were released on bail. However, ULFA "Commander-in-Chief" Paresh Baruah had remained in Myanmar with a few of his comrades and they are yet to respond to the government's peace initiative.

Chetia was arrested in Bangladesh on December 21, 1997, and had languished in that country's jails till his extradition to India in November 2015. After being released on bail, Chetia also decided to join the peace talks.

Born in January 1956 at Jerai Gaon in eastern Assam's Tinsukia district, Chetia was one of the founder-members of the now-banned outfit in 1979. He was the one who brought Paresh Baruah to ULFA. Chetia had gone underground in the 1980s and his joining the peace talks in 2016 assumed significance as he was one of the important leaders of the outfit after Paresh Baruah.

After his release on bail, Chetia had also tendered a public apology for the mistakes ULFA had made in the past and said that he would work for the betterment of the state's indigenous communities.

"I have also visited the families of martyrs who had laid down their lives during the struggle," said Chetia, adding that he had also taken up steps to bridge the differences of opinion between some of the surrendered cadres and the ex-ULFA cadres who had quit the organisation in the past due to the hardships and problems they had to face.

Chetia, who has been a keen observer since his arrival in the country, said that real development has not taken place in Assam except for some new roads, and buildings. "There has not been much industrial development in Assam since we left the country. This is the reason why unemployment is still a problem," he said.

What next? Will he take up the fight politically to achieve the goal?

"As of now I do not have any plans to join . However, I have been moving around in Assam since my arrival and strongly feel that regionalism has not lost ground. The erstwhile Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) government had failed regionalism but the people still have faith in regionalism," said Chetia.

(Aditya Baruah can be contacted at aditya.assam@rediffmail.com)

--IANS

ah/vm/tb/sac

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Spanish police arrested a 25-year-old Pakistani national on Tuesday on suspicion of indoctrination and spreading jihadi propaganda.

Tuesday's arrest was a direct result of a police operation in June in which three Pakistani brothers were detained for their role in organising a jihadi group which had "an extremely radical ideology", Xinhua news agency quoted the Interior Ministry as saying.

The suspect was reported to have used his Facebook page to "consume and spread" the propaganda messages by publishing videos of suicide attacks, praising terrorist groups and their leaders and instigating terrorist acts.

The arrest takes the number of people arrested for suspected extremism in Spain since the start of 2015 to 245.

--IANS

ksk/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Spanish government has informed North Korea's ambassador to Madrid, Kim Hyok Chol, that he must leave the country before the end of the month, officials said.

Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis announced that the North Korean diplomat was called to the Foreign Ministry on Monday to be informed of Madrid's decision to declare him "persona non grata", a move clearly linked to the nuclear and ballistic missile tests that Pyongyang has been conducting in recent weeks, Efe news reported.

According to the ministry, the Spanish government came to the conclusion that "it was necessary to take this step because those programs are a serious threat to international peace and security".

Dastis, who is in New York to participate in the UN General Assembly, said that the decision was taken after "repeatedly warning the ambassador and (North) Korean authorities".

The measure comes after North Korea last Friday launched a new ballistic missile that overflew northern Japan after harsh sanctions were imposed by the UN on the Kim Jong-un regime as a result of its latest nuclear test.

The Spanish government had reacted to Pyongyang's ballistic missile test on August 31 by telling the North Korean envoy directly that it had decided to reduce from three to two the number of diplomatic personnel at Pyongyang's mission in Madrid.

Meanwhile, the US hailed Madrid's decision to expel the North Korean ambassador and called on other countries to take similarly decisive actions to apply the "maximum pressure" on Pyongyang.

A Department of State official, requesting anonymity, said that the US "praises the Spanish government's decision to take this step to increase the pressure on the North Korean regime".

--IANS

vgu/

(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.)
Reiterating India's historical support for Palestine, India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj declared on Tuesday that it will be a central point of its foreign policy.

"For independent India support for the Palestinian cause has been a reference point of its foreign policy," she told the Nonaligned Movement's Ministerial Committee on Palestine on the sidelines of the high-level General Assembly meeting.

Recalling that the NAM Committee on Palestine was set up during India's chairmanship of the Movement in 1983, Sushma Swaraj said that New Delhi's commitment to the Palestinian cause and solidarity with the Palestinian people "can never be undermined".

"I strongly believe that India's expanding relations in the region with all nations will only strengthen the Palestinian cause," she said.

Her reassurances to Palestine and and its supporters comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's July visit to Israel during which he stayed away from Palestine.

Ties between India and Israel have grown sharply in recent years, especially in the defence field.

"I strongly believe that India's expanding relations in the region with all nations will only strengthen the Palestinian cause," she said, adding, during Modi's visit to Israel "we reiterated the need for a just and durable peace in the region".

Peace in the region will only be possible with "an early negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine based on mutual recognition and security arrangements," she said.

In a rebuttal to criticism by some in India and elsewhere for what they see as a dilution of New Delhi's engagement with Palestine, she said: "It is a matter of great personal satisfaction for me that over the last two years the tempo of our partnership with the Palestinian people has been significantly stepped up."

Sushma Swaraj also recalled her visit to Palestine in January last year when she and her Palestinian counterpart Riyad Maliki decided to establish a ministerial-level joint commission to better manage cooperation activities between the two sides.

During Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas's visit to India in May, the two countries signed agreements for cooperation in agriculture, information technology, health and in youth affairs and sports, she said.

"We also took the decision to set up an information technology park in Ramallah that can serve as an information technology training and service providing hub," she added.

Stating that India has been voluntarily contributing to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for several years now, Sushma Swaraj said: "In 2016, we contributed $1.25 million towards its budget, and we are committed to maintaining this support on a multiple-year basis."

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

al/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Breaking her silence on Rohingyas, Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday said she and her government condemned all human rights abuses and unlawful violence in the country and do not fear global scrutiny on the situation in Rakhine state.

State Counsellor Suu Kyi made the remarks in English in her much-anticipated address in Parliament over the violence that has seen about 415,000 Rohingya Muslims flee into Bangladesh since August 25 following a military crackdown that has raised global concerns.

Her comments came a day after a group of countries led by the UK met with representatives of the Myanmar government in New York and called for an end to the violence against Rohingya Muslim minority and allow aid to be provided to them.

Ministers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Denmark as well as the US permanent representative in the UN, Nikki Haley, took part in the meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Suu Kyi did not, in her 30-minute televised address, denounce the alleged atrocities against the Rohingyas, termed by UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein as a "textbook case of ethnic cleansing". Instead, she said Myanmar was not "afraid of international scrutiny".

Her speech was criticised for failing to address the allegations of abuse by the Myanmar military. Hours later, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva called for full access to the region so it can investigate the situation "with its own eyes".

In her address, Suu Kyi only referred to the Rohingya by name once -- in connection to the burgeoning Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militant group that she claimed was "responsible for acts of terrorism".

Suu Kyi, who decided not to attend the UN General Assembly in New York, said she was "aware of the fact that the world's attention is focused on the situation in Rakhine". She said she wanted the international community to know what was being done by her government.

"It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abdicate responsibility. We condemn all human rights violation and unlawful violence."

Despite the continuing exodus from conflict-hit Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh, Suu Kyi claimed that the military's offensive ended two weeks ago.

"There have been no conflicts since September 5 and no clearance operations. We too are concerned. We want to find out what the real problems are," said the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

"There have been allegations, and counter allegations, and we have to listen to all of them... We have to make sure that these allegations are based on solid evidence before we take action.

"We want to find out why this exodus is happening. We'd like to talk to those who have fled, as well as those who have stayed."

Suu Kyi said she felt "deeply" for the suffering of "all people" in the conflict and Myanmar was "committed to a sustainable solution... for all communities in this state".

"Action will be taken against all peoples, regardless of their religion, race or political position who go against the laws of the land and who violate human rights.

Suu Kyi also promised to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the violence.

Responding to her speech, Amnesty International accused Suu Kyi and her government of "burying their heads in the sand over the horrors unfolding in Rakhine state.

"At times, her speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming," said James Gomez, Amnesty International's Regional Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

India on Tuesday stressed on the restoration of normalcy in Rakhine state and called for the situation to be handled with restraint.

"It is imperative that violence is ended and normalcy in the state is restored expeditiously through a solution based on respect for peace, communal harmony, justice, dignity and democratic values," said Rajiv Chander, India's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva.

Suu Kyi's speech, though disappointing to many outside the country who view her as a champion of human rights, was met with applause and cheers from large crowds in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, who watched her live on large outdoor screens.

There was a party atmosphere among the people watching Suu Kyi.

The Rohingya refugees have fled since the violence broke out on August 25 when ARSA rebels attacked police checkposts and killed 12 security personnel.

The Myanmar government has said its operations in Rakhine state were in response to the August attack and that the military was battling terrorists and doing everything to protect civilians.

Human rights activists, fellow Nobel laureates and much of the world's Muslim community have condemned Suu Kyi for failing to use her position as a government leader and moral authority to speak out on behalf of Rohingyas.

Myanmar considers the Rohingya illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh whereas Bangladesh considers them Myanmar citizens.

The Myanmar government does not use the term "Rohingya" and does not recognise the people as an official ethnicity, which means the Rohingya are denied citizenship and effectively rendered stateless.

--IANS

soni/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Breaking her silence over the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday said she and her government "condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence" in the country and does not fear global scrutiny on the situation in Rakhine state.

The de facto leader made the remarks in her first national address over the Rakhine violence that has seen 415,000 Rohingya Muslims flee into Bangladesh since August 25. Suu Kyi said she felt "deeply" for the suffering of "all people" in the conflict, and that Myanmar was "committed to a sustainable solution... for all communities in this state".

Suu Kyi, who decided not to attend the UN General Assembly in New York later this week, said she was "aware of the fact that the world's attention is focused on the situation in Rakhine" and that Myanmar "does not fear international scrutiny", CNN reported.

The leader said she nevertheless wanted the international community to know what was being done by her government. "It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abdicate responsibility. We condemn all human rights violation and unlawful violence.

"Action will be taken against all peoples, regardless of their religion, race, or political position, who go against the laws of the land and who violate human rights.

Suu Kyi also promised to provide humanitarian assistance to the communities affected by the violence.

"We are committed to the restoration of peace, stability and rule of law throughout the state," Suu Kyi said in front of a packed auditorium of Myanmar government officials and high ranking militarily personnel here.

Despite the continuing exodus from conflict-ridden Rakhine, Suu Kyi claimed that the military's offensive had ended two weeks ago. "There have been no conflicts since September 5, and no clearance operations. We too are concerned. We want to find out what the real problems are.

"There have been allegations, and counter allegations, and we have to listen to all of them... We have to make sure that these allegations are based on solid evidence before we take action.

"We want to find out why this exodus is happening. We'd like to talk to those who have fled, as well as those who have stayed," Suu Kyi said.

The Rohingya refugees have fled since the ongoing violence broke out on August 25 when Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) rebels attacked police checkposts and killed 12 security personnel.

Suu Kyi termed the August 25 strikes as "terrorist attacks".

"After several months of seeming quiet and peace, 30 police outputs were attacked by armed Muslim groups. Consequently, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army was declared a terrorist group."

In her speech, Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner for her non-violent resistance to the military junta that used to rule Myanmar, did not mention the Rohingya specifically and only used the term in reference to the "Rohingya Salvation Army".

Human rights activists, fellow Nobel laureates and much of the world's Muslim community have condemned Suu Kyi for failing to use her position as a government leader and moral authority to speak out on behalf of Rohingyas.

Myanmar considers the Rohingya illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh whereas Bangladesh considers them Myanmar citizens.

The Myanmar government does not use the term "Rohingya" and does not recognise the people as an official ethnicity, which means the Rohingya are denied citizenship and effectively rendered stateless.

--IANS

soni/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Karan Soni, who featured as an Indian cab driver in Ryan Reynolds' "Deadpool", will be back as Dopinder in the second part of the superhero film. The actor, with roots back to India, says the storyline is very different from "what anyone can imagine".

The actor also mentioned that his role in the upcoming film is meatier than the first part.

"I can't say that (about what to expect from the film) because I don't want to tell you the story. We are half-way done. I will say (that my role in 'Deadpool 2') is way more than the first one. So, that is very exciting," Karan told IANS over phone from Los Angeles.

"In the first movie, I worked on it for three weeks and for this movie I am working for about seven or eight weeks. It is almost like double the amount of time I am spending on the sets," he added.

The film tells the story of an adult superhero with a twisted sense of humour. Karan featured as Dopinder, who took relationship advice from Deadpool. His role was small, but it didn't go unnoticed.

Based on Marvel Comics' most unconventional anti-hero, "Deadpool" is the original story of a former Special Forces operative who turns into a mercenary and is now out to seek revenge against the man who nearly destroyed his life. The film is slated to release on June 1, 2018.

"The storyline is so different from what anyone can imagine. Even I was shocked and couldn't believe that I am getting to do all these things. I think my character is also kind of shocked that he is getting to do all those things.

"It has been fun and I am excited to see the response because there is no way they (audience) are going to expect what is going to happen," he added.

There was a Bollywood twist in "Deadpool" in 2016 too, with songs like "Mera joota hai japani" featuring in the opening credit, and "Tumse achha kaun hai" also finding a place in the narrative.

Asked about any other Bollywood song being used in "Deadpool 2", Karan said: "There is another Indian song in the film, which my character is listening to."

Karan said that it is hard to tell if the scene will make it after the final edit.

"It is very hard to say (whether it will be in the final version). But we have shot where I'm listening to another Bollywood song, hopefully that will make it to the final movie."

Born and brought up in Delhi, Karan went to study in the University of South California, but found a way into the showbiz. He has featured in projects like "Safety Not Guaranteed", "The Neighbors", "Goosebumps", "Ghostbusters" and an episode of "Room 104", aired in India on Star World Premiere HD.

Karan says he never got a role based on an Indian stereotype in the West.

"I could never get cast with an Indian accent. I was not getting cast. When I have done jobs with an Indian accent, I was mad because I got offended thinking that 'is an Indian actor not good enough'," he said, adding that this problem exists for "brown actors who have more to do with drama".

"I didn't do a lot of drama and decided to do comedy, so I never used to get those terrorist audition and stuff. But I do know a lot of people who in the beginning got that kind of stuff," he added.

(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)

--IANS

sug/vm/sac

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian telecom regulator on Tuesday came out with a regulation where it has more than halved the call termination charges from mobile to mobile to 6 paise per minute effective from October 1, 2017.

"For mobile to mobile, termination charge has been reduced from 14 paise per minute to 6 paise per minute with effect from October 1, 2017," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in a statement.

It said: "Such a revision in the mobile termination charge is in line with the international trends."

Domestic termination charges are the charges payable by a telecom service provider (TSP) whose subscriber originates the call, to the TSP in whose network the call terminates.

It further added: "From January 1, 2020 onwards the termination charge for all types of domestic calls shall be zero."

It said for other types of calls (such as wire-line to mobile, wire-line to wire-line and wire-line to mobile) the termination charge would continue to remain zero.

The TRAI said: "Further, the cost of termination of calls will drastically come down over a period of two years and very small residual value, if any, can be absorbed by the TSPs in their tariff offerings. As a result, the Authority prescribes a Bill and Keep regime for the wireless to wireless calls effective from the January 1, 2020."

The prevailing Interconnection Usage Charges (IUC) Regulation was notified on February 23, 2015 and came into effect from March 1, 2015.

This regulation of TRAI will give a big jolt to the incumbent TSPs like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular who said a lesser IUC regime will be detrimental for the industry. However, new entrant in the industry Reliance Jio has always demanded zero termination charges.

Earlier Vodafone Group CEO Vittorio Colao had urged the Indian government not to reduce mobile termination charges (MTC) further.

In a letter dated August 22, Colao said: "On mobile termination charges, we are seriously alarmed to see reports that the Regulator is considering a reduction in MTC at a time when the industry is facing such immense hardships. Any reduction in MTC risks large scale site shut-down of already unprofitable sites in rural India and which would greatly diminish the population coverage of mobile telephony."

Interconnection allows subscribers, services and networks of one service provider to be accessed by subscribers, services and networks of the other service providers. If networks are efficiently interconnected, subscribers of one network are able to seamlessly communicate with those of another network or access the services offered by other networks.

The TRAI said it would keep a close watch on the developments in the sector particularly with respect to the adoption of new technologies and their impact on termination costs.

"The Authority, if it deems it necessary, may revisit the aforementioned scheme for termination charge applicable on wireless to wires calls after one year from the date of implementation of the regulation"," it added.

--IANS

ag/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Tripura government has recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the "poor quality" of work undertaken by central government agencies, like Hindustan Steel Works Construction Ltd, in the northeastern state, a state Minister said here on Tuesday.

Tripura PWD and Health Minister Badal Choudhury said the demand was raised during the two-day visit of Union Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation D.V. Sadananda Gowda to the state last week.

"During a review meeting we requested the Union Minister to conduct a probe by the CBI into the works of central agencies in different projects," Choudhury told IANS.

Choudhury appreciated Gowda's review meet on the works of various projects by the central agencies.

"Quality of work of different central agencies, especially the HSCL (Hindustan Steel Works Construction Ltd) are very poor and they take a long time, much beyond the schedule, to complete the projects. There are many complaints against the work of HSCL," he said.

HSCL, which is under the Union Ministry of Steel, under a tripartite agreement with the Tripura government has been undertaking various projects in the state, including the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), construction of district hospitals and concrete drainage system.

Choudhury said Gowda assured he would look into the state government's demand and directed the central agencies to maintain quality and adhere to the schedule to complete the projects and schemes.

Besides the HSCL, other central government agencies working on projects include National Buildings Construction Corporation, National Projects Construction Corporation Limited, Northeastern Electric Power Corporation, Airports Authority of India, Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR), National Highways Authority of India, Power Grid Corporation Limited.

Choudhury told Gowda that various important projects were pending and urged that work on them is started.

"Construction works for expansion of Agartala airport, construction of a bridge over river Feni to connect Bangladesh with India, various major bridges linking the national highways should start immediately," he added.

Gowda inspected various ongoing centrally funded projects in Tripura during his visit.

He asked the NFR official to complete the new India-Bangladesh railway project along Tripura.

The Agartala (India)-Akhaura (Bangladesh) railway project, which was finalised in January 2010, is likely to be completed by next year end and would be operational by January 2019.

The Agartala-Akhaura railway line would facilitate carriage of goods to and from both the countries and benefit India's land-locked northeastern states. It would also reduce the journey time between Agartala and Kolkata, via Bangladesh, by a third, from 1,613-km through mountainous terrain to a mere 514 km.

--IANS

sc/in/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron here that he believed the Paris climate agreement was "badly negotiated" and was unfair to Washington.

On Monday, Trump talked about the consequence of the Paris deal for American workers, industries and the economy, said Brian Hook, director of policy at the US State Department.

Hook, who attended the meeting, said Trump did not believe that the Paris agreement was "a framework to achieve those goals around clean energy, protecting the environment, and promoting economic growth", reports Xinhua news agency.

"He (Trump) wants to work with France and other countries on technology and policy innovations that balance this need for both protecting the environment and for economic growth," Hook added.

Trump was very open to considering a number of different options as long as they were fair to America's interests, which include promoting the economy and protecting the environment, the official said.

Trump and Macron held talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

--IANS

ksk/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Special NIA court on Tuesday granted bail to Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Suhakar Dwivedi, two prime accused in the September 2008 Malegaon blast case, on grounds of parity.

The two were granted bail along with a surety of Rs 500,000 each and other conditions.

Chaturvedi and Dwivedi, alias Dayanand Pandey, had filed for bail after the Supreme Court granted bail to Lt. Col. Prasad S. Purohit, one of the main accused in the case, last month.

Earlier, another prime accused in the case, Sadhvi Pragnya Singh Thakur, had been released on bail by the Bombay High Court on health and other grounds after nearly nine years in custody.

A powerful bomb exploded near the crowded Nooraji Mosque in Malegaon on the evening of September 29, 2008, killing six and injuring 100 others, around 300 km north of Mumbai in Nashik district.

It was the second such blast in the Muslim-dominated powerloom town which was earlier shaken by a similar blast on September 8, 2006, which claimed 37 lives and injured more than 250.

Initially, the (Malegaon 2008) case was probed by the Maharashtra Police and the Anti-Terrorist Squad, and later in April 2011 it was taken over the National Investigation Agency.

The investigators had charge-sheeted 14 accused in the case, including two - Ramchandra Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange - who are absconding so far. The involvement of some of the accused was found in other terror acts in the country.

--IANS

qn/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After days of suspense, maverick Gujarat politician Shankersinh Vaghela, recently sacked by the Congress for engineering a revolt ahead of the August Rajya Sabha polls, on Tuesday announced his support to a third front - Jan Vikalp - in the state.

The front, believed to be Vaghela's brainchild, will support candidates from an assortment of non-BJP and non-Congress political parties as well as independents who register with it for the upcoming assembly elections, the former Chief Minister said.

Addressing a crowded press conference, Vaghela said: "It is a myth to say that an alternative political force can't work in Gujarat. Jan Vikalp is a front and not a political party."

The formation of Jan Vikalp was announced by Parthesh Patel, a former social media adviser to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and now to Vaghela. It has not been registered as a political party.

"I am neither contesting the elections nor am going to decide the candidates. The selection will be made on the basis of primaries and the candidates will be decided by the people," he said.

"Anyone from the Aam Aadmi Party, NCP (Nationalist Congress Party), JD-U (Janata Dal-United) or independent candidates, who believes in our ideology, is welcome and Jan Vikalp will support them," he said.

Vaghela stated that people were angry with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. "I had offered the Congress that I could get not less than 90 seats if I am given a free hand, but well."

He said the people wanted an alternative but they did not see the Congress as one, "they want change".

The people were fed up with the BJP and the Congress and were desperate for an alternative, he added.

Vaghela, who was leader of the opposition, announced his resignation from the Congress on his 77th birthday on July 21, which was soon followed by the resignation of six legislators who joined the BJP ahead of the August 7 Rajya Sabha election.

Later, during the election to the upper house where Congress bigwig Ahmed Patel was the official candidate, eight others, including Vaghela, cross-voted for BJP candidates. Patel won the election by one vote, with the lone Janata Dal-United MLA, Chhotubhai Vasava, also backing him.

--IANS

desai/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rebel Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela here on Tuesday announced the formation of a third front -- Jan Vikalp -- in Gujarat.

The front will support independent candidates who register with it for the upcoming state assembly elections, the maverick leader said.

Addressing a crowded press conference, Vaghela said, "It is a myth to say that an alternative political force can't work in Gujarat."

Vaghela, who had engineered a revolt of sorts in the opposition Congress ahead of the state Rajya Sabha elections last month, said the people were fed up with the BJP and the Congress and were desperate for an alternative.

--IANS

desai/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
When Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar, the brother of absconder mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, was picked up from his home in south Mumbai late on Monday, he was busy watching the "Kaun Banega Crorepati" show and eating biryani, Thane Police Commissioner Parambir Singh said here on Tuesday.

Kaskar was picked up from the home of his sister, Haseena Parker, late on Monday by a crack team of the Thane Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) and later placed under arrest. He will be produced before a court later Tuesday.

"Iqbal Kaskar demanded four flats and Rs 30 lakh as ransom from a builder. The names of some other builders and politicians have also emerged during the investigation," Singh told mediapersons.

The police are now examining whether the dreaded Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) can be applied to Iqbal Kaskar and his brother Dawood, believed to be in Pakistan.

Singh said that Iqbal Kaskar has been running the extortion racket for quite some time and on Monday night the AEC finally arrested him.

The police chief said he has threatened and made extortion calls to several builders in Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

--IANS

qn/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The leadership of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), a traders body, was in Surat to protest the problems traders were facing because of a hurried roll-out of the goods and services tax. However, the leadership did not ignore other issues of import. On Tuesday, it shot off a letter to Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, objecting to an unethical advertisement of condoms by Sunny Leone. It stated that the condom manufacturer had indulged in unethical marketing as hoardings across Gujarat are shouting out to encourage youths to use condoms in the name of Navaratri festival. The complaint stated that while the hoardings did not use the word condom, the intention is very clear given the combination of words such as play, love and Navaratri were printed over the large logo of the manufacturer. It said in the lust of earning huge money, these brand ambassadors (Sunny Leone) can go to any level, including to disrespect the pious and religious occasion of Navaratri. The CAIT has demanded the advertisement be banned.
A day after Speaker P Dhanapal disqualified 18 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) supporting T T V Dhinakaran, a family member of V K Sasikala, the dissenting MLAs approached the Madras High Court on Tuesday. The court has permitted the filing of the petition and allowed a hearing on Wednesday.
A day after the disqualification of 18 AIADMK legislators, who backed rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran, a petition was filed with the Madras High Court on Tuesday to challenge Tamil Nadu Speaker P Dhanapal's decision to sack the dissenting MLAs.
Shankersinh Vaghela, who quit the Congress party in July, on Tuesday announced that he will lead a new political front  the Jan Vikalp (peoples alternative)  that will contest all the 182-Gujarat Assembly seats in the upcoming polls.
In a crowded press conference in the Shahibaug Circuit House on Tuesday afternoon, Gujarat's former CM and rebel Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela made a much-anticipated announcement. Vaghela said he would join Jan Vikalp- a party floated by his supporters. The move, largely seen as Vaghela's last ditch attempt to claim the CM's chair, is expected to benefit the ruling BJP that will be entering into the Gujarat assembly elections with a strong anti-incumbency factor.


Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has ruled that the proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution to hold elections for all nine provincial councils on a single date requires two-third parliamentary majority and a nationwide referendum, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said today.

Jayasuriya told the parliament that the apex court had determined that the certain clauses of the 20th Amendment is inconsistent with the Constitution. Therefore, it could only be adopted with 2/3rd parliamentary majority and a referendum.

The 20th Amendment seeks to hold election for all nine provincial councils on a single date.

The unity government was pushing for the 20th Amendment in order to postpone the elections by an year, citing the need to have all nine elections for provinces on a single day.

The parliament was to determine the dates for ending the current terms of the councils.

In the history of provincial council elections since 1988, elections for the 9 provinces have been always held on a staggered basis. Two of the councils end their terms this month while one of them ends its term on October 1.

Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said he would announce on October 2 the polling date for three councils - the south western, eastern and north central councils.

He said the elections could be held on December 9. If held it would be the first polls test of the unity government headed by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Since holding a referendum would not be possible before October 2, Deshapriya could announce the three elections by that date.

The opposition accused the government of postponing elections for the fear of losing.

The government had postponed the elections for over 330 local councils in the island nation since 2015 for want for electoral reform.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Five of a family were allegedly shot dead over a political rivalry at the Palwali village here, following which 23 people were arrested, the police said today.

Eight people were also injured in the incident on Sunday night, they said, adding that the arrests were made yesterday.

The police said 18 of the arrested were produced before a court today which sent sarpanch Dayawati and one of her in- laws Omvati to 14 day judicial custody.

Eleven people were sent to two days and four to four days of police remand, they said.

A minor has been sent to a juvenile home and the main accused, Billu, who is Dayawati's husband and a former sarpanch, and four others could not produced in the court today, the police said.

In the complaint, a member of the victims' family has alleged that the incident took place because they did not support the accused in the sarpanch elections.

Raids are being conducted at various places in Haryana, including Palwal and Gurgaon, to arrest the other accused, the police said.

Police Commissioner Hanif Qureshi had said that an SIT will be formed to probe the case.

The police said that security personnel were deployed in large numbers to thwart any untoward incidents.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Atleast five persons, including two security officials, were killed and eight others injured when an explosive device went off while being defused at a cement factory in the Sindh province today.

DIG, Sukkur, Akbar Malhi said that the explosive device was found in the warehouse of the cement factory in Rohri area during a search operation ahead of Muharram.

"The explosion took place in the warehouse of the factory when the security and Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) personnel were trying to defuse it and five persons were killed. It include two BDS officials, two paramilitary rangers and the factory's civilian worker," he told reporters.

The explosion was so strong that eight other people, including Rangers officials, were also injured and taken to a hospital for treatment, the DIG said.

Malhi said that search operations were being carried out in different parts of the province as a preventive measure ahead of Muharram.

Meanwhile, in Karachi, police claimed to have arrested two militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

The Counter Terrorism department of Sindh police said it had arrested Muhammad Abdullah Majid and Adnan Ahmad - who were involved in sectarian murders and were planning to carry out more attacks during the upcoming month of Muharram.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court today indicted 57 people arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a journalism student who was lynched by a vigilante mob in April over blasphemy allegations.

Mashal Khan, 23, a student of the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan was shot dead and his body desecrated in broad daylight by fellow students on April 13 after being accused of "publishing blasphemous content online".

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial government had ordered a judicial inquiry into the lynching in the university campus after harrowing videos of the mob attack were shared widely on social media and triggered widespread condemnation from civil society, politicians and rights activists across the board.

A joint investigation team submitted its report concluding that blasphemy charges could not be proved against Mashal and that his murder was pre-planned by people who included university employees as well, the Express Tribune reported.

An anti-terrorism court in Haripur indicted 57 people in the Mashal lynching case and a second hearing will take place tomorrow in which the prosecution and defence will present their arguments.

All those indicted in the case have pleaded not guilty, Dawn newspaper reported.

In April, a vigilante mob, incited by rumours, had attacked Khan for The mass communication student, enrolled in Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM), was beaten and shot by the mob. He later succumbed to his injuries.

In July, the Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Yahya Afridi had ordered the transfer of the murder case from Mardan to an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Haripur jail after Khan's father Iqbal Khan requested the move fearing his "influential adversaries".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Konkona Sen Sharma's critically acclaimed debut directorial work 'A Death in the Gunj' will have special screening at the 6th Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF).

The festival will be held from November 2-5 at Mcleod Ganj, Dharamshala, a press release said here.

Konkona will be present at the special screening, it said adding many Indian and international directors will attend DIFF 2017 to present their work and participate in question and answer sessions.

'A Death in the Gunj' had fetched Konkona the Best Director award at the recent New York Indian Film Festival.

Festival director Ritu Sarin said, "Over the past six years, DIFF has carved out a niche for itself among the Indian film festivals."



The first edition of DIFF was held in 2012. Since then, it has come to be known as one of India's leading independent film festivals.

DIFF 2017 will also feature the Indian premiere of 'Out of This World' (USA), a restored version of journalist and writer Lowell Thomas' account of his travels to Tibet in 1949. The film had been released in 1954, the release said.

This year's feature film package includes Karma Takapa's 'Ralang Road', premiered at this year's Karlovy Vary Film Festival and the first Indian film to be selected at the prestigious event after 13 years. The others are Dain Said's 'Interchange' (Malaysia, 2016), Yaniv Berman's 'Land of the Little People' (Israel, 2016), Dechen Roder's 'Honeygiver Among the Dogs' (Bhutan, 2016), Yoshinori Sato's 'Her Mother' (Japan), Mano Khalil's 'The Swallow' (Switzerland) and Deepak Rauniyar's Oscar entry from Nepal, 'White Sun'.

'White Sun' had been premiered at the 73rd Venice Film Festival and won Interfilm Award and the new voices/new visions grand jury prize at the Palm Springs festival.

This year's line-up of documentaries include two award-winning film - Kirsten Johnson's 'Cameraperson' (USA, 2016), Rahul Jain's 'Machines' (India, 2016) which were screened at 10 international film festivals and won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Excellence in Cinematography at 2017's Sundance Film Festival.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Days before a wealthy Jain couple from Madhya Pradesh takes monkhood vows, an activist has sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission to stop the initiation ceremony in the interest of their minor daughter.

Sumit Rathore (35) and his wife Anamika (34) recently announced their decision to leave behind their three-year-old daughter and renounce property "worth Rs 100 crore" to become monks under the 'Shwetambar' (white-clad) order of their religion.

Sumit had worked in London before managing his family business in Neemuch while his engineer wife Anamika was earlier employed with a mining major.

Kapil Shukla, a Neemuch-based social activist, today said he has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), MP Human Rights Commission (MPHRC), office of state Chief Minister, the district collector and superintendent of police to stop the "deeksha" (initiation) ceremony of the couple, who will be inducted into the 'Shwetambar' order by Sudhamargi Jain Acharya Ramlal Maharaj in Surat on September 23.

Shukla contended that the couple's decision was against the interest of their minor daughter.

"Who will look after her? The Jain community should also come forward to stop the ceremony," he told reporters today.

MPHRC's 'Aayog Mitra' (representative) in Neemuch district, Bhanu Dave, confirmed the receipt of Shukla's petition.

"We are sending his memorandum to our Bhopal office for further action," he told PTI tonight.

Meanwhile, Sumit's cousin, Sandip Rathore, too has expressed reservations over the couple's move to renounce the material world for spiritual pursuits, despite being bound by family duties.

"I take a vow today that I won't stand with folded hands before pontiffs because I love my daughter, mother and father and wife very much. A sadhu's work is to teach, not to give deeksha (vow)," Sandip said in a social media post.

When contacted, he said though renunciation was a "big deed", it should be done after accomplishing one's duties towards family and children.

The Rathore couple is on a vow of silence until their initiation on Saturday.

As per the monkhood tradition, their heads will be shaved and they will dress in white robes for their entire life, as practiced by of monks and nuns of the Shwetambar sect.

The couple will also start wearing mouth-cloths after the deeksha ceremony. The mouth cloth is worn by Jain hermits so that they do not swallow any living creature like flies or other tiny insects, even by accident while talking.

Anamika's father Ashok Chandaliya, a former Neemuch district president of the BJP, had told PTI that he would take care of his grand-daughter Ibhya. "I am not against my daughter Anamika becoming a nun," he said.

Sumit's father Rajendra Singh, who runs a factory manufacturing gunny bags for packaging cement, had also echoed a similar view.

Sumit and Anamika had decided on the step when their daughter was just eight-months old.

Sumit had announced his decision at a function attended by Acharya Ramlal at Surat last month.

"However, the pontiff asked him to seek Anamika's permission. She not only gave her consent but also expressed desire to become a nun. Their families asked them to rethink, but the couple stood their ground," his cousin Sandip had said.

He said Anamika was the first student in Neemuch district to win a gold medal in her Board examinations for class VIII.

According to a family member, Anamika did her B.E from Modi Engineering College at Laxmangarh in Sikar in Rajasthan. She had worked with Hindustan Zinc before her marriage.

Sumit holds a diploma in import-export management from a college in London. He worked there for two years before returning to Neemuch to look after his family business.

Sandip had claimed that Sumit owns properties "running into Rs 100 crore".

The couple has been married for four years.

Jainism emphasises on non-violence and vegetarianism and is followed by less than one per cent of the country's total population.

Earlier this year, a Jain teenage boy from Gujarat, who had scored 99.99 percentile in class XII Commerce examination, took the vow of monkhood.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Social activist V Shashidhar has sought the state Governor's sanction for prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for alleged nepotism and misuse of powerin the appointment of a legislator to a public office.

He said he has petitioned Governor Vajubhai Vala to permit him to initiate criminal proceedings under Prevention of Corruption Act and various IPC sections against Siddaramaiah for "illegally appointing Hoskote MLA NNagaraj to the post of Chairman of Bengaluru International Airport Area Planning Authority."



In the petition submitted to the governor on September nine, Shashidhar, President of 'Karnataka Police Maha Sangha', which is yet to be recognised, contended that Nagaraj was not a resident of alocation which does not fall under BIAAPA jurisdiction.

He told PTI that the Congress legislator was a resident of Garudacharpalya instead, and "hence it is a violation of government rules.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Eminent scholars, politicians and activists today debated several issues, including efforts to curb free speech in the society and at universities, at a discussion here today.

Most of the speakers at the discussion on 'Safeguarding the Constitution: Are the Pillars of Democracy crumbling?' said the pillars were not just crumbling but the situation was worse than that.

The speakers included CPM leader Brinda Karat and senior lawyer Indira Jaisingh.

Jaisingh said the judiciary, considered one of the four pillars of democracy, was crumbling from within due to non- transparency.

"Proceedings of matters related to Constitution should be telecast to bring transparency and make judges accountable," Jaisingh demanded.

Karat said speaking the truth attracted "anti-national" tags and sedition cases in present-day politics. She accused the BJP-RSS of misusing the state machinery to impose its ideas on other people.

The discussion was organised by Sabka Bharat. It has been holding rallies, public meetings and discussions on democratic values mentioned in the Constitution.

Annie Raja, general secretary of National Federation of Indian Women, and RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha also took part in the event attended by students, and scholars.

Journalists Hartosh Singh Bal, Gurbir Singh and Siddharth Varadarajan were also present at the discussion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Sikh family in Australia today won a legal battle against a Christian school which refused to enrol their five-year-old son because of his turban.

Sidhak Singh Arora was due to start prepratory at Melton Christian College (MCC) in Melbourne's north-west, this year.

But his patka (children's turban) does not comply with the school's uniform policy which prohibits students from wearing any type of religious head covering.

Sagardeep Singh Arora and his wife Anureet said the school breached the Equal Opportunity Act act by not allowing Sidhak to wear a patka when they tried to enrol him in 2016, Herald Sun reported.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) ruled in the parents' favour, finding the school had discriminated against Sidhak, it said.

"Whilst MCC is a Christian school, it has an open enrolment policy which means that it accepts enrolments of students from other faiths," VCAT member Julie Grainger found.

"A little over 50 per cent of the school community does not identify explicitly as Christian and many families at the school have no religious beliefs," the report said.

"It is not reasonable to accept enrolment applications from students from non-Christian faiths only on the condition that they do not look like they practice a non-Christian religion," it said.

The school could have amended its uniform policy to allow Sidhak to wear a turban in school colours, the VCAT finding added.

Grainger ordered the parents and the school to sit down and negotiate an agreement on what orders can be made to resolve the situation.

The Aroras previously said they still wanted Sidhak to attend the school, as it is where his cousins study, and it is close to their home.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cooperation with China and other key drug-producing nations will be bolstered under a new strategy unveiled today to combat a flood of crystal meth into Australia that has seen ice use triple in five years.

With its street prices soaring, Australia has become an increasingly attractive destination for drug-smugglers, which has made it the highest per capita consumer of methamphetamine in the world.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan said it was evident more needed to be done to halt narcotics reaching Australia and that could only be achieved by boosting ties with overseas agencies.

"We need to not sit here in Australia waiting for these drugs to hit our shores but we need to go offshore and do what we can to disrupt supply," he said.

"The demand remains so high in Australia that organised criminals from all over the globe are keen to get involved in the market."



An Australian Crime Commission report in 2015 found that while US$80 bought one gram of ice in China, the estimated 270,000 users in Australia had to pay US$500 for the same amount.

Keenan said intelligence showed China and India were key sources of the precursor chemicals needed to make ice, while China and Myanmar were notable manufacturers of the end product.

Distribution networks thrived in Vietnam, Cambodia and other parts of Southeast Asia.

The new strategy will involve reinforcing information- sharing arrangements with Interpol and Europol to better pinpoint organised crime groups.

Australia will also work more closely with counterpart law enforcement agencies in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Mekong region of Southeast Asia to smash syndicates and follow money trails.

The Australian Federal Police pointed to the success of a continuing joint operation between itself and China since 2015 which has stopped 13 tonnes of drugs, including six tonnes of methamphetamine, from reaching Australia.

But it warned the ice trade was dynamic, with new source and transit countries emerging all the time.

"Links between organised crime syndicates controlling the drug trade in Asia, Mexico and West Africa are becoming more established," it said.

Keenan said the plan was to "better focus and align agencies' resources and efforts" while helping train overseas partners and shore up political support to go after drug gangs.

"All around the world, you will find agents of the Australian Federal Police, of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, of Australian Border Force... Working side-by-side with their counterparts to stop the supply of drugs from coming into Australia," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bangladesh government was keeping an eye on the Rohingya refugees and getting them registered to ensure that militants did not enter the country, H T Imam, Political Adviser to Bangladesh Prime minister Sheikh Hasina, said here today.

"All our agencies are keeping a close watch on the Rohingya refugees staying in Bangladesh. The government is getting them registered with all the relevant details to ensure that no militants enter Bangladesh," he told reporters.

Stating that Bangladesh had a "zero tolerance" policy towards militants, Imam said, "We will not allow any terrorist group to use the soil of Bangladesh to operate against any of our friends and neighbours, including India and Myanmar."



He added that the Bangladesh government would take prompt action if there was any report of militants of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) trying to enter the country.

Imam, however, said so far, there was no report of the Rohingya refugees trying to create a ruckus in Bangladesh.

"Our position has been that these (Rohingya) people, who have taken refuge in Bangladesh, are staying in various camps. Those camps have to be closed and we need to send them back," he said.

Yesterday, Bangladesh Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Shahriar Alam had said here that the Rohingya crisis was "both a humanitarian and a security" issue. He had also not ruled out the possibility of links between foreign terror groups and the ARSA.

Alam had also described the Rohingya Muslims as a "security threat to Bangladesh".

There had been incidents in the past and that was why the Bangladesh government had started getting the Rohingya population registered, he had said.

Facing a big influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, Bangladesh has called on the international community to put pressure on Myanmar to address the exodus.

According to a UN estimate, over 3,79,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled the Rakhine state in northern Myanmar and entered Bangladesh since August 25.

According to media reports, the violence began when Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Rakhine.

The Rohingya people -- most of them Muslims -- have accused the Myanmar military and Buddhists of Rakhine of responding with a brutal campaign against them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Ben Stiller has praised "Brad's Status" writer and director Mike White for the way his talent has shaped the comedy drama



The "Night at the Museum" actor stars as Brad Sloan, a middle-aged man left miserable by constantly comparing himself to his successful friends.

Stiller said he was drawn to the movie for tackling something that isn't talked about in Hollywood, reported Collider.

"I think Mike is just an amazing writer, and he finds the truth in the scenes, and the places we don't necessarily want to go to, the uncomfortable places, and then he finds the humour in that," Stiller said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British star Benedict Cumberbatch leaped to the defense of Jodie Whittaker, who has been cast as the first female Doctor in BBC sci-fi series "Doctor Who", and said he would be fine if a woman steps into the role of famous sleuth Sherlock Holmes.

The 41-year-old actor, who has been playing Sherlock since 2010, said gender of the actor does not matter to him if the performance is up to the mark and he is confident that Whittaker will do justice to the role of Doctor, reported Variety.

"(Doctor) It's an alien. Why can't it be a woman, why can't it be any gender? It doesn't matter to me. I don't speak as someone who has the right as a fan to have an incredibly strong opinion. I just speak as someone who wants to see Jodie Whittaker's performance as the doctor.

"I think she's an extraordinary actress and we are lucky, culturally, to have got her to agree to do it, let alone any debate ensuing about whether it's right or wrong," Cumberbatch said.

Asked whether there could be a female Sherlock, he added, "Why not? I don't care. 'Sherlockina' is coming to you soon!"



A new series of Sherlock has yet to be confirmed since the most recent episode aired eight months ago.

Meanwhile, co-creator Mark Gatiss admitted earlier this year that the show might never return.

Gatiss, who co-created the hit BBC detective drama with Steven Moffat, blamed the difficulty of getting stars Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman on set at the same time.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior BJD MLA Pravat Ranjan Biswal has been arrested by the CBI in a chit fund scam, evoking a sharp reaction from Odisha's ruling party that today accused the Centre of misusing investigative agencies.

The CBI, probing the multi-crore Seashore Group chit fund scam, called the Cuttack-Choudwar legislator to its office here last night and subsequently arrested him, the agency sources said.

Biswal's brother Arta Ranjan Biswal and lawyer Anup Senapati said the MLA was arrested and kept at CBI's State Headquarters here.

Biswal has been under the CBI scanner for a long time over the purchase of a piece of land from the Seashore chit fund company. He, along with his wife, were interrogated by the investigation agency several times since November, 2014.

Biswal, a three-time MLA, was produced before the court after a medical examination in custody, the sources said.

Soon after reports of Biswal's arrest spread, Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik held a high-level meeting at his residence to discuss the political fallout of the development.

Rajya Sabha MP Pratap Deb, BJD Vice-President Debi Mishra, Finance Minister Sasibhushan Behera, MLAs Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Sanjay Das Burma and Pranab Prakash Das were among the leaders who attended the meeting at Naveen Niwas.

As several BJD leaders were embroiled in ponzi scheme scam cases, the regional party had earlier suspended Banki MLA Pravat Tripathy and Mayurbhanj MP Ramchandra Hansdah, after they were arrested by the CBI for alleged links to chit fund companies.

"Biswal's arrest appeared to be politically motivated. It could be a game plan of the BJP as its President Amit Shah had indicated a move on this line during his recent visit to the state. Why CBI did not arrest Biswal earlier though he was interrogated several times in the past?" BJD spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP P K Deb told reporters.

Deb, considered to be a confidante of Patnaik, alleged that Biswal's arrest was made under the pressure of the BJP which is heading the government at the Centre.

"If Biswal is guilty, then he must be brought under the law. But the way he was arrested now raises doubt. The arrest by CBI at this juncture when BJD is fighting against fuel hike creates doubt," Prasanna Acharya, another MP who attended the meeting at Naveen Niwas, said.

He said that it is a clear case of the BJP-led NDA government targeting non-BJP governments, especially in eastern India.

"Our party is in favour of an impartial probe into the scam but it appears that the Centre is misusing CBI and agencies like the Enforcement Directorate but the BJD will fight it out politically," Acharya said.

Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik said that there was no problem if the BJD MLA was arrested over his alleged involvement in the scam but wondered why the CBI took so long to nab Biswal, who has been interrogated several times in the last three years.

The timing of the arrest raises doubts about the CBI misuse by the BJP, he said.

Senior BJP leader K V Singhdeo, however, ruled out any political conspiracy behind Biswal's arrest.

Meanwhile, BJD activists staged a demonstration in Cuttack today, raising slogans against the CBI and the BJP over Biswal's arrest. The youth BJD activists also staged a demonstration protesting Biswal's arrest.

Biju Chhatra Janata Dal, the student wing of the BJD, held a bike rally which headed towards the state capital from Cuttack.

"We will stage demonstration in front of the CBI office," said BJD student wing president Chinmay Sahoo.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BLS International Services today said it has signed a contract with the embassy of Afghanistan for providing consular services in Saudi Arabia.

Under this partnership, BLS International will be providing consular services through registration of Afghan citizens in Saudi Arabia, a release issued here said.

The company will be processing about 2,00,000 applications through mobile centre for registration apart from such centres in the region.

BLS International is an Indian specialist service provider for outsourcing of visa, passport and attestation services to the governments and diplomatic missions globally.

"Our (contract) win will ensure applicants enjoy a service with quality, faster processing and world-class convenience. We have tried to bring convenience through mobile centres, which are a landmark achievement," BLS International Services Joint Managing Director Shikhar Aggarwal said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Inauguration of the Ganga pump canal scheme tomorrow was cancelled after wall of the canal collapsed during trial run and inundated areas of a township today.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was scheduled to inaugurate the canal scheme, aimed at providing irrigation facilities in the state and neighbouring Jharkhand, tomorrow.

The wall of the canal collapsed when water from the Ganga forcefully hit it after the pump was switched on for trial run at Bateshwarsthan in Bhagalpur district.

The water gushed into Kahalgaon and inundated areas in NTPC township as well some civil areas including residence of Kahalgaon civil judge and sub-judge.

"The proposed programme of the Chief Minister at Bhagalpur tomorrow has been cancelled due to technical reasons," an official statement said at Patna this evening.

Advertisement was put in newspapers today about the inauguration of the project by the CM in presence of Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan and local Congress MLA Sadanand Singh.

Principal Secretary of Water Resources department Arun Kumar Singh along with Bhagalpur DM and SP are on the spot to supervise measures for draining out water from NTPC township and some civil areas of Kahalgaon, around 3 km from the project site.

"Sand bags are being put to check flow of water," Arun Singh told reporters.

Its a joint scheme of Bihar and Jharkhand. Under it 18,620 hectares of land in Bhagalpur would get irrigation facility while 4038 hectares of areas in Godda district of Jharkhand would be irrigated, a government brochure on the project said.

The Rs 389.31 crore project has a total irrigation capacity of 27603 hectares out of which 22816 is in Bihar and 4887 hectares in Jharkhand.

Planning Commission had originally approved the project in 1977 at an estimated cost of Rs 13.88 crore. The first administrative approval to the project was provided in 2008 involving a cost of Rs 389.31 crore, the brochure said.

RJD workers burnt an effigy of Kumar and Lallan in Bhagalpur alleging corruption in construction of the project.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Irked over the absence of a former BJP MP accused in the infamous 2005 cash-for-query scam, a Delhi court today gave him the last opportunity to appear on the next date when charges will be framed against him and 10 other ex-parliamentarians.

Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry asked the counsel for 76- year-old Y G Mahajan, a former MP from Jalgaon in Maharashtra, to make sure he is present on the next date, saying it was a "time-bound case" and repeated exemptions cannot be granted.

"Charges have to be framed in the case. I cannot keep granting exemptions and adjournments like this. It is a time- bound case. It was made clear on the last date of hearing also that all accused have to remain present for the framing of charge," the judge said.

The judge made the remark after Mahajan's counsel sought exemption for him on the ground that he was not medically fit to appear as he had recently undergone a spinal surgery.

While noting that all the other former MPs were present before it, the judge said, "You (Mahajan's counsel) should have brought him. These are old ailments."



The court fixed the matter for framing of charge on September 27.

Besides Mahajan, the 10 other former MPs accused in the case are Chhatarpal Singh Lodha (BJP), Anna Saheb M K Patil (BJP), Manoj Kumar (RJD), Chandra Pratap Singh (BJP), Ram Sewak Singh (Congress), Narender Kumar Kushwaha (BSP), Pradeep Gandhi (BJP), Suresh Chandel (BJP), Lal Chandra Kol (BSP) and Raja Rampal (BSP).

In December 2005, the Lok Sabha had expelled 10 members, while Lodha was removed from the Rajya Sabha after a sting operation on television showed them taking cash for putting up questions in Parliament.

The court had on August 10 ordered framing of graft and criminal conspiracy charges against the 11 former MPs who were charge-sheeted in the 2005 cash-for-query scam for allegedly taking money to raise questions in Parliament.

It had said the charges for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy under the IPC and the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act were prima facie made out against these MPs and a private person.

The proceedings against one of the accused, Vijay Phogat, have been abated as he has died.

Besides these ex-Parliamentarians, two journalists of a web portal were also charge-sheeted for allegedly abetting the offence under the anti-graft law and were summoned by the trial court. But the proceedings against them were quashed by the Delhi High Court.

The Delhi Police had charge-sheeted these MPs. The prosecution, represented through Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava, had alleged that they had misused their office as they were caught on camera seeking money during a sting operation for asking questions in Parliament.

The sting operation against the then MPs was conducted by the two journalists. It was telecast on a private channel on December 12, 2005 and came to be known as the cash-for- query scam. The prosecution had relied upon CDs/DVDs containing conversations among the accused and others.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Most children enter primary school at age five with little readiness for it, leading to low learning levels, according to a new report by UNICEF and three other institutions.

The study, jointly conducted in Assam, Rajasthan and Telangana by UNICEF, Centre for Early Childhood Education (CECED) and the ASER Centre, found that a majority of four-year-olds were attending pre-school, either through government-run Anganwadi Centres or private pre-schools.

However, they did not necessarily participate in pre-school and primary school at the correct ages, and in the order that policies prescribe, it said.

"Therefore, there are children below the age of six in primary school and children above age six in pre-school in some states," the report said.

The five-year longitudinal research study on 'Indian Early Childhood Education Impact', was conducted on 14,000 children from ages four to eight in rural areas of the three states.

A key concern emerging is that most children entered primary school at age five with school readiness levels, which were far below expectations, according to the study.

"They were, thus, unequipped to meet the demands of the curriculum and had low learning levels."



The report highlights that even one year of participation in a quality early childhood development programme leads to higher school readiness levels, which in turn lead to better learning outcomes in the early primary grades.

Given the impact of pre-school on primary education, the study recommended inclusion of pre-primary education as an integral part of the Right to Education Act.

The report also batted for a regulatory system to be instituted for early childhood education, to ensure quality standards are adhered to across all providers, including in the private sector.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maharashtra's former chief minister Narayan Rane today accused the Congress of reneging on the promise of making him the CM, a day after he ranted against the party over "injustice" done to him and his supporters.

"I went to Congress because I was assured that I will be made chief minister in six months," Rane, who joined the Congress in 2005 after being expelled from the Shiv Sena, said.

Rane, who has pockets of influence in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, was expelled by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray after he voiced displeasure over Uddhav Thackeray gaining prominence in the party.

Asked about his next step after he blasted the Congress and its state chief Ashok Chavan at a rally here yesterday, Rane claimed, "For me there are vacancies everywhere, even in the Shiv Sena. But I won't go there."



Rane, a tough talking Maratha leader, who was handpicked by Bal Thackeray as chief minister when he decided to remove the genial Manohar Joshi ahead of the 2005 Assembly elections, claimed he had received an offer from the Sena to return to its fold.

He, however, did not say if he was offered any post.

"It's not about any post. I said I don't want to rejoin the Sena. If the Sena doesn't want me, why would the offer have been made," Rane told a Marathi channel.

However, Rane's open revolt against Bal Thackeray and Uddhav still rankles with most leaders and members of the Sena, whose threat to pull out of the coalition government is being seen as an attempt to thwart the Maratha leader's entry into the BJP.

The speculation about his joining BJP got triggered with reports that he had met BJP president Amit Shah in Ahmedabad a few months ago. During the recent Ganesh festival, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had visited Rane's residence, fuelling it further.

On the Sena's threat to withdraw from the BJP-led government in Maharashtra, Rane said, "This is the old style of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray."



Rane said Sena often enacted the "drama" of threatening to quit the government while enjoying the privileges of power.

After a meeting of senior party functionaries, MPs and legislators called by Uddhav Thackeray yesterday, its Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut had castigated the BJP-led governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre, and said the party was "very close" to taking a decision on its continuance in the Maharashtra government.

"We are very close to taking a decision (on whether to continue in the government)... Wait and watch," he had said.

Asked to comment on the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Rane said he will speak on these issues on September 21 when he announces his next course of action.

He, however, left the door ajar for reconciliation with the Congress, saying if he was invited for talks by Chavan at 'Tilak Bhavan', the state party headquarters, he would go for it but at no other place.

"As of now, I am still in Congress," Rane said.

At yesterday's rally, Rane had blasted the Congress for the "injustice" it has done to him and his supporters and hinted at quitting the party he had joined 12 years ago.

He said his supporters would contest the upcoming panchayat polls under a new entity--'Samarth Vikas Panel'.

Rane had said he would announce the decision of "going in a new direction" at a press conference on September 21.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A special NIA court here today granted bail to two accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case.

Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dwivedi alias Shankaracharya, facing conspiracy charges, were granted bail by NIA Court judge SD Tekale.

Both are accused of attending conspiracy meetings, where the terror attack was planned, along with others.

Two key accused in the case, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, were granted bail earlier.

The Bombay High Court granted bail to Thakur earlier this year, while Purohit was given the relief by the Supreme Court last month.

Six people were killed and nearly 100 others injured when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded in Malegaon town in Nashik district, about 200 km from here, on September 29, 2008.

Twelve people, including Thakur and Purohit, were arrested in connection with the blast.

All the accused were booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), besides under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Shiv Sena today said the move to probe deposits of government employees post demonetisation is a mere "eyewash" and asked the government to focus on "basic questions" instead of using "chloroform on people" and diverting their attention.

The CVC had said recently that the deposits of scrapped currency notes made by central government employees post demonetisation will be probed by the anti-corruption watchdog.

"Even if one agrees that the government has the right to keep an eye or conduct an inquiry, what will be the result of such inquiries? The move is only aimed at leaving a sword hanging over government employees," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.

"What all measures will the government take to hide the failures of demonetisation?" it asked.

"According to the RBI, 99 per cent of the demonetised currency came back into the system. Out of Rs 15.44 lakh crore in the market, the RBI received Rs 15.28 lakh crore indicating that demonetisation was a failure," it said.

"In order to divert peoples' attention, the government spoke about a spike in cashless transactions and a shift towards digital economy. But the truth was that people were forced to go cashless then as there was no currency in circulation," it said.

"When the currency notes did come back, cashless and online transactions took a back seat and once again people started using cash. The RBI has now pegged cashless and online transactions at less than 17 per cent," it said.

The Sena said that recently the government threatened to inquire into the funds deposited in Jan Dhan accounts and that the Income Tax would keep a watch on bank transactions.

"The threat is probing government employees' deposits. All this is being done to divert attention from government's failures," it said.

The Sena alleged that the government's "tactic of keeping a watch on people is to hypnotise people and keep them under fear."



"Those who alleged that Indira Gandhi, during the Emergency, kept a watch on people who are in power now. Can we say the same is happening today as well. The first part of this exercise is probing government employees' deposits," it said.

Instead of "using chloroform" on people and diverting their attention, the government should focus on the basic questions, the Sena said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8 last year announced the scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

Citizens were provided a limited time window to deposit such notes in their bank accounts.

The Shiv Sena yesterday said it will soon take a decision on its continuance in the BJP-led government in Maharashtra.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Malayalam actor Dileep, arrested in connection with the abduction and sexual assault of an actress, today filed a fresh bail application before the Kerala High Court, a day after a lower court rejected his bail plea.

The court deferred the bail application to September 26 for hearing.

When the matter came up, Justice Sunil Thomas asked whether there were any change of circumstances to consider the third bail plea filed before the High Court.

The court observed that the bail application can be considered "only if there are sufficient change in circumstances."



The police submitted that at present there was no change of circumstances.

The judge declined the actor's request for an early hearing on the application.

This is the fifth time the actor has filed a bail application before courts ever since his arrest on July 10.

Dismissing Dileep's bail plea yesterday, the Angamaly magistrate court had said a petitioner can apply for default bail only if the investigating agency fails to file final report within 90 days.

This was the second time the magistrate court had rejected his bail plea.

The High Court had also rejected his bail plea twice. The court had dismissed Dileep's second bail petition that came up on August 29, after considering the evidence against the actor, produced by the prosecution in a sealed cover.

Dileep has been lodged in the Aluva sub-jail after being arrested in the case.

The Angamaly court has extended Dileep's judicial remand till September 28.

Six persons, including prime accused 'Pulsar' Suni, were arrested in connection with the actress abduction case.

The police have claimed that the conspiracy to abduct and assault the actress in a moving car and film the act was hatched by Dileep.

The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on February 17 night and later escaped in a busy area here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Bangladeshi man is among three persons arrested by the DRI for their alleged involvement in a gold smuggling syndicate.

As part of the operations conducted by the agency, a total seizure of Rs 1.21 crore of goods including gold biscuits, silver, jewellery made out of smuggled gold and cash which was the sale proceeds of smuggled gold, has been made, a press release issued today by the DRI said.

"Three persons namely Md Jahirul Islam Kayum (Bangladeshi national), Rajkumar Gupta and Jugal Kumar Singh have been arrested in this case," it said.

In the initial part of the operation, 20 pieces of gold biscuits weighing 2.519 kg worth Rs 70.45 lakh were seized from the intercepted Bangladeshi national, the release said.

Thereafter, in an immediate follow up action conducted by the DRI at the premises of the recipient Gupta, a jeweller based in Bara Bazaar area here, gold ornaments, silver granules and anklets valued at Rs 10.72 lakh and Indian currency of Rs 39.83 lakh were also recovered and seized yesterday, it said.

The jeweller had come to take the delivery of the smuggled gold at a hotel where the Bangladeshi man was staying, the agency claimed.

"Both the smuggler and the jeweller admitted that in the past too, they had smuggled and received gold respectively in this fashion from Bangladesh into India on several occasions," it said.

"Investigation further reveals that the currency recovered from the premises of the jeweller was the sale proceeds against the delivery of the smuggled gold," the release said.

All the three persons were produced before a court that remanded them to judicial custody till October 1.

"The Bangladesh High-commission has also been informed about the arrest of the Bangladeshi national," it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Goa Police has filed charge sheets against three persons, including a British national, who were arrested for allegedly running a drug racket.

The Goa crime branch's anti-narcotics cell, which investigated the cases against the accused, filed three separate charge sheets against them in the district and sessions court here yesterday.

The police charged British national David Johnson and the two others -- Yusuf Mohammad from Chennai and Ganesh Pondir from Himachal Pradesh -- under relevant provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, a senior official of the crime branch said today.

The anti-narcotics cell had in March arrested Mohammad from Anjuna beach village in North Goa for allegedly peddling drugs. The police recovered some narcotics, including methamphetamine and LSD, from his possession.

His interrogation led the police toJohnson, who was also arrested the same day from another spot in Anjuna village. The police had seized the banned MDMA and ecstasy tablets from him.

Based on the questioning of the two, the Goa police arrested the third accused, Pondir, the same day from Arambol beach at Pernem taluka in North Goa for allegedly possessing charas (pressed hash).

All the three accused were allegedly part of the same drug racket. Since separate cases were filed against the three, the police filed separate charge sheets against them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Enforcement Directorate has summoned former Bihar chief minister in connection with its money laundering probe in the railway hotels allotment case, officials said today.

Rabri, wife of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, has been summoned to be present before the investigating officer (IO) of the case on September 26, they said.

The IO is expected to record her statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), under which it had registered a FIR against the Lalu Prasad family and others sometime back.

It is understood that this is the second summon by the agency to Rabri after she did not depose before it the first time.

The central probe agency had earlier questioned few people in this case including the wife of former UPA minister P C Gupta.

The Enforcement Directorate had taken cognisance of a CBI FIR in this regard to initiate its own criminal complaint.

In July, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a criminal FIR (first information report) and conducted multiple searches against former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad and others.

The ED will investigate the alleged "proceeds of crime" generated by the accused, purportedly through shell companies, officials said.

Rabri, son Tejashwi Yadav, and others will be probed by the agency under charges filed in the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the ED equivalent of a police FIR.

The case dates back to the time when Lalu was the railway minister in the UPA government.

Others named in the CBI FIR include Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar (both directors of Sujata Hotels), Delight Marketing company, now known as Lara Projects, and the then IRCTC managing director P K Goel.

The CBI FIR alleges that Prasad, as railway minister, handed over the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a company after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta.

The FIR was registered on July 5 in connection with favours allegedly extended to Sujata Hotels in awarding a contract for the upkeep of the hotels in Ranchi and Puri and receiving premium land as 'quid pro quo'.

The ED, under the PMLA, has powers to attach and confiscate tainted assets and it is expected that the agency will initiate such a move once it makes progress in the case.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al- Sisi met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York to discuss the Middle East peace process in their first public talks, his office said today.

Sisi emphasised the importance of "resuming negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides to reach a comprehensive solution," the statement said.

The two leaders discussed "ways to resume the peace process and establish a Palestinian state," the statement said.

Peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians have been at a standstill since US-backed talks collapsed in the spring of 2014.

US President Donald Trump, who visited Israel and the occupied West Bank in May, has said he believes he can mediate a final peace agreement that has eluded his predecessors.

Trump too met Netanyahu in New York on Monday ahead of the UN General Assembly and again expressed his hopes for a peaceful settlement.

Netanyahu was the first leader to have a one-on-one with Trump as the US president prepares to deliver his maiden speech to the annual get-together on Tuesday.

Sisi is reported to have been involved in secret talks with the Israeli premier in the past.

The Egyptian president joined Netanyahu for talks with then US secretary of state John Kerry hosted by King Abdullah II in the Jordanian city of Aqaba in February 2016, a former US official confirmed to AFP earlier this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today demanded that Iraqi Kurds call off a referendum on independence, hinting at consequences if they go ahead.

"Steps such as demands for independence that can cause new crises and conflicts in the region must be avoided. We hereby call on the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government to abort the initiative they have launched in that direction," Erdogan said in a speech to the UN General Assembly.

"Ignoring the clear and determined stance of Turkey on this matter may lead to a process that shall deprive the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government of even the opportunities it currently enjoys."



Turkey, which has already warned against the vote, has its own long-running conflict with separatists among its sizable Kurdish minority and has also vowed to quash any Kurdish state from emerging in war-torn Syria.

In a likely unstated warning, Turkey on Monday launched a military drill with 100 vehicles including tanks on the Iraqi border.

Iraqi Kurds will vote on September 25 in the non-binding referendum on whether to declare independence in a region that has already been autonomous since the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War.

Virtually all countries including the United States and Iran oppose the referendum -- with the exception of Israel, which sees a possible opening in a hostile region.

Erdogan, whose relations with Europe have become increasingly tense over his human rights record, repeated his criticism that the European Union has not fulfilled its part of a migration deal.

Under the agreement last year, the European Union agreed to three billion euros (USD 3.6 billion) of support for refugees, mostly fleeing war-torn Syria, to stay in Turkey.

Erdogan said the EU had sent only 820 million euros of the package, which does not go directly into Turkish government coffers.

"Before the whole world, I hereby call on the countries and the international organisations, which have put all the burden of the 3.2 million people on Turkey's shoulders, to fulfil the promises they have made," Erdogan said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP's Tamil Nadu unit today requested the postal department to enable the remittance of estate workers' salary through post offices since they were facing problems in accessing it through ATMs and banks.

In a memorandum to the Post Master General, Western Region Tamil Nadu, Sarada Sampath, BJP state general secretary Vanathi Srinivasan said during her recent visit to the plantation town Valparai, which has a large number of tea estates, she came to know about the difficulty of workers in getting their monthly wages through bank account and ATMs.

The wages of the estate workers were remitted through digital payment, she said.

There are only a few ATMs in Valparai town and people in remote estate regions are facing extreme hardship to access these ATMs, she said.

She said there was a very good postal infrastructure in Valparai Town and in surrounding estates and requested the department to enable salary remittance through post office.

The official assured her that the matter would be taken up with higher authorities.

A few workers accompanied Vanathi when she went to hand over the memorandum to the official.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mob boss Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar, arrested in connection with an extortion case, was today sent to eight days police custody by a court here.

Apart from Kaskar, the court also remanded in eight days police custody, his two associates, who were arrested today after their detention last night.

Kaskar was arrested by the anti-extortion cell of the crime branch of Thane city police last night from Nagpada in central Mumbai. He was presented before Judicial Magistrate R I Ingle today.

The police told the court that his custody is required as they need to interrogate him, get his voice samples and verify his links with the shooters from Bihar in the extortion racket.

The police also informed the court that they are in the process of finding out as to how many people have fallen prey to Kaskar's extortion racket, which they said has been in operation for years.

Kaskar and his associates had been allegedly threatening a prominent builder in Thane, in Dawood's name since 2013 and extorted Rs 30 lakh and four flats from him, police have said.

Kaskar was last night taken into custody from his sister Haseena Parkar's house in Nagpada area of central Mumbai, by a Thane police team led by encounter specialist and the anti- extortion cell's senior police inspector Pradeep Sharma.

Kaskar was questioned till late last night by the crime branch officials and then formally arrested. His two aides, Mumtaz Sheikh and Israr Ali Jamil Sayyad, were also arrested.

There was a tight police security at the Thane district court premises as people thronged to witness the proceedings in the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Dakota Johnson has compared being famous to hearing the buzzing noise of mosquitoes.

The 27-year-old star said the people's need to show off that they have fame leads to a wastage of energy and time, reported FemaleFirst.

"It's like an incessant mosquito noise. Very weird. People feeling the need not only to judge everyone all the time but also to pronounce themselves on it, it's extremely boring. A waste of energy and time," Johnson told Spain's Vogue magazine.

The "Fifty Shades Darker" actor has previously said that despite her fame, she rarely gets recognised in public.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A brooch bought at a garage sale for just eight dollars is estimated to fetch USD 30,000 after it was found to be studded with a diamond, an emerald and a ruby.

Set throughout with old European-cut diamonds, the brooch features an old mine-cut diamond, weighing 1.39 carats, a rectangular-shaped emerald originating from Colombia and weighing approximately 1.50 carats and an oval-shaped Burmese ruby, weighing approximately 0.60 carat.

"The owner of the brooch gave it to her daughter to wear to church but she placed it in the bottom of her handbag and forgot about it.

"On a visit to a jeweller many months later, she was told the brooch was not costume but was, in fact, a very real and very valuable piece of 20th-century jewellery," said Bonhams Auction house in the US.

The Gemological Institute of America has tested the brooch and confirmed it is gem quality, the auction house said.

"This is a really wonderful story and it just goes to show, treasures are really everywhere," Susan Abeles, head of jewellery at Bonhams was quoted as saying by 'New York Post'.

"What makes this brooch particularly impressive is that it features gem quality stones. These kind of discoveries do not happen a lot so we are always excited to see how much the piece will achieve at auction," Abeles said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
German authorities say they have arrested a 31-year-old Iraqi man on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organisation and war crimes as part of the Islamic State group.

Federal prosecutors said today the man, identified only as Raad Riyadh A A in line with privacy laws, was apprehended in Berlin yesterday.

They allege he joined IS in Mosul in June 2014 and participated in the killing of two Shiite Muslims. Four months later they say he was involved in the execution of a captured Iraqi military officer.

He is also accused of extorting money from businesses to support IS.

After arriving in Germany in July 2015, prosecutors say, he tried to recruit two other Iraqis and convince a third to carry out a suicide attack.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Celebrating the legacy of Carnatic music icon M S Subbulakshmi, an exhibition was today inaugurated by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who described her as an "unsurpassed phenomenon" in the field.

At an event held at the IGNCA here as part of her birth centenary celebrations, Naidu also released a special commemorative coin in her honour.

The nearly two-week-long exhibition titled 'Kurai Ondrum Illai' borrows its name from one of her famous songs that portrays her journey from her birth in Madurai to becoming a globally celebrated musician, who earned awards and admiration.

Fondly regarded as MS, she was hailed as the 'nightingale of Carnatic music' and the exhibits drawn from rare archives also delve into her career in cinema.

Subbulakshmi had many firsts to her credit, from being the first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna to winning the Ramon Magsaysay Award, and performing at the UN General Assembly.

"She was an unsurpassed phenomenon in the Carnatic music field and perhaps will remain unsurpassed in this generation too. First prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru once told her that he was just an ordinary PM, but she was a 'queen of music'.

"Even Gandhiji had requested her to do a rendition of 'Hari Tuma Haro' bhajan, which she did. It was recorded overnight and sent to Gandhiji on his birthday in 1947," Naidu said.

The vice president said, "It is our bounden duty to preserve our culture for the next generation, and the life and legacy of MS should inspire the youth to pursue greater heights."



The exhibition hosted at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) will end on September 30 after which it will travel to a few other cities.

"After Delhi, it will travel to Chennai, and later to Bengaluru, Kolkata and Vadodara. The schedule for the last three cities are yet to be worked out. At the end of this exhibition a monograph on MS would also be published," IGNCA's Member Secretary Sachchidanand Joshi said.

The exhibits include old posters of the films she acted in -- Sevasadanam (1938), Sakuntalai(1940), Savithiri (1941), Meera (1945), all in Tamil, and Meerabai (1947), the Hindi remake of Meera.

Subbulakshmi's great-grandchildren Aishwarya (21) and Saundarya (12), who were present during the function, performed MS's song 'Enta matramuna evvaru talachina', as a tribute.

"It is a proud moment for all of us. The joy of seeing the exhibition on our great-grandmother's life, who is still considered an icon, makes us feel proud and humbled," Aishwarya told PTI.

"A couple of iPads carrying her 150 select songs have also been placed in the exhibit area for visitors and an audio-visual centre facility has been set up to screen a short documentary on her life," a member of the curation team said.

The event today was held as part of the year-long celebrations to mark Subbulakshmi's birth centenary that kicked of last year on September 16, a senior IGNCA official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bombay High Court today refused to allow the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) the use of heavy machinery or transportation vehicles at night for the Metro III line work, observing that it will disturb the residents.

The MMRCL had sought the court's permission to bring heavy vehicles to the construction sites in South Mumbai during the night hours to transport construction material and debris.

A bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice N M Jamdar, however, said that it could not pass such a "blanket order".

"Already there is so much construction noise during the day. Any human being needs peaceful sleep of at least six to seven hours through the night at any cost. We are not ready to change that," the bench said.

The bench was hearing a writ petition, filed by advocate Robin Jaisinghani, alleging violation of noise pollution norms by the MMRCL in the construction of the Metro III line.

Acting on the above petition, the court had last month restrained the MMRCL from carrying out any construction or ancillary work on the Metro III line between 10 pm and 6 am.

Today, the MMRCL's counsel, Kiran Badalia, told the HC that considering the above prohibitory order of the court, and a recent circular of the city traffic police that bans heavy vehicles in South Mumbai from 7 am till midnight, it was facing difficulties in carrying out construction work for Metro III.

"Our first round of work gets over by 5 pm. After that we require to bring in an additional lot of construction material to the site, and to dispose of the debris from the site," the counsel said.

"We are thus, seeking that we be permitted to use our vehicles sometime at night only to transport construction material," she said.

The MMRCL's request, however, was vehemently opposed by the petitioner, who argued that the "sound from transportation vehicles was a major source of noise pollution".

"We are already exposed to vibrations, drilling and construction noise from the Metro work throughout the day. After the vibrations, the movement of heavy vehicles and cement mixers are the next biggest source of noise pollution," Jaisinghani said.

The bench, meanwhile, suggested that the MMRCL time its work in a manner that it does not need to use heavy vehicles after 1 pm.

"Why do you have to do everything only in the late evening? You could try to use heavy machinery and vehicles only between 10 am. And 1 pm.

"We can't pass any blanket orders grating your request. Once we allow you, others will begin coming to us with similar requests. Who will then take responsibility of decibel levels, noise norms?" Chief Justice Chellur said.

She also took note of the din made by the construction workers.

"Early in the morning the people employed by you (MMRCL) begin screaming, shouting to each other, playing loud music on their phones. Why don't you ask your contractors to employ someone to supervise the labourers and control the noise?" Chief Justice Chellur said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madras High Court today restrained the police from arresting AIADMK rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran in connection with a defamation case filed against him by a party MP, who is supporting Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

In an interim order, Justice S S Sundar of Madurai bench also barred the police from arresting actor and AIADMK functionary Senthil, cited as a co-accused in the case, and posted the matter to October 4 for further hearing.

He passed the interim order on a petition by Senthil who sought quashing of the FIR, registered recently on the basis of a complaint by Tiruchirappallai Lok Sabha member P Kumar, alleging political motive.

Based on the complaint, Crime Branch police in Tiruchirappalli has registered a case under various IPC sections against Senthil and Dhinakaran for allegedly making defamatory comments against the MP and threatening him.

Senthil in his petition submitted that the complainant had said the incident took place in Chennai and hence the police in Tiruchirappalli had no jurisdiction to register the complaint.

He alleged that the case had been registered without any preliminary investigation and the motive behind the complaint was political enmity.

Hence, the case should be quashed and investigation into the complaint should be stayed, he prayed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madras High Court has stayed a decision of the MCI and the consequential order of the Puducherry government cancelling the admission of 778 students to MBBS courses in private colleges there last year.

Justice K Ravichandrabaabu had yesterday passed the interim orders on two writ petitions covering around 108 students, who challenged the proceedings of Medical Council of India (MCI) and sought to quash the same.

In his order, the judge said, "Discharging these students from their course is undoubtedly a major penal action having drastic consequences on their academic carrier," he observed.

"Needless to say that having allowed the students to continue in the said course for one year, if these impugned orders are given effect to immediately, pending final decisions in these writ petitions it would certainly cause great prejudice and affect the interest of these petitioners, in the event of these petitioners success in these writ petitions later," he said.

However, the judge said, if these students are permitted to continue the course by granting an interim order and later if they fail to succeed in these writ petitions certainly they have to leave the college without seeking any equity.

"Considering all these facts and circumstances and upon hearing the senior counsels appearing for the petitioners this Court finds that the petitioners have made a prima facie case for the grant of interim order subject to the result of the writ petitions," he added.

The judge also directed the MCI and the Puducherry government to file a counter on or before October 9 and rejoinder by October 23.

He then posted the matter to October 23 for final disposal.

In its September 7 letter, the MCI had directed the Puducherry Health Secretary and the Director of Health Services to discharge (remove from rolls of the institutions) students admitted without undergoing CENTAC counselling or after the last date for admission -- September 30, 2016 -- and file a compliance report within two weeks.

The council had also said the directive was being given based on the findings of its monitoring sub-committee which went into a complaint by CENTAC Students Parents Association that had alleged gross irregularities in the admission process by the four deemed universities and three private colleges last year.

The committee had perused a July 12 letter of Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi to the MCI on the matter and the report of chairperson of Permanent Admission Committee of the UT Justice Chitra Venkatraman.

Subsequently, out of the 778 affected students, 108 approached the high court seeking to quash the proceedings of the MCI and the Puducherry government order which is the subject matter.

The petitioners submitted that all these students were admitted to various private medical colleges and deemed universities in the Union Territory during the academic year 2016-17 well before the cutoff date of September 30, 2016.

They also said that all the admissions were approved by MCI by publishing the list of the admitted candidates on its website.

The petitioners' counsels also argued that the combined merit list procedure did not exist in the academic year 2016-17 and was introduced only in the present academic year 2017-18 and that too in pursuant to the Supreme Court directive.

If any action is to be taken, the students and the institutions in which they are continuing their studies ought to have been given an opportunity of hearing, the petitioners contended.

The judge further said, "It is seen that the MCI has proceeded to issue the above said communication after a period of one year even though the report of Permanent Admission Committee, Government of Puducherry said to have been given as early as October 19, 2016, as could be seen from the impugned proceedings of MCI dated 07/09/2017 itself," it noted.

More over both the proceedings would show that they were given without giving opportunity to the petitioners as well as to the respective institutions where the students are undergoing their courses.

"There shall be an order of interim stay on the proceedings," it held.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court today reserved its order on a PIL initiated by it on the issue of rising air pollution in Delhi and the neighbouring states.

A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Sunil Gaur said it would pronounce the order and directions on Friday.

The court was informed that the issue of crop residue burning remains mainly for four months, starting October.

During the hearing, the counsel for Punjab told the court that their action plan was already in place and they have been giving training to farmers on how to handle and dispose of the stubble.

The court had earlier directed the Centre to develop environment-friendly farming practices to reduce stubble burning, a major cause of air pollution in the national capital during the autumn and winter months.

It had issued the direction to the ministries of Environment, Science and Technology, and Agriculture asking them to coordinate with educational or technical institutions, if feasible.

The court had asked the central government to explore the possibility of creating a fund for innovation in farming techniques.

It had also issued directions to Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and the Delhi governments to file status reports every alternate month on steps taken to educate and create awareness among farmers and agricultural workers against the ills of stubble-burning.

The states were also asked to inform the court about the progress achieved by them with regard to exploring the use of alternative technology or farming practice to eliminate stubble and giving incentives or subsidies to stop the practice of burning the crop residue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fintech startup HighRadius today said it has secured USD 50 million (Rs 321.51 crore) in funding from Susquehanna Growth Equity.

The Hyderabad-based firm will use the proceeds of the funding to continue its aggressive growth and expand its presence globally, HighRadius said in a statement.

"We have more than 350 clients on our Integrated Receivables platform powered by our Rivana Artificial Intelligence engine... This funding will help us accelerate our platform to thousands of companies globally," HighRadius Founder and CEO Sashi Narahari said.

HighRadius' clients include companies like Adidas, Starbucks, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson & Johnson, Warner Bros, Danone, Sysco and Zurich. It employs over 500 people across the US, India and Europe.

HighRadius solutions help optimise cash flow, reduce days sales outstanding (DSO) and bad debt, and increase operational efficiency.

Atlas Technology Group acted as a financial advisor to HighRadius in this transaction.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Varun Thakur dropped his seven- year-old son Pradyuman at the school gate last fortnight, confident in the knowledge that he was now in a secure space, safe behind the walls of the upscale Gurgaon school.

But Pradyuman was found murdered a short while later in the washroom of the school, shattering Thakur's world - and the trust of parents across the country who believe that school is a refuge as much as home is.

While incidents of bullying and accidents have often been reported from schools, private and government, the brutal murder of the Class 2 student opened the proverbial Pandora's Box on the basic issue of security.

It was not just about Ryan International, which has several branches in the NCR region, but other schools as well, parents said as the ripples of insecurity spread, forcing school establishments and governments to conduct security audits.

A fact finding CBSE team found there was a breach in the boundary wall at the Ryan International branch, insufficient CCTV cameras, many of which didn't work anyway, and outsiders like bus conductors and drivers using the same toilets as students and staff. Moreover, the washroom windows did not have grilles.

Were other schools guilty of similar negligence?



The question haunted many parents, some of whom didn't send their children to school.

"The incident has left me scared and worried. As soon as my son leaves for school, I get anxious about his safety," said Chiradeep Banerjee, a Kolkata-based data analyst who has a five-year-old son.

There were several protests by parents, but marches were merely cosmetic, said Ashok Agarwal, national president of the All India Parents Association.

Aggarwal, who met Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar today, has suggested higher representation -- at least 50 per cent - of parents in the school management committees.

"The power control in schools needs to be shifted, because everybody except the parents will have vested interests. The only solution is at least 50 per cent representation of parents in the school management committees," Agarwal, who also gave a letter on the issue to the minister, told PTI.

"Javadekar has agreed to consider our suggestions," he added.

In his view, the sense of insecurity in parents is on the rise.

"They pay so much money to make their children study in private schools, so the least they can expect is for their child to be secure," he said.

Expressing shock over Pradyuman's murder, Ashok Pandey, principal of the Ahlcon International School here, stressed the need to bring the safety of children to the "centre- stage".

Once a child enters the precincts of the school, authorities must take responsibility of the child, he said.

His security checklist includes deployment of guards, surveillance through CCTV cameras to monitor movement of people within the campus and screening visitors.

"Younger children must be accompanied and supervised by concerned and responsible staff. These provisions should be ensured consistently," said Pandey, also chairman of the National Progressive Students Conference (NPSC).

NPSC is an association of senior secondary schools across the country, and has 160 leading private schools under its umbrella.

He also recommended strict management of visitors at the school.

But isn't that done anyway, ask parents, some of whom have shelled out lakhs and battled intense competition to get their child admitted to private school.

For Kolkata-based Sharmila Upadhyay, school should be a place where her five-year old daughter Megha can move about freely without any fear.

Prabhakar Gupta is also scared of sending his nine-year- old daughter to her school in Sahibabad.

"The incident has left a negative impression on everyone. My daughter told me she was afraid to go to the school washroom," he added about his nine-year-old daughter.

CBSE last week issued new security-related guidelines for affiliated schools across the country. These included a psychometric test for teaching and non-teaching staff.

The non-compliance of the guidelines - safety audits, installation of CCTV cameras, police verification, constitution of parent-teacher-students committees and regular feedback from parents -- would lead to derecognition, the board had said.

Pointing to the pan India nature of the problem, a Class 9 student in Deoria fell to her death from the third floor of her school yesterday. Her father said in his complaint that she could not have committed suicide and was pushed.

The issue of school security is under the scanner - and it should not have taken the brutal murder of a young child to focus on the issue, say parents.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India today sought a probe into North Korea's nuclear proliferation linkages and demanded that those responsible for it should be held accountable, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's remarks came after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday.

It follows North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 which was in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure.

"External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj deplored North Korea's recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable," the ministry's spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a conference here.

Swaraj's remarks came as she met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono yesterday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session here.

Though there was no direct reference to Pakistan in her remarks, it came amid reports that Pyongyang had clandestinely received nuclear enrichment technology from Pakistan when A Q Khan was at the helm of Islamabad's nuclear programme.

Responding to questions, Kumar did not specify the country, but said the hints were enough to determine that.

"I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about," he said.

"We have very clearly mentioned that we not only deplore North Korea's recent actions but also stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable," Kumar said.

In addition to proliferation, the three leaders discussed the issue of maritime security and connectivity.

"Three broad issues were discussed -- maritime security connectivity and proliferation. We have spelled out what these heads mean on security the ministers emphasised the need to ensure freedom of navigation respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes," he said.

"On connectivity, there was discussion on how to base them on universally recognised international norms prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity," Kumar said.

The first trilateral ministerial meeting between the three countries was held in 2015. Senior official level meeting has been taking place since 2011.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A US official delegation will hold discussions with Indian counterparts here tomorrow on issues related to agriculture, trade, investment promotion and intellectual property, a commerce ministry official said.

"This is a preparatory meeting for the ministerial level Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meet which is expected in Washington next month. The dates are yet to be finalised for that," the official said.

The deliberations will also prepare the ground for the forthcoming commercial dialogue between the two countries.

While the TPF meeting is chaired by the US Trade Representative (USTR), the commercial dialogue is led by the US commerce secretary.

From the India side, both the deliberations are chaired by the commerce and industry minister.

"This time, we are trying to hold both these meeting at the same time," said the official, who did not want to be named.

In both the meetings, visa related issues are expected to figure prominently. India has time and again raised this matter as domestic professionals particularly from the IT sector have flagged concerns over America's visa regime.

After the Trump administration took charge, this will be the first formal interaction between trade authorities of the two sides.

The last meeting was held in October here.

The TPF was set up in 2005 to expand bilateral trade and investment. There are four working groups under this forum: intellectual property, promoting investment in manufacturing, services and agriculture.

In the previous meeting, both sides had committed to continue engagement to resolve issues related to visa, movement of professionals and totalisation pact.

Under this agreement, professionals of both will be exempted from social security taxes when they go to work for a short period in the other country.

The bilateral trade between the two counties increased to USD 64.51 billion in 2016-17, from USD 62.11 billion in the previous fiscal.

However, foreign direct investment from the US into India dipped to USD 2.37 billion in 2016-17 from USD 4.19 billion in 2015-16.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
American engine-maker Pratt & Whitney has started supplying new engines to its largest customer in the country, IndiGo, helping it put back into operations some of the grounded A320 Neo planes.

The Gurgaon-based airline has taken off the ground two A320 Neos after it has received two new engines from P&W this month and more such grounded aircraft are expected to resume flying soon as it expects new engine deliveries to improve, official sources said.

Recurring engine glitches have forced the airline to ground nine of its A320 Neos and cancel over 600 flights between late June and early July. The airline currently has 140 A320s, of which 23 are P&W engine-powered A320 Neos.

"Pratt & Whitney (P&W) has supplied two new engines to IndiGo, following which two of its eight grounded A320 Noes have resumed flight," a source told PTI here.

Queries sent to both IndiGo and P&W seeking confirmation on the issue remained unanswered.

The largest airline had taken off nine A320 Neos from its fleet in the June quarter owing to engine issues. However, one of these planes was made operational later. As of today, only six A320 Neos are grounded, said another source in the civil aviation authority.

Indigo had cancelled 667 flights in 13 days between June 21 and July 3 due to grounding of some planes. While 504 flights were cancelled between June 21 and June 30, the remaining 163 were cancelled on the first three days of July.

The new engines have been delivered to IndiGo after the regulator DGCA asked P&W last month to expedite new engine supplies following the grounding of these planes by the two budget carriers-IndiGo and GoAir.

The Wadia group-run GoAir has also grounded three of its five A320 Neos due to engine issues.

"If India is giving you (P&W) so much business, when the new engines come, you allocate them to India. They have promised that by end-September, the situation will be normal," a senior DGCA official had said earlier.

With two A320 Neos back into flying, IndiGo has now only six of such planes grounded, said another source.

IndiGo president and whole-time director Aditya Ghosh had told analysts after the June quarter earnings on July 31 that "there were days when we had had to ground as many as nine A320 Neos due to lack of spare engines. While we do receive certain compensation from Pratt & Whitney for these groundings, the operational disruptions are quite challenging and we are not happy with that situation."



Official sources also claim that IndiGo was being compensated for the revenue loss its each aircraft is suffering due to the grounding.

"IndiGo is getting compensation from P&W for the revenue loss its each grounded aircraft is suffering every day due to non-operation," the official said. But both the airline and P&W did not respond on this claim.

IndiGo had cancelled 48 and 44 flights on June 21 and June 22 respectively, and 48 and 43 the next two days, which rose to 50 flights on June 25 and 45 the next day.

With nine of its A320 Neos on the ground as of June 27, Indigo was forced to cancel 61 flights that day, and it was followed by cancelling of another 53 and 61 flights on June 28 and June 29. On June 30, it had cancelled 50 flights.

Similarly, on July 1, 50 flights were cancelled and on July 2, the cancellations rose to 53 flights, which came down to 51 cancellations on the next day.

"Our schedule was planned in June itself pertaining to non-availability of these aircraft for July, August and September. The affected passengers are already accommodated with suitable options," the airline had said on the massive flight cancellations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's second largest software services firm Infosys has said it has signed a seven-year pact with French container shipping major CMA CGM Group.

The partnership will simplify and transform CMA CGM's IT applications and improve customer service experience.

As part of the agreement, Infosys will open a Delivery Center (DC) in Marseille, Infosys said in a statement.

"Infosys will also acquire CMA CGM's Innovation and Delivery Centre in Dubai, UAE, expanding its footprint in the Middle East," the statement added.

In a BSE filing, Infosys said the approval of Dubai Creative Clusters Authority will be required for the consummation of the transaction and that it is expected to close during the third quarter of fiscal 2018.

The cost of acquisition would be USD 1, as per the filing.

Rajesh Krishnamurthy, President and Head of Europe at Infosys, said the "hyper-competitive" shipping and logistics industry needs to simplify the technology footprint and leverage next-generation technologies.

Infosys is keen to leverage its logistics industry experience and assist CMA CGM with its business transformation journey, he added.

"Our ambition is to create a competitive advantage by offering our customers state-of-the-art technologies. The partnership with Infosys is key to attaining this objective," CMA CGM chief executive officer Rodolphe Saade said.

In a separate statement, Infosys said its subsidiary -- Infosys Finacle -- has partnered with Niki.Ai, a fintech start-up that offers chat-based commerce solutions.

With this partnership, Finacle solution suite will be available with Niki.Ai's chat-based virtual assistant - Niki, the statement said.

This offering will enable banks to offer its customers a virtual banking assistant for shopping products and services, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress vice-president has said that intolerance and unemployment are the key issues that pose a serious challenge to India's security and development.

Gandhi, who is in the US on a two-week-long tour, held a series of meetings, including a roundtable with eminent Indian /South Asia experts hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a Democratic-leaning think tank.

Prominent among the attendees were CAP head Neera Tandon, the former US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, and Hillary Clinton's top campaign advisor John Podesta.

Lisa Curtis, who heads the South Asia division at the Security Council of the White House held discussions with Gandhi over a breakfast meeting during which the Trump administration official sought his views on the US-India relationship and the recently announced Afghanistan and South Asia policy of US President Donald Trump, according to the participants of the meeting.

US Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Thomas J Donohue met Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders at an event hosted by US India Business Council (USIBC).

During the meeting, Gandhi expressed concern over the inability of the government to create jobs in India, which he felt was leading the country towards a dangerous situation.

Gandhi also had an off-the-record interaction with the editorial board of The Washington Post, wherein he shared his anguish over the rising intolerance globally, but in particularly in India.

Later in the evening, Gandhi had another closed-door meeting co-hosted by Republican strategist Puneet Ahluwalia and American Foreign Policy Institute.

"I would say, he did not seem to be somebody who did not understand the issue. He has an understanding of the issue. He came across as more of a grassroot understanding leader. Everybody when they left they were pretty much very positive with the interaction," Ahluwalia said.

Gandhi is also believed to have met the Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.

Participants of these meetings overwhelmingly agreed with Gandhi that the "central challenge" in front of India was jobs and intolerance.

They left the meeting generally impressed with Gandhi's knowledge, clarity of thoughts and candidness.

"(People) said he is exactly opposite than what we were told. They said, he is logical, he thinks well, and he understands the issue," Sam Pitroda, who has been accompanying Gandhi to all of his meetings, said.

He alleged that full time staff hired by Gandhi's opponents have been creating negative image about him.

Pitroda said Gandhi believes in decentralisation.

The real decision have to be made at the district level.

Gandhi is scheduled to address students of the Princeton University in New Jersey. Indian Overseas Congress would host a reception for him in New York tomorrow.

(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.)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif today slammed US President Donald Trump's address that took aim at Iran at the United Nations, calling it an "ignorant hate speech."



"Trump's ignorant hate speech belongs in medieval times -- not the 21st century UN -- unworthy of a reply," Zarif said on Twitter.

"Fake empathy for Iranians fools no one," he added.

In his maiden speech to the UN General Assembly, Trump branded Iran a "corrupt dictatorship" and "rogue state" and said the "longest-suffering victims of Iran's leaders are, in fact, its own people."



Trump said the nuclear deal that Zarif negotiated in close cooperation with former US secretary of state John Kerry was "an embarrassment to the United States."



The US president accused Tehran of using its wealth to prop up Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, back rebels in Yemen and "undermine peace throughout the entire Middle East."



Trump appeared to pave the way towards tearing up the nuclear deal signed in 2015 between six world powers and Iran.

"We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iraqi security forces and paramilitary units launched a dawn assault today against one of the Islamic State group's last bastions in the vast western province of Anbar bordering Syria.

The Joint Operations Command, which is coordinating Iraqi security forces battling IS, said an offensive had begun to retake the town of Anna and the nearby village of Al-Rayhanna.

"Infantry units and armour backed by the Hashed al-Shaabi began an offensive to liberate Anna and Al-Rayhanna from Daesh terrorists," JOC head General Abdelamir Yarallah said in a statement, using an Arabic name for IS.

A general in the area said the operation was "developing along three axes" involving the army, police and the Hashed al-Shaabi, a paramilitary force composed largely of Iran- trained Shiite militias.

The operation was supported by Iraqi army helicopters and warplanes from the US-led coalition battling IS in Iraq and Syria, the general said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The head of Anna's municipal council, Abdel Karim al-Ani, confirmed the start of the offensive and said security forces had opened a road out of the town to allow civilians to flee.

Anna, about 100 kilometres west of the border with Syria, is one of three towns in Anbar province under IS control.

After retaking the town, Iraqi forces are expected to next target Rawa to the northwest and finally Al-Qaim, which is close to the border with the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor.

Three years after IS took control of large parts of Syria and Iraq, Iraqi forces are pushing to retake all areas seized by the jihadists, scoring their biggest victory in July with the recapture of second city Mosul.

Iraq is preparing to launch an assault against another of the jihadists' final strongholds, the town of Hawija about 300 kilometres north of Baghdad.

IS is also under pressure in Syria, where a US-backed alliance of Kurds and Arabs is battling to retake the jihadists' de-facto capital Raqqa and Russian-backed regime forces are fighting for control of the city of Deir Ezzor.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israel's military fired a Patriot missile today to bring down what it said was an Iranian-made drone operated by Hezbollah on a reconnaissance mission in the Golan Heights.

The drone took off from a Damascus military airport before crossing into the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights, Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
State BJP leaders today visited the victims of Pakistani firing in Arnia sector in Jammu district and assured them of all possible help by the government.

The BJP team, led by national vice president Avinash Rai Khanna, met area residents and termed the unprovoked firing by Pakistan security forces "inhumane".

He said the Indian Army is well prepared to retaliate in a "fierce manner" to the "mischievous misdeeds" of Pakistan.

Two persons - a BSF jawan and a woman - were killed and several others injured in Arnia sector in firing by Pakistani security forces last week.

Khanna assured the residents that the BJP will look for provisions top provide all basic amenities to the victims.

The BJP national vice president was accompanied by state BJP chief Sat Sharma, state general-secretary Narinder Singh, Member Parliament from Jammu Jugal Kishore Sharma, and other BJP leaders.

"The border residents are not alone in bearing the brunt of the situation, as their feelings were felt by every single citizen of the nation," Sat Sharma said.

Jugal Kishore Sharma said the compensation provided to the families of the deceased civillians will be increased to Rs five lakh from the current compensation of Rs one lakh.

A process to provide government job to a member of the family of the deceased would also be initiated, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress-backed NSUI staged a protest at the Jammu university today, accusing the varsity administration and the police of supporting their opponents, the ABVP, following clashes between the two groups a day earlier.

The clashes happened during campaiging for the first phase of the students union election scheduled for September 25 at the university.

Several students were injured, officials said, but added none of them suffered serious injuries.

The president of National Students Union of India (NSUI), Neeraj Kundan, led students during the protest, and accused RSS-linked Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists of roughing up a law department student without any provocation.

Kundan said the university administration and the police favoured the ABVP "under the influence of BJP ministers".

Despite a written complaint, the police did not register an FIR against the ABVP activists, the NSUI alleges.

"If strict action against the culprits involved in roughing up the student is not taken immediately, we will protest aggressively and even boycott the elections," Kundan said.

Department and class representatives would be elected as executive members in the first phase of the union election.

The elected student representatives from each department would form an electoral college who will elect the office- bearers of the union, the voting for which will take place in the second phase on October 6.

The results of election would be announced the same day.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Referring to the decision of the Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker to disqualify 18 AIADMK MLAs from the House, the JD(U) today demanded a similar action against two of its rebel MPs, Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar.

Janata Dal (United) chief spokesperson K C Tyagi, in a statement, said Yadav and Anwar acted in a manner, similar to that of the AIADMK MLAs, by indulging in "anti-party" activities.

The party has already approached the Rajya Sabha chairman, seeking disqualification of the two MPs, who were yesterday given one more week to the House to respond to the JD(U)'s charges against them.

Tyagi also took exception to the statements of Congress leader Anand Sharma and CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury, both of whom have asked the chairman to refer the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee.

He said the Chairman, M Venkaiah Naidu, was a competent authority to take a decision on the matter and added that comments from "outsiders" were not "appreciable" with regard to such constitutional matters.

Tyagi cited the Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker's decision to make his point and said the JD(U) welcomed the disqualification of the AIADMK MLAs from the House.

"This has again highlighted the wide powers conferred on a speaker under the 10th Schedule [Articles 102(2) and 192 (2)] of the Constitution. It gives him power to disqualify a member of the House, belonging to any political party, if the latter has voluntarily given up the membership of the party," he said.

The case in the Tamil Nadu Assembly fell under the above-mentioned constitutional rule, which allowed the speaker to judge if any member had voluntarily relinquished his party membership, the JD(U) leader said.

The rebels in the JD(U) were also facing a similar trial in the Rajya Sabha and Sharad Yadav was asked not to attend the Patna rally of the RJD on August 27 and warned that if he did so, he would be considered to have voluntarily given up the party membership, he added.

Tyagi also pointed out that the speaker of the Uttarakhand Assembly had, in 2016, disqualified nine rebel Congress MLAs under the anti-defection law.

Eighteen AIADMK MLAs, said to be loyal to the party's deputy chief, TTV Dhinakaran, were yesterday disqualified by Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal amid a power tussle in the ruling party in the southern state.
JIPMER, a centrally-sponsored premier medical institution here, has launched a separate division headed by a Dean to promote reasearch activities.

Various committees to support and facilitate good research projects had been started for this purpose, JIPMER Director S C Parija said in a press release today.

Funds for research works had also been raised considerably, he added.

Also, a JIPMER Innovation Facilitation Unit had been opened to augment research areas.

Besides inking memoranda of understanding with several national and international research institutes for training and collaboration, the institute had also initiated a series of programmes to promote capacity building for students, research scholars and the faculty, Parija said.

Through Research Leadership Mentoring Programme, JIPMER would focus on creating future medical research leaders 'for the institute and also at national and international levels,' he claimed.

Parija said that a research resource centre would also be set up soon to establish an 'infrastructure to support research-related activities.'



The resource centre would have divisions including clinical research, molecular biology and clinical epidemiology.

The institute would also adopt centrally-designed VAJRA (Visiting Advanced JointResearch)and GIAN (Global Institute for Academic Network) schemes.

Through these schemes foreign faculty from institutes of higher education would be invited and engaged in various research activities, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A section of JNU teachers and students today approached the Delhi High Court challenging the varsity administration's decision on disbanding GSCASH and forming the ICC (Internal Complaints Committee) instead.

The administration had in its 269th Executive Council meeting held yesterday ordered for dissolution of an independent body GSCASH (Gender Sensitisation Against Sexual Harassment).

Ever since the administration announed the decision in a circular that was issued a week ago by the Registrar, the students and teachers were up in arms against the move.

The circular had also ordered for putting on hold polls for electing student representatives to GSCASH.

However, the petitioners, three teachers and three students - Prof. Madhu Sahni, Prof. Rajat Dutta, Prof. Hemant Adlakha, Ritika Kar, Rituraj Sharma, and Sonam Goyal - today approached the Delhi High Court by filing a writ petition with the help of legal team led by Indira Jaising, senior advocate, Supreme Court.

The petitioners have sought quashing of the office orders superseding the GSCASH by the ICC and the Registrar's circular putting elections to GSCASH on hold, JNUTA President Ayesha Kidwai said in a statement.

As an urgent application, the petitioners have asked for a stay on the operation of the supersession order and a direction to JNU to preserve all records of GSCASH from 1999 till date in consultation of GCASH.

"They have also asked for the court to allow the elections for student representatives scheduled for the 22.09.2017 to be held in accordance with law," the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran actor Judi Dench is in early negotiations to join Disney's "Artemis Fowl" movie adaptation from director Kenneth Branagh.

Written by Eoin Colfer, the children's books follow the brilliant and cunning 12-year-old eponymous criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl II, whose plot to extort gold from the secret Fairy People puts him directly in the crosshairs of some of the most dangerous creatures on earth.

Over the course of the book series, Fowl becomes an antihero rather than a full-fledged villain, often working together with the fairies to stop a slew of treacherous megalomaniacs.

Irish playwright Conor McPherson has been roped in to to pen the script, reported Variety.

Disney is planning to release the film on August 9, 2019.

Harvey Weinstein and Branagh are producing the project.

Dench and Branagh most recently collaborated on "Murder on the Orient Express," which Branagh also helmed and starred in opposite Dench. They also starred together in "The Winter's Tale" on the West End in 2015.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Investigation Agency has secured recorded confessional statements on the flow of money, especially from Pakistan, from two persons accused in a case related to the funding of terror activities in Kashmir, officials said today.

The statements made before a judicial magistrate had tightened the case against separatists who allegedly funded stone-pelters and spread unrest in the Valley, NIA officials said on the condition of anonymity.

While one has been formally arrested, the other was detained and subsequently let off after he said he would turn approver, the officials said, declining to divulge their names.

The former, arrested on July 24 this year after his house was raided by the central probe agency, approached NIA sleuths, giving his consent for recording his confessional statement.

He gave a detailed account of how funds were sent from Pakistan-based terror organisations as well as its external snooping agency ISI to separatists based in the Valley, the officials said.

The other person who has recorded his confessional statement is a close aide of pro-Pakistan separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

A confessional statement is recorded before a judicial magistrate. The accused confirms in it that he or she is giving a statement without any pressure from the probe agency.

The entire process is videographed and no investigation officer is present in the court premises during the proceedings. In case of retraction later, the agency can file a case of perjury.

The NIA has arrested 10 people so far in connection with alleged funding of terror activities case. The list includes Altaf Ahmed Shah, the son-in-law of Geelani, and noted businessman Zahorr Watali.

Geelani's close aides Ayaz Akbar, who is also spokesperson of the hardline separatist organisation Tehreek- e-Hurriyat, and Peer Saifullah have been also been arrested.

Others in the list are Shahid-ul-Islam, spokesperson of the moderate Hurriyat Conference, Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar alias 'Bitta Karate', photo-journalist Kamran Yusuf and Javed Ahmed Bhat.

The NIA had registered a case on May 30 against the separatist and secessionist leaders, including unknown members of the Hurriyat Conference, who have been acting in connivance with active militants of proscribed terrorist organisations Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other outfits and gangs, officials said.

The case was registered for raising, receiving and collecting funds through various illegal means, including hawala, for funding separatist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir and for causing disruption in the Valley by way of pelting stones on the security forces, burning schools, damaging public property and waging war against India, the probe agency said in the FIR.

Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of the Jamaat-ud- Dawa, the front of the banned terrorist organisation Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT), has been named in the FIR as an accused.

The FIR also names organisations such as the two factions of the Hurriyat, one led by Geelani and the other Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, an all-women outfit of separatists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Kate Walsh has revealed that she was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2015.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Walsh opened up about how her symptoms progressed, her reaction to the diagnosis, having the benign meningioma removed and her recovery.

"I had been working insane hours, maybe 80 hours a week, and also working out really hard, so I wasn't surprised. I figured okay, I'll change up my workout routine, I'll go back to mellow stuff like hiking. My pilates instructor said 'hey, your right side is dipping', and it didn't feel like I was off, but I looked down and could see it.

"Then when I was driving, I started swerving into the right lane...And then around April, I started having more cognitive difficulties. It felt like aphasia, but it wasn't just not being able to find words; I would lose my train of thought, I wasn't able to finish sentences, and that was when I got really alarmed," Walsh said.

In June, the 49-year-old actor went to get a MRI, where she received the diagnosis.

"The words 'brain tumour' were never in my zeitgeist. I went in for the MRI, and you know it's serious when they don't even wait, they're like 'hey, the radiologist wants to see you.' And she starts to say 'well, it looks like you have a very sizable brain tumour', and I just left my body. My assistant had driven me there, and I had to go get her so that she could take notes, because I was gone. It was never anything I would have imagined."



Post the removal, Walsh took some time off. But when she returned, she really hit the ground running.

"I took about nine months off, and when I came back, I hit it hard. I shot a film called "Self", I shot "Girls Trip", I shot "13 Reasons Why", I did a play in New York last year, so it was great, once I was back I was really back.

"Those cliche, existential things do happen when you have a brain tumour, like 'how do I really want to spend my time?' I want to be with my friends and family and work on projects that are hugely important to be, and fun, and that make a cultural contribution. But my health comes first, and I've had to change my lifestyle... I know I absolutely need seven or eight hours of sleep. As basic as that sounds, it was a huge part of my recovery," she said.

Looking back on her experience, Walsh said that the most important thing she has earned is to go see a doctor.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called a review meeting with his Cabinet colleagues tomorrow, after he returns from a Vipassana course in Maharastra later today.

The chief minister is scheduled to return to the national capital tonight. Kejriwal will review the works done in his absence and those pending in the meeting, an official said.

"Reach Del tonite. Back to work from tomo. Meeting all my ministers at 10 am tomo morning (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted.

Earlier in the day, he also tweeted, "Jst finished Vipassna meditation course. Its bliss. Hope someday, me n my wife will fully immerse ourselves in meditation (sic).

On September 11, the Delhi chief minister had left for the vipassana course during which he could not access newspapers, televisions or any other form of media.

Last year in August, Kejriwal had gone to Himachal Pradesh's Dharamkot to attend a 10-day vipassana session at a meditation centre.

Kejriwal is known to be an ardent practitioner of vipassana.

The AAP chief had also taken a break to practice vipassana after a hectic campaign post the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and the Delhi Assembly polls in 2013.

He had gone to Bengaluru earlier this year to undergo a naturopathy treatment for high blood sugar after months of campaigning for elections in Punjab and Goa.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said the located near schools would be closed and action taken against officers who issued the licences to them.

"All such liquor stores near schools shall be closed and action taken against any officers, who allotted them against law, near a school (sic)," he wrote on Twitter.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader's comments come in the backdrop of increased concerns over students' safety in schools, following the brutal killing of a seven-year-old boy in a Gurgaon school and alleged rape of a five-year-old girl by a school peon in Delhi.

Sisodia, who is also the education minister of Delhi, had last week asked the school principals to send a list of located close to their campuses.

As per norms, a liquor shop cannot function within 100 metres of a school.

"Have already asked all school Principals - Govt and Pvt - to let me know if any (even beyond 100m) is causing trouble (sic)," Sisodia said in another tweet.
The Maharashtra government has received over 8.90 lakh extra applications seeking the loan waiver than the actual number of eligible farmers having the loan outstanding.

As per the government, 44,48,599 farmers have the loan outstanding, but the number of applications received for the waiver stood at 53,39,007.

"There are 44,48,599 farmers having overdue loan as per the figures compiled by all the banks having farmers' accounts. However, the number of applications received for the loan waiver is 53,39,007, which is in excess by around nine lakh. Nobody has an idea of how it happened," a senior Cooperation department official said.

These figures were discussed in the meeting of a sub-committee of ministers held at Mantrayala today.

The loan waiver, announced in June this year, is estimated to cost Rs 34,000 crore to the state exchequer.

"It is true that the number of applications received is more than the estimated number of beneficiary farmers. But we are not rushing to any conclusion. Let's wait, and complete the scrutiny of the applications. Only verified farmers' accounts will get waiver," state Agriculture Minister Pandurang Fundkar told PTI.

When asked about the anomaly, Cooperation Minister Subhash Deshmukh, also a member of the sub-committee of ministers, said there could have been multiple applications filed by members of a farmer's family.

"This could be one of the reasons behind the rise in the number of applications," he added.

Interestingly, among the applicants, 1,388 farmers are shown as the residents of Mumbai city having the outstanding crop loan while 316 are shown as the residents of Mumbai suburban district.

"For the 1,388 farmers, there are 21,555 applications for the loan waiver while for the 316 farmers 1,441 applications have been filed," the senior official said citing data.

He said the registration and uploading of details of farmers' loan will be completed by September 22.

"The state government had also asked banks to provide all the details of potential beneficiaries of the loan waiver scheme. Now, Aadhar card is also linked with bank accounts so that the state government can verify the information of farmers who had registered themselves with 'Aapale Sarkar' portal and information shared by the banks," he said.

The official said that genuine beneficiaries will be selected on the basis of this information and the loan waiver scheme will be implemented.

"The state government is minimising the scope for duplication of non-deserving farmers getting the benefit," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maharashtra agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar today said the state government's loan waiver scheme will be implemented from October 15.

"Maharashtra government will transfer sanctioned loan amount to farmers' accounts, who are eligible for waiver. The transfer of loan waiver amount will start from October 15," Fundkar told PTI after holding a meeting of minister's sub-committee for loan waiver.

"We will transfer the amount to the loan account of farmers, and the bank will immediately deduct it to settle the loan amount," he said.

If all the accounts are not verified by October 15, then in first phase amount of all the verified accounts will be transferred. The remaining beneficiaries will get their amount subsequently, said the minister.

"Despite the challenge, we want to complete the execution of loan waiver scheme before Diwali," said the agriculture minister.

The farmers' registration will go on till September 22. The state officials will scrutinise the uploaded information on its portal and finalise the list of potential beneficiaries.

"We are also planning to carry out a public reading of beneficiaries in every village. It will be useful for some cross-check of beneficiaries in the village," Maharashtra cooperation minister Subhash Deshmukh told PTI.

"The decision regarding such public reading of names and loan amount of beneficiaries is yet to be taken," he said.

The Maharashtra government had on June 24 announced a loan waiver scheme to settle loan amount up to Rs 1.50 lakh.

The government has also decided that only one person in the family will get the benefit of the scheme.

The government had claimed that some 44 lakh farmers will get direct benefit of the loan waiver while other farmers, who repay their loan regularly will also get some amount in return.

The total number of beneficiaries thus will be as high as 89 lakh, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had claimed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today urged states to chalk out their own strategy to achieve the target of doubling farmers' income by 2022.

The centre has already come out with a four-volume report suggesting ways to boost farmers' income, which states will have to study and see how best it can be implemented in each state, he said.

Not only productivity of various crops needs to be raised, but also focus on allied farm activities like timber cultivation and honeybee cultivation is required, he added.

Addressing a two-day national conference to evolve a sowing strategy for upcoming winter (rabi) season, Singh said: "The government's aim is to increase productivity and ensure farmers get the remunerative price for their produce."



The government has launched several schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Soil Health Card scheme, neem-coated urea and electronic national agriculture market (e-NAM) to achieve the target of doubling farmers' income.

While implementing these schemes, he said, states have to "devise their own strategy" to boost farmers' income by focusing on production-to-post-harvest activities.

"It is our responsibility to make special efforts to improve the agricultural sector so that it provides strong trade opportunities," he added.

Echoing similar views, Agriculture Secretary S K Pattanayak said, "doubling farmers' income by 2022 should be the mantra and all of us should be working towards it. The seven key schemes have to be operationalised at field level."



He urged states to take e-NAM project seriously and put in place infrastructure to facilitate farmers to trade online. "Once this is in place, farmers will get remunerative price and help in doubling income."



To ensure farmers get support price in times of price crash, the secretary said the centre has drafted a new market assurance scheme and asked states to study and share how they wish to implement.

On organic farming, he said only Sikkim has been declared a fully organic state till now. The centre's target is to see entire north east grow fully organic. Funds are in place but states have to show more interest.

He also mentioned that states should encourage allied farm activities as it will add to income of farmers.

Ministers of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Krishna Raj were also present at the event.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A man has been arrested for allegedly killing his 15-year-old nephew as he suspected him of having an illicit relationship with his wife, the police said today.

The police recovered the boy's decomposing body from a park in Dwarka's Sector 18 area on August 1. His throat had been slit, they said.

During investigation, it was found that the minor, a resident of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, was living in Punjab with his 42-year-old maternal uncle, who had come to Delhi before the body was found, the police said.

However, the man during the probe had tried to mislead investigators by claiming that he was not in Delhi and also had planned to falsely implicate his wife and her brother in the crime, they said.

His cell-phone was found to be active in Delhi around the time the boy died. However, when he learnt that the police were after him, the accused switched it off, the police said.

Several raids were carried out in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun and Bareilly districts to nab him, but he remained untraceable, they said.

On September 17, the police was informed that he would come to Kailashpuri, Sagarpur, to meet somebody. He was arrested there, the police said, adding that the knife used in the crime also has been seized.

The boy had come to Longowal to live with his uncle and his wife in 2016. During his stay, the accused started suspecting that his nephew and wife were in a relationship, and the boy was sent back, Additional Commissioner of Police (southwest) Gaurav Sharma said.

Though he had come to Longowal in June again, he was not allowed to stay. The accused also used to assault his wife since he suspected her of cheating on him. She returned to Kailashpuri, Delhi, to her parents' house, the officer said.

In order to implicate his wife and her brother, the man bought a SIM card in her name in Longowal, and called his nephew, Sharma said.

The man and the boy met at the Jakhal railway station in Haryana, and he brought him back to Delhi on the pretext of collecting his Aadhaar Card from his wife, he said.

He brought Monu to Dwarka and killed him, and dumped his body and returned to Punjab.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 25-year-old man today allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at a hotel in Ghaziabad over family issues, police said today.

Rajiv Kumar, from Shahjahanpur district, killed himself in his room at hotel Minar in Bazariya area, they said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Manisha Singh said Kumar informed his brother-in-law about the step he was going to take through text.

Kumar's brother-in-law reached the hotel this morning. His room was locked from inside and the hotel management had to open it with a duplicate key.

An investigation by the police revealed that Kumar faced some family issues, they said. He had checked into the hotel last night.

The body has been sent for autopsy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has rejected as "unfounded" the impression that the army was behind the ouster of prime minister Nawaz Sharif and said the military had no role in it.

Sharif, 67, stepped down after a Supreme Court bench disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in his office for dishonesty in the Panama Papers case and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the scandal.

Gen Bajwa was responding to questions by members of defence committees of the National Assembly and Senate who visited General Headquarters (GHQ) yesterday.

The parliamentarians had raised many of the oft-discussed issues including security operations, military courts, defence budget, engagement with the US, tensions with India, problems in relations with Afghanistan, and civil-military relations, Dawn reported.

Gen Bajwa dismissed rumours of the army's alleged role in the Panama Papers case as "unfounded" and told the parliamentarians that he was an ardent supporter of democracy and believed in the supremacy of parliament, the paper said.

"One of the parliamentarians, quoting the army chief, said the military had no role in ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif's ouster, and for him, the current prime minister was as good as the previous one," the paper said.

The powerful army, which enjoys considerable influence over policy decisions in Pakistan, has ruled the country for much of its life since it gained independence 70 years ago.

Last month, Sharif had termed his disqualification by the Supreme Court as a humiliation and said the "conspiracies" to oust him from the premiership had begun over three years ago.

During a brief stay in London this week before heading out to New York for the UN General Assembly session, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said conspiracies against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government were continuing.

Talking about the perception that the defence budget consumed a major portion of national resources, Gen Bajwa said that it comprised nearly 18 per cent of the total budgetary outlay. He added that more money was required, particularly in view of certain acquisitions that had to be made, some of which were overdue.

On the subject of foreign relations, he underscored that putting the house in order was a pre-requisite for getting a respectful position in the comity of nations.

As a principle, he said, Pakistan desired good relations with all other countries especially the neighbours.

Gen Bajwa said he was ready to appear before the defence committee or any 'committee of the whole House' and answer any queries that the parliamentarians might have.

He also said he had congratulated Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif over the PML-N's victory in NA-120 (Lahore) by-poll in which Nawaz Sharif's wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz was elected on the National Assembly seat vacated by her husband.

One of the participants in the meeting said that the engagement was meant to showcase the army's achievements and to highlight the challenges it was facing.

The interactive session, which was originally planned for 30 minutes, went on for nearly three hours, the paper said.

In a statement, the army said the delegation was given a detailed briefing on the evolving security environment including the situation at the borders and Pakistan's Army efforts for peace and security.

"The session (with Gen Bajwa) concluded with the resolve to continue our struggle against the menace of violent extremism through a synergetic, whole-of-the-nation approach based on the principle of collective potential and shared responsibility," it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Millie Mackintosh said she is happily engaged to her partner, TV personality Hugo Taylor and is in no hurry to tie the knot.

The 28-year-old "Made In Chelsea" star said she values her privacy and wants to enjoy the relationship with her future husband, reported FemaleFirst.

"I left the show ('Made In Chelsea') four years ago and I don't think I'll go back to TV. I've done that part of my life where I had my relationship in the public eye; now I value my privacy.

"Hugo and I are delighted to be engaged, but there's parts of our relationship that are just for us. We're not thinking about wedding plans yet because we're not in a rush. There's so much else going on," Mackintosh told The Sunday Times Magazine.

The actor got engaged to Taylor in July this year, in Greece, where she was celebrating her 28th birthday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nagaland Governor P B Acharya has expressed hope that the vexed Naga issue would be solved within the next one or two months, and urged every Naga underground group and civil society player to come onboard.

Interacting with media persons at the Raj Bhavan here yesterday, the governor said, "The Naga peace process is in everywhere and I am confident, thanks to the information by my sources, that it (peace process) has come to a conclusion."



"The general elections are due within few months in the state and I hope a solution to the Naga political problem will come within next one-two months," Acharya said.

"At this juncture, all the Naga civil societies and political parties should be prepared to accept the solution and make it a reality," he said.

"Younger people are tired and want a solution to the decades-old peace process," he said.

Asked about his role in overcoming the leadership crisis within the ruling Naga Peoples' Front (NPF), the governor said it was the internal matter of the party.

"They should overcome the trust deficit, which is also hampering the peace process and therefore, they should come together and strengthen the government," he said.

On the allegation from some quarters that the governor had 'unconstitutionally' removed then chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on July 19, Acharya said whoever had the majority should head the government.

Meanwhile, the Nagaland governor urged the 60 Naga legislators and two MPs to adopt at least one village every year in their own constituency under the 'Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' and work for the upliftment of that village.

He said the Centre provides special funds to legislators for the project.

Acharya also suggested that along side the World War-II cemetery in Kohima, there should be a "memorial of Subhash Chandra Bose and INA soldiers who died for India". He said he has written to the central government about it.

Nagaland was hit by a spate of protests following the announcement of civic bodies' poll in December 2016. The Naga groups had demanded that the polls be declared null and void.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Netherlands government would assist Jammu and Kashmir in developing hi-tech horticulture infrastructure in the state, its ambassador to India Alphonsus Stoelinga said here today.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was here to see demonstration projects of high density apple orchards established by the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Kashmir in collaboration with companies from the European nation, said an official spokesperson.

The ambassador assured all possible help to the state, saying the Government of Netherlands looks forward to collaborating with Jammu and Kashmir and its farmers in hi- tech horticulture infrastructure development.

The spokesperson said the projects have been established under the international business programme of the Netherlands to showcase the advanced technology and high-quality virus- free apple and other fruit plant materials offered by the Dutch companies.

Vice-chancellor SKUAST, Nazeer Ahmed, informed the ambassador that apple trees from Netherlands, which were planted in April 2017, had produced quality crop during the current season.

The vice-chancellor said farmers from across the state are visiting the campus for demonstration of orchard plants invariably and are showing keen interest in adopting these orchard techniques, in particular apple plants from the Netherlands.

Ahmed further emphasised to work in close coordination with the Netherlands to have sustainable assistance in horticulture sector besides collaborating for transferring technology to take benefit of latest technological changes from the world's largest exporter of food products and leader in the sector, the spokesman said.

The ambassador visited two cold storage plants, Fruit Master Agro Fresh and H N Agri-Serve, using technology imported from Netherlands at Lassipora Pulwama in south Kashmir.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Government think-tank Niti Aayog has received strong response to its Mentor India campaign, under which the body has received over 5,000 applications.

There is "fantastic response" with over 5,000 applications for the Mentor India campaign, said Ramanathan Ramanan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), which steers the campaign under the aegis of the Niti Aayog, according to an Assocham statement.

He was speaking at an event organised by the industry body here.

"We want this to be several, we should at least have 10,000-15,000 mentors because the country is big, schools are widely dispersed and we need people to help," said Ramanan while addressing the National Conference on 'Empowerment of SC, ST and women entrepreneurs'.

The link to apply for the campaign is open till September 30.

"We are going to build a network of mentors across the country from every professional organisation which is capable of supporting (it) and this is going to be one of the largest mentoring networks across the country," he emphasised.

Under the initiative of the AIM, Ramanan said, the government is trying to build innovators of future.

The AIM has been launched by the prime minister to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.

Under the programme, tinkering labs are being set up in schools across the country. As many as 1,000 schools have been established with tinkering labs that will empower the students to learn latest technologies like 3D printing, IoT (Internet of Things) devices, miniature electronics, robotics, wi-fi, communication devices and so on.

The government has plans to set up 2,000 tinkering labs before the end of this year.

Ramanan further said the government is offering several challenges at school, university and national levels to promote creation of products and solutions with job creating impact.

The vision of the AIM campaign is that every district in this country should have access to an Atal Tinkering Lab.

Already nearly 20 world-class incubators have been set up in the country through the Atal Incubation scheme.

"Before the end of this year, we will have more than 75 Atal Incubators in this country. There are a number of women- led incubators growing within the Atal Incubation scheme and that will hopefully provide the entrepreneurship that is required," he added.

He, however, cautioned that unless there is collaboration among individuals, corporates, academia and governments, many of these schemes will not meet with success.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav today said no politics or religion is involved in the Centre's stand on the Rohingya issue and insisted that the decision was driven by national interest.

Rejecting the view that Rohingiyas should be allowed to stay in India on humanitarian grounds, Madhav said the government was taking care of the "humanitarian interest" of the country's 1.3 billion people.

"People say the government should approach Rohingyas issue with a humanitarian perspective. It is doing this only by taking care of humanitarian interest of 1.3 billion people in India and their security," Madhav said at a FICCI event here.

Terming the ongoing Rohingyas issue as a major challenge from across the border in Myanmar, the BJP leader said the government is handling infiltration and illegal migration with "utmost maturity".

Emphasising that no country in the world allows illegal migrants, Madhav said,"... No politics or religion is involved in this issue. We are simply taking care of our security concerns our national interest."



Earlier speaking at an another event Madhav hit out at opposition leaders who are advocating granting Rohingyas shelter in the country, saying they are defending those who pose a security threat to the country.

"We will handle the Rohingya issue on the basis of national security concerns that we have. We will deal with them in an appropriate manner. This is the domain of the executive to take proper, appropriate decision," he told reporters on the sidelines of a book release.

He said that India had sent a large quantity of relief material to Bangladesh but claimed that even Bangladesh had security concerns regarding Rohingyas.

The government had told Parliament on August 9 that more than 14,000 Rohingyas are at present staying in India.

However, some inputs indicate that around 40,000 undocumented Rohingyas were staying in India, mostly in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan regions.

Rohingya refugees are fleeing from violence-hit state of Rakhine in Myanmar to India and Bangladesh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Pakistan prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and eight others were today indicted by a court in a case pertaining to illegal recruitment in an electricity distribution company of Punjab Province.

Ashraf, 66, recruited as many as 437 people without taking merit into consideration, according to a case filed by top anti-graft watchdog the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Geo reported.

The former prime minister, who held the office between June 2012 and March 2013, has rejected all the charges filed by NAB today.

Ashraf was indicted for his alleged involvement in illegal recruitment in the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO), the report said.

The accountability court, which heard the case filed by the NAB last year, summoned witnesses to record their statements.

Ashraf, a senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader, has also been indicted by another accountability court in Islamabad in the rental power case. All accused have refused to plead guilty.

Ashraf is also accused of misusing his authority during his tenure as the minister for water and power to get approval from the Economic Coordination Committee for an increase in the down-payment to the rental power companies from seven per cent to 14 per cent, amounting to about Rs 22 billion, the report said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Concerned over the rise of extremism among the university students, Pakistan's government plans to introduce a "curriculum" for weekly Friday sermons to address the threat of educated lot becoming militants.

Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that under the new format the Friday sermons would educate people about practical life in the light of the Quran and the Hadith - the words or actions of the prophet, The Express Tribune reported.

During a meeting on implementation of the anti-terror National Action Plan (NAP) on Friday, he expressed deep concerns that university students were found affiliated with extremist organisations, the paper said.

As many as 70 vice chancellors of national universities participated in the meeting at the Higher Education Commission through live video conference.

Iqbal said this was the age of information revolution and that a battle of ideologies was under way on social media.

"It is our duty to undertake collective efforts to prevent our youth from accessing the material based on extremist ideologies. We have to ensure that our youth use social media only for educational and healthy activities," he said.

"We have to formulate a national narrative to counter the extremist agenda," he said, adding that the students must be prepared to tolerate the difference of opinion among peers and within society.

About student politics, he said they must be given opportunities to express their thoughts and asked faculties in the universities to play their due role in this regard.

"In every university, career counselling mechanism must be formulated to evaluate the potential of students for better avenues in future," he said.

The minister said that the upcoming International Peace Day on Thursday must be celebrated in every university "with the resolve to spread the message of peace among our youth and apprise them of the counter-narrative against extremism".

A probe last month found that some students of Karachi University were running a militant organisation.

In April, a 20-year-old second-year student of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences in Jamshoro, Sindh, was arrested after her husband was killed in an encounter in Lahore during a failed terror attack. She had travelled to Syria to receive weapons training.

(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 arrived in New York today to attend the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to raise the Kashmir issue.

Abbasi's address to the UNGA - slated for September 21 - will be his debut into the highest international diplomacy after being sworn in as the prime minister last month.

Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi has said that the prime minister will highlight the Kashmir issue and other issues of concern to Pakistan.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin last week said Pakistan's decision to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN, which has not been discussed at the world body for decades, is like 'Miyan ki daud masjid tak', referring to a popular Urdu proverb meaning some people think within a limited focus and are unable to think beyond that.

India on the other hand is focused on progressive, forward looking agenda during the UN General Assembly session beginning tomorrow, Akbaruddin had said on Saturday.

Abbasi's visit comes amidst tensions in the ties between Pakistan and the US after President Donald Trump last month hit out at Islamabad 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.

He would meet US Vice President Mike Pence here at the UN headquarters later today, the White House said.

Ahead of Abbasi's meeting with Pence, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua yesterday met US Under Secretary of State Tom Shannon.

During the meeting, Janjua conveyed Pakistan's viewpoint on the new strategy and emphasised that peace in Afghanistan is a high priority for Pakistan, according to an official statement issued by Pakistan.

"She stressed that intra-Afghan dialogue is vital for bringing lasting peace to the country and the region. Pakistan would continue to play a facilitating role for a peaceful Afghanistan," the statement said.

Abbasi is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with a number of world leaders including Jordan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iran, the United Kingdom and Nepal.

In addition to meeting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, he is also scheduled to address the Council on Foreign Relations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Japanese tech giant Panasonic today said it expects sell around 500,000 units in India within two months of the current festive season as it launches new devices in the online as well as offline retail channels.

It unveiled two devices today and will launch two more models in October.

"Festive season is important to us and we are bringing in offers for customers, both online and offline. We expect to sell about 500,000 devices in these two months (September- October) itself," Panasonic India Business Head Mobility Division Pankaj Rana told PTI.

He added that the festive season accounts for about 30 per cent of the company's annual sales.

"We plan to bring in two more devices that will be online-only through Flipkart. These will be in the sub-Rs 10,000 range. We have significantly ramped up our portfolio to cater to consumer needs in the country," he said.

Talking about the launches, Rana said the competition in the Indian market is tough but the company is focusing on bringing in differentiated devices.

"If you look at the Eluga Ray 500 and Eluga Ray 700, you will not find another that matches the specifications and the price. These are definitely killer phones," he said.

In six months, he added, these two devices alone should be able to clock sales of 500,000 units.

The Ray 500, priced at Rs 8,999 features 5-inch display, 1.25 GHz quad-core processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory (expandable up to 128GB), 13MP rear and 8 MP dual rear camera and 5MP front camera and 4,000 mAh battery.

Priced at Rs 9,999, the Ray 700 has a 5.5 inch display, 1.3 GHz octa-core processor, 13MP rear and front camera and 5,000 mAh battery.

These two devices will be available on Flipkart from tomorrow as part of the e-commerce player's Big Billion Days sale.
The mothers of five minor sexual offence victims today moved the Delhi High Court seeking direction to special courts to comply with the provisions of the POCSO Act relating to informing the families about the status of their cases.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Centre and state government for October 11 seeking their response on the petition filed by the five women whose daughters were victims of sexual abuse.

In the five cases, the victims are aged between 10 to 17 years, and trial are pending before special courts, set up to deal with cases of sexual offence minors.

The plea said as per the provisions of the special law, copy of all documents placed before the court have to be given to the parents or guardians of the minor victims and the court has to ensure that they get them.

It said the petitioners, like other families, were unaware of the basic provisions of the Act and their statutory entitlements and Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) rules cast the responsibility on the police to keep the victims' parents informed of the developments, including arrest of accused and filing of charge sheet.

The plea, filed through advocate Sridevi Panikkar, alleged that these rules were not being properly followed by the police due to which parents remain uninformed of the court proceedings in the case.

It said even the special courts do not take steps to ensure that documents are supplied to the victim's family.

"This amounts to violation of statutory obligation cast upon special courts by the provisions. Due to delay in getting the documents, victims are unable to assist the court or participate in court proceedings in any meaningful way, frustrating the objectives of the Act," the petition alleged.

It also sought a direction to lay down appropriate guidelines to be followed by special courts for implementation of provisions of POCSO Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A POCSO court today rejected the discharge application of former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati in connection with a gang rape case, declining to give him a clean chit in the case.

Passing the order, special POCSO judge Uma Shanker Sharma said that charge sheet was filed against him along with other co-accused persons.

The judge said charges have been framed against all the accused, including the ex-minister, as there was prima facie evidence to make them stand on trial and as such the order of framing charges against the accused cannot be reviewed under the CrPC.

Filing the application on September 12 on behalf of Gayatri, his lawyer had pleaded that the FIR in the case had been lodged after three years and that no offence from the evidence collected during the probe was made out under POCSO Act.

The application hence demanded that Gayatri should be given clean chit in the case.

Public Prosecutor M K Singh opposed the plea on the ground that the application was not maintainable because charges were already framed against him and other accused.

The court had reserved its order which it delivered today.

Holding that the application was not maintainable at this stage, the court turned down Gayatri's plea.

A Chitrakoot woman had lodged an FIR against the ex- minister and his accomplices with Gautampalli police station in Lucknow after the Supreme Court's rebuke to the state police during the Akhilesh Yadav regime for not registering the case.

After the probe, the police had filed charge sheet against Gayatri and others under the charges of gangrape and POCSO Act.

Meanwhile, the special court fixed September 21 as the next date of hearing on the second bail plea of Gayatri.

The high court had earlier cancelled his already allowed bail plea smelling foul in the process of granting the bail by the previous judge of the special court who retired from service just a day after allowing the bail.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi today lauded the Indian Coast Guard's unit here for rescuing a group of 18 persons, who were stranded mid-sea after their mechanised boat developed a technical snag.

"We salute our #Indian Coast Guard. They keep themselves in readiness. It is these self driven and patriotic forces which save us in crisis always," she wrote on Twitter.

A batch of 18 persons including 15 bird-watchers and from Bengaluru, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and three crew members set out to the sea here on Sunday and were stranded off the coast after the private vessel they had engaged developed a snag.

In a WhatsApp message to mediapersons, Bedi said that "the craft engaged in the activity was not designed to undertake such a passage into deep sea and put human life at risk. But for the professional and undaunting spirit (of Coast Guard) the lives could have been lost."



The Coast Guard had rescued the group stranded for hours at sea by locating the vessel and towing it back to the shore early yesterday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The principal, director, and a teacher of a private school here have been booked for the alleged abetment of suicide of a 12-year-old student, police said today.

On September 8, the Class V student at the Vanasthali Public School had set himself on fire at his home after his teachers allegedly threatened to summon his parents and police over some tiff which he had with a classmate, they said.

He had sustained 50 per cent burns and was taken to a hospital in Nagpur in neighbouring Maharashtra where he succumbed during treatment on the night of September 15, the police said.

Based on the statement of the boy's father, the police lodged an FIR against the three persons.

"A case was registered under IPC section 305 (abetment of suicide of child) on Sunday against the school's principal, Vandana Tamrakar, director Randhir Tamrakar and teacher Nidhi Chourasia," Superintendent of Police Gaurav Tiwari said.

"We are investigating the case after which follow up action will be taken," he said.

The boy's father, in his complaint, said their son returned home from school on September 8 and took the extreme step by pouring kerosene on himself.

He said his son was scared as his teacher and principal had threatened to call the police and the parents after he had some tiff with one of his classmates.

The boy's father also demanded that his family be provided the CCTV footage of the school on the day the incident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A public consultation process by the British government to determine whether to legislate against caste-based discrimination, an issue that has deeply divided the Indian diaspora in the UK, has been concluded.

The 'Castein Great Britain and Equality Law - A Public Consultation' had been launched in March to gather the public view on how best to ensure that there is "appropriate legal protection" against caste discrimination.

"This ban could be applied by formally making caste an aspect of race in the Equality Act 2010; or through developing case law in the courts and employment tribunals.

"In either case, businesses and public authorities would have to consider caste discrimination in the same way they consider other aspects of race discrimination when dealing with employees, customers or service users," the consultation by the UK Government's Equalities Office said.

The process had been initially set to close in July but was extended by further eight weeks as a result of the snap general election in June.

"We are analysing all the responses received and will respond in due course. There is no set time-frame for the next phase of the process," a spokesperson for the Equalities Office said in reference to the end of the consultation process.

The UK government defines "caste" as a hereditary, endogamous (marrying within the group) community associated with a traditional occupation and ranked accordingly on a perceived scale of ritual purity.

"It is generally (but not exclusively) associated with South Asia, particularly India, and its diaspora," the explanatory note to the Equality Act 2010 reads.

"It can encompass the four classes (varnas) of Hindu tradition (the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra communities); the thousands of regional Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Muslim or other religious groups known as jatis; and groups amongst South Asian Muslims called biradaris. Some jatis regarded as below the varna hierarchy (once termed "untouchables") are known as Dalits," it reads.

The issue has deeply divided the Indian diaspora in the UK, with Dalit rights groups campaigning for years for legal protection against caste discrimination and other groups claiming that any move to legislate the issue would entrench divisions that are not relevant to the British-Indian community.

"A new legislation on caste will have the effect of setting one surname against another as nowadays caste is all that it is, an expiring identity of a surname, and not only bring back a forgotten and irrelevant caste system here into the UK it can have the effect of dividing the British Indian society," said Anil Bhanot, director of inter-faith relations, Hindu Council UK.

Additionally, British Sikhs object to the explanatory note used in the UK's Equality Act itself for making a reference to "Sikhs" within the context caste.

"Our Gurus and Sikh teachings are opposed to all forms of discrimination and totally reject any notion of ranking according to ritual purity therefore it is offensive and inappropriate for there to be any reference to Sikhs in paragraph 49 of the Explanatory Notes and we want this removed," said Bhai Amrik Singh, Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK).

"Sikh organisations responding to the consultation are united in our request for the definition to drop reference to Sikhs, but the Hindu community have a much more difficult challenge asmany believe in the four classes (varnas)of the Hindu tradition," he said, exposing the divide over the issue.

Mumbai-born British artist Anish Kapoor is among the high-profile voices backing calls for anti-caste legislation.

"It is outlawed in India, so why not in Britain? It is discrimination at the most vile level. The government introduced laws against slavery, so why can they not act on this," he said.

Following a long-drawn campaign by Dalit groups, the UK's House of Lords had voted in March 2013 in favour of outlawing caste discrimination by including it as a category in anti- racism laws.

The government responded with the public consultation process which has concluded this week.

Meena Varma, director of the Dalit Solidarity Network, said that caste operates like a "hidden apartheid" in the UK and it is "beyond belief" that the government had stalled for years on making caste discrimination illegal, as required by the Lords vote.

The UK government had commissioned the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) to carry out research into the issue, resulting in a report in December 2010 entitled 'Caste discrimination and harassment in Great Britain'.

It had pegged Britain's Dalit or lower caste community between 50,000 and 200,000 and found that caste awareness was largely focused among people with roots in the Indian sub- continent.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The hearing in the case relating to a probe being carried out on the conspiracy aspects behind the making of the bomb that had killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi 26 years ago, was deferred in the Supreme Court today.

The matter, which was listed before a bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Navin Sinha, was called for hearing in the pre-lunch session but the counsel appearing for the petitioner requested a pass over (to be taken up later in the day).

However, the matter could not be taken up for hearing in post-lunch session as the bench was hearing other regular matters.

The Centre had earlier filed a report in a sealed cover in the court on the investigation being carried out on the conspiracy aspect behind the making of the belt-bomb.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at an election rally. Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed.

This was perhaps the first case of suicide bombing which had claimed the life of a high-profile global leader.

The apex court had on August 17 asked the Centre and the CBI to apprise it of the probe being carried out on the conspiracy aspect behind the making of the bomb after petitioner A G Perarivalan had claimed that this aspect was not being probed properly.

Perarivalan's counsel had earlier told the court that several aspects, including the conspiracy angle behind making of the bomb, have not been probed properly.

The counsel had told the court that Perarivalan was held guilty of supplying the batteries for the belt-bomb worn by Dhanu that had killed Rajiv Gandhi.

The apex court had earlier commuted to life term the death sentence awarded to Perarivalan in the case.

It was hearing a plea by Perarivalan, who has alleged that neither the CBI's special investigation team, nor the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) headed by it, had proceeded with the probe in a proper perspective to bring the accused to book, as several top people were involved in it.

The apex court had on February 18, 2014 commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment, along with two other condemned prisoners -- Santhan and Murugan -- on grounds of a delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
He was master of the sprawling Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters at Sirsa till past August 28. But, now incarcerated, will spend his time in jail growing vegetables, pruning trees  eight hours a day just for Rs 20.

The 50-year-old self-styled godman, who boasted of millions of followers, is lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for raping his two disciples.

A special CBI court had sentenced him to 20 years in jail, 10 years each in two rape cases, on August 28. And the 'pita-ji', as his followers used to call him reverently, was stamped as prisoner number 1997.

Adjoining his barrack, there is a small plot of land where he will grow vegetables, K P Singh, DGP (jails), Haryana, told reporters toady in Panchkula.

"He has already taken up his work."



Whatever he produces will be used in the jail mess.

Born in the Sri Gurusar Modia village in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district on August 15, 1967, Ram Rahim used to help his landlord father in farms during his early years.

"In jail, he will also prune trees adjoining his barrack. He will get Rs 20 per day for farming work, which falls under the unskilled work category," the DGP (jails) said.

Normally, eight hours is maximum a prisoner is allowed to do, he said.

He described the high-profile inmate as a "disciplined prisoner" as he dismissed reports that Ram Rahim was being extended any special treatment.

"It is (a) baseless and imaginary (report). No prisoner in jail is given any special treatment and that includes Ram Rahim," he said, adding there is no TV set in his cell.

"He is living in jail like any other ordinary inmate and he is living like a disciplined inmate. He is being provided with the same food as given to other prisoners."



Asked for his response to reports which quoted some inmates, who have come out of the Sunaria prison, to claim that Ram Rahim is uncomfortable and breaks down in jail, the DGP said, "This is baseless".

"He (Ram Rahim) does not have common contact with other prisoners. Access to his barrack is controlled (for security reasons)," he said.

Media reports about his health and other activities are also without any basis, said the jail officer.

Singh said Ram Rahim has provided two telephone numbers to prison authorities-- one of which is of his adopted daughter Honeypreet, and the other his own number he left behind at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.

But, he has not made any special request to talk to Honeypreet and media reports suggesting this are "wrong", the officer said.

So far, police verification of these two numbers have not been conducted, he said.

He said any prisoner is allowed to submit phone numbers of two blood-relatives whom they can call. Also, Ram Rahim has given 10 names who could meet him in the prison.

"We have sent these names to the Sirsa Police and so far we have got verification of his mother who has already met him," the officer said.

On August 25, the day the self-styled godman was convicted, there was widespread violence in Haryana and other neighbouring states. At least 36 people had died in the violence and arson, the epicentre of which was Panchkula.

The Haryana Police has issued a lookout notice for Honeypreet in connection with the violence.

The DGP (jails) also said that Honeypreet, who had accompanied Ram Rahim in a helicopter after his conviction, was not allowed inside the jail. She was asked to sit outside the rest house of the prison and the police were intimated.

He said that for security considerations, Ram Rahim has been lodged in a barrack with only a few prisoners who have a track record of "good conduct".

Besides, jail staff with the impeccable record have been put on duty near his barrack.

He said prison authorities have taken inputs from various agencies about threat perception to Ram Rahim.

"On security grounds, only a few inmates have been kept in Ram Rahim's barrack. Only those prisoners whom we thought can be put there from the security point of view, only they have access to his barrack," he said.

The police had recently conducted a mock drill and alerted PGIMS Rohtak in preparation for dealing with any medical emergency which would involve Ram Rahim being taken out of the prison.

"They just conducted a mock drill, but a section of media associated that to his health. He (Gurmeet) is healthy and doing fine," he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia's Rostec Corporation has inked a technology transfer pact with India's Mylan Laboratories for production of HIV treatment drugs.

The National Immunobiological Company (Nacimbio), part of Rostec, has signed the agreement with Mylan Laboratories, which is a part of Mylan NV (US).

"We are starting cooperation with India's Mylan Laboratories. This will provide us with the supply of substances, transfer of technology and the creation of modern combination drugs for HIV treatment," Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov said in a statement.

As a result, the cost of such drugs in the Russian market will significantly decrease, he added.

The agreement between the two entities was inked at Biotechmed-2017.

Set up in 2007, Rostec Corporation facilitates the development, production and export of high-tech industrial products designed for civilian and military applications.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Rufus Sewell will not be coming back on the historical drama, "Victoria".

The 49-year-old actor, who plays Lord M, will not be seen in the show from now on, the channel ITV confirmed to the RadioTimes.

It was during the third episode of the second installment of the series that Lord M's health seemed to deteriorate.

The followers of the show had raised their doubts on social media about the status of the character played by Sewell, after the Queen went to visit the former British prime minister with a gift.

This is the second death in "Victoria", after the Queen's beloved puppy, Dash suddenly passed away.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two prominent Saudi human rights defenders were arrested last weekend, campaigners said today, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissenters in the kingdom.

Abdulaziz al-Shubaily and Issa al-Hamid are both members of the local Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), which Saudi authorities banned and shut down in 2013.

Sources quoted by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) said the arrests were linked to past convictions.

A special court confirmed Shubaily's eight year prison term earlier this year for calling for demonstrations and what authorities described as threatening public order.

Another court sentenced Hamid to 11 years in prison on appeal in 2016, after first being granted a nine years in jail, for "damaging the image of the state".

It was unclear why the two were not serving the sentences for their previous convictions or why they were detained now.

There was no immediate confirmation of the arrests from the government.

"This is a dark time for freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia," Samah Hadid of Amnesty International said in a statement.

"These two arrests have confirmed our fears that the new leadership under Mohammed bin Salman is determined to crush the kingdom's human rights movement," Hadid said, referring to the son of King Salman who became crown prince earlier this year.

GCHR demanded their immediate and unconditional release, calling them prisoners of conscience.

The arrests come after authorities last week detained around two dozen people, including influential clerics, in what activists decried as a coordinated crackdown.

Analysts say many of those detained are resistant to Prince Mohammed's aggressive foreign policy that includes the boycott of Gulf neighbour Qatar as well as some of his bold reforms, including privatising state assets and cutting subsidies.

Saudi officials have instead suggested a foreign plot to overthrow the government, without disclosing details.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scientists have knocked-out a single gene in butterflies that influences the exuberant diversity of their wing patterns in nature.

Researchers at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama rewired the WntA gene in the DNA of seven different butterfly species.

"Butterfly wing patterns are amazing, a true evolutionary novelty, highly diverse and strongly shaped by natural and sexual selection," said Owen McMillan, staff scientist at STRI.

"By genetically engineering individuals from different species, we are quickly coming to grips with how this diversity is generated," said McMillan, co-author of the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The WntA protein is a very conserved signalling molecule. The WntA gene is part of a small family of genes influencing body plans and other patterns during insect development.

It codes for a secreted protein molecule that seems to act as a diffusible signal, a so-called morphogen, that establishes the positions of specialised cell types within a tissue.

"The instructions for colouring the wing are written in the genetic code. By deleting some of the instructions, we can infer which part says 'paint the number two's red' or 'paint the number one's black," said McMillan.

"Of course, it is a lot more complicated than this because what is actually changing are networks of genes that have a cascading effect on pattern and colour," he said.

The researchers injected butterfly eggs with an RNA probe that attached to part of the genetic code, a gene called WntA, which they suspected played a role in the expression of colour.

"After knocking out the gene, we let the butterflies grow up and compared the wing patterns of the knockout mutants with the original wing patterns," said Richard Wallbank a STRI and Cambridge postdoctoral fellow.

Repeating the same procedure in seven different butterfly species and comparing the results, the team discovered unexpected ways in which WntA gene influences wing pattern.

"In Monarchs, for example, the gene is expressed with fine precision along the wing veins. In contrast, in Heliconius, a group known for vivid wing patterns, the gene is expressed in bold brush strokes from essentially the tip to the base of the wing," said McMillan.

"In butterflies, colour is a function of both pigment and the structural properties of the scales cells that cover the wing," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Senate has overwhelmingly approved a sweeping policy bill that would pump USD 700 billion into the military, putting the US armed forces on track for a budget greater than at any time during the decade-plus wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Senators passed the legislation by a 89-8 vote today. The measure authorises USD 700 billion in military spending for the fiscal year that begins October 1, expands US missile defences in response to North Korea's growing hostility and refuses to allow excess military bases to be closed.

The 1,215-page measure defies a number of White House objections, but President Donald Trump hasn't threatened to veto the measure. The bill helps him honour a pledge to rebuild an American military that he said had become depleted on former President Barack Obama's watch.

Senator John McCain, Republican resentative from Arizona, and other national security hawks have insisted the military branches are at risk of losing their edge in combat without a dramatic influx of money to repair shortfalls in training and equipment.

Congress' failure to supply adequate budgets is at least partly responsible for a series of deadly ship collisions and helicopter crashes, according to McCain, the Armed Services Committee chairman.

McCain, who is battling an aggressive type of brain cancer, guided the bill toward passage as he railed against Washington gridlock and political gamesmanship. But he couldn't quell disputes among his colleagues over several contentious amendments that were blocked from votes and failed to be added to the bill.

Among them was a proposal by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, that would have protected transgender service members from being kicked out of the armed forces. Gillibrand and McCain seek to achieve the same goal through separate legislation they introduced late last week.

That bill also is supported by Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services panel.

Approved by the Armed Services Committee by a 27-0 vote in late June, the overall Senate bill provides USD 640 billion for core Pentagon operations, such as buying weapons and paying troops, and another USD 60 billion for wartime missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. Trump's budget request sought USD 603 billion for basic functions and USD 65 billion for overseas missions.

With North Korea's nuclear program a growing threat to the US and its allies, the bill includes USD 8.5 billion to strengthen US missile and defence systems. That's USD 630 million more than the Trump administration sought for those programmes, according to a committee analysis.

North Korea last week conducted its longest-ever test flight of a ballistic missile, firing an intermediate-range weapon over US ally Japan into the northern Pacific Ocean. The launch signalled both defiance of its rivals and a significant technological advance.

The legislation directs the Deafence Department to deploy up to 14 additional ground-based interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, an increase that will expand to 58 the number of interceptors designed to destroy incoming warheads.

The department also is tasked with finding a storage site for as many as 14 other spare interceptors, and senators envision an eventual arsenal of 100 with additional missile fields in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP president Amit Shah today began his two-day day visit to Uttarakhand to galvanise party workers and assess the performance of the Trivendra Singh Rawat government which took power in the state in March.

This is Shah's first visit to the state after the BJP's victory in the Assembly polls and is part of his 110-day nation-wide tour to take stock and strengthen organisational work.

He was received by Chief Minister Rawat and party MP from Haridwar Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank at the Jollygrant airport, where he was accorded a rousing welcome by scores of party workers and leaders.

BJP workers stood with party flags and flower garlands on either side of the road to welcome Shah on his way to Madhuban hotel where he held a closed-door meeting with senior party leaders, including state BJP chief Ajay Bhatt, party MPs, MLAs and ministers.

Earlier, state parliamentary affairs minister Prakash Pant said Shah has come to encourage the party cadre and also to review the performance of the six-month-old BJP government in the state.

"He will definitely discuss how to activate the party right up to booth levels, besides reviewing the progress made in the last six months in implementing the commitments made in the BJP's vision document for Uttarakhand," he said before Shah's meeting with party leaders got underway.

A number of programmes are lined up for Shah during his stay in the state capital. It includes meetings with party office-bearers right from the block level to the state level, the core group, ministers, MLAs and MPs.

BJP leader Vijay Bahuguna said the party president's visit will boost the morale of party workers and will help them gear up for future elections.

Civic body polls are due in Uttarakhand next year, followed by the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The South African glamour model who accuses Zimbabwe's first lady of battering her with an electrical plug launched a legal bid today to have Grace Mugabe stripped of her immunity.

Gabriella Engels and her lawyers sought to persuade the North Gauteng High Court to allow them to proceed with their effort to have Mugabe's diplomatic immunity lifted.

Engels, 20, claims that Mugabe beat her repeatedly with an electrical cord in a Johannesburg hotel on August 13.

A public spat followed in which Engels and critics of President Robert Mugabe sought to have Grace arrested, charged and brought to court.

But South African authorities controversially granted Mugabe diplomatic immunity and she left the country.

The legal effort to have Mugabe's immunity lifted was opposed by Zimbabwe's embassy which argued that it is not obliged to help Engels' team locate Grace, a necessary first step in challenging her immunity.

"We know it is going to be a big fight but we are ready for the fight and we do believe justice will prevail in this case," said Gabriella Engels' mother Debbie.

"She is better. She is trying to pick up the pieces of her life and carry on with her life."



AfriForum, a lobby group that typically supports white workers in South Africa, said that Mugabe was not in the country on official business and so did not meet the conditions for immunity.

"Grace Mugabe was in South Africa for private business, she was here for medical attention. During this private visit she committed a crime," said AfriForum lawyer Willie Spies.

"That is defined in international law as a grave crime (assault with the intention to cause grievous body harm).

"It is a serious crime. That is not the kind of crime you could qualify for immunity."



Lawyers for Zimbabwe's embassy in South Africa argued on a technicality that Engels' team had not followed the law in bringing their bid.

"If we allow this application, we make a precedent. You cannot serve papers on a spouse at her husband's work address," said lawyer Simba Chitango.

"It does not make grammatical sense or even legal sense to say Grace Mugabe lives at the presidency."



AfriForum accused the Zimbabwean side of trying to delay proceedings.

After three hours of hearings, the court reserved judgement. The case continues and could take many months to conclude.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
'Amma' or 'Ammi' comes from the heart while 'Mommy' comes from the lips, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said today, as he urged people to speak in their mother tongue.

Naidu, while addressing a gathering at an event held here to commemorate the birth centenary of music legend M S Subbulakshmi, asked people not to forget their own language but said it was fine to talk in English when speaking to a foreigner.

"We now use English language to address a mother -- mommy or daddy...But, 'Amma', such a beautiful language, for a mother, comes from the heart or 'Ammi' in Urdu comes from the heart, while mommy comes from the lips. So, Hindi, Sanskrit or Urdu or Telugu, we should always speak in our mother's tongue," Naidu said.

Incidentally, Naidu, who has served as a Union minister in the Modi government before becoming the Vice President, had earlier this year said it was important to learn the 'Rashtra Bhasha' (national language) Hindi as most people in the country speak that language.

He had also stressed on the promotion of 'Matrubhasha' (mother tongue) and lamented that too much importance was attached to English in the country.

"I always tell people that one should never forget his or her mother, motherland, native place and mother tongue. Those who forget cannot be called human beings, they are something else. So, always speak in your mother tongue. Respect the language that has come from your mother's womb," he said at the event today.

"There is nothing wrong in speaking English, to an Englishmen," he added.

The Vice President, who spoke after Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma at the function held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), in a lighter vein, also said, "I do not belong to Mahesh Sharma's party. I now belong to the party of the Indian people."



The senior BJP leader, who held the portfolio of urban development in the Union Cabinet, was elected to the post of the Vice President on August 5.

Naidu, in his speech, recalled the contributions of Subbulakshmi or MS as she was fondly known to people and exhorted the young generation to draw inspiration form her life and unparallelled achievements.

This commemoration is a system ('paddhati'), as enshrined in our Hindu Dharma or Sanatan Dharma, to recognise the contribution of a person, and then making the next generation be inspired from it to work towards an accomplished life, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Grappling with a flight of students from government to private schools, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today called for introduction of pre-nursery classes in state-run primary schools on lines of private institutions.

At the fourth Governing Council meeting of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan here, Singh asked officials to improve the quality of primary education.

He asked the department of education to identify primary schools at the level of district headquarters and sub- divisions where pre-nursery classes can be started.

He said the programme should be launched in phases.

The chief minister said there was a need to rationalise the already-functioning primary schools and asked teachers to treat their work as a mission.

Nalagarh SDM Ashutosh Garg showed a presentation on "good practices" to be undertaken by schools during the meeting.

The chief minister also laid the foundation stone of 10 colleges, inaugurated ITI at Delath in Rampur, building of Bharat Scouts and guide at Rewalsar in Mandi district and the residential accommodation of the Directorate of Higher Education through video-conference from the state secretariat.

The foundation stones of colleges laid today include Government Degree College, Jai Nagar, Darlaghat, Tikkar, Jeori, Multhan, Dehra, Haroli, Basdehra, Renuka Ji, Dadahu and Ronhat.

Singh also distributed 'Swachtta Awards' to 34 schools for cleanliness.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi court today sent two men, including a freelance photo-journalist, to judicial custody for a month in connection with an alleged case of stone- pelting in the Kashmir Valley.

District Judge Poonam A Bamba sent Javed Ahmed Bhat from Kulgam and Kamran Yusuf from Pulwama to jail till October 17 after they were produced before the court during in-chamber proceedings on the expiry of their police custody.

The National Investigating Agency (NIA) counsel said they were not required for further custodial interrogation, court sources said.

During its probe in the funding of terror and separatist activities in the Kashmir Valley, the NIA had arrested Bhat and Yusuf on September 5.

According to the agency, the two were involved in stone- pelting incidents besides organising groups of youths who would throw stones at security personnel involved in counter- insurgency operations.

Yusuf, who had often been warned by the local police, was allegedly mobilising the youth and clicking their pictures for circulation in local and national newspapers, it had said.

The two also circulated pictures and videos on social networking sites that sparked widespread rumours in the Valley, the officials alleged.

The NIA has arrested seven people in the case of alleged funding of terror and subversive activities in the Kashmir Valley to fuel unrest there.

The case was registered on charges of raising, receiving and collecting funds through various illegal means, including hawala channels, for funding such activities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aung San Suu Kyi said today she "feels deeply" for the suffering of "all people" caught up in conflict scorching through Rakhine state, her first comments on a crisis that also mentioned Muslims displaced by violence.

"We are concerned to hear the number of Muslims fleeing areas to Bangladesh," she added in the live TV address, condemning any "human rights violations" that may have exacerbated the crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aung San Suu Kyi said today she does not fear global scrutiny over the Rohingya crisis, pledging to hold rights violators to account but refusing to blame the military for violence that has driven some 421,000 of the Muslim minority out of her country.

In an address timed to pre-empt likely censure of Myanmar at the UN General Assembly in New York -- delivered entirely in English and aimed squarely at an international audience -- she called for patience and understanding of the unfurling crisis in her "fragile democracy".

She vowed to resettle some refugees but offered no solutions to stop what the UN calls army-led "ethnic cleansing" in Rakhine state, where soldiers are accused of burning Muslim Rohingya from their homes.

Rights group Amnesty International said the Nobel peace laureate was "burying her head in the sand" over documented army abuses and claims of rape, murder and the systematic clearing of scores of villages.

Supporters and observers say the 72-year-old lacks the authority to rein in the military, which ran the country for 50 years and only recently ceded limited powers to her civilian government.

"She is trying to claw back some degree of credibility with the international community, without saying too much that will get her in trouble with the (military) and Burmese people who don't like the Rohingya in the first place," said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch.

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25.

An army-led fightback has left scores dead, and sent hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya fleeing mainly Buddhist Myanmar into Bangladesh.

In her 30-minute speech Suu Kyi reached out to critics who have condemned her failure to speak up for the stateless Rohingya.

Myanmar stood ready she said, to repatriate refugees in accordance with a "verification" process agreed with Bangladesh in the early 1990s.

"Those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems," she added.

In less than a month just under half of Rakhine's one- million-strong Rohingya minority has poured into Bangladesh, where they languish in overcrowded refugee camps.

It was not immediately clear how many would qualify to return.

But the subject of their claims to live in Myanmar is at the heart of a toxic debate about the Muslim group, who are denied citizenship by the state and considered to be illegal immigrants.

Suu Kyi's repatriation pledge "is new and significant", said Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar, explaining it would in principle allow for the return of those who can prove residence in Myanmar -- rather than citizenship.

But in the monsoon-soaked shanties in Bangladesh, there was anguish among refugees over how they would meet any requirements.

"We don't have any papers," said 55-year-old Abdur Razzak.

"If the government is honestly speaking to resolve our crisis then we are ready to go back now," he added. "Nobody wants to live in such squalid conditions as a refugee."



Suu Kyi insisted army "clearance operations" finished on September 5.

But AFP reporters have seen homes on fire in the days since then, while multiple testimonies from refugees arriving in Bangladesh suggests those operations have continued.

Without blaming any single group, Suu Kyi promised to punish anyone found guilty of abuses "regardless of their religion, race or political position".

Myanmar's army acts without civilian oversight and makes all security decisions, including its notorious scorched earth counter-insurgency operations.

Suu Kyi insisted Rakhine was not a state in flames.

"More than 50 per cent of the villages of Muslims are intact," she said.

Around 170 Rohingya villages have been razed, the government admits. Rights groups say satellite evidence shows the damage is more widespread.

With Rakhine in lockdown, and the government refusing to issue visas for UN investigators, independent verification is impossible.

Following her speech, the UN repeated calls for "full and unfettered" access.

"It is important for us to see with our own eyes the sites of these alleged violations", said fact-finding mission head Marzuki Darusman.

While stories of weary and hungry Rohingya have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for them among Myanmar's Buddhist majority.

Around 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

Many in Myanmar reject the notion of a Rohingya ethnicity and insist they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Loathing for the group has brought the public, including pro-democracy activists, into an unlikely alignment with an army that once had them under its heel.

A siege mentality has emerged in Myanmar with the UN, international NGOs and foreign media the focus of anger for apparent bias.

Many Facebook users changed their profile picture today to carry a photo of 'The Lady' and a message reading "We stand with you Daw Aung San Suu Kyi".

Her speech was warmly welcomed in Myanmar, even though no Burmese subtitles were provided.

"She told the real situation to the world on behalf of Myanmar people," Yu Chan Myae said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aung San Suu Kyi pledged today to hold rights violators to account over the Rohingya crisis but refused to blame Myanmar's army, as the UN chief demanded an end to the military campaign and a better deal for the Muslim minority.

In an address timed to pre-empt censure at the UN General Assembly in New York -- delivered entirely in English and aimed squarely at an international audience -- she called for patience and understanding of the crisis which has driven some 421,000 Rohingya out of her mainly Buddhist country.

The Nobel Peace laureate vowed to resettle some refugees but offered no solutions to halt what the UN calls army-led "ethnic cleansing" in Rakhine state, where soldiers are accused of burning Rohingya out of their homes.

Her speech failed to quell international outrage, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issuing the blunt demand and Britain's defence ministry saying it had suspended training courses for the Myanmar military in light of the violence in Rakhine.

"The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access," Guterres told the opening of the General Assembly.

"They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long."



The French president, Emmanuel Macron, also demanded the end of the military operation and denounced "what we know is ethnic cleansing", in his speech to the General Assembly.

Amnesty International joined the outcry, saying Suu Kyi was "burying her head in the sand" over documented army abuses and claims of rape, murder and the systematic clearing of scores of villages.

Supporters and observers say the 72-year-old Suu Kyi lacks the authority to rein in the military, which ran the country for 50 years and only recently ceded limited powers to her civilian government.

Myanmar's army acts without civilian oversight and makes all security decisions, including its notorious scorched earth counter-insurgency operations.

"She is trying to claw back some degree of credibility with the international community, without saying too much that will get her in trouble with the (military) and Burmese people who don't like the Rohingya in the first place," said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch.

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25.

An army-led fightback has left scores dead and sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh.

In her 30-minute speech Suu Kyi reached out to critics who have condemned her failure to speak up for the stateless Rohingya.

Myanmar stood ready, she said, to repatriate refugees in accordance with a "verification" process agreed with Bangladesh in the early 1990s.

"Those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems," she added.

In less than a month just under half of Rakhine's one- million-strong Rohingya minority has poured into Bangladesh, where they languish in overcrowded refugee camps.

It was not immediately clear how many would qualify to return.

But their claims to live in Myanmar are at the heart of a toxic debate about the group, who are denied citizenship by the state and considered to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi's repatriation pledge "is new and significant", said Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar, explaining it would in principle allow for the return of those who can prove residence in Myanmar -- rather than citizenship.

But in the monsoon-soaked shanties in Bangladesh, there was anguish among refugees over how they would meet any requirements.

"We don't have any papers," said 55-year-old Abdur Razzak.

"If the government is honestly speaking to resolve our crisis then we are ready to go back now," he added. "Nobody wants to live in such squalid conditions as a refugee."



Suu Kyi insisted army "clearance operations" finished on September 5.

But AFP reporters have seen homes on fire in the days since then, while multiple testimonies from refugees arriving in Bangladesh suggest such operations have continued.

Without blaming any single group, Suu Kyi promised to punish anyone found guilty of abuses "regardless of their religion, race or political position"



And she insisted Rakhine was not a state in flames, saying: "More than 50 percent of the villages of Muslims are intact."



Around 170 Rohingya villages have been razed, the government admits. Rights groups say satellite evidence shows the damage is more widespread.

While stories of weary and hungry Rohingya have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for them among Myanmar's Buddhist majority.

Around 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.

Loathing for the Rohingya has brought the public, including pro-democracy activists, into an unlikely alignment with an army that once had them under its heel.

Suu Kyi's speech was warmly welcomed in Myanmar even though no Burmese subtitles were provided.

"She told the real situation to the world on behalf of Myanmar people," Yu Chan Myae told AFP.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has held meetings with her counterparts from five countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session here to discuss bilateral cooperation and push for India's development agenda.

Swaraj held talks with the foreign ministers of Tunisia, Bahrain, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates and Denmark.

"Broadly the focus was on bilateral cooperation," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a conference here.

During the meeting with Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, Swaraj told him that she was looking forward to the next joint commission meeting between the two countries to be held in New Delhi on October 30-31.

"There are a lot of discussions on how to reinvigorate economic relationship. Sectors like pharma, textiles biotechnology, renewable energy and IT were identified for future cooperation," Kumar said.

Swaraj, according to Kumar, felt that there was a huge potential for exporting Indian pharma products especially vaccines to Tunisia as the price of its drugs are very competitive.

In her meeting with the Denmark Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen, discussion was held on when to hold the next meeting of the Joint Commission.

Denmark is also the partner country for the World Food India extravaganza, which is going to take place in the first week of November.

Swaraj also invited Danish participation for investment in India.

In her meeting with the Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, the focus was on expanding trade relations.

"Latvian Foreign Minister announced that their prime minister will visit India for the World Food Summit later this year," Kumar said, adding the two leaders also discussed the ways to enhance cooperation in the sectors like I-T, education and culture.

In her meeting with the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the two sides discussed measures to attract more foreign direct investment from the UAE into India.

The UAE is India's strategic partner. The bilateral trade between India and the UAE is worth USD 52.8 billion.

"It was felt that at this point of time it was below potential. Cooperation in energy sector, civil aviation especially in the capacity building and best practices was discussed," Kumar said.

In the last bilateral engagement of the day, Swaraj met her Bahrain counterpart Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

There is an existing mechanism of the Joint Commission which is at the Foreign Ministry level, Kumar said adding that the two leaders discussed how to hold this meeting at the earliest.

"Some discussion also took place on the regional issue especially situation in the Gulf," Kumar said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today paid a courtesy call on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina but the ongoing Rohingya crisis did not come up for discussion during their brief meeting.

"The meeting with the prime minister of Bangladesh was more in the nature of a courtesy meeting. It was a very short meeting. The issue of Rohingya did not come up during the meeting for discussion," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a conference here.

Kumar said that the discussion between Swaraj and Hasina was "purely bilateral".

"Warm encounter reflecting our historical and cultural ties. Courtesy call on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by EAM (External Affairs Minister)," he said in a tweet after the meeting.

Bangladesh, which is facing a big influx of Rohingyas from Myanmar, has called on the international community to intervene and put pressure on Myanmar to address the exodus.

According to the UN estimates, over 410,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state into Bangladesh since August 25 when fresh wave of violence erupted.

According to reports, the violence began when Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Many of those crossing the border bring harrowing tales of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar's security forces and Buddhist mobs.

Earlier, Swaraj met Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay but the Doklam issue did not figure in the meeting.

The ministry spokesperson said that since the Doklam issue was already settled, there was "no question of it coming up in discussions".

Responding to a question Kumar said, "There are a lot of projects, which are going on in India and the two sides discussed how to take this cooperation forward."



"Strengthening traditionally unique bilateral relations. EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets with Bhutanese PM @tsheringtobgay in New York," Kumar said in another tweet after Swaraj's meeting with the Bhutanese prime minister.

The Bhutanese prime minister said they discussed a wide range of bilateral issues.

"Such a pleasure meeting H.E @SushmaSwaraj ji, External Affairs Minister of India. We discussed the wide range of bilateral cooperation," Tobgay tweeted.

India and China last month ended a 73-day standoff in Doklam area of the Sikkim sector that was triggered by China's move to build a road in the border area.

Bhutan had welcomed the end of the standoff and hoped it would help maintain peace and status quo at the tri-junction.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The director of a private school and a teacher, accused of raping an 18-year-old student, were detained by the police here last night and were being questioned, an official said today.

"School director Jagdish Kumar and teacher Jagat Gurjar were detained late night yesterday and are being interrogated," SP, Sikar, Vineet Kumar Rathore said.

Meanwhile, angered by the incident, locals demanded strict action against the accused and sought cancellation of the school's affiliation.

The victim's parents in their complaint said that the two had been sexually assaulting her after calling her to school on the pretext of extra classes, according to officials at the Ajeetgarh police station.

The duo allegedly made her undergo an abortion at a clinic in Shahpura town after she became pregnant, police officials said.

Following the complaint by the victim's parents, Yadav and Gurjar were booked on charges of gang rape and getting abortion done without a woman's consent, officials said.

The matter came to light after the teenager's health deteriorated post abortion. The student is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Jaipur.

A case was also registered against a doctor and his wife for carrying out illegal abortion and destroying evidence, the police said.

The incident comes at a time when the issue of safety of school children is already in focus following the murder of a 7-year-old student in an upscale Gurgaon school.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump today told world leaders that it is time to "expose" and "hold responsible" those countries that provide funding and safe havens to terror groups, weeks after he warned Pakistan for supporting "agents of chaos."



In his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said that all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and "the Islamic extremist that inspires them."



"We will stop radical Islamic terrorism, because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation and, indeed, to tear up the entire world," he said.

"It is time to expose and hold responsible" nations that provide funding and safe havens to terror groups, Trump said without naming any country.

He said countries must deny the terrorists safe havens, training, funding and any form of support for their "vile and sinister ideology".

"We must drive them out from our nations. It is time to expose and hold those responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like al-Qaeda, Hezabollah and the Taliban and others," he said.

The US president said America and its allies were working together to crush the terrorists and prevent the re-emergence of safe heavens they use to launch attacks.

Recalling his new strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia, Trump said it was aimed at defeating terrorists in war-torn Afghanistan.

"From now onwards the security agencies will dictate the length and scope of military operations, not our betraying benchmarks and timetables set up by politicians," he said.

"I have also totally changed the rules of engagements of our fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups," he said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is currently here, heading his country's delegation to the UN General Assembly session.

Last month, Trump had issued the sternest warning yet by an American leader to Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists.

Trump said another pillar of his new strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia was a change in America's approach to Pakistan, considered a long-time ally of Washington.

"Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror....," Trump had said.

Trump had also slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

"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," Trump had said on August 21.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump today told world leaders that "it is time to expose and hold responsible" nations that provide funding and safe havens to terror groups, weeks after he warned Pakistan for supporting "agents of chaos."



In his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said that all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and "the Islamic extremist that inspires them."



"We will stop radical Islamic terrorism, because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation and, indeed, to tear up the entire world," he said.

"It is time to expose and hold responsible" nations that provide funding and safe havens to terror groups, Trump said without naming any country.

Last month, Trump had issued the sternest warning yet by an American leader to Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists.

Trump said another pillar of his new strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia was a change in America's approach to Pakistan, considered a long-time ally of Washington.

"Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror....," Trump had said.

Trump had also slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

"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," Trump had said on August 21.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A gems and jewellery trader today filed a defamation case against RJD president Lalu Prasad and his son Tejaswi Prasad Yadav for making "wild" allegations against him in the multi-crore rupees Srijan scam.

The matter would come up for hearing in the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court here tomorrow.

The defamation suit was filed by Ravi Jalan through his advocate Radhe Shyam Singh under IPC sections 500 (defamation), 504 (intentional insult) and 505 (public mischief).

The complainant claimed that Lalu and Tejaswi, the leader of the opposition in the Bihar Assembly, lowered his prestige by making the "wild" allegation about his involvement in the Srijan NGO scam and demanded his arrest.

The scandal involves alleged wrongful transfer of huge government funds to the bank accounts of Bhagalpur-based NGO Srijan Mahila Sahyog Samiti which were swindled.

He has annexed newspapers clippings to back his claim.

Jalan said Lalu Prasad and his son spoke about his alleged involvement in the fraud at a party rally in Bhagalpur on September 10 and also at a press conference they had held.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tripura has demanded a CBI inquiry into the poor quality work by Hindusthan Steel Works Construction Ltd (HSCL) in the state, a minister said today.

"The demand for conducting a CBI inquiry was raised by the government during a review meeting by the Union Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation, D V Sadananda Gowda in the state last week," Tripura PWD and Health Minister Badal Chowdhury told reporters.

"We have clearly told him (Gowda) that the work of HSCL is not up to the mark, is time consuming and proper action should be taken against it. The central minister assured us of taking appropriate actions against HSCL," Chowdhury added.

HSCL, a central government undertaking under the programme implementation ministry, had signed an agreement with the Tripura government to implement different projects including Pradhan Mantri Gram Seval Yojana (PMGSY), drainage and hospitals.

The PWD minister said he also brought to the notice of the central minister that many projects like expansion of Agartala airport road, construction of a bridge on Feni river in South Tripura to connect Chittagong with Tripura are pending and urged him to take initiative for their speedy implementation.

Gowda assured to take proper steps for speedy implementation of the projects, he said.

The union minister had visited Tripura on September 14 and 15 and during his stay had visited Agartala railway station and asked the North-East Frontier Railways for speedy implementation of the 15 km-long Agartala project to connect north-east railways with Bangladesh.

The project, fully sponsored by the Centre, would be completed by 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump denounced the Iran nuclear deal as an "embarrassment" today, in the latest sign that he plans to tear up or renegotiate the landmark accord.

"Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it," Trump told the UN General Assembly.

"Believe me. It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The UP ATS has arrested two persons wanted by the Punjab Police in connection with separate cases from Lakhimpur Kheri district, a top ATS official said today.

The ATS team arrested Jitendra Singh Toni, wanted for allegedly supplying arms to the accused who fled from Nabha Jail, Patiala in November 2016, from Mailani area of Lakhimpur Kheri, IG, UP ATS Aseem Arun said.

Satnam Singh, resident of Sikanderpur area of Lakhimpur and whose name had emerged in interrogation of Babbar Khalsa operative arrested in Lucknow on August 17 this year, was also arrested by the joint team of ATS, Punjab and local police, the IG said.

Warrants had been issued against both the accused by the court in Punjab, the IG added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The UK is the biggest consumer of online Islamist extremist terror content in Europe, a new report by a think tank said today amid a spurt in terror attacks in the country.

The Policy Exchange study titled 'The NewNetwar' found that Britain also ranks fifth in terms of world audience for extremist content after Turkey, the US, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, respectively.

After an in-depth analysis of clicks into such material, Britain emerged as the fifth most frequent location from which extremist content was being accessed online. The country also registered the largest number of clicks of such information in Europe.

"The evidence suggests that we are not winning the war against online extremism and we need to consider options for change," said Martyn Frampton, the lead author of the report.

"If the internet companies won't do what their customers want and take more responsibility for removing this content, then government must take action through additional regulation and legislation," he said.

Contrary to previous claims, the report by the London- based centre-right think tank revealed that Islamic State (IS) online output is not falling, but has remained consistent over the past three years.

Extremists are now increasingly relying on "swarmcast" technology - an interconnected network that constantly reconfigures itself and is highly resilient to disruption.

"An average week will see over 100 new core articles, videos and newspapers produced by IS and disseminated across a vast ecosystem of platforms, file-sharing services, websites and social media," the report says.

"IS have adapted to shifts in technology and now use Telegram as their core communication platform for talking to sympathisers - even as platforms like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook remain vital for missionary activity," it warns.

The report comes days after the UK Home Office said that 379 arrests have been made for terror-related offences in the country, a record 68 per cent increase in the last 12 months up to June this year.

General David Petraeus, a former director of the US intelligence agency CIA who wrote the foreword of the report, said the current situation was "clearly unacceptable".

He said: "The fight against IS, Al Qaeda, and the other elements of the global jihadist movement has become the defining struggle of the early 21st century.

"That struggle has increasingly been contested not just on the ground, but in a new domain of warfare, cyberspace...It is clear that our counter-extremism efforts and other initiatives to combat extremism on line have, until now, been inadequate".

The report suggests new laws to criminalise the "aggravated possession and/or persistent consumption" of extremist ideology - but not to criminalise someone who "stumbles across" jihadist content.

Under Section 58 of the UK's Terrorism Act 2000, it is currently an offence to possess information that could assist a would-be terrorist, but not material which glorifies terrorism.

A survey of 2,001 adults in the UK by the Policy Exchange found that 74 per cent of people supported new laws to criminalise the "persistent consumption" of extremist material online.

The think tank has called for the UK government's proposed Commission for Countering Extremism to be empowered to oversee the removal of extremist content, and for the possible creation for an independent online regulator that could financially penalise companies that fail to remove extremist content.

Following the report, a Google spokesperson said: "Violent extremism is a complex problem and addressing it is a critical challenge for us all. We are committed to being part of the solution and we are doing more every day to tackle these issues.

"We are making significant progress through machine learning technology, partnerships with experts and collaboration with other companies through the Global Internet Forum - and we know there is more to be done.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ten California men who fought overseas with US forces have been awarded the French government's highest honour for their World War II service.

The veterans were each presented the National Order of the Legion of Honor during a ceremony today at Los Angeles National Cemetery.

Among them was 94-year-old Sterling D. Ditchey, an Army Air Corps 1st lieutenant who flew 70 combat missions in Europe as a B-25 bombardier.

Ninety-five-year-old Ignacio Sanchez was part of 35 combat missions as a B-17 turret gunner.

The presentations were made by Christophe Lemoine, the consul general of France in Los Angeles.

Instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Legion of Honor recognises exceptional service to France.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned today that the United States would forfeit the trust of the international community if it abandons a nuclear accord with Tehran.

"If the United States were not to adhere to the commitments and trample upon this agreement, this will mean it will carry with it the subsequent lack of trust of countries towards the United States," Rouhani, who is in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, said in an interview with NBC.

In his address to the UN on Tuesday, Trump strongly hinted that his administration was ready to abandon the agreement by calling it an "embarrassment" to the United States.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Gujarat Congress strongman Shankersinh Vaghela today announced that he will lead a new political 'front' which will contest all seats in the upcoming assembly polls.

Vaghela said the front 'Jan Vikalp' was floated by some city-based "professionals", who approached him to provide an alternative to the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in Gujarat, and claimed a number of people wanted to see him as the chief minister.

The 77-year-old former chief minister, who recently quit the Congress apparently as the party was reluctant to name him the chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming election, made the announcement about his much-awaited next political move at a press conference here.

Vaghela claimed the people associated with Jan Vikalp had conducted a survey and found that most respondents wanted to see him as the next chief minister of Gujarat.

The survey "revealed that people are highly dissatisfied with both the parties. A large number of people said I should be the next chief minister.

"When these professionals conveyed this to me, I decided to extend my support to it. They asked me to be with them and lead this front," Vaghela said.

"This is not a party, it's a front which will become the voice of people who are unhappy with the system. I hereby announce my support to Jan Vikalp, which will raise issues concerning farmers, women, traders and unemployed youth. We are planning to field our candidates on all the 182 seats," said Vaghela.

He claimed he will not contest the assembly polls due later this year. However, when asked if he would become the CM if Jan Vikalp garners a majority, Vaghela didn't rule out such a possibility.

"I had already announced that I am not going to contest the polls this time. Let's see what happens after the polls. I will consult you (the media) if a such situation arises," Vaghela said.

According to him, Jan Vikalp will not have a "high command system" prevalent in other parties.

"There will be no high command. Local representatives of our front will choose our candidates. We will follow the primaries system of the United States, where party workers select their candidates, not just one leader. Aspiring candidates can directly approach our local committees."



Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has already announced that it will contest the Gujarat assembly polls. The announcement by Vaghlaa, a Kshatriya leader who quit the BJP in 1995, is likely to further affect the election dynamics in the state.

When pointed out that third front players have not been successful in Gujarat's largely bipolar political system, the Kshatriya strongman exuded confidence that Jan Vikalp will emerge victorious at the hustings.

"It is a myth that third front does not work here. There are many states such as Delhi, Kerala and West Bengal where third fronts have been successful. In Gujarat too, Chimanbhai Patel (a former Congress leader) formed government through a third front," said Vaghela.

The BJP has been in power in Gujarat since 1998 and it is important for the party that it maintains its hold on the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when it goes into the 2019 general elections.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Vicky Kaushal is all set to star in a movie based on last year's surgical strikes by the Indian Army across the LoC.

Titled "Uri", the film will be produced by Ronnie Screwvala's production arm, RSVP, and will go on the floors next year.

Vicky will play a commander, who led the group of paratroopers in the surgical strikes, days after a Pakistan- based terror outfit attacked an Indian Army camp in Uri in Kashmir.

Rest of the cast is yet to be locked in the film directed by Aditya Dhar.

Talking about the film, the actor said, "I was really thrilled and kicked about it because this is one story that I feel that everyone needs to know. One of the fantastic army operations that the Indian army has conducted and with great efficiency.

"I also feel it is a great opportunity and also a responsibility for all of us to portray this story."



Vicky added he is excited to be a part of this project, in which he portrays "one of the toughest parts that I have played till date, both physically and emotionally".

For this part, the "Raman Raghav 2.0" actor will undergo paramilitary training for a month to beef up before the shoot begins.

This is Vicky's second film with the banner after "Love Per Square Foot", which is set for a release in April next year.

The actor also plays an Army officer in Meghna Gulzar's "Raazi", opposite Alia Bhatt.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The elder brother of a West Bengal minister went missing while offering 'Tarpan' on the occasion Mahalaya in Damodar river at Hirapur today.

Ashim Ghatak, aged about 70 years and a senior advocate of Asansol sub-divisional magistrate court, had gone to Bhotapuri ghat to pay obeisance to his ancestors, a ritual on Mahalaya day at around 3 pm, Hirapur police said.

He slipped and fell into the river and is missing since then, the police added.

Ghatak is the elder brother of West Bengal labour and law minister Moloy Ghatak.

The disaster management team, fire brigade and police rushed in and launched operation to find him. The minister is himself at the spot to supervise the search.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah today questioned those calling on the Rohingya Muslims to leave the country, asking whether they would also demand the Tibetan government-in-exile to leave the Indian shores.

"So are those plugging their India for Indians line going to demand that the Tibetan government in exile leave Indian shores immediately (sic)?" he wrote on Twitter.

The Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was referring to the demands for deportation of the Rohingya Muslims, especially in the wake of the Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that they were "illegal" immigrants and their continous stay posed "serious national security ramifications".

"His holiness the Dalai Lama is going to find himself unwelcome in his adopted home unless of course this xenophobia is selective," Abdullah wrote on the microblogging website.

"And while they are at it will Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka be sent back as punishment for (former Prime Minister) Rajiv Gandhi's assassination (sic)," he said in another tweet.

Abdullah had yesterday said there was no intelligence input till 2014 that the Rohingya Muslims staying in Jammu and Kashmir posed a security threat.

"This threat, at least in J&K, is a post 2014 development. No such intelligence reports ever came up for discussion in Unified HQ meetings (sic)," he had tweeted.

Abdullah was the chief minister of the state till 2014.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The well-preserved wreck of a German submarine sunk during World War I has been found in the North Sea and may have the bodies of its crew still on board, Belgian officials said today.

A diver who has explored the wreck, lying in 30 metres (100 feet) of water off the port of Ostend, said the good condition of the submarine suggested the remains of its 23 crew could still be inside.

It is the 11th German submarine from the 1914-18 war to be found in Belgian waters and the best-preserved example to date, Jan Mees, head of the Flanders Marine Institute told AFP.

The wreck was found in the summer by Thomas Termote, a diver and expert in marine archaeology, but its exact location is being kept secret to deter treasure-hunters.

"The submarine is very intact, everything is still closed -- that's what he (Termote) saw during his first visit this summer," Mees said.

The submarine would have had 22 crew and a commander on board, West Flanders provincial governor Carl Decaluwe told De Standaard newspaper.

"All the hatches are still closed. This suggests the wreck has not been discovered before and moreover the 23 crew members are still inside," Decaluwe said.

During WWI, the German navy used the Belgian port of Zeebrugge as a base for its submarines, known as U-boats, to attack shipping in the North Sea.

To combat the U-boat threat, the British tried to block Zeebrugge port in April 1918 by scuttling old ships in the entry channel.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal today urged the younger generation to come forward and participate in the Transform India campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Goyal asked educational institutions to help India become "Super Power" where every citizen feels empowered and remains "self-reliant".

The minister was addressing a gathering of students and eminent academicians at the Somaiya College in suburban Vidya Vihar where he was chief guest on the occasion of the 59th Foundation Day celebration.

"I have no doubt in my mind that India will become a super power at one point of time, to which we are committed to make India Super Power where every Indian is self-reliant, respected, empowered and where every citizen of the country contributes to the well-being of the rest of the society," said the minister.

After taking charge of the Railway Ministry, it was Goyal's first public appearance.

He said, "I am delighted that Somaiya educational institute in Vidya Vihar has played an important role in shaping the destiny of Mumbai."



"I have been appealing to the business community, the youngsters, my own chartered accountant brothers since last three-and-half years that ultimately we can transform the country.

"I appeal to over 31,000 students of this college and all the country to come forward and be part of change that we want to see," the 53-year-old minister, who has long association with the college, said.

Chief of the Trust that governs the daily affairs of the college, Samir Somaiya outlined the achievements of several students of the institute and vowed to provide the best state-of-the-art infrastructure and educational facilities to the students.

Later Goyal went to Guru Nanak College and called upon the students to be the part of Transforming India.

"Shri @PiyushGoyal spoke about the significance of youth participation in transforming India at the Guru Nanak College, in Mumbai," the official handle of Goyal's twitter posted.

It also said, "I appeal to my young friends to join the New India revolution- an India where everyone gets the best facilities & opportunities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Group Chairman Adrian Bellamy will retire at its annual general meeting after 14 years in the post, the British consumer goods maker said on Tuesday.

The company usually holds its AGM in May.

Christopher Sinclair, who has served on the board since 2015, will take on the role of non-executive chairman at that time, the company said.

Sinclair is executive chairman of the board at toymaker Mattel Inc.
In a bid to tap India's rapidly-growing digital payments market, Google has launched its Tez application. Built on the government-backed Unified Payment Interface (UPI) platform, the app will allow users to securely pay for goods and services both online and offline, and also make person-to-person transactions.
Ahead of its annual Great Indian Festival, e-commerce major Amazon has lined up a special offers for HDFC Bank card holders including a 10 per cent additional cashback. According to a report in NDTV, HDFC Bank Credit Card holders will also have the option to 'Buy now, pay next year'.

Amazon's Great Indian Festival will begin on September 21 and end on September 24. For Prime members, Amazon will start an exclusive early bird sale 12 noon tomorrow.

Amazon claims that there are more than 40,000 offers across four days. Out of these, more than 500 offers are on mobile phones, over 2500 offers on electronics goods,

Amazon is also offering attractive deals for shoppers who pay using Amazon's digital wallet Amazon Pay.

No cost EMI is available on credit cards from all major banks (Axis, ICICI, HDFC, Citi Bank, SBI, IndusInd, Yes Bank, Kotak, RBL, HSBC, Standard Chartered) and Bajaj Finserv EMI cards.

Flipkart's biggest sale of the year is here and the e-commerce giant will be pitting against Amazon India who is also launching their Great Indian Sale. Flipkart has offers across most product segments ranging from electronics, smartphones to apparel.

Both companies - homegrown Flipkart and US-based Amazon - are eyeing better sales than the other, and in comparison to last year. Market analysts have already predicted more than 60 per cent growth in cumulative gross sales posted by these two companies.

Snapdeal will also join the fray with its Unbox Diwali Sale. The Gurgaon-based e-commerce company will host the longest flagship sale among the three this season.
The increase in the prices of petrol and diesel to a three-year high despite the halving of crude oil prices in the international market is essentially because of the high tax burden on these fuels as running cars and SUVs in the country is seen as a luxury.

Both petrol and diesel are supplied by the oil companies to petrol pumps at a little over Rs 30 per litre. It is the imposition of Central excise duty and state government levies such as VAT that result in raising the price of petrol to over Rs 70 per litre and that of diesel to Rs 58.70 a litre.

The price of diesel has been kept lower as it also used in the politically sensitive farm sector. The NDA government had seen an opportunity to raise fresh resources with a series of hikes in excise duty in the second half of 2015 and early 2016 power as global crude prices plummeted to record lows. The logic also seems to have been that consumers had got accustomed to paying high prices for these fuels and would be psychologically able to bear the burden.

Excise duty on petrol was Rs 9.48 per litre in April 2014, which after several rounds of hikes between 2015 and 2016, has now shot up to Rs 21.48. Similarly, the excise duty on diesel was Rs 3.65 per litre in April 2014, which after the hikes, has risen to Rs 17.33.

The increase in excise duty has helped the Centre realise over Rs 1 lakh crore. Petroleum products have been left outside the ambit of GST as these form a major source of revenue for the cash-strapped states who have refused to let go of the lucrative source despite the Centre arguing in favour of a uniform all-India tax for the two fuels.

The variation in prices of petrol and diesel between states is due to the different rates of state levies. Another reason why states do not want petroleum products to shift under GST is that the levies on petrol and diesel are collected for them by the public sector oil companies and passed on directly to the states as a result of which there is no leakage due to corruption as is the case with other state taxes.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra has explained that the increase in excise duty on petrol and diesel has helped the government to raise additional resources for building hospitals, schools and highways which are essential for economic development.

The Minister further said that for a robust economy, the pricing freedom should remain with the oil companies. In practice, however, the public sector oil companies which come under the administrative control of the petroleum ministry cannot ignore the government's advice.

Pradhan has also stated that the government has no plan to change the system of the current daily revision of petrol and diesel prices based on the international market. He also said on twitter that while international prices of petrol and diesel have risen by 18-20% in the last three weeks, domestic prices of the fuels have been increased only by 4%.
Diwali is round the corner and if you have been planning to do something for marginalized section of the society, this is something you must read. Under government's 'Ujjwala Plus' scheme, an extension of Ujjwala scheme, you can play a good samaritan by donating cooking gas connections to poor households. The good deed will fetch you tax benefits under Section 80 G. This was revealed by Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to Times of India.

Each gas connection costs Rs 1,600 towards the administrative cost, pressure regulator booklet and safety hose. The scheme that is slated for release before Diwali will be preceded by a 'LPG Panchayat' scheme by the government, the Times of India.



"We have 22.5 crore LPG consumers in the country. We have to raise this coverage. For this we need to create mass awareness about safety, affordability and health benefits of using LPG as a cooking fuel. LPG Panchayat will rope in women working at local self-government bodies or in mass-based schemes such as Anganwadi and Choupals to do this," said the minister.

On May 1, Rs 8,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme was launched with an aim to provide free LPG connection to 5 crore poor households in a span of 3 years. The government works with the state-run fuel retailers to provide the free LPG gas connection to poor households.
U.S. defense firms offering to set up production lines in India to win deals worth billions of dollars want stronger assurances they won't have to part with proprietary technology, according to a business lobby group's letter to India's defense minister.

These companies are also saying they shouldn't be held liable for defects in products manufactured in collaboration with local partners under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make-in-India's drive to build a military industrial base.

Lockheed Martin and Boeing are both bidding to supply combat jets to India's military, which is running short of hundreds of aircraft as it retires Soviet-era MiG planes, and its own three-decade long effort to produce a domestic jet is hobbled by delays.

Lockheed has offered to shift its F-16 production line to India from Fort Worth, Texas, and make it the sole factory worldwide if India orders at least 100 single-engine fighters.

The U.S. firm has picked Tata Advanced Systems as its local partner under the defense ministry's new Strategic Partnership model under which foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can hold up to a 49 per cent stake in a joint venture with an Indian private firm which will hold the majority of shares.

The US-India Business Council (USIBC) wrote to India's defense minister last month seeking a guarantee that U.S. firms would retain control over sensitive technology - even as joint venture junior partners.

"Control of proprietary technologies is a major consideration for all companies exploring public and private defense partnerships," the business lobby, which represents 400 firms, said in the August 3 letter, reviewed by Reuters and previously unreported.

"To allow foreign OEMs to provide the most advanced technologies, the partnership arrangement between an Indian owned 'strategic partner' company and a foreign OEM needs to provide an opportunity for the foreign OEM to retain control over its proprietary technology," it said, noting this wasn't explicit in the policy document.

Technology Transfer

Technology transfer is at the heart of Modi's drive to build a domestic industrial base and cut a reliance on imports that has made India the world's biggest arms importer in recent years.

Without full tech transfer in previous arms deals, India's mainly state-run defense factories have largely been left to assemble knock-down kits even for tanks and aircraft produced under license from the foreign maker.

Modi's advisers have vowed to change that, insisting on transfer of technology so that critical military equipment are designed and manufactured in India.

Benjamin Schwartz, USIBC's director for defense and aerospace, said the new Indian policy offered a roadmap for establishing partnerships between U.S. and Indian companies, but it raised some questions for the firms.

He said he was not in a position to name those companies concerned by the Indian policy, but there was a "general desire to see increased clarity" on several aspects, including the control of proprietary technologies.

Quality Issues

The USIBC also opposed a clause in the new rules that held foreign firms jointly responsible for the quality of the platforms provided to the military, saying legal liability is a significant factor in business decisions.

"We recommend the MoD (Ministry of Defence) affirm that foreign OEMs will not be liable for defects outside their company's control," the USIBC said.

Lockheed did not respond to a request for comment. Boeing, which is bidding for a separate contract to sell its F/A-18 Super Hornets for India's aircraft carrier fleet, declined to comment on the USIBC letter. But the company's India president, Pratyush Kumar, told a conference this month there were concerns about Indian private firms' lack of experience in the aerospace sector.

Only state-run Hindustan Aeronautics (HIAE.NS) Ltd had made planes under license, while some private players were starting from scratch, having never built even an aircraft component. Kumar said he could not find a single example worldwide of a private enterprise with limited experience building out a plane under transfer of technology.

"Look at Turkey, look at Japan, look at Brazil - look at multiple countries. In all cases there is a fine balancing act of co-opting the capabilities of both public and private enterprise," Kumar said at a conference organized by the Centre for Air Power Studies, a think-tank of the Indian air force.

India's defense ministry offered no response to the concerns expressed by the trade lobbying group on the strategic partnership model, which will also apply to building submarines and helicopters as part of a $150 billion modernization drive.

But an official, referring to sensitive technology, said the government has made clear in the past that foreign firms can be allowed to increase their stake beyond 49 percent if the technology they bring in is state-of-the art.

"It can be done on a case-to-case basis," the official said.

Mukesh Aghi, president of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, said that despite the starting problems, defense manufacturing looked set to be a breakthrough area in ties between India and the United States.

"It's the next big thing. There is strong support from the (U.S. President Donald) Trump administration to take this forward."
AirAsia today announced that it will launch daily flights on new routes with airfares starting from Rs 2,299. The new AirAsia daily flights will connect Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad to Ranchi. The airline today updated the information on its website which reads 'Launching daily direct flights! Fly from Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar & Hyderabad to Ranchi'. The first flight under the plan will fly on October 7, 2017.

According to AirAsia website, the price for Bhubaneswar to Ranchi is Rs 2299 and from Ranchi to Bengaluru it will cost Rs 3299. Ranchi to Hyderabad is priced at Rs 2799. The price for Hyderabad to Ranchi as on Tuesday is Rs 2799 and from Bengaluru to Ranchi is Rs 3299. To travel under the new scheme, the fliers will have to book their tickets in advance.

These prices are 'only available for online bookings at www.airasia.com' and it is valid for new bookings only. The airline also said that a non-refundable processing fee is applicable for payments via credit, debit or charge card. "Fare includes airport taxes except for selected airports where airport tax is collected at the point of departure," AirAsia website noted.

Seats under the new scheme are limited and may not be available on all flights, AirAsia said. The airline is also offering all-inclusive fares starting at Rs 3,299 for flights connecting Ranchi to Bengaluru and Rs 2,799 for flights between Ranchi-Hyderabad. All fares are quoted for single journey (one-way) only, the airline said.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) decreased domestic termination charges more than half from 14 paisa per minute to 6 paisa per minute for calls between two mobile numbers. This is expected to bring down mobile call costs in coming days. The telecom regulator is planning to do away with interconnection charges entirely by January 1, 2020.

Domestic termination charges is the amount paid by the telecom operator whose user begins the call. It is paid to the telecom operator who receives the call. The changes in domestic termination charges will be put into effect from October 1, 2017, as stated by a press statement by the TRAI.

Meanwhile, any other type of call - between landline to landline, or landline to mobile phones - will continue to be exempted from all termination charges.

Notably, the telecom disruptor Reliance Jio has been advocating lowering termination charges on grounds that it will benefit the customers. On the other hand, other established telecom service providers have been strongly opposing any such decrease as it will hit their revenue which they receive from these interconnection charges.

Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and other incumbent telecom operators have even been calling for an increase in interconnection charges and even benchmarking them according to the actual cost. Jio is expected to benefit from these recent cut in charges as it will bring down its overall expenditure, reports said.
On Monday, Google became the latest entrant into India's already burgeoning digital payments market by launching its own mobile payments app 'Tez.' With this launch, not only the number of mobile payment options have increased, the confusion around choosing a, secure, convenient and cashless payment option has also widened up. Here's a detailed look at various options available to help you make the best decision.

Mobile wallets

Mobile wallets have been the biggest beneficiary of demonetisation drive carried out by the government last year. In the latter's effort to boost cashless transactions in the country, the mobile wallets witnessed huge surge in traffic. There are number of mobile wallets in the country such as Paytm, Mobiwik, Oxigen, Freecharge etc. The payment via mobile wallets begins with loading money on to your wallet through your bank card (debit or credit) or net banking. You can easily load up to Rs 20,000 with minimum KYC. While wallets also help you pay bills, book movie tickets and pay at the restaurant through them, the amount that you pay goes to the mobile wallet of the user and not directly to the bank. Also, the payee and the payer need to hold the same wallet to transfer funds between them. So if someone has an account with a mobile wallet like Paytm, it won't be possible for him to send money to someone who doesn't have the account with the same mobile wallet firm or uses another wallet.

Bhim

In January this year, the government launched (Bharat Interface for Mobile) BHIM app that works on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) -a system that powers multiple bank banking features accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank) and merges their several features. Here, unlike mobile wallets, the transactions are directly linked to bank accounts and doesn't require loading any money and therefore continue to earn interest on the money kept in the bank. So, you don't lose the interest earned on the money by the bank by keeping it. All the payer and recipient need are bank accounts, of their own connected to the UPI, and should possess a virtual payment address. To make the payment, you can use the virtual payment address of the recipient. The recipient also needs not be on BHIM app. A bank account is all that is needed to receive the payment.



Google Tez

This is the latest entrant in the mobile payment space. While this is lot like Bhim app and directly links to over 50 banks in India including ICICI Bank, State Bank of India and HDFC Bank. It also allows you to transfer money in more ways than one. So while you can pay entering the virtual id or UPI id of the recipient without storing money on the app, it is also possible to transfer money using the camera to scan a QR code, or by entering the phone number of the recipient. Then there is 'Cash Mode' that allows quick transfer of money with nearby Tez users using technology that uses sound to pair your device with another nearby device. It therefore doesn't necessitate a bank account number or phone number. The app is available in number of languages including English, Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, Gujarati, Marathi, and Telugu and is available on Android as well as iOS.
What do you think when you think of Dubai? The Burj Khalifa, maybe? The Palm Jumeirah, perhaps? Would you somehow think of Venice if you think of Dubai? The most likely answer is no. Venice and Dubai appear as far apart as possible.

However, developers, Cityscape Global, are inching towards bridging that exact perception. They are creating a miniature floating version of Venice, 4 km off Dubai's coast. The project is expected to get over by 2020.

According to their website, the resort is the world's first floating five-star resort. This Venetian mini-city will have 12 restaurants, an underwater spa and gondolas imported right from Italy. The resort will have 414 cabins, out of which 180 cabins, along with the bar, spas and restaurants will offer an underwater view of the Arabian Sea - 4,00,000 sq ft of coral and marine lifeto be precise, as well as floating gondolas above.

The Floating Venice , as it will be called will be able to house 3,000 guests on any given day. Guests will have to board a helicopter or a boat or a seaplane to reach the resort.

Not only that, the resort will also observe popular Italian festivals such as Festa del Redentore, La Biennale di Venezia, Festival del Cinema, and Regata Storica.

As it turns out, Dubai is the city that just keeps on giving.
Diskutier Mit Mir: Where political opposites attract

Published on September 19, 2017

Story by Mick ter Reehorst

en

de

fr

es

it

pl

Only a few days left until Germany goes to the ballots. Although many have described the run-up to the elections as boring and uneventful, Louis Klamroth and his team at Diskutier Mit Mir are spicing things up. Their online chat platform pairs people from either side of the political spectrum in Germany, forcing strangers to confront and justify their vote-to-be.

The show is over. The giant lights slowly turn off. Louis is still standing at the table with Katrin Goring-Eckardt, the new leader of the Green Party. The location is the Alte Kraftwerk, an old electricity factory in the middle of Berlin. Its now used for events and companies, and it also houses a TV studio where Louis Klamroth hosts his political talk show Klamroths Konter on n-TV. He is the youngest talk show host in German history. Konfrontativ, kritisch, kurzweilig (Confrontational, Critical and Entertaining) is the tagline of the show. He had guests from all over the political spectrum over for interviews of about 20-30 minutes in a very busy elections season. Live segments and a weekly show has spiced up the election coverage with a fresh young face. Because other than that, Louis says, its been rather boring.

Besides his weekly show, he has been working on another project, one that is aimed at facilitating discussion between people from the different sides of the political spectrum. An online space where someone who supports Goring-Eckardt and the Greens could talk to a Merkel fan or a more right-wing voter. Its called Diskutier mit Mir [NB. 'Discuss with me' in German].

Only a few days left until Germany goes to the ballots. Campaign season is usually a time of division, polarisation and heated debate. Its normally a time when political opinions and discussions are thrown at you at any given moment, and alcohol-induced political banter flies past your ears in any bar youre in. Not in Germany, where many have described this election as quiet, boring or a done deal. Even Nigel Farage cant really shake things up. The general consensus is that Angela Merkel will remain chancellor, and most of the talk is about the potential outcome of the coalition that has yet to be formed. Will she side with the Greens, her preferred Liberals, or will the Big Coalition (CDU and SPD) live on? And what will the more right-wing Alternative fur Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) do?

Bursting bubbles

In real life and on social media, people from either side of the political spectrum dont really talk to each other. Take this example: a certain Peter is an AfD-aficionado. He is probably very angry over what happened in Hamburg during the G20 and has his own opinions about immigration. If he would want to discuss this with Heike  who is very concerned about climate change and probably has opposing views on migrants, but might agree with Peter on the unrest in Hamburg  where could they talk? How could they find each other? In real life, due to an increasingly polarised media landscape, we rarely come into contact with people whose opinions are vastly different than ours.

The Filter Bubble. This strewn-out concept has risen to popularity after the shocks of Brexit and Trump in 2016. It led analysts and commentators to trip over each other in order to shed light on the subject. Whatever you think about it, its something thats becoming an inextricable part of our reality. But is it possible to burst these filter bubbles?

From the Netherlands to Germany

Three young and hip Germans sit in a coworking space in Berlin. Their goal? Bursting these so-called filter bubbles. They laugh: Thats the challenge, right? But it will be a steep climb.

The three young entrepreneurs are Moritz Hohenfeld, Niklas Rakowski, and the charismatic teenage movie star Louis Klamroth. Their plan is simple: invite people from different sides of the political spectrum to have a conversation on a one-on-one online chat environment  Diskutier Mit Mir.

We didnt come up with the idea, Louis rapidly admits, It is inspired by Waarom Kies Jij? [NB. Why do you choose? In Dutch], which was rolled out in the run-up to the Dutch elections back in February." Waarom Kies Jij was a platform that enabled random visitors of the website select their political orientation and then get matched to someone from the other side in order to have a conversation. The initiative was set up by a group of Dutch students who felt that, especially after seeing the American elections, polarisation in society was something that could only be tackled by forcing people to engage in conversation. They hosted over 50,000 conversations in the run-up to the Dutch elections and made headlines in their attempt to burst Dutch filter bubbles. NRC, one of the countrys biggest newspapers, teamed up with them in order to facilitate real-life discussions next to the online tool as well.

Louis knew the people behind the Dutch idea and he said he was about to write to them when they reached out to him and said that it would be something for in Germany as well. I immediately called up Moritz and Niklas and they were in. We all were on board immediately. But yeah, now its 22:45 on a Wednesday night and were still working. It was much more work than we expected, Klamroth admits.

The boys all know each other from Kindergarten or high school and they always wanted to do a project like this together. There were never any fights or arguments, just discussions. Our communication is perfect, Louis says. But it makes it a bit more unprofessional to be honest, Niklas jokingly adds. The empty beer bottles are lying around and the harsh TL-lights dont make it a very flattering sight in this industrial working space, but it keeps one awake. As a basic laydown of the idea, they pitch their idea in 30 seconds:

Niklas: We are getting people into contact and let them discuss politics. We link people from different political views and enable them to have a discussion politics Right?

Louis: We want to burst filter bubbles. We invite people from all sorts of political views to match with others on our platform and engage in a one-on-one chat, and start talking to each other rather than about each other.

Moritz is more practically minded, he says: You get on the website, you choose a party or orientation, you get matched with someone whos as far away from you as possible on this spectrum and the website facilitates a space for discussion for the two of you. Political dialogue, which is rare online.

The idea becomes pretty clear, especially when taking a look at the website. Its all fairly easy; no registration required, no information asked. Just a simple  though tastefully designed  Chatroulette sort of system where you are matched with your anti-thesis on the political spectrum. We cant judge the quality of the discussions, Niklas adds, were not able to look into the discussions. We can look at indicators, such as the length of the discussion and the chosen themes. This gives us a lot of feedback without intruding the privacy.

After browsing the site, it is time to engage in a test-conversation with Niklas. It requires an active step from your side to be able to leave your comfort zone, he says. Most of the time, when this happens online  on Facebook, in comment sections  it almost never ends in a constructive discussion, but rather with people slipping into hate speech. The solution to that is a one-on-one chat with no audience. But why would this be any different? Especially if you have people with such opposing views talking to each other. Isnt it either going to be a very nice or a very hateful conversation?

Sure, both are possible. But the Dutch experience showed that from the 35,000 conversations, they only had to ban one person, the boys explain. Moritz mentions that they are planning to target specific communities with targeted Facebook ads, and how they are going to use Louis media presence. Niklas refers to similar project by Die Zeit Online, called Deutschland Spricht. It was a beautiful project, the discussions were probably of higher value than ours, but our online project is easier to use. You can match people from Bavaria to people from Hamburg and they could discuss Greece or the Euro, Moritz says. We are not selling this as a social start-up, its a platform first... theres three clicks on a website and youre in a conversation. It should be this simple.

Fruitful conversations

Its two weeks before the election and Louis is happy with the launch. They had 80,000 clicks in the first two weeks alone and over 10,000 conversations. But Im most proud about the length of the conversations. Most visitors spend on average eight minutes on the website. We have managed to make it an engaging tool where people stay for meaningful conversations. When asked about how the elections are going, Louis mentions that they are working against Diskutier Mit Mir: The election cycle is just not very polarised, which is a good thing of course, but it means people might be less willing or even able to engage in these kinds of controversial conversations.

The first TV debate between Chancellor Merkel and her main competitor (and current coalition partner) Martin Schulz of the Social Democrats (SPD) was widely regarded as won by Merkel and it showed her stable position. It also showed the non-polarised nature of the elections. The two front-runners clashed over migration and Turkey, but Schulz never seemed to be able to show that Germany needs to move into a different direction. Main conclusion: Merkels position is secure and there are no real threats to the direction in which she has been moving Germany over the past years.

But regardless of the non-polarised nature of the German elections, the boys at Diskutier Mit Mir have managed to make things work. We managed to have people from all sides of the spectrum to come online and talk. AfD & AntiFa, Christians and young start-up geeks, young mothers and pensionadas alike. Its often hard to get the extremes to work with you, but we managed. Im happy about that. The group is also in talks to continue this project after the German elections, even onto a European level. You can use this tool for any discussion on a societal level. Regional elections or European referenda. You name it. Thats really cool and also really necessary, Louis says. Its promising that this tool could be applied to regional and European level discussions. It might be exactly what the continent needs in these times.

The intense and polarised election cycles in the Netherlands, Austria, the United Kingdom, France and huge events such as the G20 in Hamburg have shown us what happens if people retreat into their own circles and dont come out to talk. WaaromKiesJij in the Netherlands, Diskutier Mit Mir in Germany and future projects across the continent could be very useful tools in allowing people to engage in conversation. Europe could surely benefit from it.

Story by Mick ter Reehorst
Although some Chinese insurers are still investing in high-risk assets as well as doctoring their accounts, the regulator said there has been progress in reining in the formerly unrestrained sector.

The China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) has since late April issued a slew of policy documents and directives targeting improper industry practices. It aimed at cracking down on the practice of using insurance funds to make high-risk bets on stocks and structured products, buy properties or acquire overseas assets at inflated prices.

However, there were no aggressive acquisitions abroad by insurers during the first half, said Guo Qing, deputy director of the CIRCs financial accounting bureau, at a news conference on Monday.

The regulator also demanded insurers conduct self-checks on the authenticity of their solvency data. Guo said the regulator uncovered more than 600 cases of distortion.

Some issuers recognized assets in the wrong accounts; for example, putting available-for-sale financial assets into loan receivables, or misusing factors to calculate their risk-based capital holdings, he said.

In the first half of 2017, companies were fined 63.7 million yuan ($9.71 million), mainly for misuse of funds, up 21% from the same period in the previous year, said Yang Yushan, deputy chief of the CIRCs inspection bureau.

In the second quarter, 66 insurers reported an improved comprehensive solvency ratio, a key measurement of an insurers ability to pay back all its liabilities. The number was 27 more than it was in the first quarter.

Contact reporter Dong Tongjian (tongjiandong@caixin.com)
(Beijing)  The chairman of Sinopec Group, one of Chinas state oil majors, was named to head the countrys work safety watchdog, filling a vacancy after the removal of the agencys previous chief two months ago.

Wang Yupu, chairman of Chinas second-largest oil refiner, will become Communist Party chief of the State Administration of Work Safety. The appointment was announced Tuesday by the partys organization department, which oversees the naming of government officials and state company executives.

Wang will also take the position of director of the work safety administration, following tradition.

Yang Huanning, the former director and party chief of the work safety administration, was removed in late July. Yang was later demoted after a disciplinary investigation found that he had "strayed from party principles on critical matters," according to the Central Commission of Discipline Inspection.

Wang, 61, has been Sinopec chairman since May 2015, when he succeeded Fu Chengyu, who retired. Before joining Sinopec, Wang was the deputy party chief of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and previously the party chief of the All China Federation of Trade Unions. Between 2009 and 2010, Wang was the deputy governor of the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

Before taking on administrative positions, Wang worked most of his career in the oil and gas industry. He has been praised for his technical expertise. He spent more than 27 years in Chinas first major oilfield, Daqing in Heilongjiang, rising from oil engineer to general manager of the oilfield.

Wang was elected as a delegate to the 19th congress of the Communist Party, which will convene in October to elect a new slate of party leaders.

As Wang moves to the work safety administration, Sinopec said its general manager, Dai Houliang, will temporarily assume Wangs duties.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com)
| BY Ricki Green |

3M has launched a Will it stick? campaign for Post-it Super Sticky Notes by putting its 2 x sticking power promise to the test at Sydney Motor Sport Park.

As part of an international campaign, Channel T Sydney has created digital and social films and a TVC promoting the superior sticking power of Post-it Super Sticky Notes.

The online film features a Ford Mustang GT car covered in thousands of Post-it Super Sticky Notes being driven around the racetrack at speeds up to 210km/h.

Says Matt Rola-Stezycki, Post-it brand marketing manager: Were thrilled with this

new campaign from Channel T. It demonstrates the superior sticking power of Post-it Super Sticky Notes in a disruptive and entertaining way. And the campaign platform allows us to own this position in the market for years to come.

Says Marrianne Little, creative director, Channel T: 3M is such an inspiring business to work with. Theyve developed some of the most innovative products on the planet with ownable points of difference, giving us a great springboard creatively.View the full-length video here:\

Client: 3M

Marketing Manager  Matt Rola-Stezycki

Digital Marketing Manager  Melissa George

Agency: Channel T

Executive Creative Director  Pete Cerny

Creative Director  Marrianne Little

Associate Creative Director  Tim Brothers

Designer  Dom Roselli

Managing Director  Lisa Ramsey

Group Account Director  Andrew Grey

Media Planner  Calum Easton

Production Company: Eden
| BY Ricki Green |

Wellington bustles with creativity and that message is being relayed loud and clear to Australians in Wellington Regional Economic Development Agencys latest tourism campaign.

The Spring campaign which has launched this week invites Australians to Discover Wellington, NZs Creative Heart as it leverages brand New Zealand to highlight the Capitals bustling culinary scene, cultural offerings and creativity.

The digital media blitz includes a video made by Wellington production company Wrestler and a campaign on travel website Expedia to help generate bookings. There is also a campaign with Air New Zealand to promote affordable fares to Wellington and a media partnership with Concrete Playground.

WREDAs venues, marketing and destination development general manager David Perks says Australia remains a key focus for Wellington.

Says Perks: In the year to July 2017 Wellington region hosted around 250,000 Australians who pumped about $240 million into the local economy.

It shows that Wellington continues to be recognised by Australians as an exciting place for a short break. They find a compact city where its easy to pack in highly creative events like WOW, enjoy masterful casual dining experiences, imbibe in world class coffee, craft beer and wine, and get active on the green hills and sparkling harbour which fringe the city.

Coming to Wellington is about having an experience that pulses with Wellingtons creative vibe.

The campaign video was directed by Wrestlers Loren Taylor who says she was spoiled for choice in her search for Wellington creative talent.
| BY Ricki Green |

Getting a head start on careers through industry exposure and practical experience is at the heart of the latest brand campaign via McCann Sydney, for Charles Sturt University (CSU), Australias largest regional university.

Head of advertising and digital marketing at CSU, Jennifer Galloway, said people who are uncertain about the value of a university degree in building future careers are the key target of the Start Now campaign from CSU.

Says Galloway: This campaign sees a shift in focus for Charles Sturt University, with a move away from multiple campaigns dedicated to different modes of study and target markets, to delivering against a single-minded brand position.

Market research was conducted to discover motivational shifts in consideration of tertiary study.

The key insight that underpins this campaign is that uncertain undergraduates need the certainty within themselves and those closest to them that their decisions today will deliver them a better life tomorrow.

Galloway said this uncertain market has developed a perception that four years or more at university will be spent simply earning a piece of paper, rather than an education that genuinely prepares them for the career they are dreaming about today.

Says Galloway: Charles Sturt University is consistently ranked as the institution with the highest graduate employment rate in Australia. So we know that a university degree that offers the opportunity for lots of practical and industry experience gets you the career you want. What we want to do with this campaign is show the market why we are number one for career outcomes, and how that can benefit them.

To deliver that message with certainty and clarity to the market, CSU briefed creative agency McCann Sydney to develop a campaign that positions CSU as the university that can simplify the experience and generate confidence in consumers that CSU courses and qualifications will lead to tangible career and financial outcomes.

Says Galloway: Hard work doesnt scare our audience, but waiting four to six years to get into their career certainly does. The new campaign does a great job tackling that insight head-on, driving home the Universitys unique difference to other universities in kick-starting careers. The executions are all about action. A rewarding life is there for the taking, all people have to do is start.

The campaign focuses on the CSU brand truths of:

CSU is grounded in the community, industry and a supportive network

CSU offers hands-on practical experience from year one

CSU creates the most employable graduates in the country (Australian University Ratings and Rankings 2017/2018, The Good Universities Guide)

CSU has flexible modes of study to fit varied lifestyles

Marcus Tesoriero, creative director, McCann Sydney, said the campaign speaks directly to current attitudes around modern life and careers.

Says Tesoriero: The world has changed. People want to get on with their lives rather than spinning their wheels studying. We targeted that uncertain fork in the road when choosing between university and the workforce, showing that unlike many universities, Charles Sturt University supports a rolling start into a better career.

In essence, the work demonstrates that getting a university degree isnt time wasted striving for your dream job. With Charles Sturt University you get to start living the dream immediately, because, at Charles Sturt University, your career starts from day one.

The first phase of the campaign is supported via TV, outdoor and point of sale advertising, along with digital and social executions.

Client: Charles Sturt University

Senior Marketing Manager (Strategy & Advertising): Jennifer Galloway

Digital Marketing Manager: Chelsea Cleary

Head of Content Marketing: Sandra Sharpham

Senior Analyst Marketing: Erin Wise

Agency: McCann Sydney

Executive Creative Director: Jerker Fagerstorm

Creative Director: Marcus Tesoriero

Copywriter: David OSullivan

Art Director: Felix Holve

Group Account Director: Lucy Smith

Account Director: Alice Littleboy

Producer: Sam Harris

Planner: Charlie Kelly

Production: Photoplay

Director: James Chappell

Executive Producer: Oliver Lawrence

Producer: Bonnie Fay

Sound:

Engineer: Nat Joyce

Producer: Michael Gie
| BY Ricki Green |

The 4As, the leading trade association representing the advertising agency business, has revealed the winners of its 2017 Jay Chiat Awards for Strategic Excellence at the 4As Strategy Festival in New York City. The Grand Prix, which is selected from the Gold winners, was awarded to Leo Burnett Melbourne for its strategy on the Reword campaign for Headspace.

Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne picked up a Silver Award for TAC Meet Graham in the Nonprofit category.

Says Ilona Janashvili, director of integrated strategy, Leo Burnett Melbourne: It is genuinely an honour to be acknowledged internationally for an initiative that were all proud of. reword has made a tremendous difference affecting many children, in Australia and across communities globally. Cyberbullying is quickly becoming one of societys most serious problems, thats difficult to predict and impact behaviour to make a difference. reword is a tool thats changing online communication by interrupting and stopping cyberbullying behaviour before it happens. Whether youre someone thats experienced cyberbullying or a parent protecting their children, this is something that our agency is very passionate about.

For more than 20 years, the Jay Chiat Awards for Strategic Excellence has celebrated the best in strategic thinking and recognised advertising professionals who develop breakthrough insights and initiate creative campaigns that inspire both consumers and business around the globe. This years judging panels were comprised of top agency and marketing leaders.

Says Marla Kaplowitz, president and CEO of the 4As: This years award winners have made significant contributions to the discipline of strategic thinking across a variety of sectors, touching clients like Airbnb, LOreal Paris and Whirlpool. Were delighted to recognize these agencies for their outstanding achievements in strategizing how to take on both commercial and cultural challenges.
| BY Ricki Green |

Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO)s Australian representatives have rolled out the second phase of its Wake Up in Vanuatu consumer-facing marketing campaign designed to inspire Australian travellers to use their annual leave and book a holiday to Vanuatu.

The strategy, developed in collaboration with advertising agency Reborn, will incorporate a radio advertising campaign on Sydney Nova 96.9, Sydney Smooth 95.3 and Brisbane Nova 106.9.

Leveraging the fact that many Australians dont use their annual leave, the digital and radio led campaign plays on the idea that silly mistakes happen when youre in desperate need of a holiday. It positions Vanuatu as the perfect destination for a short-haul, couples retreat.

Starting from Monday 18 September, 2017 VTO will give away more than 20 holidays for two to Vanuatu including flights, accommodation, breakfast and transfers. For details on how to win, Sydney and Brisbane residents should listen to Nova Radio and Smooth FM.

Competition sponsors include: Air Vanuatu; The Havannah, Vanuatu; Holiday Inn Resort, Vanuatu; Barrier Beach Resort and White Grass Ocean Resort.

Working alongside the radio campaign, VTO will also roll out a digital strategy, which targets couples and includes cheeky short videos (gifs) running on Facebook and Instagram with ad spend directing them to www.discovervanuatu.com.au/wakeupinvanuatu.

The tongue-in-cheek gifs show people in silly situations, like walking into a pole, that could have been avoided if theyd chosen to take a break and Wake Up in Vanuatu.

In a bid to win a holiday to Vanuatu, people will then be encouraged to share their images, videos and stories on their social platforms of the daft things theyve done because theyre in desperate need of a trip away, including the hashtag #WakeUpInVanuatu.

VTOs Australian representative, Georgia Gregerson said the campaign is a bit of fun designed to make people chuckle and encourage them to think about whether its time they took a holiday.

Says Gregerson: So many Australians are letting their annual leave build up rather than booking a holiday and we hope this campaign will help them discover that Vanuatu is a beautiful, fun destination. Just over three hours from Sydney and two and half from Brisbane, Vanuatu is ideal for a couples getaway.

Weve engaged entertaining radio hosts to communicate our message and the gifs being used online are light, humorous and very shareable, with the aim to invite Sydney-siders and Brisbane-ites to book a holiday to Vanuatu.

To generate further buzz around this idea online, VTO will engage influencers through the online marketplace Tribe, to share posts revealing why they too need a holiday and encouraging their communities to enter the competition.

This is the second phase of the Wake Up in Vanuatu campaign, the first phase featured outdoor advertising in Brisbane and Sydney and was supported by a strong digital and social presence.

This activity complements ongoing trade activity and agents receiving Vanuatu related enquires can learn more and complete the online training on the trade website, www.vanuatuspecialists.com.au.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 1:31AM

A Chicago-based pop-up bar aptly called The Upside Down has been serving Stranger Things-inspired cocktails. While a great idea, it wasnt exactly sanctioned by Netflix. Thats why the streaming service has issued a cease-and-desist letter for the bar located at Logan Square. But Netflix were chill about it and asked the owners to close up shop in the nicest way possible. They request the owners just dont extend beyond the scheduled end date of the pop-up, so if youre in Chicago, you can still try out drinks like Elevens Eggos and Demogorgon until end of the month.

Here are parts of what the unconventional C&D letter reads: Look, I dont want you to think Im a total wastoid, and I love how much you guys love the show. (Just wait until you see Season 2!) But unless Im living in the Upside Down, I dont think we did a deal with you for this pop-up ... Youre obviously creative types, so Im sure you can appreciate that its important to us to have a say in how our fans encounter the worlds we build Were not going to go full Dr. Brenner on you, but we ask that you please (1) not extend the pop-up beyond its 6 week run ending in September, and (2) reach out to us for permission if you plan to do something like this again."

Source: Mashable
Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 12:41AM

In a case of better late than never, Sony just released its August security patch for three of its devices: the Xperia XA1, XA1 Ultra, and L1. There isnt really anything new besides bumping up its security level to August 5, 2017. To check if you have the latest build this should be: Unfortunately, all phones still use Android 7.0, too. But security patches are important and it looks like youll have the latest for now. Lets hope it doesnt take too long for the September security patch to show up.

Source: GSMArena
Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. Access unlimited news content and The Canberra Times app. Premium subscribers also enjoy interactive puzzles and access to the digital version of our print edition - Today's Paper.
"There are a lot of small actions individuals can make to be more sustainable, but also getting involved in innovative projects like this which support development in that field to really push the boundaries of what's possible."
But the young owner of Next Hair - who moved his hair salon around the corner to Mort Street in 1989 and has been there ever since - saw something in Braddon that it took the rest of Canberra more than two decades to catch up on.
"It's just like anybody that's passed away anywhere in the world, if they belong to one part of the country you try to bring that person home.
Ms Macdonald told the inquiry people often asked if she worried about Mr Wood's trips to Antarctica. "That is the one place I know he is the safest," she would tell them. She said she had assumed safety standards there were among the best.
He said the next day she received another letter from the man's solicitor to again request she return to Canberra with the children or they would take her to court. She had then gone to police and made a statement claiming rape, he said.
THIS WEEK IN CAPE BRETON: Raising the peace flag, reviewing future plans for Centre 200 and more

SYDNEY  During a time of conflict around the world and with racial tensions on the rise in many parts, its clear there are those who want to find a bright, positive light wherever they can. Over the next several days, the YMCA of Cape Breton will ...
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.
XL Group is the latest property/casualty insurer to make plans to move its European insurance company headquarters from the United Kingdom in response to its vote to leave the European Union.

The insurer and reinsurer (parent company of XL Catlin) said it will shift its main EU operations to Dublin, Ireland in 2018, once it obtains the required regulatory approvals. This will be accomplished by moving its main EU insurance company, XL Insurance Company SE, which will allow its clients and brokers to continue being serviced through its European branch network once the Brexit process is complete.

XL Groups post-Brexit decision to relocate follows moves of several other P/C insurers and reinsurers to do the same. CNA Hardy, a division of CNA, decided in June to launch a European subsidiary in Luxembourg beyond its London headquarters in order to keep open access to the EU market. FM Global is also shifting its EU headquarters from the UK to Luxembourg. American International Group will open a Luxembourg subsidiary but keep its main EU headquarters in London.

The Lloyds of London insurance market, meanwhile, will address Brexit concerns by opening a Brussels subsidiary.

In the case of XL Group, choosing Dublin as its EU headquarters makes sense on multiple levels. It has had operations there since 1990 after opening its first European insurance company in the citys International Financial Services Center. XL Group noted in its Brexit announcement that it established XL Re Europe (today XL Re Europe SE) in 2006 and that it remains an Irish-domiciled insurer.

Also, XL Groups parent company was domiciled in Dublin between 2010 and 2016 before its new holding company XL Group Ltd. was formed in Bermuda after XL Group acquired Catlin Group that year. The combined company continues to have insurance and reinsurance operations in Dublin.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, XL Group said it will keep Catlin Insurance Company in place (the division is a UK-regulated insurance company). Its Lloyds operations  Syndicate 2003 and 3002  will also remain.

Source: XL Group/XL Catlin
If you look at a modern-day Toyota model such as the C-HR crossover or the all-new Camry, you might just notice that the Japanese automaker has stopped playing it safe with its designs.



Responsible in part for this development is 43-year old American designer Ian Cartabiano, a studio chief designer at Toyotas Calty Design Research Inc.

Since Akio Toyoda made it clear that there will be no more boring cars, Cartabiano, using some proper California flair, helped design the likes of the C-HR, new Camry, FT-4X Concept and even the all-new Supra, which will be unveiled this fall.

The era of boring cars, of bland cars and anonymous design is over, said Cartabiano at Toyotas global headquarters. Its what Akio expects. When the president says something like that, it really allows designers to feel creative freedom.

This massive shift in aesthetics is also getting noticed by the likes of John Manoogian, reports Autonews, a professor of transportation design at the College for Creative Studies, as well as a former GM designer.

Its so difficult to get a large corporation to understand the importance of design as a strategic tool and a product differentiator. Apple understands this. Mr Toyoda understands it as well and has unleashed Toyotas designers to be as creative as possible, said Manoogian.

When it comes to the C-HR, looking at its rear quarter-panel is enough to make Cartabiano acknowledge the car has a crazy-ass shape. He also thinks that the side panel of the C-HR would look really cool hung on the wall as a piece of art.

As for the Camry, it really stands out thanks to its C-pillar design, which allows the rear window to curl around the sides of the car.

In the beginning, it was like, Oh that would be cool, but theyll never make anything like this. But then, engineerings getting excited and were figuring out ways to do it. Details like the door handle took four months to design, said Cartabiano, who made the initial 2-inch sketch of the new Camry on the edges of his calendar journal.

I respect something thats new but not perfect, rather than something thats beautiful but nondescript, added the designer. Id rather be challenged than made comfortable. Polarizing is OK.

PHOTO GALLERY
Dubais main taxi company has just taken delivery of 50 Tesla Model S and X vehicles and plans to eventually use them to form part of an autonomous taxi fleet.



For now, the vehicles will be based at Dubais international airport and have drivers behind the wheel but have their Autopilot capabilities enabled for the citys streets.

In a statement, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, chairman of Dubai Airports, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline & Group and chairman of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said a further 75 Tesla models will be delivered in 2018 and a final 75 are set to arrive in 2019.

It is unclear how much the Tesla taxis will cost nor when they will start providing rides.

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO
With the launch of the Yaris GRMN, Toyotas showing that its getting serious  dead serious  about creating performance versions of some of its mainstream models. But thats not the end of it. In fact, as this latest announcement goes to show, its just the beginning.



The Japanese automaker is aligning its performance offerings in a new hierarchy thats already yielding new performance models  in Japan at least, and soon for other markets as well.

At the top sits the GRMN level, with full-on performance upgrades to rival the best on the market, including engine enhancements. Below that will sit the GR series (replacing the Gs line) with upgraded brakes, suspension, rolling stock, exhaust, and limited slip differentials, along with aero and interior equipment  but stopping short of the engine. GR Sport models mostly feature cosmetic enhancements, but with some suspension tuning. Finally GR Parts will available a-la-carte as well.

Todays announcement isnt all bark and no bite, though: Toyotas launching new performance models at each level for the Japanese Domestic Market. The Vitz (as the Yaris is known in Japan) launches in GRMN, GR, and GR Sport specs  the top ostensibly identical to the Yaris GRMN weve already seen, the others incrementally removing some of that content (starting with the engine) and lowering the price.

The Prius, Harrier (Lexus RX), Mark X sedan, and Voxy and Noah minivans are also launching with upgrades in GR Sport spec, and soon the same will follow for the Prius C and Prius V (known locally as the Aqua and Prius Alpha).

Most intriguing, however, is the 86 GR, upgraded with a full aero kit, Sachs shocks, Rays forged alloys, six-pot brake calipers up front, four-pots at the back, a new tailpipe, a Torsen diff, and an enhanced interior with a smaller steering wheel and Recaro seats. Stopping short of the full GRMN treatment, though, it keeps the same 2.0-liter flat four as the standard model.

These models are launching initially in Japan, where Toyota is also opening a chain of GR Garage workshops. But as the Euro-focused Yaris GRMN goes to show, Toyota plans on taking its performance offerings to other markets as well. Heres hoping that will soon include North America, too.

Photo Gallery
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is apparently committed to shifting the next generations Dodge Challenger and Charger to the same architecture underpinning the Maserati Ghibli.



AutoNews reports that with this move, the two models will become lighter, and more fuel efficient, compared to their predecessors, and both of them are expected to debut in 2021.

However, until the FCA-owned brand will be ready to pull the covers off, the Challenger and Charger will be facelifted one last time in 2019, and additional versions are believed to be rolled out before the new generations come, in order to keep customers interested.

The Dodge Journey will also live on, with an entirely new iteration thats said to arrive in 2019, underpinned by the Grigio platform, which will be shared with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Moreover, the new Journey will be produced in Italy, instead of Mexico, and it will be offered with seating for five.

Dodge axed Grand Caravan last month, as it didnt comply with safety regulations, but the minivan will return in 2019, with a refreshed design, as will the Durango three-row SUV.

There are still no plans for a successor of the Viper, and things dont look particularly good for the Barracuda either, a 2-door convertible that was previously rumored, since the Charger and Challenger will move to a new platform, and the Dart compact car wont be replaced either, after production had ended last year.

PHOTO GALLERY
PSA Group factories appear to be more productive than the ones operated by the newly acquired Opel/Vauxhall, according to PSA CEO Carlos Tavares.



Tavares recently visited Opels factories in Zaragoza, Spain and Russelheim, Germany for benchmarking them against PSAs own facilities.

The gaps I have seen so far are quite big, Tavares told AutoNews at the Frankfurt auto show last week. What I have seen so far is PSA is more productive and more efficient than the Opel sites, he added.

I also expect to find situations where Opel will be better than PSA, so that PSA people can learn, Tavares said.

Opel/Vauxhall currently has six assembly factories in Europe, with the future of some of those being unclear as Tavares is working on his plan to make Opel profitable again. That includes sharing more platforms and drivetrains within PSA and having similar models produced at the same factory.

Under former owners GM Europe, Opels factories -with the exception of Zaragoza- had lower utilization rates than PSAs plants, according to analysts. Opels Zaragoza plant was at 78 percent of its full capacity while Eisenach was at 65 percent and Russelheim at 51 percent.

PSAs biggest factories, in Vigo, Spain and Sochaux, France were at 78 percent and 83 percent respectively, with the facilities in Poissy and Mulhouse running at full capacity.

Tavares has said that turning Opel around will be based on making the company more efficient and not by chasing to sell more vehicles. We would like to sell more Opels but the turnaround plan will not be built on the top line. That would be extremely dangerous because it makes you vulnerable to overall economic downturns, he said.

We will not bet the future of the company on an increase of volumes, but we will demonstrate we can have a lower breakeven point than the one we have today, Tavares added.

I can feel some similarities between the situation at PSA four years ago and the situation at Opel today, he said. The conclusion of this is very simple. Its all about efficiency. If we are highly efficient we will be profitable. If we are profitable we will be sustainable. If we are sustainable nobody has to worry about his job.

PHOTO GALLERY
Tata Sons is looking to protect JLR from a potential takeover by purchasing as much as 20 billion rupees ($312 million) of Tata Motors shares.



The stock that Tata Sons is looking to buy is equivalent to 1.7% of the company, said a person with knowledge of the matter. Tata Group controlled 34.7% of of JLR at the end of June, including shares held through Tata Sons, reports Autonews.

Indias biggest conglomerate is looking to boost its ownership over time in five of its largest businesses, which includes not just Tata Motors, but also Tata Steel.

One of their main goals is to protect group companies from potential takeover threats, and Jaguar Land Rover would make for a solid candidate given their recent resurgence.

Tata Motors went up by 5% in Tuesday trading, marking the biggest intraday gain since July this year. Moving forward, Tata Group will be able to buy as much as a 5% additional stake every financial year, without triggering an open offer.

PHOTO GALLERY
Volkswagen has admitted that it is lagging behind the likes of Tesla and Daimler in electrifying commercial vehicles.



Reuters reports that VW management board member Andreas Renschler told German publication Tagesspiegel that maybe the German manufacturers were too slow. It could be.

Daimler has been working hard on alternatively-powered trucks for many years and has already shown off all-electric and autonomous truck concepts. Similarly, Tesla will reveal an all-electric semi-truck next month as it too looks to push the commercial trucking industry into unexplored territory.

According to Renschler, Tesla has set some important and good impulses in the industry. [VW is a] second mover, who would rather check a couple of times more whether the standards are right.

Its not just automakers getting in on the electric commercial vehicle craze. Last year, DHL introduced a fleet of electric delivery vans that it built in-house. It intends on boosting production to 20,000 units annually be the end of the year.

PHOTO GALLERY
Photo: The Weather Channel

Hurricane Maria intensified into a dangerous Category 5 storm and pounded the little island of Dominica as it surged into the eastern Caribbean on Monday night, and forecasters warned it might become even stronger.

The storm was following a path that could take it on Tuesday near many of the islands already wrecked by Hurricane Irma and then head toward a possible direct strike on Puerto Rico on Wednesday.

There were no immediate reports from Dominica after the eye wall moved ashore, but earlier zinc roofs blew off homes as the outer edge of the storm began whipping the island.

Dominica authorities had closed schools and government offices and urged people to move from dangerous areas to shelters.

"We should treat the approaching hurricane very, very seriously," Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit warned. "This much water in Dominica is dangerous."

Officials on nearby Guadeloupe said the French island would experience extremely heavy flooding and warned that many communities could be submerged overnight.

In Martinique, authorities ordered people to remain indoors and said they should prepare for cuts to power and water. Schools and non-essential public services were closed.

With Puerto Rico appearing destined for a hit, officials in the U.S. territory warned residents of wooden or otherwise flimsy homes to find safe shelter.

"You have to evacuate. Otherwise you're going to die," said Hector Pesquera, Puerto Rico's public safety commissioner. "I don't know how to make this any clearer."
Photo: US Army

The U.S. Senate has overwhelmingly approved a sweeping defence policy bill that would pump $700 billion into the military, putting the U.S. armed forces on track for a budget greater than at any time during the decade-plus wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Senators passed the legislation by an 89-8 vote Monday. The measure authorizes $700 billion in military spending for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, expands U.S. missile defences in response to North Korea's growing hostility and refuses to allow excess military bases to be closed.

The 1,215-page measure defies a number of White House objections, but President Donald Trump hasn't threatened to veto the measure. The bill helps him honour a pledge to rebuild an American military that he said had become depleted on former President Barack Obama's watch.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and other national security hawks have insisted the military branches are at risk of losing their edge in combat without a dramatic influx of money to repair shortfalls in training and equipment.

An animated McCain, the Armed Services Committee chairman, bemoaned the limits imposed on military spending by both Democrats and Republicans. He said the rash of training accidents and crashes  since mid-July, nearly 100 service members have been killed or injured in close to a dozen mishaps  can be linked to the budget cuts.

"My friends, more of our men and women in uniform are now being killed in totally avoidable training accidents and routine operations than by our enemies in combat," McCain said. "Where is the outrage about this? Where is our sense of urgency to deal with this problem?"

Approved by the Armed Services Committee by a 27-0 vote in late June, the overall Senate bill provides $640 billion for core Pentagon operations, such as buying weapons and paying troops, and another $60 billion for wartime missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. Trump's budget request sought $603 billion for basic functions and $65 billion for overseas missions.
Photo: The Canadian Press AP Photo/Dominique Chomereau-Lamotte)

Hurricane Maria intensified into a dangerous Category 5 storm and pounded the small island of Dominica as it surged into the eastern Caribbean on Monday night, and forecasters warned it might become even stronger.

The storm was following a path that could take it on Tuesday near many of the islands recently devastated by Hurricane Irma and then head toward a possible direct strike on Puerto Rico on Wednesday.

Fierce winds and driving rain lashed the mountainous island for hours, causing flooding and tearing roofs from homes.

A series of Facebook posts by Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit captured the fury of the storm as it made landfall.

"The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God," Skerrit wrote at the start of a series of increasingly harrowing posts.

A few minutes later, he messaged he could hear the sound of galvanized steel roofs tearing off houses on the small rugged island.

He then wrote that he thought his home had been damaged. And three words: "Rough! Rough! Rough!"

A half hour later, he said: "My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding." Seven minutes later he posted that he had been rescued.

Late Monday, a police official, Inspector Pellam Jno Baptiste, said there were no immediate reports of casualties but it was still too dangerous for officers to do a full assessment as the storm raged outside.

"Where we are, we can't move," he said in a brief phone interview.

Dominica authorities had closed schools and government offices and urged people to move from dangerous areas to shelters.

"We should treat the approaching hurricane very, very seriously," the prime minister warned as the storm approached. "This much water in Dominica is dangerous."

In August 2015, Tropical Storm Erika unleashed flooding and landslides that killed 31 people and destroyed more than 370 homes on the small, mountainous island.

Officials on nearby Guadeloupe said the French island would experience extremely heavy flooding and warned that many communities could be submerged overnight.

In Martinique, authorities ordered people to remain indoors and said they should prepare for cuts to power and water. Schools and non-essential public services were closed.

With Puerto Rico appearing destined for a hit, officials in the U.S. territory warned residents of wooden or otherwise flimsy homes to find safe shelter.

"You have to evacuate. Otherwise you're going to die," said Hector Pesquera, the island's public safety commissioner. "I don't know how to make this any clearer."

Puerto Rico imposed rationing of basic supplies including water, milk, baby formula, canned food, batteries and flashlights.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Maria had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph) late Monday. The eye was atop Dominica and about 270 miles (435 kilometres) southeast of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It heading west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph).

Earlier in the day, the centre had warned: "Maria is developing the dreaded pinhole eye."

That's a sign of an extremely strong hurricane likely to get even mightier, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. Just like when a spinning ice skater brings in their arms and rotates faster, a smaller, tighter eye shows the same physics, he said.

Maria's eye shrank to a narrow 10 miles (16 kilometres) across.

"You just don't see those in weaker hurricanes," McNoldy said.

Hurricane warnings were posted for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. A tropical storm warning was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Martinique and Anguilla.

The storm's hurricane-force winds extended about 30 miles (45 kilometres) from the eye, and tropical storm-force winds as far as 125 miles (205 kilometres).

Forecasters said storm surge could raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 metres) near Maria's centre. The storm was predicted to bring 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimetres) of rain for some islands, with the possibility of higher amounts in isolated spots.

The current forecast track would carry it about 22 miles (35 kilometres) south of St. Croix late Tuesday and early Wednesday, U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp said.

"We are going to have a very, very long night," Mapp said as he urged people in the territory to finish any preparations.

St. Thomas and St. John are still recovering from a direct hit by Hurricane Irma, which did extensive damage and caused four deaths on the two islands.

Officials and islanders were also bracing in Puerto Rico, which did not take a direct hit from Irma but still saw blackouts across much of the territory. Nearly 70,000 people remain without power, and Gov. Ricardo Rossello warned of an island-wide outage.

"This is going to be a catastrophic event," he said.

Forecasters said the storm would dump up to 18 inches (46 centimetres) of rain across Puerto Rico and whip the island with heavy winds for 12 to 24 hours.

Officials said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to bring drinking water and help restore power in Puerto Rico after the storm.

Traffic was heavy Monday as people rushed to buy last-minute items. Among them was 70-year-old retiree Rafael Rivera, who clutched a small bag of dog treats for his dog and six puppies at home.

"This storm is coming with some bad intentions," he said at a San Juan store where some shoppers grumbled about empty shelves.

Rossello said Puerto Rico had prepared 500 shelters capable of taking in up to 133,000 people in a worst-case scenario. Nearly 200 people are still in shelters due to Hurricane Irma. Classes were cancelled and government employees were to work only a half-day.
Photo: The Canadian Press

UPDATE: 9:31 p.m.

A powerful earthquake shook central Mexico on Tuesday, collapsing buildings in plumes of dust and killing at least 149 people. Thousands fled into the streets in panic, and many stayed to help rescue those trapped.

Dozens of buildings tumbled into mounds of rubble or were severely damaged in densely populated parts of Mexico City and nearby states. Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said buildings fell at 44 places in the capital alone as high-rises across the city swayed sickeningly.

UPDATE: 7:23 p.m.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says there are no reports of Canadian casualties following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that killed dozens in Mexico.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centred near the Puebla state town of Raboso, about 123 kilometres southeast of Mexico City.

Tuesday's earthquake came less than two weeks after another quake left 90 dead in the country's south, and it occurred as Mexicans commemorated the anniversary of a 1985 quake that killed thousands.

Calling the quake "devastating," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet that Canada is ready to help "our friends" in Mexico.

The Canadian Embassy in Mexico tweeted out an emergency phone number and email for any Canadians needing assistance.

And Global Affairs said it was closely monitoring the situation in Mexico and was ready to help.

"It is with sadness that we learned of the devastating earthquake in Mexico this afternoon," Freeland said in a statement Tuesday night.

"Canada sends its condolences to families and friends in mourning, and hopes for a speedy recovery for the injured," she said, adding Canada is ready to assist Mexico as needed and appropriate.

UPDATE: 4:35 p.m.

Death toll now up to 119 and growing, The Canadian Press reports.

UPDATE: 4:15 p.m.

CTV Vancouver reports that at least 104 people have been killed.

UPDATE: 3:50 p.m.

Death toll now up to 79 and growing, The Canadian Press reports.

UPDATE: 3:25 p.m.

At least 61 deaths are now reported in Mexico due to Tuesday's earthquake.

UPDATE: 3 p.m.

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocked central Mexico on Tuesday, killing at least 55 people as buildings collapsed in plumes of dust. Thousands fled into the streets in panic, and many stayed to help rescue those trapped.

The quake came less than two weeks after another quake left 90 dead in the country's south, and it occurred as Mexicans commemorated the anniversary of a 1985 quake that killed thousands.

Dozens of buildings collapsed into mounds of rubble or were severely damaged in in densely populated parts of Mexico City and nearby states. A column of smoke rose from a structure in one central neighbourhood in the capital.

Morelos Gov. Graco Ramirez reported on Twitter that at least 42 people had died in his state south of Mexico City.

At least 11 others died in Puebla state, according to Francisco Sanchez, spokesman for the state's Interior Department.

Gov. Alfredo del Mazo told the Televisa news network that two people died in the State of Mexico, which also borders the capital: a quarry worker who was killed when the quake unleashed a rockslide and another person who was hit by a falling lamppost.

There were no immediate official reports of deaths in the capital, but journalists witnessed some people who had apparently died.

Rescue workers rushed to the site of damaged or collapsed buildings in the capital, and reporters saw onlookers cheer as a woman was pulled from the rubble.

Rescuers immediately called for silence so that they could listen for others who might be trapped.

ORIGINAL: 12:30 p.m.

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake jolted central Mexico on Tuesday, collapsing some buildings, cracking the facades of others and scattering rubble on streets on the anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake.

The quake caused buildings to sway sickeningly in Mexico City and sent panicked office workers streaming into the streets, but the full extent of the damage was not yet clear. Mexican media broadcast images of several collapsed buildings in heavily populated parts of the city.

The U.S. Geological Survey calculated its magnitude at 7.1 and said it was centred near the Puebla state town of Raboso, about 76 miles (123 kilometres) southeast of Mexico City.

Puebla Gov. Tony Galil tweeted that there had been damaged buildings in the city of Cholula including collapsed church steeples.

In Mexico City, thousands of people fled office buildings and hugged to calm each other along the central Reforma Avenue as alarms blared, and traffic stopped around the Angel of Independence monument.

In the Roma neighbourhood, which was struck hard by the 1985 quake, piles of stucco and brick fallen from building facades littered the streets. At least one large parking structure collapsed. Two men calmed a woman seated on a stool in the street, blood trickling from a small wound on her knee.

At a nearby market, a worker in a hardhat walked around the outside warning people not to smoke as a smell of gas filled the air.

Market stall vendor Edith Lopez, 25, said she was in a taxi a few blocks away when the quake struck. She said she saw glass bursting out of the windows of some buildings. She was anxiously trying to locate her children, whom she had left in the care of her disabled mother.
Photo: The Canadian Press Rain in Saint Jean Bay, French Antilles, as Hurricane Maria approaches.

Dominica's leader sent out an emotional plea for help as Hurricane Maria smashed into the Caribbean island and caused "mind-boggling" devastation, but an ominous silence followed as the country lost all communications on Tuesday and the Category 5 hurricane took aim at Puerto Rico.

As rain began lashing the U.S. territory Tuesday afternoon, Puerto Rico's governor warned that Maria could hit "with a force and violence that we haven't seen for several generations."

Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit sent out a series of dramatic posts on his Facebook page as the storm blew over the tiny country late Monday  but then stopped suddenly as phone and internet connections with the country were cut.

"The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God," Skerrit wrote before communications went down.

A few minutes later, he messaged he could hear the sound of galvanized steel roofing tearing off houses on the small rugged island. He said that even his own roof had blown away.

In the last message before falling silent, he appealed for international aid: "We will need help, my friends, we will need help of all kinds."

The storm knocked out communications for the entire country, leaving anyone outside Dominica struggling to determine the extent of damage, though it was clearly widespread. "The situation is really grave," Consul General Barbara Dailey said in a telephone interview from New York.

She said she lost contact with the island around 4 a.m. At that point, officials had learned that 70 per cent of homes had lost their roofs, including her own.

"I lost everything," she said, adding there had been no word on casualties. "As a Category 5 it would be naive not to expect any (injuries) but I don't know how many," she said.

The island's broadcast service was also down on Tuesday and Akamai Technologies, a company that tracks the status of the internet around the world, said most of Dominica's internet service appeared to have been lost by midday. The Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica reported a widespread loss of communication on the island, and relatives of students posted messages on its Facebook page saying they had been unable to talk to their loved ones since late Monday evening as the storm approached.

Officials on the neighbouring French island of Guadeloupe reported at least one death: a person hit by a falling tree. They said two other people were reported missing after their boat sank off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe.

About 40 per cent of the island  80,000 homes  were without power and flooding was reported in several communities.

Next in the storm's path was St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which was largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma on the chain's St. Thomas and St. John islands just two weeks ago.

Authorities in Puerto Rico, which looked likely to take a direct hit, warned that people in wooden or flimsy homes should find safe shelter before the storm's expected arrival on Wednesday.

"You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you're going to die," said Hector Pesquera, the island's public safety commissioner. "I don't know how to make this any clearer."
If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
The Tennessee Housing Development Agency has released its list of nominees for the 2017 Tennessee's Best Awards.



Winners in the seven award categories will be announced at the Tennessee's Best Luncheon held Sept. 21 at the Governor's Housing Conference in Nashville. Categories for this year's awards include Excellence in Partnership, Best in Innovation - Programming, Best in Innovation - Finance, Remarkable Achievement - Urban, Remarkable Achievement - Rural, Housing Leadership and Housing Plus.





The Tennessee's Best awards were created by THDA to honor outstanding individuals and organizations whose contributions on behalf of affordable housing - whether producing, designing, developing, financing or promoting housing policy - inspire others to serve Tennesseans' housing needs.





THDA Executive Director Ralph M.Perrey said the 2017 class of nominees exemplifies the spirit of the awards.





"Once again, this group of nominees for the Tennessee's Best awards truly exemplifies the type of good work we at THDA believe is making a real difference in the lives of families across the state," Perrey said. "We look forward to announcing winners and commend all of those whose efforts are being recognized."





Nominees for the 2017 Tennessee's Best awards and their category include:





Excellence in Partnership - Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless, City of Memphis' Division of Housing & Community Development (HCD), Chattanooga Commitment to End Veterans' Homelessness, Highmark Holding s and Enfield Management, TN Department of Human Resources (DOHR)




Mizpah Congregation begins Introduction to Judaism classes on Tuesdays. Beginning Oct. 3, each of five, three-week blocks in October, November, January, February and March are held at Mizpah Congregation, 923 McCallie Ave., from 7:15-8:45 p.m.

There is a $50 fee for materials and handouts for the 15 classes. RSVP to the Mizpah office at mizpah@epbfi.com or 423-267-9771 to save a spot.



Explore Jewish traditions with Rabbi Craig Lewis. The course will cover basic Jewish history, the major holidays along with some of the minor holidays, important life cycle events, Jewish theology, the worship service, the Hebrew language, and our connection to the land and State of Israel. This course is for anyone wants to learn about Judaism or for those who wish to learn more. This course can fulfill a requirement for individuals wishing to convert to Judaism. It can also provide a refresher course for Jewish people who have not studied their tradition for several years. It is also ideal for interfaith couples who want to understand more about Jewish traditions.



Rabbi Lewis holds a bachelors degree in Business with a concentration in French from the University of Kansas. He also earned a masters in Management from LEcole Superieure de Commerce in Clermont-Ferrand, France. On his way to becoming a rabbi, he was awarded a Master of Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati.



Mizpah Congregation is the only Reform Congregation in Chattanooga, formed in 1866 and known initially as the Hebrew Benevolent Association. Meeting in peoples homes, the Temple is now in its third building, the first two closer to downtown. Its present building opened in 1927 thanks to a financial gift from Adolph Ochs, whos family owned the New York Times, and the Chattanooga Times. The congregation changed its name to Mizpah, which in Hebrew means watch over, or look out for, in honor of Lookout Mountain. Mizpah has migrated into being the progressive, inclusive representing all Temples in North America.






A deadly amphibian disease called severe Perkinsea infections, or SPI, is the cause of many large-scale frog die-offs in the United States, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Frogs and salamanders are currently among the most threatened groups of animals on the planet. The two most common frog diseases, chytridiomycosis and ranavirus infection, are linked to frog population declines worldwide.

The new study suggests that that SPI is the third most common infectious disease of frogs.

Scientists with the USGS studied 247 frog die-offs in 43 states from 1999 through 2015. The researchers found that SPI caused 21 of the mass mortalities in 10 states spanning from Alaska to Florida, all involving tadpoles. Up to 95 percent of the tadpole populations died during the SPI mortality events.

Amphibians such as frogs are valuable because they serve as pest control by eating insects like mosquitos, and they are food for larger predators, said Marcos Isidoro Ayza, a USGS scientist, University of Wisconsin-Madison post-doctoral fellow and the lead author of the study. Theyre also exceptional indicators of ecosystem health. Like the proverbial canary in a coal mine, amphibians let us know when something in our environment is going awry.

The SPI die-offs occurred in tadpoles of 11 frog species, including the critically endangered dusky gopher frog in its only remaining breeding locations in Mississippi. Most of the SPI events occurred in states bordering the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. However, SPI was also detected in Alaska, Oregon and Minnesota.

Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and disease are among the factors that contribute to amphibian declines, said Jonathan Sleeman, director of the USGS National Wildlife Health Center. This study indicates that SPI is an additional disease that can further threaten vulnerable frog populations.

SPI is caused by a tiny one-celled parasitic organism called a protist. The SPI-causing protist, called Perkinsea, is highly resistant to disinfection agents such as common bleach. As a result, it is difficult to prevent the spread of Perkinsea, and SPI is able to reoccur at known locations.

SPI in frogs may be under-diagnosed because it is not a disease for which they are typically screened, Isidoro Ayza said. Incorporating routine screening of critical habitats for infected frogs is crucial to help understand the distribution of this destructive disease.

The disease kills tadpoles by causing multi-organ failure, and there is no cure or treatment for SPI at this time. SPI is not known to affect humans or pets.

This study was led by the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in collaboration with the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative. For more information about USGS wildlife disease research, visit the USGS National Wildlife Health Center website.
Amazon appears to have sent an email about baby registries to people who don't actually have them on Tuesday, Sept. 19. (Paul Sakuma / AP)

Amazon sent users a mass email Tuesday telling them that someone had bought a gift off their baby registry  but many recipients said they had no registries and were not expecting children anytime soon.

Awkward.

Advertisement

Twitter exploded in reaction as the message rippled across the email accounts of Amazon members. A Blue Sky staff member  who does not have a baby registry or a baby  also received the email. It tells recipients that a gift is on its way, with a message reading:

"Hello Amazon Customer, Someone great recently purchased a gift from your baby registry! You can visit your Thank You List to easily keep track of all gifts purchased. PS: Remember some Gifters like when it's still a surprise. Have a great day! Your Amazon Baby Registry Team."

Advertisement

A link in the email leads to Amazon's baby registry landing page, which was briefly down around the time the message was sent.

Once on Amazon's site, the Blue Sky staffer saw no indication that any item had been shipped or that any kind of registry had been created.

Amazon sent an email hours later apologizing for "any confusion this may have caused." An Amazon spokesperson told Blue Sky the message was caused by a technical glitch.

The tale called to mind the 2012 New York Times story revealing that Target knew, based on market research, when a woman was expecting before she had even told anyone.

The email does not appear to have been sent to all of Amazon's customers. But based on tweets about the message, it was sent to many people who had no plans to need a baby registry anytime soon.

i know i've made a lot of bad late-night fugue state amazon decisions before but...did i...make a baby registry? am i preggo and i forgot? pic.twitter.com/UrROdFfgv5  mere (@mere_lyn) September 19, 2017

That moment when @amazon says a gift from your nonexistent baby registry is on its way and you legit think they know something you don't... pic.twitter.com/U4iHcsGM4j  Kati Wooten (@TheKatiWooten) September 19, 2017

A quick twitter search tells me I am not the only one who got an email from @amazon saying someone bought me something from my baby registry pic.twitter.com/Rc7NDY7fHg  Kristina (@BBKristina88) September 19, 2017

Prime members now receive baby registry gifts YEARS before having a baby. Now that's fast service. Thanks @amazon !  Blake Butterfield (@ButterfieldBB) September 19, 2017

Yes!!!! Someone purchased a gift from my Amazon Baby Registry ... Tho I don't have a baby registry. And I DON'T have a baby. #emailmarketing pic.twitter.com/b64J0GhB7l  S. S. (@sassymarketeer) September 19, 2017

Look, Amazon, I'm not pregnant and I don't have a baby registry, but if you want to send me a gift card for my imaginary bairn, go for it. pic.twitter.com/Xjyjn0DEvH  Sara Netzley (@SaraNetzley) September 19, 2017

Anyone else get a random baby registry email from Amazon? pic.twitter.com/mSa5iDpMZ6  Dustin Schultz (@schultzdustin) September 19, 2017

Twitter @chicagobluesky

UPDATES:

Update 8:30 a.m. Sept. 20: Adds comment from Amazon and apology.

Advertisement

This story was originally published 4:35 p.m. Sept. 19.
Wade Burgess, left, former Chicago-based vice president of talent solutions for LinkedIn, will join Shiftgig on Sept. 25. He succeeds co-founder and CEO Eddie Lou, right, who will become executive chairman. (LinkedIn photo; Kristan Lieb / Blue Sky )

Chicago startup Shiftgig, often described as a LinkedIn for hourly workers, has hired a longtime LinkedIn executive to replace co-founder Eddie Lou  as CEO, the company announced Tuesday.

Wade Burgess, former Chicago-based vice president of talent solutions for LinkedIn, will join Shiftgig on Sept. 25. Lou will become executive chairman.

Advertisement

"I met Wade earlier this year and felt that his experiences over the last 20 years  particularly at LinkedIn  and his leadership style will take us to bigger and taller heights," Lou said. "That experience that he had was perfect for what our ambitions are to grow at this company."

Lou said he'd been looking for CEO candidates for the last year and a half to two years, but never found the right person at the right time until now.

Advertisement

"I think there's tremendous opportunity in front of us," Lou said. "Someone who's experienced the growth from 300 to 10,000 employees, that is something that I can learn from and that can help Shiftgig reach its vision and mission faster than someone with my experiences."

Lou will continue to be on the executive team and will continue to be active full-time with Shiftgig, he said. Besides Lou, Shiftgig's board includes Sam Yagan, CEO of ShopRunner; James Liu, chief operating officer of Renren, one of the lead investors in Shiftgig's B round; and Mike Gamson, senior vice president of global solutions at LinkedIn. Burgess will join the board as well.

The two companies had similar beginnings. As employee 292 at LinkedIn, Burgess said he helped what began as a social network for individual businesspeople to launch a platform for companies. Among his biggest accomplishments was to help LinkedIn scale to a half-billion members and thousands of corporate customers from the U.S. to Europe to global, he said. The company is now owned by Microsoft.

"When I started at LinkedIn, the way in which professionals found companies and companies found them was an inefficient, laborious process," Burgess said, adding that professional hiring has since become much faster. "But the gig economy is new enough that it's still pretty inefficient. There's a back room somewhere on a spreadsheet or whiteboard in which people are going to plot out who will work which shifts and for what week, and that's pretty manual today."

Since Shiftgig launched in 2012 as a social network for restaurant and service workers, it has evolved into a marketplace that helps entities from Nike to the Olympics hire on-demand hourly workers the tech firm calls "specialists."

"As I think about the growth of Shiftgig, we had to do two things really well: one is build great technology and product, and two is to service our customers really well," Lou said. In June, the company hired Rick Bowman as chief technology officer; he had been chief software officer at Morningstar. "Now I feel we're bringing in a great CEO that helps have a focus on acquiring and servicing customers."

In January, Shiftgig raised $20 million in Series C funding plus an additional $3.5 million in February, bringing the company to a total of $59 million raised. That round supported hiring 100 workers in sales, marketing, operations and technology roles. Today, Shiftgig has 230 employees, with the majority in Chicago, and more than 2,300 client companies.

Lou wouldn't disclose revenue but said the platform connects workers and companies for 32,000 shifts per month, up from 18,000 to 19,000 per month a year ago. Shiftgig operates in 15 markets through 13 offices, including New York, Tampa, Memphis and Buenos Aires.

Advertisement

For Lou, the biggest challenges ahead are "to stay focused and hiring the right people for the right roles," he said. "We've seen a lot of growth geographically across many verticals. Clients are demanding other types of products that are similar."

Burgess plans to take time to assess the business before making any changes. His aim is to make sure the company has the right infrastructure and to explore new opportunities, including staffing firms, recruitment process outsourcing and other players and ecosystems for hiring and managing talent.

Burgess said the fit between the market and the product built under the current leadership is working. Now, "it's about acceleration and direction," he said.

Kate MacArthur is a freelance writer.

Twitter @KateMacArthur
After the U.S. government banned federal agencies from using Kaspersky Lab software last week, worries rippled through the consumer market for antivirus software. Best Buy and Office Depot said they will no longer sell software made by the Russian company, although one security researcher said most consumers don't need to be alarmed.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security cited concerns about possible ties between unnamed Kaspersky officials and the Kremlin and Russian intelligence services. The department also said Russian law might compel Kaspersky to assist the government in espionage.

Advertisement

Kaspersky has denied any unethical ties with Russia or any government. It said it will continue to get its product to customers "through its website and other prominent retailers." Kaspersky software is used by consumers in both free and paid versions, available online and in stores.

To uninstall or not to uninstall?

Should other users of Kaspersky software follow the U.S. government's lead? Some companies sought to tread carefully, addressing questions from customers who asked about it without alarming those that didn't.

Advertisement

"We've had few customers raise concerns, but for those that have, we've offered advice on how to remove Kaspersky from their computers," said Craig VerColen, spokesman for Boston-based software provider LogMeIn, which offers Kaspersky as a complementary perk to small businesses that buy its products.

Nicholas Weaver, a computer security researcher at UC Berkeley, called the U.S. government decision "prudent"  he had argued for such a step in July. But he added by email that "for most everybody else, the software is fine."

The biggest risk to U.S. government computers is if Kaspersky, based in Moscow, is subject to "government-mandated malicious update," Weaver wrote this summer.

Kaspersky products accounted for about 5.5% of anti-malware software products worldwide, according to research firm Statista.

Minimizing risk

Other experts, however, suggested that consumers should uninstall Kaspersky software to avoid any potential risks. Michael Sulmeyer, director of a cybersecurity program at Harvard, noted that antivirus software has deep access to the user's computer and network.

"Voluntarily introducing this kind of Russian software in a geopolitical landscape where the U.S.-Russia relationship is not good at all, I think, would be assuming too much risk," he said. "There are plenty of alternatives out there."

The government ban should alarm any company that has been relying on Kaspersky's software to protect its business, said Nate Fick, chief executive of computer security specialist Endgame.

"I don't think this is political posturing here, but a sign that there is some real risk," Fick said. As a result, he expects most companies to find an alternative to Kaspersky. "It is all about risk mitigation in cybersecurity, and this is an easy risk mitigation to make," he said.

Advertisement

Best Buy was the first big retailer this month to announce it would stop selling the software. Office Depot followed Thursday. Amazon and Staples are still offering it.

A Russian firm with ties to Russia?

Various U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies and several congressional committees are investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Kaspersky said it is not subject to the Russian laws cited in the directive and said information the company receives is protected in accordance with legal requirements and stringent industry standards, including encryption.

Company spokesman Anton Shingarov said that the U.S. ban was "part of a geopolitical game" and that "there is no proof provided of any improper ties to the Russian government."

Russia also came to the company's defense, with a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin criticizing the ban.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the U.S.' move "cast a shadow over the image of our American colleagues as reliable partners" and was designed to cripple Kaspersky's competitive advantage on the international market.
It's about time unruly passengers are held accountable, writes Robert Reed. A Hawaiian Airlines passenger was fined nearly $100,000 for his behavior. (PR Newswire)

A federal court recently ordered an unruly airline passenger to pay a fine of nearly $100,000 for disrupting a flight from Hawaii to New York City.

My reaction: Hurrah! It's about time.

Advertisement

Instances of boisterous and uncontrollable passenger behavior on commercial flights are occurring with disturbing frequency, creating dangerous situations for everyone on board, and making airline travel more of an adventure than it should be.

Sure, flying has become incredibly stressful but that's not an excuse for passengers acting out in the extreme. Smacking disrupters with a hefty penalty puts other knuckleheads on notice that causing trouble in the air can cost big bucks on the ground.

Advertisement

The enforcement action also gives some backup to flight attendants who are at the forefront of trying to simmer down difficult, often inebriated, passengers. In-flight behavior is so worrisome that a few international carriers are giving martial arts training to their flight attendants.

"There is rising tension on board our flights," said Sara Nelson, international president for the Association of Flight Attendants at a recent congressional hearing on the state of aviation. "De-escalating conflict between passengers has become a significant portion of work flight attendants perform on each flight."

Over the past five years, 53 percent of airlines say the number of unruly passengers has increased, according to the Canada-based International Air Transport Association, which represents 275 airlines.

In the past 12 months, 40 percent of airlines had to divert a flight because of a passenger behaving badly, the association adds.

Drinking and drugs seems to play an instrumental role in many of these incidents, with at least 23 percent of all reported cases being linked to such substance abuse. (The IATA contends these numbers are likely to "significantly underestimate" the extent of the problem.)

Some routes are known for being rowdier than others: Flights bound for Hawaii and shorter jaunts to Cancun, Mexico, or Las Vegas.

Apparently, transoceanic travel is problematic too. In recent years, British officials have tried to curtail the amount of liquor being served at airport bars and restaurants to passengers killing time before boarding.

While subduing out-of-line flyers falls primarily on the flight crew, the prosecution of troublemakers is usually left to the airlines and government attorneys. More often than not, the cases are not pursued.

Advertisement

In some situations, jurisdictions are difficult to determine (after all, they are occurring in the air) or prosecutors decide the incident isn't worth the taxpayer-backed cost of building a case.

United typically will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to pursue charges while American, the second-largest carrier flying from O'Hare International Airport, counts on law enforcement to take the lead.

Increasingly, however, the airline industry is urging prosecutors to pursue the most egregious cases, while also pressing the federal government to levy more administrative fines or court-imposed penalties on unruly passengers.

It's understandable that many travelers will bristle at the thought of the airlines getting tougher on the flying public.

By now, we're all pretty aware of the litany of indignities while flying, ranging from supertight travel restrictions to cramped airline seats. Toss in April's passenger-dragging incident of Dr. David Dao from a United regional jet and flyers aren't inclined to give airlines the benefit of the doubt.

But such frustrations can't allow dangerous in-flight behavior to go unchecked.

Advertisement

The passenger who was slammed with the $100,000 fine had become so aggressive with a crew member that the pilot had to turn around the November 2016 Hawaiian Airlines flight and go back to Honolulu, according to news reports. His check will go toward repaying the airline for some of the costs incurred because of his actions  including fuel, maintenance, ground crew and the price of finding passengers other flights.

The court made the right call.

Making unruly passengers pay sky-high fines could eventually mean smoother flights for everyone.

roreed@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @ReedTribBiz

[ Chase's $40M neighborhood revival plan will shake up local business giving  ]

[ Lots of outrage, but little else will come out of Equifax security breach  ]

[ Chicago CEOs should help bring Amazon's HQ to the city. Even if it's not in their best interest.  ]
For the year ended June 30, Centegra reported operating losses of $62.3 million, and attributed much of those losses to the costs of opening the 128-bed Centegra Hospital-Huntley last year. (John Konstantaras / Chicago Tribune)

Financially troubled Centegra Health System plans to eliminate 131 jobs and outsource another 230 positions, the northwest suburban hospital system announced Tuesday.

The layoffs and outsourcing come amid a time of financial stress for many hospitals nationwide and follow a year of steep losses for Centegra, which has hospitals in McHenry, Woodstock and Huntley.

Advertisement

For the year ended June 30, Centegra reported operating losses of $62.3 million, according to an unaudited financial statement. That's in contrast with $4.3 million in operating profit in 2016. Centegra attributed much of those losses to the costs of opening 128-bed Centegra Hospital-Huntley last year, higher-than-expected write-offs for unpaid patient bills and serving more patients on Medicare and Medicaid.

Medical staff will not be affected by the layoffs, said Centegra spokeswoman Michelle Green. Before the announcement the system had about 4,000 employees.

Advertisement

Employees who lose their jobs, which will include support and administrative workers, will receive full pay and benefits for 60 days, Green said. The system also plans to outsource 230 positions to nThrive, a company that runs the system's business office and information management department. All employees who are in those outsourced jobs will be offered positions with nThrive and continue working in their current locations.

Many hospitals in Illinois and across the country are facing similar financial pressures.

West suburban hospital system Edward-Elmhurst Health announced plans in August to cut $50 million in costs, also citing increasing numbers of Medicare and Medicaid patients and more patient bills going unpaid, among other things.

In May, Advocate Health Care announced it would make $200 million in cuts for many of the same reasons.

Centegra CEO Michael Eesley said in a memo to employees Tuesday that Centegra's cuts will help it deal with those strains.

"The difficult decision to balance our workforce through a reduction will ensure our health system is financially viable for years to come," Eesley wrote. "While this day marks a major step toward financial improvements, it brings change for people in a number of positions."

Green declined to make Eesley available for an interview Tuesday.

Centegra is also shifting and consolidating services. Last month Centegra Hospital-Woodstock stopped accepting most inpatients in a move meant to save money and increase efficiency. The Woodstock hospital still is providing emergency room care and mental health crisis stabilization as well as inpatient behavioral health services and outpatient imaging and lab services. Most patients who need overnight stays or surgery are being transferred to other hospitals.

Advertisement

Centegra has filed applications with the state's Health Facilities and Services Review Board to make the change permanent.

That change had already affected the jobs of hundreds of employees, though most of those affected were relocated within the system. Ten employees lost their jobs.

The system also plans to add an additional nine intensive care beds and nine medical-surgical beds to Centegra Hospital-McHenry, and shift some services to the Woodstock hospital.

Centegra is still in talks to join Northwestern Medicine in a deal expected to close next year, said Christopher King, a Northwestern spokesman, in an email.

lschencker@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lschencker
Michael Fassnacht, CEO and president of FCB Chicago, is photographed Sept. 12, 2017, in Chicago. Fassnacht, a native of Germany, is in the process of becoming an American citizen. (Michelle Kanaar/Chicago Tribune)

In a world where TV viewing is shifting to small mobile screens and online ads are targeted to an audience of one, Michael Fassnacht, CEO and president of FCB Chicago, is still thinking big.

Fassnacht, 50, helms one of the oldest and largest ad agencies in Chicago and sees the fragmenting media landscape as an opportunity for FCB to use its size, experience and diversity to create campaigns that break through the clutter and resonate with viewers.

Advertisement

Coming up with the big idea  the epiphanic moment that regularly saved everyone from Darrin Stephens to Don Draper in fictional TV ad agencies  is more important than ever for Fassnacht and FCB Chicago, whose client roster includes AB InBev brand Michelob Ultra, fruit spread-maker Smucker's and Choose Chicago, the city's convention and tourism bureau.

FCB Chicago traces its roots to Lord & Thomas, a Chicago ad agency founded in 1881, which evolved into Foote, Cone and Belding. In 2006, the agency merged with Draft, a Chicago-based marketing services firm, where Fassnacht was an executive.

Advertisement

Fassnacht took the reins at FCB Chicago, then known as DraftFCB, in 2010. FCB's global headquarters is in New York, but Chicago remains one of its largest offices, with more than 700 employees.

A native of Germany, Fassnacht is in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. He lives in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood with his wife and two children.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: How has the ad agency evolved under your leadership?

A: Any reinvention of a large organization is primarily driven by culture. One cultural change over the last couple of years: Over 50 percent of our leaders are women, which was not the case five or six years ago. We're really building a truly diverse organization that represents the United States of America in 2017.

Q: FCB Chicago traces its history back more than a century. What does the future look like under Michael Fassnacht?

A: I'm the 19th president of this organization. While we are proud of all of the work we have done in the past, we always have to ask ourselves, What's next? What's new? It's not just the digital revolution, but the fragmentation of media, artificial intelligence. That changes how we think about the work, how we build insights, how we create content. But the magic in our business has not disappeared. Big, creative ideas are as important as ever before.

Q: With everything from cord cutting to digital platforms disrupting traditional media, how does the traditional ad agency adapt and evolve?

Advertisement

A: So many people in our industry complain about media fragmentation. I love it for two reasons. One, we have so many more ways of expressing ourselves, so many more canvases we can put our ideas against. Before, it was your traditional TV spot. Now you have Facebook ads, you have an Instagram feed  you have so many different things. For us, it's a much better challenge and a much bigger opportunity.

Secondly, because of the fragmentation, we have to create better work. Because you don't have to watch what we produce. So our standard of doing relevant work is higher than ever before.

Q: Nineteenth-century Philadelphia department store pioneer John Wanamaker coined an advertising maxim that still resonates: "Half my advertising is wasted; I just don't know which half." Do we have a better idea of what works in the digital age?

A: Yes. Because of big data and some of the progress in scientific advertising, we understand the return on investment better than before. But I think the digital revolution had a lot of overpromise, and a lot of the digital media didn't comply with our high expectation on transparency. But overall I think we have a much better understanding of what creative works and what doesn't.

Q: Use of ad-blocking software grew 30 percent last year, according to Irish consulting firm PageFair. How do you overcome the latest technological obstacle to getting your ads viewed online?

A: It's just a bigger challenge to us to do better work that people are willing to watch and consume and engage with. We cannot waste people's time; we have to create something that's meaningful and relevant and engages them emotionally. That's our job every day.

Advertisement

Q: What kind of advertising town is Chicago?

A: Chicago as an advertising town is much more focused on doing work that has mass appeal. It is different than the coasts, who are maybe niche-focused sometimes. As a young creative, you can do more impactful work much earlier in your career than on the coasts.

Q: FCB has been Choose Chicago's agency of record since 2014. Chicago's image has taken a beating in recent years because of gun violence. How do you sell the city as a tourist destination against that backdrop?

A: People who come to Chicago as tourists really realize how amazing Chicago is, and that's the power that we want to always communicate. Tourists here experience Chicago very differently than other global cities. They're truly becoming part of the fabric of the city and don't have this distance to the city like when you go to London or New York or Paris.

We are focusing on the great things that Chicago offers. The tourists who come here  almost 55 million last year  they don't experience the negative that you read in the press about.

Q: You are in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen, and you oversee an agency with an international employee base and global aspirations. How does FCB Chicago navigate the more restrictive immigration policies being implemented by the Trump administration?

Advertisement

A: For me, as a business leader who is an immigrant, it's more important than ever before to create an environment where everyone feels accepted and can be their best self, independent of where they come from, what their sexual orientation is, their religion. We focus more than ever before to be a welcoming place and have people from all over the world come here and work. Because only when we do this can (we) be truly a world-class organization.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @RobertChannick

[ Shinola looks to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., and stakes a claim in Chicago  ]

[ Your next Thermos might be connected to the Internet  ]

[ Black lawyers must be 'conscience of the nation,' association president says  ]
After years of trying, Walgreens Boots Alliance has received clearance from the Federal Trade Commission to expand its business through the purchase of 1,932 Rite Aid stores for $4.38 billion.

The FTC had long resisted a deal between Deerfield-based Walgreens and competitor Rite Aid, forcing the two to revise terms of a transaction several times since they proposed their merger in 2015. Originally, Walgreens had hoped to buy all of Rite Aid, America's third-largest drugstore chain, in a deal then valued at $17.2 billion, including debt.

Advertisement

The deal announced Tuesday is smaller than the most recent agreement reached in June, which had Walgreens buying 2,186 Rite Aid stores (about half of Rite Aid's locations), three distribution centers and other inventory for $5.18 billion. The distribution centers and inventory remain part of the deal. Most of the stores it will buy are in the Northeastern and Southern U.S., and will be converted to Walgreens stores over time.

The transaction could increase Walgreens' ability to negotiate lower prices on products, including drugs, which could mean lower prices on some drugs for consumers, said Vishnu Lekraj, a senior analyst with Morningstar. It also allows the chain to expand its market share and go into new markets more cheaply than if it'd opened its own stores.

Advertisement

The smaller deal was "based on ongoing conversations with the FTC," said Walgreens spokesman Michael Polzin in an email.

"In the grand scheme of things, we think what they got will help them in the long run," said John Boylan, a senior equity analyst for Edward Jones.

Walgreens expects to wrap up the store purchases by spring 2018. Asked whether Walgreens plans to close any stores, Polzin said Walgreens will review its new network of stores "with a focus on customer access to convenient care," and provide more information as decisions are made.

Walgreens had 8,175 stores before the Rite Aid deal, meaning it will have have more locations than rival CVS if it keeps all its current stores and those it's acquiring.

"This is a significant moment for our company, and we are excited about the opportunities this agreement will deliver for our customers and patients, employees and investors," said Stefano Pessina, Walgreens executive vice chairman and CEO, in a news release.

One of Walgreens' biggest challenges will be converting the Rite Aid stores. "They're going to have to go through and reinvest and revamp a lot of these Rite Aid stores in order to get them up to par," Lekraj said.

Boylan said integrating the new stores will likely mean Walgreens won't try to expand further, at least in terms of square footage, for the time being.

Though it took longer than expected to gain the FTC's blessing, Lekraj said it would have been difficult for Walgreens to have known exactly how much resistance it would face when it first embarked on the acquisition. He said the FTC had been concerned that the acquisition would allow Walgreens to dominate the market in certain areas, limiting competition.

Advertisement

lschencker@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lschencker
Many Mexican spirits derive from agave, a succulent with a sugar-filled heart that's cooked, smashed, fermented and distilled to yield tequila and mezcal. Undoubtably you've heard of and most likely tried them. But what about tuxca, sikua, bacanora and raicilla? Each is also derived from agave.

Mexico in a Bottle, an annual event that celebrates Mexican culture by exploring the increasingly popular spirits of our southwestern neighbor, will give you a chance to try them. Starting in San Francisco, and organized by Susan Coss and Max Garrone of Mezcalistas, Mexico in a Bottle came to Chicago last year; this year, it returns Oct. 15 at Chop Shop, with bottlings from more than 30 brands, plus eats from such restaurants as Birreria Zaragoza, Dove's Luncheonette, Lena Brava, Presidio Chicago and Quiote.

Advertisement

To say these agave-based spirits are lesser known than mezcal is a tremendous understatement. Last summer in Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city, I walked into La Europea, perhaps the most well-stocked liquor store in the city. Presenting the clerk with a slip of paper on which I'd written "tuxca" and "sikua" (to ensure nothing was lost in translation), I was informed that he didn't carry  and moreover had never heard of  tuxca or sikua.

Not long ago, mezcal itself was relatively obscure, shrouded in mystery, conveying an outlaw vibe. Now, of course, a new mezcal bar seems to open weekly. Mexico in a Bottle deals with many mezcals, and tuxca, for instance, is technically another type of mezcal. Here are just a few of the spirits that will be served at Mexico in a Bottle, many of which are hard to find  even in Mexico.

Advertisement

Tuxca, just now being imported into the U.S. for the first time, is an ancestral agave distilled spirit produced in the Tuxcacuesco region of Jalisco. It's made the same way as other ancestral mezcals: roasted in a pit, macerated by hand and fermented in wooden barrels using ambient yeasts. I found tuxca to have a lot of dimension, very pleasantly grassy and briny.

Sikua is made only in the central Mexican state of Michoacan, and it's been around since well before the word "mezcal" was given legal protection with a Denomination of Origin. (It's now a protected name, like Champagne or Parmigiano-Reggiano.) Like all these regional mezcals, the different environments and agave plants available in Michoacan yield a spirit with its own personality.

Bacanora received its own Denomination of Origin in 2000, and it's made in the same way as other ancestral mezcals, only in the far northern Mexican state of Sonora.

Raicilla, known colloquially as "hillbilly tequila," is a kind of agave-based moonshine made in Jalisco's mountains and coastal regions. Years ago, when I sampled raicilla outside Puerto Vallarta, I hated it and concluded that I just didn't like the stuff. But recently, I tried La Venenosa raicilla and was surprised how much I liked it. The moral here is that if at first you don't enjoy one of these relatively new-to-Chicago spirits, try another brand before you conclude that it isn't for you.

Mexico in a Bottle will also be serving sotol and charanda. Sotol is made in much the same way as mezcal, but from the dasilyrion, a spiky desert plant. Charanda is a rum from Michoacan, and although rum is produced all over the Caribbean, Mexican rum until now has taken a distant backseat to tequila and, more recently, mezcal. Paranubes rum is becoming very popular in Chicago: When it was introduced a few months back, six locations in Chicago bought all of the state's allocation; it's that good. Paranubes is a fascinating sip.

Mexico in a Bottle, 3-7 p.m. Oct. 15, Chop Shop, 2033 W. North Ave. Tickets are $55-$65, which includes food and Mexican spirits tastings, www.mexinabottle.com

David Hammond is a freelance writer.






The short rib pappardelle will be on the menu at Porter Kitchen & Deck, which opened Monday. (Emily Mortier)

THE LOOP  Serving up cold-pressed juices and fully customizable stir-fry combinations, Honeygrow will open its second location Oct. 20. The new location will feature seasonal salads and a build-your-own honeybar, a mixed fruit base with toppings and honey drizzles. 70 E. Lake St., www.honeygrow.com

RIVER NORTH  Lobster, crab and shrimp on buttery rolls from Luke's Lobster have landed at the Merchandise Mart. This is the restaurant's second location in Chicago, and it launches with free lobster rolls Tuesday. (Details here.)222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza,www.lukeslobster.com

Advertisement

WEST LOOP GATE  Professionals, residents and visitors will have a new place to experience American-inspired fare at Porter Kitchen & Deck, which opened Monday. Patrons can enjoy a wide selection of shareables and signature dishes paired with a craft cocktail or martini on two outdoor spaces. 150 N. Riverside Plaza, www.porterchicago.com

SOUTH LOOP  Fans of seafood boils can get their fix at the second Lowcountry location, opening early next year. From shrimp, to king crab, to mussels, the new location will introduce combos and mix-and-match options to be washed down with beer towers and punch bowls. 1132 S. Wabash Ave.,www.lowcountrychicago.com

Advertisement

WEST ROGERS PARK  Stretchy pants are a must at Sushi World, which features all-you-can-eat sushi and maki roll specials. For non-sushi lovers, teriyaki and fried rice options are also available. 6251 N. McCormick Blvd., www.sushiworldchicago.com

UPTOWN  Longacre has reopened with an updated menu that includes soups and salads, DNAinfo first reported. The restaurant will still feature its square-shaped, Detroit-style pizza and will also include vegan options. 1309 W. Wilson Ave., www.longacrechicago.com

ICYMI

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

THE LOOP  A new food hall, Forum 55, will be offering breakfast and lunch options from 10 stalls and a marketplace while also supporting young, female and minority entrepreneurs.

NORTH CENTER  Kitsune's Iliana Regan is launching a meal-delivery service that will bring Kitsune Kits of Japanese-inspired dishes to your doorstep.

CLOSINGS

WEST TOWN  Perez Restaurant will close Sept. 30 after 33 years because of a rent hike, DNAinfo reports. Owner Jose Perez said he could no longer afford the rent and is unsure if he will open elsewhere.

NORTH CENTER  Fast-casul Nazka Peruvian Wok will close after less than two months, DNAinfo reports. Owner Eni Cadena said the restaurant was closing because of "unforeseen and very difficult family circumstances."

Advertisement

gwong@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GraceWong630






"The first thing to pop out at me when I first started were the 1973 and 1975 Petrus," recalls Jared Gelband, wine director for The Italian Village trio of restaurants in Chicago's Loop. "They were marked $1,500 and $1,800, and I just thought, 'There's something wrong here.'"

Gelband was floored: The wines should have been sold for twice, three times as much. "Did the former wine director lower the price before leaving, so he could come back and drink cheaply, and hope I didn't catch it?"

Advertisement

Gelband, who started at Italian Village a year and a half ago, took up the pricing with Ray Capitanini, second-generation owner, alongside his brother Frank, of Italian Village. It wasn't just the Petrus  wines with cult followings (and limited availability) like Montevertine's La Pergole Torte single-vineyard ($180) or Carpineto's 1986 Vin Santo del Chianti ($120) are accessibly priced. "I asked if he wanted me to adjust the pricing accordingly  in any other restaurant, (the Petrus) would be almost $5,000 bottles  but he told me, 'Keep it like that. I want people to enjoy these wines.'"

That point of view dominates everything at Italian Village.

Advertisement

Even as the Loop has transformed over the years, the Italian Village family of restaurants (contemporary Vivere on the ground floor, lower-level watering hole La Cantina and old-school Italian Village on the second floor) has stayed the course since being founded in 1927 by Alfredo Capitanini. Avoiding shifting food trends by appealing to loyal regulars and their whims, the Capitanini family has quietly served classic Italian fare to generations of prom-going teens, opera divas and theatergoers.

This fall, the restaurant celebrates its 90th year, with the next generation at the helm. "In times of uncertainty, people look for comfort," says Gina Capitanini, daughter of Frank and third-generation owner of the restaurants. "We know our regulars by name, what booth they sit in. We're a comfort."

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 8 Owners Frank Capitanini, from left, Gina Capitanini and Ray Capitanini outside their restaurant Italian Village. Brothers Frank and Ray are second generation, while Gina, daughter of Frank, is a third generation owner. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

In many ways, that comfort extends to the wine list, built from the ground up by Ray in 1981.

"When I started, our wines were nothing to write about, nothing exceptional," says Ray Capitanini. Then he met with wine consultant Tom Abruzzini, Ray's "mentor and tormentor," who enforced a breakneck tasting session of 500 wines in the course of a day or two, or until the wee hours of the morning. "We'd be here until 4 a.m., tasting."

Armed with his crash-course wine education and Abruzzini's connections, Ray built the wine list with an eye toward classic wines from up and down Italy  Piedmont's Barolos and Barbarescos, Tuscany's Brunellos and Chianti Classicos, Veneto's Amarones.

By 1984, the restaurant was recognized by Wine Spectator magazine for its robust wine program. As reported by the Tribune that year, Wine Spectator described Italian Village's wine list: "as exhaustive as any French list, with great rarities" among its 25,000-bottle cellar.

"The market for wine drinkers wasn't there when I started to build the cellar," says Ray, but "I carried cases up three flights, tasted wines, did the work to build a great list."

Though the restaurant no longer holds the Grand Award distinction, it is still classified under Wine Spectator's two-glass "Best of" category. Today, the collection boasts 30,000 bottles made up of 1,200 different labels and vintages, managed meticulously by Gelband in all three Italian Village restaurants. But why are wines like the Petrus priced so low?

Advertisement

"When Ray started, they were buying the wines at 1981 prices  at the time, the markup was appropriate for the bottles," says Gelband. The depth of the cellar and the quantity purchased allowed the wines to age quietly and gather dust  over time, the restaurant no longer felt the brunt of the original purchase, and even though the prices have been lightly adjusted, the wines remain more or less priced as they were back then.

"You're not going to see that kind of value on wines I'm buying from the 2013, 2014 vintages," says Gelband. "Those will be priced accordingly."

And that '75 Petrus? Gelband sold it months ago and was rewarded by the guest with a full glass of it. "Ray came up to me after I sold it and asked me, 'Guess how much I bought that wine for?'" says Gelband. "He paid $175."

Speaking with Gelband in the "wine cellar in the sky," the third-floor, temperature-controlled storage space housing the dust-gathering bottles, the word "institution" comes up a lot. "It's a very humble restaurant," says Gelband of Italian Village. "We're not out here doing crazy advertising or marketing  we have wine drinkers who know to come here and keep it to themselves. It's only fair that I uphold the legacy of great bottles, so guests have something to look forward to in the next 90 years."

Gelband has some favorites on the 50-page list  truly, a tome  particularly those boasting a number of vintages. Wines by Tenuta d'Ornellaia  particularly the Masseto and Ornellaia bottlings  are available in multiple vintages, snagged years ago and left to gently age in the wine cellar. Though the prices, ranging from $550 to $900, are no drop in the bucket, they're relatively affordable by restaurant wine markup standards. "These wines aren't for everyone, but they do have a history," says Gelband, "and we don't mark them up four times."

The strength of the wine program goes beyond fair pricing. The wine cellar's breadth, a collection sourced from up and down Italy's boot plus its islands and classic selections from France, Spain and the United States, is equally matched by its depth. The vertical offerings, or different vintages of the same wine, allow curious drinkers (with beaucoup bucks) to time travel and taste how climate and the years have affected wines like the celebrated Super Tuscan labels Masseto, Sassicaia and Ornellaia (which revolutionized Italian winemaking in the '70s and '80s), or non-Italian stunners, such as Domaine de la Romanee-Conti's 1991 Romanee-St. Vivant and Penfolds Grange 1990.

Advertisement

The wines have been properly stored, which also increases the value for a collector or oenophile seeking out once-in-a-lifetime experiences. "We haven't moved some of these wines for 15, 20 years after buying them. They're ready to drink," says Gelband. Of course, storage also takes up precious restaurant real estate for more inexpensive bottles that are more likely to sell quickly, but Gelband (and by extension, Ray) doesn't bat an eye.

"I love being able to offer different vintages to guests willing to explore," he says. "There are treasures here."

In celebration of the 90th anniversary, Gelband is looking to shine a light on the family's hard work in developing the wine cellar. Wine dinners have not been a big focus for the restaurants, says Gelband, but he hopes to change that by highlighting the family's connections to wines in the cellars, starting with a 90th-anniversary dinner featuring the wines of Castello Monsanto from Chianti Classico on Oct. 24.

When he first took over the cellar, Gelband consulted archived wine lists from over the years and noted the storied wines of Monsanto (specifically, the Il Poggio single-vineyard wines). "Dinners are a great way to showcase old wines in a vertical format," says Gelband. "Ray was one of the first people to bring the Bianchi family's wines into the States  he just loved these wines. He built up the relationship, and I'm here to keep it together."

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

The Monsanto Il Poggio wines on the list, the '68 and '71, reflect their original markup, an unheard of $200 and $210, respectively, but Gelband is rebuilding the vertical for the dinner by seeking out a mix of older and recent vintages. He will be serving bottles from 1968, '77, '82, '99, '06, '07, '10, '11, and '12.

Special dinners are only one way Gelband hopes to show off the library of wines. The other is the increasingly popular Coravin, a device that allows one to extract wine from a bottle without removing the cork. ( A needle inserted through the cork and into the bottle allows the wine to pour into the glass.) This is especially useful with older bottles, which may have iffy corks, or rare, hard-to-find bottles. "It allows me to offer exciting, rare wines by the glass at a reasonable price," says Gelband.

Advertisement

As long as Italian Village, Vivere and Cantina continue to pack in diners, Gelband says he'll continue pushing the special nature of the wine line.

"It's bittersweet, as a wine director, to sell the last bottles of some of the rarer stuff. But then I think that's the point  to get people drinking some history, and for me to make sure that 90 years down the road, the next generations have something good to drink."

Italian Village's Monsanto wine dinner will host special guest Laura Bianchi, owner of Castello Monsanto. $250 per person, at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24 in Vivere (ground level), 71 W. Monroe St., 312-332-7005, italianvillage-chicago.com. Check with the restaurant for other special anniversary specials and discounts.

jbhernandez@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @joeybear85

[ What you need to know about sangiovese, Italy's biggest-selling grape  ]

[ New West Loop wine bar wants you to relax, drink, enjoy  ]

[ In the mood for wine: Where and how you enjoy it affects what you think  ]






It may be 7,536 miles away from her own kitchen in Tel Aviv, but I can just see my 95-year-old mother jotting down suggestions for what she thinks my sister in Los Angeles should serve on Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year that starts at sundown Wednesday. Her selections are predictable: homemade challah; chicken soup with kneidlach; vegetarian chopped liver (in the old days it was the real McCoy); roasted chicken (she no longer eats red meat) accompanied by a tzimmes and numerous other side dishes; and a fruit compote with her famous mandelbrot or a honey cake for dessert.



My mother's preferences for Rosh Hashana fare are traditional, things her Odessa-born Russian mother and generations of Ashkenazi Jews would have made in the old country. It's a menu that evolved based on the limited number of seasonal foods that were available. Yet symbolism also played a fascinating role in the evolution of Jewish holiday cuisine, and not just on Rosh Hashana. Throughout the Jewish year, seasonal foods are incorporated into special dishes that have become the caretakers of our wishes, laden with symbols from Jewish history, and collective memories of nature in the biblical land.



Today, these same symbolic foods can still be a part of tradition, though we might prefer to have them updated a little.



Foodstuffs were among the first symbols in Judaism, beginning from the fateful day when God chastised Adam and Eve for eating that forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. In biblical times, the grapevine symbolized security and well-being, peace, quiet and abundance, as did the fig tree. ("They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree / And none shall make them afraid.") The grape was so revered that it is the only fruit to have its own blessing (when consumed as wine).



The pomegranate held even greater symbolic richness. King Solomon graced the pillars of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem with carvings of pomegranates, and the Bible required that they adorn the priests' garb as well. Its form embellished coinage of old, and the tufted crown of the pomegranate is purported to be the first inspiration for the kingly headdress.



The complement of bell and fruit held particular significance for the ancients. Bells symbolized the male pomegranate flower, the fruit the fertilized female. In the Song of Songs, pomegranates are used as a metaphor for beauty  "Thy temples are like a pomegranate split open behind thy veil"  and in later days the fruits were used to decorate the booths (sukkot) on the Feast of Tabernacles. According to legend, the pomegranate contains exactly 613 seeds, the number of commandments in the Torah that Jews are instructed to perform, and an ancient custom suggests that on Rosh Hashana, the Day of Judgment, we should consume a pomegranate to remind the Creator of all the good deeds we have (we hope) done in the last year.



This year, as in centuries past, Jews from all over the world will devote some element of their Rosh Hashana menu to symbolic foods. Most will dip sliced apple in honey, a late-medieval Ashkenazi tradition to symbolize our wishes for a sweet new year to come. A round challah will substitute for the usual elongated loaf shape, symbolizing the cycle of the year and the continuity of creation, and pieces of it will be dipped in honey, rather than the traditional salt.





Other dishes were chosen because their names in Yiddish, Hebrew, Aramaic or even Ladino, have connotations suitable to the holiday: The custom of eating tzimmes a carrot-based Ashkenazi stew traditionally served on Rosh Hashana, derives from the fact that the Yiddish word for carrots,

Advertisement

merren

, also means "more" or "increased." Sliced into coin-shaped pieces, they symbolize a wish for "more" health and wealth for ourselves and our children. Even

Advertisement

kreplach

 small stuffed pasta dumplings  hold symbolic significance: An ancient mystical tradition suggests that since the new moon is nearly invisible at Rosh Hashana, some holiday foods should be "covered" or hidden as well.

But in Sephardic communities, once dispersed throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa, living in a climate similar to that of Israel, the plenteous selection of fruits and vegetables together with a Talmudic passage written in Aramaic evolved into a pre-meal Rosh Hashana Blessings Tray ceremony characterized by the eating of their own symbolic foods.

"At the beginning of each year a person should accustom himself to eat gourds, fenugreek, leeks, beets, and dates," the rabbis of the Talmud said, interpreted in later years to mean the consumption of foods seen as "omens" with mystical powers, or a subtle way of asking God to fulfill our needs. Fenugreek, for example, or

rubia

in Aramaic sounds, like

yirbu

 "increase"  and its accompanying blessing asks that our merits be multiplied. Dates, or

Advertisement

tamar

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

in Hebrew, sounds like the Aramaic word

yitamu

, which means "will stop"; asking protection from our enemies and all those who wish us ill. A sheep or fish head (vegetarians can substitute a head of cabbage, garlic or broccoli) symbolizes our desire to "be at the head and not at the tail."

Although we are of Ashkenazi descent, in my home we have also adopted the Blessings Tray ceremony, and added a bowl of assorted items (such as a key and a peach) with which family members can invent their own blessings ("may we have the key to health this year," "may we have a peachy year"), just for fun.

But for extra blessings (you can never have too many), these same symbolic foods of Rosh Hashana can be woven into the holiday meal (the leeks and apples in soup, honey with chicken and pomegranates in the form of wine in the dessert), to create a festive dinner that is rich in meaning, even though it might be a little more modern than what my mother would have ordered.

Advertisement

I think she would approve.

food@latimes.com
"A play is rarely given a second chance," Arthur Miller once wrote. He who was right about so many perils of the human condition was wrong about that. To wit: Director Ivo van Hove's desperate, despairing, heart-pounding 2015 Broadway revival of "A View From the Bridge," now on a tour of major American cities and landed like a roaring child of Zeus at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.

I don't mean to imply that "View"  the tragedy of a Brooklyn longshoreman named Eddie Carbone whose smothering, inappropriate affection for his orphaned niece Catherine leads him into combat with a pair of undocumented immigrants sheltering under his proud roof  ever was in need of redemption, notwithstanding its lack of box-office success on Broadway in 1955. Miller merely was ahead of his audience back then; not for the last time.

Advertisement

It's that great masterworks of dramatic literature  and this is most assuredly one  get their second, third, fourth, fifth chances when the world spins in such a way as to catch them up.

Consider, for example, how much internal agony America is currently experiencing over matters of immigration, especially our moral and obligations to political and economic refugees. That anguish is at the core of "A View From the Bridge," which, speaking of current debate, you could also view  especially in van Hove's production  as the tragic howl, the dangerous final lashings, the self-immolating aria of a privileged white male who, like most of us men from Oedipus on down, has tragically failed to understand that the world is always in motion and humans are perpetually in decay.

Advertisement

Those are current obsessions and here's the play for them. They're writ large in a production that you might think takes all kinds of risks and imposes all manner of auteur liberties, and you would not wholly be wrong there, given the lack of an intermission (all the better to intensify the drama), the sticky blood bath that makes up the climax, the overwhelming visual sense of all these human players flailing around and making each other miserable, even as a giant press prepares to reduce them all to coffee grounds, a fate that awaits us all.

You'll see all of that, probably more literally than you will expect. One profound takeaway from this production is that there is nothing more absurd in the world than allowing familial battles for power and control to overwhelm love and empathy. What's the point? We're all headed back to the earth.

That was the way van Hove's work, especially as paired with the designer Jan Versweyveld, hit me when I first saw it on Broadway (the cast was different then, but the touring performers, especially Daniel Abeles, Catherine Combs and Andrus Nichols, are equally unstinting and in sync with the whole).

This time I feel I better understood that van Hove's relentless minimalism actually returns this work more closely to what Miller first intended, before he was buffeted by his audience's inability to escape their obsession with situational realism and embrace the single greatest gift Miller ever gave us, the fusion of America and tragedy.

In a 1960 essay, Miller wrote about how that first 1955 New York production of "View" was "hard, telegraphic, unadorned drama." He said that "nothing was permitted which did not advance the progress of Eddie's catastrophe in a most direct way." Audiences struggled with that, he found out. And Peter Brook then directed a more palatable London version the following year that suggested Eddie was (in Miller's words) "living out his horror in the midst of a certain normality." Miller, often a pragmatist, bowed to his moment and even changed his script. It is the way this play most usually has been done.

Until this show.

Van Hove went back to the hard  the achingly tough  and the unadorned, for sure, and in so doing he makes the point that Miller was right the first time, when he took a real-life story that some waterfront worker had told him in Brooklyn and turned it into an American tragedy. In this show, Ian Bedford's Eddie is on a path to self-destruction from the get-go and there is nothing anything can do to stop him, even when Brandon Espinoza's quietly terrifying Marco rises up in resistance. As you watch, you'll find yourself alongside the terrified narrator Alfieri (Ezra Knight), not so much debating the rectitude, or lack thereof, of Eddie's position as understanding how he has no choice, given where and when he has found himself to be living, the flaws with which he must live and the irrevocable choices he already has made. You will find yourself admiring this as you hate Eddie. Just like Alfieri. And Miller.

People often think tragedies are about people who make bad choices and suffer for them. They're really about people who cannot change who they are, however hard they try, and who crash and burn when the world casts them from its center as it spins on into oblivion.

Advertisement

That's what van Hove has been revealing since this remarkable piece of theater first showed up at London's Young Vic Theater. It's world-class drama, re-invigorated with a strong new cast and sitting in a city full of people who won't want to miss what it could make them feel.

I only wish I could report that van Hove's equally awesome 2016 Broadway revival of "The Crucible" was coming next to the Goodman (there are no plans, alas), but then this "A View From the Bridge" is a crucible all its own.

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.

cjones5@chicagotribune.com

Review: "A View From the Bridge" (4 stars)

When: Through Oct. 22

Advertisement

Where: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.

Running time: 2 hours

Tickets: $25-$95 (subject to change) at 312-443-4800 or www.goodmantheatre.org

Enjoy someone else's drama A great theater city deserves a great theater critic. Enter Chris Jones. Subscribe now and get 4 weeks of full access for only 99.

[ RELATED: Director Ivo van Hove talks about 'View From the Bridge' and being wrong about Arthur Miller  ]

[ Fall Theater Top 10: 'Minutes' to 'Margaritaville,' too many titles for this list  ]

[ Fall Arts Preview 2017: All our critics' recommendations for what's on  ]







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)
Political commentator Scottie Nell Hughes, who this year said she was raped in July 2013 by Fox Business Network host Charles Payne, made that allegation in a civil lawsuit filed Monday.

Payne was suspended from his role as an on-air host July 6 while the allegations, made to Fox News and its parent, 21st Century Fox, were being investigated by the law firm Paul, Weiss. Payne was cleared in the investigation and returned to his hosting duties on Fox Business Network on Sept. 8.

Advertisement

Hughes' suit in a federal court in New York names Payne, 21st Century Fox and Fox News. Hughes also alleges that she was coerced into a sexual relationship with Payne in order to keep getting appearances on the network, which she believed would lead to a job as a commentator at Fox News.

Hughes, a Republican commentator and a supporter of President Trump, said her opportunities to appear on Fox Business Network and Fox News stopped after her relationship with Payne ended in 2016, and she tried to bring the allegations to the attention of Fox News management.

Advertisement

Payne denied all of Hughes' accusations when they were first made in July. A Fox News spokesperson said the lawsuit has "absolutely no merit."

Jonathan Halpern, a lawyer representing Payne, said in a statement: "My client Charles Payne vehemently denies any wrongdoing and will defend himself vigorously against this baseless complaint. We are confident that when the evidence is presented in this case, Mr. Payne will be fully vindicated and these outrageous accusations against him will be confirmed as completely false."

Hughes' lawsuit also says Fox News and two of its executives, Dianne Brandi and Irena Briganti, were responsible for leaking the story that Payne and Hughes were involved in what was described as a romantic affair.

"As alleged in the complaint, after Ms. Hughes confidentially reached out to Fox to disclose that she was sexually assaulted and raped by Fox anchor Charles Payne, Fox ruthlessly leaked her name to a reporter at the National Enquirer, along with a self-serving 'statement' by Payne apologizing for what he falsely described as an 'affair,'" Hughes' attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said in a statement. "We intend to aggressively litigate Ms. Hughes' claims and hold Fox accountable to the fullest extent under the law."

The Los Angeles Times previously reported the charges against Payne but did not name Hughes because of the allegations that she was a victim of sexual assault.

The Fox News spokesperson said it will "vigorously" defend the lawsuit.

"The latest publicity stunt of a lawsuit filed by Doug Wigdor has absolutely no merit and is downright shameful," the spokesperson said. "We will vigorously defend this. It's worth noting that Doug is Ms. Hughes' third representative in the last six months to raise some variation of these claims which concern events from four years ago, since it apparently took some time to find someone willing to file this bogus case."

stephen.battaglio@latimes.com

Advertisement

Twitter: @SteveBattaglio
Los Tigres del Norte, the legendary regional Mexican band famous for its corridos, are no strangers to taking a stand against those who target Latinos and immigrant communities in the United States.



Following the announcement of the rescinding of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program in early September, the group voiced their support for DACA recipients on social media.



Jorge Hernandez, the lead vocalist for the group, reaffirmed the band's backing of those affected by the legislation.



"These young people came to this country without being guilty of anything and shouldn't suffer these harsh consequences. We join them to give them the support they deserve. Whatever we do and participate into helping them, we will be ready," he told HOY. "I believe that we will have a very positive result. [The 'Dreamers'] are a large part of the community and we cannot let this new generation, a crucial part of the progress of this country, to fall."
"Sourdough" by Robin Sloan, narrated by Therese Plummer, Macmillan, 6:47

Therese Plummer, veteran narrator of more than 300 audiobooks, brings a delightfully loopy creativity to the delightfully loopy novel "Sourdough," a story built around a mysterious sourdough starter. Critical to the plot are two Mazg brothers, Beoreg and Chaiman. You know the Mazg, right? Those people who live in anonymous communities all over the world, generally on second floors? They are apt to relocate frequently, and their legends, lives and traditions involve yeast, food and music. Plummer creates deceptively familiar accents for the brothers, and the audiobook producers enhance the effect by creating dreamlike Mazg hold music that plays every time Lois Clary calls the brothers' restaurant for takeout. Their spicy soup and sourdough quickly become Lois' main sustenance, her one oasis of calm and comfort in a stressful life at General Dexterity, where she works as a computer coder in the area of robot proprioception (which Plummer may be forgiven for repeatedly mispronouncing). Proprioception is how we perceive what our limbs are doing and how they are oriented. Did I mention robots also have a part to play here? And an alpaca? And a food replacement called "Slurry"? And The Lois Club, which is actually a real thing? When Beoreg gives some of his sourdough starter to Lois, it remakes her life, robots and, for one yeasty moment, a corner of San Francisco.

Advertisement

"Beautiful Animals" by Lawrence Osborne, narrated by Tim Campbell, HighBridge, 7:47

American Tim Campbell's voice  precise, privileged, rumbling and very British  conjures the languid summering of wealthy families on the Greek Island of Hydra and gently ratchets up the tension as things go awry for the two main characters, a young British woman, Naomi Codrington, and an American vacationing on the island for the first time, Samantha Haldane. Although Campbell has narrated more than 130 audiobooks, most are romance, fantasy and thrillers. On "Beautiful Animals" he masters a far subtler work, though also a thriller  Lawrence Osborne's fourth novel in five years. Twenty-four-year-old Naomi is a familiar figure on Hydra, staying every year with her parents at a big house built high above the port. She takes an interest in Sam, a few years her junior, enduring pleasant boredom with her family. Sam is drawn to the older girl, who carries a whiff of sophistication and something else. Naomi's father says she has a "talent for secrecy," and Sam senses this, noting that Naomi controls her smile "the way a child manipulates a kite." As the two women begin planning outings together, Sam senses a subtle tug, feeling "for a moment that she was the kite this time." And kite is the role she'll play, tugging and bouncing at the end of the string, but always, ultimately, following, as Naomi launches a plan to help a refugee they find sleeping on a rocky beach. Is there any doubt that this cannot end well?

Advertisement

"The Home Front," produced by Dan Gediman and Martha Little, narrated by Martin Sheen, Audible, 8:12

Martin Sheen proves a smooth and skillful guide through the thought-provoking Audible Original series "The Home Front: Life in America During World War II." But for all Sheen brings to production, the real stars of this 16-part series are the people who tell their own stories of America during this critical period. This sweeping survey  created by Dan Gediman, executive producer of the long-running "This I Believe" series  makes adroit use of several audio archives to reveal the character of a nation at war. From the first installment, these voices bring us a different America, one of musical regional accents, full of innocence, sweetness and sometimes bluster. The result is an intimate portrait that goes beyond patriotism, revealing the rapid social change war preparations demanded: families from the Dust Bowl states and the South either brought their regional prejudices with them as they traveled to new military industry jobs or learned to embrace a different world. Women entered industry and joined the military  a development far more disruptive than seems possible today. Some women pilots died when men put sugar in fuel tanks. African-Americans answering the call to defend a nation found themselves consigned to scut work and assaulted by Southern police. No, this isn't the America of the World War II-era films. It's a richer, sometimes darker, always more complicated and far more interesting place, one with challenges we still struggle with today. (Series is available for free through November.)

Jenni Laidman is a freelancer.






Angela Cooper arrived home from work to discover that her daughter's temperature had spiked to 102 degrees, a sign that the teenager, who has cancer, had a potentially deadly bloodstream infection. As Cooper rushed her daughter to the hospital, her mind raced: Had she done something to cause the infection?

Cooper, who works at a Chevy dealership in Iowa, has no medical background. She is one of thousands of parents who perform a daunting medical task at home - caring for a child's catheter, called a central line, that is inserted in the arm or torso to make it easier to draw blood or administer drugs.

Advertisement

Central lines, standard for children with cancer, lead directly to a large vein near the heart. They allow patients with cancer and other conditions to leave the hospital and receive antibiotics, liquid nutrition and even chemotherapy at home. But families must perform daily maintenance that, if done incorrectly, can lead to blood clots, infections and even death.

As more medical care shifts from hospital to home, families take on more complex, risky medical tasks for their loved ones. But hospitals have not done enough to help these families, said Amy Billett, director of quality and safety at the cancer and blood disorders center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital.

Advertisement

"The patient-safety movement has almost fully focused all of its energy and efforts on what happens in the hospital," she said. That's partly because the federal government does not require anyone to monitor infections that patients get at home.

Even at the well-resourced, Harvard-affiliated cancer center, parents told Billett in a survey that they did not get enough training and did not have full confidence in their ability to care for their child at home.

The center was overwhelming parents by waiting until the last minute to inundate them with instructions - some of them contradictory - on what to do at home, Billett said.

An external central line, which has an end that lies outside the body, must be cleaned every day. Caregivers have to scrub the hub at the end of the line for 15 seconds, then flush it with a syringe full of saline or anticoagulant.

If caregivers don't scrub properly, they can flush bacteria into the tube, and - whoosh - the bacteria enter a major vein close to the heart, Billett said. One father, noting that the hub looked dirty, scrubbed it with a pencil eraser, sending three types of bacteria into his child's bloodstream, she said.

Monitoring infections

Learning the cleaning steps was "very nerve-racking," recalled Cooper, whose 18-year-old daughter, Jaycee Gray, has had a central line since April to receive treatment for a rare type of blood cancer.

"You can scrub and scrub and scrub, and it doesn't feel like it's clean enough," she said. Parents must keep track of other rules, too, such as covering up the central line before the child gets into the shower and changing the dressing if it gets dirty or wet.

Advertisement

Bloodstream infections associated with central lines lead to thousands of deaths each year inside hospitals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Research has also shown that these infections are largely preventable: Hospitals have slashed infection rates when staff follow the CDC's standardized safety steps.

But researchers recently discovered that more children with central lines are getting bloodstream infections at home: In a three-year study of children with cancer and blood disorders at 15 hospitals, 716 such infections took place outside the hospital, compared with 397 inpatient infections. This was partly because children with central lines spend much more time outside hospitals than inside them.

These hospitals belong to a national collaborative of 20 pediatric cancer centers that aims to train families, visiting nurses and clinic staff on how to handle central lines.

At one of the hospitals, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, researchers discovered that patients as young as 8 were cleaning their own central lines at home, even though the hospital had designed its training materials for adults.

Cooper said that when her daughter developed the fever in July, she immediately started wondering if she were to blame: "It's really hard," she said. "I don't want to put her in the hospital."

When doctors confirmed that Jaycee had a bloodstream infection, Cooper asked them what caused it. Days later, after interviews and tests, no one knew for sure.

Advertisement

Jaycee was transferred to Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, one of the other hospitals in the collaborative, where nurse Amanda Willits works with families to identify the likely causes of infections and to practice safe techniques. Willits said the bacteria probably came through the skin, but there is no sign that Cooper was to blame, and Cooper demonstrated her line-care technique perfectly.

Jaycee spent four days in an isolated room at the hospital. Doctors warned her that if the bacteria had colonized the plastic of her central line, she might have to go through surgery to have it removed and replaced.

As it turned out, Jaycee didn't need surgery; she recovered with antibiotics.

In a small study published last year, about four out of 10 children who got these infections needed to have their lines surgically removed.

In that study, pediatric oncologist Chris Wong Quiles of Dana-Farber/Boston Children's tackled basic questions that researchers don't have national data on: When patients get these infections at home, what happens to them, what does it cost and how often do they die?

Wong Quiles found that in 15 percent of cases, children ended up in the intensive care unit. Four children died. Their median hospital stay was six days, and their median age was 3.

Advertisement

These episodes also cost a lot. Wong Quiles found that median hospital charges were $37,000 per infection. That's not counting professional fees from hospital staff; the cost of going home with antibiotics and possibly nursing care; or the cost to families of losing days of work to be at the hospital with their kids.

---

In Boston, Billett and Wong Quiles have enlisted extra staff and resources to try to help parents. The hospital hired what is called a "checklist engineer" to clean up inconsistent messaging and created family-focused videos, flip charts and pocket-size brochures about handling central lines.

Now, patients and families start learning central-line care five to 10 days before discharge, instead of just one or two days, Billett said. Parents first practice on a dummy called Chester Chest, then demonstrate their skills on their child.

Even after this training, bringing a child with cancer out of the hospital felt scary, said Megan Kelley, whose 8-year-old daughter, Bridget, is being treated there for leukemia.

"It felt like bringing a newborn baby home - we've never done this before," said Kelley, who lives in Quincy, Massachusetts, with her husband, Dan, and their three daughters.

Advertisement

Bridget and her family have managed to avoid infection since she was first discharged in December.

Along the way, the family got support and was spot-checked: The hospital keeps track of who was trained and that person's skill level, and sends a nurse home to see how the caregiver handles the line.

This approach to patient safety - helping families at home through standardized learning tools, hands-on training and tracking skill development - could have broad applications for caregivers of patients young and old, Billett said.

Some early work at Johns Hopkins has shown success: The hospital found a dramatic reduction in outpatient bloodstream infection rates after it trained families, home health nurses and clinic staff.

These infections "can exact such a harsh toll on some of our most vulnerable patients," said Michael Rinke, who led that research and now works at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. "Preventing even one of these can help a kid have an important out-of-hospital time, and have an important being-a-kid experience."

Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit health newsroom whose articles appear nationwide, is an editorially independent part of the Kaiser Family Foundation.






Tammy Duckworth speaks April 11 during a town hall meeting in Palatine. Duckworth has written an op-ed for Cosmopolitan magazine advocating for more lactation rooms in airports. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Today's lesson on the importance of representation is brought to you by Tammy Duckworth.

The Democratic senator from Illinois wrote an op-ed for Cosmopolitan, published Monday, advocating for more lactation rooms in airports and outlining the bipartisan legislation she introduced recently to make that happen.

Advertisement

(Yep, that Cosmopolitan. The magazine has included pointed political coverage alongside its sex and beauty advice since 2014, when editors added a political reporter and started endorsing candidates for public office.)

Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, has written op-eds for the Chicago Tribune on health care reform for veterans, the Syrian refugee crisis and efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Advertisement

In her Cosmo piece, she adds to the discussion her past experience of being a breast-feeding mother who frequently traveled for work. (Her daughter was born in 2014.)

"I had to stick to a feeding and expressing schedule, including when I was at the airport, but I quickly realized that finding a clean, accessible, private space was stressful and inordinately difficult," she writes. "While I was comfortable breastfeeding my daughter in public, I did not want to express next to strangers using the same outlets to recharge their electronic devices. At many airports, I was redirected to a bathroom, forced to pump in a bathroom stall.

"We would never ask our fellow travelers to eat their sandwiches in a bathroom, but there I was, expressing milk for my child on a toilet seat."

She cites the health benefits of breast-feeding: decreased risk of diseases and infections, sudden infant death syndrome, Type 1 and 2 diabetes and asthma for the baby; links to lower rates of breast and ovarian cancer, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease for the mom.

She cites airport statistics: Just 8 percent have a facility that meets the minimum requirements for a lactation room, which include a private, clean space with a chair, a table and an electrical outlet. Several of the lactation rooms within that 8 percent are outside security, which doesn't do you much good if your flight is delayed.

And she explains the Friendly Airports for Mothers Act of 2017, which authorizes the Department of Transportation to approve a grant application for an airport development project only if the owner or operator of the airport agrees to maintain a lactation area in each terminal of that airport, after passengers have gone through security.

Would Duckworth have taken on this cause if she'd never become a breast-feeding mom? Hard to say.

In "Lean In," Sheryl Sandberg writes about the moment she realized Google, her former employer, lacked parking spots for pregnant women. She was, herself, pregnant, battling morning sickness and painfully swollen ankles and feet, and trying to rush from her car to a meeting.

Advertisement

"To this day, I'm embarrassed that I didn't realize that pregnant women needed reserved parking until I experienced my own aching feet," she writes. "As one of Google's most senior women, didn't I have a special responsibility to think of this? But  it had never occurred to me."

What about some of Google's most senior men? Didn't they have a responsibility to think of their pregnant employees too? Sure. And male politicians have a responsibility to think of their breast-feeding constituents  both the moms and the babies.

But we all have blind spots.

Each of us is informed by the experience of walking through the world in our body, our skin color, our gender expression, our economic status. We can  and should  grow our world as big as possible by listening to and learning the experiences of others. But that's not always enough.

We need representation.

We need voices at the table  the corporate table, the political table, the education table, all the tables  that have all sorts of lived experiences. We need fewer blind spots.

Advertisement

Google added pregnancy parking after Sandberg brought it up to her bosses. "Having one pregnant woman at the top," she writes, "made the difference."

That's representation in a nutshell. And as Duckworth's op-ed reminds us, its importance can't be overstated.

hstevens@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @heidistevens13

[ Related: Trump golf ball tweet should earn unanimous rebuke from congressional women  ]

[ 'What Were You Wearing?' exhibit takes aim at age-old sexual violence myth  ]

[ In true Chicago fashion, program trains young women to make no small plans  ]






The Democratic primary for Illinois attorney general is suddenly the hottest race in the state following Lisa Madigan 's shock decision not to seek re-election  but could the real winner end up being Republican Erika Harold ?

Considered an outside shot against the popular Madigan, Harold, a Harvard law grad and former Miss America, has seen her odds of victory in 2018 slashed overnight.

Advertisement

Though Harold said Tuesday that "there were no guarantees before I ran and there are no guarantees now," and that she was confident of winning against even Madigan, the GOP leadership appears to have closed ranks behind her since Madigan's announcement Friday.

The Illinois GOP  heavily bankrolled by Gov. Bruce Rauner  had already donated to her campaign, and Illinois House Minority Leader Rep. Jim Durkin , who had been discussed as a possible candidate in the wake of Madigan's decision, ruled himself out over the weekend.

On Tuesday, Durkin endorsed Harold from the stage of the City Club of Chicago . "The governor, too, supports Erika Harold, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure she becomes the next attorney general," Durkin said, adding that he believes Harold's chances have "absolutely" increased now that Madigan is out.

Durkin said that the 37-year-old Harold's courage in willing to get into a "tough race" before Madigan dropped out was in her favor, as was her youth in a party that skews older. He added that he expected Harold, an attorney at the Meyer Capel law firm in Chicago, would be "sufficiently vetted" by the media, even if she does not face a primary opponent.

Advertisement

Harold is not a first-time candidate, having lost a Republican primary to Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville in 2014. In the race for attorney general, her past opposition to abortion rights and gay marriage are likely to be an area of focus for Democrats. Though Harold has said she would uphold state law as it is written, the controversy over whether Rauner will sign a bill that would extend the availability of taxpayer-subsidized abortions to state workers means the issue isn't going away.

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kimjnews
JPMorgan Chase plans to invest $40 million in Chicagos historically underserved South and West sides in an effort to tackle the citys poverty and violence through economic growth. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

During a dire week in which Chicago approached 500 homicides for the year, we also saw a beacon of hope.

JPMorgan Chase announced that it would invest $40 million in economically deprived neighborhoods on the South and West sides where chronic poverty and violence go hand in hand.

Advertisement

Certainly, no one thinks an infusion of cash can solve all of the problems associated with African-American and Hispanic men who are killing each other at an alarming pace. But it is, at least, a start to addressing the root causes of the homicides in a tangible way.

Chase is providing Chicago with a chance to test an argument that community activists, sociologists, neighborhood residents and others have been making for years  that the young people who are killing each other aren't all inherently bad. Rather, it's the lack of opportunities driving them to become people they were not meant to be.

Advertisement

Those who know such things insist that joblessness, substandard schools and incessant poverty in the most violent neighborhoods have created a culture of hopelessness that begins sucking children into a life of crime as soon as they are born.

For decades, community activists have pleaded with the city's power structure  banks, developers and other corporate giants  to step in and help transform neighborhoods.

Finally, Chase is heeding the call to be a good citizen. Hopefully, others will follow its lead.

To be sure, Chase isn't the only corporation that has invested in Chicago's impoverished neighborhoods. A year ago, for example, Whole Foods Market opened a store in Englewood. On a smaller scale, homegrown celebrity Chance the Rapper donated $2.2 million through his foundation to Chicago Public Schools.

But Chase's decision to infuse $40 million in cash directly into Chicago's struggling neighborhoods over the next three years is unprecedented in recent times. And it's long overdue.

The good thing is that the money will go straight into the hands of the people who know where it can best be utilized. Community groups working on the ground will be able to apply for grants to fund things like job training, small business expansion, health programs and neighborhood revitalization efforts.

But there is an important string attached. The groups will be held accountable.

Chase plans to keep a watchful eye on how every dime is spent and will also monitor whether the community groups are delivering on their promises. For example, are the participants actually landing jobs and keeping them?

Advertisement

That's good news for the people who live in these communities.

An indicator of what Chase wants to accomplish can be found by looking at the largest grant it has awarded thus far  $2 million to the Heartland Alliance to identify people at high risk of gun violence and provide them with jobs.

These aren't permanent jobs, though. They are 18-month transitional jobs doing things like neighborhood cleanup. But participants also will receive counseling and other support to help them be successful after leaving the program.

We cannot expect that this type of work will be attractive to everyone. Certainly, gangs can offer more money for selling drugs on the street.

What it does, though, is offer people who want to get out of that life an opportunity to do something different. It's a chance to identify the ones who actually want to do better. And they are the ones we should focus our attention on.

In other words, this is a test. Not only will it help to determine how Chase and other corporate and philanthropic groups apply their resources in the future, it will be used as a litmus test of the commitment and fortitude of the residents who live in our most destitute neighborhoods.

Advertisement

The University of Chicago Crime Lab will measure whether the intervention is working by tracking whether the participants are involved in fewer shootings and homicides than a control group.

The public will get to see whether jobs can really be effective in keeping young men and women out of trouble. It is an important question that needs to be answered.

Whether fair or not, the outcome also will determine whether and how much of our attention should be given to these neighborhoods in the future. It is, therefore, an opportunity that cannot be squandered.

If it doesn't work, those who argue that violent young men are nothing more than a menace will use the program to bolster their argument against wasting limited resources. It will strengthen their beliefs that there is nothing society can do to help, and that the only solution is more prisons.

It will be their proof that environmental factors play no role in the violence. They will surmise that young black and Hispanic men kill solely because they want to kill.

Those of us who believe that poverty and violence operate as a tag team are anxious to prove them wrong.

Advertisement

We hope that young people will line up at the door, far outnumbering the 400 initial slots available, and show the naysayers that they are willing to take any legitimate job that is available to them.

By doing so, they will send a strong message that people are the same regardless of where they live. And that what we all want more than anything is to prosper and succeed in life.

The only thing that makes some people seem different is that they lack the opportunities to make that happen.

dglanton@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @dahleeng
A federal jury on Monday awarded nearly $5 million in damages to three siblings who were shot and wounded by an on-duty Chicago police officer at a New Year's Eve party in the Roseland neighborhood three years ago.

After a week and a half of testimony, the jury deliberated about eight hours beginning on Friday before finding that Officer Wilfredo Ortiz used excessive force in the Jan. 1, 2014, incident that wounded brothers Michael and Princeton Williamson as well as their sister, Kierra.

Advertisement

The jury awarded Michael Williamson, a Navy veteran who was on holiday leave at the time he was shot, $2.1 million in damages, his younger brother $1.65 million and their sister $1 million.

The city has also agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to the plaintiffs' attorneys in exchange for them dropping broader allegations that the city engaged in a "pattern and practice" of failing to properly investigate police-involved shootings.

Advertisement

The verdict marked the latest fallout in a case highlighted by the Tribune last year after a Cook County judge ripped the testimony of the lead detective on the case as "one of the biggest pieces of garbage" he'd ever heard from a law enforcement officer.

After the jury's decision was announced in U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman's courtroom, Michael Robbins, one of the lead attorney's for the plaintiffs, told the Tribune his clients felt "vindicated."

"Officer Ortiz completely lost control of the situation and opened fire on my clients under circumstances that were totally unjustified," Robbins said. "He fired 11 shots at a group of people into an occupied residence. ... It was truly beyond the pale."

In an emailed statement, Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for the city's Law Department, said it is evaluating its legal options.

The shooting happened shortly before 2 a.m. after the Williamson brothers stepped outside on the back porch of their cousin's house for a smoke. As part of the celebration, police alleged, the brothers fired a gun into the air. Nearby, Ortiz, a tactical officer in plainclothes, heard gunshots and came up the alley next to the home in the 100 block of West 105th Street.

In his testimony to the Independent Police Review Authority, Ortiz said he locked eyes with Michael Williamson, whose expression "lit up like a Christmas tree." The officer said Williamson took a "tactical stance," squaring his shoulders and raising the gun, causing Ortiz to shoot out of fear for his life.

"I actually thought he was going to kill me," Ortiz said.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Michael Williamson was hit in the right shoulder, right hip and twice in the back, while his younger brother was shot in the abdomen, right leg and twice in the bladder, according to court records. Their sister, who was inside the house, was shot once in the abdomen.

Advertisement

Hours later, Princeton Williamson was heavily sedated after emergency surgery when detectives came to question him at his hospital bedside. One of the detectives, Brian Johnson, later testified that Williamson was alert and didn't appear to be in pain as he talked openly about what led to his shooting.

But two nurses gave dramatically different accounts from the detective, saying Williamson was heavily sedated and in so much discomfort he could only mumble his words. One nurse said she communicated with him by having him squeeze her hands to answer questions yes or no.

Both brothers were criminally charged, but Judge James Obbish threw out the statements that Johnson said he had obtained from Princeton Williamson and blasted the detective for his "garbage" testimony.

Obbish later acquitted Michael Williamson on aggravated assault and weapons charges, saying Ortiz had altered his account on a key point  how many people were on the back porch that night when he opened fire.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jmetr22b
You probably didn't see storm chasers or hurricane reporters broadcasting live from Ormond Beach, on Florida's northeast coast, as Hurricane Irma barreled toward the state's Gulf Coast Sept. 10.

It wasn't a high priority zone for broadcasters, as were Marco Island, Tampa and the Florida Keys. It hasn't remained in relative destruction, such as the inland farming community of Immokalee where many residents are still living in tents, or the fishing community of Everglades City, where mud and muck are coated thick to just about everything, according to published reports.

Advertisement

But Volusia County's Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona Beach on the Atlantic side of the state still was without power in the days after Irma tore through the Sunshine State, according to Judy Stein, a communications consultant who works on Orchard Lane.

Enter ComEd workers from Illinois, and cue the lights.

Advertisement

On Friday, approaching a full week after the storm, Stein said her community still was without power. And just in case you couldn't guess as much: It's hot in Florida.

"We were hit pretty hard by Hurricane Irma last Sunday night. We had no power in my neighborhood since then, and the weather has been hot and humid," Stein wrote on Saturday. "A wonderful crew from ComEd, led by Shannon Brusseau, Field Supervisor, and Dale Hasty, Safety, restored our power late yesterday afternoon."

Fidel Marquez, a senior vice president of community affairs for Commonwealth Edison, said the company sent 200 crews or about 750 workers. The workers are paid for their time, including their 16-hour days, but they are volunteers to the assignment and must agree to be gone two weeks. For most, that means sacrificing time with their families, Marquez said.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

ComEd is part of Exelon, a company which sent a total of 2,000 employees to help restore power to 6 million Floridians, he said. That accounts for about 20 percent of the 10,000 workers main power providers Florida Power and Light and Duke Energy requested from other states, Marquez said, adding teams first were sent to Florida's northeast.

"Once we finish that up, we're expecting that they'll head to the west coast to help out there," he said Monday.

Marquez also said he was appreciative of Stein trying to get the word out about the visiting crews.

For Stein, she said it is the second time a storm has knocked power out to her home that required workers come in from out of state. Last time it was Oklahoma, she said.

Marquez said the ComEd crews don't need any extra training to work on the lines in a different state as the equipment is pretty standard. They offered to send a crew to Texas to help out with Hurricane Harvey outages, but were told the Lone Star State had enough workers on the ground through companies such as AEP, to restore power.

Advertisement

"The big thing is safety," he said. "Especially when the crew has to clean up debris before installing new equipment. It's a hazardous job to begin with but with all the damage, that just increases the concerns for our employees and the public, of course."

He said they send workers to deal with downed trees and other vegetation, as well as workers who can repair or replace power lines and transformers. They also make sure they are able to send crews out and not feel a pinch back home by monitoring weather, which currently is stable enough in the Midwest.
A man who told investigators he used his second apartment for encounters with girlfriends so his wife wouldn't know of his cheating actually had used it to stash more than 110 pounds of heroin and cocaine, according to court documents.

Marcelino Nunez-Hurtado, 47, of Chicago, faces federal charges of possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to distribute, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office. Nunez-Hurtado was arrested last week after federal agents had trailed him since July, according to the criminal complaint against him.

Advertisement

During their surveillance, which began July 17, agents figured out he lived at an home on Maplewood Avenue near 53rd Street, but also spent time at a Gage Park building on Artesian Avenue, according to the complaint.

After several weeks of trailing him, on Aug. 22 agents saw Nunez-Hurtado give a bag with a one-kilogram brick of cocaine in it to the driver of a Cadillac Escalade, according to the complaint. After following the bag as it switched hands several times, the agents eventually encounted Nunez-Hurtado again, stopped him, and asked him about the Artesian apartment.

Advertisement

He at first denied living there, but when they told him he had been under surveillance, he admitted he was renting the attic apartment, but said he wasn't living there.

Instead, Nunez-Hurtado claimed "that he used the apartment as a place to bring his girlfriends, so that his wife does not find out," according to the complaint.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Nunez-Hurtado agreed to have the apartment searched, and gave agents the keys. In the apartment, they found four small bags with cocaine in them, rolls of FoodSaver vacuum-sealer clear plastic, a roll of clear plastic wrap, two packages of rubber bands and a digital scale, as well as a small spiral notebook with names and numbers in ledger style, according to the charges.

There weren't any clothes or toiletry items in the apartment, and the refrigerator had only beer.

Just inside the apartment, the agents saw a Phillips-head screwdriver lying on the floor, and just outside the apartment, on the building's third-floor landing, they found a small access panel held shut with Phillips screws.

The agents opened the panel and found a bag with bricks of cocaine, weighing a total of more than 20 pounds, and boxes filled with bricks of heroin weighing a total of more than 91 pounds, according to the complaint. In the crawl space they also found a FoodSaver brand vacuum sealer.

Nunez-Hurtado was arrested and at his Maplewood home, they found a red spiral notebook and a brown spiral notebook used as a ledgers, with lists of names, bank account numbers and money-transfer PIN numbers, according to the complaint.

The vacuum sealer found with the drugs, which appeared to have been used to package the drugs in bricks, had one of Nunez-Hurtado's fingerprints on it.

Advertisement

Nunez-Hurtado is in federal custody and is scheduled for a detention hearing next week, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office.
Two workers were rescued from fallen scaffolding about 10 stories above Michigan Avenue on Tuesday morning, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman said.

Larry Langford said firefighters took out a window in the 530 block of North Michigan Avenue about 10:30 a.m. to bring in the workers who were originally reported as "just hanging there," but it wasn't as dire as that when responders arrived, he said.

Advertisement

"They have protective harnesses that hold them up, even if that were the case," Langford said, adding that it was likely terrifying. "But they didn't have to do any high angled rescue, they were able to pull them in."

Langford said the scaffolding holding up the workers gave out in the area of Michigan and Grand avenues, leading to some street closures below as firefighters worked. Traffic delays mounted as a result, officials said.

Advertisement

The men seemed to be in good health once they were brought inside the building and they declined medical attention, Langford said.
Former Chicago police Sgt. Eddie Hicks was arrested in Detroit on Sept. 19, 2017, after 15 years on the lam. (FBI)

Former Chicago police Sgt. Eddie C. Hicks was arrested in Detroit Tuesday morning, nearly 15 years after he fled on the eve of trial on federal drug conspiracy charges.

Hicks, 68, has been the subject of an international manhunt since 2003, according to the FBI. He appeared in federal court in Detroit on Tuesday and was ordered held until he can be brought to Chicago to face the charges.

Advertisement

A 29-year veteran of the police force, Hicks was charged in Chicago in 2001 with running a crew of rogue officers who robbed drug dealers, pocketed the illicit cash and sold the stolen drugs to other pushers. After Hicks fled the country on the eve of his trial in 2003, authorities said he was presumed to have traveled to Brazil.

A Tribune investigation later found that while he was on the lam, Hicks repeatedly conducted financial transactions in Chicago to enrich himself and the people closest to him. Two years after Hicks vanished, his signature appeared on land records giving his son  also a Chicago police officer  the South Side property Hicks had used to secure his $150,000 bond. In addition, by the time of the Tribune investigation in 2011, monthly police pension checks totaling more than $300,000 had been paid to Hicks' bank account or cashed by his wife.

Advertisement

At his brief appearance in a Detroit courtroom on Tuesday, Hicks waived his right to a hearing to establish his identity and agreed to be brought immediately to Chicago, according to audio of the hearing made public.

When U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen asked Hicks if that was his wish, he replied in a calm voice, "Yes, your honor," according to the audio.

A longtime narcotics officer, Hicks retired from the Chicago Police Department while under federal investigation in March 2000.

Until then, he seemingly had a charmed career, working personal friendships with top commanders to land plush assignments such as providing security at Chicago Bulls games.

According to the federal charges, Hicks led a crew that for nearly a decade used fake search warrants to rip off drug stash houses and also stole drugs and cash from dealers during illegal traffic stops.

A major cocaine dealer, Arthur Veal, had been tipping Hicks and his crew  including another sergeant and two former police civilian employees  to lucrative targets to rob. But in 2000, Veal was busted and told authorities of his history with the officers.

The FBI set up two South Side apartments to look like drug houses, equipping them with hidden audio and video equipment. Veal tipped Hicks off to the locations, the charges alleged, and the two police civilian employees were captured on video breaking into both apartments and escaping with a combined $13,000 in cash. Authorities charged that Hicks was outside providing surveillance and communicating with those inside by cellphone.

In one recorded conversation before a robbery in 2000, Hicks told Veal that the money they were told would be at the stash house better be there or his crew might get upset.

Advertisement

"I mean if I tell these guys, you know, you might be making a hundred grand and then they end up with four grand, ya know," Hicks was quoted in one government filing as saying.

By the time Hicks' trial was scheduled to begin in June 2003, three of his four co-defendants had pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme. But Hicks, who had been out on bail, didn't show up on his trial's opening day.

Federal court officials had allowed Hicks to secure his $150,000 bond by posting as collateral a gated three-story brick apartment building he owned with his son, Anthony, the Tribune reported as part of its 2011 "Fugitives From Justice" investigation, which focused on Chicago-area suspects who fled across borders.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Authorities didn't seize that building after Eddie Hicks became a fugitive, according to the Tribune story. Two years later, in 2005, Hicks' signature appeared on a property deed transferring ownership of the building solely to his son.

Reached by telephone Tuesday, Anthony Hicks hung up on a reporter.

The Tribune also reported that the day after he fled, Hicks apparently signed paperwork directing the police pension fund to mail his annuity checks of more than $3,000 per month to a South Side home where he had lived with his wife, Carol Pierce.

Advertisement

Pierce immediately began cashing the checks, which bore Hicks' apparent signature and endorsement on the back.

Two years later, Hicks' signature appeared on a form directing the fund to wire his monthly benefit payments into his account with the Chicago Patrolman's Federal Credit Union, the Tribune found.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jmetr22b
Prosecutors have described for the first time the scope of secret fees from tobacco litigation allegedly showered on former Ald. Edward Vrdolyak, seen outside federal court in Chicago on Nov. 22, 2016, and an associate. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Former Chicago Ald. Edward "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak and an associate have together collected more than $10 million in unauthorized fees stemming from the state's massive settlement with tobacco companies in the 1990s, federal prosecutors said in a new court filing.

The seven-page motion by prosecutors filed Monday described for the first time the full scope of the secret fees from the tobacco litigation allegedly showered on Vrdolyak and his co-defendant, Chicago attorney Daniel Soso.

Advertisement

"The defendants were secretly promised a substantial portion of the tobacco fees  indeed, the evidence will show that they have so far received in excess of $10 million in fees  even though they were not authorized to perform any legal work for the state of Illinois and in fact did no such work," Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote in the filing.

The filing was a response to a motion by Vrdolyak's attorneys last month asking U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve to strike any "surplusage" from the indictment  including all the paragraphs laying out the connection between the charges and the state's record $9.2 billion tobacco settlement. In that motion, Vrdolyak's attorneys alleged prosecutors were trying to poison the jury pool by inserting "irrelevant and inflammatory" language in the charges.

Advertisement

"Because the defendant is Edward Vrdolyak, the government has infused the superseding indictment with irrelevant, unnecessary, inflammatory and prejudicial surplusage, included for no purpose other than to suggest all manner of alleged subterfuge and secrecy that besides being irrelevant is also downright false," attorney Catharine O'Daniel wrote.

But Bhachu responded Monday that the background of the tobacco litigation provided crucial context for the jury to explain Vrdolyak's motivations for keeping the side-deal hidden from the Internal Revenue Service.

It also demonstrated Vrdolyak's actions were not simple oversight or a mistake on a legal technicality, Bhachu wrote, but "deliberate acts calculated to ensure that a confederate continued to benefit from this large-scale, secret, and unauthorized arrangement."

Vrdolyak, 79, has pleaded not guilty to charges filed last year alleging he obstructed an IRS investigation into the secret tobacco deal by hiding payments to and from Soso. The charges carry a maximum of five years in prison on conviction.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Soso, a former Chicago police officer who once ran for alderman with Vrdolyak's backing, was originally charged alone in May 2015 with failing to pay about $780,000 in taxes related to the settlement money. Bhachu has previously told the judge that prosecutors may seek a second superseding indictment in the case  which could have much farther-reaching charges. At this point, both men are scheduled to go on trial in March.

The exact amount Vrdolyak has collected in tobacco litigation fees has never been publicly revealed. However, at his sentencing hearing on a separate fraud scheme in 2010, a probation report was discussed that stated the former alderman had a "guaranteed revenue stream" of $260,000 a year through 2023 from the settlement.

The $9.2 billion settlement in Illinois' suit sparked controversy after it was revealed that then-Attorney General Jim Ryan had negotiated a contingency arrangement promising 10 percent of the payout to four law firms that handled the litigation. That figure was dramatically reduced after years of court arbitration, but in the end, Ryan agreed to pay a total of $188.5 million to several law firms.

One of those firms was Seattle-based Hagens Berman, which was headed by attorney Steve Berman. According to the indictment, Berman, identified only as Individual B, entered into a secret agreement in 1996 to pay Vrdolyak and Soso fees from the settlement and hide the payments from the attorney general and tobacco companies.

Advertisement

In his motion, Bhachu said the evidence at trial will show that had Ryan known of the secret deal, "he would have taken steps to recover the payments made to the defendants."

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jmetr22b






The Lakeview community will see renderings of plans for an area under "L" tracks that include seating and better lighting. The Low-Line farmers market already gets people to linger under the tracks. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

The sounds of a CTA Brown Line train filled the air for a few seconds at a recent farmers market near the Southport station.

Vendors selling everything from bread to beer paused their conversations with customers while others just raised their voices. Women pushing shoeless toddlers in strollers continued walking under this station in the Lakeview neighborhood.

Advertisement

The market is the starting point for the proposed Low-Line project, which aims to one day transform land owned by the CTA into about a half-mile pedestrian walkway that will connect the neighborhood. The project, proposed by the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce, would be funded by neighborhood tax dollars and a local nonprofit.

For Paul Wayne Strabley, who sells cookies and other snacks at the market, the atmosphere is an authentic city experience.

Advertisement

"I think this, here, at the Low-Line is really very much Chicago," he said.

Residents will get a look Tuesday evening at renderings for proposed plazas at the Paulina station and Ashland Avenue. The two plazas, plus the existing plaza at the Southport station, would be connected by a walkway. The project marks the latest reimagining of existing space as perceptions shift about how to treat these spaces. The chamber of commerce is holding the meeting at 6 p.m. in St. Luke Church Memorial Hall, 1500 W. Belmont Ave., to gather public input.

"I think people's idea of public spaces has changed over the years," said Dillon Goodson, the community development manager for the chamber of commerce. "People are thinking of spaces a little differently. Our farmers market and other programming at Southport (show) that people are willing to make that unusual step of walking into a space they might have not 10 years ago."

Catherine Hosinski, a spokeswoman for the CTA, said in an email that the CTA is working with the group as plans for the Low-Line develop.

"It's too soon to say if the CTA would approve the proposal as it is still in development," she said. "It's important for a project such as this to have the input and support of its community, especially those whose properties are adjacent to the proposed project area."

The plazas are projected to cost $250,000 to $350,000, Goodson said. That figure includes improvements already made at Southport. It would be paid for by a special service area, in which property owners pay for supplemental neighborhood services.

If the plan moves forward, construction could begin as early as at the end of the year, but the plazas might not be completed until 2019.

Friends of Lakeview, a local nonprofit, is expected to come up with funding and design proposals for the rest of the Low-Line that will connect the plazas, Goodson said.

Advertisement

"The idea is that the Low-Line will stand out and set Lakeview apart, and puts Chicago as a place that's not afraid to try something new," he said.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 10 A rendering shows a proposed entry plaza to the Low-Line at Ashland Avenue. (PORT Urbanism)

'A place that you move through'

Andrew Moddrell, a partner at PORT Urbanism, a firm that specializes in urban planning, helped create the plaza designs.

"We are not under the illusion that people will linger," Moddrell said. "It's a place that you move through like the 606. It's intended to be used as a connection, that's what we are after here."

At the Paulina station, designers envision decorative stone and bright abstract seats outside the station and free-standing panels that would display art installations.

Rethinking the space around the existing CTA infrastructure proved to be challenging, Moddrell said. That's why many of the design features are intended to have a dual purpose. For example, a metal canopy would dress up existing CTA lights at Paulina to give the space a modern look and help diffuse the noise from the overhead trains.

Advertisement

Designers picked stone and other materials that would be sturdy enough to withstand regular track maintenance and were mindful not to design anything that would interfere with CTA operations.

For example, designers can't use existing CTA electricity at the proposed Ashland Avenue plaza, but they wanted to add some form of lighting to alleviate safety concerns. They found the solution in interactive light boxes that will illuminate the path and also be playful and change color or intensity based on the sound of a passing train, Moddrell said.

Hosinski said maintenance will fall to the chamber of commerce. "The CTA's involvement in this project is minimal and mostly limited to the development and vetting of the project proposal," she said.

The chamber already contracts with a cleaning company, and that program would be extended to cover the plazas, Goodson said. The chamber doesn't anticipate hiring security guards but hopes to keep the spaces clean and well-lit, Goodson said.

A sense of community

The Low-Line project was first proposed in 2011 in the Lakeview Area Master Plan as a response to residents who voiced a desire for more public spaces in the neighborhood, Goodson said.

Advertisement

"They are reimagining public spaces as more than a fountain and a patch of grass," he said.

(Tribune Graphics)

Kate Lowe, an assistant professor of Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the High Line in New York City started the trend of repurposing existing infrastructure.

"I think the opportunity is really exciting to urban planners, but there needs to be deep engagement to make sure it's responsive to the community," Lowe said.

The popular trail has been a mixed blessing for some residents.

In 2015, Chicago repurposed abandoned train tracks into the 2.7-mile-long Bloomingdale Trail, or 606, which goes through Wicker Park, Humboldt Park and Logan Square.

The trail, an amenity in the neighborhoods, has led to increased rents.

Advertisement

"In the 606 corridor, there wasn't a lot of green space," Lowe said. "The green space came, and individuals who had limited access to green spaces left" because they could no longer afford to live there.

On a smaller scale, Loyola University funded a pedestrian plaza after the CTA renovated the Loyola station, Hosinski said. That plaza has since been used for events that attract food trucks, a farmers market and artists.

The city could see more projects like the Low-Line. Hosinski said the CTA is open to hearing ideas from the community that involve CTA property.

"Importantly, though, no two properties are the same, and not all CTA properties are viable for community spaces or programs," she said in an email. "As such, there are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration with any proposal seeking use of CTA property."

Last month, the Chicago Loop Alliance announced plans for a project that could bring European-style public plazas to the Loop's Washington/Wabash station.

In Uptown, Brett Weidl is among the committee members of the Wilson "L" Public Space Committee who are watching the development of the Low-Line project closely to see how something similar could be replicated in their neighborhood.

Advertisement

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

The group last year proposed a public plaza under the "L" tracks as part of the Wilson station renovations, but the timing of the proposal wasn't right, Weidl said. The CTA was already moving forward with plans for a parking lot.

The Uptown committee has since significantly amended its vision for the space. Members continue to have discussions with the city, but nothing has been finalized.

Matthew Clapper, one of the committee members, said one idea is to have mobile furniture in the space that can be used for a weekend event like a market or concert. Clapper, who lives in Uptown, said the space could add to the sense of community in the area.

"It's the reason why people like where they live," Clapper said. "The more places like this, the stronger that patchwork can be in terms of creating a community people will like."

At the farmers market under the tracks at Southport, Mary Wongkamalasai sold sourdough and roasted garlic breads from her family's pHlour Bakery and Cafe in Edgewater. She didn't mind the noise from the passing trains, and joked that being a mother to four, now adult, children enables her to raise her voice when she needs to. She said she felt a sense of community at the market.

"I think you need more community in all these neighborhoods," she said. "Our city is getting a pretty bad rap, all the gun violence. It's still a great city, and I feel safe."

Advertisement

emalagon@chicagotribune.com
Authorities were unable to find a body when Metra Milwaukee District-West Line trains were stopped Tuesday afternoon after a train was thought to have hit a pedestrian on the West Side, authorities said.

The pedestrian was thought to have been hit by an inbound Milwaukee District-West Line train around 5:30 p.m. near Sacramento and Grand avenues, Metra spokeswoman Sylvia Cooper said.

Advertisement

Though the initial report was of a person hit by a train, Cooper said it was unclear if someone was hit or it might have been a near miss. Fire officials were unable to find someone who had been hit by the train, according to a Chicago Fire Department spokesman. Metra police and fire officials walked about a mile along the tracks with no sign of a body or clothing from a possible victim, she said.

The incident prompted Metra to halt inbound and outbound trains on its Milwaukee West and North Central lines, Cooper said.

Advertisement

Check Metra's website for updated travel information.
U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D.-Ill, is led away in handcuffs after participating in a DACA protest near Trump Tower on Sept. 19, 2017 in New York. (Kevin Hagen / Getty Images)

Illinois congressman Luis Gutierrez was one of three Democratic lawmakers arrested outside Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday as part of a protest of President Donald Trump's decision to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants.

Reps. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Gutierrez were among at least 10 people arrested, according to a Gutierrez spokesman.

Advertisement

Those arrested also included New York City Council President Melissa Mark-Viverito, who is Puerto Rican and widely considered among New York political observers to be a future mayoral or congressional candidate.

"We're taking the necessary steps to make it clear to President Trump, the Republicans and the Democrats that we will continue this peaceful fight for DREAMers and immigrants as long as it takes to enact legislation and put DREAMers in a safe place," Gutierrez said in a statement provided by his spokesman after the arrest. "A few Congressmen and elected-officials gathering in front of Trump Tower doesn't mean much if it is not backed up by the grassroots and allies and today we are standing with diverse allies to make sure Congress and the President do more than just talk about solutions, they actually follow through with action."

Advertisement

Gutierrez is among the most emotional advocates for comprehensive immigration reform and has been a strident critic of Trump's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an Obama-era executive action that granted temporary legal protection to hundreds of thousands of young "dreamers," or children of undocumented immigrants.

Espaillat, a former undocumented immigrant, and Grijalva, who represents parts of southern Arizona, are also strong critics of Trump's decision.

Trump is in New York on Wednesday to address the United Nations General Assembly and to meet with other world leaders. He spent Tuesday night at his high-rise home on Fifth Avenue.

The protest on Wednesday outside Trump's home was organized by Make The Road New York, a progressive, pro-immigrant group.

The arrests come a day after dozens of protesters loudly shouted down House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during a San Francisco event designed to call for the immediate passage of the Dream Act, a bill designed to permanently grant protections to dreamers.

Pelosi, Trump and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., agreed last week to work toward a bipartisan deal that would lead to passage of the Dream Act and bolstered security measures along the U.S. border with Mexico.
State Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Buffalo Grove, speaks on the House floor at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Sept. 2, 2015. Nekritz is among those weighing a run for attorney general. (Seth Perlman / AP)

Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Subscribe here.

Topspin

The freshly minted Democratic attorney general campaign keeps swirling: Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx ruled out a bid, while a Burke might be getting in, a retiring state lawmaker might run and another state lawmaker might jump over from the governor's race.

Advertisement

Powerful Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, 14th, gave the leader of the Cook County Democratic Party a heads-up over the weekend that his daughter was circulating petitions to run for attorney general.

"He told me that his daughter is going to put out petitions for attorney general," party Chairman Joe Berrios said. Burke was not asking for his support but was letting him know, Berrios added.

Advertisement

Burke has two daughters who are lawyers, and Berrios wasn't clear which one was contemplating a run. Burke repeatedly said "no comment" Monday when asked about his conversation with Berrios and which daughter was going to circulate petitions.

Jennifer Burke, a former city of Chicago corporation counsel supervisor, was appointed in 2011 by then-Gov. Pat Quinn to a legal post at the Illinois Pollution Control Board. Prior to that, Burke had lent $200,000 and given an additional $52,000 to Quinn's campaign. She's now listed as an attorney at Klafter & Burke, her father's firm.

The other daughter, Sarah M. Burke, was listed as an attorney at Klafter & Burke on the state lawyer registration website, but someone who answered the phone at the law firm said she no longer works there. The firm does property tax assessment appeals  often making appeals to Berrios, who is the Cook County assessor and a close ally of House Speaker Michael Madigan.

In addition to controlling campaign committees with more than $8.9 million in the bank, Burke plays a key role in the Democratic Party as chairman of the committee that determines the slate of candidates for judge. He's also married to Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke.

The county Democratic Party had endorsed Attorney General Lisa Madigan for re-election, but will meet again in two to three weeks to make a new endorsement, Berrios said. "We've got to see the shakeout, see who's going to be a candidate," he added.

Also weighing a bid for attorney general is state Rep. Elaine Nekritz, a Democrat from Northbrook who is leaving the Legislature amid frustrations with years of political gridlock. Nekritz said Monday that she is having petitions prepared for a potential run, saying that while she thought it was time for fresh blood in the Legislature she planned to stay involved in public service.

"I am giving it very serious thought and making dozens and dozens of phone calls to try to gauge if this is the move I want to make," Nekritz said.

In addition, a Democratic candidate for governor is teasing that he may switch gears.

Advertisement

State Rep. Scott Drury, D-Highwood, will hold a news conference Tuesday to "address the growing speculation that he intends to run for Attorney General," according to an advisory from his campaign.

Drury is a former federal prosecutor whose campaign has criticized Speaker Madigan, who is also the attorney general's father.

Meanwhile, Foxx indicated Monday that she's not running.

"I was elected to reform the criminal justice system in Cook County and remain committed to that endeavor," Foxx said in a statement. "We have made significant progress during my first 10 months in office and there is much more work to do." (Monique Garcia, Hal Dardick, Kim Geiger)

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel has no public events scheduled.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner's public schedule wasn't available.

Advertisement

*Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin will speak to the City Club of Chicago.

*The City Council's Housing and Human Relations committees will have a joint hearing.

*The Democratic Governors Association begins what it's calling "Rauner's Broken Record Tour" to criticize the governor. It starts with a morning event outside the governor's mansion in Springfield.

From the notebook

*Emanuel to host another summit: Mayor Emanuel appeared on a climate change panel in New York on Monday and announced Chicago will host the Global Covenant of Mayors for the inaugural North American Climate Summit in December.

The summit will bring together mayors from the U.S., Canada and Mexico to make climate change commitments toward the Paris Agreement. At the same time, Chicago will also host the 2017 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards, which recognize "the world's most innovative and impactful efforts by mayors to tackle climate change." The mayors of Paris, Montreal, Atlanta and Austin, Texas, have RSVP'd so far, according to a statement from the mayor's office.

The event will mark the latest in a series of summits and meetings Emanuel has hosted that have brought in mayors from around North America and the world. He and other mayors have placed an emphasis on working together to pursue objectives  such as climate change initiatives  at a time when President Donald Trump's administration has not shown a willingness to do so.

Advertisement

Emanuel noted the new conference during a C40 Cities panel appearance Monday with Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. (Bill Ruthhart)

*Degrees upon degrees, earned and awarded: Freshman Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, on Monday called City Colleges board nominee Walter Massey the most qualified appointee he'd ever seen from Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "You have more honorary degrees than there are honorary streets in Chicago," Lopez said.

Massey is the former president of both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Morehouse College, the onetime chairman of Bank of America Corp. and a previous director of the National Science Foundation, among other high-level posts. He holds a doctorate in philosophy  and has 41 honorary degrees, according to his curriculum vitae.

The City Council Education Committee on which Lopez sits approved his college board appointment, as well as that of Beth Swanson, vice president of strategy and programs at The Joyce Foundation and a former education aide to Emanuel. The full council will consider the appointments next month. (Hal Dardick)

*Off to Yale: Ald. John Arena, 45th, was a scheduled speaker Monday evening at the Yale Political Union, where an aide said he'd discuss affordable housing  a subject that's been controversial lately in his Northwest Side ward  before students engaged in an Oxford-style debate. (Hal Dardick)

*Bustos says constituents aren't asking about Russia: Democratic U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos of Moline took her Downstate message to the City Club of Chicago on Monday, telling the crowd that if her party doesn't change its politics in the age of Trump, it "will be decimated."

Advertisement

The third-term lawmaker touted her 2016 victory as a Democrat in a district won by the Republican president. She outlined a series of manufacturing losses in her northwestern Illinois district that have left some constituents with fears about the future.

"All of this really has had deep political implications," Bustos said. "I believe that if we don't start getting our policy and our politics right, the Democratic Party will be decimated."

She also outlined some of her strategies for meeting with constituents. For one, Bustos regularly goes to local grocery stores and asks people, "What do you want me to know?"

She told the crowd that most people wanted to hear about jobs and the economy when she was first elected. Then about health care after Trump was elected.

Now, she says, they say: "Get something done. They are tired of the lack of bipartisanship. They are tired of Democrats and Republicans not working together. They are tired of Trump being badmouthed. There is not one person at any grocery store that I've gone to, not one, that said impeach Trump. Not one who asked me about Russia."

Bustos earlier this year decided against running for governor.

Advertisement

*Quick spin: Republican computer consultant Douglas Bennett says he'll run for Congress in the 10th District seat now occupied by Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider. Republican candidate Jeremy Wynes announced his candidacy earlier this year after former Rep. Bob Dold decided he didn't want another rematch with Schneider.

What we're writing

*Rauner boosting Amazon bids of both Chicago and St. Louis.

*City ousts relocated tent city; advocates withdraw bid to stop Uptown viaduct construction.

*Cook County bond court gets underway with different judges, new guidelines.

*City to deposit $20 million in Chicago's last black-owned bank.

*Cook County's social worker for the dead helps the unclaimed find final resting places.

Advertisement

What we're reading

*Will giant Lincoln statue play in Peoria?

*"Stranger Things"-inspired pop-up will end after cheeky letter from Netflix.

*New report cites risks youths face when getting tattoos and piercings.

*Olivia the Ovary part of NU's animated approach to teach reproductive health to kids.

Follow the money

Advertisement

*Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin reported $26,000 in contributions over five separate filings on Monday. He's talked about challenging County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in the March Democratic primary.

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

Beyond Chicago

*Senate Republicans gear up for another Obamacare repeal vote.

*Trump addresses the U.N.

*What does Bob Mueller know?

*NYT: Mueller told Manafort to expect an indictment.

Advertisement

*Disasters stress state budgets.
State Rep. Scott Drury set aside his campaign for governor Tuesday and became the first Democrat to formally enter the race for attorney general following Lisa Madigan 's announcement that she will not seek a fifth term.

Drury, of Highwood, is a former federal prosecutor and was already in the midst of building the apparatus for a statewide campaign, two factors he said make him well-suited for the race.

He likened the unexpected opening at the attorney general's office to the "sorting hat" from the "Harry Potter" fantasy novels. It magically assigns new students to a house within the school of wizardry at the center of the books. "The position picked me," Drury said.

Advertisement

"I'm a prosecutor, I've been a prosecutor," he said. "People joke with me in Springfield, or joke about me in Springfield, that I'm a prosecutor  the only place I think anywhere where they make fun of you because you worked as a federal prosecutor. But that's fine. This is the right position for me."

In his third term representing a Lake County House district, Drury has staked out territory at the Capitol as an outsider, often attacking the leadership of his own party. In January, he was the lone Democrat to withhold his vote to give Speaker Michael Madigan a record-setting 17th term at the helm of the House . In May, he accused Democrats of advancing a minimum wage increase in order to embarrass Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

On Tuesday, Drury expanded his criticism of the party to include Attorney General Madigan, saying she had "done a tremendous job" representing Illinois in civil matters, "but what's been lacking has been the other side of it, which is the criminal side, the fraud side, the public corruption side."

Advertisement

If he were to win the office, Drury said, he would take his new powers to "where the evidence leads, whether it's the doorsteps of the big banks and the corporations, or whether its room 200 or 300 of the state Capitol  the offices of the governor and the offices of the Illinois speaker of the House."

Meanwhile, another Democrat dropped off the list of potential candidates. Southwest Side Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, said Tuesday that his daughter, Sarah, opted against running. Earlier, Burke had told Cook County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Berrios she would be circulating nominating petitions.

"It's not the right time," said Burke, who wields a great deal of Democratic Party influence thanks to his $8.9 million campaign war chest and position as chairman of the committee that determines the Democratic slate of candidates for judge. "With three little ones under (age) 8, she decided that, although she would truly enjoy having the opportunity for public service, this isn't the time for her family to take on the responsibility of a statewide campaign."

On the Republican side, Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin looked to help ensure a clear field for his party's nomination for attorney general by endorsing GOP candidate Erika Harold and saying that Rauner backs her as well.

"Organizations and groups are galvanizing behind her, and I think that they realize with the state party, the governor and members of our caucus that are supporting her, I think that gives her a great advantage," Durkin told reporters after addressing the City Club of Chicago , where Harold was in the audience.

Chicago Tribune's John Byrne and Rick Pearson contributed.

kgeiger@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kimgeiger
After Elvis Summers, right, made a tiny house for Irene McGhee, he started a crowdfunding campaign to build similar ones for other homeless people in his LA neighborhood. (Damian Dovarganes / AP)

So-called tiny houses could be part of the answer to homelessness in Chicago, and Catholic Charities wants to build a few of the small homes on the South Side for veterans, aldermen were told Tuesday.

The City Council held a hearing about tiny houses after powerful Southwest Side Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, introduced a resolution for the city to consider them. The homes measure about 160 square feet, and builders say they can be completed in less than two weeks.

Advertisement

Catholic Charities would like to put up seven tiny homes for homeless veterans on a couple of lots near 78th Street and Emerald Avenue in the Gresham neighborhood, said Eileen Higgins, a vice president for the organization.

The houses would be put up near an existing Catholic Charities campus with services for veterans. Higgins said building tiny houses is less expensive in most cases than renovating an existing house, and she added that veterans often prefer a much smaller place to live without the upkeep of bigger residences.

Advertisement

So far the development is just a proposal, and Higgins said the organization is looking into zoning issues at the site.

Anthony Simpkins, of the city planning department, said the city is also in the preliminary stages of considering whether it should build lots of little houses to increase affordable housing around Chicago.

"Can it be publicly financed? Should it be publicly financed?" Simpkins said. "Is it on city land? Is it not? What are the design elements? Are there wraparound services involved? We're sort of looking at all that stuff right now."

Simpkins said he didn't know when the city would have a firmer plan. "I know the objective would be to do it well as opposed to do it quickly," he said.

West Side Ald. Jason Ervin , 28th, said there's talk of building tiny homes in his ward for people with disabilities. "It can serve a wide range of individuals," he said, urging Simpkins to come back to aldermen with some answers.

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @_johnbyrne
Up until Monday, the CIA had never publicly released the full name of its legendary spy. Even former director George Tenet couldn't completely identify him for his 2007 bestselling memoir, "At the Center of the Storm," which reveals only his first name and last initial: Greg V.

Within the halls of Langley and in the pages of prominent newspapers, Greg V. enjoyed his fair share of lore. When the U.S. military accidentally bombed the location of Hamid Karzai in December 2001, it was Greg V. who reportedly dove on top of the future Afghanistan president, saving his life.

But on Monday, on the 70th anniversary of the agency's founding, the CIA let the world know that Greg V. is officially Greg Vogle, in a ceremony honoring him as the 83rd recipient of its Trailblazer award. Journalists, national security professionals, and foreign governments had long known Vogle's name. The New York Times, in fact, was the first news organization to publicly reveal it in 2015, over the CIA's objections, in a story about the agency's personnel who oversee drone strikes. (Ironically, Vogle's first appearance in the mainstream press was botched: The Times misspelled his last name as "Vogel.")

Vogle, who lives in the Washington region and retired in 2016 as the head of the agency's covert operations branch, follows a long history of CIA officers  some unsung, some senior managers  who have won the Trailblazer, the agency's equivalent of a Hall of Fame award. The medal honors officers and teams of officers who "by their actions, example, innovation, or initiative have taken the CIA in important new directions and helped shape the agency's history," according to the agency's announcement.

Launched in 1997, the award has been given to current, former and deceased operatives. Recently, the agency's museum unveiled a small exhibit that provides a history of the Trailblazer award. Some of the previous winners include some of the CIA's most admired directors:

Gen. Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith, who in the 1950s instituted Langley's directorate system, dividing the work between analysts and operatives.

Allen W. Dulles, director from 1953-61, who spearheaded the building of the CIA's sprawling headquarters in Northern Virginia, and established the standards for clandestine tradecraft and handling human asset handling.

Richard Helms, the first career intelligence professional to become director, who recruited and supervised some of the CIA's most important spies during the Cold War. Helms might be the only Trailblazer to have been convicted of a federal crime: In 1977, he pleaded no contest for failing to testify fully before Congress about the agency's role to push out Chile's leftist regime. But the plea was viewed like a badge of honor among CIA veterans who believe agency personnel shouldn't be spilling agency secrets to anyone, including Congress. Happily, a group of CIA retirees paid his paid Helms' $2,000 fine.

Other Trailblazers never became director, but achieved their own renown, such as: Tony Mendez, an expert forger and disguiser, who concocted a fake movie to help spirit six U.S. diplomats out of Iran in 1980  a ruse dramatized in the 2012 Ben Affleck film "Argo." Or Robert Ames, a leading Arabist who cultivated as a source a top Palestinian intelligence officer. In 1983, Ames was killed in a truck bombing in Beirut, and was given the agency's ultimate honor: a star on the agency's white marble Memorial Wall.

But there are other, less well-known recipients who made their mark in equally important ways:

Omego J.C. Ware, Jr., an African-American officer who grew up in Washington, and was picked in the 1970s to become the first director of the agency's office of equal employment opportunity. Known as the "Jackie Robinson of Intelligence," Ware pushed the mostly-white CIA at the time to increase the hiring of minorities and women.

Elizabeth Sudmeier, who joined the agency at its 1947 founding, and four years later entered the clandestine service as one of the branch's few women members. She specialized in the Middle East, and even recruited an agent with knowledge about Soviet fighter aircraft and other hardware. Sudmeier always planned to rendezvous at local coffeehouses, where the agency would supply her with volumes of technical equipment that she would get copied and return. In the 1960s, she was given an Intelligence Medal of Merit, but only after her colleagues protested over "whether it was appropriate for a female who was not listed as an operations officer" to win the award, according to the CIA. After she retired, she remained loyal to the CIA, frequently cancelling her subscription to the Washington Post whenever her former employer came under scrutiny she deemed unfair.

Eloise R. Page, a Richmond, Va. native, who began as a secretary to the OSS, the CIA's precursor, and later transferred to the CIA, eventually becoming the agency's first female station chief in 1978, assigned in Athens. She also became the third-highest ranking officer in the vaunted directorate of operations.

Vogle's contributions have been written about extensively in CIA memoirs. In Tenet's book, "Greg V." was the CIA contact in late 2001 for Hamid Karzai, then a tribal leader opposing the Taliban. On Nov. 3, 2001 as Karzai's tribe came under increasing attack, he called Vogle, asking for a helicopter extraction.

"Greg quickly contacted CIA headquarters and made the case that Karzai represented the only credible opposition leader identified in the south. His survival, Greg said, was critical to maintaining the momentum for the southern uprising," Tenet recalled.

Soon, Tenet said, the airlift got the greenlight.

Two weeks later, with Karzai in a new location, the Taliban found him again. This time, Karzai's forces got skittish and ran away.

"Greg V. took command of the situation, sprinting from one defensive position to another, telling the Afghans that this was their chance to prove their worth and make history," Tenet wrote. "'If necessary, die like men!' he shouted. Backbones stiffened; Karzai's forces repulsed the Taliban attack."

On Dec. 5, Vogle, a former Marine, may have saved Karzai's life. The Afghan leader was commanding his troops into Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold. As U.S. military airstrikes were being ordered, one soldier apparently swapped out the batteries for his GPS device, forgetting that his machine would reset itself at its own location. It was a disastrous move: A circling B-52 dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on the soldier's own position, killing three Americans and five Afghans.

"Karzai might have [died], too, if Greg V. hadn't thrown himself on him, knocking him to the ground just as the bombs struck," Tenet wrote. "It turned out to be an eventful Wednesday. That same day, he was selected to be the interim prime minister of Afghanistan."

But the story might have been inflated. Gary Schroen, a CIA officer sent into Afghanistan shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks to pursue al-Qaida, wrote in his own 2005 memoir, "First In" that "Craig" was actually launched into Karzai from the bomb's blast. The men were in a meeting, surrounded by a map and teacups, when "a tremendous wall of air and heat traveling at incredible speed smashed into and through the building, crumbling the walls and slamming [Vogle] into Karzai, tumbling the two like rag dolls across the room," Schroen wrote.

After it was over, Vogle, a career paramilitary officer, crawled to Karzai, lying twisted on the floor, and pulled him onto his back. He felt for Karzai's body for any major wounds or broken bones, but only found small cuts and quickly forming bruises. Schroen wrote that Vogle "felt as though he had been hit by a truck; his entire body ached and tingled. ... He did not know what happened except that something big had exploded close by."

Vogle continued playing a major role as an envoy between Karzai and the American government, all under the cloak of anonymity. In 2010, the Wall Street Journal profiled Vogle, without using his name, calling him a "pivotal behind-the-scenes power broker in Kabul." Recently, the agency rolled back his cover, freeing itself to name Vogle. Now, the former undercover operative has his own bio on the website of The Third Option Foundation, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to the families of fallen agency special operations officers.

In its announcement Monday of Vogle's Trailblazer award, the CIA was deliberately vague and understated about the man's accomplishments. It listed his numerous agency awards and included a statement from CIA Director Mike Pompeo calling him a "true agency hero." But there was no photograph released and no mention, for instance, of his attempt to save the life of Karzai. Or other acts of derring-do the former spy might have pulled off.

"Details of his many accomplishments," the press release said, "remain classified."
A man holds a Kurdish flag with a picture of Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani during a gathering to support next week's referendum in Iraq, at Martyrs Square in Downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 17, 2017. (Hassan Ammar / AP)

BAGHDAD  Iraq's top court on Monday temporarily suspended the northern Kurdish region's referendum on independence that's due next week, a decision that put further pressure on the Iraqi Kurds to call off the controversial vote.

The Supreme Court in Baghdad released a statement, saying it "issued a national order to suspend the referendum procedures ... until the resolution of the cases regarding the constitutionality of said decision."

Advertisement

It was not immediately clear if the local government in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region would abide by the court's ruling.

The vote was due on Sept. 25 in the three provinces that make up the region, as well as disputed territories claimed by both the Kurdish region and Baghdad.

Advertisement

The central government in Baghdad, regional leaders and the United States  a key ally of Iraq's Kurds  have all called on the Iraqi Kurdish region to hold off on the vote, fearing it could contribute to instability as Iraqi forces continue to battle the Islamic State group.

The Kurdish region has repeatedly ignored calls from Baghdad that the vote is unconstitutional.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview on Saturday that Iraq is prepared to intervene militarily if the Kurdish region's referendum results in violence.

If the Iraqi population is "threatened by the use of force outside the law, then we will intervene militarily," al-Abadi said.

The leaders of the Iraqi Kurdish region have said they hope the referendum will push Baghdad to come to the negotiating table and create a path for independence. However, al-Abadi said such negotiations would likely be complicated by the referendum vote.

Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdish region, has threatened violence if Iraqi troops or Shiite militias attempt to move into disputed territories that are now under the control of Kurdish fighters known as peshmerga, specifically the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

Iraq's Kurds have long held a dream of statehood. They were brutally oppressed under Saddam Hussein, whose military in the 1980s killed at least 50,000 of them, many with chemical weapons. Iraq's Kurds established a regional government in 1992 after the U.S. enforced a no-fly zone across the north following the Gulf War.

After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion ousted Saddam, the region secured constitutional recognition of its autonomy, but remained part of the Iraqi state.

Advertisement

In related developments on Monday, Turkey's military said it kicked off a previously unannounced drill near its border with Iraq  a clear show of force ahead of the Iraqi Kurdish vote. The exercises started Monday near the town of Silopi, close to the Habur border gate between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurdish region.

Turkey has a large Kurdish minority and is battling Kurdish insurgents. It's opposed to the Iraqi Kurdish moves for independence and has also urged Iraqi Kurdish leaders to cancel the vote.

The military did not provide details on the drill.

Associated Press Writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
A 23-year-old white man was arrested Tuesday and accused of cold-bloodedly killing two black men and shooting up a black family's home in a string of attacks last week that police say may have been racially motivated.

A law enforcement official said authorities found a handwritten copy of an Adolf Hitler speech at Kenneth James Gleason's home, and investigators said surveillance footage and DNA on a shell casing link him to the crimes.

Authorities said he would be charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of a homeless man and a dishwasher who was walking to work. In each case, the killer opened fire from his car, then walked up to the victim as he lay on the ground and fired again repeatedly, police said.

"I feel confident that this killer would have killed again," interim Police Chief Jonny Dunnam said.

Gleason's attorney, J. Christopher Alexander, said his client "vehemently denies guilt, and we look forward to complete vindication."

Authorities found the Hitler speech during a search over the weekend, according to the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still going on.

Asked whether police suspect the shootings were motivated by race, Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said: "We're not completely closed off to that. We're looking at all possibilities at this time, so we're not going to just pinpoint that."

District Attorney Hillar Moore said he may seek the death penalty.

"It appears to be cold, calculated, planned (against) people who were unarmed and defenseless," he said.

Authorities also said that just after midnight on Sept. 10, Gleason fired into the home of a black family who lived three houses down from Gleason and his parents.

Resident Tonya Stephens said her two adult sons were home at the time and she was away at her nurse's job. Three bullets pierced the front door and struck furniture, but no one was hurt.

Stephens said her family had seen Gleason sleeping in his car or speeding down the street, but she never had any dealings with him and "I never paid him any mind."

In the other shootings, neither victim had any connection to Gleason, investigators said.

The first killing occurred Sept. 12, when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was gunned down. The second took place last Thursday night, when 49-year-old Donald Smart was shot on his way to his job at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students.

Authorities said ballistics tests determined that the same gun was used in all three shootings. Also, they said DNA found on one of the shell casings matched genetic material on a swab they took from Gleason.

Investigators have not found the 9 mm gun but said Gleason bought such a weapon last November. He also ordered a silencer in July, but it had not arrived yet  "thankfully," the prosecutor said.

One of the big breaks in the case came when a security company noticed a white man in a red car removing his license plate and perhaps putting a gun in the trunk while parked at the company's office.

The company reported the suspicious activity to police and followed up with them after the second shooting, giving authorities surveillance video and photographs. Investigators found Gleason's red car on Saturday.

Louisiana's capital city is in the grips of a surge in bloodshed. The number of homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish has already surpassed last year's total of 62, The Advocate newspaper reported this month.

"Baton Rouge has been through a lot of turmoil in the last year," the police chief said. If not for Gleason's arrest, "he could have potentially created a tear in the fabric that holds this community together."

Racial tensions escalated in the city in the summer of 2016 when a black man was shot to death by white police officers outside a convenience store. About two weeks later, a black gunman targeted police in an ambush, killing three officers and wounding three before he was shot to death.

The city of approximately 229,000 is about 55 percent black and 40 percent white.

Gleason did not appear to have any active social media profiles. A Louisiana State University spokesman said a student by that name attended from the fall of 2013 to the fall of 2014 before withdrawing. He had transferred to LSU from Baton Rouge Community College.

Gleason was arrested in Phoenix in December on charges of shoplifting wine and razors. Police said he was homeless at the time. The case was dismissed after he completed a diversion program.

During the search of Gleason's home, authorities also found 9 grams of marijuana and vials of human growth hormone, according to police.

Associated Press Writer Bob Christie in Phoenix contributed to this report.
Environmental and outdoor recreation groups threatened Monday to sue if President Donald Trump adopts Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's leaked proposal to alter nearly a dozen national monuments, while grazing, fishing and other groups welcomed the recommendations.

Zinke's plan to reduce the size of at least four federally protected areas in the West, while altering management practices at another half-dozen, was obtained and published by The Washington Post on Sunday night. The White House is still reviewing the memorandum, which Zinke submitted in late August after conducting a four-month review of how presidents of both parties have applied the 1906 Antiquities Act since 1996.

The secretary urged Trump to shrink four large monuments on federal land  Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, Nevada's Gold Butte, and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou  as well as possibly two Pacific Ocean marine monuments, the Pacific Remote Islands and Rose Atoll. He proposed amending the proclamations for 10 monuments, largely to allow for commercial activities restricted in these areas, such as logging, grazing and mining.

Zinke endorsed allowing commercial fishing operators in three marine monuments  the two in the central Pacific Ocean, and one, Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Marine Monument, in the Atlantic.

Eric Reid, general manager of Seafreeze Shoreside in Narragansett, Rhode Island, said in a statement that the recommendations "make us hopeful that we can recover the areas we have fished sustainably for decades. We are grateful that the voices of fishermen and shore side businesses have finally been heard."

But Mystic Aquarium senior research scientist Peter Auster, whose institution pushed for heightened protections for an area 130 miles off the southeast coast of Cape Cod, noted that federal catch data shows that landings of mackerel and butterfish  two of the main species targeted by local fisherman near the monument  have risen this year compared with 2016, when the monument was established.

Auster said that to allow trawlers, pots and pot gear in the monument, which spans 4,913 square miles, "will have significant effects on conservation of marine wildlife in the monument."

Former Interior secretary Sally Jewell, who oversaw several of the monument designations Zinke is proposing to alter, said in an interview Monday that, "the protections that are written into the proclamations are in many cases what he's trying to undo, in his recommendations to Trump.

"It's a monument in name only if all the activities that are identified by Secretary Zinke are allowed to occur," she added.

Grazing advocates also welcomed the idea of providing ranchers with more access on five different monuments, including not only Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Gold Butte but also the New Mexico monuments Rio Grande Del Norte and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks.

Ethan Lane, who directs the Public Lands Council at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said in an email that, "It sounds like the voices of western communities are finally being heard and the promise to preserve grazing inside monuments might finally be kept by the federal government. This action would be a win for any western community that depends on ranching to stay afloat."

Utah politicians, who have lobbied Trump since he was elected to revisit several Antiquities Act designations, praised his administration's push to scale back these areas. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican, said Thursday that after having talked with Zinke about Grand Staircase-Escalante, which Bill Clinton established in 1996, "I think there's the possibility of carving it up into smaller monuments, you know, two or three that actually protects the area that needs protection."

Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch's spokesman Matt Whitlock said his boss "is grateful for Secretary Zinke's thorough, fair review that has given Utahns on all sides of the issue a voice in the protection of Utah lands."

But a broad array of monument supporters, including environmental and outdoor recreation activists, pledged to fight any changes to existing protections in court.

"Trump, Zinke and Herbert are going to come out on the wrong side of history," said Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Legal Director Steve Bloch.

University of Colorado law professor Mark Squillace, an expert in the Antiquities Act, said in an email that Zinke's proposal raises a host of legal issues given that no president has considered making so many changes to previous designations.

"Decisions to protect certain objects (and not others) involve judgment call that courts have shown an inclination to respect," he said. "The significant legal issues aside, if we allow presidents to second guess the judgments of their predecessor there would no end to the mischief that would create."

Although Zinke has proposed amending all 10 monuments' proclamations to shift the way they are managed, the majority of the management plans for these monuments have not been finalized because they take between five and six years to complete.

Randi Spivak, public lands program director for the advocacy group Center for Biological Diversity, said any proclamation change "would be subject to challenge" and "any proposed management plan changes will need to formally go through the same legal and administrative processes again, subject to the same administrative appeal and litigation requirements."

"This process will be very legally vulnerable because it will have to deal with all the scientific, environmental and social conclusions produced during the first round of management plan creation," she said. "This would be a massive hurdle for the administration."
Senate Republicans and the White House pressed ahead Tuesday with their suddenly resurgent effort to undo former president Barack Obama's signature health care law, even as their attempt was dealt a setback when a bipartisan group of governors and several influential interest groups came out against the proposal.

Powerful health care groups continued to rail against the bill, including AARP and the American Hospital Association, both of which urged a no vote. But it was unclear whether the opposition would ultimately derail the attempt, as key Republican senators including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said they had yet to make up their minds.

The measure marks the last gasp of Republican attempts to dramatically gut Obama's Affordable Care Act, which has added millions of people to the ranks of the insured through a combination of federally subsidized marketplaces and state-level expansions of Medicaid, leading to record lows in the number of those without health insurance. The Graham-Cassidy bill - named for Sens. Lindsey Graham, S.C., and Bill Cassidy, La., - would convert funding for the ACA into block grants for the states and would cut Medicaid dramatically over time.

The bill - coming two months after a previous failed repeal effort in the Senate - is the subject of a last-ditch lobbying push by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and the Trump administration, led by Vice President Mike Pence, ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline for Senate action.

In a letter to Senate leaders, the group of 10 governors argued against the Graham-Cassidy bill and wrote that they prefer the bipartisan push to stabilize the insurance marketplaces that Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., had been negotiating before talks stalled Tuesday evening.

The governors who signed the bill are particularly notable, since some are from states represented by Republican senators who are weighing whether to back the bill. Among the signers were Alaska Gov. Bill Walker, I, who holds some sway over Murkowski, a potentially decisive vote who opposed a previous Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Nevertheless, Murkowski said Tuesday afternoon that she was still weighing her options and explained how her position on the bill might ultimately differ from her opposition to the repeal effort that failed dramatically in July.

"If it can be shown that Alaska is not going to be disadvantaged, you gain additional flexibility. Then I can go back to Alaskans, and I can say, 'OK, let's walk through this together.' That's where it could be different," she said.

But Murkowski, who has been in close contact with Walker, said she did not yet have the data to make such a determination. Alaska's other Republican senator, Dan Sullivan, said he was still mulling whether to support the bill.

On the other side, a group of 15 Republican governors announced their support for the Senate bill Tuesday evening. The list includes Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, R, whose backing could help influence Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has frequently criticized the legislation for failing to fully repeal the ACA.

On Tuesday, Pence traveled from New York, where he was attending the annual United Nations General Assembly, to Washington with Graham in a sign of the White House's support for the proposal.

"My message today is I want to make sure that members of the Senate know the president and our entire administration supports Graham-Cassidy," Pence told reporters on the flight. "We think the American people need this."

Graham added that President Donald Trump called him at 10:30 p.m. Monday.

"He says, 'If we can pull this off, it'll be a real accomplishment for the country,' " he recalled.

Trump has played a limited role in building support among senators in recent days, but it is possible that his participation will increase as a potential vote nears. He has, however, been in touch with some governors, including a weekend call with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, R, according to aides.

Pence attended the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon, where he said the current health care system is collapsing and the bill fulfills key GOP promises to return control to states and rein in federal entitlement programs, according to several GOP senators.

Afterward, McConnell declined to ensure a vote on the bill but said his team is working to secure sufficient support.

"We're in the process of discussing all of this. Everybody knows that the opportunity expires at the end of the month," said McConnell, referring to the limited window Republicans have to take advantage of a procedural tactic to pass a broad health care bill without any Democratic support.

Democrats say the ACA needs modest improvements by Congress but is working well overall, and they have railed against a process in which Republicans are pressing ahead with few hearings on legislation that would affect an industry that accounts for about a sixth of the U.S. economy.

The current bill would give states control over billions in federal health care spending and enact deep cuts to Medicaid. The Medicaid cuts in particular are a major source of concern to the governors, both in terms of imposing a per capita limit on what states would receive and putting restrictions on how they could spend any federal aid on their expanded Medicaid populations.

Medicaid was expanded under the ACA to provide states with generous funding if they opted to cover adults earning up to 138 percent of the poverty level. Many Republican-led states decided against an expansion following a Supreme Court decision allowing them to opt out.

The fact that the bill also would restrict states' abilities to tax health care providers to fund their Medicaid programs posed a problem for several governors, as well.

In a sign of how alarmed state officials are about the prospect of funding cuts, Louisiana's health secretary sent a letter to Cassidy on Monday saying their state could see disproportionate cuts with significant impacts on people with preexisting or complex and costly conditions.

"This would be a detrimental step backwards for Louisiana," wrote Rebekah Gee, who posted her letter on Twitter on Monday.

And although Walker has not played a visible role in the national health care debate until now, certain aspects of the new bill pose an even bigger challenge for Alaska than previous proposals did. Health care premiums are particularly expensive in the state, given its many remote areas. Premiums on the ACA market average roughly $1,000 a month for an individual, according to the most recent federal data.

Since federal tax credits over time would be equalized and based on the number of low-income people in a given state, that new calculation would eliminate the more generous subsidies Alaska enjoys.

Given the complex nature of the Graham-Cassidy proposal, it is difficult for state officials and health care analysts to predict exactly how much money a given state would gain or lose if the legislation were enacted. But early estimates suggest that states with expanded Medicaid programs and active participation in the ACA markets could face major cuts.

An initial estimate for Colorado, according to state officials, suggests it could lose at least $700 million in annual federal funding by 2025. Since the state has roughly 450,000 people in its Medicaid expansion program and another 100,000 receiving premium tax credits on its health care exchange, that could translate into hundreds of thousands of Coloradans losing coverage.

The governors who have been most outspoken in their criticism of the bill negotiated behind the scenes to bring as many state executives on board as possible, according to aides, tweaking the language of Tuesday's letter over the past couple of days to get maximum support.

Others who signed the letter in opposition to Graham-Cassidy included John Kasich, R-Ohio, and Brian Sandoval, R-Nev. Sandoval's positioning puts him at odds with Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who has been touting the bill as another co-sponsor.

Pence said Trump told him to reach out to some Democrats, and he spoke to Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., over the weekend. But after reviewing the bill, Manchin said, he told Pence's aides he could not support the legislation.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he's confident no Democrat will vote for the legislation, because "it hurts people in every state."

Democrats had been working furiously since Monday to advance talks between Alexander and Murray on a deal to immediately stabilize ACA insurance marketplaces with federal subsidies. The negotiations rapidly escalated after weeks of slow but consistent talks once it became clear Senate GOP leaders were serious about holding a health care vote before the end of the month, according to several Senate aides.

Alexander on Tuesday played down expectations of reaching an agreement this week, telling reporters the pair had reached an impasse.

"During the last month, we have worked hard and in good faith but have not found the necessary consensus among Republicans and Democrats to put a bill in the Senate leaders' hands that could be enacted," Alexander said in a statement.

Democrats denied that the talks had fallen apart, accusing Republicans of walking away despite making progress on areas of disagreement. Schumer spokesman Matt House said Democrats offered to accept a number of GOP requests, including waivers to give states more latitude in how they spend federal dollars and the creation of new low-cost plans under the ACA.

"This is not about substance," House said in a statement. "The Republican leadership is so eager to pass Graham-Cassidy that they're scuttling a balanced, bipartisan negotiation."

Many Democrats, including Murray, said they hoped the talks could still be salvaged despite roadblocks from Republicans.

"I am disappointed that Republican leaders have decided to freeze this bipartisan approach," Murray said in a statement. "But I am confident that we can reach a deal if we keep working together."

The Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe and Ashley Parker contributed to this report.
A view of the proposed Obama Presidential Center campus from the southwest shows the Museum Building, Forum Building and Library Building surrounding a public plaza in Chicago's Jackson Park. (Obama Foundation)

Seven U.S. presidents and their spouses have been buried on the grounds of their libraries or museums, beginning with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. So as planning continues for former President Barack Obama's library and museum complex in Chicago's Jackson Park, the question is: Will he and his South Side born-and-raised wife opt to be buried there?

The question may seem morbid to some, or merely too soon given that Obama ended his presidency at the relatively young age of 55. None of the early sketches of the roughly 23- to 24-acre, $300 million-plus Obama Presidential Center that will go up on the South Side indicate a space for a gravesite on the grounds. And the Obama Foundation, the planning and fundraising arm for the library and museum, won't discuss it.

Advertisement

Experts say having a burial site at a presidential center and museum turns it into a "sacred" place.

"When there's a burial at a presidential library, that's a huge thing. It just focuses attention to the site and makes it into a kind of sacred site," said Benjamin Hufbauer, a professor at the University of Louisville, who wrote the 2006 book "Presidential Temples: How Memorials and Libraries Shape Public Memory."

Advertisement

Because Obama was the nation's first African-American president, a burial site on the grounds of his center would be significant, not just to blacks but to others who saw Obama as taking up their cause, from immigrants and members of the LGBTQ community to environmentalists, Hufbauer said.

Franklin Roosevelt's library and museum in Hyde Park, N.Y., started a trend  and a presidential center has gone up in honor of every president since then, according to Hufbauer. In fact, Roosevelt's move spurred supporters of his predecessor, President Herbert Hoover, to raise money to build a presidential center for him in his birthplace of West Branch, Iowa.

Today, there are 13 official presidential libraries and museum centers. The Obama center is recognized and promoted by the National Archives and Records Administration, but because his presidential papers will be stored in a separate NARA facility, it will not receive funds from the National Archives.

The presidential library and museum for Roosevelt was built on the grounds of his boyhood home on the Springwood estate in Hyde Park and it's where the late president and celebrated spouse Eleanor are buried. FDR was president at the time the nation exited the Great Depression and entered into World War II, so military veterans are particularly drawn to the gravesite.

"There's a very special feeling when the veterans groups come (to pay their respects)," said William Harris, deputy director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum.

Harris said Roosevelt had deep ties to the Hudson River Valley.

"The fact that his gravesite is here is just the natural conclusion of a lifetime and the life experience that grew out of his youth and value set and experiences he had right here on this land, which does make it special, and it does definitely relate to where he's from and what he is," Harris said.

So far, Obama's funeral arrangements are unknown. Departing presidents are asked to submit those plans as soon as they leave office to the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, the Army's official ceremonial unit that oversees and coordinates all state funerals. Obama, who has been frequently spotted traveling the world for vacations and humanitarian events since leaving office in January, has yet to submit his burial plans, a spokeswoman with the agency told the Tribune.

Advertisement

Sitting and former presidents are entitled to state funerals but are free to refuse them for a private service. Former presidents and their families have final say over their funeral arrangements, according to experts.

The choice of a final resting place is also up to the presidents and their families to decide. But if they want to create a burial site at a presidential center, it requires careful advanced planning, experts say.

"Presidents and their advisers plan this out long in advance. And usually they (the presidents) choose what is going to happen," Hufbauer said. "The architects will probably want to be advised if there's going to be a burial site. They'll want to integrate that."

Hufbauer added: "It's not something they're going to leave to chance. But if he chooses to do it, probably now would be the time to do it, for the architects to set a special area for that."

Should the Obamas choose to be buried at the South Side presidential center, the Obama Foundation would first need permission from the state, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which licenses cemeteries.

A gravesite on the grounds of the museum and library, set to open in four years, could serve as a bookend to Obama's powerful political career, which was born in Chicago.

Advertisement

"You can tell a story anywhere, you can read it in a two-dimensional book, but being in a spot where either history occurred or where there's some broader context can just enhance our experience dramatically," said Michael Boulware Moore, president and chief executive officer of the International African American Museum in Charleston, S.C., set to open in 2020.

"I don't think there's any question that President Obama will go down as (a) historical president for obvious reasons, but I think as time goes on, he's likely to look even better and more historical," Moore said.

Moore, whose own museum will chronicle the history of African-Americans  beginning in South Carolina, where as many as 40 percent of all slaves brought to the country entered through Charleston  said it would make sense for the Obamas to choose to be buried at the presidential center.

"If this museum is sort of the living testament of their values and their interests and their contributions to the world, then I think they would want to be there forever, and by making that connection to that place, then it would add even more power and presence to the legacy," he said.

Harry Truman is buried at his library and museum in Independence, Mo.; Ronald Reagan was laid to rest at his library and museum in Simi Valley, Calif.; Hoover is buried at his library and museum in West Branch; Dwight D. Eisenhower is buried at his Abilene, Kansas, presidential library and museum; Richard Nixon is buried on the grounds of his presidential library in Yorba Linda, Calif.; and Gerald R. Ford at his Grand Rapids, Mich., presidential museum.

John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson are not buried at their museum and library centers in Boston and Austin, Texas, respectively. Kennedy, who was assassinated in office, is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, while LBJ is buried on a family ranch in Texas.

Advertisement

Of the five still-living former presidents, Jimmy Carter has been the most vocal about his final resting place, saying he wants to be buried in his hometown of Plains, Ga.. His presidential library and museum is in Atlanta.

Last October, Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, announced that he and his wife, Laura, would be buried at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. His father, George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, have burial plots at his presidential library and museum on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. The Army's Military District did not respond to requests for information on what, if any, plans Bill Clinton had made.

Obama could choose to be buried in his home state of Hawaii, where he spent most of his young life and where he and his family regularly vacation. He could buck tradition further by becoming the first American president to have his remains cremated.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Kurt Graham, director of the Harry Truman Library and Museum in Independence, said the fact that the site is also where the president is buried strikes an emotional chord for visitors.

"A (presidential) gravesite adds a level of solemnity and reflection that you don't get from any other sort of exhibit experience," Graham said. "I can say unequivocally, having the president and his wife buried at the library are an incredibly important part of the Truman library experience."

Truman is buried beside his wife, Bess, in the library's courtyard, with his daughter and son-in-law buried a short distance away.

Advertisement

At the Nixon and Reagan presidential museums, visitors treat the gravesites like they would visiting any cemetery, with quiet solemnity.

Reagan Foundation spokeswoman Melissa Giller wrote in an email to the Tribune: "I do think there's a solemn feeling since President and Mrs. Reagan are buried here. Guests are almost always out at the gravesite paying their respects. Some even bring flowers."

wlee@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MidNoirCowboy
Many a world leader has come to the United Nations to give a mealy-mouthed speech or issue a vague declaration. Delegates understood they could remain awake at their discretion.

The action was different, and riveting, Tuesday at the U.N. when President Donald Trump lit into North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, using what we now recognize to be Trump's trademark vocabulary of shock and audaciousness.

Advertisement

"Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," Trump said, mocking Kim and sounding more like a professional wrestler than a president.

Trump's language was blunt and cavalier to the point of seeming unhinged. But it wasn't erratic or dangerous. His message was extreme, yet calibrated to reinforce his administration's policy that North Korea faces grave consequences should it threaten the United States, South Korea or Japan with nuclear warheads or ballistic missiles.

Advertisement

In fact, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis held an impromptu news conference Monday to deliver a similar warning, though he used more nuanced language. It was almost as if Mattis wanted to balance Trump's bluster by getting ahead of it with some good solid Pentagon whispering.

What Mattis said, according to The New York Times, was that the U.S. has military options to deal with North Korea that would not put Seoul at risk of being destroyed. Was he talking about cyberwarfare? A bombing campaign? Targeted assassination? Mattis wouldn't say.

Mattis did say he felt diplomacy and sanctions were putting pressure on Kim's regime, thus suggesting those avenues should be pursued. He also said that while North Korea had test-fired missiles over Japan, the regime had been careful not to provoke the U.S. "Were (missiles) to be aimed at Guam, or U.S. territory," Mattis said, "that would elicit a different response."

Hmm, quite a muted comment. But would anyone doubt the Pentagon chief's resolve, or what "a different response" means?

Contrast those words with Trump on Tuesday, and the president's screed benefits from Mattis' shading. The two are rightly aligned on strategy: Bring North Korea to heel peacefully, if possible, but make clear the United States would respond to any attack with overwhelming force. The president's sharp language may be remembered by diplomats the way Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev's shoe-waving at the U.N. in 1960 entered the lore of crazy U.N. rants. But really, on Tuesday in New York this was Trump was being Trump:

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary. That's what the United Nations is all about.

Eight months into this presidency, we know the elements of Trump's style. A lot of the bluster is distasteful and embarrassing, especially his personal attacks on Twitter. They alienate and distract. Some of his behavior does real damage to the country: Trump failed a leadership test by failing to call out white supremacy at Charlottesville, Va. No, we don't want to raise our children to act like this president. But Trump holds many responsibilities, paramount among them: keeping this nation safe. North Korea is a vexing and potentially lethal foe. The Kim family of dictators has frustrated efforts by the last three presidents to draw North Korea from its dangerous isolation. Where President Barack Obama unfortunately chose to disengage from North Korean talks through a policy of so-called "strategic patience," Trump must act with strong resolve. Kim has forced the issue; North Korea continues to test missiles, and it is believed to have produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside intercontinental ballistic missiles.

We don't know if Trump will be the fourth American leader to fail, or the one who figures out how to contain North Korea or conclude the standoff. We can predict, at least, that Trump will not keep mum; he will, as he did Tuesday, alert the world to what America can and would do. Maybe that approach helps to get the right message across to Kim.

Advertisement

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
The 25-foot-tall Abraham Lincoln sculpture standing next to another large-scale figure that represents a common man holding the Gettysburg Address was removed from Pioneer Court Monday September 18, 2017. The sculpture known as "Return Visit" heads to Peoria, Ill. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

O glorious day! We arrived at Tribune Tower on Monday morning to a sight that made us rejoice: A giant crane had lassoed the Lincoln statue in Pioneer Court.

Moving day! No more 31-foot-tall, 19-ton tribute to America's greatest president and some dweeb in khakis and sneakers who wandered in off the street. No more tourists strolling by, peering at the statue and muttering, "Huh? What's this about?"

Advertisement

Lincoln and The Dweeb is now destined to dazzle and bewilder Peoria. Buh-bye!

No, this statue didn't measure up to the last sensation on the plaza. That was a 26-foot-tall Marilyn Monroe posed in the famous subway-grate scene from "The Seven Year Itch": smiling, eyes shut, skirt blowing up. Sure, some critics called it tacky, tawdry and sexist. And yes, a lot of tourists smirkingly gawked up her skirt and snapped the requisite photos to memorialize their moment of raunch on otherwise sedate Michigan Avenue.

Advertisement

But Marilyn drew giddy crowds and made people smile. We still miss her exuberance.

The sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in Pioneer Court on Michigan Avenue in July 2011. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Before Marilyn was the quirkily appealing "God Bless America," a giant depiction of farmer, wife, pitchfork and suitcase, modeled after Grant Wood's famous "American Gothic" painting. That sculpture became a huge hit among shutterbug tourists and Chicagoans alike in 2009. Its gargantuan appeal rivaled the Bean (aka Cloud Gate) in Millennium Park and Calder's Flamingo in front of the Kluczynski Federal Building.

Before Lincoln and The Dweeb defenders fire off angry emails to the Tribune Editorial Board, we concede that we're not the keenest art critics. But we do wholeheartedly appreciate public art on Chicago's streets  the beloved painted cows on Michigan Avenue in 1999, the life-size moose fashioned from recycled chrome car bumpers in Pioneer Court, Claes Oldenburg's lacy Batcolumn on West Madison Street.

All of these provoke praise from some and scorn from others. Hideous or profound? You decide. That's the beauty of art.

Take the Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza, this year celebrating its 50th anniversary as a tourist love-it-or-hate-it magnet. What is it  butterfly wings? A cow sticking out its tongue? A flying nun? All of those and many other descriptions, some unprintably disparaging, have been offered by passers-by over the years.

When a proud Mayor Richard J. Daley unveiled the Picasso in August 1967, he recognized that it could take Chicagoans a while to embrace it: "We dedicate this celebrated work this morning with the belief that what is strange to us today will be familiar tomorrow," he said.

Fifty years later, it's still strange. But the Picasso is also a worldwide symbol of Chicago  inspiring, perplexing, never boring.

So what's next for Pioneer Court? A spokeswoman for Zeller Realty Group, which oversees the plaza, tells us there is "no public timetable for the next exhibit or event." Why not? Several years ago, a spokeswoman explained: "We like the element of surprise."

Advertisement

So do we. Make it a good one next time.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 11 The Picasso at Daley Plaza in Chicago on Aug. 8, 2017. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
In the article on Sept. 16 titled "Madigan bombshell: No run for re-election," Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan stated, "I have dedicated my career to helping people."

I had to laugh. During her last campaign, the Tribune didn't endorse her because she wasn't doing enough to fight corruption. Not long ago, she even stated to a TV reporter that her hands are tied by state laws when it comes to fighting corruption. Federal statutes also apply, but she hides behind state colors.

Advertisement

If Madigan believes looking the other way when learning about corruption is dedicating a career to helping people, then it is good the people of Illinois will get a new, honest, courageous attorney general.

 Norman Jones, Crystal Lake
Former Chicago police Sgt. Eddie Hicks vanished eight years ago on the eve of his high-profile corruption trial.



Federal authorities had charged him with running a crew of rogue cops who robbed drug dealers, pocketed the illicit cash and sold the stolen drugs to other pushers. It was a case that stunned Chicago's law enforcement community.



Once Hicks was on the lam  to Brazil, authorities suspect  he was just as brazen, repeatedly conducting financial transactions in Chicago to enrich himself and the people closest to him, a Tribune investigation found.



Two years after Hicks vanished, his signature appeared on land records giving his son the South Side property Hicks had used to secure his $150,000 bond. Federal officials did not move to block that property transfer or seek a bond forfeiture judgment and seize the building.



Hicks' son, active-duty Chicago police Officer Anthony Hicks, then used the building to secure a $217,500 mortgage that he did not repay, records show.



While a fugitive, Hicks also apparently signed paperwork directing the Chicago police pension fund to deposit benefit checks totaling more than $300,000 into a credit union account. And his signature separately appears on at least 23 monthly police pension checks totaling $79,000, most of which were cashed or deposited by his wife, other records show.



Hicks married former Chicago officer Carol Pierce six days before he disappeared in 2003, government records show.



The case of Eddie Hicks is one of at least five the Tribune identified in which Chicago-area fugitives accused of murder, rape and other serious felonies apparently reached back to Chicago to conduct lucrative financial deals while they were hiding in places ranging from Latin America to Africa and the Far East.



The fugitives include a reputed Chicago gang member and murder suspect who fled to Mexico, then transferred property to a girlfriend, and a businessman who deeded a suburban home to his family years after he fled to Nigeria while facing homicide charges. Such deals underscore how freely criminal suspects can live by simply crossing the U.S. border.



Federal and local law enforcement officials told the Tribune they were outraged at the blatant transactions. But some said they weren't sure if any laws were broken or whether there was anything they could have done to stop the deals.



A fugitive's transfer of a building to a relative may not constitute a crime, for example, because a homeowner has a right to deed property even if he or she faces serious felony charges.



Still, following Tribune inquiries, the retirement board of the Policemen's Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago in September suspended Hicks' monthly annuity payments. And one former federal prosecutor argued that authorities can force the return of a fugitive with significant assets by aggressively using the courts to financially squeeze the escapee and his supporters.



"You cut the fugitive off from the things that matter most: money and his family," said former assistant U.S. attorney Martin Weinstein, who with other prosecutors helped capture international fugitive and former defense company executive Suleiman Nassar.



Nassar fled to Syria in 1994 after federal prosecutors in Atlanta charged him with taking part in a bribery and corruption scheme. The U.S. had no extradition treaty with Syria, but federal prosecutors obtained court permission to freeze Nassar's assets  including pension funds totaling about $750,000  and to block Nassar's family from selling two Washington, D.C., condos that had been bought with Nassar's money.



"We visited plagues on him, cutting off his pension, taking his house," said Weinstein, now a partner at a Washington law firm.



Nassar buckled and returned to the U.S. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to federal prison.



Officials in the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago declined to divulge what they knew about Hicks' financial dealings but said they consider his capture a high priority and "have followed numerous leads relating to financial transactions, as well as pursued other avenues of investigation."



"Certain legal impediments (and) tactical considerations also play a role in deciding whether to restrain pensions and other assets, because at times fugitives' efforts to access their assets can reveal their whereabouts," their statement added.



Money keeps flowing



Until he retired from the Chicago Police Department while under federal investigation in March 2000, Eddie Hicks seemed to have had a charmed career.



Wired through personal and professional friendships to top commanders, he enjoyed plush assignments such as providing security at Chicago Bulls games, and he was chosen for training in command-level law enforcement tactics at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va. He began working in the police narcotics unit in 1992.



While there, he led a crew that used fake search warrants to rip off drug stash houses and also stole drugs and cash from dealers during illegal traffic stops, according to court papers filed by federal prosecutors and interviews.



By the time Hicks' trial was scheduled to begin in June 2003, three of his four co-defendants had pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme. But Hicks, who had been out on bail, didn't show up on his trial's opening day.



Federal court officials had allowed Hicks to secure his $150,000 bond by posting as collateral a gated three-story brick apartment building at 7840 S. Phillips Ave. that Hicks owned with his son Anthony.



But authorities didn't seize that building after Eddie Hicks became a fugitive. Two years later, in 2005, Eddie Hicks' signature appeared on a property deed transferring ownership of the building solely to his son, land and court records examined by the Tribune show.



Eddie Hicks' land deed was filed publicly with the Cook County recorder of deeds, and his signature was verified by two Illinois notaries, who attested that Hicks appeared before them and signed the papers.



Anthony Hicks told Tribune reporters that he did not know how he and his father came to sign the 2005 land deed. "It baffles me," Anthony Hicks told the Tribune as he stared at a copy of the deed during a recent interview. "We didn't sign it together, I know that. It's been so long ago, it's like I totally forgot about everything."



Anthony Hicks said he hasn't seen his father, now 62, since shortly before he disappeared. Asked what happened to the $217,500 in mortgage funds, Anthony Hicks said: "I'm not going to answer any more questions. ... Have a nice day, gentlemen." He then walked away.



The day after Eddie Hicks failed to appear in court in June 2003, the fugitive signed paperwork directing the police pension fund to mail his annuity checks of more than $3,000 per month to a South Side home where he had lived with his wife, Carol Pierce.



Pierce immediately began cashing the checks, which bore Hicks' apparent signature and endorsement on the back. She declined to comment for this story.



By June 2004, federal authorities had learned that the Hicks pension checks were being cashed, and subpoenaed the fund for copies of several recent checks.



Still, Hicks' signature kept appearing on more pension checks, and Pierce kept cashing them, pension records show. Authorities made no move to stop the flow of money  perhaps because they were hoping the trail might lead them to Hicks.



Then in 2005, Hicks' signature appeared on a form directing the fund to wire his monthly benefit payments into his account with the Chicago Patrolman's Federal Credit Union, the Tribune found. Chicago pension officials said they examined the signature on the electronic deposit request and it appeared to be Hicks'.



Pension officials initially told the Tribune that they were powerless to do much more than process the paperwork and start wiring the checks into Hicks' account. State laws and court decisions bar them from terminating benefit payments of a police officer accused of a crime until he or she is convicted and sentenced, pension officials said.



But in September, the pension board suspended Hicks' pension. Shortly after that, Hicks' wife contested the move and sent the fund a power of attorney document  purportedly handwritten and signed by Hicks in June of last year  stating that he had appointed her to handle all of his financial affairs, including his pension transactions.



The board plans to offer her a hearing in the coming weeks to listen to her arguments for reinstating the benefits and to determine whether the document Pierce presented is valid.



Unless the board is convinced, fund Executive Director John Gallagher Jr. told the newspaper in an email that "this suspension will remain in effect until such time as (Hicks) presents himself or is found, one way or another."



Few safeguards exist



Hicks is accused of federal crimes, but suspects wanted in county courthouses on charges of murder and other crimes also have conducted financial deals in the Chicago area after they fled the U.S.



Charged in 1990 with gunning down a bystander as he shot wildly into a crowd during a Chicago street argument, Humboldt Park store owner Abdulrafiu Shokunbi posted a cash bond of just $3,000, then fled to his native Nigeria, government records show.



Shokunbi was convicted in absentia in 1993 of first-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. By then, authorities appear to have lost track of him.



Yet in 1999, the Tribune found, Shokunbi apparently signed a Cook County deed transferring his two-story south suburban Matteson home to his wife, whose family continues to live there.



Those public land papers list a legal contact for Shokunbi in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city.



Despite a $30,000 judgment against him for violating his bond, local and U.S. authorities never challenged Shokunbi's financial transaction or moved to seize his home or any other assets. It's unclear if they were even aware of the deal.



Family members of the murder victim said they were surprised to learn of the property transfer from reporters and still want the fugitive to serve his time. "I just feel this individual should pay," said Juan Rios, the younger brother of slain carwash owner Felix Ralph Bergollo.



In a more recent case, murder suspect Luis Mejia had been a fugitive in Mexico for more than a year when he signed Cook County legal papers transferring a Streamwood rowhouse to his longtime companion, land and court records show.



That 2003 deed helped the woman sell the home for $30,000 more than the couple paid for it and to resolve debts, records show.



Mejia, then a 29-year-old reputed Chicago street gang member, chased a man into a West Side stereo installation shop and opened fire, fatally shooting bystander Alexis Martinez, police and court records allege. Mejia immediately fled across the border, according to a warrant.



With law enforcement authorities paying little attention, there are few other safeguards against the transactions found in these fugitive cases  even when signatures are required on documents in Chicago.



Juan Alvarez was wanted on a murder charge and believed to be living in Mexico when his signature appeared on Cook County land records that transferred a two-story brick walk-up on the Southwest Side to his wife. The property transfer enabled her to keep the home and raise their children there.



Alvarez was accused in 2002 of agreeing to pay $3,000 to three men who gunned down a man who dated his wife while they were estranged. But while awaiting a 2003 court appearance after allegedly confessing to police, he got lucky  he was let out of the Cook County Jail by mistake and handed over to federal immigration officials, who deported him to Mexico.



Two years later, attorney and notary Elina Golod handled the paperwork for Alvarez's property transfer. She said there was little she could have done when Alvarez  or someone posing as him  came before her and presented identification before signing a land deed in 2005.



Golod told the Tribune she had worked on numerous real estate closings and had no recollection of this deal.



Alvarez, she said, "must have been there, unless  fraud happens all the time. Since he was on the run at the time, maybe he did find somebody else who looked like him and sent that person."



dyjackson@tribune.com



gmarx@tribune.com ref="mailto:gmarx@tribune.com">gmarx@tribune.com
Check out local hip-hop artists, a musical reunion and pop punk sounds this week.

Friday, Sept. 22

Advertisement

Kami, Kweku Collins, Trapo, Valee

Chop Shop

Advertisement

2033 W. North Ave. 773-537-4440

Some of the best up-and-comers in Midwest hip-hop hit the stage at this show curated by local promoters 1833. Kamihalf of duo Leather Corduroys with Joey Purp and one of our "5 Chicago acts to watch in 2017"headlines, riding off the acclaim of his debut album "Just Like The Movies," which dropped this past May. Kami is joined by the Evanston-raised Kweku Collins, local catchy track connoisseur Valee and Wisconsin rapper Trapo. With special guest appearances from fellow SaveMoney members, this stacked show is a can't-miss. $15. 8 p.m. Tickets: 1833.fm

Open Mike Eagle

Schubas

3159 N. Southport Ave. 773-525-2508

Alt rapper Open Mike Eagle embarks on his latest tour, this time in support of his album "Brick Body Kids Still Daydream," which came out this month. Although the influence of his distinctive style has expanded far beyond city limits, the origin of Open Mike's talent will always be Chicago. This latest offering finds Open Mike in more conceptual terrority, continuing themes from his 2014 solo effort "Dark Comedy." Accompanying videos heighten his lyrical subject matter and further his views on the world around him. New York-based teacher turned underground rapper Sammus, who contributes to Open Mike Eagle's latest album, joins him. $13. 10 p.m. Tickets: lh-st.com

Saturday, Sept. 23

Goose Island 312 Block Party

Advertisement

Goose Island Fulton Street Brewery

1800 W. Fulton St. 800-466-7363

Local brewery Goose Island brings back its two-day street fest Sept. 22-23. On this year's bill are experimental legends Animal Collective, indie supergroup Filthy Friends and SaveMoney emcee Joey Purp. The festivities take place right in front of the Goose Island homestead on Fulton, and this year once again promises great music and great beer. Free. 5 p.m. More info: do312.com/312blockparty

Sunday, Sept. 24

Animal Collective, Black Dice

The Empty Bottle

Advertisement

1035 N. Western Ave. 773-276-3600

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

Following their performance at the Goose Island 312 Block Party and as part of the Empty Bottle's ongoing #EB25 concert series, experimental indie gurus Animal Collective join avant-garde electro group Black Dice to repeat their 2004 Empty Bottle performances. Animal Collective is arguably one of indie music's most influential groups. $40. 9 p.m. Tickets: emptybottle.com

Tuesday, Sept. 26

Cayetana

Subterranean

2011 W. North Ave. 773-278-6600

Advertisement

With the release of debut record "Nervous Like Me" in 2014, the Philly-based band showed off its unique strain of pop punk with an emphasis on the pop. Cayetana honed its ability to craft catchy tunes in May of this year with sophomore effort "New Kind of Normal." The group was praised for its candid lyrics and tracks covering mental illness and the strife that comes along with it. Fellow Philly artist Hemming, Minneapolis duo Strange Relations and local emo group What Gives join Cayetana. $12. 8 p.m. Tickets: subt.net

Efrain Dorado is a RedEye freelancer.

[ Looking for more to do in Chicago?  ]
A 34-year-old Aurora man was shot in the arm Sunday afternoon on an East Side porch, police said.

Police said the shooting at about 5 p.m. Sunday on the 600 block of South Fourth Street does not appear to be random, and they're continuing to look for witnesses.

Advertisement

The man had apparently been standing in an enclosed front porch when at least two men got out of a blue Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV that had pulled into a driveway and approached him, police said in a statement on Facebook.

Armed with a handgun, one of the suspects fired, striking the man on the porch in his arm, police said. The suspects got back into the SUV and left the area, according to police.

Advertisement

Police responded to the shooting and fire department paramedics took the man who'd been shot to an Aurora hospital. His wound is not life-threatening, police said.

Describing the shooting victim and witnesses as "largely uncooperative," police said there was no clear description of the suspects other than they were men and at least one of them was wearing a mask.

Further information was not immediately available Monday afternoon.

Police are asking anyone with information to call detectives at 630-256-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 630-256-1000, or to submit tips using the My PD app.

hleone@tribpub.com

Twitter @hannahmleone
Some property owners and interested neighbors are trying to keep afloat a cohesive plan to redevelop a square block on the near West Side of Aurora.

Known as Chestnut Square, the block, bounded by Chestnut Street, Downer Place, Locust Street and Galena Boulevard, includes the McDonald's restaurant at Galena and Locust, as well as the strip mall next to it on Galena.

Advertisement

But it also includes eight properties along Downer and Chestnut to the south of those businesses, separated by a private parking lot.

Some 37 years ago, Aurora created a plan called Chestnut Square that installed single-family residential and business zoning on the eight properties along Chestnut and Downer. The idea was the properties would be for home business type of uses, with the use of the parking lot the properties surround.

Advertisement

Two of the homeowners are using their properties that way. Marc Straits redeveloped a single-family home at 20 S. Chestnut St. into a home business use that he rents. On the other end of the eight properties, at 304 W. Downer Place, an accountant uses an historic late 1800s house for an accounting business.

They, along with neighbors in the area, believe if the private lot behind their properties was better maintained, it would encourage other property owners in the Chestnut Square block to redevelop into home business uses as well.

Recently, the owner of another late 1800s historic house at 315 W. Downer Place tried unsuccessfully to downzone his property so it could have two residential units. That was turned down by the Planning Commission, the Planning & Development Committee and the City Council.

Now, Straits has said he wants to keep the momentum going to redevelop that area into what it was envisioned to be 37 years ago.

He recently convened a meeting at New England Congregational Church, which is at Chestnut and Galena, across the street from Chestnut Square, where church officials think the redevelopment plan could help clean up some of the properties in the neighborhood.

A representative from The Healy Chapel, a mortuary in an historic building at Downer and Chestnut, also across the street from Chestnut Square, also attended the meeting.

"It was a good meeting, there was a lot of consensus," Straits said. "I wanted the meeting to be positive. Everbody there, it was in their best interest that (Chestnut Square) develop. It's private property, but it goes beyond that private property. It affects a lot of things."

Places like The Healy Chapel are concerned that the neighborhood is deteriorating to the point that it affects how they do business. If the Healy Chapel were to leave that neighborhood, there is concern about what would happen to the historic building they would leave behind.

Advertisement

Also attending the meeting were members of the Aurora Police Department, and Ald. William Donnell, 4th Ward. Police addressed safety issues in the parking lot, and Donnell talked about the city's perspective on the redevelopment.

Donnell brought with him a message: no matter how sympathetic he or city officials might be toward the Chestnut Square idea, there is no preservation money right now to go toward helping the property owners.

For that reason, Straits said they are concentrating on the safety factor of the neighborhood and the private parking lot. The lot connects to the McDonald's parking lot, but also has two other entrances, one from Downer Place and one from Locust Street. The parking lot has had crime problems in the past, although Aurora police and the property owners agree police have been responsive there.

Donnell said he told the property owners and neighbors to immediately report any suspicious activity they see there and they will get a prompt police response. Straits agreed.

"I really want to concentrate on safety and policy issues, because everybody can agree on that," he said.

In the meantime, Strait said the property owners have a new logo, and have part of a plan that suggests possible redevelopment plans for the 315 W. Downer Place property, and the possibility of closing off the Downer Place entrance to the parking lot to curb suspicious activity. He said the property owners also plan to start pointing out the historic nature of the properties in that area.

Advertisement

"There is a plan, even if there is no money," he said.

slord@tribpub.com
A shooting Tuesday afternoon at an Alsip auto shop sent multiple victims to the hospital, police said. (Zak Koeske / Daily Southtown )

One of two men shot at an Alsip auto body shop Tuesday has died, police said Wednesday morning.

Mohamed Salhia, 76, of Orland Park, was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to a news release from the Alsip Police Department. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

Advertisement

The second shooting victim, a 43-year-old man, remained at Advocate Christ, where his condition was stabilized, according to police.

The man who allegedly shot the two employees was taken into police custody after a brief pursuit Tuesday, police said.

Advertisement

Upon responding to reports of gunfire at Ray's Towing and Recovery, 4340 W. 127th St., just after 1 p.m., officers found a person who had been battered by the gunman and two people shot inside the business, according to an earlier news release from police.

The battered person told officers that a man had shot the two others and fled in a vehicle, police said. All three were believed to be employees of Ray's, Alsip Police Chief Jay Miller said.

After securing the scene, police broadcast a description of the suspect and his vehicle to surrounding towns, the statement said. The two shot were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center.

A short time later, Oak Lawn officers spotted the suspect's vehicle at 107th Street and Pulaski Road and attempted to stop it, police said. When the man did not stop for the officers, a pursuit ensued. The suspect exited his vehicle at 95th Street and Central Park Avenue and was apprehended following a brief foot chase, police said.

At this point, police do not believe any other suspects were involved, although an investigation is ongoing, Miller said.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

The auto body shop's head dispatcher, Elizabeth Easter, said she rushed to the scene after an employee at the shop called her around 1:45 p.m. to tell her Ray's had been robbed at gunpoint and two people had been shot.

She said the employee, a light service driver, told her a man had pulled a gun on him and then struck him with the weapon, knocking him unconscious. When he came to, he found the other two people shot and the robber gone, she said he told her.

Easter said she'd worked at Ray's for the past six years and that her employers were "awesome people to work for."

Advertisement

Police are still investigating what, if any, relationship the suspect may have had to those injured.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Alsip Police Department at 708-385-6902, ext. 246.

zkoeske@tribpub.com

Twitter @ZakKoeske
Late last Thursday night I was chasing a story about the rumored retirement of state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, Illinois' first female House majority leader, when I got a text message from a high-level employee of Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

She asked if she could call me Friday morning about something her boss was doing that day. I said of course, and went back to work.

Advertisement

A few minutes later, Currie finally returned my repeated calls and texts and I forgot all about the Madigan request.

Back in 1979 when Currie started her first term, Chicago's House delegation was packed with very conservative white men. But, now, "I don't feel as if I'm leaving a void" by retiring, the liberal legislator from Chicago's liberal Hyde Park neighborhood told me Thursday night. The city's delegation these days is filled with "fresh, bright, able, progressive people," Currie said.

Advertisement

Currie, 77, had a difficult time that night singling out a favored highlight of what will be 40 years in the House and 20 years as majority leader by the time she retires. Instead, she ticked off a long list of subjects, ranging from early childhood education, to civil rights and civil liberties, women's issues, environmental issues, freedom of information, school funding and even the impeachment of Rod Blagojevich.

Currie said her stamina and energy isn't what it used to be and it was time to "do something different."

Currie took a lot of grief when House Speaker Michael Madigan made her his majority leader. Some of her fellow independent liberals viewed her as a sell-out to party machine hacks. Downstate legislators were upset that Madigan had picked a fellow Chicagoan instead of maintaining geographic balance by choosing someone from their ranks. And conservative Democrats, some of whom were uncomfortable with a female majority leader, viewed her as too much of an intellectual who was always championing politically "dangerous" ideas like state-regulated needle exchange programs to prevent the spread of AIDS among intravenous drug users.

But she has shown over time that she could effectively work within the system without losing her liberal street cred, and Speaker Madigan is now far more open to liberal causes than he was before he elevated Currie to the second chair. Illinois, for instance, now has five needle exchange centers. Also, as the country has shifted to a partisan divide between urban/suburban vs. exurban/rural, Downstate Democrats have been disappearing and losing some influence within the caucus.

I finished talking with Currie and went to bed. The next morning after I'd written the story about her and done a couple of blog posts, my phone rang. It was that same Lisa Madigan employee who'd texted me the night before. I'd completely forgotten about it.

"Hold on a second," the staffer said, "Lisa wants to talk to you."

I instantly knew what it was. This was no routine call.

The attorney general informed me that she wasn't running for reelection or any other office next year.

Advertisement

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

"I'm ready to move on to a new challenge," she said when I asked why.

Attorney General Madigan talked about running for governor more than once in the past, but she took herself out four years ago, saying she wouldn't run as long as her father, Speaker Madigan, was in office.

But AG Madigan told me she doesn't regret not having the opportunity to run for governor. "I ran for attorney general because I believed this office would be the greatest opportunity to help people," she said, flatly denying that she got out because she feared she might lose reelection because of her infamous father's horrific poll ratings.

She didn't rule out a future run for office and pointedly refused to rule out a bid for governor beyond 2018.

But if a Democrat defeats Gov. Bruce Rauner next year, that'll put Madigan out of the running for maybe eight more years. I can't say I blame her for getting out now. She's also been mentioned as a possible Chicago mayoral candidate, but I was told in no uncertain terms she wouldn't run for mayor in 2019. It really sounded to me like she was looking forward to a private sector career.

And what about Speaker Madigan, who's been in office almost forever? Several people close to him have recently retired. And then came Currie's announcement. And then his own daughter. But I can't find anyone who has a convincing argument that he'll actually hang up his spurs any time soon. He still seems to be enjoying himself.

Advertisement

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.
Evanston resident Tania Richard is an actor, writer and co-creator of the podcast "Race Bait". She will be featured at the Chicago Podcast Festival in October with her co-host Paul Traynor of Wilmette. She grew up in Western Springs and has lived in Evanston for 12 years.

Q: How did you get involved in the podcast festival?

Advertisement

A: I've known the producer for more than 20 years. About one year ago (when the festival started) was right about the time I was getting interested in the medium.

I have a blog and I wrote a post called "Think before you share that video." He followed the link and listened to a few podcast episodes and invited us to be a part of it.

Advertisement

Q: What issues surrounding race do you specifically plan to address at the festival?

A: We're keeping it under wraps. But we have chosen topics I think that have had cultural importance. Most people who attend will have some sort of experience and be able to relate to it. It's something that's been in the cultural zeitgeist for some time. Now, let's unpack it and break it down.

Q: How do you feel about participating in the festival?

A: I'm so excited. My co-host Paul and I have actually had our eyes on having a live show. It's been a goal for us. The idea that we have someone on board who is producing it for us, it's more than we could have imagined. We're thrilled.

Q: Why did you move to Evanston?

A: My husband, Bill, is a longtime Evanstonian.

Q: Has Evanston influenced your performance?

A: Absolutely. Part of our mission is to address the local and the national. Seminar Day at New Trier High School, that's a recurring topic of ours. We also draw the bridge between that and what's going on nationally. We talk a lot about equity at the Evanston Public Library and the importance for the community. We talk about red lining and fair housing. We're able to hit a lot of important stuff.

Advertisement

Q: Who is your target audience?

A: There are people who really come to the podcast to learn because they are open to having their minds open. We've also heard from a lot of people who are getting affirmation.

It's exciting. It's always interesting. We want people to feel like they're part of the conversation and no one's above them.

Q: What are your future goals?

A: I'm working on a play for Piven Theatre in Evanston. It's right now called "The Evanston Project". That's something they've commissioned me to write. It discusses the two sides of Green Bay Road and the creation of the 5th Ward.

I'm also doing a lot of equity, diversity and inclusion training and consulting for various theaters and schools in the Chicago area.

Advertisement

gbookwalter@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GenevieveBook
China and Ukraine on Monday signed here a framework agreement to push forward their cooperation in film and media industries.

The deal was inked during the 7th International media forum "Kiev Media Week" by Tian Yuhong, vice president of China Radio International (CRI) and Zurab Alasania, director general of the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (PBCU).

The agreement stipulates for airing Chinese films on the Ukrainian TV and lays the foundation for the joint production of media content between the two countries.

As a part of the agreement, four Chinese TV series and movies will be aired this season in prime time by the PBCU, which covers about 97 percent of the Ukrainian territory.

The number of Chinese films on the Ukrainian screens is expected to further expand in the future.

"The catalog of the films is very large. We have been discussing them for a long time. We, the members of the television crew, really like them," Alasania told Xinhua after the signing ceremony.

He said that the majority of the films will be dubbed into Ukrainian, while several movies will be broadcasted in Mandarin with subtitles, allowing the Ukrainian audience to gain greater insight into China.

In the future, Ukraine plans to broadcast its movies in China, Alasania said, noting that the two-way cooperation may become a cultural bridge between the two countries, helping their people to better understand each other.

Speaking on a possible co-production of media content between China and Ukraine, Alasania said it could yield good results given a wide variety of locations and experienced TV staff in Ukraine and modern media-production technologies in China.

Ukraine is very much interested in developing its cooperation with China in film and media industries, Alasania stressed, noting that his country still has much work to do ahead to reach high standards of Chinese content production.

The five-day "Kiev Media Week" kicked off in the Ukrainian capital earlier on Monday, with the participation of film and media industry professionals from 25 countries.

The PBCU, the largest state-run Ukrainian media company, is broadcasting content via two nationwide and 25 regional TV channels.
China's crackdown on bitcoin exchanges is a sign that the top regulator no longer tolerates cryptocurrency trading in the country as it has fueled illegal fundraising and cross-border money laundering, experts told China Daily.

A citizen takes photos of a bitcoin ATM in east China's Shanghai, April 16, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

Two of China's bitcoin exchanges, Huobi and OKCoin, both announced on Saturday that they will halt all virtual currency trading by the end of October, after they "received the notice and guidance from the regulators" according to their websites.

The Beijing News reported on Monday that senior managers of these two exchanges were forbidden to leave Beijing, and are required by financial regulators to cooperate with further investigations.

It followed the announcement of BTCChina, one of the country's biggest bitcoin exchanges, saying it will close its trading platform by the end of this month.

Bitcoin rebounded by more than 8 percent to $3,974 in intraday trading on Monday, up about 30 percent from Friday's low-ebb of $2,972, as investors calmed after digesting the exchange closure news.

"It is unlikely that the cryptocurrency trading will re-commence in the short term, as the financial regulators have made this decision," said Deng Jianpeng, a professor at the Law School of Minzu University of China.

More detailed explanations are expected from the central bank and other relevant government departments that may clarify the boundaries of illegal trading, he said.

Without mature and special laws on bitcoin trading, the cryptocurrency's exchange was seen as a channel to transfer personal assets overseas, which is supposed to be under the supervision of the country's foreign exchange administration.

Speculative investment fueled bitcoin's surge to around $5,000 earlier this year, marking a five-fold increase since the end of 2016.

Du Yan, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Future Financial Research Institute, said that the regulators' crackdown is "reasonable and just in time" to cool down the irrational investment and prevent potential financial risks.

The regulatory cost, from illegal fundraising and cross-border money laundering emerging from bitcoin trading, is much higher than the innovation benefits from the cryptocurrency, pushing policymakers to make the decision, said Du.

So far, the Chinese regulator has yet to identify bitcoin and other digital assets as illegal currencies.

The crackdown, as Deng said, will not spark market panic as the investors have accepted these facts since the information has been released gradually by media and the exchanges since earlier this month.

The People's Bank of China, the central bank, ruled earlier this month that initial coin offerings are illegal, as it has become a tool to raise funds bypassing the traditional regulatory system.

The National Internet Finance Association of China also warned investors earlier that bitcoin and other "virtual currencies" lack a clear base for valuation, and have become tools for illegal fundraising, money laundering, drug dealing and smuggling.
The bodies of two divers who had been exploring the underwater environment in a reservoir in Tangshan, Hebei province, were recovered on Monday, 12 days after going missing.

The divers worked for Global Underwater Explorers, a nonprofit NGO that does research and trains high-quality divers.

On Sept 4, a team of four divers arrived at Panjiakou Reservoir, which covers the site of a village that was adjacent to the Great Wall 500 years ago. The team's job was to survey and map the area, diving about 50 meters below the surface to take photographs and videos of the submerged Great Wall.

On Sept 7, the organization said, two members of the mapping team - Xu Haiyan, 39, and Sun Hao, 34 - failed to return after a dive on the afternoon of Sept 6, and local police had begun searching for them.

It announced on Sunday afternoon that the body of one diver had been detected 62 meters below the surface. A second body was found on Monday morning.

The two bodies were about 70 meters apart, the search team said. Recovery work is expected to start on Tuesday.

According to a diver from the team who wouldn't give his name, the team had made comprehensive preparations in advance.

"Xu asked for advice from many GUE divers. She also borrowed the best diving equipment from her friend, which allowed her to stay underwater for six to eight hours," the diver said.

"The task this time was not especially difficult because it's an open-water area and the set operation time was set at two and a half hours, which is not long for them."

The missing divers had been working in Shanghai. Both had Level 2 certificates as technical divers, which means they were able to perform dives as deep as 75 meters. Only seven people in China have that level of certification.

Xu was an outstanding female geneticist who earned her doctorate at Columbia University. She published many articles on WeChat sharing her diving knowledge and experience.

"Xu was one of the few professional female divers in China and represents a kind of spiritual power," said Zhang Jun, another GUE diver.

Xu published on her WeChat account days before the reservoir dive that she had a cold and was taking medicine.

The other diver, Sun Hao, a former Armed Police officer, was working in the financial industry. He is also well-known in diving circles.

The deaths of the two shocked fellow divers in China because the pair are known experts. Many divers volunteered for the search effort.

The causes of death are still under investigation. The reservoir was once a fish-breeding site for local farmers, but that activity was banned because of pollution. According to the rescue team, there are many abandoned fishing nets and cages in the water.

This is not the first diving project led by the NGO in China. In April, a team explored Green Hole Lake in Guangdong province and mapped part of it. Divers went down more than 60 meters four times.

Qiao Qi, another diver with the NGO, said: "There are no detailed hydrographic maps for most waters in China. For GUE technical divers, diving is not only fun but also for exploration and discovery of the unknown world."
A three-story house that had been standing alone in the middle of an arterial road in Shanghai's suburban Songjiang district was torn down in the early morning on Monday after a 14-year dispute.

Images of North Huting Road in Shanghai before and after the three-story house was demolished. [Cao Lei/For China Daily]

Old residential houses surrounding the building were torn down several years ago to widen North Huting Road to four lanes.

The owners of the houseknown as a nailhouse, which describes a building whose owners hold out against developersdidn't reach an agreement for compensation with the relocation authority. So the four lanes, two in each direction, had to be reduced to two lanes to go around the structure.

Zhang Xinguo, the son-in-law of 89-year-old Xu Jun, who owned the house, said the family paid a big price in their everyday lives for standing their ground.

"It's noisy around the clock and particularly late at night when trucks come and go. My mother-in-law died of a heart attack three years ago," said Xu, who lived in the house with his wife, father-in-law, son's family of three and a married daughter.

Despite the noise, dust and safety risks, there was also tremendous psychological pressure, Xu said, adding that the family moved to a rented apartment nearby on Friday before going to relocation homes offered by the government.

"I didn't take pride in being the one to live in the middle of the road," he said. "There have been three traffic accidents because drivers who were not familiar with the road were not able to make a sudden turn to avoid the building."

Xu said the family didn't want to inconvenience the public but remained in the house since 2003 because they didn't agree with the amount of compensation they were offered.

"In the 1950s when the houses were built, my father-in-law held two certificates to show that the family owned two pieces of land for farmers to build residences on. But the relocation authority said one of them had expired," Xu said.

In the end, family members thought they would not be able to get as much compensation as they had wished, so they agreed to be relocated on Aug 21.

Lu Hui, head of the relocation office of the Jiuliting subdistrict, said representatives talked to the family face to face and by phone dozens of times to try to persuade them to consider the safety and convenience of passing vehicles and pedestrians.

The family was awarded four apartments with a total area of around 400 square meters as compensation. The location of the apartments was not revealed.
A book of anecdotes as told by Chinese President Xi Jinping has sold nearly 1.5 million copies since it was first published this June.

The book, published by the People's Publishing House, includes over 100 anecdotes taken from hundreds of Xi's speeches and articles, as selected by the People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China, and its interpretations of the anecdotes.

"These stories come from history, cultural classics, real life and work," said Kang Zhen, professor of Beijing Normal University. "They demonstrate China's cultural soft power while also offering practical guidance."

The book is not only popular in China, but has also attracted wide attention from overseas media and foreign publishing houses, according to the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

Currently, English, Japanese, Russian and Vietnamese versions have been authorized.
 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to discuss bilateral ties and global hot-spot issues on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) summit, in Hamburg,Germany, July 8, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, discussed Trump's visit to China later this year and the Korean Peninsula situation over phone late Monday.

In the phone conversation, Xi said China and the United States share extensive common interests and have seen sound momentum of exchanges and cooperation in various areas at present.

Xi said he is happy to maintain communications with Trump on a regular basis over topics of mutual concern.

He also said Beijing attaches great importance to Trump's state visit to China, and called on both sides to work closely so as to ensure a fruitful trip and inject new impetus into the development of China-U.S. relations.

The two sides need to strengthen high-level contacts and contacts at all levels, well operate the first round of China-U.S. social and cultural dialogue, as well as law enforcement and cyber security dialogue, and extend bilateral cooperation in all fields, Xi noted.

For his part, Trump said he is looking forward to paying the state visit to China, hoping that the trip can strongly move bilateral ties further forward.

It is satisfactory for the U.S. and Chinese heads of state to maintain close contacts and a fine working relationship, Trump said.

This year, both the United States and China have important domestic agendas, the U.S. president noted, expressing the hope that these agendas will all be smoothly carried out.

In the phone conversation, Xi also expressed sympathy and solicitude to Trump and the American people for the hurricane attacks on the United States over the past few days, and Trump expressed thanks therefor.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the current situation on the Korean Peninsula.
 Flash

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday that China and Panama can become long-term reliable partners that can enjoy shared progress and prosperity.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L), Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela (C) and Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, Panama's vice president and foreign minister, attend a signing ceremony in Panama City, on Sept. 17, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wang made the remarks while meeting with Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, Panama's vice president and foreign minister, during his visit to the Latin American country.

Over the past more than three months since the two countries established diplomatic ties, the two sides have seen intensive exchanges and early results of bilateral cooperation, said Wang.

He noted that China welcomes Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela to visit China later this year so as to boost the two countries' cooperation in economy, trade, investment, industrial capacity, maritime transportation, aviation, tourism and culture.

Wang also said China is willing to work with Panama to enhance the political foundation for bilateral ties, adding that he believes Panama will well handle the issue of Taiwan according to their joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations, and carry out its various promises.

China is ready to volume up its communications and coordination with Panama in multilateral affairs, and help preserve Panama's legitimate rights on international occasions, he added.

For her part, Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado said her country values its traditional friendship with China, and welcomes more Chinese businesses to invest in Panama.

The Latin American country hopes to negotiate and reach a free trade agreement with China as early as possible and to cooperate with China in infrastructure, finance, maritime transportation, aviation, tourism and culture so as to benefit the two peoples, she said.

Panama supports China's Belt and Road Initiative, and hopes to be a part of it, the minister said, adding that her country would like to be a bridge that links China with other countries in the region.

Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado also noted that her country shall firmly abide by the one China policy and implement its promises in the joint communique without having any form of official contacts or exchanges with Taiwan.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. It comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
 Flash

Rescuers work at the site of buses collision in Flushing in the New York City borough of Queens, the United States, on Sept. 18, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Three people were confirmed killed and 16 others injured after two buses collided in New York on Monday.

A private tour bus and a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus collided at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Main Street in the New York City borough of Queens at around 6:15 a.m. local time.

A pedestrian, a passenger on the MTA bus and the driver of the tour bus were confirmed dead, local authorities said at a press conference.

The injured have been sent to three nearby hospitals, Officer James Byrne with the New York Police Department (NYPD) said. He refused to disclose the victims' identities.

Several of the injured were in critical condition and fighting for their life right now, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said at the press conference, adding this was "a very painful moment."

"We don't know enough yet about the specific details. We do not yet have a reliable video tape to work from ... We have only limited information at this point, very preliminary stage of the investigation," the mayor said.

The collision has also caused substantial damage to a building nearby. Work is being done right now to make sure it is secure, and it is not posing a danger itself, according to the mayor.

The NYPD Collision Investigation Squad was handling the investigation, Officer Byrne said.

The authorities have cordoned off the area to clean it up. The collision has caused heavy traffic delays.
 Flash

The U.S. Navy fired two senior commanders on Monday due to "a loss of confidence in their ability to command" after two deadly collisions involving Navy ships in recent months.

Rear Admiral Charles William, commander of Task Force 70, and Captain Jeffrey Bennett, commander of Destroyer Squadron 15, were both relieved of duty by Vice Admiral Phil Sawyer, the commander of the Japan-based Seventh Fleet, a Navy statement said Monday.

William will be replaced by Rear Admiral Marc Dalton, commander of Task Force 76, while Captain Jonathan Duffy, deputy commander of Destroyer Squadron 15, will assume the place of Bennett in the fleet, the statement said.

Their dismissals came after USS John S. McCain, a guided-missile destroyer, collided with an oil and chemical tanker near Singapore in August, leaving 10 U.S. sailors dead and five injured.

In June, seven sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald, also a guided-missile destroyer, and a container ship collided off the coast of Japan.

The disciplinary steps taken by Sawyer were part of a purge of leadership in the Seventh Fleet, the largest of the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed fleets. A total of six senior commanders were fired recently, including the top three officers of the Fitzgerald.

Headquartered in Yokosuka, Japan, the fleet operates roughly 50 to 70 ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 sailors.

The two deadly incidents were among four collisions involving U.S. Navy vessels over the past year or so. The two non-fatal collisions included one between guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and a South Korean fishing boat off the Korean peninsula in May and the other between a nuclear ballistic-missile submarine and a support vessel off Washington state late August.
Christian classes for

children, such as this

one, are often raided

by officials.

(Photo: ChinaAid stock)

ChinaAid

(Shangqiu, HenanSept. 18, 2017) Officials in Chinas central Henan province closed down a Christian-run institution dedicated to bringing children up with good morals, saying its religious component brainwashed its students, ChinaAid learned recently.

Ms. Zhu, a Christian woman, told a ChinaAid reporter on Sept. 14 that national security officers arrived at her house in July and confiscated books theyd used for an academy that ran theology classes for children in their home after receiving a tip that that the students were being brainwashed with religion. Additionally, they removed other items belonging to the church, including the computer, and banned and closed the academy.

Since the ban, the officials have not harassed the church again.

Such prohibitions on teaching religion to children are common in China, despite the Chinese Constitutions guarantee that all citizens enjoy freedom of belief. Despite threats from the government, many Chinese adults insist on taking their children to church and other Christian-related activities. In response, the government strengthened its prohibition on children attending religious events in the revised edition of its Regulations on Religious Affairs, scheduled to take effect in February.

ChinaAid exposes abuses, such as those suffered by Christians attempting to share the Gospel with their children, in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law.

ChinaAid Media Team

Cell: +1 (432) 553-1080 | Office: +1 (432) 689-6985 | Other: +1 (888) 889-7757

Email: [email protected]

For more information, click here


United States President Donald Trump, in his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, was less forthcoming in his praise for the world body than his predecessor Barack Obama, indicating the US under his administration will pursue an all-for-itself approach that runs counter to the cooperative spirit of the world's foremost multilateral platform.

Trump was right that nations cannot remain bystanders given the common threats and challenges the world faces today, but cooperation cannot be shared self-interest, since for his administration that means a shared commitment to what is in the short-term interests of the US, rather than what is in the best long-term interests of all countries.

The pressing challenges the world faces today are not as the US misperceives threats to its hegemony, but rather poverty, epidemics, nuclear proliferation, terrorism and climate change.

What is needed is improved global governance, and the UN should be strengthened so that it can better fulfill its intended role in leading global efforts to address regional and international crises. Finger-pointing such as that indulged in by Trump will not help either of these processes and will only allow crises to ferment dangerously for an even longer time.

Trump called "rogue nations" the "scourge of our planet" and called on the UN to further isolate the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. But today's dangerous deadlock has been the result of Pyongyang's and Washington's persistent pursuit of their own interests in disregard of other countries' efforts to persuade the two antagonists to talk. His threat to "totally destroy" the DPRK if need be will, therefore, likely worsen the already volatile situation.

More needs to be done to improve the working style of the UN so that it can emerge from the shackles of bureaucracy and low efficiency, and better live up to its role as the defender of world peace and stability and the coordinator of nation-to-nation relations.

And in this time of "immense promise and great peril", Trump would have been better reflecting on how the US can more constructively engage with other countries, not just those that are willing to follow its lead. After all, since taking office in January, Trump has only exacerbated the confusion and uncertainty worldwide with his steady stream of contradictory tweets.

And he has withdrawn, or sought to pull out of, multilateral deals his country has signed before. From the Paris climate accord to the Iranian nuclear deal, Trump has demonstrated he is totally unconcerned about the US being good to its word.

Trump should accept that with great power comes great responsibility, and that as the world's sole superpower, the US has the responsibility to work with the rest of the world for the common good. History will show whether it is up to the task.
An employee monitors the blast furnace at the Zelezara Smederevo, a steel plant in Smederevo, Serbia, Jan 21, 2015. [Photo/VCG]

Until early last year Serbia's largest steel company, Smederevo, was in deep financial trouble. It had had seven straight years of losses, and its very survival looked precarious.

Now, barely 18 months later, the company is well and truly over its brush with mortality, and its managers say its prospects are rosy.

Its fortunes began to change in April last year, as did those of Ivan Matkovic, who has worked for Smederevo for 17 years.

The company and Matkovic owe their good fortune not only to the intervention of one of China's largest iron and steel manufacturers, HBIS of Hebei, but also to the overarching influence of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The initiative's five most important planks are policy communication, road connectivity, unimpeded trade, monetary circulation and understanding between peoples, and President Xi Jinping has stressed that the last of these is a sine qua non of sound relations between countries, and thus requires more commitment.

Paying heed, HBIS went about exploiting new opportunities presented by the B&R Initiative. It bought the loss-making Smederevo for 46 million euros ($54 million) and started to manage it within three months.

Now Matkovic earns more than he ever had before.

"HBIS expanded Smederevo's capacity after the takeover. I feel relieved economically and more confident in the company's future. Moreover, the top Chinese executives are very friendly, and provide effective management."

The output of Smederevo, which has since been renamed HBIS Group Serbia Iron & Steel (or simply HBIS Serbia), increased by more than 50 percent sequentially in the second half of last year, the highest level since 2010.

HBIS' takeover ended seven years of losses, and pushed the 105-year-old Smederevo back into the black by the end of last year, according to the company's CEO Song Sihai.

HBIS Serbia's revenue accounted for 2.1 percent of Serbia's GDP ($377.5 billion) in 2016.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is a very important trigger for the acquisition. The supportive attitude of the Serbian government also played an important role," said Song.

Zorana Mihajlovic, Serbia's deputy prime minister and minister of construction, transport and infrastructure, said in an interview that the total investment in the country's ongoing infrastructure projects is close to $1.64 billion. Of that, $704 million, or 43 percent, came in from Chi-na on the back of the B&R Initiative.

For instance, construction of the first stage of the Hungary-Serbia railway, China's debut rail line in Europe, will start in November.

Prior to the rail line, China had completed the 250-million-euro Zemun-Borca Bridge, across the Danube and its approach roads in Belgrade, Mihajlovi said.

"China's investment helped us to improve infrastructure facilities and created job opportunities. More importantly, we are very grateful to the technologies and training opportunities that our Chinese partners bring to us," said Mihajlovic.

"The decision to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative is one of the most important ones we've ever made, and we will definitely continue to get involved in it."

According to Mihajlovic, in the past 40 years, Serbia has been seeking partners in Europe to begin new projects in its energy sector but failed.

Now, the government is in talks with a Chinese company to start the country's largest hydropower station.

"The grand initiative needs the boldness of vision but should also be implemented in a way that could moisten things silently," said Xu Li, marketing director in the Western Balkans of YTO International Ltd, a Chinese tractor manufacturer.

With years of experience in expanding overseas, Chinese enterprises have been attaching much importance to building better relations with local staff and integrating with local people.

HBIS Serbia, for instance, increased the staff salary by 8 percent soon after the acquisition. It also set up a special fund to help staff going through difficult times.

The company's top management visited retirees during traditional local holidays and offered them gifts. In August, they gifted stationery to staff with schoolgoing children as schools reopen in September after the summer holidays.

"We also encourage the staff to advise us on how to improve the working process and management," said Song.

This year, HBIS Serbia will invest heavily in environment protection and energy-saving techniques. "We want to preserve a good environment for the local people," Song said.

HBIS is not the only Chinese company to ride the B&R Initiative to touch millions of lives. Sinohydro, a Chinese infrastructure builder, is another shining example.

In August 2015, the Macedonian city of Tetovo was caught in a rainstorm that led to a serious landslide, leaving some villages isolated.

Sinohydro's branch office in Skopje organized a rescue team quickly and pressed into service heavy machinery in the stricken areas to clear up a road, thus establishing a communication link to the isolated villages.

Liu Zhichao, who headed the rescue team at that time, recalled that a senior Skopje citizen invited Sinohydro's Chinese staff to his home, when the latter were having pizza for lunch, standing in the hot sun. The old man offered grapes, cola and beer.

"We paid lots of attention to communicate with the local government and communities while constructing the project," said Wang Jianfeng, manager of Sinohydro's Skopje branch office, which is executing the Kicevo-Ohird Motorway Project.

The hills along the project, for instance, often experience droughts during summer so the branch office has paid for the digging of open wells for the locals.

And during local festivities, company staff get into the spirit by offering gifts to villagers and passing on best wishes to the local government, Wang said.

Such efforts, Wang said, can help cement relations. Kicevo's singing and dancing group, for instance, visited the project for a performance during the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Zvonko Sarafiloski, 51, manager of a food processing factory in Kicevo, said Sinohydro's project in Kicevo is good for locals, particularly young people, as it has created employment. Prior to the project, the locals had limited job opportunities and low incomes.

Since 2014, however, the Kicevo-Ohird Motorway Project has offered a new life to local people.

"We have money not only for bread but meat, cheese, candy, alcohol and even new phones, laptops," said Sarafiloski. The motorway project also helped expand local businesses. More and more new groceries, restaurants and supermarkets were set up.

"Our life is easier now. We hope Sinohydro can get new projects, so that our young boys and girls can work with Chinese engineers for a longer time."

According to Ling Shengli, secretary-general of the International Security Research Center at China Foreign Affairs University, if two nations wish to come closer, the process has to start at the level of people.

People need to come together, heart-to-heart, firstonly then would there be closer ties, said Ling.
A stand from Georgia promotes wines at the International Investment Forum 2017 in Xiamen. [Photo/China Daily by Hu Meidong]

Investment in infrastructure and manufacturing will continue to be the key engine for the BRICS countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China and South Africato enhance regional connectivity and stimulate trade activities, business leaders said on Monday.

Concerning the asset amount, it may be a bit difficult for countries like India and South Africa to be very big investors. China, which accounts for two-thirds of the total economic aggregate among the five countries, should enlarge the investment scale to lay a solid basis for establishing the BRICS economic belt, Zhu Xian, vice-president of the BRICS New Development Bank, said at the International Investment Forum 2017 in Xiamen.

The forum is a major event of the China International Fair for Investment and Trade in Xiamen, Fujian province, held from Sept 18 to 21.

As one of the biggest annual international investment promotion events following the ninth BRICS Summit held earlier this month, this year's forum will focus on boosting investment in BRICS countries, as well as economies related to the Belt and Road Initiative, according to You Quan, Party secretary of Fujian province.

According to the 2017 World Investment Report released in June by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, China's outbound direct investment ranked top among the BRICS countries to reach about $183 billion in 2016.

However, the proportion of investment among BRICS members only took up 6 percent, the report said.

Zhu from the BRICS New Development Bank said the history of China's investment in those countries is still relatively short, and there is great potential for further cooperation.

Chen Jinghe, chairman of Zijin Mining Group, a Fujian-based mining company, said at the forum that resources can play a bigger role in boosting the country's overseas investment.

Founded in 1993, the company has invested in countries including Russia, Australia, Canada and South Africa.

It has invested more than 3 billion yuan ($454 million) in mine development in Tuva, a republic in Russia's southern Siberia which has rich bronze, gold and silver resources.

He said the area had no large-scale mining projects for around 20 years, but this together with the extreme cold posed major challenges in establishing the facilities.

However, it now has more than 1,000 employees, and it is expected to earn 600 to 700 million yuan this year.

He said the rich resources, good relations between China and Russia and support from the local government and communities all persuaded him to invest in the area.

Zhu Lianyu, chairman of Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co Ltd, with more than 20 years of experience in marine equipment, said his company has branches and businesses in all the other four BRICS countries since it built its first shore bridge in Brazil in 1996.

The company has so far installed port cranes in 12 major ports in India.
China's holding of US Treasuries climbed to a 11-month high of $1.17 trillion in July, marking the sixth consecutive month of growth, along with the expansion of the foreign exchange reserve and a strengthened renminbi.

The US Treasury Department said on Monday that China's holdings were $19.5 billion higher than in June and up by $114.9 from January. China remains the largest foreign holder of US Treasuries, $52.9 billion more than Japan.

The value of US Treasuries owned by the Chinese government accounted for about 37.85 percent of its foreign exchange reserve by July, up from 35.06 percent in January, according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

An easing of capital outflows and a stronger Chinese currency have facilitated purchases of US Treasuries, said experts, and this trend may continue in the short term.

"Cross-border capital flows and the foreign exchange market's supply-demand situation were generally balanced in August, while the rise of asset prices in global financial markets has pushed the growth of foreign exchange reserve," a statement of the SAFE said on Monday.

Further stabilized cross-border capital flows in the future will keep the foreign exchange reserve within a "reasonable and moderate" range, it said.

The country's foreign exchange reserve grew for seven consecutive months to $3.09 trillion by August, after a seven-month drop to a record low of $2.998 trillion in January.

A stronger renminbi has boosted the increase in the foreign exchange reserve, while capital outflow pressures have been released, said Wen Bin, chief researcher with China Minsheng Bank. His expectation of a steady growth of Chinese economy in the remaining four months this year will support a relatively stable renminbi exchange rate.

"But its fast appreciation earlier this month may be replaced by a two-way fluctuation against the US dollar", said Wen, who suggested further improving the market-oriented reform of the exchange rate mechanism.

The yuan has appreciated more than 5 percent against the US dollar so far this year, almost offsetting the 7 percent weakening in 2016.
The Ministry of Commerce said on Monday that the European Union's recent decisions on tariffs on Chinese solar panels were a positive step toward market normalization, and it hopes that the EU will completely scrap such measures.

On Saturday, the EU issued its final announcement that it will limit China's solar panel exports by setting a minimum import price. The regulation will be implemented from Oct 1, and the minimum import price will be set step-by-step.

Specifically, the European Commission set the minimum import price for different photovoltaic products. The price for polycrystalline cells is 0.19 euro ($0.23) per watt, while the price for monocrystalline cells is 0.23 euro per watt, and the prices for polycrystalline and monocrystalline components will be 0.37 euro per watt and 0.42 euro per watt respectively.

The EU first imposed tariffs on Chinese solar products, which make up one-third of sales in the EU in 2013, and these were allegedly retailing at below production costs. It extended the trade measures to the end of 2015.

However, appeals for fewer restrictions among member countries have been on the rise in Europe, with hundreds of companies and environmental organizations asking the commission to scrap the measures.

Industry insiders said that the development of clean energy in Europe has been impeded due to the tariffs and the setting of a minimum import price, and called for the commission to scrap the anti-dumping duties.

China's Ministry of Commerce, which has repeatedly urged the EU to suspend trade measures against solar exports from the nation, said last month that the European Commission must immediately withdraw wrongly imposed penalties on China's photovoltaic sector.

"The EU should fulfill its commitment to the World Trade Organization and abandon the Surrogate Country System in its trade measures regarding China," said Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

He said that the new regulation still lacks transparency in terms of the determination of the price standards.

"This will result in an unfair business environment for Chinese enterprises, neither will it benefit EU members in implementing their climate agreement commitments."

"Limiting the import price by unit capacity will intensify trade competition between PV makers in China. Businesses will strive to improve their product efficiency, and lowering the threshold of the import price gradually relieves the companies' financial burden," he added.

Zhou Dadi, a senior researcher at the China Energy Research Society, said that the cost of manufacturing PV products is now relatively low, and China has an abundant supply of PV products.

"Ever since last year, the EU has been offering subsidies to some countries for their PV products, which, together with the new measure, will affect exports of China's PV products to some extent."

"However, the influence won't be that much. Ten years ago, 90 percent of China's PV products were exported. Now, exports mean much less for the sector, in that it is more dependent on the domestic market. Therefore, the regulation will not affect Chinese PV manufacturers to a great extent," said Zhou.
Banners of financial institutions along the Pudong Avenue in Shanghai's financial district. [Photo/VCG]

Leading policymakers pledge to further relax overseas investment restrictions to counter the decline in capital inflows while guarding against systemic risks

China is accelerating plans to open up the financial industry with leading policymakers pledging to relax foreign investment rules to counter the decline of capital inflows.

Industry insiders had expressed concern that the government's focus on containing systemic risks and reducing capital outflows would slow the pace of reforms.

This in turn threatened to derail plans to give foreign banks and firms greater access to China's financial industry.

But those fears have been dispelled after the State Council, China's Cabinet, vowed to further reduce market restrictions for foreign companies in the banking, securities and insurance sectors.

"The government's attitude this time is different from just putting out some vague slogans," said Qu Tianshi, an economist at ANZ Group, also known as The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd.

The State Council's decision means that ministries will now have to come up with timetables and blueprints as regulations are rolled back.

It also comes at a time when inward foreign investment declined by 1.2 percent between January and July to 485.4 billion yuan ($74.9 billion) compared to the same period last year, official data highlighted.

Opening up the industry is part of China's efforts to deepen economic reforms with President Xi Jinping calling for a more robust financial sector while guarding against systemic risks.

Economists and analysts stressed that China is better positioned than before to further loosen financial regulations with stable economic growth, a stronger currency and a more sophisticated business environment.

"The Chinese economy (is now) integrated with the global economy," Qu said. "China should have a more open financial sector to reflect its economic status and to adapt to the trend of globalization."

Since the start of the year, China has made concerted efforts to open up the financial industry and capital markets.

In July, the world's second biggest economy rolled out Bond Connect.

The financial link between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong meant that overseas investors could trade for the first time in mainland bonds without setting up onshore accounts.

Foreign investors had already been given wider access to the Chinese stock markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen through the QFII, or qualified foreign institutional investor, program.

They also gained further entry through the RQFII, the renminbi qualified foreign institutional investor, scheme between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in trading bonds and shares.

In June, HSBC Holdings Plc became the first foreign bank to receive regulatory approval to set up a majority-owned securities joint venture in China.

The United Kingdom-based global lender took advantage of the decision by Chinese regulators to relax the rules on foreign banks setting up here.

HSBC Qianhai Securities Ltd, in which HSBC owns a majority stake, is expected to be open for business by the end of the year.

Irene Ho, general manager and CEO of the securities joint venture, pointed out that the securities brokerage will be involved in underwriting and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

"With the securities (operation), we are able to provide much broader services to our clients from the Chinese mainland," Ho said. "This will allow us to boost our presence here to the level we have in Hong Kong, London and other major markets in the world.

"The joint venture will enrich the variety of our products available to our mainland clients, and allow us to benefit from the opening and growing capital market of the Chinese mainland," she added.

While major foreign players have started making inroads into the financial industry, their presence remains limited.

The assets of foreign lenders accounted for less than 2 percent of the total Chinese banking sector, while foreign insurers only make up about 5 percent of the market share on the mainland.

When you look at the global numbers, those figures are tiny.

Economists at Deutsche Bank, one of the leading lenders in Europe, estimated that the global market for financial assets was worth about $294 trillion in 2015.

At least analysts expect to see a breakthrough in Chinese sectors such as insurance and wealth management as the country's affluent middle class search for more sophisticated financial services and products.

Last week, the country's leading insurance regulator, the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, announced it would further reduce market restrictions for foreign firms.

By cutting red tape, the CIRC hopes to encourage overseas companies to enter areas such as personal insurance, healthcare and retirement funds.

As part of this easing in policy, more foreign asset managers and hedge funds have been given the green light to develop onshore products.

They will also be able to manage assets for institutional and high-net-worth investors from the mainland.

UBS Asset Management plans to issue one or two products in China this year after the Swiss firm secured a license to roll out private funds from the regulator.

"Localization is the key," said Aries Tung, head of strategy and business development for China at UBS Asset Management.

"We want to provide tailor-made and flexible investment solutions that meet the needs of Chinese clients," Tung added.

Wan Zhe, chief economist at the International Cooperation Center, a think tank affiliated with the National Development and Reform Commission, believes the presence of foreign firms will bring financial expertise and more capital into Chinese markets.

Hopefully, this will trigger market-inspired reform of the financial sector.

"Ranging from stocks to bonds, Chinese assets have attracted growing attention from foreign institutions and investors," Wan said.

"Their presence will draw more capital into the country and will also help lift the global profile of the Chinese currency," Wan added.

Li Daokui, economist and director of the Center for China in the World Economy at Tsinghua University, felt a further round of reforms would reassure foreign financial firms.

Chinese policymakers have been walking a tight rope between curbing risks and capital outflows with opening up the country's financial markets.

"There is no perfect timing when it comes to financial liberalization," Qu, of ANZ Group, said. "Reforms always come with risks. What Chinese policymakers need to do is to strike a balance between the two."

Jiang Xueqing and Zhuang Qiange contributed to this story.
Visitors pass the exhibition stand of ZhongAn Online Property and Casualty Insurance Co Ltd in Hangzhou. [Long Wei/for China Daily]

ZhongAn, backed by '3 Mas', hopes to raise $1.52 billion

ZhongAn Online Property and Casualty Insurance Co Ltd, the mainland's first internet-only insurer, opened its retail book on Monday for a Hong Kong initial public offering primed to raise up to HK$11.9 billion. ($1.52 billion)

The insurer, backed by the "three Mas"Alibaba founder Jack Ma Yun, Tencent's Pony Ma Huateng and Ping An Insurance chairman Ma Mingzeplans to offer 199 million new shares at HK$53.7 to HK$59.7 apiece, with minimum investment HK$6030.16 for a board lot of 100 shares.

The offer, scheduled to close this Thursday and attracting cornerstone investment of HK$4.3 billion from Softbank's giant Vision Fund, puts ZhongAn on course to become the first-ever insuretech flotation in Hong Kong.

Chief Executive of ZhongAn Jeffrey Chen Jin said on Sunday that the company positions itself as an insuretech firm more than an insurance broker. "The company is growing fast, betting big on the insurance technology market."

"We hope the listing in Asia's financial hub, where we are looking to attract more long-term investors and build up our brand image, could equip us with sufficient capital to do more business."

Hannah Li Wai-han, a Hong Kong-based strategist at UOB Kay Hian, noted that such a company's "fast-pace growth stage usually comes with huge capital investment. This may explain why the company's combined ratio, a measure of expenses to premium income, has stayed above 100 percent over the past three years.

"The insure-tech company is looking to gain momentum from an eight-month rally in Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index, which hit a two-year high last month and extends the long but rare winning streak to this month. You can see the enthusiasm of Hong Kong retail investors subscribing for its shares run really high," Li added.

The Hang Seng Index began the week on a positive note, up 1.27 percent to finish at a new two-year high of 28,159.77 points. The offering sent Tencent's share 2.13 percent up to hit an all-time high of HK$346.

About 95 percent of the shares will be offered to international investors and the rest is reserved for retail investors in Hong Kong. Proceeds from the share sale will be used to strengthen its capital base to shore up business growth, according to the terms.

On completion of the offering, billionaire Jack Ma Yun's Ant Financial, whose holdings in the insurer will be cut from 16.04 percent to 13.82 percent, still stands as the biggest shareholder, with Tencent and Ping An holding a 10.42 percent stake each.

The Shanghai-based company, founded in 2013 and starting its business with "shipping return insurance", where consumers pay a small fee to cover the return of products bought on e-commerce giant Alibaba's Taobao website, is looking to price the offering on Sept 27 and begin trading in the Main Board on Sept 28.

Elinor Leung, head of CLSA's Asia telecom and internet sector, said the business model of ZhongAn is quite "creative". The company, which had sold more than 8.2 billion policies to 543 million people by March 2017, is working with the mainland's largest online travel agency Ctrip to roll out the popular "flight accident and delay insurance".
A Fidelity Investments office in Boston, Massachusetts. The company has started to provide private equity products on the Chinese mainland. [Photo/IC}

Foreign private equity managers are rushing to apply for onshore business licenses in China.

As the financial system continues to open up, PE firms plan to roll out financial products in the world's second largest economy.

"More qualified foreign fund management companies are welcomed to the Chinese mainland," said Zhang Xiaojun, a spokesman for the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

Global giant BNY Mellon has set up BNY Mellon Investment Management, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise or WFOE.

The company is preparing to launch and sell onshore private equity funds to high-net-worth clients and institutional investors.

In June, the firm was established in the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone with registered capital of $2 million.

Swiss firm UBS AG and United States-based Fidelity Investments have also started up WFOEs in Shanghai to provide private equity products and asset management services on the Chinese mainland.

Naturally, they are not alone. More than 40 foreign asset management institutions, including global corporation BlackRock Inc and Vanguard Group, have launched, or plan to wheel out, WFOEs in Shanghai's FTZ.

These global asset management firms have been encouraged to set up businesses here after the China Securities Regulatory Commission last year opened up the market to qualified WFOEs.

The new policy was a sign that the country will further develop its financial industry with foreign market players expected to bring in advanced management techniques along with competition.

"This can (only) enrich institutional investors' diversification and deepen the opening up of the Chinese capital market," Zhang said.

A research report released by China Merchants Bank and Bain & Co showed that private asset investments in the mainland are expected to increase to 188 billion yuan ($29.02 billion) by the end of this year compared to 165 billion yuan in 2016.

"The annual average compounded growth rate of investible Chinese private assets was 21 percent during the two years since 2014," the report stated.

Analysis point out that the rise of high-net-worth individuals in the mainland and their desire to invest their assets worldwide will drive market growth for financial services.

Fueled by a surge of yuan-denominated fund-raising, $72.51 billion were raised by private equity companies and venture capital firms on the Chinese mainland last year.

This was a record high, according to research conducted by PwC, also known as PricewaterhouseCoopers, a multinational professional services firm and one of the big four auditors.

Wu Fan, general manager with the Alternative Investment Management Association, stressed that the financial industry is expected to grow considerably in the future.

"As regulatory policy continues to ease for foreign institutional investors with more creative measures, it is expected that overseas financial institutions will decide to start asset management services in China," Wu said.
Shanghai-based Fosun Pharmaceutical Group will downsize its planned acquisition stake in the Indian generic drugmaker Gland Pharma to 74 percent from the previously announced 86 percent, according to a Fosun Pharmaceutical announcement released on Monday.

The founding shareholders of Gland Pharma said they have proposed maintaining a higher stake in the company as its operations continue to perform well. The revisions of the agreement will not impact Fosun Pharmaceutical's acquisition of a controlling interest in Gland Pharma, according to the founding shareholders.

Fosun Pharmaceutical will pay about $1.09 billion for the acquisitionthe biggest takeover by a Chinese firm in India. It is also the biggest acquisition by a Chinese pharmaceutical company in the overseas market.

According to the announcement, the stake of Gland Pharma held by KKR Floorline Investment and the company's founding shareholders that will be acquired by Fosun Pharmaceutical is adjusted from 69.971 percent to 57.891 percent. KKR will no longer own shares in Gland Pharma once the transaction is completed.

Meanwhile, the aggregate number of shares held by Vetter Family and the convertible shares to be purchased by Fosun Pharmaceutical remains unchanged.

Fosun Pharmaceutical said the deal has gained approval from the National Development and Reform Commission and also completed its antitrust declaration in the United States and India.

The termination date for the deal will be extended to Oct 3.

Regarding this announcement, Shanghai-listed Fosun Pharmaceutical saw its price pick up a slight 0.61 percent to close at 31.17 yuan ($4.75) per share, while the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index went up 0.28 percent on Monday. Its mother company Fosun Group, which is listed in Hong Kong, saw its price surge 11.73 percent to close at HK$ 16.76 ($2.14) per share.

Chen Qiyu, chairman of Fosun Pharmaceutical, said that the integrated resources of Chinese and Indian pharmaceutical companies, such as Fosun Pharmaceutical's acquisition of Gland Pharma, will help promote the internationalization of Chinese pharmaceutical companies in research and development and generic drug export.

Fosun filed to acquire 86 percent in Gland Pharma in late July last year, with the acquisition amount reaching up to $1.26 billion. However, the deal went through two major suspensions in January and July this year due to concerns expressed by Indian regulatory bodies.

Headquartered in Hyderabad, India, Gland Pharma is a leading Indian pure-play generic injectable pharmaceutical products company founded 39 years ago. It is the first injectable drugs manufacturer in India that has been approved by the US FDA.

Its income for fiscal year 2016, which ended March 31 last year, was 1.36 billion yuan with the profit reaching 314 million yuan.
AB inBev's production line in Suqian, Jiangsu province. [Photo/VCG]

World's biggest brewer plans to offer consumers healthier product

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, the world's biggest brewer, plans to introduce more healthier products in China, said its head for Asia-Pacific on Friday.

The move will see the launch of alcohol-free drinks, low-calorie brands and low-carbon beverages in China.

It is aimed at exploiting the trend among newly affluent middle-class consumers, particularly the millennials, or those born during the 1980s and 1990s, to upgrade to better products.

"We want to give options to consumers of alcoholic beverages. We want to make them conscious that they have smart drinking options," said Jean Jereissati, president of the company's Asia-Pacific North region.

In addition to smart drinks, AB InBev is intensifying its 10-year-old campaign to advocate no-drink driving or "smart drinking".

The idea is to make moderate behavior a social norm by turning the spotlight from making consumers aware to encouraging consumers to behave responsibly.

So, responsible consumers who drink healthy beverages containing moderate levels of alcohol will be designated fit for driving.

AB InBev has roped in Eason Chan, a Chinese celebrity actor, to endorse its campaign, which is said to be helping beverage consumers to make smart choices.

"We are going to invest $1 billion till 2025 to raise awareness and change consumer behavior not only in China but across the world," said Jereissati.

"Our goal is that 20 percent of our beverages should have either low alcohol content or no alcohol by 2025, and we want 20 percent of our sales to come from drinks with low alcohol content.

"We want to bring more products such as craft beer, low-calorie drinks and alcohol-free drinks to middle-class Chinese consumers. We will also bring more niche beer varieties to China."

In the second quarter of this year, AB InBev's revenue grew 7 percent year-on-year on the back of efficient management and 1 percent volume growth.

In the first half, revenue grew 9 percent year-on-year with revenue per hectoliter up 6.2 percent and volume growth up 2.7 percent.

Wu Xiaobo, a well-regarded financial columnist, said: "The company is paying more attention to personal health, and emphasizing different consumption behavior.

The new middle class are driving the consumption upgrade, and more willing to pay for quality and service."

Market commentators said most of the target consumers of beverage companies are born in the age of internet, hence more willing to use online shopping portals such as Taobao and JD.

Jereissati said AB InBev will focus on its online platform as well. E-commerce is a big part of the company's strategy. Everything it does now has a digital dimension, he said.

AB InBev has invested more than $3 billion in China since 1995, and has over 26,000 employees in the country.
China is beefing up efforts to promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation, which is a new growth engine for its economic and social development.

An annual report released on Monday by the National Development and Reform Commission showed that China saw an upsurge in mass entrepreneurship and innovation in 2016, as more than 5.5 million new companies were registered last year, growing 24.5 percent year-on-year.

Initiated by Premier Li Keqiang at the 2014 Summer Davos in Tianjin, the mass entrepreneurship and innovation program has become a craze sweeping the whole nation.

By the end of 2016, the country had nearly 26 million registered enterprises, up 18.8 percent over 2015. And 71 Chinese internet companies have a "unicorn valuation" of more than $1 billion.

The report noted that a growing number of college students and overseas returnees are now joining the army of entrepreneurs. In fact, 41.7 percent of the entrepreneurs are young people.

"Entrepreneurship and innovation will drive the dynamism of the regional development," Li Guoping, head of the Beijing Development institute, Peking University, said on Monday during the ongoing National Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week in Beijing.

Last year, the government took a series of financing measures to invest heavily in startups. By the end of 2016, China had set up 901 government guide funds, which have attracted 1.1 trillion yuan ($167.5 million).

Wang Changlin, vice-president of the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, said the investor's focus has shifted from internet startups to tech startups.
In response to the European Union's new framework for investment screening, China urged the bloc on Monday not to take a protectionist path that discriminates against foreign investment.

Such a move was proposed last week by EU President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Juncker's proposal for a new investment screening framework is expected to grant EU members the power to interfere with foreign direct investment cases regarding strategic assets, especially those under State-controlled or financed enterprises.

"We hope the EU will follow basic rules of the World Trade Organization, especially the nondiscriminatory principle, to avoid any interference created by the rising protectionism sentiment," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

He said that the EU also should not send chaotic and negative signals to the rest of the world.

China and the EU have been each other's major trading partners in past decades. Last year, China's trade volume with EU nations reached 3.61 trillion yuan ($552 billion), a year-on-year increase of 3 percent, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Meanwhile, the country made overseas direct investment of $ 170 billion last year, with Germany, Britain and the United States as the most popular destinations.

However, Chinese company purchases have faced interference in countries such as Germany.

According to a statement by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Germany, Chinese companies in Germany have concluded that they are likely to face even more political uncertainties in the future that impose additional risks on overseas investment, considering the commission's latest proposals and current changes to Germany's investment law.

The EU has advocated trade liberalization and investment facilitation, and already has received real benefits, Lu said. Everyone's interests are served in developing an open world economy when opportunities and benefits can be shared in openness to achieve positive outcomes, he said.

"The loss outweighs the gains to close the door and engage in protectionism for short-term interests," he added.
BEIJING - Chinese commercial banks recorded a smaller net foreign exchange (forex) settlement deficit in August as cross-border capital flows stayed balanced and stable, the forex regulator said Monday.

Commercial banks bought $141.2 billion worth of foreign currencies and sold $145 billion last month, resulting in net sales of $3.8 billion, down 75 percent from July, according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).

In the first eight months of this year, banks bought $1.04 trillion of foreign currency and sold $1.15 trillion, SAFE said in a statement.

The regulator said forex supply and demand in August has been more balanced than the previous month, while capital inflows from trade and investment have increased.

The willingness for market entities to sell foreign currencies increased while their willingness to buy hit a new low, it said.

In line with the net forex sales data, China's forex reserves rose for the 7th month in a row in August as the yuan gained strength and pressure of massive capital outflow eased, previous data from the central bank showed.

Forex reserves reached $3.092 trillion by the end of August, increasing $10.8 billion from a month earlier.

It is the first time the reserves have expanded seven months in a row since June 2014.

There had been concerns over capital flowing out of the Chinese market in the second half of 2016, when the economy was facing looming downward pressures and the Chinese yuan was in the middle of a losing streak against the US dollar.

But the Chinese currency made a strong comeback recently, with the central parity rate hitting 6.5419 against the US dollar Monday, strengthening from 6.6744 a month earlier.

With sound economic fundamentals, wider openness and more stabilized market expectations, cross-border capital flows will continue to keep balanced and stable, SAFE said.
UNITED NATIONS - Ant Financial, an affiliate of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, called on delegates at a UN conference to form a digital finance working group in order to push forward the UN's 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"Governments, international institutions and private companies shall look for a common solution to advance technology innovations for digital inclusive finance," said the company's executive chair, Lucy Peng, at a meeting on "The Role of the United Nations" in regards to financing the 2030 Agenda.

She said that in a digital era, technology has been and will play a vital role in supporting inclusive and sustainable development around the world because it will make financial support more readily available for ordinary people.

Peng shared two of the company's successful practices in digital financing and sustainable development with the audience.

Currently, small and micro businesses can apply for a loan through Ant Financial's online platform within three minutes and receive the money immediately upon approval, according to Peng.

The company has so far provided loans for more than 7 million companies. The average amount of the loans is $5,000.

"The practice is a clear demonstration of the power of technology as it has helped so many micro businesses and startups," said Peng.

In order to support sustainable development, Ant Financial launched Ant Forest, a platform for tracking individuals' carbon footprint, in August last year.

Ant Forest allows users to collect "energy points" through their actions in the real world that can be used to grow virtual and, ultimately, real trees.

To date, 230 million users of Alipay, Ant's mobile and online payments app, have activated Ant Forest accounts, according to the company. About 65 percent of users who have the accounts are people under 28 years of age.

Ant Financial and its partners, including environmental NGOs -- the SEE Foundation and China Green Foundation -- have thus far planted 10.25 million trees, equivalent to a 1.22 million-ton reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the event that finance is pivotal for success and the choices people make on finance will be critical.

"We can choose to bemoan the lack of financing for the 2030 Agenda in a world awash with so much unproductive and unrewarding finance. Or we can grasp the opportunity to reshape finance according to our urgent, collective needs," said Guterres.

He said that he will champion key international initiatives that can harness large-scale changes in financing and financial system development, such as in the fields of digitalization and climate finance and in cooperating with major investment initiatives.
China General Nuclear Power Corporation, known as CGN, said on Monday it will bid to invest in a financially troubled 15 billion pound($20.35 billion) nuclear power station planned for Cumbria, in Northwest England.

Known as Moorside, the power station is projected to generate 3.8 gigawatts of power, which is enough to power up to 6 million homes in the United Kingdom.

Huang Xiaofei, a spokesman for CGN, said the company will bid to make an equity investment in NuGeneration, the company behind Moorside.

"We are willing to utilize our more than 30 years of experience in nuclear design, construction and operation to support the UK's nuclear industry development," Huang said.

NuGeneration, which is more commonly known as NuGen, was a 60-40 percent joint venture between Japan's Toshiba and France's Engie. Earlier this year, Engie quit the consortium by selling its 40 percent stake to Toshiba for $139 million, after witnessing Toshiba's nuclear arm Westinghouse file for bankruptcy.

Engie's quitting of the consortium triggered Toshiba to contemplate selling NuGen.

Several bidders have expressed an interest in buying into the ownership of NuGen, including South Korea's Kepco.

CGN has already made significant investment into the UK's nuclear sector. It is a minority stake investor in Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, a project that is being led by France's EDF.

Earlier this year CGN also put the Chinese indigenous Hua-long Pressurized Reactor 1000 nuclear technology, also known as HPR1000, before the UK's nuclear regulator for review. If HPR1000 passes the UK's very strict assessment process, Generic Design Assessment, CGN plans to use the technology for the construction of the UK's Bradwell B nuclear power station.

NuGen previously received the UK government's approval to use AP1000 nuclear technology for the construction of the Moorside power plant. However, after the bankruptcy of Westinghouse, the Office for Nuclear Regulationthe UK's nuclear watchdogput the project under review. The construction timeline for Moorside has not yet been announced.

Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy after incurring some $9 billion of losses, mainly from the construction of four AP1000 reactors in the United States.
Gree Electric Appliances Inc shot down rumors of seeking a stake in Tianjin FAW Xiali Automobile Co Ltd late on Sep 18, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

China's leading appliances maker Gree Electric Appliances Inc shot down rumors of seeking a stake in Tianjin FAW Xiali Automobile Co Ltd late on Monday.

Gree and its executive management team have never negotiated or reached any consensus with FAW Xiali on taking a share and none of the company's staff members went to or are in FAW Xiali, the company said in its announcement.

Previously, the market was buzzing with the news that Gree Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu and her team showed up in FAW Xiali and engaged in final consultation of buying a stake.

Securities Daily said in its report on Monday morning that a FAW Xiali insider revealed on Friday that FAW Xiali will announce the latest development of the equity purchase issue soon and the company's second-largest shareholder Benefo Corp will exit.

After Gree has a stake in FAW Xiali, the automaker, a manufacturer of economy passenger cars controlled by China FAW Group, will transform into developing new energy vehicles and no longer produce traditional fuel vehicles, the insider told Securities Daily.

21st Century Business Herald also cited a FAW Xiali insider's words in its report, saying "the two sides' cooperation has been settled, FAW Xiali will make an announcement around Wednesday."

The market speculation can be traced back to Sep 8, when FAW Xiali announced suspension of its shares due to urgent issue.

The company said it received a notice from its controlling shareholder FAW Group, which said FAW Group was working on major issues related to the company.

"FAW Car Co Ltd, another holding subsidiary of FAW Group, was not involved in the suspension, which may imply FAW Group has been planning to sell its assets," an industry insider said on Monday, 21st Century Business Herald reported.

On Monday morning, the market speculation was deepened after Gree's shares were suspended, but then was dispelled by Gree's latest announcement.

A new speculation was made by 21st Century Business Herald that Dong Mingzhu may buy a stake in FAW Xiali as an individual.

The speculation has not been verified, but there was a similar precedent for Dong.

Last year, after Gree's plan to purchase new energy vehicles maker Yinlong Energy Co Ltd was vetoed by its shareholders, Dong invested as an individual in the company, putting 3 billion yuan ($432 million) in Yinlong with other four investors including Dalian Wanda Group.

Analysts said Dong might be interested in FAW Xiali because she wants to get a complete car production line and lay out the upstream and downstream of the industry to ensure the new energy vehicles project she invested landing successfully, 21st Century Business Herald reported.

However, FAW Xiali has been suffering expanding losses in the recent decade.

In the first half of this year, it made an operating income of 623 million yuan, down 37.9 percent from the same period last year. And it reported a loss of 671 million yuan in its operating profit and a loss of 686 million yuan in its net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies.
The jade mooncake (left) looks similar to the real one (right) in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, Sept 6, 2016. [Photo/IC]

As the Mid-Autumn Festival is around the corner, the traditional Chinese delicacy - mooncake - has already hit shops and stores across the country. And mooncake makers also are doing their best to attract customers with various flavors and stuffing.

The family-reunion festival falls on Oct 4 this year, or the 15th day of the 8th Chinese lunar month, and eating mooncakes with families on the day is one of important ways for Chinese people to celebrate it.

Sadly, these "mooncakes" displayed in a jewelry outlet cannot be eaten as they are made of gold, silver, or jade, although they look more real than real.
BEIJING - A secret team in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has the task of pretending to be online consumers who test-buy purchases from the billion-plus products on its platforms.

They spot check about 100,000 products and invest around 100 million yuan ($15.15 million) a year on average. Around one in four online shops are checked annually.

"Spot checks are not random. They are guided by big data from our platforms," said team leader Qin Seng. Using product ratings, consumer disputes and other information, the team builds a model to identify suspected counterfeits and shops that sell counterfeits.

The whole process is videoed to retain evidence. The sample purchases are sent to rights holders or authoritative quality inspection agencies. If identified as fake, the products are removed from the platform. The vendors can face the closure of their online shops. If identified as genuine products, they are stored as Alibaba's assets.

Alibaba's Storehouse of Counterfeit Evidence is a 300-square-meter warehouse in Alibaba Group's Xixi Park, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Counterfeits can be stored there for more than three years as legal evidence.

The spot checks are symptomatic of China's battle against counterfeits in the internet era.

Chai Haitao, deputy director of the Office of National Leading Group of the Fight against IPR Infringement and Counterfeiting, said that with the rapid development of China's internet economy, infringements and counterfeits are constantly renewed.

"We need to strengthen cross-sector, cross-regional, and cross-border cooperation to combat counterfeits. We also need to mobilize enterprises, industry organizations and the public," Chai said.

Alibaba's Anti-Counterfeiting Special Task Force, formed last year, actively works with local law enforcement agencies, said Qin Seng.

"After we clean up online shops selling counterfeits, the counterfeiters usually change their identities and places of dispatch, using more covert means to continue selling online," Qin said.

The team uses big data to identify counterfeits and the vendors, affiliated dealers and factories suspected of producing or selling counterfeit items. They pass evidence to the public security, administration of commerce and industry, quality inspection, food and drug supervision and other law enforcement agencies. At the same time, they investigate the evidence in the field.

The team faces many risks in their offline probes.

"Most counterfeiting dens are hidden and well-organized. For example, we encountered a village producing counterfeits. The villagers installed cameras everywhere and when they saw outsiders entering, they became vigilant and even threatened us," Qin said.

Alibaba's cooperation with local authorities to locate counterfeit sources has proved effective. They have partnerships with the public security bureaus of 13 provinces.

In 2016, Alibaba submitted 1,184 leads to law enforcement agencies; helped public security bureaus arrest 880 suspects; assisted in the closure of 1,419 counterfeit manufacturing locations; and helped seize merchandise worth more than 3 billion yuan ($455 million).

In August, with evidence from Alibaba, police in Loudi, Hunan province, broke up a ring producing and selling counterfeit weight-loss drugs, with a sales network in more than 20 provinces. Total trade by the ring exceeded 100 million yuan ($15.15 million).

In the eyes of Sun Jungong, vice president of Alibaba, spot checks and data-driven proactive monitoring protect a good shopping environment on the platform itself, while cooperation with law enforcement agencies shows effective collaborative governance.

"We hope to take advantage of Alibaba's big data and strong data-mining capabilities. By expanding offline cooperation, we aim to tackle this issue at its source," Sun said.

Professor Wang Xin, of Peking University Law School, said the rapid development of China's e-commerce platforms and the emergence of new online shopping models have provided more sales channels for fake goods.

Wang said China has made great efforts in recent years to stamp out intellectual property right (IPR) infringements, by improving laws and setting up specialist IPR courts.

However, the penalties for counterfeit producers and sellers are not enough of a deterrent, Wang conceded. Many counterfeit makers receive suspended sentences or fines.

He suggested recidivists should be banned from entering the market again forever.

Alibaba's analysis has also found some online consumers buy counterfeits knowingly.

Sun Jungong said raising awareness among consumers is essential to fight counterfeiting.

"Everyone can do their bit to stop counterfeit goods. If society reaches a consensus, as with drink-driving, we are more likely to tackle this problem," Sun said.
The Samsung logo at the entrance of Samsung 837 studio in New York, Oct 11, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd denied a report from South Korea's Electronic Times which claimed that Paik Ungyu, the newly appointed head of South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, demanded Kwon Oh-hyun, CEO of Samsung Electronics, to reconsider investment plan in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province.

The report said Paik told Kwon to reconsider the decision during a meeting with senior executives from South Korea's chip and electronics industry on Monday. Paik also asked Kwon to set up more factories in South Korea.

In August, the South Korean tech giant plan announced plan to inject an initial investment of $7 billion into the second phase of its chip plant in Xi'an, which will primarily produce advanced flash memory chips, through the signing of an agreement with the provincial government.

Samsung's semiconductor unit, whose fortunes come largely from selling memory chips used in mobile devices, delivered second-quarter operating profit of $7.1 billion, and has taken the title of world's largest chip maker by revenue, knocking Intel Corp.

Samsung expects to consolidate its leading position in global chip making industry.

The first phase of the plant at the Xi'an Hi-Tech Industries Development Zone went into operation in May 2014, with a total investment of $10 billion, Xinhua reported.

The opening of Samsung's semiconductor project has attracted more than 100 supporting companies to the zone, and its expanded capacity is expected to strengthen Xi'an's role as a major base for semiconductor industry and sharpen its international competitiveness.
The European Union Chamber of Commerce urged China to accelerate the pace of opening up and attract more foreign investment on Tuesday.

Releasing the latest European Business in China  Position Paper 2017/2018, European Chamber President Mats Harborn said China should continue to implement the public commitments it has made to economic globalization and openness in 2017.

In January, China's State Council outlined Document No. 5 to further open up its economy and establish a level playing field for all business. Later, the issue was elaborated upon in the government's Document No. 39 in August.

"These documents are clearly sending a signal that China wants to attract foreign investment," Harborn said.

To secure mutual benefits, Harborn urged the two sides to complete EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment within the next 12 months.

According to the position paper, while China's outbound foreign direct investment (FDI) into Europe declined in the first half year, it does not change the long-term trend that will see it becoming an increasingly important source of FDI.

"The EU generally welcomes investment, for the employment it helps to create and prosperity that it contributes to. However, it must be possible for European businesses to make reciprocal investments in China," the paper said.
An iPhone X is seen on display during a media event at Apple's new headquarters in Cupertino, California, September 12, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

Data indicates that nearly half of the Apple's iPhones are manufactured at Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant in central China, a place once again buzzing with activity after Apple unveiled three new products: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X on Sept 12.

A lack of workers is one of the weaknesses of the "Made in the US" strategy. Though US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he will rejuvenate the country's manufacturing industry and bluntly ordered Apple to establish a manufacturing plant in the US, "Made in the US" seems more like a slogan than an attainable goal.

Foxconn has a complete industry chain in counties and towns of Zhengzhou, which include a headquarters, precision electronics companies, and other branch plants, guaranteeing high efficiency and self-sufficiency.

There are 94 iPhones production lines operated by 350,000 workers, and about 350 iPhone units are assembled per minute at the Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou. Daily production could reach as many as 500,000 units, according to a report. Besides assembling phones, the plant also produces small metal phone parts.

The plant is located inside a bonded zone, equipped with customs officials at the factory gate to facilitate iPhone exports. It is also built within a few miles of the city's airport to expedite global shipments.

The US is still reluctant to recognize the vital status of Chinese factories, though they are vital for making iPhones. Trump encouraged Apple to build a manufacturing plant in the US before and after he took office. He also reportedly made a commitment to cut taxes for the company, had it managed to transfer iPhone manufacturing operations to the US

Even if Apple opted to move its manufacturing plant to the US, the job would not be finished once and for all. In 2016, Apple had 766 global suppliers, among which 346 were on the Chinese mainland. Additionally, about 3 million Chinese workers were working for Apple that year and the number has increased in 2017.

It's difficult to achieve "Made in the US," because the US lacks industrial workers and a supporting industrial chain.

The process of building iPhones requires 8,700 mid-level engineers. In the US, there were only 7,000 such college graduates in 2014. In China, there were 240,000 skilled workers and engineers at Foxconn, Apple said in 2015.

"The US doesn't have a consumer electronics industry supply chain. The chain includes not only raw material and core parts, but also skilled and capable workers in the field," a partner of a venture capital firm had pointed out.

The US has been detached from electronic manufacturing industry for a very long time, and thus does not have a complete supporting industry chain. But in southern China's Shenzhen, at least 10 suppliers could be found in a single day, said a US professor studying supply chain management.
An electronic Microsoft logo is seen at the Microsoft store in New York. [Photo/Agencies]

Microsoft will launch an intellectual property protection program for its Azure customers in China on Oct 1, the technology giant announced in Shanghai on Tuesday.

In February, Microsoft became the first technology company to offer uncapped indemnification coverage to its Microsoft Azure cloud customers. It now offers customers protection against patent trolling with its collection of 10,000 legal patents, covering 42 countries and regions worldwide.

Jason Zander, corporate vice-president of Microsoft, said the purpose of bringing Azure IP protection program in China is to make sure that its Azure cloud partners, users and developers can accelerate their innovation on cloud computing.

Wind turbine technologies developer Envision Energy based in Jiangsu province is one of the domestic companies to set up an Internet-of-Things platform on Azure cloud. The company's senior manager Pan Yihong said the IP protection program will help them to focus on technology innovation and avoid unnecessary waste.

Xia Yiping, chief technology officer of bike-sharing company Mobike, said the technology and legal protection provided by Microsoft can largely reduce risks related to IP since Mobike has started businesses in seven overseas markets.

According to global online market intelligence platform IPlytics, the number of IP lawsuits related to cloud products has surged by 700 percent since 2012 in the United States. A similar trend can also be noticed in China, as the number of cloud products IP lawsuits jumped by 158 percent between 2011 and 2016.

Microsoft Azure entered the Chinese market in March 2014, with its services operated by Beijing-based carrier-neutral internet data center service provider 21Vianet.
When service-oriented speakers encounters AI, or artificial intelligence, then technology is no longer a cold word to human beings, in that the AI speaker can act like a friend to help us express our love or gratefulness to our loved ones.

Pebble, an accompanying speaker launched by Rokid Co Ltd, an artificial intelligence company based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, helped a deaf girl Tuesday in Beijing express her gratefulness to her special education teacher who has raised her for 25 years.

When Pebble said "Ms Ma, thank you for bringing me the whole world", both the girl, Hu Xueqi, and her teacher, Ma Shufang burst out crying.

Apart from serving as a megaphone, using voice recognition technology, the speaker can wake people up in the morning, read the first news of the day, and tell bedtime stories to children  just like a family member.

In order to make Pebble act more like part of a family, its research and development team spent great amount of time and money on limiting its wake-up word into two words, which is the first and only one in China.

"Transforming the wake-up word from four words into two words is very tough, because the information provided for voice recognition is so limited and it requires much more precise algorithm. We spent over 2 years realizing this goal, because waking up the speaker with two words gives you a feeling of calling a friend of yours or your family member," said Misa Zhu, founder and chief executive officer of Rokid.

Apart from the lab in Beijing, in 2016, Rokid launched its research lab in San Francisco, California, focusing on the research and development on new products and new technologies.

The new product possesses an six-microphone-array speech recognition technology, which enables the speaker to recognize ten different family members. Combining AI, it can offer personalized services according to the preferences of each family member. Besides, it supports far-field identification and multi-noise identification. Consumers can call Pebble in the bedroom from kitchen.

"Multi-noise identification and far-field identification are essential for an AI speaker. A good AI speaker should enable users to wake it up in a distance in your house with your washing machine on," said Xiang Yang, an AI expert at the China Center for Information Industry Development.

"Information technology is developing at such a rapid pace that it is to some extent leaving many people behind. Those aged, as well as disabled people, had technological barriers between others. Now, with the help of AI, robots can serve as a companion for the elderly. It can also aid the disabled to 'see' the world and feel the world. Actually, AI is leaving nobody behind," said Zhu.

Ma Si contributed to the story.




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
AliHealth, a health arm controlled by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, has upgraded its online pharmacies to provide a one-stop service for the customers.

Kang Kao, a board member of the company said over the weekend that the latest move would turn their online pharmacy into the Chinese version of CVS Pharmacy, the largest pharmacy chain in the United States at present.

According to Kang, CVS Pharmacy sells prescription drugs and a wide assortment of general merchandise, including over-the-counter drugs, beauty products and cosmetics, film and photo finishing services, seasonal merchandise, greeting cards, and convenience foods.

Notably, it also provides convenient professional medical consultations for the patients, he said.

"Like CVS, we want to provide our customers with the one-stop solutions for their health demands as well," he said at a media event held by AliHealth in Beijing on Saturday.

Differently, the China's CVS would be online first, he added.

For the medical consultation service, AliHealth now has contracted several thousand physicians, pharmacists, and nutritionists across the country to take care of customers' questions over health and drug uses.

To make the online platform user friendly, popular health demands such as weight loss, body shaping, pregnancy, and sleep improvements are listed independently in the website.
Children suffering from bronchial asthma, and their parents, can now breathe easier as a smart way to treat the most common chronic respiratory disease in children has been invented.

A children's nebulization center in Wuxi Children's Hospital.

Through a one-stop nebulization process and an intelligent nebulization system, AstraZeneca, one of world's leading global biopharmaceutical companies, has used Internet of Things (IoT)-based respiratory solution to enable children to receive more timely, standardized, and personalized treatment.

In the People's Hospital of Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu province, where AstraZeneca has its R&D and production base for innovative small molecules such as pediatric nebulization center, children receiving nebulization treatment are enjoying cartoon shows in bright-colored environment. Without the system two years ago, parents had to coax the crying children while doctors and nurse were not able to help out because their hands were full.

During the 10-minute-or-so treatment, parents will learn from medical instruction videos on the screen while their children enjoy the cartoon; a data screen in the clinic will show a map of nebulization treatment of the nation for doctors' and parents' reference; a cellphone app will show parents the nearest treatment spot, not necessarily a crowded large general hospital.

According to White Paper on Science Popularization of Children's Respiratory Health, among children aged 0-14, the incidence of respiratory diseases is the highest, accounting for 51.87 percent. Data from the third epidemiological survey of pediatric asthma in Chinese cities shows that the total prevalence of asthma in children living in major Chinese cities is 3.02 percent.

Leon Wang, executive vice-president and international and China president of AstraZeneca, said pharmaceuticals industry should focus more on patients instead of just teaching a doctor how to treat patients.

Leon Wang, executive vice-president and international and China president of AstraZeneca

"A patient needs to know more about things like difference between acute drugs and chronic drug and how often to takeBut as drug manufacturer, we have no idea of thatso innovation for us means to meet patients' personalized needs through big data," Wang said when meeting the press at the sideline of the World Internet Of Things Convention in Wuxi on Sunday

The R&D in Wuxi, known as China Commercial Innovative Center, AstraZeneca, together with cross-sector partners, leverages expertise and market in key therapy areas in China such as respiratory and cardiovascular.

Altogether, there are six molecules now: pediatric nebulization centre, respiratory polyclinic for adult patients, National Metabolic Management Centre, China Chest Pain Centre, gastrointestinal cancer centre and integrated centre for prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Internet of Things in the pharmaceuticals industry, for Wang, is a kind of restructuring in marketing. Together with related sectors such as hospitals, medical equipment and internet, AstraZeneca aims to build a new ecology of health for all integrated with all necessary resources on the platform of big data.

According to Wang, more than 12,900 standard nebulization centers covering over 260 cities nationwide have been built and 122 chest pain centers have been set up by 2016.

Beyond China, countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative are other destinations for mode. The first nebulization center aboard will be built in Cambodia later in September. Next, more will open in other countries in Southeast Asia.

A Wuxi local himself, Wang said he aims to transform his home city a land of innovation. "Wuxi is a city of internet of thingsWe will unite all the like-minded to build an internet of things in health."
Images of North Huting Road in Shanghai before and after the three-story house was demolished. [Cao Lei/For China Daily]

A three-story house that had been standing alone in the middle of an arterial road in Shanghai's suburban Songjiang district was torn down in the early morning on Monday after a 14-year dispute.

Old residential houses surrounding the building were torn down several years ago to widen North Huting Road to four lanes.

The owners of the houseknown as a nailhouse, which describes a building whose owners hold out against developersdidn't reach an agreement for compensation with the relocation authority. So the four lanes, two in each direction, had to be reduced to two lanes to go around the structure.

Zhang Xinguo, the son-in-law of 89-year-old Xu Jun, who owned the house, said the family paid a big price in their everyday lives for standing their ground.

"It's noisy around the clock and particularly late at night when trucks come and go. My mother-in-law died of a heart attack three years ago," said Xu, who lived in the house with his wife, father-in-law, son's family of three and a married daughter.

Despite the noise, dust and safety risks, there was also tremendous psychological pressure, Xu said, adding that the family moved to a rented apartment nearby on Friday before going to relocation homes offered by the government.
China's civil aviation authority said on Monday that it will lift its ban on the use of portable electronic devices on aircraft, and airlines will make the decision themselves.

A newly revised administrative rule that will take effect in October said airline companies will be allowed to make their own assessments of the influence of portable electronic devices.

Airline companies will decide what electronic devices can be used on their planes, and make their own rules.

Since 1999, China's aviation authority has banned the use of any portable electronic devices on the plane. It was thought the wireless signals from those could affect flight safety.

"But now, the government will give airlines the right to decide on their own," said Zhu Tao, deputy director of the Department of Flight Standard of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

"I believe we will see various Chinese airline companies allowing passengers to use portable electronic devices on planes in the near future."

The reason for the change is that the anti-interference characteristics of aircraft have been enhanced, Li Yuan, an expert in civil aviation, was quoted as saying by the Beijing News.

Many foreign airlines have long allowed passengers to use certain electronic devices during a flight's cruise phase, including phones and laptops.

Some Chinese airlines also allow laptops during the cruise phase, though they prohibit cellphones.

The CAAC also updated its physical requirements for selecting student pilots for civil aviation. The new rules took effect on Sept 10. Now, a student can qualify with a visual acuity higher than 4.0 on an E Snellen chart, compared with 4.5 in the past.

"This change was designed to recruit more talent that meets both the physical and knowledge demands pilots. It will have a positive and far-reaching effect on the development of the civil aviation industry," Zhu said.

Jiang Chenglong contributed to this story.
China completed a high-level environmental inspection of 31 provincial regions on Friday, including the latest round, in which over 5,700 government officials were held accountable, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Monday.

The last inspection round - the fourth - began in mid-August and covered eight provincial-level regions - Jilin, Zhejiang, Shandong, Hainan, Sichuan and Qinghai provinces as well as the Tibet and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions. Inspectors finished their field work on Friday, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

As of Friday, the inspectors had discovered 39,585 pollution problems and alerted the provincial governments. Of those problems, 35,039, or 88 percent, were dealt with. Taking heavy hits were polluting companies and irresponsible government officials, the ministry's data show.

Over 32,000 companies were ordered to stop generating pollution and improve their equipment, 9,181 companies were fined a collective total of 466 million yuan ($71.2 million) and 364 people from the polluting businesses were detained, the ministry said.

In addition, 5,763 government officials were punished for poor performance in tackling pollution, it said, launching a large-scale "accountability storm" in the inspections.

The inspections fueled the need to resolve some severe pollution problems. For example, mining and herding activities were prohibited in the Lhalu wetland of the Tibet autonomous region soon after inspectors delivered their report to the region's government.

The strict pollution inspections of companies also helped restore competition to the business market, said Tian Ge, manager of Jilin Shenhua Chemical Co, Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.

His plant has been paying higher costs to reduce emissions during production, but has lost price competitiveness compared with businesses that did not have such equipment expenses and continued to pollute.

"We protected the environment, but lost in the market. It's not fair," he said, adding that many companies that generated pollution were shut down in the inspection, bringing back healthy competition - and profits to Tian's plant.

With inspection work concluded, the inspectors will monitor the investigation of other pollution problems and make a summary about the inspection to the central government and affected provincial-level governments.

"The inspections have brought better results in reducing pollution and received more support from the public," Liu Changgen, deputy director of the inspection bureau, said in a news release on Sept 1 about the environmental inspection.

High-level inspections, which take one month to complete, will be conducted in the 31 provincial regions every two years under a central government plan.

After the overall inspection, Liu said the central inspection teams will launch another by year's end covering 10 cities and lasting 15 to 20 days. The cities will be selected from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and neighboring provinces of Henan, Shandong and Shanxi, based on their air pollution control performance.

"It will encourage the governments to perform better in reducing smog during the winter," he said.
HARBIN - The notorious Japanese chemical warfare unit known as Unit 731 used ceramic containers and balloons as biological bombs to attack Chinese civilians and animals, according to a Chinese museum.

Some of the ceramic bombs and a 3-meter-tall white balloon are on display at the Museum of Evidence of War Crimes by Japanese Army Unit 731 in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.

Unit 731 produced about 2,000 ceramic bombs from 1937 to 1942, a staff member at the museum said on Monday, which was a key date in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

Monday marked the 86th anniversary of the September 18 Incident - a staged explosion by Japanese troops that was used as a pretext for attack.

On Sept 18, 1931, the Japanese Imperial Army blew up a section of railway near the city of Shenyang, Liaoning province. The incident triggered a large-scale Japanese invasion of China that would last 14 years.

Metal bombs required a lot of gunpowder to explode, and extremely high temperatures could kill bacteria, so the Japanese began using ceramic bombs, which held fleas carrying anthrax and bubonic plague, according to the museum staff member.

Ceramic bombs required little gunpowder. And when they exploded, the biological agents were dispersed into the air. A plane could carry 10 ceramic bombs, each containing around 5,000 fleas that could infect a large number of domestic animals and people.

To help the diseases proliferate, the Japanese also used hot-air balloons to distribute plague carrier fleas. Infected clothing and supplies were also dropped to spread the deadly pathogens.

"This is new proof of atrocities committed by the Japanese Army," said Jin Chengmin, curator of the museum. "It serves as a warning for us to remember history and cherish peace."

Unit 731 was a secret biological and chemical warfare research base established in Harbin as the nerve center of Japanese biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during World War II.

Civilians and prisoners of war from China, the Soviet Union, the Korean Peninsula and Mongolia all perished at the hands of Japanese scientists.

The retreating Japanese blew up the base when the Soviet army took Harbin in 1945.

Xinhua
Pair were part of team taking pictures of a submerged part of the Great Wall

The bodies of two divers who had been exploring the underwater environment in a reservoir in Tangshan, Hebei province, were recovered on Monday, 12 days after going missing.

The divers worked for Global Underwater Explorers, a nonprofit NGO that does research and trains high-quality divers.

On Sept 4, a team of four divers arrived at Panjiakou Reservoir, which covers the site of a village that was adjacent to the Great Wall 500 years ago. The team's job was to survey and map the area, diving about 50 meters below the surface to take photographs and videos of the submerged Great Wall.

On Sept 7, the organization said, two members of the mapping team - Xu Haiyan, 39, and Sun Hao, 34 - failed to return after a dive on the afternoon of Sept 6, and local police had begun searching for them.

It announced on Sunday afternoon that the body of one diver had been detected 62 meters below the surface. A second body was found on Monday morning.

The two bodies were about 70 meters apart, the search team said. Recovery work is expected to start on Tuesday.

According to a diver from the team who wouldn't give his name, the team had made comprehensive preparations in advance.

"Xu asked for advice from many GUE divers. She also borrowed the best diving equipment from her friend, which allowed her to stay underwater for six to eight hours," the diver said.

"The task this time was not especially difficult because it's an open-water area and the set operation time was set at two and a half hours, which is not long for them."

The missing divers had been working in Shanghai. Both had Level 2 certificates as technical divers, which means they were able to perform dives as deep as 75 meters. Only seven people in China have that level of certification.

Xu was an outstanding female geneticist who earned her doctorate at Columbia University. She published many articles on WeChat sharing her diving knowledge and experience.

"Xu was one of the few professional female divers in China and represents a kind of spiritual power," said Zhang Jun, another GUE diver.

Xu published on her WeChat account days before the reservoir dive that she had a cold and was taking medicine.

The other diver, Sun Hao, a former Armed Police officer, was working in the financial industry. He is also well-known in diving circles.

The deaths of the two shocked fellow divers in China because the pair are known experts. Many divers volunteered for the search effort.

The causes of death are still under investigation. The reservoir was once a fish-breeding site for local farmers, but that activity was banned because of pollution. According to the rescue team, there are many abandoned fishing nets and cages in the water.

This is not the first diving project led by the NGO in China. In April, a team explored Green Hole Lake in Guangdong province and mapped part of it. Divers went down more than 60 meters four times.

Qiao Qi, another diver with the NGO, said: "There are no detailed hydrographic maps for most waters in China. For GUE technical divers, diving is not only fun but also for exploration and discovery of the unknown world."

Zhang Yi contributed to this story.

(China Daily 09/19/2017 page5)
Support given to Shanxi's economic transformation

Shanxi province was granted more support from the central government to achieve economic transformation as an energy resource-based economy, according to a guideline released by the State Council on Monday.

The document set goals on establishing a mechanism to bolster the economic transformation of Shanxi by 2020, when more coalmining and processing will be cut off, with advanced production capacity to increase by two-thirds of overall industrial value-added output.

By 2030, the region will set up a clean, safe and efficient modern resources system with support from many other industries to complete the transformation of the resource-based economy, according to the guideline.

Local governments are required to overhaul resource supplies and consumption, with efforts to guide cutting overcapacity, optimizing the industrial structure of energy resources and expanding the use of clean energy, including natural gas and hydropower.

The State Council also encouraged enterprises in coal, electricity, and transportation and other industries to conduct corporate restructuring or cross-shareholding, which will increase competitiveness.

The provincial government was encouraged to implement the strategy "Made in China 2025", which will focus on emerging industries in areas such as information technologies, new energy vehicles, aerospace and biological medicine. It was also urged to build a green manufacturing system, which targets transforming traditional industries to a greener and more environmental-friendly mode of operation.

The document also urged building demonstration bases in mass entrepreneurship and innovation, expand mixed ownership reform of State-owned enterprises, and promote the healthy development of the private economy.

Money laundering and terror financing targeted

China will strengthen efforts to curb money laundering, terror financing and tax evasion, as part of its endeavors to build a modern system of financial regulation and stability, according to a guideline released by the State Council on Wednesday.

The guideline said the law and regulation system will be improved by 2020, with a coordinated regulation mechanism to be set up to effectively prevent and control these types of illegal operations.

The country will improve its trans-ministry focus to combat money laundering, establish a national risk assessment system on money laundering and terror financing, and set up a panel for regular assessment.

The nation will optimize cooperation in combating money laundering and improve related investigations and technologies and supervision.

The document encouraged exploring standards for data-sharing and setting up databases to fight money laundering, terror financing and tax evasion.

Legislation should be improved and the resolutions on anti-terrorism financing passed by the UN Security Council should be enforced, the document said.

The guideline urged to further enhance monitoring on irregular cross-border capital flows to prevent and combat financial crimes. In addition, China will launch a special operation nationwide to crack down on tax evasion. The document also said joint efforts will be made to prevent customs duty evasion by anti-laundering and customs authorities.

Reforms in innovation to be piloted in selected areas

Thirteen measures will be piloted in eight innovation demonstration zones, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei city cluster, Shanghai and the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, according to a guideline released by the State Council on Thursday.

As part of financial innovation, one-stop services for investment and financing information will be provided to small and medium-sized enterprises.

To create a beneficial environment for innovation and entrepreneurship, another one-stop service will be performed for quick approval, ownership confirmation, and patent applications.

An innovation-driven assessment in State-owned enterprises will also be implemented while the taxes levied by the central and local governments will be integrated.

In addition, international students and high-quality foreign expertise are welcomed to work in China, and their applications for residence permits will be facilitated.

Private investment to be encouraged in PPP projects

Private businesses are encouraged to join public-private-partnership projects while a new mechanism will be established to ensure returns, according to a State Council guideline released on Friday.

This was part of the slew of measures China has released to improve government services and offer more financing channels to encourage private investment as the sector has seen slowing growth.

Other measures also include delegation of governmental powers and strengthened regulation. The guideline attributed the slowing growth of private investment to sloppy implementation of government policies, high institutional costs and limited access to financing.

The document said the government will improve the credit rating system for private businesses and better manage their credit extensions, which will give them more channels to get financed.

The nation will also reduce costs for private companies and encourage them to take part in projects under major national strategies such as "Made in China 2025", modern agriculture and technological upgrading, the document said.
Report shows costs still a burden even as growth given massive boost

Recent measures in boosting private investment as well as encouraging mass entrepreneurship and innovation have shown a significant effect, and improvements are being made, according to a State Council news release.

The findings of a nationwide third-party evaluation on the implementation of key policies to encourage private investment as well as promoting mass entrepreneurship and innovation were unveiled at the State Council's executive meeting on Sept 13, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

Evaluation results show that these policies were significant in sustaining economic growth and upgrading, contributing greatly to nurturing new economic drivers and creating jobs.

Ma Jiantang, executive vice president of the Chinese Academy of Governance, said during a news briefing on Friday regarding the evaluation that this year's assessment covered 31 provinces and regions across China, and the assessment team visited five provinces and cities as well as more than 300 enterprises. The academy also participated in the evaluation in 2016.

The evaluation results show that private business had become a key part of the economy, and the private sector now accounts for more than 80 percent of the employment, contributing over 60 percent of GDP, and had contributed more than half of the taxation returns, Ma pointed out.

Results of the evaluation show that 64.1 percent of companies were satisfied with policies that helped widen market access for private investors, while 62.5 percent were happy with government efforts that brought greater efficiency to the private investment process, he said.

Private fixed-asset investment reached 23.9 trillion yuan ($3.65 trillion), a 6.4 percent increase compared with the same period last year.

"Major problems highlighted in the evaluation are largely the same over the past two years, but there is an obvious trend showing that things are improving," Ma said.

For example, the value-added tax reform has been promoted across the country since May 2016 and has helped companies to cut tax by a total of 570 billion yuan.

"A lot of companies surveyed still complain about the high cost of financing, especially for small-and-medium sized companies," Ma said. "And the problem of institutional costs for businesses still exist in many areas, which is similar to what we noticed last year."

The academy suggested to the State Council that it is important to enhance research and hear suggestions during the policy making process. It also strongly suggested enhancing efforts in informing stakeholders, such as enterprises, about policies.

"For example, during the evaluation, we noticed that though the State Council has come out with a slew of incentives in encouraging private investment, some businesspeople say that they are not even aware of it," Ma said. "Therefore, we strongly recommend using new media platforms such as WeChat and mobile applications to promote related policies, and keep the private business people informed about related policies once they came out."

He pointed out that one significant move compared with last year's evaluation is that many businesses are happy as hurdles toward market access have been greatly reduced, especially in areas of electricity, petroleum, railway, civil aviation and telecommunications. At the same time, more private funds are entering areas of medical treatment as well as endowments.

On mass entrepreneurship and innovation, the evaluation covering eight provinces and cities, 17 demonstration areas and 95 enterprises shows that nearly 85 percent of them believed entrepreneurship-and innovation-related policies have created new economic driving forces, while some 81 percent believed the policies helped create more jobs, according to Huang Rong, vice-chair of the All China Federation of Industry and Commerce, who participated in carrying out the evaluation.

It was decided at the Sept 13 State Council meeting that the government will come out with comprehensive policies that fit market development, while strengthening policy support and coordinating different policies to minimize obscure areas in implementation.

Mo Yuchuan, a professor from the China University of Political Science and Law, said the third party evaluation system is an important measure in improving supervision and enhancing policy effectiveness.

The premier proposed when delivering the Government Work Report in 2015 that China build a service-oriented government.

Mo said the third-party assessment, as an innovative move by the government, was done as part of this.

"Third-party evaluation on national key policies became systematic in China only in recent years, and it now plays a positive role in improving public policy," Mo said.

He said the move is the sign that China's policy making process is growing more precise and effective.

"At the same time, it is also important for government to pick evaluation conductors to make sure that the evaluation is as mature as possible," he added.
US free market absolutist ideologists pump out more irrelevant and confusing rhetoric than a giant squid pours out ink - the wave of criticism for China's anti-corruption policies being a case in point.

Critics claim China's economic slowdown is primarily due to President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, which has been carried out nationwide over the past five years, and that the country needs a drastic reduction in free private sector regulation to restore the sky-high annual growth rates it enjoyed for so many years.

Nothing could be further from the truth. These critics are mistaking a positive process of economic transformation and the maturing of China's economy and society as signs of terminal structural weakness. This is similar to a doctor looking at the hormonal change and other physical changes of growing teenagers and diagnosing them as dying of terminal cancer or old age.

While it is certainly true that China's export-driven growth has slowed in relative terms in recent years, it continues to enjoy massive surpluses, and China's economic growth and dynamism continue to dwarf those of other major Asian nations.

Japan especially has still to shake off the dire effects of more than 25 years of economic stagnation. The simplistic pump-priming infusions of cash favored by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have failed to remedy the situation.

Were it not for massive spending on high-tech defense industries using know-how bought from the United States that is driving Japan's public sector even further into the red, the state of the Japanese economy would be even worse.

The massive scale and achievements of China's anti-corruption program are willfully misunderstood in much of the Western media. Far from slowing growth, the anti-corruption campaign is preventing or at least greatly reducing the incidences of corruption that if left unattended would divert the benefits of growth to a handful of people at the top of the national pyramid.

Correctly interpreted, the anti-corruption campaign should be seen not as the enemy of growth or as disrupting the benefits of growth, but rather as being essential to the growth process.

It is a universal truth that as societies generate more wealth, a handful of oligarchs at the top, if left to their own devices, will seize for themselves all the economic and political power and administer it narrowly and selfishly.

This was the pattern in the US during the half century of gigantic industrialization that followed the Civil War. The first two-thirds of the 20th century then saw long, slow and usually far too delayed efforts to slow down and eventually reverse this process.

However, in the four decades since the election of president Ronald Reagan, the US government has increasingly abandoned its crucial role as a moderator of economic concentrations of power in the country.

The result has been the devastating destruction of well-paying industrial jobs and the consequent growth of social pathologies across the US heartland, especially the current hard-drug pandemic.

That is why in my book, Cycles of Change, which tracks the patterns in US politics from Thomas Jefferson to Barack Obama, I entitled the political era launched by Reagan in 1980-81 as "Evening in America" - since it heralded decline, not growth.

The same US pundits who flatly refuse to acknowledge the corruption, unfair concentration of wealth and abdication by government of its responsibility to enforce economic and criminal justice have committed precisely the opposite error in the case of China. They look at policies that are both the consequence and necessary correction to economic success and industrial growth, and falsely mislabel them as signs of decline.

The idea that any anti-corruption campaign, if energetically prosecuted, will make government departments inefficient, complacent and lazy is absurd fantasy. Observed experience and recorded history show that the opposite is invariably the case. Indeed, the biggest achievement of China's anti-corruption campaign in the past five years is the clean working style that it has instigated in the ruling Party and government.

There are many reasons why China's growth in absolute terms has slowed, and Chinese leaders and economic planners have been coping with the impact of climate change patterns across Eurasia.

China has been energetically investing in land and maritime communications networks across Asia and in cultivating vast quantities of land across sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

These policies are proving immensely beneficial in raising the living standards and professional opportunities for hundreds of millions of people across China, and for billions more around the world.

The economic history of all prosperous industrial nations shows that a society needs more anti-corruption monitoring and restraint as an economy grows, not less. It also shows that the central government must not abdicate its responsibilities to protect its own people from such forces, and must also be vigilant in ensuring the industrial base and economy as a whole do not suffer from unfair patterns of international trade.

China's government has proven to be highly successful and responsible in carrying out these core obligations.

On the contrary, it is US growth rates that have remained at miniscule levels for decades.

According to Wall Street analyst Gerald Celente, median US income is now at 1999 levels; 51 percent of all people working full time in the US now earn only $30,000 or less and household ownership is at a 50-year low.

China's economic policies have raised a larger number of people out of poverty in a shorter period of time than any other recorded period in history.

The current slowing of overall growth rates and the success of the anti-corruption campaign therefore need to be recognized as inevitable and desirable outcomes of this remarkable success.
Zhang Yuxiao, an 11-year-old pupil in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, has written hundreds of diary entries about daily life, as well as encouraging words to himself. [Photo by Liu Yang/for China Daily]

No matter how late Zhang Yuxiao goes to sleep, he always writes a diary entry before going to bed.

Until last year, when he entered a primary school in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province at the age of 10, Zhang had never been in a classroom due to his family's difficult situation.

Since then he has written hundreds of diary entries in six notebooks.

In his diaries, he writes about daily life, as well as encouraging words to himself.

The boy has had a tough life. He was abandoned by his mother when he was only one year old and shortly afterwards, his father died suddenly from a cerebral infarction.

His elderly grandparents took the boy in, but they were in poor health.

After his grandmother suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and became paralyzed and confined to bed in 2011, the little boy began to take on the burden of taking care of himself and his grandparents.




ZHENGZHOU - Police in central China's Henan Province have arrested 172 members of Shanxinhui, a Shenzhen-based company suspected of organizing and leading a pyramid scheme.

All of them will face criminal charges, according to a statement issued by Henan police.

Others involved in the case will be treated with leniency if they turn themselves in by Sept. 30, according to the statement.

Chinese police have previously investigated Shanxinhui for allegedly manipulating people into taking part in pyramid selling and cheating them out of huge amounts of property under the guise of helping the poor.

Several key members, including Zhang Tianming, the mastermind of Shanxinhui, were arrested earlier this month on suspicion of obtaining illegal gains of more than 2.2 billion yuan (334 million U.S. dollars).

They were suspected of intentionally distorting the country's targeted policy to eradicate poverty to build a so-called "new economic ecological model," while setting up a network on the Internet.

In recent years, pyramid schemes have been expanding widely through social networks. Police investigated 2,826 pyramid scheme cases in 2016, 19.1 percent more than that in 2015, according to the Ministry of Public Security.
Beijing is on track to hitting its target for cutting PM2.5  tiny, hazardous airborne particles  according to data released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on Tuesday.

The average concentration of PM2.5 between January and August was 60 micrograms per cubic meter, down by 4.8 percent compared with the same period in 2016, the data show.

The central government set a target for the capital in 2013 to reduce its average PM2.5 concentration to 60 mcg/cu m by the end of this year.

Beijing will need to keep the level low to ensure it meets that goal, although air pollution usually worsens in the fall and winter months, when the city's large coal-fired boilers are switched on and the wind drops.

The data show 74.2 percent of days in August had "good" air quality, up by 19.4 percent year-on-year, while the average PM2.5 level fell by 19.1 percent to 38 mcg/cu m.

However, it was not all good news.

The average concentration of PM10  slightly larger hazardous airborne particles  increased 12.8 percent year-on-year between January and August.

Air quality in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, which is prone to severe air pollution, was also not good.

The average concentration of PM2.5 over the eight months was up by 10.2 percent year-on-year, while only 52.8 percent of days had "good air", a year-on-year drop of 8 percent, the data show.

Six of the region's cities were in the ministry's top 10 for severe air pollution in August: Handan, Xingtai, Tangshan, Shijiazhuang, Baoding and Hengshui, all in Hebei province. Handan was No 1.
File photo of Wang Nana. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A victim of an identity theft case just received a college acceptance letter in Luoyang city, Central China's Henan province, realizing her "college dream" finally.

Wang Nana, 34, said she has registered as a marketing major freshman at Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology College with the acceptance letter on Sept 18, something that she has dreamed for 14 years.

"I am joining in military training with my classmates on the playground now," she told China Daily.

She said she was moved on receiving the acceptance letter.

In 2003, she took the national college entrance exam. However, Zhang Yingying, another woman used her ID to enter Zhoukou Vocation and Technology College in Zhoukou, Henan province.

She never learned that she was admitted to college until applying for a bank loan in 2015, when she discovered that her hopes for a better future were upstaged by Zhang.

Zhang later graduated with a certificate that carried her photograph but Wang's name and ID number, and landed a job as a teacher at a vocational school.

The truth was only revealed in March 2016, when nine officials were sanctioned and Zhang's student status was revoked following a police investigation.

Then Wang participated in the national college entrance exam again in 2017.

The mother of two children, Wang and her husband run a print shop in Luoyang. She said her college is not far from her home, which makes it easier to take care of her family.

"I want to go to college, my family members support me, I want to learn and grow up with my kids," she said.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, meets officials who have contributed greatly to public security governance on Tuesday in Beijing. YAO DAWEI/XINHUA

President tells officials at conference to focus on safety, where the public has noted improvement

President Xi Jinping has called for more systematic and innovative social governance, stressing the need to improve the capability to predict and prevent security risks.

Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, was speaking on Tuesday at a Beijing conference to award individuals and units that have made outstanding contributions to the public security governance sector in the past five years.

Since late 2012, people working in political and legal affairs have innovated social governance methods and dealt with large numbers of outstanding problems, making the general public feel safer, he said.

The sense of security of the Chinese public has increased from 88 percent in 2012 to 92 percent in 2016, according to data released on Tuesday by the Central Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security, a central level authority in charge of social governance in China.

However, Xi wants more effort to be taken to build a safer China. The authorities involved should be aware of the difficulties and challenges, carefully analyze the current situation of Chinese society, adopt technological innovation methods and improve the capacity to forecast and prevent risks, he said.

Xi also stressed that social governance officers should have a better sense of the rule of law.

More than 500 members from central and local political and law departments, as well as outstanding individuals and units, are participating in the two-day meeting, which concludes on Wednesday.

"I'm excited and inspired after listening to the president's remarks, which made a comprehensive summary of social governance in the past five years and outlined the new requirements and tasks in the future," said Huang Ming, vice-minister of public security.

Huang said the most valuable lesson he has learned is to go with the "innovative ideas and strategies to tackle the issues involving social security and win the support of the people".

He Wenhao, a senior official in charge of political and legal affairs in the Tibet autonomous region who attended the conference, said the president's speech has built up his confidence in safeguarding Tibet.

He said the biggest challenge he now faces is fighting "the separatist forces to ensure the continuous safety and stability in Tibet".
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's defense industry conglomerate, has vowed to answer the government's call to complete key internal corporate reforms by the end of this year.

Wang Zhanyu, deputy director of the department of strategy management at CASC, said at a media briefing that in addition to responding to the State Council's timeline to complete its corporate reforms by 2017, it has vowed to accelerate the process of spinning off its social functions by 2018, which is an essential part of deepening the reform of SOEs.

It also plans to promote mixed ownership reform, through raising its asset securitization rate to over 45 percent by 2020.

The restructuring is included in the broader SOE reforms administered by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the top SOE watchdog.

Specifically, the reform of CASC has been boosted by innovation-driven development, as can be seen from its achievements, such as BeiDou, China's leading satellite navigation system, manned space projects and the lunar exploration program.

Its Earth Observing System satellite program has increased the nation's self-sufficiency rate of high-resolution remote sensing data to over 70 percent, playing an essential role in information security.

According to Wang, CASC is constantly fine-tuning its management system and is making various innovations in this field.

In the past five years, the company has launched over 80 Long March rockets, with the launch frequency growing over 22 percent year-on-year. In 2016, the firm's launch frequency already shared the first place with the United States.

The company owes these achievements to its innovation breakthroughs. Its guidelines in response to the nation's "Made in China 2025" Initiative reduced its launch cycle and product cycle by 30 percent and 40 percent respectively, while raising its launch success rate to 95.6 percent, which is in line with the international standard. Moreover, the costs were lowered by around 20 percent.

Dong Yan, a researcher at the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the reforms led by the government, benefit SOEs such as CASC, as they adjust their structure and operation system and are better equipped to face international challenges.
A delegation of nearly 50 people from the US state of Iowa started their 10-day visit to China on Sunday and a groundbreaking for a China-US Friendship Demonstration Farm, believed to be the first of its kind, is set for Saturday.

Terry Branstad, the new US ambassador to China, will attend the ceremony, according to a news release from the Iowa Sister States commission, a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to manage Iowa's official relationships with foreign states and provinces. The organization was established when Branstad was governor.

The China-US Friendship Demonstration Farm, to be located in Luanping county, Hebei province, will include an educational agriculture site modeled after a farm near Maxwell, Iowa, owned by Rick and Martha Kimberley and their son Grant. The demonstration farm is a joint project of Iowa and Hebei. Its educational components will include visuals of modern agriculture technology such as machinery, and advances such as grain storage and drying, as well as test plots.
The Chinese embassy in Panama was opened on Sunday, setting a benchmark for other countries in the region.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi approved of the progress achieved 100 days after China and Panama established diplomatic relations. He attended the inauguration event with Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela.

Hailing the opening as a historic moment in their relationship, Wang said the new Chinese embassy will devote itself to serving Chinese people as well as institutions in Panama.
The Chinese and Russian navies kicked off the second stage of the Joint Sea 2017 drills on Monday, which also marked the 86th anniversary of Japan's invasion of Northeast China.

The weeklong exercise will be held in the Sea of Japan and, for the first time, in the Sea of Okhotsk, north of Japan's Hokkaido Island, according to Vladimir Matveev, spokesman for Russia's Pacific Fleet, who was quoted by Russian Times.

It is also the first time the two navies have conducted joint submarine rescues and antisubmarine exercises involving multiple types of aircraft, vessels and military personnel.
BANGKOK - Thailand will start construction of the first phase of the Thailand-China railway project in October, or no later than November, once the environmental impact assessment report is approved, Thai Minister of Transport Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said in an interview with Xinhua.

Thailand and China signed two contracts, namely the design contract and the supervision contract, for the 253-kilometer first phase project earlier this month, which will link the Thai capital Bangkok and the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima.

"Once the relevant environmental impact assessment report from Baan Pachi in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province and Nakhon Ratchasima province is approved, we will try to start the construction of the first section in October. If we cannot do that, we will definitely start in November," Arkhom said.
During 2017 Greece and China have organized several events to promote cultural exchange between the two peoples along cooperation in many other areas.[Photo/Xinhua]

"We are proud hosting this treasure of Chinese culture," Nicholas Theocarakis, chairman of the Athens Concert Hall, told Xinhua after watching Female Generals of the Yang Family, a classic masterpiece of Beijing Opera.

Artists from China National Peking Opera Company won the admiration and the warm applause of the Greek audience through their performance Sunday night at the concert hall, one of the most impressive venues of its kind in Greece and the world.

The electrifying performance was part of a series of events staged this year for the 2017 Greece-China Year of Cultural Exchanges and Culture Industry Cooperation.

It was the first time ever that the play was hosted in Greece with Greek subtitles.

The story of the strong and courageous Chinese women who safeguarded their homeland after their husbands, sons and fathers were killed heroically in battle moved the Greek spectators.

The impressive costumes and scenery, as well as the flawless singing, dancing and martial arts and acrobatics performance were also praised by the audience.

Like Theocarakis, spectators said they appreciated the exemplary sample of the Beijing Opera which is included since 2010 in UNESCO's world Intangible Cultural Heritage list and are eager to learn more about Chinese culture.

"I think the artists were excellent. We do not often have the chance to watch such events. I look forward to learning more (about Chinese culture) through such shows and events," Vassiliki Ligri told Xinhua.
An artwork based on Vincent van Gogh's painting Sunflower is created on a piece of land in Qinhuangdao city, Hebei province, Sept 18, 2017. [Photo/IC]

A large piece of artwork imitating Vincent van Gogh's masterpiece Sunflower is on display in Dongxuzhuang village, Duzhuang town, Haigang district, Qinhuangdao city, Hebei province.

The piece occupies an area of around 40 mu (2.7 hectares), and is created using six kinds of grass flowers such as maidenhair, red grass, green grass and begonia.

Combining world famous painting with natural landscape, the work celebrates the Second Conference of Hebei Tourism Industrial Development which opened on Sunday.
Ma Fujian donated 10,000 yuan ($ 1,530) to set the awards for those who respect and well take care of their parents, inspiring more followers in Deqing county in Zhejiang province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In the past 20 years, Deqing county in East China's Zhejiang province has seen 55 villagers use their own money to set awards for role models.

A forum jointly held by Xinhua News Agency and the Deqing government gathered scholars to discuss the phenomenon  which is rarely seen in the rest of China  in Beijing on Sept 17.

The first such award was instituted in 1997 by seafood dealer Ma Fujian, who donated 10,000 yuan ($1,530) to honor those who respect and take care of their parents.

The Filial Piety Awards have been presented every two years, with every winner being awarded 500 yuan.

Ma says that he was inspired to launch the award after he heard about family conflicts caused by adult children's unwillingness to support elderly parents back then.

"I have no right to criticize them, but I hoped to use the awards to encourage people to take good care of their parents. Filial piety is a traditional virtue for Chinese, which should be passed down to the next generation," says Ma.

The awards were a positive influence in the country, inspiring many people over the two decades.

Wan Junren, the dean of School of Humanities of Tsinghua University, gives a thumb-up to the people in Deqing, saying that such a trend should be publicized.

Ge Chenhong, a professor with Renmin University of China, says citizens can be influenced to do good deeds, which make the awards powerful and influential.
Innovation pushed for e-pay systems

By Chang Jun in Santa Clara, California ( China Daily USA )

Updated: 2017-09-19

China, US experts share expertise to streamline cross- border e-commerce

A group of Chinese and American experts on cross-border e-trade and financing gathered on Sunday to talk about how technology could improve collaborations and transactions between the world's two largest economies.

Zhang Bin, CEO of Beijing-based Union Mobile Financial Technology (UMF), brought a team with more than 10 years' experience with China's mobile-payment and financial technology to mingle with American counterparts in Silicon Valley at a Sino-American cross-border trade and technology summit.

"As a beneficiary in China's mass entrepreneurship and innovation movement, UMF now wants to give back to society and our successors," said Zhang, adding that he has witnessed the flourishing of a national campaign that was initiated in 2015 to encourage individuals to start businesses and cultivate the spirit of innovation in China.

Established in 2003, UMF was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Market in 2016. It has two wholly owned subsidiaries - Union Mobile Pay e-Commerce and Umpire International (US), partners with more than 110 financial institutions and more than 3,000 large enterprises and provides payment and cross-border services for 700,000 small- and medium-sized enterprises and 450 million individual users.

"The total transactions through our payment platforms surpassed $130 billion last year," said Zhang.

Thomas Layman, president and CEO of San Mateo, California-based Global Vision Group, acknowledged the potential for cross-border trade and e-payment was vast.

"The opportunities for new and existing players in supporting cross-boarder payments continue to grow, especially for low-value, e-commewrce payment," he said at the summit.

Frank Tong, China director of Internet Retailer magazine, said there are some 300 licensed third-party payment providers in China, many of which are authorized for facilitating online payment.

UMF has been issued a payment business license in China from the People's Bank of China for nationwide internet payments, mobile phone payments and bank card acceptance.

Technology is evolving that will accommodate the emergence of faster, more reliable, more transparent and less expensive options for cross-border payments and remittances, according to Layman.

"The biggest opportunity for [business-to-business] cross-border payments is in the small- and medium-sized business sector," Layman said.

"Currently, 55 percent of China's internet users have made a mobile payment, versus only 19 percent of internet users in the US," Layman said.

Zhang and his team keeps identifying new territories in overseas markets and has established footholds in the US and Canada.

"We utilize new technology such as AI, Blockchain, Cloud and Big Data to provide our customers not only cross-border payment services, but access to China's 500 million e-commerce shoppers," he said.

According to the latest report from the World Intellectual Property Organization, China ranks 22nd globally in terms of innovation in 2017, up three places year-on-year, and becomes the only middle-income country that has narrowed the gap with developed countries.

The Sunday summit is organized by the Organizing committee of the 2017 National Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week, Zhongguancun Innovation Center in Silicon Valley and Association of Cross-border e-commerce.

junechang@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 09/19/2017 page2)
Goat changes the lives of family in Fujian By Xiang Wenjian and Dominic Morgan ( chinadaily.com.cn ) Updated: 2017-09-18

When Hong Fu got his first goat, he didn't think much of it. He simply thought its milk might help his sick father regain his strength.

But tending goats has turned out to be a vocation and a ticket out of poverty for the man from rural Changtai in South China's Fujian province.

Hong now has a flock of more than 130 animals, which makes him an annual income of over 40,000 yuan ($6,000), enough to provide a comfortable life for his family.

Though Hong's new career as a livestock farmer has proved to be a good move, the circumstances that pushed him into it were anything but fortunate.

Like millions of people from rural China, the Changtai native used to make a living as a migrant laborer in the city.

Though hampered by disability due to deformities to his hands and mouth, Hong used to eke out a slender income to support himself.

But this life came to a sudden end in 2012, when his family got the terrible news that Hong's father, Hong Songbao, had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus.

Songbao's life was fortunately saved by surgery, but Fu was forced to quit his job in the city and return to the country to care for his frail father.

It was soon after his return that a neighbor suggested to Fu that goat's milk might help his father make a quicker recovery, and he bought his first she-goat.

After a few weeks, Fu found that getting up with the birds every morning to milk his goat suited him quite well, and he sensed this could be a relatively easy way to make money.

So he bought a few more goats, and started his new life as a farmer.

Hong's chance to help his family escape from their impoverished state came in 2015, when the local government implemented the precision poverty alleviation campaign launched by China's central government.

Unlike previous policies, which used a "one-size-fits-all" approach to poverty relief, the new campaign treated each family individually according to its specific needs, providing them with the specific support they needed to get back on track.

On top of financial subsidies, the Disabled Persons' Federation also provided Hong with a loan of 70,000 yuan to help him expand his business.

Hong used the money to buy yet more goats and renovate his sheepfold in Guming Mountain, three kilometers from his home.

The extra income his new flock has provided has allowed Hong to pay off his debts, escape the clutches of poverty, and even redecorate his family home.

But the threat of poverty still hangs over Hong and his family. If his father were to fall sick again, he worries that he wouldn't be able to afford the medical bills.

"Every goat matters to me," he said.

Illness is a major cause of poverty among China's rural population. As of the end of 2015, over 44 percent of impoverished people in rural areas suffered from some form of illness, statistics from the National Health and Family Planning Commission showed.

An improved healthcare system is key to preventing families like Hong's from falling into poverty again.

Hong Fu feeds a lamb with salt to treat dyspepsia. [Photo/Xinhua]
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, speaks at a symposium for provincial and ministerial level officials in preparation for the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. MA ZHANCHENG / XINHUA

Yu Sui [Photo/China Daily]

The National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held every five years to draw the road map for national development, is the most important political meeting for China. And the upcoming 19th CPC National Congress will be a milestone in China's peaceful development.

The Party National Congress is important for the following reasons:

Since the 18th Party Congress in 2012, dramatic changes have taken place in the Chinese economy, foreign relations, and political ecosphere under Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. His philosophy and practice of national governance have resulted in remarkable achievements. His grand goals and outstanding leadership have earned Xi the trust, respect and admiration of the Party and the people.

The People's Republic of China has witnessed substantial twists and turns since 1949. Between 1949 and 1976, under Chairman Mao Zedong, China established its socialist political and economic foundation. From 1978 to 1989, under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, the country formulated socialism with Chinese characteristics through reform and opening-up. And thanks to Xi's leadership beginning with the 18th Party Congress in 2012, China is set to become an intermediately developed country.

At the first news conference after assuming the Party leadership, Xi put forward the concept of the Chinese Dream, emphasizing that the wish of the people to lead a better life will be the primary foundation of the Party's goals.

Extraordinary progress has been made toward those goals in the past five years: corrupt officials have received due punishment, people's livelihoods have improved, and China's military prowess has grown and global standing risen. And future achievements will likely be based on innovative, coordinated, eco-friendly, open and shared development.

China has benefited tremendously from Xi's mission to build a relatively well-off society, deepen reforms, enforce the rule of law and implement strict self-discipline within the Party "in an all-round manner".

The Party's grand ideals derive from the leadership's confidence in the path it has taken, and its theories, systems and culture. To this end, the report of the 19th Party Congress is expected to be comprehensive.

First, the Party is likely to address how to fundamentally eradicate poverty while maintaining steady and healthy economic development. Thanks to the four decades of reform and opening-up, the number of people living below the poverty line has drastically decreased, but about 50 million people still struggle to make ends meet. According to the country's poverty alleviation plan, the Party will not only end the predicament of the poor people and regions by 2020, but also lay a strong foundation for a sustainable relief mechanism.

Second, the 19th Party Congress is expected to discuss how to institutionalize the fight against corruption while maintaining a democratic system, as the people are expecting that Xi's promise to "put power in the cage of law" will be honored at the upcoming Party Congress.

Third, in all likelihood the Party Congress will examine how to strengthen the military, so as to safeguard national security, facilitate national reunification, and protect regional and global peace.

And fourth, the leadership is bound to seize the occasion to demonstrate China's sense of responsibility as a global power.

Xi has proposed to build a human community of shared destiny. True to the objective of building such a community, peace, development and "win-win" cooperation have been the consistent principles of China's diplomacy. Of course, preserving peace is not the same as outright appeasement, and so there is no room for compromise when it comes to national sovereignty. Similarly, promoting development does not mean giving indiscriminately and promoting cooperation does not mean supplicating anyone. Seeking win-win outcomes must be based on sincerity.

China is promoting globalization with the Belt and Road Initiative and actively participating in global governance, particularly with its leadership in the fight against climate change. The 19th Party Congress will usher China into a new period of history that will be marked by prosperity and peace.

The author is a professor at China Center for Contemporary World Studies.

Source: chinausfocus.com
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a keynote speech at the 12th EU-China Business Summit in Brussels on June 2, 2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Last week, the European Commission proposed a draft regulation to assume greater power in approving foreign direct investment in the sectors which could affect security and public order. The regulation will come into effect only after the European Union member states and the European Parliament approve it.

According to the draft, sectors such as energy, transportation, communications, data storage, financial infrastructure, artificial intelligence, robotics, semi-conductors, cybersecurity, and space and nuclear technology are key areas that need stricter monitoring and supervision. And foreign investors could be prevented from investing or doing business in those areas for "security reasons".

The EC says that since less than half of the EU states have a strict national screening system in place, more coordination is needed at the EU level to minimize the threats to the EU's security and public order. Other developed economies such as the United States and Japan have already established such screening systems to "safeguard" their national interests.

The EU debate on the issue started months ago. And many believe China is the main target of this move, as some policy advisers have publicly presented papers saying China's share of total foreign investment in the EU has been increasing while that of the United States and Canada is decreasing. But if the EU leaders take this argument as the basis of their decision, they would be adopting a discriminating approach to foreign investors and grossly compromising the bloc's principle of open economy.

Besides, the fact that the EC has proposed such a regulation at a time when the EU economy has recovered raises some serious doubts as to its real intentions. The EC says the proposed regulation is aimed at making policies more certain, but in effect it seems disruptive.

Why didn't the EC make such a decision between 2008 and 2012 when the EU economy was in deep trouble? Then, the EU spread the proverbial red carpet for Chinese investors and welcomed their help to solve its financial woes.

Arguing in favor of the draft regulation, some say the EU is worried about the increasing number of takeovers by China's State-owned enterprises in Europe, and the proposal will make the screening procedure stricter to ensure EU interests are protected. Such worries are unnecessary, because China's SOEs are no different from other multinationals and many are listed on the New York or Hong Kong stock exchange. These enterprises have a corporate management structure and are highly competitive thanks to decades of reform.

Given these facts, by blocking their entry into the EU, the EC will be depriving the EU states of a big opportunity to attract Chinese high-end companies to boost the competitiveness of their businesses and to create jobs.

In his annual state of union address last Wednesday, EC President Jean-Claude Juncker explained the regulation thus: "If a foreign, state-owned company wants to purchase a European harbor, part of our energy infrastructure or a defense technology firm, this should only happen with transparency, with scrutiny, and debate."

If Juncker studies the case of COSCO, China's State-owned shipping giant, he will realize that the company has breathed new life into Piraeus Port in Greece after its takeover. Of course, the port needs more time and business to flourish, which it will certainly do in the course of time.

Juncker should also acknowledge that despite being an open and competitive destination for foreign investment, the EU is an expensive and complicated market full of rising challenges of terrorism and immigration.

The EU decision-makers therefore should carefully study the pros and cons of the proposed regulation, and if they realize it will harm investments and investors both, they would do well to drop it.

The author is deputy chief of China Daily European Bureau.

fujing@chinadaily.com.cn
Defendants confess to a major telecom scam that resulted in the death of a high school graduate in Linyi, Shandong province on June 27. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

IN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR, Xu Yuyu from Linyi, East China's Shandong province, died of a heart stroke after phoning the police to report telephone fraudsters had cheated her of the money her family had saved to pay for her college fees. On Sept 15, seven suspects involved in the case were found guilty. Thepaper.cn comments:

The case has finally come to its end and justice has been done.

Some say the criminals were given too heavy penalties because one of them was given a life sentence, which is almost the highest penalty for telecom fraud, but that is not the case. According to a judicial explanation by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the actions of the seven criminals resulted in a death so the case should be considered "especially serious" and those responsible deserve harsher penalties than normal.

The case reminds us that people's personal information is poorly protected. In this case, the criminals succeeded in cheating Xu by pretending to be staff of the local education bureau. They were able to cheat Xu because they knew her name, ID number, that she had been freshly admitted to college, even the fact that she had submitted an application to the local education bureau for a subsidy. It was the leaking of such personal information that enabled the criminals to trick her, and so ultimately cause her death.

Last November, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature, passed the Cyberspace Security Law, which emphasized the need to protect personal information. A judicial explanation on how courts should handle such crimes was subsequently issued by the Supreme People's Court.

Xu's case has come to an end, but the campaign against crimes in cyberspace will continue. Cyberspace needs to be regulated and people's rights and information must be protected. We hope Xu's death will be the last of its kind. That will require the cooperation of the whole of society.
Staff members from the Palace Museum arrange the Song Dynasty masterpiece for the exhibition. [Photo by Zhang Wei/China Daily]

VISITORS HAD WAITED UP TO THREE HOURS for a chance to view the Song Dynasty (960-1279) landscape painting titled A Vast Land, which went on display at the Palace Museum on Friday. People's Daily commented on Monday:

The pictures of men and women literally racing to be among the first to view the landscape masterpiece indicates, to some extent, people's growing awareness and appreciation of culture. The 12th century painting Along the River during Qingming Festival also attracted a great many exhibition-goers when it was displayed at the Palace Museum two years ago.

Statistics suggest that an increasing number of Chinese attend art exhibitions, be they exhibitions showcasing folk art or foreign artworks. China is now home to more than 4,000 museums which were visited by some 850 million people last year, a year-on-year increase of nearly 9 percent. This has triggered innovations such as the animated figures representing emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

But to better serve the growing number of visitors, museums need to improve their management. Orderly viewing of exhibitions is not too much to ask if the entry-by-appointment policy is followed through. And a more tailored, considerate service could help viewers better understand exhibitions as a whole, rather than just one or two "star" exhibits.

For example, art lovers and scholars are likely to have very different expectations of an exhibition than other visitors; hence they should be guided in different groups. Encouraging youngsters who have little interest in an exhibition to draw facsimiles of the exhibits could be educational and provide some breathing space for their parents. Flexible opening and closing hours could be worth a try as well, as many would love to spend some of their evening hours after work visiting museums.
A farmer harvests chrysanthemum flowers in Xiuning, Anhui province, on October 14. Many farmers have increased their incomes by growing the flowers, which are used in herbal medicine. [Photo/China Daily]

WITH LESS THAN THREE YEARS TO GO before 2020, the deadline set by the central government for the elimination of poverty nationwide, some grassroot governments have exhausted almost all their funds in their bids to increase the incomes of impoverished families in their jurisdictions so as to ensure no one is left in poverty by 2020. People's Daily comments:

Some local governments offer subsidies in various forms to families that are registered as poverty-stricken ones. The families are expected to use the money to start businesses that can become reliable sources of revenue for them.

However, with various government departments offering them money, some impoverished families just stay at home doing nothing while awaiting the arrival of new funds.

This undesirable state of affairs has also led to the resentment of those families that are not registered as impoverished but struggling slightly above the poverty line. These poor families, whose numbers exceed the number of the poverty-stricken families in some places, are excluded from the generous government assistance program.

In other words, some local governments' poverty alleviation efforts target the deadline rather than poverty, as a result they have created new income gaps in villages, sparked jealousy and neighborhood frictions, and encouraged laziness instead of hard work.

The central authorities should establish an assessment mechanism to evaluate local governments 'performance in poverty relief efforts, so as to avoid the aforementioned problems.

Boosting the incomes of families living in poverty with local government funds just so the 2020 deadline can be met may mean the recipients slip back into poverty when governments no longer provide financial assistance.

The misuse and graft long associated with the distribution of poverty alleviation funds have been effectively checked because of strict supervision. But simply giving impoverished families large sums of money in a short period of time is a sort of dereliction of duty.

The year 2020 by no means marks the end of the government's poverty alleviation efforts, which have never been a once-and-for-all effort. Extreme poverty may be a thing of the past. But the comparative poverty caused by unfairness in the allocation of public resources will be another big challenge to good governance.
A Lotte Mart in Beijing, Feb 28, 2017. [Photo/China Daily]

The Republic of Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate Lotte Group announced on Friday that it will sell some of its Chinese stores, and could dispose of all of them; a move that is no more than recognition of a fait accompli since Lotte agreed in February to provide land for the installation of the United States' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense antimissile system in the ROK.

Following that decision, more than 80 percent of its hypermart stores in China have reportedly been closed, which has cost Lotte hundreds of millions of dollars.

Yet China can take no comfort in Lotte's business woes in the country, as the move serves neither side any good. For Lotte to exit the hypermarket business in China means it is abandoning a previously thriving market. Although the company's other businesses in China will continue to operate as before, its hypermarts have accounted for about 30 percent of the company's revenue in China, its largest overseas market. And the closure and sale of its stores means about 20,000 Chinese employed by Lotte will lose their jobs, as well as lost opportunities for hundreds of Chinese suppliers.

Lotte's announcement highlights the extent to which relations between the two countries have soured since former ROK president Park Geun-hye agreed to deploy THAAD on ROK soil.

Today, what prompted Lotte to make the decision to hand over its land to the ROK government to house the missile battery is no longer important. As tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to escalate, it is never too late for the political and business leaders in the ROK to reflect on the lessons to be learned from the Lotte case.

By rolling out the deployment of THAAD despite Beijing's repeated protestations, Seoul has willfully ignored Beijing's concerns due to its fears about Pyongyang's intentions and the pressure applied by Washington in pursuit of its own aims.

Although China has firmly opposed the installation of the THAAD anti-missile system in the ROK from the outset, it is actually in the same boat as the ROK.

There is no need for the relationship to be in the state it is in now, since both countries share the goal of making the region nuclear-free, peaceful and stable.

However, the US flew four F-35B stealth fighter jets and two B-1B bombers over the Korean Peninsula on Monday, which the ROK's defence ministry said was to "demonstrate the deterrence capability of the US-South Korea alliance". Yet Pyongyang is well aware of their military capabilities.

The ROK should reconsider its approach to its own security and instead of relying on the US, it should work to restore relations with China, as together they can work to ease the tensions that continue to dangerously escalate.
Trade is more contentious now than it has been for decades. Since their heyday during the 1980s and 1990s  which saw the creation of the WTO, the birth of NAFTA and China's rapid integration into the global economy  international trading relationships have fallen into an uneasy state of flux. From the US' decision to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, to negotiations over Britain's future relationship with the EU, and even a trans-Atlantic debate about chlorinated chicken, trade is at the heart of public discourse and it's proving divisive.

On the face of it trade activity looks healthy. The number of containers traversing the world's shipping lanes is rising steadily after a sharp shock during the financial crisis. Yet the value of the goods they contain is dropping as commodity prices struggle. Before the crisis trade was growing faster than GDP. Now it isn't, buffeted by a dangerous mix of economic and political headwinds.

Some are being tempted by the argument that trade is the primary cause of inequality, and that the system is run by global elites who work against national interests. This narrative is fundamentally wrong. It threatens global peace and prosperity by encouraging policy-makers to resort to protectionism at a time when the world urgently needs more trade liberalisation, not less, to tackle the great socio-economic issues of today and tomorrow.

All advocates of free and fair trade need to repel this false narrative and regain the initiative, which means doing three things.

The first is to explain that trade exists because people want it to. At its heart is the simple concept of comparative advantage, whereby a community that can produce goods others need is empowered to sell to those buyers and so afford to buy the goods it needs in return.

Maritime trade was how cutlers made my home city of Sheffield into the steel capital of the world, and how those same cutlers were able to buy imported goods such as tea, cotton and rubber. Digital trade is how we can now buy Hollywood blockbusters from video-on-demand platforms hosted on servers a continent away. Trade isn't just about physical goods, it's increasingly about services too, which are being made more tradable by technology.

Trade is essential for prosperity, stability and security. According to the OECD, manufacturing workers in countries that are relatively open to trade earn between three and nine times more than their peers in closed economies. Half a century ago South-East Asia was tearing itself apart, but this year the ASEAN bloc celebrates its 50th anniversary. Through cooperation and commerce the member states have collectively built the world's seventh-biggest economy, and by 2030 we expect ASEAN to rank third.

The second thing we need to do is to acknowledge that the benefits of trade haven't been shared evenly, so we must find policy solutions that rebuild trust by supporting wealth distribution and protecting the vulnerable. Rather than leaving responsibility for the displaced solely to governments, businesses must play a greater role in a world where technology and automation are already revolutionising how we live and work.

Paying tax isn't enough; companies need to collaborate with governments to develop education and labour markets that give workers the skills and protections they need to succeed.

The third thing is to ensure we have legal and regulatory frameworks that optimise access to trade. This means making procedures, standards and agreements simpler and more consistent so it's easier for companies to conduct cross-border business. It also means ensuring that capital regulation encourages trade finance by recognising its low risk profile, enabling financial institutions to fill more of the estimated $1.7 trillion gap in unmet demand for trade finance.

Trade is not a panacea for all the world's problems, but its power to create prosperity is enormous. This, fundamentally, is why I take a glass-half-full view of the future.

Some unstoppable trends are already in motion that will advance trade and increase prosperity in the twenty-first century. E-commerce is empowering businesses to sell to customers in countries without ever setting foot there. Over the next 30 years the expansion of the middle classes in Asia and Africa will lift some three billion people out of poverty.

Asia-led initiatives are building a more integrated global economy  such as the single market of the ASEAN Economic Community and China's Belt and Road Initiative, which has halved the time it takes for goods to travel between the UK and China by rail.

But only by repairing trust in trade, and by creating a better and fairer system, can we take advantage of these trends and seize the opportunities on offer. This is important work for the German G20 Presidency as it strives to defend the legitimacy of trade as an engine of human progress.

We have an opportunity today to create a new era for trade  where negative perceptions are dispelled, where gains are distributed more evenly, and where access is increased on an unprecedented scale. The result will be a better and brighter future for us all.

The author is Global Head of Trade and Receivables Finance, HSBC.
During one of my journeys to Montreal, my hometown in Canada, I had the chance to meet a Chinese who was supposed to be studying in Canada, yet he was working at the counter of a Subway outlet in downtown Montreal.

From his appearance, I inferred that he was a student, which prompted my inquisitive nature to have a chat with him. He reminded me of myself when I was working and studying in my youth.

I asked him about his major or field of studies. His response bewildered and confused me. He said that he was supposed to be studying for his master's degree in chemistry.

I asked him to elaborate on his response, to which he obliged. He said that he came to Montreal one year ago to study at one of Montreal's universities for his master's degree but he could not survive the language barrier in an academic setting. He felt isolated due to his lack of sufficient English to interact with other students.

He decided to quit his studies. For fear of losing face in front of his parents and neighbors, he opted to stay in Montreal to save enough money to go back to study English, which would give him a chance to finish what he came for, obtaining his master's degree in chemistry.

I praised his attitude and complimented his English skills before wishing him good luck in his endeavor. By interacting with Canadians on a daily basis, he enhanced his English skills and learned to barely communicate in French.

Caught in the daily struggle of surviving the hardships of today's lifestyles, I forgot about my chat with him until recently.

During the past few weeks, I was going through interviews with some of the private schools in China. During each interview, I usually ask about the objectives of the school pertinent to the future of their students.

I am sad enough to mention that most schools emphasized that they prepare their students to pass an international English exam to be able to attend a school, a college or a university abroad.

When I asked them about ensuring that their students finish their studies abroad successfully, they stated that is not their job. They emphasized that accomplishing that depends upon many factors which will be out of their control, such as the attitude of the student, the field of studies and the grading system of the intended university, among other factors.

I attempted to explain to them in vain the fact that a student who wishes to study abroad must be able to survive inside the academic circle and in the outside environment in which he or she will live during the span of their studies.

They justified their lack of enthusiasm for my point of view by stating that parents bring their kids to their schools for the sole objective of passing the exam that would qualify them to attend a school abroad.

During my teaching assignments, I had the opportunity to meet with few parents who were unhappy when I mentioned that my fundamental objective was building a solid foundation of the English language, which would permit them to complete their studies abroad successfully. They insisted that my job was to prepare them for passing their international English test of choice.

Parents believe that passing an international exam with high scores will enhance their chances of being accepted at a university abroad and subsequently guarantee bright futures for them. That is what the private schools persuade them to believe. No one can blame parents for wishing the best for their children.

Knowing that parents would gladly sacrifice everything to secure the future of their kids, some private school charge exaggerated school fees without any effort to guarantee the success of their future endeavors to study abroad.

With these kinds of fees, private schools must attempt to prepare their students to survive inside and outside the academic circle, which would enhance their chances of completing their studies successfully. Otherwise, they would be selling pipe dreams to the parents of their students.

Sava Hassan is a Canadian Egyptian educator.
A man passes Louis Vuitton's advertisement in Wuhan, Hubei province. [Photo/China Daily]

Martin Sieff, senior fellow at the Global Policy Institute in Washington, US [Photo/China Daily]

US free market absolutist ideologists pump out more irrelevant and confusing rhetoric than a giant squid pours out inkthe wave of criticism for China's anti-corruption policies being a case in point.

Critics claim China's economic slowdown is primarily due to President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, which has been carried out nationwide over the past five years, and that the country needs a drastic reduction in free private sector regulation to restore the sky-high annual growth rates it enjoyed for so many years.

Nothing could be further from the truth. These critics are mistaking a positive process of economic transformation and the maturing of China's economy and society as signs of terminal structural weakness. This is similar to a doctor looking at the hormonal change and other physical changes of growing teenagers and diagnosing them as dying of terminal cancer or old age.

While it is certainly true that China's export-driven growth has slowed in relative terms in recent years, it continues to enjoy massive surpluses, and China's economic growth and dynamism continue to dwarf those of other major Asian nations.

Japan especially has still to shake off the dire effects of more than 25 years of economic stagnation. The simplistic pump-priming infusions of cash favored by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have failed to remedy the situation.

Were it not for massive spending on high-tech defense industries using know-how bought from the United States that is driving Japan's public sector even further into the red, the state of the Japanese economy would be even worse.

The massive scale and achievements of China's anti-corruption program are willfully misunderstood in much of the Western media. Far from slowing growth, the anti-corruption campaign is preventing or at least greatly reducing the incidences of corruption that if left unattended would divert the benefits of growth to a handful of people at the top of the national pyramid.

Correctly interpreted, the anti-corruption campaign should be seen not as the enemy of growth or as disrupting the benefits of growth, but rather as being essential to the growth process.

It is a universal truth that as societies generate more wealth, a handful of oligarchs at the top, if left to their own devices, will seize for themselves all the economic and political power and administer it narrowly and selfishly.

This was the pattern in the US during the half century of gigantic industrialization that followed the Civil War. The first two-thirds of the 20th century then saw long, slow and usually far too delayed efforts to slow down and eventually reverse this process.

However, in the four decades since the election of president Ronald Reagan, the US government has increasingly abandoned its crucial role as a moderator of economic concentrations of power in the country.

The result has been the devastating destruction of well-paying industrial jobs and the consequent growth of social pathologies across the US heartland, especially the current hard-drug pandemic.

That is why in my book, Cycles of Change, which tracks the patterns in US politics from Thomas Jefferson to Barack Obama, I entitled the political era launched by Reagan in 1980-81 as "Evening in America"since it heralded decline, not growth.

The same US pundits who flatly refuse to acknowledge the corruption, unfair concentration of wealth and abdication by government of its responsibility to enforce economic and criminal justice have committed precisely the opposite error in the case of China. They look at policies that are both the consequence and necessary correction to economic success and industrial growth, and falsely mislabel them as signs of decline.

The idea that any anti-corruption campaign, if energetically prosecuted, will make government departments inefficient, complacent and lazy is absurd fantasy. Observed experience and recorded history show that the opposite is invariably the case. Indeed, the biggest achievement of China's anti-corruption campaign in the past five years is the clean working style that it has instigated in the ruling Party and government.

There are many reasons why China's growth in absolute terms has slowed, and Chinese leaders and economic planners have been coping with the impact of climate change patterns across Eurasia.

China has been energetically investing in land and maritime communications networks across Asia and in cultivating vast quantities of land across sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

These policies are proving immensely beneficial in raising the living standards and professional opportunities for hundreds of millions of people across China, and for billions more around the world.

The economic history of all prosperous industrial nations shows that a society needs more anti-corruption monitoring and restraint as an economy grows, not less. It also shows that the central government must not abdicate its responsibilities to protect its own people from such forces, and must also be vigilant in ensuring the industrial base and economy as a whole do not suffer from unfair patterns of international trade.

China's government has proven to be highly successful and responsible in carrying out these core obligations.

On the contrary, it is US growth rates that have remained at miniscule levels for decades.

According to Wall Street analyst Gerald Celente, median US income is now at 1999 levels; 51 percent of all people working full time in the US now earn only $30,000 or less and household ownership is at a 50-year low.

China's economic policies have raised a larger number of people out of poverty in a shorter period of time than any other recorded period in history.

The current slowing of overall growth rates and the success of the anti-corruption campaign therefore need to be recognized as inevitable and desirable outcomes of this remarkable success.
Brazilian President Michel Temer (L) applauds the country's new Attorney General Raquel Dodge, during her inauguration, in Brasilia on Sept 18, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

BRASILIA - For the first time in Brazil's history, a female took over prosecutor-general's post on Monday, replacing Rodrigo Janot, who held the position for four years.

In a ceremony in Brasilia with the presence of President Michel Temer and Supreme Court (STF) President Carmen Lucia, Raquel Dodge was sworn in as the new prosecutor-general.

In her inauguration speech, Dodge vowed to "defend democracy, watch over the common good and the environment, and guarantee that nobody is above the law."

The 55-year-old is taking over at a difficult time. She will have the mission of continuing Operation Lava Jato (Car Wash), the investigation into the Petrobras corruption ring, which saw over 100 politicians charged in recent years.

Dodge was named to the post by Temer but the president was charged by Janot for a second time last week for obstruction of justice and illicit association.

The first charge was made earlier this year for corruption but it was shelved by the Chamber of Deputies.

Therefore, the public will keenly watch how Dodge continues the investigations against Temer and members of his ruling party.
MADRID - The Spanish government on Monday took the decision to expel Kim Hyok Choi, the ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to Madrid, capital of Spain.

The Spanish Foreign Ministry announced the decision in a tweet published just after 20:00 local time, which reads: "The North Korean Ambassador was called to a meeting and informed he is 'persona non-grata. He will have to leave his functions by 30/9 (September 30)."

The move is a response to the continued nuclear and missile tests by the DPRK regime and the Spanish government informs that it was "necessary to take this step because these programs are a serious threat to international peace and security."

Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said that Spain "had repeatedly warned the DPRK Ambassador and authorities" about the tests and on Sept. 1 Spain had told the DPRK Embassy to reduce the number of diplomats in the country following a missile test by DPRK.
By WANG LINYAN and HONG XIAO at the United Nations | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2017-09-19 11:13

China and Russia agreed that the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue must be solved through peaceful means, according to a statement released on Monday by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the road map jointly proposed by China and Russia is "realistic and feasible", and both sides need more understanding and support from the international community.

Wang made the remarks during his meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in New York on Monday during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly.

The joint initiative issued on July 4 is based on China's proposal for a dual-track approach and "suspension for suspension initiative" and Russia's step-by-step approach.

China will continue to strictly implement the UN Security Council resolutions and shoulder due international obligations, while other relevant parties should assume their responsibilities and play their roles in the peninsula nuclear situation, Wang said in the statement.

The "worsening vicious cycle" must be broken, he said, adding that resumption of dialogue and negotiation is also necessary part of implementing the resolutions.

China urged for calm from all relevant parties on Sept 13 as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea rejected the latest UN Security Council resolution imposing new sanctions in response to its Sept 3 nuclear test.

Lavrov said Russia shares China's stance on the peninsula nuclear issue, and China and US need to jointly push for efforts to solve the issue peacefully, according to the statement.

Wang expressed appreciation for Russia's contribution to the recent ninth BRICS Summit in Xiamen earlier this month. He said both sides need to be well-prepared for a series of important high-level exchanges this year and push for more concrete achievements in bilateral relations.

Lavrov said Russia is willing to deepen strategic collaboration with China in the framework of BRICS, the UN and Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Scientists have proposed new materials in which the bipolar effect of resistive switchings (BERS) can be realized. Significantly, these materials could serve as the basis for developing a computer based on memristors that can store and process data in a similar way to human brain neurons. The results of the research were published in Materials Letters.

The scientists are from the Solid-State Physics and Nanosystems Department at the Institute of Laser and Plasma Technology of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), and were working in cooperation with researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences' Solid-State Physics Institute and the Institute of Microelectronics Technology and High Purity Materials.

The BERS phenomenon is currently a popular area of research around the world, both in the fundamental and the applied sciences. It can be used for developing nonvolatile two-terminal memory cells, as well as for memristor, the fourth fundamental element in electronics. Memristors could serve as the basis for a new approach to data processing, the so-called membrane computing.

Membrane computing is a new method of data processing in which short-term (RAM) and long-term (hard drive) memories are operated by elements that are similar to neurons in the human brain.

The effect of resistive switching is experienced when, subject to an external electric field, a material's conductivity changes by several degrees thereby realizing two metastable conditions, high resistive and low resistive conditions. If the nature of the switching depends on the direction of the electric field, the effect is called bipolar.

The physical mechanism of the switching itself depends on the material type. This may include the forming of conductive channels via the migration of metal ions, the forming of Schottky barriers, metalinsulator phase transitions, and other processes.

The National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) is currently searching for new materials that can demonstrate BERS. Earlier it was found that BERS can be observed in systems with a strong electron correlation, e.g., materials with large magnetoresistance and high-temperature superconductors.

Eventually, the scientists decided in favor of epitaxial fields that form on the surface of a single-crystalline substrate of strontium titanate (epitaxy is a regular and organized growth of one crystalline substance on another). The researchers proved that these fields can be used to create memristors for a new generation of computers.
Stockholm - More than two thirds of citizens in an eight country survey want to see more action from leaders to tackle major global risks, with strong support expressed for both United Nations reform (85%) and the creation of a new global decision-making body to manage threats to humanity (71%).

Three in five (61%) of the 8,101 adults surveyed by ComRes for the Stockholm-based Global Challenges Foundation said they felt the world was more insecure today compared with two years ago. The threats cited by respondents as needing the most urgent response were: weapons of mass destruction (62%),escalating political conflict(57%) and climate change (56%).The survey was conducted with nationally representative samples in Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States, countries whose combined population represents half of the world's population.

Mats Andersson, Vice Chairman of the Global Challenges Foundation urged leaders to strive for greater cooperation to address citizens' fears.

"As leaders gather for the BRICS Summit, they should be aware that citizens across the planet are yearning for them to collaborate and work harder to find solutions for these critical threats to humanity," he said. "Whether it's the specter of nuclear conflict over North Korea or our planet tipping into catastrophic climate change, the need for effective global cooperation has never been greater."

More than two thirds of those who took part in the Global Challenges Foundation survey said more should be done to tackle global risks by: national governments (76%), sub-national governments(70%), the United Nations (69%), businesses(68%) and regional bodies(68%). However, more than four in five adults (85%)think the UN should be reformed to better address global risks.

In apparent contradiction to the global trend towards insular nationalism, nearly three quarters (71%)of those surveyed said they thought a new supranational organization should be created to make enforceable decisions to address global risks. In the United States, support for this kind of organization has risen from49%to 67% since 2014 when a similar survey was conducted.

An overwhelming majority of those surveyed by ComRes(88% globally, 89% in China)said they would be prepared to make changes that would impact their current living standards if it would prevent future climate catastrophes. Large-scale environmental damage and climate change were in fact ranked as the two risks needing the most urgent response in China, with 60% and 59% of Chinese respondents selecting those respectively.

The Global Challenges Foundation's New Shape Prize competition - offering a total of US$5 million in prize money for the best ideas on how to reshape global governance for 21st century risks - closes at the end of this month. Registered entrants have until 30th September to submit their entries.

"The next 50 years will shape our far future over the next 10,000 years and beyond," said Mats Andersson. "The need for decisive leadership and citizen initiatives to shift businesses, politics and society onto a sustainable path has never been greater than today."
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

0108263 License for publishing multimedia online



Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
The second China-Arab Women's Forum was held in Beijing on Tuesday to discuss the challenges facing women, as well as promote exchanges and cooperation.

The forum, organized by the All-China Women's Federation, was themed "Uniting Women's Power, Building a Silk Road".

More than 150 representatives attended the event, including politicians, professors, female entrepreneurs and the leaders of women's associations from China, Jordan, Tunisia, Sudan, Iraq and other Arab countries.

Shen Yueyue, president of the Chinese federation, said in her address that the Belt and Road Initiative provides new opportunities for both China and Arab nations to complement one another and secure common development.

Exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Arab women have always played an important part in cultural exchanges between their countries and helped promote friendship, she said.

She added that she hopes women can learn from each other to build the Belt and Road together, and promote regional and global gender equality.

Zhang Ming, vice-minister of foreign affairs, said exchanges between Chinese and Arab women date back about 60 years, and that women have played an indispensable role in the fields of art, education, healthcare and sport.

Enas Sayed Mekkawy, director of the Arab League's women, family and children department, said women from the two sides should unite to contribute to the construction of the Belt and Road and deepen bilateral political and economic cooperation.

The forum comprised three themed sessions: "Women's Empowerment and Policy Support", "Women's Contribution to the Building of the Belt and Road", "Women and Cultural Heritage".

The first China-Arab Women's Forum was held two years ago in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Zhang Yi contributed to this story.
Union Flags and European Union flags fly near the Elizabeth Tower, housing the Big Ben bell, in Parliament Square in central London, Britain September 9, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

LONDON - Prime Minister Theresa May appointed the top official at the Brexit ministry as her EU adviser on Monday, taking tighter control of divorce negotiations just as Britain tries to shift the focus of talks onto the future relationship with Europe.

"In order to strengthen cross-government co-ordination of the next phase of negotiations with the European Union, the Prime Minister has appointed Oliver Robbins as her EU Adviser in the Cabinet Office, in addition to his role as EU Sherpa," a government spokesman said in a statement.

Robbins will continue to lead British officials in the negotiations and will work closely with Brexit Secretary David Davis, the spokesman said.

Robbins, 42, who media reported had sometimes clashed with Davis, had worked in the Brexit ministry since shortly after it was set up following the EU referendum in June 2016.

May, whose position was weakened after losing her governing Conservative Party's majority at a June election, has been criticised for failing to give clear instructions to her negotiating team.

May dismissed the suggestion that the appointment showed the initial negotiating set-up had been flawed.

May said the appointment was a sign "that the negotiations are getting into a more detailed and more intense phase. And as a result, I think it's right Ollie Robbins concentrates on that," she told reporters in the Canadian capital Ottawa on Monday after talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Keir Starmer, Brexit spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, said "moving key individuals at this critical time adds a whole new dimension to government's chaotic approach to Brexit".

Foreign Minister Boris Johnson was accused by colleagues on Sunday of "backseat driving" after setting out his own vision for Brexit days before May is due to give a major speech on the subject on Sept 22, ahead of the next round of talks.

"The UK government is driven from the front and we all have the same destination in our sights," May said in Ottawa when asked about Johnson's comments.

So far negotiations on the terms of the divorce have made limited progress, prompting warnings from the EU the start of discussions on post-Brexit ties could be pushed back from October.

"The negotiations are being conducted in a constructive and positive spirit and we are making progress on the areas that we've been addressing so far," said May.
China and Russia agreed that tensions on the Korean Peninsula must be solved peacefully and the "vicious cycle" must end, when their foreign ministers met on Monday in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said "the vicious cycle, which is worsening, must be broken", and added that resuming dialogue and peace talks is a necessary step in implementing UN Security Council resolutions regarding the nuclear and missile tests of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The road map China and Russia proposed to solve the peninsula's nuclear issue is "realistic and feasible", and both countries should work to obtain more understanding and support from the international community, Wang said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia shares a "completely identical" position on the issue to that of China's, and the two countries should work together to promote a peaceful solution.

Tuesday also marked the 12th anniversary of the signing of a statement on Sept 19, 2005, at the fourth round of the Six-Party Talks.

In the "9.19" statement, all parties reaffirmed their goal of denuclearizing the peninsula peacefully. The DPRK promised to abandon its nuclear weapons and programs and the United States confirmed it had no intent of attacking or invading the DPRK.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday the statement's core contents are still the objectives parties involved in the Korean Peninsula issue "crave to achieve".

The spokesman said he believes the parties will be able to find a way to solve the issue if they return to the statement's core ideas.

Contact the writers at wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn
OCP Releases Remastered Gentle Night 40th Anniversary Edition



PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 19, 2017 /



First released in 1977, Gentle Night was the fourth collection from Bob Dufford, S.J.; John Foley, S.J.; Tim Manion; Roc O'Connor, S.J.; and Dan Schutte, considered by many to be the fathers of contemporary American liturgical music in the post-Vatican II era.



This anniversary edition is completely remixed and remastered, giving it a fresh, clean, almost-new sound. There are even a number of surprises that were discovered, thanks to modern technology, like the presence of a verse with SATB choir in "The Beautiful Mother" that didn't make it on the original, and oboe and lead guitar parts for a few songs that were virtually inaudible on the old recording.



With the support of the St. Louis Jesuits, OCP Executive Producer Kevin Walsh and Engineer Mike Moore worked closely with Dan Schutte to remix the fifteen tracks, bringing them up to the audio standards of twenty-first century recording technology.



"It was like peeling away the layers of years and hearing again the heart of the songs," says Dan Schutte. "After transferring the audio from the original tapes to the current digital format, we heard the songs in a new way. I had to smile at our voices. We were so young! There was a moment when we happened to notice the date written on the boxes holding those original 2" tapes and were stunned to see that it was exactly forty years ago to the day that we had recorded those songs in the sweltering July heat of Phoenix in 1977. Now they will be heard with a new-found beauty."



A complete anthology of music for Advent and Christmas, Gentle Night still serves as a wonderful reflection of the group's original desireto create music that represents the true meaning of the Christmas season. Even today, in parishes across the US, these songs continue to enhance everything from Christmas concerts and contemplations before Midnight Mass to meditative moments in Advent and Christmas Masses.



The new booklet boasts unused photos from the original album as well as a brief history and interviews with each of the members from historian Ken Canedo, making this a lovely keepsake for the generation that grew up playing and singing the music of the St. Louis Jesuits.



"We are so excited to be releasing this special edition of Gentle Night," says OCP Publisher, Wade Wisler. "We hope that you enjoy it during this Advent and Christmas season. Thank you, Bob, Dan, John, Tim and Roc!"



For more information on the Gentle Night 40th Anniversary Edition, visit



For more information or media requests, please contact Molly OHara at



About OCP

OCP, a not-for-profit publisher of liturgical music and worship resources based in Portland, Oregon, has been in operation for nearly 100 years. Worship programs produced by OCP are used in over two-thirds of Catholic churches in the United States and are distributed worldwide. Find OCP on Facebook at



Share Tweet Contact: Molly O'Hara, OCP , 503-460-5316, mollyo@ocp.org PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 19, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- OCP is excited to announce the release of the Gentle Night 40th Anniversary Edition. This marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most beloved albums from the St. Louis Jesuits, and possibly the first contemporary liturgical collection to focus entirely on Advent and Christmas.First released in 1977, Gentle Night was the fourth collection from Bob Dufford, S.J.; John Foley, S.J.; Tim Manion; Roc O'Connor, S.J.; and Dan Schutte, considered by many to be the fathers of contemporary American liturgical music in the post-Vatican II era.This anniversary edition is completely remixed and remastered, giving it a fresh, clean, almost-new sound. There are even a number of surprises that were discovered, thanks to modern technology, like the presence of a verse with SATB choir in "The Beautiful Mother" that didn't make it on the original, and oboe and lead guitar parts for a few songs that were virtually inaudible on the old recording.With the support of the St. Louis Jesuits, OCP Executive Producer Kevin Walsh and Engineer Mike Moore worked closely with Dan Schutte to remix the fifteen tracks, bringing them up to the audio standards of twenty-first century recording technology."It was like peeling away the layers of years and hearing again the heart of the songs," says Dan Schutte. "After transferring the audio from the original tapes to the current digital format, we heard the songs in a new way. I had to smile at our voices. We were so young! There was a moment when we happened to notice the date written on the boxes holding those original 2" tapes and were stunned to see that it was exactly forty years ago to the day that we had recorded those songs in the sweltering July heat of Phoenix in 1977. Now they will be heard with a new-found beauty."A complete anthology of music for Advent and Christmas, Gentle Night still serves as a wonderful reflection of the group's original desireto create music that represents the true meaning of the Christmas season. Even today, in parishes across the US, these songs continue to enhance everything from Christmas concerts and contemplations before Midnight Mass to meditative moments in Advent and Christmas Masses.The new booklet boasts unused photos from the original album as well as a brief history and interviews with each of the members from historian Ken Canedo, making this a lovely keepsake for the generation that grew up playing and singing the music of the St. Louis Jesuits."We are so excited to be releasing this special edition of Gentle Night," says OCP Publisher, Wade Wisler. "We hope that you enjoy it during this Advent and Christmas season. Thank you, Bob, Dan, John, Tim and Roc!"For more information on the Gentle Night 40th Anniversary Edition, visit www.ocp.org/en-us/collections/pg/703 For more information or media requests, please contact Molly OHara at mollyo@ocp.org or 503.460.5316.About OCPOCP, a not-for-profit publisher of liturgical music and worship resources based in Portland, Oregon, has been in operation for nearly 100 years. Worship programs produced by OCP are used in over two-thirds of Catholic churches in the United States and are distributed worldwide. Find OCP on Facebook at Facebook.com/OCPmusic
Public Advocate Videos Reach 60,000 Today in Alabama in Moore vs. Strange Run Off On schedule to reach 1 million Alabamans



Contact: Public Advocate, 703-845-1808, eugenedelgaudio@rcn.com, publicadvocateusa.org@gmail.com; twitter: @eugenedelgaudio; @publicfreedom



WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Eugene Delgaudio, president of Public Advocate is betting on one horse in the Alabama Senate race. "My money is on the horse Roy Moore is riding on and it seems Alabamans also have faith in that horse," says Delgaudio.



Public Advocate of the United States (publicadvocateusa.org) has launched a second video in support of Roy Moore.



The video can be seen here: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Roy Moore Rides a Horse to Victory! This youtube video has 25,000 views, 99 per cent from Alabama.



Public Advocate's first video for Roy Moore had received over 35,000 views (also 99 per cent Alabamians). Its title is "Public Advocate takes a stand with Roy Moore, Defender of True Marriage!"



Public Advocate is using several electronic social platforms to reach 1 million Alabamans by September 26 including emails, Youtube, Twitter, Google+ and Google and even old fashioned direct mail advertising to promote Roy Moore's leadership on religious liberty, defending traditional values and promoting the rule of law all his life.



In addition to the youtube views Public Advocate has several electronic online "landing pages" including this sample page.



No other Alabama political video on Youtube, including videos of Moore's opponent in the Sept. 26 run off, Luther Strange, have received this much attention. While views on Youtube may not mean an favorable vote, it shows the results of online promotions and the percentage response indicates successful results. Delgaudio said: "Our social media outreach will bring 100,000 views of our youtube videos which is the strongest political response ever in Alabama state political history.



"The Republican establishment doesn't want you to know about these videos and they certainly don't want Judge Roy Moore in the U.S. Senate.



"This is why Alabama's special election to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the U.S. Senate is making national waves!



"That's because there is one man running for the office in Alabama who has shown himself to be a leading pro-family champion.



"Judge Roy Moore is the only pro-family choice for U.S. Senate in Alabama.



"He shocked the establishment when he spoke out against the U.S. Supreme Court's unconstitutional ruling against real marriage laws in America.



"The Establishment is boiling and are spending millions to defeat Roy Moore." Video can be seen here: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Roy Moore Rides a Horse to Victory! www.youtube.com/watch?v=51os-Ilc3c4

Share Tweet
home World Eritrean Christians raise concern over continued house arrest of church leader

Eritrean Christians have expressed concern regarding the current status of Patriarch Antonios of the Eritrean Orthodox Church who has been under house arrest since January 2007.

The patriarch's reappearance in public at a church service on 16 July fueled speculations about his imminent release, but the concerns about his freedom were renewed after he failed to deliver the traditional televised Geez New Year blessing on Sept. 11.

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the patriarch was not permitted to speak when he appeared at the church service in July, despite being overheard asking for the opportunity to address the congregation. He was quickly ushered off the premises and was reportedly put under house arrest at a new location.

As the demands to hear from the church leader grew, a video showing Antonios speaking to "workers of the patriarchate" was released, along with fresh photographs of the patriarch blessing selected visitors. However, questions arose regarding the manner and terms of his release after he failed to deliver the New Year blessing.

The New Year blessing, which marks the start of the year according to the Julian calendar, was delivered last week by Bishop Lukas, a pro-government cleric who is said to harbor ambitions of being the next patriarch.

CSW's sources have said that the patriarch's failure to deliver the New Year message "is the biggest sign that he is still not restored fully to his position. Under canon law, if a patriarch is around, a bishop should not give the benediction." It was also seen as a further confirmation that he was only allowed to reappear in public to offset international criticism by giving the impression of an improvement in human rights, and to ease the path to succession for Lukas.

"There appears to have been no real change in his circumstances, and, despite being able to receive selected visitors, Abune Antonios is neither truly free nor fully reinstated to his rightful office," said CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas.

"If he is indeed free, then the Eritrean government must permit the EU Delegation and other members of the international community with a diplomatic presence in Asmara to visit the patriarch and monitor his wellbeing," he added.

Antonios was removed from office after he repeatedly objected to government interference in ecclesiastical affairs. He is just one of thousands of prisoners of conscience in Eritrea; several hundred of whom are Christians.

The Eritrean government had stepped up its crackdown on Christians in May, with over 200 believers detained in remote desert areas, following house to house raids in different cities.

The man behind the persecution, Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki, is a member of the Eritrean Orthodox church, which is among the only three Christian denominations allowed to function in the country. His restrictive policies are said to be more about his fear that religion will mobilize people as a political force than religion per se.

Eritrea is currently ranked on Open Doors USA's 2017 World Watch List as the 10th worst nation in the world when it comes to Christian persecution.
home World Indian priest says he was never physically harmed during captivity

Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, the Indian priest who was recently released from captivity in Yemen, says that he was not physically harmed by his captors even though they appeared to hit him in videos.

The Catholic priest was abducted by suspected Islamic State militants during an attack on a care home in the Yemeni port city of Aden in March 2016. At least 16 people, including four nuns, were killed in the attack.

After Indian officials announced his release last Tuesday, Uzhunnalil was transferred from Yemen by car to Oman and then brought by air to Muscat before he arrived in Rome.

"I thank God Almighty for this day. He saved me healthy enough. Clear mind. Emotions under control until now," the 59-year-old priest said, as reported by The Associated Press. "God has been extremely kind to me. No gun was pointed at me," he added.

The priest recounted that when the militants attacked the home for senior citizens, he identified himself as Indian, and he was brought to another room "while they killed the others."

He said that he was never harmed, even if the terrorists appeared to hit him in some videos in an effort to get a speedy response in negotiations. He said that he was provided with tablets to treat his diabetes and noted that the kidnappers even brought a doctor for him for a full check up.

"I even celebrated two birthdays in captivity. You might wonder what I was doing the whole day. I had freedom to do whatever I want, I could lie down, stand up whenever I want. They had told me to do exercise within the room. I used to do small exercises, freedom was there," he said in a press meet, according to The News Minute.

The government of Oman said on Tuesday that it had "coordinated with Yemeni parties" to negotiate the release of Uzhunnalil, who last appeared in a video circulated online in December.

He said that he did not know the identity or affiliations of his captors, noting that they kept their faces covered in his presence.

The priest said he believed that their motive was ransom, but the head of Uzhunnalil's Salesian order, Don A.F. Artime, said that he had no knowledge of any payment being made in exchange for the priest's release.

"No one ever told us that they asked for money. No one asked us for even a euro," Artime said. "We don't know anything about this. This is the whole truth. And I believe that Father Tom knows even less," he added.

Uzhunnalil noted that he was transferred several times during his captivity, but he does not know where he was held. During his captivity, he prayed and exercised his mind by reciting Mass by memory, the priest said.
5 minutes with... An early 19th-century ships figurehead

John Hays, Deputy Chairman Christies Americas, explains why this rare and beautiful ships figurehead carved by William Rush  considered the Father of American sculpture  tells a unique story both of the artist and of his time

Carved from a single block of white pine that has been burnished and toned by the sea, this ships figurehead is notable for the expressive eyes and staccato tendrils of hair that signal the work of William Rush. You can see she is weathered; has lost her arms, her nose, her foot, but you can see what an incredible journey she has been on, marvels specialist John Hays. When you look at her its not hard to close your eyes and think about the seas she has travelled and the journeys she has guided her ship through. Its an extraordinary survival. They say William Rush was the first major American sculptor, Hays continues. Only in America could you be trained at the knee of your father, a ships carpenter (whose name, by the way, was Joseph) and end up being the countrys founder of academic sculpting.



Rush was born in 1756 in Philadelphia  at the time the most populous city in the burgeoning United States. Booming nautical trade, and the initiation in 1776 of a national navy in the citys dockyards, meant that Rush was perfectly placed to profit from the skills he had honed as a teenaged apprentice to the English immigrant carver, Edward Cutbush. Soon surpassing his master in skill, and after serving as an officer in the militia during the American Revolution, Rush opened his own business. The US Navy commissioned him to carve figureheads for at least four of its six original frigates  all of which are now lost. These figureheads come from a long tradition of carving. The iconography varied depending upon which figure you chose for your ship, explains Hays. Carved in a Greek and Roman style, they would imbue the ship with qualities you hoped it would absorb, perhaps noble or romantic. You could pick, for example, Hercules, renowned for his strength, or a goddess such as Venus, who represented victory. Rush initially adopted a deep carving style which particularly suited ships figureheads, allowing detail to be seen from afar. You can see how the swags of drapery cling to the body in a wet manner  and he uses his wood beautifully. The concentric rings of the wood from where the branches moved out actually follow the line and body of the figure better than any attempt Ive ever seen. He really carves this figure with the woods grain in mind, says Hays admiringly.

Open a larger version of this image The concentric rings of the wood from where the branches moved out actually follow the line and body of the figure better than any attempt Ive ever seen, says Hays

Marine carving falls into a category of its own that moves between folk art and fine art, he continues, but if you look at Rushs command of drapery and detailing, its so exquisite that you can see the beginnings of his path towards the latter. Rush soon switched to carving in marble, realising commissions to produce neoclassical figures for local waterworks, bridges and theatres. He was one of the first sculptors to create outdoor public works in the United States. His deep and dramatic style of carving wooden figureheads, however, would always permeate these later figures hewn from marble.

Rush emerged in Philadelphia at a time when Washington and Franklin were there. He was at the forefront of the beginnings of the experiment that was America
10 things to know about Zao Wou-Ki

An introduction to the Beijing-born artist who moved to Paris, became friends with Miro and Giacometti, and bridged the divide between Eastern and Western traditions

1

Zao Wou-Kis name is prescient Wou-Ki means no limits in Chinese  a prescient name for an artist who experimented in oil on canvas, ink on paper, lithography, engraving and watercolour, and who embraced different cultural identities without ever being beholden to one. Zao Wou-Ki (1920-2013) started drawing and painting at the age of 10. His father, a banker, encouraged his early interest in art, sending Zao to study at the Hangzhou School of Fine Arts, where his work was largely figurative. He studied under Lin Fengmian, a respected artist who was later recognised as a pioneer of modern painting in China. In 1941, at the age of 21, Zao presented his first exhibition in Chongqing.

2

Paris was an inspiration for Zao In 1948, Zao and his wife, Lalan, relocated to Paris. The French capital was an inspiration for Zao, who had idolised Matisse and Picasso in his formative years and continued to be influenced by Western modernism and the work of the Impressionists and Expressionists. It was after his move to Paris that his paintings began to shift towards abstraction.

In the 1950s, fascinated by Shang-dynasty oracle bone script  the earliest known form of Chinese writing, dating as far back as 1500 BC  Zao created works featuring simple figures evocative of petroglyphs, expressing his interest in capturing the fundamental essence of forms.

3

Visits to New York saw him develop a bolder style Zao first discovered New York in 1957 while on a trip with the French artist Pierre Soulages, and the city opened up new perspectives and opportunities for him. Subsequently the artist was invited to join the prestigious roster of the Samuel Kootz Gallery, with whom he remained until the gallery's closure in 1966. In New York Zao encountered the work of Abstract Expressionist painters Paul Klee, Franz Kline, Philip Guston and Adolph Gottlieb, and in response began to develop a bolder style working with bigger canvases.



By 1959, Zao was no longer naming his works, but instead titled them with the date of their completion as a way to avoid ascribing overt visual associations. Combining the gestural movements of traditional calligraphy with the compositional structure of abstract painting, Zaos works of the late 1950s represent a transitional phase between the early oracle-bone style and his more energetic style of the 1960s.





4

His work became more vibrant and forceful during the 1960s Watercolours played an important role throughout Zaos career, the medium offering a degree of spontaneity and translucency that could not be achieved with oils on canvas. He produced numerous watercolour sketches and drawings throughout his lifetime, many of which showcase the moods and fascinations that characterised his oeuvre.





As Zaos works grew increasingly abstract during the 1960s he began to move away from the detail-heavy style that characterised his oracle-bone period towards a bolder, more energetic mode of painting.



The energy of Zaos movements with a brush can be seen equally clearly in his prints.

5

He had a complicated relationship with Chinese art Zaos initial exposure to Western modernist painting led to a rejection of the classical conventions of Chinese calligraphy and landscape painting. By 1971, however, he had returned to the brush-and-ink technique in which he was trained in China, with work that reflected its sources in Chinese traditions but also his conceptual roots in Western abstraction.

Zao explained in a 1962 interview with the French magazine Preuves, Although the influence of Paris is undeniable in all my training as an artist, I also wish to say that I have gradually rediscovered China. He added, Paradoxically, perhaps, it is to Paris that I owe this return to my deepest origins.



6

His work with inks inspired a dramatic shift in style When Zao resumed painting large-scale canvases, his style witnessed a dramatic shift, gaining a new translucence and vibrancy inspired directly by his work with inks. 24.12.2002  Diptyque is a monumental work that was completed on Christmas Eve, just days after Zao Wou-ki had been elected to join the French Academy of Fine Arts. Already well past the age of 70 when he painted it, Zao nevertheless filled the canvas with a youthful energy  layers of turquoise blue and fuchsia combine with washes of warm brown, in a manner far different from early works in which he built up thick impastos of pigment in strong brushstrokes.

With his palette liberated, Zaos work gained a lively playfulness in his twilight years. His style becomes lighter and gauzier, and the rainbow of tones fold over and into each other, filled with light. If his previous works are largely concerned with energy and movement, his late works evoke airy abstract spaces and exude the aura of serenity that characterised Zaos persona.

7

He mixed with the greatest artists of the day  and had friends in high places Zao cultivated an extensive circle of friendships with fellow artists and influential cultural figures during his lifetime. He developed close relationships with Jean-Paul Riopelle, Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miro, Joan Mitchell and Sam Francis, among many others.

Open a larger version of this image Zao Wou-Ki and I.M. Pei Photo : Marc Riboud

He also became friendly with Jacques Chirac. As an aficionado of Asian art, the French President developed an admiration for Zaos work, and wrote the preface to the catalogue for his first major Chinese retrospective in Shanghai in 1998. In 2006 Chirac appointed Zao to the Legion of Honour, Frances highest recognition.

8

Demand for his work has always been high  and is still growing Demand for Zaos work was strong throughout the 1960s in Paris, London and New York, and took off in the Asian market in the 1970s and 1980s. In the years before his death in 2013 at the age of 92, Zaos works consistently sold at auction for six figures.

Open a larger version of this image Elected to the Academie des Beaux Arts, Zao Wou-Ki (centre) stands in the library of the institute, in 2003. Reserved Rights

Posthumously, his works have continued to accrue in value, as shown with the sale of 29.09.64, which achieved HK$152,860,000 in May 2017 at Christies in Hong Kong, setting a new world auction record for the artist.

9

His work can be seen in museums across the world Today, Zaos works can be found in more than 150 public collections across more than 20 countries. Major institutions that hold Zaos paintings in their permanent collections include the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, and Tate Modern.

Zaos first US museum retrospective, No Limits: Zao Wou-Ki, opened at the Asia Society in New York in September 2016. Bringing together key works from public and private collections in America, Europe and Asia, the exhibition underlined Zaos status as a true transnational artist.

10

Ultimately, he sought to reflect nothing less than the beauty of the cosmos Across his career, Zao sought to create works that captured the elemental forces of nature.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

When C. Downey Price and his wife Edna arrived in Conroe in 1972, they saw great potential in the community.

Conroe was still a small town where everyone knew each other. The Woodlands was not developed yet and Lake Conroe was still not complete.

"I really felt like this area had a lot of future and it was going to grow," he said.

Price established his ophthalmology practice in Conroe in 1972.

Soon after, his passion to provide eye care for the poor began to take him beyond the borders of Montgomery County and to points across the globe.

For more than 40 years, Price and teams of other eye doctors, physicians, anesthesiologists and volunteers have traveled to Haiti, Belize, El Salvador, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Burundi, American Samoa and Fiji providing eye care in impoverished nations.

Price estimates he's been on more than 200 mission trips.

The people he has helped and encountered on these trips, as well as the generations of local families who have entrusted his practice with their eye care, have made up a lifetime of memories.

Many of them hang on the walls of his office and home in the form of cherished paintings and photos.

Coming to Conroe

Price and his wife are both natives of Maryland.

Through an opportunity in the military, Price had the chance to run an outpatient clinic at a public health hospital in Galveston in the early 1970s.

They liked Texas so much, they began to explore the area around Houston and they found Conroe to their liking.

It was also a prime spot to establish his practice because there was not an ophthalmologist in this region in 1972.

"When I got here the presidents of both banks met me at Lorena Steakley's real estate office on a Saturday morning," he said. "They asked 'What do you want to do?' I told them I needed to build an office, buy a house and buy a car. They said well go ahead and do it."

Price noted that was how business was done back in that day, on a Saturday morning over a handshake.

Price's first building was at 620 Longmire Road in Conroe.

There was a unique twist due to his MD status at first.

At the time, every doctor, even an ophthalmologist, was required to be on a rotation so that every 10th day they'd have to work a 24-hour emergency room shift.

It was a challenge as he was trying to establish his practice. He'd have a full schedule of patients and then have to leave for several hours to attend to a stroke victim in the emergency room for example.

But he knew the community would grow and the rotations wouldn't last long. He ended up being on the ER rotation for a year and a half.

While new in Conroe, he became acquainted with other leaders of the community, including dentist Bob Rabuck.

Entering mission projects

Rabuck had made a trip to do dentistry in Haiti and when he returned, Rabuck told Price that a missionary there had asked him to bring an eye team.

In 1974 Price made his first trip to Haiti.

Between 1974 and 1986, he made 17 trips to Haiti with teams of doctors and volunteers to administer eye care to the poor.

They would spend a week to 10 days there performing services.

In a 1985 newspaper article, Price said that people would be lined up at the hospital doors each morning to receive eye examinations, glasses or operations for diseases such as glaucoma or cataracts.

"Some of them had walked four or five days to get to the clinic," he said.

All were attended to which made for some long days.

He also found the Haitian people to be very friendly, warm and appreciative of the efforts of the Americans.

One of the friendships he struck up there was with a young man named Jean Dubic.

Dubic was an artist creating colorful paintings of life in Haiti.

Price would take the paintings back to Conroe. A lady in River Plantation had an affinity for Dubic's work and other paintings of Dubic's still hang in Price's office and home.

Dubic was able to support 17 members of his family through his artwork.

Dubic eventually became the mayor of his town, Leogane in Haiti.

Price said he was educated and taught French and English. "He was a really super guy," Price said.

But in Haiti's volatile political climate at the time, knowledge and education were seen as a threat to the current regime in power.

On one of Price's trips to Haiti, he found out Dubic had been assassinated.

Dubic was only 37.

Price's last trip to Haiti was in 1986 when the political climate made it too dangerous to return.

The last time he was there, political unrest had begun as the country's leader had been driven out of the country.

Price's team was taken to the airport in the back of an ambulance.

Blankets were thrown over them and they were given instructions not to move or pop up.

More missionary opportunities

Soon after they left Haiti, Price and associates were invited to start a program in Belize by the Minister of Health Israel Alpuche and the Methodist Church of Belize.

Price noted that each trip was by invitation from a representative of the country seeking help.

They began mission trips to Belize and eventually established the first free-standing eye clinic in Belize near Corozal. That clinic was built in 1986 and a surgery center was added in 2005.

Price said Alpuche became a very good friend and he and his wife traveled here and stayed in the Prices' home.

He said it was fortunate to have a friend like Alpuche who could make things happen for Price and the others doctors that would not normally happen for outsiders.

In the 1980s, Price was doing as many as eight trips a year to Belize.

But through more modern technology, training and partnering with local eye doctors, Price's visits have been reduced.

Over the years, the missions developed into a nonprofit effort.

Their nonprofit, Benevolent Missions International, was developed by Price and B.T. Williamson and was formally organized in 1992.

And for 35 years, Price's wife Edna was the one to get all of the supplies prepared for each of the trips - which was not an easy task. She'd prepare the supplies, haul them to storage and then arrange a packing party about a month out from each trip.

The trips to Belize continue today with more trips planned for October and January.

Teams also ministered to El Salvador and Bolivia as well, upon the invitation of some of the medical experts there.

Teams went to El Salvador from 1991 through 2005. A clinic and optical lab was built in the city of Santa Ana, El Salvador.

American doctors trained the local doctors and eventually the operation became self-sufficient, which was Price's goal.

Teams were in Bolivia from 1992 to 2005. A facility was built there too.

But when a native was elected president in 2005, he banned all American medical groups.

For a time, Price and local teams trained eye doctors in Costa Rica and they made one trip to Burundi in Africa in 1995.

"After we left, all the people we worked with, the drivers and the nurses were murdered," he said. "We just couldn't take people back there."

Now his teams have a long-standing care project continuing in Fiji.

Teams with BMI have been going to Fiji since 1995 and continue to today.

Price said Fiji has a population of 1 million with 150 individual islands and only four ophthalmologists serve the country.

He also noted that the rate of diabetes is 35 percent in Fiji.

He's treated three vice presidents in a row there who either had passed away or had some type of diabetic-related amputation each time he'd returned.

He included that the amount of diabetic retinopathy in Fiji was something that has stood out to him over all his years of traveling.

In 2006, Price's efforts were recognized by the American Academy of Ophthalmology when he received the organization's prestigious Outstanding Humanitarian Service Award. Only one American of the 28,000-member academy receives the award each year.

Funding the missions and more

Price acknowledges he and his teams have had tremendous support from the community throughout the mission project.

BMI has been supported by St. Luke's United Methodist Church, First United Methodist Church of Conroe, First Presbyterian Church, the Montgomery County Medical Society, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, the Houston Ophthalmological Society and the Conroe Noon Lions Club of which Price is a longtime member.

Doctor's Hospital and Sacred Heart both donated operating tables for the mission trips.

There is also the BMI 5K Fun/Run that takes place each spring to raise money for the missions.

The run starts in the parking lot of Price's Conroe office, Houston Eye Associates, at 333 N. Rivershire and continues thorough the Rivershire neighborhood. This year Price said Bill and Tonya McGraw headed up the run and brought much success to the event.

He said funds raised at the 5K go to purchase new equipment and ship equipment for the missions. He explained it can become very expensive to ship the equipment to these countries.

Local offices

Price and his longtime associate Mark Jenkins have an office in Conroe. Jenkins who joined the practice in 1981 has also been on many, many mission trips with Price. Their practice joined with Houston Eye Associates in 2012.

A second Montgomery County Houston Eye Associates office is in The Woodlands at 1699 Research Forest, Ste. 150.

Dr. Price and Edna have three sons, Mark, Aaron and Jordan. They also have four grandchildren.

For more about Benevolent Missions International, visit www.eyemissions.com. For more information about Houston Eye Associates, visit www.houstoneye.com.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

(Bloomberg) -- Toys R Us Inc., the ultimate toyland for a generation of postwar baby boomers, filed for bankruptcy thanks to a crushing debt load from a buyout and relentless competition from warehouse and online retailers.

The retailer, which has 1,600 stores in 38 countries, said its hand was forced after an attempt to restructure out of court sparked a press report about a potential bankruptcy, spooking critical vendors and credit insurers. But it intends to make the best of the situation and revive its business in time for the holiday shopping season.

Chapter 11 was certainly not the companys preferred outcome, Chief Executive David Brandon said in a court filing. The timing of all of this could not have been worse. He cited the immediate need to build inventory for the holiday season, which accounts for 40 percent of annual revenue. Thanks to a new $3.1 billion operating loan, the company plans to stabilize operations and reopen supply channels while in bankruptcy, he said.

The filing is the latest blow to a brick-and-mortar retail industry, which has seen a string of bankruptcies from Payless Inc. and Gymboree Corp. to Perfumania Holdings Inc. Chains are reeling from store closures, sluggish mall traffic and the gravitational pull of Amazon.com Inc.s lower costs and global home delivery. More than 10 percent of U.S. retail space, or nearly 1 billion square feet, may need to close, convert to other uses or renegotiate rent, according to data from CoStar Group.

Now Playing: KCRA 3 financial expert Kelly Brothers has the latest business news. Video: KCRA

Unrelenting Race

To compete with Amazon, Target and Wal-Mart, Toys R Us would have needed to slash prices to maintain traffic into its stores, decreasing its revenue and cash flows in an unrelenting race to the bottom, Brandon said in the filing.

The reorganization will focus on investment in marketing, technology, and an in-store experience that will help it compete in the new environment, Brandon said. The bankruptcy filing in Richmond, Virginia, estimated the company has more than $5 billion in debt, which it pays around $400 million a year to service.

Much of that is the legacy of a $7.5 billion leveraged buyout in 2005 in which Bain Capital, KKR & Co. and Vornado Realty Trust loaded the company with debt to take it private. Since then, the Wayne, New Jersey-based chain has struggled to dig itself out.

The $3 billion loan, from a JPMorgan Chase & Co.-led syndicate that includes some existing lenders, will fund operations while it restructures the liabilities, according to a company statement. The funding is subject to court approval.

Staying Open

The company doesnt plan to close stores and says its locations across the globe will continue normal operations. Its 1,600 stores, which include Babies R Us, are complemented by sales through websites including Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com.

Operations outside of the U.S. and Canada, including about 255 licensed stores, are not part of the Chapter 11 filing. A Canadian unit intends to seek protection in parallel proceedings. In Australia, Toys R Us plans to add another five stores to its existing 39 by Christmas, said Jessica Donovan, a local marketing manager.

Like any retailer, decisions about any future store closings  and openings  will continue to be made based on what makes the best sense for the business, Michael Freitag, a spokesman for Toys R Us, said in an email.

Mattel Inc., a key supplier, said it stands by the company. As one of our most important retail partners, we are committed to supporting Toys R Us and its management team as they work through this process, particularly as we approach the holiday season," the toymaker said in an emailed statement.

Dangerous Dominos

While Brandon made some progress in reducing the closely held chains liabilities, he ultimately was unable to resuscitate its fortunes. He took over Toys R Us in 2015 and sought to make shopping there a more enjoyable experience with product demonstrations and the Hot Toy Finder to help customers locate items. Last year, he set out a vision of kids dragging their parents to our stores because they want to see whats going on.

Beginning in late August, the company tried to tackle its debt load through talks with term loan lenders. A Sept. 6 report that a bankruptcy was being considered started a dangerous game of dominoes in which the company lost the confidence of nearly 40 percent of its international and domestic vendors, who refused to ship products without cash in advance, cash on delivery, or payment of all outstanding obligations, according to Brandons court filing. This meant Toys R Us needed another $1 billion in liquidity.

The companys roots date to 1948, when Charles Lazarus opened Childrens Bargain Town, a baby-furniture store, according to the Toys R Us website. He added toys two years later and opened the first Toys R Us in 1957.

The case is In re TRU-SVC, 17-34659, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Virginia (Richmond).

--With assistance from Rachel Chang Angus Whitley and Richard Weiss

To contact the reporters on this story: Dawn McCarty in Wilmington, Delaware at dmccarty@bloomberg.net, Tiffany Kary in New York at tkary@bloomberg.net, Daniela Wei in Hong Kong at jwei74@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Crombie at jcrombie8@bloomberg.net, K. Oanh Ha at oha3@bloomberg.net, Jonathan Roeder, Nikolaj Gammeltoft

2017 Bloomberg L.P.
The activist investor group opposing the $15 billion chemicals merger of The Woodlands' Huntsman Corp and Swiss-based Clariant has upped its ownership stake again, creating an even higher hurdle for the deal to actually come to fruition.

White Tale Holdings - a partnership of New York firms Corvex Management and 40 North - now owns 15.1 percent of Clariant as its largest shareholder, increasing its stake from more than 10 percent.

The effort is led by Corvex's founder, Keith Meister, a protege of famed corporate raider Carl Icahn, who wrote he remains "increasingly" convinced the merger would dilute Clariant's value. He's spoken in favor of Clariant sticking to its specialty chemical strengths, cutting costs and selling off other parts.

The so-called merger of equals proposed in May would create the world's second-largest specialty chemical company, HuntsmanClariant, and both companies reiterated their commitment on Tuesday.

Despite White Tale's moves, Clariant said Tuesday that the vast majority of its shareholders have expressed their support. Until now, Clariant's largest investor was a group of Bavarian families, which remains committed to the deal.

Simply selling parts and cutting costs would be value destructive and impair Clariant's ability to compete in the future, the company said.

In a recent interview in Switzerland, Huntsman CEO Peter Huntsman brushed off Meister's efforts. He referenced a meeting with Meister four years ago when he opposed a previous Huntsman deal.

"His ranting irritated me. That is why I declined when he recently wanted to see me again," Huntsman said in the interview, according to a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Meister wants to make a lot of money fast," Huntsman continued. "However, paying out future profits to shareholders today is something we don't agree with. Companies cannot just focus on making fast money; they need to create long-term value. Otherwise, nobody wants to work for them."

Huntsman also reiterated his previous argument that the specialty chemical sector is on the verge of consolidating and that the merger is needed to build scale and strength.

"We can be at the forefront in specialty chemicals  neither company could do that on its own," he said. "Without the necessary size, it is difficult to hold your own against the best Chinese and Indian manufacturers. And we save a lot of money by consolidating research, sales offices and administration."

Without the merger, he said, "There is a real risk of being crushed by the competition."

Peter Huntsman would become the CEO of the combined company, with Clariant chief Hariolf Kottmann as the chairman. Huntsman's father, Jon Sr., who founded the Huntsman company, would become chairman emeritus. The deal is scheduled to close by year's end, if everything goes as planned.

Huntsman and Clariant disclosed their all-stock merger in May, a deal that would give Clariant 52 percent of the combined company and establish its headquarters in Clariant's hometown of Pratteln, Switzerland, in part for tax purposes. The Woodlands would become the North American headquarters.

RELATED: Clariant signs on Goldman Sachs to fight activism against Huntsman merger

Upon the news of the increased White Tale Ownership, Huntsman's stock dipped by 35 cents on Tuesday, down to $28.29 per share.

The Huntsman deal that Meister previously opposed was Huntsman's 2014 purchase of more than $1 billion in titanium dioxide plants that make pigments from New York-based Rockwood Holdings.

The deal went through, but the timing was bad, Huntsman later admitted, and the pigments sector fell deeper into a downturn from which it only recently recovered.

Still, Huntsman recently spun off its pigments business earlier this year into the publicly traded Venator Materials. Venator's initial public offering raised $454 million at $20 a share, and Huntsman still retains a nearly 80 percent ownership stake in Venator after the IPO. But the goal is to sell off its stake entirely over the next two or three years. So, now, Huntsman calls the Rockwood deal a success, even if it didn't work out quite as planned.

Corvex was founded by Meister in 2010. In recent years, he's also urged Huntsman to sell off some of its parts. In another energy sector feud, Meister and another activist resigned from the board of directors of pipeline giant Williams Cos. after failing to oust the Williams CEO.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Harris County judges granted temporary restraining orders preventing landlords of two Houston apartment complexes from removing personal items from rented units.

In one case, Bobbie Purcell and Stephen Watson were notified Sept. 7 that their leases were being terminated and they needed to vacate their units by Sept. 15, according to a state District Court document filed in Harris County.

The next day, they were notified that if their personal items were still there, they could be removed and thrown away in order for repairs to begin.

RELATED: Fewer flooded units than feared

Their units at Forest Creek Apartments at 5900 Uvalde had been damaged by Harvey, but neither unit was unlivable nor had they been condemned as such, the document said. Purcell, a 74-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair, asked her landlord if she could stay in her unit while the repairs were being made.



Officials from the apartment management company, Greystone Property Management, could not immediately be reached.

UPDATE: "We are working with displaced residents at Forest Creek to identify reasonable accommodations during the renovation process as a result of damage sustained by Hurricane Harvey," according to a statement from property manager Greystone.

The second case involves the Grand on Memorial, a high-end apartment complex at 15135 Memorial Drive, where Kamaya Wright received an email after Harvey notifying her to remove all of her belongings from the unit by Sept. 16, according to a filing.

RELATED: Some apartment dwellers face post-Harvey eviction

She said she had not been served any eviction papers.

Although the complex was damaged by the storm, Wright said her apartment was not directly affected.



Landlord Greystar also could not be immediately reached.

UPDATE: In an email, Greystar Management Services stated: "After assessing the potential life and safety issues related to the 10-day flooding of the property, a determination was made to terminate all leases to ensure no residents are at risk. This tragedy has been extremely difficult for all those involved."

RELATED: Houston communities that fared the best during Harvey

In both cases, the renters are represented by Lone Star Legal Aid, which has filed and received other temporary restraining orders on behalf of tenants on the Gulf Coast.

Richard Tomlinson of Lone Star Legal Aid said some tenants on fixed incomes have nowhere to go.

"We have a lot of clients that don't want to move. If they're in affordable housing they're not going to find anything," Tomlinson said.

Hearings are scheduled next week.
A Louisiana couple reportedly active on an internet pornography site have been arrested after police said they were recording themselves having sex inside a public library.

Houma police said Elizabeth Jernigan, 35, and Rex Jernigan, 33, are accused of also recording themselves in various other businesses in the city and uploading the videos to PornHub.com. Together they face six counts of obscenity.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

With all the places to get a burger in Houston ranging from fast-food chains like our "bae", Whataburger, to more gourmet places like Hubcap Grill, it's hard to decide where to go.

THE FULL LIST: Top 100 restaurants in Houston revealed

However good any burger sounds, there are some places that stand out above the rest.



Now Playing: Chef Rich Harris shows you how to make a classic cheese burger with a warm chilli sauce, perfect for impressing guests at all of your summer parties Video: The Telegraph

Each year the Houston Chronicle's Alison Cook releases her list of the top 100 restaurants in the Bayou City and three burger joints were lucky enough to make the cut. You know these places are some good eats.

Of course, there are other great places to have a burger and a cold beer in the Bayou City. The gallery above also contains a list of places we know to be among Houston's favorites. How many of them have you been to? Let us know in the comments below.

In the meantime, take a look through the gallery above to see which burger places made the Top 100 list, and keep going to see other joints worth visiting in Houston.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Bellaire City Council heard the most comprehensive, post-Harvey report yet at its regular meeting Monday night that stretched to over five hours in the council chambers at City Hall.

The report illuminated the extent of Hurricane Harvey damage, and outlined clean up efforts underway by the city.

Bellaire City Manager Paul Hofmann, who presented the report, said of the approximately 6,500 homes in Bellaire, slightly more than 2,300 (about 35 percent) sustained structural damage due to the unprecedented flooding during Harvey's deluge that held the people of Houston captive for almost one week.

He said three, possibly six, of the 2,300 homes experienced "substantial damage."

In comparison, he noted that Tropical Storm Allison affected 1,400 homes in 2001, and the Tax Day flood of 2015 afflicted 228 homes.

As of Monday, September 18, Hofmann reported that the city has received 237 applications for building permits and 182 have been approved.

Wait time for building permits to be approved was a sticking point for Councilman Pat McLaughlan.

The council member implored Hofmann and the Development Services department to continue processing applications as fast as possible to get renters back in homes and landlords earning income.

Hofmann said extra staff have been recruited and trained to perform site inspections around the city and that six Bellaire firefighters have been tapped for the job and are earning overtime with the work.

Home inspection rate may be moving along with the help of extra manpower, but other obstacles lay in the road to debris removal.

"This is going much more slowly than anyone would have liked or anticipated," said Hofmann. "The contractor told us that by Sept. 28 -- just 10 days from now -- they will complete a first pass through the city. I don't think anyone believes that."

Of the 115,661 cubic yards of debris and trash that needs to be removed in Bellaire, 9,317 has been collected as of Sept. 17, said Hofmann.

He compared the amount in Bellaire to the 200 million cubic yards of debris in the greater Houston area.

In 2008, Hurricane Ike created almost 12 million cubic yards of debris, enough to fill the Astrodome more than six times, officials said at the time.

"We're not alone in this," said Hofmann of the laborious clean up effort .

Another challenge, said Hofmann, is the staging site for the trash to be hauled out of the city. Hofmann said the site, near Anderson and 1st Street, was completely overwhelmed the first weekend after the storm.

"We didn't think it would be such an arduous a process to find a second site, but I think I recieved some good news a few minutes ago," he said of a second location he hopes to secure.

Councilman Roman Reed paused the number crunching to speak directly to Bellaire residents.

"To all residents of Bellaire," said Reed. "We know you have gone through a tragedy, a catastrophic event. This has been hard on all of us. And I just want you to know that we're doing everything possible, humanly possible, within the means we have available to us as a city to get everything done. To get the debris out, get permits, get anything done for the residents because that's our primary focus right now."

Reed said he has received numerous emails from those affected, "venting" to him about the clean up and repair process.

"Keep 'em coming if it helps you," he said.

Bellaire's next regular meeting will be held October 2 when the city engineer will present an analysis of historical storms as they relate to Harvey and recommendations for future city planning.
Brett Coomer/Staff

The vacation is booked and one nagging question remains. Should we get travel insurance?

Thousands are relieved they opted for the extra expense during this year's active hurricane season.
Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers are renewing efforts to locate the suspect in a cold murder case that occurred in a tattoo parlor in the Stafford area in 2007. The organization will pay a $10,000 reward to anyone who offers information that leads to the arrest of Israel Angel Valdez, a 53-year-old, 6-foot-5-inch man weighing more than 300 pounds, who is suspected of shooting and killing Richard Vargas.

On July 19, 2007, Fort Bend County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a call at Ink Tones Tattoos on FM 1092 and found Vargas lying on the floor in front of the door of the business, according to the sheriff's office. Witnesses reported seeing three men enter the business and begin shooting before driving off in a red or maroon four-door passenger car and drive away on FM 1092.

"This is a cold case and we recognize that it is difficult to get information on a case that occurred 10 years ago, but the $10,000 reward shows we want to try again," said Leslie Woods, president of the Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers. "To this day, we have family members who are still grieving due to this deadly incident. Anyone who has information about this case is asked to make that anonymous call to the Crime Stoppers phone number so this family can have closure."

Valdez was arrested and charged for murder, but fled after posing bond in November of 2007. He is known to have previous ties to Houston, Alma, Michigan and Mexico, and has worked as a painter.

"Israel Valdez is a dangerous man and he probably carries a weapon," said Fort Bend Sheriff Troy Nehls. "He has been on our Top 10 Most Wanted list for 10 years. We need someone to step up and send us a tip that leads to his capture."

To report information, call Fort Bend County Crime Stopper, Inc. at (281)342-TIPS(8477), text FBCCS and the information to CRIMES (274637), or submit online at fortbend.crimestoppersweb.com. All calls to Crime Stoppers are anonymous.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Lone Star College-Kingwood president Katherine Persson said in an email to employees Friday that repairs to flood-damaged buildings may not be completed until May, potentially knocking out many in-person classes for the entire academic year.

Seven of nine Kingwood campus buildings are unusable after the flood due to water and sewage damage and electrical issues, officials said last week. The campus had to move about 600 in-person courses at least partially online to continue to hold courses this semester, which begins Sept. 25.

"Even though I am an optimist, I came to the realization this week that we will most likely not be able to reoccupy our flooded buildings until May," Persson wrote.

HoustonChronicle.com: Faculty inch closer to accepting tech

She said she expected sanitation to take one month. After that, construction will replace wiring, flooring, walls, ceilings, cabinets, doors and elevators.

Persson said many files, including confidential HR files, cannot be salvaged from damaged buildings. Damage is estimated at about $15 million, including the loss of life-size medical mannequins that simulate childbirth for nursing students and 12 dental seats for dental hygiene students.

"To have all of this done by January would be a record in the best of times," she wrote. "Considering we are competing labor and materials with so many others flooded by Harvey and Irma, we most likely will not have our buildings back until May, perhaps later. We will have them back in mint condition for fall 2018 start though."

HoustonChronicle.com: Lone Star bucks community college enrollment trend

Lone Star's Kingwood campus enrolled more than 12,000 students each semester last year.

Last week, Persson said in an interview that Lone Star had not expected that Harvey would halt campus operations for so long.

"No one ever thinks they're going to lose 80 percent of their facilities in a weekend," Persson said. "Maybe when all this is over, I'll have sage words to offer. But right now, we're planning as we go."
A 2-year-old girl was killed after a three-alarm blaze engulfed part of an apartment complex in southwest Houston on Monday afternoon.

Crews battled the flames for nearly two hours, after the fire sparked about 2 p.m.

Witness Aaron Jackson said the blaze inundated sides of one of the complex's buildings, near the intersection of Corporate and Westwood, and infiltrated at least eight units. Flames shot out of an open doorway.

The fire's sole fatality was the 2-year-old girl. Authorities have not confirmed the toddler's identity.

However, the girl's mother has identified her as Ayleen Gomez, local television stations report.

Her mother added Ayleen's 5-year-old brother was also in the apartment when the fire began but he was able to escape.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, though officials said Monday the fire department's arson agency was investigating.

Jackson spotted EMS taking stretchers in to the Lodge apartment complex.

"It's very bad," Jackson said.

Houston police were also dispatched to help control traffic in the area.
An accident Sunday night near Batson in Hardin County claimed the life of 39-year-old Brian Sumrall, a veteran firefighter with Houston Fire Department's Station 44 and senior captain of Batson Volunteer Fire Department.

Sumrall, a resident of Batson, was traveling southbound on FM 770 about two miles from Batson on a Kubota tractor when he was hit from the rear by a Chevrolet pickup driven by Joe Patton, 35, of Hull. Sumrall was ejected from the tractor and died at the scene. Patton suffered minor injuries.

According to Chief Fred Yust with Batson Fire Department, Sumrall's last act was in service to his community. He was on his way to load hay into the vehicle of a cattle owner impacted by Hurricane Harvey flooding.

"Brian would have done anything for anybody. It didn't matter who it was," Yust said. "He would give you the shirt off his back. He was just that kind of guy."

Just two weeks ago during Harvey, Sumrall helped pull people from their flooded homes in the Batson area and assisted drivers who were cut off by water and stranded in Batson.

"Brian was an EMT, too. He and I rescued one woman who couldn't get out of her house. She had medical problems and Brian comforted her and kept taking her vitals until we could get her to a hospital," Yust said.

A cowboy, Sumrall also saddled up during the storm to rescue animals stranded by the rising floodwaters and then organized their food and veterinary care.

"We were still passing out hay and medicines he had helped collect. He was all about caring for the animals and taking care of everybody," Yust said.

Working with cows and horses was something he enjoyed doing just as much as firefighting, the chief said.

"He liked doing things the old-fashioned way when it came to being a cowboy. He was sentimental for the old way of life and wanted to keep the old stuff going with horses and cows," Yust said.

Following Sunday night's accident, Batson firefighters responded to the emergency call, arriving on the scene to find it was one of their own who had died. Yust said the department is taking the loss hard.

"He is going to be dearly missed by us all. It is rough. Fortunately Saratoga firefighters came over and assisted us afterward. We stayed there to the end but they handled everything for us," Yust said.

Afterward, the firefighters gathered at the fire station in Batson to share their grief.

"We talked and reminisced. We had about half of his Houston fire station come out to visit with us, his wife, Rana, and son, Gavin," Yust said. "Brian was an extraordinary firefighter and a good friend to us. He will be missed by many."

Houston Fire Department has not responded to requests for comments at this time. An update will be posted as warranted.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 J. Patric Schneider/Freelance Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Geoffrey Lyon Show More Show Less 3 of 3





The students of three Houston ISD elementary schools still closed due to Hurricane Harvey will be able to take free field trips this week.

Houston ISD announced students from R.P Harris Elementary, Braeburn Elementary and Hillard Elementary would embark on trips around the museum district. Breakfast and lunch will be provided for free by Houston ISD's Food Services.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Baytown woman accused of killing and dismembering her boyfriend with a machete was "uncaring" and showed "no remorse" after investigators collared her in Louisiana, police said Monday.

Cierra Sutton is still awaiting extradition from Jefferson Parish after police say she shot a sleeping Steven Coleman and allegedly deposited his severed remains in different dumpsters because the body was too heavy to move, according to court records.

"This is a first for me. It's a first for every one of my detectives to be honest with you," said Lt. Steve Dorris. "Fortunately we haven't had anything like this happen in my 18-plus years I've been with the Baytown Police Department."

BACKGROUND: Victim identified in alleged Baytown dismemberment case

The 32-year-old father and aspiring rapper disappeared in mid-August, two days before his then-girlfriend filed a missing persons report with local police.

Coleman's two cars were still sitting outside the couple's place at Briarwood Village Apartments after he vanished, and the missing man's mother said she hadn't heard from him in days, police said.

Then on Aug. 22, a worker pushing back a pile of debris at the Baytown landfill in Chambers County made a gruesome discovery. Hidden in the trash was man's torso, which authorities preliminarily identified as Steven Coleman.

No other remains have yet been found, though police are still on the hunt.

"Is it possible that there are other remains at that landfill? Sure it is," Dorris said. "We've had a major event since then, Hurricane Harvey, which kind of put us back a few weeks on our investigation. Unfortunately during the course of that few weeks, more and more debris and garbage has been brought to that landfill so that makes it significantly harder to find anything."

Authorities have combed through "quite a bit" of the landfill, Dorris said.

"That's a massive undertaking, because you're talking about tons and tons of garbage and debris to sift through," he said.

After a number of friends told police Sutton had confessed to the slaying, authorities tracked her to Louisiana and took her into custody without incident on Thursday, scooping her up as she walked out of a Metairie apartment.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Dorris said it is "not completely accurate" that the 30-year-old confessed to police - though she did provide information placing herself in the apartment. She also confessed to multiple friends and acquaintances, according to court records, at one point allegedly admitting to shooting Coleman while her daughter was in the living room.

When police searched the couple's apartment, they found it nearly vacant and covered in possible blood traces, records show.

It's not clear if Sutton had any accomplices, Dorris said, adding that there may have been other people around at the time. Court records show one witness spotted two men helping Sutton load unidentified items into a vehicle following Coleman's disappearance.

As news of the slaying spread, Coleman's friends shared their grief, some posting videos of his music, others leaving choice comments on Sutton's Facebook page.

The refinery worker was a loving father to his daughter and a loyal family man, friends said. At one point, he even wrote a song about his love for Sutton.

"He didn't deserved what happened," said Jasmine Wilson. "That was a damn good man."

And as the local hip-hop community mourns and investigators toil to close the case, Coleman's mother is left trying to pick up the pieces.

"She's devastated, she's heartbroke," Dorris said. "Whatever adjective you wanna use, she's crushed."
Texans who own private water wells in areas flooded by Hurricane Harvey now can have their water tested for contamination -- and they don't have to pay a penny.

This free testing is available through Texas A&M University's AgriLife Extension Service with help from Virginia Tech and the Rural Community Assistance Program.

To get their water tested, residents must pick up a test kit from their local AgriLife Extension office or other designated location. They need to return the sample to the office from 8 to 11 a.m. on the appropriate collection date.

Virginia Tech then will examine the sample for coliform bacteria.

More Information Pick up your free well testing kit Residents in areas flooded by Hurricane Harvey may get free testing of the water wells through the Texas A&M Agri-Life Extension Service. Here are the locations where you can pick up the free kit. Jefferson County: AgriLife Extension office, 1225 Pearl St., Suite 200, Beaumont. Kits available now. Collection date is Sept. 25.

Victoria County: AgriLife Extension office, 528 Waco Circle, Victoria. Kits available now. Collection date Sept. 21.

Hardin and Orange counties: AgriLife Extension office, 440 W. Monroe St., Kountze. Kits available now. Collection date is Sept. 27.

Wharton County: AgriLife Extension office, 315 E. Milam St., Suite 212, Wharton. Kits available now. Collection date Sept. 18.

Liberty County: Kits available at the AgriLife Extension office, 501 Palmer Ave. in Liberty, on Sept. 18-19. Collection at the AgriLife Extension office on Sept. 20.

Colorado County: AgriLife Extension office, 316 Spring St., Columbus. Kits available now. Collection date is Sept. 21.

Chambers County: AgriLife Extension office, 295 White Memorial Park Road, Anahuac. Kits available starting Sept. 20. Collection date is Sept 27. See More Collapse

Diane Boellstorff, an AgriLife Extension water resource specialist, said in a news release that all residents should assume their well water is contaminated. They should not use water from a flood well for cooking, bathing or drinking until it is tested for contaminants, she added.

Boellstorff, who is in Texas A&M University's soil and crop sciences department, said floodwater could contain sewage from flooded wastewater treatment plants as well as manure, among other things.

"Data from the well water testing will help us better understand a flood's impact on private wells and help us enhance our communications relating to well water quality," she said.

Officials began handing out sample kits last week. The kits come with instructions and will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis because supplies are limited.

Here are the Agri-Life Extension locations where you can pick up the free kit.

*Jefferson County, 1225 Pearl St., Suite 200, Beaumont. Kits available now. Collection date is Sept. 25.

*Victoria County, 528 Waco Circle, Victoria. Kits available now. Collection date is Sept. 21.

*Hardin and Orange counties, 440 W. Monroe St., Kountze. Kits available now. Collection on is Sept. 27.

*Wharton County, 315 E. Milam St., Suite 212, Wharton. Kits available now. Collection on Sept. 18.

*Liberty County, 501 Palmer Ave. in Liberty, available Tuesday. Collection on Sept. 20.

*Colorado County: 316 Spring St., Columbus. Kits available now. Collection date is Sept. 21.

*Chambers County: 295 White Memorial Park Road, Anahuac. Kits available starting Sept. 20. Collection is Sept 27.

Alex Stuckey covers science and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alexandra.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/AlexDStuckey.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Seated at the defense table, awaiting a federal judge, Andrew Cecil Schneck stared at his empty hands, grinning slightly. A bemused look on his face.

The 25-year-old charged with trying to bomb a Confederate statue in Hermann Park appeared briefly Tuesday morning in an olive green jail uniform before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Milloy in Houston and said he understood the charges against him.

Did he understand he was charged with attempting to maliciously damage or destroy property and that if convicted, he could face up to 40 years in prison and a $250,000 fine?

READ ALSO: Republican House Speaker pushes for removing Confederate plaque from Texas Capitol

"Yes, your honor," he said, slumping forward a bit. He then entered a plea of not guilty, a routine practice for first appearances before a judge. His detention hearing was set for Sept. 26.

Philip Hilder, his defense attorney, said afterward, "We look forward to ultimately resolving this matter."

Schneck, who lived with his parents near the Museum District, has a previous conviction from 2014 for storing explosives for which he earned a five years of probation.

According to court documents, Park Ranger Tamara Curtis found Schneck near the base of the park's Dowling statue along with boxes containing a homemade detonator, a timer, wiring, a battery, a bottle of nitroglycerin and an explosive organic compound known as HMTD, hexamethylene triperoxide diamine.

Schneck reportedly tried to drink some of the liquid explosives after he was discovered, but "immediately spit the liquid on the ground ... then proceeded to pour the contents of the bottle on the ground next to him," documents said.

Now Playing: FOX 26 News reporter Lindsey Henry Video: JW Player

The white marble statue of Lt. Richard Dowling, an Irish immigrant who lived in Houston and fought for the Confederacy, was erected in 1905 to honor the Confederate victory he led at Sabine Pass. A street named for Dowling was changed earlier this year to Emancipation Avenue. Schneck was arrested following scattered arrests and protests nationally over Confederate statutes and public monuments across the country.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

MEXICO CITY  Leslie Moody Castro was in an art gallery in Roma Norte, a fashionable neighborhood just southwest of downtown Mexico City, talking about an upcoming show.

Then the tremors hit. The building began to move.

"Not again!" the art curator yelled, grabbing her friend's arm and rushing downstairs and outside.

In Roma Norte and other nearby neighborhoods, the quake's impact sent the facades of local businesses crumbling to the ground, in mangled piles of brick, metal and shattered glass.

Dozens of buildings collapsed across the city, sending authorities scrambling to rescue trapped or injured residents.

As Castro and other residents rushed for safety, the 7.1 magnitude earthquake shattered windows, knocked out power, shut down the subway system and shuttered Mexico City's international airport. Castro, who works in both Mexico and the U.S., had planned to fly back to Austin Tuesday, before the earthquake put her travel plans on hold.

More for you Video: Chaos, confusion erupt in Mexico City after massive earthquake

The tremors came on the anniversary of an earthquake in 1985 that devastated the city, killing more than 10,000 Mexicans and damaging tens of thousands of the city's buildings.

Though Tuesday's quake has already been blamed for at least 119 deaths  a number sure to rise  its impact was likely blunted by the lessons other previous earthquakes had taught the city.

"The paradox of this is that today the government was doing a drill at 11 a.m. in Mexico City to prepare for earthquakes," said Mario Cedeno, owner of a coffee shop in the Condesa neighborhood. "At 1:14, the real thing happened."

Better preparation likely saved many lives, he said.

"In 1985, people were not prepared and the catastrophe overpowered the government's capacity to attend to the people," he said. "The heroes then were the citizens that went out to help by the thousands. Now, people were more alert thanks to official information."

Out in the streets, residents hugged each other and tried to stay calm as they sought safety, fleeing damaged gas lines and trying to find their friends and family. Many were glued to their phones, recording video of the damage. Some posted videos on Twitter showing buildings collapsing and explosions as gas leaks ignited, sending fireballs into the sky.

Patients evacuated from nearby hospitals lay in stretchers in boulevards southwest of downtown, removed from the buildings for their safety. Elsewhere, first responders set up makeshift hospitals to care for the quake's victims, and searched for victims trapped in the rubble.

The earthquake tore through Mexico City's swampy soil, shaking structures, sending gas spewing into the air and gnarling powerlines like tangled fishing wire. Cell service and electricity was knocked out in many areas.

In the northern part of the city, the quake's reverberations turned the normally calm canals of Xochimilco, a popular tourist destination, into a sloshing, wave-filled mess. One resident in Cuernavaca posted video of a bridge cracked apart, its span felled. The force of the quake could be felt hundreds of miles away.

"It was terrible," said Sam Posadas, a customs worker in Veracruz, who'd been at home in her third-floor apartment when she felt the shocks.In Mexico City, damage was widespread in many of the city's most fashionable neighborhoods, including Condesa and Roma, two artsy neighborhoods southwest of the city center.

"It felt like a bouncy castle  on a boat," Castro said.

After the shaking stopped, she walked the seven blocks home to her apartment, stopping along the way to talk to friends and make sure they were all right.

"Everyone was on the street," she said.

At her apartment, she found most of her possessions strewn across the floor, tossed from shelves and cabinets. Somehow, a bottle of tequila on her refrigerator escaped unscathed.

She then went back into the streets to survey the damage and check on her friends.

Nearby, Jesus Cruzvillegas had been at work at the Human Rights Commission of Distrito Federal (Mexico City) in Narvarte.

He was in a meeting, and didn't hear the earthquake alarm. Then he felt the tremors.

"We left, running," he said. "Luckily, there wasn't any damage or losses where I found myself."

Mexico City Mayor Miguel Mancera said tremors had killed at least four people and leveled at least 29 buildings there. Of the 16 municipalities included in the greater Mexico City, four were especially hard hit and did not have power, water or gas: Cuauhtemoc, Benito Juarez, Iztapalapa and Tlalpan.

Puebla Gov. Tony Gali said the quake had damaged buildings in the city of Cholula, including collapsed church steeples.

The earthquake came less than two weeks after another earthquake struck southern Mexico, killing more than 90 people.

Memories of that quake had barely begun to fade before the ground shook Tuesday.

"Everyone's scared," Castro said. "Everyone's talking about last week."

Olivia Tallet reported from Mexico City. St. John Barned-Smith reported from Houston.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The former St. Louis police officer whose acquittal last week in the 2011 fatal shooting of a black motorist spawned days of protests has been living in Houston for several years.

Jason Stockley, who is white, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Anthony Lamar Smith, 24, following a car chase in Missouri.

Stockley was arrested in May 2016 in Harris County and extradited to Missouri to face the charges, according to local court records.

During the non-jury trial in Missouri, which started in August, prosecutors accused Stockley of planting a revolver on the motorist after the shooting, saying a gun found inside the car had the officer's DNA and not Smith's.

Now Playing: Police officers in riot gear can be seen in a September 17 video firing rubber bullets during protests in St Louis, Missouri over the acquittal of former officer Jason Stockley in the shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith. The video shows a group of protesters running as police officers fire rubber bullets in their direction. More than 80 people have been arrested in connection with protests over the weekend. Stockley, a white policeman, shot and killed Anthony Lamar Smith, a black man and drug suspect. Credit: Rebelutionary_Z via Storyful Video: Storyful

Stockley, who has maintained that the shooting was self-defense, testified that he saw a gun in Smith's hand when he initially approached the Buick and before the chase.

Judge Timothy Wilson rendered verdicts Friday morning of not guilty for the murder charge and one count of armed criminal action.

Protesters assembled almost immediately and marched, mostly peacefully, all day. By Friday night, agitation grew. The mayor's home was marred by a rock thrown through a window and splattered paint. Police in riot gear showed up and started discharging tear gas. Orderly daytime demonstrations and volatile evening riots continued through the weekend, leading to concert cancellations, commerce interruptions and early school dismissals.

After a gag order was lifted after the verdict, Stockley told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that taking a life is "not something that is done lightly" and denied murdering Smith.

Stockley's lawyer, Neil J. Bruntrager with the St. Louis Police Officers Association, could not be reached Monday for comment.

The shooting happened before widespread national outcry about the killings of unarmed black people, including Trayvon Martin, the Florida 17-year-old fatally shot in 2012 by a neighborhood watch officer and Michael Brown, 18, who died when he was fired upon in 2014 by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri  a St. Louis suburb. The acquittal of Martin's killer, George Zimmerman, sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.

Stockley and his partner, Brian Bianchi, approached Smith's Buick after witnessing what they believed to be a drug transaction, according to a police department memo obtained by the Post-Dispatch.

Bianchi told Stockley that Smith was reaching for a weapon, the report said.

Stockley left the police SUV and approached Smith's vehicle with his department handgun and a personal AK-47 pistol, according to the memo.

Smith fled. His sedan hit Stockley, who fired several shots at the vehicle. The officers pursued Smith until the police vehicle hit the Buick.

Smith, the father of a daughter, was shot five times.

The report said that Stockley fired the weapon because he feared for his life and the safety of others. Stockley violated policy by carrying the privately owned gun.

Since coming to the Houston area four years ago, Stockley has worked and divorced. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is a project manager and security specialist currently seeking employment.

He has not worked in law enforcement in Texas, according to Gretchen Grigsby, a spokeswoman with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. She said Monday that there is no past or present licensing record for him.

Stockley, now 36, left the St. Louis police department in 2013. That year, the St. Louis police board settled a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by Smith's survivors for $900,000.

The former officer's LinkedIn profile says that he received an engineering degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2002. He is an Iraq veteran who served in combat as an infantry platoon leader, the online resume says, before spending 2004 to 2006 as a U.S. Army captain.

His tenure with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department lasted from 2006 to 2013, the profile said. His experience in Houston includes 2 years as a project manager with an oil and gas drilling consulting firm.

In a civil lawsuit filed in Harris County, Stockley claimed to have sustained "personal bodily injuries" in a 2015 wreck when a Jeep Wrangler allegedly ran a red light and smashed into the rear of his Toyota Corolla. The case was dismissed for lack of prosecution.
Houston firefighter Brian Sumrall, described by friends and co-workers as "an amazing person" on Sunday, was in the midst of doing what set him apart: helping others.

He was traveling southbound on FM 770 about two miles from the rural town of Batson in a Kubota tractor when he was hit from the rear by a Chevrolet pickup driven by Joe Patton, 35, of Hull. Sumrall, 39, was ejected from the tractor and died at the scene. Patton suffered minor injuries.

According to Chief Fred Yust with Batson Fire Department, Sumrall's last act was in service to his community. He was on his way to load hay into the vehicle of a cattle owner impacted by Hurricane Harvey flooding.

"Brian would have done anything for anybody. It didn't matter who it was," Yust said. "He would give you the shirt off his back. He was just that kind of guy."

Cowboy fireman

Sumrall was a veteran firefighter with Houston Fire Department's Station 44 and a senior captain of Batson Volunteer Fire Department.

Just two weeks ago during Harvey, Sumrall helped pull people from their flooded homes in the Batson area and assisted drivers who were cut off by water and stranded in the town of 1,500 in Hardin County about 60 miles northeast of Houston.

"Brian was an EMT, too. He and I rescued one woman who couldn't get out of her house. She had medical problems, and Brian comforted her and kept taking her vitals until we could get her to a hospital," Yust said.

A cowboy, Sumrall also saddled up during the storm to rescue animals stranded by the rising floodwaters and then organized their food and veterinary care.

"We were still passing out hay and medicines he had helped collect. He was all about caring for the animals and taking care of everybody," Yust said.

Working with cows and horses was something he enjoyed doing just as much as firefighting, the chief said.

"He liked doing things the old-fashioned way when it came to being a cowboy. He was sentimental for the old way of life and wanted to keep the old stuff going with horses and cows," Yust said.

'Dearly missed'

On Facebook, friends and family offered many tributes to Sumrall.

"He helped me become a better horseman and inspired me to try and help others. I will never forget him. I will pray for his beautiful family he loved so much and I will try to continue to help where there is a need," posted Betty J. Harrison.

Following Sunday night's accident, Batson firefighters responded to the emergency call, arriving on the scene to find it was one of their own who had died. Yust said the department is taking the loss hard.

"He is going to be dearly missed by us all. It is rough. Fortunately, Saratoga firefighters came over and assisted us afterward. We stayed there to the end, but they handled everything for us," Yust said.

Afterward, the firefighters gathered at the fire station in Batson to share their grief.

"We talked and reminisced. We had about half of his Houston fire station come out to visit with us, his wife, Rana, and son, Gavin," Yust said. "Brian was an extraordinary firefighter and a good friend to us. He will be missed by many."

Houston Fire Department has not responded to requests for comments.

Funeral arrangements are pending
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Speaker of the Texas House is calling for the removal of a Confederate plaque in the Captiol in Austin.

Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, said in a Tuesday Facebook post that he sent a letter to the State Preservation Board to take down the Children of the Confederacy Creed plaque that hangs on the first floor.

RENAMED: University of Houston renames dorm as universities react to backlash over Confederate monuments

"Confederate monuments and plaques are understandably important to many Texans. But it is important that the historical information displayed on the Capitol grounds is accurate and appropriate," Straus said in the post. "The Children of the Confederacy Creed plaque does not meet this standard. The plaque says that the Civil War was not an act of rebellion and was not primarily about slavery. That is not accurate, and Texans are not well-served by incorrect information about our history."

COURT APPEARANCE: Houston Confederate statue bombing suspect appears in court

Rep. Eric Johnson sent a letter to the State Preservation Board last month calling for the removal of the plaque, following the Unite the Right rally that was held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 11.

"...I cannot think of a better time than the present to discuss the removal of all Confederate iconography from the Texas Capitol Complex," Johnson said in a letter.

Gov. Greg Abbott released his own statement after Johnson, stating "racist and hate-filled violence" is never acceptable. However, the governor noted the past should not be buried, warning "If we do not learn from our history, we are doomed to repeat it."

TAKEN DOWN: UT takes down Confederate statues late Sunday night

Names and monuments dedicated to the Confederacy have been a political topic across the nation since the rally was held in Charlottesville. A statue of Robert E. Lee was removed from a Dallas park last month. The University of Houston is renaming Calhoun lofts to avoid any controversy tied to the Confederacy. The University of Texas took down statues of Lee, Albert Sidney Johnston, John Reagan and James Stephen Hogg in August.

See what Confederate monuments still exist in America in the gallery above.
KWTX via Twitter

A Texas man accused of shoplifting from a Walmart after winning prizes in a claw machine is still waiting for an apology.

Dustin Ulmer, 24, of Robinson, was playing with the stores claw machine and won four items, which he gave to a little girl and an employee in the store. He also won a camouflage cap in the machine and handed that to his friend.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A Texas woman was drawn into an intense racial debate on Hobby Lobby's public Facebook page after she took offense to the company selling cotton stems.

In what appears to be a now deleted Facebook post, Daniell Rider, of Killeen, claims the store's cotton stalks were "WRONG on SO many levels."

"There is nothing decorative about raw cotton... A commodity which was gained at the expense of African-American slaves. A little sensitivity goes a long way," Rider wrote on Facebook, according to CBS 7. "PLEASE REMOVE THIS 'decor.'"

A BAD LOOK: Florida 'hot cop' investigated for alleged jokes about Jews, putting people in ovens

Rider's comment, and photo of the cotton, inspired thousands of comments on other Hobby Lobby Facebook posts, many of which were from people defending the store.

"People are too sensitive," Pam Asbridge Reeder commented Saturday afternoon. "My mother picked cotton in Alabama as a young child. We are white as rice !! Get over yourself Daniell Rider. If it wasn't for that cotton, you might just be stuck in Africa without the opportunities or privileges you have as an American. Did you EVER think about that? Not all slave owners were bad just as not all whites are bad. Some slave owners actually deeded land and homes to slaves and their families."

Hobby Lobby is still selling the cotton stems on its website, where they have been marked down from $29.99 to $15.

A request for comment has been placed with Rider and Hobby Lobby.
The Austin American-Statesman is reporting that a 28-year-old Mexican man who was recently deported from Texas is dead.

Juan Coronilla-Guerrero is believed to have been kidnapped and shot to death last week by the gang members he originally fled from, according to his wife, who chose to remain anonymous and now lives in Mexico with their two children.
U.S. Marshals Service

A 33-year-old man in Austin previously charged with aggravated sexual assault Monday was arrested after allegedly attacking his father with a screwdriver.

Juan Ricardo Artea-Castaneda, who in April 2012 was previously deported for his offense against a child, reportedly told his father: "I am going to kill you, it will be your last day, we are both going to die, it is going to be my last day."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Cleaning supplies, financial relief and a safe place to sleep are all important needs for victims of Harvey.

Still, many Houstonians recovering from the storm might just need one thing: some comforting words.

To help, city officials are advising residents to use the Disaster Distress Helpline to get some emotional support.

The 24/7 national hotline can help callers deal with stress, anxiety or any other form of emotional distress they might be feeling in the wake of Harvey.

LATEST TALLY: Which Houston neighborhoods received most rainfall during Harvey

"This has been an incredibly difficult time for many of us," wrote Michael Walter for the city of Houston's disaster recovery information page. "We've lost homes, livelihoods, cherished possessions. We're all in similar situations, and it can be tough to deal with. If you're needing someone to talk to, to help you navigate the emotions associated with this disaster, contact the Disaster Distress Helpline."

The confidential Disaster Distress Helpline can be reached at 1-800-985-5990. It is available every day of the year.

See what companies and groups are offering for free to victims of Harvey above.
More than 120 people were arrested or indicted on charges related to the sexual abuse of children during the first half of 2017, according to records obtained by mySA.

The 126 total suspects were all jailed on one or more of the following charges: sexual assault of a child, continuous sexual abuse of a child, indecent contact with a child, indecent exposure to a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child, super aggravated sexual assault of a child or possession of child pornography.

RELATED: After adopted parents' arrest, S.A. woman shares horrific story of 15+ years of sexual abuse

Though many of the suspects included in the list were first arrested or indicted in 2017, some were arrested in 2016 and later indicted by a grand jury in 2017 as their cases progressed through the courts.

Now Playing: Mario Benavidez Rojas, 31, faces a charge of sexual assault of a child, police said. He was arrested Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. Video: JW Player

A small portion of the suspects have faced similar child sex abuse charges in the past, though Bexar County records indicate the majority are facing child sex abuse charges for the first time.

That lines up with recorded recidivism rates for such crimes, though experts say those numbers may not tell the whole story.

Authorities in the Department of Justice pin the sex crime recidivism rate at about 5 percent, citing a 2003 study that followed more than 9,500 sex offenders released from prison in 15 states in 1994. However, estimates for recidivism rates vary widely, according to a report from the Office of Justice Programs by Roger Przybylski, a criminal and juvenile justice consultant with more than 30 years of experience.

"The surreptitious nature of sex crimes, the fact that few sexual offenses are reported to authorities, and variation in the ways researchers calculate recidivism rates all contribute to the problem," Przybylski writes.

RELATED: 'Any chance he got, he did it': S.A. man allegedly raped, used sex toys on 11-year-old relative

Many of the child sex abuse cases are handled by a group of prosecutors from the Bexar County District Attorney's Child Abuse Unit, who "who fight to seek justice for children who have been abused and neglected," according to the unit's web page.

According to Texas Department of Public Safety records, there are almost 3,600 registered sex offenders living in Bexar County, though the percentage of those offenders who abused children is unknown.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdowns
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Tuesday morning during the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the world's top leaders and gave them all a piece of his mind.

In his 41-minute address to the General Assembly, Trump denounced North Korea, their pursuit of nuclear weapons, and its leader, Kim Jong-un - who he outwardly called "rocket man."

"Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself," he said of Mr. Kim.

THE LATEST: At UN, Trump threatens 'total destruction' of North Korea

The 45th president of the United States also thanked Russia and China for supporting recent United Nations sanctions on North Korea, but he took an indirect hit at them for continuing to do business with the country.

During his speech, Trump moved on to another "rogue nation" - Iran. He called the Iran nuclear deal "an embarrassment" that is "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."

Trump then moved on to calling out Cuba and the government of Venezuela because of their connections to communism. He said that people need to do more to address the situations in those countries.

DC DRAMA: Scaramucci starts Tom Brady, Ivanka Trump past dating rumor

"Now we are calling for a great reawakening of nations," he says. "We need to defeat the enemies of humanity and unlock the potential of life itself.

"God bless you, God bless the nations of the world, and God bless the United States of America," Trump concluded his speech.

Throughout the president's words, users on Twitter reacted to his comments with memes. While some agreed with President Trump, others didn't and all of them shared their opinions online. Check out the memes in the gallery above.
WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, is calling for the replacement of the aging Addicks and Barker dams that spilled over during Hurricane Harvey.

"As we recover and rebuild from the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey, it is crucial that we also learn from this catastrophic storm and prepare for the next one," she said in a statement. "A critical takeaway is that our infrastructure is ill-prepared for the ferocity of thousand-year weather events and record-breaking rainfall."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Water at Houston City Hall and the adjacent annex has been deemed unsafe to drink in what the city believes to be an isolated water quality problem, after tests showed samples from both buildings contained more bacteria than is federally allowed.

More than two thirds of the samples taken from City Hall last Friday had a higher concentration of coliform bacteria than the Environmental Protection Agency allows, and nearly three quarters of the samples taken from the annex showed elevated bacteria levels, a memo sent to all city employees Tuesday morning said.

These high bacterial concentrations may but do not necessarily pose a health threat, EPA regulations indicate.

Nevertheless, C.J. Messiah, Jr., director of the city's General Services Department, called the contamination "significant."

"Since previous testing in these buildings did not find widespread bacterial presence in the drinking water, it is likely that the bacterial contamination is the result of the flooding and subsequent contamination of the water system," he wrote.

The city believes the water quality problem is limited to City Hall and the annex, the only city buildings whose water is stored in underground tanks.

"This City Hall situation is an isolated incident," mayoral spokesman Alan Bernstein wrote in an email. "Our parking garage and basement were flooded during Harvey and damaged our pumps that help propel water through our water tanks. As a result of the flooding, our tanks were submerged in flood water, which may have caused flood water to enter the tank."

The city has replaced the buildings' water pumps and plans to chlorinate both water tanks this weekend before retesting the system Sunday. Employees will be provided bottled water in the interim.

This is the second time in a year Houston has faced water quality concerns at City Hall.

The city shut down all drinking fountains and ice machines at City Hall and the annex last November, after tests showed high levels of lead in the water.

Bernstein added that privately owned buildings that use storage tanks that flooded during Harvey may also want to test their systems for bacteria.
Melanie Feuk

Woodview Elementary in west Houston soon will see its playground undergo a $180,000 overhaul for the benefit of the bitty Beagles there, and their parents, if City Council signs off this week.

Woodview is one of 30 Houston-area schools that will receive new SPARK parks -- dual-purpose public parks and playgrounds -- in the coming years thanks to a $5 million gift announced last fall from the Houston Endowment and the Kinder Foundation.
AUSTIN -- Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is calling for the removal of a Confederate plaque from the state Capitol building. The plaque claims, in part, that the civil war was not primarily about slavery.

In a letter sent Tuesday to his fellow members of the State Preservation Board, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Straus said historical information displayed on the Capitol grounds should be "accurate and appropriate."

"The Children of the Confederacy Creed plaque on the first floor of the Capitol does not meet this standard," Straus wrote. "The plaque says that the Civil War was not an act of rebellion and was not primarily about slavery. This is not accurate, and Texans are not well-served by incorrect information about our history."

Straus, a member of the preservation board which oversees the Capitol grounds, urged the other members to direct staff "to identify the steps necessary to remove this plaque as soon as practicable."

More for you Houston Confederate statue once symbolized city's attitude toward Southern cause

The Children of the Confederacy Creed plaque reads, in part, "We ... pledge ourselves ... to study and teach the truth of history (one of the most important of which is, that the war between the states was not a rebellion, nor was its underlying cause to sustain slavery)."

"I do hope that we can quickly form a consensus to begin the process of removing the blatantly inaccurate plaque on the Capitol's first floor," Straus wrote.

Straus joins other legislators, mainly democrats, who have called for the plaque's removal.

Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, called for the immediate removal of the plaque in August, along with a review of other Confederate symbols around the Capitol. The state board estimates there are about a dozen symbols or memorials.

They include a plaque near the rotunda that claims slavery was not the cause of the Civil War, a statue of Lee surrounded by Confederate fighters and the Confederate flag etched into the pillar of a memorial topped with a bronze figure of a Confederate soldier.

Johnson said he pleased that Straus agrees that the plaque, which sits about 40 feet from Johnson's office, should come down.

"I am confident that it will come down soon," Johnson said. "Speaker Straus and the other members of the State Preservation Board are well educated, honest folks. I think once they've all taken the time to read the plaque and compare it to the historical record, they will come to same conclusion Speaker Straus and I did."

Two other lawmakers also asked for a review of the monuments, citing the racial clashes in Charlottesville, Va. over the removal of a Confederate statue that resulted in the death of a women.

In August, Abbott and other members of the board voiced opposition to remove the symbols, saying tearing down monuments won't erase the nation's past. Abbott agreed to meet with Johnson after his original request, but their meeting was delayed because of Hurricane Harvey, according to the Dallas Morning News. The meeting has not been rescheduled.

Patrick said the state should not attempt to re-write history by removing the Confederate memorials.
AUSTIN -- Special prosecutors building a criminal case against Attorney General Ken Paxton are making a last ditch effort to convince the courts they should be paid -- and they say it's important to the entire Texas judicial system that they are.

If not, trial judges throughout Texas could lose their discretion to pay appointed lawyers reasonable fees to take on complex cases, argued Brian Wice, one of three special prosecutors from Houston assigned to Paxton's case.

He and two other lawyers working the Paxton case haven't been paid in 18 months after a series of lawsuits ensnarled their billings in court. Wice filed motions with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Tuesday asking the high court to consider their effort to vacate the 5th Court of Appeals's decision that voided payment of their last $205,000 invoice.

"One of the most serious threats to fundamentally fair trials with accurate results is the lack of adequate compensation for appointed counsel," read the filing.

Wice, who took over the fight for their back pay this summer, said in his 52-page filing that the appeals court "clearly abused its discretion" in denying pay to special prosecutors, he contends would have a "chilling effect" on trial judges' ability to appoint qualified lawyers to complicated cases.

The Dallas-area 5th Court of Appeals ruled in August that the judge overseeing Paxton's case at the time agreed to too generous a fee schedule for Wice and the two special prosecutors. The ruling sided with the the Collin County Commissioner's Court and Jeffory Blackard, a Paxton donor and political ally who has long argued the attorneys' fees of $300 per hour exceeded local caps.

Wice, Kent Schaffer and Nichole DeBorde were granted a $300-per-hour fee by Judge Scott Becker, an administrative judge in Collin County. According to court records, attorneys are supposed to be paid a fix fee of $1,000 for first-degree felony please, $500 for third-degree please, $1,000 for pretrial preparation and $500 for each one-half day of trial.

But the Legislature gave the courts discretion to pay "reasonable attorney's fees in extraordinary cases," Wice said in his filing. He added that two-thirds of Texas counties -- 168 of 254 -- have rules allowing trial judges to deviate from fee schedules.

Allowing the 5th Court of Appeals' ruling to stand "looms large" for prosecutors, defense lawyers and trial judges in Texas by allowing outside influences to impair the administration of justice, he argued.

The Collin County Commissioner's Court agreed to pay the special prosecutors $242,000 for pre-trial work in January of 2016, but the next bill, which included close to $200,000 in attorney's fees has gone unpaid.

What the Court of Criminal Appeals decides to do could make or break the legal fight against Paxton, an embattled first-term Republican attorney general indicted on two counts of criminal securities fraud and one lesser count of failing to register as an investment adviser with the state.

If the court refuses to hear the case or decides against paying the special prosecutors, the trio will have to decide whether to try the case pro bono or drop the case against Paxton, who is popular among tea party Republicans and is so far unchallenged in the 2018 election.

The court is expected to decide within the next week whether it is interested in learning more about the case. Meanwhile, the Collin County Commissioners Court wants to claw back more than $200,000 already paid to the special prosecutors.

A trial court has scheduled Paxton's long-awaited trial in Houston for December. Paxton was indicted in July of 2015. He is facing a pair of charges for first degree felony securities fraud and one third-degree charge for failing to register as an investment adviser with the state.

The charges stem from Paxton convincing friends and colleagues to invest in Servergy, an North Texas tech company without disclosing that he would make a commission.

A federal court judge in March dismissed similar civil charges brought against him by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Andrea Zelinski cover politics and education for the Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook. Send her tips at andrea.zelinski@chron.com.




AUSTIN -- One of the top Republicans leaders in the Texas Legislature is slamming the city of Houston and other local governments for trying to raise taxes on homeowners in the name of hurricane recovery.

And he's certain the increase will provoke a response of some sort from the Legislature.

"I don't understand this mindset," state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican from Houston, said. "It's callous."

He said homes have been flooded and damaged, and local governments' first reaction appears to be raise taxes on those same people even though local officials have emergency funds and federal aid is on the way.

"It's beyond tone deaf," said Bettencourt, who is the chairman of the Senate's Republican caucus. "I don't believe governments should be showing this type of attitude when people are down."

But Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner's office said they are left with few other choices. The city already dipped into its emergency funds and while they are getting federal help, they city is still left with 10 percent of the debris removal costs, said Alan Bernstein, communications director for Turner.

"So how's it going to get done?" Bernstein asked if the city doesn't get additional revenue to pay for it all.

Turner last week rolled out a plan to increase the tax rate from 58.64 cents per $100 of appraised value  the lowest city tax rate since the late 1980s  to 63.87 cents to help pay for the damage Hurricane Harvey caused.

Turner has said the increase would generate an extra $113 million for one year to help the city cleanup after Harvey. The average Houston owner of a $225,000 home with a standard homestead exemption would pay $118 more in property taxes next year under the proposal, according to the mayor's office.

Houston is not the only local government to seek a tax increase for hurricane response. Pearland is seeking a 2.8 percent increase in its tax rate, to 70 cents per $100 of valuation, because of anticipated storm-related expenses. Missouri City, Sugar Land, Galveston and Pasadena all have proposed tax rate increases, but those were planned before Harvey's arrival.

Bettencourt said raising taxes now is a "huge mistake" that is not going to go over well with homeowners who have their own storm damage to worry about.

"Taxpayers are going to be furious," Bettencourt said.

Bettencourt has long been critical of the pace at which he said local governments have been raising taxes. During the Legislature's session in the spring and during a special session in the summer, Bettencourt pushed a tax reform plan that would have made it harder for local government to raise taxes without a public vote.

But at the same time, the Senate rejected a similar House tax reform plan that included a provision that could have helped storm-damaged homes keep taxes lower. Under the House proposal, if homes were damaged by a natural disaster like a hurricane, it would have required a new assessment of the property to account for the damage, theoretically lowering the taxes for damaged homes.

That provision never was considered by the Senate and the tax reform package as a whole failed.

Bettencourt said the tax increases will almost certainly provoke a response from the Legislature and have "lasting implications." He said he once thought governments should have more flexibility to raise taxes to help pay for emergencies, but now, he said he's less supportive of allowing even those exceptions give how fast some governments are moving to increase taxes.
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.
Copiii cu nevoi speciale din Stefan Voda au conditii de reabilitare mai bune, datorita UE si Fundatiei Soros Moldova
A man whose esophagus and stomach were severely burned when he drank a beer tainted by a caustic chemical at an Atlantic City casino restaurant has been awarded $750,000.

A jury on Friday awarded the man, Richard Washart, $650,000 for pain and suffering and $100,000 for emotional distress, said his attorney, Paul DAmato.

Washart sued a McCormick & Schmicks restaurant at Harrahs casino, claiming he was served beer tainted by a caustic agent used to clean beer tap lines. Harrahs was not a defendant in his lawsuit.

The restaurant blamed a company it uses to clean its beer lines, Kramer Beverage Co., of Hammonton, which denied being at the restaurant when Washart drank the beer on Nov. 6, 2012.

The defendants each must pay half the award.

The restaurants parent company, Houston-based Landrys Inc., insisted it had done nothing wrong and said it will appeal the ruling.

There is a problem in America today when you can do nothing wrong but still be found liable for the action of another, said Steve Scheinthal, general counsel for Landrys, which also owns the Golden Nugget casino across the street from the restaurant.

He said Kramer Beverage obviously made a mistake, which resulted in Mr. Washarts claims.

The trial evidence simply does not support the verdict against McCormick & Schmicks, he said. We will of course appeal the verdict and expect to be absolved of any liability in this matter.

Washart, a former Ocean City police lieutenant, said he took a gulp of the beer he had been served and immediately felt burning pain.

He ran to the bathroom, where he experienced the first of six rounds of projectile vomiting. He tried to drink water from a faucet but was unable to because of the pain in his mouth and throat.

A short time later, he began vomiting blood and went to a hospital. A doctor said he had never seen a patient survive with such severe burns to the esophagus and stomach.

DAmato faulted Kramer Beverage, noting it doesnt follow industry recommendations to use pH testing strips that cost 15 cents apiece to check beer after lines have been cleaned. But he also said the restaurant violated New Jerseys Adulterated Food Act by serving a tainted brew.

Washart, of Seaville, was hospitalized for six days.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The small, popular drones flooding the commercial market are unlikely to cause severe head injuries if they fall out of the sky and strike people, a new study has concluded.

The results are similar to findings earlier this year by researchers associated with the Federal Aviation Administration and offer more justification for opening the door to unmanned operations over crowds.

Researchers at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, the site of an FAA-sanctioned drone testing facility, concluded that the risks of a catastrophic head injury were less than 5 percent in an impact with a 2.6-pound (1.2-kilogram) unmanned vehicle, according to results published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering. Larger drones create higher risks of injury, which may limit their uses until other safety standards can be devised, the study found.

Risk of injury was observed to increase with increasing UAS mass, and the larger models tested are not safe for operations over people in their current form, the researchers, led by biomechanical professor Steven Rowson, said in the journal article, referring to drones as unmanned aircraft systems.

The risks of a head injury are also greater if a drone falls on a person than if it runs into them while flying, they concluded. Because the FAA defines small drones with the lowest level of oversight as weighing as much as 55 pounds (25 kilograms), the agency may want to reclassify its guidelines to restrict the heavier ones from flying over people, the authors said.

The study focused solely on head trauma and didnt assess the potential for rotor blades cutting the skin or other injuries.

The FAA had planned to release by the end of 2016 a preliminary outline for allowing at least some drone flights over people. Such rules are needed by multiple industries from network television news shows to drone delivery pioneers, such as Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google.

The U.S. government temporarily put the effort on hold after law enforcement agencies objected, saying there needs to be better ways of tracking unmanned vehicles before theyre unleashed over people.

The Virginia Tech study looked at three models made by China-based SZ DJI Technology Co. The smallest was the Phantom 3, which was flown straight into a crash-test dummys head and also dropped on the dummy to simulate falling from the sky.

While the risks from the Phantom 3 were minimal, the potential for injury increased dramatically as drones weighed more. A DJI S1000+ model, an eight-rotor copter weighing 24 pounds (11 kilograms) had an injury risk of about 70 percent in some tests.

The FAA in April released similar results of studies it had financed. So many people are watching these studies, Earl Lawrence, director of FAAs Office of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration, said in an interview earlier this year. FAA needs it to support our rulemaking activities, but so does every other civil aviation authority and interest groups throughout the world.

The agency last year adopted regulations allowing routine small-drone flights for commercial purposes, but restricted them to within sight of the operator, no higher than 400 feet above ground and not directly over people.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
Orange, CA, September 19, 2017- American Technologies, Inc. (ATI), a leading nationwide restoration and reconstruction provider based in Orange, CA, is pleased to welcome industry veteran Troy Mette in his new role as Vice President of Commercial Sales. Mette will oversee all national commercial accounts for ATI, including business development, day-to-day management, and leading a diverse team of sales account executives based around the country.

Mette brings 25 years of insurance industry experience, including nearly 20 years with global insurance provider AIG. There, Mette served in a variety of leadership roles in increasing responsibility over the years  from field operations and regional underwriting to national account management and new business strategy development. Most recently, Mette served as Managing Director for AIGs West Zone.

We are thrilled to welcome Troy to our ATI family and to add his depth of knowledge and leadership expertise to the sales team, said Jeff Moore, Executive Vice President at ATI. I have no doubt that he will succeed with growing this part of our business while supporting our culture of providing the best customized, start-to-finish, personal service to our clients.

Mette will work based out of ATIs Phoenix Office and will travel frequently to ATI regional offices and client sites throughout the U.S. I look forward to working closely with ATIs management and sales teams to support the companys vision and to help greatly expand our reach with national insurance, healthcare, hospitality, property management and other organizations within the next few years, Mette said.

Mette holds a bachelors in Business Administration and Human Resource Management from Northern Arizona University, and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

About ATI

Founded in 1989, ATI is the nations largest family-owned restoration contractor. With more than 800 employees and 20 branch offices throughout the U.S., ATI provides full-service restoration, environmental remediation, and reconstruction services to both public and private sector clients, and in both residential and commercial settings. ATI handles restoration jobs for healthcare institutions, public buildings, hospitality firms, industrial and commercial properties, and schools and universities. ATIs Catastrophe Response Team has assisted following the countrys most devastating major disasters, including Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, the Northridge earthquake, and Southern California wildfires.

Media Contact

Gina Curry, Marketing Manager

American Technologies, Inc.

gina.curry@atirestoration.com

714-283-9990
AKRON, Ohio -- Emotions ran high at Akron City Council Monday night, fueled in part by a contentious council meeting last week in which white and black lawmakers angrily sparred over a resolution to rename the city's Columbus Day holiday Indigenous Peoples' Day.

At Monday's meeting, councilman Russel C. Neal Jr., who is black and represents Ward 4 in West Akron, introduced legislation to censure and publicly reprimand councilman Bob Hoch, who is white and from Ellet. The censure effort failed, but not before more verbal fireworks ensued.

Neal and other black council members were upset about Hoch's behavior during last week's combative council debate over the Columbus Day resolution. Tempers flared at that meeting when Hoch called for a parliamentary end to the discussion and an immediate vote. During the ensuing chaos, Hoch told councilwoman Veronica Sims to sit down and councilwoman Linda Omobien to shut up. Both Sims and Omobien are black.

The public display of disrespect -- witnessed by a group of students at council to learn about city government -- prompted Mayor Dan Horrigan to write a commentary on civility that was published in the Akron Beacon Journal. It also prompted councilwoman Tara Mosley-Samples to share a video of the meeting with her Facebook followers and post this message on the social media site:

"Yesterday, I listened to my City Council colleagues as well as members of the Akron community and I am saddened," she wrote. "Saddened that what should have been a healthy professional dialogue on a resolution encouraging the City of Akron to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day turned into a room full of anger, divisiveness and pure hatred."

Mosley-Samples also contacted several local pastors who attended Monday night's City Council meeting along with parishioners from the various churches.

The meeting opened with Council President Marilyn Keith telling attendees her heart had been heavy since the previous meeting and that she'd had a hard time wrapping her arms around what had taken place.

Horrigan also spoke, saying there were resources in the room available to help council members interact with one another, "starting with a basic level of respect for the words that are coming out of each others' mouths."

He encouraged attendees to work to bring out their best natures, saying "our children, the city and the world are watching."

Hoch also gave a short statement, apologizing for his actions the previous week.

But several pastors at Monday's meeting said Hoch's "blanket apology" was not enough and that personal and public apologies to Sims and Omobien were in order.

Pastor Roderick Pounds of the Second Baptist Church in Akron accepted Hoch's apology but said he stood with "our sisters" Sims and Omobien." Pastor Michael Starks said Summit Lake residents wondered what they would tell their children about such behavior from community leaders when some of the children aspire to become leaders themselves.

A censure would have stripped Hoch of his committee appointments through the end of 2018.

Councilmen Bruce Kilby and Rich Swirsky urged council to postpone a censure vote, saying it would continue the trend of voting along racial lines and not allow the group to move forward. Swirsky complained he had only seen the legislation five minutes earlier and needed time to review it.

The vote went forward though, failing in a tie, with six votes for and six against. But the issue -- and the tension -- seem far from over.

After the vote, all four black women on council -- Sims, Omobien, Mosley-Samples and Margo Sommerville -- said they had lost faith in Keith's ability to lead the legislative body. Neal echoed the sentiment and referred to council's actions as "institutional racism."

That prompted councilman Donnie Kammer to accuse Neal of his share of bad behavior, saying he would bring legislation to the next council meeting to have Neal publicly reprimanded as well.

Sims, who was upset her high-school-aged daughter had witnessed last week's meeting, also said she doesn't feel "protected" while serving on council, which, she said, is something leadership should provide. She referred to the problems on City Council as "power unchecked" and "white male privilege."

Councilman Jeff Fusco said he stood with Keith, stating she had faced her share of challenges. He said council members needed to spend more time together to get to know know one another better.

Keith, tearing up, said she, too, felt "terribly disrespected" and would reflect on all that had happened.

Toward the end of the meeting, Hoch apologized again but this time individually to Sims and Omobien. He said he had never called anyone a name and acknowledged he had been out of order.

Councilman Mike Freeman said the council's problems could be rooted in a decision made years ago to stop praying together as a group in the back room before council meetings.

The 13-member Akron City Council has 5 black members. There are 4 women on the council, 3 of whom are black.

U.S. Census Bureau estimates put Akron's population at 61.5 percent white, 30.4 percent black, 3.1 percent Asian and 5.1 percent multi-racial/other. The statistics are from surveys that were conducted from 2011 through 2015 and released in December 2016.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Save

Save
AKRON, Ohio - Are you a college student, recent graduate or young professional looking to make a difference by volunteering at a non-profit organization in the Akron area?

Attend connect2akron, an engagement and networking event designed to match volunteers with non-profit opportunities, on Thursday, Oct. 12, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall.

"It's an opportunity for like-minded volunteers and young professionals to come together under one roof to connect with the community," said Brian Berg, co-chair of connect2akron, in a news release. "The event provides an opportunity to interact with more than 40 area non-profits, which are looking for the next generation of help in order to leave a lasting, positive impact on our community."

The event, which is sponsored by the Knight Foundation, is a collaboration among the Akron Urban League Young Professionals, Heart to Heart Communications Emerging Leaders, Rubber City Jews, Torchbearers, Young Black Professionals Coalition, Young Professionals of Akron and the Young Professionals Network of the Greater Akron Chamber.

"On top of speaking with local non-profits, this is an excellent way to make connections with other young professionals who are doing great things in our community," said Karen Cheung, co-chair of connect2akron, in a news release.

To register a non-profit for the event or to register as a volunteer, visit www.c2akron.org.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
AKRON, Ohio - if you've lived in the Rubber City long enough, you know the "Akron Sound" describes a punk-music era that hit a high pitch in the 1970s, influenced music aficionados around the world and disappeared almost as quickly as it arose.

But at its peak, the Akron Sound drew famous music critics to Ohio and prompted venues in London to hold contests that sent lucky winners on all-expenses-paid trips to the Rubber City. And, it spun out bands like DEVO, Rubber City Rebels, Hammer Damage, Tin Huey, The Waitresses, Rachael Sweet, Bizarros and Chi-Pig.

On Friday Sept. 22, one founder of the Akron Sound, Rubber City Rebels' lead guitarist Buzz Clic, will bring the Buzz Clic Adventure to Jilly's Music Room in the Northside Arts District.

Clic, who left for Los Angeles with the Rebels in the '70s, got signed and toured the world, has issued three volumes of original music with the Buzz Clic Adventure.

Still, he recalls the tenacity and creativity of Akron musicians in the '70s.

"On the whole, Northeast Ohio was a pretty depressing place to grow up but it made you tough," he said. "You had to figure out ways to amp up the excitement. They were just smart guys that had something to say and figured out a way of getting it out there."

Music as an outlet

Clic grew up in Boston Heights and went to Hudson schools. In 1972, he joined a group called Bold Chicken, which is still celebrated in online punk forums.

When Bold Chicken broke up in 1973, Clic collaborated with his friend Rod Firestone, and Scott Winkler and Donny Damage from Akron, to form King Cobra, which performed heavy metal and glam covers like UFO, Alice Cooper and Silverhead.

Strong on theater, the band and toured in an old Nabisco truck bought at salvage, toting a lighting and PA system, costumes and props, including mannequins.

For a time, the band's soundman, Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO, would play a synthesizer and add backup vocals while running the board.

Then in 1976, the members of King Cobra decided to stop playing cover tunes and go original and were joined by drummer Mike Hammer.

The band also changed its name to Rubber City Rebels based on a suggestion by Youngstown's Dead Boys front man Stiv Bators, after he heard King Cobra play an original song of that name.

"We went original because there were no rules; you could do whatever you wanted," Clic said. "When we saw the Heartbreakers in '76 we started the Rubber City Rebels because we knew the door was wide open."

Creating the Akron Sound

On Friday Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. former Rubber City Rebels' lead guitarist Buzz Clic, will bring the Buzz Clic Adventure to Jilly's Music Room in the Northside Arts District.

About that time, Clic and Firestone acquired a small bar on E. Market St. called the Crypt while another Akron bar called The Bank was becoming popular.

The venues gave Akron, Youngstown and Cleveland bands places to perform, which changed everything for young people who wanted to experience more than large touring bands.

"We created a scene," Damage said. "It was such a happening. It had a lot to do with the people. A lot of people wanted something a little more raw and we were raw. "

Clic recalls DEVO shows packing the house, but the bar making no money because the band's fans were mostly college kids who didn't drink beer.

According to Calvin Rybom, author of "The Akron Sound" set to publish in spring 2018, the Akron Sound was more of an energy than an actual sound.

"Something happened in Akron," Rydbom said. "There was a clear attitude to create music outside the mainstream by a whole bunch of people who knew each other. They wanted to create different, more exciting music and wanted to do it their own way."

When the Crypt finally closed the music continued.

"The Crypt does still exist as a moment in time and point of action where things got started," Clic said. "Living through those days it seemed like normal just-another-day type stuff, but looking back it was pretty interesting the way it played out."

National attention

In 1977, the Rubber City Rebels and Bizarros released the joint album "From Akron" on the Bizarros label Clone Records, which used Tin Huey's studio in West Akron.

The record was praised by Robert Christgau, a rock critic with the Village Voice, who visited Northeast Ohio along with music producer Jerry Wexler.

While many bands got tired of the grind and lost interest, Clic and the Rebels chose to continue pursuing music, moving to Los Angeles in 1978.

"Akron wasn't the end, it was the launch," he said. "Rod and I were always always looking for the big stage. We wanted to replace Led Zeppelin."

Damage and Hammer eventually left the Rubber City Rebels, and moved back to Ohio to form Hammer Damage, which developed a strong following.

One of Hammer Damage's most popular songs, "Laugh" was recently featured along with the Rebel's "I don't wanna be a punk no more," in the first episode of TV series "Mr. Mercedes" based on Stephen King's best-selling detective series.

Clic, Firestone and the remaining Rubber City Rebels were signed by Capital Records in 1980 and toured with the Knack after releasing a self-titled album in 1980. But by 1984, the band was no longer with the label and performing only sporadically

In the 1990s, there was a resurgence of interest in the Rubber City Rebels and many bands covered their music. By 2001, the rebels were touring again and in 2003 released a well-received album ,"Pierce My Brain." The band toured Europe and Japan extensively before interest began to wane.

Clic, Firestone and Hammer still perform shows when time and geography allow but living in separate states limits exposure.

The Buzz Clic Adventure

These days, Clic is happy living in Southern California, writing music and performing with his three-piece Buzz Clic Adventure, which includes Dan Nastro on drums and Ryan Saul on bass/vocals.

The Buzz Clic Adventure released "Return from Nowhere" in 2015 and is currently finishing a new, untitled album set for release later his year.

"I'm still doing exactly what I want," Clic said.

Clic's solo material leans to American hard rock rather than the punk style of the Rebels, but those familiar with the Akron Sound will recognize those distinctive roots.

The Buzz Click Adventure will perform at 8 p.m. at Jilly's Music Room Friday, Sept. 22. Special guest is the Bad Dudes featuring Gorge Cabaniss of the Dead Boys and Hammer Damage, and Kal Mullins of Teacher's pet, Hammer Damage and the Bizarros.

Jilly's is located at 111. N. Main St. in Akron North Side Arts District. Visit Jilly's Music Room for more information.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.



Save
BRECKSVILLE, Ohio - The federal government has approved transferring the title of property containing the former U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital to the city.

The announcement was made Sept. 1 on the Federal Register. It means the city can likely move forward with plans to transform the 102-acre site into a multiple-use district that might include stores, restaurants, apartments, hotels, hospitals, manufacturing plants, warehouses, offices and laboratories.

Mayor Jerry Hruby couldn't be reached Monday or Tuesday regarding the city's next step. In June, he said the city was working with a developer on the multi-use project but he wouldn't name the firm.

"We are finalizing negotiations, and at the appropriate time a memorandum of understanding will be authorized by City Council," Hruby told cleveland.com at the time.

In June, council approved a lease agreement that transferred the rights, duties and obligations of the VA property to Brecksville. It meant that the city - once it obtained the title from the VA - could redevelop the site, which is at the northwest corner of Brecksville and Miller roads.

The June agreement was between the city and Veterans Development LLC, a real estate developer that had been leasing the veterans'-hospital property from the VA since 2009. The contract - known as an "assignment and assumption agreement" - kept the 2009 lease intact but transferred the lease's rights, duties and obligations to the city, and at no cost to the city.

At the time, Law Director David Matty said the city's next step was to present to the VA its plans to redevelop the hospital property. Then the VA would decide whether to transfer the title to the city. Matty was optimistic the city would receive the title, saying the VA had been supportive toward Brecksville's goals.

In November, Brecksville residents, at City Hall's request, voted overwhelmingly to rezone the hospital property into an "overlay district." The site remained an office-laboratory zone but the city can allow housing and other types of businesses on a case-by-case basis.

This article has been clarified to state that the federal government has approved transferring the title of the VA property to Brecksville. The title is not yet in the city's possession.
BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio - Danbury Senior Living, a senior-living community that opened here in January 2016, wants to build an addition.

The project, estimated at $2.5 million, would add 29 living units to the 101-unit community, which is divided somewhat evenly between independent living, assisting living and memory care. Danbury is on Broadview Road across from City Hall.

Earlier this month, City Council referred the plan to the city's Planning Commission. Danbury hopes to start construction in spring 2018.

Danbury isn't the only Greater Cleveland senior-living community expanding either on-site or at a different location. Last year, Strongsville voters approved a rezoning that allowed Altenheim Senior Living to build a rehabilitation center. Also, Jennings Center for Older Adults in Garfield Heights is constructing a new assisted-living community in Brecksville.

Richard Costin, a representative of Danbury Senior Living, told a council committee Sept. 5 that Danbury is nearly full. He said the senior community, with only about four empty units, regularly turns away prospective tenants, due to lack of room.

Costin said Danbury would construct the 16,700-square-foot addition onto the rear of the existing building. The single-story addition, which would meet a demand for more memory-care space, would not be visible from the street.

Councilwoman Jennifer Mahnic asked if Danbury had considered a two-story addition, instead of one-story, based on increasing demand for memory-care units.

Costin said municipal zoning code limits the number of units Danbury can add. Also, since the addition contain units for those who tend to wander due to memory problems, a one-story space is safer and would include a loop inside the building so that wanderers don't encounter dead-ends.

Costin added that a one-story addition would allow Danbury to create an attractive courtyard with more sunlight in the building.

Kristina Sorensen, Broadview Heights' economic development coordinator, said Danbury is in the city's special planning district B, which requires city approval for every project.

In addition to Broadview Heights, Danbury has senior communities in Alliance, Brunswick, Columbus, Cuyahoga Falls, Massillon, North Canton, Tallmadge, Tipp City and Westerville.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Eight Greater Cleveland/Akron school districts are among the top 25 in the state, and Ohio's top performing district is Ottawa Hills near Toledo, according to GPA rankings calculated by cleveland.com.

(See below for the GPA and ranking for each of 608 school districts statewide.)

The Ohio Department of Education again this year did not release an overall grade for each school district. In the past, those assessments came in the form of ratings such as excellent and excellent with distinction.

So to offer an overall assessment, cleveland.com calculated a grade-point average for each district, based on the six component letter grades reported by the state to judge schools in different areas - ranging from test scores and literacy to graduation and preparation for success.

Ottawa Hills received the only perfect 4.0 score, with As from the state in each of the six categories. Unlike in many high schools these days, 4.0 is the highest GPA possible on this scale.

Tops in the Greater Cleveland area, and ranking fifth overall in the state, were the Beachwood and Solon schools, both with GPAs of 3.65, according to cleveland.com.

Other districts ranking high from the Cleveland/Akron area were Rocky River (eighth at 3.6), Hudson (10th at 3.5), Orange (13th at 3.41), Bay Village (16th at 3.35), Highland (20th at 3.24) and Brecksville-Broadview Heights (25th at 3.2).

Overall, just 47 of the 608 districts received a GPA of 3.0 or better. Some 241 districts received a GPA from 2.0 to 2.99.

Most districts were below 2.0, with the lowest being Columbus at 0.15. Columbus received one D and five Fs from the state for the component grades.

GPA for each school district

Following the formula the state intends to use for overall assessment in the future, cleveland.com counted the achievement and progress component grades each 20 percent toward the total, with the other four categories each counting 15 percent.

Find report card details for each public school district and building

See how closely report card grades trend with income by district.

Shaded are districts from the Cleveland/Akron area.

Rank District County GPA 1 Ottawa Hills Lucas 4.000 2 Granville Licking 3.824 2 Madeira Hamilton 3.824 4 Indian Hill Hamilton 3.700 5 Beachwood Cuyahoga 3.647 5 Solon Cuyahoga 3.647 7 Russia Shelby 3.588 8 Mariemont Hamilton 3.550 8 Rocky River Cuyahoga 3.550 10 Hudson Summit 3.500 10 Mason Warren 3.500 10 Oakwood Montgomery 3.500 13 New Albany- Plain Franklin 3.412 13 Orange Cuyahoga 3.412 15 Wyoming Hamilton 3.353 16 Bay Village Cuyahoga 3.350 16 Kalida Putnam 3.350 16 North Canton Stark 3.350 16 Wayne Warren 3.350 20 Botkins Shelby 3.235 20 Columbiana Columbiana 3.235 20 Highland Medina 3.235 20 Perrysburg Wood 3.235 20 Shawnee Allen 3.235 25 Brecksville- Broadview Heights Cuyahoga 3.200 25 Sycamore Hamilton 3.200 27 Aurora Portage 3.176 27 Revere Summit 3.176 27 Versailles Darke 3.176 30 Bexley Franklin 3.150 30 Jackson Stark 3.150 30 Maplewood Trumbull 3.150 33 Forest Hills Hamilton 3.059 34 Coldwater Mercer 3.050 34 Hicksville Defiance 3.050 34 Lake Stark 3.050 34 Marion Mercer 3.050 34 Norwayne Wayne 3.050 34 Springboro Warren 3.050 34 Steubenville Jefferson 3.050 41 Bellbrook- Sugarcreek Greene 3.000 41 Bluffton Allen 3.000 41 Canfield Mahoning 3.000 41 Eastwood Wood 3.000 41 Oak Hills Hamilton 3.000 41 Ottoville Putnam 3.000 41 Poland Mahoning 3.000 48 Tipp City Miami 2.950 49 Chagrin Falls Cuyahoga 2.941 49 Minster Auglaize 2.941 49 Upper Arlington Franklin 2.941 52 Beavercreek Greene 2.850 52 Benton Carroll Salem Ottawa 2.850 52 Brookville Montgomery 2.850 52 Central Defiance 2.850 52 Columbus Grove Putnam 2.850 52 Danbury Ottawa 2.850 52 Lakota Butler 2.850 52 Louisville Stark 2.850 52 Mayfield Cuyahoga 2.850 52 Miami East Miami 2.850 52 Monroe Butler 2.850 52 New Bremen Auglaize 2.850 52 North Royalton Cuyahoga 2.850 52 Ross Butler 2.850 52 St. Henry Consolidated Mercer 2.850 52 West Geauga Geauga 2.850 68 Miller City- New Cleveland Putnam 2.824 69 Ayersville Defiance 2.800 69 Crestview Columbiana 2.800 69 Western Reserve Mahoning 2.800 69 Wheelersburg Scioto 2.800 73 Fort Loramie Shelby 2.765 73 Pettisville Fulton 2.765 75 Avon Lake Lorain 2.750 75 Van Buren Hancock 2.750 77 Anna Shelby 2.700 77 Avon Lorain 2.700 77 Brunswick Medina 2.700 77 Buckeye Central Crawford 2.700 77 Cuyahoga Heights Cuyahoga 2.700 77 Edison (formerly Berlin- Milan) Erie 2.700 77 Green Summit 2.700 77 James A Garfield Portage 2.700 77 Mechanicsburg Champaign 2.700 77 Mentor Lake 2.700 77 North Union Union 2.700 77 Pleasant Marion 2.700 77 Wadsworth Medina 2.700 77 West Branch Mahoning 2.700 77 Worthington Franklin 2.700 92 Ada Hardin 2.650 92 Archbold Fulton 2.650 92 Big Walnut Delaware 2.650 92 Bloom- Vernon Scioto 2.650 92 Crestview Van Wert 2.650 92 Dawson- Bryant Lawrence 2.650 92 Edgerton Williams 2.650 92 Firelands Lorain 2.650 92 Kings Warren 2.650 92 Lakeview Trumbull 2.650 92 Lexington Richland 2.650 92 Marlington Stark 2.650 92 Nordonia Hills Summit 2.650 92 Triway Wayne 2.650 92 Tuslaw Stark 2.650 92 Twinsburg Summit 2.650 92 United Columbiana 2.650 109 Anthony Wayne Lucas 2.647 109 Perry Lake 2.647 111 Fort Recovery Mercer 2.600 111 Independence Cuyahoga 2.600 113 Franklin Monroe Darke 2.588 113 Green Wayne 2.588 113 Seneca East Seneca 2.588 116 Arlington Hancock 2.550 116 Bath Allen 2.550 116 Centerville Montgomery 2.550 116 Elmwood Wood 2.550 116 Evergreen Fulton 2.550 116 Girard Trumbull 2.550 116 Hopewell- Loudon Seneca 2.550 116 Loudonville- Perrysville Ashland 2.550 116 Medina SD Medina 2.550 116 Northeastern Defiance 2.550 116 Southwest Hamilton 2.550 116 Spencerville Allen 2.550 116 Sylvania Lucas 2.550 116 West Liberty- Salem Champaign 2.550 130 Allen East Allen 2.500 130 Antwerp Paulding 2.500 130 Blanchester Clinton 2.500 130 Bloom- Carroll Fairfield 2.500 130 Buckeye Valley Delaware 2.500 130 Chardon Geauga 2.500 130 Clark- Shawnee Clark 2.500 130 Clinton- Massie Clinton 2.500 130 Dalton Wayne 2.500 130 East Holmes Holmes 2.500 130 Fairfield Highland 2.500 130 Genoa Ottawa 2.500 130 Goshen Clermont 2.500 130 Hubbard Trumbull 2.500 130 Jonathan Alder Madison 2.500 130 Keystone Lorain 2.500 130 Mathews Trumbull 2.500 130 Maumee Lucas 2.500 130 McDonald Trumbull 2.500 130 Milford Clermont 2.500 130 Mogadore Summit 2.500 130 Mohawk Wyandot 2.500 130 Northwest Stark 2.500 130 Olmsted Falls Cuyahoga 2.500 130 Ontario Richland 2.500 130 Ottawa- Glandorf Putnam 2.500 130 Perry Stark 2.500 130 Southeastern Clark 2.500 130 Talawanda Butler 2.500 130 Tuscarawas Valley Tuscarawas 2.500 160 Amherst Lorain 2.471 161 Ashland Ashland 2.450 161 Chippewa Wayne 2.450 161 Continental Putnam 2.450 161 Grandview Heights Franklin 2.450 161 Pickerington Fairfield 2.450 161 Yellow Springs Greene 2.450 167 Lowellville Mahoning 2.412 167 New Riegel Seneca 2.412 169 Amanda- Clearcreek Fairfield 2.400 169 Arcadia Hancock 2.400 169 Copley- Fairlawn Summit 2.400 169 Eaton Preble 2.400 169 Gahanna- Jefferson Franklin 2.400 169 Johnstown- Monroe Licking 2.400 169 Northmont Montgomery 2.400 169 Olentangy Delaware 2.400 169 Patrick Henry Henry 2.400 169 Southwest Licking Licking 2.400 179 Westlake Cuyahoga 2.353 180 Alexander Athens 2.350 180 Beaver Columbiana 2.350 180 Bethel- Tate Clermont 2.350 180 Bowling Green Wood 2.350 180 Centerburg Knox 2.350 180 Fredericktown Knox 2.350 180 Hardin- Houston Shelby 2.350 180 Holgate Henry 2.350 180 Kettering Montgomery 2.350 180 Miami Trace Fayette 2.350 180 Millcreek- West Unity Williams 2.350 180 Minerva Stark 2.350 180 National Trail Preble 2.350 180 Northeastern Clark 2.350 180 Pike- Delta- York Fulton 2.350 180 Rittman Wayne 2.350 180 Southington Trumbull 2.350 180 Strongsville Cuyahoga 2.350 180 Stryker Williams 2.350 180 Swanton Fulton 2.350 180 Teays Valley Pickaway 2.350 180 Vandalia- Butler Montgomery 2.350 180 Wauseon Fulton 2.350 180 Wayne Trace Paulding 2.350 180 Weathersfield Trumbull 2.350 180 Woodridge Summit 2.350 206 Delphos Allen 2.300 206 East Palestine Columbiana 2.300 206 Kenston Geauga 2.300 206 Little Miami Warren 2.300 206 North Central Williams 2.300 206 Strasburg- Franklin Tuscarawas 2.300 206 Van Wert Van Wert 2.300 213 New Knoxville Auglaize 2.294 214 Arcanum- Butler Darke 2.250 214 Champion Trumbull 2.250 214 Crestview Richland 2.250 214 Dover Tuscarawas 2.250 214 Liberty- Benton Hancock 2.250 214 Logan Elm Pickaway 2.250 214 Loveland Hamilton 2.250 214 Marysville Union 2.250 214 Miamisburg Montgomery 2.250 214 South Range Mahoning 2.250 214 Valley View Montgomery 2.250 225 Fairbanks Union 2.235 225 Heath Licking 2.235 225 Orrville Wayne 2.235 228 Austintown Mahoning 2.200 228 Bellevue Huron 2.200 228 Cedar Cliff Greene 2.200 228 Coshocton Coshocton 2.200 228 Deer Park Hamilton 2.200 228 Fairlawn Shelby 2.200 228 Jackson Center Shelby 2.200 228 Leipsic Putnam 2.200 228 Maysville Muskingum 2.200 228 Napoleon Henry 2.200 228 Perkins Erie 2.200 228 Plain Stark 2.200 228 Southeast Wayne 2.200 228 Three Rivers Hamilton 2.200 228 Western Reserve Huron 2.200 243 Jackson- Milton Mahoning 2.176 244 Ansonia Darke 2.150 244 Midview Lorain 2.150 244 Norton Summit 2.150 244 Osnaburg Stark 2.150 248 Bloomfield- Mespo Trumbull 2.118 248 Kirtland Lake 2.118 248 Lordstown Trumbull 2.118 248 Manchester Summit 2.118 252 Bethel Miami 2.100 252 Columbia Lorain 2.100 252 Dublin Franklin 2.100 252 Parkway Mercer 2.100 256 Lincolnview Van Wert 2.059 256 Pandora- Gilboa Putnam 2.059 258 Barnesville Belmont 2.050 258 Celina Mercer 2.050 258 Edon Northwest Williams 2.050 258 Gibsonburg Sandusky 2.050 258 Howland Trumbull 2.050 258 Jefferson Ashtabula 2.050 258 LaBrae Trumbull 2.050 258 Manchester Adams 2.050 258 Northwestern Clark 2.050 258 Shelby Richland 2.050 258 Southern Columbiana 2.050 258 Springfield Summit 2.050 258 Waynesfield- Goshen Auglaize 2.050 258 Wooster Wayne 2.050 258 Wynford Crawford 2.050 273 Athens Athens 2.000 273 Bellefontaine Logan 2.000 273 Covington Miami 2.000 273 Felicity- Franklin Clermont 2.000 273 Field Portage 2.000 273 Green Scioto 2.000 273 Indian Lake Logan 2.000 273 Joseph Badger Trumbull 2.000 273 Madison Butler 2.000 273 Madison Richland 2.000 273 Newcomerstown Tuscarawas 2.000 273 North Olmsted Cuyahoga 2.000 273 Northmor Morrow 2.000 273 Oak Hill Union Jackson 2.000 273 Paulding Paulding 2.000 273 South Central Huron 2.000 289 Buckeye Medina 1.950 289 Circleville Pickaway 1.950 289 Fort Frye Washington 1.950 289 Huron Erie 1.950 289 Jackson Jackson 1.950 289 Lebanon Warren 1.950 289 New Richmond Clermont 1.950 289 Newton Miami 1.950 289 North Baltimore Wood 1.950 289 St. Marys Auglaize 1.950 289 Troy Miami 1.950 300 Fairland Lawrence 1.941 300 Hillsdale Ashland 1.941 302 Delaware Delaware 1.900 302 Eastern Brown 1.900 302 Fairfield Union Fairfield 1.900 302 Hardin Northern Hardin 1.900 302 New Boston Scioto 1.900 302 New Philadelphia Tuscarawas 1.900 302 Northwest Hamilton 1.900 302 Northwestern Wayne 1.900 302 Springfield Lucas 1.900 302 Tri- County North Preble 1.900 302 Triad Champaign 1.900 302 Waterloo Portage 1.900 314 Zane Trace Ross 1.882 315 Batavia Clermont 1.850 315 Benjamin Logan Logan 1.850 315 Brooklyn Cuyahoga 1.850 315 Clear Fork Valley Richland 1.850 315 Clyde- Green Springs Sandusky 1.850 315 East Clinton Clinton 1.850 315 Elgin Marion 1.850 315 Fairfield Butler 1.850 315 Fayetteville- Perry Brown 1.850 315 Geneva Ashtabula 1.850 315 Georgetown Brown 1.850 315 Hillsboro Highland 1.850 315 Madison- Plains Madison 1.850 315 Northridge Licking 1.850 315 Plymouth- Shiloh Richland 1.850 315 Port Clinton Ottawa 1.850 315 River Valley Marion 1.850 315 Rootstown Portage 1.850 315 Tri- Village Darke 1.850 315 Upper Sandusky Wyandot 1.850 315 Washington- Nile Scioto 1.850 336 Symmes Valley Lawrence 1.824 336 West Muskingum Muskingum 1.824 338 Crestwood Portage 1.800 338 Liberty Union- Thurston Fairfield 1.800 338 Sheffield- Sheffield Lake Lorain 1.800 338 Southeast Portage 1.800 338 Springfield Mahoning 1.800 338 Tiffin Seneca 1.800 338 Wapakoneta Auglaize 1.800 338 Warren Washington 1.800 346 Berne Union Fairfield 1.750 346 Boardman Mahoning 1.750 346 Bridgeport Belmont 1.750 346 Bright Highland 1.750 346 Bristol Trumbull 1.750 346 Brown Carroll 1.750 346 Bryan Williams 1.750 346 Canal Winchester Franklin 1.750 346 Eastern Meigs 1.750 346 Elida Allen 1.750 346 Fayette Fulton 1.750 346 Greeneview Greene 1.750 346 Harrison Hills Harrison 1.750 346 Indian Valley Tuscarawas 1.750 346 Jefferson Madison 1.750 346 Lakewood Cuyahoga 1.750 346 Mount Vernon Knox 1.750 346 Northwest Scioto 1.750 346 Piqua Miami 1.750 346 Scioto Valley Pike 1.750 346 Vinton County Vinton 1.750 346 Windham Portage 1.750 368 Brookfield Trumbull 1.700 368 Carey Wyandot 1.700 368 Cuyahoga Falls Summit 1.700 368 Frontier Washington 1.700 368 Graham Champaign 1.700 368 Lakota Sandusky 1.700 368 Lancaster Fairfield 1.700 368 Monroeville Huron 1.700 368 New Lebanon Montgomery 1.700 368 Old Fort Seneca 1.700 368 Reading Hamilton 1.700 368 Ridgewood Coshocton 1.700 368 River View Coshocton 1.700 368 Riverside Logan 1.700 368 Rossford Wood 1.700 368 Sandy Valley Stark 1.700 368 Washington Court House Fayette 1.700 368 West Holmes Holmes 1.700 368 Westfall Pickaway 1.700 368 Willoughby- Eastlake Lake 1.700 368 Wilmington Clinton 1.700 368 Wolf Creek Washington 1.700 390 Hamilton Franklin 1.650 390 Liberty Center Henry 1.650 390 Margaretta Erie 1.650 390 Morgan Morgan 1.650 390 North Ridgeville Lorain 1.650 390 Oberlin Lorain 1.650 390 Struthers Mahoning 1.650 390 Valley Scioto 1.650 390 Vermilion Erie 1.650 390 Williamsburg Clermont 1.650 400 Chesapeake Union Lawrence 1.600 400 Colonel Crawford Crawford 1.600 400 Coventry Summit 1.600 400 East Muskingum Muskingum 1.600 400 Franklin Muskingum 1.600 400 Galion Crawford 1.600 400 Hilliard Franklin 1.600 400 Logan- Hocking Hocking 1.600 400 Montpelier Williams 1.600 400 Newton Falls Trumbull 1.600 400 St. Clairsville- Richland Belmont 1.600 400 Tallmadge Summit 1.600 412 Oregon Lucas 1.588 413 Canton Stark 1.550 413 Cardington- Lincoln Morrow 1.550 413 Noble Noble 1.550 413 Otsego Wood 1.550 413 Paint Valley Ross 1.550 413 Southeastern Ross 1.550 419 Conneaut Ashtabula 1.529 419 Jennings Putnam 1.529 419 Minford Scioto 1.529 422 Greenville Darke 1.500 422 Kent Portage 1.500 422 Leetonia Columbiana 1.500 422 Liberty Trumbull 1.500 422 Lynchburg- Clay Highland 1.500 422 Madison Lake 1.500 422 Mapleton Ashland 1.500 422 Mississinawa Valley Darke 1.500 422 Mount Gilead Morrow 1.500 422 Riverside Lake 1.500 422 Rolling Hills Guernsey 1.500 422 Tri- Valley Muskingum 1.500 422 Wellington Lorain 1.500 422 Wellston Jackson 1.500 436 Perry Allen 1.471 437 Cardinal Geauga 1.450 437 Carlisle Warren 1.450 437 Clay Scioto 1.450 437 East Guernsey Guernsey 1.450 437 Fairview Park Cuyahoga 1.450 437 Findlay Hancock 1.450 437 Fostoria Seneca 1.450 437 Franklin Warren 1.450 437 Fremont Sandusky 1.450 437 Garaway Tuscarawas 1.450 437 Greenon Clark 1.450 437 Highland Morrow 1.450 437 Lucas Richland 1.450 437 McComb Hancock 1.450 437 Milton- Union Miami 1.450 437 New London Huron 1.450 437 Norwalk Huron 1.450 437 Reynoldsburg Franklin 1.450 437 Ridgemont Hardin 1.450 437 Shadyside Belmont 1.450 437 Shaker Heights Cuyahoga 1.450 437 Twin Valley Preble 1.450 437 Union- Scioto Ross 1.450 437 Vanlue Hancock 1.450 437 Walnut Township Fairfield 1.450 437 West Clermont Clermont 1.450 437 Westerville Franklin 1.450 437 Woodmore Sandusky 1.450 465 Cambridge Guernsey 1.400 465 Campbell Mahoning 1.400 465 East Liverpool Columbiana 1.400 465 Ironton Lawrence 1.400 465 New Lexington Perry 1.400 465 Norwood Hamilton 1.400 465 Salem Columbiana 1.400 465 Southern Meigs 1.400 465 St. Bernard- Elmwood Place Hamilton 1.400 465 Stow- Munroe Falls Summit 1.400 465 Streetsboro Portage 1.400 465 West Carrollton Montgomery 1.400 465 Western Brown Brown 1.400 478 Put- In- Bay Ottawa 1.357 479 Licking Valley Licking 1.353 479 Wickliffe Lake 1.353 481 Clearview Lorain 1.350 481 Ridgedale Marion 1.350 481 Trimble Athens 1.350 484 Buckeye Ashtabula 1.300 484 Buckeye Jefferson 1.300 484 Claymont Tuscarawas 1.300 484 Clermont Northeastern Clermont 1.300 484 Cloverleaf Medina 1.300 484 Cory- Rawson Hancock 1.300 484 Crooksville Perry 1.300 484 Edgewood Butler 1.300 484 Edison Jefferson 1.300 484 Fairless Stark 1.300 484 Kenton Hardin 1.300 484 Lakewood Licking 1.300 484 Northern Perry 1.300 484 Northwood Wood 1.300 484 Preble Shawnee Preble 1.300 484 Washington Lucas 1.300 484 Wellsville Columbiana 1.300 484 Willard Huron 1.300 502 Berea Cuyahoga 1.250 502 Black River Medina 1.250 502 Bradford Miami 1.250 502 Caldwell Noble 1.250 502 Carrollton Carroll 1.250 502 Greenfield Highland 1.250 502 Groveport Madison Franklin 1.250 502 Licking Heights Licking 1.250 502 London Madison 1.250 502 Ripley- Union- Lewis- Huntington Brown 1.250 502 Riverdale Hancock 1.250 502 Rock Hill Lawrence 1.250 502 Whitehall Franklin 1.250 515 Bucyrus Crawford 1.200 516 Belpre Washington 1.176 517 Adams County Ohio Valley Adams 1.150 517 Adena Ross 1.150 517 Alliance Stark 1.150 517 Berkshire Geauga 1.150 517 Conotton Valley Union Harrison 1.150 517 Crestline Crawford 1.150 517 Defiance Defiance 1.150 517 East Knox Knox 1.150 517 Eastern Pike 1.150 517 Grand Valley Ashtabula 1.150 517 Marietta Washington 1.150 517 Martins Ferry Belmont 1.150 517 Massillon Stark 1.150 517 Pymatuning Valley Ashtabula 1.150 517 Tecumseh Clark 1.150 517 Upper Scioto Valley Hardin 1.150 533 Danville Knox 1.100 533 Fairborn Greene 1.100 533 Finneytown Hamilton 1.100 533 Gallipolis Gallia 1.100 533 Lake Wood 1.100 533 Lisbon Columbiana 1.100 533 Meigs Meigs 1.100 533 Newark Licking 1.100 533 North Fork Licking 1.100 533 Portsmouth Scioto 1.100 533 South- Western Franklin 1.100 533 Urbana Champaign 1.100 533 Western Pike 1.100 546 Garfield Heights Cuyahoga 1.050 547 Chillicothe Ross 1.000 547 Huber Heights Montgomery 1.000 547 Huntington Ross 1.000 547 Indian Creek Jefferson 1.000 547 Newbury Geauga 1.000 547 Northridge Montgomery 1.000 547 Sebring Mahoning 1.000 547 Sidney Shelby 1.000 547 Union Belmont 1.000 547 Waverly Pike 1.000 557 Barberton Summit 0.950 557 Cleveland Heights- University Heights Cuyahoga 0.950 557 Federal Hocking Athens 0.950 557 Gallia County Gallia 0.950 557 Lockland Hamilton 0.950 557 Marion Marion 0.950 557 Middletown Butler 0.950 557 Nelsonville- York Athens 0.950 557 Parma Cuyahoga 0.950 557 Ravenna Portage 0.950 557 South Point Lawrence 0.950 557 Switzerland of Ohio Monroe 0.950 557 Toronto Jefferson 0.950 557 Xenia Greene 0.950 571 Painesville Lake 0.900 572 Southern Perry 0.850 572 Winton Woods Hamilton 0.850 572 Zanesville Muskingum 0.850 575 Fairport Harbor Lake 0.824 576 Bedford Cuyahoga 0.800 576 Jefferson Township Montgomery 0.800 576 Niles Trumbull 0.800 576 Princeton Hamilton 0.800 576 South Euclid- Lyndhurst Cuyahoga 0.800 581 Bellaire Belmont 0.700 581 Lima Allen 0.700 581 New Miami Butler 0.700 581 Sandusky Erie 0.700 581 Springfield Clark 0.700 586 Cincinnati Hamilton 0.650 586 Elyria Lorain 0.650 586 Hamilton Butler 0.650 586 Mad River Montgomery 0.650 586 Richmond Heights Cuyahoga 0.650 586 Warren Trumbull 0.650 586 Youngstown Mahoning 0.650 593 Akron Summit 0.500 593 Euclid Cuyahoga 0.500 593 Maple Heights Cuyahoga 0.500 593 Mount Healthy Hamilton 0.500 593 Warrensville Heights Cuyahoga 0.500 598 Ashtabula Ashtabula 0.471 599 Trotwood- Madison Montgomery 0.450 600 Canton Stark 0.350 600 Dayton Montgomery 0.350 600 Mansfield Richland 0.350 600 North College Hill Hamilton 0.350 600 Toledo Lucas 0.350 605 Cleveland Municipal Cuyahoga 0.300 605 East Cleveland Cuyahoga 0.300 605 Lorain Lorain 0.300 608 Columbus Franklin 0.150

Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. Follow on Twitter @RichExner.
EUCLID, Ohio - A group of retired black police officers said Tuesday that a suspended Euclid patrolman seen hitting a man in a video that went viral should not return to duty, and that agencies across the U.S. should take action against police officers accused of misconduct.

Euclid police officer Michael Amiott has been serving an unpaid suspension since video showed him punching Richard Hubbard, 25, during an Aug. 12 traffic stop. Amiott told supervisors that Hubbard resisted arrest, but Hubbard and his attorney have contested that claim.

Six members of the African American Law Enforcement Retiree Association, which is based in Northeast Ohio, said during a news conference outside the Euclid Police Department that Amiott should not return to duty in Euclid or anywhere else.

The AALERA members said race did not play a role in their decision to make statements outside the police department. They were instead influenced by the video of Amiott hitting Hubbard, and his prior record as a police officer.

"This officer has shown a clear pattern and practice of abuse of powers against citizens of many communities," said Marvin Cross, a retired commander from Cleveland's community policing unit. "Officer Amiott should not be able to wear a badge of any department, in order to make the community safe from this bad apple [and] coward who hides behind a badge."

The retired police officers referenced reports that show Amiott has used force against suspects at least 17 other times in his three years with the Euclid Police Department. Amiott was also allowed to resign from the Mentor Police Department in 2014 after he conducted a traffic stop without probable cause and lied about it, the retired police officers noted.

"He should not be on this job," said Juanita Black, a former Cleveland police officer who is the AALERA's president.

Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer suspended Amiott for 15 days without pay after the incident involving Hubbard, and Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail extended the suspension for an additional 30 days.

The city's police union has filed a grievance to contest both suspensions. An arbitrator will review the suspensions before issuing a final decision, but there is no timetable for when that might happen, officials said.

If the suspensions are not altered, Amiott will be eligible to return to work Oct. 15, Euclid Law Director Kelley Sweeney said.

The AALERA members said Tuesday that law enforcement officers across the U.S. must speak out against misconduct to restore trust between police departments and the communities they serve.

"We need to bridge the gap between our police departments and the community," retired Cleveland police officer Paul Jones said. "It has to start somewhere. We're choosing to make a statement about [Amiott]."

The city's police union, Euclid FOP Lodge 18, voiced its support for Amiott following the incident involving Hubbard and in the wake of his suspensions. The police union's president, David Trend, said in a statement that the union disagrees with the AALERA's comments.

To comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.
KENT, Ohio - Caregivers of pets with chronic and terminal diseases can suffer the same mental and physical stress as individuals caring for their ill loved ones, according to a study.

Mary Beth Spitznagel, a clinical neuropsychologist and associate professor in Kent State University's Department of Psychological Sciences, realized there was very little scientific research on caregivers of animals when she was facing stress while caring for her dog Allo, the university said.

She realized she was suffering caregiver burden, which is linked to depression, anxiety and poor quality of life, and decided to study the topic further.

The results were published in an article, "Caregiver Burden in Owners of a Sick Companion Animal: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study," in the journal Veterinary Record.

Veterinarians at Stow Kent Animal Hospital and Metropolitan Animal Hospital co-authored the study.

One vet, Dr. Mark Carlson, treated Spitznagel's dogs for years, including Allo, who died a year ago after bouts with both Cushing's disease and transitional cell carcinoma in the bladder.

While caring for Allo, Spitznagel joined a social media support group for pet owners going through similar experiences. While it helped to share and cope with the stress, it also made her realize the lack of research on those who care for pets.

"There is a ton of research and support for those who care for humans, but virtually none for pet caregivers, even though 85 percent of pet caregivers consider their pets members of their families," Spitznagel said in a statement. "I could see, as a group, we were coping. But, we were all hanging by a thread."

She created an online questionnaire using previously validated measures from human caregiver burden research and put it out on social media with general posts and specific online pet disease support group posts. She got an overwhelming response from 600 pet owners.

"It turns out that the effects of caregiving for a sick pet - burden, stress, anxiety, depression, low quality of life - are in many ways similar to what we see in a person caring for a sick family member, for example, a parent with dementia," Spitznagel said. "In the case of this study, burden is at a high enough level that for some people, it could be causing symptoms of anxiety and, more likely, depression."

Spitznagel created a science blog, petcaregiverburden.com, on the topic and is doing additional studies with pet owners and pet disease support groups.

She has studied caregiver burden throughout her career. During her training as a clinical psychologist, she worked on a federally funded project examining family members providing care for people with dementia. In recent years, she has held clinical privileges at Summa Health System in Akron, where she works with dementia patients and their families.

"It can be overwhelming for some - the burden of almost constant attention, sleepless nights and weekly trips to the doctor," Spitznagel said of those caring for loved ones. "Difficulty managing that stress contributes to anxiety or depression for many. Over the years, I've worked with dementia caregivers who seek counseling for these issues, and I've heard similar comments from some of our pet caregivers."

Spitznagel said more work is needed to determine how to best help burdened pet caregivers, but the first step is to help people recognize that taking care of their pet is likely to take a personal toll on their own lives.

"They need to know that it is okay to feel stressed out by the situation," she said. "Acknowledging the stress doesn't mean they love their pet any less."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Potential future downtown Cleveland residents toured the Milton Townhomes, 1421 E. 15th Street and Superior Avenue, on the first day of Downtown Days on Monday.

The 2-bed, 2-1/2 bath rental townhomes with private garages are part of the explosion of residences in downtown Cleveland. They are for rent at $1,900 and $2,000.

First National Bank is sponsoring the 2nd Annual Downtown Days in partnership with Downtown Cleveland Alliance and Greater Cleveland Partnership. The week-long festival shows future residents the beauty and convenience of downtown living.

Cleveland will have more than 1,000 units of housing this year, increasing the population to more than 15,000 residents downtown, according to Heather Holmes, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Downtown Cleveland Alliance. "Downtown Days connects current and future residents of downtown with the growing number of assets and amenities that make downtown a neighborhood," Holmes said. The goal is to have 20,000 people living downtown by 2020.

For more events this week, go to: http://www.downtowncleveland.com/events/downtown-days
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday joined a bipartisan group of governors who formally declared opposition to the latest U.S. Senate plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Kasich joined nine other governors including Colorado Democrat John Hickenlooper in a letter that asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to not consider the controversial proposal.

Their letter said the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has held hearings on ways "to make individual health insurance more stable and affordable," and that committee's efforts should be supported rather than the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson amendment that was advanced last week and could be voted by the end of the month by the Senate.

Once again, bipartisan governors have joined together to send a strong message: the only way forward on health care is if we work together. pic.twitter.com/9WuJkrKC3P  John Kasich (@JohnKasich) September 19, 2017

The proposal that Kasich opposes was advanced by GOP senators from South Carolina, Louisiana, Nevada and Wisconsin, who said it would repeal the structure and architecture of Obamacare and replace it with a yearly block grant to states that would help individuals pay for health care.

Schumer calls the plan "an evil bill" that would cost 30 million people their insurance, gut Medicaid and eliminate pre-existing conditions protections.

McConnell - who is trying to round up the needed 50 Republican votes to pass a health care reform plan - called the Graham-Cassidy proposal "an intriguing idea" in a Tuesday speech, and warned that the opportunity to "move beyond the failures of Obamacare" ... "may well pass us by if we don't act soon."

The opposition from the bipartisan governors will complicate McConnell's efforts.

Calling your representatives will impact the outcome of Cassidy-Graham. We've defended healthcare once & we can do it again: (202) 224-3121 https://t.co/uKfrp3i144  Sherrod Brown (@SherrodBrown) September 18, 2017

Their letter said any solution should "control costs, stabilize the market, and positively impact coverage and care of millions of Americans, including many who are dealing with mental illness, chronic health problems and drug addiction."

"We ask you to support bipartisan efforts to bring stability and affordability to our insurance markets," it said. "We look forward to continuing to work with you to improve the American health care system."

Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman told reporters on Tuesday that he's still reviewing the bill and its impact on Ohio and will decide soon whether to support it.

He said he likes that the bill would give states flexibility to meet their own needs, and observed that Kasich would be out of office when the bill becomes effective in 2019.

"Our needs are different than other states," Portman said, adding that it would give Ohio's legislature and governor the ability to design programs to address state-specific problems, like opioid addiction.

To #Congress: Graham-Cassidy would result in millions losing coverage, destabilize insurance markets, decrease access to affordable care. pic.twitter.com/p0A1lJf4cx  AMA (@AmerMedicalAssn) September 19, 2017

Last month, Kasich and Hickenlooper led a group of eight governors in setting forth a list of proposals to fix problems in the Affordable Care Act's insurance markets. Their ideas included federal funding of cost-sharing payments to insurance companies, creating "stability plans" for states, and giving insurance companies breaks for offering plans in underserved counties where only one carrier has agreed to offer ACA policies.

The governors of Nevada, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Virginia, Louisiana and Montana joined Kasich and Hickenlooper in last month's proposals and Tuesday's letter. The governors of Massachusetts and Vermont signed onto the letter alone.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- City Councilman Zack Reed has taken a nontraditional approach over the past week as he works to build on his second-place finish in last week's Cleveland mayoral primary.

Reed's activities began the morning after the Sept. 12 election. He shook hands before 8 a.m. on Wednesday with voters in Cleveland's Shaker Square neighborhood as he, via his Twitter account, live-streamed his interactions with residents. Later that day, he stopped by an event organized by the Cuyahoga County Republican Party, whose support Reed, a Democrat, opportunistically is courting. On Thursday, he live-streamed himself conducting a walk-through of a woman touring her new home, renovated by a faith-based group, in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood, which Reed represents.

On Friday, Reed appeared on WTAM, the radio station, to talk about the mayor's race. On Saturday, he used "reply all" to respond to criticism from a supporter of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson written in a group email to dozens of elected officials, public employees, business leaders and media members. On Sunday, he attended two church services in one morning, one on the East Side and one on the West Side. And during Monday's City Council meeting, he used the meeting as a platform to assail the mayor on the city's murder rate.

Reed's efforts have focused on engaging with small groups, using the Internet and getting media exposure when he can as he tries to broaden support for his underdog campaign. His tactics reflect the kind of thrifty, retail-politics campaign approach he'll have to use unless he can dramatically close the fundraising gap with Jackson, who had raised about seven times as much money as Reed as of the last campaign finance deadline.

"We're going to go seven days a week," Reed said Tuesday. "We're not going to slow down. We're going to show the city of Cleveland that we're going to be high-energy, and we're going to continue to be that kind of candidate. To take us into the future, Cleveland needs a high-energy, creative mayor."

In contrast, Jackson has kept a less busy public schedule, while promoting larger scale events to the news media that have emphasized new city initiatives.

Jackson held a Saturday event marking the opening of his West Side campaign office -- his third in the city -- after which he walked through the surrounding neighborhood, near the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, distributing yard signs. On Monday, Jackson announced an expanded city ambulance fleet. On Tuesday, he held an official news conference, organized jointly with Cuyahoga County and the FBI, touting a newly created unit that will focus on investigating unsolved homicides.

In a statement, Jackson said he is actively campaigning throughout the city.

"My first priority is my commitment as mayor of the City of Cleveland and on continuing the progress we are making as a community, while building on the increased services that the passage of Issue 32 [the 2016 income tax increase] has provided for and creating a transformative future that is inclusive of all of our people," Jackson said. "My campaign is engaged on making sure that the entire city of Cleveland is able to participate in the wealth, education and job opportunities that we as a community are creating."

Jackson won the Sept. 12 primary, receiving 38 percent to Reed's 22 percent, but by definition, 62 percent of voters supported another candidate who had argued for a change in city leadership. Reed's performance was strongest on the southeast side, which he represents, and now he is trying to broaden his support to the city's more conservative West Side. The run-off election between Jackson and Reed is on Nov. 7.

On Saturday, Reed responded to a group email from Norm Edwards, an outspoken advocate for hiring black contractors for construction projects. Edwards had written the email, sent to dozens of business leaders, public employees, elected officials and media members, to express his support for Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and, indirectly, to criticize Reed. Reed was among the email's recipients.

"In this City of champions how we present ourselves to the world is of paramount importance and requires a leader who has already put the learning curve of a novice mayor behind him and brings proven experience and wisdom to the table," Edwards had written.

Reed responded to Edwards - and the entire group -- by writing that polling shows public safety concerns are the number-one issue in Cleveland. He said the city is "on the verge" of surpassing 100 murders for the fourth straight year.

"So, I will tell the mothers and the grandmothers, I will change the economic conditions of your love [sic] ones and get them a JOB," Reed wrote in the email, which he typed up on his smart phone. "While at the same time keeping them safe. Something Mayor Frank G. Jackson cannot promise."

On Sunday, Reed live-streamed himself appearing at a charity event in West Park that benefited police and other emergency first responders. And at the City Council meeting on Monday, Reed used his five minutes, allotted to each council member at the end of each meeting, to assail Jackson over the city's murder rate.

"We now are going on our fourth consecutive year of more than 100 people losing their lives in the city of Cleveland," Reed said. "What did this administration do? We know what they do."

Reed's presence at the Cuyahoga County Republican Party GOP event last Wednesday stemmed from an Election Night conversation with Robert Kilo, who called Reed to congratulate him, according to Reed. Kilo, the GOP-endorsed mayoral candidate, placed fifth, but had relative strength on the West Side. Reed didn't speak at the event, organized as part of the county GOP's efforts to reach out to black voters and support black candidates, but he mingled with the crowd.

Following the event, Kilo told cleveland.com he will consider whether to endorse Jackson or Reed based on each candidate's stance on public safety.

"I'm not endorsing anybody yet. I'd like to see what these candidates are going to do," Kilo said.

Reed may have some inroads with the county GOP -- Ed Crawford, a major Republican donor who works in Cleveland, gave Reed $2,000 in mid-August. Perhaps showing he was hedging his bets on a Jackson challenger, Crawford gave an identical amount to City Councilman Jeff Johnson, who ended up placing third in last week's primary before endorsing Reed.

Another prominent GOP donor, local businessman Tony George, in June gave Reed $5,000, the maximum amount allowed under the city's campaign finance rules. (George also has donated $1,250 to Jackson this year.) And businessman Andrew Jackson, who attended the Wednesday GOP event, gave Reed $2,500 in June.

Cuyahoga County Republican Party Chairman Rob Frost said it will be up to the county party's members to decide whether to weigh in on the mayor's race.

"What we know is our first choice for mayor didn't win," Frost said. "Beyond that, we'll have to take a look at it."

Cleveland.com reporter Robert Higgs contributed to this story.
The CCAC-recommended design for the War in the Pacific National Historical Park quarter dollar portrays a wave of American forces coming ashore at Asan Bay, strengthening the number of troops already on the island in the fight for the island of Guam and its eventual liberation.

A recommended design for the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park incorporates elements if the Spanish Colonial real coin, in its iconography and composition of four quadrants, to pay tribute to the missions. Within the quadrants are symbols of the missions.

The CCAC-preferred American Memorial Park design features a Chamorro boy saluting the American flag while resting on the shoulder of a soldier at the Memorial Court of Honor and Flag Circle. The panel asked the Mint for a selection of designs featuring variations of the original design.

The Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts is commemorated on a proposed quarter dollar design that depicts a mill girl spinning thread that is stylized to look like water. A water wheel is in the background.

The CCAC-recommended design for the ?Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness quarter dollar for Idaho depicts a scene found far from human habitation, focusing on tall conifers and a wolf against a star-filled sky, evoking a sense of remoteness.

*NOTE: All 64 images can be seen toward the bottom of this post*

In total, 64 design proposals were submitted for review by panels appointed to make recommendations in the process of choosing the reverses of the five America the Beautiful quarter dollars to be struck and issued by the U.S. Mint in 2019.

The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee reviewed the proposed coin designs Sept. 19, with the Commission of Fine Arts to evaluate the same designs on Sept. 20 and make recommendations.

Did you buy a winner or a loser from the U.S. Mint? Also in this weeks print issue of Coin World, we not only learn more about rare coins, but collectible rare cars as well.

Feb. 15, the CCAC discussed by teleconference proposed design themes for the five 2019 quarter dollars, from which design sketches have now been rendered by members of the U.S. Mint's engraving staff and outside artists with the U.S. Mint's Artistic Infusion Program.

The entities the 2019 quarter dollar designs commemorate, followed by the number of designs submitted on the theme, are:

??Lowell National Historical Park (Massachusetts)  18 designs

??American Memorial Park (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands)  nine designs

??War in the Pacific National Historical Park (Guam)  10 designs

??San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (Texas)  15 designs

??Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness (Idaho)  22 designs

During its Sept. 19 session, CCAC members made definitive recommendations for designs for four of the quarter dollars and selected a design for a fifth coin but asked the Mint to make further refinements that could be reviewed at a later meeting.

Refinements were requested to the preferred American Memorial Park design. The design features a Chamorro boy saluting the American flag while resting on the shoulder of a soldier at the Memorial Court of Honor and Flag Circle. The memorial honors the sacrifice made by those who lost their lives in the Mariana Campaign during World War II. The panel's recommendations involved aspects of perspective in the design.

Primary discussion among CCAC members centered on adjusting the relationship between the background and foreground elements, with suggestions that the flags in the background be reduced in size or faded back and the two people in the foreground be enlarged.

The recommended design for the Lowell National Historical Park quarter dollar depicts a mill girl spinning thread that is stylized to look like water, indicating the importance of the canal system powering the mills throughout the factories at Lowell. A water wheel is in the background.

The recommended design for the War in the Pacific National Historical Park quarter dollar portrays a wave of American forces coming ashore at Asan Bay, strengthening the number of troops already on the island in the fight for the island of Guam and its eventual liberation during World War II.

Connect with Coin World:

Sign up for our free eNewsletter

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

For the 2019 San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, the CCAC recommended a design incorporating elements of the Spanish Colonial real coin, in its iconography and composition of four quadrants, to pay tribute to the missions. Within the quadrants are symbols of the missions. Wheat symbolizes farming and cultivation of the mission lands. The arches and a bell tower symbolize fortress, community and home. A heraldic lion represents Spanish cultural heritage. A symbol of the San Antonio River represents irrigation methods and life-sustaining resources harnessed by the missions.

The recommended ?Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness quarter dollar for Idaho depicts a scene found far from human habitation, focusing on tall conifers and a wolf against a star-filled sky, evoking a sense of remoteness.
The American Israel Numismatic Association marks the centennial of the Balfour Declaration, and two other milestones, with a commemorative medal program. The silver version appears here.

A dealer-collector in Canada has coordinated the creation and sale of counterstamped 1967 silver dollars to celebrate the centennial of the Balfour Declaration.

Images courtesy of Israel Lachovsky and the American Israel Numismatic Association.

The Balfour Declaration in 1917 helped pave the way toward eventual establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. A Canadian collector-dealer and an American hobby organization are commemorating the centennial of the Declaration with numismatic items.

The Balfour Declaration in 1917 helped pave the way toward eventual establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

A Canadian collector-dealer and an American hobby organization are commemorating the centennial of the Declaration with numismatic items.

Did you buy a winner or a loser from the U.S. Mint? Also in this weeks print issue of Coin World, we not only learn more about rare coins, but collectible rare cars as well.

Israel Lachosvky, a Calgary coin and antiques dealer, is offering 1967 Canadian silver dollars featuring a Balfour Declaration counterstamp.

The counterstamp is applied by Citadel Coins in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which is producing the pieces for Lachovsky.

The same firm earlier in 2017 counterstamped 1967 silver dollar coins from Canada to celebrate the nations 150th anniversary. Lachosvky began selling those, and in discussing that project began pursuing a similar project for the Balfour Declaration.

The counterstamp on the reverse includes an Israeli flag, a map of Israel, and the dual dates of 1917 and 2017.

Other inscriptions on the reverse mark the 50th anniversary of the coin as the final circulating silver dollar in Canada, and mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

Lachosvkys initials, IL, as the counterstamp designer, appear below the CC representing the counterstamp producer.

Pieces are being produced as needed based on sales, with a guaranteed limit of 300 pieces.

Each piece retails for $134.95 U.S. plus actual shipping charges. To order, email Lachovsky.

An American commemoration

The American Israel Numismatic Associations Balfour Declaration medal is a triple commemorative piece, celebrating the organizations 50th anniversary along with two historic events in the history of Israel.

Design concepts by Mel Wacks were refined and sculptured by renowned medalist Heidi Wastweet. Wacks has been president of AINA for 15 years, and Wastweet has created more than 1,000 coins, medals, and tokens since 1987.

The medals obverse commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration.

The obverse portrait of the United Kingdoms foreign secretary in 1917, Arthur James Balfour is paired with historic text from his letter sent on Nov. 2, 1917, to Walter Rothschild, the 2nd Baron Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland:

His Majestys Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.

The reverse of the medal pictures the Israeli Defense Forces liberating the Western Wall in Jerusalems Old City on June 7, 1967. Triumphant Brig. Gen. Shlomo Goren, later to become the chief rabbi of Israel, is shown holding a Torah and sounding the shofar (rams horn), as Israeli soldiers honor their comrades killed in combat.

Rabbi Goren then recited Le-shana HA-ZOT be-Yerushalayim ha-bnuya, be-yerushalayim ha-atika!  a portion of which is featured on the medal, in English: THIS YEAR IN A REBUILT JERUSALEM-5727. The legend also includes: REUNIFICATION OF JERUSALEM JUNE 7, 1967.

The third commemoration is inscribed on the medals edge: AINA 50TH ANNIVERSARY 19672017

Medal Specifications

The medal has a mintage limit of 250 pieces in bronze. In addition, the design is available in a 2.5-ounce .999 fine silver version (limited to 100 pieces) and as a gold-plated version of the same silver medal, limited to 50 pieces.

Medallic Art Company struck the AINA medals.

The bronze medal retails for $50, the silver version is priced at $200, and the gold-plated silver medal at $250. A three-medal set retails for $485. Each serial numbered medal comes with a certificate of authenticity and display stand.

Coin World readers may mention the publication for a 20 percent discount.

Shipping is $5 per order in the United States and $18 overseas.

To order, telephone Wacks at 818-225-1348.


the complete review - fiction

Return to the Dark Valley



by

Santiago Gamboa



general information | review summaries | our review | links | about the author

Spanish title: Volver al oscuro valle

Translated by Howard Curtis

- Return to top of the page -

Our Assessment:



B : quite engaging, but presentation feels somewhat clunky

See our review for fuller assessment.

Review Summaries Source Rating Date Reviewer The NY Rev. of Books . 19/7/2018 Silvana Paternostro The NY Times Book Rev. . 17/12/2017 Mara Faye Lethem San Francisco Chronicle C 26/11/2017 Scott Esposito

From the Reviews :

" Return to the Dark Valley combines many aspects of Gamboas previous work: violence, displacement, erudite reflections on the state of the world and the human condition, and depictions of Colombians living abroad. Unlike his other novels, though, this one is about what happens when the rejected homeland becomes attractive, when the yellow brick road leads back to where you started. It is about going home, which might reflect Gamboas own recent decision to live in Colombia after three decades roaming the world. (...) Return to the Dark Valley is also layered with disquisitions on everything from Rimbauds life to negritude poetry, Nietzsche, and the minds of jihadists. Joseph Beuys and Joseph Conrad have cameos. This can be impressive, even exhilarating, but also exasperating and excessive." - Silvana Paternostro, The New York Review of Books





combines many aspects of Gamboas previous work: violence, displacement, erudite reflections on the state of the world and the human condition, and depictions of Colombians living abroad. Unlike his other novels, though, this one is about what happens when the rejected homeland becomes attractive, when the yellow brick road leads back to where you started. It is about going home, which might reflect Gamboas own recent decision to live in Colombia after three decades roaming the world. (...) is also layered with disquisitions on everything from Rimbauds life to negritude poetry, Nietzsche, and the minds of jihadists. Joseph Beuys and Joseph Conrad have cameos. This can be impressive, even exhilarating, but also exasperating and excessive." - "Action-packed plotting propels this rabidly contemporary novel forward, as it examines the movement of people across the shifting geopolitical landscape, the impossibility of returning and the potential redemptive power of poetry." - Mara Faye Lethem, The New York Times Book Review





"(A)t their best these cliches collide with an energy that yields true literary entertainment. The question is whether Gamboas novel ever becomes more than the sum of its banalities. (...) (A) big, sprawling novel that is all but begging to be a state-of-the-world think piece fueled by a peculiarly Colombian intelligence. (...) Unfortunately, too much of Return to the Dark Valley is cookie-cutter plotting with prose worthy of a first draft. (...) A second critique is that although Gamboa gives his novel a dizzying broadness, everything in here is only an inch or two deep." - Scott Esposito, San Francisco Chronicle

Please note that these ratings solely represent the complete review 's biased interpretation and subjective opinion of the actual reviews and do not claim to accurately reflect or represent the views of the reviewers. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. We acknowledge (and remind and warn you) that they may, in fact, be entirely unrepresentative of the actual reviews by any other measure.



- Return to top of the page -

The complete review 's Review :

Return to the Dark Valley is the work of the writer and one-time diplomat called the 'Consul', familiar from Gamboa's earlier Night Prayers -- and even begins with a message from one of the other major characters in that novel, Juana, sending him to Madrid to wait for her.

Though narrated by the Consul, the novel includes several other first-person accounts that he integrates into, and alternates with, his own, a variety that ranges from longer autobiographical accounts to tighter ones of specific events and episodes. Beyond that, there is also a potted biography of the French poet Arthur Rimbaud -- "my most constant companion in all those years of traveling between Asia and Europe", the Consul says -- presented piecemeal over the course of much of the novel

The Consul doesn't reveal very much about himself, and spends much of his time waiting in a southern Europe still out of whack after the financial crisis. Among the major events going on in the background is the terrorist takeover of the local Irish Embassy, not by your usual Islamist group but by Boko Haram. The Consul also does get involved in an altercation with an American, and winds up in hospital, and possibly facing criminal charges. There he meets several of the others who play a significant role in the novel -- notably a fellow Colombian, Manuela Beltran.

Much of Manuela's story is already familiar to readers by then: a difficult childhood that included horrible abuse by her mother's boyfriend, a dissolute life at the convent school she tried to escape to, and her mother's murder by the boyfriend. Manuela is a very talented poet, and, with some help, does manage to escape her past, and when she begins her studies in Bogota even finds a woman who appears to foster her talents and supports her -- and becomes her lover. Eventually, however, Manuela is terribly betrayed, and when the Consul encounters her she is still battling the root of all evil that poisoned her life -- the man who abused her and was responsible for the death of her mother:

This is something that hurts me every day. It won't let me breathe. Knowing he's at large chokes the air in me. The thought that he's alive is so invasive it obscures any other thoughts.

- M.A.Orthofer, 18 September 2017

- Return to top of the page -

:

See Index of Latin and South American literature

- Return to top of the page -

About the Author :

Colombian author Santiago Gamboa was born in 1965.

- Return to top of the page -
CORNWALL, Ontario  Science Literacy Week takes place between Sept. 18 through 24, and aims to shed light on the brightest minds in Canadian science. Throughout the week, a variety of science-centric activities will take place across the country, with the Cornwall Public Library and the River Institute getting in on the action.

Highlighting the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), the library will be offering a series of free activities for all ages, as well as some STEM related literature.

Science can seem really lofty sometimes, said Karen Douglass Cooper, Communications Specialist with the River Institute. What were trying to do here is put it into context and make it more accessible.

The week-long event will also celebrate women in science, with Dr. Dominique Lapointe presenting a talk on fish in a changing environment Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. Having traveled from Virginia to Brazil, Uganda to Cambodia and back again in her investigative work as a fish physiologist, Dr. Lapointe currently conducts most of her research along the St. Lawrence River, exploring the health and condition of the areas fish.

We wanted to emphasize the role of women in science as well, because there are often a lot of barriers for them along the way, said Douglass Cooper.

The River Institutes Education Team will also be hosting another special presentation at the Cornwall Public Library on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. Pour a Pond is an interactive educational program for children and their parents complete with frogs, invertebrates, insects, and other creatures.

It gives kids an opportunity to get some hands-on knowledge of the food web, said Douglass Cooper. It really helps kids to gain a better understanding when they can explore.
TANZANIA  City of Cornwalls official flag was proudly displayed this week on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africas highest snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro.

Also displayed on the Roof of Africa was Canada 150 celebrations flag to mark the countrys confederation anniversary.

Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania is 19,341 feet.

We did it, an excited Cathy Chumley told me. Eight members of our team were able to make it to the Roof of Africa at the Uhuru (Freedom) Peak.

The team of Cornwall, Quebec and American residents  all hiking buddies  had been preparing for this hectic and sometimes difficult trek for months.

We all agree it was the hardest things we have ever done, added Chumley.

Suzzanne Biro, also a resident of the Seaway City, agreed.

This amazing adventure was strenuous, exhausting, fantastic, incredible and rewarding.

She said all 10 team members reached Stella Point and eight of them were lucky to make it to the summit.

Making the final accent to the summit began at 11 p.m. at night and the successful climbers made it to the summit at 10 a.m. the next day.

Team members were Chumley, Kathy Maguire, Sandra Tosatto, Ted Biro and his daughter Suzzanne, all Cornwall residents, Christine Buckley, Michelle John and Weston Farrell made it to Stella Point.

Two members did not make it to the summit.

Chumley said most members suffered from minor symptoms of altitude from nausea to light headaches.

The team had four guides and four in case someone needed to be brought down.

Our pace was very slow due to the altitude, Chumley said. At times it was a struggle to keep walking in the dark, fighting the cold and making sure we breathed.

As the team got higher, they noticed some hikers being brought down with assistance as they were suffering from altitude sickness.

We all tried to stay positive and pushed through.

Chumley said their G Adventures, a company specializing in adventure travel, were simply amazing.

Some of us wanted to give up as it was very cold, Chumley continued.

To raise the teams spirit, some guides and porters entertained them with traditional singing.

The final push was exhausting, said Chumley adding it was amazing when they reached the summit.

There was not a cloud in the sky. It was a great feeling.
CORNWALL, Ontario  Penny Patterson, age 46, of Etobicoke, Ontario, was arrested on Sept. 18, 2017. It is alleged that between November 2015 and March 2016 she collected rent money from several tenants in Cornwall, as an employee of a property management company.

She provided rent receipts for the money she collected, but did not forward the money to the property management company. In July 2016, police were contacted and an investigation was conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division. She was subsequently charged with seven counts of Fraud Under $5, 000 and seven counts of Uttering a Forged Document. She was released to appear in court at a later date.

BAIL VIOLATION

CORNWALL, Ontario  Keith Seyeau, age 42, of Cornwall, was arrested on Sept. 18, 2017. He is currently bound by a Recognizance Order with the relevant condition to report to the John Howard Society as per the Bail Supervision Program. On Aug. 29, 2017, he failed to do so. On Sept. 18, 2017, he attended police headquarters at 340 Pitt Street in order to deal with this matter. He was charged with Breach of Recognizance. He was held for a Bail Hearing.
Cloud News

2017 Cloud Partner Programs Guide: Bringing Clarity To Cloud Challenges

Gina Narcisi

Share this

The cloud can be a daunting undertaking for solution providers. Challenges abound -- from issues of deployment, migration, management, integration, and workload governance. Add to that data security and mobile identity management, and it's enough to have any solution provider crying for clarity. That clarity can come from a well-constructed partner program.

CRN's annual Cloud Partner Program Guide is aimed at helping solution providers navigate the cloud market's many twists and turns through highlighting companies with partner programs that are best positioned to boost a solution provider's business.

Not all partner programs are created equal, of course, and will include different requirements for investing and different opportunities for a solution provider to reap profit. But understanding those differences is the key.

It's the channel-focused cloud companies with robust partner programs that will be the most appealing to partners. At the same time, solution providers need to educate themselves on the cloud, and do it quickly, said Ted Schuman, CEO of master agent PlanetOne.

PlanetOne, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., has always emphasized its cloud-first approach, as opposed to staying within the traditional telecom boundaries. Today, PlanetOne doesn't have any cable suppliers within its portfolio. Instead, the master agent offers a selection of about 40 cloud service providers that have a history of success in the channel, as well as SD-WAN and UC players, and connectivity and wireless carriers.

Schuman said that about 75 percent of PlanetOne's partners are selling some form of cloud services today, and that number is on the rise.

At Sophos, meanwhile, customer demand for cloud is driving changes to its partner program. Kendra Krause, vice president of global channels at Sophos, which has its North American headquarters in Burlington, Mass., said the cloud requires solution providers to adapt quickly to a different world--one that includes an understanding of the recurring revenue model.

"We have 2,600 partners in our MSP program that are doing cloud management. They are doing what we call flex billing, which is monthly billing," said Krause. "We've only had this program for a little over a year and from launch to now, it's continually growing. Our monthly billing is growing 20 percent month to month consistently. It is our largest percent.  There are still a lot of hybrid partners. There are still a lot of traditional partners and there's a huge market for that, but more and more are going to this model."

"Customers are moving their data centers into the cloud and so partners are turning around saying, Oh my gosh, I need to learn this market, how do I secure it, what do I do?' It's a different world and so they're trying to figure out how to secure it," said Krause.

"Now of course, we need to make sure it's channel-friendly, we need to make sure they're commissioned on it. We need to make sure it's part of the partner program and that's been a big change this past year," said Krause.
Cloud News

Amazon Web Services To Bill By The Second For Virtual Linux Servers

Joseph Tsidulko

Share this

Amazon Web Services upped the ante in the cloud price wars Monday by saying it would become the first major public cloud operator to start billing customers by the second for virtual servers and storage.

AWS will measure usage down to the second for EC2 compute instances and EBS (Elastic Block Store) volumes. The public cloud leader currently offers per-hour metering, while the next two trailing competitors, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure, have for several years charged by the minute.

Amazon's new billing model is only available for Linux machines and does have a 1-minute minimum charge. It applies to On-Demand, Reserved and Spot instances, according to Jeff Barr, AWS' chief evangelist.

[Related: AWS Warns Users To Secure Storage Buckets]

"Many of our customers are dreaming up applications for EC2 that can make good use of a large number of instances for shorter amounts of time, sometimes just a few minutes," Barr wrote on the AWS blog.

Workloads taking advantage of AWS EMR, a service offering managed big data frameworks on scalable EC2 clusters; and AWS Batch, which enables large batch processing jobs, also qualify to be billed by the second.

Per-second billing will be available in all AWS regions on October 2. AWS prices will still be listed by the hour, but customers will see bills in which their duration of usage contains decimal points, Barr said.

Jeff Aden, executive vice president of marketing and strategic development at 2nd Watch, an AWS partner based in Seattle, told CRN the new model will not only allow some customers to save more on their cloud spending, but will also create opportunities for partners to help them do it.

Per-second billing will primarily reduce costs for customers running large, complex environments. In many cases, however, to realize those savings will take another layer of management, provided either through automation tooling or partners, Aden told CRN.

"This is a big move on [AWS'] part," Aden said. "It becomes more valuable the more complex the environment becomes."

Cost-saving methodologies employed by enterprises, like auto-scaling or instance parking, can offer more value with more-granular billing, Aden said.

When an environment automatically scales up, creating new instances to deal with short usage spikes, the current system bills each new server for an hour, even if it only existed for minutes, Aden said.

And there will be more potential to reduce AWS spending from parkingturning off servers while not in use.

"The more you can micro-tune it, the more savings you can get. If you have many thousands of instances running, you could have a material impact," Aden told CRN.

It's important to remember the new pricing model only applies to Linux-powered virtual servers. While most tech companies deploy Linux on AWS, 2nd Watch sees a pretty even split among enterprises between Windows and Linux, Aden said.

Barr noted that while per-second billing may amount to a price reduction for many workloads, a more important aspect of the change will be how it motivates users to think differently about approaching projects that require high computing capacity, such as 3-D rendering.

With the new model, the cloud leader leapfrogs its main competitors when it comes to billing granularity.

Google, then shortly after Microsoft, introduced per-minute billing back in 2013. But despite the one-upmanship of the cloud wars, AWS never followed suit and maintained the hourly billing model.

Earlier this summer, Microsoft introduced a simplified container service called Azure Container Instances, the only service on Azure so far to bill by the second.

The way cloud providers bill their customers is being impacted by new architecture paradigms, especially serverless computing services, such as Amazon Lambda, that simply charge customers for operations executed, Barr noted.
Internet of things News

IoT Company PAS, Siemens Pair Up To 'Bridge The Visibility Gap' For Manufacturing Assets

Lindsey O'Donnell

Share this

PAS, a startup focused on securing connected manufacturing floors, has announced it will team up with industrial heavyweight Siemens to help better secure operational technology.

Siemens and PAS will partner "bring the best in breed technology" that helps manufacturing companies gain stronger visibility and security across legacy control assets and industrial control systems, particularly in the oil and gas and utility sectors.

"We're very excited about the partnership with PAS, which is targeted both at the problem set we're looking to solve together, but also what we can do to help mature the industry as a whole," Leo Simonovich, Siemens Vice President for Global Cyber Security, told CRN. "On the macro level, industrial cybersecurity is the new frontier of security  it's significant because if there's a hack on the OT side, it can potentially have catastrophic consequences. The problem we need to solve is the monitoring challenge  understanding what assets you have, prioritizing them for security and monitoring them."

[Related: Industrial IoT Security Company PAS Raises $40 Million Funding To 'Aggressively' Expand Go-To Market Channel]

The partnership will help companies gain better visibility to detect and respond effectively to attacks on their environment, but will also provide customers with deep analytics required to identify assets from multiple vendors, and secure both proprietary and non-proprietary control systems.

PAS offers analytics and "decades of control system knowledge" to help companies identify potential vulnerabilities, while Siemens can provide insights on vulnerabilities through managed services to help customers understand what's happening on the device, "from the field to the control system to the network," said Simonovich.

The two vendors hope to bring joint solutions to the table to help customers monitor their entire operating environment at the fleet level, which Simonovich said, "is key because attackers can jump from site to site quickly."

As more manufacturers connect their assets to the network, operational technology teams are becoming increasingly aware of the security risks they could potentially face.

"Over the years there has been this dichotomy between IT and OT," PAS CEO Eddie Habibi told CRN. "OT understands industrial control systems and IT understands IT, but they are frightened of each other's businesses. We have jointly helped in bringing those two disciplines together and providing a comprehensive framework to help bridge the visibility gap from a cultural and technological standpoint."

Houston's PAS, a security firm focused on industrial control systems, has raised $40 million as the company looks to expand its channel program for operational technology (OT) security.

PAS, which provides security for industrial control systems  including distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers, turbomachinery controls, and compressor control systems  wants to broaden its sales approach and involve new system integrators.

"One of the reasons for our news is to establish and expand our channel strategy," Habibi told CRN at the time of the announcement. "We're very aggressive about [building out a channel]. We're hopeful that by the end of the year we will have established a network of system integrators large and small."

Habibi said moving forward, the partnership is "really crucial" from a channels and distribution standpoint, as PAS now as the option to integrate its solutions with other partners in the Siemens ecosystem.

PAS received its $40 million growth investment from Tinicum, a private investment partnership focused on late-stage investments in manufacturing, energy, technology, and infrastructure.
Internet of things News

Hitachi Combines Data Center Infrastructure, IoT, Big Data Capabilities In New Company: Hitachi Vantara

Joseph F. Kovar

Share this

Japan-based Hitachi Ltd. Tuesday said it has reorganized its data center infrastructure, big data and Internet of Things capabilities into a new business called Hitachi Vantara.

Hitachi Vantara combines the Hitachi Data Systems storage and data center infrastructure business, its Hitachi Insight Group IoT business and its Pentaho big data business into a new combined company aimed at delivering new collaborative data offerings for commercial and industrial enterprises.

The new Hitachi Vantara business was formally unveiled Tuesday at the Hitachi Next 2017 conference being held this week in Las Vegas.

[Related: Hitachi Data Systems Lays Off Over 100 While Increasing Hiring For IoT, Cloud Initiatives]

Hitachi Vantara plans to continue developing its Hitachi Data Systems data infrastructure, storage and compute technologies; its Pentaho big data technology, and its Hitachi Insight strategic software and services capabilities including Hitachi Smart Data Center software and services, even as it brings them closer to each other in the new company

Hitachi and Hitachi Vantara Tuesday also jointly unveiled the commercial version of its first IoT platform, Lumada 2.0.

Lumada 2.0 is Hitachis first commercial Lumada IoT platform offering. Lumada was introduced in May 2016 as a co-creation platform to help customers learn the technology and provide feedback.

Lumada 2.0 brings customers a fully updated offering with a portable architecture that lets it be run both on-premises or in the cloud with support for industrial IoT deployments both at the edge and in the core.

The new IoT software is targeted at helping customers gain insight, predictions and recommendations from data in midscale to large-scale environments, and takes advantage of advanced analytics that were enhanced with artificial intelligence functionality at scale.

Lumada 2.0 also includes asset avatars that provide a digital representation of physical assets and rich metadata for analytics.

Hitachi is bringing Hitachi Data Systems, Hitachi Insight and Pentaho together in a new combined organization is a huge value-add to channel partners looking at how to tie together the various pieces that allow easy adoption of IoT and the cloud and especially the smart cities concept, said Joe Kadlec, vice president and senior partner at Consiliant Technologies, an Irvine, Calif.-based solution provider and longtime Hitachi channel partner.

Consiliant has been championing the smart city concept for some time and already is working closely to bring Hitachi technology to the city of Las Vegas, Kadlec told CRN.

"IoT plays right into the smart city," he said. "Smart city is tying security, smart lighting, smart trash cans and more. The city of Las Vegas is kind of a showcase for the rest of the country as to the benefits of the smart city concept."

Kadlec said that it was important that Hitachi rebranded its data infrastructure, IoT and big data assets as it brought them together in a new company .

"Hitachi can get a lot of mileage out of rebranding it all as Hitachi Vantara," he said. "A lot of people think of Hitachi Data Systems as a storage play. But with the rebranding, the company can have a whole new focus and a new brand with IoT and big data. We like it."

Hitachi Vantara spokespeople were unavailable to provide more information about the new company.

However, Hitachi Ltd. President and CEO Toshiaki Higashihara, in a prepared statement, said Hitachi Vantara marks a monumental change for the company and its customers.

"Now as the world is being transformed by digital tools and processes, we are unifying our strongest digital solutions companies together as a new Hitachi company that delivers exponential business impact for our customers and the betterment of society. The formation of Hitachi Vantara underscores Hitachis commitment to collaborative creation with customers and partners, and being a true innovation partner for the era of IoT," he said.
Internet of things News

Sweet IoT Journey: How One Solution Provider Helped Implement Microsoft Azure Machine Learning At Hershey

Alec Shirkey

Share this

An early dive into the Internet of Things landscape yielded sweet rewards for The Hershey Company once the chocolate manufacturer began tracking the weight of Twizzlers during production.

That was the story Luis Morinigo, IoT and advanced analytics practice lead for Washington, D.C.-based solution provider New Signature, shared with a audience of midmarket IT leaders Monday evening at the Midsize Enterprise Summit. He and George Lenhart, the former senior manager of IS disruptive solutions at Hershey, explained that while the journey involved several challenges, their ability to leverage machine-learning-fueled analytics ultimately paid meaningful financial dividends.

Morinigo said the advent of scalable cloud-based analytics  Microsoft Azure Machine Learning, in this case  became a catalyst for the Twizzlers project because it reduced technical barriers involved in implementing data science capabilities. As other companies began applying IoT to maintenance and operations, Hershey and New Signature felt a clear need to move forward.

[Related: 5 Key Technology Trends For Midsize Enterprise Companies ]

"George and our team realized it was time to act," he said at the event, being hosted by The Channel Company this week in San Antonio. "Because if we could be first-movers in the market, we could certainly open up many opportunities as it related to building out these proactive capabilities."

Morinigo and Lenhart met resistance within their respective organizations, which did not initially consider IoT part of their "critical road map." Lenhart said Hershey rejected the idea four times before he finally got the green light from his CIO. At New Signature, a Microsoft systems integrator, Morinigo said he was able to build an IoT and advanced analytics team because he felt the scalability of the cloud finally enabled business intelligence initiatives for significant success.

Once approved, the pair moved to demonstrate value as quickly as possible during an allotted six-week window. They didn't aim for perfection, knowing they could improve and retrain the model once more data had been collected.

Completed in just two weeks, the first model built by Hershey and New Signature achieved 60 percent accuracy  not perfect, but a step in the right direction when it came to implementing IoT.

"I said, 'Wow, 60 percent is pretty good considering today we have nothing,'" Lenhart said.

Tracking the net weight of Twizzlers during the production process proved difficult, they said, because cooking temperatures fluctuated within a wide range. Hershey had developed a way to manage the weight variability of the candy, but this was a reactive process built on historical data collected in 15-minute intervals.

The pair saw machine learning as the prescriptive solution. More than 20 sensors were installed around the manufacturing plant that allowed both teams to capture hard-to-track variables. By isolating these, the machine-learning model could predict the weight fluctuations of Twizzlers in real time. The more often Hershey could pull that off, the more savings realized, Lenhart said.

So Hershey and New Signature had each of those sensors track the cooking temperature on a second-by-second basis for two months, generating some 60 million data points. The data collection process itself actually uncovered issues in the production plant, Lenhart said  anomalies such as a daily, 320-degree temperature spike that happened to occur during the machine cleaning process.

As they refined the model and gave plant engineers the latitude to make decisions based on what was predicted, IoT began to prove its value. Lenhart said the plant floor operators, who were only making 12 cooking adjustments per day before the implementation of machine learning, were soon making about 240 adjustments per day, dramatically reducing the candy's weight variability.

"The organization realized there were significant benefits that could be realized across multiple production lines," Morinigo said. "There's very much a human element involved with working projects like this  transformative projects  and several steps in the journey. That's important to realize as you're thinking about IoT and these opportunities."

Read more: Superstar Microsoft SI New Signature Gets $35M, Names New CEO
Managed services News

President Clinton To Autotask MSPs: Tech Interdependence Creates Enormous Opportunity For IT Sector

Michael Novinson

Share this

Former President Bill Clinton told Autotask customers that they need to balance addressing unanticipated crises with staying ahead of the technological curve.

The 42nd president told 1,000 Autotask Community Live 2017 attendees that IT executives must respond forcefully to unanticipated threats while not losing sight of why they got into the business in the first place.

"One of the great imperatives of any leader is to continue to pursue the vision while dealing with the incoming fire," Clinton said Monday at The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Fla.

[Related: CRN Exclusive: Autotask Finds MSPs Grappling With More Endpoints, Data Security Challenges]

Clinton expects that the world will continue grappling with both the positive and negative consequences of its increased physical and virtual interdependence. And the IT services industry will be right in the middle of that battle, Clinton said.

"It creates an enormous opportunity for you to do what you're doing, and do it largely anonymously," Clinton said. "Your business is built to operate on unfamiliar ground, because things are always changing."

Clinton said that several decisions made during the second term of his presidency  which ran from 1997 to 2001  have had an enormous impact on where the IT industry it today. Chief among those, Clinton said, was his decision to take GPS out of the realm of the Defense Department's research arm and make it available to everyone.

This decision has benefited the public in both routine ways such as easily figuring out how to get to a location, Clinton said, as well as spectacular ways such as finding bodies sitting under the rubble after the January 2010 Haiti earthquake. But at the same time, Clinton said GPS has also been a useful tool for terrorist organizations.

"Every new advance that empowers people can be used for good or ill," Clinton said. "The more interdependent we become, the more potential there is for doing amazingly positive things, and the more potential there is for taking advantage of the negative potential of the same kind of empowerment."

Organization should task diverse, cooperative groups with address complex challenges, Clinton said, as they routinely deliver a better performance than heterogeneous groups or lone geniuses.

The private sector typically does better than the public sector at continuously examining the systems it has in place, Clinton said. For instance, Clinton said an IT company that stores stuff in the cloud would proactively think about how to secure it, how to get the information back, what to do if someone gets rid of the information, and what to do if a virus attacks both the primary and backup systems.

"It's amazing how many systems that are public in nature are continuously unexamined," Clinton said. "You don't have that luxury with what you do."

The IT industry can also play a major role in extending opportunity to people and places that have not benefited from technological change, Clinton said. For instance, Clinton said the counties that voted for Republican candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 general election account for just 36 percent of America's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

"Small towns in rural America feel left out and left behind," Clinton said. "If we just get over thinking anyone that disagrees with us belongs in a mental institution or a jail, it will be an exciting, exciting journey."

The former president praised social media for enabling people to relay information about important political and social issues at a lower cost, but noted that it's susceptible to invasion by the Russians and others.

"It's an instrument of empowerment, but it's also a seething instrument of resentment," Clinton said. And there's no Pinocchio test for everything you read."

Although the amount of information available to citizens has increased exponentially, Clinton said the public's ability to put that information into a digestible order and act on it had gone down, not up. But social media isn't going anywhere, Clinton said, meaning we need to figure out both how to make it better and how to ring alarm bells when it's gone awry.

"The people who would like to see the end of democracy are happy to blur the line between fact and fiction, and opinion and established evidence, " Clinton said. "Facebook and Google facing are facing a little grilling for knowing they let a lot of these fake Russian news sites pollute the atmosphere."

KC Computer Support took Clinton's challenge of spending more time thinking about what's going on around the corner to heart, according to President Tom Noon.

"As smaller MSPs, it's easy to get stuck in the day-to-day," said Noon, who cited conferences as a key way he gets away from the minutiae and conducts broader industry research.

Noon sees security investments as a key way the channel can contribute to making technology a force for good rather than a force for ill. Solution providers are beginning to extend a more robust security line card to their clients as enterprise-grade technology becomes increasingly affordable to small business customers, Noon said.
Networking News

Ruckus' New Channel Leader: 'We're Going To Come Out Of This Stronger Than Ever Before'

Mark Haranas

Share this

Ruckus has a new channel leader who is fired up to lead partners through the transition of becoming part of Arris International later this year.

Raelyn Kritzer, a longtime Brocade Communications partner champion, will take the channel chief position left open when Sandra Glaser Cheek left last month. Kritzer currently is senior director of worldwide partner programs and enablement for Brocade and has been with the company for 16 years.

"We've got a pulse on what partners are going through right now and we're just trying to minimize the disruption with their business," said Kritzer in an interview with CRN. "So my hope and my goal is that we're going to continue to do that. We're moving through this. We're going to come out of this stronger than ever before."

[Related: Hundreds Of Brocade Employees Leaving As Broadcom Acquisition Approaches]

Kritzer said her priority is to recognize and reward loyal partners.

"We want to make sure that those partners who have stayed loyal to us over the years are still with us, and maybe even attract a few more  maybe at the expense of our competition," said Kritzer.

Brocade acquired Ruckus last year for $1.2 billion. Brocade-Ruckus is set to be acquired by Broadcom by the end of October for $5.9 billion; Broadcom plans to then sell Ruckus and its IP networking business to Arris International immediately.

Al Brown, CEO of SmartWave Technologies, an Alpharetta, Ga.-based solution provider and Brocade-Ruckus partner, was excited to hear about Kritzer's channel leadership position and the moves the company was making ahead of its acquisition by Arris.

"We're excited just about the dust getting settled," said Brown. "When you work with a company for seven years and build relationships at all levels at Ruckus, then you have a lot of change [and] the natural reaction would be [to be] concerned about it. We've been optimistic about some of the changes going on and the commitment to the reseller channel. And if Arris can infuse cash [into Ruckus]  that's fantastic."

Kritzer has led Brocade's partner marketing efforts for over a decade, holding positions such as director of worldwide partner marketing from 2008 to 2016, as well as senior manager of worldwide partner marketing.

"Ruckus is just such an exciting company. There's lots of great energy here," said Kritzer, adding that Ruckus will act as an independent business unit inside Arris.

Broadcom's $5.9 billion blockbuster acquisition of Brocade hit a major hurdle in July that has delayed the purchase for months. The acquisition, which was first unveiled in November, was set to be completed by Aug. 1. However, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) halted the process to review the deal further, raising the remote possibility that CFIUS could dissolve the deal altogether.

Michael Knight, CTO of Greenville, S.C.-based Encore Technology Group, a Brocade-Ruckus partner, said Encore is hopeful in Kritzer's abilities to drive Ruckus partner sales and programs following the Arris acquisition.



"We expect continued success for her as she had with Brocade, where she drove great programs and content for partners worldwide," said Knight.

Kritzer hopes the merger to be completed by the end of the year and is ready to hit the ground running on day one. "My strategy is to have a strong year and keep my partners engaged," she said.

Ruckus' current COO, Dan Rabinovits, is set to helm the Ruckus unit inside Arris.

The vendor's annual Big Dogs Partner Conference is taking place this week in Miami.
Networking News

CenturyLink Unveils Business Wi-Fi For SMBs, Bundles Networking And Cisco Meraki Wireless Technology

Gina Narcisi

Share this

CenturyLink is in hot pursuit of small-business customers. The telecom service provider Tuesday unveiled a cloud-managed Wi-Fi offering that combines its networking expertise with Cisco Meraki's Wi-Fi technology, aimed at customers with up to 250 employees.

"The newest Wi-Fi solution fits with CenturyLink's strategy of being a managed service provider in that SMB space," said Shane Stark, director of vendor and channel relations for Carrier Access, a solution provider and CenturyLink Premier partner.

CenturyLink Business Wi-Fi for SMBs bundles Cisco Meraki's cloud-managed Wi-Fi offering with real-time monitoring and analytics  a full-fledged wireless offering from one provider, according to CenturyLink. The offering includes Cisco Meraki access points and software licenses, as well as access to Meraki's cloud-based dashboard and 24/7 operational support.

[Related: CenturyLink Bundles Network, Management, SD-WAN Platform In New Hybrid SD-WAN Service]

CenturyLink Business Wi-Fi is available through Alliance partner program members immediately, according to the provider.

Research firm IDC expects the business-class, cloud-managed Wi-Fi market to grow exponentially to $3.3 billion by 2020, tripling the 2015 market and revealing a large market opportunity for solution providers.

The latest offering gives CenturyLink Channel Alliance partners a secure, cost-effective and enterprise-grade Wi-Fi offering that is simple to deploy and manage for SMBs, John DeLozier, CenturyLink's vice president of channel alliances, told CRN.

"With CenturyLink Business Wi-Fi, organizations can not only provide an improved experience for their employees and customers, they can leverage client- and location-based analytics to learn more about their customers and more effectively engage with them, DeLozier added.

The latest offering does compete with MSPs to a certain extent because many MSPs, like Clive, Iowa-based Carrier Access, are selling access points today, Stark said. On the other hand, bundling networking functions with Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi technology is helpful for CenturyLink partners who have had to cobble together and deploy these solutions for their small-business customers in the past, he said.

"From the MSP standpoint, it could be viewed as competition, but from the telecom agent perspective, its a huge advantage. Especially for partners looking to get into the MSP space," he said. "For [Carrier Access] in areas where we don't have feet on the street, it will be a big advantage."

The CenturyLink Business Wi-Fi bundled solution also gives SMBs access to Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi technology, a product set that historically hasn't been a cost-effective option for many smaller businesses, Stark said.

Monroe, La.-based CenturyLink has been sharpening its focus on the SMB space with the introduction of more managed networking bundles. The company in August unveiled its plug-and-play Business VoIP solution for small-business customers, a fully featured phone service for a flat monthly rate. In July, the provider rolled out a managed hybrid SD-WAN offering and in Junet introduced its Cisco Meraki Management solution for partners and business customers.
Storage News

Veritas Vision: Veritas Enhances Multi-Cloud Data Management, Strengthens Ties With Microsoft Azure Cloud

Joseph F. Kovar

Share this

Data protection and data management vendor Veritas Tuesday unveiled new technologies and a deep new strategic partnership with Microsoft Azure to help businesses take advantage of multi-cloud environments.

The new enhancements, introduced during the Veritas Vision conference being held this week in Las Vegas, are based around Veritas' 360 Data Management portfolio for hybrid cloud and multi-cloud data protection and management, said Jyothi Swaroop, vice president of solutions portfolio for the Mountain View, Calif.-based software vendor.

The past few months have seen Veritas, which only two years ago became an independent company after 10 years as a part of Symantec, sign partnerships with several cloud providers including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, IBM, and soon with Oracle, Swaroop told CRN.

[Related: The 10 Coolest Enterprise Cloud Storage Offerings In 2017 (So Far)]

About 86 percent of Fortune 500 companies use Veritas, and 56 percent of those companies have a cloud-first strategy, he said. "They ask us how we can help them in their transition to the cloud."

Veritas' answer lies in part in enhancements to its data protection and data management technology and the new relationship with Microsoft.

Veritas' data protection and data management capabilities for modern workloads are based on the company's 360 Data Management portfolio, said Rick Fairweather, vice president of the company's Americas partner organization.

The 360 Data Management portfolio includes products focused on data protection, data visibility, data portability, and data compliance and governance, Fairweather told CRN.

"It's platform-independent, and works in private, hybrid and multi-cloud environments," he said. "And it is a platform, not a collection of products."

As part of the enhanced 360 Data Management portfolio, Veritas introduced version 8.1 of its flagship NetBackup data protection software.

New to Veritas NetBackup 8.1 is NetBackup Cloud Catalyst, a deduplication technology that is three times faster than competing offerings, said Mike Palmer, executive vice president and chief product officer at Veritas. Faster deduplication means customers need less time and bandwidth to move data.

Veritas NetBackup 8.1 also includes NetBackup Parallel Streaming, a new data protection capability for next-generation on-demand, cloud-based, scale-out workloads and applications such as NoSQL, Hadoop and Cassandra. "[These are examples of] how Veritas is expanding enterprise data protection into new workload environments," Palmer said.

Veritas also expanded its Information Map technology for getting real-time interactive looks at data, Swaroop said. Information Map can be purchased as part of the Veritas 360 Data Management suite or as a stand-alone product.

New to Information Map are over 20 new connectors that allow Veritas Backup Exec, Veritas Enterprise Vault and Veritas Access to quickly integrate with such Microsoft applications as Azure Storage, OneDrive for Business, SQL Server, Office 365 and Exchange, as well as for Google Drive and Google Cloud Storage, Oracle Database, and Box. The connections are handled by Information Map's new Connection Center, he said.

The Veritas 360 Data Management portfolio shows that Veritas remains at the top of its game when it comes to data protection and data management, said Kurt Klein, CEO of DataEndure, a San Jose, Calif.-based solution provider and Veritas channel partner.

Enhancements to Information Map and the new Connection Center make it easy to integrate Veritas' data protection and data management technology with many of the common applications customers are running in public and hybrid clouds while maintaining the same tools they use with on-premises data, Klein told CRN.

"And the new high-speed deduplication of NetBackup 8.1 Cloud Catalyst means customers spend less time migrating and protecting data between on-premises and cloud environments," he said.

Veritas' 360 Data Management portfolio also received a significant boost in partnership with Microsoft as a way to bring the benefits of the portfolio to the Microsoft Azure public cloud.

The enhancements include integrated data protection for Microsoft Azure with such capabilities as snapshot management, and the ability to move data to and from the cloud, Palmer said.

Veritas also is providing increased visibility into data stored in Microsoft Azure via Information Map. Palmer said that increased visibility will provide customers with the ability to use automated classification engines to automatically move and merge data between on-premises and cloud infrastructures and provide governance for such data.

Mark Russinovich, chief technology officer for Microsoft Azure, said customers face multiple challenges related to managing data between the cloud and on-premises infrastructures.

One challenge is data classification, or understanding where the data is and what it is in order to keep it under control, Microsoft's Russinovich said. Another is the challenge of taking compute to the cloud, which forces customers to decide whether to go the Software-as-a-Service route, purchase new apps or find some other way. "There are lots of moving parts, and shortage of skills needed in the cloud world," he said.

Finding better ways to manage and protect data in the cloud is extremely important, especially given its growth, which has doubled year over year for the last eight quarters, Russinovich said. "I thing we're going to see that [growth] continue to accelerate," he said.

To meet those challenges, Veritas unveiled the Veritas Resiliency Platform, which lets customers monitor and fail-over or fail-back multi-tiered applications to and from Azure with a single click, making it a recovery target, Palmer said.

Veritas also unveiled Veritas Access, a software-defined storage offering that lets customers automatically migrate old data to the cloud for long-term storage or mix on-premises and Azure cloud storage to create a single scale-out file system.

Customers can also the use new Veritas Information Map connector for Microsoft Azure to get a real-time picture of their unstructured data stored on Microsoft Azure Blob Storage and Microsoft Azure File Storage.

As part of the strategic partnership between Veritas and Microsoft, the two companies will partner on joint marketing campaigns, Russinovich said. Microsoft also is offering its sales teams incentives to sell the Veritas offerings, he said.

"Veritas understands the enterprise customers," he said. "We understand the enterprise customers. [Together] we get them to the cloud quicker."

Fairweather also said Veritas is evolving its partner program with new rewards and incentives around its 360 Data Management portfolio, including accelerated rebates for focused products like Veritas Resiliency Platform and Veritas Access.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

A teenager is currently in hospital receiving treatement for injuries following a stabbing in Croydon town centre this evening (September 19).

Earlier today the Metropolitan Police Service was called out following reports of a "fight" near Church Street at about 6pm.

Part of the tram network has been blocked off while emergency services continue to deal with the aftermath of the stabbing.

A witness, who asked not to be named, said he saw a young person having their arm and leg bandaged by paramedics.

An air ambulance was also seen landing in Croydon town centre, however it is not yet clear whether the victim was taken to hospital by the helicopter.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Service said: "We were called to reports of a man armed with a knife at 6.11pm.

"We found an injured person, a male teenager, as well, they are in hospital for treatment."

The spokesman said the victim's condition is not yet known.

Photos show a police cordon being set up around stationary tram on Church Street outside the Paddy Power betting shop.

It is unclear yet where the stabbing took place - however details on Transport for London's website say no trams are running between East Croydon and Reeves Corner.

The London Ambulance Service and the British Transport Police have been approached for a comment and we are waiting on a response.

*The Metropolitan Police Service earlier said that a man had been arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon. They have since clarified that there have been no arrests as of 10pm on September 19.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Firefighters have been called out to deal with a fire at a home in New Addington this evening (Tuesday, September 19).

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Service confirmed they were also in attendance at a fire on Mickleham Way, in New Addington.

He added: "The call has just come in, and we are there with the London Fire Brigade who are dealing with a fire inside a single-storey building."

It is unclear yet if anyone has been injured in the fire.

The London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service have both been contacted for more details, and the Advertiser awaits a response.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Croydon tram drivers had until yesterday (Monday) to vote on whether they want to take industrial action over a new safety device following the fatal Croydon tram crash.

The ASLEF union says the ballot was held because there was a "failure" to consult staff or trade unions on the new cameras which will detect if a driver falls asleep or is distracted by monitoring their face and sound an alarm if so.

TfL says the new device will monitor the face and eyes of the driver, but will not be constantly recording.

After news that drivers could strike broke, one tram driver, who did not want to give their name, penned this letter to Advertiser reporter Samantha Booth on why he wants strike action over the device.

"The drivers support the company in efforts for a safer tramway.

However, this should be done by consultation. We, the drivers, know the tramway better than most. Our experience and knowledge has been disregarded.

The proposed infrared system is untested; therefore short or long-term eye exposure to infrared is an unknown factor.

Further, the proposed system will not prevent another Sandilands incident [the crash in which seven people died]. The company has already started installing this system with no consultation whatsoever.

The RAIB report [said] the driver [in the tram crash] lost situational awareness, the underlying issue of why, has not been addressed.

There is another safety system, Simove, which would prevent another Sandilands incident. It is tried tested and fully operational on Spanish tramways and has our full support.

It is more expensive, so maybe that is an issue.

The company [TOL] has failed to consult prior to installation of devices. We have serious safety and welfare concerns [about] infrared devices monitoring our eyes constantly.

I'm voting strike  I haven't spoken to anyone in ASLEF who isn't doing the same."

In response to this, a spokesman for network operator Tram Operations Limited (TOL), a subsidiary of FirstGroup, said: "Since the tragic incident last November, we have been working with TfL in the implementation of further safety measures.

"We are focused on understanding the exact cause of this incident and will continue to provide our full support and assistance to the ongoing investigations.

"In its investigation update, issued on August 3, the RAIB indicated that key recommendation areas, addressed to all UK tram operators, are likely to include 'research into active means of detecting the attention state of drivers and intervening in the event of inattention'.

"We are in ongoing discussions with both ASLEF and Unite's local representatives about their views on the introduction of this in-cab device, which is designed to improve safety by alerting the driver immediately if there is any sign of distraction.

"The proposed system has been independently certified as safe for continuous use."

Rory O'Neill, TfL's director of trams, added: "Since last November's tragic incident a number of additional safety measure to the tram network have been introduced, and we are currently working on further improvements, including testing a driver protection device that signals an alarm if a driver is distracted.

"FirstGroup is in continuing discussions with both its drivers and the unions to get their views on its introduction.

"We are committed to improving safety for drivers and customers on the tram network and encourage the unions to continue working constructively with FirstGroup to do so."
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

A prolific Croydon pickpocket has been jailed for more than two years after stealing wallets from suit jackets in pubs and bars across London  which he was banned from entering anyway.

Rocky Abrams appeared at City of London Magistrates' Court on September 7.

He was sentenced to a total 28 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to three counts of theft, six counts of breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) and six counts of fraud by false representation.

The 41-year-old, was previously jailed in November last year for 16 offences - when he stole approximately 3,000 during a targeted three month spree.

During that sentencing Abrams was handed a five-year CBO which prevented him from entering any licensed premises in London until late 2021.

It was also heard that Abrams specifically travelled into the Square Mile due to it being a crowded area.

He then targeted bar and restaurant customers during early afternoon around the St Marys Axe and Leadenhall area of the City of London.

Following his release this summer, Abrams breached the conditions of his CBO on three separate occasions between June and July 2017, and committed a further three counts of theft.

The offences occurred at the The Crosse Keys pub, on Gracechurch Street, Monument, on Fish Street Hill and the All Bar One, on Cannon Street.

On all three occasions Abrams stole wallets from suit jackets hung on the back of chairs and proceeded to use the stolen bankcards in the area.

Police were able to identify Abrams, of Dundee Road in South Norwood, from CCTV at all three premises.

(Image: City of London Police)

Reacting to the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Chapman said: Abrams was convicted and sentenced for similar thefts last year, when he was also given a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) for his crimes.

He has now been further dealt with for this string of new offences, with his sentence reflective of the fact that he breached his order.

Abrams was clearly under the impression that the Square Mile is an easy target for stealing wallets from coat pockets in pubs and bars  but this is not the case.

We take crimes of this nature extremely seriously and will use everything at our disposal, including the extensive CCTV network in the city, and the expertise of our officers, to identify people and bring them to justice.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

A Croydon worker has described the moment he saw a teenager 'holding his shoulder with blood around him' while sitting on a bench in Croydon town centre following a stabbing this evening.

At about 6pm part of Church Street was cordoned off while the victim was treated for his injuries in broad daylight.

Raheem Butt, an employee at Mr Meat, on Church Street, told the Advertiser what he saw.

Mr Butt said: "I don't know exactly what happened as we were working, but I took a bin out and saw a young person sitting on a bench.

"A minute later I saw a police car come round the corner. There was blood and a couple of people came to help him out before the police came. The person was holding his shoulder I think.

"There is quite a distance away from us and where it happened so we didn't see much."

Mr Butt added that he is worried about the increasing amount of stabbings in the borough - as well as across the capital.

"It's not very nice to hear," he said.

"It's another young victim again and it seems to happen a lot in London and Croydon.

"There was quite a few police there all evening.

"[At one point] I could see two or three police cars, one big van and there are a huge amount of trams blocking the area."

Giving the latest on the stabbing, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Service said: "We were called to reports of a man being in possession of a knife at about 6.11pm.

"We attended and arrested a man on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.

"We found an injured person, a male teenager, as well, they are in hospital for treatment."

The spokesman said the victim's condition is not yet known.
Yvonne Ambrose, trying in vain to hold back tears, testified inside a hushed Senate hearing room Tuesday about the last day of her daughter's life. Desiree Robinson was 16, and was being prostituted on Backpage.com when a man outside Chicago beat her, choked her and cut her throat on Christmas Eve 2016.

"Desiree didn't know what Backpage.com was or the harm that would come from this website," Ambrose told the Senate Commerce Committee. She said her daughter's alleged killer scanned Backpage.com because he knew it was "the site to go to in order to find young, underaged girls to have sex with."

He knew the ad with the words "New girl in town looking to have fun" indicated an underage girl, Ambrose said. "Her pictures that were posted and moderated by Backpage.com were the reason for her demise."

After leading a two-year investigation into online sex trafficking which focused largely on the classified ads website Backpage, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, introduced a bill which he and 28 co-sponsors believe will close a crucial loophole of immunity for sites which host prostitution-related advertising: an amendment to the Communications Decency Act which shields web hosts from liability for content posted by others. The bill, titled the "Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act," would add language that exempts "sex trafficking of children" and "sex trafficking by force" from Section 230 of the communications act, which was written in 1996 and credited by many with allowing the Internet to flourish without threat of costly litigation or regulation. It would also clarify that state and local prosecutors can pursue violators under federal law, as could plaintiffs in state civil courts.

The bill also would amend the federal law which already prohibits sex trafficking to define "participation" in an illegal venture as "knowing conduct by an individual or entity, by any means, that assists, supports or facilitates" sex trafficking. Those terms are frighteningly vague to advocates of a free Internet, and two witnesses testified Tuesday that such changes to the law would cause websites to stop policing their own sites, for fear of "knowing" something illegal, discourage people from launching websites at all, or open web hosts to a raft of lawsuits.

Online sex trafficking just keeps growing, despite law enforcement's efforts to curtail it. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children receives about 9,000 to 10,000 reports of suspected child sex trafficking each year, and has already received 9,700 this year, according to Yiota Souras, the center's general counsel. Of those reports, more than 80 percent of the incidents have occurred online, she said. And when victims seek to hold websites responsible, they "are being deprived of their day in court against every entity that knowingly supported their trafficking," Souras said, "because of the legal protections provided to these entities under current law."

"The fact that incidents of human trafficking are increasing," said Portman, "in this country, in this century, it's an outrage. The selling of human beings online is the dark side of the Internet. It can't be the cost of doing business."

The Senate, and the House in a similar bill introduced by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., was moved to action after a series of court rulings in cases involving Backpage. When the website has been sued by young women who were sold for sex there, or prosecuted by law enforcement authorities in Illinois and California, judges have ruled that Section 230 of the CDA grants Backpage immunity because it is merely hosting the sex-related content, not creating it. "Judges across the country have made it clear," Portman said, "it is Congress' responsibility to fix this law."

Liz McDougall, Backpage's general counsel, said the company had no comment on the proposed law.

But one of the original authors of the law, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., testified against changing the law. "We made it crystal clear" in 1996, Wyden said, "that nothing in Section 230 protects against violation of criminal law. If law enforcement needs more resources. . .let's give them what they've gotta have." But he added, "I just believe this legislation being considered today is the wrong answer." He felt that small businesses would be reluctant, or unable, to enter the marketplace if they had to begin their Internet life worried about lawsuits.

The Internet Association, which represents tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, weighed in against the bill as well. Abigail Slater, the association's general counsel, said the association's companies are "100 percent committed to stopping Internet sex trafficking," and noted that Google and others developed software called "Spotlight" which combs through millions of online ads and flags potential child victims. But she said the proposed term "knowing conduct" could be used by a prosecutor to go after a website which only knows that its users are communicating, not what the content is, and civil lawsuits could take a similar approach. Slater said the association prefers a carefully crafted law enabling victims to pursue their traffickers through civil actions.

"It is not hard to imagine that opportunistic lawyers will bring a deluge of frivolous litigation," Slater said in written testimony submitted to the committee, "targeting legitimate, law-abiding intermediaries." Souras responded that "knowing conduct" is "not just simply a blanket notice-type standard," and would not open the door to lawsuits.

Eric Goldman, a law professor at Santa Clara University with a specialty in Internet law, said the bill opens up the question of when did a website know it had something questionable on its site, and what did it do about it. He said large companies may be able to handle these dilemmas, but that would be problematic for small companies without easy access to lawyers, and some companies may want to avoid getting involved altogether.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a co-sponsor of the bill, told Goldman, "I have a higher opinion of the industry than you do." He said, "Most companies want to do the right thing. This law will give them more impetus to do it."

But it was Ambrose who took the discussion from the theoretical to the current reality. She is suing Backpage for wrongful death for its role in her daughter's slaying. As part of that suit, Ambrose obtained documents which showed that Backpage used a contractor in the Philippines to generate more business for its adult services ads, which now appear in the "dating" section of the site.

"I would not wish this pain on my worst enemy," Ambrose told the committee, about having to bury her child. "And I pray that Desiree's life can make a difference so that no one else has to endure this pain."

Afterward, Ambrose said she was nervous. Not about testifying under bright lights with high-powered senators watching. She said she was nervous about whether or not the bill will actually pass.

Nearly every senator who spoke on the Commerce committee voiced their support for the bill, but no vote was scheduled on passing it out of committee.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The iconic Rolex watch that actor Paul Newman made famous is going to be auctioned off on Oct 26. With a starting bid of $1M, the timepiece is expected to break auction records for a watch.

The watch was a gift from Newman's wife, the actor Joanne Woodward. When Newman started racing cars after starring in the 1969 film "Winning," his wife was not too happy about it. But in a show of support, she gave Newman the watch, which was designed specifically for racing. On the back, the phrase "DRIVE CAREFULLY ME" was inscribed.

"A woman of exceptional taste, she chose a rare and exclusive version of the Cosmograph Daytona  a reference 6239 fitted with what the brand called an 'exotic' dial," according to a press release from Phillips, the auction house that will be handling the sale.

In the 1980s, watch collecting became big and Rolexes with the "exotic dial" became known as the "Paul Newman Daytona," named after the watch Newman was seen wearing all the time.

"In the world of collectible watches there is probably no more model that is as sought after; there is no one more coveted," Paul Boutros, the head of Phillips said. "[Newman] was seen wearing the watch in pictures all around the world...Once they assigned the name, the prices rose."

After Newman's death in 2008, the watch world and Newman fans began to wonder where the original Paul Newman Daytona was.

Newman had given the watch to his daughter's boyfriend.

James Cox spent a large part of the summer of 1984 building a tree house with Newman at Newman's Westport, Conn. home. At the time, Cox had been dating Newman's daughter Nell for about a year; they met in college.

"I remember that summer very well," said Cox. "There I am, 18 or 19 years old, living in Connecticut at my girlfriend's house  it's Paul Newman but he's also my girlfriend's dad."

One day that summer, Newman saw that Cox did not have a watch. Newman gave him his Rolex.

Cox knew the watch had been a gift to Newman from his wife.

"At the time I knew this watch was symbolic of an intimate moment for them, and for him to give it to me was like 'wow you're giving me a family heirloom,'" Cox said.

What he didn't realize until years later was how famous that watch would become.

Cox and Nell Newman dated for 10 years and remained close friends after they broke up. Cox said he kept the watch under wraps for a while out of respect to the family.

About a year ago, Cox and Nell Newman met up to discuss its "iconic value," Cox said.

"If your dad was alive and I went to him, the first thing he would say would be 'this watch should be used for something good,'" Cox said he told Nell Newman in that meeting.

Interest in the watch is high, with some speculating it could sell well into the millions. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Nell Newman Foundation, which supports her father's philanthropic values as well as sustainable agriculture. Another portion of the sale proceeds will go to benefit Newman's Own Foundation.

"Paul Newman was just a super cool guy who rolled through the planet. [He showed us] we can make choices in our life to be generous and philanthropic," said Cox.

"In Westport I think a lot of people have that sense of Paul in their community...[But] most of the young people I meet don't even know who Paul Newman is, and I feel like there's reason to shake the trees and bring him back into attention."

Phillip's got a hold of the watch thanks to Aurel Bacs, head of the Phillip's watch collection. When Bacs heard that the watch had been located, he flew from Switzerland to California where Cox now lives to get the coveted watch.

"To find the Paul Newman Daytona is like a holy grail piece," said Boutros.

"It's bittersweet for me because it's a super personal gift that I would love to keep, but seems irresponsible to squirrel it away in a sock drawer," said Cox.

Boutros said he expects the watch sale at the auction to break a record and the crowd to be different from a typical watch auction.

"Because Paul Newman is such a cultural icon, famous not only in Hollywood, but in race car driving and philanthropy, we think people will come from watch collecting, art collecting, car collectingit's going to be fascinating to see who ends up bidding," he said.

"You just don't know if some billionaire is going to say 'I gotta have it,'" said Cox. "We kind of hope so because it'll make history; and the more we make, the more we give to charity."
FAIRFIELD  A Fairfield University student said he was groped by a man who offered him a ride back to campus Saturday night.

The 19-year-old man, who lives in Bronx, N.Y., told campus security he was walking up the Post Road around 11 p.m., when an older white man in his mid-50s with gray hair offered to give him a ride to the college. He was driving a gray, two-door convertible.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A weakened and farther east Tropical Storm Jose has led to the cancellation of all tropical storm watches in Connecticut.

The National Weather Service canceled all the watches at 11 a.m,. Tuesday and lowered the estimates for peak wind gusts.

Southeastern Connecticut, which faced gusts of up to 40 mph, now has a forecast of wind speeds to between 17 and 25 mph.

Heres what to expect:

Wind and rain

Winds between 20 to 24 mph are forecast for Fairfield County on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

Maximum gusts expected include 34 mph for Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport and New Haven; 23 mph for Greenwich and 27 mph in Danbury and Torrington.

Rainfall total forecasts are .18 of an inch for Greenwich and Danbury; .26 of an inch for Bridgeport and the Naugatuck Valley and .34 of an inch in New Haven. Areas in eastern Connecticut along the shoreline will get between .60 of an inch in Clinton and .87 of an inch in New London.

Northwest Connecticut communities like New Milford, Kent and Torrington will only have light showers.

Long Island Sound

The National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood advisory for minor flooding for southern Fairfield County.

High tides are expected to be one and one-half feet above normal on Tuesday and Wednesday.

High tides are 11 a.m. on Tuesday, shortly after midnight on Wednesday and after noon on Wednesday.

A small craft advisory for western Long Island Sound is in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday. North winds will be between 15 and 25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots.

Conditions in the eastern Long Island Sound get rougher with a stronger winds and waves up to seven feet near The Race.

The forecast

For the southwest Connecticut shoreline:

Today: Showers likely. Breezy with highs in the lower 70s. Northeast winds 20 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Tonight: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Breezy with lows in the mid 60s.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers, mainly in the morning. Breezy with highs in the mid 70s.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening, then clearing. Lows in the mid 60s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph.

Thursday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. North winds around 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s.
Suriname sends donation to Cuba after hurricane Irma

Submitted by: Juana

Local

international

09 / 18 / 2017



The government of Suriname sent an eight-ton donation to Cuba that includes water bottles, food, cooking utensils and blankets to help those affected by the hurricane Irma.

At the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana Rogelio Sierra, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, symbolically received the contribution of the South American nation.

The Boeing 737 aircraft of Surinam Airways arrived in Havana on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. from Paramaribo, and a group of representatives of that government traveled aboard the aircraft to deliver the cargo.

Speaking to the Cuban press, Michiel Raafenberg, permanent secretary of the Suriname Foreign Ministry, highlighted the ties of brotherhood that unite his country and Cuba, so he said they could do no less at this time so complex after the devastation left by the Hurricane in its wake.

The Surinamese diplomat showed solidarity with the Cuban cause for the recovery because he said, the island is an old friend of Suriname.

Cuba is in our thoughts, we are here with the little we have to support the Cuban people, he concluded.

The solidarity charge of Suriname is the second that arrives by air since Hurricane Irma lashed Cuba last week.

Venezuela was the first nation to send resources to the island and in the next few hours vessel from the Dominican Republic with materials and supplies will be added that will add to the great efforts and resources that the Cuban government has put in function of the recovery.

Likewise, the World Food Program has made available to those affected by Irma some 1,606 metric tons of food that will contribute to the protein balance of more than 600 thousand Cubans for about four months, in addition to providing 5.6 million dollars to buy additional materials for recovery.

Since the Civil Defense decreed the recovery phase after the hurricane, hundreds of thousands of Cubans have joined the cleaning and sanitation work in the Caribbean nation, with the goal of returning beauty to the streets and cities that suffered the clash of Irma's hurricane winds. (acn)
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 ...
Pa. Dems could flip the House of Reps. Here's what that might mean
In observance of Mexicoas Independence Day, members of La Favorita Radio in Memphis hosted the 2017 Fiesta De Independencia Sept. 16 at the Memphis International Flea Market.

This event is celebrated annually in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, where all over the United States, people gather to recognize Latin American heritage and the contributions that many Latino Americans have made to the U.S. and beyond.

The day was filled with a variety of traditional Mexican musical and dance performances and a wide selection of vendors selling everything from traditional jewelry to a variety of Latin American dishes.

aI came because Iam Mexican and because this event is in observance of Mexicoas Independence Day,a Fenix, a local musician who performed at the festival, said. aAlso, I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to perform in front of my people.a

As an artist who describes his genre of music as a mix of reggaetAn, rap, trap and Latin rhythms, Fenix is no stranger to Memphis and has only performed and recorded his music in the Bluff City.

aMost of the time when I make music, I do it here,a Fenix said. aAll my shows and recordings I do here. Iam working on getting more exposure, but I havenat branched out of Memphis yet.a

Also present at the festival was community activist Cristina Candori, 50, who came to spread the word about local organization Communidades Unidas en Una Voz.

aAt the government level, we donat have anyone representing the Latino community,a Candori said. aI think that the Latino community represents itself in Memphis. I feel as though city leaders could work better with the immigrant community and not just the Latino community and that there should be immigrants in leadership positions in the government, so they can better represent immigrants in the city.a

Candori also said she would like to see more efforts being made for immigrants to have the opportunity to live without restrictions.

aWe are trying to get more resources available for immigrants to be able to obtain their driveras license and state identification cards,a Candori said. aThe IDs would be for people who canat get any other form of identification because of their status. Also, at the national level, we want to get the government to pass an immigrant reform (Dream Act) that would be just for immigrants nationwide.a

As a spectator, Isabel Santos, a 44-year-old salesperson for NutriciAn Herbalife and a native of Mexico, came to celebrate her countryas milestone with other members of the Latino community in Memphis.

aWe reflect on the traditions of my country by having celebrations,a Santos said. aI also talk to my children about their heritage, and we try to preserve the traditions of Mexico.a A

Although changes could be made to better accommodate Latinos living in the city, Santos said she approves of the way Memphis represents the Latino community.

aThe representation is good,a Santos said. aI feel happy because Iave seen many events that reflect Latin culture in Memphis.a
The United States spent an estimated $201 billion on mental disorders in 2013, which made it the costliest medical condition in the country, according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs.

The analysis found mental health care surpassed both heart conditions and trauma and injury by almost $60 billion, which includes the general and institutionalized populations. Mental disorder spending is typically underestimated because it excludes institutionalized populations, according to the study.

Untreated mental illnesses can impact multiple systems. Mental illnesses, like depression, are the leading cause of suicide. These illnesses also inhibit productivity in the workplace. Serious mental illnesses result in approximately $193 billion in lost earnings per year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Albert Okunade, an economics professor and expert in health economics, said the U.S. allocates less than 10 percent of the healthcare cost for treatment of substance abuse and mental health. Mental health disorders and substance misuse, or aMHSM,a are major health and economic hazards in the U.S. population.

aSince these illnesses are not as obvious as physical ailments, the society is less aware of their seriousness and necessity for diagnosis and care,a Okunade said. aMHSM disorders cost the U.S. economy billions of lost work productivity each year, and they impose poor quality of life issues on the sufferers and their relatives.a

Recognizing the need for health insurers to fund and provide annual and lifetime coverage for mental health, the U.S. government passed the 1996, 2008 and 2016 Mental Health Party Acts to provide the same amount as they would for physical ailments. Okunade said this is because not enough is spent on these disorders.

According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, 42.5 million Americans (18.2 percent of the adult population) suffer from mental health disorders, ranging from depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Nearly one in four people will experience some form of mental health condition in their life.

However, the negative stigma surrounding mental illness prevents people from seeking treatment for these disorders.

Jennifer Drabowicz, a licensed professional counselor and mental health service provider, said care and treatment over time is very expensive, and the cost encompasses other things like substance abuse or physical harm due to mental illness.

aMental illness is not seen as a preventative issue,a Drabowicz said. aYou get a yearly physical exam and can catch disorders in time before it becomes a problem, but for mental health, that isnat the case.a

Drabowicz said the issue is thereas not an emphasis on mental health care because in order to receive help individuals have to already fit the criteria for a mental health problem. Private insurances will not reimburse unless an individual meets these criteria.

aPrevention is not necessarily invested in mental health,a Drabowicz said. aThey [insurance companies] spend more money to fix the problem that to invest money in prevention.a

Drabowicz said the costs of the pharmacological interventions were factored into the total and are a booming industry. The cost of mental illness is broad whereas the cost of heart health is only focused in one area. She said this doesnat mitigate mental health issues, but it explains why the number is that high.

aI think the shift in the stigma is changing and people have become more accepting,a Drabowicz said. aThis will help people with diagnosable conditions, but the government wants to take mental health off the insurance market, and that needs to be reconsidered.a

Hira Qureshi contributed to this story.
Richard Littlejohn said Amber Rudd (pictured) slags off Boris Johnson too often

Who the hell does Amber Rudd think she is? OK, so its her turn to be Home Secretary this week but, be honest, were not talking political colossus here.

She seems to owe her elevated position to a willingness to stick her head above the parapet when Mother Theresa is doing her celebrated hiding-behind-the-sofa trick.

From what I can gather, Rudds main job is to slag off Boris Johnson at every available opportunity. She was at it again over the weekend after Boris finally vented his frustration with the dogs breakfast the Government is making of Brexit.

Look Back In Amber was brimming with indignation over his long-overdue intervention, accusing him of behaving like a back-seat driver. Shes obviously got a thing about Boris and cars, having previously accused him of not being the kind of chap a lady would want to drive her home.

Admittedly, Bozza has a bit of a reputation for not being safe in taxis, but I cant help suspecting that some of Rudds resentment of her Cabinet colleague is founded upon the fact that hes never made a libidinous lunge in her direction.

It cant do much for any girls self-esteem to discover that shes about the only female with a pulse in the Conservative Party who hasnt been subject to the swashbuckling swordsmans attentions. After all, when it comes to inviting crumpet to accompany him on a state visit to the Republic of Legovia, Boris manages to make even the late Alan Clark MP look fussy.

In political terms, Rudd is a dowdy downstairs scullery maid by comparison with Johnsons rakish Lord of the Manor, ravishing the maidens of the village and leaving them gasping for more.

Certainly, in the essential task of enthusing the masses, Boris has an unrivalled ability to find the Tory Partys erogenous zones.

As Foreign Secretary, Boris should be deeply involved in negotiating our escape from a foreign power like the EU, says Richard Littlejohn

An Amber Rudd speech, in contrast, is like a night out with an I-Speak-Your-Weight machine. During the EU referendum campaign she was one of the leading lights wheeled out by Project Fear. No one took the slightest notice of her dire predictions of impending doom.

When Theresa May declined to take part in televised election debates, Rudd was dispatched in her stead. We all know how that turned out. She only managed to hold on to her own seat by the lacquer on her fingernails, scraping home by 346 votes in a Hastings constituency which should be fertile Conservative territory.

So you might have thought Rudd would be both relieved and grateful that she not only survived Mays self-inflicted General Election car crash, but also clung onto her job as Home Secretary  a great office of state well beyond her limited abilities.

Where on earth does she get the impertinence to believe that she has a divine right to put Boris back in his box? I dont want him managing the Brexit process, she declares. Whats that supposed to mean? And what has it got to do with her?

If anyone has earned the chance to manage the Brexit process its Boris, who risked all to lead the Leave campaign. Id also argue that he should have been allowed to offer himself to the partys membership as a successor to Call Me Dave.

So what if hes ambitious  a bizarre slur regularly aimed at him. Of course hes ambitious. Hes a politician. Are you seriously telling me that Amber Rudd isnt ambitious? Or Theresa May, for that matter?

Having spearheaded the winning Leave campaign, Boris is entitled to lay out his vision for a successful Brexit. All those of us who voted to quit the EU are frustrated at the glacial pace of our departure and the constant efforts by embittered Remainers to sabotage the whole process.

Hes the Foreign Secretary, for heavens sake. He should be deeply involved in negotiating our escape from a foreign power like the EU.

Amber Rudd shouldnt be anywhere near the Brexit decision-making process, particularly as her brother, Roland Rat, is a PR spiv who earns a small fortune out of businesses backing Remain, and was up to his neck in Project Fear.

(Can you imagine the howls of outrage and conflict of interest if Boris had a close relative making money out of leaving the EU?)

Nor should any other Remainer be permitted to influence the Brexit negotiations, especially the terminally arrogant Philip Hammond, a pompous, intergalactic bore. David Davis is doing his best, but the Prime Minister has been dragging her feet. Were told shes going to make a Brexit speech on Friday, but its action thats needed, not more words.

Theres no point in petty squabbling about whether were getting back 350 million a week from the EU, or simply hanging on to money which is rightfully ours.

This is an angels-dancing-on- pinheads diversion. We must concentrate on the bigger picture.

Ive just been re-reading a column I wrote almost exactly a year ago today. Much of it bears repeating. In case you have forgotten, the question on the ballot paper said this: Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?

Not much ambiguity there. It didnt contain any caveats, such as: Should we leave, but only if we can negotiate a deal like Norway, which involves paying money to the EU and accepting most of its laws?

Heres the deal: were off. No ifs, no buts. If EU politicians and industrialists want to do a post-Brexit deal with us, they know where we are. We dont have to grovel. Weve got a winning hand.

Where is it written that we can only leave if we agree to the EUs terms? Nowhere. The Europeans have got more to lose than we have . . .

Precisely. Boris said pretty much the same thing in his 4,000-word article published at the weekend.

Unlike Amber Rudd  and Theresa May, come to that  he has proved that hes a winner and can command a thumping personal mandate, first as the London Mayor who saved us from Red Ken, and then as the knight in shining armour who defied the defeatists and convinced 17.4 million people that we have a glowing future as a proud, independent nation.

Ludicrously, some pundits and politicians are now demanding that May sacks Boris for disloyalty  in other words, for speaking up for the wishes of the majority of the British people as expressed at the ballot box in unprecedented numbers.

If Mother Theresa feels the urge to sack anyone, she should start with the dismal, anti-democratic Amber Rudd.
While you may have put a lot of thought into the colour scheme and decor of your bedroom, have you ever stopped to think about its layout?

According to one feng shui expert, there's a crucial decorating mistake that many people make when it comes to designing their bedroom - and could be wreaking havoc on their sleep patterns.

Speaking to MindBodyGreen, feng shui consultant Amanda Gibby Peters of Simple Shui claimed that having a mirror on a bedroom wall could be affecting your ability to sleep soundly.

According to one feng shui expert, there's one design mistake that many people make when it comes to designing their bedroom; sleeping with a mirror on your bedroom wall could be ruining your precious night's sleep

Explaining her theory in greater detail, she said that according to the principles of feng shui - the ancient Chinese science of 'harmonising good energy' - mirrors can disrupt sleep because they actually increase energy.

Amanda recommended testing the theory out by covering up your bedroom mirrors with paper or a sheet for a few weeks to see if it makes a difference.

'If you do sleep soundly with them covered, consider replacing them with something else you love - a large print, a mural, or even a few mounted lanterns,' she said.

THE LINK BETWEEN MIRRORS AND BAD ENERGY According to the principles of feng shui, mirrors are a powerful tool when it comes to increasing lighting and reflecting energy. Mirrors apparently increase energy and direct it the opposite way. Experts say you shouldn't place the mirror opposite your bed because it will reflect energy back at you and keep you awake. Advertisement

For men and women who can't bear to part with their bedroom mirror, she suggested hanging it on a wall that doesn't face the bed.

Another feng shui expert recently said she believed one of the most vital elements of designing a bedroom is to ensure you leave equal room on both sides of the bed - and never to have it pushed up against the wall.

Laura Cerrano explained: 'This is symbolic of creating equal space for both you and your partner.'

She acknowledges that this isn't always possible in smaller spaces so even sparing so much as an inch will work wonders.

'Besides that, having two side tables and lamps is a great go-to general recommendation because it relates to balance,' she adds.

Laura explains that the flow of energy and position of your furniture can improve your sleep because it makes you feel more calm and tranquil, which, in turn, enhances your snooze.
As southern states Florida and Georgia rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Irma, one teacher encouraged his students to share their thoughts about the monster storm's horrific impact on their lives using just six words.

And while some might consider that far too concise a means of sharing such a tale, the responses from his 7th grade students are surprisingly tear-jerking and inspiring.

Jon Mundorf, a teacher at P.K. Younge Developmental Research School in Gainesville, passed out Post-It notes for his pupils to 'share their Irma stories in six words' - and the messages he received in return were so profound they have since earned viral fame online.

Post-It poem: Gainesville, Florida teacher Jon Mundorf asked his pupils to share their Hurricane Irma stories in six words on the day classes resumed after the storm subsided

Meaningful message: The students wrote surprisingly profound and inspiring messages, such as the above, where the pupil said the hurricane did not kill Florida's spirit

Poignant poem: Despite the word count constraint, the messages were so moving, such as this phrase of strength, that the teacher shared them on Facebook where they went viral

In between the lines: One pupil's powerful poem had a double meaning, referring to new lights after power failures after his city took an unexpected beating from Hurricane Irma

Raise your voice: Another student got extremely descriptive listing their families two water jugs, insufficient plugs and a swarm of bugs as the strongest memories from the storm

Role model: Jon, above, teaches seven classes of 7th graders, all of whom penned their thoughts

The touched teacher posted a select five responses on Facebook, where they instantly spiraled into internet fame and have collected over a 1,200 shares and 7,600 likes.

'When trees fall we must rise,' the first note read.

'Irma destroyed things, not our spirits,' another reflected.

'Irma was strong, we are stronger,' a third pupil shared, underlining the power verbs 'was' and 'are' for emphasis.

'When power fails, new lights appear,' another poetically wrote in a phrase that has meaning in more ways than one.

'Two water jugs, insufficient plugs, hundred bugs,' a Florida student said to summarize the hurricane's effects.

The teacher explained that having his students voice their experiences was more important that immediately hitting the books.

'We wrote these stories as a warm-up activity our first day back from the hurricane days. Emotions are so crucial to cognition and I needed to address how they were feeling before we got back into academics,' Jon shared to Daily Mail Online.

'I wanted students to tell their own story, but I also wanted them to hear other stories, especially the ones that differed from theirs,' he added.

The activity not only allowed the students to open up about their experiences but also alerted faculty about what children might need more support in response to the disaster.

'The activity also gave me an opportunity to identify students and families who may be in need of additional support as a result of the hurricane,' Jon said.

After the students jotted their thoughts, the class shared their stories with each other.

Stronger together: One student stressed the important of staying together as a family when the tragedy struck and they were safe at home

Schools out! For several students the hurricane means time off from school and vacation fun

Fun time! More video game time was a hot topic for this student who still had electricity

Powerless: For others, the storm cut off power, internet, and forced residents to camp in their own homes without any energy source

Standing tall through it all: Another student shared a poetic message of standing tall and strong despite the endless downpour of rain

Devastating storm: The monster hurricane ripped the roof off of one student's house, alerting the school of the child's extra needs in the disaster relief

'They could read what they wrote, tell about something else, or just ask questions about the other person's story. After we moved back to the big group and I asked kids to share a story that caught their attention,' Jon revealed.

'When we were all done, I thanked them for trusting me and their classmates enough to share a their stories. Stories are a big deal. Everyone has a story and everyones story is important,' he added.

The children's stories spanned topics of staying at home playing video games, remaining in the safety of their homes, surviving with no power, standing strong in the heavy rains, and losing a roof to the ruthless storm.

Soon after, Jon's posted was shared over and over, even onto viral accounts where the messages quickly amassed public attention with overwhelmingly positive responses.

Jon explained to commentors on his post that this was just a sample of his student's thoughts.

'There are a hundred or so more on my classroom door,' he said.

Fans took to the comments section to applaud the teacher's reflective exercise.

'That's beautiful. Made my heart uplifted,' user Brett Davis wrote.

'This means they have been surrounded by positive adults whom have filled them with hope, and encouraged them to see the best in their situation. Learning to control how we react is a valuable skill. Love everything about this,' one fan Lindsay Tomlinson wrote on the shared post.

'What a wonderful bunch of stories! I am a retired teacher and just was absolutely moved by these kids' words. Thank you!' another impressed Facebook user Cheryl Richards wrote.

But in a true educator's fashion, Jon didn't stop there.

To the commentors that shared their love for his pupil's messages, he turned the six-word challenge to them and asked how they would share their Hurricane Irma story, giving adults the chance to voice their experiences as well.
A woman who was distraught over losing both her wedding ring and engagement band was left speechless after finding the priceless treasures buried in her dog's poo.

Rebecca Rough and her husband Brendan were hours away from gathering a search party for the Queensland woman's missing jewellery, when the rings were found nestled in their pet Labrador Bella's faeces.

'I'm on the phone to police beat about to report my missing ring and Brendan runs in with Bella's poo and says, 'I don't care if I'm holding poo right now but look!' All three rings were in our dog's poo,' Rebecca wrote on Facebook.

Scroll down for video

Rebecca Rough (pictured with her dog, Bella) was amazed to find her missing rings were buried in her Labrador's poo

'I'm on the phone to police beat about to report my missing ring and Brendan runs in with Bella's poo and says, 'I don't care if I'm holding poo right now but look!' All three rings were in our dogs poo,' Rebecca said

The couple searched their home with a fine-tooth comb twice over and traced their steps back to Noosa National Park and a local swimming pool where Rebecca last recalled having the rings - one of which was a priceless family heirloom.

'I didn't sleep for two days,' Rebecca told Sunrise.

But after rallying her Facebook friends and reporting the missing items to the police, her unsuspecting husband Brendan found the rings as he was cleaning up their beloved dog's bowel movements.

'Her lunch or dinner or whatever it was seemed to have a glisten to it,' Brendan explained.

Rebecca took to Facebook in a desperate plea to find her beloved wedding ring, engagement band and precious family heirloom

But after rallying her Facebook friends and reporting the missing items to the police, her unsuspecting husband Brendan found the rings as he was cleaning up their beloved dog's bowel movements

Surprisingly Rebecca claims, after a good clean, her precious rings now have an extra sparkle to them.

'The rings are actually cleaner than they ever were before,' she laughed.

The relieved couple believe the two-year-old pooch swallowed the rings while they were sitting on a bedside table, Sunshine Coast Daily reported.

'This story will be laughed about for a while! The best day of my life. Oh what a relief!' Rebecca wrote on Facebook.

Surprisingly Rebecca claims, after a good clean, her precious rings (pictured) now have an extra sparkle to them

The relieved couple believe the two-year-old pooch swallowed the rings while they were sitting on a bedside table, Sunshine Coast Daily reports

The pair also say it is not unusual for their Labrador to gobble up household items.

'Being a Labrador, she's very inquisitive and while we were turning the house upside-down she was getting under our feet trying to see what we were doing,' Rebecca told the publication.

'So I was right, they were there the whole time - inside Bella.'
Many women spend hours looking for the perfect outfit, but most don't expect to flock to the same shop.

A group of six women got quite the surprise when they turned up to a friend's wedding over the weekend wearing the exact same Forever New navy and white dress.

But what could have been considered every woman's worst nightmare was taken in stride by the group, who laughed off the hilarious coincidence.

Scroll down for video

A group of six women got quite the surprise when they turned up to a friend's wedding over the weekend wearing the exact same Forever New navy and white dress (pictured)

Poll Would YOU go home and change if someone wore the same dress as you? Yes No Would YOU go home and change if someone wore the same dress as you? Yes 908 votes

No 2645 votes Now share your opinion





One of the women took to social media after the wedding, posting an image of the women standing with the amused bride.

'You really should start a bridal registry so that your customers can enquire whether anyone else has purchased one of your dresses for the same event,' Debbie Speranza, from Sydney, wrote on Forever New's Facebook page.

'No we are NOT the bridesmaids just the guests.'

'Think I deserve a gift voucher for all this advertisement,' Ms Speranza joked.

Two days after posting the picture, Ms Speranza's post received close to 32,000 likes and more than 7,000 comments.

While many women said the incident would have been their worst nightmare, most commenters revelled in the funny accident.

'My worst nightmare lol recently packed two dresses just in case,' one woman said.

'OMG that's unbelievable,' another laughed.

One of the women took to social media after the wedding, posting an image of the women standing with the amused bride (pictured)

While many women said the incident would have been their worst nightmare, most commenters revelled in the funny accident (pictured)

'At least they stock all shapes and sizes! Would have been hilarious,' a third woman said.

The Debbie Lace pencil dress, which costs $159.99, appears to be a popular choice this wedding season, with several other women claiming they bought the dress for a function of their own.

'Was just about to go buy this dress for a wedding this weekend,' a Queensland woman said.

'Omg I know someone who had these dresses for her bridesmaids the weekend just gone,' another wrote.
The least popular baby names of 2017 have been revealed - with research showing traditional monikers like Gail and Roger are on the way out.

According to website Baby Centre, a total of 24 baby names have made it on to their 'endangered list' - 14 girls' names and 10 boys' names.

Topping the least popular list for girls were the names Anita, Bertha and Bonnie, while unpopular monikers for the boys included Bertram, Clarence and Clive.

Although the beautiful Cindy Crawford has the name Cindy, it has lost popularity in the recent years

And whilst Cindy is of course most famously associated with glamorous supermodel Cindy Crawford, even her name made it to fifth spot on the unpopular list.

The name, which means 'light', made a statement in 1965 where out of nowhere it made its mark in the top 100 baby names of the time.

Anita as a name has plummeted in popularity since first becoming popular in 1963.

It seems that old fashioned names are on the way out, at least according to the baby name trends of 2017, with the two least popular names being Anita and Bertram

Back then, 88 baby girls in Australia alone were given the name which means 'full of grace', 'mercy', 'favour', 'variety' and 'a leader'.

Anita's popularity varied from 1976 to 1983 but completely dropped off after that year and has not reappeared in popularity lists since then.

Although an interesting name, Bertram, which means 'bright raven' in German, never seems to have captured the imagination of a majority of parents.

According to Nameberry, the Norman name last found favour in the 1930s and despite its appearance as a Hogwarts student in Harry Potter has failed to find popularity.

According to NSW Government's Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages , Anita was the 99th most popular baby name in New South Wales in 1963

Both Cynthia Nixon (pictured left) and Bonnie Wright's (pictured right) names appear on this list

TOP 10 LEAST POPULAR GIRL NAMES Anita

Bertha

Bonnie

Cilla

Cindy

Cynthia

Donna

Dorothy

Edna

Gail Advertisement

TOP 10 LEAST POPULAR BOY NAMES Bertram

Clarence

Clive

Edmund

Gus

Frank

Ian

Roald

Ricky

Roger Advertisement

It appeared in different positions throughout the years but its final appearance in the popularity list was in 1982.

Other girls' names that have decreased in popularity are Dorothy, Cilla, Donna, and Edna.

Some of the boy names proving unpopular are Clarence, Edmund, Gus, Roger and Ricky.

Some of the boy names that have seen a decrease in popularity are Clarence, Edmund, Gus, Ian and Ricky

Clive Owen (pictured left) and Frank Ocean's (pictured right) first names also featured on the unpopular names list

Frank came in at number six on the unpopular list - a fall from grace compared to the period between the 1880s and 1920s when it was in the top 10, according to Nameberry.

'Frank has fallen from favor but still has a certain warm, friendly real-guy grandpa flavor that could come back into style, like other such choices as Jake and Jack. Maybe thanks to Sinatra, it's become a new hipster favorite,' the site states.

Cynthia and Ian also appear on the unpopular list - despite having a celebrity association from the likes of Sex in the City's Cynthia Nixon and award-winning actor Sir Ian McKellen.
A mother has spoken out about the terrifying moment she was left with bruised and swollen lips after undergoing a filler injection at a beauty clinic.

Kristine McCarthy, from Sydney, decided to join the popular cosmetic trend of getting a plump pout at a clinic last Thursday.

But following the procedure, the 43-year-old said she was left with noticeable bruising after her lip injection went horribly wrong.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the mother-of-three claimed the nurse had accidentally pierced the main artery, causing her upper lip to dramatically swell.

Kristine McCarthy (pictured before and after the procedure) was left with bruised and swollen lips after undergoing fillers injection at a beauty clinic

'After the nurse pulled the needle out... I didn't feel any pain but she was like "oh my gosh" and just grabbed my lip with her thumb and forefinger,' she said.

'My heart was racing. I felt sick instantly because I didn't know what happened. She just said "it's very unfortunate, you're going to have a little bruising but it'll go away.

'So she told me to hold ice over it while she did my bottom lip. She showed me a mirror afterwards, I didn't look too bad but I noticed my lips were blue straight away.'

Mrs McCarthy claimed the nurse advised her to simply put ice over her lips - and her bruise would eventually fade away.

But when the mother returned home, she noticed her lips were severely swollen and bruised.

Following the procedure, the 43-year-old mother-of-three said she was left with noticeable bruising after her lip injection went horribly wrong

'I remember looking in the mirror... It was getting bigger and bigger. It felt like a horror movie. I thought my lips were going to burst,' she recalled.

'It was getting really red. It was so shiny, it looked like I had Vaseline on it. My skin had stretched so much, it looked like it was going to burst.

'It looked horrendous three hours later. My whole body was shaking uncontrollably. I felt like I was going to throw up. I couldn't believe what was happening.'

When she returned to the clinic, she was told by a doctor over Skype that he believed the nurse had pierced the main artery in her lip.

Mrs McCarthy claimed the nurse had accidentally pierced the main artery, causing her upper lip to dramatically swell

'I can't even describe the horror on their faces when I pulled the bag of peas away from my face,' she recalled.

'They tested my lip by pushing on the bruise to make sure the colour was coming back.

'When they pierce the artery, the filler could block the hole and stop the blood flow. Then your lip can get what's called necrosis, so it could lead to tissue damage.

'I just thought I was going to lose my lips. You just don't know. What if I had a reaction to the filler? Who knows.

'I've never had lip fillers done before so it was a very traumatic experience to say the least.'

The following morning, she went to see another doctor who ensured her the swelling and bruising will eventually go away in the coming weeks

The following morning, she went to see another doctor who ensured her the swelling and bruising will eventually go away in the coming weeks.

'When I arrived there, I was an absolute mess. The swelling had subsided overnight. But I was still shaking and beside myself,' she said.

'I went to see another doctor. He did a few tests and the good news is my lips will definitely go back to normal.

'He assured me I didn't have necrosis and that I was going to be fine.'

By sharing her terrifying ordeal, Mrs McCarthy wanted to warn other women about the dangers of getting lip injections

Mrs McCarthy said she feels relieved her lips are slowly recovering.

'Everyday is getting better. The swelling has subsided dramatically,' she said.

'I still have a significant bruising but that will hopefully go away in the next week or. I'm just glad I'm okay now, there's no permanent damage.

'There is no way I would go through that again. I watch a lot of those botched shows and thought "that's me, I should be on that show". I would never do it again.'

Mrs McCarthy said she feels relieved her lips are slowly recovering - as her bruise is expected the fade away over the next week or so

By sharing her story, Mrs McCarthy wanted to warn other women about the dangers of getting cosmetic lip injections.

'I guess I know a lot of women who have had them done. I just thought, I'm 43, I should give it a try,' she said.

'I'd never heard of anyone having any issues - so it never crossed my mind. I didn't think there would be any complications.

'I just want other women to understand the risks involved and do your research. I was completely naive and didn't do my research.

'Know what you're getting and know that things can go wrong. And make sure you go to someone who is qualified - and not have a doctor consult you over Skype from a clinic's iPad.

'My message is, know the risks, do your research and don't go in naive.'
When Rachel Ireland woke up on the morning of November 25, 2015, nothing seemed out of the ordinary - nothing but the wind.

By the end of the day a bushfire would ravage the mother-of-four's South Australia community, leaving her family without a home and taking the life of a dear friend.

When Rachel and her children left their home in Hamley Bridge while her husband David fought the fire, they just took a change of clothes and some pajamas.

'I thought worse case scenario we'd have a sleepover and be back in the morning,' Rachel, 33, told Daily Mail Australia.

Rachel and David Ireland, and their four children, lost everything in the horrific November 2015 bushfire that ravaged parts of South Australia

Their home was completely destroyed, with only a shot glass, a makeup bag, and a Matchbox car surviving the blaze

But when Rachel dropped off her children at school that morning, it was almost as if she and the other parents had a premonition.

'The wind was just insane from the get-go in the morning,' she said. 'It was just enough to unnerve you.'

'We were all talking about the wind at the school drop-of,f and some people were saying "Oh gosh, it wouldn't be a good day if anything got lit up"'.

A couple of hours later, Rachel spotted a small patch of smoke 60km away in Pinery.

David, a volunteer firefighter, was out battling the blaze. He told Rachel it wasn't looking good.

Although the family was not in a bushfire zone, Rachel felt a growing sense that something wasn't right.

'I was listening to the radio and they suggested that the wind could change and push the fire toward Hamley Bridge,' she said.

David, a volunteer firefighter, was helping fight the blaze while Rachel evacuated her children from the home and tried to keep them calm as she drove to a relative's house

'Once I heard that it was, "Nope, I gotta go". I would rather be well away from it and have David know we're safe.'

Rachel grabbed her 'go bag', filled with important documents, but forgot that a USB stick filled with all of the family's photos was still in the computer.

She had taken it out that morning to update the flash drive, but it completely slipped her mind as she picked up her children and saw smoke from the driveway.

'I knew we were running out of time, it changed really quickly,' Rachel said. 'When we saw that smoke shifting it was go and go now.'

'But I thought we'd be coming home in a few hours after it passed. I didn't think at the end of the day that we wouldn't have a home to go to.'

As they headed toward Kapunda, where her aunt lived, Rachel tried to keep calm her children Makaede, 10, Izak, eight, Jacob, six, and three-year-old Blake.

The fire killed two people that spring and injured 16 others, as well as damaging 35 homes

Rachel said nothing seemed too out of the ordinary that morning except for an 'insane wind' that had made her nervous on the unusually warm day

A murky and dark wall of smoke was forming, and when they pulled up to her aunt's driveway Rachel noticed red embers falling from the sky.

'That's when my daughter said, "Are we going to die today mum?"', Rachel recalled. 'Inside I was screaming, it tore me to pieces because that was playing through my mind.'

'But I smiled at her as cheerily as I could and said, "No, not today. We'll be alright, it's fine.'"

Rachel and her family began driving north, away from the fire, where she soon lost phone service - and all contact from David.

But right before their channel of communication got disconnected, he revealed to Rachel that their house was gone.

'It was like my chest had just constricted and all the oxygen just ran out,' Rachel recalled. 'I thought, where am I going to put my kids to sleep tonight?'

Rachel and David later appeared on This Time Next Year and pledged that they were going to rebuild their family's home

'I never thought, at the end of the day, I wouldn't have a bed to lay in, I wouldn't be able to put my kids to sleep in their beds. It was very much, what do we do now?'

But first the family had to get through the fire, and the painful hours without any word from David.

Those five hours of silence was made even worse when Rachel heard over the radio that a volunteer firefighter had been killed in the blaze.

'You don't even want to entertain the thought, because if it's not your husband it's someone else's,' she said. 'On the plains, everyone knows everyone.'

When Rachel finally heard David's voice, after he climbed to the highest point so he could get some service and let her know he was okay, it was bittersweet relief.

'You're so relieved, but you know someone is going to be feeling that incredible heartache,' she said.

The family turned around and drove through the ground that already burned, heading back so they could see David.

'Once you've found out that you lost everything you worked hard for, all I wanted to do was be in my husband's arms,' Rachel said. 'At the end of the day, that's all that matters.'

Through it all, Rachel said her children were 'absolute superstars'.

Rachel said she completely threw herself into getting her family's home back up after the fire

It took 11 months for workers to completely rebuild the home and make it livable once again

'At one point I got really flustered and a bit disoriented from the smoke and my son said to me "It's okay mum! Teamwork, we'll get through this together"', she recalled.

'They were my reason to stay calm. I didn't hide the truth from them, I told them about the reality of what was going on, and they were superstars.'

It took seven weeks before Rachel could walk into her burned house, where the only things that survived were a shot glass, her makeup bag, and a Matchbox car.

At the same time Rachel was battling symptoms of PTSD and suffering anxiety attacks after the fire

Among the sentimental items she lost were her parents' original wedding photos, trinkets from her late grandparents, and the footprints from her childrens' births.

'I was stunned more than anything,' she said as she recalled walking back into the home. 'I was pretty numb.'

'It wasn't until maybe four or five minutes after that it started sinking in. I had no idea where to go from there.'

'I just felt that my job as a mum was to provide a safe environment for my kids, where they can sleep and have a bath and clean clothes, and I had nothing.'

And Rachel was devastated when she heard the news that her friend Janet Hughes, 56, had perished in the bushfire along with the volunteer, 69-year-old Allan Tiller.

Sixteen other people were injured during the fire, which destroyed 35 homes total.

In those first few months it wasn't the house that Rachel was crying for, but the friend that she would never get back.

'I cried a lot for Janet, for her husband Andy, for their son and what they were going through,' she said.

'They don't get to rebuild, they just have to move forward. I feel guilty every day knowing we got to rebuild, and that was our way of healing, but there was nothing we could do to help them.'

Rachel's family was dealing with their own struggles. Her children had nightmares about the fire, and she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

'I was so focused on bringing my family home and making sure they were okay and adjusted, and I'd forgotten about myself,' she said.

'It wasn't until I fell into a screaming heap that I thought, maybe I'm not as okay as I thought I was.'

Although their home is now complete, the family said it remains a daily reminder of the fire

And still the family focused on rebuilding their home, wanting to show their children that 'it doesn't matter what life throws at you'.

'It was always home, this property is where everything has happened for us,' Rachel said.

'I miss that house, and I'll never be able to recreate it, it was just where everything started.'

'But it was important for us to show the kids that you can go home and life continues on after that.'

They rebuild the house in 11 months, but when David was offered a new job in a new city, the family made the painful decision to leave their beloved home behind.

And as much as they love the property, Rachel think it could be a fresh start for the family.

'The children still get anxious, especially with the weather warming up - it makes them nervous,' she said.

'We don't ever forget what had happened, it is there daily. It's not a bad thing, but I think being away for awhile is a good way to heal.'

'We can move forward and be comfortable being here one day again.'
A woman who was breastfeeding her three-month-old son has revealed how she offered a withering response to a stranger who asked her to cover up.

Mother-of-two Nicolle Blackman, from Seattle, noticed a man 'ogling' her chest as she tried to feed her son in a McDonald's restaurant just south of the city.

When the man's wife approached her and asked her to conceal what she was doing - Blackman gave a defiant put-down - by placing a muslin cloth over her face instead of her breasts.

Scroll down for video

Nicolle Blackman, pictured with her three-month-old son Cameron, was chastised by a stranger in a McDonald's restaurant south of Seattle after she publicly breastfed her young son

Well, you did say 'cover up'! Blackman took an alternative interpretation on the stranger's request, by concealing her face not her breastfeeding

Blackman visited the fast food restaurant in Federal Way, just south of Seattle, Washington, on September 2nd and sat in the corner of the restaurant to quietly feed her three-month-old son, Cameron.

The cashier, who claims she never exposed her nipple, says that she was then confronted by the angry woman who asked her to cover up because her husband was struggling to stop staring at the breastfeeding session.

However, Nicolle was so annoyed at the demand that she decided to offer her own interpretation of the request - put the cloth on her face, an act which saw the enraged stranger and her husband turn on their heels and leave.

The 29-year-old now hopes that her act of defiance will give other women the strength to feed their babies in public.

Nicolle said: 'I was very annoyed when she said that. Why would I cover up my son? He holds his breath when he's covered.

'I was surprised. I think she was upset because her husband was looking. He didn't seem to pay her any attention when she was talking.

Defiant: Blackman said her young son struggles to breathe properly when a muslin cloth is placed over his head - and said she would never breastfeed in a bathroom

While Cameron continued to feed, the disgusted couple took their food and left the restaurant. Right, Cameron the cutie offers a smile

'I noticed he was staring. I understand people are curious and it doesn't bother me. I'm going to feed my son regardless. His wife was really concerned but I wasn't concerned.

'You could only see the side of my boob so I was like 'okay' and covered my face. She grabbed her husband and left. My 11-year-old daughter, Kaymaii, said she looked mad.

'I had covered myself during 'latch' so my nipple was never exposed. It was the first I've ever had someone react like this. I just wanted to bring light to the situation.

I have been told I should feed in the bathroom. That's disgusting, would you eat in the bathroom? Why would I feed my child in the bathroom? Nicolle Blackman

Blackman explains that Kaymaii couldn't understand why her mother had to cover up her breasts and even took the picture of her with the cloth over her face.

'She wanted to tell her grandmother that I wasn't being mean to her brother and she did. My mum said that she was proud that I stood up for what I believed in.'

Nicolle says that they sat in the corner of the restaurant to be as far away from the other customers as possible but claims the couple decided to sit right next to them despite it being almost empty.

The three-month-old child had recently undergone surgery to get his lip-tie and tongue-tie [bits of skin connecting the lips to the mouth] clipped and the mum says because of this he wouldn't take a bottle and had to be breastfed.

Nicolle said: 'There is nothing wrong with covering up if that's what you choose to do. Nobody knew that my son had surgery and wouldn't take a bottle. People are judging before they know the story.'

The mother-of-two, who works as a cashier, says she hopes that her own act of defiance will inspire other mothers to do the same

'I'm hoping to help other women by speaking out about it to encourage them to stand up for their children.

'Just do whatever is best for them. If they want to cover that's fine, if they don't that's fine too.

She adds: 'I have been told many times that I should feed him in the bathroom and I said, 'that's disgusting, would you eat in the bathroom? Why would I feed my child in the bathroom?'

'One time when I was feeding in a park a woman came up to me and said she would never have breastfed in public if she hadn't seen me.

'It was encouraging and it felt good that I could give someone the strength to do it.'

MailOnline has contacted McDonald's for comment.
Gone are the days when society girls were doomed to a life of twinsets and pearls.

Lady Amelia Windsor, 36th in line to the British throne, arrived at a London Fashion Week party on Monday night in little more than lingerie.

The petite blonde, 22, looked gorgeous in a black lace bralet with high-waisted trousers and a white blouse worn off the shoulders.

Queen of the crops: Lady Amelia Windsor showed off her petite frame in a lace crop top

She teamed the risque top with high waisted trousers and a shirt worn off the shoulders

The former Edinburgh University student was attending the Love Magazine x Miu Miu party on Monday night at Mayfair nightclub Loulou's.

Having already walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana - and been hailed as the 'most beautiful' member of the royal family - Lady Amelia has become a firm fixture in fashion circles.

She already took up a prime seat in the front row at the Emporio Armani show on Sunday.

Lady Amelia rubbed shoulders with grime artist Dizzee Rascal and the French actress Alice David as London Fashion Week got underway.

The former Edinburgh University student was pretty in pink at the event, teaming bold colour block trousers with a co-ordinating chunky knit.

Lady Amelia Windsor, who has been hailed as the most beautiful member of the royal family, attended the Emporio Armani show at London Fashion Week

She was joined on the front row by grime artist Dizzee Rascal and French actress Alice David

She completed her eye-catching outfit with black boots, a white shirt and a metallic silver handbag.

After taking in the show from the star-studded front row, Lady Amelia joined the likes of Poppy Delevingne, Ellie Goulding, Liam Payne and Olivia Palermo at the label's equally glitzy after-party.

It followed her appearance at the Shrimps show, which saw Lady Amelia wear a short faux fur jacket from the cult label over a dress from another fashion pack favourite; Ganni.

The 22-year-old former Edinburgh University student has already walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana

Lady Amelia wore a pair of bright pink trousers, a white shirt, and a pink and purple chunky knit

Lady Amelia is the granddaughter of the Duke of Kent, the Queen's first cousin.

The 36th in line to the throne was hand-picked as a muse by Dolce & Gabbana, and featured in a campaign for the Italian power house alongside another royal; Princess Olympia of Greece.

Even Lady Amelia's phone cover matched her bold pink trousers and cosy knit
Five dolls the Queen played with as a child have emerged for sale in East Sussex alongside a selection of her infant clothes.

The garments and toys were given to the former royal nurse Clara Knight who looked after Queen Elizabeth in her early years while the Queen Mother was undertaking ceremonial duties.

As she had no children of her own, Ms Knight would send the dolls and clothes to her family at Christmas time. Ms Knight died in 1946 but her collection has remained in her family for the past 71 years.

The selection of toys includes three girl dolls and a Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse made by the traditional British toy maker Dean's Rag Book Company.

Memories: The five dolls the Queen played with as a child, including Mickey and Minnie Mouse made by the traditional British toy maker Dean's Rag Book Company, are going up for sale

Memories of a royal childhood: Dolls the Queen's played with in the 1920s are still in amazingly good condition

The dolls arrived at the auctioneers amongst many other household items from an ordinary local house

The royal children's Mickey and Minnie Mouse dolls, which the Queen played with as a young girl

Clara Knight, the royal nurse who looked after the Queen in her early years, pictured with the then Princess Elizabeth

There are approximately 20 garments in the collection including infant dresses and matching undergarments, many in silks and linen and some in early man made fabrics.

They include a pink silk jacket which belonged to the Queen Mother and colourful 1920s playsuits and dresses worn by the Queen and Princess Margaret.

Two of the garments are labelled Smith and Co of Sloane St, while the rest have no label and are hand stitched.

Several photos accompany the collection including one of the Queen sat on Ms Knight's lap wearing a bonnet and one of these dresses.

Another photo shows Ms Knight in her nurse's uniform holding an angelic-looking Queen and smiling at her.

A dress belonging to the Queen given to the former royal nurse Clara Knight, who would send the items to her family at Christmas

Clara Knight's uniform forms part of the sale at Burstow & Hewett, of Battle, East Sussex

Garments given to the former royal nurse Clara Knight who looked after Queen Elizabeth in her early years. As she didn't have children of her own, she sent them to her family

Clara Knight died in 1946 but her collection has remained in her family for the past 71 years

Five of the Queen's dolls including Mickey and Minnie Mouse dolls made by the traditional British toy maker Dean's Rag Book Company form part of the sale.

They are all cloth bodied dolls of the 1920s period with original garments.

Ms Knight's nurse's uniform from 1910 is also included in the auction.

At one point, the collection was lent to the Bexhill Museum, in East Sussex, for an exhibition.

However, the dolls and garments have been boxed up and tucked away in a house for many years, prompting the family's decision to put the historic items on the market.

An original portrait of the Queen Mother, signed in ink 'Elizabeth 1922', also signed by the photographer Malcolm Arbuthnot, New Bond Street, given to the Royal Nanny Clara Allah Knight, in a glass frame

There are approximately 20 garments in the collection, which is tipped to sell for 1,500

Some of the royal baby clothes kept by their nanny Clara Knight will go up for auction in East Sussex

The collection of clothes is tipped to sell for 1,500, while the dolls are each valued at 300.

When the Queen Mother was away on ceremonial duties Ms Knight took primary responsibility for looking after the Queen.

Ms Knight's funeral was attended by the Queen Mother, the Queen and Princess Margaret.

Matt Ellin, specialist at Burstow & Hewett, of Battle, East Sussex, which is selling the collection, said: 'It appears she came to the royal family in 1926 when Elizabeth was born and spent many years looking after both the Queen and Princess Margaret.

Many of the dresses are in silks and linen with a handful in early man made fabrics

There are approximately 20 garments in the collection including infants dresses and matching undergarments

A picture of the Queen with her former nanny, wearing a dress that's now going up for auction

There are approximately 20 garments in the collection including infant dresses and matching undergarments, and a pink dress (right) the Queen is wearing in a picture taken with her former nurse

'The collection came to us in amongst many other household items from an ordinary local house.

'The owners thought the collection was interesting but were very unassuming about the content.

'Clara lived and worked extremely closely with the royal family and was given these clothes and dolls from time to time which she would then send to her family.

'It's a historic collection and we are expecting worldwide interest.'

The auction takes place tomorrow.
Ex On The Beach star Charlotte Dawson may have been unlucky in love after her stint on E4's Celebs Go Dating on Monday night but it seems her date won't be short of female admirers after his turn on the show.

Charlotte, 24, daughter of comic legend Les, who is known and loved for her party girl persona was set up on a date with London-based Harry Alexander, a model and businessman whose aunt is Barbara Windsor.

While the show's producers hoped 'posh boy' Harry, 25, could give Charlotte an 'etiquette lesson', sadly love wasn't on the cards.

However, social media went into meltdown over Charlotte's date, tweeting her to tell her they'd go on a date with him if she didn't want to.

'Since Charlotte doesn't want him, I'll go on a date with Harry,' wrote one, while another added: 'Omg @CharlotteDawsx I would learn to be a lady for Harry!!'.

Barbara Windsor's 'posh boy' nephew Harry Alexander attempted to teach Charlotte Dawson some etiquette on Celebs Go Dating - and became a social media sensation in the process

London-based Harry Alexander is a model and businessman who counts Barbara Windsor as his aunt

Other Twitter users complimented his dapper style, model good looks and 'cute' appeal.

Charlotte and Harry couldn't be more different. Charlotte burst onto screens last August as she entered Ex On The Beach's all-star fifth season as the ex-flame of Gary 'Gaz' Beadle of Geordie Shore fame.

She was seen growing closer to Celebrity Big Brother winner Stephen Bear before he unceremoniously dumped her in favour of Lillie Lexie Gregg, so she continued in her search for love on the E4 show.

Charlotte burst onto screens last August as she entered Ex On The Beach and seemed to enjoy her date, even if things didn't work out

Harry is an entrepreneur and model who works for the family business, EarlyWMC.

Harry, who grew up in Brighton, dubs himself a 'family man' with a penchant for business and travel

Harry surrounds himself with beautiful girls and regularly parties at London's most exclusive nightclubs with the Made In Chelsea cast and gaggles of glamorous women

After returning to screens, Charlotte has now become a regular on the party scene with her wild ensembles throwing her into headlines.

Harry, meanwhile, dubs himself a 'family man' with a penchant for business and travel.

The entrepreneur, who grew up surrounded by famous faces thanks to his legendary aunt, work for the family business, EarlyWMC.

The brunette model surrounds himself with beautiful girls and regularly parties at London's most exclusive nightclubs with the Made In Chelsea cast.

Made in Chelsea's Toff, as well as TOWIE's Arg also star on the show.
A commuter who harboured a secret crush on a stranger she saw on her train to work for a year ended up marrying him.

Zoe Folbigg, 41, from London, had a crush on Mark, 42, for months before she plucked up the courage to tell him about her feelings in a handwritten note with her email address.

But her romantic gesture back in 2003 didn't pay off immediately, as Mark emailed back saying he had a girlfriend, and the pair remained as passing strangers for another, rather awkward, eight months.

But on ITV's This Morning today, Zoe told how she got an unexpected email from Mark, telling her he was now single and asking her out for a drink.

The couple had a whirlwind romance; moving in together after three months and quitting their jobs to go traveling before getting married in 2009, and had two children.

She has now used their love story as the inspiration for a romantic novel - although she admits the fictionalised version of events is 'juicier'.

Zoe Folbigg, 41, an author from London, is married to the man she had a crush on during her commute

Back when Zoe took the 8:21am train from Hitchin, Hertfordshire into King's Cross every morning, her dreary commute was brightened up by the frequent presence of a handsome stranger.

She said: 'I don't know what it was exactly, but normally it's the same faces who get your train everyday and you recognise other people from your commute. One day there was this new man walking up the platform and he was beautiful and I thought "he looks lovely."'

Zoe began making more of an effort with her appearance to impress Mark and try to catch his eye.

Over the course of a year she became besotted with her train crush and told her friends about it, who encouraged her to make a move.

After a year of fancying Mark in secret Zoe gave him a note with her email address and asked him out for a drink - but Mark had a girlfriend

'I called him Train Man. I worked on a teen magazine at the time, my colleagues were amazing. I'd go into work and they'd say ''How's train man today? What was he wearing, did he look up?'' and it was always 'Oh no, I didn't talk to him,''' she explained.

A friend encouraged Zoe to get Train Man's attention by dropping her ticket and breaking the ice when he picked it up - but it didn't go to plan and she became too nervous to make conversation.

On her birthday Zoe decided to be brave and hand Train Man a letter explaining her feelings and leaving him her email with an invitation for drinks.

At 5pm she got an email back, with the man politely declining her request because he had a girlfriend.

The couple now have two sons Felix, seven, and five-year-old Max after marrying in 2009

The pair moved in after three months together and then quit their jobs to travel the world

She started to go on dates with other men but was still besotted with Train Man, who she continued to see on her commute.

Eight months later she got another email from him saying his relationship had come to an end.

The email said: ''He emailed me and said ''If you still fancied that drink would you like to go out? My circumstances have changed and it would be lovely to go out for a drink.'''

The pair went on a date and Train Man, who Zoe now calls Beautiful Mark, told her he'd noticed her 'sparkly eyes' before she asked him out.

Mark originally turned Zoe down but emailed her back when he was single eight months later, asking her out for the drink she wanted

Zoe and Mark found they had a lot in common on their first date and their romance went from strength to strength

They found that they had a lot in common and moved in together after three months, before quitting their jobs to travel the world.

Three years later Mark popped the question while traveling around Australia and they married in 2009.

They now have sons Felix, seven, and five-year-old Max, and Zoe has written a book on their love story called The Note.

Zoe's book The Note is a fictionalised version of their story, admitting the characters are a lot more 'juicy' than the real life couple

But she admits the fictional couple Maya and James are a lot juicier than her and Mark.

Zoe said: 'Mark loves it actually he didn't read it until i got my book deal. Mainly it was me stopping him from reading it it's women's commerical fiction it might not be his bag.

'He loved it and it's strange for him to be fictionalised, but actually the things I'm saying about James, the protagonist, are lovely things really how I feel about Mark.'
It's not often the sartorial choices upstage the finely-tuned minds on University Challenge, but the latest episode of the BBC2 quiz saw just that happen.

Howe, a Japanese Studies student from Oxfordshire, sparked a flurry of gifs and tweets online after he appeared on the show wearing a very colourful jumper.

The mind-bending knitwear included red, green, yellow, grey and black swirls and, on Twitter at least, stole the limelight from the other contestants.

Scroll down for video

That's Howe you upstage the other contestants! The Japanese Studies student, from Fitzwilliam, Cambridge, left viewers wildly distracted with his colourful pullover

Some viewers remarked that Howe's pullover reminded them of Joseph's Technicolor Dreamcoat, with one regular University Challenge Twitter wit, @KDCunliffe, remarking: 'Before the show Paxman asked Howe what he wanted to do after leaving University.'

The wag then posted an image of Howe with a speech bubble that read: 'Any dream will do', referencing the title of the most popular song in Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage adaptation of the popular bible story.

Hundreds of tweets followed on the subject of Howe's jumper with many bowing down to its presence.

@nataliemosson penned: 'Such a fan of Howe's jumper though. I look forward to seeing its return #UniversityChallenge'

Host Jeremy Paxman introduces the teams from Leicester and Fitzwilliam, Cambridge...but viewers had no idea just what was coming from Howe

@ElspethOakley added: 'Howe has an absolutely fabulous jumper on #UniversityChallenge'

Others were less keen. @MarkStevensPD called the sweater a 'visual representation of a migraine' while @cbradbee suggested: 'Howe's jumper must be a dare.'

One of the biggest characters to emerge from last season, Bobby Seagull, even tweeted, offering his approval for the out-there sweater: 'Mr Howe's jumper on University Challenge tonight was a thing of beauty.'

Wacky knitwear aside, the show saw Fitzwilliam, Cambridge defeating their Leicester rivals by 200 to 105.

The academic quiz now enjoys a cult following on Twitter, with thousands tweeting their thoughts on the contestants and the questions when the current series airs on BBC2 on a Tuesday evening.
It was a day of pomp and pageantry in the Netherlands, as the King and Queen travelled by horse-drawn carriage from the Noordeinde Palace to open the new parliamentary session.

Queen Maxima, 46, was elegant in a formal grey gown as she and King Willem-Alexander arrived at the Ridderzaal in The Hague on Tuesday.

Thousands of well-wishers lined the route from the palace to the Houses of Parliament to catch a glimpse of the King and Queen Maxima, who wore a ceremonial sash and a dazzling diamond necklace for the occasion.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrive at the Ridderzaal in a glass coach for the opening of the Dutch parliamentary year

The Dutch Queen wore a floor length gown with co-ordinating hat, a sash and jewels

Pomp and ceremony: King Willem-Alexander delivers his traditional speech from the throne in the Knights' Hall

Amid pageantry and tight security, police installed temporary barriers to block roads near the route and officers patrolled the city as crowds, many wearing orange hats and scarves, cheered the royals.

King Willem-Alexander delivered the traditional Speech from the Throne in the Ridderzaal - or Knights' Hall - and hailed a 'flourishing economy' after a number of 'difficult years' for the Dutch.

He also used the speech to offer support to the Caribbean territories of St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius, after they were devastated this month by Hurricane Irma.

'The government will do all in its power to alleviate the islands' acute distress,' Willem-Alexander said.

'The Caribbean part of the kingdom will not stand alone as it faces the task of reconstruction.'

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Princess Laurentien and Prince Constantijn wave to the crowds on Prinsjesdag - or Prince's Day

Prince's Day is the traditional opening of the Dutch parliamentary year, during which the king delivers the Speech from the Throne in the Ridderzaal

The speech traditionally outlines the government's budget plans for the year ahead

Queen Maxima was elegant in grey, while her husband King Willem-Alexander wore a morning suit to take up his position on the throne

It was a return to formal duties for mother-of-three Maxima, who last week enjoyed a low-key evening at a concert in Amsterdam.

The hat she chose for Tuesday's outing was strikingly similar to one the Queen wore last week to open the Asian Library at Leiden University.

She wore a monochrome dress and a black, pillbox style hat for the visit to her mother-in-law Beatrix's alma mater.
Mayhem by Sigrid Rausing, 16.99

Reviewed By Hamish Hamilton

The bare facts are gruesome, and well known. On July 9, 2012, one of the worlds wealthiest men, Hans Rausing, the heir to the Tetra Pak fortune, was arrested for erratic driving on Wandsworth Bridge in London.

Having discovered drugs and a crack pipe in his car, the police searched his vast house in Knightsbridge. They found one of the doors on the second floor sealed with duct tape. Inside, clothes, bottles and rubbish were scattered over the floor.

A flatscreen TV lay on top of a mattress, and under the mattress was a tarpaulin. Wrapped inside that tarpaulin was the rotting corpse of a woman, identifiable only from a fingerprint on her left thumb and the serial number of her pacemaker.

The corpse of Hanss wife Eva had lain there for two months. Hans had been a drug addict, on and off, for nearly 30 years, and Eva for only a little less. They had met in rehab in the late Eighties, when Eva was helping fellow addicts. They were in recovery when they married in 1992, and had three children together by 1999. In 2000, they relapsed, and that relapse would last 12 years, until Evas death. In 2007, their four children, the youngest aged six, went to be looked after by Hanss elder sister, Sigrid Rausing, and her husband, Eric.

Mayhem revolves almost entirely around Sigrid Rausing (above) herself: she offers only the sketchiest portrait of her brother before his addiction took hold, and virtually none at all of Eva

It transpired that Hans had, in his own words, been unable to confront the reality of her death I tried to carry on as if her death had not happened. When the smell had grown too strong, he had sealed the door with duct tape. The couples servants were none the wiser: for some time, they had been forbidden from entering.

Hans Rausing was charged with preventing the lawful and decent burial of a body and driving under the influence of drugs, and given suspended sentences on both counts. He has since moved house, and remarried.

And there this sad and bizarre story  well documented at the time  would have ended for the general public, its details fading with the years. But now Hanss sister  who happens to be the owner and editor of the prestigious Granta publishing house and literary magazine  has chosen to tell her own version of events.

The book, Mayhem, comes with approving quotes from literary grandees Adam Nicolson (astonishing), Siri Hustvedt (fierce, lyrical, lucid) and Andrew Solomon (brave, elegant and inspired), all of whom have, as it happens, contributed pieces to Granta.

It follows that Mayhem is set to stand as the authorised  indeed, only  public version for years to come. Its publication will also serve to resurrect a tale that was painful for those involved, not least Evas family, who have no such literary platform. Where posterity is concerned, it is the writer who holds all the cards. As the poet Czeslaw Milosz once wrote: When a writer is born into a family, the family is finished.

This is not to say that Mayhem is in any way a cynical book: just that it is necessarily partial. You dont want the media to own the story of your life, Sigrid Rausing writes, early on. Later: If you do not tell your stories others will tell them for you, and they will vulgarize and degrade you I write knowing that writing at all may be seen as a betrayal of family; a shaming, exploitative act. She then adds: Anyone reading this who thinks so, please know that I thought it before you.

Quite so, but this does not make it any less true. Mayhem revolves almost entirely around Sigrid Rausing herself: she offers only the sketchiest portrait of her brother before his addiction took hold, and virtually none at all of Eva. Of Hans as a child, she notes that there was a touch of something different about him; I am not sure what. And of Eva at the time of their marriage, nothing more than this: Eva looks American, blonde hair flying in the wind, confident and strong.

There is a curious lack of detail throughout the book. Some of this is for legal reasons, but there is nevertheless a pervasive why me? tone to the narrative, as though the tragedy was largely hers.

Her style is a sort of quasi-poetic hesitancy, often delivered in one-line paragraphs:

The depressed mind doesnt echo. It is mute.

I correct myself: my depressed mind didnt echo.

What do I know about the minds of others?

I found this stop-start style arch and irritating, but I can imagine others finding it sincere and touching. I notice that I am hesitant to begin the story. I write around it, she says on page 27. Then why not start it again, cutting out anything unnecessary? In a curious way, she never really gets round to it, taking refuge in self-questioning and highbrow allusion  Freud, Strindberg, Baudelaire, Flaubert, Orwell, Ginsberg, etc, etc  rather than supplying the reader with anything more particular. She finds it hard to make even the most commonplace observation without roping in a literary bigwig to lend it sanctity: Every woman has to invent herself, as Simone de Beauvoir said.

Such criticism might seem heartless, given all that Sigrid Rausing has gone through, but Mayhem is a very literary sort of memoir, self-referential and sonorous, all the time suggesting an intellectual honesty that it never quite delivers. I suspect Rausing was influenced in her style by Joan Didions The Year Of Magical Thinking, which was about the sudden death of her husband, but it lacks that memoirs cool precision, its thirst for the truth.

I try to finish the text, but something is missing, she writes at the end of the book. I fear I have redacted too much  real life was so much more painful and confusing and stressful than this book. Just because she has voiced this fear does not mean that it is not true. Too many questions remain unanswered. What does she think of her brother now? What does he think of her book? What do his children think? And does she feel sorry for Eva and Evas family?

This last question is crucial, given a heartfelt statement released last month by Tom Kemeny, the father of Eva. He says that he asked Sigrid for 18 months not to publish her book and that his request to write a foreword as a short tribute to Eva was ignored. He points out that the book offers a cold, hollow and unsympathetic depiction of our beloved daughter. His family find it incomprehensible, he says, that in 224 pages there is not one kind word about our beloved daughter, Eva.

This is true: Rausing only ever focuses on Eva when she has spiralled out of control, and is sending Sigrid spiteful emails full of craziness, self-pity and anger. At one point, Eva makes a wax doll of Sigrid, and attempts voodoo. True to form, Sigrid intellectualises this assault. The old world is still in us, she writes, knowingly, the narcissism of magic contains the delusion of omnipotence.

But she is writing of a woman who, for all her drug-addled faults and weaknesses, is desperate to get her children back. Though Sigrid claims elsewhere t hat she is not judgmental, she can be very cold. Hans and Eva loved their children; I know that. But isnt that also a cliche of parenting. Whats the point of love if drugs come first?

The terraced street containing the London home (center) of Hans Rausing and his wife Eva

Evas father argues that it was Sigrids decision to separate Eva from her children that was the last straw. We feel that Eva would be alive today if the children had not been taken from their loving mother the unbearable pain of being separated from them ultimately led to her death in our opinion.

For her part, Sigrid argues that the social services were threatening to take them into care, and to separate them, and that, as their aunt, she took the only responsible course. I never doubted our intentions, she writes. We tried to help Hans and Eva. That help, however, was interpreted as an exercise of power, an oppressive force; a colonising impulse; a family takeover.

Tom Kemeny, on the other hand, sees the whole book as an attempt to justify Sigrids years of legal manoeuvring can you imagine the pain it causes a child to read a book written by his aunt and legal guardian that claims his deceased mother did not love him?

Mayhem is a book almost impossible to judge in any conventional terms. It may well be, as its champions claim, brave, fierce, lyrical and astonishing. It certainly contains elements of all these things. But it remains a partial account, often obscure, angry without ever quite identifying the source of that anger, an attempt at a masterpiece, finally dwarfed by life itself.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner looked in high spirits as they stepped out in New York City, one day after the mother-of-three detailed her battle with postpartum depression.

The first daughter, 35, and her husband, 36, left their apartment together on Tuesday morning to hop on a Secret Service SUV, with Jared holding the door open as he watched his wife board the vehicle.

Ivanka looked chic in a camel colored skirt with black embellishments, which she paired with a black turtleneck and the same black ankle-strap heels she wore the previous day.

Duo: Ivanka Trump, 35, and Jared Kushner, 36, looked in high spirits as they stepped out in New York City on Tuesday morning

Ride: The first daughter and her husband left their apartment together on Tuesday morning to hop on a Secret Service SUV

Awesome outfit: Ivanka looked chic in a camel colored skirt with black embellishments, which she paired with a black turtleneck and the same black ankle-strap heels

Helping: Jared held the door open as he kept a very close eye on his wife while she climbed into the Secret Service vehicle

Opening up: On Monday, Ivanka (pictured Tuesday) taped an episode of Dr. Oz, and during the interview, revealed she once suffered from postpartum depression

Family: Ivanka and Jared (pictured on Tuesday) have since welcomed two other children: Joseph, three, and Theodore, their youngest, aged one

Official duties: Ivanka also attended her father's first address to the United Nations General Assembly today, and was pictured along with her brother Eric and his wife Lara

Back: Lara, who gave birth to her first child, a boy named Luke, just a week ago, led the way as all four of them made their way out

Looking on: Ivanka, Jared, Lara and Eric sat among the crowd as President Trump addressed the assembly during the opening session of the General Debate

Whispering: At one point, Ivanka leaned towards her neighbor to tell her something while her father delivered his address at the General Assembly

The mother of three wore her long blond hair in a low bun. Her husband, meanwhile, looked businesslike in a suit and tie.

On Monday, Ivanka taped an episode of Dr. Oz set to air on Thursday, and during the interview, revealed she suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her eldest child, daughter Arabella, who is now six, Page Six reported.

Ivanka and Jared have since welcomed two other children: Joseph, three, and Theodore, their youngest, aged one.

During the taping, Ivanka also commented on Hillary Clinton's newly published book, What Happened, in which the former Democratic candidate reveals her tale of the election that saw Ivanka's father become commander in chief.

'Was blown away by how beautiful and elegant Ivanka Trump was,' an audience member wrote on Facebook. 'The highlight of the show was when Ivanka joked about taking over her fathers Twitter account. Im surprised she even commented on [Hillary Clintons] book '

Ivanka and Jared were previously photographed leaving Trump Tower on Monday morning, with Ivanka looking camera-ready in a black dress with a red floral design and peplum, and simple black ankle-strap heels.

Schedule: This week, President Trump's daughter and senior adviser (pictured this morning) is meeting with foreign officials as the United Nations General Assembly gathers in New York

Meetings: Later in the week, Ivanka she will meet with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and will have coffee with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

Talks: Ivanka (pictured on Tuesday) met Monday with Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee for the Red Cross

All done! After listening to her father's United Nations speech, Ivanka was seen walking home

Lost in thought: Ivanka looked pensive as she headed back home following her dad's address

Entourage? While she appeared at the United Unions with her husband, brother and sister-in-law, Ivanka was pictured heading home on her own

Auntie: Ivanka shared this picture of herself cuddling with her new nephew Luke, Eric and Lara's newborn son, on what she deemed 'an incredible day'

Proud parents: Lara also posted this photo of herself posing with Eric and little Luke at Trump Tower on Tuesday, wishing the newborn a 'happy one week on Earth'

Happy families: Ivanka and Jared have three children together, pictured in August, however the businesswoman has not previously spoken out about her postpartum struggles

New mom: The first daughter (pictured in October 2012, 15 months after Arabella's birth) suffered from postpartum depression after the little girl was born

Mother-daughter: The mom of three, pictured in June playing with Arabella during a congressional picnic at the White House, regularly shares snaps of her family life

Milestone: In June, Ivanka shared this photo of herself with Arabella on her last day of school before entering first grade

Siblings: Arabella was pictured in August with her mother and her younger brother Theodore, who is now one year old

This week, President Trump's daughter and senior adviser is meeting with foreign officials as the United Nations General Assembly gathers in New York.

Ivanka met Monday with Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee for the Red Cross.

Later in the week, Ivanka she will meet with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and will have coffee with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

She also attended her father's first address to the United Nations General Assembly today, and was pictured along with her brother Eric and his wife Lara, who gave birth to her first child, a boy named Luke, just a week ago.

Ivanka was seen waving at the crowd while Jared, Eric and Lara went down another escalator as all four of them made their way out.

Lady in red: Ivanka Trump was seen leaving Trump Tower in New York City on Monday morning

Rain or shine: The 35-year-old didn't carry an umbrella despite the rainy weather

So girlish: She curled her hair and wore it in a low ponytail, tied up in a large black ribbon

Figure-flaunting: For her outfit, she picked a red floral pattern dress

On-the-go: She was only outside for a brief moment before ducking into an SUV

Doll: The ribbon in her hair fluttered as she took the few steps to the cars on the curb

Ivanka was previously spotted in Washington, D.C. last week when she was seen leaving her home in the upscale Kalorama neighborhood that she shares with her husband and their three children.

On that occasion, she smiled widely for the cameras as she slipped through her front gate to the Secret Service vehicles.

She wrote a pleated white midi-length skirt with a sleeveless purple top that Friday, accessorizing with a pair of black pumps from her own brand and a matching black bag.

Her husband Jared was also pictured leaving the house on Friday morning in a suit and tie as the pair, who both have positions as senior advisers at the White House, headed to work.

Just the previous night, Ivanka's father and the first lady hosted a black-tie dinner for the White House Historical Association  but the first daughter and her husband were nowhere to be seen during the glamorous event.

Peppy: Ivanka seemed in a cheery disposition as she stepped out of her house in Washington, D.C. on Friday morning, greeting the day with a bright smile

Sartorial picks: Ivanka paired her white skirt with a sleeveless top

The mother-of-three's relaxed and carefree attitude on Friday morning contrasted with the low profile she previously maintained over the past few mornings, during which she avoided photographers by leaving her house in a blacked-out SUV.

But the previous day, the first daughter returned to her usual cheery disposition, smiling for the cameras as she stepped out of her family home in a pink floral dress.

Ivanka's outing on Thursday came after she revealed in an interview that she will not ever publicly criticize her father, because she considers herself 'part of the team'.

'To voice dissent publicly would mean I'm not part of the team,' the first daughter and top White House aide told the Financial Times. 'When you're part of a team, you're part of a team.'

She added that she believes people had 'unrealistic expectations' regarding her influence over her father and his decision making, insisting that 'my presence in and of itself' would not ever cause President Trump to 'abandon his core values'.

Ivanka and Jared, who both have offices in the White House, do discuss their work life at home, although the first daughter acknowledged in her latest interview it might be best to separate their professional and personal lives as much as possible.

'We talk about it,' Ivanka said. 'I think its probably healthier to compartmentalize more. But I dont think this job lends itself to that. I think the weight of the decisions that are made in this building are such that you cant leave it at the door in the same way that you could in the business world.'

Although she sought to minimize her influence on her father, she has accompanied him on many official visits, helping him win over crowds and carry his message.
She rarely fails to dress appropriately for the occasion, and the Countess of Wessex certainly didn't disappoint as she stepped out in Falmouth today.

Sophie, 52, opted for a nautical-themed navy and white ensemble as she visited the Harbour Lights fish and chip restaurant to attend a sustainability workshop for schoolchildren.

The mother-of-two looked elegant in a fitted jacket featuring an embellished trim, teamed with a dark blue midi skirt.

She accessorised the look with a coordinating navy clutch bag and a pair of nude court shoes.

Sophie Wessex dressed appropriately in a nautical-themed ensemble as she visited a fish and chip shop in Falmouth today

The 52-year-old royal looked elegant in a fitted jacket, teamed with a dark blue midi skirt

Sophie looked to be in high spirits as she spoke to guests at the fish and chip shop, where she was presented with a plaque featuring a bronze mackerel.

The royal was no doubt keen to taste the fare on offer at the restaurant, which was named independent restaurant of the year at the National Fish and Chip Awards earlier this year.

Earlier in the day, she met with staff and volunteers working at the Falmouth Coastguard Station to find out more about the work they do.

Sophie has had a busy schedule of late, hitting the phones to sell stock at Canary Wharf for the 13th BGC Annual Charity Day last week.

The mother-of-two appeared to be in high spirits as she spoke to guests at the restaurant

She was presented with a wooden plaque featuring a bronze mackerel during the visit

As ever, the Countess looked impeccably dressed for the office in a black and white floral dress, which she paired with a smart cropped jacket.

She was representing Children in Crisis at the event, which was also attended by the likes of Keira Knightley, Liz Hurley, Alan Carr and Mary Berry.

The event marked the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which saw American financial services company BGC lose 658 members of staff.

Sophie was at the chip shop to attend a sustainability workshop designed for schoolchildren

She was no doubt keen to try the fare on offer, as the fish and chip shop won independent restaurant of the year at the National Fish and Chip Awards earlier this year

The Countess was seen taking part in one of the marine food sustainability exercises

Sophie wore a fishing net sign around her neck as she joined in with the schoolchildren

Pupils from St Mary's Catholic Primary School presented her with flowers during the visit

The Countess threw herself into the exercise, which was run by sustainability experts
Advertisement

After tying the knot in the 'most lavish wedding of the summer', it is of little surprise this billionaire wanted to treat his new wife to an equally extravagant honeymoon.

Adam Kamani, 28, the son of Mahmud Kamani, 52, founder of the Boohoo fashion empire, whisked his beloved wife Charlotte off on a three-week African holiday shortly after their 1million Italian nuptials.

The couple kicked off their 1million trip by flying first class to Tanzania, where they were treated to private safaris and stays in five-star hotels complete with private pools and round-the-clock butler service.

Photographs of the romantic getaway reveal how the couple shared intimate moments picnicking on the Serengeti and soaked up the sun on deserted white-sand beaches.

1million honeymoon: Adam Kamani, 28, heir to the Boohoo fashion empire, and his new wife Charlotte on honeymoon

VIP treatment: The lavish newlyweds jetted off to Tanzania where they enjoyed private safaris on the Serengeti

Only the best: The couple flew first-class to Tanzania before taking a smaller plane to the island of Zanzibar

Fairytale: The couple married in a lavish ceremony in Lake Como at a villa beloved of Hollywood star George Clooney

Sources close to the couple claim the pair spared no expense to jet off on the three-week break first class before staying in a string of 5* hotels.

They are understood to have avoided other tourists with private safari drives across the Serengeti and a luxurious hot air balloon ride.

And to top it off they are finishing their trip with a stay in one of the world's best hotels - a 850 a night spa resort in Zanzibar.

A source close to the couple said: 'The wedding was no expense spared, so the honeymoon is no different.

Five-star service: The couple stayed in some of the world's best hotels, including one that costs 850-a-night

Romantic getaway: The newlyweds tied the knot in a lavish three-day Italian ceremony before taking off on honeymoon

No expense spared: The couple tuck into a picnic lunch during one of their private safari tours of the Serengeti

On top of the world: Adam and Charlotte, left, took in the views of the Serengeti from a hot air balloon

Ultimate romance: The five-star hotel where the couple stayed When you are used to living in luxury at home, it is only to be expected that you will enjoy the same five-star treatment on holiday. So it is of little surprise Adam and Charlotte plumped for one of the world's best hotels when it came to planning their honeymoon. The newlyweds spent a week at the breathtaking Baraza Resort & Spa in Zanzibar, where guests stay in private villas that come complete with their own private pool. It is set on Bwejuu beach  voted one of the top 30 island beaches in the world - with a coral reef facing the shore for snorkelling. Villas start from 562-a-night and the price of the most extravagant residence, the Presidential Villa, is only available upon request, according to the website. Advertisement

'They had an incredible big day but it was very busy and they wanted to spend time together for the first few weeks of being husband and wife.

'The honeymoon was just as luxurious as the wedding. It's what many people would consider the world's best honeymoon. It really is a trip of a lifetime. They are staying in one of the most incredible part of the world, in some of the best hotels in the world.'

The pair tied the knot at the start of the month, before jetting off on honeymoon on a first class flight.

They started off their trip in Tanzania, taking a private jet to a 5* hotel in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, before moving to the central Serengeti.

They stayed in the plush Roving Bushtops camp - but they were far from slumming it.

Guests stay 'tents' which have king-size beds, en-suite bathrooms, a 24-hour butler service and walls that can be opened to give panoramic views of the surrounding bush.

It is thought they were offered their own chauffeur driven 4x4 for private 'game drives' to see wildlife every day of their stay.

The pair then set off for a week-long stay at a Zanzibar hotel described as one of the most luxurious in the world.

The Baraza Resort & Spa is made up of a collection of villas, each with their own private plunge pool and outdoor terrace.

Ultimate luxury: The couple stayed at the Baraza Resort & Spa, pictured, which offers villas complete with private pools

Adventure: The couple witnessed the migration of the wildebeest, left, during their private safari tours

Ready to roll: Donning matching reflective sunglasses, the couple pose for a photo from their 4x4 safari car

It is set on Bwejuu beach  voted one of the top 30 island beaches in the world - with a coral reef facing the shore for snorkelling.

The luxurious break comes after their wedding which was attended by celebrities such as reality TV star Lucy Mecklenburgh and her Corrie boyfriend Ryan Thomas.

The couple exchanged vows at the historic Villa Erba, which stands on the site of a convent, founded in the eleventh century by the Benedictine nuns.

Set amid 24 acres of private parkland, the villa is said to be a favourite spot of George Clooney who owns a holiday home in Lake Como.

Wedding day: The bride with her new father-in-law Mahmud Kamani (left), who built Boohoo from a market stall business

The bride wore a variety of outfits over the three-day extravaganza including traditional Indian dress and a traditional white princess dress with a sweeping train (pictured)

Cutting the cake: The couple opted for a simple four tier confection, decorated with fresh flowers (left). The colourfully dressed bride with her new brother-in-law Samir Kamani (right)

Venue: The historic villa built on the site of an 11th century convent is a favourite of Hollywood star George Clooney

As guests sat down to dinner, tenors performed O Sole Mio to the accompaniment of a live string quartet and the evening ended with the obligatory fireworks display.

Adam works for the family business, which is now worth over 2billion after starting out as a market stall

The groom's father Mahmud set up Boohoo in 2006 with the intention of selling up-to-date clothes for low prices.

Today, Boohoo has a workforce of 1,415, with teams in Manchester, Burnley, London, New York and Los Angeles.

It is endorsed by celebrities like Little Mix and the cast of TOWIE.
Melania Trump appeared to be trying to blend into the background as she arrived at the UN General Assembly with her husband on Tuesday morning.

The 47-year-old first lady went for an understated look for the occasion, dressing in a relaxed-fit gray suit with a simple black button-down underneath.

She walked several paces behind Donald Trump as she stepped into the building, resting one hand in her pocket and she stopped to stand behind him while he addressed the press.

Melania Trump arrived at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday with her husband

She walked behind him entering the building and stood a few feet away as he delivered brief remarks to reporters

The first lady wore a gray plaid suit and black pointed-toe pumps

She posed with one hand in her pocket as press photographed the pair

Trump was followed by Melania, U.S. United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Secret Service members as he stepped into the UN this morning.

He stopped just inside the doors to deliver quick remarks on the US military, in which he discussed sending messages of 'peace' and 'strength'.

Melania stood silently by, striking a pose several feet behind him and alternatively looking at her husband and the cameras. Though she offered quick, subtle smiles, she also took on her signature pouty stare.

She donned a black shirt tucked into gray plaid slacks, which she wore with a loose matching blazer which had black buttons. She wore her hair relaxed around her shoulders and offered subtle smiles to the cameras.

Naturally, she accessorized with a pair of black pointed-toe pumps, but appeared to be all business for the occasion and forewent jewelry.

U.S. United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley also stood behind Trump as he spoke

Melania wore her hair down around her shoulders and gave photographers a pouty stare

The 47-year-old looked like she was all business in her fitted suit, but kept her distance as her husband made his way through the building

She sat in the audience moments later when her husband delivered an address to the UN

The first lady's face was expressionless during much of his speech

She maintained a pretty blank stare through most of the proceedings

Within moments, viewers who watched the scene unfold began to weigh in on Twitter, reacting to her look and reactions during the entrance and Trump's subsequent speech.

'First lady Melania Trump looks so great at the UN Assembly,' wrote one. Others called out that her 'smokey eye is on point' and she looks 'beautiful'.

'Melania looks fabulous in a pantsuit,' another fan tweeted.

Several, though, picked apart her body language, writing: 'Melania Trump always looks unhappy.'

'Melania robot batteries looked flat there,' wrote another, while a third asked: 'Is "Angry Model Face" Melania's only expression?'

'Melania has that dead fish stare down pat. From her days on the runway,' added yet another, while one more wrote: 'Melania's face is ALWAYS frozen! It's scary!'

At times she looked around and held her hand to her head

She sat, legs crossed, among an audience of high-powered world representatives

Melania appeared to want to blend into the background as she walked behind her husband

The couple arrived shortly before 10am, after which the President made remarks on North Korea

They rode up separate escalators to make their way to where Trump delivered his speech

While the first lady's body language and expressions seemed to be the most-discussed aspect of her appearance today, Melania's sartorial choices have also frequently been front-page news as of late.

In August, she flew with her husband to Texas for an update on Hurricane Harvey, and was widely criticized for boarding the plane for the trip in sky-high stilettos.

Critics called the footwear inappropriate and accused Melania of being out of touch  and in fact, she changed while in the air, touching down in more sensible footwear.

On a subsequent trip, she wore flats to board the plane, and swapped them for $50 Converse sneakers when she landed.

But despite the outcry, designer Manolo Blahnik  whose heels Melania was wearing when she was criticized  doesn't see a problem with her choice of shoes.

Melania was widely criticized in August when she wore sky-high heels to visit Hurricane Harvey victims

However, the heels' designer Manolo Blahnik said that he did not think it was insensitive  and while she probably should have worn boots, but 'she was wearing what she was wearing'

Later, when she went to visit Hurricane Irma victims, she wore flats instead

'I don't think she's insensitive,' he told Harper's Bazaar UK. 'I think she's working non-stop to make it work  possibly she was just wearing the shoes she left New York in.'

Melania had actually been leaving Camp David on the occasion.

'Yes, I think probably she could have worn Hunter boots, but she was wearing what she was wearing. I'm not good at advising people on what to wear because they wear what they want to.'

He went on: 'They should just get rid of everybody and keep her. Aesthetically I mean, I'm not talking about politics  I don't give a damn about that and I don't know much about it. But in terms of fashion and beauty  well, I love her, she's a beauty and that's all there is to it.'

In his speech, Trump took aim at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

He said: 'As president of the United States I will always put America first'

Meanwhile this morning, Trump took the podium to deliver strong words on the subject of North Korea and Kim Jong Un to an international audience.

'Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime,' Trump warned gathered world leaders, picking up a derisive term for Kim Jong Un from one of his tweets over the weekend.

'As president of the United States I will always put America first, just like you, the leaders of your countries will always and should always put your countries first,' Trump said.

'It has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense,' Trump told the world leaders who gathered to hear his debut remarks at an institution he has blasted in the past.

'Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been.'
Disney fans are losing their minds over the latest discovery about The Little Mermaid and Moana.

It all started when a Tumblr user name Asher took to the microblogging platform to share a theory: that much of the plot of 2016's Moana is just the opposite of 1989's The Little Mermaid.

He went on to explain the theory in detail, listing all of the comparisons he could find between the two films  and soon, other fans chimed in with additions of their own.

Scroll down for video

Fans are drawing comparisons between 2016's Moana and 1989's The Little Mermaid

How far she'll go: Moana is about a girl who tries to reunite a cursed goddess with a magical stone

Part of their world: The Little Mermaid is about a mermaid who wants legs so she can find her prince on land

The Tumblr post was actually first shared eight months ago, but has recently picked up more steam, appearing all over the internet and other forms of social media.

Asher began by stating, 'Moana is the reverse of the Little Mermaid.'

Moana tells the story of the daughter of a chief of a Polynesian island. Drawn to the ocean, Moana learns that her people were once be voyagers, but stopped when Maui, a demigod, stole the mystical pounamu stone from the goddess Te Fiti and thus cursed the land.

Moana is 'chosen' by the ocean to return the stone to Te Fiti, and she goes on a journey across the water in which she meets Maui, thwarts villains, and saves the day.

The Little Mermaid, meanwhile, follows the princess Ariel, who falls in love with a human Prince, trades her voice to the sea witch Ursula so she can get legs, and chases after her land-living love.

Both films were directed by Ron Clements and John Musker.

One side: Fans have pointed out that in Mermaid, the villain  Ursula  is big and scary and pretends to be the hero's friend

Flipped: In Moana, the villain is also big and scary  but turns out to be a friend, Te Fiti

Actually nice: Te Fiti was cursed and appeared as the denom Te Ka

Bling bling: Both movies have magical necklaces, though The Little Mermaid's is worn by the villain and Moana's by the hero

Besides their shared directors, the two films may not seem to have much in common at first glance, but Asher makes the case  and has attracted over a hundred thousand supporters who appear to be utterly convinced.

First: The Little Mermaid is about an ocean princess who wants to be on land. Moana is a about a land 'princess'  really, the daughter of the chief  who wants to be out on the ocean.

The Little Mermaid has a 'big scary ocean lady,' the sea witch Ursula, who first acts like a friend but is really the enemy. Moana, meanwhile, has a 'big scary land lady  the goddess Te Fiti  who first appears to be the enemy (when she presents herself as the cursed denom Te Ka) but is really a friend.

In The Little Mermaid, the villain wears the magical necklace (a shell holding Ariel's voice)  but in Moana, the magical necklace (the pounamu stone) is worn by the hero.

Under da sea: In the Little Mermaid, the crab (Sebastian) is a friend

Seafood: He also has to suffer through a song by a chef about eating crabs

Reverse: In Moana, though, the crab Tamatoa is not a good guy

Not an accident! This time, he sings about eating humans  a fact writer Lin-Manuel Miranda said was a purposeful nod to The Little Mermaid

A 'small good crab,' Sebastian, plays a role in The Little Mermaid, but a 'large bad crab', Tamatoa, is in Moana.

One fan went a step farther, pointing out that in The Little Mermaid there is a man (the royal cook) who sings about eating a crab, while in Moana it's the crab Tamatoa singing about eating people.

That point, at least, is no coincidence: Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the music for Moana, tweeted last December: 'I call this Sebastian's Revenge: a Disney crab singing about eating humans?*whispers to 9 year old Lin* (We did it).'

And even in the end credits for the film, Tamatoa gives Sebastian a shout-out: Stuck on his back from earlier in the film, he says: 'If my name was Sebastian and I had a cool Jamaican accent, you'd totally help me!'

Wish I could be... One fan pointed out that Ariel famously sings on a rock

Too funny: Moana, meanwhile, has a song sung to her by The Rock  Dwayne Johnson, who plays Maui

Gaining traction: The theory was listed out on a popular Tumblr post

Viral: Other fans have been inspired to add to the list

According to fans, the main characters' goals in the two animated films are different, too. Ariel sings about getting out of the sea and wanting to join people different form her own  but Moana sings about going to the sea so she can live happily with her own people.

Fans might be pleased to know that Lin-Manuel was thinking of another Disney film here, too.

Speaking of writing How Far I'll Go, he referenced Beauty and the Beast, saying: 'It's a challenging song. It's not "I hate it here, I want to be out there." It's not, "There must be more than this provincial life." She loves her island, she loves her parents, she loves her people.'

Finally, an Australian user who goes by 'asterlunanova' concluded with a hilarious point: The Little Mermaid sings on a rock, while Moana is sing to by The Rock (who voices the character Maui).
Manolo Blanhik has publicly supported Melania Trump for wearing his stilettos while on her way to visit Hurricane-stricken Texas.

The 74-year-old designer spoke in favor of the First Lady in an interview on Monday, saying Melania, 42, wasn't being 'insensitive' when she wore the shoes twice while leaving the White House after the passage of Hurricane Harvey.

Melania was pictured in August wearing a pair of black Manolo Blanhik stilettos, paired with a bomber jacket and aviator sunglasses. Four days later, she wore $650 shoes by the same designer, this time in a beige snakeskin design, during a subsequent trip to Texas.

Speaking out: Manolo Blanhik has supported Melania Trump for wearing his stilettos while on her way to visit Hurricane-stricken Texas (pictured in Washington, DC in August)

Repeat: Four days later, she wore $650 shoes by the same designer, this time in a beige design, during a subsequent trip to Texas (pictured earlier this month in Washington, DC)

On both occasions, the First Lady changed into sneakers after landing in Corpus Christi for her first visit and Houston the second time.

Many thought wearing the luxury shoes was tone-deaf at a time when the swamped entire neighborhoods and left thousands clambering to their roofs to be rescued.

But the man behind the stilettos doesn't have a problem with it.

'I don't think she's insensitive,' he told Harper's Bazaar UK. 'I think she's working non-stop to make it workpossibly she was just wearing the shoes she left New York in. Yes, I think probably she could have worn Hunter boots but she was wearing what she was wearing.

'I'm not good at advising people on what to wear because they wear what they want to.'

Manolo further praised the former model for her looks and sense of style.

'They should just get rid of everybody and keep her,' he added. 'Aesthetically I mean, I'm not talking about politicsI don't give a damn about that and I don't know much about it. But in terms of fashion and beautywell, I love her, she's a beauty and that's all there is to it.'

'I don't think she's insensitive,' Manolo (pictured on Monday) said. 'I think she's working non-stop to make it workpossibly she was just wearing the shoes she left New York in'

The Spanish designer is not the first one to publicly defend the First Lady.

While several of his colleagues, including Marc Jacobs, have said they are not interested in dressing her after Donald Trump became commander in chief, others have said they are willing to have her don their designs.

'Yes I would dress Melania,' Tommy Hilfiger previously told WWD. 'I think she is a beautiful woman who would make any designers clothes look great.'

Diane Von Furstenberg said Melania deserves 'the respect of any First Lady before her', adding: 'Our role as part of the fashion industry is to promote beauty, inclusiveness, diversity. We should each be the best we can be and influence by our example.'

Thom Browne, meanwhile, said: 'Out of respect for the position of the First Lady of our United States, I would be honored to be considered to design for any First Lady of the United States.'

In April Stefano Gabbana of Dolce & Gabbana gushed about the First Lady in an Instagram post after she wore one of their blazers, branding her a #DGwoman and calling her 'BEAUTIFUL'.

Soon afterwards, several people posed in the comments section slamming Gabbana for celebrating the First Lady.

The designer promptly fired back against his critics, telling one person to 'f*** off' and another to 'go to hell'.
Ivanka Trump has revealed that she doesn't believed it is her 'obligation to moderate' her father, as she insists her critics misunderstand her role as a White House senior adviser.

The 35-year-old first daughter filmed an interview on The Dr. Oz Show on Monday, and in a preview clip for Thursday's episode, she addresses the expectation that she should be a moderating force in President Trump's administration.

'I think my role and [the role of] anyone who works for the President of the United States, their role is to inform, advise and then ultimately execute,' she said. 'So I am not the decision maker.

Scroll down for video

Addressing her critics: Ivanka Trump filmed an interview for The Dr. Oz show on Monday, and she insisted that it is not her 'obligation to moderate' her father

Stating her case: During the interview, which airs on Thursday, Ivanka said people misunderstand her role as a White House senior adviser

Full house: Ivanka and Jared Kushner, are parents to a daughter, Arabella, six, and two sons, Joseph, three, and Theodore, one, and she had postpartum depression after all three births

'I have my views and I share them candidly  and as a daughter I have the latitude to do that,' she continued. 'But I also respect the process that my father is now president, and the America people elected him based on his agenda. My job isn't to undermine that agenda.'

Ivanka went on to say that her role is to 'embrace the areas where there is commonality', explaining she is 'deeply passionate about fueling the grown of women entrepreneurs' and 'supporting American working families'.

Trump's eldest daughter said she feels 'privileged' that he has given her a platform to push the areas and issues that are important to her when they are aligned with his agenda.

'Where I disagree with the agenda, I will share it with him quietly,' she added. 'I don't view it as my obligation to moderate. And I dont think anyone working for a sitting president should see themselves in that capacity.'

Many of Ivanka's critics accuse her of being a fake feminist, and those who thought she would be a moderating force in the White House have been disappointed in her inability to affect her father's agenda.

Choosing her words carefully: 'I am not the decision maker,' she said

Confession: Ivanka told Dr. Oz she addresses her father privately when she disagrees with him

While refusing to name the first daughter directly, Hillary Clinton recently shared her belief that Ivanka should be her 'held accountable' for supporting his agenda.

'Everyone associated with him, they're either on-board with that, or they're not, and if they're not, they need to be speaking out or leaving,' she said in an interview.

Ivanka also opened up about her past struggles with postpartum depression during the one-on-one interview, according to E! News.

'With each of my three children I had some level of postpartum,' she admitted.

After Dr. Oz asked her to clarify her statement, she confirmed that she had suffered from postpartum depression.

Lady in red: Ivanka was seen leaving Trump Tower in New York City on Monday morning ahead of the taping

Opening up: Ivanka also revealed during her interview that she suffered from postpartum depression after the births of all three of her children

'It was a very challenging, emotional time for me because I felt like I was not living up to my potential as a parent or as an entrepreneur and as an executive,' she said. 'And I had had such easy pregnancies that in some way the juxtaposition hit me even harder.'

Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner welcomed their one-year-old son, Theodore, into the world in March 2016, right in the middle of her father's presidential campaign.

The couple also have a six-year-old daughter, Arabella, and a three-year-old son, Joseph.

Ivanka admitted during the interview that she didn't realize she was willing to discuss something as personal as postpartum depression, but he had asked her a question.

Duo: Ivanka, 35, and Jared, 36, looked to be in high spirits as they stepped out in New York City on Tuesday morning

Awesome outfit: Ivanka looked chic in a camel colored skirt with black embellishments, which she paired with a black turtleneck and the same black ankle-strap heels

Official duties: Ivanka and Jared attended her father's first address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday and was pictured along with her brother Eric and his wife Lara

Looking on: Ivanka, Jared, Lara and Eric sat among the crowd as President Trump addressed the assembly during the opening session of the General Debate

'It's incredibly important and look I consider myself a very hard-charging person, I am ambitious, I'm passionate, I'm driven, but this is something that affects parents all over the country,' she said.

According to an audience member, Ivanka also commented on Hillary Clinton's newly published book, What Happened, in which the former Democratic candidate reveals her tale of the election that saw Ivanka's father become commander in chief.

'Was blown away by how beautiful and elegant Ivanka Trump was,' the person wrote on Facebook. 'The highlight of the show was when Ivanka joked about taking over her fathers Twitter account. Im surprised she even commented on [Hillary Clintons] book '

It has been a busy week for Ivanka, who was photographed leaving her New York City home on Monday ahead of her interview.

Ivanka was camera-ready in a black dress with a red floral design and peplum, and simple black ankle-strap heels as she was spotted leaving the building.

All done! After listening to her father's United Nations speech, Ivanka was seen walking home

Auntie: Ivanka shared this picture of herself cuddling with her new nephew Luke, Eric and Lara's newborn son, on what she deemed 'an incredible day'

Proud parents: Lara also posted this photo of herself posing with Eric and little Luke at Trump Tower on Tuesday, wishing the newborn a 'happy one week on Earth'

The mother-of-three was perfectly primped, too, with a swipe of bright red lipstick to match her outfit, as well as a girlish hairdo.

Ivanka was seen leaving the building again on Tuesday morning as she and Jared headed to the United Nations General Assembly to watch her father speak.

She looked chic in a camel colored skirt with black embellishments, which she paired with a black turtleneck and the same black ankle-strap heels she wore the previous day.

It was a special day for the family, especially because Ivanka and Jared were able to meet their nephew Luke for the first time.

Ivanka's brother Eric and his wife Lara welcomed Eric 'Luke' Trump into the world last Tuesday, but the couple was in Washington, D.C. and wasn't able to see the baby.

The proud aunt took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a photo of herself holding the newborn.

'Cuddling my little nephew Luke... my favorite part of an incredible day!' she added.
If you want decent gelato, it's a truth unofficially acknowledged that you have to go to Italy, right?

Perhaps not. Adelaide-based gelateria, 48 Flavours, recently scooped the coveted People's Choice Award at the Gelato World Tour in Rimini, on the Adriatic Coast of Italy.

The family-run business received this for their unique and mouth-watering gelato creation - which features pear, Gorgonzola cheese, organic fig and roasted walnuts.

Scroll down for video

Adelaide-based gelateria, 48 Flavours, recently scooped the coveted People's Choice Award at the Gelato World Tour in Rimini, on the Adriatic Coast of Italy (pictured: their gelato)

The family-run business received this for their unique gelato creation - which features pear, Gorgonzola cheese, organic fig and roasted walnuts (pictured: one of their other creations)

Speaking to Today Extra, the creator of the ice cream, Brian O'Donnell (pictured), shared the secret to the gelato - the flavours work really well together and haven't been put together

Speaking to Today Extra, the creator of the ice cream, Brian O'Donnell, explained just what the secret to the dreamy gelato is:

'It's pre dessert,' he outlined - of the cheese plate in ice cream format.

'It's just a synergy of those flavours. From a catering background, those flavours work really well together.

'They haven't really been put together in an ice cream before.'

The gelato creator outlined that at first in the competition, judges were confused by their concoction.

'They were like: "Gorgonzola in ice cream?",' he said. 'They just didn't think it would go.'

But Mr O'Donnell said that 'more and more came back' saying they loved it. Which is just as well, as, he said, it took 48 Flavours an impressive three months to nail the flavour.

It took 48 Flavours an impressive three months to nail the flavour (pictured: their various gelatos)

Of course, the pear and Gorgonzola isn't the only delectable treat on offer at 48 Flavours.

The gelateria, which was launched in 2014, is so named because 'it represents the range that we have in store each day of the week'.

From Sicilian Pistachio to Pineapple and Ginger, Durian and Black Sesame, the store prides itself on 'fresh produce, product made in store, and emphasis on Asian and Vegan flavours, using quality local milk, with quality ingredients from Adelaide Central Market'.

The gelateria, which was launched in 2014, is so named because 'it represents the range that we have in store each day of the week'

Prior to this Gelato World Tour competition, 48 Flavours had in fact known the heartache that comes with just missing out.

The gelateria came second in a Singapore-based regional competition just previously, and so the family decided to go out on a limb with the new unconventional dessert that features creamy and mild blue cheese to offset sweet fruity flavours.

'It was a bit of a risk,' Mr O'Donnell told Whimn.

'When we went to the Singapore stage, we had a product called the walnut and honey crunch. A great product, an Australian product but we wanted something specific for the Italian market so we had the Gorgonzola.

'It was all about the perfect balance between the flavours.'

From Sicilian Pistachio to Pineapple and Ginger, Durian and Black Sesame, the store prides itself on 'fresh produce, product made in store, and emphasis on Asian and Vegan flavours

For this competition, the 48 Flavours creation saw off plenty of gelatos to take home the prize.

This year's tour featured entrants from 19 countries including China, Singapore, Colombia, Germany, the US and Slovenia.

Flavours ranged from the classic (pistachio) to the wacky (extra Virgin olive oil) - and delicious (apple sorbetto made with caramelised speck and rye breadcrumbs).

Others were perfect for those with a taste for whisky and chocolate - featuring Tennessee whisky, Turkish delight and more.

The result was chosen by judges and marks for structure, flavour and presentation. The judges made up two thirds of the vote, while the public made up the remaining third.

The next Gelato World Tour will take place in January 2018. To follow 48 Flavours on Instagram, please click here.
It's beautiful, expensive, and popping up on Instagrams all over Melbourne.

Bet you didn't think we were talking about a taco.

But La Revolucion's newest creation isn't just any ordinary taco - it's topped with 23 karat gold.

And the luxurious creation will cost you $35.

Melbourne food truck La Revolucion is offering a $35 taco topped with 23 karat gold

It may sound costly for a food truck item, but La Revolucion owner Mariano Cingerle revealed to Daily Mail Australia that the taco is packed with exclusive items.

The taco is filled with premium scotch fillet steak, fresh salsa verde, white truffle oil, and real edible 23 karat gold, and all wrapped up in a double blue corn tortilla.

Mariano revealed that the idea was born while he was having a drink with friends Andy Trancao and Taylor Beaumont-Whiteley, the founders of Cheat Meals of Melbourne.

'We wanted to do something crazy with tacos that hasn't been seen before, especially here in Melbourne,' he said.

The taco is filled with premium scotch fillet steak, fresh salsa verde, white truffle oil, and real edible 23 karat gold, and all wrapped up in a double blue corn tortilla

Mariano liked the idea of two extremes, combining a traditionally cheap taco with ingredients that gave it an air of exclusivity.

'You don't get to eat gold every day,' he said.

'The great idea behind all this was to have a taco, that is so accessible to everyone, and clashing it with 23 karat gold, which is a fashion statement.'

For those who have never tasted pure gold, Mariano assures that it won't taste like metal.

'Since it is real gold, it doesn't have any flavour,' he said.

'What we came up with to give a nice strong flavour was the prime scotch fillet steak, a premium cut of beef, and the white truffle oil - that's where the real flavour is.'

Owner Mariano Cingerle liked the idea of two extremes, combining a traditionally cheap taco with ingredients that gave it an air of exclusivity

Mariano said that despite the hefty cost, the gold taco has been a hit with customers.

'People are driving 50 or 60km just to try the taco and take a photo with it,' he said.

For those who aren't willing to shell out the $35, other tacos on La Revolucion's menu start at $6.

Mariano first launched La Revolucion in 2014, wanting to bring different Latin American flavours to Melbourne.

The truck's menu ranges from Mexican elote and nachos to Cubano sandwiches and Argentinian-style sliders.
A healthcare clinic in Texas is offering free abortion services to women impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

More than 74 women have already taken up the offer, according to Whole Woman's Health, which promised to offer transportation and accommodation, as well as the procedure, to women affected by the hurricane that flooded southeastern Texas.

Pro-life organizations such as Texas Right for Life hit back at the offer saying it was 'heinous' and would take an emotional toll on the women.

On average, a surgical abortion in the first trimester costs $550 in Texas, according to Whole Woman's Health.

Texas remains a battleground in the United States for the abortion debate on where the line should be drawn for the controversial procedure.

In response to Hurricane Harvey, Whole Woman's Health, which owns health clinics in Texas, offered women affected by the natural disaster free abortions for the month of September. They have given the procedure to more than 74 women (file photo)

Whole Woman's Health is a reproductive clinic organization that offers services including abortions for women across Texas.

The organization posted on Facebook on September 1st that it would be offering free abortions for women in areas that were affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Whole Woman's Health fight to allow second trimester abortions in Texas The organization sued Texas for its new law on second trimester abortions. Senate Bill 8 stated that on September 1 physicians would no longer be able to perform second trimester abortions. Whole Woman's health sued the state after it signed off of Senate Bill 8 in July. The organization will head to court on November 2 to argue why second trimester abortions should be allowed. This is the third lawsuit the state is facing this year about woman's health. In January, a judge ruled that healthcare providers didn't have to cremate or bury the remains of a fetus after an abortion. And in February, the same judge ruled that the state couldn't prevent Planned Parenthood from being covered on Medicaid. Source: Cosmopolitan Advertisement

They said natural disasters prevent women from being able to get these procedures and afford them.

Abortions on average cost between $400 to $1,500 for the surgical procedure depending on the state.

It is cheaper for a woman to do it by taking an abortion pill up to 10 weeks into the pregnancy. The pill costs between $400 to $800 depending on the state.

'The promotion of this heinous no-cost service is riddled with fallacies because abortion is never free,' said Melissa Conway, director of external relations for Texas Right to Life, to Baptist Press.

'There is always a cost to abortion. Women are not free from the emotional toll that ensues after abortion and the child is certainly not free to live another day.'

Whole Woman's Health has given the procedure for free to more than 74 women in Texas with the help of The Lilith Fund.

If a woman doesn't qualify for the fund, the organization will help them regardless to get the abortion.

It has also been collecting money from its Stigma Relief Fund to pay for the abortions.

Already, more than $15,000 has been raised to go towards travel and coverage of the procedure.

'Texas doesn't have a safety net, so we have to help people raise money for services,' said Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Woman's Health, to The Dallas Morning News.

Texas Right to Life, a pro-life organization, instantly responded to the funds to help women receive these free procedures. The organization said the offer was 'heinous'

'Many of these women are traveling for two days and need support for travel and child care.'

In 2013, Texas House Bill 2 put stricter regulations on abortion clinics that forced closure of more than 75 percent across the state.

Currently, only 19 clinics remain that provide abortion services for women.

The supreme court in 2016 overruled Texas House Bill 2 saying abortion restrictions put a burden on a woman's constitutional rights.

Now the state is battling with clinics on whether it will allow physicians to perform second trimester abortions.
Mother of one Clare Beckett, 38 (pictured with her daughter), who has idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a condition which a charity warns is a silent killer in Britain

A leading charity is calling for the NHS and health watchdog to end the 'inhuman' treatment of those who sufferer from a deadly lung disease.

The British Lung Foundation (BLF) warns that sufferers of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are left to die without access to services, treatment or support.

IPF now kills more people in the UK than leukaemia, brain or stomach cancer  yet few people have heard of it and research is chronically underfunded, according to experts.

Britons are twice as likely to die from IPF than in a road accident. The condition could be among the top five deadliest diseases in the UK within a decade unless a cure is found.

Widespread ignorance of the disease among GPs and disjointed care provision across the NHS mean that by the time patients are finally diagnosed with IPF, some may have just months left to live.

Katie Price recently revealed that her mum, Amy, 65, is a sufferer.

Amy said: 'People need to realise that IPF exists. It took far too long for me to be diagnosed with IPF, five years of going back and forth from the doctors. It should have rung a bell that something was wrong.

'Access to services, treatment and support for IPF patients is inadequate. This needs to change. Referrals must be quicker so patients can get early access to the right treatment and care.'

With an average life expectancy of just three years after diagnosis, IPF affects around 32,500 people in the UK.

A new BLF report warns that IPF sufferers are wasting what little time they have left finding their way around an ineffective and unnecessarily complicated healthcare system.

As part of IPF Awareness Week, the charity is calling for an end to the postcode lottery and the establishment of local networks to bring together health care professionals, policy-makers, charities and patients to improve services.

Access to vital treatments - including drugs that could extend life expectancy  are being denied because of restrictive NICE guidelines.

'Every day, I meet individuals, with limited life expectancy, who could have been referred, diagnosed and consequently treated much earlier if the system was more responsive to their needs,' said Professor Toby Maher, BLF Chair in Respiratory Research and Consultant Respiratory Physician at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

Clare's mother died of IPF aged 46, her aunt died within a year of being diagnosed and the disease also killed her grandfather and uncle. She is pictured right with her daughter and left

'It is frustrating that because of inflexible guidelines I am unable to offer over a third of my IPF patients life-prolonging drugs approved for use in their disease.'

Dr Penny Woods, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: 'It is inhuman to require someone to slowly deteriorate and have a poorer quality of life before they can be treated - and a choice that defies all common sense.

WHAT IS IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS? Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a condition in which the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult. It's not clear what causes it, but it usually affects people around 70-75 years of age and is rare in people under 50. Several treatments can help reduce the rate at which IPF gets worse, but there's currently no treatment that can stop or reverse the scarring of the lungs. The symptoms of IPF tend to develop gradually and get slowly worse over time. Symptoms can include: shortness of breath

a persistent dry cough

tiredness

loss of appetite and weight loss

rounded and swollen fingertips (clubbed fingers) There is no cure and it's very difficult to predict how long someone with IPF will survive at the time of diagnosis. Regular monitoring over time can indicate whether it's getting worse quickly or slowly. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

'This is another example of where proven interventions for respiratory patients are not being prioritised. We need a taskforce for lung health to look at these issues across diseases, and put in place a five-year strategy to improve outcomes for the 12 million people affected by lung disease in the UK.'

There is evidence linking IPF to air pollution, specifically diesel emissions.

'There is well-established evidence that air pollution poses a serious threat to all our lung health,' said a BLF spokeswoman.

'Air pollution is at illegal and unsafe levels in many UK towns and cities, the majority of this pollution comes from vehicle emissions. Children's lungs are particularly vulnerable as they are still growing. It can stunt the growth of their lungs and leave them with long-term health problems.'

In July the government pledged to meet legal limits on nitrogen dioxide across the UK and ban the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles by 2040.

However, the charity says far more needs to be done to protect lung health today, warning that by 2040 irreparable damage could have been done to children's lungs.

'We need a new and ambitious clean air act that sets a robust strategy to tackle this modern pollution problem,' said the BLF, which is calling on Teresa May to set up a lung taskforce.

'It is only recently that charities have established independent Taskforces to produce national strategies, the most notable of which have been for cancer and mental health,' said the BLF. 'We want the Secretary of State for Health to publically support the Taskforce and commit to ensuring a respiratory strategy is in place to improve care.

'Given the significance of lung disease for health inequalities in the UK, we would also like to see the Prime Minister support the Taskforce as part of her social justice agenda.'

At the current rate of funding, it is predicted that clinicians are decades away from finding a cure.

'One in every 100 deaths in the UK is caused by IPF but the funding is not commensurate with that high rate of deaths,' said Dr Maher.

'People think it's a rare disease but it isn't  anyone can get IPF. Fit, unfit, old and young.'

A charity is calling for the NHS and health watchdog to end the 'inhuman' treatment given to those who sufferer from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (file picture)

Mother of one Clare Beckett, 38, from Cambridge has a family history of pulmonary fibrosis but as a fit young woman she never expected she would get the disease now.

Clare's mother died of IPF within a year aged 46, her aunt died within a year of being diagnosed and the disease also killed her maternal grandfather and her uncle.

Unlike cancer screening, there is no genetic testing for IPF so Clare got in touch with the genetic counselling service at Addenbrooke's Hospital.

'I have had asthma since I was a child,' says Clare, 'but while caring for my aunt in 2012 my breathing got much worse.

'After my daughter was born two and a half years ago, it got worse again, and when I was thinking of having another child last year I went to my GP.'

Clare's biopsies have shown that she has the same fibrosis that her mum had and although doctors are unwilling to diagnose it as IPF before they've done more testing, Clare believes it's likely she too is a sufferer.

However, because Clare's overall lung capacity is normal, under current NICE guidelines she isn't eligible for pirfenidone or Nintedanib  the two drugs that could prolong and improve the quality of her life.

Pauline from Stovehaven in Scotland, who died last Christmas, went back and forth to her GP complaining of breathlessness and was given antibiotics for a chest infection.

When Pauline was hospitalised because she could no longer breathe, doctors finally diagnosed IPF.

'My family and I were in complete shock,' said Pauline's daughter, Charlotte. 'The doctors told us she had pneumonia. We'd never even heard of IPF.'

Pauline's health deteriorated rapidly and in her final months she was wheelchair bound and reliant on oxygen 24 hours a day to breathe.

She died seven months after being diagnosed with IPF.

Ann Bennett from Falmouth had to battle to get treatment, travelling six hours to the Royal Brompton in London to get Nintedanib.

Dr Maher fought for her to have the drug because she wasn't eligible under NICE guidelines.

'I would be dead before my lung capacity got to the point where I would be eligible,' said Ann, 74.

Ann is now too ill to complete the fundraising walk she has done every year to raise money for BLF.

Everyday tasks such as getting up, washing and dressing are a major struggle. Ann needs 15 minutes to regain sufficient strength to prepare breakfast and often her day doesn't start until noon.

'A spell of being really breathless is the most frightening thing about having a lung condition. Even when I've experienced it hundreds of times before, I still don't know how I'll get through. Having IPF makes me very aware of my mortality.'

A report published by Public Health England this year found that death rates from heart disease and stroke have halved since 2001 yet the outcomes for lung disease patients remain the same as they were ten years ago.

The report covers all interstitial lung diseases (ILD) which affect the network of tissue that supports the air sacs in the lungs. IPF is the most common.

Dr Woods said: 'We hear far too often from ILD patients how they struggle to get a diagnosis, as well as access to treatment and support.

'We know that this failure is part of the long-term neglect of lung disease as a whole. Current and future lung health patients need NHS England and Governments to establish a taskforce for lung health that will finally transform outcomes and care for these patients.'
Surgeons lacked caution in their use of controversial vaginal mesh implants that have left thousands of women worldwide suicidal, unable to have sex and in agonising pain, a senior doctor has admitted.

Jenny King, director of the Urogynaecological Society of Australasia, said those given the 'magic' procedure had been 'seriously let down' by the life-changing complications caused by the brittle devices.

She made the revelation at an Australian court case of 700 mesh-suffering women against manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. Battling tears, two of those bravely spoke out about how their lives have been destroyed since having the surgery.

Pressure is also mounting for a UK ban of the 'gold-standard' treatment for urinary stress incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. At least 800 British women are suing the NHS and manufacturers after allegedly suffering crippling pain.

Dr King told the inquiry, which was launched in July, there had been a lack of caution around the use of vaginal mesh, The Guardian reports.

She said surgeons often believed the scandal-hit devices, which experts warn the dangers could be akin to thalidomide, were a 'magic' cure for incontinence.

Tireless fights by campaigners have helped gather momentum for a public inquiry into the implants. Senior doctors have said the scandal, which has seen at least 800 women sue the NHS and manufactures in the UK, is akin to thalidomide

The revelation was made at an Australian court case of 700 mesh-suffering women against manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. Battling tears, two of those bravely spoke out about how their lives have been destroyed since having the surgery, including Joanne Maninon (pictured)

But she belittled ongoing campaigns launched by women to ban the devices which can easily erode inside women and leave them in a lifetime of pain, describing such attempts as 'hysterical'.

What did Dr King say?

Dr King, who also denied that surgeons were offered incentives to carry out the procedures, said: 'The impacts that these have had on these women  we have seriously let them down.

'But what phases me about this is the suggestion that the solution is to ban vaginal mesh products so that other people dont suffer. I dont want to defend all of my colleagues, but were not really callous. We dont like it when we cant fix everyone, were really bad at that.'

'THE DAY BEFORE MESH SURGERY I RAN 5K, NOW I WET MYSELF' A mother-of-five who had a vaginal mesh implant fitted for mild stress incontinence now has to rush to the toilet and has even wet herself on several occasions as a result of the procedure. Julie Gilsennan, 41, from Liverpool, had an implant fitted on February 1 as she would experience leaking if she coughed, sneezed or lifted something heavy, which was impractical given her job as a paramedic. Although she can now sneeze without leaking, Ms Gilsennan has been left with an overactive bladder that makes her desperate for the toilet within 20 minutes of drinking. Previously highly active, Ms Gilsennan even ran 5km the day before having the implant fitted, yet she now struggles to move as she suffers unbearable pain. The agony has even forced her to quit her highly-challenging career as a paramedic in order to work from home alone. Ms Gilsennan was told she would need up to six weeks off work after having the mesh fitted, however, she has been unable to return to work as a paramedic and instead works from home processing complaints to the ambulance service. She said: 'I loved my job, I did it for 12 years. I miss being out on the road with colleagues and talking to people. Now I'm trapped inside my house. 'I'm in immense pain permanently. It's like a cheese wire, glass pain in my groin. 'I also have constant pain across my hips as if I have arthritis. I can't return to work as a paramedic.' Previously highly active, Ms Gilsennan even ran 5km the day before having the implant fitted, yet she now struggles to move as she suffers unbearable pain Advertisement

Joanna Maninon (middle right), who had her surgery five years ago, told the inquiry that she was advised it would take 10 days to recover - but she still suffers to this day. Gai Thompson (middle left), who had her surgery in 2008, spoke of similar problems

Revealing their horror at the inquiry, women described the pain from the mesh as being like 'cut open and set alight'. Others have previously said it feels like cheese wire scraping against their insides.

Joanna Maninon, who had her surgery five years ago, told the inquiry that she was advised it would take 10 days to recover - but she still suffers to this day.

She said: 'I can't sit upright on a chair for longer than 15 minutes at a time due to the searing, burning pain that travels across my lower abdomen and into my pelvis.

'I describe my pain as being cut open and set alight. A deep burning, searing ache that intensifies with movement.'

Gai Thompson, who had her surgery in 2008, spoke of similar problems.

What did Johnson & Johnson say?

But Johnson & Johnson denied any wrongdoing on its behalf - despite allegations of some surgeons being given six-figure sums and expensive trips abroad to push the implants. Lamborghinis and ski-trips were other incentives.

Gavin Fox-Smith, managing director of the pharmaceutical firm's Australia and New Zealand division, offered an apology to those women who had not 'experienced a successful outcome from their treatment'.

He said: 'We believe the evidence will show we have acted ethically and responsibly in the research, development, and supply of the products that are the subject of the proceedings.'

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MESH Different types of mesh implants include: Mini-sling: This implant is embedded with a metallic inserter. It sits close to the mid-section of a woman's urethra. The use of an inserter is thought to lower the risk of cutting during the procedure.

This implant is embedded with a metallic inserter. It sits close to the mid-section of a woman's urethra. The use of an inserter is thought to lower the risk of cutting during the procedure. TVT sling : Such a sling is held in place by the patient's body. It is inserted with a plastic tape by cutting the vagina and making two incisions in the abdomen. The mesh sits beneath the urethra.

: Such a sling is held in place by the patient's body. It is inserted with a plastic tape by cutting the vagina and making two incisions in the abdomen. The mesh sits beneath the urethra. TVTO sling : Inserted through the groin and sits under the urethra. This sling was intended to prevent bladder perforation.

: Inserted through the groin and sits under the urethra. This sling was intended to prevent bladder perforation. TOT sling : Involves forming a 'hammock' of fibrous tissue in the urethra. Surgeons often claim this form of implant gives them the most control during implantation. Advertisement

Other revelations from the inquiry

On the first day of the inquiry in July, a French doctor, who was part of Johnson & Johnson's transvaginal mesh evaluation team, said he wouldn't want his wife to undergo the procedure.

Dr Bernard Jacquetin made the revelation in an email, which also said he doesn't think he is the only one concerned by the debilitating effects of mesh. His comments shocked the public gallery.

While another doctor, who was unnamed, suggested that patients left in too much agony to have sex should instead try anal sex, it emerged last month.

What does the evidence say?

Months back, MailOnline reported on a host of evidence that clearly shows adverse effects of the surgery to strike up to 40 per cent of women. Others suggest it could be as high as 75 per cent.

Such studies encouraged doctors to suspend the procedures in three US states, with the device being considered high-risk across America for nearly a decade, as officials accept that up to 40 per cent of women may experience injury.

Senior doctors have already called for a public inquiry into its use in Britain, saying it could be akin to the thalidomide scandal. The procedure, used to treat childbirth problems, has seen more than 800 women sue the NHS and device manufacturers.

Unwilling to accept higher rates

But English health officials have yet to acknowledge the risks of the brittle implants which can break into tiny fragments and cause nerve damage. Currently, the NHS and MHRA state only 1 to 3 per cent will experience complications such as pain.

Its usage has been suspended in Scotland since 2014 pending a safety review, but hundreds of women are still believed to be having the surgery. And just last month the English MHRA insisted the mesh was safe.

Medics worry the most worrying complication is the need for the removal of the implant - which takes only 30 minutes to place inside a woman and then embeds into their vaginal wall and can prove complex to remove.
A contraceptive implant that has driven women to the brink of suicide has been withdrawn from sale across the world - apart from in the US.

Essure, a sterilisation device, was temporarily suspended in the EU last month and hospitals in the UK were urged to avoid using the devices.

Bayer, which manufactures the controversial implant, has since pulled the product from the market completely. It is now only available in the US.

However, it denied that its actions were due to Essure being deemed unsafe, and insisted that the removal was for commercial reasons.

In a statement released on its French website, Bayer said no faults have been found in 10 years of scientific research.

The move comes following the stories of two women who were left in crippling pain from the device. They exposed details of the horrors they had faced on the BBC's flagship Victoria Derbyshire programme earlier this year.

Laura Linkson, who was fitted with Essure in 2013, said the pain left her suicidal, unable to move and feeling like a burden on her family.

Another patient, Victoria Dethier, who was implanted with Essure in 2012, suffered pain for three years before having a hysterectomy to remove the device in 2015.

Victoria Dethier, who was implanted with Essure in 2012, suffered pain for three years before having a hysterectomy to remove the device in 2015

Essure, a sterilisation device, was temporarily suspended in the EU last month and hospitals in the UK were urged to avoid using the devices

What did the statement say?

The statement said: 'We would like to reassure patients, particularly those with Essure... that this decision is not linked to a safety or product quality problem.

'According to our scientific assessment, Essure's positive benefit-risk profile remains unchanged.

'Essure's safety and effectiveness remain supported by more than ten years of scientific research and real-life clinical experience.'

It continued: 'For more than 10 years, Essure has provided women with an innovative solution for definitive contraception.

Laura Linkson, who was fitted with Essure in 2013, said the pain left her suicidal, unable to move and feeling like a burden on her family

'However, an environment unfavorable to its prescription has been installed for several months leading to a continuous decline in demand.'

Women who have spoken out

The move follows the stories of two women who were left in crippling pain from the device, as they revealed on the BBC's flagship Victoria Derbyshire programme.

Laura Linkson, who was fitted with Essure in 2013, said the pain left her suicidal, unable to move and feeling like a burden on her family.

Another patient, Victoria Dethier, who was implanted with Essure in 2012, suffered pain for three years before having a hysterectomy to remove the device in 2015.

WHAT IS ESSURE? Essure is a permanent birth control procedure that involves inserting a tube into women's fallopian tubes. It is non-hormonal and causes the build-up of scar tissue that prevents eggs from reaching the womb. Accoding to Essure.com, it is 99.3 percent effective when used as a sole method of contraception. Vaginal bleeding, abdominal discomfort and cramping are expected after the procedure. Long-term risks include pain of varying intensity. In the US, more than 15,000 women have reported complications to the FDA, including pain, allergic reactions and 'migration of device'. Allergic reactions are thought to occur due to the device containing nickel and polyester. Advertisement

After the devices' removal, Ms Dethier told reporters that she instantly felt better, with the horrible taste in her mouth easing.

Essure: The facts

Essure is a coil implant that triggers inflammation in the Fallopian tubes, resulting in the build-up of scar tissue that blocks eggs from reaching the womb.

But in some cases, the device has been accused of puncturing holes in the Fallopian tube, and even becoming dislodged before embedding elsewhere in the body.

Some women also react badly to the devices' materials, which include nickel and polyester. It is 99.3 per cent effective, figures show.

Due to the how the coil attaches to the fallopian tubes, it can only be removed by taking out the oviduct or, in some cases, performing a hysterectomy.

British regulators criticised

The Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has been criticised for failing to respond to the evidence surrounding the device's risk.

It also rejected a Freedom of Information request by the Victoria Derbyshire show last month asking how many women have reported complications.

The NHS does not have figures for the total number of women who have been fitted with Essure or those who have had it removed.

In the US, more than 15,000 women have reported complications to the FDA, including pain, allergic reactions and 'migration of device'.
This disturbing video captures a young girl's heart beating rapidly outside her body because of a rare condition that should have killed her.

Each time the youngster, believed to be Virsaviya Borun, giggles, her heart can be seen pushing further out of her chest - with only a thin layer of skin keeping it in.

In the footage, a woman, believed to be her mother can be seen prodding her heart as the girl relaxes on her bed.

The seven-year-old, originally thought to be from Russia but now living in Florida, suffers from the rare congenital condition Pentalogy of Cantrell.

The clip, uploaded onto YouTube and titled 'VirsaviyaWarrior', lasts for 43 seconds. No further information is given.

MailOnline reported on Virsaviya's condition in 2015, throwing her into the limelight as her heartwarming story went viral.

Virsaviya said at the time: 'I know why I have a heart outside. Because Jesus want [sic] to show he can make special things like me.'

Her intestines are also outside her body as a result of the condition, which occurs in an estimated 5.5 in one million live births, figures suggest.

Doctors warned her mother, Dari Borun, that Virsaviya would die. The child also goes by the biblical name Bathsheba.

But seven years later, she is reportedly a lively girl who loves Beyonce, enjoys drawing ponies and attending art classes.

The condition's most severe expression is when the heart is completely or partially displaced outside the chest - known as ectopia cordis.

Experts say prognosis is generally poor and depends on the severity. Most sufferers are stillborn or die within the first few days of their life.

In the footage recorded by a woman, believed to be her mother, she can be seen prodding the heart as the girl relaxes on her bed. Each time the unidentified youngster giggles, her heart can be seen pushing further out of her chest

The family originally moved to Boston after finding a doctor willing to treat her rare ailment which required surgery.

But doctors warned she was unable to undergo surgery because of her high blood pressure. It is not known if her condition has changed.

Ms Borun, a single mother, previously appealed for fundraising, asking for donations to cover her daughter's expensive medical bills.

Thanks to kind-hearted strangers, she was able to raise $71,224 (52,670). No donations have been recorded in 12 months.

They were forced to move to Florida in the summer of 2015 because her life was in danger in the cold climate, sources revealed.

Now, living in Hollywood - 20 miles (32km) from Miami, she doesn't get ill as often because her heart feels warm.

At the time, it was revealed that Virsaviya did not currently attend school because of her condition. It is unsure whether her scenario has changed.
Campaigners hoping to put a stop to child marriage have developed a mobile phone app to encourage people to come forward and report illegal matrimony.

In Bihar, where the app has been released with the backing of the United Nations Population Fund, nearly two-thirds of girls are married before the legal age of 18 in some of its rural areas.

The new tool was developed by Gender Alliance - a collective of more than 270 charities in Bihar focused on gender rights - and was launched by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi this week.

The legal marriage age for girls in India is 18, but millions of children are married when they are much younger, particularly in poor rural areas

India ranks among countries with the highest rates of child marriage in the world, accounting for a third of the global total of more than 700 million women, according to UNICEF, the United Nations children's agency.

The app Bandhan Tod - meaning 'break the binds' - includes classes on child marriage and dowries, and their ill effects. It also has an SOS button that notifies the team when activated.

'The app is a big part of our efforts to end child marriage in the state,' said Prashanti Tiwary, head of Gender Alliance.

'Education is good, but when a young girl wants help because she is being forced to marry before the legal age, the app can be her way out,' she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Early marriage makes it more likely that girls will drop out of school, and campaigners say it also increases risks of sexual violence, domestic abuse and death in childbirth (picture for representation only)

Despite a law banning girls from marrying before they turn 18, the practice is deeply rooted in tradition and widely accepted in Indian society. It is rarely reported as a crime and officials are often reluctant to prosecute offenders.

While boys also marry before the legal age of 21, girls are disproportionately affected.

Early marriage makes it more likely that girls will drop out of school, and campaigners say it also increases risks of sexual violence, domestic abuse and death in childbirth.

India ranks among countries with the highest rates of child marriage in the world

Legal efforts have failed to break the stranglehold of tradition and culture that continues to support child marriage, charity ActionAid India said in a report this year.

When the SOS on Bandhan Tod is activated, the nearest small NGO will attempt to resolve the issue. If the family resists, then the police will be notified, said Tiwary.

A similar app in West Bengal state to report child marriage and trafficking of women and children has helped prevent several such instances, according to Child in Need Institute, which launched the app in 2015.

Other efforts include a cash incentive, where the state transfers a sum of money to the girl's bank account if she remains in school and unwed at age 18.

Suppliers of wedding tents in Rajasthan state have stopped dozens of child marriages by alerting officials.

'It will take a change in mindset and behaviour to end child marriage,' said Tiwary, who is lobbying the government to raise the marriage age for women to 21, so they have the same opportunities as men.

'But technology provides a practical and accessible way to help prevent it on the ground,' she said.
Haryana Police has been left red-faced after a second important witness disappeared from the disgraced Dera Sacha Sauda campus in the short time since sect leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim was found guilty of rape.

Dera chairperson Vipassana, a crucial witness in the investigation against the godman, was untraceable on Sunday after she allegedly left for Ganganagar to meet Ram Rahim's son Jasmeet.

The infamous Honeypreet, the closest aide and adopted daughter of Dera leader, slipped away from the police net and is believed to be hiding in Nepal.

Dera chairperson Vipassana was allegedly untraceable on Sunday

'She (Vipassana) feared her arrest by the police any day,' top Dera sources told Mail Today.

Vipassana was last seen at the Sirsa headquarters on Friday. The sources said she apparently left for Gursar Modia in Ganganagar district to hand over some documents to Jasmeet, the son of convicted Dera chief.

However, Vipassana did not return to Dera headquarters in Sirsa as expected, and on Sunday her phone was also switched off, sparking speculations at the Dera headquarters that the chairperson had gone underground.

Vipassana is considered the third most powerful person in the Dera Sacha Sauda after Ram Rahim and Honeypreet. Her sudden disappearance raises questions about the efficacy of the state police in handling the high profile case.

It's claimed that she feared arrest over claims she cult leader's adopted daughter Honeypreet (pictured left with her adopted father) to flee

Gurmeet Ram Rahim was sentenced to jail for 20 years after he was convicted of sexual exploitation and rape of two sadhvis in his Dera in 2002.

He has given his approval for appointment of his son Jasmeet as the caretaker of his sect during his absence. Another powerful aide of Ram Rahim, Aditya Insaan also went into hiding after the conviction.

Vipassana was facing arrest in connection with facilitating Honeypreet and Aditya the wherewithal to leave the state. Police believe that she knows the whereabouts the Honeypreet and Aditya and had asked her to join investigations.

'It is common secret that Vipassana would be able to reveal many things about the wrongdoings and finances of Gurmeet Ram Rahim, which could help the investigators build a strong chargesheet in the cases he is facing,' said a source in the Dera.

Ram Rahims alleged accomplices Pradeep Goyal (left) and Vijay Sharma (right) have been arrested

'Now that she is missing, this should be a serious blow to the investigation.'

The Dera management has now handed over to Ram Rahim's son Jasmeet. Naseeb Kaur, Gurmeet's mother had met Ram Rahim in Sunaria Jail on Thursday to secure his approval to appoint Jasmeet as the chief caretaker.

'Gurmeet Ram Rahim has given his permission to appoint Jasmeet as the caretaker of Dera. He also named Gurdas Singh Salwara as second care taker,' a source said.

Gurdas Singh Salwara is former deputy advocate general of Haryana and a relative of Ram Rahim. He is the same person who was sacked for carrying the bag of Ram Rahim on August 25, the day he was convicted of sexual exploitation and rape.

Prakash has also been arrested for alleged involvement in the case

Meanwhile, Haryana Police on Sunday made two fresh arrests in connection with the violence which broke out on August 25 in Panchkula after Ram Rahim was convicted of rape.

Pradeep Goyal Insan, a Dera functionary, was arrested from Udaipur in Rajasthan by a special investigation team of Haryana Police, a senior police official said.

Pradeep is in charge of the Dera's Jaipur unit. Sources said he gave important leads about Honeypreet, who, police suspect, may be hiding in Nepal.

Police teams have been sent to Rajasthan where the location of two other suspects has been traced.

Prakash alias Vicky, the brother-in-law and a close aide of Dera spokesperson Aditya Insan, was also nabbed from Mohali, Panchkula DCP Manbir Singh said.

Another person identified as Vijay was arrested from Pinjore on Saturday, Singh said.

The role of all the three arrested - Pradeep, Prakash and Vijay - is under the scanner in connection with violence that broke out in Panchkula on August 25.

Police said it is collecting videos from various sources pertaining to the violence that broke out in Panchkula and trying to identify the accused involved in inciting the riots.

Police had earlier sent a team to Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh bordering Nepal in search of Honeypreet.

Officials of UP police had earlier said Honeypreet's photographs were pasted at police stations bordering Nepal. Police had on September 1 issued a lookout notice for Honeypreet and Aditya, fearing they could flee the country.

Police intensified efforts to trace Honeypreet, who describes herself as Papa's angel, after it arrested and questioned another sect functionary, Surinder Dhiman Insan.

Absconding Honeypreet is 'spotted in Nepal'

Dera chiefs adopted daughter Honeypreet

Dera Sacha Saudas jailed chief Gurmeet Ram Rahims adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan has been spotted in Nepals Dharan-Itehari area, it's been claimed.

According to sources, she may be hiding in Sunsari-Morang district.

Top Dera aide Pradeep Goyal alias Vicky, who was arrested from Udaipur on Saturday, had told the police that Honeypreet has fled to Nepal.

Absence of an extradition treaty between India and Nepal will add to the woes of Haryana Police, which has so far failed to trace the whereabouts of Honeypreet and Dr Aditya Insan, both wanted in a sedition case registered in Panchkula.

Both Honeypreet and Aditya are among the 43 most-wanted in Haryana over the August 25 Panchkula violence.

The Haryana Police released the list of the mostwanted Dera Sacha Sauda goons, who were involved in the violence after a Panchkula court held Ram Rahim guilty of raping two followers (sadhvis) inside the Dera headquarter in Sirsa.

Nepal Police said that it may not be able to arrest Honeypreet, if found in Nepal, as no case has been registered against her in the country.

Haryana Police is yet to approach the Nepal government on the issue.

Its on the basis of the statement given by Pradeep Goyal, in-charge of Udaipur Dera Sacha Sauda, that police is now zeroing in on possible hideouts of Honeypreet in Nepal.

Honeypreet, said to be in her mid 30s, is considered among Ram Rahim's closest aides and a successor as the head of the sect.
Inspired by the movie - Special 26 - seven men posing as officers of an Income Tax (IT) department barged into a house in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar.

But when the officers extorted Rs 20 lakh cash (23k), the family members suspected foul play and with the help of the locals nabbed the impostors.

The incident took place on Sunday morning when the family of Ramesh were having breakfast. Seven men, who posed as IT department officers, entered the house by showing fake ID cards.

The alleged fake raid took place on Sunday at a home in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar

Ramesh was also shown a document that mentioned that the IT department had asked to conduct a raid as there has been information of about illicit cash worth Rs 20 crore in the house.

Ramesh said that as soon as they entered they locked the doors from inside, and closed all the windows. They seized all the mobile phones of the family members.

'Then they began to search the house,' the complainant told police. 'They checked each and every drawer including the kitchen's cupboard. All the boxes, be it ornament boxes or any other, everything was scanned thoroughly. They swiped away Rs 20 lakh cash that was kept in the house.'

As per the family members, after half an hour of their search, the language of all the seven men speaking and the physical gestures while conducting the alleged raid made them suspicious.

The impostors tried to extort Rs 20 lakh cash but the family soon suspected foul play

After sensing foul play, they all raised an alarm and the locals gathered immediately.

With the help of the neighbours, all of them were nabbed and the police were informed.

'When the police team reached the spot, they found around 100 people were standing outside the house and about 15-20 persons were inside. Six of the accused were nabbed by the locals and were thrashed. All of them were handed over to the police,' said a senior police official, adding that one of them managed to escape.

The accused have been identified as Mitesh Kumar, who allegedly claimed himselfto be Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax, Naunhyal, Yogesh Kumar, Govind Sharma and Amit Aggarwal who allegedly posed as income tax officials and Parvinder who claimed to be the driver.

However, one suspect managed to flee in his Honda City car, and the hunt for him is on.

It was claimed that they arrived at the residence in a TATA safari bearing a Haryana registration number and also a sticker of Government of India. The car has been recovered, said police.

A case has been registered at Malviya Nagar Police Atation. Further investigation is underway, the police said.
A British al-Qaeda militant who is accused of organising resistance among Rohingyas to fight the Myanmar Army has been arrested by Delhi Police special cell.

Samiun Rahman, 28, alias Hamdan, a London resident, was staying in India with fake identity of Shumon Haq alias Raju Bhai. He is accused of establishing a base for the outfit in the city to recruit cadre for jihad.

The fake ID lists his residential address as being in Bihar but his parents moved to Britain from Bangladesh in 1960s and settled in central London.

Suspected al-Qaeda operative Shauman Haq (right) alias Shami ur Rehman a British national of Bangladeshi origin was arrested by the special cell of the Delhi Police

Rahman's father was a businessman in London. Aged 19, he was arrested by traffic police in London twice and was jailed for 18 months.

It was while in a London prison, where he was believed to have been 'radicalised', and in 2012, when released, he went to Mauritania.

He is believed to be influenced by the same salafi teachings responsible for radicalising so many young men in Europe and was quickly recruited by leaders of al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb.

There it is believed that he was told to go to Syria to meet al-Nusra  an affiliate of al-Qaeda in Syria  fighting against the Syrian government forces.

Rahman was radicalised in a London jail after being imprisoned for drink driving (photo for representation only)

After joining the terror outfit, he obtained three-week training in their camp in Syria.

Between September and December 2013, he fought for al-Nusra. He received basic training in handling of weapons and how to plant an IED, in Atmeh, Syria. He also fought in Aleppo.

Back in London, he was quizzed by anti-terror sleuths but was released. During interrogation, he told police that while being in Syria, their group came to know about the 'atrocities' on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

After having lived in Bangladesh for a number of years, he was selected to raise a fighter group there. He was in contact with his outfit members via Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram.

In 2014, he arrived in Bangladesh using a British passport to radicalise youth to join al-Qaeda with the help of Yasin, an old al-Qaeda cadre.

He visited Silhet, Nabiganj, Dhaka and other places and radicalised dozens of youth in Bangladesh for their entry into Myanmar from Chittagong side.

He has admitted recruiting a dozen of odd youngsters, including Asif Adnan, son of a former high court judge, and Tanzeel, a bureaucrat's son.

However, he was arrested in September 2014, and after imprisonment for about three years, he was released on bail in April 2017.

Then he contacted Mohammad Jowlani, head of al-Nusra, who further directed him to go to India and gave him a Bangladeshi identity card. He was since then known as Shumon Haq.

Two months ago, he entered India to set up a base in Mizoram and Manipur to meet with the Rohingya Muslims and raise funds and incite youth to fight for the cause and facilitate their entry from the 'porous' Mizoram and Manipur side.

He stayed at various madarsas in Kishanganj, Hazari Bagh, Delhi-NCR and other places, and it is believed that he was in touch with a number of youth to incite them to join al- Qaeda.

He visited Delhi frequently for this cause, he told police. He was also influencing people via Facebook and Telegram. He was in contact with his outfit members, including Jowlani, in Syria and other countries.

'Moreover for Rohingyas' cause, he was also planning to carry out terrorist incidents by collecting and training radicalised youth in Delhi and other parts of India,' said PS Kushwah, DCP (special cell).

He was in Delhi-NCR to try and set up a base for al-Qaeda and recruit cadres for jihad. He was being assisted by various al- Qaeda cadre here and in Hazari Bagh.

His accomplices are now being identified. He was arrested at Vikas Marg in Shakarpur with a 9mm pistol, a laptop, a mobile phone with SIM card of India and Bangladesh.

A case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2008 and Arms Act has been registered against him and an investigation has been taken up to unearth the al-Qaeda-web he had knitted here.
A man suspected of having links with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly threatening to upload morphed pictures of a Delhi-based female army colonel on the internet.

He was allegedly blackmailing her to extract sensitive data. After the colonel filed a police plaint in Dwarka police station, alleging that she had been receiving morphed and obscene photos through WhatsApp from two unknown numbers, a case was filed.

The accused was arrested on September 13 and identified as Mohammad Parvez, who is in his early 30s.

The accused used morphed pictures of an army colonel to extract sensitive information (picture for representation only)

During interrogation, it was learnt that he had visited Pakistan a few times. Then the matter has been transferred to the Police's special terror cell.

Sources told Mail Today that he also disclosed that he and his accomplices wanted to extract confidential data from her and so threatened her with morphed pictures.

Parvez claimed that he was working for ISI, and the data was to be used by ISI to destabilise the Centre.

Parvez also revealed that over the last year, he had got mobile SIM cards for Munazal, Bilal and Khalil, from Pakistan.

He also claims to have provided SIMs to the vice chancellor of Pakistan high commission.

Following his tall claims, Delhi Police are likely to approach the commission.

In the complaint she told police that she was threatened that if she did not speak to the sender of the messages, the pictures would be circulated on the internet, the police said.

After she blocked the two numbers, her daughter started receiving morphed pictures and messages from the Facebook profile of a woman, they said.

The person sending the pictures and messages asked her daughter to speak to the sender, and threatened her with uploading the pictures on social media.

The colonel approached police and a case was filed. On the basis of the information gained through the Facebook profile and the records of the two numbers, Parvez was detained.

It emerged that he had visited Pakistan and had made SIM cards available to some Pakistanis.

It was suspected that he is linked with the ISI, police said.

He was found to have suspicious antecedents and is being questioned by the special cell.

Parvez was arrested under IPC sections 123, 66E, 354D, 506, 509 and the IT Act's section 67.
The panchayat of Rambha Kheti village in Betul district had tried to convince the people to construct toilets.

But when the efforts went down the drain, the panchayat started imposing a fines of Rs 7,500 (86) per person on those who still did not have toilets in their homes.

According to the panchayat president Ram Rati Bai, as many as 57 families have been issued notices regarding the fine. Legal action has also been threatened against those who fail to pay up.

Defaulters show the notices issued to them by the village panchayat in Betul district

Among the 57 families who were issued notice is Kunwar Lal, who has 10 members in his family who have been fined Rs 75,000.

'The government has already transferred money to the accounts of every one in the village for construction of toilets.

'We had issued a warning last month after we failed to convince these people. But they did not pay a heed. So we were left with no other option but to impose the fine,' Ram Rati Bai said.

Some of the 57 families have sought relief from the panchayat claiming they have started construction, while there are some who say they have already spent the money they got from the government and now they do not have funds to construct the toilets.

The panchayat of Rambha Kheti village tried to convince residents to put toilets in their homes with government funds

The 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' is a campaign by the government of India to keep the streets, roads and infrastructure of the country's statutory cities and towns and its rural areas clean.

The objectives of Swachh Bharat are to reduce or eliminate open defecation through the construction of individual, cluster and community toilets.

The Swachh Bharat mission will also make an initiative of establishing an accountable mechanism of monitoring latrine use.

The government is aiming to achieve an open defecation free (ODF) India by October 2, 2019 - the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi - by constructing 12 million toilets in rural India.
China is tough nut to crack when it comes to investments - even it proved for one of the most illustrious fund managers.

Seven years ago, star British fund manager Anthony Bolton marked his return to fund management - having initially retired in 2008 - with the launch of the Fidelity China Special Situations Trust.

After an initial flurry, the investment trust struggled to get off the ground under his tenure.

However, things have picked up considerably under the stewardship of his successor, Dale Nicholls, who has delivered sparkling returns since taking over three-and-a-half years ago.

The Chinese market holds golden nugget opportunities but the country's autocratic political regime presents a host of difficulties when it comes to investments

Data from FE Analytics shows that Fidelity China Special Situations has generated a 123 per cent return between when Nicholls took the reins in April 2014 and 5 September 2017.

That pick up follows some lacklustre years. At one stage, the trust was down 33.45 per cent.

And this struggle under Bolton came from the same manager who won plaudits for his stellar performance at helm of Fidelity's flagship Special Situations Trust where he turned 1,000 into 147,000.

So what has Nicholls done differently? Not much going by the make-up of the portfolio - and those in the know suggest that Bolton laid the groundwork for this success and was unlucky in his years in charge.

Fidelity China Special Situations seeks to root out undervalued companies with good long-term growth prospects, a fluid cash generation model and good management.

Similar to Bolton before him, Nicholls invests in small and medium sized companies - with a skew to those that deliver growth opportunities at an attractive price.

Unlike Bolton, who spent most of his tenure at Fidelity focussing on UK stock, Nicholls has worked almost exclusively on investment opportunities in the Far East.

The Fidelity China Special Situations Trust has returned 123 per cent under Dale Nicholl's stewardship

Nicholls does not credit the improvement in the trust's performance to putting his own spin to the investment process, but says he is continuing the groundwork put in before he took the helm and alludes to the shifting investment landscape as a factor.

This assertion is supported by the fact that both the trust and the MSCI China benchmark index endured a torrid period from July 2011 to October 2013 - although the latter boasted better figures.

Nicholls takes a good look at the companies that he invests in. He says company meetings is a key facet of his investment approach, as well as a reliance on Fidelity's research teams in China and across Asia to gather insight and understanding of companies within his universe.

On taking over from Bolton, Nicholls said: 'We worked closely together 12 months before he left the trust. There was a significant overlap with the type of stocks we were looking at. Prior to the takeover, we agreed not to make trades that we did not agree on.'

Opportunities in China

Despite boasting the second largest economy in the world, China is considered as an emerging market - meaning the potential of businesses domiciled in the country is yet to be fully realised.

Trust in brief Name: Fidelity China Special Situations Ongoing charges: 1.20 per cent Return: (to 15 August 2017) One-year: 39.41 per cent

Five-year: 235.32 per cent

Since launch (May 2010): 143.21 per cent Yield: 1.09 per cent

For Nicholls there is still a lot of potential in the Chinese market thanks to the burgeoning middle class who are spending their money on consumer goods like smartphones, travel and insurance.

The trust's top three holdings are Tencent Holdings, a provider of internet value services, e-commerce firm Alibaba, an online marketplace company, and the China Pacific Insurance Group which offers provides property, casualty and life insurance as well as pension and annuity products in China.



'The fact that ecommerce penetration in China has already surpassed many western markets, including the US, exemplifies the speed of structural change in many parts of the Chinese economy,' he said.

'We are seeing new business models emerge exemplified by growth in online businesses such as flash sales, live video streaming, and a range of education services.'

Among the list of stocks that Nicholls claims has escaped many investor's radar is Ctrip - Chinas largest online travel agency.

He says: 'China tourism, both domestic and outbound, is a huge market with significant growth potential. Online booking is growing at an even faster rate, and Ctrip is the best positioned business to take advantage of this with over 60 per cent market share.'

The line graph shows the growth of the Fidelity China Special Situations Trust versus the MSCI China benchmark index over the past seven years

While the portfolio is heavily focused on private companies, the trust has holdings in state owned firms.

This is despite the disappointing pace of the reform package for China's state-owned enterprises. This was launched in 2015 to create larger and more efficient conglomerates able to compete on the global stage, Nicholls says, although there are signs of progress.

China Petroleum & Chemical is one of the trust's most significant holdinga.

Nicholls says, 'The company is exploring the possibility for the spin-off and IPO of its garage forecourt retail/convenience store business, which along with aggressive plans to develop this business should be positive in terms of recognising its intrinsic value which currently does not seem to be reflected in the companys valuation.'

Following a shareholder vote last year, the trust has the ability to hold up to 10 per cent in unlisted companies.

Since the end of the financial reporting period, the Company has added a fourth unlisted position in Aurora Mobile Limited (Jiguang), a app developer service provider and 'big data' platform in China.

'By the end of 2016, Jiguang served over 400,000 apps in China and worked with 200,000 developers, holding dominant market share in the App Push Notification Service segment in China.

'Jiguang should structurally benefit from the fast-growing mobile software as a service and big data application market, and has first mover advantage in this field with its depth and unique data granularity.'

But one area of the Chinese market that has fallen out of favour with Nicholls is property.

He says: 'Weve had a strong 24 months in the property sector, particularly in first tier cities, and now we are starting to see the government take action in terms of tightening measures. As a result price growth and volumes have slowed.

'Despite this, weve seen very little adjustment in stock prices and valuations looked stretched against historical levels. Given this backdrop, we continue to avoid this area in the trust.'

How do you solve a problem like North Korea

Political uncertainty has come under the spotlight in recent times. However, investors appear unfazed by the political and diplomatic crisis that has followed nuclear missile testing by China's ideological cousins North Korea.

The blue chip CSI 300 index which tracks the performance of 300 stocks traded in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges rose by 10 per cent to 3,857.05 over a three month period to 4 September. The Shanghai Composite Index rose by 9 per cent to 3,379.58 over the same period.

Nicholls says: 'The situation is a concern because things have clearly escalated. I'm surprised that it has not been factored in more by the markets. This is something we will keep a track over and amend our portfolio when necessary.'
Advertisement

Hurricane Maria smashed into Dominica with catastrophic winds, leaving what one official described Tuesday as 'widespread devastation' from the monster storm now threatening Caribbean islands already ravaged by Hurricane Irma.

Its winds reached sustained maximum speeds of 160mph as it plowed into the tiny country - and forecasters warned it might become even stronger, the latest blow in the worst hurricane season for seven years.

Maria is now following a similar path to Irma, with many of the islands already devastated by that storm expecting to be hit on Tuesday, with a direct strike on Puerto Rico possible on Wednesday.

As it tore up Dominica, the country's prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, posted on Facebook: 'My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding.'

'The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God,' Skerrit had written an hour earlier in what became a series of increasingly harrowing posts.

Scroll down for video

Hurricane Maria made it's first landfall on Tuesday on the island of Dominica in the eastern Caribbean

A picture taken on Tuesday shows the powerful winds and rains of Hurricane Maria battering the city of Petit-Bourg on the French overseas Caribbean island of Guadeloupe

The eye of the storm is now east of the island of Guadeloupe (pictured above in another photo from Tuesday)

The hurricane brought storm surge and heavy rains to Guadeloupe (pictured early Tuesday morning)

Widespread devastation has been reported on the island of Dominica, where Maria made landfall. Guadeloupe (pictured above on Tuesday) is to the north of Dominican

A few minutes later, he messaged he could hear the sound of galvanized steel roofs tearing off houses on the small rugged island.

He then wrote that he thought his home had been damaged. And three words: 'Rough! Rough! Rough!'

Finally, he posted: 'I have been rescued.'

Skeritt said that once the all-clear was given, he would venture out to see the damage. He said his 'greatest fear' was that island residents would awake to word of 'serious physical injury and possible deaths.'

The initial focus, he said, would be on rescuing trapped people and securing medical aid for the injured. Maria's eye roared over the island late Monday night before the storm briefly dropped to Category 4 strength early Tuesday before resuming its extremely dangerous Category 5 status.

Fierce winds and driving rain lashed mountainous Dominica for hours. A police official on the island, Inspector Pellam Jno Baptiste, said late Monday night that there were no immediate reports of casualties but it was too dangerous for officers to do a full assessment as the storm raged outside.

'Where we are, we can't move,' he said in a brief phone interview late Monday night while hunkered down against the region's second Category 5 hurricane this month.

Maria weakened briefly before dawn Tuesday to a still major Category 4 storm after its rampage over Dominica. But the fluctuation in intensity proved short-lived as a hurricane hunter plane reported the storm had regained its fearsome Category 5 status within hours.

There have been reports of widespread devastation on Dominica. As of 5am ET, the eye of the storm had moved west from the island as it sets a course towards Puerto Rico

Experts say that the hurricane will likely get weaker as it continues on towards Turks and Caicos at the end of the week

Roosevelt Skerrit, Dominica's prime minister, posted on Facebook that his house was flooding, but was later rescued. Other countries will soon be hit - and Maria is getting stronger

Hurricane Maria is expected to bring more than two feet of rainfall to Puerto Rico this week

The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico is likely to bare the brunt of Hurricane Maria

Officials in Guadeloupe said the French island near Dominica probably would experience heavy flooding and warned that many communities could be submerged. In nearby Martinique, authorities ordered people to remain indoors and said they should be prepared for power cuts and disruption in the water supply.

Authorities in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which faced the possibility of a direct hit, warned that people in wooden or flimsy homes should find safe shelter before the storm's expected arrival there on Wednesday.

'You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you're going to die,' said Hector Pesquera, the island's public safety commissioner. 'I don't know how to make this any clearer.'

Maria had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph) late Monday when it slammed into Dominica before dipping for a time to a Category 4 major storm.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Maria's top sustained winds then returned to 160 mph (260 kph) strength shortly before daybreak Tuesday with the eye of Maria located about 65 miles (100 kilometers) west-southwest of Guadeloupe. The storm was moving west-northwest over the Caribbean at 9 mph (15 kph).

Fluctuations in intensity were expected, and forecasters have warned Maria would likely intensify over the next 24 hours or longer, noting its eye had shrunk to a compact 10 miles across and warning: 'Maria is developing the dreaded pinhole eye.'

That generally means an extremely strong hurricane will get even mightier, said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami. He said it just like when a spinning ice skater brings in their arms and rotates faster.

'You just don't see those in weaker hurricanes,' he said.

The storm's hurricane-force winds extended out about 35 miles (45 kilometers) and tropical storm-force winds out as far as 125 miles (205 kilometers).

On Monday morning these men were spotted boarding up buildings in Guadeloupe, ahead of Maria's arrival. At that point, the storm was only a Category 3

People board up windows ahead of Maria in Puerto Rico on Monday. Its governor said that the storm would be 'catastrophic' and is predicted to wipe out all power on the island

Hurricane warnings were posted for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. A tropical storm warning was issued for Martinique, Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Lucia and Anguilla.

Forecasters said storm surge could raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) near the storm's center. The storm was predicted to bring 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas.

The current forecast track would carry it about 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands late Tuesday and early Wednesday, territorial Gov. Kenneth Mapp said.

'We are going to have a very, very long night,' Mapp said as he urged people in the territory to finish any preparations.

St. Thomas and St. John are still stunned from a direct hit by Hurricane Irma, which did extensive damage and caused four deaths on the two islands.

Men remove a boat from the water ahead of Hurricane Maria on Guadeloupe, early Monday. This is the worst hurricane season in years, by multiple metrics

Breaking: #Maria becomes first hurricane on record to strike Caribbean island of Dominica as a Category 5 storm https://t.co/VOemaWM3QO pic.twitter.com/Ls69AU1Mez  BuzzFeed Storm (@BuzzFeedStorm) September 19, 2017

Barry University said it chartered a private plane to carry students and staff from its St. Croix facility to Florida in preparation for Maria. It said 72 people connected to the Barry's Physician Assistant Program and a few pets were on Monday's evacuation flight.

In neighboring Puerto Rico, nearly 70,000 people were still without power following their earlier brush with Irma and nearly 200 remained in shelters as Maria approached.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Puerto Rico had 500 shelters capable of taking in up to 133,000 people in a worst-case scenario. He also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to bring drinking water and help restore power immediately after the storm, which could hit as a Category 5 hurricane.

'That is catastrophic in every way,' said Roberto Garcia with the National Weather Service in San Juan. 'People have to act, and they have to act now. They can no longer wait for a miracle.'

To the north, Hurricane Jose stirred up dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast, though forecasters said the storm was unlikely to make landfall. Big waves caused by Jose swept five people off a coastal jetty in Rhode Island and they were hospitalized after being rescued.

A tropical storm warning was posted for coastal areas in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and tropical storm watches were up for parts of New York's Long Island and Connecticut. Jose's center was about 365 miles (590 kilometers) south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, early Tuesday and moving north at 9 mph (15 kph). The storm had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph).

More boats are taken inland in Guadeloupe. There have been twice as many storms - and twice as much power generated - so far in 2017 as there usually is by this point in the year

Another boat is hauled in to Guadeloupe. The island is expected to be affected by the storm, which is traveling west-northwest at 9mph, on Tuesday morning

Two local women chat as a Dutch Marine helps out in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Maria at Oranjestad, Statia, on the Leeward Islands on Monday

All of this makes this year's hurricane season the worst in years by any number of standards,USA Today reported.

For a start, it's the first year since 2010 that four hurricanes in Category 3 or above had been spotted by September 18.

In total, seven hurricanes have formed this year - that's double the number that would usually accumulate by this point, said Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach.

The energy generated by the storms - known as Accumulated Cyclone Energy - is also double the usual amount.

In fact, it hasn't been this high since 2005 - the year that Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana.

Another double: So far this year hurricanes have been circulating in the Atlantic for 30 days thus far. Usually 15 days is the average. That's the highest figure since 2004.

It's been a shocking - and dangerous - year from a U.S. perspective, too. Never before in recorded hurricane history - a full 166 years - have two Category 4 hurricanes hit the U.S.

But this year both Harvey and Irma struck various States.

Hurricane Maria has taken a similar path so far to that of Hurricane Irma
A company used by former Trump aide Paul Manafort for offshore business dealings received a $1.25million loan in August from a newly-formed shell company registered anonymously in Nevada, according to documents exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com.

The loan came just a couple of weeks after the FBI seized financial records from Manafort's home in an early-morning raid in July and a day after it was revealed that FBI investigators wiretapped Manafort in the months before and after the election, and they plan to indict him.

Now members of Congress are scrutinizing multi-million dollar loans the former Trump campaign manager obtained while working for pro-Russia entities.

An FBI probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian election interference has increasingly focused on Manafort's business dealings and possible money-laundering, according to reports.

Paul Manafort received a $1.25m loan on August 7 from a newly-formed shell company registered anonymously in Nevada. It came weeks after the FBI seized his financial records in their Russia election probe

The loan was taken out on Andrea Manafort's, Manafort's daughter, apartment in lower Manhattan (pictured). The home was originally purchased a decade ago through Jesand LLC, which is owned by the former Trump aide

Manafort's former spokesperson was called to testify before a grand jury late last week.

Jesand LLC  which is owned by Manafort, his daughter Andrea, and his wife Kathleen  took out the $1.25million equity loan on Andrea's home in lower Manhattan on August 7.

The home was first purchased a decade ago by Manafort and his daughter, through Jesand LLC.

The lender is a company called Woodlawn LLC, based in Carson City Nevada, which was formed on August 2, just one week before issuing the loan.

The company is registered to an anonymous agent service. The contract requires the $1.25million loan to be repaid in full by December 31, 2017.

Although Manafort's name is not on the loan agreement, the 'borrower' is listed as Jesand LLC and the address is listed as the office of Bruce Baldinger, who is Manafort's attorney.

The 2,100 square foot home has three outdoor terraces, a built-in wine cooler, and is in a doorman building with its own gym and parking

Andrea is no longer thought to live in New York but public records do not suggest the Manaforts have yet sold the property

It was listed for sale in 2013 for $4.85million and put on the market again for $2.6million in 2014 but no sale appears to have resulted

Manafort's set up Jesand LLC in Delaware in 2007, according to corporate records. His wife, Kathleen, is named as a managing member.

Kathleen and the couple's daughter Andrea signed the loan agreement.

The loan is part of a pattern for Manafort, who has taken out a reported $13million in loans on properties he purchased over the past decade  often after he had paid for the homes in cash.

The practice has raised questions about whether Manafort is intentionally trying to obscure the source of the money through complex real estate and loan transactions.

Julian Block, a former special agent at the IRS and a tax attorney in New York, called the loan from the unknown Nevada company 'unusual,' particularly in context of Manafort's other financial activities.

He said exclusively to the DailyMail.com: 'Simply put, you don't want other people to become conversant with your financial activities, or at least you want to try to make it difficult for other people particularly federal investigators to become conversant with your financial activities.

'Is it per say criminal activity? No. There still could be plausible explanations. Was it unusual? You bet.'

Manafort served as Trump's campaign manager between June and August 2016 and helped guide the candidate's pivot from the Republican primary to the general election

Jesand LLC is owned by Manafort, his daughter Andrea (left), and his wife Kathleen. The name is thought to be derived from the combination of Andrea and his other daughter Jessica's (right) name

The home is spacious with bright, large rooms and is in a popular area of lower Manhattan

The loan is part of a pattern for Manafort, who has taken out a reported $13m in loans on properties he purchased over the past decade  often after he had paid for them in cash

Michael Zeldin, a former federal prosecutor, said an interview with NBC News in March: 'What's odd is this notion of buying it through a corporate entity, transferring it to your name, and taking out loans against that property.

'What's the underlying business purpose?'

Jesand LLC came under scrutiny in July, after the New York Times reported that Manafort had used the company to obtain a $10million loan in 2012 from an offshore entity linked to the Party of Regions, a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine.

Days after the article, the FBI raided Manafort's home as part of the larger inquiry into Russian interference in the presidential election.

During the raid they reportedly seized documents related to taxes and overseas banking.

According to the Times, Jesand LLC received the $10million loan from Lucicle Consultants, a company based in Cyprus.

Due to laws in Cyprus that shield owners of companies, it is unclear who owns Lucicle.

However, the Times reported that a company called Mistaro Ventures transferred millions of dollars to Lucicle shortly before the loan to Jesand LLC.

Mistaro is owned by Ivan Fursin, a member of the Party of Regions.

Manafort worked for nearly a decade as a lobbyist and consultant for the Party of Regions, which was led by Putin ally, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, at the time.

Manafort worked for nearly a decade as a lobbyist and consultant for the Party of Regions, which was led by a Putin ally. Manafort reported in June that he earned around $17m working for Ukraine between 2012 and 2014. Pictured: Manafort and his wife Kathleen in July 2016

Manafort also attended a June 2016 meeting between Donald Jr (right) and two Russian lobbyists, including lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya (left), that took place at Trump Tower to receive opposition research related to Hillary Clinton

Manafort did not disclose his lobbying work for the foreign party until a few months ago, as required by federal lobbying laws. He retroactively filed a report in June disclosing that he earned around $17million working for Ukraine between 2012 and 2014.

He served as Trump's campaign manager between June and August 2016 and helped guide the candidate's pivot from the Republican primary to the general election.

He also attended a June 9, 2016 meeting between Trump's son Donald Jr. and two Russian lobbyists that took place at Trump Tower.

Before the meeting, the Russians reportedly promised to turn over opposition research related to Hillary Clinton and said this was part of a Russian government effort to help Trump's election chances.

Manafort's spokesperson Jason Maloni testified for over two hours before a grand jury on Friday as part of Mueller's Russia investigation.

Members of Congress have also threatened to subpoena Manafort recently as part of their probe into the loans he has received.

Sen. Charles Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said last week that he was 'not very satisfied' with Manafort's response to the committee's requests.

Grassley said the former Trump campaign manager's attorneys had stopped returning the committee's calls and was not turning over promised documents.

He said if they continue to be uncooperative the committee could take the 'next step' and issue a subpoena.
A Melbourne man who raped his partner's identical twin sister has been jailed  after claiming the assault occurred because he mistook her for her sibling.

The 24-year-old was sentenced to four years imprisonment after being convicted of rape and indecent assault, the Herald Sun reports.

He had told police that his victim was a liar and had made unwanted advances towards him  but the court heard that he had told her that he had always fantasised about sex with her.

A man who raped his partner's identical twin sister has been jailed  after claiming the assault occurred because he mistook her for her sibling. File photo

The woman had been staying with her sister and her partner after ending a relationship.

She was sleeping in the spare bedroom when the man entered to talk to her, but later pulled down her clothing and raped her, according to the Herald Sun.

But after the attack, her phoned his partner and told her that her sister had sexually assaulted him.

He repeated the claim to police and then told officers that he was confused because his partner and the victim looked identical to one another.

The woman had been staying with her sister and her partner after ending a relationship. File photo

'That was a bizarre thing to say given you'd been talking to [the victim] about her, and her issues, for over an hour,' County Court judge Felicity Hampel told him.

The victim, who has become estranged from her twin since the attack, said she had attempted suicide more than a dozen times since.

'All I have ever wanted was for him to say sorry and admit what he has done to me,' she said.

For confidential support call the 24-hour crisis support Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Samuel Johnson has again revealed the tender last moments he shared with his sister Connie, appearing on Fox FM on Tuesday morning.

The Gold Logie winner spoke to hosts Fifi Box, Dave Thornton, Brendan Fevola and Byron Cooke, telling listeners he was 'doing okay'.

Asked how he was holding up following his sister's death from cancer and her funeral on Monday, Mr Johnson replied: 'Am I allowed to say I'm okay?'

Scroll down for video

Samuel Johnson spoke to Fox FM on Tuesday morning and said he was 'doing okay' following the loss of his sister, Connie (pictured here together)

After his sister was diagnosed, Mr Johnson began vigorously campaigning to raise funds and awareness to beat cancer

'Am I sad? Yeah. Is my sister gone? Yeah. But I've had years to prepare for this, and I'm an adult now,' he said.

'I have a PhD in loss and grieving because I've buried a fair few in me time.'

Mr Johnson said he's stronger now and that he sees his sister as a 'gain'.

'How can you call it a loss when every day, I'll see her as a gain,' he said.

'If anyone wants to see it as a loss, be sad for my sister's loss. She lost a lot.'

The mother-of-two passed away on September 8 at the age of 40, after a prolonged battle with breast and liver cancer

Connie Johnson leaves behind her two sons Willoughby, 11 and Hamilton, who turns 10 on September 26

The actor said the pair spent 'half an hour laughing' and that at the end, 'all that was left was her doing her little drug laugh'.

Mr Johnson added that he now consider's himself not just the chief custodian of his sister Connie's legacy, but the 'head of cancer vanquishment' in the country.

'I am seeking a job as head of cancer vanquishment, and I'm also seeking a cure,' he said.

Mr Johnson appeared on The Project on Monday night to discuss his sister's funeral and legacy

Samuel Johnson revealed the heartbreaking final moments he spent with his sister Connie before her death

The Gold Logie winner seemed to be in good spirits following his sister' funeral on Monday, joking about the night he won the coveted Australian television award.

Telling the radio hosts he 'placed a bet on myself', Mr Johnson laughed as he revealed he won.

'I had a punt on myself - I thought I won't forgive myself if I win and I don't get through,' he said.

'I won me three-and-a-half g's!

Mr Johnson also touched how he had established a range of pink 'Connie cotton socks' in her honour (pictured on the desk)

Sam took to the Love Your Sister page to share a photo of himself travelling to the show, thanking an 'anonymous rich person' for helping him get there

Mr Johnson also appeared on The Project on Monday night to share some tender moments he shared with his sister before she died on September 8.

Co-host Carrie Bickmore could be seen choking back tears, as Mr Johnson vowed to continue his sister's legacy just hours after attending her funeral in Canberra.

'I will accelerate the push for a cure... I'm not going to stop, mate,' he told the hosts.

'She was training her little brother to do her work when she was gone. I'm ready for that.

Sam took to the Love Your Sister page to share a photo of himself travelling to the show just before appearing on set.

Looking out of a plane window solemnly, the picture showed him travelling from his sister's funeral in Canberra to the Melbourne studio.

Co-host Carrie Bickmore (pictured) could be seen choking back tears as Mr Johnson vowed to continue his sister's legacy

'Thanks to the anonymous rich person who got me from Con's service to The Project in time,' he captioned the moment.

Mr Johnson said the funeral service was 'beautiful' and went exactly as Connie had planned.

'Seems weird to apply the word "perfect" to a funeral, but you know, it was perfect,' he said.

Mr Johnson revealed he had established a range of pink 'Connie cotton socks' in her honour, after his nickname for his sister.

'She was training her little brother to do her work when she was gone. I'm ready for that,' Mr Johnson said

The mother-of-two passed away on September 8 at the age of 40, after a prolonged battle with breast and liver cancer.

She leaves behind her two sons Willoughby, 11 and Hamilton, who turns 10 on September 26.

Sam confirmed the news of his sister's death with a heartfelt message to fans, informing them that his beloved sister 'went so richly, and with such grace'.

'We lost Connie today. Or, as she asked me to say, she died of cancer today. It was so beautiful,' he wrote.

'We laughed, we cried, we sang stupid songs from our childhood to her, which she loved (mostly!). I read her so many village messages, which she relished.

He dedicated his Gold Logie win, for his portrayal of Molly Meldrum, to his sister who was watching at home, before retiring to focus on Love Your Sisters fundraising

'Trust me, she was genuinely cushioned by your love, till the end.'

After his sister was diagnosed, Mr Johnson began vigorously campaigning to raise funds and awareness to beat cancer.

He dedicated his Gold Logie win, for his portrayal of Molly Meldrum, to his sister who was watching at home, before retiring to focus on Love Your Sisters fundraising.

A public service for her will be held at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne on September 23.
A high-profile businessman has been accused of living a double life as a paedophile, as he allegedly forced a child and a dog to perform sexual acts on him.

The 62-year-old Fraser Coast man was charged with the indecent treatment of a child, rape, bestiality, sexual assault, tattooing a minor and child pornography.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested in the Wide Bay-Burnett region in Queensland last week following a major police investigation.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested in the Wide Bay-Burnett region in Queensland last week following a major police investigation

Police will allege some of the man's sex based offenses related to a child and a dog, The Courier Mail reported.

Police will also allege the man committed the grotesque offenses between August 2014 and September 7 this year, a period spanning more than three years.

He was refused bail when he appeared at a local Fraser Coast court on Friday.

He was remanded in custody to reappear in court next month.

Police have urged anyone with information to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police will allege some of the man's sex based offenses related to a child and a dog
President Donald Trump told a gathering of Latin American leaders he was calling for democracy to be restored in Venezuela 'very, very soon.'

The president spoke at length about Venezuela at a dinner he hosted in advance of his speech Tuesday to the UN General Assembly. He called for the 'restoration' of democracy there  but stopped short of remarks in August where he referenced a 'military option' for the country.

'I ask every country represented here to be prepared to do more to address this unbelievably serious crisis,' Trump said in remarks at the top of a dinner.

'We call for the full restoration of democracy and political freedoms in Venezuela, and we want it to happen very, very soon,' Trump said.

President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner with Latin American leaders at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in New York

Trump spoke about the human suffering under the regime of Nicola Maduro and his socialist government.

'The democratic institutions are being destroyed. The situation is completely unacceptable,' Trump said.

'The people are starving and the country is collapsing. You didn't think that was possible,' said Trump.

'As responsible neighbors and friends of the Venezuelan people, our goal must be to help them regain their country and restore their democracy,' he added.

The president referenced unexplained 'further action.'

President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner with Latin American leaders at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in New York, with from left, White House chief of staff John Kelly, Vice President Mike Pence, Trump, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley

US President Donald Trump waits for a dinner with Latin American and US leaders at the Palace Hotel during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly September 18, 2017 in New York City

Earlier Monday, Trump met with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

'We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on a path of imposing authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people,' he said.

'The socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has inflicted terrible misery and suffering on the good people of that country,' Trump said. Calling it a 'corrupt regime' that 'destroyed a thriving nation by imposing a failed ideology that has produced poverty and despair everywhere it has been tried.'

In August, asked about Venezuela during a tense moment dealing with North Korea, Trump responded: 'We have many options for Venezuela, including a possible military option, if necessary.'

Trump also spoke about his Saturday phone call with China's president Xi Jinping about North Korea.

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a working dinner with Latin American leaders in New York, U.S., September 18, 2017

US President Donald Trump (R) welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) to the Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, on April 6, 2017. Trump said he would visit China in November

'It was a long call, it was a very good call. We have a very good relationship. Let's see what happens. I think we are making great progress,' he said, before saying he would visit China in November.

Trump and and several Latin American leaders were to discuss how to bring pressure to bear on the Venezuelan government to restore democracy in the oil-producing nation, officials said.

Trump invited Presidents Michel Temer of Brazil, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia, Juan Carlos Varela of Panama and Argentine Vice President Gabriela Michetti to the dinner on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly.

Differences over ethanol trade, open-skies aviation and illegal drug production, and even North Korea, could crop up during the discussion, but the top issue will be the Venezuelan crisis, Latin American and White House officials said.

'What we all want is for Venezuela to become a democracy again and we are exerting all the pressure we can for that to happen. Tonight we will talk to Trump about that,' Santos said in an interview with Bloomberg News Agency.

Santos said discussion would focus on how best to pressure the Socialist government of Nicolas Maduro to allow a 'hopefully peaceful democratic transition in Venezuela.'

At least 125 people have been killed in four months of protests against the Maduro government, which has resisted calls to bring forward the presidential election and instead set up a pro-Maduro legislative superbody called a Constituent Assembly that has overruled the country's opposition-led Congress.

The Trump administration has imposed financial sanctions on Venezuela and Trump has called for tougher action, but Latin American leaders have stuck to diplomatic sanctions and ruled out the use of force, an option Trump has mentioned.

'We have told Trump that military intervention is not on the agenda for any Latin American country,' Santos told Bloomberg. 'That would only worsen the situation.'

Last week, Trump upset Colombia, the South American nation with the closest ties to Washington, by threatening to blacklist it for failing to stop a surge in cocaine production.

Speaking at New York's Columbia University on Monday, Santos said peace accords he reached with leftist guerrillas were allowing his government to move into areas where the drug is produced and destroy coca-leaf crops.

Trump could complain about a 20 percent tariff Brazil recently slapped on imports of ethanol over and above 600,000 liters a year, most of which come from the United States.

He could also press Brazil's Temer to cut off ties with North Korea, since Brazil is one of the last Latin American countries that maintains an embassy in Pyongyang.
The father of an eight-month-old girl who was brutally bashed by her mother has spoken of the toddler's horrific injuries and vowed to see the 'cold, vindictive woman' brought to justice.

Lorien Norman, 26, from Adelaide, was given a suspended jail sentence and fined just $500 for assaulting her daughter Evie with a kitchen serving spoon.

'I had a phone call from major crime team detectives saying she'd been rushed to [hospital] with life threatening head injuries,' Evie's father Shane McMahon told Today Tonight.

'She was in tears, she was in agony and she was screaming. It was shocking, she was so black and blue. Her entire face was swollen.

The father of an eight-month-old girl who was brutally bashed by her mother has spoken of the toddler's horrific injuries. Pictured, baby Evie after the attack

Lorien Norman, 26, was given a suspended jail sentence and fined just $500 for the shocking attack

Evie's father Shane McMahon (pictured together) said of the assault: 'It was shocking, she was so black and blue. Her entire face was swollen'

'She just wanted to have a bottle and go to sleep on my chest but she couldn't even touch the bottle... She was so sore. She couldn't eat or drink for days.'

The two-year good behaviour bond and $500 fine Norman received after pleading guilty to the 2016 attack sparked international outrage.

'How can you not get time for that? How can you not get time for beating a baby black and blue? It's a joke. An absolute joke,' Mr McMahon said.

'You get a couple of thousand dollar fine for going through a red light in Victoria and she walks away with a $500 bond for nearly killing her child. It's horrible.'

Mr McMahon, from Adelaide, said he believes the timing of the brutal assault was calculated and deliberate.

'It was on the anniversary of my father's passing. She knew very well what the day was,' he said.

Mr McMahon shares two children with Norman, who escaped jail over the October 2016 incident

Evie's mother initially told police Evie had fallen at a playground, but later pleaded guilty to aggravated causing harm with intent

Pictures that shocked the world showed the youngster with severe bruising to her face

'She knew how much it upset me. She knew I'd just entered into a new relationship and was finally happy and moving on.'

He added: 'She's a very calculative, cold, vindictive woman.'

Mr McMahon has until Wednesday to appeal Norman's sentence and has vowed to fight for justice.

'Fight, fight and fight. My daughters and my family are number one - keeping them safe and cared for is my main priority... I'd love to be able to fight to have our justice system changed,' he said.

Numerous petitions have been set up calling for Norman's retrial. One has amassed over 100,000 signatures.

Mr McMahon previously told Daily Mail Australia his daughter's injuries would cause long-term issues for his 'cheeky little monkey'.

Evie's father Shane McMahon (right) said his daughter would need ongoing rehabilitation to overcome her mental scars

The two-year good behaviour bond and $500 fine Norman received after pleading guilty to the 2016 attack sparked international outrage

He said despite his daughter's physical health being back to normal, it was likely to be years before she overcame the mental scars she suffered in the attack.

'Mentally she hasn't been cleared, because it's too early in a baby's life to determine what the exact mental repercussions will be,' he said.

'She's going to have to have extensive mental rehabilitation down the track, but the concern is that what upsets her most is that she doesn't like anything near her face.

'My other daughter has a soft ball and if it goes anywhere near her or near her face she cowers, so she knows what she's been through and she's well aware that she's been hurt.'

Despite being unable to have a haircut because of her fear of anything touching the area where she was bashed, Evie is back on track physically.

Mother Lorien Norman (pictured) could have been sentenced to up to 13 years behind bars

Norman was allowed to walk free on a two year good behaviour bond following her sentencing

Evie's father (pictured) says he has raised the youngster and her sister 'single-handedly'

'She's fantastic. It's 12 months on and she's been given the all clear physically by the paediatricians, so there's no long term affect on the physical structure of her bones.

'Before she got here she was quite timid, shy and scared, but she's come into her own little world  she runs the place now.

'She's just a cheeky little monkey running around without her nappy, climbing up on the bench when she's not supposed to, drawing on the walls - she's a beautiful girl.'

Evie's mother walked free from court after a judge found the baby's injuries were 'likely to resolve'.

Despite the offence carrying a maximum sentence of 13 years, Norman did not spend a day behind bars, instead given the bond and ordered to pay $500.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia previously, Mr McMahon said it was likely to be years before Evie overcame the mental scars she suffered in the attack

Norman did not spend a day behind bars over the attack, instead given the bond and ordered to pay $500

After escaping jail time, Norman sent a smug Facebook message to her former partner Shane McMahon

Gloating about her escape in the hours after facing the District Court, Norman sent a series of messages to her former partner.

'So I'm not going to jail. What's your next move?'

'I'll send you photos in October. Cute family photos of myself, Indi, Evie, my sister, her partner and my nephew, Hudson.

'Even with everyone on social media against me, I still made it. And I'll be having part custody within a year.'

Initially Norman claimed Evie had become bruised following a fall in a playground, before later pleading guilty aggravated assault causing harm.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has called for 'further pressure' on North Korea shortly after arriving in New York.

She said she would be open to tougher sanctions if they were needed to compel the regime to the negotiating table.

'Australia will be calling for the toughest possible sanctions but we must ensure the ones we currently agreed upon are implemented,' she said.

Ms Bishop said US President Donald Trump's Twitter taunting of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was a matter for the US to decide if it was the correct strategy.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop (pictured) has called for 'further pressure' on North Korea shortly after arriving in New York

Ms Bishop is in New York this week representing Australia at the United Nations General Assembly after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull opted not to attend.

She is set to address the assembly on Friday.

Mr Trump raised eyebrows on Sunday when he described the North Korean leader as 'Rocket Man' in a provocative tweet.

'That's a matter for the United States to use the language it seems to believe will work in terms of curbing North Korea's behaviour,' Ms Bishop told reporters on Monday.

Ms Bishop (pictured) didn't expect to have the exercise raised with her during talks at the United Nations

'Australia's interest is in urging all countries to fully implement the sanctions ... that were mandated by the Security Council,' she said.

The foreign minister also said she would be open to applying further pressure if it resulted in a diplomatic breakthrough.

I believe there is room for further sanctions,' Ms Bishop said.

Ms Bishop has defended naval exercises scheduled for the South China Sea as a mini armada of six warships steams north.

The vessels involved in the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 17 deployment will carry out joint exercises and visit regional ports.

'This is part of what the Australian navy does,' she told Sky News outside the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Mr Trump raised eyebrows on Sunday when he described the North Korean leader as 'Rocket Man' in a provocative tweet (pictured is a missile launch guided by Kim Jong-un)

Ms Bishop said the exercise has been planned for some time.

'The Australian navy has a very long history in engagement with other navies in our region, visiting ports, carrying out joint exercises - indeed we've carried out exercises with China in the past.'

She didn't expect to have the exercise raised with her during talks at the United Nations.

The six Australian ships - carrying 1200 personnel - left Australia on September 4.

Led by HMAS Adelaide, the fleet is made up of HMAS Melbourne, HMAS Darwin, HMAS Toowoomba, HMAS Parramatta and HMAS Sirius.

The foreign minister (pictured) attended a meeting called by her British counterpart Boris Johnson to discuss the situation of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

The joint exercises have been heavily criticised in the China media, which has accused Australia of encircling China, The Daily Telegraph reported.

According to a senior Liberal, China could see the exercises as 'implied pressure' amid the North Korea crisis.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's executive director Peter Jennings said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been putting public pressure on China.

'The Prime Minister's pressure on China has been precise and explicit,' he said.

'It's still one of the sillier comments to have emerged from the Chinese press.'

The vessels involved in the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 17 deployment will carry out joint exercises and visit regional ports (pictured are HMAS Toowoomba, behind, HMAS Sirius, centre, rHMAS Darwin, right, and HMAS Melbourne, left)

The foreign minister attended a meeting called by her British counterpart Boris Johnson to discuss the situation of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

More than 412,000 ethnic Rohingya have fled from the Buddhist-majority country in the past month and are living in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh.

'The message is very clear that the violence must stop,' she told ABC radio on Tuesday.

'There are so many lives at risk here that the international community must act.'

Australia has pledged a further $15 million in humanitarian support, particularly to Bangladesh which is hosting those who are fleeing.
If you're going to be kept under house arrest for up to two years there are worse places to do it than in a $6 million clifftop mansion in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

And it would want to be comfortable because the only way Fadi Ibrahim can leave his home without permission while on bail over money laundering charges is in the back of an ambulance.

The first condition of bail granted to the 43-year-old younger brother of nightclub identity John Ibrahim on Monday was that he live in the house he shares with wife Shayda in Weonga Road, Dover Heights.

Nightclub king John Ibrahim's second youngest brother Fadi pictured with then fiancee Shayda Bastani, who is now his wife, at Doncaster Day, Royal Randwick Racecourse, in 2010

Fadi Ibrahim's six-bedroom, five-bathroom home in Weonga Road, Dover Heights, where he will be under house arrest for up to two years while his case moves through the courts

Fadi Ibrahim pictured with his wife Shayda; the pair will live together at their home in Dover Heights after Fadi was granted $2.2 million bail at Central Local Court on Monday

Fadi Ibrahim, who is facing two money laundering charges related to the alleged importation of tobacco, bought his home in Weonga Road, Dover Heights, for $4.08 million in 2013

The six-bedroom, five-bathroom property bought for just over $4 million in 2013 has an estimated current value of at least $6 million and is just four blocks away from John's $8 million home in George Street.

Fadi was arrested in Dubai on August 8 along with his 39-year-old brother Michael and four other men in one of Australias biggest organised crime stings.

Unlike Michael, he has not been charged in relation to an alleged international plot to import narcotics worth $810 million.

Michael, charged with conspiring to import and attempting to import a commercial quantity of ecstasy, did not apply for bail on Monday and will remain behind bars.

While Michael sits in prison the four-bedroom, three-bathroom eastern suburbs home he had been renting was listed this month at $2550 a week.

The house in Myall Avenue, Vaucluse, is described as an idyllic Tuscan-inspired sanctuary in a blue chip harbourside/oceanside location with views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Australian Federal Plice surveillance footage of Fadi Ibrahim who was arrested in Dubai and charged with money laundering offences involving the alleged illegal importation of tobacco

The four-bedroom, three-bathroom home alleged drug importer Michael Ibrahim had been leasing in Myall Avenue, Vaucluse, has recently been listed for $2550 a week rent

Michael Ibrahim's luxurious former home at Vaucluse in Sydney's eastern suburbs is described as 'designed for indulgent living' and has views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House

Accused drug importer Michael Ibrahim has not applied for bail and is on remand; pictured is the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater in Sydney's west

Designed for indulgent living, this flexible modern open plan home is dedicated to entertaining  indoors and out, promotional material boasts.

Also in jail is the oldest Ibrahim brother, 51-year-old Sam, who has been on remand for more than three years awaiting sentence for his role in a gun-running racket.

Fadi is accused of two money laundering offences: one of providing $800,000 towards illegally importing tobacco and one of receiving $1.6 million from the proceeds of that operation.

On Monday Fadi was granted bail with a list conditions including that one or more acceptable people deposit $2.2 million.

His mother Wahiba has offered $1.5 million secured by her palatial home at Merrylands, in Sydneys west. Wife Shayda provided an affidavit.

The second youngest of the Ibrahim brothers, 43-year-old Fadi, was granted $2.2 million bail after appearing before a magistrate at Central Local Court in Sydney on Monday afternoon

Youngest Ibrahim brother Michael (left) with second oldest brother John (centre), second youngest brother Fadi (right) and their mother Wahiba; not present is oldest brother Sam

Magistrate Les Mabbutt said Fadi, who has been in custody at the Sydney Police Centre since his weekend extradition, would 'effectively' be living under house arrest once the $2.2 million surety was lodged.

He cannot leave the property other than to make court appearances or to attend legal conferences or medical appointments, both of which would require 48 hours' notice to police.

In the event of a medical emergency, Mr Mabbutt said he would expect Fadi to leave his home in an ambulance.

Fadi was shot five times while he sat in his Lamborghini outside his former home at Castle Cove, on Sydney's north shore, in 2009 and still requires pain management for those injuries.

The Ibrahim family matriarch Wahiba has offered $1.5 million surety on her home (pictured being raided in August by NSW police) at Merrylands, in Sydney's west, towards son Fadi's bail

Fadi Ibrahim after he was shot five times while sitting with his then fiancee Shayda in his Lamborghini outside the couple's home at Castle Cove, on Sydney's north shore, in 2009

John Ibrahim's Dover Heights home (pictured) is just four blocks from his brother Fadi's address where he will be under house arrested until his court matters are finalised

Mr Mabbutt did not impose conditions that Fadi report to police as police would know where he was at all times and would likely have him under surveillance.

He is allowed to have one mobile phone, the number of which must be given to police.

Australian Federal Police already have possession of his passport and he must not apply for further travel documents. He cannot contact prosecution witnesses or his co-accused.

Fadi's financial assets have been frozen.

Central Local Court heard on Monday that Fadi had borrowed $800,000 against the home and used that money to invest in a scheme police allege returned $1.6 million.

Mr Mabbutt said due to delays in the court system it could be 18 months to two years before Fadi faced any trial.
From peony and blush suede to wild fig and cassis, the unique scent combinations in Jo Malone candles and perfumes have earned her cult status among millions of adoring fans.

But the entrepreneur has hit out at the creative laziness of budget retailers who continue to launch copycat versions of her trademark products.

When asked how she feels about Aldi and Primark copying her perfumes, candles and diffusers in recent months the 53-year-old said: You have to really protect yourself, thats where the lawyers come in. I think people that mimic, its laziness - laziness instead of creativity because they cant come up with it themselves.

The mother-of-one, who sold her company to Estee Lauder for undisclosed millions in 1999, added: I find it is frustrating and its sad, because what could they create with all their money and their power? And it is just part of our world.

It just goes to show you, with creativity, youve got to keep moving on, keep pushing on, and dont worry whats going on behind you. You keep focused on moving forward, its just part of life but yeah its sad.

Miss Malone grew up in a council house in Kent and left school at 13 to care for her mother, who had had a stroke.

In March, Aldi launched a range of 3.99 candles in three of the same unique scents as Miss Malones, which cost up to 300 for the luxury size

She was dyslexic and had struggled in school, but discovered she had a talent for scents and beauty when as a child she made 100 pots of face cream and sold them.

She founded her brand Jo Malone London in 1983 which became a global success.

In March, Aldi launched a range of 3.99 candles in three of the same unique scents as Miss Malones, which cost up to 300 for the luxury size.

The selection of pomegranate noir, freesia and pear and lime basil and mandarin not only had the same names as the exclusive brand, but also had similar packaging of a clear glass holder with white wax and two candle wicks.

And with the luxury labels 200g candles costing 44 each, more than ten times as much as the 290g Aldi range, it is unsurprising the German supermarkets version sold out almost instantly.

Earlier this month, Aldi also launched copycat diffusers in the same scents, costing 3.99 for 100ml compared to 62 for Miss Malones 200ml version.

B&M have also tried their hand at producing a cheap version of the famous candles.

Earlier this month it launched a range of the scented homeware product, including a copycat version of the retailers 300 luxury candle for 14.99.

Asked if she thought imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Miss Malone told Chiswick Book Festival: No I think its creative laziness. They havent copied Jo Loves (her new company) yet...

Talking about her copied products, Miss Malone said: 'I find it is frustrating and its sad, because what could they create with all their money and their power? And it is just part of our world'

Primark, too, have launched their own Jo Malone inspired perfumes - but with an 8 price tag instead of 88.

The retailer launched a similar range hand washes scents, including pomegranate and black tea and mandarin and basil, which cost 4 instead of the 30 version by Miss Malone.

They then added six fragrances in similar white and black packaging, costing less than a tenth of price for the same amount in Jo Malone stores.

They also offer a 20ml bottle for 3 compared to 44 for a 30ml bottle from the luxury brand.

Miss Malones whose heightened sense of smell has made her a millionaire, said that her delicate nose has led to her family calling her the bloodhound.

She said: Im nicknamed the bloodhound at home, because if I smell something... my son - whos 16 now - will go... Dad... Mum says she can smell it... she can smell it...! (making a fart reference...)

The entrepreneur has synaesthesia, a neurological condition in which the senses overlap, meaning she interprets sound and colour as smell.

After their house was redecorated following a fire, Miss Malone could smell wet walls and six weeks later water burst through the plaster.

Aldi, Primark and B&M have been contacted for comment.
Pauline Hanson is calling for online betting firm Lottoland to be banned because the firm is 'killing Australian jobs'.

The One Nation leader will call on both sides of parliament to ban the online betting site to prevent Australian jobs from being lost to foreign-owned firms.

'This is about standing up for Aussie jobs and Aussie small business,' she said.

'This is about standing up for Aussie jobs and Aussie small business,' Senator Hanson said

The Queensland senator said she would visit a newsagency in Wynnum, in Brisbane's east, on Tuesday to deliver her message.

'Australian newsagencies are facing huge losses because the government is allowing Lottoland to continue cutting into their profits, but I want them to know they have my full support,' Senator Hanson said.

Senator Hanson said newsagents employed more than 20,000 people across Australia and Lottoland employed just eight.

'You do the math,' she said about the discrepancy.

'Newsagencies are small mum and dad operations that are often at the centre of local communities. The Government is crazy if they keep letting Lottoland decimate our news agencies.'

Senator Hanson said newsagencies were 'mum and dad operations' at the centre of local communities - and employed 20,000 across Australia while Lottoland had just eight

WHAT IS LOTTOLAND? Lottoland allows people to bet on the outcome of a lottery instead of buying a ticket for the lottery draw Lottoland, an independant firm, matches the prize money Australians, excluding South Australia, can bet Lottoland has offices in Darwin and Sydney but is based in Gibraltar, a headland on Spain's south coast Advertisement

Senator Hanson's One Nation party tried to move an amendment to outlaw the practice of betting on the outcome of lotteries in March.

Ms Hanson said she was 'disappointed' when the legislation was voted down by both sides of Parliament but she was 'not going to give up'.

'I have continued to speak to the both side of politics about the need to ban Lottoland, and I won't stop speaking out about this until laws are in place and Australia's news agencies are safe,' she said.
Police are searching for a teenage thug who stole an $1100 pair of Kanye West-designed sneakers (pictured, wearing similar Yeezy 3 shoes) from an online seller in a Sydney park

Police have launched a manhunt for a knife-wielding teenager who stole an $1100 pair of Kanye West-designed sneakers from an online seller in a Sydney park.

The seller, 22, had arranged to meet up with a boy who was interested in buying a pair of high fashion Adidas Yeezy 750 triple black SD shoes he advertised online.

The pair met up at Johnson Park, Dulwich Hill, on Monday night and the boy asked the seller if he could try on the shoes before handing over the money.

After putting the shoes on, police allege he pulled a knife out of his backpack and threatened the seller - forcing him to leave the park without his shoes or payment.

Police have been told the teenage thug is of Aboriginal appearance, aged about 16 with a stocky build and standing just 170cm tall.

The teenager, described by police as being of Aboriginal appearance with a stocky build, allegedly threatened the buyer after trying on the shoes at Johnson Park, Dulwich Hill

The rare shoes are worth $1100 and hundreds of people queued outside a pop-up store in Sydney when it opened last year

He was wearing a black hooded jumper and black tracksuit pants at the time of the alleged robbery.

It's believed the same boy is behind a separate robbery that happened an hour earlier at nearby Arlington light rail station, which joins Johnson Park.

A man advertised the sale of a jacket worth $1,000 on the internet, and arranged to meet up with the prospective buyer in person.

The buyer, believed to be the same Aboriginal boy, ran away with the expensive jacket without handing over any cash.

The thefts were reported to police from Marrickville Local Area Command and an investigation is now underway.

Anyone with information about these incidents should contact police at Marrickville or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A gay, Chinese man asked a conservative Liberal Party minister on live television why his relationship was worth less than his marriage - leaving him speechless.

In an emotionally-charged confrontation on the ABC, Alexander Lau challenged Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar on why he would be voting 'No' to gay marriage.

'In that sense, you voting no is really a reflection of my relationship because what you're saying is that I'm not allowed to have a marriage or I'm not allowed to have a relationship that's worthy of marriage because that's something that only you can have as a person in a relationship of the opposite sex,' the Q&A audience member said on Monday night.

Scroll down for video

Alexander Lau asked a Liberal minister why his gay relationships were of lesser value to him

'So when you do go to cast your ballot of 'No', you are saying that your relationship is worthy of marriage and mine is not.'

Mr Sukkar, a 36-year-old married conservative Liberal MP from Melbourne, didn't directly address the premise of Mr Lau's question, but had a blank expression as the audience applauded.

'We've already seen in this debate, we've seen everybody that holds a contrary view to you being shouted down,' he said in response.

Mr Lau had opened his question by pointing out that his mother with 'traditional Chinese views' was voting 'Yes' in the same-sex marriage postal vote survey.

Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar was left speechless after the gay man posed his question

Alexander Lau said his Chinese relatives often declined to ask him about his gay relationships

He continued by explaining how his Chinese relatives often declined to ask him about his homosexual relationships.

'When I go to family functions, my relatives don't ask about my relationships because they're uncomfortable about the idea of it,' he said.

'They're not hostile to my relationships or me as a person.

'They'll chat about other things and in their own way it's accepting my sexuality in their way however my sister or my cousins, if they're seeing someone new, they'll have conversations with my aunts, uncles, cousins about my relationships.'

Labor frontbencher Penny Wong, a lesbian with Chinese heritage, interjected on Q&A

Mr Sukkar linked the possibly legislation of homosexual matrimony to the contentious Safe Schools gender theory program.

'For many parents, another legitimate concern is what their children will be taught in the same-sex marriage world in sex ed and gender theory,' Mr Sukkar said.

Mr Lau shook his head before senior Labor frontbencher Senator Penny Wong, a lesbian with Chinese ancestry interjected: 'This is really shameful.'
For Lib Dem activists there was good and bad news. The good news was that Tim Farron MP stirred their milky innards with a fluent, self-effacing, stage-strolling speech.

The bad news was that lay preacher Farron, who set about them with pointed forefingers and half-crouches and a bared set of upper gnashers, is no longer their leader. Instead they are led by doomful donkey Sir Vince Cable, aged 105.

Sir Vincent, whose pendulum swings at half-speed, will make his debut leaders speech to the conference in Bournemouth this afternoon. Will he excite the activists as much as Mr Farron did yesterday?

Tim Farron MP stirred their milky innards with a fluent, self-effacing, stage-strolling speech

Instead they are led by doomful donkey Sir Vince Cable, aged 105. Sir Vincent, whose pendulum swings at half-speed, will make his debut leaders speech to the conference in Bournemouth this afternoon

Monday morning had got off to a treacly start: a debate about benefits payments. We heard that the evil Tories were not giving the needy their benefits quickly enough and that Labour was too apathetic. Talking of which, the hall rattled with perhaps 100 attendees.

One speaker, poor chap, was in the process of telling us how he had been homeless when a raised voice came from one of the entrances. The speaker thought he was being heckled.

In fact it was that fool Paddy Ashdown making an entrance, shouting morning pleasantries to another party member.

Lord Ashdown found a seat, left it, found another, left that, found yet another... Well, you get the idea. What a fidget. He loves the attention he creates. Vanity in one so long in the fang. Pitiful.

A debate on anti-terrorism laws was more interesting, betraying differences between civil-liberties types and activists who felt the Government should be allowed to look at the citizenrys telephone and internet records.

Former Liberdal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown interrupted a speaker who was discussing his homeless experiences, with his entrance

Sir Ed Davey MP made a blowy speech, claiming that the Schengen open-borders policy helped to keep us safe from terrorism. A man with a beard sympathised with the injustices which fuelled terrorism.

Attacks only happened because Britain turned a blind eye to killing and torture abroad, he claimed.

A school teacher said the authorities had been told about a child whose block of wood in carpentry class seemed to say Islam. Only on closer inspection did they discover it actually said 15 cm.

A former worker at the Governments surveillance centre GCHQ in Cheltenham (once a Lib Dem seat) attacked the partys desire to dilute the Prevent programme which monitors suspects.

He called this drift in Lib Dem thinking nonsense ... laughable ... simplistic and utterly naive ... a calumny on the staff at GCHQ. When it came to a vote, he was roundly ignored. They paid more attention to their former leader Mr Farron. His pre-lunch speech was the best of a (so far) lacklustre gathering.

He recalled that he was recently approached by a lady half my size yet still able to look down her nose at me who told him she would never trust a man who wears Dr Martens shoes.

As Tim Farron described Labour as being too 'apathetic' the hall rattled with perhaps 100 attendees

Sir Ed Davey MP made a blowy speech, claiming that the Schengen open-borders policy helped to keep us safe from terrorism

Mr Farron said his choice of footwear was the only thing he regretted from his leadership days.

His message to the activists was a simple one: Do not give up. He added: Im not going to give you a long list of advice. Im not Paddy.

That earned a strong laugh. Perhaps Lib Dems are as sick of Lord Ashdowns posturing as the rest of us. Mr Farron paid elaborate tribute to Sir Vince.

The more he said what a marvellous leader, the more one was perhaps inclined to wonder why he felt the need to ram this home.

Careerism is futile, argued Mr Farron, as he noted that some of todays children do not know who Mrs Thatcher was.

And yet he gave a playful hint that he might stand for the leadership again in 30 years time, when he will be no more ancient that Sir Vince is now.

He had a long go at Blairites in the Labour Party, telling them they had lost their party for a generation and should join the Lib Dems.

I love you, he gasped. Sobs all round!
Hillary and Bill Clinton bought dozens of pizzas from the D.C. restaurant that was at the center of the 'Pizzagate' conspiracy theory last fall, which compelled one North Carolina man to show up at the shop with a gun, firing three shots.

'People could have gotten killed. He shot his automatic weapon off inside this pizza parlor,' Clinton fretted Monday night as she spoke with Politics & Prose's co-owner Lissa Muscatine onstage at D.C.'s Warner Theatre, the first stop on the 15-city 'Hillary Clinton Live' book tour to promote, What Happened.

It was Muscatine who outed Clinton for her large pizza purchase as Politics & Prose is several stores down from Comet Ping Pong, the eatery featured in the false online rumors that dealt with Clinton, her Campaign Chairman John Podesta and a child sex trafficking ring.

Hillary Clinton waves to the packed auditorium at Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. as she rehashed the 'Pizzagate' conspiracy theory that falsely tied her and her campaign manager John Podesta to a child sex trafficking ring

Hillary Clinton (left) waves to her audience alongside Politics & Prose bookstore's co-owner Lissa Muscatine (right) who interviewed Clinton and outed her for making a large pizza purchase, and donating it to charity, from the parlor at the center of 'Pizzagate'

Hillary Clinton waves to her audience at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., the first stop on her 15-city book tour

The interviewer at tonight's book talk revealed that Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill had bought dozens of pizzas from Comet Ping Pong in the aftermath of the 'Pizzagate' incident

A crowd gathers in front of Warner Theatre in Washington for 'An Evening with Hillary Clinton,' the first official stop of her 15-city book tour

A protester dressed like 'Lady MacDeath' waved to people arriving at Hillary Clinton's book talk Monday night at Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.

'I never had a chance to thank you for something publicly, which I'd like to thank you for now,' Muscatine said onstage.

Muscatine, a longtime friend and former speechwriter for Clinton, explained how the shooting had rattled the entire neighborhood.

'A few days after that, you and your husband said, "What can we do to support Comet, can we buy pizzas? So you bought, I don't know how many pizzas, but it was a lot of pizzas, and sent them to a literacy program, an after school literacy program in D.C.,' Muscatine revealed, again thanking Clinton for supporting the businesses 'quietly,' as the bookstore was also getting harassed.

Clinton then re-walked the audience through 'Pizzagate,' as it served as an example of how the Russians utilized the email hacks.

She reminded them how her Campaign Chairman John Podesta's emails had been 'stolen' by the Russians  saying she hated the word 'hacked'  and then handed them over to Wikileaks, in which they were selectively released.

She pointed out how Roger Stone, one of President Trump's longtime political consultants, had hinted he knew Podesta was about to have his conversations made public.

And then pointed to the date in which it happened, the same day the 'Hollywood Access,' as she said  rather, the Access Hollywood  tape was released to the public through the Washington Post.

Podesta's emails, Clinton said, weren't all that interesting.

'Now, if you read those emails, I think it's a little embarrassing to admit that they are very anodyne, even boring,' said the ex-Democratic nominee.

But the Russians and their allies, 'whoever they turn out to be,' Clinton joked, were able to generate interest, by leading the press on a 'wild goose chase' and creating the 'illusion of transparency.'

From there, the emails were 'weaponized' Clinton said.

'They had to have elements plucked out and perverted in a way that would be hard to imagine and then sent back out into the cyber, virtual world,' she explained. 'So in one of the emails John Podesta is talking about pizza.'

'He's Italian and Greek and you know? And a very good cook,' she said, pointing to the better, more obvious explanation for his conversation. 'His risotto recipe is still there if you want to see it, I'm sure there's something very nefarious about that risotto,' she joked, referencing one particular email from the dump that had previously gone viral.

Clinton then articulated what the conspiracy theory said.

'These evil people in the media world and in the online world out of whole cloth make up this story that John Podesta and I are running a child trafficking ring in the basement of the Comet pizza parlor,' she said. 'By the way, there is no basement.'

'Now you would think people would be laughing like crazy, shaking their heads, but if you migrate that crazy story to Facebook posts, to news outlets, there are people who will believe that, including this very unfortunate man from North Carolina who believed it,' Clinton recalled.

Edgar Maddison Welch, 29, showed up at the restaurant on December 4 with an AR-15 to scope out the scene, firing three times in the restaurant.

When no children were discovered in the non-existent basement he surrendered himself to police. He'll serve four years in prison.

'It was an active crime scene because of people who cared more about weaponizing information,' she said.

So, according to Muscatine, Clinton and her husband quietly bought a lot of pizzas, to show their support for the Northwest D.C. pizza joint.

Muscatine pointed out that Vice President Mike Pence had also briefly lived down the street from her bookstore and from Comet Ping Pong.

'Did he once think of coming in, buying a slice of pizza? Of course not,' Muscatine said. 'But the community has been fantastic.'
For years Nerf guns have been a favourite with boisterous youngsters.

But now doctors say the toys, which fire foam darts, are dangerous  and users must wear protective goggles in case they are shot in the eye.

Experts said the darts risked causing internal bleeding around the eye as well as vision issues.

It comes after three patients in three months attended Moorfields Eye Hospital in London after being shot in the eye with a Nerf gun from distances of 3ft to 26ft.

Doctors say the toys, which fire foam darts, are dangerous  and users must wear protective goggles in case they are shot in the eye

An 11-year-old had a type of swelling that could cause vision loss.

The child and the other two patients  a man, 32, and a 43-year-old woman  were treated with medicated eye drops and recovered.

In journal BMJ Case Reports, the doctors said: 'This emphasises the seriousness of ocular injury from Nerf gun projectiles and calls into consideration the need for protective eyewear with their use.

'Nerf gun injuries can cause serious ocular trauma, as bullets travel at high speed.'

Experts said the darts risked causing internal bleeding around the eye as well as vision issues

The Nerf Rival gun fires foam balls at up to 68mph.

Doctors warned cheaper, non-branded bullets could be even more dangerous as they were harder  while YouTube videos showed children how they could modify the toys to make them shoot 'harder, faster, further'.

Nerf sells protective face masks, but these are sold separately for 14.99.

Manufacturer Hasbro said products meet or exceed regulations. It said users should never aim at a person's face, and use only Nerf darts.
Vladimir Putin has unnerved large parts of the West as he intently observed Russia's biggest war games in years.

The Russian President watched through a pair of binoculars as his forces successfully repelled an imaginary enemy and launched a tank-led counter-offensive.

NATO officials say they are monitoring the Zapad-2017 (West-2017) event with 'calm and confidence',

Despite claims from Russia that the exercise is rehearsing a purely defensive scenario, many are unnerved about what they see as Moscow testing its ability to wage war against the West.

Russia's Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, President Vladimir Putin and Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov attend the main stage of Zapad 2017

Russian military helicopters fire during the military exercise at a training ground at the Luzhsky Range

Putin, commander-in-chief of Russia's armed forces, sat in a command centre flanked by his defence minister and the chief of his General Staff, and used binoculars to peer through a cold drizzle at the simulated conflict unfolding before his eyes.

The Russian leader has appeared at similar events in the past, sometimes donning a military uniform, and uses them to bolster his image among Russians as a robust defender of the country's interests on the world stage.

This time, the 64-year-old president, who is widely expected to run for re-election in March, wore a dark suit and looked relaxed as the firing range in front of him, in the Leningrad region, was briefly transformed into a war zone.

Tracer bullets lit up the murky skyline, battle tanks churned across muddy terrain, shells exploded, helicopters fired missiles, planes roared overhead and hundreds of paratroopers and armoured vehicles were dropped from the skies.

The paratroopers, inserted behind the lines of their imaginary enemy, then waged war against what the defence ministry called 'illegal armed formations.'

Missiles are fired into the air. Many are unnerved about what they see as Moscow testing its ability to wage war against the West

Russian air force planes fly over the simulated battlefield during the training exercise

The over-arching Zapad war games, which began on Sept. 14 and run to Sept. 20, are taking place in western Russia, Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad, and Belarus, a Russian ally which borders Ukraine as well as NATO member states Poland, Latvia and Lithuania.

Moscow says almost 13,000 Russian and Belarussian service personnel are taking part, as well as around 70 planes and helicopters. It says almost 700 pieces of military hardware are being deployed, including almost 250 tanks, 10 ships and various artillery and rocket systems.

NATO officials have said they believe the exercises involve more troops than Moscow has disclosed, however, and have complained about what they say is the lack of transparency about the exercise, an allegation Russia rejects.

Tanks roll across the muddy terrain during the military exercise, which Russia claims is merely for defensive purposes

Paratroopers inserted behind the lines of their imaginary enemy waged war against what the defence ministry called 'illegal armed formations'

As part of the same drills, Russia on Monday said it had successfully test fired a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, hitting a target at a firing range in Kazakhstan about 480 km (300 miles) away.

Moscow says it is the West that threatens stability in eastern Europe because NATO has put a 4,000-strong multinational force in the Baltics and Poland, while the U.S. Army has deployed 600 paratroopers to the Baltics during Zapad.

As a precaution, the United States has also temporarily taken over guardianship of the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which lack capable air forces and air defence systems.
The bus driver who crashed in Queens on Monday morning and killed three people, including himself, had his license suspended two years ago after driving drunk and crashing into three people in Connecticut.

Raymond Mong, 48, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a crash when he caused the accident with his own car in 2015.

The Dahlia Group driver was working as a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus driver, sources said to the New York Daily News.

Raymond Mong, 48, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a crash when he caused the accident with his own car in 2015

Three people were killed and 15 others were injured on Monday when A MTA bus and a Mong collided in Queens, New York

The Connecticut state Department of Motor Vehicles notified the New York DMV, who passed along the info to the MTA after he was arrested.

Mong was fired in 2015, according to MTA spokeswoman Amanda Kwan.

He filed a grievance that was handled in arbitration, according to a source. The grievance was denied in June.

It was unknown when Mong began working for the new bus company. He had an appeal left, scheduled for October.

Firefighters rushed to the scene of the crash that occurred in the neighborhood of Flushing around 6.15am

Police records from Connecticut state show that Mong was driving a 2002 Honda Acura and rear ended 2004 Chevy Tahoe on the Exit 51 off-ramp from I-95 in New Haven on April 10, 2015.

Police records from Connecticut state show that Mong - who worked for MTA at the time -was driving a 2002 Honda Acura and rear ended 2004 Chevy Tahoe on the Exit 51 off-ramp from I-95 in New Haven on April 10, 2015

Their collision caused the Tahoe to hit a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, a 22-year-old woman driving her mother's car, was driving.

Mong fled the scene and had his wife riding with him. State police and New Haven police tracked him down and arrested him.

Barbara Wynne, the mother of Alexandra Wynne, remembered the call from her young daughter.

'I remember her calling me up and being upset at being hit and the driver took off. She got banged up,' Wynne said.

'He was driving really erratically and he hit her and thank God she wasn't severely injured.

It was unknown when Mong began working for the new bus company after he was fired from MTA in 2015. He had an appeal left, scheduled for October

'I don't know why they would let someone like that drive a bus.'

He was charged with drunken driving and leaving the scene, among others.

Mong also didn't have proper insurance and was driving erratically while illegally tailgating.

Three people suffered minor injuries.

Mong was sentenced on Oct. 20, 2015 and ordered to serve 18 months' probation, temporarily surrender his license and pay a $500 fine, according to his lawyer.

Mong's Connecticut license was restored on Feb. 23, 2016, a source said.

Three people were killed and 15 others were injured on Monday when A MTA bus and a Mong collided in Queens, New York.

Firefighters rushed to the scene of the crash that occurred in the neighborhood of Flushing around 6.15am.

An MTA spokesman said the Q20 bus was making a right turn on Northern Boulevard when the private bus, run by Flushing-based Dahlia Travel and Tours, struck it and crashed into a row of storefronts.

One victim, pinned under the bus, died at the scene. Two others, among seven who were critically injured, died at the hospital. The dead have been identified as Mong, 48; Gregory Liljefors, 55; and Henry Wdowiak, 68.
A brand new $10 note complete with high-tech security features will come into circulation on Wednesday  but some have concerns the new banknotes won't work in vending machines.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has printed 200 million of the new $10 note which has some significant changes that would make them harder to counterfeit as well as tiny embossed bumps to aid the vision-impaired.

But betting giant Tabcorp has raised concerns that there could be a delay in distributing the new note from its automated terminals, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Scroll down for video

The new notes have been designed with high-tech security features to stop counterfeiting

A spokesman said the company is updating its terminals to accepting the new note, but it may not be done until late October.

It comes despite reassurance that the issues that came with the release of the new $5 note last year would not occur, such as rejection from some vending machines.

But Lindsay Boulton, the RBA's assistant governor for business services, said businesses had been given six months to prepare for the new notes.

Provendor operator Carlo Furnari told Daily Mail Australia there is a 'learning curve' to adapting with new notes, as was evidenced when the new $5 note came into circulation.

'It was a bit of a pain, but we've done it once, there's experience from the last time.'

He said software in note acceptors will have to be updated to identify the new $10 note, which costs 'about $10 or $15' according to Mr Furnari.

Similar to the redesigned $5 note, the new $10 note will have a clear top-to-bottom window, a feature which the Reserve Bank says will improve security and prevent fake notes from being circulated.

The new $10 note as shown on the left maintains some similarities with the old note (right)

Small embossed bumps have been included on the $10 note for the first time as they are on the $5 note, with the 'tactile' feature helping blind people know how much money they're spending.

Key aspects of the existing look of the $10 note have been retained, including the light blue colour, size and faces of two of Australia's most prominent writers, Dame Mary Gilmore and AB 'Banjo' Paterson.

The Reserve Bank said keeping the same look was done for 'ease of recognition and to minimise the disruption to businesses', with the notes entering circulation on September 20.

The new note (right) has a clear window running top to bottom, unlike the old note (left)

Famous Australian writers Dame Mary Gilmore and AB Paterson will still feature on the note

In preparing the new banknote, the Reserve Bank said it has been working with cash handlers, businesses and machine manufacturers to make sure the new notes could be used properly, including in machines that take or dispense banknotes.

But don't go swapping out all your old $10 notes just yet  the existing notes can still be used, and all previously issued banknotes remain legal tender.

The 'tactile' feature first introduced on the $5 note was largely down to the determination of blind Sydney teen Connor McLeod.

He started an online petition calling for the changes as a 12-year-old.
Victoria Derbyshire has revealed she felt guilty when Alan Rickman died of cancer days after her fourth round of chemotherapy.

The BBC presenter recalls in her book Dear Cancer the moment she learned of the Love Actually actor's death on 14 January 2016.

'In an unhysterical way I find it difficult to cope with hearing about another high-profile death from cancer,' she writes.

'And then I feel guilt  I should be grateful because I'm still here and there are families everywhere mourning loved ones who've died from this disease.'

Victoria Derbyshire (pictured in hospital) has revealed she felt guilty when Alan Rickman died of cancer days after her fourth round of chemotherapy

The BBC presenter recalls in her book Dear Cancer the moment she learned of the actor's death on 14 January 2016. Pictured: Rickman in 2015 (left) and in Love Actually

In the book she also reveals how she cried after her final round of chemotherapy during her 301-day battle with breast cancer.

The 48 year old writes: 'I draw the blanket to my eyes and cover my face. The tears come.

'I can't believe it. I can't believe I've had cancer. I can't believe I've endured chemotherapy. I can't believe that's it. I'm shell-shocked.'

She also presents a note from her partner Mark and sons Joe and Oliver which reads: 'To mummy, Well done for staying strong though all this. We knew you would pull through.'

Victoria then signs off with an upbeat note: 'It's time to crack on with the rest of my life.'

In her book the star also reveals it was by googling 'inverted nipple' that she discovered she may have the disease.

She writes that she was searching the web for 'inverted nipple' while getting ready for work on July 27.

It was just three days later when Victoria  having undergone a biopsy  was told by her GP that the growth was 'malignant'.

'At that moment, it feels as though a colossal fist has come crashing down on my head, the word 'malignant' crushing me cleanly and swiftly. Mark captures my hand to hold it in his.'

Victoria Derbyshire in a video for her cancer diaries series after her mastectomy said: 'I feel alright, I can't believe it' and 'The NHS staff have been Awesome'

Writing in her new book Dear Cancer, the BBC presenter recalled the very moment that would change her world forever

The broadcaster had started fronting her current affairs programme on BBC2 and News Channel in April 2015, just four months before her diagnosis with breast cancer

As Victoria looked around her sitting room one day after diagnosis, she was struck by the lack of any photographs featuring herself.

Instead, it was snaps of her partner and two sons adorned the walls of her home  because she was the one who usually took the pictures.

The 48-year-old decided to rectify her absence in the family photos by ensuring the place some happy images of herself around the home should the worse happen.

By Monday August 3, it was time to tell her boys Oliver, 11 and Joe, eight, of her illness.

Victoria wrote: 'Employing a 'by the way' kind of style, I tell the boys there's something funny going on with my breasts. 'Funny ha ha? Do you mean someone's drawn a clown on them?' asks Joe.'

She said that hair loss made her feel 'powerless' but she chose to remove her wig on her video series an emotional scene in Victoria Derbyshire breast cancer diary part 3: Hair loss

And with boys being boys, the conversation quickly turned into a joke-filled exchange of different euphemisms for the word 'breast' including 'wibwabs' and 'treasure chest'.

Her sons' overriding sense of humour meant that neither of them expressed any any concern or anxiety, Victoria added.

In the run up to her mastectomy on September 23, Victoria was getting ready for bed, when she decided to pick up a pen.

Before heading to be that night, she wrote a letter to each of sons, letting them know how much she loved them should she not wake up from the surgery.

Victoria, who lives in London with her partner Mark and sons Joe and Oliver, penned that she was searching the web for 'inverted nipple' while getting ready for work on July 27

On the morning of the operation, Victoria was lying on a bed as she was pushed through hospital.

But before being placed under anesthesia she had the chance to turn around, get a final look at her Mark and blow each other kisses.

'Victoria! Victoria, can you hear me? Victoria!' We've done it. And I woke up. And the cancer's gone. It's amazing to see Mark, amazing that it's over. I can't believe it. I feel liberated,' she wrote.

Nearly a month later, on October 20, Victoria was lying awake at 1.30am and pondering her looming course of chemotherapy.

Having heard the tales of cancer patients losing their hair during treatment, Victoria considered purchasing a cold cap, which would help her preserve her hair and mean she would not need the wig after all.

But by November, long strands began slipping from her head and into the plughole while she shampoos her hair.

She was depressed by the amount that had fallen out while wearing the cold cap, but realised that it could have been much worse had she not been.

Victoria decided to don a beanie and head off for her wig appointment at a salon  fraught with worry and stress.

The brave presenter and mother said she struggled to hold back tears as even more of her hair fell out while her hairdresser combed through the knots.

Victoria, by December realised it was time to make some decisions in order to help her regain control, after losing all control over what happens with her hair.

One is to wear her wig properly for the first time, so she practiced putting it on and sticking it down.

She also decides that the following day would be the day she returned to work  it was time that she confronted her anxiety about wearing the wig in front of her friends, co-workers and her TV audience.
Doctors have warned of a measles outbreak in Victoria after two infected people exposed themselves to others on trains and at shopping centres.

Victorias deputy chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton has warned people to be on high alert for possible signs of the illness, according to the Herald Sun.

Dr Sutton said those infected may have exposed others on trains and shopping centres in Melbourne and Ballarat.

Doctors have warned of a measles outbreak in Victoria after two infected people exposed themselves to others on trains and at shopping centres (stock image)

Victorias deputy chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton has warned people to be on high alert for possible signs of the illness (stock image)

Those infected used trains between Armadale and Southern Cross Station or Collins Street in Melbourne, and visited Chadstone Shopping Centre, Ikea Richmond and Federation University.

People who attended these locations between September 6 and September 13 may be at risk of developing measles, Dr Sutton said.

The two people who are infected may have contracted measles at the same locations or at St Kilda Rd in Armadale, or St Kilda Library.

One of the infections was confirmed to be contracted in the area, while the other may have been from overseas.

Dr Sutton warned symptoms may not appear until October 4.
Complaints about dirty restaurants and food fraud have leapt by a quarter amid evidence more than one in 20 are putting people at risk.

Figures published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) show 85,220 complaints were made in the year to March 2017.

That was up by some 23.5per cent on the previous year as diners demanded action is taken to clean up dirty restaurants.

The same figures show there was a corresponding 31.7per cent increase in the number of hygiene complaints investigated, taking the total to 73,806.

Complaints about dirty restaurants and food fraud have leapt by a quarter amid evidence more than one in 20 are putting people at risk (file photo)

However, the FSA data shows local councils are paying much less attention to problems of food fraud and authenticity.

This means the policing of everything from horsemeat being sold as beef or restaurants passing off cheap, mass produced meat and produce as expensive organic or premium foods has been scaled back.

The number of these food standards complaints investigated in the year was down by 12.2per cent to 11,414.

The FSA figures are collated from the records of local councils, which are responsible for policing some 634,584 food establishments.

These show that some 6per cent - 38,000 - were unsatisfactory and required improvements. At the same time, 23,591 outlets were subject to at least one type of food standards enforcement action ranging from a warning or a caution to prosecution.

Local government cuts have seen reductions in the number of environmental health officers, inspections and food safety and authenticity sampling.

Figures published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) show 85,220 complaints were made in the year to March 2017 (file photo)

The FSA report shows that some 15per cent of food hygiene inspections were not carried out as expected.

As the same time, the total number of food samples tested fell by 11.3per cent last year to 59,583. It said some councils are not doing any sample testing at all because they do not have the money.

Council environmental health teams score food outlets from zero to five based on factors such as kitchen cleanliness, cooking methods and food management.

Many dirty restaurants in England are getting away with putting customers at risk because they are not required to display their low hygiene ratings in the window.

This is at odds with the situation in Wales and Northern Ireland where food businesses are legally required to display the rating. The system effectively works to shame outlets into cleaning up their act.

The FSA said the spike in complaints may be partly because it has set up a new reporting system. Its Director of Regulatory Delivery at the FSA, Nina Purcell, said local councils are targeting high risk food businesses.

However, she said: The decrease in planned interventions for food standards is concerning and while hygiene interventions are increasing there remains a 15per cent shortfall.

Were going to use this enforcement data, along with other intelligence, to identify and target underperforming local authorities so that we can work with them to secure improvements or tackle any particular problems they may have.
Web giants must halt the spread of online extremism or face prosecution, a major report said yesterday as the Daily Mail uncovered shocking evidence of the firms failure to act.

More jihadi propaganda is accessed in Britain than anywhere else in Europe, the Policy Exchange think-tank found.

It said that more than 100 terror manuals and recruitment videos and articles were posted online every week via social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Fighters from the al-Qaida linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) marching in Raqqa, Syria, in propaganda readily available on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter

The think-tank called for independent regulation and even prosecution and fines for internet firms which failed to tackle online extremism and radicalisation.

The study echoed warnings that terror manuals were still online, including guides to building a bomb similar to the device used on the Tube at Parsons Green on Friday.

The Mail found further terror tactics listing potential targets such as sporting events.

Theresa May is due to meet tech giants  which have been warned enough is enough  at an anti-extremism summit in New York tomorrow. Calls for a tougher stance came as:

Policy Exchange warned the West was not winning the war against online extremism;

A poll of 2,001 Britons found 65 per cent of those surveyed did not believe web giants were doing enough to combat radicalisation;

An investigation found internet shopping giant Amazon was selling bomb-making chemicals  and marketing them as frequently bought together products.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: I have made it crystal clear to internet bosses that they need to go further and faster to remove terrorist content from their websites and prevent it being uploaded in the first place.

Yvette Cooper, Labour chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, said it was time we saw practical action.

She said: People are rightly fed up at how easy it is to spread dangerous extremism and vile illegal material online.

Whether its hate preachers on YouTube, guides to bomb-making on Google, details of anti-Semitic white supremacist rallies on Twitter or streaming of extremist violence on Facebook Live, its clear internet companies should be doing far more to intercept and remove extremist and illegal content.

If they fail to do so they should face strong fines and penalties.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: I have made it crystal clear to internet bosses that they need to go further and faster to remove terrorist content from their websites and prevent it being uploaded in the first place

In its report on cyber-extremism, Policy Exchange said failure to tackle the scourge would threaten security for decades and mean military successes in Iraq and Syria would be rendered virtually meaningless.

It recommended an independent regulator and system of fines  with possible criminal prosecutions  for failing to clamp down on the material.

Lead author Dr Martyn Frampton said security services had been playing a fruitless game of whack-a-mole where they succeeded in getting individual pieces of content removed, only for them to appear elsewhere.

Retired US army general David Petraeus, a former CIA director, warned: Social media platforms, internet service providers, and other tech companies clearly have central roles to play in the effort to counter extremist groups in cyberspace.

The report found that three-quarters of Islamist-related terror offences in the UK over the past four years had been committed by offenders known to have accessed extremist or instructional material.

MPs united behind calls for tougher action.

Tory Tim Loughton said web giants needed to be smarter and swifter in taking down material, while Labours Stephen Doughty said the firms had responsibilities to society.

Google said it was committed to being part of the solution.

Twitter said it had suspended 636,248 accounts for promoting terror in 18 months.
A mother who allegedly kidnapped her two-year-old son amid an intense custody battle nearly three years ago has been captured by the FBI.

Maria Evelia Cabrera-Gutierrez, the mother of Daniel Markus, was taken into custody just 24 hours after her case was profiled on the CNN show The Hunt with John Walsh.

The show, which aired on September 17 on CNN sister channel HLN, chronicled Guy Markus's quest to reunite with his son, who was allegedly kidnapped by Cabrera-Gutierrez, now 46, on November 13, 2014 in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Pictured is an FBI photo showing Maria Evelia Cabrera-Gutierrez, 46, and her son Daniel Markus. She has been captured nearly three years after allegedly kidnapping the boy amid a bitter custody battle with the boy's father

Pictured is Daniel with his father, Guy Markus, who had worked with authorities for nearly three years to try to track down his abducted son

Authorities claim she snatched her son after she realized she would lose her son in a custody battle with Markus.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cabrera-Gutierrez, of Mexico, and Markus had been sharing custody of the boy since August 2014.

The FBI report reads: 'Cabrera-Gutierrez violated that order by fleeing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by bus with Daniel on November 13, 2014.

'She is known to have arrived in San Antonio, Texas, the following day and may have been en route to Mexico.

'On November 19, 2014, Cabrera-Gutierrez was charged with interference with custody of children and concealment of whereabouts of a child in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Berks County, and a warrant was issued for her arrest.

'On November 24, 2014, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Cabrera-Gutierrez in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Allentown, Pennsylvania, after she was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.'

Cabrera-Gutierrez and Markus were both living in Pennsylvania and authorities believe that she was trying to flee to Mexico, where she is from. She had last been seen in San Antonio, Texas

Markus, who referred to Cabrera-Gutierrez as 'controlling' in an interview for the CNN documentary, said he found a note on her door when he came to pick up Daniel from a stay with her on Friday, November 14, 2014.

He told CNN that the note was 'basically saying I will contact you when I get an attorney'.

He immediately contacted the authorities, who were at first unable to do anything because child custody is a civil issue in Pennsylvania.

But after an emergency-court order issued on Monday, November 17, the police were able to assist Markus, who was granted full custody amid the abduction.

Daniel officially became a missing person.

Markus characterized Cabrera-Gutierrez as 'very controlling' in an interview with CNN's The Hunt with John Walsh

It is not yet clear where Daniel and his mother were found

Daniel and his mother were found just 24 hours after an HLN profile aired about their story

Cabrera-Gutierrez made claims that Markus was abusing her and her children.

But at least one of her daughters, along with Markus, completely refuted these claims.

One of her daughters further alleged the Cabrera-Gutierrez had abused one of her sons named Ivan.

The daughter told CNN: 'My mom started to unravel a lot.'

Markus also related an incident in which he claimed that Cabrera-Gutierrez would only grant him permission to bring Daniel to visit his dying grandfather in Israel if Markus agreed to marry her. They never married.

Markus previously told the Reading Eagle that he had separated from Cabrera-Gutierrez and had asked her to leave his home due to 'problems'.

It is not yet known where Cabrera-Gutierrez was captured.
The threat of global warming is not as bad as previously thought, climate scientists admitted yesterday.

Warnings made in 2015 at the Paris Climate Change Conference had been too pessimistic, they said.

These were based on projections that suggested nations had already produced too much greenhouse gas to limit global warming to between 2C and 1.5C above 19th-century levels.

This meant drastic and urgent cuts would have to be made in greenhouse gases to stop a climate catastrophe.

But yesterday academics admitted that they had been wrong  and we have a longer time frame to reduce the amount of fossil fuels we burn.

Yesterday academics said we have a longer time frame to reduce the amount of fossil fuels we burn before we destroy the planet through global warming. Pictured a desert landscape

A revolution in solar power, particularly in China, has dramatically cut the amount of carbon dioxide produced, researchers said.

The research by British scientists shows that under the old projections, the world ought now to be 1.3C warmer than the mid-19th century average. In fact the new analysis shows it is between 0.9C and 1C above.

Michael Grubb, professor of international energy and climate change at University College London, accepted that the old projections had been wrong.

He said the new research suggests we have more room than we thought, while global emissions, particularly from China, have stabilised earlier than expected, he said.

Myles Allen, professor of geosystem science at the Oxford University, said that if the world followed ambitious reductions of emissions from where things stand today, there would be even odds of meeting the 1.5C goal.

Its not out of sight, physically, its not geophysically impossible, he said. Professor Allen pointed to China, which had rolled out 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power, a quarter of it in the past six months, and to tumbling prices of offshore wind power in the UK.

A revolution in solar power, particularly in China, has dramatically cut the amount of carbon dioxide produced, researchers said

It is looking more hopeful for these multiple reasons that we can deliver the Paris goals, he said.

Under the Paris Agreement, countries submitted national plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, with a process to update and increase levels of climate action every five years amid recognition that current commitments are not enough.

Professor Grubb said: Were in the midst of an energy revolution and its happening faster than we thought, which makes it much more credible for governments to tighten the offer they put on the table at Paris.
A family-of-seven welcomed conjoined twins at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center earlier this month.

Elijah and Isaac's father, Jason Kroeger of North Carolina says the twins' condition is better than expected but they still have some 'speed bumps to overcome.'

Jason wife's Heather Kroeger found out she was pregnant and was told early on they were only having one child, but a later ultrasound in his first trimester revealed there were two, and they were conjoined.

Scroll for video

Issac and Elijah, left and right respectively, are conjoined in a way that they can not be safely separated

The family-of-seven welcomed two new additions to their family after Heather gave birth to conjoined twins earlier this month

They were told by their health care providers that they could perform an abortion for Heather.

'To us it wasn't an option. These children are our children they were given to us for a purpose... to protect them. Abortion was never an option,' Jason told Fox19.

The boys are joined in a way they can not be safely separated.

Heather and Jason, who were high school sweethearts who already have five other children together.

According to the family's GoFundMe page 'Heather and Jason were thrilled this year when they found out they were once again pregnant and due on October 1, 2017.'

'It is no surprise that they have been advised several times throughout the pregnancy to abort these two little precious souls,' the page went on to say of the family's decision to keep the boys who were born earlier this month.

The page is helping to raise money to help care for their new additions' special needs and medical care.

Conjoined twins named Elijah and Isaac were delivered earlier this month to Heather and Jason Kroeger

Heather and Jason already have five other children with ages ranging from 17 to 4-years-old

The cost for the large family to travel to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center was high, and the family stayed their first few days in the city at a Church

The cost of the family traveling from North Carolina to the hospital in Cincinnati alone was expensive.

The family-of-seven stayed at St. Xavier Church which provided shelter for the Christian family during their first few days in the city.

The couple married in 1999 and their children's ages range from 17 to the newborn conjoined twins.

Heather remains at the hospital with the babies for the time being while her husband is heading back to North Carolina to work and be with their eldest high school aged sons.

'Friends, we cannot see what God sees. Nor can we always understand the 'hows' and 'whys,'' the GoFundMe page reads. 'This family has inspired so many of us with their trust in God and love for these babies.'
Frequent Fox News guest Scottie Nell Hughes has claimed Fox Business host Charles Payne raped her in a shocking lawsuit.

The suit, filed in a New York district court on Monday, claims that in July 2013, Payne 'pressured his way' into Hughes' hotel room before telling her 'you know you want this' and raping her.

After privately speaking to Fox lawyers about the supposed incident last year, the suit alleges, she was blackballed by the network, leading to her losing out on a job in the Trump administration.

And when she went public about the abuse, Fox released private emails between her and Payne in an effort to smear her name, the shock legal filing says.

Scroll down for video

Charles Payne (left), host of Fox Business's Making Money, has been accused of raping Scottie Nell Hughes (right), a frequent former Fox News guest, in a lawsuit filed by her on Monday

The suit says that Payne began pursuing Hughes after their first Fox appearance together in April 2013, and in July he forced himself on her in her hotel room saying she 'wanted this'

Hughes, 37, has previously accused Payne, 56, of sexually harassing her and pressuring her into an ongoing relationship with the threat of taking away her appearances on Fox. Both are married.

But this is the first time the host - who presents Making Money with Charles Payne on Fox Business - has been accused of rape.

The suit, which was filed by attorneys Douglas H Wigdor, Jeanne M Christensen and Michael J Willemin, names Payne, Fox News and 21st Century Fox, among others, as defendants.

You've been teasing me since that first time on set, wearing those short dresses over those long legs with your big boobs hanging out Payne's remarks to Hughes on the night he allegedly raped her, according to her lawsuit

It alleges gender motivated violence, gender discrimination, retaliation and defamation.

It says that Payne and Hughes first started working together in April 2013, initially when he hosted Cavuto and then again as fellow panelists on Hannity.

It says that Payne offered to mentor Hughes in the months afterward, and that around July 9, Payne began pressuring her to give him her hotel room number over several hours.

She relented and agreed to a private conversation with him that night, the suit claims, but when he came to her room he began to sexually assault her, saying 'You know you want this.'

'You've been teasing me since that first time on set, wearing those short dresses over those long legs with your big boobs hanging out,' he allegedly said.

Payne (pictured with his wife) admitted to a two-year affair with Hughes in July, but has vehemently denied claims of sexual harassment. Hughes says he coerced her into that

Despite Hughes repeatedly telling Payne 'no,' he continued and she stopped fighting back, fearing 'irreparable physical harm,' the suit claims.

'After he raped her, Payne disturbingly announced on his way out, "This changes things."' the suit says.

In the years afterward, Payne then pressured her into maintaining an affair by citing other 'relationships' between male Fox hosts and female guests, and told her that as a woman she needed a man 'to go to bat' for her, the suit claims.

He also suggested that he might be able to get Hughes the coveted 'contributor' status at Fox, which would mean she would be paid for exclusive appearances rather than commenting for free, according to the suit.

She had worked as a contributor for CNN during the presidential election.

Hughes (pictured with her husband) claims Payne became violent when she tried to break it off. When she stopped the relationship in 2015, she says, her Fox appearances dried up

The lawsuit claims that Hughes tried to shut down the relationship repeatedly, but that Payne responded 'angrily and violently' with 'profanity-laced tirades'.

The suit also claims that 'on several occasions, when Payne was angry with her, he forcibly grabbed Ms Hughes in such a way that bruises were left on her arms.'

Payne has previously denied the claims of sexual harassment made by Hughes as 'an ugly lie I vehemently deny to my core'.

When contacted about the new allegations, Payne's lawyer, Jonathan Halpern of Foley & Lardner LLP, said in a statement: 'My client Charles Payne vehemently denies any wrongdoing and will defend himself vigorously against this baseless complaint.

'We are confident that when the evidence is presented in this case, Mr. Payne will be fully vindicated and these outrageous accusations against him will be confirmed as completely false.'

After Hughes finally called an end to the relationship with Payne in June 2015, the suit claims, Payne threatened to drop her from Fox altogether.

And when she remonstrated, it claims, former co-president Bill Shine took the side of Payne, whom he favored.

Her appearances on Fox dwindled and she was finally cut off in March 2016, allegedly after Payne's wife complained to Shine about her husband's relationship with Hughes.

That blacklisting led to her losing several potential roles in the Trump administration, after it found out she was 'not bookable' on Fox, the suit says.

Her booker was told by someone at another network that other channels were avoiding her because she 'had an affair with someone at Fox and we were told not to book her.'

Hughes, a former Tea Party figure, says she was up for several roles in Trump's administration but was dropped because Fox wouldn't book her on its show

Separately, Shine was ousted in May of this year after concerns about the culture of sexual harassment at Fox following allegations made about Bill O'Reilly and Roger Ailes.

As concerns regarding Fox's culture grew, the company retained lawyers from Paul Weiss to whom employees could report accusations of sexual harassment and other allegations.

But Hughes was not contacted by Weiss, the suit says, even though Fox was aware of the issues that had emerged between her and Payne.

According to the suit, Hughes then called Paul Weiss to talk privately about Payne, at which point they proposed to her a 'business solution' rather than initiating a formal investigation that might 'open a can of worms'.

However, Fox's internal lawyers then nixed the 'business solution,' the suit alleges, saying that they demanded details from her manager in a June 26 phone call.

He refused to give information, and five hours later, intimate emails from Hughes to Payne were leaked to the National Enquirer in a deliberate act of smearing by Fox, the suit says.

It says her lawyer managed to stop the Enquirer from printing them, but that they then made their way to the Huffington Post, which reported on them on July 6.

Hughes says some other channels were told she'd had an affair with Payne and that they shouldn't use her, leading to all her TV offers disappearing

But those claims were disputed by a source with knowledge of the matter, who does not wish to be named because they are not authorized to speak on the subject.

They said that rather than refusing to investigate, Fox and Weiss did indeed make efforts, but that Hughes herself then declined to help.

'Hughes declined several requests to participate in an investigation by Fox Newss counsel (Paul Weiss), refusing to turn over all her emails, let alone to be interviewed,' they said.

The source said that the 'business solution' was also initially proposed by Hughes' side, not Weiss.

That happened 'after CNN ended its contract with her, and her lawyer began asking for a "business solution" to the allegations - demanding that [Fox] hire Hughes as a contributor,' the source claimed.

'When [Fox] refused to do, knowing that the two had a consensual affair, Hughes shopped a draft complaint along with her story to the LA Times.

'Payne was suspended and reinstated after the evidence showed that he and Hughes had a consensual affair.'

THE HUGHES-PAYNE EMAILS Hughes' emails, which her suit claims were leaked to the media to smear her name, were obtained by Red Alert Politics on June 6. The site said that two unnamed sources had verified their authenticity. The first email was sent at 10:31 on September 3, 2013 and is titled 'RE: Another sleepless night.' It reads: 'You are going to need every once [sic] of energy if we are ever given the chance of lots of time and no commitments'. The second, dated six minutes later, graphically recounts a dream that Hughes supposedly has of the pair together. 'Do you know what I keep dreaming about.. You and I in the pool My legs wrapped around your waste [sic] and you have me pressed up against the wall of the pool,' it reads. 'Skin glistening and smelling of coconut You thrusting yourself deeper inside with each push And your fingers grasping each of my cheeks. Holding me to you.' The third and final email, titled 'RE: Tell me about the problems,' is dated September 7, 2013. It concerned interactions between the pair, according to Red Alert Politics, and read: 'That is the ideal way to start a Saturday or any day for that matter.' Jeanne Christensen, a partner at Wigdor LLP, which represents Hughes in the suit, cautioned that 'Because discovery has not occurred and will take months, it is premature to judge what did or did not happen based on a handful of emails intentionally available online. 'And even in cases where a female employee is involved with a superior - it is unlawful to penalize the female and not discipline the superior since it's management who is responsible for workplace conduct.' Advertisement

A member of Hughes' team who did not wish to be named said: 'Scottie's cooperation with Fox attorneys was far more than they deserved.

'In addition to her detailed initial complaint to Paul Weiss, Scottie provided an early draft of the lawsuit, as well as dozens and dozens of damning emails and other compelling evidence.'

They also denied that Hughes or her representatives had ever demanded contributor status.

The leaked emails - in which Hughes graphically describes apparently consensual sex with Payne - were initially leaked to the National Enquirer and then obtained by the Huffington Post, the filing says.

DailyMail.com reached out to Hughes and her agent, Michael Sanchez, for information on why the emails appeared to suggest a consensual relationship.

They directed inquiries to Wigdor LLP; Jeanne Christensen, a partner at the company said: 'As alleged in the complaint, leaking certain emails was part of Fox's spin plan - meant to generate exactly the questions you are asking.

'Because discovery has not occurred and will take months, it is premature to judge what did or did not happen based on a handful of emails intentionally available online.

'And even in cases where a female employee is involved with a superior - it is unlawful to penalize the female and not discipline the superior since it's management who is responsible for workplace conduct.

'Here, the complaint alleges that Fox has a documented history of protecting males, especially on air talent.

'That is what happened when Bill Shine blamed Hughes, kept Payne protected, and ultimately blacklisted her.'

Christensen also drew attention to a footnote in the suit that reads: 'Foxs belief that its spin about an affair would somehow negate Ms Hughess sexual assault claims speaks volumes about Foxs ignorance about sexual violence against women.'

The suit names Dianne Brandi, the executive vice president of legal and business affairs at Fox News, and Irena Briganti, Fox's executive vice president of corporate communications, as culprits in the alleged smear campaign.

Fox News responded to the claims with a sharply worded statement, saying: 'The latest publicity stunt of a lawsuit filed by Doug Wigdor has absolutely no merit and is downright shameful. We will vigorously defend this.

'It's worth noting that Doug is Ms Hughes' third representative in the last six months to raise some variation of these claims which concern events from four years ago, since it apparently took some time to find someone willing to file this bogus case.'

The member of Hughes' team disputed the claim that she had struggled to find a representative.

'Many high-profile attorneys with discrimination expertise were eager to represent Scottie,' they said.

The lawsuit demands unspecified damages, and for Fox to put Hughes 'in the position she would have occupied but for Defendants' discriminatory and retaliatory treatment and otherwise unlawful conduct.'

Hughes' suit says that in 2017, after she contacted Fox's lawyers, the company smeared her by releasing emails that appeared to show her and Payne in a consensual relationship

Payne was suspended by Fox News in July as claims about him and Hughes broke; his suspension was ended on September 7.

'My complaint speaks for itself,' Hughes said in a statement on Monday. 'What is most important to me is that justice will prevent other women from going through the nightmare I'm now living.

'On my behalf, Wigdor LLP will expose Fox's unconscionable conduct, including leaking my name to the media.

'I am grateful to my husband, family, friends and colleagues for the outpouring of love and support.'

Her attorneys, Wigdor and Christensen said they planned 'to hold [Fox] accountable for yet another case involving sexual harassment and retaliation inflicted by Fox executives in order to protect male, on-air talent.'

Payne admitted to the affair in July, but he referred to the claims of harassment as 'an ugly lie I vehemently deny to my core,' on Twitter.

He added: 'There is a mountain of proof that also proves its a lie.'

The Fox host also said he 'will fight this like a lion armed with truth. Thanks so much to all those that have reached out in support. #FightingBack.'

Hughes is suing Payne (pictured in 2015), Fox and others for damages; her suit demands that she be placed in a position she would have had were it not for the alleged abuse

The relationship between Hughes and Payne was well-known within Fox News circles, ten sources told The Huffington Post in July.

Hughes is best known for her pro-Trump appearances on CNN during last year, when she made a string of gaffes, including referring to Molotov cocktails as 'Mazel Tov cocktails'.

But she also worked as an unpaid guest commentator on Fox from 2013-2016 - during which time she struck up an affair with the married father, according to the Los Angeles Times.

They barely hid their illicit encounters, apparently sharing a hotel room at a May 2015 company trip to the Money Show in Las Vegas, sources told The Huffington Post.

Payne, who was hosting Making Money With Charles Payne at the event, disappeared with Hughes for 'hours' at one point, the sources claimed.

And Hughes, who is also married, attended Payne's birthday party at his home in 2015, where the pair's behavior reportedly made Payne's wife uncomfortable.

Hughes now claims that she was coerced into the relationship with threats of reprisals.

But she also told her lawyer that she had stayed in the relationship because she thought he would help her land a permanent position at the network, sources told the Times.
The 86-year-old Georgia woman who has stolen about $2million in jewelry over the last six decades has been released from jail after her latest alleged robbery attempt.

Dorian Payne was freed on Friday after a DeKalb Superior Court judge revoked her probation and threw out the latest charge against the woman, according to the sheriff's office and her attorney.

'There was not enough new evidence on the new arrest,' the attorney, Marissa Goldberg, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

'She's free.'

 Slide me  Dorian Payne, 86, was released from jail after a DeKalb Superior Court judge revoked her probation and threw out her latest charge for robbing a Walmart in Chamblee, Georgia. She had been stealing jewelry for over six decades. She is pictured left in 1965 and right in 2017

She was arrested at a Walmart in Chamblee, Georgia, in July after she allegedly took $86.22 in merchandise from the pharmacy, electronics and grocery departments

She was arrested at a Walmart in Chamblee, Georgia, in July after she allegedly took $86.22 in merchandise from the pharmacy, electronics and grocery departments, according to Chamblee police.

Payne was already serving 120 days of house arrest, for stealing a necklace from Von Maur at Perimeter Mall in 2016.

She was additionally served three years probation and was banned from shopping in any mall in DeKalb County.

Her life as a thief starting in her 20s was subject of a 2013 documentary, The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne

Payne's style is dressing in fine clothes with deep pockets and charming sales associates at high-end department stores, all the while distracting them and taking jewelry.

She has used 32 aliases, 10 birth dates, 11 Social Security numbers and nine names on passports.

Her life as a thief starting in her 20s was subject of a 2013 documentary, The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne.
Terri Irwin has slammed the shooting of a two-metre-long crocodile earlier this month, saying it did not pose a danger to humans.

The reptile was killed by contractors from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources at Lake Placid, Cairns, after attempts to trap it failed.

Ms Irwin said a crocodile that size is only a threat to tiny designer dogs and believes education will save more lives than catch-and-kill efforts.

The reptile was killed by contractors from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources at Lake Placid, Cairns, after attempts to trap it failed (pictured is a crocodile pictured by a tourist at the lake)

Terri Irwin (pictured) has slammed the shooting of a two-metre-long crocodile earlier this month, saying it did not pose a danger

'It was reported as being about two metres long, so that's certainly not life-threatening for something a person's size,' she told The Cairns Post.

'We've potentially saved a chihuahua somewhere, so that's awesome.'



The Australia Zoo owner said her children, including 13-year-old son Robert, have been around crocodiles since they were infants.

Her zoo took part in a 14-year study with the University of Queensland, and discovered crocodiles can travel 60 kilometers per day and hold their breath for up to eight hours.

Ms Irwin said a crocodile that size is only a threat to tiny designer dogs and believes education will save more lives than catch-and-kill efforts (pictured, stock image)

She warns the most dangerous places for humans in crocodile territories are tidal crossings where even shallow waters can be dangerous.

'Simply stay well back from the water's edge and you will always be safe with crocodiles,' she said.

The Lake Placid crocodile was shot in early September after being first reported to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection on April 9.

Days later a local woman snapped a photo of a similar-sized croc in the same area, but refused to reveal the location as she did not want it to meet the same fate.

'I grew up in Cairns, I've lived here for 23 years and it's just never occurred to me to kill a native animal,' said Jessica Young, a Stoney Creek resident.

'This is just part of living in an area that has dangerous animals.'
Chancler Enclade, 20, has pleaded guilty to hate-crime assaults on other men because of their sexuality

Three men used the popular dating app Grindr to meet gay men with the sole purpose of attacking them because of their sexual orientation.

A third Texas man has pleaded guilty to hate-crime assaults on other men. Chancler Enclade, 20, has admitted to using the dating website to meet gay men and then assault and rob them.

Previously, Nigel Garrett, 21, and Cameron Ajiduah, 18, entered similar pleas to crimes under the federal hate-crimes statute.

Encalade, Garrett and Ajiduah have admitted that they and another man, Anthony Shelton, 19, used a dating website for gay men to arrange to meet their victims in the victims' homes.

Once there, they would bound their victim with tape, physically assault and verbally abuse the man for being gay, then steal items from their homes.

The victims were also taunted about their sexuality before their homes were robbed, magistrates heard.

Garrett, 21 (left) and Ajiduah, 18 (pictured), said that they, along with Anthony Shelton, 19, used the dating website to meet gay men in the victims' homes

According to the indictment, they used at least one firearm during the crimes.

The attacks occurred from January to February 7, 2017 in Plano, Frisco, and Aubrey, Texas.

The men could be sentenced to up to life in prison and fined up to $250,000. No sentencing date has been set. Shelton still awaits trial.

The men posed as gay men on the gay men's dating app Grindr in order to assault them

'The Justice Department will not tolerate hate crimes against any individual based on sexual orientation,' said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore.

'Hate crimes are violent crimes, but also attack the fundamental principles of the United States.

'The Justice Department will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute hate crimes.'
A vigil for a non-binary engineering student who was shot and killed by Georgia Tech campus police turned into a violent riot Monday.

Protesters set a police car on fire as a group of 50 marched to the Georgia Tech Police Department on the Atlanta campus. One officer is in the hospital and three demonstrators are in jail.

The university tweeted Monday evening: 'Stay inside due to violent protests on campus. Avoid Hemphill Avenue. Stay inside until told otherwise.'

The protests followed the death of Scout Schultz, 21, who was killed by campus police after they thought the student was threatening them with a small knife.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Nelly Miles says three suicide notes were found in Schultz's dorm room. Investigators revealed Schultz made the phone call to police about an 'armed' and suspicious person fitting their description.

Protesters set a cop car on fire in response to the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old student

Schultz was president of the school's Pride Alliance, which is a student organization for LGBTQ students and allies. People protested their death by lighting a cop car on fire after they were shot dead on campus

Protesters marched towards the Georgia Tech Police Department in protest of a student who was killed by campus police Saturday

Scout Schultz, 21, was seen walking toward police on Saturday before being shot dead. Schultz's parents are asking why non-lethal or de-escalation tactics weren't used

The tense encounter was caught on camera - in which the student can be seen walking closer and closer to the police officers and shouting 'shoot me.'

'Nobody wants to hurt you,' one of the officers can be heard saying.

Schultz was then shot once and immediately crumpled to the ground, screaming out in pain.

None of the police officers involved have been identified, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into the shooting.

A protester is detained during a protest on a street in Atlanta, Georgia as chaos broke out amid a violent riot

Police arrested a man near the protest on Monday night. Georgia Tech officials say several people were arrested during the event

Police blocked off streets in front of a police station at Georgia Tech amid violent protests

Georgia Tech warned students to stay inside until further notice because of the protesters

According to a press release from the bureau, the Georgia Tech campus police received a 911 call of a 'person with a knife and a gun' at 11.17pm Saturday night.

The release says Schultz was 'not cooperative and would not comply with the officers commands.

'Schultz continued to advance on the officers with a knife... Subsequently, one officer fired striking Schultz.'

One officer is in the hospital and three demonstrators are in jail according to a WAGA Fox 5 reporter

People were seen running from the scene as the university tweeted telling students to stay inside for their own safety

Earlier today, students honored Scout Schultz by putting up flowers and photos as a memorial on campus

Schultz's parents have hired trial attorney L Chris Stewart to represent them ahead of the investigation into their child's death.

Their mother Lynn told the New York Daily News Schultz was a 'nonconformist and very, very bright.'

She said Schultz had a 'lot of empathy for other people.'

At Georgia Tech, Schultz was president of the school's Pride Alliance, which is a student organization for LGBTQ students and allies.

The Pride Alliance released a statement that described Schultz as 'the driving force' behind the group thanks to their 'hard work and dedication'.

'We love you Scout and we will continue to push for change,' the statement concluded.
A mother who found 17 unopened same-sex marriage survey envelopes dumped in her backyard says it highlights the inefficiency of the postal vote process.

Primary school teacher Kerry Ford, who is in a same-sex relationship, made the discovery when she returned to her Melbourne home following a family holiday.

'I think it happened last week, some of them have been eaten by snails... Our postal votes have also been stolen,' Ms Ford told The Sydney Morning Herald.

The envelopes, which were addressed to nearby homes in Brunswick, just north of the city, were found near her children's cubby house.

Primary school teacher Kerry Ford found 17 unopened marriage postal vote envelopes dumped in her backyard

Ms Ford said the discovery highlights the inefficiency of the postal vote process. Pictured, a social media user casting their vote

The mother-of-two believes the letters had been intentionally removed from post boxes in the local area.

'You see mail strewn around in Brunswick so it is possible it is part of some naughtiness... We're in a block of flats so I'd be surprised if the postman could have put them behind the carport outside the cubby house,' Ms Ford said.

'The upsetting thing is not so much how it happened but that it shows how completely inefficient the process is... It's not a true representation of people's views if people may or may not vote or may not follow up their voting paper.'

It comes just days after an online photo claimed to show how the supposedly secret postal vote could be seen through the envelope.

The image appeared to show a gay marriage vote form with the 'no' box ticked being illuminated through the envelope with a torch.

The photo began circulating on social media after a concerned voter saw the image pop up on his Facebook news feed.

The envelopes, which were addressed to nearby homes in Brunswick, just north of the city, were found near her children's cubby house. Above, postal vote envelopes in South Australia

It comes just days after an online photo claimed to show how the supposedly secret postal vote could be seen through the envelope

'So we wasted $122 million on a survey where a torch can reveal the answer through the reply envelope it came with,' they said.

Online discussion centred on speculation that people could use torches to tamper with the vote, potentially corrupting the process.

An Australia Post spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia they were 'confident in [their] capability to deliver the postal survey'.

Most of the 16 million postal survey forms should be sent out by the end of this week, with a result announced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on November 15.

Supporters are pictured joining in the marriage equality rally in Melbourne last month
The devastated daughter of a northern beaches woman allegedly killed by her son said her mother's tragic death 'doesn't seem real'.

Rebecca Crawford, 21, arrived at her mother Lanell Latta's Avalon home on Tuesday to collect the family's cat and dog which had been left behind in all the chaos of the day before.

On Monday morning, Ms Latta, 50, was found stabbed to death inside the Marine Pde beachside home she rented, which is owned by supermodel Gemma Ward.

Scroll down for video

Lanell Latta, 50, was found stabbed to death inside the Marine Pde beachside home she rented on Monday morning

Rebecca Crawford arrived at her mother Lanell Latta's Avalon home on Tuesday with her father Guy Crawford for support

Rebecca Crawford said she is 'pretty much just in shock' after learning of her mother's death on Monday

Rebecca Crawford, 21, arrived at her mother Lanell Latta's Avalon home on Tuesday to collect the family's cat and dog which had been left behind in all the chaos of the day before

Family and friends have started returning to the home Lanell Latta rented in Avalon beach to collect her things

Her son Joel Woszatka, 25, was arrested nearby and charged with his mother's murder.

'In all honesty I'm pretty much just in shock,' Ms Crawford said.

'It hasn't hit me yet that it's real, it probably will when the funeral comes but it just doesn't feel real.'

The young woman was comforted by her father Guy Crawford as she collected the cat and dog, and got back into the car.

Rebecca Crawford, 21, arrived at her mother Lanell Latta's Avalon home on Tuesday to collect the family's cat and dog

Joel Woszatka (pictured), 25, was arrested and charged over the stabbing murder of his mother, 50-year-old Lanell Latta

Ms Latta (pictured), 50, was found stabbed to death in her rented home on Sydney's northern beaches on Monday morning

Police are investigating whether drugs, particularly ice, have played a role in the murder of Ms Latta (Ms Latta pictured left, Woszatka second from right)

Ms Latta's ex-husband Guy Crawford said his priority was helping the family through such a traumatic time.

'I've got no words, no words at all,' he said. 'We've got a lot to get through sorting out all the family.'

'Recreational activities were a part of it, I believe, but a report has to come from the police in due course.'

Floral tributes gathered beside Ms Latta's letterbox, mourning the popular hairdresser.

'Rest in peace beautiful Lanell, gone too soon,' one card said.

Her return home came just hours after Woszatka was formally refused bail in Manly Court.

The court heard Woszatka was also charged with assaulting Ms Latta's de facto partner Geoff Robson-Smith, who was allegedly attacked when he tried to render assistance to the dying woman.

Joel Woszatka's arrest was the culmination of what locals regard a dark time for the young man, who family friends revealed habitually wandered the suburban streets at dawn and dusk with a long neck beer in his hand.

People had been 'trying to help Joel for a while, but it was having very little effect,' the man told Daily Mail Australia.

'Neighbours would see him walking along the street at 9am with a long neck in a paper bag, and he would do the same in the evening,' he said.

Local children who would previously say hello to the 25-year-old were reportedly now afraid to approach him, but the man, who declined to be identified, said he was not entirely to blame.

Floral tributes left outside the home Ms Latta rented in Avalon beach, where she was found dead on Monday morning

Ms Latta was described as a 'hippie chick' who had a 'beautiful smile'. A family friend said she wouldn't harm a flea

Police are investigating any link to drug use, particularly ice, in relation to the murder, with Ms Latta's family friend noting the drug was becoming an issue in the affluent suburb.

'The problem is, there are a number of kids who lose their way in Avalon to drugs and alcohol - and just as many can go on to lead very successful lives,' he said.

He said since the killing had made headlines, debate had been raging about what could be done to tackle ice use among the local youth.

'Ice needs to be wiped off the face of the earth,' the man said.

'Addicts are just the victims of the dealers.'

The Avalon property, owned by Australian supermodel Gemma Ward, where Lanell Latta was found murdered on Monday morning

Police returned to the property on Tuesday to collect evidence for the Lanell Latta murder case

Police returned to the Avalon property on Tuesday to collect evidence for the Lanell Latta murder case

Australian supermodel Gemma Ward and her husband David Letts have rented out the two-bedroom beach home since buying it last year for $1.6 million

Ms Latta was remembered as 'a beautiful spirit' with an unforgettable smile

Ms Latta, 50, was found dead at her rental property on Marine Parade near Avalon Beach at 10.45am, NSW police said.

Mr Woszatka was arrested in nearby Ruskin Rowe, soon after police were called to his mother's home.

Officers spoke with him before putting him in a paddy wagon and taking the man to Manly Police station.

He has been charged with murder and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The 25-year-old was refused bail at Manly Local Court on Tuesday.

Police ordered Woszatka undergo a forensic procedure before he returns to court next week.

Police are investigating whether drugs, particularly ice, have played a role in the killing of Ms Latta, Nine News reported.

A witness to Woszatka's arrest told the broadcaster officers and the man had been conversing peacefully before he was put into the paddy wagon.

'He didn't put up a fight, no carrying on,' the man said.

Georgia Westwood, who lived with her family next door to Ms Latta, said she could hear screaming from her balcony today.

'I saw a man running down the road but I didn't really think anything of it,' she told Nine News.

Pictured: A family member of Ms Latta breaks down after the mother's body was discovered

Ms Latta's family friend told Daily Mail Australia Lanell, who worked as a hairdresser, was a 'hippie chick' with a 'beautiful smile'.

'She was a beautiful person who couldn't harm a flea,' he said.

Ms Latta was the daughter of Australian surfing champion Frank Latta, who was equally as highly regarded for his surfboard shaping and design skills.

She had been renting the Avalon home when it was purchased last year by Australian supermodel Gemma Ward, who expressed her shock to The Daily Telegraph.

Woszatka was arrested shortly after police found Ms Latta's body and was questioned at Manly Police Station

'It's heartbreaking news. My heart goes out to the family and all involved in this tragedy,' she said.

Ms Ward bought the two-bedroom beach property with her husband David Letts in 2016 for $1.6 million. Ms Latta stayed on as a tenant.

Mr Letts, who went surfing with another of Ms Latta's sons and dined at the home about six months ago, also expressed his heartbreak at the news.

'She was such a sweet woman, it's just a tragedy,' he said.

Ms Ward and Mr Letts live at a separate property with their two children - a daughter Naia, 3, and seven-month-old son Jett.

Officers cordoned off the home and were still at the scene late into the afternoon (pictured)

The two-bedroom house on Marine Parade (pictured) belongs to model Gemma Ward

Officers were seen donning white forensic suits as they entered the crime scene

A man is pictured holding his head in his hands as he sits on the curb in front of the home

A report into Ms Latta's death will be prepared for the coroner, officers confirmed

Police were seen consoling a young woman and she held her hands to her face

Officers were seen flooding the quiet suburban street after Ms Latta was stabbed to death

The Perth-born supermodel (pictured), who dated Australian actor Heath Ledger before his death, quickly rose to the top and was considered the industry's new 'it girl' in the late 2000s

Friends have paid tribute to Ms Latta on Facebook, one writing: 'So sad, I miss you already beautiful will never forget your smile'.

Another said the woman: 'was and is a beautiful spirit'.

A third said the 50-year-old was 'so lovely' and 'had recently found love in her life.'

One grieving friend described Ms Latta as: 'ethereal, funny, kind and gentle'.

'I have wonderful memories of you, and I wish you eternal peace now that you are home,' she wrote.

Ms Ward and her husband David Letts have been renting out the two-bedroom beach home

Ms Ward and her husband reportedly bought the home last year for $1.6 million

A group of police are pictured talking outside the Northern Beaches home

More officers were seen putting on and taking off forensic suits as they entered and left the home

The Marine Parade home was advertised for a six-month lease at $750 per week from October

The woman's death is being investigated. Officers have cordoned off the home (inside pictured) and were still at the scene late into the afternoon
An evangelical Christian church has been threatened with a petrol fire for displaying a billboard message which said God created marriage between a man and a woman.

The Bellbowrie Community Church in Brisbane's leafy western suburbs put up a billboard in early September outlining Biblical teachings on matrimony.

'God designed marriage between a man and a woman,' the billboard said.

This billboard at the Bellbowrie Community Church in Brisbane was offensive for some reason

Senior pastor John Gill said the church, which has 150 parishioners, received a vile Facebook threat over that billboard.

'On Facebook, a lot of the stuff has been quite vicious at times,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.

'I mean quite physically threatening. That's been scary for some in the church.

'One of the comments, for example, was a suggestion that people bring petrol down and set the church on fire.'

The billboard expressing a religious view offended one man on Facebook, who was more civil in raising his objection.

Brisbane resident Patrick Wood argued the billboard promoting traditional marriage contradicted another billboard which said: 'All people are welcome and respected here.'

Patrick Wood from Brisbane accused the church of being hypocritical with its billboards

'Their house, their hypocritical rules,' he posted on social media.

'Same sign, same day, opposite sides. I won't forget their marriage equality stance.'

Mr Gill said this episode highlighted the threat to freedom of religion if gay marriage was legalised, adding other churches were worried about putting up Biblical messages on billboards.

'At the moment, we know we have that freedom but certainly down the track, we have serious concerns about whether we'd continue to have that freedom or not,' the 43-year-old former architectural designer said.

The billboard at Bellrowie was tampered at the weekend to say: 'God designed marriage between a man and a man.'

A teacher from the New South Wales Central Coast, opposed to gay marriage, said the church billboards were consistent with Christian teachings.

'This is not a contradiction. It is perfectly in order and reflects our Christian ethos: acceptance of individuals regardless while upholding the sanctity of marriage and simultaneously rejecting SSM with its ramifications,' he said.

The harassment of churches is occurring as the Australian Bureau of Statistics sends out postal ballots to households, which are due to be returned by November 7 as part of a voluntary survey on homosexual marriage.
The ex-boyfriend of tattooed prison escapee Tegan Simpson (pictured) has claimed the 24-year-old is hiding out in Queensland after leaving him for her prison pen-pal

The ex-boyfriend of a tattooed female prison escapee has claimed the 24-year-old is hiding out in Queensland after leaving him for her prison pen-pal.

Joseph Milanov told Daily Mail Australia his ex-girlfriend Tegan Simpson has been spotted in the Logan area, south of Brisbane, since she absconded from a Gold Coast prison over a week ago.

Simpson and fellow inmate Abigail Graf, 21, were reported missing on September 10 after they were absent for a routine headcount at a 700-hectare open prison in Numinbah Valley.

Graf, who was in custody for assaulting police, was arrested at a home in Moorina, north of Brisbane about 2.20pm on Monday, but Simpson remains at large.

'She's been spotted in Logan going around trying to collect money that people owed her,' Mr Milanov claimed.

Joseph Milanov told Daily Mail Australia his ex-girlfriend has been spotted in the Logan area, south of Brisbane, since she absconded from a Gold Coast prison over a week ago (pictured together)

But despite allegedly being close-by, Mr Milanov said he has yet to run into his former girlfriend of eight months because she's now dating a man she wrote to from prison.

'She wouldn't have the guts to see me as the whole time she was locked away she was writing letters to the guy that she cheated on me with,' he alleged.

Mr Milanov claimed Simpson's relationship with the other man began when he was in jail and continued when he was released shortly before she was sent to the prison.

Mr Milanov said he doesn't believe Graf and Simpson knew each other before heading to Numinbah Valley, but revealed the 24-year-old told him she had made friends inside.

'She did say she made a few friends along the time in there and she was doing so well inside, I don't know what had gotten to her that much to want to break out,' he said.

It was reported late last week that Simpson and Graf allegedly picked up a getaway car after absconding.

Queensland Police have not made the make and model of the car public, but are searching the Logan and Gold Coast areas, The Courier Mail reported.

Simpson and fellow inmate Abigail Graf, 21, were reported missing on September 10 after they were absent for a routine headcount at a 700-hectare open prison in Numinbah Valley

Mr Milanov alleged Simpson had returned to the Logan area to 'collect money that people owed her'

Graf (pictured), who was in custody for assaulting police, was arrested at a home in Moorina, north of Brisbane about 2.20pm on Monday, but Simpson remains at large

Police say members of the public have been sending in reports of sightings of the escapees, but none have been confirmed in recent days.

Graf is on remand for assaulting police and Simpson was in custody for receiving stolen goods.

Graf has now also been charged with escaping lawful custody and will appear at the Caboolture Magistrates Court on September 19.

They were being held at a 700-hectare open prison in Numinbah Valley, 100km south of Brisbane.

Anyone who has seen Simpson or has any information is asked to contact police.

She is 163cm tall with dark brown hair and green eyes, with multiple tattoos including the word 'strength' on her face and a skull and rose on her leg.
John Anderson died while rappelling out of a tree during a trip celebrating his birthday

A businessman celebrating his 65th birthday in Costa Rica plummeted 100ft to his death while rappelling from a rain forest treetop restaurant .

Father-of-four John Anderson of Pittsford, New York, was enjoying a meal atop a ceiba tree at the Pacuare Lodge on Sunday when the tragedy unfolded.

He rappelled out of the, restaurant but something went horribly wrong, and he fell to the forest floor Saturday.

'He wasn't on a rappelling adventure, he was just getting back to the ground from the tree', his business partner James Ryan Jr., at Ryco Management told the Democrat and Chronicle.

Ryan added: 'There's a safety system but for whatever reason it didn't work.'

Anderson was having dinner with four friends at the popular eco-lodge where guests zip-line onto a platform for dinner and exit the tree top restaurant via rappel.

Anderson was at one of the establishments at the Pacuare Lodge like the one pictured here, where guests can zip-line in and rappel out of tree top points of interest

John Anderson was liked and well respected among his peers who found him to be 'trustworthy'

He was well liked and respected within his business community, Ryan told the Democrat and Chronicle.

'In many ways, he was private and not a person that everybody knew in that sense as a business leader. But he was an incredibly reliable partner and trustworthy.

'Just a very honorable person, especially in his business relationships.'

Anderson was working with Ryco Management, a property management company, and before that he was CEO of shopping mall operator Wilmorite.

Originally from the New York and Long Island area, Anderson went to college at Brockport where he studied teaching and earned his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Rochester.

After working in banking in New York, he moved to Rochester and handled the financing and acquisition of retail, office, residential and hotel properties.

He was 'also an adjunct professor at the University of Rochester teaching a graduate-level course in real estate finance and development,' read Ryco's company site.

Costa Rican authorities are investigating the incident.

The restaurant is set up to zip line in (pictured from Pacuare Lodge site) and rappel out

Anderson was having dinner with four friends when the tragic accident happened

After working in banking in New York, he moved to Rochester and handled the financing and acquisition of retail, office, residential and hotel properties.

He was 'also an adjunct professor at the University of Rochester teaching a graduate-level course in real estate finance and development,' read Ryco's company site.

Costa Rican authorities are investigating the incident.

Anderson leaves behind four children Ryan said Anderson was devoted to his children: Casey, Wes, Peter and Michael.

He is also survived by a sister, two brothers, and nieces and nephews.
An Australian student on the first ever language learning trip to North Korea was fed bizarre propaganda about the secretive state's former leaders.

Jack Carneiro, currently an International Studies student at Tsinghua University in Beijing, was one of 12 people who attended the three-week course at Pyongyang's Kim Il-Sung University, the first university built in North Korea.

The students paid $3,000 each to study under North Korean professors in the hermit kingdom, as leader Kim Jong-Un and US President Donald Trump began a tense stand-off over missile launches.

Australian university student Jack Carneiro says he was fed bizarre propaganda about North Korea's former leader during a language learning trip to the secretive state

Mr Carneiro, who was joined by 11 other students, came across North Korean books declaring the 'United States must get out of South Korea'

He attended a three-week course at Pyongyang's Kim Il-Sung University, which featured a painting of dictator Kim Jong Un

The trip took place as leader Kim Jong-Un and US President Donald Trump (centre, during UN session) began a tense stand-off over missile launches

The group lived in residential halls and spent hours studying, playing and living alongside North Korean students.

But as well as learning Korean, they came across North Korean propaganda books - containing bizarre sentences such as 'The United States must get out of South Korea It has no ground for remaining in South Korea,' and 'Comrade Kim Il-Sung was the most distinguished leader of our times'.

Kim Il-Sung was in power when North Korean forces invaded South Korea, sparking the brutal Korean War which lasted three years and resulted in over 35,000 deaths.

Il-Sung, who is referred to as 'The Great Leader' in North Korea, was also responsible for beginning the country's obsession with nuclear weapons, starting research programs in 1994 despite widespread condemnation from Western countries.

The books also described Kim Jong Il, who took over from Il-Sung as Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1994, as 'the great leader'.

'Such a miracle is possible only in Korea led by the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il,' the book said.

Under Jong Il's government, which was described by one Human Rights Watch report as 'among the world's most repressive governments', U.S. officials alleged 200,000 political prisoners were held hostage.

The group lived in residential halls and spent hours studying, playing and living alongside North Korean student. Tensions between North Korea and much of the Western world escalated when Kim Jong Un fired two missiles over Japan

'Led by the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il': More examples of the propaganda books

Students are pictured honouring statues of some of North Korea's former leaders

Jack said: 'I was very excited at first when I crossed the border. It felt like a theme park and a throwback to the Soviet Union in the 1980's.

'It was hauntingly beautiful, and after a while I felt very relaxed and safe. What struck me most were the fashion styles, very clean cut and formal.

'I met quite a few local students in the corridors, they couldn't speak English, so I spoke Korean to them, we talked briefly about our daily lives and they were delighted.

'The students led lives very different from the students in the West. Students in North Korea prefer to go parks, zoos and certain sights to spend time together.

'The tensions were always at the forefront of discussion. We often would talk about Russia, China and the US and their influences in the region. I was often asked how people viewed the nuclear tests abroad.

'It was interesting to hear the answers from the Korean point of view.'

The students stayed at Pyongyang's Kim Il-Sung University, the first university built in North Korea

The propaganda books said Kim Il Sung was 'the most distinguished leader of our times'. Il-Sung's government was described as among the world's most repressive governments in a 2004 Human Rights Watch report

Group photo of the students outside the university

Mike Funnell, 43, is an English teacher working in Shanghai. Originally from Canada, he was on his fifth trip to North Korea, but says he had never experienced anything like it.

He said: 'I found a book to help me practice Korean in a bookshop in Wonsan. It's quite full of propaganda. Other textbooks we used were more geared towards Chinese students and so were less blatant.

'Another odd moment was on one of our hiking excursions, we came across a group of Koreans dancing in a 'campground', except there were none of the things you would expect to find when people are camping, including vehicles, food, or even tents.

'We came back about an hour later or so and they were all gone. There wasn't even the slightest bit of evidence they had even been there. We suspected our encounter with them was staged for whatever reasons but none of us seemed to mind.

Books found in the North Korean university praised former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il

An image of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jung Il is proudly displayed on a wall in the university

'We were all aware of the rising tensions and knew what was going on but everyone in our group tried not to be worried about the situation. Things have been tense on the Korean peninsula for decades, so these recent tensions were nothing new to anyone involved with the tour,' Mr Funnel said.

'We all spoke openly about the news we saw on Al Jazeera with our guides. They thought a lot of what we told them was crazy.

'One of our tour guides seemed much more worried about the North Korea's rapidly deteriorating relationship with China.

Ben Griffin, of travel company Juche Travel Services, is originally from the UK and helped run the trip having previously worked as a language teacher in North Korea.

He said: 'As a non-profit humanitarian project, the Korean language summer school was hugely successful.

'It constituted a vital first step towards facilitating greater academic exchange and cooperation with local universities and helping students from all over the world to bypass mutually held stereotypes and create a positive environment for peace and reconciliation.

'I hope that current tensions will be resolved peacefully with all sides abstaining from the zero-sum game of harmful vitriol.
A man sick of waiting for service at a suburban Melbourne bank will stand trial on multiple charges after he allegedly started a fire which destroyed the branch, and burned staff and customers.

Police allege Nur Islam, 22, poured petrol in the doorway of the Commonwealth Bank at Springvale on November 18 before lighting it, causing a large fire and creating 'pandemonium' as customers and staff stampeded to escape, Melbourne Magistrates Court was told on Tuesday.

Lawyer Barnaby Johnston said his client admitted setting fire to the bank but never intended to hurt anyone.

A man will stand trial on multiple charges after he allegedly started a fire which destroyed a bank, and burned staff and customers

Subsequently Islam pleaded not guilty to 33 of the charges of intentionally causing injury and serious injury.

He faces 108 charges in total including arson and property damage by fire.

Dozens of people were treated for burns after the blaze, police say.

A DVD was played to the court made up of footage from five CCTV cameras inside the bank, where terrified patrons can be seen running away from fireballs.

However, Mr Johnston said close examination of the footage showed Islam pouring petrol onto the floor, stepping in the centre of the puddle and appearing to have 'deliberately lit himself'.

Police allege Nur Islam, 22, poured petrol in the doorway of the Commonwealth Bank at Springvale on November 18 before lighting it

Lawyer Barnaby Johnston said his client admitted setting fire to the bank but never intended to hurt anyone

'He suffered the most significant and catastrophic injuries as a result of this incident,' the lawyer said, adding that Islam spent four months in hospital with burns to 60 per cent of his body.

He said Islam thought: 'I don't want to hurt other people'.

The court was told the bank was destroyed, causing $2.5 million worth of damage, rounded up to $3 million including GST.

It is alleged the 'unlawful non-citizen' from Myanmar had intended to withdraw the balance of his account - $442 - but became angry at the length of time he had to wait.

Police claim he walked to a nearby service station, buying 11.33 litres of fuel for $14.71.

It is alleged he then returned to the bank, pouring the petrol in a trail from the ATMs into the bank's interior before retrieving a cigarette lighter from his pocket and igniting the fuel.

Magistrate Peter Reardon directed Islam to stand trial at the County Court of Victoria and to appear on Wednesday for a first directions hearing.
Toys R Us Inc, the largest U.S. toy store chain, filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday.

This is the latest sign of turmoil in the retail industry caught in a viselike grip of online shopping and discount chains.

Toys R Us said it received a commitment for over $3billion in debtor-in-possession financing from lenders including a JPMorgan-led bank syndicate and certain of the companys existing lenders.

The new financing, subject to court approval, is expected to immediately improve the companys financial health and support its ongoing operations during the court-supervised process, Toys R Us said.

Scroll down for video

Shoppers push their carts toward a Toys 'R' Us store entrance in Arlington Heights, Illinois in January 2006. The company has filed for bankruptcy protection

Pictured is a store location in Louisville, Kentucky in September 2017. Toys R Us said it received a commitment for over $3billion in debtor-in-possession financing from lenders

The companys Canadian unit intends to seek protection in parallel proceedings under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Toys R Us said in a statement.

The retailers operations outside of the United States and Canada, including about 255 licensed stores and joint venture partnerships in Asia, which are separate entities, are not part of the Chapter 11 filing and CCAA proceedings, Toys R Us said.

The filing is among the largest ever by a specialty retailer and casts doubt over the future of the companys nearly 1,600 stores and 64,000 employees worldwide.

It comes just as Toys R Us is gearing up for the holiday shopping season, which accounts for the bulk of its sales.

Toys R Us filed the petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.

The company has not shown a net quarterly since 2013, reports Bloomberg.

The closure comes as the latest blow to brick-and-mortar retailers. Pictured are shopers at a Black Friday sales event at a Fort Worth, Texas location in 2009

The first Toys 'R' Us opened in 1957 and its inaugural CEO, Charles Lazarus, presided over the company until 1994.

The company was bought out in 2005. In the process, it was saddled with major debts that it has never paid off.

The company experienced some renewed success under CEO David Brandon, who since 2015 has sought to make Toys 'R' Us the destination for children that it once was.

But the changes ultimately proved futile in the face of the online retailing industry.

Toys 'R' Us has more than 800 locations in the United States and has stores from the United Kingdom to Japan.
Donald Trump's maiden speech to the UN will see him urging nations to turn up the pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

Senior White House officials said he would also target Iran's nuclear program, single out Venezuela for criticism and refer to Islamist militants as 'losers.'

Trump's 10:30 a.m. speech will mark his latest attempt to lay out his 'America First' vision for a US foreign policy aimed at downgrading global bureaucracies, basing alliances on shared interests, and steering the US away from nation-building.

The president tweeted Tuesday morning: 'Big day at the United Nations  many good things, and some tricky ones, happening. We have a great team.'

Donald Trump will speak to the UN for the first time on Tuesday morning, calling for leaders to unite against North Korea's nuclear aims and Iran's own nuclear development

The UN has placed multiple sanctions on North Korea; Kim Jong-Un's state media say that any more sanctions will only increase the rate of its nuclear development program

The president tweeted a hopeful message on Tuesday morning about his UN speech

A senior White House official, briefing reporters on the contents of the speech, said Trump would single out North Korea for 'destabilizing, hostile and dangerous behavior.'

In his speech, he will seek to rally the world to help America and its Asian allies reduce North Korea to pariah status and pressure Iran to rein in everything from ballistic missile launches to interference in Syria.

The US ambassador to the United States, Nikki Haley, says that most non-military options for dealing with the North Korea's escalating nuclear threats have all but been exhausted.

The UN Security Council has already imposed several rounds of sanctions on North Korea.

North Korea's official news agency, KCNA, said on Monday that the more sanctions that Washington and its allies imposed on Pyongyang, the faster it would move to complete its nuclear plans.

Trump will also voice concern about Iran, which aides say he considers in violation of the spirit of a 2015 deal negotiated by his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, and aimed at containing Iran's nuclear program.

'Theirs is a shared menace and nations cannot be bystanders to history and if we don't confront the threats now, they will only gather force and become more formidable,' the official said of North Korea and Iran.

Trump will also express concerns over Iran, which is coming up for nuclear re-certification in October. Here Iran's President Hassan Rouhani meets UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres

Trump has set US-Iran relations on a far more confrontational path than the detente Iranian President Hassan Rouhani enjoyed with Obama.

His rhetoric against Iran, coming as he appears to be leaning against re-certifying the nuclear deal by a mid-October deadline, prompted a retort from Rouhani on Monday.

Rouhani told CNN that exiting the Iran nuclear deal 'would carry a high cost for the United States of America, and I do not believe Americans would be willing to pay such a high cost for something that will be useless for them.'

The cost he referred to was that the move would 'generally decrease and cut away and chip away at international trust placed in the Unites States of America.'

Trump is also using his four days in New York to voice his concern about Venezuela, telling Latin American leaders on Monday night the United States would take additional steps if Caracas moved toward authoritarian rule.

North Korea and Iran have been the focus of Trump's talks with other world leaders.

Even so, he has found time to criticize the UN itself, alleging gross mismanagement and demanding that the US - its largest donor - get more for its investment.
Richard Wall is a suspected in three killings which occurred several years apart beginning in 2008

An international manhunt has been launched for a business owner who allegedly organized three, execution-style hits in California.

Richard Wall, 64, is suspected in the slaying of a prominent Southern California attorney and two more apparently professional hits, possibly linked to business and legal disputes, authorities said.

Los Angeles County detectives suspect his involvement but don't think he carried out the three shootings, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Wall, who ran a manufacturing business in Whittier, California, hasn't been charged and authorities declined to detail the evidence they have collected, saying they are continuing to investigate.

Officials believe he is in Montenegro, a European nation that has no extradition treaty with the U.S.

Wall's attorney, Rickey Ivie, told the newspaper his client had no involvement in the deaths, which occurred several years apart beginning in 2008.

'He happened to have litigation with the people,' Ivie said. 'That's all. To me, that's wholly inadequate.'

Wall is suspected of involvement in the killing of Jeffrey Tidus who was shot in the back of the head outside his Rolling Hills Estates

Wall is also suspected of being involved with the killing of Juan Ramirez-Mendez (pictured)

In addition to the attorney, those killed include a Las Vegas entrepreneur David James Vargas and Juan Gabriel Ramirez-Mendez, a father slain in front of his children near Los Angeles.

All the killings appear to be professional hits, officials said.

The Las Vegas victim, David James 'DJ' Vargas, was found inside his home on May 20, 2008, Metropolitan Police Det. Clifford Mogg said.

Vargas, 53, was self-employed. According to Mogg, he had been trying to start an escort and limo service  and owed Wall at least $100,000. The two men had a falling out over the debt, Mogg said, adding that there were similarities between Vargas' death and the two that followed. The detective declined to elaborate.

The California attorney, Jeffrey Tidus, was shot in the back of the head outside his Rolling Hills Estates home on Dec. 7, 2009. He died a day later.

Among Tidus' clients was a man who had won an $11 million judgment against a friend and business associate of Wall, a former tax attorney named Christopher Gruys.

During a pretrial deposition in 2005, Gruys took a photograph of Tidus, then made what the attorney interpreted as a threat, according to a declaration Tidus filed in court seeking a restraining order.

'I felt and continue to feel threatened by Mr. Gruys' statements and conduct,' Tidus said in the declaration.

These are police sketches of those accused of carrying out the hits on Juan Gabriel Ramirez-Mendez (alleged killer left) and Jeffrey Tidus (alleged killer right)

When Tidus' client tried to collect on the judgment, he filed another suit against Gruys and Wall. The client alleged that Gruys was transferring money to Wall's business to avoid paying what he owed, according to an appellate court decision in the case, which also mentioned that Gruys was the best man at Wall's wedding.

Sheriff's detectives previously said Gruys was not a suspect, in Tidus' death.

Investigators said they have known for years that the killings were connected, but declined to say how. They said they focused on Wall as a suspect only recently.

Two of his employees were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy in May and jailed for five days before they were released due to a lack of evidence, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Det. Bob Kenney.

When asked about Wall's whereabouts, Ivie declined to comment.

'He's not a fugitive,' he said. 'He hasn't been charged with anything.'
Video shows Tempe Police Department officers yelling through the University house apartment door to lure out Nicholas Van Varenberg, 21, near the Arizona State University's Tempe campus

The son of Jean-Claude Van Damme has been shown on the body camera of local Arizona police getting arrested at his apartment on suspicion of threatening his roommate with a kitchen night after a two-hour standoff.

Video shows Tempe Police Department officers yelling through the University house apartment door to lure out Nicholas Van Varenberg, 21, near the Arizona State University's Tempe campus.

'Do you guys want some fame or something or what?' Van Varenberg asked Tempe Officer Ryan Conway when cops were finally able to get him out the home, according to AZ Central.

Upon Van Varenberg's refusal to come out, officers heard his roommate ask the actor's son if he was going to kill him.

The victim was eventually able to get out the room safely, in an hour.

According to police report and video, backup officers arrived on the scene and tried to have the roommate challenge Van Varenberg to a fight in an attempt to lure him out.

'Do you guys want some fame or something or what?' Van Varenberg asked Tempe Officer Ryan Conway when cops were finally able to get him out the home

Ac coring to police report and video, backup officers arrived on the scene and tried to have the roommate challenge Van Varenberg - pictured with his dad in 2012 - to a fight in an attempt to lure him out.

The 21-year-old later denied threatening his roommate and went as far as to describe him as his bestfriend.

Mom and dad: Jean-Claude Van Damme and Darcy LaPier (pictured, left, in 1995) are the boys parents and he is their youngest son

The roommate appeared to be scared of Van Varenberg, however, when talking to police at the scene, the video shows.

An officer working at the building noted Van Varenberg's hand bleeding after punching an elevator wall.

But since Van Varenberg declined medical attention and the officer determined no crime was committed, the cop left.

Someone soon complained about loud noises coming from the room.

When the officer went to talk to the interdisciplinary studies major the second time around, he allegedly threatened his roommate with a kitchen knife if he opened the door for police.

'You were bullied in high school, buddy,' Van Varenberg told Conway, police said.

The roommate told police he had to do what Van Varenberg demanded or his 'parents will be at my funeral in two days,' according to the police report.

Van Varenberg was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault, unlawful imprisonment, and drug possession

Van Varenberg was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault, unlawful imprisonment, and drug possession.

He told The Arizona Republic in a brief phone conversation on Monday the case 'is being handled' and declined further comment.

The suspect told police on top of making T-shirts for a living he has done movies with Jean-Claude Van Damme.

The man, who is out of jail on a $10,000 bond, is scheduled for a hearing on September 20, according to Maricopa County Superior Court records. His father has been married five times to four different women

When asked if he wanted to have the case prosecuted if evidence of a crime was found, the roommate told police yes.

'I'd love to be protected and safe,' the roommate said.

Officers obtained a sword, shotgun, drug paraphernalia related to marijuana use, a knife and Van Varenberg's ASU ID and his Oregon driver's license.

The man, who is out of jail on a $10,000 bond, is scheduled for a hearing on September 20, according to Maricopa County Superior Court records.

The 21-year-old, who was born in Los Angeles, made an appearance in the 2017 film Kickboxer: Retaliation which his father starred in.

His mother is American model and actress Darcy LaPier. Van Damme has been married five times to four different women.
Advertisement

Protesters chanting 'free our people' gathered outside the jail in downtown St Louis for more than two hours Monday night to show solidarity with those who remain behind bars.

St Louis police said 123 people were arrested during Sunday's protests over the acquittal of white former police officer Jason Stockley in the killing of black suspect Anthony Lamar Smith.

Demonstrators outside the jail criticized authorities for keeping some of those arrested in jail nearly 24 hours after they were taken into custody.

'That was the main purpose of the night. To be in solidarity,' said Cheyenne Green, 24, of St Louis, who helped organize Monday evening's event and also arranged others since Friday's verdict.

Scroll down for video

Protesters gathered outside the St Louis city jail on Monday and chanted 'free our people'. Police arrested 123 protesters on Sunday night after incidents of violence, vandalism and refusal to disperse

This was the fifth night of protesting after the Friday acquittal of Jason Stockley, a white ex-cop who shot dead black man Anthony Lamar Smith in 2011. Stockley had been accused of murder and planting evidence but was found not guilty of both

State Representative Bruce Franks and LaShell Eikerenkoetter count bail money outside the jail. Several of those locked up were freed as the night wore on. Each day up to Monday generally saw peaceful protests in the day and violence at night

Some of those jailed were released Monday evening before organizers announced an end to the demonstration and told people to go home.

Organizers said protests will resume Tuesday, but they gave no details.

Monday was the fourth day of protests. In the morning, a racially mixed crowd of demonstrators marched through downtown.

The latest action follows three days of peaceful protests and three nights of vandalism and unrest in the city that's been rocked since Friday, when a judge announced he found Stockley not guilty in the 2011 death of Smith.

Smith's mother, Anne Smith, was among those gathered outside the downtown jail on Monday.

Hundreds of riot police mobilized downtown late Sunday, arresting more than 80 people at one intersection who police said didn't follow orders to disperse. Earlier, police had responded to reports of property damage and vandalism.

'I'm proud to tell you the city of St Louis is safe and the police owned tonight,' Interim Police Chief Lawrence O'Toole said at a news conference early Monday.

But Sean Porter, 25, of St Louis, was among those arrested at the intersection and one of several who said Monday that they could not follow orders to disperse because police had them blocked in.

'They threw us on the ground, sprayed us, hit us, everything. It's tragic,' said Porter, who was released from jail Monday evening. He was charged with failure to disperse.

Police arrest a man in St Louis as demonstrators march in the city on Sunday. On Monday, some of the protesters said that cops told them to disperse but gave them no exits by which to do so

Police stopped this man and confiscated his shield, Anonymous flag and body armor - as well as a pistol, pepper spray, his mask and other items - on Sunday

These are the items confiscated from the individual, who has not yet been named. Police said he was also taken into custody after the incident

The St Louis Post-Dispatch said that Mike Faulk, who was on the street reporting about the protests, had an experience similar to the one Porter described.

Police blocked all four sides of the intersection. Faulk heard the police command to move back, but he had nowhere to go, the newspaper said.

Multiple officers knocked Faulk down, he told the Post-Dispatch, and pinned his limbs to the ground.

A foot pushed his head into the pavement and he was squirted with pepper spray after he was subdued, he said.

Protesters marched through St Louis' posh Central West End and the trendy Delmar Loop area of nearby University City on Friday and Saturday.

Protesters also marched through two shopping malls in a wealthy area of St Louis County.

The Sunday march saw more than 1,000 people gathering at police headquarters and then marching without trouble through downtown St Louis. By nightfall, most had gone home.

But the 100 or so people who remained grew increasingly agitated as they turned back toward downtown.

Along the way, they knocked over planters, broke windows at a few shops and hotels, and scattered plastic chairs at an outdoor venue.

According to police, the demonstrators then sprayed bottles with an unknown substance on officers.

One officer suffered a leg injury and was taken to a hospital. His condition wasn't known.

Soon afterward, buses brought in additional officers in riot gear, and police scoured downtown deep into the night, making arrests and seizing at least five weapons, according to O'Toole.

Later, cops in riot gear gathered alongside a city boulevard chanting 'whose street, our street' - a common refrain used by the protesters - after clearing the street of demonstrators and onlookers.

'We're in control. This is our city and we're going to protect it,' O'Toole said.

Earlier on Monday, a group - led by St Louis Representative Bruce Franks Jr (pictured third from right) and the Reverend Dinah Tatman (second from right) among others - walked silently up Market Street

Protesters raise their hands in silence on Market Street. A St Louis Post-Dispatch reporter said police on Sunday blocked all exits at an intersection, gave an impossible command to leave, then sprayed him with pepper spray when he was down

The Rev. Dinah Tatman, center, takes part in a silent march down Market Street to City Hall on Monday. Stockley's acquittal shocked many; he has since left St Louis and now lives in Houston

Mayor Lyda Krewson said at the same Monday news conference that 'the days have been calm and the nights have been destructive' and that 'destruction cannot be tolerated.'

Early Monday, more than 150 protesters marched arm-in-arm, some carrying signs, to city hall. Police turned traffic away as the marchers blocked a busy St Louis street during the rush hour crush.

Once at city hall, they found their voices, chanting: 'I know that we will win.' The protesters then marched four blocks to a city court building, where they chanted again, then dispersed.

Also Monday, high school students in at least two suburban districts protested the Stockley ruling.

In Kirkwood, about 100 students walked out and held a brief rally, while 250 students in Webster Groves staged what school officials described as a peaceful demonstration.

The recent St. Louis protests follow a pattern seen since the August 2014 killing of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson: The majority of demonstrators, though angry, are law-abiding.

But as the night wears on, a subsection emerges, a different crowd more willing to confront police, sometimes to the point of clashes.

Protest organizer Anthony Bell said he understands why some act out: While change can come through peaceful protests, such as those led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., years of oppression has caused some to turn violent.

'I do not say the [unruly] demonstrators are wrong, but I believe peaceful demonstrations are the best,' Bell said.

Police arrive with riot shields to break up the violence downtown on Sunday. They reportedly chanted 'Whose streets? Our streets' - a line used by many protesters in the city

This masked man's flag - with the Anonymous logo - can be seen in this image from Sunday. The violent protesters seen in the evening were just a small fraction of the thousands that gathered in the daytime

Cops arrive en masse to deal with protesters amid violence late at night in St Louis on Sunday. Police later commended the daytime protesters for their responsible attitude - in stark contrast to the violence that came as night fell

Many protesters believe police provoked demonstrators by showing up in riot gear and armored vehicles; police said they had no choice but to protect themselves once protesters started throwing things at them.

Stockley shot Smith after high-speed chase as officers tried to arrest Smith and his partner in a suspected drug deal.

Stockley, 36, testified he felt endangered because he saw Smith holding a silver revolver when Smith backed his car toward the officers and sped away.

Prosecutors said Stockley planted a gun in Smith's car after the shooting. The officer's DNA was on the weapon but Smith's wasn't.

Dashcam video from Stockley's cruiser recorded him saying he was 'going to kill this (expletive).' Less than a minute later, he shot Smith five times.

Stockley's lawyer dismissed the comment as 'human emotions' during a dangerous pursuit.

St Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson, who said prosecutors didn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Stockley murdered Smith, said the statement could be ambiguous.

Stockley left the police department and moved to Houston three years ago.
Advertisement

Hurricane Maria has claimed its first victim.

Officials say one person died on Guadeloupe after being hit by a falling tree when the Category 5 storm hit the French Caribbean island overnight.

Authorities say the person did not comply with orders to remain indoors on Tuesday morning. They say two other people are reported missing after their boat sank off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe.

About 40 percent of the island is without power. That's 80,000 homes. Flooding has been reported in several communities, especially along the southern coast.

Officials say Les Saintes, Marie-Galant, Petit-Bourg and La Desirade have been the hardest hit. Roads are littered with fallen branches and trees but only limited infrastructure damage has been reported.

But the damage there is likely not as bad as Dominica, which suffered a direct hit. Communications to the island were wiped out in the storm, so the extent of the damages - including any casualties - are still unclear.

Meanwhile, Americans in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are preparing for direct hits on Wednesday.

Hurricane Maria's track shifted slightly on Tuesday, putting the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands in its direct path.

Scroll down for video

Hurricane Maria is expected to make landfall again in St. Croix early Wednesday morning, followed by Puerto Rico later in the day

A motorist drives on the flooded waterfront in Fort-de-France, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria on Tuesday

An entire roof was blown off this home in the village of Goyave on Guadeloupe on Tuesday

Cars drive along a road after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Guadeloupe island, France, September 19, 2017

A road is empty in Sainte-Anne on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, early Tuesday after the passing of Hurricane Maria

People stand next to debris at a restaurant in Le Carbet, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, on Tuesday

A resident walks across a road covered in fallen tree branches and leaves in the village of Viard - Petit Bourg, near Pointe-a-Pitre, on September 19, 2017 in the French territory of Guadeloupe after the passage of Hurricane Maria

Puerto Ricans have been told to 'evacuate or die' after Hurricane Maria laid waste to the island of Dominica on its destructive path across the Caribbean. This was the scene as Maria battered the city of Petit-Bourg on the French overseas Caribbean island of Guadeloupe today

A picture shows rocks swept by strong waves onto a road in Le Carbet, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, on Tuesday

Hurricane Maria is pictured above spinning to the east of the Leeward Islands on Tuesday

U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp said Tuesday that the eye is now expected to pass over the southwestern tip of St. Criox early Wednesday morning, on its way to Puerto Rico.

The Virgin Islands are already reeling from Hurricane Irma, which passed over the islands of St. Thomas and St. John earlier this month. Maria is expected to bring up to 12 inches of rain to St. John.

Meanwhile, Puerto Ricans are bracing for their first direct hit from a Category 4 or stronger hurricane in 85 years.

Puerto Ricians have been told to 'evacuate or die' after Maria laid waste to the island of Dominica overnight.

The Category 5 hurricane is expected to make landfall Wednesday morning, but conditions will start deteriorating as early as Tuesday at noon.

Islanders have been warned to find shelter immediately, with the howling 160mph winds expected to 'devastate' the U.S. island territory, much of which is still without power after a brush with Hurricane Irma earlier this month.

Frantic attempts are also being made to prepare for the monster storm before it slams into the British Virgin Islands, where a curfew has been put in place as rescuers battle to clear the damage already caused by Hurricane Irma.

It comes as experts revealed Maria has developed a dangerous 'pinhole eye' producing a more compact center and intensifying its power. It's still too soon to know whether it poses any threat to the mainland U.S.

An uprooted tree covers a small wooden and iron house in the village of Viard - Petit Bourg, near Pointe-a-Pitre, on September 19, 2017 in the French territory of Guadeloupe after the passage of Hurricane Maria

A boat lays on its side off the shore of Sainte-Anne on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, early Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, after the passing of Hurricane Maria

An uprooted tree covers a small house in the village of Viard - Petit Bourg, near Pointe-a-Pitre, on September 19, 2017 in the French territory of Guadeloupe after the passage of Hurricane Maria

Flooded cars are pictured in the Lauricisque district of Pointe-a-Pitre on September 19, 2017 in the French territory of Guadeloupe, after the passage of Hurricane Maria

A flooded road and a bus stop are pictured on Boulevard Chanzy in downtown Pointe-a-Pitre on September 19, 2017 in the French territory of Guadeloupe after the passage of Hurricane Maria

The ocean was still fierce after Hurricane Maria swept past the island of Martinique on Tuesday

People walk by a fallen tree off the shore of Sainte-Anne on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, early Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, after the passing of Hurricane Maria

A stranded pleasure boat is pictured in Goyave on September 19, 2017 in the French territory of Guadeloupe, after the passage of Hurricane Maria

A man clears the road from fallen tree branches in the village of Viard - Petit Bourg on September 19, 2017 in the French territory of Guadeloupe after the pafallen ssage of Hurricane Maria

A picture shows an uprooted tree on the beach in Saint-Pierre, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria on Tuesday

An uprooted tree is pictured on Boulevard Chanzy in downtown Pointe-a-Pitre on September 19, 2017 in the French territory of Guadeloupe after the passage of Hurricane Maria

Fallen tree branches partly cover a small wooden house in the village of Viard - Petit Bourg, near Pointe-a-Pitre, on September 19, 2017 in the French territory of Guadeloupe after the passage of Hurricane Maria

An uprooted tree is pictured near the village of Viard - Petit Bourg on September 19, 2017 in the French territory of Guadeloupe after the passage of Hurricane Maria

A man takes pictures in a flooded seafront after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe island, France, September 19, 2017

A car approaches to a flooded seafront after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe island, France, September 19, 2017

Debris lies on a flooded seafront after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe island, France, September 19, 2017

Powerful winds and rains from Hurricane Maria battered the city of Petit-Bourg on the French overseas Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. This was the scene today as islanders were waking up to devastation

Overnight, the storm caused chaos on Dominica and destroyed the house of prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit who had to be rescued. The 44-year-old, who has led the country since 2004, said he had been at the 'complete mercy of the hurricane' before making it to safety.

But he later warned the island of 72,000 people has lost 'all that money can buy', adding on Facebook: 'My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains.'

Unconfirmed reports have suggested that Dominica's main hospital has had its roof torn off, leaving patients vulnerable to the hurricane and local residents without access to medical care.

Power has gone down across the majority of Dominica. The DBS radio station has stopped broadcasting on the island after reports that the building had been smashed by falling objects in 160mph winds.

Fierce winds and driving rain lashed mountainous Dominica for hours late Monday night. Its winds reached sustained maximum speeds of 160mph as it plowed into the tiny country - and forecasters warned it might become even stronger, the latest blow in the worst hurricane season for seven years.

A police official on the island, Inspector Pellam Jno Baptiste, said late Monday night that there were no immediate reports of casualties but it was too dangerous for officers to do a full assessment as the storm raged outside.

'Where we are, we can't move,' he said in a brief phone interview late Monday night while hunkered down against the region's second Category 5 hurricane this month.

On the nearby island of Guadeloupe, footage showed ferocious tree-bending winds whipping through deserted streets and shaking lamp posts when the storm first hit.

There have been reports of widespread devastation on Dominica. As of 5am ET, the eye of the storm had moved west from the island as it sets a course towards Puerto Rico

Experts say that the hurricane will likely get weaker as it continues on towards Turks and Caicos at the end of the week

Meanwhile, the damage appeared to be minimal on the French island of Martinique, after Maria roared past the island on Tuesday.

About 25,000 households lost electricity and two small towns are without potable water.

The head of French civil security, Jacques Witkowski, told reporters in Paris on Tuesday that it was too soon to say whether the French department of Guadaloupe was so lucky. Communications there have been difficult. He says at least two people suffered minor injuries.

The prefect, or highest French official, of Guadaloupe, Eric Maire, said in a video via Twitter that some roads and homes were flooded and heavy rain is expected to continue. He told island residents to 'remain inside' amid the flood threat and warnings by forecasters of possible landslides.

France is upping its manpower in the region, with two flights taking off on Tuesday, the first carrying 160 firefighters and military personnel to Martinique.

People take refuge in an hurricane shelter in La Savane, on the French Caribbean island of Saint-Martin, on Tuesday

People take refuge in an hurricane shelter on Tuesday in La Savane, on the French Caribbean island of Saint-Martin

People board up windows of a business in preparation for the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico last night

With St. Croix not expected to take a direct hit from Maria, locals started evacuating on Tuesday

People in Christiansted, St. Croix carry supplies onto a ferry taking them to St. Thomas on Tuesday, ahead of Maria's scheduled landfall

Crew and volunteers load the Queen Elizabeth IV ferry with supplies and passengers for St. Thomas on Tuesday in St. Croix

Meanwhile, in the British Virgin Islands, Royal Marines helped clear debris from Hurricane Irma ahead of Hurricane Maria on Tuesday

Billionaire Sir Richard Branson speaks with Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Paul Maynard on the island of Virgin Gorda on Tuesday. Branson owns a private island in the British Virgin Islands, and hunkered down at his residence during Hurricane Irma. It seems as though he's here to stay for the second major hurricane to hit the area this month

Branson's private home on Necker Island is seen above at Irma on Tuesd

Members of the Venezuelan Civil Protection load supplies with humanitarian aid bound for for the island of Dominica after the Caribbean island was battered by Hurricane Maria on Tuesday

Bottles water appeared to be an important item for the people on Dominica. Above, the Venezuelan Civil Protection group pitching in to help the island on Tuesday

Inhabitants of the neighborhood La Perla take refuge in the city hall, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday

Inhabitants of the neighborhood La Perla take refuge in the city hall, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday

People walk along a flooded seafront after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe island, France, September 19, 2017

A man takes a video in a flooded seafront after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe island, France, September 19, 2017

People run away of water after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe island, France, September 19, 2017

People looks for goods during a blackout in a supermarket in preparation for Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 19, 2017

People looks for goods during a blackout in a supermarket in preparation for Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 19, 2017

Youth stand on the bench of a bus stop to not to get wet after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe island, France, September 19, 2017

Maria weakened briefly before dawn Tuesday to a still major Category 4 storm after its rampage over Dominica. But the fluctuation in intensity proved short-lived as a hurricane hunter plane reported the storm had regained its fearsome Category 5 status within hours.

Meanwhile, emergency steps are being undertaken on the British Virgin Islands to prepare for the looming onslaught, although an official co-ordinating the operation has warned the islands had been 'weakened' by Irma and the situation 'doesn't look good'.

A curfew is in place and the governor Gus Jaspert warned of a race against time to clear up Irma debris to stop it becoming 'missiles' when Maria hits.

Another British overseas territory, Montserrat, has been issued with a hurricane warning amid fears Maria could bring a devastating storm surge, while torrential rain could trigger deadly flash floods.

The Foreign Office is warning against travelling to the BVI, Monterrat, Anguilla and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

UK International Development Secretary Priti Patel said the Government is under no illusion about the possible impact of the strengthening hurricane and said they were taking steps to prepare communities.

Guadeloupe, the French island near Dominica, has already experienced heavy flooding amid warnings many communities could be submerged

A tree lies on the ground among storm debris after Hurricane Maria lashed the French overseas Caribbean island of Guadeloupe overnight

Monster: The hurricane has smashed Dominica and Guadeloupe overnight, leading to extensive damage. This was the scene in the city of Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe

In just a 27-hour span between Sunday and Monday, Maria strengthened from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane. When it hit Dominica, it weakened to a Category 4, but only for a brief period before returning to top strength.

Fluctuations in intensity were expected, and forecasters have warned Maria would likely intensify over the next 24 hours or longer, noting its eye had shrunk to a compact 10 miles across and warning: 'Maria is developing the dreaded pinhole eye.'

That generally means an extremely strong hurricane will get even mightier, said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami. He said it just like when a spinning ice skater brings in their arms and rotates faster.

'You just don't see those in weaker hurricanes,' he said.

The storm's hurricane-force winds extended out about 35 miles and tropical storm-force winds out as far as 125 miles.

A woman stands at the entrance of her house after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe island, France, September 19, 2017

Men remove the decoration from a restaurant in preparation for Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 19, 2017

People take a sailboat out of the water in preparation for Hurricane Maria in Puerto de Jobos, Puerto Rico September 19, 2017

People take a sailboat out of the water in preparation for Hurricane Maria in Puerto de Jobos, Puerto Rico September 19, 2017

Cars drive on a highway during rain before the arrival of the Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 19, 2017

A man covers the windows of a supermarket in preparation for Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Tuesday

Maria is expected to be the first Category 4 or higher hurricane to directly hit Puerto Rico in 85 years. Above, preparations in San Juan on Tuesday

An empty pier is seen before the arrival of the Hurricane Maria in Puerto de Jobos, Puerto Rico September 19, 2017

French firefighters and military rescue team board a military plane, to assist with Hurricane Maria relief efforts in the French Caribbean islands at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, France, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017

Relief supplies are loaded to a French army plane to help the local population of the French Caribbean islands at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, France, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017

That means that those in the line of Maria's path will start feeling the effects of the storm hours before it hits.

Hurricane warnings were posted for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. A tropical storm warning was issued for Martinique, Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Lucia and Anguilla.

Forecasters said storm surge could raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet near the storm's center. The storm was predicted to bring 10 to 15 inches of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas.

The current forecast track would carry it about 22 miles south of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands late Tuesday and early Wednesday, territorial Gov. Kenneth Mapp said.

'We are going to have a very, very long night,' Mapp said as he urged people in the territory to finish any preparations.

St. Thomas and St. John are still stunned from a direct hit by Hurricane Irma, which did extensive damage and caused four deaths on the two islands.

Barry University said it chartered a private plane to carry students and staff from its St. Croix facility to Florida in preparation for Maria. It said 72 people connected to the Barry's Physician Assistant Program and a few pets were on Monday's evacuation flight.

Roosevelt Skerrit, who has led the country since 2004, updated his citizens on Facebook as the hurricane ripped the roof from his home

Roosevelt Skerrit, Dominica's prime minister, posted on Facebook that his house was flooding, but was later rescued. Other countries will soon be hit - and Maria is getting stronger

The 44-year-old said he was at the 'complete mercy of the hurricane' before announcing that he had been rescued

THE 'PEAK PERIOD' FOR HURRICANES Experts say the region is deep in the 'peak period' of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June to November. But in recent weeks all the right ingredients have been in place for ferocious winds to form, says Dr Steven Godby, an expert in natural hazards here at Nottingham Trent University. He explained: 'Sea surface temperatures are higher than average, wind shear  which is the change in speed and direction of winds from surface level to high in the atmosphere  is low and there has not been any major input of dry, dusty air from the Sahara which can impact the development of these storms. 'Having so many hurricanes is newsworthy, but not unusual, and the consensus among forecasters was for the 2017 hurricane season to be above average including between 2-5 major (category 3 or above) hurricanes.' The season has already seen four 'major' hurricanes making it the most destructive season since 2005. Hurricane Harvey caused devastation in Texas while Hurricane Irma destroyed Caribbean islands in its path earlier this month. Advertisement

Authorities in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico warned that people in wooden or flimsy homes should find safe shelter before the storm's expected arrival there on Wednesday.

'You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you're going to die,' said Hector Pesquera, the island's public safety commissioner. 'I don't know how to make this any clearer.'

Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Puerto Rico had 500 shelters capable of taking in up to 133,000 people in a worst-case scenario. He also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to bring drinking water and help restore power immediately after the storm, which could hit as a Category 5 hurricane.

Puerto Rico is expected to take a direct hit from Maria, which will likely devastate the island. Some 70,000 people there still without power because of Irma, which merely brushed the island, and 200 are still in shelters.

Rossello warned the hurricane will have a much greater impact than Irma.

'It will essentially devastate most of the island,' he told USA Today adding: 'It will provoke massive flooding in flooding prone regions ... our priority is to save lives.'

The U.S. territory on Monday imposed rationing of basic supplies including water, milk, baby formula, canned foods, batteries, flashlights and other items.

Roberto Garcia, with the National Weather Service in San Juan, said: 'That is catastrophic in every way. People have to act, and they have to act now. They can no longer wait for a miracle.'

Guadeloupe, the French island near Dominica, has already experienced heavy flooding amid warnings many communities could be submerged.

On Dominica, Skerrit used Facebook to update islanders through the night, writing: 'Certainly no sleep for anyone in Dominica. I believe my residence may have sustained some damage,' he wrote at first.

But he then added: 'We do not know what is happening outside. We do not dare look out. All we hear is the sound of galvanise (galvanised iron roofing) flying. The sound of the fury of the wind. As we pray for its end!'

An hour later, the Prime Minister posted dramatically: 'Rough! Rough! Rough!' He then added, 'my roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding.'

As Dominican citizens and others around the world looked on, a few minutes later he concluded: 'I have been rescued,' before explaining that the loss of his roof 'triggered an avalanche of torn away roofs in the city and the countryside'.

The Prime Minister then appealed to 'friendly nations and organisations with helicopter services' for help.

In referring to the galvanised iron roofs, Mr Skerrit was identifying one of the worst hazards in a long list of dangers facing islanders.

Flung into the air by hurricane-force winds, the tin sheeting becomes in effect flying blades.

A woman from the island of Barbuda, told MailOnline last night that she had seen a horse cut in half by a sheet of the roofing when the island was flattened by Hurricane Irma.

Weather maps have charted where Maria is likely to strike and warned of the risk to lives and properties on affected islands

Danger: Maps show there is an 'extreme risk to lives and property' on a number of islands including Puerto Rico

Maria is following a similar path to 180mph Hurricane Irma, which struck earlier this month. However, Maria slammed into islands further south

CURFEW IN BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS A curfew has been put in place on the British Virgin Islands amid fears debris from Hurricane Irma will turn into deadly missiles when Maria hits. Frantic efforts are still being made to clear up after Irma laid waste to the British overseas territory. Governor Gus Jaspert told the BBC this morning that it was facing an 'absolutely unprecedented event: to have a category five [Irma] followed by another category five.' Rescuers have had to 'switch tack' from recovery to preparation ahead of Maria which is expected to dump large quantities of rain and hammer frail buildings. He said: 'I've imposed a curfew in effect from now right up to when the hurricane passes so the roads are clear. 'We are going to send truck after truck to clear up all of the debris. I'm appealing to all of the community to show that spirit which they have shown so far of helping out, clearing up, getting the debris off the streets so it doesn't turn into missiles flying at buildings.' Advertisement

Hurricane Maria started as a tropical storm last week but quickly gained power as it approached the Caribbean islands.

In just a 27 hour period between Sunday and Monday, it was upgraded from a Category 1 to a Category 5 - just in time to make landfall on Dominica, a mountainous island prone to landslides in heavy rains.

Dominica last suffered serious weather damage during Tropical Storm Erica in 2015, which dumped 33-inches of rain, triggering widespread mudslides.

The entire town of Petite Savanne had to be evacuated and 30 people were killed.

It is thought that Dominica has not seen such severe weather since Hurricane David, a Category Five storm, killed more than 2,000 people on the island in 1979. In 1930, Hurricane San Zenon also left thousands of Dominicans dead.

Heavy wind and rain continues to lash a number of islands in the Caribbean, with particular fears for Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico as well as Dominica.

Barbuda and St Martin, both of which suffered the brunt of Hurricane Irma and were almost totally destroyed, are also suffering the onslaught of Maria tonight.

Even though they do not lie directly in the path of the storm, the mountains of debris lying in the streets and the thousands of ruined buildings on the islands make the level of danger severe.

Barbuda is understood to have been entirely evacuated yesterday for the first time in about 300 years, with many residents taken to nearby Antigua. The island is now guarded by Royal Marines.

Meanwhile, Jose remained a Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic as it churned up dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast.

It was about 350 miles south-southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and had top sustained winds of 75 mph.

The ocean washed over parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks as Hurricane Jose passed well to the east, and five people were knocked off a coastal jetty in Rhode Island by high surf caused by the storm.

Officials said rescuers had to fight through rough surf to load the injured onto stretchers and get them to shore. All five were taken to a hospital with minor and major injuries.

In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Norma's threat to Mexico's Los Cabos resort area at the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula seemed to ease as forecasters said the storm's center was likely to remain offshore.

Norma had winds of about 50 mph and it was centered about 175 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas. The Baja California Sur state government prepared storm shelters and canceled classes for Monday.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lee weakened into a tropical depression far out in the Atlantic while Hurricane Otis weakened far out in the Pacific. Neither threatened land.

Dominica has lost 'all what money can buy' after Maria intensified into a 'potentially catastrophic' category five storm. Images from nearby Guadeloupe (above) show the power of the hurricane

Storm coming: Hurricane Maria has unleashed its fury on the Caribbean island of Dominica, destroying the Prime Minister's residence and forcing him to be rescued. This was the scene as heavy rain and wind lashed the nearby island of Guadeloupe overnight

Maria has brought 160mph winds and lashing rain to a region already hammered by Hurricane Irma earlier this month. Pictures show how flooding has hit Pointe-a-Pitre on Guadeloupe today

All of this makes this year's hurricane season the worst in years by any number of standards, USA Today reported.

For a start, it's the first year since 2010 that four hurricanes in Category 3 or above had been spotted by September 18.

In total, seven hurricanes have formed this year - that's double the number that would usually accumulate by this point, said Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach.

The energy generated by the storms - known as Accumulated Cyclone Energy - is also double the usual amount.

In fact, it hasn't been this high since 2005 - the year that Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana.

Another double: So far this year hurricanes have been circulating in the Atlantic for 30 days thus far. Usually 15 days is the average. That's the highest figure since 2004.

It's been a shocking - and dangerous - year from a U.S. perspective, too. Never before in recorded hurricane history - a full 166 years - have two Category 4 hurricanes hit the U.S.

But this year both Harvey and Irma struck various States.

Captain George Eatwell drops off a box of aid for an islander staying at Rainbow Home shelter, on the British Virgin Islands amid preparations for Hurricane Maria

Preparations: British troops handed out supplies on the British Virgin Islands yesterday as Maria headed north
Stuart and Sheila Mackenzie learned their flight from Bristol to Spain was cancelled via text last night and they had to rush to Stansted this morning to save their holiday

Ryanair customers have today branded the budget airline a 'disgrace' after being forced to spend up to 1,500 of their own money on new flights to get home - with some even having to pay twice.

The under-fire carrier has revealed the 2,024 routes which will be axed over the next six weeks, leaving the travel plans of up to 400,000 passengers in chaos.

The decision to cancel more than the flights was described as an 'omni-shambles' last night.

Graham Walsh, from Borehamwood, was one of a large number of passengers who claim they had to pay twice to reserve seats.

'Ryanair allow you to change flights for 0, but charge you again for seat allocation that you've already paid on the cancelled flight,' he told The Sun.

'I was quoted one amount for new seat reservation then charged 3 times that value'.

More than 250,000 people caught up in the cancellation chaos will miss out on compensation but boss Michael O'Leary insists he won't quit and said: 'It's not my biggest cock-up'.

Those who did manage to rebook were left furious after being forced to again pay hefty fees to check-in bags and choose seats, having already paid for them on their original flights.

The airline charges 2 per person for standard seats booked online, rising to 11 for certain priority seats, and at least 25 for each item of baggage.

The debacle affecting two per cent of the airline's giant customer base could cost the airline 18million and knocked 500million off the airline's value yesterday.

The airline also came under fire from passengers who couldn't get through to its advisers, or being forced to wait on hold on its premium-rate helpline, racking up bills at 68p a minute.

One passenger wrote on Twitter: 'To anyone trying to call Ryanair  dig deep. I spent 15 minutes in a queue and it cost me 11.'

Ryanair has stranded many customers with Rebecca Brown and Neil Johnson forced to spend up to 1,500 of their own money on new flights to get home

Queues form at the Ryanair desk at Stansted today as customers face six weeks of cancellations

Chief executive Michael O'Leary, who saw his company's shares fall by three percent knocking around 500million off its market value because of a cancellation crisis, but says he couldn't give a 'rats a**' about the plunging share price

The share price rose slightly today after Mr O'Leary said he didn't 'give a rat's a**' about it.

But the controversial boss faced calls to be hauled before MPs to explain the reasons for the chaos.

Members of the Commons' Transport Select Committee want to probe the businessmen on what caused the 'major failing'.

Tory MP Steve Double told The Standard: 'We need to understand exactly what's gone wrong and how to make sure it never happens again.'

Today it also emerged 120 Ryanair pilots met in Dublin yesterday and discussed striking over working conditions, which could lead to even more cancellations.

Travellers have been stranded abroad and offered alternative flights back to Britain days later, meaning they have needed to shell out for hotels, tickets and taxis home out of their own pockets.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is to investigate the crisis amid suggestions it was not warned of the cancellations - and will also probe claims Ryanair refused to fly customers home with other carriers.

Stuart and Sheila Mackenzie told MailOnline they are 'fuming' after their flight from Bristol to Spain was cancelled via text last night and they had to rush to Stansted at dawn this morning to rescue their holiday.

Victim Neil Johnson told the BBC: 'We managed to get flights to John Lennon Airport in Liverpool at a cost of 1,500 and then had to get a taxi at the cost of 100 back to Manchester to collect our car for the final journey home. Ryanair are an absolute disgrace'.

Danish holidaymaker Simon Christensen, 26, has arrived in the country only to discover he is stranded.

American Ewen Callaway also told the BBC: 'We are about half way through what's going to be an all day journey involving a taxi and two planes'

Mr Christensen is now trapped in the UK with his friend after Ryanair cancelled their flight home.

The pair flew out from Aalborg this morning and now have to desperately find a new flight home.

He said: 'We are pretty much stranded, we've got to book another flight home now and it is four times as expensive.

'They have closed the chat for the customer service and we can't contact them. We are going to book a flight and they I'm going to contact a lawyer when I'm back home, it is a joke'.

Rebecca Brown is also stuck abroad after a flight cancellation and said: 'We've had to pay out hundreds of pounds extra to book another hotel and also extra flights to get back. The communication from Ryanair has been absolutely atrocious. We don't even know why it has been cancelled. We're just really desperate to get home now'.

American Ewen Callaway also told the BBC: 'We are about half way through what's going to be an all day journey involving a taxi and two planes. It's been a really frustrating experience. Frustrating and costly'.

During an extraordinary press conference in Dublin Mr O'Leary said: 'As the largest individual shareholder in Ryanair, I never give a rat's a** about the share price. I couldn't care less'.

Haul Ryanair boss to the Commons, say MPs Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary should be hauled before MPs to explain why thousands of flights have been cancelled, according to members of a Commons committee. Members of the Commons' Transport Select Committee want to probe the businessmen on what caused the 'major failing'. Tory MP Steve Double told The Standard: 'We need to understand exactly what's gone wrong and how to make sure it never happens again.' 'I think that we need to hold them to account. I would welcome the opportunity to question Michael O'Leary.' Advertisement

He added: 'It's not my biggest cock-up. I have a litany of cock-ups in Ryanair over the past 25 years'.

It has emerged that 250,000 travellers now left without 1,300 flights cannot get compensation of at least 250 demanded by the EU because the majority have been given more than two weeks' notice.

The fiasco at Europe's biggest carrier has been caused by changes to its holiday year  a backlog of staff leave means it has too few pilots on standby over the next six weeks.

That means any minor disruptions  such as weather problems  were causing knock-on delays for lack of staff cover. Ryanair chiefs decided to clear the backlog through the drastic last resort of cancelling flights.

Passengers blasted Ryanair as 'a joke' at Stansted Airport, in Essex today.

Holiday plans had been thrown into disarray by the last-minute changes, with travellers left counting the costs.

Staff were forced to deal with disappointed customers today after receiving an email last night telling them their flights had been cancelled.

Fabiana Lopes was flying out to Bremen in Germany, to visit a friend.

400,000 people have been told their flights have been cancelled at the last minute after a staffing crisis at Ryanair

The Oxford resident told MailOnline: 'I think Ryanair is a joke and it is typical of them because they work at the limit of their staff and everything.

'I have heard it is ridiculous mismanagement that they just sent most of their staff on vacation and now there aren't enough for flights.

'This is what happens when a company works the way they do, they are disrespectful to their customers and they have no sense of respect to their customers.'

What are passengers' rights when flights are cancelled? Under EU Regulation 261/2004 holidaymakers have certain rights if their flight is cancelled or delayed. The flight must have departed from an EU airport and be operated by any airline, or it must be arriving into an EU airport and be operated by an EU airline. The 'EU airport' also includes the following countries; Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Firstly airlines must offer an alternative flight or a full refund, if your flight was cancelled. You can also get a full refund if the flight wasn't cancelled but was delayed for more than five hours and you no longer wish to travel. Airlines must also offer you meals, refreshments, and hotel accommodation as appropriate whilst you wait for a rearranged flight for both delays and cancellation. They should also cover any transport costs between the hotel and the airport. You should keep any food, transport or accommodation receipts to use when making a claim for compensation. Here are some of the key questions around the claims process: What rules apply? EU law protects passengers whose flights are delayed or cancelled under the Denied Boarding Regulation. This applies to flights either departing from an EU airport or those that are both arriving at an EU airport and operated by an EU airline, such as Ryanair. Are passengers entitled to a refund? Yes, passengers can claim a refund from the airline. If they have booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, they can also claim the full cost of the return ticket. What if a passenger still wants to travel? Ryanair must offer an alternative flight as soon as possible after the cancelled flight. This will be 'at worse' on the following day, Ryanair said. Do they get any assistance while they wait? Delayed passengers are entitled to claim reasonable expenditure for food, soft drinks, phone calls and accommodation. What about compensation? If less than 14 days notice is given for a cancellation, airline travellers can claim up to 250 euros (221) under EU regulation 261, depending on the timing of the alternative flight. Customers given more warning are not entitled to a payout. Is compensation automatic? No, disrupted passengers must write a letter of complaint to the airline. They should keep as much evidence as they can, such as boarding cards and receipts to claim expenses. A template letter can be found on the website of consumer watchdog Which? Advertisement

She added: 'I was supposed to fly back Sunday and I'm doing it on Monday now.

'I'm visiting a friend and her family rented an apartment for us and the reservation is going to finish now.

'I'm going to have to travel to her home train sleep at her parents' place and then travel back.

'I haven't even got in to how much it'll cost me, I hear trains are expensive in Germany.'

Another couple hit out at the airline after discovering their flight from Edinburgh had been axed.

They are now heading out to the Scottish capital and have no idea how they are going to get back home after the four day trip to visit family.

The angry pair, from Portsmouth, said: 'The website has gone down, nothing is working.

'We have to get a flight with another airline now and we have got all our tickets in advance.

'They are going to refund the flight, but everything is up in the air. We could be hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

'Because of the late notice getting a flight home it's going to be very expensive.

'You should know when people are going on holiday.

'It's a joke you should know when your staff are going on holiday, we only had an email last night.'

On a shambolic day for Ryanair:

Its shares fell around 3% yesterday, knocking a further 500million off its market value;

The compensation bill was expected to run to millions of pounds - but 250,000 people may not be eligible;

Michael O'Leary insisted he should stay in charge and be allowed to clear up the 'mess';

Mr O'Leary's said they 'come out with our hands up' but insisted nobody  least of all himself  would be getting the chop over the airline's decision to cancel flights;

Customers have already vented their fury over having their weddings ruined and their whole years destroyed thanks to the bedlam caused by the grounded planes.

Mr O'Leary called a press conference yesterday and said air traffic control delays, strikes, bad weather and a backlog of holiday has led to punctuality falling to below 80 per cent over the last two weeks and admitted: 'It is clearly a mess.'

The under-fire boss said it will cost up to 5million in lost revenue and 18million in compensation.

But in his usual bombastic style he added: 'It's a cock-up that affects two per cent of our customers over a six-week period and I'm very sorry for it. Has this been one of the greatest days in Ryanair's history? No.

'It is my mess-up there, therefore I have to clean it up. I don't think my head should roll, I need to stay here and fix this. I apologise to customers who were affected'.

He added: 'We're working very hard at the moment to make sure we finalise the list of flight cancellations, which will affect less than two per cent of our customers, and also look after those customers who are disrupted.'

The under-fire carrier has revealed the 2,024 routes which will be axed over the next six weeks, leaving passengers stranded or out of pocket

Couple slam 'appalling' Ryanair for cancelling their flight and forcing them to cross the country at dawn Sheila and Stuart Mackenzie had to travel from Bristol to Stansted overnight and are at least 300 out of pocket already Sheila and Stuart Mackenzie have been left in the lurch by Ryanair after their flight from Bristol was cancelled. The retired couple have had to change their flight from the city to their holiday home in Castellon, Spain - but Ryanair won't alter the pre-booked flight back home. This means they will probably have to book another fight to Britain. Stuart said: 'I'm fuming to be honest. 'The outgoing flight was cancelled so we booked to Stansted, but they say our return flight was not affected so we won't get a refund on that. 'I can't park my car at Stansted and fly back to Bristol, they are doing this on purpose and cancelling flights from smaller airports. 'It's appalling really, it's caused us a load of hassle. He added: 'The customer service staff told me to look online to get a flight and I just can't get on, it crashes. 'Then I rung a line and it was 13p a minute, it's just absolutely disgusting. 'I'm more than 300 out of pocket now, it is bad news.' Advertisement

The crisis 'could be a Ratner moment' for the airline, according to Martin Lewis, a leading consumer campaigner.

That was a reference to Gerald Ratner infamously describing some of his jewellery firm's products as 'total crap'.

Mr Lewis, who founded moneysavingexpert.com, predicted the final compensation bill would be much higher than Ryanair's estimated 17.7million.

He said: 'This appears to be a totally self-inflicted injury from a company trying to turn around its reputation for treating its customers badly. The one thing going for Ryanair was that it had a reputation for getting people from A to B, usually on time.

'So the damage to its brand is going to be huge. Anyone affected will think twice before booking with Ryanair  others will be more likely to fly with another airline if there is not much difference in price.'

He said the Ratner moment could follow unless the airline got on top of the situation.

In an extraordinary press conference, Ryanair's boss was in agreement about the figures suggested in terms of his company's losses and said: 'Clearly there's a large reputational impact for which again I apologise. We will try to do better in future.'

'In terms of lost profitability we think it will cost us something of the order of up to about five million euros (4.4million) over the next six weeks and in terms of the EU261 compensation we think that will be something up to a maximum of 20 million euros but much depends on how many of the alternative flights our customers take up.'

Customers reacted furiously to the news with David Bushby saying: 'Ryanair is disgrace with no thought to care of passengers. Never heard anything like it. Ostracise now and sink O'Leary.'

Another, Dom Glover, accused the airline of ruining his wedding and took to Twitter to vent his anger.

He said: 'After Ryanair spoiled our wedding we will never book another Ryanair ticket again. Utter disgrace of a company deserves to be sued to hell.'

One passenger told BBC News: 'Ryanair left me stranded in Krakow and gave me no option to get home in a reasonable amount of time so I took matters into my own hands.

'I spent 500 on tickets for myself, my partner and my mother to get back to London on another carrier.

'We're about halfway through what's going to be an all-day journey involving a taxi and two planes and it's been a really frustrating experience. Frustrating and costly.'

Another added: 'Pretty disappointed about it. Even if they gave me a week's longer notice it would have been much better for me but they didn't.

'They texted me the evening before the morning I was supposed to fly out so, yeah, pretty disappointed'.

Mr O'Leary said: 'If they're not satisfied with the alternative flights offered they can have a full refund and they will all be entitled to their EU261 compensation entitlements.

'We will not be trying to claim exceptional circumstances.

'This is our mess-up. When we make a mess in Ryanair we come out with our hands up.

'We try to explain why we've made the mess and we will pay compensation to those passengers who are entitled to compensation, which will be those flights that are cancelled over the next two weeks.'

Ryanair will drop 40-50 flights a day over the next six weeks, leaving passengers stranded or out of pocket

Ryanair's history of mishaps from disability discrimination to telling staff to watch their weight to save on fuel 2002: Ordered to pay more than 40,000 in damages to its one millionth customer after it broke a promise to give her free flights for life 2004: Announced 50p 'wheelchair levy' on all passengers to pay for wheelchair assistance after a disabled man won landmark discrimination case against the firm 2008: Ordered to withdraw an advert featuring a model in school-girl style clothes and promising 'hottest back to school fares' 2010: Boss Michael O'Leary suggests his planes could fly without a co-pilot to save money - instead training a flight attendant to help land a plane in an emergency 2011: Advert promoting tickets to 'place in the sun' banned as destinations had temperatures of between zero and 14 degrees centigrade 2012: Spokesman says staff are encouraged to watch their weight to help save on aircraft fuel costs 2015: UK judge rules that Ryanair's attempts to slash time limit for passengers claiming compensation for delayed flights falls foul of European law 2015: Ryanair has to deny its own statement which said board had approved plans for flights to US 2017: Accused by passengers of deliberately splitting up families who refuse to pay extra to choose their seats. July, 2017: Infuriates passengers by claiming families are making their toddlers drag suitcases on planes to avoid paying fees to put baggage in hold September, 2017: Says passengers will have to pay for priority boarding if they want to take a second item of hand luggage on board 2017: Briefly suspends package holiday booking service just two months after launch  blaming illegal screen-scrapers 2017: As of today, optional fees listed on its website include 60 to carry a musical instrument, 160 for a name change, 100 for missing a flight, 35 to carry golf clubs, 50 to check in at the airport. Advertisement

Mr O'Leary insisted the airline is 'not short of pilots' as he explained the reason behind the cancellations.

He said: 'What we have messed up is the allocation of holidays and trying to over-allocate holiday during September and October, while we're still running most of the summer schedule, and taking flight delays because of principally air traffic control and weather disruptions.'

Some have alleged the airline is trying to steer customers away from claiming compensation by not making the offer clear on its website.

It tells passengers: 'We offer you two options to choose from: 1. Apply for a refund 2. Change your Cancelled Flight'.

However, Ryanair fails to inform them it is required to pay 250 to 400 under EU rules, nor the obligation to pay for flights on other airlines 'at the earliest opportunity'.

It does have a link outlining the EU regulation at the bottom of the page and only travellers who follow the link and read the small print will be able to see this.

Paul Charles, former communications director at Virgin Atlantic, has slammed the move.

He said: 'It's misleading to give customers only half the true picture.

'They are entitled to EU compensation because of the cancellations so why aren't Ryanair being upfront? It smacks of the Ryanair of old.'

Aviation minister Lord Callanan has demanded that Ryainair pays compensation to customers as soon as possible.

He told the Times: 'We expect all airlines to fulfil their obligations to their customers and do everything possible to notify them well in advance of any disruption to their journey.

'In the event of any disruption or cancellation, airlines must ensure customers are fully compensated and every effort is made to provide alternative travel arrangements.'

Rory Boland, travel editor of consumer group Which?, said the airline must arrange alternative flights or provide a full refund.

Ryanair chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said the company will 'continue to send regular updates' to passengers.

The airline explained there will be a two per cent reduction in its 2,500 daily scheduled flights until the end of October.

The 2,024 flights cancelled by Ryanair: Check here to see if you have been affected by the scandal Advertisement

Ryanair suddenly removed 160 scheduled services to destinations across Europe on Fridays furious (stock photo)

Ryanair will drop 40-50 flights a day over the next six weeks, leaving passengers stranded or out of pocket

Ryanair also said a 'slightly higher number' of flights were cancelled this weekend, and it will bring in additional standby aircraft to help restore punctuality.

A spokesman said the number of flights delayed or cancelled was 'unacceptable'.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has admitted the cancellation of flights due to pilot holidays is 'a mess'

Some travellers said last-minute cancellations had left them out-of-pocket due to non-refundable accommodation costs, or with no choice but to book expensive alternative flights or transport.

Others said they had been left stranded in their holiday destination and many urged Ryanair to publish a list of all flight cancellations.

The vast majority of UK cancellations affected Stansted and some Dublin flights were also dropped.

Writing on Ryanair's Facebook page, Lucy Dwyer said she is due to travel on Thursday and needs to know if the flight will go ahead.

She wrote: 'It's three days before the flight. Can you tell me before I book airport transfers? This is an absolute joke. My anxiety is through the roof! Thanks Ryanair.'

Another passenger, Lizzie Gayton, said she had to spend almost 700 to get home on Sunday after her flight from Lisbon to London Stansted was cancelled with less than 48 hours' notice.

Ryanair refuse to help family-of-four after cancelling their flight from Spain to Manchester and leaving them with nowhere to stay Ryanair told a family of four they would have to wait a week for a plane home and offered them no help with accommodation or costs after cancelling their flight. Stephen and Helen Smith, and Helen's parents Stephen and Debbie Luckett, were appalled by their treatment when they turned up at Alicante airport on Saturday morning to fly back to Manchester after a two-week holiday in Spain. They had to pay almost 1,000 for seats on an alternative flight with Vueling to Edinburgh on Saturday evening, a hotel and a hire car to drive home to Stockport on Sunday. Stephen and Helen Smith (pictured), and Helen's parents Stephen and Debbie Luckett, were appalled by their treatment when they turned up at Alicante airport on Saturday morning to fly back to Manchester after a two-week holiday in Spain Mr Smith has vowed never to fly with Ryanair again. The family was not contacted to say their flight had been cancelled before setting out for the airport on Saturday and last night had still not received any official communication from the company. Mr Smith, 33, his wife and his in-laws had paid 120 each for their return flights. He said that at the airport on Saturday they were offered a flight back to Manchester with Ryanair seven days later but no accommodation or allowances were offered. An option of being put on stand-by for a flight to East Midlands Airport came to nothing when it emerged stand-by seats were no longer available. Mr Smith said Ryanair's last idea was flying from other Spanish airports hundreds of miles away but without any options for transport. Advertisement

'You weren't able to offer me another flight in time for me to get back for work,' she wrote.

'It is lucky that I had a credit card on me and don't have six kids to pay for! It is outrageous to think you are treating paying customers like this.'

Harriet Kathryn Ross wrote: 'What they need to do is confirm and publish a schedule of which flights will be cancelled over the next six weeks... it's wrong to leave people in suspense at the last minute. It's not fair.'

'It completely ruined my hen do': Bride-to-be told her flight had been cancelled one day before she was due to fly out to Ibiza with 21 friends

Leanne Wall was supposed to travel to Ibiza with 21 friends and family members from Manchester Airport last Tuesday

A bride-to-be said her long-awaited hen do was ruined after Ryanair cancelled her flight hours before she was due to leave.

Leanne Wall was supposed to travel to Ibiza with 21 friends and family members from Manchester Airport last Tuesday.

But the 34-year-old said she was devastated to receive a series of text messages from budget airline Ryanair telling her their flight, FR2626, had been axed because of an air traffic control strike.

The party eventually made it to the Spanish holiday island after splitting up and booking new flights via Newcastle, Palma, Madrid and Barcelona with different airlines costing around 200 each.

But they missed a day of the hen do and the group also lost money from a missed booking at Ibiza's Ocean Beach club.

Ms Wall said: 'It wasn't just a last-minute booking - we'd arranged it all last September.

'It's taken a shine off the weeks before the wedding because I'm still trying to sort out the refunds.

'It completely ruined my hen do. They cancelled our flights at 6pm when the office was closed.

'We were supposed to fly at 6am and there were no alternative flights.'

Make-up artist Ms Wall, from Liverpool, who is due to marry fiance Thomas Moore in two weeks, said: 'Eight of my friends had to drive to Newcastle and fly to Palma, then fly from there to Ibiza.

'I had to go to Madrid then from there to Ibiza. Some of the others went to Barcelona and flew to Ibiza from there.

Ms Wall, second row on the left with ginger hair, was devastated to receive a series of text messages from budget airline Ryanair telling her their flight, FR2626, had been axed because of an air traffic control strike

'We've been offered 37 each, but we've lost money from what we paid on tickets and we also had to cover the cost of new tickets and coach transfers.

'We missed a whole day there and we had to pay an extra 3,000 between us.

'I tried to explain this to the girl on the desk and she didn't want to know. I'm absolutely furious - what they've offered us is an insult.'

She added: 'We just want our flight money back - we don't want a penny more.'

Ms Wall said she understood there was an air traffic control strike but add that Ryanair did not do enough to arrange alternative flights and said the first one they offered was on the following Sunday.

The budget airline is facing a backlash from passengers after announcing it would cancel up to 50 flights a day over the next six weeks because it 'messed up' pilot holidays.

But the company said the Manchester-Ibiza flight was one of more than 100 flights grounded after French air traffic controllers walked out in a protest over new labour laws.

Its head of communications, Robin Kiely, said: 'We apologise sincerely to the small number of customers affected by these cancellations and will be doing our utmost to arrange alternative flights and or full refunds for them.'
A woman is dead after a wild police chase of an allegedly stolen car ended in a horrific crash in Victoria.

Police chased after an allegedly stolen van in Ballan, 78km northwest of Melbourne, about 2.30 on Tuesday afternoon.

The van failed to stop on the Western Highway, and later crashed into a truck near Ballan-Daylesford Road.

Scroll down for video

A woman has died after a wild police chase of an allegedly stolen car ended in a horrific crash in Victoria (pictured)

A woman passenger in the allegedly stolen van died as a result.

Two men fled from the scene and are on the run from police.

Senior Constable Adam West of Victoria Police said the Western Freeway is expected to be blocked for a number of hours while an investigation is carried out.

The dead woman is yet to be identified, and an investigation into the crash will be carried out under the supervision of Professional Standards Command.
The Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa will hear the state's appeal against Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence, it was announced today.

Pistorios was jailed for six years in 2016 for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013.

At the time, the length of his sentence described as 'lenient' by many commentators in the country.

The appeal will be heard on November 3, the National Prosecuting Authority said.

Pistorios was jailed for six years in 2016 for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013

It comes after fragments of the bullets Pistorius used to kill his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp were seen for the first time in a chilling documentary earlier this month.

The South African double-amputee sprinter, 30, was found guilty of Steenkamp's murder in July 2016 after shooting her four times on Valentine's Day 2013.

It was the bullets retrieved from the murder scene that allowed ballistics expert Captain Chris Mangena to form the crucial evidence that saw Pistorius' initial conviction for culpable homicide later overturned and replaced by one of murder.

Four years after Steenkamp's death Mangena claims it was clear Pistorius 'knew what he was doing' as he fired the shots that killed his 29-year-old model girlfriend.

PISTORIUS: FROM OLYMPIC GLORY TO SIX-YEAR JAIL SENTENCE The South African athlete before his conviction Oscar Pistorius, the South African double-amputee sprinter, was sentenced on to six years in prison in Juky 2016 after being found guilty of shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. In December, the country's Supreme Court of Appeal threw out his earlier conviction of the lesser crime of culpable homicide, for which Pistorius had served one year of a five-year jail sentence. Here is a snapshot of events that began with the shooting on Valentine's Day 2013. 2013 February 14: Police arrest the double-amputee Olympic sprinter for killing Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, who was shot four times at his Pretoria home. February 15: Pistorius bursts into tears as he is charged, denying murder 'in the strongest terms'. February 19: Pistorius claims in an affidavit he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. He fired through a locked bathroom door in what prosecutors term 'premeditated' murder. February 22: Pistorius is granted bail. 2014 March 3: The trial opens in Pretoria before an army of journalists from around the world, with the testimony of a neighbour who tells the court she heard 'terrible screams' from a woman. Ten days later, Pistorius vomits when a picture of Steenkamp's body is flashed on the court's television screens. April 7-15: Pistorius takes the stand and begins with a tearful apology to Steenkamp's family. This is followed by five days of often intense cross-examination, marked by bouts of tears and breaks in the session. Pistorius steadfastly denies any intention to kill Steenkamp. June 30: After a six-week break, a panel of three psychiatrists and a psychologist conclude that Pistorius does not suffer from mental illness. September 12: Pistorius is found guilty of culpable homicide or manslaughter. October 21: Judge Thokozile Masipa sentences Pistorius to a maximum of five years in jail. The athlete is immediately taken to Pretoria prison. 2015 October 20: Pistorius is allowed out of prison after just one year to spend the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. December 3: The Supreme Court of Appeal convicts Pistorius of murder, saying his testimony was 'vacillating and untruthful'. December 8: Pistorius is released on bail pending sentencing, and remains under house arrest. 2016 January 11: Pistorius makes last-ditch attempt with South Africa's top court to overturn his murder conviction. March 2: Pistorius loses his final bid to appeal his murder conviction. July 6: He is sentenced to six years in jail for the murder. Advertisement

Fragments of the bullets Pistorius used to kill his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp (pictured) were seen for the first time in a chilling documentary earlier this month

The bullets that killed at Reeva Steenkamp after she was shot by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius on Valentine's Day 2013 have been revealed for the first time

Ballistics expert Captain Chris Mangena (pictured) who was a crucial part of the prosecution reveals the deadly bullets in a new epsiode of Faking It: Tears of a Crime

Speaking on new documentary Investigation Discovery's Faking It: Tears of a Crime, the expert tells the camera how the fragments were a vital part in proving Pistorious was guilty.

Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013, with Pistorius claiming he mistook her for a burglar when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.

Pistorius, who pleaded not guilty at his trial in 2014, has always denied killing Steenkamp in a rage, claiming that he was trying to protect her.

In the documentary it is revealed that more than 600 photographs were taken of the crime scene, and programme-makers claim Mangena was able to deduce the exact position the shooter was standing. He tells the camera the now 30-year-old 'knew what he was doing'.

Pistorius was jailed for the murder of his girlfriend in July 2016 after initially claiming that he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder. Pictured: Pistorius and Steenkamp less than a month before her death on January 26 2013

'She [Reeva] was standing behind the door, she was not in a seated position,' Mangena says.

'So, it could be that she ran into the toilet and she locked herself in the toilet, she was waiting, facing the door, inside the toilet.

'The first shot was on the hip and after this shot, she fell down. Most likely she could have screamed. She could have screamed and fell down.'

Mangena used graphics to demonstrate the trajectory of the bullets in court, showing the standing position Reeva would have been in when the first shot was fired through the bathroom door that landed at her hip.

Captain Chris Mangena provided the crucial evidence needed for Pistorius' initial conviction. Pictured: Mangena speaking in court

More than 600 photographs were taken of the crime scene, and Mangena claims he was able to deduce the exact position the shooter was standing in. Pictured: A reconstruction of the scene

Mangena believes that, based on the bullet holes fired through the door (pictured), Pistorius was aware of Steenkamp's position in the bathroom when shooting

He then goes on to describe how he believes she fell into a seated position on top of a magazine rack - the location of which Pistorius knew - prompting him to change direction, firing three more shots, including the fatal wound to her head.

'He fired towards the position of the magazine rack. So, to me, it shows that he knew what he was doing,' Mangena says.

During his trial Pistorius denied any suggestion that he knew Reeva was behind the door, often breaking down in tears weeping, wailing and praying whenever details of her injuries were heard.

But body language specialist Cliff Lansley claims on the Investigation Discovery show that this was a 'useful tactic' employed by the defendant and his legal team to curry favour with the judge.

During his trial Pistorius denied any suggestion that he knew Reeva was behind the door, often breaking down in tears weeping, wailing and praying when details of her injuries were heard

However, body language expert Cliff Lansley believes that Pistorius was using the emotional display in a hope to gain sympathy

Lansley believes that when Pistorius 'realised he was going to be found guilty' he used the emotional display to 'gain sympathy'.

Pistorius initially escaped a murder conviction for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door three years ago.

An appeal by prosecutors saw his manslaughter conviction upgraded to murder, and in July he was sentenced to a six-year jail term.

But prosecutors had said they would push for a longer sentence, saying six years was 'shockingly lenient'.
A pilot killed along with his student when their glider crashed into a paddock was towed by a plane his wife was flying.

Jeremy Thompson, 62, was in the air just 10 minutes when the AFK21 glider suddenly nosedived about 15 metres into the ground as it came in to land.

The 'very senior' pilot was taking a 60-year-old student on his third lesson at Darling Downs Soaring Club in Bowenville, Queensland, about 10am on Tuesday.

Jeremy Thompson, 62, died in a glider crash as his wife Jenny (pictured together) watched on in horror 10 minutes after she flew the plane that towed him into the air

The glider crashed into a paddock as it came in to land and mysteriously nosedived 30 metres from runway in Bowenville, Queensland

His wife Jenny watched in horror from the ground as the glider slammed into the field about 30 metres from the runway after she returned from the air.

Another student reportedly rushed to the crash site and gave both victims CPR but they were unable to be revived.

Gliding Federation of Australia's operations executive manager Christopher Thorpe said Mr Thompson was a 'very experienced pilot who had been flying for a very, very long time'.

'It's really hit a lot of us, we're at a loss to know what happened. We are a very small community,' he said.

The 'very senior' pilot was taking a 60-year-old student on his third lesson at Darling Downs Soaring Club in Bowenville, Queensland, about 10am on Tuesday

Gliding Federation of Australia said Mr Thompson was a 'very experienced pilot who had been flying for a very, very long time'

Another student reportedly rushed to the crash site and gave both victims CPR but they were unable to be revived

Mr Thorpe said the last gliding death in Queensland was in 2006 and it was a 'very, very safe' aviation sport.

'Jeremy would have been extremely well-known across Australia so it's going to have a major impact,' he told the ABC.

'It won't stop us flying because we enjoy our sport and in Jeremy's memory we will be enjoying it more.'

The cause of the accident was unclear and will be investigated by police forensic units and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

The cause of the accident was unclear and will be investigated by police forensic units and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau
An easyJet flight from Manchester to Marrakech was diverted to Lisbon because a 'legless' passenger allegedly grabbed one of the cabin crew by the neck and racially abused passengers.

The flight, carrying 200 passengers, was met by emergency services when it touched down in Lisbon and holidaymakers had to stay in hotels in the Portuguese capital overnight.

They then had to complete the remaining leg of the journey the following day.

An easyJet flight from Manchester to Marrakech was diverted to Lisbon and met by emergency services when it touched down in the Portuguese capital

A passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Manchester Evening News: 'The passenger appeared to be legless before he boarded the plane and he was given a drink by other passengers consuming their own alcohol.

'We were only an hour from Marrakech when we could see the plane descending.

'Then the captain spoke and said there had been an incident. Then one of the cabin crew said a passenger had got hold of his neck twice because he was drunk.

'The cabin crew said he was being racist to other passengers too. It was all happening at the front of the plane but we were sitting at the back near to where cabin crew were discussing it.

'We landed and police came on the plane and then we were told we'd have to spend the night there. Around 200 passengers were then bussed to hotels - one of which was an hour away. The whole experience was awful.'

Another disgruntled passenger tweeted a video of the emergency services outside the plane at Lisbon, along with the caption: 'Well played easyJet letting p****d passengers on a flight that racially abuse cabin members and disrupting people's holidays to Marrakech.'

Witnesses described the passenger as being 'legless' and the plane was met by emergency services when it touched down in Lisbon

A spokesman for the airline confirmed the flight had been diverted to Lisbon and delayed overnight.

He said: 'The aircraft was met by police upon arrival.

'Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously, do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour on board and always push for prosecution. The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always easyJet's priority.

'Unfortunately easyJet had to delay the flight overnight. All affected passengers were communicated with regularly and every effort was made to minimise the impact of the delay.

'Refreshment vouchers and hotel accommodation were provided to our passengers. We would like to thank the passengers for their understanding and apologise sincerely for any inconvenience experienced.'

The flight, carrying 200 passengers, was met by emergency services when it touched down in Lisbon

As highlighted by a recent BBC Panorama documentary, the number of air passengers arrested for drunken misbehaviour on British flights or at British airports has risen by 50 per cent in the past year.

Figures obtained by Panorama from 18 out of 20 police forces with a major UK airport on their patch revealed a surge in arrests for drunken behaviour on flights or at UK airports.

There was a total of 387 in the year to February 2017, up from 255 in the period from February 2015 to 2016, according to the statistics.

A survey of 4,000 cabin crew by Unite found that one in five has been assaulted during a flight, and more than half have either experienced or witnessed verbal, sexual or physical harassment.

A House of Lords report this April recommended that restrictions on alcohol sales at airports should be applied, but the idea has been deemed too difficult to implement.

Last month newlyweds Darren and Nadia Stanway got so drunk before their honeymoon flight to Malta that concerned airline staff called the police.

Darren, 39, from Congleton in Cheshire, said he had been drinking beer and that Nadia, 34, had downed three bottles of wine in their taxi to Manchester Airport last month. Arriving too late to board their plane, the couple had a furious row and Darren was charged with public disorder.

Back in May, a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to Jamaica had to make an unscheduled landing in Bermuda after a drunken man allegedly became abusive to cabin crew.

In June, a smartphone video clip of mother-of-three Tracey Bolton, 39, straddling sous chef Shaun Edmondson, 31, on a Manchester to Ibiza Ryanair flight went viral on social media. Tracey, an ordinarily respectable cafe owner, described herself as 'mortified' by the incident and blamed 'drunken madness'.
The man behind the 'memorial rally' for the Cronulla riots will gather followers again, this time to promote the rights of straight couples.

Nick Folkes, who runs far-right group Party For Freedom, will hold a 'Straight Lives Matter' rally in Green Park near Oxford Street in Darlinghurst on Saturday.

In a manifesto posted on the event's Facebook page, Folkes claims he is representing: 'Many Australians who feel excluded from the current debate on same sex marriage'.

He claims these people have been shut out: 'Due to the militant group-think tactics used by homosexual marriage activists'.

Nick Folkes and his Party For Freedom will hold a rally called 'Straight Lives Matter' in Green Park on Saturday

The activist defended his right to hold the rally to News Corp, saying 'in most cases', being gay was 'a lifestyle people choose'.

'My neighbour has kids and he was straight but went gay,' he said.

He claimed the Yes campaign would 'attract more people to that lifestyle', and create a 'homosexual society'.

In his description of the event, which currently has 27 people confirmed as attending, Folkes rages against what he calls the 'purple haired rainbow collective' and said 'Yes' activists should focus their attention on what he sees as more pressing issues.

Folkes was behind the memorial to the 2005 Cronulla Riots, where he originally intended to bury a coffin at Cronulla Beach to symbolise the death of multiculturalism

Folkes and his followers have been posting signs which promote 'Straight Pride' throughout Sydney

'Homosexual activists should be concentrating their efforts on building public opposition to Muslim immigration in Australia to protect their community from real religious hatred, intimidation and violence,' he wrote.

'But instead the gay militia concentrates its activities on attacking white heteronormativity.'

Speaking to News Corp, Folkes also slammed the idea of there being more than two genders, referring to anyone who did not identify as male or female as a 'retard'.

'All these 76 genders. I say there's three genders: male, female and retards,' he said.

'The rest is lunacy The world's being turned upside down.'

Not only is Darlinghurst widely considered the most gay-friendly suburb in Sydney, but Green Park, where the rally will be held, is home to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Holocaust Memorial.

He says the rally will be for Australians who feel excluded from the current debate by what he calls the 'purple haired rainbow collective'

The memorial, a sculpture made of a pink triangle with black poles, was revealed in February 2001, to commemorate the persecution of homosexual men during the Holocaust.

Folkes defended his choice of space by claiming he wasn't aware of the memorial, and said yes campaigners could hold their rally in a 'straight area'.

In late 2015, Folkes attempted to hold a rally to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the Cronulla Riots.

His initial plan was to carry a coffin through the busy Cronulla Mall before burying it at the beach - his intention being that the coffin would symbolise the death and burial of multiculturalism.

After a series of court battles, he agreed to a 'Halal-free barbeque' at which he was not permitted to address the small crowd who ended up attending.

The rally was widely mocked after Folkes and his followers failed to light a spit roast which they had planned to cook a pig on.
The daughter of a Scots aid worker murdered by Islamic State was terrorised by a former boyfriend in a lengthy hate campaign.

Bethany Haines suffered six months of vile abuse at the hands of boyfriend-from-hell Andrew Murray.

The 22-year-old stalker even defaced a treasured scrap book she kept in memory of her father David, who was beheaded by IS executioner Jihadi John.

Murray was set to go on trial before a jury at Perth Sheriff Court but changed his plea at the last minute to admit carrying out a lengthy stalking campaign.

He admitted that throughout his relationship with Miss Haines, he caused her fear or alarm by subjecting her to constant controlling behaviour.

Bethany Haines, the daughter of ISIS victim David Haines, suffered a horrific ordeal at the hands of ex-boyfriend Andrew Murray (right)

Haines, 44, was killed by ISIS militants in Syria after spending more than a year as a hostage

Murray, of Perth, pleaded guilty to stalking the 20-year-old student in Coupar Angus, Perthshire, between April 1 and October 3, 2016. The court heard that he tampered with the contacts stored on Miss Haines's mobile phone so that he could pose as one of her friends.

He then duped her into having text conversations with him in which she believed she was communicating with someone else.

Murray, whose obsessive behaviour started shortly after they began dating, also secretly sent partially naked pictures of Miss Haines to a friend. A source close to the case said: 'Andrew Murray was a control freak and his contribution to this 'relationship' was completely toxic.

'After all that Bethany has been through, this would have been the last thing she needed. She must have been particularly horrified when he trashed her scrapbook. That is cruel beyond belief.'

Murray admitted repeatedly shouting and swearing at Miss Haines and instructing her to remove male friends from her Facebook account.

He punched holes in walls and doors and bombarded the mother of one with accusations that she had been unfaithful during their relationship. Murray went on wrecking sprees in her home, smashing lamps, coffee tables and photo frames. He also terrified her by threatening to hurt himself.

Bethany posted this touching tribute to her father on the anniversary of his death last week

Fiscal depute Sue Ruta told the court Murray had no previous convictions and that full details of the case would be given to the court later this week. She said: 'A very lengthy narration is anticipated, given the charge and the timescale involved in what the accused has pleaded guilty to.'

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis confirmed he would hear details of the case tomorrow. Outside court, Miss Haines declined to comment.

Last week, she posted a social media message marking the third anniversary of hearing how her father had died.

Haines was one of the victims of ISIS executioner 'Jihadi John', who was later killed in an airstrike

She wrote: 'Three years ago I was woken up with the awful news that a video of my dad's death had been released online. In those moments my whole world collapsed and even three years on it still feels the same.

'They say with time it gets easier, but it really doesn't. You just learn to deal with it.

'Taken far too soon, and it's now up to me to help stop any more families from ever feeling what I'm feeling. Love you daddy, fly high.'

Mr Haines, 44, was beheaded in September 2014.

The former RAF engineer, from Scone, Perthshire, was in Syria helping civil war victims when he was snatched by IS fanatics in Aleppo in March 2013.

Bethany has described how she turned to alcohol, drugs and self-harm to numb the torment of his abduction and the subsequent months he was held hostage.

She said: 'I began to hurt myself. I kept thinking about the torture dad went through. I wanted to feel his pain.'
A lorry driver, 44, has been arrested after a woman was knocked down and killed at a busy London junction.

The incident happened at 12.20pm yesterday on City Road, near Old Street.

Witnesses said the woman's coat got caught on the lorry and she was dragged underneath for around three feet, before the driver stopped.

Paramedics battled to save the middle-aged woman after she was hit by the heavy goods vehicle, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Metropolitan Police said they had arrested a 44-year-old man on suspicion of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs.

The incident happened at 12.20pm yesterday on City Road, near Old Street

Paramedics battled to save the middle-aged woman after she was hit by the heavy goods vehicle, but she was pronounced dead at the scene

A worker at Renaissance, a fireplaces shop directly in front of where the crash happened said: 'She got dragged underneath the lorry. She looked 50 to me. She got caught, and got dragged underneath.

'I just saw the back wheels going over her head. Her coat, whatever she was wearing, dragged her underneath.

'She was a redhead. I couldn't see her face. Obviously it was on the floor. I thought she was between 50 and 60.

'I think she got dragged about a metre. She was dead as soon as she hit the ground.

'When the ambulance arrived, they weren't even trying to resuscitate her.'

The man, who wouldn't give his name, added: 'He was driving down here. He didn't even know he had hit her.

'Someone on this side of the road going the opposite way saw it all as well. They had to drive off and get him. I didn't get a look at him. They had him straight out the van.'

He said he did not know which company the driver worked for.

He added: 'I am a bit numb really. To have it happen outside the shop. They just covered it up, and put a tent over it. I didn't see the arrest.'

A spokesman for the force said: 'Detectives from the Roads and Transport Policing Command are appealing for information following a fatal collision.

'Officers were called to City Road at the junction with Westland Place, N1.

'A lorry was reported to have been in collision with a pedestrian.

The Metropolitan Police said they had arrested a 44-year-old man on suspicion of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs

'The female pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Her next of kin have been informed.

'The 44-year-old lorry driver was subsequently arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs and drug driving.

'He has been taken to a north London police station where he is currently detained.'

Arun Malin, 24, a lettings agent at Victor Stone, said: 'There was a lady hit by a lorry, and she passed away immediately.

'She was going to work with her backpack when she got hit. The whole road was blocked from one crossing up till Moorfields Eye Hospital. There was a bunch of police cars, people standing around.

'It was blocked for a good four to five hours. There were loads of police cars and vans, and there was a tent.'

Jonathan Dupont, 41, a barista in nearby Papilles cafe, said: 'The police asked to see our CCTV but it doesn't point out to what it was.

'The road was blocked for five hours. It got back to normal and they removed the cordons about half past five.

'There was a forensic tent up there. By half one they put it to. The police and ambulance were here really quick.'

Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call detectives on 020 8991 9555 or contact via Twitter @MetCC.
Boris Johnson dramatically pulled back from the brink of resignation last night as he publicly insisted that he backed Theresa May on Brexit.

After days of prevarication, in which he hinted he could walk out as Foreign Secretary, Mr Johnson indicated he had shelved immediate thoughts of quitting.

Asked if he was going to resign, he said: No of course not, we are going to deliver a fantastic Brexit... We are a Government working together. We are a nest of singing birds.

Boris Johnson, picture in a hotel lift in new York today, insisted he is not going to resign as Foreign Secretary as he said the Cabinet is united behind the PM over Brexit like a 'nest of singing birds'

Columbia's President Juan Manuel Santos, left, shows a thumbs up and blanks Boris, right, from the handshake he attempts to initiate, as the past each other riding an escalator during the United Nations General Assembly

Theresa May, pictured at the UN headquarters in New York today, told reporters she backs Boris Johnson to stay on as Foreign Secretary despite his friends warning he could quit by the end of the week if she does not bow to his demands over Brexit

Theresa May, pictured at the UN's HQ in New York today, said 'Boris is doing good work' heading up the Foreign Office and insisted the Cabinet is united and 'focused' on delivering the best Brexit deal for Britain

His apparent climbdown came after reports that he was so unhappy about the Governments direction on Brexit that he could resign by the weekend.

Instead, sources last night confirmed that Mr Johnson would now attend the Prime Ministers set-piece speech in Florence on Friday where she is due to set out significant new thinking on her negotiating strategy.

TICK TOCK: HOW THE BORIS BREXIT ROW HAPPPENED Friday 10pm: Boris Johnson's 4,000 word essay on Brexit appears on the front page of the Daily Telegraph Saturday: 10am: No 10 sources brief the Government is united Saturday 12.05pm: Boris Johnson tweets in support of the PM Sunday 9.25am: Home Secretary Amber Rudd accuses Boris Johnson of backseat driving Sunday 2.35pm: Boris Johnson defends his article when challenges by the UK stats watchdog Monday 4pm: Theresa May arrives in Canada saying 'Boris is Boris' and playing down splits. Monday 8pm: Boris Johnson tells reporters he will look back with pride when the 'burden of office is lifted from my shoulders' Tuesday: 1pm: Boris Johnson tells reporters in a New York elevator he is not resigning Tuesday 1.17pm: Friends of Boris Johnson tell the Telegraph he will quit by the weekend if May commits to paying for access to the single market Advertisement

Mr Johnson was also due to hold peace talks with Mrs May last night in the margins of a Commonwealth reception in New York  the first time they have spoken since he published an unauthorised 4,000-word essay on Britains post-Brexit future last week.

But Government sources, who have been braced for a walkout by Mr Johnson, indicated he remained on resignation watch.

A dramatic 24 hours began on Monday night when Mr Johnson hinted he was toying at resignation, saying: When the burden of office is lifted from my shoulders I will of course look back with great pride on my time doing all sorts of things.

Speculation reached fever pitch yesterday lunchtime when a friend told the Daily Telegraph that he could not live with a deal that would see the UK shackled to the single market, like Switzerland.

However Mr Johnson, who was cornered by journalists in New York after going out for a jog, then insisted he was not about to quit, and added: Its all going very, very well.

The PMs official spokesman also insisted he did not expect the Foreign Secretary to resign this week. Hes the Foreign Secretary and the PM thinks hes doing a good job, he said.

Mrs May also backed him to stay in her Government, telling reporters that Boris is doing good work heading the Foreign Office and adding that the Cabinet has one focus over Brexit.

The Prime Minister has summoned an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet tomorrow to brief ministers on her Florence speech.

Its precise contents currently remain a carefully guarded secret. But No 10 yesterday indicated that the PM is planning a major reset of the Governments position.

Speaking in New York, where he is due to have a showdown with the Prime Minister today, he suggested he was toying with quitting

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (pictured with President Donald Trump on Monday) speculated about his future in government

Her spokesman said: Clearly this is a significant moment in terms of progress on our future relationship with Europe. Mrs May hopes to use the speech to break the deadlock in the Brexit negotiations and kickstart talks on a new trade deal.

She is expected to formally set out plans for a transitional deal with the EU, which would see the UK continue to make budget contributions to Brussels for around two years.

Boris Johnson would already have been sacked if Theresa May was not weakened after the election, Tory grandee Ken Clarke (file image) claimed today

Cabinet sources say ministers have agreed an uneasy truce on the arrangement. But divisions remain on the UKs future relationship with Europe.

Pro-Remain ministers, including Chancellor Philip Hammond and Home Secretary Amber Rudd, are pushing for a Swiss-style deal that would keep the UK shackled to the single market.

But Brexiteers, including Mr Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove, want a much looser deal focusing on trade, similar to the one enjoyed by Canada.

Relations between Mr Johnson and Mrs May remain in the deep freeze. Despite the fact the pair are staying in the same hotel in New York, they have not spoken since Mr Johnson released his essay last week, which set out a positive case for making a clean break with the EU.

The row has overshadowed the build-up to Mrs Mays pivotal speech this week.

Former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke yesterday said Mr Johnson deserved to be sacked for his essay last week  and would have been if Mrs May had been stronger.

Mr Clarke described Mr Johnsons intervention as an irrelevant nuisance. He added: Sounding off personally in this way is totally unhelpful and he shouldnt exploit the fact that (Theresa May) hasnt got a majority in Parliament.

But Eurosceptic Tories said Mr Johnson was right to make the positive case for Brexit.

BRUSSELS PLOT TO CREATE EU 'SUPER-CITIZENS' IN BRITAIN By Steve Doughty, Social Affairs Correspondent Brussels Brexit demands would create a class of EU super-citizens in the UK with greater rights than British nationals, a report says today. They would be able to bring any family members, including elderly relatives, to live with them, according to MigrationWatch UK. The think-tank warned that the Brussels proposals  discussed in the draft British immigration proposals leaked this month  could pile further pressure on the benefits system and the NHS. Even Britons in the UK do not enjoy the kind of rights proposed for EU citizens. Those wishing to bring a partner who is not an EU citizen to Britain must show they have an income of at least 18,600, under rules introduced in 2012 to protect state welfare services from abuse. MigrationWatch UK chairman Lord Green of Deddington said that the EUs proposals would drive a coach and horses through our immigration system. The think-tank said the EU citizens would be under the control of the European Court of Justice, meaning the rights of these super-citizens could be expanded further on the whim of its judges. The report said the EU demands mean potential burdens on the taxpayer which could continue for many decades. Somebody over the age of 80 typically needs healthcare worth 6,000 a year, it said. This would mean that for every 1,000 over-80s coming into Britain, the NHS would have to find 6million a year. Advertisement

Jacob Rees-Mogg said he should be given a knighthood for it, certainly not sacked.

He added: Boris Johnson is grasping the positivity of it and putting that forward to the British people in full support of Mrs May.

I dont think it is undermining her. The Foreign Secretary has responsibility for foreign affairs and as that includes our relationship with the EU it is reasonable for him to make speeches on that.

Its a really important speech and its changed the whole tone of the debate. At last were thinking about how were going to prosper outside of EU rather than this poor little Blighty approach.

LORD LAWSON SAYS IT HAS BEEN LEFT TO BORIS TO SPELL OUT BREXIT BENEFITS Lord Lawson says Boris Johnson's frustration is understandable as Theresa May has stayed silent on the benefits of Brexit (file pic) It is bizarre that it was left to Boris Johnson to remind the country of the benefits of Brexit, Nigel Lawson claimed last night. The former chancellor said public finances would be boosted and regulations cut regardless a trade deal  and Theresa May and Philip Hammond should have been highlighting the advantages of leaving the EU. The Tory peer said: It is bizarre that it has been left to a seemingly freelance operation by Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary, to explain what these benefits are. The message should have gone out long ago from both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor. It is understandable that Mr Johnson may have become frustrated by their continuing silence. In the Financial Times, Lord Lawson argued too much time and energy was being wasted on negotiations with Brussels. He wrote: Those who say that a good trade deal is in the best interests of the EU and the UK alike wholly fail to understand what the EU is about. It is not about economics at all. It is a political enterprise, dedicated to the achievement of full political union. Advertisement

Mrs May (pictured yesterday with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau) will fly back from her visit to America tomorrow tonight and then convene a special Cabinet on her speech

Mr Johnson's father suggested his son was unhappy with the Government's position on Brexit ahead of a major speech by Mrs May (pictured with Justin Trudeau on Monday)

At a joint press conference with Mrs May in Ottawa yesterday, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said he wanted a new trade deal with the EU, which comes into force this week, to continue in all but name with the UK after 2019.

The Canadian deal, known as Ceta, took seven years to negotiate.

Mr Trudeau said there was no reason for it to be interrupted by the UK's exit from the EU.

'Within the EU, the UK is the largest trading partner that Canada has,' he said.

'The UK was deeply involved throughout this negotiation toward Ceta in the past seven years. It will form the basis for the way we move forward in the post-Brexit Europe.

'We are very confident we are going to be able to continue strong trade ties and commercial relationships.'

So what it his game? As Boris sparks speculation of a leadership challenge, we look at what was behind five days of drama

Analysis by Jack Doyle

What happened: At 10pm a Boris bombshell lands in the form of a 4,000-word article for the Daily Telegraph. Striking an upbeat tone about Britains glorious prospects outside the EU, he rejects the idea of paying billions for access to the single market, makes clear his opposition to a lengthy transition and repeats the Leave campaign claim of taking back control over 350million a week.

Analysis: Why did he do it? After sticking loyally by the Prime Minister after the election, Mr Johnson has apparently become worried about Brexit going wrong and him carrying the can. He wants to inject some positivity into the Governments case and is angry that a meeting about Mrs Mays crucial Florence speech was held while he was in the Caribbean. His detractors suggest that his timing  in the aftermath of Parsons Green  is questionable.

Mr Johnson repeated his concerns about the dangers of being dragged into a long transitional deal

Saturday

What happened: Stung by criticism of his article and claims it was the prelude for a leadership challenge, Mr Johnson tweets his support for the Prime Minister. He says he is looking forward to her big speech on Friday. All behind Theresa for a glorious Brexit, he says.

Analysis: Downing Streets attempts to insist the Government is united prove futile. Mr Johnsons allies deny he is launching a leadership challenge and brief Sunday newspapers that he has support from prominent Leavers, including Michael Gove and Priti Patel.

Sunday

What happened: Home Secretary Amber Rudd slaps Mr Johnson down on the Andrew Marr show, accusing him of backseat driving. Head of the statistics watchdog Sir David Norgrove rebukes him over the 350million claim, but the Foreign Secretary accuses Sir David of distorting his words.

Analysis: Mrs Mays closest allies  Miss Rudd and First Secretary of State Damian Green  take to the airways to reassert her authority. Officials suggest the Prime Minister and her Foreign Secretary will hold peace talks in the US on Wednesday. But it is clear she cannot or will not sack Mr Johnson because doing so would shatter fragile Tory unity.

Monday

What happened: Mr Gove reportedly distances himself from Mr Johnson. An ally tells The Times: If there was a suicide pact of that nature, youd think Boris would have had the courtesy to tell us he was going to jump. Later Mr Gove tweets support for Mr Johnson amid the row over the 350million claim. Arriving in Canada, Mrs May plays down the split, saying: Boris is Boris. But Mr Johnson refuses to rule out quitting, talking of a time when the burden of office is lifted from my shoulders.

Analysis: When asked if they are going to quit, Cabinet ministers would be expected to reply with a firm no. By refusing to do so, Mr Johnson reveals he is unsure about his future. Evidence of a Cabinet split emerges when former Leave campaign director Dominic Cummings suggests Mr Johnson is concerned the UK will adopt reams of EU regulations and pay into the EUs budget after Brexit.

Yesterday

What happened: At midday a report suggests Mr Johnson could quit if Mrs May commits to the so-called Swiss model, agreeing to pay for access to the single market. But, when cornered by reporters outside a lift in New York, Mr Johnson issues a firm denial and insists the Cabinet is as united as a nest of singing birds.

Analysis: After five days in the spotlight, in which he appeared to be considering his future on an almost hourly basis, Mr Johnson steps back from the brink. But for how long? The next crunch point will be Thursday when the Cabinet will have to sign up to Mrs Mays Florence speech. If he doesnt jump then, how long before he decides Brexit isnt meeting the rhetoric of the Leave campaign and walks?
The mayor of Lampedusa has that warned his Italian island is 'collapsing' after 'threats, harassments and thefts' caused by migrants from North Africa.

The tiny island in the Mediterranean has for years been a reception centre for hundreds of thousands of migrants heading into Europe.

It became world famous for its 'welcome culture' as the several thousand locals helped Africans who landed on the island's shore after making the voyage from Libya and Tunisia.

In an open letter, Martello (pictured) said: 'Threats, harassments, thefts, Lampedusa is about to collapse'

But new mayor Salvatore Martello, who was re-elected in June, has said that Lampedusa 'has to change' its welcoming ways, according to Ansa news agency.

In an open letter, Martello said: 'Threats, harassments, thefts, Lampedusa is about to collapse.'

He said police are 'powerless' and demanded the closure of the island's 'useless' migrant centre.

The mayor also said that - 'unfortunately' - 'asking migrants to respect the same rules that apply to Lampedusans and other Italian citizens, according to some people, means being "racist".'

He also attacked migrants who had made the voyage from Africa, explaining: 'The bars are full of Tunisians who are drunk and harass women.

'I receive tens of messages from frightened tourists, hoteliers, traders and restaurateurs who suffer daily.'

He said there are '180 Tunisians in the center' who are easily 'circumventing' security rules.

More than 250,000 people have landed on Lampedusa during the migration crisis, with the vast majority heading north into mainland Europe

Giusi Nicolini - who was given the UNESCO peace prize for her 'humanity' in helping migrants - said: 'This is an attempt to restore the climate of fear that existed on Lampedusa before my election'. Pictured: Migrants on the island in 2015

Pictured: North African migrant children shortly at a detention centre on the small Italian island of Lampedusa

Lampedusa, he added, had been 'abandoned'.

Martello's predecessor, however, accused him of promoting panic and dismissed his worries as minor episodes.

Giusi Nicolini - who was given the UNESCO peace prize for her 'humanity' in helping migrants - said: 'This is an attempt to restore the climate of fear that existed on Lampedusa before my election'.

More than 250,000 people have landed on Lampedusa during the migration crisis, with the vast majority heading north into mainland Europe.

In 2013, a devastating boat sinking saw over 350 die at seat off the coast of the island.
This is the moment a man claiming to have supernatural control over crocodiles died after one of the reptiles appeared to drag the shaman under water.

The man, named Suprianto, died after the suspected crocodile attack in Kutai Kartanegara, Indonesia, despite his supposed powers.

In the shocking video, he is seen swimming into the waters to look for the body of a teenager, called Arjuna, who was attacked the previous day.

But Suprianto was dragged under mid-mantra as he was swimming and chanting while on a mission to find the boy.

Police recovered both bodies on Sunday, with Kutai Kartanegara Police Chief Fadillah Zulkarnaen telling Detik news site that Suprianto was found floating at 9.40pm.

The Shaman began chanting as he made his way through the water to locate another body

After entering the lake, he made his way further out into the water convinced he was immune from the crocodiles

Witnesses watched as he swam farther out into the lake believing he had powers to protect him from reptiles suspected of killing another man

But he was suddenly dragged under in the suspected crocodile attack and police recovered both bodies the next day

'I think he was dragged by a croc under the water and then ran out of oxygen.

'From the pictures Ive seen, his body is still intact, his arms and legs are still there.'

Arjunas corpse was also intact.

The gruesome incidents follow an attack in Kalimantan this summer, and the second one involving a shaman.

A crocodile killed a man in July after reportedly answering the shaman's call, even though he hadn't gone into the water.

And a giant python swallowed a man while in West Sulawesi, Indonesia, just four months before.
A young five-year-old boy will be allowed to wear his turban to school when he starts next year, thanks to a court's decision.

A Melbourne Christian school banned Sidhak from wearing his traditional turban, but it has been overruled by a court on Tuesday.

Sagardeep Singh Arora fought on behalf on his young son, Sidhak, believing he was denied a basic human right because the school wouldn't allow him to wear his traditional Sikh 'patka' - a turban for children.

Five-year-old Sidhak (pictured) will be allowed to wear his turban to school when he starts next year, thanks to a court's decision

Sagardeep Singh Arora (pictured left) fought on behalf on his young son believing he was denied a basic human right because the school wouldn't allow him to wear his 'patka'

A Melbourne tribunal ruled Melton Christian School unlawfully discriminated against the young boy and breached the Equal Opportunity Act, Fairfax Media reported.

Mr Arora was 'very pleased' with the decision, arguing that the school discriminated against his son because he was not allowed to showcase essential parts of his religion.

'We are very pleased that religious freedom ... is alive in Victoria,' Mr Arora reportedly said in a statement.

Melton Christian School's uniform policy was described as 'openly discriminatory' which prompted the move for schools to re-examine uniforms and potentially change the way schools set uniform policies.

However, the Christian school reportedly argued their uniform policy was a 'level playing field' which prompted equality.

Sidhak was enrolled to begin school at Melton Christian College, at the start of the year however the school's uniform policy did not accept his head covering.

'We are very pleased that religious freedom ... is alive in Victoria,' Mr Arora (pictured) reportedly said in a statement

The principal of the school David Gleeson previously said that multiple Sikh students go to the school but none are given an exception to wear the religious head covering, ABC reported.

Mr Gleeson likened the situation to a child who likes to wear a New Balance cap but is not permitted because anything additional to the uniform was not acceptable.

'I believe students should be allowed to practice their religion and should be allowed to wear their article of faith,' Mr Arora previously told ABC.

'I was very surprised in an advanced country like Australia, they are still not allowing us to wear patka in the school,' he said.

Mr Arora was reportedly happy with the decision, which was handed down on Tuesday, because it meant Sidhak could attend school with his cousins, who do not wear the turban.

Sidhak is enrolled to begin school at Melton Christian College (pictured) at the start of the year and will be attending school with his cousins




Donald Trump's top trade official last night warned Britain will have to wait to strike a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States.

Robert Lighthizer said it is 'too early to have a negotiation' because the UK is still a member of the Brussels club.

His comments are a blow for the Government and strike a very different tone to Mr Trump's earlier pledge to strike a Brexit trade deal 'very very quickly'.

And they emerged hours after Theresa May and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced they had agreed to strike a 'swift' trade deal after we leave the EU.

The pair said they would use the existing EU-Canada trade agreement, known as Ceta, as a blueprint for a 'seamless' transition to the UK's own deal.

It comes as Mrs May and the US President are expected to meet as the two leaders are both in New York at the UN General Assembly.

US trade representative ambassador Robert Lighthizer shake hands with British international trade secretary Liam Fox in the US earlier this year. Mr Lighthizer has now said the UK will have to wait for a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, warning it is 'too early' for negotiation

Speaking at an event in Washington yesterday, Mr Lighthizer outlined the US position on Brexit to an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

In comments reported in The Times, he said: 'Even when it's going to happen is not quite clear yet . . . But we have had meetings. It's too early to have a negotiation.

'They don't really have competence in that area, but it's something that's on the horizon.'

Britain cannot strike free trade deals before it has left the EU because we are still bound by the commons tariffs decided in Brussels.

But the UK has stepped up efforts to try to lay the groundwork for a series of trade deals which the UK can seamlessly strike when we quit the bloc in March 2019.

Theresa May, pictured last night with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau as the pair watched a wheelchair basketball match. She is on a global charm offensive to drum up support for post Brexit trade deals, and yesterday the pair agreed to plans for a 'swift' transition to a deal

Mrs May has been on a charm offensive to countries including Japan and Canadato drum up support for post-Brexit trade deals.

And earlier this year Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, visited Washington to hold talks with Mr Lihthizer to discuss hopes for a trade deal.

A statement put out by the US state department following the meeting in July said the pair 'committed to strengthen economic links between the UK and US, including a discussion about the possibility of laying the groundwork for a potential new trade agreement soon after Brexit'.

Speaking at the visit, Dr Fox said: ''As our largest single trading partner, we have a strong foundation to build on as we start preparation on joint work to explore a future ambitious trade agreement once the UK has left the EU.'

While Mr Lighthizer said the UK is an 'invaluable trading partner' and said he looked forward to working with Britain to 'lay the groundwork for our future trade relationship, including exploring the possibility of a new US-UK trade agreement.
North Korea has threatened the US with a 'horrible nuclear strike' and 'miserable and final ruin' after the Stalinist dictatorship was subject to further sanctions.

It comes amid high tensions on the Korean peninsula after Pyongyang carried out its sixth nuclear test and fired two missiles over Japan in the space of less than a month.

As a response, Japan today deployed an additional missile defence system on its northern island of Hokkaido while yesterday the US and South Korea held live-fire bombing drills using advanced aircraft.

But North Korea state newspaper Rodong Sinmun has claimed its nuclear programme is merely a 'deterrence' system designed for self-defence.

In a ranting diatribe, North Korea's state newspaper said that in pursuing further sanctions the US was guilty of 'shameful logic and a brigandish deed to justify its crimes against peace on the Korean Peninsula'. Pictured: Dictator Kim Jong-un

Pictured: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides the launch of a Hwasong-12 missile in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on September 16

In a ranting diatribe, the newspaper said that in pursuing further sanctions the US was guilty of 'shameful logic and a brigandish deed to justify its crimes against peace on the Korean Peninsula'.

But in a threat to the global powers opposed to the autocracy, it also said: 'It is now in full readiness to destroy the enemies' bases with its resolute and preemptive strike if they show any slight sign of provocation.

'In case the US opts for confrontation and war at last, defying the strategic position of the DPRK, nuclear power of Juche [the country's state ideology] and a world military giant, it will meet horrible nuclear strike and miserable and final ruin.'

The paper also ranted against the attempt to 'blockade to stifle' the country with UN sanctions.

It added: 'The DPRK has had access to everything and gained everything it could do despite the harshest sanctions and blockade by the hostile forces, and it is a daydream to calculate that the DPRK can be shaken to change its attitude in face of the new "sanctions".

'The enemies' reckless and ridiculous sanctions, pressure, threat and blackmail will offer an opportunity to the DPRK to bolster up its deterrence, while bring bitterer [sic] disgrace to them.'

This photo, made available by the North Korean state news, shows a test-fire of the Hwasong-14 ICBM at an undisclosed location in North Korea in July

As a response to North Korea's missile test, Japan today deployed an additional missile defence system on its northern island of Hokkaido while yesterday the US and South Korea held live-fire bombing drills using advanced aircraft (pictured)

The newspaper also said that North Korea 'towered as the most powerful nuclear weapons state despite the unprecedented difficulties and trials', adding that it 'is not afraid of any sanctions, pressure and war'.

Earlier today, Japan's defence minister Itsunori Onodera said: 'As part of measures to prepare for emergencies, we will today deploy a PAC-3 unit, explaining that it will be based at the nation's Ground Self-Defense Force in the southern tip of Hokkaido.

North Korea 'may take further provocative actions including launching ballistic missiles that would fly over Japan again in the future', Onodera added, saying that his ministry 'would take appropriate measures to protect people's safety'.

According to local officials, Japan has already deployed the PAC-3 system to another part of Hokkaido.

But defence officials declined to confirm where in Japan other systems were deployed, citing the sensitive nature of defence information.

North Korea has threatened to 'sink' Japan into the sea and said Saturday it sought military 'equilibrium' with arch-enemy the United States by developing a full nuclear arsenal.

Last Friday's missile flew over Japan and the government warned citizens to avoid touching anything that looks like debris

North Korea recently tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) that appear to bring much of the US within their maximum 10,000 kilometre range

Hawkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he would 'never tolerate' the North's 'dangerous provocative action' and has urged the international community to ramp up pressure on Pyongyang.

The UN Security Council, which condemned the launch as 'highly provocative,' will hold a new ministerial-level meeting on Thursday on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, focused on enforcing sanctions on the North Korean regime.
A boob-job surgeon who raped a client during an operation later blamed her for being 'too attractive' and said it was her fault.

The 31-year-old victim had gone to the Cosmetology and Plastic Surgery Centre in Samara, southwest Russia, to have surgery after breastfeeding her baby.

But as she lay recovering in a single room, heavily-sedated after the procedure, surgeon Yury Chernikov walked in and assaulted her.

Boob-job surgeon Yury Chernikov (pictured) raped a client during an operation and later blamed her for being 'too attractive' and said it was her fault

He then gave the horrified victim, who was unable to move or talk because of the anaesthetics, a bar of chocolate saying: 'You should blame yourself for being too attractive.'

The woman, who has not been named, later told local media: 'I was lying alone in the room. I felt a little chilly. Then he came into the room and walked over to me saying: 'Everything is ok, you are about to feel better soon'. He then raped me.'

Following his arrest, the married father-of-two admitted having sexual intercourse with the woman but denied rape, saying that she hadn't resisted.

The 31-year-old victim had gone to the Cosmetology and Plastic Surgery Centre in Samara (file picture), southwest Russia, to have surgery after breastfeeding her baby

He later changed his defence and admitted sexually assaulting the woman.

His lawyer, Vadim Safronov, told local media: 'My client admitted his guilt. He is repenting. It was a momentary impulse that he could not resist.

'He has an impressive record in medicine. He is a married man. He raised two children and his neighbours speak highly of him. He is also taking care of his ill mother-in-law.'

He now faces up to six years in jail.
The woman invited Joshua Lines (pictured), 23, to stay in her room at a halls of residence after the pair attended a party together

A university student has accused her friend of rape after an evening of drinking together led to her waking up on top of him.

The woman invited Joshua Lines, 23, to stay in her room at a halls of residence after the pair attended a party together and they fell asleep together while watching Lady and the Tramp, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Several hours later, the woman claimed she was woken up by the sound of a laptop falling off her bed and found herself on top of Lines with her pyjama bottoms pulled down while he was having sex with her.

She said as soon as she realised what was happening she got up and locked herself in her en-suite bathroom for several hours until Lines left.

Lines allegedly tried to speak to her and after getting no response, sent her a Facebook message, saying: 'What's happened' to which she replied: 'I don't want anything to do with you.'

In a statement to police, the woman, who attended Manchester University, said: 'I think my laptop fell on the floor and that is what woke me up, I was on the top of him and he was having sex with me.

'I woke up and I was in shock and I started crying, initially he froze. Josh came to the door and tried speaking to me and when I left the bathroom he had gone.

'I went home on the Saturday and whilst I was at home I didn't think about it but when I came back to Manchester it was hard. I mentioned it to a few people who said I had to do something. On the Thursday I woke up and thought I had to do something.'

Manchester Crown Court was told Lines and the woman had been friends but while he was attracted to her, she said she didn't share his feelings.

The incident occurred in November 2014 when former student Lines, from Wigan, visited the woman and they attended a house party together.

In her videoed statement, the woman, who denied being drunk, said: 'I met Josh that evening about 9pm and went and had a few drinks and went to the house party about 11pm.

Josh Lines arriving at Manchester Crown Court where he is accused of rape

The woman claimed she was woken up by the sound of a laptop falling off her bed and found herself on top of Lines with her pyjama bottoms pulled down while he was having sex with her

As soon as the woman realised what was happening, she said she got up and locked herself in her en-suite bathroom for several hours until Lines left

'We stayed for about an hour and a half and then came home to my flat and watched a film and I fell asleep whilst the film was still on.

'Before I met Josh I had a large bottle of beer and then had a pint of beer when I met him. We then went to another bar and Josh bought us a bottle of Prosecco which we shared half and half. I was a little bit drunk but okay, he told me he had drunk a bottle of wine before leaving.

'We then went to a Morrisons supermarket and bought eight bottles of beer each and took these to the party. At the party I had one of the bottles but didn't drink anymore. I remember everything that happened and I know I was not drunk.

'When we got back we decided to watch a film. I went to the bathroom and got changed and Josh was already in the bed. I put the film on and I remember before falling asleep turned me to face him and cuddled me but that was nothing unusual. I assume we fell asleep like that.

'But I woke up on top of him and he was having sex with me and I said: 'I know what you have just done,' and I went into the bath room and locked the door. Josh came to the door and said stuff to me but I couldn't hear, he then left the flat.

'He sent me a Facebook message saying: 'What's happened' to which I replied: 'I don't want anything to do with you, go back to the house party, I'm sure someone will let you crash there.'

Manchester Crown Court was told Lines and the woman had been friends but while he was attracted to her, she said she didn't share his feelings

Prosecuting, Justin Hayhoe said: 'The complainant and the defendant had known each other for some time but their relationship was platonic.

'She knew very early on that he was physically attracted to her but she didn't share that and that was communicated to him and was respected. It appeared that the defendant had accepted that they would be no more than friends.

'She trusted him, and at that time had no reason not to. She had gone to university in Manchester and she invited him to go to a party with her. He agreed and they met up that evening.

'They returned home to her university residence and she had no feeling there would be anything towards happening. There was no problem letting her friend stay and she thought she would never have her hospitality abused in the manner that it was.

The incident occurred in November 2014 when former student Lines, from Wigan visited the woman and they attended a house party together

'When she returned from the party she had changed into her pyjamas and didn't see any problem with doing this and she was of the view that he was still wearing his jeans. They were cuddling which was something not uncommon and she fell asleep.

'The two fall asleep and the next she wakes up with him raping her. She has no idea how it is she came to be in that position. She woke up initially confused and when she realised what was happening, began to cry.

'Once she realised what was happening she moved away from him and went to the bathroom and tried to contact one of her friends - unsuccessfully. She stayed in that bathroom and did not move for a number of hours.

'She thought about what had happened before making her complaint. She spoke to one of her friends and having thought about what happened she felt I was wholly inappropriate and reported it to the police.

'The defendant was arrested by police and he suggests that they had gone to the party and she had been flirting and described her as quite drunk.

'He said they went back to her flat and she suggested that he should lay on the bed.

'He said that he fell asleep and that when awoke she was on top of him. He has no idea whether they were having sex or not.

'He says when he woke up he felt sick and went outside and fell asleep outside. In his case he cannot say whether they had sexual intercourse or not.'

Lines denies raping the woman. The hearing at Manchester Crown Court continues

Under cross examination the woman was questioned how the manhandling of her body had not woken her up.

She said: 'At no point in the evening were we so drunk we were out of it or not aware of where we were.'

But defence lawyer Brian McKenna said: 'You had both consumed more alcohol than you say. You and Joshua after a night out ended up in bed together and before you went to sleep there was an element of cuddling.

'In drink did things happen which you decided you didn't want and then shouted rape?'

Lines denies rape. The hearing continues.
Two daughters of a Manchester Arena bombing victim broke down as they found out the identity of a police woman who comforted their mother as she lay dying.

Jane Tweddle, from Blackpool, had been out for dinner with her friend in the city centre before the pair went to pick up her friend's children from the concert.

The mother-of-three, who was a close family friend of former England manager Sam Allardyce, died in the blast. Her friend and her children were uninjured in the explosion.

Two of her daughters Harriet, 25, and Isabelle Taylor, 20, appeared on Lorraine this morning to reveal their desperate search to track down the policewoman who held their mother's hand following the deadly explosion.

They were shocked when they were informed ITV had found the mystery copper, called Jessica Bullough.

Lorraine Kelly told Harriet and Isabelle Taylor ITV had tracked down the mystery policewoman who had held their mother's hand when she lay dying after the Manchester bombing on May 22

Harriet, 25, and Isabelle Taylor, 20, from Blackpool, appeared on Lorraine this morning to reveal their desperate search to find the policewoman

Speaking on the show the women said it had been tough to think their mother was alone during the attack on May 22, before saying: 'And then we found out there was a young policewoman there and it gave us comfort that she wasn't alone.'

Lorraine Kelly then told the pair they had tracked down the officer in question.

She read out a letter from Ms Bullough, which said: 'To Harriet, Lily and Isabelle, I want to start by saying that I can't imagine what you girls have been going through for the past few months since the loss of your mum.

'Jane sounded like such an amazing, wonderful, fun-loving lady who would be so proud of you girls right now.

'I believe you've been trying to find me now for the past few months - I can understand that's proven difficult but now, with the help of ITV, they've been able to make contact with me.

'I've also for the last few months thought about Jane and her family with the hope of finding you and meeting you one day.

'I really hope this can be arranged soon as I would be honoured to meet you girls. Lots of love from Jessica Bullough from the British Transport Police.'

The three girls Harriet, Lily and Isabelle Taylor pictured with their mother, who was killed in the explosion at Manchester Arena

Jane Tweddle, 51, had had been out for dinner with her friend in the city centre before the pair went to get the youngsters from the concert

Two of her daughters Harriet, 25, and Isabelle Taylor, 20, appeared on Lorraine this morning

Mrs Tweddle, 51, from Blackpool, was a receptionist at South Shore Academy School in the seaside town.

She had been looking forward to going on holiday to Berlin with her three daughters the week after the Ariana Grande concert when she was killed.

Suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a device at the end of the concert, killing 22 people, including seven children, and injuring more than 100 others.

Suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, blew himself up in the attack that left 22 people dead

Speaking after their mother's death her three daughters said: 'She taught us everything we know, raised us and she was the light of our life and it'll never be as bright without her.

'She will always be with us, the three of us together are our mum and we will do our best in life to make her so proud.'

Former England manager Sam Allardyce revealed she was a close friend and he had known her husband for many years.

Mrs Tweddle had been married to Allardyce's close friend and long-time colleague Mark Taylor.

His devastated wife Lynn described her friend as a 'very lovely lady'.
Carole Peters, 60 and her husband Kim Peters, outside Central London County Court

A grandmother who was accused of being 'staggeringly drunk' when she fell down a flight of stairs at a Greek hotel has won a 30,000 legal battle.

Carole Peters, 60, suffered head wounds and fractured her arm when she tripped while walking down a staircase at Hotel Iliada in Perivolos, Santorini.

The hotel said the pensioner, from Torbay in Devon, was a 'party animal' who wore 'silly shoes' that caused the fall.

However, a judge at Central London County Court rejected the 'aggressive' claims and ordered travel agent TUI to award her 33,750 in damages.

During the hearing, the hotel's management pointed out that 30 of Mrs Peters' holiday photos showed her 'in circumstances where alcohol was being consumed'.

Her husband, Kim Peters, had also been photographed wearing a t-shirt, with the logo 'Beer Disposal Team'.

But Judge Howlett described her as a 'steady and clear witness', and accepted that 'neither she nor her husband had drunk any alcohol that evening.'

The couple were on a two-week TUI package holiday when accident took place in June 2011.

They had enjoyed a relaxing meal with friends at the Hotel Iliada when Mrs Peters fell down a flight of steps leading to a pool.

On top of her physical injuries, the court heard she suffered a 'severe psychological reaction', including post traumatic stress disorder.

The grandmother had no memory of the fall, but vehemently denied that she 'tripped over her silly shoes' and was 'the worse for wear' at the time.

Three friends of the hotel's bosses backed up their accusations in court, one of them describing Mrs Peters and her party 'staggering around'.

They were 'aggressive in their determination to portray Mrs Peters as not only drunk, but as someone who was very drunk indeed,' said the judge.

Carole Peters, 60, suffered head wounds and fractured her arm when she tripped while walking down a staircase at Hotel Iliada in Perivolos, Santorini

But he ruled: 'Mrs Peters was not drunk. By that I mean that her ability to walk safely and to descend a staircase was not in any way impeded by alcohol.'

She and her husband faced a long drive home the following day and 'had not drunk any alcohol at all that evening', he added.

'As to the many witnesses who said that Mrs Peters was drunk, in the end I find that their accounts lack credibility.'

Also rejecting claims that Mrs Peters had on unsuitable, heeled, shoes, the judge said: 'She was wearing sensible flat-soled sandals.'

The judge found that she bore 25 per cent responsibility for the accident because she was 'not paying proper attention to where she was putting her feet.'

But the main cause of her fall was that, in breach of legal safety rules, there was no hand rail on the right hand side of the steps.

Had a rail been in place, 'Mrs Peters would not have fallen off the staircase and so would not have sustained the injuries,' the judge ruled.
Militant unions will face the full force of the law if they press ahead with plans for illegal strikes, Theresa May warned last night.

The Prime Minister said ministers were prepared to use new legal powers against Britains biggest unions if they follow through on threats to stage illegal strikes this winter.

But she urged union barons to look to their consciences and consider the impact on ordinary families of their plans for mass walkouts and disruption.

Speaking to reporters while travelling to Canada yesterday, Mrs May said: 'The Government will take whatever action is necessary.

Theresa May, pictured with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at a wheelchair basketball game in Ottawa last night, warned that militant trade unions will feel the 'full force of the law' if they press ahead with their threats to hold illegal strikes

Theresa May, pictured last might at a wheelchair basketball match in Ottawa , said minsters are prepared to use new legal powers against Britain's biggest unions

She said: 'I am concerned about this.

'Frankly, those unions concerned need to think again, not only because if strikes are illegal they shouldnt be undertaking them.

'But also, Im concerned at the impact such illegal strikes would have on members of the public because its members of the public who are prevented from getting to work, who are prevented from having access to public services like schools and hospitals.

You know, its people who suffer from strikes. And illegal strikes, by definition of being illegal, should not be held.

Asked if the unions would face the full force of the law if they carried out their threats, the Prime Minister said: The Government will take whatever action is necessary.

But she added: The first message must be to the trade unions that they should act properly and legally and they should think of the members of the public whose lives will be disrupted and affected by any illegal strikes that take place.

Mrs Mays intervention follows strident warnings from leading unions that they will push ahead with a wave of damaging strikes this winter even if they are unable to meet new turnout thresholds enshrined in law.

The new law require unions to get a 50 per cent turnout in strike ballots. The Unite union, Britains largest, removed the requirement to act within the law from its constitution after the new measure was passed.

Len McCluskey, Unites hard-left leader, last week compared breaking strike law to the actions of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi in opposing apartheid and the Raj.

Unite's far-left leader Len McCluskey sparked iutrrage when he compared breaking the law over strikes with the actions of Nelson Mandela in opposing apartheid in South Africa

A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn - pictured at a memorial service for the Battle of Britain in Westminster at the weekend - has refused to condemn the threat of illegal strikes

He suggested unions had a duty to defy a legal requirement for strike action to be approved by a ballot of more than 50 per cent, saying the threshold was artificial.

The PCS union, which represents civil servants, and the GMB also refused to rule out unlawful action if they could not achieve the necessary turnout.

Unions are trying to pile pressure on Mrs May to back down over public sector pay.

The PM has already indicated the one per cent cap on public sector workers will be lifted next year.

'But union bosses are now demanding a five per cent pay rise for more than five million workers  a call that is certain to be resisted by Chancellor Philip Hammond.

Labours leadership has refused to distance itself from the call for illegal strikes.

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon has refused to say whether the party would back law-breaking by militants, as has a spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn.

Labours shadow education minister Tracy Brabin went further, saying Mr McCluskey was probably right.

Some Tories are now urging Mrs May to go further by tightening strike laws. The Tory manifesto proposed a new requirement to provide a minmum service level in key services like transport and health.

But Mrs May suggested this was not a current priority, saying; We have made a number of changes, including in recent years, to trade union legislation on strikes.

But I think the responsibility here is on trade unions to act properly and not get involved in illegal strikes.
An elementary school teacher has been suspended after setting homework asking young students to justify the actions of the Klu Klux Klan.

Screenshots of the assignment, given to pupils at Oak Pointe Elementary School in Irmo, South Carolina, were shared on Facebook by a child's outraged uncle.

Tremain Cooper, who said his nephew was given this assignment by his fifth-grade teacher - claimed to be one Kerri Roberts - highlighted the work that asked them to consider the KKK's purpose and motivation.

An elementary school teacher has been placed on administrative leave after setting homework asking young students to justify the actions of the Klu Klux Klan

The questions said: 'You are there...You are a member of the KKK. Why do you think your treatment of African Americans is justified?'

Another question read: 'You are there...You are a freedman. Are you satisfied with your new life? Why or why not?'

Mr Cooper posted on Facebook in disgust, asking how the school could justify such an insensitive assignment.

Tremain Cooper, who said his nephew was given this assignment by his fifth-grade teacher - claimed to be one Kerri Roberts - highlighted the work that asked them to consider the KKK's purpose and motivation

'How can she [the teacher] ask a 5th grader to justify the actions of the KKK,' Cooper wrote.

Katrina Goggins, the director of communications for Lexington-Richland School District 5, said that the teacher has been placed on administrative leave during the investigation.

A statement from the school's district spokesperson said: 'School District Five is taking this matter very seriously. We took immediate action to investigate once the concerns over the assignment were brought to our attention, and the teacher has been placed on administrative leave as part of our standard personnel investigation 'procedures.

Katrina Goggins, the director of communications for Lexington-Richland School District 5, said that the teacher has been placed on administrative leave during the investigation

We have been in communication and will continue to be in communication with families to let them know our actions and next steps. South Carolina standards for 5th grade require lessons on Reconstruction and discriminatory groups including the KKK.

'We must teach the standard, but we are taking steps to ensure this particular assignment will never be used again in District Five schools.

'We understand the seriousness of this matter particularly in light of the events taking place in our country at this time. We want to ensure that our students, parents, staff and community know that we are giving this matter our full attention.
Two people are reported to have been seriously hurt after a helicopter accidentally fired on bystanders during Russian military exercises.

Horrifying video footage shows what appears to be two rockets being fired from an attack helicopter before exploding just feet away from three people and parked cars.

The person who recorded the footage seems to have been interested in capturing a fly-by - but panic spreads and he or she flees as mud and smoke fly into the air after the explosions.

It has been reported on Russian website 66.ru that the missiles 'blasted off on their own'.

The site added: 'At least two cars burned down, two people were seriously injured, they are now hospitalized.

The person who recorded the footage seems to have been interested in capturing a fly-by - but panic spreads and he or she flees as mud and smoke fly into the air after the explosions

The detonation can be clearly seen in this still from the video. A man is standing just feet away

The missiles can be seen being launched from inside the helicopter in a separate video

After they are fired and hit their target, the helicopter can be seen dramatically pulling up - as though noticing the gravity of the error

It is being reported in Russia that the victims are most likely journalists

A huge cloud of smoke and dust is left after the air-to-surface missiles are fired into the ground

The person recording the video then flees the scene in panic

'The victims were most likely journalists.'

It comes as Russia hosts its biggest war games in years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin watched through a pair of binoculars as his forces successfully repelled an imaginary enemy and launched a tank-led counter-offensive yesterday.

NATO officials say they are monitoring the Zapad-2017 (West-2017) event with 'calm and confidence',

Despite claims from Russia that the exercise is rehearsing a purely defensive scenario, many are unnerved about what they see as Moscow testing its ability to wage war against the West.

Russian military helicopters fire during the military exercise at a training ground at the Luzhsky Range. It is unclear if these helicopters were the same ones seen in the shocking video

Russia's Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, President Vladimir Putin and Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov attend the main stage of Zapad 2017

Putin, commander-in-chief of Russia's armed forces, sat in a command centre flanked by his defence minister and the chief of his General Staff, and used binoculars to peer through a cold drizzle at the simulated conflict unfolding before his eyes.

The Russian leader has appeared at similar events in the past, sometimes donning a military uniform, and uses them to bolster his image among Russians as a robust defender of the country's interests on the world stage.

This time, the 64-year-old president, who is widely expected to run for re-election in March, wore a dark suit and looked relaxed as the firing range in front of him, in the Leningrad region, was briefly transformed into a war zone.

Tracer bullets lit up the murky skyline, battle tanks churned across muddy terrain, shells exploded, helicopters fired missiles, planes roared overhead and hundreds of paratroopers and armoured vehicles were dropped from the skies.

The paratroopers, inserted behind the lines of their imaginary enemy, then waged war against what the defence ministry called 'illegal armed formations.'

Missiles are fired into the air. Many are unnerved about what they see as Moscow testing its ability to wage war against the West

Russian air force planes fly over the simulated battlefield during the training exercise

The over-arching Zapad war games, which began on Sept. 14 and run to Sept. 20, are taking place in western Russia, Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad, and Belarus, a Russian ally which borders Ukraine as well as NATO member states Poland, Latvia and Lithuania.

Moscow says almost 13,000 Russian and Belarussian service personnel are taking part, as well as around 70 planes and helicopters. It says almost 700 pieces of military hardware are being deployed, including almost 250 tanks, 10 ships and various artillery and rocket systems.

NATO officials have said they believe the exercises involve more troops than Moscow has disclosed, however, and have complained about what they say is the lack of transparency about the exercise, an allegation Russia rejects.

Tanks roll across the muddy terrain during the military exercise, which Russia claims is merely for defensive purposes

Paratroopers inserted behind the lines of their imaginary enemy waged war against what the defence ministry called 'illegal armed formations'

As part of the same drills, Russia on Monday said it had successfully test fired a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, hitting a target at a firing range in Kazakhstan about 480 km (300 miles) away.

Moscow says it is the West that threatens stability in eastern Europe because NATO has put a 4,000-strong multinational force in the Baltics and Poland, while the U.S. Army has deployed 600 paratroopers to the Baltics during Zapad.

As a precaution, the United States has also temporarily taken over guardianship of the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which lack capable air forces and air defence systems.
The death toll of the Grenfell Tower fire was inflated by fraudsters falsely claiming their relatives had been killed, it was revealed yesterday.

Police are investigating eight fraud claims linked to the tragedy at the west London tower block in June.

There were thought to have been at least 80 deaths  but detectives said that some of the missing had since been traced, while others had been found to be false claims.

Scotland Yard is investigating eight cases of fraud involving people who claimed money and four possible thefts from flats following the Grenfell Tower inferno earlier this year

The fraud cases involve people who claimed either that family members had been killed in the blaze, or that they had lived in the tower themselves and lost their homes and possessions.

Two people have been charged and a third remains on bail.

Detectives would not say how many people were falsely reported missing, but they said fraudulent claims 'have had an impact' on the number of people feared dead, which they now believe is less than 80.

Police are also examining four reports of thefts from flats on the lower floors, which were not destroyed by fire.

Officers are still searching the tower for human remains and have used fragments of teeth and bone to identify 60 victims so far.

But they warned the search could last until the New Year  meaning the true death toll will not be known for months.

Javid: It would not have happened in a luxury block Sajid Javid Sajid Javid last night claimed the Grenfell fire would never have happened in a luxury block of flats and demanded a fundamental rethink of social housing in the wake of the tragedy. The Communities Secretary accused 'The Establishment' of neglecting social housing, adding: 'The tragic events of 14 June showed exactly where that attitude can lead.' In a speech at the National Housing Federation conference in Birmingham, Mr Javid spoke of his own upbringing as he argued 'people are judged on where they live'. He said: 'I grew up on Stapleton Road in Bristol  also known as 'Britain's most dangerous street' or a 'moral cesspit'. 'I remember my school careers adviser telling me that there was no point in aiming high because kids from my neck of the woods didn't take A-levels or go to university. 'Society had low expectations of us, and we were expected to live down to them. 'That's just my experience, it's just one person's story, but if the Grenfell tragedy showed us anything, it was the extent to which these attitudes have spread and become deeply ingrained in the way this country thinks and it acts.' Mr Javid announced the Government will bring forward a green paper on social housing, which he promised would be a 'top-to-bottom' review of the issues facing the sector '. He added: 'While I don't want to prejudge the findings of the public or police inquiries, it's clear that in the months and years before the fire the residents of Grenfell Tower were not listened to  that their concerns were ignored or dismissed, that too many people in positions of power saw tenants less as people with families and more as problems that needed to be managed. 'The question I keep coming back to is very simple: In one of the richest, most privileged corners of the UK, the world, even, would a fire like this have happened in a privately owned block of luxury flats? 'If you believe that the answer is no, even if you think it was simply less likely, then it's clear that we need a fundamental rethink of social housing in this country. 'The legacy of Grenfell, the lessons that we learn, the changes that we make, none of that should be confined to fire safety. 'The legacy of Grenfell can and must be a whole new approach to the way this country thinks about social housing.' The Communities Secretary later tweeted: 'Our social housing green paper will be the most substantial review of its kind for a generation.' Advertisement

The latest victim to be identified was named yesterday as Mehdi El-Wahabi, eight, who died with several members of his family in their 21st-floor flat.

His parents and elder brother Yasin, 20, have been confirmed among the dead while his sister Nurhouda, 15, remains missing but presumed dead.

Mehdi's father Abdul Aziz El-Wahabi, 52, spoke to relatives from inside the burning building.

At the time, his sister Hana said: 'He said he had been told to stay inside, stay in one room together and put towels under the door. I told him to leave.

'He said he was going to come. Then I called him and he said there was too much smoke.'

Yvette Williams, campaign co-ordinator of the Justice4Grenfell group, said: 'We're hoping there will be convictions and individuals will take responsibility of what has happened and, if convicted, they will face prison sentences.' Pictured are Justice4Grenfell supporters during a silent march

The response of the emergency services is under scrutiny from the public inquiry into the fire, as well as from the criminal investigation. Detective Chief Inspector Matt Bonner said concerns about the conduct of the emergency services had been raised by families of the victims, some of whom were told to wait in their flats to be rescued.

Police are also examining 31million documents from 336 companies and organisations linked to the tower, including firms involved in its construction and refurbishment, when controversial flammable cladding was fitted.

Detectives have said there are 'reasonable grounds' to suspect the tower's owner Kensington and Chelsea council and its management firm may have committed corporate manslaughter.

Today, the Metropolitan Police confirmed eight-year-old Mehdi El-Wahabi had died in the fire

Mr Bonner said he would consider whether individuals should face manslaughter charges, but warned any potential arrests could be months away.

Police identified 2,400 potential witnesses and have seized 2,500 pieces of evidence, including CCTV footage from inside the tower.

The investigation is the biggest operation undertaken by Scotland Yard apart from counter-terrorism.

Residents were recently allowed back inside their homes to collect possessions and reported some items had been taken, while one householder told police a large sum of money  understood to be hundreds of pounds  was missing.

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said police were investigating whether the thefts could have been carried out by intruders, or by those authorised to be inside the shell of the tower, including police, scientists and contractors.

She said round-the-clock security at the tower had been increased but apologised to families about the thefts, adding: 'I can't explain to you the devastation that every police officer feels about that.'

Commander Stuart Cundy said the death toll 'may come down a little bit' but warned it was unlikely to fall dramatically.

Commander Stuart Cundy said the number of fatalities from the fire 'may come down a little bit' due to the recoveries made from the tower, the number of identifications made and video evidence from the night
A 17-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a British headteacher who vanished while kayaking in the Amazon.

The Foreign Office Former has confirmed the death of Emma Kelty, 43, who was last heard of about 150 miles west of the Brazilian city of Manaus, in an area notorious for its pirate attacks and drug traffickers.

Kelty, who lived in Finchley in London before heading to South America, was 42 days into a 4,000-mile trip from the Amazon's source to the Atlantic Ocean and had previously reported seeing 'men with rifles and arrows'.

Her abandoned kayak and belongings were found on the same sandbank where a chief police officer disappeared after a confrontation with a drugs gang last year.

Kelty, who lived in Finchley in London before heading to South America, was 42 days into a 4,000-mile trip along the Amazon river from its source to the Atlantic Ocean Pictured: Kelty in July

Abandoned on the sandy banks of a Brazilian river, this is Kelty's kayak. She is feared to have been snatched by pirates

The 43-year-old vanished while attempting to paddle alone more than 4,000 miles along the entire length of the river

Kelty, who was navigating the river alone, activated an emergency locator on Wednesday between the towns of Codajas and Coari

But posting on Facebook days before she disappeared, Kelty had joked about the dangerous stretch of river she was entering.

In a message written on September 10, she wrote: 'So in or near Coari (100km away) I will have my boat stolen and I will be killed too. Nice.'

But despite her writing two days later that she was 'in the clear', Brazilian police have said she was in fact just about to enter the most dangerous part of the river.

Local police chief Ivo Martins said: 'It is a trafficking route, but we're not necessarily linking the case with drugs trafficking.

Her abandoned kayak and belongings were found on the same sandbank where a chief police officer disappeared after a confrontation with a drugs gang last year

Kelty posted a picture of her tent on September 10, just days before she triggered her emergency locator device and went missing

'It's possible that she might have been snatched. It's possible that she might have got lost too. We always believe that she might be well, alive, and we will work to find her.'

In December last year civil police chief Thyago Garcez disappeared in almost exactly the same remote stretch of the Solimoes river, after he and other policemen got into a firefight with drugs traffickers. His body has never been found.

And last month a boat, supposedly navigated by traffickers transporting drugs from Peru, was attacked by pirates who robbed the cargo after an intense gunfight in the same spot, according to reports.

Kelty was recording her journey online and was also using a GPS system so her loved ones could follow her progress.

It is thought that she had stopped to pitch her tent near the river on Wednesday night when she activated a distress signal.

She was close to Lauro Sodre, which is between the remote settlements of Coari and Codajas.

After she pushed the button, the Brazilian navy has sent out search and rescue teams, including a helicopter and boats.

Her final tweet - on Wednesday - read: 'At 1am such a dramatic change in one day.... but such is the river .... every Km is different and just because 1 area is bad doesn't mean '

Earlier in the day, she wrote: 'Finished the day yesterday meeting three lovely locals and 2 kittens that slept next to my tent for the night (well until that played chase'

And on Tuesday, she had tweeted: 'Turned corner and found 50 guys in motor boats with arrows!!! My face mist hve been a picture!! (Town was uber quiet... too quiet!!) all go'



Martins, the policeman leading the investigation, added: 'We have already taken some of the items found on her canoe to forensics, such as clothes, some cigarette stubs and some shoes.

She was kayaking alone along the Solimoes section of the Amazon (pictured) in Brazil's northern jungle state of Amazonas

'We are awaiting the arrival of her canoe to look for more clues.

'Some local river people near where her canoe was found say they saw a woman rowing down the river, but they didn't know which direction she was going.

'Is it possible she fell in the river? It's possible. Is it possible that she's still alive? Yes, it's possible.

'We need to advance the investigations to find out what she was doing here, and her last steps before she disappeared.

'We cannot rule out that she was a victim of a criminal offence, or that she simply got lost. We are working with all the hypotheses.'

A blogger from the area said locals feared Kelty had been kidnapped.

William Nascimento added: 'It is crazy that this woman decided to row along the river on her own, even stopping to pitch her tent. No-one who knows this part of the river and the pirates would even think about doing that.'

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said assistance is being provided to the family of a British woman missing in Brazil.
Thick fog has caused mayhem for commuters this morning as more than 100 flights were cancelled delayed and drivers were urged to stay off the roads.

Manchester and Liverpool airports are experiencing major disruption to their services due to the weather, with cancellations and delays of up to four hours.

Two Ryanair flights, from Dublin and Malta, were forced to land at East Midlands Airport due to the fog in the North West and passengers were taken to Manchester and Liverpool in buses.

Thick fog has caused mayhem for commuters this morning as more than 100 flights were cancelled delayed and drivers were urged to stay off the roads. Pictured is Manchester Airport

Manchester and Liverpool airports are experiencing huge disruption to their services due to the weather, with cancellations and delays of up to four hours

Around 90 flights due to leave from Manchester (pictured, air traffic control) were delayed, with the longest being a four-hour delay on a service to Edinburgh

Around 90 flights due to leave from Manchester were delayed, with the longest being a four-hour delay on a service to Edinburgh.

At Liverpool's John Lennon Airport, seven departures were disrupted and a flight to Belfast was cancelled.

Passengers described having to sit in planes for hours on the runway as they waited for the flights to take off.

A spokesman for Manchester Airport told MailOnline: 'We had had disruption since 5.55am today, but it is starting to lift now and we are opening our second runway.

'There have been quite a few flights delayed, with an average delay of around 20 minutes. A few Flybe and Loganair flights were cancelled this morning.'

Passengers took to Twitter to complain about the disruption.

Nigel Campbell wrote: 'Love getting up at 6am for an 8:45am flight and then still be sitting on the runway at 10:15am #Fog.'

Martin Paton said: 'It's ok I spent two hours sat on a plane waiting to take off in thick fog. That said the flight took less time than King St to Central does.'

And Jason Carty posted: 'My flight to Liverpool has landed an hour late. And it's landed in the East Midlands. Fog, apparently. RyanAir (sic), you've done it again!'

Hazardous fog also caused disruption on the M60 in Manchester, as low visibility slowed down traffic at rush hour

A man cycles through a blanket of thick fog during rush hour in Liverpool city centre today

Meanwhile, motorists in Coventry and Warwickshire were warned to stay off the roads after the region woke up to a thick blanket of fog, reducing visibility to less than 100 yards.

A crash also forced the closure of three lanes on the M6 at Junction 10 for Walsall.

Hazardous fog also caused disruption on the M60 in Manchester, as low visibility slowed down traffic at rush hour.
A single 44-year-old mother has been accused of bribing teenagers with alcohol and cigarettes to use them for Centrelink payments.

Leisa Atkinson was engaged to Andrew, 17, and his mother Suzy claims the single mother used his disability pension, however Ms Atkinson denies the accusations.

Ms Atkinson met Andrew when he was 17-years-old according to mother Suzy and his sister, Aleah, she supplied him with an attractive lifestyle of all night parties, cigarettes, alcohol and computer games, A Current Affair reported.

Scroll down for video

Leisa Atkinson (pictured) has been accused of bribing teenagers with alcohol and cigarettes to use them for Centrelink payments

Ms Atkinson (pictured centre) was reportedly engaged to a boy half her age, Andrew, 17

The teenager's mother claims Ms Atkinson (pictured centre) used him for his disability pension

'We didn't allow smoking when she set the trap, so I think that's where he basically fell into it,' Suzy told the program.

'It's all about the money and it always has been.'

Suzy and Aleah say Andrew, who is on a disability pension, became hateful towards his own family and after he moved in with Ms Atkinson, and claimed she controlled all his money.

However, when confronted by A Current Affair, the 44-year-old said Andrew was 'legal' when they first met and said she didn't claim any Centrelink payments from Andrew or the other teenagers living under her roof, except for her own.

One mother shared a post to Facebook saying she was at her 'wits end' over Ms Atkinson buying her 15-year-old son cigarettes and fast food, building a friendship with him before encouraging him to leave home.

'We found this scum bag to have seven teenagers all living with her and she was claiming Centrelink for all of them,' the post read.

'We didn't allow smoking when she set the trap, so I think that's where he basically fell into it,' Andrew's mother Suzy (right) told A Current Affair

When confronted by the program, Ms Atkinson said Andrew was 'legal' when they first met and denied any accusations of using other people's Centrelink payments

However other parents have rallied against Ms Atkinson saying she manipulates their children

A worried mother shared messages between Ms Atkinson and her 15-year-old son (pictured) discussing buying cigarettes where the 44-year-old soon encouraged him to leave home

'The living conditions were utter filth ... they got kicked out of numerous places and would move from local hotel to hotel never paying,' the mother wrote.

The worried mother claims her 15-year-old son lived with Ms Atkinson for months, until she saw her son at the local shops and was able to encourage him to come home.

'She tried everything she could to get him back. Telling him she would buy him a new motorbike or get him as much alcohol as he wanted,' the post read.

Wanting to warn other parents over Ms Atkinson, the concerned mother shared a conversation about buying tobacco between her 15-year-old son and the woman, which has been shared more than one thousand times.

The worried mother claims her 15-year-old son lived with Ms Atkinson for months, until she saw her son at the local shops and was able to encourage him to come home

'She tried everything she could to get him back. Telling him she would buy him a new motorbike or get him as much alcohol as he wanted,' the worried mother wrote on Facebook

'Ok well hope u (sic) dont (sic) and u (sic) keeping well, we all miss u (sic),' a message from Ms Atkinson told the 15-year-old boy said.

'So u (sic) got yourself a new girlfreind (sic) mate,' Ms Atkinson wrote.

The 15-year-old boy replied 'no' before Ms Atkinson responded saying she thought he 'got with' another girl.

The 44-year-old woman later tried calling the boy before he sent her a message saying his mother had gone to police and got a restraining order against her.

Ms Atkinson said she would 'deal with it when it happens'.

A 16-year-old girl told A Current Affair she used to stay at Ms Atkinson's house with her ex-boyfriend, however the 44-year-old tried claiming her Centrelink payments without her knowing.

When approached by the program, Ms Atkinson said the teenagers were all 'well looked after', admitting she bought them cigarettes but insisted she was not destroying families or using anyone else's Centrelink benefits.


Adrian Beaumont, 46, from Bristol, died at the scene of the tragic collision on the M5 at South Gloucestershire

A father-of-two who died in a horror crash on the M5 has been pictured for the first time.

Adrian Beaumont, 46, from Bristol, died at the scene of the tragic motorway collision in South Gloucestershire, on Saturday.

Mr Beaumont was driving a Seat Leon, with his 42-year-old partner and their two children, aged 12 and 10, when he crashed.

His partner is fighting for her life in hospital while his children remain in a stable condition.

A Royal Marine, who pulled the family from the wreckage, described the scenes as 'harrowing'.

Alex Morgan, 27, rescued the two young children trapped by their seatbelts inside the burning vehicle, which had flipped and rolled halfway down a bank.

He leapt straight out of his car, driven by his girlfriend Hayley O'Connor, after seeing a 'dark' vehicle lying upside down on the motorway.

Mr Morgan said: 'For me, instinct just kicked in straightaway.

'For work you get a bit of experience and training in first aid, but this was by far the worst road traffic collision that I have seen in this country.

'It was harrowing. I've seen some dark things during my time, but you never expect to see something like this in the UK.'

He added: 'The children in the back seat were in floods of tears. They were clearly very scared about what was happening.'

Adrian Beaumont, 46, from Bristol, died at the scene of the tragic collision on the motorway at South Gloucestershire on Saturday (pictured)

After pulling the youngsters from the wreckage, Mr Morgan decided to escort them away from the crash via the boot so that they couldn't see their parents condition.

He said: 'I couldn't put a figure on how old they are, but they were certainly young children. I would say that the girl was ten-ish, and the lad about 11.

'We took the decision to get them out of the car straight away, so that they could get some treatment, and to calm them down.

'Because of the condition that their parents were in, I decided to take them out in such a way that they couldn't see the front of the car - by the boot, effectively.'

Police forensics officers sift through the wreckage of the horror crash on the M5

'The front of the car was on fire, and we had to go and get some fire extinguishers from a nearby caravan to put them out.

'The woman looked to be unresponsive, but when I checked her pulse she clearly had one.

'I could tell straightaway that the dad was dead. Me and some other helpers looked for a pulse, but you could just tell by the way that he his body was contorted that he was gone.

'The woman kept on moving in and out of consciousness, and because the car kept lighting up again, we had to get her out of there, which we did.

'She was bleeding from her nose, and looked to be in a really really bad way. I'm still very concerned for her now.'




A schoolgirl who was left for dead during the axe massacre of her family is refusing to give evidence in defence of her brother on trial for the shocking bloodbath.

Marli van Breda had her jugular vein slashed and suffered five axe blows to the head in the frenzied murder of her parents and older brother, for which brother Henri stands accused.

The 19 year-old student remembers nothing about the barbaric slaughter, in January 2015, and was not called as a prosecution witness at the triple murder trial of Henri.

The 19 year-old student remembers nothing about the barbaric slaughter, in January 2015, and was not called as a prosecution witness at the triple murder trial of Henri

Marli van Breda had her jugular vein slashed and suffered five axe blows to the head in the frenzied murder of her parents and older brother, for which brother Henri (pictured middle) stands accused

Although the state has now made its uncalled witnesses available to the defence team, Marli is refusing to testify on behalf of her brother, the court was told.

Henri van Breda, 22, claims he watched helpless through a crack in a bathroom door as a silhouetted masked man wielding an axe murdered his loved ones, one by one - laughing as he cut them down - in the early hours of the morning, at their luxury home in the winelands of South Africa. If acquitted, he stands to share his family's 12million fortune with Marli.

As she wrapped up the state's case against Van Breda, prosecutor Susan Galloway yesterday told the Western Cape High Court that she was making available to the defence all the witnesses she did not call to testy 'except for Marli van Breda'.

'This is because Marli has no memory and cannot contribute to the events that night and more importantly because Marli has requested that she not be made available to the court,' she said.

The siblings, who were the only survivors of the bloodshed that claimed the lives of parents Martin and Teresa, and brother, Rudi, have had little contact since the killings (Henri pictured in court)

The siblings, who were the only survivors of the bloodshed that claimed the lives of parents Martin and Teresa, and brother, Rudi, have had little contact since the killings.

Marli sustained five gashes to her head and another to her neck, almost slicing off her ear, in the sustained onslaught which left her in a coma for weeks.

Van Breda was left with only minor cuts at the hands of the masked intruder, wielding an axe and a knife, whom he claims to have single-handedly fought off and chased from the family home on the exclusive De Zalze security estate, an hour outside Cape Town.

The first paramedic on the scene Christiaan Koegelenberg told the court how the blood of the butchered family had flowed down the staircase 'like a waterfall' when the severely injured Marli was moved from where she lay near her slain mother.

Although the state has now made its uncalled witnesses available to the defence team, Marli (front left) is refusing to testify on behalf of her brother, the court was told

The state's final witness, a police expert on blood patterns, Captain Marius Joubert said the evidence at the crime scene contradicted Van Breda's vivid account of the murders, which he gave to the court in a statement at the start of his trial.

Captain Joubert told the court his 'conclusion that the evidence does not support the actions and events described in Henri's statement.'

He said the blood of his brother and father, which was soaked into the alleged killer's clothes, put him next to the victims at the time they were set upon.

'The bloodstains observed and documented on Henri van Breda's grey shorts and white socks place Henri in close proximity when force was applied and blood came out,' the court was told.

Stains and trails of blood in the shower and bathroom  areas that Van Bredi did not claim the intruder accessed  also indicated that a murder weapon had been cleaned or washed (Henri pictured)

Stains and trails of blood in the shower and bathroom  areas that Van Bredi did not claim the intruder accessed  also indicated that a murder weapon had been cleaned or washed.

Crime scene pictures of the slaughtered family, who had recently moved back to South Africa from Australia, were ruled too graphic to be shared in open court.

During weeks of prosecution evidence, the court has heard how the former physics student waited more than four hours before raising the alarm after chasing the killer from the property, despite hearing Rudi's desperately fighting for breath and seeing Marli twitching and bleeding heavily from her head.

He claimed he had blacked out from a head injury after falling while chasing the intruder, who had an accomplice, and then, when he came round, did not know how to raise the alarm, despite there being a list of emergency numbers stuck to the family fridge. A recording of his belated call to the emergency services operator was played in court in which Van Breda sounded unflustered and calm, despite the scene of carnage that surrounded him.

The former physics student, who is on bail, is expected to be called to give evidence in his own defence when his legal team launch their own case next month.
Gordon Ramsay is continuing to expand his Cornish property empire after spending almost 2 million on a former bank.

The TV chef now owns three properties in the county, with two on the north coast and one on the south.

His latest purchase is a former LLoyds bank in ultra-desirable Fowey, which takes his spending to more than 10 million.

Gordon Ramsay and his wife Tana walk by the the former Lloyds bank building in Fowey, Cornwall

Lloyds closed the branch in 2015 and sold the Grade II listed property last year for 785,000

Lloyds closed the branch in 2015 and sold the Grade II listed property last year for 785,000.

Planning permission has been granted to convert it into a commercial property with two-storey maisonette.

Land Registry records show Ramsay has just paid 1.96 million for the building, which is located on a narrow street in the middle of Fowey.

The property backs onto the Cornish towns stunning estuary, a picturesque expanse littered with fishing and sailing boats.

Cornwall Councils planning portal also shows that enquiries have been made about having it transformed into a single residential dwelling.

The deal confirms speculation that the wealthy chef, 50, had been planning on buying a property in Fowey.

He has been spotted in the tourist hotspot on a number of occasions over the past two months and one local, in August, photographed Ramsay and wife Tana walking past the former bank.

Ramsay paid 4.4 million for this home in the village of Rock, dubbed Kensington-on-Sea due to its staggering house prices

He then splashed out 4 million on this stunning stopgap house in a nearby village

Land Registry records show Ramsay has just paid 1.96 million for the building

Plans were last year approved to turn the former bank into a four bedrooms (all en-suite) home with living room, study, kitchen/diner and with two terraces.

The ground floor currently has planning permission to be used for retail.

A pre-application on behalf of Andy Wenlock, managing director of Gordon Ramsay Holdings, has been submitted to Cornwall Council enquiring about the possibility of turning the retail section into residential.

Ramsay also paid 4.4 million for a home in the village of Rock, dubbed Kensington-on-Sea due to its staggering house prices.

The chef has been spotted in the tourist hotspot on a number of occasions in recent months

He angered residents in Rock with his plans to replace the 1930s home but was given the go-ahead.

The property has since been flattened and, while the new home is yet to be built, he splashed out 4 million on a stopgap house in a nearby village.

On top of his three Cornwall properties, Ramsay owns a grand townhouse in south-west London and a beachfront home in Malibu.

Ramsays representatives have been approached for comment.
British holidaymakers were left abandoned to sleep on a Spanish airport floor after a flight with two punctured wheels closed an entire terminal.

A TUI plane to Tenerife punctured two tyres on the runway in Feurteventura, leaving the island's airport closed for several hours.

Dozens of flights were cancelled last night, including a Jet2 service to Newcastle which was due to depart at 9.25pm last night.

Around 200 people who were due to board the plane were ushered into an arrivals lounge and spent the night sleeping on the floor, as the airline was unable to find accommodation for them.

Around 200 people who were due to board the plane were ushered into an arrivals lounge and spent the night sleeping on the floor, as the airline was unable to find accommodation for them

Dozens of flights were cancelled last night, including a Jet2 service to Newcastle which was due to depart at 9.25pm last night. Pictured are Jet 2 passengers sleeping on the airport floor

Grandmother, Brenda Prior, 69, from North Tyneside and her wheelchair using sister Iris Mowett, 73, spent an uncomfortable night on the airport floor with no information from Jet2 staff.

Ms Prior said: 'We were told there would be a delay when we checked in but didn't think it would be anything like this.

'There's around 200 of us waiting, the plane that was supposed to take us home was diverted to Lanzarote so we're just waiting.

'At around half three the Jet2 staff disappeared and we've just been left, it's shocking really, my sister is in a wheelchair and there's little ones here all lying on the floor.

'We've been given Euro 20 for food and water but that's only got us a sandwich. It's shocking, it's not good enough.'

Newcastle Airport's website says that the flight is now scheduled to arrive at 7.30pm tonight, though Brenda said they've not been told that.

Lisa Henderson, 33, from Consett, County Durham, has been stranded with her almost-two-year-old baby and her partner overnight.

She said: 'We've ran out of nappies and I was told just to ask for some from other parents.

'No one knows what is going on, there are cockroaches crawling on the floor and we've had to break into the cafe to get milk for our babies. It's been 12 hours now with no food or sleep and there's no assistance.'

A spokesman for Jet2 said it had been unable to secure overnight accommodation for the stranded passengers last night and apologised for the situation

A spokesman for Jet2 said it had been unable to secure overnight accommodation for the stranded passengers last night and apologised for the situation.

They said: 'Due to an incident involving another airline at Fuerteventura Airport, the runway was closed for several hours, causing major disruption to all airlines flying to and from Fuerteventura. As a result, our scheduled LS522 flight to Newcastle was unable to depart.

'Despite our best efforts, we were unable to source suitable accommodation at such short notice, however we will be taking our customers to a hotel today where lunch and day room facilities will be available before their flight departs at 5pm.

'We apologise to all affected customers for any inconvenience caused by these extraordinary circumstances, which were completely beyond our control.'
A ride-sharing app user in China claimed that her driver had come to pick her up in the middle of the night without wearing any pants.

Ms Zhang called a taxi in Beijing using 'Didi Chuxing', a Chinese car-hailing app, on September 17.

The woman, who sat next to the driver, said she was shocked to discover the man did not wear trousers or underwear.

Ms Zhang, who called a car in Beijing, said his driver used his T-shirt to cover his private parts

Footage, provided by Ms Zhang, shows the man dressing in a plain long T-shirt and had one of his hands covering his private parts.

The shocked passenger told DW News that she realised something was not right as she noticed the driver controlling the steering wheel by just one hand.

'I am surprised to find out that he was not wearing trousers! I was sitting there for 10 minutes without knowing,' said Ms Zhang.

'I can see his leg hair under the street light.'

According to Ms Zhang, she ordered a car using the 'Didi Chuxing' app at 1:45am on September 17.

The woman supplied an order confirmation to the reporter which apparently showed that the driver was driving a white Nissan Teana.

'I can see his leg hair!' Although the woman arrived home safely, she's complained to the app

The woman reportedly called the car on September 17 using Didi Chuxing (file photo)

Ms Zhang arrived home safely. She decided not to report to the police but to complain to the car-sharing app.

Ms Zhang asked the company to have the driver's account shut down.

'He stretched his T-shirt to cover his private parts and his right hand is placed on top it and I don't know if he is just covering or touching it,' she explained.

Didi Chuxing replied that the driver denied Ms Zhang's accusation.

The Chinese ride-sharing company, which took over Uber's China operation last year, reportedly told Ms Zhang that they were only able to restrict the number of orders the driver could take.

Didi Chuxing said they would investigate the matter further.
Sean Spicer has landed firmly back in reality after a brief brush with Hollywood during his surprise appearance at the Emmys on Sunday.

The former White House Press Secretary was spotted with wife Rebecca Miller leaving an airport in Washington DC having flown back from Los Angeles.

Spicer looked a far cry from his black-tie Emmys sophistication, dressed in a super-casual polo shirt with dark jeans and Nike trainers.

Sean Spicer touched back down in Washington DC on Tuesday as he returned to reality following his brush with the stars at the Emmys

The former White House Press Secretary was spotted strolling through the airport with wife Rebecca Miller having landed from Los Angeles

The pair arrived in DC having spent Sunday night lapping up the limelight in Hollywood

Rebecca retained a little showbiz style, donning a sleeveless black leather top with blue jeans and black high-heeled shoes.

While Spicer insisted his presence at the awards show well received on the ground in LA, it has caused fury among both pro and anti-Trump supporters online.

Touring celebrity parties after the show, Spicer said he was 'surprised' by how nice everyone was, adding that many people asked for selfies with him.

But supporters of his former boss mocked him online as 'beneath contempt' and a 'sell-out' who traded his reputation for popularity.

Meanwhile liberal commentators insisted he should apologize for his tenure on Trump's staff before they could laugh with him.

Spicer was a surprise guest at the award ceremony as he was wheeled out on stage where he mocked his own first address to the press after Trump was inaugurated

Melissa McCarthy, who impersonated Spicer on SNL until he was fired, looked dumbfounded as he was brought out on stage

Veep star Anna Chlumsky perhaps offered up the best reaction as Spicer appeared, unable to believe what she was seeing

Others accused host Stephen Colbert, who admitted to putting the surprise together, of 'normalizing' the Trump White House with his presence.

Speaking to the New York Times on the plane back from LA, Spicer said people were taking the event too seriously and encouraged them to 'lighten up'.

Spicer was brought out during a segment in which Colbert lamented not being able to know how many people were watching the show - before Spicer appeared behind a mock White House podium.

'This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys. Period. Both in person, and around the world,' he said, referencing his first comments as Press Secretary when he was discussing the size of Trump's inauguration crowd.

While Spicer said his appearance was well-received by crowds in LA, he was derided by pro and anti-Trump supporters online - who also turned on host Stephen Colbert who admitted putting the cameo together

Asked by the Times whether the joke should be viewed as a sign he now regrets those words, he replied: 'Absolutely.'

Spicer didn't betray any concern that President Trump would be offended by the skit, which some commentators have said acknowledged he wasn't truthful during his job. He is currently on the paid speaking circuit.

'I certainly hope not,' Spicer said. 'This was an attempt to poke a little fun at myself and add a little bit of levity to the event.'

But many interpreted Spicer's appearance as a jibe to Trump on a night when celebrities lined up to take pot shots at the President.

Colbert, who has seen a massive ratings boost on his Late Show since he turned on Trump, led the charge - and was followed by the likes of Alec Bladwin, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Donald Glover and Kumail Nanjiani.
A senior British banker wants to sue the Commonwealth Bank of Australia for race, age and sex discrimination over claims he was pushed out by an Australian woman 13 years his junior.

Head of finance and operations John Marshall, 60, was made redundant after 27 years at the bank after Debbie Lotz, 47, moved to London from the head office in Sydney.

Mr Marshall, of Tonbridge, Kent, claims Australian staff were favoured over Brits.

John Marshall, 60, (pictured left) is suing the Commonwealth Bank of Australia over claims Debbie Lotz, 47, (pictured right) was able to 'push him out' because she was younger and from Australia

Shortly after Ms Lotz arrived in September 2015 she began scheming with line manager Alan Docherty to take over Mr Marshall's position and sack three of his staff, a hearing at the Central London Employment Tribunal heard.

Ms Lotz is also said to have begun counselling Australian members of Mr Marshall's team without his knowledge.

And it was only after he had been offered his redundancy package that he discovered his rival and line manager were in cahoots, the tribunal heard.

Mr Marshall said: 'It was clear to me that Debbie had not been selected because she was better for the role than I was, it seemed that the most obvious difference between us was our age but I was also concerned that Debbie may have been preferred because she is a woman, or because she is Australian.

'Staff in the London office generally felt that head office staff were favoured over the staff in regional offices like ours.

'Australian staff were often seconded to the business in London with little consultation and against the wishes of management.

'My team members being counselled by Debbie were either junior members of staff, or staff who were Australian or began working for the Respondent in Australia.

Judge David Pearl asked him if 'she had just barged in with her size 11's trampling all over your territory?'

But Mr Marshall replied: 'I think they were probably responding to an offer, it would be strange to make an offer to someone else's team without clearing it with their manager first.'

Mr Marshall (pictured), of Tonbridge, Kent, made his claims at the Central London Employment Tribunal

The day before filing a grievance, the banker went rifling through Ms Lotz' desk and discovered a 'target chart' detailing redundancies and a team restructure.

He continued: 'As part of the review I looked at all desk tops and in unlocked cabinets to ascertain if any key bank information was accessible.

'When I got to Debbie's desk I noticed that her middle drawer was open with the key in.

'I opened the middle and bottom drawers to assess if any bank information was at risk.

'The bottom drawer was fairly full with A4 documents but there was a small pile of roughly folded documents on top.

'The chart labelled 'target' showed a plan to reduce headcount in London with six roles to be made redundant.

'Below that a list of five roles to be created appeared. What the chart showed was that Debbie was to take my role.'

The 60-year-old (pictured) went through Ms Lotz' files, but he claims it for professional reasons

Mr Marshall said he was 'so shocked and appalled by what I had read that I didn't know what to do.'

He also told the hearing he found documents that confirmed his redundancy in March 2016, when he was only told in June.

He added: 'I was hurt that the plan to dismiss me had been so clear and long-term.'

But in response Gavin Mansfield QC accused Mr Marshall of taking copies of the chart for his own personal gain and said he could have contacted Ms Lotz's manager to tell her she left the drawer unlocked.

He said: 'You did not contact her manager to say she was not locking her drawers, you did not send out any sort of reminder to say 'lock your drawers'.

'And you did not take any steps to get anyone to fix the desk drawer.

'You were thinking these documents were going to be to your cause and you did not want anyone to know that you had found them.'

The hearing at the Central London Employment Tribunal (pictured) is still ongoing

During his redundancy meeting in June 2016 Mr Marshall's manager is said to have told him he wanted someone new.

Mr Marshall said: 'I argued the decision was completely illogical that Debbie was not qualified for the role.

'He said: "John your problem is you are too entrenched in this role and we want someone new."

'You are a key man risk and we want to take everything off you.'

The banker explained this meant that a 'man risk' was someone who was so involved in a given operation, they posed a risk if anything was to happen to them.

He added: 'Alan seemed a bit annoyed at my questioning of the decision and suggestion of any other outcome and said "I've made my decision and that's it'."

The bank deny the claims, saying it was a straightforward redundancy.

The hearing continues.
Student charged: Stetson University freshman Griffin Powell, 18, has been arrested and charged with threatening to 'bomb' and 'gas' the Florida campus

A Florida college student has been arrested for allegedly making threats on Snapchat to 'bomb' and 'gas' the Stetson University campus.

Griffin Powell, 18, was taken into custody on Sunday night in connection to the threats targeting his school. He was later released from jail after posting $20,000 bail.

DeLand police Chief Jason Umberger told news outlets that the threats were 'specific and they were concerning to us.'

He added during a press conference on Monday, 'There were some references made to bombs and gas.'

University President Wendy B. Libby sent a message to faculty, students and staff on Monday regarding the incident, revealing that it was Powell's friends who raised the alarm about the threats on social media.

'I know you have heard this phrase until it seems trite, but if you see something, say something is exactly what this students friends did,' Libby said in her statement. 'Out of concern for their friend and for the Stetson community, they took information to Public Safety and because of that they may have helped their friend and helped the Stetson community.'

Powell is charged with threatening to discharge a destructive device. An arrest report says he was arrested at his home in Clay County at 8pm on Sunday.

Police say no one was in danger at Stetson University (pictured), and that Powell's threats made on Snapchat were not directed at anyone specific

News4Jax reported that a search of Powell's residence yielded no explosive devices or materials, according to police.

Umberger emphasized that nobody was in danger at the university, and that the Snapchat threats were not directed at specific individuals.

As he was being booked in the Clay County Jail, the 18-year-old reportedly talked about taking his own life and was placed on a suicide watch, reported the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

University spokeswoman Janie Graziani says Powell is a freshman, and that he has now been suspended and banned from the Stetson campus.

Stetson has a total undergraduate enrollment of just under 3,100 students and its tuition and fees amount to $45,000 a year.
A transgender American student is among nine defendants facing up to 10 years in jail over a violent anti-fascist demonstration in France.

The protesters are accused of smashing up and then setting fire to a police car while two officers were still inside during a march in Paris in May last year.

The American, named only as 28-year-old Kara B., has already admitted throwing a metal bar at officers while 'driven by excitement and anger'.

Kara B., 28, a transgender American student, is one of nine activists on trial in France accused of smashing up and then setting fire to a police car while two officers were inside

Shocking video played in court in Paris shows the police car being overrun be masked demonstrators who batter in the rear window with a metal bollard

Joining her in the dock are brothers Antonin and Angel Bernanos, 19 and 23, the great-grandsons of Georges Bernanos, one of France's most famous writers.

The pair are students at Nanterre University, in the suburbs of Paris.

Along with fellow defendant Bryan Morio, 22, all have been described as belonging to the Radical Ultra-Left Movement.

Shocking video of the incident played at Paris Correctional Court shows officers Kevin Philippy and his colleague Allison B. sitting in their car in traffic as masked protesters swarm around them.

The furious demonstrators can be seen kicking in the windows of the car and putting a metal post through the back window, before one of them sets the vehicle alight using a makeshift flame-thrower.

As Philippy is forced to exit the vehicle he is beaten with a pole by one of the marchers, refusing to retaliate despite carrying a sidearm.

Philippy's actions have seem him dubbed 'Kung Fu Cop' in France by viewers who were impressed with his defensive moves.

One person then launches a firework through the broken glass, setting the vehicle on fire

As police officer Kevin Philippy gets out he is beaten with a metal pole. Colleague Allison B. described how she thought 'I was going to die' during the incident

Eventually the attacker is moved to one side by another demonstrator and Philippy and Allison are allowed to leave, moments before their vehicle is consumed by fire.

Allison B. previously told prosecutors how she feared 'I was going to die'.

When the two police disappeared, the protestors put a sign infront of their car reading 'Roast Chickens'. Chickens is popular slang for police officers in France.

All of the defendants face up to 10 years in prison for a variety of charges including aggravated violence against police officers.

They were all identified as being involved in the attack by an anonymous witness who turned out to be a police officer.

This has led to accusations that they have been subjected to a witchhunt, with the Bernanos brothers in particular being persecuted.

Antonin Bernanos, described in court papers as a 'brilliant sociology student', has already spent ten months in the high security Fleury-Merogis prison, on the outskirts of Paris, along with Angel Bernanos, who spent a month there on remand.

One of the student defendants is searched on his way into court in Paris. The trial is expected to finish on Friday

Police have been accused of a witchhunt in the case which has generated a lot of public interest in France (pictured, crowds gather outside court)

The Bernanos's student flat was searched on the day of the attack, and it was found to contain 'Everyone Hates the Police' literature, seven black hooded jackets, and five bottles of camping gas.

The other defendants have been identified as Thomas R., 20, Bryan M., 24, Leandro L., 32, and Nicolas F., 41, who has admitted using a 'metal rod' on police.

A ninth accused called Ari R., 30, said he used a battering ram to smash the rear window of the police car.

A Swiss national called Johachim L., 28, is said to have used the makeshift flamethrower but will be dealt with at separate proceedings.

All those arrested have admitted being present during the demonstration close to Place de la Republique in central Paris, but deny many of the accusations made by the police witness.

The trial continues, and is expected to end on Friday.
Rights groups have slammed Nobel Peace winner Aung San Suu Kyi's first speech over the Rohingya crisis as being 'little more than untruths and victim-blaming'.

Burma's leader condemned human rights violations in Rakhine state and said violators would be brought to book - but failed to address UN accusations of a campaign of ethnic cleansing by the military.

Her remarks came in her first address to the nation since attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents on August 25 sparked a military response that has forced 421,000 Rohingya Muslims into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Western diplomats and aid officials, hoping for an unequivocal condemnation of violence and hate speech, welcomed the tone of Suu Kyi's message, but some doubted if she had done enough to deflect global criticism.

Rights groups have slammed Nobel Peace winner Aung San Suu Kyi's first speech (pictured) over the Rohingya crisis as being 'little more than untruths and victim-blaming'

Burma's leader condemned human rights violations in Rakhine state and said violators would be brought to book - but failed to address UN accusations of a campaign of ethnic cleansing by the military. Rohingya Muslim men, who crossed over from Burma into Bangladesh, wait for their turn to collect food aid near Kutupalong refugee camp today

Human rights group Amnesty International described her speech as 'little more than a mix of untruths and victim-blaming', saying she and her government were 'burying their heads in the sand' for ignoring the army's role in the violence.

'We condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence. We are committed to the restoration of peace and stability and rule of law throughout the state,' Suu Kyi said in her address in the capital, Naypyitaw.

'Action will be taken against all people, regardless of their religion, race and political position, who go against the law of the land and violate human rights,' she said.

Long feted in the West as a champion of democracy in the Buddhist-majority country during years of military rule and house arrest, Suu Kyi has faced growing criticism for saying little about abuses faced by the Rohingya.

The United States urged Burma on Monday to end military operations, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes.

Attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents on August 25 sparked a military response that has forced 421,000 Rohingya Muslims into neighbouring Bangladesh

Burma's generals remain in full charge of security and Suu Kyi did not comment on the military or its operation, except to say there had been 'no armed clashes and there have been no clearance operations' since Sept. 5.

Rohingya refugees arriving in Bangladesh have told of soldiers and Buddhist civilians attacking and burning villages as recently as last Friday. It was not possible to verify their accounts.

Rights monitors and fleeing Rohingya say the army and Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes have mounted a campaign of arson aimed at driving out the Muslim population. The U.N. rights agency said it was 'a textbook example of ethnic cleansing'.

REACTOINS TO SUU KYI'S SPEECH Burma leader Aung San Suu Kyi has given her first address to the nation since attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents on August 25 sparked a military response that has forced more than 410,000 Rohingya into neighbouring Bangladesh. Suu Kyi condemned human rights violations and said anyone responsible would face the law but she did not address U.N. accusations that the military campaign in Rakhine state was 'textbook' ethnic cleansing. Here are some reactions to her speech from diplomats, aid agency officials, human rights groups and others: JAMES GOMEZ, Amnesty International regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. 'Aung San Suu Kyi today demonstrated that she and her government are still burying their heads in the sand over the horrors unfolding in Rakhine State.' PHIL ROBERTSON, Human Rights Watch deputy director, Asia Division. In response to Suu Kyi's statement that army clearance operations have ceased since Sept. 5 - 'If that is true, then who is burning all the villages we've seen in the past two weeks?' TIN MAUNG SWE, secretary of the Rakhine State government He praised Suu Kyi for her 'transparency' but was not optimistic about her pledge to promote harmony between Muslims and the largely Buddhist ethnic Rakhine communities in the state. 'The situation is ready to explode. It just needs a single spark.' SEIN WIN, Burma defence minister 'We will protect the ones who are in line with the law ... There are still many Muslim villages. We are taking good care of them,' he said, as he arrived for Suu Kyi's speech. PAUL EDWARDS, UNICEF deputy representative in Burma 'We have to take at face value what she said about there being no further military operation since Sept 5. But of course none of us really know what's happening there if we're not there.' MARZUKI DARUSMAN, chair of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Burma 'Two main issues emerge ... the categorical readiness of the government of Myanmar to receive back returnees at any time on the basis of a procedure that will have to be discussed at some point. And secondly, the readiness of the government to undertake to be globally scrutinized by the international community. These two points bode well.' HONG LIANG, Chinese ambassador to Burma 'China's position is very clear. We support the Myanmar government's effort to restore the peace and stability in Rakhine.' NIKOLAY A. LISTOPADOV, Russian ambassador to Burma 'There are not reliable proofs, evidence to make such a condemnation, genocide and ethnic cleansing, no evidence.' ANDREW KIRKWOOD, United Nations Office for Project Services director and representative in Burma He welcomed Suu Kyi's announcement that diplomats could travel to Rakhine state to see the situation for themselves. 'I think that that is a positive statement and we wait to see what follow-up there is.' NI LAR THEIN, Yangon resident attending an open-air broadcast of Suu Kyi's speech, which was in English. 'Mother Suu gave a speech today so that the whole world can know what's actually happening in our country. We come here to show our support for her, no matter if we understand the speech or not.' Advertisement

Burma rejects that, saying its forces are tackling insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which has claimed responsibility for attacks since October. The government has declared it a terrorist group and accused it of setting the fires and attacking civilians.

Western governments that backed Suu Kyi's campaign against military rule still see her as the best hope for Burma's political and economic transition.

But she has to avoid angering the powerful army.

She also has to avoid alienating her supporters by being seen to take the side of a Muslim minority that enjoys little sympathy in a country that has seen a surge of Buddhist nationalism.

Some diplomats said she had not squarely addressed the problem of violence in her speech.

But her domestic audience was happy.

Rohingya refugees crowd around as aid is distributed in a camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, today

Thousands of supporters cheered and let balloons float into the sky in the main city of Yangon as they watched her speech on a big screen. Social media saw a blizzard of posts with the message: 'We stand with Aung San Suu Kyi'.

The military spokesman was not available for comment. One official familiar with the military's thinking said it would have no objection to her speech.

Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch said satellite images showed about half of all Rohingya villages had been torched and it was time that Suu Kyi, the government and military faced the fact that the security forces 'shoot and kill who they want' and burn villages.

Amnesty International said there was 'overwhelming evidence' the security forces were engaged in ethnic cleansing.

'While it was positive to hear Aung San Suu Kyi condemn human rights violations in Rakhine state, she is still silent about the role of the security forces,' the group said.

In Geneva, the head of a U.N. investigation into the violence said his team had heard testimony that suggested Burma's security forces may be committing rights violations.

'What they have come up with reflects in general the reporting of the international media,' Marzuki Darusman said, referring to a small team of investigators talking to refugees in Bangladesh.

Western governments that backed Suu Kyi's campaign against military rule still see her as the best hope for Burma's political and economic transition. But she has to avoid angering the powerful army. Refugees are pictured waiting for aid to be distributed in Bangladesh

Burma has declined to issue visas to Darusman's team but he said was more hopeful, following Suu Kyi's speech in which she spoke of allowing diplomats access to Rakhine state.

Suu Kyi, 72, said her government had been promoting harmony between the Muslim and largely Buddhist ethnic Rakhine communities. But a government official there did not share her optimism.

'They have no trust for each other,' the state's secretary, Tin Maung Swe, told Reuters, adding tension was high.

'The situation is ready to explode.'

Suu Kyi said she was committed to recommendations made by an advisory team led by former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan, which last month suggested a review of a law that links citizenship and ethnicity and leaves most Rohingya stateless.

On the return of refugees, Suu Kyi said Burma was ready to start a verification process and 'refugees from this country will be accepted without any problem'.

The U.N. children's agency said a quarter of a million children were among the refugees.
Dylann Roof (pictured in April at his state trial in Charleston, South Carolina) wants to fire two of the lawyers working on his death sentence conviction because they are Indian and Jewish

Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof wants to fire two of his public defender attorneys because they are Jewish and Indian.

The racist mass murderer is on death row at Terre Haute Federal Prison in Indiana but is fighting to appeal his conviction and sentence at a court in Richmond, Virginia.

In a letter to the Virginia judge on Monday, he asked for attorneys Sapna Mirchandani and Alexandra Yates to be replaced, saying he cannot trust either because they are his 'political and biological enemies'.

'My two currently appointed lawyers Alexandra Yates and Sapna Mirchandani are Jewish and Indian respectively.

'It is therefore quite literally impossible that they and I could have the same interests relating to my case.

'Trust is a vital component in an attorney client relationship and is important to the effectiveness of the defense.

'Because of my political views, which are arguably religious, it will be impossible for me to trust two attorneys that are my political and biological enemies,' Roof wrote.

Roof, now 23, was 21 when he marched in to Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, during a bible study on June 17, 2015, and opened fire on the black parishioners there.

He slaughtered nine people and injured one in a deranged bid to launch a race war.

He does not deny carrying out the killings and accepts the state sentence of life without parole that he received earlier this year but he is trying to avoid being executed.

Roof made the request in a letter to the judge in his appeals case on Monday

The 23-year-old also made reference to his trial attorney David Bruck whose religion was a 'constant source of conflict'

Roof underlined his name in the handwritten letter and signed off 'respectfully submitted'

The 23-year-old is on death row at Terre Haute prison in Indiana. His appeal is being heard in Richmond, Virginia

In January, Roof was unanimously sentenced to death by a Charleston jury who found him guilty of murder, attempted murder and a slew of hate crimes.

It came at the end of a highly-publicized trial which saw Roof represent himself at times.

He struggled against his court-appointed attorney David Bruck, who is Jewish, and his team of lawyers and tried to keep secret the fact that he had been diagnosed as autistic, telling officials that he would rather be executed than have it become public knowledge.

In his letter on Monday, Roof said he the reason he fought with Bruck was because he was Jewish.

'The lawyer appointed to represent me at my Federal trial was David Isaac Bruck who is also Jewish.

'His ethnicity was a constant source of conflict even with my constant efforts to look past it,' he wrote.

In Roof's manifestos on race, he described wanting to 'destroy the Jewish identity'.

During his trial, where he chose not to present any witnesses in an effort to conceal his mental health diagnosis, he said psychology was a Jewish invention.

Yates and Mirchandani were appointed as his attorneys in January after he filed his appeal.

Roof struggled against his trial attorney David Bruck (left) throughout his highly publicized trial last year. In his letter on Monday, he blamed their problems on Bruck being Jewish

Roof (above in one of scores of photographs he took of himself posing with guns before the massacre) represented himself at the sentencing phase of his trial in January against lawyers and judges' advice

Roof killed nine people when he opened fire on Emanuel AME Church in Charleston during a bible study on June 17, 2015

Roof is on death row at the Terre Haute federal prison in Indiana (pictured above)

Roof had already complained several times about Bruck and even once threatened to kill him if he ever escaped prison, according to his defense team.

They fought him on his decision to represent himself during the sentencing phase of his trial because they were convinced he was not mentally capable of doing so.

Roof (above in 2015 after his arrest) said he wants his appeal to go 'as smoothly as possible'

In statements filed to the court in January, his legal team described how he was convinced he would not be sentenced to execution, telling them: 'Everybody likes me and feels sorry for me. I won't get death.'

Mirchandani works is a staff attorney for James Wyda, the federal public defender for Maryland.

Yates works for Hilary Potash, the federal public defender for the region of Los Angeles.

Neither has spoken publicly of their work on the case or has responded to his request.

In January, when he filed his appeal, Roof gave no argument to accompany it.

He has never stated publicly why he believes he should not be executed for his crimes.

Because of his appeal, his execution is on hold.
Jesse Christiansen, 35, of Barnegat, Ocean County, was charged with attempted sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child after offering an 11-year-old girl candy to let him touch her

A pervert was arrested after he offered an 11-year-old girl candy and a wine cooler if she would lift her shirt and let him touch her.

Jesse Christiansen, 35, of Barnegat, Ocean County, was charged with attempted sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, authorities said.

The girl refused and told her mother, who then reported Christiansen to the Ocean County Sheriff's Department at around 9 p.m on Wednesday September 13.

Police investigated and took Christiansen into custody the next day.

They subsequently discovered a warrant was already out for his arrest relating to a shoplifting charge.

William Hetrick, a detective with Barnegat police, and Stephanie Bayha, a detective with the Special Victims Unit at the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, investigated the incident following the disturbing complaint.

The pair arrested Christiansen the day after the report was called in, according to the prosecutor's office.

Jesse Christiansen, 35, of Barnegat, Ocean County, was charged with attempted sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child

A statement shared on Facebook by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said: 'Just after 9 pm on September 13, 2017, the Ocean County Sheriffs Department Radio Room received a call of an attempted sexual assault involving an 11-year-old female.

'The subsequent investigation by Barnegat Police Det. William Hetrick and Ocean County Prosecutor Special Victims Det. Stephanie Bayha alleges Christiansen offered the victim candy and a wine cooler if she would lift her shirt and allow him to touch her in an inappropriate manner.

'The victim did not comply and reported the defendants actions to her mother.

Senior Assistant Prosecutor Christine Lento reviewed the investigation and approved the above charges. On 09-14-2017, the partnering detectives arrested Christiansen. He is being held on the above charges and on an outstanding warrant for shoplifting.
Sophie Pointon, 22, told police officers that she had been sexually assaulted in the back of the cab she had been picked up in after a night out in Leeds city centre

A father-of-five taxi driver who refused to accept a student's kebab-soaked 10 note for religious reasons has revealed he was shunned by his local Muslim community after she lied that he sexually assaulted her.

Sophie Pointon, 22, whose dream was to become a police officer, falsely claimed she had been groped in the back of the cab she had been picked up in after a night out in Leeds and has been jailed for 16 months.

She rang 999 in the early hours of April 22 this year and continued the deception by signing a statement, giving an account of the 'attack'.

Leeds Crown Court heard the driver, a father-of-five, was tracked down and kept in custody for six hours.

In a moving impact statement he described how the claims had left his life in tatters but her spurious accusations.

The Asian father-of-five told the court through a personal impact statement that he was a practising Muslim - and the accusations had caused him to be shunned.

He was also banned from entering the homes of his colleagues and friends.

He said: 'I am now extremely reluctant to take lone females in case I am accused again.

'The girl who accused me is the same age as my own daughter - I cannot comprehend why she made this allegation.

'I feel religiously tainted from this, and no help from the police or the courts can help that.

'Friends stopped speaking to me and letting me in to their homes. People in my community do not even want to be seen with me.'

Pointon broke down in tears and asked if she could drop the charges when her account was challenged by police

Pointon(whose home is pictured) broke down in tears and asked if she could drop the charges when her account was challenged by police

But the case against him never even went to court, as a telephone recording of the incident, with his taxi firm, cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Pointon pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and was handed a prison sentence yesterday.

Kate Bisset, prosecuting, said the driver was interviewed and said he could recall Pointon being 'extremely drunk' when she got into his car holding a kebab.

He said Pointon threw 10 note at him when they reached the Hyde Park area but he refused to accept it as it was covered in oil from the kebab.

The driver said Pointon, who graduated this summer with a BA Honours in criminology from Leeds Beckett University, then became abusive and ran around the car opening doors.

The prosecutor said: 'He did not think much of it at the time because such incident with people who are intoxicated are not unusual.'

A recording of a conversation between the driver and a phone operator at his taxi office supported his account.

Pointon said her hopes of becoming a police officer were now ruined. She was jailed for 16 months

Pointon threw 10 at him when they reached the Hyde Park area but he refused to accept it as it was covered in oil from the kebab

The taxi driver who refused to accept a tenner lathered in kebab juices due to his strict religion says the incident made him feel 'religiously tainted'.

The court heard a GPS tracker fitted to the car also revealed Pointon's description of the taxi journey to be untrue.

Pointon broke down in tears and asked if she could drop the charges when her account was challenged by police.

She pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. Denise Breen-Lawton, mitigating, said Pointon, from Manchester, had been studying in Leeds at the time.

She pleaded guilty to perverting justice. Denise Breen-Lawton, mitigating, said Pointon, from Manchester, had been studying in Leeds at the time

Sophie Pointon pleaded guilty to perverting justice at Leeds Crown Court (pictured) yesterday

She grew up in a 250,000 semi-detached home, owned by her parents, in a Victorian suburban street.

She said her hopes of becoming a police officer were now ruined. Yesterday, she was jailed for 16 months.

Judge Christopher Batty told her: 'Your malicious complaint has done a huge disservice to those seeking justice through the police and courts.'

The driver was stripped of his taxi licence for four weeks during the investigation into the claims.

He described in a statement how the false allegation had caused him to suffer from stress.
A university student studying nutrition and health caught hypothermia after climbing Snowdon  the highest mountain in Wales  in a pair of Superman pants.

Nathan French, 19, from Liverpool, was raising money for the Dementia UK charity in honour of his grandmother, who has the condition.

Emergency services were called to treat the 19-year-old who became unwell while taking the train back down from the 1,085-metre summit.

Paramedics found his blood sugar and blood pressure had dropped and he was beginning to suffer from hypothermia.

However he insisted he had no regrets about taking up the challenge for the charity close to his heart.

Nathan French, 19, from Liverpool, caught hypothermia after climbing Snowdon last Saturday

The 19-year-old student was raising money for Dementia UK, a charity close to his heart

He said: 'For a while I have wanted to do something to raise money for Dementia UK. My nan has dementia so it is something that is close to my heart.

'However the people that know me will know I always like to do something with a bit of a twist and something a bit fun so that's how I decided to do the climb in Superman underwear.'

He added: 'This is the first time I have ever climbed a mountain like this.

'I keep fit and I am always in the gym but this was different.

'It was very cold and it got progressively colder the higher up we got.

'The hardest part and when I really started to struggle was when I reached the top, but my dad who did it with me was behind me and I had to stop and wait for him.

'That was a very long and cold five minutes waiting for him.'

But he said it was when he was on the train back down from the summit that he started to feel sick.

'I started to go deaf and my sight started to go funny. It was at this point my dad decided to ring for help', he recalled.

He said: 'The hardest part and when I really started to struggle was when I reached the top'

Nathan, who is a student reading sport, nutrition and health said: 'This is the first time I have ever climbed a mountain like this'

He said the paramedic described his actions as 'very silly' but understood why he had done it when he explained it was for charity.

'It was very emotional completing it and I cried at the top because it does mean a lot to raise this money', he said.

'It is hard to raise awareness of dementia but I am just going to do what I can to raise money to try and help those with this terrible illness.'

He has so far raised a total of 2,268.06 after last Saturday's climb.

He said he had received some abusive comments on social media following the incident.

But he defended his actions, saying: 'There are lads my age robbing and into drugs and violence, and I'm out there doing something big for something that matters and I get the hate.'

Mr French became unwell at the peak of the mountain and had to call emergency services

Miles Hill of Llanberis mountain rescue team said the outcome could have been much worse.

He said: 'While we are sympathetic to his charity fundraising for a very worthy cause, we would question the planning and perseverance which went into his day on the hill.

'Anybody walking in the mountains should always carry enough equipment, clothing and food to be self-sufficient for the duration of their trip, including adverse changes in weather.

'Even with temperatures in the teens, with minimal clothing Mr French would have been highly susceptible to wind chill.

'If the train hadn't been running from the summit, the outcome could have been very different. While charity events in your kecks are commendable, it's not a trend we want to see started.'

He added: 'We hope Mr French is back in the mountains soon, perhaps in the full suit (cape optional), rather than just the underwear.'
Ross Wilcox has avoided jail for attempting to meet a 'dummy' 14-year-old for sex after the court heard he had struggled with the death of a child

A father who had a breakdown after the death of his child was caught by so-called 'paedophile hunters' after trying to arrange to meet a girl for sex.

Ross Wilcox, 30, sent messages to an online account he believed belonged to a 14-year-old schoolgirl called Sarah and, after discussing sex, arranged a meeting.

But he had in fact been communicating with the group Dark Justice, whose members confronted him when he arrived at Newcastle's St James Metro station for the rendezvous.

Wilcox, of Cramlington, Northumberland, has now admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and was handed a suspended sentence.

His sentencing comes the day after a senior policeman admitted UK police forces may have to begin working with groups like Dark Justice, who have not been deterred by previous warnings not to get involved.

Prosecutor Neil Pallister told Newcastle Crown Court Wilcox had sent a message to the fake profile and the conversation quickly moved on to private, graphic, WhatsApp messages, despite him being told Sarah was just 14.

He later discussed if she wanted to 'try sex' and, within four days of getting in contact, arranged a meeting, the prosecutor said.

The court heard Wilcox, who had learning difficulties, was sectioned under the mental health act last August while grieving the death of his child.

This was the moment Wilcox was caught by paedophile hunters Dark Justice in Newcastle

Andrew Walker, defending, said an ensuing investigation and post mortem revealed the child had died due to an infection.

Mr Walker said the tragedy had a 'devastating' effect on the family and Wilcox's grief had an impact on his mental health.

Mr Walker added: 'The reality is, for this defendant, despite this offence, he has never laid hands on a child inappropriately in his life.'

The judge, Recorder Simon Kealey sentenced Wilcox to 20 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, with rehabilitation requirements, sexual harm prevention order and sex offender registration.

The judge told him: 'The fact you have been sectioned under the mental health act as a result of dealing with the death of a family member and the fact that when you were educated you were challenged with special educational needs are not just points of personal mitigation which are powerful in themselves but they are potentially causative features why you behaved as you did over those few days, out of character.'

The group released some of the messages sent to the account he thought was the girl

The UK's lead police officer on child protection has said forces will 'potentially' have to look at working with so-called paedophile hunters.

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the national lead for child protection at the National Police Chiefs' Council, spoke after figures obtained by the BBC show an increase in the number of cases where evidence gathered by paedophile hunters is being used.

He said: 'I'm not going to condone these groups and I would encourage them all to stop, but I recognise that I am not winning that conversation.

'I think (working with vigilantes) is something we're going to have to potentially have to look at, yes, but it comes with some real complexity.'
A British pensioner has launched a search appeal after his cat mysteriously vanished while being flown from Dubai to England.

Dinky has not been seen since she was checked in for the long haul flight ahead of a journey to London Gatwick, her owner Ian Lees said.

But when he and wife Susan landed in Britain, the cage was handed back to him empty. The plane was thoroughly searched but the cat could not be found.

The cage Dinky had been travelling in had a slightly loose hinge and Mr Lees says it is possible his pet escaped before the plane took off.

British pensioner Ian Lees (left) has launched an international appeal after his cat, Dinky (right) vanished while being flown from Dubai to England

The cage Dinky had been travelling in had a slightly loose hinge and Mr Lees says it is possible his pet escaped before the plane took off

The couple were returning from Dubai to live in Britain and flew home on the Emirates flight EK 011, arranging transit for Dinky and their other cat, Cleo

The couple were returning from Dubai to live in Britain and flew home on Emirates flight EK 011, arranging transit for Dinky and their other cat, Cleo. Emirates insists Dinky was loaded into the luggage hold in her cage.

But Mr Lees has now returned to the Middle East country to try to track down the missing animal.

He said: 'I am back because I am convinced Dinky escaped from his carrier before he boarded that flight in Dubai.

'We were earlier given the impression that Dinky definitely got to Gatwick. So we concentrated on looking around London.

'We had volunteers posting leaflets and posters for us. I was even allowed to go airside and take a look. But all I could get is the empty carrier back from animal reception at Gatwick.'

Mr Lees said the carrier was completely undisturbed, indicating the cat was not in there for any length of time.

He continued: 'The bedding was intact, there was no mess inside. And without being a detective, I could see that the carrier had not been used by a cat for 12 hours. Dinky must have escaped in Dubai itself before the flight took off.'

But Mr Lees has now returned to the Middle East country to try to track down the missing cat (pictured)

Mr Lees got in touch with Donna, his daughter still living in Dubai, who arranged for missing posters to go up and started a search.

He said: 'We have also announced a reward of 2,500 AED (500) for anyone who finds Dinky for us.

'Life has been terrible without Dinky. My wife and I are worried about him. We come from a nation of animal lovers and we are committed to our pets which are like family. We can only pray and hope we find Dinky.'

Donna added: 'My father was so distressed about the whole situation that he just had to come back. He has lost weight and is now on medication for hypertension.'

An Emirates SkyCargo spokesperson said: 'Emirates SkyCargo can confirm that a pet cat scheduled to travel on EK 011 to London Gatwick on July 27 was loaded in its cage into the cargo hold of the aircraft after mandatory checks and inspections in conformance with regulations concerning the transport of live animals.

'On arrival at London Gatwick, the cat was missing from its cage. During inspection it was found that one of the hinges of the cage was loose and that the door of the cage was slightly ajar.

'A thorough search of the cargo hold of the aircraft was conducted both at London Gatwick and at Dubai when the aircraft returned.

'Despite the best efforts of staff at the airports, the cat could not be found. Emirates SkyCargo has been in contact with the owners and we are extending all possible support.'
A Maryland woman who police say attacked her ex-husband's new wife with a hammer after breaking into his New Jersey home has pleaded guilty.

Marie Stuart pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted murder on Monday without a sentencing recommendation by the prosecution.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said the 44-year-old woman broke into her former husband's Mantua Township home, where he was living with his new wife.

Marie Stuart, 44, of Maryland, pleaded guilty to attempted murder after she attacked her ex-husband's new wife with a hammer (file image) after breaking into their New Jersey home in 2012

Stuart then attacked the victim with a hammer around 1am on November 16, 2012.

The prosecutor's office said the woman's shoulder was dislocated when Stuart attacked her in a bedroom of the home.

Before the attack, Stuart broke through the sliding glass door of the man's home to gain access.

Her ex-husband called 911 and Stuart was arrested at the home.

The first-degree attempted murder charge carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison.

Superior Court Judge Kevin T Smith set Stuart's sentencing for January 12, 2018.
Eniola Mustafa Aminu has been sent to a psychiatric hospital after arming himself with a knife and fighting with police outside the Houses of Parliament

A knifeman who claimed he was on a 'death by cop' suicide mission after he was caught outside the Houses of Parliament has been sent to a psychiatric hospital.

Eniola Mustafa Aminu, 27, was Tasered by police close to the Carriage Gates entrance to the Palace of Westminster on the morning of June 16.

The bearded 27-year-old was armed with a nine-inch kitchen knife and fought officers during attempts to detain him.

He later claimed he brought the weapon so police would shoot him, as he felt unable to kill himself because of his religion, Southwark Crown Court heard. Prosecutors said it was unclear which religion he followed.

The incident happened three months after and a matter of yards away from where terrorist Khalid Masood stabbed and killed PC Keith Palmer in March.

Police Sergeant Jonathan Pope, who was left with cuts to his arm after he bravely wrestled Aminu to the ground, believed he was dealing with a potential terrorist, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Scotland Yard later described the event as 'not terror related'.

Animu told a police forensic medical examiner: 'I wanted the police to see me and shoot me'.

He was Tasered and injured one officer before he was detained. He told police he wanted to die through so-called 'death by cop' because suicide was not permitted by his unspecified religion

Gregor McKinley, prosecuting, told the court: 'The police made further enquiries at his address and about the defendant generally and they are satisfied that there is no terrorist or ideological reason behind the offence.'

Ilse Gifford, defending, said: 'He wanted to die. He felt unable to take his own life due to his religious beliefs and felt the only way to bring about his own death was to be seen at the Houses of Parliament by police officers and to be shot by them.

'Clearly, this thought pattern was a direct result of his severe mental illness.'

Aminu admitted possessing an offensive weapon in a public place at an earlier hearing. But he denied assaulting a constable in the execution of his duty, claiming to not remember any assault. That charge was dropped after Aminu admitted carrying the knife.

Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith said: 'Every psychiatrist who has seen you since you committed this offence agrees that you were mentally unwell at the time you committed it and you are still mentally unwell.

'Your mental illness began to show itself last year and resulted in your detention under the mental health act of three to four months this year.'

The incident came three months after terrorist Khalid Masood stabbed a policeman outside Parliament after driving into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge

The judge added: 'The court is satisfied that you are suffering from a mental disorder of a nature or degree which makes it appropriate for you to be detained in a hospital for medical treatment.

'I make an order under the Mental Health Act 1983 Section 37 for your detention until you are better, then you can gradually be released back into the community.'

Aminu, of Greenwich, south-east London, will be treated at the Bracton Centre, a medium secure mental health unit in Kent.
Stacey Kozel just finished hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

Kozel has lupus and is paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors weren't sure if she would ever walk again, but she became the first paralyzed person to hike the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail.

The 41-year-old began her solo trek from the Mexican border to the Canadian border in March. The trail goes through California, Oregon and Washington. She finished her journey in September.

Stacey Kozel, 41, is the first paralyzed person to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. She poses above at the start of the trail at the Mexican border

'There are no words to describe what it means to me that I was able to stumble across the Canadian border,' Kozel said in a Facebook post when she finished.

'This has been a tough year for me with the record snow levels, crazy river crossings, record heat, the wild fires that are still sadly burning......I lost track of all the times that I wondered (secretly, of course) if I would be able to get through the trail this year. Lupus might kick my bum daily but no matter where my life takes me these moments and the amazing people I have met along the way will be with me forever.'

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes a body's immune system to attack its own tissues and organs.

Kozel became paralyzed from the waist down after a lupus flare-up in March of 2014

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes a body's immune system to attack its own tissues and organs. Kozel was diagnosed when she was 19

Kozel has been fighting lupus since her teen years, but wasn't officially diagnosed until she was 19. In March 2014, she had her worst flare-up to date and spent weeks in the hospital after the disease attacked her spinal cord.

She left the hospital nearly completely paralyzed, only able to move her left arm. After months of intense physical therapy Kozel regained some of her arm and core strength, but her legs were left permanently paralyzed.

Kozel uses a power wheelchair to get around. When she's not in the chair, she uses leg braces that lock her knees and can control her legs by using her upper body, hips and core to walk.

Kozel uses leg braces that lock at the knee. She can control her legs by using her upper body and core strength to walk

Pictured: Kozel crossing into Oregon from California on July 31

Kozel poses at the end of the Pacific Crest Trail. She hiked the 2,650 mile trail from March to September

In 2016, Kozel completed the 2,190 mile Appalachian Trail hike through 14 states.

'The toughest day on the trail is still better than the best day in the hospital,' she told ABC News. 'I [tried] to keep remembering that on the tough days.'

'[Lupus] does send me on little excursions and adventures to the hospital and doctors, but for the most part, I don't want lupus to change who I am,' she said.

'I just want to keep going, getting outdoors, and I thought, in the meantime, you know, bring awareness to lupus and show people what it's like,' Kozel said.
California police have released surveillance stills of a potential suspect in an attempted robbery which was foiled when the victim faked a seizure in a move she learned from her favorite show Law and Order.

Julie Dragland, 32, of Oakland, was riding a Dublin-bound BART train from Daly City at around 4.50pm on Saturday when a threatening note was dropped in her lap which ordered her to hand over her belongings 'if you want to live.'

BART officers have now reviewed footage from surveillance cameras aboard the train and say the video shows the suspect sitting behind Dragland, before reaching over her shoulder and dropping the note.

California police have released surveillance stills of a potential suspect (pictured) in an attempted robbery which was foiled when the victim faked a seizure in a move she learned from her favorite show Law and Order

But when Dragland faked a seizure, drawing the attention of nearby passengers, the woman abandoned the robbery and got off at the Powell Street station.

The suspect, believed to be in her 30s, had strawberry blond hair and was wearing sunglasses, ripped jeans, boots and a dark colored t-shirt, and trailing a metal shopping trolley.

Police are still hunting for the suspect and are reviewing more surveillance footage from the train and the station.

Julie Dragland (pictured) was riding a Dublin-bound BART train from Daly City at around 4.50pm on Saturday when a threatening note was dropped in her lap

'There are 2 guns pointed at you now,' the frighting note read. 'If you want to live hand back your wallet + phone NOW + do not turn around and be descreet(sic). Do not turn around until after you have left civic center + you will live'

Dragland, a PR Specialist at SEGA, said she had been terrified after reading the note.

'There are 2 guns pointed at you now,' it read. 'If you want to live hand back your wallet + phone NOW + do not turn around and be descreet(sic). Do not turn around until after you have left civic center + you will live.'

She says she started 'freaking out' and desperately tried mouthing the words 'help me' at a nearby passenger.

Unfortunately, that man completely failed to notice her pleas for help and got off the train.

It was then she remembered an episode from one of her favorite shows, Law and Order, where a victim escaped a mugging by faking a seizure.

Dragland, a PR Specialist at SEGA, started 'freaking out' and desperately tried mouthing the words 'help me' at a nearby passenger on the BART train (another BART train is pictured)

She reported the incident to the police who searched the station but could not find anyone matching that description

'I probably looked very ridiculous,' she told the San Francisco Chronicle. 'I slumped sideways and started shaking and crying. I closed my eyes and increased the vigor so people would pay attention.'

'I think (the idea) had something to do with watching a lot of 'Law & Order.' I think I saw that in an episode. I was very impressed with myself.'

As Dragland began shaking and slumped over, a nearby couple came over to ask if she was OK. She then passed them the note.

The 32-year-old believes the mugger got off at the next stop, the Civic Center Station, and suspects it may have been an older woman with a suitcase.

Dragland started 'freaking out' but then remembered an episode of her favorite TV show Law and Order where a victim escaped a mugging by faking a seizure

Dragland (left and right) says she is pleased to have avoided having to hand over her belongings but won't press charges as she wants to put the experience behind her

She reported the incident to the police who searched the station but could not find anyone matching that description.

'The victim was not sure who handed her the note, and did not see anyone with a weapon,' police wrote in a report.

However, Dragland says she will not press charges against her mugger as she wants to put the incident behind her.
A former White House aide who was ousted last month has thrown himself into the political fray in Alabama, pitting himself against the president's favored candidate in an upcoming election.

President Trump has endorsed Luther Strange, the Republican appointed to fill Jeff Sessions' seat in the U.S. Senate when he resigned to lead the Department of Justice.

Sebastian Gorka is following in his White House boss' footsteps - Steve Bannon - and throwing his weight behind Republican Roy Moore in the party primary.

Gorka is joining the little-known MAGA coalition, Axios reported.

A former White House aide who was ousted last month, Sebastian Gorka, has thrown himself into the political fray in Alabama, pitting himself against the president's favored candidate in an upcoming election

President Trump has endorsed Luther Strange, left, the Republican appointed to fill Jeff Sessions' seat in the U.S. Senate when he resigned to lead the Department of Justice. Sebastian Gorka is following in his White House boss' footsteps - Steve Bannon - and throwing his weight behind Republican Roy Moore in the party primary

The group was put together to 'compete against globalist corporatists interests,' the news site reported.

Gorka is joining former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at a rally in Montgomery, Alabama, on Thursday in support of Moore. Palin has also sided with the former judge over Strange, the attorney general of Alabama until he joined the U.S. Senate earlier this year.

MAGA Coalition is co-sponsoring the event with Great America Alliance, a Bannon-aligned group that's pulling for Moore in Alabama.

Strange has the backing of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and much of the so-called Republican establishment. The senator has been a reliable vote for legislation aligned with leadership and the president's agenda since his appointment to federal office.

The Trump administration is putting the full force of the White House behind Strange, who the president took a liking to and endorsed prior to Republican run-off, in the final days of the campaign.

President Trump will headline a rally for Strange in Huntsville on Friday night. Vice President Mike Pence will campaign for the sitting senator on Monday, giving Strange a last-minute shove across the finish line.

Republican voters in Alabama will determine which of the two politicians they want to represent them in the general election in a Tuesday face-off. Polling gives Moore a double-digit lead in next week's competition.

President Trump will headline a rally for Strange in Huntsville on Friday night. Vice President Mike Pence will campaign for the sitting senator on Monday, giving Strange a last-minute shove across the finish line

Trump's support for Strange has not wavered, the White House has said, even though the president stayed out of the intra-party fight following his endorsement of Strange until his announcement last week that he was coming to Alabama.

Whoever wins the run-off on Tuesday will almost certainly be the overall victor.

Sessions was controversial in his own right before and after he ran for and won the U.S. Senate seat. An immigration hardliner, Sessions held the seat for a decade before he gave it up voluntarily to accept a position in the president's Cabinet.

The Senate race has turned into a test for conservatives trying to steer the party to the right. Regardless of Trump's agenda, Gorka and Bannon, both of whom have returned to the Breitbart News since their firings, are pouring resources into getting Moore elected.

Bannon and Gorka were fired from the White House after the August race riot in Charlottesville that left one person dead. Both have been accused by their critics of being white nationalists.

In a an exit interview that aired earlier this month on 60 Minutes, Bannon said he doesn't care what names he's being called, so long as he's winning.

'They can call me an anti-Semite. They can call me racist. They call me nativist. They can call me anything you want, OK? As long as were driving this agenda for the working men and women of this country, Im happy.'
Irish reality star Jeremy McConnell will pay for attacking his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Davis by scraping graffiti off walls in Wales.

The 27-year-old from Dublin has been forced to trade in his lavish celebrity lifestyle in order to carry out his community service and will be staying with his friend Richard Cull's mother during his stint in Wales.

According to the Mirror, the Make or Break star's mother opened the door of their detached family home in the Welsh Valleys today to confirm 'lovely boy' McConnell was all set to move in.

The model, who rose to fame on Celebrity Big Brother last year, was convicted of throwing around Miss Davis 'like a rag doll' on March 9, leaving her battered and bruised.

Scroll down for video

Reality TV star Jeremy McConnell (left) will have to scrub graffiti off walls as he carries out 200 hours unpaid community service for attacking his ex Stephanie Davis (right)

He was handed a 20-week sentence suspended for a year at Liverpool Magistrates Court on September 13.

But now he is faced with 200 unpaid work, which will include scrubbing graffiti off walls and other gruelling tasks.

Mr Cull's mother Donna is a practising Christian and is even hopeful the former cocaine addict will join her religious rehabilitation group.

She added that she was unsure whether the Ex On The Beach star would be staying at her son's flat in Cardiff or the Cull family home.

Under Government regulations, unemployed convicts must do three or four days of their community punishment a week, while those who have jobs are expected to fit it in outside work hours - on evenings and weekends.

McConnell was convicted of 'throwing Miss Davis around like a ragdoll' at Liverpool Magistrates Court

During his trial McConnell described himself as 'self-employed' and admitted his income was 'variable'. He appeared not to have any money in savings.

He narrowly avoided jail, as Judge Wendy Lloyd slammed him for showing 'no remorse', despite attacking his ex-Hollyoaks star lover while she held their baby son Caben-Albi in her arms.

She said: 'I find you have displayed no remorse, not even for the effect of this episode on your young baby.'

Mr Cull, who met McConnell on set of his first show MTV's Beauty School Cop Outs, told the court he would accommodate him during his community punishment.

On top of the unpaid work, when he will be forced to work alongside other convicts and wear high visibility clothing, he was forced to pay Miss Davis 1,000 compensation and a further 1,000 in court costs.

He was also ordered to undergo a 'building better relationships course' with the Probation Service and abide by a strict three-year restraining order, which bans him from contacting Miss Davis, her aunt, or mother Pauline.

In a separate case, McConnell was also found guilty of tresspassing after drunkenly forcing his way into a Dublin woman's home on February 10.
A young woman is fighting for her life after she was struck with the flu, while her newborn son is yet to have a cuddle with his mother.

Sarah and Rob Hawthorn's son was delivered six weeks early to give Mrs Hawthorn a fighting chance to survive.

The 33-year-old is in a critical condition at Alfred Hospital, Victoria, and is yet to hold her baby boy, who was born August 28.

Sarah Hawthorn (pictured) is fighting for her life after being struck down by the flu in August

Sarah and Robert Hawthorn's (pictured) son was born through emergency six weeks early to give Mrs Hawthorn a fighting chance to survive

The 33-year-old (right) is in a critical condition at Alfred Hospital, Victoria, and is yet to hold her baby boy, who was born August 28

The Cobram mother, north of Victoria, caught the flu in her later stages of pregnancy, which has lead to other serious medical conditions.

A go-fund-me page was started with more than half of the $20,000 goal raised in one day, which will help the family with travel, accommodation, living and ongoing medical expenses.

Mrs Hawthorn's sister-in-law Rachel Holt told The Border Mail the new mother was fit and healthy with 'a cold some would say'.

'She took every vitamin under the sun and did everything by the book during her pregnancy,' Ms Holt said.

'As the week progressed Sarah attended the doctors multiple times only to be sent home.'

The newborn baby has been nicknamed 'Bomber Hawk' until his mother wakes up to name him.

Relatives said the new mother saw doctors weeks before who only told her she had 'a cold'

Mr Hawthorn has reportedly set up a bedside vigil for his wife (right) in ICU, almost 300 kilometres away from their home

Mr Hawthorn has reportedly set up a bedside vigil for his wife in ICU, almost 300 kilometres away from their home.

'I am in awe of his strength, his courage and his outlook, despite the situation he is facing,' Ms Holt told Herald Sun.

As a prominent member of Cobram Campdraft Club, the club shared their support for Mrs Hawthorn saying she is an 'amazing girl' who is 'very highly valued'.

'She always puts a smile on people's faces with her beautiful personality,' one friend wrote on social media.

There have been more than 13,000 cases of influenza in Victoria this year and at least ten people have died from flu related complications.
The hunt is on for a female jogger dubbed the 'mad pooper' who has been busted defecating on a Colorado family's lawn for almost two months.

Police in Colorado Springs are now investigating after the family first spotted the woman with her pants down outside their home seven weeks ago.

Cathy Budde said her children were the ones to catch the jogger mid-squat and ran in screaming to tell her.

Police in Colorado Springs are now investigating after a family spotted the female jogger (above) with her pants down outside their home seven weeks ago

'They are like, 'There's a lady taking a poop!' So I come outside, and I'm like ... 'are you serious?'' Budde told KKTV.

'Are you really taking a poop right here in front of my kids!?' She's like, 'Yeah, sorry!'

Budde said she thought it was just a one time thing and the woman would have been too embarrassed to show her face again.

But she said the jogger has been back once a week to defecate, despite there being public restrooms in a nearby park.

The jogger has defecated in the same spot on her running route every week for almost two months

The female jogger always has paper towels (above) tucked away in her tights

The woman always has paper towels tucked away in her tights, according to the shocked family.

'I put a sign on the wall that's like 'please, I'm begging you, please stop.' ... She ran by it like 15 times yesterday and she still pooped,' Budde said.

Police have urged Budde to take photos of the woman in a bid to track her down.

The jogger could face indecent exposure and public defecation charges if she is caught.

The frustrated family have put up signs in a bid to deter the woman from defecating on their lawn
A top counter-terrorism officer has stated that a major terror attack in Australia is 'inevitable'.

NSW Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch warned that it is not a question of if but when Australia will be struck, claiming 'it will happen'.

'I don't like to say it but it will happen. It's inevitable,' the respected officer told The Daily Telegraph.

Top counter-terrorism officer Mark Murdoch (pictured) has stated that a major terror attack in Australia is 'inevitable'

With Australia's threat level currently at 'probable', Mr Murdoch added that the greatest risk lies in lonewolf attacks or groups the government do not know about.

'Despite everything that is being done and the good work that law enforcement and intelligence is doing, without wanting to create unnecessary fear within the community, it's going to happen,' he said.

Mr Murdoch added that the profile's of a terrorist were ever-changing, with intelligence needing to remain open minded as 'anything can happen at anytime'.

It comes just months after brothers Khaled, 49, and Mahmoud Khayet, 32, were charged over an alleged plan to blow up an Etihad flight from Sydney.

With Australia's threat level currently at 'probable', Mr Murdoch (pictured) said that the greatest risk lies in lonewolf attacks or groups the government do not know about

It comes just months after brothers Khaled, 49, and Mahmoud Khayet, 32, were charged over an alleged plan to blow up an Etihad flight from Sydney, with police pictured searching homes across Sydney

They had allegedly planned to smuggle a bomb concealed inside a meat grinder onto flight EY451 to Abu Dhabi, but it was never checked onto the plane because it was too heavy.

Police arrested four people during raids on July 29 in relation to the case, later charging the brothers with two counts of planning a terrorist attack.

Australia also fell victim to a terrorist siege in 2014, after hostages were taken by gunman Man Haron Monis at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney.

Cafe manager Tori Johnson and mother-of-three Katrina Dawson were killed during the attack.

Police arrested four people during raids on July 29 in relation to the case, after a bomb concealed inside a meat grinder was allegedly tried to be taken onto a flight to Abu Dhabi

Australia also fell victim to a terrorist siege in 2014, after hostages were taken by gunman Man Haron Monis at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney

And while Mr Murdoch said they had put away a 'number of people,' the threat of an attack keeps him awake at night.

His comments come just a day after another veteran national security expert said mass terrorist attacks could be imminent on Australian public transport.

Peter Jennings stated explosives, similar to the crude bucket bomb that was placed on a commuter train in London last week, could easily be made in peoples kitchens.

'The risk of this type of attack on mass transit or in places of mass gatherings is something we've got to be really alive to,' he told Sky News Australia on Monday.
Babe actor James Cromwell has been charged with trespassing over a protest he led at Seaworld back in July.

The 77-year-old interrupted an orca show at Seaworld San Diego in order to speak about animal rights while wearing a t-shirt that read 'Seaworld sucks'.

He is now facing up to 90 days in jail and a $400 fine over the misdemeanor charge.

James Cromwell is facing 90 days in jail or a $400 fine for trespassing after he interrupted an orca show at Seaworld in San Diego in July to protest animal curelty

The 77-year-old wore a 'Seaworld sucks' t-shirt and waved banners saying 'Seaworld kills' as he urged people not to watch the show

Arraignment documents were filed on Friday in San Diego County Superior Court and first reported by the San Diego Union Tribune.

Seaworld announced that it was ending orca shows at its San Deigo park back in 2015, but said this year that it would stop orca breeding and shows at all its parks.

However, whales already owned by the company will still be kept in captivity and used for 'natural encounters', park management said.

Activists are calling for all the animals to be released into sanctuaries immediately.

Cromwell, who also starred in Oscar-winning film LA Confidential, previously vowed to serve jail time rather than pay fines for arrests related to his work as an activist.

Activists are calling on Seaworld to release its remaining orcas after the firm announced it would be phasing out the shows back in March

A month before the Seaworld demonstration he spent a week behind bars after an arrest for obstructing traffic during a protest over a new power plant in New York.

He was offered the opportunity to pay a $350 fine and serve 16 hours of community service instead, but chose instead to be jailed.

Speaking after his release, he said the stunt served its purpose by getting the issue into the media raising awareness.

He told Mail Online: 'The only way to get across is to get arrested. Even when we were arrested: no publicity.

Cromwell (pictured in Babe) has vowed to go to jail rather than pay fines for his activist work because it helps to generate more publicity

'Even when we were found guilty: no publicity. But when celebrities go to jail, oh wow its a story suddenly.'

Explaining the motivation for his actions, he added: 'We cant demonize people because of their political stance.

'We have to say: "Look, it wont matter ultimately whether youre Republican, radical right, or progressive".

'All that will matter is that were able to drink the water, breathe the air, live on the land. Thats whats threatened.'
Kit Mallinson, 19, from Dorset, died from pneumonia while during a trip to Cambodia

A British student died from pneumonia while travelling through Cambodia because bumbling local medics failed to check if he had medical insurance.

Kit Mallinson, 18, from Bridport in Dorset, had been enjoying a gap year in the Far Eastern country, having already spent seven weeks as a Raleigh International volunteer in Borneo.

He was discovered unresponsive during a night bus journey from Sihanoukville in the south, to Siem Reap, the home of the famous Angkor Wat ruins, a Bournemouth inquest heard.

His parents, Serena and Guy Mallinson, told the hearing that the bus company called for a private ambulance, but the crew refused to take Mr Mallinson because they did not have his insurance documents, despite them being in his rucksack.

Instead the teenager was taken to a public hospital, which his parents said did not have the appropriate equipment or medication for his pneumonia.

The British Embassy was not notified until the evening of the next day, which then informed Mr Mallinson's family.

The couple immediately arranged for him to be transferred to the private Royal Angkor International Hospital, where he died six hours later in the early hours of December 14, the inquest heard.

Mrs Mallinson said: 'For reasons we do not understand, the embassy was not contacted for two days.'

Mr Mallinson said: 'When I asked the policeman why, he said he told his boss and he shrugged his shoulders, he couldn't care less.'

Mr Mallinson was discovered unresponsive during a night bus journey from Sihanoukville in the south, to Siem Reap a Bournemouth inquest heard

He added that legal documents sent from the Cambodian authorities were full of inaccuracies and said they were a 'cover-up' for their failures.

Coroner Rachael Griffin said that Mr Mallinson had complained of a chesty cough in the days before his death.

She said toxicology tests carried out in the UK showed he had taken both codeine and benzodiazepine sleeping pills, probably taken for the long bus journey, which taken together could have worsened his chest infection.

She said that a post mortem determined he died as a result of respiratory failure caused by acute respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopneumonia with toxicity from the medication as a contributory factor.

Recording a narrative conclusion, Ms Griffin said: 'On the balance of probabilities, the delay in his medical treatment was contributory to his death.'

Mr Mallinson with friends while volunteering at the Raleigh International Trust in Borneo

She added: 'If anything good can come from Kit's death, it's a warning of the use of medication, such as the use of sleeping tablets if they are travelling long distances, as I do not think the potential consequences are fully recognised.'

Fighting back tears, Mrs Mallinson said: 'He was the most gorgeous boy, he was just adored by us all, he was kind, had a fantastic sense of humour, he was just a beautiful, beautiful boy.

'He was meant to be having the adventure of a lifetime, he was meant to be home by Christmas, we are all completely devastated.

'He would be so devastated by this because he was very excited about the next stage of his life and he should be at university now.

'I feel he was let down so very, very badly by the Cambodian authorities and it's incredibly hard not to be able to hold them accountable in any way.

'If they had done their job properly Kit would still be alive.'
Matthew 'Max' Kennedy was all smiles on Tuesday as he walked out of a Cape Cod courtroom in a gray suit and Prada shoes after criminal charges were dismissed against him following his arrest last month for a booze-fueled brawl with local police.

Prosecutors recommended to the court that disorderly conduct charges be dismissed if the son of Robert F Kennedy admitted he was 'responsible' for a noise violation at a rental house near the Kennedy compound on August 20.

The 52-year-old paid a $150 fine in Barnstable District Court wearing a trim suit with a blue tie and sporting a neat haircut, in direct contrast to the disheveled white mop he sported in his mugshot.

The son of the late senator allegedly taunted police saying, 'You don't know who you're messing with,' and was arrested with his daughter Caroline Summer Rose Kennedy, 23.

Caroline was not in court on Tuesday.

She allegedly had choice words for officers, saying: 'I went to Brown and I'm a teacher, sweetheart!' before sticking out her tongue and bursting into tears.

Scroll down for video

Matthew 'Max' Kennedy plunked down $150 for a fine and had his disorderly conduct charge dismissed on Tuesday, after a house party landed him in the back of a police car on August 20

The son of Robert F Kennedy, 52, looked pleased as he left Barnstable District Court in Massachusetts with his smiling wife Victoria

Police said that multiple 911 calls were placed about loud music and fireworks being illegally shot off from a nearby pier.

When they arrived to the rental home in Hyannis Port there were 'beer cans thrown throughout the lawn' and people were 'drinking and singing music on a microphone.'

Officer Arrmando Feliciano said he was speaking to a woman about the loud music when 'Matthew Kennedy came to the door and immediately became angry with me,' he wrote in a Barnstable Police report.

The officer noted he had no idea who Kennedy was. Then his daughter joined her father and berated the police officers.

Max Kennedy refused to identify himself, police said, and had 'noticeably bloodshot and glassy eyes and was sweating profusely.' He also began screaming incoherently and threw a cabinet filled with glass valuables to the ground.

Feliciano moved in to arrest the son of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy and was swarmed by party guests who yelled, 'You don't know who you're messing with' and 'he was a district attorney.'

Max Kennedy allegedly taunted police saying, 'You don't know who you're messing with,' and was arrested along with his daughter Caroline Summer Rose Kennedy, 23 (right)

The party was held here, at a home once used by Judy Garland on her summer holidays. Locals had complained about the noise and fireworks, and police asked them to turn the volume down

'The actions of both Matthew Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy had incited this crowd into an angry mob,' Feliciano wrote in his report. Several cruisers had to respond to the scene, police said.

Police claim Max Kennedy screamed and threw himself against a wall before he was arrested at his rowdy house party.

He was taken into custody after he refused to cooperate with police who responded to a noise complaint at the large rental home.

The father and daughter were charged with disturbing the peace and violating a noise ordinance. Both of the Kennedys were bailed out that same night.

The property does not belong to the Kennedys - although Max lives elsewhere in Hyannis Port.

It is a nine-bedroom rental home known as the 'Judy Garland House' after the actress, who used to spend her summers there.

In the shocking arrest it was revealed that Max Kennedy screamed, threw himself at the wall, and smashed a cabinet on the ground, before he was arrested at his rowdy house party, according to a police report

Pictured: The plea agreement Max Kennedy signed in Barnstable District Court on Tuesday

In his report, Feliciano described seeing people 'drinking and singing music on a microphone,' once he arrived at the scene.

The officer made his way to the front door of the home where he asked a woman if he could speak to the person in charge of the party.

Max Kennedy 'appeared to be very unsteady on his feet and his movements were erratic,' - and had been 'sweating profusely' the police report stated.

After the officer asked Kennedy for identification, the father-of-three began to scream at the officer to not enter the home.

Party guests allegedly turned the music back up while Feliciano attempted to bring the disturbance under control.

Max Kennedy is probably best known for the book he wrote about his grandfather, 'Make Gentle the Life of This: The Vision of Robert F Kennedy.'

Caroline Summer Rose, who goes by Summer, allegedly had some choice words for officers, saying: 'I went to Brown and I'm a teacher, sweetheart!' before sticking out her tongue and bursting into tears

The Garland House is seen top-right here; the Kennedy compound far left. Police say they arrested the Kennedys after they refused to turn down the music. No-one else was arrested

He writes that at that time, 'I had made several efforts with several different guests to end all the noise disturbance to no avail,' so Feliciano proceeded to enter the home.

However, Max Kennedy reportedly responded by 'screaming incoherently and throwing himself at the wall.'

'When he hit the wall, he grabbed a wall cabinet (filled with glass valuables) and threw it smashing its contents.'

After the arrest was made public, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his brother from claims he may have been drinking when he was arrested.

'I can tell you that Max Kennedy was sober as a judge,' Robert Jr told the Cape Cod Times. 'He hasn't had a drink or a drug for 35 years.'

Post-party hang: Rory and Ethel Kennedy sit in a golf cart with the grandchildren of Robert F Kennedy in the background the week of the house party

He is one of nine children born to RFK and Ethel Kennedy.

His arrest, and that of his daughter, comes eight months after his nephew - Conor Kennedy, son of RFK Jr - was arrested.

Conor Kennedy, an ex-boyfriend of Taylor Swift, was charged with disorderly conduct after he punched a man outside a nightclub on December 29 in Aspen.

However, he avoided going to court after agreeing to a plea deal that saw him given a six-month deferred sentence.

The Kennedy compound was purchased by Joseph P. Kennedy Sr, father of RFK and John F Kennedy, in 1928. It was expanded upon, but the original structure was built in 1904.
Senate leaders on both the Republican and Democratic sides booked back-to-back press conferences Tuesday to make their latest pitch for, and against, the GOP's new health care bill.

'So here's the choice for America, socialism or federalism, when it comes to your health care,' said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., whose bill that he co-wrote with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is gaining steam.

The Graham-Cassidy proposal takes funding that now goes toward Obamacare and repackages it into block grants that go back to the states.

'We've come upon an idea that is uniquely Republican, but over time has proved to work in other areas like welfare reform,' Graham told a crowd of reporters on Capitol Hill. 'So I would hate to be the Democrat that voted against more money for my state and more power and keep the status quo.'

The Senate's top Democrat, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., didn't see the latest version of 'Trumpcare' that way.

'It's a bill to end Medicaid as we know it and have the governors do the dirty work,' Schumer said, as he held up a letter written by 10 governors  five Democrats and five Republicans  who had come out against the bill.

Once again the chances of a GOP-led health care reform bill are hanging by a thread as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has yet to announce how he plans to vote.

Scroll down for video

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., could once again derail Republicans' plans to repeal and replace Obamacare, though the governor of his state has green-lit McCain's support for the bill

Sens. Bill Cassidy (left) and Lindsey Graham (second from right) are behind the new bill, which would turn Obamacare funding into block grants used for the states

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has already urged his fellow conservatives to vote against the bill, as he says it's not a true Obamacare repeal

Moderates like Sens. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D. (center), and Susan Collins, R-Maine (right), talking to ABC News' Ali Rogin, bemoan that a different, bipartisan effort didn't take off

However, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey cleared the way Monday for a McCain 'yea' as he announced his support for the plan calling it the 'best path forward,' urging Congress to get the job done.

Several hours earlier, McCain had told NBC News, 'I'm comfortable with the bill as long as the governor of Arizona has signed off on it,' adding that Ducey had some concerns.

McCain who has preached bipartisanship, especially since he returned to the Senate post-cancer diagnosis, also warned that he didn't want to see Republican lawmakers push through a piece of legislation along party lines.

'Instead of trying to jam something through like a "skinny repeal,"' McCain said, name-dropping the last GOP effort, which his no vote killed. 'Let's do it through the normal process,' he implored.

So next week the Republicans will hold a committee hearing entitled, 'Block Grants: How States Can Reduce Health Care Costs,' hosted by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Graham-Cassidy co-sponsor, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

The committee usually doesn't get involved in health care matters.

Graham didn't hide the fact that it was scheduled to appease McCain.

'My friends on the other side love process when it advantages them,' he told reporters. 'So there will be a public hearing, what John has been asking for.'

Schumer called the Republicans out for it too.

'One hearing, on one day, without a CBO score with two witnesses against the bill,' he said. 'That's a hearing, that a full airing of the bill? Come on!'

'They are ashamed of this bill, they are afraid to find out what it actually does and so we get another bill in the dark of night,' Schumer charged.

The reason why Republicans are trying to quickly vote on this bill  which molds Obamacare funding into block grants, sending them back to the states  is that they only have a limited amount of time to do it through reconciliation, which only takes 51 votes for passage.

After that, they'd need a super-majority of 60 to pass such a bill, meaning it would have to receive bipartisan support.

The White House is fully on board the effort with Vice President Mike Pence even calling West Virginia Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin, to see if he would consider saying yes to the bill.

Pence spoke at the Senate policy lunch Tuesday.

'My message today is I want to make sure that members of the Senate know the president and our entire administration supports Graham-Cassidy. We think the American people need this,' Pence said, previewing his speech to the press pool.

The GOP only has a two seat advantage in the Senate, 52-48, though they also have a spare vote because of Pence.

No Democrats will likely vote for Graham and Cassidy's legislation and they've already lost one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

'Keeping 90% of Obamacare is not ok and it's not what we ran on. Conservatives should say no,' the Kentucky Republican tweeted on Monday.

Paul had voted in favor of the 'skinny repeal' effort, with Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joining McCain to vote against it.

So far Murkowski has been vague about her intentions, though Alaska Gov.

Collins also didn't express that she was an outright 'no' this time around, but she wasn't happy with the plan either.

'I have a lot of concerns about the bill,' she told ABC News' Ali Rogin on Tuesday, sitting alongside Sen. Heidi Heitkamp for an interview feature at the D.C. diner, Ted's Bulletin.

Collins suggested the new legislation would suck $1 billion away from the state of Maine for medical expenses.

She also voiced concern that the Congressional Budget Office, Congress' nonpartisan scorekeeper, wouldn't be able to provide coverage, premium and deficit estimates right away.

The CBO plans to offer a preliminary assessment of the Graham-Cassidy plan early next week.

In the past, Democrats have hammered Republicans over the number of Americans who would become uninsured under the GOP plans versus with the country sticking with Obamacare, which mandates people buy health insurance or face a penalty under the law.

Collins, along with Heitkamp  a moderate Democrat up for re-election next year  pointed to a better course of action, the plan that was being developed by the top two members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., to stabilize the insurance markets.

'There is an alternative, however,' Collins said. 'The HELP committee has been working very hard, under bipartisan leadership of Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray and I don't want people to lose sight of that.'

Heitkamp put some blame on her side of the aisle, too, alluding to Sen. Bernie Sanders', I-Vt., move last week to introduce a Medicare for all bill, which attracted the support of a number of both liberal and moderate Democrats.

'We were on the right path, it was very bipartisan and what you saw since then is, as people saw that moving I think that frightened people who said, "Oh, well, we can't let that happen, we've got to now introduce something that is more radical,"' she said of both the Sanders plan and the one pitched by Graham and Cassidy.

'And it happened on both sides,' Heitkamp said.

Graham, however, has touted his bill as a crowd-please, telling pool reporter Jonathan Swan Tuesday, 'I have got Alan Greenspan, Jeb Bush and Steve Bannon' behind the bill.

'If anyone can do better, I'd like to meet them,' the South Carolina Republican said.

He also told Swan, with 'a knowing smile,' that he's feeling good about getting McCain's support.
Charlotte Griffiths (arriving at the Old Bailey today) where she denies one count of causing death by careless driving

A lawyer knocked down and killed a 91-year-old great grandfather on a zebra crossing as she drove to work in the rain, a court heard today.

Charlotte Griffiths, 26, sent Basant Lal Sharma 'flying into the air' when she crashed into him in her blue Ford Fiesta on Wanstead High Street in east London.

The Old Bailey heard father-of-five Mr Sharma had taken three steps across a zebra crossing when Griffiths hit him just after 8.52am on May 31 last year.

Mr Sharma suffered a traumatic brain injury and was declared dead just hours later.

Griffiths, then 24, stopped at the scene and told police officers she had 'no idea' how the accident happened.

The court heard the zebra crossing is partially obscured by a tree, but prosecutors claim Griffiths was not watching the road properly.

Mr Sharma had moved to the area after retiring as a small businessman.

His family said he had enjoyed walking a mile and a half up the high street and through the park twice a day until he died.

Mr Sharma had 16 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay said: 'On 31 May 2016, in poor weather conditions, Charlotte Griffiths turned into Wanstead High Street.

'She struck Mr Sharma as he was crossing the High Street on a zebra crossing, killing him.

'If Miss Griffiths had been looking or looking properly she would and could have seen him and brake in good time. She didn't.'

Father-of-five Basant Lal Sharma, 91, suffered fatal brain injuries and died on May 31 last year

Jurors heard Griffiths was driving between 10-15mph in the 30mph zone at the time of the crash and was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

When police asked her how the crash happened at the scene, she said: 'I have no idea.

'I just came round the corner in second gear and he must have just stepped out, there was no one there when I came out of the junction, he must have been behind the trees.'

Griffiths obtained her driving licence in June 2014 and there were no mechanical problems with her car, jurors were told.

The court heard she was 'very familiar with the route as it is part of her daily commute', though she was usually driven to work by a family member.

Jurors were shown a police reconstruction of the route in court.

There is a tree on the corner of the junction of Grove Park and Wanstead High Street which partially blocks the view of the pedestrian crossing, but a witness said Mr Sharma was 'fully visible' to drivers approaching it.

Collision investigator Clive Austin said: 'Miss Griffiths drove south at a low speed but for an unknown reason failed to see Mr Sharma who was on the crossing ahead of her, in plain view, and consequently struck him as he crossed.'

Griffiths, from Upminster in Essex, denies one count of causing death by careless driving.

The trial continues.
Donald Trump unleashed broadside after broadside against Iran on Tuesday at the United Nations, warning that the 'rogue state' is still racing toward the completion of a nuclear weapon that would destabilize the entire Middle East.

'Major portions of the world are in conflict, and some in fact are going to hell,' he said, in a speech to the General Assembly that included direct attacks on Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba.

The Obama administration entered into an agreement with Tehran and five other world powers in 2016, which it said would prevent Iran's rise as a nuclear military power.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

During speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, President Donald Trump hinted that the 'rogue state' of Iran is still racing toward the completion of a nuclear weapon

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani (left), shown shaking hands with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday, warned that exiting the Obama administration's nuclear agreement 'would carry a high cost for the United States of America'

Trump delivered his first address to the 193-nation body on Tuesday in New York City

Iran says it has a right to peaceful nuclear development for electric power, and denies that it is pursuing weapons.

The nation agreed to limit its number of nuclear centrifuges and to stop building heavy-water reactors for 15 years.

Amid doubts that Iran is keeping up its end of the bargain, the Trump White House has suggested that the deal needs to be scrapped if it can't be renegotiated with tougher safeguards against cheating.

'We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles. And we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program,' Trump said, drawing applause from leaders of more than 180 nations in the room.

'The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States and I don't think you've heard the last of it, believe me,' he said.

'It's time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction.'

Big fan: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahucalled Trump's speech 'courageous'

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told CNN on Monday exiting the Obama administration's agreement 'would carry a high cost for the United States of America, and I do not believe Americans would be willing to pay such a high cost for something that will be useless for them.'

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, blasted Trump after his speech.

'By suggesting he would revisit and possibly cancel the Iran nuclear agreement, he greatly escalated the danger we face from both Iran and North Korea,' she said in a statement.

'What nation would negotiate with the United States when the agreements we reach with other countries are so easily undermined?'

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump.

'In over 30 years in my experience with the UN, I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech,' he said in a statement.

'President Trump spoke the truth about the great dangers facing our world and issued a powerful call to confront them in order to ensure the future of humanity.'

The room delivered a round of applause when he declared that the U.S. 'cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program'

'The longest suffering victims of Iran's leaders are, in fact, its own people,' Trump said, slamming Tehran for funneling oil profits to terror groups instead of to developing and feeding its people

Trump also castigated Iran's mullahs on Tuesday for confiscating oil revenues and shunting the money to terrorist groups and other villainous regimes.

'The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy,' he said. 'It has turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos.'

'The longest suffering victims of Iran's leaders are, in fact, its own people. Rather than use its resources to improve Iranian lives, its oil profits go to fund Hezbollah and other terrorists that kill innocent Muslims and attack their peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbors.'

'This wealth, which rightly belongs to Iran's people, also goes to shore up Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship, fuel Yemen's civil war and undermine peace throughout the Middle East,' he said.

'It is time for the regime to free all Americans and citizens of other nations that they have unjustly detained. And above all, Iran's government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors.'

After the speech, Trump told reporters: 'I think it went really well. I said what I had to say,' according to the Fox News Channel.
Students could have information about their mental health disclosed to their teachers and parents under a drastic new plan to help teenagers dealing with depression.

In a bid to help students more effectively, NSW Health and the Department of Education will encourage the sharing of information between agencies on students with mental health issues, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The sharing will also be extended to parents, who will in some cases be invited to 'case conferences' alongside doctors, teachers and counsellors, where the teenager's mental health will be discussed.

Students could have their mental health records shared with teachers and parents under a radical new plan to help teenagers struggling with mental health issues

Mental Health Minister Tanya Davies (pictured) said 'early recognition' and 'early intervention' is the best way to help teenagers struggling with their mental health

Just two years ago, the rate of suicide for young Australians aged 15-24 reached a 10-year high.

Findings in the Second Australian Child and Adolescent survey of Mental Health and Well-Being, released in 2015, revealed one in 10 teenagers had self-harmed, and one in 13 people aged 12-17 had contemplated suicide.

Mental Health Minister Tanya Davies told the Telegraph 'early recognition' and 'early intervention' is the best way to help teenagers struggling with their mental health.

'The sharing of information between NSW Health and the Education Department ensures young people are kept safe and well,' she said.

2015 YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FINDINGS One in 10 teenagers had self harmed

25 per cent of teenage girls aged 16-17 met clinical criteria for depression

One in 13 aged 12-17 had contemplated suicide

One in five adolescents had very high or high levels of psychological distress Source: Second Australian Child and Adolescent survey of Mental Health Advertisement

New laws were brought in in 2016, enhancing the power of Government agencies to exchange information under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act.

They now allow the transfer of information between a Government school or registered non-government school and medical practitioners or registered psychologists.

Consent of a child is not necessary for the information to be exchanged, but Dr Stephen Carbone, a clinical adviser for Beyondblue, told the Telegraph the permission of a student should be sought, as it could create trust issues.

He supported the idea of an information exchange though, noting: 'There isn't a school in NSW that doesn't have students with mental illnesses'.
A California teen diagnosed with a rare and deadly skin disorder was pictured beaming with joy as she was crowned homecoming queen at an Orange County high school.

Riley McCoy, a 17-year-old who suffers from xeroderma pigmentosum, otherwise known as XP, is unable to go outdoors or sit near open windows during the daytime as her condition leaves her extremely sensitive to any amount of sunlight.

If exposed, Riley is left with severe burns that result in irreversible UV damage to her skin.

The well-liked high school senior strives to live each day to the fullest after she was informed her condition kills most people diagnosed in their early 20's.

Scroll down for video

Riley McCoy has her crown placed by last year's homecoming king Jimmy Quick during halftime of the Dana Hills High School football game

The girl who can't go out in the sun, Riley McCoy, is voted homecoming queen by her senior class

Riley has a very rare disorder, xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), which makes its victims incredibly sensitive to the sun

If exposed, Riley is left with severe burns that result in irreversible UV damage to her skin

Last year's homecoming queen and Riley's friend, Jimmy, placed the tiara on her head after the emotional win

Because her symptoms were detected as an infant, doctors say she could live to see 50, according to OCR.

The evening of Friday, September 15 was one to remember for McCoy  who was surrounded by family, friends and doctors who watched in awe of her smiling as she received her tiara and 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' sounded over the stadium speakers.

'This is my night,' Riley said as she walked down the field, leaving her loved ones unable to hold back tears.

'It was like a fairy tale,' the teen's proud mother, Pam McCoy told the Tennessean.

Because her symptoms were detected as an infant, doctors say she could live to see 50, according to OCR

She was diagnosed at the early age of just six days old, after her parents found severe burns on her body from the sun

Riley's close friend and Dana Hills High alum, Jimmy Quick, made a special trip home from college to see the special event.

'She was fearless. I was crying, everyone was crying. The song, the fireworks  it was the perfect moment. It was a precious night,' Jimmy, now a freshman at Belmont University said.

'Love was in the air. Everyone was so happy for her. And she just kept hugging Jimmy,' Riley's mom added.

Riley, who's received an overwhelming amount of support from fellow students at Dana Hills, has had nothing but a positive high school experience.

Riley's mom Pam said her daughter has had an extremely positive high school experience

'It's insane,' her mom, Pam said. 'They love her, they root for her, they want her to succeed and feel normal'

Riley was diagnosed with the 'D' strain of the disorder, which leaves her with neurological degeneration, according to OCR

'It's insane,' her mom, Pam said. 'They love her, they root for her, they want her to succeed and feel normal.'

Riley was diagnosed with XP at the early age of six days old after her parents noticed severe burns covering her body after a minimal time spent out in the sun.

Even worse, Riley was diagnosed with the 'D' strain of the disorder, which leaves her with neurological degeneration, according to OCR.

'There are about 300 Americans currently living with XP, and the chances of being born in this country with the disease are 1 in a million. There are fewer than 100 living with XPD,' the report said.
George Osborne appeared to publicly apologise to Theresa May today after reportedly saying he wants her 'chopped up in bags in my freezer'.

The ex-chancellor has used his new-found power as a newspaper editor to launch a series of attacks on the Prime Minister, describing her as a 'dead woman walking'.

But writing in today's Evening Standard, Mr Osborne called a truce with his former Cabinet colleague.

He admitted 'harsh words' have been swapped over Brexit but said that differences of opinion are no reason for 'intemperate language'.

George Osborne, pictured on BBC's Andrew Marr show just after the election in June when he described May as a 'dead woman walking'. The former chancellor has offered the PM an olive branch and said a clash of opinions is no reason for 'intemperate language'

He blamed much of the animosity on the PM's former top aides Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, who quit in the aftermath of the disastrous Tory election amid anger at the 'toxic' atmosphere they created in No10.

And Mr Osborne heaped praise on the Prime Minister for leading the fight against modern slavery.

He wrote: 'In the battles over Brexit, and over the future direction of the Conservative Party, some harsh words have been said about the Prime Minister.

'Her advisers created a poisonous atmosphere among senior Tories.

'But they are now gone, and a much more consensual team has recently replaced them in Downing Street. Mrs Mays critics in her party will want to respond in kind.

Theresa May, pictured in Canada yesterday with the country's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has been the victim of a series of gruesome-worded attacks from George Osborne. Her ex cabinet collegue compared her to a zombie and reportedly said he wants her chopped up in bags in his freezer

'We can reflect that strong differences of opinion do not need intemperate language, even when said in jest.'

And he said that 'whatever the future holds for her leadership' her interview in his newspaper about modern slavery 'reminds us of Mrs Mays qualities.'

Mr Osborne has sparked controversy after using gruesome language as he tore into the Prime Minister over Brexit and her weakness in No10.

He has compared her to a zombie and described her as a 'dead woman walking' live on the BBC.

But the biggest controversy emerged last week when an profile of the former chancellor claimed he told friends he will not cease his attacks on the PM until she is 'chopped up in little bags in my freezer'.

Mr Osborne has not responded directly to the reports that about the last comment.
'Hitman chief': Robert Escobar Gaviria, 71, has weighed in on the killing of a location scout for the Netflix show Narcos, saying the network should hire 'hitmen' as security personnel

Pablo Escobar's brother has weighed in on the brutal killing of a location scout for the Netflix show Narcos in central Mexico, suggesting that the network hire 'hitmen' to provide security for their personnel.

Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria also addressed his ongoing dispute with Netflix concerning what he has described as unauthorized use of his and his late brother's names and likenesses, saying that if his company, Escobar Inc, is not paid a fee of $1billion, 'we will close their little show.'

Netflix location scout Carlos Munoz Portal, 37, was found shot to death on September 11 near the border of Hidalgo state - an area in central Mexico where crime is rampant.

The Mexico State prosecutor's office said in a statement that the victims bullet-riddled body was discovered in his car in farm fields in the township of Temascalapa, about 40 miles northeast of Mexico City, after an apparent chase over back country roads.

At the time of his death, Munoz Portal was taking pictures while working on Season 4 of Narcos, which is set in Colombia and chronicles the rise and fall of the notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.

Carlos Munoz Portal's car was discovered on unnamed dirt road in the community of San Bartolo Actopan, in the municipality of Temascalapa near the border with Hidalgo, Mexico

On Monday, Escobar's 71-year-old brother, formerly known as the 'chief of the hitmen for the ultra-violent Medellin drug cartel, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about Munoz Portal's death.

'You have to eliminate all threats,' said Escobar Gaviria. 'If you have the intellect, you don't need to use weapons. If not, you have to. In this case, Netflix should provide hitmen to their people as security.'

Escobar Gaviria was arrested in December 1993, after his brother Pablo was killed in a shootout with the Colombian National Police.

He had served 10 years in prison for his role in Colombia's drug trade and was released in 2013.

A year later, Escobar Gaviria founded Escobar Inc and registered successor-in-interest rights for his slain brother.

As the time of his killing, Munoz Portal was taking pictures in preparation for Season 4 of the Netflix how Narcos, which follows the rise and fall of Colombia's Medellin cartel

Playing Pablo: The shows stars Wagner Moura (left) and Colombia drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (pictured right in 1983)

On July 1, 2016, the former cartel accountant and 'hitman chief' sent a letter to Netflix demanding a $1billion payout for unauthorized use of content related to Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartel.

I don't want Netflix or any other film production company to film any movies in Medellin or Colombia that relates to me or my brother Pablo without authorization from Escobar Inc, Escobar Gaviria told The Hollywood Reporter over the phone. It is very dangerous. Especially without our blessing. This is my country.

According to Escobar Gaviria, the network is 'scared.' He claimed that his company's attorneys are currently in talks with Netflix about securing the ten-figure payment.

'If we don't receive it, we will close their little show,' he said of Narcos. 'You see, we own all the trademarks to all of our names and also for the Narcos brand.'

Then and now: Escobar Gaviria (pictured in an old undated, left) was arrested in December 1993 and served 10 years in prison. In 2014, he founded Escobar Inc and registered successor-in-interest rights for his slain brother

Meanwhile, authorities in Mexico told El Pais that they had no suspects in the killing of Munoz Portal due to the lack of witnesses.

A friend of the deceased told the Spanish-language newspaper that Munoz was out taking photographs when he was shot, and speculated that an unfamiliar man with a camera may have spooked locals in the crime-ridden area.

Munoz's car was discovered on unnamed dirt road in the community of San Bartolo Actopan, in the municipality of Temascalapa near the border with Hidalgo, the Mexican state with the highest homicide rate.

Police said the car appeared to have been involved in some kind of chase, but they were uncertain whether the chase began in Hidalgo or the State of Mexico, where the car was found.

Munoz Portal (left) was found dead in his car after an apparent chase in central Mexico

Munoz, 37, had worked in film for over a decade, on productions including Man On Fire, Apocalypto, and the James Bond film Spectre

Netflix issued the following statement: 'We are aware of the passing of Carlos Munoz Portal, a well-respected location scout, and send our condolences to his family.'

'The facts surrounding his death are still unknown as authorities continue to investigate,' the statement continued.

Munoz, a Mexican national, had worked as a film location scout since 2003.

Among the many productions he assisted on were Man On Fire, Apocalypto, and the James Bond movie Spectre.

Narcos is a crime drama set in Colombia which tells the story of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.
A crazed woman Megan McQuaide, 18, shouted 'if you can beat them, eat them' after biting an officer outside a police station in Co Donegal, Ireland, a court heard this week

A crazed woman shouted 'if you can't beat them, eat them,' after biting an officer outside a police station in Ireland.

Megan McQuaide, 18, was arrested after she was involved in a traffic accident in Barnesmore, Co Donegal on June 24 this year.

McQuaide, of Derry, was found by gardai officers standing in the middle of the road hurling abuse and attacking emergency services.

The woman was aggressive towards hospital staff and was arrested for public order offences.

While being released from the Letterkenny Garda station, into the care of her grandmother, she sank her teeth into the chest of a female officer, shouting 'if you can't beat the, eat them.'

Letterkenny District Court heard how McQuaide bit through two layers of clothing and broke the skin of the Garda, causing her severe bruising.

Solicitor Patsy Gallagher said his client, who pleaded guilty to public order and assault charges, had a severe history of drug abuse - both prescribed and unprescribed.

Mr Gallagher said his client was living with her grandmother, who had been searching for her at the time of the incident.

'She was in a drug-confused hell but she is in a very different place today and is trying her best,' Mr Gallagher told the court.

Judge Paul Kelly ordered a probation report on Ms McQuaide.

The case was adjourned until January 15th.
A woman has told the inquest into the execution-style murder of Perth brothel madam Shirley Finn that she claimed she was being followed two days before her 1975 killing, saying a detective had threatened her.

The WA Coroner's Court heard on Tuesday the mother of three was agitated and pacing when she visited the Mt Hawthorn house Paule Jacqueline De Gaye shared with bookmaker and nightclub owner Don Mack on June 20, 1975.

'She was very jumpy, very fidgety,' Ms De Gaye said.

Shirley Finn was found dead in her car in June 1975, wearing a $3,000 ballgown. She had been shot four times

Ms Finn was found in her car (pictured) which was parked near the Royal Perth Golf Club

She said Ms Finn arrived in a taxi because she feared her distinctive American car was being followed.

Ms De Gaye said Finn was also carrying a pleated, beige satin dress wrapped in drycleaner's plastic she later recognised in media reports about the murder.

Ms De Gaye said the 33-year-old seemed to be visiting because she needed help and had previously sought tips from Mr Mack on setting up her own nightclub.

According to Ms De Gaye, who secretly listened in on their conversation by turning the volume down on headphones she was wearing, Ms Finn said: 'Donnie, I'm in deep trouble. It's serious. I've got to talk to you. I think I'm gone, Don.'

Finn's daughter Bridget Shewring has long campaigned for an inquest into her mother's unsolved murder

She said she had threatened detective Owen Leitch - who three months later became the commissioner of police - that she had a meeting with the tax office about a large bill and would 'name names.'

'If I go down, so will you and your boys,' Ms Finn told him, according to Ms De Gaye.

Ms Finn said he told her to shut her mouth then suggested she would be shot if she did not keep quiet by making a gun gesture with her hand and pointing it at her head.

Mr Mack gave Ms Finn an envelope, presumably containing cash, and she also sought his opinion about the dress, which she had carefully selected for a meeting with an 'important' person, Ms De Gaye said.

Mr Mack gave Ms Finn (pictured) an envelope, presumably containing cash, and she also sought his opinion about the dress, which she had carefully selected for a meeting with an 'important' person, Ms De Gaye said

That was scheduled for the night of June 22, which turned out to be her last.

Mr Leitch had allegedly told her, 'Don't look trashy - dress to impress', and Mr Mack approved of the gown, telling her it looked 'very jazzy'.

On the morning of June 23, when news of the killing broke, Ms De Gaye ran into the bathroom to inform her de facto.

She said he replied: 'The bastards got her.'

David Leigh, counsel representing police, said it made no sense Ms Finn (pictured) would seek help from Mr Mack given he had opposed a liquor licence application for her Northbridge club Strip-O-Rama two years earlier and paid for a private investigator to dig dirt on her

David Leigh, counsel representing police, said it made no sense Ms Finn would seek help from Mr Mack given he had opposed a liquor licence application for her Northbridge club Strip-O-Rama two years earlier and paid for a private investigator to dig dirt on her.

'He's essentially trying to sabotage her business,' Mr Leigh said.

But Ms De Gaye said her account was truthful.

'This is what I heard. I don't make up anything.'

The inquest continues.
Two women Islamists found guilty of planning a terrorist attack on a shopping centre have been jailed for a total of 23 and a half years.

Tatyana Karpenko and Natalia Grishina denied plotting to kill shoppers in the city of Rostov in south-western Russia's Rostov Oblast region in 2015.

But a woman they had recruited to detonate a suicide vest while surrounded by shoppers confessed to her role in the plan.

As part of a plea bargain, Viktoria Semyonova received a lighter sentence of three years in a separate hearing.

Tatyana Karpenko (left) and Natalia Grishina (right) denied plotting to kill shoppers in the city of Rostov in south-western Russia's Rostov Oblast region in 2015

Karpenko (left) was jailed for 14 and a half years, while Grishina (right) received a lighter sentence of nine years

Karpenko, who has a three-year-old daughter, was found guilty of planning the attack and of recruiting Semyonova.

She will be jailed for 14 and a half years. She was also fined 150,000 Russian rubles, the equivalent of 1,900.

Grishina was also found guilty of planning the attack but not of inducing another person to commit a crime, and so received the lighter sentence of nine years. She was fined 100,000 Russian Rubles, or 1,270.

The Investigative Committee of Russia  the countrys federal investigating authority  said it believed Karpenko and Grishina were both supporters of radical Islamism.

It said they shared the views of international terrorist organisations such as the so-called Islamic State and the lesser known Caucasus Emirate.

Both women were said to be unemployed.
A landlord accused of sexually assaulting a young British woman in his Berlin flat after renting out a room to her has claimed he thought she 'might be a spy'.

The woman, who was staying in the Wedding area of the German capital for a business trip, said that as she was unpacking her suitcase the man assaulted her.

Neither the woman nor the man can be named under strict German privacy laws, but the defendant's age can be reported as 39.

The indictment made available for the trial explains that the woman arrived at the shared flat shortly after midnight.

The woman, who was staying in the Wedding area of the German capital for a business trip, said that as she was unpacking her suitcase the man assaulted her

It goes on: 'Soon after, he tried to kiss and embrace her.'

According to the state prosecutor's office, the landlord then allegedly trapped the woman in the room and continued to abuse her.

She was only able to escape her ordeal by warning the Berlin police by text message about her situation, it has been claimed.

But the man has denied all charges in court.

He said he asked the woman to leave his two-room flat shortly after they met.

He said he did not know 'who she really is' and thought that 'perhaps she might be a spy'.

According to the defendant, he has been persecuted for a long time, although he did not expand on that point.

He has been charged with sexual assault and grievous bodily harm.

The trial, which began yesterday, will continue tomorrow.
Lonnie Jay Belt pleaded not guilty to the murder and kidnapping of a five-year-old boy yesterday in Jackson County District Court in Kentucky

The man accused of killing a 5-year-old Kentucky boy after throwing his mother from a cliff has pleaded not guilty to murder yesterday.

Lonnie Jay Belt appeared in Jackson County District Court on Monday to answer to the charge in the death of James Spoonamore.

An arrest citation says Belt admitted to taking Jessica Durham and her son against their will. He had told police he took them to a secluded wooded area. Police say he then beat Durham and pushed her off a cliff, but she survived.

The citation also stated Belt admitted to bringing the boy to a different area and struck the child in the head several times with a metal object.

But Belt pleaded not guilty last week to the charges of kidnapping, assault and tampering with evidence related to an attack on the boy's mother.

The boy's body was found about a half-mile from where his mother was found by hikers.

James Spoonemore, 5, was found dead by being bludgeoned in the head repeatedly

Spoonemore is pictured with his mom, Jessica Durham, who was kidnapped along with her son, assaulted and pushed off a cliff

Though Durham survived the attack the family says she is currently in critical condition at UK Chandler Medical Center.

Durham's sister-in-law, Jessica Odell, said her brother became worried about his wife and stepson when he came home and they were both gone.

'Her cell phone and everything was at home and it's not usual for her to leave her things at home. He was worried,' Odell told WYMT. 'We tried to keep faith that he would be okay and that they would find him okay. It was scary because we were thinking if this man would be so bad to do this to her, he would definitely harm him.'

Odell said described the five year old as 'the happiest bay you could ever meet' and says she's devastated by the news.

Police charged Belt with murder after finding Spoonamore's body last week. They also charged him with assault, two counts of kidnapping, and evidence tampering for an attack on the boy's mother.

Belt has another preliminary court hearing set for Sept. 25.
The teenage gunman accused of killing one classmate and wounding three others at their Washington high school last week kept a manifesto at home and marked students' faces with Xs in his yearbook, according to police.

Caleb Sharpe, 15, is awaiting his first court date after being taken into custody shortly after the shooting at Freeman High School in Rockford, Washington, at 10am last Wednesday.

Police say he shot Sam Strahan, 15, in the chest and head, killing him coldly before opening fire on Emma Nees, Gracie Jensen and Jordyn Goldsmith who all survived despite being injured.

In court documents released this week, police who searched Sharpe's family home described finding a 'manifesto' in his bedroom which contained a 'list of dad's ammo'.

Police say Caleb Sharpe (above last Wednesday being taken into a juvenile center) kept a 'manifesto' at home and had marked his high school yearbook with Xs on the faces of students he wanted to kill

It was in a binder in front of a dresser in the boy's room, they said.

In the second drawer of his dresser was a yearbook in which Sharpe had marked the faces of students with an 'X = kill'. Police will not reveal whether any of the students who were hurt or killed had their faces marked in the yearbook.

They also discovered an Assassins Creed notebook and a stack of papers and notes with the title 'My first novel book'.

What was described as a 'practice Molotov cocktail' was also found under a stack of clothes in his closet, they said.

Elsewhere in the home, they found 34 boxes of .223-caliber ammunition on top of a safe.

Police say it was where the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and handgun Sharpe used were being kept.

They believe they belong to his father and that he knew the combination to the safe.

On Wednesday, authorities say he brought the weapons to school in a black duffel bag.

Sam Strahan, 15, died after being shot in the head and chest. Sharpe told police he approached him and said: 'I always knew you'd shoot up the school' seconds beforehand

Officers said they found a practice Molotov cocktail in Sharpe's closet and a stack of notes and papers in a dresser drawer which he'd titled 'My first novel book'

First, they say he pulled the AR-15 out, pointing it towards students in a second floor hallway, but it jammed.

In interviews, Sharpe said this was when Strahan approached him and taunted him, allegedly telling him: 'I always knew you were going to shoot up the school.

'You know this is going to get you in trouble.'

Sharpe is then accused of pulling out a handgun from his waistband and shooting Strahan in the chest and face.

He told police he was bullied by the 15-year-old sophomore but that he wasn't necessarily a target.

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said Sharpe was driven by bullying but that he was 'enamored of the school shooting culture'.

His parents issued a statement last week to say they were 'devastated' by the events and asked for privacy.

A distraught student is pictured after evacuating the high school last Wednesday after the shooting

Three other girls were injured in the shooting but survived. Two have since been released from the hospital

'The Sharpe family wishes to offer their deepest condolences and sympathies to the entire Freeman community.

Wednesday, the day of the shooting was Sharpe's first day back after being suspended for sending threatening, violent notes around

'They too as a family are devastated,' lawyer Bevan Maxey said.

Sharpe was initially placed in Spokane Juvenile Detention Center and was expected to make his first court appearance in juvenile court last Thursday but the hearing was cancelled.

It suggests that prosecutors are weighing up whether to try him as an adult. A new appearance has not yet been scheduled at any court in Spokane.

Last Wednesday, the day of the shooting, was his first day back at school after being suspended for passing around threatening notes.

Staff at Freeman High School will not reveal exactly what was in the note which prompted his suspension but they said they followed protocol, only allowing him back after being satisfied that he was not a risk.

Students have told how in the days before the shooting, Sharpe had been passing around notes threatening to 'do something stupid which could get him killed.'

One said he'd become obsessed with school shooting documentaries.
Another toddler has fallen victim to the ongoing swooping magpie saga sweeping the nation, but this time the attack has come with a unique twist.

Two-year-old Asha O'Leary was playing on her scooter when she was attacked by a half-beaked magpie that flew at her from the ground, instead of swooping over-head.

The Perth mother, Helen O'Leary, said they were both at a lake in Woodlands when the attack took place, Perth Now reports.

Scroll down for video

Two-year-old Asha O'Leary (pictured) was playing on her scooter when she was attacked by a half-beaked magpie

The magpie (pictured) bizarrely flew at the toddler from the group instead of swooping her from above like magpies normally do

'She was just on her scooter and it was coming up from the ground,' Ms O'Leary said.

'I know of about four other attacks through Facebook, within only two days by the same bird.'

Ms O'Leary filmed her young daughter's injuries which show cuts to her cheeks, nose and chin.

The two-year-old points the spots where she was attacked by the magpie to her mum during the footage, including a long scratch down the side of her face.

Ecologist Dr Amanda Riley told the publication the bird jumping up from the ground was 'really unusual behaviour'.

Another mother shared on social media her child and a friend's child were attacked by a magpie at the same park days earlier, receiving 'cuts very close to their eyes'.

Asha's mother Helen said her daughter was just playing on her scooter when she was attacked, leaving her with scratches all over her face (pictured)

'Also saw two kids getting swooped this morning in the same spot. So please be careful parents,' the post read.

The attack comes after two Perth toddlers were rushed to hospital last week after a vicious magpie attack.

Jacob Gale, one, underwent emergency eye surgery after the bird punctured his left eye, leaving him possibly blind in one eye.

The second child, Bodee White, three, was swooped three times by the same bird on the same afternoon.

The magpie left the young child with scratches to his face and on the eyeball but didn't sustain permanent damage.

Experts are warning people to avoid magpie swooping areas and to wear a hat and sunglasses when magpies are around.
A police officer was justified in fatally shooting a 15-year-old boy who was advancing at him with a crowbar, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Ruben Urbina, an honor roll student at PACE West, in Gainesville, was shot and killed Friday near his home in Haymarket, a Washington suburb.

The teen had called 911 and claimed he had a bomb strapped to his chest and was holding a family member hostage inside the property.

Ruben Urbina, an honor roll student at PACE West, in Gainesville (left and right) was shot and killed Friday near his home in Haymarket, a Washington suburb

When the cops arrived, they found Urbina in front of the home, and witnessed him strike his brother's girlfriend with a crowbar, Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert said at a press conference Tuesday.

Ebert said the boy had mental problems and attempted suicide the night before.

The boy then started coming towards the officers with a crowbar in what police referred to as a threatening manner and ignored their commands to put it down.

One officer fired and shot the teenager in the upper body. He died at the scene, in front of his mother and brother.

Prince William County police at the scene in the 6800 block of Hartzell Hill Lane in Haymarket, Virginia, after an officer shot a teenage boy dead Friday morning

Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney, Paul Ebert, today ruled the shooting was justified.

He stated: 'It is always tragic when a young person loses his life by any means. In this case, the Juvenile involved was ready, willing and able to inflict death or serious bodily harm upon the responding officers. In my opinion, the officer involved acted as a result of a reasonable apprehension of death or serious bodily harm and the homicide was justified.'

Prince William County Police Chief Barry Barnard commented, 'As we continue to evaluate this incident, it seems at this stage in our administrative investigation, the officer acted appropriately in response to dynamic circumstances.

'This is undoubtedly a tragedy and we recognize the loss of this life is extremely difficult for the family and our community. Officers are often placed in situations where they are forced to make critical decisions quickly based on limited information. This shooting was traumatic for the officers involved and we ask for continued support from our community as we move forward.'

The investigation revealed earlier that morning, Ruben made comments to his mother implying that he wanted to tie her up with a telephone cord, according to a police statement.

He became increasingly aggressive, at which point, the mother went to another room of the home to get assistance from Ruben's brother and his girlfriend.

One officer fired and shot the teenager in the upper body and he died in front of his home

They found Ruben in the garage where they attempted to calm him down, but police say the teen told them he'd called police and wanted officers to kill him.

During that encounter, Ruben pulled out a knife and made threats towards them.

Ruben then located a crowbar in the garage and continued making threats. At this point, the first responding officers began to arrive.

None of the four officers at the scene were injured. A Prince William County Police EOD-trained K-9 and explosive technicians from the Virginia State Police conducted a thorough check of the home for any possible explosives. No explosives were located.

The girl who was struck with the crowbar was treated at a hospital and released.

Ebert said that despite concerns about the young man, 'there comes a point in time where police have to do what they have to do.'

The boy's family did not want to talk about what led up to the shooting and they said he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The Urbina family say they are still in shock and that the boy's 18-year-old brother, who witnessed the shooting, still hasn't come home because he is still too traumatized from the incident.

They have labelled the shooting as police brutality and say there was no need to kill their son.

'Our little kid, only 5 foot, so skinny,' his father Oscar Urbina told Fox News.

Police received a 911 call from the boy who claimed he had a bomb strapped to his chest and was holding a family member hostage inside the property. When they arrived they found the boy outside his home

'Big policeman  come on. You have a Taser. Then perhaps take him to a hospital to evaluate. That is what should have happened

'It's horrible. We are still grieving him and we just came from cremation just a few minutes ago and for just someone to come out and say, 'Oh, it's justified. Okay, goodbye.'

'No, no, you can't say goodbye to us. Our family has been destroyed. We will never have a life.'

His father added that the family were hiring a lawyer to find their own answers in what he called the 'murder' of his son.

The officer who fired his weapon was placed on routine administrative leave.

A funeral for teenager is planned for Wednesday.

The Prince William County Police Department's Office of Professional Standards is continuing an independent administrative investigation into the shooting.

A final review of the incident will be conducted by the Department's Use of Deadly Force Review Board, which will examine all aspects of the incident.

The officer involved in the shooting was identified as Officer Robert Choyce, age 35, a 7-year law enforcement veteran of the Prince William County Police Department. He is currently assigned to the Tactical Training & Response Unit and has not been involved in any previous officer-involved shootings.
A woman ordering from a McDonald's drive-thru recorded her confrontation with an employee and the video has gone viral.

Wendy Rios was at the Charlotte, North Carolina, McDonald's when an argument began between her and the female worker in the drive-thru window.

The worker is heard saying, 'Can you say Donald Trump? Can you spell deportation?'

Rios, who is from Mexico and has a thick accent told WFAA that she felt aggravated and she's heard saying 'I have my papers' in the video.

A viral video shows a confrontation between a customer and the McDonald's employee who asked if the woman could spell deportation and say Donald Trump. The customer recorded the incident posting it on her Facebook page

The unidentified employee is seen giving the middle finger through the drive-thru window

Wendy Rios is the customer from Mexico who has a thick accent and insisted that she has her papers in the video

Rios began recording mid-confrontation as she was asking the worker for the last name of the manager. It appears the worker wrote the name 'Kesha' on a receipt without a last name.

The employee gives Rios the middle finger through the glass window.

The mom-of-four is heard telling the worker to 'do it again' repeatedly.

'I kept saying, ''do it again, do it again,'' because I wanted to have proof of what she did to me,' Rios said.

It's when Rios said, 'can you do the same thing?' that the unidentified employee responded with, 'can you say Donald Trump?' repeating his name and asked, 'can you spell deportation?'

A manager later came out in an attempt to assuage the situation.

Wendy Rios posted the video to her Facebook with the caption in Spanish, it reads in English: 'Hi everyone, look at what happened to me at the McDonald's on Eastway and Central. I feel attacked and everything just happened because I asked if my order was complete? Don't laugh at my English, when I'm mad I forget. Help me share this video so this racist lady sees the nasty things she said to me.'

McDonald's owner and operator George Forrest heard about the incident and said the employee's actions were inexcusable assuring that 'this individual is no longer employed at my restaurant and we have expressed our sincerest apologies to the customer for this situation.'

Someone from that particular McDonald's called Rios to apologize, which she says isn't enough.

The mom-of-three said she was aggravated by the situation and was apologized to by McDonald's over a phone call
A woman experiencing excruciating pain in her stomach was forced to take a taxi to the hospital instead of an ambulance due to a shortage.

Melbourne woman Kasey Haldane, 30, was given the taxi ride after she called Triple-0 complaining of 'severe' abdominal pain.

The taxi driver Stephen Smith then drove her about 60 kilometres to Ballarat Hospital, reports Seven News.

It is unknown when the incident took place.

Scroll down for video

Kasey Haldane, 30, (pictured) was given the taxi ride after she called Triple 0 recently

The taxi driver Stephen Smith (pictured) then drove her about 60 kms to Ballarat Hospital

'It wasn't critical, I didn't feel her life was threatened at all, but it would have been better if she was in an ambulance with medical support,' Mr Smith told the television station.

Her father-in-law Andrew Porter told the television station that she was given the cab ride as she wasn't suffering from any major illnesses such as a 'stroke or heart attack.'

It was later reported that Ms Haldane was suffering from a kidney infection.

She is currently recuperating in hospital.

However, Seven News reports that Ambulance Victoria is investigating the matter.

Mr Smith said it would have been better if she was placed in an ambulance instead of a cab
President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly parts of the world were 'going to hell' in a speech filled with dark pronouncements where he also called for a 'reawakening' to confront challenges.

Trump made his observations about the state of the world in a speech where he blasted 'corrupt' and 'rogue' regimes threatening civilized nations.

'Major portions of the world are in conflict and some in fact are going to hell,' Trump told the 193-member body.

'But the powerful people in this room, under the guidance and auspices of the United Nations, can solve many of these vicious and complex problems. The American people hope that one day soon the United Nations can be a much more accountable and effective advocate for human dignity and freedom around the world,' Trump said.

President Donald Trump told the UN that parts of the world are 'going to hell' and called for nations to 'stand together' for peace, justice, and 'the almighty God'

In a term with religious revivalist associations, Trump said, 'Now we are calling for a great reawakening of nations, for the revival of their spirits, their pride, their people and their patriotism,' stringing together his nationalist calls with a plea for faith.

Near the end of his speech, Trump issued a call for unity, where he invoked the 'God that made us all.'

'History is asking us if we are up to the task. Our hope is a world of proud, independent nations that embrace their duties, seek friendship, and seek common cause in the future of dignity and peace of the peoples of this earth.'

Trump continued: 'We will fight together, sacrifice together and stand together for peace. For justice, for humanity, and the almighty God that made us all.'

'Strong sovereign nations let their people take ownership of the future and control their own destiny,' Trump told the leaders.

Trump spoke to the UN General Assembly for the first time

'And strong sovereign nations allow individuals to flourish in the fullness of the life intended by God. In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch.'

Trump signed off at the end of his speech by saying: 'God bless you, God bless the nations of the world, and God bless the United states of America.'

Trump was raised as a Presbyterian, but spoke frequently during the campaign about how well he performed among evangelical voters.

'Major portions of the world are in conflict and some in fact are going to hell,' Trump said. Opposition activists hold a protest against the newly inaugurated Constituent Assembly in Caracas on August 4, 2017

Trump's speech won an immediate and glowing review from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

'I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech,' he said.

Along with his denunciations of corrupt regimes and his calls to counter North Korea,' Trump called for making the UN more accountable to solve problems.

'The United States is one out of 193 countries in the United Nations, and yet we pay 22 percent of the entire budget and more,' he complained at one point.

'I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech,' said Israeli Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu

'In fact, we pay far more than anybody realizes. The United States bears an unfair cost burden, but to be fair, if it could actually accomplish all of its stated goals, especially the goal of peace, this investment would easily be well worth it.'

'Major portions of the world are in conflict, and some, in fact, are going to hell, but the powerful people in this room, under the guidance and auspices of the United Nations, can solve many of these vicious and complex problems,' Trump continued.

'The American people hope that one day soon the United Nations can be a much more accountable and effective advocate for human dignity and freedom around the world.'

A flashpoint in Trump's first speech to the UN was a vow to 'totally destroy' North Korea's Kim Jong-un if his regime threatens the United States, as he talked up the 'vast military power' of the United States.

'Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime,' Trump warned gathered world leaders, picking up a derisive term from one of his tweets over the weekend.

Trump began his remarks at the United Nations with a brash statement of U.S. military might as he defended his 'America first' agenda to a group of world leaders.

Tough message: 'As president of the United States I will always put America first,' Trump told the United Nations

Grand setting: Trump stood in front of the world leaders assembled at the United Nations General Assembly in New York

I'm off: North Korea's Ambassador to the U.N., Ja Song Nam, walked out as Donald Trump arrived at the United Nations building

Where's Kim's team gone? Seats allocated to North Korea were empty during the speech

The president used his speech to the 193-nation body to call out 'loser terrorists,' the 'corrupt' government in Venezuela, and the 'murderous' Iranian regime, and 'rogue regimes' generally.

He combined his explosive rhetoric with repeated assertions of U.S. military might, and a demand that the UN live up to its founding principles of collective action and self-determination for nations.

While he laced his remarks with a few policy ideas  calling the Iran deal negotiated by President Barack Obama and a group of nations an 'embarrassment  he didn't reveal any specific new diplomatic or military plans intended change the behavior of nations like North Korea that have resisted repeated pressure from the UN Security Council.

The president referenced starvation, corruption, and threats, saying 'major portions of the world are in conflict and some in fact are going to hell.'

Trump, who during his campaign said the UN was not a 'friend' to the U.S., did include calls for collective action. 'We must work together and confront together those who threaten us with chaos, turmoil, and terror,' Trump said.

'As president of the United States I will always put America first just like you the leaders of your countries will always and should always put your countries first,' Trump said

'It has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense,' Trump said world leaders who gathered to hear his debut remarks at an institution he has blasted in the past.

'Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been.'

He also talked up the U.S. economy.

'Fortunately, the United States has done very well since election day,' Trump said, earning his first faint applause for that line about 15 minutes into his speech.

'It has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense.

'Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been,' Trump said near the top of his remarks.

U.S. President Donald Trump, center, and first lady Melania Trump, left, leaves after his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday Sept. 19, 2017 at U.N.

Trump tore into Kim Jong-un's regime while North Korea's place in the front row at the world body stood empty. Its main diplomat walked out as Trump arrived.

'No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well-being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea,' Trump said in a lengthy passage about the regime following its missile and nuclear tests.

'It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans. And for the imprisonment, torture, killing and oppression of countless more.'

'It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict. No nation on earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles,' Trump said.

'Now their reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life.'

'The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea,' Trump said.

Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Lara Trump and Eric Trump listen as U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters, September 19, 2017 in New York City. Among the issues facing the assembly this year are North Korea's nuclear developement, violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar and the debate over climate change

Get the message: 'Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been,' Trump said near the top of his remarks.

Ready for business: Trump arrives with the First Lady Melania Trump before his bomb-throwing speech which targeted nation after nation

American delegation: Treasury Secretary Steve Mncuchin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Nikki Haley were watching from the U.S.'s allocated seats as Trump went on the offensive

His threat to 'totally destroy' Kim Jong-un created an immediate buzz inside the assembly hall.

When the speech was over, Trump told reporters: 'I think it went really well. I said what I had to say,' according to Fox News.

After issuing his grave warning to North Korea, Trump expanded his comments to other 'rogue nations' and went after Iran, Venezuela, and those who aide terrorists.

A day after criticizing the Iran nuclear agreement in meetings with world leaders including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump blasted the Islamic Republic.

'The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy. It has turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos,' Trump said.

'The longest suffering victims of Iran's leaders are, in fact, its own people. Rather than use its resources to improve Iranian lives, its oil profits go to fund Hezbollah and other terrorists that kill innocent Muslims and attack their peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbors.'

Listening intently: The Iranian representative kept his eyes down as Trump went for the jugular against the 'embarrassment' of the nuclear deal Obama negotiated

'This wealth, which rightly belongs to Iran's people, also goes to shore up Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship, fuel Yemen's civil war and undermine peace throughout the middle east.'

'We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles. And we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program,' he said, earning some applause  including from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli delegation.

He blasted the deal negotiated with Iran and a group of six other nations, calling it an 'embarassment.'

Socialist calamity: Trump went after Venezuela's hard-left government as its delegates watched and said: 'This corrupt regime destroyed a prosperous nation.'

'The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.

'Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States and I don't think you've heard the last of it, believe me.

'It's time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction. It is time for the regime to free all Americans and citizens of other nations that they have unjustly detained.

'And above all, Iran's government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors.'

Trump also went after Venezuela, following the imposition of U.S. sanctions amid chaos and government-backed violence against protesters.

'The Venezuelan people are starving and their country is collapsing,' Trump said, a day after convening a meeting with Latin American leaders on the subject. 'This situation is completely unacceptable and we cannot stand by and watch,' said Trump.

'This corrupt regime destroyed a prosperous nation,' Trump said.

Following a year where multiple nations endured terror attacks, Trump called to 'crush the loser terrorists and stop the reemergence of safe havens they use to launch attacks.'

'It is time to expose and hold responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Taliban, and others that slaughter innocent people,' Trump said.

Even with his threats of military action, Trump tried to include a few soaring lines in his speech, calling for a 'great reawakening of nations,' and saying: 'We need to defeat the enemies of humanity and unlock the potential of life itself.'

Trump ended his remarks by saying: 'God bless you, God bless the nations of the world, and God bless the United states of America.'
Members of the Pagan's Outlaw Motorcycle Gang were arrested on Friday after police discovered an arsenal of weapons

Police say a known member of the Pagan's Outlaw Motorcycle Gang had a homemade flamethrower in his New Jersey home.

Authorities said they executed a search warrant for a home located on the 100 block of Ford Road belonging to belonging to 49-year-old Anthony Corraro on Friday, according to NBC News.

The man was among three people arrested in connection with two weapons and ammunition caches that included thousands of rounds of ammunition, guns and bomb-making materials.

Officers said it was not clear what the gang members were planning to do with the arsenal, but noted that there has been recent tension with the Newark branch of the Hells Angels.

Among the cache of weapons seized during the event, police also discovered a flamethrower

Police say that its unclear why the bikers were in possession of the weapons, but noted recent tensions with the Newwark branch of the Hells Angels have flared

The investigation began Sept. 14 after the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office received a tip about the cache inside a Howell Township home.

Officials say a second, related raid in Freehold Township yielded a significant amount of explosive materials along with the homemade flamethrower.

The Pagan's Outlaw motorcycle gang was classified as a criminal enterprise by the US Justice Department in 2015.

Corraro was charged on multiple counts, including attempted possession of explosives for an unlawful purpose and attempted possession of destructive devices for an unlawful purpose.

David Tash, 53, and Christopher Tash, 49, were also arrested as police executed the warrant.

They were charged for having armor piercing artillery and possession of a large capacity ammunition magazine. David Tash was also charged will possessing 50 grams of marijuana.

The investigation is ongoing.
Max Sharp (pictured) is alleged to have stolen 105,000 from his seriously ill father

A health club owner accused of helping himself to more than 100,000 from his frail fathers savings when put in charge of the seriously ill mans finances has denied fraud.

Max Sharp, 47, was given control of retired doctor James Caveney Sharps money when the 79-year-old became so ill he could not manage on his own.

For seven-and-a-half years he allegedly abused his position as Deputy for Property and Affairs to steal 105,000.

Sharp, who has run the family healthcare business for 13 years, siphoned off the funds between 8 January 2008 and 27 August last year, it is claimed.

He allegedly transferred cash into a Barclays Bank account so he and his own children could help themselves.

Sharp, who lives in a 720,000 house in Brixton southwest London, is also the owner and Managing Director of inForm, a company that works closely with the NHS to give community physiotherapy and rehab.

The former actor, who studied at The University of Glasgow, was a previously a board director at the UKs leading not-for-profit health body for the physical activity sector ukactive.

Sharp, of Brixton Hill, denied fraud by abuse of position when he appeared at Inner London Crown Court today.

Sharp, who has run the family healthcare business for 13 years, siphoned off the funds between 8 January 2008 and 27 August last year, it is claimed

Prosecutor Katie Sinnett-Jones said at an earlier hearing: This matter relates to the long term financial abuse of a vulnerable witness, that being Mr Sharp senior.

The defendant had been appointed the indefinite deputy for finances for his father in 2008.

Between 2008 and 2016 Mr Sharp through an abuse of his position as his fathers deputy misappropriated in the region of 105,000 from his fathers account for his own purposes at detriment to his fathers estate.

Sharp was bailed ahead of his trial fixed for January 15 next year.
Police have no leads on a premature child found after spending 18 hours in a blue canvas gym bag outside a medical clinic in Chamblee, Georgia, on August 30.

The cleaning staff at Family Medical Clinic found the baby boy with his umbilical cord still attached in a blue canvass gym bag and called the police.

The baby weighed 4.86lbs and was premature.

A premature baby was abandoned outside a medical clinic in Georgia almost a month ago. Police have no leads on who left the baby inside a gym bag with the umbilical cord still attached

He was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite for treatment and is considered to be a miracle child.

'We have been in contact with the hospital and the baby boy took his first bottle this morning and he is doing well,' Lt. Jason Waasdorp told DailyMail.com the day after the baby was found.

The bag was left outside the clinic early on August 30 with the baby inside.

A premature baby was found in a gym bag with his umbilical cord still attached at a Chamblee, Georgia, medical clinic on August 30

The bag had been left outside the Family Medical Clinic in Chamblee, Georgia. The baby wasn't discovered for almost 18 hours

'At some point during the day the bag was brought inside by staff members who thought the bag belonged to a patient,' according to the police department's Facebook page.

Staff did not open the bag when they brought it in so the baby remained inside for the entire day without nourishment or attention.

Police reviewed surveillance footage and interviewed witnesses but have no leads on who left the bag nearly a month later.

The Division of Family and Children Services took custody of the child.

Police say that whoever left the child will likely face charges of child cruelty by neglect.

Georgia has a 'safe haven' law that allows mothers to abandon newborns within seven days of the child's birth. However, the law requires the mother to meet with healthcare workers face-to-face and give her name and other legal information.
When Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, there were three empty seats in the front row  those assigned to North Korea.

The repressive regime was assigned the prime location in a lottery, almost directly in front of the podium.

But as news filtered through the hall that Trump was arriving, Pyongyang's ambassador to the UN, Ja Song Nam, got up and left. His senior aide followed, leaving only a junior assistant in the hall to hear the U.S. president.

Trump pulled no punches during his first speech to the annual international gathering.

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) said Tuesday at the United Nations that 'the United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.' Pyongyang's ambassador, Ja Song Nam (left), walked out before Trump started his speech

Where did they go? Seats allocated to North Korea were empty during the speech. One junior diplomatic aide stayed behind to hear Trump but sat elsewhere

'No nation on earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles,' Trump said Tuesday

'Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been,' he warned, before saying that North Korea 'imperils the world with nuclear conflict.'

'No nation on earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles.'

'Now their reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life,' he said.

'The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.'

That threat created an immediate buzz inside the assembly hall.

Trump said last month that he would unleash 'fire and fury' at North Korea if the U.S. were threatened.

When Tuesday's speech was over, Trump told reporters: 'I think it went really well. I said what I had to say.'

And he's off! Pyongyang's ambassador to the UN, Ja Song Nam, turned tail before Trump arrived

The ambassador's exit left only one young aide (seated at left, wearing earphones) to hear the US president bash his country

Dictator Kim Jong-Un has been testing both atomic bombs and medium-range ballistic missiles, threatening east Asia and at least one U.S. island territory

Get the message: 'Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been,' Trump said near the top of his remarks

He also attacked Iran, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria.

But his stinging condemnation of North Korea hung heaviest in the air as Kim Jong-Un's authoritarian government continues a path toward building a nuclear missile.

Thoe ambitions have already led to two rounds of economic sanctions via the UN Security Council.

Trump also blasted Kim for running a country beset where poverty and torture are the norm.

'No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well-being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea,' he said.

'It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans. And for the imprisonment, torture, killing and oppression of countless more.'
The teenager arrested on suspicion of planting the Parsons Green tube bomb was involved in a heated row with a shopkeeper over his Oyster card, it was revealed today.

The 18-year-old was infuriated and swore in Arabic at staff in a Londis outlet close to the home where he stayed while under foster care.

Detectives have been told by shop workers that it was the same youth who swore at them presented to them in photographs yesterday.

They identified him and told officers they believed that it was the same person.

Walking along the street carrying a Lidl shopping bag, this may be the Parsons Green tube bomber filmed on his way to carry out the planned atrocity

A shop worker at the Londis store (pictured) said the 18-year-old terror suspect started swearing after his Oyster card was minus one penny

The CCTV camera caught a man in a red hat walking with a Lidl bag on the morning of the attack

In the pictures, the teenager was wearing an identical beanie hat to that of the suspected bomber seen in CCTV pictures since the failed attack of Friday.

One member of the shop staff, Areky, told MailOnline: 'He got angry because his Oyster card was in minus figures by a penny.

'He swore at us and left the shop but came back later and put 3 on his Oyster card and he said it was for a one-way journey but he didn't say what it was all about.'

Areky said the incident happened around 30 days ago and police will try and establish whether this was for the one-way London trip which may have taken the suspect to the District Line to plant the bucket bomb.

He added: 'One of the photographs was blurry but the other one was of him in the same hat.

'I recognised him straight away as the same guy who came in here before and got angry over one penny.

'I remember him saying that it was for one way but I don't know what that was.'

The latest shot was taken on 13 September and showed a man in a red hat riding a bike through Sunbury, just two days before a failed bucket bomb went off at Parsons Green station on Friday

A man, which could be the main suspect, was caught on CCTV walking along Vicarage Road (pictured) towards Sunbury railway station

A photograph taken on the tube at Parsons Green shows wires and a bucket on fire on Friday

The store's manager, Deep Singh, said officers on Saturday seized Londis stores CCTV footage and recorder and returned yesterday with photographs of the suspect for further identification.

The 18-year-old Iraqi refugee, who was fostered by the couplem was said to have been in frequent trouble with the police and authorities.

His desperate foster parents were alleged to have been struggling to cope.

Detectives have yet to release the name of the teenage suspect who was detained in the departure lounge at Dover ferry terminal at the weekend and have been granted extra time to question him and the second suspect.

Today the metal barriers which had been erected at both ends of Cavendish Road, Sunbury on Thames, where the suspect is said to have lived with his foster carers Penny and Ronald Jones has been removed.

Police tape which still forms a barrier is expected to be removed later tonight but the Jones residence will remain boarded as forensic officers complete their investigations.
Police officers in Port Huron, Michigan, belted out a late 90s ballad to blow off steam on the night shift.

A hilarious video shows police officers Brian Daley, Sam Baker and Derek Paret sitting in a squad car on-shift deciding what their next move will be.

'We should probably get back to work, what do you think?' Officer Daly says in the video.

Baker says he has a better idea.

Backstreet Boys in blue: A hilarious video shows police officers in Port Huron, Michigan, goofing off during the night shift by lip-syncing a Backstreet Boys song

Tell me why: Officer Brian Daly, right, appears to be skeptical about the idea at first but quickly joins in on the fun with Officer Sam Baker, left

Backseat backup: A third officer, Derek Paret, pops up from the backseat to join the two other officers in belting out the 1999 hit 'I Want It That Way'

Boys back in the day: The Backstreet Boys are pictured performing back in their heyday during a concert in the UK

'No, no, don't even try it,' Daly says as Baker turns on the stereo saying: 'Don't act like you don't know.'

'I want it that way' by the Backstreet Boys starts playing and Baker begins to lip-sync Brian Littrell's opening solo while Daly shakes his head and covers his eyes.

When the second solo starts, Daly proves that he does in fact know the song and takes the lead as Nick Carter.

When the chorus begins, Officer Paret pokes his head through a small window in the backseat and joins in on vocals.

The three officers sing the entire 1999 song off of the groups most famous album 'Millennium'.

'Yup, good weekend,' Baker says at the end of the video.

Littrell lookalike? Sam Baker (left) took on the first solo in 'I Want It That Way' that was originally sung by Brian Littrell (right)

Blonds have more fun? Brian Daly (left) jumped in on the second solo traditionally sung by blondie Nick Carter (right)

The trio made the video around 12.30am on September 9 night shift, Baker said.

Preparation included listening to and memorizing the song in the weeks leading up to the filming, which was done on Baker's phone.

The police department posted the video on Facebook on September 14. It now has nearly 10,000 shares and over 600,000 views.

The Backstreet Boys Twitter account even posted part of the video on September 16. 'Port Huron Police going above and beyond the call of duty!'

'It was definitely very humbling,' Daly said of the Backstreet Boys' tweet.

The Backstreet Boys Twitter account even posted part of the video on September 16

Backstreet's back all right: The boy band is pictured performing its 'Larger Than Life' set in Las Vegas in March 2017

The Late Show: The Port Huron officers were two band members short when they performed a lip-sync cover of 'I Want It That Way'

Baker told The Times Herald they didn't expect the video to take off like it did.

'It's a little overwhelming,' he said.

The video was definitely outside of his comfort zone, Baker said.

'People had no idea I could know the lyrics to a song like that,' he said.

He also said he would be willing to make another one because it shows a dynamic of the force that the community doesn't always see.

He said the community has been very supportive, and the department is grateful for the positive feedback.

'It brings a positive light to law enforcement,' Baker said.

Daly called it 'humanizing the badge.'

Positive reinforcement: Officer Daly, pictured right, called the video: 'Humanizing the badge'

The video was part of a community policing initiative, according to the department's community services officer Patrick Eash.

The department tends to see low turnout to community meetings and events, so he has been focusing on engaging the community through social media for the past month.

'It opens up a dialogue,' Eash said.

'We don't oversee, we're not above, we don't police our community,' he said. 'We are the community.'

Tri-Hospital EMS made the first lip-sync video and challenged the police department to make one.
A booking photo shows Christopher Ricardo Gonzalez, 18, who was named one of Texas' 10 Most Wanted fugitives. He was arrested in Los Angeles on Tuesday

One of Texas' 10 Most Wanted fugitives suspected in a series of violent home invasions has been arrested near Los Angeles.

Christopher Ricardo Gonzalez, 18, was arrested around 2am in Woodland Hills, California, on Tuesday after an Instagram live video tipped police off to his location.

Dallas police contacted the LAPD after Gonzalez live-streamed a video of a shotgun and other weapons on Instagram.

Dallas officials were able to provide GPS coordinates of the video signal, and undercover LAPD officers located the suspect's rented black SUV.

The suspect immediately took off and the police chased him until the vehicle crashed into a power pole.

Gonzalez and a second suspect ran out of the SUV and hid but were found and bitten by K-9 units.

A video shows the SUV that was wrecked after Gonzalez led police on a car chase on early Tuesday morning before he crashed it into a pole

Gonzalez and another suspect immediately fled on foot but were eventually located by K-9 units and arrested

Gonzalez, known as 'Little Chris,' was named to Texas' Most Wanted list in August. He is affiliated with a clique of the infamous Bloods gang.

Along with murder allegations, he was allegedly involved with a number of aggravated home invasions in Dallas from October 2016 through February 2017.

A $5,000 reward was offered by Dallas police for his capture.

Investigators say Gonzalez is affiliated with the Bloods street gang and was wanted by Dallas police on suspicion of aggravated robbery and engaging in organized crime.
Fake explosives packed into a mobile phone today sparked a bomb alert at India's southern Mangalore Airport.

Security staff discovered the device while screening a 26-year-old travelling to Dubai. He has been identified only as 'M. Mohammed'.

An officer spotted the suspicious scan and found a 'clay-like substance' inside the mobile phone power bank.

The airport's dog squad gave 'mixed signals' after sniffing the bag but an explosive trace test ultimately confirmed that it was not a viable device.

An officer spotted the suspicious scan and found a 'clay-like substance' inside the mobile phone power bank

The suspect device sparked a bomb alert at Mangalore Airport in India, pictured

Airline IndiGoo had earlier tweeted: 'IndiGo's alert security screener staff at Mangalore caught a suspect carrying an alleged cellphone bomb today.

'The matter has been reported to the local police. Since it is a sensitive security matter we have nothing more to share.'

Police across the globe are on high alert for suspect devices after British spies uncovered a plot by terrorists to set off a home-made mobile phone bomb in the run-up to Christmas last year.

It came just months after ISIS jihadis allegedly attempted to smuggle a handheld device onto an Etihad jet in Australia in a terrifying bid to blow hundreds of innocent passengers out of the sky during a flight to the Middle East.

Airline IndiGoo had earlier tweeted: 'IndiGo's alert security screener staff at Mangalore caught a suspect carrying an alleged cellphone bomb today'

The alleged plot to blow up the plane after it left Sydney is reported to have been thwarted by airport screening officers.

Police alleged that the components of the bomb had already been flown into Australia from Turkey as air cargo and assembled in Sydney under direction from a senior ISIS figure.
A convicted drug dealer was sentenced Tuesday in California to 11 years in prison for beating a movie studio executive to death after he found out he was having an affair with his wife.

John Lenzie Creech, 45, was convicted in July of voluntary manslaughter in the killing of Gavin Smith, a 20th Century Fox distribution executive.

Smith's body was found in a shallow desert grave two years after he was reported missing in 2012.

Creech, seen here pictured Tuesday, has now been jailed for 11 years for the voluntary manslaughter of Gavin Smith

Fox executive Gavin Smith's son and widow Dylan Smith (left) and Lisa Smith (right) pleaded with the judge for a harsh sentence for Creech

A jury rejected first- and second-degree murder charges.

Before sentencing, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephen A. Marcus called Creech 'a cold and cruel person,' saying his actions had been egregious, heartless, callous.

'Mr. Creech has shown no remorse in this case whatsoever,' the judge said. 'He has attempted to sort of paint himself as the total victim in this case and the court does not find, in my view of the evidence, that that's true.'

Prosecutors said Creech killed Smith because Smith was having an affair with Creech's estranged wife, Chandrika Cade. She and Creech had met in drug rehab and been in a sporadic affair for years.

Case closed: Drug dealer John Lenzie Creech (left), 42, has been jailed for 11 years with the 2012 murder of 57-year-old Hollywood movie studio executive Gavin Smith (right) Creech was convicted in July of voluntary manslaughter

In May 2012, they were having a romantic rendezvous inside Smith's Mercedes-Benz sedan in a Los Angeles neighborhood when Creech found them through an iPhone app that allowed him to track his wife's phone.

In the fight that followed, Creech crushed Smith's skull on both sides, according to an autopsy.

Nearly a year later, the Mercedes, with Smith's blood on it, was found in a storage facility connected to Creech.

Smith was married and had three sons. His wife Lisa appealed for his return when he went missing in 2012. Here he is pictured with their two older sons Dylan and Evan

Creech faced up to 11 years imprisonment when he is sentenced for voluntary manslaughter

In November 2014, hikers discovered his remains in a shallow grave in the desert north of Los Angeles.

Creech was already in jail by then to serving an eight year sentence for an unrelated charge which he was convicted of in 2012, after Smith's death.

In February 2015, he pleaded not guilty to a first degree murder charge, claiming he was acting in self defense when he accidentally killed the man.

Creech testified that Smith had thrown the first punch and he defended himself.

He said they were having a fight when he hit him as he sat in the car with Chandrika.

Chandrika, who divorced him after his arrest, testified against him during his trial.

She described him as violent and difficult to live with but said she put up with his outbursts.

Creech was serving an eight-year sentence for the sale or transportation of drugs when he was indicted for the killing.
Dozens of billboards featuring a porn star to promote condoms ahead of a Hindu festival of prayer have been torn down by furious Indian authorities.

The image of Sunny Leone, a Canadian actress of Indian origin, advertising contraceptives ahead of the religious celebration of Navratri sparked outrage in the western state of Gujarat.

The advertisement features no image of a condom, but was lambasted for its slogan 'Play with love this Navratri'.

Sunny Leone, a Canadian actress of Indian origin, featured in adult films before making the transition to Indian cinema, where she has remained a magnet of criticism

The actress featured in adult films including 'Descent into Bondage' and 'Costumed Damsels in Distress'

Leone arrives to host an evening at Crazyhorse III at Playground in Las Vegas

In a written complaint, the Confederation of All India Traders accused the condom manufacturer behind the risque ad of taking marketing 'to an all-time low'.

'This is an immature attempt to boost sales by putting all our cultural value at stake', the traders group said in a statement.

The group took particular offence to the link between sex and Navratri, a nine-day Hindu festival of fasting and prayer.

Local authorities in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, removed the advertisements as controversy mounted.

After her stint in adult films she made the transition to Indian cinema, where she has remained a magnet of criticism.

The group took particular offence to the link between sex and Navratri, a nine-day Hindu festival of fasting and prayer

Arts and culture group perform the Indian traditional dance 'Garba' during a dressed rehearsal ahead of the Navratri festival

Leone is brand ambassador for Manforce, India's largest condom manufacturer, and one of its most searched celebrities online.

The actress featured in adult films including 'Descent into Bondage' and 'Costumed Damsels in Distress' before making the transition to Indian cinema, where she has remained a magnet of criticism.

Named 'Penthouse Pet of the Year' in 2003, Leone has been accused in in India of promoting obscenity and eroding cultural values.
A Californian high school has come under fire for a controversial history project which involved students reenacting slavery.

Whitney High School in Cerritos, California, billed the project as a 'unique learning experience' which they said would help students understand the horrors of slavery.

In an email to parents last week, teachers told how they would 'sternly tell the children to line up' then make them lie on the floor in the dark, 'shoulder to shoulder' as though they were in a slave ship.

Then, the children would be made to watch scenes from the film Roots. Staff said the point of the exercise was 'for them to feel uncomfortable, mistreated' and 'like a piece of property'.

They pleaded with parents not to warn their child about the unorthodox lesson because they said it was 'more powerful as a surprise'.

In an email to parents last week, staff at Whitney High School in Cerritos, California, described the controversial reenactment as a 'unique classroom activity' and asked parents not to tell their child about it on order not to ruin the surprise

Parents inundated the school, whose students are mostly white, Hispanic and Asian, with complaints, claiming the exercise would be traumatizing and unnecessary.

It was pulled from the curriculum after a barrage of complaints this week.

In the original email to parents, teacher Kevin Harp of himself and two other white history teachers: 'In order to help students understand the psychological impact of slavery on Africans brought over to this country, all of us do a simulation activity in our classes that tries to recreate the voyage that slaves went on across the Atlantic Ocean, on their way to the new world.

'We will be acting as slave ship captains and your son/daughter will be pretending to be a slave.

'When class starts, we will sternly tell them to line up outside the room, use masking tape to "tie" their wrists together, make them lay on the ground inside the room (which will be dark), shoulder to shoulder with each other (boys and girls in separate rows) and then while they lay there, have them watch a clip from the film Roots.'

Parent Sharde Carrington shared the email on Facebook.

She also posted her response to the school informing them that she did want her son to participate in the exercise which she deemed 'minimizes American slavery' and 'degrades' the children.

Parent Sharde Carrington (right) complained, calling the exercise 'insensitive' and asking that her son not be included. She was shocked to receive a response from social studies head Derek Jeans (left) who not only defended the exercise but said he had only ever received 'universal appreciation' for it and vowed to carry on with it despite her concerns

Staff told parents that once the children were on the floor with their wrists tied up in tape, they would be shown scenes from the 1988 film Roots: The Gift, a sequel to the 1977 mini-series (above)

She sent a lengthy response to the school, telling them: 'You cannot sum up the experience of slavery with masking tape and a movie clip.'

The woman said black children were 'sadly underrepresented' at the school and said reenacting slavery was 'severely insensitive'.

'Would you simulate rape in order to encourage sensitive towards its survivors? Will the children pretend to be in Japanese Internment Camps as well?

When class starts, we will sternly tell them to line up outside the room, use masking tape to "tie" their wrists together, make them lay on the ground inside the room (which will be dark), shoulder to shoulder with each other (boys and girls in separate rows) and then while they lay there, have them watch a clip from the film Roots Whitney High School teacher's email to parents

'You refer to the kidnap and murder of enslaved Africans as s "voyage to the new world". If you are unwilling to call the harrowing, vile experience suffered by Africans exactly what it was, you do the children a disservice.'

She was shocked to receive another email from Derek Jeans, the head of the social studies department, who defended the exercise and claimed her complaints were the only ones he'd ever received.

Jeans said he had been 'universally' praised for bringing the exercise to the school 10 years ago and argued: 'We do not minimize the experience of slavery, but rather attempt in a very small manor, to bring a more personal understanding of such a tragic and terrible event that occurred in our history.'

He said the topic was 'distant, poorly misunderstood and over-discussed' and said the exercise was designed to 'immerse a student population that is not majority black into the harrowing world your ancestors faced suffered through'.

A drawing depicts the crowded interior of a slave ship in the 1700s. Staff said they wanted to recreate the atmosphere for students in order to bring them a 'personal understanding' of the history of slavery

The school was inundated with complaints on social media from people who labeled the exercise 'appalling' and 'completely nuts'

The mother received a response from white teacher Derek Jeans who said he had only ever received 'universal appreciation' for the exercise. He vowed to go on with it in spite of her concerns and the exercise was carried out last week

'We would never want to traumatize your son but I believe that in our current climate as a country, we need to take a hard look at these times in our past, and we as a department think that this is a very valid and appropriate way to bring history out of the textbook and into the lives of our kids,' he said.

Fuelled further in her outrage, Ms Carrington posted his email online and accused him of 'mansplaining' the issue without taking in to consideration any of her complaints.

She was inundated with support from other parents who labeled the exercise 'disgusting' and 'gross'.

High school principal John Briquelet has since decided to remove it from its curriculum

'The judgement of these ostensibly white teachers is beyond poor,' said one person.

'I am so disgusted with the school. So incredibly arrogant and insensitive. This is not just mansplaining; it's whitesplaining,' another said.

'You can't tell your kid what's going to happen, so they're just going to show up to school and be bound and lined up. They're going to think they're about to die. How is that not traumatic?' another asked.

Despite their complaints, the exercise took place last week and involved students from three different classes - almost 100 children.

It has since been removed from the curriculum after being reviewed by the school's principal who finally conceded that it was 'outdated' despite Jeans' claims that it was an effective learning tool.

Dr. Mary Sieu, the ABC schools superintendent, told DailyMail.com on Tuesday: 'The principal felt strongly that the lesson itself was dated and we now have a new framework.'

She did not reveal whether Jeans would face or had face any disciplinary action for defending it, saying only: 'None of the teachers are there to inflict any harm on the students.

Whitney High School has around 1,000 students of whom 70 percent are Asian, four percent are white, seven percent are Hispanic and two percent are black

'The intent was to about to create some sort of empathy. It's about the history.'

She could not tell DailyMail.com how this year's students reacted to the lesson last week but said the exercise was popular in schools in the late 80s when Roots: The Gift was released.

The film stars Avery Brooks and tells the story of a free black man who helps other slaves escape via the Underground Railroad, a network of secret passages.

It was a sequel to the 1977 mini-series which was based on Alex Hayley's 1976 novel.

Other schools have sparked controversy in the past with their use of Underground Railroad reenactments in classes with students as young as those in the 5th grade.

Whitney High School is a public school and has around 1,000 students between grades seven and 12.

Seventy percent of its students are Asian, 8.6 per cent are Hispanic, 4.7 percent are white and only 2 per cent are black.
She is spending her early years living in shame because of her condition.

Rebecca slowed down as she approached but continued towards me. I could see she was excited but, just as she came close, she turned as if to dash away and escape.

After a while I got out and moved to the front of the vehicle and waited for her.

PORT MORESBY - Sitting in the car I could see her in the distance  running, half limping.

Growing up with leprosy she can see how she is losing both of her feet and her right hand.

She is worrying about being deformed. She understands the implications of her predicament and lives in shame.

Leprosy and poverty feed off each other. In places where leprosy is widespread, there is often unbearable poverty. Where there is leprosy it is not hard to see disability but it is not only in the hands and feet, it affects the eyes.

Globally, Papua New Guinea is considered to be a poor country (two in five people live in poverty) and it is not hard to find people living with leprosy in these statistics. In fact the incidence of the disease is on the increase.

PNG boasts of its modern infrastructure development but there is a group of people who will never have the opportunity to benefit from these services because of their physical condition.

These people continue to live without proper nutrition, without clean water and in crowded conditions  prominent factors leading to the re-emergence of leprosy.

In Papua New Guinea leprosy was announced as being successfully eliminated in 2000 however, in recent years, we have seen it resurface in Western, Gulf, Central and Sandaun provinces and in the National Capital District.

The World Health Organisation reports that at the end of the first quarter of 2017, 356 new leprosy cases were recorded. Off this 140 were women and 89 children.

If not treated leprosy causes significant disability in hands, feet and eyes. The good thing for PNG is that the medicine to cure it is available free.

However not all people are aware of the disease and those who have been diagnosed often do not take their medicine. In many cases the one kina for a clinic book or a bus ride to the nearest health centre is a burden as that kina may buy a meal for someone.

Even though Rebecca wants to go to school, for a number of reasons she has not been able to.

In Port Moresby all schools demand school uniforms, complete with shoes. This is asking a lot for orphans like Rebecca who must first find money to feed herself and then to pay her way to Port Moresby General Hospital for check-ups.

She has dutifully completed her treatment, however the scars are still there and, as she limped her way back to the river, she waved at us with a I hope you come back.

The United Nations sustainable development goals list No Poverty as the number one priority but the persistent presence of leprosy in PNG communities demands that we do more to help rid our society of this disease.

Better health, nutrition and sanitation practices are needed to help steer Papua New Guinea to be a healthier nation.
A Virginia church that Robert E. Lee belonged to after the Civil War will no longer be named after the Confederate general.

Leaders of R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church in Lexington, Virginia, voted Monday to return to the parish's original name of Grace Episcopal Church.

At Grace Episcopal, Lee served in the church leadership as senior warden.

He died in 1870 and the church changed its name to R.E. Lee Memorial in 1903.

Leaders of R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church voted Monday to return to the parish's original name of Grace Episcopal Church. The vote comes after the violent protests in Charlottesville

The seven to five vote comes after two years of heated debate, the hiring of a conflict resolution consultant, which cost $16,000, and the departure of some members from the church.

Parish leaders first considered a name change in 2015 after white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine people at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina.

But the vote to remove Lee's name failed and divided the congregation.

A vestry member, who is elected by the congregation to run the affairs of a parish, and the church's treasurer even resigned after the vote failed.

'It's been a very divisive issue for two years,' the Rev. Tom Crittenden, the church's rector, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The vote comes after two years of heated debate and divide within the congregation. Debate first started 2015 after white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine people at a black church in Charleston

'But Charlottesville seems to have moved us to this point. Not that we have a different view of Lee historically in our church, but we have appreciation for our need to move on.'

Last month in Charlottesville, white nationalists rallied against the planned removal of a Lee statue. A group of counter protesters was rammed with a car and one woman died.

Because the Christian institution aims at welcoming everyone, they felt it was inappropriate for it to carry the name of a man known 'for fighting a war to preserve the institution of slavery'.

Charleston City Police Officer transfers flowers to the front of Emanuel AME Church on June 18, 2015, where nine people were shot to death in Charleston, South Carolina

'He was the senior warden of our church, we're proud of that, it's part of our history, but we're not going to put that on a sign out on the street because it's misunderstood,' congregant, Doug Cumming, told Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Last month, the vestry issued a statement that objected to the misuse of Robert E. Lee's name and memory in connection with white supremacy, anti-Semitism and similar movements that he would detest.

They originally voted to revisit the name issue at some point in the future but church leaders were driven to reconsider after the violence that erupted last month in Virginia.

Several hundred white nationalists and white supremacists carry torches march in a parade through the University of Virginia campus in protest of the removal of a Lee statue

Doug said he hopes parish members will be able to come together and move forward despite the differing opinions in the church.

'My ancestors were very proud, brave and articulate Southerners,' he told the Richmond Times-Dispatch after the vote.

'And like Robert E. Lee, I think they'd be very proud over what our church has done tonight.'
The moment one of Drake's crew members and longtime friend was murdered in a violent shooting in Toronto last week was captured on surveillance cameras.

Two unidentified men opened fire on Anthony 'Fif' Soares in the lobby of a building just before 3am last Thursday.

Toronto Police have now released footage of the horrific, targeted shooting in a bid to track down Soares' killers.

Scroll down for video

Anthony 'Fif' Soares, 33, was in the lobby of a Toronto building (pictured above) waiting to be buzzed in just before 3am last Thursday when two men opened fire on him

Drake took to Instagram to mourn the death of his friend saying it was an honor to know him. Soares was a longtime friend of the rapper

The graphic footage showed the 33-year-old standing in the lobby trying to buzz into the building when the two hooded men ran up and fired shots through the glass door.

Soares, who was holding takeaway food at the time, immediately collapsed but the two men continued to shoot at least a dozen rounds each.

One of the men could be seen wiping finger prints from the door and firing one final shot before they both fled in a white Ford Fusion driven by a third suspect.

Soares was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery but he later died.

The second video released by police shows the getaway car pulling up and speeding away after the attack.

'In essence, the deceased was trapped between the inner foyer area and the offenders who were on the opposite side of the glass,' Detective Sergeant Gary Giroux from Toronto Police Homicide unit said.

The graphic footage, which was released by police on Tuesday, showed two hooded men running up and firing shots at Soares through the glass door

Soares, who was holding takeaway food at the time, immediately collapsed but the two men continued to shoot at least a dozen rounds each at close range

Soares (left), who was one of Drake's longtime friends, was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery but he later died

Drake took to Instagram to mourn his friend in the hours after his death and declared that it was an 'honor' to have known him.

'RIP to one of our family members our brother I still can't even believe this morning was real,' the rapper wrote.

'It was a honor to have shared years together and I will always keep your memory aliveForever Fif.'

Soares, who was known to police, had a toddler daughter with his girlfriend.

'Drake was a friend of his,' Detective Giroux said.

'I certainly would encourage (Drake) through his tweets to encourage anybody within the community to come forward with regards to any information that they have that may assist in solving his friend's murder.'

Police don't believe the killing was gang related.

'Certainly, it was very targeted. It was very focused. Certainly, it was overkill,' Detective Giroux said.
Matthew Manhart, 49, has been accused of leaving fecal matter in public after a disagreement with a manager

A police sergeant in Omaha, Nebraska, has retired early after he was accused of leaving fecal matter in public.

Omaha Police Sgt. Matthew Manhart, 49, was head of the department's bomb response unit. He has been accused of leaving his own fecal matter where a manager at the training center would find it.

Three sources told the Omaha World-Herald that there had been a continuing disagreement over storage and care of the bomb squad's equipment at the training center.

He had been upset about the storage of a trailer and accused a facility worker of unplugging equipment that needed to be charged.

According to the sources, Manhart had been told to move the trailer to make room for other vehicles.

Reports vary over where the fecal matter was left, but it was apparently out in the open and not in a toilet.

The 49-year-old retired recently and is still eligible for his retirement benefits, including unused vacation and sick days.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer recused himself from any decision-making in the personnel matter, according to a spokeswoman from the police department.

The former police sergeant had allegedly been upset t about the storage of a trailer and accused a facility worker of unplugging equipment that needed to be charged

Manhart and the police chief have been friends since they were in the same 1996 police recruiting class.

Omaha Police Sgt. John Wells, head of the Omaha police union, declined to comment to the Omaha World-Herald.

He said: 'A man retiring when he is eligible to retire? I don't think that's newsworthy.'
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says it is planning to install a temporary suicide prevention fence along the George Washington bridge.

City officials say the measure will help lead to a dramatic decrease in deaths as they work to install a more permanent fixture, CBS affiliate WFAN reported.

The joint-state agency said in a statement that they plan to begin work on the installation on September 25 and have the project scheduled for completion by the end of 2017.

New York and New Jersey plan to install suicide prevention fence on the George Washington bridge

The pedestrian and bicycle walkway on the south side of the crossover provides a spectacular view, but it also acts as a magnate for troubled people looking to end their lives, with five suicide deaths reported in just as many weeks since July.

Four of them were below the age of 30, WFAN noted.

Since 2013, 74 people have met their demise by jumping off the bridge with hundreds of others being intercepted by Port Authority Police in New York and New Jersey.

'I had a 19-year-old female on the other side of the railing when I got there,' Officer Juan Guzman recalled while participating in a recent public service announcement.

'My only option was to cuff her. She was that determined,' he said in the PSA. 'If it wasn't because I cuffed her to the railing, I think I would have lost her.'

Since July, five people have committed suicide in as many weeks and of those four were under the age of 30

Since 2013, 74 people have jumped to their death off the bridge while hundreds of others have been intercepted by port authority police

The project is part of the 'early action work for the Port Authoritys Restore the George program,' the statement said.

The Authority said that a permanent 11-foot suicide prevention fence will be installed following the end of 2017.

'Once the temporary fence is installed on the south sidewalk by the end of 2017, the north sidewalk will be closed and work will commence on the replacement of the northern suspender ropes in 2018, along with the permanent safety fencing,' they said in the statement.

'Once the northern walkway opens, the southern sidewalk will be closed to perform suspender rope work and installation of permanent fencing on the southern side.'

If anyone is seeking help please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1 800 273 8255 or visiting the website.
A woman who says she is the wife of a missing University of Michigan doctoral student has asked a judge to declare him dead, six month after he vanished while piloting a rented plane.

Surong Ruan filed a petition in Washtenaw County saying she does not believe her husband, Xin Rong, is alive.

Rong, 27, rented a Cessna 172 from the Ann Arbor Airport on March 15. The empty plane crash landed and later was discovered near Manitouwadge, Canada.

Petition: Surong Ruan (pictured left in late August), the wife of missing University of Michigan doctoral student Xin Rong (right), has asked a judge to declare him dead

Ruan's request comes six months after her spouse (pictured together in San Francisco) vanished while piloting a rented plane, which was later found wrecked in Canada

Authorities say Rong was nowhere to be found. There were not any footprints in the snow or any fuel in the aircraft.

An Ontario Provincial Police spokesman says authorities believe Rong jumped to his death from the plane during the flight in an apparent suicide.

Diane Brown, a spokeswoman for the University of Michigan's Division of Public Safety and Security, said in April: 'University Police have reasons to believe his actions likely were an act of self-harm.'

Rong, 27, an experienced pilot, disappeared on Marh 15 after renting a single-engine Cessna. He was never found

Court documents indicate Rong's purported wife, Ruan seeks the declaration as she cares for her husband's property and deals with insurance companies. A hearing on the petition is scheduled for next month.

The Detroit Free Press reported Ruan had asked for an earlier hearing, but her previous request was denied.

In a letter to the judge written in late May - 11 weeks after her husband's disappearance - Ruan said she lives in San Francisco while his parents reside in China, and that she has been struggling to set her husband's affairs in order.

I cannot address some of these matters until there is a declaration that he is deceased, she wrote.

Sgt. Peter Leon of the Ontario Provincial Police said earlier this year it was unlikely the pilot of the ditched Cessna was in the plane at the time of the crash. He also added that there's nothing to indicate that he's still alive.

Rong, who was from Changchun, China, studied artificial intelligence at the university's School of Information and hoped to one day work in aviation safety.

Officials said there was no fuel left in the Cessna 172 (file photo) and there were not any footprints in the snow

He was last seen on March 15 - the same day he rented the single-engine Cessna 172 registered to University of Michigan Flyers in Ann Arbor.

Investigators believe he put the plane on autopilot after he filed a flight plan to Harbor Springs, Michigan, the Chronicle Journal reported.

But the plane crashed at 11.38pm on the night of March 15 in the woods near Manitouwadge.

The plane did not have a roof hatch, and was not designed to carry parachutes, according to senior investigator Peter Rowntree, who added: 'The only way in or out is through the two main cabin doors.'

The autopilot technology required a pilot in the aircraft at the time of takeoff, and Rowntree did not believe any stops were made before the crash.

This map shows the location of the takeoff of Rong's rented plane, his flight plan destination and the spot outside Manitouwadge, Canada, where it crash landed after running out of fuel

Rong graduated from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China in 2011, as did his wife, according to her Facebook page.

Rong, who was studying human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing, planned to graduate from the University of Michigan in 2016, according to a profile on the school's website.

He worked as a software engineer intern at Google for two summers, and wrote on his personal website: 'I am very enthusiastic about general aviation. I am a certified private pilot in the United States, currently affiliated with the Michigan Flyers.

'I love taking friends up for sightseeing flights. I have flown a number of Detroit River tours, San Francisco Bay tours, and Pudget Sound tours.'

Andy Fowler, vice president of the Michigan Flyers, said: 'Rong was beloved member of our club. He was not a student pilot - he was fully qualified to fly our planes.'

Surong Ruan graduated from University of Michigan's School of Information in 2012 with a Master's degree in human-computer interaction. Her LinkedIn page indicates that for the past year, Ruan has been working as a product designer for a San Francisco-based virtual reality company.

For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1 (800) 273-8255.
Hours after her father spoke before the United Nations General Assembly, it was first daughter and White House aide Ivanka Trump's turn.

Seated across a table from British Prime Minister Theresa May, Ivanka Trump told those gathered that combating human trafficking is a top Trump administration concern.

'We join you today in a full-throated call for enhanced cooperation to tackle modern slavery in all of its evil forms,' the first daughter said.

Scroll down for video

Ivanka Trump took her turn speaking Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly, as she spoke of the horrors of human trafficking

British Prime Minister Theresa May was also on hand, as she thanked Ivanka Trump for her commitment to the issue

Ivanka Trump, photographed listening to the discussion, said she also considered Theresa May a leader on the issue of combating 'modern slavery'

First daughter and White House aide Ivanka Trump spoke briefly at a panel discussion during today's session of the United Nations General Assembly

Ivanka Trump is seen reading brief remarks, speaking of the 'human suffering' caused by human trafficking, forced labor and modern slavery

Ivanka Trump posted this photo to social media today, telling the world she had met her new nephew Luke Trump, the son of brother Eric and his wife Lara

'Human trafficking and forced labor are forms of modern slavery that know no boundaries, spilling across international borders and impacting men, women and children of all ages and all nationalities,' the first daughter warned.

Early on she put human trafficking in her basket of White House issues, bringing in survivors, members of Congress and experts to determine 'tangle steps' the United States can take to combat the problem.

'It's hard to grasp how tens of millions of people across the globe can experience this scale of human suffering,' Ivanka Trump said.

'It is unacceptable,' she added.

Both May and Ivanka Trump suggested human trafficking needed a 'truly international response,' as the prime minister put it.

'We must take away the economic opportunity in these crimes,' said Ivanka Trump, one of a handful of her suggestions.

The first daughter was also photographed out and about in New York City today, as she attended sessions of the United Nations General Assembly

Ivanka Trump visited her family while at home in New York City too, meeting her baby nephew Luke for the first time

Ivanka Trump thanked May for her 'remarkable leadership,' while the British PM told the American, 'Thank you for the personal commitment you have shown this issue.'

Beyond today's panel, a White House official told the Associated Press that Ivanka Trump had set up a series of meetings with world leaders to promote her own set of issues, like women's economic development, while at the United Nations General Assembly this week.

On Monday she met with India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj along with Peter Maurer, the president of the International Committee for the Red Cross.

Ivanka Trump will also meet with Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

The first daughter will also get coffee with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, the AP learned.

Earlier Tuesday she was visibly in the audience for her father's big speech.

Back at home in New York City, she also took some time out for family, posting a photo on social media Tuesday that showed her cradling the newest Trump, her nephew Luke, the first child of brother Eric and his wife Lara Trump.

'Cuddling my little nephew Luke... the best part of an otherwise incredible day!' she wrote.
McCrae Williams, 19, after falling likely on the way to the bathroom after drinking with his lacrosse teammates

A 19-year-old Pennsylvania college freshman died after falling and hitting his head after a night of drinking, according to prosecutors.

McCrae Williams, a Lafayette College lacrosse recruit, sustained blunt-force head injuries and had been drinking alcohol. He likely fell in his dorm room and hit his head.

District Attorney John Morganelli says McCrae Williams, of Weston, Massachusetts, had been day drinking at a party with other members of the men's and women's lacrosse teams September 9.

He was spotted stumbling at a Wawa according to NBC Philadelphia.

Williams returned to his dorm room at the college in Easton and fell on the way to the bathroom.

He said no one saw Williams hit his head on the floor or indicate he was in distress. A few friends checked up on him but thought he just needed to sleep it off.

At 4pm the next day, a friend took Williams to the hospital after they realized he had been sleeping for almost 24 hours.

He died in the hospital on September 11.

McCrae Williams, a Lafayette College lacrosse recruit, sustained blunt-force head injuries by falling at his dorm

The prosecutor says there is no no evidence of a crime and he doesn't plan to file charges. Williams died on September 11 in the hospital

Morganelli says there's no evidence of a crime and he doesn't plan to file charges, saying 'I do not see this as a Penn State case' in reference to the hazing death of Timothy Piazza.

Piazza died after falling after binge drinking at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house. The fraternity brothers waited hours to call 911 and he died from not getting medical treatment in time.
Advertisement

This is the moment an RAF drone stopped a public execution staged by Islamic State with a single Hellfire missile.

Astonishing footage released for the first time shows crowds of civilians being forced at gunpoint to gather in a Syrian town to watch an execution.

Moments later, a Reaper drone operated by pilots 2,000 miles away at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, unleashes its deadly arsenal  obliterating a sniper keeping watch on a roof nearby. As the terrified crowds scatter in panic, the IS fighters are unable to stage their barbaric killing.

In an unprecedented move, the Ministry of Defence last night released the first footage of UK military personnel in action against Islamic State

In an unprecedented move, the Ministry of Defence last night released the first footage from inside the Qatar military HQ of UK personnel in action against Islamic State to illustrate operations in the warzone. The MoD said it could not target jihadis on the ground directly in the May attack because civilians could have been caught up in the blast. By taking out the sniper, it forced the IS fighters to run for their lives.

The drone had been flying over the Syrian town of Abu Kamal when it spotted crowds starting to gather. As a van unloaded two shackled prisoners in front of the crowd, the RAF drone pilots watching on screens from thousands of miles away were clear that they were about to witness a public execution.

The mission was overseen from the heavily fortified combined air operations centre (Caoc) at the Al Udeid air base in Qatar. The location of the centre was kept secret until recently.

Target: Pilots zoom in on rooftop sniper, circled, keeping watch on the crowds

Taken out: The gunman is obliterated in the explosion as his comrades scatter

Air Commodore Johnny Stringer, commander of all UK air operations in Iraq and Syria, said of the video: 'The individual who we engaged was a sniper in over-watch to shoot civilians who sought to move away from the execution, let alone to protect the planned execution itself.

'That particular example for us very much brought it home because civilians had been herded in, forced literally at gunpoint, to go and watch this going on in their hundreds.'

RAF strikes against jihadists in Iraq and Syria have STOPPED home-grown terror attacks

Secret strikes by RAF warplanes against jihadists in Iraq and Syria have stopped a series of home-grown terror attacks, a top commander reveals today.

Air Commodore Johnny Stringer admitted British citizens had also been killed in the missions against Islamic State strongholds.

The extremist group has a special unit dedicated to mounting atrocities in the UK and Europe, he said.

But in the latest phase of the mission to crush IS, he said RAF jets and drones were forcing the jihadis on to the back foot, saying: 'We... have helped stop potential attacks in the UK.'

He revealed the UK had taken out Britons to stop specific attacks, adding: 'By dint of their activity, by being members of Daesh and frankly engaging the people we are here to protect, they (British citizens) become valid military targets and that's the way we look at it.'

Speaking from Al Udeid base in Qatar, where air operations against IS are controlled, Air Cdre Stringer added: 'These people know we can find them wherever they try to hide.' The Britons that have been killed were not targeted because of their citizenship, but due to the threat they posed, the officer said.

He added that if UK jihadists were planning attacks on home soil they would be taken out irrespective of their nationality. He would not say how many British citizens have been killed as a result of the strikes.

The Mail first revealed Britons were being killed in secret RAF strikes in February. But today's revelations are the first official confirmation by a senior officer. David Cameron caused a furore in September 2015 when he revealed that three British jihadists had been killed in Syria by a drone strike  without the approval of MPs.

In total, MI5 has thwarted 19 attacks in Britain in the last five years. Five of those were in the two months until March this year. However, the figures only apply to those stopped in the UK, and not those targeted by RAF jets and drones in Iraq and Syria.

This week, the Mail became the first British newspaper to be given access to the command and control centre in Doha, Qatar, where air targets in Iraq and Syria are decided and signed off by Air Cdre Stringer.

Such is the size of the task that the UK is now involved in the largest air operation since the Second World War.

The officer said terror attacks in Britain, such as the bomb at Parsons Green tube station in London last Friday, gave those under his command 'fresh resolve' to deal with the 'death cult' of IS.

Personnel in Britain and the Middle East had indentified 'threats to the UK or threats that may have materialised in the UK'. Air Cdre Stringer said jihadi plotters were either planning to come to Britain, or have accomplices in the UK who can execute the attacks. He would not discuss the planned targets.

'There are a bunch of people out there frankly who hate the way we live, they don't like our values and they don't like us and they would rather kill us,' he said. 'And so one of the reasons we are out here is to keep people in the UK safe and deal with that threat at range  that's why we're here.'

He said the UK was trying to find out who the key individuals are, and 'engage them at range so they don't actually get the chance for those threats to materialise in the UK'. Some of the plotters are deliberately hiding among the general population to avoid being targeted by bombs, said the Air Commodore.

Speaking from Qatar, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: 'I can't go into the details of the intelligence but we've seen attacks against Britain and western Europe being planned from cities here in Iraq and Syria.

'We've been able to take action where necessary to head those off either by taking out... buildings we know... or by striking particular individuals that we know are in the planning process.'

Asked if the UK was killing British jihadists, he said IS fighters are being wiped out 'irrespective of nationality'.
The police officer who shot dead a barefoot, suicidal LGBT activist at Georgia Tech on Saturday has been identified as campus police officer with just one year on the force.

Tyler Beck shot Scout Schultz on the university's Atlanta campus on Saturday and the man died later in hospital.

The non-binary student's death sparked protests on campus and police officers' cars were set on fire.

Schultz, who preferred to be referred to as 'them' and did not prescribe to any gender, had left three suicide notes at home and called 911 to report a man fitting their description with 'long blond hair' and wearing a 'white t-shirt' walking around campus with a knife or gun on his hip.



In a soft voice, the 21-year-old is heard calling 911 before the shooting to report a 'white male'.

Scroll down for videos

Campus police officer Tyler Beck (left) shot Scout Schultz, 21, at Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Saturday

TRANSCRIPT OF 911 CALL SS: Hey, um I'm over a West Village it looks like there's somebody skulking around outside. It looks like he's got a knife in his hand, I think he might have a gun on his hip. It looks like he might be drunk or something. He has long blond hair, white t-shirt, jeans. Operator: White male right? SS: Yep. Operator: What is he next to? SS: He's just like right across west village on the sidewalk. He's just like walking slow. Operator: OK. Do you wanna leave your name in case we got any more questions, sir? SS: Uh sure. Scout Schultz. Advertisement

'It looks like there's somebody skulking around it looks like he's got a knife in his hand.

'He looks like he might be drunk or something.

'He's just like right across on the sidewalk, walking kind of slow,' they said.

Beck was the officer who was sent to investigate the call along with others.

He was filmed firing a single shot, wounding Schultz in the chest after trying to talk the student out of carrying the knife for more than a minute.

Schultz had been screaming 'shoot me!' as the officers pleaded: 'Nobody wants to hurt you.'

The fatal shot was fired as Schultz walked towards one of the officers.

The youngster rolled around on the floor afterwards screaming in agony.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that Beck had not yet undergone Crisis Intervention Training which teaches officers how to cope with mentally ill suspects.

Beck was one of four officers who responded to Schultz's call on Saturday night. A video captured the student pleading 'shoot me!' before he fired the fatal shot

Scout Schultz described a 'white male' walking around campus in a white t-shirt and jeans. The student was an LGBT leader on campus and was non-binary

The shooting sparked protests across the Atlanta campus on Sunday (Above). One officer was injured and cars were set on fire

The shooting sparked protests across the campus, with many students claiming it was unnecessary because of the 'tiny' knife Schultz was carrying at the time.

The demonstrations ended in violence. One officer ended up in the hospital and three protesters were arrested.

Many said that police did not need to exercise such force because Schultz was not armed with a gun.

The young student's parents have also questioned his death. They hired a lawyer who said de-escalating tactics should have been used.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation released Beck's information on Tuesday as its probe in to the shooting continues.

It is not clear whether Beck has been removed from duty.

Schultz's parents William and Lynne say police used excessive force and that deescalating tactics should have been used instead

Students embrace outside Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Sunday after the shooting

According to a press release from the bureau, the Georgia Tech campus police received a 911 call of a 'person with a knife and a gun' at 11.17pm Saturday night.

The release says Schultz was 'not cooperative and would not comply with the officers commands.

'Schultz continued to advance on the officers with a knife... Subsequently, one officer fired striking Schultz.'

Schultz's parents have hired trial attorney L Chris Stewart to represent them ahead of the investigation into their child's death.

Their mother Lynn told the New York Daily News Schultz was a 'nonconformist and very, very bright.'

She said Schultz had a 'lot of empathy for other people.'

The Pride Alliance released a statement that described Schultz as 'the driving force' behind the group thanks to their 'hard work and dedication'.

'We love you Scout and we will continue to push for change,' the statement concluded.
A string of anti-Semitic slurs have been posted on a Labour Party discussion forum online, it emerged last night.

The Facebook users spread false conspiracy theories about Israel, compared Israel to Nazi Germany and even claimed Theresa May and her husband were Jewish.

The Prime Minister was accused of being Israels puppet and one user said Israel was keeping her in power.

The Facebook users spread false conspiracy theories about Israel, compared Israel to Nazi Germany and even claimed Theresa May and her husband were Jewish

The Mail found a string of anti-Semitic messages on the Labour Party forum  which is an unofficial group for Labour members and supporters on the social networking site.

Other users challenged the claims, accused the posters of anti-Semitism and rejected the allegation that Israel was an apartheid state.

Hard-left tightens its grip on the party New rules which tighten the hard-Lefts grip on Labour were passed by party officials last night. In a major victory for Jeremy Corbyn and his allies, leadership candidates will need nominations from just one in ten MPs to get on the ballot paper, rather than the 15 per cent of MPs currently required. The rule change, which was approved by the ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), would virtually guarantee the presence of a socialist contender on the ballot in future elections. It is expected to be approved by the Labour Party conference next week. In another power grab by Mr Corbyn, officials approved a major review of party democracy, and more power for grassroots activists. It prompted moderates to accuse the leadership of a factional power grab. Richard Angell, of Blairite pressure group Progress, said: Labours new establishment bounced the NEC in private sessions into a series of reforms that amount to a factional power grab and more roles for members in London and the South-East. In future, grassroots activists loyal to Mr Corbyn will get three more seats on the NEC. Trade unions  which overwhelmingly back the Labour leader  will see their NEC representation increased by one seat. Advertisement

Last night the Community Security Trust, a charity which monitors anti-Semitic incidents and advises Jewish institutions and groups on security, condemned the posts as disgusting, and called on Labour to investigate whether those who posted the remarks were party members.

The comments were written in response to Mrs May describing herself as a proud supporter of Israel.

The page had a link to a story on the Jewish News website which reported Mrs Mays remarks at a Downing Street reception ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

Mrs May praised Israel as a remarkable country ahead of the centenary of the 1917 Balfour Declaration which announced British support for the creation of a Jewish State.

It sparked a string of disturbing responses suggesting Mrs May, the daughter of an Anglican vicar, is Jewish, that Israel is satanic, and Jews are like Nazis.

Lynne Gillard wrote: Mayhem and her husband, the night before she moved into Downing Street, had a celebratory dinner with the Chief Rabbi. Not the Archbishop, the Chief Rabbi. Her and her husband are Jews.

Kim Marie added: You dont get anywhere in British politics unless you do or you are Jewish. It is that bad here now. Weird, isnt it, the Jews now acting like the Nazis?!

John Anderson wrote: Zionist satanic isreali (sic) regime is one of the most barbaric evil regimes in the world. They murder innocent Palestinians including children and torture and oppress them.

Jacky Cox wrote: Shes in a win-win situation, the Israeli government will keep her in power and her and her friends will make money selling arms.

Jeremy Corbyn (left) has been accused of failing to deal with anti-Semitism in the party after His close ally, Ken Livingstone (right), was suspended after claiming Hitler was a Zionist

Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of failing to deal with anti-Semitism in the party since he became leader.

His close ally, Ken Livingstone, was suspended after claiming Hitler was a Zionist and supported moving German Jews to Israel before he went mad, but he has not been expelled.

Facebook said it was investigating the matter.

Last night Labours ruling body passed new rules on disciplinary measures which officials said were designed to combat anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of prejudice in the party.
AUBURN  An Auburn man was sentenced to prison Tuesday for crimes he now says he didn't commit.

Lucas Corrado, of 215 W. Genesee St., pleaded guilty to three felonies in Cayuga County in June: third-degree rape, promoting a sexual performance by a child and second-degree robbery. At the time, he admitted to filming himself having sex with a 15-year-old girl and helping another Auburn man rob the Kwik Fill convenience store on Genesee Street last year.

In exchange for his pleas of guilty, Judge Mark Fandrich had agreed to sentence Corrado to a total of five years in prison and two years post-release supervision. However, when it came time for sentencing last month, the 24-year-old unexpectedly asked to withdraw his plea, claiming he had felt pressured to plead guilty.

Fandrich adjourned Corrado's sentencing one month to allow the defendant time to file a motion to withdraw his plea. Corrado made that motion Tuesday.

"I'm not guilty of anything I'm in here for," he said in court. "I'm having a really hard time accepting this."

Last month, Corrado told Fandrich that the Cayuga County District Attorney's Office had threatened him with double digits  he could have faced up to 15 years in prison for the robbery and another 11 years in prison for statutory rape. Then, on Tuesday, Corrado went a step further, saying he was not happy with defense attorney Norman Chirco's advice.

Corrado also argued that the Auburn Police Department did not have a search warrant when they searched his cellphone for evidence. Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher Valdina said that wasn't true.

"(Corrado) moved here from Florida and he brought nothing but trouble," Valdina said.

"He definitely has issues with some of the facts and circumstances of the case," Chirco added, noting that Corrado claimed he did not know the victim of statutory rape was underage.

In the end, Fandrich denied Corrado's motion to withdraw his plea and sentenced him to five years in prison and two years post-release supervision for the robbery. He also sentenced the defendant to four years in prison and three years post-release supervision for the rape and 1 1/3 to four years in prison for promoting a sexual performance by a child.

All sentences will run concurrently to one another. In addition, Corrado will have to register as a sex offender and pay around $1,500 in fines and fees.

Also in court:

 An Auburn man was sentenced for stealing more than $2,500 worth of merchandise from Walmart.

Kristopher Tracy, 32, of 63 Van Anden St., pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree grand larceny in July.

During his plea, he told Judge Fandrich he had been driving home from Walmart on May 27 when he was involved in a minor car accident in Auburn. When police responded, officers discovered the stolen merchandise in Tracy's vehicle.

On Tuesday, Fandrich sentenced Tracy to two to four years in prison. He also issued a "Willard order," which would allow Tracy to receive specialized substance abuse treatment. It would also let him serve the majority of his sentence as parole supervision.

"I'm going to take this time to get my life back on track," Tracy said.

 A Wolcott man has admitted to burglarizing a home in the town of Victory.

Jason Ingleston, 39, of 6031 Manley Dr., pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of third-degree burglary, a class D felony.

Ingleston told the court he broke into a residence on State Route 104 at around 1:30 a.m. Aug. 19, 2016. He said he stole some coins, which were later returned to the victim.

Ingleston could have faced up to seven years in prison, but the District Attorney's Office agreed to a conditional discharge if he pleaded guilty. That offer came from former Assistant District Attorney Nate Garland.

Chief ADA Valdina honored Garland's offer Tuesday, noting that Ingleston was released from Lakeview Correctional Facility on a separate matter last week. As such, Fandrich accepted Ingleston's guilty plea and sentenced him to a three-year conditional discharge.
An 82-year-old Texas woman has filed a lawsuit against Red Lobster accusing the seafood restaurant chain of over-serving her alcohol to the point she fell and broke her hip.

According to the civil complaint filed in Harris County on Monday, local resident Marlene Spencer was injured after dining at the Red Lobster location on Bay Area Boulevard in Webster in late March.

The lawsuit claims that the octogenarian weighing just 113-pounds had a blood alcohol level of 0.31 - or nearly four times the legal limit for driving in Texas - when she walked out of the restaurant heading home at a assisted living facility.

Fishy business: Marlene Spencer, 82, has filed a lawsuit against Red Lobster, saying this location in Webster, Texas, had over-served her alcohol to the point she fell and broke her hip

Spencer lost her balance and collapsed to the ground in the parking lot of the Red Lobster in Webster, breaking her right hip and right arm, according to the suit obtained by Chron.com.

She was taken to Clear Lake Regional Hospital, where she had to undergo a hip replacement.

The lawsuit alleges that Spencer's daughter had previously asked the management at the Red Lobster, located not far from the Brookdale Senior Living Cener where her mother lives, not to over-serve the elderly woman.

'This was an ongoing problem that Ms Spencers daughter tried to quell, but to no avail,' the complaint says. 'This has been a recurring problem with multiple Brookdale residents.'
Two men and a woman have been arrested at a train station after a man was found stabbed to death.

Pictures from Littlehaven station in West Sussex show police collecting evidence after the arrests at 6pm.

Paramedics were earlier unable to save a 37-year-old man who had been stabbed at a home in nearby Horsham at 5.10pm.

Police collect evidence at Littlehaven railway station where they arrested three people today

Two men aged 18 and 22 both from London and a woman aged 22 were arrested 40 minutes later at Littlehaven railway station in Horsham

The men, aged 18 and 22, from London, were detained on suspicion of murder and the woman, 22, was detained on suspicion of assisting an offender. They are currently in custody.

A witness at the station told MailOnline: 'It appeared to be a very serious incident.

'Forensic officers were collecting evidence in plastic bags and the whole station was sealed off.

'A whole group of students were told to walk to Horsham station because no trains were stopping.'

Southern rail tweeted: '#Littlehaven - This station is still closed due to police dealing with an incident.'

The police investigation is on-going, with officers seen outside the house where the body was found on Wednesday.

The men were detained on suspicion of murder and the woman was detained on suspicion of assisting an offender. They are currently in custody

A police car at Littlehaven railway station where three people were arrested on Tuesday

Police officers were seen outside the flats where the body was found on Wednesday

A cordon remained in place outside the property as investigations into the death continue
The White House's chosen ambassador to first lady Melania Trump's home country of Slovenia has pulled her name out of contention.

Politico reported Tuesday that Kelly Roberts, a southern California hotelier and philanthropist, was chosen by Mrs. Trump specifically because of her business experience.

New York magazine wrote last month that Melania took 'a strong interest' in picking the principal U.S. envoy to the nation where she was born and raised, and endorsed Roberts after reviewing dossiers on several candidates.

A spokeswoman for the first lady told DailyMail.com, however, that 'she's not really involved in the process.'

Mrs. Roberts and her husband Duane  who made millions by inventing the frozen burrito at age 19 and later selling his family business to a food conglomerate  own and operate the Mission Inn in Riverside, California.

Kelly J. Roberts was set to become the U.S. ambassador to Slovenia, first lady Melania Trump's homeland, but she has withdrawn from consideration over financial questions about how she would divest herself from her significant assets

Roberts is Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, the historic landmark hotel in downtown Riverside, California, which she owns with her husband Duane Roberts

Politico and New York magazine both report that the first lady had a direct hand in choosing who would represent the U.S. in her native Slovenia

She also operates the hotel's spa and sells a line of botanical anti-aging products and hotel amenities. And the couple own a winery that produces pinot noirs and chardonnays.

And she runs a cupcake business along with daughter Casey Reinhardt, a child from a previous marriage.

Casey and her brother Doug Reinhardt had their own star turns on the MTV reality shows 'Laguna Beach' and 'The Hills.'

According to Politico, Roberts withdrew from consideration over questions about whether and how she would divest herself of her non-cash assets.

Federal government ethics rules require high-level officials to sell off real estate, stakes in private equity firms, major fund investments and other assets that could raise conflict of interest questions.

Typically the Office of Government Ethics strikes agreement with appointees that they will clear their decks within a set period after their swearing-in, usually 90 or 120 days.

Roberts' husband Duane made his fortune by inventing the frozen burrito when he was 19, and then selling his booming family business to a food conglomerate later

The Mission Inn is a sumptuous property that the Robertses bought and renovated in order to save it from the wrecking ball

Among the properties Roberts would have to sell in order to become an ambassador is her stake in the winery she owns with her husband

The process makes it unlikely that they will have to recuse themselves later from decisions that could affect the value of their holdings.

They also get an unusual perk  a deferral of capital gains tax  on assets they sell for a profit as a result of the process.

Sales of private equity assets can take at least three to four months, and sometimes far longer, on what's known as secondary markets.

The nature of the investments can tie up cash for as long as 10 years while the funds use the money to buy and operate entire companies.

And while stocks are easily offloaded, real estate prices can vary widely with market fluctuations, resulting in potentially huge losses if a potential administration official sells at an inopportune time.

Roberts' line of toiletries and skin products is sold at the Mission Inn

Roberts also is president and part owner of Casey's Cupcakes, a company she founded with her daughter, a former reality TV starlet

President Donald Trump's cabinet choices created countless divestiture headaches, especially among those who are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

His cabinet members pledged to sell more than $1.1 billion in assets overall.

Roberts had not been formally nominated, but had begun the ambassador training process.

She and her husband have contributed more than $1.2 million to Republican candidates and committees in the past year.

Mrs. Roberts donated $50,000 to the pro-Trump Great America PAC in the month before the 2016 election.
One of the Amazon pirates suspected of brutally murdering British headteacher Emma Kelty has been shot dead, most likely by thieves hunting the cash he stole from her.

Evanilson 'Baia' Gomes da Costa was one of seven men police said were involved in the murder of the 43-year-old canoeist, who was thrown in the water while still alive.

The 24-year-old, who confessed to killing her before going on the run, was gunned down by rival criminals at his sisters house and died in hospital yesterday morning.

Scroll down for video

Left: Evanilson Gomes da Costa, who was found dead yesterday morning after going on the run. Right: Nilson Ferreira da Silva, another of the seven suspects

Miss Kelty, who attended self-defence classes before her trip, vanished last week as she attempted to kayak more than 4,000 miles from the source to the mouth of the Amazon. Pictured: Two of the suspects being arrested

The brutal gang thought to have murdered the British kayaker included Erimar Ferreira da Silva, also known as 'Chico', left; and Artur Gomes da Silva, right

Three of the suspects claim Da Costa was the ringleader who stabbed to death the former primary school headteacher, who had already been injured by a gunshot.

Ms Kelty was 44 days into her attempt to row from the 4,000 miles from the source of the Amazon river in Peru, through Brazil to its mouth at the Atlantic.

Evanilson Gomes da Costa, known as Baia, was shot at around midnight inside the house where he was living in the Pera district of Coari.

A police spokesman said yesterday that 'people allegedly linked to the drug trafficking in the area were named as responsible for the execution of the offender'.

'The 24-years-old. He was rescued and taken to the hospital in the town, but he did not resist the injuries and died at around 8.10am today,' he said.

Police said that investigations into the murder of Ms Kelty indicated that he was the leader of a group known as 'The Water Pirates' or 'The Water Rats'.

They operate in the area between Coaria and Codajas, 'robbing merchadise, committing murders and linked to drugs trafficking.

The statement added that one of the three men arrested yesterday pretended to be under 18, but is actually 19 years old and called Jardel Pinheiro Gomes, known as 'Kael'.

Chief police officer in Coari, Jose Afonso Barradas Junior, said Evanilson Gomes da Costa died after being shot by a rival group who may have wanted to steal from him the belongings he had robbed from Emma Kelty.

He said: 'He was shot be drug traffickers. Who told us that was his own sister. He was in his sister's house, in the Pera district here in Coari.

'Arriving there, the traffickers entered into the house and shot at him. They knew that he had gold as well as the money belonging to the British woman, and they went there to rob him.

'The police knew about what happened because his sister called the police to let them know.'

Da Costa was taken to the Coari Regional Hospital. Mr Barradas Junior siad: 'I got to see him still alive in the hospital, but because the bullets hit his vital organs, he didn't resist.'

The Brazilian navy and police force sent ships into the Amazon in a bid to find Emma Kelty, who is believed to have been murdered. But her body has not yet been found

He said the belongings that he had stolen from British canoeist Emma Kelty were not found at his sister's house.

Mr Barradas Junior said: 'He is the one who possibly executed the British woman by shooting her when she was in her tent.'

He added that Da Costa was also wanted for other murders in the region.'

Police believe Ms Kelty was still alive when the gang took and threw her body in to Solimoes river.

Deputy Chief of Police, Ivo Martins said: 'Emma was hit by two gunshots from a 20 calibre sawn-off shotgun, while she was resting in a tent she had pitched on the island.

'She had no chance to react to what happened to her. We believed the injured woman was still alive when her attackers took her and threw her body in the river.

'The gang operates like pirates and go out in a canoe looking and hunting for the chance to steal. It appears they did not have a predefined victim.'

Ms Kelty's body has still not been found but military personnel are still searching the river, while a full-scale manhunt for the remaining three gang members continues.

Pictured: A Brazilian navy helicopter flying low over the river in the hope of finding a trace of Emma Kelty

Reports that Emma Kelty body 'was cut up in pieces before being dumped in the Solimoes River' were not accurate, Commander Ramos said.

A massive hunt is still ongoing for Miss Kelty's body.

Investigators believe she died on 13 September around 8pm on the ilha do Boieiro, an island located in the Solimoes River, in front of the city of Coari.

The killers then attempted to sink her orange kayak but it was found on Friday along with several other items belonging to Emma.

The thieves allegedly tried to sell her belongings, including a GoPro camera, two mobile phones and tablet computer. Her body has not yet been found

Emma Kelty, 43, is said to have been robbed by a gang before being blasted twice with a shotgun and her body thrown in a river

Five of the nine men wanted by police, including one - Erinei da Silva o Aflinete - who has been captured

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested for robbery and murder, and local police are hunting for six other men. Pictured: Miss Kelty in her kayaking gear

The seven offenders are believed to have sold the stolen goods to residents in the Lauro Sodre community or in Coari, which are located opposite the island where the crime occurred.

The villagers said the men behind Miss Kelty's death were drug addicts.

One said Gomes da Costa had told him he fired at Miss Kelty while she was in her tent after mistaking her for a drug smuggler.

He said: The woman was hit in the arm. She started waving frantically and screaming for help.

'The men fled into the forest after we all found out what they had done. We provided the police with the details and their identities. Were all disgusted by what they have done.

The 19-year-old suspect  Jardel Pinheiro Gomes  was captured by villagers and handed over to armed police on Tuesday afternoon.

He was apparently exhausted after hiding in the jungle for six days without food or water.

A man suspected of receiving the stolen goods has been identified but Martins said 'he is not linked to the criminals.'.

The victim's kayak and the canoe, used by the criminals, have been sent to Manaus for forensic examinations.

Other objects found at the scene, including the victim's clothes and shoes are being tested for evidence.

Miss Kelty had left her job as a headmistress at a Surrey primary school to travel the world, and this year became the sixth woman to ski alone to the South Pole

Amazon fire department and the Brazlian navy are continuing the search for Miss Kelty's body 'despite the difficulties'.

Fire brigade captain, Janderson Lopes, said: 'The biggest difficulty in this search and recovery mission is the zero visibility in the area in the Solimoes River where the body was thrown.'

He said the diving team are now doing depth searches. Lopes explained: 'The possibility of finding the body floating is very remote. We think that if it is found, it will only be found in depth searches.

Until now we have been performing searches on the surface, following the river's course, to try to see if the body has washed up onto the banks of the river.'

The thieves tried to sell her belongings, including a GoPro camera, two mobile phones and tablet computer. Her body has not yet been found.

Miss Kelty had left her job as a headmistress at a Surrey primary school to travel the world, and this year became the sixth woman to ski alone to the South Pole.

But she had dismissed warnings from those who urged her not to tackle the Amazon alone, particularly as she was new to kayaking.

The Bristol University graduate had been posting updates online and tracking her progress by GPS, but the messages stopped and the trail ended in the notorious drug-smuggling route between the small towns of Coari and Codajas.

In a chilling post written a few days before she disappeared, she said: 'So in or near Coari (100km away) I will have my boat stolen and I will be killed too. Nice.'

Miss Kelty had left her job as a headmistress at a Surrey primary school to travel the world, and this year became the sixth woman to ski alone to the South Pole

The Bristol University graduate had been posting updates online and tracking her progress by GPS

But the messages stopped and the trail ended in the notorious drug-smuggling route between the small towns of Coari and Codajas

Miss Kelty attended self-defence classes earlier this year as preparation for her Amazon trip

She had also spoken of coming across boats full of locals armed with machetes, guns and arrows, and had previously said the crocodiles, piranhas and snakes might well be the 'least of my worries'.

Her last message was sent on Wednesday before she sent out a distress signal at 10pm.

The last message read: 'Such a dramatic change in one day... but such is the river... every kilometre is different and just because one area is bad doesn't mean next is.'

In a message written on September 10, she wrote: 'So in or near Coari (100km away) I will have my boat stolen and I will be killed too. Nice'

Earlier in the day, she wrote: 'Finished the day yesterday meeting three lovely locals and 2 kittens that slept next to my tent for the night (well until that played chase'

And on Tuesday, she had tweeted: 'Turned corner and found 50 guys in motor boats with arrows!!! My face mist hve been a picture!! (Town was uber quiet... too quiet!!) all go'

Also on Tuesday, she had told her followers: 'Am in the clear. All OK.'

Before her trip, she wrote on her blog: 'I have had folks, friends and strangers telling me not to do it, it's stupid, it's too dangerous... it's too risky and I will die.'

In a message written on September 10, she wrote: 'So in or near Coari (100km away) I will have my boat stolen and I will be killed too. Nice.'

But despite her writing two days later that she was 'in the clear', Brazilian police have said she was in fact just about to enter the most dangerous part of the river.

A local blogger said: 'Everybody is afraid of travelling through that stretch because of the pirate attacks.

A local blogger said: 'Everybody is afraid of travelling through that stretch because of the pirate attacks'

She had also spoken of coming across boats full of locals armed with machetes, guns and arrows

And she had previously said the crocodiles, piranhas and snakes might well be the 'least of my worries'

Her last message was sent on Wednesday before she sent out a distress signal at 10pm

Miss Kelty, originally from Somerset, had been told that her the Amazon challenge was 'too ambitious'

The adventurer, who sold her north London flat ahead of the trek, started the journey in Ecuador's capital of Quito in June

'They are ruthless and bloodthirsty. It is crazy that this woman decided to row along the river on her own, even stopping to pitch her tent.'

'No-one who knows this part of the river and the pirates would even think about doing that.'

Miss Kelty, originally from Somerset, had been told that her the Amazon challenge was 'too ambitious', but said: 'That is thought without knowing me, my history, my drive or knowing what I will be doing between now and the time that I head down it.'

The adventurer, who sold her north London flat ahead of the trek, started the journey in Ecuador's capital of Quito in June.

Police released photos of her abandoned kayak and belongings at the weekend and said clothing and cigarette butts found close by would be analysed

Miss Kelty, who was trained in sign language and taught deaf pupils, was appointed head of Knollmead Primary School in Tolworth, Surrey, in 2013

She had been sleeping in her tent and carrying all of her supplies with her.

Police released photos of her abandoned kayak and belongings at the weekend and said clothing and cigarette butts found close by would be analysed.

The scene of her disappearance was also where a local police chief vanished last year after a gunfight with drug traffickers.

Miss Kelty, who was trained in sign language and taught deaf pupils, was appointed head of Knollmead Primary School in Tolworth, Surrey, in 2013 after it was rated inadequate by Ofsted that year.

But after the school was rated outstanding by inspectors she left the position and later began travelling the world.

The Foreign Office said last night that it was supporting her family and was in contact with the Brazilian authorities.

Miss Kelty is photographed in her kayaking kit in Britain earlier this year before leaving for the trip

The scene of her disappearance was also where a local police chief vanished last year after a gunfight with drug traffickers

The Foreign Office said last night that it was supporting her family and was in contact with the Brazilian authorities

Miss Kelty this year became the sixth woman to ski alone to the South Pole

Her siblings Piers, Giles and Natasha released a statement through the Foreign Office which said: 'Emma was an active and determined sister who challenged herself, latterly through her adventures on the Pacific Coast Trail, as well as in the South Pole and Amazon River.

'In a world that is today a much smaller place, the explorer in our sister found herself seeking ways to prove that challenges were achievable. We are extremely proud of our sister who was dearly loved by us all and her strength will be sorely missed.

'We wish to give our immense thanks to the Brazilian Navy, Police and Foreign Office for their action and support.'
Google and Facebook face punishing fines unless they remove terrorist propaganda within a two-hour limit.

Theresa May will use a summit in New York tonight to warn the technology giants and their rivals that her patience is running out over their failure to clamp down on jihadi groups.

She will say they have only a month to make progress. If they dont, the Government will legislate to make them liable for extremist content on their sites. Delay in removing the material would trigger fines.

Prime Minister Theresa May (pictured) will use a summit in New York to warn Google and Facebook they need to do more to combat the spread of terrorism online

The Daily Mail yesterday revealed how easy it is to find terrorist content online  including guides on how to carry out truck, knife and bomb attacks.

Many of the links are still live despite a string of atrocities on British soil.

The Prime Minister will call on the internet giants to develop technology to block the material before it can go online.

Any that slips through the net would have to be removed within two hours at most.

Amid mounting international concern at foot-dragging by the technology firms, Mrs Mays demands will be backed by French president Emmanuel Macron and Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni.

Mrs May said: We need a fundamental shift in the scale and nature of our response  both from industry and governments  if we are to match the evolving nature of terrorists use of the internet.

Mrs May will say the web giants have only a month to make progress. If they dont, the Government will legislate to make them liable for extremist content on their sites

Downing Street said she would warn firms of fines if they failed to cooperate.

The PMs official spokesman said: We want to do this in a voluntary way but we are prepared to look at the issue of legal liability if we do not make good progress.

Making the internet giants legally liable for the extremist content on their sites could leave them open to huge fines.

The threat is designed to put pressure on the firms to use their technological prowess to counter sophisticated efforts by Islamic State and other terror groups to radicalise impressionable youngsters and spread DIY terror manuals online.

The PM will say tonight: Terrorist groups are aware that links to their propaganda are being removed more quickly, and are placing a greater emphasis on disseminating content at speed in order to stay ahead.

Industry needs to go further and faster in automating the detection and removal of terrorist content online, and developing technological solutions that prevent it being uploaded in the first place.

Google could face huge fines unless they do more to clamp down on jihadi groups

The two-hour target is seen in government as a first step. Industry will then be expected to cut this to one hour and, ultimately, use sophisticated software and artificial intelligence systems to prevent such material appearing at all.

Islamic State put up 27,000 new videos in the first five months of this year aimed at radicalising youngsters and guiding them on how to launch attacks.

The security services say supporters act to spread the material like wildfire  two thirds of the dissemination takes place within two hours.

A Government source said: These companies have some of the best brains in the world. They should really be focusing that on what matters, which is stopping the spread of terrorism and violence.

The Mail has led the way in exposing the failure of technology firms to take their responsibilities seriously.

In the wake of the Westminster and London Bridge attacks, this newspaper revealed the ease with which manuals showing how to conduct attacks with cars and knives could be found online.

Last week, the Mail revealed that a seven-year-old guide on how to make a bucket bomb like the one used in the Parsons Green attack was available online. It was still located via web searches last night, as were step-by-step guides to making car bombs, explosives and detonators  24 hours after the Mail flagged the links to Google.

A jihadi terror manual on bomb-building was still circulating on Twitter  including on one tweet that the Mail reported to the site nearly three months ago.

The message links to a terrorism handbook that gives would-be jihadists instructions on how to make nail bombs and turn household items into tools of war.

In the wake of the Parsons Green terror attack (pictured) in London last week, terrorist material was still easily available online

Technology firms insist they are now taking the issue seriously.

Twitter revealed that almost a million accounts have been suspended in the past two years for promoting terrorism and Google said it was making significant progress.

But ministers believe the firms are still dragging their feet.

Todays summit will be attended by Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and a range of smaller technology firms. Major advertisers, who are queasy about the bad publicity the issue has attracted, will also be in attendance.

Ministers believe that commercial pressure, and the publicity brought by campaigns such as that in the Mail, have helped bring the firms to the table.

In her speech to the UN General Assembly in New York today, the PM will urge world leaders to do more to crack down on terrorism. Mrs May, who has had to deal with five terror attacks in the UK this year, will praise the resilient response of the public in London and Manchester.

But she will add: Defiance alone is not enough.

In the last decade hundreds of thousands have been killed by terrorists across the world. This is a truly global tragedy that is increasingly touching the lives of us all. As Prime Minister, I have visited too many hospitals and seen too many innocent people murdered in my country.

When I think of the hundreds of thousands of victims of terrorism in countries across the world, I think of their friends, their families, their communities, devastated by this evil.

And I say enough is enough.
A busy road in Melbourne's south-east was closed off on Wednesday morning after a suspicious package was discovered near a Mexican restaurant.

The package was discovered in Malvern on the Glenferrie Road, between High Street and Wattletree Road.

The section between High St and Wattletree Rd was closed in both directions for close to two hours until around 9am.

The bomb squad evaluated the scene and three robots have been seen approaching the package on the popular shopping strip.

Scroll down for video

A road in Melbourne's south-east has been closed off after a suspicious package was discovered near a Mexican restaurant (pictured)

The package was discovered in Malvern on the busy Glenferrie Road, between High Street and Wattletree Road (pictured)

It is understood safety checks were conducted by the bomb squad before the busy road reopened.

Commuters using the tram have been warned routes 5, 6, 58 and 72 are delayed because of the closure.

Numerous businesses in the area were unable to open while police investigated the incident.

The bomb squad is en-route, a Victoria police spokeswoman said (pictured)

The section between High St and Wattletree Rd has been closed in both directions and commuters have been warned to take Kooyong and Tooronga roads as an alternate route (pictured)
President Donald Trump intervened with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and and the United Arab Emirates after the two nations considered taking military action against Qatar as their dispute escalated, according to a report.

After getting word of the possibility, Trump called the leaders of both nations and urged them to hold back, Bloomberg News reported.

The two nations banned air travel and cut off diplomatic ties to Qatar in June, blaming Qatar for funding terrorism and backing Iran.

Trump urged caution, according to the report, arguing that military action would trigger a broader crisis.

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump has said with his help a diplomatic solution could be found quickly, although the nations have been in a standoff since this summer.

Trump met with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, at the UN on Tuesday.

"Its my great honor to be with the emir of Qatar. Weve been friends a long time. People dont realize that. Weve known each other for a long time. And we are right now in a situation where were trying to solve a problem in the Middle East and I think well get it solved.'

Trump continued: 'I have a very strong feeling that it will be solved pretty quickly. But were talking also trade and many other things.'

A Saudi source denied the report, which paraphrased the official as saying the allegations were entirely incorrect, have been denied, and amount to misleading Qatari propaganda.

President Donald Trump waits for a meeting with Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the Palace Hotel on September 19, 2017 in New York City, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani speaks during a meeting with President Donald Trump at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in New York. He said Tuesday: 'We have a problem with our neighbors, and your interference will help a lot'

MAYBE JARED CAN SOLVE IT: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L), US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin (2L), National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster (2R) and Senior Advisor Jared Kushner wait for a meeting with Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, US President Donald Trump and others at the Palace Hotel on September 19, 2017 in New York City

The two nations organized a punishing trade embargo and are demanding the closing of Qatar-based Al Jazeera.

Trump earlier this month was optimistic he could force a breakthrough. 'I think youd have a deal worked out very quickly,' he said. But a call he arranged between the leaders of Qatar and Saudi Arabia didn't bear fruit and led to disparate statements from the two nations.

Trump took a similar tone Tuesday.

'And we've had a tremendous relationship for the last short period of time, especially since our meeting in Saudi Arabia, which I think was an epic and very important -- really a very historic meeting,' the president said. 'And now we want to make the most of it by getting things settled. But we also want to continue trade and many other things.'

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) meets with other foreign ministers including (2nd L-R) Egypt's Sameh Shoukry, Qatar's Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Saudi Arabia's Adel al-Jubeir during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 18, 2017

Al Thani replied: 'As you said, Mr. President, we have a problem with our neighbors, and your interference will help a lot. And I'm sure that, with your interference, hopefully we can find a solution for this problem.'

He added: 'We've always said that we're very open for dialogue, and we'll always be open for dialogue.'

The Saudis, the UAE, and Bahrain cut off relations with Qatar on June 5. Qatar shares the world's largest oil field with Iran. It admits to supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, but denies supporting ISIS and Al Qaeda. It reached a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. when Trump visited Saudi Arabia this year.

The nations presented Qatar with a list of 13 demands, which Qatar said amounted to surrendering its sovereignty.
The National Trust has sparked a fresh row with an exhibition that includes 51 ropes to commemorate men who were hanged for being homosexual.

Visitors to Kingston Lacy in Dorset hear a recording of the names of the men, most of whom were executed between 1810 and 1835.

The installation is part of the programme by the Trust and many museums to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised private homosexual acts between men over 21 in England and Wales.

The National Trust has sparked a fresh row with an exhibition that includes 51 ropes to commemorate men who were hanged for being homosexual (pictured)

Visitors to Kingston Lacy (pictured) in Dorset hear a recording of the names of the men, most of whom were executed between 1810 and 1835

A rainbow flag in support of the gay community is also being flown. The two-month project, which opened on Monday, commemorates William John Bankes, who inherited Kingston Lacy in 1834.

He fled into exile in 1841 after he was caught in an indecent act with a soldier. It was his second offence and might have led to his execution, but his wealth allowed him to move to France and later Italy, where he died in 1855 aged 68.

Critics yesterday accused the Trust of failing to learn from the public backlash that followed its decision in July to out the writer Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer as gay.

Ketton-Cremer bequeathed Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk to the Trust in 1969. Volunteers there were also told to wear rainbow gay pride badges.

Felbrigg volunteer Bob Gates, who resigned with his wife in disgust at their treatment, said the trust had become obsessed with trendy PC thinking.

He added: Its just not the right place for it [gay rights campaigning].

Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen said of the Kingston Lacy exhibition: This is totally inappropriate. Its not what people visit the National Trust for. If I want moral guidance I go to church  not the National Trust.

The installation is part of the programme by the Trust to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which partially decriminalised homosexuality

The project commemorates William John Bankes (pictured), inherited Kingston Lacy in 1834. He fled into exile in 1841 after he was caught in an indecent act with a soldier

Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said that children visiting historic properties were being traumatised and upset by the constant messages about who they are.

He added: They dont want to be burdened with the neuroses of the National Trust  and adults dont want it to be politicised.

The National Trust said: Visitors are given the option of visiting the installation and are given information upon which to make that decision. John Orna-Ornstein, the Trusts director of curation and experience, said: There are going to be some people who come here and dont like it, but thats the case with any programming.
Channel Ten's employees have voted 'overwhelmingly' in favour of a rescue bid from US broadcasting behemoth CBS - sending a clear message to Lachlan Murdoch.

The rejection of the former executive chairman's bid, made with James Packer and investor Bruce Gordon, came despite Mr Murdoch offering more money than CBS.

Creditors and employees voted after a court decision on Monday allowed the meeting to go ahead, overruling a challenge from Mr Murdoch and Mr Gordon.

Channel Ten's employees have voted 'overwhelmingly' in favour of a rescue bid from US broadcasting behemoth CBS - sending a clear message to Lachlan Murdoch (pictured)

The rejection of the former executive chairman's bid came despite Mr Murdoch offering more money than CBS in an attempt to regain control of Channel Ten, home of The Bachelor (pictured are stars Matty J and Laura Byrne)

The pair may still appeal Monday's decision, which ruled in favour of the US media giant, The Age reported.

Mark Korda from Ten's administrator KordaMentha said the media moguls had the right to challenge the decision, but emphasised the large margin of the vote.

'The creditors have had their vote and they've accepted a future for Ten with CBS,' he said.

'When I say overwhelming, they were the employees and substantially all the other creditors.'

Creditors and employees voted after a court decision on Monday allowed the meeting to go ahead, overruling a challenge from Mr Murdoch (pictured with wife Sara) and Mr Gordon

Mr Korda said the result had been expected, as the CBS bid offered creditors the best return.

Backed by CBS, Ten now stands to provide rivals Nine and Seven with stiffer competition.

'I think the industry is genuinely excited about having a $27 billion big brother looking after Channel Ten,' said Mr Korda.

Channel Ten went into administration in July after Mr Murdoch, Mr Packer and Mr Gordon withdrew a debt guarantee.

The move pushed the struggling broadcaster into bankruptcy, and may have been intended to free the network from licensing contracts.

The bid from CBS upended the media magnates' plan for a takeover bid, and the move is looking like a major miscalculation after the events of Monday and Tuesday.

Ten's chief executive Paul Anderson told a media conference in July the event were, 'extremely disappointing for all of us'.
A number of same-sex marriage surveys may include hidden rude and even offensive phrases after an oversight by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

More than 16 million surveys were sent out by the ABS earlier this month to homes in all corners of the country, as people have their say on legalising same-sex marriage.

But with each survey including its own unique computer-generated barcode, among the millions sent out were a number featuring rude words - including one with 'bumsex'.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has apologised over a same-sex marriage survey containing the phrase 'bumsex' (pictured) in its computer-generated barcode

The mistake forced the ABS' deputy statistician Jonathan Palmer to apologise for their oversight.

'The ABS acknowledges that in issuing 16 million barcodes it did not check and remove words and phrases that may be offensive,' he said in a statement.

'The codes were issued using an algorithm generating more than two quintillion combinations of letters and numbers in order to generate highly secure barcodes.'

Shared to social media, the photo caused an outpouring of comments from voters on both sides who found it humorous.

More than 16 million surveys were sent out by the ABS earlier this month to homes in all corners of the country, as people have their say on legalising same-sex marriage

The mistake forced ABS deputy statistician Jonathan Palmer to apologise for the oversight, while social media commenters seemingly found it hilarious (pictured)

'It would have been far more Australian had it been "BUMSEXM8",' one commenter said.

'Randomness is sometimes pretty awesome,' one wrote, while another said: 'Can't. Stop. Laughing.'

The closing date for the same-sex marriage postal vote survey is November 7.
AUBURN  Owasco Lake is pea soup, and so are many other lakes across New York state. Harmful algal blooms are plaguing Skaneateles and Cayuga lakes, too, and local officials are ramping up efforts to protect drinking water and keep it clean.

Drew Snell, watershed specialist with the Owasco Lake Watershed Inspection Program, said he's been inundated with calls about the northern end of Owasco. The program is flying drones and taking photos of the blooms, which Snell said are everywhere. It's a marked change from August, when the cooler, rainy weather showed hardly any algae.

"Here they are, lo and behold," Snell said about the blooms at an Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council meeting Tuesday morning. "The reports are from all over. There's not one area that's exempt, or immune, I should say."

Toxins, called microcystin, have been detected in blooms from samples sent in on Sept. 11. Microcystin can cause adverse health effects in people including nausea, headaches, upper respiratory issues and skin irritation. It can cause health problems and can even be lethal in animals, too.

Eileen O'Connor, director of the county's environmental health division, said testing of the city of Auburn and town of Owasco's water supply has increased from two to three times per week. The town and the city supply water to over 45,000 people in Cayuga County. Both Auburn and Owasco activated their toxin treatment systems on Friday, and they have been running ever since.

John West, water treatment operator for Auburn, said he did see algae coming into the city's intake pipe on Monday. County health officials have sent in a sample Monday to the state Department of Health's laboratory in Albany for analysis and were still waiting on the results, which usually take about 24 hours. Owasco Town Supervisor Ed Wagner said the town's treatment plant has not seen any algae so far.

Skaneateles Lake, considered one of the cleanest in the country, saw harmful algal blooms this past weekend. The Onondaga County Health Department said they contained elevated levels of toxin, according to a release.

Tony Prestigiacomo, a research scientist with the state Department of Environmental Conservation's Finger Lakes Water Hub, said harmful algae was not expected to occur in Skaneateles Lake. Scott Cook, supervisor of the hub, said the lake has two intake pipes. To try and avoid algae, the upper intake was shut off and the deeper intake pipe is being used.

The health department, city of Syracuse, town of Skaneateles and state officials are monitoring the public water supply, which has no filtration system and only uses chlorine to disinfect the water. Chlorine does not treat the toxins. It does kill the algae, but that could release toxins that may be inside.

In a release on Monday, the Onondaga County Health Department told residents who draw water directly from the lake via private intakes to not use the water for drinking, making infant formula, making ice, brushing teeth, preparing food, washing dishes or for pets. If blooms are present in the vicinity of the private intake, the department said to not use the water for bathing.

The department reminded residents that toxins cannot be treated via boiling, adding chlorine or using ultra-violet radiation. O'Connor said the Cayuga County Health Department has issued fliers with similar guidelines to those living on Owasco and Cayuga lakes it believes draw water from the lake. The department plans to issue fliers to those on Skaneateles soon.

O'Connor said the latest bloom spotted on Cayuga Lake was not near the village of Aurora or the Wells College water intake pipe. The health department, she added, has been testing the water there when blooms are found in that area. No toxins have been detected so far.

While harmful algae has been rampant locally, it's also been so across the state. Cook said due to the flourish of blooms on water bodies this weekend, the DEC updated its harmful algal blooms notifications page on Monday. Typically that page is updated on Fridays alone. Prestigiacomo said that more than 15 water bodies were added to the list between Friday and Monday. Fifty-six water bodies were reported to have blooms on the DEC's website as of Tuesday afternoon.

One of the things the Finger Lakes Water Hub hopes to do is identify why these harmful algal blooms are occurring.

"Where are you going with your research?" asked Steve Lynch, director of the Cayuga County Planning and Economic Development Department to Prestigiacomo and Cook. "Are you developing some theories or some speculation as to what's going on?"

Prestigiacomo said the hub is looking at temperature, light availability, nutrients, salinity, pH and other kinds of data to try and determine what might be triggering the blooms. He referred to storms in July, which created "episodic pulses of nutrients followed by long, warm, kind of stagnant conditions like we're seeing now," a good formula for creating blooms. The forecast for at least the next week looks much the same.

"These are all things on the table, all things that we're looking at," he added. "We're still gathering a lot of information. It's really interesting what happened to Skaneateles. No one really expected that. Every time I think we get things figured out, we have a monkey wrench thrown in."
People with standard vision can see millions of distinct colors.

But human language categorizes these into a small set of words.

In an industrialized culture, most people get by with 11 color words: black, white, red, green, yellow, blue, brown, orange, pink, purple and gray.

That's what we have in American English.

In 113 languages, people can convey the warm colors  reds, oranges and yellows  more efficiently (with fewer guesses) than the cool colors  blues and greens. This effect arises because objects tend to be warm-colored

WHAT THEY FOUND Nonindustrialized cultures typically have far fewer words for colors than industrialized cultures. The most widely accepted explanation for the differences goes back to two linguists, Brent Berlin and Paul Kay. In their early work in the 1960s, they gathered color-naming data from 20 languages. They observed some commonalities among sets of color terms across languages: If a language had only two terms, they were always black and white; if there was a third, it was red; the fourth and fifth were always green and yellow (in either order); the sixth was blue; the seventh was brown; and so on. Based on this order, Berlin and Kay argued that certain colors were more salient. So black and white are the most salient, then red, and so on. And new research by Dr Ted Gibson and Dr Bevil Conway found that in 113 languages, people can convey the warm colors  reds, oranges and yellows  more efficiently (with fewer guesses) than the cool colors  blues and greens. In addition, they found that this effect arises because objects  the things we want to talk about  tend to be warm-colored. They evaluated this hypothesis in a database of 20,000 photographs of objects, and it turned out that indeed objects are more likely to be warm-colored, while backgrounds are cool-colored. Advertisement

Maybe if you're an artist or an interior designer, you know specific meanings for as many as 50 or 100 different words for colors  like turquoise, amber, indigo or taupe.

But this is still a tiny fraction of the colors that we can distinguish.

Interestingly, the ways that languages categorize color vary widely.

Nonindustrialized cultures typically have far fewer words for colors than industrialized cultures.

So while English has 11 words that everyone knows, the Papua-New Guinean language Berinmo has only five, and the Bolivian Amazonian language Tsimane' has only three words that everyone knows, corresponding to black, white and red.

The goal of our project was to understand why cultures vary so much in their color word usage.

Is it about which colors stand out the most?

The most widely accepted explanation for the differences goes back to two linguists, Brent Berlin and Paul Kay.

In their early work in the 1960s, they gathered color-naming data from 20 languages.

They observed some commonalities among sets of color terms across languages: If a language had only two terms, they were always black and white; if there was a third, it was red; the fourth and fifth were always green and yellow (in either order); the sixth was blue; the seventh was brown; and so on.

Based on this order, Berlin and Kay argued that certain colors were more salient.

They suggested that cultures start by naming the most salient colors, bringing in new terms one at a time, in order.

So black and white are the most salient, then red, and so on.

While this approach seemed promising, there are several problems with this innate vision-based theory.

Berlin, Kay and their colleagues went on to gather a much larger data set, from 110 nonindustrialized languages.

Their original generalization isn't as clear in this larger data set: there are many exceptions, which Kay and his colleagues have tried to explain in a more complicated vision-based theory.

What's more, this nativist theory doesn't address why industrialization, which introduced reliable, stable and standardized colors on a large scale, causes more color words to be introduced.

The visual systems of people across cultures are the same: in this model, industrialization should make no difference on color categorization, which was clearly not the case.

How do you describe this color?

Our research groups therefore explored a completely different idea: Perhaps color words are developed for efficient communication.

Consider the task of simply naming a color chip from some set of colors.

In our study, we used 80 color chips, selected from Munsell colors to be evenly spaced across the color grid.

Each pair of neighboring colors is the same distance apart in terms of how different they appear.

In a study, participants had to communicate one of the 80 color chip choices from across the color grid. Each pair of neighboring colors is the same distance apart in terms of how different they appear. The speaker's task is to simply label the color with a word ('red,' 'blue' and so on)

The speaker's task is to simply label the color with a word ('red,' 'blue' and so on).

To evaluate the communication-based idea, we need to think of color-naming in simple communication terms, which can be formalized by information theory.

Suppose the color I select at random is N4. I choose a word to label the color that I picked. Maybe the word I choose is 'blue.'

If I had picked A3, I would have never said 'blue.' And if I had picked M3, maybe I would have said 'blue,' maybe 'green' or something else.

Now in this thought experiment, you as a listener are trying to guess which physical color I meant.

You can choose a whole set of color chips that you think corresponds to my color 'blue.'

Maybe you pick a set of 12 color chips corresponding to all those in columns M, N and O.

I say yes, because my chip is in fact one of those.

Then you split your set in half and guess again.

The number of guesses it takes the ideal listener to zero in on my color chip based on the color word I used is a simple score for the chip.

While English has 11 words that everyone knows, the Papua-New Guinean language Berinmo has only five, and the Bolivian Amazonian language Tsimane' has only three words that everyone knows, corresponding to black, white and red. The most widely accepted explanation for this goes back to two linguists, Brent Berlin (left) and Paul Kay (right)

We can calculate this score  the number of guesses or 'bits'  using some simple math from the way in which many people label the colors in a simple color-labeling task.

Using these scores, we can now rank the colors across the grid, in any language.

In English, it turns out that people can convey the warm colors  reds, oranges and yellows  more efficiently (with fewer guesses) than the cool colors  blues and greens.

You can see this in the color grid: There are fewer competitors for what might be labeled 'red,' 'orange' or 'yellow' than there are colors that would be labeled 'blue' or 'green.'

This is true in spite of the fact that the grid itself is perceptually more or less uniform: The colors were selected to completely cover the most saturated colors of the Munsell color space, and each pair of neighboring colors looks equally close, no matter where they are on the grid.

We found that this generalization is true in every language in the entire World Color Survey (110 languages) and in three more that we did detailed experiments on: English, Spanish and Tsimane'.

It's clear in a visual representation, where each row is an ordering of the color chips for a particular language.

The left-to-right ordering is from easiest to communicate (fewest guesses needed to get the right color) to hardest to communicate.

Each row orders the color chips for one language: Colors farther left are easier to communicate, those farther to the right are harder to communicate

The diagram shows that all languages have roughly the same order, with the warm colors on the left (easy to communicate) and the cool ones on the right (harder to communicate).

This generalization occurs in spite of the fact that languages near the bottom of the figure have few terms that people use consistently, while languages near the top (like English and Spanish) have many terms that most people use consistently.

We name the colors of things we want to talk about

In addition to discovering this remarkable universal across languages, we also wanted to find out what causes it.

Recall that our idea is that maybe we introduce words into a language when there is something that we want to talk about.

So perhaps this effect arises because objects  the things we want to talk about  tend to be warm-colored.

We evaluated this hypothesis in a database of 20,000 photographs of objects that people at Microsoft had decided contained objects, as distinct from backgrounds. (This data set is available to train and test computer vision systems that are trying to learn to identify objects.)

Our colleagues then determined the specific boundaries of the object in each image and where the background was.

We mapped the colors in the images onto our set of 80 colors across the color space.

It turned out that indeed objects are more likely to be warm-colored, while backgrounds are cool-colored.

Nonindustrialized cultures typically have far fewer words for colors than industrialized cultures. So while English has 11 words that everyone knows, the Papua-New Guinean language Berinmo has only five. Pictured are children in Papua New Guinea

If an image's pixel fell within an object, it was more likely to correspond to a color that was easier to communicate.

Objects' colors tended to fall further to the left on our ranked ordering of communicative efficiency.

When you think about it, this doesn't seem so surprising after all.

Backgrounds are sky, water, grass, trees: all cool-colored.

The objects that we want to talk about are warm-colored: people, animals, berries, fruits and so on.

Our hypothesis also easily explains why more color terms come into a language with industrialization.

With increases in technology come improved ways of purifying pigments and making new ones, as well as new color displays.

So we can make objects that differ based only on color  for instance, the new iPhone comes in 'rose gold' and 'gold'  which makes color-naming even more useful.

So contrary to the earlier nativist visual salience hypothesis, the communication hypothesis helped identify a true cross-linguistic universal  warm colors are easier to communicate than cool ones  and it easily explains the cross-cultural differences in color terms.

It also explains why color words often come into a language not as color words but as object or substance labels.

For instance, 'orange' comes from the fruit; 'red' comes from Sanskrit for blood. In short, we label things that we want to talk about.
He is one of the most respected figures in the scientific community, and now Neil deGrasse Tyson has made his opinion on climate change very clear.

In a new interview this week, Tyson said that in the wake of the devastating floods and a damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, climate change had become so severe that we 'might not be able to recover.'

Tyson is now calling on politicians to stop wasting time discussing whether climate change is real, and instead to take action to stop it getting worse.

Scroll down for video

He is one of the most respected figures in the scientific community, and now Neil deGrasse Tyson has made his opinion on climate change very clear

TYSON'S OPINION ON CLIMATE CHANGE Tyson said he had no patience for politicians who 'cherry pick' scientific research to suit their beliefs. And he told Mr Zakaria that he couldn't believe debates were still centring on the existence of climate change, rather than the best way to tackle it. He even went so far to say that it may be too late to tackle climate change. He added: 'I worry that we might not be able to recover from this because all our greatest cities are on the oceans and water's edges, historically for commerce and transportation. Advertisement

Tyson was speaking during an interview on CNN's 'GPS' with presenter Fareed Zakaria.

When Mr Zakaria asked Tyson what he thought of Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert's refusal to say whether climate change had been a causing factor in Hurricanes Harvey and Irma's strength, Tyson became emotional.

He said: 'Fifty inches of rain in Houston!

'This is a shot across our bow, a hurricane the width of Florida going up the centre of Floridia'

'What will it take for people to recognise that a community of scientists are learning objective truths about the natural world and that you can benefit from knowing about it?'

Tyson said he had no patience for people who 'cherry pick' scientific research to suit their beliefs.

He added: 'The press will sometimes find a single paper, and say, "Oh here's a new truth, if this study holds it."

'But an emergent scientific truth, for it to become an objective truth, a truth that is true whether or not you believe in it, it requires more than one scientific paper.

'It requires a whole system of people's research all leaning in the same direction, all pointing to the same consequences.

'That's what we have with climate change, as induced by human conduct.'

In a new interview this week, Tyson said that in the wake of the devastating floods and a damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, climate change had become so severe that we 'might not be able to recover'

Tyson said that he couldn't believe debates were still centring on the existence of climate change, rather than the best way to tackle it.

He said: 'The day two politicians are arguing about whether science is true, it means nothing gets done. Nothing.

'It's the beginning of the end of an informed democracy, as I've said many times.

'What I'd rather happen is you recognise what is scientifically truth, then you have your political debate.'

He even went so far as to say that it may be too late to tackle climate change.

WHY HURRICANE HARVEY WAS WORSE THAN OTHERS Hurricane Harvey's biggest effect is through its intense and prolonged rainfall. A low pressure system to the north is keeping Harvey over southern Texas, resulting in greater rainfall totals. We know that climate change is enhancing extreme rainfall . As the atmosphere is getting warmer, it can hold more moisture (roughly 7 per cent for every 1 rise in temperature). This means that when we get the right circumstances for very extreme rainfall to occur, climate change is likely to make these events even worse than they would have been otherwise. Without a full analysis it is hard to put exact numbers on this effect, but on a basic level, wetter skies mean more intense rain. But there are also other factors that are making this story worse than others in terms of its impact. Houston is the second-fastest growing city in the US, and the fourth most populous overall. As the region's population grows, more and more of southern Texas is being paved with impermeable surfaces . This means that when there is extreme rainfall, the water takes longer to drain away, prolonging and intensifying the floods. Advertisement

He added: 'I worry that we might not be able to recover from this because all our greatest cities are on the oceans and water's edges, historically for commerce and transportation.

'And as storms kick in, as water levels rise, they are the first to go. And we don't have a system - we don't have a civilisation with the capacity to pick up a city and move it inland 20 miles.

'That's - this is happening faster than our ability to respond. That could have huge economic consequences.'
In a world first, scientists have stored light-based data as sound waves on a computer chip - a feat they compare to 'capturing lightning as thunder'.

Storing light as sound has been pursued by large companies such as IBM and Intel for years, but until now has never been achieved.

The researchers hope their breakthrough could lead to the creation of computers in which data can safely travel at the speed of light.

Scroll down for video

In a world first, scientists have managed to dramatically slow digital information carried as light by transferring the data into sound waves on a microchip

THE MICROCHIP The researchers' chip is made of chalcogenide glass, which provides optimal guidance of both optical and acoustic waves. The chip operates at room temperature and can be used with other computer components, which means it can be easily integrated into photonic circuits. While light is an excellent carrier of data, its speed can become a nuisance inside computers. To help overcome this issue, the researchers created an 'acoustic buffer' within the microchip, in which light was temporarily converted into sound. Advertisement

Researchers from the University of Sydney demonstrated the technological breakthrough in a new study, published in Nature Communications.

Transferring information from light to sound and back again inside a microchip is critical for the development of photonic integrated circuits  microchips that use light to manage data.

These chips are being developed for use in telecommunications, optical fibre networks and cloud computing data centres where traditional electronic devices are susceptible to electromagnetic interference, produce too much heat or use too much energy.

Dr Birgit Stiller, supervisor of the project, said: 'The information in our chip in acoustic form travels at a velocity five orders of magnitude slower than in the optical domain.

'It is like the difference between thunder and lightning.'

This delay allows the data to be stored briefly, before being processed back into light.

While light is an excellent carrier of data, its speed can become a nuisance inside computers.

WHAT COULD IT BE USED FOR? Transferring information from light to sound and back again inside a microchip is critical for the development of photonic integrated circuits  microchips that use light to manage data. These chips are being developed for use in telecommunications, optical fibre networks and cloud computing data centres where traditional electronic devices are susceptible to electromagnetic interference, produce too much heat or use too much energy. Such a system is currently being pursued by large companies such as IBM and Intel. Advertisement

To help overcome this issue, the researchers created an 'acoustic buffer' within the microchip, in which light was temporarily converted into sound.

Mr Moritz Merklein, lead author of the study, said: 'Building an acoustic buffer inside a chip improves our ability to control information by several orders of magnitude.'

While light-speed data has its advantages, it must be slowed down to allow you do anything useful with it.

Normally, this is done using electronics, but as computers and telecommunication systems become bigger and faster, the associated heat is making some systems unmanageable.

The use of photonic chips is one solution to this problem being pursued by large companies such as IBM and Intel.

Mr Merklein said: 'For this to become a commercial reality, photonic data on the chip needs to be slowed down so that they can be processed, routed, stored and accessed.'

The researchers' chip is made of chalcogenide glass, which provides optimal guidance of both optical and acoustic waves

The researchers' chip is made of chalcogenide glass, which provides optimal guidance of both optical and acoustic waves.

The chip operates at room temperature and can be used with other computer components, which means it can be easily integrated into photonic circuits.

Dr Steve Madden, who also worked on the project added: 'The transfer of information from light to acoustic phonons is an exciting area currently receiving a lot of attention worldwide, and we hope this work will stimulate some new on-chip information processing capabilities.'
While most nightclubs today have light-up dance floors and flashing lights, it appears that all people needed for a party 4,500 years ago was a stone circle.

Researchers have used a new dating technique to analyse stone circles in Orkney.

Their analysis reveals that people living in Neolithic Orkney would congregate at the stone circles, which the researchers describe as a 'festival spot'.

The new research challenges the previously understood narrative for prehistoric life on the islands and shows that right from the start Orkney was a very diverse place.

Scroll down for video

Analysis reveals that people living in Neolithic Orkney would congregate at the stone circles, such as the Ring of Brodgar (pictured), which the researchers describe as a 'festival spot'

NEOLITHIC ORKNEY Researchers have used a new dating technique to analyse stone circles in Orkney. Their analysis reveals that people living in Neolithic Orkney would congregate at the stone circles, which the researchers describe as a 'festival spot'. The islanders would have congregated over centuries to party together in the vast stone monuments such as the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness. 'Once they are built they go back to their villages,' Professor Alex Bayliss from Historic England told The Times. 'Then they would come back to party. It was a festival spot I'm sure. 'We've got a nuanced sense of history and different types of people living together. So right from the beginning Orkney is a really diverse place', Professor Bayliss told MailOnline. There is no evidence of conflict between these groups, researchers say. Advertisement

Today, Neolithic Orkney is well-preserved, with stone houses, stone circles and elaborate burial monuments.

By examining more than 600 radiocarbon dates, scientists were able to gather much more precise estimates of the timing and duration of events in the period around 3200-2500 BC.

Researchers did this by using a new technique which can date artefacts with less than 50 years error.

For comparison, radiocarbon dating typically has between 200 to 300 years of error.

The islanders would have congregated over centuries to party together in the vast stone monuments such as the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness, the research reveals.

'Once they are built they go back to their villages,' Professor Alex Bayliss from Historic England told The Times.

'Then they would come back to party. It was a festival spot I'm sure.

'They would bring a couple of cows for cooking, they would perhaps meet their future wife.'

The study, part of the wider project The Times of Their Lives, also suggests there was a period which saw rival practices between households.

'We've got a nuanced sense of history and different types of people living together. So right from the beginning Orkney is a really diverse place', Professor Bayliss told MailOnline.

Their differences are played out in how they choose to bury their dead and carry out communal gatherings and rituals.

Researchers previously thought these communities lived during different periods but it turns out they were living at the same time.

There is no evidence of conflict between these groups despite their differences, researchers say.

The islanders would have congregated in the over centuries to party together in the vast stone monuments such as the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness (pictured)

There was an overlap between the construction of different kinds of burial tombs and the emergence of new pottery styles such as flat-based Grooved Ware which was characteristic of the Late Neolithic in Orkney and the round-based pottery of earlier Neolithic inhabitants

There was an overlap between the construction of different kinds of burial tombs - such as passage graves and cairns - in the late fourth millennium BC.

They found there was also an overlap between the emergence of new pottery styles such as flat-based Grooved Ware which was characteristic of the Late Neolithic in Orkney and the round-based pottery of earlier Neolithic inhabitants.

BAYESIAN STATISTICAL FRAMEWORK The Bayesian framework is a kind of statistic where you combine what you know from radiocarbon dates and what you know from archaeology. The error on radiocarbon dating is typically between 200 - 300 years and our error using the Bayesian statistical framework is under half a century. Researcher's findings have only been possible due to this very high degree of accuracy with this new modelling system. Most of the models ran in a few days and make over 500 million calculations None of this accuracy would have been possible using just radiocarbon dating. Advertisement

'People in the Neolithic made choices, just like us, about all sorts of things - where to live, how to bury their dead, how to farm, where and when to gather together - and those choices are just beginning to come into view through archaeology', said Professor Bayliss.

They also dated the first appearance of the non-native Orkney vole, Microtus agrestis, to 2300 BC.

'Orkney voles only live in Orkney - and not the rest of Britain - and basically this chap could not have survived the last glaciation', Dr Bayliss said.

'He must have come in a boat with people from France and Belgium.

'He appears just before all this pottery starts appearing so it's possible there are direct influences from the continent', she said.

It was probably introduced via direct long-distance sea travel between Orkney and the continent - which suggests that new people from continental Europe could have also been part of this complex cultural scenario.

The discovery was made using a new dating technique known as the Bayesian Statistical framework.

'The Bayesian framework is a kind of statistic where you combine what you know from radiocarbon dates and what you know from archaeology', Professor Bayliss said.

'The error on radiocarbon dating is typically between 200 - 300 years and our error using the Bayesian statistical framework is under half a century'.

Pictured are the stones of Stenness, constructed in at least 3100BC. Researchers say monuments like this would have been used as a 'festival spot'

The Ring of Brodgar (pictured) and Stones of Stenness circles, which were granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1999

Researcher's findings have only been possible due to this very high degree of accuracy with this new modelling system.

'The excavations go back to the 1930s and we've put it all together to create a much more accurate historical story of what was happening at the time', said Professor Bayliss.

'Most of the models ran in a few days and made over 500 million calculations. '

By examining 600 radiocarbon dates, scientists gathered much more precise estimates of the timing and duration of events in the period around 3200-2500 BC. Pictured is the Barnhouse

Neolithic Orkney is well-preserved, with stone houses, stone circles and elaborate burial monuments. Pictured are Neolithic houses Knap of Howar

The findings suggest the islands north of mainland Scotland were probably first colonised about 5,600 years ago, with settlements peaking between 3,100 BC and 2,900 BC.

Researchers found people only stayed in the centre for 200 to 250 years.

'It's perhaps the strain of living together and potentially doing large scale projects together that brings it to an end', Dr Bayliss said.

After a drop in construction across Orkney between 2,800 BC and 2,600 BC, people appear to have started settling there once again. Pictured here is the Barnhouse

The findings suggest the islands north of mainland Scotland were probably first colonised about 5,600 years ago, with settlements peaking between 3,100 BC and 2,900 BC

After a drop in construction across Orkney between 2,800 BC and 2,600 BC, people appear to have started settling there once again.

Around this time it is likely the Ring of Brodgar was erected and brought people together into what was now a sacred - not domestic - landscape, according to the study.

Originally made up of 60 stones, the ring now has 27 and is 104 metres in diameter.

It was during this period researchers believe the island saw a period of competition between communities.

Professor Alasdair Whittle of Cardiff University, principal investigator of The Times of Their Lives, said: 'Visitors come from all over the world to admire the wonderfully preserved archaeological remains of Orkney, in what may seem a timeless setting.

'Our study underlines that the Neolithic past was often rapidly changing, and that what may appear to us to be enduring monuments were in fact part of a dynamic historical context.'
As we continue to pump toxic greenhouse gases into our atmosphere, scientists are devising new and creative ways to curb climate change.

As well as reducing our carbon dioxide emissions, scientists say we must also remove the gas from the air to keep Earth's temperature down.

One expert has now suggested we stop global warming by dumping carbon dioxide into deep sea trenches, forming enormous liquid lakes.

Scroll down for video

An expert has picked out deep ocean trenches that could be used to store excess carbon dioxide. Basins A, B and C in this image show spots within the Sunda trench, south of the Indonesian archipelago, that are good candidates for storage at more than 6 km deep

HOW MIGHT IT WORK? An energy analyst has suggested we could store carbon dioxide in deep ocean trenches. The compound would form permanent, liquid lakes, he claims. Once carbon dioxide reaches a depth of 3,000 metres (9,850 ft) it is denser than water. At these depths, the gas will naturally sink to the bottom of the trench. Mr Goldthorpe said the stored carbon dioxide could become solid over time, which would stop it mixing with ocean currents. Advertisement

Steve Goldthorpe, an independent energy analyst based in Waipu, New Zealand, claims the lakes could permanently hold vast quantities of carbon dioxide.

This is because once the gas reaches a depth of 3,000 metres (9,850 ft) it is denser than water, meaning it naturally sinks to the seafloor.

'If liquid CO2 were to be placed in such a trench, it would be 7 per cent more dense than seawater and could remain permanently as a lake of liquid CO2 on the ocean floor,' Mr Goldthorpe wrote in his paper.

Mr Goldthorpe said the stored carbon dioxide could become solid over time, which would stop it mixing with ocean currents.

During his research, the energy analyst used Google Earth to identify suitable sites for storage.

He came across a deep ocean trench around 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) down called the Sunda trench, just south of the Indonesian archipelago.

'It is big enough to accommodate 19 trillion tonnes of liquid CO2, which is greater than all the CO2 from the total global fossil fuel emissions,' he told New Scientist.

Mr Goldthorpe also suggested the Japanese Ryukyu trench and the Puerto Rico trench as candidates - each is more than 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) deep.

At certain depths in the ocean, a critical point (centre black spot) in pressure and temperature means that carbon dioxide becomes a liquid instead of a gas

Several spots in the Sunda trench could be used to store carbon dioxide. This is because once carbon dioxide reaches a depth of 3,000 metres (9,850 ft) it is denser than water, meaning it naturally sinks to the seafloor

The trenches could help keep Earth's temperature at a safe level - now agreed to be no more than 1.5C (2.7F) above average pre-industrial time temperatures.

Previously experts have suggested burying excess carbon dioxide deep underground, possibly in depleted oil and gas fields.

While preliminary tests have shown that this method has potential, scientists are still unsure whether people would accept the fix.

The trenches could help keep Earth's temperature at a safe level - now agreed to be no more than 1.5C (2.7F) above average pre-industrial time temperatures. Reducing the levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere will be key to reaching this goal

Carbon dioxide lakes do form naturally in the cold, high-pressure depths of the ocean, but they are rare.

Researchers have previously dismissed the idea of ocean CO2 storage because it can make the water more acidic, which may impact marine ecosystems.

Mr Goldthorpe recognises this is his paper, writing: 'Any impact on deep marine fauna would need to be investigated.'
Google's Pixel 2 handsets have been leaked ahead on its unveiling on October 4th, it has been claimed.

Droid Life claims to have images of the new handset, alongside a new mini wireless speaker, and images of an updated Daydream VR headset.

Two versions of the handset will be launched, a Pixel and a Pixel XL.

Scroll down for video

The LG-made Pixel 2 XL will come in a 'Black & White' and 'Just Black' colors and be available with 64GB or 128GB storage, according to the latest leaks

The smaller Pixel 2 will be available in Kinda Blue, Just Black, and Clearly White, and will be sold with 64GB and 128GB of storage and priced at $649 and $749, respectively, according to the site.

The larger LG-made Pixel 2 XL will come in a Black & White and Just Black colors and be available with 64GB or 128GB storage.

The 64GB model will cost $849, while the 128GB model will jump to $949.

The smaller Pixel 2 will be available in Kinda Blue, Just Black, and Clearly White, and will be sold with 64GB and 128GB of storage and priced at $649 and $749, respectively, according to the site.

Rumours have been swirling for months about Google's next Pixel smartphones and the tech firm uploaded a short 35 second teaser to YouTube earlier this month, offering eager fans the chance to sign up to receive more information.

The next generation flagship handset will be officially unveiled on Wednesday, October 4.

The minimalist video, while scant on images, makes some bold promises about some of the features fans can expect.

It is themed around the Menlo Park, California's iconic search engine.

The cryptic clip shows a user searching for various failings of their own smartphone.

These range from 'what's wrong with my phone's battery?' and 'why is my phone always out of storage?' to 'why does my phone take so many blurry photos?' and even 'why doesn't my phone understand me'.

Other search queries state their phone is 'slow, hot, fragile, annoying, broken, cruel, impersonal and ... dumb.'

The marketing ploy suggests that all of these problems will be answered when the new Pixel handsets are finally revealed.

Rumours have been swirling for months about Google's next Pixel smartphones and the long wait will soon be over thanks to a new trailer. The next generation flagship handset will be officially unveiled on Wednesday, October 4

If the video is to be believed, this suggests the smartphones, believed to be a Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, will feature a better battery, more storage and a better camera than its rivals.

This is in line with rumours circulating online in the leadup to the launch about the Pixel's expected features and launch date.

Droid Life also says Google will unveil a new mini smart speaker alongside its new Pixel handsets on October 4th, it is believed.

According to Droid Life, the new Google Mini Home speaker, which will take on Amazon's tiny Echo Dot, will cost just $49 when it goes on sale - making the two the same price.

It will use the same Google Assistant software as the larger Google home speaker, and be available in Chalk, Charcoal, and Coral colors.

The Google Mini Home is expected to be unveiled on October 4th, and go on sale soon after. It is believed it will cost $49, and will have the same Google Assistant as the larger Home speaker

'The Google Home Mini will be powered rather than wireless, at least according to the images here,' Droid Life said.

'You have colored bases that match the color of the top, soft portion of the unit.

'The Google Home Mini will be powered rather than wireless, at least according to the images here,' Droid Life said.

The new speaker will go head to head with the Amazon Echo Dot, shown here, and will even have the same $49 price

'So unlike the original Google Home that had swappable bases, it looks like the mini may not have that same luxury.'

The images show lights on top of each unit, which are expected to work in the same multi colored way as the lights on the larger Home speaker.

THE SMART SPEAKER WARS The mini home will take on Apple's HomePod, Amazon's Echo and Google's own, larger Home. Apple's speaker will have a higher price tag than the Amazon Echo range, which begins at $49 (49) for the Echo Dot. The speaker will provide a hub for appliances via Apple's HomeKit system and establish a centre inside the home to lock people in to using other Apple services, according to the report. Apple's $349 HomePod speaker will work with Apple Music and has several speakers and a built in woofer A speaker might help customers stay loyal to other services such as Apple Music, Apple Watch, Apple TV and AirPods. Google's $130 (105) Home speaker is triggered by the phrase 'Hey Google' while Amazon's Echo uses 'Alexa'. Amazon's smart speaker is available in two versions - the full sized $180 (145) Echo shown here, and a smaller, $50 (40) version called the Echo Dot. Amazon Echo uses Microsoft's Bing search engine to provide additional information, while Google Home uses the company's own Google Search. Both Home and Echo are continually listening for commands, though Google and Amazon say nothing gets passed back to them until the speakers hear a keyword  'OK, Google' for Home and 'Alexa' for Echo. Google's Assistant software is also able to answer follow-up questions on the same topic, in a near-conversation style, but Echo as yet cannot. Google's larger $129 Home speaker, which launched earlier this year However, Amazon's Alexa software has a wider range of skills on offer that enable it to link up with and control more third-party devices around the home. A light comes on to remind you that it's listening. You can turn off the microphone temporarily, too. Advertisement

GOOGLE PIXEL 2 RUMOURS Leaked photos allegedly of the Google Pixel 2 give truth to some of the rumoured features. Via the photos or per the tipster, we know: The phone will have a curved screen. It has two LEDs in the camera flash. The back will be made of a glass panel. Google is ditching the headphone jack for the device. The source also reported a better in-hand feel than the original Pixel phone, The source said the device is 'sleek' and 'elegant.' It is also expected to feature a Snapdragon 836 processor. Advertisement

The tech firm uploaded a short 35 second teaser to YouTube today, offering eager fans the chance to sign up to receive more information. The cryptic clip shows a user searching for various failings of their own smartphone

Most notably, serial leaker Evan Blass from Philadelphia said in a tweet back on August 24th: 'Google's second-generation Pixel handsets, powered by Snapdragon 836 SoC's, will be unveiled on October 5th.'

Mr Blass has a strong track record for predicting when new technology will be launched, as well as features on devices.

The rumours follow leaked images earlier in August, which claim to show Google's Pixel 2 handset.

Evan Blass, a tech-leaker from Philadelphia, tweeted this morning: 'Google's second-generation Pixel handsets, powered by Snapdragon 836 SoC's, will be unveiled on October 5th'

According to the photos, it appears the upcoming device will, as previously predicted, have a curved screen and a glass back.

However, one thing is missing - Google is planning to follow Apple and dump the headphone jack for the new device.

Also shown in the leaked images is the presence of two LEDs in the flash and a glass panel on the back, which is smaller this time around.

While previous leaks have suggested the phone will also be equipped with a Laser autofocus feature, that can't be seen here - although it may just be too difficult to spot.

The photos, sent to Gsmarena by an unnamed tipster, show the front and back of what is clearly an early developer unit of the phone, as is indicated by the stickers on the back.

Leaked images suggest that Google is planning to follow Apple and dump the headphone jack for the new device

While the lack of headphone jack isn't seen in the photo, the source told Gsmarena the device doesn't include one.

The source also reported a better in-hand feel than the original Pixel phone, saying it is 'sleek' and 'elegant.'

The original Google Pixel phone was launched in October 2016, and the Pixel 2 is set to launch this autumn, which would make it in direct competition with Apple's iPhone 8 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

Leaked images allegedly of the Google Pixel 2 reveal some of the device's rumored features. According to the photos, it appears the upcoming device will indeed have a curved screen

As the company prepares for the release, it's dropping the price on the original Pixel phone.

As part of a back to school promotion, the Pixel's starting price is currently down to $524 (408) instead of $649 (506), while the Pixel XL is now priced at $569 (443) rather than $769 (600) - the company is also throwing in free Daydream View headsets for consumers who take advantage of the promotion.

Insiders have long been suggesting the Google Pixel 2 could have a curved screen display like the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Reports suggest the Google Pixel 2 phone, which is launching later this year, could have a curved screen display like the Samsung Galaxy S8 (pictured)

Reports suggest Google is investing $880 million (709 million) in LG's flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens.

Increasingly curved screen are being adopted by smartphones and it seems Google want to move in this direction too, according to South Korea's Electronic Times.

The report suggests that LG is yet to sign the massive investment offer proposed by Google.

Reports suggest Google is investing $880 million (709 million) in LG's flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens for their Pixel 2 handset (pictured is first-generation Pixel handsets)

In March, the head of hardware at Google first confirmed that the firm is developing a second-generation Pixel for the 'premium smartphone market'.

The confirmation came from Rick Osterloh during an interview with AndroidPT.

'There is an annual rhythm in the industry,' Osterloh said in the interview.

'So, you can count on us to follow it. You can count on a successor this year, even if you don't hear a date from me now.'

Google debuted the first smartphones in its Pixel line during a conference in October 2016, a Pixel and the 5.5-inch Pixel XL.

Although the Pixel 2 release would fall around the same time as the iPhone 8, Google is focusing on the upper price segment of the market.

This may be tougher than imagined, if as speculated, the iPhone 8 turns out to cost over $1,000 (780).

Osterloh stated that 'Pixel stays premium' and the firm will 'leave lower price segments to other manufacturers'.

GOOGLE PIXEL SPECS The Pixel runs on a Snapdragon 821 2.15GHz processor. The handsets come in 32GB or 128GB models, with microSD card slots enabling an additional 256GB of storage. They have 12.3 and 8-megapixel cameras and a full HD AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass protection. Fast charging gives 7 hours of use in 15 minutes Included is Google's AI assistant, Allo for messaging and Duo for video calls. Free online storage for pictures and video Is be available in US on Verizon and in an unlocked version from $649. Advertisement

'We believe the next big thing will be at the intersection of hardware and software,' Mr Osterloh said in October.

He also took aim at Apple, saying the phone has 'no unsightly phone bump.'

Brian Rakowski of Google said the phone was 'designed inside and out to be smart'.

He said the Pixel's camera was better than the iPhone 7.

'It's the best smartphone camera anyone has made,' he said.
At Dubai's Black Tap restaurant, the Americana doesn't stop at the hamburgers cooking on the grill or hip hop pumping from the speakers. It's also being poured out, one pint at a time.

The new restaurant stocks Dubai's most-extensive selection of American craft beer, part of a major $23.5 billion market for customers wanting a different style of ale.

It represents a new scene for Dubai, long known as the Manhattan of the Mideast, with chic skyscraper bars serving the fanciest of cocktails while the typical tap offers only the standard lagers.

Pour guy: Dubai long has been known for its clubbing scene and cocktail bars, but there's a new thirst for craft bee

That's starting to change, with establishments like Black Tap and Dubai's two main distributors increasingly stocking American craft beer, breaking new ground among Gulf Arab nations, several of which ban alcohol sales entirely.

'In such an eclectic city, we should have such an eclectic range of beers to accommodate instead of just the same beers that you can get all around the world,' said Eric Ballard, the group beverage manager for Sunset Hospitality, which runs Black Tap.

For wine aficionados, teetotalers or those otherwise unaware, a craft brewery is a small, independent beer producer.

After World War II, American beer production largely came from major companies. But by the end of the last century, more craft brewers began operations in the U.S.

Stocking up: A bartender chooses craft beer at the Black Tap restaurant in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which is usually known for its clubbing scene and cocktail bars

Cheers! Draft tap handles for American beers from Newport, Oregon's Rogue Ales brewery

In 2016, craft beer sales represented about 12.3 percent of all beer sales in America, according to the Brewers Association, a Colorado-based trade group. The beers come in a variety of styles from light to dark, though higher-alcohol content styles like hoppy India pale ales are a popular choice.

'Your cans of High Life, your cans of PBR, while that's cool during college, you want something that tastes a little better afterward,' said Ballard, referring to two mass-market American lagers. 'You become a bit more discerning and your palate becomes a bit more defined.'

That movement didn't immediately take hold however in the United Arab Emirates, home to nearly 1,500 bars and pubs, according the most recent count by research firm Euromonitor International.

That may not seem like a large number of bars, until you consider Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran ban the purchase of liquor and beer. Even neighboring Sharjah, another of the United Arab Emirates' seven sheikhdoms, bans it.

Liquor and beer sales help drive tourism to the UAE and particularly to Dubai, the home of the long-haul carrier Emirates, the world's tallest building, an indoor ski slope and a number of architectural marvels. Dubai also takes in a 30 per cent tax on every drink sold.

Even so, Dubai primarily has been known as a mass-market suds and cocktail town up to this point.

'An increasing number of professional mixologists are relocating to Dubai due to its developing cocktail landscape,' Euromonitor recently said. 'Consumers patronising restaurants and bars are increasingly aware of this and are willing to learn how to pair their food.'

Dubai is home to several successful bars focusing on Belgian beers, a big hit among its European expatriate community.

Busy: New businesses are emerging and exotic brews are replacing the country's usual lagers

Shake it up:

However, Heineken lager still dominates beer sales in the UAE. The Dutch brewer holds a 20 percent market share of alcohol sales by volume overall, according to Euromonitor. But it too may be concerned about the rise of craft. It recently introduced a specialty beer called H41 in Dubai after putting it in select markets in Europe.

Shipping the specialty brews can be a challenge. Among the newest beers on tap at Black Tap are two from Rogue Ales, a Newport, Oregon-based craft brewer some 12,250 kilometers (7,600 miles) away from Dubai, the only location it sells to in the Mideast. It ships its kegs of Dead Guy Ale and American Amber Ale by refrigerated containers and keeps them cold in warehouses on arrival to ensure their quality.

'2017 was the right time to launch the brand in the area,' Rogue's President Brett Joyce said in a statement. 'We're excited to be in the Dubai market.'

But discussing alcohol even in Dubai remains tricky in part over concerns about Islamic propriety.

Dubai's two main alcohol importers, the Emirates Group's Maritime and Mercantile International and Rogue partner African & Eastern, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Both now sell American craft beer.

Quality control: Eric Ballard, the group beverage manager for Sunset Hospitality, right, inspects a beer, at the Black Tap

Advertising alcohol outside of bars is prohibited, leading to linguistic and visual subterfuge. Radio announcers refer to bottles of 'bubbly' or 'grape' being on hand for the extravagant Friday brunches at luxury hotels for which Dubai is known. Lifestyle magazines routinely feature lifeless, empty pictures of new nightclubs with liquor bottles carefully hidden from view.

At Black Tap, however, Emiratis in traditional robes regularly enjoy meals or massive milkshakes, mixing into the late-night crowds of beer drinkers. Sunset Hospitality has hopes to expand Black Tap into other countries in the Gulf, including those where it would only be a restaurant due to alcohol restrictions, Ballard said.

'We want to create this movement of American craft that's happening all over the world and then bring it to such a multicultural city, such as Dubai,' said Ballard, who considers his hometown to be Granby, Colorado.

'People are looking for flavors, they are looking for something different.'
For many people, electronic cigarettes are a healthy alternative to smoking tobacco.

However, in many countries using e-cigarettes or vape pens is restricted or banned completely.

Due to vaping being a fairly new practice, the laws relating to it are constantly evolving as governments across the world re-evaluate the health implications of using e-cigarettes.

Risk: Although laws are constantly evolving in different countries, this map details where vaping is currently banned or restricted across the world

While many people opt to inhale smoke-free vapours over smoke, because they believe it poses less of a risk of cancer among other health benefits, the World Health Organisation released a report in 2014 detailing how there was insufficient evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers actually give up.

The report led to countries all over the world clamping down on the use of vapourisers and e-cigarettes, with many choosing to ban the devices altogether.

This leads to plenty of grey areas which cause hapless Brits abroad to risk fines - or worse - should they be caught using them in countries where vaping is banned.

While some countries might ban everything - the import, sale and use of e-cigarettes - associated with vaping, others might only ban devices that contain liquid nicotine (rather than nicotine-free liquids).

So what are the worldwide restrictions on e-cigarettes? And what will happen if you fall foul of these rules?

Be careful: In Thailand, e-cigarettes are banned completely, with punishments for those found with them ranging from confiscation to ten years in a squalid prison

In Thailand, e-cigarettes are banned completely, with punishments for those found with them ranging from confiscation to ten years in prison.

However, because vaping was only made illegal there three years ago, many travellers are unaware they are breaking the law.

Another country which clamped down on vaping after the WHO's 2014 report was Brazil, where the manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes has since been banned.

Uruguay has a total ban on vaping and e-cigarettes, while the UAE prevents vaping equipment being brought into the country via confiscation at the airport.

Laws of the land: Another country which clamped down on vaping after the WHO's 2014 report was Brazil, where the manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes has since been banned

In some Middle Eastern countries such as Jordan and Qatar, regular cigarettes are legal, while their electronic counterparts have been banned completely.

Other counties where vaping is banned completely are Cambodia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore.

Some countries, including Hong Kong permit the use of e-cigarettes, so long as they don't contain nicotine.

In Turkey, vaping is prohibited indoors and on public transport. Meanwhile, in the last month, India announced that is was considering a ban on e-cigarettes.

Compromise: Some countries, including Hong Kong permit the use of e-cigarettes, so long as they don't contain nicotine

With so many strict laws surrounding vaping across the world, Britain's approach to the habit seems liberal - which could lead to some of us getting into trouble on holiday.

Richard Hyslop, Chief Executive of the Independent British Vape Trade Association told MailOnline: 'While we may disagree with much of the regulation relating to vape products in the UK, it is important to remember, that compared to many countries we are very fortunate with the approach the UK Government has taken.

'Globally, the regulatory picture differs hugely and unfortunately, there is a mixed message when there should be a very clear message.

'There is never a situation where it is better to smoke than it is to vape. We know that vaping is at least 95 per cent less harmful than smoking and carries less than one per cent of the risk when it comes to cancer.

'Instead of criminalising vaping and vapers, governments across the world should be embracing the tremendous opportunities vaping provides, in terms of offering smokers a significantly less harmful alternative to smoked tobacco.

'Until such a time, vapers from the UK, to avoid falling foul of the law, should make themselves aware of the regulations relating to vaping in any countries they visit.'
Advertisement

The world's very best museums have been revealed in a definitive new poll.

From America and Europe to Russia and beyond, some of culture's greatest destination points have been ranked by millions of visitors from around the globe.

And, once again, Manhattan's Metropolitan Museum of Art has scooped the top accolade in TripAdvisors Travellers Choice Awards today - for the third consecutive year.

Success: Manhattan's Metropolitan Museum of Art has scooped the top accolade - for the third consecutive year

Founded in 1870, NYC's Met - which is located on the city's Upper East Side - scored peak position thanks to its varied collection spanning more than 5,000 years.

But it wasn't the sole success for USA, which also houses the world's second most-popular mausoleum - the National WWII Museum, in New Orleans.

Meanwhile, the Musee d'Orsay in Paris followed in third place.

Other venues celebrated in the world's Top 10 were: The Art Institute of Chicago (4th), The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York (6th) and the National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropologia) in Mexico City (7th).

The Acropolis Museum in Athens was listed in eighth position and Madrid's Museo Nacional del Prado was ranked in ninth place.

Capping the list, London's V&A was listed tenth, but - although trailing behind other global institutions - it found itself hailed as the very best heritage attraction in the UK.

In fact, the V&A has overtaken last years UK winner, the British Museum, and pipped both Pariss famous Musee du Louvre (13th place) and Van Gogh Museum (17th place) in the European rankings.

Capital: London's Victoria and Albert Museum, in Kensington, capped the list and was the only UK entry in the global Top 10

WORLD'S TOP 10 1. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC 2. National WWII Museum, New Orleans 3. Musee d'Orsay, Paris 4. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago 5. State Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace, St Petersburg 6. National 9/11 Memorial, NYC 7. National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City 8. Acropolis Museum, Athens 9. Prado National Museum, Madrid 10. V&A, London Advertisement

As if that wasn't enough, this year's awards also put five of London's museums in Europe's Top 25, making the capital home to more winning museums than any other European city, including Paris and Berlin.

The V&A came out in 5th position, closely followed by the National Gallery in 6th, while the British Museum, Natural History Museum and Churchill War Rooms come in 13th, 14th and 15th place.

'For yet another year running the UK has come out with more winning museums than any other European country, along with the V&A being ranked tenth best in the world,' commented TripAdvisor spokesperson Hayley Coleman.

'With the soaring popularity of travellers from both the UK and worldwide visiting these museums, TripAdvisor offers travellers the chance to book tickets in advance and beat the queues to select attractions with skip-the-line passes.'

London is also home to the UKs second best rated museum, the National Gallery, which has also been ranked sixth best in Europe and eleventh in the world.

Third place: The acclaimed Musee d'Orsay in Paris was listed in third place - after a double-whammy for Manhattan

Whats more, the capital boasts six winners in the UK top 10, making it the nations top city for best-rated museums. In addition to the V&A and the National Gallery, the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Churchill War Rooms and Imperial War Museum all feature on the list.

Tim Reeve, Deputy Director of the V&A, said: 'We are honoured to receive the UK Museum of the Year award, as rated by Trip Advisors travellers.

'2017 has been an exciting year for the V&A, with innovative and popular exhibitions and the opening of the V&A Exhibition Road Quarter; the biggest architectural intervention at the Museum in over 100 years. This summer we had our two busiest months in the Museums history.'
David Hasselhoff stepped out with fiancee Hayley Roberts on Monday after filing legal documents seeking to end $10,000-a-month alimony payments to ex-wife Pamela Bach.

The 65-year-old actor and his Welsh fiancee Hayley, 37, looked happier than ever as they enjoyed a spot of retail therapy in Calabasas, California.

The former shop assistant looked lovely as she showed off her knockout legs in a floral mini-dress with a plunging neckline and waist-cinching belt.

Scroll down for video

Still going strong: David Hasselhoff, 65, and his Welsh fiancee Hayley Roberts, 37, looked happier than ever as they enjoyed a spot of retail therapy in Calabasas, California, on Monday

The blonde completed her look with a pair of open-toed sandals, while wearing her dark blonde locks loose around her shoulders.

Baywatch legend David made do with basic black, complementing a tight T-shirt with a pair of form-fitted jeans.

The former Dancing With The Stars contestant recently filed court papers seeking to end his $10,000 per month alimony support to Bach, according to an article by TMZ.

They divorced in 2006 and he paid $21,000 per month in alimony support before getting the amount cut in half last year.

Happier times: David, shown with ex-wife Pamela Bach in 2003, recently filed court documents seeking to end his alimony payments to her

The former America's Got Talent judge claimed in court documents that Pamela has displayed a 'failure to make any efforts to become self supporting, contribute to her own support, or even make any efforts to gain job skills.'

The actor in court documents reported paying more than $2.5 million in spousal support to Pamela.

David's first marriage was to actress Catherine Hickland - who guest-starred on his show Knight Rider - from 1984 to 1989.

Catherine is now married to the late Carrie Fisher's brother Todd Fisher.

Pretty as a petal: The former shop assistant looked lovely as she showed off her knockout legs in a floral mini-dress with a plunging neckline and waist-cinching belt

David tried matrimony again with actress Pamel, by whom he's got two daughters; Taylor, 27, and Hayley, 25.

The marriage to Pamela, 53, stretched from 1989 until he filed for divorce over irreconcilable differences in January 2006, before their divorce was finalized that August.

David and Hayley first met in 2011, having reportedly met around Cardiff Bay while he was filming Britain's Got Talent.

The couple announced their engagement last May via Hello! magazine, with Hayley saying of the Malibu proposal: 'We were both in tears.'

The rock: Hayley's engagement ring could be seen sparkling on her finger

She said: 'I genuinely had no idea he was going to do that. Im still so overwhelmed.'

David added: 'I had a saying: "You don't get married because you want to live with someone, you get married because you can't live without them."

'I felt that way. I knew that I was really unhappy without her. I waited to propose because I thought I was too old for her.'

The actor admitted it wasn't the first time he'd popped the question to his long-term lvoe.

He conceded: 'I've asked her to marry me before but those times were for fun. This time, it was special and from my heart.'

In fact, the upshot of those 'fun' proposals were that, according to Hayley, when the latest one came along: 'I thought he was just joking around at first.'

She recalled: 'He's asked me before, but it was never for real. Then he pulled out the ring.

'I cried so hard that he didn't get around to actually asking, "Will you marry me?" until about 10 minutes later.'

Eighties glamour: David's first marriage was to actress Catherine Hickland - who guest-starred on his show Knight Rider (pictured) - from 1984 to 1989
PITTSBURGH (AP)  An Army veteran who fended off a mentally ill man who tried to attack a chess class the veteran was teaching at an Illinois public library is one of 18 people being honored with Carnegie medals for heroism.

The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, based in Pittsburgh, announced the winners on Tuesday.

James O. Vernon, 75, was in a conference room at the Morton Public Library with 17 children and four women when 19-year-old Dustin Brown burst in with two large knives on Oct. 13, 2015.

"He actually ran into the room yelling, 'I'm going to kill some people,'" Vernon told the Pekin Daily News days after the attack.

The knives were hunting-type weapons with fixed blades about 5 inches long, Vernon said.

"I can't let this happen," Vernon told The Associated Press at the time.

Letting the children and women escape, Vernon then positioned himself between Brown and the door and fended off Brown until police arrived. He suffered two slashed arteries in his left hand and damaged a tendon in a finger.

Brown pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges in the attack and unrelated child pornography counts. He's serving 32 years in prison.

The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission was founded and endowed by the late steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who was inspired by stories of heroism during a coal mine disaster that killed 181 people, including a miner and an engineer, who died trying to rescue others.

The commission investigates stories of heroism and awards medals and cash several times a year. It has given away $39.4 million to 9,971 awardees or their families since 1904.

Four of those honored Tuesday died in rescue attempts, including 10-year-old Kevin D. Little Jr., of Milwaukee, who died from complications of smoke inhalation three weeks after trying to rescue his 2-year-old cousin from the bedroom they shared when their house caught fire on Oct. 20, 2015.

Other winners announced Tuesday, with rescues taking place in the hometown of each winner unless otherwise noted:

 Kevin L. Hestleton , 44, of Tiburon, California, rescued a woman from a man with a gun and a pair of pruning shears who attacked her in her yard in San Rafael, California in June 2016.

 Nathan Michael Stieg , 30, and Jayden Charles Concha , 14, both of Dickinson, North Dakota, saved a man from drowning and unsuccessfully tried to save a man with him when their all-terrain vehicle broke through ice on Lake Sakakawea in Mandaree, North Dakota, in February 2016.

 Merrill O. Naylor , 56, of Stephens City, Virginia, saved a 70-year-old woman from burning in her home in November 2015.

 Michael Lumahang , 39, and Jesse T. Haw , 24, both of Ottawa, Ontario, saved a 12-year-old boy who fell into the Ottawa River while fishing in August 2014. Lumahang drowned.

 Richard William Dorrity , 64, of Livingston, California, saved a passenger from burning in a pickup truck that crashed and caught fire in April 2016.

 Eric W. Edwards , 39, of Lodi, California, saved a man from drowning after he was caught in a rip current in the Pacific Ocean off Watsonville, California in February 2015.

 Jamie Alan Hyatt , 34, of Wood Lake, Minnesota, died of asphyxiation while helping to rescue a man who had collapsed in an oxygen deficient tanker-trailer in Granite Falls, Minnesota in January 2016.

David E. Hammond, 64, of Gulf Breeze, Florida, saved a disabled woman from burning when her house caught fire in July 2016.

Vincent Santaniello, 56, and Harold Shaw , 68, both of Uhrichsville, Ohio, saved a woman after her pickup truck crashed and caught fire in September 2016.

Rene Roy , 55, of Sherbrooke, Quebec, saved a man after his car crashed and burned in August 2016.

Bobby Lynn Arnold , 36, of Onalaska, Texas, drowned helping to rescue a 7-year-old girl who fell off a boat into Lake Livingston in Trinity, Texas, in June 2016.

John Paul Hollyfield, 56, of Accokeek, Maryland, saved a 6-year-old girl from being crushed by an 80-foot tree limb that fell and crushed a slide she was riding on in the Moyaone Reserve in July 2015.

Tanner Douglas Boslau , 30, of Bend, Oregon, saved a woman from drowning when her inner tube floated dangerously close to a dam on the Deschutes River in August 2016.
She's one of Australia's top models who has used her flawless appearance to spruik a number of brands.

But stunning Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) isn't above noticing changes in her look, revealing she first began to see 'very subtle' ageing in her skin just before she turning 25.

Speaking to Gritty Pretty Magazine, the 26-year-old said she while had now changed all of her skincare over to anti-ageing products but said she hasn't 'really thought of [Botox]'.

You beauty! Jesinta Campbell discusses Botox use as she reveals she changed all her skincare products to anti-ageing before she turned 25

Out now: Jesinta's interview appears in Gritty Pretty magazine

Jesinta, who is an ambassador for skincare range Olay, told the online publication she began to be conscious of her ageing at 24.

'I have to admit that when I was about to turn 25, I did start thinking about the way I was going to age as I started to notice very subtle differences in my skin which lead me to completely changing all my skincare over to anti-ageing products,' she said.

'But, I haven't really thought of [Botox] to be honest.'

Noticed a difference: Jesinta, who is an ambassador for skincare range Olay, told the online publication she began to be conscious of her ageing at 24

Beauty queen! Jesinta was crowned Miss Universe Australia at age 20 in 2010

Despite being known for her glamorous event appearances, Jesinta also revealed she had only begun wearing makeup at at a late age.

'Neither my sister or I wore makeup until our late teens. We were encouraged to take care of our skin from inside out, to be kind to ourselves and see good in people,' Jesinta said.

Jesinta has previously spoken about cosmetic enhancements with Australian Women's Weekly.

Late starter: Despite being known for her glamorous event appearances, Jesinta also revealed she had only begun wearing makeup at at a late age

'I don't encourage any young woman to go forward with cosmetic surgery unless there is a very good reason for doing so': She encouraged fans to not go under the knife unless they were certain

She told the publication in 2014 her decision to get plastic surgery was deeply personal and encouraged fans to get informed before going under the knife.

Jesinta, who won Miss Universe Australia at age 20, underwent a breast augmentation as a teenager, going from a AA cup to a 12B.

'My message to all women is to make an educated decision when it comes to any cosmetic procedure,' Jesinta said.

'I don't encourage any young woman to go forward with cosmetic surgery unless there is a very good reason for doing so.'
She welcomed her new baby girl Florence last Tuesday.

And AFL WAG Clementine McVeigh has taken to Instagram to gush over her growing brood with her Sydney Swans player husband Jarrad McVeigh.

The 34-year-old shared an adorable snap of her five-year-old Lolita-Luella doting over her newborn sister on Tuesday.

Melting hearts! AFL WAG Clementine McVeigh shares adorable snap on Tuesday of five-year-old daughter Lolita-Luella doting over newborn sister Florence

The black and white photo showed Lolita carefully cradling Florence as she stared down in awe.

Clementine captioned the picture: 'LOLLY & FLOSSY #morningslikethese #melting #sisters #love.'

Her fans found the upload heartwarming, as they wrote: 'So gorgeous @clementinemcveigh , lolly will be an amazing big sister', 'So beautiful' and 'My heart is bursting. So special xxx.'

'Lolly and Flossy': The black and white photo showed Lolita carefully cradling Florence as she stared down in awe at her little sister

Bundle of joy: Clementine, and her Sydney Swans player husband Jarrad McVeigh, welcomed baby girl Florence last Tuesday

Sadly the couple's firstborn, Luella, died aged just four weeks in 2011 after she was born with a serious heart condition.

The New Zealand born model shared a heartfelt tribute to Luella on her Instagram in July this year on what would have been her firstborn's sixth birthday.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the time, Clementine said: 'She made me the person I am today.. She taught me the true meaning of Love, compassion, gratitude and kindness.'

'Losing a child is hell': Sadly the couple's firstborn, Luella, died aged just four weeks in 2011 after she was born with a serious heart condition

'Losing a child is hell. I wouldn't wish it upon anybody,' the brunette then told Marie Claire in early September.

'My husband Jarrad and I cherish every moment we have with our second daughter Lolita-Luella, and we'll do the same with our third daughter,' she said.

Although Clementine had been due to give birth on Monday 18 September, they had 'sped things up a bit' so Jarrad could play in the AFL semi-final on Friday, which the Swans comfortably lost.

They currently reside in Sydney's beachside suburb of Bondi.

Footy family: Although Clementine had been due to give birth on Monday 18 September, they had 'sped things up a bit' so Jarrad could play in the AFL semi-final on Friday, which the Swans comfortably lost (Pictured: husband Jarrad McVeigh)
It was the hit Richard Curtis film that has become a festive favourite with its romantic and witty take on love.

And Love Actually fans will feel the romance once again as a live concert tour of the iconic film is set to the UK this Christmas.

The six concert dates will see a live orchestra performing the score of the movie while it plays on a cinema screen.

Scroll down for video

Love Actually is all around! Love Actually fans will feel the romance once again as a live concert tour of the iconic film is set to the UK this Christmas (pictured above, Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon)

Iconic: The six concert dates will see a live orchestra performing the score of the movie while it plays on a cinema screen (above, Andrew Lincoln and Keira Knightley)

Fans of the romantic flick will be able to fully immerse themselves in the hit film, while the orchestra performs composer Craig Armstrong's poignant score.

The film also includes songs such as Bill Nighy's Christmas Is All Around, All You Need Is Love by the Beatles and Too Lost in You by the Sugababes.

The tour will begin in Manchester on December 1, before travelling onto Bristol, Glasgow Birmingham, and Edinburgh, and finishing up in London.

Romance: Fans of the romantic flick will be able to fully immerse themselves in the hit film, while the orchestra performs composer Craig Armstrong's poignant score (above Colin Firth)

Flamboyant: The film also includes songs such as Bill Nighy's Christmas Is All Around (above), All You Need Is Love by the Beatles and Too Lost in You by the Sugababes

The concert tour comes after the release of the sort Love Actually sequel- Red Nose Day Actually- which caught up with the beloved characters of the hit film, 14 years after the original film was released

Originally released in 2003, Love Actually tells the tale of ten separate yet interweaving stories of love.

The film features an all-star ensemble cast, including Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Bill Nighy, Martine McCutcheon, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley Rowan Atkinson, Martin Freeman.

Nostalgia: The concert tour comes after the release of the sort Love Actually sequel- Red Nose Day Actually- which caught up with the beloved characters of the hit film, 14 years after the original film was release

Classic: Classic scenes from the movie saw The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln profess his secret love for Keira Knightley's newlywed character via handwritten signs and Hugh newly elected British prime minister falls for a young junior staffer - played by Martine (pictured with Emma Thompson)

Relive the moment: Martine's character got steamy with Hugh's PM in the film

Classic scenes from the movie saw The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln profess his secret love for Keira Knightley's newlywed character via handwritten signs and Hugh newly elected British prime minister falls for a young junior staffer - played by Martine.

Tickets will go on-pre-sale from Ticketmaster on Wednesday (September 20) with tickets on general sale from the venues and website from Thursday.(September 21)

For all venues except London, tickets will be priced between 39.50 and 65 while the London shows will cost between 35 and 70 a ticket .
She recently penned an emotional essay about her battle with postpartum anxiety.

And Tammin Sursok, 34, has once again shared an impassioned blog post about how she overcame a 'burnout' last month.

Writing on her website Bottles & Heels on Tuesday, the Pretty Little Liars actress wrote: 'A burnout, I thought. Can a 34-year-old really go through that? '

Burned out? Tammin Sursok, 34, has shared an impassioned blog post about how she overcame a 'burnout' last month

'I know that I feel like I'm in the dregs and leftovers of my former self but does that mean I'm prematurely mid-life crisis-ing all over the place?'

After a therapist advised Tammin to take a well-earned break from her busy schedule, the actress made some changes in her life.

'The narrative for women is changing but the biology of women is not. To 'have it all', a woman must work as hard as a male, if not more, to prove that she is worthy and qualified,' she wrote.

Taking its toll: After a therapist advised Tammin to take a well-earned break from her busy schedule, she made some changes in her life

Tammin eventually managed to overcome her burnout by taking days off work, doing yoga, meditating and getting massages.

'The almost painful chatter in my right side of my brain made it borderline impossible to stop. But like riding a bike, self-care started to become a minuscule part of my daily routine,' she wrote.

In March this year, Tammin spoke out about her struggles with postpartum anxiety following the birth of her daughter Phoenix Emmanuel in 2013 with husband Sean McEwan.

Rest and relaxation: Tammin eventually managed to overcome her burnout by taking days off work, doing yoga, meditating and getting massages

In a poignant essay published by News Corp the starlet spoke about her battle with anxiety, which she said: 'hit me like a ton of bricks.'

'I sat on the uninviting, stark doctors bed, hunched over in fear. Fear that I wouldnt be able to get out of the dreamlike state of detachment,' Tammin wrote.

'Fear that I wouldnt realise my potential as the mother I knew I could be, fear that my life would forever be that of a never-ending slow motion horror film.'
Advertisement

They've upgraded to a $4000 a week 'exquisitely private' waterfront Mosman mansion.

And there has been nothing but peace and quiet for Kyle Sandilands and girlfriend Imogen Anthony since they moved in, the couple slamming a recent report that claimed their neighbours are 'beside themselves' over their arrival.

'Some people just want to make trouble, no-one f***ing said anything to the Sydney Morning Herald,' Kyle told Daily Mail Australia at the House of K'dor store launch in Double Bay on Monday.

'No one f***ing said anything!' Kyle Sandilands and Imogen Anthony DENY they are war with neighbours of their waterfront mansion

Earlier this month, the Sydney Morning Herald claimed locals were up in arms over news the party-loving couple were moving into their quiet waterfront street, located in the exclusive Sydney suburb of Mosman.

'The neighbours are beside themselves,' one person who lived on the street was quoted as telling the newspaper.

However, Imogen and Kyle denied claims 'our neighbours were f***ing hating us', revealing they have gone out of their way to be welcoming.

Friendly: Imogen and Kyle denied claims 'our neighbours were f***ing hating us', revealing people had gone out of their way to be welcoming

Report: The Sydney Morning Herald claimed locals were up in arms over news the party-loving couple were moving into their quiet waterfront street

Busy guy! Kyle will now split his time between the Mosman home, a hobby farm on the outskirts of Sydney and a Los Angeles mansion

'All our neighours have come to us, some have left notes in the letterbox,' Kyle said.

'Little cards saying we're so sorry that was nothing to do with us, we love you,' Imogen added.

Kyle, who will now split his time between the Mosman home, a hobby farm on the outskirts of Sydney and a Los Angeles mansion, was frustrated by the report and slammed the reporter who wrote the story.

'Some people just want to make trouble, no-one f***ing said anything to the Sydney Morning Herald,' Kyle said.

Luxe: The master bedroom features a 'Hollywood style' ensuite bathroom

Plenty of room: The property also includes an outdoor pool and three car garage, with a large outdoor patio space for entertaining

Living the high life: The shock jock pair's new swanky five bedroom home boasts waterfront views

The couple have upgraded to the $4000 a week Mosman property after previously renting a much small house in inner Sydney.

'Imogen found some little cottage in Rose Bay and we were there for a while, but then we were there for a lot more,' Kyle explained.

'I was like, ''I'm not living in a f***ing cottage, I'm not a f***ing explorer'', so I said we have to find something else.'

The shock jock pair's new swanky five bedroom home boasts waterfront views, four bathrooms and a 'Hollywood style' master bedroom suite.

The property also includes an outdoor pool and three car garage, with a large outdoor patio space for entertaining.
She's the former topless waitress that paid tribute to her convicted drug-trafficker boyfriend in August.

But her beau was nowhere to be seen on Monday, as Cheryl Maitland took to Instagram to flaunt her ample cleavage while promoting fellow Gold Coast resident Tegan Woodford's new makeup e-book.

The 26-year-old posed for her 154,000 strong followers, as she promoted the new release from the cosmetic artist.

Gone topless! Cheryl Maitland took to Instagram on Monday to flaunt her ample cleavage while promoting Tegan Woodford's new makeup e-book

'Monday spent doing one of the looks from @teganwoodfordmakeup new MAKE-UP e-book,' she captioned.

'From skincare to contouring to smokey eyes, this book has you covered.'

The Married At First Sight star appeared topless with the camera angled up from her cosmetically altered chest, while she flirtatiously stared into the lens.

Showing the result of a make-up filled day session, she opted for a smokey-eye look while she grabbed her smooth brown locks with one hand as they fell effortlessly over her shoulders.

Her silky skin showed no imperfections, as the heavily applied make up left her complexion shining from the natural light.

The busty brunette also made use of her public profile to tell her fans to use her discount code 'Cheryl' when buying the book online.

Cheryl has been making headlines of late, following revelations about her boyfriend 30 year old Dean Gibbs' troubled past.

'I am so glad I never settled 'til I found you': In August, Married At First Sights Cheryl Maitland paid a romantic tribute to her convicted drug trafficker boyfriend Dean Gibbs

In August, the former topless waitress, 26, paid a romantic tribute to the disgraced ex-policeman, now convicted drug trafficker.

'I am so glad that I never settled till I found you,' she wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo that showed her and Dean cuddling in the woods.

Dean was arrested and handed a one-year suspended jail sentence in 2014 after pleading guilty to trafficking and using cocaine, as well as possessing steroids and ecstasy.
She's the former Miss Universe Australia model and founder of dance fitness empire Bod By Finch.

And over the weekend, Rachael Finch, 29, headed out to Sydney's Centennial Park to hold a children's dance class.

Encouraging kids to get active, with the help of Minions, the mum to Violet, three, and Dominic, six-months, was glowing with health while hosting the interactive class.

Scroll down for video

Doing it for the kids! Over the weekend, Rachael Finch, 29, headed out to Sydney's Centennial Park to hold a children's dance class

Wearing a green singlet top and full length black activewear tights, Rachael showcased her toned and fit physique.

Allowing for full concentration, the supermum had her brunette locks slicked back and tied into a tight ponytail.

The stunner was joined by professional dance partner and friend Jacqui Heeney who sported a similar look.

Model fit! Wearing a green singlet top and full length black activewear tights, Rachael showcased her toned and fit physique

Twinning! The stunner was joined by professional dance partner and friend Jacqui Heeney who sported a similar look

From running on the spot, to jumping around the park, the kids and their parents looked as though they were having a blast.

Taking to Instagram, Rachael uploaded a video dancing around with Jacqui to Cyndi Lauper's 1983 hit Girls Just Want To Have Fun.

'How appropriate was the track we used this morning to get our body warm for our dance sessions in Centennial Park?' she captioned.

Enjoying herself: Taking to Instagram, Rachael uploaded a video dancing around with Jacqui to Cyndi Lauper's 1983 hit Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Fun morning: From running on the spot, to jumping around the park, the kids and their parents looked as though they were having a blast

Great turnout! 'Thanks to the gorgeous kiddies (& parents) who came down today for a boogie, and hats off to the team responsible for the rescue of the runaway party marquee'

'Thanks to the gorgeous kiddies (& parents) who came down today for a boogie, and hats off to the team responsible for the rescue of the runaway party marquee.'

And it seemed as though Jacqui was as thrilled as Rachael also taking to Instagram to gush over her morning.

'Best start to the weekend,' she said hugging her friend.

'Best start to the weekend': And it seemed as though Jacqui was as thrilled as Rachael also taking to Instagram to gush over her morning
Ryan Phillippe has been slapped with a lawsuit by a former girlfriend who's accusing him of beating her up last July 4.

Elsie Hewitt claims the Shooter star was 'extremely drunk' and assaulted her when she went to pick up some things from his home, The Blast reported Monday.

The website says the model, 21, is seeking more than $1million in damages from the 43-year-old actor for the assault that left her with chest pain, bruising and abrasions.

However, sources close to Phillippe tell DailyMail.com that it was Hewitt who instigated the incident, showing up to the actor's home 'under the influence' and physically attacking the star.

Legal woes: Ryan Phillippe is being sued by model Elsie Hewitt who claims he beat her up and threw her down stairs at his home on July 4 while 'extremely drunk'

Assault claims: Hewitt, 21, is seeking more than $1 million from the actor whom she dated earlier this year for injuries she received including chest pain, bruising and abrasions

Evidence: Hewitt included photos she took that she claims show her injuries at the actor's hands and were first published on TheBlast.com

In the legal filing, Hewitt, who has posed for Playboy, alleges Phillippe uses a variety of drugs including cocaine, ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms and steroids.

She claims that during her visit to his house on Independence Day, he attacked her and violently threw her down some stairs.

She alleges the actor continued to assault her, and threw her down stairs for a second time, the Blast reports.

He then allegedly screamed at her: 'Get the f*** out of my house you crazy c***.'

Aggrieved: Hewitt says in her suit, as reported on Monday, that she went to hospital and that cops took a report and granted a temporary order of protection after the incident

Hurt: The pics showed bruising on her arm and knee

Injuries: There also appeared to be cuts and scrapes on her legs

Different story: Sources close to the Shooter star told DailyMail.com that Hewitt was the aggressor, showing up under the influence at Phillippe's home and refusing to leave and that her injuries were caused when she fell as she was being escorted off the premises

She went to a hospital and reported the assault to police who took a report and issued a temporary protective order.

However, sources close to Phillippe insist that the model was the one who physically attacked Ryan, caused a scene and refused to leave his home after he dumped her.

The insider told DailyMail.com the injuries occurred when she fell and hurt herself as she was being escorted off the premises, and said the accusations of domestic violence are false and the lawsuit is all about revenge and fame.

In addition, Phillippe isn't facing any charges relating to the incident nor is there a protection order currently in place, the insider claimed.

Phillippe and Hewitt are believed to have started dating around April, a month after she turned 21.

Hewitt appears to be well connected. At the party, she posed with Mick Jagger and her Instagram shows pictures with actor Josh Peck.

In addition to being Playboy's Miss June 2017, she also has modeled for Guess.

Hewitt celebrated her 21st birthday with the likes of Mick Jagger

Hewitt has modeled for the clothing company Guess

She was also Playboy's Miss June 2017. Pictured above posing with her centerfold

She also appears to be focused on breaking into Hollywood.

She's already appeared in a movie with Bella Thorne, 2014's Most Ghostly: Have You Met My Ghoulfriend?, and last month Variety reported that she had been cast in an upcoming TV show called Turnt.

Phillippe was previously engaged to law student Paulina Slagter but they split up in November 2016 after five years together.

The Cruel Intentions star was married to Reese Witherspoon from 1999 to 2007. They share two children, daughter Ava and son Deacon.

He also has a daughter Kailani with former girlfriend Alexis Knapp.
Advertisement

The invite said 'Disco Galactica' and Rita Ora really stepped up to the mark on Monday night.

Topping the guestlist at LOVE magazine and Miu Miu's exclusive London Fashion Week party, the musician put on a dazzling display as she teased plenty of sideboob in a sultry sequinned mini dress, along with her slender pins.

Rita, 26, who had spent the day recording at Radio 1's Live Lounge, let her hair down amongst revellers including models Hailey Baldwin, Lara Stone, Cara Delevingne and Sara Sampaio, as well as Lewis Hamilton and sportsman Neymar at Loulou's.

Scroll down for video

Risque: Rita Ora, 26, embraced the theme of the LOVE magazine and Miu Miu 'Disco Galactica' party during London Fashion Week on Monday night, leaving little to the imagination in her scanty attire

Disco diva: The Your Song hit-maker set pulses racing as she appeared to go braless underneath her sequinned mini dress leaving plenty of sideboob on display

The Your Song hit-maker chose to go braless beneath her show-stopping dress, that made for a very leggy display, and left plenty of her ample assets on view at the bash, sponsored by Perrier-Jouet.

She teamed equally bedazzling shoes with the outfit, as well as drop earrings and a bold cuff, and chose to sweep her blonde tresses up into a slick high-ponytail to give her minidress the full effect.

Her glitzy number boasted embellished detailing around its choker-inspired neckline and a thigh-grazing hem - stealing a look at Rita's array of inkings etched across her lithe frame.

Woah mama: Rita, who had spent the day recording at Radio 1's Live Lounge, let her hair down amongst revellers including Lewis Hamilton and sportsman Neymar at Loulou's

Is she fur real? Before entering the all-star bash, she appeared for an ultra glam floor length, faux-fur coat in a mint green hue

The grin that says I'm ready to party! Rita sizzled in the ensemble which made the most of her famous curves

Smouldering: Rita put on a captivating display as she showcased her flawless features while posing

Before entering the all-star bash, she appeared for an ultra glam floor length, faux-fur coat in a mint green hue.

And despite the capital's not-so favourable weather, Rita appeared to be in high spirits on arrival, as she hugged her outerwear to her chest while strutting along in her fancy footwear as a friend covered her with a huge umbrella.

She was joined by a slew of famous faces, including supermodel Lara Stone who got the memo when it came to the disco theme as she slipped into a glittering mini, beside fellow models Joan Smalls and Doutzen Kroes.

All that glitters: Lara was hard to miss in her dramatic silver minidress featuring large sequin embellishment

Legs for days: The blonde beauty showed off her endless legs in the thigh-skimming number

Rock goddess: Lara Stone offset a disco diva dress with a bright far overcoat

Stunning stars: Gorgeous ladies (left to right) Joan Smalls, Lara Stone and Doutzen Kroes took a night off for the bash

Hailey Baldwin, 20, was dressed down in a casual yet sexy look, flashing her flat stomach in a sporty crop top and skimpy denim shorts.

The blonde beauty was showing off her long legs in a pair of suede thigh-high boots, with a sparkling belt drawing attention to her tiny waist.

Distinctively dressed in a leather beret, that covered up her peroxide crop, and red lipstick, model-turned-actress Cara Delevingne could be seen mingling with the likes of Alexa Chung and old socialite pal Jazzy De Lisser.

She chose to dress down for the bash in a longline blazer, skinny jeans and a pair of chunky lace-up trainers.

Casual vibes: Hailey Baldwin was dressed down in a casual yet sexy look, flashing her flat stomach in a sporty crop top and skimpy denim shorts

Kinky boots: The 20-year-old star was showing off her long legs in a pair of suede thigh-high boots, with a sparkling belt drawing attention to her tiny waist

Top of the crops: The blonde beauty highlighted her impossibly tiny waist in the skimpy T-shirt

And switch: Hailey was then seen sporting a chunky printed knit as a second outfit choice, but her frayed denim shorts were still visible underneath

Old friends: Cara Delevingne was spotted cosying up to old friend Jazzy De Lisser

All-black ensemble: Cara stuck to her usual tomboy style, dressed in an all-black ensemble with edgy accessories

Peace out! She went braless beneath a tight lace top as she enjoyed the party

Fancy seeing you here: Alexa Chung was also a guest who bumped into Cara

Chic: Alexa was dressed in a floaty dress with long-sleeves

Fashionista: The designer paired her elegant number with glittering silver heels and a fur stole

Covering up: Alexa was later seen sporting a tailored black coat atop her ensemble

Joining her sister Cara at the event had been Poppy Delevingne, with the aspiring actress hot-footing it across town from the premiere of Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Held in London's Leicester Square, the world premiere drew attendance from Julianne Moore, Colin Firth and Channing Tatum, as well as Poppy who makes a cameo in the movie franchise sequel.

She left her cropped blonde locks down in a tousled style and sported a subtle yet glamorous make-up look for the LOVE bash, donning a slinky white frock for the occasion and a statement red and white fur jacket.

Family affair: Joining her sister Cara at the event had been Poppy Delevingne, with the aspiring actress hot-footing it across town from the premiere of Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Stunning: She left her cropped blonde locks down in a tousled style and sported a subtle yet glamorous make-up look for the LOVE bash, donning a slinky white frock for the occasion and a statement red and white fur jacket

Model behaviour: Poppy was seen posing up a storm with Derek Blasberg (L) after arriving at the bash with a male pal

Furry fashion: Adwoa Aboah covered up her outfit with an oversized coat

Party girl: Lottie Moss stepped out for the LOVE magazine event

Stylish in silk: Lottie Moss was dressed to impress in a silk slip and statement peach jacket

Party pals: Lottie joined forces with Gabriel Kane Day Lewis, the son of Hollywood legend Daniel

Wrapping up warm: Victoria's Secret beauty Sara covered up in a faux fur coat with a contrasting brown collar

Leggy look: Showing off her long, slim pins in jeans, Joan was quite effortless

Outfit change: Doutzen opted for a more casual look, changing from her pastel pink jumpsuit as she kept the party going

The models proved that the fashion doesn't just feature on the runway during Fashion Week when the guests went off-duty and flocked to the afterparties.

Adwoa Aboah, Lottie Moss and Victoria's Secret model Sara Sampaio all accessorised with seriously over the top fur coats, while Joan and Doutzen modelled perspex numbers.

Topping her eye-catching ensemble, Jaime Winstone chose to don a seriously snazzy pair of huge shades, that featured blue-tinted lenses and embellished rims.

They complemented her star-printed blue and white jacket and trouser combo and the starlet made sure to offset her look with a bold red lip.

Show-stopper: Topping her eye-catching ensemble, Jaime Winstone chose to don a seriously snazzy pair of huge shades, that featured blue-tinted lenses and embellished rims

Here come the girls! She made sure to strike up a pose alongside Rita inside the venue

Sultry: Jaime cut a provocative figure as she rubbed shoulders with model Jourdan Dunn

Playful: The actress was see hamming it up for the cameras as she posed with a fellow party-goer

Actress Halle Berry had been in attendance and cut an ultra chic figure in a tan blazer dress that sat off of her shoulders.

Featuring tailored lapels and a double breasted design, Halle stunned in the thigh-skimming number that nipped in at the waist to frame her slender frame.

Leaving her decolletage bare, the actress swept her locks up into a tousled bun that sat high on her head and legt her finge loose to frame her face.

VIP: Actress Halle Berry had been in attendance and cut an ultra chic figure in a tan blazer dress that sat off of her shoulders

Sartorial excellence: Featuring tailored lapels and a double breasted design, Halle stunned in the thigh-skimming number that nipped in at the waist to frame her slender frame

Beauty: Leaving her decolletage bare, the actress swept her locks up into a tousled bun that sat high on her head and legt her finge loose to frame her face

Models Jourdan Dunn and Winnie Harlow were also tucked away in a corner of the venue chatting away.

While Winnie followed in the footsteps of her fellow catwalk stars and donned a striking fur jacket on her arrival to the party, Jourdan opted for a much slinkier ensemble.

Her nude slip dress featured a thigh-high split that left her lengthy legs on full view, and featured pretty feather detailing around the hemline.

She slung a complementing jacket over her shoulders and flaunted her natural beauty with a pared back beauty look.

Model beahviour: Jourdan Dunn (left) and Winnie Harlow (right) were spotted chatting on the sofas

Super chic: Winnie was rocking the same faux fur coat as fellow model Sara, wearing the stylish number draped over her shoulders

Pretty in pink: Doutzen Kroes wowed in a top to toe pink look

Pretty: Jourdan's nude slip dress featured a thigh-high split that left her lengthy legs on full view, and featured pretty feather detailing around the hemline

Stunning: The model opted for a slinky ensemble that showcased her lengthy legs

Dazzling: She slung a complementing jacket over her shoulders and flaunted her natural beauty with a pared back beauty look

Winnie, meanwhile, cut a sultry figure in a pair of form-fitting leather trousers and an embroidered pink sweatshirt. She wore her raven-hued tressers in a poker straight style and accessorised with large silver hoop earrings.

The star, who first shot to fame on the 21st season of America's Next Top Model, had been diagnosed with vitiligo around the age of four and has gone on to become a spokesperson for the condition, frequently speaking out about the topic.

Despite her insecurities as a child, the starlet hasn't let the condition hold her back and is highly considered as one of the most in-demand models of the moment.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, she recalled: 'Kids called me a cow and mooed at me. I remember sitting by my window wishing upon the stars that my skin condition would go away.

Casual: Georgia May Jagger was dressed to impress in a loose beige maxidress with silver detailing

Dressed down: She covered up in a casual leather jacket, adding a rock chic vibe to her attire

Runway regular: Georgia Fowler was bright and beautiful in a disco dress

Golden girl: The brunette beauty showed off her best model moves in a sequinned yellow mini with a daring side split

Pucker up! She was seen pouting her lips as she playfully posed in her scanty dress

Model duo: Leomie Anderson (left) and Duckie Thot (right) showed off their glamorous garbs

A busy week: The pair have been non-stop with their parties and runway appearances

'Everyone asks me what the turning point was but it was just me making the effort to focus on my opinion on myself. I was like, wait I don't actually think I'm ugly - I think I'm beautiful. So where did I get this idea I wasn't? From someone else.'

Both she and Jourdan have been heavily involved in this year's London Fashion Week shows and were no doubt relishing some light relief. They were joined by catwalk regular Georgia May Jagger, Georgia Fowler, Leomie Anderson and Duckie Thot.

Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton was also in attendance, as was sportsman Neymar.

With the guys: Rita was spotted talking to Lewis Hamilton (left) and football player Neymar (right)

Time to party: Lewis (right) and the footballer was spotted enjoying their night out together ahead of the party

And pose: The boys struck up similar stances as they posed for photographers inside the bash

Catwalk credentials: They were then joined by model Barbara Palvin

All eyes on him: Lewis cut an edgy figure in ripped jeans a multi-coloured sweatshirt and retro-inspired sunglasses

Making his mark: Teen model Presley Gerber, 18 - Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber's son - was clad in an all-black attire for the party, having made his mark at LFW alongside 16-year-old sister Kaia

Star-studded: Singer Charli XCX put in an appearance - sporting a demure floral frock for the occasion

Beauties: Also on the guestlist had been Kim Turnbull (L) and Tigerlily Taylor (R) - who was sporting an eye-catching pair of boots

London Fashion Week, which is currently previewing the Spring/Summer 2018 collections, will come to a close on Tuesday.Following a run in New York, the shows will continue to Milan, Italy before closing in Paris, France at the start of October.

London Fashion Week spans over five days from September 15 - 19 and showcases the best of British and international fashion while hosting designer and trend catwalk shows as well as industry talks.

The bi-annual event is a firm favourite in the celebrity calendar, drawing in a bevy of celebrities and in-demand models, with Tommy Hilfiger expected to make its LFW debut showing Gigi Hadid's third TommyXGigi collection.

Enjoying the festivities: Thomas Cohen was seen chilling in a booth with Reba Maybury

Cuddle up: After posing with Cara, Alexa made sure to catch up with the model's older sister Poppy

Doing what they do best: Model Barbara (L) and Edie Campbell (R), who dared to bare her assets underneath a sheer top, proved why they are regulars on the catwalk

Girl gang: Scottish singer Talia Storm (centre) was caught posing to her heart's content alongside Caroline Vreeland (L) and Shea Marie (R)

Gorgeous: Talia looked sensational in a scarlet red two-piece that featured a plunging neckline

Model of the moment: Alice Dellal cut a casual figure at the bash - just days after baring her bare chest for Pam Hogg's (R) LFW showcase

Sharp: Nick Grimshaw joined Boys singer Charli XCX inside, sporting a dapper dotted two-piece suit

Revealing: Lady Amelia Windsor dazzled in flared tailored trousers and a lacy bralet that stole a look at her incredibly toned stomach

Screen siren: Rita's appearance at the LOVE X Miu Miu party comes as her video for new track Lonely Together with Avicii was released

Hot: Baring her toned torso Rita oozes sex appeal in the new video
They have been enjoying a romantic holiday in Bali together, after shocking fans by confirming their relationship last week.

But Stephanie Pratt and Jonny Mitchell came under fire from fans on Monday, after they seemingly made a dig at his ex Camilla Thurlow on Instagram.

Love Island fans rushed to Camilla's defense after the MIC star, 31, called her new beau, 26, a 'feminist' underneath a photo of the pair - alluding to Jonny's famous fight with the Scottish beauty during their time in the Mallorca villa.

Scroll down for video

Causing a stir: Stephanie Pratt and Jonny Mitchell came under fire from fans on Monday, after they seemingly made a dig at his ex Camilla Thurlow on Instagram

Having confirmed their relationship last week, Stephanie was quick to flaunt the romance on social media, by sharing a playful selfie of the pair from their Bali getaway.

However it was the photo's caption which caused a stir among fans, reading: '1 month with this #feminist @jonnymitchell1991 #london #Bali #hatersgonnahate'

The LA native was no doubt alluding to Jonny's fight with Camilla about feminism in the Love Island house.

Ouch! The MIC star, 31, called her new beau, 26, a 'feminist' underneath a photo of the pair - alluding to Jonny's famous fight with Camilla (above) during their time in the Mallorca villa

Back in July, the then loved-up pair had clashed when the Essex lad revealed he would feel 'emasculated' if a girl paid for dinner on a date.

Going against all her beliefs, Camilla had then broken down in tears as she realised she did not know Jonny at all, and had let him into her life too quickly.

However, as one of the favourite contestants on the show, Camilla's fans immediately rushed to stand by her in the comments - and slam Stephanie for her 'cruel' joke.

One kicked things off by writing: 'Why do you have to dig at @camillathurlow? I used to like you Steph but that's just cruel. Camilla is x100 the person you are as she doesn't need to make sly digs on social media. What has she personally done to you?'

'What has she done to you?' Despite the pair's loved-up display on social media (above), fans immediately slammed the dig at Camilla as 'cruel' and 'judgmental'

As another added of the pair: 'If it's a dig at Camilla... Johnny and you deserve each other,' followed by a telling snake emoji.

A further fan then blamed the dig on Jonny, who ruffled the feathers of both contestants and viewers in the house with his behaviour, writing: 'Wish you all the best and hope it works out but don't be so quick to judge camilla.

'After all, you've been with him a month. You cannot know anyone in a month.'

While another clearly amused fan interjected: 'That dig at Camilla with the feminist hashtag though oouch.'

New chapter: However, many other fans were quick to see the funny side of the situation, and wished the new couple well (above)

However, many other fans were quick to see the funny side of the situation, with endless followers commenting with their laughter.

A further follower wished the pair well, writing: 'Be happy steph and enjoy your holiday xx' as another simply commented on how well-suited the pair were, adding: 'I don't know who's better looking!'

Despite their loved-up snaps on social media, it seems not everyone is convinced by Jonny and Stephanie's new romance.

The lothario's former love interest and Love Island co-star Chyna Ellis recently claimed that Jonny is simply using Stephanie so he can join her on reality show Made In Chelsea.

Infatuated: The reality star pair announced their romance on Instagram last week

Scathing: However it seems not everyone is convinced by Jonny and Stephanie's new romance, with Jonny's ex Chyna Ellis (above) claiming he was using her to get on MIC

Jonny humiliated Chyna, 22, when he dumped her on live television during the Love Island reunion show last month after a short-lived romance.

Not holding back on his new relationship, Chyna went on to tell Mirror TV in a scathing fashion: 'If I'm honest I think the two of them are super cute because Jonny has always said to me he wants to get on Made In Chelsea, so it's the perfect opportunity for him.

'He did always say to me he was better than TOWIE, like he'll never do TOWIE because he's above that, and he wants to be on Made In Chelsea. He is from Essex so it's quite funny actually.'

Meanwhile Camilla is still enjoying a romance with model Jamie Jewitt, who she met on the ITV2 show after her fling with Jonny came to an end.

The pair have been putting on a loved-up display ever since they left the house, and even travelled to Greece together last month to help out at a refugee camp.
The IALLTTE (Intenrational Academy of Lost Letters To The Editor) is sending a task force of troubleshooters to The Citizen on a mission to finally get to the bottom of 27 years of letters sent to The Citizen that were never published.

And the majority of those letters were from yours truly.

What they will uncover remains to be seen, but more than likely they will get to the bottom of what happened to all the missing unpublished letters. How long it will take them to so that remains to be seen. But they will stay until they solve the problem, and they always do.

Also, the IASFWRS will be sending to The Citizen award-winning sculptors to carve out a 30-foot, 3D bronze statue of yours truly on The Citizen's front lawn. Oh, yes, that's the International Academy of Sculpting For World Record Setters). When done, it should turn out to be not only a fine work, but a thing of beauty to be admired by all the citizenry.

In addition, the LSIACWAJBF (Larry Storch International Academy of Can't We All Just Be Friends) will be sending a contingent of friends to our fair city trying to get everyone to be more friendly and not of a hostile nature toward editorialists.

Also, the IAGGOR (International Academy of Get a Grasp On Reality) will be sneding representatives to our fair city to fully explain the status of the status quo.

The IALTRGE (International Academy of Love to Read Good Editorials) will be sending their representatives to The Citizen looking for good past editorial over the last seven years. Hope not too many got lost in the system, lost in the mailbox, lost in the mail room, lost on the editor's desk or lost at sea (Bermuda Triangle).

Yes, it should be busy, busy, busy and crowded, crowded, crowded.

When will all this take place? No, not on National Hot Dog Day, not on National Taco Day. It will take place on National Editorial Day. As of this writing, the date has yet to be set, but surely many good editorialists will be writing up some of the all-time classics for that day, hoping to win the Editorial of the Year Award for the best editorialist.

The times they're a coming, and what good times they will be, ol' friend Jeremy (Boyer), ol' pal-o-mine. I know you can't wait for all those things to come to pass, so for now, just be patient (chill).

Murray Lynch

Auburn
She's the former Miss Universe Australia contestant who often flashes the flesh in a number of campaigns.

But Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) latest photo shoot with Gritty Pretty could be her raciest yet.

Flaunting her ample cleavage and long legs in the sexy shoot, the 26-year-old oozes sex appeal.

Is this Jesinta's sexiest shoot yet? Campbell shows off her ample cleavage and long legs in VERY sexy lingerie and thigh high stockings for photo spread

Hot, hot, hot: Showing off her cleavage in a low scoop black bodycon top, Jesinta gazes seductively into the camera lens

Showing off her cleavage in a low scoop black bodycon top, Jesinta gazes seductively into the camera lens.

Her top paired with a pleated printed bronze skirt, the stunner rests one hand on her leg as the other softly caresses her face.

Channeling old Hollywood glam, Jesinta brunette locks were styled by Katie Angus into large voluminous curls and her look completed with a racy red lip.

In another sexy snap, Jesinta shows off her flawless figure in a latex bodysuit with sheer stockings pulled up to her upper thighs.

Leaning back on a couch with one knee up into the air, Jesinta strikes a sexy pose for photographer Emily Abay.

Old Hollywood: Channeling old Hollywood glam, Jesinta brunette locks were styled by Katie Angus into large voluminous curls and her look completed with a racy red lip

Ab-solutely amazing! Styled by Jessica Pecoraro, Jesinta shows off her washboard abs in a bralette teamed with beaded trousers and a blazer

The former Cadbury ambassador also poses on a stairwell.

Styled by Jessica Pecoraro, Jesinta shows off her washboard abs in a bralette teamed with beaded trousers and a blazer.

Speaking to the publication, the genetically blessed stunner revealed she first began to see 'very subtle' ageing in her skin just before turning 25.

'I have to admit that when I was about to turn 25, I did start thinking about the way I was going to age as I started to notice very subtle differences in my skin which lead me to completely changing all my skincare over to anti-ageing products,' she said.

'But, I haven't really thought of [Botox] to be honest.'

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend! Jesinta wears her stunning diamond engagement ring from husband Buddy Franklin throughout the shoot
Cipriani 42nd Street played host Monday night to a swank gala celebrating the centennial of the American Theatre Wing, which throws the Tony Awards.

Lucy Liu swung by in a showstopping pale purple gown encircled by four rings of fuzz, the highest at her neckline and the lowest at her hem.

The 48-year-old actress, who's played in God Of Carnage on Broadway, posed up a storm on the red carpet alongside legendary nonagenarian Tony Bennett.

Scroll down for video

Scene-stealers: Tony Bennett and Lucy Liu glowed as they posed at a red carpet for the American Theatre Wing centennial gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on Monday

Lucy had slicked her hair severely back and wound it behind her head, allowing for a view of the glistening earrings she'd put on that night.

Her sleeveless gown featured a layer of see-through purple fabric over another darker solid layer, which was speckled with white embroidery.

A gleaming sash cinched the outfit around her enviably trim waistline, tied up in a bow at the back. The Kill Bill star held a clutch against her side.

Hello, gorgeous: Lucy swung by in a knockout pale purple gown encircled by four rings of fuzz, the highest at her neckline and the lowest at her hem

Emphasis: Lucy had slicked her hair severely back and wound it behind her head, allowing for a view of the glistening earrings she'd put on that night

Fitting her like a glove: A gleaming sash cinched the outfit around her enviably trim waistline, tied up in a bow at the back

Tony had, of course, stuck to a classic look, buttoning himself into a charcoal suit and adding a splash of color by way of a pink and black striped tie.

The iconic crooner, whose repertoire includes such show tunes as Put On A Happy Face and The Lady Is A Tramp, completed his look with black dress shoes.

As well as posing with Lucy, he stood for the cameras with his third wife Susan, who's taken his real surname Benedetto and who at 51 is exactly 40 years his junior.

Duo: As well as posing with Lucy, Tony stood for the cameras with his third wife Susan, who's taken his real surname Benedetto and who at 51 is exactly 40 years his junior

Together 37 years: Samuel L. Jackson and his wife LaTanya Richardson were chic at the gala

Looking fabulous: Samuel was decked out in a pewter grey suit and silver tie, LaTanya in a stylish black and white print ankle-length coat over a floor-length sleeveless black gown

In fact, as Tony revealed in his memoir, he'd met Susan's mother Marion back when she was pregnant with the person he'd ultimately marry, according to People.

At Monday night's event, she'd stuck to a simple strain of chic, popping a collarless black blazer over a matching cleavage-baring top, trousers and handbag.

Samuel L. Jackson, who in 2011 portrayed Martin Luther King in the original Broadway cast of Katori Hall's play The Mountaintop, was dapper at the gala.

Ageless: Isabella Rossellini's outfit was an eruption of different hues, a scarlet shawl flung over a busily patterned multicolored getup that faintly resembling pajamas

Troika: Isabella (right), the daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini, posed with her sister Ingrid Rossellini (left) and their half-sister Pia Lindstrom (center)

The 68-year-old stood for photos alongside LaTanya Richardson, his wife of 37 years, who has herself acted on Broadway in a 2014 revival of A Raisin In The Sun, as well as in a 2011 revival of Joe Turner's Come And Gone.

Samuel was decked out in a pewter grey suit and silver tie, LaTanya in a stylish black and white print ankle-length coat over a floor-length sleeveless black gown.

Bobby Cannavale exuded his signature sex appeal in a black suit he'd worn with a black dress shirt and a hickory brown tie that glinted under the lights.

The 47-year-old, who's expecting a baby with Rose Byrne, has a Broadway pedigree dating back to his 2007 less-than-two-month run in the original cast of Mauritius.

Bombshell: Bobby Cannavale exuded his signature sex appeal in a black suit he'd worn with a black dress shirt and a hickory brown tie that glinted under the lights

He's since starred alongside Chris Rock in the 2011 original Broadway run of The Motherf***er With The Hat. The next year came a revival of Glengarry Glen Ross, and the following year, Bobby played in a Broadway revival of The Big Knife.

Isabella Rossellini's outfit was an eruption of different hues, a scarlet shawl flung over a busily patterned multicolored getup that faintly resembling pajamas.

The daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini, whose theater credits include an Off-Broadway run in The Stendahl Syndrome, posed with family.

Making a splash: Lea DeLaria, with a Broadway past including revivals of On The Town and Hair, mugged for the cameras in an eye-popping checked blazer and bright blue shoes

Pia Lindstrom, Ingrid's daughter by the first husband she infamously left for Roberto, clashed a blue blouse with a yellow skirt and yellow scarf.

Ingrid Rossellini, whose Italian name is Isotta and who is Isabella's full sister, had slid into an outfit that was largely designed in reds and pinks, with some green accents.

Lea DeLaria, with a Broadway past including revivals of On The Town and Hair, mugged for the cameras in an eye-popping checked blazer and bright blue shoes.

Beth Malone, a New York theater fixture who earned a Tony nomination for leading Fun Home's original Broadway cast, stunned in a backless black cocktail dress.
Multi-talented businesswoman Zoe Foster Blake is known for her witty sense of humour.

And on Tuesday, the 37-year-old author took to social media to joke about bringing the bling with her gaudy Gucci trainers.

Posting to her Instagram Story, the Wrong Girl author shared a snap of the silver sequinned shoes which are worth more than $1000.

Over the top! On Tuesday, Zoe Foster Blake shared a photo of her gaudy Gucci trainers which cost more than $1000 on her Instagram Story

Along with the glittery silver sequins, the elaborate footwear featured green and red stripes made from the same material.

Adding an extra over-the-top touch was a bejewelled insect-shaped detailing which was placed above the laces.

The wife of Hamish Blake added a caption to the image, joking: 'I like my trainers understated'.

'I like my trainers understated': The mum-of-two joked her shoes were low-key

Multi-talented: Zoe recently launched her own 17-piece clothing collection called Iced ZoZo

Zoe, who has two children: Sonny, three and two-month-old Rudy, has her fingers in many pies.

As well as authoring several books, including her soon-to-be-released picture book No One Likes A Fart, the busy woman launched her own clothing line.

The quirky collection, named Iced ZoZo, contains 17 pieces inspired by her favourite foods and animals and was designed as part of a collaboration with Melbourne label Skin and Threads.

Cute couple: The career woman is busy in her personal life too as she is married to comedian Hamish Blake (right)

The mother-of-two regularly takes to social media to share snippets of her career and family life.

Zoe, who also owns beauty product range Go-To skin care, previously told Good Weekend she met her now-husband Hamish at 'horrible men's deodorant launch' in 2004.

At the time of their first meeting, Zoe was dating NRL sportsman Craig Wing while Hamish was with lawyer and actress Anna Jennings-Edquist.

However, they later struck up a romance in 2010 when they were both single.
He's been going steady with girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough since February.

And Karl Stefanovic may be considering taking the next step and buying a house with his lady love, after his Cremorne bachelor pad went on the rental market earlier this month for $1980 per week.

The Today host moved into the lavish home, located in Sydney's exclusive North Shore, after splitting from his wife Cassandra Thorburn last year.

Is Karl Stefanovic buying a house with Jasmine Yarbrough? Today host's Cremorne bachelor pad complete with swimming pool goes on the rental market for $2000 a week

It's understood Jasmine has been spending long stretches of time with Karl at the Cremorne house in the past few months.

The swanky pad features four spacious bedrooms and four bathrooms, as well as two separate living areas.

Outside, there is a large alfresco dining area with a built-in barbecue and sitting area, which overlooks a nearby reserve.

The luxury property also includes a large pool and decked area.

It's not known where Karl is moving to or whether he is moving in with girlfriend Jasmine.

Into the blue: The luxury property also includes a large pool and decked area

Taking things to the next level? It's understood Jasmine has been spending long stretches of time staying with Karl at the Cremorne house

After his split from Cassandra was revealed in September, Karl found a temporary home in billionaire mate James Packer's Bondi Beach penthouse before moving into the Cremorne bachelor pad.

In the months before splitting, Karl and Cassandra put down a deposit for a $8 million home located just streets away in the same suburb of Cremorne.

In June, Fairfax Media reported Cassandra had moved into the home with the former couple's three children - Jackson, 17, Ava, 12, and River, 10.

Spacious: The property features four large bedrooms with built in wardrobes

Nearby: Karl's rented home is located streets away from the home his former partner Cassandra resides in with their three kids

Perfect for entertaining: The Cremorne home is split over three levels, with a large outdoor balcony

Karl and Cassandra, a former ABC journalist, sold their Lindfield home in November last year for $3.8 million.

The Today host met Jasmine, a shoe designer and former model, on a yacht party in December last year.

The couple went public with their high profile romance at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in May.

Leafy: The upmarket pad's bedrooms features views into a nature reserve which surrounds the home

His and hers: One of the bathrooms also features a his and hers sink

'We are taking things really, really slowly,' Karl told Stellar magazine in July.

'We have a really lovely relationship, but its got to be slow for a variety of reasons.'

Karl's representatives declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
She sent social media into meltdown by kissing co-star Alexander Skarsgard on the lips during the Emmys.

But it's not the first time Nicole Kidman has locked lips with a fellow actor at an industry soiree, smooching Denzel Washington and Naomi Watts at previous high profile events.

The 50-year-old actress is also renowned for her affectionate displays on the red carpet, especially with husband Keith Urban.

Scroll down for video

She's done it before! Nicole Kidman previously locked lips with Denzel Washington at the 2003 Oscars... as she stuns onlookers by kissing Alexander Skarsgard at the Emmys

On Sunday night, Nicole surprised onlookers by kissing her on-screen Alexander on the lips.

The actress' husband Keith looked on smiling as Nicole congratulated her Big Little Lies co-star, who had just won a best actor Emmy.

The unexpected affectionate display sent social media into meltdown, with Twitter soon lighting up over the PDA.

But Nicole has done it before.

The statuesque beauty smooch actor Denzel Washington on the lips at the Oscars in 2003.

Unexpected: On Sunday night, Nicole surprised onlookers by kissing on-screen husband Alexander on the lips

And again! Nicole also kissed her longtime friend Naomi Watts on the lips during the Women In Film event in 2015

She's not shy! Nicole is no stranger to affectionate displays on the red carpet, and is regularly snapped kissing husband Keith as they pose for photographers

The Lion star was heading on stage to accept her best actress statue for her role in The Hours when she planted one on the hunky action star.

Nicole also kissed her longtime friend Naomi Watts on the lips during the Women In Film event in 2015.

The two Aussie actresses wore shower caps and locked lips as part of a bizarre skit at the Los Angeles party.

Friendly: Nicole also isn't shy about getting affectionate with her co-stars, kissing on the cheek and hugging The Beguiled co-stars Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning at Cannes

Warm embrace: Nicole affectionately hugged Kirsten as they promoted their film together

Meanwhile Nicole is no stranger to displays on the red carpet, and is regularly snapped kissing husband Keith as they pose for photographers.

Nicole also isn't shy about getting affectionate with her co-stars, kissing on the cheek and hugging her The Beguiled co-stars Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning at Cannes earlier this year.

She also rubbed her hands on Lion co-star Dev Patel's cheeks for one media appearance, later resting her head fondly on her on-screen son's shoulder for another photo call.

Proud (on screen) mother: She also rubbed her hands on Lion co-star Dev Patel's cheeks for one media appearance
Joanna Krupa wore a cleavage-baring outfit as she headed out to trendy Catch in West Hollywood.

The Polish-born model, 38, stepped out in a strapless low-cut floral-patterned frock Monday night.

The former Real Housewives Of Miami castmember went bare-legged in the black, white and pink number showcasing her long lean legs.

Scroll down for video

Looking good: Joanna Krupa stepped out in a strapless low-cut floral-patterned frock Monday night as she headed to Catch in West Hollywood

She added a pair of pale pink pointed toe heels and carried a black purse on a gold shoulder chain.

The fashion star wore her long blonde hair styled in gentle waves and cascading over one shoulder.

She completed her look with smoky eye shadow and pink lip color.

Leggy: The Polish-born model, 38, went bare-legged in the black, white and pink number showcasing her long lean legs and she added a pair of pale pink stiletto heels

Pretty: The former Real Housewives Of Miami castmember wore her long blonde hair styled in gentle waves and cascading over one shoulder

All in the details: She added a pair of pale pink pointed toe heels and carried a black purse on a gold shoulder chain

Krupa, who recently divorced Miami night club owner Romain Zago, is back in LA after a trip to her native Poland and to London.

A week ago, she braved the chilly weather in the British capital dressed in nothing but high heels and tiger bodypaint as she called for a ban on wild-animal circuses outside the Houses of Parliament in London.

Speaking last month, the reality TV star - who finalized her divorce on August 17 - admitted she's 'delighted' that she froze her eggs three years ago, because she can still fulfill her dream of having children.

Glam gal: The fashion star wore her long blonde hair styled in gentle waves and cascading over one shoulder

Krupa said she was caught off guard when husband of four years Zago called time on their marriage last December.

But despite spending 'weeks' crying alone into her pillow, she said she had come through the split feeling stronger than ever, plowing her time into work to fend off depression.

The Real Housewives of Miami alum told DailyMail.com: 'You gotta keep going, you can't hide under a blanket or underneath your bed and just be like, "I give up on everything". You just gotta keep going.'

Easy, tiger: Dressed in nothing but high heels and bodypaint, Krupa called for a ban on wild-animal circuses outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Septmeber 11

She said she still believes in love, but credits not giving up her own career for being able to deal with the heartache.

'I'm a hard worker, I'm very independent, so I think the fact that I have always had my own career, that really helped me as well,' she said.

'And thank goodness I never gave up my career for a man because you know what, maybe right now I would not be in the situation that I am.
She's the latest Bachelorette star who's lived a colourful past in the media over nearly the last two decades.

And on Tuesday, Sophie Monk sat down with Jules Sebastian on her YouTube channel, Tea With Jules, to chat about her love-seeking debut as well as some of her notable past endeavours.

Opening up about her racy 2014 shoot for Playboy magazine, the 37-year-old said her only regret was how the heat affected the way her nipples appeared.

'The only regret is it was too warm, you know when your nipples are really warm,' she laughed.

'Usually they're always erect. You see every paparazzi photo of me and they're like "boing" and it was just really warm so they look a bit like, very 70s.'

When Jules questioned why she didn't 'fix' the situation, Sophie blamed her lack of concentration for her regrettable outcome.

Her one regret: On Tuesday when speaking with Jules Sebastian, Sophie Monk revealed she regretted that her nipples were'nt erect in her racy 2014 Playboy shoot

What happened? 'Usually they're always erect. You see every paparazzi photo of me and they're like "boing" and it was just really warm so they look a bit like, very 70s'

Blaming herself: 'I just didn't concentrate, I didn't look down to see what they were doing. They've got a life of their own'

'I just didn't concentrate, I didn't look down to see what they were doing. They've got a life of their own,' she said candidly.

After turning down $1 million to pose in a shoot for the publication in 2011, three years later she gave it the green light.

Not detailing exactly how much she was offered the second time round, the blonde bombshell assured Confidential it was definitely a large sum.

Green light: After turning down $1 million to pose in a shoot for the publication in 2011, three years later she gave it the green light

You only live once! Revealing she's known to be an impulsive and erratic decision maker, Sophie said her final decision to appear in Playboy came down to living without any regrets

'It's my biggest pay cheque....and no it's not banked, I burn through money,' said Sophie at the time.

Revealing she's known to be an impulsive and erratic decision maker, she said her final decision to appear in Playboy came down to living without any regrets.

'I did it for the 60-year-old sitting on the couch eating Snickers,' she continued.
Rumours of a potential Australian Bachelor In Paradise spin-off full of viewer's favourite Bachelor and Bachelorette rejects surfaced this week.

And now it appears more of the reality stars from the past seven seasons have been contacted to be involved.

Inside sources have revealed exclusively to Daily Mail Australia that Megan Marx, Cameron Cranley and Jake Ellis could get a second chance at love.

More Bachelor In Paradise news! Sources claim Megan Marx, Cameron Cranley and Jake Ellis could join rumoured cast for second chance at love

Suitors for a second time? The Bachelorette rejects Jake and Cameron, who were rejected by Georgia Love, could vie for another shot at reality-TV found love

Bachelor In Paradise is a US reality dating show that features past contestants from both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette in hopes of sparking new love connections.

Reports earlier this week in New Idea claimed last year's Bachelor runner-up Nikki Gogan and former villain Keira Maguire had been cast, as well as former Bachelorette winner Sasha Mielczarek.

Daily Mail Australia's source confirmed Nikki had been contacted, but was not able to confirm her intended involvement.

Entering Paradise? Multiple sources have offered up Michael Turnbull (Sam Frost's Bachelorette season reject) as a contestant for the new show

Meanwhile, multiple sources have offered up Michael Turnbull (Sam Frost's Bachelorette season reject) and Georgia Love's former contestants Cameron Cranley and Jake Ellis as those contacted by the producers.

Another lady set to potentially sizzle on the remote island series is former Bachelor star Megan Marx, who left the series and formed a lesbian relationship with former rival Tiffany Scanlon.

Megan and Tiffany broke up in March, with Megan strongly denying Tiffany's allegations she 'hooked up with one of her male ex-boyfriends' last month.

Looking for love... again? Another lady set to potentially sizzle on the remote island series is former Bachelor star Megan Marx, who enjoyed a lesbian relationship with former rival Tiffany Scanlon until March this year

Taken! The inside sources also claim David Witko (L) was approached for the singles matchmaking show, but turned down the offer. He is currently flaunting his newfound relationship online with recent Bachelor alumni Leah Costa (R)

The inside sources also claim David Witko was approached, but turned down the offer. He is currently flaunting his relationship online with recent Bachelor alumni Leah Costa.

New Idea have suggested Leah Costa, Jen Hawke and Elora Murger from The Bachelor's most recent season with Matty J could be set for an early return to TV.

However, multiple sources have confirmed, to their knowledge, that no newer contestants from Matty J or Sophie Monk's series will be extended an invite.

Too soon? While New Idea have claimed ladies from Matty J's very recent season of The Bachelor, including Jen Hawke (L), Leah Costa (R) and Elora Murger could be set for the show, an inside source revealed to Daily Mail Australia that, to their knowledge, no newer contestants from Matty J or Sophie Monk's series will be extended an invite

Second time lucky? An inside source confirmed last year's runner-up Nikki Gogan had been approached to appear on the Australian spin-off of Bachelor in Paradise

Unlucky in love Nikki, 31, was reportedly seen filming a promotional campaign for the show in Sydney recently, however the show will likely be filmed in picturesque Fiji.

'They were filming on Palm Beach, the same place [Nikki] was taken by helicopter to have a beach date with Richie Strahan,' a source told New Idea on Monday.

'Producers are busy negotiating fees for the cast, as many of them believe they are worth a lot more than has been budgeted.'

Other potential stars include season three breakout star Zilda Williams and season one's Sarah-Mae Louise Amey.

Rumour mill: Former Bachelor villain Keira Maguire (L) and former Bachelorette winner Sasha Mielczarek (R) were also reportedly cast

'If Sarah-Mae and Sasha both agree to go on the show, that will create an interesting dynamic and possible sparks given the fallout between Sasha and [ex] Sam Frost, who remains good friends with Sarah-Mae,' the insider speculated.

The report went on to claim Bachelor star Osher Gunsberg will host the show.

However, Channel Ten told Daily Mail Australia on Monday that the New Idea report is completely false.

'This is not true,' a spokesperson said.

Negotiations: 'Producers are busy negotiating fees for the cast, as many of them believe they are worth a lot more than has been budgeted,' a source said. Pictured: Zilda Williams (L) and Alex Nation (R)

While the Aussie spin-off would no doubt be a ratings winner for Channel Ten, given the success of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, the US version has not been without controversy.

In June, filming in Mexico for season four was temporarily suspended due to allegations of misconduct.

Production later resumed following an internal investigation involving Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson, which subsequently cleared the two.

Scandal: While the Aussie spin-off will no doubt be a ratings winner for Channel Ten, given the success of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, the US version has not been without controversy. Production was halted and later resumed following an internal investigation involving Corinne Olympios (L) and DeMario Jackson (R), which subsequently cleared the two

'Our internal investigation, conducted with the assistance of an outside law firm, has now been completed,' Warner Bros said in a statement.

'Out of respect for the privacy interests of those involved, we do not intend to release the videotape of the incident. We can say, however, that the tape does not support any charge of misconduct by a cast member.'

Prior to the scandal, Sydney socialite Keira was rumoured to be joining the US series however she later denied she would be joining the 'tacky' show.

Not interested: Prior to the scandal, Sydney socialite Keira was rumoured to be joining the US series however she later denied she would be joining the 'tacky' show

'I think with the whole situation, it just doesn't sound like something I want to be a part of,' Keira told Fairfax.

'When I got the phone call saying the show was cancelled, it felt a bit like a blessing in disguise.

She added: 'With the events that happened, it made me look at it from a different angle... I definitely won't be going on the show.'
She's not shy when it comes to sharing almost every facet of her life on social media.

And taking to her Instagram account on Tuesday, Roxy Jacenko dialled things up a notch as she dared to bare her derriere.

Donning a nude g-string and a flirty black outfit that failed to cover her behind, the 37-year-old faced away from the camera and flaunted her pert posterior in a raunchy photo shoot.



The cheek of it! On Tuesday, Roxy Jacenko (pictured) shared a snap of her bare derriere as she donned a nude g-string for a very revealing photoshoot

If you've got it: Roxy also showcased her enviable figure in a sheer black bra

Avoiding mention of her tanned and toned posterior and instead acting as though she was trying to draw attention to her immaculately styled blonde locks, Roxy captioned the cheeky snap: 'Ponytail goals'.

A notoriously prolific social media user, Roxy didn't stop there when it came to sharing behind-the-scenes images of the racy makeup campaign shoot.

The blonde publicist also posted a photo that left little to the imagination as she wore skimpy black material that barely covered her modesty.

Working it! The blonde PR queen shared a behind-the-scenes snap of herself striking a pose in the skimpy material during the shoot

The Sweaty Betty's ample assets threatened to spill out from the garb, while her backside was left uncovered by the scanty ensemble.

Roxy's hair was slicked back in the image and the businesswoman rocked extremely golden skin thanks to a generous lathing of Skinny Tan fake tan.

In other images, the mum-of-two can be seen being touched up by stylists.

'What a day': A glammed-up Roxy also could be seen wearing another glitzy black ensemble

Taking to her Instagram Story, Roxy also uploaded a snap where she posed in the strapless black number in a photo studio, while a photographer tried to capture the money shot.

Another featured the PR queen in a glitzy - and slightly more demure - black frock as the heavily made-up stunner checked her phone.

'What a day,' Roxy captioned the image.
One is a world renowned heartthrob while the other is a career politician whose bid for the presidency ended in disgrace.

But Hugh Jackman looked uncannily like infamous 80s politician Gary Hart as filming began on the biopic of his doomed presidential run in Georgia on Monday.

Indeed as he wandered around the set of The Front Runner in his conservative ensemble it was hard to believe it was the same man who became an international sex symbol due to his turns as tough-talking X-Man Wolverine.

Hugh's that: Jackman was almost unrecognisable as filming started on biopic The Front Runner in Atlanta on Monday

As shooting began on the film, which director Jason Reitman insists is a comedy, the Aussie beefcake was looking businesslike in a shirt, striped tie, suit trousers and leather shoes.

Hugh, 48, also shared a snap from the set of the film on Instragram, which he captioned: 'Day 1. Principal photography. The Front Runner.'

Hart was was the frontrunner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination when the Miami Herald published a story telling of the rumoured womaniser's dalliance with model and actress Donna Rice.

Most infamously of all, the senator's attempts to stave of the controversy collapsed when a picture emerged of the blonde beauty sitting on the his knee with her arms draped around him.

They were relaxing together on a cruising holiday to Bimini, which they took on the aptly-named yacht the Monkey Business.

Uncanny X-Man: Hugh looked almost indistinguishable from 80s politician Gary Hart (L)

Action: The Aussie beefcake later shared a snap from the first day of filming

Infamous photo: Hart's attempts to stave off controversy were critically damaged after a photo emerged of Donna Rice sitting on his knee during a yachting holiday

The politician's T-shirt, which was emblazoned with the words 'monkey business crew,' became a national punchline.

He withdrew from the running a week after the National Enquirer published the snap, and while he later reentered the fray, his presidential campaign was doomed to failure.

Hart's wife Lee stood by him throughout, and next year they will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.

The film is based on Matt Bais book All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid, with the author and former Hillary Clinton spokesman Jay Carson among the screenwriters.
PHOENIX -- Gov. Doug Ducey has thrown his support behind the latest plan to kill the Affordable Care Act despite estimates showing it will cost the state billions in lost federal dollars.

In a brief statement Monday, the governor called the Graham-Cassidy bill "the best path forward to repeal and replace Obamacare.''

The governor provided no details on why he supports the plan. Nor was he available for comment, having gone to Illinois for the Republican Governors Association conference.

But Ducey in what he did say suggested that the proposal to replace the federal program with block grants to each state meets his goal "to give states more flexibility and more options moving forward.''

Potentially more significant, Ducey is acknowledging that the window to actually do something -- and do it without Democrat votes -- is closing rapidly.

The Senate rules that would allow approval on a simple majority self-destruct when the federal fiscal year ends Sept. 30. After that, it likely would need a filibuster-proof margin of 60 the clear the chamber in which there are only 52 Republicans.

What makes Ducey's support significant is not the governor himself who has no vote on Capitol Hill.

Instead, it is his influence on John McCain, the state's senior senator. And McCain, who refused to support earlier repeal-and-replace efforts, has said repeatedly that his backing for any plan is contingent on the views of his home-state governor.

But even that may not be enough.

McCain spokeswoman Julie Tarallo told Capitol Media Services on Monday that her boss is reviewing the bill "to assess its impact on the people of Arizona.'' But she said he is wary of these kind of last-minute maneuvers with the details hammered out in offices and sent to the floor in a rush.

"As he has said before, Sen. McCain believes health care reform should go through the regular order of hearings, open debate, and amendments from both sides of the aisle,'' Tarallo said.

Arizona's other senator, Jeff Flake, said in a Twitter post the plan "has my support'' and "ought to be brought to the Senate floor. But that is little surprise, as Flake backed prior efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

The legislation is being crafted by three Republicans: Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Dean Heller of Nevada.

In essence, it would blow up the Affordable Care Act with its system of mandated health insurance and subsidies for those who cannot afford the premiums. Instead, the federal cash -- at least some of it -- would be given to the states in the form of block grants to decide exactly how they want to fashion their own health care systems for the needy, those who do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford commercial health insurance.

States could also scrap many of the regulations that now exist under the Affordable Care Act. And it would cut federal Medicaid dollars.

Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state's Medicaid program, has yet to do its own full-blown analysis of the effect of the proposal. That includes how the changes would affect the fact that the federal law has paved the way to adding more than 400,000 people to the AHCCCS rolls.

"The governor and his staff have been talking directly to those involved in drafting the legislation,'' he told Capitol Media Services.

Scarpinato, however, took a slap at the conclusions reached by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities showing that what's in the federal bill would mean the loss of $80 billion nationally by 2026, including a $1.6 billion loss for Arizona.

And if the federal law expires as proposed in 2027 and the block grants go away entirely, the same organization puts the price tag for Arizona at $6.9 billion out of $8.6 billion in current federal dollars.

Scarpinato sniffed at the numbers. "This is a very left-wing group,'' he said.

But Scarpinato did not have any immediate figure of his own. And an AHCCCS spokeswoman said any comments have to come from the governor's office.

The biggest effect could surround those 400,000 now getting care through AHCCCS who were not getting it before 2013.

More than 82,000 of those are people who are earning more than the federal poverty level, $20,420 a year, the normal limit for Medicaid coverage. The Affordable Care Act expanded that to 138 percent, with the federal government picking up virtually the entire additional cost.

But to qualify for those dollars, Washington required that the state restore coverage for single adults below the federal poverty level, people whose care was eliminated as part of a budget-balancing move at the beginning of the decade. There are more than 317,000 in that category.

And there are other implications: The state legislation to expand AHCCCS and restore coverage was made contingent on a certain flow of federal dollars. If those dry up, so does $265 million a year being collected from hospitals that finances it.

While the Ducey administration would provide nothing more than the governor's statement of support, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Steve Farley was more vocal.

"Endorsement of a bill that could hurt our state badly without knowing the facts of the bill amounts to governmental malpractice,'' said Farley in a prepared statement.

"This loss of funding will cause real harm to our state,'' he said. "For those with serious health issues, the consequences could be dire.''

What's also working against the bill is that the Congressional Budget Office has said it cannot do a full analysis of the measure before the end of the month in terms of both costs and the number of people who would lose care.

And there is opposition from the conservative side of the slate.

Michael Needham, CEO of Heritage Action, the sister of the Heritage Foundation, said in a release that the measure "would make some improvements'' over the current situation. "But it would not actually deliver on the Republicans' seven-year campaign promise to repeal and replace Obamacare.''
She is going to make history as the first female Time Lord in hit television series, Doctor Who.

And Jodie Whittaker has been crowned the hottest television talent of 2017 as she topped the envy-inducing Radio Times TV 100 list.

This doesn't come as a surprise as the actress, 35, is a true queen of the small screen - taking on the lead role in ITV's Broadchurch and BBC1 medical drama Trust Me earlier this year.

Scroll down for video

Queen of the small screen: Jodie Whittaker, 35, (pictured in July 2017) has been crowned the hottest television talent of 2017 as she topped the envy-inducing Radio Times TV 100 list

Television legend Sir David Attenborough and Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge were hot on Jodie's heels in second and third place on the list respectively.

Women dominated the top 10 of the 100-strong list which will be unveiled in the publication at the weekend.

Westworld star Thandie Newton, who played the android brothel madam in the HBO sci-fi drama series, scooped fourth place.

Making history: The actress is going to take on the role of the first female Time Lord in hit television series Doctor Who

The Crown's Claire Foy, who took on the part of the young Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix series, was named the fifth hottest television talent.

Sharon Horgan, Laura Kuenssberg and Peal Mackie scooped seventh, ninth and tenth places respectively.

The remaining two spots were given to male comedians Peter Kay and Adam Hills.

Revealed: It has been a busy year for the British beauty as she had her first audition for the 13th Doctor Who in January and she landed the prestigious role in July

It has been a busy year for Jodie as she had her first audition for the 13th Doctor Who in January and she landed the prestigious role in July.

The British beauty told Dermot O'Leary live on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show that she was over-the-moon when she landed her 'dream job'.

Detailing the opportunity, she said: 'Every job is a world away from Doctor Who. That's why it's the dream part.

Whirlwind romance: Jodie is a true queen of the small screen after she played leading roles in ITV's Broadchurch (pictured)

'You can never say "I'm typecast". You don't get typecast as a Time Lord. It's never going to regurgitate doing anything which is amazing.

'This will maybe seem a bit confusing. It's nothing like that'll be. I am an actor.'

She has already shot her 'regeneration scene' which sees The Doctor leave the body of Peter Capaldi and become Jodie.
Advertisement

It was one of the hottest events of London Fashion Week so far, drawing a large crowd of celebrities and trend-setters alike.

And the models were out in force at the Miu Miu x LOVE magazine party on Monday night, with the likes of Hailey Baldin, Lara Stone, Cara Deleivngne and Sara Sampaio in attendance at the exclusive Loulou's bash in London.

Hailey was dressed down in a casual yet sexy look, flashing her flat stomach in a sporty crop top and skimpy denim shorts.

Scroll down for video

Party girls: The models were out in force at the Miu Miu x LOVE magazine party on Monday night, with the likes of Hailey Baldin, Lara Stone, Cara Deleivngne and Sara Sampaio (from left to right) in attendance at the exclusive Loulou's bash in London

The 20-year-old star was showing off her long legs in a pair of suede thigh-high boots, with a sparkling belt drawing attention to her tiny waist.

Lara went for a full-on fashionista look, donning a sequinned minidress and a canary yellow coat.

The leggy blonde showed off her slender legs in the thigh-skimming, disco inspired number, perfectly in keeping at with the 'Disco Galactica' dress code for the evening.

Cara stuck to her usual tomboy style, dressed in an all-black ensemble with edgy accessories.

Casual vibes: Hailey was dressed down in a casual yet sexy look, flashing her flat stomach in a sporty crop top and skimpy denim shorts

Kinky boots: The 20-year-old star was showing off her long legs in a pair of suede thigh-high boots, with a sparkling belt drawing attention to her tiny waist

Top of the crops: The blonde beauty highlighted her impossibly tiny waist in the skimpy T-shirt

All that glitters: Lara was hard to miss in her dramatic silver minidress featuring large sequin embellishment

Legs for days: The blonde beauty showed off her endless legs in the thigh-skimming number

She flashed a hint of skin in a semi-sheer top, adding some extra glamour thanks to layered silver necklaces.

The blonde beauty donned a leather cap to cover up her perioxide crop, as well as a slick of red lipstick.

Cara dressed down in a longline blazer, skinny 3x1 jeans and a pair of chunky lace-up trainers.

Also putting in a glamorous appearance at the bash was fellow model Sara, who flaunted her flat stomach in a bralet and coordinating A-line skirt.

All-black ensemble: Cara stuck to her usual tomboy style, dressed in an all-black ensemble with edgy accessories

Sheer delight: The blonde beauty flashed a hint of skin in a sultry semi-sheer top, teamed with edgy, rock 'n' roll inspired accessories and a pair of skinny 3x1 jeans

Wrapping up warm: Victoria's Secret beauty Sara covered up in a faux fur coat with a contrasting brown collar

Casual: Georgia May Jagger was dressed to impress in a loose beige maxidress with silver detailing

Dressed down: She covered up in a casual leather jacket, adding a rock chic vibe to her attire

She covered up in a faux fur coat with a contrasting brown collar, keeping warm against the changeable London weather.

Meanwhile, Rita Ora really stepped up to the mark on Monday night, dazzling in her sequinned minidress.

Rita, who had spent the day recording at Radio 1's Live Lounge, let her hair down amongst revellers including Lewis Hamilton and sportsman Neymar at Loulou's.

Leggy in leather: Winnie Harlow was clad in a pair of figure-hugging leather trousers and a pink jumper

Super chic: Winnie was rocking the same faux fur coat as fellow model Sara, wearing the stylish number draped over her shoulders

Stylish in silk: Lottie Moss was dressed to impress in a silk slip and statement peach jacket

Party pals: Lottie joined forces with Gabriel Kane Day Lewis, the son of Hollywood legend Daniel

Outfit change: Doutzen opted for a more casual look, changing from her pastel pink jumpsuit as she kept the party going

Rita went braless beneath her show-stopping dress, with her hair pulled back tightly to give her minidress the full effect.

She teamed equally bedazzling shoes with the outfit, as well as drop earrings and a bold cuff.

Before entering the all-star bash, she appeared for an ultra glam floor length, faux-fur coat in a mint green hue.

Woah mama: Rita, who had spent the day recording at Radio 1's Live Lounge, let her hair down amongst revellers including Lewis Hamilton and sportsman Neymar at Loulou's

Is she fur real? Before entering the all-star bash, she appeared for an ultra glam floor length, faux-fur coat in a mint green hue

The grin that says I'm ready to party! Rita sizzled in the ensemble which made the most of her famous curves

Smouldering: Far from keeping herself in party mode, she also stole moments to pose up a storm

Here come the girls! Joan Smalls, Lara Stone and Doutzen Kroes (left) partied in style, while Jaime Winstone (right) oozed Seventies cool

The models proved that the fashion doesn't just feature on the runway during Fashion Week when the guests went off-duty and flocked to the afterparties.

While glamorous attendees including Lottie Moss, Poppy Delevingne and Adwoa Aboah all accessorised with seriously over the top fur coats, Joan and Doutzen modelled perspex numbers.

Poppy had hot-footed it across town from the premiere of Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Held in London's Leicester Square, the world premiere drew attendance from Julianne Moore, Colin Firth and Channing Tatum, as well as Poppy who makes a cameo in the movie franchise sequel.

With the guys: Rita was spotted talking to Lewis Hamilton (left) and football player Neymar (right)

Old friends: Cara Delevingne was spotted cosying up to old friend Alexa Chung

Party girls: Cara and It girl Jazzy were catching up over a few drinks

Poppy was in good company at the LOVE bash because younger sister Cara was also floating around and socialising.

Distinctively dressed in a leather beret and red lipstick, model-turned-actress Cara could be seen mingling with the likes of Alexa Chung and old socialite pal Jazzy De Lisser.

Models Jourdan Dunn and Winnie Harlow were also tucked away in a corner of the venue chatting away.

Model beahviour: Jourdan Dunn (left) and Winnie Harlow (right) were spotted chatting on the sofas

Elegant as ever: Jourdan wowed in a simple negligee inspired number with feather detailing

Party girl: Alexa was having a blast as she caught up with her famous friends inside the venue

Standing out from the crowd: Poppy Delevingne, Kim Turnbull and Tigerlily Taylor (from left to right) donned their glad rags for the occasion

Strike a pose: Barbara Palvin was in her element as she posed up a storm inside the bash

Party girls: Charli XCX, Devon Windsor and Winnie (from left to right) were partying up a storm

Both girls have been heavily involved in this year's shows and were no doubt relishing some light relief.

London Fashion Week, which is currently previewing the Spring/Summer 2018 collections, will come to a close on Tuesday.

Following a run in New York, the shows will continue to Milan, Italy before closing in Paris, France at the start of October.

Supermodel glamour: Doutzen Kroes (left) and Joan Smalls (right) put in fashionable appearances

Golden girl: Georgia Fowler showed off her best model moves in a sequinned yellow mini with a daring side split

Furry fashion: Poppy Delevingne and Adwoa Aboah covered up with oversized coats

Cosying up: Poppy arrived with her husband James Cook (left) before chatting to fashiuon guru Derek Blasberg (right)

Model duo: Leomie Anderson (left) and Duckie Thot (right) showed off their glamorous garbs

A busy week: The pair have been non-stop with their parties and runway appearances

Time to party: Lewis (right) and the footballer was spotted enjoying their night out together ahead of the party
She's one of the longest standing characters on the cobbles, having first stepped on set in 1964.

And now viewers of Coronation Street were left in tears as it was revealed that soap favourite Rita Tanner had a brain tumour on Monday night's episode.

The tear-jerking storyline comes weeks after the nation's favourite newsagent was becoming noticeably confused in recent weeks, leading many to believe she was showing early signs of dementia.

Scroll down for video

Upset: Viewers of Coronation Street were left in tears as it was revealed that soap favourite Rita Tanner had a brain tumour on Monday night's episode

Recently, Rita - who is played by Barbara Knox, 84 - was rushed to hospital after she fell at her foster daughter Jenny Bradley's hen party on Friday night.

After a number of tests, the Weatherfield legend was then given the news that her MRI scan showed a 'single lesion' on her brain alongside a panicked Jenny and Jonny.

The doctor said: 'We found a single lesion on your brain - a tumour. Mrs Tanner I think your symptoms including lapses in memory are almost certainly down to the tumour which is putting pressure on the front section of your brain.

Expressing her relief that it wasn't dementia, she answer: 'Save the tears until theres something to cry for.'

Showing signs: The tear-jerking storyline comes weeks after the nation's favourite newsagent was becoming noticeably confused in recent weeks, leading many to believe she was showing early signs of dementia (Pictured with her on-screen pal Norris)

The shocking storyline has left viewers 'heartbroken' as they took to Twitter in their droves to share their upset at the upsetting storyline.

One fan shared: 'Rita's story on Corrie is the most heartbreaking thing ever.'

'I absolutely cannot cope with this Rita storyline,' another wrote. '"Save the tears til there's something to cry for" oh Rita, don't.'

A viewer posted: 'Rita is breaking my heart.'

'Heartbroken': The shocking storyline has left viewers 'heartbroken' as they took to Twitter in their droves to share their upset at the upsetting storyline

While leaving fans of the long-running soap emotional, it has has been revealed that charity Brain Tumour Research has been consulting with show producers and scriptwriters over the storyline since earlier this year.

Speaking about the storyline, Barbara - who has played Rita for over 50 years - admitted she's happy that they have taken a sensitive approach to the diagnosis.

She said: 'I was immediately determined to ensure that we got every aspect of the portrayal of such a devastating illness correct.

'The work the team did with Brain Tumour Research has been invaluable. As an actress playing the role I am mindful that there are people going through this in real life and it is vital that we do their stories justice.

Sensitive: Speaking about the storyline, Barbara - who has played Rita for over 50 years - admitted she's happy that they have taken a sensitive approach to the diagnosis

Adding: 'There is a long way to go yet in this storyline for Rita; as we follow her journey from the devastating diagnosis and how she comes to terms with the uncertainty of what the future holds for her, she has some big decisions to make in the coming weeks.

'Until I started working on this storyline I had no idea that a brain tumour could cause someone to act in the way Rita has been.

Before continuing: 'It cant just be me who has been surprised by how it affected Rita, so clearly not enough is known about brain tumours and their symptoms. It is a frightening disease and my thoughts are with everyone affected by a brain tumour.'

Some 16,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour in the UK each year - for more information visit Brain Tumour Research.
She is well known for her stellar acting career and stunning good looks.

And Halle Berry was ensuring the latter was on full display on Monday evening as she headed to the star-studded LOVE magazine bash in London, just hours after flaunting her posterior at the Kingsman: The Golden Circle premiere.

The 51-year-old actress looked incredible in a trench-style mini in which she gave a saucy feel with the Bardot top and nipped in waist while also styling her hair into a sex-kitten worthy chignon with flawless make-up alongside.

Scroll down for video

Sizzling: Halle Berry was ensuring the latter was on full display on Monday evening as she headed to the star-studded LOVE magazine bash in London, just hours after flaunting her posterior at the Kingsman: The Golden Circle premiere

Halle is in the capital to promote the movie yet she ensured it was not all work and no play as she sizzled at the LOVE bash - in which she mingled with the great and good of the fashion, sport and showbiz world.

Her Alice + Olivia mini dress made the most of her stunning figure with the chic Bardot detail ensuring she was flashing maximum flesh atop the belt highlighting her middle.

Boosting her endless legs, she slipped into a pair of monochrome statement heels with thin straps giving a barely-there feel.

Piling her hair atop her head, Halle ensured she was giving maximum skin exposure while also displaying an eye-tickling fringe which sat atop her bronze eyeshadow and nude lip colour.

Hey there! The 51-year-old actress looked incredible in a trench-style Alice + Olivia mini in which she gave a saucy feel with the Bardot top and nipped in waist while also styling her hair into a sex-kitten worthy chignon with flawless make-up alongside

Wow! Her mini dress made the most of her stunning figure with the chic Bardot detail ensuring she was flashing maximum flesh atop the belt highlighting her middle

Stunner: Boosting her endless legs, she slipped into a pair of monochrome statement heels with thin straps giving a barely-there feel

Berry cheeky indeed! Halle is one of two Hollywood leading ladies to infiltrate a mainly male cast and earlier in the night she made sure everyone knew why as she made a memorable red carpet appearance at the Leicester Square premiere

Halle is one of two Hollywood leading ladies to infiltrate a mainly male cast and earlier in the night she made sure everyone knew why as she made a memorable red carpet appearance at the Leicester Square premiere.

Arriving among a whole host of big names, Halle stood out in a completely sheer black dress, daringly flashing a skimpy bodice beneath.

Halle's dress fittingly featured berry-coloured flowers across the see-through skirt and across the bodice as it concealed her braless appearance.

From behind, as she waved to the crowds in London, Halle flashed an eyeful of her cheeky behind and a glimpse at her incredible legs as she navigated the orange stretch of carpet in stilettos.

Cheeky: She flashed her pert bottom in the sheer number, which she layered over a black bodice

Working it: Arriving among a whole host of big names, Halle stood out in a completely sheer black dress, daringly flashing a skimpy bodice beneath

Halle wore her hair high on her head to let her outfit have full attention but chose to go minimal on the make-up front.

She joins Colin Firth, Taron Egerton and Mark Strong in the sequel of the Kingsman franchise. The second film also stars Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges, as well as fellow leading lady Julianne Moore.

The Golden Circle, in which Halle plays Ginger Ale, is a sequel to hit film Kingsman: The Secret Service, which was released in 2015.

Leggy look! Halle led the stars of the film as it premiered in London

Stunning form: Leggy Halle was navigating the red carpet in strappy stilettos

The follow-up sees the agents of Kingsman head to the United States to unite with Statesman, Kingsman's American counterpart after Kingsman's HQ is destroyed by a treacherous crime syndicate called 'The Golden Circle'.

The film is released in the UK on Wednesday.

Actress Halle has joined the cast in London to premiere the film after they came together in Toronto for the International Film Festival.

'Honored to be a part of this illustrious group!' Halle wrote on Instagram on Monday, before premiering the film.

London bound: Halle is in London to promote the film with her co-stars
She's never been shy in flaunting her figure during her career in the spotlight.

And model Charlotte McKinney put on a sizzling flesh-flaunting display on Monday night as she celebrated celeb hotspot Catch's first birthday in Los Angeles.

Baywatch beauty Charlotte, 24, upped the fashion ante as she worked a saucy cropped leather biker jacket that showcased her ample cleavage as she hit the star-studded bash, which also saw Karrueche Tran in attendance.

Scroll down for video

Hell for leather: Baywatch beauty Charlotte McKinney, 24, upped the fashion ante as she worked a saucy cropped leather biker jacket that showcased her ample cleavage

The fitted jacket was perilously zipped down to highlighted her buxom bust while she arrived to the venue in her leg-lengthening pointed stilettos.

Her leather garment hugged her slender torso while flaunting her taut stomach with it's cropped silhouette.

She teamed the look with a pair of high-waisted ripped knee denims that highlighted her slender pins while carrying her box clutch in her manicured hand.

Charlotte completed her all black ensemble with a pair of large silver hooped earrings, leaving her golden blonde locks loose in a straight style.

Sheer madness: Karrueche Tran, 29, made sure to turn heads in her striking sheer embroidered flares which flashed her underwear

Perky! The shocking trousers showed off every inch of perky posterior

Style savvy: The fitted jacket was perilously zipped down to highlighted her buxom bust while she arrived to the venue in her leg-lengthening pointed stilettos

Sensational: Her leather garment hugged her slender torso while flaunting her taut stomach with it's cropped silhouette

Denim days: She teamed the look with a pair of high-waisted ripped knee denims that highlighted her slender pins while carrying her box clutch in her manicured hand

Blonde ambition: Charlotte completed her all black ensemble with a pair of large silver hooped earrings, leaving her golden blonde locks loose in a straight style

Charlotte shot to fame in 2015 when she appeared in a Carl Jr commercial during annual ratings juggernaut the Super Bowl.

She has been enjoying a brief break from work after jetting around the world to promote her latest big screen blockbuster, Baywatch.

The actress joined fellow beach beauties Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach and Zac Efron in the movie reboot that starred Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

The model - who used to date Stephen Dorff and Scott Eastwood - has been focusing on movies lately.

Cheeky: Her rose adorned mesh trousers left little to the imagination as they flaunted her slender pins and pert posterior in the fullest

Far from pants! The Claws star appeared unfazed by showcasing her thong in her flesh-flashing flares

Flaunt it: The American beauty smiled while she wrapped her petite frame in a navy blue bomber jacket that fell off her shoulder and flashed a hint of her stomach

Red hot! She added inches to her diminutive height in a pair of red zig zag strapped heels

Alongside her cameo in the Baywatch film Charlotte has been cast in Flatliners.

The star will play a nurse who has a very steamy scene with a medical student played by Brit James Norton, 31.

Meanwhile, model-turned-actress Karrueche, 29, made sure to turn heads in her striking sheer embroidered flares which flashed her underwear as she arrived to the exclusive bash.

Her rose adorned mesh trousers left little to the imagination as they flaunted her slender pins and pert posterior in the fullest.

Looking good: Joanna Krupa stepped out in a strapless low-cut floral-patterned frock Monday night as she headed to Catch in West Hollywood

Leggy: The Polish-born model, 38, went bare-legged in the black, white and pink number showcasing her long lean legs and she added a pair of pale pink stiletto heels

Pretty: The former Real Housewives Of Miami castmember wore her long blonde hair styled in gentle waves and cascading over one shoulder

All in the details: She added a pair of pale pink pointed toe heels and carried a black purse on a gold shoulder chain

Unfazed by showcasing her thong, the American beauty smiled while she wrapped her petite frame in a navy blue bomber jacket that fell off her shoulder and flashed a hint of her stomach.

Joanna Krupa wore a cleavage-baring outfit as she headed out to trendy Catch in West Hollywood.

The Polish-born model, 38, stepped out in a strapless low-cut floral-patterned frock.

Glam gal: The fashion star wore her long blonde hair styled in gentle waves and cascading over one shoulder

Seeing stars: Lisa Rinna's daughter Delilah Belle Hamlin, 19, also attended the party

What a (tummy) tease: The model worked a pair of fashionable sweats for the evening

Helping hand: The LA beauty left the bash with a male pal

Back to it: The blonde beauty coyly smiled as she left the star-studded bash holding onto her chic backpack

The former Real Housewives Of Miami castmember went bare-legged in the black, white and pink number showcasing her long lean legs.

She added a pair of pale pink pointed toe heels and carried a black purse on a gold shoulder chain.

The fashion star wore her long blonde hair styled in gentle waves and cascading over one shoulder.

She completed her look with smoky eye shadow and pink lip color.

Krupa, who recently divorced Miami night club owner Romain Zago, is back in LA after a trip to her native Poland and to London.

Pretty in pink: Australian actress Maia Mitchell slipped into an oriental print mini dress for the occasion

Party pals: British actor Ed Westwick arrived with his girlfriend Jessica Michel Serfaty at the party

Loved-up: The pair rocked matching leather ensembles for the occasion

A week ago, she braved the chilly weather in the British capital dressed in nothing but high heels and tiger bodypaint as she called for a ban on wild-animal circuses outside the Houses of Parliament in London.

Speaking last month, the reality TV star - who finalized her divorce on August 17 - admitted she's 'delighted' that she froze her eggs three years ago, because she can still fulfill her dream of having children.

Krupa said she was caught off guard when husband of four years Zago called time on their marriage last December.

But despite spending 'weeks' crying alone into her pillow, she said she had come through the split feeling stronger than ever, plowing her time into work to fend off depression.

Hitting the right notes: Rapper Too Short (L) and Jermaine Dupri attended the bash

Ready to party: Basketball player DeAndre Jordan worked an eclectic ensemble for the festivities

Keeping is casual: Grey's Anatomy star Jessie Williams was seen arriving at the party

Date night: Mohamed Hadid and his wife Shiva Safai looked ready to party at the exclusive event

Picture perfect: The father and step-mother of Gigi and Bella Hadid stepped out in style

The Real Housewives of Miami alum told DailyMail.com: 'You gotta keep going, you can't hide under a blanket or underneath your bed and just be like, "I give up on everything". You just gotta keep going.'

She said she still believes in love, but credits not giving up her own career for being able to deal with the heartache.

'I'm a hard worker, I'm very independent, so I think the fact that I have always had my own career, that really helped me as well,' she said.

'And thank goodness I never gave up my career for a man because you know what, maybe right now I would not be in the situation that I am.

Relaxed: David Foster also arrived at the party
The Block's Elyse Knowles has ended the show's Tuesday night episode on a fiery cliffhanger  literally.

The 24-year-old started the blaze when attempting to create a meal for guest judges Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek, who will appear on Wednesday's episode.

The teams learn that the winning duo will pocket $5,000 and win a bonus point, and have their dish sold through YouFoodz with their faces on the packet.

Scroll down for video

Oops! The Block's Elyse Knowles has ended the show's Tuesday night episode on a fiery cliffhanger  literally

Burning: The 24-year-old set the blaze when attempting to create a meal for guest judges Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek, who will appear on Wednesday's episode

An additional challenge is that the meal needed to be pescatarian or vegetarian, as comedian Dave is pescatarian, something Elyse believed would be right up her alley.

She planned to make a Vietnamese dish of rice and noodles with lots of vegetables and tofu.

The beauty and her boyfriend Josh Barker head to the markets where they are carved off a huge chunk of pumpkin by a stall holder.

She started confidently and decided to get creative by creating roasted pumpkin bowls to serve the stir fry in.

Started well: She started confidently and decided to get creative by creating roasted pumpkin bowls to serve the stir fry in

Flames: Once it came time to cook, the scooped out pumpkins burst into flames in the oven causing smoke to pillow everywhere

However, the scooped-out pumpkins burst into flames in the oven causing smoke to billow everywhere.

The blonde pulled open the stove door and was struck with the heat and smoke of the cremated pumpkins.

He's picky: An additional challenge is that the meal needed to be pescatarian or vegetarian, as comedian Dave is pescatarian, something Elyse believed would be right up her alley

That's a big one! The beauty and her boyfriend Josh Barker head to the markets where they are carved off a huge chunk of pumpkin by a stall holder

'Woah, oh my god, I just got pumpkin-steamed in the face, I think they're on fire, the pumpkin is on fire!' she called out.

Elyse cried out again hysterically: 'I'm on fire! I'm on fire!'

The episode ended with Elyse's firey cliff hanger and all will be revealed Wednesday night, when Dave and Kate's appear on the show.
She's a successful model with over a decade in the fashion industry.

And Edie Campbell ensured all eyes were on her when she attended the LOVE magazine x Miu Miu party during London Fashion Week on Monday night, donning a very risque top.

The model, 26, certainly stood out from the crowd as she mingled with a host of stars at exclusive venue Loulou's, flashing her nipples in a completely sheer top.

Scroll down for video

Sheer daring: Edie Campbell ensured all eyes were on her when she attended the LOVE magazine x Miu Miu party during London Fashion Week on Monday night, donning a very risque top

Edie showed off her figure with confidence in the quirky purple top, which feautured sparkling silver epaulettes.

She accessorised in style, donning a dramatic pair of oversized pearl earrings.

Edie pulled her look together with a pair of high waisted trousers and simple stilettos.

She kept her make-up simple and natural with just a slick of pale pink lipstick and rosy blusher.

Making a statement: The model, 26, certainly stood out from the crowd as she mingled with a host of stars at exclusive venue Loulou's, flashing her nipples in a completely sheer top

Daring to bare: Edie showed off her figure with confidence in the quirky purple top, which feautured sparkling silver epaulettes

Edie has been on the modelling circuit ever since being discovered by esteemed photographer Mario Testino at the tender age of 15.

She boasts many strings to her bow, having graduated from the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2013 with a first in history of art, and is also a keen equestrian with a penchant for dressage.

Edie previously opened up about her jetsetting lifestyle in an interview with British VOGUE.

She said: 'I like to keep it busy but manageably so. I keep it very bearable. I'm like: "I don't think I want to work this week, I think I'm a bit tired".

Fashionable friends: Edie chatted to Adwoa Aboah and Felix Cooper over cocktails

Killer details: She accessorised in style, donning a dramatic pair of oversized pearl earrings

'I don't want it to get to the stage where I turn up at work overtired and make it horrible for everyone else and myself.'

The model also revealed that she favours simplicity when it comes to her beauty regime.

'I am trying to wear make-up more often. I think there's a lot to be said for looking really nice. It's something I'd forgotten about', she said.

'So a bit of mascara - I'm pretty boring. Eyeliner, done. I do wear foundation too because when I drink I get really bad booze rouge, so I am taking pre-emptive action.'
It has been 55 years since he took on the much coveted role of James Bond for the first time.

And Sean Connery, 87, looked frail as he remained determined to stay active with the helping hand of his nurse in New York City on Monday.

Leaning on his cane for added support, the 007 actor cut a casual figure in a black polo shirt with a quirky canary yellow design.

Scroll down for video

00...87: Sean Connery, 87, looked frail as he remained determined to stay active with the helping hand of his nurse in New York City on Monday

The Never Say Never Again star teamed it with a pair of wide legged jeans and trainers for the ultimate comfort on his walk.

Not unlike his Bond alter-ego, he made a low-key appearance as he shielded his eyes with a black hat.

The retired actor had been rarely seen before June, but had put on a surprise public appearance at the US Open in August - where he had received a standing ovation from the crowd, as the the James Bond theme tune played out across the stands.

Casual figure: The Never Say Never Again star teamed it with a pair of wide legged jeans and trainers for the ultimate comfort on his walk

It is here that he is said to have suffered a fall but he is believed to have been unhurt, save for a bruise on his face.

'The bruise was from a fall,' a representative explained to the Daily Express in August. 'He is absolutely fine.'

Sean courted attention for his daring role as the dashing James Bond in the first five movies of the nation's favourite spy saga.

He first took on the part as the secret agent in the flick Dr. No in 1962 and went onto star in From Russia With Love in 1963, Goldfinger in 1964, Thunderball in 1965 and You Only Live Twice in 1967.

He's got style: Sean courted attention for his daring role as the dashing James Bond in the first five movies of the nation's favourite spy saga

Having loved the role so much, the actor returned to the franchise for Diamonds Are Forever in 1971 and Never Say Never Again in 1983.

Despite it being arguably his most famous role, he didn't win an Oscar for the iconic part in the series, based on Ian Fleming's books.

The award winning actor, however, did scoop the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part as hard cop opposite Kevin Costner in The Untouchables in 1988.

Blast from the past! Sean (as Bond) first took on the part as the secret agent in the flick Dr. No in 1962 which was now 55 years ago

Sean has enjoyed a stellar career which flourished over 63 years, seeing him star in 63 films and TV credits.

He has been lavished with honors, including being named The Greatest Living Scot, Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure, and In 1989 he was even named the Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine.

His last movie was Scottish animation Sir Billi in 2012, in which he voiced Sir Billi, the Guardian Of The Highlands.
This odd First Dates pairing certainly won't be winning any prizes for chemistry.

But on Tuesday, former exotic dancer Victor and hairdressing mum-of-six Dannielle proved that where there's a will, there's a way.

While social media couldn't forgive Victor's mouth-popping mating call or resemblance to an older Pete Murray, Dannielle asked: 'Why not give it another go?'

Opposites attract! On Tuesday's First Dates, former exotic dancer Victor and hairdressing mum-of-six Dannielle proved that where there's a will, there's a way

Prior to the date, leather jacket-clad Victor, 47, admitted that his 1970's-era John Travolta haircut wasn't his only questionable life choice.

'I am currently a building inspector, previously I used to dance... I call it exotic dance, some call it stripping,' he told producers.

'Being an exotic dancer did arouse jealousy with my partners, which made it hard to have a relationship... I wanted to settle down seriously, not as a trophy boy.'

Grease lightning! Prior to the date, leather jacket-clad, Victor, 47, admitted that his 1970's-era John Travolta haircut wasn't his only questionable life choice

It's what's inside that counts! 'I am currently a building inspector, previously I used to dance... I call it exotic dance, some call it stripping,' he told producers

But Dannielle loved Victor's saucy past, just as much as he liked that she was a mother-of-six, and that her hair 'made her look like Pink.'

They bonded over the fact that they both used to have longer hair, which earned a look of surprise from Dannielle, who was already struggling with his long locks.

'All I can see is hair, It needs to go!' she confessed midway through the date, but was left charmed-beyond-caring after he had no issues with her having six kids.

All systems go! But Dannielle loved Victor's saucy past, just as much as he liked that she was a mother-of-six, and that her hair 'made her look like Pink'

Meanwhile, Twitter users were losing it, taking issue over the strange popping sound he kept making with his mouth.

'PLEASE, TWITTER CANNOT TAKE ANY MORE POPPING VICTOR! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD,' one angered fan wrote.

Noticing a passing resemblance, another quipped: 'Looks like Pete Murray got old.'

Losing it! Meanwhile, Twitter users were losing it, taking issue over the strange popping sound he kept making with his mouth

The real deal But with his 1970's Travolta hair, raunchy past and infectious mouth-pop, Dannielle couldn't risk losing him

But with his Travolta hair, raunchy past and infectious mouth-pop, Dannielle couldn't risk losing him.

With all the confidence of a Pirate Party Australia member running for Senate, she reasoned: 'I think we just had a lot in common, so why not give it another go?'

At the episode's conclusion, it was revealed the pair have now had two dates, not including a trip to get Victor's haircut, which was non-negotiable.

May as well! With all the confidence of a Pirate Party Australia member running for Senate, she reasoned: 'I think we just had a lot in common, so why not give it another go?'
Twitter users have accused Kim Kardashian of stealing Rihanna's shoe design, after she released images of her new fluffy sliders in her kidswear line.

The 36-year-old reality star has launched The Kids Supply x AKID collaboration to design the footwear, which has now been deemed remarkably similar to the hitmaker's styles from her Fenty x Puma.

As Kim shared the shot with her 55.6million followers on the microblogging site, users soon swarmed the comments section to note the siliarities between the children's shoe and Rihanna's design, which was first launched in April.

Scroll down for video

Who did what? Twitter users have accused Kim Kardashian of stealing Rihanna's shoe design, after she released images of her new fluffy sliders in a kidswear line

In May, Kim announced she and husband Kanye West were launching their very own clothing line for children, named Kids Supply, which was frequently modelled by their four-year-old daughter North West.

At the time, Kim said: 'For the past few years Kanye and I have made almost all of our kids clothes and we have collaborated on a new kids line! TheKidsSupply has been what we've been working on for a long time. I'm so excited about this!'

They have now released the collaboration with AKID, with one of the stand-out products being the 36 ($48) fluffy sliders, which Kim shared to Twitter - leading to the huge shock from fans of Rihanna's Puma partnership.

In April last year, Rihanna released the Leadcat shoe - her plush faux fur sliders, which market for 65 ($88) - to huge success and various drops.

Kim's: In May, Kim announced she and husband Kanye West were launching their very own clothing line for children, named Kids Supply, which was frequently modelled by their four-year-old daughter North West

Rihanna's: In April last year, Rihanna released the Leadcat shoe - her plush faux fur sliders, which market for 65 ($88) - to huge success and various drops

Now Kim's new shoe has led to a shock reaction from Rihanna fans as the reality star's Twitter account was swarmed with users pointing out the similarities between the two shoe designs and leading to mockery.

Users penned: 'damn, nothing original with you kardashians... Rihanna's Fenty Slides are the only fur sandals we acknowledge... Ok sis. Just stealing everyone's style now to get some clout...

'They look like the Fenty puma that went to a public school... Hmmmm these look kinda familiar... Try Rihanna's line. Are probably a lot more affordable than these rip offs... rihanna collaborate again with puma?... oh I smell cheap copy.'

Some fans however were keen on the shoes, as Kardashian fans wrote: 'Omg these are gorgeous... Okay I need a pair of those for myself... I can't find a decent pair of slides that I like and they would be perfect... Do these come in adult sizes?!'

Hmm: Now Kim's new shoe has led to a shock reaction from Rihanna fans as the reality star's Twitter account was swarmed with users pointing out the similarities between the two shoe designs and leading to mockery

Family! North West is pictured in the sliders featured in the range

Now Kim's new shoe has led to a shock reaction from Rihanna fans as the reality star's Twitter account was swarmed with users pointing out the similarities between the two shoe designs and leading to mockery

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Kim and Rihanna for comment.

The comparisons are not the first time some of the Kardashian clan have come under fire for their designs, as both Khloe and Kylie Jenner were hit with plagiarism claims over their clothing range and cosmetics respectively.

Independent clothing designer Destiney Bleu, claimed Khloe's Good American designs were lifted from her own bejewelled range.

Kylie meanwhile was slapped with similar allegations regarding her eye palletes - as she was accused of copying New Zealand beauty vlogger Shannon, AKA Shaaanxo's designs.
PHOENIX -- Saying all marriages are created equal, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the wife of a gay woman who has given birth is entitled to the same parental rights as if she had been a man.

Chief Justice Scott Bales, writing for the majority, acknowledged that Arizona laws dealing with presumption of paternity use terms like "father,'' "he'' and "man.'' Those laws say the husband in a marriage is presumed to be the parent of any child born within 10 months of a marriage.

He also conceded that Tucson Suzan McLaughlin, who sued over parental rights, could not possibly be biologically related to the child born in 2010 to Kimberly McLaughlin, to whom she was legally married at the time.

But Bales said all that is irrelevant in the wake of the historic 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling declaring that states cannot limit marriage to one man and one woman. More to the point, he said, the nation's high court concluded that same-sex couples are entitled to civil marriage "on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples.''

Tuesday's ruling actually is a much broader victory for the rights of gays. It also undermines arguments by some foes of same-sex marriage that the 2015 ruling allows nothing more than the gays to wed and does not void other laws which provide disparate treatment.

Bales said what the U.S. Supreme Court has decided "will require a reassessment of various state statutes, rules, and regulations to the extent they deny same-sex spouses all of the benefits afforded opposite-sex spouses.'' That includes everything form taxation, property rights and hospital access to campaign finance rules and adoption rights.

"It would be inconsistent with (the 2015 ruling) to conclude that same-sex couples can legally marry but states can deny them the same benefits of marriage afforded opposite-sex couples,'' Bales wrote.

The chief justice said those laws could be reviewed -- and voided -- by courts on a piecemeal basis, as those denied equal rights file suit. But he said it would be better for the governor and Arizona lawmakers, who have yet to act following the Supreme Court ruling, to repeal the rules and laws that discriminate.

"Like the judiciary, the legislative and executive branches are obliged to follow the United States Constitution,'' Bales wrote. "Through legislative enactments and rulemaking, our coordinate branches of government can forestall unnecessary litigation and help ensure that Arizona law guarantees same-sex spouses the dignity and equality the Constitution requires -- namely, the same benefits afforded couples in opposite-sex marriages.''

"We will review the decision,'' said Daniel Scarpinato, press aide to Republican Gov. Doug Ducey.

House Speaker J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, said he appreciates that the justices are saying it is up to the Legislature to establish policy.

"But at this point I really don't know what we will do,'' he said. Mesnard said it may be preferable to let individual cases make their way through the courts rather than "open up the whole statute'' to look for laws that could be considered discriminatory.

That's also the assessment of Senate President Steve Yarbrough, also a Chandler Republican.

"Whether we choose a massive rewrite of our law or allow real, specific fact situations and disputes to be resolved by the courts is a question that requires careful analysis,'' he said.

Court records show Kimberly and Suzan, legally married in California in 2008, agreed to have a child through artificial insemination using an anonymous sperm donor. Kimberly became pregnant in 2010.

Before the child was was born, the couple moved to Tucson, entered into a joint parenting agreement and executed mirror wills, declaring they were to be equal parents to the child. After the 2011 birth, Suzan stayed home and cared for the boy while Kimberly worked as a physician.

When the boy was nearly two, Kimberly moved out, taking him with her and cutting off his contact with Suzan.

Suzan filed for divorce in 2013 and sought parenting time, citing laws which say the husband is presumed to be the parent of any child born within 10 months of a marriage. When a trial judge agreed to have the case proceed, Kimberly appealed, saying the law applies only when the other spouse is a man.

But Bales said applying the law in a gender-specific fashion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision violates the Equal Protection Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

"Describing marriage as 'a keystone of our social order,' the court noted that states have 'made marriage the basis for an expanding list of governmental rights, benefits and responsibilities,' such as 'child custody, support, and visitation rules,' '' Bales wrote, quoting from the 2015 ruling.

"Denying same-sex couples the same legal treatment in marriage and all the benefits afforded opposite-sex couples works a grave and continuing harm on gays and lesbians in various ways -- demeaning them, humiliating and stigmatizing their children and family units, and teaching society that they are inferior in important respects,'' the Arizona chief justice said.

Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy which pushed through Arizona's now-overturned 2008 voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, acknowledged Tuesday that the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year extended the scope of the original 2015 ruling to say that same-sex couples are entitled to "the constellation of benefits that the states have linked to marriage.'' That, she said, preordained Tuesday's Arizona Supreme Court decision.

But Herrod said voters should not hold their breath waiting for lawmakers to undo any discriminatory laws.

"My assumption is a majority of the Arizona Legislature disagrees with the U.S. Supreme Court on this issue,'' she said. Anyway, Herrod said, it's not necessary for lawmakers to have to go on the record on politically sensitive issue of whether Arizona should repeal those laws.

"The court effectively just did that,'' she said.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, however, suggested laws on giving heterosexual couples preference in adopting children may be legally defensible given "the biological diversity necessary to create them in the first instance.'' And he said all the discussion to this point has been on the rights of adults in the adoption process.

"I wonder if there may be future litigation on the rights of children,'' he said.

Tuesday's ruling does not preclude a parent, gay or straight, from seeking to overturn the presumption that the spouse of a woman who gives birth is the "father.'' That right already exists in situations where, for example, a husband says someone else is the biological father.

Bales noted, however, that in this case the couple agreed that they intended for Kimberly to be artificially inseminated with an anonymous sperm donor and they signed an agreement declaring Suzan a "co-parent'' of the child. And after the boy's birth, Suzan stayed home to care for him during the first two years of his life.

What all that means, Bales said, is Kimberly is barred from trying to rebut Suzan's claim of presumptive parentage in the divorce case.

Writing separately, Justice Clint Bolick said he agrees that, given the facts of this case, Suzan is entitled to be seen as the boy's legal parent in the pending divorce case. But he declined to conclude that the paternity statutes as written are unconstitutional and said there is no basis for the court to extend its reach to same-sex marriages.
The Vice President loved fishing so much that his Secret Service code name was "Angler".

So a bulked up Christian Bale, 43, in preparing for his role as Dick Cheney in the upcoming film Backseat, picked up his rod and reel and head off to get into character as the controversial political figure.

A noticeably heftier Bale stood knee deep in the running waters of the Kern River in California on Monday, getting a sense from a local fisherman of the best way to hook a catch.

Flying high: A bulked up Christian Bale prepares for his role as famous fishing fan Dick Cheney in the upcoming film Backseat by picking up a rod in the Kern River, California

The American Psycho actor dressed appropriately for a day on the water, wearing a black tshirt and blue cargo shorts.

On his head he wore a floppy brimmed white hat and dark sunglasses.

His fly fishing instructor, local Guy Jean, showed Bale the ropes, then stood back and observed while Bale tried his hand at casting a line.

Lure of the wild: Bale, 43, dressed appropriately for a day on the water, wearing a black tshirt and blue cargo shorts

Now you try: His fly fishing instructor, local Guy Jean, showed Bale the ropes, then stood back and observed while Bale tried his hand at casting a line

Heavy catch: The Dark Knight actor has looked markedly heavier than usual recently as he prepares for his new role as the second-in-charge in the George W. Bush administration

The Dark Knight actor has looked markedly heavier than usual recently. But it's apparently all in service of his new role as the second-in-charge in the George W. Bush administration.

Speaking about his latest weight gain, Christian hinted he's been having a lot of fun bulking up for the upcoming role.

'Ive just been eating a lot of pies,' he told Variety earlier this month.

Hooked: Christian hinted he's been having a lot of fun bulking up for the upcoming role. 'Ive just been eating a lot of pies,' he told Variety earlier this month

Big role: Vice President Cheney [on the left] fishing in 2002, while Bale [right photo] prepares for the role by fishing in the Kern River, California

Although few details have emerged about the film so far, hints about the angle it might have on the polarizing US political figure portrayed by Bale can be found on social media.

If the film's writer/director Adam McKay's Twitter account is anything to go by, Backseat could be a no-holds-barred takedown of the former Halliburton CEO.

In a Tweet posted the day after the November 8 Presidential election last year, he wrote: 'I can't believe after W Bush and Cheney you [elected Donald Trump] America. I'm truly sickened and frightened. #ElectionNight'

'Sickened': If the film's writer/director Adam McKay's Twitter account is anything to go by, Backseat could be a no-holds-barred takedown of the former Halliburton CEO
Jada Pinkett Smith has rubbished claims she is a Scientologist.

The Girls Trip star took to Twitter on Tuesday after actress Leah Remini - who left the controversial sci-fi cult in 2013 - alleged that she had seen the 46-year-old beauty at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre in Los Angeles on many occasions.

Jada - who has 19-year-old son Jaden and 16-year-old daughter Willow with husband Will Smith - insists that just because she has visited the Scientology Celebrity Centre doesn't make her a follower of the quasi religion, just as her trips to various mosques, temples and Christian churches around the world do not make her a follower of any of the religions associated with those places of worship.

Denial: Jada Pinkett Smith has fired back at Leah Remini for claiming she is a scientologist

The 'Gotham' actress says she simply practices 'human kindness' and that no one has the right to discuss her beliefs.

In a series of tweets, she posted: 'I recently lit Shabbat candles with Rabbi Bentley at Temple Sinai... but I am not Jewish.

'I have prayed in mosques all over the world ... but I am not a Muslim.

'I have read the Bhagavad Gita ... but I am not a Hindu. I have chanted and meditated in some of the most magnificent temples on earth ... but I am not a Buddhist. I have studied Dianetics, and appreciate the merits of Study Tech ... but I am not a Scientologist.

Sampler: In a series of tweets, Jada claimed she had practiced aspects of many religions, with was not a member of any

Firing back: She insisted we each have the right to determine what we are, and 'NO ONE ELSE' can hold that power

'I practice human kindness, and I believe that we each have the right to determine what we are and what we are not,' she added. 'NO ONE ELSE can hold that power.'

It comes after Kevin Can Wait actress Leah said in an interview that she witnessed Jada attend the church, but said her Suicide Squad actor husband wasn't present.

Leah - whose docu-series 'Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath' is returning for a second season - said recently: 'I know Jada's in. She's been in Scientology a long time. I never saw Will Smith there, but I saw Jada at the Celebrity Centre they opened up a Scientology school, and have since closed it. But Jada, I had seen her at the Scientology Celebrity Centre all the time.'

Scientology is a body of beliefs and practices created in 1954 by American science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard.

Pals: Remini said she never saw Will Smith at the Hollywood Scientology Centre, but wife Pinkett-Smith was a regular. Both Smiths (seen here with Tom Cruise) deny being members

Bizarrely, Hubbard claimed that billions of extra-terrestrial beings were sent to Earth by Xenu - the dictator of the 'Galactic Confederacy', comprised of 26 stars and 76 planets including Earth - who gathered them around volcanoes and then destroyed the aliens with hydrogen bombs.

The aliens' souls attached themselves to chosen humans, known as thetans, who will be one day be saved from their life of spiritual harm.

Remini, 47, who was raised in Scientology, has been an ardent public critic of the religion since she left it in 2013.

Her 2015 book, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology,' talks about her time in the church and her experiences upon leaving.

One of the most curious was an encounter with the Smiths and Tom Cruise, when the Mission: Impossible star suggested a game of hide-and-seek on his vast estate.

In hiding? Remini said Cruise (both seen in 2005) challenged her and the Smiths to hide-and-seek on his estate, which she said was weird, since there were no kids around at the time

'At first I thought he was joking,' she wrote in the book.

'But, no, he literally wanted to play hide-and-seek with a bunch of grown-ups in what was probably close to a 7,000-square-foot house on almost three full acres of secluded land.'

Remini, wearing high-heeled Jimmy Choos, declined to participate in the fun and games, she said.

At that point, she claims, Cruise walked up and said: 'Well, good. So you're 'It,' then,' and tagged her before sprinting off.

Trouble: Pinkett Smith was asked about Remini's claim, made in her book (left), and said kids were present. Remini says that's proof she's 'still in' the church (Hollywood Centre seen left)

The odd hide-and-seek story would raise its head again this year as Pinkett Smith promoted her hit indie film Girls' Trip this year.

'She was on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live a few weeks ago promoting her film, and Andy [Cohen] said to her, 'Have you read Leah Remini's book?'' Remini recalled.

'And he was like, 'What was that whole thing about playing tag?' and she said, 'Oh, she lied.'

'He goes, 'Isn't that weird, to play tag?' and she goes, 'No, the kids were there.'

Topic of conversation: Smith and Remini chatting at the 2005 People's Choice Awards in Pasadena

'That was untrue. Bulls**t. There were no kids there. I was like, okay, alright, you're gonna do that? More power to ya.'

The Smiths have both long denied being involved in the Church of Scientology, although they came under fire in 2008 when they funded the New Village Leadership Academy in California.

The school, though ostensibly secular, employed a number of Scientologist staff, and employed 'Study Technology,' a teaching method developed by Scientology co-founder L Ron Hubbard.

In response to Remini's book, the Church of Scientology released a scathing response in which it called her 'bitter' and claimed her fellow ex-Scientologists were a 'collection of deadbeats, admitted liars, self-admitted perjurers, wife beaters and worse.'
Fresh from dazzling on the catwalk in New York, they have since touched down in London.

And as London Fashion Week comes to a close, models Gigi Hadid, 22, and sister Bella, 20, ensured all eyes were on them as they stepped out in the capital alongside their mother Yolanda, 53 on Tuesday.

Cutting a casual yet chic appearance for their outing, Gigi paried together a long-line leather jacket and jeans, while her sibling caught the eye in a striking pair of emerald green thigh-high boots and a Claudia Li plaid coat.

Scroll down for video

Commanding attention: Gigi Hadid, 22, and sister Bella, 20, ensured all eyes were on them as they stepped out in the capital alongside their mother Yolanda, 53 on Tuesday

Proving they can master any look when it comes to their sartorial choices, Gigi dazzled in a pair of form-fitting jeans, that featured slight rips above the knee, and a black roll-neck jumper that sheathed her svelte frame.

She tucked her top into the waistband of her jeans to emphasise her model figure and sported a statement leather jacket, complete with leopard print panels at the shoulders, atop her ensemble.

Ditching her heels for a much comfier wardrobe choice, Gigi donned a pair of lace-up boots and left her blonde locks down to fall past her shoulders in tousled waves while parted in the middle.

Proud as punch: The girls were joined by their mother as they headed out in the capital as London Fashion Week comes to a close

Stunning: Gigi dazzled in a pair of form-fitting jeans, that featured slight rips above the knee, and a black roll-neck jumper that sheathed her svelte frame

Her beauty look was just as impeccable, with Zayn Malik's girlfriend donning winged eye-liner and bronzed cheekbones that she completed with a nude lipstick across her lips.

She was in high spirits as she and her family left their London hotel - no doubt excited at the thought of showcasing her third TommyXGigi collection at the five-day style event, as fashion house Tommy Hilfiger will make its London Fashion Week debut on Tuesday night.

Her sister Bella, meanwhile, upped the ante for their low-key outing ahead of Gigi's show, as she headed out sporting a sultry pair of thigh-high boots that drew attention to her lengthy pins.

She sported a black roll-neck dress that boasted an eye-wateringly short hem and left her sculpted shoulders on full view, as she draped a stylish checked coat, fastened by just one button, over one shoulder.

Chic: She tucked her top into the waistband of her jeans to emphasise her model figure and sported a statement leather jacket, complete with leopard print panels at the shoulders

Bella chose to wear her dark-hued tresses up, teasing the front section of her bonce down to frame her face in a side parting.

Paring things back when it came to her make-up, Bella added a quirky pair of orange-tinted specs to her outfit and was seen clutching onto her phone on her exit.

Her mother Yolanda, meanwhile, was close behind and caught the eye in a fashionable ensemble that teamed dark jeans that came complete with a tartan waistband and a complementing scarlet red leather biker jacket.

Sporting a pointed pair of cut-out boots on her feet, Yolanda hid behind a huge pair of black aviator shades, pinning her cropped tresses behind one ear.

Racy: Bella, meanwhile, upped the ante for their low-key outing ahead of Gigi's show, as she headed out sporting a sultry pair of thigh-high boots that drew attention to her lengthy pins and a Claudia Li plaid jacket

Stylish: She sported a black roll-neck dress that boasted an eye-wateringly short hem and left her sculpted shoulders on full view, as she draped a stylish checked coat over one shoulder

Stand-out: Paring things back when it came to her make-up, Bella added a quirky pair of orange-tinted specs to her outfit and was seen clutching onto her phone on her exit

The proud mother-of-three, who is also mum to 18-year-old son Anwar who also models, has openly spoken of how she wouldn't let her children enter the fashion industry until they she deemed them old enough.

'I never let them work [as models] before they were 18,' she told ELLE.com. 'I didn't want anybody judging them on what they looked like.

'I wanted them to feel and be the authentic human beings that they are and I think that created a lot of strength for them.'

She continued: 'I always said to them, listen, there are thousands of girls that are much more beautiful than you girls, but you have an extraordinary character, and you're going to have to set yourself apart by being a role model, by showing up on time and being kind to everybody... that's how you can make a difference in the world.'

It's in their genes: Yolanda, meanwhile, was close behind and caught the eye in a fashionable ensemble that teamed dark jeans and a complementing scarlet red leather biker jacket

Yolanda added that the emergence of social media has changed the modelling industry and stressed that her girls now have a 'responsibility to be a role model', as they are given a platform, thanks to their work on the runway.

Both Bella and Gigi have been confirmed to walk in the much-anticipated annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in November that will be held in Shanghai, China and broadcast a month later.

London Fashion Week, meanwhile, showcases the best of British and international fashion while hosting designer and trend catwalk shows, as well as industry talks.

The bi-annual event is a firm favourite in the celebrity calendar, drawing in a bevy of famous faces and in-demand models.
He's one of Australia's most well-known male modelling exports, and has worked for the likes of Tom Ford, Giorgio Armani and Hugo Boss.

And it seems that Jarrod Scott's global star is continuing to rise as he appears alongside supermodel Eva Herzigova as the face of Roberto Cavalli's 2017/2018 autumn winter campaign.

'It's been an incredible few months,' the 28-year-old said.

'It's been an incredible few months': Model Jarrod Scott's star continues to rise as he works alongside supermodel Eva Herzigova as the face of Roberto Cavalli's latest campaign

'Shooting with Eva Herzigova was great, she's one of the world's most iconic 90's supermodels,' Jarrod said.

'It's great to see the rest of the campaign.'

If that wasn't enough, Jarrod also revealed that before shooting the campaign with French photographer Jack Waterlot he was invited to Ferrari's Italian headquarters where he was lucky enough to design his own car.

With the dust barely settled around his recent fashionable exploits, Jarrod certainly isn't resting on his laurels.

Hot, hot, hot:Jarrod shows off his chiselled physique in the scorching campaign

He also revealed that, next week, he would be travelling to Paris for an Omega event with Cindy Crawford.

Jarrod will then return to home soil to attend events for Ferrari as well as putting the pedal to the metal for the World Time Attack Challenge in Sydney.

However, Jarrod won't be behind the wheel of his Ferrari but rather a Subaru WRX in the Pro-Am category.

International: Jarrod is pictured attending the Peroni Nastro Azzuro event to celebrate the prestigious Pitti Uomo in Florence
He was granted a hall pass over the summer as he 'took a break' from his girlfriend Tiffany Watson.

Yet this backfired for Sam Thompson, as fans watched his disastrous summer on Made In Chelsea: Ibiza, which saw the final nail get hammered into the coffin of his three-year relationship.

And now, the 25-year-old reality star has admitted he and Tiff, 23, are now not even speaking; and that Tiff has seemingly been sewing her oats.

Scroll down for video

'She's eh... enjoying men': MIC's Sam Thompson reveals he's 'not speaking' to ex Tiffany Watson after their Ibiza dramas... and hints she's DEFINITELY enjoying her new-found singledom

Estranged: Sam was granted a hall pass over the summer as he 'took a break' from his girlfriend Tiffany

'I'm not speaking to Tiff anymore, she is doing her own thing and I wish her well,' he admitted, speaking to Bang Showbiz at the 2017 Reality TV Awards on Monday. 'We work together and we film in the same room [but] you gotta put a brave face on and deal with it.'

He went on: 'She's eh... enjoying men. Coming back to MIC hasn't been easy, while I have been away, people have been busy.'

After shooting Made In Chelsea: Ibiza, Sam disappeared into lockdown for Celebrity Big Brother - where he made it through to the final and narrowly missed winning [Sarah Harding took the crown].

He mentioned in the house that he and Tiff weren't together, but expressed a hope that there was a future for them.

Happier times: Fans watched Sam's disastrous summer on Made In Chelsea: Ibiza, which saw the final nail get hammered into the coffin of his three-year relationship

Not speaking: The 25-year-old reality star has admitted he and Tiff, 23, are now not even speaking; and that Tiff has seemingly been sewing her wild oats

The other woman: Sam ended up in a will they/won't they situation with X Factor contestant and fellow CBB housemate Amelia Lily

Yet he ended up in a will they/won't they situation with X Factor contestant and fellow CBB housemate Amelia Lily.

Could Amelia appear on Made In Chelsea season 14, therefore?

He explained: 'It has been jokingly discussed but she is a very talented girl and she is doing shows and everything so there is no need for her to even come near but we have joked about it. She's a performer she's super talented, I wouldn't hold my breath.

'They are filming the next series, it's fun it's my job I've loved it for years, It's cool I'm enjoying everything.'

The other, other woman: Over the summer, Sam was seen enjoying the Ross and Rachel-esque break from Tiff, during which he went to Ibiza without her and found he had a romantic connection with co-star Mimi Bouchard

The sister: Louise, Sam's older sister, was seen caught in the middle of the Ibiza-based dramas

Co-stars: The cast of the show gathered on Tuesday for the Made In Chelsea season 14 photo-call [Emily Blackwell and Victoria Baker-Harber pictured]

Going strong: One of the only couples not left in tatters from the group's summer away are Julius Cowdrey and Ella Wills

Sam also adamantly insisted that he and Amelia are simply a casual thing for now.

'It's really nice, it's growing organically but we are not boyfriend and girlfriend. We're just going on a couple of dates and are really enjoying ourselves,' he said. 'We've shared a kiss and we have done more since coming outside the house but I don't even know if I even wanna be in a relationship. She's definitely wife material 100 per cent but I am not ready for that yet.'

Over the summer, Sam was seen enjoying the Ross and Rachel-esque break from Tiff, during which he went to Ibiza without her and found he had a romantic connection with co-star Mimi Bouchard.

This rocked the boat for Tiff, who suddenly descended upon the island from her foray around the continent, and enraged her to the point that Mimi and Sam were over before they'd begun.

Single again: Jamie Laing and Alex Mytton both find themselves single this season

Back for more: Daisy Robins will return to the new season having avoided any run-ins in Ibiza

The pair then became locked in a bitter argument over the dinner table during a party hosted by Julius Cowdrey, at which Tiff turned up with a random man she had met abroad.

Sam and Tiff attempted to clarify their relationship status before leaving Ibiza, but it ended with more tears.

Sam then returned to the UK and entered CBB, where he became close to Amelia.

The cast of the show gathered on Tuesday for the Made In Chelsea season 14 photo-call, which saw the likes of co-stars Alex Mytton, Victoria Baker-Harber, Georgia Toffolo, Olivia Bentley and Sam Prince gather since their tumultuous summer in Ibiza.

Made In Chelsea returns to screens in October on E4.
Ariel Winter posted a three-page rant on Instagram Monday night to, yet again, address the haters and body-shamers getting under her skin on social media.

'I'm trying to live my life!' the actress, 19, wrote to her combined 4.7M followers after she was criticized by trolls for her racy outfit choice at Sunday night's Emmy Awards.

'People wear shorts. People have wardrobe malfunctions. No one is perfect. I'm not a stylist! I don't know what to wear everyday so I look "appropriate" or "fashionable."

Scroll down for video

'#haters': Ariel Winter posted a three-page rant on Instagram Monday night to, yet again, address the haters and body-shamers getting under her skin on social media

'Also, screw having to always look appropriate or fashionable. For what? Society? Who gets to decide what is appropriate or fashionable? I wear what I like and no one should fault me for that.'

The four-time SAG Award winner frequently finds herself defending her scantily-clad tendencies to wear denim 'panties' and PVC mini-dresses.

'Just because I DECIDE to show my body occasionally doesn't mean I'm unintelligent or that I'm talentless or that I have no self respect,' Ariel continued.

'I have EXTREME respect for myself, I HAVE talent, and I AM intelligent. We need to move on from this stigma that women who are comfortable with their bodies and their sexuality are just "dumb s***s (sic).'

The 19-year-old actress wrote: 'I'm trying to live my life. People wear shorts. People have wardrobe malfunctions. No one is perfect.'

Ariel continued: 'Just because I DECIDE to show my body occasionally doesn't mean I'm unintelligent or that I'm talentless or that I have no self respect.'

'I'm not a stylist!' The four-time SAG Award winner frequently finds herself defending her scantily-clad tendencies to wear denim 'panties' and PVC mini-dresses

Winter was also very 'disappointed' that fans chose to only focus on comments she made about her estranged mother Crystal Workman 'sexualizing' her from age 8 in a recent THR interview.

'I'd also like to address the tweets I get saying "you accused your mother of sexualizing you yet you're a w****." I was a CHILD being dressed like I was 24,' the Modern Family starlet lamented.

'I was 8-13 years old. I wasn't an ADULT as I am now. As you mature at 16, 17, 18, you further develop your own identity and can make decisions for yourself.

'As a child, you do as you're told regardless of what is good for you. I'm an ADULT now, who can make my own choices and have my own identity (sic).'

In the aforementioned article, released by The Hollywood Reporter, she said her mother sexualized her starting at the age of seven and would dress her 'in the smallest miniskirts, sailor suits, low-cut things, the shortest dresses ever.'

Ariel said: 'People thought I was 24 when I was 12. If there was going to be a nude scene when I was that age, my mother would have a thousand percent said yes.'

The Smurfs actress was last seen baring her legs in a Steven Khalil 2018 couture halter gown alongside her boyfriend of 16 months, Levi Meaden, 30, at Sunday night's Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

#rant: Ariel went on for three pages as she spoke out in defense of her wardrobe choices

'I was a CHILD being dressed like I was 24': Winter was also very 'disappointed' that fans chose to only focus on comments she made about her estranged mother 'sexualizing' her

The Modern Family starlet lamented: 'I'd also like to address the tweets I get saying "you accused your mother of sexualizing you yet you're a w****." (pictured in 2012)

Live-in love: The Smurfs actress was last seen baring both legs in a Steven Khalil 2018 couture halter gown alongside her boyfriend of 16 months, Levi Meaden, 30, at the Emmys

The talented young actress has spoken out on numerous occasions about the body shaming she has faced in the past.

Ariel's mother, Crystal Workman recently lashed out at her estranged daughter's choice of outfits in an interview with US Weekly magazine.

Speaking in June, she said: 'She needs to grow up. I would tell her to dress properly, be the beautiful person she is. I feel sad that she feels the need to expose herself when its not necessary.

'Ariel is smart, beautiful and talented. She is a legitimate actress. She does not need to do this. She is beautiful with her clothes on.'

Talented and beautiful: The former child star defended her wardrobe choices, explaining she has 'extreme respect' for herself (pictured last week)

Girl about town: Ariel hit back at criticism of her decision to wear tiny shorts (pictured out and about in Los Angeles last week)

The star was taken into the care of her older sister in a court-ordered guardianship in May 2014, before declaring that she was officially emancipated via her Twitter page in May 2015.

Ariel will next resume her role as wholesome Caltech student Alex Dunphy in the 22-episode ninth season of the mockumentary series, which premieres September 27 on ABC.

Winter will also likely attend the October 6 or 8 screening of her indie flick Dog Years (in which she plays wildchild-turned-chauffeur Lil) at the San Diego International Film Festival.

According to Deadline, A24 and DirecTV acquired the North American distribution rights to the road trip drama also starring Burt Reynolds, Chevy Chase, and Ellar Coltrane

The aspiring federal prosecutor graduated from Campbell Hall School last year, and she had planned on beginning her pre-law studies at UCLA this fall.

Premieres September 27! Ariel will next resume her role as wholesome Caltech student Alex Dunphy in the 22-episode ninth season of the ABC mockumentary series
She is an acclaimed fashion designer who is known for her sartorial prowess.

But fresh from her successful New York Fashion Week SS18 show, Victoria Beckham took a break from colourful couture for her return to London on Tuesday.

The former Spice Girl, 43, reverted to a old favourite as she she slipped her braless frame into a simple white t-shirt yet again, which showcased her toned arms and pert bust as she headed to the Instagram live launch of her make-up range.

Scroll down for video

Elegant: fresh from her successful New York Fashion Week SS18 show, Victoria Beckham took a break from colourful couture for her return to London on Tuesday

Fashion favourite:The former Spice Girl, 43, reverted to a old favourite as she she slipped her braless frame into a simple white t-shirt yet again, which showcased her toned arms and pert bust as she headed to the Instagram live launch of her make-up range

She paired the low-key shirt with a pair of elegant yet incredibly baggy black trousers, which swamped her slender legs.

The heel loving mother-of-four paired the casual look with a pair of white stilettos.

Her brunette tresses were styled into an elegant updo and she accessorised with a leather clutch.

Opting for her usual pouty repertoire of poses, the star slicked her lips with a pink gloss and enhanced her radiant complexion with a dash of bronzer.

Chic: She paired the low-key shirt with a pair of elegant yet incredibly baggy black trousers, which swamped her slender legs

Posh Spice: She paired the low-key shirt with a pair of elegant yet incredibly baggy black trousers, which swamped her slender legs

She kept her sparkling peepers hidden behind futuristic shades.

The plain white t-shirt is a tried and tested look from Victoria, who was spotted sporting the wardrobe staple a record three days in a row during New York Fashion Week earlier this month.

Victoria has just returned to the UK after debuting her SS18 collection at New York Fashion Week - which focused on pastel colours with clean lines with pops of vibrant gingham print.

Met with rave reception from guests and critics, the runway presentation was also attended by her loving husband David and their children, who were quick to rave about the collection on social media.

Her eldest son Brooklyn, who has just started university in the Big Apple, shared a number of snaps from behind-the-scenes with his dad, including a handsome selfie of the pair.

Glowing: Opting for her usual pouty repertoire of poses, the star slicked her lips with a pink gloss and enhanced her radiant complexion with a dash of bronzer

Strut: Her brunette tresses were styled into an elegant updo and she accessorised with a leather clutch

Multi-tasker: She kept her sparkling peepers hidden behind futuristic shades

Haven't we seen this before?The plain white t-shirt is a tried and tested look from Victoria, who was spotted sporting the wardrobe staple a record three days in a row during New York Fashion Week earlier this month

Seeing triple:The wardrobe staple got a lot of fashion mileage as Victoria paired it with a skirt and jeans on two further days

Family first: Victoria's proud husband David, 42, and son Brooklyn (2nd left) were in the audience at her SS18 NYFW show (pictured above with son Romeo, 15 in June)

Meanwhile David, 42, also took to Instagram to post a selfie of him and his 18-year-old - and congratulated his wife in the caption.

He wrote proudly: 'Great show today, very proud to be in NYC with this handsome young man @victoriabeckham'.

Earlier this month the mother-of-four gave an insight into how she juggles her working life with being 'the best wife and mum', admitted that she expects a lot of her body during busy times.

Speaking to The Times' LUXX Magazine last week, the former Spice Girl confessed: 'It's not easy. I'm a bit of a control freak.

'I love what I do, and I always want to be the best - whether that's designing an amazing collection, putting on the best fashion show, creating a make-up collection, being the best mum, the best wife.'
She is known for her striking sense of style, which she often showcases to her 1.3 million fans on Instagram.

And Olivia Buckland, 23, put on another sartorial display on Tuesday, as she arrived at the Innovation X: A Portrait of India show during London Fashion Week.

However the showcase, held at the Freemasons' Hall, soon descended into chaos - after all guests were evacuated onto the street due to a bomb scare.

Scroll down for video

Think pink! Olivia Buckland put on another sartorial display on Tuesday, as she arrived at the Innovation X: A Portrait of India show during London Fashion Week

Terrifying: However the showcase, held at the Freemasons' Hall, soon descended into chaos - after all guests were evacuated onto the street due to a bomb scare (above)

Guests at the event took to Twitter to document the incident, which reportedly saw a fire alarm go off in the building, before an evacuation was organised due to a suspicious package inside.

One attendee shared a snap of a policeman outside, captioned: 'we had to evacuate for a suspect package in freemasons hall. sucks', while another posted an image of 'explosive officers' arriving outside the building.

Fashion Scout, the hosts of all SS18 shows at the venue, also announced that the hall's alarm had gone off on their social media pages - before confirming it as a scare, and informing guests they could re-enter the building.

Scary: Guests were seen crowding on the street outside the venue after the scare

Disrupted: Models in the show were also seen being escorted onto the street in their get-up from the show

Scary: One attendee shared a snap of a policeman outside on Twitter, captioned: 'we had to evacuate for a suspect package in freemasons hall. sucks' (above)

Helping hands: Another posted an image of 'explosive officers' arriving outside the building

Reassuring: Fashion Scout, the hosts of all SS18 shows at the venue, later confirmed it as a scare, and informed guests they could re-enter the building

It is not known whether Olivia was caught up in the chaos, having made a confident arrival at the bash earlier on, in a form-fitting pink jumpsuit.

The one-piece remained demure by following the style of a classic suit, complete with clean-cut lapels and long sleeves.

However upping the sex appeal, the collar plunged into a deep V at the chest, to tease at Olivia's braless frame and tattooed cleavage underneath.

Staying strong: It is not known whether Olivia was caught up in the chaos, having made a confident arrival at the bash earlier on, in a form-fitting pink jumpsuit

Tying at her slim waist with a ribbon tie, the jumpsuit then skimmed her long and slender legs to the floor, where it met a quirky pair of matching pink fluffy sliders.

Only making the outfit more trendy, the reality star accessorised with a printed black handbag and a pair of geek-chic glasses, which drew attention to her perfectly contoured make-up look.

Piling her blonde locks into a messy bun, the beauty was the picture of casual glamour as she posed for cameras outside the event.

Svelte: Tying at her slim waist with a ribbon tie, the jumpsuit then skimmed her long and slender legs to the floor, where it met a quirky pair of matching pink fluffy sliders

Showing her stripes: Olivia was joined by her close friend and former co-star Tina Stinnes, who displayed her leggy figure in a thigh-skimming leather skirt and plunging striped blouse

Olivia was joined by her close friend and former co-star Tina Stinnes, who displayed her leggy figure in a thigh-skimming leather skirt and plunging striped blouse.

Keeping co-ordinated from head to toe, the blonde then accessorised with towering red heels - which matched her glamorous slick of scarlet lipstick.

The girls, who formed a friendship on Love Island last year, appeared to be very much enjoying their girly day out together, as they giggled endlessly while heading inside.

Olivia has been seen at a number of high-profile fashion events this week, after rising to fame on the beloved ITVBe series last July.

Just the two of us: The girls, who formed a friendship on Love Island last year, appeared to be very much enjoying their girly day out together, as they giggled while heading inside

The blonde placed in second on the show with her partner Alex Bowen, and the pair later became engaged over Christmas after a whirlwind five-month romance.

The Essex native recently revealed that she and Alex were even keen to start a family, and planned to come off birth control after their nuptials next September.

Speaking to new! magazine, Olivia revealed: 'Alex really wants to be a dad and loves spending time with my little sister, Ayla.

'We've decided I'll come off the pill after we get married next September. Hopefully I'll get pregnant within a year after that. We're all grown up!'
Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen have split, according to several reports on Tuesday.

The duo, who have two-year-old daughter Briar Rose together, have been in a relationship on and off for almost 10 years but never married.

'She's full-time back in L.A. He's in Toronto,' a source told UsWeekly, adding 'Theyve been on the outs for a couple of months.'

Scroll down for video

It's over: Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen have called it quits after 10 years and one daughter together

The insider goes on to say that the couple are 'completely, officially done.'

The actors - both 36 - met on the set of Jumper in 2007 and got engaged in December 2008.

In August 2010 they quietly called off their engagement but reconciled three months later.

The Nashville actress gave birth to their daughter in October 2014.

Hayden later revealed to People that the name Briar Rose is a nod to Disney, explaining, 'Theres a Disney reference there, I suppose. The original Sleeping Beauty is called Briar Rose.'

The last time the couple were pictured together was in June when Rachel visited Hayden on the set of his new movie Little Italy

'We love you so much': In April the O.C. star paid tribute to her partner with this sweet Instagram snap and message

Touching: The Nashville star also shared a Father's Day message from their two-year-old daughter in June

On becoming a father the actor gushed to E! News: 'I have this little angel in my life now and Rachel and I are so thrilled,' he said. 'We don't sleep as much as we used to, but it's all so worth it.'

The O.C. actress was last pictured with Hayden in June when she visited him on the Toronto set of his new movie Little Italy.

Rachel's last Instagram post to feature the Vancouver-born star was a father's day message from their daughter scrawled on a notepad and in April she wished him a happy birthday.

Alongside a close-up shot of the actor gazing off into the distance, Rachel gushed: 'Happy Birthday Handsome  we love you so much #10yearsandcounting #superdaddy #birthdayboy'.

The same month it was reported that the actors had sold their sprawling Sherman Oaks home in a private off-market deal for $3.8 million.

Going solo: The 36-year-old actress looked lovely as she attended New York Fashion Week events earlier this month

Out and about: The Nashville star was spotted out with a mystery man on July 31 in Los Angeles

While offloading the property could have been seen as a hint that all was not well with the duo, just last month Rachel discussed the idea of having more children with the Star Wars star.

She told Lapalme magazine: 'I may have another child, that's still up in the air. I'm having so much fun with the one right now. I want to be happy and content. All the life BS that happens doesn't matter. You want to be happy, you want your kid to be happy and you want everyone in your life to be healthy and happy.'

The Hart of Dixie star opened up about her life with the actor in a May 2013 interview with Cosmopolitan.

Sports fan: Hayden, 36, is pictured at a basketball game in Toronto in May

'I'm a really good girlfriend  I always put all that first in my life. I'm definitely the person who would make him his favorite dinner to come home to,

'I love to cook, so we make dinner at home a lot and watch movies.'

In a following interview with Cosmopolitan UK, Rachel revealed: 'I've always been a big romantic, and I look forward to all those things. I've been in a relationship for six years and I'm happy,'

'To have a partner is one of the greatest things. I've always been a fan of love! I love any movie or book or anything to do with love because I'm a romantic.'

Before getting together with Hayden, Rachel dated her O.C. co-star Adam Brody from 2003 to 2006.

Family: Rachel and Hayden (pictured in October 2014) have two-year-old daughter Briar Rose together
She has declared she will raise her unborn child alone, after splitting with ex Arthur Collins following his arrest in connection to a nightclub acid attack.

And pregnant Ferne McCann seemed to embracing her independence, as she revealed her mum Gill will be her birthing partner on the big day in eight weeks time.

The former TOWIE star, 27, who recently moved out of her mother's house, added that she plans to have a hypnobirth for her first pregnancy.

Scroll down for video

Single mother: Pregnant Ferne McCann seemed to embracing her independence, as she revealed her mum Gill will be her birthing partner on the big day in eight weeks time

'Moving out of my mum's was weird and a big step,' she told New! magazine.

Ferne has been attending hypnobirth classes with Gill - which involves simple but specific self-hypnosis, relaxation and breathing techniques for the big day.

'We're going through hypnobirthing and everything, which is really important to do with your birthing partner,' the Celebs Go Dating star said.

Ferne previously shared a snap of her and Gill lying on a sofa practising some hypnobirth techniques.

She captioned it: 'Relaxing with my birthing partner whilst learning birthing techniques.'

Ferne, who still hasn't found out the sex of her baby, added that she has decided on a girl's name but is having trouble finding a boy's name she likes.

Family affair: Ferne, pictured with mum Gil, said: 'We're going through hypnobirthing and everything, which is really important to do with your birthing partner'

Big day: The former TOWIE star, 27, who recently moved out of her mother's house, added that she plans to have a hypnobirth for her first pregnancy

The Essex beauty, who suffered sickness and nausea in her first trimester, added that she is feeling better and 'totally loves' her body and hopes her 'big boobs' will stay after the birth.

'This is the first time I've totally loved my body. I love the bump so much. I definitely recommend oiling up your bump and boobs every single morning and evening,' she divulged candidly.

The reality star is also maintaining her fitness levels despite nearing ever closer to the due date, posting a clip of her third trimester workout on Saturday.

She wrote: 'Now I'm in my 3rd trimester and my bump is growing big, I am definitely feeling it a lot more!

Like mother, like daughter: Ferne previously shared a snap of her and Gill lying on a sofa practising some hypnobirth techniques

Relaxing: Ferne has been attending hypnobirth classes with Gill - which involves simple but specific self-hypnosis, relaxation and breathing techniques for the big day

'However I still like to keep active and believe if you're motivated and get yourself to the gym to work out it will produce more energy!

'I have loved keeping active whilst being pregnant! It's good for the mind, body and soul.'

Ferne split from Arthur Collins earlier this year, amid allegations that he carried out an acid attack at an east London club that left 22 people injured.

It was reported this summer that the former TOWIE star had gone to visit the 25-year-old scaffolder and businessman at HMP Thameside in south London in the past two weeks.

A source stressed that the couple were 'certainly not' rekindling their romance, claiming that Ferne was visiting Arthur to discuss matters surrounding their unborn child.

It's over: Ferne split from Arthur earlier this year, amid allegations that he carried out an acid attack at an east London club that left 22 people injured

A source told The Sun: 'They are most certainly not back together and she has no intentions of doing so. But she saw him to discuss certain matters, given she is carrying his unborn child. She clearly didn't want to be seen as she went in and kept a very low profile.'

The insider claimed that Ferne was keen to keep a low profile and arrived at the Greenwich prison, ahead of Arthur's trial in October, wearing a hoodie.

MailOnline had contacted a representative for Ferne for comment at the time.

Her outing comes as Arthur denied carrying out an acid attack which left two clubbers partially blinded and others disfigured.

The 25-year-old pleaded not guilty in June to six counts of causing grevious bodily harm and 11 of actual bodily harm when he appeared at Wood Green Crown Court today via video link from HMP Thameside.

A 24-year-old man and 22-year-old woman were each blinded in one eye while up to 18 others were burnt after the attack outside the Mangle nightclub in Dalston, east London in April.
She recently rescued two cute pups from Hurricane Harvey.

And on Monday Naomi Watts took one of the dogs for a stroll around her neighbourhood in New York with her older son Alexander.

Dressed in a casual ensemble, the 48-year-old cut a radiant figure as she picked up groceries with her 10-year-old.

Radiant: On Monday Naomi Watts took one of the dogs for a stroll around her neighbourhood in New York with her older son Alexander

The actress paired a white shirt and sleeveless navy jumper with a pair of Khaki pants.

She accessorised with a pair of brown brogues and a black leather rucksack.

She shielded her eyes with a pair of mirror reflective shades with pink rims.

Casual Mondays! Alexander also wore casual outfit, dressed in a pair of blue shorts and black T-shirt, he walked the dog alongside his mum

Alexander also wore casual outfit, dressed in a pair of blue shorts and black T-shirt, he walked the dog alongside his mum.

Meanwhile Naomi's other son Samuel was one of the hits of the 69th annual Emmy Awards in LA on Sunday evening.

Big hit: Naomi's other son Samuel (far left) was one of the hits of the 69th annual Emmy Awards in LA on Sunday evening

Father Liev Schreiber was one proud dad at the Emmys on Sunday night, where he was nominated for his work on Ray Donovan.

Opting to take the youngster along as his date to the awards show, the actor, 49, shared a series of photos of his son on his Instagram page throughout the evening as they enjoyed their night at the Microsoft Theater.

Both dressed in matching tuxedos and bow ties, Liev seemed happy to be able to share the evening with his little boy.

After arriving at the awards show, the pair posed for a series of photos together on the red carpet.

Standing in front of his dad, Samuel could be seen clutching Liev's hands as they stood in front of photographers.

Doting dad: Opting to take the youngster along as his date to the awards show, the actor, 49, and his youngest son enjoyed their night at the Microsoft Theater

Sweet: Liev later shared a photo of Samuel gazing at him from the backseat of their car. 'How lucky am I? #Kai #bestdateever,' read the caption

The pair appeared to have had a great night, with Liev later sharing a photo of Samuel with Millie Bobby Brown on Instagram.

'Shut the front door!!! We can go home now,' he captioned the adorable photo, which shows the 13-year-old Stranger Things actress giving him a hug from behind.

Despite losing to Sterling K Brown in his category, Liev still seemed to keep in good spirits.

Liev and Naomi, who is now linked to Billy Crudup, dated for several years before splitting in September 2016.

Like father, like son: Both dressed in matching tuxedos and bow ties, Liev - who was nominated for his role in Ray Donovan - looked every bit the proud father
Selena Gomez got absolutely soaked on the set of Woody Allen's untitled drama in Manhattan's Greenwich Village on Tuesday.

In the scene, the 25-year-old pop diva dashed across a bustling Big Apple street wearing a sheer white T-shirt under an orange bomber, skinny blue jeans, and white sneakers.

But the 'Texican' beauty kept a smile on her face as she toted no less than four bags while catching a taxicab for a ride.

Scroll down for video

Drenched! Selena Gomez got absolutely soaked on the set of Woody Allen's untitled drama in Manhattan's Greenwich Village on Tuesday

Selena scraped her brunette bob into a partial updo for the action sequence and she sported minimal make-up.

Gomez's sighting came five days after she revealed on Instagram that she underwent a kidney transplant, thanks to friend and donor Francia Raisa, as a result of Lupus.

The 13 Reasons Why executive producer was clearly feeling well enough to work with the demanding, 81-year-old filmmaker, whose Amazon series Crisis in Six Scenes starring Miley Cyrus bombed.

Principal photography began September 11 on what will mark the four-time Oscar winner's 50th feature film.

Rain machine: In the scene, the 25-year-old pop diva dashed across a bustling Big Apple street wearing a sheer white T-shirt under an orange bomber, skinny blue jeans, and white sneakers

All for the cameras: But the 'Texican' beauty kept a smile on her face as she toted no less than four bags while catching a taxicab for a ride

On the go: Selena scraped her brunette bob into a partial updo for the action sequence and she sported minimal make-up

On the mend! Gomez's sighting came five days after she revealed on Instagram that she underwent a kidney transplant, thanks to friend and donor Francia Raisa, as a result of Lupus

Many celebrities choose to look the other way when it comes to Woody (born Allan Konigsberg), who married ex-partner Mia Farrow's daughter Soon-Yi and allegedly molested her daughter Dylan.

Joining the Fetish songstress was her 21-year-old castmate Timothee Chalamet (last seen in Scott Cooper's Hostiles), who hid beneath an umbrella between takes.

Aside from the native New Yorker, Allen enlisted Jude Law, Liev Schreiber, Elle Fanning, Rebecca Hall, Kelly Rohrbach, and Diego Luna for the 2018 flick.

As for her Grammy-winning boyfriend The Weeknd, he'll take his 95-date Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour to Ohio's Schottenstein in Columbus on Tuesday night.

Loves those former child stars: The 13 Reasons Why executive producer was clearly feeling well enough to work with the 81-year-old filmmaker, whose Amazon series Crisis in Six Scenes starring Miley Cyrus bombed

Controversial: Principal photography began September 11 on what will mark the four-time Oscar winner's 50th feature film

Yikes: Many celebrities choose to look the other way when it comes to Allen, who married ex-partner Mia Farrow's daughter Soon-Yi and allegedly molested her daughter Dylan

Co-stars: Joining the Fetish songstress was her 21-year-old castmate Timothee Chalamet (last seen in Scott Cooper's Hostiles), who hid beneath an umbrella between takes

Woody avatar: Aside from the native New Yorker (pictured), Allen enlisted Jude Law, Liev Schreiber, Elle Fanning, Rebecca Hall, Kelly Rohrbach, and Diego Luna for the 2018 flick

On her own: As for her Grammy-winning boyfriend The Weeknd, he'll take his 95-date Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour to Ohio's Schottenstein in Columbus on Tuesday night

Earlier, Selena kept her newly-adopted Cavalier King Charles Spaniel by her side as she made her way on set.

Wrapped up in a long black, white and grey plaid winter coat, the Come & Get It songstress carried her adorable puppy to her side.

Selena sported her new favorite pair of black sweat pants which featured fringing around her ankles.

The Spring Breakers actress wore a matching small black T-shirt underneath her large wool coat.

Cuddled up: Earlier, Selena kept her newly-adopted Cavalier King Charles Spaniel by her side as she made her way on set

Squeee! The brunette beauty cradled the adorable puppy

Mommy and me! Wrapped up in a long black, white and grey plaid winter coat, the Come & Get It songstress carried her adorable puppy to her side

Gomez walked through the Manhattan set in a pair of white velcro sneakers which featured thick black soles.

The Hands to Myself songstress carried an over-sized white purse on her shoulder as she hurried to work.

She wore a pair of small round dark sunglasses over her dark brown eyes and wore her shoulder-length chestnut brown hair straight with a distinct part down the middle.

Staying busy as ever, Selena also announced on Instagram on Monday that she's partnered with Puma as the new face of their sportswear line.

Walk it out: She wore a pair of small round dark sunglasses over her dark brown eyes and wore her shoulder-length chestnut brown hair straight with a distinct part down the middle

Black on black: Selena sported her new favorite pair of black sweat pants which featured fringing around her ankles
Their schedules have been jam-packed with New York and London Fashion Week appearances, from the runways to the parties.

But models Doutzen Kroes and Winnie Harlow made time to open a new fashion store called Hudson's Bay in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on Tuesday.

Both plumping for masculine fashion options, the women displayed their sartorial flare at the red carpet launch.

Scroll down for video

Leggy looks: Doutzen Kroes and Winnie Harlow were guests of honour at the Hudson's Bay store launch in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on Tuesday

Doutzen couldn't be missed in a bright orange velvet suit that showed off her slim figure with a cigarette cut and a silk cami worn beneath.

Beside her, leggy Winnie stood to attention in a military-style ensemble, comprising knee-high boots and a khaki shirt.

To the kooky look, Winnie wore a cap with her glossy ravens locks left long behind her back.

Keeping up with commitments: The model duo have been busy with Fashion Week but still had time for the launch

A proud Canadian native, Winnie was the perfect choice to expand the portfolio of Toronto-based department store Hudson's Bay in the Netherlands, for the first time.

It was similarly a proud moment for Dutch Frisian model Doutzen, as the 347-year-old brand opened its doors on the Rokin.

The modelling duo showed no signs of fatigue, despite both staying out late at the LOVE magazine bash on Monday.

Red carpet watch: The cameras came out for the Hudson's Bay launch

Delighted: The duo seemed excited about the store launch

Winnie and Doutzen both joined stars an exclusive Miu Miu party at Liu Liu's to close London Fashion Week.

Guests including Jourdan Dunn, Lara Stone and Lottie Moss were dressed in Disco Galactica to celebrate the bi-annual event.

Doutzen was lithe in a pink co-ord while Winnie, fresh from the catwalk for Julien MacDonald, wore a jumper with leather leggings.

Outfit change: Doutzen opted for a more casual look, changing from her pastel pink jumpsuit as she kept the party going
As the daughter of a rocker, the sons of Hollywood actors and the sister of a model, their star credentials are impeccable.

And Anais Gallager, Rafferty Law, Gabriel Day-Lewis and Maddi Waterhouse cemented their status as the new kids on the fashion scene while attending Tommy Hilfiger's SS18 showcase during London Fashion Week.

The rising stars, who are all carving out careers in their own right, looked ready to take the fashion world by storm as they hung out ahead of the show on Tuesday.

Scroll down for video

New kids on the block: Anais Gallager, Rafferty Law, Gabriel Day-Lewis and Maddi Waterhouse cemented their status as the new kids on the scene while attending Tommy Hilfiger's SS18 showcase during London Fashion Week

FROW kids: (L to R) Anais Gallagher, her guest, Molly Moorish, Tigerlily Taylor, Pixie Geldof, Daisy Lowe and Chelsea Leyland

Anais, the 17-year-old daughter of Noel Gallagher and Meg Matthews, nailed the laid-back cool vibe in a preppy sweatshirt and white jeans.

The teenager beamed as she cosied up to Jude Law's model son Rafferty, 20, Daniel Day-Lewis' son Gabriel-Kane and Suki Waterhouse's sister Maddi, 18.

Maddi, who is the youngest of the three Waterhouse sisters, showcased her sartorial credentials in a cropped band T-shirt and metallic striped flares.

Meanwhile Rafferty, who bore an uncanny resemblance to a young Jude, kept things casual in a two-tone T-shirt and a pendant necklace.

Chic look: Maddie Waterhouse, 18, (left) proved she has the striking model look of her older sister Suki, 24 (right)

New generation: Anais, the 17-year-old daughter of Noel Gallagher and Meg Matthews, cosied up to Jude Law's model son, 20, Daniel Day-Lewis' son Gabriel-Kane and Suki Waterhouse's sister Maddi, 18

Like father, like son: Meanwhile, Rafferty Law (left) has followed in Jude's (right) early career footsteps by carving out a model career. His mother is former model Sadie Frost

Rocker royalty: Noel Gallagher's (right) daughter Anais (left), who hangs with a North London set that includes Brooklyn Beckham, proved she had inherited her father's good looks

Firm friends: The foursome had already bonded in February since walking in Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Fashion Week

Seeing double: Gabriel (left), 22, who is a model and musician, bore a striking resemblance to his famous father Daniel (right)

Ready for my close up: Anais Gallagher prepared backstage ahead of the Tommy Hilfiger show during London Fashion Week

Gabriel-Kane - who made his runway debut for Chanel in 2015 - who is a model and musician, bore a striking resemblance to his famous father Daniel.

Despite bleaching hair blonde, the rising star seemed to have inherited his dad's brooding stare, which he flashed while posing in a green jacket and striped T-shirt.

The foursome had already bonded in February since walking in Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Fashion Week.

And they appeared to have strengthened their rapport since then, looking thick as thieves as they cosied up for photos at the show.

Three's a crowd: Rafferty and Gabriel, who boast budding model careers, seemed right at home at the show

Good night? Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis and Anais Gallagher hung out, outside the venue, after the show

Holy smokes: The youngsters joined together for a group puffing session

It was a case of fashion deja vu for Anais and Rafferty, who also attended Tommy Hilfiger's collection with Gigi Hadid earlier this year.

And it is no wonder Anais was invited to the event, as one of the rising stars in the modelling world.

The blonde is currently giving the fashion industry's veterans a run for their money, having already graced the cover of fashion bibles Wonderland and L'Officiel.

However in March, Anais - who has been signed Select Model Management since she was 13 - revealed that her famous dad wasn't keen on her following in his musical footsteps.

She told The Sun: '[Modelling] is not their first choice for me but my dad definitely wouldn't want me to go into music.

Sartorial stars: Anais beamed as she wrapped an arm around model Gabriel-Kane

After party? The kids headed off into the night to attend the Disco Galactica party

'If you have ever heard me sing or play an instrument you would appreciate that.'

Meanwhile Rafferty has also enjoyed his fair share of time behind the camera - having modelled for Dolce & Gabbana in October alongside the sons of industry icons Daniel Day-Lewis, Cindy Crawford and Pamela Anderson.

Proving there a multiple strings to his bow however, Rafferty has more recently been focusing on a musical career instead.

The young star often DJs in his spare time, and was formerly in the band 'The Dirty Harry's' along with his best friend Marley, son of Pulps bassist Steve Mackey.

And Gabriel was born to Daniel and Isabelle Adjani, when she shared a six-year relationship with the Last Of The Mohicans actor between 1989 to 1995.

Like mother, like son: Rafferty attended the show with his mother Sadie Frost, 52, who was married to Jude Law from 1997 util 2003

Keeping it casual: Anais Gallagher, the 17-year-old daughter of Noel Gallagher and Meg Matthews, look cool in a preppy sweatshirt and white jeans

Getting on famously: The pair seemed to be having a whale of a time as they posed together

Daniel reportedly announced that he was leaving the actress via fax, though he has never spoken about why he walked out before Gabriel's birth.

The notoriously private actor has only been married once, after tying the knot with current partner Rebecca Miller in 1996.

Gabriel now has half brothers Ronan Cal, 16, and Cashel Blake, 12, but remains very close to mother Isabella.

She recently gushed over his editorial in Rollacoaster magazine and bought five copies of the issue, as he called her his 'number one fan'.

Friends in high places: The teenager cosied up to Youtube star Cameron Dallas, 23

Off she goes: Sara Sampaio was seen leaving the Disco Galactica Party during London Fashion Week

Little is known about Gabriel and Daniel's relationship, though he was there to see his father accept a knighthood in 2014 and wrote a touching ode to his father last father's day via Instragram.

Meanwhile, Maddi is the youngest of three Waterhouse sisters, and the sibling of models Suki, 25, and Immy, 23, and also has a twin brother Charles.

The daughter of Harley Street plastic surgeon Norman Waterhouse and his wife Elizabeth, a former nurse, has been busy carving out a career for herself in modelling just like her sisters.

In August she starred in a campaign, showcasing pieces from Suki's own accessories brand Pop & Suki.

Across the pond: American Cameron Dallas made an appearance at the event

Last call: Rafferty Law left with his scantily clad guests

Suki made sure to highlight her sister's latest modeling job on her social media account, sharing the images from the Pop & Suki campaign, while praising her younger sibling's effortless style.

'My sister is a total betty!' she captioned the post, before tagging her sister and adding a heart emoji.

Maddi landed her first cover for the teen edition of Tatler magazine last year.

When shes not striking a pose, Maddi runs with a glossy West London crowd that includes David and Victoria Beckhams son Brooklyn.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R), pictured in July 2017, discussed "North Korea's continued defiance of the international community and its efforts to destabilize Northeast Asia"

US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping committed to "maximizing pressure on North Korea", the White House said Monday, amid an escalating crisis over Pyongyang's ballistic and nuclear weapons programs.

In a phone call the two men discussed "North Korea's continued defiance of the international community and its efforts to destabilize Northeast Asia," the White House said.

"The two leaders committed to maximizing pressure on North Korea through vigorous enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions."

Trump is currently in New York for the United Nations General Assembly but Xi -- who has a major Communist Party congress that will cement his leadership for the next five years -- is not attending the event.

Trump is expected to make his first presidential visit to China in early November.

September has seen a significant ratcheting up of already sky-high tensions with Pyongyang.

Already North Korea has conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and staged an intermediate-range missile test over Japan.

The UN Security Council last week imposed a fresh set of sanctions, though Washington toned down its original proposals to secure support from China and Russia.

The US president has not ruled out a military option, which could leave millions of people in the South Korean capital -- and 28,500 US soldiers stationed in the South -- vulnerable to potential retaliatory attack.

The US flew four F-35B stealth fighter jets and two B-1B bombers over the Korean peninsula on Monday in a blunt show of force.

China's official news agency, Xinhua, said that during the phone conversation "Xi also expressed sympathy and solicitude to Trump and the American people for the hurricane attacks on the United States over the past few days."

"The two leaders also exchanged views on the current situation on the Korean Peninsula."
Ten US sailors died when the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with a tanker east of Singapore in August 2017

The US Senate overwhelmingly authorized $700 billion in defense spending Monday, a substantial increase over 2017 funding and nearly five percent more than President Donald Trump had requested.

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2018 allows for increased spending on new F-35 fighter jets, ships and M1 Abrams tanks, raises military pay by 2.1 percent and authorizes nearly $5 billion for Afghanistan security forces, including a program integrating women into the country's national defense.

It also authorizes $8.5 billion to boost US missile defense -- a full $630 million above Trump's baseline request -- at a time of heightened tensions with North Korea over its testing of nuclear devices and ballistic missiles.

The bill provides for $60 billion in war funding known as Overseas Contingency Operations, and boosted military enlistment figures by 7,000.

The legislation, one of the cornerstones of congressional bipartisanship over the decades, passed 89 to 8.

The House of Representatives passed its version in July, and the two chambers will now need to thrash out a compromise bill.

"It keeps faith with our men and women in uniform," Republican John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said of the bill he shepherded through the chamber.

McCain was quick to point to the increasing number of training accidents within the military, saying the lack of force readiness was a result of ever-tightening budgets that left the army, navy and other branches depleted.

"My friends, more of our men and women in uniform are now being killed in totally avoidable training accidents and routine operations than by our enemies in combat," McCain told his colleagues.

"Where is the outrage about this? Where is our sense of urgency to deal with this problem?"

The $700 billion is $91 billion beyond the spending caps outlined in the 2011 Budget Control Act, which demanded a "sequestration" of military spending in order to rein in federal costs.

McCain said it was imperative that Congress lift the spending caps on a bipartisan basis in order to fully fund military operations.

The legislation also funds European security programs with US allies, arguing that deterring "malign" Russian activities and aggression there "is an enduring function."
An opposition activist throws a molotov cocktail in Caracas on August 12, 2017, amid deadly clashes between protesters and security forces that killed 125 people from April to July

President Donald Trump warned Monday that Venezuela is "collapsing," suggesting the United States may take additional steps to restore democracy.

Trump told Latin American allies gathered on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly that President Nicolas "Maduro defied his own people" and was guilty of "disastrous rule" that may necessitate further punitive measures.

"The Venezuelan people are starving. Their country is collapsing," he said.

Washington has already slapped sanctions the crisis-stricken country and Trump warned on August 11 that the United States was mulling a range of options against Venezuela, "including a possible military option if necessary."

Trump did not repeat that warning, but said the United States was prepared to take further action, without offering details.

"Their democratic institutions are being destroyed," he said. "Our goal must be to help them and restore their democracy."

The meeting was attended by Colombia's Juan Manuel Santos, Brazil's Michel Temer, Panama's Juan Carlos Varela and Argentina's vice president Gabriela Michetti.
Nile river boats in Luxor at sunrise on September 10, 2017

Pummelled by political unrest and jihadist attacks, Egypt's tourism industry is slowly growing again, but too slowly for thousands of bazaar workers who fondly recall when tourists thronged their stores.

Abu Aya owns a souvenir shop in the southern city of Luxor which is home to ancient pharaonic monuments, and he fondly remembers the days when the front pocket of his traditional Arabic robe sagged with cash.

Preparing a hot-air balloon for a sightseeing flight over Egypt's ancient city of Luxor on September 10, 2017

"Before 2011 it was filled with dollars and euros. Today the sellers just sit in front of their stores reading the papers because there are so few customers," the 47-year-old said.

In the promenade bazaar lined with shops selling souvenirs and incense, every business seemed to be suffering from the downturn.

For years the North African nation had worked to attract more tourists to its famed ancient sites and pristine Red Sea beaches, a policy that resulted in a record 14.7 million visitors in 2010.

Tourism in the Arab world's most populous country has long provided much-needed revenues.

But an uprising that unseated autocrat Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, followed by years of political unrest, rolled back the gains in a disaster to the four million people whose jobs at the time relied on the tourism industry.

Luxor's Temple of Hatshepsut (top R) and the Ramesseum temple (top L) seen from a hot-air balloon on September 10, 2017

A jihadist insurgency that erupted in 2013 also took its toll. Two years later, security forces mistakenly killed eight Mexican tourists they thought were "terrorists".

- Public relations blitz -

Waiting for customers in the bazaar in Egypt's southern town of Luxor on September 9, 2017

In October 2015, the Islamic State group said it downed a Russian airliner in the Sinai after it took off from a Red Sea resort, killing all 224 people on board.

Visitor numbers plunged from 9.3 million in 2015 to 5.3 million the following year.

A public relations blitz by the tourism industry including international events and slick advertisements has had some effect, tourism officials say.

Hotel occupancy rates in Luxor are expected to reach 30 percent by the end of the year, compared with 23 percent in 2016 and 17 percent in 2015, said Maher Abdel Hakim, an expert on the hospitality industry who runs a tourism promotion group.

Luxor Temple in the southern Egyptian town of Luxor on September 9, 2017

But there is still a long way to go, as suggested by the desperate shop owners and drivers of horse-drawn carriages who resort to pleading for business.

"I'll accept whatever you pay -- I just want to buy fodder for the horse," one yelled at potential clients outside the colossus-flanked entrance of the ancient Luxor Temple.

Sites such as Luxor -- once a pharaonic capital that still boasts stunning ancient temples -- have been hardest hit, compared with the beach resorts that continue to attract a diminished but steady flow of holidaymakers.

Luxor's Temple of Hatshepsut seen from a hot-air balloon on September 10, 2017

"Before the 2011 revolution, 1,500 French tourists would come to Luxor in just a week," said Ahmed Mahmoud, a 35-year-old former tourism industry worker who has since switched to teaching.

- 'The people are great' -

Abdel Hakim said the city's population and its tourism workers were suffering.

"Tourists in the past would walk around the historic sites, and ride carriages and buy souvenirs... everyone would profit," he said.

Abu Aya accepts that tourists have indeed begun to return. But "this hasn't yet been felt by the owners of bazaars and residents of the city".

He says that despite a bungled attack in a Luxor temple in 2015, the city is safe, a view Chinese tourist Ann Zhu agreed with.

"I feel Luxor is safer than Cairo, and the people here are great," said the 28-year-old who had just visited the Karnak temple where the attack was foiled.

Tourists from China have been among the most drawn to the ancient Egyptian sites over the past two years.

China's top public travel agency, China International Travel Service, reported a 58 percent increase in the number of tourists flying to Egypt compared with 2015.

"I've started speaking Chinese," said Ahmed Hassan, who operates a hot-air balloon that gives tourists the chance to experience a different perspective of the area's famous sites.
US President Donald Trump is expect to take a nationalistic tone in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly

US President Donald Trump will take aim at Iran and North Korea and strike a stridently nationalistic tone in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly Tuesday, rejecting the half-century-old drive toward global governance.

A top aide said Trump will take aim at "rogue regimes that threaten world stability and peace," singling out Pyongyang and Tehran during his half hour remarks and arguing responsible nations must step in to curb their behavior.

Trump has warned North Korea faces "fire and fury" if it does not abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and argued a global deal to curb Iran's uranium enrichment must be reworked.

In both instances, Trump's "America first" stance faces significant pushback from international partners -- from Russia to China to European allies -- who aides say Trump is likely to press to be tougher, but perhaps not name explicitly.

When he steps up to the famous green marble rostrum, Trump will also set out his vision for a world shorn of what one senior advisor familiar with the speech called the overarching "global bureaucracy."

Trump will argue nation states should be free to pursue their interests unfettered -- a contentious message for delegates to the world's foremost multilateral forum.

Since coming to office in January, Trump has sought to unravel US involvement in multilateral deals from the Paris climate accord to an agreement curbing Iran's nuclear program.

He has cancelled a major trans-Pacific trade pact, sought to renegotiate a free trade deal with Mexico and Canada and even threatened to leave the World Trade Organization.

Aides said Trump will not rule out accords between sovereign states -- such as those that underpin security in Europe and Asia -- but will argue against overbearing global governance.

- Nation-state -

"It's an appeal to each nation to use sovereignty as the basis for mutual cooperation, the idea being that rather than appealing to a top-down model of global bureaucracy, it's a model that's from the nation-state up," a senior official said.

"It is about the nation-state being the best vehicle, as the president has said before, for the elevation of the human condition."

During his first day at the UN General Assembly Trump warned that "bureaucracy" was holding the United Nations back, a barbed message to the world body he once derided as a talk shop.

Trump warned that as chief executive of the United States -- a founding member of the UN and its biggest financial contributor -- he wants a better return on his investment.

"The United Nations was founded on truly noble goals," he said, adding that while progress has been made, "in recent years the United Nations has not reached its full potential, because of bureaucracy and mismanagement."

- Low bar -

Allies and foes alike will rummage through Trump's speech on Tuesday for a better idea of how this lurching superpower foresees its future place in the world.

"The bar for success, as usual, is very low," said Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution. "If the president can make a half decent attempt at playing the role of the leader of the free world, everyone will breathe a sigh of relief."

"The risk, also as usual, is that he goes off script and says what he really thinks."

More tub-thumping at the UN would thrill his diehard fans at home, but bellicose warnings to North Korea would undoubtedly make Tokyo and Seoul -- both well within range of North Korean ballistic missiles -- uneasy.

Shredding the "bad deal" that curbs Iran's nuclear program could burnish Trump's hard-charging businessman brand, but would infuriate European allies and risk setting loose havoc across the Middle East.
A survey found more than half of European Union companies working in China felt they were being treated worse than local firms

European companies suffer from "promise fatigue" over China's failure to follow through on pledges to open its market, the EU Chamber of Commerce in China said Tuesday.

The chamber issued an annual 400-page report detailing the regulatory barriers that continue to hinder investment in the world's second-largest economy.

European businesses are "suffering from accumulated 'promise fatigue', having witnessed a litany of assurances over recent years that never quite materialised," the position paper said.

The chamber urged the ruling Communist Party to "supplant words with concrete actions and provide reciprocal access to its market".

The restrictions imposed on foreign investments force companies from abroad to partner with local firms and often share vital technology -- if they are not barred altogether from accessing a certain market, the chamber said.

Chinese firms face no such restrictions in EU markets, Chamber president Mats Harborn told reporters prior to the report's release.

"We are now calling for the abolition of foreign investment laws," he said, stating that they made China's investment climate too complex, unpredictable and opaque to attract foreign capital.

"The numbers speak for themselves: Chinese investments in Europe rose 77 percent last year, while EU investments in China fell by a quarter," Harborn said. EU investment fell a further 23 percent in the first quarter of 2017.

A May survey published by the Chamber showed 54 percent of EU companies operating in China felt they were treated worse than local counterparts.

A study in January by the American Chamber of Commerce in China found more than four in five US companies feel the country is less welcoming to foreign businesses than in the past.

The lack of access belies the rhetoric of Chinese leaders.

In January, President Xi Jinping hailed globalisation at the World Economic Forum in Davos and insisted that China was committed to "opening up".

Later that month a government circular pledged to "create an environment of fair competition" and "strengthen efforts to attract foreign investment".
Please Donate

In order to maintain this blog I have to pay for its upkeep including a hosting company, support services, virus and other malicious hackers.

If you appreciate what I write please make a donation.

Racist PayPal Tries to Close Down My Blog

As you can see from this article PayPal have removed my blog.

I would therefore ask people to make any future donations to the following:

Name of Account: Brighton and Hove Unemployed Workers Centre

Account No: 04094107

Sort Code: 09-01-50

Reference: Web donations
Residents look on as another resident (not seen) argues with a police officer as he tries to stop people from building a shower on a street outside their rooms, in a migrant village on the outskirts of Beijing

Surrounded by the sleek hi-tech campuses and luxury condominiums of "Beijing's Silicon Valley", migrants from the countryside recreate village life, cooking in outdoor communal areas, playing cards and showering in the street.

But their community's days are numbered.

Demolition crews will soon arrive to flatten its alleys packed with dilapidated, one-room dwellings as part of a city-wide "clean-up" campaign.

For months, the authorities have bricked up and torn down thousands of shops and homes that are deemed to violate Beijing's zoning laws as the government seeks to give the capital a facelift and limit the population to 23 million people by 2020.

A man gets a haircut on a street in a migrant village on the outskirts of Beijing

Migrants from China's relatively undeveloped southwestern region have lived precariously for two decades here in Zhongguancun -- which is also the base of hi-tech companies including Lenovo, Baidu, Tencent and Sohu, which help their own employees from other regions obtain legal rights to live in the capital.

- 'Village behind factories' -

Zhang Zhanrong, a stylish woman in her early thirties, moved to Beijing from a remote village as a teenager to look for work.

A man holds his baby outside his room in a migrant village on the outskirts of Beijing

She was following in the footsteps of her neighbours, who had sent word home to the rural outskirts of Chongqing that people earn much more in the capital.

They all settled in a plot of land in the northwest of the city, where they built common areas and piled their families into clusters of tiny apartments.

They call their adopted home Houchang Cun, which means "the village behind the factories," but no one knows why it was named that way because there are no factories nearby.

Zhongguancun has been a national base for the science and information technology industries since the 1980s.

"They don't want migrants here anymore. We're just ordinary rural people and we don't try to understand the government policies," Zhang told AFP.

"We haven't found another place yet," she said stoically, standing with one hand on her hip while making dinner at an outdoor communal gas stove.

She and her husband recently took out a loan to purchase two moving trucks. They employ neighbourhood residents as movers, who earn around 5,000 yuan ($760) a month, while Zhang and her husband together make over 15,000 yuan.

People relax on a street in a migrant village on the outskirts of Beijing

They earn more than the average income in Beijing's private sector, but most of it goes toward paying off the loans and saving for their children's schooling. They pay 1,000 yuan in rent per month for two adjacent rooms.

Meanwhile, the average salary at Chinese internet giant Tencent is 63,000 yuan a month, and rent for a one-bedroom apartment near the Tencent campus costs upwards of 5,000 yuan a month.

- Street showers -

China has hundreds of millions of migrants who have moved from the countryside to its towns and cities in recent decades to find work, their labour fuelling the country's economic boom.

People play Chinese chess on a street in a migrant village on the outskirts of Beijing

But many remain poorly paid and cannot afford to bring their children -- who would have few rights to school places -- with them, instead leaving them behind to be looked after by relatives.

Houchang residents told AFP they only heard about their pending evictions from property managers, and were not told why they are being kicked out.

"We do the jobs that many locals don't want to do, such as sanitation and heavy labour," said Peng Shuixian, a 30-year-old mother of two who works as a cleaner.

"But it is hard to stay. My kids couldn't get into school here. Now they're back in Chongqing with their grandparents," she said.

Most homes in Houchang do not have running water or toilets. Public facilities are filthy, but some enterprising residents have built showers by placing plastic barrels on wooden stilts and positioning them over gutters.

A woman walks out of her room in a migrant village on the outskirts of Beijing

"Some of us used to make 6,000 yuan a month as Didi (ride-share company) drivers. But the government said migrants can't drive Didi, so we had to find other work," said Yang Qiang, a mover who uses his homemade shower to cool off after strenuous jobs.

"We work, we live day by day. Can't talk about tomorrow," said a villager who has lived in Beijing the longest, 50-year-old Lin Huiqing.

-- This story accompanies a photo essay by Nicolas Asfouri --
Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi appealed for support from the global community over the Rohingya refugee crisis in a national address in Naypyidaw

Aung San Suu Kyi faced mounting criticism Tuesday over what some world leaders are now calling the "ethnic cleansing" of Myanmar's Rohingya minority, despite her plea for patience from the international community.

The head of Myanmar's civilian administration pledged to hold rights violators to account over the crisis in Rakhine state, but refused to blame Myanmar's powerful military for the attacks that have driven 421,000 Muslim Rohingya out of her mainly Buddhist country.

But her speech, delivered in English and clearly aimed at deflecting international anger as world leaders gathered at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, failed to quell international anger at reports that the Rohingya are being burned out of their homes.

"The military operation must stop, humanitarian access must be guaranteed and the rule of law restored in the face of what we know is ethnic cleansing," French President Emmanuel Macron told world leaders gathered for the week of high-level diplomacy.

The United States has been careful not to blame Myanmar's civilian leadership for the attacks because the country's military retains control of security operations in troubled areas like northern Rakhine, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was moved to call Suu Kyi.

While Tillerson welcomed the pledge to crack down on abuses, he also urged both the government and the military "to address deeply troubling allegations of human rights abuses and violations" during the telephone conversation, his spokeswoman said.

Macron and Tillerson's concerns echoed those of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who issued a blunt demand that Myanmar halt military operations and of Britain, which suspended training courses for the Myanmar military in light of the violence in Rakhine.

"The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access," Guterres told the General Assembly.

"They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long."

Amnesty International joined the outcry, saying Suu Kyi was "burying her head in the sand" over documented army abuses and claims of rape, murder and the systematic clearing of scores of villages.

And in New York, there was pressure from leaders like Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, who compared the crisis to the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

"If this tragedy in Myanmar is not stopped, the history of humanity will face the embarrassment of another dark stain," Erdogan said, calling for the Rohingya sheltering in Bangladesh to be allowed to return to the homes in which they "have lived for centuries."

In her long-anticipated speech, Suu Kyi -- a former political prisoner and Nobel Peace laureate who won international acclaim for her role in campaigning for a return to elected rule in Myanmar -- failed to offer any concrete way out of the crisis.

Supporters and observers say the 72-year-old lacks the authority to rein in the military, which ran the country for 50 years and only recently ceded limited powers to her civilian government.

Myanmar's army acts without civilian oversight and makes all security decisions, including its notorious scorched earth counterinsurgency operations.

- Repatriation pledge -

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25.

An army-led fightback has left scores dead and sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh.

In her 30-minute speech, Suu Kyi reached out to critics who have condemned her failure to speak up for the stateless Rohingya and promised to repatriate refugees in accordance with a "verification" process agreed with Bangladesh in the early 1990s.

"Those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems," she added.

Just under half of Rakhine's Rohingya population has poured into Bangladesh, where they now languish in one of the world's largest refugee camps.

In less than a month, just under half of Rakhine's million-strong Rohingya minority has poured into Bangladesh, where they languish in overcrowded refugee camps.

It was not immediately clear how many would qualify to return.

But their claims to live in Myanmar are at the heart of a toxic debate about the group, who are denied citizenship by the state and considered to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi's repatriation pledge "is new and significant," said Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar, explaining it could allow for the return of those who can prove residence in Myanmar -- rather than citizenship.

But in the monsoon-soaked shanties in Bangladesh, there was anguish among refugees over how they would meet any requirements.

"We don't have any papers," said 55-year-old Abdur Razzak.

"If the government is honestly speaking to resolve our crisis, then we are ready to go back now," he added. "Nobody wants to live in such squalid conditions as a refugee."

- No more violence? -

Suu Kyi insisted army "clearance operations" finished on September 5.

But AFP reporters have seen homes on fire in the days since then, while multiple testimonies from refugees arriving in Bangladesh suggest such operations have continued.

On Monday several hundred people gathered in downtown Yangon to rail against the UN, international NGOs and foreign media, as a siege mentality grows inside Myanmar.

Without blaming any group, Suu Kyi promised to punish anyone found guilty of abuses "regardless of their religion, race or political position."

And she insisted Rakhine was not a state in flames, saying: "More than 50 percent of the villages of Muslims are intact."

Around 170 Rohingya villages have been razed, the government admits. Rights groups say satellite evidence shows the damage is more widespread.

While stories of weary and hungry Rohingya have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for them among Myanmar's Buddhist majority.

Around 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.

Loathing for the Rohingya has brought the public, including pro-democracy activists, into an unlikely alignment with an army that once had them under its heel.

Suu Kyi's speech was warmly welcomed in Myanmar, even though no Burmese subtitles were provided.

"She told the real situation to the world on behalf of Myanmar people," Yu Chan Myae told AFP.
Hamza, the 15th of Osama bin Laden's 20 children has been groomed to follow in his father's footsteps since childhood

A photo montage published by Al-Qaeda to mark the 16th anniversary of 9/11 shows the face of Osama bin Laden in the flames of the Twin Towers.

At his side is his son Hamza, the "crown prince of jihad".

The young man, now 28, has appeared since childhood in the propaganda network founded by his father.

And now, some officials and analysts believe he might try to unify jihadists around the world, taking advantage of the military weakness of the Islamic State (IS) group.

In a report published by the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), former FBI special agent and Al-Qaeda specialist Ali Soufan wrote: "Now in his late 20s, Hamza is being prepared for a leadership role in the organisation his father founded.

"As a member of the bin Laden dynasty, Hamza is likely to be perceived favourably by the jihadi rank-and-file.

"With the Islamic State 'caliphate' apparently on the verge of collapse, Hamza is now the figure best placed to reunify the global jihadi movement."

- 'Victory or martyrdom' -

The 15th of bin Laden's 20 children, a son of his third wife, Hamza has been groomed to follow in his father's footsteps since childhood.

At his side in Afghanistan before 9/11, he learned how to handle weapons, and ranted in his thin voice against Americans, Jews and "Crusaders" in videos uploaded online.

On the eve of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Hamza was separated from his father, whom he was never to see again.

He was evacuated with the clan's wives and other children to Jalalabad in Afghanistan, then on to Iran, where they were placed under house arrest for years. His whereabouts now are unknown.

A sophisticated system of messengers allowed bin Laden and his favourite son to remain in contact by writing letters, some of which were found during the raid that killed the terrorist in Abbottabad, in Pakistan.

In them Hamza assures his father that he is "forged in steel" and ready "for victory or martyrdom".

"What makes me really sad is that the legions of mujahideen started, and I did not join them," he wrote in July 2009.

In an audio message in August 2015, Hamza pays homage his father the "martyr" and his elder brother Khalid, who died while trying to defend him at Abbottabad and asks jihadists around the world to "strike from Kabul to Baghdad, from Gaza to Washington, London, Paris and Tel Aviv".

One year later, in a diatribe entitled "We are all Osama," he called for vengeance, warning: "If you think you will not be held accountable for the crime in Abbottabad, you are mistaken."

Eighteen months later, after similar appeals, the US State Department reinforced his credibility within jihadist circles by putting his name on the blacklist of "international terrorists".

- Like father, like son -

Soufan said: "Hamza's messages frequently repeat, almost word-for-word, sentences uttered by the elder bin Laden during Al-Qaeda's heyday in the late 1990 and early 2000s.

"Hamza even makes an effort to sound like his father intoning his words with the same quiet intensity.

"As the Islamic State continues to crumble, many of its adherents will be looking for new banners under which to fight. Many factors suggest that Hamza could be a highly effective leader.

"It remains to be seen how, exactly, the organisation will make use of him, but it is clear that his star is on the rise. That should worry policymakers in the West as well as in the Muslim world."
Iraqi Kurds in Arbil urge voters to turn out in the upcoming independence referendum

Iraqi Kurds may have long dreamed of founding their own state, but the independence referendum set for September 25 has also exposed divisions between their autonomous region's main cities.

In Arbil, capital of the Kurdish Regional Government, the streets are currently teeming with red, white and green Kurdish flags.

Some people have even resprayed their cars with the same colours and altered their registration plates to read "Kurdistan" instead of "Iraq".

Most of the million or so residents of the city, a stronghold of Kurdish leader Massud Barzani who initiated the poll, back the independence drive.

Many even say the vote should have been held years ago, given that the region has been de facto autonomous since 1991.

But 150 kilometres (90 miles) to the southeast in Sulaimaniyah, a bastion of opposition to Barzani, there is little enthusiasm for the vote despite broad support for independence itself.

Iraqi Kurds in Sulaimaniyah call for the independence referendum to be deferred

"Why hold a referendum when the foundation to build a state doesn't exist?" asked teacher Rizkar Abdel Qader, 46.

"Our officials would do better to improve the quality of life for people before calling for the creation of a state."

Hoshyar Zebari, a Barzani ally and former foreign minister of Iraq, said the poll "supports the desire of the Kurdish people to decide their future" and that postponing it would be "political suicide".

Arbil is keen to use the referendum to exert pressure on Baghdad into making concessions on oil exports and disputed territories.

"Independence is an imperative, but that doesn't mean the state will be proclaimed" the day after the vote, Zebari said.

Iraq's former foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari believes postponing the Kurdish independence referendum would be 'political suicide'

"It will have to be built while negotiations with Baghdad continue."

The planned referendum has angered the Kurds' international allies and the central government in Baghdad, which sees it as violating the constitution.

Last week, the federal parliament voted against the referendum in a bid to "protect the unity of Iraq", prompting a protest walk-out by Kurdish lawmakers.

- Effectively autonomous since 1991 -

And on Monday, Iraq's supreme court ordered a suspension of the referendum until it can examine complaints that the plebiscite is unconstitutional.

Abdel Hakim Khasro, a professor of political science at Arbil's Salahaddin University, believes there are no legal or constitutional obstacles to holding the ballot.

Kurdish MPs during a session of Kurdistan's regional parliament in Arbil

After all, supporters of the referendum argue, the oil-rich northern region has been effectively autonomous since the 1991 Gulf War, with its own institutions, budget and parliament.

But in Sulaimaniyah, which has a history of opposing Arbil's authority, many people are upset that the referendum is being held at all.

"This was decided by one party," said Shoresh Haji of the opposition Goran movement, referring to Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

"A state is not born from an announcement but must be built by putting in place a solid economic infrastructure."

Ismail Galali, a member of a movement that backs a "no" vote, agreed.

"Independence is the right of all peoples, but in my opinion what's happening now is a masquerade that will result in a backward emirate," he said.

Few residents of Arbil want to talk about the possible negative consequences of a "yes" vote, despite warnings from the KRG's powerful neighbour Turkey that the region would pay a price.

Turkish tanks staged military manoeuvres along the border on Monday.

"We are not trying to provoke anyone," 43-year-old Arbil newsagent Sirwan Ahmad told AFP.

"The fact that some Kurds are against holding the referendum is a sign that democracy exists in our region."

Most people in the regional capital openly support the referendum, despite the fact that their enclave is facing an unprecedented economic recession.

"That's no reason to give up on gaining our state," said Berwar Aziz, 23, who sells scarves in a shop near Arbil's UNESCO-listed citadel.

"I will vote 'yes' with all 10 fingers," he said, smiling.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) talks about the possibility of the Senate taking up health care again

After falling one vote short this summer, US Republicans have revived efforts to overhaul Barack Obama's landmark health care bill, but skepticism Monday by some in President Donald Trump's party has imperiled the plan.

Momentum for repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act -- a primary Trump pledge as a candidate -- swelled in the past week, after a group of Republican senators unveiled a bill that would effectively replace Obamacare with block grants to the US states.

Senators returned to Washington with Republicans hoping to ram the bill through in the next 12 days, before a change in procedural rules that currently allow a health care overhaul to pass with a simple 51-vote majority in the 100-member chamber.

But if the bill were to move forward before September 30, it would have to do so without a comprehensive review by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

"That's problematic," moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins told reporters.

"I'm concerned about what the effect would be on coverage, on Medicaid spending in my state, on the fundamental changes in Medicaid that would be made without the Senate holding a single hearing to evaluate them."

Collins is one of the three Republicans who voted against the previous Obamacare repeal effort, which dramatically collapsed July 28 when Senator John McCain gave his thumbs down on the plan.

In recent days, the senator from Arizona said he would rely on his state's governor for guidance on whether the new plan, known as the Graham-Cassidy bill, was viable.

As Arizona Governor Doug Ducey endorsed the new plan, its co-author Senator Lindsey Graham insisted the effort was "gaining the momentum we need to repeal and replace Obamacare."

But McCain's hesitation was clear. He expressed frustration with the lack of public hearings or a CBO score of the legislation.

"I am going to continue to look at this as the process goes on," McCain told reporters. "But I want regular order."

The bill's supporters might be eager to avoid a CBO score. In July, the non-partisan body projected that the ranks of the uninsured would grow by 16 million Americans, and premiums would rise 20 percent annually, over the next decade if the previous Obamacare repeal bill became law.

An earlier repeal effort would have led to 32 million fewer insured.

- 'Meaner than ever' -

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), left, and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), right, are the main authors of a new bill that would effectively replace Obamacare with block grants to the US states

Senator Ron Johnson, one of the bill's sponsors, called Graham-Cassidy a "work in process."

But Democrats insisted the latest bid was worse than previous versions, "a red siren moment" for the nation.

"Trumpcare's back, and it's meaner than ever," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned.

"If this bill becomes law, our health care system will be dramatically curtailed, and there will be chaos in many states."

The bill, Schumer noted, allows states to permit insurers to roll back protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions.

Money to states would decline over time, eventually disappearing unless Congress appropriated new funding.

And "the new Trumpcare would plunge a dagger deep into the heart of Medicaid," the government health insurance program for the poor and disabled, by halting its expansion and establishing a per-capita cap on Medicaid spending, Schumer said.

Meanwhile, as Collins and McCain equivocated, conservative Republican Senator Rand Paul was a firm no, largely because Graham-Cassidy maintains nearly all Obamacare taxes and regulations.

"This does not look, smell or even sound like repeal," Paul told reporters, anticipating years of health care marketplace chaos should the bill become law.

"I don't think anybody's realized the enormity of this," he added. "It keeps 90 percent of Obamacare and redistributes the proceeds" to states to use as they see fit.

With Paul and all 48 senators in the Democratic caucus opposed, Republicans could afford just one more no vote.

Beyond McCain and Collins, eyes were on Alaska's Senator Lisa Murkowski, who voted no on the July effort, and Ohio's Rob Portman, who voted for the previous bill but has denounced bids to curtail Medicaid expansion.

Democrats have expressed support for a bipartisan effort aimed at stabilizing Obamacare's insurance exchanges so that millions of Americans could maintain their coverage.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in office since December 2012, has pushed a nationalist agenda alongside a massive policy effort to end years of on-off deflation and rejuvenate the world's third-largest economy

The North Korea crisis has been like "divine aid" for hawkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, experts say, burnishing his nationalist credentials and possibly tempting him into a snap election.

Abe is aiming to capitalise on a public perception of strong leadership in a time of crisis, as well as an opposition in turmoil, and is reportedly considering a vote as soon as late October.

Analysts say North Korea's provocative actions -- including a nuclear test and two missile launches over Japan -- have fanned the fears of Japanese voters, and Abe will use the crisis to justify his call for an early general election.

"For Abe, it's like divine aid," Shinichi Nishikawa, a political analyst at Meiji University, told AFP.

The crisis has diverted attention away from a series of scandals that have pushed down Abe's approval ratings, including allegations of favouritism to a friend in a business deal, which the premier strongly denies.

During the scandals, "people thought that he wouldn't last, but by using his sense of crisis, Abe has managed to turn the situation around," said Nishikawa.

Abe has sought to deliver a strong but reassuring message to a jittery population by reacting swiftly to missile launches and insisting his government has "complete grasp" of each projectile's path.

He has also promised to do his best to "secure people's safety and security", with the government issuing rapid warnings to residents, complete with sirens and emergency text messages.

In a Yomiuri Shimbun survey released last week, half of respondents approved of Abe's efforts to deal with the crisis compared to 37 percent with the opposite view.

"A sense of crisis has arisen among the Japanese people and they believe the country needs a hawkish leader now," said historian Hideaki Kase.

"It is no wonder Abe's support ratings went up as North Korean tensions rose," he added.

- 'Good chance' for Abe -

Political blue-blood Abe, in office since late December 2012, has pushed a nationalist agenda alongside a massive policy effort to end years of on-off deflation and rejuvenate the world's third-largest economy.

Some commentators have suggested that Abe's government is playing up the North Korean threat to Japan in order to bolster his bid to revise the pacifist constitution.

When the sirens went off on Friday, many Japanese felt a sense of helplessness, with only a matter of minutes to take shelter and few practical places to hide.

"I'm wondering if the alert system is practical or not," Nishikawa said. "This could be rather a gesture to show their seriousness or justify the budget to beef up defence systems."

But Robert Dujarric, director of the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies at Temple University Japan, says the current crisis is too serious to be playing politics.

"Does the government take advantage of the situation and even exaggerate the risk to the Japanese population? No, in the sense that it is really a crisis," he said, while admitting that alerting the population just minutes before impact is "a bit ridiculous."

Abe's reported decision to call an election also came as the opposition camp struggles to offer a political alternative, with the largest opposition Democratic Party (DP) suffering a string of defections despite a recent change in leadership.

The DP's decline accelerated in 2011 when the party, then in power, came under fire for poor crisis management over the Fukushima disaster, the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

"It's good timing for (Abe's conservative party) the LDP as the main opposition is on the verge of falling apart," noted Toshihiko Matsuno, chief strategist at SMBC Friend Securities.

"They couldn't do this before due to sagging support rates but they see a good chance."

However, the LDP suffered a drubbing in local Tokyo elections in July, which analysts and newspapers blamed on an increasing "arrogance" on the part of the prime minister.

And some experts warned him against taking the election gamble.

"The North Korea crisis is one of the factors pushing Prime Minister Abe for snap elections," said Naoto Nonaka, professor of politics at Gakushuin University in Tokyo.

"But I don't think it's a wise decision to call it now, which will merely fuel unnecessary fears among voters by inflating the sense of crisis without giving concrete measures to settle the issue," Nonaka told AFP.
US giant CBS reportedly sweetened its bid for Ten late Monday to pip a higher proposal by Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon

US broadcaster CBS's bid to buy Australia's third-largest television network was approved by creditors and staff Tuesday, paving the way for the takeover despite a rival offer by media mogul Lachlan Murdoch.

The tussle for the embattled Ten Network came after it went into voluntary administration in June when two billionaire backers -- Murdoch and Bruce Gordon -- refused to continue guaranteeing a key loan.

CBS sealed the deal with Ten's administrators KordaMentha last month, but reportedly sweetened its bid late Monday after a higher proposal by News Corporation co-chair Murdoch and Gordon, the owner of regional network WIN.

"On the number, it was an overwhelming vote in favour of CBS," administrator Mark Korda told reporters.

"I think the industry is genuinely excited about having a Aus$27 billion (US$22 billion) big brother looking after Channel Ten."

Korda said he expected Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board, which has to approve the bid, would announce its decision by the end of September and the acquisition, which also requires court approval, should be finalised in "four to five weeks".

Christopher Hill, a partner at Ten's receiver PPB Advisory, said the support for CBS's offer "ensures the iconic broadcaster continues on a strong and stable footing".

Gordon on Monday failed in a court bid to delay the CBS takeover, arguing that his offer with Murdoch had not been properly considered. It is not yet known if he will appeal.

Any takeover by Murdoch's investment company Illyria and Gordon's Birketu would be dependent on the government changing media laws to allow ownership across multiple platforms.

The controversial media law changes passed their first hurdle last week when they were approved by the upper house Senate.

They are expected to come into force when the lower House of Representatives, where the ruling coalition has a one-seat majority, sits again in mid-October.

Murdoch, the son of media giant Rupert, and Gordon on Friday said their maximum payment to unsecured creditors would be Aus$55 million, above CBS's offer.

But the US network reportedly lifted its offer to unsecured creditors to Aus$40.58 million from Aus$32 million ahead of the meeting, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Ten, which has been on air since 1964, has struggled with slumping advertising revenues like other Australian and international media organisations.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) inspecting a launching drill of the medium-and-long range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 at an undisclosed location

The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers called for a peaceful end to the "vicious cycle" on the Korean peninsula as they met in New York for the UN General Assembly, Beijing said Tuesday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov urged all parties to seek a "peaceful resolution" to the current stand-off with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The Korean Peninsula nuclear problem must be solved through peaceful means," it quoted Wang as saying, adding that "the current deepening vicious cycle must be broken".

"Restoring peace talks is also a necessary step to carrying out the UN Security Council's resolution," he said.

Lavrov said Russia's position on the issue is "completely identical" to China's, the statement said.

Russia has joined China's call for a "dual-track" approach in which North Korea suspends its weapons programme in return for the United States halting military drills in the region.

The White House said earlier that US President Donald Trump had spoken with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over the phone, saying the two leaders were "committed to maximizing pressure on North Korea through vigorous enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions".

Trump is currently in New York for the UN General Assembly but Xi -- who has a major Communist Party congress next month that will cement his leadership for the next five years -- is not attending the event.

The UN Security Council last week imposed a fresh set of sanctions, though Washington toned down its original proposals to secure support from China and Russia.

Regional tensions have soared this month as North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and staged an intermediate-range missile test over Japan.

Trump has not ruled out a military option for dealing with Pyongyang.

The US flew four F-35B stealth fighter jets and two B-1B bombers over the Korean peninsula on Monday in a show of force.

Separately, China and Russia began a joint naval exercise east of the Korean peninsula.
Police remove crystal methamphetamine from planks of wood at a warehouse in the Victorian state suburb of Nunawading, east of Melbourne, where it was hidden in 70 boxes of floorboards shipped from China in April 2017

Cooperation with China and other key drug-producing nations will be bolstered under a new strategy unveiled Tuesday to combat a flood of crystal meth into Australia that has seen ice use triple in five years.

With its street prices soaring, Australia has become an increasingly attractive destination for drug-smugglers, which has made it the highest per capita consumer of methamphetamine in the world.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan said it was evident more needed to be done to halt narcotics reaching Australia and that could only be achieved by boosting ties with overseas agencies.

"We need to not sit here in Australia waiting for these drugs to hit our shores but we need to go offshore and do what we can to disrupt supply," he said.

"The demand remains so high in Australia that organised criminals from all over the globe are keen to get involved in the market."

An Australian Crime Commission report in 2015 found that while US$80 bought one gram of ice in China, the estimated 270,000 users in Australia had to pay US$500 for the same amount.

Keenan said intelligence showed China and India were key sources of the precursor chemicals needed to make ice, while China and Myanmar were notable manufacturers of the end product.

Distribution networks thrived in Vietnam, Cambodia and other parts of Southeast Asia.

The new strategy will involve reinforcing information-sharing arrangements with Interpol and Europol to better pinpoint organised crime groups.

Australia will also work more closely with counterpart law enforcement agencies in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Mekong region of Southeast Asia to smash syndicates and follow money trails.

The Australian Federal Police pointed to the success of a continuing joint operation between itself and China since 2015 which has stopped 13 tonnes of drugs, including six tonnes of methamphetamine, from reaching Australia.

But it warned the ice trade was dynamic, with new source and transit countries emerging all the time.

"Links between organised crime syndicates controlling the drug trade in Asia, Mexico and West Africa are becoming more established," it said.

Keenan said the plan was to "better focus and align agencies' resources and efforts" while helping train overseas partners and shore up political support to go after drug gangs.

"All around the world, you will find agents of the Australian Federal Police, of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, of Australian Border Force... working side-by-side with their counterparts to stop the supply of drugs from coming into Australia," he said.
Rohingya Muslim refugees camp on a road near Balukhali refugee camp near the Bangladehsi district of Ukhia on September 19, 2017

The Rohingya refugee crisis is worsening daily as new arrivals from Myanmar join more than 410,000 from the Muslim minority who have fled to Bangladesh since late August, overwhelming camps short of food, water and shelter.

Here are five key dates in the crisis so far:

Aug 25 - Fierce riposte to militant attacks

Early on August 25, hundreds of Rohinyga militants stage coordinated attacks on 30 police posts in Myanmar's westernmost state of Rakhine. At least 12 police are killed.

The Myanmar army hits back fast and hard with "clearance operations" in Rohingya villages. It says it is trying to flush out insurgents from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.

But witnesses tell of Rohingya civilians being massacred in retaliation, with mortars and machine guns fired at villagers fleeing to the Bangladesh border.

The crackdown sparks an exodus from Rohingya villages, which are soon burning so fiercely the flames and smoke are visible from Bangladesh.

Sept 5 - Refugee storm hits Bangladesh

Within 11 days of the attacks, more than 120,000 Rohingya have flooded into Bangladesh, overwhelming the handful of ill-equipped refugee camps around Cox's Bazar.

Many arrive desperate for food and water after walking for more than a week over hills and through dense jungle. Some need urgent treatment for bullet wounds and machete gashes.

Bangladesh already houses at least 300,000 Rohingya in camps near the border. The fresh influx creates a dire shortage of food, clean water and shelter.

Sept 6 - Suu Ky denounces 'iceberg of misinformation'

Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, under increasing international pressure, says a "huge iceberg of misinformation" is distorting the global picture of events in Rakhine.

In her first comments since the August 25 attacks, Suu Kyi says fake news is "calculated to create a lot of problems between different communities" and to promote "the interest of the terrorists".

But fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureates Malala Yousafzai and Desmond Tutu criticise Suu Kyi. Hundreds of thousands sign a Change.org petition demanding the Nobel committee withdraw her award but it refuses.

Sept 11 - Violence amounts to ethnic cleansing, UN says

As the crisis worsens, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein says Myanmar's systematic attacks bear the hallmarks of a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".

Rights groups warn of a final push by the army and Buddhist mobs to drive the stateless Rohingya from Myanmar for good.

Landmines claim more victims, with three Rohingya killed in a blast while fleeing Myanmar.

Sept 16 - Rohingya exodus tops 400,000

The UN declares that more than 400,000 refugees have arrived in Bangladesh since August 25 -- more than a third of the total Rohingya population of 1.1 million living in Rakhine.

Conditions at the camps become unbearable as numbers swell to breaking point. Women and children are badly injured in stampedes for food, water and clothes as aid agencies warn the crisis risks getting out of control.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina departs for the UN to plead for global help in coping with the Rohingya deluge.
A house burns in Gawdu Tharya village near Maungdaw in Rakhine state, northern Myanmar, on September 7, 2017

UN human rights investigators on Tuesday said they needed "full and unfettered" access to Myanmar to investigate a grave and ongoing crisis, but the government renewed its rejection of the probe.

"It is important for us to see with our own eyes the sites of these alleged violations", the head of UN-backed fact-finding mission, Marzuki Darusman, told the Human Rights Council, asking for "full and unfettered access to the country."

"There is a grave humanitarian crisis underway that requires urgent attention", he added.

The council set up the mission in March to investigate possible violations across Myanmar, with a particular focus on alleged crimes committed against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.

Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly denounced the UN probe as unhelpful and vowed that her government would not cooperate with it.

Suu Kyi earlier Tuesday delivered a nationally televised address on the Rohingya crisis, appealing for outside observers to visit Myanmar and see the situation for themselves, in a speech aimed at appeasing an international community horrified by the army-led violence in Rakhine.

The UN Human Rights Couincil set up the mission in March to investigate possible violations across Myanmar, with a particular focus on alleged crimes committed against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state

But hours after that speech, Myanmar's UN ambassador Htin Lynn re-asserted his governments "position of disassociating herself from the resolution" that set up the fact-finding mission.

"We continue to believe that instituting such a mission is not a helpful course of action in solving the already-intricated Rakhine issue", he told the council.

Darusman had upped the pressure on Myanmar to grant access, arguing it was "in the governments interest and in the interests of the people of Myanmar to communicate their views and evidence directly to the (UN) mission."

He added that the probe "had urgently dispatched a team to Bangladesh", where more than 400,000 Rohingya have fled army operations in recent weeks.

The UN investigator, an Indonesian national and veteran of past UN investigations including a ground-breaking report on slave labour in North Korea, warned that Myanmar had the "danger signs" of a crisis that could worsen.

He noted reports that some in majority Buddhist Myanmar had spread propaganda that "compared the Rohingya to pests".
According to rights groups, exploitation of migrant workers is frequently reported in Taiwan, where around 600,000 foreigners are hired as caregivers, fishermen, construction and factory workers

A group of foreign fishermen in Taiwan were locked in tiny windowless rooms around the clock to stop them escaping while not at sea, prosecutors said in the island's latest abuse case involving migrant workers.

Fishing and boat company owners were among 19 people charged Monday in the southern city of Kaohsiung for illegally holding 81 foreign fishermen in buildings after they had berthed their boats.

When they were at sea, the fishermen were sometimes made to work for 48 consecutive hours without rest for a monthly wage of US$300-$500, the prosecutors said -- despite Taiwan's labour laws which stipulate a maximum working day of eight hours and minimum wage of around $930.

"The accused exploited the fishermen with illegal methods for their own profit," prosecutors said in a statement, describing the fishermen as "slave labour in the sea".

The 19 face charges of human trafficking and offences against personal liberty and could face a maximum seven-year jail term if convicted.

Prosecutors also confiscated nearly Tw$3.69 million ($123,000) from the companies in back pay for the workers.

The case came to light last year after a fisherman tipped off prosecutors with the help of a social worker, the statement said.

Authorities later raided two places where fishermen from countries including Indonesia, the Philippines, Tanzania and Vietnam were held and rescued them.

Environmentsl group Greenpeace has said previously that foreign crew on Taiwanese vessels endure "horrendous" working conditions and physical abuse, as well as withheld payments and exploitation by recruitment agents.

The case comes after an outcry over a police shooting of an unarmed Vietnamese migrant worker last month.

According to rights groups, exploitation of migrant workers is frequently reported in Taiwan, where around 600,000 foreigners work as caregivers, fishermen, construction and factory workers.

Chuang Shu-ching, a spokeswoman for Taiwan International Workers' Association, said the government leaves the matter in the hands of for-profit private recruitment agencies, who mostly serve the interests of employers.

Southeast Asians who make up the bulk of Taiwan's migrant workers also face racial discrimination, she said.

"Labour conditions for migrant workers haven't improved in more than a decade and the same problems will continue if the system remains the same," Chuang said, recommending the establishment of state recruitment agencies.

In the shooting case, police have come under criticism for firing nine shots at the unarmed Vietnamese migrant worker.

A security guard slightly wounded when he was attacked by the worker was sent to hospital in the first ambulance to arrive on the scene.

The second ambulance came half an hour later for the worker, with rights groups saying his treatment was deliberately delayed.

The migrant worker's family and campaigners are calling for Taiwan's top government watchdog, the Control Yuan, to investigate his case.
The Rwandan presidency said Kagame met Macron in New York

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in New York for rare talks, Kigali said Tuesday, as diplomatic ties remain icy over the 1994 genocide.

Kigali has long accused France of complicity in the genocide of some 800,000 mostly ethnic Tutsis, at the hands of Hutu extremists, angering Paris and straining relations.

The Rwandan presidency said in a statement on Twitter that Kagame and Macron on Monday discussed "collaboration on issues of mutual interest including peace (and) security in Africa", on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Ties between Kigali and Paris had been on the mend until 2014 when Kagame repeated accusations that French soldiers were both accomplices and "actors" in the bloodbath.

The stormy relationship took an even worse turn when the French judiciary decided in October 2016 to re-open an investigation into the shooting down of former president Juvenal Habyarimana's plane, which triggered 100 days of meticulously planned slaughter.

The case was re-opened to hear testimony from a former general who accuses Kagame of being behind the assassination.

France is accused of missing or ignoring the warning signs, and of training the soldiers and militiamen who carried out the killings.

And when the genocide was in full swing, it was further accused of using its diplomatic clout to stall effective action.

Rwandan political commentator Christopher Kayumba, said the meeting in New York was a "good sign that the relationship between the two could be better than with previous French presidents".

"Both presidents are meeting for the first time and are still trying to study each other and create a relationship beyond the historic mistrust between both countries," he said.
Qatar has accused Bahraini fishing boats of operating illegally in its waters

Qatar accused Bahrain on Tuesday of abusing a routine fisheries enforcement case to deepen a three-month diplomatic crisis between the emirate and its Gulf neighbours.

"The State of Qatar condemned the statement issued by the Bahraini interior ministry on the detention of 15 Bahraini boats carrying 20 sailors, describing it as a desperate attempt to escalate the ongoing diplomatic dispute," the official QNA news agency reported.

An interior ministry official said the 15 Bahraini fishing boats seized by the Qatari coastguard, most of them over the past three days, had been operating illegally in the emirate's waters and had been held under routine procedures.

The 20 fishermen on board would be released within the next three days while the courts would decide what happened to the boats.

The official told QNA the Coast and Borders Security Department had repeatedly warned the fishermen not to operate in Qatari waters and not to use harmful fishing practices.

Qatar had a longstanding territorial dispute with Bahrain over the waters and small islands that separate the peninsula from the main islands of its maritime neighbour which was only resolved by the International Court of Justice in 2001.

In June this year, Bahrain joined with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in breaking off diplomatic relations with Qatar and severing all sea and air links.

The four governments issued a string of demands of the emirate, notably that it follow them in blacklisting the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group and downgrading relations with Iran.

Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, has held talks in Turkey, Germany and France over the past week to try to find a way out of the crisis and is due to meet US President Donald Trump in New York later on Tuesday.
Iraqi forces are seen outside the town of Akashat, northwest of Anbar province, as they prepare a military operation to push Islamic State group jihadists from nearby areas, on September 15, 2017

Iraqi security forces and paramilitary units on Tuesday seized a village in one of the last pockets of territory controlled by the Islamic State group in the vast western province of Anbar, bordering Syria.

"Our forces have taken the whole of Al-Rayhanna village, attacking from three directions, and have killed seven terrorists," an Iraqi colonel told AFP.

Some IS fighters had fled towards the town of Anna, "eight kilometres (five miles) to the west, which is our next objective", he said.

The Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight against IS in Iraq said infantry and armoured units backed by the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary alliance launched the assault at dawn to retake Al-Rayhanna and the nearby town of Anna.

The operation was supported by Iraqi army helicopters and warplanes from the US-led coalition battling IS in Iraq and Syria, a general in the area said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The head of Anna's municipal council, Abdel Karim al-Ani, confirmed Iraqi forces had taken control of Al-Rayhanna and raised the Iraqi flag on public buildings.

The colonel said coalition aircraft had destroyed a suicide car bomb driven by a jihadist who was trying to reach security forces to detonate the vehicle.

Anna, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of the border with Syria, is one of three towns in Anbar province still under IS control.

After retaking the town, Iraqi forces are expected to target Rawa to the northwest and finally Al-Qaim, which is close to the border with the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor.

Three years after IS took control of large parts of Syria and Iraq, Iraqi forces are pushing to retake all areas seized by the jihadists, scoring their biggest victory in July with the recapture of second city Mosul.

Iraq is preparing to launch an assault against another of the jihadists' remaining strongholds, the town of Hawija about 300 kilometres (185 miles) north of Baghdad.

IS is also under pressure in Syria, where a US-backed alliance of Kurds and Arabs is battling to retake the jihadists' de facto capital Raqa and Russian-backed regime forces are fighting for control of the city of Deir Ezzor.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in New York on September 18, 2017

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu publicly for the first time in New York to discuss Middle East peace after US President Donald Trump said he would push for resuming stalled negotiations.

Monday's meeting, which follows mediation in Cairo between Palestinian arch-rivals Fatah and Hamas, reflects Egypt's will to return to the forefront of the Middle East diplomatic scene.

The two met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been at a standstill since 2014, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement Tuesday.

Sisi emphasised the importance of "resuming negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides to reach a comprehensive solution," the presidency said.

The two leaders discussed "ways to resume the peace process and establish a Palestinian state," it said.

Trump also met Netanyahu on Monday, and repeated that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal was "possible", saying his administration would do its utmost to push it.

Sisi has been involved in secret talks with the Israeli premier in the past.

The Egyptian president joined Netanyahu for talks with then US secretary of state John Kerry hosted by King Abdullah II in the Jordanian city of Aqaba in February 2016, a former US official confirmed to AFP earlier this year.

Monday's meeting followed a rare phone conversation earlier in the day between Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of Fatah and Hamas chief Ismail Haniya following Egyptian-mediated reconciliation talks.

Abbas's internationally recognised Palestinian Authority is located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but it has had no control in Gaza for a decade -- after the Islamist movement Hamas seized the territory in a near civil war in 2007.

After Haniya met Egyptian officials in Cairo last week, Hamas announced it agreed to demands by Fatah to dissolve what is seen as a rival administration in Gaza, while saying it was ready for elections and negotiations to form a unity government.

- Egyptian mediation -

The developments signalled a shift in Egypt's approach to the Islamist Palestinian group following years of tensions with Cairo accusing Hamas of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood group.

The Brotherhood was designated a terrorist organisation after Sisi, the former army chief, led the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

Egypt's mediation also comes as relations improve between Sisi and the United States after Trump's arrival at the White House in January.

Trump's predecessor Barack Obama had temporarily frozen military aid to Egypt following a deadly crackdown on Morsi's supporters.

Trump's aides -- led by his Middle East envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior international negotiations aide Jason Greenblatt -- have been shuttling between leaders from the two sides in recent months.

Palestinian leaders had been put off by Trump's administration after the president suggested he was not committed to a two-state deal.

"It would be utterly ridiculous if Mr Trump doesn't eventually say that," Nabil Shaath, a senior Abbas adviser, told journalists in Ramallah on Monday when asked about the two-state solution.

Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi welcomed Netanyahu's meeting with Sisi.

"We hope that the next meetings will take on a routine character," Hanegbi, a close friend of Netanyahu, said on Israeli military radio.

Trump visited Israel and the occupied West Bank in May.
People hold the Myanmar flag and placards as they listen to Suu Kyi's speech in Yangon

Big screens broadcast Aung San Suu Kyi's speech on the Rohingya crisis nationwide as she tried to mollify the world without riling Myanmar's army or challenging longstanding prejudices -- but few could understand her clipped English.

"We didn't understand a single word," said Cho Cho, who watched the leader's first speech about the fate of the Muslim minority along with tens of thousands of others in the mainly Buddhist nation.

"But we wanted to show our support for her. After her speech finished, we clapped and came back home."

That bedrock of support from inside the country was welcome ballast for a Nobel Peace Prize winner buffeted by global criticism for her failure to defend the Muslim Rohingya and curb a bloody army campaign that has driven 420,000 of them into Bangladesh.

But her success in allaying international alarm over the military's alleged "ethnic cleansing" campaign was less assured.

Rights groups quickly criticised her silence about the army's hand in the violence, which has seen hundreds of Rohingya villages burned to the ground and widespread allegations of rape and murder.

Suu Kyi vowed to hold rights violators accountable "regardless of their religion, race or political position".

But the latter is an empty threat in a country where the civilian leader has no control over an army with a long history of scorched-earth operations, said Human Rights Watch's Phil Robertson.

"This is not a rules-following military force... it never has been. These guys do what they want, when they want, with impunity," he told AFP.

"She dodged all the really big questions."

The speech was pitched as an appeal for global understanding of the precarious dynamics of Myanmar, where the army remains at the heart of power and decades of junta rule fuelled ethnic hatreds.

- Bear-pit of claims -

Suu Kyi chose not to dive into the bear-pit of claims and counterclaims that have swirled around the conflict.

She instead said the government needed to "listen to all of them" and "make sure that these allegations are based on solid evidence before we take action".

That balanced approach is unlikely to satisfy rights groups, who say they have documented irrefutable evidence of the army's atrocities.

"It was positive that she condemned human rights violations in Rakhine state but clearly she didn't go far enough to acknowledge that this is the military behind it," said Laura Haigh of Amnesty International.

While Suu Kyi opened the door to the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, she failed to state convincingly how all of those who have fled burning villages could return to the violence-roiled region.

The 72-year-old also noticeably avoided using the word "Rohingya" -- a term that lies at the centre of the caustic ethnic divide.

It is the Muslim group's preferred name but is virulently rejected by many Buddhists, who brand the minority as "Bengalis" -- implying they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh rather than a distinct ethnic group.

The careful language of the now-fallen human rights star illustrates her dilemma: face international condemnation or risk rattling an army which has used national security as a pretext for coups.

Delivered in English without Burmese subtitles, her speech carried "a message that was for the international community", said Sein Win of the Myanmar Journalism Institute.

But it also comforted a Burmese public on the defensive after intense global scrutiny and press coverage.

"Only a tiny number of (Myanmar people) would understand English, but they are all eager to hear her and show solidarity," Sein Win said. "To the people, she is defending the country's image."
Fox News is the target of a lawsuit brought by a former guest commentator who alleges she was raped by a Fox Business News anchor

A former Fox Business Network guest commentator has accused a prominent host of rape, the latest in a series of sexual misconduct allegations to rock the broadcaster.

Scottie Nell Hughes, 37, filed a civil lawsuit Monday in federal court in New York against presenter Charles Payne and Fox News, according to documents reviewed by AFP.

According to Hughes' lawsuit, Payne, who hosts "Making Money" on the Fox Business channel, raped her in a hotel room in July 2013. But she maintained a sexual relationship with him for almost two years, believing that this would give her more opportunities to appear on the air.

During that time she appeared regularly not only on Payne's program but also on other Fox Business programs and on Fox News, both subsidiaries of 21st Century Fox.

After ending the relationship in June 2015, Hughes said her appearances rapidly decreased, with her final appearance in March 2016.

She said she learned from Fox employees that they had been instructed to stop booking her.

The media company also compromised her chances of securing a position in the new Trump administration, Hughes alleged.

In June, Hughes' manager contacted the law firm investigating a culture of sexual misconduct at Fox, which came after several women accused male journalists and executives of harassment and other misdeeds.

Payne was suspended from his job in July as an investigation was carried out. He returned to work this month.

According to the lawsuit, Fox leaked Hughes' name to the National Enquirer tabloid, which ran a salacious story in July about the affair.

In a statement sent to AFP, Payne's lawyer dismissed Hughes' charges as completely false, and said he was confident that his client would be cleared. The Fox News channel also said the lawsuit was unfounded.

This new allegation follows a series of scandals at Fox linked to sexual harassment.

In July 2016, Fox News's powerful chairman Roger Ailes left the company following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

In April, the network parted ways with its star anchor Bill O'Reilly following a flood of sexual harassment accusations that triggered a crash in advertising sales.

In July, Jamie Horowitz, who oversaw programming for Fox Sports, was abruptly fired in Los Angeles over allegations of misconduct.

And in early September, Fox News announced its decision to "part ways amicably" with former host Eric Bolling following sexual harassement allegations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly

Global anxieties about a nuclear war are at their highest level in decades, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday as he opened a gathering of world leaders dominated by the crisis with North Korea.

Addressing the high-level debate at the General Assembly, Guterres said millions of people are living in dread as a result of North Korea's provocative nuclear and missile tests.

"The use of nuclear weapons should be unthinkable," Guterres told the 193-nation assembly meeting in New York.

"But today global anxieties about nuclear weapons are at the highest level since the end of the Cold War."

The fear of nuclear warfare "is not abstract," he added. "Millions of people live under a shadow of dread cast by the provocative nuclear and missile tests" carried out by Pyongyang.

The United States backed by Japan, South Korea and its western allies are pushing for a strong international response to North Korea after it conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and fired missiles over Japan.

But China and Russia have warned that US talk of military options to address the North Korean crisis would have a catastrophic result and are pushing for diplomatic talks.

US President Donald Trump, who has threatened North Korea with "fire and fury" unless it changes course, will be in the spotlight on Tuesday when he delivers his maiden address.

Guterres warned that rising tensions were increasing the chance of miscalculation and that "fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings."

He called for a political solution, saying "this is a time for statesmanship."

"We must not sleepwalk our way into war," he said.

- Myanmar must end military operations -

Guterres again called on Myanmar to halt its military campaign against Rohingya Muslims, just hours after Aung San Suu Kyi delivered a nationwide address that failed to quell an international outcry.

More than 420,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee violence in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state in what the United Nations has described as "ethnic cleansing."

"We are all shocked by the dramatic escalation of sectarian tensions in Myanmar's Rakhine state," said Guterres.

"The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations, and allow unhindered humanitarian access. They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long."

In her televised address, Suu Kyi insisted that army "clearance operations" in response to attacks by Rohingya militants had finished on September 5 and denied that Rakhine was in flames.

Guterres also spoke out in favour of the Paris agreement on climate change, saying extreme weather events like Hurricane Irma are becoming "the new normal of a warming world."
Exhibitors display lamb meat during the Halal Expo Dubai, dedicated to the growing halal food industry, on September 18, 2017

Standing behind her stall at a Dubai exhibition centre, Dai Dong He offered passersby what looked like carefully wrapped biscuits or chocolates.

"This is dry beef, beef snacks," said Dai, general manager of Anhui Central Asia Food Co., one of eight Chinese firms from Anhui Province displaying products at Halal Expo Dubai 2017.

Dubai is hosting the show for the ninth year running, with the Gulf emirate positioning itself as a major hub for the halal industry, a booming $3 trillion market for goods and services that are permissible under Islamic law.

In recent years Chinese firms have increasingly looked to tap the market, with organisers of the two-day show, which was set to close on Tuesday, saying the Chinese halal sector is forecast to hit $1.9 trillion by 2021, an average growth rate of nine percent from its 2015 level.

Exhibitors from China said one of the keys to gaining a foothold in the market was winning the trust of consumers.

"We make sure our food is halal," Dai told AFP, noting that the company buys meat from Chinese Muslims to ensure slaughtering is done according to Islamic tradition.

Nicholas Hsiu, a manager with ARA Halal Development Service Center, said the show was an opportunity to promote the company's exports.

"We want to export to Muslim countries... We hope to introduce our products and export to the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East," he told AFP.

An exhibitor displays honey during the Halal Expo Dubai, dedicated to the growing halal food industry, on September 18, 2017

The company manufactures various types of halal noodles and has obtained certificates from recognised Islamic accreditation bodies in Hong Kong and elsewhere, Hsiu said.

Seventy-five exhibitors from 15 countries, including Malaysia, the global leader in halal exports, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Switzerland and others took part in the show.

- Global halal hub -

The industry encompasses food, beverages, fashion, cosmetics, tourism, and the $2 trillion Islamic financial industry. For food products the key is ensuring no traces of pork or alcohol, which are strictly banned by Islamic teachings.

Exhibitors from Malaysia displayed a wide-range of cosmetics, beauty care products and agricultural seeds that one firm claimed "are better than Viagra".

Mountain honey processed to conform with Islamic requirements was displayed by one Pakistani firm, while exhibitors from Kazakhstan presented various types of chocolates.

Standing at a stall packed with natural cosmetics, Nur Syarifatun Nadzirah, the managing director of Gaveno Green Resources in Malaysia, said the company ensured its products comply with halal rules.

"We make sure that all the ingredients are halal... We have certification" from well-established Malaysian bodies, she told AFP.

Dubai, which unlike its oil-rich Gulf neighbours has a highly diversified economy, has been vying to become the global hub for the halal industry.

The United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a component, imports about $20 billion in halal products every year, part of the some $50 billion imported annually by the six Gulf Cooperation Council states.

As well as holding conferences and exhibits, Dubai is establishing standardisation bodies like the Emirates International Accreditation Centre.

The centre is one of several international organisations that set guidelines and issue certificates for products that conform to Islamic rules.

An exhibitor displays products during the Halal Expo Dubai, dedicated to the growing halal food industry, on September 18, 2017

The initiative is part of efforts "for Dubai to become the capital of the Islamic economy," Amina Ahmed Mohammed, the centre's CEO, told AFP.

The emirate is also looking to overcome one of the main challenges facing the industry -- different and sometimes conflicting standards and requirements depending on interpretations of religious texts.

"The UAE has launched an international forum for the accreditation of halal organisations... in a bid to unify procedures around the world," Mohammed said.
The Adult and Teen Challenge of the Midlands Blue River Womens Center held an open house for the public on Monday evening.

The center, which will accept its first residents next week, opened its doors to show what the women who will be moving in will have to look forward to.

Its a perfect setting for second chances, said Curtis Barnes, the director of the new center. As a faith-based Christian center for women battling drug and alcohol addiction, the Blue River Womens Center offers a second chance, Barnes said.

Thank God for second chances, he said. Anybody out there ever needed a second chance? Or third, or fourth, or fifth? Some of us wouldn't even be here if it weren't for second chances. I know I wouldn't.

Barnes, who will run the program with his wife, Teressa Barnes and Program Director Bailey Fossler, thanked the crowd of around 50 people for coming out. He said its been a long time coming, but the buildingwhich once used to be the Carriage House Bed and Breakfastis finally ready to open for the first group of residents.

The first four women will enter the program next Monday, followed by another eight in the coming months. Curtis, who is a graduate of Adult and Teen Challenge, thanked God for the opportunity to run the program.

Why he waited until September 2017 to open this place, I don't know, Barnes said. But he did. We got here in January and it's now September. That's nine months. Let's have this baby.

The four-bedroom, two-story house on South 23rd Road was first built in the 1930s as a farm for the Beatrice State Developmental Center. It sits on about 10 acres of property and has several outbuildings which will be developed in the future.

Mike Foley, Nebraska's lieutenant governor, delivered a speech to celebrate the open house.

The lieutenant governor talked about the importance of programs like Adult and Teen Challenge, especially now when methamphetamine and opioid abuse are at record high levels.

Tonight's really a celebration for Gage County and all of Nebraska, Foley said. What a tremendous gift this project is for our state.

Teressa Barnes said drug addiction is a serious problem in Beatrice.

All we have to do is pick up the Beatrice Daily Sun, almost every day, there's an article about a drug arrest or a DUI or a robbery or any number of other crimes that are directly related to addiction, she said. Most of us, if not all of us, in some way, have been touched by addiction."
Fighting between local and foreign armed groups and the Congolese army has intensified since the beginning of the year in North Kivu and the neighbouring province of South Kivu

The bodies of 17 civilians apparently fleeing violence in the troubled North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo were found in Lake Edward, a local official said Tuesday.

The civilians "drowned trying to flee clashes between the Mai-Mai and soldiers from the Congolese armed forces," Joy Bokele, an official in the Lubero region, said.

The Mai-Mai are a self-described "self-defence" militia group.

They have been engaged since Sunday in "violent clashes" against Congolese soldiers in the lakeside village of Kyavinyonge, army spokesman Jules Tshikudi said.

At least seven people were killed, he said.

According to Justin Kyamakya, the civilians could have been onboard a dingy that capsized on Lake Edward.

"The dingy that capsized held between 28 and 30 passengers, most of them women and children," said 28-year-old Kyamakya, who said he got off the boat because there were too many people on it.

Lubero, in the eastern Great Lakes region near the border with Uganda, is about 270 kilometres (170 miles) north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

The Mai-Mai first emerged as community self-defence groups formed on a mainly ethnic basis.

During the Second Congo War (1998-2003), groups like the Mai-Mai were armed by the distant Kinshasa authorities to help battle invading Ugandans and Rwandans, whom North Kivu communities regard as foreigners.

Rich in precious minerals, the east of the DRC has been unstable for 20 years. Several dozen local and foreign armed groups stand accused of serious rights abuses against civilians, such as rape, killings and abductions.

Fighting between these groups and the Congolese army has intensified since the beginning of the year in North Kivu and the neighbouring province of South Kivu.
This 2015 University of Hawaii at Manoa picture shows the exterior of the HI-SEAS habitat on the northern slope of Mauna Loa in Hawaii

Six people have emerged from an isolated dome in Hawaii where they spent the past eight months on a mock Mars mission, living in close quarters, eating dried foods and trying to get along.

The experiment, run by the University of Hawaii, was the fifth of its kind aimed at helping scientists iron out the fights and inter-personal conflicts that are certain to arise among astronauts embarking on any long mission to deep space.

The four men and two women emerged from their dome on Sunday, eager for a taste of fresh fruit, home-cooked dinners and the feeling of fresh air on their faces.

"For me one of the things I missed from home was Portuguese cooking," said crew member Brian Ramos, in a video broadcast by CBS News.

The program is funded by NASA, which hopes to send the first astronauts to the Red Planet sometime in the 2030s.

That eventual crew's ability to get along -- and its mix of personalities -- will be key to a fruitful mission, said Kim Binsted, who leads the research for the University of Hawaii's Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS).

"Having some variety is a good thing," she said in the video aired by CBS.

"In a sense we are trying to put together a tool box for Mars and if you have a tool box you don't fill it up with hammers -- even if they are the best hammers in the solar system."

Binsted said that while conflict is inevitable, overall, the latest crew did well when it came to their key tasks.

Scientists monitored the team's face-to-face interactions for signs of emotional conflict, and gave them virtual reality headsets to manage stress.

To make the experiment more realistic to conditions in space, crew members had to don spacesuits anytime they exited the dome, located on a remote slope in Mauna Loa.

They were also able to email friends and family, but with a 20-minute delay.

The next eight-month long HI-SEAS experiment starts in January 2018.
President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen says the Russian meddling issue has been politicized "to discredit our lawfully elected president" and shame his supporters

President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen said Tuesday he had no ties to Russian interference in the 2016 election and saw "not a hint" that Trump himself was involved, labelling such allegations political.

But Cohen's decision to go public with his statement ahead of a planned closed-door hearing by the Senate Intelligence Committee added to the rising tensions between investigators and the White House over the probe into possible collusion with Russian election meddling.

Angered lawmakers cancelled the meeting -- one of a series of closed interviews with people close to the president -- and announced Cohen could expect to be questioned at a future open hearing now set for next month.

"We were disappointed that Mr Cohen decided to pre-empt today's interview by releasing a public statement prior to his engagement with committee staff, in spite of the committee's requests that he refrain from public comment," said Senators Richard Burr and Mark Warner, committee chair and vice chair, respectively.

But Cohen's lawyer Stephen Ryan suggested the legislators had already broken their agreement when someone last week leaked out the date of Cohen's appearance at the committee.

- 'Intentionally salacious accusations' -

In his written statement, Cohen said a British intelligence agent's dossier that tied him to Russian election interference was "riddled with falsehoods and intentionally salacious accusations."

"I have never engaged with, been paid by, paid for or conversed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else to hack or interfere with the election," Cohen said.

"Given my own proximity to the president of the United States as a candidate, let me also say that I never saw anything -- not a hint of anything -- that demonstrated his involvement in Russian interference in our election or any form of Russian collusion."

Cohen said that the Russian meddling issue has been politicized "to discredit our lawfully elected president" and shame his supporters.

He also denied any link between an effort by Trump, a billionaire developer, to launch a luxury Trump Tower in Moscow and the election. Cohen said the project proposal was terminated in January 2016, before the first caucuses and primaries for choosing the candidates for the White House.

"You can oppose the president's points of view and his policies, but not raise false issues about the validity of his victory," Cohen said.

- Wiretaps and subpoenas -

Cohen confirmed he had accepted an invitation from Burr and Warner to testify openly on October 25. He is likely to be pressured by aggressive questioning under oath on live television.

The Senate panel is among three congressional committees interviewing Trump advisors and family members in the sprawling probe into how Russia intervened in last year's election to damage frontrunner Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, and boost Trump.

US intelligence agencies say Russian President Vladimir Putin himself directed the effort, and Senate and Justice Department investigators have been chasing links between the Trump campaign and Moscow for evidence of collusion.

On Monday, CNN reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had run wiretaps on Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the election.

Investigators may have picked up communications between Manafort and other Trump officials, including conceivably the president himself.

And The New York Times reported that the special prosecutor handling the case at the Justice Department, Robert Mueller, has been aggressively subpoenaing all possible witnesses to speak to a grand jury.
Fuel supply to Libya's capital is regularly interrupted by militia or striking employees

Libyans queued in long lines outside petrol stations in the capital Tripoli on Tuesday after fighters forced the closure of a fuel pipeline to the city.

On Monday, "an armed militia trespassed (at) Zawiya Oil Storage Depot and forced the workers (in) the control room to stop pumping the fuel to Tripoli," Libya's oil company said in a statement in English.

The National Oil Corporation said it changed the route of "fuel vessels heading to Zawiya port to discharge in Tripoli port", though warehouses in Tripoli were still at good levels.

But on Tuesday in the capital, 50 kilometres (30 miles) to the east of Zawiya, several petrol stations were closed while long queues formed outside others.

Fuel supply to the capital and its suburbs is regularly interrupted by militia or striking employees.

The "National Oil Corporation will take all the necessary legal actions unless the line is opened immediately and unconditionally," it said.

Libya descended into chaos after the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer al-Kadhafi, with rival governments and militias vying for control of the oil-rich country.

Living conditions have deteriorated in the capital, where residents have faced power cuts, fuel shortages, dizzying price hikes, and a cash crunch.

A UN-backed unity government has failed to improve the situation or assert its authority across the country.
US President Donald Trump delivered his maiden address to the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday

President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the United States is ready to "totally destroy" North Korea and vowed to confront Iran's "murderous regime" over its weapons program.

In his first address to leaders gathered at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump warned North Korea not to pursue its nuclear missile program in his starkest language yet, deriding its young leader Kim Jong-Un with the nickname "Rocket Man" and threatening to end his country.

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," he said. "The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary."

As to Iran, Trump appeared to pave the way towards tearing up the nuclear deal signed in 2015 between six world powers and Iran.

Trump said the accord had failed to rein in the regime's subversive role in Middle East conflicts, and sent a clear signal that he intends to declare Tehran in breach of the deal when he reports to Congress next month.

"We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program," Trump told the assembly.

"Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it," he said.

"Believe me. It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction."

Many of the assembly's members, including US allies and Iran deal signatories France and Britain, favor retaining the accord -- under which Iran surrendered much of its enriched nuclear fuel and exposed its nuclear sites to international monitors.

But some of Trump's closest advisors fear the agreement leaves Iran too close to the threshold of being able to quickly develop a nuclear weapon when restrictive clauses in the deal begin to expire in 2025.
Iranian film director Mohammad Rasoulof, who was awarded a top prize at this year's Cannes film festival, was detained at Tehran airport and had his passport confiscated

Iranian authorities have asked award-winning film director Mohammad Rasoulof to report to the prosecutor's office after confiscating his passport at Tehran airport, a co-producer of his latest film said Tuesday.

On Friday, Rasoulof "was detained for two hours at the airport and his passport was confiscated without the slightest explanation", said Kaveh Farnam, who co-produced the prize-winning film "Lerd".

Rasoulof, who has previously been jailed for "anti-regime propaganda", was "invited" to present himself in person to the prosecutor for media and culture, Farnam said.

The director would probably go "next week", which in Iran starts on Saturday, he said, adding: "We have no idea what's going on".

Lerd won the top prize in the "Un Certain Regard" section at this year's Cannes film festival.

The film is about a man working on a goldfish farm in northern Iran who becomes caught up in corrupt ties between local leaders and businessmen.

Since receiving the award, Rasoulof had twice entered Iran without problems, Farnam said.

On Friday, he returned to Iran after screening his film at the Telluride film festival in the United States.

Rasoulof was sentenced to six years in prison in 2010 for a documentary about protests after the disputed re-election of then Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the previous year.

In 2011 while he was still in jail, Rasoulof took best director in the same competition in Cannes for "Goodbye".

Another of his films, "Manuscripts Don't Burn", about authors and activists murdered in the 1980s and 1990s, was shown at Cannes in 2013.
Georgia Tech is facing unrest after a student was shot and killed by campus police

The police killing of a university student suffering from depression has sparked unrest on campus and opened another chapter in the debate over use of deadly force by American law enforcement.

Scout Schultz, a fourth-year computer engineering student in the US state of Georgia, did not pose an immediate danger to police and instead needed help, but was gunned down nonetheless, according to his family.

Schultz, 21, was a gay rights activist on Georgia Tech's campus, where he headed the university's Pride Alliance.

According to his family, Schultz did well academically, but paid a price for his dedication to his studies and his activism, spending last summer fighting bouts of depression.

On Saturday evening, Schultz left three suicide notes in his room and called the 911 emergency line, reporting a suspicious person on campus and giving his own description, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

Schultz described the person as holding a knife and possibly being armed with a gun, GBI said.

Police found Schultz outside a university residence, walking barefoot and apparently very disoriented.

An amateur video of the incident shows police ordering Schultz to drop a knife, to which the student responds: "Shoot me!"

As Schultz continues to advance, the tense confrontation ends with a gunshot fired by police, followed by the cries of the mortally wounded student.

Georgia Tech said police officers found Schultz with "a weapon" and that the student refused to drop it.

But the attorney for the family, L. Chris Stewart, said Schultz was holding a closed multi-tool and did not pose any immediate danger.

- Campus unrest -

"The multi-purpose tool in Scout's possession did not have the blade out. The family now wonders where the narrative came from that Scout was wielding a knife and was a danger to officers," Stewart said in a statement.

"It's tragic that as Scout was battling mental health issues that pushed them to the edge of desperation, their life was taken with a bullet rather than saved with non-lethal force," Stewart said.

The shooting is just one of many in which American police have killed mentally ill people who refused to comply with orders.

The problem persists despite the prevalence of non-lethal options such as stun guns that can still subdue a suspect without resulting in death.

Schultz's death sparked an outpouring of emotion on campus, which resulted in clashes on Monday night.

After a vigil for the slain student, "a group of approximately 50 protestors marched to the Georgia Tech Police Department. One police vehicle was damaged and two officers suffered minor injuries," the university said.

Georgia Tech instructed students to stay inside during the unrest, but later announced that "the campus has been cleared of any threats."

Schultz refused to be identified by the pronouns "he" or "she," instead preferring the gender-neutral "they," which the Pride Alliance used in a statement mourning its president's death.

"They pushed us to do more events and a larger variety events, and we would not be the organization we are known as without their constant hard work and dedication," it said.

"Scout always reminded us to think critically about the intersection of identities and how a multitude of factors play into one's experience on Tech's campus and beyond."
Grace Mugabe allegedly beat model Gabriella Engels with an electrical cord in a Johannesburg hotel in August but South African authorities controversially granted the first lady diplomatic immunity

The South African glamour model who accuses Zimbabwe's first lady of battering her with an electrical plug launched a legal bid on Tuesday to have Grace Mugabe stripped of her immunity.

Gabriella Engels and her lawyers sought to persuade the North Gauteng High Court to allow them to proceed with their effort to have Mugabe's diplomatic immunity lifted.

Engels, 20, claims that Mugabe beat her repeatedly with an electrical cord in a Johannesburg hotel on August 13.

A public spat followed in which Engels and critics of President Robert Mugabe sought to have Grace arrested, charged and brought to court.

But South African authorities controversially granted Mugabe diplomatic immunity and she left the country.

The legal effort to have Mugabe's immunity lifted was opposed by Zimbabwe's embassy which argued that it is not obliged to help Engels' team locate Grace, a necessary first step in challenging her immunity.

"We know it is going to be a big fight but we are ready for the fight and we do believe justice will prevail in this case," said Gabriella Engels' mother Debbie.

"She is better. She is trying to pick up the pieces of her life and carry on with her life."

- 'A serious crime' -

AfriForum, a lobby group that typically supports white workers in South Africa, said that Mugabe was not in the country on official business and so did not meet the conditions for immunity.

"Grace Mugabe was in South Africa for private business, she was here for medical attention. During this private visit she committed a crime," said AfriForum lawyer Willie Spies.

"That is defined in international law as a grave crime (assault with the intention to cause grievous body harm).

"It is a serious crime. That is not the kind of crime you could qualify for immunity."

Lawyers for Zimbabwe's embassy in South Africa argued on a technicality that Engels' team had not followed the law in bringing their bid.

"If we allow this application, we make a precedent. You cannot serve papers on a spouse at her husband's work address," said lawyer Simba Chitango.

"It does not make grammatical sense or even legal sense to say Grace Mugabe lives at the presidency."

AfriForum accused the Zimbabwean side of trying to delay proceedings.

After three hours of hearings, the court reserved judgement. The case continues and could take many months to conclude.

Mugabe has alleged in the media that Engels in fact assaulted her and was "drunk" and armed with a "knife" during the incident.

Grace Mugabe is one of the frontrunners to replace her 93-year-old husband although a string of recent gaffes have hurt her credibility at home and abroad.

South Africa's main opposition Democratic Alliance party has also sought to oppose Mugabe's immunity, appealing to the Constitutional Court to have it overturned.

Despite an International Criminal Court war crimes arrest warrant, Sudanese President Omar Bashir was effectively given immunity and allowed to attend a meeting of the African Union in Johannesburg in 2015.
A picture taken during a press tour provided by the Russian Armed Forces on September 15, 2017 shows a Russian soldier standing guard in a central street in Syria's eastern city of Deir Ezzor

Russia on Tuesday accused US-backed rebels in Syria of targeting regime forces to try to halt their advance against Islamic State jihadists around the city of Deir Ezzor.

In a statement the Russian military said it had received reports from Syrian generals that regime forces that crossed the strategic Euphrates River were faced with "gunfire from the north" near Deir Ezzor.

Moscow claimed that shooting came from a zone controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) supported by Washington.

The statement also accused the rebels of opening dams on the Euphrates to stop government forces from crossing the river.

"A few hours after the Syrian forces started to cross the river, the water level rose and the speed of outflow doubled," it said.

Despite this, Russia said that Syrian forces have captured some 60 square kilometres (23 square miles) of territory on the eastern side of the river after bridging it on Monday.

Until Monday, Syrian troops had been fighting only west of the Euphrates, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces waged a rival offensive against IS east of the river.

To prevent the two operations from clashing, the coalition, the SDF, Syria's government and Russia have agreed on a "de-confliction line" in northeast Syria.

That line runs from the neighbouring province of Raqa southeast along the Euphrates to Deir Ezzor.

On Saturday, however, the US-led coalition backing the SDF accused Russian aviation of bombing them in the north east of Deir Ezzor, which Moscow denies.

A spokesman for the US-led coalition targeting IS Colonel Ryan Dillon said he did not "know how that could be the case" that the SDF or coalition were slowing the Syrian advance.

Dillon said it was "beneficial" to have all sides there, adding: "IS now has to swivel their heads to the east and to the west and to the north, because they're being assaulted from so many different directions".
The arrests of Tony-Lee Thulsie and Brandon-Lee Thulsie were the first in South Africa relating to alleged IS membership

The United States on Tuesday added South African twin brothers accused of plotting attacks on the US embassy and Jewish institutions to its terror blacklist.

Tony-Lee Thulsie and Brandon-Lee Thulsie were arrested in South Africa in July 2016.

Besides allegedly conspiring to bomb the US embassy in Pretoria and unspecified Jewish facilities they are also accused of planning to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group.

Their arrests were the first in South Africa relating to alleged IS membership.

The State Department said that because of the threat they pose to US security the pair had been named "Specially Designated Global Terrorists."

"These designations seek to deny Tony-Lee Thulsie and Brandon-Lee Thulsie the resources they need to plan and carry out terrorist attacks," the State Department said in a statement.

"Terrorism designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, and deny them access to the US financial system," it said.

Muslims account for 1.5 percent of South Africa's 53 million people. The country has so far been spared the jihadist attacks that have struck several other countries on the continent.
On Monday, 32 people from 17 different nations came to the Homestead National Monument as immigrants and left as American citizens.

Both Constitution Day and Citizenship Day fell on Sunday, Sept. 17. To celebrate, Homestead welcomed new Americans to a naturalization ceremony on Monday at the monument's education center.

After a presentation of the colors by American Legion Post 27 and a rendition of the National Anthem, sung by Judy Anderson, elected officials shared a few words.

Though none of them were present at the ceremony, letters from Congressman Adrian Smith and Sen. Ben Sasse and Sen. Deb Fischer were read. Laurie Petty, who read Fischers comments, said that each new American makes the shared American story more vibrant and hopeful.

Park Ranger Robert Marcell said that the history of homesteaders and immigrants went hand in hand.

It is fitting that we gather today at Homestead National Monument of America because the authors of the Homestead Act of 1862 also extended an invitation to the citizens of the world, Marcell said. The Homestead Act simply stated that any individual who was a citizen of the United States or who intended to become a citizen of the United States could claim 160 acres of free land.

The land could then be used to build a new life for that homesteader and his or her family, Marcell said, and it marked the beginning of the concept of the American dream.

The new American citizens came from across the globe, representing Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Vietnam, India, Somalia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, Mexico, Canada, Belgium, Congo, China, Ukraine, South Korea and Honduras.

They were all there to enjoy the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness afforded to Americans by the Declaration of Independence.

After taking the oath of citizenship, administrated by U.S. District Judge Robert Rossiter, the judge had some advice he hoped each new citizen would take to heart. Though the new Americans had agreed to renounce their former states and sovereigns, Rossiter reminded them not to forget where they came from.

Always remember that what you renounced is allegiance to the government to another land, Rossiter said. Not to your love or your memories of your land or your ancestry. You should not renounce whatever devotion you may carry in your hearts for your native land, its people and culture. Those are the things that make you who you are.

Lyubimka Velichkova, formerly of Bulgaria and currently of Lincoln, said she came to the U.S. seven years ago. She was here for a visit, but decided she wanted to stay, she said. Holding up her certificate of citizenship, she was happy to be an American.

Melissa Dunns journey to citizenship began 16 years ago in 2001, when she moved to the U.S. from El Salvador.

On January 13, 2001Dunns birthdaya massive earthquake rocked the Central American country. Prices for food and other essentials skyrocketed, which prompted her parents to send her to America for a better life.

After years of working toward citizenship with her husband, Junior Dunn, and the rest of her family, she celebrated with other new Americans at the naturalization ceremony. But it had been a long and pricey journey.

Every trip is so expensive from Lexington to Omaha, she said. It takes four hours just to get there. Almost a full day just to come and do fingerprints or just to talk to a judge, so that's a long time for us.

The Daughters of the American Revolution Omaha Chapter made special packages for the new Americans. Each package contained an American flag, books about United States citizenship and other patriotic goodies. The DAR has been working with new citizens for more than a century, said Alicia White, regent of the Omaha chapter.

Ever since the DAR started, they've held citizenship classes, naturalization classes and they've always welcomed new citizens, so we're just continuing the 125-year tradition of the DAR, White said. That's one of the best things we do.

The group, along with the League of Women Voters, attends the monthly naturalization ceremonies at the district court in Omaha, she said. While members of the DAR were unable to do it this time around, one of the first things they usually do for new citizens is help them register to vote.

Homestead Superintendent Mark Engler said hes been to between 25 and 30 naturalization ceremonies and cant think of a better place for them.

I think it is very reflective of the story that is told here, Engler said. It's also so appropriate to have a thing where a person becomes a United States citizen happen in a park, because this park belongs to the American people.

Outside, Dunn and her family hugged and posed for photos, with the kids competing for a spot next to her.

I'm really, really excited, Dunn said. It's a blessing. We've been going through this process for 16 years and it's finally over.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warns Iran could resume its previous nuclear activities if the US exits a nuclear accord with Tehran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned Tuesday that the United States would forfeit the trust of the international community if it abandons a nuclear accord with Tehran.

"If the United States were not to adhere to the commitments and trample upon this agreement, this will mean it will carry with it the subsequent lack of trust of countries," Rouhani, in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, told NBC.

"After such a possible scenario, which country would be willing to sit across a table from the United States of America and talk about international issues?

"The greatest capital that any country has is trust and credibility."

In his address to the UN on Tuesday, Trump strongly hinted that his administration was ready to abandon the agreement by calling it an "embarrassment" to the United States.

Were Trump to abandon the seven-nation deal which was agreed in 2015, Rouhani said Iran could resume its previous nuclear activities which it has always insisted was solely to meet its energy needs.

"Certainly what I mean is a return to peaceful activities only," he said.

"Clearly, unequivocally, we were members of the (nuclear) non-proliferation treaty. We were signatories to it, we did not and do not intend to leave it.

"We are also adhering to additional protocols, so we will never go towards production of nuclear weapons.

"Just as in the past we never intended going towards that path nor did we ever -- it has always been peaceful."

Trump, who has previously called the agreement "the worst deal ever negotiated," has to certify in mid-October whether he believes Iran is abiding by the agreement.

He gave his strongest hint to date in Tuesday's address that he would quit the accord by telling his fellow leaders that the "deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it".
The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (foreground), seen with a hole on its portside after a collision with a tanker, docks next to the USS America (behind) at Changi naval base in Singapore

A senior US senator admonished the Navy's top leaders Tuesday following a series of deadly maritime accidents that have turned a spotlight on strains in the force's Pacific fleet.

Senator John McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Navy must correct its course after the incidents, including one last month in which the USS John S. McCain -- named for his World War II admiral grandfather -- collided with a tanker.

"We must also call you to task and demand answers. As leaders of our Navy, you must do better," McCain told Navy Secretary Richard Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson.

The USS John S. McCain collided with a tanker as the destroyer headed to Singapore, tearing a huge hole in the hull, killing 10 sailors and injuring five others.

That incident came after another destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, smashed into a Philippine-flagged cargo ship off Japan in June, leaving seven sailors dead.

Two non-deadly incidents also occurred this year -- in January, the USS Antietam ran aground near its base in Japan and in May, the USS Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing vessel.

Following the USS McCain incident, the Navy sacked the commander of its Pacific-based Seventh Fleet, and several other officers and enlisted sailors have been relieved of duty or reprimanded.

- 'Triple whammy' -

The incidents will cost the US taxpayer about $600 million in repairs, McCain said, and put several ships out of service during a time of heightened regional tensions in the western Pacific and South China Sea.

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson testifies on a spate of deadly accidents

Richardson told McCain the Navy was undertaking several reviews and probes, and blamed a "triple whammy" as pushing the fleet's limits: "The corrosive confluence of high operational tempo, inadequate budgets and budget uncertainty."

"But make no mistake, sir, while these factors do exert a negative force on the challenges we face, at the core, this issue is about leadership, especially command," Richardson said.

A report this month by the Government Accountability Office watchdog said foreign-based US Navy ships suffer multiple headwinds that raise risks and impact military readiness.

GAO said crews are being overworked and undertrained, and vital maintenance is not being completed on time.

The US military has also suffered several recent training accidents, including one at Camp Pendleton last week where 15 Marines were injured during an exercise when an amphibious assault vehicle caught fire.

Politicians and military leaders say aging or poorly maintained equipment and tight budgets are taking a toll.

"In the last three years, fatal training accidents have taken the lives of four times more service members than our enemies have in combat. This cannot continue," McCain said.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday he was looking at all the recent incidents to see if there is a common thread.
The Myanmar army's fightback against Muslim minority Rohingya militants has sent more than 420,000 Rohingya fleeing into neighbouring Bangladesh

Britain said Tuesday it had suspended its educational training courses for the Myanmar military due to the ethnic violence in Rakhine state.

London said it had "deep concern" about human rights abuses and would not be resuming the military courses unless there was an "acceptable resolution" to the ongoing Rohingya crisis.

Communal violence has torn through Myanmar's western Rakhine state since Muslim minority Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25.

An army-led fightback has left scores dead and sent more than 420,000 Rohingya fleeing the mainly Buddhist country into neighbouring Bangladesh.

"The action the military are taking against the Rohingya people needs to stop," British Prime Minister Theresa May told the UK's Sky News in New York.

"There will be no further defence engagement or training of the Burmese military by the Ministry of Defence until there's a resolution of this issue."

In London, a government spokesman said in a statement: "In light of the ongoing violence in Burma's Rakhine state, the growing humanitarian crisis it has caused, and our deep concern about the human rights abuses that are taking place, we have decided to suspend the educational courses provided to the Burmese military until there is an acceptable resolution to the current situation.

"We call on the Burmese armed forces to take immediate steps to stop the violence in Rakhine and ensure the protection of all civilians, to allow full access for humanitarian aid and to facilitate the civilian government's implementation of the Rakhine Advisory Commission's recommendations in full."

The year-long commission, led by former United Nations chief Kofi Annan, tasked with healing divisions between the Rohingya and local Buddhists, urged immediate action to heal the divide.

- Training a 'catastrophic misjudgement' -

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May told the UK's Sky News the Ministry of Defence would stop defence engagement and training of Myanmar's military until the country's conflict was resolved

Britain's junior foreign minister Mark Field has said the UK armed forces provided vocational courses, focused on language training, governance, accountability, ethics, human rights and international law to the Myanmar military.

"Exposing them to how modern militaries operate in a democracy is more effective than isolating them," he told parliament on September 5.

Britain did not provide combat training, Field said.

"The UK is, and will remain, a very strong supporter of continuing the EU arms embargo" on Myanmar, he added.

Some 150 members of parliament wrote to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on September 6 calling for the training programme to be suspended.

Burma Campaign UK, which has been calling for an end to the training programme ever since it started in 2013, said it was "incredible" that the halt had taken so long to reach.

"Ending this training should have been a no-brainer, not something to dither over for three weeks while ethnic cleansing happens," said the group's director Mark Farmaner.

He called the training a "catastrophic misjudgement."

"A major rethink on policy is now needed and a return to putting human rights first," he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron warns in an address to the UN General Assembly that rejecting the nuclear deal with Iran would be a 'grave error'

French President Emmanuel Macron stood firm Tuesday that landmark agreements on Iran and climate change would not change as he gently nudged Donald Trump to return to the fold.

Macron, like the US president, was appearing for the first time at the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders, but struck a different tone.

Trump devoted much of his own address at the General Assembly denouncing Iran, calling the seven-nation agreement on Tehran's nuclear program championed by his predecessor Barack Obama an "embarrassment to the United States."

But Macron said that the 2015 deal -- reached between Tehran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany -- was a "solid, robust agreement that verifies that Iran will not build a nuclear weapon."

"To reject it now without proposing anything else would be a grave error, and not respecting it would be irresponsible," Macron told the assembly.

He acknowledged concerns that the agreement does not cover activities after 2025 or touch on other Western and regional concerns about Iran such as its ballistic missile program.

He called for diplomacy to address the issues, saying: "Let's be stricter, but let's not unravel agreements that have already brought security."

UN inspectors say that Iran is complying with the agreement including its restrictions on uranium enrichment.

But US law requires the president to certify every 90 days that Iran is in compliance and Trump has signalled he will either not do it when the next deadline arises in mid-October, or will pass the decision to Congress where criticism of Iran is high.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a forceful critic of the deal, but inside the negotiations France had been seen as pressing hard on Iran.

- No renegotiation of climate accord -

Trump triggered a global outcry in June when he announced that the United States will pull out of the Paris climate accord, making the world's largest economy and second largest carbon emitter the only outlier alongside war-torn Syria and Nicaragua, which wanted a stronger deal.

Macron said "the door will be open" for the United States to enter the agreement reached in the French capital but vowed: "This agreement will not be renegotiated."

Macron said the climate deal will not be renegotiated

With scientists likening worsening storms and droughts to climate change, Macron said that the effects of rising temperatures were inescapable.

"Unraveling this accord would be to destroy a pact between nations and generations," he said, drawing applause from the assembly.

Under the accord signed by 195 nations, each government sets its own plan to curb carbon emissions and meet a global goal of keeping the rise in temperatures this century within two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

"I respect the decision of the United States," said Macron. "The door will always be open to them. But we will continue, with all of the governments, local administrations, cities, businesses, NGOs and citizens of the world to implement the Paris agreement."

Trump did not mention the climate change agreement in his address.

In contrast to Trump's "America First" credo, Macron embraced multilateralism and expounded on the crucial role of the United Nations as a global body.

"Multilateralism is the most efficient way to confront global challenges," he said, adding that it guarantees rule of law and protects citizens from "the law of the strongest."
Hurricane Irma flood damage is seen in this September 14 picture in Naples, Florida

The death toll in Florida from Hurricane Irma rose to 58 Tuesday as cleanup crews removed debris caused by the powerful storm that struck the state on September 10.

"There are 42 confirmed deaths attributable to Hurricane Irma," said Alberto Moscoso, spokesman from the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM).

The number of fatalities, up from 42, however excludes eight people known to have died in Monroe County -- where the hard-hit Florida Keys are located -- and eight elderly residents of a nursing home just north of Miami.

He said that the county coroners must confirm the fatalities to the FDEM, something that Monroe has not completed because they are still engaged in a door-to-door check.

Irma struck the Florida Keys on Sunday as a major Category Four hurricane, a storm large and dangerous enough that six million Floridians evacuated their homes and fled to safety.

According to Moscoso's detailed report, 10 people died of carbon monoxide poisoning, a common accident when using indoor fuel-operated electric generators.

Fourteen others died of different types of trauma, including car accidents; seven were drowned, and the rest died of various causes, including electrocution.

A criminal investigation has been opened in the case of the eight nursing home victims, who died in the stifling heat when the power went out.

The retirement home owners, the state government, and the Florida utility company all blame each other for the tragedy.

Some 204,000 customers across the state were still without power on Tuesday, down from 15 million at the height of the storm.

- Quest for normality -

Floridians were doing what they could to return their lives to pre-storm normality.

School resumed on Monday, one day after Florida Keys residents were allowed to return home. Entry to the island chain was banned for a week due to danger from destroyed or unstable homes, debris littering the roads, and dangling electrical cables.

"I want to welcome you back to the Keys," Monroe County Mayor George Neugent said in a video posted on Sunday. "But, I want to also tell you, at the same time, that you are not coming back to the same Keys you left."

Florida Governor Rick Scott told The Miami Herald on Monday that 10,000 people were left homeless in the Keys. "As we all know, the Lower Keys were decimated," Scott told the newspaper.

Truck convoys carrying food headed daily to the Keys. The ocean surge had destroyed whole areas, reducing homes, offices and even gas stations to rubble.

In the Keys, 85 percent of the homes were damaged or destroyed, according to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Across the state there are still 2,800 people in 37 shelters, state emergency officials said. In the Miami area, large piles of rubble, fallen branches and trees have been pushed to the side of roads and are waiting to be removed.

Scott said he has directed every Florida county impacted by Irma "to submit a detailed debris clean-up plan" by mid-day Tuesday.

"Let me be clear: debris removal is a function handled and directed at the local level and following a storm like Irma, it is my expectation that every county immediately and aggressively begins work to clear debris in its communities," Scott said in a Monday statement.

Debris in the roads create obstacles for recovery efforts, and is a danger if Florida is struck by another hurricane -- as authorities feared as Hurricane Maria seemed to be approaching the state.

Some 40 people were killed when Hurricane Irma marched across the Caribbean before lashing Florida.

Many of these islands that Irma tore through have yet to recover -- and are now being hit by Hurricane Maria. That storm is expected to strike Puerto Rico on Wednesday, then head north along the eastern US seaboard.
Hurricane Maria is expected to make landfall in Puerto Rico on Wednesday

Puerto Ricans scrambled Monday to board up windows and get last minute supplies as a potential catastrophic Hurricane Maria headed toward the US commonwealth two weeks after it was raked by Hurricane Irma,

"I'm not denying I'm scared. I feel worried because it's the first time I'll see a hurricane of this magnitude," said schoolteacher Noemi Aviles Rivera, 47, who experienced Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Georges in 1998.

"I am well prepared, I have everything I need for the moment, but I worry about the anxiety it causes people because it is contagious," she told AFP.

Maria devastated the Caribbean island of Dominica on Monday, where it made landfall as a top intensity Category Five Hurricane, and now the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are in its sights, US forecasters say.

The storm is forecast to land Wednesday in Puerto Rico, a densely populated island with a mountainous interior and vulnerable stretches of beachfront.

Long lines formed outside gas stations in San Juan and hotels and businesses in the city's tourist hotspots boarded up windows.

Puerto Rico's Governor Ricardo Rossello urged people to flee vulnerable areas ahead of "the worst storm of the last century".

The National Hurricane Center expects rainfall of 17 to 24 inches (45 to 63cm) in Puerto Rico, and storm surge of six to nine feet (two to three meters).

Rossello also warned communications could go down, and banned the sale of alcohol in the US territory for 48 hours.

Roberto Garcia, director of the US National Meteorological Service in Puerto Rico, described Maria as "extremely dangerous."

"We have not had a threat this big probably since 1928, with San Felipe. This is about the same intensity," Garcia said.

In 1928, Category Five Hurricane Okeechobee -- also known as San Felipe Segundo -- killed 300 people in Puerto Rico, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration records.

Rossello added the government has 40 contractors ready to begin work on restoring communications, and 214 volunteer rescue workers.

Meanwhile, 500 shelters with a total capacity of 66,826 people have been opened -- although they can fit 133,352 people if demand is extremely high.

President Donald Trump has already declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico to allow for the release of federal funding.

Alejandro de la Campa, of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said the agency also has ships, helicopters and specialists poised to respond.
A Rohingya Muslim refugee shelters from the rain at Leda refugee camp near the Bangladehsi district of Teknaf

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called Myanmar leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi on Tuesday to urge her government to address "deeply troubling allegations of human rights abuses and violations."

More than 400,000 members of Myanmar's Rohingya minority have fled fighting in Rakhine state, amid what rights activists and some world leaders have alleged is a military-led campaign of "ethnic cleansing."

The United States has previously expressed concern about the crisis, but has been cautious about blaming Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi directly for the killings and expulsions, and Tuesday's call was Tillerson's first.

"The secretary welcomed the Burmese government's commitment to end the violence in Rakhine State and to allow those displaced by the violence to return home," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

"He also urged the Burmese government and military to facilitate humanitarian aid for displaced people in the affected areas, and to address deeply troubling allegations of human rights abuses and violations."

Earlier in the day, Suu Kyi -- in an address timed to pre-empt censure at the UN General Assembly in New York -- pledged to hold human rights violators to account, but refused to blame the military for the attacks.

She called for patience and understanding of the crisis, which has driven some 421,000 Muslim Rohingya out of her mainly Buddhist country, but failed to quell mounting international outrage.
Demonstrators protest outside the St. Louis city jail following the acquittal of a former St. Louis police officer in the shooting of a black man

A US civil rights group signaled Tuesday that it would sue the St Louis police department, as criticism mounted over the law enforcement response to days of violent protests.

The American Civil Liberties Union took the first steps toward a lawsuit over questionable police tactics, requesting the city preserve video and other evidence.

Criticism of the police intensified, with accusations of unlawful arrests and excessive use of force to quell three days of violence sparked by the Friday acquittal of a white police officer in the fatal shooting of a black man.

The midwestern city's mayor postponed planned town halls, including one scheduled for Tuesday evening, amid growing public pressure -- and said police would be held accountable for any misconduct.

"Intimidation is not conduct that lives up to the standard of behavior expected by City police officers or any City employee," Mayor Lyda Krewson said.

Protesters returned to downtown St Louis streets again Tuesday, holding another peaceful daytime march and a prayer service, with activists and clergy linking arms and some holding "Black Lives Matter" signs.

Earlier peaceful protests were followed by three evenings in a row of violence over the weekend, as some demonstrators hurled bricks through windows, overturned trash cans, and even vandalized the mayor's home.

Police responded in riot gear, culminating Sunday with the arrests of 123 people, including journalists and legal observers.

Some witnesses told the St Louis Post Dispatch that they were arrested even though they were not protesting -- including the newspaper's own reporter Mike Faulk.

The reporter said several officers knocked him down and a foot pushed his head into the pavement before an officer squirted pepper spray in his face, according to the newspaper.

Witnesses, including journalists, also said a group of police at one point chanted "Whose streets? Our streets" -- appropriating a common protest call.

The American Civil Liberties Union said it sought to challenge "several police tactics," and had previously issued public objections to alleged use of excessive force and illegal arrests.

"Police conduct since Friday's verdict in the Stockley case makes it clear that the actions of officers will need to be addressed," Tony Rothert of the ACLU said in a statement emailed to AFP.

Krewson, the mayor, said she had been inundated by calls, social media posts and emails with regards to the actions of police.

"I want to assure all citizens that complaints of misconduct that have been made are being reviewed," Krewson said in a statement.

The protests were sparked by a judge's ruling that there was not enough evidence to convict former police officer Jason Stockley of murdering Anthony Lamar Smith, a black man, following a 2011 car chase.

The officers targeted Smith after suspecting that he was involved in a drug deal.

Protesters on Tuesday chanted Smith's name, and held up their hands for six minutes for the six years it took for Stockley to be tried.
Zimbabwean cleric and political activist Evan Mawarire pleaded not guilty to charges of misconduct and inciting a crowd to cause violence

Zimbabwean activist pastor Evan Mawarire pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges of misconduct and inciting a crowd to cause violence.

Mawarire -- an outspoken opponent of ruling President Robert Mugabe -- became popular with his #ThisFlag movement that challenged Mugabe's government over the economic crisis.

Responding in court after the charges were read out in Zimbabwe's capital Harare, he said: "I plead not guilty."

Mawarire is jointly charged with his colleague Ocean Chiota. The pair were arrested in June for allegedly addressing medical students who were striking over a hike in fees at the University of Zimbabwe.

The trial will continue on September 28.

Mawarire is also facing separate charges of trying to remove the government, for which he will appear in court on September 25.

Not affiliated with any political party, Mawarire launched the #ThisFlag campaign in early 2016 on social media networks.

The online videos, in which he appears with the Zimbabwean flag in a sling to denounce the living conditions of the population, sparked a wave of strikes and demonstrations across the country.

Last year, supporters shut down major cities and paralysed public transport, prompting the government to ban public protests.

The movement was stamped out by Mugabe, 93, who has ruled the country since independence in 1980.

Fearing for his life, Mawarire fled to South Africa July 2016, and then to the United States.

He was arrested at Harare airport on 1 February this year -- the day he returned to Zimbabwe -- charged with attempting to sabotage the government, and released on bail.

Mawarire is yet to face trial on that charge.
"The referendum is rejected, whether today or in the future, in the Kurdistan region within the 2003 borders or in the disputed areas," Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday said he rejected any type of referendum on independence for the northern autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.

"The referendum is rejected, whether today or in the future, in the Kurdistan region within the 2003 borders or in the disputed areas," he told journalists.

Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani has announced an independence referendum for September 25 in oil-rich Iraqi Kurdistan, and the provincial council in the neighbouring province of Kirkuk has said it will also take part.

Beyond the three provinces that have made up Iraqi Kurdistan since the fall of Saddam Hussein after a US-led invasion, Iraq's Kurds have also claimed territory in Kirkuk, as well as the Nineveh and Diyala provinces.

Abadi also hinted at a possible military intervention in Kirkuk, which is home to diverse communities including Arabs and Turkmen who oppose the vote.

"If a Kirkuk citizen is exposed to danger, it's our legitimate duty to impose security," he said.

On Monday, Iraq's supreme court ordered the suspension of the referendum to examine claims it was unconstitutional.

Abadi's office said it had filed a complaint against the referendum, after parliament in Baghdad voted twice against it.

Barzani has said a "yes" vote would not trigger an immediate declaration of independence, but rather kick-start "serious discussions" with Baghdad.

Analysts say Barzani is using the referendum as leverage in his Kurdish Regional Government's long-standing disputes with the federal authorities in Baghdad over territory and oil exports.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 72nd session of the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to fight an "Iranian curtain" descending on the Middle East, pledging to prevent Tehran from ever establishing a permanent foothold in Syria.

Netanyahu -- who in recent years has coined his own sort of theater at the annual United Nations speech marathon with podium props and dramatic warnings -- was in a lighter mood for 2017, cracking jokes and rejoicing over the rise of US President Donald Trump.

But his message was ultimately no less severe as he chose to echo Winston Churchill's 1946 speech that declared that communist Eastern Europe had come under an "Iron Curtain" of Soviet subjugation.

"From the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, from Tehran to Tartus, an Iranian curtain is descending across the Middle East," Netanyahu warned the General Assembly.

"Those who threaten us with annihilation put themselves in mortal peril. Israel will defend itself with the full force of our arms and the full power of our convictions.

"We will act to prevent Iran from establishing permanent military bases in Syria for its air, sea and ground forces," he said, also vowing to prevent Iran from producing any weapons that could hit the Jewish state.

Iran has been aiding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iraq's government in their fights against the Islamic State group, which has claimed responsibility for a slew of bloody attacks around the world.

Iran's ruling Shiite clerics are also sworn foes of Israel and have supported the militant movements Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories.

Netanyahu has long insisted that Iran, which also has tense relations with major Sunni Arab states, is the pre-eminent threat and unsuccessfully fought to scuttle Iran's 2015 deal with global powers to give up its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

Netanyahu said he was proven right and that Iran since the agreement has been "like a hungry tiger unleashed, not joining the community of nations but devouring nations, one after the other."

- High praise for Trump -

The right-leaning Israeli leader heaped praise on Trump, who in his own speech hours earlier said the deal with Iran championed by his predecessor Barack Obama was an "embarrassment" and separately threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if the regime attacks.

In years of listening to UN speeches, "none were bolder, none were more courageous and forthright than the one delivered by President Trump today," Netanyahu said.

UN inspectors say Iran has fulfilled its commitments to give up its nuclear activities under the agreement, which was reached with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.

Netanyahu has doubted Iranian intentions and voiced concern that some provisions on curbing uranium enrichment do not go beyond 2025.

Netanyahu directed his barbs at Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranians in May overwhelmingly re-elected President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate who has campaigned on the nuclear deal and better relations with the West.

The Israeli leader drew a distinction between Iranians and their government, saying in Farsi to the Iranian people: "You are our friends."

Iran, unlike Israel's Arab neighbors, still has a thriving Jewish community. Until the 1979 Islamic revolution overthrew the US-allied shah, Iran was Israel's primary ally in the region.

Netanyahu opened his speech not with his often booming voice but a grin. He boasted of further breaking his country's diplomatic isolation by visiting six continents in the past year -- a first for a prime minister of Israel.

"Now, it's true, I haven't yet visited Antarctica, but one day I want to go there too because I've heard that penguins are also enthusiastic supporters of Israel," he said, explaining that the birds can see black-and-white moral distinctions.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey addresses the General Assembly at the UN in New York September 19, 2017

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday demanded that Iraqi Kurds call off a referendum on independence, hinting at consequences if they go ahead.

"Steps such as demands for independence that can cause new crises and conflicts in the region must be avoided. We hereby call on the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government to abort the initiative they have launched in that direction," Erdogan said in a speech to the UN General Assembly.

"Ignoring the clear and determined stance of Turkey on this matter may lead to a process that shall deprive the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government of even the opportunities it currently enjoys."

Turkey, which has already warned against the vote, has its own long-running conflict with separatists among its sizable Kurdish minority and has also vowed to quash any Kurdish state from emerging in war-torn Syria.

In a likely unstated warning, Turkey on Monday launched a military drill with 100 vehicles including tanks on the Iraqi border.

Iraqi Kurds will vote on September 25 in the non-binding referendum on whether to declare independence in a region that has already been autonomous since the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War.

Virtually all countries including the United States and Iran oppose the referendum -- with the exception of Israel, which sees a possible opening in a hostile region.

Erdogan, whose relations with Europe have become increasingly tense over his human rights record, repeated his criticism that the European Union has not fulfilled its part of a migration deal.

Under the agreement last year, the European Union agreed to three billion euros ($3.6 billion) of support for refugees, mostly fleeing war-torn Syria, to stay in Turkey.

Erdogan said the EU had sent only 820 million euros of the package, which does not go directly into Turkish government coffers.

"Before the whole world, I hereby call on the countries and the international organizations, which have put all the burden of the 3.2 million people on Turkey's shoulders, to fulfill the promises they have made," Erdogan said.
The Kasai bridge in the Democratic Republic of Congo

President Joseph Kabila on Tuesday accused international and religious groups of "knowingly spreading misinformation" about a conflict that has killed thousands, including two UN experts, over the last year in the volatile Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The violence in Kasai erupted last September when a tribal chieftain known as the Kamwina Nsapu, who rebelled against Kabila's regime, was killed. More than 3,000 people have died and 1.4 million displaced since, the Catholic Church estimates.

In one of his rare public speeches, Kabila visiting Kasai denounced the "duplicity and hypocrisy of certain compatriots, international and religious non-governmental organisations which, though they have seen this tragedy with their own eyes, having been victims in some places, have not had the courage to denounce the true perpetrators".

"Why did they knowingly choose misinformation?" he added.

Two UN experts investigating mass graves in Kasai were killed on March 12 in Bunkonde. Congolese authorities claimed they were victims of supporters of Nsapu. Four suspects are on trial at a military court in Kananga, capital of the vast and deeply poor region.

"There can be no peace or true reconciliation without justice," Kabila also said at the opening of a "peace" forum in Kananga, which was shunned by the opposition.

- UN investigations -

More than 3,000 people have died and around 1.4 million fled their homes in the Kasai conflict, according to UN figures

In early August, UN investigators documented more than 250 executions by state agents, militias or rebels in Kasai between March and June. Congolese spokesman Lambert Mende said the testimony was "unfounded".

A report by Radio France International last week suggested that the two UN experts were victims of an ambush set up by double agents working for state security services. A senior official at the Congolese intelligence agency ANR condemned the report, calling it "immoral".

Meanwhile, eleven activists opposed to Kabila were arrested Tuesday while trying to organise a march in the country's northeast, police said.

The activists had planned a peaceful march in Bunia to mark the deaths of protesters killed by security forces a year ago. More than 50 people died protesting against Kabila on September 19 and 20, 2016, according the UN.

DR Congo has been going through a political crisis since last year after Kabila -- in office since he succeeded his murdered father in 2001 -- failed to stand down in December at the end of what was supposed to be his final mandate according to the country's constitution.

A deal was cut by the Kabila government and the opposition to hold elections by the end of this year, but no electoral calendar has been published so far, and there seems no sign of an end to the impasse as Kabila hangs on.
Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani makes a statement before a meeting with US President Donald Trump on September 19, 2017 in New York

President Donald Trump predicted a rapid end to the diplomatic and economic standoff between Qatar and its neighbors Tuesday, during a meeting with the country's emir at UN headquarters.

"We are right now in a situation where we're trying to solve a problem in the Middle East and I think well get it solved," Trump said, describing Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani as a long-time friend.

"I have a very strong feeling that it will be solved pretty quickly."

For more than 100 days Qatar has been subject to a Saudi-led boycott that shuttered Qatar's only land border, denied air space to its national airline and suspended maritime links.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of bankrolling Islamist extremists and being too close to Iran.

The White House has been sympathetic to allegations that Doha has been too cozy with proscribed groups, but has been wary that Gulf disunity has only created an opening for Iran to expand its influence in the region.

The emir welcomed Trump's involvement. "As you said, Mr President, we have a problem with our neighbors and your interference will help a lot and I'm sure we can find a solution for this problem."

Earlier, he addressed the UN General Assembly, accusing his neighbors of terrorism and made a plea for dialogue.

"I stand here while my country and my people are subjected to a continuing and unjust blockade imposed since June 5th by neighboring countries," he said.

"It seems that those who planned and implemented it had envisaged that their move would cause a shocking and direct impact that will bring the State of Qatar to its knees and to capitulate to a total tutelage to be imposed on it," he said.
The initial interest of the FBI was Paul Manafort's political consulting work for a Moscow backed political party in Ukraine

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort called Tuesday for a federal investigation into leaks after CNN reported he had been wiretapped by the FBI in a national security probe.

In a rare statement while he is under investigation in the sprawling Russia election interference probe, Manafort's spokesman said it was a felony to reveal the existence of orders -- such as the wiretaps -- authorized by the court handling Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) requests.

"The US Department of Justice's inspector general should immediately conduct an investigation into these leaks and to examine the motivations behind a previous administration's effort to surveil a political opponent," said the spokesman, Jason Maloni.

"Mr Manafort requests that the Department of Justice release any intercepts involving him and any non-Americans so interested parties can come to the same conclusion as the DOJ -- there is nothing there."

On Monday, CNN reported that investigators empowered by FISA warrants wiretapped Manafort, who was President Donald Trump's campaign chairman from June to August 2016.

The surveillance of his communications ran from as early as 2014 to early 2016, and then restarted later in 2016 and continued after the November election, according to CNN.

It was unclear whether Trump himself was picked up by the wiretaps.

The initial interest of the FBI was Manafort's political consulting work for a Moscow backed political party in Ukraine.

But the revived wiretaps coincided with government intelligence in the middle of last year that Moscow was making a concerted effort to support Trump's election campaign and damage Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Manafort's call for investigating the CNN report came amid reports that the Justice Department is already probing US media over leaks that have hurt the Trump administration.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - After a painful flight across several states to escape unpredictable Hurricane Irma, Suzanne Pallot says it's unlikely she would evacuate South Florida again - an attitude echoed by other evacuees that experts say could put them in danger when the next storm hits.

"It is a very emotionally draining thing to go through ... the anticipation of what is next and not having control of what is next," Pallot, 73, said in an interview from her cousin's home in Memphis, Tennessee, where her family ended up after first stopping in Atlanta. "This is the first time I even agreed to think about leaving. I probably would not do it again."

About 7 million people were asked to evacuate as Irma threatened Florida and the Southeast with strong winds and storm surge that in some places was forecast to push water as high as the rooftops of single-story homes. Neither wind nor water was quite as fierce as predicted, but no one knew that would be the case until it happened. Before then, the forecast was ominous enough that government officials decided they couldn't take any chances, and they repeatedly beseeched people in vulnerable areas to leave.

In this undated photo released by Brooke Pallot, Miami evacuee Sora Pallot poses for a photograph with her grandmother Suzanne Pallot. As a lifelong South Florida resident, Suzanne Pallot never evacuated for hurricanes, not even for powerful Wilma or ferocious Andrew. As Irma approached, though, she and her family decided to leave with two cats on an exhausting, expensive odyssey that Pallot doesn't want to experience again. (Brooke Pallot via AP)

Some of the tens of thousands who heeded the warnings got stuck in massive traffic jams, waited in hourslong lines at a dwindling number of gas stations still equipped with fuel, and were forced to bounce from city to city as the storm kept changing its path.

Craig Fugate, a former chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency who lives in Gainesville, Florida, and lost power during Irma, said he understands such experiences may lead some to stay home next time in hopes of riding out the storm.

"People start rationalizing, 'It's not that bad to stay here,'" Fugate said. "If people in the evacuation zones start drawing this conclusion, that is not a good thing."

Psychologist Nora Baladerian, who specializes in anxiety and depression among trauma victims, said an event such as a mass evacuation can put mental stress on people that impairs their decision-making ability during the next crisis.

"Obviously there are some who would say, 'Let's do all we can to survive, and since the experts are saying it is best to evacuate, that is what we will do,'" she said. "However, some will not be able to make the effort, and may remain in harm's way, saying, 'Come what may, I've made my decision.'"

Rosie Rollo of Miami, her two young boys, and her husband evacuated from three different places to escape Irma's wrath: first to Tampa, then to Fort Walton Beach, and then on to New Orleans before finally landing in Biloxi, Mississippi.

"We were SO RELIEVED once we arrived here and once we knew Irma wasn't coming this way," Rollo said in a text message interview from Biloxi. "It's been a very scary experience. ... I've never been through any of this."

JennyLee Molina says her evacuation put a strain on her family's finances.

"We're spending money we really didn't plan to spend," said Molina, who with her husband, 7-year-old son and seven other family members first evacuated from Miami to Cartersville, Georgia. When it appeared Irma would head that way, they left for Asheville, North Carolina, eventually ending up in St. Augustine, Florida, on the state's northeastern coast.

Molina said the nomadic uncertainty gave her an inkling of what it must be like to flee war zones and oppression.

"It made me think about the immigrant experience and the refugee experience. You're arriving somewhere that doesn't feel like home at all," she said.

Before she had a family, her attitude about evacuating was, "We'd have a hurricane party and stock up on beer and junk food. That was more my lifestyle."

But now, she says, "with a child, I would never stay with a storm at Category 3 or up."

Pallot said she's likely to stick it out next time, maybe buy a power generator and reinforce her home to withstand strong storms. Still, she said she does understand why authorities urged her and others to evacuate for Irma, which was so unpredictable.

"It's a really hard call," Pallot said. "This was such an unknown ... it could gain strength, and it was breaking all records."

Marc Caputo, a Coral Gables resident and former longtime Miami Herald correspondent who covered many storms for the newspaper, didn't evacuate for Irma. The explanation he offered in a column written for his current employer, Politico, reflects the rationale of many storm-experienced Floridians.

"People who have never lived through a hurricane often have a hard time understanding why anyone would stay in the path of one. Are you stupid? Get out of there!" he wrote.

"But everyone has their reasons, or rationalizations. And when you've survived a few of these things, you figure: What's one more?"

_____

Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami contributed to this report.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A lieutenant colonel in the Kansas' Civil Air Patrol who resigned his command after posting on Facebook that a state lawmaker should "swing from a tree" has chosen not to resume participation in the volunteer organization despite being cleared to do so.

Jonathan Holder is "not active," Col. Linette Lahan, commander of the Kansas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, said, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal .

The Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the Air Force, conducts emergency searches and mentors cadets as young as 12.

Holder, who joined the Civil Air Patrol in 2001, stepped down in January amid the controversy over his Facebook post. Holder wrote in the post, which was later removed, that Republican Rep. Stephanie Clayton of Overland Park should "swing from a tree" for introducing legislation that Holder considers unconstitutional that would block the carrying of concealed handguns on college campuses.

In February, the national Civil Air Patrol at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama suspended his membership pending an investigation. He was later cleared to participate in the group, but chose not to do so, Lahan said.

Holder said people offended by his opinion were "intolerant social justice warriors who believe free speech only applies to their way of thinking."

"I stand by what I said and frankly don't care who doesn't like it," he wrote on Facebook.

The 2017 Legislature didn't adopt Clayton's bill, but legislators and Republican Gov. Sam Brownback did exclude public hospitals from the statute.

___

Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com
MOSCOW (AP) - A court in Moscow has turned down a lawsuit by the relatives of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who disappeared after helping at least 20,000 Hungarian Jews escape the Holocaust.

The lawsuit demanded that the KGB's main successor agency provide full and uncensored documentation about his case.

The Swedish diplomat is believed to have died in Soviet captivity, but the time and circumstances of his death have remained unclear.

Wallenberg's niece, Marie Dupuy, had asked a Russian legal association to file the lawsuit, arguing that numerous requests to Russian authorities for information have been fruitless. Moscow's Meshchansky Court rejected the lawsuit Monday.

Wallenberg vanished after being arrested by the Red Army in 1945. The Soviets initially denied he was in their custody, but later said he died in prison in 1947.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The deadly ambushes of a homeless man on the street and a dishwasher walking to work ramped up the anxiety in Louisiana's capital at a time when the city already was in the grips of a surge in violence.

Police are investigating whether race was a motive for the unprovoked attacks on the two black men who were shot to death in similar fashion within two days of each other. Ballistics evidence linked the two shootings, police said.

Residents here say they are fed up with all of the violence, no matter what the motive. The number of homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish has already surpassed last year's total of 62, The Advocate reported earlier this month.

Kenneth Gleason is shown in an undated booking photo provided by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office. Police believe the slayings of two black men in Baton Rouge were likely racially motivated and said Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, that they have a person of interest - Gleason- in custody. Gleason, was being held on drug charges. Authorities do not yet have enough evidence to charge him with murder, Baton Rouge Sgt. L'Jean McKneely told The Associated Press. (East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office via AP)

"You feel the tension everywhere you go," Bryan Mitchell said after walking out of a convenience store near where the homeless man was killed. "Everybody is watching everybody."

Kenneth Gleason, a 23-year-old white man whom police call a "person of interest" in the fatal shootings, was released on $3,500 bond late Sunday after his arrest on drug charges over the weekend. Detectives said they found 9 grams of marijuana and vials of human growth hormone at his house.

It's not clear if Gleason has an attorney.

Baton Rouge Police Sgt. L'Jean McKneely has said there was a "strong possibility" that the shootings were racially motivated, but he would not elaborate on why police thought that.

On Monday, interim police chief Jonny Dunnam said in a text message that investigators "still don't know for sure what the possible motive is."

In both shootings, the gunman fired from his car then walked up to the victims as they were lying on the ground and fired again multiple times, according to McKneely, who said neither victim had any prior relationship with Gleason.

The shootings happened about five miles from each other. The first occurred Tuesday night when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was shot to death. The second happened Thursday night when 49-year-old Donald Smart was gunned down while walking to his job as a dishwasher at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students, McKneely said.

Terrell Griffin, 49, has a food stand in a parking lot less than a block from where Cofield was shot. Griffin said he waited for the gunfire to quiet before he ran over to find his friend lying face-down on the ground.

He described Cofield as a smart man who had been homeless for at least a year.

"He didn't bother nobody," Griffin said. "It's not right."

Mike McClanahan, president of the NAACP's Baton Rouge chapter, said the two shootings last week "only added to the level of frustration and fear" that many residents are feeling after a violent summer.

"Right now, there is killing, period, be it racially motivated or black-on-black crime," he said. "People are sick to their stomach and in fear of their day-to-day activities with all of these killings."

Gleason didn't appear to have any active social media profiles. A spokesman at Louisiana State University said a student by that name attended during the 2013-14 school year before withdrawing. He had transferred from Baton Rouge Community College.

Gleason was in Arizona in December, according to police and court records. He was arrested for shoplifting on Dec. 28 at a Target store, said Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Vince Lewis.

According to Lewis, Gleason was loitering outside the store and was asked to leave by store security officers. Instead, he apparently became angry and went into the store, where he stole about $30 worth of wine and razors. Court records show the case was dismissed in late January.

___

AP reporter Bob Christie in Phoenix contributed to this report.
BAYTOWN, Texas (AP) - Police in Louisiana have arrested a Texas woman accused of shooting and dismembering her boyfriend, and dumping parts of his body in southeast Texas.

Police say 30-year-old Cierra Sutton was jailed without bond following her Thursday arrest in Jefferson Parish, near New Orleans.

Jail records don't list an attorney for Sutton, who lives in Baytown, just east of Houston and about 85 miles (137 kilometers) from the Texas-Louisiana border.

Investigators allege Sutton fatally shot 32-year-old Steven Coleman as he slept following an argument, and that she dismembered his body with a machete at a Baytown apartment.

Investigators say a torso was found at a Baytown landfill on Aug. 22, four days after Sutton reported Coleman missing. Coleman was last seen on Aug. 16.

Police say formal identification of Coleman's body awaits examination of the body parts.
Joe Murray of Firth is the second candidate to announce plans to seek the seat in the Legislature that will be vacated by Sen. Roy Baker in 2019.

Baker, who represents District 30, said he did not intend to seek a second term. District 30 encompasses part of southwest Lincoln, southeast Lancaster County and Gage County.

Murray, 52, is a supervising auditor for Horizon Inventory Specialists, former owner of a small cow-calf operation and horse trainer. He said his experience in agriculture and 30 years in small business qualify him to represent District 30.

I will be a strong advocate for Nebraskas rural communities, and our larger cities like Beatrice, he said.

Murray has a bachelors degree in social science education from Union College and a law degree from the University of Nebraska. He is a member of the Beatrice Chamber of Commerce and Lincoln Independent Business Association, and he has held several leadership positions with the Lancaster County and Nebraska Republican parties.

He is also an avid sportsman and member of the NRA, he said. And he is "strongly pro-life," he said.

Murray's key issues will be meaningful tax cuts -- including property taxes -- for all Nebraskans, promoting legislation to help spur economic development and growth in rural Nebraska, ensuring a high quality, locally controlled education, and supporting the continued operation of the Beatrice State Developmental Center, he said.

All of my core issues relate to helping our small, rural communities be successful, Murray said.

By attracting new business and jobs, the state economy will expand, he said.

"Our tax burden is too high and hurts our state when competing with neighboring states, Murray said.

Murray remembers the 2004 Hallam tornado and the damage it did to much of the area, including his farm.

I will never forget how for weeks we all came together to help one another clean up and rebuild," he said.

The love and generosity his community demonstrated were key factors in his decision to run, Murray said.

Democrat Don Schuller previously announced he will be a candidate in District 30.

Schuller, 61, is a businessman and farms in Gage County.
MILWAUKEE (AP) - One of 10 jurors who decided a Wisconsin girl was mentally ill when she helped stab a classmate to please the fictional horror character Slender Man said Monday the most powerful evidence was testimony by medical experts.

Anissa Weier, now 15, will go to a mental hospital rather than prison when she is later sentenced by a judge. Weier and a co-defendant, Morgan Geyser, admitted to stabbing classmate Payton Leutner in a Waukesha park in 2014, but Weier argued she was mentally ill and not responsible for her actions.

All three girls were 12. Leutner survived after crawling for help and being found by a passing bicyclist.

Anissa Weier listens to defense attorney Joseph Smith Jr. during closing arguments in her case before Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in Waukesha, Wis. Weier is accused of helping her friend stab their classmate nearly to death to please online horror character Slender Man. (C.T. Kruger /Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

The jury heard a week's testimony and deliberated most of a day before reaching a decision late Friday night. The juror told WTMJ-TV that medical testimony about Weier's mental stability was compelling, especially from those doctors who were appointed by the court. WTMJ withheld the juror's identity because it said threatening comments had been posted about the jury on social media.

"The first two doctors, we thought they were completely unbiased. They weren't hired by the defense, they weren't hired by the prosecution, they were appointed by the court," the juror said.

Two forensic psychologists testified that Weier and Geyser had a shared delusion that Slender Man - an internet creation said to lurk near forests and target children - was real and could kill their families. A defense expert gave similar testimony.

Prosecutors argued that Weier knew what she was doing was wrong, but she went along with the stabling plot to preserve her friendship with Geyser.

The juror said he also thought others who didn't detect a problem before the attack were partly responsible.

"I do think the parents failed them, I think the teachers failed them, I think in general society failed these girls," the juror said.

Weier's father, William Weier, testified early in the trial that his daughter went through trying times in grade school as her parents divorced, but he described her as "a normal child."

A plea agreement reached before trial called for Weier to spend at least three years in a mental hospital before seeking release if she was found mentally ill. A presentencing investigation is due Oct. 2.

Geyser's trial is due to begin Oct. 9. She has also pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The latest on the U.N. General Assembly meeting (all times local):

11:30 p.m.

North Korea's top diplomat is headed to New York to attend the annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, left, shakes hands with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Guk as he leaves the Pyongyang Airport, North Korea Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. Ri flew out of Pyongyang Tuesday morning to go to New York for the U.N. General Assembly. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)

Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho arrived Tuesday in Beijing after departing Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on an Air Koryo flight.

It's not the first time for a North Korean foreign minister to attend the General Assembly, but this visit comes at a time of increased tension on the Korean Peninsula.

The U.N. Security Council imposed harsher sanctions on North Korea last week to try to get the country to halt its nuclear weapons and missile development. Four days later, North Korea launched an intermediate-range missile over Japan and into the Pacific.

The six-day General Assembly starts Tuesday and brings together world leaders including President Donald Trump.

___

7:40 p.m.

Two-time Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro is at the United Nations to appeal to all countries and organizations to help rebuild the devastated Caribbean island of Barbuda and ensure that "paradise is not lost."

De Niro spoke Monday at a hastily called meeting on Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history. The meeting of top U.N. officials and government leaders from several hard-hit Caribbean countries came ahead of the annual global gathering of the world's leaders at the U.N. General Assembly that opens Tuesday.

Irma wreaked havoc in the Caribbean earlier this month, including damaging or destroying an estimated 90 percent of the structures on the small island of Barbuda where the actor co-owns a resort.

De Niro recalled Barbuda as an "unspoiled beauty, a paradise found" on his first visit many years ago. Now, he said, "we have a humanitarian crisis, an entire island destroyed."

He told the meeting: "We must act together to help the most vulnerable. The recovery process will be a long, hard road. ... Working together with all of you, Barbuda can rise to be stronger and be more resilient."

___

5:10 p.m.

The plight of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims that U.N. officials have described as ethnic cleansing is getting early attention at the annual gathering of government leaders at the world body.

Britain on Monday presided over a meeting of several Western and Muslim-majority governments that are urging senior Myanmar officials to end the violence and allow humanitarian access.

More than 400,000 Rohingya have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh in the past month amid a military crackdown triggered by insurgent attacks on security posts in late August.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the violence is a "stain" on Myanmar's reputation, and it's vital that Aung San Suu Kyi and her civilian government make clear the abuses "must stop."

The closed meeting was also attended by representatives of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Denmark and the United States.

___

12:35 p.m.

France's top diplomat says dissension and conflict are at their highest level since the Cold War, while cooperation among nations has become more difficult.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a news conference Monday that world leaders are gathering at the U.N. General Assembly for their annual meeting at "a critical moment" that is witnessing "a worrying degradation of the international environment."

He pointed to the increasing number of global crises from fighting terrorism to resolving conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, from tackling North Korea's escalating nuclear program to addressing the flight of more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh.

Le Drian said France's priority is to work on concrete solutions to these problems.

North Korean Ambassador to China Ji Jae Ryong, right, gets into a car at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Actor Robert De Niro, right, address a high-level meeting on Hurricane Irma at the United Nations headquarters, Monday, Sept. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's recommendation to shrink four sprawling national monuments in the U.S. West jeopardizes protections for ancient cliff dwellings, scenic canyons and habitat for endangered fish and threatened Mojave desert tortoises.

The recommendations, revealed in a leaked memo submitted to the White House, would scale back two huge Utah monuments - Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante - along with Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou.

The monuments encompass an area larger than Connecticut and were created by Democratic presidents under a century-old law. Three were created or expanded in President Barack Obama's final weeks in office.

FILE - In this May 9, 2017, file photo, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke rides a horse in the new Bears Ears National Monument near Blanding, Utah. Zinke is recommending that four large national monuments in the West be reduced in size, potentially opening up hundreds of thousand or even millions of acres of land revered for natural beauty and historical significance to mining, logging and other development. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP, File)

President Donald Trump and other critics say presidents have lost sight of the original purpose of the law created by President Theodore Roosevelt, which was designed to protect particular historical or archaeological sites rather than wide expanses.

Environmental groups have vowed to take Trump to court if he approves Zinke's recommendations.

A closer look at the four monuments set to be downsized:

___

BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT, UTAH

Creation of the 2,100-square-mile (5,500-square-kilometer) monument at the end of Obama's tenure marked a victory for Native Americans and conservationists. It was a blow to Republican leaders who campaigned to prevent what they call a layer of unnecessary federal control that hurts local economies by closing the area to new energy development.

Tucked between existing national parks and the Navajo Nation, the monument is on land considered sacred to a coalition of tribes and is home to an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites. Tribal members visit the area to perform ceremonies, collect herbs and wood for medicinal and spiritual purposes and do healing rituals.

The monument features a mix of cliffs, plateaus, towering rock formations, rivers and canyons. In the memo, Zinke highlights the hiking, backpacking, canyoneering, mountain biking and rock climbing.

Utah's congressional delegation and top state leaders vowed to work to get the monument repealed. Zinke's recommendation to downsize it to a yet-to-be-determined size came after he toured Bears Ears in May and met with Gov. Gary Herbert and others who oppose the designation. State officials recommended a significant decrease to about 195 square miles.

Zinke suggests Trump ask Congress to make the tribes co-managers. Under Obama's designation, they were given an advisory role.

___

CASCADE-SISKIYOU NATIONAL MONUMENT, OREGON

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, covering 175 square miles (453 square kilometers) of mountains, forests and rivers along Oregon's border with California, was expanded by then Obama in his last days. The new areas include habitat for endangered fish such as the shortnose sucker and Lost River sucker.

In a July visit, Zinke expressed doubts that much scientific study went behind the drawing of its boundaries. He stressed that the Antiquities Act of 1906, which authorizes a president to create a monument, limits their size "to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected."

"Nobody knows how exactly the boundaries were made," Zinke said. "Going back, were the boundaries made on the basis of science, best guess? And so those are the things I'm reviewing."

In a 2011 report, a group of scientists said many of the region's species relied on habitat outside the monument's then-boundaries, where they faced threats from logging, grazing and development. The smaller monument also didn't provide continuous protection across different elevations, which is important for migration, especially amid global warming, said the scientists, who supported the expansion.

Created by President Bill Clinton in 2000, Cascade-Siskiyou is the first monument set aside solely for the preservation of biodiversity. Two timber companies have challenged the legality of Obama's expansion, saying it reduces the supply of timber sold and jeopardizes their supply.

___

GOLD BUTTE NATIONAL MONUMENT, NEVADA

Named for a ghost-town mining site near the confluence of the Colorado and Virgin rivers, the monument covers 464 square miles (1,202 square kilometers) of scenic land northeast of Lake Mead.

Dirt roads cross gold grasslands to rugged black mountains, red sandstone formations, Joshua tree forests and sites rich with Native American rock art and artifacts.

It is about 80 miles (128 kilometers) northeast of Las Vegas in the remote rangeland over which rancher Cliven Bundy let cows graze for decades before an armed standoff in 2014 with federal land agents.

Efforts began decades ago to protect and preserve Gold Butte as critical habitat for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise and rare local species of buckwheat and bear poppy plants.

Proponents, including former Democratic U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, tried for years to have it designated as a national conservation area before Obama made it a monument in December.

Republican members of Nevada's congressional delegation have been vocal opponents. U.S. Sen. Dean Heller and Rep. Mark Amodei sponsored a measure this year to restrict the ability of future presidents to designate monuments without congressional approval.

___

GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT, UTAH

Clinton created the monument in southern Utah in 1996 to preserve scenic cliffs, canyons, waterfalls and arches. Actor and Utah resident Robert Redford appeared at the ceremony.

In heavily Republican Utah, the move was viewed as a sneaky example of federal overreach that still irks GOP officials. Many Utah Republicans and some residents say it closed off too many areas to development - including one of the country's largest known coal reserves - that could have helped pay for schools.

Gov. Herbert signed a resolution from state lawmakers this year asking Utah's congressional delegation to support shrinking the monument that's nearly 2,700 square miles (5,400 square kilometers), about the size of Delaware.

Zinke says in his memo to Trump that there are "several billion tons of coal and large oil deposits" within its boundaries. He also noted that while the permitted amount of grazing is the same as it was in 1996, the number of cattle in the monument has decreased because of restrictions on moving water lines, vegetation management and maintenance of fences and roads.

___

Associated Press writers Ken Ritter in Las Vegas and Andrew Selsky in Salem, Oregon, contributed to this report.

FILE - In this May 26, 2017, file photo, Susie Gelbart walks near petroglyphs at the Gold Butte National Monument near Bunkerville, Nev. nterior Secretary Ryan Zinke is recommending that four large national monuments in the West be reduced in size, potentially opening up hundreds of thousand or even millions of acres of land revered for natural beauty and historical significance to mining, logging and other development. Zinke's recommendation, revealed in a leaked memo submitted to the White House, prompted an outcry from environmental groups who promised to take the Trump administration to court to block the moves. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

FILE - This May 30, 1997, file photo, shows the varied terrain of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument near Boulder, Utah. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is recommending that six of 27 national monuments under review by the Trump administration be reduced in size, along with management changes to several other sites. A leaked memo from Zinke to President Donald Trump recommends that two Utah monuments - Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante - be reduced, along with Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac, File)

FILE - This May 23, 2016, file photo, shows the northernmost boundary of the proposed Bears Ears region, along the Colorado River, in southeastern Utah. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is recommending that six of 27 national monuments under review by the Trump administration be reduced in size, along with management changes to several other sites. A leaked memo from Zinke to President Donald Trump recommends that two Utah monuments - Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante - be reduced, along with Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) - One-time pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne has beaten superstar Beyonce at something, but she may not be totally happy with her victory - she's been named the most dangerous celebrity on the internet.

Cybersecurity firm McAfee said Tuesday that Lavigne, whose last album came out in 2013, was the most likely celebrity to land users on websites that carry viruses or malware. Searches for Lavigne have a 14.5 percent chance of landing on a web page with the potential for online threats, a number that increases to 22 percent if users type her name and search for free MP3s.

Bruno Mars was second in his debut on the list, followed closely behind by Carly Rae Jepsen. Zayn Malik (No. 4), Celine Dion (No. 5), Calvin Harris (No. 6), Justin Bieber (No. 7), Sean "Diddy" Combs (No. 8), Katy Perry (No. 9) and Beyonce (No. 10) rounded out the top 10 list.

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2016 file photo, Avril Lavigne arrives at the 2016 Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala in Beverly Hills, Calif. Cybersecurity firm McAfee said Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, that Lavigne, whose last album came out in 2013, was the most likely celebrity to land users on websites that carry viruses or malware. Searches for Lavigne have a 14.5 percent chance of landing on a web page with the potential for online threats, a number that increases to 22 percent if users type her name and search for free MP3s. (Photo by John Salangsang/Invision/AP, File)

It's a dubious step up for Lavigne, who was ranked No. 2 in 2013. Lavigne, whose hits include "Sk8er Boi," ''Complicated" and "I'm With You," has been out of the spotlight for several years as she battles Lyme disease.

McAfee had a few suggestions for why Lavigne scored so high on the 11th annual list: Interest after the artist said she's working on a new album, a feature story on her by E! Online and an internet conspiracy that she has been replaced by an impostor.

Lavigne is the first female musician to take the No. 1 spot and replaced Amy Schumer, named the most dangerous celebrity on the internet in 2016. In 2015, it was Dutch trance DJ van Buuren.

The survey is meant to highlight the danger of clicking on suspicious links. McAfee urges internet users to consider risks associated with searching for downloadable content. The company used its own site ratings to compile the celebrity list and used searches on Google, Bing and Yahoo.

___

Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) - Delta Air Lines has announced it will end flights between Japan and Guam.

The Pacific Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/2xu66kJ ) that the last morning flight between the U.S. territory and Japan will be in October and the last afternoon flight will be Jan. 8, 2018.

Delta spokeswoman Hiroko Okada says the demand has not been strong enough to sustain the route. Delta plans to provide impacted customers with the option to travel on other airlines.

United Airlines will now be the only U.S. carrier with operations on Guam and flights to Japan. Japan Airlines will also continue to operate the Narita-Guam route.

Sen. Dennis Rodriguez, chairman of the legislative committee on tourism, says officials now need to work twice as hard to maintain Gaum's existing partners, such as United Airlines.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Time growing short, President Donald Trump and Republican Senate leaders dove into a frantic hunt for votes Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to repeal and replace "Obamacare." The pressure was intense, the outcome uncertain in a Capitol newly engulfed in drama over health care.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose failure to pass an Obamacare repeal bill in July opened a bitter public rift with Trump, pressed hard for the newly revived effort, which had been left for dead as recently as a week or two ago. But in a sign he remained short of votes, McConnell refused to commit to bringing the legislation to the floor.

As in July, much of the focus was on Arizona Sen. John McCain. Would he step back in line with fellow Republicans now that there was a bill co-written by Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, his best friend in the Senate? McCain wasn't saying. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, another crucial vote, wasn't disclosing her views either.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks to the media, accompanied by Senate Majority Whip Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republicans must act by Sept. 30 in the Senate, or face the prospect of a Democratic filibuster. That blocking action is currently staved off by budget rules that will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The new legislation, by Graham and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, would undo the central pillars of former President Barack Obama's health care law, and replace them with block grants to the states so they could make their own health care coverage rules.

"Governors and state legislators of both parties would have both the opportunity and the responsibility to help make quality and affordable health care available to their citizens in a way that works for their own particular states," McConnell said on the Senate floor. "It's an intriguing idea and one that has a great deal of support."

Democrats are unanimously opposed, arguing that the legislation would result in millions of Americans losing their health insurance, decrease access to affordable care and damage the Medicaid health program for the poor.

So McConnell must win the votes of 50 of the 52 Senate Republicans. That would amount to victory in the 100-member Senate, because GOP Vice President Mike Pence would then break a tie.

Pence appeared at the Capitol Tuesday and declared the Trump administration was "all-in" on the effort. The president himself was closely in touch with Graham and others.

If the bill does pass, Speaker Paul Ryan has committed to pushing it through the House as-is, and straight to the president's desk, according to Graham. After seven years of promises to get rid of "Obamacare," Republicans would have finally succeeded. It would be a promise kept to the GOP base, yet one with uncertain and potentially devastating political consequences for the Republican Party given that millions of people would be likely to lose their health coverage and others might have skimpier care.

The bill would let states set their own coverage requirements, allow insurers to boost prices on people with serious medical conditions, end Obama's mandates that most Americans buy insurance and that companies offer coverage to workers, and cut and reshape Medicaid.

The bill's full impacts are difficult to predict since the Congressional Budget Office has not had time to assess it. But senators plan to move forward without a complete CBO "score," heightening outrage from Democrats.

By Tuesday evening the legislation remained at least one or two votes short.

The situation is nearly identical to where Republicans found themselves back in July when McConnell made one last attempt to pass a stripped-down repeal bill. It failed in a tense late-night session, with McCain, newly diagnosed with brain cancer, casting the decisive "no" vote.

McCain finds himself once again at the center of the drama this time around. But now there's a twist: His best friend in the Senate, Graham, is an author of the bill.

McCain has been more more than willing to buck his party's leadership over the years, and to defy Trump. Undercutting Graham might be a different issue, and McCain brusquely refused to tip his hand Tuesday.

"I don't have anything to say," McCain said repeatedly and snapped at a reporter who pressed for more. "I have nothing to say, do you hear me?"

Graham made clear he was arguing the case forcefully to his longtime friend, with whom he's partnered on any number of policy initiatives over the years and rarely parted ways. A hearing on the legislation was scheduled for next week after McCain had complained there weren't any.

"I'm not speaking for Sen McCain. I know he likes federalism, I know he wants bipartisanship, but I just don't personally see a bipartisan proposal that's got a snowball's chance in hell of doing anything other than propping up Obamacare," Graham said. "It's either this or a march toward Bernie-care," a reference to Sen. Bernie Sanders' Medicare-for-all bill.

GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has announced his opposition to the legislation, saying it doesn't go far enough in repealing "Obamacare," while moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who opposed earlier repeal bills, also sounded like a "no" Tuesday. She said the Graham-Cassidy bill could be worse than earlier versions because of potential harm to people with pre-existing conditions.

In addition to McCain, the focus was on moderate Murkowski, who was the third "no" vote on the earlier bill along with Collins and McCain.

Murkowski kept a low profile Tuesday but in what could be a significant factor for her, Alaska's independent governor, Bill Walker, joined a bipartisan letter with other governors in opposition to the bill, asking senators to instead focus on bipartisan approaches. A pair of potent interest groups, the American Medical Association and AARP, also declared their opposition.

But the prospect for any kind of bipartisanship appeared to die out altogether as GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander announced he had not found consensus in his attempt for a limited fix for existing health marketplaces; his Democratic partner Sen. Patty Murray accused GOP leadership of freezing their effort.

___

Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Kevin Freking, Andrew Taylor and Richard Lardner in Washington and Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio contributed to this report.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, center, leaves a meeting with Senate Republicans Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) - Prudence Duchene will never forget the day she moved to Key West.

It was Aug. 30 - the day a storm brewing in the Atlantic got named Irma.

Duchene, 22, was actually waiting to board her Florida-bound flight from Albany International Airport when she saw the news that the newly named tropical storm was headed toward the Keys. She got on the plane, not only moving to Florida as a powerful hurricane loomed but staying in Key West to ride out the storm.

This Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017 photo shows homes leveled by Hurricane Irma on Big Pine Key, Fla. Hurricane Irma did more than damage homes and wash out roads in the Florida Keys. The storm wiped out the dreams of many of the small entrepreneurs who populate the independent-minded islands. (Rob O'Neal /The Key West Citizen via AP)

She survived, shaken but fine. And, as she said, "with a fantastic story to tell."

"I was interviewing for jobs and people kept asking me what I was going to do about the storm," Duchene said. "I kept telling them it would be all right, that it was no big deal. And a couple days later, I watched the 11 o'clock advisory and started to wig out. I texted all my friends and said 'I love you' because I didn't know what was going to happen."

Duchene spent three days inside the Key West Courthouse, living off a slew of food that was cooked ahead of time. She is now getting by with the help of generators. Since Irma passed, Duchene has already secured a job in resort management and has been busy in recent days working with friends to aid those in the Keys who need help.

Duchene said one radio station in the Keys kept broadcasting during the storm, so she had some idea of Irma's wrath. She couldn't call home for days after the storm passed, not until she found a bike shop with a working land line - and waited an hour in line for her chance at a 30-second phone call to let her family know she was fine. Irma was long gone before she understood the full extent of what the storm did in the Caribbean and in Florida.

"There are (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) wrappers all over parking lots down here now," Duchene said. "This is how people are living down here. People waited in line four hours for gas. It's been a very kind of primitive deal. There are a lot of people who are way worse off than we are, but it's also been a very interesting thing to be a part of."

Duchene is from the tiny Adirondack Mountain town of Long Lake, New York, about a two-hour drive north of Albany. It's a very remote place where hurricanes aren't exactly a concern. Snowstorms and wind chill, yes. Winds topping 100 mph and storm surge, no.

Much of the work in the Adirondacks is seasonal, and with summer ending the flow of tourist dollars into the local economies tends to slow significantly. That's why Duchene decided to give Key West a try, never thinking she would be immediately greeted by a storm that would leave such a massive impact on her new home.

"The wind was blowing so hard it sounded like thunder," Duchene said. "So next time, if it's a Category 4 or something, we'll get the heck out. I'm thankful that we're fine, but it's dangerous."
PRAGUE (AP) - The Czech defense ministry says an explosion in a military facility in the eastern Czech Republic has killed one and injured another.

It is not immediately clear what caused the blast Tuesday morning in an army lodging in the town of Vyskov, located some 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Prague.

An army base and a military academy are based in the town.

The victim and the injured have not been identified.

Authorities say they don't suspect the explosion to be a terror act or an attack.
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) - A lawyer in Greece for Russian cybercrime suspect Alexander Vinnik, who is wanted in the United States in a $4 billion bitcoin fraud case, says Russia wants to extradite him as well.

Vinnik was arrested in northern Greece in July and detained pending an extradition hearing later this month following a request from U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of California.

Vinnik's lawyer, Xanthippe Moyssidou, told The Associated Press that Vinnik was also wanted in Russia on separate fraud charges. She said he has told Greek authorities at a closed hearing Tuesday at the office of a public prosecutor that he would not challenge the request to extradite Vinnik to Russia.

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 26, 2017 file photo a Russian man identified as Alexander Vinnik, center, is escorted by police officers to the courthouse at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. Vinnik's lawyer, Xanthippe Moyssidou, told The Associated Press on Tuesday Sept. 19, 2017, that Vinnik was also wanted in Russia on separate fraud charges. He says he has told Greek authorities he would not challenge the request to extradite Vinnik to Russia. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos, File)

In Greece, extradition disputes involving two or more countries are typically resolved by the justice minister.

"My client has been notified that Russia has made an extradition request. He declared that he was willing to return to his country," Moyssidou said.

Vinnik, 37, was arrested on July 25. According to U.S. authorities, Vinnik ran digital currency exchange BTC-e, and was allegedly involved in laundering money from criminal proceeds.

He denies any wrongdoing.

The U.S. extradition request is scheduled to be heard Sept. 29.
149 killed as 7.1 magnitude quake fells buildings in Mexico

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A powerful earthquake shook central Mexico on Tuesday, collapsing buildings in plumes of dust and killing at least 149 people. Thousands fled into the streets in panic, and many stayed to help rescue those trapped.

Dozens of buildings tumbled into mounds of rubble or were severely damaged in densely populated parts of Mexico City and nearby states. Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said buildings fell at 44 places in the capital alone as high-rises across the city swayed sickeningly.

Hours after the magnitude 7.1 quake, rescue workers were still clawing through the wreckage of a primary school that partly collapsed in the city's south looking for any children who might be trapped. Some relatives said they had received Whatsapp message from two girls inside.

The quake is the deadliest in Mexico since a 1985 quake on the same date killed thousands. It came less than two weeks after another powerful quake caused 90 deaths in the country's south.

Luis Felipe Puente, head of the national Civil Defense agency, reported Tuesday night that the confirmed death toll had been raised to 149.

___

Hurricane Maria aims at Puerto Rico after slamming Dominica

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Hurricane Maria barreled toward Puerto Rico on Tuesday night after wreaking widespread devastation on Dominica and leaving the small Caribbean island virtually incommunicado.

As rains began to lash Puerto Rico, Gov. Ricardo Rossello warned that Maria could hit "with a force and violence that we haven't seen for several generations."

"We're going to lose a lot of infrastructure in Puerto Rico," Rossello said, adding that a likely island wide power outage and communication blackout could last for days. "We're going to have to rebuild."

Authorities warned that people in wooden or flimsy homes should find safe shelter before the storm's expected arrival Wednesday.

"You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you're going to die," said Hector Pesquera, the island's public safety commissioner. "I don't know how to make this any clearer."

___

10 Things to Know for Wednesday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Wednesday:

1. ANOTHER QUAKE STRIKES MEXICO

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake stuns central Mexico, killing over 100 people as buildings collapsed in plumes of dust.

2. WHAT TRUMP SAID AT UN

President Donald Trump vows to "totally destroy North Korea" if the U.S. must defend itself or its allies against the renegade nation's nuclear weapons program.

___

In stark UN speech, Trump threatens to "destroy" North Korea

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to "totally destroy North Korea" if the U.S. is forced to defend itself or its allies against the renegade nation's nuclear weapons program, making his case in a combative debut speech to the U.N. that laid out a stark, good-vs-evil view of a globe riven by chaos and turmoil.

Trump's broadsides against "rogue regimes," North Korea chief among them, drew murmurs from the assembled world leaders and served as a searing salute to his nationalism during diplomatic prime time. He said it was "far past time" for the world to confront Kim Jong Un, declaring that the North Korean leader's pursuit of nuclear weapons poses a threat to "the entire world with an unthinkable loss of human life."

"Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime," Trump said, mocking the North Korean leader even as he sketched out potentially cataclysmic consequences. The president himself decided to work the nickname into his speech just hours before he took the dais, according to aides.

Trump spoke of his own nation's "patience," but said that if "forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

Trump's overheated language was rare for a U.S. president at the rostrum of the United Nations, but the speech was textbook Trump, dividing the globe into friends and foes and taking unflinching aim at America's enemies. North Korea's ambassador and another top diplomat left the General Assembly chamber before he spoke to boycott his speech, leaving behind two empty chairs.

___

AP Interview: Lavrov hints US-Russia 'Tit-for-tat' could end

NEW YORK (AP) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that he heard positive news in President Donald Trump's United Nations address: "that the U.S. would not impose its way of life on others."

"I think it's a very welcome statement, which we haven't heard from an American leader for a very long time," said Lavrov, who sat down with the AP and Russia's Tass news agency directly after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Lavrov blamed the Obama administration for the collapse in relations between Moscow and Washington. The U.S. enacted a series of steps against the Russian and Russian diplomats in December, including new sanctions and expelling 35 Russian diplomats, to punish Russia for meddling in the U.S. elections, a charge Russia has denied. Moscow responded by limiting the size of the U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia.

In his speech to the General Assembly, Trump said "We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch." He also said, "Strong, sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures, not just coexist, but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect."

Lavrov pointed to those statements while acknowledging relations are at "a very difficult and a very low point, which is the legacy of the Obama administration." But he said that what Trump had said during the election campaign, and what he continues to say now, is that he wants to have good relations with Moscow.

___

Nominee for EPA chemical safety post has deep industry ties

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's nominee to oversee chemical safety at the Environmental Protection Agency has for years accepted payments for criticizing studies that raised concerns about the safety of his clients' products, according to a review of financial records and his published work by The Associated Press.

Michael L. Dourson's nomination as head of EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention was to be considered by a Senate committee Wednesday, but was postponed when the Senate adjourned early for the week. If confirmed, ethics experts said, Dourson's past writings and the money paid to him and a nonprofit he founded could represent potential conflicts of interest.

Past corporate clients of Dourson and of a research group he ran include Dow Chemical Co., Koch Industries Inc. and Chevron Corp. His research has also been underwritten by industry trade and lobbying groups representing the makers of plastics, pesticides, processed foods and cigarettes.

A toxicologist, Dourson worked at the EPA for more than a decade, leaving in 1994 as the manager at a lab that assessed the health risks of exposure to chemicals. The following year, he founded Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment, a private toxicity evaluation nonprofit organization that tests chemicals and produces reports on which chemicals are hazardous in what quantities.

Dourson's views toward industry are consistent with others Trump has selected as top federal regulators. Among them is EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who in March overruled the findings of his agency's own scientists to reverse an effort to ban chlorpyrifos, one of the nation's most widely used pesticides.

___

Analysis: Trump insists on 'America First.' Who will follow?

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - President Donald Trump invited the question, and now the world must answer: If America insists on putting itself first, will anyone else follow?

Trump scolded and badgered in his United Nations debut. He declared parts of the planet are "going to hell." Standing Tuesday before the iconic, green marbled General Assembly backdrop, he painted a grim picture of the globe as he sees it: teeming with crisis and conflict, delinquents and deadbeats.

Yet where most leaders use the occasion to call for cooperation, Trump insisted others should follow his example and "always put your countries first."

"As long as I hold this office, I will defend America's interest above all else," Trump said at the General Assembly, where nations come to advance their collective interests.

Nine months into his presidency, world leaders have grown accustomed to a new U.S. leader who eschews typical self-restraint in what he says and does. His most startling tweets, sometimes seeming to declare dramatic shifts in policy, are increasingly taken with a grain of salt.

___

St. Louis faith leaders urge peace, justice amid turmoil

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Leaders of several faiths on Tuesday called for peace and justice amid the turmoil that followed the acquittal of a white former St. Louis police officer in the 2011 death of a black man.

Several hundred people gathered on a hot, unshaded public plaza for an interfaith service followed by a march to City Hall. The service came after four days of protests that followed a judge's decision Friday to acquit Jason Stockley of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith. Speakers at the service included Roman Catholic Archbishop Robert Carlson, black church pastors, and Jewish and Muslim leaders.

"Let us remember that we are not a divided humanity, but a human family," Carlson said. "Let us show love instead of hatred."

Several who spoke acknowledged the pain the ruling caused African-Americans in the community.

"Justice, fair treatment ought to be the right of all God's children," said the Rev. Linden Bowie of the Missionary Baptist State Convention.

___

Global differences abound as leaders address UN

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - This year's U.N. gathering of world leaders put an immediate spotlight Tuesday on deep differences on tackling crises from North Korea to global warming: France's president urged world leaders to work together, while America's emphasized nations' own sovereignty.

And U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the threat of a nuclear attack is at its highest level since the end of the Cold War and cautioned about the dangers of fiery rhetoric.

All three men made their debut appearances at the U.N. General Assembly, where presidents, prime ministers and monarchs are gathered for six days of discussion of matters ranging from nuclear peril to climate change to refugees. But on day one, the spotlight was on U.S. President Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron.

Macron, a centrist who embraced internationalism during his campaign, vowed to press ahead with the Paris accord to combat global warming, although the U.S. has said it's withdrawing from the agreement. In his speech and a subsequent news conference, Macron said he respects Trump's decision but thinks it's a mistake and will continue trying to persuade the American to reconsider.

Macron also said France won't "close any door to dialogue" with North Korea and said it would be "a grave error" to unwind the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which faces strong criticism from Trump. Macron also called for investing in education and health and proposed appointing a U.N. representative for press freedom.

___

Alex Gordon hits MLB's record-setting 5,694th HR of season

TORONTO (AP) - Kansas City's Alex Gordon broke Major League Baseball's season home run record with 12 days to spare, hitting the 5,694th long ball of 2017 on Tuesday night.

Gordon's home run off Toronto's Ryan Tepera broke a mark set in 2000 at the height of the Steroids Era. The drive, which drove in the last run in the Royals' 5-2 loss, was his eighth this season and the 159th of his 11-year big league career.

"A pretty cool thing to be a part of," Gordon said. "I didn't hit many this year, but I guess I made one count."

It was the 17th home run of the night in the major leagues and came just after Detroit's Alex Presley tied the record when he connected at home against Oakland's Daniel Gossett.

Gordon said he heard talk of the record on a clubhouse television after Toronto's Darwin Barney homered in the sixth.
Nebraska's population is aging, and lawmakers want to know what to do about it.

A demographic shift over the next few decades could mean a surge of retirees relying on public services and sluggish growth in the number of workers who drive the economy and generate tax revenue, according to a report produced for a legislative committee.

Some lawmakers say the state isn't doing enough to prepare for changes that could become a major drag on the state budget and economy. Those worries have prompted them to try to take a long-term view of how state officials should respond.

"We could find ourselves in a position of having to take some drastic action on taxes or drastic action on state government (spending)," said Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus, chairman of the Legislature's Planning Committee.

Nebraska's working-age and retirement-age populations are both projected to grow between 2020 and 2050, but the number of new retirees will be larger, according to a report by Jerry Deichert, director of the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Center for Public Affairs Research. Retiree numbers are also expected to increase at a faster rate.

Nebraska will gain roughly 112,000 new residents between 18 and 64 years old during that period, according to the report. The population of those 65 and older will grow by 146,000. The state's growth is largely driven by Latinos and concentrated around Nebraska's largest cities, while the most remote areas lose population, Deichert said.

By 2020, Nebraska is projected to have roughly 3.5 working-age residents for every person older than 65. By 2050, the ratio is expected to shrink to about 2.7 working-age people for each resident older than 65.

Schumacher, who leaves office in January 2019, said he's concerned that lawmakers spend too much time reacting to "knee-jerk pressures of the moment" and not enough energy on long-term problems that will have a greater impact on the state.

An older population and fewer younger residents could worsen the state's workforce shortage, which in turn could cause businesses to leave the state and make it harder to recruit new ones, said Renee Fry, executive director of the OpenSky Policy Institute.

Fry said lawmakers should respond by placing a greater emphasis on early childhood education, before- and after-school programs and career training for the youths who will replace today's aging employees.

"Those kiddos are going to be a really critical part of our workforce," she said. "We need to make sure they're career-ready when they graduate. If we're not thinking about these kinds of trends now, my fear is we're going to have some real problems with the economy."

The shift could also stress the state budget unless lawmakers respond proactively, said Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln, who chaired the Legislature's Aging Nebraskans Task Force.

Bolz said lawmakers should make permanent the state's Aging and Disability Resource Center, a pilot program created in 2015 to connect aging residents and their families to the level of services they need. The program helps about 8,000 people a month and saves the state money by making residents aware of services that are less expensive than nursing homes, such as in-home respite care, Bolz said.

Bolz said the state needs to maintain its investment in nursing homes, which are already struggling to hire and retain front-line workers.

Additionally, Bolz said the state should create incentives for more residents to buy long-term care insurance. One option is a tax credit for people who purchase coverage, which would reduce the number of residents relying on the state to pay for care in a nursing home or other facility.

"You need to ensure you're providing the right incentives at the right time," Bolz said.
MOSCOW (AP) - A towering monument to Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of the prolific assault rifle that bears his name, has been unveiled in Moscow.

Kalashnikov died in 2013 at age 94 in the city of Izhevsk where he lived. He has received accolades as the creator of the AK-47 assault rifle, the world's most popular firearm. An estimated 100 million guns are spread worldwide.

Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky said at the monument's opening Tuesday that the Kalashnikov rifle has become "Russia's cultural brand."

The monument in downtown Moscow shows Kalashnikov cradling his rifle.

Kalashnikov, born into a peasant family in Siberia, began brooding about a new rifle design after being wounded in a 1941 battle against Nazi forces, and finalized it in 1947.
PRAGUE (AP) - A Czech appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that went against a Somali student who accused a nursing school of discrimination because she wears a hijab.

Ayan Jamaal Ahmednuur demanded an apology and 60,000 koruna ($2,750) in compensation but the Prague 10 district court ruled in January there was no evidence of discrimination.

Ahmednuur appealed but Prague's Municipal Court ruled on Tuesday that the school didn't discriminate against her.

Czech law doesn't ban headscarves in general but the court said Ahmednuur has no right to defy the rules set by the school.

The verdict is final.

The case attracted numerous anti-Muslim activists, who applauded the verdict.
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) - Billboards featuring Melania Trump and the slogan "just imagine how far you can go with a little bit of English" were removed Tuesday from the Croatian capital after her lawyer threatened a lawsuit.

The billboards were part of a marketing campaign by a private English language school in Zagreb, which tried to persuade Croats to learn English by reminding them of the Slovenian-born U.S. first lady's personal experience.

But Mrs. Trump did not accept what was apparently meant to be a joke about her English, spoken with a heavy accent. Her Slovenian lawyer demanded that the billboards, showing Melania Trump delivering a speech standing before a fluttering American flag, be immediately removed.

A worker carrying a ladder walks past a billboard depicting the first lady Melania Trump and advertising a language school displayed in Zagreb, Croatia, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

"I'm satisfied with the fact that the school admitted that they violated the law and that they are ready to remove the billboards and (Facebook) ads," lawyer Natasa Pirc-Musar told The Associated Press. "We are still analyzing possible further legal steps."

Melania Trump has hired the law firm to protect her image, which has appeared on various products in her native Slovenia, including cakes, underwear and tourism advertisements.

Pirc-Musar said that the Croatian school has apologized for the billboards, but that the statement also needs to be published by the Croatian and Slovenian state news agencies.

"We are very sorry that the billboards were misunderstood as something intended to mock the U.S. first lady," Ivis Buric, a spokeswoman for the school, American Institute, said. "It was meant to be something positive, to show her as a role model."

Buric admitted that the short advertising campaign turned out to be "very successful" because of the wide publicity it received both locally and internationally. She said that the school intends to put up new billboards, this time without Melania Trump's image.

Melania Trump was born in neighboring Slovenia as Melanija Knavs. She left Slovenia in her 20s to pursue an international modeling career before meeting Donald Trump at a Fashion Week party in New York in 1998.

___

AP Writers Ali Zerdin in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed.
ATLANTA (AP) - The Latest on the killing of a Georgia Tech student by campus police and ensuing violence (all times local):

3:20 p.m.

State records show that the officer who fatally shot a Georgia Tech student had been employed by the campus police department since May 2016.

Police block off streets in front of a police station at Georgia Tech where protests happened earlier and at least one police car was burned on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in Atlanta. Protesters were demonstrating against the shooting, which resulted in a fatality, of a student on Saturday. (AP Photo/Kevin D. Liles)

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in an email Tuesday that Georgia Tech police Officer Tyler Beck shot 21-year-old Scout Schultz late Saturday night.

Records from the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, which certifies law enforcement officers in Georgia, show that Beck became an officer with the department on May 21, 2016.

The records show he completed 492 hours of training in 2016 and 64 hours of training so far this year.

In social media posts on March 7, 2016, the department said Beck was about to start the police academy. The posts say Beck had started as a public safety officer the summer before, which it says is a good way to start a law enforcement career.

___

2:10 p.m.

Investigators have released the name of the campus police officer they say fatally shot a Georgia Tech student.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in an email Tuesday that Georgia Tech police Officer Tyler Beck shot 21-year-old Scout Schultz late Saturday night.

The GBI has said officers responded to a 911 call about 11:17 p.m. Saturday and that Beck shot Schultz as the student advanced on officers with a knife and refused commands to put down the knife. Chris Stewart, a lawyer for Schultz's parents, said Monday that the GBI confirmed to him that Schultz was holding a multipurpose tool and that the knife blade was not out.

The GBI has said Schultz is the one who called 911 to report an armed suspicious person.

___

1 p.m.

Georgia Tech's president said he believes many of those who engaged in violent protest following a vigil for a student killed by campus police were "outside agitators."

Police shot and killed 21-year-old Scout Schultz late Saturday. A university spokesman said three people were arrested during a violent protest following a vigil for Schultz Monday night.

In a message to the Georgia Tech community Tuesday, university president G.P. "Bud" Peterson said: "We believe many of them were not part of our Georgia Tech community, but rather outside agitators intent on disrupting the event. They certainly did not honor Scout's memory nor represent our values by doing so."

A university spokesman has said protesters damaged a police vehicle, and two officers suffered minor injuries.

___

12:10 p.m.

Three people arrested during a protest at Georgia Tech following a vigil for a student killed by campus police have been booked into jail.

Police shot and killed 21-year-old Scout Schultz late Saturday. A university spokesman said three people were arrested during a violent protest following a vigil for Schultz Monday night.

Fulton County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan says Vincent Castillenti, of Decatur, faces two counts of aggravated assault on an officer and two counts of willful obstruction of law enforcement officers.

Flanagan says Jacob David Wilson, of Atlanta, faces two counts of aggravated assault against a peace officer and three counts of criminal trespass.

Flanagan says Andrew Xavier Monden, of Atlanta, faces charges of interference with government property and inciting rioting. Georgia Tech had identified the third person as Cassandra Monden.

___

8:20 a.m.

A Georgia Tech spokesman says a campus police officer taken to a hospital after a violent clash with demonstrators has been released.

University spokesman Lance Wallace says the officer taken to Grady Memorial Hospital was one of two officers who suffered minor injuries in Monday night's demonstration on the Atlanta campus.

Wallace said three people - Vincent Castillenti, Jacob Wilson, and Cassandra Monden - were arrested. All are charged with inciting a riot and battery of an officer. The university hasn't said whether they're students, and didn't provide their ages or hometowns.

The violence followed a vigil for 21-year-old Georgia Tech student Scout Schultz, who was fatally shot by campus police Saturday.

Georgia Tech hasn't identified the officer who fired the shot and has refused to release any information about the officers who confronted Schultz.

___

4:20 a.m.

Georgia Tech officials say three people were arrested during a protest after a vigil for a student who was fatally shot by campus police.

Investigators said police shot and killed Scout Schultz late Saturday night after the 21-year-old student called 911 to report an armed and possibly intoxicated suspicious person who fit Schultz's physical description.

Georgia Tech officials Monday night urged students to stay indoors because of violent protests on campus.

University spokesman Lance Wallace said in a statement that after the vigil, a group of about 50 protesters marched to the campus police department. He said one police vehicle was damaged and two officers suffered minor injuries, with one taken to a hospital for treatment.

Wallace says three people were arrested and charged with inciting a riot and battery of an officer.

A vigil stands on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in Atlanta, for Georgia Tech student Scout Schultz who was shot and killed by campus police on Saturday. (AP Photo/Kevin D. Liles)

Police block off streets in front of a police station at Georgia Tech where protests happened earlier and at least one police car was burned on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in Atlanta. Protesters were demonstrating against the shooting, which resulted in a fatality, of a student on Saturday. (AP Photo/Kevin D. Liles)

Police block off streets in front of a police station at Georgia Tech where protests happened earlier and at least one police car was burned on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in Atlanta. Protesters were demonstrating against the shooting, which resulted in a fatality, of a student on Saturday. (AP Photo/Kevin D. Liles)

Lynne Schultz, right, mother of Scout Schultz, looks on as her husband, Bill Schultz, speaks at a news conference in Atlanta, Ga., Monday, Sept. 18, 2017. Scout was a 21-year-old Georgia Tech student who was shot and killed during a confrontation with police on campus Saturday, Sept. 16. (Casey Sykes/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

In this photo taken Sept. 17, 2017, mourners hug at a memorial for Georgia Tech student Scout Schultz in Atlanta, Ga. Schultz was a 21-year-old who was shot and killed during a confrontation with police on campus Saturday, Sept. 16. (Steve Schaefer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

In this photo taken Sept. 17, 2017, a mourner sets out flowers at a memorial for Georgia Tech student Scout Schultz in Atlanta, Ga. Schultz was a 21-year-old who was shot and killed during a confrontation with police on campus Saturday, Sept. 16. (Steve Schaefer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

In this photo taken Sept. 17, 2017, mourners hug at a memorial for Georgia Tech student Scout Schultz in Atlanta, Ga. Schultz was a 21-year-old who was shot and killed during a confrontation with police on campus Saturday, Sept. 16. (Steve Schaefer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Lynne Schultz, mother of Scout Schultz, stands beside an enlarged photograph of a multipurpose tool at a news conference in Atlanta, Ga., Monday, Sept. 18, 2017. Scout was a 21-year-old Georgia Tech student who was shot and killed while holding the tool during a confrontation with police on campus Saturday, Sept. 16. (Casey Sykes/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian news website says two people were wounded when a helicopter gunship accidentally fired on spectators during military drills in western Russia.

The video on the online 66.ru news portal shows a pair of helicopter gunships buzzing low, with one of them firing a rocket that explodes next to a spectator.

It said Tuesday two people were wounded and two vehicles destroyed in the incident during the Zapad (West) 2017 maneuvers. It said it happened Sunday or Monday at the Luzhsky range, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the border with Estonia.

The Russian military acknowledged Tuesday the video was genuine, but denied it happened Monday. It did not specify when or where the incident in the video took place but said no one was hurt.
BERLIN (AP) - Two Iraqi men have been arrested in the German capital on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization and war crimes as part of the Islamic State group, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

A 31-year-old, identified only as Raad Riyadh A. A. in line with privacy laws, and 19-year-old Abbas R. were both arrested Monday in Berlin, prosecutors' spokeswoman Frauke Koehler said. They're both alleged to have joined IS in Mosul in June 2014 and participated in the killing of two Shiite Muslims.

Four months later, prosecutors said, they were involved in the execution of a captured Iraqi military officer.

While in Iraq, Raad Riyadh A.A. is also accused of extorting money from businesses to support IS and procuring weapons from the Iraqi army and police forces for the group.

After arriving in Germany in July 2015, Raad Riyadh A.A. tried to recruit two other Iraqis and convince a third to carry out a suicide attack, Koehler said.

In a separate case, a 24-year-old Syrian was arrested in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on allegations he was a member of multiple foreign terrorist organizations, including IS. Majed A. was arrested Sept. 13 and is also accused of weapons violations.

In 2013, he joined a militia affiliated with the Nusra Front group in Syria to fight against the Assad regime, Koehler said. He ended up with IS in 2014 and fought against Kurdish forces in northern Syria before entering in Germany in August 2015.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Attempts to intimidate Kenya's Supreme Court judges after they nullified President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election have been "unlawful and savage in nature," the nation's judiciary said Tuesday, as ruling party supporters protested outside the court demanding the judges' removal.

The protests came after petitions were filed asking the Judicial Service Commission to remove Chief Justice David Maraga, Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu and Justice Isaac Lenaola. The petitions claim misconduct and bias. Maraga and three other justices ruled 4-2 to annul Kenyatta's re-election and call for a new election, which is set for Oct. 17.

The court ruled the electoral commission had committed "irregularities." On Wednesday it is expected to read its full decision with details.

Supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta, angry at the Supreme Court's nullification earlier this month of the August presidential election, protest outside the court in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The court invalidated the election in a summary judgement on Sept. 1 and ordered a new election, but announced Tuesday that it will deliver its detailed ruling on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Jubilee Party supporters also burned tires and blocked one of the major highways into the capital, Nairobi.

The demonstrations that started Monday "are clearly intended to intimidate the judiciary and individual judges," Maraga told reporters, adding that the judges are "prepared to pay the ultimate price to protect the Constitution and the rule of law."

Kenya's police chief Joseph Boinnet has repeatedly ignored calls by the judiciary to act on the threats, Maraga said. Police spokesman George Kinoti called that accusation "not true," saying they have provided protection to all judges at their homes and workplaces.

Human Rights Watch urged the police to heed the chief justice's call and increase protection for the judiciary.

"The hostile rhetoric and escalating tensions in Kenya ahead of tomorrow's final Supreme Court decision on nullifying the August presidential election are a source of grave concern," said Human Rights Watch Africa researcher Otsieno Namwaya.

Kenyatta has called the Supreme Court judges "crooks" and warned of unspecified action against the judiciary if he is re-elected next month.

A non-governmental organization on Monday filed two petitions claiming judges had improper contact with lawyers for opposition leader Raila Odinga during his court challenge of Kenyatta's win. Odinga has claimed the election results were rigged.

Separately, a French company that provided equipment for last month's elections says the biometric and results transmission equipment would not be ready for the new vote next month because it would have to be reinstalled.

"This represents a very significant amount of work, which cannot be secured by October 17th," the company, OT-Morpho, said.

The statement raises more questions over whether the new election will be held on time.

Odinga has demanded reforms in the electoral commission before the election takes place, including the removal of top electoral commission officials he claims were involved in electoral fraud. He also wants OT-Morpho blacklisted and investigated for alleged complicity in electoral fraud.

In its statement, OT-Morpho denied Odinga's accusations that the system it provided had been infiltrated by hackers. OT-Morpho said it had conducted two separate independent audits that verified there was no infiltration or piracy.

Kenyatta said in a statement that the election must be held within a 60-day period from the court's ruling, as set out in the constitution.

___

Associated Press writer Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed.

Supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta, angry at the Supreme Court's nullification earlier this month of the August presidential election, protest outside the court in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The court invalidated the election in a summary judgement on Sept. 1 and ordered a new election, but announced Tuesday that it will deliver its detailed ruling on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta, angry at the Supreme Court's nullification earlier this month of the August presidential election, protest outside the court in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The court invalidated the election in a summary judgement on Sept. 1 and ordered a new election, but announced Tuesday that it will deliver its detailed ruling on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Police briefly fire tear gas at supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta, after they tried to push past a barrier into the court car park, as they protest outside the court in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The court invalidated the election in a summary judgement on Sept. 1 and ordered a new election, but announced Tuesday that it will deliver its detailed ruling on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

A woman riding on a motorcycle taxi covers her face as police briefly fire tear gas at supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta, after they tried to push past a barrier into the court car park, as they protest outside the court in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The court invalidated the election in a summary judgement on Sept. 1 and ordered a new election, but announced Tuesday that it will deliver its detailed ruling on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta, angry at the Supreme Court's nullification earlier this month of the August presidential election, protest outside the court in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The court invalidated the election in a summary judgement on Sept. 1 and ordered a new election, but announced Tuesday that it will deliver its detailed ruling on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

A supporter of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was urging other protesters not to engage in tribalism as some were, demonstrates against the Supreme Court's nullification earlier this month of the August presidential election, outside the court in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The court invalidated the election in a summary judgement on Sept. 1 and ordered a new election, but announced Tuesday that it will deliver its detailed ruling on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

A supporter of President Uhuru Kenyatta, angry at the Supreme Court's nullification earlier this month of the August presidential election, stands in front of a banner showing Kenyatta, left, and Deputy President William Ruto, right, as he and others protest outside the court in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The court invalidated the election in a summary judgement on Sept. 1 and ordered a new election, but announced Tuesday that it will deliver its detailed ruling on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta, angry at the Supreme Court's nullification earlier this month of the August presidential election, reach out to place their hands on a banner showing Kenyatta, left, and Deputy President William Ruto, right, as they protest outside the court in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The court invalidated the election in a summary judgement on Sept. 1 and ordered a new election, but announced Tuesday that it will deliver its detailed ruling on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta try to push past a barrier into the court car park, before police briefly fired tear gas to drive them away, as they protest outside the court in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The court invalidated the election in a summary judgement on Sept. 1 and ordered a new election, but announced Tuesday that it will deliver its detailed ruling on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
CAIRO (AP) - Egypt said Tuesday it will host the "reorganization" of Libya's army, currently an eastern-based force led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter.

A statement signed by the Egyptian Committee on Libya said that Libyan military officers who met in Cairo recently chose Egypt as a starting point for plans to unify the army.

The group, chaired by Egypt's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy, did not say which officials took part in the meeting, or provide further details.

FILE - In this Aug. 14, 2017 file photo, Libyan militia commander General Khalifa Hifter meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia. Egypt said Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, that it will host the reorganization of Libya's army, currently an eastern-based force led by Hifter. A statement signed by the Egyptian Committee on Libya Tuesday says Libyan military officers who met in Cairo recently chose Egypt as a starting point for plans to unify the army. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, File)

A Libyan officer welcomed the initiative, thanking the Egyptian army "for facilitating such an opportunity for army officers to meet and find common ground."

"The army is open to discussion with all parties excluding terrorist organizations," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief reporters. "The army doesn't recognize any unofficial armed group but has opened discussions in the hope that militias will disband and join as individuals."

Libya sank into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moammar Gadhafi. It is split between rival parliaments, governments and militias in the east and west, but in late July its rival leaders pledged to cooperate. Egypt has backed Hifter in his conflict with the Tripoli government and associated militias.

The Egyptian statement said the Libyan officers pledge to maintain Libya's territorial integrity and create a modern and inclusive, civil democratic state based on a peaceful transfer of power.

Instability and banditry in the oil-rich country has turned it into a haven for people trafficking and migration to Europe.

Italy last month reached a verbal agreement with the country's western government, led by the internationally recognized but weak Fayez Serraj, to provide equipment, boats and salaries to militias working to stop the flow of migrants.

The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution welcoming recent efforts to bring opposing sides together, with Secretary General Antonio Guterres saying that the time is right for mediation to restore peace.

Hifter supporters meanwhile have been gathering signatures to a petition urging him to run the country for the coming four years.

One of the movement's founders, Mohamed Juma, said that a million signatures had been gathered over the past ten days, mostly at physical locations but also electronically. There was no way to independently verify the number of signatures.

Hifter has modeled himself after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a close ally who led the Egyptian military's overthrow of an elected Islamist president in 2013 amid mass protests that were preceded by a similar campaign.

___

Associated Press writer Rami Musa in Benghazi, Libya, contributed to this report.
HONG KONG (AP) - Hong Kong's last British governor, Chris Patten, says calls for Hong Kong independence dilute support for democracy, and residents of the city should engage in dialogue and not hate speech.

Patten, who presided over the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997, spoke Tuesday at a luncheon at The Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong.

A debate on freedom of speech has raged at universities in Hong Kong over the appearance of independence slogans on campuses. Patten expressed his disapproval of calls for Hong Kong independence, saying it would never happen, is provocative and dilutes support for democracy.

Chris Patten, Hong Kong's last British governor, listens to questions at The Foreign Correspondents' Club to promote his new book in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. Patten says that calls for an independent Hong Kong dilutes support for its democracy and its people should engage in useful dialogues. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Patten said Hong Kong people should talk to each other, instead of shouting at one another from opposite sides of the barricades.

Chris Patten, Hong Kong's last British governor, listens to questions at The Foreign Correspondents' Club to promote his new book in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. Patten says that calls for an independent Hong Kong dilutes support for its democracy and its people should engage in useful dialogues. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
PARIS (AP) - French police encircled a makeshift migrant camp in a wooded area near Dunkirk on Tuesday, evacuating 557 people, the prefecture of the Nord region said.

It was the second such operation in two days in northern France, where asylum-seekers and migrants gather in hopes of making it across the English Channel to Britain.

Sixty children were among the hundreds of people removed from the camp, which was located in a clearing in the Grande-Synthe region outside Dunkirk. Seven of them had been living on their own and were turned over to a youth association, the prefecture said.

French police officers evacuate migrants from a makeshift camp in Grand-Synthe, near Dunkirk, northern France, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The prefecture of the Nord region said that 240 people had been evacuated from the camp so far, and the operation was continuing. (AP Photo)

Police detained 16 other people, the prefecture said in a statement without elaborating.

Migrants have been staying in the Puythouck area since an official camp of wooden shelters housing some 1,500 migrants burned to the ground in April.

Aid groups and journalists at the scene were not allowed to enter the clearing during the eight or so hours police were removing people.

Claire Millot, a member of the aid group Salam, which has been bringing food to the migrants, said at least 400 migrants were staying in the camp before the clearing operation.

Many are Afghans and Iraqi Kurds, but there are also Iranians, Pakistanis and Sudanese. Millot said by telephone that with no toilets and only four water faucets, conditions in the camp were deplorable. But she predicted that "they'll come back."

"They're living in mud, (with) some people in situations of extreme fragility, children, elderly," said Eric Etienne, a Dunkirk official. "We can't leave them in this situation."

Grande-Synthe Mayor Damien Careme has said the region needed another official shelter to prevent migrants from living in the degrading conditions of the Puythouck camp.

But Interior Minister Gerard Collomb rejected the opening of a new camp after meeting with Careme in Paris Monday. In a statement, Collomb said such a move would feed the hope of getting to Britain, promoted "by smugglers who must be fought with utmost firmness."

President Emmanuel Macron has said ending the migrant crisis was a priority and that he wants migrants off France's streets and byways by the end of the year.

Some 85 Eritrean migrants were evacuated on Monday from a camp in the nearby town of Norrent-Fontes "under the control of smugglers," a statement by the prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region said.

A huge makeshift camp in Calais, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of Dunkirk, was emptied of at least 7,000 migrants in a mass operation in October.
Bad karaoke, "Top Gun" references and motorcycles -- a Democrat running for Congress in Virginia put all that and more in his latest campaign video.

Dan Helmer, a Democrat running to unseat Rep. Barbara Comstock in Virginia's 10th Congressional District, released his latest campaign video Monday, and it has been making the rounds on social media.

The video starts with Helmer arriving to a bar on a motorcycle, before the words "Helmer Zone" appear on screen in the same font as the "Top Gun" logo.

Helmer's friend then spots "Rep. Barbara Comstock," portrayed in the video by a similar-looking woman, at the bar. His friend says, "Bet you can't get her to hold a town hall." Helmer responded, "Town hall? I'll do you one better than that."

All of a sudden, Helmer grabs a microphone and stands next to "Comstock" with his fellow bar patrons behind him, and begins to sing, "You've Lost that Centrist Feeling" to the tune of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" -- the song sung by Maverick (played by Tom Cruise) in the movie "Top Gun."

"You never hold town halls anymore with constituents. Planned Parenthood and Obamacare -- you voted against. You're trying hard not to show it. But Barbara ... Barbara... you know it. You've lost that centrist feeling, cause you've been right-wing appealing. We've lost that loving feeling, now it's gone, gone, gone. You've got to go."

"Comstock" then leaves the bar and Helmer and his friend high-five.

"Nice work, Maverick" Helmer tells the friend, to round out the "Top Gun" reference.

Helmer, an Army veteran and West Point graduate, is one of several Democrats running against Comstock. Among the other Democrats running are two well-financed former Obama administration officials, Alison Kiehl Friedman and Lindsey Davis Stover.

"The message is clear. Virginia voters aren't feeling the love from Rep. Comstock," Helmer told CNN in an interview. "I think there is too much screaming and shouting in politics and we wanted to come up with a creative way to talk about having a representative who will serve the people of Virginia's 10th district."

The 10th district of Virginia is a target seat Democrats hope to flip this year. It is comprised of the western suburbs, including Fairfax and Loudon counties right outside of Washington, DC. Comstock won the district by five points over her Democratic opponent in 2016.

Comstock has been criticized for skipping two "mobile office hours" sessions she had scheduled in late January, as backlash against President Donald Trump and the GOP effort to repeal Obamacare began to build.
FALMOUTH, Maine (AP) - Bird watchers are traveling to Maine to catch the rare sight of a South American fork-tailed flycatcher.

The Portland Press Herald reports (http://bit.ly/2xNpEBD ) the bird known for its black-and-white plumage and long, forked tail came to the Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth on Saturday.

Maine Audubon Naturalist Doug Hitchcox says the bird was last seen in the state in June 2012. He says the bird would normally be flying south at this time instead of north to Maine.

Hitchcox says the bird was not affected by Hurricane Irma. Still, he says Hurricane Jose could lead to more tropical birds visiting the state.

Hitchcox says the bird will likely not stay in the state for long.

___

Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com
LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) - A Virginia church that Robert E. Lee belonged to after the Civil War will no longer be named after the Confederate general.

Leaders of R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church voted Monday to return to the parish's original name of Grace Episcopal Church.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the 7-to-5 vote follows two years of heated debate, the hiring of a conflict resolution consultant and the departure of some members from the church in Lexington.

Parish leaders first considered a name change in 2015 after white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine people at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina. The vote to remove Lee's name failed, but it divided the congregation.

Then came the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, last month. White nationalists had rallied against the planned removal of a Lee statue. A group of counter protesters was rammed with a car. One woman died.

"It's been a very divisive issue for two years," the Rev. Tom Crittenden, the church's rector, told the newspaper. "But Charlottesville seems to have moved us to this point. Not that we have a different view of Lee historically in our church, but we have appreciation for our need to move on."

Lee moved to Lexington to lead Washington College after the Civil War ended in 1865. He is credited with saving the school, which is now named Washington and Lee University.

At Grace Episcopal, Lee served in the church leadership as senior warden. He died in 1870. The church changed its name to R.E. Lee Memorial in 1903.

In 2015, after the majority of the church's leadership voted to keep Lee's name, they hired a conflict resolution consultant at a cost of $16,000.

The congregation had become divided and exhausted. Feelings were hurt. Two church leaders resigned in protest of initial inaction.

A committee was formed. A report issued in April recommended restoring the original name while finding other ways to honor the general.

Church leaders did not fully embrace the recommendation, voting instead to possibly take up the issue in the future.

They reconsidered after Charlottesville.

Congregant Doug Cumming said he hopes parish members will be able to come together and move forward.

"My ancestors were very proud, brave and articulate Southerners," he said Monday, "and like Robert E. Lee, I think they'd be very proud over what our church has done tonight."

___

Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.richmond.com
CAIRO (AP) - A lawyer says an Egyptian court has ordered the release of 24 Nubians arrested for participating in a protest earlier this month.

Moustafa el-Hassan says the court in the southern city of Aswan ruled Tuesday that the defendants should be released pending trial on charges that include protesting illegally and receiving funds from foreign sources. Bail was set at 1,000 Egyptian pounds (about $60) each.

They were arrested after setting out on a march in Aswan demanding their constitutional right to return to their ancestral land around the lake formed by the Aswan High Dam.

Nubians, an ethnic minority that traces its roots back to an ancient civilization on the Nile, have been forcibly displaced four times in the last century, most recently in 1964 with the dam's construction.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - President Donald Trump has singled out Venezuela during a speech to the U.N. as a threat to democratic principles alongside North Korea, Iran and Syria.

Trump says President Nicolas Maduro's government has brought an oil-rich nation to the "brink of collapse." He accused Maduro of stealing power from elected representatives to preserve his "disastrous rule."

He said: "The Venezuelan people are starving and their country is collapsing."

United States President Donald Trump speaks during the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Trump spent nearly as much time criticizing Venezuela as North Korea, Iran and Syria - the three countries labeled the "axis of evil" by former U.S. President George W. Bush.

Trump has paid special attention to Venezuela this week, discussing the crisis at a dinner with the leaders of Brazil, Colombia, Panama and Argentina.

The U.S. has imposed economic sanctions on Venezuela.
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) - Thousands of Haitians have settled in Mexico's northwest corner after the United States abruptly closed its doors.

Haitians left Brazil last year on perilous journeys to San Diego, where U.S authorities allowed them in on humanitarian grounds. Then, President Barack Obama shifted course and started deporting them.

Haitians who reached America's doorstep faced near-certain deportation to their impoverished homeland if they crossed. They decided to call Mexico home.

In this May 24, 2017 photo, a Haitian man makes his way up a dirt road towards a makeshift shelter at The Ambassadors of Jesus Church in Tijuana, Mexico. He is among about 4,000 Haitians to establish roots in Mexico's northwest corner after the United States abruptly closed its doors late last year. The Mexican government has welcomed them, and they are already having an outsize economic and cultural impact. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In Tijuana, Haitians wait tables at restaurants and fill factory jobs. Haitian restaurants serve dishes with mangoes and mashed plantains.

The Mexican government is giving them one-year, renewable visas. A car-wash manager who employs Haitians says they are living the Mexican dream.

In this June 6, 2017 photo, Haitian national Abelson Etienne stands at the door of his apartment door, behind a sheet used as a partition in Tijuana, Mexico. After struggling as a schoolteacher in Haiti, Etienne moved to Brazil in 2014 to work at a factory that made cable for lighting products. He arrived in Tijuana in December after a harrowing journey with his wife who, despite a U.S. policy shift, was allowed in on humanitarian grounds, presumably because she was seven months' pregnant. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In this June 6, 2017 photo, Abelson Etienne holds the lock to his apartment in Tijuana, Mexico. The 27-year-old college graduate in chemistry is among about 4,000 Haitians to establish roots in Mexico's northwest corner after the United States abruptly closed its doors late last year. The Mexican government has welcomed them, and they are already having an outsize economic and cultural impact. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In this June 6, 2017 photo, Abelson Etienne removes the top to a pot of rice on a stove in his apartment in Tijuana, Mexico. Etienne dreams of medical school but his only commitment is to rejoin his wife. "There's so much work in Tijuana," he said while a pot of fish stew with mangoes and tomatoes simmered on an electric burner in the two-room apartment that he rents with three other Haitians. "I've been treated very well in Mexico." (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In this June 6, 2017 photo, Rodin St. Surin, of Haiti, looks on as coworkers talk on the floor of a factory in Tijuana, Mexico. St. Surin, 36, who left Brazil with hopes of joining a cousin in Miami, earns 1,500 pesos ($83) for a six-day week but has health coverage, paid vacation and a free shuttle to work. He sends his earnings to a caretaker for his three children in Haiti, who he hopes to bring to Tijuana. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In this May 24, 2017 photo, Jeff Theodull, of Haiti, works at a luxury car wash in Tijuana, Mexico. The Mexican government is giving Haitians one-year, renewable visas that allow them to work but not bring family. Rodulfo Figueroa, the region's top immigration official, says Mexico is practicing what it asks of the U.S. and other countries. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In this May 24, 2017 photo, Haitian men gather before sleeping below inspirational banners written in Spanish at The Ambassadors of Jesus Church in Tijuana, Mexico. They are among about 4,000 Haitians to establish roots in Mexico's northwest corner after the United States abruptly closed its doors late last year. The Mexican government has welcomed them, and they are already having an outsize economic and cultural impact. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In this May 24, 2017 photo, Jeccene Thimote, of Haiti, kneels in front of a folding chair in prayer during a service in Creole at The Ambassadors of Jesus Church in Tijuana, Mexico. The 32-year-old survives on two hours' sleep, rising to pray at 5 a.m., serving as foreman for a crew of 10 Haitians building a house in one Tijuana's wealthiest neighborhoods, and working the night shift at RSI Home Products Inc., a California-based company that makes cabinetry for Home Depot and Loews. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In this May 24, 2017 photo, Lucy Charles, of Haiti, walks past a television in her restaurant specializing in Haitian cuisine in Tijuana, Mexico. The 33-year-old is among about 4,000 Haitians to establish roots in Mexico's northwest corner after the United States abruptly closed its doors late last year. The Mexican government has welcomed them, and they are already having an outsize economic and cultural impact. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In this May 24, 2017 photo, Lucy Charles, of Haiti, lights incense along a wall in her restaurant specializing in Haitian cuisine in Tijuana, Mexico. The 33-year-old is among about 4,000 Haitians to establish roots in Mexico's northwest corner after the United States abruptly closed its doors late last year. The Mexican government has welcomed them, and they are already having an outsize economic and cultural impact. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
NEW YORK (AP) - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke by phone Tuesday with Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi about the Rohingya Muslim refugee crisis, the State Department said, as international condemnation intensified over the plight of the minority group.

It was believed to be the first time Tillerson has spoken to Suu Kyi since he took office in February.

The top U.S. diplomat is currently at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, where governments have strongly criticized Myanmar's conduct. Suu Kyi, who serves as state counsellor and foreign minister, has skipped the gathering.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, center, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, right, and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin listen as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

More than 500,000 people - roughly half the Rohingya population in Myanmar - have fled to neighboring Bangladesh in the past year. Most of them have fled across the border in the last three weeks, since Myanmar's military began a crackdown in response to Rohingya insurgent attacks. Security forces and allied mobs have burned down thousands of Rohingya homes in the predominantly Buddhist nation.

Top U.N. officials have described the current crackdown as ethnic cleansing.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that in Tuesday's call, Tillerson welcomed the Myanmar government's commitment to end the violence in Rakhine State and to allow those displaced by the violence to return home. He also urged the government and military to facilitate humanitarian aid for displaced people in the affected areas, and to address deeply troubling allegations of human rights abuses and violations.

In a speech in Myanmar on Tuesday, Suu Kyi said her country does not fear international scrutiny and invited diplomats to visit some affected areas. She also said that those who fled to Bangladesh would be allowed to return if they passed a "verification" process.

She did not address the allegation of ethnic cleansing. She said that while many villages were destroyed, more than half were still intact.

The conflict is overshadowing Myanmar's historic shift from five decades of direct military rule following elections and the installation of Suu Kyi's government last year. That transition was a key foreign policy achievement of the Obama administration. President Donald Trump has been less attentive to the country, which is also known as Burma.

Last week, Tillerson gave the toughest condemnation yet from a Trump administration official of the persecution of the Rohingya and demanded the violence stop.

A senior State Department official said Tillerson on Tuesday urged Suu Kyi to grant access to U.N. monitors. Tillerson also asked if the U.S. could provide assistance. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the call and requested anonymity.

Several world leaders raised the plight of the Rohingya as the U.N. General Assembly opened its annual session Tuesday.

On Monday, several Muslim-majority and Western governments - the United States among them - urged senior Myanmar officials at a closed meeting to stop abuses against Rohingya and restore humanitarian access.

More evidence is emerging of destruction of Rohingya settlements inside Rakhine. Satellite imagery released by Human Rights Watch showed massive swaths of scorched landscape and the near total destruction of 214 villages.

In the U.S. Congress, Bob Corker, Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Tuesday sharply criticized Suu Kyi as "dismissive of human rights concerns" in the face of a "horrific humanitarian crisis."

"As a national figure, Aung San Suu Kyi must demonstrate far greater leadership in efforts to stop the bloodshed or risk destroying her reputation as a force for continued progress in Burma," Corker said.

In this photo released by Myanmar Foreign Ministry, Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, right, shakes hands with U.S. State Department's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia Patrick Murphy, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. In her first speech about the exodus of Rohingya Muslims following attacks by Rohingya militants on Aug. 25, Suu Kyi asked for patience from the international community and suggested the refugees were partly responsible, saying more than half of the Rohingya villages had not been destroyed by the violence. More than 400,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since Aug. 25. (Myanmar Foreign Ministry via AP)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Hamas on Tuesday invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to send officials to Gaza to resume control of the coastal enclave the Islamic militant group seized a decade ago.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said his group is serious about returning power to the Western-backed Palestinian leader and called on him to respond with "practical steps."

Hamas has said it will dismantle a contentious committee that has governed Gaza in recent months - answering a key Abbas demand. It has also said it is ready to hand over all government functions to Abbas and to hold elections in Gaza and the West Bank.

FILE - In this July 25, 2017 file photo, masked militants from the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, a military wing of Hamas, march with their rifles during a parade in Gaza City. The Islamic militant group Hamas has announced a number of key concessions to the rival Fatah movement, potentially paving the way for reconciliation after a 10-year rift that has left the Palestinians torn between two governments. (AP Photo/Adel Hana, File)

"We extend a clear and frank invitation without obstacles for the consensus government to work in Gaza," Haniyeh said after returning from Cairo, where he and other Hamas leaders held rare talks with Egyptian officials.

Hamas is in financial and political distress after years of an Israeli-Egyptian blockade as well as recent economic pressure from Abbas.

The militant group won legislative elections in 2006 and the following year seized control of the Gaza Strip from Abbas' forces, leaving the Palestinian president in charge of autonomous enclaves in the West Bank.

Several past attempts at ending the rift have failed, and thorny issues remain, including security arrangements in Gaza. Hamas has thousands of armed fighters and a sizeable arsenal of rockets and mortar shells. It has always resisted calls to disarm or place its men under Abbas' control.

The two Palestinian factions are also divided over Israel. Abbas has recognized Israel and renounced violence, while Hamas seeks Israel's destruction.

Abbas cautiously welcomed Hamas' intentions on Sunday as he headed to New York for the U.N. General Assembly.

Haniyeh praised the rapprochement between Hamas and Egypt, which cut ties to the militant group and strengthened the Gaza blockade after the military overthrew an elected Islamist president, who had supported Hamas, in 2013.
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - Congo President Joseph Kabila declared Tuesday that "justice must be done" as he opened a peace conference in the bloody Kasai region where thousands of people have died in a year of fighting among government troops and militias.

Kabila blamed the unrest on "terrorist militia" and told officials, religious and civil society leaders and former militia members at the conference that all who have contributed to the violence in the once-peaceful region will have to answer for their crimes.

The fighting in the Kasai provinces in Congo's south began in August 2016 after Congolese troops killed the leader of the Kamwina Nsapu militia. More than 3,300 people have died since then, according to the Catholic church, and the United Nations says more than 1.4 million people have been displaced.

In this Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017 photo made available by UNICEF, a boy displays a scar from a wound he obtained during his time in the militia, in Mbuji Mayi, Kasai province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Congo's Kasai region is the latest deadly hotspot in the vast Central African country that has seen violent rebellions for decades. Once again, children are among the most vulnerable victims. (Patrick Rose/UNICEF via AP)

Kabila called on Kasai residents to register to vote, which began last week. Congo's electoral commission has said the delay in starting registration in Kasai means the country's long-delayed presidential election cannot be held this year, in defiance of an agreement reached by the government and opposition to hold the vote by the end of 2017.

The opposition has accused Kabila of delaying the vote to stay in power beyond his mandate, which ended in December. The political tensions are one factor behind the fighting in the Kasai region, a stronghold of opposition to Kabila. Some opposition figures from the Kasai region have boycotted the conference.

The president told the opening of the three-day peace conference in Kananga, the capital of Kasai Central province, that attendees should "remain open to all constructive suggestions" on bringing to justice those who have brought shame on Congo through massacres, decapitations and other serious crimes.

The U.N. has estimated 80 mass graves exist in the region, saying that Congo military "elements" were responsible for digging at least half of those. The government has blamed the Kamwina Nsapu militia for the mass graves.

The U.N. human rights office has warned of ethnic cleansing in the region and urged Congo's government to prevent further violence.

___

Mwanamilongo reported from the United Nations in New York.
SEATTLE (AP) - U.S. environmental groups opposed to the Pacific Northwest becoming an international fossil fuels gateway scored a major victory when a Washington state board invalidated two permits for a $2 billion project to manufacture methanol from natural gas and export it to China.

Last week's decision by the state Shorelines Hearings Board is a setback for the project by Northwest Innovation Works on the Columbia River in the small city of Kalama.

The China-backed consortium wants to build the refinery that would produce up to 10,000 metric tons a day of methanol from natural gas piped in from North American sources. The methanol sent to China would be used to make plastics and other consumer goods.

The conservation groups Columbia Riverkeeper, Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity had challenged local permits issued for the project, arguing that the environmental review wrongly concluded the project's greenhouse gas emissions would not be significant.

Washington's state Shorelines Hearings Board agreed, ruling Friday that officials from Cowlitz County and the Port of Kalama failed to fully analyze the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions from the project, including emissions from offsite sources.

The panel reversed two shoreline permits and sent the review back to the county and port for further analysis.

"We are disappointed in the Shorelines Hearings Board's order because the EIS followed both the letter and intent of (the Department of) Ecology's guidance," Vee Godley, president of Northwest Innovation Works, said in an emailed statement Monday night.

He said the company looked forward to working with others "to do our part to provide greater certainty and positive impact for our state's economic and environmental goals."

The review did not factor in impacts of greenhouse gas emission beyond the facility site, including from producing and transporting natural gas, said Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper, which has fought other Northwest fossil fuel projects.

The groups said the project would add a new, enormous source of carbon pollution at a time when Washington state is trying to reduce its carbon footprint.

Janette Brimmer, an attorney for Earthjustice representing the groups, said a more accurate analysis will give a clear picture of the project's true carbon pollution and prompt measures to address those impacts.

Methanol, a wood alcohol, is used to make olefins, a component in everyday products such as eyeglasses, insulin pumps and fleece jackets. Developers have said the project would reduce global greenhouse gas emissions globally by producing methanol from natural gas rather than coal.

Environmental groups are also fighting a major crude-oil terminal proposed about 30 miles (48 kilometers) upstream from the proposed methanol plant.

The oil-by-rail terminal proposed by Vancouver Energy would handle about 360,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

Oil would arrive by train to be stored and then loaded onto tankers and ships bound for West Coast refineries. A state energy panel is reviewing the project and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, has the final say over whether it will be built.

Northwest Innovation Works in April 2016 canceled plans to build a $3.4 billion methanol plant in Tacoma, Washington, following vocal opposition from people concerned about potential environmental and health impacts.

The company's methanol refinery operation in Kalama is estimated to produce more than 1 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year and increase the state's total emissions by 1 percent.

The company had argued that no state or federal agency has published rules concerning quantifying indirect greenhouse gas emissions in an environmental review and that the Department of Ecology's guidance was the only source about the issue.

The Ecology Department approved the permit for the project in June. But the agency determined the greenhouse gas emissions were significant and imposed conditions including requiring the facility to reduce its emissions by 1.7 percent each year, under the state's new rule to cap pollution.

Elaine Placido, director of building and planning for Cowlitz County, said Tuesday that the county is planning to discuss the next steps with the project developer.
LONDON (AP) - British police have arrested a third suspect in connection with the bomb that partially exploded on a London subway last week.

Police said they arrested a 25-year-old man in Wales on Tuesday evening under the Terrorism Act.

They say a property in Newport, Wales is being searched.

Two other men arrested over the weekend - an 18-year-old refugee from Iraq and a 21-year-old from Syria - remain in custody. Neither has been charged.

The partially exploded bomb injured 30 people when it detonated inside a crowded subway car on Friday.

Islamic State extremists have claimed responsibility.
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (AP) - A college that was the site of a rowdy protest of a guest speaker has announced a policy for hosting such events in what it calls the "new climate."

Middlebury College announced the guidelines Friday following a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and what it says are other threats to safety on campuses.

They call for evaluating the safety risks and security needs of proposed events and say the school would consider canceling only events that cause imminent and credible threats that cannot be helped by changing the event plan.

A March speech by Charles Murray, who co-wrote a book discussing racial differences in intelligence, prompted demonstrations and a confrontation in which a Middlebury professor was injured.

The policy is temporary, and the school says it will work on a more permanent approach.
EASTON, Pa. (AP) - The Latest on the death of a college lacrosse player who had been drinking at a party (all times local):

5:40 p.m.

A Pennsylvania college where a 19-year-old student and lacrosse player died after drinking at a party and then falling down at his dorm says the campus is in mourning.

A Lafayette College spokesman calls the death of lacrosse recruit McCrae Williams, of Weston, Massachusetts, a "tragic loss." He says the college is working closely with police and keeping the student's family and friends in its thoughts.

Williams died last week from blunt-force head injuries.

Prosecutors say Williams had been drinking alcohol at a party with other members of the men's and women's lacrosse teams on Sept. 9 and likely fell in his dorm room and hit his head. They said Tuesday no charges are planned.

The college spokesman hasn't answered questions about whether the lacrosse team or anyone else will face discipline.

___

3:55 p.m.

Prosecutors say a 19-year-old Pennsylvania college freshman and lacrosse player who died from blunt-force head injuries had been drinking alcohol and likely fell in his dorm room and hit his head.

District Attorney John Morganelli says lacrosse recruit McCrae Williams, of Weston, Massachusetts, had been drinking at a party with other members of the men's and women's lacrosse teams Sept. 9. He says Williams returned to his dorm room at Lafayette College in Easton and fell on the way to the bathroom.

He says no one saw Williams hit his head on the floor.

Friends became concerned the following day when Williams insisted on remaining in bed. Emergency workers took him to a hospital, where he died.

Morganelli says there's no evidence of a crime and he doesn't plan to file charges.

___

11:25 a.m.

A Pennsylvania prosecutor is planning a news conference on the death of a 19-year-old college freshman who died last week from blunt-force head injuries believed to be suffered in a fall.

Lafayette College in Easton has said that officers responding to a call about a student who'd been drinking found lacrosse recruit McCrae Williams unconscious near a dorm. He died in a hospital the next day. A coroner determined that Williams, of Weston, Massachusetts, died of blunt-force head injuries, but delayed a ruling on the manner of death pending toxicology results.

District Attorney John Morganelli will discuss the case Tuesday afternoon.

Williams was found at 4:20 p.m. on Sept. 10. Police in Easton have only said that Williams was involved in a "chain of events" that began the night before.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Gov. Paul LePage is calling for a suspension of tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber to ease prices as families and businesses prepare to rebuild after hurricanes Harvey and Irma - and with two more months of hurricane season to go.

The Republican governor blames "corporate greed" for driving up costs and says large lumber companies are in the position to price gouge.

"It is unconscionable that a coalition of businesses is in the position to potentially price-gouge distressed Americans who are in dire need of those products to rebuild their lives," LePage wrote in an op-ed piece published in the Telegraph-Journal in Saint John, New Brunswick.

LePage's comments drew criticism from Jason Brochu, co-owner of Pleasant River Lumber in Maine, who said the governor shouldn't be using hurricanes "as a political ploy."

LePage is especially frustrated over tariffs on softwood lumber that apply for the first time the Canadian province of New Brunswick, which has been exempt for decades.

The Canadian government is accused of unfairly subsidizing lumber exports. LePage said that's true in western Canada but it's different in the eastern provinces. The lumber trade, he said, "flows almost seamlessly back and forth between Maine, Quebec and New Brunswick."

Indeed, Maine's largest landowner is a Canadian company, Irving Woodlands, and it supplies lumber from Maine to its mills in Canada. Many smaller companies also operate on both sides of the border.

The Maine Forest Products Council, which represents paper mills, sawmills, wood pellet plants, biomass energy plants and loggers, is staying out of the rift because Maine mill owners have different views on the tariffs.

"We've tried to stay neutral. We have members on all sides. In general, what we're in favor of is negotiating some sort of settlement quickly that's equitable to all sides," said Patrick Strauch, executive director.

Some Canadian lumber companies believe demand for lumber after the hurricanes could put pressure on U.S. and Canadian negotiators to ease the tariffs, possibly through a quota or something else.

Negotiations on whether to reduce or ditch the tariffs that are being accrued on Canadian lumber have been taking place for months.

It's complicated. Brochu, for example, said the tariffs have leveled the playing field, and that he's hired new workers.

"The enforcement of our U.S. trade laws protects jobs in Maine, and we continue to support our U.S. government as they work to enforce these laws and fight for workers across the U.S.," Brochu said.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Public health authorities on Tuesday declared an outbreak of the highly contagious liver disease hepatitis A in Los Angeles County, the third California region to see significant infections this year.

Health officials reported the outbreak to the county Board of Supervisors, which requested a briefing due to the proximity of LA to San Diego, which has had more than 420 cases and 16 deaths since early this year.

The Los Angeles County outbreak was declared because two of 10 confirmed cases could not be traced back to either San Diego or to Santa Cruz County, some 300 miles (480 kilometers) to the north, where there have been 69 hepatitis A cases since April, the Department of Public Health said.

The two apparently locally acquired infections were the most recent.

"We've met the definition for an outbreak," department Director Barbara Ferrer told the board. "As of this morning we've confirmed that we have two community acquired cases."

Of the other cases, four had been in San Diego and one had been in Santa Cruz during their exposure period. Three secondary cases occurred in a health care facility in Los Angeles County.

Most of those infected in the outbreaks have been homeless or using illicit drugs. Several people who provide services to the homeless have also been infected.

Los Angeles County Interim Health Officer Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser said vaccination is the best protection against hepatitis A and outreach teams and clinics are offering free vaccine to the homeless, active drug users and people who work with those groups.

The homeless are considered at high risk for infection because of poor sanitation. The latest annual tally found nearly 59,000 homeless people in the nation's most populous county.

Hepatatis A spreads when someone comes in contact with an infected person's feces, sometimes when hands are not properly washed after going to the bathroom or changing diapers and the virus is then spread through food or objects. It can also be spread through sex or by sharing drug paraphernalia.

Health officials say the incubation period ranges from 15 to 50 days, and symptoms include fever, malaise, dark urine, anorexia, nausea and abdominal discomfort, followed by jaundice.

In addition to vaccination and thorough hand washing, medical experts say people should avoid sex with anyone who has hepatitis A, and not share food, drinks, cigarettes, towels, toothbrushes or eating utensils.
NEW YORK (AP) - The Cuban government has again denied any involvement in or any knowledge of a mysterious series of health incidents that have affected American diplomats in Havana.

At a meeting on law enforcement cooperation in Washington on Tuesday, Cuba's top diplomat for the Americas said Cuba has never and would never commit or allow what Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has described as "health attacks."

In a statement, the Cuban embassy in Washington says the government has ordered investigations into the incidents and asked for cooperation from U.S. authorities.

At least 21 members of the American diplomatic community in Havana have suffered from symptoms, including brain damage, believed to have come from some sort of sonic attack since late last year. The most recent incident was in August.
Britain is to withdraw engagement with Burmas military until the campaign of violence against the Muslim Rohingya minority is ended.

The Ministry of Defence will suspend training work in the south-east Asian country, said Prime Minister Theresa Mays official spokesman.

The move came after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson joined representatives of the US, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Denmark to raise the issue with Burmas national security adviser on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Burmas civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has defended the treatment of the Rohingyas, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled their homes, many seeking refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Mrs Mays spokesman told reporters in New York: As of today, the Ministry of Defence are saying that there will be no more defence co-operation or training with the Burmese army until we are satisfied that this has been resolved.

It is about recognising the seriousness of the situation. We want this situation resolved and until it is this co-operation will cease.

We have condemned what has been happening right from the outset. There have been repeated statements from the Foreign Secretary and myself. This is a further recognition that we want this situation resolved. What is happening there simply cant continue.

Rohingya refugee map

Ms Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize winner, has stayed away from the UN gathering but used a speech in Burma to respond to the outcry over the situation.

She told foreign diplomats in the Burmese capital Naypyidaw that more than half of the Rohingya villages were not affected by the violence.

She invited diplomats to visit the settlements to learn, along with the government, why are they not at each others throats in these particular areas.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Ms Suu Kyi said: I understand that many of our friends throughout the world are concerned by reports of villages being burned and of hordes of refugees fleeing.

There have been no conflicts since September 5 and no clearance operations. We too are concerned, we want to find out what the real problems are.

In New York Mr Johnson said the terrible human rights abuses and violence in Rakhine province are a stain on the countrys reputation.

No one wants to see a return to military rule, so it is vital that Aung San Suu Kyi and the civilian government make clear these abuses must stop, he said.

Activists burn a Burmese flag

Former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell accused the Burmese authorities of ethnic cleansing but defended the British role in providing training to the countrys military.

Ms Suu Kyi faces being stripped of the freedom of Oxford, the city where she studied and lived, as the council leader and lord mayor said she has failed to live up to the reputation and beliefs we associated with you.

She read philosophy, politics and economics at St Hughs College between 1964 and 1967, and spent much of the 1980s living in the city with her husband, Tibetan scholar Michael Aris, and their two sons, Kim and Alexander.

During her long campaign for democracy in Burma she was awarded the freedom of the city in 1997, an honour she accepted in person in 2012.
Theresa May is expecting Boris Johnson to remain in her Cabinet as Foreign Secretary, Downing Street has said.

The comment came after Mr Johnson dismissed reports that he might be on the verge of quitting and denied the Cabinet is split over Brexit, insisting: We are a nest of singing birds.

Mrs May has called a special meeting of Cabinet at Number 10 on Thursday to discuss her crunch Brexit speech in Italy the following day, which a Downing Street source said would be a significant moment in the process of Britains withdrawal from the EU.

In NYC for #UN General Assembly week, a valuable opportunity to get together & address global challenges. @UKUN_NewYork @UKinNewYork  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) September 18, 2017

Speculation has been rife that Mr Johnson may resign or be sacked after an explosive article setting out his personal blueprint for Brexit overshadowed the run-up to the Florence address.

The essay sparked reports that the Cabinet is split between those like Chancellor Philip Hammond, who favour an EEA-minus deal similar to Switzerlands involving payments for access to the single market, and those including Mr Johnson who prefer a Ceta-plus arrangement involving a simple free trade deal like Canadas.

Mrs May and Mr Johnson are at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but her spokesman said they had not met since the Foreign Secretarys intervention.

Looking forward to PM's Florence speech. All behind Theresa for a glorious Brexit: https://t.co/5pe1pY2m13  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) September 16, 2017

Their schedules do not coincide until Wednesday when Mr Johnson is due to be in the audience for Mrs Mays formal address to the UN, and he is not due to join the PM at a reception for Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday evening, the spokesman said.

Asked if Mrs May thought Mr Johnson would remain in the Cabinet beyond the weekend, the PMs spokesman told reporters in New York: Yes. Boris Johnson is the Foreign Secretary and, as the Prime Minister has said, he is doing a good job.

Mrs May was meeting a series of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, as well as hosting a meeting on modern slavery which will be attended by US president Donald Trumps daughter Ivanka.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson at the UN. (Seth Wenig/AP/PA)

The PMs spokesman said that Mrs May had met Ivanka at the G20 summit in Germany in July, when Ms Trump expressed an interest in giving her backing to the campaign against modern slavery which the Prime Minister has spearheaded.

Mrs May is due to meet Mr Trump himself for private one-on-one talks on Wednesday.

We had a great discussion on women's entrepreneurship, the upcoming #GES2017 and workforce development in the US and India. #UNGA https://t.co/mnc6sHKYBf  Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) September 18, 2017

Asked if Mrs May had confidence in Mr Johnson, the PMs spokesman said simply: Yes.

Mr Johnson spoke to TV cameras in New York after bumping into them at a hotel lift as he returned from a jog.

Asked if there was a Cabinet split on Europe, Mr Johnson said: No, we are a government working together. We are a nest of singing birds.

And asked directly if he would resign, he replied: No.

Great to catch up with my Japanese counterpart Minister Kono to discuss North Korea and opportunities for even more trade in the future  pic.twitter.com/cfpTmOGPFS  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) September 19, 2017

Mr Johnson said: We are working together, that is the key thing, to make sure that Britain can take advantage of the opportunities of Brexit.

A Telegraph report  dismissed as mischief by allies of the Foreign Secretary  suggested Mr Johnson would be prepared to quit by the weekend if Mrs May concedes too much to the European Union in her efforts to secure a trade deal.

Billed as the PMs most important update to the Governments position since her Lancaster House address in January, the Florence speech is thought likely to include an attempt to break the deadlock over the UKs financial settlement.

Speculation has been mounting she will offer to pay tens of billions of pounds to the EU during a two to three-year transition deal after the UKs formal exit in 2019.

The Foreign Secretary is understood to accept the idea of the UK paying its dues to Brussels during a transition period  but not for continued payments for access to the European single market on a permanent basis.

Veteran Tory Europhile Ken Clarke said Mr Johnson should have faced the sack for his Brexit intervention, while fellow grandee Lord Hague issued a call for Cabinet unity.

Former chancellor Mr Clarke said: Sounding off personally in this way is totally unhelpful and he shouldnt exploit the fact she hasnt got a majority in Parliament, and he knows perfectly well that normally the Foreign Secretary would be sacked for doing that  and she, unfortunately, after the general election, is not in the position easily to sack him  which he should stop exploiting.
An armed man threatened to kill a three-year-old with a knife over a mobile phone, police said.

Officers said a woman in her 30s was approached near the parish church in Bromley, south east London, when she was with her daughter on August 26.

The man said he would kill the child if the woman did not hand over her mobile phone, the Metropolitan Police said.

Met Police

Appeal after knifeman threatens toddler with knife during series of robberies in #Bromley https://t.co/Jo9Ltlwbak pic.twitter.com/tkJiGsl6AB  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 19, 2017

The incident is now being linked with two others: one where three 17-year-old girls were threatened with a knife and had mobile phones and cash stolen in Bromley on August 16 and another where a 37-year-old woman was pushed from behind and her bag stolen.

Detective Constable Chris Day said: These were terrifying robberies where the suspect targeted women, even threatening a child. We need to trace the person responsible, and would urge anyone with information about these incidents or a potential suspect to get in touch with us.

Police are looking for a slim black man in his 20s, around 6ft tall with short hair. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
KPMG has been cleared by the accounting watchdog over its auditing of HBOS in the run-up to the lenders near collapse in the 2008 financial crisis.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said it had closed the investigation into KPMGs handling of HBOSs accounts, concluding that KPMGs work did not fall short of standards.

It added it does not believe there are grounds for further action.

KPMG has been cleared after the FRC found its work did not fall short of standards (PA)

The FRC said: There is not a realistic prospect that a tribunal would make an adverse finding against KPMG in respect of the matters within the scope of the investigation.

The firms work did not fall significantly short of the standards reasonably to be expected of the audit, the test that a tribunal would apply.

The decision will come as a relief to KPMG, which has also been drawn into a mounting scandal in South Africa over its work with the politically connected Gupta family.

KPMG launched a probe 15 months ago into KPMGs HBOS auditing in 2007 amid worries over whether the accountancy giant properly considered whether HBOS was a going concern in its 2007 accounts.

Former Treasury Select Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie said at the time that the FRC probe was welcome but overdue.

HBOS was taken over by Lloyds TSB in a rescue deal in the autumn of 2008 after expanding too quickly with risky lending, weak funding and management failures.

Lloyds then had to be bailed out with 20.5 billion of taxpayer cash in 2008.

HBOS, formed from the merger of Halifax and Bank of Scotland in 2001, had said in 2008 it would be able to fund itself and did not expect market conditions to worsen, according to the FRC.

KPMG considered and accepted this conclusion and HBOS published its accounts in February 2008 on that basis, the FRC said.

The FRC added: The evidence of market conditions at that time did not show this decision of HBOS or the auditors assessment of it to be unreasonable at the time.

The extreme funding conditions which arose in October 2008 were not anticipated.

The FRC said it conducted a thorough investigation, which saw it liaise with other regulators and gather expert advice from independent and experienced lawyers and audit professionals.

KPMG said: We are pleased that the FRC has reached this conclusion after a thorough investigation.

We have always maintained that our audit was robust and undertaken in accordance with the regulations and practice of the time.

It added industry-wide efforts have been made to improve auditing of banks.

The FRC said it would publish a report next month on its actions to improve audit and corporate reporting since the financial crisis.

Nicky Morgan, current chair of the Treasury Select Committee, said: When it publishes its detailed report next month, the committee will expect the FRC to provide a full explanation of its decision not to take further action against KPMG. It may take further evidence in due course.

A damning review of the HBOS saga by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), which was published in November 2015, put the blame firmly on the banks executives.

It said they were ultimately responsible for the demise of HBOS.

Only one former HBOS executive, Peter Cummings, has so far been punished.

He was fined 500,000 and banned for life from the industry in 2011.
A monument to Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of the prolific assault rifle that bears his name, has been unveiled in Moscow.

Kalashnikov died in 2013 aged 94 in the city of Izhevsk where he lived. He was the creator of the AK-47 assault rifle, the worlds most popular firearm.

An estimated 100 million guns are spread worldwide.

A monument to Russian firearm designer Mikhail Kalashnikov has been unveiled in Moscow

Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky said at the monuments opening on Tuesday that the Kalashnikov rifle has become Russias cultural brand.

The monument in Moscow shows Kalashnikov cradling his rifle.

Kalashnikov, born into a peasant family in Siberia, began brooding about a new rifle design after being wounded in a 1941 battle against Nazi forces, and finished it in 1947.
President Donald Trump, in a combative debut speech to the UN general assembly, threatened the total destruction of North Korea if it does not abandon its drive toward nuclear weapons.

Mr Trump, who has ramped up his rhetoric throughout the escalating crisis with North Korea, told the murmuring crowd at the UN that it is far past time for the nations of the world to confront Kim Jong Un and said Mr Kims reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons poses a threat to the entire world with an unthinkable loss of human life.

Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime, Mr Trump said about the North Korean leader.

He said of the US: If it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

(Seth Wenig/AP/PA)

Mr Trump, who has previously warned of fire and fury if Pyongyang does not back down, claimed no one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the wellbeing of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea.

And he scolded nations that he said have enabled and traded with North Korea, seeming to slight China, though he did not mention the country by name.

Elected on the nationalist slogan America First, Mr Trump argued that individual nations should act in their own self-interest, yet rally together when faced with a common threat.

(Seth Wenig/AP/PA)

In addition to North Korea, Mr Trump urged nations to join together to stop Irans nuclear programme.

He declared the Iran nuclear deal an embarrassment for the United States.

He also condemned the loser terrorists who have committed violence across the globe.

Addressing the general assembly is a milestone moment for any president, but one particularly significant for Mr Trump, a relative newcomer to foreign policy who has at times rattled the international community with his unpredictability.

He has pulled the US out of multinational agreements, considered shrinking the US military footprint in the world and deployed bombastic language on North Korea that has been criticised by other world leaders.

Mr Trump frequently belittled the UN as a candidate and some within his White House believe the UN acts as a global bureaucracy that infringes on the sovereignty of individual countries.

But the president stood before world leaders and a global audience and declared that UN members, acting as a collection of self-interested nations, should unite to confront global dangers.

I will always put American first. Just like you, the leaders of your countries, should and always put your countries first, said Mr Trump, who assured the UN that the US would not abdicate its leadership position in the world but needed other countries to contribute more.

The US will forever be a great friend to the world and especially to its allies, the Republican president said.

(Seth Wenig/AP/PA)

But we can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal in which the United States gets nothing in return.

World leaders, many of whom will be seeing Mr Trump in person for the first time, are bound to take the measure of the man and study his every word for clues on how he views the US role in the world and within the UN.

While running for office, Mr Trump had labelled the UN weak and incompetent.

He has suggested it was not a friend to the United States or democracy while deriding it as a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.

He thundered often about putting America first, and has withdrawn from what he considered multilateral agreements that he found unfavourable to the United States, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

He also announced his intention to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, which would leave the US one of only three countries outside the pact.

Aides have since suggested Mr Trump would be willing to renegotiate terms of the deal but European leaders have dismissed that approach.
Real Madrid welcome their talisman back on Wednesday night as Cristiano Ronaldo returns from suspension when Real Betis visit the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo has missed Reals opening four league games and the second leg of the Supercopa de Espana against Barcelona due to a five-match ban imposed on him after he pushed a referee back in August.

In his absence Los Merengues have dropped four points and manager Zinedine Zidane is understandably delighted the clubs all-time record scorer is available to him again.

In quotes from his press conference that were published on Reals official website, the Frenchman said: Were happy to have Cristiano Ronaldo back. I hope its the last time were without him.

He looks happy, very happy, because he likes to play, to be with the group and his team-mates. Tomorrow hes back at the Santiago Bernabeu and every player likes that.

I think that the stats speak for themselves when were talking about what Cristiano contributes. Theres almost no player in the world who gets as many goals and as decisive ones as him and (Lionel) Messi. Thats what makes the difference.

Its going to be difficult for him to improve on those impressive statistics but hes ambitious and I wouldnt be surprised.

With Ronaldo out of the picture, Gareth Bale commanded more attention and had come under fire for his performances prior to scoring a terrific solo goal in the win over Real Sociedad on Sunday night.

The Welshman, who missed three months of last season due to an ankle problem, has constantly been defended by Zidane and the Real boss remains confident Bale will silence his doubters.

When there is space, Bale can do damage to any team with his speed, Zidane added.

We saw it in the goal at the Anoeta. But technically he is very good and can play in any situation, without spaces too, because hes very able.

Hes good on the ball and playing in tight spaces. Hes very complete. We have to be patient with him. When everything is okay, hes very good. He needed time and little by little we are seeing it.

File photo dated 04-05-2016 of Real Madrid's Gareth Bale.

Zidane himself is someone who has not needed to be afforded time as Reals manager.

In less than two years in the post he has won two Champions League titles as well as leading the club to the Spanish title last season, and recent speculation has suggested Zidane will be rewarded with a new deal.

I feel good at Real Madrid, renewing isnt important, he stressed.

Im looking at the day to day and Im not looking any further than that.

Although Ronaldo is back for the visit of Betis, teenage full-back Theo Hernandez has been added to the casualty list after the club confirmed he has partially dislocated his shoulder.
The family of British adventurer Emma Kelty have paid tribute to their active and determined sister after she was robbed and murdered while kayaking alone in the Brazilian Amazon.

The 43-year-old former headteachers three siblings said she was dearly loved by us all and her strength will be sorely missed, in a statement released by the Foreign Office.

The Londoner was last heard from on Wednesday September 13, days after posting about her fears of being robbed or murdered in a jungle area in Brazils remote north used for drug trafficking.

Ivo Martins, head of the Amazonas state homicide division, told the Associated Press she was killed after being robbed and her body was thrown in the Solimoes River.

Three people were in custody, he told AP, including a teenager who had confessed to carrying out the killing with six other people.

In the Foreign Office statement, Ms Keltys brothers Piers and Giles and her sister Natasha said: Emma was an active and determined sister who challenged herself, latterly through her adventures on the Pacific Coast Trail, as well as in the South Pole and Amazon River.

In a world that is today a much smaller place, the explorer in our sister found herself seeking ways to prove that challenges were achievable. We are extremely proud of our sister who was dearly loved by us all and her strength will be sorely missed.

It looks so different in the rain.... so much rain in Brazil.... will the sun ever come back? #sourcetosea #riverl https://t.co/zUqH6RnsRl pic.twitter.com/0nQTDQu6Tn  Emma Tamsin Kelty (@Emt101s) September 10, 2017

Ms Kelty was 42 days into a 4,000-mile trip from the Amazons source in Peru, through Brazil and to its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean, using a GPS tool, social media and blogging to let friends follow her progress.

Her last known location was around 150 miles west of the jungle city of Manaus, between the towns of Coari and Codajas.

The previous day she had tweeted about passing boats full of men with arrows and rifles, and the stretch of river she was attempting to travel is a known route for bandits and drug traffickers, local reports say.

Some of her belongings, including the kayak, were found by the Brazilian navy on Friday, Mr Martins had previously told local media.

Emma Kelty

A Foreign Office spokesman said on Tuesday: We are supporting the family of a British woman following her death in Brazil and are in contact with the Brazilian authorities.

Olie Hunter Smart, an explorer who completed a similar route in 2015 and helped Ms Kelty plan her journey, said Coari was known to be a dangerous area.

Mr Smart, who is currently walking the length of India, said: The Emma that I met was an incredibly brave and courageous person who lived life to the full.

My thoughts go out to her close friends and family at this very sad time.

In a posting before the journey, Ms Kelty wrote that the adventure had four parts, and the third was getting through the notorious drug baron and organ harvesting folks.

The self-confessed adrenaline junkie had only begun serious kayaking earlier this year, weeks after skiing a return solo journey to the South Pole.

Last year police chief Thiago Garcez, whose body has never been found, was said to have been murdered by drug-runners in the area where Ms Kelty disappeared.
DUBAI, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Bahrain accused Qatar on Monday of illegally seizing three boats with 16 sailors on board, state news agency BNA reported, worsening an already deeply troubled diplomatic situation in the region.

Coast Guard Commander Commodore Alaa Siyadi told BNA the boats were seized over the past three days. The report gave no details on the boats or where they were seized.

Qatar confirmed it detained fishing boats after they entered its territorial waters illegally, and said the sailors will be released soon.

Siyadi said the seizure raised to 15 the number of boats seized, and the number of sailors in Qatari custody to 20, adding that some of the boat seizures date back to 2009, BNA reported.

"All unauthorised fishing boats receive a warning to leave Qatari waters, and if they are non-compliant, they are referred to the competent authorities," a source at Qatar's Interior Ministry said. "The crew will be released within three days, while the ships will be detained until the court makes a decision."

Bahrain, together with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, imposed diplomatic, trade and travel sanctions on Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism, which Doha denies. (Reporting by Ahmed Tolba in Cairo and Alex Cornwell in Doha,; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Dan Grebler)
CARACAS, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition blamed President Nicolas Maduro's government on Monday for the death of a sick activist in detention, saying he was framed and then denied medical help.

Carlos Garcia, a local legislator in western Apure state, suffered a stroke in August after being arrested in late 2016 during protests and having money planted on him, his party said.

Two days before his death on Sunday, Garcia was granted house arrest but was never transported home, the Justice First party added in a statement, saying the accusations were invented and he was never allowed adequate medical help.

"He should never have been in prison and should never have died at the hands of a repressive government whose hands today more than ever are stained with blood," said the party's secretary general, Tomas Guanipa.

Venezuela's opposition parties accuse Maduro, the 54-year-old successor of Hugo Chavez, of being a dictator and maintaining hundreds of political prisoners on trumped-up charges.

He denies that, saying all activists behind bars are there on legitimate charges, including for "terrorism" and coup-plotting against his socialist government.

Venezuela's Supreme Court said Garcia had been detained on suspicion of theft, instigation of disorder, and arson.

He had received "appropriate medical attention" in hospital for a condition of "immuno-deficient infectious disease," which may have led to the fatal brain problem, it added in a statement.

"We request the nation's political leaders to abstain from giving irresponsible opinions with false information intended to cause alarm in the population. On the contrary, we must give Christian respect to this Venezuelan citizen's memory." (Reporting by Diego Ore; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Jonathan Oatis)
WASHINGTON, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The United States is ending temporary protected status for citizens of Sudan as of 2018 but extending it for citizens of South Sudan through mid-2019, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Monday.

Temporary protected status allows nationals of certain countries, often facing armed conflict or major natural disasters, who are already in the United States to temporarily remain and work there. Both Sudan and South Sudan's designations were due to expire on Nov. 2.

Instead, Sudanese nationals are allowed to stay legally for another year, but then must leave. DHS urged them in a statement to use their remaining time to "prepare for and arrange their departure from the United States" or apply for other visa types allowing them to stay.

But acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke decided to extend South Sudan's TPS status until May 2, 2019, DHS said, "because the ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions" that prompted the 2016 decision to grant the status to South Sudanese have persisted.

South Sudan was the world's youngest country when it became independent from neighboring 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.

El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Syria and Yemen are the other countries whose nationals can qualify for temporary protected status in the United States. (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
By John Irish and Yara Bayoumy

NEW YORK, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The United States, Britain and other countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will not support the reconstruction of the country until there is a political transition "away from Assad," British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Monday.

The "Friends of Syria" group, an alliance of mainly Western and Gulf Arab countries, met in New York on Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly at a time when the conflict in Syria, now in its seventh year, appears to be less urgent with attention focused on the North Korean nuclear threat and the fate of the Iran nuclear deal.

"We believe that the only way forward is to get a political process going and to make it clear to the Iranians, Russians and Assad regime that we, the like-minded group, will not support the reconstruction of Syria until there is such a political process and that means, as Resolution 2254 says, to a transition away from Assad," Johnson said.

He was speaking after a meeting of about 14 countries that back the Syrian opposition including France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States.

The U.N. Security Council has adopted a Syria transition road map through a Geneva-led process.

Russia joined the war on Assads behalf in 2015, turning the momentum in his favor. Assad also enjoys robust support from Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the moderate Syrian opposition is moribund and the United States has largely stepped back from a leading role in Syrian diplomacy.

Earlier this year the Trump administration also halted the CIAs covert program to equip and train certain rebel groups fighting Assad.

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, David Satterfield, said all those at the meeting agreed that "there has got to be a political process if there is to be any international participation in the reconstruction of Syria."

"The regime and the regime supporters cannot declare a victory solely based on a map and colors of positions on the ground," Satterfield said.

"The reconstruction of Syria depends very much on that credible political process. That political process is focused on Geneva and the role of the United Nations."

BACK TO GENEVA

The meeting on Monday was in stark contrast to last year's which took place after a ceasefire deal between the United States and Russia effectively collapsed when an aid convoy was bombed in Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

Aleppo is now in the hands of Assad's forces and Assad himself is in a much stronger position, thanks to Russian and Iranian support.

The last major international attempt to resolve the crisis ended in failure when the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), which included Iran, was cast aside after Syrian government forces retook the rebel stronghold of Aleppo in 2016.

Russia, Turkey and Iran have been negotiating separately for months in Astana to try to reduce the violence on the ground by creating de-escalation zones across the country, although those talks do not cover a long-term political solution

"We discussed here how to bring it back to the U.N.-led process and Geneva," Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom told Reuters.

Asked if there was consensus on that, she said "I would say so."

"It's good if the Astana process leads to de-escalation and a reduction of the violence but it has to lead into the political process."

Earlier on Monday, France warned that the status quo in Syria risked leading to the country's permanent fragmentation and opening the door to new radical Islamist groups.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters in New York he would hold a meeting with the four other permanent members of the Security Council - Britain, China, Russia and the United States - on Thursday to persuade them to create a contact group to give new impetus to end the seven-year conflict.

Le Drian said "realism" dictated that Assad could not stay in power after millions of Syrians had fled the country due to the war, but that it was vital major powers worked together to help revive U.N.-brokered peace talks in Geneva.

Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said the French contact group proposal was not discussed at the Friends of Syria meeting.

But Riyad Hijab, a prominent Syrian opposition leader, said he told French President Emmanuel Macron that the initiative was important in part because "of American withdrawal and Russia is dominating the entire process. So Mr. Macron's initiative is the right way to fix this because it's vital all five (permanent Security Council members) are involved in the process." (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols and Rodrigo Campos; Writing by Yara Bayoumy and John Irish; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Mary Milliken)
By Julie Steenhuysen

Sept 19 (Reuters) - The United States will concentrate its resources on 13 countries with high levels of HIV that have the best chance of controlling the AIDS epidemic under a strategy unveiled on Tuesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson outlined the priorities of the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief or PEPFAR, a cornerstone of U.S. global health assistance, which supports HIV/AIDS treatment, testing and counseling for millions of people worldwide.

President Donald Trump's administration requested the program be cut by $1 billion earlier this year but the Senate Appropriations Committee voted last week to keep funding largely unchanged at roughly $6 billion.

"The Trump Administration remains deeply committed to the global HIV/AIDS response and to demonstrating clear outcomes and impact for every U.S. dollar spent," Tillerson said in the report.

The administration did not disclose which programs were being cut, but the State Department has stressed that it will continue offering treatment to people who are already receiving it.

PEPFAR will continue to operate programs in more than 50 countries. To maximize its impact, however, it will focus much of its efforts on 13 countries that are nearing epidemic control - the point where there are more deaths each year from AIDS than there are new HIV infections.

Those countries include Kenya, Zambia, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho, Ivory Coast, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Haiti and Rwanda.

"We've really focused on accelerating in these countries that we can get over the finish line, together with communities and governments," Ambassador Deborah Birx, the U.S. global AIDS coordinator, said in a telephone interview.

The work would be done in collaboration with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UNAIDS, and others.

Five of the target countries - Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe - are already nearing control of their HIV epidemics, based on national surveys from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Columbia University and local governmental and non-governmental partners.

Last May, Republicans balked at the Trump administration's proposed $5 billion budget for PEPFAR, a $1 billion cut from the current budget of $6 billion.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation last week warned that even modest cuts in HIV/AIDS funding could reverse dramatic gains in curbing the global AIDS epidemic.

In the past five or six years, presidents have proposed PEPFAR cuts and Congress, which controls the budget, has restored the funding, Birx said.

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
ISTANBUL, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Here are news, reports and events that may affect Turkish financial markets on Tuesday.

The lira stood at 3.4865 against the U.S. dollar at 0514 GMT, little changed from 3.4945 at Monday's close.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond was at 10.78 percent in spot trade on Monday and at 10.75 percent in Tuesday-dated trade.

The main BIST 100 share index fell 1.12 percent to 106,534.60 points on Monday.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian shares slipped on Tuesday, supported by record highs on Wall Street but hobbled by uncertainty as traders awaited a Federal Reserve meeting for clues on U.S. monetary policy.

PRESIDENT ERDOGAN

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is in New York to attend the 72nd UN General Assembly. He will address the world leaders at the annual General Debate on Tuesday.

DEPUTY PM BOZDAG

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag will attend to an opening ceremony for the new academic year in Bozok University (0700 GMT)

ZAMAN JOURNALISTS TRIAL

Thirty journalists and newspaper executives from a Turkish newspaper which was shut down last year went on trial on Monday, facing life sentences over charges that they had links to a failed coup attempt. The hearing will continue this week.

TELIA SELLS TURKCELL STAKE

Nordic telecom group Telia Company launched an offer to sell its remaining direct stake in Turkish operator Turkcell to institutional investors on Monday.

MILITARY EXERCISE

Turkish tanks carried out drills at the Iraqi border on Monday, the army said, a week before a referendum across that frontier on Kurdish independence that Ankara has called a threat to its national security.

For other related news, double click on:

Turkish politics< TR-POL>

Turkish equities <TR-E>

Turkish money <TR-M>

Turkish debt <TR-D>

Turkish hot stocks <TR-HOT>

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 (Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun)
Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Tuesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 2 hours):

DATA

Polish statistics office to release August output, PPI, and retail sales data at 1200.

FOUNDATION

State-controlled, listed companies will donate 650 million zloty ($181.41 million) within 10 years to the foundation accused by critics of promoting government's plan to overhaul judiciary, Rzeczpospolita daily said.

State electoral commission declined to check whether campaign financed by state-controlled companies via the foundation is conducted in the name of the ruling party Law and Justice (PiS), Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily said.

DE-LISTING

Since the beginning of the year, 16 companies worth together 7 billion zloty left the Warsaw stock exchange, Rzeczpospolita calculated.

CENTRAL AIRPORT

Poland plans to set up a new central airport and communication hub in Baranow, 40 kilometres West of Warsaw, Puls Biznesu daily said, quoting state radio news agency. The cost of the investment is estimated at 35 billion zloty.

****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 = 3.5831 zlotys) (Reporting by Warsaw Bureau)
JOHANNESBURG, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is "out of danger" in hospital in South Africa after being airlifted from Harare at the weekend following the sudden onset of severe vomiting, a party source said on Tuesday.

Tsvangirai, who is due to challenge President Robert Mugabe in elections next year, was recovering well but had been told by doctors to avoid stress and strain until at least the weekend, the source said.

The 65-year-old's symptoms came on suddenly at a meeting of his opposition coalition, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), on Thursday evening in Kadoma, a city around 160 km (100 miles) southwest of the Zimbabwe capital.

The MDC sought to play down Tsvangirai's hospitalisation, describing it as "routine" and denying local media reports that he was on life support after being airlifted to Johannesburg in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Tsvangirai has been receiving treatment for colon cancer since last year but says he is in good health. His sudden illness was not thought to be related to his cancer or cancer treatment, two party sources told Reuters.

It comes a month after Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a favourite to succeed 93-year-old Mugabe, was rushed to South Africa for emergency medical care. Mnangagwa, who has since returned, denied local media reports he had been poisoned. (Reporting by Ed Cropley; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
BRUSSELS, Sept 19 (Reuters) - A group of energy firms has backed a disputed plan by EU regulators to attach emissions limits to subsidies for providing back-up power capacity to avert blackouts.

The proposal by the European Commission, which would set a cap of 550 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour for new power stations, ruling out less-efficient coal and gas-fired plants, has been fiercely contested by Poland and some other EU member states.

It is part of a draft reform of Europe's electricity market that calls for stricter rules on capacity mechanisms used in countries such as Britain and France to fund power generation that may not be cost-effective or as clean as renewable energy but is needed to guarantee supply during periods of peak demand.

In an open letter to the bloc's environment ministers on Tuesday, the proposal was backed by 22 signatories from energy majors, renewable energy groups and utilities including Eni , Shell, Siemens, Iberdrola , Statoil and Wintershall.

"Our electricity bills should not support the operation of the most polluting power plants, given that cleaner and more flexible options are available," the letter said.

"This would clearly contradict EU climate and energy policy objectives and would go against the best interest of European consumers."

The bloc's 28 environment and energy ministers are currently debating the reform for Europe's power grid after 2020 that aims to help meet its pledge under the Paris climate accord to cut emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030 from 1990 levels. (Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel; Editing by Robert-Jan Bartunek and Mark Potter)
JUBA, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Rebels in South Sudan attacked government forces in Unity State, where oil fields have been abandoned due to fighting, and 25 people including civilians were killed, a local government official said on Tuesday.

South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after protracted bloodshed, fell into civil war in late 2013 with troops loyal to President Salva Kiir fighting those of the ex-vice president he sacked, Riek Machar.

Those killed during Monday's fighting in the town of NhialDiu included women, elderly people and local police officers, Lam Tungwar, state minister of information of Northern Liech state, told Reuters.

A rebel spokesman, Lam Paul Gabriel, put the death toll at 18 while the government said it had managed to repulse the rebels and were pursuing them.

Dickson Gatluak Jock, military spokesman for South Sudanese Vice President Taban Deng Gai, said the attack coincided with dialogue in NhialDiu between pro-rebel and pro-government clans aimed at securing peace in the region. (Writing by Duncan Miriri; editing by Mark Heinrich)
LJUBLJANA, Sept 19 (Reuters) - U.S. investment fund Apollo Global Management was one of two bidders for a 55 percent stake in Slovenia's Gorenjska Banka and is now considering making a higher offer, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Apollo and the other bidder, Serbia's AIK bank, have both been asked to improve their bids after Apollo offered 235 euros a share for the stake, while AIK offered 285 euros per share, according to daily newspaper Delo.

The offers valued the whole bank at 91.2 million euros ($109 mln) and 110.6 million euros, respectively.

Apollo has now asked for additional due diligence on Gorenjska with a view to making a higher offer, Delo said.

Apollo was not available for comment while Gorenjska and its biggest shareholder Sava said they could not give details on the sale process.

Sava, a finance and tourism company which owns 37.7 percent of Gorenjska, teamed up with other shareholders last year to put up for sale about 55 percent of the bank.

AIK already owns 21 percent of Gorenjska, which is one of Slovenia's smaller banks.

Some of the biggest banks in Slovenia are still state run and the rest are owned by foreign banks and investors, including France's bank Societe Generale, Italy's Unicredit and Intesa Sanpaolo, Russia's Sberbank , Austria's Sparkasse and Addiko Bank. ($1 = 0.8344 euros) (Reporting By Marja Novak; Editing by Susan Fenton)
NAIROBI, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Kenya's Chief Justice David Maraga said on Tuesday that threats to the judiciary's staff were rising as courts tackled hundreds of petitions arising out of an Aug. 8 election.

"Since the Supreme Court delivered judgment these threats have become more aggressive," Maraga told a news conference at the Supreme Court, as hundreds of people protested outside against the court's invalidation of President Uhuru Kenyatta's election victory. (Reporting by George Obulutsa; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Catherine Evans)
By Ricardo Brito and Brad Brooks

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Brazil's new top federal prosecutor on Tuesday reshuffled the team of investigators in charge of pursuing the biggest corruption probe yet conducted in Latin America's largest nation.

Prosecutor General Raquel Dodge, who took over the post on Monday after the end of her predecessor Rodrigo Janot's term, had previously invited all the members of Janot's team of prosecutors working on the "Car Wash" corruption probe to stay.

However, few expressed interest in continuing, and Dodge, 56, who holds a master's degree from Harvard and has spent three decades working as a federal prosecutor, decided to replace the entire team with her own choices. Just a few of the previous prosecutors will stay on for a month to help with the transition.

The "Car Wash" investigation, which began in early 2014, has led to an unprecedented fight against entrenched political corruption in Brazil.

It has uncovered billions of dollars in bribes paid by major construction firms to politicians and executives at state-run enterprises such Petroleo Brasileiro in return for lucrative contracts.

It is one of several major investigations taking place in Brazil, probes that have led to the conviction of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and charges being leveled against President Michel Temer, his predecessor Dilma Rousseff, and two more former presidents.

Charges have been lodged or investigations opened against dozens of federal lawmakers, while over 100 powerful businessmen and politicians have been convicted.

While there was a clear personal rift between Janot and Dodge, whose appointment by Temer was ratified by the Senate in August, that does not necessarily mean federal prosecutors will be any less aggressive in pursuing corruption.

"Obviously there will be a change in style, but there will be no change in the course of investigations," said Carlos Pereira, a professor of public policy at the Getulio Vargas Foundation and one of Brazil's top experts on corruption. "But the team chosen by (Dodge) is extremely professional and has already shown skills in fighting corruption."

Among the prosecutors who will be part of Dodge's Car Wash investigation team are veterans from Brazil's first major probe into political corruption, the 2005 "Mensalao" scandal.

It ended with top members of Lula's government being found guilty of paying off lawmakers in return for their support of Lula's legislation. (Reporting by Ricardo Brito in Brasilia and Brad Brooks in Sao Paulo; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
RIYADH, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Britain and Saudi Arabia signed a framework deal on military and security cooperation, Saudi state news agency SPA said on Tuesday, redoubling efforts to counter Iran in the Gulf region and defeat Islamic State.

Prime Minister Theresa May said in December that Britain would invest over 3 billion pounds ($4.05 billion) in defence in Gulf Arab states over the next decade as it seeks to build on traditionally strong ties with the conservative, oil-wealthy monarchies before its planned departure from the European Union.

British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon discussed military cooperation with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who serves as the kingdom's defence minister and deputy prime minister, the SPA report said without providing details of the agreement.

Gulf Arab states say Iran is trying to expand its influence in Arab countries, including Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and Arab allies have been waging war against Iran-aligned Houthi forces that seized control of much of Yemen.

Britain's close relationship with Gulf states has drawn concern from human rights groups, including criticism of Saudi air strikes in Yemen's war that have killed hundreds of civilians. British military personnel have been working with the Saudi forces. ($1 = 0.7405 pounds) (Reporting by Stephen Kalin; editing by Mark Heinrich)
MILAN, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Italy's third-largest cement maker Cementir Holding has agreed to sell its domestic assets to Italcementi, owned by Germany's HeidelbergCement , it said on Tuesday.

Cementir, controlled by the Caltagirone family, said the deal had an enterprise value of 315 million euros ($377 million).

The sale will reduce Cementir's net debt, enabling it "to take opportunities that could arise in the future", CEO Francesco Caltagirone said in a statement.

HeidelbergCement, the world's biggest maker of aggregates used in concrete and the second-biggest maker of cement, said it expects the purchase to generate at least 25 million euros in annual cost savings by 2020.

"We see strong recovery potential in Southern Europe and especially in Italy over the coming years," the German company's CEO Bernd Scheifele said. "With this acquisition, we are very well positioned to create value."

The company said that net investments for this year and next will remain unaffected by the acquisition and that it plans to sell non-core assets to offset the purchase. ($1 = 0.8351 euros) (Reporting by Francesca Landini; Additional reporting by Andreas Cremer in Berlin; Editing by Gavin Jones and David Goodman)
Gaborone, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Nine elephants were electrocuted in central Botswana in a freak accident near the village of Dukwi.

The elephants died after they knocked down overhead power lines while jostling to drink water from a leaking pipe supplying water to villagers, the director of Wildlife and National Parks, Otisitswe Tiroyamodimo, told Reuters.

"Investigations are still at a preliminary stage, but what we have discovered so far is that the elephants were helping themselves to water from a damaged supply pipe. The elephants were electrocuted when they knocked down power lines, which fell into the gushing pool of water," he said.

Botswana has an elephant population of between 150,000 and 200,000, depending on the migration season. Elephants normally live in the wild but often move near human settlements in search of water, in Botswana, a generally arid country.

(Writing by TJ Strydom, editing by Larry King)
BRUSSELS, Sept 19 (Reuters) - European Council President Donald Tusk said he would meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May in London next Tuesday to discuss Brexit, days after she is due to make a keynote speech on her vision for future ties with the EU.

He made the comment in a tweet after meeting May at the United Nations General Assembly.

The London meeting between the pair will come at a sensitive time - just after her speech in Florence on Friday and before an EU heads of state dinner on Sept. 28 in Tallinn, Estonia.

The Financial Times said May's top EU adviser has told his counterparts in several European that she would in Florence offer to fill a post-Brexit EU budget hole of at least 20 billion euros.

The newspaper cited officials briefed on the discussions.

Senior EU officials have given talk of such offers short shrift. They have dismissed suggestions floated in British media that an offer of up to 30 billion euros payable during a transition period after Brexit would be acceptable to Brussels.

It could not be, they have said, an alternative to the 60 billion or so that the EU executive has estimated may be payable before Brexit in March 2019.

Brussels negotiators acknowledge privately that it may help the British government "sell" its settlement to domestic voters if London can meld the exit payments with transition payments to reduce the headline "divorce bill".

EU officials told Reuters there would be no discussion of Brexit at the Tallinn dinner but that May might take the opportunity to brief the bloc's other 27 leaders on her position.

Talks on Brexit have made little progress and deepened rifts in May's party, setting up the Florence speech as a chance to put negotiations back on track and reassert her authority.

While Tusk is coordinating the 27 EU leaders on Brexit, only Michel Barnier is negotiating with the British and they have made clear to London that he is the only point of contact for Brexit talks.

Barnier's negotiating directives have frustrated his British counterparts, who want to move the talks from divorce issues such as the EU departure bill and Irish border to future relations.

Barnier first wants to see progress on the terms of Britain's exit.

(Reporting by Julia Fioretti and Alastair Macdonald; Editing by John Stonestreet)
Eric Ilayaparachchis books are deceptive to look at. His non-fiction works and literary criticism, at any rate, are sometimes slim. But the amount of information packed into 100 pages or so would be voluminous. Mage Pustakala (My Libraries) a recent book by this prolific author, is typical.

This 120 page book reads like a guided tour of every library which ever existed in Sri Lanka plus several from around the world. If the author has missed a few, it may be because here is a writer in a mighty hurry, even as he leafs through books, manuscripts, lives and anecdotes and an infinite number of book shelves.

His quest begins in Negombo, the authors place of birth, and shifts through Colombo, Galle and other towns and then on to India, Sweden and Washington DC. Along with these, there are the one-man collections often leading a perilous existence, reflecting the precarious nature of their owners lives  from the friend forced to sell part of his invaluable collection every time he moves from one boarding house to another, to those waging heroic struggles with leaking roofs, mice, silverfish and financial drain... but never admitting defeat.

Piles of books crowd this area like tiles on the ground after a roof is dismantled. The authors love of and feel for books is obvious; you can actually smell them. But, in the authors view, people are as important  the people whose home libraries often vanished with them, dusty collections looking for book loving owners in vain. From obscure librarians to poets, scholars, activists and national heroes, book lovers are the authors truest heroes, their books the dusty, yellowing armoury with which they battled ignorance and intellectual oblivion.

One can discern a degree of romanticizing here. But Eric Illayaparachchi is a romantic writer, and that is to his credit. Many of the best known works of the worlds classical literature were written by romantics

One thing leads to another. Close to the Negombo home where Eddie Jayamanne and Rukmani Devi lived, Sinhala scholar Don Abiram Gamhewa had his ancestral home filled with books. This area is associated with Munidasa Kumaratunga and Walisinha Harischandra as well. In other words, libraries abounded. At the Gamhewa household, the author discovers an early American edition of Fontamara, a work by Italian novelist and politician Ignazio Silone (Secondino Tranquilli)  the sort of book left alone by ladies reading Victorian novels. This is in addition to works by Hela Havula writers, and a copy of The Worlds Best Photographs owned by D. A. Gamhewa.

He starts his search as a schoolboy, when in a Buddhist temple, a chance encounter with a disused book collection makes a deep impression on him. In the Catholic school run by French friars where he first studied, his Sinhala teacher introduced him to Sinhala fiction with a book titled Muwantissa Kumaraya. The school library was his first foray into the magical world of the printed word.

There was a library in the neighbouring house, in the village of Mahimagodella, where the author grew up. It housed an English school, an ayurvedic hospital and surgery (English grammar taught while surgeries were performed), and a well-stocked library where the author glimpsed Marxs Das Kapital for the first time.

The 1971 April rebellion taught him that books too, can be a matter of life and death. It was a lesson about the real world, its violence and irrationality; an aunt whose son was arrested panicked and buried his books, including Maxim Gorkys short stories and an American thriller. But the rebellion released a wave of intellectual vitality. Rehabilitation camps became centres of learning, and courtrooms were transformed into forums of intellectual debate.

Piles of books crowd this area like tiles on the ground after a roof is dismantled. The authors love of and feel for books is obvious; you can actually smell them. But, in the authors view, people are as important  the people whose home libraries often vanished with them

Studying at a mixed school, he goes with his female classmates to watch Lester James Pieris Gamperaliya at a Negombo cinema, and realises that the cinema too, is a potent art medium. But Colombo, its libraries and other wonders make a big impression on a provincial young man. As he writes:

Anyone visiting Colombo in the late 70s or early 80s would see a cultural metropolis packed with pleasing bookshops, printing presses, newspaper stalls brimming with newspapers and magazines, pavement vendors and small shops specializing in second hand books, cinemas with huge billboards, theatres staging original plays or translations every day, music rooms reminiscent of Jalsagar, and libraries.

Wimaladharma Bros. in front of the harbour told the correct time to everyone. The BCC Companys Sovereign Bar Soap helped wash the dirt off the nations clothes. Rani Soap from the Swadeshi factory added fragrance to the female body. The Sri Lanka Transport Boards single and double deckers, the latter with footboards as spacious as verandahs provided ample transport within the city.

This was a time when Martin Wickremasinghe, G. B. Senanayake, Mahagamasekara, T. G. W. Silva, Deeman Ananda, Karunasena Jayalath, Henry Jayasena, Sugathapala de Silva, Rohan Joseph, Rukmani Devi, George Keyt and Jeffrey Bawa frequented Colombo. Walls were filled with theatre posters printed in the linoleum presses of the I. P. B. Press, using technical know-how derived from the Peoples Republic of China of Mao Tse Tung and Shanmugadasan. They were designed by Ralex Ranasinghe to be read not just from close up but even from a moving bus window. The Colombo of that era was truly a Paris without an Eiffel tower.

One can discern a degree of romanticizing here. But Eric Illayaparachchi is a romantic writer, and that is to his credit. Many of the best known works of the worlds classical literature were written by romantics. Joseph Conrad was one. Several of his important works were based in the Malay Peninsula. Conrad has been accused of romanticizing the Malays, but his descriptions of the geography, locale and people there beats anything Ive read or seen since, from novels to travel books.

Though we are discussing non-fiction here, the same rule applies and honestly, this country and its literature could do with a little, honest romanticizing since much of the locally-produced writing about it tends to be drab. It is noteworthy too, that the author has tackled an unusual subject for Sri Lanka. In Western writing, libraries are a common subject. It is uncommon here, and this author may well be the first to write a book on that theme. These are the confessions of a true bibliophile.

He takes us to the time when the United States Information Centre housed a magnificent library in an equally magnificent building along Flower Road, where Muhammad Alis biography was on exhibit near the front door and William Faulkner, Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain gained precedence over Ernest Hemingway; people listened to LP records of classical music, John F. Kennedys speeches and poetry readings by Robert Frost seated in its spacious foyer.

The author notes how the left-wing Samasamaja movement (word coined by Jayantha Weerasekara) encouraged book reading and learning and pioneered translations of books from Marx and Lenin to Hugo, Dumas and Russian classical authors by translators such as Dedigama V. Rodrigo, Cyril C. Perera, Charitha Wijeratne and M. Senarath Yapa. In this regard, it resembled the 19th century British working class which worked hard to progress intellectually through self-study and night classes. Activist and Colombo-era poet Meepura Saraths Negombo library housed works ranging from Hemingway to Marx and Ernesto Guevara.

Bella Vista, mansion of the former Nizam of Hyderabad, housed a splendid library whose librarian, an English-medium poet, gorges on books and knowledge like a corpulent chef dining on his own delicacies, and reading becomes an endless game of musical chairs for the author.

In a sleepy Swedish town, he discovers bookshops displaying a marble bust of August Strindberg and the Swedish translation of Michael Oondajtes English Patient. Talking about Ingmar Bergman, he concludes that the Swedish film maker is better known in Colombo than there. Inside the Smithsonian in Washington DC, he discovers a bronze copy of King Johns Magna Carta and Greek iron nails boasting of ties to Socrates.

In Basra, Iraq, librarian Alia Muhammad saved a priceless library of 30,000 books with the help of Anis, a cafe owner, friends and neighbours. As Basra and the library were burned, the books were hidden in Anis cafe (he guarded them with a gun) till they found safe homes elsewhere.

This book reveals a cosmopolitan world of books and provides us with a map of our biblio history and its highlights. Just as importantly, it is a record of those unsung, forgotten heroes who, thorough their writings or their personal libraries, struggled to keep minds and intellectual curiosity alive, not an easy task in a country where its all too easy to believe that progress is principally a question of devoting ones free time to television, the telephone or social media, using their most facile components at that, with gossip as the common denominator. In that context, each library mentioned, big or small, amounts to an act of heroism.
Universities arent geared in directing us to the practical side of the subject matter

The Government has no idea about what sort of research we need. The idea should be fed by academics

I have students in the undergraduate programme who have filed applications for patents

Teachers and lecturers should teach children about life, moral values and qualities

As a researcher working on sustainable development, this is the best country one can ever work in

I believe that the engineering and the management faculties should do a common research

Another interesting innovation was the Vegetated Roof Slab system where I have introduced grass instead of insulation

Sri Lanka has produced many intellectuals who have conquered the world in various fields. Hence we are equipped with enough resources and in turn can move forward with novel innovations. This is what Professor Rangika Halwatura believes in. Employed as a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa (UOM), Prof. Halwatura was recently recognised as the Best Scientist in the Developing World by The World Academy of Science. With a PhD in Structural and Building Services Engineering, also from UOM, Prof. Halwatura has so far obtained seven patents for his unique innovations. Thus he is a hardworking academic who has a passion to do things differently. In a candid interview with the Daily Mirror, Prof. Halwatura spoke about the engineering industry, opportunities for the youth and issues he has identified in the local education system.



Excerpts :

QTell us about yourself

My roots are in Kalutara and my school is KalutaraVidyalaya. Back then when someone asked whom I wanted to be my reply was either to be an army officer or an engineer. In engineering I only knew about civil engineering at the time because two of my cousins were involved in it. I always had an interest for construction materials which I may have acquired from my grandfather because he was a good farmer. I remember him constructing a seven or eight kilometre road in my hometown. That was one way how I got inspired. After the 88/89 incidents I gave up on my idea about the military and was left with the engineering option. I joined the University of Moratuwa just after my A/Ls and did my engineering degree there.

We cant live with this island mentality anymore. But we are equipped with a culture, values and knowledge. I always believe that when we go to other countries we need to secure our knowledge



Unlike today, school and university life was so much fun because we had a lot of friends and it is one memorable chapter in anyones life. My parents always had their trust in me and I enjoyed a lot of freedom. Although I was interested in my studies I was also involved in various activities conducted by the Students Union and I also did various sports.





QWhat sort of an exposure did you receive in the university in terms of your studies?



Universities arent geared in directing us to the practical side of the subject matter. I have discussed this matter with the Vice Chancellor on several occasions because theres a vast difference between a teacher and a lecturer. This difference could be seen in how they create knowledge and disseminate it. Teaching shouldnt only be confined to the subject matter. Teachers and lecturers should teach children about life, moral values and qualities. But we dont see this happening. If anybody comes to earn money from the education system they should stay away from the university gate. If I go to the university to earn money Im destroying the education system. I am a chartered engineer and I earn money when I work in the industry. We spend on more external courses than internal courses. Postgraduate teaching is for those who are in the industry. Back then we didnt get opportunities to try out new innovations, but today students have ample opportunities to research and innovate. I have students in the undergraduate programme who have filed applications for patents.



Im happy to see many students showing a keen interest on research and it is our responsibility to offer them the proper guidance. Our education system should be structured to teach children in a more interesting manner. If we take five students and teach them all the technical details they will pick it up, but the problem is they dont have the soft skills. They dont know how to communicate, speak or understand the laymens language.



QYou have already obtained seven patents. Tell us about these innovations.



The minimum recognition is given for patents. If you want to develop the country we have to own the intellectual property. When we were schooling there was a poem titled Mage Rata. According to this poem we have all the resources we need, but we cant beat other countries. We cant live with this island mentality anymore. But we are equipped with a culture, values and knowledge. I always believe that when we go to other countries we need to secure our knowledge. The Mud Concrete Block was the first patent I got and from there onwards I developed the concepts. The others include a heat insulation system, Mud paving block, Self-compacting in-situ cast mud-concrete load bearing wall system, Vegetated Roof Slab system, Modular Formwork system for in-situ cast walls made out of self-compacting soil-based materials and a Bamboo Heat Insulation Panel for Roof Slabs.

Although we find the solutions, those products are not marketable and this is why the industry doesnt approach us. If we can market ourselves they will come to us and fund the research



In a nutshell I have always wanted to include local materials in to the construction system instead of foreign materials. We use cement in almost all construction work and I have found that cement is the material which increases the embodied energy and Carbon footprint. To produce cement you need more energy, but bricks are a more sustainable material. For example in the Bamboo Heat Insulation Panel I have replaced the polyethylene layer with bamboo because I found out that it is more efficient. Another interesting innovation was the Vegetated Roof Slab system where I have introduced grass instead of insulation. When constructing a building you cannot load it too much, so the idea here was to have a two inch soil layer and make the turf.



QDo you think that there are opportunities for the youth in the engineering industry?



These patents I achieved wouldnt have been a reality if not for my research students and I appreciate them for having placed their trust in me. I interview them and include them in my research and my group always has a good blend since they are not only engineering students.



Through this they will know what their colleague is studying and will get an exposure about different fields. They have been my second family and we are always together. We havent exposed them to the actual industry, so we need to work with them with clear boundaries. Im always encouraging my students to work with the industry and therefore all graduates should be employable. But to get them employed we have to understand what the industry needs.

These patents I achieved wouldnt have been a reality if not for my research students and I appreciate them for having placed their trust in me



QWe see that students are exposed to more theory than practical knowledge. How could the education system be transformed from a content-based system to a problem-based one?



Education evolves. Although our system has changed many times it never fits the industry. Theres no vision in our country. This is not only in terms of education, but in various other aspects as well. We also never thought of international benchmarking. Since we have this island mentality we dont want to tie up with other countries. The world education system has changed from a content-based system to problem-based. Students should understand a question, find possible solutions for the question and then find an answer. But we spoon-feed the students and expect them to replicate the same thing. So where and how can we encourage critical thinking?



QWhat issues have you come across in the industry?



We have everything in this country. As a researcher working on sustainable development, this is the best country one can ever work in. When driving from Colombo to Nuwara Eliya one can experience all the climatic conditions. From Nuwara Eliya to Jaffna this changes again. If you go to another country with tropical climates you cant experience this. Theres no issue with funding as well because the universities and even the National Science Foundation and the National Research Council could assist us.

Although we find the solutions, those products are not marketable and this is why the industry doesnt approach us. If we can market ourselves they will come to us and fund the research. The only issue I can see in this system is jealousy. This is because our people havent been taught to value ourselves. If we can take this component out, our universities will be the worlds best.



QResearch and development is an important area of focus. Is the Government doing enough to fund and promote research-based projects?



The Government has no idea about what sort of research we need. The idea should be fed by academics. Politicians dont know how to link research with development. I believe that the engineering and the management faculties should do a common research. But we hardly see any two faculties working together. People should be creative in their thinking, but we havent given them an opportunity to think freely.



QWhats your message to the youth and society.



We dont live forever, so we have to be happy with what we do. But in the process dont hurt another person while seeking your happiness. I cant change the lives of everyone I meet but if I could change the life of at least one person, that is my satisfaction.



(Pics by KushanPathiraja )
Dreaming of waking up to skin that feels smoother, healthier and fresher? Then The Body Shops Tea Tree Anti-Imperfection Night Mask is for you. The revolutionary product-the first and best of its kind-was launched at The Body Shop outlets in Sri Lanka this month.

The Body Shops iconic Tea Tree range is trusted by thousands of women across the world, who turn to the products to address problem skin prone to blemishes and blackheads. The Community Trade organic Tea Tree oil used by the brand has been clinically proven to yield clearer skin from the first week of use. Products in the range also use Tamanu oil extract to help generate new tissue and improve the healing process for skin.

The Tea Tree Anti-Imperfection Night Mask is the first sleeping mask designed to help women and men care for blemished skin concerns overnight. The mask is a cooling memory-gel texture infused with the key active ingredient-tea tree oil sourced from the Kenya Organic Oil Farm Association. This ingredient is renowned for its powerful antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it an essential oil and a popular ingredient in skincare products. The Anti-Imperfection Night Mask combines this oil with salicylic acid to resurface and reduce imperfections.

The mask reduces imperfections overnight whilst soothing, controlling excess oil and resurfacing. With continued nightly use this mask also reduces other concerns such as enlarged pores. The combination of the key active ingredient with salicylic acid leads to time-release particles that ensures overnight mattifying excess sebum control. The formula is 100% vegan, formulated without alcohol, is non-comedogenic and does not stain.

The Anti-Imperfection Night Mask is best used after the 123 Tea Tree Routine (cleanser, toner and oil). Apply a layer of the product over the face and leave on to absorb overnight. Its easy to apply-just use clean fingers, or choose The Body Shop Expert Mask Brush. The benefits are multifold-instantly, skin will feel refreshed and soothed from the breathable non-sticky texture. Overnight, imperfection size is reduced and skin looks healthier, smoother and shine-free. With regular use, pores and marks are reduced and the formula helps to prevent imperfections in addition to solving them.

Blemished skin sebum levels have been reported to peak at 4 am, so an overnight mask means being able to clock in your beauty sleep and tackle the problem at the same time.

The Tea Tree range is available at The Body Shop flagship store on Bagatale Road and Odel on Alexandra Place.
The Harold Alfond Foundation has made the lives of 20 Maine graduates a little easier. The foundation has paid off $685,000 in student loan debt for the students as part of its program to eliminate debt for residents who work for a local business in a math, science, technology or engineering-related field.

The payment is the first in a four-year program that will erase $5 million in student loan debt.

"The Alfond Leaders program drastically shifts the calculus of our family's planning," said Alec Mackenzie, one recipient of the grant. "It eases the student loan debt we have and gives us confidence that we can make our lives here."

Mackenzie studied engineering at Maine Maritime Academy and earned an MBA at Babson College. He says the grant money will potentially give him the resources to hire more people at his Portland-based mechanical engineering firm.

The Alfond Leaders program pays up to 50% of student debt (max. $60,000 per individual) for qualifying Maine residents. To qualify, applicants must commit to working in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) field in the state for at least five years.

Applications must include an essay, letter of intent to work and live in Maine for 10 years, a resume, proof of employment and student loan details. Those who are accepted receive payments in two disbursements: one after five years, and the other after ten years.

More than 400 Maine graduates applied for the grants, and only 20 were chosen.

According to Greg Powell, Foundation Chairman, outstanding student debt in Maine has reached $4.8 billion. Many graduates wind up leaving the state to secure higher-paying jobs, he says, which hurts Maine's economy in the long run.

"Given the very competitive applicant pool, the selection process was no easy task," said Powell. "But with this new group of outstanding professionals, and those chosen in the future, the foundation will be as pleased to help pay down their college debt as we are to have them here in Maine contributing to our economy."

About 63% of college graduates in Maine have student loan debt, with the average balance at $29,644. Student debt in the United States, as a whole, has ballooned up to $1.4 trillion, an increase of about 170% since 2006.

The application period for the second round of grant awardees is underway. The deadline for nominations has been set for November 15, 2017, and the second round of awardees will be announced at the end of the year.

Date Of Update: 19 September 2017, 14:17
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has passed directions to the defence ministry to task the Army with clearing up the litter deposited over the years at tourist spots in high-altitude areas. In the last two years, the Army has laid mats for the Yoga Day celebrations - a responsibility of state governments - and also constructed two pontoon bridges along the Yamuna floodplains in Delhi for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's controversial mega event World Culture Festival.

In a similar manner, even before the central police forces were deployed to handle the Panchkula riots, which broke out following Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's conviction in a rape case, or the police entered the godman's dera in Sirsa, the Army was called into action.

Is this because there are no other capable organisations left in the country or because it involves no expense to the state that the Army is the first responder or tasked beyond its mandate?

Is it because it is the only organisation that has never refused a task, completes every challenge addressed to it with dedication and sincerity and has never let the nation down? Or is it because the government is seeking to lower its prestige and standing in the public eye, by assigning it tasks way below its charter and role.

They are trained to assist the state in handling national calamities, not laying mats - that any other establishment or organisation can do. Photo: Reuters

The Centre has immense resources under its control, but ignores them because the armed forces are the easiest to deploy. The top-down approach adopted by the military ensures that tasks once passed down the chain from the top hierarchy are implemented in letter and spirit. It has always been a service that accepts any degradation without even a whimper. Hence it is taken for granted.

The armed forces of the nation have a role and task. Their task is national security. They are trained to kill anti-nationals or the enemy, while in the bargain they should be willing to sacrifice their lives. They are neither trained or tasked to clear the litter dumped by careless visitors who the state has failed to brief. They are trained to lay bridges in war-like situations, not for mega showcase events. They are trained to handle situations beyond the control of local security forces, not act as police outside the dera. They are trained to assist the state in handling national calamities, not laying mats - that any other establishment or organisation can do.

Cleaning after tourists should be the responsibility of the state government that has permitted them to visit remote areas. If the state collects fees from tourists and profits from their visits, then a part of the same should be spent on maintaining the region. Why task the Army with it?

The logic provided by the PMO and the defence minister is that these are regions with no local inhabitants. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are no such areas in existence in India. Even in high-altitude regions, there are tourist camps, hotels and transport facilities using which tourists transit.

Had such facilities not existed, tourists would never have venture travelling to such destinations. Along with these facilities, government offices and local establishments too monitor the region. However, while the state brushes off its responsibility, the centre taps the only source it feels free to misuse, the armed forces.

In March 2017, there were discussions across media platforms about the military's buddy system, especially following the death of Roy Matthew, a 33-year-old Indian Army soldier from Kerala.

It was considered demeaning for a soldier by almost everyone. Clearing up the litter deposited by the hundreds who visit tourist destinations in remote areas is even more demeaning than being a buddy; in most cases, you are still considered a family member.

It is surprising that those who criticised the Army then are quiet when it is being assigned the most demeaning of tasks today.

It is surprising that those who criticised the Army's buddy system after Lance Naik Roy Matthew's death are quiet when it is being assigned the most demeaning of tasks today.

In both Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir - regions specifically mentioned by the defence minister as tourist spots at high altitude areas - the forces deployed are the Army and the ITBP. However, it is the Army that has been pressed into service.

This begs a question: Is it because the Army would never say no simply because orders flow from the top, while other forces may object since the level of discipline is not the same?

Every time such decisions are taken, the soldier who has been deployed feels insulted, so do his superiors who pass these directions, but does the government care?

If the defence minister is new and unaware of the terrain where the Army is designated to perform these demeaning chores, then the right advice should have been conveyed by those that matter.

Tasks that are bona fide and within the Army's ambit should be readily accepted, not those which are downright demeaning to troops and would even hurt the sentiments of some. The armed forces are the most disciplined and respected institution of the nation and should be treated accordingly.
After 50 years of practicing dentistry in Hardin and Billings, Mike Downing says he's really getting the hang of it.

"I'm just starting to learn how to do it," he quipped.

Downing has been practicing dentistry since 1967, and he said every year he gains a new skill or learns a new technique. He's been with RiverStone Health's dental clinic for more than a decade, and it's there where he feels he gains the most.

RiverStone uses fourth-year dental students, dental residents and young dentists just out of school, and Downing is able to provide an experienced, guiding hand for them as he learns from them some of the new ideas and techniques they carry out of dental school.

But more than that, the work Downing does at RiverStone fits squarely with his personal philosophy of serving and valuing the underserved and undervalued in a community.

"I grew up in a family that was service oriented," he said.

Downing is from Denver, and his family had a culture of serving within their church, helping in their community and reaching out to those who needed help. Leaving dental school in 1967, he did a two-year stint in the Army as a dental officer and then set up his shingle in Hardin in 1969.

Downing had asked around and learned that Hardin had no dentist and was looking for someone who would be willing to come in and join the community. In Hardin, Downing saw an opportunity to help people to whom other dentists wouldn't give a second thought.

He was welcomed in and quickly became an important and beloved part of town. He still has patients who make the 40-mile drive from Hardin up to Billings to see him for their check-ups and dental work.

"I firmly believe communities that truly value, celebrate and support the gifts of all people, regardless of gender, race, age, sexual orientation or economic level will thrive in positive, healthy ways," he said.

That philosophy led him to set up a second practice on Billings' South Side in 1996, operating out of what was then the Community Health Center.

"There was no dentist on the South Side," said Becky Cassidy, dental program manager at RiverStone.

Like in Hardin, Downing saw an opportunity to help a segment of the population in Billings that had been overlooked.

"That's always been his mission," Cassidy said.

Cassidy has worked with Downing since his Hardin days. Early on she was a dental assistant who eventually ran his dental office. Downing said he has always encouraged his employees to pursue continued education if they had the desire.

And Cassidy had the desire. Downing saw her talent and made space in the office schedule so that she could pursue a masters in health care administration, which she eventually earned.

"If she didn't know the answers, she knew how to get them," Downing said. "She's a great manager, a great administrator."

In 1996 the dental practice Cassidy and Downing ran out of the Community Health Center was still a private practice; state law at the time dictated that only dentists could own dental practices.

"I was a private dentist," Downing said. "I paid rent to the health department."

So when he could, he offered up his services as a volunteer to help those who simply would have had no other access to a dentist. Downing's office had three chairs and, working with his assistants, they could see 12 patients every four hours, all of them homeless.

"It's amazing how much we accomplished," he said.

And so when Community Health became RiverStone, Downing's private practice was simply a dental office with a contract to serve RiverStone patients. In the early 2000s, RiverStone and other groups successfully lobbied the state Legislature to allow community health organizations to own dental practices.

The day the bill was signed into law, Downing's practice became a nonprofit, owned by RiverStone, and the cornerstone to RiverStone's dental clinic, which now has 12 chairs and a team of dentists, hygienists and assistants.

Downing, 77, works only part time these days. He's at RiverStone three days a week, working eight-hour days. He plans to keep working as long as he's physically able. He then held out his hands, palms down near his waist. No tremors, both were still and steady.

"I don't have to work," he said, smiling. "I wouldn't do it if I weren't having fun."
The international community has been baffled with Kim Jong-un's behaviour ever since he assumed power in 2012. A year later, Forbes named young Kim as World's 46th Most Powerful Person - a ranking he has consistently enjoyed until the most recent 2016 list, when he climbed three seats.

Yet, the age of information has proved incapable of decoding the enigmatic "Supreme Leader" and world's most isolated country. Interestingly, even Kim's birth date differs in South Korean, American and Swiss records.

Kim's nuclear tests achieved their apotheosis on September 3 when the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) declared a hydrogen bomb test a "perfect success". As a consequence, a new round of sanctions was adopted (by a unanimous vote) on September 11 on North Korea's oil imports, overseas labourer contracts, textile exports, smuggling efforts and potential economic ventures with foreign nations. The new sanctions will cost North Korea approximately $1.3 billion in annual revenue.

On the other hand, North Korea threatened that "forthcoming measures by the DPRK will cause the United States the greatest pain and suffering it had ever gone through in its entire history" if the sanctions are approved.

So, where does all this lead us? The answer is Russia.

President Vladimir Putin is not known for caving in to international pressure.

Under president Vladimir Putin, Russia's diplomacy is characterised by realism and, as such, the pursuit of power when an opportunity arises. Indeed, recent years have witnessed Putin's Russia playing a leading role in world affairs. In Europe, Moscow has been consistently favouring Eurosceptic parties as a way of undermining established European Union institutions. In the Middle East, Moscow has played a pivotal role in keeping its long-time ally, Bashar Al-Assad, in power despite West's vehement condemnation.

And last, but certainly not the least, according to US's intelligence agencies, Moscow appears to have influenced the 2016 US presidential elections which resulted in Donald Trump's election. The Korean "front" therefore, presents yet another opportunity to Russia.

Moscow's benefits from the Korean crisis are multi-fold. First, cementing relations with ambitious superpower China and extending influence in Asia, second, using sanctions against Pyongyang as leverage.

As China's power status rises - politically and economically - Beijing is expected to assume a greater role in world affairs. Indeed, Beijing, now more than ever, has an aggressive manifestation of territorial claims in South China Sea, which has undoubtedly concerned Taipei, Ho Chi Minh, Manilla, Kuala Lumpur (the directly involved) and troubled New Delhi, Seoul, Tokyo and Canberra.

The Korean crisis, presents yet another "front" whereby China should - as the leading voice in Asia - mediate in. Failure in doing so would raise questions over Beijing's power credibility.

Beijing's warning of non-interference in case of Pyongyang's aggression against the United States has showcased its willingness to defuse tensions in the Korean Peninsula and at the same time, its inability to deal on multiple fronts. For as long as Kim Jong-un stubbornly ignores Beijing's instructions - which according to latest remarks by the "Supreme Leader" seems to be the case - a powerful ally will be needed in coping with a new "front in the making" and which Putin gladly can contribute to by extending Russia's influence in Asia.

As of March 2014, Russia has suffered from economic sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia as a response to Moscow's Crimea annexation. Sanctions have become tougher following Moscow's aggressive policy towards eastern Ukraine and its playing the destabilising factor in reaching a lasting peaceful resolution.

Indeed, in June, EU member-states agreed to extend economic sanctions by six months, whereas the United States passed a bill in August extending new sanctions against Russia's energy and defence sectors.

When on September 11 Russia voted in favour of sanctions against Pyongyang, it saw yet another opportunity. President Putin is not known for caving in to international pressure, and Russia's sanctions towards North Korea can undoubtedly serve as a leverage towards Western sanctions against Moscow.

Indeed, the "winds of change" could already be sensed among European states, which were eventually voiced on August 29, when EU Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, called for improving relations with Russia and that he views "no European security for the future centuries without Russia".

Of course, Russia's long-term interests lie in regional stability - something which Moscow has invested in heavily. In April 2014, Russia's Parliament agreed to write off $10 billion of Pyongyang's Soviet era debt, eyeing a mega gas pipeline project to South Korea which will pass through North Korea.

Strategically, Russia maintains its Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok and the last thing it wants is tensions near its territory.
School District 2 Superintendent Terry Bouck will step down at the end of the school year, he announced at Monday's school board meeting.

Bouck has led the district since the 2012-2013 school year.

"I've got as much energy as I've ever had ... but it is time for Kristy (Bouck) and myself to see our grandkids a little more," he said during the surprise announcement.

Bouck oversaw the construction of a pair of new middle schools and extensive elementary renovations and helped the district dig out from under a class-size crunch that threatened SD2's state accreditation.

He made planning a priority in the district, leading a facilities master plan. Most recently, he championed professional learning communities, weekly meetings among teachers geared at better student outcomes.

At times he ruffled feathers; a placid elementary redistricting process was followed by a contentious high school version, driven by opposition from Lockwood residents.

Bouck often waded into legislative issues, particularly in support of career and technical education. He pushed for increased funding; the state bumped up funding $1 million in 2015, but halved that figure in 2017.

The topic became an area of focus for Bouck; he commissioned a study of the district programs, which called for the hiring of a CTE director among other initiatives.

Trustees routinely gave Bouck glowing reviews and readily extended his contract.

"This is an item I wish I never had to place on the agenda," said board chair Greta Besch Moen before addressing Bouck's wife. "You've given us your husband for six years, and it's time to give him back."

Bouck came to Billings after serving as superintendent of the Peninsula School District in Gig Harbor, Washington. He told senior staff about his resignation late Monday afternoon and informed school board members before the meeting. An announcement was sent out via district email during the school board meeting.

It appears unlikely that trustees will charge into the hiring process. Jeana Lervick, a lawyer representing the district and former executive director of human resources, recommended waiting until the end of the calendar year to post the position.

"There is a lot of time for this entire process," she said.

Bouck was optimistic about the future for Billings schools.

"The thing I feel good about is the great leadership team, the great staff, the great board," he said. "I came in here with energy and passion, and I'm going to go out the same way."
Though the victim wasn't in court Tuesday, there was much talk about how a child's life was irreparably changed after she was raped before she turned 3.

Candi Howman, who has been taking care of the girl for three years, said the behavioral issues are ongoing.

"It's been awful for me," she said in court. "It's been worse for her."

Howman wore a T-shirt showing the girl's photo. A note on the back of the shirt requested 100 years in prison for the perpetrator.

The sentence was 80 years for Jason Harold Rose, a 35-year-old man who was convicted on one count of sexual intercourse without consent. The hearing took place in Yellowstone County District Court.

District Judge Michael Moses included a parole restriction of 20 years in the sentence.

Rose was charged in 2016, a year after the victim reported to a child care provider that she'd been raped. That caretaker was Miracle Browning Stapp, whose voice grew louder as she addressed Rose directly during testimony on Tuesday.

"Why?" she said. "That's all I want to know. You ruined a little girl's youth."

A medical exam of the girl showed serious sexual trauma, according to court documents. It was painful evidence to review for Judge Moses, who had also handled a child abuse and neglect case involving Rose.

"The court will never forget that testimony," he said.

Rose initially denied the charges. Michael Sullivan, a licensed clinical social worker called by defense attorneys, said that Rose's struggle with honesty was remarkable.

In June, Rose pleaded guilty to the rape charge as part of a plea agreement. Prosecutors sought 100 years in prison. Defense attorneys asked for a quarter of that time with a suspended sentence afterward.

The defense also suggested a parole restriction until 2029, which is when the girl turns 18.

Moses disagreed, reinforcing the 20-year parole restriction with the 80-year sentence. Rose will also be required to complete a prison-based treatment program.

Montana sentencing guidelines suggest that the seriousness of a punishment should reflect the effects of a convict's actions. Moses attempted to weigh the guideline against acts that will affect the victim for a lifetime.

"There's not enough punishment to be commensurate with the harm caused," he said.
A Glasgow Public Schools bus driver from Fort Peck and a Troy woman who was driving a pickup were killed in a Tuesday morning wreck on U.S. Highway 2, 15 miles west of Glasgow.

Four eighth-grade students and an adult chaperone were also hospitalized with injuries that weren't life-threatening.

Valley County Sheriff Vernon Buerkle identified the bus driver as Harold "Jim" Belcher, 73, from Fort Peck. Julie Ann Steiger, 31, of Troy, was driving the pickup.

The bus had been on its way to Havre for a field trip, said Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Mitch Willett. Steiger's eastbound pickup collided head-on with the school bus after crossing the center line into oncoming traffic. The crash was reported at 6:38 a.m.

Both Steiger and Belcher were pronounced dead at the scene, Willett said.

The injured passengers were taken to Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow.

All of the injured children's parents were notified of the crash, said Glasgow Public Schools Superintendent Bob Connors on Tuesday morning. One student was flown to a Billings hospital for an "orthopedic situation," he said.

Belcher had worked for the district "for a number of years," Connors said.

"Im just totally amazed with the first responders out at the scene of the accident, and down at the hospital," Connors said. "Weve had a great response, and Im really impressed with our little town. Its amazing to me how theyve come together and done a wonderful job in a very difficult situation."
Lorraine and Eugene Williams, the Charlottesville couple whose civil rights work helped desegregate city schools and whose business focused on fair and affordable housing, are the recipients of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerces 2017 award for diversity.

The chambers John F. Bell Sr. Vanguard Award was created in 2015 to recognize those who actively promote diversity within the business community.

The awards namesake was a respected business leader during the Jim Crow era when much of the South was legally segregated. Bell founded the J.F. Bell Funeral Home, which is still family-run.

The award will be presented Tuesday at the Chamber Business Diversity Luncheon, hosted by the Chamber Business Diversity Council. The sold-out luncheon is being held at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. Michel Zajur, founder and CEO of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will be the keynote speaker.

We are very excited about the award. Its a big deal to us, Eugene Williams said from his Charlottesville home on Monday. [Bell] was a mentor to me and I knew him from my years growing up until his death. He was a good businessman and good to the community and treated everyone with respect, regardless of color. The fact that this award honors him makes it even more special to us.

Williams, who served for years as regional vice president of Universal Life Insurance Co. in Charlottesville, later founded Dogwood Housing, a limited partnership that bought and rehabilitated properties to provide low-cost, high-quality housing at affordable prices. The properties provided racially and economically mixed alternatives to public housing.

The Williamses efforts were honored in a 2015 commendation from the Virginia General Assembly sponsored by Del. David J. Toscano, D-Charlottesville, and state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath County.

Theyre very special and theyve done a lot for the community and business community over the years, said Timothy Hulbert, president of the chamber. They deserve to be recognized.

As a local NAACP official, Williams helped to force desegregation in the 1950s and 1960s by showing up in person to demand schools in the city, Albemarle County and the greater region enroll black students.

At a time when lunch counters, theaters, public bathrooms and drinking fountains were segregated, the family often protested segregation by going to restaurants where their orders were never taken.

But the Williamses, who are both approaching 90, are best known for the 1955 lawsuit they and other parents filed against Charlottesville schools. School officials refused to allow black students to attend white schools despite the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court declaring that separate education was unequal education.

They filed the suit despite Lorraine Williams working for the school district as a teacher.

They won in court but the school system shut itself down rather than allow black and white students to attend classes together. The schools were ordered reopened the next year and the system slowly integrated throughout the 1960s.

During Charlottesvilles urban renewal efforts in the 1960s, the Vinegar Hill area was razed and many homes and businesses owned by African-Americans were demolished. The Williamses and other family members created Dogwood Housing and redeveloped 62 housing units. They sold the business and retired in 2007.

Its very exciting to win an award [from the chamber] for both civil rights and business, Eugene Williams said. This means a lot to us.
Area residents expressed concerns Monday night to the Charlottesville City Council about the independent review of the citys handling of the Unite the Right rally and other recent events.

During a public hearing regarding Aug. 11 and Aug.12, residents said they want someone other than Tim Heaphy, former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, leading the independent review.

The review will critique the citys preparations for and response to the May 13 torch-light rally at Emancipation Park, the July 8 rally of the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan at Justice Park and the Unite the Right rally at Emancipation Park on Aug. 12.

Tanesha Hudson said she was disappointed the city chose Heaphy, considering his long-standing relationship with the city.

Hes worked closely with the commonwealths attorneys office, the [Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement] task force, as well as the city of Charlottesville Police Department, she said. So thats a conflict of interest no matter how you try to paint the picture.

Hudson said it was definitely not independent and that the city should have hired someone outside the region to do the review.

To try to pull wool over our eyes, its not going to work this time, she said.

Be real with the citizens. We asked for transparency, and yall still refusing to give it to us, Hudson said. If were trying to fix this, you have to fix it.

Local attorney Jeff Fogel spoke about an email he had received in response to a Freedom of Information Act request that was sent on Aug. 13 by Heaphy to Mayor Mike Signer and City Manager Maurice Jones.

Mr. Heaphy solicited this job, Fogel said.

In a copy of the email provided by Fogel, Heaphy thanked Jones and Signer for their leadership and said he wanted to raise an idea about a response to the rally.

One way to get in front of this criticism is to appoint someone to conduct an independent evaluation of the citys response, the email said. The evaluation should be thorough and objective and consider the perspectives of everyone involved.

If youre interested in pursuing this kind of independent evaluation, Id be interested in taking it on, the email said.

The email went on to say that Heaphy would be an objective fact-finder, not an advocate, and that his findings would reflect an honest assessment.

There is no way this is an independent investigation. Fogel said. You chose not to hire Mr. Heaphy as an investigator, but as a lawyer.

Earlier in the meeting, Jones said that the city is working with Heaphy, who is now in private practice with Hunton & Williams LLP and lives in the Charlottesville area, to potentially provide updates to the council before the full review is completed.

After the public hearing, Councilor Kathy Galvin asked for an interim report that would include answers to questions that have been posed by community members.

I appreciate from your report that were going to get an update, but we need some answers to some very big questions without being the full-fledged report, Galvin said.

Well come back to council to discuss what could be in an interim report, plus any answers that Mr. Heaphy may have, in the next few weeks, probably the second meeting in October, Jones said.

Another resident asked if it was still possible to get someone else to lead the review.

Signer said the idea has been proposed of a separate commission that would either look over the review or provide the questions to the main reviewer.

I do think a middle ground would be to have a citizen review commission that is also going to be looking at some results, Galvin said. If that is possible, I would like to support that, so that there is trust built into the process with Mr. Heaphy, given that there is some question about his ability to be detached from our local police force and investigative units.

Jones said they could bring the potential of a review commission back for a discussion at the Oct. 2 council meeting.

After it was announced that Heaphy would be leading the review, the Republican Party of Virginia took aim at the city for appointing someone who has donated several thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and organizations in the last decade, including $200 to Signer when he was a candidate for the City Council. City officials and Heaphy denied that that would have any bearing on an objective review being conducted.

Documents show that Heaphys law firm will bill the city $545 an hour for the investigation. The agreement caps costs at $100,000 for the initial assignment. Heaphy previously has said that is a substantial discount from the firms standard rate.
Four people died on Wyoming highways last week, according the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

Three of the four crashes were one-vehicle wrecks in which the vehicle ran off the road. None of the four wrecks took place in Natrona County. Two of the deceased were Wyomingites.

According to a highway patrol news release and online crash reports:

On Sept. 10, Hunter Stanley, 35, of Gillette ran off Interstate 90 near Gillette in a Subaru. The car rolled twice and Stanley, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle. He died in Campbell County Memorial Hospital two days later, as a result of injuries sustained in the wreck.

On Tuesday, James Watters, 45, of Montana, was driving south with an unidentified passenger on U.S. Highway 89 near Alpine, when his vehicle drifted off the road and hit a rock embankment. The vehicle rolled over and both Watters and the passenger were ejected. Watters died at the scene and the passenger was hospitalized with unspecified injuries. Neither of the two people involved was wearing seat belts. The highway patrol was investigating for drug and alcohol use.

On Thursday, Larry Martin, 55, of Missouri, was heading west on Interstate 80 near Lyman, when the Ford F-150 he was driving went into a spin. The pickup went down an embankment and rolled three times. Martin made it out of the truck on his own power and was taken to Evanston Regional Hospital before being flown to the University of Utah hospital, where he died.

On Friday, Patrick Cain, 57, of Wyoming, was headed south on Cherokee Road toward County Road 451 near Rawlins. He was not wearing a seat belt. His Dodge Ram 1500 pulled out onto the county road when it was hit by a speeding pickup. Cain died in Memorial Hospital of Carbon County.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe estimated Monday that Virginia would lose $1.2 billion in federal funding for its Medicaid program over the next seven years under legislation proposed in U.S. Senate to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

McAuliffe said the new proposal - known as the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson bill - would harm the state in the same way as previous legislation approved in the House of Representatives and narrowly defeated in the U.S. Senate this year to repeal the health-care law.

Those bills would have cost Virginia an estimated $790 million to $1.4 billion over seven years, primarily by replacing the current cost-sharing arrangement for Medicaid with federal per-capita grants to limit federal spending on the program.

The proposal released last week by U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Bill Cassidy, R-La.; Dean Heller, R-Nev.; and Ron Johnson, R-Wis. would focus on block grants to the states.

"This legislation, like the earlier iterations, was not designed to make health care better," the governor said in a statement. "It is nothing more than a tax cut for the rich and a poorly disguised cost shift from the federal government to the states and families."

Those earlier proposals were not well-received by budget leaders in the Republican-controlled General Assembly. They formed the Joint Subcommittee on Health and Human Resources Oversight this year to monitor proposed changes in federal health care law and funding by President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress.

House Appropriations Chairman S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, who also chairs the joint subcommittee, told Virginia Medicaid Director Cindi B. Jones on Monday that he would ask for a detailed presentation on the legislation from her and Secretary of Health Human Resources Bill Hazel "if it's still alive next month."

Jones, who appeared before the committee for an update on a Medicaid-financed program to serve people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders, confirmed that the cost to Virginia of the new Senate proposal "is still over a billion dollars."

She said the proposed per-capita grants would not adequately pay the federal share of care for people with disabilities, behavioral health and long-term care needs, which account for about one-third of the 1 million people in Virginia's $9 billion Medicaid program but more than two-thirds of the costs.

Jones said the proposal would phase out over the next two years the enhanced federal funding for states that expanded their Medicaid programs before July, 2016, under the Affordable Care Act, which then-President Barack Obama signed in 2010. Enhanced funding would end in November for states that expanded their Medicaid programs since mid-2016.

However, Jones said the proposal law also would keep reductions in federal payments to hospitals for uncompensated care, known as disproportionate share. The cuts were intended to offset anticipated increases in health insurance coverage as states expanded Medicaid eligibility and people purchased policies on the marketplace created under the law.

The proposal also would create a work requirement for Medicaid recipients, although Jones said it would apply in Virginia only to parents whose annual incomes do not exceed about 30 percent of the federal poverty limit, or $9,225 a year for a family of four.

McAuliffe said the Graham-Cassidy legislation also would "gut protections" for people with pre-existing health conditions, who before the Affordable Care Act often could not purchase insurance or afford policies that were available.

He also it also would slash federal subsidies of premiums and out-of-pocket costs for insurance policies purchased on the marketplace operated in Virginia by the federal government.

"Once again, middle-class families, seniors and women suffer the most as premiums will skyrocket and Medicaid will be slashed," the governor said.
State superintendent Jillian Balow warned Monday that proposed cuts to federal funding for teacher development would have "a direct negative impact on learning," an outcome potentially exacerbated by Wyoming's current education funding crisis.

The U.S. House passed a bill last week that entirely eliminated Title II funding from the federal education budget, Balow said in a memo to Wyoming educators Friday. For months, she'd been expressing concern about cuts to the program, which provides money to states -- and, eventually, to districts -- to help pay for professional development and teacher and leader training.

The U.S. Senate, meanwhile, maintained Title II funding. The two chambers will now meet to negotiate that difference.

The federal budget for Title II had been around $2 billion. The cut would annihilate that completely for the 2018 fiscal year.

Wyoming received $9.7 million in those funds for the current school year and $10 million for 2016-17, said state Department of Education spokeswoman Kari Eakins.

On Monday, while she noted that there was still time for lawmakers to restore funding, Balow said her hand was hovering over the panic button.

"It would keep us from comprehensively implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act as the U.S. Congress intended," she said, referring to the law that replaced No Child Left Behind. "A big part of ESSA is that all students have access to effective teachers."

In the past, Balow and others have praised ESSA as legislation that will return power to the states to have more say in their educational destinies. She said Monday that under the law, states and individual districts have more flexibility with how they use federal funds -- including Title II dollars.

That flexibility would be moot should the cut come to fruition.

"With ESSA, Title II funding was more prescriptive in a good way," Balow explained. "It was focused on a systematic approach to professional development, it was focused on equity, focused on teacher and leader training in particular. ... It is concerning to have Title II sort of on the chopping block."

She said Wyoming's current situation -- schools here face a $530 million shortfall in the coming two-year budget cycle -- only heightens her concerns.

"I think we have some opportunities again to be more careful with how we spend state money," Balow said. "We have that opportunity with ESSA, but we dont have that opportunity if we dont have the funds."

Further adding to the frustration is the fact that Wyoming had been improving in recent years in how it uses its Title II funds, Balow said. Those decisions are made broadly, on a state level, and on a local level, in districts like Natrona County.

While she said Wyoming had been a "good steward" of its federal funding, Balow suggested other states might not have been. She said that might be a reason while Title II is being considered for elimination. She added that with any new presidential administration, officials may examine different areas to see if they're truly effective.

Balow said she anticipated resistance to the cuts from "every education advocacy group." She's spoken with all three members of Wyoming's congressional delegation and said she plans to reach out to Rep. Liz Cheney again soon.

Balow sits on the national board of directors for state superintendents and said she plans to continue advocating for Title II.
Social media website Twitter has roped in Indian-born Sriram Krishnan of Facebooks Audience Network fame as its Senior Director of Product.

"I'm going to be joining Twitter and become a part of #theflock to work with the fantastic product team there," said Krishnan in a tweet on Tuesday.

Starting October 2, the expert in ad techonology, will be responsible for core features inside the main app, including timeline, direct messaging and search. Krishnan will report to Keith Coleman, Twitter's Vice President of Product, reported Recode.

Krishnan took to the social media website to say As someone who uses Twitter a LOT, I'm a big believer in the impact it has on the world in ways big and small, especially in recent timesIt is something I deeply care about and I couldnt pass up a chance to be a part of it.

Krishnan, who used to oversee product vision, strategy, development of ad products at Facebook, quit the company in February 2016. He joined the parent company of Snapchat, Snap to head their ad and monetization efforts, only to quit in February, this year. He has also worked with Microsoft and Yahoo.

"So so so so so so excited to have you Sriram! Welcome home," tweeted Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey late on Monday, according to Recode.
An investigation showing that U.S. Postal workers deliberately slowed delivery of millions of mail items has U.S. Sen. Jon Tester calling for those responsible to be fired.

Tester wrote the U.S. Postmaster General on Monday after the Office of Inspector General revealed that more than 2 billion mailed items were delayed nationwide over a years time. Investigators also discovered postal workers manipulating mail delivery time records and inaccurately reporting delayed mail.

Several postal employees, including some in Montana, reported mail being intentionally delayed so workers on another shift would have something to do.

Mail reporting delays cost the USPS $85.1 million in revenue. First class mail volume fell more than 4 percent in the first quarter of 2017.

To be clear, Tester wrote, any employee who deliberately delayed mail delivery, or who knowingly misreported mail delivery should be terminated for violating the trust of Americas hardworking taxpayers and postal ratepayers.

Tester, a Democrat, and Montana's Republican U.S. Sen Steve Daines, are both members of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, which handles U.S. Postal Service matters.

In a two-day audit of eight mail distribution centers, investigators discovered more than 572,000 delayed mail items on land. However, postal officials were only reporting 369,000 delays, essentially hiding 36 percent of the problem.

The U.S. Postal Service has been in a years-long struggle as Americans do more online, from paying personal bills to shopping to selling goods. Mail volume has declined. At the same time, Congress has required USPS to pre-fund health benefits for future employees by setting aside $5.5 billion a year. USPS is the only government agency expected to pay for benefits decades in advance, and the cost burden has resulted in cuts to staffing and service.

Daily mail volume has diminished 59 billion pieces from a 2006 peak of 213 billion, to 154 billion pieces last year, according to USPS data.

Government cutbacks have repeatedly been blamed for slowed mail delivery, particularly in rural states like Montana where the Postal Service operates for fewer hours and mail sorting centers have been closed.

USPS has closed processing centers in Butte, Havre, Helena, Kalispell, Miles City and Wolf Point since 2011. More mail now moves through processing centers like the one in Billings.

Local first-class mail has a gone from two-day delivery to three-day. That schedule doesnt include Sundays and holidays. Mail that straddles those dates can take four days for delivery. Second-class postage takes longer.

Observers say improvements arent on a fast track with President Donald Trump. Postal service reform hasnt been a priority. Congressional leaders are forecasting postal reform in the next two years.
New Delhi: Mistry family-promoted firm Cyrus Investments Pvt Ltd on Monday asked directors of different Tata group firms, including Tata Steel, Tata Motors and Tata Power, to vote against the move to convert Tata Sons into a private limited firm.

Ahead of the annual general meeting on Thursday of Tata Sons -- the promoter of major operating companies of the Tata group -- Cyrus Investments Pvt Ltd wrote to the various board members of the Tata firms that the step is against the interest of their respective companies as well as minority shareholders.

These resolutions, if passed, would impose restriction on the free transferability of shares held by the companies in Tata Sons and they would "face greater challenges" in disinvesting their shareholding in Tata Sons, the letter said.

The holdings of the different group companies in Tata Sons are mostly in single digits and collectively are less than 10 percent of the total.

The Mistry family holds 18.4 percent stake in Tata Sons while the Tata Trusts holds 66 percent.

When contacted, a Tata Sons spokesperson declined to comment.

The letter by the investment firm led by the ousted Chairman of Tata Sons further said any resolutions such as the ones proposed to be passed at the AGM of Tata Sons would be detrimental to the companies and "contrary to the interests" of their public shareholders. It was also addressed to the directors of other Tata group firms, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels Company Ltd and and Tata Global Beverages Ltd.

Another disadvantage of converting Tata Sons from a public company to a private one from the standpoint of minority shareholders "is that various governance standards would potentially get diluted in relation to private companies", it said.

"As directors of public limited company holding shares in Tata Sons, it is incumbent on you to apply your mind to these important issues and discharge your duties in law, also being mindful of the fact that the investments involved are material in nature and size," the letter said.

It further reminded the directors that part of being listed companies, they also have additional responsibilities owed to public shareholders and investors in securities of the companies.

In its notice to shareholders, the Tata Sons board had sought approval through special resolutions to amend its article of associations to convert the company from a public limited entity to a private limited one.

It has also sought to amend the memorandum of association to change its name from Tata Sons Ltd to Tata Sons Pvt Ltd.
The SBI report, however, warned that if the government slashes its spending, growth that is already weak will suffer further.

New Delhi: The Indian economy is in urgent need of a fiscal push now to shore up growth, said a report of SBI Economic Research on Tuesday. It warned against any spending cuts in current situation by the government to meet fiscal deficit target as growth, which is already weak will suffer.

The need of the hour: Spend more to grow more, said SBI Economic Research. It said the government should consciously expand the spending and fiscal deficit, without disturbing the borrowing maths.

According to the report, The situation demands that the government steps in and uses the fiscal policy as a tool to rev up the economy.

It pointed out that public administration sub-segment expanded by 9.5 per cent in first quarter driven by a 25 per cent jump in real government revenue expenditure net of interest payments. This was also partially reflected in the jump in fiscal deficit to 92.4 per cent of the budgetary estimates for FY18 at July-end (Rs 5.05 lakh crore) as against 73.7 per cent in the corresponding period last fiscal. We are very much apprehensive that this might force the government to cut expenditures so as to meet its year end fiscal deficit target of 3.2 per cent, said the SBI report.

On Monday, a report in news agency Reuters quoting finance ministry officials said that the government may cut its infrastructure spending due to a shortfall in revenue by Rs 80,000 crore on the account of GST.

The SBI report, however, warned that if the government slashes its spending, growth that is already weak will suffer further. The question is can we afford to slip on growth again? We believe, with uncertainty regarding GST implementation and monetary policy support to growth not forthcoming, it will not be prudent on the part of the government to reduce spending as other growth drivers are missing, said the SBI report.

Any cutback in expenditure at this point will be majorly deflationary when private investment is unlikely to be forthcoming unless resolution starts happening in Q4FY18. Hence countercyclical fiscal policy is the need of the hour, said SBI.

It said that the government can always use the clause in FRBM that says far-reaching structural reforms in the economy with unanticipated fiscal implications which can provide an escape clause for a 0.5 per cent deviation from there commended target. Why not grab it now with structural reforms unleashed? Time is running out. Lets not chase the rating upgrade mirage. Remem-ber India has had a solitary net rating upgrade in the last 25 years! Amu-sing, isnt it?, it added.

Keynesian approaches suggest that fiscal policy should ideally be countercyclical, that is, fiscal deficits should decline when the economy is expanding and increase during economic downturns, said the SBI report.
Mumbai: Kangana Ranaut had been in the news for all the right and wrong reasons, but her second release of the year has faild to leave a mark at the box-office as well.

Kangna, whose equations with Aditya Pancholi and Hrithik Roshan, had both made their way into the medias rigorous scrutiny, through her promotional activities for Hansal Mehtas Simran.

However, the hype didnt translate into great numbers as the film failed to perform at the box-office, with the film earning terribly below expectations.

According to boxofficeindia(dot)com, the film managed a mere 2.43 crores on Friday, 3.40 croes on Saturday, 3.65 crores on Sunday and a barely there 1.15 crores on Monday (Aprroximate figures).

The figures are despite the terrific reviews flowing in for Kanganas performance and minimal challenge from Farhan Akhtars Lucknow Central, the other release of the week.

Kanganas other big release of the year, Rangoon, had also been a box-office dud.

It remains how the actress manages to get beyond the debacle of these films, as both were banking heavily on the three timenational award winning actress stardom.
Rabia Khan has been fighting hard to get justice for her daughter Jiah and has finally approached Narendra Modi.

Mumbai: In an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jiah Khan's mother Rabia Khan on Monday asked for justice and bashed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its incompetence.

"For some reason, the CBI was reluctant to take over the case from the beginning, and in 15 months of delay in their findings, the CBI investigation got compromised. It would be an insult to the capabilities of the CBI to say that the CBI just failed to conduct a proper investigation," said the letter written by Rabia Khan.

She further wrote that there is no doubt that the CBI has all the powers and skills required to get to the bottom of Jiah Khan's death.

"But somehow, the CBI investigation went off track, for reasons best known to them. Instead, the CBI's own independent forensic expert opinion is inconclusive and does not rule out either homicide or suicide," the grieving mother wrote in her letter.

She also claimed that the CBI had simply recycled the "already compromised" information provided by the Juhu Police, adding that the worst is in their own report, they deliberately "distorted" certain information.

"I am a British citizen, the mother of Jiah Khan, who was murdered in India - Mumbai on June 3, 2013. It has been four years now that I have been persistently fighting for justice. All the forensic evidence that I have obtained from experts in India and England is pointing towards homicide," she wrote.

Rabia Khan also wrote that the analysis of the forensic experts shows that the injuries on actress Jiah Khan's body are inconsistent with the alleged suicidal hanging where all forensic evidence strongly suggests that she was murdered and then hanged to make it look like a suicide.

"The Hon'ble Bombay High Court, in July 2014, transferred the investigation to the CBI with a clear mandate to find out whether my daughter's death was homicidal or suicidal, and if it was found to be homicidal, to launch a further investigation and take appropriate action," Rabia's letter said.

Rabia further said that anyone looking at the actual facts in the case can realise that the case has been heavily "managed".

Targetting actor Aditya Pancholi and his son Sooraj Pancholi, who is the main accused, Rabia wrote, "It is not my task to speculate about the police's and the CBI's motivation, but a connection and the influence of the accused father Aditya Pancholi would not be too far-fetched."

Rabia Khan further said that the forensic expert, Jason Payne James, in his report, clearly stated that this appears to be a "staged homicide."

"I approached the Hon'ble High Court earlier this year with all the relevant grievances and expert reports requesting reinvestigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The CBI opposed, but the Hon'ble High Court noted in its order that all the points raised in my petition can be submitted to the trial court," Rabia said.

Rabia Khan said that she had submitted her application to the trial court through the state-appointed Special Public Prosecutor Dinesh Tiwari, who knows the history of this case from the beginning.

"Following this submission, the CBI has been trying to remove SPP Tiwari and to replace him with one of its own prosecutors, who has no knowledge about the case and has been displaying a hostile attitude towards me," she claimed in her letter.

Khan said that recently, when her application to submit key evidence and forensic expert reports was argued in the trial court, the CBI, along with the accused, strongly opposed their recognition by the court.

"Now the main point is that if the CBI, who has joined hands with the accused, is not with the victim and not willing to cooperate with me, then how is justice going to be served," Rabya Khan stated in her letter.

"I fail to write in words my pain and grief. I expect answers to my daughter's death. May God guide you and help us to get justice," she wrote.

She further said that God has placed the Prime Minister on high position to help her against injustice.

Rabia, on April 20, claimed that she has the capacity of evidence to prove that her daughter's suicide was a murder.

The step has come after the petition filed by Jiah's mother, was withdrawn after the apex court refused to intervene in Bombay High Court's order, which denied a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the matter.

Rabia had moved the Supreme Court as her plea seeking an SIT was rejected by the Bombay High Court on February 9.

Jiah was found hanging in her room on June 3, 2013.

A week later, the Juhu police had arrested Sooraj Pancholi on charges of abetment to suicide.

The CBI took over the probe from the Maharashtra Police on the Bombay High Court's orders. Rabia Khan had moved the High Court, alleging that her daughter had been murdered and demanding that the CBI probe the matter.
Sushant Singh Rajput is an actor who wants to believe in the brands that he endorses. This is perhaps the only reason why the actor decided to reduce the fees for a certain brand, which he has recently signed on for.

Apart from the movies that actors take up, they do make a substantial amount of money from brand endorsements. Sushant, who was seen endorsing multiple brands when he played the role of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the biopic, now has a multitude of offers. While he charges a huge sum of money for most brands, he does reduce the fee for the brands that he strongly believes in.

The brand that approached Sushant did not have a huge budget. Initially, Sushant and his team were a tad reluctant, but Sushant did not want to let go of the brand, because he believed in it. He will be shooting for the commercial shortly, informs a source in the know.

Another brand source explains that Sushants career is helping him seize endorsements. He says, Sushants career has been about living the Great Indian Dream. Brands are happy to associate with him because of his strong connect with the Gen-X audience. He is also associated with both substance and style. Some of the biggest brands in the country continue to bank on Sushant, who has a lot going for him at this juncture in his career.
Theres something about Neha Bhasins collaboration with music composer Devi Sri Prasad (DSP). After Apple beauty in Janatha Garage turned out to be a chartbuster, Swing Zara featuring Tamannaah in Jai Lava Kusa, is now capturing peoples attention. Not only the song, but its 40-second video teaser is also grabbing eyeballs. And Neha, who voiced the peppy number, is on cloud nine. Its the best song I have sung in a long time. I was very excited about the track after I heard how it will be picturised. And after seeing a glimpse, I might say I am just mindblown! comments Neha, adding, I have shown it to a couple of my friends and acquaintances in Mumbai and they are all quite taken aback by how classily it has been shot. Even otherwise, I am very happy with the way the song has been received.

Elaborating on the songs mood and what DSP asked her, Neha reveals, Its an energetic number which is very desi with a modern vibe to it. For any song, DSP gives me a brief as to what the video will be like, and what mood he wants me to bring to it. It was the same with this song too. Its interesting how despite not knowing the language Neha manages to get her diction right each time. To be honest, every time I sing a Telugu song, I feel a bit stressed. I have to pay extra attention to each and every word and its pronunciation. More than getting used to singing in Telugu, I have got used to not being afraid to sing in the language, she says. While many find Tamil harder than Telugu, Neha asserts that it is the other way round for her.
New method can now help diabetics monitor glucose from sweat. (Photo: Pixabay)

New York: Scientists have developed a self-powered paper-based wearable sensor that can allow diabetics to measure glucose levels from sweat during exercise.

Today's most widespread methods for glucose self-testing involve monitoring glucose levels in blood. Conventional measurements, however, are not suitable for preventing hypoglycemia during exercise, said Seokheun Choi, Assistant Professor at Binghamton University, State University of New York in the US.

The process of measuring blood glucose levels include pricking the skin to take blood samples. Doing this during exercise may cause the blood to get contaminated with excess sweat, or lead to skin irritation, Choi said. "The method needs patients to carry many accessories during physical activity, including lancets, alcohol swabs and a relatively large glucometer," she added.

Researchers have developed and demonstrated a self-powered, wearable and disposable patch that allows for non-invasive monitoring of glucose in human sweat. This wearable, single-use biosensor integrates a vertically stacked, paper-based glucose/oxygen enzymatic fuel cell into a standard Band-Aid adhesive patch. "The paper-based device attaches directly to skin, wicks sweat to a reservoir where chemical energy is converted to electrical energy, and monitors glucose without external power and sophisticated readout instruments," said Choi.

Sweat-based glucose sensing is attractive for managing exercise-induced hypoglycemia because the measurement is performed during or immediately after exercise when there is enough sweat to obtain an adequate sample, said Choi.

This potential alleviates shortcomings of conventional non-invasive sweat sensors, which can be hampered by the difficulty of collecting enough sweat for analysis, sample evaporation and the relatively long time required for sample collection. "The sensing platform holds considerable promise for efficient diabetes management, and a fully integrated system with a simple readout can be realised toward continuous non-invasive glucose monitoring," researchers said.

The research was published in the journal Micromachines.
The US government received reports of three spills at one of Houston's dirtiest Superfund toxic waste sites in the days after the drenching rains from Hurricane Harvey finally stopped.

Aerial photos reviewed by The Associated Press show dark-colored water surrounding the site as the floods receded, flowing through Vince Bayou and into a ship channel.

The reported spills, which have been not publicly detailed, occurred at US Oil Recovery, a former petroleum industry waste processing plant contaminated with a dangerous brew of cancer-causing chemicals.

On August 29, the day Harvey's rains stopped, a county pollution control team sent photos to the Environmental Protection Agency of three large concrete tanks flooded with water. That led PRP Group, the company overseeing the ongoing cleanup, to call a federal emergency hotline to report a spill affecting nearby Vince Bayou.

Over the next several days, the company reported two more spills of potentially contaminated storm water from US Oil Recovery, according to reports and call logs obtained by the AP from the US Coast Guard, which operates the National Response Center hotline. The EPA requires that spills of oil or hazardous substances in quantities that may be harmful to public health or the environment be immediately reported to the 24-hour hotline when public waterways are threatened.

The EPA has not publicly acknowledged the three spills that PRP Group reported to the Coast Guard. The agency said an on-scene coordinator was at the site last Wednesday and found no evidence that material had washed off the site. The EPA says it is still assessing the scene.

The AP reported in the days after Harvey that at least seven Superfund sites in and around Houston were underwater during the record-shattering storm. Journalists surveyed the sites by boat, vehicle and on foot. US Oil Recovery was not one of the sites visited by AP. EPA said at the time that its personnel had been unable to reach the sites, though they surveyed the locations using aerial photos.

Following AP's report, EPA has been highlighting the federal agency's response to the flooding at Superfund sites. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt reiterated that safeguarding the intensely-polluted sites is among his top priorities during a visit Friday to the San Jacinto River Waste Pits, one of the sites AP reported about two weeks ago.

Pruitt then boarded a Coast Guard aircraft for an aerial tour of other nearby Superfund sites flooded by Harvey, including US Oil Recovery.

Photos taken Aug. 31 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows dark-colored water surrounding the site two days after the first spill was reported to the government hotline. While the photos do not prove contaminated materials leaked from US Oil Recovery, they do show that as the murky floodwaters receded, they flowed through Vince Bayou and emptied into a ship channel that leads to the San Jacinto River. The hotline caller identified Vince Bayou as the waterway affected by a spill of unknown material in unknown amounts.

Thomas Voltaggio, a retired EPA official who oversaw Superfund cleanups and emergency responses for more than two decades, reviewed the aerial photos, hotline reports and other documents obtained by AP.

"It is intuitively obvious that the rains and floods of the magnitude that occurred during Hurricane Harvey would have resulted in some level of contamination having been released to the environment," said Voltaggio, who is now a private consultant. "Any contamination in those tanks would likely have entered Vince Bayou and potentially the Houston Ship Channel."

He said the amount of contaminants spread from the site during the storm will likely never be known, making the environmental impact difficult to measure. The Houston Ship Channel was already a polluted waterway, with Texas state health officials warning that women of childbearing age and children should not eat fish or crabs caught there because of contamination from dioxins and PCBs.

PRP Group, the corporation formed to oversee the cleanup at US Oil Recovery, said it reported the spills as legally required but said subsequent testing of storm water remaining in the affected tanks showed it met federal drinking water standards. The company declined to provide AP copies of those lab reports or a list of specific chemicals for which it tested, saying the EPA was expected to release that information soon.

US Oil Recovery was shut down in 2010 after regulators determined operations there posed an environmental threat to Vince Bayou, which flows through the property in Pasadena. Pollution at the former hazardous waste treatment plant is so bad that Texas prosecutors charged the company's owner, Klaus Genssler, with five criminal felonies. The German native fled the United States and is considered a fugitive. Genssler did not respond to efforts to contact him last week through his social media accounts or an email account linked to his website address.

More than 100 companies that sent hazardous materials and oily waste to US Oil Recovery for processing are now paying for the multimillion-dollar cleanup there through a court-monitored settlement, including Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations Inc., US Steel Corp. and Dow Chemical Co.

Past sampling of materials at the site revealed high concentrations of hazardous chemicals linked to cancer, such as benzene, ethylbenzene and trichloroethylene. The site also potentially contains toxic heavy metals, including mercury and arsenic.

A 2012 EPA study of the more than 500 Superfund sites across the United States located in flood zones specifically noted the risk that floodwaters might carry away and spread toxic materials over a wider area.

Over the past six years, remediation efforts at US Oil Recovery have focused on the northern half of the site, including demolishing contaminated structures, removing an estimated 500 tons of sludge and hauling away more than 1,000 abandoned containers of waste.

PRP Group said the southern portion of the site, including the three waste tanks that flooded during Harvey, has not yet been fully cleaned. Over the years workers have removed more than 1.5 million gallons of liquid waste - enough to fill nearly three Olympic-sized swimming pools.

AP began asking the EPA whether contaminated material might have again leaked from US Oil Recovery last week, after reviewing the aerial photos taken Aug. 31. The EPA said it visited the site on Sept. 4, nearly a week after site operators reported an initial spill, and again the following week. The EPA said that its staff saw no evidence that toxins had washed away from the scene during either visit.

"Yesterday, an EPA On-scene coordinator conducted an inspection of Vince Bayou to follow up on a rumor that material was offsite and did not find any evidence of a black oily discharge or material from the US Oil Recovery site," an EPA media release said on Thursday.

PRP Group said the spills occurred at the toxic waste site on Aug. 29, Sept. 6 and Sept. 7. One of the EPA's media releases on Sept. 9, more than 11 days after the first call was made to the hotline, made reference to overflowing water at the scene, but did not describe it as a spill.

The company said it reported the first spill after Harvey's floodwaters swamped the three tanks, filling them. The resulting pressure that built up in the tanks dislodged plugs blocking a series of interconnecting pipes, causing the second and third spills reported to the hotline the following week.

The company does not know how much material leaked from the tanks, soaking into the soil or flowing into nearby Vince Bayou. As part of its post-storm cleanup workers have vacuumed 63 truckloads holding about 315,000 gallons from the tanks.

The Superfund site is located just a few hundred yards from the Pollution Control Services offices for Harris County, which includes Houston. Its director, Bob Allen, says his team took pictures of the flooding on Aug. 29, when the area that includes the three big tanks was still underwater. Allen said his staff did not note any black water or oily sheen on the surface at the time.

"We knew that the water probably got into the plant, probably washed out some of the stuff that was in the clarifier," Allen said, referring to one of the old concrete tanks once used to store toxic waste. Allen's team did not collect samples Aug. 29. He said the EPA later sampled the area to determine whether there was contamination.

"Once they get done with the assessment of that site and the other Superfund Harris County sites, then they'll probably let us know, let the public know, what's been going on," Allen said.
Kolkata: Vehemently opposing the Centre's stand against providing asylum to the Rohingyas in the country, the chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed that all of them are not terrorists. Some of them, who have terror links, should be treated accordingly, she asserted at Nabanna, the state secretariat, while adding that those who are innocent should not suffer due to others.

The Trinamool Congress supremo's observations came on a day the Union Government told the Supreme Court that the Rohingyas pose a 'serious threat to national security' in India.

Mamata Banerjee said, "Seeking information from us the Centre has directed to prepare a list of the Rohingyas, the children, staying here. It has also instructed for their deportation. Our child commission however does not agree with it."

Expressing her sympathy for the Rohingyas she added, "I think all commoners are not terrorists. A few can be terrorists. The terrorists should be considered as the terrorists. There is a difference between the terrorists and the commoners. There may be some good and bad people in each community. But community is community. We can not compromise any terrorist activity with anybody else."

Banerjee noted, "If there are any terrorists, the goverment is there to take action against them. But the commoners should not suffer. It is a humanity. If the commoners suffer then the humanity will also suffer."

Her disagreement with the Centre on the issue came on the heels of her tweet supporting the Rohingyas.

"We do support the @UN appeal to help the Rohingya people. We believe that all commoners are not terrorists. We are really concerned," she tweeted on September 15 evening.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Tamil Nadu chief secretary to file a detailed affidavit on the steps taken to implement the directions with regard to anti-Neet protests, demonstrations in the state.

A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Kanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud recorded the submissions of Tamil Nadu advocate general Vijaynarayanan that a meeting was held by the chief secretary subsequent to the September 8 interim order. He said instructions were issued to all the districts to strictly implement the directions. Even in respect of permission for meetings, permission was granted in places where there was no impact on law and order.

On September 8 acting on a PIL filed by advocate G.S. Mani that the state was encouraging anti-Neet protests in violation of the apex court rulings, the bench banned violent anti-Neet protests and demonstrations, but said peaceful protests without violating law and order could be permitted.

It had said that a peaceful protest or criticism or dissent is different than creation of a law and order situation. Every citizen of this country has a fundamental right to peacefully protest and demonstrate, but not to cause a situation that results in violence and paralyses the law and order situation.

The Bench had said it shall be the obligation of the chief secretary, government of Tamil Nadu, and the principal secretary, ministry of home, government of Tamil Nadu, to ensure that law and order is maintained throughout the state in the wake of the present situation in respect of Neet.

The chief secretary shall see to it that anyone involved in any kind of bandh or activity that disrupts the normal life and detrimentally affects law and order in the state of Tamil Nadu, shall be booked under appropriate law.
Our countrys founders understood that public education is essential to the continued success of our representative democracy. Voting and protection of individual rights are dependent on educated and engaged citizens.

The 2017 Montana Legislature overwhelmingly supported Senate Bill 242, which encourages Montana public high schools to administer the U.S. Civics Test to students. Ninety-seven percent of immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship pass this test the first time. Yet in surveys, 35 percent of Americans can't name one branch of our federal government.

Free, online study and teaching guides can help Montana public schools offer civics education. The U.S. Civics Test materials can be found on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learners/study-test/study-materials-civics-test. Ultimately, students will think more deeply about our history and their civic responsibilities by participating in this exam. Examples of test questions include:

 What is one purpose of the U.S. Constitution?

 What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

 What is a right or freedom from the First Amendment?

 What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?

In 2016, 58 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the US presidential election. Only 50 percent of eligible 18- to 29-year-old Americans voted that year. Engaging a knowledgeable young electorate is important.

This year, our nation is celebrating the 230th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. During National Constitution Week, Sept. 17-23, Montana public schools are encouraged to promote civics education.

This new Montana law also encourages the Montana Office of Public Instruction to recognize school efforts in implementing successful citizenship programs. Montana has the opportunity to be a national leader in preparing the next generation of educated and engaged citizens. We are excited that Montana will increase civics education for all of our students. We have a precious democracy to defend and together Montanans will do it!
Bengaluru: Nayantara Sahgal was only a child when she caught her first glimpse of Mahatma Gandhi. She describes the experience later, saying, "He was a skinny old man, crouched on the ground." The microphones wouldn't work and his voice struggled to carry to his audiences. "Still, it was Gandhi who shook an empire," argues Sahgal, whose 1985 novel Rich Like Us fetched her a Sahitya Akademi award (which was duly returned during the Awards Wapsi in 2015). Sahgal discussed her latest book, The Moon Shines By Day, with author Githa Hariharan at an event broadcast live on Facebook on Monday afternoon. The struggle for freedom went across religion, language and caste.

Disquietingly dystopian, the protagonist, Rehana, finds her father's books on medieval history have "disappeared" from bookstores. Presiding over affairs is the Director of Cultural Transformation, whose affable exterior hides ambitions of a Hindu master race. A German character in the book draws attention to this - "It's based partly on the formation of the Hindu Mahasabha, the RSS predecessor." B.S. Moonje, a Hindu Mahasabha leader, visited Mussolini in Italy and was told "children had to be raised in preparation for war. This was similar to the ethnic cleansing taking place in Germany and the formation of a master race of Aryans."

When The Moon Shines By Day is a perturbing wake-up call of India's transformation - "In 1975, we had a clear dictatorship. Today's situation is worse because we're under the guise of a democracy but the travesties are far worse - mob lynchings, murders in view of the police. Writers and journalists are being hounded but we're going to do what we have always done. These are our rights as Indians and we will not give them up quietly.
The front facade of the under-construction Kaloji Kalakshetram in Warangal as visualised by architects.

Warangal: Construction of the Kaloji Kalakshetram, the multi-purpose cultural centre in Hanamkonda being constructed in memory of peoples poet Kaloji Narayana Rao, will be completed within one year.

This was promised by TS Tourism Development Corporation chairman Pervaram Ramulu who, along with Kakatiya Urban Development Authority chairman Marri Yadava Reddy, inspected the ongoing works at Hayagreeva Chary ground in Balasamudram on Monday.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had laid the foundation stone for this cultural centre on the occasion of the poets centenary in 2014. The four-storey building on a sprawling 4.5 acre campus is being constructed at a cost of Rs 50 crore.

Mr Ramulu said the exquisitely designed Roman-style pillars that run the length of the building and interiors resembling the Orly airport in Paris would be the highlight of the convention centre.

He said no other building in Telangana has been designed to strike so much awe. This structure is designed to look as magnificent as the Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, he said.

This structure has a plinth area of 32,000 sq ft. The length of the building would be 42 feet.

The mega cultural centre would provide the platform to showcase the art and culture in Telangana which has lost patronage. The construction works are going on as per the schedule. We expect the civil works to be completed by February next year and the interior works would follow. In all, we are planning to celebrate the next birth anniversary of the great poet in this cultural centre, he said.

The auditorium would seat 1,100 persons. An art gallery, stage, green rooms, atrium, pre-function area and a library would be part of the kala kshetram. The work is estimated to be completed in 2018.

The model of the building was released by Tourism minister Chandulal in June 2015. The concept plans were finalised and administrative sanctions accorded in December 2015. E-tender notices were floated in January 2016 for building the superstructure, interior designs and landscaping.
Chennai: The Madras High court on Tuesday allowed plea of 18 disqualified MLAs, supporting rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran, for urgent hearing on Wednesday.

Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal on Monday had disqualified the MLAs for withdrawing their support to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy and going against the line of the ruling AIADMK.

The 18 disqualified MLAs had then filed a plea challenging their disqualification.

The Speakers decision brings down the strength of the 234-member Assembly to 214 and the magic number for a majority down to 108 from 118, which might enable the Edappadi K. Palanisamy government to prove its strength on the floor of the House.

As per the last count on September 5, the chief ministers camp had the support of 114 MLAs as 111 of them turned up at a meeting and three others registered their presence over the phone.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly has 19 seats vacant now, including RK Nagar which is vacant since late chief minister J Jayalalithaas death in December 2016.

A floor test cannot take place till Wednesday as per a directive of the Madras high court.

Almost a month after the rebel group MLAs had submitted a letter to acting governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao declaring withdrawal of their support to the CM, Speaker Dhanapal issued a statement in which he said the legislators were disqualified under Members of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (Disqualifica-tion on Ground of Defection) Rules 1986.

The MLAs who were disqualified include P. Vetrivel and Thanga Tamilselvan, the most vocal supporters of Dhinakaran, whose appointment as deputy general secretary and re-induction into the party was struck down by the general council last week.

A majority of the disqualified legislators are staying at a private resort in Karnatakas Kodagu district.

The move was expected since the Speaker had sent them notices seeking their reply on why they should not be disqualified for going against the party line on August 24. Dhanapal acted on a petition by chief whip S Rajendran, who sought their disqualification for expressing no confidence against the CM.

The move may clear some uncertainty for now, but the rival Dhinakaran camp has vowed to take the fight right up to the Supreme Court.

Legal experts were divided, with a majority saying any decision by the Speaker is subject to judicial review. They also referred to the Supreme Court cancelling the disqualification of 16 MLAs by the then Karnataka Speaker in October 2010. They also said the sky-high powers of the Speaker are limited to his/her actions on the floor of the House, and inside the Assembly.

Immediately after the move was made public, Dhinakaran accused the Speaker and the government of trying to prove its majority through unfair means.

He said: It is always justice that prevails at the end. We will definitely seek legal course and ensure our legislators participate in the voting as and when it happens. They will vote against this government.

However, fisheries minister and EPS-OPS loyalist D Jayakumar said the Speaker acted democratically and had gone by the rulebook.

I am not supposed to comment on the Speakers decision or action. His decision is final and moreover this matter is in court. If I talk about it, it will be sub judice, he told reporters in New Delhi.

The Opposition also hit out against the Speakers decision, calling it most unfortunate. The disqualification has been done deliberately to reduce the strength of the House. We will challenge the decision at two places -- in the courts and in the peoples court, Opposition leader MK Stalin said.
Nariman submitted that if something untoward happened in the meanwhile, they would have the liberty to approach the court. (Photo: File/ AP)

New Delhi: The decision to deport 40,000 Rohingya Muslims, who are illegal immigrants from Myanmar, has been taken keeping in mind national security threats, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday through an affidavit. It said that being a policy decision, the court should not interfere with it.

In a fresh affidavit filed on Monday on a batch of writ petitions filed by Mohammed Salimullah and others for a stay on deportation, the Centre said the continuance of the Rohingyas illegal immigration into India and their continued stay, apart from being illegal, was found to have serious national security ramifications and pose serious security threats.

Senior counsel Fali S. Nariman, Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhavan and Prashant Bhushan strongly opposed the statement to this effect by additional solicitor-general Tushar Mehta before a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, and sought permission to file a reply.

The bench, while asking the petitioner to reply, posted the matter for further hearing on October 3, and said the legal position, including the courts jurisdiction, would be examined on that day.

Mr Nariman submitted that if something untoward happened in the meanwhile, they would have the liberty to approach the court.

The ASG told the court that the government would place facts in detail which the Centre has been receiving for many years as well as other information concerning national security in a sealed cover only for the perusal of the court.

Centre says Rohingyas taking part in anti-national activites

Union home minister Rajnath Singh, meanwhile, said it was now for the Supreme Court to take a call on the issue. Speaking on the sidelines of an event here, Mr Singh said, An affidavit has been filed. Whatever decision is, it will be taken by the court.

The Centre said some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal and anti-national activities such as mobilisation of funds via hundi/hawala channels, procuring fake/fabricated Indian identity documents for other Rohingyas and indulging in human trafficking.

Many of them managed to acquire fake/fraudulently identity documents such as PAN cards and voter ID cards.

It was also found by the Centre that many Rohingyas figure in the suspected designs of ISI/ISIS and other extremist groups targeting India.
During the in-camera proceedings, District Judge Poonam Bamba remanded Kamran and Javed to judicial custody after they were produced before the court on expiry of their NIA custody.

Srinagar: The National Investigating Agency (NIA) which is probing the alleged terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday arrested two more persons from winter capital Jammu.

The accused have been identified as Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazir Ahmed Peer. Both of them are residents of frontier Kupwara district. They have been accused of providing logistic support to a Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Abu Ali after he had sneaked into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir a couple of years ago.

Ali was arrested by the Army during a search operation in Kupwaras Yahama village in July 2016 and has, during his interrogation, reportedly revealed that the accused had helped him during his stay in the area. The Army had claimed having recovered three AK-47 rifles, two pistols and Rs. 23,000 in Indian currency from Ali.

Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Tuesday remanded Kashmiri photojournalist Kamran Yousuf and another Valley youth Javed Ahmad to judicial custody till October 17. They were arrested by the NIA on September 5 from Kashmirs southern Pulwama and Kulgam districts, respectively in connection with the probe into terror and stone-pelting funding and alleged misuse of social media to stir up violence in the Valley.

During the in-camera proceedings, District Judge Poonam Bamba remanded Kamran and Javed to judicial custody after they were produced before the court on expiry of their NIA custody.

Later during the day, an alliance of key separatist leaders- Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik- once again condemned the raids and arrests being made by the NIA. Its activists held a protest demonstration in Srinagar and accused the agency of putting common people in jails. It also accused the Centre of trying to brow beat the separatist leadership and its supporters and said that intimidation through NIA tantamount to the trampling democratic and human norms.

The fresh arrests were made by the NIA and protest demonstration held by separatists amid a report suggesting that the agency has secured recorded confessional statements on the flow of money, especially from Pakistan, from two persons accused in the case related to the alleged terror funding in Kashmir.

The report filed by Press Trust of India while quoting unnamed NIA officials said that the statements made before a judicial magistrate had tightened the case against separatists who allegedly funded stone-pelters and for spreading unrest in the Valley. It added that while one has been formally arrested, the other was detained and subsequently let off after he said he would turn approver. It also said that the former, arrested on July 24 this year after his house was raided by the NIA, approached its sleuths, giving his consent for recording his confessional statement.

He gave a detailed account of how funds were sent from Pakistan-based terror organisations as well as its external snooping agency ISI to separatists based in the Valley, the officials told the news agency. The other person who has recorded his confessional statement is a close aide of Geelani, the report said.
Crew members of the ship Maharshi Vamadeva stand on the vessels deck holding placards calling for help. (Photo by special arrangement )

Chennai: An Indian merchant ship, Maharshi Vamadeva, a gas carrier, has been held in the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by the port authorities since June this year over non-payment of dues by the ships owner.

The all-Indian crew, 25 of them, have been stranded in the ship for three months now with their documents confiscated by local coast guard.

The ship crew and the family members have written mails to various authorities including the Directorate General of Shipping, the Indian embassy in UAE and External Affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj.

The owners of the ship, Varun Global, havent responded despite several exchanges and have left the sailors stranded, claim crewmembers. Following this, all 25 of them gathered on the ships deck and held placards with signs reading, please arrest habitual offender Varun ships, please save us in the hope that it would reach the authorities.

The owners and managers have consistently chosen to ignore our pleas for help and assistance. We are currently in a state of emergency and request your urgent intervention to repatriate us to India, as nobody wants to continue, said a mail sent by the ship crew to the authorities.

Adding to the agony of the crewmembers, they have not been paid salaries for three months and their living conditions have become deplorable. We are critically short of provisions and are continuing on rationing by collecting AC drain water to bath and wash clothes, said ships Chief Engineer Sumantra Nath Bhaduri.

Our three months salaries are pending and no cash onboard to even buy our essentials or communicate with our families and our families at home are suffering without money even for their domestic needs, one of the sailors on board told Deccan Chronicle.

When DC contacted Elegant Marine services, the ship manning firm that hired the sailors, the official played down the seriousness of the issue. The crew are on board the ship. It is not a big issue. We are in talks with the ship owners and the issue would be settled in a few days, Venkatesh, a HR personnel from the Chennai office told over phone.

According to industry insiders, Varun Shipping has been a repeat offender over the past five years relating to crew abandonment issues with the companys ships detained at several ports.
Hyderabad: With the TS government lodging a protest against Andhra Pradesh unilaterally operating the Pothireddypadu head regulator and diverting Krishna waters from the Srisailam dam, the Krishna River Management Board had to step in and order the Srisailam dam authorities to immediately close the regulator gates.

Srisailam dam authorities, however, say they will continue to release the water and they are prepared to deduct the same quantity whenever KRMB issues a water releasing order.

The consent of the chief engineers of both states is usually taken before KRMB orders the water to be released from the dam, but this time, Telangana state was not consulted.

Telanganas engineer-in-chief C. Muralidhar wrote to KRMB member secretary Sameer Chatterjee on Tuesday, asking him to convene a meeting of the Board immediately to take appropriate measures for distribution of waters to meet the drinking water needs of TS.

In his letter, Mr Muralidhar stated that despite clear warning given by the Board (vide Ref No 02/02/2017/KRMB/2220-25 dt 12.09. 2017) Andhra Pradesh government officials diverted Krishna waters from Srisailam dam to Pothireddypadu head regulator on Tuesday.

Mr Muralidhar wrote, As you are aware, this year it is a precarious position insofar as drinking water supply through Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is concerned.

As against a MDDL of 510 ft, the water level in Sagar on Tuesday is 500.9 ft. This needs to be replenished on priority. I also take this opportunity to call for a meeting of the KRMB at short notice to discuss the drinking water needs and action plan for the current water year 2017-18.

On Tuesday, around 5,000 cusecs (nearly half tmc ft) of Krishna water was released from Srisailam dam to Pothireddypadu head regulator that supplies water to Telugu Ganga, Madras Water Supply Scheme, Srisailam Right Branch canal and Galeru-Nagari scheme. This was done because the water level crossed 854 ft level at Srisailam.

Nandyal MP, S.P.Y. Reddy, in whose constituency the Srisailam dam is located, had for the last two days tried to get the Pothireddypadu head regulator gates opened to release the water. He brought the issue to the notice of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who was in Nandyal on Tuesday.
Bengaluru: With only months to go before state assembly polls, former deputy chief minister, R. Ashok upped the ante by charging the Congress government with tapping telephones of senior political leaders across the political spectrum, and demanded a CBI or judicial probe in this regard.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and home minister R. Ramalinga Reddy have denied the accusation has any basis in fact.

Claiming that his information was 'very authentic', Mr Ashok said a retired police officer who was with the government was behind this. "To be specific, they are tapping the telephones of 162 people. All the 162 are not different people. What they are doing is: while tapping my phone, they also tap the telephones of my secretary and gunman too.

Surprisingly, telephones of several Congress leaders, besides BJP and JD (S) leader -who reportedly dislike the chief minister are being tapped."

The CM and the home minister said the state government would not indulge in such act. "You know it is the Centre which does this," Mr Siddaramaiah said.

Mr Ashok countered by saying let there be a probe. "I demand a CBI probe. If I am proved wrong, people will shame me. I know what I am speaking. If the state has no confidence in the CBI, let it can order a judicial probe from a sitting high court judge," he said. Mr Ashok further reiterated that he got the tip from whistle blowers within the system so he knew he was not wrong on this allegation.
Srinagar: A Kashmiri rapper who goes by the stage name Emcee Ame and is inclined to solidarity with the Rohingya Muslims has composed a song to highlight their plight and against apartheid and oppression they are allegedly faced with in Buddhist-Majority Myanmar.

The video Rohingya-Silent Genocide by the The Rapper From The Alleys Of Downtown Aamir Ame, 23, was released on his Youtube channel on September 17. The song is featured by Kay-y and Menime and has been written and composed by Emcee Ame and supported by Kay-y (Khan Yawar).

It complains about double standards of the world and apathy being exhibited on the issue of Rohingya Muslims. We are with the oppressed and it doesnt matter which religion they belong to. We decided to go in solidarity with the Rohingyas because they are facing annihilation in the hands of despots, said Aamir Ame. He added, "Basically I'm a political rapper rather a conscious rapper who can't be a silent spectator when something wrong is happening around."

His 2.50 minute video is a mix of Urdu and English. While in English it elucidates the plight of the Rohingya Muslims and the worlds response thereto, the lyrics in Urdu by Khan Yawar (Kay-y) pose the question to God if bloodshed is taking place and the earth and the sky are in tears with His assent. A number of photographs depicting the happenings in Myanmars Rakhine state and protests held in various parts of the world against the alleged persecution of the Rohingyas are part of the song.

It criticises Myanmars State Counselor and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, takes a dig at her being chosen for Nobel Peace Prize and laments the silence adopted by various countries on the plight of the Rohingyas.

Suu Kyi had on Monday while breaking her silence on the issue said in a live televised address that she was "aware of the fact that the world's attention is focused on the situation in Rakhine State" and that Myanmar "does not fear international scrutiny." The song asks her as to why she is bothered about her power and pride while people are being killed in front her.

Ame and Yawar said that they are witness to the events and incidents that unfolded back home during past nearly three decades and have chosen the side of the oppressed whichever place he or she belongs to or whatever his or her religious belief is.
Chennai: Madras high court has granted anticipatory bail to former minister and MLA P. Palaniappan, a member of TTV Dhinkaran group, who feared arrest in connection with suicide of a Namakkal-based government contractor K.R. Subramanian.

Justice P.N. Prakash, before whom the plea came up for hearing Tuesday, granted anticipatory bail and directed him to appear before the inspector of police, CB-CID, Namakkal, for a period of two weeks at 10.30 am daily and thereafter as and when required.

The contractor was close to Minister for Health, Dr C. Vijayabaskar. The IT department conducted raid in the contractor's house and in 13 premises of Vijayabaskar. As per the reports of media several crore of rupees and gold were seized from Subramanian's residence.

Leaving behind suicide notes, Subramanian consumed pesticide and committed suicide in his house. He accused rival contractor PSK Thennarasu and also mentioned the name of Palaniappan alleging that he was instrumental in awarding government contracts to Thennarasu.

In the petition, Palaniappan said that even close relatives including his wife and son did not mention his name during enquiry. He had also appeared before the Investigating authority when called on July 22, 2017 and answered all the questions put forth to him by the Police.

He had an apprehension that the current government was putting pressure on the police to arrest him as he was not supporting the government. Hence he sought anticipatory bail.
Montana will gain an excellent U.S. attorney this week when Kurt Alme is sworn in as the states top federal law enforcement officer.

Born in Great Falls, educated in Miles City and Harvard University, he has practiced law in Billings for many years. Alme knows our state and our communities well. His career has been divided between effective public service and laudable community service.

As a partner in the states largest law firm, Crowley Fleck of Billings, Alme was recognized for his expertise in tax law and for his pro bono work. He was among the original board members of Interfaith Hospitality Network, a local nonprofit that assists homeless families and is now called Family Promise of Yellowstone Valley.

Alme left his successful private practice when he accepted appointment in 2001 as Montana Department of Revenue director in the Judy Martz Administration. In spring 2003, he resigned the DOR leadership post to prosecute white-collar crime in the U.S. Attorneys Office in Billings. Serving as the first assistant U.S. attorney, Alme brought many perpetrators of fraud and other crimes to justice. He also served as the office liaison with the press, establishing a good working relationship with reporters to provide timely, accurate public communication about the work of U.S. attorneys.

We look forward to both highly-competent legal service and dependable public communication as Alme returns to take charge of the U.S. Attorneys Office.

In Montana, the U.S. attorney fills a crucial role in prosecuting crime on Indian reservations. State and local officials also look to the U.S. attorneys office to prosecute major illegal drug traffickers. Almes diverse Montana background is important to fulfilling those responsibilities.

His most recent private-sector job, president of the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation, surely has given him insight into how substance abuse, mental illness, poverty and violence impact Montana families today. The U.S. attorneys office deals with all those social ills while enforcing federal law.

U.S. attorneys are appointed by the president, who traditionally consults the states senior U.S. senator of his party. In Almes case, his nomination was recommended by Republican Sen. Steve Daines and sent to the U.S. Senate by Republican President Donald Trump. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., also backed Almes nomination.

The true measure of Almes fitness for this office is reflected in his unanimous Senate confirmation and the diversity of his Montana supporters. Daines office released a lengthy list of endorsements for Alme that spanned the political spectrum, including Jesse Laslovich, a Democrat and former chief legal counsel for the Montana State Auditors Office; Liz Moore, executive director of the Montana Nonprofit Association; Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito, a Republican; veteran FBI agent Dan Vierthaler; Democrat and former state legislator Kim Gillan; Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch CEO Mike Chavers; Custer County Sheriff Tony Harbaugh; Jim Seykora, former head of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force in the U.S. Attorneys Office; Little Horn State Bank President Andy Rio; and Jani McCall, former Billings City Council member.

Despite dozens of glowing endorsements, Alme is humble in accepting the job:

Im grateful to Senator Daines for recommending me for this position and to the president for nominating me, Alme said. I am also thankful for the support of Senator Tester and all who supported my nomination and confirmation. I look forward to working with the dedicated attorneys and staff in the U. S. Attorneys Office, the court, and the federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement and agencies in doing justice for the people of Montana.

Among Almes many volunteer board commitments, he served as the community member on The Gazette editorial board. His intelligent, thoughtful comments and questions provided invaluable insight to The Gazette staff, for which we are grateful. Alme will bring all those skills to his new public service job.

Alme told The Gazette that he hopes to be sworn into office as soon as possible and to start working this week as Montanas U.S. attorney. His appointment is one of the best decisions we have seen so far from President Trump.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Centre on why it did not take steps to frame a scheme for formation of Cauvery Management Board for implementation of the award of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

A three-judge Bench of Chief Justices Dipak Misra and Justices Amitav Roy and D.Y. Chandrachud are hearing appeals against the Cauvery Disputes Tribunal's final award of February 2007 on allocation of water for Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala and Puducherry.

Even as Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar for the Centre commenced his arguments, the CJI told the SG "having notified the final award in the Gazette in May 2013, why you (Centre) did not frame a scheme for implementation of the award. It is your obligation to frame a scheme and you cannot shirk your responsibility saying the relevant provision only says "may frame a scheme.'

The SG submitted that the Centre did not frame a scheme as it was waiting for clarifications from the Tribunal on various issues. Further as the matter was pending adjudication in the apex court, the Centre wanted to await the judgment. Moreover as per the interim orders of the apex court, Cauvery River Authority and Supervisory Committee had been formed and they are still in existence.

The CJI however, told the SG "once the award is notified, there cannot be a vaccum, it has to be effectively implemented for which a proper mechanism is necessary." The SG assured the court that the mechanism would be put in place within six weeks as per the directions contained in the final judgment.

Mr. Ranjit Kumar informed the court that framing a scheme was a legislative function. Once the scheme was framed, it has to be placed before Parliament for its approval, annulment or modification.

Senior counsel Fali Nariman for Karnataka intervened and said the final award provided for distress sharing formula but there was no apportionment of water when there was surplus water in a year. He also opposed monthly release of water to Tamil Nadu and maintained that the deficit had to be determined only at the end of the crop season or at the end of the water year.

Senior counsel Shekar Naphade for Tamil Nadu made it clear that there could not be any tinkering with the tribunal's award on monthly release of water.
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday made it mandatory for its employees to wear official identity cards with photograph during working hours.

Administrative reforms department secretary C. Swarna in a circular marked to all department secretaries and district collectors said, "All government staff must carry their identity cards with them during working hours". The government order pointed out that the state has received many complaints informing that the government staff are not wearing the mandatory ID cards during working hours.

There are specific orders and norms for the government employees to follow which includes displaying if ID cards during office time, the circular read. The top official also instructed all department heads to ensure that the government workers are wearing ID cards from now on.

According to secretariat sources, the state has decided to insist on official Ids in the wake of the recent strike by the members of the Joint Action Committee of Tamil Nadu Teachers' Organisation (Jactto) and Government Employees Organisation (GeoO). The strike was called off after Madurai bench of Madras HC issued a warning.

The government staff since last year had been demanding the restoration of the old pension scheme and implementation of the recommendations of the seventh pay commission and have temporarily returned to work following the court warning and state insurance.
Srimagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and working president of opposition National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah, on Tuesday once again came out in support of the Rohingya Muslims who have taken refuge in different parts of the country. While lashing out at people who are demanding their deportation asked if those plugging their India were going to demand that the Tibetan Government in exile leave Indian shores immediately.

He wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.com "Will Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka be sent back as punishment for Rajiv Gandhi's assassination." In another tweet, he said, "His holiness the Dalai Lama is going to find himself unwelcomed in his adopted home unless of course this xenophobia is selective."

In yet another tweet, Abdullah asked "So are those plugging their India for Indians line going to demand that the Tibetan Government in exile leave Indian shores immediately." He also said, "And while they are at it will Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka be sent back as punishment for Rajiv Gandhi's assassination."

Earlier during the day, ruling Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP)'s local leader and member of State Legislative Council Vikramaditya Singh had in a statement issued in Jammu expressed his concern over "inordinate delay" in deporting Rohingyas living in Jammu. Singh who is the son of veteran Congress leader Dr. Karan Singh said that his consistent stand on immediate deportation of illegal Rohingya refugees stands vindicated after the written submission of the Union Home Ministry before the Supreme Court.

"The Government of India in its affidavit in the Supreme Court not only called Rohingya refugees a threat to national security but also raised fears that the community could ultimately change the demographic profile of Indian States," he said.

He added, "Further, the Centre has also highlighted their links with terror organizations that has a direct bearing on Jammu and Kashmir".

The PDP leader questioned under what provision of law are these illegal migrants being allowed to settle in Jammu and avail benefits from the State. He demanded that the State government should immediately deport the Rohingyas from Jammu "as the people of Jammu region are unanimous on this issue."

Abdullah had while reacting to the Centre's stance that the Rohingya Muslims are a security threat said on Monday that it is a post-2014 development as far as their presence in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned. "This threat, at least in J&K, is a post-2014 development. No such intelligence reports ever came up for discussion in Unified HQ meetings," he had tweeted.

His statement evoked a strong reaction from Minister of State in the PMO. Dr. Jitendra Singh who termed his as a 'stray tweet'. He said, "We have every reason to trust the HM rather than pay attention to some stray tweets". Meanwhile separatist patriarch Syed Ali Geelani on Tuesday said that attributing "terrorism" to Rohingya Muslims is a grave injustice.

He said that Indian government instead of providing aid and assistance on humanitarian grounds to the Rohingya refugees has termed them as being a security threat.

"This is quite heart-breaking and painful. New Delhi by attaching terrorism and security threat labels to these hapless people who have fled their country to escape persecution is only doing grave injustice with them," he said.
Mysuru: Tourists visiting Mysuru during Dasara this year can see replicas of the famed Sri Channakeshava temple at Somnathpura, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and even models of a family of elephants and Barbie dolls at the Dasara flower show at Nishad Bagh, which will be held from September 21 to October 1.

Besides the display of 2,15,000 pots with more than 60 variety of colourful flowers, including 2,10,000 cultivated over the past three months by over 55 workers in five different nurseries of the horticulture department and 5,000 from Lalbagh in Bengaluru, several mega floral models on the lines of those displayed at the Independence Day flower show at Lalbagh, will be featured at the Dasara flower show this year.

Artist S.P. Agarwal is coming up with a mega floral model of the Sri Channakeshava temple which will be 37 feet wide, 18 feet tall and 16 feet long and is using four lakh red, white, yellow and orange roses and green foliages. The big clock tower model will be prepared with 35,000 white and red roses and the Eiffel Tower with chrysanthemum.

Artist Umashankar is coming up with an 11-feet peacock done with 4,000 orchid sticks, an 11-feet tall Barbie doll made of 6000 orchids, a herd of elephants made of Asparagus and three butterflies made of 10,000 rose buds.

Using millets and jowar, an artist from Hubballi, Shivalingappa S Badigar is coming up with eight feet tall models of the Buddha, Basavanna and Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

Pramoda Devi gets state invite

With the royal family busy preparing for Sharannavarathri celebrations, the Dasara executive committee led by district in-charge minister H.C. Mahadevappa and Mysuru DC D Randeep extended a formal invitation to Rajamata Pramoda Devi Wadiyar at the Mysuru Palace. A honorarium of `36 lakh for the festivities was handed over to Rajamata by Mr Mahadevappa.

The jumbos are being trained to carry 300 kg wooden howdah with three bags weighing 450kg in them, so that they will not face any problem while carrying the 750 kg golden howdah during Jumbo Savari. The wooden howdah was carried by Arjuna on Monday. The same will be carried by Gajendra, Abhimanyu and Balarama, DCF Yedukondalu said.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The expert panel headed by joint DME has attributed the lack of state of the art testing facilities to the incident in which a nine-years-old girl received HIV infected blood allegedly during blood transfusion at the RCC. The joint DME Dr Sreekumari who submitted the report to health minister K.K. Shylaja, however, stated that there were no lapses on the part of RCC in following the set procedures and protocols for blood safety during blood donation and blood transfusion. The Centre had also complied with the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) guidelines regarding blood transfusion, blood safety and from the time of receiving blood from donor and transfusing it to the recipient.

As varied results were found in the previous laboratory tests, the minister called for a detailed probe by expert panel. The panel comprised ART department, pathology and blood bank. The RCC at the moment has fourth generation ELISA tests or combined anti body/antigent (Ag/Ab) test facility. However, the Elisa test detects HIV infection in four to six weeks. Experts say since blood donation during window period is one of the main sources of transfusion linked to HIV infection, there is an urgent need to have the latest technology which reduces the window period from six weeks to just six days. As it takes two to six weeks for the immune system to develop enough HIV antibodies to be detectable, only the latest technology can help check transmission of the infection through blood transfusion.

Meanwhile, the internal inquiry conducted by the RCC has also given a clean chit to the blood bank. The panel headed by medical superintendent found that all 49 donors who had donated blood which was transfused to the girl, had undergone the mandatory screening conducted as per NACO guidelines. Besides, the blood bank had also followed all blood safety and patient safety protocols. Kerala AIDS Control Society (KSACS) had given a clean chit to RCC on Monday. The KSACS team which conducted an inquiry into the allegations found that the RCC had complied with all safety norms laid down for blood transfusion. The team examined the records and found that the protocol specified for blood transfusion and other procedures were strictly followed by RCC blood bank authorities.
Chennai: A day after Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal disqualified 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs, chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswamy on Tuesday went into a huddle with senior ministers to ascertain the political scenario and to discuss constitutional issues likely to be raised by the opposition DMK as well as TTV supporters before the Madras High Court.

The Deputy CM, O.Panneerselvam, state ministers P. Thangamani, CV Shanmugham, SP Velumani, KA Sengottaiyan, Dindigul C Srinivasan and D. Jayakumar attended the meeting at the residence of chief minister, which lasted for more than an hour.

According to sources, the chief minister discussed the legal and constitutional provisions relating to the disqualification of 18 legislators, and about how to approach the Assembly if the Speaker orders a floor test.

Another topic that came up was the possible extension of the parole granted to the Rajiv Gandhi assassination life convict AG Perarivalan.

The States acting Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao arrived here on Tuesday afternoon from New Delhi after meeting the home minister Rajnath Singh and briefing him on the political events in the State. Rao had also met the President Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.
Hyderabad: Senior Congress MLAs D.K. Aruna, N. Padmavathi, Komatireddy Venkata Reddy and T. Jeevan Reddy on Tuesday demanded a public apology from Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao for the distribution of poor quality saris on the eve of Bathukamma.

They also condemned the IT minister for alleging that Congress leaders were involved in the burning of saris at various places in the state.

As women, we know how poor the quality was. What does K.T. Rama Rao knew about womens saris? The government failed to check the quality of the saris being supplied to women on the eve of Bathukamma. Why should the government supply such poor stuff? It is all public money, not the personal property of the Chief Minister or K.T. Rama Rao. We demand that the government ensure the distribution of good quality saris, the Congress women MLAs said at a press conference.

The MLAs also criticised K.T. Rama Rao for trying to defend the distribution of cheap saris and for using intemperate language against the Opposition. They said that the government had failed to order the saris from handloom weavers across the state, and had instead favoured Sircilla powerloom weavers from the constituency represented by K.T. Rama Rao.

We want to know whether family members of the Chief Minister and K.T. Rama Rao, especially the self-styled Bathukamma festival icon Kalvakuntla Kavitha, would wear the saris that were distributed on Monday? the Congress MLAs asked.

They demanded the withdrawal of cases foisted by the police against women who had organised and participated in protests.

At another press conference, senior Congress MLAs T. Jeevan Reddy and Komatireddy Venkata Reddy alleged that middlemen, at the behest of TRS leaders and ministers, were behind a scam to the tune of `150 crore in the purchase of saris from Surat.

They said that the government should have bought high quality saris irrespective of the cost so that women were not insulted by the government.
Madurai: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court passed an interim order on Tuesday, staying the investigation on the FIR filed by crime branch police, Tiruchy, against AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran and actor Senthil until October 4. Justice S. S. Sundar passed the order in a petition filed by actor Senthil who sought to stay all criminal proceedings in pursuance of the FIR registered against him on August 31 and quash the same.

CCB police, Tiruchy had filed a case against four persons including Senthil and Dhinakaran under sections 294 (b), 153, 506 (i) and 109 of IPC based on a complaint from P Kumar, MP, Tiruchy. The latter claimed that the actor had spoken in filthy language against him on the instigation of TTV Dhinakaran in an interview to a television news channel at Chennai. Senthil Kumar in his petition alleged that police had filed a false case without verifying the content of the video.

When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, senior counsel Veera Kathiravan argued that it was a politically motivated complaint. It needed to viewed taking into account the prevailing political situation in the state, he contended.

Moreover, the compliant did not warrant the above-mentioned sections of the IPC against the petitioner and others, said Veera Kathiravan, adding that there was a possibility of police arresting Dhinakaran and his supporters today because they were participating in a public meeting against Neet in Tiruchy.

Hence he sought the court to quash the FIR. The court did not do so, instead passed an interim order. The court also issued notice to the inspector of CCB to file their response within three weeks.
Chennai: Amidst speculations that its MLAs are planning en masse resignation to force a Constitutional crisis, most of DMK leaders were against such an option which according to them would only facilitate the continuance of Edappadi K. Palaniswami government.

However, the meeting handed over full power to party president M.K. Stalin to take any decision. A resolution was passed expressing its consent to any decision taken by Stalin.

A meeting of DMK legislators presided over by its working president on Tuesday discussed its floor strategy ahead of the Madras high court hearing on its plea for floor test to the state and disqualification of 18 rebel MLAs.

The MLAs did not favour en masse resignation from the House. Although, there will be a Constitutional crisis, neither the BJP ruling the centre or the state government could be expected to respect the Constitution or take measures to safeguard it, one of the MLAs said.

The Governor's delay in not asking Palaniswami government to prove its strength in the Assembly itself is a pointer to the attitude of the BJP and the silence of the centre on the disqualification of the 18 rebels also showed that the BJP would not be worried about political integrity, ethics or Constitutional crisis, he said.

Since Palaniswami and his ministers too lacked sense of honour or ethical values, the state government could not be expected to resign, he said and added that en masse resignation would be futile exercise that would help Palaniswami government to stay in power for its full term. .

The DMK legislators discussed all the possibilities of the Madras High Court verdict including a stay to the disqualification of rebel MLAs and also the floor test till the final orders are given. The party expects the conflict to drag further in a division bench or the Supreme Court, even after a judgment by the single of the high court. However, the legislators are ready for any emergency situation, arising out of any court verdict.

The party resolution flayed Speaker P. Dhanapal for helping Palaniswami to misuse the anti-defection law to attain majority. The resolution also said the BJP government at the centre and Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao are responsible for the political crisis in the state.

Another resolution flayed the state police for sending police officials to Karnataka to avenge intra-party rivalry and condemned Chief Secretary Girija Vaidhyanathan for allocating government money for the functions of Palaniswami and other ministers who use it for political purposes. A meeting of Congress MLAs would be held on Wednesday to discuss its floor strategy. The national party is expected the toe the line of its regionally.
China is the ace practitioner of realpolitik, wherein sovereign emotions and morality invested in the cultural, ideological, religious or even political moorings are not germane. It makes strange bedfellows across the continents to fructify its widely believed destiny of the expansionist Chinese Century, and its historical paranoia of regime-survival by aligning with the near-pariah states of Enver Hoxhas Albania, junta-ruled Myanmar, Kim dynastys North Korea or even the Rawalpindi-controlled Pakistan. China is quick to pounce upon any opportunity to drive home a wedge-of-convenience to suit its own topical necessities, as historian Jon Halliday had noted on the Sino-Albanian alliance as, one of the oddest phenomena of modern times, here were two states of vastly differing size, thousands of miles apart, with almost no cultural ties or knowledge of each others society, drawn together by a common hostility to the Soviet Union. Cold algorithms like my enemys enemy is my friend is the simplistic outlook that affords a Communist China to define an Islamic Pakistan, as an all-weather friend. A calculated empowerment of Pakistan as a counter-lever to India and the crucial alternate route for an economic corridor via Gwadar port (CPEC) clearly overrides any ideological dichotomy emanating from the treatment of its own Uighur Muslims. In the transactional and mutually-gratifying calculus of realpolitik, the larger geostrategic fitment of a Sino-Pak dimension is iron-clad, as opposed to the romantic imperatives of a natural ally in the Indo-US realm.

The second fundamental of the Chinese realpolitik has been the paradoxical carrot and stick that it routinely deploys to ensnare its neighbourhood and beyond. The border blockade in 2016 of the land-locked Mongolia (for Dalai Lama visit and economically cozy-up to India) and the brazen disregard for the unfavourable verdict in the petition by the Philippines at the International Tribunal, was rebutted by a stoic, China does not accept any recourse to third party dispute settlement; nor does China accept any solution imposed on it. Later President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines admitted to the soft-pedalling with China, despite its favourable verdict owing to the cheque-book diplomacy of China, wherein billions of dollars of Chinese investment in infrastructure were dangled, but only after the Chinese Premier had ostensibly told Mr Duterte, were friends, we dont want to quarrel with you, we want to maintain the presence of warm relationship. But if you force the issue, well go to war, literally intimidating and then buying out the Philippines. Similarly, in 2015, Xi Jinping had pledged an unprecedented $60 billion for Africa. Commodities like oil from Angola, Nigeria and Sudan, copper from Zambia and Congo, uranium from Namibia, the list of commodities for Beijing were irresistible.

The non-preachy attitude of the Chinese regime was also a welcome break for the quasi-despots of the Zimbabwe and Angola, who were used to lectures on human rights and democracy by the West. Yet, while Chinas trade to Africa has shot up from $10 billion in 2000 to $220 billion by 2014, murmurs of an imminent debt trap, portents of vassal states and Chinas neocolonialism are increasingly gaining currency. This no-holds-barred approach of China won it immediate gratification in terms of low-hanging fruits in an increasingly polarised world. The collateral benefit of an anti-West sentiment, automatically accrued to Beijing as the alternate superpower on the global sweepstakes, as opposed to a much-depleted Moscow. However, chickens are coming home to roost, after the initial hoopla of Chinas success via geostrategic initiatives like String of Pearls, Silk Route, One Belt One Road, etc. Today, virtually the entire Asean region (except the Philippines) is joining hands with Taiwan, Japan and South Korea in forming an anti-Chinese bloc. The muscularity of OBOR has the West-friendly nations in the Central Asian republics in a bit of a quandary after the optics in Mongolia. The opportunistic plunge in Kathmandu post the blockade of 2015 is a thawing memory with increasing normalcy with India.

But the recent baring of the basic instincts of Chinas expansionism, following the recent Doklam impasse, has not gone unnoticed in Rangoon, Kathmandu, Dhaka or the other capitals in the emerging world. The perception of the imminent strings attached to Chinese realpolitik masked as beneficence, are shaping furiously. Stoking the latent embers was the US President Donald Trump, who had earlier elevated China as the number one problem, in his run-up to presidential campaign. Mr Trump has not shied away from naming and shaming China as the principal enabler for North Koreas hair-raising belligerence. Mr Trump called Chinas bluff on North Korea with straight accusations of duplicitousness. Beyond the meek protestations on Mr Trumps obvious inelegance with diplomatic niceties, both Russia and China have recently supported UNSC Resolution 2375 against North Korea. that embarrassingly includes maritime interdiction of cargo vessels, restricts joint ventures, imposes debilitating sanctions, besides a host of other clause that tighten the noose around Pyongyang.

In recent times, China has rightfully been made to swallow the universal indignity of being held responsible for North Koreas routine bailouts that have led to Pyongyangs global blackmails. Similarly, Doklam has again raised the question marks on Beijings expansionist intent, as it tom-toms its infrastructural carrots across the globe. Pakistans own credibility issues have magnified with its sharp swerves towards its all-weather friend, whereas the growing footprint of the Dragon in Djibouti, Maldives and in the newly-created artificial islands in the South China Seas, are feeding further fears. Recent calculations of the global cost that is directly attributable to the Chinese realpolitik are coming to the fore, like never before.
Especially after the conciliatory televised address of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday in which she offered return to all Rohingyas from the worlds largest refugee camp in Bangladesh after a verification process, India appears to have shot itself in the foot by regarding the 40,000 Rohingyas sheltering in India from the Myanmar violence as a serious threat to its national security, and the Indian government telling the Supreme Court on Monday that these displaced persons from Myanmar were illegal immigrants and would be expelled. The Indian stand was made quite clear when Prime Minister Narendra Modi practically used the same language as the Burmese military, which still controls the levers of power although Daw Aung San is the countrys unofficial leader, in calling the suffering Rohingya, facing extreme violence at the hands of the Myanmar army, as potential terrorists, although not in so many words.

Probably Mr Modi thought he would curry favour with the Myanmar Army brass in order to check Chinese footprint in the country and enhance Indias. But from the start it was clear that this was not a well thought-out gamble as Beijing too, in subsequent days, came out taking the same broad position against terrorism in Myanmar, in order to be on the right side of the authorities in that country. When the UN high commissioner for human rights recently called the Rohingya exodus a textbook case of ethnic cleansing and criticised Indias decision to deport Rohingyas, New Delhi hit back in bilious and unbecoming language even as the case of this Myanmar minority was making headlines around the globe and personal condemnation of Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate, was rising for staying mum. Since then the famous Burmese leader has condemned all human rights violations, spoken out against hate and fear as the worlds scourges, and underlined the rights of all to their diverse identities in the context of the ongoing Rohingya crisis. New Delhi suddenly looks out of depth.

In light of the existence of the extremist Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which is thought to have links with Al Qaeda and Pakistans Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, New Delhi could have taken steps to screen the Rohingya, isolating undesirable elements. Instead, the entire Rohingya community in India was declared a national security threat. Is there a communal angle to this since the refugees from Myanmar are Muslim? Would a non-Muslim displaced group have been treated in an equivalent manner? As matters stand, however, not a single FIR has been filed against the Rohingya refugees residing in Jammu, Haryana, Delhi and Hyderabad for any crime, leave alone terrorism. So, whats the basis of the Indian policy? We should be aware of losing our soft power in the world when we abandon the moral compass.
The BJP president Amit Shah has done his duty as a citizen by answering a summons and appearing in the special court and deposing in the Naroda Gam massacre case in which 11 Muslims were killed. He was a defence witness for one of the prime accused in former minister Maya Kodnani. However, his testimony may not have really backed up her alibi as there was a considerable gap in the times stated in which Mr Shah said he had seen her in the state Assembly and later in the hospital, a couple of hours apart, on the day after the Godhra massacre in which 59 karsevaks were burnt alive.

Mr Shahs BJP colleague has already been convicted in the Naroda Patiya case pertaining to the Gujarat riots of 2002 and is out of jail on health grounds. Whether Mr Shahs testimony bears out her alibi or not, her party president has shown solidarity for what it is worth in the run-up to the Gujarat polls next year. The Gujarat riots cases, however, do bring up the painful memories of one of two worst possible incidents in the history of free India, the other being the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. It is a comment on the speed of our justice delivery system that many of the 2002 cases are being fast-tracked only now after the Supreme Court set a 4-month deadline. But then there has been no closure of 1984 either as a SIT to reinvestigate serious criminal cases relating to the riots that claimed 2,733 lives in Delhi alone was still doing some work 33 years after the event. It might suffice to say that the wheels of justice grind on ever so slowly in India.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh has categorically assured the Kashmir Valley on the legal challenge to Article 35A of the Constitution that the Centre would not do anything that would hurt the sentiment of Jammu and Kashmir. However, the question pertaining to Article 35A is pending before the Supreme Court which has to pronounce on its constitutionality. So, it is not only for the Union government to take a call on this. Besides, the opposition to any proposal to repeal this article comes from the Kashmir Valley only whereas the people outside the Valley feel that the special status of the state must be done away with. The recent controversy over Article 35A which empowers the legislature of J&K to define Permanent Residents (PR) of the state and provides special rights and privileges to them left me scurrying for books and commentaries on the Indian Constitution. I was astounded that this article is not to be found anywhere in the Constitution, not even in the text of the Constitution published by the Government of India. However, on Internet, it was added to the Constitution through a Presidential Order, viz., the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 1954.

Thus, it is an extra-constitutional article not to be found in the body of the Constitution. So, it is debatable how come a Presidential Order acquires the status of an article of the Constitution. Nothing can be added to or deleted from the Constitution without following the procedure prescribed by Article 368, which provides for amendment. On May 14, 1954, President Rajendra Prasad, exercising his power under Article 370(1), on the advice of the Union Cabinet and with the concurrence of the Government of J&K, issued it. Superseding the earlier Order of 1950, it extended the application of various provisions of the Constitution, including Article 368. However, its application was subject to a proviso that no such amendment shall have effect in relation to the state of J&K unless applied by the order of the President under Clause (1) of Article 370. So, it only mandates that the amendment will apply to the state only after the President issues an order under Article 370(1) but does not circumscribe or bypass Article 368. Article 370(3) provides that the President may, by public notification, declare that this article shall cease to be operative or may be operative only with such exceptions and modifications and from such date as he may specify.

However, it can be done only on the recommendation of the Constituent Assembly of J&K. So, Article 370 empowers the President to make it inoperative but does not empower him to add any new provision to the Constitution. And the power given to the President to make it inoperative is rooted in the fact that it was a temporary provision as the heading of the article reads: Temporary provisions with respect to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. J&K high court had ruled in 2015 that Article 370 is permanent, beyond amendment, repeal or abrogation. The SC immediately struck it down when it was informed that it can be repealed by Parliament. Besides, Article 370(3) is now obsolete after January 26, 1957, when a new Constitution was enforced in the state and the Constituent Assembly ceased to exist. Article 35A says that no existing law in force in the state of J&K, and no law hereafter enacted by the Legislature of the state defining the classes of persons who are, or shall be, PRs of the state, or conferring on such PRs any special rights and privileges or imposing upon other persons any restrictions with respect to employment under the state government, acquisition of immovable property in the state, settlement in the state, or right to scholarship and such other forms of aid as the state government may provide, shall be void on the ground that it is inconsistent with or takes away or abridges any rights conferred on the other citizens of India by any provision of this part. This is being animadverted as discriminatory and unconstitutional. Jammu and Kashmir Study Centre has impugned its constitutionality in the apex court. Besides Charu Wali Khanna has challenged Section 6 of the J&K Constitution which curtails the freedom of women to marry men of their choices by not giving the heirs any right to property if the woman marries a man not holding the PR certificate. Her children are denied a PR certificate rendering them illegitimate even though she is a PR. Ironically, the woman also forfeits her property rights. However, it does not apply to a man marrying a woman outside J&K.

The J&K Constitution defines a PR of the state as a person who was a state subject on May 14, 1954, or who has been a resident of the state for 10 years, and has lawfully acquired immovable property in the state. There is a problem with the raison detre of J&K. Some experts feel that it is part of India only because of Article 370. It betrays an utter ignorance of the basics of the Constitution and even a tyro may not accept it. All parts of India are its parts because of Article 1 which defines its geography and the First Schedule gives a complete list of states and territories and J&K is placed on No. 15 of the Schedule. Like all other princely states, Maharaja Hari Singh of J&K also signed the Instrument of Accession and that is the basis of the state becoming part of India. However, Sheikh Abdullah was able to extricate certain concessions. But Jammu and Ladakh wanted full integration. Their slogan of complete integration of the state with India was expressed in the rallying cry Ek vidhan, ek nishan, ek pradhan (one constitution, one flag and one President). In fact, Syama Prasad Mookerjee was inspired by it when he raised the slogan, Ek desh mein do vidhan, do nishan, do pradhan, nahin chalenge, nahin challenge (two constitutions, two flags and two presidents in one one country- not acceptable, not acceptable).
Five times a day from sunrise to sunset practicing Muslims, prostrate in prayer towards Mecca. In the courtyard of Meccas Grand Mosque stands this hallowed symbol and is known as the Kaaba (meaning cube), a stone structure sheathed in black silk and cotton. It is the epicentre of Haj and is considered by Muslims to be the bayt Allah, the House of God  a stepping-stone to paradise. The slaughter of animals and other rituals  circumcisions, weddings and funerals  always take place facing this navel of the world. Haj is one of the five pillars of Islam and all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform it once in their lifetime. Haj is seen as a chance to wipe clean past sins and start fresh.

During Haj the pilgrims enter Mecca and walk seven times around the Kaaba, kiss or touch the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) in the Kaaba, pray twice in the direction of the Maqam Ibrahim and Kaaba, and run seven times between the minor prominences of Mount Safa and Mount Marwah. This step of the pilgrimage is the most iconic, and the one that most people think of when they think of Haj  masses of people moving in a continuous circle around the Kaaba. Constructed of gray stone and marble, it is oriented so that its corners roughly correspond to the points of the compass. The interior contains nothing but the three pillars supporting the roof and a number of suspended silver and gold lamps. During most of the year Kaaba is covered with an enormous cloth of black brocade, the kiswah.

Set in its southern corner is the Black Stone no larger than a loaf of bread that fell from heaven and is considered a fragment of paradise. Believers gain absolution for their sins by touching or kissing the stone. According to tradition, this stone was given to Adam on his expulsion from paradise in order to obtain forgiveness of his sins. Legend has it that the stone was originally white but has become black by absorbing sins of the countless thousands of pilgrims who have kissed and touched it. The Kaaba is also referred to in the Quran as the first house established for mankind, meaning, according to the foremost medieval commentator on the Quran, al-Tabari, that it is the first building ever consecrated to the worship of God.

The great Islamic scholar and acclaimed translator of the Quran Muhammad Asad consider its simplicity awesome. He observed: There it stood, almost a perfect cube... entirely covered with black brocade, a quiet island in the middle of the vast quadrangle of the mosque: much quieter than any other work of architecture anywhere in the world The builder knew that no beauty of architectural rhythm and no perfection of line, however great, could ever do justice to the idea of God: and so he confined himself to the simplest three-dimensional form imaginable  a cube of stone. It is a symbol, as Asad wrote, Of Gods oneness; and the pilgrims bodily movement around it is a symbolic expression of human activity, implying that not only our thoughts and feelings  all that is comprised in the term inner life  but also our outward, active life, our doings and practical endeavours must have God as their centre.
The app has been designed for the Indian market and is powered by the government's Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

Technology giant Google has launched a new digital payments app 'Tez' -- meaning fast in Hindi -- for the Indian market that aims to make e-transactions simple and secure.

The app has been designed for the Indian market and is powered by the government's Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

Available for both Android and iOS (Apple phone) users, it allows users to make payments straight from their bank accounts.

"This is a product that is made for India. There are areas where India will leapfrog the West and one such case is payments and commerce," Caesar Sengupta, Google V-P (Next Billion Users), told reporters here.

He added that Tez (7MB in size) will be available in seven Indian languages, including Bengali and Tamil, to enable users across the country to easily use the app.

There has been an increase in adoption of digital payments in the country, especially after the government's move to ban high-denomination currency. Mobile wallets like Paytm and payments through credit and debit cards saw a surge.

In the past few months, companies like Flipkart, Ola and Uber have embraced UPI to allow users to pay through the new medium on their respective apps.

"Our primary competitor is cash. The focus is on getting more people to use digital payments instead of cash. There is plenty of room for many players," Diana Layfield, Google V-P, Head of Finance and Commerce Products (Next Billion Users), said when asked how the company intended to compete with Alibaba-backed Paytm.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who launched the app, expressed hope that digital payment is going to pick up momentum as more advanced technology hits the market.

A lot of people went in for digitisation in terms of mode of payment more out of compulsion rather than finding it a more convenient method to transact, but that compulsion created a habit for many, he said, adding that it "is now bound to pick up again".

Rajan Anandan, V-P South East Asia and India for Google, highlighted that 300 million of the 400 million accessing Internet in India do so on their smartphones.

"Over 650 million are expected to use Internet by 2020 and Google's mission is to build an inclusive Internet," Anandan added.

Sengupta said there are no plans to monetise the app in coming months and the focus is on growing usage.

Google also plans to integrate wallets and cards on the Tez platform in coming months. It will also give scratch cards to users worth up to Rs 1,000 on transactions above Rs 50.

Besides, Google is working with businesses like PVR and redbus that will allow customers to pay using Tez. It is in discussion with other businesses on getting them on board as well.

In the next few months, players like Lava, Micromax, XOLO, Nokia and Panasonic will introduce devices with Tez pre-embedded on them.

Besides, Google has partnered with four banks  Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and State Bank of India (SBI) -- as its key partners for the service. However, customers of over 50 banks that are present on the UPI platform will be able to use the service.

The app also has a 'Cash Mode' feature that allows one to pay without sharing bank details or phone number. Based on the audio QR code technology -- like Near Field Communication -- the users are connected through their phone's microphone and speaker and then they can complete the transaction.

Google's machine learning-based fraud detection engine and multiple levels of security ensure that all transactions on the platform are secure, Sengupta claimed.

Asked if Tez would be launched in other countries, Sengupta said the product is right now focussed on the Indian market.

"While there is nothing like UPI in other countries, there are markets that are similar to India like Indonesia and others. We will see the response that we get in India and these learning can be used in other places," he added.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Flipkart is also expected to announce heavy discounts on smartphones, including HTC 11, Apple iPhones and Lenovo K8 Plus.

Online retailer Flipkart is scheduled to kick start its annual Big Billion Day Sale from September 20 (tomorrow) to September 24. In the range of products to go on sale on the website, Flipkart will also be giving huge discount offers on smartphones from major companies, including Samsung, Xiaomi, Lenovo and Panasonic.

In the sale, which is yet to commence, Flipkart is offering up to Rs 7,000 discount on a few Samsung budget smartphone, which will include Samsung Galaxy On5, On7 and J3 Pro. The firm has also announced to sell the Samsung Galaxy S7 at an unbelievable price, with a discount offer of Rs 16,010 along with an extra discount of Rs 3,000 over exchange of an older phone.

Coming to the popular Chinese brand Xiaomi, Flipkart has announced to sell the Redmi 4A (3GB RAM + 32GB) at a price of Rs 6,999 during the sale. The newly announced Mi A1 (read review here) will be available at the launched price, that is Rs 14,999, on the website during the sale.

The Infinix Hot 4 Pro will go on sale for Rs 6,499; Panasonic P85 for Rs 4,999; Panasonic Eluga Ray 700 for Rs 10,999; Sansui Horizon and Swipe Elite 4G for Rs 3,499 and Xolo Era 1x Pro for Rs 4,999.

Flipkart is also expected to announce heavy discounts on flagship smartphone models from HTC, Apple and Lenovo.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, addresses a Security Council meeting of the United Nations. (Photo: AP)

United Nations: The US has accused North Korea of "begging for war" and pushed for the "strongest possible measures" on Pyongyang following its sixth and most powerful nuclear test.

As world powers scramble to react to the latest grave step in the North's rogue weapons programme, South Korea launched major live-fire naval drills to warn its isolated neighbour against any provocations at sea Tuesday morning local time.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that Washington will present a new sanctions resolution to be negotiated in the coming days, with a view to voting on it next Monday.

"Only the strongest sanctions will enable us to resolve this problem through diplomacy," Haley told the meeting Monday called by the United States, Britain, France, Japan and South Korea.

North Korea on Sunday triggered global alarm when it detonated what it described as a hydrogen bomb designed for a long-range missile.

The underground blast had a yield of between 50 and 100 kilotons, or on average more than five times more powerful than the bomb detonated over Hiroshima, UN political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman told the council.

Declaring that "enough is enough," Haley said incremental sanctions imposed on Pyongyang since 2006 had failed.

Leader Kim Jong-Un's "abusive use of missiles and his nuclear threats show that he is begging for war," she said.

"War is never something the United States wants and we don't want it now, but our country's patience is not unlimited," she said.

- 'Insulting' -

Haley did not spell out what measures Washington was seeking, but diplomats said they could target oil supplies to North Korea -- potentially dealing a major blow to the economy.

New sanctions could also seek to curb tourism to the country and ban North Korean laborers sent abroad.

The draft text was expected to be presented to the 14 other council members on Tuesday as the United States sought to respond quickly to reports that North Korea was preparing another missile launch.

Pyongyang in July fired two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that apparently brought much of the US mainland into range and Seoul has said it could be planning another test.

At the UN, China's ambassador Liu Jieyi warned that the crisis was worsening and emphasized the need for dialogue and a diplomatic solution.

"China will never allow chaos and war on the (Korean) peninsula," he asserted.

Liu urged the parties to agree to a Chinese-Russian plan calling for the North to freeze its missile and nuclear tests and the United States and South Korea to suspend joint military exercises.

Haley rejected the proposal as "insulting."

"When a rogue regime has a nuclear weapon and an ICBM pointed at you, you do not take steps to lower your guard. No one would do that. We certainly won't," she declared.

Russia said it would study the new US proposals for sanctions, but again stressed those measures alone would not resolve the crisis.

"This is not the way to get parties to the table to seek a political solution," said Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia.

The council has imposed seven sets of sanctions on North Korea since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006, but Pyongyang has repeatedly found ways to circumvent the measures.

The most recent resolutions, however, have zeroed in on the economy, targeting key exports sectors such as coal that are a source of hard currency for the regime.

Haley reiterated US threats to impose sanctions on countries that conduct trade with North Korea, saying these nations will be seen as "giving aid to their reckless and dangerous nuclear intentions".

That could have major reverberations: China is the largest trading partner of both the North and the United States.

- South Korean response -

South Korea's defense ministry said it was already strengthening its defenses, in part by deploying more US-made Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile launchers.

The South carried out an early-morning volley of ballistic missiles Monday simulated an attack on the North's nuclear test site, followed Tuesday by the naval drills.

US President Donald Trump and South Korean leader Moon Jae-In spoke on the phone Monday and agreed to remove limits on the payload of the South's missiles, fixed at 500 kilograms according to a 2001 bilateral agreement.

Trump also approved in principle, the sale of "many billions of dollars' worth of military weapons and equipment from the United States by South Korea," according to White House readout of the call which did not mention any specific new deals.

Seoul was the fourth-biggest importer of US arms between 2010-2016, which purchased nearly $5 billion of weaponry in that period according to an analysis by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

On Sunday US monitors measured a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake near the North's main testing site.

Hours before the test, the North released images of Kim inspecting a device it called a "thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power" entirely made "by our own efforts and technology".

The South's defence minister said Seoul believed the North had succeeded in miniaturising a bomb to fit into a missile.

The North says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself against the threat of invasion, and analysts say it is seeking to strengthen its hand for any future negotiations with Washington.
Donald Trump, John Kelly, Mike Pence, Rex Tillerson, Nikki Haley President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner with Latin American leaders at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly on Monday in New York (Photo: AP) (Representational Image)

United Nations: It's been dubbed the Super Bowl of diplomacy, the Oscars of world statesmanship: the UN General Assembly kicks off on Tuesday with US President Donald Trump in the spotlight as he makes his first address to the 193-nation body.

Here are a few fun facts about this year's gathering:

- Who's coming -

There are 90 heads of state, five vice presidents, 39 heads of government, three deputy prime ministers and 52 ministers.

At the rostrum for the first time will be Trump as well as France's Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has been in the top job for nine months.

Gambia's Adama Barrow is making his international debut after trouncing long-serving leader Yahya Jammeh.

Among the heavy hitters are Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and British Prime Minister Theresa May.

- North Korea gets front-row seat -

As luck would have it, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho is getting a front-row seat at this year's General Assembly, sitting to the right of the rostrum.

Every year, the name of a country gets pulled out of a box to determine the alphabetical order of the seating arrangement.

This year's winner was the Czech Republic, which means the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as North Korea is formally known, got the second seat in the front row.

- Beef and potatoes for lunch -

Are UN cooks pandering to Trump's love of meat? One glance at the menu for the state luncheon on Tuesday and the question does comes to mind.

World leaders will enjoy pan-seared Japanese Wagyu beef tenderloin, Yukon gold potatoes, roasted asparagus and baby carrots.

The starters include roasted chanterelle mushrooms, haricots and grilled stone fruit served on a bed of lettuce.

The power lunch in a UN meeting hall will be crowned with a selection of chocolate mousses, fresh raspberries and passion fruit coulis.

A French Sancerre wine will be served at the start, followed by a California Cabernet Sauvignon and -- in a nod to Guterres' native land -- there will be a 40-year-old porto from Portugal on offer at the end.

Trump will be seated next to Guterres during the luncheon.

Also at the table will be Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Swiss President Doris Leuthard, Ecuador's Lenin Moreno, South Korea's Moon Jae-In, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Liberia's Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Recep Tayyip Erdogan from Turkey, Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania and Alpha Conde of Guinea.

- New York traffic mayhem -

For New Yorkers, the annual week-long UN General Assembly means traffic chaos as thousands of police are deployed and streets are shut down to make way for presidential motorcades.

Hotel prices are also at a premium.

Trump is staying at his Manhattan Trump Tower, which means that area is on lockdown.
New York: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she spoke to US President Donald Trump on Monday about Rohingya Muslims flooding into her country from Myanmar, but she expects no help from him as he has made clear how he feels about refugees.

As Trump left an event he hosted at the United Nations on reforming the world body, Hasina said she stopped him for a few minutes.

He just asked how is Bangladesh? I said its doing very well, but the only problem that we have is the refugees from Myanmar, Hasina told Reuters in an interview. But he didnt make any comment about refugees.

A Myanmar military response to insurgent attacks last month in the countrys Rakhine state sent more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded as ethnic cleansing.

The Myanmar government said about 400 people have been killed in the fighting.

Hasina, who is due to address the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, said Trumps stance on refugees was clear, so it was not worth asking him for help with the Rohingya Muslim refugees.

Already America declared that they will not allow any refugees, she said. What I can expect from them, and especially (the) president. He already declared his mind ... so why I should ask?

Bangladesh is not a rich country ... but if we can feed 160 million people, another 500 or 700,000 people, we can do it.

A senior White House official was unaware of the exchange but said Trump was deeply interested in the subject and that he would definitely engage if it were brought up.

Shortly after taking office in January, Trump tried to put a 120-day halt on the US refugee program, bar Syrian refugees indefinitely and impose a 90-day suspension on people from six predominantly Muslim countries.

The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct! Trump said on Twitter on Friday.

Trump said the move is needed to prevent terrorist attacks and allow the government to put in place more stringent vetting procedures. There is a key Supreme Court hearing next month on the constitutionality of his executive order on the ban.

About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Hasina said she wanted to see more international political pressure on Myanmar to allow the Rohingya to return.

(Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi) should agree that these people belong to her country and that Myanmar is their country. They should take them back, she said. These people are suffering.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of international criticism for not stopping the violence. Myanmar national security adviser Thaung Tun told Reuters on Monday that Myanmar would ensure those who left their homes could return, but there was a process we have to discuss.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged the Myanmar government to end military operations, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes.

People are still at risk of being attacked or killed, humanitarian aid is not reaching the people who need it, and innocent civilians are still fleeing across the border to Bangladesh, Haley said after Britain hosted a meeting on the crisis in New York on Monday.

A US deputy assistant secretary of state, Patrick Murphy, is due in Myanmar this week.
Nikki Haley, Donald Trump United States President Donald Trump speaks with US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley before a meeting during the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters (Photo: AP)

United Nations: US President Donald Trump will take aim at Iran and North Korea and strike a stridently nationalistic tone in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly Tuesday, rejecting the half-century-old drive toward global governance.

A top aide said Trump will take aim at "rogue regimes that threaten world stability and peace," singling out Pyongyang and Tehran during his half hour remarks and arguing responsible nations must step in to curb their behavior.

Trump has warned North Korea faces "fire and fury" if it does not abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and argued a global deal to curb Iran's uranium enrichment must be reworked.

In both instances, Trump's "America first" stance faces significant pushback from international partners -- from Russia to China to European allies -- who aides say Trump is likely to press to be tougher, but perhaps not name explicitly.

When he steps up to the famous green marble rostrum, Trump will also set out his vision for a world shorn of what one senior advisor familiar with the speech called the overarching "global bureaucracy."

Trump will argue nation states should be free to pursue their interests unfettered -- a contentious message for delegates to the world's foremost multilateral forum.

Since coming to office in January, Trump has sought to unravel US involvement in multilateral deals from the Paris climate accord to an agreement curbing Iran's nuclear program.

He has cancelled a major trans-Pacific trade pact, sought to renegotiate a free trade deal with Mexico and Canada and even threatened to leave the World Trade Organization.

Aides said Trump will not rule out accords between sovereign states -- such as those that underpin security in Europe and Asia -- but will argue against overbearing global governance.

- Nation-state -

"It's an appeal to each nation to use sovereignty as the basis for mutual cooperation, the idea being that rather than appealing to a top-down model of global bureaucracy, it's a model that's from the nation-state up," a senior official said.

"It is about the nation-state being the best vehicle, as the president has said before, for the elevation of the human condition."

During his first day at the UN General Assembly Trump warned that "bureaucracy" was holding the United Nations back, a barbed message to the world body he once derided as a talk shop.

Trump warned that as chief executive of the United States -- a founding member of the UN and its biggest financial contributor -- he wants a better return on his investment.

"The United Nations was founded on truly noble goals," he said, adding that while progress has been made, "in recent years the United Nations has not reached its full potential, because of bureaucracy and mismanagement."

- Low bar -

Allies and foes alike will rummage through Trump's speech on Tuesday for a better idea of how this lurching superpower foresees its future place in the world.

"The bar for success, as usual, is very low," said Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution. "If the president can make a half decent attempt at playing the role of the leader of the free world, everyone will breathe a sigh of relief."

"The risk, also as usual, is that he goes off script and says what he really thinks."

More tub-thumping at the UN would thrill his diehard fans at home, but bellicose warnings to North Korea would undoubtedly make Tokyo and Seoul -- both well within range of North Korean ballistic missiles -- uneasy.

Shredding the "bad deal" that curbs Iran's nuclear program could burnish Trump's hard-charging businessman brand, but would infuriate European allies and risk setting loose havoc across the Middle East.
Mandan Municipal Airport has been a convenient hub for local and out-of-state airplane enthusiasts and as well as a training area for North Dakota National Guard.

To ensure safety and enjoyment of the facility airport manager Jim Lawler, said the facility is in the process of adding Federal Aviation Administration regulated fencing around the property to keep out wildlife. The fence will keep animals, such as deer, off the grounds and runway.

In 2012, a wildlife study was done on the property, providing airport officials with a list of things that needed to fall in line with new FAA regulations, which included fencing around the perimeter of the airport.

"It's a safety issue," Lawler said, "They (deer) have been seen around the airport. So they want to stop the problem before something happens."

Lawler said funding for the fence is a joint effort between local, state and federal government. Still in the design phase of the project, the airport recently hired KLJ Engineer firm to model the fence.

The North Dakota State Aeronautics Commission works with the FAA to help airports statewide to identity needs and possible problems.

"Mandan is one of our busiest general aviation airports in the state and we look around the country and when you got a busy general aviation airport, most of those airports have a wildlife fence to help protect an aircraft from wildlife strikes," Kyle Wanner, executive director of the commission, said.

After the 2012 study was complete, the commission along with the the airport and the FAA looked at a timeline to tend to improvements around the property and installation of the wildlife fence. The federal government has provided funds for the design portion of the project and the state provided a five percent match, according to Wanner.

Next summer, bidding with construction companies on the project is expected to begin, as well as a federal grant to help carry out the project.

Lawler indicated it could take until 2019 until the project is complete. The 10-foot-tall chain-link fence will cover 4 miles of airport property.

For more information on the FFA, visit www.faa.gov. To learn more about the fencing project at Mandan Municipal Airport, call 701-663-0669.
Ms Swaraj's assertion in this regard came during her trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Monday. (Photo: MEA)

New York: India on Tuesday sought investigations into North Koreas nuclear proliferation linkages and asked to hold accountable those responsible for it, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs remarks came days after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday.

It follows North Koreas sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 which was in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure.

"External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj deplored North Koreas recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable," the ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

Swarajs assertion in this regard came during her trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session here.

Responding to questions, Kumar did not specify the country, but said the hints were enough to determine that.

"I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about," he said.

"We have very clearly mentioned that we not only deplore DPRKs recent actions but also stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable," Kumar said.

In addition to proliferation, the three leaders discussed the issue of maritime security and connectivity.

"Three broad issues were discussed -- maritime security connectivity and proliferation. We have spelled out what these heads mean on security the ministers emphasised the need to ensure freedom of navigation respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes," he said.

"On connectivity, there was discussion on how to base them on universally recognised international norms prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity," Kumar said.

The first trilateral ministerial meeting between the three countries was held in 2015. Senior official level meeting has been taking place since 2011.
Brigitte Trogneux and Emmanuel Macron with Donald and Melania Trump in Paris. (Photo: AP)

United Nations: US President Donald Trump on Monday revealed plans to transform America's Independence Day celebrations next July 4 into a vast military parade, styled on France's Bastille Day.

"We're actually thinking about Fourth of July, Pennsylvania Avenue, having a really great parade to show our military strength," Trump said at the start of a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.

During brief remarks, Trump raved about his visit to Paris in July 14, this year-- which featured military fly overs, parades of horse guards, assorted tanks and other military hardware.

"To a large extent, because of what I witnessed we may do something like that on July Fourth in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue," said Trump, indicating he had discussed the event with White House chief of staff John Kelly.

"We had a lot of planes going over, and we had a lot of military might and it was really a beautiful thing to see," he said. "We're going to have to try and top it."

"We'll see if we can do it this year, but we certainly will be beginning to do that."

America's Independence Day is associated with fireworks and barbecues rather than the country's military might.

Trump aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, have confirmed that they considered a military parade for his inauguration last January.

Since then Trump has embraced military backdrop for several speeches and presidential visits, travelling twice to the USS Ford aircraft carrier.

Just this week he appeared in front of a B-2 bomber at a military base just outside Washington.

This latest plan is sure to fuel criticism from detractors, who allege Trump has struck the type of militaristic tone more commonly seen in authoritarian regimes.
President Donald Trump arrives with First Lady Melania Trump, right, and ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, left, for the UN General Assembly meeting on Tuesday at UN headquarters. (Photo: AP)

United Nations: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday told world leaders that it is time to expose and hold responsible those countries that provide funding and safe havens to terror groups, weeks after he warned Pakistan for supporting agents of chaos.

In his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said that all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and the Islamic extremist that inspires them.

We will stop radical Islamic terrorism, because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation and, indeed, to tear up the entire world, he said.

It is time to expose and hold responsible nations that provide funding and safe havens to terror groups, Mr Trump said without naming any country. He said countries must deny the terrorists safe havens, transit, funding and any form of support for their vile and sinister ideology.

We must drive them out from our nations. It is time to expose and hold those responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like al-Qaeda, Hezabollah and the Taliban and others, he said.

The US President said America and its allies were working together to crush the terrorists and prevent the re-emergence of safe heavens they use to launch attacks.

He also vowed to pursue his America first nationalist policy and said that all nations should act in their own self-interest, yet rally together when faced with a common threat.

In his maiden speech, Mr Trump laid out his vision of a world order based on strong sovereign nations rather than multilateral alliances.

The Trump administration, he said, is renewing founding principle of sovereignty. Our governments first duty is to its people, to our citizens, to serve their needs, to ensure their safety, to preserve their rights and to defend their values, he said.

As to Iran, Mr Trump appeared to pave the way towards tearing up the nuclear deal signed in 2015 between six world powers and Iran.

He said the accord had failed to rein in the regimes subversive role in Middle East conflicts, and sent a clear signal that he intends to declare Tehran in breach of the deal when he reports to Congress next month.

We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilising activities while building dangerous missiles and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program, he told the UN General Assembly.
Naypyitaw, Myanmar: Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday broke her silence over the ongoing humanitarian crisis which led to evacuation of over half-a-million minority Rohingya Muslims from northern Rakhine state.

Delivering a State of the Union Address to the citizens, Suu Kyi said the country is ready to verify status of refugees 'at any time' to aid their return.

"The Myanmar citizenship verification process will need cooperation from all communities. We are prepared to start the refugee verification process for those who wish to return," she said, adding that she does not want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicity.

"Hate and fear are main scourges," she said.

"Myanmar does not fear 'international scrutiny' over Rohingya crisis," she added.

The Rohingya refugee crisis had shocked the world and prompted the United Nations to accuse the country's army of ethnic cleansing. She also said that she would like the world to think of Myanmar as a whole and not just a country with little afflicted areas.

She condemned the 'human rights violations, unlawful violence' on Rakhine state and said the country 'feels deeply for suffering' of all groups there.

Myanmar feels deeply for suffering of all groups in Rakhine, concerned to hear about Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh, the Myanmar leader said.

We would like to find out why this exodus is happening and would like to talk to the people who have fled. The government has been making every effort to restore peace and stability and to bring harmony in Rakhine communities, she added.

Myanmar has made a central committee for implementing rule of law and development of Rakhine.

"We have invited Dr Kofi Annan to lead a commission that would help us resolve long standing problems in Rakhine," she said.

Speaking about allegations and counter allegations, she said that everyone's voices will be heard and the culprits will be punished irrespective of race or religion.

Suu Kyi's refusal so far to defend the Rohingya over nearly a month of violence has baffled and enraged an international community that once feted her as the champion of Myanmar's democracy struggle.

But inside Myanmar, supporters say the 72-year-old lacks authority to reign in the army, which stands accused of waging a campaign of murder and arson that has driven more than 410,000 Rohingya from their homes.

The violence erupted in late August when the army retaliated against co-ordinated attacks by Rohingya militants.

Since then just under half of Rakhine's Rohingya population has poured into Bangladesh, where they now languish in one of the world's largest refugee camps.
A photo montage published by Al-Qaeda to mark the 16th anniversary of 9/11 shows the face of Osama bin Laden in the flames of the Twin Towers. At his side is his son Hamza, the "crown prince of jihad".



The young man, now 28, has appeared since childhood in the propaganda network founded by his father. And now, some officials and analysts believe he might try to unify jihadists around the world, taking advantage of the military weakness of the Islamic State (IS) group.



In a report published by the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), former FBI special agent and Al-Qaeda specialist Ali Soufan wrote: "Now in his late 20s, Hamza is being prepared for a leadership role in the organisation his father founded.



"As a member of the bin Laden dynasty, Hamza is likely to be perceived favourably by the jihadi rank-and-file. "With the Islamic State 'caliphate' apparently on the verge of collapse, Hamza is now the figure best placed to reunify the global jihadi movement."



The 15th of bin Laden's 20 children, a son of his third wife, Hamza has been groomed to follow in his father's footsteps since childhood.



At his side in Afghanistan before 9/11, he learned how to handle weapons, and ranted in his thin voice against Americans, Jews and "Crusaders" in videos uploaded online.



On the eve of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Hamza was separated from his father, whom he was never to see again.



He was evacuated with the clan's wives and other children to Jalalabad in Afghanistan, then on to Iran, where they were placed under house arrest for years. His whereabouts now are unknown.



A sophisticated system of messengers allowed bin Laden and his favourite son to remain in contact by writing letters, some of which were found during the raid that killed the terrorist in Abbottabad, in Pakistan.



In them Hamza assures his father that he is "forged in steel" and ready "for victory or martyrdom".



"What makes me really sad is that the legions of mujahideen started, and I did not join them," he wrote in July 2009.



In an audio message in August 2015, Hamza pays homage his father the "martyr" and his elder brother Khalid, who died while trying to defend him at Abbottabad and asks jihadists around the world to "strike from Kabul to Baghdad, from Gaza to Washington, London, Paris and Tel Aviv".



One year later, in a diatribe entitled "We are all Osama," he called for vengeance, warning: "If you think you will not be held accountable for the crime in Abbottabad, you are mistaken."



Eighteen months later, after similar appeals, the US State Department reinforced his credibility within jihadist circles by putting his name on the blacklist of "international terrorists".



Soufan said: "Hamza's messages frequently repeat, almost word-for-word, sentences uttered by the elder bin Laden during Al-Qaeda's heyday in the late 1990 and early 2000s.



"Hamza even makes an effort to sound like his father intoning his words with the same quiet intensity.



"As the Islamic State continues to crumble, many of its adherents will be looking for new banners under which to fight. Many factors suggest that Hamza could be a highly effective leader.



"It remains to be seen how, exactly, the organisation will make use of him, but it is clear that his star is on the rise. That should worry policymakers in the West as well as in the Muslim world."
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has said that intolerance and unemployment are the key issues that pose a serious challenge to India's national security and development.



Gandhi, who is in the US on a two-week-long tour, held a series of meetings, including a roundtable with eminent Indian /South Asia experts hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a Democratic-leaning think tank.



Prominent among the attendees were CAP head Neera Tandon, the former US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, and Hillary Clinton's top campaign advisor John Podesta.



Lisa Curtis, who heads the South Asia division at the National Security Council of the White House held discussions with Gandhi over a breakfast meeting during which the Trump administration official sought his views on the US-India relationship and the recently announced Afghanistan and South Asia policy of US President Donald Trump, according to the participants of the meeting.



US Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Thomas J Donohue met Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders at an event hosted by US India Business Council (USIBC).



During the meeting, Gandhi expressed concern over the inability of the government to create jobs in India, which he felt was leading the country towards a dangerous situation.



Gandhi also had an off-the-record interaction with the editorial board of The Washington Post, where he shared his anguish over the rising intolerance globally, but in particular in India.



Later in the evening, Gandhi had another closed-door meeting co-hosted by Republican strategist Puneet Ahluwalia and American Foreign Policy Institute.



"I would say, he did not seem to be somebody who did not understand the issue. He has an understanding of the issue. He came across as more of a grassroots understanding leader. Everybody when they left they were pretty much very positive with the interaction," Ahluwalia said.



Gandhi is also believed to have met the Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. Participants of these meetings overwhelmingly agreed with Gandhi that the "central challenge" in front of India was jobs and intolerance.



They left the meeting generally impressed with Gandhi's knowledge, clarity of thoughts and candidness.



"(People) said he is exactly opposite than what we were told. They said, he is logical, he thinks well, and he understands the issue," Sam Pitroda, who has been accompanying Gandhi to all of his meetings, said.



He alleged that full-time staff hired by Gandhi's opponents have been creating a negative image of him. Pitroda said Gandhi believes in decentralisation.



The real decisions have to be made at the district level. Gandhi is scheduled to address students of the Princeton University in New Jersey. Indian National Overseas Congress would host a reception for him in New York tomorrow.




The latest health care reform effort from congressional Republicans is again causing a split between North Dakotas senators.

The effort, led by Republican senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, comes after other attempts to remake the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, failed this summer.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., who criticized those earlier efforts, said Monday that the new bill would hurt families and rural communities across North Dakota by ripping away health care for many  just like the last Republican bill would have done. She said shes working on reasonable reforms to improve the current health care law.

Over the past few months and weeks, Ive met with a group of Republican and Democratic senators, as well as governors, insurance commissioners, patients, and insurers, to talk about reforms to make the health reform law work better, Heitkamp said in a statement. Theres a great deal we agree on and Im hopeful we can come together on some ways to make health care more affordable and accessible for families.

Rules allowing a simple majority to pass the so-called Graham-Cassidy bill expire at the end of the month. Democratic leaders asked for a comprehensive analysis from the Congressional Budget Office Monday.

Meanwhile, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said in a statement that he was supportive of the legislation after an initial review. He said it appears the bill repeals ACA mandates and the medical device tax but also provides North Dakota with more funding to help low-income individuals access health insurance and supplement Medicaid along with flexibility.

It also preserves coverage for pre-existing conditions and allows individuals to stay on their parents policy until age 26, Hoeven said in the statement.

The North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party pointed to a report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that said North Dakota would see $677 million less in federal funding in 2027 under the Graham-Cassidy bill. Hoevens office, meanwhile, provided a memo stating North Dakota would receive $855 million more in federal funds between 2020 and 2026.
Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has rejected as "unfounded" the impression that the army was behind the ouster of prime minister Nawaz Sharif and said the military had no role in it.



Sharif, 67, stepped down after a Supreme Court bench disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in his office for dishonesty in the Panama Papers case and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the scandal.



Gen Bajwa was responding to questions by members of defence committees of the National Assembly and Senate who visited General Headquarters (GHQ) yesterday.



The parliamentarians had raised many of the oft-discussed issues including security operations, military courts, defence budget, engagement with the US, tensions with India, problems in relations with Afghanistan, and civil-military relations, Dawn reported.



Gen Bajwa dismissed rumours of the army's alleged role in the Panama Papers case as "unfounded" and told the parliamentarians that he was an ardent supporter of democracy and believed in the supremacy of parliament, the paper said.



"One of the parliamentarians, quoting the army chief, said the military had no role in ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharifs ouster, and for him, the current prime minister was as good as the previous one," the paper said.



The powerful army, which enjoys considerable influence over policy decisions in Pakistan, has ruled the country for much of its life since it gained independence 70 years ago.



Last month, Sharif had termed his disqualification by the Supreme Court as a humiliation and said the "conspiracies" to oust him from the premiership had begun over three years ago.



During a brief stay in London this week before heading out to New York for the UN General Assembly session, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said conspiracies against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government were continuing.



Talking about the perception that the defence budget consumed a major portion of national resources, Gen Bajwa said that it comprised nearly 18 per cent of the total budgetary outlay. He added that more money was required, particularly in view of certain acquisitions that had to be made, some of which were overdue.



On the subject of foreign relations, he underscored that putting the house in order was a pre-requisite for getting a respectful position in the comity of nations.



As a principle, he said, Pakistan desired good relations with all other countries especially the neighbours.



Gen Bajwa said he was ready to appear before the defence committee or any 'committee of the whole House' and answer any queries that the parliamentarians might have.



He also said he had congratulated Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif over the PML-N's victory in NA-120 (Lahore) by-poll in which Nawaz Sharif's wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz was elected on the National Assembly seat vacated by her husband.



One of the participants in the meeting said that the engagement was meant to showcase the armys achievements and to highlight the challenges it was facing.



The interactive session, which was originally planned for 30 minutes, went on for nearly three hours, the paper said.



In a statement, the army said the delegation was given a detailed briefing on the evolving security environment including the situation at the borders and Pakistans Army efforts for peace and security.



"The session (with Gen Bajwa) concluded with the resolve to continue our struggle against the menace of violent extremism through a synergetic, whole-of-the-nation approach based on the principle of collective potential and shared responsibility," it added.
The Madras High Court will hear a petition of 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs on Wednesday against the Assembly speaker's action to disqualify them under anti defection rule.



Advocate P R Raman, who represented on behalf of rebel legislators, mentioned his client issue before Justice M Duraiswami today.



Agreeing to hear the petition on urgent manner, Justice asked the counsel to file a proper plea before the court.



Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker P Dhanapal on Monday disqualified for withdrawing support to chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.



Assembly secretary K Boopathy said that disqualification of rebel legislators were done as per the 1986 Anti-defection rules created under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.



Boopathy said all the 18 MLAs have lost their membership of the Legislative Assembly with immediate effect.



Recently, the 19 dissident legislators submitted individual letters to Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao withdrawing their support to Palaniswami government and demanded chief minister's resignation.



However, since Cumbum legislator STK Jakkaiyan, who earlier supported Dhinakaran and later joined Palaniswami group, was exempted from the disqualification



Speaker Dhanapal on September 8 ordered the 19 AIADMK legislators backing Dhinakaran to appear before him on September 14 in connection with the show-cause notice issued to them as to why action should not be taken against them under anti-defection law.



However, expect for Jakkaiyan rest of the rebel MLAs asked for more time to appear before the Speaker.


The role of Indias most wanted man  Dawood Ibrahim  would be probed by agencies in the wake of the arrest of his younger brother Iqbal Kaskar on charges of extortion.



Iqbal and two others  Mumtaz Shaikh and Israr Ali Jamil Sayyed were arrested on Monday night by the Anti-Extortion Cell of Thane police.



On Tuesday, they were produced before a Magistrates court, which remanded them to police custody for eight days.



The three accused have been booked on charges of extorting money and property in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai areas from builders, developers, businessmen and jewellers.



Iqbal Parkar, a close relative of Dawoods sister late Haseena Parkar, and drug dealer Mohammad Yasin Khwaja Hussain were also detained in connection with the case.



Iqbal was arrested from Nagpada by a team led by senior inspector Pradeep Sharma, who has over 100 encounters under his belt.



People were issued threat in the name of Dawood Ibrahim and sometimes shooters were brought from outside the state to forcibly evacuate properties, Thane police commissioner Parambir Singh told reporters.



The Thane police are looking at the possibility of invoking the provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control for Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).



Kaskar had illegally taken four houses from the builder and had been demanding more. The builder had earlier approached him for settling a dispute, which the dons brother did. The building had lodged a complaint with the Kasarwadavali police station which was later transferred to the Crime Branch.



Names of some builders and politicians, including corporators, have also a come up during the investigation. We would probe it. The role of Dawood Ibrahim would also be examined, he said.



It may be recalled in 2003, he was deported from the United Arab Emirates  and subsequently booked in two cases  murder of a Customs department informer and the development of Sara-Sahara shopping complex at the Crawford Market that came on a government land. However, he was acquitted in both the cases by courts.





Iqbal was eating biryani, watching KBC

Iqbal Kaskar was completely unsuspecting when cops came knocking at his doors. Iqbal was feasting on a plate of biryani and watching quiz show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, when Thane police, entered the room and took his custody. He was staying in the flat of his late sister Haseena Parkar, as the building in Pakmodia Street where he stays, had to be vacated after an adjoining building caved in around a fortnight ago, claiming over 30 lives.





Arrest comes ahead of film on sister

It may be a strange coincidence  but the arrest of Iqbal Kaskar  comes ahead of the Friday release of Haseena Parkar, a film based on the life of his late sister. Actress Shraddha Kapoor plays the role of the protagonist while Siddhanth Kapoor portrays the role of Dawood Ibrahim.
The Madras High Court today asked the state government what steps it has taken to check the anti-NEET protests and whether any organisation was instigating the students.



Justice N Kirubakaran, who was hearing a petition filed by a student after the suicide by 17-year-old NEET aspirant Anitha, posted the matter for further hearing tomorrow.



He directed the government to clarify how many protests have been carried out against the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) and whether any cases have been registered so far in this regard.



The court also wanted to know whether any organisation was responsible for instigating the students to protest against NEET.



It also asked why the government was not sensitising the students about the recent directions of the Supreme Court in the matter and whether proper counselling was being conducted for students to appear for the NEET exam.



The judge had on August 24 directed the government to provide counselling to the students, who failed in the NEET for admission in the MBBS course and also to their parents.



The directions came a day after the Supreme Court asked the Tamil Nadu government to apprise it about the steps taken to control the protests over NEET examination which had intensified after the suicide of the Dalit medical aspirant.



The top court had on September 8 asked the state to prevent any agitation over NEET issue which had intensified after the suicide of Anitha.



It had also directed the government to prosecute anyone indulging in any activity that created a law and order problem and stalled normal life in the state.



Anitha had allegedly committed suicide on September 1, a week after the top court had ruled that medical college admissions in Tamil Nadu will be based on the NEET exam.



The apex court had said that every citizen had a fundamental right to peacefully protest and demonstrate, but they cannot cause a situation that resulted in violence and paralysed the law and order situation.

The suicide of the girl had led to widespread protests in Tamil Nadu with many protesters being detained. The petitioner had also sought a judicial inquiry into the suicide.
UN human rights investigators on Tuesday said they needed "full and unfettered" access to Myanmar to investigate a grave and ongoing crisis, but the government renewed its rejection of the probe.



"It is important for us to see with our own eyes the sites of these alleged violations", the head of UN-backed fact-finding mission, Marzuki Darusman, told the Human Rights Council, asking for "full and unfettered access to the country."



"There is a grave humanitarian crisis underway that requires urgent attention", he added.

The council set up the mission in March to investigate possible violations across Myanmar, with a particular focus on alleged crimes committed against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.



Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly denounced the UN probe as unhelpful and vowed that her government would not cooperate with it.



Suu Kyi earlier Tuesday delivered a nationally televised address on the Rohingya crisis, appealing for outside observers to visit Myanmar and see the situation for themselves, in a speech aimed at appeasing an international community horrified by the army-led violence in Rakhine.



But hours after that speech, Myanmar's UN ambassador Htin Lynn re-asserted his government's "position of disassociating herself from the resolution" that set up the fact-finding mission.



"We continue to believe that instituting such a mission is not a helpful course of action in solving the already-intricated Rakhine issue", he told the council.



Darusman had upped the pressure on Myanmar to grant access, arguing it was "in the government's interest and in the interests of the people of Myanmar to communicate their views and evidence directly to the (UN) mission."



He added that the probe "had urgently dispatched a team to Bangladesh", where more than 400,000 Rohingya have fled army operations in recent weeks.



The UN investigator, an Indonesian national and veteran of past UN investigations including a ground-breaking report on slave labour in North Korea, warned that Myanmar had the "danger signs" of a crisis that could worsen.



He noted reports that some in majority Buddhist Myanmar had spread propaganda that "compared the Rohingya to pests".
A day after the Assembly speaker disqualified 19 rebel AIADMK MLAs supporting ousted leader TTV Dhinakaran, Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is likely to meet the governor CH Vidyasagar Rao shortly.



The governor, who met President Ram Nath Kovind and Home Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday, arrived Chennai in the afternoon.



Vidyasagar Rao, who is Governor of Maharashtra and holds additional charge for Tamil Nadu, is yet to take a decision on the opposition parties demand to convene the Assembly for conducting floor test in the House.



The meeting with the governor assumes significance as the Palaniswami government has the support of 113 MLAs and to prove the minimum majority, he required only 108 members from the total 215 assembly strength (after the disqualification of 18 rebel MLAs).



Sources from the ruling AIADMK said that Palaniswami is expected to meet the Governor in a day or two.
Mob boss Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar, arrested in connection with an extortion case, was today sent to eight days police custody by a court here.



Apart from Kaskar, the court also remanded in eight days police custody, his two associates, who were arrested today after their detention last night.



Kaskar was arrested by the anti-extortion cell of the crime branch of Thane city police last night from Nagpada in central Mumbai. He was presented before Judicial Magistrate R I Ingle today.



The police told the court that his custody is required as they need to interrogate him, get his voice samples and verify his links with the shooters from Bihar in the extortion racket.



The police also informed the court that they are in the process of finding out as to how many people have fallen prey to Kaskar's extortion racket, which they said has been in operation for years.



Kaskar and his associates had been allegedly threatening a prominent builder in Thane, in Dawood's name since 2013 and extorted Rs 30 lakh and four flats from him, police have said.



Kaskar was last night taken into custody from his sister Haseena Parkar's house in Nagpada area of central Mumbai, by a Thane police team led by encounter specialist and the anti- extortion cell's senior police inspector Pradeep Sharma.



Kaskar was questioned till late last night by the crime branch officials and then formally arrested. His two aides, Mumtaz Sheikh and Israr Ali Jamil Sayyad, were also arrested.



There was a tight police security at the Thane district court premises as people thronged to witness the proceedings in the case.
Three months after he allegedly attacked a nurse and spat on another, a criminal summons is active for the man accused in the matter.

Gary Collen, 29, of Bismarck, is charged with a Class C felony count of simple assault on fire or emergency personnel. Court documents say in June he punched an emergency room nurse in the chest after becoming verbally and physically aggressive in a triage room.

He also reportedly punched one of her arms, grabbed one of her breasts and kicked her left leg multiple times as she tried to leave the room.

Another nurse stepped in to remove Collen to another room. Court documents say Collen spat in his face as he tried to move Collen to a bed.

Collen was reportedly a patient at Sanford Medical Center then. It's unclear why.

He was charged Monday for the June 18 incident.
The screech of incoming fire followed by an explosion resounds across forested hillsides near the border between North and South Korea.



Battalion Commander Rob Kimmel of the U.S. 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, scanned the village at the base of a mountain for the tell-tale smoke.



"That's enemy fire trying to attack R.O.K. forces located there," says Kimmel - referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.



This is a drill.



It is just one of several that major world powers are engaged in on, over and near the Korean peninsula, amid heightened tension in the wake of North Korea's increasingly frequent missile tests and its sixth nuclear test this month.



The U.S. soldiers are conducting a joint exercise with their South Korean allies, and the mission for the day is to recapture a village in enemy hands.



There is an occasional crack of gunfire from soldiers in combat gear, hiding in the buildings, and prowling round corners of the village, which has been specially created for military training.



About 700 troops are engaged in the four-day drill, called Warrior Strike 8, near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) - the world's most heavily defended frontier.



South Korea and the United States are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.



Such drills are held regularly, but the military has invited media to observe one for the first time in two years, said Kim Hyon-sok, public affairs specialist of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division.



The U.S. military has described the exercises as training for readiness "to fight tonight" against North Korea if needed.



Based in Fort Hood, Texas, Kimmel's team is on a nine-month deployment in South Korea.

"We are continuing to train for situations that may arise," said Kimmel. "It's a big milestone type of exercise...we'll do two to three of these while we're here."



North Korea has repeatedly demanded that the United States and South Korea call off joint exercises, which Pyongyang view as provocative.



A day earlier, U.S. and South Korean warplanes ran bombing drills over the peninsula.At the same, China's official Xinhua news agency reported that China and Russia began naval drills off the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok, not far from the Russia-North Korea border.



The Xinhua report did not link the exercises to the ongoing tensions over North Korea, which are expected to dominate the United Nations General Assembly in New York later on Tuesday.



China and Russia have repeatedly called for a peaceful solution and talks to resolve a brewing crisis over North Korea.



Asked whether the drill near the border would make the North Korean side fearful of the allies military capabilities, Kimmel replied: "I'm not sure, but I would hope they are." (Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Rebel Congress leader and former Gujarat chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela on Tuesday announced support to a newly-formed political front in the state Jan Vikalp Morcha for the forthcoming Assembly polls in the state.



Vaghela, who had in late 1990s through an experiment of a third political entity - Rashtriya Janata Party - failed to make any electoral dent in the state that witnesses straight fight between BJP and Congress, this time is treading cautiously. Jan Vikalp is just a political front and not a political party, Vaghela told mediapersons in Ahmedabad.



Jan Vikalp Morcha was formed by Parthesh Patel, advisor for online media to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in that past and to Shankarsinh Vaghela in the recent past announced formation of Jan Vikalp Morcha after recent Rajya Sabha polls. We are planning for not just 2017 polls but beyond that too, Patel had said earlier.



Vaghela, on Tuesday said that Jan Vikalp would have a positive approach and work as an alternative force to garner public anger against ruling BJP and ineffective Congress.



It is a myth to say that an alternative political force cannot work in Gujarat. Through Jan Vikalp we will provide a platform to anyone willing to serve people. Those who want to benefit from people are not welcome, Vaghela said.

Even Aam Aadmi Party, NCP or JD(U) or anyone who is in sync with our ideology is welcome to join this third front. We will support them too.



Vaghela went on to say that his political front would try to field candidates to all the 182 Assembly seats. We would hold primaries and the candidates would be decided by the people themselves. No one needs to be approached for candidacy but people, he said.



Vaghela, who has engineered rebellion in both BJP in late 1990s and recently in Congress, said that people in the state were fed up with both the parties and desparate for change.



Though Vaghelas current move is seen to benefit BJP by eating in to votes of Opposition parties, sources say that his relationship with BJP has run into rough patch post loss of Balwantsinh Rajput - Congress rebel turned third BJP candidate in Rajya Sabha polls.



Vaghela, who had walked out of Congress in July along with 13 rebel legislators, said that none of the 10 rebel Congress legislators who have joined BJP would be part of Jan Vikalp.

They (10 Congress rebels) have gone to BJP on their own volition. Mahendrasinh (Vaghelas son) too is independent and you need to ask him about his leanings. As for me I am not joining any political party nor am I going to contest elections, Vaghela said.
Chakma and Hajong refugees who fled to India from Bangladesh more than five decades ago are set to get limited citizenship in India, but officials say they cannot be given land or tribal rights as that may trigger conflict.



India's home ministry last week said it would comply with a 2015 Supreme Court order to grant citizenship to some 54,000 Chakma and Hajong, who are Buddhists and Hindus, respectively.



But following protests from the northeastern states where most of them had settled, a senior official said the Indian government would appeal the order so that the rights of indigenous people in these states are protected.



"We are trying to tell the Supreme Court that giving Chakmas and Hajongs the same rights is not acceptable to us," junior home minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters on Monday.



The chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh state, where most of the refugees live, has said such a move would change the demographics of the state which has a predominantly tribal population with special rights including over land.



India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, which spells out refugee rights and state responsibilities to protect them.



Nor does it have a domestic law to protect the more than 200,000 refugees it hosts, including Tibetans, Sri Lankans, Afghans, Bangladeshis and Rohingyas from Myanmar.



They are all considered foreigners by law, with limits on their movement within and outside the country, and barred from government schools and jobs, as well as welfare benefits.



BALANCE OF POWER



The Chittagong Hill Tracts region in the southeast of Bangladesh has been the site of violent ethnic conflict for decades, displacing tens of thousands of indigenous people from what was then East Pakistan.

The Chakma and Hajong settled in India's Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya and West Bengal states.



"The Chakma and Hajong have been hanging around for decades without any rights, so there is definitely a need to give them sort of citizenship," said Walter Fernandes, a senior fellow at the North Eastern Social Research Centre in Guwahati in Assam.



"But giving tens of thousands rights in the small northeastern states can be a problem. Jobs are not plentiful, land is scarce, and it can shift the balance of power in small constituencies," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.



The decision to grant citizenship to the Chakma and Hajong comes as India is under fire for its plan to deport some 40,000 Rohingya Muslims who face persecution in Myanmar.



On Monday, India's home ministry told the Supreme Court its hardline stance was justified by the security threat posed by the immigrants, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled to Bangladesh, from where many have crossed into India.



Analysts say granting citizenship to the Chakma and Hajong is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government's plan to favour non-Muslim immigrants.



The government's Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 proposed to make illegal migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians eligible for citizenship.



Earlier this year, the government began issuing Tibetan refugees Indian passports. They can get limited citizenship rights, and cannot own land.

The Chakma and Hajong refugees - who are half as numerous as Tibetan refugees in India - want full rights, a representative said.



"Citizenship is our legal right, and we must get all the rights that an Indian citizen has, including over land," said Paritosh Chakma, secretary general of the All India Chakma Social Forum lobby group.



"We are also a tribal people, we have lived here a long time, and our traditions and customs are the same. The concerns about stealing jobs and land are not valid." (Reporting by Rina Chandran @rinachandran, Editing by Katy Migiro. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.)
A massive search operation was underway on the Indo-Nepal border districts in the eastern Uttar Pradesh region following reports that Honeypreet Singh, the alleged adopted daughter of rape convict Dera Sachha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been spotted in Nepal.



Police sources here said on Tuesday that an alert had been sounded in the border districts of Gorakhpur, Maharajganj and others after the reports and the security agencies were conducting frisking before allowing people crossing the borders or entering the country.



''Some other followers of the Dera may also try to cross the border and flee to Nepal,'' said a police official in Maharajganj district, about 300 kilometres from here.



Honeypreet, whose name figured in the most wanted list of Haryana police, was reportedly sighted in Nepal, though the police in the border districts in eastern UP did not confirm the same.



Police officials said that pictures of Honeypreet had been pasted on the walls on almost all the roads leading to the Nepal borders. One could see her pictures on the border-bound buses also, sources said.



An official in Maharajganj said that there were a large number of followers of Dera Sachha Sauda in Nepal also and Honeypreet could easily find refuge there if she has fled to Nepal.



Intelligence sleuths have fanned out in the border districts, sources said adding that the Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB), which manned border security, has also been put on the alert.



Honeypreet had been absconding since the day Gurmeet Ram Rahim was sent to jail following his conviction in the rape case. She was said to be the most trusted aide of the Dera chief.
Moscow has requested the extradition of a Russian national also wanted in the United States for laundering billions of dollars through a Bitcoin exchange he operated, a judicial source said Tuesday.



Alexander Vinnik, who headed BTC-e, an exchange he operated for the Bitcoin crypto-currency, was indicted by a US court in late July on 21 charges ranging from identity theft and facilitating drug trafficking to money laundering.



He has been languishing in a Greek jail since his arrest on July 25 in the tourist resort of Halkidiki, near the northern city of Thessaloniki.



According to the judicial source, Vinnik said he would not contest Moscow's request, dated August 10. He is wanted there on separate fraud charges totalling 9,500 euros ($11,000).



According to US authorities, Vinnik, 37, "stole identities, facilitated drug trafficking, and helped to launder criminal proceeds from syndicates around the world."



In addition, BTC-e "was noted for its role in numerous ransomware and other cyber-criminal activity," receiving more than $4 billion worth of bitcoin over the course of its operation.



BTC-e, founded in 2011, became one of the world's largest and most widely used digital currency exchanges, but according to the indictment, it was "heavily reliant on criminals" engaged in identity theft and drugs, as well as corrupt public officials.



Vinnik was also charged with receiving funds from the infamous hack of Mt. Gox -- an earlier digital currency exchange that eventually failed, in part due to losses attributable to hacking.

The Treasury Department has fined BTC-e $110 million for "wilfully violating" US anti-money laundering laws, and Vinnik $12 million.

In July, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin hailed Vinnik's arrest and indictment, saying that cracking down on illegal uses of the cyber currency is a key goal of US regulators.



The Greek justice system will now have to decide whether Vinnik heads to Moscow or Washington.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stocktaking of the economy has been postponed pending finance ministry putting together a comprehensive presentation on the reasons for slowdown and remedial measures it proposes.



Modi was to meet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian and other top officials in the finance ministry this evening to analyse the economic situation and explore options to stimulate the economy.



The meeting has been postponed by a few days, official sources said. No new dates have been proposed as yet.



Prime Minister's Office has asked finance ministry to hold consultations with key ministries to prepare a matrix of government revenues and spending as well as the measures needed to arrest the decline in GDP growth, the sources said.



Sectoral reasons and action points would be prepared, they said, adding that high level discussions with ministries such as railways to assess the capital requirement for the year were held yesterday and more such meeting would follow.



Similar discussions are planned with the road transport and highways ministry to assess spendings on infrastructure projects.



Discussions, attended by Additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, P K Mishra, are also happening with commerce and industry ministry on exports.



Two years ago, India was touted as a rare bright spot in a gloomy global economy with GDP growth outpacing a slowing China. But since early 2016, GDP growth has fallen for six consecutive quarters, dipping to three-year low of 5.7 per cent in the April-June quarter with India losing the fastest growing economy tag to China for the second straight quarter.



The sources said the government is keen to address structural problems facing the economy as well as transient issues with implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

GST was was touted to boost growth by up to 2 percentage point but technical glitches in the first two months of implementation has only created a scare of revenues falling way short of expectations.

Sources said two issues the PMO wants fixed quickly are sluggish exports and private investment not picking up.



Demonetisation of old 500 and 1000 rupee notes, which constituted 86 per cent of the currency in circulation, had impacted cash-dependent informal sectors of the economy and small enterprises.

Sources said targeted government spending given the limited fiscal space available particularly on infrastructure, combined with quickly fixing the problems with GST and focusing on sectors and industries that create jobs are the prime focus.



The government is concerned at the stuttering growth despite a benign macroeconomic environment with easy money flowing in, global growth reviving, government revenues looking solid, deep foreign exchange reserves, reasonable oil prices and a decent monsoon keeping food prices in check.



Besides falling GDP growth rate, exports are facing strong headwinds and the industrial growth is the lowest in five years. The current account deficit (CAD) - the difference between inflow and outflow of foreign exchange, has risen to 2.4 per cent of GDP in April-June. CEA Arvind Subramanian had last week briefed the Prime Minister on macro-economic situation.
A teenager Dalit girl who was stalked for days, then gang-raped, humiliated and later threatened with dreadful consequences died in a hospital in Haryana on Monday after she consumed poison.



Far away from the spotlight generated in the DJ Varnika stalking case, involving the son of Haryana BJP president, the incident in the hinterland is a shrill reminder of the rot that exits. Unlike in the Varnika case, where her bureaucrat father and family supported their daughter in her quest for justice against the powerful wrongdoers, the Dalit family, unfortunately, preferred to keep mum on the issue even after the teenager was raped.



The victim girl suffered the ordeal for nearly a month before she finally decided to commit suicide.



The family stays in village Palwan in Jind district of Haryana where the crime took place.



The three accused men of the village grouped her in the fields and raped her. The victim narrated the entire incident to her parents the same day. But the Dalit family decided against going to the police. Instead, they visited the family of the accused with a request that they should counsel their boys to stop harassing their daughter in future.



Nothing changed and the victims harassment continued, in fact escalated. The stalking prolonged and the victim would often be asked to accompany them. When she declined, the accused would paste sketchy information of the incident outside the victims house in an attempt to warn her of more public shame in case she planned to complain against them and refused to accompany them whenever they desired. The victim girl could not bear the shame anymore and committed suicide.



The three accused are on the run. The police said three persons, Rahul, Praveen and Kala, have booked under relevant IPC sections of rape, criminal intimidation, SC/ST act and abatement to suicide. Teams have been constituted. The accused will be arrested soon, superintendent of police Jind said.



Victims father regretted saying he kept quite after the incident out of the fear of social stigma that his daughter will face if the case is brought to the notice of the police.
Appealing for peace on borders, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday sought an end to hostilities between India and Pakistan saying it is the people of the State who suffer the brunt of these skirmishes.



"People of Jammu & Kashmir are the worst victims of this hostility which has led to the killing of people, dislocations and damages to the property on both the sides. The skirmishes along the border areas in the State have led people to frequent migrations and leading to a life of pitiable conditions," Mehbooba said while addressing a public rally near the Line of Control Tanghdar Karnah area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district.



She said peace in the State and between the two South Asian neighbours holds key to the progress and development in the region.



"It is unfortunate that when people should have been demanding facilities of schools, hospitals, playfields and hospitals, they are forced to seek construction of bunkers to save them from firepower. It is a point to ponder that what have the people achieved from the hostility of 70 years," the Chief Minister said.



Flagging friendship as the only way forward, Mehbooba said with peace and cooperation new vistas of progress and development for the people could be opened.



Worried over widening the gap with her voters after months of political unrest, Mehbooba embarked on an ambitious plan to reconnect with the people in far-off villages in the Valley. On Sunday, she spent a day listening to the elders and youths in the volatile Pulwama district of south Kashmir.

This is the first time since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani's death last July, that the chief minister interacted with the public.



"The public interactions in villages are aimed at trying to rebuilt the nearly lost legitimacy of the government and winning back the foot-soldiers of party by carrying out developmental work at a fast pace," a senior PDP leader said.
He was master of the sprawling Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters at Sirsa till past August 28. But, now incarcerated, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will spend his time in jail growing vegetables, pruning trees-- eight hours a day just for Rs 20.



The 50-year-old self-styled godman, who boasted of millions of followers, is lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for raping his two disciples.



A special CBI court had sentenced him to 20 years in jail, 10 years each in two rape cases, on August 28. And the 'pita-ji', as his followers used to call him reverently, was stamped as prisoner number 1997.



Adjoining his barrack, there is a small plot of land where he will grow vegetables, K P Singh, DGP (jails), Haryana, told reporters toady in Panchkula.



"He has already taken up his work."Whatever he produces will be used in the jail mess.

Born in the Sri Gurusar Modia village in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district on August 15, 1967, Ram Rahim used to help his landlord father in farms during his early years.



"In jail, he will also prune trees adjoining his barrack. He will get Rs 20 per day for farming work, which falls under the unskilled work category," the DGP (jails) said.



Normally, eight hours is maximum a prisoner is allowed to do, he said.He described the high-profile inmate as a "disciplined prisoner" as he dismissed reports that Ram Rahim was being extended any special treatment.



"It is (a) baseless and imaginary (report). No prisoner in jail is given any special treatment and that includes Ram Rahim," he said, adding there is no TV set in his cell.

"He is living in jail like any other ordinary inmate and he is living like a disciplined inmate. He is being provided the same food as given to other prisoners."



Asked for his response over reports which quoted some inmates, who have come out of the Sunaria prison, to claim that Ram Rahim is uncomfortable and breaks down in jail, the DGP said, "This is baseless".



"He (Ram Rahim) does not have common contact with other prisoners. Access to his barrack is controlled (for security reasons)," he said.

Media reports about his health and other activities are also without any basis, said the jail officer.

Singh said Ram Rahim has provided two telephone numbers to prison authorities-- one of which is of his adopted daughter Honeypreet, and the other his own number he left behind at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.

But, he has not made any special request to talk to Honeypreet and media reports suggesting this are "wrong", the officer said.



So far, police verification of these two numbers have not been conducted, he said.

He said any prisoner is allowed to submit phone numbers of two blood-relatives whom they can call. Also, Ram Rahim has given 10 names who could meet him in the prison.



"We have sent these names to the Sirsa Police and so far we have got verification of his mother who has already met him," the officer said.

On August 25, the day the self-styled godman was convicted, there was widespread violence in Haryana and other neighbouring states. At least 36 people had died in the violence and arson, epicentre of which was Panchkula.



The Haryana Police has issued a lookout notice for Honeypreet in connection with the violence.

The DGP (jails) also said that Honeypreet, who had accompanied Ram Rahim in a helicopter after his conviction, was not allowed inside the jail. She was asked to sit outside the rest house of the prison and the police were intimated.



He said that for security considerations, Ram Rahim has been lodged in a barrack with only few prisoners who have a track record of "good conduct".



Besides, jail staff with impeccable record have been put on duty near his barrack.

He said prison authorities have taken inputs from various agencies about threat perception to Ram Rahim.



"On security grounds, only a few inmates have been kept in Ram Rahim's barrack. Only those prisoners whom we thought can be put there from security point of view, only they have access to his barrack," he said.



The police had recently conducted a mock drill and alerted PGIMS Rohtak in preparation for dealing with any medical emergency which would involve Ram Rahim being taken out of the prison.

"They just conducted a mock drill, but a section of media associated that to his health. He (Gurmeet) is healthy and doing fine," he said.
Aung San Suu Kyi pledged Tuesday to hold rights violators to account over the Rohingya crisis but refused to blame Myanmar's army, as the UN chief demanded an end to the military campaign and a better deal for the Muslim minority.

In an address timed to pre-empt censure at the UN General Assembly in New York -- delivered entirely in English and aimed squarely at an international audience -- she called for patience and understanding of the crisis which has driven some 421,000 Rohingya out of her mainly Buddhist country.



The Nobel peace laureate vowed to resettle some refugees but offered no solutions to halt what the UN calls army-led "ethnic cleansing" in Rakhine state, where soldiers are accused of burning Rohingya out of their their homes.



Amnesty International said Suu Kyi was "burying her head in the sand" over documented army abuses and claims of rape, murder and the systematic clearing of scores of villages.



At the General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres joined the international outcry.

"The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access," Guterres told the assembly's opening. "They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long."



Supporters and observers say the 72-year-old Suu Kyi lacks the authority to rein in the military, which ran the country for 50 years and only recently ceded limited powers to her civilian government.

"She is trying to claw back some degree of credibility with the international community, without saying too much that will get her in trouble with the (military) and Burmese people who don't like the Rohingya in the first place," said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch.



Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25.



An army-led fightback has left scores dead and sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh.



In her 30-minute speech Suu Kyi reached out to critics who have condemned her failure to speak up for the stateless Rohingya.



Myanmar stood ready, she said, to repatriate refugees in accordance with a "verification" process agreed with Bangladesh in the early 1990s.



"Those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems," she added.



In less than a month just under half of Rakhine's one-million-strong Rohingya minority has poured into Bangladesh, where they languish in overcrowded refugee camps.

It was not immediately clear how many would qualify to return.



But their claims to live in Myanmar are at the heart of a toxic debate about the group, who are denied citizenship by the state and considered to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi's repatriation pledge "is new and significant", said Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar, explaining it would in principle allow for the return of those who can prove residence in Myanmar -- rather than citizenship.



But in the monsoon-soaked shanties in Bangladesh, there was anguish among refugees over how they would meet any requirements.



"We don't have any papers," said 55-year-old Abdur Razzak."If the government is honestly speaking to resolve our crisis then we are ready to go back now," he added. "Nobody wants to live in such squalid conditions as a refugee."



Suu Kyi insisted army "clearance operations" finished on September 5.But AFP reporters have seen homes on fire in the days since then, while multiple testimonies from refugees arriving in Bangladesh suggests those operations have continued.



Without blaming any single group, Suu Kyi promised to punish anyone found guilty of abuses "regardless of their religion, race or political position".



Myanmar's army acts without civilian oversight and makes all security decisions, including its notorious scorched earth counter-insurgency operations.



Suu Kyi insisted Rakhine was not a state in flames. "More than 50 percent of the villages of Muslims are intact," she said.



Around 170 Rohingya villages have been razed, the government admits. Rights groups say satellite evidence shows the damage is more widespread.



With Rakhine in lockdown and the government refusing to issue visas for UN investigators, independent verification is impossible.



Following her speech, the UN repeated calls for "full and unfettered" access.

"It is important for us to see with our own eyes the sites of these alleged violations", said fact-finding mission head Marzuki Darusman.



While stories of weary and hungry Rohingya have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for them among Myanmar's Buddhist majority.



Around 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.



Loathing for the Rohingya has brought the public, including pro-democracy activists, into an unlikely alignment with an army that once had them under its heel.

A siege mentality has emerged, with the UN, international NGOs and foreign media the focus of anger for apparent bias.



Suu Kyi's speech was warmly welcomed in Myanmar even though no Burmese subtitles were provided.



"She told the real situation to the world on behalf of Myanmar people," Yu Chan Myae told AFP.
A rural Flasher farmer accused of fondling two teenage boys denies the allegations and said they were helping him with his bad back.

James Patrick Hopfauf, 50, was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of felony sexual assault. Court documents say for years he inappropriately touched two teenage boys.

One of them, now 19, reportedly told investigators that Hopfauf sexually assaulted him for three and a half years, ending in November. The sexual contact allegedly started with back rubs and led to inappropriate touching.

The 19-year-old also reportedly said Hopfauf hurt him if he struggled.

The second boy, now 18, claimed Hopfauf abused him for a year and a half ending in September 2016, according to court documents.

Morton County officers interviewed the 19-year-old in January. Both victims said they were about 15 when Hopfauf allegedly began assaulting them.

Hopfauf told the Morton County Sheriff's Office he has a bad back and both boys helped him with cracking his back. He denied any sexual contact with them. He also reportedly said he would crack their backs.

Hopfauf's bond was set Tuesday at $5,000 cash. He is to not leave Burleigh, Grant, Morton or Sioux counties, nor have contact with the victims.
A year since the Uri attack, Indian Army anticipates another major terror strike on one of its establishments in Jammu and Kashmir, as Pakistan-backed terrorists stepped up their activities in the northern state.



Army's own intelligence suggests activities in 17 terror launch pads across the line of control and presence of nearly 250 terrorists in the state.



But what compounded the worries of the Army top brass of late is the whereabouts of nine JeM terrorists who went missing after being on the radar of the security agencies for some time.



A dozen of these Jaish-e-Mohammed men infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir valley earlier this month.

Three of these suicide attackers (fidayeen) were killed when they attacked a Jammu and Kashmir police establishment, but the rest fanned out in the hinterland.



Intelligence reports suggested the militants split into the group of three each and were hiding in Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama, according to the sources in the Army.



Anxious about the prolonged lull period, the local Army commanders and JCOs in Jammu and Kashmir have been asked to further strengthen their intelligence network in order to secure advanced information about any such possible attempts.



The last one year was the bloodiest in the recent history of Jammu and Kashmir with 178 terrorists and 69 Indian Army soldiers dying since the cross-border surgical strike.



While the number of ceasefire violation was 228 in 2016, the number of unprovoked firing from across the border already touched 444 by mid-September.

In fact, almost 60% of last year's 228 ceasefire violations happened after the September 29 operation by the Indian Army on terror camps across the border.



After the strike, the camps were strengthened and according to an internal government assessment, these camps now harbour nearly 400 terrorists.



The anti-terrorist grid has been put on high alert in the northern state after the nine ultras went missing.

The Army has deployed two additional battalions on National Highway-44 passing through south Kashmir, but officials admit that security forces were vulnerable in the hinterland.
Global anxieties about a nuclear war are at their highest level in decades, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday as he opened a gathering of world leaders dominated by the crisis with North Korea.

Addressing the high-level debate at the General Assembly, Guterres said millions of people are living in dread as a result of North Korea's provocative nuclear and missile tests.

"The use of nuclear weapons should be unthinkable," Guterres told the 193-nation assembly meeting in New York.

"But today global anxieties about nuclear weapons are at the highest level since the end of the Cold War."



The fear of nuclear warfare "is not abstract," he added. "Millions of people live under a shadow of dread cast by the provocative nuclear and missile tests" carried out by Pyongyang.



The United States backed by Japan, South Korea and its western allies are pushing for a strong international response to North Korea after it conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and fired missiles over Japan.



But China and Russia have warned that US talk of military options to address the North Korean crisis would have a catastrophic result and are pushing for diplomatic talks.



US President Donald Trump, who has threatened North Korea with "fire and fury" unless it changes course, will be in the spotlight on Tuesday when he delivers his maiden address.



Guterres warned that rising tensions were increasing the chance of miscalculation and that "fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings."



He called for a political solution, saying "this is a time for statesmanship."

"We must not sleepwalk our way into war," he said.

Guterres again called on Myanmar to halt its military campaign against Rohingya Muslims, just hours after Aung San Suu Kyi delivered a nationwide address that failed to quell an international outcry.

More than 420,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee violence in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state in what the United Nations has described as "ethnic cleansing."



"We are all shocked by the dramatic escalation of sectarian tensions in Myanmar's Rakhine state," said Guterres.



"The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations, and allow unhindered humanitarian access. They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long."



In her televised address, Suu Kyi insisted that army "clearance operations" in response to attacks by Rohingya militants had finished on September 5 and denied that Rakhine was in flames.



Guterres also spoke out in favour of the Paris agreement on climate change, saying extreme weather events like Hurricane Irma are becoming "the new normal of a warming world."
Maharashtra agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar today said the state government's loan waiver scheme will be implemented from October 15.



"Maharashtra government will transfer sanctioned loan amount to farmers' accounts, who are eligible for waiver. The transfer of loan waiver amount will start from October 15," Fundkar told PTI after holding a meeting of minister's sub-committee for loan waiver.



"We will transfer the amount to the loan account of farmers, and the bank will immediately deduct it to settle the loan amount," he said.



If all the accounts are not verified by October 15, then in first phase amount of all the verified accounts will be transferred. The remaining beneficiaries will get their amount subsequently, said the minister.



"Despite the challenge, we want to complete the execution of loan waiver scheme before Diwali," said the agriculture minister.



The farmers' registration will go on till September 22. The state officials will scrutinise the uploaded information on its portal and finalise the list of potential beneficiaries.



"We are also planning to carry out a public reading of beneficiaries in every village. It will be useful for some cross-check of beneficiaries in the village," Maharashtra cooperation minister Subhash Deshmukh told PTI.



"The decision regarding such public reading of names and loan amount of beneficiaries is yet to be taken," he said.



The Maharashtra government had on June 24 announced a loan waiver scheme to settle loan amount up to Rs 1.50 lakh.



The government has also decided that only one person in the family will get the benefit of the scheme.

The government had claimed that some 44 lakh farmers will get direct benefit of the loan waiver while other farmers, who repay their loan regularly will also get some amount in return.



The total number of beneficiaries thus will be as high as 89 lakh, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had claimed.
The way the students had surrounded their head teacher, who was seated on a chair, in the classroom could give one the impression that the latter must be giving them some lessons.



But it was not so.



In fact, the head teacher was so drunk that he could barely stand or speak and students for whom he had become a laughing stock were busy taking selfies.



The shocking incident occurred at the government primary school at Parsada Nivada village in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district, about 100 kilometres from here on Tuesday.



According to the reports the head teacher Pradeep Kumar, who lived in Kanpur town, reached the school in an inebriated state.



Pradeep, the reports said, was found lying on the side of the road leading to the primary school by a lady teacher of the same school. She, with the help of the residents of the village, managed to bring him to the school.



Reports said that the head teacher had brought a pouch of country-made liquor and consumed it inside the classroom before the students.



For the students, it was quite amusing to see their head teacher behaving in a strange manner. Pradeep would laugh and then start crying and the next moment he was on the ground. The students surrounded him and took selfies. Some also prepared videos. Pradeep's brother later arrived there and took him home.



#WATCH Kanpur: Head teacher at Govt primary school in Bilhaur's Nivada village comes to school in inebriated condition. pic.twitter.com/BvZSpZ6Q7y  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 19, 2017







The matter came to light when the videos went viral on the social networking sites.



Stunned district education officials immediately ordered a probe into the matter. ''We will take stern action against the teacher if the video is found to be true,'' said a senior official of the education department here.



Earlier also there have been instances when teachers reached their schools in an inebriated state.
Days before a wealthy Jain couple from Madhya Pradesh takes monkhood vows, an activist has sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission to stop the initiation ceremony in the interest of their minor daughter.



Sumit Rathore (35) and his wife Anamika (34) recently announced their decision to leave behind their three-year-old daughter and renounce property "worth Rs 100 crore" to become monks under the 'Shwetambar' (white-clad) order of their religion. Sumit had worked in London before managing his family business in Neemuch while his engineer wife Anamika was earlier employed with a mining major.



Kapil Shukla, a Neemuch-based social activist, today said he has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), MP Human Rights Commission (MPHRC), office of state Chief Minister, the district collector and superintendent of police to stop the "deeksha" (initiation) ceremony of the couple, who will be inducted into the 'Shwetambar' order by Sudhamargi Jain Acharya Ramlal Maharaj in Surat on September 23.



Shukla contended that the couple's decision was against the interest of their minor daughter. "Who will look after her? The Jain community should also come forward to stop the ceremony," he told reporters today. MPHRC's 'Aayog Mitra' (representative) in Neemuch district, Bhanu Dave, confirmed the receipt of Shukla's petition.



"We are sending his memorandum to our Bhopal office for further action," he told PTI tonight. Meanwhile, Sumit's cousin, Sandip Rathore, too has expressed reservations over the couple's move to renounce the material world for spiritual pursuits, despite being bound by family duties.



"I take a vow today that I won't stand with folded hands before pontiffs because I love my daughter, mother and father and wife very much. A sadhu's work is to teach, not to give deeksha (vow)," Sandip said in a social media post.



When contacted, he said though renunciation was a "big deed", it should be done after accomplishing one's duties towards family and children.



The Rathore couple is on a vow of silence until their initiation on Saturday. As per the monkhood tradition, their heads will be shaved and they will dress in white robes for their entire life, as practiced by of monks and nuns of the Shwetambar sect.



The couple will also start wearing mouth-cloths after the deeksha ceremony. The mouth cloth is worn by Jain hermits so that they do not swallow any living creature like flies or other tiny insects, even by accident while talking.



Anamika's father Ashok Chandaliya, a former Neemuch district president of the BJP, had told PTI that he would take care of his grand-daughter Ibhya. "I am not against my daughter Anamika becoming a nun," he said. Sumit's father Rajendra Singh, who runs a factory manufacturing gunny bags for packaging cement, had also echoed a similar view.



Sumit and Anamika had decided on the step when their daughter was just eight-months old. Sumit had announced his decision at a function attended by Acharya Ramlal at Surat last month.



"However, the pontiff asked him to seek Anamika's permission. She not only gave her consent but also expressed desire to become a nun. Their families asked them to rethink, but the couple stood their ground," his cousin Sandip had said. He said Anamika was the first student in Neemuch district to win a gold medal in her Board examinations for class VIII.



According to a family member, Anamika did her B.E from Modi Engineering College at Laxmangarh in Sikar in Rajasthan. She had worked with Hindustan Zinc before her marriage.



Sumit holds a diploma in import-export management from a college in London. He worked there for two years before returning to Neemuch to look after his family business. Sandip had claimed that Sumit owns properties "running into Rs 100 crore".



The couple has been married for four years. Jainism emphasises on non-violence and vegetarianism and is followed by less than one per cent of the country's total population.



Earlier this year, a Jain teenage boy from Gujarat, who had scored 99.99 percentile in class XII Commerce examination, took the vow of monkhood.
BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday charged that there were 36 cases registered with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Cabinet colleagues and the state government was trying to hush them up.



Speaking at a party event in Bengaluru, Yeddyurappa charged the government with being the most corrupt and targeting honest officers.



Now, it is a matter of time before the maladministration ends. The BJP will come to power within the next six months, he said and claimed there was a pro-BJP wave in the state.



People have appreciated the various programmes of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, he added.



Retired IAS officer S T Anjan Kumar joined the BJP with his followers in the presence of Yeddyurappa.
Local judges are asking the North Dakota Supreme Court to end provisions for out-of-state attorneys assisting cases related to protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

In a petition filed Sept. 11, Presiding Judge Gail Hagerty wrote that South Central District judges would like the state's highest court to terminate the relaxed rules for pro hac vice attorneys not licensed here but authorized to assist with DAPL cases. Hagerty wrote that only active attorneys of record should be allowed to continue, and no new DAPL-related cases are being filed.

"There is no longer any justification for dispensing with the general rules for pro hac vice practice," Hagerty wrote.

The provisions were adopted in January for out-of-state attorneys to assist DAPL-related defendants while sponsored by a state-licensed attorney.

Andrea Carter, of the Water Protective Legal Collective, said a need still exists for pro hac vice attorneys in DAPL-related cases.

"As of Sept. 11, there were still 159 cases without representation or any appointed counsel. How can the court say that there is not still a need?" Carter said. "We are actively working on taking on cases and filing appearances for these existing 159 unrepresented parties, many of whom both do not qualify for court-appointed counsel and cannot afford to retain a private attorney."

WPLC is a nonprofit that helps arrange legal counsel for DAPL-related defendants.

"We are not trying to supplant all the appointed counsel and private attorney capacity but rather fill the gaps and unmet needs," Carter said. "There is no need to proactively set firm and arbitrary deadlines by which these rules and this program will end."

Hagerty wrote that 11 attorneys of 36 admitted under the provisions have never been attorneys of record.

Attorney Bruce Nestor has been licensed in North Dakota since January, when he began sponsoring several pro hac vice attorneys in cases here. He said the legal system is stacked against the defendants in DAPL-related cases.

"From law enforcement, to the prosecutors to potential jurors, a deep bias and prejudice against anyone who opposed the Dakota Access Pipeline has been evident," Nestor said. "This petition by the judges in the South Central District is unfortunate because it makes it appear that the judges are also biased against these defendants."

Nestor added that the pro hac vice provisions have saved North Dakota taxpayers money and ensured fairness.

"Rather than seeking to shut the program down, the program should be praised and expanded," he said.

Carter also said pro hac vice work has saved taxpayers' dollars, adding that WPLC attorneys operate pro bono.

Trial court administrator Donna Wunderlich said the judges' petition came from discussion at a Sept. 7 meeting. All South Central district judges were present except for Sonna Anderson, Bruce Romanick and Thomas Schneider, she added. Nine district judges oversee the South Central Judicial District.

Wunderlich said Monday that 409 DAPL-related criminal cases are now closed, 323 are still open, 99 are inactive with warrants and one is on appeal.

Supreme Court Clerk Penny Miller will accept emailed comments regarding the judges' petition until 4 p.m. Oct. 2.
Two Union ministers, Prakash Javadekar and Piyush Goel, who have been deputed to Karnataka by BJP chief Amit Shah, will undertake a tour of districts for feedback from district leaders and workers to fine tune the party's election strategy.



Javadekar, who handles Human Resource Development (HRD) portfolio, will tour Hyderabad-Karnataka districts of Bidar, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Yadgir and Ballari for three days from September 21. Goel's programme will be announced later.



Javadekar said there has been an immediate improvement in the BJP's internal cohesion following party chief Amit Shah's interactions and dialogue with the state BJP leaders and workers last month.



"There is complete unity of purpose among the Team BJP, which is ready for the electoral battle as many issues have been sorted out at various levels," Javadekar told DH.



The HRD minister recalled that he and Railway Minister Piyush Goel had the opportunity recently to listen to more than 200 party leaders who gave a number of suggestions and ideas on ways to improve the BJP's preparations for the election. "All their proposals were of positive nature and not one of them had made any negative suggestion or complaint against anyone. They want the party to win handsomely. Karnataka BJP is more united than before."



Refusing to go into details, Javadekar said, "The unity of purpose will see BJP candidates are selected by the party's election committee on the basis of sheer merit. All apprehensions about one group or the other dominating the selection process will be misplaced."



He said the central thrust of the BJP campaign will be to highlight the "failures" of the Congress government in the state in the last five years as well as on what Karnataka can gain when the state starts implementing various programmes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government under the party's administration.



Javadekar said emotive issues that were sought to be raised by the Congress would not click as "the people of Karnataka are yearning for a total change and they will not appreciate the attempts to divide them on the basis of language, groups and sub-groups."



He said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's last-minute rollout of welfare schemes would also not alter the mood of the people, especially farmers and the poor. "People are asking why the state government waited so long for these schemes" he remarked.



"Our target is to win more 150 seats and Team BJP will sincerely work for that goal. There is new found confidence. Once our campaign moves into full gear, the people will sense the mood for a change in more telling way," Javadekar said.



Javadekar said attempts to rake up issues like the imposition of Hindi by the BJP-led Centre would not cut ice as "our government respects all regional languages including Kannada."
Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to set up Cauvery Management Board to supervise distribution of river water and not leave the responsibility to the Centre.



The state represented by senior advocate Shekhar Naphade contended before a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, that it had to suffer for 25 years because of frictional relationship with Karnataka on the issue.



During the hearing on civil appeals against tribunals decision of 2007, the bench quizzed Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar for not implementing the final award of the Cauvery Tribunal in 2007.



Kumar, for his part, submitted that the Centre did constitute supervisory committee on the apex courts direction.



He said the government had sought certain clarifications on the tribunal award, but decided to wait for the apex courts decision. Kumar pointed out that the tribunal award was not clear about water release during times of distress. Nariman, on the other hand, said there was no clarity in the award in times of surplus too.
The parents of city-based pianist Karan Joseph, who died in Mumbai after he jumped from the 12th floor of a building on September 9, believe that their son did not commit suicide and there was foul play in his death.



They suspect the involvement of Rishi Shah, at whose apartment Karan was staying and where the tragedy occurred. They demanded that the case should be investigated as a murder and the role of Shah and others should be thoroughly looked into.



According to the parents, Shah, CEO of Crossbones Media, had befriended Joseph after listening to him at a performance in August. Shah apparently wanted Karan to sign an exclusive contract with him for his magazine RAVE and wanted him to stop playing with other musicians.



Rishi requested us to come to Mumbai to discuss the contract. This is why my wife and I went to Mumbai. On meeting us in August, he made tall promises and we blindly believed him, assuming he had Karans best interests at heart, Karans father Dr Thomas Joseph said in a press statement.



Shah also offered to buy Karan an expensive keyboard called The Prophet. However, Shah did not mention the contract in his statement to the Mumbai police, the parents say.



Thomas raised the issue of several messages that Karan had sent to his friends the night before and on the morning of the incident. The messages indicated that he feared for his life and someone was intimidating him.



They pointed out that



evidence may have been tampered with or destroyed as the police did not seal the apartment till 2.30 pm, though the body was taken away at 9 am. Rishi and a few others were in the apartment when Karan fell to his death.



Media reports denied



They denied reports in the media that Karan had been depressed and was financially troubled.



Thomas said his wife received a WhatsApp message from Shahs secretary on September 11, threatening of consequences if the parents did not help them control the situation. Karan had earned a scholarship to study music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA.



He had been performing at various venues in New York for two years, before he moved back to India. Karan had been based in Mumbai since March 2013.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused the BJP-led Centre of tapping phones of Congress leaders in the state.



It is not the state government, but the Centre that is tapping phones, Siddaramaiah told reporters, reacting to BJP leader R Ashokas allegation that the Congress government had tapped the phones of BJP and JD(S) leaders. Tapping phones of opposition party leaders is something our government has never done and will never do. But the Centre has been tapping our phones, which the state BJP is not aware of. We havent played it up, because its a small thing, he said.



Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, too, claimed that the Centre had resorted to espionage. Its true that the phones of 30-35 Congress leaders are being tapped. Its been happening for many days, Reddy told DH. He, however, refused to name leaders whose phones were under surveillance.



This is not the first time the state Congress is alleging that phones were being tapped. Late last month, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice-president Prof B K Chandrashekhar accused that the Centre was using a mobile company to tap phones.



Ashoka dared Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy to institute an inquiry. The ruling Congress had tapped 162 mobile numbers belonging to BJP and JD(S) leaders. I was a home minister. I have reliable information, Ashoka said. Phones belonging to terrorists or rowdies can be tapped, but theres no provision to tap phones of politicians. Let there be a departmental inquiry or a CBI probe into this, he said.
All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Tuesday rejected BMRCLs claims that employees in supervisory role cant be members of an union.



In response to a report carried by DH on Tuesday, AITUC District General Secretary M D Harigovind said the Trade Union Act, 1926 guarantees the right to freedom of association to all employees, irrespective of whether they are supervisors or otherwise.



Supreme Court verdicts have upheld the rights of workers employed in public utility services to be under the scope of the term Industry under the Industrial Disputes Act, he said. According to him supervisory staff are also covered under the definition of workmen under the Industrial Disputes Act.



He said even categorisation of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) as an essential service does not preclude or undermine the right to freedom of association (unionisation rights) in any manner whatsoever. Several railway unions across the country and the KSRTC and BMTC staff and workers' union are ample testimony to this fact, he said.



Harigovind said BMRCL was yet to have service rules prescribing the service conditions of the employees. This is an unfair labour practice and illegal, he added.
Dinesh (name changed) had to walk over 5 km to school as his parents could not afford a bicycle.



Today, Dinesh is among the many students from villages who cycle to school thanks to the effort of a city-based software engineer.



Three years ago, the sight of two girls playing with a broken cycle inspired Sampath Ramanujam, a city-based software engineer and founder of Anvaya Foundation, to start 'Freedom Pedals', an initiative of donating unused bicycles to poor students in government schools in villages.



Under the initiative, Ramanujam and his dedicated team have already donated over 300 bicycles to various government schools in villages of Karnataka.



"When I saw those two girls playing happily with a broken bicycle, I thought about unused bicycles which can be used by children who travel many kilometres to schools as they cannot afford a cycle. This way, 'Freedom Pedals' was born," said Ramanujam. "I found that about 40 to 50 cycles were lying unused in various blocks of my apartment as the children grew older or did not have time to cycle," he said.



Ramanujam, along with his team, started a drive for collecting these unused cycles and got them repaired for donating to government schools.



The team gets calls from donors all over the city. This year, they have already got over 200 calls. After receiving calls, Ramanujam arranges for a vehicle to transport the cycles.



A batch of 50 cycles is donated to every government school. The team recently donated cycles to K Dommasandra Government School and will donate another batch of cycles to Seegehalli Government School on Saturday.



These cycles have helped hundreds of poor students to ride to school. It has changed the lives of my students. They are so happy. They take care of their cycles and are more excited to come to school, said Venkataramaiya, principal of K Dommasandra Government School.
India on Tuesday for the first time acknowledged that the exodus of Rohingya from Myanmar was a result of the operations carried out by the security forces of that country.



Rajiv Chander, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN offices in Geneva, told the international organisations Human Rights Council in Geneva that the current spell of violence in the Rakhine State of Myanmar had been triggered off by a series of terrorist attacks, which had led to the loss of lives amongst the security forces as well as the civilian population.



Subsequent operations by the Myanmar security forces in the state resulted in a large outflow of people, he acknowledged in a statement to the UNHRC.



New Delhis earlier statements on the situation in the western state of Myanmar did not link the operations carried out by the security forces of the neighbouring country with the exodus of Rohingya to neighbouring Bangladesh.



India on Tuesday also asked the international community to help Aung San Suu Kyis government in Myanmar implement Kofi Annan panels recommendation for long-term solution to the conflict in her countrys Rakhine State.



As Suu Kyi finally ended her silence on the exodus, New Delhi stated that international community, including United Nations agencies, needed to continue to engage constructively with her government in Naypyidaw.



India did not comment on Suu Kyis speech in which the State Counsellor of Myanmar said that her government did not fear international scrutiny to the crackdown launched by the countrys armed forces in response to attacks on security posts by militants in Rakhine State on August 25. But New Delhis envoy presented a statement on the issue to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva shortly after Suu Kyi delivered her speech.



Chander noted that New Delhi was deeply concerned at the recent spate of violence in Rakhine State of Myanmar.



We urge that the situation in Rakhine State be handled with restraint, focusing on the welfare of the civilian population, said Chander. He called upon the international community to recognise Bangladeshs role in extending humanitarian assistance to over 3,00,000 refugees from Myanmar.




Amid the political drama in Tamil Nadu, Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao arrived in Chennai on Tuesday. Rao holds additional charge of Tamil Nadu along with Maharashtra.



The governor, who met President Ram Nath Kovind and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday, is yet to take a decision on the Opposition parties demand to convene the Assembly for conducting a floor test.



A source in the ruling AIADMK said that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is likely to meet the governor soon and brief him on the prevailing political situation in the state.



Palaniswamis meeting with the governor assumes significance as he has the support of 113 MLAs and to prove a majority, he needs the support of 108 MLAs in the 215-member Assembly - 18 rebel MLAs have been disqualified.



He (Palaniswami) held a meeting with his senior Cabinet colleagues and discussed the possible meeting with the governor, a senior AIADMK leader said.



The governors visit to Chennai comes a day after Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal disqualified 18 AIADMK rebel MLAs under the provisions of the anti-defection law.



Also, the Madras High Courts stay order on holding a floor test ends on Wednesday.



The court will hear a petition filed by the 18 rebel MLAs on Wednesday against the Speakers move to disqualify them for withdrawing support to the Palaniswami government.



Advocate P R Raman, who is representing the rebel legislators, mentioned his clients issue before Justice M Duraiswami on Tuesday.



Agreeing to hear the petition, the judge asked the counsel to file a proper plea before the court.
The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit will host a walk/run in support of the St. Vincent de Paul Friends of the Poor program. The event will take place beginning at Shelter 7 at Sertoma Park at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 1. Registration is at 1 p.m.

Proceeds will Bismarck and Mandan families pay part of their rent for a month, buy groceries, pay electrical bills, find furniture and clothes and to purchase utensils and cookware. In addition, funds enable the program to help many find a job, daycare or meet travel expenses.

This walk, requiring a freewill donation, helps to raise awareness as well as funds to support those in the community who are suffering. The walk, which had about 55 participants last year, will follow Cottonwood Loop. Participants can register online at http://svdpbismarck.org/ or they can register the day of the walk.
13 September 2017 (Survival International)  Brazilian Indians have appealed for global assistance to prevent further killings after the reported massacre of uncontacted tribespeople, and have denounced the government cuts that left their territories unprotected.Paulo Marubo, a Marubo indigenous leader from western Brazil, said: More attacks and killings are likely to happen. The cuts to FUNAIs funding are harming the lives of indigenous people, especially uncontacted tribes, who are the most vulnerable. (FUNAI is Brazils indigenous affairs agency).Mr. Marubo is the leader of Univaja, an indigenous organization defending tribal rights in the Uncontacted Frontier,the area with the highest concentration of uncontacted tribes in the world.COIAB, the organization representing Indians across the Brazilian Amazon, denounced the massive cutbacks to FUNAIs budget that has left many tribal territories unprotected:We vehemently condemn these brutal and violent attacks against these uncontacted Indians. This massacre shows just how much the rights of indigenous peoples in this country have been set back [in recent years].The cuts and dismantling of FUNAI are being carried out to further the interests of powerful politicians who want to continue ransacking our resources, and open up our territories for mining.Unconfirmed reports first emerged from the Amazon last week that up to 10 uncontacted tribal people had been killed by gold miners, and their bodies mutilated and dumped in a river.The miners are reported to have bragged about the atrocity, whose victims included women and children, in a bar in a nearby town. The local prosecutors office has opened an investigation.The alleged massacre was just the latest in a long line of previous killings of isolated Indians in the Amazon, including the infamous Haximu massacre in 1993, in which 16 Yanomami Indians were killed by a group of gold miners.More recently, a group of Sapanawa Indians emerged in the Uncontacted Frontier, reporting that their houses had been attacked and burnt to the ground by outsiders, who had killed so many members of the community that they had not been able to bury all the bodies.All uncontacted tribal peoples face catastrophe unless their land is protected. Survival International is campaigning to secure their land for them, and to give them the chance to determine their own futures.Survivals Director Stephen Corry said: The decision by the Brazilian government to slash funding for the teams that protect uncontacted Indians territories was not an innocent mistake. It was done to appease the powerful interests who want to open up indigenous lands to exploit  for mining, logging and ranching. These are the people the Indians are up against, and the deaths of uncontacted tribes wont put them off. Only a global outcry can even the odds in the Indians favor, and prevent more such atrocities. We know public pressure works  many Survival campaigns have succeeded in the face of similar odds.

Amazon Indians plead for help after massacre

By Karla Mendes

12 September 2017

RIO DE JANEIRO (Thomson Reuters Foundation)  Endangered indigenous tribes are increasingly facing threats from miners in the Amazon rainforest amid budget cuts to the Brazilian government agency responsible for protecting them, local officials and activists say.A federal prosecutor in Brazils Amazonas state has launched an investigation into a reported massacre of at least 10 members of an uncontacted tribe by gold miners in a remote area along the Jandiatuba river, close to Perus border.A unit of the indigenous affairs agency, Funai, was recently closed, leaving indigenous lands exposed to invaders, activists say.There is an ongoing inquiry into the case but I cannot speak about its content in order to not prejudice the investigation, federal prosecutor Pablo Beltrand told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.If confirmed, the massacre would be one of the worst such tragedies since the murder of 16 Yanomami indigenous people in 1993.Funai officials in Amazonas received an audio clip with miners bragging about the crime, said Gustavo Souza, acting coordinator of Funais ethno-environmental protection front at Vale do Javari, where the murders allegedly took place.Souza said he heard miners in the recording saying there were women and children on the river bank and they shot them.In the audio, one of the miners said you know, I do not mistake a shot, Souza told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. He also saw a picture of a hand-crafted paddle that reportedly belonged to the indigenous tribe.The number of invasions in indigenous lands in Vale do Javari has been increasing amid budget cuts  part of austerity measures aimed at lifting Brazil out of its worst recession in decades.With budget cuts this year, there was a reduction of Funais team in the area by half, Souza said.Although Vale do Javari is one of the largest indigenous reserves in the country, it is patrolled by just 10 Funai officials.The officials attempt to monitor an area of 85,000 sq km, home to largest number of uncontacted indigenous worldwide. [more]

Reported murder of uncontacted tribe exposes mining threats in Brazils Amazon

11 September 2017 (CBC)  A few weeks ago, gold miners were overheard at a bar in Brazil talking boastfully about killing and stealing the belongings of between eight and 10 members of an uncontacted community in the Amazon.

Someone recorded that bar talk, and now the miners are the subjects of a federal investigation in Brazil.

The miners reportedly had in their possession a hand-carved paddle that most likely came from deep within the Amazon, according to the agency investigating the case. The alleged killings are believed to have happened last month.

According to reports, the group of remote tribe members were looking for food near a riverbank when they bumped into a group of miners.As It Happens host Carol Off asked Jonathan Mazower for more details about the story. Hes the media director for Survival International, a London-based NGO and the group that helped uncover the story. Heres part of their conversation.Mr. Mazower, what were these gold miners doing in this area in the first place?Well, theyve been prospecting along the main river in this area, the Jandiatuba River, for many years. And although there was an operation quite recently to move some of them, theres a lot still there. These Amazonian tributaries do contain gold and are now suffering from a real invasion of gold prospectors. The price of gold is so high it really makes it worth their while to get to these remote areas. And, of course, that brings them into contact and conflict with the Indigenous people who live there. [more]

Miners who boasted about killing uncontacted Amazon tribe members now under investigation
Nayanthara Is In New York To Celebrate Vignesh Shivans Bday
The new camera sensor is built upon a basic two-chip design and makes use of an additional DRAM chip. The sensor will be able to click faster photos and record slow-motion videos at 1000 fps.

Samsung is reportedly working on its own 1000 fps camera sensor which can be used to capture photos really fast or for recording slow motion videos at nearly 1000 fps. Sony was the first to build a mobile camera which is able to capture 1000fps videos. It was able to do so by integrating an on-chip memory with its camera sensor. The Motion Eye camera featured on the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZ and the recently launched Xperia XZ1 sported Sonys 1000 fps sensor. According to a report by Korean website ETnews, Samsung Semiconductors is working on building a similar sensor by this November. It plans to use it in its next generation of Galaxy S smartphones.

Samsung is reportedly employing a design which uses a traditional two-layer CMOS sensor along with an additional DRAM chip joined externally. The report also said that Samsung is using this design to avoid certain patent infringements. Sony has also designed its camera with an on-chip memory which enables users to shoot consecutive photos in 1/120th of a second. Sony says its new camera is four times faster than other chips. This was possible as Sony built a three-layer CMOS sensor which follows the pixels, control logic, and memory architecture.

Samsung may be using a simpler two-chip design, however, the report states that the company has an advantage over Sony. The 1 Gigabit DRAM chip used by Sony for its image sensor is supplied by Micron, however, Samsung has in-house factories to produce both the image and camera sensors. At present, Samsung uses both, its own and Sony-made sensors and this development could mean that the company may be moving towards housing its own complete camera system aboard its future smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is the second half flagship smartphone from the South Korean company. The smartphone features dual cameras, improved S Pen and is priced at Rs 67,900.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8, the dual-camera flagship smartphone is now available for pre-order from Amazon India. The smartphone was launched here on September 12 and it is priced at Rs 67,900. As part of pre-order, the e-commerce giant is offering a free wireless charger and one-time screen replacement at Rs 990.

The Galaxy Note 8 was announced last month as Samsung's second flagship of the year and replacement to last year's ill-fated Note 7. In India, Note 8 buyers can get the device at no cost EMI and HDFC Bank credit card users get Rs 4,000 cashback. Reliance Jio is also offering 448GB additional 4G data with the purchase of the Galaxy Note 8.

The smartphone continues on the Infinity Display design language first seen on the Galaxy S8 series. It features a 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display with dual curved edges and is powered by the company's own Exynos 8895 chipset. The smartphone comes with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage further expandable up to 256GB via SD card slot.

The Galaxy Note 8 is the first Samsung device to sport a dual rear camera setup. The Note 8 features dual 12MP rear cameras with one wide-angle lens and another telephoto lens. The primary 12MP sensor has 26mm focal length, f/1.7 aperture, dual-pixel autofocus and optical image stabilisation. The secondary 12MP sensor has a focal length of 52mm enabling 2x optical zoom with f/2.4 aperture and optical image stabilisation. The handset gets the 8MP front camera with f/1.7 aperture and autofocus also found on Galaxy S8 series.

The Galaxy Note 8 also comes with an improved S Pen offering improved sensitivity and new software features like translation and live message. The handset comes with dedicated Bixby button, which can be disabled to prevent from accidental launch. The Note 8 also supports Samsung DeX, which turns the smartphone into a full-fledged computer.

On the software front, the Note 8 runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat with TouchWiz UI and it is backed by a 3300mAh battery. The Note 8 differs from Galaxy S8+ primarily in terms of its dual camera setup and S Pen functionality. The smartphone supports Samsung Pay contactless payment and will be available in maple gold and midnight black colour options.
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

COUNCIL, Idaho (AP)  A 1915 historic courthouse in Adams County is slated to be demolished after the abandoned building was condemned in the spring.

KTVB-TV reports that the Adams County commissioners on Friday sought bids for contractors to gut the more than 100-year-old courthouse that sits atop a hill in the town of Council.





. . .
Subscriber content preview

PORTLAND (AP)  Amazon has announced plans for a third Oregon fulfillment center.

The company said Monday that online orders will be filled, packed and shipped at the center based in Portland, creating more than 1,000 full-time jobs.





. . .
Subscriber content preview

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  The retiring CEO of one of two utilities that abandoned a nuclear power project in South Carolina argues against selling the pieces, saying the reactors will be completed someday.

Santee Cooper CEO Lonnie Carter told senators Monday that the utilities should not walk away from this investment. He questioned whether it makes sense to sell parts off to reduce debt now only to have to buy them at full cost later.





. . .
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.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday held a ministerial trilateral meeting with the United States secretary of state, Rex W Tillerson, and Japanese minister of foreign affairs Taro Kono during which the leaders of three nations exchanged views on maritime security, connectivity and proliferation issues. They emphasised on the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes amidst an aggressive China asserting its hegemony in the South China Sea challenging rights of other nations sharing the sea. They also discussed connectivity initiatives and the need for basing them on universally-recognised international norms, prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nation states. "The ministers emphasised the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a statement. "On connectivity initiatives, the importance of basing them on universally recognised international norms, prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity was underlined," he added. Swaraj also deplored North Korea's recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable, Kumar said. The meeting was held in the backdrop of Doklam crisis and assertive Chinese behaviour as it looks to extend its influence into neighbouring countries through building inftrastructre. China is in hot pursuit of territorial ambitions both on land and sea and is deep into disputes in both the South China Sea, the East China Sea as well as with neighbours in its south and its north. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs all of South China Sea, where countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter-claims. On land, Beijing last month ended a 73-day standoff with India in Doklam area of the Sikkim sector after China's move to build a road in the border area. Swaraj is scheduled to address the United Nations on 23 September. Besides, she will have a series of meetings including with Tunisian foreign minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay as well as with Danish foreign minister Anders Samuelsen, Latvian foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics, and her Bolivian counterpart Fernando Huanacuni Mamani. Swaraj will also participate in a high-level meeting on UN reforms, hosted and chaired by US President Donald Trump. President Trump has backed a more democratic UN even as he warned that "bureaucracy" was holding the United Nations back, repeating his earlier criticism that the world body was a mere talk shop. Trump also warned that as a founding member of the UN and its biggest financial contributor the United States wants a better return on its investment. Trump will also take aim at "rogue regimes that threaten world stability and peace," singling out Pyongyang and Tehran during his half hour remarks and arguing responsible nations must step in to curb their behavior.










India on Monday slammed Pakistan in the United Nations, calling it the ''face of international terrorism'' and a "terrorist manufacturing unit".

Speaking at the 36th United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session, India asked Pakistan to shut down terrorist manufacturing factories and bring the perpetrators of terrorism to justice.

Exercising India's 'right of reply' to Pakistan's speech, Dr Vishnu Reddy from the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva said, "Pakistan's unsolicited and unwarranted comments pertaining to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir are factually incorrect and absolutely misleading. We reject them outright."

Reddy further said, "The foremost challenge to the stability of the region is the scourge of terrorism. Pakistan's malicious attempt to hide its interference behind a facade of domestic discontent carries no credibility with the world."

India also raised the issue of alleged human rights violations by Pakistan in Balochistan, an issue that India has been raising in all international forums.

Reddy said, "Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is run by a 'deep state' and has become an epicentre of terrorism. [Islamabad's] human rights record in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Baluchistan is deplorable."

India went on to apprise the UNHRC of the evidence on cross-border terrorism that New Delhi has shared with Islamabad.

"Pakistan has been the face of international terrorism. Even the Foreign Minister of Pakistan has admitted that internationally banned outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), are operating from within Pakistan. In the wake of growing international concern, Pakistan must shut down its terror manufacturing units and bring the perpetrators of terrorism to justice," Reddy said.


5 African countries approach control of their HIV epidemics

Data released today (Tuesday, 19 September) from the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) show that the HIV epidemic is coming under control in Lesotho. These results add to prior PEPFAR-supported Population-based HIV Impact Assessments (PHIAs) announced in the last nine months for Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Together, the data demonstrates impressive progress toward controlling the HIV epidemics in the five countries. The latest data also indicate that the None of these achievements would be possible without the political will and leadership to focus resources for maximum impact in each of these countries.previously expanding epidemic in Uganda has now stabilised.

According to the new Lesotho PHIA results, HIV viral load suppression - a key marker of the body successfully controlling the virus - has reached over 67 per cent among all HIV-positive adults ages 15-59. This finding suggests that Lesotho is on track to achieve epidemic control by 2020, through reaching the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 targets and expanding HIV prevention.

Uganda's epidemic has likely stabilised due to increases in coverage of voluntary medical male circumcision for HIV prevention and expansion of HIV treatment, including for HIV-positive pregnant women.

Building on this progress, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson today released the new PEPFAR Strategy for Accelerating HIV/AIDS Epidemic Control (2017-2020). The strategy reaffirms the US government's leadership and commitment, through PEPFAR, to support HIV / AIDS efforts in more than 50 countries, ensuring access to services by all populations, including the most vulnerable and at-risk groups.

The strategy outlines plans to accelerate implementation in a subset of 13 high-burden countries that have the potential to achieve epidemic control by 2020, working in collaboration with host governments, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UNAIDS, and other partners. Through this international effort, we expect not only to control the epidemic, but also to reduce the future costs required to sustain the HIV/AIDS response.

"With five African countries approaching control of their HIV epidemics, we have the extraordinary opportunity to change the very course of the HIV pandemic over the next three years," said Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, MD, US Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. "We are deeply grateful for Secretary Tillerson's bold leadership and clear vision in launching this landmark strategy. PEPFAR is poised to deliver on it, showing that what once seemed impossible is now possible."

Data from these six countries was gathered through national surveys (PHIAs), which are funded by the US government through PEPFAR, and conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ICAP at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, and local governmental and non-governmental partners.

Seven additional countries will complete PHIAs on a rolling basis through 2017-2019, providing an ability to chart and validate their respective progress toward reaching epidemic control by 2020.

"CDC is so pleased to contribute to the global HIV response, working with ministries of health and other partners on science-based solutions that are transforming some of the world's most severe HIV epidemics," said CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald, MD. "National surveys are critical to show the impact of efforts and to chart the path to fully achieve HIV epidemic control."

While the PHIA results demonstrate tremendous progress, they also reveal key gaps in HIV prevention and treatment programming for younger men and women that require urgent attention and action.

In all six surveys, young women and men under age 35 were less likely to know their HIV status, be on HIV treatment, or be virally suppressed than older adults. These gaps are all areas in which PEPFAR will continue to invest and innovate under its new strategy. In particular, PEPFAR will continue to advance efforts to reduce HIV incidence among adolescent girls and young women through the DREAMS Partnership and reach and link more young men to HIV services.

"The findings from the six countries provide a report card on the global and local efforts in confronting the HIV epidemics while at the same time help in shaping a blueprint for their future course as they continue their quest to stem this epidemic," said Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA, global director of ICAP. "The gaps identified in reaching young women and men are relevant to many other countries around the world, and addressing them is critically important to achieving the ultimate goal of ending this epidemic."
A doctor who worked as a Senior House Officer at the Letterkenny University Hospital emergency department is facing a Medical Council inquiry regarding her care of six patients.

Dr Niveen Al-Khayyat is facing allegations of professional misconduct and or poor professional performance in relation to events between January and July 2015.

The inquiry is examining alleged failures in providing safe medical care, in making diagnoses, in documenting treatment plans and in communications with colleagues, RTE is reporting today.

It is also alleged Dr Al-Khayyat caused pain to a patient during a diagnosis.

Dr Al-Khayyat was born in 1960 and qualified in medicine from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1986. She is a Jordanian citizen with an address in Amman and is representing herself at the inquiry via phone link.

The six patients will not be identified by name at the inquiry.

The inquiry has heard that Dr Al-Khayyat worked at the emergency department between February 3rd and July 12th, 2015.

Barrister Lorna Lynch for the Medical Council chief executive said events began when Dr Al-Khayyat made a complaint about four consultants at Letterkenny General alleging unprofessional behaviour and discrimination.

On investigation, these complaints were not upheld by the Medical Council.

In an opening statement today, Dr Al-Khayyat claimed she had been discriminated against and subject to humiliation at Letterkenny.

She said her complaint to Letterkenny on the issues was not dealt with.

Dr Al-Khayyat said she had experience in obstetrics and gynaecology and came to Ireland to get further experience, and Letterkenny Hospital knew she had no experience in emergency medicine.

She said she was badly treated by Letterkenny and also criticised the Medical Council for the way it has dealt with her case.

The inquiry is scheduled to last eight days.

The inquiry has heard details of the six patients involved in the allegations.

Patient A was a 72-year-old male, seen around 11 February 2015, who presented with respiratory problems.

The medication records were 'empty'.

Nurses filled out two 'near miss' events in this case.

Patient B was a 69-year-old male seen around 23 March 2015 complaining of shortness of breath.

It is alleged Dr Al-Khayyat failed to start appropriate treatment.

Another doctor diagnosed respiratory distress and pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics.

In the case of Patient C, a 24-year-old male, there was an alleged failure to record the dimensions of a wound, after a fall from a motorcycle in April 2015.

Three other cases were also dealt with in April 2015.

Patient D was 58-years-old and there was an alleged failure to respond properly to significant respiratory distress.

Patient E was a 24-year-old female who was dehydrated and it is claimed Dr Al-Khayyat made a wrong diagnosis and caused the patient pain when she applied pressure to an area.

Patient F was a 31-year-old female where there was an alleged wrong diagnosis of urinary tract infection, for which antibiotics were also wrongly prescribed.
The contract that maintains Army and Air Force helicopters at Fort Rucker and provides jobs for the largest employer in the Wiregrass may be changing hands.

The Department of the Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command announced recently it has awarded a potential 10-year rotary wing aviation maintenance contract to M1 Support Services of Denton, Texas. L3 Army Fleet Support has held the contract since 2003. The award notice lists the total contract dollar amount as $4.7 billion.

According to terms of the contract, M1 will provide helicopter mechanics and other avionics technicians to assure the fleet of Army and Air Force helicopters at Fort Rucker is maintained.

It is unclear what the change means to the current employees of Army Fleet Support that maintain helicopters at Fort Rucker. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM&AW), the union representing the employees, said more information would be forthcoming soon.

Since 1955, two things (have) been the constant when it comes to the maintenance being performed at Fort Rucker  the first being the IAM&AW and the second is the changing of contractors throughout the 62 years helicopters (have) been flying over Southeast Alabama, said a statement on the web page of the unions local lodge following the award announcement.

As the incumbent contractor, L3 Army Fleet Support has the right to protest the bid. In a statement released Monday by the company to the Dothan Eagle, L3 said it is still gathering information.

L3 presented a strong, value-driven proposal as a prime contractor for the recompetition for Contractor Logistics Support at Fort Rucker. As the incumbent, we are aware of what is needed to deliver on this program and are awaiting a debrief to better understand the Armys decision and evaluate whether to protest this decision, L3 Army Fleet Support said in a written statement.

AFS employees at Fort Rucker struck briefly in 2014 before agreeing to new terms. The AFS contract expired recently and the aviation maintenance contract for Fort Rucker was put out to bid in December of 2016. Four companies bid on the contract.

The number of employees at AFS fluctuates over time. According to IAM Local 2003, there were around 3,000 members of the local union in 2014 when members went on strike.
Resumes for the open Dothan City Schools superintendents job are trickling in, with nine candidates applying for the job thus far.

Thats the update the Dothan City School Board got on the search for a new superintendent Monday, at the last regular meeting of the board before three new members take their seats.

School board attorney Kevin Walding informed the board of the superintendent search status, and reminded board members of the Sept. 30 deadline for applications and the Nov. 28 deadline to choose a new superintendent.

On Monday, the board also approved a new capital outlay budget for the upcoming year. The budget reflects the building an maintenance priorities for the system. Items are addressed as funds become available. Some of the big priorities for the upcoming year include:

Updating and replacing HVAC units. The system has budgeted $1 million, with $200,000 to be spent on this priority each year.

A $250,000 facility assessment of interior systems and toilet rooms.

A $1.5 million project to replace and upgrade HVAC units at Dothan High.

A $750,000 project to repair HVAC units at Carver Magnet School.

A $250,000 project to update Carver Magnet Schools electrical infrastructure.

These are just five of nearly 40 projects on the list.

During Mondays board meeting, board member Brenda Guilford proposed transferring responsibility for student expulsion hearings from tribunals made of school administrators back to the city school board. The board had previously conducted expulsion hearings, but transferred them to administrator tribunals at former Superintendent Chuck Ledbetters recommendation.

Guilford said the board needed direct oversight of expulsions. Board member Franklin Jones said he is concerned about possible racial disparities in discipline.

Board member Ben Armstrong said the tribunals were producing the same results as board expulsion hearings, and saw no reason to change back.

Guilfords motion failed on a 3-2 vote, with board members Susan Vierkandt, Ben Armstrong and Chris Maddox voting against. Guilford and Jones voted in favor.

Board Chairman Harry Wayne Parrish made a final speech as board chairman, urging Dothan to support the school system. Parrish said social media chatter has created an untrue, negative perception of the city school system. Parrish said the community and school system need to cooperate better to create better outcomes for students.
A recent poll revealed that a near majority of Americans believe free speech should not be extended to extremist groups. Another poll found that a large number of citizens favor permitting the courts to fine news media outlets for publishing or broadcasting stories that are biased or inaccurate. (Almost half of Republicans (45 percent) would favor such a policy, and 35 percent say they simply havent heard enough to say.) And in Russia, the government has banned the religious group known as Jehovahs Witnesses.

What is the common thread connecting all three? The idea that error has no rights.

This idea that error has no rights implies that since certain viewpoints are dangerously in error no one has the right to hold such views and the government therefore has a corresponding duty to suppress their expression.

Writing for National Review, Martin Nussbaum and John N. Thorpe explain why this totalitarian concept is not only un-American but antithetical to flourishing and freedom:

Underlying this [Russian] crackdown [on Jehovahs Witnesses] is the idea that error has no rights. It has often (and, John Courtney Murray contends, wrongly) been labeled a medieval teaching of the Catholic Church. Whatever its source, the maxim has substantial appeal: Why should a state tolerate error? If civil unity matters, why risk infection from wrongheaded ideas? Many of the darkest moments in churchstate relations drew strength from this view  from Calvins burning of Michael Servetus to the Inquisition, the beheadings of Bishop John Fisher and Thomas More, and the Saint Bartholomews Day Massacre. Legal rights should protect the good  we repeatedly hear. They ought not be asserted in the defense of evil. Fortunately, both church and state in the West generally reject that totalitarian idea. The history of the American founding is filled with affirmations of the right to follow ones conscience, even when one errs. Some of the most famous defenses of religious minorities come from people who elsewhere criticized their beliefs: Consider Thomas Jefferson, who made no secret of his contempt for organized religion, and his famous letter to the Danbury Baptists (1802). Religion is a matter which lies solely between Man and his God, he wrote, and he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship. The notion of a fundamental right to follow ones conscience crystallized as early as 1776, with the drafting of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. George Masons initial draft granted the fullest Toleration in the Exercise of Religion. James Madison, 26 years Masons junior, insisted on changing that grant to a guarantee that all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience. The distinction, while subtle, is essential: the free exercise of religion is a fundamental right. It is part of every persons DNA  not a gift from the state.

Read more . . .
Once just a hangout for teenagers, Snapchat has matured into an engaging and effective social media platform. If youre trying to reach a younger demographic, its somewhere you probably want to be.

Snapchat is the best channel to reach young people, as they count for more than two-thirds of its audience and are very active users, said Melissa Sanchot, head of marketing and communication atMakeMeReach.

Snapchat is its own world, though, and using it for marketing and advertising means working creatively with its unique features. With that in mind, here are five ways you can use it to interact with your audience, find new customers, and build your brand.

1. Engage Directly

Snapchat users typically are highly motivated and engaged, and youll want to find ways to use that engagement to your advantage.

Its a way to leverage instantness, Sanchot told the E-Commerce Times. Lets say youre a clothes brand and youre wondering which fabric is the best for your next collection. You can directly ask your followers and have immediate responses.

Updating your content regularly gives users a reason to interact with you and enhances their direct engagement with your brand.

Snapchat users are engaging with the app at a very high rate, observed Dario Sheikh, strategic partnership manager at Bidalgo.

They use it throughout the day. While its user base is relatively small, it has a highly relevant user base thats engaging with the app on a regular basis at a high frequency, he told the E-Commerce Times.

2. Influence the Influencers

One of the key features of Snapchat is the ability it offers to reach the followers of influential users. The ability to work with influencers expands your scope, so that your message travels far beyond those who directly follow your brand.

Its an incredible channel for influencers strategy, noted MakeMeReachs Sanchot. You can ask followers to post stories using your product, and make viral campaigns at very low cost.

3. Make Use of Filters

Snapchat offers various filters to business that want to promote their brand, their location, a particular event or a promotion. Experiment with these filters, since theyre a way of personalizing your message and getting it out there  not just to your followers, but to the followers of your followers.

Its a really organic way for your users to self-advertise your business or your offering to their Snapchat followers, said Sheikh. Its a great way for your own users to be brand advocates within their own network.

4. Tell Your Story

Snapchat allows you to use video, photos and text to tell the story of your company. Just remember that its a casual, informal platform. Dont worry about using perfect photos, and avoid any sense of staging, preplanning, or even official messaging.

Snapchat works best for telling behind-the-scenes stories  giving a personal and authentic glimpse into the workings of your company and brand.

5. Be Snappy

If theres one thing thats unique to Snapchat, its the ephemeral nature of snaps and stories. Make use of the fleeting nature of these posts, encouraging quick and direct engagement.

That might mean offering coupon codes to be used almost immediately, or telling stories that are as close to real time as possible.

You only have a day to get your message across and make an impact, which means marketers are pushed to make ads more fleeting and creative, remarked Elizabeth Closmore, global head of product evangelism at Sprinklr.

Snapchats Unique Style

Most importantly, make sure to use the unique marketing and advertising features of Snapchat, and create content thats designed specifically for this platform. In particular, Snapchat users like to do things, and to engage them you have to be fun and interactive.

The ads on Snapchat can be  and have to be  focused on actions to take: product to buy, events to go, things to do, said Sanchot. You cant be descriptive  its not enough.

In other words, become familiar with the language and rhythm of Snapchat, and use that awareness to your advantage.

Snapchat ads are not one-size-fits-all-social-networks, Closmore told the E-Commerce Times.

Marketers cant necessarily copy and paste their Facebook and Twitter strategies onto Snapchat, she pointed out. As such, Snapchat demands that brands create fresh content for its platform and really become familiar with its unique language and style.
As the healthcare industry shifts to value-based care models, patient education and communication solutions increasingly have become an investment priority for care providers and payers. Consumers have many means, whether digital or analog, to acquire medical knowledge and personal health information, and they tend to reach out to their doctor when sick, or when they have complex health questions.

Traditionally, doctors do not proactively reach out to their patients  especially when their patients arent sick. This model is changing, however, due to the increasing popularity of value-based care models. The need for hospitals and doctors to reach out to consumers/patients will increase sharply because of the following factors:

Public and private health payers demand that care providers collect customer satisfaction data (e.g., HCAHPS score) after a care episode, including such data as quality-of-care metrics that directly impact how care providers get paid. Hospitals will face revenue shortfall, plus penalties, if a discharged patient is readmitted within 30 days for the same diagnosis. Proactive patient education and communications are critical to a patients recovery and overall health, making solutions a worthwhile investment for hospitals and health systems. Value-based care models have many different schemes. Most require care providers to be responsible not only for patients episodic acute care needs, but also for their ongoing health and wellness maintenance needs, to reduce expensive medical services. This latter requirement usually is tied to a payment incentive (e.g., extra payout or shared savings). Proactive patient education and communications solutions are critical to preventive cares success, thus becoming a pillar component in many value-based care models.

The defining attributes of a winning patient education and communications solution include being proactive, interactive, personalized and outcome-driven. Scoring well on all these attributes is a tall order, as the overall market for patient education and communications solutions is still in the early stages: Care providers are learning what to deploy and how to deploy, whereas solution vendors are striving to understand what features their customers need, and how to prove value and differentiate against one another.

Market Opportunities

The newfound market interest in patient education and communications solutions has attracted bidders from a variety of backgrounds:

EMR and practice management software providers , such as Cerner, Epic, Athenahealth and Practice Fusion, have repositioned their patient portal solutions for this new opportunity by adding educational content and multimodal communication capabilities.

, such as Cerner, Epic, Athenahealth and Practice Fusion, have repositioned their patient portal solutions for this new opportunity by adding educational content and multimodal communication capabilities. Telecommunication equipment and solution vendors , such as Cisco, Vocera, Voalte and Avaya, began their business relationship with hospitals and care provider organizations by providing telecommunications infrastructure and equipment. Now, they are trying to diversify by extending communications capabilities from inside a care facility to between a care facility and the home.

, such as Cisco, Vocera, Voalte and Avaya, began their business relationship with hospitals and care provider organizations by providing telecommunications infrastructure and equipment. Now, they are trying to diversify by extending communications capabilities from inside a care facility to between a care facility and the home. Customer service center operators such as Teleperformance and West assist care provider organizations in answering customer inquiries, and handle outbound communications needs such as patient surveys and billing. These vendors now view their customers patient interaction and communication needs as an upsell opportunity.

such as Teleperformance and West assist care provider organizations in answering customer inquiries, and handle outbound communications needs such as patient surveys and billing. These vendors now view their customers patient interaction and communication needs as an upsell opportunity. Traditional patient educational content aggregators and curators, such as Krames StayWell, Remedy Health Media and PatientPoint, have been digitizing their content distribution capability and branching out into new media platforms and point-of-care locations for the last decade. For instance, in addition to distributing print booklets and leaflets about diseases and preventive measures, they are developing apps and installing digital kiosks and TV screens inside physician office waiting rooms. They are also interested in forging deeper partnerships with patient communications solution providers to jointly target new growth opportunities in this market.

As these solution providers emerge, care organizations also are remapping their patient communications strategies, and rethinking how they manage patient experiences in and out of clinical settings. Many care organizations recognize that a holistic approach is better and more effective than todays siloed approach, which is centered on patient diagnosis and point-of-care settings.

This recognition gives rise to what Parks Associates views as a second major trend: Care organizations will invest heavily in integrated patient engagement solutions that break the care setting silos, go beyond current state or diagnosis, or both.

Solutions that break care setting silos: Care organizations want to deliver a consumer-centric patient experience no matter where these consumers are  in the hospital, at a doctors office, in a pharmacy, or at their own home. This premise-agnostic approach requires coordinated engagement efforts and efficient information exchanges to deliver context-rich experiences to consumers, regardless of where they are located.

Care organizations want to deliver a consumer-centric patient experience no matter where these consumers are  in the hospital, at a doctors office, in a pharmacy, or at their own home. This premise-agnostic approach requires coordinated engagement efforts and efficient information exchanges to deliver context-rich experiences to consumers, regardless of where they are located. Solutions that go beyond current state or diagnosis: Care organizations recognize that patient education and communication should address both immediate care needs and latent needs arising from other health-risk factors. For instance, when a patient suffers an acute condition like a heart attack, a care organization needs to pass on treatment and recovery information and clinical support requirements to the patient and his family. However, it also would benefit from preparing a series of longer-term clinical and self-care support resources based on the patients unique health profile and post-treatment living environment. The goal is to provide contextually relevant information and support along this patients care continuum to optimize the care outcome.

Emerging Leaders

Parks Associates has identified 24 breakout players in four major categories in the patient education and communications solution market. Some are startups with innovative solutions, whereas others are existing players with the potential to lead this market.

Click Imageto Enlarge

Join Parks Associates at the 4th annual Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers, Aug. 29-31 in San Diego, to learn more about the growing connected health markets.
There are no good outcomes of an electronic data system breach. At best, companies dealing with e-commerce technologies face the formidable task and the resulting cost of repairs.

In addition having to fix information technology systems, companies suffering breaches may be increasingly vulnerable to legal action taken by customers whose personal data was affected. A federal appeals court decision handed down earlier this month underscores the potential legal leverage available to consumers whose electronic records are hacked.

Taken together, the recent decision and similar rulings by other courts significantly expand the circumstances under which consumers may pursue class actions against companies victimized by hackers who access highly sensitive personal information, commented Edward McAndrew, a partner at Ballard Spahr.

The case involves the hacking of nearly 1 million customer records maintained by health insurance company CareFirst. The company suffered the attack in July 2014 but only detected the breach in April 2015. The company notified customers in May of 2015. Shortly thereafter, several customers filed a class action suit against CareFirst, attributing the breach to the companys carelessness, and alleging that customers suffered an increased risk of identity theft as a result of the hack.

Appeal Decision Favors Consumers

CareFirst won the first round. A federal district court dismissed the complaint by ruling that the class action plaintiffs failed to provide adequate support for their claim that the breach caused any substantial harm to customers. The court characterized the assertion of harm as speculative.

However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia earlier this month reversed the district courts decision. The customers allegation of harm was correct, the appeals court said, because the district court had misread the complaint as to the nature of the data involved in the case, and that the plaintiffs had established that personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI) and sensitive information had been hacked.

These categories include Social Security and credit card data, the Chantal Attias v. CareFirst appellate ruling notes.

The appeals court then connected the dots between the type of data involved in the hack and the subsequent potential for identity theft, and determined that the customers had established plausible grounds for suffering harm as a result of the breach.

Nobody doubts that identity theft, should it befall one of these plaintiffs, would constitute a concrete and particularized injury, appeals court judge Thomas Griffith wrote.

The plaintiffs had established that any harm resulting from the breach would be fairly traceable to CareFirst, according to the ruling.

In its submission to the appeals court, CareFirst contended that the customers had failed to show that the risk of harm is certainly impending or has a substantial risk of occurring.

CareFirst, through spokesperson Sarah Wolf, declined to comment for this story.

Companies Face Massive Settlements

The impact on e-commerce could be substantial if customers are allowed to file suit against companies that have experienced breaches without sufficiently establishing harm, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The organization supported CareFirst in the appeals court litigation.

If plaintiffs are permitted to pursue cases like the one against CareFirst, the Chambers members will be mired in lawsuits over breaches that have not caused any actual or imminent harm to the plaintiffs  and yet those cases threaten to extract massive settlements from businesses that were victimized by hackers or thieves, the Chamber of Commerce argued in an amicus brief.

We have nothing to add here, so well let the brief speak for itself, spokesperson Lindsay Bembenek told the E-Commerce Times in response to our query about the decision.

Companies experiencing hacks likely will be unhappy with the results of two other recent cases that reinforce consumers rights in situations similar to the CareFirst incident.

The Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals earlier this year ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a suit filed against Horizon Healthcare Services regarding a breach of records, in which the court upheld the assertion of harm. The Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in a 2015 case decided in favor of the plaintiffs in a suit against Neiman Marcus, citing grounds similar to those in the CareFirst and Horizon cases.

However, in contrast to the CareFirst and Horizon decisions, the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals this spring ruled against the plaintiff in Whalen v. Michaels Stores, finding that the plaintiff had failed to establish a concrete injury sufficient to bring a suit related to a breach of private data.

Establishing the element of harm or injury is essential for affected customers to achieve legal standing for filing suits.

Ultimately, whether data breach plaintiffs can survive a motion to dismiss for lack of standing will continue to be a key issue. The split in the circuit courts will heighten the cost of litigation for all and increases the potential risk of liability for companies facing class action suits based on allegations of increased risk of identity theft after a data breach, wrote Sidley Austin attorneys Edward McNicholas and Grady Nye.

The differences among appeals court decisions in such data breach cases could bring the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court.

I think there is a strong possibility that the Supreme Court will eventually weigh in on how standing doctrine should apply where individuals sue companies that suffer data breaches involving sensitive personal information, Ballard Spahrs McAndrews told the E-Commerce Times.

However, the Supreme Court may wait until a variety of associated legal issues play out in lower courts, he said.

In the meantime, commercial companies must be more vigilant than ever  not only regarding technical issues, but also concerning the legal implications associated with data breaches.

Companies Must Up Their Cybersecurity Game

The D.C. Circuit decision and others like it are likely to lead to an increase in the types and numbers of civil cases filed against organizations that suffer data breaches of personal information. First, and foremost, organizations must develop a track record  provable in a courtroom  of reasonable actions to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, McAndrew noted.

Companies need to create and implement a sound cybersecurity program  including appropriate administrative, technical and physical controls and documentation. Then they must actually follow that program and the policies and procedures that govern it, he said.

In addition, organizations must conduct cyberincident response and internal investigations while anticipating litigation, McAndrew advised.

Litigation invariably involves not only why a breach occurred but also on how an organization responded to the incident.

Not understanding and managing the legal risk related to a cyberincident during the response and investigation phases is one of the biggest mistakes I see organizations of all types make. Too often, incident response activity remains at the information technology and security or compliance levels of organizations, being conducted by individuals with no expertise or experience in how the developing evidence is likely to be used in litigation that follows, McAndrew pointed out.

Bringing the lawyers in later does not work, he said. Unless lawyers are helping to lead cyberincident responses, the die of liability will likely be cast well before the incident response process ends.
Malicious code has been discovered in two versions of Piniforms CCleaner housekeeping utility, the company disclosed on Monday. Piniform is owned by Avast, whose security products are used by more than 400 million people.

The malware infecting CCleaner could give hackers control over the devices of more than 2 million users. CCleaner is designed to rid computers and mobile phones of junk, such as unwanted applications and advertising cookies.

Two versions of the program were modified illegally before they were released to the public, Piniform said.

However, the threat has been neutralized, according to Piniform Vice President Paul Yung, who explained that the rogue server the hackers used to control the code is down, and other servers no longer are in the attackers control.

All users who downloaded the infected version of the program for Windows, CCleaner v5.33.6162, have received the latest version of the software. Users of CCleaner Cloud version 1.07.3191 have received an automatic update.

In other words, to the best of our knowledge, we were able to disarm the threat before it was able to do any harm, Yung said.

Machine Wipe Recommended

Despite those reassurances from Piniform, more drastic action may be necessary, suggested Craig Williams, the senior technical leader at Cisco Talos.

Because the malware remains present, even after users update the CCleaner software, Talos advises all users to wipe their entire computer  remove and reinstall everything on the machine  and to restore files and data from a pre-August 15, 2017 backup, before the current version was installed, he told the E-Commerce Times.

It is critical to remove this version of the CCleaner software and associated malware, since its structure means it has the ability to hide on the users system and call out to check for new malware updates for up to a year, Williams explained.

Beyond the immediate threat, there may be problems with data loss, noted Morey Haber, vice president of technology at BeyondTrust.

While the upgrade may remove the malware, leaked data has potentially been transmitted and could be used at a future time, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Users should consider changing all privileged passwords to mitigate the risks of any leaked credentials, Haber recommended.

Serious Threat

What makes an attack like this particularly pernicious is that theres very little users can do to protect themselves from it.

For most threats, there are security practices users can take in order to lower the chances of getting infected, said Itsik Mantin, director of security research at Imperva.

In this case, there was really nothing the victims could do, he told the E-Commerce Times. The software was properly signed, so they had every reason to trust it.

The threat faced by CCleaner users is serious, said Nathan Wenzler, chief security strategist at AsTech Consulting.

The malicious aspect of the software allowed for remote administration of a machine that had the compromised version of CCleaner installed, he told the E-Commerce Times.

An attacker would have full access to the system, including anything a user did while logged on, such as inputting credit card information to a shopping site, Wenzler explained, or user names and passwords when logging in anywhere.

Could Have Been Worse

Fortunately, Piniform addressed the problem before it escalated.

The threat was mitigated quickly by the software vendor before they believe any harm was done, noted David Pickett, a security analyst with AppRiver.

The data exfiltrated to command servers was computer names, IP addresses, list of installed and active software, and a list of network adapters, he told the E-Commerce Times.

They dont believe any sensitive user information was obtained  such as credit card numbers, social security numbers or the like, Pickett added.

The threat was real but limited, according to Chris Roberts, chief security architect at Acalvio.

It was a first step type of thing, where the actual launching of an attack to harvest data wasnt finalized, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Supply Chain Vulnerable

Supply chain attacks  hackers poisoning products before they reach customers  appear to be on the rise.

Were seeing more of these types of attacks, said Neil Wetzel, director of security research at Cygilant.

Thats because were doing a better job of hardening the front-end user experience, he told the E-Commerce Times.

A recent supply chain attack caused damage around the world.

The Ukrainian software company MeDoc had its software update servers breached earlier this year, leading to the NotPetya worm, noted Sean Dillon, a senior security researcher at RiskSense.

This kind of supply chain poisoning has plagued software in the past, and we are seeing more of it in recent times, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Attackers have been targeting commonly used applications and platforms because they can be easier than targeting organizations directly, and they may get a higher rate of return, observed Dan Dahlberg, a research scientist at BitSight.

Organizations need to be vigilant, he told the E-Commerce Times, and continuously monitor the security of critical organizations, applications, and platforms present within their supply chain.
The Pirate Bay has come under fire for testing a Monero javascript miner as a possible means for generating new revenue to replace its current model of making money through advertising on the site.

It used a cryptocurrency miner from Coinhive, essentially hijacking the processing power of its own users to help generate revenue, TorrentFreak reported last week.

Limited Options

Monero is an open source digital currency, like bitcoin, with one important difference.

Monero is one of the few valuable cryptocurrencies that can be mined with CPU power, which is why it is the choice for many malware miners, said Sherrod DeGrippo, director, emerging threats, at Proofpoint.

Cryptocurrencies usually are mined with CPU power initially, she told LinuxInsider. Users then find ways to speed up the hashing before going to GPU. They build specialized hardware and field programmable gate array (FPGA) chips to carry out the hashing function in order to mine much faster.

Monero uses cryptonight algorithm, which so far as we can tell is fastest on CPU, DeGrippo added.

The miner has caused many users to see a sudden unexplained jump in CPU usage.

While few would quibble with the sites need to find additional revenue streams, some users were angered by the lack of prior notice.

You didnt make an effort to let us know beforehand?? commented user Zhangsun. You seem to lack respect for your users.

In the future, all coining scripts would be blocked, said Zhangsun, who also promised to notify the public the next time The Pirate Bay attempted to use any sneaky tactics on its users.

Par for the Course

That The Pirate Bay would engage in cryptocurrency mining doesnt come as a shock, given the issues it has dealt with over the years in seeking revenue  but in this case, the price of the ticket could be the long-term trust of its users, said Ed Cabrera, chief cybersecurity officer at Trend Micro.

Pirate Bay is a peer-to-peer file sharing service, and their primary income is advertising revenue. However, the revenue tends to be modest by comparison to the explosive growth of cryptocurrency in the last two years, he pointed out.

Ad-sponsored sites basically are user funded, to the extent that users want to endure ads and vendors want to place ads in front of those users, observed Paul Teich, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

The proper, civilized thing to do would be to offer users a range of funding options, such as ads, mining cryptocurrency and perhaps a simple annual donation, he suggested.

But Pirate Bay is, well, Pirate Bay, Teich added. If Pirate Bay elected to pirate some cycles from user computers, would we really not expect that?

Damage Done

The notion that The Pirate Bay effectively would borrow resources from its own users is not the problem, suggested Jessica Groopman, principal analyst at Tractica.

The outrage stems from the way it was done, she told LinuxInsider.

The notion of exploiting underused compute from across the network is one weve seen other businesses and universities consider as a way to leverage computing resources at night time or while students are away for the holidays, so this in and of itself is not far fetched, Groopman said. What raised eyebrows and anger around this was that Pirate Bay did so without informing its users.
A group of the worlds top technology leaders, led by Tesla founder Elon Musk, on Sunday published an open letter urging the United Nations to ban the use of artificial intelligence in weapons systems, amid growing concerns that autonomous killer robots could wind up taking control.

The group of 116 companies, most of which specialize in robotics or artificial intelligence, argued that the growing use of AI could revolutionize modern warfare in irreversible ways and pose a danger to nation states.

Lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare, the letter states. Once developed, they will permit armed conflict to be fought at a scale greater than ever, at timescales faster than humans can comprehend.

Such weapons could be placed in the hands of terrorists, the letter points out. Despots could use them against innocent civilians. Further, cybercriminals possibly could hack them, turning the weapons against innocent victims.

AI All Stars

Among the signatories to the letter are many of the worlds top names in AI: Musk, who also is founder of SpaceX and OpenAI; Mustafa Suleyman, founder and head of applied AI at Googles DeepMind; Esben Ostergaard, founder and CTO of Universal Robotics in Denmark; and Jerome Monceaux, founder of Aldebaran Robotics.

A key figure behind the letter, Toby Walsh, a professor of AI at the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia, presented it at the opening of the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Melbourne, Australia. The annual event is considered the worlds most important gathering of AI experts.

Walsh also was behind a 2015 letter that warned of the dangers of using AI in autonomous weapons development, noting that such systems could spark a public backlash that would create long-term damage for AI technology in general.

Walsh likely will attend the next UN Convention on Conventional Weapons meeting to discuss the open letter, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Building Consensus

Sundays joint statement from the worlds leading experts in the field could mark a turning point on the issue.

A group of 123 member nations of the UNs Review Conference on the Convention on Conventional Weapons last year unanimously agreed to begin formal discussions on the use of lethal autonomous weapons, University of New South Wales officials said. So far, 19 member nations have called for an outright ban.

AI specialists previously have raised questions about the potential for lethal autonomous weapons to create very destructive and lasting security issues for the world.

Musk just last month got into a public spat with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the potential for unregulated AI to put the public at increased risk.

Musks position is that global regulatory changes must be enacted to maintain long-term peace and security, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

However, past history makes it difficult to imagine a scenario where many global powers would be willing to [accept] such restrictions, he told the E-Commerce Times. Some would argue that they require such weaponry for their own protection, where others will say the threat of robotic firepower will deter their enemies from pursuing war.

It is possible that the outlook portrayed by Musk and others is more than a little hyperbolic, suggested Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

This is a person that is promoting the augmentation of humans through technology and the use of AI for self-driving cars, he told the E-Commerce Times, but AI in robots is bad? Didnt anyone see Maximum Overdrive?

Tech Industrys Responsibility

The question of whether or how to regulate lethal AI weaponry is one that is deeply connected to values, suggested Ryan Gariepy, CTO of Clearpath Robotics, which previously had called for an outright ban.

It is a choice between using AI for good versus using it for lethal means, Gariepy, who was the first to sign Sundays letter, told the E-Commerce Times.

Clearpath and its founders have made a conscious decision to align their business values to their personal values of using technology for good.
ECSU, World Travel and the University Choir Changed Edward Colsons Life

Edward Colson will tell you, he never figured he would travel abroad, seeing foreign lands, meeting foreign people, and experiencing new cultures such as those he experienced this past summer. But he will also tell you that being an Elizabeth City State University student changed all of that.

Last summer, the ECSU senior traveled to Bulgaria and Greece with several other students, under the guidance of the director of the University concert choir, music professor Dr. Walter Swan, to perform and tour just a small part of Eastern Europe.

I couldnt imagine traveling outside of the country so I never even thought about applying for a passport, said Colson, 26, an ECSU sociology major.

Colson grew up in rural eastern North Carolina. When he arrived at ECSU, he recalls not knowing a soul, but someone suggested he think about the University concert choir as a way to get involved in campus life outside of classes.

I wasnt sure at first, Colson said of auditioning for the choir. But he had experience singing in choirs as a boy. So being new to the ECSU campus, and realizing that he would need something more than class and study time, Colson went to his audition.

I thought it would be something that would get me out of my room, recalled Colson. So I signed up with the choir. Its been a learning experience.

Under the direction of Dr. Swan, Colson and other students have learned to sing classical choral pieces, sing in foreign languages, and be a part of something which requires not only commitment, but also a willingness to learn new things. Colsons willingness, and his desire to learn, landed him an invitation to join Dr. Swan on a tour which included not only the professors performances, but also students.

Dr. Swan performed as a soloist with the Greenwich Choral Society. Colson and his fellow students performed with the choir, an experience that he said was, really cool.

But it was the experience of immersing himself in other cultures for the first time that made what Colson describes as a lasting impact on him.

The experience has taught me that there is so much out there and there are so many people not only in the U.S., but other countries that want to learn, Colson said. It was something that you would have to experience, walking the roads and viewing it as a tourist and observing the interaction of the people.

Colson said he toured a number of museums, walked along the Aegean and Black Seas, and did a whole lot of people watching. Over all, he says the experience opened his eyes to more possibilities in life.

It really allowed me to learn more than words can express, he said. It has motivated me to be a better person, to be aware of myself, of my peers, and aware of my professors. It has given me a chance to realize that there is more to life.

Colson says this experience has sparked a strong desire in him to travel more in the future. But in the present, however, there is plenty of work to be done.

After Colson graduates from ECSU in the spring, he will go on to earn a graduate degree in divinity and hopes to teach at a university level. And singing, he says, is not out of the question, either.

If I can balance working, going to grad school, and possibly singing, then I think Ill give it a try, he said.
Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
The grinding, two-year process of drafting accountability plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act has upended states K-12 political landscape and laid bare long-simmering factions among power brokers charged with putting the new federal education law into effect this school year.

The details tucked into dozens of plans being turned in to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos this week were hammered out by a hodgepodge of elected and appointed officials from governors and legislators to state school board members and local superintendentsduring sometimes sparsely attended meetings, caucuses, and task force sessions.

Further complicating matters, 12 governors, half the nations state superintendents, and half of legislatures education committee chairpersons are new to office since the passing of ESSA in December 2015, when significant policy leeway was handed back to the states from the federal government.

The problem with devolution and decentralization is that, by definition, youre going to get a lot of variation ... in terms of effort, political will, and the effectiveness of those efforts, said Patrick McGuinn, a political scientist at Drew University in New Jersey who has studied state and federal policy and followed the implementation of ESSA.

In many cases, politicians, lobbyists, and membership organizations used their political prowess, technical expertise, and longevity to successfully push their agendas in the crafting of 51 state-level ESSA accountability plans.

Friction Points Hammering out plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act has been a source of tension for rival policymakers in many states. Governors

Governors in Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, and Wisconsin rejected their states ESSA plans after the required 30-day review process. The plans can be submitted without governor approvalindeed, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos approved Louisianas planbut such a thumbs-down indicates to the federal Education Department that theres not political consensus over details. State Boards of Education

In states such as Delaware, North Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia, legislatures attempted to strip the powers of their state boards of education over key education policy areas even as the states readied their approaches to ESSA implementation. In North Carolina, the state board sued the legislature over an education law passed during a special session that board members said violated the states constitution. Legislatures

Lawmakers in states such as Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, and West Virginia passed bills that dictated components of states ESSA plans regarding school accountability and testing. That left local superintendents and state board members frustrated. State Chiefs

State superintendents in Alabama, Colorado, and New Mexico resigned in the middle of the ESSA-planning process after high-profile debates over key policies, leaving practitioners in the lurch and states in some instances making last-minute changes. Source: Education Week

But the nature of state politics left out other groups, some of which will spend the coming months restructuring their spending and staffing priorities to more effectively lobby in the inevitable battles to come over the new law.

The politics of federalism is going to dramatically change going forward, said Sandra Vergari, a political scientist at the State University of New York at Albany who has studied federal education policy. Following all 50 states is going to be a lot more work for us scholars, policy analysts, and advocates.

Unlike prior federal versions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, ESSA required meaningful stakeholder engagement in crafting state planswithout defining who a stakeholder is or how much or what type of engagement needs to be conducted.

Many state superintendents said shortly after ESSA was passed that they had a natural incentive to put an end to years of polarizing debates over standards, accountability, and testing. But as the ESSA planning process unfolded, power grabs ensued in a number of states. Those traditionally in charge of education policy sparred with each other and with lawmakers eager to take on a share of the new responsibility.

In North Carolina, for example, the Republican-controlled legislaturejust days before Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper took office this winterdecided during a special session that the state board should no longer oversee key accountability and school turnaround decisions, and that those decisions should be left up to the states recently elected Republican state superintendent.

The board sued, and a judge decided last week to delay the law, which has held up the states ESSA planning process.

Delawares legislature stripped its state board of several powers, and a pending bill in Washington would scrap that states board of the ability to oversee portions of its accountability system.

And after years of infighting, Indianas legislature decided this year that the states elected superintendent should instead be appointed by the governor.

Hot-Button Issues

In other states, crucial policy decisions over testing, state goals, and how to define an ineffective teacher fanned flames between advocacy groups and politicians.

The governors in Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, and Wisconsin all refused to sign off on their states plans before sending them to Secretary DeVos. (A plan still can be turned in without the governors signature.)

And Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley asked DeVos to send the plan back (something his office is not allowed to do) after he took issue with portions that dealt with special education students. That states board-appointed superintendent involved more than 300 people in the development of the plan, a process the lieutenant governor said still left the states special education community without a voice.

What we have in our system is all these interest groups across the political spectrum that have a lot of power and say, said Calley, who has a child with special needs. Theres no organized group with PACS and electoral power in our system that represents the parents.

State superintendents, many with their own political agendas, were left walking a political tightrope in some states. Several didnt survive.

In a political snub, Hawaiis since-replaced state Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi wasnt invited by Democratic Gov. David Ige to sit on the states ESSA task force.

New Mexicos secretary of education, Hanna Skandera, resigned in June shortly after turning in her states controversial plan, which upset the states teaching force. And just last week, Alabama Superintendent Michael Sentance resigned after a bruising evaluation by the states district superintendents who took issue with his leadership style and the ESSA development process.

Advocates Weigh In

National, state, and local advocacy organizations all scrambled throughout ESSA planning to adjust to the fluid situation. A board meeting in California in July, for example, fielded dozens of comments protesting the states proposed accountability system.

In other states, advocates skipped state board meetings and went straight to their legislature.

Marylands Democratically-controlled legislature, pressured by the states teachers union, effectively wrote the states accountability system into a law called Protect Our Schools Act. The bill survived Republican Gov. Larry Hogans veto and inflamed state board of education members who accused politicians of trapping students in failing schools.

Ohios teachers union and parent groups managed to convince the states superintendent in the spring to stall the turning in of that states plan after they convinced enough people that the plan would ramp up school testing.

And Kentuckys legislature passed as part of its new ESSA-aligned accountability system a sweeping education bill that mostly scrapped a historic school governance model that had elevated parent voices in the form of school-based-decision-making councils.

The battle pitted Kentuckys politically weak parent groups against the states well-financed superintendents association and teachers union. It flew in the face of a working relationship the three parties had forged over the years in fighting for more school funding from the legislature as the coal industry collapsed.

Weve been together for so long and through so much together, said a disappointed Lynne Slone, the attorney for the Kentucky Association of School Councils.

In Florida, Rosa Castro-Feinberg, a civil rights activist for minority and English-language-learner students, said she will shift her efforts to the local level if the states ESSA plan passes federal muster. Castro-Feinberg launched a petition and letter-writing and media campaign to stop several waiver requests from being attached to that states plan.

Others, however, see an opportunity for advocates and policymakers to forge ties across state lines in the wake of the sometimes-tense ESSA planning, especially on common issues such as the achievement gap, the effects poverty has on schools, and stagnant student performance.

For some states that are diving into this more deeply, doing the soul-searching, youre seeing a lot less partisanship, said Michelle Exstrom, the Education Program Director for the National Conference of State Legislatures. Education shouldnt be a partisan issue. I think when you have a sense of urgency, you figure out that its in everyones best interest to improve outcomes, and leaders get motivated to go to the table to fix it.




Philippines set to import Brazilian cattle to boost milk production

The Philippines will import cattle worth I billion pesos (US$19.6 million) from Brazil next year to boost its dairy production.

As per report from BusinessMirror, Philippine Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Pinol will make a side trip to Brazil in December after attending the World Trade Organisation's 11th Ministerial Conference in Argentina.

Brazil's Agriculture, Livestock and Supply Minister Blairo Maggi was reported to have earlier said that his government remained keen on selling Girolando cattle to the Philippines.

"We are expecting that the Philippines will send a mission here to fine-tune remaining issues," Maggi told a news briefing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, late last month.

Maggi said Brazil was also open to exporting other genetic materials as well as other breeds of cattle, such as those for meat production.

Meeting 10% of domestic demand

Importing Girolando cattle from Brazil is part of the DA's plan to increase local milk production to meet at least 10% of annual domestic requirement by 2022 and reduce the country's reliance on imports. Girolando breed is ideal for milk and meat production in tropical climates, Pinol said.

The Philippines' milk production grew 3.78% last year to 21,160 tonnes from 2015's 20,390 tonnes, according to the latest data available from the National Dairy Administration.

Despite the increase, the share of local milk output to the country's total supply shrank, while that of imports went up. The Philippines imported 65,600 tonnes of ready-to-drink liquid milk last year, 53.77% higher than the 42,660 tonnes imported in 2015.

The Philippines' overall dairy imports last year grew 54% to 2.77 million tonnes year-on-year.

Dairy products constitute the Philippines's third-largest agricultural import after wheat and soybean meal.
Protesters will gather outside Central Government Offices this afternoon, angry at Manx Gas charges.

The chairman of the Office of Fair Trading will meet with the demonstrators who say many cannot afford the bills.

Since 2015, Manx Gas profits have been regulated via an agreement with the OFT, Treasury and Department of Economic Development, placing a ceiling on the amount of profit the private company, can make.

A spokesperson for Manx Gas is encouraging anyone whos struggling to pay their bills or has concerns over the charges to contact them.
MOSS POINT, Miss. -- Moss Point police are investigating a Monday night shooting where a man was shot and left in critical condition, according to Chief Calvin Hutchins.

Investigators say they received a call around 11:30 p.m. on Monday stating an individual had been shot near 4207 Tela Drive. The victim was suffering from a gunshot wound to the pelvis while near to his residence.

Officers responded to scene, canvased the area, and began speaking with witnesses and collecting evidence.

Numerous witnesses told investigators the gunman was masked, shot the victim, and then proceeded to flee the scene by foot.

The victim has been identified as 28-year-old DeMarkese Williams. Hutchins said at this time, he is listed in critical condition.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call the Moss Point Police Department at 228-475-1711 or contact Crime Stoppers at 800-787-5898 or visit the Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers website at mscoastcrimestoppers.com.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Get the latest traffic and travel news straight to your inbox

Greater Anglia has expressed disappointment at the decision of staff to take two days of 24 hour industrial action next month.

This morning, (Tuesday, September 19), Rail Union RMT confirmed that members will be striking over the potential extension of the 'Driver Only Operation' which they believe is a clear threat to passenger safety.

In an RMT ballot, more than 200 Greater Anglia guards voted by a whopping nine to one in favour of strike action. The drivers vote was two to one for action on a 75 per cent turn out.

Members will strike between 12.01am and 11.59pm on Tuesday, October 3 and Thursday, October 5.

poll loading Should driver-only trains be allowed? 0+ VOTES SO FAR Yes, a guard is no longer necessary on modern trains No, guards should be retained on train services

In response to the decision, Richard Dean, Train Service Delivery Director of Greater Anglia said: "We are obviously disappointed with the announcement today.

"We're keen to talk to the RMT to try and resolve the issues involved and to avert industrial action.

"In the even of industrial action going ahead on Tuesday 3 October and Thursday 5 October, we'd like to reasure customers that we have contingency plans in place and intend to run a full service.

"We value you our conductors highly and we have guaranteed their jobs until the end of the franchise in October 2025.

"In fact, we will be recruiting additional conductors, as we are replacing all of our trains with brand new trains from 2019, which will enable us to run more services."

How many conductors are employed by Greater Anglia?

There are currently 222 conductors, plus seven conductor managers.

Which trains have conductors?

Norwich to London intercity service,

Norwich to Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft;

Ipswich to Felixstowe and Lowestoft

Norwich and Ipswich to Cambridge

Sudbury to Marks Tey,

Clacton to Colchester

Harwich to Colchester

There are also conductors on a small number of peak time services on two otherwise driver-only operated routes, the Witham to Braintree and Wickford to Southminster lines.

What do the conductors do?

Conductors have a customer service role; helping customers on and off the train, giving travel advice, and checking and selling tickets. They also currently close train doors (and also open them on Intercity services).

Will conductors still close doors when on new trains?

The new trains will be built with the latest technology enabling drivers to open and close doors. Greater Anglia are proposing that drivers will take over from conductors in closing doors on all of our trains.

What do Greater Anglia propose conductors will do on the new trains?

They plan for conductors to concentrate on their customer service role.

Will any conductors lose their jobs when you get the new trains?

Greater Anglia say they are keeping all of their conductors, and since they will be getting more trains as well as new trains, they are planning to recruit more conductors. Their jobs are guaranteed until the franchise ends in October 2025.

What happens on trains with no conductors?

About 60 per cent of Greater Anglia services, mainly commuter trains in Essex and Cambridge to London, do not have a conductor on board.

The driver opens and closes the doors. This has been the case for more than 20 years.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Get the latest on all the biggest court and crime news in Essex direct from our expert court reporter

Police have released an image of a newborn baby that was found abandoned in a bid to trace the mother.

Police were called at approximately 8.20am on Sunday, September 17, to park area close to Balaam Street in Plaistow, east London, to find an abandoned newborn baby.

Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and the boy, named Harry by medical staff, was taken to an east London hospital where he is being cared for.

Met Police are hoping that releasing the image will encourage his mother to come forward.

Detective Inspector Ian Baker, leading the inquiry, said: "Baby Harry is doing well under the care of hospital staff but we are very worried about his mother.

"If you see this appeal, please come forward and let us know you are safe. I know you must be feeling very frightened and alone to have done what you did but please make contact with us or your local hospital or GP surgery so they can check you are OK and offer you medical care and support.

"Little Harry needs to be reunited with his mother so we would urge anyone else with information, or who saw anything out of the ordinary in the Balaam Street area on Sunday morning, to please come forward."

Anyone who can help is asked to call police on 020 8217 6528 or via 101.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Get the latest on all the biggest court and crime news in Essex direct from our expert court reporter

A leading children's protection charity has slammed a paedophile teacher who abused one of his pupils during lessons.

Edward Ryan, 67, was found guilty of four counts of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13 between September 15 and October 20, 2015.

He molested a young girl while he worked at a Harlow primary school but was only caught when the girl in question, who cannot be named for legal reasons, confided the terrible ordeals to her father.

Yesterday (Monday, September 18), he was jailed for four years after his sentencing at Chelmsford Crown Court.

A former governor at Helena Romanes School in Great Dunmow, he was supported throughout his trial by members of his family who sat in the public gallery.

Rather than admitting his guilt, Ryan, of Venmore Drive, Great Dunmow, decided to subject his victim to a trial, where she had to give evidence via video link.

His young victim clutched a cuddly toy as she answered in depth questions about the abuse and broke down in tears as she recounted the dreadful occasions where Ryan would assault her.

The sex offender's family sobbed as the jury foreman read out the guilty verdicts.

In a statement released shortly after the hearing, an NSPCC spokesperson for the East of England said: "As a teacher Ryan should have been protecting children.

"Instead, he exploited his position of trust to sickeningly abuse a young girl in his care.

"He cruelly made his victim relive his depraved crimes in court rather than admit his guilt and it is her tremendous courage that has helped put him behind bars."

The spokesperson said: "It's vital that young people know how to recognise abuse and feel empowered to report it, which is why the NSPCC spoke to more than 51,000 primary school pupils across Essex over the last academic year as part of its Speak Out Stay Safe Service."

Children with any concerns can contact Childline, free of charge, anytime on 0800 1111 or visit www.childline.org.uk for help and advice.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Get the latest on all the biggest court and crime news in Essex direct from our expert court reporter

A number of armed police were spotted in the Melbourne area of Chelmsford earlier this evening (September 19).

At approximately 6pm four police cars descended upon Langton Avenue with a police helicopter hovering above. A police truck was also spotted parked further down near Kings Road.

Armed police were seen going in and out of house in the street. A man was arrested at the scene but he was later released.

The road was closed and traffic was diverted away from the area.

More armed officers were spotted at the back of the house, conducting a search on a vehicle in Cowell Avenue. By 7pm, armed officers had left the area.

It is not yet known why armed officers conducted the raid. Essex Police have been approached for a comment.

One witness said: "I don't know what's happening, it is pretty nerve racking."

Another resident said that police activity in the area had increased lately. It is less than two months since armed officers were called to the same street.

"It happened 6 or 7 weeks ago where they went in with shields and guns," said another resident. "This time it's milder."

At 8pm on Tuesday, August 8, Essex Police was called to the road and the force later confirmed the search was in connection with the murder of John Pordage in Great Baddow.

Police are still searching for wanted 'dangerous' teenager Bradley Blundell, who is wanted in connection with the petrol station murder.

The 17-year-old has connections with Chelmsford and Great Baddow is considered 'dangerous' by Essex Police. They are advising members of the public not to approach him if they spot him.
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- For only the second time in the past two decades, the City of Ocean Springs has raised property taxes.

Last week, aldermen voted 6-1 to enact a three-mill increase on ad valorem taxes in the city. Each mill represents $10 in taxes on each $100,000 of assessed value of a property. So a three-mill increase will result in an extra $30 in taxes on a $100,000 home.

The good news: The Ocean Springs School District lowered its taxes by 2.69 mills last year and did not seek an increase this year, so homeowners will pay essentially the same in property tax as they did in 2016.

Aldermen said the increase in City taxes was mandated by a loss of other streams of revenue, coupled with the need to provide raises for city employees and overdue infrastructure projects.

"It was either that or start laying off employees," said alderman John Gill, who has served for 32 years and is normally adamant in his opposition to tax increases.

"It was a tough decision," he continued. "I don't believe in raising taxes if you can pinch your pennies and balance the budget. But we've pinched our pennies to the point there was nothing left to pinch. I think this is only the third time in my 32 years I've voted to raise taxes -- and the other two times it was only about one mill."

A mill in Ocean Springs is based on the assessed value of a property. Currently, one mill is worth $184,000 to the city, meaning the three-mill increase will generate an additional $552,000 in revenue.

The good news for Ocean Springs homeowners is that the Ocean Springs School District

Two mills -- or $368,000 -- will go into the city's general fund, while the other $184,000 will go towards debt service to fund loans the city intends to secure to purchase car and body cameras for police, roof repair to four city buildings, purchase new accounting software for the city clerk's office (which hasn't been updated in 20 years) and replace the city's phone and internet systems.

Both Gill and City Clerk Shelly Ferguson said there were several revenue streams which the City has enjoyed over the last few years which dried up for the coming fiscal year.

Ferguson said grant monies received in the wake of 2012's Hurricane Isaac are now exhausted, along with the proceeds of various loans. Gill also noted a decrease in franchise taxes, as well as road and bridge taxes. Also gone is $100,000 the City normally receives for drainage from the Pat Harrison Waterway District, along with $30,000 from the state to hire summer interns for city landscaping.

Even with the additional revenue from the tax increase, those losses will have the City operating under a smaller budget in fiscal 2017-2018 than the current fiscal year. The $13.9 million budget approved last week is down half a million from the current year.

Further, the City's beginning cash balance for the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, will only be $215,390, down from $517,071 a year ago.

The City's emergency fund remains $900,000.

Alderman Rob Blackman noted the last increase in city taxes came in 2006, when aldermen raised millage by 1.76. In 2009, the board voted to reduce millage by two -- a move which has since cost the city more than $2.5 million in revenue.

"The three mills was the only thing we could come up with that was palatable for the board," Blackman said. "Really, it should have been more, in my opinion. But this makes us sustainable."

In addition to employee raises, Blackman said increased revenues were needed because the new administration has renewed the City's push for annexation along Mississippi 57 and around Ocean Springs High School and some of the additional funds will be needed for consultant and legal fees.

"We have a new plan we're working on," he said. "We're about to bring in a group to finalize some plans which were started in the past and need to be tweaked."

The raises will be implemented through a 3-2-1 system. Employees earning $14.99 per hour or less will receive a 3 percent raise. Those earning $15 to $16.99 per hour will get a 2 percent raise; and those making $17 or more an hour will get a 1 percent bump in pay.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Sign up to our newsletter for the latest on Sam Ryder's Eurovision stint PLUS a weekly roundup of all of Essex's latest celebrity and TV news

Rumours are rife that parts of Disney's live action version of Aladdin starring Will Smith will be filmed in Brentwood.

Will Smith plays the Genie in the new movie, which started filming in London at the end of August. In the animated film, the role was famously played by the late Robin Williams.

The news comes after Brentwood residents spotted signs notifying them that several major roads would be closed near Thorndon Country Park, as filming is set to begin.

The filming is set to take place in Brentwood from September 27-29 at Thorndon Countryside Centre, and again from October 2-4.

Brentwood Borough Council have declined to make a comment.

Will Smith recently caused a frenzy among Disney fans by posting the first cast photo from Aladdin on Facebook. The pic showed Will, who took the selfie, alongside his co-stars Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine) and Marwan Kenzari (Jafar).

"We just started shooting Aladdin and I wanted to intro you guys to our new family," Will posted. "I'm over here gettin' my Genie on."

The photo was taken at Longcross Studios in Chertsey, Surrey, which is just over an hour's drive from Brentwood.

Disney's live action Aladdin is being directed by Guy Ritchie and is due for cinema release in May 2019.
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

Popular toy store Toys 'R' Us could be facing financial trouble, after it was revealed it had racked up a debt of over $3 billion.

The retail giant, which has stores in Basildon, Harlow and Lakeside, has considered filing for bankruptcy within a matter of weeks, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Due to the struggle to cope with shoppers using online stores to get their goods, US bosses are looking at filing a 'Chapter 11 protection' in the US Bankruptcy Court.

This would mean a restructuring of the company after news agency Reuters also reported a debt of $3.6 billion.

For the Christmas period, the company is working on a loan to ensure it will be able to pay its suppliers for the next few months.

Last week, the store announced a massive UK sale, offering some of their biggest-selling toys as part of a two for 15 deal.

Peppa Pig, Star Wars and Fisher-Price were just several of the big-brand names included.
In mid-August, Barcelona joined the ranks of other European cities such as Nice, Stockholm, Berlin and London, to have become the victim of a vehicle ploughing into pedestrians gathered in city centers. The European leadership is often put into spotlight following such events with regard to the EUs ability  or inability  to deal with the threat of terrorism and prevent such events from happening. As a matter of fact, the EU has dynamically acquired some experience in counter-terrorism policy while Brussels has introduced a great deal of counter-terrorism legislation over the last 20 years and the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 consolidated and expanded the Brusselss competence in this field.

However, the series of the most recent attacks require a new strategy. The next phase of EU policies on fighting terrorism should focus on reinforcing EU principles and social trust in coordinated actions and common policies. The EU should also test the effectiveness and efficiency of the new policy hand-in-hand with a detailed assessment of the extent to which current instruments and priorities are suitable for this purpose. This should include a formal evaluation of counter-terrorism policies and actors as well as legal instruments, international agreements, information-sharing databases, tools, projects and funding schemes and the work of all relevant EU Justice and Home Affairs agencies.

The major challenge of EU policies is how to formulate a revamped, accurate and holistic diagnosis of the actual dilemmas and issues posed by current instruments. Similarly, in testing the effectiveness and efficiency of existing EU laws, special attention should be paid to the phases of their implementation and operationalization by domestic and EU authorities. The EU can add value especially by investing more in advancing cooperation in traditional policing and criminal justice as well as in fighting terrorism itself. More attention should be paid to making sure that information and electronic data meet the standards of evidence in criminal justice procedures, and to sharpening the analytical capacities of law enforcement actors so that terrorists can be prosecuted.

Another priority is also to further develop the use and added value of existing EU databases in relation to controlling the acquisition and possession of firearms, explosives and other weapons as well as the national implementations of EU rules. In particular, these databases should be made accessible to member states with decentralized regional police and law enforcement forces. To ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of EU counter-terrorism policies, particular attention should be also given to the compatibility between all existing tools that have been developed since the Lisbon Treaty entered into force. Post-2009 legal instruments now provide a set of common EU standards that must be guaranteed in European and member states against terrorism including international cooperation.

If the next generation of counter-terrorism policies is to be successful, it must be based on firm and solid foundations and the European Parliament must be centrally engaged in EU counter-terrorism policymaking. A newly planned Special Committee on Terrorism is an example of an initiative that presents great potential in ensuring the much-needed democratic accountability of EU security policies and their implementation.

Reflections on the Terrorist Attacks in Barcelona: Constructing a Principled and Trust-Based EU Approach to Countering Terrorism  Policy Insights by Sergio Carrera, Elspeth Guild and Valsamis Mitsilegas  Centre for European Policy Studies.

(The Policy Insights can be downloaded here)
I'm in my 60s too, and I'm fed up to the back teeth with the Little Englander, let's-all-blame-Johnny-Foreigner, mentality that has propelled Brexit. The UK is in decline and it's going to get rapidly worse. Essentially it had always been better off in the EU as an equal partner. We can't expect any of the advantages if we leave, but we'll still be bound by the same laws if we expect to trade with the member states, but we will no longer have any say in formulating these laws.



If you take the trouble to read about the Boeing Bombardier affair, that will set the tone for the unequal partnerships we can expect to face with the USA, Russia and China. We haven't been a great power since the 1940s and no amount of wishful thinking will suddenly restore all the colonies to the bosom of the Mother Country, nor will there be weekly flower shows, appearances by morris dancers on the village green and a sudden reappearance of millions of vicars in Panama hats and linen jackets riding bicycles while Miss Marple miraculously solves all our crimes. Anybody who thinks otherwise has been sold a fantasy.



Joan, you're wrong on two counts: First, there is every reason why young people won't be able to travel freely. It's because our borders are closing. If a famous Syrian musician is barred entry to the UK to play at the Purcell Room or eminent African academics are denied entry to this country to attend a conference hosted by Cambridge University, that's more serious than you realise. These are not some fly-by-night customers who want to sneak into the country as illegal immigrants to take up jobs as dishwashers!



As for getting back control of this country: you've **never** had any measure of control over this country, and neither did your grandparents or even their ancestors. The Monarchy and the House of Lords are not elected and you have no say over what they do. If Prince Charles wants to interfere in parliamentary affairs behind the scenes (and he does) you have no control. You have no control over the City Remembrancer who is an unelected person who has permanent residence in the Houses of Parliament as a sort of interfering lobbyist in fancy dress. He's answerable to the Corporation of the City of London, but not to you. It makes **every** difference who is in government.



I can't see how you expect Britain to work closely with other countries if it's busy throwing away what advantages it had. And what is this expertise you're telling us about? The rest of the world has overtaken us. Government won't put any money into research and development, and private enterprise is only interested if there's a cash profit to be made. At the same time Britain's universities have been devastated by economic austerity and poor leadership. For the last 30 years the government has been instructing the universities to turn a cash profit. Education and development are now seen not as an investment but as a commodity and that's a recipe for disaster.



Liz: the EU with its bureaucrats is no worse than our own home-grown bureaucracy. At least its workings are open to public scrutiny (you can find it online - even if it makes for remarkably boring reading) while the workings of the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Foreign Office etc can't be examined because they're hidden in the folds of the Official Secrets Act. An accountant friend once had to do the books for Heritage Wales - and then sign the Act. Even a piffling job of little consequence like this was accompanied by a gagging order. Is that the sort of country you're keen on preserving?
Legal troubles continue to dog Stan Bates, who next month is scheduled to stand trial with State Sen. Carlos Uresti on criminal fraud charges relating to a bankrupt oil field services company.

Bates and his latest venture, Bates Energy Oil & Gas, are accused by a Kansas company of backing out of a deal to lease 170 rail cars to transport frac sand  used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to produce oil and gas.

On May 18, a day after Bates and Uresti were arrested for their involvement in FourWinds Logistics, a now-defunct frac sand company, Bates informed Caldwell-Baker Co. of Gardner, Kansas, that he was scrubbing the deal for the rail cars.

Contract is Cancelled, and without receiving payment Contract is not activated, Bates wrote in an email, according to a court document filed last month in Kansas.

Caldwell-Baker sued Bates and Bates Energy for breach of contract, fraudulent misrepresentation and negligent misrepresentation on May 22. Last month, Caldwell-Baker filed a motion for summary judgment, asking the court to rule in its favor and award it more than $640,000.

Under the terms of the lease for the rail cars, Caldwell-Baker said its not required to terminate the lease even when a default occurs. It has chosen to enforce performance under the lease.

Bates has been identified in another court case as Bates Energys CEO and not its owner. David Bravo, the companys chief operating officer, was identified as an owner.

We have denied the allegations set forth in the complaint, said Justin Johl, an attorney for Bates, Bravo and Bates Energy. He declined to comment further.

Linus Baker, lawyer for Caldwell-Baker, which is owned by his family, said the company didnt learn about Bates legal troubles until after he canceled the contract.

We found out later and connected the dots, that he got indicted and  he tried to say he wasnt going to perform this lease, Baker said. Just kind of an odd deal. He added that Caldwell-Baker would not have done the lease without personal guarantees from Bates and Bravo because it didnt know them. Caldwell-Baker typically leases rail cars for transporting grain, not sand.

In the FourWinds criminal case, Bates, 45, Uresti, 54 and Gary Cain, a FourWinds consultant, 61, are accused of developing a Ponzi scheme to market frac sand. They allegedly made false representations to solicit investors. They have denied the allegations. The trial is set for Oct. 23.

Two months after the indictments, Bates Energy became embroiled in litigation with Utah-based Complete Oil Field Services. Bates Energy accused Complete Oil in a July 20 lawsuit in Bexar County district court of rejecting attempted deliveries on 40,000 tons of sand and refusing to approve the disbursement of escrow accounts holding almost $4 million altogether.

Complete Oil sued Bates Energy on Aug. 2 for failing on numerous occasions to deliver sand to the Utah company. Bates Energy exhibited a pattern of lying, fraud and blatant misrepresentations while attempting to steal money  by demanding payment when it knew no sand would be delivered, the suit said.

Complete Oil added that Bates Energy succeeded in absconding with approximately $40,000 of escrow funds without delivering any sand.

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.

In Caldwell-Bakers lawsuit, the company alleges that Bates or Bravo in April emailed a proof of funds letter to the company that stated Bates Energy held about $4.9 million in escrow at JPMorgan Chase Bank and Amegy Bank. The proof of funds letter was written by Dewayne Naumann, the suit says. Naumann is owner of Equity Liaison Co., an Austin escrow company.

Baker said he believes Caldwell-Bakers lawsuit Complete Oils lawsuit each reference the same escrow money.

Complete Oil moved its litigation with Bates Energy to federal court last month. Last week, Complete Oil filed an amended lawsuit that added Naumann and Equity Liaison as defendants. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez issued a a temporary restraining order preventing Naumann and Equity Liaison from removing money from the escrow account. The judge scheduled a hearing on Monday on Complete Oils request for a preliminary injunction.

Rodriguez also ordered Naumann and Equity Liaison to immediately provide a detailed accounting of all monies held by Equity Liaison through the escrow agreement with Complete Oil.

Were concerned that Naumann and (Equity Liaison) are colluding with Bates, said Lamont Jefferson, a lawyer for Complete Oil.

A call to Naumann was not immediately returned. Court documents show he has his own financial difficulties. He allegedly failed to pay a home equity loan, which led a federal judge to issue a default judgment in June. Naumann has appealed the judgment.
For Interlaken area, I know Rick Steves book recommends staying at Gimmelwald or Murren, but they are kind of hard to get to, so we stayed at Lauterbrunnen for 2 nights and checked out Gimmelwald and Murren this afternoon.



1. Train ride from Lucerne to Interlaken.

2. From our hotel room balcony in Lauterbrunnen, we could see the 297 meters (974 ft.) Staubbach Fall.

3. Took a local bus to see the Trummelbach Falls, which is a giant waterfall inside a mountain (11 CHF pp, cash only, no Swiss Travel Pass discount). It is really cool, totally worth it.

4. Trummelbach Falls.

To get to Gimmelwald, you have to take a cable car, and my gosh Gimmelwald is beautiful!

5. Gimmelwald cable car station.

6. Gimmelwald.

7. Gimmelwald.

8. Murren (requires another cable car ride up). It is pretty too, but it is clearly more developed / commercialized than Gimmelwald.

9. To go back down to Lauterbrunnen, you could take a different route which is train + cable car down, and the whole loop is covered by Swiss Travel Pass.

10. A beautiful cemetery in Lauterbrunnen by the Staubbach Fall.

11. Staubbach Fall again.

(To be continued)
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

State Sen. Jose Menendez, in a letter to Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, has asked for information about what he described as allegations of criminal activity at Edgewood Independent School District.

The district did investigate an employee of its police department for working on a side business, but didnt consider it criminal, an Edgewood spokeswoman, Keyhla Calderon-Lugo, said Tuesday.

The individual immediately resigned upon the commencement of the investigation, the district said in a statement.

Menendezs letter, dated Friday, was part of the continuing fallout from Moraths removal last week of Amanda Gonzalez from the state-appointed board of managers that oversees Edgewood. Gonzalez has said she believes she was replaced because she questioned the districts hiring, without a board vote, of an outside law firm to conduct the investigation of the police department.

Gonzalez said she was given no explanation why she was removed. She was among five board members appointed in March, 2016, to take over the district from elected trustees paralyzed by 3-3 voting factions that prevented them from filling a vacant board seat or hiring key personnel.

Menendez, who had asked Morath why Gonzalez was removed, added more questions in his letter, asking that Texas Education Agency officials explain how it selects such board members, if the rules governing their role and their meetings differ from those of elected boards and if Edgewood disciplined employees for speaking to its state-appointed managers.

Menendez asked if video records of board meetings had been edited and whether the board had voted during work sessions instead of at open meetings.

He also wanted to know if it was standard practice for the TEA to notify elected officials about Gonzalezs ouster almost a week before it notified Gonzalez herself.

Gonzalez said the Edgewood police department employee who was under investigation had been operating a private surveillance company while on the clock at the district job.

I think they just wanted to put this under the rug and they didnt appreciate the whistle blower approach, she said. But this is a very poor district and we dont have the funding to appropriate to a third party investigative source. That money should be going back into our classrooms.

I was not what TEA wanted. They wanted a yes maam, no maam. They wanted a rubber stamp, she said.

Menendez listed the investigation as a question regarding allegations of criminal activity, but Calderon-Lugo said the employee was not charged and the investigation was closed.

Theres no criminal anything. He just resigned, she said.

A third party investigation was needed to avoid having the police department investigate itself, Calderon-Lugo said. Asked why San Antonio police could not have been asked to conduct the probe, she said, Because its an HR (human resources) issue, I dont know.

Calderon-Lugo couldnt provide the cost of the investigation, which Menendezs letter also asked for. The board was briefed on it because it was more of a high profile case, she said.

Theres not really a need to vote because its an operational, day-to-day function of a personnel issue and working with our law firm, Calderon-Lugo said.

Timothy Payne, a consultant who is on the board of directors for the local Habitat for Humanity, was appointed to replace Gonzalez.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

AUSTIN  Shaking up his top-level staff with a new team of seasoned senior aides, first-term Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday he has big ideas he intends to pursue during the 2019 legislative session  a clear indication he expects to be re-elected next year.

There are big ideas I plan to tackle in the upcoming session, and this team will be integral in spearheading those efforts, he said at a Capitol ceremony to announce the new hires and reshuffling in a total of 10 top jobs, not unusual midway through a term when top aides traditionally move to higher-paying private sector jobs, and with a re-election campaign just ahead.

Asked what his ideas for change were, Abbott gave no specifics, but characterized them as very big, very deep. Top aides said privately that he plans to roll out most, if not all, of his plans in coming months as he ramps up his campaign for a second term  which he starts with a whopping war chest of more than $40 million and no significant Democratic opponent.

Political insiders close to the governor say that judging from the makeup of Abbotts new team, it appears Abbott intends to push ahead on his conservative agenda for reforms in the state budget process and a more conservative fiscal approach to spending, including new efficiencies in state agency operations.

Abbott, who became governor in January 2015 with a staff that had younger aides in many top posts compared to past governors, has since weathered two legislative sessions  both politically contentious, although lawmakers approved most of his key issues.

In announcing the changes, Abbott applauded his current top staff for achieving many priorities I set forth since I came into office, and  helped make Texas a better place.

While there are big shoes to fill, Im confident the team Im introducing (Monday) is up to the task, he added.

The staff changes take effect Oct. 1.

Daniel Hodge, who has been Abbotts chief of staff since he became governor in 2015 and has been with Abbott since 2002 when he first ran for attorney general, will be replaced by Luiz Saenz, Abbotts former director of appointments who is now an Austin political consultant. Saenz, who started his career at the conservative Heritage Foundation, served in senior staff positions for Gov. Rick Perry and was chief of staff to former Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn.

Communications director Matt Hirsch, who has been in that role with Abbott since he launched his campaign for governor in 2013, will add the new title of deputy chief of staff. He replaces Reed Clay, who is becoming Abbotts chief operating officer and who has been with Abbott for eight years.

Steven Albright, a former top Senate aide who currently serves as Abbotts budget director, will serve as senior adviser for state operations. He will be replaced as budget director by Sarah Hicks, an assistant vice chancellor and director of state relations for the Texas A&M University System who formerly served as staff director of the state Senates budget-writing committee.

Tommy Williams, a former Republican state senator from Conroe who is the vice chancellor for state and federal relations at the A&M System, will serve as Abbotts senior adviser for fiscal affairs. He is a former lawmaker who chaired the budget-writing Senate Finance Committee for several legislative sessions, and was known as a fiscally conservative bottom-liner on state spending.

Abbott said Monday that Williams will tackle long-standing fiscal issues facing the state. He offered no specifics.

Longtime state Senate parliamentarian Walter Fisher, an experienced Capitol aide and former lobbyist who served as a senior adviser to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, will be Abbotts new legislative director. Abbott characterized Fishers knowledge of the inner workings at the state Capitol this way: He knows the rules better than the people who wrote the rules.

Peggy Venable, a senior visiting fellow at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation and Texas director of Americans for Prosperity, will be the new appointments director, a key post that vets candidates for all state boards and commissions that are appointed by the governor. Venable previously served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and has decades of experience working on conservative grassroots campaigns.

John Colyandro, the executive director of the Texas Conservative Coalition who served as a policy adviser to Abbott in his campaigns for attorney general and governor, will become the governors policy director and a senior adviser. Colyandro was the architect of the Bicentennial Blueprint, a list of goals that Abbott used during his 2015 election campaign for governor.

Colyandro, well-regarded in conservative Republican circles, is perhaps best known outside the Capitol for his 2005 indictment in a campaign finance case involving a political action committee connected to former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom Delay of Sugar Land. Colyandro pleaded guilty in 2012 to reduced charges and was fined $8,000.

In addition to the other changes announced Monday, press secretary John Wittman said he will move to a similar post in Abbotts campaign.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Mornings at the House of Neighborly Services child care center start at 7:30, when kids  many coming from low-income, single-parent households  begin arriving for a day that can last up to 10 hours.

The children, ranging from 18 months to 5 years, first have breakfast and half an hour of free play. By 9 a.m., they start circle time, followed by interactive computer programs with lessons on language, math and music, among other subjects.

When Presbyterian missionaries founded the House of Neighborly Service 100 years ago, the small operation provided only a kindergarten. A century later, HNS has evolved into a bastion of social services among the local Hispanic community, primarily serving residents from some of San Antonios poorest zip codes: 78228, 78237 and 78207.

In the latter area, 40 percent of residents live below the poverty level and nearly half of adults lack a high school diploma, according to city data.

The children here are very different than any other center Ive worked at, said 31-year-old Elia Pena, who started about a year ago at HNS child care center at 407 N. Calaveras St.

The children in Penas classroom, which she calls their second home, exhibit major swings in mood and temperament each day. She said this may reflect what they experience at home.

You have to be more sensitive about their needs, Pena said.

Aiden Rodriguez, 4, dressed in dark blue jeans and a red Superman T-shirt, said his favorite activity is coloring. But he enjoys playing hide-and-seek during recess with his friend Eugenio Rubio, too.

Kaylee Beltran, 3, likes playing with her dolls, which she calls her babies.

I only have pretend babies, clarified 3-year-old Calleigh Portillo. And a pretend kitchen and a table.

Several of the kids, including Aiden, said their favorite lesson is a science activity called sink or float. Pena fills a tub with water, and the kids test whether certain items  rubber ducks, magnets, corks  will sink.

Since inception, HNS definition of child care has broadened to include in-home visits, during which parent educators instruct moms and dads on topics ranging from nutrition to discipline to handling their childrens developmental stages.

HNS also operates a thrift store, where clothing can go for 25 cents. Seniors come to HNS to play bingo and Wii Fit. Every Tuesday morning, volunteers distribute boxes of food for free.

We have people who dont rely on assistance, who only come to us when theyre in dire need of it, executive director Sandra Morales said. We have others, though, that are here on a weekly basis for food assistance.

More than 80 percent of the people who use HNS services earn less than $15,000 a year, Morales said. Some parents who drop off children for child care spend the day at school or looking for work.

Shannan Calderon, 39, said in-home visits have prompted her to begin considering how stressors in her daily life affect the way she looks after her 3-year-old daughter, Guinevere.

Through three sessions with parent educator Elsa Sixtos, Calderon said their dialogue feels like having a conversation with a friend.

Calderon also sends Guinevere to HNS during the day, something she has resisted with her other children. Her oldest child is 21.

Im someone who doesnt like other people taking care of my children, she said.

Guinevere has trouble speaking and requires speech therapy, but she now comes home singing songs she learned at HNS and can better express herself through simple phrases such as eat now.

She was a child who was like, if she wanted something she just kind of pointed, Calderon said. So everybody (would get) frustrated, and then she starts crying because we dont understand what shes saying.

HNS, Calderon said, has functioned as somewhat of a reset button. Before the in-home visits and child care, Calderon was depressed and felt lost. She didnt know how to re-enter the workforce because with a lack of family support and a working boyfriend, she didnt know who would take care of Guinevere.

I feel like I can breathe, she said. I can see the end of the tunnel. Ive been holding my breath in all this time.

HNS operates with a staff of 17 full- and part-time employees and receives money from grants, fundraising events, small individual donations and support from several local Presbyterian churches, according to Morales.

I think for an organization this small, with as few funds as we have, we do more than anyone, said Josephine Arredondo-Holden, a clinical and school psychologist at HNS.

HNS can trace its roots to Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church, which shares a location with it at North Calaveras and West Salinas Streets.

Its a unique relationship that has lasted 100 years, said Becky Alvarez, co-president of the HNS board. Weve worked together very well. Thats been our strength.

In its infancy, when HNS was still called the Austin Street Mission, it received sponsorship from the Womens Missionary Society of Madison Square Presbyterian Church, as well as the Synod of Texas.

For years, religion remained a tenet of the Houses operations. When it broke ground on its current Calaveras Street location April 10, 1927, a San Antonio Express-News story described HNS purpose as to carry on education and Christian work among the Mexican population of the city. It has long kept lessons of Christianity and spirituality in its evolving mission statements.

HNS became an independent nonprofit in 1971, according to its website, the same year the first non-Presbyterian was elected as HNS director. Today, HNS does not mention religion on the mission statement section of its website, though the values and missions it espouses  dignity and compassion, educating and supporting the community  mirror those from decades back.

It isnt part of our daily life, Morales said of religion. We do get monetary support from several Presbyterian churches in the San Antonio area. And because of our history with them, they continue to support us to this day. But because we are now our own nonprofit, religion isnt part of our day-to-day functioning.

In recent years, money has grown tight for HNS. It used to distribute 120 boxes of food on Tuesdays, but now thats down to 80. Spreading word of the organizations existence remains a constant challenge; Morales said many in the community dont know HNS exists, and people primarily discover it through word of mouth.

Ive seen what we can do with the few people we have working here, said Arredondo-Holden, the psychologist. If we didnt have to bite and scratch for every single dime, if we had a steadier source of income  we could open the doors to more kids.

Terry Escalante, one of two parent educators, said she was reduced to a part-time position in January as HNS cut down on its parent education program.

Yet the program continues to operate. Escalante said she typically spends 45 minutes to an hour on home visits and up to two hours on the first visit. Her sessions cover many topics, including how to manage depression and stress.

What happens is that everyone takes for granted that they know what to do with a child, Escalante said.

The program includes 12 weekly visits, sometimes followed by more sessions at less-frequent intervals. Afterward, Escalante said she often sees parents become more receptive to finding activities and programs for their kids. They also begin to understand that its OK to ask questions and seek help, Escalante said.

For all its evolution since it opened in 1917, the organizations community ties are its most consistent feature, those on HNS board and administrative staff say. Alvarez and her board co-president, Olivia Valdez, attended kindergarten at HNS in 1962. They met that year at age 4 and have known each other since.

The bingo games also bring many regulars, and the Tuesday morning food distribution is a weekly staple for longtime West Side residents.

We dont turn anyone away, Morales said. We help as much as we can. I just wish we could do more.

Alvarez said she maintains vivid memories of her kindergarten teacher Wilma Callaghan, a lifelong missionary.

We sang, we listened to music and did watercolor painting, said Alvarez, a retired kindergarten teacher herself. She was an excellent teacher, and became my role model."

After kindergarten, Alvarez said, many kids stayed connected through HNS-hosted summer day camps. She maintained a friendship with Valdez through grade school and later through the Divine Redeemer church, which many HNS alumni continued to attend into adulthood. She recently connected with several old classmates on Facebook to plan a lunch reunion and tour of the house.

After she retired in 2010, Alvarez volunteered at HNS for a couple years then joined the board in 2012. She had been an off-and-on member when time permitted during her 29 years of teaching.

Im giving back to House of Neighborly for all they gave to me, and all the blessings, she said.

On Monday afternoon, nine of the 13 children in Penas class remained, waiting to be picked up. They have recess from 4 to 5 p.m. in the yard behind the classroom, climbing on their slide structure and playing catch with a small kickball.

Kaylee and a few others sat at a small plastic table, creating abstract shapes with modeling clay.

Pena ended her shift just after 4:30, and the kids rushed to say goodbye.

I love you, she said, kissing Aiden on the cheek.

Love you! he yelled back.

jscherer@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

In the wee morning hours, the Rainbow Warriors roast ducks and meditate.

At dawn, the dreadlocked, sweating hippies toil in their open-air kitchen, their chants of om colliding with the sweet smells of pork and pinto beans rising from their massive grills.

Its tranquil now. But by midmorning, chaos will descend on the Oak Meadows Community Worship Center, a nondenominational church in Houston that has become an improbable commune of hippies, tattooed Cajuns and churchgoers from at least six grass-roots organizations and 22 states.

By noon, a line of Houstonians struggling to recover from Hurricane Harvey will snake up to the churchs doorstep to be met by a mishmash of vagabonds, volunteers and veterans with donated food, water and supplies.

Some days, there will be enough. But not all mornings are successful.

On Thursday, a frazzled, sweaty pastor unloaded cans of food brought by a Los Angeles rabbi and the former manager of a Denver pot dispensary.

A Louisiana contractor covered in skull tattoos offered biscuits to a hippie called Aslan. A group of Houston Christians stacked Lysol to be delivered by a truck-driving Iraq War veteran. And a bubbly, freckled California actress dispatched the gruffest members of the Cajun Army to the mold-infested homes of the nearby Hispanic community.

It looked like a modern Norman Rockwell painting. It smelled like the last days of Burning Man.

In 39 years as a church member, Mike Schaefer, 64, had never seen anything like it.

There are more people in the hallways now than there are in our congregation, he said. Its a real melting pot.

With each day, the church packs tighter as dozens of volunteers converge on the small complex.

Classrooms have turned into makeshift apartments, strangers into roommates. In the back lot, mattresses are piled into a tattered, green school bus, and a tent canopy is pinned to a chain-link fence.

Few plan to leave this month. Some plan to stay the year, having realized the tortuous road ahead for the poor and often undocumented residents who will find no assistance from the government.

A lot of them are scared, said Tony Pittman, the churchs pastor. And if you were in their shoes, youd be just like them.

Since earlier this month, he and his wife have worked tirelessly to get help to those who need it and have leaned on their small congregation to foster trust and unity with the hodgepodge of helpers.

Were flying by the seat of our pants, Pittman said.

The efforts havent gone unnoticed.

This is a special place, said Randall Ediger, 61, of California. Theres no judgment.

Relief effort born

Ediger and fellow Rainbow Warrior Richard Rawski, 61, cook rice and beans for 15 hours each day in the Houston humidity.

The two are veterans of the Rainbow Gathering, a monthlong camp-out that each year draws thousands of hippies, vagabonds, activists, musicians and nudists into deep, often federally owned woods around the country. In 2004, some of the gatherings most seasoned cooks realized that they could deploy their talents to disaster areas, where electricity is often scarce and thousands are often hungry.

With food donated by an organic farming cooperative in Wisconsin, and with some 65 Rainbow Warriors loosely assembled across the nation, the Family of Friends Relief Effort was born.

(Hurricane) Katrina really brought us together, Rawski said of the group, which since its inception has served tens of thousands of free, hot meals across the country, including thousands in Texas this month.

Thus far, the crew of 10 has erred toward caution in vocalizing their most spiritual homilies, instead keeping their oms out of earshot of their new neighbors. But that seems unlikely to persist.

We believe everyone with a belly button is a rainbow of living light, Rawski said. Our goal is to leave every place better. We are each our own little wheels of medicine. But together, we are all one big medicine wheel.

Inside the church, Tricia Jo Hoffman, 33, dispatched the Cajun Army from a pop-up command post nestled between Chick-Fil-A jellies and an old coffee maker.

We want people to know we care, said Hoffman, a Louisiana native who moved to California to pursue an acting career. We want to hug them and pray with them.

A few minutes later, talk was veering to the political, and Hoffman interjected.

It doesnt matter who you are, she said. As long as youre helping each other, were one big family. We choose to get along here.

Roy Perry agreed. He put his Louisiana construction business on hold to help demolish homes with the Cajun Army, and he plans to stay for months in the bedroom hes sharing with a 41-year-old woman.

Im just going to do what I can, he said. I wish we could do more.

Supplies running out

Still, last week wasnt an easy one at the camp. The previous week, the pallets of canned foods and cleaning supplies stacked 10 feet high across the parking lot. But last week, as floodwaters and fears of deportation receded in Houston  and as Hurricane Irma diverted national attention away from the area  supplies were running low, and stress and exhaustion levels were peaking.

Its amazing what the good Lord has given to us, said Pittman, the pastor. But we dont have enough food to give away.

The list never ends. Our cupboards are empty.

By midweek, the volunteers began rationing toilet paper rolls and keeping the last few boxes of diapers out of view from the main hallways.

A flattened cardboard box was placed near traffic cones to alert passers-by that the supplies had temporarily dwindled.

Closed, the box read. Cerrado.

At an impromptu meeting later that day, the exhausted crew members wondered how they would keep going.

Its chaos, Pittman told his congregants. And I cant change that. Theres nobody organized well enough to change that.

A few minutes later, Pittman spoke again. For two weeks, he had avoided religious talk when he could and greeted his diverse tenants with open arms and the same dumbfounded quandary: Youre a hippie? So? Whats the problem. Youre gay? So? Whats the problem?

But morale was low. The hippies needed propane, the Cajuns needed cajoling.

So Pittman did what he knew how to do: He preached.

God never made any class, he told the room. He never made race or ethnicity or anything else.

So if you have a problem with someone, Pittman bellowed, Well, then you should get on your knees.

The claps thundered off the linoleum floor. The crews were re-energized.

Together, they got back to work.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Three years after Marquise Jones was shot and killed by a San Antonio police officer as Jones ran from the scene of a fender bender at the Chacho's and Chalucci's restaurant on Perrin Beitel Road, Jones family resolved a lawsuit against the restaurant in a confidential settlement.

Chachos, which first settled with the family in 2015, was again made a defendant in the case earlier this year for allegedly refusing to hand over indoor surveillance video from the night of the shooting.

Daryl Washington, a lawyer for the Jones family, declined to provide specifics of the Sept. 8 settlement. He said the family chose to settle with Chachos so they could focus on appealing the verdict of a separate civil wrongful death lawsuit involving the city of San Antonio.

Our focus is on the appeal, Washington said. We needed to move forward.

John Engvall Jr., a lawyer for the restaurant, did not respond to a request for comment about the settlement. In court documents, the restaurant has denied any wrongdoing.

The case stems from a Feb. 28, 2014, officer-involved shooting. Officer Robert Encina, who was working as an off-duty security guard for Chachos, shot Jones in the back as Jones, a passenger in a car, ran away after a fender bender in the drive-thru lane.

Encina, a six-year veteran of the SAPD at the time of the shooting, said Jones brandished a gun as he ran, and that Encina feared for his life.

SAPDs internal investigation of the shooting found Encina was justified in using force. A grand jury declined to indict him on any criminal charge.

Jones family, meanwhile, has maintained that Jones did not have a gun that evening and that the gun was planted at the scene in an alleged cover-up. They said Jones ran away because he was on probation and was nervous about getting in trouble.

A couple months after the shooting, Jones family filed a lawsuit against the city of San Antonio, claiming Encina used excessive force against Jones and that the police departments training on use-of-force policies was inadequate.

It also claimed that Encina had a reputation for harassing customers, but Chachos did nothing to stop him.

In 2015, the two parties settled in an undisclosed deal. Chachos was again made a defendant in the lawsuit earlier this year for allegedly refusing to hand over indoor surveillance video from the night of the shooting.

Meanwhile, a federal jury decided in April that Encina and the city of San Antonio were not civilly liable in Jones death.

A federal judge denied a request last month for a new trial. Washington said the family intends to file an appeal soon against the city of San Antonio in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

eeaton@express-news.net

Twitter: @emilieeaton
Beginning Saturday, anyone making a local call within the 210 area code will be required to dial that code along with the seven-digit phone number.

Since March, callers dialing the seven-digit phone numbers were met with an error message telling them to hang up and try again with a 10-digit number, said Terry Hadley, a Public Utility Commission of Texas spokesman. Saturday marks the end of the so-called "grace period."

This is the penultimate step in implementing an overlay area code for most of Bexar County and parts of Atascosa, Comal, Guadalupe, Medina and Wilson counties. People with a current 210 area code will not see a change, but new phone numbers assigned in the area could be given the 726 code beginning Oct. 23. Area codes are assigned by the North American Numbering Plan Administration.

San Antonio is expected to run out of them for the 210 area code in early 2018. An area code typically has 792 usable prefixes, with each prefix containing 10,000 numbers, for a possible total of 7,920,000 numbers. The 210 code only has 57 usable prefixes left, said Jason Haas, attorney for the Public Utility Commission of Texas, in May of 2016.

For those who aren't fond of change, it'll be a while before the same thing happens again. Hadley estimates that nearly 8 million phone numbers with the 726 area code will need to be assigned before the San Antonio area gets a third area code.

Dallas has an overlay with three area codes and Houston has four. Austin, northeast Texas and Fort Worth all have two.

It was a big deal when San Antonio lost its 512 area code, still used today in the Austin area, as the Alamo City was assigned the 210 code in 1992, under what the PUC calls a geographic split. In 1997, another regional split set the 210 code exclusively for the San Antonio area  most of Bexar County and adjacent slivers of Medina, Comal, Guadalupe, Wilson and Atascosa counties. That prompted more reorders of business cards, and it gave the city its "210" brand.

Express-News staff writers Scott Huddleston and Elizabeth Robinson contributed to this report.




This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

AUSTIN  House Speaker Joe Straus called Tuesday for the removal of a blatantly inaccurate Confederate plaque at the state Capitol that denies slavery led to Texas secession.

We have an obligation to all the people we serve to ensure that our history is described correctly, especially when it comes to a subject as painful as slavery, Straus, R-San Antonio, wrote in a letter to fellow members of the State Preservation Board.

The six-member board, led by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, is in charge of preserving and maintaining the state Capitol complex.

I do hope that we can quickly form a consensus to begin the process of removing the blatantly inaccurate plaque on the Capitols first floor, Straus wrote.

His letter marks the first time a board member has publicly urged removal of a Confederate symbol in wake of a renewed push to take down such imagery following deadly protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, who in August asked for the immediate removal of the plaque, which is installed near his office, and a review of all other Confederate symbols at the Capitol, said Straus letter was a welcome surprise.

He kept his cards pretty close to the vest. He didnt tell me he was going to take a particular position, but he was definitely listening to the arguments I was making, Johnson said of past text conversations with Straus about the issue. I expect others are going to come on board and I expect the plaque is going to come down.

Half of the six State Preservation Board members, however, have voiced opposition to removing monuments, saying the state should learn from its past instead of trying to bury it.

The plaque was mounted on a first-floor wall of the Capitol in 1959 by the Texas Division of the Children of the Confederacy. It reads in part: We therefore pledge ourselves  to study and teach the truths of history (one of the most important of which is that the war between the states was not a rebellion, nor was its underlying cause to sustain slavery).

At the time Texas seceded, however, the need to defend slavery was cited as the primary reason for taking the drastic action, according to Walter Buenger, chief historian at the Texas State Historical Association.

In the 1950s, there was a surge in new Confederate memorials as a form of protest against the civil rights movement and school desegregation, he told the San Antonio Express-News this summer.

Abbott agreed to meet with Johnson to discuss the issue, but the pair had to postpone after Hurricane Harvey hit, Johnson said. A new date has not yet been set.

Abbotts office didnt return requests for comment on Straus letter.

The first-term governor has condemned the racially charged violence in Virginia, but has said that tearing down monuments wont erase our nations past, and it doesnt advance our nations future.

Another board member, Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, said Tuesday he hasnt read the plaque in years and cant comment on it specifically.

I am one of the people who says you cant erase history. You can learn from it and go forward, he said. If theres some inaccuracies, I think they should be corrected or removed.

Other board members, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, did not return requests for comment about the plaque. Patrick has said previously the goal is to learn from history, all of our history, including events and times that many would like to forget.

Public representative Iris Moore of Fort Worth could not be reached for comment.

Straus office didnt respond to questions about the letters timing, which he sent about a month after Johnson wrote to the State Preservation Board asking for the plaques removal.

At the time, Straus spokesman indicated the speaker would like to see a review of the accuracy of signs and monuments around the Capitol.

In the one-page letter sent Tuesday, Straus called for the plaques removal, citing concern with its historical accuracy.

The plaque says that the Civil War was not an act of rebellion and was not primarily about slavery, he wrote. This is not accurate, and Texans are not well-served by incorrect information about our history.

Johnson is one of several state legislators pressing for a new review of the roughly one dozen Confederate statues, monuments and plaques scattered across the Capitol complex.

Efforts in Texas to remove Confederate imagery have accelerated, as they have in many cities across the country, after racially charged protests in Charlottesville over a statue of Robert E. Lee that left one woman dead and many more injured.

The city of San Antonio this month removed the statue of an unknown Confederate soldier  along with its pedestal  in Travis Park.

amorris@express-news.net
In a nod, apparently, to how toxic Confederate symbols have become, a developer of the downtown Robert E. Lee Hotel wants to modify the structures historic sign.

Currently, two neon signs that soar above the 10-story brick building at 111 W. Travis St. read Hotel, Robt E Lee, Air Conditioned. On Wednesday, a Connecticut-based firm that plans to renovate the 72-unit building will request approval from the Historic and Design Review Commission to remove the E Lee.

The move comes just a few weeks after council voted to relocate a Confederate monument in downtown Travis Park, and trustees of the North East Independent School District voted unanimously to change the name of Robert E. Lee High School.

The developer, JHM Group, did not return a call on Monday.

The request, though, is further evidence that San Antonio, if not the nation, has reached a tipping point in a debate over Confederate symbols.

Its a sign thats difficult to ignore, said Councilman Roberto Trevino, whose downtown district encompasses the hotel.

The hotel was built in 1922; the electrified metal letters atop the building were added in 1938. The signs were replaced in 1995, but a hail storm destroyed the neon tubes.

Trevino told me he could only speculate on the developers motive for altering the signs. The firms representatives had raised the prospect of doing so last year, he said, when they met with city officials about obtaining a tax credit to rehabilitate the affordable housing complex. (The council later voted in support of the incentive.)

They have been talking about this for a while, at least for a year, Trevino said. Of course, that debate (over Confederate symbols) has been going on for a year and a half or two.  I think (the request) says that there is a level of thoughtfulness and resiliency in the city. Maybe people who have thought of these things for some time are now feeling they should address this now and take these steps.

Awareness in the city is also increasing.

In response to a complaint from a constituent, Trevinos office is going to look into a plaque at San Pedro Springs Park, he said, that might be related to the debate over Confederate symbols. (Trevino could not provide any details beyond that.)

And on Monday, the councilman  who helped spur the relocation of the Confederate monument from Travis Park  expressed consternation when I texted him a photo of a curious historical marker prominently displayed on the River Walk.

Located near West Crockett Street, the large, colorful marker shows an illustration of a man in a tree aiming his rifle at a second man kneeling at the river with his horse.

An old legend describes this twin cypress as a lookout of a Mexican sniper who picked off the Texans as they came to the river for water, the marker reads.

Geez Ive never seen this, Trevino responded. Thanks. I will look into this right away.

bchasnoff@express-news.net
UPDATED

Love reading about student success indicators? Happy early Christmas!

Thirty states and Puerto Rico turned in their Every Student Succeeds Act plans in time for the U.S. Department of Educations deadline of midnight on Monday, said Liz Hill, a department spokeswoman. Four hurricane-ravaged statesAlabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Texasgot an extension for later this fall.

The list of states in this latest and last round of submissions includes some of the most populous, including California and New York. (More on some specifics in those states plans below).

This is the second of two big batches of ESSA plans. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia turned in their plans last spring. And most of thoseArizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermonthave gotten approvals from the department. Colorado will turn its revised plan in October. And Massachusetts and Michigan are still waiting for the green light.

Its unclear how much influence the department is havingor wants to haveon state ESSA visions. So far, the feds have given a seal of approval to state plans even if they didnt necessarily include all of the changes the agency asked for in its official feedback.

And U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos told Education Week that shes encouraging states not to err on the side of caution, but to really push and go up to the line, test how far it takes to go over it.

Minnich said he expects the department will ultimately approve every states plan thats submitted.

I think states have put together a really good starting point, Minnich said. And he added, Ive really appreciated the way the department has dealt with round one. Theres been honest dialogue and back-and-forth.

But the two top Democrats in Congress working on education issuesRep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.think there hasnt been nearly enough oversight of state plans . They urged DeVos and company to do more to scrutinize this incoming batch.

So what are some highlights from this new batch of plans? One of the biggest changes in ESSA is that states must look at more than just test scores in rating schools. Many of the states that submitted their plans last spring chose to consider chronic absenteeism or college-and-career readiness as an added focus. And those factors were popular with new batch, too, said Kirsten Taylor, a policy analyst with CCSSO.

States offered some interesting specifics when it comes to school improvement, Minnich said. For instance, Arkansas is allowing its schools to use early-childhood education as an improvement strategy. And West Virginia is pairing low-performing schools with high-flyers that have similar demographics, so that the schools can learn from one another.

States also had to come up with plans to address teacher quality. Minnich noted New York wants to continue to push to ensure high-poverty schools get access to strong teachers. And Missouri highlighted its programs to support beginning teachers.

Early-childhood education was a factor in more than half a dozen state plans, according to a CCSSO analysis. Washington, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Arkansas all incorporated it into their plans in some fashion.

Some states are already getting pushback on their plans from local advocates.

Ryan Smith, the director of Education Trust-West, which looks out for historically disadvantaged students, said Californias plan does not offer assurances that it will truly hold schools and districts accountable for improving performance and closing achievement gaps.

Former U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. also expressed concerns that Californias system, which relies on a dashboard to rate schools on everything from academic achievement to student engagement to access to a broad course of study. He said its not going to be an easy system for parents to understand .

Mike Kirst, Californias state board president, doesnt see it that way.

Californias entire accountability and support system is based on improving the performance of student groups, he said in a statement.

He noted that districts that dont improve student outcomes in at least two areassuch as graduation rates, test scores, and suspension ratesare targeted for extra help, and could even be subject to more serious state intervention. And the state is offering an extra $10.1 billion annually to districts that serve high-needs students, including English-language learners, foster youth, and kids from low-income families.

New York, which got high marks from outside reviewers for offering a lot of specificity on school improvement , is already seeking testing waivers under ESSA. For instance, the Empire State wants to offer below-grade-level assessments to a subset of students in special education, to help capture what they know.

Its a major difficulty for them in their perception of how theyre doing in school or how well theyre doing in school and what they really know, based on their abilities, said Mary Ellen Elia, the state commissioner, in an interview. She also said the waiver would essentially enable New York to adapt its tests to students ability levels the same way other states that are using computer adaptive assessments already can.

Intrastate Squabbles

Theres been plenty of political tension within states as they rushed to get their plans on DeVos desk. In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, refused to sign off on the plan written by the state chief, Tony Evers, who happens to be running against him for governor. Walker called Evers ideas bureaucratic and said the states plan should look more like Tennessees.

And in Maryland, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan also refused to sign off on the states plan. He said the state board didnt have free rein to craft a plan that would identify and fix the states lowest-performing schools. Thats thanks to a new state law backed by the teachers union that says test scores cant count for more than 65 percent of a schools overall rating.

The Maryland law also bars the state department of education from requiring low-performing schools to convert to charters, giving students vouchers to attend private schools, or creating a state-run turnaround district.

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Trucks can carry up to 90,000 pounds until Nov. 17

By Diego Flammini

News Reporter

Farms.com

More Iowa grain can be moved at once thanks to a temporary proclamation by Governor Kim Reynolds on Monday.

The proclamation, which is in place until Nov. 17, allows transport vehicles to be overweight without the need for a permit.

I am pleased to sign this proclamation allowing Iowa farmers to move their crops in an effective and efficient manner, Gov. Reynolds said in yesterdays release. Farmers are a critical component of our states economy, and this proclamation ensures theyre able to transport their crops ahead of deteriorating weather conditions.

Vehicles in Iowa usually need a permit if the gross weight is more than 80,000 pounds, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Under the Governors proclamation, trucks can carry a gross weight of up to 90,000 pounds without a permit.

And being able to move those 10,000 extra pounds can have a number of benefits, says Mark Recker, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

The proclamation allows harvest to speed up a little bit, he told Farms.com today. Farmers can get into their fields, combine a little faster and hopefully beat out any bad weather that tends to show up in Iowa in November.

Corn farmers in Iowa grew 2.74 billion bushels of corn in 2016, according to the USDA. That number was 9 percent above the previous record of 2.51 billion bushels in 2015.

And soybean farmers in Iowa produced 572 million bushels in 2016, topping the previous record of 554 million bushels in 2015.

With farmers averaging higher yields, theyll need the extra weight capacities.

Theres so much grain to move, Recker said. Our harvests have gotten bigger and bigger over the years so its critical farmers have this temporary change in the law.

2017 isnt the first year Iowas Governor has signed this kind of proclamation.

Governors have implemented similar temporary law changes since at least 2011.

Top photo: JMichl
He will go up against finalists from all other States and territories, with the winner to be announced at a gala dinner on November 20 in Alice Springs, in conjunction with Red Meat 2017 and the Meat and Livestock Australia annual general meeting.
The innovative use of irrigated pastures to improve supply chain value and allow the northern WA beef industry to better meet market specifications is increasingly being adopted by producers in the Kimberley and Pilbara, Mr McCormick said.
Only subscribers with PAID Print or E-Edition subscriptions enter here to gain access. If you are not a Current Paid subscriber do not go through this portal. Please return to the subscription page to purchase one of our offers. Thank you!
Thousands of Florida students affected by Hurricane Irma returned to school on Monday, more than a week after the powerful storm knocked out power and caused flooding in large swaths of the state.

Some schools are still in the dark. In Miami-Dade, which opened on Monday, students at Richmond Heights Middle School were expected to spend the day at nearby Coral Reef High school because Richmond Heights did not have electricity, according to the Miami Herald.

Getting to school was expected to be a little bumpy, too. Some bus routes had to be changed to avoid streets still littered with debris and traffic lights that didnt work, the Herald reported.

While some parents were happy that schools were reopening in Miami-Dade, others took issue with the superintendents decision, the Herald reported.

Despite the lingering impacts from the storm, district leaders decided to open in the hope that it could help students lives return to some semblance of normalcy.

In addition to Miami-Dade, which is the countrys fourth-largest district, other districts that reopened included Hillsborough County, based in Tampa; Orange County, based in Orlando ; Palm Beach County, based in Palm Beach, and Broward County, based in Fort Lauderdale.

Most districts that shut down because of Hurricane Irma were expected to reopen this week, according to a tally of school districts on the Florida Department of Educations website .

But challenges still lingered for some school systems. The Collier County district in Naples is hoping to reopen on Sept. 25. The district reported on Monday that only 45 of its 54 schools had power. The county still has a boil-water advisory, and sewage problems were causing back-ups in schools, and six schools were still being used as shelters. Twenty-nine other schools that served as shelters during the storm needed to be deep-cleaned, the district said. The district also said that it was concerned about students safety, with flooding still a problem in some areas.

In Lee County, officials are also hoping to open on Sept. 25. While some of the buildings sustained minor damage in the storm, several portable classrooms were destroyed, Superintendent Gregory Adkins said. The district will have to make provisions for those students, according to the News-Press.

Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, where Hurricane Irma made its first United States landfall on Sept. 10, is aiming for a Sept. 25 reopening date. The districts staff is expected to report to work on Sept. 21 and 22, according to the Florida Keys News. County officials had restricted return to the Keys, but they have started to loosen those restrictions.

In the districts that have reopened, officials are taking steps to help students get ready for classes. Both Miami and Broward county schools are offering free breakfast and lunch to all students. Orange County, too, will offer free meals through Oct. 20, according to the district.
The future of Fauquier Times now depends on community support. Your donation will help us continue to improve our journalism through in-depth local news coverage and expanded reader engagement.

Support
Khloe Kardashian has slammed people for branding her "fat".

Khloe Kardashian

The 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' star hit out at body-shamers who have attacked her over her appearance after she was spotted dressing down while attending a laser hair removal appointment, insisting she simply wanted to be "comfortable".

She tweeted: "So rude of people to say I'm getting fat because I wore baggy clothes to get laser hair removal. It's called being comfortable people. (sic)"

Several fans took to Khloe's defence following her tweet, insisting she should ignore the haters.

One wrote: "Don't listen to them love, you're in such a good place right now and they're just bitter. You look great, happy Sunday love you always (sic)"

She replied: "Happy Sunday love!!!!!! Kisses!! (sic)"

Another fan branded her "perfect", and she tweeted: "So are you!!! Twins (sic)"

The 33-year-old star admitted being comfortable is "always" the way to go, and she also dished out advice for one supporter who asked her whether hair removal worked.

She tweeted back: "Omg it totally does!! (sic)"

One fan wrote: "Your always beautiful! People are too judgmental. X (sic)"

She tweeted: "Awwwww thank you my love (sic)"

In April, the star told her fans how she gets her hair removed, but doesn't ever thread her eyebrows because she once heard a story about someone getting herpes on their brows.

She wrote on her app: "The s**t women have to deal with, LOL! With swim season around the corner, it's time to get our hairy situations under control. Here's how I make sure my legs, bikini line and more are in check.

"No nasty ingrown hairs. I laser my bikini line! I recently started lasering my legs too. It's so much easier than having to shave every single day. I go to my girl at a place called Sev Laser. Kylie [Jenner] goes here too and we loooove it!!! My girl Sev is dope and is my Armenian sister from another mister.

"I always darken my brows because they are naturally light, but to shape them, I wax and never, ever thread. I heard the grossest story about threading! Someone had herpes on their mouth and then the client got it on their brows! I don't thread because someone's saliva might be going on my face! (sic)"

by Charlotte Hough for www.femalefirst.co.uk


Prince William is set to meet Sir David Attenborough next week.

Prince William

The 35-year-old royal will be attending a special screening of the iconic broadcaster's upcoming wildlife documentary series 'Blue Planet II' at the BFI Imax Cinema at Waterloo next Wednesday (27.09.17).

William will get the chance to meet the 91-year-old naturalist as well as composer Hans Zimmer and selected guests and schoolchildren who have also been invited to the special screening.

Before the screening starts, the royal - who is currently expecting his third child with his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge - will meet with schoolchildren from Lionel Primary School in Brentford as they take part in quizzes and see some of the technology used to film the series, including the megadome camera and a live demonstration of the full breathing apparatus used for underwater filming.

William and the other guests will then be treated to a sneak preview of the first episode of 'Blue Planet II', which is set to air on BBC One later this year.

Prince William will be carrying out the engagement on is own, as his pregnant wife Catherine, also 35, is currently suffering with Hyperemesis Gravidarum - a debilitating form of serious morning sickness - as she did with her two previous pregnancies when carrying four-year-old Prince George and two-year-old Princess Charlotte.

Meanwhile, the couple are reportedly set to pick a "down to earth" moniker to bestow on their unborn tot.

Global naming director at Siegel + Gale, Christian Turner, said recently: "The key consideration when naming a royal baby is the fine balance between tradition and accessibility.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will want the fifth-in-line to the throne to bear a name worthy of such weight, and it's therefore likely they will choose a solid, traditional name with strong links to royalty.

"At the same time, they won't want to appear old-fashioned or haughty, so choosing a name the public can embrace is equally important.

"George and Charlotte are excellent examples of names that strike the balance perfectly; royal by tradition, solid in heritage, both names have enjoyed a resurgence over the last decade, and it's not uncommon to hear either name being called in the local playground. This is common of the style of this generation of royals, who want to be more down-to-earth than their predecessors."
Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard would have celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary today so we take a look back over their time as a couple.

Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard (Credit: Famous)

1. The New Girl actress and musician were introduced by their mutual music manager; (Deschanel fronts the band She and Him).

2. Deschanel got engaged to musician Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service) in December 2008.

3. The pair married on September 19th 2009 near Seattle, Washington.

4. It was reported that when Ben first met Zooey, he was shocked that she even spoke to him because he thought she was too beautiful. (The Daily Mail)

5. Unfortunately the couple announced that they were separating on November 1st 2011.

6. Their divorce was finalised on December 12th 2012, citing 'irreconcilable differences' after just two months of separation.

7. According to an interview with www.billboard.com- some tracks on his album Kintsugi are inspired by Deschanel. He wouldnt say which ones but he did tell the interviewer; 'it's fairly obvious'.

Source: Wikipedia and IMDB.

by Lucy Moore for www.femalefirst.co.uk

find me on and follow me on
Sri Lankas MAS Brands, which sells the Amante label of innerwear, is mulling over acquisition options in India and planning to open 100 standalone stores in the next five years. The company, which operates 10 exclusive stores in India and also sells the label in Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan, will launch British lingerie brand Ultimo in India in October.The label aims at becoming the premium intimate wear brand in South Asia, a news agency report quoted MAS Brands India CEO Vivek Mehta as saying. The brand, a subsidiary of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., launched Amante in 2007 and now has plans to launch it in Bangladesh as well.

Sri Lanka's MAS Brands, which sells the Amante label of innerwear, is mulling over acquisition options in India and planning to open 100 standalone stores in the next five years. The company, which operates 10 exclusive stores in India and also sells the label in Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan, will launch British lingerie brand Ultimo in India in October.#

The company eyes a turnover of Rs 150 crore this fiscal and plans to launch brands for different customer needs. It is open to raising money from investors in future to support its expansion plans, Mehta added. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
An Italian textile machinery delegation of ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers) associated member companies, will partake in the African Sourcing & Fashion Week (ASFW), to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from October 3 to 6, 2017. The companies will exhibit at the Italian pavilion organised by the Italian Trade Agency.The ACIMIT associated members participating include Autotex, Bianco, Caru, Corino, Europrogetti, Fadis, Ferraro, Lonati, Loptex, Mei, Mesdan, Reggiani, Ssm Giudici, Tonello, Ugolini, and Willy.

An Italian textile machinery delegation of ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers) associated member companies, will partake in the African Sourcing & Fashion Week (ASFW), to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from October 3 to 6, 2017. The companies will exhibit at the Italian pavilion organised by the Italian Trade Agency.#

In Ethiopia, textile and garments industry has a long history and tradition. The sector represents the lion-share of employment in the manufacturing sector. The Ethiopian government has launched the II GTP, Growth and Transformation Plan, for 2015-2020 period to promote the industry and to exploit the several bilateral trade agreements signed with western countries. Moreover, the country is experimenting a long period of GDP growth.In this positive economic climate, the demand for machinery by local textile companies has grown significantly. Over the past five years, Italian exports to Ethiopia have increased on average by 14 per cent annually. Their value in 2016 reached 3 million, and in January-May period, Italian sales were worth 1 million.Due to the relevance of this market, ACIMIT, in cooperation with Italian Trade Agency, has set up over the years an intensive program for increasing contacts between operators from the two countries, including institutional and commercial missions in the country and incoming missions of Ethiopian delegates in Italy. Moreover, ACIMIT signed a MoU with the Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Institute in order to realise a textile technology centre. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
India is expected to surpass Germany and Japan to become the third largest economy by 2028 but needs more focus on the social sector and ease of doing business and be consistent in reforms, according to British firm HSBC, which urged the country to spend more on health and education. Demographics and macro stability are the nations key strengths, it said.HSBC estimates India will be a $7 trillion economy in 2028, compared to less than $6 trillion and $5 trillion for Germany and Japan respectively, a news agency reported quoting a report by HSBC economists. With a GDP of around $2.3 trillion in fiscal 2016-17, India at present stands fifth in global rankings.

India is expected to surpass Germany and Japan to become the third largest economy by 2028 but needs more focus on the social sector and ease of doing business and be consistent in reforms, according to British firm HSBC, which urged the country to spend more on health and education. Demographics and macro stability are the nation's key strengths, it said.#

Cautioning against harmful stray reforms, the brokerage firm said social capital is "insufficient" and spending on aspects like health and education "is not just desirable for its (India's) own sake, but is also central to economic growth and political stability."India will continue to be a services-oriented economy but needs to pay more attention to manufacturing and farm sectors. The e-commerce sector will create 12 million jobs over the next 10 years and the social sector can be another field for job creation, it said.Due to the introduction of the goods and services tax (GST), the growth rate will be lower in fiscal 2017-18 compared to the previous years 7.1 per cent, but it will recover sustainably from next year. The informal sector, responsible for the bulk of jobs in India, may respond to higher taxation by shutting shop or laying off workers, it noted.Other developments in the next decade will include higher investment and capital goods flow as the countrys focus on manufacturing increases, Indian consumers forcing foreign brands to turn 'glocal' and a two- way human capital footprint that will see many skilled people travelling overseas, HSBC added. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Comedian Dave Chappelles shout-out to D.C. public schools during Sundays Emmys telecast on CBS went viral and prompted debate and analysis in Washington.

Chappelle and fellow comic Melissa McCarthy took the stage at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles to present an award when Chappelle said, Now, Im going to read this teleprompter. Please forgive me. Shout-out to D.C. public schools.

Chappelle is a 1991 graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a public high school in the District of Columbia system that just reopened following a $171 million renovation.

Later in the three-hour Emmys show, HBO talk-show host John Oliver, who attended schools in his native England, jokingly repeated the reference when he accepted an award. Like Dave Chapelle, I would like to unexpectedly thank D.C. public schools because I think itd be great if it starting trending on Twitter for no reason tonight whatsoever, Oliver said.

It did, starting with the Twitter account of the school system, @dcpublicschools.

Hello, #Emmys friends! Were a district on the rise, and were happy youre here. Learn more about us: https://t.co/k94AViHVYn pic.twitter.com/UPVIj7LW6I  DC Public Schools (@dcpublicschools) September 18, 2017

Some viewers interpreted Chappelles message as a dig. Geniuses @dcpublicschools, you do realize #DaveChappelle was shouting out 2u because he couldnt read the teleprompter? said one.

WRC-TV, the NBC station known as NewsChannel 4 in Washington, did a video report on the Emmy mention. (Its embedded below despite the imperfect dimensions.) The station also did a web story headlined, A Look at DCPS Performance After Dave Chappelles Emmy Joke. (The upshot: The latest data shows that students are making significant gains on standardized tests but still falling short of national averages, the story says.)
The Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF) has appealed to the commerce ministry to include textile products while negotiating expansion of its preferential trade agreement (PTA) with the MERCOSUR trading bloc in Latin America comprising Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay and discuss ways to reduce duties on textile products in this region.ITF feels the region holds tremendous potential for Indias textile exports and the existing PTA does not include any textile item. The duty on most textile products in this region is very high  between 24 and 35 per cent  and the market share of Indian textile products there at present is negligible, ITF said in a recent press release.

The Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF) has appealed to the commerce ministry to include textile products while negotiating expansion of its preferential trade agreement (PTA) with the MERCOSUR trading bloc in Latin America comprising Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay and discuss ways to reduce duties on textile products in this region. #

Citing an example, ITF said though Brazil imported textile and apparel products worth $6 billion In fiscal 2015-16, Indias contribution to that was a mere $83 million.As China is gradually losing its competitive edge in textile trade, if India can capture 15 per cent of Chinas textile exports, it can double the countrys textile exports. Therefore, there is a need to focus more on free trade agreements (FTAs)and market diversification for textile products, according to ITF.A PTA is a limited FTA where partner countries reduce import duties on a few identified products for the other. Indias exports to the MERCOSUR bloc in 2015-16 were $3.4 billion, while imports were $6.6 billion. This was just a fraction of the countrys bilateral trade with the United States valued at $68.6 billion and the European Union at $115 billion in the same fiscal. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The European Union will provide its support to Fiji when it assumes the Presidency of COP23, the UN negotiations on climate change, in November this year.

This was communicated to Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama by the EU Council president Donald Tusk when the two held bilateral talks this morning at the margins of 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly.In thanking the EU for its support to Fiji, Prime Minister Bainimarama also updated Mr Tusk on the progressive steps currently being taken in the lead up to COP23. He highlighted Fiji's role in showcasing best practices for transformative climate action, which includes helping to build and mobilise a grand coalition for climate action amongst every level of government, the private sector, civil society and ordinary citizens. He also discussed how to design the facilitative dialogue in order to resolve problems and to build and maintain relationships."These two pillars will help to showcase best practices for transformative action to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. This would require holding the rise in the global average temperature to well below 2C and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels," the Prime Minister told Mr Tusk.A key area discussed today was the vulnerability of small island developing states to the severe effects of climate change. Pointing to recent climate related events, including Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in the Caribbean and southern United States, the PM urged for greater cooperation amongst nations to address climate change."As I have said previously, with climate change we are all in the same boat. To deal with the climate crisis, it is obvious that we need to cooperate, to learn from each other and to do whatever we can with our considerable resources to advance our collective prosperity and wellbeing. If we view this as some sort of negotiation where the goal is to preserve the narrow national interests of each country, we will all be powerless to protect our own people from the consequences of climate change. Instead, it is only through cooperation and collective action that we will be able to achieve our national objectives and preserve the wellbeing of our people.While the PM is in New York leading Fiji's delegation to this year's General Assembly, he will also officiate at several climate-related events as incoming President of COP23.
HON INIA SERUIRATU AT UN BREAKFAST EVENT FOR SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES RESPONDING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS





Your Excellency Dr. Mohamed Asim, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of MaldivesYour Excellency Miguel Arias Canete, European Union Commissioner for Climate ChangeMr. Achim Steiner, UNDP AdministratorMs. Fekita 'Utoikamanu Under Secretary General of OHRLLSExcellencies and honoured guests.A very good morning and a warm bula vinaka to you all.I am very honoured to be here at this very important breakfast event and to be given the opportunity to share some thoughts with you on the important topic we are gathered here to discuss.The main purpose of this breakfast gathering is to showcase and highlight the climate action initiatives demonstrated by SIDS. This immediately grabbed my attention because as the COP23 High-level Champion one of my primary responsibilities is to engage with all actors to accelerate climate action.Ladies and Gentlemen, colleagues, it is clear to me that there is a need for more awareness and understanding on the Global Climate Action Agenda across a broad front. Of what it is and of what it is trying to achieve.We need to do much more to convey the sense of urgency the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action represents  the urgency to accelerate climate action; the urgency to seek out innovative solutions and implement transformative and sustainable initiatives; the urgency to pull everyone together to join this massive effort; and the urgency to put in place enabling mechanisms to make it all possible.Only then can we meet the targets set out in the Paris Agreement, including our goal to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees above that of the industrial age.As high-level champion of the Fiji COP23 Presidency, I am committed to communicating this sense of urgency widely to all levels of government, to investors and financing institutions, to the private sector, to civil society organisations, and to local communities.We need to engage with this broad spectrum of stakeholders to ensure that innovative and transformative technologies reach our islands and are adapted to our circumstances and needs.Friends, the Fijian COP23 Presidency stands with the AOSIS family in firmly focussing on the target of limiting global warming to within 1.5 degrees Celsius above that of the pre-industrial age. We fully recognise that to achieve this, the world must reach net-zero emissions in the next handful of decades and not wait for the latter half of the century. For small island states like ours, and for all vulnerable nations, this is an imperative and a minimum achievement.As the incoming Presideny, we are also firm in our belief on the need to increase our resilience as the world works toward reaching and then maintaining a net-zero carbon world. Resilience is taken in the context of overall sustainable mitigation and adaptation efforts.For us as small island nations, we need to optimise the technologies and initiatives brought to our islands. We need to ensure that synergies are created between adaptation and mitigation technologies and initiatives  so that local communities get maximum benefit from either initiative.For instance, a solar energy project in the islands needs to extend it services to health centre facilities, schools and other essential service centres. This is what builds true resilience  a holistic approach where mitigation and adaptation efforts are not taken in isolation but serve to complement each other.In July this year, I hosted the Climate Action Pacific Partnership conference in Suva, Fiji, which brought together more than 200 participants with an almost equal representation from government, international and regional organisations, the private sector, and civil society groups.The conference was a huge success, resulting in an outcomes report with detailed recommendations to accelerate climate action in the Pacific.Participants of the conference expressed the need to unlock real short-term outcomes in renewable energy, sustainable transport, forest and ocean management, climate smart-agriculture, health, water security and more.The Pacific representatives also made a clear statement on the need for increased investment to implement and enhance nationally determined contributions (NDCs).It was recognised that a countrys NDC can be a useful framework to streamline different objectives  where various climate actions and SDG strategies in different sectors are aligned. This can be very significant in the way it organises and gives a common focus to various sectoral plans that include mitigation and adaptation activities.This also means a more defined approach for climate financing and reporting.In other words, ladies and gentlemen, whilst we will continue to push for more ambitious contributions and actions from the big emitters, we the vulnerable small island states will use our NDCs as a lever to increase support and strengthen means of implementation.This is why the COP23 Presidency is calling for increased support to SIDS for the enhancement and the implementation of their NDCs. This should contribute to the strengthening of our resiliency, and to not focusing on emissions reduction alone.In the Pacific, we have recognised that such support can be achieved through a regional NDC support mechanism, and the Fijian COP23 Presidency is undertaking efforts toward this goal.It is clear that non-party actors, like the private sector and local governments, can play a crucial role in enhancing and adding value to current NDCs. And so I urge our SIDS Parties to engage with non-Party stakeholders in the planning review, implementation, financing and evaluation of your NDCs.Ladies and Gentlemen, the July conference also resulted in the establishment of the Climate Action Pacific Partnership.This partnership will be linked to other global coalitions and alliances as part of the Grand Coalition for more ambitious action at every level and in every sector. I look forward to your support and involvement in this Pacific Partnership.The various consultations and meetings with both Parties and non-Parties during the year has revealed a clear expectation for the Champions to support the 2018 Facilitative Dialogue by bringing forward the inputs of non-state actors.The Facilitative Dialogue is expected to assess progress on mitigation efforts; identify relevant opportunities to enhance the provision of financial resources; support the development and transfer of technology; and promote capacity building.The experiences, lessons, best practices, and reporting from non-Parties stakeholders is invaluable to this process.The high-level champions are here to help facilitate this process through our mandated reporting processes; by working with the UNFCCC technical examination process; and by utilising other relevant mechanisms. Going into COP23, this role and engagement of non-Parties will be recognised.Ladies and Gentlemen, we need to develop a relationship where everyone agrees on the urgency to unite for climate action.And this will be done in the spirit of Talanoa that the COP23 Presidency is advocating. If you are from the Pacific, you will be very familiar with the talanoa concept.Talanoa is about people coming together to exchange ideas, express opinions, share knowledge, and most importantly, foster relationships and build trust, empathy and understanding. Through talanoa a safe and all-inclusive space of mutual respect is created.Ladies and Gentlemen, with those few words please let me conclude by thanking you for the wisdom and advice that AOSIS has already provided to the Fijian Presidency and by calling for your continued support as we head toward Bonn in November. I look forward to us all uniting for climate action  further, faster, together.We do this for the sake of our small island states, for the sake of all vulnerable communities and for the sake of all the people of the world. Because at the end of the day we are all vulnerable and we all must act.Vinaka vakalevuThank you
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2017 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces a securities class action lawsuit against Sequans Communications S.A. ("Sequans" or the "Company") (NYSE: SQNS). Investors, who purchased or otherwise acquired Sequans shares from April 29, 2016 through July 31, 2017, inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the Firm before the October 10, 2017 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

If you purchased Sequans shares during the Class Period, please contact Joon M. Khang, Esq., of Khang & Khang LLP, 4000 Barranca Parkway, Suite 250, Irvine, CA 92604, by telephone at (949) 419-3834 , or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

There has been no class certification in this case yet. Until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. You may choose to take no action and remain a passive class member as well.

According to the Complaint, throughout the Class Period, Sequans made false and/or misleading statements, and/or failed to disclose, that it was improperly recognizing revenue, and as a result, its public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On August 1, 2017, the Company revealed that its revenue in the second quarter was negatively affected by a product return from an early 2016 sale related to the tablet business. Upon release of this information, Sequans' stock price fell materially, which caused investors harm according to the Complaint.

If you wish to learn more about this lawsuit, or if you have questions about this notice or your rights, please contact Joon M. Khang, Esq., a prominent litigator for nearly two decades, by telephone at (949) 419-3834 , or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions.

Contact:

Joon M. Khang, Esq.

Telephone: 949-419-3834

Facsimile: 949-225-4474

joon@khanglaw.com

SOURCE: Khang & Khang LLP
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2017 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces a securities class action lawsuit against Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. ("Vitamin Shoppe" or the "Company") (NYSE: VSI). Investors, who purchased or otherwise acquired shares between March 1, 2017 and August 6, 2017, inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the Firm in advance of the October 27, 2017 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

If you purchased Vitamin Shoppe shares during the Class Period, please contact Joon M. Khang, Esq., of Khang & Khang LLP, 4000 Barranca Parkway, Suite 250, Irvine, CA 92604, by telephone at (949) 419-3834 , or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

There has been no class certification in this case yet. Until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. You may choose to take no action and remain a passive class member as well.

According to the Complaint, throughout the Class Period, Vitamin Shoppe made false and/or misleading statements, and/or failed to disclose: that the Company's retail segment was continuing to dramatically decline; that its ongoing "reinvention plan" had been unsuccessful and brought more than $168 million in goodwill impairment, and it was not properly recognizing that impairment charge; and that, as a result of the above, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On May 10, 2017, Vitamin Shoppe released first quarter 2017 financial results that were lower than market expectations and slashed its fiscal 2017 guidance by 45%, yet claimed the "reinvention plan" was still succeeding. Following this news, the Company's stock price fell dramatically. On August 9, 2017, the Company announced that it was taking a $168.1 million impairment charge on the goodwill being carried on its books associated with its retail segment, and that it would report a loss per share of $6.73. Also, citing "the potential increase in variability of the Company's results due to the number of initiatives being launched in the back half of the year," Vitamin Shoppe dropped its fiscal 2017 earnings per share guidance altogether. When this information reached the public, the Company's shares fell in value materially, which caused investors harm according to the Complaint.

If you wish to learn more about this lawsuit, or if you have any questions concerning this notice or your rights, please contact Joon M. Khang, Esq., a prominent litigator for almost two decades, by telephone at (949) 419-3834 , or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions.

Contact:

Joon M. Khang, Esq.

Telephone: 949-419-3834

Facsimile: 949-225-4474

joon@khanglaw.com

SOURCE: Khang & Khang LLP
STOCKHOLM (dpa-AFX) - Sonera Holding B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of Telia Company AB, announced the launch of an accelerated bookbuilding offering to institutional investors of about 153.5 million shares in Turkcell Iletism Hizmetleri A.S., representing about 7.0 percent of Turkcell's issued share capital. Telia Company's total interest in Turkcell is approximately 31.0 percent of its issued share capital, comprising a 7.0 percent direct stake and a 24.0 percent indirect stake. If all offered shares are sold, Telia Company will retain only its 24.0 percent indirect stake. In May 2017 Telia Company sold 155 million ordinary shares in Turkcell to institutional investors, representing 7.0 per cent of the company's direct stake in Turkcell. Telia Company will continue to be the largest shareholder in Turkcell in economic terms post today's proposed transaction. The transaction is expected to settle on 21 September, 2017. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Infortrend Technology, Inc. (TWSE: 2495) today announced that it will partner with Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, to collaboratively deliver scalable and easy to deploy hybrid cloud storage services to customers in the Great China region.

This collaboration will combine Infortrend and Alibaba Cloud's expertise in products, marketing, and innovation, and continue to advance the development of cloud storage. Alibaba Cloud is China's largest public cloud provider, providing a comprehensive suite of cloud computing services. Infortrend has experience and good reputation in the storage industry and its shipment of over 600,000 rack-mount storage units around the world with customers covering all fields of industry.

Infortrend will set up a dedicated team to fully support Alibaba Cloud service to build hybrid cloud storage solutions to create more opportunities for both sides, and to further promote storage applications, cloud computing, and public cloud solutions.

Hanny Yang, head of Infortrend China, said, "We are pleased to partner with Alibaba Cloud, China's largest public cloud provider, providing a comprehensive suite of cloud computing services. Infortrend will extend the value of Alibaba Cloud based on our unique understanding of storage products and cloud solutions for customers. This collaboration means that Infortrend can assist Alibaba Cloud to deliver additional values and introduce them to storage users."

For more advanced information or if you have any questions about Infortrend cloud storage solutions, please feel free to contact Infortrend sales representatives.

About Infortrend

Infortrend (TWSE: 2495) has been developing and manufacturing storage solutions since 1993. With a strong emphasis on in-house design, testing, and manufacturing, Infortrend storage delivers performance and scalability with the latest standards, user friendly data services, personal after-sales support, and unrivaled value. For more Information, please visit www.infortrend.com

Infortrend and EonStor are trademarks or registered trademarks of Infortrend Technology, Inc., other trademarks property of their respective owners.

Infortrend Europe Ltd.

Alex Young

Tel:+44-1256-305-220

E-mail: marketing.eu@infortrend.com
Figure 1: The newly developed wearable, hands-free speech translation device

Figure 2: Usage scenario for the wearable, hands-free speech translation device and relationship to directivity



Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Front Technologies Laboratory E-mail: voice_translation_info@ml.labs.fujitsu.com Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-6252-2176 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

KAWASAKI, Japan, Sept 19, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced the development of the world's first wearable, hands-free speech translation device, suitable for tasks in which the users' hands are often occupied, such as in diagnoses or treatment in healthcare.In recent years, with an increase in the number of visitors to Japan, more and more non-Japanese patients are going to hospitals, creating issues in supporting communication in multiple languages. In 2016, Fujitsu Laboratories developed hands-free technology that recognizes people's voices and the locations of speakers, and that automatically changes to the appropriate language without physical manipulation of the device. That same year, it also worked with the University of Tokyo Hospital and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) to conduct a field trial of multilingual speech translation in the medical field using stationary-type tablets. Based on the results, Fujitsu Laboratories learned that, as there are many situations in which healthcare providers have their hands full, such as when providing care in a hospital ward, there was a great need for a wearable speech translation device that could be used without being physically touched.In order to expand the usability of multilingual speech translation, Fujitsu Laboratories has developed the world's first compact, wearable, hands-free speech translation device by developing technology to differentiate speakers using small omnidirectional microphones. This is possible through an ingenious modification of the shape of the sound channel, and by improving the accuracy of speech detection technology that is highly resistant to background noise. Use of this device is expected to reduce the burden on healthcare providers whose hands are often constrained by other tasks.Fujitsu Laboratories will evaluate the effectiveness of these newly developed translation devices in healthcare situations as part of a multilingual speech translation clinical trial(1) being carried out jointly with Fujitsu Limited, the University of Tokyo Hospital, and NICT, with the new devices being deployed in November 2017.Development BackgroundWith the increase in the number of visitors to Japan in recent years, there has been demand for the commercialization of a multilingual speech translation system that helps to overcome communication problems. The Multilingual Speech Translation Technology Promotion Consortium(2) has been conducting a variety of R&D and carrying out trials in various fields on the basis of the "Promotion of Global Communications Plan: Research, Development, and Social Demonstration of Multilingual Speech Translation Technology - (I. Research & Development of Multilingual Speech Translation Technology) Basic Plan" from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.In 2016, Fujitsu Laboratories developed hands-free technology that recognizes people's voices and the locations of speakers, and that automatically changes to the appropriate language without physically touching the device. That same year, it also worked with the University of Tokyo Hospital and NICT to conduct a field trial of multilingual speech translation in the medical field using stationary-type tablets. As a result, it learned that healthcare providers do not just speak with patients in set locations, such as reception desks and diagnostic rooms, but also in a variety of situations when providing care throughout a hospital ward, leading to significant demand for a wearable speech translation device that could be used without physical manipulation.IssuesWith the hands-free speech translation technology developed in 2016 to run on tablets, the system used an external directional microphone to identify the direction of the speaker. To create a wearable speech translation device, however, it was necessary to develop a miniature directional microphone.In addition, because there is a great deal of background noise in healthcare situations, such as the sounds of air conditioners and diagnostic devices, there were issues with low accuracy in detecting speech due to the impact of background noise when the healthcare provider was far from the patient.About the Newly Developed TechnologyNow, Fujitsu Laboratories has developed the world's first wearable, hands-free speech translation device that can be used in a variety of situations, including healthcare environments (Figure 1, Figure 2). Features of the technology are as follows:http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuWearable91917Fig1.jpgFigure 1: The newly developed wearable, hands-free speech translation device1. Miniaturization through sound channel configuration utilizing sound diffraction and miniature omnidirectional microphonesFujitsu Laboratories successfully miniaturized the devices through the use of miniaturized omnidirectional microphones and technology that enhances the directivity of sound in the target direction using an L-shaped sound channel, which dampens sound from directions other than the target direction. As shown in Figure 2, sounds from the direction of the healthcare provider are diffracted once, while sounds from other directions are diffracted twice. Because sound is dampened when it is diffracted, this can enhance the directionality of sounds from the direction of the healthcare provider.2. Improved speech detection accuracyFujitsu Laboratories adopted a high-sensitivity microphone element for the patient's direction (outward-facing), increasing the recording levels for the patient's voice. In addition, it suppressed ambient noise, such as from air conditioners and diagnostic devices, through the use of noise suppression technology.3. Structure and unit design for ease of use in healthcare situationsIn developing this wearable, hands-free speech translation technology, Fujitsu Laboratories miniaturized and optimized the sound channel configuration, taking into consideration ease of use in healthcare situations, and using miniaturization and weight reduction techniques developed by Fujitsu Connected Technologies Limited in its development of smartphones and other mobile phones. Fujitsu Laboratories decided on a hanging name-badge form factor style that enables the healthcare provider to freely use both hands, with button icons, form and markings that enable intuitive operation, as well as a rounded shape to provide a pleasant and unobtrusive impression to both the healthcare provider and the patient.http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuWearable91917Fig2.jpgFigure 2: Usage scenario for the wearable, hands-free speech translation device and relationship to directivityEffectsWith this newly developed technology, Fujitsu Laboratories achieved a speech detection accuracy of 95% in an environment with comparable noise levels to an examination room in a large hospital (about 60 decibels of noise) at a natural distance for a face-to-face conversation between a healthcare provider and a patient of about 80 cm. This newly developed translation device reduces the burden on healthcare providers when using speech translation, freeing up their hands during tasks that often require both hands, such as providing care in a ward.Future PlansFujitsu Laboratories will be carrying out clinical trials in healthcare institutions across Japan, including the University of Tokyo Hospital, beginning in November 2017, using both this newly developed wearable, hands-free speech translation device and a speech translation system that supports accurate translations between Japanese and English or Chinese in healthcare situations, developed by NICT. In addition, based on the results of these clinical trials, the number of supported languages and the scope of usage will be expanded.Going forward, Fujitsu Laboratories aims to expand speech translation systems using this technology to a variety of fields, such as in assisting guests in tourism and in public services from local governments, with the goal of commercialization in fiscal 2018.(1) Multilingual speech translation clinical trialResearch Ethics Committee of the Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Ethics Review Number 10704-(4)(2) Multilingual Speech Translation Technology Promotion ConsortiumEstablished on October 26, 2015, with the goal of carrying out research and development over the five years from 2015 on multilingual speech translation technology that can enable communication without causing foreign visitors to Japan to feel the language barrier, with the goal of providing practical equipment by 2020.About Fujitsu LaboratoriesFounded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/.About Fujitsu LtdFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 155,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US$40 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.* Please see this press release, with images, at:http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/Source: Fujitsu LtdContact:Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Macy's, Inc. (M) today announced plans to hire approximately 80,000 seasonal associates for positions at its Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores, call centers, distribution centers and online fulfillment centers nationwide for the 2017 Christmas and holiday season. The company also announced its national holiday hiring event, expanding to two days this year: Thursday, Sept. 28, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., and Friday, Sept. 29, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., in local time zones. Macy's, Inc.'s 2017 seasonal hiring plan includes; About 18,000 of the 80,000 total seasonal positions will be based in direct-to-consumer fulfillment facilities that support sales generated by the company's omnichannel business strategy. This is an increase of 3,000 positions compared to 2016. These positions are located in megacenters in Goodyear, AZ; Cheshire, CT; Tulsa, OK; Portland, TN; and Martinsburg, WV, as well as in product-specific fulfillment centers in Sacramento, CA; Stone Mountain, GA; Secaucus, NJ; and Joppa, MD. The company noted that approximately 1,000 associates will be hired to interact with customers via telephone, email and online chat at customer service centers in Mason, OH; Clearwater, FL; and Tempe, AZ. The company stated that more than 1,000 people will be hired across the country to support the 91st annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santalands and other iconic holiday events. 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.
South Dakota has announced a new policy that will guarantee students automatic admission to state colleges and universities based on their scores on the Smarter Balanced assessment .

Yesterdays announcement marks the first time a state higher-education system has decided to use Smarter Balanced scores to grant students automatic acceptance if they reach a qualifying score.

In South Dakota, 11th grade students who score at Level 3 or 4 in English and math on the four-level test, or earn an ACT composite score of 18, are guaranteed general acceptance to the states six public universities and four technical institutes. The first round of those proactive admissions letters will go out this month, to high school seniors who took the Smarter Balanced exam last year, according to an announcement by the South Dakota Department of Education.

General acceptance means that students might have to meet additional requirements to pursue specific majors.

The Smarter Balanced exam, and PARCC, the other common-core test designed with federal funds for the common core, were designed as measures of college readiness, and as course-placement tools. The idea was to set score cutoffs that would show colleges whether students are ready for credit-bearing, entry-level courses. But now at least one state system is using those cut scores for admission decisions as well.

No information was immediately available on whether the public colleges and universities in any state that uses the PARCC exam use those scores to offer guaranteed admission to students. Arthur Vanderveen, the president of New Meridian, which manages the testing consortium, said such policies are determined state by state, and the consortium is not currently tracking them.

South Dakotas policy is similar to one in Idaho, where the public colleges and universities use SAT or ACT scores, and students grade-point averages, to guarantee general admission . Idaho administers Smarter Balanced to its 10th grade students, but the Idaho higher-education system doesnt use those scores for admissions, according to Smarter Balanced spokesman Chris Barron.

A 20-year-old law in Texas guarantees students admission to its public colleges and universities if they graduate in the top 10 percent of their class. But its gotten sticky, since its flagship campus, the University of Texas-Austin, couldnt absorb all the qualified students. The state revised the rule in 2009 for UT-Austin so that only 7 percent to 8 percent of each graduating class automatically gets in.

Paul Turman, the vice president for academic affairs for the South Dakota Board of Regents, called the states new proactive admissions policy good for students and good for South Dakota.

We are alerting our public high school seniors to the great opportunities available to them, with a goal of encouraging more to attend the exceptional public universities and technical institutes here in our state, he said in a prepared statement. This is a way to retain our best students and build a vibrant workforce firmly rooted in South Dakota.

Students who receive the letters of guaranteed general acceptance must submit an admission application, pay the fee, and send in their high school transcripts by Dec. 1 of their senior year. Their enrollment is contingent on graduating from high school. They can still apply after Dec. 1, but their acceptance isnt guaranteed.

The four-year public colleges and universities in South Dakota are on a growing list of schools that dont require the SAT or ACT for admission , according to FairTest, an organization that tracks testing policies.

FairTest spokesman Robert A. Schaeffer commended South Dakotas decision, saying that even institutions that think some information from standardized exams is useful in admissions recognize that an in-state students high school record includes lots of test results.
Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-6252-2176 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

TOKYO, Sept 19, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu today announced that it will join WIPO GREEN as a partner. Operated by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), WIPO GREEN is a marketplace for connecting environmental technology and service providers with those seeking innovative solutions. By joining this marketplace, Fujitsu's goal is to contribute to the preservation of the global environment by spreading its environmental technologies throughout society.In addition, Fujitsu has registered over 200 intellectual property assets related to environmental technology in the database operated by WIPO GREEN, such as its GaN-HEMT AC adapter technology, and is actively engaging in technology transfer.Fujitsu will contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals - a set of goals spearheaded by the United Nations - including creating a post-carbon society and responding to climate change, by accelerating the global adoption of its environmental technology via this international marketplace.BackgroundIn the Fujitsu Climate and Energy Vision, established in May, Fujitsu set forth the goal of contributing to a post-carbon society by offering technologies and services that support digital transformations. Fujitsu has continued to undertake the R&D necessary to improve the energy efficiency of its products and services, and to reduce their burden on the environment. The company holds numerous intellectual property assets, including patents and specialized knowledge relating to environmental technology. At the same time, in order to spread its environmental technology broadly throughout society and contribute to reducing the impact on the environment, Fujitsu considers it important to not only employ this intellectual property in its own products and services, but also to utilize it in a variety of forms, promoting open innovation, including technology transfers.WIPO GREEN fosters collaboration among diverse actors with a stake in green innovation. It conducts activities with an aim to contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal's "Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development." By contributing as a partner to WIPO GREEN and joining other partner enterprises, Fujitsu seeks to support efforts to advance Sustainable Development Goals.Overview of WIPO GREENWIPO GREEN is an online marketplace and global network that connects providers of products and services with those who need innovative solutions in order to promote the spread of environmental technologies and associated innovation. Since beginning operations in 2013, over 2,600 environmental technologies and needs have been recorded in its database and the WIPO GREEN Network has grown to over 6,000 individuals and organizations spanning 170 countries.Major Environmental Technologies Recorded in the DatabaseFujitsu will be adding over 200 intellectual property assets to WIPO GREEN's database by the end of March 2018, including actively promoting technology transfer of some of its environmental technology, which it believes can contribute to reducing burden on the environment. Fujitsu intends to license the technologies it lists in the database to interested individuals, companies and organizations under reasonable terms, and it will also provide technological support as necessary.Through transferring those technologies, Fujitsu will contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals including "Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)", "Goal 9 (Infrastructure, Industry and Innovation)" and "Goal 13 (Climate Action)".1. GaN-HEMT AC AdapterA world's first developed in 2015 by Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., this is a highly efficient and small AC adapter using gallium nitride high electron mobility transistors (GaN-HEMT), which have low dynamic resistance, as switch elements.2. PhotocatalystIn 2003, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. and the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology worked together to develop a world's first photocatalyst with an exceptional ability to decompose highly absorptive organic materials (bacteria, viruses, dirt), and that did little to degrade the materials to which it was applied.3. Cathode Material for Lithium Iron Phosphate Rechargeable BatteriesIn 2017, Fujitsu Laboratories developed a competitive high-voltage cathode material for lithium iron phosphate rechargeable batteries, without the use of cobalt, a rare metal, but rather with abundant and cheap iron.About Fujitsu LtdFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 155,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US$40 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.* Please see this press release, with images, at:http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/Source: Fujitsu LtdContact:Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
WAYNE, New Jersey, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Toys"R"Us, Inc. today affirmed that the Company's approximately 1,600 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores and e-commerce sites around the world are open for business and are continuing to offer customers great service and a curated assortment of merchandise in the toy and baby categories.

Toys"R"Us, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries are implementing a court-supervised process in the United States and Canada that will allow the Company to restructure its finances while continuing normal business operations. The Company's operations outside of the U.S. and Canada, including its operations in Europe and Australia and its approximately 255 licensed stores and joint venture partnership in Asia, which are separate entities, are not part of the Chapter 11 filing and CCAA proceedings.

The Company expects this process will enable it to restructure its outstanding debt, which will provide greater financial flexibility to invest in the continued growth of the Company and build on its position as the best toy and baby retailer in the world.

"We are confident that we are taking the right steps to ensure that the iconic Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us brands live on for many generations," said Dave Brandon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our customers around the world can continue to count on an outstanding shopping experience and excellent service whenever, wherever and however they choose to shop with us. As the holiday season approaches, our global team members are ready to serve the millions of kids and families who will be shopping with us."

Toys"R"Us is committed to working with its vendors around the world to help ensure that inventory levels are maintained and products continue to be delivered in a timely fashion. Additional information can be accessed by visiting the Company's restructuring website at www.toysrusinc.com/restructuringor calling the Company's Information Hotline, toll-free, at the following numbers internationally:

Germany : 0800-182-9016

: 0800-182-9016 UK: 800: 0-800-014-8914

Spain Mobile Enabled: 900-984918

Portugal Mobile Enabled: 800-180-778

France : 805: 0805-080337

: 805: 0805-080337 Poland : 0-0-800-141-0322

: 0-0-800-141-0322 Australia 1300: 1-300-009-390

1300: 1-300-009-390 Austria Mobile Enabled: 0800-802290

Switzerland Mobile Enabled: 0800-562-556

China : 400-120-4011

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 885 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam, and in more than 810 international stores and over 255 licensed stores in 38 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.

For more information please contact:

Media:

Amy von Walter, Executive Vice President, Global Communications & Customer Care at 1-201-815-9512 or Amy.vonWalter@toysrus.com

press@toysrus.com

1-973-617-5900

Michael Freitag / Meaghan Repko

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

Tel: 1-212-355-4449
Programs in Europe, Canada, India, and East and Southeast Asia Witness Gains; U.S. Programs Suffer From Shifting Demand



RESTON, Va., 2017-09-19 06:01 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly 3 in 4 (73 percent) graduate business programs with 201 or more class seats report increased application volumes this year compared to 39 percent of the smallest programs (50 or fewer class seats), according to a new application trends survey from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). The growth among the larger U.S. programs is driven by a resurgence of domestic applications, offsetting declines in international applicants.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9e12e0d8-1e20-492d-90cd-4a7db 8ee7175



Regardless of class size, a majority of programs in Europe, Canada, East and Southeast Asia, and India report growing volumes in 2017, while fewer than half the programs in the United States are growing - with the exception of part-time lockstep MBA and Master in Data Analytics programs.



"Demand for graduate business education remains strong, especially among the largest programs, which tend also to be the most well-known programs with brand recognition," said Sangeet Chowfla, GMAC president and CEO. "While non-U.S. programs are thriving, a strong economy and a disruptive political climate are likely contributing to the downward trend in application volumes among smaller U.S. programs this year."



GMAC conducted its 18th annual Application Trends Survey from early June to mid-July 2017. The survey findings are based on a record number of responses from 351 business schools and faculties located in 40 countries representing 965 graduate management programs, including MBA, non-MBA business master's, and doctoral-level programs. Participating programs received a combined total of 466,176 applications during the 2017 application cycle. Ninety-two percent of all participating programs report that the applicants this year are similarly or more academically qualified than candidates last year.



U.S. Political Climate Impacts International Application Volumes



Recent political events in the U.S. appear to have impacted application volumes from international candidates in 2017. Programs in Europe and Canada are about twice as likely to report growth in international applicants compared with the U.S. Across all program types, just 32 percent of U.S. programs report growing international application volumes in 2017 vs. 49 percent in 2016. Conversely, seventy-seven percent of Canadian programs report increases in international applications (46 percent in 2016), as well as 67 percent of European programs (65 percent in 2016). Despite the Brexit vote, about two-thirds of programs in the United Kingdom have seen international demand grow.



Overall, the 2017 report findings show that international applicants represent 57 percent of U.S. application volumes, 70 percent of Canadian volume, 89 percent of European volume, 20 percent of East and southeast Asian volume, and less than one percent of Indian volume.



Domestic candidates remain an area of strength for the larger, well known U.S. programs. Sixty-nine percent of programs with class sizes of more than 200 report growth in domestic applications, offsetting the fact that only 38 percent of programs similar in size report growth in international applications.



Women Make Gains in Applicant Pool



The results of the GMAC Application Trends Survey Report 2017 show that women are increasing their representation in the graduate business school pipeline. Today, women represent 42 percent of the total applications received by participating survey programs, up from 37 percent in 2013. Most program types have experienced an increase in the representation of women in the application pipeline. Specifically, among MBA programs women represent 39 percent of applications, up from 33 percent in 2013. More MBA programs report growth in female applicants (44 percent) compared with business master's (39 percent), whereas the growth rate is similar for men - 40 percent for MBA and 39 percent for business master's.



Additional Key Findings



 Overall volume to the general part-time MBA program category has been stagnant or on the decline since the Great Recession. Part-time lockstep programs - in which students proceed through a classroom-based program as a group - have seen stronger application volumes than part-time self-paced programs, in which students set their own schedule in a flexible format. Among U.S. part-time MBA programs, 54 percent of lockstep programs report increased volume this year, compared with just 34 percent of self-paced programs.



 Most graduate business programs expect to see employer sponsorship remain stable. About half (52 percent) of part-time, self-paced students are expected to receive employer support, as are 40 percent of executive MBA and 39 percent of part-time lock-step MBA students.



 The level of experience that the applicant brings to the graduate business program has remained relatively consistent in 2017 compared with five years ago. For example, the majority of full-time MBA applicants have between three and 10 years of experience; the majority of executive MBA applicants have 10 or more years of experience; and most online MBA applicants have six or more years of experience.



 Among business master's programs, applicants tend to have less than one year of work experience; the exception is the Master in Data Analytics candidate who tends to have more experience.



To download GMAC's Application Trends Survey Report 2017 visit: gmac.com/applicationtrends. For supporting graphics, visit the GMAC News Center.



About GMAC: The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a global, non-profit association of 220 leading graduate business schools. Founded in 1953, we are actively committed to advancing the art and science of admissions by convening and representing the industry and offering best-in-class products and services for schools and students. GMAC owns and administers the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) exam, used by more than 6,500 graduate programs worldwide. Other GMAC assessments include the NMAT by GMAC exam, for entrance into graduate management programs in India and South Africa, and the Executive Assessment, specifically designed for Executive MBA programs around the world. The Council is based in the United States with offices in the United Kingdom, India, and Hong Kong. For information on assessments, study tools and services for candidates, visit www.mba.com. For information about The Council and our market intelligence, professional development opportunities and services for graduate management education, please visit www.gmac.com



MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer Garfinkel; Director of Media Relations, GMAC +1 (703) 668-9805 or jgarfinkel@gmac.com

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
VANCOUVER, BC -- (Marketwired) -- 09/19/17 -- Liberty One Lithium Corp. ("Liberty" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: LBY) (OTCQB: LRTTF) (FRANKFURT: L1T), is pleased to advise that Brad Nichol, CEO of Liberty One recently returned from an extensive visit to the Company's Pocitos West Property in Argentina and reports on current and future planning efforts.

As a direct result of its recently announced geophysical survey findings (see August 17, 2017 press release) the Company has submitted the requisite environmental and drilling applications in order to accelerate a study of the prospective thick, contiguous probable brine horizon suggested by geophysics throughout the entire 29km length of its mining property. Given the regional nature of lithium brine assets in the immediate area, the Company believes the potential for brine to exist beneath the majority of the 39,000-acre property license is highly probable.

In order to further evaluate the property, the Company and its operators have developed an operational plan in anticipation of imminently receiving the permit to drill up to 11 test holes. At this time, the Company expects to commence drilling operations in Q4 2017.

Anticipated results include determination of the geology, lithology and refinement of the existing geophysical interpretation. This includes brine sampling in order to better understand the chemistry, including lithium and potassium, amongst others. In addition, the proposed program will likely include a production-scale pumping test along with core sampling to determine N.I. 43-101 regulatory compliant porosity and permeability, which will be used in future resource determinations.

Upon concluding his visit to the property, Company CEO, Brad Nichol noted, "I am extremely pleased with the progress and results the Company has achieved to-date." Nichol continues, "The last 30 days have reinforced my decision to make a significant investment in Liberty One and join the Company. I am confident we have the necessary components in place to build a large, successful lithium production company. We have the world's preeminent go-to lithium team based in Argentina, led by a former 29-year Rio Tinto lithium expert and supported by local mining industry veterans including chemists, geologists, engineers, laboratory personnel, operators as well as one of the region's foremost mining legal firms with extensive lithium brine experience."

The Argentinian property is located in Salta Province, which is ranked by respected Fraser Institute analysts as the #1 jurisdiction in Argentina and #3 locale in all of Latin America to do business. It is ideally proximal to a large diameter natural gas transmission line, high-voltage power and rail transportation. A national highway runs through the middle of the property and continues into Chile to an all-weather, all-year, deep-water port. The property is virtually surrounded by lithium discoveries, reserves and production, all of which are positioned in the renowned Lithium Triangle where over half of the world's lithium is currently produced.

In related news, the Company further reports from the United States where it holds an interest encompassing approximately 4,000 acres of mining licenses in the Paradox Basin of southeastern Utah. Liberty One Lithium has recently made an annual lease payment to maintain the mineral licenses in good standing in order to further study and evaluate future opportunities and activities proposed for this extensive asset.

Regarding corporate activities, Mr. Nichol notes that effective and efficient sourcing and deployment of capital are vitally important to the Company. He affirms this by stating, "Near to my heart is the successful deployment of our rarest commodity, our investors' cash. I have based a large part of my career on spending capital like it is scarce and difficult to obtain -- which it is, especially for a junior exploration company."

Nichol adds, "I aim to work tirelessly in the pursuit of creating a highly successful lithium company that investors want to own. The Company is built on three core fundamentals that align directly with my vision for success: 1. Team: a world-class, highly desired team; 2. Location: assets of considerable scale, all with enviable lithium addresses and a line of sight to imminent and significant lithium production; and 3. Capital Management: our ability to raise a large amount of capital at successively higher valuations is a testament to the professionalism and quality of our assets along with the trust of our long-standing shareholders in our ability to manage their capital."

Iain Scarr, an arm's length party to the Company, is the Qualified Person responsible for the technical disclosure in this news release.

For further information about Liberty One Lithium Corp., please visit www.libertyonelithium.com or view the Company's filings at www.SEDAR.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"/s/ Brad Nichol"

Brad Nichol

President & CEO

About Liberty One Lithium (TSX VENTURE: LBY) (OTCQB: LRTTF) (FRANKFURT: L1T)

Liberty One Lithium Corp. is a lithium exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of high grade lithium brine deposits. The extensive Pocitos West Argentinian property is based in the heart of the well-known "Lithium Triangle" and positioned on-trend within 25 km of several lithium producers. The property is ideally situated for lithium brine production via low-cost and well-proven evaporation methods, and is adjacent to substantive infrastructure and a skilled, experienced labour force. Liberty's international team is comprised of recognized technical experts that have focused on lithium for decades. The Company is stringently managed with a critical eye on value-creative decision making, aimed at ensuring the Company is well-capitalized and consistently creating value for shareholders. Read more at: www.libertyonelithium.com/about-us/summary.

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

Some of the statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "is expected," "potential," "suggests" or variations of such words or phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "should," "would," "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are not historical facts and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control. 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. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CONTACT

Walter Spagnuolo

Invictus Investor Relations

Office: +1.604.343.8661

Email: investors@l1lithium.com

Website: www.libertyonelithium.com




LAUSANNE, Switzerland, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

After starting the commercialisation of AneVivo, its first assisted reproductive technology device, Anecova is proud to announce a major breakthrough this summer: the birth of the 6 first babies ever conceived using AneVivo Natural Fertilisation treatment, at the GynCentrum's Polish facility in Katowice.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/462513/Anecova_Logo.jpg )

After several years of R&D and clinical development, Anecova has developed a more natural approach to assisted reproductive technology, AneVivo, a porous capsule device allowing bi-directional passage of fluids, nutrients, and other non-cellular components, to enable interaction between the embryos and the maternal environment. It allows fertilisation and very early embryo development directly within the maternal womb.

Martin Velasco, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Anecova, said: "We are very happy to announce the birth of the first babies using our AneVivo treatment at the Gyncentrum Katowice facilty, a clinic that has consistently demonstrated a very innovative and dynamic development over the past years. At Anecova, we are delighted to have now contributed to the birth of over 50 babies."

After these first six successful births, GynCentrum now offers AneVivo in 3 new and more natural treatments, thus demonstrating again its leadership in a more natural approach to assisted reproductive technology.

Dr. Dariusz Mercik, Medical Director of Gyncentrum Clinic, commented: "The AneVivo device allows fertilisation to happen in the mother's womb rather than in the laboratory. Fertilisation happens in a more natural environment, receiving nutrition and signals from the mother rather than from the culture media used in the laboratory. So far, the early results of this innovative procedure are very encouraging with a higher performance than traditional in vitro. The patients also highly appreciate having an active part in the fertilisation and very early development."

"With the aim of coming even closer to natural conception, we are now offering AneVivo with three new treatments. Two of the new treatments, AneVivo Mild and AneVivo Natural Cycle require minimal and no stimulation. In combination with AneVivo, the fertilisation will not only happen in the maternal environment, but the physical impact for women will be minimized and the number of embryos used for a cycle limited."

"The third treatment, AneVivo with Egg Donation, will allow the recipient of the egg to play an active role from the start. Combined with AneVivo, the embryo fertilisation and its very early development will happen in the mother's womb."

About Anecova

Anecova is a Swiss medical device company based at the EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne. Anecova is working with world leading scientists and clinicians in the field of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) with the objective of developing more natural approaches to Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART). The company is ISO certified (9001 and 13485). Its AneVivo device is European Certified (CE MARK) and has also received the approval of several regulators in Europe, including the HFEA in the UK. Anecova has been working in the past years in the development of a device allowing the fertilization and embryo development in the maternal environment instead of in a laboratory. AneVivo, Anecova's first commercialized device, allows clinics to offer Natural Fertilization treatments to their patients.

For more information go to http://www.anecova.com

About Gyncentrum Fertility Clinic

Gyncentrum proves cutting-edge treatments with the most advanced techniques of assisted reproductive treatment available on the market, including treatments with the newest method of classic In Vitro, which increases the probability of success, such as ICSI and IMSI. As one of the pioneer fertility clinics in Poland, Gyncentrum introduced PGD diagnosis, which can be used to test, identify and eliminate the risk of transmission of over 100 genetic conditions and diseases from parents to child.

The quality of a medical professional is reflected not only in career longevity but also by her/his acknowledgement by her/his peers as shown by certification, awards, commencements and consistent international collaboration. The numerous medical professionals who serve as part of the Gyncentrum Clinic in Poland embody this definition of quality. Additionally, Gyncentrum has established its reputation as a medical tourism specialist. Gyncentrum patients have also benefitted from the National Health Program: "Infertility Treatment Using In Vitro Fertilization for the years 2013-2016", which has helped thousands of patients undergo successful treatment.

For more information go to http://www.gyncentrum.pl
SALEM, NH -- (Marketwired) -- 09/19/17 -- ProPhotonix Limited (OTC PINK: STKR) (LSE: PPIX) (AIM: PPIX), a high technology designer and manufacturer of LED illumination systems and laser diode modules, with operations in Ireland and the United Kingdom, announces a new application of its digital lasers, having delivered an initial set of eight prototype laser modules for use in a new wheel wear monitoring and control system ("Wheelwatcher"). Wheelwatcher will provide rail transport operators with accurate and real-time information to improve preventive maintenance of rail systems which may also enhance rail safety.

The Wheelwatcher system is being developed by a consortium of European partner companies and is partially funded by the EU Horizon 2020 programme. ProPhotonix has provided its expertise in laser module design and manufacturing while other consortium partners include a high precision mechatronic system builder (Danobat Group), a thermoelectric cell manufacturer (Dr. Neumann Peltier-Technik), a research centre specialising in machine vision systems (IK4-Ideko), and an end user (Euskotren), a train operating company in the Basque Country of Northern Spain.

The new wheel wear monitoring and control system is designed to operate in extreme climatic conditions within a temperature-regulated enclosure. The laser module designed by ProPhotonix features thermo-electric control to maintain the laser diode temperature in varying climatic conditions ensuring that output power and wavelength stability remain constant. The laser module also incorporates a host of digital control and monitoring features allowing the end user to set operating parameters appropriate to local conditions and to maintain multiple lasers at remote, on-track locations from a central control point.

Jeremy Lane, Managing Director of ProPhotonix Limited UK, commented: "ProPhotonix has more than 15 years of experience with laser diode technology and has developed significant design and manufacturing expertise over this time. Working in close co-operation with our partners, this expertise has allowed us to successfully deliver an innovative laser module solution for this challenging application. Upon completion of extensive field testing and refinement, Wheelwatcher is expected to be commercialized in the summer of 2018 with ProPhotonix supplying laser modules for installations throughout Europe and worldwide in 2019 and beyond. In addition, the various features and technologies developed for Wheelwatcher are intended for broader applications and customer requirements."

About ProPhotonix

ProPhotonix Limited, headquartered in Salem, New Hampshire, is a high technology designer and manufacturer of LED illumination systems and laser diode modules for industry leading OEMs and medical equipment companies. In addition, the Company distributes premium diodes for Ushio (formerly OCLARO), Osram, QSI, Panasonic, and Sony. The Company serves a wide range of markets including the machine vision, industrial inspection, security, and medical markets. ProPhotonix has offices and subsidiaries in the U.S., Ireland, U.K., and Europe. For more information about ProPhotonix and its innovative products, visit the Company's web site at www.prophotonix.com.

Contact:

ProPhotonix Limited

sales@prophotonix.com



Jeremy Lane

Managing Director

ProPhotonix

Tel: +44 (0)1279 717170



Stockdale Securities Limited

Tom Griffiths, David Coaten

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7601 6100

Nominated Adviser and Broker




Regulatory News:

NOXXON Pharma N.V. (Paris:ALNOX) (Euronext Growth Paris: ALNOX), a biotechnology company focused on improving cancer treatments by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), announced today that it has issued the third tranche of the ODIRNANE bonds (undated bonds convertible into new shares and/or exchangeable for existing shares and/or redeemable in cash, the "Notes", with BSA share warrants, the "Warrants" attached).

The investor, YA II PN, Ltd., has received 50 Notes with a nominal value of 10,000 each and 57,012 Warrants attached whose exercise price is 8.77 each.

NOXXON maintains an updated summary table of ODIRNANE tranches issued as well as the status of issued bonds and warrants in the investors' section of its website www.noxxon.com.

Assuming immediate conversion of this tranche of convertible Notes into ordinary shares and a price of 7.31 per share, dilution for the existing shareholders pursuant to the conversion of this tranche of convertible Notes into ordinary shares would be approximately 3.17% assuming the issuance of 74,404 ordinary shares. More details can be found in Section 7 of the prospectus approved on July 10, 2017 available on the company's website www.noxxon.com.

About NOXXON

NOXXON's oncology-focused pipeline acts on the cancer immunity cycle by breaking the tumor protection barrier, blocking tumor repair and exposing hidden tumor cells. Through neutralizing chemokines in the tumor microenvironment, NOXXON's approach works in combination with other forms of treatment to weaken tumor defenses against the immune system and enable greater therapeutic impact. Building on extensive clinical experience and safety data, the lead program NOX-A12 will deliver top-line data from a Keytruda combination trial in metastatic colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients in 2018. Further information can be found at: www.noxxon.com

Keytruda is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp Dohme Corp.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/noxxon-pharma-ag

https://twitter.com/noxxon_pharma

Disclaimer

Certain statements in this communication contain formulations or terms referring to the future or future developments, as well as negations of such formulations or terms, or similar terminology. These are described as forward-looking statements. In addition, all information in this communication regarding planned or future results of business segments, financial indicators, developments of the financial situation or other financial or statistical data contains such forward-looking statements. The company cautions prospective investors not to rely on such forward-looking statements as certain prognoses of actual future events and developments. The company is neither responsible nor liable for updating such information, which only represents the state of affairs on the day of publication.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171120005855/en/

Contacts:

NOXXON Pharma N.V.

Aram Mangasarian, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer

Tel. +49 (0) 30 726 247 0

amangasarian@noxxon.com

or

MC Services AG

Raimund Gabriel, Managing Partner

Tel. +49 (0) 89 210228 0

noxxon@mc-services.eu

or

MacDougall Biomedical

Gretchen Schweitzer or Stephanie May

Tel. +49 (0) 89 2424 3494 or +49 (0) 172 861 8540

gschweitzer@macbiocom.com

or

NewCap

Florent Alba

Tel. +33 (0) 1 44 71 98 55

falba@newcap.fr
Strong supply chains that cater to bespoke demands and provide reverse feedback and intelligence on trends are key to success, finds Frost & Sullivan's Homes & Buildings team

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --The GCC ceramic tiles market is poised for growth. Urbanisation; new construction activities in housing, infrastructure, and hospitality; proliferation of high net worth individuals (HNI); and a demand for quality and cost-effective products are factors fuelling growth. In a vastly untapped market, opportunities exist in building local manufacturing or increasing multinational brand representation.

Frost & Sullivan's research, Opportunities in the GCC Ceramic Tiles Market, Forecast to 2020, analyses growth opportunities, challenges, drivers, restraints, and technology trends impacting the market.

To access more information on this analysis, please click here. A macro-micro overview showcasing insights relative to global trends across industries is available for the Middle Eastern & North African (MENA) and South Asian (India) markets.

"The GCC is home to a large number of HNI, making it a natural choice for luxury and high-quality products. Tiles and construction materials are no exception," said Frost & Sullivan Homes and Buildings Team Consultant Nideshna Naidu. "The market's key characteristics include fast-changing business and distribution models, a significant focus on marketing and promotional activities, and increased need for product innovation, differentiation, and customization to meet evolving customer requirements."

As the market progresses, participants will be faced with several challenges, including competition from low-cost tiles from India and China, penetration of substitute products, changing customer preferences, and high raw material and power costs. Nevertheless, the market presents vast untapped opportunities.

To succeed in a competitive ecosystem, players should:

Cost optimize through internal process efficiency;

Differentiate with aspects like design, material, projects, and adjacent product offerings like flooring and building materials;

Introduce new designs in line with bespoke and changing regional populace needs;

Develop business models that proactively address exports in a structured manner;

Build channel and brand loyalty through a robust set of marketing and promotional activities based on comprehensive research;

"Manufacturers and importers need to focus on developing strong supply chains that can cater to the bespoke demands with agility, and provide reverse feedback and intelligence on how trends are evolving," observed Naidu. "This will be particularly useful in catering to high-growth segments like commercial, hospitality and residential, as well as satisfying Gen-Y buyers."

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?

Opportunities in the GCC Ceramic Tiles Market, Forecast to 2020

9AAF/49_19

Media Contact:

Anita Chandhoke

Corporate Communications - MENA

P: +91 80 67028020

E: achandhoke@frost.com

http://ww2.frost.com

Twitter: @Frost_Sullivan & @Frost_MENASA

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/frostandsullivan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/4506/
The latest market research report by Technavio on the global smart mattress market predicts a CAGR of more than 11% during the period 2018-2022.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180202005429/en/

Technavio has published a new market research report on the global smart mattress market from 2018-2022. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The report segments the global smart mattress market by distribution channel (offline distribution channel and online distribution channel) and by geography (the Americas, EMEA, and APAC). It provides a detailed illustration of the major factors influencing the market, including drivers, opportunities, trends, and industry-specific challenges.

Here are some key findings of the global smart mattress market, according to Technavio researchers:

Premiumization through product innovations and introduction of features: a major market driver

The Americas dominated the global smart mattress market with around 64% share in 2017

Eight, Kingsdown, Responsive Surface Technology, and Sleep Number are some of the players in the market

Introduction of smart mattresses that are compatible with smart speakers: a key market trend

Save more with Technavio. Buy 2 reports and get the third for free View Technavio's latest discounts and promotions

Premiumization through product innovations and introduction of features: a major market driver

Premiumization through product innovations and the introduction of features is one of the major factors driving the global smart mattress market. Premiumization through product innovations and the introduction of features is driving the demand for smart mattresses. Sleep tracking, automatic mattress firmness adjustment, heart rate monitoring, breathing, body movement, and bed warming are some of the features of smart mattresses. Smart mattresses enhance sleep quality by analyzing sleep patterns, movements, and breathing rate. They are priced higher than the regular mattresses due to these advanced features.

According to a senior analyst at Technavio for research on furniture and home furnishing, "Eight, a US-based company, offers smart mattresses with a proprietary technology that tracks sleep, controls bed temperature, connects with smart homes, and uses smart alarm clocks. These mattresses are priced higher than the standard collection. They connect to smart home products such as Amazon Alexa, Nest, and Philips Hue. They identify sleep patterns and assist in waking up the person in the ideal phase."

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Americas: largest smart mattress market

In 2017, the Americas dominated the global smart mattress market with a share of around 64%. Compared with other regions, the penetration of smart mattresses is higher in the Americas. The region was followed by EMEA and APAC with around 24% and 12% of the market respectively. According to the World Bank Group, 78% of the population in North America used the internet in 2016. The increasing adoption of the internet in North America has increased the demand for smart bedding products such as smart mattresses. Factors such as the growing popularity of smartphones, increase in mobile cellular subscription, and increasing internet penetration drive the demand for smart mattresses in the Americas.

Introduction of smart mattresses that are compatible with smart speakers: a key market trend

Manufacturers are concentrating on developing products that are compatible with smart speakers. Product innovations and user interfaces of smart speakers drive the adoption of smart speakers. Currently, only a few players offer smart speakers that work with a voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant. Smart speakers feature voice control and allow calling and messaging through a personal assistant. They connect to the cloud and play music from Prime Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and others. Smart speakers can be connected to smart mattresses. Smart mattresses offered by Eight support Amazon Alexa and enable owners to communicate with the mattress. They can adjust the temperature and access sleep data.

Get a sample copy of the global smart mattress market report free of cost

Access Technavio's continuously growing furniture and home furnishing research library and find expert analysis on hundreds of markets.

About Technavio

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180202005429/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

www.technavio.com
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwired) -- 09/19/17 -- According to a new study released by Twilio (NYSE: TWLO) today, 81% of consumers complain that it is difficult to communicate with businesses, but only 34% of businesses acknowledge room for improvement. While most businesses focus their efforts on delivering a great product, too few businesses recognize the significant impact the communications experience has on their brand and revenue. The study finds that after a positive communications experience, 7 out of 10 consumers recommended the business to their friends or purchased more products or services; but one-third cancelled their service or switched to a competitor following a negative experience. Companies can provide a better experience by tailoring their communications to deliver the right message, using the right channel, at the right time.

"With all the new communications channels available today, we are seeing consumer expectations shift, but the experiences businesses deliver are not keeping pace," said Devang Sachdev, Director of Product Marketing at Twilio. "To narrow the gap, businesses need to personalize their interactions with customers, improve their responsiveness, and communicate via the right channels."

Key findings from Twilio's report:

Businesses aren't aware of how poorly they are communicating with their customers.

94% of businesses claim their customers are satisfied with the responsiveness of their communications, yet 96% of consumers disagree.

When rating their performance on various channels, companies report they communicate most effectively via email and phone. However, when compared to customers' ratings of these channels, these companies rate their ability to communicate via phone nearly four times higher than customers do and their ability to communicate via email two times higher than customers do.

Businesses that offer communications through a mobile app, social media, or SMS rate their performance as "excellent" two times more often than customers do.

Consumers expect communications to be relevant, responsive, and on their preferred channels, but many companies aren't delivering that experience.

79% of consumers say that fast response times make for a positive customer experience, yet 89% report that businesses are too slow to respond.

55% of consumers say that communicating with a business via their preferred channel results in a positive experience, yet only 27% of businesses have adopted a fully integrated omni-channel communications strategy which would allow them to communicate this way.

41% of Australian companies, 30% of US companies, and 28% of UK companies report that they do not know what channels their customers prefer to communicate on.

Companies with a global customer base have to understand the distinct preferences of consumers in each market and ensure their communications strategy and infrastructure can deliver on those preferences.

42% of UK customers rate communications from businesses as fair, poor, or terrible. UK customers are the most likely to reach out to a business to make a complaint, post a negative review, or request a refund.

Australian customers prefer to communicate with businesses via phone more than other regions. They are also the most likely to reach out to a business to make a payment or get information about a product or service.

US customers are most likely to recommend a company to a friend or family member following a positive communications experience. US customers are also more likely than other regions to follow or "like" a company on social media after a positive experience.

The cost of a bad communication experience can be underestimated by or hidden from a business.

51% of businesses report that they received negative customer reviews as a result of bad communication experiences their customers have had.

However, customers are more likely to tell their friends and family (66% of the time) or stop doing business with a company altogether (41%) than write a negative review, actions that may not be as obvious to a company.

Generation Z consumers (age 18-21) are the most vocal about their experiences. 79% of them will tell a friend or family member after a negative communication experience compared to 68% of millennials (age 22-36), 67% of GenXers (age 37-52), and 61% of baby boomers (age 53-71).

The younger generations are more likely to take multiple actions after a positive experience -- recommending it to a friend, buying more products, writing a positive review, or engaging with the company on social media.

Good communication experiences can have a multiplying effect on the business.

97% of consumers will give more business to companies that respond quickly to them.

When a customer is extremely satisfied with a business's communication, that company is almost 50% less likely to receive a negative review and 47% less likely to have their customers switch to a competitor.

Companies who deliver positive communications experiences are 45% less likely to report sales decreases and 39% less likely to receive negative press coverage.

These companies are 2.6 times more likely to have revenue growth of 15% or more.

Digital communication leaders have more customers who are extremely satisfied with their communications. Businesses who successfully communicate with their customers share several consistent characteristics.

Digital communications leaders recognize the value and impact communications has on their customers' experience and make it a priority in terms of technical resources and budget. When companies make the digital experience a priority, they are 3.8 times more likely to increase budget to ensure that it is a positive experience.

Leaders are more likely to have a fully integrated, omni-channel experience for their customers. 40% of digital communications leaders have an integrated strategy.

Leaders recognize the growing preference of their emerging customer base to communicate in new ways. 78% of communications leaders know what channels their customers prefer and 72% offer all of those channels.

Leaders are more likely to experiment with emerging communications vehicles like messaging apps or video chat in addition to communication through their own mobile app to allow a two-way conversation in real-time.

Ultimately, digital communications leaders communicate the right information, at the right time, through the right channel to their customers.

For more information about this survey or guidance on how your company can become a digital communications leader, view the report.

Survey Methodology

In partnership with Lawless Research, Twilio reached out to companies and consumers to better understand how businesses are currently communicating with their customers and how consumers would prefer to interact with those businesses.

Twilio surveyed more than 2,000 consumers in the US, UK, and Australia about their communications preferences and experiences over the course of the last year when communicating with businesses across a variety of industries through a comprehensive set of channels from email to phone and all digital vehicles. Twilio also surveyed more than 850 businesses in those same markets to understand the communications experiences they provide and how they perceive the customer satisfaction with those.

Additional Resources

Bridging the Communication Divide: Consumer Communications Report 2017

Infographic

PDF Attachment Available: http://media.marketwire.com/attachments/201709/91380_BridgingtheCommunicationDivideReport-Twilio.pdf

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3169282

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3169281



Contact:

Twilio Press

Email Contact




In an exclusive interview with Education Week , Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said that Congress needs to look at the special education requirements it has placed on states, especially considering the relatively small percentage of funding that the federal government provides to meet all those requirements.

Heres an excerpt from the September 15 interview about the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act:

Would you push for full funding of IDEA? That's 40 percent of the excess cost of educating a child with disabilities. I think it's a fair question to ask Congress about what the funding levels should be. Right now it's about 15 to 18 percent. And yet, the regulations continue to sort of get piled on here and there. They just continue to sort of make it more and more cumbersome and more and more burdensome for states and for local districts. There has to be, I think, a regular review of that and look at the balance of that, and see what's really right. But most of all what's really right for the students we're trying to serve and for the families and what kind of empowerment do they have in that decision-making. So you want might want to call for slimming down regulation, but also upping the funding for IDEA. Do I have that about right? I'm not advocating one way or another right now. I'm just saying it's clear that Congress has not funded it at the level they committed to when the law was passed. And I think that is something that should be reviewed on a regular basis.

On this, DeVos finds herself on solid ground: Democratic and Republican politicians agree at least in theory that the federal government should provide more money for special education. But bills to accomplish this just havent gotten much traction. Back in 1975 when the special education law was passed, Congress set a path for the federal government to contribute 40 percent of the state average annual per-pupil expenditure. But Congress has never gotten close, and the federal contribution is currently about 15 percent of what Congress said it was going to pay, and what it later amended to be a funding goal.

If Congress were to take this ona big ifone question I would like to know is just how much it costs to educate a student with disabilities. The last research-based estimate is that it costs about twice as much as a student in general education. But no one has taken a nationwide look at this question for nearly 20 years. (Unfortunately, the website for the Center for Special Education Finance/Special Education Expenditure Project, which produced that work, appears to be down, hopefully temporarily.) A lot can change in two decades, including the demographics of the special education population , the widespread adoption of response to intervention as a framework to provide focused academic support, the push for inclusion, and more.

Once Congress knows just how much is being spent, federal lawmakers can at least work with some real numbers.

You can read the full Q&A with Betsy DeVos here .
KALAMAZOO, Michigan, USA, Jan. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association updated the ischemic stroke guidelines. The new recommendation expanded the treatment window from six to 16 hours based on overwhelming clinical evidence from the Stryker-sponsored DAWN Trial and confirmed by DEFUSE 3. The guidelines state that it may be reasonable to treat patients up to 24 hours after a stroke, based on the DAWN Trial criteria. The new guidelines mean that more patients will be treated based on clinical presentation rather than a strict time cutoff alone. Currently, less than one in 10 patients suffering from an ischemic stroke receives thrombectomy, a procedure to remove a blood clot that causes stroke. The updated guidelines represent a major step in recognizing that more patients should be eligible for treatment and has the potential to save lives and reduce patient disability.

"We are excited to see that the hard work and results from the DAWN Trial are being embraced by the AHA. My colleagues and I are looking forward to the opportunity to improve the lives of more patients and their families," said Raul Nogueira, MD, co-primary investigator of the DAWN Trial and professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Radiology at Emory University.

The guidelines also reconfirmed that stent retrievers are the only devices proven to effectively treat ischemic stroke with level 1A evidence and remain the first choice for neurointerventional treatment.

Mark Paul, president of Stryker's Neurovascular division said, "Stryker is proud to partner with our customers in leading the way in treatment of this devastating disease through clinical excellence and high performing products like the Trevo XP Retriever."

About the DAWN Trial

Sponsored by Stryker, the DAWN Trial was designed to evaluate functional outcomes at 90 days in stroke patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy using the Trevo Retriever plus medical management compared to those receiving medical therapy alone. Patients were screened for inclusion in the trial if they had a stroke that started within six to 24 hours, or a stroke with an unknown time of onset-a significantly longer treatment window than the currently cleared thrombectomy indication.

About the Trevo Retriever

Stryker's Trevo Retriever is a tiny stent-shaped medical device that is attached to a thin wire. In a minimally invasive procedure that utilizes X-ray, the physician navigates the retriever from the femoral artery (located in the upper leg) to the blocked blood artery in the brain. The retriever is designed to ensnare the blood clot and remove it from the body. Originally cleared by the FDA in 2012 for the revascularization of patients experiencing ischemic stroke, the Trevo Retriever has been used in thousands of patients worldwide. The retriever's indication within the DAWN Trial, for use in patients treated six to 24 hours after last seen well, is currently under an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) only and is currently pending 510k clearance. The Trevo Retriever was the only mechanical thrombectomy device used in the DAWN Trial.

An animation and Important Safety Information of Stryker's Trevo Retriever is available here: https://youtu.be/PxcERzyI67I

About ischemic stroke

An ischemic stroke occurs when an artery in the brain becomes blocked by a blood clot or other substance such as plaque, a fatty material. Blood vessels carry blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body and to the brain. When the brain is deprived of blood and oxygen, it fails to work properly. Depending on the severity of the stroke and the area of the brain affected, loss of brain function or death may occur. According to the World Heart Federation, ischemic stroke contributes to 6 million deaths around the globe.1

About Stryker

Stryker is one of the world's leading medical technology companies and, together with its customers, is driven to make healthcare better. The company offers innovative products and services in Orthopaedics, Medical and Surgical, and Neurotechnology and Spine that help improve patient and hospital outcomes. More information is available at www.stryker.com.

1. http://www.worldstrokecampaign.org/learn.html. Accessed September 19, 2017.

Media contact

Keri Laden

Stryker

510 413 2534

keri.laden@stryker.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/339565/stryker_logo.jpg
RAINBACH IN MUHLKREIS, Austria, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Kreisel Electric accelerates its international growth course

Patrick Knapp-Schwarzenegger acquires a stake in the company together with a group of strategic partners

Kreisel Electric opens its new high-tech research and development center as its headquarters today in Rainbach, Muhlkreis district, Upper Austria. The new location, which comprises almost 7,000 m2 of space, includes a prototype workshop and a completely automated manufacturing line for Kreisel Electric battery storage devices. These devices can be used in small-batch production of passenger vehicles, utility vehicles, buses, boats and airplanes, as well as in storage solutions. With the new location, where more than 200 employees will work starting in 2018, Kreisel Electric intends to accelerate its growth course and expand its e-mobility business internationally. "We have laid the cornerstone in Austria. From here, we now want to impress customers all over the world with our solutions," said Christian Schlogl, the CEO responsible for strategic development at Kreisel Electric.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/558102/Kreisel_Electric_Partners.jpg )



The Austrian federal chancellor Mag. Christian Kern is enthusiastic about Kreisel Electric's technology and is convinced of the company's great potential: "I am very proud that Kreisel Electric is advancing the process of electrification in Austria and worldwide as the technology leader. Human ingenuity is the basis for innovation and technology and therefore for future growth and jobs. We want to be the pioneer in this regard and Kreisel is a successful example that proves two things: first, that you do not necessarily need to have studied at MIT or Harvard to found a successful company, and second, that we in Austria have the potential of playing in the top league."

Kreisel Electric will be supported in the future by Los Angeles-based entrepreneur and attorney Patrick Knapp-Schwarzenegger, nephew of former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He leads a group of strategic partners that is purchasing a stake in Kreisel Electric through the U.S. company Clean Machine Inc. Knapp-Schwarzenegger and his partners maintain a worldwide network of prominent figures in politics and business, especially in the United States, and backed by their experience they will play a leading role in the international expansion plans. "The future belongs to Kreisel Electric's technologies. California has already led the way by showing that jobs and profits can be generated with renewable energy technologies, and have a positive effect on the environment. Our goal is to make Kreisel Electric a global market leader in e-mobility and I am looking forward to working closely and successfully with the outstanding Kreisel Electric team," said Knapp-Schwarzenegger.

New research and development center underscores Kreisel's technology leadership

The opening of the new building, which is built in the shape of the Kreisel Electric logo, will enable the innovative provider of system solutions to grant licenses and manufacture small-batch runs itself in order to meet the increasing worldwide demand. In this way, Kreisel Electric will strive to further extend its technology leadership position internationally with B2B customers in Europe, the United States, India and Asia and reinforce its position as a global supplier of electricity storage solutions.

The new high-tech research and development center runs on power it generates itself. A 90m photovoltaics plant (output: 250 kWp), a battery storage device with a capacity of 1,248 kWh, a 17,000-liter hot water tank and the use of waste heat and waste pumps help to generate the necessary energy to manufacture the batteries and feed power to its own power grid. The Kreisel Systems Division is responsible for planning and implementing the entire building concept.

Kreisel Electric makes electric automobiles safe, powerful, efficient and suitable for everyday use

Using modern technology and great engineering skill, Kreisel Electric manufactures the lightest and most efficient battery on the market, weighing less than 4.1 kg/kWh and has a power density of 1.95 dm2/kWh. The special casing of the battery cells boosts the range and lifespan of the batteries. A circulating, non-flammable and environmentally friendly fluid allows for excellent thermal management and the batteries are manufactured by means of an innovative laser-welding process. The maximum total charging capacity of up to 320 kW allows for quick charging to about 80% of the battery's capacity or a driving range of 300 km in about 20 minutes. Compared to the conventional battery solutions of other manufacturers, the Kreisel system can increase the range of electric automobiles by up to 65%. The battery is more than 30 percent lighter than other manufacturers' battery solutions and the production costs are many times lower, thanks to the fully automated Kreisel Electric manufacturing process. "This makes electric vehicles suitable for everyday use," said Markus Kreisel, CEO of Kreisel Electric.

Kreisel Electric has already successfully retrofitted many combustion-engine automobiles to prove the technological capability of its batteries. Besides electrifying a Mercedes G-class for Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kreisel Electric has also equipped the EVEX Porsche 910 with an electric motor featuring an output of 360 KW and a battery capacity of 53 kWh. These features, coupled with the company's own automatic 2-gear transmission, allow for 0-to-100 km/h acceleration in 2.5 seconds and a maximum speed of more than 300 km/h.

Kreisel Electric will employ storage solutions in other industries as well

In addition to the innovative manufacturing technology for electric automobiles, Kreisel Electric also offers complete storage solutions for many other application areas and industries, as a solution provider. Apart from its application in transportation, aviation & aerospace, maritime shipping and home storage devices, the Kreisel battery technology is also well suited for a wide range of stationary infrastructure applications such as commerce, traffic, logistics, energy supply and real estate development. With Kreisel Systems, Kreisel will develop an eco-system around the battery's use for stationary charging, energy and building systems. Because Kreisel Electric is focused on refining its battery technology, it will primarily grant licenses to partners to manufacture battery solutions and produce only small batches itself. "Through licensing, our unique business model is quickly scalable. Furthermore, we are a provider of system solutions and are not interested in high-volume production. We will meet the demand for high-volume series production together with our industrial partners, with whom we are already in a very advanced stage of negotiations. We are not and will not become an automobile manufacturer; instead, we will shape the future of e-mobility in cooperation with the automotive industry and their suppliers," said Christian Schlogl, CEO of Kreisel Electric.

Kreisel Electric is particularly interested in the complete electrification of the fleets and motor vehicles of towns and cities, such as garbage collection fleets for example, but also public mass transit and taxis. To this end, Kreisel Electric is already in close contact with many manufacturers and fleet operators to define remits and develop municipal electrification concepts. Kreisel Electric's technology will thus make a lasting contribution to improving the environmental quality and quality of life in towns and cities.

Contact

Dr. Marc Langendorf

Brunswick Group GmbH

Tel: +49-89-80-99-025-17

mlangendorf@brunswickgroup.com



Andre Felker

Kreisel Electric GmbH

Chief Marketing Officer

Tel: +43-7949-21400-1306

presse@kreiselelectric.com



You can also find current press releases at info@kreiselelectric.com and at http://www.kreiselelectric.com/presse/

A picture accompanying this release is available in the AP PhotoExpress feed using ref# PRN1084326
POTSDAM, Germany, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

No pilot, no flight - but cash instead: refund.me helps passengers claim their compensation

Time is money: Ryanair's cancellation policy will cost real money. The airline will incur compensation claims worth 30 million  over the next two weeks alone.

Since last weekend, the Irish low cost airline has cancelled a number of flights as it has to reduce a backlog of holidays for staff.

refund.me reminds travellers that they are entitled to more than just a new ticket if their flight was cancelled short notice: According to European Union regulation (EC) No. 261/2004 passengers are entitled to cash compensation of up to 600 . So far, Ryanair has published their list of flight cancellations only until the end of September. Every single passenger has to be notified personally.

"Ryanair clearly messed up. Their bad management means trouble for the passengers," says Sandra Rosenberg, COO of refund.me. "We help passengers and claim the cash they are entitled to."

By selling a ticket the airline is obliged to ensure smooth passenger transport. If a passenger is notified about the cancellation less than 14 days before the flight, he is entitled to compensation as well as alternative transport or full refund of the ticket price. Compensation has also to be paid when the airline sends out notifications between 14 and 7 days before departure or if the flight is scheduled to arrive more than four hours after the originally scheduled time.

About refund.me

Founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Eve Buchner, refund.me (https://refund.me/) assists individual airline passengers in securing compensation for flight delays, cancellations, missed connections, and re-routings under European Union (EC) 261/2004 legislation.

Media Contact:



press@refund.me

+49-172-905-18-69


1. Regarding mortgage and pledge of companies fixed assets RESOLUTION (unanimously accepted) According to concluded Limited Financial Liabilities Agreement No. 249-FI to submit to AB DNB Bankas obligation securities measures, which are stated in the agreement, including but not limiting to: to pledge by contractual mortgage and contractual pledge companies assets, which exceed 1/20 of the companies share capital, by setting maximums mortgage/pledge in favor of AB DNB Bank. According to amendments of Credit Agreement No. K-2400-2008-464 dated 2008-09-29, with all latter amendments and appendices, to amend corresponding contractual mortgages / pledges so that they would correspond to the existing Credit contracts versions. Concluding such amendments, without other amendments, would be changed the size of the credit limit (to 4 300 000 euro), changed sum of maximum mortgage / pledge, with setting schedule for decrease of credit limit, which final term is not later than 2019-09-29. To authorize company's general manager Raimonda Pilke to sign all documents related to this decision, including, but not limiting to: amendments of contractual mortgages / pledges. 2. Other questions Additional question was not submitted for the shareholders meeting General Manager Raimonda Pilke 8 5233 08 19

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.




Mitsubishi Motors Public Relations Department http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com +81-3-6852-4275

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has begun local assembly of the Mitsubishi Outlander SUV with a high-profile rollout ceremony at the Tan Chong Motor Assemblies (TCMA) plant in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur.The introduction of local assembly for the Outlander more than doubles Mitsubishi Motor's production in Malaysia to nearly 6,000 units per year, allowing the company to accelerate the delivery of its dependable 4WD vehicles to Malaysian consumers.Commenting on the launch, Mr. Tomoyuki Shinnishi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MMM, said:"Today is a very proud day for Mitsubishi in Malaysia, as we get to celebrate our second locally-assembled vehicle here. The locally-assembled ASX has been successful for us, and we hope that the Outlander will be well-received by the market too,""The Outlander SUV boasts outstanding safety and space for the family, and the move to locally assemble a new 2.0L variant makes the SUV even more affordable for Malaysians. We assure that there's no difference in quality between locally-assembled and imported units," he added.With a strong line-up consisting of the Triton pickup and ASX compact SUV, the addition of the Outlander for local assembly in Malaysia allows Mitsubishi Motors to continue expanding its position in ASEAN's rapidly growing market for reliable and off-road capable vehicles.http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_Mitsubishi91917Outlander.jpgAbout Mitsubishi MotorsMitsubishi Motors Corporation is the fifth largest automaker in Japan and the fifteenth largest in the world by global unit sales. It is part of the Mitsubishi keiretsu, formerly the biggest industrial group in Japan, and was formed in 1970 from the automotive division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.Throughout its history it has courted alliances with foreign partners, a strategy pioneered by their first president Tomio Kubo to encourage expansion, and continued by his successors. A significant stake was sold to Chrysler Corporation in 1971 which it held for 22 years, while DaimlerChrysler was a controlling shareholder between 2000 and 2005. Long term joint manufacturing and technology licencing deals with the Hyundai Motor Company in South Korea and Proton in Malaysia were also forged, while in Europe the company co-owned the largest automobile manufacturing plant in the Netherlands with Volvo for ten years in the 1990s, before taking sole ownership in 2001.Source: Mitsubishi MotorsContact:Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
SHANGHAI, October 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier , the information analytics business specializing in science and health, announced the three winners of the 2017 Reaxys PhD Prize at its annual Symposium held in Shanghai, China.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/590428/Reaxys_PhD_Prize_Winners.jpg )



Celebrating top research by leading young chemists across the globe, the Reaxys PhD Prize recognizes innovative and original research in chemistry, with an emphasis on synthesis. Since its inception eight years ago, the Reaxys PhD Prize received more than 3,500 submissions from over 50 countries.

The 2017 Reaxys PhD Prize winners are:

Joshua Barham from the Murphy group, University of Strathclyde

Presentation title: Contra-Thermodynamic Hydrogen Atom Transfer: The Selective N-CH3 Functionalisation of Trialkylamines



Moritz Malischewski from the Seppelt group, Freie University of Berlin

Presentation title: Organometallic Chemistry in Superacids



Changchun Yuan from the Liu group, Sichuan University

Presentation title: Total Syntheses of Bolivianine, Sarcandrolide J and Shizukaol D: Inspired but not Limited by Nature

The three winners each received a check of USD $2,000 and joined a private network of 350+ talented chemists from around the world, the Reaxys Prize Club.

"I am very happy. The competition was very intense: there were so many applications and the level of the finalists' research was great. Being at the Reaxys PhD Prize Symposium sharing my work is a great opportunity to meet colleagues and make friends," said Moritz Malischewski, Freie University of Berlin, one of the three winners."

"The quality of the oral presentations was great. All 10 were very good. As ever the decision process was not easy we had to consider the reviewer comments, and our review of the presentations. But in the end, all of the review committee agreed, and I think we have three outstanding winners," said Prof. Prof Henry N. C. Wong, Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The winners were selected from a group of 10 finalists, who were challenged to present the key aspects of their research in a crisp yet critical manner at the Symposium. The presentations were judged by members of the Reaxys Advisory Board and the Reaxys PhD Prize Review Board.

Read more about the Reaxys PhD Prize, this year's 45 finalists, shortlisted candidates and the Symposium.

About Reaxys

Reaxys empowers chemistry research and development by providing structure, property and reaction data, experimental procedures and literature. It is designed to support early drug discovery, education, material selection and synthesis planning; its capabilities include data export and integration to enable harmonized analysis of in-house and external data. Reaxys improves R&D productivity by delivering the facts the way chemists need them. www.elsevier.com/reaxys

Reaxys is a trade mark of RELX Intellectual Properties SA, used under license.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps institutions and professionals progress science, advance healthcare and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, Scival, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, more than 35,000 e-book titles, and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com

Media Contact

Christopher Capot

Global Communications, Elsevier

+1-917-704-5174

c.capot@elsevier.com


"Now Rhinos Speak" project run by Sigfox Foundation to attach GPS sensors to 3,000 rhinos and monitor nature reserves

Eutelsat providing satellite capacity to collect data retrieved from sensors

Staff in national parks and game reserves equipped for improved tracking of rhinos in fight against poaching

Regulatory News:

Eutelsat Communications (Paris:ETL) and Sigfox Foundation today announced a partnership at AfricaCom 2017 on the "Now Rhinos Speak" project for the protection of the endangered rhinoceros population.

Using Sigfox's very low-speed network, the Sigfox Foundation has designed and implemented a remote tracking solution for rhinos that uses GPS sensors fitted in the horn of each animal to send positioning data to a secure on-line platform via Eutelsat satellite resources. Three times a day, wardens, vets and specialists in game parks can access readouts of the movements of the animals. This precise data allows them to improve protection against poaching and understanding of an endangered species. With the help of Eutelsat's satellite resources the Sigfox Foundation aims to fit 3,000 rhinos over a three-year period to track movements.

Prior to officialising the partnership, Eutelsat and Sigfox Foundation have collaborated since November 2016 on an initial operation in southern Africa connecting approximately ten animals. Three base stations of Sigfox's low-speed IoT network have been connected to the secure platform using Eutelsat's smartLNB satellite service that extends terrestrial IoT networks anywhere. The collaboration improved the identification of areas of surveillance and refined allocation of resources for protection on the ground.

Marion Moreau, President of the Sigfox Foundation: "The partnership agreed between Eutelsat and the Sigfox Foundation for the protection of rhinos is an invaluable opportunity to gain a better understanding of an endangered species and be part of the effort to protect them. Thanks to the support of Eutelsat, we can give rhinos a voice every day, wherever they are."

Nicolas Baravalle, Director of the Sub-Saharan Africa region at Eutelsat: "We are proud to support the Sigfox Foundation in this critical project for the protection of endangered species in Africa. Through this partnership the use of satellite capacity really comes into its own, enabling us to connect remote points in an environment that will never be served by terrestrial networks."

This first step will be followed by a monitoring solution for game parks, using sensors that can give a voice to the territory and detect unauthorised intrusions. A team of ten developers-engineers are working closely with a rhinoceros conservation committee in Africa to this end.

About The Sigfox Foundation

The Sigfox Foundation wants to give a voice to vulnerable populations, using the Sigfox network and connected low powered sensors. With the conviction that the "Internet of Things" is detecting weak signals, we deploy in field solutions to prevent from danger, and involve the global Sigfox Ecosystem to protect lives. Sigfox Foundation has secured a team of 45 climate researchers in Antarctica in 2015, and is fully involved since August 2016 to protect endangered wild rhinos in Africa.

More info: www.sigfoxfoundation.org

Twitter:@SigfoxNation

About Eutelsat Communications

Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world's leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Over 6,600 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat assembles 1,000 men and women from 32 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service. Eutelsat Communications is listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ticker: ETL).

For more about Eutelsat go to www.eutelsat.com

www.eutelsat.com - @Eutelsat_SA et LinkedIn

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171108005699/en/

Contacts:

Sigfox Foundation

Marion Moreau, 33 6 60 95 43 79

General Manager of Sigfox Foundation

marion.moreau@sigfox.org

or

Eutelsat Communications

Press

Vanessa O'Connor, Tel: 33 1 53 98 37 91

voconnor@eutelsat.com

or

Marie-Sophie Ecuer, Tel: 33 1 53 98 37 91

mecuer@eutelsat.com
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks may open on a mixed note on Thursday as investors nervously await a meeting of the European Central Bank and news on the new head of the U.S. central bank. The euro firmed up against the dollar and German yields rose amid expectations that the European Central Bank may signal a more hawkish approach when it reviews its monetary policy later today. Investors look for clues on how much the bank will reduce the asset purchases and how long will it take to wind down the entire stimulus that is now running at EUR 60 billion buys a month till the end of the year. The pound also added to overnight gains as encouraging GDP data added to speculation that the Bank of England may raise interest rates for the first time in more than 10 years next week. Asian stocks are turning in a mixed performance after U.S. shares fell the most in seven weeks overnight. Gold edged up slightly while oil slid from four-week highs on data showing a surprise increase in U.S. crude inventories. Overnight, the major U.S. averages fell around half a percent as investors digested a string of disappointing earnings reports and fretted over rising bond yields. Data on durable goods orders and new home sales painted a positive picture of the economy, helping limit overall losses to some extent. European markets also fell on Wednesday as earnings remained in focus and caution prevailed ahead of the ECB meeting. The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index declined 0.6 percent. The German DAX dropped half a percent and France's CAC 40 shed 0.4 percent while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 fell as much as 1.1 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PETAH TIKVA, Israel, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The proprietary platform of Targeted Flavor Delivery technology enables healthier food and beverages without compromising on taste

DouxMatok , developer of targeted flavor delivery technologies, has announced $8.1M in funding to commercialize its patented sugar reduction solution by the end of 2018. Tests conducted by food & beverage multinationals have confirmed that, when using DouxMatok sugars, they can reduce up to 40% of the sugar content in their products while retaining the same taste profile. The funding round was led by Israel's largest Venture Capital fund, Pitango, with the participation of existing shareholders, including Gil Horsky and FoodLab Capital.

By maximizing the efficiency of sugar delivery to the taste buds and enhancing the perception of sweetness, DouxMatok significantly reduces the caloric value and sugar levels of products. Perception of sweetness is stronger, and lingers longer, resulting in higher satisfaction and reduced craving for sweetness. Unlike sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners, DouxMatok carries no aftertaste and is produced using sustainable green chemistry principles while being fully compliant with FDA and EU regulations.

Following successful sensory validation and pilot testing, the company is currently working closely with leading food & beverage multinationals to scale-up and commercialize the first consumer products with DouxMatok's sugar reduction technology.

"This round of financing facilitates speeding up our scale-up and commercialization. We hope that DouxMatok will become a trusted leading brand in the efforts to reduce sugar consumption to healthier levels, so we can continue to enjoy the foods we love," said Eran Baniel, CEO and Co-founder, DouxMatok. "Given all the investment opportunities they explore, we're proud that Pitango chose DouxMatok, and are already contributing to our speedy progress. We are grateful to Gil Horsky and FoodLabCapital, our existing investors, for their continued support."

"The potential of DouxMatok's technology is immense," said Ittai Harel, Managing General Partner, Pitango. "Having been tested independently by 3rdparty evaluators, as well as by major food manufacturers, the company has proven its ability to achieve desired sweetness level with significantly reduced sugar content. Major food manufacturers are actively seeking healthy viable alternatives to the high levels of added sugar currently in use and we are confident DouxMatok will become an enabler and trusted partner to the industry, and for consumers, in this mission."

Gil Horsky, an Executive in the Food Industry said, "The obesity and diabetes epidemics and their broader societal consequences are shifting the way consumers and policy-makers are thinking about food. They are expecting food companies to be part of the solution, by reducing the amount of sugar in their products." Horsky further described, "DouxMatok enables food manufacturers for the first time to provide their consumers with the exact same taste they know and love, but with significantly lower sugar content - that is game-changing for the industry."

About DouxMatok

DouxMatok is pioneering the development of targeted flavor delivery technologies, while improving the nutritional profile of food and beverage products. Its patented sugar reduction solution targets the taste buds with an efficiently delivered concentrated dose of flavor that enables sugar reduction up to 40% and lower caloric value without compromising on taste. The technology behind DouxMatok is the brainchild of the inventor Prof. Avraham Baniel and the company is led by the serial entrepreneur Eran Baniel, with an extended interdisciplinary team of experts in the fields of food-sciences, bio-tech, applied chemistry and culinary product development. DouxMatok is supported by the Israeli Innovation Authority, has won the Horizon 2020 phase 1, and is a member of the EIT Rising Food Stars. DouxMatok was the winner of Agrivest 2015 and DLD Tel-Aviv 2016.

For more details: www.DouxMatok.com

Media Contact:

Jennifer Laski

Silicon Valley Communications

jlaski@siliconvpr.com

+1-917-848-9173


MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 09/19/17 -- Sphinx Resources Ltd. ("Sphinx" or the "Corporation")

(TSX VENTURE: SFX) announces assay results from this summer's reconnaissance drilling and till sampling and prospecting work at its 100% Chemin Troilus gold project (the "Project"), located 110 km north-north-west of the town of Chibougamau. This first 487-metre drill program was designed to attempt to discover a bedrock source of a mineralized boulders dispersal train (press release of May 11, 2017) in an area of the Project characterized by weak to moderate induced polarization responses and coincident and strong magnetic anomalies. Highlight from the drill results is 2.5 g/t Au over 0.9 m in drill hole CT-17-06. Assays from the seven (7) holes drilled are summarized in Table 1 below.

The Project area where the boulder dispersal train is located, has no outcrop and is covered with a uniform till blanket ranging from 6 to 10 m in thickness. No previous work had been performed in this specific area. The rocks intersected were Archean metasedimentary rocks, metavolcanic rocks, granitoid rocks and breccias. The gold value returned from drill hole CT-17-06 was in a breccia. The mineralized boulders, however, were not explained by this initial drill program and their bedrock source remains an exploration priority. In combination with the drilling, the till results described below further support the prospectivity of the area. Additional work will be required to identify the source of the boulders.

Table 1: Drill hole information and results summary. Location information is in UTM NAD 83 zone18. True widths are estimated to be close to drilled widths.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hole Name Azimuth/ Mineralized (Depth Elevation Dip From To intercept Au metres) East North (m) (degrees) (m) (m) (m)(g/t) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CT-17-01 (102 m) 516527 5634868 356 325/-45 No significant gold values ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CT-17-02 (60 m) 516408 5634331 370 325/-45 No significant gold values ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CT-17-03 (61 m) 516169 5634691 358 325/-45 No significant gold values ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CT-17-04 (78 m) 515685 5634500 366 325/-45 No significant gold values ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CT-17-05 (63 m) 515727 5634433 367 325/-45 No significant gold values ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CT-17-06 (63 m) 515792 5634514 367 325/-45 35.15 36.09 0.94 2.51 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CT-17-07 (60 m) 515922 5634500 367 325/-45 No significant gold values ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Till survey

The two main objectives of the till sampling program were to identify other proximal source areas of the gold anomalies detected in the cover in 2016 and to discover other gold-bearing zones on the Project. A total of 53 till samples were taken to provide coverage of the entire Project area. Till samples weighing about 20 kg were collected at an average depth of about 1.2 meters. A total of 33 till samples contain one or more gold particles with sample 79012 containing more than 1,000 particles. The latter sample is part of a 3-km long southwest-northeast trend, parallel to the glacial flow direction defined by till samples with more than 40 gold particles. Within this trend, a grab sample returned a grade of 5.6 g/t Au. Three (3) adjacent till samples along the same sampling line perpendicular to the glacial flow direction and containing between 40 and 100 gold particles, constitute a new exploration target on the Project.

Quality Control and Reporting Protocols

Sphinx employed a quality assurance and quality control program for the drill program to ensure leading practice in the sampling and analysis of drill core. This included the insertion of certified standards and blanks in the sample stream. Assay samples are taken from NQ-size drill core sawn in half. One half is shipped for analysis to ALS Chemex Laboratory in Val d'Or, Quebec. The other half is kept for future reference. Analytical methods consisted of standard fire assay and atomic absorption finish for gold, and

ICP-MS (code MS41) and aqua regia digestion for the determination of 50 elements.

The drilling program was performed by Forages Chibougamau Ltee of Chibougamau, Quebec, under the supervision of Jean Laforest, ing. and Robin N. Adair, M.Sc. (P.Geol., geo, and member of the Consultative Committee of the Corporation) and the participation of personnel from EnviroCree of Mistissini, Quebec.

The till sampling program ensured a rapid and efficient follow-up of the explored areas in the field through: 1) the identification of gold particles of the -4mm fraction of the till using a conical-shaped gold pan followed by particle counting using a binocular microscope, and 2) multi-element determination of pressed till pellets using a portable XRF equipment. The fine fraction of the till samples was prepared and then chemically analyzed using ICP-MS (code 41L) by ALS Minerals in Val-d'Or, Quebec, an analytical and testing laboratory with ISO 17025 accreditation. A team of specialists collected till samples over the entire Project area under the supervision of the Table Jamesienne de Concertation Miniere of Chibougamau and Consultants Inlandsis of Saint-Alexis-des-Monts, Quebec. The team included personnel from Geo-Envirofor Inc. of Chibougamau, Explo-Logiq Inc. of Saint-Hyppolyte, and Explo-Lab inc. of Val d'Or, Quebec.

About the Chemin Troilus Project

The Project is located at the southwest end of a gold-copper corridor trending north-east. This corridor is located at the northern limit of the Frotet-Evans greenstone belt, in the Opatica geological subprovince of the Superior Province and it includes the Troilus Mine. The Project consists of 61 claims (33 km2). The Project is situated along existing road access to the Troilus Mine and therefore exploration can be carried out at a relatively low cost. Funding for the exploration work includes funds provided by the Societe de developpement de la Baie-James. Sphinx's is currently seeking of a partner to continue to advance the Project.

Qualified Person

The technical information presented in this press release has been approved by Normand Champigny, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sphinx, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Quebec and Sphinx

Quebec has established itself as one of the world's most attractive mining jurisdictions, ranking 6th globally (Fraser Institute press release, February 28 2017). The Quebec government has created market confidence by following a proactive approach to mining policy. Quebec's mining sector has also been encouraged by the clarity and certainty of the legal and regulatory framework adopted by its government. Sphinx is engaged in the generation and acquisition of exploration projects in Quebec.

For further information, please consult Sphinx's website.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and activities to vary materially from targeted results and planning. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in Sphinx's periodic reports including the annual report or in the filings made by Sphinx from time to time with securities regulatory authorities.

Contacts:

Sphinx Resources Ltd.

Normand Champigny

President and Chief Executive Officer

514.979.4746

info@sphinxresources.ca

www.sphinxresources.ca




By Angie Miller

A teacher recently told me about the ridicule she faced when speaking to an audience of teachers at her school. During her presentation, one colleague leaned back in his seat, ripped her handout into squares, crumpled two squares into small balls, stuffed them in his ears, and stared at her with crossed arms.

Horrible, right? Butif we are honestnot unfamiliar. Sometimes as teachers, we are not nice to one another.

Who among us has not facilitated meetings while other teachers have engaged in continuous eye rolling and commentary? And it doesnt just happen in meetings. Fellow teachers have disparaged me to parents when I wasnt around. Unhappy about articles Id written, one colleague left menacing, anonymous notes in my mailbox threatening to get me fired.

When a teacher lives in fear of confrontation, ridicule or being talked about, this is professional bullying.

I do not want to malign our profession. Most educators I have worked with want to support one another. We encourage each other to try new things, taking risks, and strive for collegial conversations that challenge ideas and perceptions. In a profession that gets raked over the coals by others outside the field, it is uncomfortable to acknowledge this reality that pulses in our own hallways out of sight of parents and administrators.

We would not tolerate this behavior from our students. So Im asking, why do we allow it to happen to us?

Professional bullying takes many forms. One of the most dangerous? When dominant teachers attempt to coerce colleagues into their way of teaching, a way that does not always play to the strengths of all teachers or benefit all students. Im ashamed to admit that I have implemented classroom practices that didnt feel right to me. I coped with this in the same way many have: feign compliance, close door, and stop collaborating. When I do this, I contribute to the buildings hemorrhaging toxicity, defensively keeping my practices only within the walls of my classroom.

How do we change a bullying school culture? I have some ideas about where to start.



First recognize sensitivity to criticism. Teaching is one of the few professions that is part of our identity. When we feel under fire, we feel criticized. Instead of hearing lets get better together! we hear you arent good enough. This builds resentment in a building. Understanding this basic concept can help you approach colleagues better.



Lead by example. Be the person who never utters a negative word to others. Put cards on desks, smile in the hallway, inquire about families at the copier, make meals during hard times, tell colleagues when you hear the kids say something wonderful about them. Affirm, affirm, affirm. Choose not be a contributor to toxicity.



Ask for help. Recognize what your colleagues are good at and ask them to give you advice. When people feel recognized and valued, they let their guards down and allow for vulnerability. And vulnerability is always necessary for growth.



Gather your allies. Most likely the professional bullies hold power that is inconsistent with their numbers. Take stock of who among your colleagues are most excited for change, intellectually curious, and passionate about educational issues. Collaborate with them. Celebrate those teachers and you will slowly change the tone and emotional energy of the building.



Call out bullying when it happens to you. Think of how we expect kids to handle bullyingwe expect them to say to their classmates, I dont like that. Stop. This is nerve-wracking and most of us avoid conflict. But when we privately pull another colleague aside and say, My feelings were hurt today when you did this. Can you tell me what Ive done to upset you? their poor behavior is called into question. Every single time I have had a conversation like this with a colleague, the air has clearedevery single time.

This year lets commit to making our schools no-bullying zones. Lets practice with our colleagues what we preach to our students.

Angie Miller is the 2011 New Hampshire Teacher of the Year, a TED presenter and a National Geographic Teacher Fellow. A freelance writer and school librarian, Angie can be followed at www.thecontrarianlibrarian and @angieinlibrary.

Image by Chance Agrella , licensed under Equalicense from Freerange Stocks.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 09/19/17 -- HPQ Silicon Resources Inc ("HPQ") (TSX VENTURE: HPQ)(FRANKFURT: UGE)(OTC PINK: URAGF) is pleased to advise shareholders that an advanced, second stage bench testing program is about to commence. PyroGenesis Canada Inc (PyroGenesis) has informed HPQ that the Gen 2 PUREVAP Quartz Reduction Reactor ("QRR") reactor, 1/250 scale model of the planned 200 tonnes per annum (tpa) Pilot Plant will be operational in the coming weeks.

Bernard J. Tourillon, Chairman and CEO of HPQ Silicon stated, "The design and construction of the Gen 2 PUREVAP QRR is another exciting step toward commercialization and is a result of the collaborative efforts of PyroGenesis and HPQ. Building on our success to date the Gen 2 PUREVAP QRR will allow for further refinements to the silicon purification and testing of the numerous process improvements now planned for the Pilot Plant. This will greatly de-risk our project and provide valuable information sooner as we continue to make the process adjustments needed to produce Solar Grade Silicon Metal."

GEN 1 PUREVAP QRR REACTOR: SUCCESSFUL AND NOW BEING RETIRED

The first generation batch lab scale PUREVAP QRR (now referred to as Gen 1 PUREVAP) was built to prove the concept that quartz could be transformed in one step into Silicon Metal (Si), for the solar panel industry. A series of tests using the Gen 1 PUREVAP were ordered (September 2, 2016 PR) to generate key technical data required for the design of the 200 tpa pilot plant capable of producing Solar Grade Si (SoG Si). The Gen 1 PUREVAP process succeeded, demonstrating significant impurity removal, in one step, transforming low purity SiO2 (Quartz) into 3N+ Purity Si (99.97% Si) (May 16, 2017 PR, January 26, 2017 PR, November 29, 2016 PR, November 2, 2016 PR and September 29, 2016 PR). This product exceeds the highest purity level of the Metallurgical Grade Silicon Metal (Mg Si) industry, a US$5.5 billion dollar per year industry1.

1 Source CRU, 2018 MG Si demand projected at 2,5 M tonnes, 2018 prices US$2,200 per tonne (Ferroglobe)

Our next key milestone is to produce quantities of solar grade silicon for testing of its electrical characteristics, sending material to industry participants and finalize Pilot plant design en route to commercialization. CEO Bernard Tourillon commented, "Our Gen 1 PUREVAPtm was a great success and we believe the reactor will eventually make its way to a science and engineering hall of fame. It has currently reached its maximum operational efficiencies and nothing more could be gained by additional tests."

GEN 2 PUREVAP QRR REACTOR PRESENTS MAJOR DE-RISKING MILESTONES

The Gen 2 Purevap QRR will focus on Process Refinement, Characterization, Metallurgical Testing and purity improvements using the new semi-continuous feed 1/250 scale pilot-plant (May 4, 2017, PR).

Based on Gen 1 PUREVAP results, PyroGenesis completed the detailed engineering and design of the 200 tpa pilot plant, including substantial process modifications. Gen 2 PUREVAP therefore is an upgraded version of the Gen 1 Purevap that will be a true 1/250 scale replica of the planned larger pilot plant (Gen 3 PUREVAP). The Gen 2 PUREVAP is undergoing final manufacturing, assembly and testing and will be operational during the first weeks of October 2017.

The start of this new metallurgical testing program using The Gen 2 PUREVAP represents major de-risking of the Pilot Plant program for the following reasons:

-- Gen 2 will allow specific process design improvements and modifications derived from Gen 1 PUREVAP test work to be implemented and perfected; -- The Gen 2 produces larger silicon Metal (Si) samples to test improvements to the purification process; -- Gen 2 allows an intermediate step in scaling up to the Pilot Plant, mitigating that scaling up risk; -- Gen 2 will allow the following Milestones to be reached sooner than originally planned; -- Producing larger Si samples for testing by potential purchasers; -- Allows HPQ and Pyrogenesis to test the electrical parameters of the High Purity Si; -- Produce enough material to send samples to Solar industry participants; -- Provide data to demonstrate the economics of PUREVAP QRR.

PYROGENESIS CEO REMARKS

"We are pleased to join HPQ in announcing both reaching this new milestone and commencing the second stage testing program," said P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis. "I also wish to commend the team, both at PyroGenesis and HPQ, for having persevered through the many challenges to date and for all the discoveries they made along the way (the ability to transform low purity Quartz into 3N+ Silicon Metal in one step at lab scale not being the least of them). As we have said in the past, it will not be a straight line to success, but given the results to date we are more confident then ever before that we will have a commercial success. What level of success, is yet to be determined. As in all projects, delays will occur, but I firmly believe we are on the right track to have a significant impact in the high purity silicon and solar markets."

UPDATE ON SILICON METAL PURITY TESTING

Further to our June 23, 2017 press release, the company continued to work with PyroGenesis and a number of specialized laboratories on silicon analysis protocols. Specifically, efforts focus on analytical procedures, certification, and analysis turn around time. We are working with our partners to resolve the analytical bottlenecks.

Results will be reported in a comprehensive report on the proof of concept and phase one process characterization and metallurgical testing programs, being prepared by PyroGenesis.

This Press Release Is Available On The Company's CEO Verified Discussion Forum, A Moderated Social Media Platform That Enables Civilized Discussion and Q&A Between Management and Shareholders.

About HPQ Silicon

HPQ Silicon Resources Inc is a TSX-V listed resource company planning to become a vertically integrated and diversified Metallurgical Grade and Solar Grade Silicon Metal producer.

Our business model is focused on developing a disruptive one step High Purity and Solar Grade Silicon Metal manufacturing process (patent pending). HPQ plans to generate high yield returns and significant free cash flow within a relatively short time line. The process will have a greatly decreased carbon footprint, energy footprint, and will eliminate the use of the toxic chemical reagents and by products now in use by the current solar silicon production technologies, which fundamentally date from designs made in the mid 1900's.

Disclaimers:

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's on-going filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange 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.

Shares outstanding: 170,003,173

Contacts:

HPQ Silicon Resources Inc.

Bernard J. Tourillon

Chairman and CEO

(514) 907-1011



HPQ Silicon Resources Inc.

Patrick Levasseur

President and COO

(514) 262-9239

www.HPQSilicon.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/19/17 -- Serengeti Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: SIR)(FRANKFURT: 34S) announces that a drill has been mobilized for the Company's maiden exploration drilling on the UDS property. Drilling will include testing a very strong induced polarization (IP) geophysical anomaly associated with a strong copper-zinc-gold soil geochemical response and favourable altered volcanic host rocks on its 100% held UDS property, located seven kilometers northeast of the former producing Kemess South open pit mine, now owned by Aurico Metals Inc. Kemess produced 3 million ounces of gold and 360,000 tonnes of copper between 1997 and 2011(i). Serengeti views the target at UDS as having the size and intensity to host a significant sulphide system at relatively shallow depth.

Three holes, totalling approximately 1200 metres are currently planned as an initial test and the program may be expanded dependent on drilling progress, weather and results.

Serengeti first identified the target at UDS in the course of a ground geophysical survey along four widely spaced lines on the property in the fall of 2016. Three of the lines covered valley bottom located along a major structure northeast of the Kemess South open pit and east of the Kemess Underground and Kemess East deposits. The IP chargeability zone crosses the UDS property boundary at depth from the south where prior mine operator Northgate Minerals identified a deep, fairly weak anomaly associated with a small body of Black Lake monzonite which is the host to all three copper-gold deposits in the district. The IP chargeability anomaly increases in strength to the northeast reaching values of 40 mV/V and comes close to surface on the northernmost line where it remains open for expansion. Currently identified extent of the target is approximately 900 by 1500 metres. Please go to the UDS property section of Company's website to view images of the location and IP stacked sections of the anomaly (http://www.serengetiresources.com/s/uds.asp). Soil sampling by a prior owner in 2004 outlined an area of elevated copper-zinc-gold geochemistry coincident with and immediately upslope of the newly identified geophysical target. Limited sampling by Serengeti staff in 2014 in the target area, substantiated the original soil anomaly and identified pyritic Takla volcanics, which lie directly above the three nearby copper-gold deposits. Furthermore, rock sampling, trenching and very shallow drilling by an earlier owner in 1989, 600 metres further to the north of the current target area identified scattered gold-silver-polymetallic mineralization which is commonly developed peripheral to, or above porphyry systems.

(i) Aurico Metals Inc., Kemess Underground Technical Report, May 2016.

Milligan West property

The Company further announces that drilling has begun on the Milligan West property (see news release NR 2017-09, September 6th, 2017). Drilling will include testing a very strong induced polarization (IP) geophysical anomaly identified on the Milligan West property, located four kilometers west of the currently producing Mt. Milligan Mine owned by Centerra Gold Inc. The Milligan West property is owned 56.3% by Serengeti and 43.7% by Fjordland Exploration Inc.

About Serengeti Resources Inc.

Serengeti is a mineral exploration company managed by an experienced team of professionals with a solid track record of exploration success. The Company is currently advancing its Kwanika copper-gold project in partnership with Daewoo Minerals Canada and exploring its extensive portfolio of properties in the highly prospective Quesnel Trough of British Columbia. A number of these other projects are available for option or joint venture and additional information can be found on the Company's website at www.serengetiresources.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

David W. Moore, P. Geo., President, CEO and Director

Cautionary Statement

This document contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities regulations. All statements other than statements of historical fact herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding exploration plans and other future plans and objectives, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and future events and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations as well as a comprehensive list of risk factors are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time via SEDAR with the Canadian regulatory agencies to whose policies we are bound. Forward-looking statements are based on the estimates and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements should conditions or our estimates change, other than as required by law and readers are further advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The information in this News Release related to the Kwanika Copper/Gold Project was derived from the PEA. Statements pertaining to projected revenues and cash flows, quantity and grade of mineralized materials, estimated mineral prices are forward-looking statements. The Company cautions that this PEA is preliminary in nature, and is based on technical and economic assumptions which will be evaluated in further studies. The PEA is based on the current (as at January 2017) Kwanika estimated resource model, which consists of material in both the indicated and inferred classifications. Inferred mineral resources are considered too speculative geologically to have technical and economic considerations applied to them. The current basis of project information is not sufficient to convert the mineral resources to mineral reserves, and mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Accordingly, there can be no certainty that the results estimated in the PEA will be realized.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Investor Relations:

Paradox Public Relations

514-341-0408

Toll free (in North America) 1-866-460-0408

info@paradox-pr.ca



Serengeti Resources Inc.

604-605-1300

info@serengetiresources.com

www.serengetiresources.com




OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 09/19/17 -- The Royal Society of Canada is pleased to announce that 12 eminent Canadian scholars and researchers have been recognized for their outstanding achievements in research and scholarship. The RSC will be awarding 8 Medals and 4 Awards.

"Once again this year the Royal Society of Canada can be proud to publish the list of award winners. The entire Canadian scholar community is honoured by the impressive quality of their works and achievements" said Jacques Levesque, Chair of the Awards and Recognition Committee.

To view a complete list of 2017 Award Winners and their citations, please click here.

This year's Award Winners will be celebrated during the Induction and Awards Ceremony, sponsored by the University of Calgary, on Friday, November 24, 2017 at the Fairmont Winnipeg Hotel, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. To register for this event, please click here.

Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) comprises the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences, as well as Canada's first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for the emerging generation of Canadian intellectual leadership, The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. The RSC's mission is to recognize scholarly, research and artistic excellence, to advise governments and organizations, and to promote a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world.

Contacts:

Erika Kujawski

Manager, Communications & Publications

The Royal Society of Canada

(613) 991-5642

communications@rsc-src.ca / www.rsc-src.ca

@RSCTheAcademies




COLMAR-BERG, Luxembourg, September 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

-- Growth in Vehicle Models, Options Drives Increasing Demand for Premium Tires

-- Innovative Mercury Production Process Allows On-Demand Fulfillment of Customer Orders

-- New Luxembourg Facility to Begin Production in 2019

Advancing its connected-business model, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today announced plans to create a new facility in Luxembourg that utilizes an innovative production process to meet growing customer and consumer demand for premium tires.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/554360/Goodyear.jpg )



Named Mercury, the proprietary process features highly-automated, interconnected workstations, using additive manufacturing technologies to efficiently produce premium tires in small-batch quantities on-demand for replacement and original equipment customers.

Goodyear Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President Richard J. Kramer announced Mercury and the company's plans at the groundbreaking event for the facility here.

"Mercury addresses the increasing complexity in the tire industry as the number of vehicle models and options available to consumers continues to proliferate," said Kramer. "It gives us the capability to increase our speed and flexibility to meet the growing demand for small volumes of high-margin, premium Goodyear tires and to deliver them to customers on demand, faster than ever."

"Mercury will advance our connected business model, which aligns all of our assets - from the production floor to consumers who choose Goodyear online and at retail," he added. "It will complement our existing high-volume facilities and give us a true competitive advantage."

The new facility, set to open in 2019, is in close proximity to Goodyear's Luxembourg innovation center and a tire proving grounds. The company is investing $77 million in the facility, which will produce approximately 500,000 tires annually and create approximately 70 new, full-time positions.

The technology used in the Mercury production process was developed and tested over the past five years at Goodyear's innovation and development centers. The name Mercury is a reference to the mythical god of trade and travel, which inspired the creation of Goodyear's winged foot logo by company founder Frank A. Seiberling.

About Goodyear

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 65,000 people and manufactures its products in 47 facilities in 21 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to http://www.goodyear.com/corporate .

Contact Information

Malachy Tuohy

Corporate Communications Manager EMEA

Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations S.A.

Telephone: +32-2-711-51-14

eMail: malachy_tuohy@goodyear.com
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 11/27/17 -- Fura Gems Inc. (TSX VENTURE: FURA) has completed its acquisition of Cobadale Ltd. ("Cobadale"), which owns an 80% effective interest in four (4) Ruby licences (collectively, the "Assets") in the Montepuez District of Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique (the "Transaction").

Fura now holds an 80% effective interest in the Assets with the remaining 20% interest, non-dilutive and free carry, being held by the respective local partners. The Assets are strategically located in Cabo Delgado province, Montepuez districts of Mozambique (please see map below) and are comprised of 394.24 sq.km, (39,424.51 hectares) of highly prospective ground. The initial finding from the artisanal pits shows the occurrence of both primary and secondary mineralization consisting of both higher and lower quality rubies.

On October 5, 2017, Fura initiated a drilling program targeting the prospective mineralized zones of licences 4392L, 3868L and 3869L. A total of 1,879 meters of contract auger drilling has been completed to date. The early signs are very encouraging and the Company is expecting to announce the drilling results on or before January 15, 2018.

Dev Shetty, President & CEO of Fura, commented: "Fura has achieved an important milestone with the completion of the ruby transaction. These ruby licences are in the same region and geological environment as one of the world's largest ruby deposits and we are excited about the potential of these assets and their impact on the Company and its shareholders. Now that we've completed this important step, Fura will continue to focus on exploration of the licensed areas. We would like to thank Cobadale, our Mozambican local partners and the government of Mozambique for this unique opportunity given to Fura."

To view Figure 1, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/FURA1127.jpg

A NI 43-101 compliant technical report in respect of the Assets entitled "The Gemstone Potential of the Montepuez-Ancuabe Districts, Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique" and dated September 17, 2017 was prepared by Ricardo A. Valls, M.Sc., P.Geo., of Valls Geoconsultant and is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About Mozambican Rubies

Mozambican rubies have been historically found in the northeastern part of Mozambique in the Montepuez District of Cabo Delgado province. The nearest airport is in Pemba which is also the capital of Cabo Delgado province. The area where rubies have been historically mined is a 200km drive from Pemba to Montepuez.

Although Mozambican rubies were first discovered in 2009 by artisanal miners, geologically they are approximately 500 million years old. Mozambican ruby deposits are much older than Burmese ruby deposits (approximately 60 million years) which, prior to the discovery of Mozambican ruby deposits, had been the major supplier of rubies for centuries. According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Mozambican rubies currently account for approximately 50% of the world's ruby production. The ruby deposits in Mozambique are also considered to be the largest gemstone deposits found in recent decades.

Northeastern Mozambique is located at a geologically critical junction between the north-south trending Mozambique Belt and the east-west trending Zambezi Belt. Both are "treasure-bearing" Neoproterozoic (approximately 500-800 million years old) orogenic belts within the global Pan-African tectonic framework. Several major geologic complexes are separated by major thrusts and shear zones. Complex thermal and deformational events provided ideal temperature and pressure for the formation of ruby, garnet, gold and other minerals of economic importance.

The Montepuez ruby mineralisation belt is located within the wedge-shaped Montepuez Complex. Around the Montepuez Belt, ruby formations seem to have resulted mainly from a metasomatic process. High alumina rich fluids derived from the metasomatic process when interact with the host rocks in a low-silica environment rubies are crystallized. These are defined as primary ruby mineralization.

Once the ruby-bearing rock is weakened and broken down by physical and chemical weathering, it is ready for erosion. In Montepuez, rubies and other rocks were dispersed by water. Due to their high specific gravity and hardness, these rubies were trapped and concentrated in certain locations along current and former river beds, above the weathered basement rocks. These clusters are the secondary deposits which is a potential source of rubies in Montepuez.

The Transaction

As consideration for the acquisition of all the issued and outstanding shares of Cobadale, Fura has paid the vendors an aggregate of USD$800,000 in cash and issued to the vendors an aggregate of 10 million Fura common shares. Pursuant to the Transaction, Fura shall issue an additional 5 million Fura common shares to the vendors if any of the Assets becomes a mining concession pursuant to the laws of Mozambique on or before September 19, 2019.

All of the common shares issued by the Company pursuant to the Transaction are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and a day as well as a voluntary lock-up agreement pursuant to which the holders shall be restricted from selling or transferring such securities during the 12 months after their issuance. The Transaction is an arm's length transaction for the purposes of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and Fura has not paid any finder's fees relating to the Transaction.

Qualified Person

Ricardo A. Valls, M.Sc., P.Geo., of Valls Geoconsultant, Toronto, Ontario, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release and has approved its dissemination.

About Fura Gems Inc.

Fura Gems Inc. is engaged in the exploration and acquisition of gemstone licences. Fura's headquarters are located in Toronto, Canada and its administrative headquarters are located in the Almas Tower, Dubai. Fura is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol "FURA".

Fura owns an 80% effective interest in four ruby licences (4392, 3868, 3869 and 6811) in Mozambique. Fura is also engaged in the exploration of resource properties in Colombia and owns a 100% interest in the emerald licence ECH -121. In addition, Fura has entered into a share purchase agreement with Emporium HS S.A.S. to purchase 76% of the issued and outstanding shares of Esmeracol S.A., which wholly owns the Coscuez emerald mine in Boyaca, Colombia.

Regulatory Statements

This press release may contain "forward looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Transaction, the prospectivity of the Assets, the mineralization of the Assets, the Company's exploration activities, the Company's ability to obtain adequate financing, the Company's ability to complete the acquisition of Esmeracol and the Company's performance. Generally, forward looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "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 information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; the actual results of exploration activities; regulatory risks; risks inherent in foreign operations; and other risks of the mining industry. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information 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 information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Contacts:

Fura Gems Inc.

Dev Shetty

President & Chief Executive Officer

+971 (0) 4 240 8760

dev.shetty@furagems.com



Investor Relation

Vikram Pathak

1-647-276-7816

vikram.pathak@furagems.com




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.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 1, 2017) - Bearing Lithium Corp. (TSXV: BRZ) (OTCQB: BRGRF) (FSE: B6K1) ("Bearing" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lee Sungwon, a nominee of POSCO, to the Board of Directors. POSCO holds 3.6 million shares in Bearing or 6.7% of outstanding.

Dr. Lee is metallurgical engineer with over 25 years of experience. Dr. Lee is the Director of the Lithium Project Department at POSCO (PosLX) and has been with the company for over 17 years holding various senior roles. Dr. Sungwon holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Southern California, a M.Sc. in Metallurgical Engineering from the Yonsei University in Korea.

Jeremy Poirier, Bearing's president and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We welcome Dr. Lee Sungwon, a representative of POSCO, to the company's Board of Directors. POSCO has been a continued strong supporter of the Maricunga project and our predecessor, Li3 Energy, where they invested directly into the project and demonstrated their proprietary lithium extraction technology with brine from the project."

In connection with his appointment, Dr. Lee has been granted 150,000 incentive stock options ("Options"). Each Option allows him to acquire one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.76 for a period of four years.

About POSCO & PosLX

POSCO is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in Pohang, South Korea. POSCO's shares are traded on a number of global stock exchanges including South Korea, New York, Tokyo, and London with a market capitalization of US$24.1 billion.

POSCO has developed a proprietary technology, PosLX, which has the potential deliver lithium recoveries of over 80% in as little as eight hours with a high purity of 99.9%. This compares to the conventional lithium evaporation process which takes between twelve and eighteen months with recoveries of 50% to 70%. POSCO commissioned a 2,500 ton per year lithium carbonate plant early this year at its Gwangyang Works plant in Korea and is anticipated to help supply its battery making partners LG Chem and Samsung SDI, as well a subsidiary company that produces cathodes for secondary batteries.

About Bearing Lithium Corp.

Bearing Lithium Corp. is a mineral exploration and development company, primarily focused on lithium. Its primary asset is a free-carried 17.7% interest in the Maricunga lithium brine project in Chile. The Maricunga project represents one of the highest-grade lithium brine salars globally and the only pre-production project in Chile. Over US$30 million has been invested in the project to date and all expenditures through 2018, including the delivery of a Definitive Feasibility Study in H1/18, are fully-funded by their earn-in joint-venture partner. Bearing also holds a portfolio of grass-roots exploration projects in the gold district of the Yukon, which are currently optioned to Golden Predator, and a lithium project in Nevada, which is currently optioned to First Division Ventures Inc.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD



Signed "Jeremy Poirier"

Jeremy Poirier, President and CEO



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Jeremy Poirier-- President and CEO Bearing Lithium - Telephone: 1-604-262-8835



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.



Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the future operating or financial performance of the Company, are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate to, among other things: completion of a Prefeasibility Study, and completion of a Definitive Feasibility Study. Statements concerning mineral resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking information to the extent that they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered if the Maricunga Project is developed. Actual future results may differ materially. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Bearing, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the occurrence of unexpected financial obligations, fluctuations in the price of lithium or certain other commodities; fluctuations in the currency markets; changes in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding); the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining and employee relations. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, Bearing does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Progress Software (PRGS) said that Praesidium Investment Management's mischaracterization of its engagement with the Company and Board of Directors is disappointing. Moreover, Praesidium fails to acknowledge the successful execution of the strategy the company announced earlier this year, which followed a comprehensive evaluation of the Company's offerings, customer needs and the rapidly evolving business landscape in which we compete.



Responding to Praesidium' letter, Progress Software said that its new leadership team has been executing against the strategic initiatives the company set forth, which are driving results that recently surpassed own expectations. The company is confident in the merits and efficacy of plan and believes it will continue to benefit all shareholders. It looks forward to discussing more on its strategy when it announces its third quarter results on September 27, 2017.



Progress Software noted that Praesidium's acquisition idea is fundamentally inconsistent with corporate strategy and not in the best interest of its shareholders. Praesidium suggested that the company acquires a private-equity owned company that is a roll-up of various enterprise applications businesses. This target company provides vertically-focused ERP, CRM and supply chain applications spanning over 20 different industries. Following thoughtful consideration of this idea, the Board concluded that it was not in the best interests of Progress or its shareholders.



Progress Software stated that Praesidium's September 15th letter mischaracterizes its interactions with Board and management, willingness to consider adding new directors and commitment to responsible governance. The company has added three new directors to our seven-member Board in the last year. In fact, prior to Praesidium's release of its September 15 letter, the company informed Praesidium that Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee would like to speak directly with their proposed candidates.



Progress Software said it is also confused by Praesidium's personal attack on Chairman John Egan, who enjoys the support of the full Board. Egan is an accomplished executive and public company director.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - September 19, 2017) - Celestica Inc. (TSX: CLS) (NYSE: CLS), a leader in design, manufacturing and supply chain solutions for the world's most innovative companies today announced the launch of its renewed brand, a key milestone in the company's transformational journey. The brand launch heralds an exciting new chapter in Celestica's evolution and represents the company's commitment to delivering bold solutions to its customers that solve challenges, drive innovation and create value.

"For more than 20 years, Celestica has been a trusted partner to our customers, known for delivering reliability and fuelling innovation," said Rob Mionis, President and Chief Executive Officer, Celestica. "As our customers have grown and evolved, we have transformed into a company committed to helping them unlock the potential of the future. Our renewed brand reflects the company's focus and vision: 'To imagine, develop and deliver a better future with our customers.' It represents the unrivalled value we offer to our customers, and is unquestionably Celestica."

Celestica's brand is about the power of the partnerships the company creates and the experience it delivers. It is reflected in the company's language and visual identity, as well as in the way Celestica solves, designs, develops and delivers for its customers every day.

Mionis added: "The brand is a result of countless hours of conversations with our customers, partners and our employees. It is a true reflection of what makes Celestica a trusted partner, and why we are built for long-term success."

The strength of the brand is visually signified in the company's new logo that represents the power Celestica brings to the world's most innovative companies.

For more information, please visit www.celestica.com.

Supporting Resources:

To learn more about Celestica's new corporate brand, click here.

To view Celestica's logo reveal video, click here.

To read CEO Rob Mionis' perspective on Celestica's renewed brand, click here.

Follow us on Twitter @Celestica_Inc.

About Celestica

Celestica enables the world's best brands. Through our unrivalled customer-centric approach, we partner with leading companies in aerospace and defense, communications, enterprise, healthtech, industrial, semiconductor capital equipment, and smart energy to deliver solutions for their most complex challenges. A leader in design, manufacturing, hardware platform and supply chain solutions, Celestica brings global expertise and insight at every stage of product development - from the drawing board to full-scale production and after-market services. With talented teams across North America, Europe and Asia, we imagine, develop and deliver a better future with our customers.

For more information, visit http://www.celestica.com/homeor follow us on Twitter at @Celestica_Inc.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are predictive in nature and may be based on current expectations, forecasts or assumptions involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from the forward-looking statements themselves. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and in any applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future actions, events or outcomes. You should understand that the risks, uncertainties and factors which are identified in our various public filings at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov could affect our future actions, events and outcomes and could cause them to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Except as required by applicable law, we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/9/19/11G145637/Images/celestica-51fb77648f0eab88a97076a15f8e1916.jpg

Contacts:

Celestica Communications

(416) 448-2200

media@celestica.com



Celestica Investor Relations

(416) 448-2211

clsir@celestica.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/04/17 -- Radius Gold Inc. (TSX VENTURE: RDU) is pleased to announce that it has signed a binding agreement with a private Mexican company to option the 473-hectare Tarros Project which is host to several large gold silver mineralized diatreme breccia bodies. The Tarros Project is located 50km north of Radius's new Amalia discovery (see press release 19 September, 2017) in the Sierra Madre Gold Silver belt in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico.

Tarros Project

The Tarros Project is apparently unexplored, apart from limited historic artisanal-scale mining of surface outcrops on several of the outcropping bodies. It has been reported that Noranda briefly held the property in 1992-1993 but no records of work are known. Epithermal Au-Ag mineralization has been sampled by Radius in several explosive hydrothermal or diatreme breccias bodies within an area roughly 3.5km x 1km. The size of the largest mineralized breccia bodies observed to date exceeds 250m x 250m.

Radius senior geologists visited the property in June 2017 during a regional prospecting trip and observed extensive exposures of volcanic hosted, highly altered explosive textured breccia that were cemented by silica and iron oxides. The breccia bodies were pocketed with pits, tunnels, shafts, glory holes and open cavities where material had been removed by artisanal miners and processed for gold. 26 rock chip samples were collected from three separate breccia bodies with different breccia compositions, of which 24 samples returned significant gold silver values. The average of all 26 samples assayed 1.42 g/t Au and 66 g/t Ag.

The large size potential combined with the disseminated and distributed nature of the gold-silver mineralization indicates potential to discover a large bulk tonnage deposit. During the initial property visit 7 distinct large breccias were observed. Brief descriptions of the main breccia bodies are set out below.

Rosario Breccia

The Rosario Breccia is the northern most breccia body with an estimated minimum size of 150m x 60m. It is a large irregularly shaped breccia body, with several pits and tunnels where artisanal miners produced gold. It is hosted within and comprised of andesite volcanics, with clasts all highly altered and cemented by clay, silica and iron oxides. A continuous chip sample in an old pit on the eastern side of the breccia assayed 10m at 2.95 g/t Au and 18 g/t Ag (5 samples of 2m). The mineralization is open in all directions. 120m NW of the first channel on the margin of the breccia, a second continuous chip assayed 3m at 0.88 g/t Au and 139 g/t Ag (3 samples of 1m).

Regalito Breccia

The Regalito Breccia has an irregular oval shape and is estimated at 200m x 150m. The breccia is hosted within and composed of andesite volcanics. The clasts are all strongly clay altered with variable sulphides, silica and iron oxides cementing the matrix. The breccia is zoned, with the western side intensely silicified with some stockwork veining. Radius collected 8 rock chip samples (2m each) of various breccias in a zone 100 x 20m, with 7 of the samples containing significant gold and silver mineralization. The average of the 8 samples graded 0.78 g/t Au and 101 g/t Ag.

La Bufa Breccia

La Bufa, on the western side of the Tarros Project, is elongated NS approximately 300m by 40m wide. It is the only breccia hosted within granodiorite intrusive. In general, the breccia is strongly silicified with broken quartz and veining, abundant disseminated pyrite and iron oxides. There are a few tunnels and small pits, but La Bufa has not been mined as intensely as the other volcanic hosted breccias. This breccia was not sampled in the first reconnaissance but was subsequently sampled by Radius and assays are pending.

San Nicolas Breccia

The San Nicolas Breccia forms a low hill and has an irregular shape roughly 250m long and 250m wide, hosted within and composed of andesite volcanics. Strong clay alteration of the breccia, zones of intense silicification and iron oxide cement are observed similar to the other breccias where Radius has sampled significant Au and Ag values. Historically the breccia was mined from several underground tunnels and pits. This breccia was not sampled in the first reconnaissance but was subsequently sampled by Radius and assays are pending.

San Miguel Breccia

The exposure of San Miguel Breccia is at minimum 200m x 50m elongate roughly NS. The breccia is full of many tunnels and pits where historic miners removed gold rich pods. Radius geologists walked the length of the breccia stopping at various intervals to sample the different breccias types. In total 9 samples were collected over 200m and all samples returned significant gold silver mineralization, averaging 1.48 g/t Au and 43 g/t Ag.

Discussion

The Tarros system of hydrothermal breccias is a significant discovery and acquisition for Radius in Mexico. The scale of the breccias mapped to date is large with the 6 known breccias having a combined size of 14 hectares occurring over 3.5km x 1km, all with historic evidence of underground mining and surface pits where local miners report recovery of high grade gold and silver. The results of Radius's initial reconnaissance sampling, where 24 out of 26 rock chips returned significant gold and silver values, indicate the potential to discover a large bulk tonnage deposit. Radius plans to quickly secure access agreements with the local land owners and commence detailed grid based and channel sampling to define drill targets.

Maps and photos of the Tarros Project will be available on the Company's website.

Tarros Sample Table ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sample Location Sample Type / Description Au g/t Ag g/t length ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM005 San Miguel Grab dump select various 0.71 16 Breccia breccias ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM006 San Miguel Chip 1m side wall of big 0.73 5 Breccia pit, strong clay si alt bx ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM007 San Miguel Chip 1.5m tunnel with 2 short 0.63 4 Breccia shafts clay bx mod fe si ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM008 San Miguel Chip 2m large clastic 0.85 6 Breccia breccia, strong clay alt and FeOx, cemented with silica ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM009 San Miguel Chip 3m 0.56 19 Breccia ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM010 San Miguel Chip 2m 7.23 7 Breccia ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM011 San Miguel Chip 3m Adit. Strong 0.88 71 Breccia silicified andesite, bx, abundant sulphides (chalcopyrite, pyrite, lead) FeOx, fluorite ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM012 San Miguel Chip 1.5m 0.57 22 Breccia ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM013 San Miguel Chip 1.5m 1.20 236 Breccia ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM014 Realito BrecciaChip 2m Silicified tuff, 0.10 11 brecciated, leached zones, pyrite, disseminated + fractures with FeOx. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM015 Realito BrecciaChip 2m Silicified tuff, 0.41 18 brecciated, leached zones, pyrite, disseminated + fractures with FeOx. ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM016 Realito BrecciaChip 1.5m 2.57 217 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM017 Realito BrecciaChip 2m Silicified tuff, 1.56 414 brecciated, broken, leached zones, abundant disseminated pyrite, fractures with FeOx. ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM018 Realito BrecciaChip 2m 1.03 69 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM019 Rosario BrecciaContinuous Weakly-medium 1.50 54 Chips 0-2m silicified porphyritic andesite, brecciated, leached zones, abundant sulphides (pyrite) local massive, fractures with abundant FeOx. ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM020 Rosario BrecciaContinuous 1.76 16 Chips 2-4m ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM021 Rosario BrecciaContinuous 5.69 7 Chips 4-6m ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM022 Rosario BrecciaContinuous 3.76 7 Chips 6-8m ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM023 Rosario BrecciaContinuous 2.04 7 Chips 8-10m ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM024 Rosario BrecciaContinuous Medium silicified 0.81 99 Chips 0-1m porphyritic andesite, brecciated, local druzy quartz with massive and disseminated py + fractures filled with py, FeOx. ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM025 Rosario BrecciaContinuous 1.10 150 Chips 1-2m ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM026 Rosario BrecciaContinuous 0.73 168 Chips 2-3m ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM027 Rosario BrecciaContinuous 0.01 6 Chips 3-5m ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM028 Realito BrecciaChip 2m Pit, Silicified 0.28 19 tuff, brecciated, leached zones, pyrite, disseminated + fractures with FeOx. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SM029 Realito BrecciaChip 2m Strong clay altered 0.30 55 breccia, abundant disseminated pyrite + FeOx ------------------------------------- ---------------- SM030 Realito BrecciaChip 2m 0.03 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Average of 26 1.42 66 samples -------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Agreement

Radius can earn a 100% interest in the Tarros Project by making an immediate cash payment of US$5,000 and by completing staged payments over a period of 4 years totaling US$1,685,000 of which $1,200,000 is a final payment at the end of 4 years. The owners retain a 2% Net Smelter Royalty which can be purchased by Radius for US$1,000,000 for each 1%.

Technical Information

Bruce Smith, M.Sc. (Geology), a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, is Radius's Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Smith visited the Tarros Project, participated in the reported programs and prepared and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

Sampling at Tarros followed a standardized protocol to ensure representative and unbiased quantities of material from across each sample. Chip samples were taken using hammer and chisel continuously along the walls of the underground mines and cleaned surface outcrops. Nominally widths were between 1 and 3 metres.

The Company utilizes industry-standard QA/QC program. Rock samples were prepared and analyzed at ALS laboratories in Mexico and Canada.

About Radius

Radius has been exploring for gold in Latin America for over a decade. The Company has a strong treasury and is looking for investment and project acquisition opportunities across the globe. Please call toll free 1-888-627-9378 or visit our web site (www.radiusgold.com) for more information.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Simon Ridgway

President and CEO

Symbol: TSXV-RDU

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements which include, without limitation, statements about the Company's exploration plans for the Tarros Project; the Company's business strategy, plans and outlook; the merit of the Company's investments and properties; timelines; the future financial performance of the Company; expenditures; approvals and other matters. Often, but not always, these forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "estimates", "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "upgraded", "offset", "limited", "contained", "reflecting", "containing", "remaining", "to be", "periodically", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, the Company's plans for exploring the Tarros Project; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the Company or any joint venture partner not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended.

Forward-looking statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to: that the Company's exploration activities at the Tarros Project will proceed as planned; that the Company's activities will be in accordance with its public statements and stated goals; that all required approvals will be obtained; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its investments or properties; and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Contacts:

Simon Ridgway

604-801-5432

Toll free 1-888-627-9378

604-662-8829 (FAX)

info@goldgroup.com

www.radiusgold.com




Can Sexting Be a Felony?

With increased access to smartphones with cameras, and limited access to good decision-making skills, teens have turned sexting into a serious issue that parents, educators, and sometimes the police need to deal with. And state laws, prosecutors, and courts have turned sexting into a serious criminal offense that teens may be left dealing with for the rest of their lives.

The Washington State Supreme Court last week upheld a conviction for distribution of child pornography, even though the defendant was 17 at the time, has Asperger's syndrome, and the photo he sent was of himself. The crime is a felony, requiring the teen to register as a sex offender.

Sexually Explicit Selfie Statutes

Washington state law prohibits "dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct," and defines sexually explicit conduct as "[d]epiction of the genitals or unclothed pubic or rectal areas of any minor, or the unclothed breast of a female minor, for the purpose of sexual stimulation of the viewer." That was the statute under which T.R. (whose name is being withheld since he was a minor at the time of the offense) was convicted.

According to the Stranger:

The case in question dates back to 2013. That year, a 17-year-old boy named texted an unsolicited photo of his penis to a 22-year-old woman who previously worked for his mother. The teenager, who has Asperger's syndrome, also sent her a text that said "Do u like it babe? It's for you. and for Your daughter babe-Sent From TextFree!" The woman reported the texts and a series of harassing phone calls to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

Felony Sexts

In a 6-3 decision, the state supreme court held that the legislature intended to "destroy the blight of child pornography everywhere, from production of the images to commercial gain" and that includes teens who take pictures of themselves. While the court declined to extend the ruling to cases that involve two teens consensually sexting each other, commentators are worried that's exactly what will happen. The three dissenting justices were worried as well, noting that by interpreting the law to cover even children who take their own photos, "we are subjecting all children to felony prosecution."

Washington isn't the only state to apply felony child pornography laws to teen sexting. So teens and their parents must take the issue seriously or face serious consequences.

Related Resources:
CAMARILLO, California, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

BNK Petroleum Inc. (the "Company") (TSX:BKX) is pleased to announce that fracture stimulation completion operations on the previously drilled Brock 9-2H well have commenced.

The fracture stimulation is anticipated to take approximately two weeks, after which the equipment will be removed and the flowback will commence. It has historically taken a few weeks of flowback until stabilized hydrocarbon production occurs.

The Company also announces that the Hartgraves 1-6H well continues to perform well, with production rates staying above both the proved undeveloped and the probable case type curves used to estimate the reserves attributed to the Company's Tishomingo Field. For the last 20 days, the well has averaged over 400 barrels of oil equivalent per day, of which over 80 percent is oil.

About BNK Petroleum Inc.

BNK Petroleum Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and production company focused on finding and exploiting large, predominately unconventional oil and gas resource plays. Through its subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates shale oil and gas properties in the United States. Additionally, the Company is utilizing its technical and operational expertise to identify and acquire additional unconventional projects. The Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol BKX and on the OTCQB under the stock symbol BNKPF.

Cautionary Statements

In this news release and the Company's other public disclosure: The references to barrels of oil equivalent ("Boes") reflect natural gas, natural gas liquids and oil. Boes may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A Boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf:1 Bbl is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Given that the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil as compared to natural gas is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6:1, utilizing a conversion on a 6:1 basis may be misleading as an indication of value. Possible reserves are those additional reserves that are less certain to be recovered than probable reserves. There is a 10% probability that the quantities actually recovered will equal or exceed the sum of proved plus probable plus possible reserves. Readers should be aware that references to initial production rates and other short-term production rates are preliminary in nature and are not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or of ultimate recovery. Readers are referred to the full description of the results of the Company's December 31, 2016 independent reserves evaluation and other oil and gas information contained in its Form 51-101F1 Statement of Reserves Data and Other Oil and Gas Information for the year ended December 31, 2016, which the Company filed on SEDAR on March23,2017.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding the timing of and expected results from planned Caney wells development. Forward-looking information is based on plans and estimates of management and interpretations of data by the Company's technical team at the date the data is provided and is subject to several factors and assumptions of management, including that that indications of early results are reasonably accurate predictors of the prospectiveness of the shale intervals, that required regulatory approvals will be available when required, that no unforeseen delays, unexpected geological or other effects, including flooding and extended interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather conditions, equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes are encountered, that the development plans of the Company and its co-venturers will not change, that the offset operator's operations will proceed as expected by management, that the demand for oil and gas will be sustained, that the Company will continue to be able to access sufficient capital through financings, farm-ins or other participation arrangements to maintain its projects, and that global economic conditions will not deteriorate in a manner that has an adverse impact on the Company's business, its ability to advance its business strategy and the industry as a whole. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions on which such forward looking information is based vary or prove to be invalid, including that the Company or its subsidiaries is not able for any reason to obtain and provide the information necessary to secure required approvals or that required regulatory approvals are otherwise not available when required, that unexpected geological results are encountered, that equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes or shortages are encountered, the risks associated with the oil and gas industry (e.g. operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration and development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks, including flooding and extended interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather conditions), that the offset operator's operations have unexpected adverse effects on the Company's operations, that completion techniques require further optimization, that production rates do not match the Company's assumptions, that very low or no production rates are achieved, that the Company is unable to access required capital, that occurrences such as those that are assumed will not occur, do in fact occur, and those conditions that are assumed will continue or improve, do not continue or improve, and the other risks and uncertainties applicable to exploration and development activities and the Company's business as set forth in the Company's management discussion and analysis and its annual information form, both of which are available for viewing under the Company's profile at http://www.sedar.com, any of which could result in delays, cessation in planned work or loss of one or more concessions and have an adverse effect on the Company and its financial condition. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

Website: http://www.bnkpetroleum.com

Wolf E. Regener

+1(805)484-3613

Email: investorrelations@bnkpetroleum.com
VAL-D'OR, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 09/19/17 -- Golden Valley Mines Ltd. ("Golden Valley" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: GZZ) announces the receipt from Bonterra Resources Inc. ("Bonterra") of results of a diamond drill program on the Lac Barry Prospect (the "Lac Barry Gold Project"). A new gold and silver bearing horizon ("Temica Gold Zone") was discovered. The disclosed drill intersections described below are located on the Lac Barry Property claims. The information that follows has been prepared by partner and program operator Bonterra Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: BTR) and has not been independently verified by Golden Valley:

"Key Highlights:

-- Hole CL-17-14 discovery of new mineralized zone (Temica Gold Zone) with an intersection of 4.7 g/t Au and 44.6 g/t Ag over 2.7 m at 250 m below surface. This drill hole is located over 4 km to the southwest of the Gladiator deposit. -- Drillhole 17-14 returned 44.6 g/t Ag with the presence of galena as additional sulphide mineralization. -- Hole CL-17-06 intersects new mineralized zone (Temica Gold Zone) with an intersection of 13.0 g/t Au over 1.0 m at 200 m below surface, and located over 5 km to the southwest of the Gladiator Gold Deposit. -- Hole CL-17-01 also intersected the Temica Zone near surface with close proximity to drill hole CL-17-14, but was located too close to the zone and resulted in a partial intersection. -- Three drill holes now exist in the Temica Zone over a 1 km length as described above. -- The previously completed till sampling and induced polarization surveys led to the drilling and discovery of the Temica Zone. Further drilling will be conducted on additional targets and identified trends as well as on the Temica Zone. -- Both CL-17-06 and CL-17-14 intersected shear zone hosted mineralized quartz-carbonate veining with pyrite and sphalerite. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From To Length(i) Hole (m) (m) (m) Grade Zone/Area ---------------------- (g/t Au) (g/t Ag) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CL-17-14 394.5 397.2 2.7 4.7 44.6 Temica ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CL-17-06 351.0 352.0 1.0 13.0 Temica ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CL-17-01 64.0 65.0 1.0 4.8 Temica ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Stated lengths are core width as drilled, true widths vary and average between 60 and 80 percent of drilled widths. Core axis angles of the intersection contacts and surrounding rock units average 55 to 70 degrees.

Mr. Robert Gagnon, P.Geo. has approved the information contained in this release. Mr. Gagnon is a director of Bonterra and is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101."

Please see Bonterra's press release dated September 14, 2017 for Bonterra's 2017 exploration program map at Gladiator.

The Lac Barry Prospect is located to the southwest along the projected strike extension of mineralization on the West Arena Property of Bonterra's 100% owned Gladiator Gold Project, which is currently being drilled on by Bonterra. In addition, the Lac Barry Prospect is adjacent to and immediately southwest of Bonterra's Coliseum Property.

Bonterra Option Agreement Terms

Golden Valley granted an option to Bonterra to acquire an 85% interest in the Lac Barry Prospect, located in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt of northwestern Quebec. The option agreement specifies, among other things: (i) Bonterra issued to Golden Valley such number of common shares in the capital of Bonterra, having an aggregate value of $200,000 based on the closing price of Bonterra's shares on the TSX Venture Exchange the day prior to the date that the TSX Venture Exchange issued its written acceptance of the option agreement and the transaction contemplated thereby; (ii) Bonterra must incur expenditures in an aggregate amount of $2,000,000 over a 3 year period on the Lac Barry Prospect.

Upon the exercise of the option, Golden Valley shall retain a 15% free carried interest in the Lac Barry Prospect and a 3% net smelter royalty ("NSR"), with 1% of the NSR being subject to a buyback in favour of Bonterra for $1 million payable by Bonterra to Golden Valley.

Cheechoo Gold Project Update

The Company also wishes to provide and update on its royalty at the Cheechoo Gold Prospect ("Cheechoo").

As previously announced, Golden Valley holds a 4% net smelter royalty from all mineral products mined or removed from Cheechoo. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the royalty relevant to gold mineral products mined or removed from Cheechoo (the "Gold Portion") may be reduced as follows depending on the market price of gold at the time of the payment of the Gold Portion:

1. If the price of gold is less than $3,000 per ounce and higher than $2,400 per ounce, a 3.5% royalty on the Gold Portion shall be payable to Golden Valley; 2. If the price of gold is less than $2,400 per ounce and higher than $1,200 per ounce, a 3% royalty on the Gold Portion shall be payable to Golden Valley; and 3. If the price of gold is less than $1,200 per ounce, a 2.5% royalty on the Gold Portion shall be payable to Golden Valley.

The operator of the Cheechoo Gold Project, Sirios Resources Inc. ("Sirios"), has recently provided two exploration updates on the project. Please see Sirios press releases dated September 7, 2017 (release of the final drillhole results from the Winter 2017 drill campaign completed in April for a total of 5,397 metres including 14 NQ drill holes from #94 to #107 and extensions of drillholes #36, 37, 58 and 82) and September 14, 2017 (announcing the start of a new 2017-2018 drill program) for further information.

Centremaque Gold Project Update:

The project operator, Alexandria Minerals Ltd. ("Alexandria") has reported that the following work has been completed on the property per the first year work commitment. As of August 2017, Alexandria has compiled all of the drillholes from 1940 to 1994 in preparation for a Winter 2018 drill program.

Based on this compilation work, the mineralization intersected on the property is similar to that at Zone #4 on the Orenada deposits. Mineralization consists of traces to 7% arsenopyrite and 1-5% pyrite with local traces of pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite. The arsenopyrite and pyrite are localized in the wallrock of the veins and veinlets, composed of smokey quartz, carbonate and tourmaline. The veins and veinlets are hosted in intermediate and felsic tuffs, sediments of the Malartic Group and talc-chlorite schists of the Piche Group.

The next step in advance of drilling will be to try and locate the drillholes from 1987, 1988 and 1994 to verify their locations between the historical work reports verses the government geological database (SIGEOM).

Alexandria may earn an 80% interest in the Centremaque Gold Project by issuing treasury shares of Alexandria to Golden Valley over a four year period from date of signing with a total value of $250,000, and by conducting exploration activities totaling $4 million over the same four year period, of which $250,000 is to be spent in the first year of the option agreement. The price of the shares, and therefore the number of shares to be issued, is determined by reference to the market price at the time each tranche is due.

Bogside Gold Project: LOI with Abitibi Royalties:

A phase II prospecting and sampling program was completed over the property as part of the agreement with Abitibi Royalties Ltd. ("RZZ") to fund the claim renewal fees in exchange for a 2% NSR on the property. Dependent on these results, a follow-up program will be planned, including diamond drilling along an untested induced polarization anomaly over an area of no outcrop.

Island 27 Cobalt Project:

A ground follow-up prospecting, mapping and sampling program is planned in advance of a Winter 2018 drill program. In addition, selective historical drillholes will be reviewed and re-sampled if warranted. Golden Valley is the project operator under a Management Committee.

As previously announced, the Company entered into an option agreement with Battery Mineral Resources Limited ("Battery"), whereby Battery can earn an 80% interest in the Island 27 Prospect. Under the terms of the option agreement, Battery shall pay to Golden Valley an aggregate of $500,000, of which $100,000 has been paid, $150,000 will be paid on June 1, 2018 and $250,000 will be paid on June 1, 2019. In addition, Battery is required to incur expenditures on the property in the amount of $5,000,000 over a period of four years ending on June 1, 2021, of which $500,000 is to be spent by June 1, 2018.

About Golden Valley Mines Ltd.: The Company typically tests initial grassroots targets while owning a 100% interest therein and then seeks partners to continue exploration funding. This allows the Company to carry on its generative programs and systematic exploration efforts at other majority-owned grassroots projects. The Company (together with its various subsidiaries) holds property interests in projects in Canada (Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec).

Forward Looking Statements:

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Contacts:

Golden Valley Mines Ltd.

Glenn J. Mullan

Chairman, President, and CEO

819.824.2808 ext. 204

glenn.mullan@goldenvalleymines.com




ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR -- (Marketwired) -- 01/10/18 -- The Edison Electric Institute ("EEI") today presented Fortis Inc. ("Fortis") (TSX: FTS)(NYSE: FTS) and its group of utilities with the "Emergency Assistance Award" for its outstanding work assisting customers impacted by Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

The award is presented to EEI member companies to recognize an outstanding response in assisting other electric companies in power restoration efforts after service has been disrupted by severe weather conditions or other natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI's Winter Board and CEO Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona.

FortisTCI, operating on the Turks and Caicos Islands, was severely impacted by Hurricane Irma. On September 10, 2017, the Fortis emergency response team was the first to land in the country after the "all-clear" was given by the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Fortis response included approximately 250 employees and contract personnel from all Fortis utilities throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The restoration team rebuilt and restored many kilometres of transmission, distribution and service lines, and replaced approximately 1,500 electricity poles.

"The response of the Fortis team in supporting FortisTCI following the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma was a defining moment in the history of our company," said Barry Perry, President and CEO, Fortis. "Our employees were the first humanitarian team on the ground in Turks and Caicos and were able to restore power to the entire country in less than 60 days with no safety incidents. I cannot thank our team enough for their efforts."

"When disaster impacts a region, electric companies from across the nation are called on to assist impacted companies in need - mutual assistance is a hallmark of our industry," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "When Hurricane Irma struck, Fortis answered the call to help. Fortis' assistance to restore service to impacted customers is a terrific example of mutual assistance in action."

"Restoring the electricity system quickly was paramount to returning the economy of Turks and Caicos, particularly the tourism sector, to normal," said Eddinton Powell, President and CEO, FortisTCI. "The extraordinary deployment of resources was remarkable, allowing power to be restored in a timely fashion. The big winners were our electricity customers who were able to focus on rebuilding homes and getting businesses successfully operating again."

Mr. Perry thanked customers for their cooperation and kindness shown to the Fortis team as they worked to restore electricity, as well as His Excellency the Governor, Dr. John Freeman and Premier Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, for working with Fortis to coordinate efforts to get the lights back on for the people of Turks and Caicos.

This was the 9th emergency response effort of this kind for Fortis utilities.

About Fortis

Fortis is a leader in the North American regulated electric and gas utility industry with total assets of approximately C$47 billion as of September 30, 2017. The Corporation's more than 8,000 employees serve utility customers in five Canadian provinces, nine U.S. states and three Caribbean countries.

Fortis shares are listed on TSX and NYSE and trade under the symbol FTS. Additional information can be accessed at www.fortisinc.com, www.sedar.com, or www.sec.gov.

About EEI

EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for 220 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 60 international electric companies as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.

Contacts:

Fortis Inc.

Media Enquiries:

Ms. Karen McCarthy

Director, Communications & Corporate Affairs

709.737.5323

media@fortisinc.com



Investor Enquiries:

Ms. Stephanie Amaimo

Vice President, Investor Relations

709.737.2900

investorrelations@fortisinc.com



Edison Electric Institute

Media Enquiries:

Ms. Kristin Rudman

Manager, Media Relations

202.508.5155

krudman@eei.org




Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2017) - Alto Ventures Ltd. (TSXV: ATV) has decided, after careful consideration, not to proceed indefinitely with an exploration program at Oxford Lake in Manitoba. This decision was made in light of recent changes in position of the Bunibonibee Cree Nation toward the proposed exploration, and related challenges the company faced in obtaining clear and timely information regarding the Government of Manitoba's position on Aboriginal consultation and permitting matters. Alto has in past had a constructive relationship with the Bunibonibee Cree Nation and had planned to use a number of its members and companies for a range of services including line cutting, ground geophysics, ice road maintenance, camp person, cook and fuel from the community.

Alto remains open to working with the Bunibonibee Cree Nation to resolve the issues outstanding to continue to advance the Oxford Lake Project in the future. For the foreseeable future, Alto will refocus its exploration efforts to the Miner Lake and Mud Lake Projects in northwestern Ontario and the Destiny Project in Quebec.

About Alto Ventures Ltd

Alto Ventures Ltd. is an exploration and development company with a portfolio of highly prospective Canadian gold properties. The Company is active in the Abitibi greenstone belt in Quebec on the Destiny gold property and is exploring in the Beardmore-Geraldton gold belt in Ontario. In Manitoba, the Company is focused on the gold and base metals potential of the highly prospective but relatively under-explored Oxford Lake property. For more details regarding the Company's projects, please visit our website at www.altoventures.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

Richard J. Mazur, P. Geo.,

CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information contact:

Mike Koziol,

President and Director

ALTO VENTURES LTD.

Unit 7 - 1351C Kelly Lake Rd

Sudbury, ON., P3E 5P5

Tel: 705-522-6372

Email: koziol@altoventures.com
PLANTATION, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 09/19/17 -- Atacama Resources International Inc. (OTCQB: ACRL) announced today that it has acquired the mineral rights for the Mystery Graphite Property which consists of 1740 acres located about 60 miles south of Timmins, Ontario. The acquisition of the mineral rights includes receiving core samples collected from multiple diamond drill sites previously conducted on the property. Analysis of the core samples is scheduled to take place.

Glenn Grant, CEO, reported, "The demand for mined graphite is beginning to explode. In today's world graphite is considered a critical and strategic mineral in the ever-accelerating emerging green economy (also known as the carbon Age) that includes advances in energy storage, electric vehicles, photovoltaics and electronics from smartphones to laptops. As the green economy grows, demand for graphite will quickly outstrip supply. Just considering electric vehicles, demand in three years will require more graphite than all the world's supply today.

"The development of the electric vehicle market alone is driving demand for graphite, which is expected to exceed $100 Billion within the next three years. For instance, Tesla's lithium ion battery giga-factory currently being constructed in Nevada will place large demand for lithium, graphite and cobalt. Twelve other giga-factories are currently being built worldwide and all will require large amounts of graphite. The demand for lithium is well understood but what is less known is that a lithium ion battery uses much more graphite that lithium."

Grant continued, "According to our research, there are NO producing graphite mines in the USA and the only producing mine in Canada is quickly exhausting its deposit. A supply squeeze is already happening as China currently mines 75% of the world's graphite. China's transformation from a manufacturing to a technology development economy will significantly increase its own demand from its graphite producers. In fact, it is rumored that China is currently stockpiling its graphite in anticipation of a global shortage."

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reportedly stated that he wishes to source as much graphite as possible from North American and Canadian sources. There are many traditional demands for graphite as well. As the world urbanizes the use of steel remains in demand (up 4.5% in the first half of this year) and graphite is a critical metal in high quality steel.

"The public is just beginning to realize the importance of graphite as a critical/strategic mineral which is reflected in a price increase up 30% over just the past two months. Atacama is in the early stages of developing Mystery Graphite and other graphite properties with excellent mining infrastructure available. It is my goal as the CEO to bring increasing share value to Atacama and its shareholders. I look forward to bringing future announcements in the near future which I believe will be exciting as our shareholders learn all that is in play by our different divisions," Grant concluded.

About Atacama Resources International (www.acrlintl.com)

Atacama Resources International is a publicly traded OTC company with significant mining claims in the greater Kirkland Lake area of Northern Ontario. Metals and minerals under potential exploration include gold, silver, diamonds, graphite and cobalt. Major deposits of copper and iron ore are included in the mining claims. Atacama's technology business includes a pioneering smartphone application called Good2Drive and follow on products that will be released later in 2017 and 2018. It is highly recommended that everyone keep their eye on the website at www.acrlintl.com for updates.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain information set forth in this news announcement may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of Atacama Resources International. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's industry, management beliefs and certain assumptions made by its management. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Information concerning factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements can be found in the Company's periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, and in its Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Unless required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise to reflect future events or circumstances or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contact:



Glenn Grant

Atacama Resources International, Inc.

ggrant@acrlintl.com

1-780-512-3805

www.acrlintl.com






WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Trans-gender personnel in US military will be allowed to re-enlist until a permanent policy on trans-gender ban comes into force.



This was announced by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis as he issued interim guidance on military service by transgender individuals based on direction from a presidential memorandum issued last month.



The guidance takes effect immediately, Mattis said.



A directive that President Donald Trump signed on August 25 bars enlistment by trans-gender individuals, prohibits coverage for certain critical medical procedures, and bans those currently in the military from serving. The Secretary of Defense was given discretion to determine how to carry out that ban.



In a memorandum to the services and DoD components, the Secretary said the interim guidance will be in place until February 21, 2018, when he presents the president with a plan to implement trans-gender ban in US military.



Supported by a panel of experts, the Deputy Defense Secretary and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will propose recommendations to the Defense Secretary. The Coast Guard is included in the guidance.



Accessions, medical care and treatment, in-service transition for transgender service members and retention of transgender service members are outlined in the interim guidance.



The Guidance makes it clear that ban on the accession of transgender individuals into the military services remain in effect.



No new sex reassignment surgical procedures for military personnel will be permitted after March 22, 2018, except as necessary to protect the health of an individual who has already begun a course of treatment to reassign his or her gender.



Mattis also gave assurance that no action will be taken to 'involuntarily separate or discharge an otherwise qualified service member solely on the basis of a gender dysphoria diagnosis or transgender status'.



The proposed ban faces multiple legal challenges by serving trans-gender members of the armed forces.



The policy of ban on transgender people in US military was lifted by Barack Obama's administration last year.



Since that time, thousands of transgender service members have begun to serve openly. Between 4,000 and 10,000 US active-duty and reserve service members are believed to be transgender.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Technavio market research analysts forecast the global military vetronics market to grow at a CAGR of close to 4% during the forecast period, according to their latest report.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170919005670/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global military vetronics market from 2017-2021. (Photo: Business Wire)

The market study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global military vetronics marketfor 2017-2021. The report also lists tank and fighting vehicle, armored personnel carrier (APC), and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) as the three major segments based on platform, of which the tank and fighting vehicles segment accounted for more than 75% of the market share in 2016.

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free

Technavio analysts highlight the following three market drivers that are contributing to the growth of the global military vetronics market:

Evolving military operations demand advanced vetronics systems

Modernization of military vehicles

Development of advanced battery technologies

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Evolving military operations demand advanced vetronics systems

The mission requirements for the military are constantly evolving. Innovative ISR technologies, HD video streaming, high-bandwidth networking hardware, and advanced threat detection sensors are some of the new requirements that armed forces across the world are integrating into their ground vehicles. This gives rise to the need for advanced vetronics systems that can handle new hardware and software upgrades. The high data-exchange rates that are provided by using open COTS architectures generate complex signal-integrity issues at all levels of the system, including the processor chips.

According to Moutushi Saha, a lead analyst at Technavio for defense research, "The emergence of UGVs is increasing the possibilities of ISR operations. A wide range of payload systems, such as imaging systems, night vision systems, and electronic signal jamming systems, are being developed for their integration with UGVs. Many such systems are used simultaneously to generate enhanced ISR data, and this requires the seamless integration of the systems."

Modernization of military vehicles

Global military forces are constantly modernizing their fleet of vehicles to provide military forces with improved crew survivability, easy navigation, enhanced surveillance performance, better inter-vehicle and intra-vehicle communications, and higher firepower. Modernization programs include upgrades for the weapons systems, networking capabilities, threat detection systems, fire suppression systems, communication systems, command and control (C2) systems, and other systems that are required for a mission. The upgrades automatically include those for dedicated vetronics subsystems.

"Upgrading the vetronics systems of military vehicles increases the interoperability of the systems, reduces the risk and cost of multi-system integration, and increases the efficiency of the vehicle operators by reducing their response time. Armed forces across the world are modernizing the vetronics systems of their ground vehicles to achieve higher capability and functionality on their vehicle platforms," says Moutushi.

Development of advanced battery technologies

Another driver influencing the growth of the global military vetronics market is the development of advanced battery technologies. Military vetronics systems incorporate a wide range of electronics and electrical components that consume a lot of power. The advances in battery technologies have enabled the development of a central vetronics system that is connected to all the electronic sensors and equipment on board a military vehicle.

The centralized vetronics system forms a complete BMS that can collect data from all the equipment in a vehicle. It can also analyze the data within the vehicle as well as transmit/receive such information to/from nearby and remote vehicles and base stations to create a common and shared mission assessment. Technological advances in batteries, such as the SafeCore technology that provides endurance to batteries in harsh conditions, further increase the scalability of military vetronics systems to integrate more military equipment.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Military Heads-up Display (HUD) Market 2017-2021

Global Defense-based Satellite Navigation Systems Market 2017-2021

Global Military Thermal Weapon Sights Market 2017-2021

About Technavio

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170919005670/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

www.technavio.com
Registration is now closed but attendance is still available via livestream

Thanks to overwhelming demand to hear the latest advances in patient safety, registration for the 6th Annual World Patient Safety, Science and Technology Summit is now closed. In order to make sure that as many people as possible can attend, we have made the Summit available online via live streaming.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180208006511/en/

Joe Kiani, Founder and Chairman of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation, speaks at the 2017 World Patient Safety, Science Technology Summit (Photo: Business Wire)

The entire Patient Safety Movement Foundation team is committed to increasing awareness about the exciting and innovative patient safety developments emanating from the summit. There will be keynote addresses from leading political figures and patient safety experts, plenary sessions with healthcare luminaries, members of the press and patient advocates, as well as announcements from organizations who have made their own commitments to reach the Patient Safety Movement Foundation's goal of ZERO preventable deaths by 2020.

You can register for livestream coverage here http://psmsummit.liveconnectevent.comThere is a $100 connection fee.

About Patient Safety Movement Foundation:

More than 200,000 U.S. patients and three million worldwide die each year from preventable causes. The Patient Safety Movement Foundation (PSMF) was established through the support of the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation, and Competition in Healthcare to reduce that number of preventable deaths to zero by 2020 (0X2020). Improving patient safety requires a collaborative effort from all stakeholders, including patients, healthcare providers, medical technology companies, government, employers, and private payers. The PSMF works with all stakeholders to address problems with actionable solutions. The Foundation also convenes the World Patient Safety, Science and Technology Summit bringing together some of the world's best minds for thought-provoking discussions and new ideas that challenge the status quo. By presenting specific, high-impact solutions to meet patient safety challenges, called Actionable Patient Safety Solutions, encouraging medical technology companies to share the data their products are purchased for, and asking hospitals to make commitments to implement Actionable Patient Safety Solutions, the Patient Safety Movement Foundation is working toward zero preventable deaths by 2020. Visit http://patientsafetymovement.org/.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180208006511/en/

Contacts:

Patient Safety Movement Foundation

Tanya Lyon, (949) 351-2858

Public Relations Manager
COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwired - September 19, 2017) - Bold Penguin, an insurtech portal provider delivering a more streamlined insurance experience via an online marketplace for commercial lines property and casualty (P&C) agents, is pleased to announce former State of Ohio Deputy Treasurer Seth Metcalf has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

With Bold Penguin extending its capabilities to more partners in the commercial insurance market, Metcalf will bring his experience to bear to financially and strategically position the company for continued growth in a highly-regulated, competitive industry. Most recently, Metcalf spearheaded several successful, award-wining initiatives targeting inefficiencies in the capital markets and money-market product segments, as well as using technology to enable to financial transparency, and to make better savings options available for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, he previously served as a tax and transactional finance attorney with the international law firm of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP (n/k/a Squire Patton Boggs) after graduating from Cornell Law School and The Ohio State University.

"I'm excited to apply my experience in complex financial segments to the insurance industry, and look forward to bolstering the vision of Bold Penguin's founders to transform the commercial lines process for agents and insurance companies," said Metcalf. "As CFO, I am looking forward to empowering innovation in the business, and to making it possible for the Bold Penguin team to do many positive things for the industry."

Bold Penguin streamlines the new business and renewal process and creating efficiencies over and above manual processes or other portal solutions for commercial lines P&C insurance. Bold Penguin's portal transforms the way agents and insurers work together, making it easier for agents to find appropriate business in an online marketplace, and achieve better speed-to-market by automating much of the underwriting process.

"Seth is one of these rare people with substantial legal, financial, and operational background that makes him the perfect fit for Bold Penguin," said Ilya Bodner, founder and CEO of Bold Penguin. "We feel fortunate to have him join our team, and help lead us through this period of rapid growth. There is a lot of friction in the commercial insurance process for all parties involved; the businesses, the agents, and the carriers. We have a lot of work ahead of us to make the process simpler. Seth is a great addition to our growing team."

About Bold Penguin

Bold Penguin is where technology meets the human touch in commercial insurance. With a heavy focus on agents, Bold Penguin pushes the boundaries of user experience for businesses, is an easy tool for agents, and offers a streamlined process of underwriting for carriers. Founded by a group of entrepreneurs who spent their early days working with Allstate, Nationwide, Progressive, regional carriers and established insurance agencies. For more details, please visit www.boldpenguin.com.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/9/15/11G145527/Images/Seth_Headshot-3da9aabc91f7bc8699b24ef7f6c7017a.jpeg

Media Contact:

Jennifer Overhulse

St. Nick Media Services

859-803-6597

jen@stnickmedia.com




WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The 69th Emmy Awards on Sunday night were dominated by two women-oriented stories that won five awards each - The Handmaid's Tale and Big Little Lies, and Sterling K Brown, who created history by becoming the first African American to win the best actor drama Emmy awards in the past 19 years.



'The Handmaid's Tale', based on Margaret Atwood's famous novel, won awards for supporting actress in a drama (Ann Dowd), writing in a drama (Bruce Miller), directing in a drama (Reed Morano), best actress in a drama (Elisabeth Moss) and outstanding dramatic series.



'Big Little Lies', a star-studded show addressing domestic violence and rape, took home the Best Actress, (Nicole Kidman), Supporting Actress (Laura Dern), Supporting Actor (Alexander Skarsgard), Director (Jean-Marc Vallee), and the Best Limited Series awards.



Kidman was adjudged the best for her performance as an abused wife in Big Little Lies. It was her first Emmy and third nomination. Accepting the award, Kidman said: 'So now, more roles for women, please!'



Reese Witherspoon, who produced and starred in Big Little Lies with Kidman, said: 'It's been an incredible year for women on television.'



Best lead actress in a drama series Elisabeth Moss, who played sex slave Offred, challenged the network censors while thanking her mother.



Lead actor in a drama series went to Sterling K. Brown for NBC's This Is Us. Brown became the fourth black actor to ever win in that category; and the first after Andre Braugher won the award 19 years ago.



Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, Veep's Julia Louis-Dreyfus, scored a record-breaking win for most Emmys for the same role in the same series.



Veep also won for outstanding comedy series.



Emmy award for an outstanding actor in a drama series went to Riz Ahmed for his role as a young man wrongly accused of murder in HBO's The Night of.



Donald Glover won both the award for outstanding directing, as well as lead actor in a comedy series, for FX's Atlanta.



Alec Baldwin won the outstanding supporting actor award for his role parodying President Trump on the iconic variety sketch series Saturday Night Live this season.



The 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards were filled with the usual levels of cheeky humor, emotional acceptance speeches, political calls to action, and the all-around excitement.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Deportation Dispute: U.S. Refusing Visas for Countries Unwilling to Take Back Deported Citizens

Most of us don't think about what happens to people deported from the United States, or where they go. But that process can be pretty complicated and require the cooperation of other nations accepting deportees. And the Trump administration is accusing four nations of being less than cooperative in deportation efforts, and using that lack of cooperation to withhold visas from citizens of those countries looking to enter the U.S.

Reuters is reporting that the State Department will stop issuing certain kinds of visas to citizens of Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone in retaliation for those nations not taking back their citizens deported from the United States. It's just the latest flashpoint in President Trump's immigration crackdown.

Border Back and Forth

"International law obligates each country to accept the return of its nationals ordered removed from the United States," Elaine Duke, the acting secretary of Homeland Security announced regarding the visa crackdown. "Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone have failed in that responsibility." According to Homeland Security, there are about 700 Eritrean nationals in the United States are subject to final orders of removal, along with over 1,900 Cambodian, 2,137 Guinean, and 831 Sierra Leone nationals.

Officials claim many of those subject to removal have serious criminal convictions, but had to be released under a 2001 Supreme Court case that ruled the government could not indefinitely detain deportable aliens simply because a country was unwilling to take them.

Understandably, the affected countries were not too pleased with the State Department's decision. Cambodia, for one, had its own retaliation, suspending cooperation with U.S. teams searching for the remains of Americans in the country missing in action from the Vietnam War.

Deportation Power

The new visa policy came from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, according to Reuters. "The Secretary determines the categories of applicants subject to the visa restrictions, and the categories differ slightly country by country," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert added during a news briefing.

While Congress has the sole authority to pass immigration legislation, the executive branch of the government, and the president especially, is in charge immigration, border, and national security enforcement agencies, and can direct enforcement policies among those agencies. If you have questions or concerns regarding your immigration or visa status, talk to an experienced immigration attorney.

Related Resources:
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 09/19/17 -- HIGHLIGHTS:

-- An industrial residue was processed to produce a high purity REE concentrate (99% TREO) and 99.8% cobalt hydroxide -- Nd and Dy oxides separated with purity of up to 95% REE and recovery of up to 90% in a single run prior to recirculation and reprocessing -- REE concentration per unit volume 1,250 times higher than that in 2016 -- Total capacity of prototypes approximately 1 kg of REO per run

Geomega Resources Inc. ("GeoMegA" or the "Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: GMA) is pleased to announce that Innord Inc. ("Innord"), a private subsidiary controlled by GeoMegA, successfully processed an industrial residue and produced a high purity rare earth elements concentrate ("REE"), a high purity cobalt product and is advancing separation of Neodymium and Dysprosium using its proprietary technology based on electrophoresis which has reached to date 95% purity for each oxide.

The industrial residue that has been successfully processed, has been identified to date in North America, Europe and Asia and is running on average, depending on the source, at grades between 40% and 50% TREO and between 1% and 2% cobalt. The residues typically contain up to 4 different REE, the main ones being Neodymium (Nd) and Dysprosium (Dy), which are critical in the production of permanent magnets. The Corporation is continuing to search for additional sources of this industrial residue and other residues for continued testing of its technology.

The REE concentrate produced achieved high purities of 99% TREO. Cobalt by-product was isolated in the form of cobalt hydroxide (Co(OH)2) with a purity of 99.8%, typical market grade cobalt material. The Corporation will be contacting several end-users to validate whether the cobalt by-product could be qualified as battery grade purity.

Separation of Nd and Dy oxides from the REE concentrate and scale up of the technology has been just as successful. Currently, the grade achieved for each oxide is in the 95% range with a single run recovery of up to 90%. Work is ongoing to reach 99% purity and ultimately the Corporation hopes to achieve commercial grades in the near future. If commercial grades are achieved, samples will be submitted for validation with end users that the Corporation has been in discussions with. In terms of scale up, the progress relative to the June 21, 2016 press release has been exponential. The process has been significantly simplified, which management believes will allow for a more cost-effective scaling to pilot size in the future. The concentration of REE per unit volume increased significantly and is now at least 1,250 times higher than that reported in 2016 which may result in further reduction in costs and footprint. All these process modifications resulted in the total capacity of the prototypes reaching approximately 1kg of REO per run.

The process has been tested on commercial mine concentrate containing all the 14 elements (the same concentrate that was used for tests in spring of 2014) for the purpose of initial group separation. Initial trials have been successful and further tests will be conducted to produce high purity individual oxides.

The following table presents the comparison and the progress from 2014 to 2017:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winter 2014 Summer 2016 Fall 2017 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of separation units 1 in Germany 3, in-house 3, in-house ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Capacity of almost equal to almost equal to prototypes, gREO/run less than 1 10 1,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Approx. Cost of the prototypes ($) 150,000 15,000 15,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Type of sample separated Industrial Synthetic Synthetic Residue(i) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Purity (%, in solution) of separated REE 94 to 98 85 to 90 85 to 95 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Single run recovery (%)(ii) 70 to 90 40 to 55 60 to 90 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i) Due to higher capacity, synthetic samples may become expensive and are less representative (ii) No recirculation of the output has been considered in this information. Please note that the data has been provided for the sake of comparison only and does not reflect the recovery or the purity limit of the technology. The recirculation and reprocessing of the unreacted material is an important part of many chemical processes to maintain high recovery rates and will be used here, if needed, to increase recovery and purity.

"Industrial residues are the ideal feed for developing, calibrating and optimizing our proprietary technology and to prepare it for the mining industry all the while potentially producing cash flow for the company and helping recycle valuable natural resources which are going today to waste piles. Our technology addresses all the environmental concerns that rare earths separation entails today - flexible that it can process various rare earth feeds, sustainable and most importantly no organic solvents used. Having found rare earth residues that contained an interesting quantity of cobalt was an unexpected yet very welcome bonus. Cobalt is a highly sought after element today with high demand for lithium ion batteries which are used together with permanent-magnet AC (PMAC) motors in electric vehicles. Establishing a market presence through a product range of Nd, Dy and Co from industrial residues is a perfect fit for the Montviel project which will be primarily focused on the Nd market as well.

Two years ago, we knew what the main challenges were and we tackled them one by one. The high concentration conditions that we operate in today give us an enormous flexibility for scale up. We used off the shelf equipment that we adapted to our process and as a result we have what we believe to be an easily scalable technology that we will be demonstrating one module at a time. Our next objective is to reach 99% grade for Nd and Dy oxides from this residue and then move on to separation from other residues that are enriched in other REE including neighbor elements. All this data will be then used to complete an engineering study for the initial industrial / pilot unit which will provide reliable capital and operating cost estimates." commented Kiril Mugerman, President and CEO of GeoMegA and Innord.

All the sample analyses have been performed internally by Innord Inc. using ICP-OES.

All the experiments and the technology development have been conducted and supervised by Dr. Pouya Hajiani, CTO of Geomega and he approves the technical information in this press release.

About GeoMegA (www.geomega.ca)

GeoMegA is a mineral exploration and evaluation company focused on the discovery and sustainable development of economic deposits of metals in Quebec. GeoMegA is committed to meeting the Canadian mining industry standards and distinguishing itself with innovative engineering, stakeholders' engagement and dedication to local transformation benefits.

78,258,049 common shares of GeoMegA are currently issued and outstanding.

About Innord Inc.

Innord is a private subsidiary of GeoMegA of which GeoMegA owns 96.1%. The goal of Innord Inc. is to develop and optimize the proprietary separation process of rare earth elements based on electrophoresis, for which it holds all the rights. Electrophoresis is the migration of charged species (ions, proteins, particles) in solution in the presence of an electric field. Innord has filed patents in Canada and the United States to protect its novel separation process and is looking to file in other jurisdictions.

Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information and statements may include, among others, statements regarding future plans, costs, objectives or performance of the Corporation, or the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In this news release, words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "estimate" "target" and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will be achieved. No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, including additional closings of the private placement referred to above, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Corporation will derive. Forward-looking statements and information are based on information available at the time and/or management's good-faith belief with respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the Corporation's control. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those described under "Risk Factors" in the Corporation's annual management's discussion and analysis for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2017, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; they could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements. The Corporation does not intend, nor does the Corporation undertake any obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements contained in this news release to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except if required by applicable laws.

Contacts:

Kiril Mugerman

President and CEO

GeoMegA

450-641-5119 ext.5653

kmugerman@geomega.ca




MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 09/20/17 -- MOBI724 Global Solutions Inc. (the "Company") (CSE: MOS)(CSE: MOS.CN)(CNSX: MOS)(OTCQB: MOBIF), a Fintech leader offering an all in one fully integrated EMV payment, card link couponing and digital marketing solutions, is pleased to announce that the Company has closed a $1 Million financing with BDC Capital, the investment arm of BDC. The Company will use the funds to accelerate its growth plans including the addition of sales and marketing resources.

"We are excited about starting a commercial relationship with BDC Capital and deeply appreciate the confidence they have shown in our business plan. To be able to count on the investment arm of the Business Development Bank of Canada as a financial partner is a big advantage to our global expansion" says Marcel Vienneau, CEO.

"With this financing, BDC Capital is supporting the continued growth of an innovative Canadian technology company that has developed a highly scalable product and is already making most of its sales in international markets," explains Benoit Mignacco, Managing Director, Growth & Transition Capital for Montreal at BDC Capital. "The experience and vision of CEO Marcel Vienneau, the growing demand for fintech solutions, the agreement with Visa signed earlier this year, and the company's solid growth strategy overall all bode well for the future."

About MOBI724 Global Solutions

MOBI724, a leader in the Fintech industry based in Montreal (Canada), offers a unique and fully integrated suite of payment & digital marketing solutions with a combined EMV Payment, Card Linked Offers, and Digital Marketing platform that works on any card and any mobile device. MOBI724's solutions add value to all types of transactions benefiting banks, retailers and cardholders by leveraging available user and purchasing data to increase transaction volumes and spend. MOBI724 provides a turnkey solution to its clients to capture card transactions on any mobile device, at any point of sale or from any payment card. MOBI724 provides its customers with full and comprehensive traceability and enriched consumer data through its offering. Its solutions enables card associations, retailers, manufacturers, offer providers, mobile operators and card issuers to create, manage, deliver and "track and measure" incentive campaigns worldwide to any mobile device and allow its redemption at any point of sales.

About BDC Capital

With more than $2 billion under management, BDC Capital is the investment arm of BDC, serving as a strategic partner to Canada's most innovative and high potential firms. It offers a range of equity, venture capital and flexible growth and transition capital solutions to help Canadian entrepreneurs scale their businesses into global champions. To find out more, visit bdc.ca/capital.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this document, including those which express management's expectations or estimations with regard to the Company's future performance, constitute "forward-looking statements" as understood by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are, of necessity, based on a certain number of estimates and hypotheses; while management considers these to be accurate at the time they are expressed, they are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and risks on the commercial, economic and competitive levels. We advise readers that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other known and unknown factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. Investors are advised to not rely unduly on the forward-looking statements. This advisory applies to all forward-looking statements, whether expressed orally or in writing, attributed to the Company or to any individual expressing them in the name of the Company. Unless required by law, the Company is under no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events, or other circumstances.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed this news release and does not accept responsibility for its adequacy or accuracy. This news release does not constitute a solicitation to buy or sell any securities in the United States.

Contacts:

MOBI724 Global Solutions Inc.

Marcel Vienneau

1-514-394-5200 x 413

www.mobi724globalsolutions.com



Renmark Financial Communications Inc.

Bettina Filippone: bfilippone@renmarkfinancial.com

Media - Kellie Coppin: kcoppin@renmarkfinancial.com

(416) 644-2020 or (514) 939-3989

www.renmarkfinancial.com




Washington DC--(Newsfile Corp. - September 19, 2017) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Catherine McGuire, Counsel in the Division of Trading and Markets, is retiring after 44 years at the SEC.

Ms. McGuire has received more than a dozen awards for her service, including the Distinguished Service Award, the SEC's highest award, in 1992, and the Presidential Meritorious Executive Award, in 2000. She began her SEC career in 1973 in what was then the Division of Market Regulation and was promoted to positions of increasing responsibility, including serving as Counsel to Commissioner Bevis Longstreth from 1982 to 1983. She was named Chief Counsel and Associate Director of the division in 1993 and has advised the division as Counsel since 2008.

"Catherine McGuire has been an outstanding advocate for investors and a guardian of safe and efficient markets throughout her career at the Commission," said Division of Trading and Markets Acting Director Heather Seidel. "She has been dedicated to the Commission's mission to protect investors, maintain fair and orderly markets, and facilitate capital formation, and her continuing legacy is a talented and committed division staff, many of whom she mentored, supported, and advised."

Ms. McGuire said: "I am grateful to have spent my legal career at the Commission. I am extremely proud of the work by the Division of Trading and Markets and the dedication of its staff. Their commitment to the agency's mission is inspiring and represents the best of government service. It has been a privilege to work with them on behalf of investors."

Ms. McGuire's numerous and significant contributions include work to implement the Securities Reform Act of 1975, the Securities Exchange Act Amendments of 1983, the Secondary Mortgage Market Enhancement Act, the Market Reform Act, the Government Securities Act, the National Securities Markets Improvements Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. She also worked on rules involving trade confirmations, regulation of municipal securities and government securities dealers, municipal securities disclosure, retail sales practices, securities arbitration, anti-money laundering, options, and derivatives.

Ms. McGuire is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Kansas School of Law, which honored her with the Distinguished Alumna Award in 2004.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 19, 2017 / Lundin Law PC, a shareholder rights firm, announces a class action lawsuit against Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. ('Blue Apron' or the 'Company') (NYSE: APRN) for possible violations of federal securities laws related to its initial public offering on June 29, 2017 (the 'IPO'). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares pursuant and/or traceable to the IPO, should contact the firm prior to the October 16, 2017 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

To participate in this class action lawsuit, click here.

You can also call Brian Lundin, Esq., of Lundin Law PC, at 888-713-1033, or you can e-mail him at brian@lundinlawpc.com.

No class has been certified in the above action yet. Until a class is certified, you are not considered to be represented by an attorney. You may also choose to do nothing and be an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Registration Statement filed in connection with the IPO failed to disclose that: Blue Apron decided to significantly reduce spending on advertising in Q2 2017, hurting sales and profit margins in future quarters; that the Company was experiencing difficulty with customer retention due to orders not arriving on time or with all expected ingredients; and that the Company was experiencing delayed orders in Q2 2017 related to its new factory in Linden, New Jersey. Since the IPO, Blue Apron's share price has fallen materially, which caused investors harm according to the Complaint.

Lundin Law PC was founded by Brian Lundin, Esq., a securities litigator based in Los Angeles dedicated to upholding shareholders' rights.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

Contact:

Lundin Law PC

Brian Lundin, Esq.

Telephone: 888-713-1033

Facsimile: 888-713-1125

brian@lundinlawpc.com

http://lundinlawpc.com/

SOURCE: Lundin Law PC
According to the Complaint, throughout the Class Period, Dr. Reddy's made false and/or misleading statements, and/or failed to disclose, that the Company lacked an effective corporate quality system; and thus, its public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On August 10, 2017, Dr. Reddy's disclosed that the Regulatory of Germany (Regierung von Oberbayern) did not renew the good manufacturing practices compliance certificate of a formulations manufacturing unit of its German subsidiary Betapharm Arzneimittel, located in Hyderabad, India, after a recent inspection of the plant. Upon release of this information to the public, shares of Dr. Reddy's fell in value materially, which caused investors harm according to the Complaint.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


BRASILIA (dpa-AFX) - The Venezuelan government rebuffed U.S. President Donald Trump's praise to Latin American nations for supporting the 'restoration of democracy' in Venezuela after a dinner at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.



At the meeting, a new 'campaign of aggression' against Venezuela was planned, said the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a statement.



'The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela denounces to the peoples of the world new threats against the sovereignty, peace and stability of our country, issued at a dinner hosted by the U.S. President Donald Trump to the highest state authorities in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Panama, where they were asked to increase the campaign of aggression against Venezuela,' the document said.



The Venezuelan government's statement criticized specifically the Colombian president's position.



'It is shameful and detestable that President [Juan Manuel] Santos, seeking to prevent a sanction by the U.S. government for the excessive increase in cocaine production, resort to the tactic of projecting Venezuela as a factor of destabilization in the region', stressed the statement.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Oracle announces lowest list prices, higher performance, and more automation to provide customers with the lowest total cost of ownership

REDWOOD SHORES, California, Sept., 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --At a live event today, Oracle Executive Chairman of the Board and CTO Larry Ellison announced new programs that lower costs by delivering increased automation and flexibility, and enable customers to get more value from their existing Oracle software investments. The new Oracle Cloud programs include Bring Your Own License to PaaS and Universal Credits.

"We are completely transforming the way all companies buy and use cloud by providing flexibility and choice," said Ellison. "Today, we combined the lowest prices with the highest performance and more automation to deliver a lower total cost of ownership for our customers."

While organizations are eager to move to the cloud, many have not due to obstacles that have forced them to choose between flexibility and lower costs. They have been challenged by the complexity of the cloud and the inability to rebalance spend across different services. Organizations have also been constrained by limited visibility and control over cloud spend. Until now, they have been unable to fully leverage their on-premises software investments in the cloud, having been limited to IaaS services or sacrificing key database features at the PaaS layer. Oracle's new cloud programs address customers' cloud adoption challenges by improving and simplifying the way they purchase and consume cloud services.

Bring Your Own License to Oracle Database PaaS: Delivering Increased Value Through License Mobility

Currently, customers are able to bring their on-premises licenses to Oracle IaaS. Today, Oracle is expanding the offering by enabling customers to reuse their existing software licenses for Oracle PaaS, including Oracle Database, Oracle Middleware, Oracle Analytics, and others. Customers with existing on-premises licenses can leverage that investment to use Oracle Database Cloud at a fraction of the old PaaS price. Running Oracle Database on Oracle IaaS is faster and offers more features than Amazon, delivering the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Additionally, customers can further reduce management and operational costs required for on-premises maintenance by taking advantage of this PaaS automation.

Universal Credits: Flexible Buying and Consumption Choices for Oracle's PaaS and IaaS Services

Oracle is introducing Universal Credits, the industry's most flexible buying and consumption model for cloud services. With Universal Credits, customers have one simple contract that provides unlimited access to all current and future Oracle PaaS and IaaS services, spanning Oracle Cloud and Oracle Cloud at Customer. Customers gain on-demand access to all services plus the benefit of the lower cost of pre-paid services. Additionally, they have the flexibility to upgrade, expand or move services across datacenters based on their requirements. With Universal Credits, customers gain the ability to switch the PaaS or IaaS services they are using without having to notify Oracle. Customers also benefit from using new services with their existing set of cloud credits when made available.

Oracle's new Universal Credit and Bring Your Own License to PaaS will be available on September 25, 2017. These programs span Oracle Cloud and Oracle Cloud at Customer.

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 oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Safe Harbor Statements

The preceding is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described for Oracle's products remains at the sole discretion of Oracle Corporation.

Statements in this article relating to Oracle's future plans, expectations, beliefs, intentions, and prospects are "forward-looking statements" and are subject to material risks and uncertainties. Many factors could affect Oracle's current expectations and actual results, and could cause actual results to differ materially. A discussion of such factors and other risks that affect Oracle's business is contained in Oracle's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including Oracle's most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q under the heading "Risk Factors." These filings are available on the SEC's website or on Oracle's website athttp://www.oracle.com/investor. All information in this article is current as of September 19, 2017, and Oracle undertakes no duty to update any statement in light of new information or future events.

Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/467598/Oracle_Logo.jpg

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oracle-unveils-new-programs-that-transform-how-customers-buy-and-consume-cloud-300522462.html
REDWOOD CITY, CA and SINGAPORE -- (Marketwired) -- 09/19/17 -- Delphix, the company that has changed the dynamics of managing and consuming data, today announced that industry veteran Richard Gerdis has joined its executive team as Vice President of Sales for Asia Pacific and Japan. Richard brings two decades of experience in the IT industry and will parlay that into sharing the vision of DataOps with more global enterprises across the region to help solve important data friction challenges.

Delphix has been steadily expanding its presence in Asia with office openings in Singapore, Japan and Australia to support customers across the region. As the global market experiences a push towards increased automation and digital transformation, many organizations in the APJ region are looking for ways to establish competitive advantage. By leaving behind legacy data management techniques and adopting more agile practices, APJ companies will be able to shorten application development cycles, quickly and safely move to the cloud while protecting sensitive data.

"The addition of Richard to our team opens up many opportunities for businesses in the region to interact with their data differently," said Tony Orlando, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Delphix. "Richard will be able to explain how a DataOps first approach will allow companies to deliver their data seamlessly to the people who need it, when and how they need it. With Richard and the team we're expanding in APJ, Delphix is a step closer to our goal of helping all companies eliminate data friction, to open the door for real-time innovation."

Before joining Delphix, Richard acted as Vice President for the DevOps business at CA technologies, and has also previously held senior sales roles at IBM Australia. During his career, he has worked in Cape Town, London, Sydney and Singapore. With focused experience in DevOps and having worked across so many different continents and cultures, Richard is uniquely positioned to help Delphix customers in APJ accelerate data and applications; simplify cloud adoption; and improve data privacy and security.

"I've spent many years focusing on DevOps, and it's now clear to me that we need to incorporate people and process along with technology for the most comprehensive data management strategy," explained Richard Gerdis, Vice President of Sales in APJ. "As a programmer turned businessman, I have a passion for helping companies have impact through technology. By joining Delphix, I can share that vision across Asia, and empower companies to compete in the global market."

To learn more about the Delphix leadership team, visit https://www.delphix.com/company/about.

About Delphix

Delphix's mission is to free companies from data friction and accelerate innovation. Fortune 100 companies use the Delphix Dynamic Data Platform to connect, virtualize, secure and manage data in the cloud and in on-premise environments. For more information visit www.delphix.com

Media Contact

Alex Plant

alex.plant@delphix.com




Aqua Security, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based container security platform provider, raised $25m in Series B funding.

The round, which brings total investment to $38.5m, was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners with participation from existing investors Microsoft Ventures, TLV Ventures and Shlomo Kramer.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach.

Led by Dror Davidoff, CEO and co-founder, Aqua provides a container security platform that delivers an advanced security solution for containerized environments, supporting both Linux and Windows containers, multiple orchestration environments, both on-premises deployments as well as on AWS, Azure, GCP, and other public clouds.

Integrating early into container development, Aqua then uses a combination of intelligent defaults, machine learning, and threat research to provide full life cycle security for container-based applications.

Since the launch in May 2016, the company has acquired dozens of Global 1000 customers, including two of the 10 largest financial services companies and three of the worlds top 10 software companies.

Aqua has offices in San Francisco, CA, Burlington, MA, and London, UK.

FinSMEs

19/09/2017
FreeWire Technologies, a San Leandro, Calif.-based technology company that specializes in mobile and networked energy storage, is raising Series A financing round.

The round, which is planned to close by the end of October, with participation from a syndicate of yet-to-be-announced venture capital investors, as well as additional strategic partners, is being led by Stanley Ventures, a division of Stanley Black & Decker. Michael Mahan, Investment Manager at Stanley Ventures, will join FreeWires Board of Directors in conjunction with the investment, which is aimed at strengthening Stanley Black & Deckers position in mobile and networked energy technologies.

The company will use the funds to grow its mobile power product line and scale in the rental equipment, and heavy machinery sectors, industries closely aligned with Stanleys core expertise.

Led by CEO Arcady Sosinov, FreeWire specializes in mobile and networked energy storage systems. The company offers solutions for electric vehicle charging and mobile distributed power through the Mobi product line, which combines hardware with a user-focused software suite.

FinSMEs

19/09/2017
The states Minister of Planning, Finance and Municipal Affairs U Than Naing said the state is now stable and brimming with business prospects that the government, in collaboration with ethnic armed organizations, is eager to capitalize on.

When the ethnic armed organizations launched businesses in the past five years, we gave them business opportunities and they carried them out with foreign companies. Now, business persons from the ceasefire organizations have established companies with us and all the taxes will flow into the state without flowing overseas, said U Than Naing.

He added that as new companies are established in the state, more job opportunities will be created for the local population. State officials have previously expressed concern over brain drain with a sizeable portion of the working aged population heading over the border for more lucrative and readily available jobs in Thailand.

The September 14 Business for Peace event, held in Hpa-an, attracted around 500 attendees, including members of the Kayin State government, the Pa-O National Liberation Organization, Karen armed organizations, non-governmental organizations and local administrators.

The discussion was led by U Aung Tun Thet, chair of Myanmars chapter of the UNs Global Compact Network, which helps guide responsible business practices.

Investment is needed to carry out development, said U Aung Tun Thet. He urged the government to support investment, including by offering financial support where necessary.

Many organizations in Kayin State have resisted the idea of development before political settlements and the lines of ethnic autonomy have been finalized.

Rights groups have said that moving ahead with development projects before political agreements can lead to the displacement of ethnic communities, marginalization of ethnic voices, land disputes and even fresh conflict. Last year, Karen Rivers Watch blamed the contested Hat Gyi dam for fueling fighting between the Tatmadaw and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, which displaced thousands of people.

Former leaders of the Karen National Union (KNU) have previously vocally opposed any large development projects in Kayin State until a stable peace could be achieved. The KNU signed a bilateral ceasefire with the government in 2012 and was one of the eight ethnic armed groups to join the nationwide ceasefire agreement in 2015.
India has seen a leap in the past few decades with its acceptance of modern solutions to everyday financial tasks. And international money transfer is more efficient and sophisticated than ever before. About 12% of all worlds remittances are to and from India as per the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs making India the largest remittance recipient globally.

Inward and Outward Remittance

Transfer of electronic funds or wire transfer as it is popularly known comprises of two processes. Inward remittances that allow funds to be transferred to a recipient in India, and outward remittances that enables fund transfer from India to a recipient in a foreign country.

Wire Transfer is one of the simplest modes of sending and receiving money to your employees, family and friends in India. And yet, there are strict electronic wire transfer banking regulations enforced by the government to be adhered to by you and by the third-party service providers to ensure smooth and timely transactions. Let us explore the different ways one can perform these transactions.

Wire Transfer via your Bank

Wire transfer through banks is the most popular because it is the most secure and the fastest system for international transactions. They have online, and offline facilities and details such as name of bank of correspondence, currency of transfer, purpose of remittance, bank account number of the recipient and finally the SWIFT Code are provided.

The international transfer fee will be subjected to the amount of transfer, the currency, international money transfer tax of the country, and the service commission of the banking institution.

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) issued code for international financial transactions are provided to exchange messages securely between banks through the recognised channel, to ensure complete safety for your money.

Here are the general guidelines while transacting through banks:

 Your Name, the bank account number overseas, overseas address, email ID and contact number is clearly included in the transfer message sent by your bank

 For timely processing, mention the purpose of remittance

 Credits to other banks in India requires beneficiary bank IFSC code and address

 The BIC and SWIFT code of the intermediary bank is currency-specific and not bank-specific

 Fixed deposits do not need account number

 Do not include your NRO or NRE savings account details while remitting funds for FCNR deposit, to avoid conversion of funds to INR.

 RFC deposits can only be in EUR, GBP, USD and JPY currencies

 FCNR deposits can only be in EUR, GBP, USD, AUD, CAD, JPY, CHF, HKD and SGD currencies

 The minimum amount for an FCNR or RFC account is according to the currency of interest

 If the form for wire transfer in your local bank does not mention details of the correspondent bank, place a request to mention it for transfers to India

Global Payment Services

Send international payments through offline payment service providers like Moneygram and Western Union and online Gateways such as CC Avenue, EBS, Citrus Pay, etc.

Key points to note while using service providers for international money transfer are:

 Transact international money from participating agent locations around the world

 Wire transfer laws states that businesses are not permitted to use an offline service provider for financial transfer

 Transfers through agent location does not require bank accounts, credit cards or citizenship papers, require valid government-issued photo identification

 Online transfers require agent-recognised credit or debit card

 Some service providers also send money through your phone/mobile network providers

 There is a maximum limit, for example, USD 2500 for remittances to India set by the RBI

Research the medium of transfer international money thoroughly and pay attention to current exchange rates imposed by both countries involved in the transaction.
iZettle, a Stockholm, Sweden-based financial technology company, will receive 30m in debt funding from the European Investment Bank in the coming three years.

The funds  coming under the European Growth Finance Facility, which benefits from the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI)  are earmarked for research and development of financial and commercial tools that address the needs of smaller companies.

The EIB financing will support iZettles research and development program in four key business areas:

 development of next generations payments infrastructure,

 insights and actions through machine learning and artificial intelligence;

 digitalization of commerce processes; and

 scaling legislative and compliance systems.

Founded in 2011 by Jacob de Geer, CEO, iZettle provides mobile payments services including its mini chip card reader and software for mobile devices, which allow small companies to take payments, to register sales and to get funding.

The company is backed by Intel Capital, Zouk Capital, Santander InnoVentures, 83North, Northzone and Index Ventures.

FinSMEs

19/09/2017
Raise, a Chicago, IL-based retail payments company, raised $60m in Series C funding.

The round was led by Accel, with participation from PayPal and existing investors New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Bessemer Venture Partners. As part of this round, Sameer Gandhi of Accel and Chicago entrepreneur Mark Tebbe will join Raises board of directors.

The company, which has now raised more than $147m in total funding, will use the new funds to accelerate the development of its closed loop mobile payments network, deepen its focus on the future of prepaid cards, while building the retail partnerships team.

Led by George Bousis, founder and CEO, Raise is a retail payments company and gift card marketplace, which connects consumers to buy discounted gift cards or sell their unwanted cards for cash. Using the Raise mobile wallet app on iOS and Android, consumers can instantly make purchases at over 3,000 brands available on the marketplace. In addition, the companys payments network aligns nearly 400 national brands with consumers, offering insights into shopping behavior, both online and offline.

FinSMEs

19/09/2017
Ed Molyneux, CEO and Founder at FreeAgent takes a look at which businesses are taking off in 2017, and how businesses can stand out in a crowded market.

The UKs fastest growing companies are getting bigger faster; according to The London Stock Exchanges (LSE) latest annual 1,000 Companies To Inspire Britain report, the pace of expansion has accelerated to 70% up from an average of 50% last year. But as business booms, it becomes increasingly difficult for organisations to cut through the noise and make themselves heard in a crowded market.

Deliver customer-centric service

In a competitive marketplace, if a customer doesnt receive the quality of service they expect, they will simply go elsewhere. Businesses need to cater to customer demand if they are looking to win repeat custom.

The digital banking industry, for example, has exploded over the past few years. Banks are finally coming around to the realisation that customers are their most valuable assets, and are adopting a more consumer-led approach.

The way in which people engage with their banks is changing rapidly; consumers want straightforward services and easy access to their finances and a wave of digital banks are emerging to cater to this demand. The fintech startup scene in London is booming, and a new breed of digital-first, mobile-only banks are challenging traditional banking practices and winning over customer mindshare.

If youve been out for lunch recently in London youre bound to have seen people pay using a distinctive hot coral card from Monzo Bank. The mobile-only banking service launched in 2015, taking personalisation to to a new level. Monzo uses customer spending data to advise them how to save their money, budget responsibly and to find the best deals.

Fidor Bank is another innovative company that launched the UK in 2015, and since has become one of the main challenger banks thanks to their unique online community banking model which focuses on putting the customer at the heart of all their product offerings.

Sell an experience, not just a product

Customers have come to expect their needs and wants to be anticipated beyond the product. Its not just about what youre selling, its how, and in what context.

Ever-increasing high street rent rates are pricing many retailers out of bricks-and-mortar stores, leaving behind vacant units. I believe that this shift in the retail economy is likely to sway more brands away from traditional retail outlets towards more creative options, like pop-up stores.

Pop-up shops have taken the retail world by storm over the past few years, with temporary shops becoming a staple in many of the countrys busiest retail spaces as both an agile outlet for big brands and an entry platform for market newcomers. A report on Britains Pop-Up Retail Economy by the Centre for Economics and Business Research has estimated that pop-up retail outlets contribute 2.3 billion to the UK economy a year.

To ensure their pop-up stands out from the crowd, brands should look to incorporate an element of experiential marketing to build interest and attract new custom. Take Cadburys Creme Egg Cafe, for example. When the cafe opened in Soho in 2016, tickets sold out within an hour. The pop-up was so successful that Cadbury announced a second stint earlier this year, this time, in the form of a hunting lodge.

Move with the times

Very few businesses are able to survive on the reputation and sales of a single product or service. To stay relevant, businesses need to innovate.

Since the smoking ban was enforced in 2007, there has been a notable shift away from traditional tobacco products towards more health-conscious alternatives. Thanks to increased awareness around health and wellness, advances in electronic device technology and the trend for smoke-less, ash-less vaping, the global e-cigarette market is booming.

The Global E Cigarette & Vaporizer Market  Analysis & Forecast Through 2015 to 2025 report estimates that the industry will continue to grow globally at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of over 22% from 2015 to 2025. In the UK, the e-cigarette industry has become one of the fastest-growing supermarket products by volume and value. Last year saw a 50% increase from the previous year to around 17.3 million units as more and more people become interested in the technology.

Named in the tradition of classic cigarette brands like Richmond and Pall Mall, e-cigarette start-up Shoreditch was founded in 2015 with a view to offer an alternative to overpriced and overly complex offerings from other e-liquid and vaping companies. Shoreditch, which works on a monthly subscription basis, received a significant amount of seed funding in 2016. The funding will be used to increase the companys customer base and drive growth as the company looks to capitalise on the global e-cigarette market  which is expected to exceed 15bn by 2025.

Find the right niche

As obvious as it sounds, a niche isnt a niche if everyone else is doing it. Businesses need to consider whats missing in their market, and how they can fulfil that gap.

The move towards health-conscious products is reflected in the booming fittech industry. Fittech is a part of the enormous digital health market, which, according to Monitor Deloittes Digital Health in the UK, was worth 23bn globally in 2014. This figure is set to almost double to 43bn by 2018.

The UK fittech market alone is worth upwards of 2bn and is expected to grow to 2.9bn by 2018, Deloittes report adds. From remote patient monitoring to personal activity trackers, more and more companies are competing to combine data science with the next big thing in fittech.

Take Connected Fitness Labs, for example. Connected Fitness Labs aims to bridge the gap between health and fitness providers and the active community, by supporting the development of revenue streams and connecting the two. Following years of research in understanding what behaviours cause people to develop fitness habits, Connected Fitness Labs created their CustomFit app, which allows users to create personalised and progressive workouts all designed around what the user is trying to achieve.

From celebrities to fitness bloggers, influencer marketing is huge in the fittech industry. Those releasing new products into the fittech market need to carefully consider not only who it is that they are targeting, but who that target audience follows and engages with on social media. Getting the right endorsement from the right people can be make or break for fittech newcomers.

Look to the future

Anticipating the next big thing and establishing your business as a frontrunner within the industry is always going to give you an edge on the competition.

Previously consigned to the world of gaming, Augmented Reality (AR) is making its way into the mainstream, transforming enterprise communications, manufacturing, logistics, product design, analytics, marketing, training, field service and more.

AR will change the fundamentals of the way we do business, and the race is on for the first company to develop and successfully deploy the technology. The ultimate hardware platform for AR is glasses and goggles  AR startup WaveOptics already designs high-quality and affordable next generation AR lenses that can be adapted to multiple forms, including everyday spectacles. AR activated smartphones and tablets will also become available sooner than we think.

Mobile devices are ubiquitous, and already have the basic hardware ingredients required for AR  connectivity, processors, screens, cameras, motion senses and the ability to run apps. To rise above the competition, industry frontrunners will need to roll out a seamless AR experience that is cost effective and simple to integrate into businesses existing processes.

In a rapidly expanding marketplace, UK businesses need to go above and beyond and deliver exceptional customer experience to rise above the competition. In my eyes, business and technology have become two sides of the same coin, and its imperative that businesses embrace this in order to stay ahead of the curve.
The Narendra Modi government is clearly worried about the state of the economy. The GDP growth is falling, there are all-round job cuts, let alone the promised job creation, no investment from the private sector and distress among the farmers is on the rise.

In the backdrop of rising pessimism about the economy, media reports say, the prime minister and the finance minister Arun Jaitley are about to meet, along with officials, to discuss strategies for the revival of the economy.

According to a PTI report, citing sources, the economic situation will be anlaysed threadbare at the meeting on Tuesday. Apart from Jaitley, secretaries of the finance ministry will be also be present. The idea is to explore options to stimulate the economy, the sources have told PTI.

The government data showd GDP growth during April-June slumped to a three-year low of 5.7 percent from 7.9 percent in the year ago period and 6.1 percent in January-March.

The growth has been declining steadily for six straight quarters. What is all the more worrying is that economists' projections are pointing towards a protracted slowdown going forward.

What are the reasons for the slowdown? Though the growth decline has been visible before the October-December quarter in 2016, the trend shows demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 in November sharpened the fall. Rating agency Crisil in a recent note on GDP noted that the government's 50 basis point downward revision of gross value added for January-March to 5.6 percent meant the impact of demonetisation on the economy was more than earlier estimated.

The government had gone to town stating demonetisation has had minimal negative impact on the economy soon after the GDP data for October-December 2016 was released. However, the following quarters showed that the slowdown in the economy was more broadbased. The reason the first data after demonetisation did not reflect the impact in its entirety was that it was the informal sector that was hit more by the move that sucked out 86 percent of the currency in circulation.

What made matters worse is the rollout of the goods and services tax, a disruptive reform. The fall in GDP for the first quarter has also been attributed to the destocking by companies in preparation for GST.

For the small and medium sector, the hasty rollout of the tax reform has been particularly bad. It was clear that many companies in the sector were not prepared for GST. The government pushed ahead with the reform though many industry groups had urged the government to postpone the introduction.

This clearly is taking a toll on the government's revenue. Though initially Jaitley claimed tax collection worth Rs 92,000 crore under GST regime, it now turns out that about Rs 65,000 crore of this is likely to be transitional credit which the traders may claim refund for.

Economists are warning that the twin impact of GST and demonetisation is here to stay for some more quarters.

According to the recently released data, factory output growth in July slowed to 1.2 percent from 4.5 percent in the year-ago period. This is an indication that the slowdown in the informal sector has now started impacting the formal sector.

"The trends in IIP production in July show that capacity utilisation continues to remain significantly low as consumer durables and capital goods output is contracting. This indicates that Q2GDP growth could be tracking sub 6%, as possible inventory drawdown has continued in Q2 also, at least till August," SBI said in a recent report.

Brokerage Ambit's recent warning that the consumption story that has held India's economy together since 2012 may be coming to an end due to slow jobs growth has to be read along with this.

The report noted that the current retail credit-funded consumption binge is likely to experience a "hard stop" sooner than later on basis of various trends, including a plunge in consumer confidence to a four-year low during the first quarter of the current fiscal.

It noted the "current bout of consumption growth appears unsustainable mainly because consumption boom has uniquely been accompanied by a contraction in the investment-GDP ratio" to 7 percent during FY12 to FY17, while the ratio for consumption-GDP is 3 percent.

"Cross-country evidence suggests that only consumption booms that are accompanied by an increase in investments tend to be sustainable as this is a tangible proof of jobs being created and/or efficiency improving," it said where the averages of these have been 4 percent each.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh has meanwhile blamed the government for the continuing slowdown in the economy.

"Both demonetisation and the GST have had some impact (on GDP growth)," he said. "Both would affect the informal sector, the small scale sector... the sectors today are responsible for 40 percent of GDP."

Ninety percent of India's employment is in the informal sector, he told CNBC-TV 18 in an interview.

"And the withdrawal of 86 percent of currency plus also GST, because it has been put on practice in haste, there are lots of glitches which are now coming out. These are bound to affect the GDP growth adversely," he said.

Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has also warned that the economy may be on the verge of a collapse.

Today, the economy is in a tailspin. Yes, it can crash. We need to do a lot of good things to revive the economy. Even a tailspin can be made to steady. If nothing is done, we are heading for a major depression. There will be mass scale... banks might collapse, factories might start closing, Swamy told CNN-News18 in an inerview.

The writing on the wall is loud and clear. But the government seems to be in a state of denial. While there are concerns expressed, nobody among the authorities is ready to accept the real reasons behind the slowdown. Unless, the government acknowledges these, one cannot expect a rebound in the near future.
New Delhi: Mistry family-promoted firm Cyrus Investments Pvt Ltd on Monday asked directors of different Tata group firms, including Tata Steel, Tata Motors and Tata Power, to vote against the move to convert Tata Sons into a private limited firm.

Ahead of the annual general meeting on Thursday of Tata Sons -- the promoter of major operating companies of the Tata group -- Cyrus Investments Pvt Ltd wrote to the various board members of the Tata firms that the step is against the interest of their respective companies as well as minority shareholders. These resolutions, if passed, would impose restriction on the free transferability of shares held by the companies in Tata Sons and they would "face greater challenges" in disinvesting their shareholding in Tata Sons, the letter said.

The holdings of the different group companies in Tata Sons are mostly in single digits and collectively are less than 10 percent of the total.

The Mistry family holds 18.4 percent stake in Tata Sons while the Tata Trusts holds 66 percent.

When contacted, a Tata Sons spokesperson declined to comment.

The letter by the investment firm led by the ousted Chairman of Tata Sons further said any resolutions such as the ones proposed to be passed at the AGM of Tata Sons would be detrimental to the companies and "contrary to the interests" of their public shareholders. It was also addressed to the directors of other Tata group firms, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels Company Ltd and and Tata Global Beverages Ltd.

Another disadvantage of converting Tata Sons from a public company to a private one from the standpoint of minority shareholders "is that various governance standards would potentially get diluted in relation to private companies", it said.

"As directors of public limited company holding shares in Tata Sons, it is incumbent on you to apply your mind to these important issues and discharge your duties in law, also being mindful of the fact that the investments involved are material in nature and size," the letter said.

It further reminded the directors that part of being listed companies, they also have additional responsibilities owed to public shareholders and investors in securities of the companies.

In its notice to shareholders, the Tata Sons board had sought approval through special resolutions to amend its article of associations to convert the company from a public limited entity to a private limited one.

It has also sought to amend the memorandum of association to change its name from Tata Sons Ltd to Tata Sons Pvt Ltd.
Will the latest entrant Googles made-for-India app Tez (aptly named, as Tez in Hindi stands for speed) disrupt the digital payment market in India? The space has just got crowded with various apps after the demonetisation and the government's push for digitisation of the economy.

As of now, the Tez app has just a major advantage over the others. Google has launched a feature called Cash Mode where one can pay without sharing bank details or phone number. The technology called audio QR Code works like Near Field Communication and uses ultrasound waved to connect two phones through the phone's microphone and speaker. Google says it is completely secure and uses Unified Payment Interface's (UPI) bank to bank transfer platform.

All other features are the same as other apps -- enabling users to do financial transactions like sending money, receiving payments directly into their bank accounts and paying bills. The users can link the app to their bank accounts and the platform is built on the government's UPI. Tez can be used by both Android and iOS (Apple phone) users.

Analysts Firstpost spoke with said it is too early to say whether the app will upset the existing players in the market. Though they admitted that Tez has its advantages -- seven Indian languages to help people transact and partnership with with four banks, namely Axis, HDFC Bank, ICICI and State Bank of India. However, it is believed that Googles Tez will bring some disruption to the space, said DD Mishra, research director, Gartner.

Googles information about an individuals preferences can play a good role in enabling business to know their preferences and provide offers with interesting options. It tries to address security concerns as well, he said.

Besides, the Google brand name and its popularity, too, among users.

Tezs entry is welcome as it offers more options to customers, industry experts said. But to disrupt the market, it will have to have day-to-day interaction with customers, said Vivek Belgavi, FinTech Leader, PwC India. Google has done that in other geographies where it has integrated with its conversation platforms, he said. But in the last three years chats have moved to Whatsapp. Time will tell if Tez can disrupt the Indian digital payments space, he said.

Rajan Anandan, VP, South East Asia and India for Google, at the press conference highlighted that 300 million of the 400 million accessing internet in India do so on their smartphones. Over 650 million are expected to use the internet by 2020 and Googles mission is to build an inclusive internet, Anandan said.

Sanjay Khan Nagra, senior associate at law firm, Khaitan & Co., used the app and found it friendly on his android phone. He said that he found Tez more convenient than other apps he had used in the past. In fact he was quite tired using different apps to make payments, he said.

As a feature of cash payment, Googles Tez is quite helpful. Transferor and transferee can transfer money without a QR code. In my limited use of the app, I found my android phone was very helpful, he said.

However, the absence of QR code in other payment apps, cannot be the sole differentiator for people to prefer it or for it to attract customers, Nagra said, adding that Tez needs to offer something revolutionary to stand out in the increasingly crowded marketplace.

I wonder how they will leverage Gmail, and other facilities that Google provides. Going forward, if they do, it will change the industry, Nagra said. However, there are other major players like Apple, Whatsapp and Facebook bracing to enter the Indian market, too. Unless each of them make unique offerings, there is no reason why a user of a digital payment company should shift from one player to the other.

Clearly, riding on the brand name and its present offerings will not take Tez far in the digital payment space in the country. "Google will need to keep adding new innovative services on top of it to continue to differentiate and build an ecosystem quickly to succeed. It is expected to face competition from UPI and wallet applications who are also working on similar initiatives," said Mishra of Gartner.

Globally, the players who have cracked the market are those who have been able to offer commerce and conversation. The successful players have been WeChat in China which has a strong payments link in chat. Another name is Alipay which is a commerce-linked payment platform, said Belgavi.

There are a few Indian players that have made a name for themselves like Paytm, Hike, Mobikwik, Freecharge in the digital payment space. They should feel threatened with the entry of Google and the others like Whatsapp, Facebook and Apple that will follow, said Nagra. But he sees it as a win-win for the Indian market as every one of these apps that will come into the market too will have to go through the governments UPI. Not just that, it will force existing players to become innovative. Nagra said one fallout will be that the small players may be acquired by big players not for their technology but for their talent. "Those who cannot differentiate with their offerings, will have to shut shop," he said.

What will be seen in the future will be three-way competition for players to succeed  social, commercial, financial or mobile wallets. Wallet players have had a headstart in India like Paytm and Reliance Jio, said Belgavi. The scenario will be good for consumers with more options available, he said.
The Karen literature and culture committees at Mawlamyine University, Mon States Technological University, the University of Computer Studies, the Government Technical Institute and the Agriculture Institute each received K1.5million-worth of Karen costumes and traditional musical instruments, according to Saw Aung Myint Khine, Mon States Karen Affairs Minister. The K7.5 million was allotted from the state governments budget he said.

Universities have cultural groups for Karen ceremonies on special days and for state-level government ceremonies, he told KIC News on September 18. Some universities have difficulty renting Karen don costumes and musical instruments. [So] 40 Karen don costumes and a set of traditional musical instruments have been donated to each of the five universities.

The Mon State government has also provided K15 million for a Karen New Years Day ceremony, K60 million for the Karen Literature and Culture Committees graduation ceremonies and K16 million for a traditional Karen wrist-tying ceremony.
With the government planning to make the Aadhaar number key identity, it has given deadlines to link the number to various services such as banking services and telecom. The government has in fact deferred the deadlines for these in order to help the citizens who have been finding it difficult to do.

The last date to link Aadhaar and your bank accounts is now 31 December. Though it is a good three months away, it is better you do it now to avoid the last minute rush.

Heres how you can do the linking:

Most banks will let you link your Aadhar to bank account via a number of options. For instance, net banking, ATM, phone, SMS or mobile banking, even by visiting a bank branch. They are a few things to keep in mind for each of them.

Net-banking: When you visit the bank website you will see the option to link Aadhaar to bank account on the home page itself. In fact, even after you login into the account, you will be able the do the linking by giving the required details. Its really that easy. Keep in mind though, that if you have multiple bank accounts with the same bank and even if you have a common login ID, you will have to link all accounts individually.

Phone banking: Some banks let you do the linking via phone. All you need to do is give the bank a missed call and you get a call in return. You will be told to feed in your details over the IVR machine. Remember, anyone asks you for your sensitive financial details like PIN, you are not supposed to share the same.

BHIM: You can also use the BHIM app to add your Aadhaar to the bank account. Check if your banks app allows you to do so in case you dont want to use the BHIM app. Some banks let you do the linkage via SMS, but this facility is available only from the mobile which is registered with the bank.

Offline request: If you plan to ditch the online option and walk into a bank branch, the bank will take 3-4 working days to verify the details and complete the link.
New Delhi: The surprise announcement of a collaboration between Mahindra & Mahindra and Ford Motor Company could signal not only growing ambitions of the Indian company in overseas markets but also an abrupt U-turn by Ford on its India plans. M&M and Ford have agreed to explore a strategic alliance, designed to leverage the benefits of Fords global reach and expertise and Mahindras scale in India and successful operating model. Remember, the two companies were partners earlier before parting ways. So this would be a second coming.

In a statement, the two potential partners have said The agreement between the two companies will allow each to leverage their mutual strengths during a period of unprecedented transformation in the global automotive industry. The areas of potential cooperation include: Mobility programs, Connected vehicle projects, Electrification, Product development, Sourcing and commercial efficiencies, Distribution within India, improving Fords reach within India and improving Mahindras reach outside India.

Fords renewed optimism on India is welcome. Remember, compatriot General Motors stopped selling vehicles here last year, after years of struggling in one of the worlds fastest growing markets, unable to compete with Goliaths. Market leader Maruti Suzuki India sells almost every second car in the domestic market; Maruti, Hyundai Motor India and Tata Motors together control over two-thirds of the market, leaving slim pickings for all other car makers. For Ford to survive in this market, a partnership with a homegrown player would perhaps be the best course of action.

Just like GM, Ford too had put India business on watch under its previous leadership but when the current CEO Jim Hackett took over earlier this year, he started with a 100-day review of Fords business in its entirety. So the rethink on Indias utility in Fords global scheme of things probably forms a large part of this 100-day gameplan and the push may well be to make Ford relevant again in the Indian market.

Why Ford needs to slog in India is quite obvious. Its market share after decades of presence is still well short of even the 5 percent mark, the last product to set the markets on fire was the Figo and now, with the global push towards vehicles which will eschew fossil fuels, Ford (like other auto makers) needs to reorient its strategy from scratch. Mahindra & Mahindra has not only steadily expanded its passenger vehicle business, the company is also a pioneer of sorts in developing and testing vehicles which operate on alternate fuel technologies.

Almost a decade earlier, M&M was perhaps the first company in India to indigenously develop hybrid models for its best seller Scorpio.

This, when other auto makers in India were still pooh-poohing any need for vehicles based on alternate fuels/technologies. This just goes to show why M&M may have the required expertise to not just offer alternate mobility solutions to Ford, but also those which are indigenous and therefore cost effective and suited to Indian conditions. Almost all solutions for mobility  electric, hybrids (electric plus battery)  are quite expensive for commercial use even now. In other markets where these technologies have been actually put to commercial use, respective governments have had to offer subsidies to encourage these. With such a partnership, cost-effective alternate fuel technologies may well get developed.

As per the statement the two potential partners, The spirit of ingenuity has driven Mahindra to be amongst the few global companies pioneering the development of clean and affordable technology, and is the only player with a portfolio of electric vehicles commercially available in India. Expanding its global presence, Mahindra owns majority stake in Ssangyong Motor Company in Korea, has forayed into the shared mobility space with investments in ride sharing platforms in the USA, and is developing products like the GenZe - the worlds first electric connected scooter.

The recent outburst by Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari about forcing all vehicle makers switch to electric in the next three years  never mind technological and cost challenges  in India should also be seen as a mild trigger for more such partnerships for automakers to survive in a rapidly changing world. Besides, Mahindra needs to piggyback on Fords distribution and reach to expand its global footprint. So, on paper at least, any such potential partnership looks good.

It is not a done deal though. The agreement merely states that teams from both companies will meet and discuss regularly for three years on any collaboration and an agreement will emerge only after this.

This article in The Hindu reminds us that M&M and Ford are revisiting a partnership, after breaking off an earlier alliance. Ford India Private Ltd was before March 1998 known as Mahindra Ford India Ltd. It entered India through a joint venture with M&M in which Ford held a 49 percent stake and M&M 51 percent. Ford gradually increased its stake in the venture to close to 85 percent and took over operational control from M&M. After M&M entered into a 51:49 equity partnership with French car-maker Renault, Mahindras and Ford had agreed to formally dissolve their relationship by selling their cross-holdings in each other. Accordingly, M&M sold its 15 percent share in Ford India and the US company, its undisclosed holding in M&M.
The massive fire at RK Studios saddened many from the Hindi film industry, and especially the Kapoor family. It was built by actor-director-producer Raj Kapoor, who is one of Bollywood' most prominent personalities.

Only a few days ago, Rishi Kapoor rued the "irreplaceable" loss of memorabilia and costumes from his home banner's movies. "A studio can be built again but the loss of the irreplaceable memorabilia and costumes of all RK Films, is tragic for all. Fire took it away," tweeted Rishi, son of the studio's founder, the legendary Raj Kapoor.

Recently, Kapoor lashed out at a cartoonist for making light of the issue. His attention was called by a Twitter user to a picture of a comic by cartoonist Manjul. In it, the late Raj Kapoor, after whom the studio is named, looks at the fire from heaven. At his side is an angel to whom he says, "Fire is a good omen... In my life, it all started with 'Aag'" with a gleeful expression on his face.

One of the most distasteful & reprehensible cartoons I've seen in ages. @chintskap pic.twitter.com/3FQsvvJig3  Rajiv Vijayakar (@rajivvijayakar) September 18, 2017

Rishi Kapoor made his views very clear through a tweet.

This is bad. We take objection to this kind of depraved sick humour. https://t.co/oNNhrZe7Ng  Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) September 18, 2017

RK Films has given Bollywood titles like Barsaat (1949), Awaara (1951), Boot Polish (1954), Shri 420 (1955) and Jaagte Raho (1956). The studio was the venue for movies like Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hain (1960), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Bobby (1973), the debut film for Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia, Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978), Prem Rog (1982), Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985), which was the founder-actor's last film before his death in June 1988.

With inputs from IANS
Vicky Kaushal's filmography has an interesting range of projects, from Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana and Masaan to Meghna Gulzar's Raazi, which he recently began working for. Now it has emerged that he will also play the protagonist in a film produced by Ronnie Screwvala, which centers on the Uri attack of 2016.

Kaushal will play the commander-in-chief who led the surgical strike against suspected militants in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), reports Mumbai Mirror. The film will tell the story of those tumultuous 11 days, and will be helmed by debutant director Aditya Dhar.

"With this single military action, we changed the fabric of our border politics and that became a watershed moment in our political history. But most importantly, Uri is the incredible story of Indians coming together," said Screwvala. Kaushal seconded the producer's sentiments, calling the operation 'one of the Indian armys best'. He said that the film is both a great responsibility and opportunity, as he feels that the surgical strike was carried with bravery and efficiency.

This untitled film is likely to roll in early 2018. To prepare for the role, Vicky Kaushal says that he will have to bulk up and undergo paramilitary training. It will mark his second collaboration with Screwvala; they previously worked together on Love Per Square Foot directed by Anand Tiwari. Love Per Square Foot is a rom-com will release on 20 April, 2018, reports DNA.

Kaushal's role in Raazi, where he stars opposite Alia Bhatt, is also of an Indian Army officer. Bhatt will play a Kashmiri spy, and this film is set against the backdrop of the 1971 war.
Karan Joseph, a young musician, reportedly jumped to his death in Mumbai on 9 September.

According to media reports, Joseph, a talented pianist known as 'Madfingers' was battling depression for a while. An accidental death report was filed with the Bandra Police.

However, Joseph's family, friends and fans have carried out a concerted social media campaign to demand a "fair investigation" in his death and indictment of his manager, Rishi Shah, who they believe is involved in Joseph's death.

They have also denied media reports that he was disturbed or depressed.

Joseph's father Thomas, released a letter to the media, saying that Shah wanted to sign an exclusive contract with his son and was alienating him from other musicians and bands.

was at the press club this morn with josephs and the andrades. I guess this lays to rest speculations and opinions and theories! #karanjoseph A post shared by carlton braganza (@c_scapes) on Sep 18, 2017 at 1:49am PDT

Family, friends demand "fair probe"

Joseph's family has repeatedly been claiming that he did not commit suicide but was murdered.

At a press conference, Joseph's father said that his son's laptop and other belongings are missing. He also questioned media reports that described his son as depressed.

According to a report in The Quint, a series of text messages between Joseph and his friend Randolph revealed that the musician was allegedly being beaten up.

Joseph's former girlfriend also said that Shah and Joseph's other flatmates should be interrogated, according to a report in Midday. "I spoke to Karan a month ago, and he didn't show any signs of depression or anxiety. I think it may have been more than a case of depression and may not have been suicide. You'll need to track down Rishi and his roommates and check," she told Midday.

Questioning allegations of depression, the family said, "To suggest that he was disturbed, depressed, financially weak or otherwise unstable is not just doing his memory a disservice but is patently untrue."

Who is Rishi Shah?

Rishi Shah is the CEO of Crossbones Media that published Rave Magazine. He took over as Joseph's manager.

According to a report in Midday, actor Kubbra Sait described Shah as a "certified medical marijuana prescriber". Shah claimed Rave would be India's answer to Rolling Stone magazine, according to the report.

Joseph's friends and fellow musicians have also approached the police and claimed that Joseph's death was not just abetment of suicide, but also culpable homicide, Mumbai Mirror reported. They also said that Shah promised big contracts to musicians and later emotionally, verbally and sometimes even physically abused them. Shah has also been accused of stealing other band's music.

Rock band Underground Authority, also put a Facebook post, alleging that Shah stole the music they recorded at a city studio and did not give them credit.

Shah vehemently denied these allegations, according to another report in Midday.

#JusticeforKaran launched on social media

A Facebook page demanding justice for Joseph has also been set up.

Meanwhile, Joseph's fans also attempted to get the hashtag justiceforKaran trending on Twitter.

Never seen the entire indie lot unite to fight against that absolute snake of a person, Rishi Shah. #JusticeForKaran https://t.co/xa6Zg7siPA  Sreejata Gupta (@SreejataGupta) September 14, 2017

CAN'T LET THIS GO. HE BRAINWASHED THIS SWEET, INNOCENT BOY. YOU WILL NOT BE SPARED, RISHI!!#JusticeForKaran #WhoKilledKaran pic.twitter.com/hg1WCzAlCI  Riya Patel (@letinywhisk) September 13, 2017

Read why Rishi Shah CEO of @RaveDoTWorld is fully guilty! He made a hole in the Indie Music scene. #justiceforkaran https://t.co/tzMHg6arzY  Jason Patrick (@Patman1991) September 18, 2017

'Karan was abused by Rishi' According to a report in The Quint, Joseph's friends alleged that Shah hooked the pianist on drugs to control him and abused him. "He created an environment for Joseph that made him extremely vulnerable. He cut off Joseph from his friends," one of Joseph's friends told The Quint. Even Joseph's colleagues had a difficult time dealing with Shah, according to the report. He, along with friend Suzana and his domestic help Vinod were at home when Joseph allegedly committed suicide, according to Shah, according to various media reports.

His family also alleged that Shah desperately wanted Joseph to join him and sign an exclusive business contract with him for Rave. Shah also contacted Joseph's family members and requested them to come to Mumbai to discuss the contract, they claimed.

"This is the only reason why my wife and I went to Mumbai," Thomas said in his letter, adding that Shah also enticed Joseph with the offer to buy him "one of the world's most expensive keyboards."

Thomas also stated in his letter that Shah has steadfastly avoided mentioning that he was pushing Joseph to sign an exclusive contract, which he believes is the root cause of the incident.

Referring to Joseph's correspondence with his friend Randolph, Thomas claimed in his open letter that this indicates that were some persons/person who were intimidating him to a point that ultimately resulted in his death.

According to this Firstpost report, a woman who lives on the floor below Joseph told the police that she heard a lot of crying and screaming on 9 September and when she rushed upstairs with her husband, a girl named Vidhi Shah opened the door and informed them that everything is fine.

Vidhi is Rishi's secretary. The Joseph family claims that her phone records from August 2017 will throw light on what transpired since Joseph and Rishi met. Vidhi also reportedly sent messages to Joseph's mother two days after his death asking for help and threatening her with "consequences" if help was not given.

According to reports, Joseph rushed to the window and leapt to his death from the 12th floor flat at around 8.45 am.

He reportedly sent a message to his mother a day before his death and told her that he was in financial trouble. He also reportedly said that he felt threatened by the people around him.

With inputs from agencies
The Confederation of All India Traders have sent a letter to Ram Vilas Paswan, Minister of Consumer Affairs, seeking a ban on an advertisement of Manforce, a contraceptive company. Billboards featuring Sunny Leone on an advertisement of Manforce condoms were spotted in Surat and have now become the area of contention.

"Play, but with love, this Navratri" is written in Gujarati on the billboards with Leone dressed in traditional attire. The ad infuriated many people who immediately deemed it immoral and a cheap promotional tactic.

Manforce specially advertises its Condoms in Navratri, thus promoting Navratri a festival of Free Sex instead of worshiping women's strength pic.twitter.com/q2tL8rnwtF  Rajesh Chanasana (@TheRajeshjk9) September 18, 2017

In the letter sent to Paswan, CAIT appeals the minister to take action against the manufacturer along with the brand ambassador. Suggesting that celebrities, who endorse products, should be held responsible in such situations, too, they urge that the pending Consumer Protection Bill be passed.

Here's the letter:

Several religious groups were quick to claim that the advertisement is nothing but depravity in its purest form. As per a Times Now report, the Hindu Yuva Vahini alleged that the posters insult Hindu Gods, and have protested against the posters at one of the ads locations.

On the other hand, reports suggest that during the nine-day extravaganza, contraceptive sales and abortion rates soar at an all-time high. According to a Buzzfeed report, Gujarat jumps from the sixth place to third in terms of the number of sex products bought.

Not just sales, the anxiety levels of suspicious Indian parents also catapult to an extreme during Navratri. As per a Reuters blog, there is a booming rise in the number of unmarried girls seeking abortions, right after the festival is over. Some medical professionals conduct sex workshops right before the Hindu festival to educate the younger lot.

Another bizarre claim that the report claims is that parents in Gujarat, often hire small-time detectives to snoop on their children during Navratri since the nights are usually involve merrymaking of all kinds.

Therefore, to seek a ban on an advertisement that merely speaks the truth and cashes in on the dynamics is extreme. As far as the advertisement is concerned, there is nothing defamatory about it. What seems to be inviting the wrath of the CAIT and the general public, is Sunny Leone.

The committee seems to have an issue with Leone being on the poster and makes its stand clear in the letter, too. Their sensibilities should not be affected by who is on the poster. It is safe to say, that the ad would not have received half as much backlash if it had some other actor on its poster.

The agitation seems a little contrived because of who Sunny Leone was. Nobody, apart from her, seems to have gotten over her past.
Bollywood's Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan is known to be very choosy about his roles  explaining why he does selective films.

His upcoming film, Thugs of Hindostan, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh has been the buzz of the film industry ever since it was announced.

The film is rumoured to be based on sea pirates, and hence it was much speculated that Khan will don a Captain Jack Sparrow (from Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise) look in the film.

However, Khan refuted all speculations related to it by saying, "The film is not inspired from any other film. It is an action adventure film but the story is not similar. There are some hundreds of action adventure films. There is Pirates of the Caribbean, there is Indiana Jones and many others. All these are action adventure films. So the genre of our film is action adventure but the story is different. Even my character in the film is not similar to any other character," reports IANS.

While most of the details pertaining to the film has been kept under wraps by Yash Raj Films, time and again many pictures from the sets have been doing rounds on the Internet  including Khan's first look with long hair and nose pins, the early-eighteenth-century-s tyled ship on which portions of the film has been shot in Malta etc.

Recently, Aamir Khan Productions took to its Instagram account and posted pictures of Khan on the sets of Thugs of Hindostan:

Thugs of Hindostan is being helmed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, who has previously worked with Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif in Dhoom 3 (2013). The film is slated to release on Diwali 2018.
Los Angeles: Indian-American Aziz Ansari and African-American Lena Waithe added a shade of diversity to the winners of the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards here as co-writers of a Master of None episode on a character coming out to her family as a lesbian.

They won for the Thanksgiving episode, in which Waithe's onscreen character Denise discovers her sexuality and comes out to her friends and family over the course of five Thanksgivings spanning 22 years.

The duo received a standing ovation as they took the stage, where Ansari let Waithe gave the acceptance speech at the Microsoft Theater where the Emmys were held this year.

Waithe, who also now holds the distinction of becoming the first African-American woman to win an Emmy award for writing for a comedy series, thanked her mother, girlfriend, the show's cast and the LGBTQIA community for their support.

"I love you more than life itself," Waithe said to her girlfriend, while also thanking her mother for inspiring the Thanksgiving episode.

Expressing gratitude to the LGBTQIA community, she said, "I see each and every one of you. The things that make us different, those are our superpowers. Every day when you walk out the door and put on your imaginary cape and go out there and conquer the world because the world would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren't in it."

Waithe also took a moment to thank the Television Academy for embracing diversity. "For everybody out there that showed so much love, thank you for embracing us, a little Indian boy from South Carolina and black girl in the southtown of Chicago. We appreciate it more than you could ever know."

Before the gala, Waithe took to Instagram to share a childhood photograph in which she looks joyful. She captioned it: "This little girl always dreamed of going to the Emmys one day. And today her dream comes true. This is how I feel no matter what happens tonight."
Chandigarh: Punjab's leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his government of fudging figures on the growing number of suicides by debt-ridden farmers in the state.

Questioning farmer suicide data disclosed by the chief minister in the present Congress government rule so far (March-September 2017), he said that he was surprised to read the "fudged figures".

"Amarinder Singh is trying to downplay the sensational matter of farmers suicide during the last six months of his rule. As per his statement, only 131 farmers had committed suicides from March to September 2017, claiming that suicides had declined now if compared to the corresponding period of 2016, during the (previous Parkash Singh) Badal regime.

This is nothing but erroneous, amounting to playing with the sentiments of struggling peasantry," Khaira said in a statement.

Noting that while in Opposition, Amarinder Singh would often accuse the Badal government of misleading people by fudging figures, to hide their failures, be it the budget or farm related suicides, Khaira claimed that as per data collected by his assembly office from 1 July to 18 September, as many as 118 farmers and labourers had committed suicide.

"If 118 farmers had committed suicide in just 79 days ie 1 July to 18 September, one can imagine how many farmers would have committed suicide in the remaining period commencing 16 March to 1 July, ie 106 days," he said, adding that he stood by his figure that more than 250 farmers had committed suicide during the last six months of Congress rule.

"Amarinder Singh was treading the same path of lies as (former deputy chief minister) Sukhbir Badal, who always down played suicides by suppressing data. Badal had once, in 2007, ordered survey of farm related suicides by the Punjab Agriculture University-Ludhiana, Punjabi University, Patiala and GNDU, Amritsar, but never made public the findings, as the figure of suicide was so high particularly in the Malwa region that the Akalis felt ashamed," Khaira said.

Accusing the government of betraying the farmers in the agrarian state, he challenged the chief minister to have an open debate on the issue to get the correct picture.

"In case the chief minister backs out, it would be presumed that the figure of 250 suicides is authentic, for which the chief minister will have to apologise," Khaira said.
Bhasker Tripathi

In June this year, about a hundred people from Nuagaon village near Indias east coast marched towards a wall that the Odisha government is building around a 1,700-hectare piece of land on the villages periphery. The wall would mark the inclusion of the land  1,253 hectares of which is forest land and is under dispute  in the state governments land bank, thereby restricting locals access to an area where they have traditionally harvested betel leaves, rice and fish.

Faced with heavy police deployment, the villagers turned back to consider a change of strategy. In 2011, they had successfully fought off South Korean steel giant POSCOs plan to set up a steel plant on the same piece of land. No sooner had POSCO announced in March 2017 that it would return the land to the state government than the government announced it would put the land into a land bank  not return it to the villagers.

When the government began to wall off the contested land in May 2017, the simmering discontent erupted.

The face-off in Nuagaon village finds echoes in land conflicts brewing across the country. State governments are rushing to build land banks, using both private and common lands, in an effort to attract investment in manufacturing and infrastructure.

Up to 2.68 million hectares of land  an area larger than the state of Meghalaya  have been set aside in land banks in the eight states that declare these statistics, data from state government websites show.

These are: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

In several cases, this has been done at the cost of peoples rights: Delhi-based data journalism initiative Land Conflict Watch has documented four recent cases including Nuagaon that together involve more than 3,550 hectares of land and affect 258,000 people  more than the population of Nagaland. These conflicts have arisen because state governments have banked land that was allotted for industrial and infrastructure projects that were shelved due to local opposition. Instead of resolving the conflict, the states just locked the land away.

Land rights activists say the idea of land banks is problematic in itself. "They steal land from villages and reverse long-needed land reforms," Aseem Shrivastava, a Delhi-based ecological economist who co-authored Churning The Earth: The Making Of Global India, told IndiaSpend. And recent conflicts show that state governments methods of creating land banks have been questionable.

Why land banks

State governments began to "bank" land in the 1990s, particularly in the post-liberalisation period, Michael Levien, professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, and author of the forthcoming Dispossession After Development: Land Grabs in Neoliberal India, told IndiaSpend in an email.

"From the point of view of the government, building land banks allows them to offer land to private investors right away, rather than having to wait for the lengthy process of land acquisition each time an investor wants land," he said. "Investors also like to know that the land is acquired and available, and that they wont run into political problems down the road."

Making land readily available for economic activities sounds like a rational move. Scratch the surface, however, and a different picture emergesof conflict, and denial of peoples rights.

Banking disputed landthe case of Nuagaon

When POSCO signed an agreement with the Odisha government to set up a steel plant in Nuagaon and nearby villages in 2005, the 700 families affected were not enthused.

Mostly Dalits or Santhal tribals, the villagers wanted to continue to earn their livelihood from the forest, and did not believe that jobs or other compensation promised to them would improve their lives. A decade-long resistance including legal challenges followed, at the end of which POSCO shelved the project in 2015.

In March this year, POSCO offered to return the land to the state government.

The villagers rejoiced, but were soon faced with another claimant  the state government, which quickly moved to add this land to a land bank it has been building since 2007. The Industrial Development Corporation of Odisha (IDCO) started to wall off the 1,700 hectares near Nuagaon in late May. The wall will eventually fence off the nearby Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages as well.

Most of these families have farmed beetle leaves for generations, which they sell to earn a livelihood. They have no other employable skills.

Over generations, the locals have developed a deep bond with the land and the forest, beyond merely as a source of employment and their only possession, Prashant Paikray, an activist who worked closely with families here during their fight against POSCO, told IndiaSpend, adding that it is often this attachment that fuels their fierce resistance to industrial projects.

The encounter with the police made Nuagaon residents take legal recourse. In July 2017, they filed a petition with the Kolkata bench of the National Green Tribunal.

"Odisha government cannot put this forest land into the land bank," their counsel Ritwick Dutta told IndiaSpend, explaining that according to the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, the government is required to get forest clearance or approval from the central environment ministry to use forest land for a non-forest purpose. However, there is no provision to obtain forest clearance for a land bank under the Act, Dutta said.

The petition adds that under the Forest Rights Act of 2006, the government cannot change the use of forest land without recognising the land and forest rights of people living or dependent on it since generations.

The residents of Nuagaon, Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages have submitted applications to the state government to claim their land and forest rights, but these have gone unaddressed since 2011. "The government is violating Forest Rights Act by preventing communities access to their forest, Shankar Pani, an independent lawyer based in Odisha, told IndiaSpend.

The state government counters that the land had already been diverted for a non-forest purpose and was being held by the Industrial Development Corporation of India. "[T]here is no question of settling forest rights now," Debi Prasad, the former industries minister with the Odisha government who put the disputed 1,253 hectares into the land bank, told IndiaSpend.

Dutta argues that the Odisha government never issued a final order diverting this forest land for non-forest purposes, as state governments are required to do after the central environment ministry issues a clearance.

Conflict everywhere

Odishas land bank now comprises about 40,000 hectares. Most Indian states either already have sizeable land banks or are in the process of creating themlargely for industrial or infrastructure developmentalthough only eight make details publicly available (See table 1).

Conflict arises when industrial or infrastructure projects are proposed on land that communities inhabit, earn a livelihood from, or have customary rights over. Over 200 million Indians depend on forestland for basic living needs, while 118.9 million Indians practise farming on 160 million hectares of land.

Land Conflict Watch has reported over 450 land conflicts so far, affecting more than 6 million people directly or indirectly. These include conflicts due to land acquisition by the state, violation of community rights over land, and opposition to industries such as mining and power generation and to infrastructure projects.

Often, communities do not want to part with their land, or their demands for compensation and rehabilitation are not adequately met. In some cases, the projects are shelved or cancelled and state governments take over the land.

When [investment] proposals do not get fulfilled either due to lack of finance, on ground conflicts, regulatory failures or a combination of these, governments allocated the acquired land into land banks instead of repatriating it, Kanchi Kohli, legal research director with the environmental justice programme of Namati, a Washington DC-based global network of lawyers, told IndiaSpend.

Jharkhands clandestine move

Like Nuagaon in Odisha, a movement against land banks is building up in the Torpa block of Khunti district in Jharkhand. Members of gram sabhas (village councils) are holding meetings where they bring villagers land records to match with the land bank data available on the state revenue departments website to check if the government has surreptitiously put any village common land into its land bank. Common lands are broadly understood as lands shared by all residents of a village and include grazing land, ponds and forests.

Their suspicion comes from the experience of Lohajimi, a village in Torpa, whose residents learnt in February this year that the state government had put about 60 hectares of their common land into its land bank. The government didnt even consult the gram sabha. This is a violation of PESA [Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act], Rejan Gudia, a local activist from Lohajimi, told IndiaSpend.

PESA empowers village councils of scheduled areas  places primarily inhabited by tribespeople  to approve, reject or change the government programmes proposed in their regions. Khunti is a scheduled area.

So far, Jharkhand has banked about 40,468 hectares of land, 10 percent of which is in Khunti districts Torpa block. Numerous calls and emails to Jharkhand government officials to ask under what provision Lohajimis land was put into a land bank went unanswered.

Lohajimi had previously been the epicentre of a three-decade movement that began in 1973 against the 700-megawatt Koel-Karo Dam proposed by the Bihar government (Jharkhand was then a part of Bihar). Lohajimi was one of the 132 villages that the dam would submerge.

Eight people died here in 2001 when police opened fire during a related protest. The government withdrew the project in 2003, and residents observe 2 February as Martyrdom Day every year. "The 60 hectares of land from Lohajimi that the government has banked was the part of the land where the dam was proposed," Gudia said.

"Now the government is using land banks as another tool to acquire the same land," another activist who did not want to be named told IndiaSpend.

Old versus new law in Chhattisgarh

In addition to common lands, land banks have violated laws protecting private land too, particularly in cases where land from cancelled projects has been diverted into land banks.

One such example is from Lohandiguda region in Chhattisgarhs Bastar district. In 2007, the Chhattisgarh government acquired 1,765 hectares of land from some 2,000 families, mostly farmers, living in 10 villages in Lohandiguda. The land was acquired for Tata Steel to set up a steel plant.

Villagers alleged some of this land was acquired forcefully, and continuing opposition forced Tata Steel to withdraw in August 2016, blaming a breakdown of law and order in the region.

A few days later, the Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC) added this land to its land bank, swelling the reserve to 5,665 hectares. "The land is with the corporation. Papers are being prepared [to bank the land], confirmed Alok Trivedi, General Manager of the Land Allotment and Land Bank Division in CSIDC.

Sudiep Srivastava, an activist-lawyer who splits his time between Chhattisgarh and Delhi, told IndiaSpend that legally, the Chhattisgarh government cannot include the land acquired for Tata Steel in its land bank until the government has re-acquired it from the people. Srivastava has filed a petition in the Chhattisgarh High Court demanding that land acquisition be quashed and the land returned to the people.

Srivastava explained that according to the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARRA) of 2013, acquisition lapses if the land was acquired under the older 1894 statute and the acquired land is unutilised for more than five years. The government can set up a new project on the same land but it must reacquire it from the people by following the provisions of the new land acquisition law. These provisions include conducting public hearings and obtaining affected persons consent.

For one decade, when it was unclear whether the Tata Steel project would go through, Lohandiguda farmers were in a limbo. None got the jobs they were promised; most were not rehabilitated; and although many families continued to live on the contested land, they could not sell their crops to cooperative societies or avail of farmer benefit programmes because the land was no longer in their name.

The situation got some political attention in August 2017 when Rahul Gandhi, vice-president of the Indian National Congress, during a tour of Bastar, accused the Chhattisgarh government of lying to the people.

New Indian law

The new land acquisition law gives land banks a freer hand. If land acquired under this law is unutilised for more than five years, the state government can put it in its land bank or give it back to the people it was acquired from.

The latter part has an interesting history. An analysis by Policy Research Studies, a research group for members of parliament, shows that the first draft of the LARRA Act prepared in 2011 had no option of returning the unutilised land to the people, and allowed state governments to bank it instead.

That faced strident opposition from activist bodies including the National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM). "Our joint effort forced the government to add that the land could go back to people also," Madhuresh Kumar, national convener of NAPM, told IndiaSpend, adding, "At least it provides legal backing to land losers who want to claim their unutilised land."

Under the new law, if a state government acquires land for "public purpose", which includes defence projects and housing for the poor, it does not need the consent of those who will lose their land. In contrast, the consent of 80 percent of the land-owners affected is required for private projects and of 70 percent if the project is a public-private partnership.

The law does not prevent the government from acquiring land for a "public purpose" and later handing it over to a private player. "This would be a way to entirely circumvent the greater procedural requirements for private and public-private-partnership projects under LARRA," Levien added.

Indeed, state governments are "breaking all kinds of laws" in order to acquire land to give it to industry or to put it in land banks, NC Saxena, a former bureaucrat who headed various committees on land rights, told IndiaSpend.

Saxena said keeping land fallow for long durations is a bad idea. "But land banks become a necessity because the current land laws are complex with lengthy land acquisition processes that the governments do not want to get stuck," he said.

The new land acquisition law was supposed to resolve at least some of this complexity and shorten the procedures, but, as Saxena said, those goals have not been met and violations abound.

Shrivastava, the ecological economist, said each case of transfer into land banks should be investigated. "There is not even a single good study of this phenomenon by our social scientists," he said, adding that investigation would undoubtedly unearth more scams.

Christopher Udry, a professor of economics at Yale University, says land banks should be created in such a way that they benefit landowners. Since 1981, he has studied rural economics and land rights in Ghana, a West African country the size of Uttar Pradesh, where 80 percent of the land is held by customary land-owners, mainly families, clans and traditional authorities.

Udry proposes building land banks on the lines of traditional banks where people deposit their money  people could deposit their land and earn from it. "One can think of this as interest on the deposit," Udry told IndiaSpend in an email. The managers of these land banks would let out the deposited land for commercial or development activities. "Payments could be structured in such a way that those willing to commit to longer terms receive higher payments," Udry said, adding that the tenure of the deposit would be decided locally.

Experts would differ over whether this would work in India. Meanwhile, the wall is fast approaching the Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages in Odisha, and communities are gearing up for a new battle.

(With inputs from Kanan Kapoor)

The author is an environment journalist with Land Conflict Watch, a Delhi-based data journalism initiative.
Each township in Mon State was allotted K300 million for rural development. This amount was divided even further in Chaungzone, where it was split between Chaungzone township 1 and Chaungzone township 2.

Local officials are already saying they dont have enough funds to cover planned road repairs, like the Ka Mar Kay-Taw Pa Kauk Road on Bilu Island which is in the middle of an upgrade.

Gravel and a granular base have already been laid down. The [rural development department] has been planning to pave it with asphalt, Daw Kyi Kyi Mya, the Mon State Hluttaw MP from Chaungzone township 2, told Mon News Agency.

But the blueprint for finishing the one mile project requires an addition K125 million, or almost all of the townships development budget.

Daw Kyi Kyi Mya said that as the township is strapped for cash, it will have to go back to the state government and appeal for enough money to finish the roadway project.

U Khin Maung Oo, director of Chaungzone townships municipal committee, said upgrading the road is about more than improving transportation, as companies are interested in launching aquaculture farms and other investments, but only after the road conditions improve.

As there are many acres of farmlands, there will be more products and jobs for our Bilu Island if aquaculture farms can start operations, he said.
Srinagar: JKLF chief Yasin Malik has petitioned the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to look into "false implication" of many Kashmiri youths by the police in the DSP Mohammed Ayub Pandith lynching case.

It is for the first time the separatist leader has approached a state office.

Malik visited the office of SHRC on Monday and met its chairman Justice (retired) Bilal Nazki. He presented two petitions before the chairman and asked him to take serious cognisance of the matter, a JKLF spokesman said on Tuesday.

In the first petition, the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief raised the issue of "dozens of young boys being falsely implicated by police in the killing of Pandith," he said.

Malik told the commission that 15 incarcerated boys met him at the Central Jail, Srinagar, where he was lodged recently and narrated their ordeal to him, the spokesman said.

Pandith was stripped and lynched by a mob outside the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar's Nowhatta area on 22 July, triggering outrage across Kashmir and drawing all-round condemnation.

Malik called for a "fresh and unbiased inquiry" into the case.

"Use your good offices for saving the lives and careers of these boys so that no injustice is done to them," he told the commission.

In the other petition, the separatist leader cited the case of ailing Syeda Asiya Andrabi (Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief) and (her colleague) Fahmida Sofi who are languishing in a Jammu jail from a long time, the spokesman said.

Malik asked the SHRC to "take note of these gross human rights violations and ensure that the inmates are treated fairly.

"The JKLF chairman also asked the SHRC chairman to look into the plight of thousands of other inmates languishing in various jails and police stations, and re-consider the use of black laws like PSA (Public Safety Act) against common people and peaceful political activists," the spokesman added.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court today refused to allow the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) the use of heavy machinery or transportation vehicles at night for the Metro III line work, observing that it will disturb the residents.

The MMRCL had sought the court's permission to bring heavy vehicles to the construction sites in South Mumbai during the night hours to transport construction material and debris. A bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice NM Jamdar, however, said that it could not pass such a "blanket order".

"Already there is so much construction noise during the day. Any human being needs peaceful sleep of at least six to seven hours through the night at any cost. We are not ready to change that," the bench said. The bench was hearing a writ petition, filed by advocate Robin Jaisinghani, alleging violation of noise pollution norms by the MMRCL in the construction of the Metro III line. Acting on the above petition, the court had last month restrained the MMRCL from carrying out any construction or ancillary work on the Metro III line between 10 pm and 6 am.

Today, the MMRCL's counsel, Kiran Badalia, told the court that considering the above prohibitory order of the court, and a recent circular of the city traffic police

that bans heavy vehicles in South Mumbai from 7 am till midnight, it was facing difficulties in carrying out construction work for

Metro III.

"Our first round of work gets over by 5 pm. After that we require to bring in an additional lot of construction material to the site, and to dispose of the debris from the site," the counsel said. "We are thus, seeking that we be permitted to use our vehicles sometime at night only to transport construction material," she said.

The MMRCL's request, however, was vehemently opposed by the petitioner, who argued that the "sound from transportation vehicles was a major source of noise pollution". "We are already exposed to vibrations, drilling and construction noise from the Metro work throughout the day. After the vibrations, the movement of heavy vehicles and cement mixers are the next biggest source of noise pollution," Jaisinghani said.

The bench, meanwhile, suggested that the MMRCL time its work in a manner that it does not need to use heavy vehicles after 1 pm.

"Why do you have to do everything only in the late evening? You could try to use heavy machinery and vehicles only between 10 am. and 1 pm. "We can't pass any blanket orders grating your request. Once we allow you, others will begin coming to us with similar requests. Who will then take responsibility of decibel levels,

noise norms?" Chief Justice Chellur said.

She also took note of the din made by the construction workers. "Early in the morning the people employed by you (MMRCL) begin screaming, shouting to each other, playing loud music on their phones. Why don't you ask your contractors to employ someone to supervise the labourers and control the noise?" Chief Justice Chellur said.
New Delhi: Tamil Nadu on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that Karnataka can't have freedom of choice on the use of its share of Cauvery water as it would alter the 2007 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award.

The state told the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Amitava Roy and Justice AM Khanwilkar that the use of Cauvery water for the purposes other than for which it has been allocated would introduce a fundamental change in the basis of the tribunal award.

"A fundamental change in a situation should provide for the review of the award," senior counsel Shekhar Naphade, appearing for Tamil Nadu, told the bench, adding that if Karnataka decides to change the use of water, it was "entitled to raise a dispute"

Urging the court that it should frame a scheme for the implementation of the tribunal award which would now merge into top court judgment after it is pronounced, Naphade said, "We have virtually become beggars before Karnataka. I am at the mercy of Karnataka. Even the orders of the Supreme Court have not been complied with."

His submission came in the course of the hearing of cross-petitions by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which have both challenged the tribunal award. Kerala too has challenged the allocation of water by the tribunal.

The Central government, meanwhile, told the top court that it had held back its hand on the implementation of the 2007 Cauvery award as matter was pending before the top court. It said that it would comply with the orders of the court.

At this, the court said that after the pronouncement of judgment, it would give Centre some time to comply with its orders.

The Centre also placed before the top court 12 clarifications that it had sought on the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal award including the question of distressed rainy season, distressed situation in basin, conflicting position on use of water and intra basin transfer, duration after which the tribunal award can be reviewed, and other related issues.

The award had come on 5 February, 2007 and was gazetted by the Central government on 19 February, 2013.

Besides deciding on the sharing of water, the Tribunal had recommended setting up of a Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee.

The hearing into the 2007 appeal that commenced on 7 February has already taken place on 28 days spread over eight months and will continue on Wednesday.
New Delhi: A delegation of the Gorkha Jan Mukti (GJM) met home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday and called for tripartite talks to resolve the festering Gorkhaland issue.

Delhi: A 5-member delegation of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha met HM Rajnath Singh over the issue of separate state of #Gorkhaland, earlier today pic.twitter.com/xptMQJ7FKi  ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2017

The team, led by Union minister SS Ahluwalia, who represents Darjeeling in the Lok Sabha, later described the meeting with Singh as fruitful.

"It was a very fruitful meeting with the Home minister. We have demanded tripartite talks, and are expecting a positive development within a few days," GJM central committee member Swaraj Thapa said.

The tripartite meet should involve the Centre, the West Bengal government and the GJM, he said.

The five-member delegation also expressed concern over the stalemate in Darjeeling and sought central intervention in ending the crisis.

It alleged that the West Bengal government had "unleashed police atrocities in the name of law and order and was trying to suppress the democratic agitation" in Darjeeling.

The region has been in a state of turmoil for the last three months, with the GJM spearheading an indefinite strike to press their demand for a separate Gorkhaland state.
Should governments manage religion? Ask any common man these questions  in India or even overseas  and the general consensus would be an unambiguous no.

But what appears to make sense to most people seems alien to Indias legislators. Their collective wisdom while on one hand allowed many Hindu temple trusts to be nationalised through the back door and hence hinder them from spreading hundreds of years of spiritual knowledge to the people, while on the other, allowed 'godmen' like Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to flourish.

The government's collusion in promoting Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and other entrepreneurial godmen raises the fundamental question: Should a government promote godmen?

It also raises another question: Can a government try to throttle mainstream Hinduism, yet promote entrepreneur godmen?

The thing is, whenever the State involves itself in managing religion, there has been little spirituality at play.

The variants of the much-abused Hindu Religious Charitable and Endowment (HR&CE) Act are an example of that. The Centre and state governments used the act to control temple trusts through state-appointed administrators while making the temple heads completely ineffective in spreading their spiritual knowledge collected over hundreds of years.

And even though there's a standing Supreme Court judgment asking the government to get out of temple affairs, State support for "godmen" like Singh has shown that it isn't willing to do so.

Supreme Court to the rescue?

It was the Supreme Court of India which had to tell the government that it had no business managing the affairs of temples. This was possible only because of the sheer tenacity of the trustees of the Chidambaram (Natraja) group which supported the petition of the Chidambaram temple trusts to challenge an attempted takeover by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

On 6 January, 2014, the Supreme Court through a two-member bench ordered the Tamil Nadu government to desist from any attempts to take over the Chidambaram Trusts.

The Supreme Court ruled that Article 26 of the Constitution confers certain Fundamental Rights upon the citizens which can neither be taken away nor abridged. The court made this observation while deliberating over the case against the Tamil Nadu government, which wanted to take over the management of the Chidambaram (Nataraja) temple.

This order is extremely significant. It could reopen other temple cases as well. And coming on the heels of an equally significant judgment that privacy is a Fundamental Right, the pronouncements made in the January 2014 judgment become all the more relevant. After all, ever since Independence, state governments  with a wink and a nod from the Centre  have coveted the power and the wealth that temple trusts have enjoyed.

What the apex court stated was simple: "Even if the management of a temple is taken over to remedy the evil, the management must be handed over to the person concerned immediately after the evil stands remedied. Continuation thereafter would tantamount to (the) usurpation of their proprietary rights or violation of the Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Constitution in favour of the persons deprived. Therefore, taking over of the management in such circumstances must be for a limited period.... Supercession of rights of administration cannot be of a permanent enduring nature."

The court ruled that a temple (and the funds and assets collected through the temple) belong to the followers of the temple, even if the followers were a small number. It said that the takeover of the administration of temple trusts cannot be in perpetuity. If there is a misdemeanour, the court must enable things to be set right, not take over the management of the temple trust in perpetuity.

The State backs down

Immediately after the apex courts verdict, the Tamil Nadu government had no option but to issue an order, which said:

The executive officer has to remove Hundials installed by him and whatever money has been collected has to be handed over to the Podhu Dikshithars (Smarthi Brahmins). Prasadam stalls have to be vacated. Since the lease period expired on 30 June, 2014, there is no refund of amount for unexpired portion. All amounts deposited in the bank have to be handed over to Podhu Deekshathars together with interest thereon. Income and expenditure incurred by the executive officer have to be tallied and necessary accounts prepared.

In fact, some of the worst recorded abuses of the HR&CE Act can be traced to Tamil Nadu. Much of it has come to the light thanks to the efforts of people like TR Ramesh, a banking professional and a research scholar of law relating to Hindu religious institutions. Ramesh is also the president of the Temple Worshippers Society in Chennai.

Corruption galore

Ramesh pointed out how the government caused losses of at least Rs 6,000 crore each year to the temples in Tamil Nadu. If all temples that have been nationalised are taken into account, the 'diversion' could amount to at least ten times that amount annually (Rameshs notes on how a dedicated govt machinery worked non-stop to ensure this is mentioned at the end of the article).

The SC verdict on the Chidambaram Trust case has given a fresh lease of life to similar petitions filed by other temple trusts. For instance, there is the writ petition filed before the Supreme Court of India in 2012 by Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati and two other Acharyas of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, challenging many of the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Hindu Endowments and Religious Institutions Acts as unconstitutional. It was slated for a final hearing in July 2016. But the matter was not heard and got deferred.

But as Ramesh says, many more "interested and affected parties are expected to implead in this writ petition", and "it is high time Hindus take up the defence of their fundamental religious rights to the apex court and get the dictum pronounced in the Chidambaram Temple Judgment declared as law".

It is only a matter of time before individuals will take up the matter before the Mumbai High Court to 'liberate' the Siddhi Vinayak and Shirdi temple trusts from politicians and their administrators. The Supreme Courts verdict is quite clear: there can be no permanent takeover of temples and/or their trusts.

If there is a problem, it can temporarily take charge with a termination date, and for the specific purpose of remedying an issue. Vague, open-ended and in perpetuity takeovers of temples, religious trusts or even religion is just not done.

And what, pray, is Hinduism?

In fact, one of the most meaningful definitions of Hinduism also comes from the Supreme Court itself when it remarked: "Hinduism, as a religion, incorporates all forms of belief without mandating the selection or elimination of any one single belief. It is a religion that has no single founder; no single scripture and no single set of teachings. It has been described as sanatan dharma, namely, eternal faith, as it is the collective wisdom and inspiration of the centuries that Hinduism seeks to preach and propagate.

This was recorded in the judgment by Justices Ranjan Gogoi and NV Ramana, Supreme Court on writ petition (civil) no 354 of 2006 of 16 December 2015).

The government has no role to play in this.
Ahmedabad: In a bid to woo farmers ahead of the Assembly polls, Gujarat Congress on Tuesday promised to bring in several pro-farmers policies, including complete farm loan waiver, if the party comes to power.

State Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki alleged the ruling BJP of ignoring the plight of farmers in the state.

He said Congress would announce complete farm loan waiver if the party wins the election, due later this year.

"Farmers in Gujarat are reeling under huge debt because of BJP government's policies. Due to costly electricity, fertilisers and pesticides coupled with lack of irrigation water, it is getting difficult for farmers to survive. As a result, as many as 89 farmers have committed suicide during last five years in Gujarat," Solanki said while addressing a press conference.

"During the past UPA rule, Congress had waived farm loans of Rs 72,000 crore to save farmers from debt. But, this BJP government is totally ignorant about the plight of farmers. If we are voted to power, Congress will waive all the loans taken by the farmers in Gujarat," Solanki announced.

The announcement was made by the party under their newly launched initiative  Navsarjan Khedut Adhikar Abhiyan, which is aimed at reaching out to farming community ahead of the polls.

"If we come to power, our priority will be to complete the Narmada canal network, so that farmers get water for irrigation. We will distribute that water free of cost to farmers. Congress is also committed to provide electricity to farmers for 16 hours in a day," said Solanki.

The opposition party, which is out of power since last 22 years in Gujarat, also promised higher MSP for farm produce if voted to power.
Chandigarh: Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief's adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan has been booked for allegedly inciting violence following the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Haryana Police said on Tuesday.

Honeypreet has been booked at Sector 5 police station in Panchkula.

The police added her name in FIR number 345 as an accused in connection with the violence that took place in Panchkula on 25 August.

"She is an accused in the case now," said Panchkula police commissioner AS Chawla.

Her name has been included in the same FIR in which other Dera functionaries Aditya Insan and Surinder Dhiman, among others, had been booked for allegedly inciting violence and arson, police said.

"Our efforts are on to nab her (Honeypreet)," Haryana DGP BS Sandhu said on Tuesday.

Asked about reports that Honeypreet is in Nepal, the DGP said there was no concrete information in this regard.

"We are verifying each and every information, which we are getting," the DGP said.

Several teams have been sent to different locations and Haryana Police was also in touch with police of other states to search Honeypreet.

Haryana Police has also been questioning arrested Dera functionaries including Dilawar Insan and Pradeep Goyal to get concrete information about her place of hiding.

Dilawar Insan, a key member of the Dera was arrested from Sonipat while Pradeep, another Dera functionary was nabbed from Udaipur in Rajasthan by Haryana Police.

On Monday, the special investigation team of Haryana Police questioned Dera Sacha Sauda's spokesperson Vipassana Insan in Sirsa about the whereabouts of Honeypreet.

Police initiated efforts to trace Honeypreet following the questioning of another arrested functionary of the sect Surinder Dhiman Insan in connection with an alleged conspiracy to facilitate Dera chief's escape after he was convicted for raping two disciples.

An FIR was earlier lodged in Panchkula police station following a statement by a newspaper reporter against Aditya and Surinder Dhiman Insaan. The duo were booked for sedition.

Police had also said that they needed to question Honeypreet on the basis of certain other disclosures of Surinder.

Police have already issued a lookout notice against Honeypreet and Aditya Insan.

Honeypreet had accompanied Ram Rahim when he was taken to Sunaria jail in Rohtak through chopper following his conviction in rape case on 25 August. After that she went into hiding.

Violence had broken out in Panchkula after the Dera chief's conviction, leaving 35 dead, while six others were killed in incidents in Sirsa.
Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency has secured recorded confessional statements on the flow of money, especially from Pakistan, from two persons accused in a case related to the funding of terror activities in Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday

The statements made before a judicial magistrate had tightened the case against separatists who allegedly funded stone-pelters and spread unrest in the Valley, NIA officials said on the condition of anonymity.

While one has been formally arrested, the other was detained and subsequently let off after he said he would turn approver, the officials said, declining to divulge their names.

The former, arrested on 24 July this year after his house was raided by the central probe agency, approached NIA sleuths, giving his consent for recording his confessional statement.

He gave a detailed account of how funds were sent from Pakistan-based terror organisations as well as its external snooping agency ISI to separatists based in the Valley, the officials said.

The other person who has recorded his confessional statement is a close aide of pro-Pakistan separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

A confessional statement is recorded before a judicial magistrate. The accused confirms in it that he or she is giving a statement without any pressure from the probe agency.

The entire process is videographed and no investigation officer is present in the court premises during the proceedings. In case of retraction later, the agency can file a case of perjury.

The NIA has arrested 10 people so far in connection with alleged funding of terror activities case. The list includes Altaf Ahmed Shah, the son-in-law of Geelani, and noted businessman Zahorr Watali.

Geelani's close aides Ayaz Akbar, who is also spokesperson of the hardline separatist organisation Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, and Peer Saifullah have been also been arrested.

Others in the list are Shahid-ul-Islam, spokesperson of the moderate Hurriyat Conference, Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar alias 'Bitta Karate', photo-journalist Kamran Yusuf and Javed Ahmed Bhat.

The NIA had registered a case on 30 May against the separatist and secessionist leaders, including unknown members of the Hurriyat Conference, who have been acting in connivance with active militants of proscribed terrorist organisations Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other outfits and gangs, officials said.

The case was registered for raising, receiving and collecting funds through various illegal means, including hawala, for funding separatist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir and for causing disruption in the Valley by way of pelting stones on the security forces, burning schools, damaging public property and waging war against India, the probe agency said in the FIR.

Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the front of the banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has been named in the FIR as an accused.

The FIR also names organisations such as the two factions of the Hurriyat, one led by Geelani and the other Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, an all-women outfit of separatists.
Betul (Madhya Pradesh): A panchayat at a village in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district has imposed a fine of about Rs 75,000 on a family for open defecation.

The panchayat of Rambhakhedi village also served notices to 43 other families there to stop defecating in the open.

"About a month back, the family was advised to stop defecating in the open. However, they turned deaf ears to it. So, a fine of Rs 75,000 was yesterday imposed on the family of 10 members," Rambhakhedi village panchayat's employment assistant Kunwarlal said on Tuesday.

"The fine was imposed for one month at a rate of Rs 250 per day on each of the 10 members of the family under Madhya Pradesh panchayat (Swachhata Tatha Nuisance Nivaran Tatha Upshaman) Rules, 1999. Besides, 43 other families were also served notices to stop open defecation," he said.

The village sarpanch, Ramrati Bai, said the action was taken as the family members were not ready to use the toilet constructed at their home despite repeated advice.

"These villagers had been warned on several occasions, but they were not ready to use the toilets at home," she said.
Mumbai: Maharashtra agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar on Tuesday said the state government's loan waiver scheme will be implemented from 15 October.

"Maharashtra government will transfer sanctioned loan amount to farmers' accounts, who are eligible for the waiver. The transfer of loan waiver amount will start from 15 October," Fundkar told PTI after holding a meeting of minister's sub-committee for loan waiver.

"We will transfer the amount to the loan account of farmers, and the bank will immediately deduct it to settle the loan amount," he said.

If all the accounts are not verified by 15 October, then in first phase amount of all the verified accounts will be transferred. The remaining beneficiaries will get their amount subsequently, said the minister.

"Despite the challenge, we want to complete the execution of loan waiver scheme before Diwali," said the agriculture minister.

The farmers' registration will go on till 22 September. The state officials will scrutinise the uploaded information on its portal and finalise the list of potential beneficiaries.

"We are also planning to carry out a public reading of beneficiaries in every village. It will be useful for some cross-check of beneficiaries in the village," Maharashtra cooperation minister Subhash Deshmukh told PTI.

"The decision regarding such public reading of names and loan amount of beneficiaries is yet to be taken," he said.

The Maharashtra government had on 24 June announced a loan waiver scheme to settle loan amount up to Rs 1.50 lakh.

The government has also decided that only one person in the family will get the benefit of the scheme.

The government had claimed that some 44 lakh farmers will get direct benefit of the loan waiver while other farmers, who repay their loan regularly will also get some amount in return.

The total number of beneficiaries thus will be as high as 89 lakh, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had claimed.
Two accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case were granted bail on Tuesday, just a month after the key accused in case, Lt Colonel Shrikant Purohit was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court, media reports said.

Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dwivedi are the two accused who were granted bail by the NIA court on grounds of parity. Both accused have to provide personal bonds and securities of Rs 5 lakh each, Aaj Tak reported.

On 21 August, a Supreme Court bench, comprising of Justices RK Agrawal and AM Sapre had set aside the Bombay High Court order which denied Purohit bail. The Supreme Court said it has imposed certain conditions on Purohit while granting bail, PTI reported.

Purohit had moved the Supreme Court on 27 April, against the Bombay High Court order rejecting his bail plea in the case.

Interestingly, the Bombay High Court had on 25 April granted bail to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, accused of plotting the blast, but rejected the bail plea of co-accused Purohit saying the charges against him were of grave nature.

On 8 September 2006, seven people were killed and 125 were injured in the explosion that took place in a cemetery, adjacent to a mosque, at around 1:15 pm after Friday prayers on the holy day of Shab-e-Bara'at.

With inputs from agencies
Kohima: Nagaland governor PB Acharya has expressed hope that the vexed Naga issue would be solved within the next one or two months, and urged every Naga underground group and civil society player to come onboard.

Interacting with media persons at the Raj Bhavan on Monday, the governor said, "The Naga peace process is in news everywhere and I am confident, thanks to the information by my sources, that it (peace process) has come to a conclusion."

"The general elections are due within few months in the state and I hope a solution to the Naga political problem will come within next one-two months," Acharya said. "At this juncture, all the Naga civil societies and political parties should be prepared to accept the solution and make it a reality," he said. "Younger people are tired and want a solution to the decades-old peace process," he said.

Asked about his role in overcoming the leadership crisis within the ruling Naga Peoples' Front (NPF), the governor said it was the internal matter of the party. "They should overcome the trust deficit, which is also hampering the peace process and therefore, they should come together and strengthen the government," he said.

On the allegation from some quarters that the governor had 'unconstitutionally' removed the then chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on 19 July, Acharya said whoever had the majority should head the government.

Meanwhile, the Nagaland governor urged the 60 Naga legislators and two MPs to adopt at least one village every year in their own constituency under the 'Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' and work for the upliftment of that village. He said the Centre provides special funds to legislators for the project.

Acharya also suggested that alongside the World War-II cemetery in Kohima, there should be a "memorial of Subhash Chandra Bose and INA soldiers who died for India". He said he has written to the central government about it.

Nagaland was hit by a spate of protests following the announcement of civic bodies poll in December 2016. The Naga groups had demanded that the polls be declared null and void.
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday said that it has arrested two persons in Jammu and Kashmir for providing logistic support to Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Bahadur Ali, who was captured in the state on 25 July.

The arrested have been identified as Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazir Ahmed Peer, both residents of Kupwara district in the state.

"They were arrested from Jammu today (Tuesday) for their involvement in Bahadur Ali case," the NIA said.

On 25 July, the NIA had arrested Ali from Handwara, and recovered arms and ammunition as well as a large quantity of incriminating material from him.

"During investigation, it was revealed that both the accused persons provided material and logistic support to Ali soon after he infiltrated into Indian territory," the agency said.

The counter-terror probe agency said that it will seek transit remand of the accused and will bring them to Delhi for further questioning.
New Delhi: The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) on Tuesday expressed concerns at the "seeming regularity of encounter deaths" of alleged criminals in Uttar Pradesh.

It said the state police is mandated to guarantee that the constitutional rights and legal safeguards of all arrested persons are upheld.

In a press release, CHRI said the office of director general of police in Uttar Pradesh has released data between March and September this year relating to 420 gunfights across the state's eight zones in a "war" against criminals.

It said about 15 people have been killed, 481 arrests made, and 88 police personnel injured and noted that this "is exceptionally unusual."

"While we recognise the criminal elements the police are up against, the police and political leadership must insist that all policing functions within the law. Without this, we lose the difference between the law and the outlaw," said Devika Prasad, coordinator, Police Reforms Programme.

The release said the state government must strictly comply with both the Supreme Court's and the National Human Rights Commission's (NHRC) guidelines to investigate the 15 killings.

"There is little information available on the arrests made, besides the scale. The UP Police is mandated to guarantee that the constitutional rights and legal safeguards of all arrested persons are upheld at every stage. It is solely for the courts to decide whether they are innocent or guilty," it said.

The release said that the police have reported that departmental and magisterial inquiries are being conducted after each gunfight.

"However, the state is bound to register a first information report and initiate a full criminal investigation into any killing by police in an 'encounter'. CHRI reminds the state government and UP Police that they are accountable for the deaths caused and arrests made," it said.

The CHRI said that guidelines of the Supreme Court given in PUCL vs state of Maharashtra require that any killing in an encounter is independently investigated and no cash or gallantry awards and benefits be given to police personnel for homicide.

It said that NHRC guidelines also mandate that any death resulting from police action is reported with details to the superintendent of police within 48 hours, followed by supplementary reports including the post mortem, inquest, magisterial inquiry report and reports on forensics and ballistics experts.

"The reasoning behind this is that the police must always be law abiding and not be tempted into excess use of force, abuse of power, or illegality."

CHRI is an independent, international organisation committed to protecting and promoting human rights in Commonwealth nations.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for the accused in the murder case of a student at the Ryan International School in Gurugram to be defend by their advocates, directing the lawyers' body not to obstruct the proceedings before the trial court in any manner.

The top court, while hearing a plea by an official of the Ryan Group who has been arrested in the case, observed that the resolution passed by the District Bar Association, Gurgaon, asking advocates not to represent accused in the case, was "absolutely erroneous".

"Tradition of Bar is that they are under an obligation not to obstruct any lawyer from appearing for anyone whosoever he or she is. This resolution is absolutely erroneous in law," a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said.

However, the lawyer appearing for the lawyers' body told the bench that the resolution has been withdrawn and lawyers were free to appear on behalf of the accused.

"We must say without any hesitation that any accused, whatever the offence may be, has a right to be represented by an advocate. The tradition of bar does not authorise any bar association to pass a resolution like this.

"However, the solace is that realising the fault, the bar association has withdrawn it (resolution)," the bench, also comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, said.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi and advocate Sandeep Kapur, appearing for northern zone head of Ryan Group, Francis Thomas, told the bench that after the bar association's resolution, no lawyer was ready to appear for the accused.

"This is what we are facing. No lawyer is appearing for the accused," Rohatgi argued, adding, "I (Thomas) have faced such a hostile atmosphere there".

The bench also made it clear that the office-bearers and members of the lawyers' body could be held responsible for causing any obstruction and disturbance in the entry and exit of the accused persons, their lawyers and family members.

When counsel for the bar body said the resolution has been withdrawan, Rohatgi asked why this matter cannot be transferred from the Sohna district court to a competent court in Delhi.

The case is presently pending before a court competent to deal with the matters under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Sohna.

In its order, the apex court noted that since the lawyers' body has withdrawan the resolution, the accused could get himself represented by a lawyer before the court.

While noting the assurance given by the counsel appearing for the lawyers' body, the bench said, "none of the members of the bar and other persons shall create any kind of impediment to any counsel appearing for the petitioner (accused)".

Meanwhile, advocate Sandeep Kapur said Ryan International School's CEO Ryan Pinto and his parents - Augustine Pinto and Grace Pinto - have moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the matter and their plea would come up for hearing on Tuesday.

The seven-year-old Class 2 student was found with his throat slit on the morning of 8 September in the toilet of Ryan International School in Gurugram.

The police has alleged that 42-year-old bus conductor Ashok Kumar killed him with a knife after the boy resisted an attempt to sodomise him.
Patna: A gems and jewellery trader on Tuesday filed a defamation case against RJD president Lalu Prasad and his son Tejaswi Prasad Yadav for making "wild" allegations against him in the multi-crore rupees Srijan scam.

The matter would come up for hearing in the chief judicial magistrate's court here on Wednesday.

The defamation suit was filed by Ravi Jalan through his advocate Radhe Shyam Singh under IPC sections 500 (defamation), 504 (intentional insult) and 505 (public mischief).

The complainant claimed that Lalu and Tejaswi, the leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, lowered his prestige by making the "wild" allegation about his involvement in the Srijan NGO scam and demanded his arrest.

The scandal involves alleged wrongful transfer of huge government funds to the bank accounts of Bhagalpur-based NGO Srijan Mahila Sahyog Samiti which were swindled.

He has annexed newspapers clippings to back his claim.

Jalan said Lalu Prasad and his son spoke about his alleged involvement in the fraud at a party rally in Bhagalpur on 10 September and also at a press conference they had held.
New York: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held meetings with her counterparts from five countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session to discuss bilateral cooperation and push for India's development agenda.

Swaraj held talks with the foreign ministers of Tunisia, Bahrain, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates and Denmark. "Broadly the focus was on bilateral cooperation," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference.

During the meeting with Tunisian foreign minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, Swaraj told him that she was looking forward to the next joint commission meeting between the two countries to be held in New Delhi on 30-31 October.

"There are a lot of discussions on how to reinvigorate economic relationship. Sectors like pharma, textiles biotechnology, renewable energy and IT were identified for future cooperation," Kumar said.

Swaraj, according to Kumar, felt that there was a huge potential for exporting Indian pharma products especially vaccines to Tunisia as the price of its drugs are very competitive.

In her meeting with the Denmark foreign minister Anders Samuelsen, discussion was held on when to hold the next meeting of the Joint Commission.

Denmark is also the partner country for the World Food India extravaganza, which is going to take place in the first week of November. Swaraj also invited Danish participation for investment in India.

In her meeting with the Latvian foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics, the focus was on expanding trade relations.

"Latvian foreign minister announced that their prime minister will visit India for the World Food Summit later this year," Kumar said, adding the two leaders also discussed the ways to enhance cooperation in the sectors like I-T, education and culture.

In her meeting with the UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the two sides discussed measures to attract more foreign direct investment from the UAE into India. The UAE is Indias strategic partner. The bilateral trade between India and the UAE is worth $52.8 billion.

"It was felt that at this point of time it was below potential. Cooperation in energy sector, civil aviation especially in the capacity building and best practices was discussed," Kumar said. In the last bilateral engagement of the day, Swaraj met her Bahrain counterpart Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

There is an existing mechanism of the Joint Commission which is at the Foreign Ministry level, Kumar said adding that the two leaders discussed how to hold this meeting at the earliest. "Some discussion also took place on the regional issue especially situation in the Gulf," Kumar said.
United Nations: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday held talks with Bhutanese prime minister Tshering Tobgay and her Tunisian counterpart Khemaies Jhinaoui, kicking off a series of bilateral meetings to further the country's foreign policy goals.

"Starting the business of bilateral with an African friend. EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets the Tunisian FM Khemaies Jhinaoui," external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted after Swaraj held her first bilateral meeting with Jhinaoui on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

#EAM@UNGA. Starting the business of bilateral with an African friend. EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets the Tunisian FM Khemaies Jhinaoui pic.twitter.com/TXrPsi8fji  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) September 18, 2017

Kumar in another tweet after Swaraj's meeting with the Bhutanese prime minister, said, "Strengthening traditionally unique bilateral relations. EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets with Bhutanese PM @tsheringtobgay in New York."

The Bhutanese prime minister said they discussed a wide range of bilateral issues.

"Such a pleasure meeting HE @SushmaSwaraj ji, External Affairs Minister of India. We discussed the wide range of bilateral cooperation," Tobgay tweeted.

The meeting, Swarajs first with India's neighbouring country, gains significance in view of the recent Doklam standoff with China.

India and China last month ended a 73-day standoff in Doklam area of the Sikkim sector that was triggered by China's move to build a road in the border area.

During her week-long stay here, Swaraj, leading a high-powered Indian delegation, is expected to hold about 20 bilateral and trilateral meetings with leaders attending the session.
Hyderabad: The free distribution of over one crore sarees for women below the poverty line for the upcoming traditional Bathukamma festival began on Monday across Telangana.

The Telangana government had said about 1.04 crore women will be given saris free of cost. The scheme costs Rs 222 crore.

However, the saree distribution found itself in a row after women made bonfires of them at several places, claiming that they were of inferior quality.

Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao told reporters here that the government targeted to distribute about 1.04 crore sarees at over 8,000 centres in the state.

About 25 lakh sarees were distributed on the first day, he said.

Hitting out at opposition parties, he alleged that Congress leaders were behind the incident of burning the distributed sarees at places like Chalgal in Jagitial district.

It is an utterly low level politics to burn the sarees, he said.

"On the occasion of Bathukamma festival, all the poor women above the age of 18 will get sarees as a gift irrespective of caste, community or religion," Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had earlier said.

District Collectors of 31 districts in the state are overseeing the sarees distribution programme, Commissioner Textiles Shailaja Rama Iyer, told reporters.

She said power-loom weavers of Sircilla in the state have woven over 50 lakh sarees measuring up to 3.75 crore metres while remaining sarees have been procured from Surat after following open competitive tender process.

"There are over 500 designs of sarees which are being distributed. Polyester sarees distribution has been taken up? we got feedback that cotton sarees should also be distributed and we are open to the feedback," she said.

Reacting to queries that some women complained and protested in few places over alleged poor quality of sarees, Iyer and Principal Secretary of the Industries Jayesh Ranjan said there is no compromise with regard to quality of sarees.

"We stand by the quality of the sarees. As per specifications the sarees have been produced and there is no problem at all," they claimed.

Iyer maintained that there is no quality issue with regard to sarees being distributed. "Sarees are inspected and also tested and there is no such quality issue. If there is any specific problem on one or two sarees we have permitted replacement. If there is any specific issue on quality we will take up the matter."

"Factories were also inspected. There are no quality issues in the saris and I want to indicate that very clearly. We stand firm by the quality of the saris that we have produced," Iyer said.

"If there is any specific quality issue with regard to specifications it can brought our notice," added Iyer.

She said sari specifications of Surat are slightly different when compared to Sircilla.

On allegations that saris priced at Rs 50 were distributed, both Ranjan and Iyer dismissed the allegations and said each Sircilla sari is priced at Rs 224 while the Surat sari costs Rs 200.
After arresting Dawood Ibrahim's brother, Iqbal Kaskar on Monday, Thane police is probing the role of two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) members in the extortion racket operating in Maharashtra.

A police official told Firstpost that Kaskar, who has been taken into police custody for eight days, has informed the police about the involvement of members of two political parties, including NCP.

"Two NCP corporators are already on police radar, and they are likely to be questioned in the case soon," the official said.

Thane Police commissioner Param Bir Singh also said that names of several local politicians have cropped up in the case. Though he didn't name NCP, an inquiry into this matter will be pursued further, The Times of India reported.

NCP president Sunil Tatkare, however, condemned the reports linking NCP with the extortion case and Dawood, stating that these reports have been floated only to malign the party's image.

A senior police official also said that two other aides of Kaskar  Mumtaz Sheikh and Israr Ali Jamil Sayyad  who were earlier detained, were formally placed under arrest.

Kaskar and his associates had allegedly been threatening a prominent builder, named Jaggu Khetwani, in Thane, in Dawood's name since 2013 and have already extorted Rs 30 lakh and four flats from him, Singh said. Khetwani had registered an FIR at the Kasarvadavali police station in Thane.

Besides, Iqbal Parkar  a close relative of Dawood's sister Haseena Parkar  and drug dealer Mohammad Yasin Khwaja Hussain were also detained in connection with the case, the officer said.

Kaskar was taken into custody on Monday evening from his sister Haseena's house in Nagpada area of Central Mumbai, by a team led by encounter specialist and the anti-extortion cell's senior police inspector Pradeep Sharma. He was questioned till late on Monday by the crime branch officials and then formally arrested, Singh said.

Police are also investigating if Dawood had any role in the matter and if it is found, he will also be made an accused in the case, the commissioner said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Kaskar and his associates allegedly demanded Rs 30 lakh and four flats from the builder in Dawood's name. He had also sent his aide to the builder's office and at the construction site to extort money, Singh said.

The builder later gave four flats worth Rs 5 crore and Rs 30 lakh in cash to Kaskar but despite that he was being threatened by the accused, the police said.

Out of the four flats, three were sold and one was registered in the name of Sayyad, who was staying in it for the last few years, the senior police officer said.

A few days ago, an extortion case was registered on the basis of the complaint by the builder at Thane's Kasarwadavali Police Station under IPC sections 384 (extortion), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt) and 387 (putting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion).

The case was later handed over to the Thane Police's anti-extortion cell.

During the investigation, the police initially nabbed Sheikh and Sayyad from Thane. Later, Kaskar's name also cropped up in the case, police said.

The names of some builders and politicians, including corporators, have allegedly also come up during the investigation in the case, Singh said.

"We are investigating whether they were helping Kaskar in the extortion racket. If needed, we will also take help of the Enforcement Directorate and verify whether the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) can be applied in this case," the commissioner said.

Kaskar, who was deported from the United Arab Emirates in 2003, is said to be operating Dawood's real estate business in the city, according to the police.

He was wanted in a murder case and the Sara Sahara illegal construction case. He was, however, acquitted in both the cases in 2007, the police said.

With inputs from PTI
India has started its innings at the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session on an aggressive note by calling for a probe into the nuclear proliferation link between North Korea and Pakistan. Joining the dots seems to be a calculated move on India's part. It is designed to tap into the global anxiety over Pyongyang's rapidly proliferating nuclear weapons programme and also highlight the fact that Pakistan is a destabilising force not just for Asia, but for the entire world.

At the UN Human Rights Congress, India used its 'right to reply' to Pakistan's slur on Kashmir by calling it the "face of international terrorism" and accused it of trying to achieve "perverse political objectives" by raising a bilateral issue repeatedly at UN forums.

While these reactions are on expected lines and are aimed at securing the diplomatic isolation of Pakistan, India must guard against appearing as a squabbling twin of Islamabad  a policy which has outlived its usefulness and now serves to not only restrict India's geopolitical influence in Asia Pacific, but also deny it the leadership that it deserves.

The world has moved beyond the 1990s. Struggling to cope with terrorism and radical Islamism, it now has less and less time for Pakistan's shenanigans. Kashmir's violent insurgency movement  fuelled by cross-border terrorism and pan-Islamic assertiveness  now raises deep wariness. Two other global churnings have come to India's aid.

First, the scale and size of India's market economy have prompted Western powers to put commercial interests ahead of morality. As Carnegie India director C Raja Mohan puts it in The Indian Express, "The rise of India has encouraged the US and its European allies to put commercial and geopolitical imperatives above proclaimed concerns on human rights and non-proliferation."

Second, Donald Trump has led the US to summarily shed its moral burden of being the voice of global conscience. America's waning has coincided with a curious turn of events more than two decades into the post-Cold War era where western liberal democracies and its institutions are trying unsuccessfully to cope with the rapid rise of authoritarian influence emanating from despotic powers.

In his essay in Foreign Affairs on how liberal democracies are being undermined by the likes of Russia and China, director of Berlin-based Global Public Policy Institute Thorsten Benner writes: "In recent years, authoritarian states have boldly sought to influence Western democracies. They have done so to strengthen their own regimes, to weaken Western states ability to challenge authoritarianism, and to push the world toward illiberalism."

In this context, as a liberal democracy, world's fastest-growing large economy and an adherent and promoter of international rules-based order, India is in a position to lead by example but first it must avoid getting hyphenated with a failed state.

Pakistan may not have a choice because its very existence is defined by anti-Indianness and Kashmir is central to that problem, but India may and must snap out of the reflexive need to tie its destiny with Pakistan. It may appear as counter-intuitive, but each time India feels compelled to respond to Pakistan's barbs on Kashmir, it plays into Islamabad's hands and gives the failed state the attention that it desperately seeks.

According to PTI, Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who arrived in New York on Tuesday, will again try to raise the Kashmir issue at the UNGA address. Does it surprise anyone?

All that Pakistan  a Chinese vassal state tottering on the brink of failure  wants is to be recognised as India's troublesome 'other'. And each time India gives a "stinging reply", the combined media heat generated in both nations is enough to drag the failed state till the next opportunity.

It is no longer incumbent on India to call upon Pakistan to "shut down its terrorist manufacturing units and bring the perpetrators of terrorism to justice". That issue was settled when Trump rebuked Pakistan for giving "safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror". Islamabad is still to get over the shock. India must use this opportunity  where it doesn't need any more to showcase Pakistan for the charlatan that it is  to put forward some constructive ideas at global forums.

The North Korea-Pakistan nuclear proliferation link is a more promising ploy and builds upon some new revelations that have come to light.

Pakistani nuclear physicist Pervez Hoodbhoy recently narrated to German media how his country provided "indirect assistance" to DPRK. Dismissing the notion that AQ Khan acted on his own, Hoodbhoy told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle: "It is very hard to believe that A Q Khan single-handedly transferred all technology from Pakistan to North Korea, Libya and Iran as it was a high-security installation in Pakistan and guarded with very fearsome amount of policing and military intelligence surrounding it. Moreover, the centrifuge weighs half a ton each and it is not possible that these could have been smuggled out in a match box, so certainly there was complicity at a very high level."

This was stressed upon in India's statement following external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono on the sidelines of UN summit on Monday. The emphasis that DPRKs "proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable" is well taken.

Once again, however, India would do well not to press the issue. At the UNGA, Swaraj must lay down the groundwork for India's terms of engagement with the world and seek a greater share of responsibility. If India seeks to become a great power, it must accept the great responsibilities. Eternal bickering with Pakistan won't take it anywhere.
Beijing has opened a strategically-located highway in Tibet that will link the region to the Nepal border. It could be used for both civilian and military purposes, Chinese state media reports said. The move comes just weeks after a military disengagement in Doka La and could irk India. The reports suggest that the move will enable China to make forays into South Asia and provide economic and military benefits.

The 40.4-kilometre highway in Tibet between Xigaze airport and Xigaze city centre officially opened to the public on Friday, shortening the journey from an hour to 30 minutes, a Global Times report said.

The project, which is expected to be linked to the China-Nepal railway in the future, features a short section linking the national highway to the Nepal border.

Geographically, any extension of the road and railway connectivity to South Asia is through India, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Chinese officials have said in the past that the projects are feasible and could become a trade corridor for India and China if New Delhi comes on board.

The new road runs parallel to the Xigaze-Lhasa railway and links the city's ring roads with the 5,476-kilometre G318 highway from Shanghai to Zhangmu on the Nepal border, the report said.

The report added: "The China-Nepal railway was part of a deal struck by Nepal deputy prime minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara when he visited China in early September. The railway includes two lines: one connecting three of Nepal's most important cities and two crossing the border between China and Nepal."

The China-Nepal railway, which passes through the Chinese border town of Zhangmu and connects with routes in Nepal, will be the first railway by which China enters South Asia, Zhao Gancheng, director of the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, said.

"Although the railway connection between China and Nepal is intended to boost regional development and not for military purposes, the move will still probably irritate India," Zhao said.

The report quoted Tibet Financial Daily to reveal that the 25-meter-wide highway between Xigaze peace airport and Xigaze would have four double lanes and be classified as a first-tier highway. "Highways in China are of a high standard including the one in Tibet," Zhao said in the report.

"It can be used by armored vehicles and as a runway for planes to take off when it has to serve a military purpose," he said.

Wei Qianggao, deputy head of the Tibet transportation department, said, "The road is Tibet's first real highway. It is our gift toward the upcoming 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China."

As an important traffic programme in the 13th Five-Year Plan and a core section of the Tibet Autonomous Region's highway network, the road will benefit the export-oriented economy of Xigaze and the complex traffic around Lhasa, Wei said, as per the report.

China has been stepping efforts to improve road connectivity between Tibet and Nepal while speeding up plans to build a railway line connecting to Nepal's border after KP Sharma Oli  a pro-China former Nepalese prime minister  signed a Transit Trade Treaty with Beijing last year during his tenure.

Oli signed the treaty at the height of the Madhesi agitation and their blockade of Indian goods to provide a major opening for China to reduce the dependence of the landlocked country on India, even as the transportation of essentials through the Himalayan terrain of Tibet would entail heavy costs for Nepal.

However, since the fall of Oli government, China's plans to speed up its efforts to make forays into Nepal through infrastructure expansion slowed down even though Kathmandu signed up for Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative in May 2017.

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: Tamil Nadu governor C Vidyasagar Rao met Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday amid an ongoing political crisis in the state.

Rao called on Singh at his residence in New Delhi, a day after Speaker P Dhanapal disqualified 18 MLAs owing allegiance to rebel AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran.

Rao arrived in Delhi on Monday and met President Ram Nath Kovind and finance minister Arun Jaitley.

The governor, who has been urged by Opposition parties and dissident AIADMK MLAs to immediately convene the Assembly to enable a floor test, is yet to take a decision on when to ask chief minister K Palaniswami to face a trial of strength.

Rao is expected to fly on Tuesday afternoon to Chennai where he would meet the chief minister and discuss a strategy on convening the Assembly.

Speaker Dhanapal's decision to disqualify the 18 MLAs of the Dinakaran camp has given an edge to the ruling side in the number game in the Assembly.
Dehradun: BJP president Amit Shah will be in Uttarakhand for two days starting from Tuesday as part of his 110-day nation-wide tour to strengthen and take stock of organisational work.

Shah, who is visiting the state for the first time after piloting it to a big victory in the state assembly elections in March, will land at the Jollygrant Airport at around 9.30 am and will be greeted by supporters along the way, BJP's Pradesh media in-charge Devendra Bhasin said.

Archways and banners have been put up across the city at points likely to be crossed by the the party chief.

A party statement said Shah will preside over a meeting of MPs and MLAs from the state, party's office-bearers, core group members, morcha presidents and general secretaries on Tuesday.

The party's district presidents, zila parishad presidents, chairmen of co-operative banks and former MPs and MLAs will join the exercise.

The statement said he will also hold a separate meeting with in-charges of different 'morchas' and cells in the afternoon and later address a meeting of intellectuals and eminent citizens.

He will also meet groups of leaders separately.

On Wednesday, he will inaugurate a library and e-library at the state party headquarters followed by a meeting of different departments and organisational projects. He will hold more meetings before leaving the state.

All the five Lok Sabha seats of the hilly state were won by the saffron party in 2014 and it scored a unprecedented victory in the Assembly polls this year by winning 57 out of the total 70 seats.

During his two day visit, the party chief is also likely to have a meal in a Dalit household, Bhasin said.

However, the timing for this and the household where Shah will have a meal have not been decided yet, he said.
Nitish Kumar's return to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ensured his continuance as Bihar chief minister, but events of the last two months have indicated that his Janata Dal (United) party might lose its hitherto dominant position vis-a-vis the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

And the BJP is clearly in no mood to remain dependent on Nitish any more. It has started focusing on the 2019 general elections, and has started chalking out its own plans. Its Bihar state unit is busy strengthening its organisation at booth levels, while national president Amit Shah's visit to the state next month is being eagerly awaited by all cadre and state-level leaders.

The BJP is in no mood to be dependent on Nitish for winning elections and the party has started focusing on general election which is one and half years away. The state unit has already chalked out plans to strengthen its organization to booth levels. The state unit is eagerly waiting for national president Amit Shahs visit next month in the state.

While the JD(U) is backing the padyatra, which was supended due to torrential floods, the BJP is backing a proposed Kurmi rally by its spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan, who was once considered close to Nitish Kumar, but changed ranks and joined BJP after differences of opinion. Nitish is considered a champion of the Kurmi community, which has traditionally voted with the Koeries. In fact, the two are nicknamed Luv-Kush, the twin sons of Lord Rama. The Kushwahas or Koeries claim their lineage from Kush, while Luv represents the Kurmi community. Between the two, the Luv-Kush axis accounts for a good 10-12 percent voteshare, and they are considered the second dominant caste group within the OBC category after Yadavs (15 percent). Along with Muslims (17 percent), they have traditionally been supporting Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). But 2014 was one exception, when the Yadavs voted for BJP.

The Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) leader and Union minister Upendra Kushwaha claims to represent the Koeries, As an alliance partner of the BJP, he was successful in transferring the community's votes to the saffron alliance in 2014, perhaps the first time the Kushwahas and Kurmis voted differently.

In the 2015 Assembly elections, Nitish Kumar turned the tables, and got both groups to vote for his "mahagathbandhan". On the other hand, Upendra Kushwaha's party got only two seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.

The BJP fought the 2014 Lok Sabha elections with allies Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) and RLSP, after Nitish Kumar pulled out of the NDA. Together the alliance bagged 31 seats while JD(U) was reduced to just two seats. But with Nitish's return to the fold, things have become complicated once again, especially with Amit Shah targeting more seats for the party. The JD(U), used to being the dominant alliance partner in Bihar, used to contest 25 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats, but that scenario can be ruled out entirely, says Shaibal Gupta of the Asian Development Research Institute, who has been advising Nitish on economic issues.

Challenge for Nitish to retain voter base

Rajeev Ranjan is organising a Kurmi rally on 5 November, and other BJP leaders are likely to be in attendence. "The first Kurmi Ekta Sammelan was organised on 12 February 1994. I feel the need to unite the community again, as they are fragmented in areas like Dhanuk, Awadhia, etc. My party has nothing to do with it, but I will invite leaders," he said.

Gupta said the BJP no longer wants to be dependent on Upendra Kushwaha or Nitish Kumar. They are targeting the 12 percent votes among OBC, with Baniya and Vaishya voters already in their favour. "The JD(U) will play second fiddle if it remains part of NDA. In fact, this would have been on Nitish's mind even before he decided to join hands with the BJP. Even before he broke the 'mahagathbandhan', he must have decided on this course of action," Gupta said.

The astute politician that he is, Nitish would have decided to forgo the upper hand for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls knowing his JD(U) would still emerge on top when the 2020 Assembly elections rolls around. "This is how a compromise would have been achieved. Nitish will lead in the state and allow BJP to take the lead for parliamentary polls," Gupta added

But he does disagree that another leader can replace Nitish as a representative of the Luv-Kush community. "Rajeev Ranjan is Nitish's school friend, but political compulsions made him to join the BJP. He is only trying to establish himself in Nalanda, Barh and Biharshareef, where the Luv-Kush play a decisive role. This is more of a personal turf war," he said.

Nitish, a product of Kurmi Mahasabha

In fact, the very emergence of Nitish Kumar as a mass leader dates back to 1994, when he was with the Janata Dal, the ruling party in Bihar then led by Lalu Prasad Yadav. After three years of Lalu's tenure as chief minister, a new social formation was in the works, when the Mandal unity started crumbling and the state was witnessing mass murders on caste lines.

Satish Kumar, a prominent CPI leader who was supporting the Lalu government, raised alarm bells, as Kurmis and Kushwahas, strong agricultural communities in central and south Bihar, were feeling the brunt of caste-based violence. Lalu's Muslim-Yadav equation threatened other smaller castes within the OBC set-up. Satish Kumar, himself a Kurmi, decided to unite against the Luv-Kush fraternity.

Satish said Nitish was initially against the idea of calling a caste rally but he, along with Brhamnand Mandal and others, persuaded him. Former Lok Sabha speaker Rabi Ray, Ramtahal Chaudhary, Urmila Ben Patel, and hundreds of other Kurmi leaders eventually attended the rally on 12 February 1994.

"Nitish tried to defend Lalu in his speech and the crowd at Gandhi Maidan went berserk. A few stones were hurled. I appealed and announced that Nitish was like a younger brother and a true leader of the community, and that they should let him speak. This was the true emergence of Nitish Kumar," he recalled.

Eight months after that rally, George Fernandes, Bashishtha Narayan Singh, Shakuni Chaudhary and Nitish Kumar broke ranks with Lalu and formed the Samata Party. "Samata Party progressed steadily and a large chunk of OBC votes and upper castes who weren't happy with Lalu Yadav supported the party. Nitish later joined NDA and was a part of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cabinet," he said.

However, Satish Kumar and Bholanath Singh, once considered Nitish Kumar's political mentors, are no longer with the Bihar chief minister today. Satish rued Nitish's political opportunism and lust for power. "Nitish has completed his cycle by joining NDA-UPA-NDA. But he has lost the faith of Luv-Kush community. He is dependent on BJP and is unable to win even two seats on his own," he said.

However, Shaibal Gupta has a different take. He believes the developmental agenda pursued by Nitish has changed the caste narratives in the last two decades, and he does enjoy the support of every caste in the state.
New Delhi: The Congress on Monday said that the delay in action by the Tamil Nadu Governor and Speaker is something "which is seriously liable to be questioned in court" adding that the Speaker's decision to disqualify rebel AIADMK lawmakers is also "liable to be challenged".

"Certainly every party in the country is monitoring, it is not that the Congress party is obliged to comment upon other party's event. But we have no hesitation in saying that the huge delay in action by the Speaker and by the governor is something which would be seriously liable to be questioned in court," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu singhvi.

Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, who met President Ram Nath Kovind and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi, is reaching Chennai on Tuesday morning and may issue orders summoning a special session of the Assembly for the Chief Minister E Palaniswamy to prove his majority.

Eighteen AIADMK MLAs owing allegiance to rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran were on Monday disqualified by Speaker P Dhanapal, giving the ruling side an edge in a show of strength which now seems imminent.

On this, Singhvi said: "The speaker's decision is also liable to be challenged fully as being actuated if the court so holds, and I am saying nothing here, by malafides, by a motivated desire to achieve a pre-decided result, because you know that there is already a proceeding pending in the High Court."

"In that proceeding, there is a demand for a confidence vote. Pursuant to that demand or no-confidence vote, pursuant to that demand, the government of the day in that state has made a statement that they will convey the date of the confidence vote to the court shortly.

"I believe the matter is coming up tomorrow or day after. Just before conveying the date of no-confidence or confidence to the court, it was quite expected that a government actuated by malafides would take this stand and that is what has happened. But this of course fully subject to legal challenges, which I have no doubt will be seen in the near future," he added.
Chennai: The DMK on Tuesday accused Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao for not ordering a floor test for the Palaniswamy government and instead allowing it to continue for nearly a month after it "lost majority" and said this led to a "black episode" in the state's politics.

A meeting of the party MLAs, convened to take stock of the political situation in the backdrop of disqualification of 18 rebel AIADMK legislators, demanded the resignation of Chief Minister K Palaniswamy and Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal. The DMK MLAs resolved to abide by whatever decision MK Stalin took to safeguard the welfare of the state people and support him in his legal endeavours to remove the ruling AIADMK.

Though Palaniswamy had "lost majority" following the 22 August revolt by 19 AIADMK MLAs against him, Rao had not directed a floor test and allowed the government to continue for nearly a month, resulting in an "an uncertain government", a meeting of the DMK MLAs said. The meeting, convened by party Working President and Leader of the Opposition in the assembly Stalin, also criticised the disqualification of 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs by Dhanapal, alleging that it was an "autocratic misuse" of the powers of the Speaker.

The meeting recalled that DMK and its allies had repeatedly knocked at the doors of the governor with pleas for a floor test for the Palaniswamy government. The governor had not heeded their demands despite Palaniswamy lacking the required support of 117 MLAs in the 234-member assembly with one vacancy following the revolt by 19 MLAs, it said.

"But the governor not directing a floor test and allowing a government that had lost majority to continue has resulted in an uncertain government staying in power. This meeting records that this is a black episode in Tamil Nadu politics," a resolution adopted by the MLAs said.

The Governor, Palaniswamy and Dhanapal had 'joined hands' to ensure majority and save the government, and had used the anti-defection rules for this purpose which

ad "hit the lifeline of democratic ethos", the resolution alleged.

The Speaker had "misused" anti-defection rules to aid the chief minister who was being helped by the governor also, the meeting charged. By doing so, the Speaker "has lost neutrality," it alleged.

"This meeting insists the central BJP government which is just watching the scams and anti-democratic activities of the ruling AIADMK and the governor who is aiding Palaniswamy should assume responsibility for the political crisis that has engulfed Tamil Nadu.

"The Speaker who has lost his neutrality, and Palaniswamy who is desperate to retain power through short-cut means, should resign immediately to uphold the sanctity of the Constitution and the Assembly," the meeting resolved. The "hurried" disqualification of 18 MLAs owing allegiance to sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran on Monday came in the wake of DMK moving the Madras High Court seeking a floor test in the Assembly, it said.

"This meeting condemns the autocratic misuse of powers by the Speaker" the opposition MLAs resolved. In another resolution, they criticised Palaniswamy and his deputy O Panneerselvam for turning the government meetings of ongoing centenary celebrations of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran into 'political' platforms to target DMK.

Later, speaking to reporters, Stalin accused the Governor of working under "Delhi's instructions" and said the AIADMK government's "days are numbered".

The disqualification of the dissident AIADMK MLAs would not stand legal scrutiny, he claimed. He also questioned what action had been taken against then rebel leader Panneerselvam and his supporters for voting against the Palaniswamy government in the 18 February trust vote.

Stalin parried a question on possible en masse resignation of DMK MLAs on the issue and said their next course of action would be based on the outcome of the DMK's petition in the Madras High Court seeking floor test. "We are confident that we will get justice in the court," he said.
Washington: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has said that intolerance and unemployment are the key issues that pose a serious challenge to India's national security and development.

Gandhi, who is in the US on a two-week-long tour, held a series of meetings, including a roundtable with eminent Indian/South Asia experts hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a Democratic-leaning think tank.

Prominent among the attendees were CAP head Neera Tandon, the former US Ambassador to India Richard Verma, and Hillary Clinton's top campaign advisor John Podesta.

Lisa Curtis, who heads the South Asia division at the National Security Council of the White House held discussions with Gandhi over a breakfast meeting during which the Trump administration official sought his views on the US-India relationship and the recently announced Afghanistan and South Asia policy of US president Donald Trump, according to the participants of the meeting.

US Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Thomas J Donohue met Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders at an event hosted by US India Business Council (USIBC).

During the meeting, Gandhi expressed concern over the inability of the government to create jobs in India, which he felt was leading the country towards a dangerous situation.

Gandhi also had an off-the-record interaction with the editorial board of The Washington Post, wherein he shared his anguish over the rising intolerance globally, particularly in India.

Later in the evening, Gandhi had another closed-door meeting co-hosted by Republican strategist Puneet Ahluwalia and American Foreign Policy Institute.

"I would say, he did not seem to be somebody who did not understand the issue. He has an understanding of the issue. He came across as more of a grassroots understanding leader. Everybody when they left they were pretty much very positive with the interaction," Ahluwalia said.

Gandhi is also believed to have met the Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe. Participants of these meetings overwhelmingly agreed with Gandhi that the "central challenge" in front of India was jobs and intolerance.

They left the meeting generally impressed with Gandhi's knowledge, clarity of thoughts and candidness. "(People) said he is exactly opposite than what we were told. They said, he is logical, he thinks well, and he understands the issue," Sam Pitroda, who has been accompanying Gandhi to all of his meetings, said.

He alleged that full-time staff hired by Gandhi's opponents have been creating a negative image of him. Pitroda said Gandhi believes in decentralisation. The real decisions have to be made at the district level. Gandhi is scheduled to address students of the Princeton University in New Jersey. Indian National Overseas Congress would host a reception for him in New York on Wednesday.
Kudal (Maharashtra): Maharashtra's former chief minister Narayan Rane on Tuesday accused the Congress of reneging on the promise of making him the chief minister, a day after he ranted against the party over "injustice" done to him and his supporters.

"I went to Congress because I was assured that I will be made chief minister in six months," Rane, who joined the Congress in 2005 after being expelled from the Shiv Sena, said.

Rane, who has pockets of influence in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, was expelled by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray after he voiced displeasure over Uddhav Thackeray gaining prominence in the party.

Asked about his next step after he blasted the Congress and its state chief Ashok Chavan at a rally here on Monday, Rane claimed, "For me, there are vacancies everywhere, even in the Shiv Sena. But I won't go there."

Rane, a tough talking Maratha leader, who was handpicked by Bal Thackeray as chief minister when he decided to remove the genial Manohar Joshi ahead of the 2005 Assembly elections, claimed he had received an offer from the Sena to return to its fold.

He, however, did not say if he was offered any post.

"It's not about any post. I said I don't want to rejoin the Sena. If the Sena doesn't want me, why would the offer have been made," Rane told a Marathi news channel.

However, Rane's open revolt against Bal Thackeray and Uddhav still rankles with most leaders and members of the Sena, whose threat to pull out of the coalition government is being seen as an attempt to thwart the Maratha leader's entry into the BJP.

The speculation about his joining BJP got triggered with reports that he had met BJP president Amit Shah in Ahmedabad a few months ago. During the recent Ganesh festival, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had visited Rane's residence, fuelling it further.

On the Sena's threat to withdraw from the BJP-led government in Maharashtra, Rane said, "This is the old style of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray."

Rane said Sena often enacted the "drama" of threatening to quit the government while enjoying the privileges of power.

After a meeting of senior party functionaries, MPs and legislators called by Uddhav Thackeray on Monday, its Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut had castigated the BJP-led governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre, and said the party was "very close" to taking a decision on its continuance in the Maharashtra government.

"We are very close to taking a decision (on whether to continue in the government)... wait and watch," he had said.

Asked to comment on the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Rane said he will speak on these issues on 21 September when he announces his next course of action.

He, however, left the door ajar for reconciliation with the Congress, saying if he was invited for talks by Chavan at 'Tilak Bhavan', the state party headquarters, he would go for it but at no other place.

"As of now, I am still in Congress," Rane said.

At Monday's rally, Rane had blasted the Congress for the "injustice" it has done to him and his supporters and hinted at quitting the party he had joined 12 years ago.

He said his supporters would contest the upcoming panchayat polls under a new entity- 'Samarth Vikas Panel'.

Rane had said he would announce the decision of "going in a new direction" at a press conference on 21 September.
New Delhi: The Nitish Kumar faction of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on Tuesday welcomed Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker P Dhanapals decision a day earlier to disqualify 18 MLAs owing allegiance to AIADMK faction leader TTV Dhinakaran.

"The JD-U welcomes the Speaker's decision to disqualify 18 dissident MLAs following a petition by AIADMK chief whip for anti-party activities," JD-U secretary general KC Tyagi said.

Tyagi said the development once again highlighted the powers conferred on the Speaker under the Tenth Schedule [Articles 102(2) and 192(2)] of the Constitution.

"The law allows a member of the House to be disqualified if he has voluntarily given up his membership of his party. The provision includes the conduct of the member outside the House too," he said.

"At present, the JD-U rebels are also facing the same trial in the Rajya Sabha regarding their membership. (Former JD-U chief) Sharad Yadav was asked not to attend a Rashtriya Janata Dal rally in Patna on 27 August, and it was specially conveyed to him that if he does so, it will be considered as voluntarily giving up the party membership," Tyagi said.

After Sharad Yadav attended the rally, JD-U leaders RCP Singh and Sanjay Jha petitioned vice president M Venkaiah Naidu, who is ex officio Rajya Sabha Chairman, on 5 September to disqualify Yadav and another party leader Ali Anwar Ansari.

"We have taken a serious note of Congress member Anand Sharma and CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury advising the Rajya Sabha chairman to refer the issue to the Ethics and Privileges Committee.

"When the Chairman is the competent authority to decide these matters as per the Tenth Schedule, an outsider's comment or advice is not appreciable in constitutional proceedings," Tyagi said.

On Monday, the JD-U faction of Sharad Yadav said they have full faith in Naidu's political wisdom and were sure he would decide the matter (of Yadav's and Ansari's disqualification) impartially.

The JD-U, the ruling party in Bihar, faced a split after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decided to break away from the Grand Alliance of JD-U, Congress and the RJD and go along with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a new government in the state in July.
Bihar's political circles are abuzz with talks that the construction of India's second and Bihar's first diesel locomotive factory being built in Marhowra might be stopped. The state's chief minister Nitish Kumar has, however, dismissed such rumours, claiming that he will take up the issue with newly-appointed railway minister Piyush Goyal.

What will Nitish do?

Nitish told the media that he will impress upon the railway minister, the utility and importance of the proposed diesel locomotive factory. It is believed that Nitish has already spoken to top railway officials and bureaucrats as media reports claimed that the railway ministry was eyeing to shut the project.

Meanwhile, a BJP minister in the Bihar government also claimed that he will work with Nitish to ensure that the crucial Make in India project is not wound up at any cost.

The buzz around Railways' plan to exit the project had come alive after Goyal chaired a meet in New Delhi to review various projects of the railways across India. The idea to wrap up the ambitious project in Marhowra was floated at this meeting, citing that future plans for electrification of Indian Railways will make locomotive plants redundant.

Will the Centre understand Nitish's position?

The BJP minister told Firstpost that he also spoke about the matter to concerned officials in the railway ministry and he was told that there has been no discussion on winding up the Marhowra plant. It seems that several desktop scholars are drawing their own conclusions, which are merely based on an official's suggestion.

The minister claimed that the matter of closing the factory is only a rumour. He argued that locomotive engines will prove useful in the event of technical faults in electrical engines. The Marhowra diesel locomotive factory, which is being developed under the PPP model in collaboration with a US-based firm, General Electric is in the final stage.

A senior official associated with the project said that 'finishing touches' are being given, and production of locomotive engines will begin by October 2018, in keeping with its deadline.

Cost of building the factory

The official also said that the factory is being built at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore, of which 55 percent has already been spent.

Almost 90 percent work of road construction and laying down of railway tracks is complete and the electricity connection with Mashrakh Power Grid has also been setup. Moreover, ninety percent of the farmers from whom around 226.90 acres of land was acquired for the project, have also been compensated so far.

Lalu Yadav's pet project

The proposed Marhowra diesel locomotive factory is considered to be a brain child of Lalu Prasad Yadav. In fact, Yadav had laid the foundation stone for the factory in 2007 as the then railway minister.

The RJD chief had also shown a personal interest in resolving issues related to land acquisition for the factory.

A railway official said, "In order to overcome the delays in land acquisition, Yadav had also implemented Railway Claims Tribunal (Procedure) Rules, 1989, which allowed the railways to initiate land acquisition on its own."

Meanwhile, reports of shutting down the factory had given several people a golden opportunity to target Yadav and BJP leader and former Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

A state BJP politician said, "If the Marhowra Diesel Rail Engine Factory is closed then it would be a clear indication that BJP central leadership has made up its mind to dent Yadav's imprint on Bihar politics and also trim Rudy's image in the state."

Politics over plant

Rudy and Yadav had been competing to claim credit for bringing a key railway project to Bihar. Besides, as chief minister of Bihar, Nitish will also feel the heat if such an important project is shut down in the state. The plant was expected to generate at least 1,000 jobs in the region.

Meanwhile, prominent writer/ journalist Rakesh Singh opined that since the news that Centre may be mulling to shut the locomotive plant has already reached the region through news reports and social media, it may spur violent protests in the region. In that case, no one can stop Rudy and Yadav from appropriating the credit for bringing employment opportunity to the state. The duo will be the emergent heroes in the event that Centre fails to react to the rumours and allay fears in Bihar.
After days of speculation over former Congress party leader Shankersinh Vaghela and his political future, the veteran politician announced his support for a new front in Gujarat on Tuesday. Just days after ruling out the possibility of floating a new outfit, the maverick Congress leader extended his support to Jan Vikalp forum, a party formed by his supporters in Gujarat.

Vaghela is also likely to announce the launch of a political forum similar to the third front on 30 September, according to The Times of India. At a press conference, Vaghela said that the new front will not be a political party but "an alternative force" to garner public anger against the ruling BJP and the "ineffective" Congress party.

Gujarat: Former Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela joins 'Jan Vikalp', a party formed by his supporters pic.twitter.com/llo7ZhBa4X  ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2017

Vaghela also added that his approach to the front will be positive while adding, "I will not criticise Narenda Modi or Amit Shah, but will criticise the BJP government in the state. Similarly, I will not criticise Sonia either."

This development comes just days after Vaghela's supporters passed a resolution urging him to become active "in order to ease the pains of people of Gujarat who are facing many problems at present."

In July this year, Vaghela resigned as the Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly and sent his letter of resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

In his letter shared with the media, the former chief minister alleged that he was forced to take this "tough decision" as some Congress leaders were conspiring against him ahead of the Assembly polls, expected to be held in Gujarat in December.

Vaghela fell out with the Congress after the party reportedly refused to pay heed to his demands that he be declared the chief ministerial nominee and given a free hand in selecting the party candidates.

Before Vaghela announced his departure from Congress, there were reports that he had met NCP leader Praful Patel and may join a third front that JD(U) and NCP are trying to form in Gujarat. MLAs of Congress, NCP and JD(U) were also invited for his 77th birthday celebrations, where he announced his decision to quit the Congress party.

Patel had also said that his party is trying to emerge as a third option in Gujarat. "We are planning for not just 2017 polls, but beyond that too," he added. If Vaghela extends support to NCP and JD(U) alliance, it can turn out to be a formidable front that may cut into the vote bank of the Congress.

With inputs from agencies
With the political impasse in Tamil Nadu showing no signs of letting up, Opposition Congress and DMK legislators are reportedly contemplating mass resignations from the state Assembly to force early elections in the state.

Speaker of the Assembly P Dhanapal had suspended 18 MLAs belonging to the ruling AIADMK party, for pledging their allegiance to rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran. The move was roundly censured by the Opposition parties, with DMK working president MK Stalin saying "it's not right and has been done deliberately to reduce the majority of the house".

According to a report on CNN-News18, about 100 Opposition MLAs may put in their papers, a move which is also being viewed as an attempt to put pressure on Governor Vidyasagar Rao to dissolve the state Assembly and call for fresh polls.

However, a DMK party spokesperson rejected these reports and said the party isn't likely to force its MLAs to resign. DMK spokesperson A Saravanan said no mass resignation was in order. "Such a move would only help the EPS-OPS faction, we can only appeal against the disqualification," he said.

According to the report, the DMK will have an internal party meeting on Tuesday, and a final decision on the matter will be taken after this.

The AIADMK has 134 MLAs in the 235-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, while the main Opposition party DMK has 89 MLAs. But with 18 legislators being disqualified, the AIADMK's strength has gone down to just 116.

There were fears that if a floor test was ordered and the Dhinakaran camp decided to support DMK, it may have been enough to topple the E Palaniswamy government.

Following their disqualification, the expelled MLAs moved the Madras High Court. P Vetrivel, one of the expelled MLAs from the Dinakaran camp, was quoted by The Hindu Business Line as saying they hadn't disobeyed a party whip and hadn't defected, and therefore couldn't be disqualified. "The Assembly was not in session for any whip to be issued. The members will approach the Court for relief," he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Palaniswamy also hinted on Monday that AIADMK could go for a future alliance with BJP, reported The Economic Times.

Palaniswamy, who was addressing party activists at the birth centenary of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran, was quoted by the report as saying, "We are neither slaves nor servants to the Centre. We are just cordial with the Union government. Only then we will be able to get projects for Tamil Nadu and get approvals for our own welfare schemes."

The chief minister also praised Narendra Modi, saying cordial relations between the two had ensured the prime minister promised free houses to be built for the poor in Tamil Nadu, and assured him of that an industrial township would be created in Tamil Nadu.
Chennai: The 18 dissident AIADMK MLAs were disqualified as they "distanced" themselves from their party and fell "into the control of persons outside their party" besides aligning with the DMK, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal has held while holding that they had "voluntarily given up their membership" of the AIADMK.

In a 22-page order disqualifying them, the Speaker quoted judgments of the Supreme Court and other courts to justify his action under the anti-defection law and rules made under that law in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

He gave his ruling on a petition by AIADMK chief government whip S Rajendiran against the 18 MLAs allied with sidelined leader TTV Dinakaran that their action of giving a memorandum to the Governor that chief minister E Palaniswamy lacks their confidence amounted to voluntarily giving up their membership of the party on whose symbol they were elected.

"It is crystal clear that their act is unilateral and would amount to voluntarily giving of the membership of the political party to which they belong," Dhanapal said in his order recalling various actions of the rebel group since giving a letter to the Governor on August 22.

He rejected their defence that they have not voluntarily given up their party membership and that merely meeting the Governor would not amount to giving up of membership or defection from the party. According to them, their act was completely covered by the judgement of Supreme Court in Balachandra L. Jarkiholi and others vs. B.S. Yeddyurappa and others (2011) case.

The chief whip had contended that the dissident MLAs had voluntarily give up their membership of AIADMK by making false allegations aginst the Chief Minister who was unanimously elected as the legislature party leader. They had also "embraced" a totally different ideology from that of the AIADMK by disassociating themselves from the decision of the party.

The Speaker cited an August 21 letter in which Dinakaran claimed that the Chief Minister had acted against AIADMK's policies and joined hands with former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and his group. According to that letter, Palaniswamy was facing corruption allegations and that most AIADMK (Amma) MLAs had expressed their displeasure against the Chief Minister.

"Accordingly, he had instructed the MLAs to meet the Governor and to withdraw the earlier support given to Palaniswamy. As per the said letter, the same would ensure that a fresh Chief Minister is selected from the party in order to run the government," the Dinakaran letter said.

The Speaker held neither this letter nor the alleged intention of the majority of the party MLAs was mentioned the representation given by the MLAs to the Governor.

"The representation given to the Governor is not based on the majority of the party MLAs. If so, the majority of the party MLAs would have met the Governor and not 19 MLAs giving identical but individual representations," the Speaker said.

"In fact, by claiming on one hand that they acted at the instance of the party and on the other hand that they are not part of the majority of the MLAs belonging to the party, the respondents are only subscribing to the fact that they are not part of the party itself. The above discussions would only lead to the conclusion that the respondents have in fact unidentified themselves with the AIADMK Party," the Speaker's order said.

Rejecting the contention of the MLAs, who cited the Supreme Court judgement in the case between Ravi S. Naik Vs Union of India and others on the scope of the expression "voluntarily giving up his membership", Dhanapal said: "It has been categorically held therein that the expression 'voluntarily given up membership' has a wider connotation. That even in the absence of formal resignation from membership an inference can be drawn from the conduct of a member that he has voluntarily given up his membership of a political party to which he belongs.

"Applying the said principle, from the facts of the case and the admission of respondents in their written comments, it is crystal clear that from their conduct they have voluntarily given up their membership of the political party, AIADMK, to which they belong. There could be no other inference."

He said in the light of the facts and the MLAs admission to have met the Governor and communicating they had lost confidence in the Chief Minister clearly would attract disqualification.

The Speaker also referred to a meeting the Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin had with the Governor after the dissident AIADMK MLAs and sought a floor test on the ground that the MLAs of the ruling party had withdrawn their support to the Chief Minister.

"I cannot view this as an isolated act or an unconnected incident. It is quite evident that the respondents herein have deviated from their loyalty to their party and have voluntarily taken the side of an opposition party.

"In my view even though the respondents have not submitted any letter of resignation to the AIADMK and claim they continue in the party, this act of them followed by the representation of the Leader of the Opposition cannot be lost sight of. It is quite clear from the sequence of events that the respondents are acting in concert with the leader of the Opposition.

The Speaker also dismissed the contention of the dissident MLAs that not enough time was given to them for adducing evidence in support of their claims. He dismissed their demand for cross- examination of the Chief Minister and others saying proceedings before him were not like a civil court.
Dinesh C Sharma

As the debate continues on connection of climate change with growing intensity of hurricanes like Harvey and Irma, climate change is already becoming a ground reality for scores of farmers in the hill state of Mizoram. Changing rainfall pattern and rising temperatures are forcing them to move away from traditional farming and to grow exotic crops that are heat-resistant and can survive erratic rains.

This year has been particularly bad. There has not been a single day when it has not rained. Farmers are completely confused. They dont know whether it was early monsoon or it is everyday monsoon. All important dates on the agriculture calendar have been missed, pointed out Dr James Lalnunzira Hrahsel, a scientist with the Mizoram State Climate Change Cell.

Data of the past thirty years shows a rise in average temperature of Aizawl in the month of January. The lowest maximum was 18.7 degree in 1992 while the highest was 28.2 degree in 2005. This January it was 26.3 degree. On the other hand, minimum temperature in January has dipped. The difference between daily minimum and maximum temperature has been widening. The maximum and minimum temperatures in July also have seen a similar trend.

The rainfall pattern has changed so drastically that farmers are left clueless. The dates for burning jhums (shifting cultivation) had to be shifted twice this year due to rains. While there is an increasing trend in monsoon rainfall, there is decrease in post-monsoon rainfall and winter rainfall. Heavy precipitation events have gone up.

The rainfall pattern in Mizoram has traditionally been so nuanced that Mizo language has different names for rain during different months, like To ruah (for April-May rains), Ruah Bing (for June-July rains), Ruah var pui (September rains), Ai Ruah (for October rains), Pawl del Ruah (December rains) etc. Even wind patterns have unique names  Vahtlao thli (February winds), Pa-sawntlung thli (March to May) and Pa leng thli (July winds) etc., explained Dr Lalrokima Chenkual, a disaster management expert with the Administrative Training Institute.

But nowadays, it is difficult to distinguish one rain or wind from another, said Dr Chenkual.

All this is directly affecting farming communities. Earlier farmers could grow a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Now they are approaching us to help them with new crops and varieties that can withstand changing climate. Thats why we have introduced dragon fruit from Thailand, new cabbage variety from China and two tomato varieties from Bangalore, Henry L Varte, horticulture extension officer, told India Science Wire.

Dragon fruit is a cactus that can grow in warm and humid climate, needs less water and its fruits have high commercial value. As dragon fruit is climbing cacti, concrete pillars are erected to train the vine and on the top old tyres are used. Dragon fruit cultivation is helping famers to adapt to rising temperature and erratic rainfall, while protecting their incomes, said Varte. Similarly the cabbage variety imported from China is heat-resistant. Two tomato varieties  Araka Smrat and Araka Rakshak developed the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Horticulture Institute can withstand high temperatures and are disease-resistant.

Earlier I used grow oranges from seedlings imported from Israel, but pest attacks started due to heat and the yield dropped. Then I planted areca nut. Last year I shifted to dragon fruit and have harvested 20 quintals of fruits this year. The market for this fruit is good, each fruit of about half a kilo sells for about Rs 100 to Rs 150, said Zoramthanga, a dragon fruit farmer from Viapuanpho village in Mamit district.

Mr Saurabh Sharma, state nodal officer for climate change, said adaptation had become necessary as districts in the state face moderate to high vulnerability to climate change in terms of agriculture, forestry and water sector. The National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change is funding a three-year project to augment livelihood of rural communities by building resilience in agriculture in four districts - Aizawl, Mamit, Kolasib, Serchhip.

The idea is to develop one climate resilient village in each district so that they can serve as model for the rest, Sharma explained while speaking at a media workshop. Mr Pradeep Chettri from Directorate of Agriculture (Crop Husbandry) said pilot projects were underway in three agro-climatic zones - humid mild tropical zone, humid sub-tropical hill zone and humid temperate sub-alpine zone- to increase tolerance and suitability of crops to climate change.

The media workshop was organized by the Indian Himalayas Climate Adaptation Programme (IHCAP) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) in collaboration with Mizoram State Climate Change Cell; Directorate of Science and Technology and Centre for Media Studies.

India Science Wire
Rob McMillan

The unscheduled power outage experienced by three Ukrainian power companies on 23 December 2015 was a game changer. It was a high profile cyberattack on the national infrastructure, which caused significant disruption to the electricity supply to a large number of customers.

Although the frequency of an attack of this scale is low, it shows how an aggressive cybersecurity attack can seriously impact business operations  and customers. Board-level reporting for cybersecurity and technology risk is becoming commonplace due to the severity these attacks can have on a business, but most organizations arent very good at it.

Gartner believes that by 2020, all large enterprises will be asked to report to their boards of directors on cybersecurity and technology risk at least annually, up from 40 percent today.

Most boards will ask security and risk management leaders to present to them on the state of security because its part of the boards fiduciary duty, not because theyve suddenly become cybersecurity enthusiasts..

They may not understand cybersecurity and risk, but they do care about the impact to the business, its customers and bottom-line revenue.

Align security with business impact

Most boards wont have many technology-savvy members, so trying to teach them to understand security and the relevant technology is unlikely to be productive or useful to them.

What board directors care about is:

Strategy, not operations

Risk oversight, not management

Business outcomes, not technology details

A clear responsibility

Put cybersecurity in terms they can understand and that aligns with business decisions and outcomes. Tell them what they need to know, what they have a legal obligation to know and reassure them that there is a pathway to ensure that material risks are being managed.

You need to help them meet those obligations, but equally you dont want to overplay the danger because you could undermine your own position. That will lead to the board losing confidence in you, or youll make enemies, which isnt an effective way to go about fixing problems.

What not to tell them

The board wont be interested in every piece of malware that comes into an organisation. If someone gets a virus on their machine and infects six workstations with no significant business impact, directors dont care. But if it becomes more serious with the potential to disrupt the business, whatever the core business process happens to be, theyll need to be informed.

Use fear, uncertainty and doubt sparingly. The board doesnt want to hear the doom and gloom. Directors are interested in ensuring that solutions are, or will be, in place. Theyre also interested in how the organization is meeting its business aspirations, and what the security practitioners are doing to help achieve them. Its a fine balance and it takes skill to convey the message.

What to tell them

Acknowledge that there will be incidents from time to time  it happens in most organizations  but reassure them that they will be managed. You may not be able to avoid every potential incident, but what you can control is how you prevent them, and then how you respond when they do occur.

Security and risk professionals should:

Position the discussion within a business context that is relevant to board-level decisions, while avoiding issues that are relevant only to IT personnel and IT decision making.

Adopt a fact-based approach and avoid blaming individuals. Focus on the current situation and the plan of action to resolve it.

An incident is a potential opportunity to remedy systemic or legacy problems, but continue to balance the needs to protect the organization against the needs to operate the business.

Finish discussions with an ask of the board to engage members in the process.

The author is a Research Director at Gartner
tech2 News Staff

Motorola India could be gearing up for the launch of a new smartphone after a series of teasers on its offical Twitter handle. The company has been spotted repeatedly using the hashtag 'Xperience' for the teaser, suggesting what could well be the Moto X4.

The emphasis on the letter X across a series of tweets clearly points to the mid-range offering from Motorola. The images in the tweets also clearly point towards a dual-camera smartphone which also appears to refer to the Moto X4. The Lenovo owned brand unveiled the awaited Moto X4 at an event in IFA Berlin earlier this month.

Based on the specifications stated on Motorola's global site, the Motorola Moto X4 comes with a dual-camera setup on the rear including a 12 MP dual autofocus Pixel sensor and an "ultra wide-angle" unit with an 8 MP sensor. The front camera comes with a 16 MP sensor, f/2.0 aperture and features a selfie flash for taking pictures in low lighting conditions. The 12 MP rear sensor has an f/2.0 aperture and the 8 MP has an f/2.2 aperture. The phone's camera is capable of recording 4k/2160p video at 30 fps and 1080p video at 60 fps.

With the arrival of a new Motorola phone, comes an #Xperience unlike any other. Guess which ones being shown here and stand to win! pic.twitter.com/9mP1f9twRP  Motorola India (@motorolaindia) September 18, 2017

The Moto X4 features a 5.2-inch Full HD display (1080x1920) with Gorilla Glass protection and IP68 water and dust resistance rating. The device is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery and comes with Motorola's Turbo Charger for quick charging. Motorola has provided USB TypeC port for charging and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The Moto X4 comes with 3 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage that can be extended upto 2 TB with a microSD card and features a single Nano SIM card slot that supports 4G LTE. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 platform which features a 2.2 GHz octa-core processor and an Adreno 508 GPU.

A luxurious #xperience like no other! Guess them all correctly to win exciting things in store for you! pic.twitter.com/3VDY8NDbBp  Motorola India (@motorolaindia) September 18, 2017

Motorola has also included support for Amazon's Alexa in the Europe variant, which is unlikely to be brought to India.

The device runs on Android Nougat 7.1 and has been launched in two color variants: Super Black and Sterling Blue. Going by the rate at which the teasers are headed, Motorola could be launching the Moto X4 in India quite soon.
tech2 News Staff

Motorola has changed its stance after reports that the company will not issue an upgrade for Moto G4 emerged. According to a report by Android Police, Motorola issued a statement saying that it will issue an upgrade to Moto G4 Plus. This means that the company will only upgrade G4 Plus and leave out Moto G4 and G4 Play on Android Nougat 7.0.

The company issued an apology in its statement to Android Police stating:

Its been brought to our attention that there were some errors in our marketing materials around Android O upgrades for Moto G4 Plus. This was an oversight on our part and we apologise for this miscommunication.

The interesting thing to note here is that Moto G4, G4 Plus and G4 Play pack similar hardware which means that in theory, the company can issue Android 8.o Oreo upgrade to the G4 and G4 Play as pointed in the report.

Motorola has not issued any estimate about how long it will take the company to issue the upgrade. The company pointed out in the statement, Because this is an unplanned upgrade, it will take some time to fit it into our upgrade schedule.
tech2 News Staff

Google is likely to pack the Active Edge feature in the upcoming Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. According to a report by 9to5Google, an APK teardown of Google app v7.12 revealed references to this feature in the upcoming Pixel 2.

The Active Edge was first introduced in the HTC U11 that was launched earlier this year. The feature comprises invoking a command by interacting with two opposite edges, usually, the sides of the smartphone. This is not the only feature that was uncovered in the teardown and the code referred to many upcoming features.

For the uninitiated, APK teardown is where people decompile the latest version of any given Android app and analyse the code. The code inside the app provides many interesting features that may make way in the future or are under testing. All of the uncovered features may or may not make their way to the finished product but they do reveal the latest that the company is working on. Moving on, the report points out at Active Edge making its way to the Pixel 2.

The code hints that users can Squeeze for your Assistant to access Google Assistant in the upcoming flagship from Google. The app also reveals that users can change the squeeze gesture on their device to assign another function to the feature. One thing to point here is that this is not the first time where reports are hinting at the Pixel 2 receiving this feature.

The second feature is the Routines feature where users can set phrases to invoke a set of commands. The feature is similar to Google Shortcuts, a feature that the company introduced at I/O 2017. However, the main difference is Routines allows users to invoke a number of commands while Shortcuts allows one command.

Google is also working on something called the Google Bar. It is unclear at the time of writing if it is a new type of search bar or widget or quick search bar in notifications. However, the app code does pack a number of settings to change the shape, colour and transparency of the bar. Google is also working on introducing new voices and hot words for Google Assistant. The company is also planning to increase its ambient noise library to add sleep sounds.

Last but not the least, the teardown also hints at improved Podcasts support for Google Assistant.
Xiaomi phone launches generate a lot of speculation among consumers. Most of the time, the phone is launched in China already and its then a guessing game as to which phone will arrive in India next. Not all Xiaomi phones launched in China have seen the light of day here. But it looks like Xiaomi is planning to change that.

The Mi 5X, Xiaomis dual camera sporting smartphone was launched in China a while back. So when the Xiaomi India Twitter handle tweeted about a dual camera phone launching soon in India, everyone assumed it would be the Mi 5X. Xiaomi had other plans though, and it went ahead and launched its first Android One smartphone in the form of Xiaomi Mi A1. While the phone isnt any different from the Mi 5X, the Mi A1 is a stock Android version sporting smartphone. So let us see if this phone has the potential to create a shake up in the Rs 15,000 price bracket phone market.

Build and Design: 8/10

Xiaomi has paid a lot of attention to the design and it shows in the well sculpted phone. The metal unibody encases the phone and the antenna lines are seen on the top and bottom portions. The Mi and Android One branding are prominently seen on the rear side. Theres a circular fingerprint scanner placed conveniently where your index finger will rest. On the top left hand corner is the dual camera module which juts out slightly from the plane of the rear side of the phone. A dual LED flash unit is placed beside it. The matte finish on the rear side of the Mi A1, ensures that it does not collect smudges or fingerprints, as we have come to see with glossy surfaces.

The corners are rounded and the sides have a rounded design around the edges helping you get a good hold on this otherwise slippery phone. Youve to be really careful, while using the phone one-handed lest it slip from your hands. The edges have chamfering which shows up just around the 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass, thanks to the shiny chrome. Volume rocker and power/standby buttons are placed on the right hand edge and the dual SIM tray is located on the left hand side. The bottom edge has the 3.5 mm audio jack, USB Type C port and the speaker section whereas the top edge has the infrared blaster. The phone is just 7.3 mm thick and weighs 165 grams.

The display is a 5.5-inch full HD panel and the bezels on the top and bottom of the phone are thicker than the ones on the side. The software buttons placed on the base are not programmable. Overall, the build quality is quite refined, there is barely anything to complain about and for the price it is being offered at, you cant really ask for much.

Features: 8/10

Xiaomi phones are known for their value proposition offerings. With the Mi A1, Xiaomi has ambitious goals of trying to woo an audience who was staying away from the Xiaomi ecosystem, as they were not sold on the MIUI user interface. The success of phones from the Moto line up over the years, is proof enough that there is a significant audience out there who prefer a pure Android experience. Xiaomi phones with their rich feature set at competitive price points were the perfect platforms to try out this experiment on and with the Mi A1, the smartphone maker has finally decided to chart into this territory.

The highlight of the phone is the presence of Android Nougat 7.1.2 OS without any skinning atop it, which makes it stand apart from all the Xiaomi phones released so far. There are only three Xiaomi apps that come pre-bundled - Mi Remote, Mi Feedback and Mi Store. And since this is a dual camera smartphone, it comes with a Xiaomi camera app instead of the Google native camera app.

It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC which houses an octa-core processor clocked at 2.0 GHz along with Adreno 506 GPU. Theres 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage which is expandable to 256 GB using a microSD card slot.

The dual rear camera setup is the second USP of the phone. There are two 12 MP sensors, on of them having an f/2.2 aperture with a 26 mm focal length, whereas the other zoom lens has an f/2.6 aperture and 50 mm focal length. Thanks to this arrangement, you get 2x optical zoom out of the box. The video camera is capable of shooting at 2160p at 30 fps and 1080p at 60 fps. On the front, there is a 5 MP selfie camera.

On the connectivity front, you get a hybrid dual SIM slot, support for 4G networks, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac and Wi-Fi DIrect, Bluetooth 4.2 LE and supports infrared booster. It supports GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS and BDS. Finally, there is a 3,080 mAh battery powering the system.

Display: 8/10

Xiaomi Mi A1 comes with a 5.5-inch full HD display which is protected by a 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass, which ensures that the display scratch resistant. It uses a LTPS IPS LCD panel. The screen is quite reflective though when there is a remotely dark scene which can get irritating at times. Viewing angles are really good. Even when watching it from steep angles, I did not notice much contrast shift. Watching movies, playing games on this display is a great experience. Text and icons are sharp thanks to the 403 ppi pixel density. Brightness levels are up to the mark, although the maximum brightness makes the display seems a bit washed out. The auto-brightness feature works well.

OS and Software: 7.5/10

Considering this is an Android One smartphone, it comes with Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS out of the box, without any MIUI skin atop it. Since MIUI has been such an integral part of any Xiaomi phone, it will take some time getting used to the fact that this stock Android phone is indeed made by Xiaomi. Thanks to stock Android, there is very little bloat on the phone, apart from the four Xiaomi made apps -- Mi Store, Feedback, Mi Remote and the camera app.

There isnt an app tray and you just swipe up to access all your apps, just like in Pixel. There is no floating Google icon as we had seen on the Pixel which gives a direct access to Now, but the first home screen is a Google search bar with the latest feed. There is a Mi Services tab in the Settings menu in case you want to activate those. You also get the split screen mode and Google Assistant.

Overall the user interface is clean and quite responsive. I did notice some lag in the camera app however, specially when you are switching between the zooming. The transition is not instant but seems to appear gradually. It does support gestures such as opening the camera app by double pressing on the power button. And you can check notifications by swiping down on your fingerprint sensor.

Performance: 7.5/10

Android One handsets when they were first announced belonged to the entry level category with basic specifications. But Xiaomi Mi A1 offers an impressive mid-range feature set which ensures that day to day performance of the device is lag-free. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC paired with 4 GB RAM is plenty to handle any tasks thrown at it.

Yes, there are the one-off frame drops that you notice when playing high end games such as Asphalt Extreme, but that is par for the course. The Mi A1 would heat up to some extent while playing heavy games, but while watching videos the temperatures were controlled. There was rarely any instance when the app shut down due to overheating. Yes, some apps did randomly shutdown, but it was more of a software bug. This was observed once or twice while using the device for review. 4 GB RAM ensures that you can have many apps open at the same time and switching between apps isnt an issue. The only lag that was noticeable was in the camera app when I tried using the zoom function.

Call quality was great and audio was crisp. The speakers are quite loud and there were many instances where I did not use earphones to watch YouTube videos. The benchmark numbers are in line with other Snapdragon 625 chipset sporting phones. It ticks off all the boxes of a mid-range device. In day to day usage, the user experience was quite good.

Camera: 7/10

After the Mi 6 that was announced in April this year, this is Xiaomis second foray into a dual rear camera sporting smartphone. There are two 12 MP sensors, one of them having an f/2.2 aperture with a 26 mm focal length which is the wide-angle camera, whereas the other zoom lens has an f/2.6 aperture and 50 mm focal length. Thanks to this arrangement, you get 2x optical zoom out of the box. The video camera is capable of shooting at 2160p at 30fps and 1080p at 60fps. On the front, there is a 5 MP selfie camera.

Since the native Google camera app does not support dual camera setups, you get a custom Xiaomi camera app. The interface of the app is quite similar to the one we have seen on MIUI OS sporting Xiaomi phones. You get the filters on the left and camera switcher on the right hand side and at the top you have the direct button to activate portrait mode, one to activate HDR mode and another to activate flash. Options throw up familiar features such as panorama mode, manual mode, Beautify mode, Square mode, Group selfie mode among others. In the video section you get slow motion and time lapse features as well.

When it comes to camera performance, the daylight shots come out well. Focussing is quick and the photo is packed with details. Yes, there is a loss of detail around the edges, but nothing that takes away from the photograph. Colours appear lively as well. The tap to zoom function isnt the quickest around and you see a definite lag before it actually switches from 1x to 2x optical zoom. Nothing that a future software patch cannot fix.

Things change drastically when you operate the camera in low light. On most occasions I realised that the camera was not able to lock onto a focus. And at times, even after locking on a focus, the final output was not that detailed. There is too much noise which avoids giving us a sharp image in low light. The algorithms certainly need a lot more work and Xiaomi has to look into this aspect, as this is one thing that sticks out in this otherwise great phone.

Portrait mode is decent, but it requires a lot of patience. Forget taking street portraits as you will need to find a subject who is ready to wait for a while before the portrait mode offers a shallow depth of field. With objects such as statues, the portrait mode functioning was a hit and a miss as you will notice in the image samples below.

Battery Life: 7.5/10

Xiaomi Mi A1 lasts a good day on regular usage which involves surfing the web, couple of accounts synced on mail, Slack, WhatsApp conversations, around 30-40 mins of gaming, some video viewing and listening to audio. You can easily derive a screen on time of over 3.5 hours in most cases. In the PC Mark for Android test, we got around 11 hr 25 mins which is good enough for regular usage. It takes around 90 mins to go from 0 to 100 percent charge.

Verdict and Price in India

Xiaomi offers a well rounded phone at Rs 14,999 with stock Android to boot. If you are in the market for a Rs 15,000 phone, you will not go wrong with the Xiaomi Mi A1. Of course, you will have to factor in one of its major drawbacks - poor low light photography. But that apart, there is fairly little to complain with the Mi A1. And thankfully, it will not just be available on flash sales which gets over in seconds. Xiaomi has also partnered with a lot of offline retail partners for the Mi A1.

If you want to look elsewhere, then the Moto G5S Plus is an option to consider. We will be putting out a review of the same soon, so stay tuned. If you still want to opt for a MIUI Xiaomi phone, then the Redmi Note 4 is still quite a capable device.

Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is poised on Tuesday to break her near-silence on communal violence scorching through Rakhine state, in a televised speech on Rohingya refugee crisis that has shocked the world and prompted the UN to accuse the country's army of ethnic cleansing.

Suu Kyi's refusal so far to defend the Rohingya over nearly a month of violence has baffled and enraged an international community that once feted her as the champion of Myanmar's democracy struggle.

But inside Myanmar, supporters say the 72-year-old lacks authority to reign in the army, which stands accused of waging a campaign of murder and arson that has driven more than 410,000 Rohingya from their homes.

The violence erupted in late August when the army retaliated against co-ordinated attacks by Rohingya militants.

Since then just under half of Rakhine's Rohingya population has poured into Bangladesh, where they now languish in one of the world's largest refugee camps.

A further 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of the 25 August attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salavation Army (ARSA) militant group.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has been decried overseas for failing to condemn the generals, with whom she is in a delicate power-sharing arrangement.

With global pressure cranked high, Suu Kyi has skipped the UN General Assembly in New York to manage the crisis at home and deliver her televised address  the biggest yet of her time in office.

"She is going to tell the world the real truth," her spokesman Zaw Htay told reporters ahead of the speech scheduled for 03.30 GMT.

Siege mentality

But analysts say she faces the treacherous task of walking the line between global outrage and Islamaphobic anti-Rohingya views at home, where there is broad support for the army's campaign.

"I'm worried that there is almost no possibility, given the political climate in Myanmar, for balancing the expectations of most of the country and the expectations of the international community," said Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar.

While desperate scenes of weary and hungry Rohingya civilians streaming into Bangladesh have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for the Muslim group among Myanmar's Buddhist majority.

Many reject the existence of a Rohingya ethnicity and insist they are 'Bengalis'  illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

On Monday several hundred people gathered in downtown Yangon to rail against the UN, international NGOs and foreign media, as a siege mentality grows inside Myanmar.

"I want Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to stand for the ethnic people of Myanmar and to remove the pressure from the international community by giving the speech tomorrow," demonstrator Khin Khin Myint said.

Tensions over the status of the Rohingya have been brewing for years in Myanmar, with bouts of anti-Muslim violence erupting around the country as Buddhist hardliners fan fears of an Islamic takeover.

When she makes her address on Tuesday, Suu Kyi must also tread carefully around a military that still looms large in the fragile democracy.

Although the army stepped down from junta rule in 2011, it kept control of security policy and key levers of government.

Any overt break from the army's policy in Rakhine could enrage the generals and derail Suu Kyi's efforts to prevent a rollback on recent democratic gains.
Amid the crackdown by Myanmar Army, Rohingya Muslims are fleeing to neighbouring countries in large numbers.

As global condemnation rises, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi said on Tuesday that the Myanmar government would start a verification process for people forced to flee by army operations. But the exodus remains unresolved.

Apart from India, where about 40,000 Rohingya are living as refugees, Bangladesh has been a major destination to those fleeing persecution in Myanmar.

Over 3,00,000 Rohingya are currently living in refugee camps across Chittagong division.

But the country is struggling to cope with the refugees and aid workers fear people could die due to lack of food, shelter and water, given the numbers. This forced Bangladesh to ask all refugees to go home.

Bangladesh said it would free 2,000 acres (810 hectares) of land for a new camp in Cox's Bazar district, to help shelter newly arrived Rohingya. The government was also fingerprinting and registering the new arrivals.

Kutupalong and another pre-existing Rohingya camps were already filled beyond capacity. Other new arrivals were staying in schools or huddling in makeshift settlements with no toilets along roadsides and in open fields.

During her visit to a refugee camp, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina demanded Myanmar to take steps to take Rohingya Muslims back and while assuring temporary aid until that happened.

Before 25 August, when the latest round of persecution began, Bangladesh had already been housing some 500,000 Rohingya who arrived after the bloody anti-Muslim riots in 2012 or amid earlier persecution drives in Myanmar.

Bangladesh is the favoured destination for Rohingya Muslims as the Rakhine state  from where Rohingya originally come from  shares a land border with the nation-state.

However, Myanmar's eastern neighbours have provided humanitarian assistance to Rohingya Muslims too.

On 13 September, Indonesian president Joko Widodo dispatched aid to Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh camps, Straits Times reported.

Speaking to reporters in Dhaka, Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi said that the country is ready to help ease Bangladesh refugee crisis.

We will continue to discuss what sort of support Indonesia could make to ease the burden of Bangladesh government, Reuters quoted her saying.

But apart from providing humanitarian aid, Indonesia only admitted a modest number of refugees, Centre for Foreign Policy said. The article, while adding that Indonesia did allow about 1,000 Rohingya refugees to enter the country, noted that the military was apprehensive of the security threat from the influx.

Malaysia, another Muslim country and an ASEAN member, said on 7 September, that its coast guard will not turn away Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar. The Myanmar government also added it is willing to provide them temporary shelter.

Moreover, Malaysia is already holding over 1,00,000 refugees since 2015, when the last round of exodus took place.

But as this Reuters article noted, Malaysia will probably house the new arrivals in immigration detention centres, where foreigners without documents are typically held.

This is because the country is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, treats refugees as illegal migrants.

This means that the refugees would be unable to work, and lack access to education and health care.

The country is cautious about the refugees. Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said that the country will accept more refugees while expressing caution that militants from the region may enter the country.

"We will accept these refugees on humanitarian grounds, but the Government is being very cautious about this. There is an emerging militant group rising from the catastrophe in Myanmar and we do not want such individuals or their sympathisers to slip into Malaysia," he told The Star.

Thailand, a centre for human trafficking across the world, is also a destination for some Rohingya Muslims. The Thai government on 27 August said that it is ready to take Rohingya refugees and send them back when they are ready.

Thailands defense ministry and security are preparing to receive various displaced people. We will provide them with shelter like in the past ... and send them back when they are ready, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters.

However, like Malaysia, Thailand is a non-signatory of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. This means that Rohingya Muslims are not officially recognised as refugees and they are not considered as legitimate migrant workers.

To add to the problem, a 2015 Thai police crackdown on human trafficking syndicates led to ships with migrants aboard being abandoned at sea, disrupting the networks that brought migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh to Thailand and Malaysia.

As of July 2017, 151 Rohingya refugees remain in detention throughout Thailand, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the EU Commission noted.

With inputs from agencies
Auto refresh feeds

A day after telling the United Nations that it has "great potential", US president Donald Trump is giving his maiden address to the General Assembly.

"US has great patience, but if pushed to a corner, it will destroy the North Korea. The United States is ready, but hopefully we wouldn't have to. That's what United Nations is here for. North Korea should realise denuclearisation is its only option," said US president Donald Trump.

"We cannot let a murderous regime like Iran build nuclear weapons, and we cannot let them use a deal as a cover for nuclear warfare. The nuclear deal was an embarrassment to the United States. And it's not the last time you've heard this," said Donald Trump at his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

"It's time to expose and hold responsible those countries which finance and support terror groups. The US and allies are working throughout the Middle East to crush the loser terrorists. We will destroy their safe havens," said US president Donald Trump.

"At the cost of housing a migrant here, we can take care of their entire family back home. Throughout history, we have learnt housing refugees hurts both the receiving and sending countries. To the receiving countries, the huge costs, and to the sending countries, the loss of labour," said Donald Trump at his maiden speech to the UN General Assembly.

"Major countries are in conflict, many of them are going through hell. American people hope the UN can soon be an effective advocate for human freedom around the world. But no country should bear a disproportionate burden. It's why we have decided to not lift sanctions against Cuba. Also, the corrupt socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. Venezuelans are starving. The situation is unacceptable. As responsible neighbours, we have a goal  to restore their democracy," said US president Donald Trump in his maiden speech to the UN General Assembly.

"The problem is not that Socialism was poorly implemented in Venezuela, it's that it was faithfully implemented," said Donald Trump, in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly.

Loud murmurs filled the green-marbled UN General Assembly hall when Donald Trump issued his sternest warning yet to North Korea, whose ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests have rattled the globe. Unless North Korea backs down, he said, We will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime."

By continuing to build his nuclear weapons programme, 'Rocket Man', as Donald Trump called North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, is on a "suicide mission", the US president said.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Donald Trump's speech to the United Nations General Assembly, saying he has never in over 30 years seen such a "brave and clear" speech that spoke the truth about the dangers in the world.

"At the cost of housing a migrant here, we can take care of their entire family back home. Throughout history, we have learnt housing refugees hurts both the receiving and sending countries. To the receiving countries, the huge costs, and to the sending countries, the loss of labour," said Donald Trump at his maiden speech to the UN General Assembly.

"Major countries are in conflict, many of them are going through hell. American people hope the UN can soon be an effective advocate for human freedom around the world. But no country should bear a disproportionate burden. It's why we have decided to not lift sanctions against Cuba. Also, the corrupt socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. Venezuelans are starving. The situation is unacceptable. As responsible neighbours, we have a goal  to restore their democracy," said US president Donald Trump in his maiden speech to the UN General Assembly.

"The problem is not that Socialism was poorly implemented in Venezuela, it's that it was faithfully implemented," said Donald Trump, in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly.

Loud murmurs filled the green-marbled UN General Assembly hall when Donald Trump issued his sternest warning yet to North Korea, whose ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests have rattled the globe. Unless North Korea backs down, he said, We will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime."

By continuing to build his nuclear weapons programme, 'Rocket Man', as Donald Trump called North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, is on a "suicide mission", the US president said.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Donald Trump's speech to the United Nations General Assembly, saying he has never in over 30 years seen such a "brave and clear" speech that spoke the truth about the dangers in the world.

President Trump gave a strong and needed challenge to UN members to live up to its charter and to confront global challenges.

Donald Trump told world elders at the United Nations General Assembly that the US military will be 'strongest it's ever been' while stating that certain 'rogue nations' pose a threat to the world.

Trump, who took the podium at the General Assembly for the first time after winning the US presidential election in 2016, also said that UN 'sovereign nations' must be basis of world order.

Trump spoke at the UNGA meeting just after Brazil's Michel Temer, presenting his message to the world while also pushing for his nationalist "America First" agenda.

At a first UN appearance on Monday, Trump had vowed to push for reform at the world body that he once disparaged as a "club" where "people get together, talk and have a good time."

On Tuesday, while addressing world leaders at the UNGA, the US leader outlined his foreign policy priorities, from confronting North Korea over its nuclear and missile tests to deciding the fate of the Iran nuclear deal.

Before Trump's address, a top White House aide had said that Trump wpid take aim at "rogue regimes that threaten world stability and peace," singling out Pyongyang and Tehran during his 30-minute remarks and urging responsible nations to step in to curb their behavior.

"Trump will argue nation states should be free to pursue their interests unfettered  a contentious message for delegates to the world's foremost multilateral forum," AFP had siad.

Among other world leaders who will be making their first address at the UNGA meet include French president Emmanuel Macron, seen as the face of a more confident post-Brexit Europe, will also be making his first address to the 193-nation assembly.

His speech will likely offer a sharp contrast to Trump's worldview.
New York: President Donald Trump warned that Venezuela is "collapsing" and suggested that the United States may take additional steps to restore democracy.

Trump told Latin American allies gathered on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly that President Nicolas Maduro "defied his own people" and was guilty of "disastrous rule" that may necessitate further punitive measures.

"The Venezuelan people are starving. Their country is collapsing," he said.

Washington has already slapped sanctions the crisis- stricken country and Trump warned on 11 August that the United States was mulling a range of options against Venezuela, "including a possible military option if necessary."

Trump did not repeat that warning, but said the United States was prepared to take further action, without offering details.

"Their democratic institutions are being destroyed," he said. "Our goal must be to help them and restore their democracy."

The meeting was attended by Colombia's Juan Manuel Santos, Brazil's Michel Temer, Panama's Juan Carlos Varela and Argentina's vice-president Gabriela Michetti.
Pointe-a-Pitre: Hurricane Maria smashed into the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica on Tuesday, with its prime minister describing devastating damage as winds and rain from the powerful storm also hit territories still reeling from Irma.

As residents hunkered down in their homes the Category Five hurricane made landfall with top winds swirling at 160 miles (257 kilometres) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

"We have lost all what money can buy and replace," Dominica's premier Roosevelt Skerrit posted on Facebook, saying there were initial reports of "widespread devastation".

"My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains," he added.

Earlier, he said his roof had been blown off, his house was flooding and he was "at the complete mercy of the hurricane".

After being rescued Skerrit appealed for "help of all kinds" but noted specifically that helicopters will be needed so that authorities could survey the damage.

Dominica's airport and ports have been closed.

After moving across the tropical island of 72,000 people, Maria was downgraded to an "extremely dangerous" Category Four hurricane but could strengthen again as it races north towards the British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The NHC warned of dangerous storm surges, destructive waves, flash floods and mudslides and warned that "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion".

The French territory of Guadeloupe -- the bridgehead for aid for Irma-hit French territories -- ordered all residents to take shelter in a maximum-level "violet alert". Heavy rain lashed the island and several areas were without power Tuesday morning.

The Dominican Republic, the east coast of which was battered by Irma, ordered citizens in part of the north to evacuate ahead of Maria's arrival, expected Wednesday.

St Kitts, Nevis, the British island of Montserrat, Culebra and Vieques were also on alert.

Martinique, a French island south of Dominica, suffered power cuts but avoided major damage as the storm skirted its shores.

Flooding, mudslides and power outages were also reported in parts of St Lucia.

'Worst-case scenario'

Criticised for the pace of relief efforts in their overseas territories devastated by Irma, Britain, France and the Netherlands said they were boosting resources for the Caribbean.

"We are planning for the unexpected, we are planning for the worst," said Chris Austin, head of a UK military task force set up to deal with Irma, as the British Virgin Islands readied for a new onslaught.

On the island of St Martin, which is split between France and the Netherlands, authorities announced a red alert ahead of Maria's arrival.

"We're watching its trajectory very closely, and we're preparing for the worst-case scenario," said local official Anne Laubies.

In Guadeloupe's biggest city of Pointe-a-Pitre, Elodie Corte, the boss of a metalworking company, said there had been frantic preparations to limit the damage from the storm.

"We spent the morning strapping down the aluminium to stop it from flying away if the winds are strong," she said Monday.

The Dutch navy tweeted that troops were heading to the two tiny neighbouring islands of Saba and St Eustatius to ensure security following widespread complaints after the first hurricane of looting and lawlessness on St Martin, among the worst hit by Irma, with 14 killed.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said 110 more soldiers would be deployed to the region to reinforce about 3,000 people already there shoring up security, rebuilding infrastructure and distributing aid.

But he warned of "major difficulties" if Guadeloupe is hard hit.

Hurricane series

Irma, also a Category 5 hurricane, left around 40 people dead in the Caribbean before churning west and pounding Florida, where the death toll stood at 50 on Monday.

It broke weather records when it whipped up winds of 295 kilometres per hour for more than 33 hours straight.

Another hurricane, Jose, is also active in the Atlantic and has triggered tropical storm warnings for the northeastern United States.

Many scientists are convinced that mega storms such as Irma, and Harvey before it, are intensified by the greater energy they can draw from oceans that are warming as a result of climate change.
Ponce, Puerto Rico: The fourth major Atlantic hurricane of the year, Maria, strengthened into a rare Category 5 storm, as it churned through the eastern Caribbean, bearing down on the tiny island nation of Dominica while on a likely collision course with the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Maria was upgraded to the pinnacle of the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale as its maximum sustained winds reached 215 km per hour, with higher gusts, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported.

The center of the storm, described by the NHC as "potentially catastrophic," was located about 72 km east-southeast of Dominica as of 7.45 pm EDT (11.45 pm GMT), on a track that would put it over Puerto Rico by Wednesday, according to the agencys latest bulletins.

Dominica, a heavily forested former British colony home to 72,000 people, lies in the eastern Caribbean about halfway between the French islands of Guadeloupe, to the north, and Martinique, to the south.

Maria would be the most powerful hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in 85 years, since a Category 4 storm swept the US island territory in 1932, Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said. The last major hurricane to strike Puerto Rico directly was Georges, which made landfall there as a Category 3 storm, he said.

The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, urged island residents in a social media advisory to brace for the storms arrival, saying, "It is time to seek refuge with a family member, friend or head to a state shelter."

Puerto Rico narrowly avoided a direct hit two weeks ago from Hurricane Irma, which reached Category 5 status and ranked as the most powerful Atlantic storm on record before devastating several smaller islands, including the US Virgin Islands of St Thomas and St John.

Residents of some islands fled in advance of the storm.

US Virgin Islands Governor Kenneth Mapp said Maria was due to pass within 10 miles of the island of St Croix, which escaped the brunt of Irmas Category 5-force fury on 6 September and is home to about 55,000 year-round residents, roughly half of the entire territorys population.

The territorys two other main islands, St Thomas and St John, which lie to the north of St Croix, sustained widespread heavy damage from Irma.

Beth Tamplin Jones, 45, rode out Hurricane Irma earlier this month in the pantry of a friends house on St John.

"It was so intense," said Jones, who evacuated to Puerto Rico last week and then caught a flight to Atlanta, where she planned to remain until Maria passed.

"Were in hurricane alley, so weve had other storms, but nothing like this," Jones said, referring to Irma, which killed more than 80 people in the Caribbean and the U.S. mainland. "I dont think anybodys ever been hit by a storm like that. To see another one coming is just so discouraging."

Mapp warned residents not to underestimate the threat from Maria, saying, "Just remember this is a live animal." He suggested that for residents who choose their homes over an emergency shelter during the storm, they might consider climbing into a bathtub and pulling a mattress over them to stay safe.

Maria was expected to whip up storm surges  seawater driven ashore by wind  of up to 2.7 m above normal tide levels, the NHC said. Parts of Puerto Rico could see up to 64 cm of rain, it said.

Puerto Rico, meanwhile, opened shelters and began to dismantle construction cranes that could be vulnerable to Marias high winds.

Forecasters also were tracking Category 1 Hurricane Jose, packing 120-kph winds and located about 405 kilometers east of North Carolina, and stirring dangerous surf and rip currents to much of the US Eastern seaboard.

Maria marks the 13th named Atlantic storm of the year, the seventh hurricane so far this season and the fourth major hurricane  defined as Category 3 or higher  following Harvey, Irma and Jose, the NHC said. Those numbers are all slightly above average for a typical season, which is only about half over for 2017.
New York: India on Tuesday sought investigations into North Korea's nuclear proliferation linkages and asked to hold accountable those responsible for it, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's remarks came days after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday.

It follows North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test on 3 September, which was in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure.

"External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj deplored North Korea's recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable," the ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference in New York.

Swaraj's assertion in this regard came during her trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session.

Responding to questions, Kumar did not specify the country, but said the hints were enough to determine that. "I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about," he said.

"We have very clearly mentioned that we not only deplore DPRK's recent actions but also stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable," Kumar said.

In addition to proliferation, the three leaders discussed the issue of maritime security and connectivity.

"Three broad issues were discussed  maritime security connectivity and proliferation. We have spelled out what these heads mean on security the ministers emphasised the need to ensure freedom of navigation respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes," he said.

"On connectivity, there was discussion on how to base them on universally recognised international norms prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity," Kumar said.

The first trilateral ministerial meeting between the three countries was held in 2015. Senior official level meeting has been taking place since 2011.
Breaking her silence on communal violence scorching through Rakhine state, de facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday said that the national government was making "every effort to restore peace and stability" and is interested in conducting a verification process for the Rohingya Muslims forced to flee by army operations.

Suu Kyi reached out to the global community in a broad appeal for support over a refugee crisis that the UN has decried as "ethnic cleansing", urging outsiders to help her nation unite across religious and ethnic lines.

"Hate and fear are the main scourges of our world," she said. "We don't want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicity... we all have the right to our diverse identities."

In a 30-minute televised speech, Suu Kyi said: "We condemn all human rights violation. We are committed to peace and rule of law. The security forces have been advised to adhere to code of conduct; to exercise all measures, to avoid collateral damage. We feel deeply for the suffering of all people who have been caught in the conflict. "

Speaking in Nay Pyi Taw, the Nobel laureate said that the government had taken control of the situation and was determined to make recommendations which would "make speedy improvement in short span of time."

"Since 5 September, there has been no armed operation. Nevertheless, there are concerns among hundreds of Muslims. We want to find out why this exodus is happening. It is very little known that majority of Muslims have not joined the exodus," she said.

Suu Kyi skipped this week's UN General Assembly in New York to manage the crisis at home and deliver her televised address  the biggest yet of her time in office.

Hours before her speech, British foreign secretary called a meeting on the sidelines of the UN gathering, warning that the Rakhine violence was "a stain on the country's reputation" so soon after its transition to democratic rule.

It was a message that fell on deaf ears among the several hundred people gathered near Yangon's famous Sule Pagoda early Tuesday to watch the speech on a big screen.

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since 25 August, leaving hundreds dead and driving more than 410,000 of the Rohingya minority from Myanmar into Bangladesh. But Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, has so far refused to speak up for the stateless Rohingya or publically urge restraint from the military.

Her intransigence in the face of huge international pressure has confounded a global community that once feted her as the champion of Myanmar's democracy struggle.

But inside Myanmar, supporters say the 72-year-old lacks the power to pull in the army, with whom she is in a delicate power-sharing arrangement.

In her Tuesday's address, Suu Kyi invited leaders of diplomatic community in joining the government's endeavours in Rakhine State as Myanmar continued with social development programmes."Hundreds of jobs have been created for locals. In terms of infrastructure development, electrification has been expanded. All people in Rakhine state have access to education and healthcare, without discrimination. Muslim students have access to higher education without discrimination. Humanitarian aid reached 95 percent affected."

Suu Kyi also said that the Myanmar government had invited former UN general secretary Dr Kofi Annan "to lead a commission that would help us resolve long standing problems in Rakhine."

She mentioned that a strategic plan was developed to move forward the national development process. "Some Muslim community leaders have decided not to join verification process. We urge other to convince them to join us in the verification. We also trying to promote inter-communal harmony. A new FM radio has been provided to inform on healthcare, education, national verification process," she said.

"Since 2016, local and foreign media groups have been given access to areas. Even after 25 August, government is working hard. The foreign affairs ministry and National Security Advisor of Myanmar visited Bangladesh in January. We were hoping visit of Bangladesh's home minister but that did not happen because of other commitments. We hope to take forward the security issue at the border," she added.

Suu Kyi made a call of refugees who have prepared to flee to Bangladesh. "Verification was setup as early as in 1993. We can continue verification of refugees who wish to return. And as our NSA has issued, which I can confirm now, we are ready to start process, and those verified will be accepted in the country without problem and get access to healthcare and humanitarian aid," she said.

She also addressed the global concerns on the situation in Myanmar. "As i have said, there have been no conflicts since 5 September. We too are concerned and want to find out the problem. There have been allegations and counter-allegations, and we have to listen to all of them. Culprits will be punished irrespective of race or religion."

Suu Kyi said that the government "emerged as a body committed to wear the defence of human right not particular group but rights of all communities."

"As we concentrate problems in Rakhine, I would like to remind you that there are problems as serious as us as what is happening in west of our country. We have been trying to develop peace," she said.

The UN has accused Myanmar's army of "ethnic cleansing" over a campaign of alleged murder and arson that has left scores of Rohingya villages in ashes. The army denies that, instead insisting its operations are a proportional response to the late August raids by Rohingya militants, who they label "extremist Bengali terrorists".

Since then just under half of Rakhine's Rohingya population has poured into Bangladesh, where they now languish in one of the world's largest refugee camps. A further 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced  apparent targets of the 25 August attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salavation Army (ARSA) militant group.

With inputs from AFP
Tokyo: Japan will deploy an additional missile defence system on Tuesday on its northern island of Hokkaido, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP, days after North Korea launched a missile over the island.

"We are deploying a PAC-3 system at about noon" to a base of the nation's Ground Self-Defence Force in the southern tip of Hokkaido, said Kensaku Mizuseki.

According to local officials, Japan has already deployed the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile defence system to another part of Hokkaido.

But Mizuseki declined to confirm where in Japan other PAC-3 systems were deployed, citing the sensitive nature of defence information.

The move comes with tensions on the Korean peninsula at fever-pitch after Pyongyang carried out its sixth nuclear test and fired two missiles over Japan in the space of less than a month, sparking emergency warnings to take cover.

North Korea has threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and said Saturday that it sought military "equilibrium" with arch-enemy the United States by developing a full nuclear arsenal.

For his part, hawkish Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has said he would "never tolerate" the North's "dangerous provocative action" and has urged the international community to ramp up pressure on Pyongyang.

The UN security council, which condemned the launch as "highly provocative", will hold a new ministerial-level meeting Thursday on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, focused on enforcing sanctions on the North Korean regime.
News / National

by Independent Foreign Service

Grace Mugabe's oldest son, Russell Goreraza (33), from her first marriage, imported two Rolls Royce limousines into bankrupt Harare on Sunday.The two vehicles - valued at more than R70 million (about $5,4m) - were offloaded from a KLM Airlines plane at Harare International Airport.Their arrival sparked a huge celebration on Sunday night with French champagne flowing among Goreraza and his Harare friends, all close to the First Family.Goreraza has told pals in Harare his next vehicle, due to arrive in the Zimbabwean capital shortly, is an Aston Martin.Goreraza, born to Grace when she was married to her first husband, Stanley Goreraza, has a fast living reputation. Like his two younger brothers, Robert Jnr (25) and Chatunga (21), sons of President Robert Mugabe, he has a chequered reputation and was previously found guilty of culpable homicide after he ran over and killed a pedestrian in central Harare.He has had a mining career, but insiders say he ultimately lives off massive cash donations from his mother who is regularly paid out with public funds from the Treasury and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe as well as her personal bank account.At present the Mugabe family, excluding Robert Jnr, are in New York at the United Nations General Assembly along with about 70 Cabinet ministers and senior officials at a cost  according to government sources  of about R130 million. This expenditure comes when Zimbabwe is failing to pay several debts it owes to various South African government departments and State-owned enterprises.Goreraza was refused a visa by the United States, but did not answer three of his Zimbabwe telephone numbers yesterday. Airline officials in Harare say they suspected that the Rolls Royces were bought in Europe.Grace's lawyers from the Zimbabwean embassy are expected to show up at the Pretoria High Court today in connection with charges that she beat up and injured a 20-year-old Johannesburg model at her two younger sons' rented apartments last month. The woman, Gabriella Engels, claims Mugabe beat her and two of her friends with an extension cord. She was treated in hospital the same night and made a full statement to the police.The South African government, apparently reluctantly, granted Grace diplomatic immunity so she could leave the country before facing charges.Afriforum lawyer Willie Spies, acting for Engels, said there would be "preliminary interlocutory proceedings" in the Pretoria High Court today and that indications were that lawyers for the Zimbabwean embassy might submit an intervention on behalf of the First Lady.With fees released by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in May, Grace recently spent about R48 million on a property and various fees in Sandhurst, Johannesburg, as a "bolt hole" for when her husband dies.Goreraza is the signatory on this deal.Included in her spending in Sandhurst is another massive property she rents for herself and her two younger sons, but well-placed sources in Sandton said the two young men have also set up another flat in the building from where they were evicted last month after their mother's alleged attack against Engels.They frequent various night clubs in Sandton, in particular Taboo, where officials say they are big spenders.Robert Jnr is studying at University of Johannesburg. Chatunga has so far not managed to secure any educational qualifications.
Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh: Rohingya Muslims fleeing a Myanmar military offensive arrived in Bangladesh on Monday with fresh accounts of violence and arson as a rights group called for sanctions and an arms embargo to stop what the United Nations has branded ethnic cleansing.

The latest wave of violence in western Myanmars Rakhine State began on 25 August, when Rohingya insurgents attacked police posts and an army camp, killing about 12 people.

The Myanmar military response has sent more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh, escaping what they and rights monitors say is a campaign aimed at driving out the Muslim population.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar rejects that, saying its forces are carrying out clearance operations against the insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which claimed responsibility for the August attacks and smaller raids in October.

Hundreds of refugees travelled by small boats to an island on the southernmost point of Bangladesh late on Sunday and on Monday, telling of persecution and destruction.

The army came and they burned our homes, they killed our people. There was a mob of Rakhine people too, said Usman Goni, 55, after he stepped off a boat with his seven children and wife, clutching two sticks tied in rope and a sack.

Many of the refugees have spoken of ethnic Rakhine Buddhist civilians joining the Myanmar army in its attacks. Myanmar denies that and has blamed Muslim insurgents for the violence.

Myanmar has largely sealed the area off to aid workers and reporters.

Rights groups say satellite images show about 80 smouldering Muslim villages. They have seen evidence of arson attacks on Buddhist villagers, but on a much smaller scale.

Suu Kyi to speak

Most of the new arrivals said their villages had been torched on Friday, when huge clouds of smoke were clearly seen over Myanmar.

Theres nothing left, said a Nurhaba, 23, who said she was from a village close to Maungdaw town.

About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face draconian travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Myanmar government leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of criticism from abroad for not stopping the violence.

The military remains in charge of security and there is little sympathy for the Rohingya in a country where the end of army rule has unleashed old animosities. The military campaign in Rakhine State has wide support.

Suu Kyi is due to speak to the nation on Tuesday about a crisis the United States has called a defining moment for her country.

US deputy assistant secretary of state Patrick Murphy is due in Myanmar this week.

He will travel to Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, to meet government officials and representatives of different communities, including Rohingya, but he is not seeking to travel to the conflict zone in northern Rakhine State.

Strategically sound

Human Rights Watch said Myanmar security forces were disregarding world condemnation and the time had come to impose tougher measures that the generals could not ignore.

It called for governments to impose travel bans and asset freezes on security officials implicated in serious abuses; expand existing arms embargoes to include all military sales, assistance, and cooperation; and place a ban on financial transactions with key ... military-owned enterprises.

For years, the United States and Western allies imposed sanctions on Myanmar in support of Suu Kyis campaign for democracy. Its response was to forge closer ties with China.

US-Myanmar ties have been improving since the military began withdrawing from government in 2011, and paved the way for a 2015 election won by Suu Kyis party.

A Trump administration official said the violence made it harder to build warmer ties, and there would likely be some easing in the short term, but he did not expect a return to sanctions.

People are too invested in the last five years of thawing, which is understood by everyone to be strategically sound, said the official, who declined to be identified.

Long-term, the trajectory is probably tighter relations.

In a rare expression of support for the Rohingya from within Myanmar, a group from the Karen ethnic minority, called for the military to halt its operations and for economic sanctions to be considered.

For decades of army battled autonomy-seeking Karen insurgents that sent more than 100,000 villagers fleeing to Thailand. The insurgents have now made peace.

Bangladesh is struggling to cope with the refugees and aid workers fear people could die due to a lack of food, shelter and water, given the numbers.

Bangladesh has said all refugees must go home. Myanmar has said it will take back those who can verify their citizenship.

Several thousand protesters tried to march on the Myanmar embassy in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, but police kept them well back.
Seoul: North Korea's foreign minister left for New York on Tuesday to attend the UN General Assembly session at a time of heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula over Pyongyang's repeated weapons tests and increase in sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime.

Ri Yong-ho is unlikely to attend the UN General Assembly debate session, which begins on Tuesday.

The visit of Ri, former Pyongyang representative in the suspended six-party denuclearisation talks, comes after North Korea held its sixth nuclear test on 3 September, when it claimed to have detonated a hydrogen bomb capable of being mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile, Efe news reported.

A week later the UN had approved an eighth round of sanctions against the country.

Following the test, Spain had announced it would expel the North Korean ambassador in Madrid, becoming the fourth country to close North Korea's foreign mission, increasing Pyongyang's growing isolation by the international community.

In New York, Ri is expected to justify the North's nuclear weapons development programme as means to defend itself from a possible invasion by the US.

He is also expected to criticise the latest UN sanctions that for the first time imposed restrictions on crude oil exports to North Korea.

Pyongyang had responded to the sanctions by firing a mid-range missile last Friday that flew over Japan.
Peshawar: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Tuesday indicted 57 people arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a journalism student who was lynched by a vigilante mob in April over blasphemy allegations.

Mashal Khan, 23, a student of the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan was shot dead and his body desecrated in broad daylight by fellow students on 13 April after being accused of "publishing blasphemous content online".

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial government had ordered a judicial inquiry into the lynching in the university campus after harrowing videos of the mob attack were shared widely on social media and triggered widespread condemnation from civil society, politicians and rights activists across the board.

A joint investigation team submitted its report concluding that blasphemy charges could not be proved against Mashal and that his murder was pre-planned by people who included university employees as well, The Express Tribune reported.

An anti-terrorism court in Haripur indicted 57 people in the Mashal lynching case and a second hearing will take place on Wednesday in which the prosecution and defence will present their arguments.

All those indicted in the case have pleaded not guilty, Dawn newspaper reported.

In April, a vigilante mob, incited by rumours, had attacked Khan, a mass communication student, enrolled in Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM). He later succumbed to his injuries.

In July, the Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Yahya Afridi had ordered the transfer of the murder case from Mardan to an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Haripur jail after Khan's father Iqbal Khan requested the move fearing his "influential adversaries".
Islamabad: Pakistan's powerful army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa has rejected as "unfounded" the impression that the army was behind the ouster of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and said the military had no role in it.

Sharif, 67, stepped down after a Supreme Court bench disqualified him on 28 July from continuing in his office for dishonesty in the Panama Papers case and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the scandal.

Bajwa was responding to questions by members of defence committees of the National Assembly and Senate who visited General Headquarters (GHQ) on Monday. The parliamentarians had raised many of the oft-discussed issues including security operations, military courts, defence budget, engagement with the US, tensions with India, problems in relations with Afghanistan, and civil-military relations, Dawn reported.

Bajwa dismissed rumours of the army's alleged role in the Panama Papers case as "unfounded" and told the parliamentarians that he was an ardent supporter of democracy and believed in the supremacy of parliament, the paper said.

"One of the parliamentarians, quoting the army chief, said the military had no role in ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharifs ouster, and for him, the current prime minister was as good as the previous one," the paper said.

The powerful army, which enjoys considerable influence over policy decisions in Pakistan, has ruled the country for much of its life since it gained independence 70 years ago. Last month, Sharif had termed his disqualification by the Supreme Court as a humiliation and said the "conspiracies" to oust him from the premiership had begun over three years ago.

During a brief stay in London this week before heading out to New York for the UN General Assembly session, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said conspiracies against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government were continuing. Talking about the perception that the defence budget consumed a major portion of national resources, Bajwa said that it comprised nearly 18 percent of the total budgetary outlay.

He added that more money was required, particularly in view of certain acquisitions that had to be made, some of which were overdue.

On the subject of foreign relations, he underscored that putting the house in order was a pre-requisite for getting a respectful position in the comity of nations. As a principle, he said, Pakistan desired good relations with all other countries especially the neighbours. Bajwa said he was ready to appear before the defence committee or any 'committee of the whole House' and answer any

queries that the parliamentarians might have.

He also said he had congratulated Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif over the PML-N's victory in NA-120 (Lahore) by-poll in which Nawaz Sharif's wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz was

elected on the National Assembly seat vacated by her husband.

One of the participants in the meeting said that the engagement was meant to showcase the armys achievements and to highlight the challenges it was facing. The interactive session, which was originally planned for 30 minutes, went on for nearly three hours, the paper said.

In a statement, the army said the delegation was given a detailed briefing on the evolving security environment including the situation at the borders and Pakistans Army efforts for peace and security.

"The session (with Gen Bajwa) concluded with the resolve to continue our struggle against the menace of violent extremism through a synergetic, whole-of-the-nation approach based on the principle of collective potential and shared responsibility," it added.
Ramallah: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniya spoke on Monday for the first time in nearly a year, adding impetus to a surprise reconciliation between their factions locked in bitter dispute for 10 years.

Abbas spoke with Haniya by phone from New York and "expressed his satisfaction with the prevailing atmosphere of reconciliation", according to a statement on the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

A Hamas statement quoted Haniya as saying that Hamas was "determined to move ahead with steps to end the division, will all willingness and determination, with the goal of uniting our Palestinian people".

A Hamas spokesman told AFP that the two had not spoken since meeting in Qatar in October 2016.

Hamas said Sunday it had agreed to demands by Abbas's Fatah party to dissolve what is seen as a rival administration in Gaza, while saying it was ready for elections and negotiations towards forming a unity government.

As a first step towards implementing a larger agreement, Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah plans to visit Gaza City to meet Hamas officials and assert the government's control over ministries, said Nabil Shaath, a senior adviser to Abbas.

"We await the first steps on the ground. We want to see Mr Hamdallah received by Hamas, the door to all the ministries open," he told journalists in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"That really could happen in the next 24 hours."

Abbas's Palestinian Authority (PA) located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has international recognition, but it lost control of the Gaza Strip when the Islamist movement Hamas seized the territory in a near civil war in 2007.

The head of the Arab League on Monday hailed the steps taken by Hamas and called for full reconciliation.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit "welcomes the important positive developments" regarding "ending the division" between the Palestinian factions, the Cairo-based organisation's spokesman Mahmoud Afifi said in a statement.

Abbas is due to address world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, after meeting with US President Donald Trump.
New York: US President Donald Trump told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in New York that he believed the Paris climate agreement was "badly negotiated" and was unfair to Washington.

On Monday, Trump talked about the consequence of the Paris deal for American workers, industries and the economy, said Brian Hook, director of policy at the US State Department.

Hook, who attended the meeting, said Trump did not believe that the Paris agreement was "a framework to achieve those goals around clean energy, protecting the environment, and promoting economic growth", reports Xinhua news agency.

"He (Trump) wants to work with France and other countries on technology and policy innovations that balance this need for both protecting the environment and for economic growth," Hook added.

Trump was very open to considering a number of different options as long as they were fair to America's interests, which include promoting the economy and protecting the environment, the official said.

Trump and Macron held talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Britain said Tuesday it had suspended its training courses for the Myanmar military in light of the violence in Rakhine state.

"We have decided to suspend the educational courses provided to the Burmese military until there is an acceptable resolution to the current situation," a government spokesman said in a statement, according to AFP.

Earlier on Monday, Britain led world powers warning Myanmar of potential action if leader Aung San Suu Kyi does not move to end a campaign against the Rohingya minority.

Hours before Suu Kyi delivered a national address on Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had called a meeting on the crisis on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Johnson, at the meeting attended by US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Myanmar's deputy foreign minister, warned that the violence in Rakhine state was "a stain on the country's reputation" so soon after its transition to democratic rule.

"For this reason, Burma should not be surprised to find itself under international scrutiny and on the Security Council's agenda," Johnson said, using the former British colony's earlier name.

"As I have repeatedly said, no one wants to see a return to military rule, so it is vital that Suu Kyi and the civilian government make clear these abuses must stop," he had said in a statement.

Suu Kyi, who broke her silence on the Rohingya crisis Tuesday, in a speech expressed concern for the "suffering of all people" swept up in the latest violence, her most compassionate words yet for the more than 410,000 Rohingya who have fled Rakhine state for Bangladesh.

"We feel deeply for the suffering of all the people who have been caught up in the conflict. Those who have had to flee their homes are many. Not just Muslims and (ethnic) Rakhines, but also small minority groups," she said.

Suu Kyi, however, refused to blame any specific group for the violence in Rakhine state. Rohingya refugees, rights groups, and the UN have accused the military and Buddhist mobs of using bullets and arson to drive out the Rohingya in a systematic ethnic cleansing campaign.

"I understand that many of our friends throughout the world are concerned about reports of villages being burned and hordes of refugees fleeing," Suu Kyi said.

"We too are concerned. We want to find out what the real problems are. There have been allegations and counter-allegations, and we have to listen to all of them. We have to make sure that these allegations are based on the solid evidence before we take action," she added.

The Amnesty International, however, criticised Myanmar's leader for failing to condemn the army's alleged abuses.

"Aung San Suu Kyi today demonstrated that she and her government are still burying their heads in the sand over the horrors unfolding in Rakhine State. At times, her speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming," Amnesty said.

The rights group blasted Suu Kyi for remaining "silent about the role of the security forces", whom they have accused of being "engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing".

With inputs from AFP
Geneva: India on Tuesday stressed on restoration of normalcy in Myanmar's Rakhine state where violence has triggered an outflow of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to neighbouring Bangladesh and called for the situation to be handled with restraint.

"It is imperative that violence is ended and normalcy in the state is restored expeditiously through a solution based on respect for peace, communal harmony, justice, dignity and democratic values," Rajiv Chander, India's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, said.

"We urge that the situation in Rakhine state be handled with restraint, focusing on the welfare of the civilian population," he said.

Chander was speaking at an interactive dialogue with the fact-finding mission on Myanmar at the 36th session of the Human Rights Council.

Reiterating India's deep concern over the recent spate of violence, he said: "We take note that this violence was triggered off by a series of terrorist attacks which led to loss of lives amongst the security forces as well as the civilian population."

The UN office in Bangladesh said on Monday that around 415,000 refugees have entered the country since 25 August after the Myanmar Army launched a crackdown on the minority Rohingya community after the series of attacks on security personnel.

The Rohingyas do not enjoy citizenship status in Myanmar and are sparingly given refugee status in Bangladesh.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi shared New Delhi's concerns over the situation in Rakhine during a meeting with Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi when he visited Nay Pyi Taw earlier this month.

Chander, in his speech on Tuesday said that in the past, Myanmar has been tabling regular reports on internal developments at various UN bodies.

"After the submission of the final report of the Kofi Annan-led UN Special Advisory Commission for Rakhine state on 24 August, 2017, the government of Myanmar has welcomed the 'meaningful and long term solutions' proposed in the report and assured that it will give full consideration to its recommendations with a view to carrying them out to the fullest extent, and within the shortest time," he said.

"Government of Myanmar has also agreed to set out a roadmap for implementation of the recommendations, including immediate establishment of a new ministerial-led committee that would be assisted by an advisory board on Rakhine that will include Myanmar and international experts for implementation of the recommendations. The international community must extend full support to Government of Myanmar in its efforts."

Chander also pointed out the serious problem emerging in Bangladesh because of the influx of such a large number of people and said India has extended humanitarian relief to Bangladesh to support it in meeting the needs of the refugees.

"The role being played by Bangladesh in extending humanitarian assistance to the refugees deserves recognition," he said.

The Indian permanent representative said that the only long-term solution to the situation in Rakhine was socio-economic and infrastructure development.

"Such development would generate employment opportunities and economic activity that should have a positive impact on all the communities living in the state," he stated.

"It is with this understanding that we have recently agreed with Myanmar to provide financial and technical assistance for identified projects to be undertaken in Rakhine state in conjunction with the local authorities."

Chander said India and Myanmar have agreed "to undertake both infrastructure and socio-economic projects, particularly in the spheres of education, health, agriculture and allied activities, agro-processing, community development, construction of small bridges, upgrade of roads, small power projects, livelihood activity, setting up of training centres, promotion of household crafts, conservation of environment and cultural heritage".
New York: Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi arrived in New York on Tuesday to attend the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to raise the Kashmir issue.

Abbasi's address to the UNGA slated for 21 September will be his debut into the highest international diplomacy after being sworn in as the prime minister last month. Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi has said that the prime minister will highlight the Kashmir issue and other issues of concern to Pakistan.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin last week said Pakistan's decision to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN, which has not been discussed at the world body for decades, is like 'Miyan ki daud masjid tak', referring to a popular Urdu proverb meaning some people think within a limited focus and are unable to think beyond that.

India, on the other hand, is focused on progressive, forward-looking agenda during the UN General Assembly session beginning on Wednesday, Akbaruddin had said on Saturday.

Abbasi's visit comes amidst tensions in the ties between Pakistan and the US after President Donald Trump last month hit out at Islamabad 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.

He would meet US vice-president Mike Pence at the UN headquarters later on Tuesday, the White House said. Ahead of Abbasi's meeting with Pence, Pakistan's foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua on Monday met US under-secretary of state Tom Shannon.

During the meeting, Janjua conveyed Pakistan's viewpoint on the new strategy and emphasised that peace in Afghanistan is a high priority for Pakistan, according to an official statement issued by Pakistan.

"She stressed that intra-Afghan dialogue is vital for bringing lasting peace to the country and the region. Pakistan would continue to play a facilitating role for a peaceful Afghanistan," the statement said.

Abbasi is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with a number of world leaders including Jordan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iran, the United Kingdom and Nepal.

In addition to meeting UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, he is also scheduled to address the Council on Foreign Relations.
New York: Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina said she spoke to US president Donald Trump on Monday about Rohingya Muslims flooding into her country from Myanmar, but she expects no help from him as he has made clear how he feels about refugees.

As Trump left an event he hosted at the United Nations on reforming the world body, Hasina said she stopped him for a few minutes.

"He just asked how is Bangladesh? I said its doing very well, but the only problem that we have is the refugees from Myanmar," Hasina told Reuters in an interview. "But he didnt make any comment about refugees."

A Myanmar military response to insurgent attacks last month in the countrys Rakhine state sent more than 4,10,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded as ethnic cleansing.

The Myanmar government says about 400 people have been killed in the fighting.

Hasina, who is due to address the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, said Trumps stance on refugees was clear, so it was not worth asking him for help with the Rohingya Muslim refugees.

"Already America declared that they will not allow any refugees," she said. "What I can expect from them, and especially (the) president. He already declared his mind ... so why I should ask?"

"Bangladesh is not a rich country... but if we can feed 160 million people, another 500 or 7,00,000 people, we can do it."

A senior White House official was unaware of the exchange but said Trump was deeply interested in the subject and that "he would definitely engage if it were brought up."

Shortly after taking office in January, Trump tried to put a 120-day halt on the US refugee programme, bar Syrian refugees indefinitely and impose a 90-day suspension on people from six predominantly Muslim countries.

"The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!" Trump said on Twitter on Friday.

The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2017

Trump says the move is needed to prevent terrorist attacks and allow the government to put in place more stringent vetting procedures. There is a key Supreme Court hearing next month on the constitutionality of his executive order on the ban.

About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Hasina said she wanted to see more international political pressure on Myanmar to allow the Rohingya to return.

"(Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi) should agree that these people belong to her country and that Myanmar is their country. They should take them back," she said. "These people are suffering."

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of international criticism for not stopping the violence. Myanmar national security adviser Thaung Tun told Reuters on Monday that Myanmar would ensure those who left their homes could return, but there was "a process we have to discuss."

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged the Myanmar government to end military operations, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes.

"People are still at risk of being attacked or killed, humanitarian aid is not reaching the people who need it, and innocent civilians are still fleeing across the border to Bangladesh," Haley said after Britain hosted a meeting on the crisis in New York on Monday.

A US deputy assistant secretary of state, Patrick Murphy, is due in Myanmar this week.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Mystery surrounds MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai's emergency trip to South Africa amid swirling speculation that President Robert Mugabe's government paid for his chartered medical ambulance.Highly-placed sources told the Daily News yesterday that government paid for Tsvangirai's trip although it was not clear whether it had done so because of his status as former prime minister or it was a bail-out.Tsvangirai has previously been assisted by Mugabe's government to foot his medical bills in South Africa where he has been undergoing chemotherapy for the cancer of colon which he publicly disclosed last year.Mugabe's Cabinet gave $70 000 to Tsvangirai to foot his medical bills.While former presidents and vice presidents are entitled to all the benefits accorded to sitting president and vice presidents - including pensions and holiday allowances - there is no specific mention of the prime minister.Tsvangirai still lives in a government house that was bought for him when he was still prime minister during the inclusive government era and has had to fend off attempts by Zanu-PF hawks to have him evicted.Sources insisted yesterday that it was government which had received an order from the "top" to charter a plane for the MDC president.They said Tsvangirai was flown to South Africa around 2:00am with the help of one of Mugabe's relatives with an aviation background.The MDC leader allegedly used a plane that was being flown by a friend of this Mugabe relative who had just flown some businessman to Harare from Chiredzi.Tsvangirai - who has been picked to represent Zimbabwe's opposition alliance in the presidential election expected early next year, his fourth time as a presidential candidate - was rushed to the Harare International Airport in an ambulance, before boarding a private plane to neighbouring South Africa early on Friday morning.He was said to be on a stretcher bed when he was taken onto the private plane.The social democrat, who has dominated Zimbabwean opposition politics since the formation of the MDC in 1999, was first diagnosed with cancer of the colon in June last year and has been undergoing treatment in South Africa.Tsvangirai  who was Zimbabwe's prime minister in an uneasy coalition government with the 93-year-old Mugabe from 2009 until 2013 - has said after repeated cycles of treatment, he was fully fit at a crucial time when his health is the main wild card before the crucial 2018 presidential vote.Transport minister Joram Gumbo told the Daily News that Tsvangirai's private jet was allowed to ferry him from the Harare International Airport as government had a special waiver for smaller aircrafts in emergency medical situations."There is a facility at the airport that caters for medical emergencies, but I am not sure who facilitated it (Tsvangirai's trip)," Gumbo said yesterday.Tsvangirai's spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka, said he could not disclose the source of funding for his boss."We cannot get into that this is not the first time he has travelled to South Africa. If you believe that he was given assistance by government then you can believe anything."This morning, he was in high spirits, they are some people who want to cause despondency and make their own statements," said Tamborinyoka.Yesterday, Tamborinyoka said Tsvangirai was in a stable condition.A senior MDC official who asked not to be named said although the party had received some funding from government it is still broke and could not afford to hire a plane at short notice for its leader.However, MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu said although they have resource constraints they did everything to ensure that he travelled to South Africa, adding that they had received funds under the Political Parties Finance Act."Our president is well-catered for by the party and we facilitated his travel, he is our leader. We received some money a few weeks ago, yes. But I am not at liberty to disclose how much exactly we received from Treasury," said Gutu.Under the Political Parties Finance Act, any political party that secures at least five percent of the total votes cast is entitled to receive funding from Treasury.Currently, only Zanu-PF and the MDC are recipients of the funding.The MDC is currently drowning in debt and recently had its property attached over a $108 000 debt owed to former employees.The property was saved from going under the hammer after the High Court stayed the auction.
Seoul: In response to Pyongyangs nuclear test on 3 September, its most powerful to date, some countries have announced they have expelled the North Korean ambassador accredited to their capitals.

Despite North Koreas increasing isolation as it continues to violate international sanctions, the impoverished state still has 49 overseas missions, and diplomatic relations with 160 countries, according to South Koreas Unification Ministry.

Beyond its largest missions in Moscow and Beijing, North Korea also has major embassies in London, Rome, Stockholm, and Berlin, as well as dozens of smaller embassies across Africa and Asia.

Following is a list of those countries that have expelled North Korean diplomats following Pyongyangs sixth nuclear test:

SPAIN, 18 September, 2017

The Spanish foreign ministry asked North Korean ambassador Kim Hyok Chol to leave the country by 30 September citing his countrys repeated refusals to renounce its nuclear weapons programme.

KUWAIT, 17 September, 2017

Kuwait said it has ordered North Korean ambassador So Chang Sik and four other diplomats to leave within a month as the country downgraded diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. North Koreas Embassy in Kuwait City has served as the only diplomatic station in the Gulf region for North Korea.

PERU, 11 September, 2017

Perus government announced it was giving North Korean ambassador Kim Hak Chol five days to leave the country in retaliation over North Koreas sixth nuclear test.

MEXICO, 7 September, 2017

Mexico declared North Korean ambassador Kim Hyong Gil was "persona non grata" and was to leave the country within 72 hours in protest at the Norths sixth nuclear test, citing that it was a "flagrant violation" of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

The only country to have completely ended diplomatic relations with Pyongyang in recent years was Botswana, which severed ties after a United Nations investigation revealed extensive and widespread human rights abuses in North Korea.

The following countries with which North Korea has diplomatic relations have not expelled ambassadors, but have scaled back ties:

EGYPT, 12 September, 2017

Cairo said it was cutting military ties with North Korea. Pak Chun Il, North Koreas sitting ambassador to the country, was blacklisted by the United Nations on 30 November, 2016 in response to Pyongyangs fifth nuclear test that September.

PHILIPPINES, 8 September, 2017

Manilas foreign ministry said it had suspended trade relations with North Korea to comply with UN Security Council resolutions over the Norths repeated missile tests.

UGANDA, 29 May, 2016

Kampala said it has halted all military and security ties with Pyongyang in May last year following extended cooperation with North Korea in police training and regular military training for the Ugandan armed forces.
New York: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday paid a courtesy call on Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina but the ongoing Rohingya crisis did not come up for discussion during their brief meeting.

"The meeting with the prime minister of Bangladesh was more in the nature of a courtesy meeting. It was a very short meeting. The issue of Rohingya did not come up during the meeting for discussion," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference in New York.

Kumar said that the discussion between Swaraj and Hasina was "purely bilateral".

"Warm encounter reflecting our historical and cultural ties. Courtesy call on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by EAM (External Affairs Minister)," he said in a tweet after the meeting.

Bangladesh, which is facing a big influx of Rohingyas from Myanmar, has called on the international community to intervene and put pressure on Myanmar to address the exodus.

According to the UN estimates, over 410,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state into Bangladesh since August 25 when fresh wave of violence erupted.

According to reports, the violence began when Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Many of those crossing the border bring harrowing tales of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar's security forces and Buddhist mobs.

Earlier, Swaraj met Bhutanese prime minister Tshering Tobgay but the Doklam issue did not figure in the meeting.

The ministry spokesperson said that since the Doka La issue was already settled, there was "no question of it coming up in discussions".

Responding to a question Kumar said, "There are a lot of projects, which are going on in India and the two sides discussed how to take this cooperation forward."

#EAM@UNGA Stregthening traditionally unique bilateral relations. EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets with Bhutanese PM @tsheringtobgay in New York pic.twitter.com/zMF8bmUlbr  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) September 18, 2017

The Bhutanese prime minister said they discussed a wide range of bilateral issues.

Such a pleasure meeting H.E @SushmaSwaraj ji, External Affairs Minister of India. We discussed the wide range of bilateral cooperation. pic.twitter.com/rxiJGNUpr0  Tshering Tobgay (@tsheringtobgay) September 18, 2017

India and China last month ended a 73-day standoff in Doklam area of the Sikkim sector that was triggered by China's move to build a road in the border area.

Bhutan had welcomed the end of the standoff and hoped it would help maintain peace and status quo at the tri-junction.
New York: India on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to the Palestinian cause and said that New Delhi's solidarity with the people of Palestine can never be undermined.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, during a Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) ministerial meeting on Palestine in New York, said that the support for the Palestinian cause has been a reference point of India's foreign policy.

"India's support for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause is historical, going back to a period before our own independence. For independent India, support for the Palestinian cause has been a reference point of its foreign policy," she said at the conference being held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

This NAM Committee will always have a special place for India as it was during its chairmanship of the movement in 1983 that it was first set up, Swaraj said

"India's commitment to the Palestinian cause and our solidarity with the Palestinian people can never be undermined.I strongly believe that India's expanding relations in the region with all nations will only strengthen the Palestinian cause," the minister said.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel in July, India reiterated the need for a just and durable peace in the region.

"The path to this clearly lies in an early negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine based on mutual recognition and security arrangements," Swaraj added.
United Nations: India ranked third among the countries that have faced the most natural disasters in the last half century, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday pleading for unwavering international action on climate change.

In his first speech to the annual high-level meeting of the General Assembly, he said, "It is high time to get off the path of suicidal emissions. We know enough today to act."

"I urge governments to implement the historic Paris Agreement with ever greater ambition," he said.

United States president Donald Trump has declared that his country is pulling out of the Paris agreement on combating climate change.

Pointedly, Guterres said, "The United States, followed by China, India, the Philippines and Indonesia, have experienced the most disasters since 1995  more than 1,600, or once every five days."

Climate change was among the seven global threats that he listed needing immediate global action. International terrorism is taking a great toll on the world, he said and called for intensifying the global efforts against terrorism and radicalisation.

"Stronger international cooperation remains crucial," he said. "Together, we need to make full use of UN instruments, and expand our efforts to support survivors. Experience has also shown that harsh crackdowns and heavy-handed approaches are counterproductive," he added.

Foremost among the seven perils he listed is the nuclear threat emanating from North Korea.

"Global anxieties about nuclear weapons are at the highest level since the end of the Cold War," Guterres warned. "The fear is not abstract. Millions of people live under a shadow of dread cast by the provocative nuclear and missile tests of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

He appealed to the Security council to act unitedly to meet the threat and to all countries to comply with its resolution imposing sanctions.

"Only that unity can lead to the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and  as the resolution recognises  create an opportunity for diplomatic engagement to resolve the crisis," he said while condemning Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests.

"The dark side of innovation" is another global peril, he said, adding "it has moved from the frontier to the front door."

"Cyber war is becoming less and less a hidden reality  and more and more able to disrupt relations among States and destroy some of the structures and systems of modern life," he said.

Genetic engineering has also raised ethical questions that have not been resolved, he said.

The humanitarian crisis from unresolved conflicts and violations of international law that is manifested in the flow of refugees is another peril the world faces, he said.

He mentioned the Rohingya crisis, and said, "The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations, and allow unhindered humanitarian access. They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya."

The other threats are the growing inequality among nations and within nations, and human migration.

Emphasising the need for global unity to meet the great perils facing humanity, Guterres said, "We come from different corners of the world. Our cultures, religions, traditions vary widely  and wonderfully. At times, there are competing interests among us. At others, there is even open conflict."

"That is exactly why we need the United Nations. That is why multilateralism is more important than ever," he said.
Russia: Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday attended the week-long war games with Belarus that have demonstrated the Russian military's resurgent might and made neighboring countries nervous.

Putin observed the Zapad (West) 2017 drills  tank attacks, airborne assaults and air raids that got underway Thursday  at the Luzhsky range in western Russia, just over 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) east of Estonia's border.

As part of the maneuvers, the Russian military on Monday also test-fired its state-of-the-art cruise missile at a mock target in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan, showcasing the weapon's extended range and precision strike capability.

Some nervous NATO members, including the Baltic states and Poland, have criticized an alleged lack of transparency about the war games and questioned Moscow's intentions.

The exercises, held in several firing ranges in Belarus and western Russia, run through Wednesday. Russia and Belarus say 5,500 Russian and 7,200 Belarusian troops are participating, but some NATO countries have estimated that up to 100,000 troops could be involved.

With Russia's relations with the West at a post-Cold War low point over the fighting in Ukraine, worries about the war games ranged from allegations that Russia could permanently deploy its forces to Belarus to fears of a surprise onslaught on the Baltics.

Russia and Belarus have said the exercises simulate a response to foreign-backed "extremists" and insisted the maneuvers don't threaten anyone.

Their troops are fighting three invented "aggressor countries"  Veishnoriya, Lubeniya and Vesbariya. However, the Baltic states  Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania  and Poland see the monikers for the made up enemies as thinly disguised references to their nations.

NATO has rotated military units in the Baltics and Poland and staged regular drills in the region, activities Moscow has criticized as a reflection of the alliance's hostile intentions.

Russia and Belarus kept the stated number of troops involved in the drills just below 13,000, a limit allowing them to dodge more intrusive inspections by NATO in line with international agreements. The practice maneuvers nonetheless have put Russia's massive military mobilization capability on display.

They also have involved various branches of the Russian military, including the air force's long-range bombers and missile forces. In a reflection of the drills' broad scope, they featured Monday's launch of the Iskander-M cruise missile, a new weapon that has drawn concern from the United States.

The missile, launched from the Kapustin Yar firing range in southwestern Russia, hit a mock target at a range in Kazakhstan, some 480 kilometers (nearly 300 miles) away, according to the Russian defense ministry.

The US has accused Russia of developing cruise missiles banned by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with a goal to threaten US facilities in Europe and the NATO alliance. Moscow has rejected the accusations and insisted it has adhered to the pact.

The INF Treaty bans an entire class of weapons  all land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 and 3,410 miles). The Iskander-M's stated range puts it just below the pact's threshold.

The Zapad 2017 maneuvers are intended to underline the close military cooperation between Russia and Belarus, but also revealed signs of strains between the allies.

While Putin watched the previous drills in 2013 with his Belarusian counterpart, Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko said he would watch them separately on Wednesday.

Lukashenko has relied on subsidized Russian oil and gas supplies and billions of dollars in loans to keep his nation's Soviet-style economy afloat. At the same time, he often has bristled at what he described as the Kremlin's attempts to subdue Belarus and force it to surrender control over prized economic assets.

Lukashenko also has flirted with the West to try to reduce his dependence on Russia. His decision to dodge a joint appearance with Putin at the military exercises was seen by observers as an attempt to put some distance between Belarus and its giant eastern neighbor.

"Lukashenko is trying to mend ties with the West to get new loans, and the Kremlin's military games don't help that," Alexander Klaskovsky, a Minsk-based political analyst, said.
Malaysian illusionists Avery Chin and Sylvia Lim achieved a new spellbinding costume change World record in Penang, Malaysia.

Avery and Sylvia beat their own previous record of 22 costume changes in on minute. The strict rules for this title state that after every reveal a completely different costume must be worn, and there can be no evidence of the previous outfit. The event took place in in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, earlier this month, enthralling a huge audience with their magical talents. Avery & Sylvia took on the challenge to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Malaysian independence.
News / National

by Staff reporter

High Court Judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi on 18 September 2017 excused from treason trial proceedings journalists Mlondolozi Ndlovu, Malvern Mkudu and Media Centre Director Earnest Mudzengi who had been summoned to testify as state witnesses.The trio had been summoned in connection with the treason case relating to the bombing of Gushungo Dairy farm. The journalists, who are represented by MISA Zimbabwe's Media Lawyers Network member Chris Mhike, objected to testifying as state witnesses for reasons that are yet to be disclosed.They are expected to make their submissions later on in the trial.BackgroundThe case arises from an article that was written by journalist Mlondolozi Ndlovu on 21 August 2015 headlined: Pressure on Mugabe as another demonstration is set for HarareNew party declares war on Mugabe. The story had been written from a press statement by Owen Kachata.Kachata was later arrested together with Borman Ngwenya, Solomon Makumbe and Silas Pfupa while in possession of Molotov cocktails that they allegedly wanted to use to bomb Alpha Omega Dairies, Gushungo Estates, owned by President Robert Mugabe and his family.
Samsung had a great 2017 so far with the launch and success of three flagships-Galaxy S8, S8 Plus and Galaxy Note8. Even though, all the three smartphones have impressed us with their design and display, buyers have complained about the dedicated button Bixby button. Now, it looks like Samsung is finally giving users a way to avoid using the Bixby button.

Samsung is finally allowing users to disable the Bixby button on these smartphones. The company is rolling out a software update to some Galaxy devices that lets users disable the Bixby button from opening the Bixby Home hub. Post the update, users will now see a toggle under the settings at the top of Bixby home that will let you turn it off. The Bixby Home will no longer pop up when you tap the button.

This development was first spotted by SamMobile. You can still continue to access Bixby Voice will by long-pressing the button. Also, Bixby Home will be still accessible by swiping left from the home screen. Last month Samsung started rolling out its Bixby Voice assistant globally. Today at the launch of its flagship Galaxy Note8 smartphone in India, Dipesh Shah, MD, Samsung R&D Institute said that Bixby Voice will be available in India in the next few weeks for the Galaxy Note8, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones.

Source
News / National

by Staff reporter

A SIX-year-old boy yesterday embarrassed his step-mother in court during proceedings when he told the magistrate he had been told to lie against his uncle.The boy's step mother, Millicent Mapfumo, is a member of the Zimbabwe National Army.The minor was the complainant in a matter in which his uncle, Munashe Sande, 19, was facing aggravated indecent assault charges.According to the State led by prosecutor Rudo Chasi, charges against Sande were that he had anal sex with the minor.When the trial opened, Sande, who was represented by Ashley Mugiya, pleaded not guilty saying relations between him and Mapfumo were tainted as the latter was having domestic problems and that she reported the matter out of malice.When the prosecution led the minor in giving his evidence, he exonerated his uncle."I was never indecently assaulted by the accused person as it is being said. It is my stepmom who told me to lie against the accused person," said the minor.The prosecution then withdrew charges leading to the acquittal of Sande."On the basis that the complainant told the court that he was never indecently assaulted by the accused, I am duty bound as officer of this court to withdraw charges on the basis that complainant was told to press charges by Millicent Mapfumo," said the prosecutor.Mugiya then moved for the arrest of Mapfumo."I move for the arrest of Millicent Mapfumo. Millicent Mapfumo made a false report to the police. If an order be given by this court that the matter be investigated, it will bring sanity that the court means business."It will also be a warning that people should not abuse the criminal justice system for selfish ends," said Mugiya.Harare regional magistrate Lucy Mungwari ordered police to investigate Mapfumo while acquitting Sande.
If youre all about getting perks and flying elite status, you may want to be more selective on what airline you commit to, a new study finds.

ThePointsGuy.com, a travel and lifestyle media platform, released its best domestic airline elite status report Tuesday, and found that Alaska Airlines (NYSE:ALK) came out on top on three out of four categories beating out competitors United Airlines (NYSE:UAL), Delta Airlines (NYSE:DAL), American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL), JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU), and Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV).

Its the only one of these major carriers that awards frequent flyer miles based on flying rather than spending. Someone who files 25,000 miles in a year on Alaska or select partners qualifies for Alaskas lowest elite status tier (called Mileage Plan MVP). These MVP members enjoy a 50% bonus on miles, so a 25,000-mile flyer is gifted an additional 12,500, which values at $237.50, ThePointsGuy.com said in a statement.

The airlines were evaluated on eight categories: In-flight perks (25%), fee waivers (20%), bonuses (20%), airport perks (10%), flexible perks (10%), non-flying perks (5%), partner perks (5%) and reservation perks (5%).

Low-Tier Category  Alaska Airlines won

United, American, and Delta fell behind in the low-tier category because they give their lowest-level elite travelers an extra two miles per dollar, so $3,000 in spending only yields 6,000 bonus miles. According to ThePointsGuy.com, these are worth about $90 on United, $84 on American, and $72 on Delta. On the flip side, carriers like JetBlue and Southwest dont even offer elite status to this type of traveler.

Middle-Tier ElitesAlaska Airlines won

As for middle-tier elites (around 50,000 miles flown/6,000 spent annually), Alaska came out as the winner again by even a larger margin. ThePointsGuy.com found that once a passenger hits 50,000 miles per year on Alaska, their bonus jumps to 100%, so a 50,000-mile windfall is valued at a whopping 950%. Additionally, Alaska waives all change and cancellation fees for their middle-tier elites and grants them four one-way upgrades from economy to first class.

Top-Tier Elites-United Airlines won

When examining the highest class of flyers (125,000 miles flown/$15,000 spent annually), United won on this category due to its twelve premier updates (six regional and six global), enhanced award availability and complimentary food and drinks. Alaska came in fourth in this category.

The overall ranking came out as follows: 1. Alaska Airlines 2. United Airlines 3. Delta Airlines 4. American Airlines 5. JetBlue Airlines 6. Southwest Airlines
Home-furnishings brand Pier 1 has become the latest U.S. store to succumb to the retail apocalypse after revealing Monday it would file Chapter 11 bankruptcy and pursue a sale.

The company cited the bankruptcy filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Richmond, Virginia, due to slowing sales, and added that it would complete the closure of up to 450 store locations, including all its stores in Canada, that it announced earlier this year.

In recent months, we have taken significant steps forward in our business transformation and cost-reduction initiatives, Robert Riesbeck, Pier 1s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer said in the statement. Todays actions are intended to provide Pier 1 with additional time and financial flexibility to unlock additional value for our stakeholders through a sale. We are moving ahead in this process with the support of our lenders and are pleased with the initial interest as we engage in discussions with potential buyers.

To date, the brand has closed or launched store-closing sales at more than 400 locations.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % PIR n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. AMZN AMAZON.COM INC. 3,049.44 +26.60 +0.88%

Pier 1 is just one of a growing number of retailers closing their doors as consumers lean away from traditional brick-and-mortar shopping in favor of buying online. The rise of e-commerce outlets like Amazon has made it harder for physical retailers to attract customers and forced companies to change or adopt new strategies.

FOX Business breaks down which brands closed stores or filed bankruptcy in recent months.

Abercrombie & Fitch

The chain has closed hundreds of store locations over the last few years while placing an increased emphasis on online sales and smaller retail formats. In May, Abercrombie & Fitch said it would close three flagship store locations, including one in New York, and redesign 85 others.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % ANF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH CO. 31.67 -4.18 -11.66%

Aerosoles

The New Jersey-based womens footwear company filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and announced plans to move forward with a significant reduction of its retail locations. While its unclear how many of Aerosoles 88 locations will be affected, the chain said it plans to keep four flagship stores in New York and New Jersey operational, NJ.com reported.

American Apparel

A fashion brand known for its edgy offerings, American Apparel shuttered all of its 110 U.S. locations in 2017 after filing for bankruptcy. The brand has since been acquired by Canada-based Gildan Activewear, which bought its intellectual property in an $88 million deal.

BCBG

The Los Angeles-based brand listed liabilities of more than $500 million when it filed for bankruptcy in February 2017. The chain closed 118 store locations nationwide that year, though more than 300 remained in operation under a company-wide reorganization.

Bon-Ton Stores Inc.

The struggling department store filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to court papers filed in February. The chain, which operates 256 stores in 23 states, also announced it planned to close 42 stores in 2018 as part of a restructuring plan.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % BONTQ BON TON STORES 0.0001 +0.00 +4,900.00%

The Childrens Place

A fixture at shopping malls, the childrens clothing retail said it will close hundreds of store locations by 2020 as part of a shift toward digital commerce.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % PLCE THE CHILDREN'S PLACE INC. 64.78 +5.88 +9.98%

CVS

The pharmacy retailer said it would close 70 store locations in 2017 as part of a bid to cut costs and streamline its business. CVS still operates thousands of stores nationwide.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % CVS CVS HEALTH CORP. 104.50 +2.46 +2.42%

Dressbarn

Dressbarn said it would close all of its approximately 650 store locations in the coming weeks, acknowledging that the chain "has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today's retail environment."

Ticker Security Last Change Change % ASNA n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Dollar Tree

The discount retail chain said it would close as many as 390 of its Family Dollar stores around the country and convert roughly 200 others to Dollar Tree locations. The Family Dollar brand has struggled since it was acquired for roughly $9 billion in 2015.

Fred's

The discount retail chain said it plans to close an additional 104 stores by the end of June citing the move is a necessary step to restructuring.

Foot Locker

After reporting fourth-quarter earnings that were far better than expected, the sports retailer said it would close 165 stores in 2019 and invest to upgrade its remaining locations in a bid to boost margins and improve customer experience.

Forever 21

Retailer Forever 21 became the latest retailer to file for bankruptcy protection. The seller of womens, mens and kids clothing and accessories made the announcement September 29. As part of its restructuring strategy, the Company plans to exit most of its international locations in Asia and Europe but will continue operations in Mexico and Latin America., according to a company statement.

According to a court filing, Forever 21 has listed assets and liabilities in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion. This was an important and necessary step to secure the future of our Company, which will enable us to reorganize our business and reposition Forever 21, said Linda Chang, Executive Vice President of Forever 21, Inc."

The Company also announced that its Canadian subsidiary filed for and was granted protection through the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto.

Gap

At first parent, Gap said it would spin off its more successful Old Navy brand into its own company while closing about 230 Gap stores around the world, or roughly 50 percent. Fast forward to January 2019 and those plans have been scrapped. Old Navy will stay put under the Gap umbrella. In a statement, the retailer said that while the purpose of the spinoff was for "value creation" it no longer made sense to the board of directors, who determined the "cost and complexity of splitting into two companies, combined with softer business performance, limited our ability to create appropriate value from separation," said Robert Fisher, Gap Inc. interim president and chief executive officer.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % GPS GAP INC. 14.56 +0.74 +5.39%

Guess

Guess announced plans to close 60 of its struggling U.S. store locations in 2017 as part of a plan to refocus on international markets.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % GES GUESS? INC. 21.89 +1.50 +7.38%

Gymboree

The children's clothing retailer was expected to file for bankruptcy for the second time in two years, The Wall Street Journal reported this week. The company will shutter 900 stores and seek a potential sale of its other brands.

Hhgregg

The electronics retailer said it would close all of its 220 stores and lay off thousands of employees when it failed to find a buyer after bankruptcy proceedings.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % HGGGQ HHGREGG 0.002 +0.00 +199,900.00%

J.C. Penney

The department store chain closed 138 stores in 2017 while restructuring its business to meet shifting consumer tastes. The retailer also announced plans to open toy shops in all of its remaining brick-and-mortar locations. J.C. Penney plans to close 24 more stores in 2019.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % JCP n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

The Limited

After a brutal holiday season in 2016, the clothing chain closed all 250 of its physical stores in January 2017 as part of a bid to focus on ecommerce. The closures reportedly resulted in the loss of about 4,000 jobs.

Macys

At the start of the new year, Macy's announced it would close 28 stores. Before the doors could even shut on those locations, the retailer announced plans to close 125 department stores over the next three years as part of an effort to streamline its business and adjust to a difficult sales environment.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % M MACY'S INC. 26.11 +1.57 +6.42%

Michael Kors

With same-store sales plunging, the upscale fashion retailer said it would close as many as 125 stores to adapt to a difficult, promotional sales environment.

Payless

The discount shoe retailer will file for bankruptcy for the second time in two years later this month and close all of its approximately 2,300 stores in the U.S., Reuters reported, citing sources with knowledge of the situation. The company previously filed for bankruptcy in April 2017.

RadioShack

The once-prominent electronics outlet shut down more than 1,000 store locations in 2017. The brand now operates just 70 stores nationwide, down from a peak of several thousand.

Sears, Kmart

Sears Holdings is one of the most prominent traditional retailers to suffer in a challenging sales environment. The brand filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Oct. 15, 2018, and said it would close more than 140 of its 700 remaining stores as part of its bid to restructure its debt. The company is set to hold an auction in January to determine whether it will be sold to its former CEO, Eddie Lampert, or liquidate its remaining stores.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % SHLDQ SEARS HOLDINGS CORP. 0.02 +0.00 +12.68%

Signet Jewelers

The parent company of Kay Jewelers and Zales said it would close more than 150 stores locations in fiscal 2020 amid declining store traffic. Signet also closed 262 stores in fiscal 2019 as it looks to refocus its business on e-commerce.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % SIG SIGNET JEWELERS LTD. 71.92 +5.00 +7.47%

Shopko

The Wisconsin-based retailer cited a sizable debt load and "competitive pressures" in its decision to file for bankruptcy. The chain will close 38 stores and sell off its pharmacy business as part of a restructuring plan.

Topshop

The British retailer will close all 11 of its U.S. stores after its parent company, Arcadia Group, filed for bankruptcy.

Toys R Us

The venerable toy outlet filed for bankruptcy in September 2017 amid mounting debt and pressure from wary suppliers and was forced to liquidate its remaining stores and inventories in 2018. The company is currently out of business, though rumors of a comeback persist.

Victoria's Secret

Parent company L Brands announced in late February that it would shutter 53 Victoria's Secret store locations amid sagging sales, after closing 30 stores in 2018. The venerable brand is contending with shifting fashion tastes as rivals embrace inclusive and comfortable styles.

Wet Seal

The teen fashion brand shuttered its 171 stores in 2017 after previously filing for bankruptcy in 2015. Declining foot traffic at malls and pressure from competitors like Zara and H&M contributed to Wet Seals demise.

FOX Business' Thomas Barrabi and Shawn M. Carter contributed to this report.
Attorneys general from most states are broadening their investigation into the opioid industry as a nationwide overdose crisis continues to claim thousands of lives.

They announced Tuesday that they had served subpoenas requesting information from five companies that make powerful prescription painkiller demanded information from three distributors. Forty-one attorneys general are involved in various parts of the civil investigation.

The probe into marketing and sales practices seeks to find out whether the industrys own actions worsened the epidemic.

If the industry cooperates, the investigation could lead to a national settlement. Connecticut Attorney George Jepsen said in an interview that there are early indications that drugmakers and distributors will discuss the matter with the states.

The advantage of the multi-state approach is that its not simply about providing a paycheck for damages to states, Jepsen said. It provides the opportunity to address broader policy concerns and industry practices.

The Healthcare Distribution Alliance said in a statement that its not responsible for the volume of opioid prescribing but that it does want to work on solving the public health crisis.

While distributors play a vital role as logistics companies, to suggest that they are responsible for the volume of opioids prescribed lacks a fundamental understanding of how the supply chain works and is regulated, John Gray, the groups president and CEO said in a statement. Distributors have no ability to influence what prescriptions are written.

PhRMA, which represents drugmakers, declined to comment on the investigation but said it is trying to deter and prevent drug abuse.

The group and some of its members met Monday with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who is the head of President Donald Trumps task force on opioids, and pledged to try to develop technologies to reduce the risk of addiction and abuse.

The drug companies targeted in the requests for information are Endo, Janssen, Teva and Allergan. The attorneys general also asked for more information from Purdue Pharma; an investigation of that company was announced in June. The distributors involved are AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson.

Drug overdoses have become a crisis across the country. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 2015, they killed more than 52,000 Americans. Most of the deaths involved prescription opioids such as OxyContin or Vicodin or related illicit drugs such as heroin and fentanyl. People with addictions often switch among the drugs.

Dozens of local and state governments have already filed, announced or publicly considered lawsuits against drugmakers or distributors.

Lawyers for the city of Everett, Washington, argued this week that their case against Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, should be allowed to move ahead after the company asked a judge to dismiss the case.

State and local governments have been taking other action as the epidemic has deepened, with steps ranging from increasing access to naloxone, a drug that reverses overdoses, to restricting initial prescriptions.

On Monday, a group of 37 attorneys general called on health insurance companies to offer incentives for other forms of pain treatment including non-opioid drugs and massage, saying that as it stands now, insurers cover opioids more than other approaches to pain treatment.

The industry group Americas Health Insurance Plans said in a statement that its already working on using education, prevention and other means in an effort to eradicate addiction.

___
News / National

by Staff reporter

An unlicensed Midlands State University student was jailed for an effective nine months for killing two people and seriously injuring two others in a road accident.Innocent Panashe Maviza (20) was speeding during the wee hours in Harare on New Year's Day and failed to control his vehicle which then encroached on to the lane of oncoming traffic resulting in a head-on collision.Brothers, Irwin Tanatswa Mutandwa and Irvine Tinotenda Mutandwa died on the spot while their mother and sister were seriously injured. The deceased's mother suffered multiple fractures and spent two months in hospital. Maviza was convicted on his own guilty plea. He pleaded guilty to two counts of culpable homicide and driving without a licence.The magistrate, Ms Ruramai Chitumbura sentenced Maviza to 12 months in prison before setting aside three months on condition he does not commit a similar offence within the next five years.She then effected nine months. Maviza was also fined $300 or three months in jail for driving without a licence. In passing sentence, the magistrate highlighted that a custodial sentence was more appropriate in the circumstances adding that community service or a fine would trivialise the offence."He committed a serious offence and his moral blameworthiness was high, although he is a first offender. The crime was aggravated by the fact that he drove without a licence and caused the death of two innocent souls. There was clear gross negligence hence a message needs to be sent out there that driving without a licence is a serious offence that can land a person in prison," she said.In mitigation, Maviza urged the court to take into account that he had no previous convictions and that he was a student. He pleaded for the court's leniency and opted for community service arguing that a jail term would disturb his studies. In aggravation, prosecutor Ms Farirai Nyamutowa had no kind words for Maviza saying his submission of being a student did not hold water. She called for a custodial sentence."Your Worship, the convicted person is saying that a jail term would disturb his studies, what about the two brothers he killed? Were they not going to school as well, did he also not cut their lives short?"Surely, he should have thought of all that before committing the offence. He drove the vehicle knowing very well that he was unlicensed. A jail term will meet the justice of the offence as community service or fine will trivialise the offence," she said.It is the State's case that on January 1 at around 2am, Maviza was driving at excessive speed along Drammond Chaplin Road and when he approached a curve, he failed to control the vehicle and encroached onto the lane of oncoming traffic resulting in a head-on, causing the death of innocent people.
A federal judge has denied an attempt to make the federal government pay for more of the cleanup of an oil spill on the Mississippi River where a tugboat pushed a barge into a railroad bridge.

That January 2013 spill dumped 7,100 gallons (27,000 liters) into the river at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and spawned a welter of litigation over who should pay for the cleanup.

The government sued the tugboat's owner, its insurer and the barge's owner, saying they should repay $800,000 that state and local governments spent removing oil. The government has also demanded civil fines if officials can prove tugboat owner Nature's Way Marine acted with willful misconduct or gross negligence. The Theodore, Alabama, company has denied its actions meet that standard.

U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves has yet to rule on the government's claims. But last week, he rejected a countersuit by Nature's Way. The company said the U.S. Coast Guard had improperly denied its claim to be reimbursed $2.1 million of the $3 million that it spent on the cleanup. Nature's Way said it was only on the hook for $850,000, the limit of liability for the tugboat, because it was not the legal operator of the barge. That would have meant that a federal oil spill cleanup fund would have had to pay back the rest of the money.

Reeves, though, rejected Nature's Way claim that the operator of the barge was its owner, Third Coast Towing.

"Common sense tells us that any definition of vessel 'operator' must include the person steering the vessel through the water," the judge wrote. "In this case, that was Nature's Way, since Nature's Way's tug pushed the Third Coast barge into the bridge."

The spill lawsuit has spawned a welter of other suits, with Nature's Way and Third Coast suing each other and the insurer of Nature's Way suing another insurer. In one earlier suit, Nature's Way paid $2 million to Third Coast and the barge owner's insurer for damages.

___

An earlier version of this story was corrected to show a judge denied the company's attempt to get more money, but didn't rule on the government's claim for $800,000.
Many of the Massachusetts voters who opened the door to legal marijuana are closing the door to pot shops that want to operate in their communities, raising questions about how strong a foothold the cannabis industry can achieve in the state.

More than 100 municipalities already have imposed bans, moratoriums or zoning restrictions on commercial marijuana businesses, with a closely watched referendum scheduled for Tuesday in Milford, a central Massachusetts town of about 28,000 residents.

In November, 52 percent of the town's voters approved Question 4, the state ballot initiative that legalized adult use of recreational pot. Milford already is home to two marijuana-related businesses that may go elsewhere if the referendum passes. The measure would not only prohibit retail stores from operating, but any licensed business associated with recreational pot.

The referendum is the first since the Legislature revised the voter-approved law and created a two-tiered system that requires communities where a majority of voters supported the ballot question to hold a referendum before pot shops can be banned. In places where a majority of voters rejected Question 4, it takes only a vote by the governing body  town meeting or city council, for example.

To entice cities and towns to welcome pot shops, lawmakers also increased the local option tax on marijuana sales from 2 percent to 3 percent, and allowed communities to negotiate host agreements with retailers that could net an additional 3 percent of gross sales.

The group spearheading the proposed ban in Milford argues it would protect children and public safety and safeguard the "integrity" of the community.

"Anyone who voted yes on Question 4 in November also voted yes to allow each community to hold its own vote to determine whether or not pot shops would be allowed to operate in their own communities," said Geri Eddins, spokeswoman for MilfordCARES. "In our mind we are exercising the will of the voters."

Opponents of the referendum say a ban would potentially deprive the town of hundreds of jobs and hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue from legal marijuana operations, including the two already in business. ProVerde Laboratories runs a testing lab, and Sage Naturals has a 31,000-square foot cultivation facility that supplies medical marijuana to dispensaries in Cambridge and Somerville.

The proposed ban would not include medical marijuana establishments, but would prevent either company from expanding into the more lucrative recreational marijuana market.

"We would have to relocate or shut down," said Chris Hudalla, founder and chief scientific officer for ProVerde.

Eddins dismissed the threat as "scare tactics" by opponents of the ban.

Turnout on Tuesday remains uncertain, but Bryan Cole of Milford Citizens for Fairness, a group urging residents to reject the ban, said there appears to be significant interest in town and "a lot of back and forth on social media" over the issue.

Should Milford voters decide to keep the door open for pot shops, legalization advocates hope it will begin to signal a shift away from prohibitions elsewhere in Massachusetts.

"Most towns will see within a few years that their counterparts are not suffering any problems from having these businesses in their communities," said Matthew Schweich, director of state campaigns for the Marijuana Policy Project. "Some of these bans will go away."
Kathy Ireland transitioned from a successful model to the CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, a company with an estimated $2.6 billion in retail sales.

Ireland discussed the secret to the companys success, telling the FOX Business Networks Maria Bartiromo on Mornings with Maria, Continued growth, Maria, watching you, youre a disruptor of Wall Street and watching you navigate your career, so you know what that is, but its really, its listening to the customer, its anticipating the changes.

According to Ireland, the companys success has given rise to questions of whether there is an IPO in the future.

People have asked me, will you take Kathy Ireland Worldwide public? I dont have the education to do that.

Bartiromo added that bureaucratic issues often accompany a public firm. Ireland agreed, preferring to focus on the branding.

There certainly is and I wont do it in a titular sense. I do know something about brand building, weve been doing it for 25 years.

Ireland reiterated plans for the company to remain private.

Kathy Ireland Worldwide will remain a private company, I enjoy the privacy of that.

However, the company is considering an IPO of its Level Brands.

Level Brands were in the testing the water phase of our Reg A+ IPO. I love Reg A+ because I really believe its the democratization of Wall Street for Main Street, it really makes it possible for more people to get involved, we spent a lot of time mentoring entrepreneurs and this is an empowering way for people to have an opportunity.
The Latest on the GOP effort to repeal former President Barack Obama's health care law (all times local):

6:10 p.m.

A bipartisan attempt at shoring up the Affordable Care Act is officially over in the Senate.

The development comes as the GOP has revived its partisan attack on "Obamacare," with Senate leaders and President Donald Trump pushing repeal and replace legislation.

GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander, who chairs the Senate's health committee and had been working with top committee Democrat Patty Murray, says in a statement that they "have not found the necessary consensus among Republicans and Democrats."

But Murray disputed that, alleging GOP leaders "decided to freeze this bipartisan approach."

Alexander and Murray had been aiming for a limited short-term plan to stabilize insurance premiums. But passage through the House or the Senate would have been an uphill struggle, since most Republicans want to repeal "Obamacare," not improve it.

___

6:05 p.m.

Fifteen Republican governors are lining up behind the Senate GOP effort to turn much of President Barack Obama's health care law into block grants that states could spend as they wish.

The governors wrote a letter to lawmakers Tuesday saying they "appreciate" the bill by GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham.

The White House and Republican leaders hope the Senate will approve the measure next week as the GOP tries reviving its effort to repeal Obama's 2010 law.

The letter came after 10 governors from both parties wrote separately to senators rejecting that bill and calling for a bipartisan health care drive.

The GOP governors said "adequately funded" federal grants to states "are the last, best hope" to replace Obama's law.

___

2:55 p.m.

A chief sponsor of Republican bill to dismantle Obamacare says he's "never felt better about where we're at" but stopped short of predicting the GOP has the votes to pass the measure.

That's the word from South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham who spoke to reporters after Republicans' close-door luncheon where Vice President Mike Pence joined the lobbying effort for the measure.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said lawmakers spent the luncheon talking about the bill and there was "lots of interest."

Graham said at the "end of the day" we need 50 votes. Republicans are aiming to vote by the end of the month before Democrats' ability to filibuster legislation kicks in.

____

1:26 p.m.

Vice President Mike Pence says the Trump administration is "all in" on a last-ditch effort by Republicans to undermine former President Barack Obama's health care law.

Pence was speaking to Republican senators at their weekly luncheon and urging them to act on health care.

Pence and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham flew back to Washington from the United Nations to push the health care bill.

They spoke by phone to Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan about the plan. Pence called West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, about the proposal and Alaska Gov. Bill Walker also received a call.

Graham says Trump called him Monday night to encourage him.

The plan would replace much of Obama's law with block grants to states and reshape Medicaid.

____

1:20 p.m.

A bipartisan group of 10 governors, including the leader of the National Governors Association, is calling on Senate leaders to reject the latest Republican bill to dismantle Obamacare.

In a letter Tuesday, the governors urged top Republican Mitch McConnell and top Democrat Chuck Schumer "not to consider" a compromise crafted by Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Louisiana's Bill Cassidy, but rather to support a bipartisan solution.

Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich (KAY'-sik) and Democratic Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper have teamed up to push the bipartisan path.

They signed the letter along with Nevada's Brian Sandoval, the NGA chair, and the governors of Alaska, Montana and Louisiana, where senators are being lobbied aggressively to support the latest bill.

The governors of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts and Vermont also signed.

____

12:57 p.m.

The American Medical Association is opposed to the latest, last-ditch Republican effort to dismantle Obamacare.

That's the word Tuesday from the largest association of physicians. In a letter to Senate leaders, the AMA says the Senate should reject any bill that would jeopardize health insurance for tens of millions of Americans. The organization said Congress should focus on measures to stabilize health insurance markets.

The group says the proposal from Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy violates the precept of "first do no harm." The AMA expressed concern that repeal of Medicaid expansion and temporary block grants through 2026 would result in tens of millions of people losing coverage.

Senate GOP leaders are trying to round up support for the legislation and vote before end of the month.

____

12:28 p.m.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is telling colleagues that she wants "all hands on deck" to defeat the latest Republican effort to undo the Affordable Care Act.

Pelosi calls the bill a moral monstrosity. The Senate bill relies on sending block grants to the states to provide health coverage.

Pelosi says members are encouraged to participate in what she called a tweet storm against "Trumpcare" Tuesday afternoon from noon to 2 p.m.

She is also urging members in "this emergency request" to schedule town hall meetings and press conferences to speak out against the legislation. Senate Republicans must pass the measure by Sept. 30 to avoid a Democratic filibuster.

Pelosi says House Democrats will fully mobilize to lift up the voices of families who would be devastated by the legislation.

____

10:40 a.m.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is praising a last-ditch Republican bill to repeal and replace "Obamacare"  the latest sign the GOP's repeal effort may be back from the dead.

McConnell calls the bill by Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham "an intriguing idea, and one that has a great deal of support."

The bill would undo major elements of Barack Obama's health care law and send block grants to the states instead. The Senate must act on the bill by Sept. 30  or face a certain Democratic filibuster.

McConnell says the GOP's ability to repeal the law after years of promises "may well pass us by if we don't act."

___

3:28 a.m.

Top Senate Republicans say their last-ditch push to uproot President Barack Obama's health care law is gaining momentum.

But the GOP has less than two weeks to succeed. And it still faces a tough fight to win enough rank-and-file support to overcome Democratic opposition and reverse the summer's self-inflicted defeat on the issue.

Republicans commanding the Senate 52-48 would lose if just three GOP senators are opposed.

That proved a bridge too far in July. Three attempts for passage of similar measures fell short and delivered an embarrassing defeat to President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

McConnell has said he'd not bring another alternative to the Senate floor unless he knew he had the 50 votes needed. Vice President Mike Pence would cast the tie-breaking vote.
The U.S. Navy has discovered a new cost-saving technology for its most advanced submarines: Xbox controllers.

Sailors aboard the USS Virginia, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, are using a controller from Microsofts (NASDAQ:MSFT) Xbox 360 to operate two digital periscopes, according to the Virginian-Pilot. The video-game controllersthe same ones used by Xbox players at homereplace a helicopter-style joystick developed by Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT).

The USS Virginias standard photonic mast handgrip and imaging control panel cost about $38,000. By comparison, Xbox 360 controllers cost about $30 each.

After two years of testing, the Navy plans to equip other Virginia-class submarines with Xbox controllers. The USS Colorado, which is scheduled to be commissioned by November, will use Xbox controllers. Active submarines such as the USS John Warner will also get an updated periscope system with the controllers.

Sailors who tested the controllers were able to quickly learn the familiar controls, according to the Navy. The controllers have simplified the operation of the USS Virginias high-tech periscopes, which send digital images to large monitors in the control room.

Lockheed Martin and the Navy are reportedly searching for more off-the-shelf products that can cut costs.
New Zealand's lawmakers and public employees have been told to cancel all nonessential flights to Auckland as a fuel shortage at the nation's largest airport continues to disrupt the travel plans of thousands of people.

The main pipeline that carries jet fuel to Auckland Airport ruptured last week. Since then, at least 70 domestic and international flights have been canceled, including 29 on Tuesday. Other flights have been delayed or rerouted.

Airlines have been restricted to using 30 percent of their normal jet fuel allowance at the airport. The carriers have managed to continue a majority of their scheduled flights, in some cases by refueling elsewhere.

Pipeline owners Refining New Zealand say the pipeline was struck by a digger or other machinery and should be repaired by next Tuesday.
Volvo is reportedly doubling its investment in a new U.S. plant currently under construction.

The Swedish car maker, owned by Chinas Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, is building its first U.S. factory in Charleston, South Carolina. The project was initially projected to bring 2,000 jobs to the area starting in late 2018, when the plant is scheduled to open. With a new total investment of $1 billion, Volvo will add a second production line and another 2,500 workers in Charleston, according to multiple reports Tuesday.

Volvo declined to comment on the reports. The news was first revealed by Charlestons Post and Courier newspaper, which noted that Volvo has already begun making hires. Volvo will host a press conference on Sept. 25, though the topic of discussion wasnt disclosed.

Automakers have accelerated investments in U.S. manufacturing facilities. Toyota (NYSE:TM) and Mazda are conducting a search for the location of a future plant, and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) supplier Foxconn may open an auto technology center in Michigan. Toyota also officially opened its new U.S. headquarters in Texas over the summer.

Volvos new plans for Charleston come as the company works toward a fourth consecutive year of record sales. Volvo has seen demand for its vehicles recover under the ownership of Zhejiang Geely, which has invested in new models like the well-received XC90 SUV and S90 sedan. Volvo has said it will make the S60 sedan and another vehicle at the Charleston plant.

Volvo reported a 15.5% increase in global sales last month amid substantial growth in China. Since the start of 2017, Volvo has sold 359,798 vehicles, an 8.7% gain. In the U.S., Volvos sales are down 7.3% compared to the same period last year. The company has blamed the decline on limited inventory at U.S. dealers.
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) may be one of the largest corporate giants in the U.S., but its tax bill pales in comparison to some of the other top Fortune 500 companies, a new analysis shows.

Despite having a market cap of more than $470 billion and ranking 12 on the Fortune 500 list, the e-commerce company has only paid $1.4 billion in corporate income tax since 2008, according to Clinical Professor at the NYU Stern School of Business Scott Galloway  and as reported by Bloomberg. Comparatively, over the same time period, Walmart (NYSE:WMT) paid $64 billion.

The reason Amazon has such a low corporate income tax bill is because its registered profit is small when compared with the companies that are paying higher rates: Since 2008, the e-commerce companys pretax income has totaled just $11 billion, compared to Walmarts $209 billion, according to Bloombergs analysis.

Some of the other big companies that have a small tax bill despite enjoying a large global business imprint are Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), Bloomberg notes. The underlying trends behind these companies low tax obligations are the fact that they have a lot of earnings overseas and many assets than can be easily moved to areas that have the lowest tax rates. In the latter case, if the money isnt repatriated, the company will avoid paying the U.S. tax rate, which is among the highest in the industrialized world.

Still, the exact amount that companies pay to the IRS in corporate tax dues is not publicly disclosed information, Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at Cato and editor of DownsizingGovernment.org, told FOX Business. Edwards pointed out that what companies actually pay, and what is written on financial statements, can vary greatly, so it may be frivolous to pass judgement on each companys bill.

Individuals, not corporations, ultimately pay the corporate tax as shareholders, workers, or consumers, he said. Corporations are just the governments collection vehicle.

However, one person who has not shied away from criticizing Amazons, and its CEO Jeff Bezos, tax practices is President Donald Trump. Trump called Amazon a no-tax monopoly in July and accused Bezos of owning The Washington Post in order to keep taxes down at the e-commerce company in both December of 2015 and again in July.

During an interview with Fox News in May, President Trump said Bezos was getting away with murder tax-wise, claiming the Amazon CEO was using The Washington Post to accumulate capital among politicians so that the company can dodge taxes.

During the same interview, Trump suggested Amazon had a huge antitrust problem.

Meanwhile, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Amazon had violated no antitrust laws during an interview with FOX Business in August.

In August, the president tweeted that Amazon was hurting retailers and jobseekers.

Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers. Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt - many jobs being lost!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2017

While the president is putting pressure on Amazon as it continues to grow, traditional retailers are struggling to survive in a landscape of shifting consumer tastes. Last week womens shoe retailer Aerosoles filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as it seeks to reorganize its business model to place a higher emphasis on its online footprint. Early Tuesday, Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy, citing the same goal for its web sales presence. Retailers are on pace to set a record for bankruptcies in 2017.

On the flip side, Amazon is making larger strides into the consumer market. The company announced a new Prime feature that has the struggling retail industry trembling as it seeks to bring the dressing room straight into customers living rooms. The new service, Amazon Prime Wardrobe, would allow members to try on clothes for free and send back what they dont like at no extra charge. It also furthered its expansion into the grocery aisle with the acquisition of organic grocer Whole Foods earlier this year.

Amazons stock is up nearly 30% so far in 2017.

Amazon did not return FOX Business request for comment at the time of publication.
An expansion of Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) Transco natural gas pipeline received regulatory approvals, allowing the Atlantic Sunrise project in Pennsylvania to move forward.

Federal regulators gave approval to the $3 billion pipeline, which will transport natural gas from northeastern Pennsylvania to states in the mid-Atlantic and southeast. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the notice on Friday for a 197-mile stretch of the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline.

Climate activists, including a group of nuns who allowed activists to build an outdoor chapel on the proposed pipeline route, had challenged the project.

Williams Partners expects to begin work on the pipeline as early as Sept. 25. A spokesperson for the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company said the projects contractor needs time to prepare the site and mobilize equipment.

The Transco expansion coincides with surging natural gas production in Pennsylvania. An annual report published by the state showed that Pennsylvanias natural gas output hit a record in 2016 and grew 11% compared to the prior year. The Marcellus Shale, a major source of natural gas, stretches across Pennsylvania and neighboring states.

The entire Transco system is comprised of 10,200 miles of pipeline, making it the largest natural gas pipeline in the U.S. Transco carries natural gas along the East Coast and southeastern U.S.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A few thoughts now on a state government out of control, intent on defying the Trump administration as it ignores its own citizens.

California's democratically dominated Senate and Assembly have passed a bill declaring California to be a sanctuary state; Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown says he'll sign it into law.

The bill bars police from asking about a person's immigration status and prohibits law enforcement from notifying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when certain criminal illegal immigrants are released from jail.

But that's not the only step California lawmakers have taken to defy the Trump administration.

Lawmakers allocating $30 million to help dreamers stay in this country and attend college. And $45 million for illegal immigrants to hire attorneys to fight deportation.

The legislature also passed a measure calling on Congress to censure President Trump over his Charlottesville response, as well as bills protecting climate data from federal censorship and blocking presidential candidates from appearing on the ballot in 2020 unless they release five years of tax returns.

And the movement for the state to secede from the union is making a third run at secession, which has failed twice this year.

California is simply a mess, and not getting any better at all.
News / Regional

by Stephen Jakes

Mthwakazi Republic Party members and supporters from Matabeleland North particularly Tsholotsho have cried foul following their deliberate exclusion by the Ministry of primary and secondary education.The Ministry of Education had informed qualified teachers who want to join his ministry as teachers to come for interviews at the Ministry's offices in Tsholotsho.MRP supporter in Lupane Mpiyezwe Mconywa has said professional teachers from across Matabeleland also went there in anticipation of employment only to discover that people have already been employed from Harare."My heart is bleeding as I am speaking to you, it was so pathetic to say the least. We saw Shona people coming with reference letters from Higher office personnel and they took all the jobs available. None of them could speak Ndebele or any other local language, that's where I realised that as Mhwakazi people we are nothing in this country," said the source who is also a qualified teacher but could not get the job despite the fact that he is originally from Tsholotsho.MRP said it is aware of a plan by Robert Gabriel Mugabe's cabinet to employ thousands of Shona people as civil servants into Matabeleland territories in this election period, most of which being CIO agents and ZANU PF youths as part of a broader rigging strategy."ZANU PF is on a mission to dilute the Mthwakazi vote through different methods of rigging including intimidation. As MRP we encourage parents across Mthwakazi, regardless of political affiliation to unite and reject all teachers or any other civil servant who can't speak your local languages. MRP will stand with you in defense of your fundamental human Rights," said the MRP."We believe that all the employment opportunities within your areas belongs to you, and first preference must be given to you. Therefore we can't have our primary students being taught in a foreign language when we have our own qualified sons and daughters doing nothing at home or worse still risking their lives crossing through the crocodile infected Limpopo river to South Africa.""Finally we would like to warn Dokora to desist from such kind of behavior of following the 1979 Grand plan at the expense of our people. If you continue pushing us to the corner we maybe forced to completely shut down all our schools until after Independence.""We can not continue to tolerate that nonsense, not anymore please register and Vote MRP to free Matabeleland."
A new report claims the FBI wiretapped former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort before and after the election.

Manafort is a key figure in the bureaus investigation into Russian collusion during the 2016 presidential election.

During an appearance on FOX Business, Judge Napolitano speculated whether former FBI Director Jim Comey lied under oath while he testified on Capitol Hill. He said the facts that were revealed on Tuesday morning are inconsistent with what he told the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Jim Comey, while he was still director of the FBI, next to Admiral Rogers, the head of the NSA, both under oath, told the Senate Intelligence Committee: we know of no wiretaps in Trump Tower, he told Maria Bartiromo on Mornings with Maria.

Now how could Jim Comey not know of it if his own FBI had obtained [a warrant] and it went back to 2014, was dropped for a few months and picked up again in 2015 when Donald Trump announced he was running for president?

Napolitano said it also raises questions on whether former Obama senior advisor Valerie Jarrett and former national security advisor Susan Rice were trying to help Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail.

It makes you wonder if this was an intelligence-style wiretap to which Valerie Jarrett and Susan Rice had access, you know where this is going. Were they doing this so that they could tell Mrs. Clinton what Donald was going to do next in the campaign? That of course would be a very, very serious felony. Or was this a legitimate law enforcement pursuit of evidence of criminal behavior on the part of Paul Manafort?
Along with President Trumps America first policy, he is poised to take the U.S. to being a vocal global leader.

Mary Anastasia OGrady, The Wall Street Journal columnist and Fox News contributor, says this is what many members of the United Nations want, telling the FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney: What members of the U.N., many of the members, are looking for is U.S. leadership. This idea that the U.S. is sort of just going to hang back and go with everybody, it didnt work, it was a disaster with President Obama and so theyre looking for leadership.

OGrady says the mounting political crisis in Venezuela under Nicolas Maduros authoritarian regime is leading other Latin American countries to come together to address the issue.

The Venezuelan situation has actually brought people together in Latin America, not everybody, okay the Cubans are not going to be happy, the Castros. But you have, on the South American continent, a lot of countries that are very worried about what they see in Venezuela.

According to OGrady, despite the comparisons to the Castro regime in Cuba, Maduro was perceived to be a greater threat to the region.

For six decades you had the Cubans sort of, you know, committing every human rights violation you could imagine and yet, somehow, morally nobody ever called them out. Now you see the same situation in Venezuela and its almost like these other countries are thinking, if something is not done about this guy, were gonna be the next thing he eats for dinner.

That threat is causing Latin American governments to call for U.S. leadership on the issue.

They want the U.S. help and theyre coming together, OGrady said on Varney & Co.

Though OGrady agreed with Varney that U.S. leadership was needed, both at the U.N. and in dealing with the Venezuelan crisis in particular, she pointed out a potential issue at the State Department, telling Varney, He doesnt have an Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere and Rex Tillerson is using very much the career guy at the State Department to shape policy there and its, in my opinion, been too conciliatory, too much about dialogue and not enough about taking the toughest stances we could in order to force Venezuela to return to democracy.
Billy Bush and his wife of nearly 20 years, Sydney Davis, have called it quits as of Tuesday, Fox News has learned.

"After almost 20 years of marriage they have separated for the moment to evaluate their life together," wrote a rep for Bush. "They love each other and their children deeply and are committed to a bright future."

The news comes nearly a year after the infamous recording involving a lewd conversation with President Donald Trump leaked to the Washington Post. The former Today host was soon fired by NBC over a morality clause in his contract.

BIGGEST CELEBRITY BREAKUPS OF 2017 SO FAR

After the 45-year-old was given the axe, he sold his New York City townhouse and moved back to Los Angeles.

Page Six reported at the time that Bush's locker room talk infuriated his wife.

Billy Bushs wife, Sydney Davis, was furious about the tape, an NBC insider told the publication. Not because of what was said, but because he was stupid enough to put himself in that position. It wasnt just the vile talk, its because he insisted the woman hug him and Trump. It was creepy.

"She was so furious that she refused to speak with him for a while  and shes still furious. They are having marriage problems. He didnt apologize to her for the embarrassment he caused in his statement.

Bush and Davis share three children.
Late night host James Corden said he was disappointed in himself after he was photographed kissing former White House press secretary Sean Spicer at the Emmys.

Spicer made a surprise appearance at Sundays show when he came out during Stephen Colberts monologue to joke about the crowd size.

Spicer was poking fun at himself in reference to his comments he made during his first press briefing telling reporters that President Trump had the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period  both in person and around the globe. Many media outlets pointed to photographs of the inauguration that seemed to suggest the crowd was not as large as Spicer said.

Spicer announced his resignation from the position on July 21.

Variety posted the photo of Corden kissing Spicer on the cheek which was scrutinized by social media users and celebrities. Scrubs actor Zach Braff tweeted: Im not ready to laugh with Sean Spicer. I think he is an evil, opportunistic liar that hurt our country.

Corden responded to the backlash Monday during his Late Late Show.

Now, I know you think thats a picture of me kissing Sean Spicer, but in the spirit of Sean Spicer, no, it isnt, Corden joked.

Anyone ever have that feeling when you get a little drunk and then wake up the next morning and think, Oh, God, who did I kiss last night? Its a bit like that.

To be fair, everyone was kissing ass last night, I just happened to kiss the biggest one there, Corden said.

Understandably, some people have been disappointed by this photo. In truth, I am disappointed by it as well. Ive been reading a lot of harsh comments on twitter today and I hear you loud and clear. Truly I do. So much so, I am really starting to regret that Carpool Karaoke we taped with Steve Bannon, Corden concluded.

Corden proceeded to show him kissing other celebrities at the Emmys as a way to prove that Spicer did not get special treatment.

Basically, what Im saying is, I need to learn how to shake hands, Corden said.
The Sound of Music is still recognized as a beloved Hollywood musical that also happens to be the third-highest grossing film of all time behind Star Wars and Gone With the Wind." However, the 1965 classic was originally plagued with problems.



The movie, which tells the real-life story of the Von Trapp family and their life just before World War II, wasnt met with open arms when production began in Salzburg, Austria.

JULIE ANDREWS TALKS 'MARY POPPINS RETURNS'

The town didnt want us there, Nicholas Hammond (Friedrich) told Closer Weekly on the countrys citizens being outspoken on not wanting the filmmakers there because of the storys political message. They provided no cooperation whatsoever.

The 67-year-old even admitted a local marionette theater refused to let their puppets be used in The Lonely Goatherd scene.

They said, This is a classy operation we do here, he recalled. We dont want them in some tacky Hollywood movie. So the puppets we used had to be made.

Another unwanted complication that occurred during filming was tackling the unpredictable Austrian weather.

We had what was on record as the worst spring weather [Salzburg] had in 50 years, he explained. It rained almost every single day. In an awful lot of the shots where it looks sunny, it wasnt at all. They had to blast a lot of huge arc lights to try to make it look like the sun was shining.

The poor weather pushed back filming so much the child actors began to have growth spurts.

I was 7, and I lost all four of my teeth across the bottom, Debbie Turner (Marta) told the magazine. Then I lost all four across the top so I had a retainer-type thing that had fake teeth on it!

Hammond, who was 14 and 5-foot-3-inches at the start of filming, also shot up 6 inches taller, which resulted in constant costume changes.

The wardrobe man would joke to my mother and say, Why dont you just hit him over the head so he stops growing? said Hammond. I started with great big lifts in my shoes, but then they took them out, and I eventually had to stand barefoot because I got to be much taller than Charmian Carr (Liesel).

Hammond and Turner werent the only ones experiencing growing pains. Closer Weekly added Kym Karath (Gretl) grew too heavy to carry for one scene so a stunt double was used.

But that wasnt the only problem Karath faced. In the river scene in which the Von Trapps all fall into a lake, she suddenly sank to the bottom.

It was 10 seconds before anybody realized there were only six kids in the boat, not seven, said Hammond. All those crew guys went rushing into the lake and pulled Kym up, and she promptly threw up all over Heather Menzies (Louisa)!

Julia Andrews, who starred as Maria, also revealed the iconic scene where she sings among the Austrian mountains wasnt easy to create and required multiple takes before cameras finally captured the magical shot.

A giant helicopter came at me sideways with a very brave cameraman hanging out [its] side, said the 81-year-old. Every time he went around me, the downdraft from the jets would fling me down into the grass.

And while Andrews fully embraced her role, Christopher Plummer, who starred as Captain von Trapp, nearly turned down the opportunity.

He didnt think the role was very interesting, said Barry Monush, author of The Sound of Music FAQ. He wanted them to build a more intriguing character.

Despite all the trouble The Sound of Music brought during production, the musical only brought the cast closer. They still stay in touch to this day.

It took nine months to film the movie in its entirety, and we had a lot of interaction said Karath. Were on email or the telephone all the time. Were not kidding about it being a second family.
The brother of Pablo Escobar, the notorious Colombia druglord of the Medellin cartel depicted in Netflixs Narcos, has some advice for the online streaming company after its location scout was shot and killed in Mexico.

Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria, who was the lead accountant for the cartel, told the Hollywood Reporter that Netflix should up its security protocol by hiring hitmen.

You have to eliminate all threats, Gaviria said. When I was walking in the jungle one day, I had a bag with $2 million in $100 bills. The army was searching for me and Pablo at this time. Suddenly, we are being shot at.

Gaviria recalled both of them, along with security people, escaped the attack by swimming away. He added that he and Escobar were unarmed.

If you have the intellect, you don't need to use weapons. If not, you have to. In this case, Netflix should provide hitmen to their people as security, Gaviria said.

Gavirias comments come a week after Carlos Munoz Portal was gunned down in a remote area in Central Mexico, close to the border of Hidalgo, while looking for a filming location for Narcos fourth season. He was discovered in a car with his body riddled with bullets, according to Variety.

We are aware of the passing of Carlos Munoz Portal, a well-respected location scout, and send our condolences to his family, Netflix said in a statement to Variety. The facts surrounding his death are still unknown as authorities continue to investigate.

Show producers were said to be focusing on Mexicos Juarez cartel for season four. On the last episode of season three, which detailed the fall of the Cali cartel, it preluded a possible move to Mexico in a scene with DEA agent Javier Pena, played by Pedro Pascal.

The first two seasons of Narcos were focused on Pablo Escobars rise and fall as the kingpin of the Medellin empire. Escobar was shot and killed at the end of season two. Gaviria refused to address his brothers death to the Hollywood Reporter, saying he is still alive and my brother.

Gaviria previously demanded Netflix to pay him $1 billion in July 2016 for unauthorized usage of content.
Film director Rob Reiner has launched a committee to investigate whether or not Russia tampered with the U.S. presidential election.

The 70-year-old posted a message on Twitter Tuesday explaining the intent of his new organization is to understand the gravity of Russias invasion of our democracy."

He labeled his project "The Committee to Investigate Russia.

The When Harry Met Sally director has been vocal in his past support of Hillary Clinton, and his condemnation of President Trump on social media.

Reiner partnered with David Frum, the senior editor of The Atlantic and author of the upcoming book, "Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic."

Their website, Investigaterussia.org, surmises the goal of their initiative.

The Committee to Investigate Russia is a nonprofit, non-partisan resource provided to help Americans recognize and understand the gravity of Russias continuing attacks on our democracy. All relevant information is aggregated in one place to provide context and allow users to see the full picture of what Russia has done and will continue to do unless we start paying closer attention. For generations, people have fought to protect democracy. Now it is our turn, the website reads.

The website also lists military historian Max Boot, former director of national intelligence James Clapper, American Enterprise Institute resident scholar Norman Ornstein, and conservative commentator Charles Sykes, along with Reiner as members of their advisory board.

Additionally, actor Morgan Freeman is featured in a video running on the organizations website warning Americans that Russia is waging a war upon the United States.

We have been attacked, Freeman said in the video. We are at war.

The news of the committee was met with a slew of mixed responses.

Bravo! Great work. This site is very informative. Let's hope it ends in numerous arrests, including of Trump himself. That's the end game, wrote one Twitter user.

While another user poked fun at the investigation and wrote Have fun with that.
When it came time for Mikayla Cleckler to choose a location for her senior photos, she headed to a local McDonalds. The 17-year-old, who is graduating in 2018 from Northeast Jones High School in Mississippi, posed with various menu items near and dear to the hearts of fast-food lovers everywhere: French fries, large sodas, and Buttermilk Chicken Sandwiches.

The shoots photographer, Jana Cooley, explained the inspiration to POPSUGAR: Mikayla is actually my cousin and one of my best friends. She texted me and asked if I would mind taking her senior pictures and I responded, You know were taking these at McDonalds, right? She is obsessed with their Buttermilk Chicken Sandwiches and just knowing the type of person she is, we wouldnt be doing the world justice if we didnt incorporate a little humor.

Cooley says the two took normal senior photos too, but were hoping the McShoot makes it to the yearbook. Cooleys photos of Cleckler have been shared over 20,000 times and have garnered 9,200 likes and nearly 12,000 comments. Not pictured is the $1 ice cream cone, for reasons Im sure you can guess, Cooley captioned the album. This senior is #McDone.
An Austin-area bakery has announced that it will be shutting down its Facebook account after a recent incident turned its Yelp and Facebook pages into a full-blown gun rights debate.

About a year and a half ago, the Baguette et Chocolat in Bee Cave, Texas, made the decision to ban open and concealed carry in its shop. But one customer, Robert Farago, forgot to leave his gun in his car during a recent visit, and entered the shop with a handgun visible under his T-shirt. The owners then dialed 311, which dispatched two police officers to remove Farago.

In response, Farago  who also serves as an editor for a website called The Truth About Guns  penned an article about the experience on Sept. 16, lamenting that the owners didnt just ask me to leave and/or disarm.

NYC RESTAURANT FIRES SERVER WHO WROTE INSENSITIVE REMARK ON PATRON'S CHECK

My bad, right? wrote Farago, who admitted to knowing about Baguette et Chocolats policy  and discussing it with the owners  when the bakery first posted the requisite gun-prohibiting signage on its front doors over a year ago. But Im still annoyed that the owner called the cops.

As a result, gun-rights activists have taken to the bakerys Facebook and Yelp pages to voice their disapproval, some of whom left 1-star reviews based solely on the content of Faragos article, reports Eater Austin.

The owners feel the need to try and restrict our rights and liberty as Americans, read one of the negative reviews on the bakerys Yelp page, which has since been placed under an Active Cleanup Alert by Yelp.

The shops Facebook page has also been negatively affected, with some 1-star reviews blasting the bakery for its decision to disallow their customers' right of self-defense, and its despicable treatment of paying customers.



Our Facebook page was supposed to be our own  not anymore, the bakerys owners, Anne-lise and Chi-minh Pham Dinh, wrote in a Facebook update. The rating weve been working on has been declining drastically by those bad reviews and it will keep going.

On the other hand, supporters have also flooded Baguette et Chocolates Yelp and Facebook pages to defend the bakery.

CHICK-FIL-A PATRONS TRASH RESTAURANT AFTER HEATED EXCHANGE WITH STAFF

Don't shut your page down over one law-breaking gun nut, wrote one Facebook user. They will lose, you will win. Baked goods win over half-baked every time.

Don't worry, we have your back! wrote another. This community will not tolerate bullies. We love that you are here  keep doing your thing!

The positive feedback appears to be winning, however as Baguette et Chocolat currently holds a 4.9 rating on Facebook and a 4-star rating on Yelp.

Surprisingly, Farago, too, has insisted that gun-rights advocates stop contacting the shop or leaving reviews, as it doesnt help the gun rights cause at all. He also explicitly wrote that hes a fan of their baked goods, calling their baguettes a siren song he can never resist, and their ham sandwich the worlds best.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Nevertheless, co-owner Chi-minh Pham-Dinh told Eater Austin hes still shutting down the Facebook page on Sept. 25. "We don't want to deal with it," he said. "We just want to focus on our French bakery.
A man in Arizona was attempting to cook a rattlesnake on a barbecue grill when the snake decided to fight back.

Victor Pratt, 48, was throwing his child a birthday party when a rattlesnake slithered into his yard. Upon seeing the intruder, Pratt decided to take the opportunity to teach his party guests how to catch and cook a rattlesnake.

In a USA Today report, Pratt said he grabbed the venomous snake to show off to his friends and family when he lost his grip on the snakes head, freeing the snake to attack him.

JAPAN'S 'CAT HEAVEN ISLAND' WANTS ED SHEERAN TO STOP BY FOR A VISIT

Pratt sustained a bite to the chest and the face. His family immediately rushed Pratt to the hospital, which doctors say saved his life.

"If an airway is not established in the first few minutes, in our experience less than 15 to 30 minutes, then those patients really don't have a chance to survive,'' said Dr. Steven Curry, Banner hospital's toxicology director.

Rattlesnake venom can cause swelling, paralysis and numbness as well as internal bleeding.

"If they can get their airway established, they're very lucky," Curry continued. "That is, you're lucky to have been bitten and been able to make it to the hospital in just a few minutes in order to have those emergency procedures done that are needed to save your life."

Pratt was sedated for five days, including during the procedures and his transfer to Phoenix hospital.

"I lost five days of memory," Pratt said. "I didn't know where I was for five days."

Dr. Curry said keeping patients with face bites sedated is crucial to keep them from pulling out the endotracheal tube.

"(If) that endotracheal tube would come out, because of severe neck swelling, it would be difficult or impossible to immediately put it back in or immediately perform ... an emergency tracheotomy," Curry said. "Because if that tube were to come out, then we would expect that they would be in very big trouble immediately, and perhaps might even die in four to five minutes."

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

On average, Banner Hospital sees about 70 snake-bite victims a year, with face bites making up less than 1 percent of the cases. In fatal snake bite cases, the common denominator, Dr. Curry points out, is not receiving medical attention soon enough.

"First-aid measures such as tourniquets, ice, incisions or taking the time to apply suctions ... are dangerous and harmful," Curry said. "Or completely ineffective, as in the case of suction."

Pratt has learned his lesson though.

"Ain't gonna play with snakes no more," Pratt said.
Opinion / Columnist

In the African society, morality demands that we protect the elderly from abuse for age makes them vulnerable. In the Zimbabwean case the opposite is true especially when it pertains to Mugabe.The Citizen has suffered because of Mugabe's errors of both commission and omission. The temptations are that of celebrating his vulnerability, his failure and even prophecies of his demise.We have heard stories of people who take advantage of the aged forcing them to sign documents before they die for the ultimate benefit of a related estate.This is an old trick which was written even in ancient fiction stories but more vividly the Christian will remember the biblical story of Jacob and how he tricked his father to get the blessing.Then there is a man named Dambudzo Emerson Mnangagwa who is taking advantage of Mugabe's age which in fact is a couple of years less than a century.While it is not our business to discuss whoever gets Mugabe's blessing the Jacob way, our concern is solely located in the fact that the presidency as a matter of fact is a public office which must service the people of Zimbabwe.It is an office that spends the highest amounts of tax payers' money, investing such kinds of money to a narrow personal agenda becomes somewhat insane and unacceptable.Recent developments have seen Mnangagwa having his way after arm twisting persons in the presidency, some who voluntarily serve his factional agenda.Reports in the Standard of the 17th of September 2017 indicate that the gazetted appointment of Adv Ray Goba as the substantive Prosecutor General was not done above board with Dr Misheck Sibanda accused to be at the centre of the mischief.Mugabe also signed into law the first amendment of the constitution which is a subject of legal contestation, normally Mugabe would wait for the contestation to be over before proceeding. He would rather arm twist the adjudicators to rule in his favour.The stance displayed in this case is certainly not Mugabe's style, it smells external influence, the citizen would know that the amendment is a Lacoste project meant to help the faction control the judiciary just in case the acerbic succession fights spill into the courts.And then there are recent electoral shenanigans which include proclamation number 6 of 2017 and Statutory Instrument 117 of 2017 made in terms of section 2 of the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) Act.The PDP is aware that Mnangagwa is an unpopular and unelectable individual who is so desperate to have an early election just to ride on the Mugabe factor.He is therefore pushing to have an election called through extra-legal ways; our concern is that this will ultimately result in a disputed outcome due to the irregularities born out of ZEC's unpreparedness. In any case the timing of an election is a constitutional issue unless if Mnangagwa is contemplating pulling another amendment.The People's Democratic Party urges all those involved in capture to desist from criminal acts meant to serve a narrow self-aggrandisement agenda.Those in the presidency must remember they are civil servants who must be guided by the dictates of the law set out in chapters 9 and 10 of the constitution; these provisions guide the conduct of public servants.
The parents of conjoined twin boys born earlier this month said that while they have a few health hurdles to overcome, they are doing better than initially expected. Heather and Jason Kroeger, of North Carolina, were advised to abort the twins after it was discovered that they were conjoined near the end of the first trimester, Fox 19 reported.

To us, it wasnt an option, Jason Kroeger told the news outlet. There is that initial shock, and a lot goes through your head, but pretty quickly we came to the realization these are our boys, and we have to do what we can do for them.

NAVAL HOSPITAL REMOVES STAFF SEEN IN INAPPROPRIATE PICTURES WITH NEWBORNS

The family, which includes five older siblings ages 17 to 4, traveled to Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center for their birth. Elijah and Isaac were born on Sept. 5, and doctors have since determined they cannot be safely separated.

Kroeger said he already sees differences between his two sons.

Isaac is kind of mellow and calm and Elijah is just grabbing and looking around and wanting to touch everything, he told Fox 19. Its going to be interesting seeing them grow up and seeing the different personalities between the two.

The family had been staying at St. Xavier Church in Cincinnati, and Kroeger said the support and welcome they have received from the community has been overwhelming.

NERF GUNS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS EYE INJURIES, DOCTORS WARN

Friends, we cannot see what God sees. Nor can we always understand the hows and whys, a post on a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of the family read. This family has inspired many of us with their trust in God and love for these babies.
Jeff Sessions should never have accepted the position of Attorney General of the United States. His leadership has proven unproductive and ineffectual.

There are two reasons for this.

First, he deceived President Trump by concealing his intent to recuse himself from the federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election. Hours after he was sworn in, Sessions began setting his recusal in motion by meeting with Department of Justice officials to discuss stepping aside from the probe. Failing to disclose such a material matter to the president was an egregious betrayal.

Trump was reportedly disgusted and angry with Sessions when he learned of the recusal  rightly so. If he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me prior to taking office, and I would have picked someone else, said Trump at a news conference. The president was entitled to know the truth, but Sessions actively hid it from him. Sessions deception deprived him of Trumps confidence and trust which are essential to the job of Attorney General. This ethical impropriety renders him unfit to serve.

Second, Sessions appears either incapable or incompetent. He has resisted producing the documents relevant to the anti-Trump dossier which were subpoenaed by the House Intelligence Committee. He has failed to appoint a special counsel to reopen the case against Hillary Clinton for likely violations of the Espionage Act in the use of her email server, obstruction of justice for destroying 33,000 emails under congressional subpoena, and potential self-dealing for profit through her foundation. The evidence is compelling.

Moreover, Sessions has taken no action to investigate the unmasking of Trump aides during intelligence surveillance by the Obama Administration. Evidence continues to mount that the incoming president was spied upon for political reasons. Transition officials were unmasked, perhaps illegally. And in one case, the unmasking was leaked to the media which is a crime. Yet Sessions is twiddling his thumbs.

And why hasnt Sessions investigated the possible criminal conduct of James Comey? The fired FBI Director appears to have falsely testified before Congress, stolen government documents, and leaked them to the media.

Jeff Sessions may have been a fine Senator, but he has proven to be a feckless Attorney General. He should resign. But before he does, he can attempt to rectify the wreckage he has wrought by initiating several necessary criminal investigations and/or appointing a special counsel to do so.

James Comey

Comey was asked, under oath, by the House Judiciary Committee if he decided not to pursue criminal charges against Hillary Clinton before or after he interviewed her. He testified, After.

Yet, a document uncovered by the Senate Judiciary Committee belies his testimony. A full two months before the FBI ever interviewed Clinton and her top aides, Comey drafted a statement exonerating Clinton. Absent some extraordinary explanation, it appears that Comeys investigation of Clinton was nothing more than a charade and that he may have lied under oath. If it can be proven, it would constitute the crime of perjury under 18 USC 1621 or a false statement under 18 USC 1001.

This document establishes persuasive evidence that Comey predetermined that Clinton would not be charged. What prosecutor writes a statement absolving a suspect before the evidence is fully gathered, especially from the principal witnesses? No prosecutor I know of. Unless, of course, the fix was in. Unless someone instructed him to protect Clinton or he decided to do it all on his own with a presidential election hanging in the balance.

Either way, it might well constitute obstruction of justice. It is a felony to interfere with a criminal investigation. It is also illegal to use your public office for a political purpose, if that is what Comey was doing.

But Comeys misconduct and potential illegality dont stop there. As FBI Director, he converted government documents to his own personal use and leaked at least one of them to the media. As FBI Director, he crafted seven presidential memorandums which are government property, took them into his personal possession when he was fired, and then conveyed one or more of them to a friend for the sole purpose of leaking them to the media. Under 18 USC 641, this could be a crime.

Under no circumstances were these memos personal,, as Comey claims. They were authored during the course and scope of his employment, composed on a government computer, shared with government employees, and pertained directly to meetings with the president that were central to his job as FBI Director.

Under the Federal Records Act, they are government records. This is indisputable, regardless of what Comey and his lawyers allege. They know this because Comey signed an Unauthorized Disclosure Agreement promising that, under penalty of legal action, he would not disseminate workplace documents. If the facts are as stated, he should be prosecuted under the Privacy Act.

Finally, four of the seven memos were classified, according to the FBI. If Comey conveyed any of them to an outside source, this would constitute an Unauthorized Removal of Classified Documents (18 USC 1924) or a violation of the Espionage Act (18 USC 798) under which Clinton should have been charged when Comey was FBI Director. The irony is lost on no one. Yet, Sessions appears to have taken no action.

Before he resigns, Sessions must open a full investigation and convene a grand jury to determine whether criminal charges should be brought against Comey. In the alternative, he can appoint a second special counsel to investigate the case. The current special counsel, Robert Mueller, is a long-time friend, ally and mentor to Comey. Mueller is not likely to include Comey in his current investigation, even though he has authority to do so under the directive he received.

Hillary Clinton

The case against Clinton is, by now, self-evident. She stored 110 emails containing classified information on her home computer server, an unsecured and unauthorized place. It is a crime to mishandle classified information under the Espionage Act.

Yet Comey misinterpreted the criminal statute by claiming Clinton did not intend to violate the law. This is not the legal standard, as any knowledgeable lawyer will tell you. The standard is whether she committed intentional acts, such as intentionally setting up her personal server and knowingly using it for her work documents, including classified materials. Clinton clearly intended to do these things.

Regardless, the law under 18 USC 793 requires only grossly negligent behavior. Here, Comey insisted Clinton was extremely careless. However, the two terms are synonymous under the law. Indeed, there is a frequently used jury instruction which explains that gross negligence is extremely careless behavior. So, in essence, Comey was admitting Clinton violated the law, although he twisted the statute to conclude otherwise.

There is strong evidence that Clinton obstructed justice. All of her emails were under a congressional subpoena. She was required to preserve and produce every single one of them. She did not. Instead, she deleted roughly 33,000 emails in defiance of the subpoena and cleansed her server of any incriminating evidence. Destruction of evidence under a lawful subpoena constitutes obstruction. Under the law, it is no excuse to claim that some of the emails were personal in nature.

Growing evidence suggests that Clinton used her office as Secretary of State to confer benefits to donors and foreign governments in exchange for financial contributions to her foundation and cash to her husband. If proven, it would support various crimes of corruption.

It has been reported that Clinton helped UBS avoid the IRS. Thereafter, Bill Clinton got paid $1.5 million and the Clinton Foundation received a ten-fold increase in donations by the bank. It has also been reported that Clintons state department approved billions of dollars in arms sales to several nations whose governments gave money to the Foundation.

And then, there is the infamous Uranium One deal. After the State Department under Clinton signed off on the U.S. sale of one-fifth of our nations uranium production capacity to the Russians, millions of dollars from Russian sources connected to the Kremlin began to flow to the Clinton Foundation, and Bill Clinton received $500,000 for a speech in Moscow. Coincidence? Or criminal pay-to-play?

In his confirmation hearing, Sessions promised to recuse himself from any matter involving Hillary Clinton. Therefore, before he resigns, Sessions must appoint a special counsel to reopen the Clinton investigation and decide anew whether criminal charges are merited.

Susan Rice

In March, the former National Security Adviser to President Obama insisted she knew nothing about Trump transition officials swept up in surveillance at the end of the Obama administration. Her statement was not true, and not the first time Rice conjured a false narrative. When confronted with evidence to the contrary, she admitted she knew of the incidental collection and, further, she is the one who requested that names be unmasked.

If Rice or UN Ambassador Samantha Power or any other person requested the unmasking of names for a reason other than national security, it is a crime. And so too is the leaking of those names to the media which clearly occurred. Under the Hatch Act, it is against the law for a public official to use his or her office for a political purpose.

Congress is vigorously investigating Rice and others. Yet Sessions seems detached and unconcerned. As the nations top lawyer, he is duty-bound to pursue such a substantial breach of intelligence operations.

Before he resigns, Sessions should launch a criminal investigation into the unmasking of names or appoint a special prosecutor to do the same.

Jeff Sessions either wittingly or unwittingly bungled his confirmation hearing, which led to the recusal that is said to have angered Trump and alienated the AG from the president. Regardless, Sessions performance as Attorney General ever since has been notable only for a series of failures to act when action is demanded.

The moment the President of the United States no longer has confidence in his Attorney General, it is time for him to submit his letter of resignation. But first, Sessions can restore integrity to the Department of Justice and salvage his own tattered reputation by taking aggressive action against Comey, Clinton and Rice.

Then he should quietly bow out.
Hobby Lobby -- the national arts and crafts chain -- is embroiled in a raging controversy over whether cotton is racist.

Click here for a free subscription to Todd's newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives!

As absurd as it may sound -- a Texas customer wrote a Facebook post blasting Hobby Lobby for selling raw cotton plants.

"So wrong on so many levels," Daniell Rider declared as she described a vase filled with cotton bolls. "There is nothing decorative about raw cotton."

"A commodity which was gained at the expense of American-American slaves," she thundered. "A little sensitivity goes a long way. Please remove this decor."

More than 200,000 people weighed in -- and many agreed with her argument -- that cotton was a commodity gained at the expense of African American slaves.

To be clear, the same could be said about peanuts and tobacco - but I don't want to give the perpetually offended crowd any ideas.

Cotton is the fabric of our lives -- picked by both black and white people.

Hobby Lobby is not commenting on the faux controversy and as of the writing of this column they were still selling cotton-themed decorations on its website.

Meanwhile, African-American students at Lipscomb University in Tennessee became enraged after they were invited to what they described as a racially offensive dinner party at the university president's house.

The ungrateful urchins were angered after they were served collard greens, macaroni and cheese and cornbread. You can read my report on the meal by clicking here.

But the university president's most egregious offensive was to decorate the tables with cotton bolls.

We can only hope the decorations were not purchased at Hobby Lobby.

I know there are many who are confused and amused by the number of Americans who were triggered by cotton and cornbread. But this rabid type of political correctness is a clear and present danger to our nation.

We must speak up and call out those who want to silence and eradicate cotton in the name of tolerance and diversity. We must do so for the sake of cotton swabs and Fruit of the Loom.

We must also ensure those who suffer microaggressions as a result of cotton and collard greens seek the psychological help they so desperately need.

I'm not quite where this war on cotton is headed -- but don't be surprised if leisure suits come back in style.
Editor's note: The following column originally appeared in The Hill newspaper and on TheHill.com.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder joked over the summer that he plans to make redistricting sexy as head of the new National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

I dont know if drawing congressional district lines will ever be sexy.

Lets just say that for the first time the issue is smoking hot.

In the past month some Republicans have broken ranks  from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger  to speak out about the breakdown in national politics mostly caused by GOP gerrymandering of congressional districts.

The facts tell a damning story about the damage being done by partisan state legislatures drawing congressional maps with one goal  to grab power for themselves.

In the 2016 election, more than 400 of 435 House races were scored as safe for incumbent Republicans and Democrats because of gerrymandering.

That translates into a reality where most members of Congress do not have to listen to anyone in the other party.

Incumbents dont even have to listen to people in their own party, so long as those people are not extreme voices posing a primary challenge.

The poison fruit produced by gerrymandering paralyzes politicians. Nothing gets done in Congress. It contributes to Congresss high disapproval rating from both Republicans and Democrats. About 72 percent of Americans disapprove of Congress, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.

Next month, the pressure building in opposition to gerrymandering will be on display at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Wisconsin Republicans are being challenged for drawing state legislative districts to isolate likely Democratic voters  mostly minorities. They successfully created a map of congressional districts in 2011 that assured Republican supermajority control of the state Assembly even as Democrats won more votes.

The Washington Post editorial board described the map drawn by Wisconsin Republicans as an example of how increasingly powerful technology allows partisan mapmakers to distort representation with ever-greater precision.

Last week, the importance of the Wisconsin case grew as the U.S. Supreme Court put a hold on a lower courts ruling on gerrymandering in Texas. It was a 5-4 decision along ideological lines.

The lower court found that the Texas GOP packed minority voters into two congressional districts in a violation of the voters constitutional rights to equal representation. The lower court directed the legislature to redraw the states congressional maps.

Now the Supreme Court, with the Wisconsin case pending, wants to have its say.

In briefs filed in the Wisconsin case, McCain, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) argue that gerrymandering is effectively killing public trust in the federal government by making it impossible for Congress to compromise and find solutions to national problems.

Another alarm about gerrymandering has been sounded by Schwarzenegger. The Republican has started an online funding campaign to fight partisan packing of congressional districts.

Picking up on the title of one of his movies, Schwarzenegger calls the effort Terminate Gerrymandering.

California did away with partisan redistricting in 2010 and gave the task to a nonpartisan independent panel, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. The former governor said he wants other states to follow the example in order to restore balance to Capitol Hill.

This heightened concern about gerrymandering is also being felt in Florida. Two former Florida Congressmen  Patrick Murphy, a Democrat, and David Jolly, a Republican  are conducting a statewide tour offering their ideas for how to make Washington work again. At the top of their list is gerrymandering reform.

Democrats and Republicans often fear primary election challenges more than an opponent from the opposite party, wrote The Tampa Bay Times editorial board after talking with the pair. That means there is little incentive in Congress to build bipartisan support for anything or to compromise.

As if on cue, two prominent GOP moderates in the House  Reps. Charlie Dent (Pa.) and Dave Trott (Mich.)  said they would leave Congress at the next election.

Dent, head of The Tuesday Group of moderate House Republicans, explained his decision to walk away by lamenting the loss of the sensible center in Congress. That center has been squeezed by gerrymandering.

Dent and Trott join Reps. Dave Reichert (Wash.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.) as centrist Republicans who apparently concluded they dont have a place in a GOP House caucus dominated by hard-right Freedom Caucus politics.

Meanwhile, Democrats, led by Holder, are for the first time putting money into the fight for honest redistricting.

The most important turning point for the future of the Democratic Party will take place in 2021 when states redraw their Congressional and state legislative lines, reads the groups website.

Well, when it comes to getting the public to focus on gerrymandering as the root of political dysfunction maybe Holder  to quote Justin Timberlake  is the man to bring sexy back.
Americans dont build walls, they help knock them down. Thats what Ronald Reagan did when he exhorted Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987 to Tear down this wall! In 1989, East Berliners did just that, one of the proudest chapters in American history.

Today, President Trump has an opportunity to write another proud chapter, by permanently fixing our dysfunctional immigration system, something that no president or Congress has been able to do. To do so, he may have to abandon his promised wall. For most Americans, thats a deal worth making.

Trump needs to craft a bargain with Congress that resolves the DACA mess that President Obama left behind, and that cuts down on illegal immigration once and for all. Heres what he should propose:

1. Allow the 800,000 Dreamers included in the DACA program to become resident legal aliens. Agree that they will never become citizens; that is the penalty for their illegal entry. But, they would be allowed to stay and work in the country without fear of deportation and they would enjoy all the perks of citizenship (including entitlements programs like Medicare) except voting privileges. Agree that children born to Dreamers would become citizens.

2. At the same time, mandate the use of biometric screening for first-time visa applicants and make E-Verify mandatory nationwide. The former would help reduce the number of overstays illegally in the country while the latter would make it tougher for undocumented persons to work in the U.S. E-Verify is a free, government-provided program that enables employers to check the legal status of job applicants. Denying people here illegally an opportunity to earn a living would be the single biggest deterrent possible to future illegal immigration.

3. Get rid of birthright citizenship. The United States is one of only two developed countries in the world that still bestows citizenship on every person born on our nations soil. Having a child become a U.S. citizen is the greatest reward possible for someone who enters the country illegally. Such status is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in free education and benefits, not to mention the incalculable value of our countrys security and freedoms. Historically, there was bipartisan enthusiasm for dumping this program; even Democrat Harry Reid had proposed its termination.

4. Abandon the wall. These proposals would enrage hardliners on both sides of the immigration debate. Thats the nature of a deal. President Trump would have to make an Oval Office pitch to sell the country on this overhaul; here are some talking points that might help.

Point one is that securing our borders is indeed critical to the nations safety. Pro-immigration activists have drifted so far left that they oppose border enforcement, but most Americans are concerned about possible criminals or terrorists sneaking into the country. We pride ourselves on being a rule of law nation; its time we acted like one.

The wall represents more than a physical structure; it symbolizes a commitment to the rule of law and support for American workers. It signals an end to the permissiveness and claustrophobic political correctness of the Obama years.

Point two is that the country wants Dreamers to stay. About two-thirds of the country thinks protecting the DACA population from deportation is a priority, including almost 60 percent of Republicans. Sending these young adults home to a country they have never seen would be cruel, and we are not a cruel nation.

Point three is that reducing the allure of illegal entry is as important as securing our borders. The reason that past one-time amnesty programs have been followed by yet more illegal immigration is that we have never eliminated the enticements for coming into the country. Ditching birthright citizenship, which most European countries have done, and making sure that employers are required to check the legal status of employees through E-Verify, would go a long way towards that end. Though the rationale for birthright citizenship is contained in the Constitution, many legal scholars argue that the policy could be refined by Congress, just like gun rights.

Point four is that a 1,000-mile concrete wall is unworkable. Cato scholar Peter Bier, writing in the Libertarian magazine Reason, explains that more than two-thirds of borderland property is owned by groups other than the federal government, giving rise to significant legal challenges. There are other obstacles, including water rights, Native American objections, environmental issues and possible flooding that might result from a wall.

More important, Bier writes that an opaque wall would bar border patrol agents from seeing the bad guys; as a result many are opposed to it. A wall is also vulnerable to tunneling, scaling and other means of penetration. In short, with ramped-up security available today through the use of drones and other technology, the wall is simply not useful.

It is also expensive, with estimates of its cost running as high as $50 billion. That funding could better go to rolling out E-Verify and for expanded biometric screening for first-time visa applicants. We must deter illegal crossings, but it is also essential to prevent people from overstaying their visas. In 2016, according to a new report from Homeland Security, only an estimated 106,000 people managed to cross our southern border and enter the country undetected; more than 600,000 overstayed their visas.

Though many of the latter represent students and travelers who may not pose a threat to the country, remember that the 9/11 perpetrators from Saudi Arabia entered the country legally and then overstayed their visas.

Build the Wall became a central theme of Trumps campaign. But the wall represents more than a physical structure; it symbolizes a commitment to the rule of law and support for American workers. It signals an end to the permissiveness and claustrophobic political correctness of the Obama years.

Polling shows that most Americans dont want a wall, mainly because they doubt that it will make a difference.

We dont need a wall; we need The Donald to do a deal.
President Donald Trump spoke his version of truth-to-power -- or powers, all 193 member nations of the United Nations.

His first address to the General Assembly was vintage Trump  a 40-minute mixture of bombast, insults, threats, praise for the ideals of the UN, and a declaration of his belief that Americas pursuit of its own interests was in Americas best interests and the worlds. The speech, which Mr. Trump read from a teleprompter, was also long on contradictions and short on proposals for solving the threats he denounced.

Making headlines was Mr. Trumps most explicit warning to date to North Korea about its continuing efforts to develop nuclear weapons that could reach the U.S. The president warned that America would totally destroy North Korea if forced to defend itself or its allies. Though that declaration elicited gasps from the diplomats and criticism from the media, it was a more explicit version of his earlier threat that Pyongyang would be met with fire and fury if it continued threatening America and its allies with its nuclear and missile tests. In vintage Trumpian form, he mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a rocket man on a suicide mission. Demanding the denuclearization of the peninsula, Mr. Trump did not call for a resumption of negotiations to achieve that goal.

He also took aim at the rogue states and movements that threaten American security and world peace -- radical Islamic terrorism, a term he has only intermittently deployed. And he criticized what he called the rogue regimes of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and Cuba, calling upon his fellow leaders to join the United States in the fight to defeat their threats to peace.

Singling out Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by name, he accused Venezuelas leader of starving his own people and transforming his once oil-rich country into a land of desperation and corruption. He said he was prepared to take further action against the regime, but offered no hint of what that might include.

Mr. Trump bashed Iran and the nuclear deal as one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the nation has ever entered into -- an embarrassment. While he stopped short of rejecting the agreement, he clearly hinted that the U.S. might walk away from it, setting the stage for an eventual rejection in October.

In each of these cases, however, Mr. Trump offered no specific proposals for countering the threat he claims they pose. And several diplomats noted the inherent contradiction in Mr. Trumps attack on North Korea for failing to negotiate an end to its nuclear program and his near abandonment of Irans agreement suspending its nuclear efforts, a deal monitored and endorsed by the UN. While calling for world help in isolating North Korea -- and praising Russia and China for cutting off some fuel to Pyongyang -- he seemed prepared to go it alone to counter Irans alleged nuclear ambitions.

The presidents speech elicited some applause from the assembled diplomats, but mostly uncomfortable silence. His shrill tone and bombast was reminiscent of his campaign rallies. But his base undoubtedly welcomed his assertion that the rogue states menacing Americas and world stability were going to hell, and that America was being taken advantage of in paying 22 percent of the UNs expenses. He highlighted the hypocrisy of the appointment of some of the worlds worst human rights abusers to the UNs human rights council. While praising Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon for caring for horribly treated Syrian refugees, he suggested that America would take few more of them. For the cost of settling one refugee in the U.S., he said, ten refugees could be resettled closer to home.

The presidents maiden speech to the UN was really two speeches. The first, a conventional endorsement of the UN. Mr. Trumps praise for the U.N.s humanitarian activities and peacekeeping, its enormous potential, and its lofty objectives, was a speech that President George H.W. Bush might have delivered. But his bombast, threats and insults were delivered by the America First president his fellow Americans have come to know through his speeches and tweets. What the worlds diplomats made of this display is hard to say. But North Koreas delegation did not immediately react to Mr. Trumps threats and taunts. As Mr. Trump began speaking, most of its delegation left the chamber.
Im suspicious of people who dont like dogs, but I trust a dog when it doesnt like a person. Those words, ostensibly attributed to comedian Bill Murray, may never have been truer in my life than right now. Im suspicious of researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs, an organization tasked with caring for me as a combat-disabled veteran, who view dogs merely as disposable furry test tubes, not loyal companions. This is hard for me to understand, because I worked alongside life-saving bomb-sniffing dogs in Iraq and Afghanistan. And I never doubt the loyalty of my dog Tucker, who constantly reminds me why the light inside me still burns brighter than any darkness Ive withstood.

Thats why I am proud to join the majority of my fellow veterans and other Americans who support Congresss bipartisan work to defund painful and inefficient dog experiments at the VA. This legislation is truly a light among the gloomy partisan clouds surrounding D.C. these days.

With all of D.C.s political gridlock, my dear friend and fellow double amputee and bomb technician Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., and other House members deserve applause for unanimously passing legislation this summer to prohibit taxpayer funding for questionable VA research that causes dogs significant pain and distress.

Theyve also introduced a bill, the PUPPERS Act, to prohibit federal funding for these experiments permanently. As a Georgian, Im urging my Senator, Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, to also get behind this effort in the Senate.

To be absolutely clearI am not opposed to all animal research. Congress isnt either.

Were just trying to prevent Americans from being forced to pay for the worst, needless dog abuses in VA laboratories, like injecting latex into the arteries of five-month-old hound puppies to induce heart attacks, and cutting up nine-month-old hounds. Some of the research involves causing dogs excruciating pain without any relief. The VA is apparently the only federal agency doing this category of extreme tests on dogs. The PUPPERS Act doesnt apply to any other species, doesnt affect non-painful dog research and has an exemption for anything related to training service dogs and working dogs.

Contrary to the misleading claims of the VA and some veterans groups, ending the use of dogs in painful experiments at the VA wont stop life-saving research. Since the 1980s the Pentagon has banned the use of dogs for live tissue training, a course used to teach Marines and other soldiers how to treat traumatic injuries on the battlefield. This restriction didnt halt the important programpigs are still used alongside tools like high-tech simulators. This goes to show that we can provide special considerations for dogs and continue to save lives.

From a scientific and resource standpoint, experts report that the best way for VA to help veterans is not by spending Americans money torturing dogs. As one retired Naval Medical Corps Rear Admiral writes, dog testing is slow, expensive and very rarely applies to humans which translates into billions of wasted tax dollars each year. Spinal cord injuryone of the flags VA is waving to defend its dog abuseis one of countless areas where decades of dog testing has failed to produce an effective treatment or cure.

Its especially shameful that VA is defending spending millions of tax dollars to buy and cut up dogs for its dubious research but refuses to provide service dogs to support veterans suffering from the devastating effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and who are committing suicide at alarming rates.

Much of the work I did while deployed was performed with the assistance of bomb-sniffing dogs. The true effect of these dogs when fully integrated into combat units is hard to describe. Yes, they are there to work, but they also serve a greater purpose  to remind us of the innocence were fighting for while enduring the harshest throes of chaos.

Despite the pain and suffering I endured while serving my country, I strongly believe that we, as a free nation, stand for lessening the pain and suffering felt in the world. This especially applies to dogs. No other species will put its talents to work protecting us for nothing more than a chance to lay beside us. We, in turn have a duty to dogs, as they have proven time and time again the phrase mans best friend is true in every sense. We cannot sustain a society that answers their selfless love with selfish torture.

Some at the VA and veterans groups that want taxpayers to keep paying for abusive and unnecessary dog research have asked the public to look at things from the perspective of a disabled veteran. So here it is: As a combat wounded Marine whos given both legs for an idea of security and a pursuit of happiness  and as a human being whos experienced the horrific suffering of war  I believe our government can and should do better for veterans, taxpayers and dogs.
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was wiretapped by U.S. government investigators both before and after the 2016 presidential election, according to a report out Monday night.

The wiretapping was authorized by a secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court after the FBI started to investigate Manafort, 68, in 2014, CNN reported. He's been under scrutiny over his financial dealings and lobbying efforts with pro-Russia and Ukrainian officials but has denied colluding with Russia to influence the election.

The order to monitor Manafort was discontinued in 2016, but investigators obtained another FISA warrant that stretched into early 2017, according to the report.

HOW PAUL MANAFORT IS CONNECTED TO THE TRUMP, RUSSIA INVESTIGATION

Some of the intelligence collected during the surveillance reportedly signaled that Manafort may have pushed for Russian officials to help try to get then-candidate Donald Trump elected. However, sources told CNN the evidence was not conclusive.

Manafort, according to the report, was not surveilled during the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting in which Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Manafort met with Kremlin-linked attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya.

Manafort  who is a key figure in Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russias involvement with the election  had his Virginia home raided in July by FBI agents who were looking for financial documents related to the election.

The FBI took documents and other materials related to Muellers investigation during the raid, just one day after Manafort had voluntarily met with members of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The raid was followed up with a warning to Manafort from Muellers prosecutors that they planned to indict him, The New York Times reported.

MUELLER'S RUSSIA INVESTIGATION: WHAT TO KNOW

Manafort, a longtime GOP operative who worked for former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, stepped down as the Trump campaigns chairman in August 2016 amid mounting speculation surrounding his ties to Ukrainian politics.

Warrants of this nature are difficult to come by, as the FISA court and its orders are highly secretive. Judges grant permission to surveil people they think may be working as an agent of a foreign power.

If the CNN report is confirmed, Manafort would be the second person affiliated with the Trump campaign known to be monitored under a FISA warrant, behind former campaign adviser Carter Page.

Manafort, who registered as a foreign agent this summer, has said his work in Ukraine was not related to the 2016 campaign.
Hillary Clinton brought her promotional book tour to Washington, D.C. on Monday night.

In a sold-out event, Clinton  who reportedly entered the Warner Theatre to a standing ovation and cheers  said she wrote her book because she wanted to make sure what happened, doesnt happen again.

On one of a number of topics touched on during the event, Clinton discussed her presidential debates with President Trump, claiming that she acted the way she thought a president would.

CLINTON CONSIDERS CONTESTING ELECTION RESULTS

"You are discomforted, annoyed, frustrated that he is stalking you and staring at you, but I thought it was better not to show that kind of reaction during a presidential debate, Clinton said. I thought at the end of the day people would say we really do want someone calm and composed in the Oval Office. So I was aware of the cross-currents, but I carried on in the way that I thought a presidential candidate should do.

The former First Lady added that being president is the toughest job in the world, remarking that: It used to require a level of curiosity and focus that you would want to think that someone with that responsibility would have.

I honestly thought we were in a different kind of campaign, Clinton said of her race with Trump. I know the ebb and flow of a campaign.  And I dont think anyone fully grasped that this was a variation on a presidential campaign unlike any we had ever seen.

Clinton said that if she had lost to another Republican other than Trump, she would have felt bad and wouldnt be worrying about the future of the U.S.

She further lamented that she had lost the vote of white females  which Trump won by roughly 52%  due to the actions of former FBI Director James Comey.

Comey sent a letter 11 days before the election stating the FBI was reopening an investigation into her emails.

THIS IS HOW HILLARY CLINTON'S NEW BOOK IS DOING ON AMAZON

The failed presidential candidate claimed she was distressed at the thought that federal workers are being disregarded by the Trump administration in their respective fields, saying, for example, North Korea: people who know the language, have the experience, they should be sitting in meetings with the highest levels of this administration providing advice.

She continued: There is such a disdain for federal workers, so I would say if you can stick it out  at some point, the country is going to need you, and I hope youre still there.

And on the future, Clinton said she doesnt want the progress of today to be reversed.

Theres a lot to be proud of what people in the resistance are doing every day, Clinton said.

Fox News' Kristin Fisher contributed to this report.
Three Democratic congressmen were arrested outside Trump Tower after protesting the presidents immigration policies in New York City on Tuesday.

Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva, Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez and New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat were taken into custody by police, according to Grijalvas campaign Twitter account and a Gutierrez aide.

Grijalvas account tweeted that Raul was taken into custody in front of Trump Tower for civil disobedience along with Rep. Gutierrez and Rep. Espaillat.

Douglas Rivlin, Gutierrezs communications director, confirmed that the congressman was arrested.

Photos taken at the scene and posted on social media show the Democrats, all of whom are Latino, sitting in the street.

The lawmakers were part of a group protesting the presidents decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program that shields young illegal immigrants who entered the country as children from deportation.

Trump has argued former President Barack Obamas executive action was unlawful but has asked Congress to take up the issue.

Were taking the necessary steps to make it clear to President Trump, the Republicans and the Democrats that we will continue this peaceful fight for DREAMers and immigrants as long as it takes to enact legislation and put DREAMers in a safe place, Gutierrez said in a statement.

Earlier Tuesday, Grijalvas account said: At Trump Tower today with a whole lot of DREAMers, immigrants & Americans to say enough to Trump & criminalization of immigrant communities.

Trump is in New York at the United Nations, where he delivered a speech Tuesday morning.

DEM REP. GUTIERREZ OWES JOHN KELLY AN APOLOGY, HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER SAYS

Gutierrez, known for his advocacy for illegal immigrants in the United States, was also arrested in August outside the White House for a protest in support of illegal immigrants.

The House Ethics Committee last week cleared Gutierrez over that arrest.

Gutierrez has also taken heat in recent weeks for lashing out at White House Chief of Staff John Kelly over Trumps decision to end DACA, calling the retired Marine general a hypocrite who is a disgrace to the uniform he used to wear. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., later said the congressman should apologize.

Fox News Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Opinion / Columnist

Grace Mugabe's son by her first husband, Russell Goreraza has just taken delivery of a Rolls Royce luxury car worth $300 000 and will soon be getting an Aston Martin to add to his collection, according to media reports. Zimbabwe's ruling elite live in a totally different Zimbabwe at odds with that in which the majority of Zimbabweans live in.Unemployment has soared to 90% plus and, using the Zanu PF regime's own figures, 72.3% of our people are now living on US$1.00 or less a day. The country's health and education services have all but collapse, would have collapsed completely if it was not for the foreign donors.The tragedy of Zimbabwe is that the economic meltdown the country is facing with all the tragic human misery it has brought are all man-made. 37 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption has reduced the country's once strong and robust economy into ruins. The few ruling elite have sucked the life out of the nation. The rich are filthy rich and the poor majority and filthy poor!Many donor nations are finding it very difficult to justify spending millions of dollars of their taxpayers' money in giving a country like Zimbabwe aid. Even if the aid is used to buy medicine, books and food to feed the millions who are starving, no one can deny that the ruling elite spending the nation's wealth on luxurious confident donors will help the impoverished povo. In other words, donors are indirectly aiding and abetting the ruling elite's extravagant lifestyles.What is making Zimbabwe's political and economic situation so intolerable, to outsiders, is the mindless indifference of the ordinary Zimbabweans to what is going on although they are the ones bearing the brand of the whole tragic situation. Nearly two years ago, Mugabe admitted that the country was "swindled" of $15 billion in diamond revenue. To date no one has been arrested and not one dollar recovered. There is evidence that the swindling is still going on and, worse still, the tyrant is using some of the looted money to bankroll his vote rigging schemes.Whilst the Zanu PF regime is saying there is no money to pay civil servant much less to buy basic essentials like medicine; the party is spending millions of dollars buying vehicles for party officials, busing and feeding people attend its rallies, paying NIKUV the Israeli company helping to corrupt the voters' roll, etc. Many people believe that Zanu PF spent $4 billion on its vote rigging schemes in the 2013 elections; the regime will easily spend $10 billion for the 2018 elections.Zanu PF has the 2018 elections in the bag already and only fools still bother to register as voters, to produce manifestos, etc. SADC leaders have already advised Zimbabweans not to contest elections without implementing the democratic reforms designed to stop the vote rigging, the wholesale looting to finance party activities, etc. Sadly, their advice has all fallen on deaf ears and numbed brains!Zimbabweans are the poorest people in Africa and our material poverty is a reflection of our intellectual poverty. Zimbabwe is a rich country; where else would someone like Russell Goreraza, with no talent and has never done a single day's work, afford a $300 000 luxury car? Our mass poverty is man-made, millions of ordinary Zimbabweans had to be rob clean so that a bum like Russell can live is luxury. Why the millions accept such an outrage is where the intellectual poverty comes in.Of course, it is insane to contest elections you know are going to be rigged, especially after 37 years of rigged election, hoping against hope that Zanu PF will rig the vote but, somehow, lose the elections.In the end, people will always get the government they deserve. After 37 years since our independence, we cannot deny that we have a government we rightly deserve; an incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship complete with the entourage of 50 plus corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless opposition parties. Perfect! Just what the doctor ordered for a mentally challenged electorate!The Gods help those who help themselves. It is undeniable that Zimbabweans have done precious little to stop Zanu PF dragging the nation into the political and economic hell-hole they are in today. Donors are sick and tired of Zimbabweans doing nothing to stop the extravagant waste of the nation's resource by the likes of Russell Goreraza whilst they live in grinding abject poverty. It is little wonder that some donors are now openly talking of cutting their aid budget to Zimbabwe, notably the Americans; and who can blame them.
Donald Trump Jr., his wife Vanessa Trump, and Kellyanne Conway are dropping Secret Service protection, Fox News has confirmed.

The move to get rid of round-the-clock protection came after Trump Jr. wished to have more privacy. Other family members of the president will remain under Secret Service protection.

Secret Service protection is mandated by law to protect the U.S. presidents immediate family members, unless told otherwise.

White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway has also dropped Secret Service protection, sources told Fox News. She was given Secret Service protection following threats in the early days of the administration, but the threat level that has since changed, The New York Times reported.

The agencys resources were reportedly stretched due to the number of Trump family members who were using the protection, forcing the agency to use more agents who would otherwise be working on criminal cases or investigations, the Times reported.

Fox News' John Roberts contributed to this report.
Virginia voters give Democrat Ralph Northam the edge over Republican Ed Gillespie by 42-38 percent in the race for governor, according to a new Fox News Poll. That four-point advantage is within the polls margin of sampling error. Libertarian Cliff Hyra receives 2 percent, and another 18 percent are undecided or plan to support someone else.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL POLL RESULTS

This benchmark poll of the Virginia governors race comes as the major party candidates prepare to debate Tuesday. Northam is the states lieutenant governor, and Gillespie was the 2014 GOP nominee for U.S. Senate (he lost to Sen. Mark Warner by less than a percentage point).

Over half of registered voters (53 percent) are extremely (23 percent) or very (30 percent) interested in the governors race. Among just those interested voters, Gillespie tops Northam by one point (45-44 percent).

With less than two months to go, one quarter of Virginia voters say they could change their mind before Election Day (27 percent). Some 74 percent of Northams backers are certain they will vote for him. Thats just a touch more than the 70 percent of Gillespies supporters who feel sure to back him.

A majority of Virginia voters, 53 percent, disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president. That includes 44 percent who strongly disapprove, which is more than the total percentage who approve of Trumps performance (42 percent).

Most, however, say the president isnt a factor in their vote for governor (74 percent). And nearly equal numbers say their vote is intended to show support for Trump (10 percent) as say its to express opposition (13 percent).

In addition, 82 percent of Trump voters back or lean to Gillespie, while 84 percent of Hillary Clintons voters support or lean to Northam.

Virginia is a bellwether state, and this election promises to be close, says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News Poll along with Democrat Chris Anderson.

Gillespie is not especially tight with Trump, though, so the race may be of limited value for those who want to see these contests as a referendum on the current administration.

Overall, two-thirds are happy with the way things are going in Virginia (67 percent). Those backing Northam (81 percent) are 31 points more likely than Gillespie supporters (50 percent) to be satisfied.

The Fox News Poll is conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R). The poll was conducted Sept. 17-18, 2017, by telephone (landline and cellphone) with live interviewers among a sample of 507 voters selected from a statewide voter file in Virginia. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points for the total sample.
Theres little shock in how the Emmys turned into another Trump-bashing festival. Yawn.

What is surprising is how media and political insiders are absolutely pummeling Sean Spicer for a joking bit that lasted less than a minute.

In case you missed it, Spicer wheeled out a White House podium and declared that this will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period. Both in person and around the world.

Journalists and other critics immediately tarred and feathered Spicer for being willing to laugh at himself. He was being normalized, they cried, and this would not do. A Twitter mob savaged him.

Spicer was mocking his first full day in office, when he scolded the press after the president sent him out to dispute stories that his inaugural crowd was smaller than Barack Obamas in 2009.

Its a very simple thing, Spicer told me last night after returning from Los Angeles. It was a funny skit, it poked fun at me, and thats it. Theres no deeper, esoteric meaning like Ive heard from the pundits.

The former spokesman said he was not conceding some moral failing in telling the New York Times that he had regrets about disputing the size of Trumps inaugural crowd to reporters on Jan. 21. I look at every event, good or bad, and say what could I have done better? I should have prepared more. There are certain facts I should have double-checked.

As for the post-Emmy attacks, Spicer told me: There are a lot of people, no matter what you do or say, who are going to be haters. Thats their right. Its a free country.

What happened on that day was hardly Spicers finest hour. And he was overly harsh in ripping the press.

But for that and the rest of his tenure, many pundits want him to wear a scarlet letter forever and not show his face in public.

Dont Make This Guy a Folk Hero, said the Daily Beast. Slates Jamelle Bouie tweeted, The degree to which Sean Spicer has faced no consequences is a glimpse into the post-Trump future. CNNs Chris Cillizza said Spicer had been willfully subverting the facts and the Emmys cameo was a validation that purposely misleading on the taxpayer's dime is a-OK. Actor Zach Braff declared him evil.

A journalism professor named Seth Abramson wrote: When U.S. history records the crimes of this administrationand the names of its enablersSean Spicer on the Emmys will be a VERY bad look.

So heres the thing: Its fine to criticize Spicers tenure as Trumps spokesman. He obviously made some mistakes. He also attracted a sizable daytime audience by driving the presidents message.

The notion that he was a paid liar who should be shunned by polite society reflects a stunning double standard. Virtually every White House press secretary in recent decades has at times misled the press, in some cases through untruths and in others through omission, at the behest of the boss.

To single out Spicer suggests to me a fury at Trump that clouds good judgment, and an attempt at payback by some journalists he tangled with or alienated.

Spicer told a joke about crowd size, not war and peace, on an awards show. Have his detractors lost any semblance of a sense of humor?

Virtually every Hollywood awards show now routinely beats up on the president because thats deemed the cool thing to do. If Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin want to call the president a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot, Im sure it pleased their liberal friends.

And there was no doubt that Stephen Colbert would go there, since slamming Trump helped him take the Late Show from last to first place and thats become his calling card. The Emmy folks knew what they were getting. It was Colbert who thought up the Spicer bit.

Many of Barack Obamas top aides quickly became media commentators. Are the denizens of the media and social media world now arguing that any ex-Trump aide must be banished from the public square?
Former President Barack Obama has been a busy man.

Obama, last month, addressed clients of Northern Trust Corp. in New York to a tune of $400,000, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the appearance.

The report said Obama, last week, also met with the private equity giant the Carlyle Groupwhich was unreported-- and spoke about his time as president. He is reportedly due to deliver a keynote at a Cantor Fitzgerald health-care conference.

Ken Lewis, a spokesman for Obama, told Bloomberg that he gives speeches that are true to his values.

His paid speeches in part have allowed President Obama to contribute $2 million to Chicago programs offering job training and employment opportunities to low-income youth, he said.

Fox Business reported in April about Obamas upcoming speeches. Another spokesman told FBN that Obamaas a candidatepulled in more money than any candidate in history, and went on to implement the toughest reforms on Wall Street since FDR.

In 2009, Obama famously lashed out at bankers, calling them fat cats who dont get it.

I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on wall Street, he told 60 Minutes "They're still puzzled why is it that people are mad at the banks. Well, let's see," he said. "You guys are drawing down $10, $20 million bonuses after America went through the worst economic year that it's gone through in -- in decades, and you guys caused the problem. And we've got 10 percent unemployment."

The Wall Street Journal at the time described the relationship between the White House and Wall Street as frosty from the start.

Sean Coffey, a Democratic donor, told Bloomberg, Not everyones going to be a Jimmy Carter, who does purely good works after he gets out. I dont think getting any grief for doing this is going to bother him at all.
President Trumps personal attorney, Michael Cohen, agreed Tuesday to testify in an open Senate Intelligence Committee hearing next month -- after the panel abruptly canceled a transcribed interview that had been scheduled.

Cohen was to talk with committee staff on Capitol Hill earlier Tuesday -- but the interview was nixed after Cohens team shared a statement with the media against committee wishes.

Cohen "decided to pre-empt today's interview by releasing a public statement prior to his engagement with Committee staff, in spite of the Committees requests that he refrain from public comment," Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., told reporters.

"The Committee expects witnesses in this investigation to work in good faith with the Senate," their statement later added.

After Cohen's appearance was rescheduled for Oct. 25, Burr told reporters he did not think the panel would need to subpoena the attorney. Cohen's attorney Stephen Ryan has confirmed to Fox News that his client will appear.

Cohen's statement, which was released to the media Tuesday morning in advance of the scheduled interview, blasted what he described as the "intentionally salacious" and "totally fabricated" anti-Trump dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele and published by BuzzFeed News in January.

The dossier claimed that Cohen had "secret meetings with Kremlin officials in August 2016" in Prague and played a "key role in [a] secret Trump campaign/Kremlin relationship" during last year's election.

"I have never engaged with, been paid by, paid for, or conversed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else to hack or interfere in the election," Cohen's statement said.

Cohen added that in his "proximity" to Trump as a candidate, he "never saw anything  not a hint of anything  that demonstrated his involvement in Russian interference in our election or any form of Russian collusion."

"Im certain that the evidence at the conclusion of this investigation will reinforce the fact that there was no collusion between Russia, President Trump or me," Cohen went on.

Ryan told reporters that his client's statement was "factual, it was accurate, it was respectful and we stand behind that statement."

Last month, Cohen offered the House Intelligence Committee a point-by-point rebuttal to more than a dozen allegations contained in the pages of the now infamous dossier, the contents of which have not been verified by Fox News.

In Tuesdays statement, Cohen called the dossier "shoddily written" and "filled with lies and rumors." He also reiterated his claim that he has never traveled to Prague, where the secret meetings with Kremlin officials were supposedly held.

The dossier has gotten renewed attention ever since a financier testified in July that the company involved in commissioning the document was concurrently working with a Russian attorney on what he called a smear campaign against him.

Bill Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital, testified that Natalia Veselnitskaya hired Fusion GPS in that effort. Veselnitskaya is the same attorney who brokered a meeting at Trump Tower with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort in June 2016.

In an email to Fox News last month, Veselnitskaya acknowledged that Fusion GPS was hired by our lawyers from law firm Baker Hostetler to look into Browders background and connections with allegations against her client, but distanced herself from the dossier, which she called "cheap gossip" and "tall tales."

Fusion GPS acknowledged Browder's timeline was correct, but said the two were "separate" projects. The firm's co-founder, Glenn Simpson, met with Senate Judiciary Committee staff behind closed doors on Capitol Hill last month for a transcribed interview. Fusion GPS told Fox News they turned over more than 40,000 documents to the committee for their investigation, but a committee spokesperson told Fox News that nearly 7,500 pages were blank.

Trump associate Roger Stone is expected to testify privately before the House Intelligence Committee next week as part of that panel's Russia probe.

Fox News Brooke Singman, Chad Pergram, John Roberts and Jason Donner contributed to this report.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday called it unconscionable that California lawmakers passed a sanctuary state bill that stops local police from cooperating with federal authorities to deport illegal immigrants.

The bill risks the safety of good law enforcement officers and the safety of the neighborhoods that need their protection the most, Sessions said during a speech in Portland, Oregon. There are lives and livelihoods at stake.

State legislators in California passed sanctuary state legislation over the weekend that bolsters protections for illegal immigrants in the state. The legislation will now be considered by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, who has announced his support for the bill.

I urge Gov. Brown of California not to sign this law that is in front of him, Sessions said.

Speaking at Portlands United States Citizenship and Immigration Services field office, the attorney general pleaded with sanctuary cities across the country to rethink their policies.

I urge Portland, this wonderful city, the wonderful state of Oregon, and every sanctuary jurisdiction to reconsider whats happening, he said.

CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS APPROVE SANCTUARY STATE BILL

Sessions cited the recent death of 23-year old Abel Esquivel, a community volunteer in San Francisco who police say was killed by two illegal immigrants who tried to rob him.

About three weeks earlier, one of his alleged killers was arrested for an alleged battery, and, despite a request from ICE, he was released, Sessions said. One of the other defendants in the murder case also had an ICE detainer request for him when he had been arrested back in May for illegal possession of marijuana and brass knuckles.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDER SUSPECT SHOT MAN WITH GUN STOLEN FROM COP, REPORT SAYS

Said Sessions: It is an unconscionable reaction to Mr. Esquivel's murder to put into law the very policies that got him killed.

President Trump and his administration have vowed to crack down on jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration agents.

But Sessions has faced obstacles.

On Friday, a federal judge in Chicago ruled he can't withhold public grant money from sanctuary cities for refusing to follow federal immigration policies.

Sessions dismissed the efforts of these sanctuary cities to sue the administration for the funding, saying such federal grants are not an entitlement.

We strive to help state and local law enforcement, Sessions said. But we cannot continue giving such federal grants to cities that actively undermine the safety of federal law officers and actively frustrate efforts our reduce crime.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Humanity's light at Saturn has gone out.

NASA's robotic Cassini spacecraft burned up in the ringed planet's atmosphere Friday morning (Sept. 15), ending a remarkable 13-year run at Saturn that has revolutionized scientists' understanding of the outer solar system and its potential to host life.

For example, Cassini discovered methane seas on Saturn's huge moon Titan and geysers of water vapor blasting from fellow moon Enceladus. Both of these moons are worthy of much further study, as is the ringed planet itself and the diverse Saturn system as a whole, Cassini team members said. [In Photos: Cassini's Last Views of Saturn at Mission's End]

"We left the world informed, but still wondering, and I couldn't ask for more," Cassini project manager Earl Maize, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said during a news conference Wednesday (Sept. 13). "We've got to go back  we know it."

And various research teams are indeed working on plans to return to Saturn. In fact, five such concepts are in the running for NASA's next New Frontiers mission  the same type flown by the agency's New Horizons Pluto probe, Juno Jupiter orbiter and OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return craft.

Saturn's atmosphere

During its intentional death dive Friday, Cassini briefly became the first-ever Saturn atmospheric probe. One of the proposed New Frontiers missions would pick up on, and greatly extend, the last measurements Cassini ever made.

The SPRITE (Saturn Probe Interior and Atmosphere Explorer) spacecraft would plunge into Saturn's thick atmosphere, characterizing its composition and structure for about 90 minutes before breaking apart and burning up. (Cassini, which was not built for such work, lasted just a minute or two during its dive.)

"Fundamental measurements of the interior structure and noble-gas abundances of Saturn are needed to better constrain models of solar system formation, as well as to provide an improved context for exoplanet systems," principal investigator Amy Simon, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and her colleagues wrote in a mission description last year.

SPRITE would make such measurements, and its data would help "ground-truth" data Cassini gathered about Saturn from afar over the years, the scientists added. [Latest Saturn Photos from NASA's Cassini Orbiter]

Studying Titan

Cassini studied Titan closely over the course of 127 targeted flybys. The Saturn orbiter also carried a piggyback European lander called Huygens, which touched down on the 3,200-mile-wide (5,150 kilometers) moon in January 2005. In the process, it became the first probe ever to pull off a soft landing on a body in the outer solar system.

Observations by both Cassini and Huygens revealed Titan in all its otherworldly glory. Hydrocarbon rain falls from the huge moon's sky, pooling in lakes and seas of methane, some of which are as big as Earth's Black Sea. Complex organic chemicals  the carbon-containing building blocks of life as we know it  waft about in Titan's thick, nitrogen-dominated atmosphere and eventually drift down to the moon's surface.

It's possible that this bizarre landscape could harbor life, astrobiologists say. And Cassini's work suggests that the big moon may have another potentially habitable environment as well: a salty ocean of liquid water buried beneath the crust. (Indeed, Cassini was directed to its doom primarily to ensure that it would never contaminate Titan or Enceladus with microbes from Earth.)

A proposed New Frontiers mission called Oceanus would investigate both of these environments, taking a variety of measurements from its perch in orbit around Titan. For example, the probe would characterize the organics in the moon's atmosphere and help researchers determine how thick and rigid Titan's crust is, and whether it is convecting internal heat to the surface.

Oceanus "would follow up on Cassini's amazing discoveries and assess Titan's habitability by following the organics through the methanologic cycle and assessing exchange processes between the atmosphere, surface and subsurface," the concept mission's planners wrote in a description of the project, which they presented earlier this year at the 48th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas.

Also in the New Frontiers running is Titan Dragonfly, which would send a drone to study the moon from the air and the ground.

"Heavier-than-air flight is substantially easier [on Titan]" than on Earth, Dragonfly principal investigator Elizabeth Turtle, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Research Laboratory in Maryland, told Space.com earlier this year. (Titan's atmosphere is considerably thicker than that of Earth, but the moon's gravity is just 14 percent as strong as our planet's.)

"That means we can take a really capable lander and move it by a few tens of kilometers in a single flight, and hundreds of kilometers over the time of the mission," Turtle added.

The drone would study the composition of Titan's organics in detail, at a variety of different locations.

"Dragonflyis a truly revolutionary concept providing the capability to explore diverse locations to characterize the habitability of Titan's environment, investigate how far prebiotic chemistry has progressed, and search for chemical signatures indicative of water-based and/or hydrocarbon-based life," Turtle and her colleagues wrote about the potential mission in their presentation at the 48th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. [Amazing Photos: Titan, Saturn's Largest Moon]

The plumes of Enceladus

The other two Saturn-oriented New Frontiers proposals target 313-mile-wide (504 km) Enceladus, whose geysers were a revelation to the Cassini team, NASA officials and space scientists in general.

"When we observed the southern hemisphere [of Enceladus] and geysers of water spewing out into the Saturn system, it amazed us and began changing the way we view the habitability  or potential habitability  of moons in the outer part of our solar system," Jim Green, chief of NASA's Planetary Science Division at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., said at Wednesday's news conference.

That's because the water in Enceladus' geysers is apparently coming from an ocean of liquid water that sloshes beneath the frigid moon's icy crust. Cassini observations suggest that this ocean may even have a chemical energy source that could support life as we know it.

But researchers want to learn more about the ocean, and the geysers' plume provides a great way of doing so. One of the New Frontiers candidates, known as Enceladus Life Finder (ELF), would zoom through this plume repeatedly, collecting and analyzing molecules. ELF would look for complex organic compounds that could be a sign of prebiotic chemistry  or perhaps even of life itself.

"It's free samples," principal investigator Jonathan Lunine, of Cornell University, told Space.com in 2015 , when ELF was competing for a slot in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost, extremely focused missions. (In January of this year, NASA chose the asteroid-studying Lucy and Psyche missions as its next Discovery projects.) "We don't need to land, drill, melt or do anything like that."

Cassini did some plume sampling of its own, but ELF would sport more-sensitive mass spectrometers than its predecessor did, ELF team members have said. (Cassini's handlers didn't know about Enceladus' geysers before launch, so they didn't put any life-hunting gear aboard the craft.)

Not much has been publicly revealed about the final Saturn-oriented New Frontiers proposal. But its name  Enceladus Life Signatures and Habitability  suggests that it would also be a plume-sampling mission.

You can learn more about all 12 New Frontiers candidates  the other seven of which would target Venus, a comet or Earth's moon  in this excellent synopsis by The Planetary Society's Van Kane.

Will any of them fly?

NASA is expected to cull the New Frontiers proposals to a handful of finalists before the end of the year and announce the selected mission sometime in 2019. (That mission will have a cost cap of $850 million, excluding launch, and will lift off by 2025.)

So, it's too soon to say if any of the Saturn-centric missions will ever get off the ground. But fans of the ringed planet may be heartened by one of Green's comments at Wednesday's news conference.

Cassini's discoveries "will live on for many decades afterwards, and already they're beckoning us to go back," Green said. Between NASA's Voyager mission, which visited Saturn with back-to-back flybys in 1980 and 1981, "and Cassini was 30 years," he said, "and I believe that will be much shorter the next time around."

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+ . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook or Google+ . Originally published on Space.com.
Archaeologists in northwestern Guatemala have uncovered the tomb of a Mayan king that appears to date back to 300-350 A.D.

The royal tomb, the oldest of seven discovered in the ancient city of El Peru-Waka, is thought to contain the remains of King Te Chan Ahk, the Wak Dynasty monarch who ruled in the early 4th century. Historians believe the dynasty was established in the 2nd century.

Though no inscribed artifacts were found that would positively identify the king, archaeologists said the presence of a jade portrait mask with a forehead hair tab of the Maize God indicates that the man in the tomb was a king. Mayan kings were regularly portrayed as Maize God impersonators, according to the Source, the information website of Washington University in St. Louis.

ROMAN SWORDS UNEARTHED AT ANCIENT CAVALRY BARRACKS NEAR HADRIAN'S WALL

The Classic Maya revered their divine rulers and treated them as living souls after death, said David Freidel, an anthropology professor at the university and research co-director of the U.S.-Guatemalan El Peru-Waka Archaeological Project, which uncovered the tomb.

This kings tomb helped to make the royal palace acropolis holy ground, a place of majesty, early in the history of the Wak  centipede  dynasty, he told the Source.

Its like the ancient Saxon kings England buried in Old Minster, the original church underneath Winchester Cathedral.

El Peru-Waka, located 40 miles west of the Mayan site of Tikal near the San Pedro Martir River, once commanded major trade routes running north to south and east to west.

Among the artifacts found in the tomb were 22 ceramic vessels, Spondylus shells, jade ornaments and a shell pendant carved as a crocodile.
Imagine your neighborhood is placed under a hurricane watch.

When the threat of a hurricane looms, its important for residents to know if hurricane warnings or watches have been issued for the areas they live in. Read on for a look at the two terms.

Hurricane conditions

Hurricane warnings and watches have different meanings slightly concerning hurricane conditions, or sustained winds that hit 74 mph or above, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations National Ocean Service (NOS) says.

A warning means that hurricane conditions are expected, whereas a watch means that conditions are possible, the office explains.

What else should I know?

Hurricane warnings and watches are issued 36 hours and 48 hours, respectively, before tropical storm-force winds may strike, according to the NOS.

Because hurricane preparedness activities become difficult once winds reach tropical storm force (sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph), the hurricane warning is issued 36 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds to allow for important preparation, the group says.

The office shares a message when a warning is underway.

During a hurricane warning, complete storm preparations and immediately leave the threatened area if directed by local officials, the NOS adds.

Hurricane warnings also can be in effect for other reasons.

The warning can remain in effect when dangerously high water or a combination of dangerously high water and waves continue, even though winds may be less than hurricane force, the National Weather Service says online.

What about tropical storm warnings vs. watches?

When a warning is issued, that means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the specified coastal area within 36 hours, according to the NWS.

The agency says that a watch, however, indicates that the conditions are possible within the specified coastal area within 48 hours.
The Israel Defense Forces shot down an Iranian-made drone operated by Hezbollah early Tuesday afternoon after the drone entered the demilitarized zone along the border between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights.

The Israel Air Forces aerial defense command fired a Patriot missile and destroyed the drone.

The remotely piloted vehicle, intended for intelligence gathering missions, was identified as it took off from Damascus International Airport. It then flew to the southwest toward Israel. When the Air Forces air defense control center identified the drone entering the demilitarized zone on the Golan, approximately at 1:30 pm local time (6:30 am EST), the IDF decided to shoot it down.

ROBOT PATROL: ISRAELI ARMY TO DEPLOY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES ON GAZA BORDER

IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis told reporters that the military will not allow terrorist groups to penetrate or come near to Israeli territory, in the air or on the ground.

The IDF will act severely and attack against any such actions, said Manelis, adding: We will respond to every such attempt. Manelis refused to say whether the drone mission was related to the recent Israeli attack on a military site in Syria, saying that the IDF does not comment of foreign reports.

The Iranian-built drone was used by Hezbollah to collect intelligence, Manelis said, adding that fighter jets were also scrambled but did not fire on the drone, which fell in the area of the Syrian town of Quneitra controlled by the Assad regime. However, the IDF stated that it was not looking to escalate the situation by retaliating "at this time".

ISRAEL SECURITY CHIEF: TECH PREVENTED MORE THAN 2,000 'LONE-WOLF' TERROR ATTACKS LAST YEAR

"We managed to take down that drone, and it only goes to show the IDF's preparedness," commented Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. "We will be able to cope with every task and every challenge."

"I want to stress again the high level of preparedness of the IDF, which knows how to handle any surprise, any problem and any threat," Lieberman also said. "As I've said in the past, we don't intend to again suffer from any threats or any attempts to harm the security of the State of Israel. Anyone who tries to harm our sovereignty, to harm our security, should know that they'll pay a heavy price for it  very heavy."

Following the incident the army raised the threat level in its Northern Command.
Opinion / Columnist

President Robert Mugabe has always been a champion of human rights and democracy despite his detractors professing ignorance to this fact.Reports from some sections of the media have it that United Kingdom-based Zimbabwean women's rights activists, Tawananyasha Widows and Orphans Christian Organisation last week petitioned the Zimbabwean embassy in London protesting against the abuse of women's rights by the Government.Their petition titled 'My Right to Vote/Not Your Right to Rape' exposes how these activists are out of touch with reality.Organizers of the protests should be encouraged to get their facts right before exposing their ignorance to the world.From their report, the activists claimed that there was political violence against women in Zimbabwe.Contrary to what these protestors were alleging, violence of any form is actually being denounced in Zimbabwe.The Constitution of Zimbabwe is the supreme law of the land which protects the rights and safety of women. One will then wonder where exactly these activists are basing their argument on. In actual fact, women in Zimbabwe are being empowered through a number of economic projects which seek to reduce the gender disparities which existed since pre-independence.Their petition also talked of the right to vote by Diasporans.It should be noted that every Zimbabwean citizen has the right to cast their votes. If these activists are serious about participating in the next harmonised elections scheduled for 2018, they should be encouraged to come back home and register to vote.As stipulated in the Constitution of Zimbabwe, elections are held after every five years, and any citizen who qualifies to vote is given the opportunity to select their leader through the ballot box.In short, voting in Zimbabwe is open for all citizens, what is only needed is for the electorate to follow the correct procedures.In addition, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is actually encouraging people to go and register to vote ahead of 2018 elections.In 2008, at the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Mugabe questioned what protection small countries were getting from false allegations of violations of the rule of law and human rights by those whom he said were international perpetrators of genocide, acts of aggression and mass destruction.For so long, many western countries had been spreading false information about human rights violation in Zimbabwe.Unlike what the UK women's activists were alleging, Government respects human rights and evidence on the ground has proved the verity of that assertion.In August this year, the United Nations commended Zimbabwe for its significant progress in implementation of human rights.The United Nations resident coordinator, Mr Bishow Parajuli was quoted saying, "Through the Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF) 2016-2020, the United Nations Country Team is jointly supporting the Government to implement, monitor and report on its human rights treaty obligations in a consultative and participatory manner."Good progress has been made, and we are hopeful that these efforts will translate human rights from the clauses of the various conventions into lived realities for the people of Zimbabwe."On the other hand it is worthy to note that, there are a number of underhand campaigns by civil society groups that might happen during this pre-election period.These women activists might have been campaigning and furthering the agenda of a certain political party, through decampaigning Government efforts.
A rupture in the main pipeline carrying jet fuel to New Zealand's largest airport has disrupted the travel plans of thousands of people and is expected to cause further flight cancellations and delays into next week.

Auckland Airport spokeswoman Lisa Mulitalo said Monday that 41 international and domestic flights have been canceled since Saturday due to low jet fuel supplies. She said other flights have been delayed or re-routed.

Mulitalo said the airport handles about 465 flights daily and most are still operating as normal. She said the airport is urging travelers to check their flight information online and get in contact with their airline if needed.

The pipeline also carries diesel and gasoline, although the shortages have been most acutely felt so far by airlines.

New Zealand's military has stepped in to help by offering a naval tanker and truck drivers to transport fuel and by cancelling a planned military exercise with Singapore to help preserve fuel.

"It's been made very clear to all of those working on this that the government will commit whatever resources and effort are required to get this sorted out as quickly as possible with a minimum of disruption," said Minister of Energy and Resources Judith Collins in a statement.

Passenger Benjamin Sila told The New Zealand Herald newspaper he was traveling from Thailand to Samoa and was in transit in Auckland when he was saddened to discover his flight was cancelled.

"I just want to go home and see my daughter," he said. "I was really looking forward to it."

He said he now planned to travel home via Sydney.

Air New Zealand said jet fuel supplies at the airport are only about 30 percent of normal levels and 2,000 of its customers will be affected on Monday alone.

Some of its flights are being canceled while others to North America and Asia are being redirected to refueling stops at airports in the Pacific or Australia, the airline said.

"Aviation is a critical transport industry and the lifeblood for tourism and we are naturally extremely disappointed with this infrastructure failure," Air New Zealand captain David Morgan said in a statement.

The underground pipeline runs about 170 kilometers (106 miles) from an oil refinery to Auckland.

Greg McNeill, a spokesman for pipeline owner Refining New Zealand, said a digger or other machinery appears to have damaged the pipe and then acidic soil had corroded it further until it failed Thursday.

He said his company should be able to fix the pipe and have it operating again by Sept. 26 at the latest, although it would take another 30 hours after the jet fuel arrives in Auckland for it to settle and be recertified.

McNeill said operators first noticed a drop in pressure in the pipeline on Thursday afternoon, and teams flew overhead by helicopter to locate the leak.

He said about 60,000 liters (16,000 gallons) of fuel spilled from the rupture. He said the leaked fuel was contained in the surrounding soil and in a culvert and had not seeped into waterways.

McNeill said that when crews dug up the pipeline, they found it had been dented and a protective coating removed, indicating it had been hit by machinery. There was no machinery still in the area, McNeill added.

He said the pipeline, which extends from the Marsden Point Oil Refinery north of Auckland to the Auckland suburb of Wiri, had been operating successfully since 1985 without any major leaks before Thursday.

He said installing a second pipeline, as some people are calling for in light of the leak and flight disruptions, would require a big commitment from the industry and cost about 300 million New Zealand dollars ($220 million).
Some flights may provide screens for in-flight movies or T.V. while youre traveling on long flights, but Icelandair did its customers even better with a live theater performance with professional actors.

Earlier this month, the airline's cabin crew, who trained with the British immersive theater group Gideon Reeling, performed a three-act play, "Ahead of Time," during a transatlantic trip from London to New York.

The play essentially told the story of the airline's history, starting in 1937, and moved through decades of air travel. While some might see this as free advertising, many passengers found the performance to be quite entertaining.

I thought it would be awful. It wasnt. In fact, as the actors moved around the cabin, regaling passengers with their stories, I was genuinely entertained, one reported on board told The Telegraph.

Performers traipsed down the aisles as travelers from the 1950s and hippies from the 1960s. The play also called attention to the first all-female crew made famous by Icelandair.

According to Mashable, the play began before take-off and continued as the flight landed in New York  making the performance an exhausting 10 hours long.

The performance was part of Icelandairs Stopover Pass, which encourages customers to spend time in Iceland before continuing on to other destinations. Other activities that are part of the pass include stand-up comedy, live music, and Icelandic performances at the airport lounge. The events are planned to continue through April.
The lawyer for the family of a student shot dead by Georgia Tech police slammed the university and the officer who shot and killed the 21-year-old, saying Monday the deadly shooting was an overreaction and was poorly handled by the university.

Scott Scout Schultz was pronounced dead Sunday morning after an officer shot the student. Schultz was rushed to a hospital, but pronounced dead, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Several officers said they found Schultz holding a knife around 11:30 p.m. Saturday outside the West Campus residential community. They reportedly urged Schultz to drop the object before one officer fired his gun.

Schultzs father, William, questioned the police officers motive in the shooting.

Whatever happened, it shouldnt have ended in a death, the grieving father said during a Monday news conference.

When asked what he would say to the officer, he responded: Why did you have to shoot? Thats the question. Thats the only question that matters right now. Why did you kill my son?

Chris Stewart, the familys attorney, who is also investigating the case, said Georgia Tech perpetrated a false narrative by claiming Scott Schultz was carrying a large knife and charging toward the officers Saturday night before the shooting. Stewart said Schultz was carrying a multi-purpose tool that had a tiny little knife.

The knife wasnt even open. That was the truththats what Georgia Tech didnt tell you, Stewart said, adding that the officer was about 20 feet away when he fired a bullet into Schultzs heart.

Stewart compared Schultzs death to other recent controversial officer-involved shooting deaths. He praised the other officers at the scene who attempted to calm Schultz, but slammed the one campus cop who fired the deadly shots, saying the officer overreacted.

But yet that one officer took the life of the president of the Pride group at Georgia Tech, the child of the Schultz family, the person that was loved on campus because they overreacted, Stewart said. At the end of the day there were two failures. That one officer who decided to take Scouts life and the other failure was Georgia Tech, who confirmed they dont give their officers Tasers.

He called the handling of the situation totally inappropriate.

Lynne Schultz, the students mother, said Scout had strong beliefs and a promising future. The family said the student suffered from depression and was having a mental breakdown when the deadly ordeal happened. William Schultz said he took Scout to counseling for several weeks after the 21-year-old attempted suicide two years ago.

Videos from witnesses at the scene showed the campus police ordering Schultz to put down the knife.

Drop the knife! Drop the knife!" the officers were heard shouting, to which Schultz responded: Shoot me!

"Nobody wants to hurt you, man. Drop the knife," another officer said.

A few moments later, an officer fired his gun and Schultz was heard screaming. Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Nelly Miles initially said in a statement that Schultz continued to advance on officers with the knife before being shot dead.

William Schultz said Scout was at Georgia Tech with a full scholarship. The student was a fourth-year computer engineering major and was scheduled to graduate in December. He added Schultz took the summer off to relax and the last time he saw the student was in August. The Georgia Tech Pride Alliance, which Schultz led, said it was deeply saddened by the death.

Said William Schultz: There is no question that Scout will be dearly missed by the people who knew him.
Florida's economy has long thrived on one import above all: People.

Until Irma struck this month, the state was adding nearly 1,000 residents a day  333,471 in the past year, akin to absorbing a city the size of St. Louis or Pittsburgh. Every jobseeker, retiree or new birth, along with billions spent by tourists, helped fuel Florida's propulsive growth and economic gains.

Yet Hurricane Irma's destructive floodwaters renewed fears about how to manage the state's population boom as the risks of climate change intensify. Rising sea levels and spreading flood plains have magnified the vulnerabilities for the legions of people who continue to move to Florida and the state economy they have sustained.

Florida faces an urgent need to adapt to the environmental changes, said Jesse Keenan, a lecturer at Harvard University who researches the effects of rising sea levels on cities.

"A lot is going to change in the next 30 years  this is just the beginning," Keenan said.

People might need to live further inland, Keenan said, and employers might have to relocate to higher ground, with the resulting competition between offices and housing driving up land prices. It would become harder to adequately insure houses built along canals. Traffic delays could worsen across parts of Florida as more roads flood. Developers might shift away from sprawling suburban tracts toward denser urban pockets that are better equipped to manage floods.

At the same time, the belief remains firm among some developers and economists that for all the threats from rising water levels, the state's population influx will continue with scarcely any interruption. The allure of lower taxes and easier living, the thinking goes, should keep drawing a flow of residents and vacationers.

"Irma doesn't change the fact that there is no state income tax," said Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Economic Competitiveness. "In a few months, when the first Alberta Clipper starts blowing down cold weather across the United States and it's 80 degrees and sunny down here, the memories of Irma will be blown away."

Certainly, the influx of people has been testament to that appeal. After slowing when the housing bubble burst in 2007, the population has marched steadily upward. The number of Floridians, now above 20 million, is projected to hit 24 million by 2030, with more than half the increase coming from retiring baby boomers. Many of them first experienced Florida as tourists. More than 112 million people visited the state last year  a 33 percent increase over the past decade.

All of which means that compared with Hurricane Andrew 25 years ago, Irma struck a far more densely packed state. It is also one marked by greater extremes of wealth and poverty. Luxury condo towers populated by the global elite now crowd the Miami skyline. But the metro area is also cursed by the worst rental housing affordability in the United States, according to Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Flooding washed away mobile home parks in the Florida Keys where lower-income workers live. As a magnet for jobs at restaurants, hotels and other parts of the services sector, the state attracts workers with relatively low incomes who can't pay higher rents if flooding eliminates a chunk of the housing stock.

Still, Citigroup estimated that damages were just $50 billion  well below initial estimates  in part because some homes were better equipped to weather the wind and rain than during Andrew.

Storms can cause population loss in the near term. A year after Andrew hit in 1992, Miami-Dade County lost 31,000 residents. Many appear to have moved to Broward and Palm Beach counties, where the risks of flooding were lower, a pattern that could be repeated after Irma.

Given the brisk pace of construction and population growth, Florida could endure a heavy economic blow in coming decades if it fails to reduce the risks from climate change. Homes that were too close to eroding beaches could become effectively worthless. Those along canals that flood could become too costly to rebuild. The state's economic fuel  tourism and residential development  could dissipate.

Sean Becketti, chief economist at Freddie Mac, the mortgage giant, warned in an analysis last year that rising sea levels and widening flood plains "appear likely to destroy billions of dollars in property and to displace millions of people."

"The economic losses and social disruption," Becketti added, "may happen gradually, but they are likely to be greater in total than those experienced in the housing crisis and Great Recession."

Federal taxpayers might oppose bailing out these homeowners, Becketti said, mortgage lenders could absorb heavy losses and employers might choose to move to safer parts of the country  and take their jobs with them.

Still, for now at least, the heads of several major Florida real estate companies say they expect people to keep flocking to Florida despite the increasing risks.

Budge Huskey, president of Premier Sotheby's International Realty, drove around Naples, Florida, and said he observed "very little damage" to homes constructed under new building codes after Hurricane Andrew. These houses had wind-resistant hurricane windows and stronger roofs.

"Let's face it, people work their whole lives to retire to Florida  that's where they want to be," Huskey said.

Jay Parker, CEO of Douglas Elliman's Florida brokerage, monitored Irma from an Atlanta hotel. He was gratified that Florida escaped much of the expected destruction. And he said would-be buyers, sniffing out potential bargains, were approaching him at the hotel about cut-rate deals on condos in the storm's wake.

"If anything," Parker said, "this might create some short-term buying sprees."
The Latest on the killing of three California children (all times local):

2:30 p.m.

A father charged with murder in the deaths of his three children has pleaded not guilty.

Yolo County authorities say 32-year-old Robert William Hodges entered the not guilty plea Monday during his first court appearance.

He was charged earlier in the day with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 11-year-old Kelvin Hodges, 9-year-old Julie Hodges and Lucas Hodges, nearly eight months.

Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said the two older children were killed with a belt but would not say how it was used or give other details, including a motive.

Prosecutors also charged Hodges with the attempted murder of his wife.

Deputy public defender Ron Johnson, who represented Hodges, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.

___

12:53 p.m.

Prosecutors have charged a father with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his children, saying a belt was used in two of the killings.

Prosecutors filed the charges Monday against 32-year-old Robert William Hodges in the deaths of 11-year-old Kelvin Hodges, 9-year-old Julie Hodges and Lucas Hodges, nearly eight months.

Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said the two older children were killed with a belt but would not say how it was used or give other details, including a motive.

Prosecutors also charged Hodges with the attempted murder of his wife.

Officials have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty if Robert Hodges is convicted.

Hodges is expected to make his first court appearance later in the day. It was unclear if he has an attorney yet.
Milo Yiannopoulos, the rightwing provocateur, is hosting University of California, Berkeleys upcoming Free Speech Week in conjunction with Berkeley Patriot, a student group.

Although the event is supposed to kick off on Sunday, Yiannopoulos and Berkeley Patriot are still battling the university over logistics. UC Berkeley said the group missed a deadline to pay for the use of two auditoriums; the student group accused the university of bureaucratic stonewalling.

Aside from being a prominent speaker at the upcoming event  wherever it will eventually be held  Yiannopoulos has remained front-and-center of free speech activism. Read on to find out more about the political commentator.

Who is Milo Yiannopoulos?

Born in the United Kingdom, the 32-year-old conservative firebrand is known for his bombastic remarks on social and cultural issues. He is a major proponent of free speech.

[Yiannopoulos] remains a mystery to much of the country  how can a flamboyantly gay Brit appeal to audiences as diverse as college students, active-duty soldiers, and grandparents? His fearless personality, ability to be both funny and factual, and take-no-prisoners approach to the culture war all help, his media company said online.

He does not consider himself to be alt-right.

How is he involved with Berkeleys Free Speech Week?

Yiannopoulos media company, MILO, Inc., has agreed to underwrite the Free Speech Week, and the outspoken Yiannopoulos has heavily promoted and defended the event on social media.

5 ASSAULTED AT BERKELEY DURING PROTESTS

Yiannopoulos company shelled out more than $65,000 to host the events on UC Berkeleys campus, he said in a statement to Fox News on Monday, as Berkeley Patriot and the university continue to fight over logistics.

He is scheduled to speak three of the four days of the event.

Yiannopoulos also is scheduled to give out the Mario Savio Award to an individual that best exemplified courageous free expression over the last year, according to the events website. Savio was an activist and leader of UC Berkeleys Free Speech Movement in the 1960s.

Why is he considered controversial?

Yiannopoulos is known for his inflammatory statements about conservative and rightwing issues, including hosting a tour across college campuses that he called the Dangerous Faggot tour.

He accused popstar Ariana Grande for being pro-Islam in her response to a bombing at her Manchester concert that killed 22 people. Yiannopoulos has argued that gay rights have made us dumber, claimed that cyberbullying does not exist and decried feminism.

He has also referred to President Donald Trump as daddy.

Yiannopoulos resigned from his position as senior editor at Breitbart in February 2017 after a video was released in which he appeared to defend pedophilia. In the video, Yiannopoulos discussed sex between younger boys and older men and suggested that those relationships can help those younger boys discover who they are.

BEN SHAPIRO SPEECH AT BERKELEY RESULTS IN PROTESTS, ARRESTS

As a result, Yiannopoulos was disinvited from the annual Conservative Political Action Conference and lost his book deal with Simon & Schuster. He sued the publishing house for $10 million in July.

He also was banned from Twitter after he was accused of inciting violence against actor Leslie Jones in 2016.

What else do you need to know?

Yiannopoulos was slated to speak at UC Berkeley in February, but the event was abruptly cancelled when violent protests broke out on campus.

UC Berkeley decided to cancel the event just two hours before Yiannopoulos scheduled speech when demonstrators threw smoke bombs and broke windows in protest of his appearance. More than 1,500 people had gathered outside the venue, the university said.
A Texas woman who reported her boyfriend missing last month had shot and killed the man while he slept  then dismembered his body with a machete, police said on Monday.

Cierra Sutton, 30, was arrested Thursday in Jefferson Parish, near New Orleans, in the death of her boyfriend, 32-year-old Steven Coleman. The couple lived in an apartment in Baytown, which is east of Houston, when Sutton first reported her boyfriend missing Aug. 18. Colemans friend, Elisa Delossantos, told FOX26 she wasnt surprised Sutton is accused of the murder.

Just from what other people were saying from the experiences they were having together, him wanting to leave that relationship, it seemed like one of those love-hate relationships, Delossantos said. Apparently she didnt want him to go on without her.

Authorities did not immediately identify a motive in the case.

MAN ON TEXAS' 10 MOST WANTED LIST ARRESTED IN LOS ANGELES

Coleman, who was a rapper nicknamed Slim Da Don, allegedly told a friend several times that if he went missing, Sutton would be responsible.

On Aug. 16, Sutton and Coleman allegedly got into an argument before Sutton shot Coleman in the head while he slept inside their apartment. Suttons 10-year-old daughter was in the living room when the murder occurred, police said.

Sutton then took a machete, dismembered Colemans body and tossed the remains in several dumpsters, officials said.

How did we not hear anything? Heard nothing at all," Mikki Rogers, who lived downstairs from the apartment, told KHOU. She acted like she knew nothing about anything. She was trying to call him, hadnt heard from him. Family members didnt get a response.

A torso found in a Baytown landfill Aug. 22 is believed to be Colemans; however, investigators are waiting for official identification.

While Sutton was in Louisiana, she told multiple people about the gruesome murder.

GEORGIA TECH: 3 ARRESTED AS PROTEST TURNS VIOLENT AFTER POLICE SHOOTING

Cierra had confided to multiple people in Louisiana she had, in fact, shot and killed Steven inside their apartment, dismembered his body and disposed of his remains, Baytown Lt. Steve Dorris said at a news conference.

He added: Fortunately we havent had anything like this in my 18 years that Ive been with the Baytown Police Department.
A mom in Minnesota was nearly paralyzed after a tree fell on her head, local media reported late last week.

Alyssa Pfannenstein, 25, was watching her daughter play in a park over Labor Day weekend, according to reports from CBS Minnesota. She and her boyfriend, Justin Janssen, brought a hammock and tied it up between two birch trees. Unbeknownst to them, one of the trees was rotten inside, the report added.

As she was sitting in the hammock with Janssen, one tree reportedly came crashing down on Pfannenstein, leaving her unable to move.

All of a sudden this big boom hit me in the back of the head, Pfannenstein told CBS Minnesota. It was surreal. At the moment, there was not even time to panic because it happened so quickly.

NASCAR DRIVER, PILOT KILLED IN CONNECTICUT PLANE CRASH

Pfannenstein was rushed to a hospital where doctors revealed shed broken her neck, the report added.

Still, her boyfriend said she has a positive attitude and is already making progress.

We just want to appreciate every miracle, he said. Accidents happen and we will get through this like anything else.

A GoFundMe page was started in her honor to assist with the expected medical bills.
Violent protests broke out on the Georgia Tech campus Monday night, with one police car set on fire, after a vigil for a student shot and killed by a police officer.

Scott Scout Schultz, 21, was pronounced dead Sunday morning. Police said an officer shot the student Saturday night after Schultz refused to drop a knife. The student's family claimed the officer overreacted.

After the Monday night vigil, at least one protester reportedly tossed a flare into the police vehicle, setting it ablaze.

Video on social media showed smoke billowing from the police car, with crowds of people on the streets. It also showed a young man running, with a police officer chasing him, ending with the officer tackling him to the ground. Its unclear what led to the altercation.

University officials have told students to avoid Hemphill Avenue and stay inside. They tweeted, "Take Immediate Action Now!"

Video of the incident Saturday night showed Schultz barefoot, holding an object in his hand, WSB-TV reported. The student was heard yelling, "shoot me" to the officers.

"Drop the knife! Drop the knife!" the officers shouted back.

"Nobody wants to hurt you ... Drop the knife," the officer repeated.

Schultz was a fourth-year computer engineering major and president of the Georgia Tech Pride Alliance, according to USA Today.

The Georgia Tech Pride Alliance said it was "saddened" by the death, in a statement released on Sunday.
After Hurricane Irma wrecked the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this month, Christopher Allen spent countless hours figuring out how to send supplies. But Hurricane Maria formed almost as soon as Allen had finalized plans to send relief through Victory Air, an airline that works with NASCAR.

That's when Allen, a NASCAR shop mechanic, teamed up with Victory Air staff and came up with a new plan: to use the plane to evacuate nearly four dozen people and their pets from Saint Thomas before the Category 5 storm could hit.

Some passengers were dropped in Florida, including two women who sustained minor injuries during Irma. Others continued to Charlotte, N.C., where the Sheraton Hotel provided discounted rooms, and volunteers opened their homes, Allen said.

Ive never negotiated so much in my life, Allen told Fox News. With a little luck and help with a thrown-together plane, we managed to get 41 people off the island.

Dana Neil almost didnt get on the plane.

Neil, who is pregnant with her second child, planned to stay on the island with her husband and help with restorations following Irma. But then Maria headed toward the islands, with winds up to 160 mph.

HURRICANE MARIA LEAVES WIDESPREAD DEVASTATION IN DOMINICA

The only place we could have gone was Puerto Rico, which is trading one disaster for another, Neil told Fox News.

She didnt leave the island earlier because her home was safe, and she didnt need to be in a refugee situation on another island and take resources from someone who needed it more.

But when word got out that a last-minute plane was coming, she made the nearly impossible decision to leave her husband behind and head for safety with her 2-year-old son.

It was getting to the point where it needed to be just emergency personnel there and people who were helping the community, Neil said. It was probably the hardest decision of my life.

I felt very powerless, she said. I felt grateful, too, that I was given the opportunity. Im still torn if I made the right decision to split up my family. Its an impossible situation.

TRACK HURRICANE MARIA HERE

Stephanie Moore, a Victory Air employee, praised others when asked about the generosity of the companys donation of a plane, fuel and staff.

Its one of those things  you find out when youre trying to land at this airport or do this kind of work, people will give what they can, Moore said. We happen to be in the business of airplanes and to give in this way has been a real blessing to us.

In Saint Thomas, Allen said he saw the worst stuff  in terms of destruction.

He continues to work in conjunction with a volunteer in Pennsylvania to collect supplies and hopes to find someone to donate the use of a cargo plane to transport the aid.

For now, Neil and her son Tucker are staying with a friend in the Charlotte area who evacuated from Saint Thomas with her own young child not too long ago. But Neil hopes to go back to Saint John soon to work with her husband and her community to move forward.
Opinion / Columnist

Former Prime Minister and MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai is a giant of Zimbabwe's politics and his reported deteriorating health, which prompted him being airlifted to South Africa for emergency treatment, is not good news for most Zimbabweans.The news is so depressing as it comes at a time his family, friends and supporters within the MDC, had thought he had put behind the troubles brought about by his medical condition.Tsvangirai announced last year that he was diagnosed with cancer of the colon.It is never easy dealing with this type of condition but the dogged former labour union leader had in the last couple of months appeared fit again - to the extent of putting in motion the process to form a grand coalition with other opposition parties - until last Friday when his condition was reported to have deteriorated.Tsvangirai's sudden illness brings back into sharp focus the subject of political succession; be it in his party or Zanu-PF.Already, the depressing news of his reported deteriorating health has sent social media into a meltdown - with the majority of conversations ruing why Zimbabwe appears to be a destination for bad news - considering that both Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe are plagued by ill health.And these popular politicians are touted as presidential candidates in next year's elections.Sadly, if anything were to happen to these two politicians, their political formations would be thrown into turmoil because of the absence of a clear-cut succession plan.Tsvangirai has three deputies - Nelson Chamisa, Elias Mudzuri and Thokozani Khupe  who are all not sure of who will likely succeed Tsvangirai if his medical condition was to force him to leave his coveted position.At first when Tsvangirai added Chamisa and Mudzuri, the speculation was that it could have been an indication that he was preparing to address the MDC succession politics because these two appointments had been made weeks after he had publicly stated his medical condition.But as things stand, the politics of MDC succession is as convoluted as Zanu-PF's where Mugabe has dithered on his preferred successor.Tsvangirai and Mugabe are mortal but appear not to view their succession plans as important both to their parties and Zimbabwe at large.Sadly, they don't control time and time is not their best friend right now.This is why lots of questions are being asked about what tomorrow holds for Zimbabwe.
A man was assaulted Sunday in Seattle after social media users posted photographs to Twitter showing the man bearing a swastika armband.

Twitter user bigotbasher posted the photo of the man, who was not identified, on a bus wearing the Nazi emblem. The tweet read: Nazi s--- head seen on D line headed to downtown Seattle. Submitter said they were harassing a black man on the bus. The tweet included the hashtag: #AntiFascistalert.

The photo was reportedly shared to accounts supportive of the far-left Antifa group and across Reddit, Kiro 7 reported. A number of users tweeted the whereabouts of the man before he was filmed being punched.

ANTIFA THROWS SMOKE AND PROJECTILES AT POLICE AT PORTLAND RALLIES; 7 ARRESTED

A YouTube video, which has since been taken down, captured the man wearing the Nazi emblem arguing with another man before being sucker-punched as onlookers cheered. Kiro 7 reported the men were arguing about welfare.

Seattle Police tweeted they were called to the incident after hearing reports about a man instigating fights. Police said they found the man with the swastika armband and he declined to provide any information before removing the emblem and leaving. Police said officers were not asked to file a report.

ANTIFA IS A DOMESTIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATION AND MUST BE DENOUNCED BY DEMOCRATS

A Seattle Police spokesperson told KIRO 7 they were investigating the incident.

Weve gotten a mountain of questions about this, the spokesperson said. We still have to dig through different logs and places where data gets inputted and [search] what may or may not have been reported or recorded.
Weekend gun violence across Chicago pushed the city to 500 homicides in 2017, an infamous milestone that comes as Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced nearly 100 new police officers would be hitting the streets.

Last year, the city reached the grim mark 14 days earlier, during the Labor Day Weekend, according to data from the Chicago Sun-Times. There has been a nearly 7 percent drop in homicides from this time last year, according to the data.

On this date last year, there had been 534 homicides so far in 2016, a year in which Chicago recorded 762 homicides  an average of two murders per day, the most killings in the city in two decades and more than in New York and Los Angeles combined.

Between Friday evening and Monday morning this year, 11 people were killed in Chicago -- including four in a single shooting -- pushing the city to the 500 mark, according to data compiled by the Sun-Times.

Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner's office told the Sun-Times the killing of a 47-year-old man on the far South Side was the city's 500th killing.

John Bolden was sitting in a parked car around 11:22 p.m. Sunday when someone in a gray van fired shots, striking him multiple times in the side of his body, officials said. He later died at a hospital.

Emanuel announced Sunday nearly 100 new officers were deployed throughout the city, part of a two-year plan to add 1,000 more officers to the department, the Sun-Times reported.

Emanuel said the new officers were part of an effort to increase police presence while taking kids, guns and gangs off the streets," and nearly two dozen cops were being sent to the South Side Englewood neighborhood.

A man, identified as Ray who just moved back to his old neighborhood near one of the deadly shooting scenes this weekend, told the Chicago Tribune he heard gunshots in the past few weeks, but "nothing like this."

"This is the first time I've seen something like this since I've been back," Ray told the Tribune.

The 27-year-old said even though cooler weather has descended on Chicago  meaning fewer people are in the streets  the violence has yet to pause.

"It's never over," Ray said.
A student military association at Columbia Universitys law school is disappointed by a deans letter last week that implied military recruiters are only welcome on campus because the school needs federal funding.

In the letter, which was viewed by Fox News, the Columbia Law School Military Association said Dean Gillian Lesters vociferous objection to military recruiting conveys a serious disregard for the military community, which includes not only those who have served, but also those with family or friends who have served.

Members of the U.S. military are held in high esteem precisely because they defend our country with a sense of duty that extends beyond any administrations political positions, the group said.

In a blistering missive to students last week, Lester said it was welcoming recruiters from the Judge Advocate General Corps, the legal branch of the military, with vociferous objections because of President Trumps recent transgender ban.

Lester said Trumps decision to bar members of the transgender community from serving in the armed forces conflicts directly with our nondiscrimination policy and with our values as an institution.

In a statement to Fox News last week, a spokesperson for Columbia Law School said the university as a whole has a long and proud history of supporting members of the military, veterans and their families.

But Lesters letter seems to state otherwise, CLSMA said.

Singling out military recruiters is itself discriminatory and prejudicial, the group said. To serve ones country, even while disagreeing with specific policies of whoever occupies the White House at the time, is an important part of the sacrifice associated with military personnel and reflects a selfless commitment to values and ideals that expand beyond the political arena.

The group ended its letter by requesting Lester send an email to the law school community making it clear military service does not reflect personal support for any policy of this or any other administration, and the university supported any students decision to join the armed forces.

Columbia did not immediately respond to Fox News request for comment on the CLSMA letter.
A Dallas school district is narrowing its focus as it looks to rename some schools bearing the names of Confederate figures.

The Dallas Independent School District initially planned to research more than 20 historical figures to see if their ties to the Confederacy or slavery should prompt a school name change. That list included names like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, The Dallas Morning News reported .

District leaders now say they're focusing only on schools named after Confederate generals. A vote is expected later this month on four elementary schools named after Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Albert Sidney Johnston and William Cabell.

Chief of School Leadership Stephanie Elizalde said the district wants to quickly take action on names with a more significant negative meaning.

"If it was named for the single purpose of promoting white supremacy, then it should be changed," Elizalde said.

The district is trying to respond to violence that erupted at a white supremacist rally last month in Charlottesville, Virginia, said Board President Dan Micciche.

The board will collaborate with staff and parent groups to come up with new names for schools under review. Micciche said he hopes the name change will be completed by the end of the year.

Changing the name of the four schools could cost between $25,000 and $100,000 per school, depending on the type of marquee at the facility, Elizalde said.

___

Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
TOP OF THE MORNING  It's Tuesday, September 19, 2017 and welcome to Fox News First, your preview of the day ahead with all the headlines you need to start the morning ... If you are a subscriber to Top Headlines, you can still to get your early morning news fix and so much more right here  In the meantime, please spread the word: Tell your friends they can subscribe to Fox News First by clicking here at FoxNews.com/first.

Here's your Fox News First 5 - the first five things you need to know today :

President Trump and how he confronts North Korea's growing nuclear threat will be closely watched when he addresses the UN General Assembly today

Hurricane Maria wreaks "widespread devastation" on the island of Dominica as the rest of Caribbean braces for "potentially catastrophic" storm

Former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort was wiretapped by US investigators, according to a report

Hillary Clinton says she wouldn't rule out challenging the 2016 presidential election results, cheers on the "resistance"

Laura Ingraham joins Fox News' prime-time evening lineup as "The Five" and "Hannity" get new time slots

Let's take a closer look ...

THE LEAD STORY: Donald Trump will take center stage when he addresses the UN General Assembly for the first time as president and North Korea will likely dominate his much-anticipated speech ... Trump is expected to try to make an unequivocal case for the assembly's 193 members to help stop North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from testing nuclear bombs and intercontinental missiles on which to launch a nuclear warhead. North Korea has conducted 14 missile tests this year, the latest on Sept. 14. Trump will also have an opportunity to show the world his diplomatic skills as many world leaders, concerned about the president's "America First" rhetoric, will get their first chance to hear and meet him today. Tune in to Fox News for full coverage and analysis of President Trump speech before the UN General Assembly at 10:30 am ET!

MARIA THE MONSTER: The prime minister of Dominica, a Caribbean island, posted online that Hurricane Maria devastated the island, sweeping away the roofs "of almost every" resident he contactedincluding his own ... The category 4 hurricane is starting a charge into the eastern Caribbean that threatens islands already devastated by Hurricane Irma and holds the possibility of a direct hit on Puerto Rico. Authorities in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico warned that people in wooden or flimsy homes should find safe shelter before the storms expected arrival there on Wednesday. Click here to track Hurricane Maria's path.

FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN CHAIR ON INVESTIGATORS' RADAR: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was wiretapped by U.S. government investigators both before and after the 2016 presidential election, according to a report ... The wiretapping was authorized by a secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court after the FBI started to investigate Manafort in 2014, CNN reported. He's been under scrutiny over his financial dealings and lobbying efforts with pro-Russia and Ukrainian officials but has denied colluding with Russia to influence the election.

ELECTION'S NOT OVER FOR HILLARY: Clinton continues to stir up headlines on her book promotion tour, saying in one interview that she wouldn't rule out contesting the 2016 election results and telling supporters at a separate event Monday night that she's proud of the "resistance" ... In an interview that aired Monday afternoon, NPR's Terry Gross pressed the former first lady and Democratic candidate on whether that meant she would "completely rule out questioning the legitimacy of this election if we learn that the Russian interference in the election is even deeper than we know now. Clinton responded, "No. I would not."

Why does this matter? - Hillary Clinton can't put the 2016 election behind her - and neither can the Democratic Party as long as she dominates the headlines. Almost one year after her election loss, she sucks the air out of the room for potential Democratic challengers to Trump in 2020 - you can name one. Headlines like these are why some Dems dreaded the release of Clinton's book.

A NEW PRIME-TIME FOX NEWS EVENING LINE-UP UNVEILED: Laura Ingraham to host The Ingraham Angle at 10 pm ET, starting Oct. 30 ... While The Ingraham Angle will debut late next month, the other changes to Fox News prime-time lineup take effect on Sept. 25 when Hannity moves to 9 pm ET and The Five returns to its original home at 5 pm ET, where it was regularly among the most-watched shows in all of cable news. FNCs 10 pm. ET slot will be occupied by a variety of rotating guest hosts until Ingrahams show premieres.

There's so much more you should know as you start your day ... so, let's do this.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT

Heard on Fox: "I can't second-guess this judge. ... [The judge] has a feel for the evidence - a sixth sense as to whether or not you should believe a particular witness.""  Judge Andrew Napolitano, on "The Story," on a judge's acquittal of a white former police officer in the shooting of a black man - a decision that sparked three days of violent protests in St. Louis. Click here to watch

ICYMI (And you didn't set your DVRS) ...

Tucker: The Emmys more indoctrination than entertainment

Fox Business: "You're presenting a fallacious argument": Kennedy battles "dead cops" tweet professor who supports Antifa

"The Five": Greg Gutfeld: Trump gets mowed by the press

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS

Toys "R" Us bankruptcy imminent: Sources

FedEx to report earnings amid e-commerce boom

Just for you: A tax rate cheat sheet

Rolling Stone to be put up for sale

FOX TROT ACROSS THE NATION

3 arrested as protest turns violent Georgia Tech after police shooting



Non-STEM professors reportedly push for boycott of UC Berkeley "Free Speech Week"

Protesters call out Pelosi over Trump DACA deal



Dylann Roof asks court for new lawyers, says race makes them his "political and biological enemies"

Convicted rapist throws a fit while being deported, report says

NEW IN FOX NEWS OPINION

Michael Goodwin: Trump vs. Hillary -- It's time to reverse the "abnormal" and "normal" labels

Tomi Lahren's Final Thoughts: Another city, another riot

Eyes Wide Shut actress: Reaction to my "coming out as a conservative" story was absolutely shocking

Sen. Rand Paul: Graham/Cassidy does NOT repeal ObamaCare and I oppose it

HOLLYWOOD SQUARED

Emmys ratings crater; Trump-bashing to blame?

Error on Beyonce vinyl surprises fans with Canadian punk band songs

Did The View cut Jedediah Bila for being tough on Hillary Clinton?

Netflix sends lighthearted cease and desist letter to Stranger Things pop-up bar

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?

College footballer dies after complaining of illness following game

The ancient Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series just won't die

DSEI: From Leopards to Boxers --- top armored vehicles grab attention at defense show

Mail carrier battling cancer delivers hope to fellow patient on her route

DON'T MISS THIS TODAY

On Fox News:

All Day: Team coverage of President Trump's address before the UN General Assembly will include: John Roberts, Kevin Corke, Eric Shawn, and Laura Ingle. Fox News meteorologist Janice Dean and the Fox News Weather Center will have the latest on Hurricane Maria's path of destruction; Mike Tobin and Will Carr are in St. Louis for the latest in the tension following a white police officer's acquittal in a black motorist's shooting death

Fox & Friends: Guests include: EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt; country music duo Big & Rich; Dr. Oz tackles the opioid epidemic

America's Newsroom, starting at 9 am ET: Guests include Rep. Ron DeSantis

Tucker Carlson Tonight, starting at 8 pm ET: Guests include former US ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson

Hannity: Amb. John Bolton and Monica Crowley President Trump's first address before the UN General Assembly

On Fox Business:

Mornings with Maria, starting at 6 am ET: Guests include filmmaker Ken Burns, former U.N. U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte and model and entrepreneur Kathy Ireland

Cavuto: Coast to Coast, starting at 12 noon ET: Guests include NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

Risk & Reward, starting at 5 pm ET: Guests include Rep. Marsha Blackburn

#OnThisDay

1997: In his first public comments since the death of Princess Diana, Prince Charles told the British people he would always feel the loss of his former wife, and thanked them for their support.

1985: The Mexico City area was struck by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 9,500 people.

1982: The smiley emoticon was invented by Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott E. Fahlman, who suggested punctuating humorously intended computer messages with a colon followed by a hyphen and a parenthesis as a horizontal "smiley face." :-)

1970: The Mary Tyler Moore show debuted on CBS-TV

Thank you for joining us on Fox News First! Have a great Tuesday and see you in your inbox first thing tomorrow morning!
Three people were arrested when protests turned violent at Georgia Tech Monday night in the wake of a fatal shooting days ago by campus police.

The three were arrested and charged with inciting a riot and battery of an officer.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that two police officers suffered minor injuries, one of whom was sent to the hospital.

The paper identified those arrested as Vincent Castillenti, Jacob Wilson and Cassandra Monden.

University spokesman Lance Wallace said in a statement that after the vigil, a group of about 50 protesters marched to the campus police department.

At least one protester reportedly tossed a flare into the police vehicle, setting it ablaze.

Video on social media showed smoke billowing from the police car, with crowds of people on the streets. It also showed a young man running, with a police officer chasing him, ending with the officer tackling him to the ground. Its unclear what led to the altercation.

University officials have told students to avoid Hemphill Avenue and stay inside. They tweeted, "Take Immediate Action Now!"

Investigators said police shot and killed Scout Schultz late Saturday night after the 21-year-old student called 911 to report an armed and possibly intoxicated suspicious person who fit Schultz's physical description. Police said an officer shot Schultz after she refused to drop a knife. The students family claimed the officer overreacted. 

A lawyer for the family told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Schultz was carrying a small utility tool. He said the blade was not out.

We ask that those who wish to protest Scout's death do so peacefully. Answering violence with violence is not the answer. Our goal is to work diligently to make positive change at Georgia Tech in an effort to ensure a safer campus for all students, the family said in a statement. this is how we truly honor Scouts life and legacy."

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Attorneys for the man accused of killing Tennessee nursing student Holly Bobo argued Tuesday that investigators had arrested the wrong person and attempted to raise suspicions about a local sex offender known locally as "Chester the Molester."

Terry Dicus, the former lead investigator in the case for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), testified that he had ruled out Zachary Adams as a suspect shortly after Bobo disappeared in April 2011.

Instead, Dicus said, he had focused on Terry Britt, who has multiple convictions for sex offenses dating back to the 1970s and lived near the Bobo home in Decatur County, about 100 miles southwest of Nashville.

"His alibi was garbage," Dicus said of Britt, who told investigators he and his wife were doing renovations on their home at the time of Holly's disappearance. The investigator said Britt claimed he and his wife had gone shopping for a new bathtub at a certain store, but employees could not remember seeing anyone who matched Britt's description that day.

Dicus added that Britt's voice was similar to a voice Holly's brother heard the morning of her disappearance and claimed that Britt may have changed his appearance after Holly vanished.

Dicus said he ruled out Adams as a suspect after cross-referencing pings from his and Holly's phones the morning of the disappearance.

"Im trying to put together a puzzle," Dicus said. "If I find five pieces that dont fit, Im done. If I find two pieces, Im done. Its not this person. You may disagree with me that that wasnt enough but all you really have to have is one fact that says this person couldnt have kidnapped her and you need to go do something else."

Investigators were suspicious enough of Britt to wiretap his phone and bug his house. Dicus added that cadaver dogs picked up scents of human decomposition near shovels, an ax and a hammer at Britt's home.

However, Dicus admitted that he didn't think all the dogs that searched Britt's home were accurate, and Britt was never arrested in connection with Bobo's disappearance.

Dicus was removed from the case in 2013. Bobo's remains were found in woods near her home in September 2014.

Under cross-examination, Dicus admitted that he was not aware of alleged statements by Adams that connected him to Bobo's disappearance. Acquaintances and friends of Adams  as well as fellow jail inmates  have testified that he made comments about harming Bobo.

Adams has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, raping and killing Bobo. He faces the death penalty if convicted of first degree murder.

Adams' brother, John Dylan Adams, faces the same charges. His trial has not been set.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hurricane Jose may not be making landfall along the East Coast, but the storm is still creating dangerous conditions Tuesday even as it stays off-shore.

The storm has stirred up surf and rip currents along the coast, creating beach erosion in some spots.

Jose's center was about 350 miles south-southwest of Nantucket, Mass., early Tuesday and it was moving north at 9 mph with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

A tropical storm warning was posted for coastal areas in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and tropical storm watches were up for parts of New York's Long Island and Connecticut.

In New Jersey, minor coastal flooding was reported in some areas, and large waves damaged the pier in Belmar.

Further north, residents and boat owners in Massachusetts and Connecticut were making last-minute preparations for Jose's likely close pass.

Jeff Dziedzic, owner of TowBoatUS, spent Monday securing his rescue boat at Pine Island Marina in Groton, Conn., with extra lines. Dziedzic told FOX61 he needs to be prepared to rescue other boats that may be stuck after the storm.

"Generally, with heavy windstorms like this, sailboats that are out on the moorings can break free or drift and we end up pulling them off the beach or rock area," said Dziedzic.

In Plymouth, Mass., emergency officials told Boston25 News theyre ready to activate the Emergency Operations Center if need be, and theyve been putting out advisories on electronic message boards to let residents know to take precautions.

'I'm not worried about it.'  Elizabeth James

Were not taking any chances, homeowner Brian Skellett said. You can see how far the tide comes in. It wiped out that porch a couple of years ago. Im not going to take any chances.

Other residents who live near the ocean said they hope Jose wont pack much of a punch, and plan to stay put.

Im not worried about it, Elizabeth James said. This is my third season renting this cottage. My landlord said to just batten down the hatches. I think its just going to be a lot of wind and rain.
Maria weakened to a tropical storm by Thursday morning as it continues to move away from the U.S. east coast.

Maria had been briefly downgraded to a tropical storm earlier this week before it regained strength and became a Category 1 storm on Wednesday. Forecasters do not expect much of a change in Maria's strength over the next few days, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm made landfall in Puerto Rico last week as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, destroying hundreds of homes and knocking out power to the entire U.S. territory of 3.4 million people. The storm's center passed near the U.S. Virgin Island of Saint Croix.

Here's what you should know about Marias path.

Where is Maria today?

Maria is approximately 275 miles east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and 470 miles northwest of Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. ET advisory Thursday.

HURRICANE WARNING VS. WATCH: HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?

The storm is traveling east-northeast at 8 mph with maximum sustained winds of about 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

What else should I know about the storm?

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. All storm surge warnings have also been discontinued as of Thursday.

North Carolina previously issued a mandatory evacuation for visitors to much of the Outer Banks. Officials said Thursday that they hope to lift the evacuation order on two islands in the Outer Banks soon.

Maria already ravaged the Caribbean nation of Dominica, leaving widespread devastation, according to Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.

WHAT IS THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE?

"So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace," Skerrit said.

The confirmed toll from Maria jumped to at least 49 on Monday, including 16 dead in Puerto Rico. No injuries have been reported on the U.S. mainland from Maria after it lashed the Outer Banks with strong waves and rising waters.

When Maria hit Puerto Rico, it was the third-strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S., based on its central pressure. It was even stronger than Irma when it hit the Florida Keys.

Saint Croix, largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma just weeks ago, this time experienced five hours of hurricane force winds, U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp said.

Residents in Saint Croix told Fox News that the storm left them without power and turned roads into mudslides. Barges were also destroyed in the storm, residents said, causing concern not only for Saint Croix, but for nearby Saint Thomas and Saint John, which had been receiving aid from the larger of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Fox News' Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Zoe Szathmary and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Michigan doctor accused of performing female genital mutilation on minors in a Muslim sect will be released from jail this week ahead of a federal trial after a judge granted her bond Tuesday.

Dr. Jumana Nagarwala is currently awaiting trial on FGM charges, and was granted bond after supporters pledged to pay more than $4 million if she fled the country. Federal Judge Bernard Friedman called it a "very comprehensive package."

The doctor will be released from custody at some point later this week, FOX2 Detroit reported.

Nagarwala, of Northville, Mich., is accused of cutting at least six girls at a clinic in suburban Detroit, including two girls from Minnesota. The doctor denies she committed a crime, and says she performed a religious custom from her Muslim sect, the India-based Dawoodi Bohra.

She has been in custody without her passport since her arrest in April.

Nagarwala's attorney, Shannon Smith, told FOX2 Detroit the doctor intends to the fight the charges and wont flee.

"It's a fight about a sacred religious practice," she said.

Two other people, Dr. Fakhruddin Attar and Farida Attar, have been charged in this case. The government says the alleged acts occurred at Dr. Attar's Detroit-area clinic with his approval, and Farida Attar is accused of assisting Nagarwala.

The Attars and Nagarwala belong to a Muslim sect called Dawoodi Bohra, and have denied the charges. They say a religious ritual was performed.

According to the Department of Justice, this is believed to be the first case brought under 18 U.S.C. 116, which criminalized FGM, stating anyone who knowingly circumcises, excises or infibulates the whole or any part of the female labia or clitoris of a person who is under the age of 18 shall be fined or imprisoned not more than 5 years  or both.

Female genital mutilation constitutes a particularly brutal form of violence against women and girls  it is also a serious federal felony in the United States, Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Lemisch said. The practice has no place in modern society and those who perform FGM on minors will be held accountable under federal law.

According to a 2013 census by the Population Reference Bureau, approximately 500,000 women and girls in the United States have undergone the procedure or are at risk of the procedure.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Exactly 154 years ago, the Civil War Battle of Chickamauga was raging in parts of Tennessee and Georgia. By the end of the three days of carnage, more than 34,000 soldiers on both sides were either killed, wounded or captured, and the Confederate army declared victory.

Fast forward to the present and the Chattanooga NAACP is trying to claim a victory over the Confederates.

CONFEDERATE STATUES REMOVED: A RUNNING LIST

The local chapter of the NAACP is pushing a petition, thats already garnered more than 2,000 signatures, calling for the removal of a Confederate statute commemorating one of Chickamaugas main players -- Confederate Lt. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart -- from outside Tennessees Hamilton County Courthouse.

However, since the monument is part of the National Park Service, and therefore federally protected, its not going anywhere anytime soon.

The monuments will stay here, Kim Coons, who works with the park, told WTVC. And the reason they exist is because both sides reunified here to place the markers to tell the stories of the people who fought here.

But the people who fought there are the source of controversy.

The NAACPs president told WTVC the Chickamauga Battlefield would be the perfect place to put the monument instead.

When you walk past a monument where a man basically fought to preserve slavery, as an African American, it does make you feel a lot different, Dr. Enora Woods said. It needs to be a part of our history, but in a different place.

Confederate monuments have recently come down in many cities  including Baltimore, Los Angeles, Dallas and New Orleans. In light of that, Chickamauga Battlefield officials told WTVC visitors have asked them questions about removing statues and monuments.
The outgoing head of the U.S. Navy's surface forces outlined changes Monday to how American warships should operate at sea following a series of deadly crashes, according to a memo obtained by Fox News.

Vice Adm. Tom Rowden, rumored to be retiring early after two collisions at sea resulted in the deaths of 17 sailors, explained the changes in a memo to the fleet.

For instance, top Navy officials want to standardize the way officers and sailors stand watch to produce more natural sleep cycles, giving them more rest. Two U.S. defense officials told Fox, the Navy will do away with five-hour watches because they are too long and officials fear sailors lose concentration after three hours.

The current schedule format, used on most warships at sea, varies the time of day that officers and sailors stand watch.

Rowden's memo also directed all Navy warships to keep their Automatic Identification System on at all times in busy sea lanes.

AIS shall be transmitted while transiting any traffic separation scheme and/or any high density traffic area, the memo said.

While the AIS activation would alert potential adversaries about the presence of a U.S. warship, the system is designed primarily to alert merchant ships on autopilot and enable them to take evasive action if necessary. Both U.S. Navy warship collisions during the summer involved collisions with large merchant ships.

Navy spokesman Cmdr. John Perkins told Fox News the memo "gives flexibility for the operational commanders to manage AIS transmission in situations where mission-specific operational security, emission control or force protection conditions may preclude AIS transmission."

The memo also outlined new "common business rules" in order to standardize the process aboard a warships bridge and engineering departments.

All radar contacts will also be tracked by hand using "maneuvering boards," a standard for calculating distance away from another ship based on relative motion, a stable of shipboard life for decades aboard Navy ships.

Rowdens expected early retirement made him one of several admirals to expedite leaving their posts following the collisions.

The USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker collided in Southeast Asia last month, leaving 10 U.S. sailors dead and five injured. And seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan.

On Tuesday, top Navy leaders and lawmakers condemned the accidents as preventable.

"It is simply unacceptable for U.S. Navy ships to run aground or collide with other ships  and to have four such incidents in the span of seven months is truly alarming," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The USS John S. McCain is named after McCain's father and grandfather.

Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, said commanders are ultimately responsible for ensuring their forces are combat ready and operating safely and effectively.

"I am accountable for the safe and effective operations of our Navy, and we will fix this," Adm. Richardson said. "I own this problem."

Richardson blamed what he called "a distorted perception of operational security" for keeping the AIS turned off.

"One of the immediate actions following these incidences particularly in heavily trafficked areas, we are just going to turn it on," Richardson said.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. asked Adm. Richardson if it was mistake to close down a six-month school in 2003 to train freshly minted officers before they reported aboard their ships.

"We thought we could achieve the aim and train surface warfare officers -- junior-officers -- with a computer-based approach combined with on the job training at sea and we found that was woefully inadequate," the admiral said.

John H. Pendleton of the Government Accountability Office testified that sailors are working 100 hour weeks to keep up with the high operational tempo.

"I think I know what 100 hours a week does to people over time," McCain said. "When people are working 100 hours a week they are going to make mistakes."

Throughout the hearing senators from both sides of the aisle linked the degradation of the fleet to the rise in number of accidents.

"We have a problem," Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer said.



The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Citing the threat to the student bodys physical and mental safety, 177 professors at the University of California, Berkeley, have signed an open letter calling for a boycott of the campus so-called Free Speech Week.

The speakers scheduled for the weekfrom Sept. 24 to 27 reportedly include Milo Yiannopoulos, Steve Bannon and Ann Coulter.

The San Francisco Chronicle described the event as four days of rallies and speeches.

The report said thateven without the boycottit is unclear if the event will go through. Organizers did not pay for the facilities, the report said. The price tag for such an event is expected to be exorbitant. It cost $600,000 to secure a recent speech by conservative Ben Shapiro.

The letter from the professors said the event forces some students to risk their physical and mental safety in order to attend class.

A spokesman for the school told the paper that faculty members can decide where or when to teach their classes.

The Daily Californian, the student newspaper, reported that only five professors who teach STEM courses on campus signed the letter.

Michael Cohen, a co-author of the letter, said the amount of STEM professors on the letter does not show any differences of opinions. The letter was released last week, and they could still join. He told the paper that the humanities buildings are near where these protests often take place.

Kristie Boering, a chemistry professor, told the student paper that she plans on holding her class as planned.

I have a job to do, she said.
Cops are on the hunt for a Southern California man who is suspected of ordering execution-style hits on business partners and legal opponents in LA and Las Vegas, according to reports.

Richard Wall, 64, of Whittier, was upgraded from person of interest to actual suspect on Monday after being linked to three different murders over a span of several years.

While police dont believe Wall carried out the killings himself, officials told the Whittier Daily News that he has been tied to all three of them.

It certainly appears all roads lead back to Richard Wall, said Lt. Victor Lewandowski, of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Homicide Bureau.

The slayings happened between 2008 and 2011  and appeared to be professional hits related to business and legal disputes, cops said.

First there was Las Vegas entrepreneur David James Vargas, who was found shot to death in his Sin City home on May 20, 2008. He had been trying to start his own escort and limo service  and reportedly owed Wall, who operated Welded Fixtures in Whittier, at least $100,000.

Read the rest at the New York Post.
A member of the Kennedy clan left court on Tuesday with a fine to pay, after facing possible criminal charges after a wild party at the family's home in Hyannis Port, Mass.

Disorderly conduct charges against Matthew "Max" Kennedy, 52, were dropped by the Barnstable District Court, on the condition that he pay a $150 fine and admit responsibility for a noise violation at the party on Aug. 20, the Boston Herald reported.

Max Kennedy is the son of late senator Robert F. Kennedy and his wife Ethel.

Kennedy and his daughter, Caroline, 23, were arrested in August after police were called to the scene of a house party after reportedly receiving several complaints from neighbors about noise and fireworks. Caroline reportedly told police, "I'm drunk... I know that."

Details from a police report, reported by the Daily Mail, said one officer had been talking to a woman at the party about the music when Kennedy and his daughter approached them.

Kennedy reportedly responded to police by screaming incoherently and throwing himself at the wall.

When he hit the wall, he grabbed a wall cabinet (filled with glass valuables) and threw it smashing its contents, the police report said according to the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, Caroline Kennedy reportedly screamed at officers, I went to Brown and Im a teacher, sweetheart, before sticking out her tongue at them and bursting into tears.

Police wrote in the report that she also repeatedly told them to bleep off during booking, according to the Boston Herald.

The officer noted in the report that Max Kennedy had noticeably bloodshot and glassy eyes and was sweating profusely, according to the Daily Mail, despite reportedly blowing a .00 on a breathalizer test.

DRUNK TRUCK DRIVER ARRESTED FOR BEING FIRST PERSON TO SURVIVE A SWIM ACROSS HOOVER DAM RESERVOIR

The two were arrested at the scene, amid reported chants from partygoers saying, You dont know who youre messing with, and He was a district attorney, the Daily Mail reported.

The actions of both Matthew Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy had incited this crowd into an angry mob, an officer wrote in the report. Several cruisers had to respond to the scene.

The pair was charged with disturbing the peace and violating a town noise ordinance, according to the Daily Mail. They were both released later that night.

Caroline Kennedys trial is still pending, WCVB reported.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his brothers behavior, telling the Cape Cod Times that Max was sober as a judge and hasnt had a drink or drug in 35 years.
The hits just keep on coming for Rolling Stone.

Just a day after publisher Wenner Media said the magazine is up for sale, a New York federal appeals court has revived a defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone over its debunked 2014 article about a University of Virginia gang rape.

Judge Katherine Forrest of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided that the lower court prematurely struck down claims from George Elias and Ross Fowler while correctly rejecting Stephen Hadfords, according to The Hollywood Reporter. All three were former Phi Kappa Psi fraternity members and graduated from the school in 2013.

"While it is a close call, we conclude on balance that the complaint plausibly alleged that the purportedly defamatory statements in the Article were 'of and concerning' Elias and Fowler individually," she wrote in an opinion. "At this stage of the litigation, Plaintiffs need only plead sufficient facts to make it plausiblenot probable or even reasonably likelythat a reader familiar with each Plaintiff would identify him as the subject of the statements at issue. With regard to the Article, Elias and Fowler have met this burden."

The debunked article described a students account of being raped by numerous fraternity members at their house in 2012. Authorities investigated claims by the woman in the article  who was identified as Jackie  and found them unsubstantiated.

Elias allegations that he was identifiable in the article because he lived in the fraternity houses second floor  where the rape was reported to have happened  and had the only bedroom large enough to fit the description of the scene was enough for the appeals court, The Hollywood Reporter reported. The court also gave Fowler the benefit of the doubt over his allegations that he was identifiable because he was the fraternitys rush chair and a frequent swimmer, it added. The article describes how the woman met one of the fraternity members at a pool and the rape was linked to its recruitment process.

Hadfords claims did not survive scrutiny with the court, as his allegation that he was identifiable because he rode his bike around campus and the article said the woman saw "one of the boys riding his bike on the grounds, was not enough of a connection.

"There is no allegation that it is unusual for UVA alumni to bike through campus such that a reasonable reader familiar with Hadfords biking habits would conclude that the Article plausibly referred to him, The Hollywood Reporter cites the opinion as saying.

The 2nd Circuit court also ruled that a group defamation lawsuit from the entire fraternity could go forward, saying the headcount of its 53 members is sufficiently small to make a case.

The lower court had also agreed with that sentiment but reached a conclusion that the article didnt explicitly state that the fraternity required all of its pledges to participate in a rape, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

Meanwhile, sources told the New York Post that the music, politics and pop culture magazine is struggling to attract potential buyers as consumers are increasingly straying away from purchasing glossy print titles at newsstands.

I think he will have a hard time commanding a good price, one source said, referring to Jann Wenner, one of Rolling Stones co-founders.
A neon sign that has shined over San Antonios downtown since the Great Depression could soon be coming down  because it bears the name of Robert E. Lee.

The owner of the 10-story Robert E. Lee apartment building is asking the city for permission to remove the Confederate generals middle and last names, shortening the sign to Hotel Robt from Hotel Robt. E. Lee.

The request comes amid a nationwide debate over how to address the hundreds of Confederate statues, monuments and symbols that exist throughout the country  with many cities having opted to remove them in the wake of the violence during a protest in Charlottesville, Va., in August.

Robert E. Lee memorials have been at the center of that debate in San Antonio.

A statue of Robert E. Lee was removed from Travis Park earlier this month in the middle of the night after the city council voted, 10-1, to put the statue into storage, Fox29 reported. Trustees of the North East Independent School District voted, 7-0, to change the name of Robert E. Lee High School.

The decisions were met with resistance from some residents who said they felt like Texas history was being erased. The San Antonio Conservation Society is one of the groups opposing the sign change at the apartment building.

We felt very strongly that the sign should remain the way it is, the societys president, Susan Beavin, told mySA. We just feel that it is a historic building, its a historic sign, [and] its rather strange to make the changes that theyre making.

District 1 City Councilman Roberto Trevino co-initiated the proposal to remove the Travis Park statue.

This is something that has been discussed by the applicant and staff for some time, Trevino said. This city has shown itself to be resilient and thoughtful about residual elements of the Civil War.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
A man charged with raping and killing a Massachusetts teacher's aide after abducting her from her night job at a card shop 25 years ago was ordered held without bail Tuesday.

A judge entered not-guilty pleas to charges of murder, aggravated rape and kidnapping on behalf of Gary Schara, 48, at his arraignment in Westfield District Court.

The West Springfield man was arrested Saturday and charged in the April 1992 killing of Lisa Ziegert after testing confirmed his DNA matched evidence found at the crime scene, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said. Schara has been a person of interest in the case since 1993.

Ziegert, 24, was a teacher's aide at Agawam Middle School when she disappeared from the Agawam card and gift store where she was working alone. Her body was found in a nearby wooded area four days later. She had been stabbed and raped.

The crime appeared to be random, and there is no evidence that Schara and Ziegert knew each other, Gulluni said after the arraignment.

Schara's public defender did not contest bail and did not comment on the specifics of the case in court. Schara did not speak and was kept behind glass in a holding cell during the brief proceeding. He is due back in court on Nov. 21.

Schara is a married father of one adult child who has a steady job and has had "minimal" contact with law enforcement, Gulluni said.
A South Carolina teacher was placed on administrative leave Friday after including a question about the Ku Klux Klan in a homework assignment.

The Lexington-Richland School District 5 teacher gave an assignment to fifth-graders, who were asked, You are a member of the KKK. Why do you think your treatment of African-Americans is justified?

After parents expressed shock on social media and elsewhere, the district responded Friday by placing the teacher, who was not identified, on leave and issuing a statement.

We took immediate action to investigate once the concerns over the assignment were brought to our attention, and the teacher has been placed on administrative leave as part of our standard personnel investigation procedures, the district said.

The statement also noted fifth-grade standards in South Carolina require lessons on Reconstruction and discriminatory groups including the KKK. The district assured concerned parents, however, this particular assignment wouldnt be used again.

In an apparent reference to the ongoing national debate about Confederate symbols and the impact of white nationalism after the violence in Charlottesville, the district also said it understands the seriousness of this matter particularly in light of the events taking place in our country at this time.

This isnt the first time a homework assignment has prompted a backlash. In March, fifth-graders at a New Jersey school created slave auction posters as part of an assignment on colonial times. The posters were taken down after parents questioned the assignments value.

In December 2016, a Milwaukee charter school teacher was suspended for asking seventh-graders to write a paper defending KKK members on trial.

Click for more from Fox 57.
United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Appellee, v. ANTHONY WATKINS, Defendant-Appellant. No. 16-2997 Decided: September 15, 2017

PRESENT: ROBERT A. KATZMANN, Chief Judge, ROBERT D. SACK, CHRISTOPHER F. DRONEY, Circuit Judges. For Appellee United States: Paul D. Silver, for Grant C. Jaquith, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, Albany, NY. For Defendant-Appellant: Molly K. Corbett & James P. Egan, Assistant Federal Public Defenders, for Lisa A. Peebles, Federal Public Defender, Albany, NY.

Defendant-appellant Anthony Watkins appeals from a sentence and final judgment of conviction entered on August 15, 2016, by the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (D'Agostino, J.). We assume the parties' familiarity with the underlying facts, procedural history, and issues on appeal.

Watkins pled guilty to two counts of distribution of a controlled substance (heroin) in violation of 21 U.S.C.  841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C) in relation to selling, in two separate transactions, five bags (weight of .18 grams) and twenty bags (weight of .56 grams) of heroin to a confidential informant. In preparation for Watkins's sentencing hearing, the Probation Office calculated that because Watkins had two prior felony convictions as an adult for controlled substance offenses, Watkins qualified as a career offender under U.S.S.G.  4B1.1, elevating his total offense level from a base level of 12 to 32. Recognizing Watkins's acceptance of responsibility, the Probation Office reduced his calculated total offense level to 29. Coupled with a criminal history score of 11 and criminal history category of VI due to his career offender status, Probation calculated a Guidelines range sentence of 151 to 188 months' imprisonment.

Both in his sentencing memorandum and at sentencing, Watkins objected to the application of the career offender enhancement. During the sentencing hearing, Watkins specifically noted that the Sentencing Commission had recently recommended to Congress that individuals whose relevant convictions are non-violent drug offenses be removed from the definition of career offender under  4B1.1. The district court rejected this argument as a reason to exercise discretion to decline to apply the career offender enhancement, contending that with several prior controlled substance felony offenses and two prior parole violations, career offender does apply to him when I look at his record. App. 55. However, in consideration of the small quantity of heroin sold in the instant offense and in the prior offenses, and recognizing that the Guidelines range for the same offense absent the career offender enhancement would yield a sentence of between 21 and 27 months' imprisonment, App. 59, the district court sentenced Watkins principally to a term of incarceration of 60 months to run concurrently as well as 3 years' supervised release. The judgment was entered on August 15, 2016, and Watkins timely filed his notice of appeal on August 29, 2016.

On appeal, Watkins contends that the district court's sentence was both procedurally and substantively unreasonable. We review a district court's sentence for reasonableness, which has both a procedural and a substantive component, and we review both aspects for abuse of discretion, see United States v. Verkhoglyad, 516 F.3d 122, 127 (2d Cir. 2008). Watkins primarily contends that the district court's rejection of Watkins's policy argument against the application of the career offender enhancement did not reflect the considered discretion of the court given the totality of the information presented by Watkins. Def. Br. 9. Watkins also asserts that the district court failed to consider properly all of the 18 U.S.C.  3553(a) factors necessary in choosing the sentence, and that the court improperly weighed certain of those factors in selecting the sentence.

We do not agree. Watkins does not dispute that he qualifies as a career offender under  4B1.1. At sentencing the district court properly considered the fact that the instant offense was the defendant's most recent of several prior felony convictions for controlled substance offenses, and the fact that Watkins had twice violated the terms of his parole, in concluding that the defendant was properly considered a career offender. Nor was it improper for the court to consider as factors the dangerousness of the drug in the instant controlled substance offense (heroin), the relatively small amounts the defendant was caught distributing, and the advisory Guidelines range that would have applied had Watkins not been considered a career offender, in choosing a downward variance from the career offender-enhanced Guidelines range. Neither was it unreasonable in fashioning the appropriate non-Guidelines sentence to consider the relatively lenient prior sentences the defendant had received for his prior convictions. While the district court did not specifically identify and address each of the 3553(a) factors in deciding on the appropriate sentence at the hearing, we do not require district courts to engage in the utterance of robotic incantations when imposing sentences in order to assure us that they have weighed in an appropriate manner the various section 3553(a) factors. United States v. Sindima, 488 F.3d 81, 85 (2d Cir. 2007) (internal quotation marks omitted). The transcript of the sentencing hearing clearly reflects that the district court thoughtfully considered and weighed various factors in the course of sentencing Watkins, and the chosen sentence was not substantively unreasonable in light of the significant downward variance from the career offender enhanced Guidelines range.

We have considered all of Watkins's contentions on appeal and have found in them no basis for reversal. For the reasons stated herein, the judgment of the district court is

AFFIRMED.

FOR THE COURT:

Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, Clerk

FOOTNOTES

. Watkins also had a third felony conviction for a controlled substance offense as a minor. This was not considered as part of  4B1.1's career offender designation, which counts only felony convictions for controlled substances offenses committed after the age of majority. See U.S.S.G.  4B1.2, comment. (n.1).
A mob opposed to public discussion of Indonesia's 1965 massacre of communists tried to force its way into a Jakarta building where they believed communists were meeting, injuring five policemen.

Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said 22 people were arrested early Monday for rioting and five officers were injured in the confrontation.

The melee came a day after police blockaded the building on Saturday to stop a public forum on the massacre, in which historians say half a million people were killed, from going ahead.

Bonnie Setiawan, an organizer of the forum, said about 200 people were trapped in the building, which is home to a legal aid institute, for hours on Sunday night while more than 1,000 people protested outside.

The protesters shouted that the people inside were members of the long-outlawed Indonesian Communist Party and threw rocks, breaking windows, he said.

Indonesia held a ground-breaking symposium on the massacre last year, breaking a half century of near silence on the issue, but the military, Islamic groups and senior figures in the government are opposed to unearthing the truth, saying it could revive communism.

The Indonesian Communist Party was the third largest in the world with an estimated 3 million members when an unsuccessful coup by pro-communist military officers in 1965 triggered a monthslong bloodletting by the army and Islamic groups that engulfed the country and ushered in the Suharto dictatorship.

Yuwono said police blockaded the forum on Saturday because organizers hadn't requested permission for it.

Setiawan said police had violated the constitutional rights to freedom of association and assembly. The meeting on Sunday was intended as a discussion of challenges to democracy in Indonesia, he said.
Hurricane Maria slammed the Caribbean Monday night as a quickly intensifying Category 5 storm, which the National Hurricane Center warned was "potentially catastrophic."

The eye wall of the storm was moving onshore over Dominica, packing 160-mph winds. Forecasters say the hurricane will likely travel over the Leeward Islands and the extreme northeast Caribbean through Monday night and Tuesday.

Maria had started the day as a Category 3 hurricane before growing in strength.

A hurricane warning has been issued for Puerto Rico, Culebra and Vieques, in addition to previous warnings in effect for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat, Martinique, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

Maria's path is forecast to move northward for the next couple days. It's unclear if Hurricane Maria's path will directly hit the continental U.S.

The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico's governor has declared a state of emergency, and has activated the National Guard ahead of Maria's arrival.

"We are informing citizens that it is time to seek refuge with a family member, friend or move to a state shelter because rescuers will not go out and risk their lives once winds reach 50 miles per hour," Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Monday, according to The Weather Channel.

"This storm promises to be catastrophic for our island," said Ernesto Morales with the U.S. National Weather Service in San Juan. "All of Puerto Rico will experience hurricane force winds."

Puerto Rico has imposed rationing of basic supplies including baby formula, water, milk, canned food, batteries and flashlights.

A storm surge of six to nine feet has been predicted to hit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where "the deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the north and east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves," the NHC said.

While Puerto Rico narrowly avoided the path of Hurricane Irma last week, the U.S. Virgin Islands is still reeling from the impact the storm left as it barreled through the Caribbean earlier in September.

Damage to the U.S. Virgin Islands  particularly St. John and St. Thomas, both of which are still recovering  was extensive by Irma, caused four deaths on the two islands as the Category 5 storm knocked through.

Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands Kenneth Mapp said Monday that the entire territory of St. Croix will be under curfew starting Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Hurricane Maria has developed "the dreaded pinhole eye," which is a key sign that the storm continues to gain strength, University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy said. Maria's eye has shrunk 10 miles in diameter  a smaller, tighter eye makes the hurricane spin faster.

McNoldy said meteorologists saw a similar pinhole when Hurricane Wilma set a record for lowest central pressure  a key measure of storm power  in 2005.

The NHC said Maria would likely continue to gain strength for the next 24 hours or longer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Desperate searchers shouted "quiet" and listened for faint voices in the rubble where a Mexican school once stood, as rescuers used trained dogs and their bare hands to reach any survivors of Tuesday's magnitude-7.1 earthquake that killed more than 200 people.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto declared three days of national mourning on Wednesday to honor the victims in the countrys deadliest earthquake since 1985. The powerful quake struck near the town of Raboso in Puebla, about 76 miles southeast of Mexico City, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. By Wednesday, the death toll rose to 230 after the quake toppled homes, schools and apartment buildings.

"We dug holes, then crawled in on our bellies," volunteer rescue worker Pedro Serrano, 29, a doctor, told The Associated Press. "We managed to get into a collapsed classroom. We saw some chairs and wooden tables. The next thing we saw was a leg, and then we started to move rubble and we found a girl and two adults  a woman and a man."

At least 25 bodies were recovered from Escuela Enrique Rebsamen  all but four of the victims were children. Serrano said he found all the people in a classroom dead, and heard small noises near the site, though its unclear which direction it was coming from. A mix of neighborhood volunteers, police and firefighters used trained dogs and their bare hands to search through the school's rubble. The crowd of anxious parents outside the gates shared reports that two families had received Whatsapp messages from girls trapped inside, but that could not be confirmed.

Rescuers were able to find some people alive under the rubble. A child was found under a pile of rubble in the Mexico City school after workers spotted her and yelled at her to move her hand if she could hear them, Foro TV reported. A search dog entered the wreckage and confirmed she was alive.

Most of the deaths have been reported in Mexico City, where at least 94 people were killed, Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico's national civil defense agency, said. Another 71 people were killed in Morelos state, 43 in Puebla, 12 in the State of Mexico, four in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

The deadly earthquake struck on the 32nd anniversary of the 1985 earthquake that killed 10,000 people. Residents in Mexico had conducted earthquake drills just hours earlier. The earthquake occurred just two weeks after a magnitude-8.1 tremor in the south of the country killed more than 90 people and caused buildings in Mexico City to sway for more than a minute. Nieto called that earthquake the biggest quake the country has seen in a century  until now.

President Trump and Nieto had a lengthy call on Wednesday to speak about the tragedy, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. Trump tweeted "God bless the people of Mexico City" on Tuesday, after news of the earthquake broke, and added that the U.S. was "with you and will be there for you."

Late Tuesday, Mexico's president issued a video statement urging people to stay calm in the aftermath of the quake. Nieto said many people will need help, but the initial focus has to be on finding people trapped in wrecked buildings.

"The priority at this moment is to keep rescuing people who are still trapped and to give medical attention to the injured people," the president said, adding that 40 percent of Mexico City and 60 percent of Morelos state had no electricity.

The federal government declared a state of disaster in Mexico City, freeing up emergency funds. Nieto said he had ordered all hospitals to open their doors to the injured.

Mexico City's mayor said buildings fell at 44 places in the capital alone, and that 50 to 60 people were rescued. Pictures fell from walls, objects were shaken off of flat surfaces and computer monitors toppled over. Some people dived for cover under desks. Damaged buildings in the capital included the Philippines Embassy, but staffers were unhurt.

At least 70 people who were in the capital were hospitalized, authorities said.

Market stall vendor Edith Lopez, 25, said she was in a taxi when the quake struck. She said she saw glass bursting out of the windows of some buildings. She was anxiously trying to locate her children, whom she had left in the care of her disabled mother.

Gala Dluzhynska, who was taking a class in Mexico City's Roma district, said the building she was in didn't have "any stairs anymore, only rocks," after the quake hit.

Mexico City's international airport tweeted that it had suspended operations following the quake, although it was not immediately clear how many flights have been affected.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, whose state recently suffered greatly from Hurricane Harvey, offered his condolences on Twitter and said Texas "will continue to offer any support to aid Mexico in their time of need."

In a statement, the U.S. State Department said the U.S. stands "ready to provide assistance should our neighbors request our help." It added that the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City is also ready to provide assistance to U.S. citizens who were possibly affected by the quake.

Much of Mexico City is built on former lakebed, and the soil is known to amplify the effects of earthquakes even hundreds of miles away.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An Afghan official says the Taliban have killed three government employees abducted last month in western Herat province.

Gelani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor in Herat, says the three included two employees from the customs department and their driver. He says they were abducted about 20 days ago and their bodies were found on Monday evening.

Farhad added that there had been ongoing negotiations with the Taliban, carried out by local tribal leaders but despite that, the bodies of the three were uncovered near a road in Islam Qalah area in Herat.

The Taliban have not commented the disappearance of the three workers.

Lately, kidnappings for ransom have increased in Herat.

Farhad, however, insisted the Taliban were behind this latest abduction, though they had made no ransom demands.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has already conducted 15 missile tests this year, the latest on Friday, without a single attempt by the United States to shoot down one of the strongmans rockets  and some experts say thats because the American military isnt capable of doing so.

When North Korea launched its KN-17 intermediate-range ballistic missile Friday, the rocket flew 480 miles over the Japanese island of Hokkaido, making it unreachable by Japanese or U.S. interceptors, a Defense One report stated. U.S. missile defense  the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system  cant reach a missile launched at that height without preparation.

U.S. missile defense against North Korea are not postured to shoot down North Korean missile tests, Kingston Reif, director of Disarmament and Threat Reduction policy at the Arms Control Association, told Fox News on Monday. Shooting down North Korean missiles that fall within the defended areas of these systems, such as the Japanese and U.S. homelands, would be challenging enough.

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF NORTH KOREA FIRES A MISSILE AT THE US

During a test, the missile needs to be intercepted in a matter of minutes after it is launched, Reif said. Thomas Karako, senior fellow and director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, also previously told Fox News that shooting down a missile is a game of minutes and the initial missile detection would be really in terms of seconds. On top of that, North Korea is developing missiles that would evade U.S. and allied missile defense systems, Reif said.

The only system designed to defend the U.S. homeland, known as the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system, has suffered from numerous technical and engineering problems, and testing in controlled conditions has not demonstrated that it can provide a reliable defense against even a small number of unsophisticated ICBMs, he said.

The U.S. military is projecting confidence in its arsenal.

NORTH KOREA EXPERT: 'NO WAY TO STOP' KIM JONG UN'S REGIME

The THAAD anti-ballistic missile system has been deployed to protect South Korea and the U.S. territory of Guam. Aegis destroyers, designed to shoot down ballistic missiles, sit in the Korean Peninsula along with Patriot missile systems. The Pentagon touts THAADs 15-for-15 record in controlled tests to destroy short or medium range ballistic missiles.

But Reif said dont be fooled by the perfect record.

Only one of those tests has been against an IRBM class target similar to the Norths HS-12, Reif said.

U.S. officials have repeatedly assured the public that the military has several options for dealing with North Korea, with President Trump tweeting in August that military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded. Defense Secretary James Mattis said Monday that North Koreas missiles are not directly threatening the U.S. or its neighbors in the Korean Peninsula.

Obviously, Japans missile defenses are up and their radars are operating. Ours are, Mattis told Fox News Jennifer Griffin. And [the North Koreans] are intentionally doing provocations that press against the envelope for just how far they push without going over some kind of a line in their minds that would make them vulnerable, so they aim for the middle of the Pacific.

But Reif cautioned officials against becoming overconfident in Americas defense capability in the face of a potential North Korean missile threat.

Misplaced overconfidence in missile defense could prompt U.S. leaders to think that we can escalate in response to North Korean provocations without having to worry about a potential North Korean nuclear response, he said. This would greatly increase the risk of conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

SOUTH KOREA CONDUCTS CRUISE MISSILE DRILL AS NORTH KOREA THREATENS ACTION

Kim vowed to complete his goal of developing a nuclear-capable ICBM, even as the United Nations recently imposed strict new sanctions. The volatile regime earlier this month conducted its sixth nuclear test, allegedly detonating a hydrogen bomb.

Trump, on Tuesday, stepped up the war of words between the two countries, threatening to totally destroy North Korea and said Rocket Man [Kim Jong Un] is on a suicide mission for himself during his address to the U.N. General Assembly.

Despite some experts lack of confidence in the U.S. missile defense systems, officials contend they will provide protection. Karako said the THAAD battery deployed to South Korea will not protect 25 million people living in the country, but will buy time for a military counterstrike.

North Korea has hundreds of missiles, the THAAD battery is not there to defend the entire peninsula, Karako told Fox News. This is not about having a perfect shield and sitting there and playing catch.

Fox News Lucas Tomlinson and Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
At least 139 people have been reported dead in Mexico after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the country's southern coast Tuesday.

World leaders, celebrities and other high-profile figures have taken to social media to share their thoughts about the powerful earthquake.

President Donald Trump tweeted, "God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you."

While his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, tweeted that she was "Thinking of those in #Mexico affected by today's #earthquake."

"Our hearts are with the people of Mexico City," Vice President Mike Pence tweeted. "We're thinking of you and, as @POTUS said, we are with you."

"The thoughts and prayers of Texans are with the people of Mexico following another devastating earthquake," said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. "The State of Texas will continue to offer any support to aid Mexico in their time of need."

Actress Eva Longoria said the earthquake was "horrible news," and noted her "husband and family are safe in Mexico City. My prayers are with everyone."

Former child star Drake Bell tweeted he "can't believe this. Praying for Mexico."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted, "Devastating news from Mexico City. My thoughts are with those affected by today's earthquake - Canada will be ready to help our friends."

"This is insane," actor Josh Gad tweeted. "The level of chaos around the globe is surreal. Praying for everyone affected. #MexicoCity"

"Images coming from #MexicoCity are terrifying," actress Elizabeth Banks said on Twitter. "Thoughts prayers good vibes good karma aid - send it all."

"So sorry about what has happened in Mexico City," singer Shawn Mendes wrote, adding that he hopes "everyone is okay."

Actress Michelle Monaghan said that Mexico is "in our thoughts."

Singer Christina Milian tweeted that she doesn't know what's going on with our "planet earth but it's definitely not to be slept on."

While former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya got political, tweeting that "Instead of building a wall, Trump should send more aid to help Mexico rebuild after today's earthquake."

Singer Enrique Iglesias tweeted a Mexican flag in the shape of a heart.

The Backstreet Boys tweeted that Mexico City has "always welcomed us with open arms... All our love and prayers are with you."

Britney Spears also tweeted about the quake. "Sending my love to Mexico," the singer wrote.

Singer Gloria Estefan, meantime, said she believes the earth is sending "multiple 'wake-up' calls."

Israeli Prime Minister offered Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto "any assistance you may need."

Actress Kerry Washington offered "thoughts and prayers for #MexicoCity."

And former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said his heart went out "to the people of Mexico in the aftermath of the earthquake."
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

Congo President Joseph Kabila has declared that "justice must be done" as he opened a peace conference in the bloody Kasai region where thousands of people have died in a year of fighting among government troops and militias.

Kabila blamed the unrest on a "terrorist militia" and told officials, civil society leaders and former militia members Tuesday that all who have contributed to the violence in the once-peaceful region will have to answer for their crimes.

The fighting in the Kasai provinces began in August 2016 after Congolese troops killed the leader of the Kamwina Nsapu militia. More than 3,300 people have died since then, according to the Catholic church, and the United Nations says more than 1.4 million people have been displaced.
The core of "extremely dangerous" Hurricane Maria charged closer to Puerto Rico early Wednesday, slamming smaller Caribbean islands along the way.

Maria had top sustained winds of 155 mph, and was located about 50 miles southeast of San Juan, the National Hurricane Center reported in its 5 a.m. ET Wednesday advisory.

The major hurricane was moving to the west-northwest at 10 mph, and was "expected to reach southeastern Puerto Rico this morning," according to the NHC.

"Conditions will continue to deteriorate across the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, with the worst conditions there early Wednesday morning," Fox News Senior Meteorologist Janice Dean said Tuesday. "Puerto Rico is forecast to take a direct hit from this major hurricane on Wednesday, with the worst conditions from late Wednesday morning through Wednesday afternoon."

Early Wednesday, Maria passed west of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as winds on the island reached about 90 mph, Reuters reported. Many of the island's residents moved to shelters Tuesday afternoon.

U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp minced no words in warning residents to seek cover, Reuters reported.

You lose your life the moment you start thinking about how to save a few bucks to stop something from crashing or burning or falling apart, he said. The only thing that matters is the safety of your family, and your children, and yourself. The rest of the stuff, forget it.

Officials in Puerto Rico also issued blunt warnings.

"You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you're going to die," said Hector Pesquera, Puerto Ricos public safety commissioner. "I don't know how to make this any clearer."

The islands governor warned that the storm could hit with a force and violence that we havent seen for several generations.

"We're going to lose a lot of infrastructure in Puerto Rico," Gov. Ricardo Rossello said, adding that an island-wide power outage and communication blackout could likely last for days. "We're going to have to rebuild."

The warnings from Puerto Rican officials came after Marias path moved through Dominica, which left mind-boggling devastation on the island.

Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skeritt posted to Facebook that "initial reports are of widespread devastation." Skeritt said he feared there would be deaths due to rain-fed landslides.

He said even his own house had lost its roof, adding "I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding." Seven minutes later, Skeritt reported hed been rescued.

Maria's eye roared over the island late Monday night before the storm briefly dropped to Category 4 strength early Tuesday. But it quickly resumed its extremely dangerous Category 5 status.

Fierce winds and rain lashed mountainous Dominica for hours. A police official on the island, Inspector Pellam Jno Baptiste, said late Monday night there were no immediate reports of casualties but it was too dangerous for officers to check many locations.

"Where we are, we can't move," he said in a brief phone interview with the Associated Press while hunkered down against the region's second Category 5 hurricane this month.

The government of Trinidad and Tobago said Tuesday it was mobilizing to send assistance to Dominica in response to Hurricane Maria.

"It is envisaged that as soon as it is safe, a National Helicopter Services Limited helicopter will be sent to Dominica with Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force personnel," the government posted to Facebook. "The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard is also preparing to send a supply vessel and to take Defense Force personnel as well as supplies up to Dominica.

Officials in Guadeloupe said the French island near Dominica probably would experience heavy flooding and warned many communities could be submerged. In nearby Martinique, authorities ordered people to remain indoors and said they should be prepared for power outages and disruption in the water supply.

Guadeloupe prefect Eric Maire said up to 16 inches of rain was forecast in some parts of the island, and storm surge could also flood low-lying coastal areas.

"We've already got some early information of flooding, flooded houses and submerged roads," Maire said in a video posted to Twitter. Officials said one person was killed in Guadeloupe after they were hit by a falling tree. Two additional people were reported missing after their ship sank off Desirade, the easternmost island in the French territory's archipelago.

At least 80,000 households in Guadeloupe and at least 70,000 households in Martinique are without power, France's Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said Tuesday.

St. Thomas and St. John are still recovering from a direct hit by Hurricane Irma, which did extensive damage and caused four deaths on the two islands. Barry University said it chartered a private plane to carry students and staff from its St. Croix facility to Florida in preparation for Maria. It said 72 people connected to Barry's physician assistant program and a few pets were on Monday's evacuation flight.

On the British Virgin Islands, the local government issued a curfew in advance of the storm, Sky News reported.

"While Hurricane Maria may not be as strong as Hurricane Irma, our present reality is also very different," Orlando Smith, the premier of the self-governing British territory, said in a statement. "Effects such as potential flooding and high winds that can turn debris into dangerous projectiles can have a greater and more treacherous impact for us."

British Prime Minister Theresa May said during her visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly the government was doing "everything possible" to help overseas territories like the British Virgin Islands.

"We had been tracking the path of Hurricane Maria and are in a strong position to respond and get support where and when we need it," she said. "We're working closely with the authorities in the territories and British support is on the ground already with over 1,300 military troops and Royal Navy assets in the region."

In a tweet Tuesday night, President Donald Trump said: "Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!"

Authorities in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which faced the possibility of a direct hit, warned people in wooden or flimsy homes to find safe shelter before the storm's expected arrival there Wednesday.

Nearly 70,000 people were still without power in Puerto Rico following their earlier brush with Irma and nearly 200 remained in shelters as Maria approached.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Puerto Rico had 500 shelters capable of taking in up to 133,000 people in a worst-case scenario. He also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to bring drinking water and would help restore power immediately after the storm, which could hit as a Category 5.

"That is catastrophic in every way," said Roberto Garcia with the National Weather Service in San Juan. "People have to act, and they have to act now. They can no longer wait for a miracle."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The presidents of the United States and France both addressed the United Nations General Assembly for the first time on Tuesday, and both took divergent views when it came to the 2015 nuclear agreement reached between five U.N. permanent members and Germany.

While President Donald Trump devoted much of his Assembly address to condoning the Obama-era deal, referring to it as an embarrassment to the United States, Emmanuel Macron defended Frances role in it, doubling down on both the U.N. floor and again in a media address afterwards.

I can understand President Trump thinks this deal is not perfect, he said, adding that the uncertainty should instead signal them to work together.

Macron advocated that further sanctions should certainly be ordered if Iran does not comply with the terms, but feared tossing out the current agreement would leave the world with nothing to stop the Middle East nation from developing a dangerous nuclear arsenal.

We know what nothing does, he said. Nothing is what we have with North Korea.

Macron was met with some skepticism from various world reporters, who pinned him for his friendship with Trump, of which he remained unflustered.

On the issue of climate change, Macron remained firm that it was a moral, economic and social necessity and expressed a desire to continue talking to Trump in the hopes he comes back to the Paris Agreement.

The two western countries also appear to have contrasting stances with regards to the Kurdish referendum slated to take place on Friday, in which the semiautonomous region of Iraq intends to vote on whether it should totally diverge from Baghdads reign. The U.S. State Department has remained staunch in its insistence that the vote should not go ahead, joining most of the international community in condemning its timing. The State Department believes the vote threatens the security situation inside the fragile country.

Nonetheless, Macron noted that France would not oppose the forthcoming vote.

The Kurds and France have a longstanding relationship. France has lots of respect for people who defend their values and their history, he said. If this referendum is held, I hope it leads to the proper representation of Kurds in government and within the framework of the (Iraqi) Constitution.

He also called for Kurdish President Masoud Barzani to transform the referendum into one that would seek greater protections for all minorities in the embattled nation.

But despite the prominent differences of view between France and America on policy stances, Macron insisted that the U.S. remains an historic partner, now and in the future.
New Zealand's lawmakers and public employees were told Tuesday to cancel all nonessential flights to and from Auckland as a fuel shortage at the nation's largest airport continued to disrupt the travel plans of thousands of people.

The main pipeline that carries jet fuel to Auckland Airport ruptured last week. Since then, at least 70 domestic and international flights have been canceled, including 29 on Tuesday. Other flights have been delayed or rerouted.

The problem comes at an awkward time for Prime Minister Bill English, who is in the midst of campaigning for national elections which are being held on Saturday.

"We are taking the issue very seriously," English told reporters. "We don't want travelers to be inconvenienced in this way."

He said he'd told lawmakers from his conservative National Party not to make any unnecessary trips and that all public employees were given the same message.

"It shouldn't be too difficult," he said. "You're looking here about a period of a week at most. They can do meetings by video. They can also help accommodate the public by putting off travel that they may have been committed to."

The restrictions aren't likely to affect the election campaign much, as most candidates are campaigning in their local districts. The opposition Labour Party said its lawmakers wouldn't be making unnecessary trips to Auckland. English pointed out he was traveling to Auckland later this week in his campaign bus.

Opposition leader Jacinda Ardern, who is hoping to oust English in the election, said the government was warned years ago about relying too much on the pipeline.

"We were obviously vulnerable. Work should have been done to make sure that we were more resilient than this," Ardern told reporters. "One pipeline and one digger and New Zealand grinds to a halt."

Pipeline owners Refining New Zealand said the pipeline was struck by a digger or other machinery and should be repaired by next Tuesday.

Airlines have been restricted to using 30 percent of their normal jet fuel allowance at Auckland Airport. The carriers have managed to continue a majority of their scheduled flights, in some cases by refueling elsewhere.

Air New Zealand said Tuesday it was taking the unusual step of restricting ticket sales, including stopping all sales on some international flights.

The carrier said it planned to cancel eight international flights on Wednesday, including five to Australia, two to Fiji, and one to Vietnam. The company said about 3,000 customers would be affected Wednesday, bringing the total number of affected customers to 6,000.

New Zealand's military has been mobilized to help ease the shortage by using a naval tanker and military truck drivers to deliver supplies.

The ruptured pipeline also carries diesel and gasoline, although the shortage has been most acutely felt by the airlines. Some Auckland gas stations have run out of premium gasoline but still have stocks of regular gasoline, which is used by most drivers.
British police have arrested a third suspect in connection with the bomb that partially exploded on a London subway last week.

Police said they arrested a 25-year-old man in Wales on Tuesday evening under the Terrorism Act.

They say a property in Newport, Wales is being searched.

Two other men arrested over the weekend  an 18-year-old refugee from Iraq and a 21-year-old from Syria  remain in custody. Neither has been charged.

The partially exploded bomb injured 30 people when it detonated inside a crowded subway car on Friday.

Islamic State extremists have claimed responsibility.
The opposite of being flush with cash, Swiss prosecutors have now added wads of money to the list of things that can clog toilets.

Swiss prosecutors are investigating why two people tried to shove about $120,000 in 500-Euro notes down toilets around Geneva.

There must be something behind this story, Henri Della Casa, a spokesman for the Geneva Prosecutors Office, told Bloomberg. Thats why we started an investigation.

The bills were found in toilets at three Geneva restaurants and an office of the financial company UBS in May, AFP reported.

The Tribune de Geneve reported two Spanish women were behind the backed-up toilets.

At the UBS building, the clogged toilet was near a bank vault containing hundreds of safe deposit boxes, the city prosecutors office said. The bills appeared to have been cut with scissors, Bloomberg reported.

Flushing cash in Switzerland  where the franc is the official currency -- is not a crime, but investigators are looking at whether the cash was linked to any illegal activities.

Geneva prosecution spokesman Vincent Derouand told AFP a lawyer representing the people who flushed the notes compensated the restaurants for the plumbing costs.
British authorities have detained a third suspect in connection with Friday's bomb attack on London's Underground subway system, the Metropolitan Police announced Tuesday.

According to a statement, the 25-year-old man was arrested in the city of Newport, in southeast Wales. The Met Police also said an address in the same city was being searched.

"This continues to be a fast-moving investigation," said Met Police Cmdr. Dean Haydon, the head of the Met Counter Terrorism Command. "We now have three men in custody and searches are continuing at four addresses. Detectives are carrying out extensive inquiries to determine the full facts behind the attack."

An 18-year-old man was detained Saturday at the southeast England port of Dover, a departure point for ferries to France. A 21-year-old was arrested later the same day in Hounslow in west London. Photos published by the Sun newspaper showed a man being detained outside a fast-food restaurant in Hounslow, which was searched by police.

Both detainees were reported to be Middle Eastern refugees who had been fostered by of Penelope and Ronald Jones. The Joneses, who live in the London suburb of Sunbury, had been honored by Queen Elizabeth II for fostering more than 200 children, including refugees from Middle Eastern conflicts.

It was not immediately clear if the third detainee had any connections to the couple.

Thirty people were injured when an improvised explosive device partly exploded aboard a crowded London Underground train at Parsons Green station during the morning rush hour. None of the injuries was life-threatening, and experts said it appears the main charge of the bomb didn't detonate.

The ISIS terror group claimed responsibility for the attack, but authorities say there is no evidence of their involvement.

"We are asking the public to look out for anything that seems out of place, unusual or just doesn't seem to fit in with day-to-day life,"Haydon said. "It may be nothing, but if you see or hear anything that could be terrorist-related trust your instincts, then ACT, and call us."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WikiLeaks, believed by many to be a Kremlin front, surprised some observers Tuesday morning when it released documents linking a Russian tech company with access to thousands of citizens telephone and Internet communications with Moscow.

The 209 documents  part of the Spy Files Russia series  highlight how President Vladimir Putins government allegedly uses the technology developed by telecom billing company Peter-Service to monitor citizens via mobile cell data and network browsing, according to a press release from the whistleblowing site.

Peter-Service was founded in 1992 in St. Petersburg as a billing provider and has grown to become a major supplier of software for mobile telecommunications in Russia and Ukraine.

The technologies developed and deployed by Peter-Service today go far beyond the classical billing process and extend into the realms of surveillance and control, WikiLeaks said on its website.

Its customers include Vodafone, Turkcell North Cyprus, 21st Century Technologies Limited Nigeria and MegaFon  the second largest cellphone operator in Russia.

Peter-Service did not immediately comment on the WikiLeaks release.

The documents  all but one written in Russian  date back to 2005 and go through June 2015. The files describe how state agencies access cellphone traffic data and Internet navigation information, WikiLeaks said.

The software developed by Peter-Service includes components for retention and long-term storage of data in infrastructure that was allegedly developed in cooperation with authorities.

Russia has strict surveillance laws in its books and compliance is mandatory; however, WikiLeaks hinted Peter-Service appears to be quite actively pursuing partnership and commercial opportunities with the state intelligence apparatus.
Lee University will host an advocacy workshop, Face to Face: Responding to Discrimination with Boldness and Love, on Monday, Sept. 25, from 7-8 p.m. The workshop will take place on Lees campus in the Johnson Lecture Hall located in the Humanities Building.

The evenings goal is to give participants the skills and boldness to defend minorities in social situations by creating possible scenarios and discussing positive responses one might make to them.

Dr. Carolyn Dirksen, Lees director of faculty development, and Dr. Trevor Milliron, director of graduate programs in counseling at Lee, are co-coordinating this workshop.

I think our culture is trained to maintain a social equilibrium, said Dr. Dirksen. For most of us, our first instinct is to keep the peace or to do the polite thing. We can no longer say, we should not make a big deal about this. I think things are getting to the point where we have to make a big deal out of it.

Participants will discuss four scenarios during the workshop: confronting racism when one has a relationship with the person who is saying or doing something inappropriate, confronting racism when one has a relationship with the person who is being hurt, confronting racism when one sees something happen in public, and recognizing how ones own behavior can be hurtful.

Drs. Dirksen and Milliron reached out to those who have experienced injustice, especially locally, and asked, What would you like someone to do for you in situations like this?

These scenarios primarily derived from the personal experiences of Lee students and how they would have desired for allies to respond.

More and more people are finding themselves in situations like this, and we dont know what to say, said Dr. Dirksen. We dont know how to appropriately respond. Racial issues are becoming more overt, and we have to learn to say something.

The workshop will begin with a presentation of general principles and goals before dividing into smaller groups to practice responses to the specific scenarios and reflect on their appropriateness.

Earlier in the semester, Lee held a candlelight vigil, a night dedicated to reflection and promotion of racial peace on Lees campus. According to Dr. Dirksen, Lee continues to believe that events of this nature are pivotal to the campus environment and stance for racial solidarity.

I believe that we are in a time that needs a lot of understanding of each other, said Dr. Arlie Tagayuna, assistant professor of sociology at Lee. Oftentimes, we choose to live as strangers rather than as a community that seeks Christ through knowing and loving others. It is in this dereliction that our university should provide the praxis of creating safe spaces for conversation and response against the mistreatment of others in our campus and elsewhere.

The workshop is a free, non-ticketed event, open to the public.

For more information about the workshop, contact cdirksen@leeuniversity.edu.
An Oct. 19 trial date has been set for a Fauquier County judge accused of assaulting an employee at a Stafford County Walmart earlier this month.

Jeffrey Woodland Parker, a chief Circuit Court judge who lives in Sumerduck, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and battery following an incident at the Walmart off U.S. 17 in southern Stafford.

Parker, 65, who was released on his own recognizance, made a brief appearance Tuesday in Stafford General District Court with his attorney, Robin C. Gulick. He and other people who are facing charges were arraigned by Judge Bruce Strickland and Parker left after receiving his court date.

According to the Stafford Sheriffs Office and court records, Parker found jewelry in the store parking lot and gave it to a clerk at the customer service desk. Police said Parker told them he asked for documentation so that he could return and claim the jewelry if the owner wasnt found.

The clerk, Valeria Sanchez, told Parker she couldnt give him a receipt and a dispute ensued. The clerk and other employees said Parker got aggravated and aggressive and reached across the counter and grabbed the clerks hand. The clerk told police that the grabbing hurt and scared her.

It was Parker who actually called police to request assistance, his attorney said. Deputy J.J. Bryan eventually escorted Parker to a magistrates office, where he was charged and released on an unsecured bond.

Parker, a circuit judge since 2001, also sits in Loudoun and Rappahannock counties. He was appointed to a third eight-year term by the General Assembly in January.
The National Guard Bureau's top officer says he believes the world's climate is changing, and that this year's deadly and destructive hurricane season underscores the importance of keeping Guardsmen dispersed across the United States so they can respond quickly to natural disasters.

"I do think that the climate is changing, and I do think that it is becoming more severe," Air Force Gen. Joseph Lengyel said Tuesday. "I do think that storms are becoming bigger, larger, more violent. You know, I never know if this one speck of time is an anomaly or not, but, you know, we've all seen now three Category-5 storms that popped out in a period of a month."

Lengyel's comments aren't quite accurate. While hurricanes Irma and Maria reached Category-5 strength, hurricanes Harvey and Jose topped out as Category-4 storms. But they illustrate, nonetheless, the general's concern now and in the future. They are worries that senior Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary also have expressed for years, but break with President Donald Trump, who has questioned whether climate change is a hoax.

Lengyel, speaking with reporters in Washington, D.C., said the National Guard will continue responding to natural disasters as a part of its "job jar" and preparing for them alongside local first-responders across the country. To do so, he added, the National Guard must keep people and equipment staged in areas where mega storms and other environmental catastrophes are likely to put people and property at risk.

The general's comments come amid a review that could consolidate some National Guard installations across the country. Lengyel acknowledged Tuesday that there is room for some consolidation in areas where population has diminished, but advocated keeping Guardsmen dispersed.

"Whether that's in Oklahoma where you have a lot of tornadoes, or whether that's in the Northwest where you have a lot of fires, or whether it's in the Gulf or on the East Coast, we need force structure that is in all 54 states, territories and the District of Columbia so we can respond," he said. "It doesn't work for me to put all of our forces on one base in any particular state."

In recent weeks, the National Guard has activated thousands of members to respond to Harvey, which made landfall in Texas on Aug. 25, and Irma, which devastated islands in the Caribbean beginning Sept. 6 and came ashore in Florida on Sept. 10. Lengyel said that Guardsmen and women, and their equipment, already are being prepared to respond to Hurricane Maria. The storm devastated Dominica, an island commonwealth located in the Lesser Antilles, on Monday, and is expected to reach Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, by Thursday.

"Once the storm passes, we can move them in, and that's what we do," the general said.

The Pentagon has called climate change a global security threat, saying it could degrade living conditions, jeopardize human safety and undermine nations' ability to to meet the basic needs of their citizens.

"A changing climate will have real impacts on our military and the way it executes its missions," according to a 2014 assessment conducted by defense officials in the Obama administration. "The military could be called upon more often to support civil authorities, and provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the face of more frequent and more intense natural disasters."

Mattis and other members of the Trump administration, such as Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, have adhered to that point of view. Mattis, responding in testimony to questions posed by the Senate Armed Services Committee after his confirmation, wrote that climate change is "impacting stability in areas of the world where our troops are operating today" and that it is appropriate for American military commanders worldwide to incorporate such "drivers of instability" into their planning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said that while it is too soon to say definitively that human activities have caused an increase in hurricanes, they may already have done so. Regardless, global warming is expected to cause an increase in tropical cyclones in the future.

"Anthropogenic warming by the end of the 21st century will likely cause tropical cyclones globally to be more intense on average" by 2 to 11 percent, according to a NOAA assessment. "This change would imply an even larger percentage increase in the destructive potential per storm, assuming no reduction in storm size."

Lengyel, asked Tuesday if the National Guard needs more boats, high-water vehicles or other equipment to prepare for climate change, said that the military officials consider that, but he continues to make sure that anything they buy "first and foremost" can be used in combat.

"I look at equipment that works for both the war-fight piece and the homeland piece," he said. "It's rare that we have a domestic-only capability."
Virginia drivers who receive an email advising of an automated traffic ticket should proceed with cautionVirginia State Police do not issue digital or automated tickets.

VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller warned on Monday that scammers are targeting drivers by emailing tickets under the guise of the state police.

VSP urged recipients of these emails to immediately delete them and not to click on any links.

To avoid becoming victims of similar scams, state police advised drivers to avoid opening or clicking on links in any emails from an unknown email address. They should also avoid giving out personal information to an unknown individual or entity via the phone or email.

Amanda Vicinanzo
Some interesting discoveries have been uncovered in recent weeks at a trio of work sites in downtown Fredericksburg.

Bones were found at two sites and Native American artifacts dating to 2500 B.C. were discovered at the other spot.

The finds came at the building being renovated at the corner of William and Caroline streets and on the sites of two Sophia Street buildings set to be demolished to make way for a parking lot at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library headquarters.

The building at 201 William St.the former home of Cards and Cones, which has been vacant for more than a decadeis being renovated to become a mix of apartments and retail space.

On Aug. 29, a worker found two leg bones in the basement area of the building. Those bones were tested and determined to be from a deer.

More bones and the ancient artifacts were discovered on the two properties next to the library.

Bones and teeth were found on Sept. 8 by construction workers in the crawlspace area of the former halfway house at 1208 Sophia Street.

The teeth and bones have been sent to the Forensic Science Institute at Radford University to determine whether they are of human or animal origin, Fredericksburg Police Department spokeswoman Sarah Kirkpatrick said Tuesday. The results are expected in a few weeks.

The Native American artifacts were discovered on the site of a vacant two-story house at 1210 Sophia Street, next door to the former halfway house.

Kate Schwartz, the citys historic resources planner, said on Tuesday that ceramics and lithic fragments were among the items unearthed during the archaeological study at the house site. She said a final report is expected to be ready on Friday.

The house, built in 1894, once stood where the library headquarters is now. It likely will be demolished like the halfway house, but there is an option put forth by the city, which bought the house site in 2006, to have the structure hauled away. The deadline to move the house is Thursday, and there have been no offers, said Mark Whitley, the assistant city manager.

The recent discoveries arent the first time human bones and artifacts have been discovered by archaeologists in the city.

Three archaeological digs at the Riverfront Park along the Rappahannock River in recent years have uncovered Civil War-era artifacts and human bone fragments from Union soldiers.

Kerri S. Barile, president of Dovetail Cultural Resource Group, which performed the archaeological studies at Riverfront Park, said it isnt uncommon to find ancient Native American artifacts in the city that date back 8,000 to 10,000 years.
The more vivid our imagination, the more keen our apprehensions about what might be.

And of course for many, especially those of us John Newton mightve described as of the fearful, doubting cast, what might be, is almost always stained with trauma, trouble, or despair.



Wendell Berry poetically renders our vulnerability to the assaults of tomorrow:



When despair for the world grows in me



and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

Then, as if having sipped a nerve-soothing Chamomile tea of our Lords words from the Sermon on the Mount about a lilys lovely, God-tailored, spring fashions, a calm settles his jangled nerves. And we get this stirring line:



I come to into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.



The forethought of grief is what taxes our lives most on any given worrisome day. The anticipation of tomorrows troubles is the pesky mosquito that agitates our present.



CS Lewis came to the same conclusion when writing to a widow on a fixed income, bewailing her own lack of financial independence in Letters to An American Lady:



Im a panic-y person about money myself (which is a most shameful confession and a thing dead against Our Lords words) and poverty frightens me more than anything else except large spiders and the tops of cliffs: one is sometimes even tempted to say that if God wanted us to live like the lilies of the field He might have given us an organism more like theirs! But of course He is right. And when you meet anyone who does live like the lilies, one sees that He is.



Imagination Fueled Panic



Imagination starts the drip-drip-drip percolating of all our panickiness.

The blooming hydrangea, the beaming dogwood and the handsome magnolia all have something in common besides their sturdy and tender loveliness. Not a one of them has a lick of imagination.



They dont dread a week of rain that might pummel them until their flowering petals are lopped off, only to drown in a puddle. They dont anticipate being cut through with a chainsaw, pierced by a stab of lightening, or withering as the heat of summer steadily breathes down their necks.



We on the other hands have forethoughts.



We have hurt before and suspect (and rightly so) that we will hurt again. And inconveniently, we can imagine hurts more kaleidoscopic than Josephs favorite kid of Jacob coat.



We have lost before and so can anticipate the army of griefs that might march against us.



We have known the distress of trouble and so easily tremble like a leaf at shadows, thoughts and premonitions of gut-socking distress that must surely be headed our way.



Consider the Birds of the Window Sill



And of course, it might be. But its the preoccupation with what might happen that spoils our actual moments faster than a gallon of unpasteurized milk forgotten in the cab of a pickup in long-term parking in August.

Martin Luther once graphically instructed about this affliction of worrying by describing a nearby robin:



I have one preacher that I love better than any other on earth; it is my little tame robin, who preaches to me daily. I put some crumbs upon my window sill, especially at night. He hops onto the window sill when he wants his supply, and takes as much as he desires to satisfy his need. From thence he always hops to a little tree close by, lifts up his voice to God and sings his carol of praise and gratitude, then tucks his little head under his wing, goes fast to sleep, and leaves tomorrow to care for itself. He is the best preacher that I have on earth!"



Berry, Lewis, and Luther each from a different angle depict the Saviors permission to ignore the potpourri of next weeks potential ailments, a penicillin prescription of sorts for the rapidly reproducing bacteria of tomorrows possibilities, which often produce attention-demanding anxieties.



And those of us with responsibility disorders who tend to presume that worry equals love, may just start to see that it doesnt. Worry is not normally love. It is a disabling affliction of nerves, imagination, and gross misinterpretations about whose arms are upholding the earth. We therefore, have divine permission to override it and to ignore it.



But are able to do so only inasmuch as we entrust our times to the God of Luthers pious robin.



Singing in the Thunderstorm



One morning in July we were awakened by a threatening thunder storm. As atmospheric cymbals collided, jarring the skies, we heard a slight chirping sound. A clear tweet of some sort or another. My wife presumed it was the alarm on my phone.

But it turned out to be an ensemble of birds vocally accompanying the terrifying orchestra of the thunderstorm. Singing their soprano praises.



She experienced her own momentary version of the peace of wild things and drew my attention to what a lovely picture wed been shown.



There in a terrifying storm, as the earth seemed to shake, and thunder rumbled menacingly, defenseless birds steadied under Gods watch were giving a concert.



They were singing in the thunderstorm.



I hope we will not get too far ahead of ourselves with our worry. That perhaps well occasionally pull back the leash on our roving imaginations to keep them from wandering too far off, down too many tomorrows.



If we do, we might just find ourselves singing, whether laments, or carols of praise, our even or needs for today, but singing nonetheless, even in Timpani-drum rumbling thunderstorms to the God who is right nearby.



The God of the wild things peace, upon whom we can certainly count in the future, but who always resides in the eternal present, where he invites us to dwell trustingly alongside, refusing to tax our lives with the forethought of grief.



---



Contact Eric Youngblood, pastor of Rock Creek Fellowship on Lookout Mountain, at eric@rockcreekfellowship.org
The officers and executive board of the Judge David Campbell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution met to formulate plans for the coming year.

In attendance were 2nd Vice Regent Marie Wingate of East Ridge; NSDAR Vice President General and Chapter Registrar Susan Thomas of Monteagle; Regent Stacy Kehoe of East Brainerd; 1st Vice Regent Susan Lindsey of Hixson; Volunteer Chairman Bettie Purcell of Ooltewah; Librarian Michelle Scotchie of Chattanooga and TNDAR, Cherokee District; former Regent Phyllis Carter of East Brainerd; Treasurer Sally Michaud of Chattanooga; Historian Elsie Owens of South Pittsburg; Corresponding Secretary Jennifer Thomas of Chattanooga; and Recording Secretary Jody Clevenger of Chattanooga.
Badassery Magazine, started in 2016 by Samantha Parker and Kathy Rasmussen, is dedicated to inspiring and empowering women in business. Badassery showcases bravery, inspires the imagination and values the true spirit of collaboration, said officials.

After a year in digital circulation, and a growing following on social media in their private Facebook group We Are Badassery, the decision was made to bring the online world into the real world.

Our magazine is all digital, said Samantha Parker, co-founder and editor in chief. Its great to connect online but we know there is a need to connect in real life too, so we have started a few flagship groups in various cities across the country.

Chattanooga is home to Mindy Quinn, a contributing writer and public relations manager for the digital magazine. Ms. Quinn and her business Wildflower Promotions & Media Management is a sponsor of the Badassery Club, which is meeting again Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the fifth floor conference room of the Edney Innovation Pavillion.

I met Samantha Parker in an online mastermind, before I even launched my business, and knew instantly that Badassery Magazine was something different, and something I wanted to be part of, said Ms. Quinn. Our world with technology has opened so many doors for me, but it is still important to build relationships in person and to be an active member in the community. I know there are other entrepreneurs in Chattanooga who are looking for a group like this one, which is why were making it happen.

Stefanie Crowe, director of Wealth, Knowledge and Happiness at Stone Bridge Asset Management and co-founder of the Jump Fund, will guest speak at the Oct. 3 meetup and discuss her transition from the corporate world to the entrepreneurial world. Seating is limited.

For more information visit Chattanooga Badassery Club Badassery Magazine, We Are Badassery
Gladys A. Shade 72, of King George passed away on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at her residence in King George, Virginia. A Viewing will be held on Friday, September 22, 2017 at Cedell Brooks Funeral Home Memorial Chapel in Port Royal from 12:00pm - 4:00pm. A Service will be held on Saturday, September 23, 2017 at Good Hope Baptist Church in King George at 11:00 am. Remains can be viewed one hour prior to service. Interment will be located in the church cemetery. Online guestbook available at brooksfuneralhome.com
Free Freightnet Membership

List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours.
JHM Certified Public Accountants makes a $2,500 donation to Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Efforts.



The donation was sent to the Houston Food Bank on Thursday as an effort to aid in disaster relief from Hurricane Harvey.



Many employees were motivated to get involved, said Dean Krech, managing partner of JHM. The firm decided as a whole that the food bank was an effective placement for our donation. We hope that this donation can help make a difference in some way.



"JHM is no stranger to helping out the community, whether that is local in Chattanooga or beyond. It is a mission of the partners and staff at JHM to donate time, money and resources when possible. The firm believes their obligation and calling as a business is to step up in times of need.

JHM is a Chattanooga-based CPA firm, celebrating their 40th anniversary in business this year,' officials said.



Learn more about the Houston Foodbank, and the needs in Houston and the surrounding areas at http://www.houstonfoodbank.org.






Bridge Christian Church concludes its sixth annual family movie series, Movies in the Park at Dark, on Saturday, Sept. 30 at Heritage Park. The free movie is about a former scientist who is taken away from his family and then becomes the Empires lead engineer for the most powerful weapon in the galaxy, the Death Star.



The movie begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be shown on a large inflatable screen at Heritage Park. The event is free and open to the public. Popcorn and drinks will be available for purchase. Families are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the show. The movie will be cancelled for inclement weather.



Heritage Park is located at 1428 Jenkins Road in Chattanooga. The 22-acre park has a walking track, playground, picnic tables, bocce ball court, public art and an off-leash dog park.



Bridge Christian Church is a non-denominational, independent Christian Church that was founded in 2010. Gatherings are held at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday at Westview Elementary School in the East Brainerd community of Chattanooga. For more information about Bridge Christian Church, call the church at 423-463-0202 or visit the churchs Website at www.bridgechristian.org.
The Tennessee Secretary of State's office is kicking off its second annual student essay contest to encourage students to be actively engaged citizens. The essays will focus on citizenship with length requirements varying by grade level.Schools may submit two essays for kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grade, sixth through eighth grade and ninth through 12th grade. All submissions can be submitted online now through Friday, Nov. 10.Winners will receive a TNStars 529 College Savings Program scholarship and a trip to the State Capitol next spring.First place winners receive a $500 scholarship, with second and third place winners receiving $250 and $100 respectively.The essay contest was developed to encourage greater civics understanding in Tennessees future leaders. I was encouraged by the quality of work from last years students, and I am excited about this years contest. We are proud to partner with educators from across our great state to offer these valuable resources, said Secretary of State Tre Hargett.Last years first-ever essay contest on voting garnered nearly 250 submissions from across the Volunteer State with top honors going to students in Madison, Moore, Shelby and Sumner counties.The essay contest and last years successful Student Mock Election are part of the offices civic engagement program.The program also offers lesson plans based on the Tennessee Blue Book created by Tennessee teachers. The goal is to offer an easy way for teachers to incorporate civic engagement and citizenship into their curriculum.For more information, visit sos.tn.gov/civics.
HARTFORD, Conn. (Associated Press)  MGM Resorts International revealed plans on Monday for a $675 million waterfront casino in Connecticuts largest city, the latest salvo in a competition with two Native American tribes that run two of the worlds largest casinos in the southeastern part of the state.

MGM is already building a nearly $1 billion casino in Springfield, Massachusetts, that threatens to take revenue and jobs away from the Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes responded by proposing a casino less than 20 miles away from Springfield in northern Connecticut that was approved by Connecticut officials and awaits final approval by federal authorities.

The two tribes said in a statement Monday that the Bridgeport casino isnt anywhere near receiving required approval from the state legislature and Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. They also said approval of the resort would violate the gambling compact between the tribes and the state that gives the tribes exclusive casino development rights in Connecticut.

MGM and its partner on the Bridgeport casino, development company RCI Group, vowed to work diligently to obtain the needed approvals.

The Bridgeport casino would be located along Long Island Sound in Bridgeports Steelpointe Harbor, the same area where President Donald Trump proposed a casino in the 1990s.

The new casino would include 2,000 slot machines, 160 table games, a 700-seat theater, a 300-room hotel, restaurants and retail shops, according to MGM. It would add more than 7,000 new jobs in the Bridgeport area, as well as provide $50 million in license fees to the state this fiscal year, $8 million in yearly payments to the city of Bridgeport and $4.5 million in annual payments to surrounding communities, according to MGM.

James Murren, MGMs chairman and chief executive officer, said the casino can help to turn the economic tide of this state.

We just need the political commitment to make it happen, said Murren, who is a Bridgeport native.

Malloy said later Monday that he hadnt reviewed the Bridgeport proposal. He said if the state violates the compact with the tribes, it could lose nearly $500 million over the next two years in revenue from the tribes two casinos. The state gets 25 percent of the slot machine revenue from Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun under the compact.

I cant imagine any scenario in which the tribal nations would agree to open up the compact on those grounds, Malloy said. I cant imagine entering into an agreement with any entity that would endanger our agreement with the tribal nations.

MGM sued Connecticut in 2015 over the process used by the state to approve the casino proposed by the two tribes in East Windsor, about a 20-minute drive from the Springfield casino site. MGM said it was put at a competitive disadvantage after Connecticut officials created a special pathway for the tribes to build a casino on non-tribal land.

A federal appeals court in June 2017 upheld a lower court judges decision to dismiss the lawsuit.
A Pinch of Salt: The election is over, I think, so what now?
This log includes incidents in which there might have been a public disturbance or a risk to the public. Information comes from the Corvallis Police Department and the Benton County Sheriffs Office. It does not include all calls for service. The status of incidents might change after further investigation. Locations are approximate. People arrested or suspected in crimes are considered innocent until proven otherwise.

Corvallis Police Department

SATURDAY, SEPT. 16

DUII: 9:03 p.m., Southwest Philomath Boulevard and Southwest 15th Street. An officer arrested Arica Ivory Koos, 24, of Albany, for a charge of DUII. She reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent.

DUII: 2:41 a.m., 1655 S.W. 49th Street. An officer arrested Hayley Cheyenne Spoltman, 24, no address listed, for a charge of DUII. She reportedly refused a breath test; an officer obtained a warrant to collect a sample of her blood and did so.

DUII: 1:30 a.m., 235 N.W. Fourth Street. An officer arrested Geoffrey D Bishop, 25, of Portland, for a charge of DUII. He reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent.

Benton County Sheriffs Office

SUNDAY, SEPT. 17

DUII: 9:15 p.m., Northwest Monroe Avenue and Northwest Third Street. An officer arrested Cameron Jake Phillips, 22, of Corvallis, for a charge of DUII after a drug recognition expert concluded he was under the influence of cannabis.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 15

THEFT: 4:20 p.m., 29910 Camp Adair Road, Albany. An Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife employee reported some time in the previous week an unknown person had stolen 180 gallons of gas from an ODFW tank.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 14

CAR PROWL: 11:37 p.m., 4715 N.E. Highway 20. A caller reported to police that someone stole $3,500 in equipment from his truck.
Five Chattanooga area Morning Pointe senior living and memory care communities participated in the Sept. 16 Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's at the Tennessee Riverpark Previous Next

For the fourth year in a row, Morning Pointe Senior Living has been recognized for the Top Corporate Team fundraiser during the Sept. 16 Southeast Tennessee Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's at the Tennessee Riverpark.

This year, the five Chattanooga area Morning Pointe senior living and memory care communities raised approximately $10,000 for the organization.

Associates, residents and families raised money by washing cars, hosting yard sales and selling handmade items among other activities to benefit the Alzheimer's walk.

"Every year we look forward to uniting with the greater community to show our support for a cause that's near and dear to our hearts," said Holly Holcomb, Senior Life Enrichment director at Morning Pointe. "Many of us have been touched by Alzheimer's in some form or fashion, and our residents show they are willing to go the distance to fight back."
President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the US would "totally destroy North Korea" if forced to defend itself or its allies.

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," Trump said during his first address to the UN General Assembly.

"It is time for North Korea to realize that its denuclearization is its only responsible future," Trump said.

Trump also warned that Kim Jong Un -- whom he again referred to as "rocket man" -- "is on a suicide mission for himself."

"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself," he said.

Trump's strong words came after he made the case that North Korea is a "country that imperils the world" and said that it is in no country's interest that North Korea continue on its current path of nuclear and ballistic missile development.

He also offered strong words for countries that trade and finance North Korea: "It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a nation but would arm supply and financially support a country that imperils the world."

Trump also suggested on Tuesday he plans to scrap the Iran nuclear deal, saying it was a mistake to enter into the agreement at all.

"The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions," Trump said.

"That deal is embarrassment to the US and I don't think you've heard the last of it, believe me," Trump said, a sign he's preparing to weaken the deal.

Trump faces a mid-October deadline for re-certifying Iran's compliance with the agreement.

Trump noted that terrorists are gaining strength around the world but that peace is possible around the world.

"To put it simply, we meet at a time of both immense promise and great peril," Trump said.

"Terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and spread to every region of the planet," Trump said near the beginning of his remarks.

Trump stated bluntly that certain parts of the world are "going to hell," suggesting it was within the UN's power to reverse course.

"Major portions of the world are in conflict and some in fact are going to hell," Trump said.

"The powerful people in this room, under the guidance and auspices of the United Nations can solve many of these vicious and complex problems," Trump said.

He said the United States was prepared to combat global instability through military might.

"Our military will soon be the strongest it's ever been," he said.

Trump told world leaders that he would not seek to insist their countries adopt US values.

"In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch," Trump said.

He said he would continue to place America's interests ahead of other countries', suggesting his counterparts do the same with their own populations.

"As President of the United States, I will always put America first," he said. "All responsible leaders have an obligation to serve their own nations."

Trump opened his remarks touting his economic record, a nod to his core campaign promises of prosperity at home ahead of a major foreign policy speech.

"The United States has done very well since Election Day last November 8," Trump said. "The stock market is at an all-time high, a record. Unemployment is at its lowest level."

He cited "regulatory and other reforms" for an economic boom.

Trump has delivered major foreign policy addresses before, to a gathering of Muslim leaders in Saudi Arabia and in a packed central square in Poland. But the issues at the United Nations are broader, and the geographic spread of Trump's audience wider. His message here will resonate in capitals worldwide, where officials and leaders are still seeking a cohesive foreign policy doctrine from new American leader.

His speech is a "deeply philosophical address," according to a senior administration official involved in its drafting, one that frames his foreign policy as a rational attempt to move countries toward working in their own self-interests.

"It's an incredible moment and an enormous opportunity to demonstrate US leadership and US values," the official said, saying that was "why (Trump) spent so much time honing and crafting this address to express that vision to the world."

For a President whose election and elevation to the White House was among the most improbable in modern political history, the United Nations stage represents a presidential setting, even if some in the audience still find the sight of Trump in front of the iconic green marble jarring. Trump's three eldest children -- Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric Trump -- were expected to attend his speech, a source familiar told CNN.

Trump has offered a wide range of views on the UN in the past, most recently determining the body is underperforming and inefficient.

"In recent years, the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement," Trump said Monday during a meeting about reforming the UN, his first remarks during a hurried week of diplomacy here. "We are not seeing the results in line with this investment."

Despite the criticism, Trump has seen some of his top foreign policy victories emerge from the UN's Security Council, which has passed rounds of sanctions on North Korea for its ballistic missile program.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect the Trump children attending his UN speech are Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric, according to a source familiar.
Deutsche Post supports intelligence services : 1494 Deutsche Post employees support fight against terror

Bonn Nearly 1500 employees of Deutsche Post support the intelligence services in their investigations against terrorists and other serious criminals. The operations are directed from Bonn.

Teilen

Teilen Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Tweeten

Tweeten Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Drucken

1494 employees of Deutsche Post DHL are currently involved in state surveillance of items sent by post. This has emerged from the answer given by the Federal Government to a question raised by Die Linke Party. The surveillance measures help, for example, in inquiries against terrorists or other serious criminals.

As the answer revealed, the measures are directed by a five-person team in the Posts headquarters in Bonn. The 1494 Post employees include both managers, who coordinate the measures, as well as staff, who search for the postal items and hand them over to the authorities. All of the employees were subject to security checks.

In principal, postal secrecy in Germany is protected under Article 10 of the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). The G-10 Commission decides whether letters can be open and read by the intelligence agencies. Its members are appointed by the Parliamentary Control Committee.

Die Linke partys domestic affairs spokesperson, Ulla Jelpke, reacted with alarm: The high number of around 1500 employees involved in postal surveillance at Deutsche Post alone, leads to worries of a shockingly high degree of surveillance. The government did not want to give any official information about the extent of surveillance. This could lead to inferences being drawn about the actions of government agencies and harm Germanys interests. Those affected do not notice anything: the letters are resealed and delivered.
GA Listing : Enjoy the perfect cocktail hour in these Bonn bars

Bonn/Region Those wanting to enjoy an evening of cocktails with friends need not look far. Heres a GA list of Bonn bars where you can enjoy a colourful drink.

Teilen

Teilen Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Tweeten

Tweeten Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Drucken

Tacos

Tacos, a Mexican bar, has a long drinks list. Try both classic and lesser known drinks at this city centre bar. During Happy Hour (to 10pm) all cocktails are half price. After 11 pm, all jumbo coktails are half off.

Address: Bonngasse 7, Bonn

Opening hours: Sunday to Monday from noon until 2am, Saturday and Sunday from noon until 1am.

Shakers

If you spend your cocktail evening at Shakers, youll have 400 different drinks to choose from. Drinks cost between 6 and 8 Euros. Happy Hour, when certain cocktails cost 5.90 Euro, is between 5pm and 9pm and between 1am and 2am.

Address: Bornheimer Strae 26, Bonn

Opening hours: Monday and Tuesday from 5pm to 1am, Wednesday and Thursday from 5pm to 2am, Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 4am and Sunday from 4pm to 1am.

The Old Jacob

The Old Jacob is decorated in Victorian style with a hat and beard as its logo. Besides numerous cocktails, spirits and beer from all over the world are on offer. Prices are a bit higher than elsewhere (from 9-12 Euros) but the bar has an emphasis on creative drinks and high quality ingredients.

Address: Kesselgasse 1a, Bonn

Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday from 6pm to 1am, Friday and Saturday from 6pm to 2am.

Che Guevara, Mojito, Sausalitos

Che Guevara

Named after the famous Cuban revolutionary, the cocktails in this Bonn bar also promise to revolutionise. Happy Hour, when cocktails cost 5.90 Euro, is from Monday to Thursday between 6.30pm and 8.30pm and on Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 7pm.

Address: Munsterstrae 9, Bonn

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 5pm to 1am, Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 3am.

Mojito

Those out and about in Bonns Sudstadt can enjoy a cocktail evening at Mojito. Besides the classics, there are also some more unusual drinks. Cocktail prices range from 4 to 8 Euros. If youre there during Happy Hour (6pm to 10pm), then cocktails cost 4.50 Euro.

Address: Konigstrae 9, Bonn

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 6pm to midnight.

Sausalitos

The Mexican restaurant Sausalitos is situated opposite Bonn University in the former Bouvier bookshop, so if you drink a cocktail here, you can enjoy a view of the palace. Happy Hour is from 4pm to 10pm when cocktails cost 4.90 Euro.

Address: Am Hof 28, Bonn

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 4pm to 1am, Saturday from noon to 2am and Sunday from 4pm to midnight.

On "Poppelsdorf Strip"

Monte Cristo

Live in Poppelsdorf? Then you dont need to head to the city centre to drink cocktails as you can get them at Monte Cristo in the Poppelsdorf bar and restaurant district.

Address: Clemens-August-Strae 3, Bonn

Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday from 10am to midnight, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 3am.

Havanna

Havanna is also in the Poppelsdorf bar and restaurant district and also has a long cocktail list. Drinks cost 4.70 Euro during Happy Hour (10pm to midnight) and otherwise prices range between 5 and 8 Euros.

Address: Clemens-August-Strae 1, Bonn

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 10am to 1pm, Friday from 10am to 2pm, Saturday from 11am to 2am and Sunday from 11am to 1am.

This list of cocktail bars in Bonn does not purport to be complete and was not written using objective criteria. There is also no particular ranking. The order of the list is random. Do you have any other tips for cocktail bars? Send an email to online@ga.de.
At a confirmation hearing for two Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) nominees, Senate labor committee Chairman Lamar Alexander said the EEOC should encourage better health and lower costs with clear guidelines for employee wellness programs.

While there are many components to the cost of health care, there is consensus that wellness and leading a heathier lifestyle reduce the need for health care and save money and lives, he said. Congress agreed when it passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010 by including a provision that allowed employers to discount health insurance premiums for healthy lifestyle choices like quitting smoking or maintaining a healthy cholesterol level.

"The Obama Administration sought to implement the provision through three different agencies, but the EEOC issued regulations that limited the ability of the administration to do what Congress told it to do and reduced the discount employers could give for participation in a wellness plan.



Roughly 60 percent of insured Americans get their health insurance on the job, and one of the most straightforward ways to encourage wellness is to give those employers clear guidelines. As Commissioners, I hope you will create clear rules for employer-sponsored wellness programs.

Tuesdays confirmation hearing in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was to consider the nominations of Janet Dhillon and Daniel Gade, nominated to be commissioners on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and Carlos Muniz, nominated to be General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education.

Regarding the nomination of Mr. Muniz, Senator Alexander said, "During the previous administration, I wondered sometimes if officials at the Department of Education had lost their copy of the Constitution where it says the Congress writes the laws. So I hope that, as a lawyer, Mr. Muniz, you are as glad as I am that Secretary DeVos committed to Congress in January that she would implement laws as we wrote them. And that she is doing just that."

Ms. Dhillon has served as general counsel for three Fortune 500 companies  Burlington Stores, JC Penney, and US Airways. Dr. Gade is a veteran who served in Iraq and was wounded in action. He has become a national expert on disability policy and served in the White House Domestic Policy Council under President George W. Bush.

Mr. Muniz is currently an attorney and consultant at McGuireWoods, and previously was the Deputy Attorney General for the State of Florida.
Gov. Shetimma & Four Other Northern Governors Sent To The South-East By Buhari To Broker Peace

clarajancita at 18-09-2017 03:49 PM (5 years ago) (f)

A team of five Northern governors led by the Borno state Governor, Kashim Shettimma has been sent to the South-East by President Muhammadu Buhari to broker peace in the region following the recent clash between the secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the Nigerian army in Abia state.

A team of five Northern governors led by the Borno state Governor, Kashim Shettimma has been sent to the South-East by President Muhammadu Buhari to broker peace in the region following the recent clash between the secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the Nigerian army in Abia state. Others in the team are Aminu Masari (Katsina), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano).

The clash which saw gory images and video clips of IPOB members allegedly killed in Abia as well as some soldiers sustaining injuries led to the proscription of IPOB by the South-east governors and the categorization of the group as a terrorist organization by the Nigerian army.

However, the Senate President of Nigeria, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has said that the proscription of IPOB and its categorization as a terrorist organization by the Nigerian army is illegal.

Saraki gave the statement on Monday where he said due process was not followed in terming the group a terrorist organization as well as in proscribing it. Others in the team are Aminu Masari (Katsina), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano).The clash which saw gory images and video clips of IPOB members allegedly killed in Abia as well as some soldiers sustaining injuries led to the proscription of IPOB by the South-east governors and the categorization of the group as a terrorist organization by the Nigerian army.However, the Senate President of Nigeria, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has said that the proscription of IPOB and its categorization as a terrorist organization by the Nigerian army is illegal.Saraki gave the statement on Monday where he said due process was not followed in terming the group a terrorist organization as well as in proscribing it.

Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 18-09-2017 03:49 PM (5 years ago) | Hero

Floyd29 at 18-09-2017 03:57 PM (5 years ago)

(f) Baba is a man of peace Posted: at 18-09-2017 03:57 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Baba is a man of peace Reply

tegonwa at 18-09-2017 03:58 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Long Live Saraki For Condeming The Declaration Of Ipob As A Terrorist Group.Nawaa O! Posted: at 18-09-2017 03:58 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Long Live Saraki For Condeming The Declaration Of Ipob As A Terrorist Group.Nawaa O! Reply

ruthie at 18-09-2017 04:01 PM (5 years ago)

(f) GOOD ONE SAI BABA...NO MORE FIGHTING! Posted: at 18-09-2017 04:01 PM (5 years ago) | Hero GOOD ONE SAI BABA...NO MORE FIGHTING! Reply

ruthie at 18-09-2017 04:03 PM (5 years ago)

(f) Quote from: tegonwa on 18-09-2017 03:58 PM Long Live Saraki For Condeming The Declaration Of Ipob As A Terrorist Group.Nawaa O!

READ THIS...SARAKI GOOFED...

President Goodluck Jonathan has formally approved the proscription of Boko Haram and authorized the gazetting of an order declaring the groups activities as acts of terrorism.

The order, which has been gazetted as the Terrorism (Prevention) (Proscription Order) Notice 2013, affects both Boko Haram (Jamaatu Ahlis-Sunna Liddaawati Wal Jihad) and Jamaatu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru). The order was approved by President Jonathan pursuant to section 2 0f the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (As Amended).

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Rueben Abati, said this officially brings the activities of both groups within the purview of the Terrorism Prevention Act and any persons associated with the two groups can now be legally prosecuted and sentenced to penalties specified in the Act.

The statement said the proscription order warns the general public that any person participating in any form of activities involving or concerning the collective intentions of the said groups will be violating the provisions of the Terrorism Prevention Act.



The TPA act makes provision for the declaration of a group as being a Terrorist group on a number of grounds.



It is very easy to refer to Section 2 of the act which makes provision for a process that involves judicial processes, procedures and pronouncement. Most applicable to local terrorism.



However Section 9 of the actmakes express approval for the executive arm to immediately declare a group as a Terrorist group. This is specifically in relation to international affiliations and sponsorship.



In the case of IPOB, there is reliable Intel available to the Nigerian Army suggesting the foreign links and backings of IPOB to certain international terrorism networks.



The move by the Nigerian Govt. is therefore in order and can only be upturned by any aggrieved person who takes the matter to a court of competent jurisdiction. In the mean time, the declaration remains in full force and anybody (either physically or over the internet), found to be soliciting for a terrorist group may be found culpable.



Let us be enlightened. Posted: at 18-09-2017 04:03 PM (5 years ago) | Hero READ THIS...SARAKI GOOFED...President Goodluck Jonathan has formally approved the proscription of Boko Haram and authorized the gazetting of an order declaring the groups activities as acts of terrorism.The order, which has been gazetted as the Terrorism (Prevention) (Proscription Order) Notice 2013, affects both Boko Haram (Jamaatu Ahlis-Sunna Liddaawati Wal Jihad) and Jamaatu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru). The order was approved by President Jonathan pursuant to section 2 0f the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (As Amended).A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Rueben Abati, said this officially brings the activities of both groups within the purview of the Terrorism Prevention Act and any persons associated with the two groups can now be legally prosecuted and sentenced to penalties specified in the Act.The statement said the proscription order warns the general public that any person participating in any form of activities involving or concerning the collective intentions of the said groups will be violating the provisions of the Terrorism Prevention Act.The TPA act makes provision for the declaration of a group as being a Terrorist group on a number of grounds.It is very easy to refer towhich makes provision for a process that involves judicial processes, procedures and pronouncement. Most applicable to local terrorism.Howevermakes express approval for the executive arm to immediately declare a group as a Terrorist group. This is specifically in relation to international affiliations and sponsorship.In the case of IPOB, there is reliable Intel available to the Nigerian Army suggesting the foreign links and backings of IPOB to certain international terrorism networks.The move by the Nigerian Govt. is therefore in order and can only be upturned by any aggrieved person who takes the matter to a court of competent jurisdiction. In the mean time, the declaration remains in full force and anybody (either physically or over the internet), found to be soliciting for a terrorist group may be found culpable.Let us be enlightened. Reply

fineboy77 at 18-09-2017 04:04 PM (5 years ago)

(m) where is Ruthie and Haso112 and Gogoman,those illiterates that follow the illiterate government of Nigeria.People that know nothing about international law,human rights and so on,but they run over here every time to pour their undiluted hatred of the Igbos. I always told you guys to get into the army and do those things you suggested by yourselves,FOOLS What is the color beneath your skin? Posted: at 18-09-2017 04:04 PM (5 years ago) | Hero where is Ruthie and Haso112 and Gogoman,those illiterates that follow the illiterate government of Nigeria.People that know nothing about international law,human rights and so on,but they run over here every time to pour their undiluted hatred of the Igbos. I always told you guys to get into the army and do those things you suggested by yourselves,FOOLS Reply

fineboy77 at 18-09-2017 04:06 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Quote from: ruthie on 18-09-2017 04:03 PM READ THIS...SARAKI GOOFED...

President Goodluck Jonathan has formally approved the proscription of Boko Haram and authorized the gazetting of an order declaring the groups activities as acts of terrorism.

The order, which has been gazetted as the Terrorism (Prevention) (Proscription Order) Notice 2013, affects both Boko Haram (Jamaatu Ahlis-Sunna Liddaawati Wal Jihad) and Jamaatu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru). The order was approved by President Jonathan pursuant to section 2 0f the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (As Amended).

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Rueben Abati, said this officially brings the activities of both groups within the purview of the Terrorism Prevention Act and any persons associated with the two groups can now be legally prosecuted and sentenced to penalties specified in the Act.

The statement said the proscription order warns the general public that any person participating in any form of activities involving or concerning the collective intentions of the said groups will be violating the provisions of the Terrorism Prevention Act.



The TPA act makes provision for the declaration of a group as being a Terrorist group on a number of grounds.



It is very easy to refer to Section 2 of the act which makes provision for a process that involves judicial processes, procedures and pronouncement. Most applicable to local terrorism.



However Section 9 of the actmakes express approval for the executive arm to immediately declare a group as a Terrorist group. This is specifically in relation to international affiliations and sponsorship.



In the case of IPOB, there is reliable Intel available to the Nigerian Army suggesting the foreign links and backings of IPOB to certain international terrorism networks.



The move by the Nigerian Govt. is therefore in order and can only be upturned by any aggrieved person who takes the matter to a court of competent jurisdiction. In the mean time, the declaration remains in full force and anybody (either physically or over the internet), found to be soliciting for a terrorist group may be found culpable.



Let us be enlightened.

The only person that needs enlightenment here is you. When due process is not followed,it is null and void What is the color beneath your skin? Posted: at 18-09-2017 04:06 PM (5 years ago) | Hero The only person that needs enlightenment here is you. When due process is not followed,it is null and void Reply

gogoman at 18-09-2017 04:11 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Quote from: fineboy77 on 18-09-2017 04:04 PM where is Ruthie and Haso112 and Gogoman,those illiterates that follow the illiterate government of Nigeria.People that know nothing about international law,human rights and so on,but they run over here every time to pour their undiluted hatred of the Igbos. I always told you guys to get into the army and do those things you suggested by yourselves,FOOLS





U DEY MAD!! U WEY QUEEN ELIZA BORN FOR CAMBRIDGE, WETIN U DEY FIND ON NAIJAPAL? ... yeye pikin , NIGERIA IS A SOVEREIGN COUNTRY, FG CAN DO WHATEVER AND NOTHING GO HAPPEN Posted: at 18-09-2017 04:11 PM (5 years ago) | Grande Master U DEY MAD!! U WEY QUEEN ELIZA BORN FOR CAMBRIDGE, WETIN U DEY FIND ON NAIJAPAL? ... yeye pikin , NIGERIA IS A SOVEREIGN COUNTRY, FG CAN DO WHATEVER AND NOTHING GO HAPPEN Reply

onyioben at 18-09-2017 04:19 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Thnx Saraki,, only a fool and biafran haters will tagged the agitators as a terrorist group, , u hv to know the meaning of terrorism b4 tagging a group as terrorist. Hw can a normal human with sense of reasoning called ipob terrorist, , hv ipob killed anyone b4 in the history of there agitation, they were alwaz been killed either by police or army during there peaceful protests without guns or harmful objects,, I prayed that anyone who supported wat ever the soldiers hv done to some ipob members, the same will reach his or her family in one million folds...amen. ipob is not and will never be a terrorist group. Why didn't the authority tagged Badoo boys in ikorodu and hausa fulani herdsmen that killed people at random and raped helpless women as terrorist or hv they sank there reasoning bcos of tribal sentiments. ? Very apoly. Posted: at 18-09-2017 04:19 PM (5 years ago) | Upcoming Thnx Saraki,, only a fool and biafran haters will tagged the agitators as a terrorist group, , u hv to know the meaning of terrorism b4 tagging a group as terrorist. Hw can a normal human with sense of reasoning called ipob terrorist, , hv ipob killed anyone b4 in the history of there agitation, they were alwaz been killed either by police or army during there peaceful protests without guns or harmful objects,, I prayed that anyone who supported wat ever the soldiers hv done to some ipob members, the same will reach his or her family in one million folds...amen. ipob is not and will never be a terrorist group. Why didn't the authority tagged Badoo boys in ikorodu and hausa fulani herdsmen that killed people at random and raped helpless women as terrorist or hv they sank there reasoning bcos of tribal sentiments. ? Very apoly. Reply

ruthie at 18-09-2017 04:21 PM (5 years ago)

(f) Quote from: fineboy77 on 18-09-2017 04:04 PM where is Ruthie and Haso112 and Gogoman,those illiterates that follow the illiterate government of Nigeria.People that know nothing about international law,human rights and so on,but they run over here every time to pour their undiluted hatred of the Igbos. I always told you guys to get into the army and do those things you suggested by yourselves,FOOLS

ITS CLEAR THAT YOU ARE RUNNING A MAN ONE CAUSE FROM YOUR PHONE...EVERYONE THAT THREATENS THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THIS COUNTRY WILL BE DEALT WITH...SINCE YOU HAVE NOW DECLARED YOURSELF AN IPOB SUPPORTER..U R NOW A TERRORIST AND RELEVANT AUTHORITIES WILL BEAM THEIR SEARCHLIGHT ON YOU...NO RUN LIKE YOUR FOOLISH LEADER KANU O Posted: at 18-09-2017 04:21 PM (5 years ago) | Hero ITS CLEAR THAT YOU ARE RUNNING A MAN ONE CAUSE FROM YOUR PHONE...EVERYONE THAT THREATENS THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THIS COUNTRY WILL BE DEALT WITH...SINCE YOU HAVE NOW DECLARED YOURSELF AN IPOB SUPPORTER..U R NOW A TERRORIST AND RELEVANT AUTHORITIES WILL BEAM THEIR SEARCHLIGHT ON YOU...NO RUN LIKE YOUR FOOLISH LEADER KANU O Reply

ruthie at 18-09-2017 04:22 PM (5 years ago)

(f) Quote from: fineboy77 on 18-09-2017 04:06 PM The only person that needs enlightenment here is you. When due process is not followed,it is null and void

IS LIKE YOUR BRAIN CANNOT COMPREHEND ANYTHING AT ALL..I WONDER HOW YOU MADE IT THIS FAR IN LIFE WITH A DEAD BRAIN!!!! Posted: at 18-09-2017 04:22 PM (5 years ago) | Hero IS LIKE YOUR BRAIN CANNOT COMPREHEND ANYTHING AT ALL..I WONDER HOW YOU MADE IT THIS FAR IN LIFE WITH A DEAD BRAIN!!!! Reply

Haso112 at 18-09-2017 04:53 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Quote from: fineboy77 on 18-09-2017 04:04 PM where is Ruthie and Haso112 and Gogoman,those illiterates that follow the illiterate government of Nigeria.People that know nothing about international law,human rights and so on,but they run over here every time to pour their undiluted hatred of the Igbos. I always told you guys to get into the army and do those things you suggested by yourselves,FOOLS



I NO BLAME YOU... NA YOUR PAPA AND MAMA I BLAME WEY BORN PIKIN WEY DEM NO GIVE AM PROPER UPBRINGING.... ANYWAY, IF DEM BORN YOU WELL, LEAVE BACK OF YOUR COMPUTER GO CARRY BIAFRA FLAG FOR ANYWHERE FOR NAIJA... KEYBOARD IPOB MEMBER, COWARDICE AND PETTINESS AT IT'S LOWEST... Posted: at 18-09-2017 04:53 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac I NO BLAME YOU... NA YOUR PAPA AND MAMA I BLAME WEY BORN PIKIN WEY DEM NO GIVE AM PROPER UPBRINGING.... ANYWAY, IF DEM BORN YOU WELL, LEAVE BACK OF YOUR COMPUTER GO CARRY BIAFRA FLAG FOR ANYWHERE FOR NAIJA... KEYBOARD IPOB MEMBER, COWARDICE AND PETTINESS AT IT'S LOWEST... Reply

Haso112 at 18-09-2017 04:57 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Quote from: fineboy77 on 18-09-2017 04:04 PM where is Ruthie and Haso112 and Gogoman,those illiterates that follow the illiterate government of Nigeria.People that know nothing about international law,human rights and so on,but they run over here every time to pour their undiluted hatred of the Igbos. I always told you guys to get into the army and do those things you suggested by yourselves,FOOLS



I DON WARN YOU BEFORE... BE CAREFUL, I GET BETTER THINGS TO USE MY MONEY DO, BUT IF YOU CROSS THE LINE.. I WILL HACK YOUR LIFE AND MAKE IT MISERABLE... YOU THINK YOU'RE ANONYMOUS BY HIDING BEHIND A COMPUTER ABI...? BIG MISTAKE....!!! Posted: at 18-09-2017 04:57 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac I DON WARN YOU BEFORE... BE CAREFUL, I GET BETTER THINGS TO USE MY MONEY DO, BUT IF YOU CROSS THE LINE.. I WILL HACK YOUR LIFE AND MAKE IT MISERABLE... YOU THINK YOU'RE ANONYMOUS BY HIDING BEHIND A COMPUTER ABI...? BIG MISTAKE....!!! Reply

ejikeiyo at 18-09-2017 10:53 PM (5 years ago)

(m) WASTED GENERATION Posted: at 18-09-2017 10:53 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac WASTED GENERATION Reply

willyking at 18-09-2017 11:41 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Quote from: ejikeiyo on 18-09-2017 10:53 PM WASTED GENERATION

yes wasted comment every where from community of hopless youth who doese not know their left from their right.. Posted: at 18-09-2017 11:41 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac yes wasted comment every where from community of hopless youth who doese not know their left from their right.. Reply

Oworen25 at 19-09-2017 12:01 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Small time now una go start to fight Posted: at 19-09-2017 12:01 AM (5 years ago) | Hero Small time now una go start to fight Reply

tegonwa at 19-09-2017 02:20 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Good Move.Nawaa O! Posted: at 19-09-2017 02:20 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Good Move.Nawaa O! Reply

Floyd29 at 19-09-2017 03:18 AM (5 years ago)

(f) Buhari for 2019 Posted: at 19-09-2017 03:18 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Buhari for 2019 Reply

yawa_don_gas at 19-09-2017 05:56 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Please can someone tell me why each time I say make I finally have my piss yawa already dey wait mi there? Posted: at 19-09-2017 05:56 AM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero Please can someone tell me why each time I say make I finally have my piss yawa already dey wait mi there? Reply
kacylee at 19-09-2017 07:55 AM (5 years ago) (f)

The Federal Government has said that 63 million adults are illiterate and 11.5 million children are out of school in the country.

The Federal Government has said that 63 million adults are illiterate and 11.5 million children are out of school in the country.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, stated this yesterday in Abuja during the flag-off of the 2017 International Literacy Day celebration.



He said the Day serves as a platform for government at all levels and other stakeholders to review the progress so far made to tackle problem of adult illiteracy and the menace of out-of-school children.



Adamu, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Sunny Echono, decried the situation in which a large number of the citizens could neither read nor write. He said: Worldwide, 750 million adults today still lack even the most basic literacy skills. Some 264 million children and youths are not benefiting from education.



The minister said the theme of the 2017 International Literacy Day, Literacy in a digital world, was apt considering the present administrations determination to bring the necessary development to the country, adding that digital tools would play a great role in expanding access to learning. Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy and Adult Education (NMEC), Prof. Abba Abubakar Haladu, while acknowledging the challenges of tackling adult illiteracy, said the Commission has come up with an operational plan to address the problems.



He, however, called for support of all stakeholders to address the challenges as the Federal Government alone would not be able to do it. Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, stated this yesterday in Abuja during the flag-off of the 2017 International Literacy Day celebration.He said the Day serves as a platform for government at all levels and other stakeholders to review the progress so far made to tackle problem of adult illiteracy and the menace of out-of-school children.Adamu, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Sunny Echono, decried the situation in which a large number of the citizens could neither read nor write. He said:The minister said the theme of the 2017 International Literacy Day, Literacy in a digital world, was apt considering the present administrations determination to bring the necessary development to the country, adding that digital tools would play a great role in expanding access to learning. Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy and Adult Education (NMEC), Prof. Abba Abubakar Haladu, while acknowledging the challenges of tackling adult illiteracy, said the Commission has come up with an operational plan to address the problems.He, however, called for support of all stakeholders to address the challenges as the Federal Government alone would not be able to do it.

Post Reply I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 19-09-2017 07:55 AM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero
The content you are looking for has either been removed or requires you to login to view

Please login below or register for an account With Naijapals.com
JUST IN! IPOB Members Storm UN Office To Protest Against Buhari In New York -Photos+Video

felicilin at 19-09-2017 03:05 PM (5 years ago) (f)

Members of the Indigenous People of Bifafra IPOB, stormed in front of the United Nations office in New York to protest against president Muhammadu Buhari who is in the country for the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.. According to them, they are agitating against the killings and destruction of properties during the military invasion in Abia state.

Members of the Indigenous People of Bifafra IPOB, stormed in front of the United Nations office in New York to protest against president Muhammadu Buhari who is in the country for the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.. According to them, they are agitating against the killings and destruction of properties during the military invasion in Abia state.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=647mr10vupM

Post Reply Posted: at 19-09-2017 03:05 PM (5 years ago) | Hero

fineboy77 at 19-09-2017 03:14 PM (5 years ago)

(m) The struggle must continue. Ruthie,these ones are also jobless and hungry right? and you are definitely more intelligent than them right? What is the color beneath your skin? Posted: at 19-09-2017 03:14 PM (5 years ago) | Hero The struggle must continue. Ruthie,these ones are also jobless and hungry right? and you are definitely more intelligent than them right? Reply

gogoman at 19-09-2017 03:16 PM (5 years ago)

(m) poster like me burst your bloody lie!! that IS London Trafalgar square... THIS IS an OLD VIDEO .. THAT IS NOT DAMN UN OR NEW YORK Posted: at 19-09-2017 03:16 PM (5 years ago) | Grande Master poster like me burst your bloody lie!! that IS London Trafalgar square... THIS IS an OLD VIDEO .. THAT IS NOT DAMN UN OR NEW YORK Reply

gogoman at 19-09-2017 03:17 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Quote from: fineboy77 on 19-09-2017 03:14 PM The struggle must continue. Ruthie,these ones are also jobless and hungry right? and you are definitely more intelligent than them right?





IT FAKE VIDEO!! GO AND DRINK KAI KAI Posted: at 19-09-2017 03:17 PM (5 years ago) | Grande Master IT FAKE VIDEO!! GO AND DRINK KAI KAI Reply

ruthie at 19-09-2017 03:29 PM (5 years ago)

(f) Quote from: fineboy77 on 19-09-2017 03:14 PM The struggle must continue. Ruthie,these ones are also jobless and hungry right? and you are definitely more intelligent than them right?

OLD VIDEO ..STOP SPREADING HATEFUL PROPAGANDA OGA JOBLESS FELLOW...NOW THAT PMB HAS DONE THE RIGHT THING, U R NEXT LIKE YOUR FOOLISH LEADER KANU Posted: at 19-09-2017 03:29 PM (5 years ago) | Hero OLD VIDEO ..STOP SPREADING HATEFUL PROPAGANDA OGA JOBLESS FELLOW...NOW THAT PMB HAS DONE THE RIGHT THING, U R NEXT LIKE YOUR FOOLISH LEADER KANU Reply

ruthie at 19-09-2017 03:30 PM (5 years ago)

(f) Quote from: gogoman on 19-09-2017 03:17 PM

IT FAKE VIDEO!! GO AND DRINK KAI KAI

DONT MIND THE BUFFOON! Posted: at 19-09-2017 03:30 PM (5 years ago) | Hero DONT MIND THE BUFFOON! Reply

Haso112 at 19-09-2017 03:45 PM (5 years ago)

(m) WHY THIS IPOB PEOPLE JUST DEY SO DESPERATE TO BE RELEVANT...

1ST DEM CLAIM SAY DEM BE JEWS, THEIR EYES CLEAR AFTER DNA

THEIR LEADER TALK SAY ''AFTER BIAFRA WILL COME THE END OF THE WORLD, IF YOU LIKE, ASK ANY WHITE MAN'''

NA DEM STILL GO FIND FAKE TURKISH DIPLOMAT

NA DEM STILL POST FAKE ARMY VIDEOS

NA STILL DEM POST OLD VIDEO CLAIM SAY NA ONGOING #UNGA

#FAKENEWS IN DONALD TRUMPS VOICE...



I DEY WATCH #UNGA LIKE THIS, TRUMP GIVING HIS SPEECH, STILL WAITING FOR HIM TO MENTION NNAMDI KANU & BIAFRA... OH HE JUST FINISHED...!!! Posted: at 19-09-2017 03:45 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac WHY THIS IPOB PEOPLE JUST DEY SO DESPERATE TO BE RELEVANT...1ST DEM CLAIM SAY DEM BE JEWS, THEIR EYES CLEAR AFTER DNATHEIR LEADER TALK SAY ''AFTER BIAFRA WILL COME THE END OF THE WORLD, IF YOU LIKE, ASK ANY WHITE MAN'''NA DEM STILL GO FIND FAKE TURKISH DIPLOMATNA DEM STILL POST FAKE ARMY VIDEOSNA STILL DEM POST OLD VIDEO CLAIM SAY NA ONGOING #UNGA#FAKENEWS IN DONALD TRUMPS VOICE...I DEY WATCH #UNGA LIKE THIS, TRUMP GIVING HIS SPEECH, STILL WAITING FOR HIM TO MENTION NNAMDI KANU & BIAFRA... OH HE JUST FINISHED...!!! Reply

ruthie at 19-09-2017 03:52 PM (5 years ago)

(f) Quote from: Haso112 on 19-09-2017 03:45 PM WHY THIS IPOB PEOPLE JUST DEY SO DESPERATE TO BE RELEVANT...

1ST DEM CLAIM SAY DEM BE JEWS, THEIR EYES CLEAR AFTER DNA

THEIR LEADER TALK SAY ''AFTER BIAFRA WILL COME THE END OF THE WORLD, IF YOU LIKE, ASK ANY WHITE MAN'''

NA DEM STILL GO FIND FAKE TURKISH DIPLOMAT

NA DEM STILL POST FAKE ARMY VIDEOS

NA STILL DEM POST OLD VIDEO CLAIM SAY NA ONGOING #UNGA

#FAKENEWS IN DONALD TRUMPS VOICE...



I DEY WATCH #UNGA LIKE THIS, TRUMP GIVING HIS SPEECH, STILL WAITING FOR HIM TO MENTION NNAMDI KANU & BIAFRA... OH HE JUST FINISHED...!!!

Posted: at 19-09-2017 03:52 PM (5 years ago) | Hero Reply

willyking at 19-09-2017 04:02 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Wow this is nice very good no peace 4 the wicked.. Posted: at 19-09-2017 04:02 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Wow this is nice very good no peace 4 the wicked.. Reply

jjiofor at 19-09-2017 04:12 PM (5 years ago)

(m) "The root causes of the increasing loss of faith in the corporate existence of Nigeria by unemployed youths and other poverty-stricken people should be urgently addressed by the ruling class.

As a matter of urgency, the underdevelopment of the nation caused by the mindless corruption and criminal diversion of public funds by unpatriotic public officers on our hapless people should be addressed Posted: at 19-09-2017 04:12 PM (5 years ago) | Upcoming "The root causes of the increasing loss of faith in the corporate existence of Nigeria by unemployed youths and other poverty-stricken people should be urgently addressed by the ruling class.As a matter of urgency, the underdevelopment of the nation caused by the mindless corruption and criminal diversion of public funds by unpatriotic public officers on our hapless people should be addressed Reply

christianity at 19-09-2017 04:21 PM (5 years ago)

(m) nop be small thing Posted: at 19-09-2017 04:21 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac nop be small thing Reply

fineboy77 at 19-09-2017 04:28 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Quote from: gogoman on 19-09-2017 03:17 PM

IT FAKE VIDEO!! GO AND DRINK KAI KAI

is English language this difficult?,you are not doing so well online,pls go offline for sometime and use that time to go back to school What is the color beneath your skin? Posted: at 19-09-2017 04:28 PM (5 years ago) | Hero is English language this difficult?,you are not doing so well online,pls go offline for sometime and use that time to go back to school Reply

crocatum at 19-09-2017 04:28 PM (5 years ago)

(m) they are not really ready for biafra, Nnamdi cannot defend his people, he doesn't know how to strategize. Posted: at 19-09-2017 04:28 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac they are not really ready for biafra, Nnamdi cannot defend his people, he doesn't know how to strategize. Reply

crocatum at 19-09-2017 04:37 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Posted: at 19-09-2017 04:37 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac he was gentle but also knows that it takes time and never lost focus, he did not insult anyone, he was a champion in every eyes. Reply

Floyd29 at 19-09-2017 04:59 PM (5 years ago)

(f) Old vide poster, you are more jobless Posted: at 19-09-2017 04:59 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Old vide poster, you are more jobless Reply

freethinker at 19-09-2017 05:19 PM (5 years ago)

(m) GOD BLESS YOU GUYS FOR THIS Posted: at 19-09-2017 05:19 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac GOD BLESS YOU GUYS FOR THIS Reply

freethinker at 19-09-2017 05:20 PM (5 years ago)

(m) GOD BLESS BIAFRA!!! Posted: at 19-09-2017 05:20 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac GOD BLESS BIAFRA!!! Reply

freethinker at 19-09-2017 05:35 PM (5 years ago)

(m) BIAFRANS ARE BLESSED!!! Posted: at 19-09-2017 05:35 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac BIAFRANS ARE BLESSED!!! Reply

ThinkWisly at 19-09-2017 06:06 PM (5 years ago)

(m) SEE AS THIS POSTER PUT ALL OF ONAR FOR CONFUSION, VERY SORRY!! Posted: at 19-09-2017 06:06 PM (5 years ago) | Upcoming SEE AS THIS POSTER PUT ALL OF ONAR FOR CONFUSION, VERY SORRY!! Reply
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.
Man, 69, Shot While Working On Van By Teen On Bicycle In Robbery Attempt

By Stephen Gossett in News on Sep 19, 2017 6:55PM



Crime scene tape (Photo by LukaTDB via Shutterstock)

A 69-year-old man is in serious condition after he was shot on Tuesday morning during a robbery attempt while he worked on a van in South Lawn.

The victim and another person were working on the vehicle in the street, in the 2700 block of West 60th Street, at around 10:35 a.m. when a teen rode up on a bike and pulled out a gun. The victim would not turn over any valuables, then the gunman shot through the van, hitting the man in the stomach, according to police.

The victim was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, police said.

The shooter took off east on the bike. No one was in custody as of Tuesday morning.

Police said the gunman wore a black hoodie, blue jeans and white shoes and was described as being between 15 and 17 years old.


RENO, Nev., Sept. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:ORA) today launched a new corporate branding strategy, highlighting its mission to become a leading global renewable energy company by maintaining its leadership in the geothermal market and expanding into new markets and technologies. Following a significant and strategic rebranding process, Ormat launched its new website www.ormat.com, reflecting a cohesive new array of branding elements, including a modernized logo.



Ormats modern corporate branding is the culmination of the transformation started in mid- 2014. After 50 years of building an established and strong brand as a leader in the geothermal industry, the new generation of senior leadership outlined an updated strategy and defined the companys mission statement.



Ormats new corporate branding strategy is built on our rich corporate history as an established industry leader and incorporates the growing opportunities our leadership team is pursuing going forward, noted Isaac Angel, Ormats Chief Executive Officer. Building on decades of experience, we are leveraging our core capabilities and industry expertise to create significant, business value for all our stakeholders by advancing beyond Geothermal to energy management and storage solutions. Ormats brand stands for more than building renewable power plants. Together with our employees, customers and shareholders, Ormat is building a sustainable future.

Click here to learn more on Ormat rebranding story.

ABOUT ORMAT TECHNOLOGIES

With over five decades of experience, Ormat Technologies, Inc. is a leading geothermal company and the only vertically integrated company engaged in geothermal and recovered energy generation (REG), with the objective of becoming a leading global provider of renewable energy. The company owns, operates, designs, manufactures and sells geothermal and REG power plants primarily based on the Ormat Energy Converter  a power generation unit that converts low-, medium- and high-temperature heat into electricity. With 73 U.S. patents, Ormats power solutions have been refined and perfected under the most grueling environmental conditions. Ormat has 530 employees in the United States and 720 overseas. Ormats flexible, modular solutions for geothermal power and REG are ideal for the vast range of resource characteristics. The company has engineered, manufactured and constructed power plants, which it currently owns or has installed to utilities and developers worldwide, totaling over 2,200 MW of gross capacity. Ormats current 727 MW generating portfolio is spread globally in the U.S., Guatemala, Guadeloupe, Indonesia and Kenya. Ormat also intends to expand its operations and provide energy management and energy storage solutions, by leveraging its core capabilities and global presence as well as through its Viridity Energy Solutions, Inc. subsidiary, a Philadelphia-based company with nearly a decade of expertise and leadership in demand response, energy management and storage.

ORMATS SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

Information provided in this press release may contain statements relating to current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about future events that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally relate to Ormat's plans, objectives and expectations for future operations and are based upon its management's current estimates and projections of future results or trends. Actual future results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, see "Risk Factors" as described in Ormat Technologies, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 1, 2017.

These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Ormat Technologies Contact:

Smadar Lavi

Head of Investor Relations

775-356-9029 (ext. 65726)

slavi@ormat.com

Investor Relations Agency Contact:

Rob Fink/Brett Maas

Hayden - IR

646-415-8972/646-536-7331

rob@haydenir.com / brett@haydenir.com
Lithuanian English

Vilnius, Lithuania, 2017-09-19 11:23 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- By the initiative and decision of the Board of the company the Extraordinary General Meeting of Vilniaus Degtine AB (company code 120057287) to be held on 11th of October, 2017 at 13.00 at the company's premises in Paneriu str. 47, Vilnius is convened. Registration of shareholders starts at 12.00.

The shareholders attending the meeting must provide an identification document. The representatives of the shareholders must additionally posses a proxy approved by the procedure prescribed by law.

A shareholder may, by means of electronic communications, authorize a natural or legal person to participate and vote in his name at the General Meeting of Shareholders. Such a power of attorney of the shareholder need not be certified by a notary. The power of attorney issued through electronic communication channels must be confirmed by the shareholder by a safe electronic signature developed by safe signature equipment and approved by a qualified certificate effective in the Republic of Lithuania. The shareholder shall inform the company on the power of attorney issued through electronic communication channels by e-mail vd@degtine.lt no later than last business day before the meeting at 4 p.m. The power of attorney and notification shall be issued in writing. The power of attorney and notification to the company shall be signed with the Electronic Signature but not the letters sent via the e-mail. By submitting the notification to the company the shareholder shall include the Internet address from which it would be possible to download the software to verify an Electronics Signature of the shareholder.

The Meeting's accounting day  4th of October, 2017. The persons who are shareholders of the company at the end of accounting day of the General Meeting of Shareholders shall have the right to attend and vote at the General Meeting of Shareholders.

On the Agenda:

Regarding mortgage and pledge of companies fixed assets; Other questions.

The agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders may be supplemented by initiative of shareholders who own shares no less than 1/20 of all the votes. Proposals to the agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders may be submitted by e-mail vd@degtine.lt or delivered to the Company's office at Paneriu str. 47, Vilnius, no later than the 27th of September, 2017. Please be informed that along with a proposal to supplement the agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders must be submitted the drafts of proposed decisions, or if the decisions shall not be adopted, explanations on each of the proposed issue.

Shareholders who own shares no less than 1/20 of all votes own the right at any time before the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders or during the meeting in writing (delivering proposals to the company at Paneriu str. 47, Vilnius) or by e-mail vd@degtine.lt propose new draft decisions related to the questions included into agenda, additional candidates of the companys organs, propose an audit company.

Shareholders own the right to ask the questions concerning the agenda on 11th of October, 2017 of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. Questions may be submitted by e-mail vd@degtine.lt or delivered directly to the Company's office at Paneriu str. 47, Vilnius, not later than the 6th of October, 2017. The Company may refuse to answer to shareholder's questions if they are concerned to the commercial (industrial) secrets or other confidential information. If it is possible to set the shareholder's identity, the Company shall inform the shareholder on the refusal to provide asked information.

Each shareholder or representative thereof shall have the right to cast his/her vote in advance in writing by filling in a general ballot paper. The general ballot paper form shall be announced in the company's website http://www.degtine.lt. no later than 21 days before the Meeting. Upon the shareholders request in writing, the company no later than 10 days before the Meeting shall send a general ballot paper by registered mail free of charge or hand it in person against signature. The general ballot paper filled shall be signed by the shareholder or his/her representative. In case the ballot paper is signed by the shareholders authorized representative, such person along with the filled ballot paper shall submit the document to confirm the voting right corresponding to the requirements set by the laws. The ballot paper filled and the document confirming the voting right (if required) shall be submitted in a written form to the company's head office Paneriu str. 47, Vilnius, by registered mail or by handing against signature no later than on the last business day before the Meeting.

The following information and documents during the whole period are available on the website of the company http://www.degtine.lt starting no later than 21 days before the Meeting:

- report on the convening of the Meeting;

- the total number of the company's shares and the number of shares with voting rights on the convening day of the Meeting;

- draft resolutions on each agenda issue and other documents to be submitted to the Meeting;

- general ballot paper form.

Authorized to provide additional information  General Manager Raimonda Pilke 8 5 233 0819

Raimonda Pilke

General Manager

8 5 233 0819
Could Tiny Houses Help Alleviate Homelessness In Chicago? City Explores The Idea

By Stephen Gossett in News on Sep 19, 2017 9:42PM



Low Income Housing Institute helps construct tiny houses for homeless people in Seattle / Facebook

The city is at least exploring the possibility of using tiny houses to help reduce homelessness in the Chicago.

The City Council on Tuesday held a hearing to discuss the topicwhich still remains only a proposal at this point. At the meeting, Anthony Simpkins, of the Housing Bureau of the citys Department of Planning and Development, told a committee that the city is exploring issues such as cost, location, design and whether or not the houses would be constructed using public finances, according to the Tribune.

At the same time, the project appears to have an early ally in the Catholic Charities. Eileen Higgins, vice president of the Archdiocese of Chicago-affiliated organization, said at the hearing they want to build seven tiny homes to provide shelter for homeless veterans on lots near 79th Street and Emerald Avenue, in Auburn Gresham, where they already have an infrastructure for homeless support.

The hearing took place just one day after the city displaced several homeless people in Uptown, who had been residing in a so-called tent city beneath a viaduct, after a judge ruled last week that a bridge repair and new-construction project could proceed. The hearing however was the followup to a resolution introduced by Ald. Ed Burke (14th) back in May, which called for representatives of the Mayor's Task Force to Reduce Homelessness to testify on the concept's feasibility.

Cities like Portland, OR and Berkeley, CA "are testing out-of-the-box' solutions to a chronic problem that all major urban centers face. I see no reason why Chicago should not also think and act innovatively," Burke said in a release at the time of the introduction of his resolution.

His resolution cites "320-square-foot homes that are a low-cost and quick way to provide a home for homeless individual" and states that Seattle's Low Income Housing Institute "builds these homes for as little as $2,200, afforded through public or non-profit funds."

Simpkins however reportedly said the Seattle model would not directly translate to Chicago, if a pilot initiative is indeed launched.

"If we were to develop our own Chicago model specific to our climate, we would require certain features not contemplated in...the Seattle model, like heating for the winter season," he said, according to the Sun-Times.
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - Sep 19, 2017) - Liberty One Lithium Corp. ("Liberty" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: LBY) (OTCQB: LRTTF) (FRANKFURT: L1T), is pleased to advise that Brad Nichol, CEO of Liberty One recently returned from an extensive visit to the Company's Pocitos West Property in Argentina and reports on current and future planning efforts.

As a direct result of its recently announced geophysical survey findings (see August 17, 2017 press release) the Company has submitted the requisite environmental and drilling applications in order to accelerate a study of the prospective thick, contiguous probable brine horizon suggested by geophysics throughout the entire 29km length of its mining property. Given the regional nature of lithium brine assets in the immediate area, the Company believes the potential for brine to exist beneath the majority of the 39,000-acre property license is highly probable.

In order to further evaluate the property, the Company and its operators have developed an operational plan in anticipation of imminently receiving the permit to drill up to 11 test holes. At this time, the Company expects to commence drilling operations in Q4 2017.

Anticipated results include determination of the geology, lithology and refinement of the existing geophysical interpretation. This includes brine sampling in order to better understand the chemistry, including lithium and potassium, amongst others. In addition, the proposed program will likely include a production-scale pumping test along with core sampling to determine N.I. 43-101 regulatory compliant porosity and permeability, which will be used in future resource determinations.

Upon concluding his visit to the property, Company CEO, Brad Nichol noted, "I am extremely pleased with the progress and results the Company has achieved to-date." Nichol continues, "The last 30 days have reinforced my decision to make a significant investment in Liberty One and join the Company. I am confident we have the necessary components in place to build a large, successful lithium production company. We have the world's preeminent go-to lithium team based in Argentina, led by a former 29-year Rio Tinto lithium expert and supported by local mining industry veterans including chemists, geologists, engineers, laboratory personnel, operators as well as one of the region's foremost mining legal firms with extensive lithium brine experience."

The Argentinian property is located in Salta Province, which is ranked by respected Fraser Institute analysts as the #1 jurisdiction in Argentina and #3 locale in all of Latin America to do business. It is ideally proximal to a large diameter natural gas transmission line, high-voltage power and rail transportation. A national highway runs through the middle of the property and continues into Chile to an all-weather, all-year, deep-water port. The property is virtually surrounded by lithium discoveries, reserves and production, all of which are positioned in the renowned Lithium Triangle where over half of the world's lithium is currently produced.

In related news, the Company further reports from the United States where it holds an interest encompassing approximately 4,000 acres of mining licenses in the Paradox Basin of southeastern Utah. Liberty One Lithium has recently made an annual lease payment to maintain the mineral licenses in good standing in order to further study and evaluate future opportunities and activities proposed for this extensive asset.

Regarding corporate activities, Mr. Nichol notes that effective and efficient sourcing and deployment of capital are vitally important to the Company. He affirms this by stating, "Near to my heart is the successful deployment of our rarest commodity, our investors' cash. I have based a large part of my career on spending capital like it is scarce and difficult to obtain -- which it is, especially for a junior exploration company."

Nichol adds, "I aim to work tirelessly in the pursuit of creating a highly successful lithium company that investors want to own. The Company is built on three core fundamentals that align directly with my vision for success: 1. Team: a world-class, highly desired team; 2. Location: assets of considerable scale, all with enviable lithium addresses and a line of sight to imminent and significant lithium production; and 3. Capital Management: our ability to raise a large amount of capital at successively higher valuations is a testament to the professionalism and quality of our assets along with the trust of our long-standing shareholders in our ability to manage their capital."

Iain Scarr, an arm's length party to the Company, is the Qualified Person responsible for the technical disclosure in this news release.

For further information about Liberty One Lithium Corp., please visit www.libertyonelithium.com or view the Company's filings at www.SEDAR.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"/s/ Brad Nichol"

Brad Nichol

President & CEO

About Liberty One Lithium (TSX VENTURE: LBY) (OTCQB: LRTTF) (FRANKFURT: L1T)

Liberty One Lithium Corp. is a lithium exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of high grade lithium brine deposits. The extensive Pocitos West Argentinian property is based in the heart of the well-known "Lithium Triangle" and positioned on-trend within 25 km of several lithium producers. The property is ideally situated for lithium brine production via low-cost and well-proven evaporation methods, and is adjacent to substantive infrastructure and a skilled, experienced labour force. Liberty's international team is comprised of recognized technical experts that have focused on lithium for decades. The Company is stringently managed with a critical eye on value-creative decision making, aimed at ensuring the Company is well-capitalized and consistently creating value for shareholders. Read more at: www.libertyonelithium.com/about-us/summary.

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

Some of the statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "is expected," "potential," "suggests" or variations of such words or phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "should," "would," "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are not historical facts and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control. 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. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 19, 2017) - Torex Gold Resources Inc. (the "Company" or "Torex") (TSX:TXG) is pleased to announce high grade intercepts in the step-out drilling in the quadrant to the northwest of the current Sub-Sill resource area, associated with its El Limon-Guajes Mine (ELG) in Southwest Mexico. Highlighted intercepts from this step-out program include 41.4 g/t Au over 19.3m in a 40-meter step-out to the north, in borehole SST-71. To the northwest, in a 130-meter step-out, borehole SST-91 intercepted 35.9m of 5.7 g/t Au, including 3.5m of 32.2 g/t Au, and another 3.5m of 14.1 g/t Au. In a more westerly direction, in a 240-meter step-out, borehole SST-88 intercepted 11.6 g/t Au over 3.6 meters. The Company also announced results of an additional 15 holes of the in-fill program that will contribute to the next resource estimate, including 32.2 g/t Au over 29.3m in borehole SST-72.

Fred Stanford, President & CEO of Torex stated: "The current Sub-Sill resource estimate area is approximately 250m x 150m. The high grade results from the step-out drilling in the quadrant to the NW of the resource area, including a 240m step-out borehole, certainly confirm the potential for additional resources in this direction. Step-out drilling near the resource in the NE quadrant intercepted granodiorite in the target area. Longer range step-out drilling is planned to determine whether the intrusive rocks continue in this direction, or if skarn exists on the 'other side' of a localized intrusion. To the SW, several boreholes have been drilled and we are waiting for assays. To the SE, we will wait until after the rainy season to drill in this area." He added - "These are exciting times for the Sub-Sill program, we look forward to the upcoming update to the resource and the subsequent mine plan to convert those resources to reserves. Both are expected before year end 2017. In the meantime, step-out drilling will continue, as will underground mining activities to install infrastructure and extract mineral for processing."

Highlights from the step-out drilling at the Sub-Sill

BH ID Interval (m) Interval

Length (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Cu (%) Lithology From To SST-71 287.90 307.20 19.3 41.4 43.4 2.1 Skarn Including 291.07 296.66 5.6 69.8 56.8 1.7 Skarn SST-91 420.18 456.06 35.9 5.7 1.2 0.0 Skarn Including 433.59 437.09 3.5 32.2 3.7 0.0 Skarn Including 452.56 456.06 3.5 14.1 3.5 0.0 Skarn SST-67 171.30 176.15 4.8 8.5 20.3 1.2 Skarn 299.46 305.51 6.1 15.7 1.7 0.0 Skarn SST-88 236.00 239.60 3.6 2.9 3.8 0.2 Skarn 319.04 322.64 3.6 2.6 6.6 0.2 Skarn 416.29 419.89 3.6 11.6 0.5 0.0 Skarn

Note: True thickness of the mineralized zone is unknown and is reported as drill hole length. Interval lengths have been selected to represent a minimum mining height of 3.5 meters.

Highlights from the in-fill drilling at the Sub-Sill

BH ID Interval (m) Interval

Length (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Cu (%) Lithology From To SST-72 43.47 47.07 3.6 9.0 2.6 0.0 Skarn 84.51 113.80 29.3 32.2 33.1 1.6 Skarn Including 84.51 90.44 5.9 103.5 62.4 3.9 Skarn 117.63 121.87 4.2 15.4 16.2 0.6 Skarn SST-61 186.34 191.64 5.3 52.9 15.1 0.5 Skarn Including 188.17 191.64 3.5 77.3 22.5 0.7 Skarn SST-69 30.94 35.78 4.8 4.9 7.0 0.3 Skarn 51.93 61.64 9.7 16.5 31.3 3.3 Skarn Including 54.75 58.63 3.9 31.4 44.7 5.0 Skarn SST-42 53.38 60.00 6.6 8.5 2.5 0.0 Skarn 83.50 108.00 24.5 10.7 5.8 0.2 Skarn Including 102.00 108.00 6.0 18.1 9.9 0.4 Skarn

Note: True thickness of the mineralized zone is unknown and is reported as drill hole length. Interval lengths have been selected to represent a minimum mining height of 3.5 meters.

Please refer to Tables 1 and 2 for complete lists and expanded description of the borehole intercepts reported in this press release. Refer to Figure 1 and 2 for general borehole location. Refer to Figures 3-5 for cross sections.

The Company's Sub-Sill in-fill diamond drilling program comprises a total of 47 holes (7,295m). The purpose of the program, at a 17.5m x 17.5m drill pattern, is to upgrade 1,000,000 tonnes, over an area of 250m x 150m, to the Indicated category, which will support the development of a mine plan. The positive results to date confirm the geological continuity of the skarn zones as well as the continuity and the strength of the mineralization system. The results to-date of the drilling program also demonstrates the existence and continuity of other mantos underneath the main resource zone, that were not included in the resource estimate due to the insufficient drilling at the time.

The Sub-Sill area is located between the El Limon and El Limon Sur ore deposits and under the El Limon Sill. The Sub-Sill area occurs in the Mesozoic carbonate-rich Morelos Platform, which has been intruded by Paleocene granodiorite stocks, sills and dikes. Skarn-hosted gold mineralization is developed along the contacts of the intrusive rocks and the enclosing carbonate-rich sedimentary rocks. Structurally, the Sub-Sill target area as well as El Limon and El Limon Sur ore deposits are hosted in a graben bounded by La Flaca fault to the west and the Antena fault to the east, and both are considered to be potential feeders for the mineralization. At the Sub-Sill area, several skarn zones have been identified along the contacts of the carbonate rich sediments and marbles of the Cuautla and Morelos formations and sills fingering out from granodiorite stocks. High grade gold mineralization has been intercepted in all the different skarn horizons. Within the skarn zones individual shoots of mineralization vary in strike length from approximately 50 meters up to 200 meters, with apparent thickness varying from 2 meters to 36 meters.

Mineralization of the Sub-Sill area is primarily gold, with variable amounts of silver and copper. Gold occurs in low and high sulfidized pyrrhotite rich skarns, while silver and copper mineralization is primarily determined by the degree of sulfidation of the host skarn. Mineralization is strongly associated with a late stage retrograde alteration characterized by amphiboles, chlorite, calcite  quartz  epidote, affecting pyroxene-garnet marble related exoskarn and granodiorite porphyry related endoskarn. Locally mineralization occurs in narrow lenses of massive sulfides.

QA/QC and Qualified Person

At the Morelos Gold Project, all of the Sub-Sill target analytical work is performed by SGS de Mexico S.A. de C.V. ("SGS") in Durango, Mexico and at SGS Mineral Services in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and ALS Chemex de Mexico S.A. de C.V.

Sample preparation is done at the SGS sample preparation laboratory in Durango, Mexico. The gold analysis (fire assay with an atomic absorption or gravimetric finish) is completed at the SGS analytical laboratory in Durango, Mexico and multi-element geochemical analysis and Copper Sequential Leaching is completed at their analytical facilities in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Check assays samples are analyzed at ALS Chemex Vancouver, BC, Canada. SGS and ALS Chemex, are independent of the Company.

The Company has a Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") program in place that includes 5% of each of the certified reference materials, blanks and field duplicates. 10% of pulp samples are analyzed at a second laboratory as part of the QA/QC program to ensure the batch to batch relative bias remains constant and that absolute accuracy at anomalous to near cut-off grades is measured and acceptable. The QA/QC program as designed, has been approved by Bureau Veritas and is currently overseen by Carlo Nasi, Chief Mine Geologist for the Morelos Gold Project.

The scientific and technical data contained in this news release pertaining to the Morelos Project has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Mark P. Hertel as a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr. Hertel is a Registered Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, has experience relevant to the style of mineralization under consideration and is an independent consultant. Mr. Hertel has verified the data disclosed, including sampling, analytical, and test data underlying the drill results and he consents to the inclusion in this release of said data in the form and context in which it appears.

Additional information on the El Limon-Guajes deposit, the mineral resource estimate for the Sub-Sill deposit and analytical labs is available in the Company's most recent annual information form filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and the Company's website at www.torexgold.com.

Torex is an emerging intermediate gold producer based in Canada, engaged in the exploration, development and operation of its 100% owned Morelos Gold Property, an area of 29,000 hectares in the highly prospective Guerrero Gold Belt located 180 kilometers southwest of Mexico City. Within this property, Torex has the El Limon Guajes Mine, which announced commercial production in March of 2016 and the Media Luna Project, which is in an advanced stage of exploration, and for which the Company issued a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) in 2015. The property remains 75% unexplored.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Notwithstanding the Company's efforts, there can be no guarantee that the Company will not face unforeseen delays or disruptions. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information with respect to the drill program for the Sub-Sill area and the results of the drill program contained herein, including the continuity of the high grade gold mineralization and potential for additional mineral resources in the area to the Northwest of Sub-Sill resource, the assessment of the geological continuity of the skarn zones, the continuity and the strength of the mineralization system and the existence and continuity of other mantos underneath the main resource zone, the expectation of upgrading the Sub-Sill mineral resource, plans for mine planning, determining a mineral reserve and completing additional step-out drilling to the Southeast and longer range step-out drilling to the Northeast of the Sub-Sill resource, the potential for expanding the Sub-Sill resource area, future exploration and development plans of the Company and the potential for mining the Sub-Sill area. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "indicates", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "upcoming", or "subsequent" or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" or "will be taken", "occur", or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, without limitation, the risk associated with the variability of skarn deposits, the risk that actual results of current exploration and development activities will not achieve expectations and other risk factors identified in the Company's annual information form and management's discussion and analysis. Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view Tables 1 and 2, please visit the following links:

http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1102382_tab1.pdf

http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1102382_tab2.pdf

To view Figures 1-5, please visit the following links:

http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1102382_fig1.pdf

http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1102382_fig2.pdf

http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1102382_fig3.pdf

http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1102382_fig4.pdf

http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1102382_fig5.pdf
TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Integra Resources Corp. (CSE:ITR) (the Company or Integra) is pleased to announce that it will acquire 100% of the DeLamar Gold and Silver Project from a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kinross Gold Corp. (Kinross) for C$7.5 million in cash and the issuance of Integra shares that is equal to 9.9% of all of the issued and outstanding Integra shares upon closing of the transaction. The DeLamar project is subject to a retained variable net smelter return (NSR) royalty payable to Kinross. Concurrent to the DeLamar transaction, Integra has signed binding letters of intent (LOIs with two private entities to acquire patented claims in the past-producing Florida Mountain Gold and Silver Project (Florida Mountain), which borders DeLamar to the east.



The DeLamar project, located in southern Idaho, includes Kinross DeLamar Mine that closed in 1998 due to low precious metal prices (below US$300) after producing 1.6Mozs of gold and 100Mozs of silver. Located 80 km south of Boise, Idaho, the DeLamar Project constitutes roughly 5,300 acres of patented and unpatented claims, and a further 4,100 acres of leased lands with approximately 1,575 drill holes and 145,940m of drilling outlined in historic databases. Average drill hole depth was less than 100m, with only four holes deeper than 350m. A material portion of drilled out precious metal mineralization remains un-mined, with significant exploration potential to outline further near surface bulk tonnage resources as well as high grade underground potential using modern exploration techniques. Utilizing all available drill data, Integra is in the process of completing an updated resource estimate for the DeLamar Project and expects to announce in the coming weeks.



We are pleased to be part of this formative transaction with Kinross because, in our view, the pedigree and genesis of this asset opportunity bears some striking similarities to Integra Golds asset acquisition of Sigma-Lamaque, back at its nascent stages, stated George Salamis, President and CEO of Integra. Integra is once again emerging as a precious metals company with a past producing property in a developed world, pro-mining jurisdiction, with excellent access and infrastructure and host to a large geological database to work from. This property hasnt seen any modern exploration work for almost 30 years. The Integra team is keen to get working on financing and executing an aggressive path of exploration and future studies. We believe the exploration upside potential for both heap-leachable gold-silver mineralization at surface and high grade, vein-type feeder mineralization is very promising.



Our goal was to find a project in North America that has the possibility to offer significant upside potential and shareholder value, similar to what we did with Integra Gold, added Steve de Jong, Chairman of Integra. We could not have asked for a better project than DeLamar to build this value and we are pleased to have Kinross as a large shareholder. The Integra Gold team delivered on the Lamaque project during some of the most depressed market conditions in recent memory. We are confident that we can once again deliver from yet another world-class gold jurisdiction, especially in this more promising precious metals market.



Key DeLamar Highlights

Established production history: Over 100 years of prior open pit and underground mining operations, with total historic production of 1.6Mozs of gold and 100Mozs of silver and excellent CIL and heap leach recoveries. Typical recoveries for dominantly oxidized ores processed through the DeLamar agitated leach mill between 1990 and 1998 ranged between 85% to 95% for gold and 70% to 80% for silver. Recoveries for mixed oxide ore typically ranged between 77% to 90% for gold and 65% to 75% for silver.



Under the radar opportunity with multiple untested targets: The mine has remained relatively unknown since it was put on care and maintenance in 1998 following low metal prices, and no exploration work has taken place on multiple high conviction targets in over two decades.



Robust resource potential: As a result of limited exploration work during DeLamars operating mine life and no exploration post closure, the potential to expand existing mineralization and outline further near-surface bulk tonnage resources is high, as well as the opportunity to employ modern techniques to explore high grade underground targets.



Excellent infrastructure and existing on-site facilities: All-season road access, grid power, a lined water treatment pond, workshop, and an office exist on site.



NI 43-101 resource estimate underway: Mine Development Associates (MDA) based in Reno Nevada is currently completing a mineral resource estimate on DeLamar that is scheduled to be completed in the coming weeks.

Terms of the DeLamar Acquisition



Integra has entered into a binding stock purchase agreement dated September 18, 2017 (the Agreement) with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kinross pursuant to which the Company has agreed to acquire the entity holding 100% of Kinross interest in DeLamar, located in southern Idaho (the Transaction).



The terms of the proposal for the purchase of the DeLamar project are outlined as follows:

Basic Economic Terms: The aggregate consideration payable by Integra for the purchase of DeLamar will consist of the following: Cash payments to Kinross totalling C$7,500,000, comprised of between C$3,000,000 and C$5,000,000 payable at the DeLamar Closing, with the exact amount dependent on the size of the Private Placement, and the balance being payable within 18 months after the closing of the sale and purchase of DeLamar (the DeLamar Closing). Integra Shares to be issued to Kinross or its designee at the DeLamar Closing (Integra Consideration Shares) constituting 9.9% of the outstanding Integra Shares, on a non-diluted basis, after giving effect to the Private Placement.

Kinross has retained a 2.5% NSR royalty that applies on those portions of the DeLamar claims that are unencumbered by existing royalties, which may be reduced to 1% upon the Kinross receiving total royalty payments of C$ 10,000,000.

Concurrent Equity Financing: The DeLamar Closing will be conditional upon the closing of an equity private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of at least C$25,000,000 (the Private Placement).





Acquisition of Additional Florida Mountain Claims



Conditional upon the completion of the Transaction, Integra will acquire 47 mining claims totaling approximately 238 hectares that form part of the Florida Mountain claims group, which are situated in the Carson Mining District in Owyhee County, Idaho and located adjacent to the DeLamar Project. The LOIs provide Integra with the exclusive right to execute definitive agreements for the acquisition of certain patented claims in Florida Mountain. The terms of the proposal for the purchase of additional Florida Mountain claims from two private groups are outlined as follows:

Aggregate Purchase Price: US$2 Million

Royalties: The project is being sold royalty-free

Closing: The closing of the Florida Mountain transaction will be concurrent with the DeLamar Closing.

Investor Rights Agreement



In connection with the issuance of the Integra Consideration Shares to Kinross, Kinross and the Company will enter into an investor rights agreement on the effective date of the DeLamar Closing, pursuant to which, and subject to certain conditions, Kinross will have the right (until such time as Kinross beneficially owns less than 5% of the Integra Shares for the first time following completion of the Transaction) to (i) participate in any future equity offerings by the Company in order to maintain its proportionate interest in the Company and (ii) nominate one person to the board of directors of the Company (until such time as Kinross beneficially owns less than 9.9% of the Integra Shares for the first time following completion of the Transaction). Kinross will also be subject to a lock-up until the date that is 12 months from the DeLamar Closing, which will prohibit Kinross from disposing of its Integra Consideration Shares, subject to certain exceptions.



Stock Exchange Matters



As at the date hereof, the Integra Shares are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange. A condition to completion of the Transaction is the conditional approval for the listing of the Integra Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange.



Advisors and Counsel



Integra has retained GMP Securities L.P. as financial advisor and Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP as legal advisor.



Qualified Person



Unless otherwise indicated, the scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by E. Max Baker Ph.D. M. AustIMM, of Reno, Nevada who is a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and is independent of Integra.



About Integra Resources



Integra Resources Corp., formerly, Mag Copper, is a development-stage company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in the Americas. The management team comprises the former executive team from Integra Gold Corp.



ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

George Salamis

CEO & President

CONTACT INFORMATION

Corporate Inquiries: Chris Gordon, chris@integraresources.com

Or visit the company website: www.integraresources.com

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "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 statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: the completion of the Transaction and the acquisition of the Florida Mountain claims; the anticipated benefits of the Transaction (including the acquisition of the Florida Mountain claims and the Private Placement) to Integra and its shareholders; the timing and receipt of the required stock exchange and regulatory approvals for the Transaction; the timing and ability of Integra to satisfy the conditions precedent to completing the Transaction and the acquisition of the Florida Mountain claims; completion of the Private Placement; anticipated use of proceeds from the Private Placement; the length of the current market cycle and requirements for an issuer to survive in the current market cycle; future growth potential of Integra; and future development plans.



These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of Integra at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Integra to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: satisfaction or waiver of all applicable conditions to the completion of the Transaction and the acquisition of the Florida Mountain claims (including receipt of all necessary stock exchange and regulatory approvals or consents, and the absence of material changes with respect to the parties and their respective businesses, all as more particularly set forth in the Agreement); ability to close the Private Placement on the proposed terms or at all, the synergies expected from the Transaction and the acquisition of the Florida Mountain claims not being realized; business integration risks; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of Integra believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, Integra cannot assure its shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.



Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, Integra assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.
Man Arrested For Burning Flag Gets $15K In Settlement, Then Again Posts Photo Of Burning Flag

By Stephen Gossett in News on Sep 19, 2017 10:39PM



Facebook

An Illinois man will be awarded thousands of dollars after he settled his lawsuit against the Urbana Police Department, which arrested him last year after he posted a photo of himself burning the American flag. After the settlement, he again shared on social media a photo of himself with the flag on fire.

Bryton Mellott, Urbana, will receive $15,000, plus an additional $20,000 for legal fees in the settlement, the AP reports. Mellottwho was represented by the American Civil Liberties Unionwas arrested on July 4 of last year. He was reportedly detained for five hours, but charges were not filed. Mellott sued the department's four arresting officers.

He posted the photo of himself on Facebook holding the flag ablaze on July 3, 2016 with the hashtag #youbetterburnthatflag. It has been shared more than 20,000 times. He also reportedly wrote he's "not proud to be an American," mentioning "atrocities" committed against minorities, though those words seem to have been edited.

Mellott was arrested under the Illinois' flag desecration law, but those state laws were essentially rendered obsolete when the Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that the act falls under the category of protected free speech, in Texas v. Johnson.

In the wake of the settlement on Monday, Mellot again posted a photo that appeared to show him holding a burning flag, with the words "eff ur flag."
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadian Zeolite Corp. (the Company) (TSX.V:CNZ) (OTCQB:CNZCF) (FSE:ZEON) is pleased to report it has established a foot-hold in the large Ontario animal feed, bedding and composting markets. The Company is receiving repeat container orders (48,400 lbs per container) for its Bromley Creek processed zeolite and is also seeing significant growth and repeat container orders in Western Canada for various zeolite products and processed sized zeolite.

Canadian Zeolite works closely with Absorbent Products Ltd (APL) under a Mining Operations Agreement to ensure mining operations and product processing is conducted at the highest standards as we continue to commercialize the Bromley Creek zeolite. We are currently transporting crushed zeolite from the mine site to APLs mill in Kamloops for processing and packaging. In mid-October inventory will be increased at the mine to meet the demands for the upcoming season.

We are delighted with the progress the Company is making in sales through our distributors, in-house sales and through APL's National and International sales networks. Repeat orders confirm the effectiveness of our Bromley Creek zeolite and the increasing demand for our zeolite. We are very pleased to be a supplier for one of Canada's largest independent feed mills through Canadian Zeolite's distributor Ross Enterprises Limited of Ontario as well as to our distributors in Western Canada including Bella Turf (with dealers across Canada) and Shift Supplies Ltd. Canadian Zeolite continues to invest in research, development and testing initiatives to dramatically increase our reach into the many markets that would benefit from our zeolite. stated Ray Paquette CEO.

Mr. Paquette continued, one of our research collaboration and product development initiatives is with the University of Northern British Columbia. The research will focus on three key areas; water filtration - for communities dealing with contaminated water, growing mediums - for consumable products and a seedling program for forestry, composting  for odor reduction and creating a value-add compost for municipalities across Canada.

Canadian Zeolite is well-positioned to meet the growing demands of the Canadian and US markets with its Bromley Creek zeolite, processing, packaging, and shipping capability. The Company is currently establishing global relationships to ensure a zeolite supply for identified markets which are not logistically viable from our British Columbia operations.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Ray Paquette

President & CEO

604.684.3301

www.canadianzeolite.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future expenditures. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, among others, the ability to complete contemplated work programs and the timing and amount of expenditures. Canadian Zeolite does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

VANCOUVER, Sept. 19, 2017 /CNW/ - Freegold Ventures Ltd. ("Freegold" or the "Corporation") (TSX:FVL) is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced marketed public offering (the "Offering") of units (the "Units") of the Corporation for total gross proceeds of $3,005,112. The Corporation has issued 25,042,600 Units at a price of $0.12 per Unit. The Offering was completed through Paradigm Capital Inc. (the "Agent"), acting as agent.

Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of Freegold and one-half of one common share purchase warrant. Each whole common share purchase warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one common share at any time prior to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on the date that is two years following the closing date of the Offering at a price of $0.18.The Corporation has also granted the Agent an option to cover over-allotments and for market stabilization purposes (the "Over Allotment Option"), which will allow the Agent to arrange for purchasers to acquire up to an additional 15% of the Units issued pursuant to the Offering. The Over Allotment Option will be exercisable, in whole or in part, at any time until noon (Toronto time) on the 30th day following the closing of the Offering.

The Corporation intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for exploration work to be completed at the Corporation's Shorty Creek and Golden Summit projects in Alaska and for general working capital purposes.

The Offering was completed pursuant to the final short form prospectus of the Corporation dated September 11th, 2017 (the "Prospectus"), which has been filed in each of the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. The Prospectus contains important detailed information about the securities being offered. Investors should read the prospectus before making an investment decision. A copy of the Prospectus is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or from the Agent by contacting the Agent at ecm@paradigmcap.com.

This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States or to "U.S. persons" ("U.S. persons"), as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"). The securities being offered have not been, nor will be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements.

About Freegold Ventures Limited

Freegold is a TSX listed company focused on exploration in Alaska and holds the Golden Summit Gold Project, near Fairbanks as well as a 100% lease interest on the Shorty Creek Copper  Gold  Molybdenum Project near Livengood.



This news release contains "forward-looking information" which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Offering, including the use of net proceeds therefrom. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or variations (including negative variations of such words and phrases), or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Corporation has applied certain factors and assumptions that it believes are reasonable, including that there is no material deterioration in general business and economic conditions; that there are no adverse changes in relevant laws or regulations; that the supply and demand for, deliveries of, and the level and volatility of prices of metals and minerals develop as expected; that the Corporation receives any regulatory and governmental approvals for its projects on a timely basis; that the Corporation is able to obtain financing on reasonable terms; that the Corporation is able to procure equipment and supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis; that engineering and exploration timetables and capital costs for the Corporation's exploration plans are not incorrectly estimated or affected by unforeseen circumstances and that any environmental and other proceedings or disputes are satisfactorily resolved.

However, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Corporation and/or its subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the inherent risks involved in the exploration and development of mineral properties, the uncertainties involved in interpreting drilling results and other geological data, fluctuating metal prices, the possibility of unanticipated costs and expenses, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future and uncertainties related to metal recoveries, those factors discussed or referred to under "Risk Factors" in the Corporation's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2016 dated March 31, 2017. Although the Corporation has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference herein are made as of the date of this news release, based on the opinions and estimates of management at that time. 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 Corporation does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Freegold Ventures Ltd.
Attica Scott Is Tired of Being the 'Angry Black Woman' [Episode 11]
Maine's largest city will no longer celebrate Columbus Day as a municipal holiday.The Portland City Council voted unanimously Monday to designate the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day. The vote came after nearly an hour of public comment.Portland became the latest municipality in Maine to recognize indigenous people instead of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, who arrived in the New World on Oct. 12, 1492. Belfast was the first to make the switch in 2015, Bangor did so last month and Orono followed suit last week. Later Monday night, the Brunswick Town Council voted 8-1 to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day.Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1937 and will continue to be.While the initiatives in Belfast and Bangor saw no public opposition, Italian-Americans, including representatives of the Italian American Heritage Center, opposed the proposal in Portland. They said Columbus Day is less a celebration about one individual and more a celebration of Italian-American heritage."This is like a slap in the face to the Italians who reside here," said Maryanne Dalfonso Reali, a past president of the heritage center, which has a statue of Columbus in its lobby in Portland.Steve Caminiti, who grew up in Portland but now lives in Falmouth, said he didn't want to argue about whether Columbus was a good man or a bad man. Instead, he highlighted the fact that Portland, and America in general, is a nation of immigrants."We look at that as something that celebrates our contribution to the city of Portland and the country overall," Caminiti said. "We understand all of these things are tainted in history."But others see a darker side of history -- one that is rarely taught in history books.Maulian Dana Smith, a member of the Penobscot Nation, said Columbus committed heinous crimes, including genocide. She noted how natives literally had their native language beaten out of them."You can't ask us to gloss over that history just so people can have a day off," Smith said.Portland resident Jenn Sorkin was more blunt.Columbus was "a murderer," Sorkin said. "He's a rapist. He's an enslaver. If he were alive today there is no doubt he would be on death row. It's absolute nonsense."Western Europeans first came to the Portland peninsula back in the 1600s, when it was a part of Falmouth. However, little is known about the Wabanakis who once called this region "Aucocisco." Historians have estimated 90 percent of them were killed by disease brought by early explorers and by warfare after settlers arrived in full force.City Councilor Spencer Thibodeau seemed to sum up the view of the council when he said the proposal was about including indigenous people in the historical discussion, rather than excluding Italian-Americans."(It's) more of an opportunity to celebrate this day as one chooses," Thibodeau said. "That is what I think is most powerful about it."Supporters of Indigenous Peoples' Day, who noted that Columbus never set foot in America, called the council action a first step in correcting history books, but it's unclear how it will affect students in Portland.Superintendent Xavier Botana said changing the school calendar would require a vote of the school board, which has not discussed the issue. And the district does not prescribe lesson plans for Columbus Day, Botana said."It is important to note that our teachers teach about the impact of colonization on Native American tribes, including Maine Native Americans, throughout the social studies curriculum in an age-appropriate manner," he said in an email."We also teach about the interplay of enduring themes such as exploration and discovery, economic expansionism, immigration, colonialism, genocide and cultural genocide, among other concepts associated with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas," he said.Recognizing indigenous people on Columbus Day is a growing trend across the U.S. A few states -- Alaska, Oregon, South Dakota and Vermont -- don't recognize Columbus Day.A bill to make Indigenous Peoples' Day a state holiday did not advance in the Legislature this year.The proposal was sponsored by Councilor Pious Ali, who participated in a workshop this year with the Maine-Wabanaki REACH program, which aims to improve the health and well-being of Wabanakis.
Workers Escape Injury After Platform Collapses 10-15 Stories Above Ground

By Stephen Gossett in News on Sep 19, 2017 5:29PM



At least two men were working on a platform that was suspended multiple stories off the ground when the scaffolding broke, but the workers nevertheless were able to avoid injury, according to Chicago police.

The scaffolding was about 15 floors up when it broke at around 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning in the 500 block of North Michigan, a police spokesperson told Chicagoist. DNAinfo reports that the scaffolding was seen about 10 stories up.

Police said that two men were on the platform when the right side fell off. But fire officials told NBC5 there was also a third man, who was able to climb to a nearby scaffolding before fire crews rescued the other two workers.

Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford told Chicagoist that two men were brought in through a window in the rescue mission.



Fire crews were on the scene as of noon, police said. Traffic on Michigan Avenue was shut down from the Tribune Tower to Ontario, according to WGN, which captured video of the dangling scaffolding. DNA Info reports that traffic was opened back up after about an hour.

This post has been updated.
A state appeals court panel on Tuesday joined a federal appeals court earlier this summer in upholding Wisconsin's right-to-work law, finding that it is not an unconstitutional taking of property from unions.The three-judge panel of the Wausau-based state District 3 Court of Appeals, led by Judge Mark Seidl, overturned a Dane County circuit judge's finding from April 2016 that the 2015 law, sometimes called Act 1, is unconstitutional."The benefits of exclusive representation correspond to a duty to represent all employees in the bargaining unit fairly, including non-members of the union who will pay nothing for representative services," Seidl wrote. "Act 1 does not deprive compensation for those mandated services. The law merely prohibits anyone from conditioning a person's employment on the payment of monies designed to cover the costs of performing that duty of fair representation."Milwaukee lawyer Frederick Perillo, who has been lead attorney for three unions who sued to overturn right-to-work, said Tuesday morning that he had not yet seen the ruling.The court's ruling comes on the heels of a decision in July by a federal appeals court panel that also upheld the right-to-work law. A federal judge in Milwaukee had upheld the law in a ruling in September 2016.The right-to-work law, modeled on similar laws in other states, prohibits unions and employers from requiring that all employees pay fees to join a union, either in membership dues or "fair share" payments for those who opt out of union membership but are still represented by the union.In the Dane County case, three unions, including the AFL-CIO, sued the state after the law was enacted, arguing that state and federal laws require unions to provide collective bargaining services to all employees in a represented workplace, regardless of whether they pay union dues. That made the state right-to-work law an illegal "taking" over their services, they argued.Dane County Circuit Judge William Foust, who has since retired, found the law to be unconstitutional and banned it from being enforced, but the state appeals court panel restored enforcement of the law about a month later while it considered the state's appeal of the case.In the panel's ruling, Seidl wrote that the right-to-work law "doesn't 'appropriate, transfer or encumber' money contained in the unions' treasuries. Similarly Act 1 does not require labor organizations to provide services to anyone.""The unions may be required to expend resources to represent employees in a bargaining unit who do not pay fees or dues to the union," Seidl wrote, "but the result does not constitute a taking. Rather, Act 1 merely precludes the unions from requiring non-member employees to pay fees designed to cover the costs of performing the duty of fair representation."The appeals court ordered the case returned to the circuit court for dismissal.
Phil Murphy, the Democratic Party's nominee for governor, committed on Monday to providing free community college to residents, seizing on a progressive but costly proposal that would place New Jersey among a handful of states picking up the cost of tuition.Although Murphy has said in the past that he favors tuition-free college, he put it at the top of his list of priorities to improve workforce development that he announced during a news conference in Trenton with U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-Newark.Murphy, who has been criticized for the price tags associated with his proposals, initially said that providing free tuition could cost as much as $400 million. But his campaign later said it has been done for much less elsewhere and that it would be about half of what Murphy said it would. The campaign cited a study by the Campaign for Free College Tuition that estimated it would cost $197.5 million for New Jersey to offer free college, and that it its own calculations aligned with that study.The federal government also "plays a big role" in the cost of community college, Murphy said, so "this won't be as costly as many critics might have you believe."
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach's use of private email for a presidential commission could bring him into conflict with a 1-year-old state law meant to increase government transparency.Kobach, a candidate for Kansas governor, told ProPublica last week that he was serving on President Donald Trump's voting fraud commission as a private citizen rather than as Kansas secretary of state and that he was using his personal gmail account for commission business rather than his official state account.Kobach, a candidate for Kansas governor and vice chair of the commission, said using his state account would be a "waste of state resources."The ProPublica report scrutinized the use of private email by commission members and their possible violation of a federal statute that requires any federal government business conducted by private email to be forwarded to a government address within 20 days.But Kobach may also be running afoul of a state law, enacted last year, that made Kansas officials' private emails subject to the Kansas Open Records Act, or KORA, if they pertained to public business."The question about the private email is not as important as whether or not Kobach is acting as the secretary of state," said Max Kautsch, a Lawrence attorney who specializes in First Amendment and open government issues.Kautsch, who served on a special state panel that crafted the legislation, called the notion that Kobach, the state's top election official, was serving on the voting commission as a private citizen "obviously totally insane." He said Kobach would be highly vulnerable to lawsuits."This is why the law was changed, so that officials can't come up with reasons for keeping the public in the dark that aren't credible," Kautsch said.If Kobach is serving on the commission in his official capacity as Kansas secretary of state, then all of his emails related to the commission would be available to the public under the 2016 law. The May announcement from the White House on the formation of the commission noted his position as Kansas secretary of state.The controversial commission has faced criticism from voting rights advocates who say its purpose is to promote questionable claims about widespread voter fraud and to help craft new restrictions on voting. Kobach, who served on Trump's transition team, was fined $1,000 by a federal judge earlier this year as part of an ongoing case for misrepresenting the nature of documents he shared with Trump after the election that laid out proposed changes to federal voter registration laws.The Kansas City Star requested records related to the commission from Kobach's office in May, but his office denied that request a month later on the grounds that such records did not exist.Kobach's spokeswoman, Samantha Poetter, reasserted the claim that Kobach was serving on the commission "in his personal capacity" in an email late Monday afternoon. She indicated that the records were being forwarded to federal personnel."Commission members are considered 'Special Government Employees' under federal law. The members of the Commission were never issued federal email accounts, but they received ethics training and were instructed that they could continue to use personal email accounts as long as they ensure that all emails relating to commission business are copied or forwarded to a federal government email account," Poetter said."Because Secretary Kobach is serving on the Commission in his personal capacity, not as a representative of the State of Kansas, he determined that it would be inappropriate to use his Kansas state email account. The title 'Kansas Secretary of State' follows his name in some printed material simply because it identifies to the reader who he is. It does not indicate that he is conducting Kansas State business while serving on the Commission," Poetter said, contending that other government officials on the commission are similarly not serving in their official capacities."Secretary Kobach's personal emails concerning the Commission are therefore not subject to KORA, since he is not conducting public business on behalf of the State of Kansas while serving on the Commission," she said.Poetter, who serves as spokeswoman for both Kobach's state office and his campaign, sent the statement from her campaign email address as opposed to her official state account.The state law was crafted after it was revealed that Gov. Sam Brownback's budget director had shared detailed information on the state budget with lobbyists who had ties to the governor via a private email address weeks before the budget was unveiled to the public. The controversy surrounding 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as U.S. secretary of state also contributed to the bipartisan push to update the state open records law.Rep. John Barker, an Abilene Republican and retired judge, questioned what Kobach's motivation was for using a personal email account."I personally think it's a transparency issue," said Barker, who participated on the panel that crafted the legislation. "But whether or not it's a violation of the '16 law, I don't know. I've not done enough research on that."Kautsch said that Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who has the power to investigate KORA violations, championed the 2016 law, and the questions about Kobach's private email use could pit the two Republicans against each other.Schmidt's spokeswoman said that she couldn't comment on whether Kobach's emails on the commission were subject to the new law, but she noted that people who think an open records request was improperly denied may submit complaints to the attorney general's office for investigation.Doug Anstaett, the executive director of the Kansas Press Association, accused Kobach of flouting the year-old law."He has created an exception out of whole cloth and he is dead wrong," Anstaett said. "You can't just declare that you are a private citizen when you are a public servant serving the president of the United States. ... He's serving because of his position of secretary of state."Anstaett said the association would weigh whether to take legal action against Kobach."It seems like to me the Kansas law, the way that it's written, that if you use some kind of subterfuge like this to avoid Kansas open records law, then you are violating the law," said Anstaett, who also contributed to the panel that crafted the legislation.However, the Republican lawmaker who carried the bill on the Kansas Senate floor in 2016 did not agree that Kobach was serving on the federal panel in his official state capacity."I wouldn't say serving on a committee would necessarily be the work of the secretary of state," said Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Republican from Louisburg. "I would prefer that there'd be separation. ... As I understand it, this committee is looking at it from a national standpoint."Baumgardner said the commission needs to ensure that the emails are available through the federal Freedom of Information Act instead of the state law."They should be accessible through FOIA because I do see this committee as being federal as opposed to the state. ... It seems to me there should be a federal email," Baumgardner said.House Minority Leader Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat, said Kobach's "exception is not justified by the law.""It's absolutely absurd," said Ward, a candidate for governor who played a key role in crafting the 2016 law. "And if that exception were true, it would make the new law irrelevant because you could always claim, 'I'm a private citizen.' We're all private citizens, but we hold public offices."
Hillary Clintons defeat last year sparked an intense debate about the role of gender in American politics, but the presidential race overshadowed a deeper structural challenge for Democrats: They have a scarcity of female officeholders in state capitals.Only two governors and five state attorneys general are Democratic women, an acute problem for a party that counts women as a pillar of its base and trumpets the value of diverse representation.Moving to address the disparity, the Democratic Attorneys General Association gathered here last week to announce a commitment to ensuring that in five years, at least half of the partys attorneys general will be women. The group is creating a committee of current and former attorneys general and other partners to recruit, train and raise money for female candidates as part of what they are calling the 1881 Initiative, named for the first year that a woman sought, unsuccessfully, the office of state attorney general. (Two did, in California and Illinois.)Were supposed to be living in a representative democracy, and yet the people who hold office dont reflect the diversity of the population they serve, said Attorney General Maura Healey of Massachusetts, who is co-chairwoman of the effort. She is one of 22 Democratic attorneys general altogether.For Democrats, confronting the paucity of women in prominent state posts is not just a matter of gender equity and public relations. The office of attorney general has often served as a steppingstone to election as senator or governor, thanks to the executive power it wields and attention it draws from both donors and the news media. Three Democratic women in the Senate were state attorneys general, including Senator Kamala Harris of California, who is thought to be considering a presidential bid.
Support and Rules

Preparing to Graduate

When Stephanie Petitt was arrested for violating probation for prior drug and robbery convictions, she learned two things: She was 16 weeks pregnant, and she would probably deliver her baby while incarcerated at an Oklahoma prison.In most places, an incarcerated woman who gives birth almost immediately hands over her newborn to a social worker, who places the child with a relative or with foster parents. Petitt said she was told she would have an hour to hold her newborn.Just a few states offer alternatives that allow mother and child to stay together longer. At least eight states have so-called prison nurseries where nonviolent female offenders live with their children for a few months to several years.But in Oklahoma City, pregnant women who are facing imprisonment for nonviolent offenses can avoid doing time and stay with their children by participating in a program known as ReMerge. The program, which is also open to mothers who have already lost custody of their children, includes two years of intensive therapy, parenting classes and job training. Women who graduate have their charges dropped.Similar pretrial diversion programs for expecting women and mothers are scattered across the country, many formed at the city or county level. Its difficult to determine exactly how many there are.But the idea behind them is clear: Diverting women from prison and keeping families together can save money and help break the intergenerational cycle of incarceration. Researchers say separating children from their mothers causes significant distress, and that children are more likely to end up in prison if they have parents there. And with the number of incarcerated women  and the cost of imprisoning them  on the rise in some states, the programs are drawing new attention.Oregon began a pilot diversion program in 2015, basing it on a Washington state program that serves both mothers and fathers facing incarceration. This year, Oregon extended its program to pregnant women, too. Supporters say it will allow the state to avoid paying $17 million to construct a new womens facility.Oklahoma City launched its program in 2011, spurred by Oklahomas high incarceration rate for women  the highest in the nation, both then and now.Petitt was 27 and addicted to methamphetamines when she was arrested. She had already lost custody of her first two children, and planned on putting her next one up for adoption. But, she said, as I sobered up, I felt the baby move, and I wanted to keep it.A judge sent her to ReMerge, and she had her baby while she was participating in the program.The whole time I was getting high, I wanted to stop and be a mom again, but I just couldnt stop, said Petitt, now 30. This gave me a second chance at being a mom.Foundations interested in reducing the number of incarcerated women in Oklahoma pay for most of ReMerge, with the state covering the rest. The program serves up to 50 women at a time and costs $17,000 a woman a year. Thats a bit more than the roughly $15,000 it would cost to incarcerate each of them, but if the women were behind bars, they wouldnt get the same level of treatment and support.Program officials say ReMerge graduates have a 5 percent recidivism rate after three years, compared with about 13 percent for women who leave the state prison system. The low recidivism rates, however, dont include the 30 percent of women who leave the program  many of whom end up back in custody.On one recent morning, 40 or so ReMerge participants sat in a florescent-lit conference room in the basement of a downtown building and started sharing personal details from their lives.One woman with cherry-red hair cried as she described taking her 6-year-old son to the dentist to get several teeth pulled. Before she had custody of the boy, she urged his paternal grandmother, who was taking care of him, to make him brush his teeth. Now hes missing so many its difficult for him to talk and eat. The woman next to her tried to comfort her by wrapping an arm around her shoulder.From there participants scatter to a variety of parenting programs and therapy sessions. Women who need dental care get it. Those who smoke are enrolled in a cessation program. They also get help finding jobs.The women arent permitted to own a cellphone until theyve spent a month in the program. All of the women without a high school diploma must work toward a GED diploma, and nearly all of them spend the first 90 days in supervised housing. Participants also are barred from seeing people who arent vetted by ReMerge staff until they are months into the program.Dusty Tate, a formidable woman with excellent posture, several tattoos and bright blonde hair, is the onsite probation officer for all the women. She administers random drug tests and stays in constant contact with the women, texting at all hours. Some texts are good news  I got a job!  others are bad news  Im thinking about relapsing.Much of the program is geared toward helping the women beat their drug addictions. Nearly 60 percent of women in federal institutions are serving time for drugs, as are a quarter of women in state facilities. Others have committed crimes such as theft or prostitution in to pay for a drug habit.On Monday afternoon, after the rest of the women have gone home, about a dozen who are set to graduate from the program at the end of this month gathered for their hourlong weekly meeting. Most work full time and have regained custody of their children. Several came with them in tow.Reuniting families is an emotional challenge as much as a legal one. Some children had to be reintroduced to mothers they had forgotten. Some mothers had to resist what they call parenting out of guilt, trying to make up for their absence by giving in to childrens demands.But as they near graduation, they all say theyve re-established bonds with their children and tasted a better life that will keep them motivated.I never had my own car; now Ive got one in my name. I never had my own apartment; now Ive got my own apartment. I went to cosmetology school. I had never had a job; now I have a career, said Kamber Caulkins, 34. I knew I wanted it, but I had to start accumulating enough stuff that I wasnt willing to lose it anymore.
On Sunday, in the morning, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs de Jersey attended the Eucharist service at St Thomas Anglican Church of Toowong.

In the afternoon, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey attended the Eucharist Service at St Johns Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane.
Description

GIS - 19 September, 2017: The Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, and his delegation arrived in New York yesterday to participate in the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations.

Prime Minister Jugnauth will participate in discussions pertaining to vital issues such as sustainable development and climatic change. He will also participate in the high level meeting focusing on Towards Implementation of the International Decade for Action Water for Sustainable Development. This is organised by Permanent Missions of several countries such as Bolivia, Canada, Equator, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Spain amongst others.

He will also have bilateral meetings with, namely, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus; Mr Nana Addo Dankwa, President of the Republic of Ghana; Mr Charles Michel, Prime Minister of Belgium; and Mr David Arthur Granger, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.
(TNS) -- Kentucky homeowners earned $10.2 million in 2016 through short-term rentals on Airbnb, a popular home-sharing website.Beginning Oct. 1, a 7 percent state tax will be added to all Kentucky Airbnb stays under a deal the company and the Kentucky Department of Revenue announced Monday. Airbnb estimates the state could receive $1 million or more under the long-awaited agreement.Thats good financial news for a state that faces an estimated $200 million shortfall this year and is struggling to steady its ailing pension systems for public workers.Our goal is to work with all taxpayers fairly and equitably to ensure the appropriate taxes are paid and this agreement achieves that, said Dan Bork, commissioner of the Department of Revenue. Kentuckys tourism sector is a huge economic driver for the state, so it is important to collect revenues for enhancing the quality of life for Kentuckians and our visitors.Collecting taxes from home-sharing platforms has long frustrated city and state officials that depend on hotel and motel taxes to pay for tourism efforts. The city of Lexington has recently broadened its education efforts to get hosts on Airbnb and other short-term rental websites, such as HomeAway, to pay hotel and motel taxes and other city fees Traditional hotels have also complained that Airbnb has an unfair competitive advantage because state and local tourism taxes have not automatically been added to customers bills.Lexington, Louisville and other cities are still working with the home-sharing giant to ink similar deals to get their share of hotel and motel taxes. Thats particularly important in Lexington, where a 2.5 percentage point increase in the hotel and motel tax was earmarked to pay off a more than $230 million proposed expansion of the Lexington convention center slated to begin in early 2018 . Lexingtons hotel and motel tax is 8.5 percent.Airbnb and Lexington officials confirmed Monday that negotiations are ongoing.Airbnb officials say the home-sharing platform has allowed smaller Kentucky cities that are under-served by traditional hotels to generate income from tourism.Home sharing is introducing a whole new world of travelers to the authenticity of Kentucky while offering new economic opportunities for thousands of Kentucky residents, said Laura Spanjian, Kentucky policy director for Airbnb. We are so proud to have collaborated on this agreement. We believe this can serve as a model for other states, and we are dedicated to finalizing additional agreements to collect and remit taxes with Kentucky municipalities.According to 2016 data provided by Airbnb, Louisville is the companys top market in Kentucky, with 43,000 guests generating $6.2 million for Airbnb hosts there. Lexington is a distant second with 1,500 guests generating $1.8 million in revenue.But even homeowners in some of Kentuckys smaller cities are cashing in on the home-sharing trend. Bowling Green was third with 1,800 guests and $174,000 in revenue.Stanton, which has a population of less than 3,000, generated 1,400 visits and a little more than $155,000 income. The Powell County town close to the Red River Gorge was the sixth most popular Kentucky city on Airbnb in 2016. Other small Kentucky towns on Airbnbs Top 10 list of most stays include Berea and Nicholasville.Airbnb says they have 3,100 hosts in Kentucky that earned an average of $4,500 a year in additional income. There were 80,000 guests who stayed in Kentucky Airbnb properties in 2016.In comparison, Airbnb properties in Florida had 1.5 million guests in 2016, generating $273 million for those hosting on the platform in the Sunshine State, according to the Miami Herald
(TNS) -- WASHINGTON  Lawmakers are responding to Equifax Inc.s loss of data on up to 143 million customers with a flurry of proposed legislation, demands for explanations, hearings and calls for regulators to investigate.Democrats are leading the charge on legislation and investigations, while Republicans are joining in with demands for an explanation from the company and plans to hold hearings. Members of both parties are seeking details of Equifaxs work for government agencies. The Democrats are also trying to pressure Republicans to be at least as tough on Equifax as they were with a government agency that suffered its own breach.Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, says hell introduce legislation requiring Equifax to provide 10 years of free credit monitoring to those affected by the breach as opposed to the one year of free monitoring the company is offering. Its a reminder to Republicans that they enacted legislation with such a requirement when the Office of Personnel Management failed to protect personnel data on 4.2 million current and former federal employees in 2015.We cannot accept any less for the people we serve, said Brown, the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee.Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., offered a bill that would allow consumers to impose for free a credit freeze, preventing identity thieves from opening accounts in their names. The bill, which has 11 co-sponsors, none of them Republicans, would require the reimbursement of any credit freeze fees imposed since the Equifax breach was announced.Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced a similar free credit freeze bill.Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., has introduced a House bill that would have similar provisions.Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, introduced a measure that would expand consumers rights in disputes with credit reporting companies.Equifax announced Sept. 8 that thieves gained unauthorized access to information on up to 143 million consumers from mid-May through July because of a vulnerability at one of its websites. The information included primarily names, Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses, and in some instances drivers license numbers. The breach also gave them access to credit card numbers for about 209,000 people and dispute documents identifying about 182,000 people.Equifax said it had discovered the breach July 29, leading to repeated questions from Capitol Hill as to why it took the company more than 40 days to make the incident public.Warren said her office is conducting an investigation of the breach. She also said she asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate, echoing a call made last week by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich.The FTC typically does not comment on ongoing investigations, agency spokesman Peter Kaplan said in a statement. However, in light of the intense public interest and the potential impact of this matter, I can confirm that FTC staff is investigating the Equifax data breach.Warren also asked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Government Accountability Office to investigate the breach.The FTC is charged with policing violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the CFPB has jurisdiction as well.An agency spokesman said the CFPB was looking into the breach and Equifaxs response. The CFPB is authorized to take enforcement action against institutions engaged in unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices, or that otherwise violate federal consumer financial laws, the spokesman said.A GAO spokesman said in an email that the agency that it was reviewing the request for an investigation, a review that could take weeks.Equifax CEO Richard Smith is scheduled to make an appearance on Capitol Hill on Oct. 3 before the House Energy and Commerce Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee. The House Financial Services Committee has also said it will hold a hearing on the data breach, but hasnt set a date.In one of many letters from members of Congress to Smith, Senate Finance Chairman Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, and Wyden, the panels ranking member, asked the who knew what and when question. They requested information on the timeline of the breach along with when senior Equifax executives were notified.The senators also asked when Chief Financial Officer John Gamble; Rodolfo Ploder, who is president of Workforce Solutions, one of Equifaxs four business units; and Joseph Loughran, president of U.S. Information Solutions, one of the other major business units, knew of the breach.Hatch and Wyden noted that Equifax is a partner with a number of U.S. agencies and asked the company for information on whether records of the IRS, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Social Security Administration were breached as well. Sens. Brown and Bill Cassidy, R-La., have asked for similar information from the Social Security Administration.Brown pointed to a February 2016 company press release indicating that Equifax was contracted to help SSA secure its online services and to mitigate fraud for the my Social Security electronic service.Given Equifaxs recent security breach, this partnership raises serious questions as to whether the personal data SSA maintains on behalf of all Americans may be at risk of identity theft or other cybersecurity threats, Brown and Cassidy wrote in a letter Friday to SSA Acting Commissioner Nancy Berryhill. In addition to an immediate threat assessment, we request information regarding the steps you will take to remedy any potential breach of SSAs online systems and what resources are necessary for SSA to ensure that the data of every single American is safe.The companys 2016 annual report says its Workforce Solutions unit also provides verified consumer income and employment information to mortgage giant Fannie Mae, currently operating under the conservatorship of the Treasury Department.Senate Banking Chairman Michael D. Crapo of Idaho hasnt decided whether to heed Democrats call for a hearing. He told reporters last week he isnt concerned just about private companies collecting personal information, but also government agencies.Crapo said he was particularly concerned about data collection at the CFPB. A 2014 GAO report that the CFPB has access to account balances for about 87 percent of credit cards, loan level data on 173 million mortgages, and account and loan data on millions of student loans, bank overdraft fees and payday loans.I think their data collections should be a concern to everybody, Crapo said. Every time you swipe your credit card, they collect the data. I think thats as big a risk as any of the other kinds of collections going on.
(TNS) -- U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz announced Monday that the federal government will award $1.45 million to the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services for the purchase and deployment of fully electric buses.Hawaii has long been a leader in clean energy, and the city of Honolulu is building on that legacy by transitioning to buses that will keep our air clean, Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a news release. Im glad that this funding will take our state one step closer to reaching our goal of using 100 percent renewable energy by 2045.Schatzs office said a zero-emission electric bus could eliminate nearly 1,700 tons of carbon pollution over its 12-year life span, the equivalent of taking 27 cars off the road.The funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation is part of Honolulus ongoing effort to electrify its public transit operation through public-private partnerships. Hawaiian Electric is expected to install the electric infrastructure for up to five battery-electric buses, while Gillig Corp., the largest all-American bus manufacturer in the United States, will produce the buses.
Rep Confirms That Garry McCarthy Could Run For Mayor In 2019

By aaroncynic in News on Sep 19, 2017 5:26PM



Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson / November 2015

Brian McCormack, who is listed on the campaign disclosure form as chairman told NBC5s Mary Ann Ahern Monday evening its real.

The former top cop and McCormack were both mum last week when the Chicago Tribune broke the news of the filing. McCormack confirmed its validity Monday to NBC5 and said that McCarthy is looking to see if he can raise enough money and find a path to victory, and would be looking into polling in the future.

McCarthy, who was fired in the wake of the killing of Laquan McDonald by Chicago Police in 2014, has increased his public profile since his departure, appearing in several media outlets to criticize both policing in Chicago and movements demanding police accountability. Campaign buttons began mysteriously appearing over the summer. In April, he said that though politics were not in his DNA, he had been encouraged to run and would support a challenger to Rahm Emanuel.

I would support anybody who would start thinking about performance-based government, rather than politics, McCarthy told the The Big John and Ray Show on WLS at the time. Because thats what we need in Chicago. Theres no measurement. Theres nobody holding anybody accountable.

Given his administrations role in the McDonald shooting and others, as well as constant battles with the Chicago Teachers Union, closure of 50 public schools, closure of half the citys mental health clinics, along with numerous other tumultuous issues, Emanuel may have a tough battle against any challenger, should he follow through with his intention to run for a third term. Knowing this, hes already collected at least $3.1 million in his campaign war chest, according to a September analysis of his donors by the Chicago Tribune.

McCarthy too though, would have an uphill battle to convince Chicagoans hes the right man to sit in the office on the fifth floor. While Chicago has been reeling over the past few years from violence in its neighborhoods, McCarthys embrace of more hard line conservative rhetoric on policing - including blaming Black Lives Matter for fueling crime and hopeful attitude towards Trump for selecting Jeff Sessions as his Attorney Generalmay not resonate in areas where residents understand that the lack of public resources plays a big role in that violence. Additionally, his own role in the McDonald case, as well as other high profile police shootings such as that of Rekia Boyd, wont be easily forgotten.

If anything, its entirely possible that a McCarthy challenge that had significant financial backing could make mayor appear as a much more progressive candidate, despite Emanuel being forced into a runoff during the last election with Jesus Chuy Garcia, who had the backing of many of the citys more progressive community groups and unions.

A spokesperson for Emanuels 2019 campaign however, didnt seem terribly concerned about the potential run.

"After five days, Garry has one from zero public supporters to one public supporter, Peter Giangreco told NBC5. "It isn't whether you can raise the money to run a race. The question is what are you going to do to give our kids a good education, how can you improve city finances and how will you continue to reform the police department. If you're not prepared to answer those questions, you're not prepared to run for mayor.


(TNS) - Hurricane Maria was churning towards Puerto Rico Tuesday after devastating the Caribbean island of Dominica overnight, on track to hit several islands in between still reeling from Hurricane Irmas damage earlier this month.Maria made landfall in Dominica with 160 mph winds that stripped roofs, including the prime ministers.Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit stayed home during the storm, and his Facebook posts chronicled its toll.The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God, Skerrit wrote. He said he could hear the sound of the storm tearing off steel roofs, and realized his home was damaged: Rough! Rough! Rough!Skerrit eventually had to be rescued, and his roof was swept away.So far the winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with, he wrote afterward.He appealed for international aid. We will need help of all kinds, he wrote.On nearby Martinique, officials said about 25,000 homes were without power and two towns without water after the storm passed.Prefect Eric Maire, the highest ranking French official on the island of Guadeloupe, posted a video on Twitter advising residents to stay inside, noting that the storm had flooded roads and homes there and heavy rain was expected to continue.Hurricane Maria weakened to a Category 4 early Tuesday, but then returned to Category 5 strength.Puerto Rico faced the possibility of a direct hit, the worst storm in decades, officials said. Officials warned those in wooden homes to evacuate before the hurricane arrived Wednesday.Otherwise, youre going to die, said Hector Pesquera, the islands public safety commissioner. I dont know how to make this any clearer.Old San Juans streets were largely empty, storefronts along the water boarded up with sandbags stacked at some entrances. Police patrolled and prepared a shelter in city hall.Nearly 70,000 people were still without power following Hurricane Irma and several hundred remained in shelters as Maria approached. But Gov. Ricardo Rossello said the islands 500 shelters could house up to 133,000 people and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was prepared to supply drinking water and restore power after the storm.This is going to impact all of Puerto Rico with a force and violence that we havent seen for several generations, he said. Were going to lose a lot of infrastructure in Puerto Rico. Were going to have to rebuild.Artist Cresenciano Sotomayor, 41, took his family to get last minute supplies paper towels and candles  Tuesday morning in Old San Juan. Officials had announced that they would cut electricity at 6 p.m., running water by 9 p.m.We just do our preparations as best we can, he said as he grabbed a coffee by the ocean front on the way home with his partner and 3 year old son.Sotomayor said the country had done all it could to prepare, but he still worried about poor neighborhoods outside of the capital, some of which had been evacuated. He hoped people would help each other after Hurricane Maria as they helped the other Caribbean islands after Hurricane Irma, sending emergency supplies and other aid.The hurricanes eye was located about 170 miles southeast of St. Croix, and the storm was moving west-northwest over the Caribbean at 9 mph. The storms hurricane-force winds extended about 35 miles, with tropical storm-force winds as far as 125 miles.Storm surge could raise water levels by six to 9 feet near the storms center, with at least 10 to 15 inches of rain across the islands.Forecasters warned Maria could intensify further Tuesday, with an intense pinhole eye just 10 miles wide that could magnify the storms impact.Hurricane warnings were posted for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat.A tropical storm warning was issued for Martinique, Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten and Anguilla.In the U.S. Virgin Islands, Gov. Kenneth Mapp said Tuesday would be a very, very long night.St. Thomas and St. John are still recovering from a direct hit by Hurricane Irma, which caused four deaths, destroyed scores of homes and left the hills stripped of vegetation.Chris Wachtas home was among those damaged. He had been on vacation in Europe celebrating his 25th anniversary when the storm struck. Unable to return, he struggled to help his pet sitter escape with his dog and three cats in tow. She finally joined him and his wife in San Juan Monday, and they were hoping to catch a flight they had booked out of the Caribbean before the storm hits Tuesday afternoon.She finally joined him and his wife in San Juan Monday, and they were hoping to catch a flight out of the Caribbean before the storm hits Wednesday.We cant get back to see whats going on, he said.Wachta, 59, is a regional project director for Marriott Vacation Club, and worried about colleagues still on St. Thomas, some living with their children in homes without roofs. His company was trying to place them in vacant rental properties before Hurricane Maria strikes.Weve been moving them to safe havens, he said.2017 Los Angeles TimesVisit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS) - A powerful earthquake shook central Mexico on Tuesday, crumbling buildings and sending thousands of people in Mexico City fleeing into the streets screaming.The temblor caused buildings to sway violently in the center of Mexico City, including in the historic districts of El Centro and Roma. Early reports indicated that at least 40 were killed in collapsed buildings.The U.S. Geological Survey calculated the preliminary magnitude at 7.1. The epicenter was about 93 miles southeast of Mexico City in the state of Puebla.Rescue vehicles screamed through Mexico City toward damaged buildings, and flights into the capital were rerouted to other cities.In the upscale neighborhood of Condesa, in the heart of the city, balconies crumbled and massive cracks opened up on apartment facades. Police cordoned off entire blocks because of fears that gas leaks could cause explosions.In Roma, buildings swayed violently, sending rubble tumbling onto cars below. A video recorded from a skyscraper showed giant plumes of dust rising in the air.The earthquake struck on the anniversary of a 1985 temblor that killed thousands of people and devastated large parts of Mexico City  a tragedy that President Enrique Pena Nieto commemorated earlier in the day.Susan Hough, a U.S. Geological Survey seismologist, said Tuesdays quake was likely related to one that struck off the coast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca on Sept. 7, which the government calculated as a magnitude 8.2 and the USGS as an 8.1.An 8.1 is big enough that having an aftershock this big and this distant  it isnt too surprising, Hough said. Its unusual, but it fits in with the picture that weve grown to understand.(Times staff writers Linthicum reported from Mexico City and Lin from Los Angeles. Staff writer Alexandra Zavis contributed from Los Angeles.)2017 Los Angeles TimesVisit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Beyond 'People-Movers'

Driverless Regulation

The future of autonomous vehicles (AVs) could be further off than some believe, and may look different when it finally arrives, according to experts.During a panel discussion at the 3rd Annual Civic & Gov Tech Showcase in San Jose, Calif., Sept. 13, rideshare, industry, academic and municipal experts took to the issues surrounding the technology and discussed how soon they believe it will take root in our daily lives.And though the panelists agreed that technologies like electric vehicles (EVs) are here to stay, they had some differing opinions on how AVs move from "scientific experiment" to reality.I guess that is the $64 billion question, maybe even larger than that. Its not a hypothetical, its there, said Ryan Popple, president and CEO at Burlingame-based EV maker Proterra, makers of what it believes to be the first long-range electric bus.Popple, whose company is conducting a pilot in Reno, Nev., using AV technology in an electric bus for object detection and correction, said he sees the biggest challenge in making sure the technology serves all aspects of the markets equitably.I dont think were going to go to a world with absolutely no human involvement. Youll need a vehicle in your fleet, in your arsenal, that can handle diversity of mission if youre going to accommodate everyone, said Popple, who sees a possible quick win in AV bus rapid transit lanes, but urged municipalities not to view AV as a miracle traffic reducer.Debs Schrimmer, transportation policy manager at Lyft, said the company is not treating autonomous vehicles as science fiction, but sees ride-sharing as a really important gateway to AVs.Schrimmer said she believes that like rideshare, AV adoption may grow quickly  but by use of AV fleet vehicles, not individual ownership.We think that by 2025, private car ownership in the U.S. is going to look very different, Schrimmer said, noting that Lyft believes by then the majority of its rides could be delivered by electric AV.The company entered a partnership during the week of Sept. 4 with Mountain View, Calif.-based Drive.ai to work on powering the brains of its AV, Schrimmer said.We hope by the end of this year to have our first [AV] public pilot happening on the streets, she added.San Jose Transportation Innovation Manager Jill North said the city is currently vetting and exploring responses it received to a Request for Information on an AV pilot.I think that by 2025, really, well see fleet vehicles with AV components. Weve passed through the skunk works phase of the product lifecycle, she said.But Ben McKeever, program manager for the UC Berkeley California Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology (PATH) program, disagreed on adoption rates.I would say its probably going to be longer than 2025. A lot will happen between now and then. Im going to say its going to be 20 years or so before we see anything close to a full rollout deployment of AV that are self-driving, McKeever said.The program manager, who has worked on intelligent transportation systems  including the states first AV test  for around 30 years, admitted there are obviously going to be huge developments in coming years. But he also said he believes that any such rollout will be in limited areas like AV bus managed rapid transit lanes.Those things are going to happen and I think it will be really exciting to see how governments embrace that technology, he said.Moderator Mike Harrigan, senior program manager at Prospect Silicon Valley, toldthat he was somewhat surprised by the diversity of responses, and described public agencies as feeling their way along  though more quickly in California and other hot spots than nationwide.Around here  because theres so much AV technology being developed around here  every city wants to be the testbed. We want bragging rights about, Were testing autonomous vehicles in our city, he added. Will it ever make it to Des Moines, Iowa? I just dont know. I mean, were in a bubble here in California.Panelists also predicted some exciting potential uses for autonomous and electric vehicles outside of simply moving passengers.Asked by Harrigan what issues AV technology raises with respect to security, privacy and safety, Schrimmer said rideshare companies need to guard customers data closely given the unprecedented amount of information that could be collected.I think that Lyft has a very important charge to protect the privacy of our customers, Schrimmer said, noting that individual mobility patterns are very unique across time and space, and raise questions about who the people are behind them.North said AV data will be a new set of eyes and ears for San Jose, which could prepare for a compatible future by sharing it securely. The city, she said, is working on a privacy policy to keep information safe.Popple said the EV potential is clear: The vehicles could load up electric grids during overnight downtime  while enjoying reduced rates  and potentially serve as a power source during weather emergencies.Panelists also discussed the Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research in Vehicle Evolution (SELF DRIVE) Act , which was passed earlier this month by the U.S. House of Representatives and would create a framework for federal AV regulation.McKeever said the legislation would provide a lot of clarity on regulatory questions and differentiate between the federal government's role of minding vehicles and their autonomous systems, and the states role of regulating drivers and operators.My understanding is, theyre putting it all on [the National Transport and Safety Authority], he said, calling the possibility of overburdening the organization the biggest risk in this.Yet despite its popularity, Popple and Schrimmer were among those who warned against assigning too much value to AV and EV technology.Continuing to give motorists an all you can eat model on roads  drive all you want any time  will only deliver congestion, Popple said.I think passing policies and educating our infrastructure in ways that encourage people to take shared rides is critical, Schrimmer said. The more points we can have to discourage people from driving alone  all these things are going to be working together.
(TNS) -- TRENTON  Gov. Christie on Monday said the pharmaceutical industry will partner with the National Institutes of Health to more quickly find solutions to stem the opioid epidemic.Speaking after a closed-door meeting in Trenton, Christie said 14 pharmaceutical companies have agreed to share data and, working with the NIH, develop non-addictive pain medicine and new medication-assisted treatment for those who are addicted.As this crisis has increased, the need for attention has increased and resources has increased even more, said Christie, chairman of President Trumps national opioid commission.Christie also confirmed a report that New Jersey would commit $200 million to help combat the problem. He said those details would be rolled out later in the week.Fast-tracking the development of new drugs could require changes to Food and Drug Administration processes, the governor said, adding that it could be necessary given the nature of the crisis and the incredible need of the American people.An estimated 142 Americans were dying daily from drug overdoses in 2015, a death toll equal to Sept. 11 every three weeks, Christies commission said in its interim report to the president in May, relying on the most recent statistics then available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New projections, for the year ended Jan. 31, 2017 , would put the toll at 175 a day nationwide.Its unacceptable, Christie said Monday, and thats why its a national emergency and thats why the president agrees its a national emergency.Francis S. Collins, the head of the NIH, compared the opioid crisis to the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 90s. Christie echoed that, saying partnerships at the time helped turn a diagnosis from a death sentence to something that today is treated as a chronic disease. He hoped the industry-government partnership announced Monday would do the same for the opioid crisis, he said.I remember very well the marches in Washington and in states all over this country by those who were concerned about losing their loved ones to HIV/AIDS, Christie said. Were now losing tens of thousands of more people to this than we did at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Where are the marches? Where are the marches? Where are people out there to demand that we do the very same thing now that we did then?The 14 companies represented Monday were Allergan, Amicus Therapeutics, Braeburn, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Chromocell, Eisai, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Nektar, Otsuka, Pacira, Pfizer, and Purdue Pharma. Federal officials from the NIH and FDA were also in attendance, the governor said, along with Trump aide Kellyanne Conway and former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a commission member.Conway described the commission as bipartisan because opioid addiction is a nonpartisan issue starving for bipartisan solutions.This is one that really should bring together people right, left, and center, she said, as well as people from a variety of fields: police, healthcare providers, faith leaders, non-governmental organizations, elected officials, and pharmaceutical companies.Stephen J. Ubl, head of the trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said there are silos and barriers to information sharing that the drug companies would seek to overcome through the partnership.Not everyone saw the step as a positive one.This is a bad idea, Adriane Fugh-Berman, a professor at Georgetown University Medical Center, said after learning about the initiative. We shouldnt be asking the industry that caused the opioid epidemic to solve it. They are unlikely to come up with any solutions that dont make themselves a profit. The answer to the opioid epidemic is not more pills.Fugh-Berman, who directs the universitys PharmedOut project, whose stated mission is to educate prescribers and publicize pharmaceutical marketing practices, was particularly surprised to see Purdue Pharmas CEO among the list of attendees at the roundtable. Purdues role in the opioid epidemic has been the subject of numerous investigations Asked about Purdues inclusion, Christie noted at the news conference that the commissions role is separate from any legal or law enforcement actions regarding the companies, and that the two wont intersect.At the commissions recommendation, Trump last month said the opioid crisis constituted a national emergency, although the president has yet to make an official declaration. Asked Monday, Christie said the Trump administration wanted to make sure they get it right. He said he had spoken with Trump last week, who reiterated his commitment  and is waiting for his staff to come up with the appropriate way to do this.Other recommendations included equipping all U.S. law-enforcement officers with the emergency opioid overdose antidote Naloxone and expanding access to medication-assisted treatment for people who are addicted to opioids.The commissions report generally got a positive reception from experts on addiction around the country, although they worried whether the president would be influenced by others in his administration, like Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who have emphasized law enforcement and anti-immigration moves as ways to battle substance abuse.In New Jersey, observers say that Christie has had a mixed record. It is unclear to what extent the proposals he would announce later this week would change that.Frank L. Greenagel, an addiction and recovery specialist and adjunct professor at the Rutgers School of Social Work, said some of the initiatives reported to be in the package had been proposed long ago and already implemented in other states.And while $200 million sounds like a nice number, Greenagel said, the governor has not said whether it would be divided over one year or five or 10. Spread over a period of time, the amount is neither impressive nor likely to make much of an impact, he said.
Falling Prices

Untapped Funding

(TNS) -- The country's "extraordinary progress" connecting schools to affordable high-speed internet continued last year, according to a new analysis from broadband-advocacy group EducationSuperHighway All told, 94 percent of school districts in the country now meet the minimum federal connectivity target, the group wrote in its new report, "2017 State of the States: Fulfilling Our Promise to America's Students."That means more than 39 million students and 74,000 U.S. schools now have access to internet speeds of at least 100 kilobits per second, per student.In addition, EducationSuperHighway found that 88 percent of schools now say they have sufficient classroom access to WiFi, up from just 25 percent in 2013.Still, though, finding affordable broadband remains a challenge for schools in some pockets of the country."We need to keep our foot on the accelerator," said Evan Marwell, the group's CEO. "I'm very confident we can connect the last 6.5 million kids."Back in 2013, then-President Barack Obama announced a five-year plan to bring high-speed school broadband to 99 percent of the country's K-12 students.To support that goal, the Democrat-led Federal Communications Commission in 2014 overhauled the E-rate , which helps schools and libraries pay for telecommunications services. Among the key changes: Expanding the program's annual spending cap from $2.4 billion to $3.9 billion, prioritizing broadband and WiFi, increasing price transparency, and enacting new rules designed to help rural districts get access to fiber-optic cable.Many experts characterize E-rate modernization as an overwhelming success."It sparked really important cooperation between schools, service providers, and policymakers," said Reg Leichty, a lawyer and lobbyist for the Consortium for School Networking, the professional association for the nation's school-technology officers.According to the new EducationSuperHighway report, more than 35 million students have gained access to high-speed internet since 2013. Ninety-seven percent of schools are now connected to the internet via fiber.The price of bandwidth for schools has fallen dramatically, from $22 per megabit per second in 2013 to $4.90 in 2016.And Marwell said districts like Oklahoma's 1,100-student Perry public schoolswhich recently quintupled its bandwidth, for just $60 more per monthhave benefitted greatly from the ability to see what similar school systems are paying for their internet access."Essentially, they call up their provider and say, 'Hey, I see you are giving this other school district more bandwidth for the same money I'm spending. How come I can't get that deal from you, too?' " Marwell said. "It's just a matter of asking."The majority of districts that still lack high-speed internet access could meet federal connectivity targets if they took advantage of new price transparency rules to push telecoms for better deals, EducationSuperHighway argues.Even with all its successes, some supporters of the E-rate remain jittery about key aspects of the program.Shortly after he took office in January, President Donald Trump appointed Republican Ajit Pai to chair the Federal Communications Commission.While Pai has voiced support for the overall goals of the E-rate, he joined fellow Republican commissioner Michael O'Rielly in voting against the 2014 modernization order. Some of Pai's early steps as chairman have caused some concern in the K-12 community.The biggest ongoing problem, some critics contend, is that the Pai-led FCC has been slow-walking the applications of hundreds of mostly rural districts looking to use the new E-rate rules to help fund construction of new high-speed fiber-optic networks.That's a big deal because the internet connections in such districts have long been the most difficult to upgrade.The single-school Woodman, Mont., district, for example, is stuck paying $167 each month for just 1.5 Mbps amount of bandwidth, delivered over an old copper line.In May, the district submitted to the FCC a proposal to use both E-rate dollars and state matching funds to pay for internet carrier CenturyLink to build a new network that would deliver 100 Mbps via fiber-optic cable.But the district's proposal, like numerous others, is stalled, leaving the project in jeopardy."They have red tape wrapped around these projects, and there's really been no meaningful movement," said John Harrington, the CEO of Funds for Learning, a consulting firm that helps thousands of districts prepare their E-rate applications each year.A spokesman for the commission declined to comment.Harrington said he suspects the problems are in part the typical growing pains that occur when a government agency must implement new rules, and in part a reflection of the new FCC seeking to avoid federal spending that might lead to "over-building" of fiber-optic networks.Another concern for E-rate advocates is that well over $2 billion in program funds set aside to help schools upgrade their WiFi networks remain untapped.Under the new E-rate rules, each district is eligible for up to $150 per student to help pay for equipment such as routers, switchers, and wireless access points.But that money is only available until 2020. EducationSuperHighway estimates that 52 percent of school districts have yet to tap at least half of the funding they're eligible for, and a quarter have not accessed any of the funding."First and foremost, it's a lack of knowledge," Marwell said. "There are a lot of districts that don't know this money is available to them."He expressed concern that the money could go unspentor that the new leadership at the FCC could decide to redirect the money to other purposes, or possibly even eliminate the funds earlier than 2020.After several months of working at less than full capacity, the FCC now has its full complement of five commissioners , including three Republicans and two Democrats.Chairman Pai must be reconfirmed for a new term by the U.S. Senate sometime this fall.
"We are proud hosting this treasure of Chinese culture," Nicholas Theocarakis, chairman of the Athens Concert Hall, told Xinhua after watching Female Generals of the Yang Family, a classic masterpiece of Beijing Opera.

During 2017 Greece and China have organized several events to promote cultural exchange between the two peoples along cooperation in many other areas.[Photo/Xinhua]

Artists from China National Peking Opera Company won the admiration and the warm applause of the Greek audience through their performance Sunday night at the concert hall, one of the most impressive venues of its kind in Greece and the world.

The electrifying performance was part of a series of events staged this year for the 2017 Greece-China Year of Cultural Exchanges and Culture Industry Cooperation.

It was the first time ever that the play was hosted in Greece with Greek subtitles.

The story of the strong and courageous Chinese women who safeguarded their homeland after their husbands, sons and fathers were killed heroically in battle moved the Greek spectators.

The impressive costumes and scenery, as well as the flawless singing, dancing and martial arts and acrobatics performance were also praised by the audience.

Like Theocarakis, spectators said they appreciated the exemplary sample of the Beijing Opera which is included since 2010 in UNESCO's world Intangible Cultural Heritage list and are eager to learn more about Chinese culture.

"I think the artists were excellent. We do not often have the chance to watch such events. I look forward to learning more (about Chinese culture) through such shows and events," Vassiliki Ligri told Xinhua.

Ligri and her friend who bought the tickets for the show were also impressed with the colorful Chinese traditional costumes used in opera which were put on display at the Athens Concert Hall on Sunday.

"Female Generals of the Yang Family is a very attractive piece of traditional Beijing Opera. It features Sheng (male role), Dan (female role), Jing (painted face), Chou (clown) -- all the four main type of characters in Beijing Opera, fully representing the opera's artistically charming," Liu Yupu, deputy director of China National Peking Opera Company told Xinhua.

"Greece is the birthplace of European civilization while China is one of the four ancient civilizations, thus I think it is our obligation to bring the quintessence of Chinese culture to the Greek audience," Liu said.

Zou Xiaoli, Chinese ambassador to Greece thanked the artists for overcoming the barriers of culture, language and nation, contributing greatly to the Greece-China Year of Cultural Exchanges

During 2017 Greece and China have organized several events to promote cultural exchange between the two peoples along cooperation in many other areas.

China is the honored country in the recently held 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) which is the largest on terms of participants and visitors in the past decade, according to the Greek organizers.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras hailed Sino-Greek cooperation during the opening of China's pavilion at TIF in the northern city port of Thessaloniki.

Addressing the event, he praised China's Belt and Road initiative, reiterated Greece's strong support and underlined the key role Chinese investments hold in Greece's efforts to overcome the debt crisis and restore growth.

"We will quickly move forward, and via the collaboration with Chinese enterprises and Chinese investments here, to transform Greece into an international transport, trade and energy hub," the Greek prime minister said.
Catalina Sea Ranch  San Pedro, CA Design of Large Scale Macroalgae Systems

The Catalina Sea Ranch team will design an advanced cultivation system for giant kelp (Macrocystis) to reduce operational and capital costs for large-scale seaweed farms. In collaboration with its commercial partners, the teams direct seeding method, which deposits young plants onto specially designed substrates, will save money and time during the hatchery and deployment phase. Additionally, the teams mechanical partial harvest technology, which allows the same plant to be cut multiple times, is expected to further reduce seeding costs by 75% compared to the state of the art. $449,772

Fearless Fund  Washington, DC Ocean Energy from Macroalgae (OEM): Ranching Sargassum

The Fearless Fund team will develop a new system to enable large-scale seaweed ranching using remote sensing and imaging technologies to monitor free-floating, low-impact Sargassum cultivation designed to mimic naturally occurring seaweed mats found in nature. Free-floating farms decouple biomass production from costly, capital-intensive infrastructure and present opportunities to scale production in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Working along the Texas/Louisiana coastline, the team will use satellite technology and computational modeling to seed, monitor, and harvest Sargassum biomass over a three-month cultivation cycle. By leveraging the wealth of data generated from a suite of sensors, the team seeks to achieve large- scale farming without the need for capital-intensive infrastructure. $500,000

Kampachi Farms, LLC  Kailua-Kona, HI Blue Fields: Single Point Mooring Array for High-Yield Macroalgae Culture

The Kampachi Farms team will develop technologies for the delivery of deep seawater nutrients to a novel macroalgae production farm design suitable for deployment in tropical and subtropical deep ocean environments. The nutrient delivery system will be powered by ocean-current-driven pumps, and the innovative single-point mooring array growth system will harness currents for optimal nutrient dispersal. Finally, the team seeks to demonstrate a prototype harvester that could be adapted to renewable power sources. All subsystems are intended to be deployed in Hawaiis offshore environment to validate field performance. $500,000

Marine Biological Laboratory  Woods Hole, MA Development of Techniques for Tropical Seaweed Cultivation

The Marine Biological Laboratory team will focus on the development of a cultivation system for the tropical seaweed Eucheuma isiforme for the production of biomass for conversion to biofuels. Eucheuma is a commercially valuable species of red macroalgae that has been difficult to propagate in a cost-effective manner. The team seeks to develop a new farming system to mechanize seeding and harvesting processes to reduce labor intensity and enable deployment in offshore areas. The teams test site in the waters around Puerto Rico aims to demonstrate cost-effective production in underutilized areas of the Gulf of Mexico and tropical areas of the U.S. exclusive economic zone, where year-round production is possible. $500,000

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory  Richland, WA Nautical Offshore Macroalgal Autonomous Device (NOMAD)

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory team at the Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim, Washington, will develop a free-floating, carbon fiber seaweed longline to be released far offshore and collected after a six- month, 1,500km path along nutrient-rich ocean currents. The floating cultivation system, called NOMAD, does not require capital for anchors or moorings and will operate without direct human intervention. The recycled carbon fiber line will be equipped with GPS buoys to track position, while other sensors will be used to estimate harvest readiness in real time. Fully automated, high-speed seeding and harvesting machines will be designed and deployed to minimize labor costs. The team will use state-of-the-art hydrodynamic modeling for device design and placement. $500,000

Trophic, LLC  Albany, CA Continuous, High-Yield Kelp Production

The Trophic team will develop a suite of technologies to significantly increase the capital efficiency of seaweed farms to reduce production costs. Specifically, Trophic's approach will use renewable energy to passively lift nutrients from deep ocean water to crops at the ocean surface, mimicking the natural upwelling that occurs in the worlds most productive marine ecosystems. The system will also employ a self-diving buoy system to help protect the farm from wave motion and an adjustable system to optimize exposure to sunlight and increase productivity. In tandem with new harvesting technologies, the team expects to design a cultivation system that can produce seaweed at a cost meeting the MARINER target. $500,000

University of Southern Mississippi  Hattiesburg, MS AdjustaDepth  Adjustable Depth Seaweed Growth System

The University of Southern Mississippi team will develop a novel and robust seaweed growth system capable of precise positioning for maximizing productivity and avoidance of surface hazards such as weather or marine traffic. The system is anticipated to be suitable for diverse attached-growth seaweeds and scalable across multiple temperate climate regions. The USM project team will also investigate the potential to integrate drone technology to develop a glider-based version of its system, capable of returning to its home port for harvesting when not roaming thousands of miles offshore. $500,000

University of Southern Mississippi  Hattiesburg, MS SeaweedPaddock Pelagic Sargassum Ranching

The University of Southern Mississippi team will develop a semi-autonomous enclosure to contain fields of free-floating Sargassum mats. Wave-powered tugs, operated remotely onshore by a single person, will move the enclosure to ensure maximum exposure to nutrients. The system is designed to never return to shore, while the pilot can relocate the enclosure to avoid storms and shipsor move it into dead zones where excessive nutrients can be taken up by the seaweed, improving ocean health. $500,000
In the new study, being published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team led by Berkeley Lab scientist Peidong Yang discovered that an electrocatalyst made up of copper nanoparticles provided the conditions necessary to break down carbon dioxide to form ethylene, ethanol, and propanol.

Scientists at the Department of Energys Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a new electrocatalyst that can directly convert carbon dioxide into multicarbon fuels and alcohols using record-low inputs of energy. The work is the latest in a round of studies coming out of Berkeley Lab tackling the challenge of creating a clean chemical manufacturing system that can put carbon dioxide to good use.



Schematic of a new catalyst made of copper nanoparticles that converts carbon dioxide to multicarbon products (ethylene, ethanol, and propanol). At top left are transmission electron microscope images of the copper nanoparticles. The transformation of the nanoparticles from spheres to cube-like structures is key to keeping the energy input low for the reactions. (Credit: Dohyung Kim/Berkeley Lab). Click to enlarge.

All those products contain two to three carbon atoms, and all are considered high-value products in modern life. Ethylene is the basic ingredient used to make plastic films and bottles as well as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. Ethanol, commonly made from biomass, has already established its place as a biofuel additive for gasoline. While propanol is a very effective fuel, it is currently too costly to manufacture to be used for that purpose.

To gauge the energy efficiency of the catalyst, scientists consider the thermodynamic potential of productsthe amount of energy that can be gained in an electrochemical reactionand the amount of extra voltage needed above that thermodynamic potential to drive the reaction at sufficient reaction rates. That extra voltage is called the overpotential; the lower the overpotential, the more efficient the catalyst.

It is now quite common in this field to make catalysts that can produce multicarbon products from CO 2 , but those processes typically operate at high overpotentials of 1 volt to attain appreciable amounts. What we are reporting here is much more challenging. We discovered a catalyst for carbon dioxide reduction operating at high current density with a record low overpotential that is about 300 millivolts less than typical electrocatalysts. Peidong Yang

The researchers characterized the electrocatalyst at Berkeley Labs Molecular Foundry using a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy.

The catalyst consisted of tightly packed copper spheres, each about 7 nanometers in diameter, layered on top of carbon paper in a densely packed manner. The researchers found that during the very early period of electrolysis, clusters of nanoparticles fused and transformed into cube-like nanostructures. The cube-like shapes ranged in size from 10 to 40 nanometers.

It is after this transition that the reactions to form multicarbon products are occurring. We tried to start off with pre-formed nanoscale copper cubes, but that did not yield significant amounts of multicarbon products. It is this real-time structural change from copper nanospheres to the cube-like structures that is facilitating the formation of multicarbon hydrocarbons and oxygenates. lead author Dohyung Kim

Exactly how that is happening is still unclear, said Yang, who is also a professor at UC Berkeleys Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

What we know is that this unique structure provides a beneficial chemical environment for CO2 conversion to multicarbon products, he said. The cube-like shapes and associated interface may be providing an ideal meeting place where the carbon dioxide, water, and electrons can come together. Peidong Yang

This latest study exemplifies how carbon dioxide reduction has become an increasingly active area in energy research over the past several years. Instead of harnessing the suns energy to convert carbon dioxide into plant food, artificial photosynthesis seeks to use the same starting ingredients to produce chemical precursors commonly used in synthetic products as well as fuels like ethanol.

Researchers at Berkeley Lab have taken on various aspects of this challenge, such as controlling the product that comes out of the catalytic reactions. For example, in 2016, a hybrid semiconductor-bacteria system was developed for the production of acetate from CO 2 and sunlight. Earlier this year, another research team used a photocatalyst to convert carbon dioxide almost exclusively to carbon monoxide. More recently, a new catalyst was reported for the effective production of synthesis gas mixtures, or syngas.

Researchers have also worked on increasing the energy efficiency of carbon dioxide reduction so that systems can be scaled up for industrial use.

A recent paper led by Berkeley Lab researchers at the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis leverages fundamental science to show how optimizing each component of an entire system can accomplish the goal of solar-powered fuel production with impressive rates of energy efficiency.

This new PNAS study focuses on the efficiency of the catalyst rather than an entire system, but the researchers point out that the catalyst can be hooked up to a variety of renewable energy sources, including solar cells.

By utilizing values already established for other components, such as commercial solar cells and electrolyzers, we project electricity-to-product and solar-to-product energy efficiencies up to 24.1 and 4.3 percent for two-to-three carbon products, respectively. Dohyung Kim

Kim estimates that if this catalyst were incorporated into an electrolyzer as part of a solar fuel system, a material only 10 square centimeters could produce about 1.3 grams of ethylene, 0.8 grams of ethanol, and 0.2 grams of propanol a day. With continued improvements in individual components of a solar fuel system, those numbers should keep improving over time, he said.

The work was conducted through Berkeley Labs Catalysis Research Program, funded by DOEs Office of Science. The Molecular Foundry is a DOE Office of Science User Facility.
As one of the group standards under SAE-China, the new standard provides a framework that is independent of basic communication protocols, enabling different automakers to develop interoperable V2X applications for data interaction. It offers a mechanism for automakers to use a single communication technology for the development and commercialization of all V2X applications.

The first standard designed for the V2X (vehicle-to-everything) application layer in China has been officially released . The standard (T/CSAE 53-2107) was developed by a working group led by General Motors, together with Tsinghua University and Changan Auto, with the support of the China Industry Innovation Alliance for the Intelligent and Connected Vehicles.

It has standardized data sets and the data exchange interface, laying the groundwork for the standardization of V2X application development and testing by defining data interaction for different vehicle brands adopting V2X systems.

The standard has identified 17 China Day One V2X applications covering safety, efficiency and information service. It specifies the 17 applications in six aspects:

Application definition

Main Scenes

Fundamental system principles

Communication modes

Basic performance requirements

Data interaction

As a result, the standard is able to sort out each application according to varying needs for communication frequency and time lag.

The standard also defines the application layers data set. The data set for the application layer is built on a three-layer, interoperable structure consisting of an information set, data frames and data elements. Using ASN.1 abstract syntax as a definition, the data set is compatible with multiple platforms and programming languages.

The data sets encoding and decoding process, which is based on Unaligned Packet Encoding Rules (UPER), effectively compresses the size of data packets in air-interface communication. Further, the data set takes into consideration its expandability and compatibility with well-established standards such as SAE J2735. It also encodes basic safety, road, traffic light, brake control and lane use information into a series of data sets that the V2X system can download for use.

The data interaction standard and interface are defined by the standard as well. Supported by a data interface based on a unified data set for application layers, the standard can be used in a variety of transport layers, network layers, data link layers and physical layers. It caters to increasingly diverse and continuously improving communication technologies.

With the support of automakers, parts and components manufacturers, information and communications technology companies, and research institutions, the standard has already been partially adopted in China. This is paving the way for its nationwide use.

Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has included the standard in the LTE-V Wireless Transmission Technology Standardization and Prototype Development and Testing project. MIIT is using the new standard as a reference for a selection of V2V and V2X applications under development, covering telematics services such as BSM, MAP and SPAT. These applications are currently undergoing simulation and real-world testing. Being part of the project will open the door for the standard to make improvements and quickly gain ground in China.
A police vehicle patrols on a street in London, Britain on Sept. 16, 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May said Friday that the terror threat level is raised to critical, which means a further terrorist attack in Britain may be imminent. [Xinhua/Stephen Chung]

The authorities fought back by raising the threat level to "critical," requiring more armed police on the streets and more snap checks of individuals and properties. An 18-year-old suspect was taken into custody at Dover allegedly as he was trying to flee to France.

Britain has received messages of sympathy and support after the attack. Donald Trump called Prime Minister Teresa May and pledged cooperation in the fight against extremism and terrorism, the pervasive evils of modern time.

Among European cities, London has suffered most due to terrorism in terms of frequency of attacks. In fact, it could be termed as the most terrorism-hit city of the world if we sift through the record of bombings since the second half of 19th century, when the instigators were Irish activists seeking independence and anarchists. The latest incidents, however, have been blamed on al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

Attacks by Irish republicans during the Fenian Dynamite Campaign (1867-1885) killed several people in London. It followed a relative period of quietude until they sprang up again just before the start of the Second World War.

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out dozens of attacks in London in 1939 as part of a sabotage campaign to disrupt the economic and civic infrastructure. The killing spree fizzled out at the start of 1940 when the flames of the war had engulfed the continent.

The next and longest phase of attacks by the Irish activists started in 1970 when the issue was a demand that Northern Ireland remained British after independence was gained by the Irish Republic. Hundreds of attacks by republican groups in the campaign spanning over three decades repeatedly targeted London. There was a pattern of telephonic warnings before the explosions, which would cause huge disturbances. Some of the calls would end up as hoax, disrupting civil life almost as much.

Disgruntled elements remained active for some years even after the historic Belfast agreement became effective in 1999. However, finally peace won and the violence was defeated and Irish-U.K. ties became normalized.

By the time the Irish trouble ended, the world was already in the grip of terrorism by al-Qaeda and its affiliated networks. The 9/11 incident in America in 2001 pushed the boundaries of unrest far and wide, with British troops fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq side-by-side with the Americans.

The Iraq war was hugely controversial in Britain and elsewhere in the world. There was fear of a policy blowback, and the militants finally struck in July 2005 in Britain. The place was, as usual, London. Since then, this historic city has witnessed senseless bloodshed umpteen times. The latest one was on Saturday.

As the world pours out its sympathy for the British people and especially Londoners, it is time for British leaders to ponder over why this city has faced so much violence in the past 150 years.

Violence is a product of a conflictual relationship between two or more parties. Usually one of them starts targeting civilians as tool to tame the opponent(s). Terrorism is the worst form of violence directed against unarmed people.

The best possible way to avoid direct or indirect violence is to resolve conflicts. History shows that conflicts can be transformed into cooperation. However, for it to happen, the political leadership should take bold decisions.

While the London tube attack reminds us that there is no place on Earth truly immune from the threat of militancy, it also shows that, so far, our response to the global threat has been grossly inadequate. In some cases, the collective and individual reactions have helped to breed more terrorism instead of eliminating it.

It is also wrong to think that terrorism started from 9/11. While it was the single most devastating incident of violence against innocent civilians, thousands of people have died at terrorist hands over centuries.

Yet, we should understand that the modern form of terrorism is distinctive as it is global in reach, impact and consequences. To address it, the world should try to understand extremism and terrorism to the fullest extent and then consider the proper remedies.

The final solution is likely to be created by a mix of local, regional and global measures, but it wont be easy.

Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm
 Flash

China said Tuesday that the six-party talks are still an efficient platform to address the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang made the remarks at a routine press briefing, saying China is open to all efforts that are conducive to solving the issue peacefully via political and diplomatic means.

Lu said the joint statement, signed on Sept. 19, 2005, is the most important progress in addressing the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue through negotiations, and is of milestone significance.

The document was struck by China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan during the fourth round of the six-party talks.

In the statement, the DPRK reaffirmed its commitment to abandoning nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs. In return, the United States promised not to use nuclear weapons or conventional weapons to attack or invade the DPRK.

Lu said the parties concerned should learn from experience in reaching the agreement, which includes holding that the core of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is over security issues, the key lies with the United States and the DPRK, and concerns of all parties should be resolved in a balanced way.

"We believe if the parties concerned can adhere to those consensus, abide by the spirit of the joint statement and seek ways to address the reasonable concerns of concerned parties, we will find a way out," said the spokesperson.

China has put forward the "double suspension" proposal, which requires the DPRK to suspend its missile and nuclear activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale U.S.-ROK military drills.

China also proposed a dual-track approach to denuclearization on the peninsula on the one hand and establishing a peace mechanism on the other.

Launched in 2003, the six-party talks were suspended in December 2008. The DPRK walked out of the talks in April 2009 in protest against UN sanctions.
She might not look it, but Amy Murphy has more street cred than a lot of folks.

She doesnt write about the homeless from some privileged perch in suburbia.

She knows them.

Many she considers good friends.

So, when we published her Sunday column suggesting that services for homeless people should be moved away from downtown Greensboro  that includes the Interactive Resource Center and Greensboro Urban Ministry  it got a lot of attention.

Before it ran, I asked Amy if she knew it might stir controversy. Big controversy. She said she was aware.

Shed already had blogged about the topic. And posted the same essay on Facebook.

She believes that placing homeless services in or near the center city hurts businesses there.

And decreases jobs.

Which especially hurts those who already are the most vulnerable.

The bottom line for her is clearly jobs.

Jobs that boost the economy.

Jobs that help broaden the tax base.

Jobs that can provide the means to help feed and house the poor.

Jobs that can keep people from becoming homeless in the first place.

She explains in her piece:

Please keep in mind that Im in no way advocating that we keep folks away from downtown. They should come for the same reasons other people do  to enjoy music in the park, etc  not because basic services are there. Im not suggesting we move the services location out of striking distance of downtown, either. Lindy Perry-Garnette, CEO of the Greensboro YWCA, told me that when the Y, which includes the Family Shelter, was considering locations, it saved a million dollars by choosing East Wendover Avenue instead of downtown.

Amy, who is better known as The Chicken Lady for the leftover fried chicken she serves  adds that consolidating services in one spot  places to find shelter and to get meals, job counseling, mental health services and computer access  would make them more convenient and centralized.

She got the idea, she writes, from a well-traveled newcomer she was serving and discussed it with others.

But the message doesnt go down easily. I personally found it jarring and a little unsettling.

Amy has ruffled feathers before, once raising the idea of personal responsibility in an op-ed about hunger in Guilford County.

Even so, I think I understand where Amy is coming from.

I saw where Downtown Greensboro Inc. Zack Matheny was coming from when he emailed me photos two years ago of homeless people camping in the vestibules of downtown businesses.

I dont want Greensboro to become like Columbia, S.C., which seems downright hostile to the homeless.

But I am interested in solutions that consider everyones best interests.

Some City Council candidates are taking notice.

Said at-large candidate Michelle Kennedy, director of the Interactive Resource Center, in a post on Amy's Facebook page:

Nothing about this article, your process for promoting your beliefs or the end game you seek has anything to do with equity. Instead, it is rooted in the exact type of white privilege and lack of economic or racial analysis that perpetuates poverty and homelessness.

Another at-large candidate, Lindy Perry-Garnette, CEO of the YWCA, had her own say:

This whole thread is distressing. I would argue that the "real" experts on homelessness are people who are experiencing homelessness. Trying to figure out who is the most expert, choosing up sides and questioning the motives of people who are trying to help is not productive. In fact, this kind of discourse may discourage some mere "civilians" from being willing to help. To suggest that Amy has an agenda that doesn't include what is best for people experiencing homelessness is wrong.

Added the Interactive Resource Center's former director, Liz Seymour:

Any conversation that begins with talking about "the homeless" has already lost me. "The homeless" does not exist--there are people who have become homeless or or at risk of becoming homeless for a variety of reasons. They may have had a run of bad luck and remain homeless for only a brief time, or they may have a much tougher time getting past all the issues that have destabilized their lives. In any case, people who are homeless are not a homogeneous, faceless, nameless group, and as soon as we talk about what to do about "the homeless" we have surrendered some of their humanity and some of our own. From the very beginning the Interactive Resource Center was organized to include opportunities for people--homed and homeless--to get to know each other as individuals. People who become homeless are struggling with all the things that people and families in every other sector of the community struggle with, but the difference is they don't have a private support system. Further separating them from the community at large would be a huge step back from people in need, and a huge step back for Greensboro. This whole discussion makes me sad.

(That addition of the words "the homeless" was my edit, not Amy's. I thought the words were needed for clarity, so readers who are not familiar with Amy's work would understand whom she was referring to. I am open to suggestions for better ways to say it.)

See more of the exchange at the Inside Scoop and on Amy's Facebook page.

I commend Amy for broaching an uncomfortable subject.

As hard as it may be, this is a conversation worth having.
GREENSBORO  The home foreclosure rate in the Greensboro-High Point region is so low that its not considered a threat to the areas economy.

A new survey shows that the three-county region had 246 homes in some stage of foreclosure during August  nearly 11 percent lower than a year ago and low enough to rank the region at No. 45 among the nations 217 metro areas.

If anything, foreclosure activity is still trending downward, said Daren Blomquist, senior vice president of Attom Data Solutions, the Irvine, Cal.-based company that produced the database.

A home goes into the foreclosure process when the owner cant pay the mortgage. And, according to the Attom Data survey, that doesnt happen here very often.

Blomquist explained that a foreclosure rate of 1 percent or less of all houses in a market is considered healthy. That rate in the Greensboro-High Point region? It was .42 percent in the first half of 2017.

Were seeing a healthy market now, said Chris Young, a mortgage planner with Benchmark Mortgage in Greensboro. Were still in the early stages. Because it was flatlined for so long, were just getting back to what should be a healthy market.

The Greensboro real estate market has seen a recent shortage of homes for sale, which is boosting prices and making it less likely that a mortgage holder will owe more than a home is worth.

For the most part, the national foreclosure picture is strong as well.

Lending standards are much better, so the reasons people are falling into foreclosure now are more based on unfortunate circumstances, Blomquist said. Its not because the loans are inherently risky.

The most troubled area in the nation right now is the Atlantic City-Hammonton, N.J., region, where one out of every 441 homes is under foreclosure.

In the Greensboro-High Point market, that figure is one out of every 1,329 homes.

Fayetteville had the worst rate in North Carolina with one in every 715 homes under foreclosure in August, making it the nations sixth-worst city.

Young said that banks and lending agencies have been able to loan people more money than their homes are worth under a soon-to-expire federal program that has kept many people out of foreclosure.

Also, rising home prices are helping people sell their homes if they get into trouble with mortgage payments.
BRATTONSVILLE, S.C.  An annual Civil War-era skirmish, presented for about three decades at York Countys Historic Brattonsville, has been canceled because of concerns about safety and potential protests.

Officials with the Culture & Heritage Museums, which oversees Historic Brattonsville and the Museum of York County, discussed their concerns about if something did happen after protests in other parts of the country over Confederate monuments and symbols, said Dale Dove, vice-president of the Culture and Heritage Commission.

The event features a skirmish between Confederate and Union troops. However, the event is not a re-enactment of an actual York County battle, because no Civil War battles took place at Brattonsville, museum officials have said.

Commission officials contacted the York County Sheriffs Office about security, Dove said. They were told that if extra police were needed, the museums would have to pay for security, both before and during the event in late October, Dove said.

Dove said canceling the event for this year is the right thing, because of the climate of unrest concerning the history of the Civil War.

Carey Tilley, executive director of Culture and Heritage Museums, echoed that sentiment in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.

Tilley also said historic accuracy was a factor in the decision.

We continue to believe that military re-enactments are an effective tool for teaching history to the public; however, in light of the fact that there were no Civil War battles at Historic Brattonsville, the historical and educational benefits are outweighed by the potential danger and risk to public safety of hosting the event in the current political climate, Tilley said in the statement.

Tilley continued: We also believe that the current National discussion surrounding the Civil War creates a greater sense of urgency for us to step back and reflect on our Civil War programming to ensure that going forward, it aligns more closely with the site mission at Historic Brattonsville in linking the story of those tumultuous years to the actual Brattonsville community  including those who were enslaved there, the statement said.

Concerns over the event resurfaced in 2015, after the Charleston massacre of nine black people by white supremacist Dylann Roof. Museum officials as long as a decade ago voiced concerns over the event and how it is popular, but not historic.

Plans were for the Sixth Regiment South Carolina Volunteers and Culture & Heritage Museums of York County to host the event Oct. 27-29 at Hightower Hall, on the restored Brattonsville plantation in western York County.

Dove conceded that the mission of the museum is to teach history. He said the event being presented is not a York County historical issue.

Marie Cheek, spokesperson for the museums, confirmed by email to The Herald that the event was canceled.

Event organizers with the re-enactor group emailed supporters and members, notifying them the October event at Brattonsville wont be happening this year.

The message noted this is not a permanent cancellation and said that its expected to continue in future years.

The decision, by the museum board, came down to the inability to guarantee the safety of the re-enactors and the public at the event during these difficult times, organizers said in an email to supporters.

Fort Mill resident Mike Short, a former York County Council member, started re-enacting almost 25 years ago. He often portrays a chaplain. Short also is one of three main organizers who sent the message to would-be participants explaining why the event wont be held this year.

The national political atmosphere has groups like his looking at events, with Brattonsville being the closest one to cancel.

It's the first time here, but there's been a few that have been canceled in other places, Short said. There have been some that have been held in other places.

Short isnt aware of any specific threats to an event this year. In his time with reenactments hes never had any problems he can recall. Despite the canons and rifles at events, Short said they arent primarily about fighting.

Were a history organization, he said. Thats what we do. Its not a celebration of war. Its a commemoration of what happened.

People who come to events dont do it to support one side of the battle or another, he said.

Theyre people that are interested in history, Short said. They want to get some feel for what life might have been like in that time. And thats what we try to provide.

Events typically include demonstrations on hobbies of the time, candle-making, cooking and the like. The October event was to have time set aside for local schools to come out and learn from re-enactors, along with other non-battle events.

Its a great learning tool, Short said. Thats what weve always envisioned it would be, and should be.
You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close
That the problems of todays black Americans are a result of a legacy of slavery, racial discrimination and poverty has achieved an axiomatic status, thought to be self-evident and beyond question. This is what academics and the civil rights establishment have taught. But as with so much of whats claimed by leftists, there is little evidence to support it.

The No. 1 problem among blacks is the effects stemming from a very weak family structure. Children from fatherless homes are likelier to drop out of high school, die by suicide, have behavioral disorders, join gangs, commit crimes and end up in prison. They are also likelier to live in poverty-stricken households.

But is the weak black family a legacy of slavery? In 1960, just 22 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families. Fifty years later, more than 70 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families.

Heres my question: Was the increase in single-parent black families after 1960 a legacy of slavery, or might it be a legacy of the welfare state ushered in by the War on Poverty?

According to the 1938 Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences, that year 11 percent of black children were born to unwed mothers. Today about 75 percent of black children are born to unwed mothers. Is that supposed to be a delayed response to the legacy of slavery?

The bottom line is that the black family was stronger the first 100 years after slavery than during what will be the second 100 years.

At one time, almost all black families were poor, regardless of whether one or both parents were present. Today roughly 30 percent of blacks are poor. However, two-parent black families are rarely poor. Only 8 percent of black married-couple families live in poverty. Among black families in which both the husband and wife work full time, the poverty rate is less than 5 percent. Poverty in black families headed by single women is 37 percent.

The undeniable truth is that neither slavery nor Jim Crow nor the harshest racism has decimated the black family the way the welfare state has.

The black family structure is not the only retrogression suffered by blacks in the age of racial enlightenment. In every census from 1890 to 1954, blacks were either just as active as or more so than whites in the labor market. During that earlier period, black teen unemployment was roughly equal to or less than white teen unemployment. As early as 1900, the duration of black unemployment was 15 percent shorter than that of whites; today its about 30 percent longer.

Would anyone suggest that during earlier periods, there was less racial discrimination? What goes a long way toward an explanation of yesteryear and today are the various labor laws and regulations promoted by liberals and their union allies that cut off the bottom rungs of the economic ladder and encourage racial discrimination.

Labor unions have a long history of discrimination against blacks. Frederick Douglass wrote about this in his 1874 essay titled The Folly, Tyranny, and Wickedness of Labor Unions, and Booker T. Washington did so in his 1913 essay titled The Negro and the Labor Unions.

To the detriment of their constituents, most of todays black politicians give unquestioning support to labor laws pushed by unions and white liberal organizations.

Then theres education. Many black 12th-graders deal with scientific problems at the level of whites in the sixth grade. They write and do math about as well as white seventh- and eighth-graders.

All of this means that an employer hiring or a college admitting the typical black high school graduate is in effect hiring or admitting an eighth-grader. Thus, one should not be surprised by the outcomes.

The most damage done to black Americans is inflicted by those politicians, civil rights leaders and academics who assert that every problem confronting blacks is a result of a legacy of slavery and discrimination. Thats a vision that guarantees perpetuity for the problems.
The most unifying thing a president can do  his most important job  is ensuring a safe, secure environment under the rule of law, for all Americans to prosper according to their individual ability and willingness to work. A president must say what needs saying and do what needs doing: Transportation and public venues free from terrorism. Neighborhoods free from violence. Business unhampered by unfair trade and climate deals that favor China. Jobs not threatened by cheap labor. Unifying actions, not PC banalities.
President Trump raised a good question in a Tweet last week:

Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military? Really!

The answer seems to be hardly anybody, but when it comes to the people who really count  Republican members of Congress and Trumps own administration, matters are fuzzier.

Trump himself launched his campaign in July 2015 with the promise that I will immediately terminate President Obamas illegal executive order on immigration, immediately.

Trump gradually moderated his position until apparently taking a hard line once again this month. On Sept. 5, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the presidents decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, put in place by Obama in 2012. It now covers nearly 800,000 individuals brought illegally to this country as children who could work, attend college or serve in the military without fear of being deported  until now.

Sessions argued that Obamas action was an unconstitutional overreach. Yet, on similar authority, Trump decided to defer action on his order for another six months while Congress decides whether to act.

Last week, Trump put pressure on Republicans by meeting with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, with whom he previously had made a deal on hurricane relief, the debt ceiling and the budget. A DACA agreement reportedly would include legal status for the Dreamers and additional funding for border security.

Will Republicans go for it? Will Democrats? And can Trump engineer an important immigration advance that Obama failed to get through Congress?

Politically, Trump may not be worried. Although some conservative pundits and right-wing congressmen may feel betrayed by any immigration reform, Trump can believe his base of supporters will back him no matter how many times he flips on any issue. They seem to accept whatever is his latest stance.

No one can really tell where Trump might end up. When he indicates he wont throw out those good, educated and accomplished young people, it could mean he would sign a bill that extends DACA with no conditions. Thats what some congressional Democrats want.

Most Republicans may be less flexible than their president. Rep. Mark Walker of Greensboro, who chairs the 150-member Republican Study Committee, told National Public Radio Monday that he supports a long-term solution for DACA, but not unconditionally: I believe this can be coupled with a level of border security.

Any legislation must prioritize securing our border and stopping illegal immigration, Walkers communications director, Jack Minor, added in an email later Monday.

Republicans and Democrats should work together on strengthening border security and curtailing illegal immigration, but there are many points of possible disagreement in achieving those goals. Does border security require a 2,000-mile wall? Does stemming illegal immigration give a green light to police raids sweeping up farm or factory workers who have put down roots in their communities and whose children are U.S.-born citizens? This is not a fast or simple issue to address.

So, what should be done first is what the president and Congress can agree to do soon: That is to remove the threat of deportation from the Dreamers. Congress should pass a law this fall giving those 800,000 young adults permanent legal status and a path to citizenship. When it does, Trump will have the first major legislative accomplishment of his presidency and one that will earn widespread praise.

He doesnt want to throw Dreamers out, so the obvious solution is to ask for and sign a bill that lets them stay and build productive American lives. No deal is really necessary.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

DANBURY  When employees at Odysseys headquarters are tired of sitting, they can push a button and have their desk elevated to a stand-at-work position. Done standing? Push a button and the desk drops back down to sitting level.

The electric adjustable-height desks are just one of many upgrades Odyssey Logistics & Technology Corp. made when it moved its offices from the first floor to the fourth floor at the Matrix Corporate Center. In doing so, the transportation logistics company increased its space from 20,000 to 25,000 square feet, and renewed its commitment to the Matrix with a lease that runs until 2026.

This is more indicative of the space we needed, Cosmo Alberico, COO and CFO of Odyssey, said.

Odyssey has about 100 employees at its Danbury headquarters. It has a global workforce of 1,725, including 10 major offices in the U.S. About 70 people work in an office in New Milford.

The in-building move of its headquarters also included new furniture, technological upgrades, new phone system and more modern office design.

It is also in a prime location within the Matrix, a 1.2 million-square-foot building that was built in 1980 as the headquarters for Union Carbide.

Odyssey was founded in 2002 by Robert Shellman, who remains as the companys president and CEO. He is a former Union Carbide employee and feels an affinity with the uniquely designed Matrix Corporate Center. Its a really cool building, he said in a previous interview with Hearst Connecticut Media. Theres nothing else like it.

The Matrix has struggled as of late, however. It lost multiple major tenants such as Praxair and Boehringer Ingelheim and its previous owners lost the building to foreclosure. CBRE is now managing the property.

In the midst of the turmoil, Odyssey was able to negotiate a work letter in which the landlord paid for the build-out construction of the new office to Odysseys specifications.

It provided us the opportunity to construct and design an efficient, collaborative and comfortable work environment for our employees at below market cost compared to other class A space available in the area, Alberico said.

The layout of the new space follows the trend of many modern offices with tighter cubicle space and more amenities outside of the direct work area. The cubicle space  each station is 6 feet by 6 feet as opposed to 8 feet by 6 feet of the old location  is packed tighter and better organizes the various departments.

(The cubicle design) fosters collaboration amongst working groups and gives the employee a more open and bright feel as they benefit from capturing more natural light, Alberico said.

For privacy, employees can use one of the huddle rooms located near the cubicle areas. The huddle rooms include more comfortable furniture and may be used for private meetings or personal phone calls.

The design of the space was a team effort, Alberico said. Odyssey formed an office design committee made up of employees from various departments. Alberico said the committee was formed to capture the ideas of the Danbury-based employee population with regard to preference of work stations, color scheme and other details.

He added. This proved to be very beneficial as it contributed significantly to the successful build-out of the space and improvement in employee morale and productivity.

The move gives Odyssey room to grow with plenty of adjacent office space available. Alberico said the company plans to add 20 percent more square feet in the near future to accommodate future growth. Odyssey has experienced growth for 14 consecutive years, company officials said in January.

cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

STAMFORD  A year after its arrival, Marriott International is still booked into the citys economy. But many details of its stay remain unclear.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of Marriotts $13 billion acquisition of Stamford-based Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, a deal that created the worlds largest hotel company. The merger has resulted in major layoffs, but public officials remain optimistic the firm will maintain some local operations.

We were hopeful that they would decide to keep that nucleus of talent in Stamford, Stamford Mayor David Martin said in a speech in Bridgeport last week. That might still happen. We knew theyve taken a number of the jobs down to Bethesda, the Maryland city that hosts Marriotts headquarters.

Messages left this week for Marriott and Building and Land Technology, the landlord of its South End building at 333 Ludlow St., were not immediately returned.

Starwood moved its headquarters in 2012 to Stamford, from White Plains, N.Y. It would grow into one of Stamfords largest employers, operating with a reported contingent of about 700 around the time of the merger.

By adding Starwood, Marriott expanded its distribution by some 1,300 hotels. It now manages more than 6,000 properties worldwide. Starwood brands include Sheraton, W Hotels, Westin, Le Meridien and St. Regis.

In comparison, Hilton Worldwide operates as the second-largest business in the industry with about 5,000 properties.

Within about four months of the deal closing, Marriott had announced the layoff of some 220 Stamford employees. The cuts mostly affected vice president, director and other managerial posts.

Martin suggested in the Bridgeport speech that Stamford might have benefited more from an acquisition from a Chinese banking and insurance firm that had traded bids with Marriott. Anbang Insurance Group made a $14 billion offer for Starwood before walking away in the spring of 2016.

We would have preferred if they were bought by a Chinese investment company, whose fundamental agenda Im not certain I would agree with, Martin said. Nonetheless, they would have kept Starwood in Stamford.

While they review their Stamford offices, Marriott executives are looking for a new headquarters in the Washington, D.C., area. About 4,000 Marriott employees are based in Bethesda and in satellite offices in the surrounding area. Marriotts headquarters lease runs until 2022.

In an interview after the Bridgeport speech, Martin said public funding might help to prolong Starwoods presence in Connecticut. State officials announced in May 2014 that they would provide a loan of $5 million and up to $20 million in tax credits to support Starwood creating 340 more jobs in the state. Those incentives are still in effect, state Department of Economic and Community Development officials said this week.

I think theyre going to play out those economic incentives for the medium term, and maybe this will play out so they make a decision to retain and grow in the long term, Martin said. But I dont think we can count on that.

Since the Starwood acquisition, Marriott has rebounded from initial losses. In the first half of 2017, its revenues were flat, but its bottom line rose 33 percent to an adjusted total of $827 million.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

GREENWICH  Last year, a teacher at New Lebanon School told Olga Illescas that her 6-year-old son Sebastian couldnt read. He struggled more than his classmates, she said, and he might not be able to move on to second grade.

Illescas, who is originally from Ecuador, does not speak much English and cannot really help her son with his homework. When his teacher threatened holding him back, she didnt know how to fix it.

I was crying. What could we do? Illescas asked.

Carolina Ahumada, program coordinator for Family First in Education, stepped in. She had been working with Illescas and her family all year to try to close the chasm between them and high-income Greenwich families in a state that ranks first in the nation for widest achievement gaps between white students and their black and Hispanic counterparts.

She said, Dont worry. There are four months still where we could do something, Illescas recalled.

And they did. The team at Family First got tutoring for the 6-year-old and exercises to practice at home.

This September, Sebastian started second grade. Ahumada said he is the youngest in his class.

It is stories like this that Family First employees and participants commemorated Sunday during a barbecue in Bruce Park that included games, nature presentations, hamburgers and hot dogs.

Family First, a joint endeavor by Family Centers and the Greenwich YMCA, is a free three-year pilot program that began last fall, funded by the Per and Astrid Heidenreich Family Foundation. With the help of personnel from three Greenwich public schools with high rates of free or reduced school lunches -- Hamilton Avenue, New Lebanon and Julian Curtiss -- its leaders identified at-risk but highly motivated families from the community and invited them to participate in a long-term after-school program at the YMCA.

Over the course of the 2016-17 academic year, all 38 children in the program jumped at least one reading level, and 40 percent caught up to grade level in reading after falling behind.

Some 88 percent improved their math scores and 94 percent their reading scores on the STAR assessments, tests devised to gauge a students achievement and progress.

As the academic calendar kicks back into high gear, theyre preparing to do it all again.

Beyond academics, Family First has yet another, less traditional component: at-home visits from Ahumada, who has a masters in psychology and whose job includes looking after each familys well-being.

Weve been to a lot of good programs in Greenwich, but its the first program that cares about the family, said Marianela Dias, whose two daughters are in Family First. To me, if the family is good, the kids are good.

Through her house calls, Ahumada gets to know the participants and helps them navigate an American education system unfamiliar to some who grew up in other countries. Because she is fluent in Spanish, Ahumada is able to communicate with parents who struggle to understand their kids report cards or letters from school.

I try to have knowledge about where my families are coming from, she said.

Some 73.3 percent of those in the program last year were Hispanic, and Dias said that at Family First events, We pretty much speak Spanish.

Dias said that the most important service she has received from the program is the support that Ahumada provides to everyone in her household.

They worry about the emotional state of the kid, and of all of the family, she said.

Then, theres the after-school program.

Housed at 2 St. Roch Ave., its geared toward children in grades K-5. However, because of Family Firsts full-service focus, the YMCA offers a separate section at its campus on 50 E. Putnam Ave. for siblings who are in middle school so that parents dont have to worry about finding childcare -- or leaving their kids home alone -- while they work.

Students arrive at the Y at about 3:15 p.m. and go to their classrooms. Seated in a circle, they begin their afternoon with a chat about how their day is going. With three paid tutors, six volunteers and four teachers on-hand, the kids then get personalized homework help.

Last year, Family First logged 433 hours of tutoring.

Every day, students also get in exercise, whether at the gym, the playground or outdoors.

Three children are sometimes pulled aside for therapy with Ahumada, who teaches them how to cope with anxiety or other psychological issues. One is Dias 8-year-old daughter, who has always been timid. The mom said she has seen a huge change in her child since starting with Ahumada.

Dias stressed how much her girls enjoy their time at the YMCA.

When we go to get them, they dont want to leave, she said.

Michele Czarnecki, director of after school programs at the YMCA Greenwich, has watched over the months as the students from Family First have blossomed together.

Going on year two, theyre just very open, Czarnecki said. Theyre comfortable. They feel like theyre a family in the class. Theyre able to express themselves.

While the after-school program offers academic resources, for some parents, its primarily a means of security. Some 95 percent of Family Firsts households make $40,000 or less a year, and some moms and dads work two or three jobs to pay the bills, Ahumada said.

Many dont have flexible schedules and work well past the end of the school day. For them, knowing that their kids have a safe place to stay until 6 p.m. is a gift.

Per Heidenreich, a Greenwich resident who is sponsoring Family First for three years, admitted that the town is woefully ignorant about the demographics that benefit from his program.

I would go as far as saying 80 percent of the population of Greenwich has no idea of the situation in the low-income housing and the western part of Greenwich, he said.

For some of the parents, it is even a luxury to spend Sunday with their kids. Thats what made this weekends barbecue so special: According to Ahumada, adults changed their schedules and took early morning shifts so they could make it to the afternoon celebration.

Its really difficult to get Mom and Dad together because of work, but this program is doing it, Illescas said.

According to Heidenreich, Family First holds seven or eight events like the barbecue throughout the year so that adults can get to know each other and foster a community.

The parents start talking to each other, he said. Its really bringing up the whole neighborhood.

For Illescas, the program has created a network. When she moved to Greenwich four years ago, she didnt really know anyone and felt isolated.

I dont have family in this country, she said at the barbecue. My family is my two kids and my husband.

What happens when we have these kinds of get-togethers is we meet more parents, and were making connections with other parents, she continued. Were not so alone.

Illescas expressed her appreciation for Family First, from Heidenreich and others who pioneered the program to those who make it run daily.

The most important thing is to say thank you, she said.
GREENWICH  A resolution limiting use of disposable plastic shopping bags set to be introduced before the Representative Town Meeting early this week was withdrawn by its supporters for more work.

Instead, plans to eliminate the bags in Greenwich will be reintroduce in December.

Advocates of the ban say it is similar to one already in place in Westport.

The proposed ordinance calls for phasing in a ban of single-use check-out bags by Greenwich retailers over a six-month span. The ban would also allow merchants to charge 25 cents per paper bag they give out. Customers who bring their own bags would not be charged the 25 cent fee.

The Board of Selectmen gave the initiative its support in July; it will require approval by the RTM for the ban to be put in place.

We have to sit down and work with the town to see if the language is in order and who will be in charge of enforcement, RTM member Douglas Wells, chairman of the bodys Legislative and Rules Committee, said on Tuesday. The Health Department is a possibility to oversee it and the Conservation Department is one too. That still has to be worked out.

Wells said the preliminary resolution lacks clarity about action that can be taken against merchants found to be in violation of the policy once approved  He said the resolution needed to be clear if the town can fine a merchant and how the fine would be levied and collected.

There has to be a bright line to allow a person to know when they will be fined, Wells said.

The effort is being pushed by the grassroots group Bring Your Own. According to the group, the average single-use plastic bag is used for 12 minutes before being discarded, can do decades of damage to the environment and that only 5 to 10 percent are properly recycled.

Many end up caught in trees, pollute waterways, clog gutters and sewers and can pose life-threatening risks to birds and marine life, the group said.

Bring Your Own has estimated that about 100 businesses in Greenwich use single-use plastic bags and that, based on the size of the towns population, more than 8 million bags are used in Greenwich per year.

While the resolution is being worked, a subcommittee of members of the RTMs Legislative and Rules and Land Use Committees is scheduled to meet with advocates of the phase out and with the towns law department.

Among the changes being debated in the preliminary resolution are exemptions of the 25-cent charge for people using food subsidy programs like Connecticuts Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Jessica Hill / Associated Press

HARTFORD  Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Tuesday told Republican leaders that their pending budget proposal, which he plans to veto, would drastically underfund state employee pension programs that have rebounded since he took office in January 2011.

In a letter to GOP leaders that was released to reporters, he warned that since the employee retirement system was created in 1939, it has consistently been underfunded, to the point where it is behind by billions of dollars.
In a teardown performed by Dylan over at 9to5Google the newest version of the Google App 7.1.2 reveals a few new features that are coming to the upcoming Google Pixel 2 and Google Assistant alike.

The first and most significant clue in the teardown is the Google Pixel 2s rumored Active Edge feature, which works like the HTC U11s Edge Sense: give the phones frame a squeeze and you can summon Google Assistant. Here is the code that supports the rumor:

To change settings for the squeeze gesture, go to your phones Active Edge settings.

The next feature is called Routines and builds on top of Google Assistants shortcuts by letting you program a phrase to perform multiple tasks simultaneously.

To change settings for the squeeze gesture, go to your phones Active Edge settings.

Here is a phrase that suggests you can customize or decide between more than one voice for Google Assistant to use:

Choose the voice your Assistant will use to respond to you

Google Home already offers a number of relaxing sounds and according to the teardown, it might be making its way to the Google App. To initiate the feature, say Play sleep sounds. Then you can choose between Meditation, Nature, Ocean, Sleep, and Thunderstorm.

Various strings of text also suggest that Google Assistant will gain refined podcast playback controls including the ability to continue last plated podcast as well as Playback preferences.

If youd like to see the full APK teardown, head over to the Source link below where you can check out the full strings of text including code.

Source
The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 went on sale late last week in China. The first flash sale saw the device selling out in less than a minute.

Those who missed out can try again, as the device will be again available for purchase this week - the second flash sale is set for September 21.

As was the case first time around, all three 6GB RAM variants - 6GB+64GB, 6GB+128GB, and 6GB+256GB - will be up for grabs. Pricing is CNY 3,299 ($500), CNY 3,599 ($545), and CNY 3,999 ($605), respectively.

The Chinese company recently confirmed the handset will arrive in India "very soon", but an exact date is yet to be specified.

Via
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)




Haiti - FLASH : Hurricane Maria in category 4, Haiti in pre-alert yellow





Tuesday morning 5:00 am, the center of Hurricane MARIA downgraded from Category 5 to Category 4 on the Hurricane Saffir-Simpson wind scale (winds of 210 to 249 km/h) was located near latitude 16.0 North and longitude 62.3 West.



MARIA, which has passed the West Indian Arc, is heading west-north-west at 9 mp/h (15 km/h). This trajectory should continue until Wednesday. It will move to the North-East Caribbean Sea today and will approach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico tonight and Wednesday.



Unless there is a change in its trajectory, MARIA is expected to pass north of Haiti on Thursday and Friday and could have a smaller impact on the country, considering its northward shift. However, it is to be expected heavy swell, torrential rains and powerful gusts devastating over the northern departments.



MARIA is a Category 4 hurricane and will fluctuate in intensity over the next 48 hours, but it should remain an extremely dangerous category 4 or 5 hurricane...



Hurricane force winds extend up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and the winds of tropical storms force extend outwardly up to 125 miles (205 km).



Yesterday in Port-au-Prince, the Permanent Secretariat of Risk Management (SPGRD) launched the first phase of early warning at the level of yellow vigilance in anticipation of the passage of Maria.



The first special bulletin of the Hydro Meteorological Unit of Haiti, foresees that the country could feel the first impacts of the phenomenon Wednesday evening or Thursday, bringing to the northern part of the country threats of floods, landslides and dangerous sea conditions.



The SPGRD, together with the Civil Protection Directorate (DPC) and the UHM, is asking the population, in particular the inhabitants of the zones at risk, to prepare and stay tuned to weather reports and safety instructions.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22148-haiti-flash-maria-becomes-a-potentially-dangerous-hurricane.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politics : Gerald Oriol Jr. on tour in the department of Center and Artibonite





Gerald Oriol Jr., the Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities at the head of a BSEIPH delegation, was in the department of the Center last week to evaluate the interventions of his office in the department.



During this visit, he met with the mayor of Thomonde, Matheus Bernadeau and departmental directors of various public institutions in order to encourage a better integration of the needs of people with special needs in their interventions. He also discussed the issue of disability in the department with officials from associations of disabled people. Grant checks and school kits were distributed to disabled people in difficulty during the visit.



The next day Gerald Oriol Jr. and his delegation were in the department of Artibonite. During the visit, he met the Mayor of Gonaives Neil Latortue and representatives of public and private institutions such as Caritas and Action Against Hunger to better take into account the needs of people with special needs. Like the day before, Secretary of State Oriol handed out grant checks and school kits to disabled people in difficulty.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Parents panicked, Minister deplores

On Tuesday, Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet, the Minister of National Education at a press briefing given at the official residence of the Prime Minister, deplored the closure of schools in the west department, alleging this situation to intimidation and threats of violence "This has created fear among parents. On Monday, while schools in the other 9 departments were functioning normally, many schools in the west department remained closed because parents and school leaders were panicked."



MARIA, Moise in NY keeps in touch

President Moise in New York said he is in permanent contact with Civil Protection to ensure that the devices have been reactivated as Hurricane Maria has reverted to category 5 since 8:00 am on Tuesday, specifying "The Prime Minister Lafontant is instructed to mobilize the resources necessary for an adequate response to the danger that represent MARIA for Haiti."



CONAHNE warns the President

Edouard Paultre, Coordinator of CONAHNE, called on the Government and Parliament to hear reason about the budget, saying that otherwise, "the 5-year term of Jovenel Moise is at enormous risk."



Vodouists for the withdrawal of the budget

Me Alix Compas, responsible for political and legal affairs of the National Confederation of Haitian Vodouists, supports any mobilization aimed at getting President Moise to withdraw the budget, considering that the last message of the Head of State https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22135-haiti-flash-moise-asserts-his-authority-and-publishes-the-budget.html has only aggravated the situation.



Payment of arrears of risk premiums to the PNH

Michel-Ange Gedeon, Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), in a note addressed to the Central Directors, the Departmental Directors and the Specialized Units states that "the General Directorate of the National Police of Haiti informs you that the Haitian state, through the Ministry of Economy and Finance, is working hard to allow the police officers to collect the arrears of risk premiums by September 23 at the latest."



Protestant Federation calls Jovenel Moise to reason

The President of the Protestant Federation of Haiti, Pastor Sylvain Exantus, calls on the Head of State to listen to the people and to urgently enter into consultations with all sectors around a possible modification of the contested budget.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















There is not a single "designated" blast or fallout shelter in the entire state. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

Hawaii is woefully vulnerable to a North Korean nuclear attack

by Gabriella Munoz, Washington Examiner, Sept 1, 2017

In an updated version of the Cold War's "duck and cover," the state now advises residents to "shelter in place." According to the "Guidance Summary for Coordinated Public Messaging" on nuclear detonation, if one hears the alerts go off on any of the three state-run emergency alert systems or see a "brilliant white light (flash)" then one should get inside the nearest building ASAP. If caught outside, one should lie flat on the ground.

There is not a single "designated" blast or fallout shelter in the entire state. The plan puts this information in small print.

Some may argue that, Hawaii being a series of islands, there's no space for fallout shelters. That is not the issue. There were previous shelters at the ready during the Cold War. The upkeep of and funding for these shelters fell away during the 1990s with the collapse of the USSR and the diminished nuclear concern.

The state released a document of answers to frequently asked questions on ballistic missile preparedness. The Hawaii State Warning Point would be notified in approximately five minutes of a North Korean watch, and would be able to initiate the warning systems within two minutes after that. Residents would only have a maximum of 15 minutes to find shelter before impact.

This limited response time is the reason updating or building new blast or fallout shelters would be "not practical," according to the executive officer of Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency, Toby Clairmont.

In an interview with Khon news, a local Hawaii news outlet, Clairmont said, "We looked at the old list [of shelters] and there are buildings that are gone now. They were torn down, so right now, fallout shelters doesn't look like our best strategy."

However, he noted that "if at some point the risk gets high enough and things change," they would consider investing in shelters.

Clairmont and HEMA's Guidance Summary both stress that the best place to take shelter would be in a concrete building. According to ready.gov , "If your community has no designated fallout shelters, make a list of potential shelters near your home, workplace and school, such as basements, subways, tunnels, or the windowless center area of middle floors in a high-rise building."

The thing is, Hawaii, as a tropical island, is covered in homes that are neither concrete nor windowless.

Take for example, Pearl City (my hometown), Aiea, or any of the smaller towns near Pearl Harbor, which strategically would make a likely target. Many homes there were built before 1993 (the standard for hurricane preparedness) and are wooden, with many windows to make use of the trade wind breeze.

There are buildings that are concrete, safe, and would be able to host a multitude of people that could serve as fallout shelters, despite not being designated locations or officially mandated to be one in an emergency. However, major ones, such as Pearlridge Shopping Center, Home Depot, Sam's Club, and Pearl City Shopping Center, just to name a few in Pearl City, are typically located on busy highways, such as Kamehameha Highway, that are often jammed with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Even without traffic, driving to a safe location would be nearly impossible.

"What's going to happen is you're going to hear the sirens. You're going to hear what goes off on the radio and on your smart phone, and you've got just a few minutes to protect yourself. There's no time to be looking at a map or even driving a block. You need to take shelter right now," Clairmont explained to KHON.

Those in school or work, already in or within running distance of shelter, would probably be best-off.

However, that doesn't include the part of the population -- seniors, young children, stay-at-home parents, etc. -- who may live in these types of vulnerable homes. It also doesn't account for the major homeless population in the state. As of November 2016, Hawaii was ranked third amongst states with the highest rate of unsheltered homeless people with a total of 7,921 homeless, 54 percent of which was unsheltered.

Hawaii has been a military target since WWII , when the Imperial Japanese Army rained down bombs on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Children had to pack gas masks in their backpacks on the way to school. After that, during the Cold War, children had to practice "duck and cover" up to three times a week in some places.

There has been no serious de-escalation of tensions since North Korea's nuclear test back in mid-July. Just this past week, on Aug. 29 , North Korea launched their 14th test this year alone . The very next day, the U.S. shot back with its own show of missile defense off the island of Kauai.

The risk of an actual nuclear attack is still low, but it's a persistent reality that is becoming increasingly conceivable. Both states are already pulling out the big guns and taking aim. Rather than wait for things to get worse, Hawaii and the federal government should start reconsidering those shelters now.

---30---
Jones Act industry attacks Mercatus paper

by Michael Hansen, Hawaii Shippers Council, September 5, 2017

The American Maritime Partnership (AMP) posted to their website on June 20, 2017, a position paper, Thomas Grennes Jones Act paper is a one-sided advocacy document, not a real study, attacking a paper written by Professor Thomas Grennes and published by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University on May 2, 2017.

Grennes, Professor of Economics, Emeritus, Poole College of Management, North Carolina State University, wrote the paper, An Economic Analysis of the Jones Act, for presentation at the Mercatus Centers Policy research seminar on researchers and stakeholders view on the Jones Act, held at the Sheraton Maui Resort on Friday, April 13, 2017.

The AMP was originally formed in 1995 as the Maritime Cabotage Task Force (MCTF) to defend Jones Act cabotage in response to the Jones Act Reform Coalition (JARC)s efforts to reform the nations coastwise laws. The MCTF changed its name to AMP in February 2011 to adopt a name that would be more comprehensible by the general public. Today, AMP is the leading domestic maritime industry trade association as an IRS 501(c) 6 business league organization lobbying for support of and opposed to any reform of the coastwise laws and regulations. The membership of the AMP is made up of domestic shipowners, U.S. shipbuilders, and the maritime shipboard and shipyard unions.

Prof Grennes finds Jones Act cabotage has not fulfilled the legislative goals stated in the preamble of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, especially in respect of national security and supporting a strong merchant fleet, while its protectionist features have restricted economic development and harmed consumers over time. As a result, Prof Grennes recommends that Jones Act cabotage be reformed especially in terms of the most adversely affected U.S. noncontiguous jurisdictions of Alaska, Guam, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Any mention of Jones Act reform is anathema to the domestic maritime industry and the AMP in their position paper accordingly attacks Prof Grennes paper stating, . . . . . it is a one-sided, unbalanced advocacy document that only highlights facts that support Grennes own perspective and ignores those that dont, presenting only one side of the story that is riddled with omissions and outright factual errors. As a result, it should not be viewed as serious scholarship and read with skepticism.

Of course the AMP and the domestic maritime industry generally will not stand for any analysis of Jones Act cabotage that doesnt agree with their protectionist views, as they wish to ensure their privileged position in the market place is preserved. This industry intransigence leads any debate over domestic maritime policy to become a polemical exchange.

Interestingly, the AMP position paper criticizes Prof Grennes overreliance on a few of sources, which they characterize as particularly biased against the Jones Act.

In this regards, the AMP states, More than 50 of the authors footnotes (approximately one-third of the entire document) come from three specific individuals who are known, avowed opponents of the Jones Act, while most pro-Jones Act commentators are ignored. The identity of these three sources are named in foot note 10, The three anti-Jones Act advocates are Brian Slattery of the Heritage Foundation, John Frittelli of the Congressional Research Service, and Michael Hansen of the Hawaii Shippers Council.

None of the three sources have called for full repeal of Jones Act cabotage, have variously pointed out the problems with the current domestic maritime regulatory regime and recommended moderate reforms to improve the industrys primary role of providing domestic waterborne transportation to the nation.

However, rather than addressing the issues, the AMP finds the rhetorical need to characterize critics of their industrys legal protections as known, avowed opponents of the Jones Act, recalling the language of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings of the late 1940s investigating communists in the federal government.

There are several shortcomings to Prof Grennes paper which the AMP accurately and appropriately points out in their position paper, which hopefully Prof Grennes will respond to in due course.
Organisations must be on the front foot to ensure that there are clear lines of communication around pay and rewards as part of their employee value proposition, according to Aaron McEwan, HR advisory leader at CEB, now Gartner.



He added that its important for managers to talk to employees and let them know how the process works, find out what they want and recognise the effort they are putting in.



Not only can this improve engagement and job satisfaction, it can boost performance which can impact the bottom line, he said.



McEwans comments come as new findings from CEB, now Gartner show employees in Australia are working harder as base pay expectations climbed to a six-year high.



According to the CEB Global Talent Monitor, in Q2 Australian workers expectations of base pay increased an additional 2.5%, the highest level since 2011.



The spike in pay expectations comes as business indicators, including employment, profitability and trade, have all seen growing momentum over the last quarter, buoying employee confidence, said McEwan.



After years of riding out low wage growth, workers are now hopeful that their base pay will start to see the flow-on effect from the positive business conditions surrounding them.



Moreover, discretionary effort rose 5% in Q2 to 23%, putting Australian effort levels 6% ahead of the global average.



The last five years have seen conversations around pay growth fall to the wayside as Australian organisations struggled to juggle budget constraints and limited funds. As a result, many Australian workers dont know anything about pay processes, said McEwan.



He said employers must educate employees on the practicalities of pay, such as how pay increases are calculated, time of year theyre likely to happen and how employees can go about asking for an increase. From there, employers can set expectations appropriate to their business.



The research also showed that designing pay models based on performance can increase effort levels by as much as 11% and intent to stay by as much as 26%.



CEB, now Gartner said organisations should focus on three things when addressing compensation with employees:
(HedgeCo.Net) The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed insider trading charges against a former Amazon financial analyst who allegedly leaked confidential information to his former fraternity brother in advance of a company earnings announcement so they could turn an illegal profit. The college friend and his trading partner also are charged in the SECs complaint.

The SEC alleges that Brett Kennedy accessed nonpublic 2015 first quarter earnings information without authorization while working at Amazon and shared it with Maziar Rezakhani, who illegally traded on the financial results before their public release to make more than $116,000 in illicit profits. According to the SECs complaint, Rezakhani paid Kennedy $10,000 in cash for the tip and also shared the trading profits with Sam Sadeghi, who was advising him on his brokerage account trades and joined Rezakhani at a meeting with Kennedy to discuss the nonpublic information. The SECs complaint alleges that Rezakhani and Sadeghi aimed to establish a successful track record with the trading in Rezakhanis brokerage account and together open a hedge fund in New York that would accept investments from others.

According to the SECs complaint, Rezakhani boasted on at least two trading-related internet communication platforms in the days leading up to Amazons earnings announcement that he was predicting first quarter revenue of $22.7 billion and earnings per share of -$0.12, writing that the numbers are so obvious that a 5 year old can guess what they will do.

Jina L. Choi, Director of the SECs San Francisco Regional Office, said, As alleged in our complaint, Rezakhani boasted on social media that he could accurately predict Amazons financial performance. But he failed to predict that we would catch him and his accomplices in their illegal scheme.

Sadeghi and Kennedy agreed to settlements that are subject to court approval. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Sadeghi agreed to pay disgorgement of $11,599.74 plus $1,035.39 in interest and an $11,599.74 penalty for a total of $24,214.87. Kennedy agreed to pay disgorgement of $10,000 plus interest of $875.36. In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Washington today announced criminal charges against Kennedy.
We have examined how our work has progressed and decided to push back the objective of receiving the permit to 2019. The plant supplier has needed more time than initially expected to take into account the standards and legislation in Finland, Toni Hemminki, the managing director of Fennovoima, said in a press release on Monday.

Fennovoima has conceded that it will not receive a building permit for its nuclear power plant in Pyhajoki, North Ostrobothnia, in 2018.

The Hanhikivi Nuclear Power Plant will be supplied by RAOS Project, a subsidiary of Rosatom, a Russian state-owned atomic energy company.

The building permit is conditional on the positive outcome of technical safety inspections by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK).

Because submitting the documents has taken more time than expected in the first two years [of the project], STUK has yet been able to conduct its inspections to the extent it had planned on, explains Hemminki.

Petteri Tiippana, the head of STUK, revealed a few months ago that the nuclear energy consortium has yet to submit all of the documents required to conduct the safety inspections, warning that unless it does so without delay it is unlikely to receive a building permit in 2018.

Helsingin Sanomat understands that Rosatom has provided at least some of the requisite documents but that the documents have been incomplete or failed to meet quality standards.

What has been positive to notice is that Fennovoima has returned this material to Rosatom rather than sending it to us, Janne Nevalainen, a project manager at STUK, commented to the newspaper.

Hemminki assures in the press release that the project is nevertheless moving in the right direction. The plant supplier and designer, he tells, have expedited the process considerably during the course of the summer by re-locating almost a hundred experts to Helsinki.

Rosatom has built dozens of nuclear plants around the world, making it the worlds most experienced nuclear power plant supplier. I am therefore confident about the outcome. We have a massive advantage because the reference plant for Hanhikivi 1, LAES-2, will be completed next year in Sosnovy Bor, [Russia]. We will have all the latest information and experiences at our disposal in the construction phase, he says.

Fennovoima filed its application for a building permit for the Hanhikivi Nuclear Power Plant in 2015.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Timo Heikkala  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
A Dublin man has been remanded in custody following his extradition from the UK on knife possession and motor theft-related charges.

Nathan Coakley (23), aka Nathan Hutch - a nephew of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch - from Buckingham Street Upper in the north inner city, faces his next hearing today.

Four members of the Garda Armed Support Unit, who were holding machine guns, were on duty at the courtroom door during his brief hearing before Judge Grainne Malone at a special late sitting of Dublin District Court last night.

He faces three charges: unlawful use of a stolen motor vehicle, unlawful possession of a knife as a weapon, and possession of stolen keys at Ringsend Road, Dublin 4, on December 24, 2015.

Garda Bryan Hunt told Judge Malone the accused was arrested at Dublin Airport, while travelling in the name of Nathan Hutch. Gda Hunt, who is attached to Irishtown Garda Station, told the court the man was arrested on foot of district court warrants issued on June 6.

Charged

He was transported to Ballymun Garda Station, where he was charged with the three offences.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed trial on indictment in relation to all matters, Gda Hunt added.

This means the case will be sent forward to a higher court.

The garda said the purpose of the remand was to await preparation of a book of evidence, but it would not be ready at the next hearing.

Defence solicitor Simon Fleming said there was no application for bail and there was consent to his client being remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court today.

Judge Malone noted the DPP's direction and said that the State had six weeks to complete the book of evidence. Gda Hunt said he had been told it would be ready in two weeks.

There was an application for legal aid, which was granted, and Mr Coakley said he wanted Mr Fleming to represent him.

Gda Hunt said Mr Coakley was extradited from the UK on a European Arrest Warrant. He also said the accused had consented to the extradition.

The garda said the accused had been held in custody for six days, before Mr Coakley spoke up and said: "A week and two days".
Politics took centre stage at the Emmy Awards, with Donald Trump being skewered from all angles.

During a series of political barbs, the US president was accused of making black people the most oppressed in America and called a "lying, hypocritical bigot".

The Los Angeles ceremony saw victories for The Handmaid's Tale, political satire Veep and Saturday Night Live, which has enjoyed a resurgence thanks to its attacks on Mr Trump.

Lying

Perhaps the hardest- hitting shot came in a speech by Emmy presenters Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, who took the stage alongside Dolly Parton, their co-star in Nine To Five.

Fonda described the conditions their characters faced in the 1980 film. Without naming him, Tomlin added: "And in 2017 we still refuse to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot."

Parton raised her eyebrows at the critique and remained silent.

Alec Baldwin won outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for his portrayals of Mr Trump on Saturday Night Live.

"At long last, Mr President, here is your Emmy," he said of the Celebrity Apprentice-host-cum-president, who never won an Emmy despite his reality show past.

After its most-watched season in 23 years, Saturday Night Live won nine Emmys, including best variety sketch series for actress Kate Mc- Kinnon and for Melissa McCarthy's turn as Mr Trump's fired press secretary Sean Spicer.

Mr Spicer even came on stage to joke that "this will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys", in a reference to the debacle over numbers attending the president's inauguration speech.

Collecting the lead actor in a comedy series award, Atlanta star Donald Glover said: "I want to thank Trump for making black people number one on the most oppressed list - he's the reason I'm probably up here."

Lead actress in a comedy series winner Julia Louis- Dreyfus, who won for Veep, which also scored best comedy series, said a storyline about a fictional president's dismissal had to be scrubbed from the upcoming final season.

"We had a storyline about an impeachment, but we abandoned that as we were worried that someone else might get to it first," she said.

Host Stephen Colbert was swift in tackling the president, who he called the "biggest TV star of the last year" for influencing shows' plot-lines.

Losers

In the first major awards wins for streaming service Hulu, The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss was named best drama actress for playing a woman forced into sexual servitude. The show also won awards for writing, directing and for supporting actress Ann Dowd.

Sterling K Brown won best dramatic actor for his role as an African-American who is adopted into a white family in heart-tugging NBC family drama This Is Us.

Some of the night's biggest losers included two new Netflix shows. Stranger Things won only five of its 18 nominations, mostly in technical categories, and British royal series The Crown came away with three awards out of 16 nominations.
Nerf guns can lead to serious eye injuries, doctors have warned.

Experts from a leading eye hospital said bullets from the popular toy guns and blasters could lead to internal bleeding around the eye as well as issues such as blurred vision.

Arrows

They suggested that children and adults who play with the guns should wear protective eye goggles and also called for "reconsideration of the safe age limits for Nerf gun use in children".

Nerf toys, which are made by Hasbro, include a range of guns, blasters and bows and arrows for children aged eight and over.

Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), A&E medics from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London said that three patients had been injured by the guns in separate incidents. All suffered internal bleeding.

All the patients were examined and given eye drops, the researchers said.

Check-ups showed their sight had returned completely and the bleeding had stopped.

The authors said that, while there was a good outcome for those three patients, the ability of Nerf guns to cause problems was worrying and could lead to long-term vision loss.

"This case series emphasises the seriousness of ocular injury from Nerf gun projectiles and calls into consideration the need for protective eyewear with their use," they said.

"It also calls for reconsideration of the safe age limits for Nerf gun use in children."

The authors also pointed out that one patient had told them that non-branded, cheaper bullets that fit Nerf guns are on sale.

Examination showed these bullets to be harder than the ones made by Hasbro, which parents may not be aware of.
A Buchanan County, Virginia, fugitive who was wanted for 153 counts of possession and distribution of child pornography was caught on Friday.

Jamie Grant Castle, 39, was arrested in Parker, Colorado.

An investigation in April 2010 in the Slate Creek area by the Buchanan County Sheriffs Office, with cooperation from Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children, led to the charges.

Castle fled shortly after the execution of the original search warrant, according to the Sheriff's Office. He made attempts to alter his identity to evade capture.

Numerous federal, state and local law enforcement agencies were involved in the search for Castle. The FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Street Task Force Fugitive Unit ultimately took Castle into custody.

Castle appeared in court on Monday for an extradition hearing.
For years, Democrats have (rightfully) hammered Republicans for spouting empty slogans and magic math.

Tax cuts will pay for themselves? Uh-huh, if you say so. Maybe have a chat with Kansas.

Build a wall, and Mexico will pay for it? Hmm, thats not what Mexico says.

Repeal and replace Obamacare? Right-o, show us a replacement plan, any replacement plan, that wont raise rates and cause millions of Americans to lose their insurance.

These were hollow promises, with no serious plan backing any of them.

Thanks to the Grand Old Partys demagoguery, Democrats have for a little while enjoyed a virtual monopoly on facts, evidence and experts. Dems  or some of them, anyway  embraced serious, solutions-based, often technical policymaking and the hard choices that went along with it.

But the lesson the Democrats seem to have taken from the 2016 electoral trouncing is that they need to become more like Republicans. Meaning: Abandon thoughtful, detail-oriented bean-counting and attempts to come up with workable solutions grounded in (occasionally unpopular) reality, and instead chant virtue-signaling catchphrases.

Such as single-payer.

On Wednesday, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, unveiled his latest iteration of Medicare for All. Unlike the last time he introduced such legislation, in 2013, this bill had 16 co-sponsors  a third of the Democratic caucus. Among those co-sponsors were many potential contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, such as Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Kamala D. Harris (Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Cory Booker (N.J.).

In a sense, they had to sign on. Single-payer is rapidly evolving into a litmus test for Democrats wishing to prove themselves sufficiently progressive for their leftward-shifting partys base.

Even as Republicans attempt to rip health insurance away from millions, single-payer has become astonishingly popular  among the public generally and Democrats in particular. A June Pew Research Center survey found that a slim majority of Democrats say health insurance should be provided through a single national insurance system run by the government. Among Democrats under 30, the share was two-thirds.

And why not? Single-payer certainly sounds far simpler, fairer, less wasteful and cheaper than the patchwork of private and public insurers and providers we have today. Todays system was created more by historical accident than deliberate design. President Barack Obama said many times that if we were building a health-care system from scratch, wed probably concoct something that falls under the broad category of single-payer.

But were not starting from scratch. We live in our patchwork world, which means if we want single-payer  an ill-defined catchall, by the way  we need to figure out how to get from here to there. This involves painful political choices, sharp tax hikes and some degree of buy-in from the many stakeholders who are going to get shafted in the transition.

What about the 178 million people who currently have employer-sponsored health insurance and overwhelmingly like it? What about the sticker shock awaiting individuals and employers over the tax increases necessary to pay for such a program? What happens if hospitals go bankrupt because Medicare reimburses at much lower rates than private insurance? Would the government step in and run them, as is the case in Britain?

And most important, how do you actually pay for this enormous, multi-trillion-dollar overhaul? (Is Mexico paying?) Given Americans allergy to higher taxes, its not enough to dismiss fiscal concerns by assuming Americans will gladly give Uncle Sam the money they currently earmark for a private health insurance system.

On this and other major questions, the Sanders plan punts. Anyone who asks such questions, or raises an eyebrow at the lowball estimates cooked up by the Sanders camp, gets branded a wet blanket, a heartless technocrat, a corporate shill or worse.

The goal should be universal health care, however we get there. And were much likelier to get there if we start from a baseline of reality than if both parties hand-wave away inconvenient truths. There is no courage in saying everyone should have health care. The courage is in staking out a plan to pay for it.

One of the things about representative democracy is that you need the peoples representatives to actually work out the details. On this aim, both parties are barreling toward failure. Democrats learned in 2016 that they needed a message and not just a slate of policies; now with unified government power, Republicans are learning in 2017 that they need a slate of fleshed-out policies and not just a catchy message.

Someday, maybe one of these parties will decide to invest in both.
As Americans absorb the latest details of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections  via hundreds of fake Facebook accounts  Germans have been expecting similar interference in their Sept. 24 federal election.

But the fact that no Russian hack attack has occurred so far is only one of the surprises of Germanys campaign season. Six months ago, a tide of uber-nationalist populism seemed to be sweeping Europe  in the wake of Britains Brexit vote and Donald Trumps nationalist surge. Three-term German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared on the rocks after permitting a million refugees to enter Germany in 2015.

Fast forward to now, and Merkel is poised to win a fourth term handily, following on the May victory of centrist Emmanuel Macron in French presidential elections. The fact that Merkel is a shoo-in is amazing, says Karen Donfried, president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Germans have turned back to Mutti (mother) Merkel as a symbol of stability at a time of global chaos.

But Americans, too, have a vested interest in the resurgence of Mutti (with whom President Donald Trump has a famously tense relationship). At a time when Trumps version of America First has degraded Americas global standing, Merkel has emerged as the de facto leader of the West.

Ill get to the German strategy vs. Russian election manipulation in a moment, but first a bit about how Merkel did it. Only a year ago, on a trip to Berlin and Dresden, I visited overloaded centers crammed with Afghan and Syrian refugees, and interviewed nationalist-populist members of the AFD (Alternative for Deutschland) party who hoped to capitalize on the backlash.

But, says Helga Barth, political affairs minister at the German Embassy in Washington, the refugee numbers are now way down. The European Union concluded a pact with Istanbul to halt the refugee flow from Turkey into Greece and onward to Western Europe. Germany (along with France and the European Union) is also funding and training Libyan coast guards to diminish the flow from North Africa.

The refugee problem is far, far from over. But, said Donfried, speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, Merkel has convinced the public she is managing the problem.

The populist AFD party will indeed enter the national parliament for the first time, probably getting at least 10 percent of the vote, and possibly becoming the third-largest German party. But the leader of Germany will still be a strong woman who stands for openness and tolerance and believes in NATO and a united Europe.

Merkel and Macron is now a new power duo that, at least in theory, could reinvigorate the European Union and European defense efforts. Whether they can succeed, the prospects are far more hopeful than in 2016.

There are many reasons for Americans to hope that M&M make progress. Not least of those is Merkels firmness so far in dealing with Vladimir Putin.

Having grown up in communist East Germany, where Putin served as a KGB colonel, Merkel has a full grasp of the Russian leaders desire to re-establish hegemony over parts of the lost Russian empire. Despite pressure from German businessmen, she has stood firm on maintaining sanctions on Russia until it stops supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine.

At a time when Russia is conducting massive war games with tens of thousands of troops alongside the borders of Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Merkels firmness is welcome. It stands in sharp contrast to Trumps past praise for, and endless refusal to criticize, Putin.

Nowhere is that disparity more evident than in the German, and French, denunciations of Russian cyberhacking of elections  and the determined denials of Trump.

German officials had expected cyber interference in their elections. Yet no embarrassing revelations from that lode have emerged  so far  nor has Russian unleashed its propaganda networks and bots to spread fake news.

One reason may be the aggressive efforts of German authorities to publicize and combat Russian sabotage efforts. But the biggest reason may be that Russians know that Merkel would fight back.

So a Merkel victory means there will be two leading European heads of state who understand Putin well and will stand up against Russian efforts to disrupt European democracy and elections  in sharp contrast to Trump.
Comings & goings: Health bar, candle shop, fishing charter website

A health bar and candle-making shop will cut their ribbons in the next few weeks while a charter fishing company launches its website.
This domain was recently registered at Namecheap.com. Please check back later!
This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services, to personalize ads and to analyze traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies. Learn more here

Grand Prize Winner: Donna Rickey Blog Winners: A Song for her Enemies by Sherri Stewart: Mary Ann Hake Spies & Sweethearts by Linda Shenton Matchett: Connie Ruggles Sword of Trust by DebbieLynn Costello: Brenda Walters Justice for Julia by Donna Schlachter: Natalya Lakhno Party Prize winners: Sherri Stewarts Winners A Song for her Enemies: Angie Pool Bottle of Dutch Syrup: Carol Koch Alscheff Corrie ten Boom book: Deb Gramie Burgess Linda Shenton Matchetts winners: $5.00 gift card to online retailer or choice (Kobo, B&N, AppleBooks, Amazon): Karen Hadley A Bride for Seamus: Carol Osterhouse Wotring DebbieLynn Costellos winners: Sword of the Matchmaker: Melissa Planas Sword of Forgiveness: Paty Hinojosa Gomez Shattered Memories: Charlene Zall Capodice Sword of the Perfect Bride: Licha Haney Donna Schlachters winner: Leather Journal: Lisa Turley

GIVEAWAY RULES

Winners must leave their email address and will be notified by email and the winners name will be announced in the days comments. No one under 18 can enter our giveaways. No purchase is necessary. All winners have one week to claim their prize. USA shipping only. Offer void where prohibited. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.
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/
Over the last couple of months, storms, hurricanes and floods have pummelled many parts of the world. As I write this, the US is just recovering from Harvey that paralysed Houston and has been hit again in Florida by Irma  both causing devastation back to back. India, along with Nepal and Bangladesh, has experienced a deluge that is unprecedented in the last several decades. Currently, there are six states and more than 42 million people affected by floods and more than 1000 dead. Millions have been displaced and almost 2 million children cannot access school. The floods have also caused huge damage to agricultural land, livestock and infrastructure.

The intensity and frequency of these events have been increasing. In the last couple of years we have also seen many of our cities severely flooded, the latest being Mumbai which received 300 millimeters of rain in less than 12 hours. Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Bangalore and Chennai all received torrential downpours many times over their normal range. Though one would think this has been the wettest summer, the monsoon is running 3% short of the expected rainfall.

When the earth receives such a quantity of water in a relatively short span of time  if the receiving location has lost its water-absorbing green cover and sponges, mangroves, lakes that would have held larger waters  our cities along with Houston or the state of Florida become sitting ducks. This should worry India since we are urbanising and moving from an agrarian economy to a GDP dependent mainly on industries and services.

Meeting officers in some of the worst flood-affected areas of Bihar last week, I felt that there was an effort to downplay the impact of the floods and even undercount the number of deaths. The cardinal principle for an adequate response to disaster is that we get the right information early. It is important to get the exact status for the government as well as other humanitarian agencies to respond.

Also, since floods have become a chronic affair, media interest wanes as soon as the water levels start receding. Actually this is when we want the government, the media and the donors to focus on the post-rehabilitation phase. It is all forgotten until it reappears in its next annual appearance, possibly with even lesser interest.

In Houston, when Harvey affected around 6.8 million people causing around 60 deaths and severe infrastructural damage, there was an immediate allocation of 8 billion dollars (Rs 52,000 crore) by the US Government. So far, our government has committed about Rs 3,000 crore for a disaster several times the size of Houston.

We have to act now with purpose if we have to protect our country from the onslaughts of increased changes in its weather and the freakiness of it. We have to prepare our communities to face these disasters by the use of technology and having better information ahead of time. For this, we should invest in disaster risk reduction across high-risk geographies, involving government agencies, businesses, public bodies and specialists.

Thomas Chandy is the CEO of Save the Children in India.

The views expressed are personal
Street art has a new, permanent home in Berlin.

Works by artists from around the world have gone on show at the Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art in the German capital, located at one end of a street that is already something of a giant art gallery.

The opening exhibition, which will last for around nine months, aims to introduce visitors to the culture of urban art. Yasha Young, the museums creative director, worked with eight curators from various countries to produce a show that explores strands including portraits, pop art and activism.

The scene so far has lacked an informative hub, Young said. She said that part of the idea is teaching people a new language, which is the language of street art, graffiti and urban contemporary art.

Eight curators from various countries worked to produce the show that explores strands, including portraits, pop art and activism. (AP)

A staircase decked out in British artist Ben Eines coloured lettering links the two floors of the new museum, which features work by artists familiar from the streets of Berlin and beyond.

Theres a wall by Portuguese artist Vhils, works by New York-based Iranian duo Icy and Sot, Sao Paulo-based Marina Zumi and Frances Mademoiselle Maurice, among others  some of whose works grace or have graced facades on the street outside and elsewhere in the city. One of Banksys Gangsta Rats is also present.

The paintings (from left), Shirt Mask x Paper Plane by Numo Viegas, The Fighter by El Mac and Street Face by Lister displayed at the exhibition. (AP)

The museum also hosts a library that centres on street art photographer Martha Coopers archive of books and magazines.Young envisions the museum  four years in the making  as an archive and a hub in a city that is itself an urban art hub.

Theres so many people here from all over the world living here because Berlin is still in the spirit of, maybe, old New York, she said. It is affordable, it is good for an artist to be here, the networks are great.
A newborn girl from Dhar, who had holes in her heart, died on Monday after a Bengaluru hospital refused treatment under a scheme run by the Madhya Pradesh government which allegedly owed it Rs 6 crore dues.

The childs father Manoj Verma, a fruit seller, had taken her to Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Bengaluru hoping to get treatment by heart specialists there under the Rashtriya Bal Swastha Karyakram (RBSK) and Mukhyamantri Bal Hriday Upchar Yojana (MBHUY).

Under RBSK, all tests are done free of cost while the same applies for operations under the Mukhyamantri Bal Hriday Upchar Yojana for all children aged 0-18 years suffering from serious heart ailments.

However, the hospital refused to give free examination under the RBSK scheme saying that the Madhya Pradesh government owed them Rs 6.03 crore, which the government was not paying despite several reminders, Verma said, adding that he had to pay Rs 86,000 for just the tests.

He also alleged that the hospital refused to give an estimate for the operation, as required under MBHUY.

Disappointed, he returned home to Dhamnod in Dhar district, after which his August 23-born daughter died.

Chief medical and health officer of Dhar district, Dr RC Panika, who gave the authorisation letter and wrote to the Bengaluru hospital, said he was not aware of the alleged dues.

I have informed the district collector and higher-ups in the health department about the refusal and the reason behind it, said Dr Panika.

States health ministers or officials were not available for comment immediately.

The administrator of Narayana Hospital, who goes by the first name, Vicky, said, Yes the Madhya Pradesh government owes us money, adding that it was a shade more than Rs 6 cr.

Hospital COO Joseph Pasangha said, It is incorrect to say that the hospital denied treatment to the baby. We had kept her under observation. Later, the parents took her away saying that they will come back.

According to Verma, the doctors had given a prescription, saying parents have been informed about the serious condition and the risks involved in the operation.

Last month, over 30 children died within 48 hours at BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur due to alleged lack of oxygen supply over non-payment of dues to the oxygen supplier.
Three tribal youths were paraded with a garland of shoes hanging around their necks after their heads were partially shaved in a Madhya Pradesh village for consuming alcohol.

The panchayat of Khareh village in Shivpuri district had banned consumption of liquor a week back, and imposed a fine of Rs 11,000 on offenders, failing which they would be ousted from the village after being paraded with a garland of shoes and shaving of their heads.

Vikram Adiwasi, Kotu Adiwasi and Satish Adiwasi came to the village after consuming alcohol on Sunday. When villagers came to know about it they asked them to pay Rs 11,000 as fine. However, they refused to pay the fine so panchayat punished them on Monday, said a villager.

These youth created ruckus many times in intoxicated state. We are happy with the punishment as it would demotivate others, who are habitual drunkards, Madhu Adiwasi, 38, said.

Of the three, two are married. However, their families did not oppose the action as it was imposed by the panchayat.

Vikram Adivasi, however, said that his dignity had been hurt by the action. The rule shouldnt be given importance but dignity of a person. We were humiliated publicly and people were enjoying it. Now, it will be difficult for me and my family to stay in the village.

Requesting anonymity, a villager said, Consumption of liquor was banned at the persuasion of superintendent of police, Shivpuri, Sunil Kumar Pandey. The quantum and nature of punishment was, however, decided by members of panchayat.

SP Pandey condemned the act, saying, We never asked any panchayat to indulge in such punitive action. The act of the villagers is unacceptable and police would inquire into the matter. If the victims lodge a complaint, we will initiate criminal action against the guilty under section 499 of IPC.
Actor Akshay Kumar doesnt believe in following set norms and prefers to do things his way. Whether its his choice of films or the way he goes out in public places without any fear of getting mobbed, he certainly leads by example.

On Tuesday at 2:30 am, the actor, who turned 50 on September 9, visited Golden Temple in Amritsar to seek blessings. He is shooting for his next film, Gold, in the city, and certainly has more than one reason to offer prayers. His films Jolly LLB 2 and Naam Shabana have done well, and his latest, Toilet: Prem Katha, continues to have a successful run at the box-office.

Though Bollywood stars visiting Golden Temple ahead of a films release or after the success of a film isnt something new, what made Akshays visit rather special is that he didnt get any arrangements made for his visit and went inside the premises like a common man.

A chance visit to the Golden Temple,listening to the gurbani and watching the world go by. Only word that comes to mind now : SURREAL  #blessed A post shared by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) on Sep 18, 2017 at 3:39pm PDT

Ideally, when celebrities visit the Golden Temple, arrangements are made and the temple authorities stall the regular services, so that the celebrity and his team get a smooth passage to seek blessings, without any fan frenzy. A source tells us, Akshay didnt opt for any such special treatment. He was of the opinion that to seek blessings, one must follow the correct path. So, he put on a mask and beanie cap and entered the temple just like others, with just one person from his team accompanying him. This meant risking getting identified and mobbed, but Akshay was willing to take that risk.

Golden Temple is usually a crowded place, where everyday, hundreds of devotees come from all parts of the county and even abroad, to seek blessings of Sikh Gurus. Akshay felt that it would not be a right thing to disturb the whole process and cause inconvenience to other worshippers, who take out time, stand in queues and wait for their turn to get inside the main temple. So, he also stood there and waited with other devotees, adds the source.

Luckily, not many people recognised the actor in his disguised avatar and there were only a couple of them, who spotted him. But they also just waved at him excitedly from a distance and didnt create any noise. They all were more focused on their prayers, says the source.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
In an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jiah Khans mother Rabya Khan has sought justice and bashed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its incompetence.

For some reason, the CBI was reluctant to take over the case from the beginning, and in 15 months of delay in their findings, the CBI investigation got compromised. It would be an insult to the capabilities of the CBI to say that the CBI just failed to conduct a proper investigation, said the letter written by Rabya Khan.

She further wrote that there is no doubt that the CBI has all the powers and skills required to get to the bottom of Jiah Khans death. But somehow, the CBI investigation went off track, for reasons best known to them. Instead, the CBIs own independent forensic expert opinion is inconclusive and does not rule out either homicide or suicide, the grieving mother wrote in her letter.

She also claimed that the CBI had simply recycled the already compromised information provided by the Juhu Police, adding that the the worst is in their own report, they deliberately distorted certain information.

I am a British citizen, the mother of Jiah Khan, who was murdered in India - Mumbai on June 3, 2013. It has been four years now that I have been persistently fighting for justice. All the forensic evidence that I have obtained from experts in India and England is pointing towards homicide, she wrote.

Rabya Khan also wrote that the analysis of the forensic experts shows that the injuries on actress Jiah Khans body are inconsistent with the alleged suicidal hanging where all forensic evidence strongly suggests that she was murdered and then hanged to make it look like a suicide. The Honble Bombay High Court, in July 2014, transferred the investigation to the CBI with a clear mandate to find out whether my daughters death was homicidal or suicidal, and if it was found to be homicidal, to launch a further investigation and take appropriate action, Rabyas letter said.

Rabya further said that anyone looking at the actual facts in the case can realise that the case has been heavily managed.

Targetting actor Aditya Pancholi and his son Sooraj Pancholi, who is the main accused, Rabya wrote, It is not my task to speculate about the polices and the CBIs motivation, but a connection and the influence of the accused father Aditya Pancholi would not be too far-fetched.

Rabya Khan further said that the forensic expert, Jason Payne James, in his report, clearly stated that this appears to be a staged homicide.

I approached the Honble High Court earlier this year with all the relevant grievances and expert reports requesting reinvestigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The CBI opposed, but the Honble High Court noted in its order that all the points raised in my petition can be submitted to the trial court, Rabya said.

Rabya Khan said that she had submitted her application to the trial court through the state-appointed Special Public Prosecutor Dinesh Tiwari, who knows the history of this case from the beginning.

Following this submission, the CBI has been trying to remove SPP Tiwari and to replace him with one of its own prosecutors, who has no knowledge about the case and has been displaying a hostile attitude towards me, she claimed in her letter.

Khan said that recently, when her application to submit key evidence and forensic expert reports was argued in the trial court, the CBI, along with the accused, strongly opposed their recognition by the court.

Now the main point is that if the CBI, who has joined hands with the accused, is not with the victim and not willing to cooperate with me, then how is justice going to be served, Rabya Khan stated in her letter.

I fail to write in words my pain and grief. I expect answers to my daughters death. May God guide you and help us to get justice, she wrote.

She further said that God has placed the Prime Minister on high position to help her against injustice.

Rabia, on April 20, claimed that she has the capacity of evidence to prove that her daughters suicide was a murder.

The step has come after the petition filed by Jiahs mother, was withdrawn after the apex court refused to intervene in Bombay High Courts order, which denied a Special Investigations Team (SIT) in the matter.

Rabia had moved the Supreme Court as her plea seeking an SIT was rejected by the Bombay High Court on February 9.

Jiah was found hanging in her room on June 3, 2013. A week later, the Juhu police had arrested Sooraj Pancholi on charges of abetment to suicide.

The CBI took over the probe from the Maharashtra Police on the Bombay High Courts orders. Rabya Khan had moved the High Court, alleging that her daughter had been murdered and demanding that the CBI probe the matter.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Theres speculation about Telugu film actor Prabhas soon making his Bollywood debut  the smash hit Baahubali films, in which he played the lead, werent strictly Bollywood, though the Hindi versions gave the films an all-India audience. However, Prabhas says theres still time. He plans to first finish his cinema projects in south India, especially the big-ticket trilingual action film, Saaho, co-starring Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor.

I might do a Bollywood film. Ive been [getting] some good offers, says Prabhas. But Ill first need to finish Saaho, and a beautiful love story (that he has signed). The film is set in Europe of the 1960s-70s. Were planning to wrap them up by June-July next year. After that, Ill take up a Bollywood film.

The actor says that more than the language of a film, what interests him are stories with a universal appeal. Such stories, much like Baahubali, have the potential to do well all over India, and in overseas markets, feels Prabhas.

I want to do Indian films based on scripts with a universal appeal, says Prabhas. The way Baahubali has connected with people all over India it has given us recognition all over the country. Its a humbling experience. Im thankful to the entire team. [Filmmaker] SS Rajamoulis vision worked. His magic worked and something really great happened. We all are going to remember it for the rest of our lives, and thats beautiful.

Given his popularity now in India and abroad, would the next step be an international film? Prabhas says, Ive never thought about doing international films. But if I get something exciting, I might take it up. Everything depends on what comes my way. Baahubali gave me something thats really huge. So, as of now, I want to do Indian films.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
In the latest episode of Neha Dhupias podcast, Rishi Kapoor made quite a few comments about Bollywood, the young actors and how he is never caught off-guard by questions. Kapoor, who appeared on No Filter Neha after his son, Ranbir Kapoor, also revealed his irritation at actors who wear sunglasses at night in airports.

Raat ko bhi airport pe saale chasme pehen ke aate hain...ye besharam actoron ko saale unko sharam nahi aati? (These actors wear sunglasses to airports even at night, these shameless actors, dont they feel ashamed?), he said in a short promo clip for the episode.

In a report by The Indian Express, Kapoors anger is better explained. He is irked by the actors who didnt turn up for actor Vinod Khannas funeral. He had previously even tweeted about the same, expressing his anger at the young actors who didnt show respect to Khanna. Shameful. Not ONE actor of this generation attended Vinod Khannas funeral. And that too he has worked with them. Must learn to respect. When I die, I must be prepared. None will shoulder me. Very very angry with todays so-called stars, he had written.

Continuing in the same vein, Rishi talked about it in the podcast. We have always learnt that whether you go to someones wedding or not but you must visit them in their tough time. When Vinod Khanna passed away, there was hardly anyone from the film industry at his funeral. There is a respect for your senior and for someone who has made it possible for you to make an earning for yourself out of the acting business. He was the pillar of the industry. But no film director, producer, music director or actor turned up for his funeral, he said.

Rishi Kapoor during Vinod Khannas funeral at Worli cremation in Mumbai, India, on Thrusday, April 27, 2017. (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

This fashion-conscious generation goes for the Chautha which takes place in an air-conditioned hall. It is an occasion for them to wear their whites and beige clothes and wear dark glasses. Chautha looks have become similar to airport looks for these actors...These shameless actors have no personal time, for them, everything is about their public appearance. It should be exposed that there is a PR machinery who inform the photographers about the actors flying and them attending Chauthas. They are never spotted. They always come dressed up for the occasion, he added.

The actor also said that award functions are bogus, a sentiment supported by Kangana Ranaut in a recent interview to Rajat Sharma in Aap Ki Adalat.

Kapoor also praised the young directors like Shakun Batra and how much he enjoys working with them.

He was last seen with Paresh Rawal in Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi with Paresh Rawal and will be seen again with Amitabh Bachchan as his son in 102 Not Out.

Follow @htshowbiz for more.
A condom advertisement featuring Sunny Leone has drawn protests from a Surat-based group. The ad, which was displayed on hoardings across the city, was shared on social media by people. City-based group Hindu Yuva Vahini staged a protest at one of the ads locations, according to the Times of India.

The message in Gujarati on the hoarding reads Aa Navratri a ramo, parantu premthi - this Navratri, play but with love. The insinuation on the hoardings from a condom brand insults the religious sentiments of Hindus, Narendra Chaudhary, a business man who serves as the groups leader told TOI.

This cannot be tolerated and our protests will get stronger if these hoardings are not removed immediately. Protests are necessary to deter others from trying something similar again in future, he continued.

Navratri is an important period of festivities for Hindus, which is celebrated over nine days. Sunny Leone, the adult star-turned-Bollywood actor is the brand ambassador for the condom brand.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Producer Ronnie Screwvala is all set to make a film on Indian armys surgical strike in Pakistan occupied Kashmir that was carried out after the September 2016 Uri terror attacks. Titled Uri, the film will go on floors early next year and will star Vicky Kaushal.

The movie will be directed by debutante director Aditya Dhar. While the rest of the cast is yet to be locked, Vicky plays an army officer in the movie.

Speaking about the movie Vicky said in a press statement, When this film came to me and we had this discussion. I was really thrilled and kicked about it because this is one story that I feel that everyone needs to know. One of the fantastic army operations that the Indian army has conducted and with great efficiency. I also feel it is a great opportunity and also a responsibility for all of us to portray this story.

Vicky plays the lead commander-in-chief who led this operation of the surgical strike and led the group of paratroopers post the Uri attack. For this part, Vicky will be undergoing paramilitary training for a month to bulk up some kilos before starting the shoot of the film. Really excited to get into this because I think this might just be one of the most toughest part that I have played till date, both physically and emotionally, he added.

Militants attacked an army camp in Uri, killing 19 soldiers. Eleven days later, the Indian government announced they had conducted a surgical strike at Pakistan occupied Kashmir killing an estimated 38 terrorists. The film is the story of what happened in those eleven days, Dhar said.

Today we are a confident, aggressive and new age India - standing up for itself in every way and on the world stage. With this one single military action, we changed the fabric of our border politics forever and that became a watershed moment in our political history. But most importantly, URI is the incredible story of Indians coming together, Ronnie said.

Uri goes to the floors next year and is slated for a September 2018 release.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Reckless, selfish, irresponsible, entitled, lazy... Talk to anyone from the younger generation, and chances are that theyve had one or all of these adjectives thrown their way at some pointand usually from their elders and parents. Millennials  the most disruptive generation yet  are widely perceived to be a privileged lot, given to impulsive life choices, erratic careers, and questionable values. They are often denounced as slackers: people who lack the ability to work hard, stay focused, and maintain traditional social roles. To top that, the millennial fixation with smartphones and social media further earns them the reputation of being narcissistic; the selfie generation if you will.

But, how many of these perceptions are coloured by prejudice and stereotypes? Are all millennials lazy? Do none of them plan for their futures? Is partying and chilling all that this generation looks forward to?

To answer these questions and generally understand what the previous generation thinks of this entitled lot, HDFC Life conducted a social experiment. Four experienced professionalstwo businessmen, a professor, and an engineerwere asked to discuss their perceptions around the younger generation in a video interview. In addition, all four were shown snippets from the lives of two young people  a 29-year-old male and a 28-year-old female  and asked to guess their professions and interests based on social media photos.

Their answers will not surprise anyone. Here are some of the most recurring perceptions that came forward, about millennials in general and the two subjects in particular.

#1: They are too free, too chilled  this generation lacks focus. The young generation was identified as outliers who rejected structure and the traditional 9 to 5 career. Members of GenY are said to take life far less seriously than their predecessors. There was some bewilderment expressed on their choices of careers and lifestyles as well.

#2: The entitled generation and its extravagant lifestyle: The young generation was found to live an extravagant lifestyle according to the interviewees. The underlying motif was that the youth largely tend to overspend, lack financial planning, and plunge into impulses without a thought for consequences.

#3: Always with friends; no time for family. This, undoubtedly, is something most people between 20 and 35 hear a lot of. Theres no denying that the fast-paced evolution of technology has further cemented the gap between the young and old generations, with the latter constantly attached to their devices and happy to share their lives online. This often leads parents to believe that the younger generation is too caught up with social engagements and their virtual lives to spend any time with family; in fact, it is widely perceived that the younger generation has far less time for conventions and family traditions in this day and age.

The experiment, however, came with a twist. The two generations were eventually made to face each other in an open discussion, whereby each of these perceptions was gently but firmly debunked.

The video reveals our tendency to judge people as stereotypes; in this case, the widely perceived stereotype of the young generation being erratic, impulsive, with no thought for security and savings. For all the parents, bosses, teachers, and seniors who are quick to jump to similar conclusions  maybe this experiment will help redefine our perspective on millennials, instead of dismissing them entirely in one sweeping generalization. The young may be restless, but they sure know how to be responsible, too.

And for all millennials who have battled similar misconceptions from parents and authority figures, this video brings a positive message  that it is indeed possible to follow ones dreams and chart unconventional pathsprovided theres the right amount of planning and investment in place.

HDFC Life Saving & Investment Plans can help you plan and achieve those dreams!

Disclaimer

Our Company is proposing, subject to, receipt of requisite approvals, market conditions and other considerations, to undertake an initial public offer of its Equity Shares and has filed the DRHP, as amended, with SEBI. The DRHP is available on the websites of SEBI, BSE, NSE at www.sebi.gov.in, www.bseindia.com and www.nseindia.com, respectively, and at the websites of the GCBRLMs at www.morganstanley.com/about-us/globaloffices/india, www.hdfcbank.com, www.credit-suisse.com/in/en/investment-banking/regional-presence/asia-pacific/india/ipo.html, www.india.clsa.com, www.nomuraholdings.com/company/group/asia/india/index.html, respectively and the BRLMs at www.edelweissfin.com,www.htisec.com/en-us/haitong-india,www.idfcbank.com,www.iiflcap.com and www.ubs.com/indianoffers respectively. Investors should note that investment in equity shares involves a high degree of risk and for details relating to the same, please refer to the DRHP including the section titled Risk Factors on page 23 of the DRHP. Potential investors should not rely on the DRHP filed with SEBI in making any investment decision.

The Equity Shares have not been and will not be registered, listed or otherwise qualified in any other jurisdiction outside India and may not be offered or sold, and Bids may not be made by persons in any such jurisdiction, except in compliance with the applicable laws of such jurisdiction. The Equity Shares have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933 (U.S. Securities Act) or any state securities laws in the United States and may not be offered or sold within the United States, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and in accordance with any applicable United States state securities laws.
The ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) has made public the names of directors whom it disqualified last week for associating with companies that have not filed their financial statements or annual returns for three financial years.

This is possibly the first of its kind naming and shaming exercise aimed at directors who have been barred from assuming directorships at other firms for five years as the government continues its crusade to eradicate the black economy.

The names include some that are similar to prominent politicians, from Arunachal Pradesh to Tamil Nadu, and businessmen, including non-resident Indians.

Mint couldnt ascertain whether these directors were indeed popular public figures. (This story will be updated as and when we reach out to people). There is no way of confirming this from the details released.

On 12 September, the MCA issued a statement saying that it has identified 106,000 directors of companies that did not file their financial statements or annual returns for three straight years, violating provisions of the Companies Act, 2013. Prior to that, it struck off 200,000 firms that were suspected to be shell companies and directed banks to restrict operation of bank accounts of such companies by the directors of such companies or their authorized representatives.

Shell firms, though not defined under the Companies Act, are those that adhere to basic company laws and are used to avoid taxes and convert black money into white.

At least 17 registrars of companies (RoCs) of various states have released these names. In some cases, they have released the names of directors in companies that been struck off the RoC list as well. At least six RoCs, including those in Patna, Jaipur and Kolkata, are yet to release a list of such directors.

The government in the past had introduced a mechanism to encourage companies to close down voluntarily if their financials did not check out. But the current exercise seems to be of a different magnitude and scale. Apparently, a lot of data analytics and data mining has gone into putting together such voluminous data. It seems like a fallout of demonetizationan integrative, consultative and inter-regulatory action to track black money and instill a culture of compliance, said S.N. Ananthasubramanian, practising company secretary and past president, Institute of Company Secretaries of India.
Two of Indias biggest renewable energy companies, Greenko Group PLC and ReNew Power Ventures Pvt Ltd, plan to sell a combined $750 million worth of rupee-denominated bonds in the domestic market, three bankers told Reuters on Tuesday.

The pair turned to the domestic market after the central bank introduced limits on selling rupee-denominated bonds overseas, known as masala bonds, said the bankers, who declined to be identified as the plans are not public.

Moreover, limits imposed by the securities regulator on foreign buyers of corporate bonds in India has raised the profile of domestic investors as target buyers.

Neither Greenko nor ReNew responded to Reuters emails seeking comment.

The refinancing conversations by renewable energy companies are being re-initiated with the domestic investor base, Jayen Shah, head of debt capital markets at IDFC Bank, said in an email to Reuters, attributing the development to regulatory restrictions.

Four renewable power producers sold as much as $2.5 billion in US dollar-denominated bonds in July, with foreign investors attracted by a government plan to more than treble renewable energy capacity to 175 gigawatts (GW) by 2022 from 57 GW now.

Greenko - backed by sovereign wealth funds GIC Pte Ltd of Singapore and Abu Dhabi Investment Co PJSC - and Goldman Sachs-backed ReNew together operate over 2 GW of renewable power generation capacity.

Greenko plans to sell Rs 30 billion ($467 million) worth of onshore rupee-denominated bonds, and ReNew plans to raise Rs 18 billion, the bankers said.

Greenko is selling bonds onshore for the first time, and plans to use funds raised to refinance a 1.8 GW solar project, one of the bankers said. Another banker said ReNew aims to refinance two wind projects.
Dehradun: The Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) will begin night sweeping operations in selected parts of the city from October on a pilot basis.

The plan to broom the main road and commercial areas will be rolled out on the lines of Delhi except for the mechanical road sweepers that are used in the national capital. It is tentatively scheduled to be launched on the third anniversary of the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2.

The night sweeping drill is expected to give a push to cleanliness in the state capital and will initially be launched in 10 of the citys 60 municipal wards that are included in the Dehraduns Smart City plan. Dehradun had been ranked 316 out of 434 cities in the Swachh Survekshan 2017 conducted as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Prior to this, the DMC had initiated trials for lifting of waste from municipal dustbins at night hours in August. The state capital generates approximately 350 metric tons of solid waste on a daily basis.

Dehradun mayor Vinod Chamoli said that around 100 km of collective road length will be covered under the pilot for night sweeping. Carrying out night sweeping will not only improve overall cleanliness in the selected areas but will also help reduce pollution and dust caused by sweeping activity during the morning and day hours, said he.

Based on the response to the pilot phase, we will plan on extending it (night sweeping) to other parts of the city too, said Chamoli, who is also a lawmaker from Dehraduns Dharampur constituency.

Kailash Gunjyal, senior municipal health officer of the DMC, said that initially, the civic body would launch it on a manual mode after which it was planning to introduce mechanised operations later. For now, we are constituting special committees for undertaking the night exercise under which we will be roping in around 75 sanitation workers as well as some supervisors to monitor the execution, said Gunjyal.

Locals welcomed the plan with cautious optimism. Once roads are swept during night hours, residents will wake up to cleaner roads in the mornings. Also, less dust and pollution will be beneficial, especially for school going children, elderly and morning walkers, said Mahesh Bhandari, president of Doon Residents Welfare Front, an umbrella body of resident welfare bodies of Dehradun. He, however, called for strict monitoring of the plan.

As per the Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board of Uttarakhand data, the average amount of PM 10 (Particulate Matter up to 10 micron in size) or small suspended particles in air that are harmful for respiration, was found to be two or even three times the standard figure of 100 microgram per cubic metre per day at some locations in Dehradun.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Dehradun:

Four donors, who were brought to Dehradun by touts, will turn approvers in the interstate organ racket that was busted by the police at a private hospital near Dehradun on September 11.

The four were promised 3 lakh each for donating their kidneys, police officials investigating the case, said

Police intercepted three people--Sheikhtaj Ali, Susama Banarjee and Krishna Das-- all from West Bengal, and the fourth, Bhavji Bhai from Gujarat at a check post in Haridwar while they were on their way from Gangotri Charitable Hospital, about 30 km from Dehradun to Delhi.

The kidneys of Das and Ali had been removed at the hospital, while the other two had refused to go ahead with the surgery over disputes over the promised amount, police said.

On the day the racket was busted, the four people had been packed off to Delhi in a car but police apprehended them on the Haridwar border, said Dehradun superintendent of police (rural) Sarita Dobhal, who is heading the investigation team.

The four have now turned approvers and will be testifying against the accused, which will help us in building a strong case (against the accused), she told Hindustan Times.

An approver is defined as a person, who is directly or indirectly privy to an offence but to whom a pardon is granted under the Section 306 of the Criminal Procedure Code on the condition of disclosing all details related to the case and providing testimony against the accused.

They have been sent back home for now and will be called back as and when required for the court proceedings, Dobhal said.

While the police have nabbed as many as nine people in connection with the interstate kidney racket, the three main accused -- all doctors -- continue to be at large.

Police said kidney racket kingpin Dr Amits son, Akshay may be hiding in Maharashtra while a doctor couple--who hails from Bihar and used to come to Dehradun for assisting in the surgeries--is suspected to have fled to Nepal.

We are getting their locations verified and working to arrest them as soon as possible, Dobhal said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
DEHRADUN: Saurabh Bahuguna, son of former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and grand son of former UP chief minister HN Bahuguna managed to meet BJP chief Amit Shah and suggested that the Centre provide industrial package to resolve unemployment and migration.

Ritu Khanduri, Yamkeshwar MLA and daughter of former CM and Pauri MP BC Khanduri, and Sanjeev Arya, son of Cabinet minister Yashpal Arya, did not get an opportunity to talk to Shah. But, they are hopeful of sharing the issues of their constituencies with Shah as and when they get time.

The first-time legislator from Sitarganj, Saurabh explained how Uttarakhand could benefit through an industrial package. I raised three points - industrial package, housing facility and better coordination between the state and the centre for implementation of Asian Development Bank (ADB) projects, he told Hindustan Times on the sidelines of the meeting.

He informed Shah that as many as 47 companies quit SIDCUL in his area which means over a loss of thousand jobs, adding that similar situation prevails at the adjoining constituency, Kiccha. He told Shah that industries were interested in running business in Uttarakhand because of tax exemption. After this exemption was withdrawn, he said, companies closed establishments to look for opportunities in other states.

Saurabh urged the Centre provide support to Uttarakhand for boosting industries. There were talks of migration and unemployment as main issues in the state. But, I told him (Shah) that unless we pave way for industries, both the problems wont be resolved.

He also stressed on better implementation of ADB projects. A 22 km road was approved in 2012 with a budget of Rs 64 crore. But, due to some problem, it could not be made. The Centre needs to give faster clearance and finances so that such developmental projects can take off without much ado.

Shah gave a pat on Saurabhs back asking him to prepare a summary and submit it to him.

Though the BJP is against dynasty politics, Uttarakhand was an exception as all three star kids were given ticket and all of them won. It is believed that along with the Modi wave, dynasty politics also played a key role in their success. I dont have a problem in accepting what all I have got is because of my family. But, from here its on me and my performance, Ritu asserted.

More than 60 suggestions were given to Shah after he met over 200 BJP leaders, including MLAs, MPs and cabinet ministers. BJP insiders said Cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj talked about the clash between his supporters and that of Haridwar mayor Manoj Garg. We are working for the Swachh Bharat mission but garbage was dumped outside my ashram, a source quoted Maharaj as saying . Shah told the minister that his argument was noted for further discussion late at night when a meeting of MLAs is scheduled, the source added.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
DEHRADUN: Any hope of meeting with Amit Shah remained unfulfilled for hundreds of the party workers lined up along the road on Tuesday as the BJP heads convoy whizzed past without making a single stop during its 30 km route from the airport to the city.

The BJP state unit had decided to welcome the BJP national president at six places along the route, a plan which was approved by Shahs office. But except the Jolly Grant airport where he was welcomed by chief minister TS Rawat along with other leaders, Shah stopped at none of the pit stops.

The BJP made arrangements for Shahs welcome at Doiwala, Rispana Bridge, Araghar Chowk, Survey Chowk and Dilaram junction. At all these spots, special arrangements were made where local workers gathered with garlands. A special stage was set up with the hope that Shah would at least address the supporters. Some had even arranged dancers.

But even after sweating for more than hour, the BJP workers could not even get a glimpse of their top leader . We were hopeful that he would at least step out of his car and boost the morale of workers. But, he just passed by the entire arrangements at all points, a BJP worker told Hindustan Times.

An insider who came along the fleet of Shah said the BJP chief waved hands at the workers. Its been more than a month since the saffron party made arrangements for Shahs two-day visit. BJP state head Ajay Bhatt informed media persons that Shah would be given a grand welcome.

Doonites battle traffic jams

The traffic came to a standstill sharp at 10.30 am when the police came to know that Shahs convoy is nearing the city. Traffic was blocked at main Haridwar Road-Araghar-EC Road-Rajpur Road causing difficulties to locals. The BJP members were seen flouting traffic rules. Donning saffron scarf around their neck, they bypassed the police barricade without wearing helmets.

Sarabjit Kaur, whose childs school got over at 11 am because of ongoing half yearly examinations, struggled to negotiate through the traffic jam on EC Road to reach the school on Subhash Road. They could have either diverted the regular traffic or have asked the VIP to take an alternate route. The police simply blocked the traffic instead of diverting it.

For the police, it was a hectic day. There was inconvenience to locals for few minutes, but we immediately resumed traffic once he (Shah) passed through the route, circle officer, traffic, Jaya Baluni said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Delhi Congress will protest against the fuel price rise in the Capital on Thursday. State unit chief Ajay Maken said party workers will launch a peaceful protest and form a human chain from Mandi House to Parliament House to create awareness about the all-time high petrol and diesel prices.

Congress workers from all the 14 districts of Delhi are expected to reach the protest venue in large numbers. They will carry placards and banners.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Maken claimed the party had received tremendous support from the common man across the city during the three-day signature collection campaign.

Party workers visited several petrol pumps to collect 10 lakh signatures against the price rise.

The party, earlier, planned to stage a protest on Wednesday at Jantar Mantar to demand the rollback of excise and VAT (value added taxes) charges on petrol and diesel. Following a massive support, it was decided to form a human chain, said a senior party leader.

The excise duty and VAT on petrol and diesel have been increased many times in the past three-and-a-half years, resulting in an all-time high in their prices in Delhi. The excise duty on petrol and diesel was increased by the Modi government 11 times while the Kejriwal government made amendments in the law to increase VAT on them twice, Maken said.

Maken said it was sad that countries like Sri Lanka that import fuel from India sell it at lower prices as they do not impose unnecessary taxes on these products.

The Delhi Congress chief said that petrol and diesel worth R 100 included R 51.78 and R 44.40 as taxes.
With feeder buses becoming increasingly non-profitable, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has urged the city government to give it autonomy in running the service.

In a meeting held last week, the Delhi Metro submitted a proposal to the government seeking concessions from the transport department.

Exclusivity is required in the operation of feeder services. Exclusivity herein means that other modes of feeder services including buses, e-rickshaws, gramin sewa, etc. will not be allowed to run to and fro identified stations/routes, the proposal, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, stated.

Against the need for at least 1,000 feeder buses, Delhi has 291 such buses as of now and their fares have not been revised since 2009  a key reason, according to the DMRC, for the service turning out to be a loss making venture. The DMRC has sought rights for deciding fares of these buses and it is also looking at integrating the fare collection system with Metro smart cards.

At present, the DMRC charges Rs 5 for 4 km, Rs 10 for travelling between 4km and 10 km, and Rs 15 for more than 10 km. The fares are decided by the State Transport Authority (STA).

Citing requirements from the Delhi government, the corporation has also asked for land to be developed as depots to park the buses. Grant capital cost for procurement of buses and flexibility to decide the type of vehicle to be introduced. Capital cost for creating infrastructure at the depot would also be needed, the proposal stated.

The average route length of feeder buses is 12.5 kms with the maximum being 23 kms. Some of these routes run parallel to Metro lines or DTC routes. In these circumstances, operation of Metro feeder buses is not serving the basic intent of last mile connectivity for which the contracts were awarded, the DMRC said.

While the routes are fixed by the STA at present, the Delhi Metro has also asked that it should be allowed to decide routes, which would be operated only between 3-5 kms around Metro stations. Depending on survey, DMRC will decide number and type of buses to be operated at any given route. It will also decide maintenance of buses, it said.

Data with Delhi Metro suggests that feeder buses are in demand as around two lakh passengers used the service daily between April 2016 and March, 2017. The buses ran 3,650 trips per day on 43 routes.

However, it continues to face the problem of non-Metro commuters who constitute nearly 70% ridership of these buses.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Rain and thunderstorm are likely to sweep Delhi over the next few days, officials of the Met department have predicted.

It will rain in Delhi in the next two days. Besides, light rain, cloudy sky and thunderstorm have been predicted till Sunday, officials said.

We are expecting rains and the sky to remain cloudy over the next two days. Light rain will remain throughout the week, said a senior officer of the regional weather forecasting department.

Monsoon starts retreating from Delhi around September 21.

Delhi is one of the eight states in India reeling under monsoon deficiency this year.

The Capital depends on the annual monsoon for rain, running from late June to September. Though Delhi received heavy pre-monsoon showers with this June becoming the wettest since 2007, rain has been erratic since monsoon hit on July 2. As a result, Delhi is facing a 35% rain deficiency.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday slammed the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for not lifting garbage from the Ghazipur landfill site.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar criticised the slow pace in finalisation of a tender to draft an agency to carry out the segregation of waste at the landfill site.

You (NHAI) people do not want to do things seriously. You have received tenders. As part of the technical bid, you could have asked the bidders to lift the waste, but you just want to buy time. You could have asked anybody to pick up the waste and pay accordingly, but you dont want to do it, the bench said.

The observation came in the backdrop of the September 1 incident in which a portion of the garbage dump in east Delhis Ghazipur had collapsed due to heavy rains, killing two people and pushing a car and three two-wheelers off the road, into a canal.

The counsel appearing for the NHAI said the department was in the process of receiving tenders and the bids are to be opened on September 21.

The green court directed the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) to submit a report on segregation, compaction and bio-remediation of the municipal solid waste at the site by Wednesday.

During the proceedings, the east civic body informed the bench that the landfill site at Ghazipur was set up in 1984 to dump municipal solid waste and, at present, 1,300 million metric tonnes of garbage is dumped at this place which has attained a height of 45 metres with steep slope.

The corporation claimed that it was making all possible efforts for proper management of waste and maintain hygiene around the site.

The matter is fixed for hearing again for Wednesday.

The tribunal had earlier come down heavily on the AAP government and the East civic body over the Ghazipur landfill collapse in which two persons were killed, saying nothing can be more humiliating than people being killed under garbage hill.
Returning from a 10-day vipassana break in Maharashtra, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a review meeting with his cabinet ministers on Wednesday.

The chief minister will review the works done in his absence and those that remain pending, a government spokesperson said. Kejriwal returned to the Capital on Tuesday night.

Reach Del tonite. Back to work from tomo. Meeting all my ministers at 10 am tomo morning (sic), the chief minister tweeted.

Earlier in the day, he also tweeted, Jst finished Vipassna meditation course. Its bliss. Hope someday, me n my wife will fully immerse ourselves in meditation (sic).

On September 11, the Delhi chief minister had left for the vipassana course during which he could not access newspapers, televisions or any other form of media.

Kejriwal is known to be an ardent practitioner of vipassana. Last year in August, Kejriwal had gone to Himachal Pradeshs Dharamkot to attend a 10-day vipassana session at a meditation centre.

The AAP chief had also taken a break to practice vipassana after a hectic campaign post the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and the Delhi Assembly polls in 2013.

He had gone to Bengaluru earlier this year to undergo a naturopathy treatment for high blood sugar after months of campaigning for elections in Punjab and Goa.
Following the rape of a five-year-old girl at a school in Gandhi Nagar, the sub-divisional magistrates report, submitted to revenue minister Kailash Gahlot, has identified major lapses in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)-recognised school.

A minor was raped allegedly by a peon, Vikas Jaiswal, inside a classroom inside the school premises on September 9. The accused has already been arrested.

Vivek Vihar SDMs report stated that the last safety audit conducted by an East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) school inspector was in December 2016. However, the safety audit report does not have any parameters with regard to the police verification of employees, installation of CCTV cameras, entry/exit restrictions for unauthorised people, etc, it said.

The report also stated that unhindered access was given to the accused to all parts of school. Movement of the accused and other such non-teaching employees was required to be restricted so that they do not have any contact with the schoolchildren, the government said, quoting the inquiry report.

Besides, the nursery classroom, where the incident allegedly took place, wasnt locked after the classes finished. It also stated that the classroom was pitch dark with not even sunlight entering the facility during day time which helped the accused, Vikas Jaiswal, in executing the crime.

The accused was working for the school, though formal appointment letter does not appear to have been issued by the school. Non-coverage of the whole school building under CCTV cameras reduced the deterrence effect. The accused had been working in the school for almost two-and-a-half years without undergoing any kind of verification and background check by the school authorities/police, the government said.

The magisterial probe report said the EDMC has not taken any action against the school for undertaking classes in un-recognised areas of the building.

After the incident, the Delhi government had ordered a magisterial probe into the alleged rape of the girl on the premises of the school. The SDMs report has been forward to deputy chief minister and education minister Manish Sisodia for further course of action.

Last week, the case was transferred to the Crime Branch of Delhi Police after health minister Satyendar Jain had requested lieutenant governor Anil Baijal for the same.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
 I hate the life of a prisoner. I want to get out of the delusion, read a suicide note purportedly written by a young Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital doctor found hanging inside his rented accommodation on Monday morning.

Sidharth Shankar Mahapatra, 26, a first-year postgraduate student of anesthesiology at RML hospital, was found hanging inside his rented flat in central Delhis Old Rajender Nagar. Police said Mahapatra, a native of Odisha, who stayed with his two friends, committed suicide. Though police denied recovering any suicide note, a handwritten 16 line note, supposedly found in his room by his friends, was circulated on WhatsApp groups.

A handwritten 16 line note, supposedly found in Mahapatras room by his friends.

Police said they do not suspect foul play. Mahapatras two friends also work at the RML hospital. One had gone to Jharkhand, while the other had returned from night duty, when he found the body at around 8.38am.

A RML hospital spokesperson said Mahapatra had a history of depression and was under treatment. He was on medication and had also had electroconvulsive therapy (a procedure in which small electric currents are passed through the brain), said the spokesperson.

Read: Mental Healthcare Bill decriminalising suicide attempt passed by Parliament

The handwritten note, purportedly written by Mahapatra reads, Life is an illusion. It seems like space, all empty. The physical matter I feel like disappearing from this planet. I am unable to satisfy my hunger though I eat too much. I am unable to satisfy my thirst, though I drink too much. I could not feel the heat, the smell, the fragrance. The energy inside my body is drained.

Read: Only 1 out of 20 Indians with mental illness gets treatment

this is something horrible. All I want is to live like a birdI want to sleep in the lap of mother nature, the note read.

The hospital spokesperson said they have handed the note to the police.

Police said a forensic team inspected the room and also sent the body for post-mortem.

Mahapatras friends described him as cool, intelligent and obedient. He was little reserved and usually kept to himself. He was very regular in his classes and had presented his thesis on the 12th of this month, the hospital spokesperson said.

The doctors body has been kept at the RML mortuary. Police are waiting for his parents to come from Odisha.
Four men who used WhatsApp and Facebook messenger for communication were arrested for running an organized gang of interstate car thieves. The four men stole vehicles and smuggled them to northeastern states.

One of the alleged thieves, a graduate in textile engineering, told police he was lured into the profession by a dismissed police constable.

The constable, who was sacked for his links with Delhi top auto lifter Manoj Bakakrwala, had helped the arrested men with his contacts in the northeast.

Police said one of the men, Mehraj, a Meerut resident, had uploaded a video on his Facebook account for his friends, teaching them the techniques of finding GPS devices inside vehicles and tampering with without the owners knowledge.

The technique adopted in the video was used to dismantle the GPS in at least 100 cars, the men claimed to have stolen from Delhi.

With their arrest, police have recovered six stolen sedans and one scooter. The four arrested men are Deepak Kumar, 25, Amarjeet Kumar, 27, Mehraj,30 and Sanjeev Tomar from Meerut.

Deepak and Amarjeet are from Haryana while the other two are from Meerut.

DCP south Ishwar Singh said police were on the lookout for different gangs involved in many cases of vehicle thefts in south Delhi. An officer received information about a two men Deepal and Amarjeet who had got a stolen car and were going to sell it to their contacts in Dimapur, Nagaland.

Last week, police arrested Deepak and Amarjeet. Their interrogation led to Mehraj and Sanjeevs arrest.

Deepak and Amarjeet took orders of the cars to be stolen from their Nagaland based associates that usually included Toyota Fortuner and Hyundai Creta. The two other stole the cars and gave it to Deepak and Amarjeet who changed chassis numbers and drove it to Nagaland and other north east India states, said a senior officer.

Deepak told police that he had once met sacked constable Narender, who was top car thief Manoj Bakkarwalas aide. Deepak, initially worked with Narender but later formed his own gang with Amarjeet and others.
How do I start this article? Im not a writer or columnist, but I am impelled to pick up the pen, or rather my laptop, to share something of far-reaching consequence with my fellow Indians and the world at large. If I qualify to be called an Indian, that is. My heart is full of grief and doubt.

Married to an Indian diplomat who represented his country abroad for three and a half decades, I too was very proud and fulfilled with my role of representing a great country. As a spouse, in my own way, I did whatever I could to project the best image of India and to support my husband in his assignments; be it with propagating Indian culture, food or yoga or cultivating the spouses of important local personalities.

However, being of Nepalese origin and not looking like an archetypical North Indian, Im often treated like a foreigner in the capital of my own country. Even educated people ask me whether Im from China. Are you from Pakistan? I promptly retort, You do look like a Pakistani. This is light-hearted banter and said in jest. But let me tell you whats really weighing on my heart right now. It is far from being light-hearted.

Im not sure how many readers of this piece are aware of the problems of Darjeeling and its surrounding hills. The current round of violence is not the first. I have known much worse in 1988, when people in the hills wanted to separate from West Bengal, demanding their own state called Gorkhaland. They werent seeking independence from India but rather wanted their distinct identity to be recognised within the Constitution of India. The then government of West Bengal tried to suppress the demand with the use of brute force in an inhuman manner.

Those were the days before social media, or even the internet. The West Bengal government had barred all media personnel from entering the disturbed territory. A curfew was imposed and the CRPF was given shoot at sight orders, even when the situation didnt warrant it. Imagine the innocence of the hill people who ventured out from their homes to go and see the curfew!

A supporter of a separate Gorkhaland state throws a projectile at police during an indefinite strike at Sukna village in Darjeeling district on the outskirts of Siliguri on July 29, 2017. (AFP)

It was against such simple and innocent people that the CRPF went on an aggressive rampage, killing them as if they were terrorists or enemies of the nation. My own family in Kalimpong became a victim of armed police excesses that was later documented by the BBC. My brother-in-law, husband of my elder sister, was shot dead in cold blood by the CRPF, with his three daughters, a toddler son and my younger sister as witnesses. He was home with them when the forces arrived at their place. Wanting to protect the girls from being raped, which had become a frequent occurrence then, he walked through the door with both his hands up. Without provocation or any questions asked, the CRPF pumped bullets into him, killing him on the spot. He was not even 40 at the time. I was then on the other side of the world in Panama, where my husband was serving as Indias Ambassador. I rushed to Delhi and on to Kalimpong immediately. The curfew was still on, so I travelled with an army convoy to attend my brother-in-laws funeral.

That very day, a young innocent nurse was killed by the CRPF after she was gang-raped in her home. Later, she was labeled an informer. How convenient and utterly preposterous! These were not isolated incidents. They were part of a larger trend of oppression and abuse the innocent population of Darjeeling district was subjected to over a number of years. Enough time has passed since then for us to forget the past and live our lives. But the scars on our souls will always remain.

Whats happening now in the region has reopened those old wounds. The police excesses and killings that occurred almost three decades ago have returned. The difference is that the people are no longer ignorant. They are better educated and are more politically aware. Though the Mamata government is trying its best to keep all thats happening away from the media; Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Twitter are beyond Didis control. The world can see the atrocities committed on the people of our land. Yet, everyone is silent.

The mainstream media - national newspapers and major TV channels, are dishing out to the public what the Mamata government is feeding them. The central government is mostly keeping mum out of political expediency; no word of sympathy for the victims of the police brutality, what to talk of the demand for statehood! Innocent youth are being wounded and killed by the police almost on a daily basis. But our fellow citizens of the same country are indifferent. Because whats happening in the Darjeeling Hills barely touches their lives, if at all it does.

A political game is being played with the innocent hill people as pawns. The state government says it is for the Centre to carve out a separate state. The central government says it can act only if a proposal comes from the state government. The bare truth is that both, the state and the centre, lack seriousness in addressing the Gorkhaland issue. They view the demand only through the lens of electoral calculations. The priority consideration in their minds is the effect the conceding to the demand for statehood would have on the ruling parties prospects in next years state assembly elections.

Separate states have been created with far less ethnic, cultural or linguistic distinctness. Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand), and more recently Telangana are clear examples. Why then is a deaf ear being turned to the people of the Darjeeling Hills, who have no affinity with the rest of Bengal? These hapless people are being treated as second-class citizens in their own country, as if they are aliens. Most other Indians arent even aware that the Nepalese of the Darjeeling Hills are not migrants from neighbouring Nepal; they are very much sons and daughters of Indian soil. They have belonged to that land for centuries. All theyre asking for is recognition of their distinct identity.

These people subscribe to a national identity as Indians, with patriotic fervour, just as the rest of us Indians do. But how long will this patriotism and sense of belonging last if the Indian state refuses to hear their voices? Soon, the hills of Darjeeling may begin to nurture anti-national sentiment and subsequently, much worse. Do we want another Kashmir?

(Rinku Singh, an Indian of Nepalese origin, is the wife of a former Indian diplomat, who has served as Indias Ambassador to a number of countries across five continents.)
The Congress on Monday accused the BJP government in Haryana of inaction in the wake of multiple paper leak scams which it said were jeopardising the future of youngsters in the state.

Senior Congress leader and the media in-charge of the party Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that the ML Khattar-led government was misleading the youngsters in the state by making hollow job promises.

He claimed that during the past three years Haryana witnessed 13 major paper leaks and yet not a single conviction took place.

The Khattar government promised employment to every youth of Haryana and a monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000 per month to those who had passed Class 12th and BA or MA examinations, but were without jobs.

After three years, Haryanas youth find themselves at crossroads with no hope of livelihood or employment and with the future looking bleak, Surjewala, who is party MLA from Kaithal, told reporters in Chandigarh on Monday evening.

He said that 7,886 recruitments made by the Khattar government was a glaring example of the grave injustice done to Haryanas youth.

As against this, nearly 20,000 youth have either been sacked or given a notice for termination of services in various departments, he alleged.

On the paper leak issue, Surjewala said, future of youth has been put under a dark cloud of uncertainty on account of the multiple paper leak scams including in HPSC, HSSC, Police recruitments...as many as 13 paper leak scams have come to fore during three years.

Surjewala said that the malady lies in the incompetence and also the abject failure of the Khattar government to check corruption and to provide a transparent recruitment process.

He claimed that the kingpins of various paper leak scams were still roaming scot-free and the Khattar government must contemplate ordering a judicial probe or court-monitored CBI probe into the matter.
Once you have answered the what and where of your plans to study abroad, it is time to ask the next important question: How. Before you jump into action, it is best to work with an outline.

If the admissions process unnerves you, use these questions as a checklist to help you manage all processes smoothly:

1. Am I early/late to start the application process?

Typically, colleges open the application roundabout a year before the term. For instance, if you are planning to join a school in the Fall term of 2018, you could start the application process as early as August 2017. However, we would strongly recommend that students begin the application process a couple of years in advance so that you cannot only stay ahead of the deadlines but also build a compelling profile. Starting early gives you ample time to take the recommended standardised tests, organise finances, research colleges, evaluate your choices, etc. Having said that, you can still make it to the finish line in about a month from the application deadline.

2. What documents do I need to apply for higher studies?

We find students overwhelmed by the huge task of documentation. Universities abroad ask for a variety of documents, including the completed application form. In general, most colleges ask for the following: 1) Statement of purpose/essays, 2) Recommendation letters, 3) Transcripts, 4) Standardized test results 5) English proficiency exam scores, 4) Financial documents including proof of assets and investments, and 6) Visa forms. In addition to these, based on your course, you may be required to submit additional documents like a portfolio.

3. What tests do I need to take for my choice of university?

Most universities require applicants to take standardised international tests. Most colleges will ask that you take the GRE for an MS program in fields other than business, law, and medicine.The GMAT exam, for a graduate program in business management, is accepted by most top-level institutes. All international students also have to take the TOEFL or IELTS, that test your English language proficiency. Students applying for an undergraduate program are required to take the SAT and ACT tests. Make sure to review your course website to find out about exams that are a prerequisite for your program, the typical score range and, if applicable, the waiver eligibility requirements.

4. What kind of candidates are admissions officers looking for?

If you find the entire admission process daunting and want to know how to improve your admission chances, you should understand what makes a poster candidate for admissions officers. A blazing academic record with a below average performance on extra-curricular activities will not help you shine through the admission process. Admissions officers look for a well-rounded personality, instead of one-dimensional geniuses.

Admissions officers like candidates who display passion and dedication to their work. Candidates who can articulate their views clearly, and write strong essays have a better shot at success. Other factors such as mathematical proficiency, attention to detail, ability to work independently, and leadership skills are also important.

5. How can I avail of financial aid?

There are two kinds of financial aid available to international students. Colleges offer: a) Merit-based scholarships, for special skills, or abilities and b) Need-based scholarships, based on financial need. Connect with the international or financial aid department at your targeted universities, and ask them what options are feasible for you, based on your profile and course.

6. Where can I find affordable accommodation outside the school campus?

Almost every international university provides on-campus accommodation for first-year undergraduate students to help them acclimatize to the new surroundings. Once you have settled down in your new place, you can start exploring options outside the campus. Talk to the international students advisory board and current students/alumni for recommendations on off-campus accommodation. You may find many affordable housing options close to your university campus. If you are keen to live independently, you can look for shared home options. Many social media sites, housing websites, and college campuses list apartments available on shared basis. These are typically fully furnished apartments you could just move into with your luggage.

7. What is the next step after sending in my application form?

College websites generally provide a detailed timeline on their admissions process, and when you could expect a response. So, while you await a reply, revisit the college information booklet and scan for important information about accommodation, financial aid, on-campus work opportunity, cultural events, international student initiation programs, and others. You can also use this time to connect with the alumni on email or chat and learn more about the colleges of your choice.

8. How can I be better prepared for a foreign education?

Plan in advance. The application process may be tedious if you are not organised. Create a timeline for each activity and set up a calendar of important deadlines. This way, you dont miss out on important events. The documentation work may take longer than expected. So, reserve some buffer time to make sure that you have ample time to complete all paperwork.

Another way to prepare ahead of your study program is to experiment by living independently. Get used to tackling problems without assistance. Pick up important life skills such as cooking quick meals, washing your laundry, balancing work and home, and budgeting for all expenses. These life skills will strengthen you once you live alone abroad.

9. What is the weightage given to academic record/statements of purpose/other achievements?

Universities have their own internal criteria for candidate selection. While the academic track record, GPA and test scores do have an important bearing, admissions officers also give weightage to the SOP(Statement of Purpose)/essays. Your SOP, for example, is your mission statement: a write-up about your life goals, achievements, dreams, and your plans. With a strong SOP, you can flesh out a story about who you are and what you want to be. You can display your clarity of thought, powerful communication skills, and a fearless voice. Make sure to create a powerful essay about yourself. Other criteria such as Letter of Recommendation, work experience, and special achievement certificates also play an important role in selection criteria.

10. If I receive a rejection letter, what are my chances if I apply to the same course?

In our experience, we have found that a rejection letter is an eye-opener for most candidates. A rejection should not cause you to feel desolate. There could be many factors that went against your application, including those not in your control. So, begin by taking rejection in your stride, and look for the next best options. If however, you are resolute about reapplying after the rejection, look for the universitys rejection procedures. Some allow you to apply for an evaluation of the rejection. Others give you a detailed feedback about why you got rejected in the first place. If you feel that you can overcome the rejection, by improving on your application profile, give it a shot. If you decide to take a years gap to improve your test scores or get some work experience, make sure to prepare a convincing story about this move.

It is a good idea to keep all your options open when it comes to applying for higher studies abroad. Since time plays an important role in decision-making, you need to start early to ensure that the admissions process is a smooth ride.

(Kagzi is the founder and CEO of Reachivy.com. Views expressed here are personal.)
New Delhi: Indias key child rights panel, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), said on Monday that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, must be amended to bring management committee of private school under its ambit.

This suggestion came up at a high-level meeting of Women and Child Development (WCD) and Human Resource Development (HRD) ministries, which was convened to discuss safety protocols for schools, in the aftermath of the Ryan International school incident where a class 2 student was murdered.

NCPCR has suggested that currently the RTE Act does not cover management committee of private schools. They need to be included in the RTE law, an official, who attended the meeting, told Hindustan Times.

NCPCR is also revising the safety and security guidelines in schools, officials said.

Union WCD minister Maneka Gandhi and her HRD counterpart, Prakash Javadekar, also emphasised on the need to sensitise school students about good and bad touch.

Gandhi suggested that schools should consider having women employees as support staff and bus drivers/conductors and have strict norms for employing them. She said that WCD ministry is ready to fund the training of women drivers.

Another suggestion that came from Gandhi was setting up Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) booth in some of the big schools. The booth should be equipped with a telephone hotline to the Childline number 1098. Any child who faces any abuse can walk in to the booth and call the helpline number to register his/her complaint, said another WCD ministry official.

The WCD ministry is ready to fund the setting up of such booths, Gandhi said.

Javadekar said that secretaries of the two ministries should meet to discuss the feasibility of the proposal, a government official said.

It was also decided to include the WCD secretary in an informal group comprising secretaries from ministries of HRD, tribal affairs, minority affairs, social justice and empowerment and drinking water and sanitation to discuss issues related to developing guidelines for schools to ensure the safety and security of students.

The informal group will decide what all suggestions should be accepted and the timelines for implementing them, said an official.

Besides WCD and HRD ministries, Mondays meeting was also attended by officials from the NCPCR, CBSE, NCERT, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan among others.
New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Tamil Nadu government to apprise it about the steps taken to control protests in the state over the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) examination which had intensified after the alleged suicide of a Dalit medical course aspirant.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud asked the chief secretary of the state to file an affidavit in this regard in two weeks and posted the matter for further hearing on October 19.

The top court had on September 8 asked the state to prevent any agitation over the NEET examination issue which had intensified after the suicide of a 17-year-old girl S Anitha.

It had also directed the government to prosecute anyone indulging in any activity that created a law and order problem and stalled normal life in the state.

Anitha had allegedly committed suicide on September 1, a week after the top court had ruled that medical college admissions in Tamil Nadu would be based on the NEET exam.

The apex court had said that every citizen had a fundamental right to peacefully protest and demonstrate, but they could not cause a situation that resulted in violence and paralysed the law and order situation.

The petition, filed by advocate G S Mani, has said that the state was under obligation to ensure that normal life of the citizens was not disrupted due to these agitations and protests.

The plea also claimed that due to the agitations and rail and road blockages, normal life of citizens had been jeopardised and the people were facing immense difficulty due to this.

It had further said that political parties and individuals could not be allowed to hold protests against the order passed by the apex court in NEET matter.

The suicide of the girl had led to widespread protests in Tamil Nadu with many protesters being detained. The petitioner had also sought a judicial inquiry into the suicide.
A 42-year old Haryana police officer was shot dead in the wee hours of Tuesday at his home in DLF Phase-3. The victim was identified as assistant sub-inspector Naresh Yadav. He was posted at Pali police post in Faridabad and lived with his family at the DLF Phase-3 home, police said.

A case of murder has been registered at DLF Phase-2 police station against unidentified persons.

Police, however, suspect that Mohit Yadav (21), Yadav son, had a key role in his fathers murder as the duo had a lot of differences and did not agree with each other on most things. Police said Mohit has a criminal history and was booked in murder case but was acquitted in that case.

Mohit Yadavs left home soon after his fathers murder and that led to questions being raised about his role in the crime. Sources in the police said although the Yadav family was affluent, they were concerned Mohit as he had fallen into bad company. He was also not working and spent most of the time with his friends which was a point of constant friction with his father, police said.

According to police, Yadav was shot around 3.45am with a countrymade firearm.

Yadavs wife Sunita found his body lying in a pool of blood in an adjacent bedroom around 5am. The family members claimed they did not hear any gunshot. It was only when Sunita entered the room that she found Yadav lying dead.

A neighbour informed the police control room an hour later. A team of policemen along with forensic experts rushed to the spot and gathered evidence from the spot.

Police said Yadavs body was found on the bed with a single bullet wound to his head. At the time of the murder, Yadavs son, wife and mother were present at the house but his son has disappeared after the incident. The police did not find any firearm at the spot but have recovered a spent 9mm cartridge.

DLF Phase 2 SHO Sudeep Kumar said things would be more clear once Mohits statement is recorded.

While a property dispute has not been ruled out by police, sources said Yadav had marital issues and that led to frequent arguments with his son.

A case against unknown persons was registered as family members have not named anyone in the FIR. The police said the role of everyone close to Yadav, including that of his son, is being probed.

A case of murder has been registered and the matter is being probed from all angles, Kumar said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
In an interesting political twist that the Gurgaon voters are likely to experience in the run-up to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), local Congress leaders on Tuesday announced their support to four more independent candidates contesting the polls on Sunday.

The first and the only MCG election, so far, was held in May 2011 and the inception of the municipality followed three years later. The second MCG polls were delayed by more than 16 months. The state election commissioner announced the date of the second MCG election as recently as August 30.

Like previous MCG elections, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) are contesting on their respective party symbols, while the Congress decided to continue with its policy of not contesting on its symbol, despite murmurs of dissent from some quarters.

After their request to the high command to contest the MCG polls on the party symbol was shot down, local Congress leaders, on Sunday, announced their support to as many as 10 independent candidates. The same was followed by their declaration of support to four more independents on Tuesday.

Ajay Singh Yadav, a senior Congress leader from Rewari and former power minister, said, We will extend support to one more independent candidate soon. So far, we have announced our support to 14 independent candidates. They decided not to contest on the party symbol in line with our policy.

Yadav said, The candidates we are backing have been working very hard and are genuinely concerned about the welfare of the city and its people. They want to improve civic condition of the city, as it is not up to the mark.

Unlike the previous MCG election in which 370 candidates were in fray, the 2017 election will be fought by 202 nominees. The BJP has fielded candidates for all the 35 wards, while INLD is contesting 23 wards. There are 144 independent candidates in the fray as well.

Read I MCG elections: Actors and sportspersons help civic bodies draw voters

The four candidates whom the Congress pledged their support for on Tuesday are Pradip Singh Dahia from ward 11, Abhay Jain from ward 18, Inder Singh from ward 19 and Kavita from ward 26. The ten candidates who the Congress declared they would support, earlier, are Parveen Yadav from ward 4, Naresh Sehrawat from ward 6, Promilla Kablana from ward 9, Seema Pahuja from ward 15, Rajni Sahni from ward 17, Pardeep Jaildar from ward 28, Alka Dalal from ward 29, Anju Sharma from ward 32, Jagmohan from ward 34 and Pushpa Sunder Singh from ward 35.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Love Sonia, the new film starring Freida Pinto, Richa Chadda, Demi Moore and Mark Duplass, has been slapped with 45 cuts, despite being certified A by the Central Board of Film Certification. The CBFC underwent a change of leadership in August, with Pahlaj Nihalani being sacked, and lyricist Prasoon Joshi taking over.

Writer Shobhaa De took to Twitter and commented, Tabrez Nooranis acclaimed movie Love Soniya (sic) on human trafficking ordered 45 cuts, given an A certificate. But why?

Tabrez Noorani's acclaimed movie 'Love Soniya' on human trafficking ordered 45 cuts, given an 'A' certificate. But why?  Shobhaa De (@DeShobhaa) September 19, 2017

According to a DNA report, all the cuss words in Hindi and English have been removed, and scenes of sexual abuse have been reduced drastically.

This is a movie that found me. Its a story that needs to be told, to show the plight of these girls, what they go through. These women and girls  they are full of spirit. Some manage to break free and move on. Theres a lot of hope, director Noorani had told Hindustan Times.

The CBFC has been through a controversial period during Nihalanis two-year tenure as chief. Nihalani had objected to several films content, and based his decision on sanskaar. Numerous films such as Udta Punjab and Lipstick Under My Burkha were either made to undergo cuts, or hit with unreasonable demands.

Prasoon Joshis sudden appointment was celebrated by the film industry, but his own tenure hasnt gotten off to a smooth start. According to reports, cuts were demanded in the Hollywood horror movie It and now Love Sonia, a film about a sensitive subject, is being slashed.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
More than 50 students of a government university in Andhra Pradesh were suspended on charges of ragging juniors, the biggest such crackdown in the state, officials said on Tuesday.

The 54 students were suspended on Monday after a probe confirmed the mass ragging on August 29 at the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies at Nuzvid in Krishna district.

India enacted stringent anti-ragging laws in 2009 and the government set up helplines for lodging complaints. But physical abuse of junior students continue across campuses with a majority of the victims remaining silent.

Most of the junior students at Nuzvid had to be hospitalised after they were subjected to physical punishment by the seniors, a probe by the universitys disciplinary committee found.

The suspended students are in their third and fourth years of their software engineering courses at the university, also known as the International Institute of Information Technology.

The management said the action was initiated after the probe panel in its report recommended suspension of the students.

University registrar V Venkata Das said six students have been barred from attending classes for one year. They will not be allowed to take the annual exams.

Nine other students were suspended from the college for one year but will be allowed to take the annual exams. Another 13 students have been placed under suspension till November. The remaining 24 students have been thrown out of the campus.

The probe found that the seniors confined as many as 12 juniors to a room in the hostel and subjected them to variety of physical punishments in the name of ragging.

The seniors also punished the juniors for complaining against them to the college administrative authorities.

A survey by the Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education (CURE), a non-profit organisation, found that between 2007-13, there were 717 cases of ragging leading to 71 deaths, 30 attempted suicides, 199 cases of injuries and 128 cases involving sexual abuse. 81 of the injured were permanently disabled.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Troops posted in the Siachen glacier have sent back to the base more than 63 tonne garbage since 2014  the year Swachh Bharat Mission was launched, the Indian Army said on Tuesday.

These loads of garbage included packing material, barrels and perishables, an army statement said.

On arrival to disposal areas, the trash was buried in deep trenches dug mechanically in areas which are not on run of rivers and where landmass is not fragile.

Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world, is a place where everything is ferried from the hinterland. It is a logistic challenge to move all types of waste out of the glacier, so that these do not become environmental hazard, the statement said.

A huge amount of garbage has been brought back through man-pack loads, porters, ponies and sometimes returning helicopter ferries.

Army continues to take steps to ensure hygiene at the highest battlefield..., it said.

Working in close coordination with civil administration, students and locals, the troops of Ibex Brigade launched another drive in the border areas of Garhwal region under the recently conceived Swacchata Hi Sewa campaign. It will serve as a major awareness programme in the area.

The areas to be covered under the campaign range from the icy peaks of Mt. Kamet, border villages such as Niti, Malari and Manaand, and places of pilgrimage like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

The soldiers would work in coordination with civil administration and locals to address garbage collection, plastic disposal, clearing drains and setting an example to achieve the goals of the campaign, the statement added.

A major cleanliness drive has been launched along the popular tourist tracks of Kedarnath, Bhavishyabadri and in enroute transit towns of Rudraparyag, Joshimath, Harsil and Gaurikund, aimed towards waste disposal and management and conserving precious water sources involving local priests, pilgrims, temple administration, municipality, police and local trade unions, among others.
Arunachal Pradesh shut down on Tuesday to protest the Centres move to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees settled in the state after their displacement from present-day Bangladesh in the 1960s.

Almost all tribal organisations and NGOs backed the 12-hour dawn-to-dusk shutdown that the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) had called against the move to grant limited citizenship to the refugees.

The support for our agitation has sent out a loud and clear message that the indigenous people will not tolerate arbitrary decisions of the centre that could change the states demography, AAPSU general secretary Tobom Dai said.

The response from the tribes of Arunachal, under threat of being outnumbered by refugees in certain areas, should make Delhi realise we are ready to fight for the rights of the indigenous peoples, Dai added.

There have been reports of violence, particularly in southern Arunachal Pradesh where the Chakma-Hajongs are concentrated. Officials said supporters set at least four vehicles, including a state transport corporation bus, ablaze.

The Centre decided to grant limited citizenship to the Chakmas and Hajongs a few days ago. This, according to Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju, means the two communities will not get land rights or be recognised as a Scheduled Tribe in Arunachal Pradesh so that the rights of the indigenous people are not diluted.

The Chakmas and Hajongs fit into the Bharatiya Janata Partys plan to grant citizenship to non-Muslim minorities fleeing persecution in neighbouring countries. The provision was made in the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill of 2016.

The predominantly Buddhist Chakmas and the Hindu Hajongs are among the earliest persecuted groups to have sought refuge in India. They were settled in Arunachal Pradesh between 1964 and 1969 in Bordumsa-Diyun areas under Changlang district and Kokila area of Papum Pare district.

The first wave of refugees came after the Kaptai dam  built by the erstwhile East Pakistan government in the Chittagong Hill Tracts  washed away their homes. Later, they fled religious persecution.

The plight of the Chakma-Hajongs was similar to what the Rohingya Muslims are going through in Myanmar. The Chakmas poured into Tripura and present-day Mizoram with tales of horrors.

Tripura and Mizoram have sizeable populations of Chakmas though Delhi, keen on avoiding conflict between the local communities of these two states, relocated them to vacant land in North East Frontier Agency that became Arunachal Pradesh in February 1978.

From the initial 14,888 settled in Arunachal Pradesh, the population of Chakmas and Hajongs are said to have increased to 64,000. Chakma organisations claim their population is 55,000 and the fear that they will outnumber the local tribes such as Tangsa, Singpho, Khampti, Nocte, and Mishmi is unfounded.

But the AAPSU and organisations such as the Green Arunachal Foundation are not convinced.

Delhi sent the Chakma-Hajongs to Arunachal Pradesh on a temporary basis, now it is their duty to shift them back to any other state in India and give them citizenship but not in Arunachal Pradesh, Nabam Jollow, former AAPSU president and the unions legal advisor now, said.

Jollow said the government is processing 4637 applications for granting citizenship to the Chakmas and Hajongs indigenous people first.

The AAPSU came down heavily on the states MPs  Rijiju of the BJP representing Arunachal West and Ninong Ering of Congress representing Arunachal East parliamentary constituencies and Rajya Sabha member of Congress Mukut Mithi  for not impressing upon the Centre enough to stop the citizenship move.

I am very clear. I dont care about any other thing as first of all I think about my people. I value human rights and constitutional norms but everything will be meaningful to me if all rights of our people are protected, Rijiju clarified in Arunachal Pradeshs Naharlagun on Sunday.

He also insisted that the BJP-led NDA government did not decide to grant citizenship.

It was the decision of the Supreme Court in 2015 directing the Centre as well as the state government to grant citizenship to Chakmas and Hajongs within three months. But we did not accept it saying at present we cannot accept it and the rights of the indigenous peoples of the state should be first protected, he said.

We are trying to tell the court that giving Chakma and Hajong refugees same right as Arunachalees is not acceptable to us. So people of the state should appreciate the fact that for the first time the Centre has not agreed to the order of the court, he added.

Ering too said he has written to Union home minister Rajnath Singh advising the rehabilitation of the Chakmas and Hajongs anywhere in India but Arunachal Pradesh.

They have been our guests for more than 50 years and occupied the forests and habitats of the local people, now the villagers want it back. If they are granted citizenship, they cannot enjoy the benefits they got as refugees and have to be resettled outside Arunachal, Ering said.

State chief minister Pema Khandu too warned Singh of the repercussions.

The state is not ready to accept any infringement of the constitutional protection bestowed on the tribal people of the state, he said.

Khandu pointed out that Arunachal Pradesh is governed by the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873, which prohibits all citizens of India from entering the state without an inner line permit.

Arunachal Pradesh is a predominantly tribal state and the Constitution of India gives special protection rights to the people of the state. These provisions were legislated with the singular objective to protect the tribes of the state from the onslaught of an alien culture and overwhelming influx of non-Arunachalees, he said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) legislator Prabhat Biswal was arrested by the CBI on Tuesday in connection with an allegedly dubious land deal with the kingpin of a Rs 500-crore chit fund scam in Odisha, investigating officials said.

The arrest of Biswal, a close confidante of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, could potentially give fresh ammunition to the BJP which is trying to topple the BJD in the 2019 assembly polls.

Officials said Biswal was arrested from his Cuttack residence early Tuesday morning over the land deal with Seashore Group chief Prashant Dash, accused of swindling more than Rs 500 crore from people through a pyramid scheme.

The Seashore Group is one of the 44 companies probed by CBI since May 2014 following a Supreme Court order.

Several other MLAs and MPs of the ruling party were arrested earlier for their alleged involvement in other chit fund scams in the state.

The CBI arrested Banki MLA Pravat Tripathy in the Artha Tatwa chit fund scam, Mayurbhanj MP Ramachandra Hansdah and former Keonjhar MLA Subarna Naik in the Nava Diganta chit fund scam.

Besides them, Balasore MP Rabindra Jena, Dharmasala MLA Pranab Balabantaray, former minister Sanjay Das Burma are under the CBI scanner over their alleged involvement in several chit-fund scams.

In November 2014, CBI had interrogated Biswal and his wife, Laxmi Bilasini Biswal, over the land deal.

The MLAs wife, a former zilla parishad president of Cuttack, had sold a plot of land to the Seashore chief for Rs 29.25 lakh in 2011. The Seashore chief paid for the land, but a few months later, he withdrew from the land deal and wanted his money back.

CBI sources said the Biswals never repaid the money to Seashore, but claimed to have signed an agreement paper about the re-payment. The agreement paper was sent for forensic tests to validate the signature.

The BJP is highlighting the scams and alleged involvement of ruling party leaders to scale up its campaign against the corrupt Patnaik government. The BJD has hit back by protesting alleged anti-people policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre.

On Monday, the BJD called a five-hour hartal across the state protesting steep hike in fuel prices. The agitation turned violent with BJP workers clashing with BJP members. BJD workers vandalised the vehicle of a BJP leader in Bhubaneswar and tore posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The Seashore Group, registered under the now defunct Orissa Self-Help Cooperatives Act and Multi State Cooperative Societies Act, was allegedly helped by several prominent politicians and bureaucrats in the state including late Rajya Sabha MP Pyarimohan Mohapatra.

Owing to its political connections, the group even bid to become the banking correspondent of the State to act as the intermediary between banks and the poor for all welfare payments and cash transfers in Odisha.

Headed by Prashant Das, a former college lecturer from Mayurbhganj district, the group had at least 10 sister concerns and invested in a number of projects including hospitals, dairy, pharmaceuticals, travel agencies, retail outlets, media and credit cooperatives.

The group partnered with the Odisha government in healthcare, tourism and cooperative sector. Like the Saradha Group which ran a TV channel in Bengal, Seashore too started a TV channel -- S-TV -- offering huge salaries to young journalists. But it folded up within three years, leaving hundreds of its employees without jobs overnight.
Amid concerns in his home state over the granting of citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees, Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said the Centre would approach Supreme Court to seek an amendment to its 2015 order directing the Centre t to grant citizenship to some 54,000 refugees.

The minister of state for home affairs, who is also an MP from Arunachal Pradesh (AP), on Tuesday said the SC order was not implementable. The ministry had last week said it would comply with the order directing the Centre to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong, who settled in India after facing persecution from erstwhile East Pakistan.

However, on Tuesday, Rijiju said the ground realities in the state must be impressed upon the apex court adding that he will stand up for the rights of his people. The Chakmas and Hajongs have entered India illegally. If the Chakmas are given citizenship as Arunachal tribals or as indigenous Arunachali, it will disturb the social and demographic structure of the state. We have to impress upon the court to understand this reality, Rijiju said.

Some families were settled by the Congress government between 1964 and 1969. That itself was a violation, Rijiju said. The same violation was raised by the chief minister Pema Khandu in a letter to home minister Rajnath Singh on Monday.

The Chakmas and Hajongs cannot be put with the same footing with the people of AP, Rijiju said. The statement comes after the state observed a shut down on Tuesday to protest the Centres move to grant citizenship to the refugees. Once Chakma and Hajong become legal citizens of India they are entitled to live anywhere in the country, but AP is a protected territory. Even for genuine Indian you need Inner Line Permit to visit the state since it is a constitutionally protected territory, Rijiju added.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Indian Coast Guard rescued 18 ornithologists and three crew members stranded off the coast of Puducherry after their vessel developed a technical snag.

Chief minister V Narayanasamy told reporters on Tuesday that the 18 people - three crew members and 15 ornithologists from Puducherry, Chennai and Mumbai - had ventured into the sea in the mechanised vessel from the harbour here on Sunday night.

After the vessel travelled 15 nautical miles, it developed a technical snag. The people aboard contacted their friends and relatives on the shore who alerted the police.

The police then sought the services of the Coast Guard.

A Coast Guard team located the vessel and towed it back to the shore on Monday.

An inquiry found the vessel lacked basic communication equipment, Narayanasamy said, adding that the police was probing the incident.

The chief minister urged people heading to the sea in private boats to first check whether the vessels were well equipped and whether their owners had the required permission.
An 18-year-old Dalit gang-rape victim committed suicide in Jind after being repeatedly harassed by the accused, the police said on Tuesday.

The girl, a resident of Palwan village in Uchana town, consumed toilet cleaner on Saturday, following which she was admitted to a local hospital that pronounced her dead on Monday night.

The girls father alleged she was raped by three youths of the village a month ago when she was going to a local temple. The family did not register a complaint with police fearing social stigma. The girls father, however, complained to the families of the accused and warned them of staying away from their daughter.

However, he said, the accused continued to harass and taunt his daughter when she would go out.

Police said the accused allegedly threw a letter inside the victims house in which they tried to shame her by making some vulgar remarks at her. This upset the victim, who committed suicide.

Jind SP Arun Singh said they have arrested the three accused Rahul, Praveen and Kuldeep. Charges under relevant sections of the IPC and SC, ST (prevention of atrocities) Act have been slapped against them, said the SP.

They were produced in a local court that sent them to three-day police remand. The SP said they were trying to match the handwriting of the accused with that on the letter thrown into victims house.
Tamil Nadu governor C Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday met Union home minister Rajnath Singh, a day after 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs loyal to sidelined leader TTV Dinakaran were disqualified under the anti-defection law.

During the 20-minute meeting, the governor is believed to have apprised the home minister about the current political developments in the southern state, officials said.

The disqualified MLAs had yesterday told the governor that they had no confidence in Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami, and accused him of being corrupt.

Rao, who is governor of Maharashtra, is holding additional charge of Tamil Nadu.
Legislators of the opposition DMK pledged on Tuesday to back any move by party president MK Stalin to oust the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu, a decision that underscored the fluid political situation in the southern state.

The DMK, with 89 MLAs, sees an opportunity to grasp power in the intense internal feud within the AIADMK, which is facing a string of rebellions since the death of party supremo J Jayalalithaa last December.

The main opposition party held the Centre, state government and assembly Speaker responsible for the impasse.

The AIADMK split after Jayalalithaa aide V Sasikala took the reins of the party in February and handpicked Edappadi Palanisami as chief minister, removing rebel leader O Panneerselvam. But Sasikala was soon convicted of corruption and she appointed nephew TTV Dinakaran as deputy general secretary before going to jail.

The factions under Palanisami and Panneerselvam merged this August and the united party removed Sasikala and Dinakaran from party positions, triggering another mutiny. Dinakaran claimed the support of 18 legislators but speaker P Dhanpal disqualified them under an anti-defection law.

The twists and turns triggered speculation that the BJP-ruled Centre was orchestrating the entire plot with an eye to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu, where the party has negligible presence.

The action now moved to the Madras high court, which will hear on Wednesday a petition by the DMK seeking direction to the governor to order a floor test. The party has also challenged the disqualification 18 MLAs loyal to Dinakaran.

The disqualified MLAs havent quit their AIADMK membership or joined another party.

The DMK said it will fight the AIADMK government in the courts, on the streets.

The party leadership has asked all its MLAs to stay put in Chennai, as chief minister Palanisami might be asked to prove his majority through a floor test in the assembly.

For his part, Dinakaran accused the Centre, governor and speaker of murdering democracy.

The disqualification brought down the strength of the 234-member assembly to 215, including the vacant seat of Jayalalithaa. Palaniswami needs the support of 108 MLAs, excluding that of the Speaker, to pass a floor test.

If the disqualification of 18 legislators is revoked, the chief minister will need 117. He has 113 MLAs after the merger, but still four short.
Four Rohingya Muslims, caught entering Tripura illegally in June, were sent to a protective home in state capital Agartala last week. They were presumed to be Bangladeshis before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) established their identity.

The four  Jabeda Khatun, 50, and her son Mohammad Tareq, 20, Syed Karim, 35, and his wife Fatema Akhter, 21  were arrested from Teliamura railway station in Khowai district on June 9. They claimed they were from Coxs Bazaar in Bangladesh but could not produce passport or any other valid documents.

We had arrested them for violating two rules pertaining to passport and sent to police custody in Khowai. A local court later prescribed two months imprisonment for them, a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.

The four were to have been pushed back to Bangladesh after their term ended on August 9. But an emailed letter from UNHCR on August 8 informed the state administration that the four were Rohingyas, not Bangladeshis, and had fled from Myanmar.

Among the four, Syed Karim was identified as a refugee under UNHCR mandate and also had a refugee card.

The sudden change in the situation made the government shift the four to Mahatma Gandhi Protective Home in Agartalas Narsingarh area on September 15. Since August 9, they had been kept in a government quarter as Khowai does not have a protective home.

Officials said they would deal with the four Rohingyas according to what the Centre decides about 40,000 other such refugees elsewhere in India. The ruling Left Front in Tripura, though, does not favour the deportation of the Rohingyas from the state, particularly Fatima who is five months pregnant.

Manipur too is facing a dilemma over 25 Rohingya Muslims, arrested over several years for trespass, lodged in the states jails. Fifteen of these 25 have already served their jail terms and are awaiting deportation.

Delhi had earlier tried to deport them but Myanmar officials said they do not have record of their having been citizens of their country.

The jailed Rohingyas are a serious issue for us. And in view of the crackdown in Myanmar, we have sounded an alert to ensure they do not infiltrate, Manipur chief minister Nongthombam Biren said.

Manipur shares a 398-km border with Myanmar. But officials think there is more likelihood of Rohingyas infiltrating through Assam from Bangladesh.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder case of journalist Gauri Lankesh questioned gangster-turned-journalist Agni Sreedhar on Tuesday.

An assistant commissioner of police, along with an inspector and a sub-inspector, quizzed Sreedhar for about an hour.

It is true that an ACP, with an inspector, had come to my office and sought some details. It is good that the SIT is leaving no stone unturned to probe the matter, said Sreedhar.

There is no likelihood of any Naxal involvement in Lankeshs killing. It is the same gang, or rather, I should say the same boys, who had killed (Narendra) Dabholkar, (Govind) Pansare and (MM) Kalburgi. If they are not tracked down, there will be more killings in the near future, the reformed gangster added.

The SIT had earlier questioned author and historian Vikram Sampath in connection with Lankeshs killing.

The Karnataka government had, on September 6, announced a 21-member SIT to investigate the killing of Lankesh, an incident which led to countrywide protests and condemnation across the political spectrum.

Lankesh, 55, known to be an anti-establishment voice with strident anti-right wing views, was shot dead at close range by unknown assailants outside her residence here on the night of September 5.
A panel of the Union environment ministry which will meet on Thursday for the fourth time in over a month to speed up project approval will consider three proposals to divest forest land from the Central Indias Pench Satpuda tiger corridor for mining. The panel normally meets once a month.

The frequent project approval committees meetings are part of environment minister Harsh Vardhans directive to decide on pending projects soon to clear the backlog.

Sources said the minister has asked the officials to place maximum proposals for consideration of the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), the statutory and the wildlife panel, which he heads.

On Thursday, the ministrys statutory body for diversion of forest land for development, the FAC, will be meeting for the fourth time in 41 days. Before August, the FAC used to meet only once a month, a norm for past many years.

Thursdays meeting is crucial as three mining projects in Pench Satpuda tiger corridor that will lead to diversion of the 440 hectares of dense and moderate forest land will be examined. The government has cited countrys energy security and poverty alleviation as major reasons for approving these proposals.

Wildlife activists, however, differ and say the approval will harm tiger protection efforts in Central India.

Read more: Why the big cats at Palamau tiger reserve are on the brink of extinction

Maintaining tiger corridors in Satpuda landscape is utmost important for tiger conservation. The proposed mining projects and ancillary activities associated with it would certainly break the forest connectivity and also affect functionality of these tiger corridors, said Kishor Rithe, President, Satpuda Foundation and former member of the ministrys wildlife committee called Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).

The public sector Hindustan Copper Limiteds underground mining proposal in Balaghat is just 7.5 kms away from Kanha tiger reserve, one of the most densely populated big cat habitats in the country. The second proposal is for underground mining in Jamuna and third is in the north-eastern part of Pench Satpuda valley.

Officials said that minister Vardhan has set September end as deadline to clear pending projects. The move is aimed at improving Indias ranking in ease of doing business, where slow environmental approvals are considered one of the biggest roadblocks.

On September 4, the wildlife panel delegated powers to the states to approve drinking water and optical fibre projects passing through the forest areas. The proposal was submitted by the Gujarat forest department.

The panel also approved an irrigation project in a green corridor connecting three tiger reserves --- Kawal in Telangana with Tadoba-Andhari in Maharashtra and Indravathi in Chhattisgarh. According to the minutes of the meeting, the panel cleared about 30 projects including mining, road and rail expansion and irrigation proposals. Some of the proposals were, however, deferred for want for information.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
India on Tuesday announced an emergency aid of $200,000 to the worst-affected countries by recent hurricanes in the Caribbean.

We feel your pain. In this trying hour, we stand with you. We know your people are resilient. We stand ready to assist in your efforts to rebuild broken lives. Our efforts go out to all those affected. I offer our heartfelt condolences on the loss of precious lives, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in her address to CARICOM ministerial meeting on the sidelines of UN General Assembly.

As a token of our solidarity, India will make available an emergency aid of $200,000 to the worst-affected countries, she said.

She also announced another $2 million fund from the India-UN Partnership Fund for South-South Cooperation for the rehabilitation projects in the region.

I am asking our mission to the UN to work with our partners in Antigua and Barbuda as well as Dominica and other partners to earmark an amount of $2 million from the India-UN Partnership Fund for South-South Cooperation for rehabilitation projects in CARICOM, Swaraj said.

India, she said, undertook evacuation from Sint Maarten for not only Indians but also for nationals of nine other countries.

Observing that the Caribbean have a special place in the hearts of Indians, she said India would like to continue its interaction with its Caribbean partners on annual basis on the margins of UNGA.

Indias ties with the Caribbean region are historic and civilisational. During the colonial era after abolition of slavery, over half a million Indians reached the shores of British colonies in the Caribbean. Many of those have assimilated into their new homes but many also preserved their traditions, thus ensuring cultural linkages between India and the Caribbean, Swaraj said.

Flooded cars are pictured in the Lauricisque district of Pointe-a-Pitre on September 19, 2017 in the French territory of Guadeloupe, after the passage of Hurricane Maria. (AFP)

Swaraj said terrorism constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.

Counter-terrorism requires a strong collective action by the global community. A strong legal framework also needs to be established in order to address this problem, she said.

She said an early adoption by the UNGA of the Comprehensive Convention of International Terrorism, a draft for which was proposed by India as early as 1996, is essential.

India has announced its candidature for the non-permanent seat for the UNSC for Asia-Pacific region for the period 2021-2022 and candidature of Justice Dr Dalveer Bhandari for re-election to the Court of Justice for the term 2018-2027.

She sought the support of all CARICOM member states for these candidatures.

Observing that climate change is an issue of common concern to all, Swaraj said an international regime of actions was agreed in the form of the UNFCCC in 1992.

Indias per capita emissions are very low compared to both developed as well as other large developing countries and major emitters. Let me assure you all that India is particularly conscious of vulnerability of small island states and low-lying nations to the effect of climate change and would stand behind them in mitigating the effects of climate change, she said.

Stating that India has set up the International Solar Alliance jointly with France, she invited the CARICOM member countries to sign the ISA Framework Agreement.
India on Tuesday sought investigations into North Koreas nuclear proliferation linkages and asked to hold accountable those responsible for it, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

External affairs minister Sushma Swarajs remarks came days after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday.

It follows North Koreas sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 which was in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj deplored North Koreas recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable, ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference in New York.

Swarajs assertion in this regard came during her trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session.

On connectivity initiatives, imp. of basing them on universally recognized int'l norms, prudent financing & respect for sovereignty and ... pic.twitter.com/iVsAEwu4HT  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) September 18, 2017

Responding to questions, Kumar did not specify the country, but said the hints were enough to determine that.

I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about, he said.

We have very clearly mentioned that we not only deplore DPRKs recent actions but also stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable, Kumar said.

In addition to proliferation, the three leaders discussed the issue of maritime security and connectivity.

Three broad issues were discussed -- maritime security connectivity and proliferation. We have spelled out what these heads mean on security the ministers emphasised the need to ensure freedom of navigation respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes, he said.

On connectivity, there was discussion on how to base them on universally recognised international norms prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, Kumar said.

The first trilateral ministerial meeting between the three countries was held in 2015. Senior official level meeting has been taking place since 2011.
India on Tuesday welcomed as encouraging and positive Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyis address on the situation in the countrys Rakhine state where violence has triggered an outflow of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to neighbouring Bangladesh.

It was an encouraging address and contained a very positive message, Indias Ambassador to Myanmar Vikram Misri told the media after Suu Kyis state of the union address on the issue.

I think we all appreciate the problems and complex challenges that Myanmar faces, he said. The situation that has come about in the Rakhine state in recent days is something that has caused a lot of concern to not only people within the country but its neighbours, including us, too.

Breaking her silence over the ongoing crisis, Suu Kyi on Tuesday said she and her government condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence in the country and does not fear global scrutiny on the situation in Rakhine state.

The de facto leader made the remarks in her first national address over the Rakhine violence. She said she felt deeply for the suffering of all people in the conflict, and that Myanmar was committed to a sustainable solution... for all communities in this state.

The UN office in Bangladesh said on Monday that around 415,000 refugees have entered the country since August 25 after the Myanmarese army launched a crackdown on the minority Rohingya community in view of a series of attacks on security personnel.

The Rohingyas do not enjoy citizenship status in Myanmar and are sparingly given refugee status in Bangladesh.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared New Delhis concerns over the situation in Rakhine during a meeting with Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi when he visited Nay Pyi Taw earlier this month.

India has also extended humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh to handle the refugee crisis.

Suu Kyi, who decided not to attend the UN General Assembly in New York later this week, said she was aware of the fact that the worlds attention is focused on the situation in Rakhine and that Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny, CNN reported.

The leader said she nevertheless wanted the international community to know what was being done by her government. It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abdicate responsibility. We condemn all human rights violation and unlawful violence.

In his remarks to the media, Ambassador Misri said that India has shared its concerns over the issue at various levels.

He said that while India recognised the right of the authorities to provide security and defend themselves from violent attacks, it was also important to prevent violence against innocent bystanders and civilians.
Twenty-five Indian sailors and their family members have sought the governments help to free a merchant ship detained for more than three months off the Dubai coast over a payment dispute.

The sailors of Maharshi Vamadeva have also written to the external affairs ministry for helping free the ship anchored off the coast of Fujairah, one of the seven provinces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

MEA officials were not available for comments.

Manjushri, wife of one of the seamen, said the sailors were running short of food and water as they were not been allowed to go onshore for buying essentials.

They are in a horrible condition. They have limited amount of food and oil but no one is ready to listen to them, she said.

Family members of some of the sailors have also unsuccessfully tried to contact the owner of the ship, Yudhishthir Khatau, who runs the Varun Shipping Corporation. The company is said to have run into trouble earlier with authorities in UAE for non-payment of dues.

Sources said the present crisis arose after the Dubai coast guard personnel seized the ship over non-payment of dues dating back to 2014. The payment was for dry docking, which allows periodical maintenance of ships.

The sailors recently held a protest on the deck of the ship, hiding their faces behind banners. The photo was widely shared in Facebook by their relatives and friends to attract attention of Indian authorities.

I took my son for a vacation in the ship from Mangalore to Gujarat before it left for Dubai. We had such a nice time. But after they reached UAE, things took a different turn, Majushri told HT.

In the letter to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, Manjushri said, My husbands ship had been on the same position at anchorage point at Fujairah since June 17th. Now

they are in a very deplorable condition as there is shortage of food, water, fuel and other necessary things.

All the crew on board had not even received their last three monthly wages.Their satellite connection had also been cut off due to non-payment of bills by the company. The owners have stopped communicating with the people on board and there are no signs of help from them, she added.

Sumantra Nath Bhaduri, another sailor, informed his family that they are facing severe water and food shortage. In the soaring heat of the Gulf region, they are using AC condensate  water which runs off air conditioners -- to take baths.
Sushma Swaraj, the external affairs minister, held meetings with Ivanka Trump, the advisor and daughter of US president Donald Trump,and the prime ministers of Bhutan and Bangladesh on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting on Tuesday.

Ivanka Trump, who will lead the American delegation to Novembers Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad, wrote in a tweet that she and Swaraj discussed womens entrepreneurship and workforce development in their countries. In another tweet, Trump described Swaraj as accomplished and charismatic.

I have long respected India's accomplished and charismatic Foreign Minister @SushmaSwaraj, and it was an honor to meet her today. #UNGA https://t.co/IeAfBCOETO  Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) September 18, 2017

External affairs ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted that the meeting with Sheikh Hasina, prime minister of Bangladesh, was a courtesy call. During a news conference in New York, Kumar said that the Rohingya refugee crisis did not come up in the meeting.

Tshering Tobgay, the Bhutanese prime minister, wrote in a tweet that he and Swaraj discussed the wide range of bilateral cooperation.

The meeting comes three weeks after India and China drew back their troops in Doklam, the trijunction of the borders of all three countries.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday appealed governments of India and Pakistan to stop shelling on border and let people live in peace.

Addressing a public meeting in north Kashmirs border area of Tangdar, Mehbooba sought an end to hostilities between the two countries on the borders, saying it is the people of the state who suffer the brunt of these skirmishes.

Our state of Jammu and Kashmir has become stuck in between these two countries  India and Pakistan. When there is war between these two, we suffer the most. It is very unfortunate that when people should have been demanding facilities of schools, hospitals, play fields and hospitals, they are forced to seek construction of bunkers to save them from shells, she said.

Mehbooba recalled the statement of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee saying we can change friends not neighbours.

This is a border area and my appeal from here to my country and to Pakistan is to please stop this shelling, for Gods sake. Please forgive us. Today thousands of people in Rajouri have become homeless. Kids are not going to school. They are living in tents. Here also people are frightened that there will be shelling. Please have pity on the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Stop this war so that we could spend our money on our schools, hospitals and roads, she said.

The chief minister said that governments intention was to open more and more roads and stop this shelling.

We want friendships. Because people are suffering on the other side also and we also suffer here whenever there is shelling. That is why there is no option for us or them except friendship. What has been the outcome of the antagonism which has been between us for the past 70 years? In fact our state is becoming the target of this rivalry, she said.

Mehbooba stated that their government is trying for friendship between the two countries.

Prime Minister tried. He went to Pakistan like a neighbour goes to another neighbour. But unfortunately after that the situation became worse, there were attacks like Pathankot and Uri and things worsened, she said.

She said that she was hoping for friendship between the two countries. My country is a big country and I hope it will prove its vastness and will again try to improve relations (with Pakistan) so that people on our border remain happy and safe, she said.
A young Jain couples decision to relinquish the material world, including their three-year-old daughter, to become monks has triggered a debate as their families and the community argued the move amounts to cruelty towards the child.

Sumit Rathore, who is 35, and wife Anamika, a year younger, are scheduled to take deeksha or the first step towards monkhood under Sudhamargi Jain Acharya Ramlal Maharaj in Gujarats Surat town on September 23.

Other than daughter Ibhya, they will be renouncing property worth around Rs 100 crore in their Madhya Pradesh hometown of Neemuch, about 400km from Bhopal.

The Jain community, with an estimated population of less than 5 million in India, is no stranger to such renunciations. A large section of Jains is known to observe rigid customs laid down thousands of years ago.

But many in the community are stupefied by the Rathore couples decision.

Sumits cousin Sandeep Rathore spoke against the decision and the influential munis, or monks, who inspired the couple to take deeksha.

From this day I take an oath that I wont bow before any Maharaj (those who allow such deekshas to take place) because I love my daughter, parents and wife. The work of a sadhu is to educate not to give deeksha, he said in a Facebook post.

The post was shared extensively and hundreds or people commented on it.

Sandeep said on Tuesday that he is proud to be a Jaini and the feeling of renunciation is a great one, but it should be done after fulfilling ones earthly obligations.

Neemuch-based eye surgeon RK Bhandari, who is close to the family, has also offered similar views.

This is not the right time for taking deeksha. The first task is to raise the child properly and discharge all their other duties, he said.

As the debate raged, RTI activist Kapil Shukla wrote to the National Human Rights Commission and the administration seeking a ban on deeksha.

The family is not speaking because it is a matter related to religious beliefs and they dont want to run foul of religious leaders. Also, they are not considering what is best for the child who will definitely suffer  Jain community should come forward and stop this deeksha.

Only time will tell how much his appeal will work as top Jain spiritual leaders and elders had last October warned against any interference with their religious practice.

The warning was issued when social and child rights activists called for action against the parents of a 13-year-old Secunderabad girl, who died after ritual fasting called tapasya for 68 days.

Activists had alleged that she was forced to do tapasya in accordance with the family spiritual gurus advice that the ritual will help their business grow.

The death triggered a larger debate in society on religious rituals that allow or push people to die such as sati, santhara and tapasya.

Read more| Gujarat Class 12 topper Varshil Shah is now Jain monk Suvirya Maharaj
The law ministry issued on Tuesday notifications for appointment of 25 additional judges in two high courts  19 to the Allahabad high court and six others to the Calcutta high court  bringing down to some extent large scale vacancies in the two courts which are among the worst affected by the problem.

Allahabad high court had last week started working an additional day in the week turning Saturdays into working days.

This is the first set of appointments of high court judges since Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra took over on August 28.

The Allahabad HC has an approved strength of 160 judges was functioning with 91 before Tuesdays notification. The high court will still be 50 judges short after these fresh appointments. Shortage in the Calcutta HC will come down to 35, just below half of the sanctioned strength of 72.

HT had reported on Sunday that judges vacancies in the 24 HCs were hovering around 40% with as many as 413 vacancies against 1,079 posts.

The government had in the last round appointed 15 additional judges to the Allahabad (nine) and Punjab and Haryana (six) high courts on July 6 after which no new appointments were made in August.

Six high courts are still functioning under acting CJs: Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Calcutta, New Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Manipur.

Officials in the ministry said the SC collegium  a body of five top judges of the country headed by the CJI that selects judges for appointment  has to take a call on these.

They added as many as 61 names for appointment as high court judges forwarded to SC collegium are pending. These were sent to the SC collegium during the previous CJIs term.

The 61 recommendations include 36 names sent by eight high courts  including Calcutta, Jharkhand, Madras and Bombay  for appointment as judges and 25 names sent by five high courts for elevation of additional judges to permanent judges.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Suspected Maoists blew up the office of a private solar power plant in Gaya district of south central Bihar early Tuesday morning.

There were, however, no report of casualty.

Additional superintendent of police (anti-Naxal operations) Arun Kumar said about 25 Maoists, including women, raided the premises of Wellson Energy Company Private Limited at Saun village in Aamas police station area, 50 km from Gaya and 150 km south Patna, held hostage two guards of a security agency deployed there and triggered a dynamite blast.

The explosion blew up the control room and the administrative building on the 125-acre premises of the solar power company, the ASP said.

The Maoists also set on fire other buildings adjacent to the control room, he added.

The entire operation lasted for about an hour, eyewitnesses and security guards said.

The company produces 20-22 MW power through 90,000 solar plates and sells it to the grid in Gaya districts Sherghati sub-division for distribution.

Non-payment of levy, demanded by the Maoists, is believed to be the reason for the attack. Sources said the Maoists had earlier demanded a levy of Rs 1 crore from the company, but its executives refused to make the payment.

The police have, however, refuted the levy-demand theory. The attack was an act of desperation by Maoists following stepped up operations by security forces against them, they said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Ompal Singh Aanchals two-acre farm in Kurar Ibrahimpur village of Haryanas Sonipat is a sight every farmer dreads  a partially-withered crop of sorghum, locally called jowar.

My jowar has dried up, he says, cursing no one in particular.

This time we got good rain in the beginning but the last good spell was a month ago.

Rain is crucial for sorghum that 62-year-old Aanchal mostly uses as fodder for his six buffaloes. He also has a standing crop of rice on another three acres that needs a lot more water.

Sonipat, however, has seen deficient rainfall for five straight weeks at 36% below normal for this period.

The first five weeks of the monsoon season beginning June 1 recorded excess rainfall ranging between 44% and 317%.

The southwest monsoon is the lifeblood for Indias farm sector, delivering 70% of the countrys annual rainfall, and is crucial for an estimated 263 million farmers.

Poor monsoon rainfall is bad news for the farmer and ultimately for the economy with nearly half of Indias population dependent on farm income.

The India Meteorological De partment (IMD) maps 660 districts  divided into 36 meteorological sub-divisions  for rainfall from June 1 to September 30, the official monsoon season in the country.

Sonipat lies in Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi sub-division with 31 districts, of which 19 have seen deficient rainfall, more than 20% below normal, for four straight weeks or more now.

In neighbouring western Uttar Pradesh too, rainfall has been deficient, after intermittent spells of excessive rain.

By the end of August, according to data collected by the ministry of agricultures crop division, farming in as many as 18 states was either hit by floods that damaged crops and homes or less rainfall that is likely to affect yield marginally.

Overall food security will not be affected. Rice output could drop a little but we have sufficient stocks, a senior official said.

In less than two weeks time, the government will likely declare the 2017 spell of the southwest monsoon normal. At the current six per cent deficit for the long period average (LPA) of June 1 to September 30, the monsoon is normal, IMD officials say.

That is, if you consider the vast country with 142 million hectares of agricultural land as one unit. Less than half of this land is under institutional irrigation, agriculture ministry records show.

But as of September 17, of the 630 districts for which the IMD received data, 109 districts had excess or large excess rainfall; 274 districts had normal rainfall and 247 had deficient or large deficient rainfall.

Experts say the LPA hides the distress that erratic rainfall brings by averaging out the deviations across regions and time periods. The range of -20% to +20% of average rainfall over an area qualifies as normal.

We are seeing a reduced number of rainy days and more concentrated rainfall in a few days. This sort of assessment hides regional and spatial disparities, says Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general at the environment think tank, Centre for Science and Environment.

Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh are food bowl regions with greater resilience to vagaries of nature because of the prosperity brought in by the green revolution, experts add.

These areas have borewells to tap into the ground water aquifers for irrigation when rains fail. There is not much drop in the yield yet the cost of production spikes compounding farmers distress.

Aanchal says selling milk will see his family through but this year will be about living hand to mouth.

Nearly 700km away, farmers in the chronically distressed Bundelkhand region with 13 districts spread over parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh await a worse fate.

Dayaram Ahirwar of Bansiya village in Madhya Pradeshs Sagar is yet to repay the Rs 60,000 loan he took using his Kisaan Credit Card in 2016. His soyabean crop was destroyed last year by untimely rains and the Rs 11,000 he got as crop insurance was just not enough to pay back the loan.

This June, Ahirwar invested Rs 5,000 to sow urad in two acres of his farm and then took up another five acres on contract to try and recover his lost money.

It is mid-September and the 55-year-old stands in the middle of his field, surrounded by drying plants. He knows there arent enough pods and the yield will be poor. Ahirwar is a marginal farmer  owning less than 2.5 acres.

Even with a landholding of 28 acres, Bhanu Tiwari, 28, is not assured of good returns. He invested Rs 75,000 and sowed 2.5 quintal urad seeds because the pulse had fetched farmers up to Rs 12,000 per quintal in the local market last year.

The prospect of a poor yield this time has upset his plans.

Sagar district has seen five straight weeks of deficient rainfall after a normal bout of seven weeks.

AK Nema, deputy director of the states agriculture department told HT that the kharif crop  which includes mainly soybean and urad  was sown in around 4 lakh hectares this year but insufficient rainfall has affected it badly.

In coastal Karnataka sub-division that has three districts, Dakshin Kannada recorded 10 straight weeks of deficient rainfall till September 7 and Uttar Kannada, seven. But the overall deficit of 18% is within the normal range.

Prakash Kammaradi, chairman of the Karnataka State Agricultural Prices Commission, says the region is badly affected by poor rainfall this year.

There has been long-term damage done to plantation crops like areca nut and tender coconut that are grown here, he adds.

Bhushan warns that chronically distress-prone regions like Vidarbha, Marathwada and Bundelkhand are sensitive to smaller variations in rainfall.

The government estimates it will meet last years record food grain production this kharif season as well.

That is the best optimistic scenario that the government is looking at, said Ashok Gulati, agriculture chair professor at Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations.

(With inputs from Punya Priya Mitra in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, and Vikram Gopal in Bengaluru, Karnataka)

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
From being a prominent Muslim face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam to getting expelled from the party for flouting its line on the issue of Rohingya Muslims - Benazir Arfan has seen it all in the past seven days.

The state executive member of the saffron partys mazdoor morcha or workers wing was expelled from the BJP on Monday, five days after she uploaded a post on social media voicing support for Rohingyas fleeing Myanmar.

I was suspended from the party on Thursday and expelled four days later. The action was taken without giving me a hearing and the decision was conveyed through WhatsApp, Arfan told the Hindustan Times.

A civil engineer who quit her job to join the BJP in 2015, the 30-year-old triple talaq victim was a well-known face of the party and also contested last years assembly polls from the Jania seat in Barpeta district.

Last week, she posted a message on Facebook urging people to attend a prayer meeting in Guwahati for Rohingya refugees. The post didnt go down well in some circles of the BJP as the saffron partys governments in Centre and Assam are against allowing Rohingyas entry into India or providing them with a refugee status.

Arfan was suspended from the party for raising the issue on social media without taking any approval of the party and asked to reply to a show cause notice within three days on why disciplinary action should not be taken against her.

I replied to the notice but a disciplinary action committee of the party expelled me indefinitely without giving me a hearing. No party leader called me or sought my views, she said.

In the expulsion letter issued on Monday evening, state unit general secretary Dilip Saikia alleged Arfan had sullied the BJPs image several times by indulging in anti-party activities.

Based on recommendations of the disciplinary committee, state unit president Ranjit Das has removed you from the primary membership of the party with immediate effect, the letter that was sent to her on WhatsApp stated.

Arfan believes there is more to her expulsion than meets the eye. She said her troubles started after she complained about a particular woman, allegedly close to senior leaders, bagging several organisational posts.

While the party took action against me, they didnt do anything to another woman member who organised the prayer meeting for Rohingyas. Women in the BJP are expected to remain silent and serve tea during meetings. It troubles the hierarchy if we raise issues, she said.

The party is also doing lip service in the name of being there for minorities. They are not serious about our issues and no genuine leader from the community is allowed to rise, Arfan added.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Union Minister Giriraj Singh, known for his controversial remarks, said on Tuesday that Pakistan should take away Rohingyas as Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar is fond of them.

Referring to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir and the continuing infiltration attempts from across the border, Singh said that India does not have the capacity to bear more infiltrators, therefore the Rohingya Muslims will have to leave.

The minister reiterated the governments stand that Rohingyas are illegal migrants who pose a threat to Indias internal security.

Humanity is not above the law, Singh said, in remarks that come in the backdrop of criticism of the government decision to deport the Rohingyas, who have fled the violence- hit Rakhine state of Myanmar.

It will be better that Pakistan takes away Rohingya Muslims if Masood Azhar is so fond of them, he said referring to the chief of Pakistan-based militant outfit JeM.

There are some politicians in India as well who are standing in support of Rohingyas. They should also be told to send them (Rohingyas) to Pakistan. If Pakistans terrorist leader (Azhar) backed by its government is saying this, then the Pakistani government should take them (Rohingyas) away, Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a summit organised by the CII here.

The government had told Parliament on August 9 that more than 14,000 Rohingyas are at present staying in India.

However, some inputs indicate that around 40,000 undocumented Rohingyas were staying in India, mostly in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan regions.

Singh had earlier triggered a row with his statement that those trying to stop Narendra Modi from coming to power have no place in India and should go to Pakistan.

Addressing the summit today, the minister for micro, small and medium enterprises said the government established agro technology clusters as part of a new scheme to tackle the food security challenges posed by a growing population.
The CISF has transferred its commandant a week after mild force was used to disperse unruly supporters of a Union minister at Patna airport.

Dharmveer Yadav, commandant of the airport security unit at the Jay Prakash Narayan International (JPNI) Airport, Patna, exchanged positions with Vishal Dubey at Amritsar airport, a hyper-sensitive airport. The officers were asked to join their new places of posting without availing of any joining time, mentioned their transfer order, issued on September 16.

While Dubey took charge in Patna on Monday, Yadav left for Amritsar on Tuesday.

The CISF had dealt firmly with supporters of Union minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises Giriraj Singh, who insisted on entering the airport terminal building without any valid identification document, after having bought entry tickets to welcome the minister on September 7. The supporters had blocked the passage, causing inconvenience to air passengers.

The supporters reportedly turned unruly despite the Airports Authority of India (AAI) issuing 22 visitor permits, which allowed them gain free access into the airport terminal building. As per Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) rules, an MP, eligible to airport entry pass, can take one companion while accessing an airport as a visitor.

CISF inspector JK Mishra was in charge of the morning shift when Singh, a BJP MP from Bihars Nawada district, arrived here at 8.50am by an IndiGo flight (6E-494) from New Delhi, after his elevation as a minister with independent charge on September 3.

Singhs brush with officials of Patna airport over airport entry passes dates back to 2006 when he was a member of the Bihar legislative council. The then Patna airport director, Atul Diskshit, since transferred to Kolkata as airport director, had to apologise after Singh moved a privilege motion against him for alleged misbehaviour. Citing BCAS rules, Dikshit had refused to entertain Singhs alleged request for an arbitrary number of visitor passes for his men to access the airport terminal building.

A BJP functionary had also squared up to officials of Patna airport over passes in 2016. The incident culminated in the AAI issuing transfer orders of an airport terminal manager to Bhubaneswar.

Efforts by the Hindustan Times to contact Singh proved futile. However, his personal staff denied that the minister or his office had any role in the transfer of the CISF commandant.

The CISF, on the other hand, claimed that Yadavs transfer was routine.

Three other officers, heading airport security units at Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Amritsar, have also been transferred. Besides, the officer had completed two years tenure in Patna and was due for a transfer, said a senior CISF officer requesting anonymity.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will kick-start the second leg of his Gujarat election campaign with a three-day tour of Saurashtra from September 25 soon after his return from the United States.

Gandhi had launched the campaign with a workers meet at Ahmedabad on September 4. Gujarat, along with Himachal Pradesh, goes to polls in November-December this year.

Stepping up its preparations for the upcoming polls, the opposition party is keen to incorporate the issues raised by the common people in its manifesto. It has sought ideas under the statewide programme  Ichchha Tamari, Sankalp Amaro (Your Wish, Our Determination)  from the people of Gujarat to be included in the document.

The party has also finalised its campaign slogan Congress Aave Che  Navsarjan Lave Che (A Resurgent Gujarat under Congress) and also expedited its efforts to bring different forces on one platform.

Confident of securing the support of Patidar leader Hardik Patel, the Congress is trying hard to get social activist and lawyer Jignesh Mevani and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor on board.

At the forefront of the Ambedkarite movement in Gujarat, Mevani, 36, has emerged as the face of Dalits who comprise about 7-8% of the total population in the western state.

Thakor, who heads the OBC/ST/SC Ekta Manch and founder of Gujarat Kshatriya-Thakor Sena, has ruled out any support to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which will contest the elections on certain selected seats, and insisted that the people of the state have only two options  BJP and Congress. As of now, he is keeping both parties guessing and has said he will announce his poll strategy at a rally in Gandhinagar on October 2.

The Congress vice president will launch his Saurashtra zone yatra from Dwarka. The party has divided Gandhis entire campaign programme into four zones and he is expected to camp in the particular region for three consecutive days during each leg of his campaign tour.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The National Human Right Commission (NHRC) and the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare (DoP&PW) have slammed the civil aviation ministry for not extending retirement benefits to its employees.

Rejecting ministrys claim that it was taking time to decide the modalities of disbursal, the NHRC on Monday ordered it to immediately make payment of provisional pension to these retired employees because it is a matter of violation of their rights to life under Article 21 of Constitution of India.

The DoP&PW, a constitutional body under the PMO, has also alleged that the ministry was disregarding its advice and denying pension to its employees.

HT had reported on August 17 that 700 civil aviation employees were deprived retirement benefits by ministry because of various reasons, including wrong interpretation of labour laws.

There are 1,600 more people working in this government sector who were unsure if they will get benefits when they retire.

The employees had joined the National Airport Authority, the Airport Authority of Indias (AAI) predecessor, in 1986 on deputation from the civil aviation department and the director general of civil aviation (DGCA). In 1989, they became permanent employees of the NAA, and were absorbed in the new entity when NAA became AAI in 1995.

Employees alleged that on August 14, 1995, the AAI issued an illegal office memorandum which made them ineligible for pension.

The civil aviation ministry admitted its mistake in October 2016 but said that it would decide the financial impact and modalities of disbursal.

The NHRC held that the process of deciding modalities is time consuming and employees should not be left waiting in such circumstances.

The secretary, MOCA should finalise the modalities urgently and make payment of regular pension and pensionary benefit to these employees not later than six months, directed the NHRC.

RN Choubey, secretary, ministry of civil aviation, didnt offer any comment, however, employees and widows waiting for pensions for more than 20 years allege that even almost a month since the NHRC direction, the ministry doesnt seem to be in a mood to pay any heed.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A Buddhist woman whose marriage to a Muslim man stoked communal tension in Jammu and Kashmirs Ladakh wrote in an article for the The Indian Express on Tuesday that she abhorred the politics being played on her personal decision.

Shifah, formerly called Stanzin Saldon, said in the article she had decided to become a Muslim as an outcome of her spiritual quest and not because she disliked her religion. She added that she converted long before she met her husband Syed Murtaza Aga.

Shifah, 30, converted to Islam in 2015 and married Aga, an engineer, last year.

Earlier this month, the regions apex religious body Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) had threatened communal unrest unless Shifah was brought back. LBA wrote to chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, asking for an annulment of Shifah and Mustazas marriage.

It is shameful to demand that I should be returned, because nobody has taken me or stolen me. I am here and I have made my choices out of my free will, Shifah said, adding that the portrayal of women as a mere baby-making machine to save the community was another reason she questioned her life choices.

The controversy arose amid tensions between the Muslim-majority Kargil region and the Buddhist-dominated Leh region over the LBAs demand for Union Territory status with legislative power to Ladakh region  an appeal opposed by Muslim leaders from Kargil. Ladakh-based groups say they have been historically discriminated against and received little funds to develop the sparsely populated region.

Shifah had also written to CM Mehbooba Mufti on September 10. She dismissed the LBAs claim and alleged that she was being unduly threatened, saying that choosing Islam was her spiritual choice that had little to do with her marriage.

I am Saldon and also Shifah. I choose to be both and will always be a daughter of my family and Ladakh, she concluded.
In June this year, about a hundred people from Nuagaon village near Indias east coast marched towards a wall that the Odisha government is building around a 1,700 hectare piece of land on the villages periphery. The wall would mark the inclusion of the land  1,253 hectares of which is forest land and is under disputein the state governments land bank, thereby restricting locals access to an area where they have traditionally harvested betel leaves, rice and fish.

Faced with heavy police deployment, the villagers turned back to consider a change of strategy. In 2011, they had successfully fought off South Korean steel giant POSCOs plan to set up a steel plant on the same piece of land. No sooner had POSCO announced in March 2017 that it would return the land to the state government than the government announced it would put the land into a land banknot return it to the villagers.

When the government began to wall off the contested land in May 2017, the simmering discontent erupted.

The face-off in Nuagaon village finds echoes in land conflicts brewing across the country. State governments are rushing to build land banks, using both private and common lands, in an effort to attract investment in manufacturing and infrastructure. Up to 2.68 million hectares of land  an area larger than the state of Meghalaya  have been set aside in land banks in the eight states that declare these statistics, data from state government websites show.

These are Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

In several cases, this has been done at the cost of peoples rights: Delhi-based data journalism initiative Land Conflict Watch has documented four recent cases including Nuagaon that together involve more than 3,550 hectares of land and affect 258,000 people  more than the population of Nagaland. These conflicts have arisen because state governments have banked land that was allotted for industrial and infrastructure projects that were shelved due to local opposition. Instead of resolving the conflict, the states just locked the land away.

Land rights activists say the idea of land banks is problematic in itself. They steal land from villages and reverse long-needed land reforms, Aseem Shrivastava, a Delhi-based ecological economist who co-authored Churning The Earth: The Making Of Global India, told IndiaSpend. And recent conflicts show that state governments methods of creating land banks have been questionable.

Why land banks

State governments began to bank land in the 1990s, particularly in the post-liberalisation period, Michael Levien, professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University in the US, and author of the forthcoming Dispossession After Development: Land Grabs in Neoliberal India, told IndiaSpend in an email.

From the point of view of the government, building land banks allows them to offer land to private investors right away, rather than having to wait for the lengthy process of land acquisition each time an investor wants land, he said. Investors also like to know that the land is acquired and available, and that they wont run into political problems down the road.

Making land readily available for economic activities sounds like a rational move. Scratch the surface, however, and a different picture emergesof conflict, and denial of peoples rights.

Source: State government websites

Note:NA= Not Available in Public Domain

Banking disputed land  the case of Nuagaon

When POSCO signed an agreement with the Odisha government to set up a steel plant in Nuagaon and nearby villages in 2005, the 700 families affected were not enthused.

Mostly Dalits or Santhal tribals, the villagers wanted to continue to earn their livelihood from the forest, and did not believe that jobs or other compensation promised to them would improve their lives. A decade-long resistance including legal challenges followed, at the end of which POSCO shelved the project in 2015.

In March this year, POSCO offered to return the land to the state government.

The villagers rejoiced, but were soon faced with another claimant  the state government, which quickly moved to add this land to a land bank it has been building since 2007. The Industrial Development Corporation of Odisha (IDCO) started to wall off the 1,700 hectares near Nuagaon in late May. The wall will eventually fence off the nearby Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages too.

Most of these families have farmed beetle leaves for generations, which they sell to earn a livelihood. They have no other employable skills.

Over generations, the locals have developed a deep bond with the land and the forest, beyond merely as a source of employment and their only possession, Prashant Paikray, an activist who worked closely with families here during their fight against POSCO, told IndiaSpend, adding that it is often this attachment that fuels their fierce resistance to industrial projects.

The encounter with the police made Nuagaon residents take legal recourse. In July 2017, they filed a petition with the Kolkata bench of the National Green Tribunal.

Odisha government cannot put this forest land into the land bank, their counsel Ritwick Dutta told IndiaSpend, explaining that according to the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, the government is required to get forest clearance or approval from the central environment ministry to use forest land for a non-forest purpose. However, there is no provision to obtain forest clearance for a land bank under the Act, Dutta said.

The petition adds that under the Forest Rights Act of 2006, the government cannot change the use of forest land without recognising the land and forest rights of people living or dependent on it since generations.

The residents of Nuagaon, Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages have submitted applications to the state government to claim their land and forest rights, but these have gone unaddressed since 2011. The government is violating Forest Rights Act by preventing communities access to their forest, Shankar Pani, an independent lawyer based in Odisha, told IndiaSpend.

The state government counters that the land had already been diverted for a non-forest purpose and was being held by the Industrial Development Corporation of India. There is no question of settling forest rights now, Debi Prasad, the former industries minister with the Odisha government who put the disputed 1,253 hectares into the land bank, told IndiaSpend.

Dutta argues that the Odisha government never issued a final order diverting this forest land for non-forest purpose, as state governments are required to do after the central environment ministry issues a clearance.

Conflict everywhere

Odishas land bank now comprises about 40,000 hectares. Most Indian states either already have sizeable land banks or are in the process of creating them  largely for industrial or infrastructure development  although only eight make details publicly available (See table 1).

Conflict arises when industrial or infrastructure projects are proposed on land that communities inhabit, earn livelihood from, or have customary rights over. Over 200 million Indians depend on forest land for basic living needs, while 118.9 million Indians practise farming on 160 million hectares of land.

Land Conflict Watch has reported over 450 land conflicts so far, affecting more than 6 million people directly or indirectly. These include conflicts due to land acquisition by the state, violation of community rights over land, and opposition to industries such as mining and power generation and to infrastructure projects.

Often, communities do not want to part with their land, or their demands for compensation and rehabilitation are not adequately met. In some cases, the projects are shelved or cancelled and state governments take over the land.

When (investment) proposals do not get fulfilled either due to lack of finance, on ground conflicts, regulatory failures or a combination of these, governments allocated the acquired land into land banks instead of repatriating it, Kanchi Kohli, legal research director with the environment justice programme of Namati, a Washington DC-based global network of lawyers, told IndiaSpend.

Jharkhands clandestine move

Like Nuagaon in Odisha, a movement against land banks is building up in the Torpa block of Khunti district in Jharkhand. Members of gram sabhas (village councils) are holding meetings where they bring villagers land records to match with the land bank data available on the state revenue departments website to check if the government has surreptitiously put any village common land into its land bank. Common lands are broadly understood as lands shared by all residents of a village and include grazing land, ponds and forests.

Their suspicion comes from the experience of Lohajimi, a village in Torpa, whose residents learnt in February this year that the state government had put about 60 hectares of their common land into its land bank. The government didnt even consult the gram sabha. This is a violation of PESA [Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act], Rejan Gudia, a local activist from Lohajimi, told IndiaSpend.

PESA empowers village councils of scheduled areasplaces primarily inhabited by tribespeopleto approve, reject or change the government programmes proposed in their regions. Khunti is a scheduled area.

So far, Jharkhand has banked about 40,468 hectares of land, 10% of which is in Khunti districts Torpa block. Numerous calls and emails to Jharkhand government officials to ask under what provision Lohajimis land was put into a land bank went unanswered.

Lohajimi had previously been the epicentre of a three-decade movement that began in 1973 against the 700 megawatt Koel-Karo Dam proposed by the Bihar government (Jharkhand was then a part of Bihar). Lohajimi was one of the 132 villages that the dam would submerge.

Eight people died here in 2001 when police opened fire during a related protest. The government withdrew the project in 2003, and residents observe February 2 as Martyrdom Day every year. The 60 hectares of land from Lohajimi that the government has banked was the part of the land where the dam was proposed, Gudia said.

Now the government is using land banks as another tool to acquire the same land, another activist who did not want to be named told IndiaSpend.

Old vs new law in Chhattisgarh

In addition to common lands, land banks have violated laws protecting private land too, particularly in cases where land from cancelled projects has been diverted into land banks.

One such example is from Lohandiguda region in Chhattisgarhs Bastar district. In 2007, the Chhattisgarh government acquired 1,765 hectares of land from some 2,000 families, mostly farmers, living in 10 villages in Lohandiguda. The land was acquired for Tata Steel to set up a steel plant.

Villagers alleged some of this land was acquired forcefully, and continuing opposition forced Tata Steel to withdraw in August 2016, blaming a breakdown of law and order in the region.

A few days later, the Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC) added this land to its land bank, swelling the reserve to 5,665 hectares. The land is with the corporation. Papers are being prepared [to bank the land], confirmed Alok Trivedi, general manager of the Land Allotment and Land Bank Division in CSIDC.

Sudiep Srivastava, an activist-lawyer who splits his time between Chhattisgarh and Delhi, told IndiaSpend that legally, the Chhattisgarh government cannot include the land acquired for Tata Steel in its land bank until the government has re-acquired it from the people. Srivastava has filed a petition in the Chhattisgarh High Court demanding that land acquisition be quashed and the land returned to the people.

Srivastava explained that according to the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARRA) of 2013, acquisition lapses if land was acquired under the older 1894 statute and the acquired land is unutilised for more than five years. The government can set up a new project on the same land but it must reacquire it from the people by following the provisions of the new land acquisition law. These provisions include conducting public hearings and obtaining affected persons consent.

For one decade, when it was unclear whether the Tata Steel project would go through, Lohandiguda farmers were in a limbo. None got the jobs they were promised; most were not rehabilitated; and although many families continued to live on the contested land, they could not sell their crops to cooperative societies or avail of farmer benefit programmes because the land was no longer in their name.

The situation got some political attention in August 2017 when Rahul Gandhi, vice-president of the Indian National Congress, during a tour of Bastar, accused the Chhattisgarh government of lying to the people.

New Indian law

The new land acquisition law gives land banks a freer hand. If land acquired under this law is unutilised for more than five years, the state government can put it in its land bank or give it back to the people it was acquired from.

The latter part has an interesting history. An analysis by Policy Research Studies, a research group for members of parliament, shows that the first draft of the LARRA Act prepared in 2011 had no option of returning unutilised land to the people, and allowed state governments to bank it instead.

That faced strident opposition from activist bodies including the National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM). Our joint effort forced the government to add that the land could go back to people also, Madhuresh Kumar, national convener of NAPM, told IndiaSpend, adding, At least it provides legal backing to land losers who want to claim their unutilised land.

Under the new law, if a state government acquires land for public purpose, which includes defence projects and housing for the poor, it does not need the consent of those who will lose their land. In contrast, the consent of 80% of the land owners affected is required for private projects and of 70% if the project is a public-private partnership.

The law does not prevent the government from acquiring land for a public purpose and later handing it over to a private player. This would be a way to entirely circumvent the greater procedural requirements for private and public-private-partnership projects under LARRA, Levien added.

Indeed, state governments are breaking all kinds of laws in order to acquire land to give it to industry or to put it in land banks, NC Saxena, a former bureaucrat who headed various committees on land rights, told IndiaSpend.

Saxena said keeping land fallow for long durations is a bad idea. But land banks become a necessity because the current land laws are complex with lengthy land acquisition processes that the governments do not want to get stuck, he said.

The new land acquisition law was supposed to resolve at least some of this complexity and shorten the procedures, but, as Saxena said, those goals have not been met and violations abound.

Shrivastava, the ecological economist, said each case of transfer into land banks should be investigated. There is not even a single good study of this phenomenon by our social scientists, he said, adding that investigation would undoubtedly unearth more scams.

Christopher Udry, a professor of economics at Yale University, says land banks should be created in such a way that they benefit landowners. Since 1981, he has studied rural economics and land rights in Ghana, a West African country the size of Uttar Pradesh, where 80% of the land is held by customary land owners, mainly families, clans and traditional authorities.

Udry proposes building land banks on the lines of traditional banks where people deposit their moneypeople could deposit their land and earn from it. One can think of this as interest on the deposit, Udry told IndiaSpend in an email. The managers of these land banks would let out the deposited land for commercial or development activities. Payments could be structured in such a way that those willing to commit to longer terms receive higher payments, Udry said, adding that the tenure of the deposit would be decided locally.

Experts would differ over whether this would work in India.

Meanwhile, the wall is fast approaching the Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages in Odisha, and communities are gearing up for a new battle.

(With inputs from Kanan Kapoor. Tripathi is an environment journalist with Land Conflict Watch, a Delhi-based data journalism initiative.)

(Indiaspend.org is a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit/FactChecker.in is fact-checking initiative, scrutinising for veracity and context statements made by individuals and organisations in public life.)
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina but the ongoing Rohingya crisis did not come up for discussion during their brief meeting.

The meeting with the prime minister of Bangladesh was more in the nature of a courtesy meeting. It was a very short meeting. The issue of Rohingya did not come up during the meeting for discussion, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

Kumar said that the discussion between Swaraj and Hasina was purely bilateral.

Warm encounter reflecting our historical and cultural ties. Courtesy call on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by EAM, he said in a tweet after the meeting.

Bangladesh, which is facing a big influx of Rohingyas from Myanmar, has called on the international community to intervene and put pressure on Myanmar to address the exodus.

According to the UN estimates, over 410,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmars Rakhine state into Bangladesh since August 25 when fresh wave of violence erupted.

According to reports, the violence began when Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Myanmars Rakhine state.

Many of those crossing the border bring harrowing tales of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmars security forces and Buddhist mobs.

Earlier, Swaraj met Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay but the Doklam issue did not figure in the meeting.

The ministry spokesperson said that since the Doklam issue was already settled, there was no question of it coming up in discussions.

Responding to a question Kumar said, There are a lot of projects, which are going on in India and the two sides discussed how to take this cooperation forward.

Strengthening traditionally unique bilateral relations. EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets with Bhutanese PM @tsheringtobgay in New York, Kumar said in another tweet after Swarajs meeting with the Bhutanese prime minister.

The Bhutanese prime minister said they discussed a wide range of bilateral issues.

Such a pleasure meeting H.E @SushmaSwaraj ji, External Affairs Minister of India. We discussed the wide range of bilateral cooperation, Tobgay tweeted.

India and China last month ended a 73-day standoff in Doklam area of the Sikkim sector that was triggered by Chinas move to build a road in the border area.

Bhutan had welcomed the end of the standoff and hoped it would help maintain peace and status quo at the tri-junction.
Expert opinion is divided on whether Tamil Nadu assembly speaker P Dhanpals disqualification of 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs supporting expelled leader TTV Dinakaran will stand legal scrutiny.

The disqualification was a boost to chief minister E Palaniswami because it brought the halfway mark in the 234-member assembly to 108 from 117. The AIADMK government claims the support of 114 MLAs.

Former speaker S Muthaiah, said that the disqualification could be faulty as the speaker had cited a letter written by the MLAs to the governor, withdrawing support to the chief minister. In those letters, the MLAs mentioned that they were AIADMK MLAs, so it is clear that they had not switched over to any other party. So, the anti-defection law did not apply to them, the former speaker said, adding these MLAs did nothing against the party in assembly, where the speaker can take action.

AIADMK leader KC Palanisamy said the rebel MLAs were liable to lose membership as they colluded with the opposition DMK in filing cases in court and in giving letters to governor expressing their withdrawal of support to the chief minister. This was enough for the speaker to initiate action against the MLAs and he had given them sufficient time to respond.

Palanisamy also defended the speakers inaction on a previous occasion when former chief minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) and his team of 11 MLAs had voted against chief minister Palaniswami in a trust vote in February, saying that the OPS faction had already intimated the Election Commission of the split and that the AIADMK whip did not apply to them.

Former Madras high court judge K Chandru felt that even if the rebel MLAs get a stay on the order, it would not matter for the EPS government because even if the MLAs attend the house, they would still have to follow the party whip, and vote along with the party. If they dont, they would get disqualified.

Speaking hypothetically, he said that even if the government fell and the house was kept under suspended animation, the speaker could then disqualify legislators who defied the whip and the MLAs will lose their seats anyway, and by extension benefits accruing to MLAs after the term is completed.

In the case when a house is in suspended animation, after some time, chance is given to a person with the highest number of MLAs. Even in that case, EPS-OPS combine qualifies, given the current strength of the house.

BJP leader Subramaian Swamy told a private television that the speakers order would be thrown out by a court as it was partisan and faulty. These MLAs have done nothing illegal or against the party. Speaking in a similar vein was A Sarvanan, a lawyer representing the DMK, who said the DMK has already filed a petition in the Madras high court as it had anticipated disqualification to be followed by an immediate floor test.

The Madras High Court has stayed any floor test till Wednesday when the case will be taken up. The DMK has also moved the Madras high court to direct the governor to order a floor test at the earliest.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A week after a Dalit rape victim committed suicide in Barmer, another Dalit rape victim has threaded to commit suicide alleging police inaction in her case.

On September 11, a 28-year-old rape victim had committed suicide in the Chohtan police station area alleging that the police had not taken any action in the case forcing the victim to take the extreme step.

The second victims father has submitted a memorandum with the superintendent of police on Tuesday and said about two years ago the accused, Rohit Mali, a school bus driver, had clicked obscene photos and a video of his daughter and started blackmailing her with it. He alleged that the accused had threatened to make the photos and video public and had started blackmailing her and had also sexually exploited his daughter, who is a class 12 student.

On July 30, the accused Rohit and his friend, Uttmaram, a local BJP leader, kidnapped his daughter from their home and took her to a deserted place outside the village. He alleged that both started molesting her but fled after some passers-by came to the spot. The victim managed to inform her family and they reached the spot and took her back.

He claimed that they filed a case at the Sheo police station on September 2 and on September 12 police registered the victims statements under Section 164. The police then arrested the prime accused Rohit Mali. However, the cops have not arrested the second accused, who is a BJP leader, till date.

The victims father alleged that Uttmaram is getting undue favour from the police and is continuously threatening the victims family. He alleged that after the incident his daughter had attempted suicide by cutting her hand but they had managed to save her.

He said that in the memorandum he has mentioned that his daughter has threatened to commit suicide if the accused is not arrested soon and police inaction will be responsible for it.

Ratan Lal, deputy superintendent of police and investigation officer, said that they have arrested one accused and have sought the call details of the second accused, Uttmaram. After which further action will be taken, he added.
Angry villagers on Tuesday pelted stones at a school in Rajasthans Sikar district as news spread of the rape of a Class 12 girl by the schools director and a teacher.

The schools director, Jagdish Prasad, and a teacher, Jagat Singh Gujjar, have been detained for raping the 18-year-old student, police said.

We have detained Jagdish and Jagat and are interrogating them, Kushal Singh, Circle Officer, Neem Ka Thana, told IANS on phone.

Around 100-150 angry villagers gathered outside the Janta Bal Niketan, a co-educational school, in a village near Ajitgarh in Sikar in the morning and pelted stones, breaking some of the windows.

The school had to be closed, said Moolaram, Assistant Sub Inspector, Ajitgarh police station.

There is general anger in the village. We never expected this kind of thing in our area. We are demanding that the schools registration be cancelled, said Ajit Singh, a local, on phone.

There are around 400 students in Janta Bal Niketan.

According to reports, the girl is in a critical condition and is undergoing treatment in a Jaipur hospital. She is critical and is unconscious, a doctor at the SMS Hospital said.

The statement of the girl will be recorded after her health condition improves.

It is alleged that the two men raped the girl for two months on the pretext of taking extra classes.

After she became pregnant she was taken to a hospital in Shahpura where her abortion was carried out clandestinely. However, her condition deteriorated as she started to bleed profusely.

She was taken to a hospital in Ajitgarh where her family was told she had undergone an abortion and she was referred to a Jaipur hospital.
The Sikar police on Tuesday detained the director of a private school along with a teacher of the same institution who are accused of gang-raping an 18-year-old student and tricking her family into conducting an abortion in last month when she became pregnant.

We have detained both the men and are interrogating them. Further action will be taken after recording their statements and also on the basis of what the family members of the victim have told the police, said superintendent of police, Sikar, Vinit Kumar.

The family of the girl who is now admitted in a hospital in Jaipur registered a case at the Ajeetgarh police station on Sunday.

In their complaint, the family members have said that the accused used to call the victim to the school for extra classes, where they allegedly gang-raped her. The victim started experiencing stomach pains last month, Kushal Singh, circle officer, Neem Ka Thana had told HT on Monday.

The police said that after going to a doctor the family discovered that the girl was pregnant. The girls father is a farmer.

The police had further added that the family members of the girl alleged the two accused tricked them into getting an abortion done as her kin were under the impression that it was just an operation.

The police had also recorded the statements of two doctors at a hospital in Shahpura where the abortion allegedly took place.

The two accused have been identified as Jagdish Yadav, the director of the school, and teacher Jagat Singh Gurjar, said the police.

Officials said that following the abortion, the condition of the girl deteriorated and she was shifted to a hospital in Jaipur on September 7.
A six-month-old girl in Kolkata fights for life and may lose her eyesight forever, even if she survives vengeful relatives act of injecting acid into her eyes to settle scores in an old family feud.

As artisans gave shape to the eyes of Durgas idol on Mahalaya, the auspicious day that heralds the weeklong festival dedicated to the goddess, doctors told the girls family that the brutal acid attack has blinded the child. And she might need a miracle to survive.

Swapna Chakraborty was attacked on the night of September 3 at her home in Surya Sen Colony, South 24 Parganas district.

The childs father, Jayanta Chakraborty, filed a police complaint thereafter.

But officers at Sonarpur police station could not say whether any investigation was carried out or arrests made.

I am conducting a raid right now and cannot talk, Paresh Chandra Roy, officer in-charge of Sonarpur police station said on Tuesday, refusing to answer queries on the acid attack.

Chakraborty, a 35-year-old jobless village priest surviving on alms, took Swapna to local hospitals where doctors could do little to save her eyes.

She was then taken to SSKM hospital, West Bengals biggest state-run medical institution, and the National Medical College and Hospital (NMCH).

Doctors in both hospitals tried to save the childs eyes, but the acid had done its work already.

The right eye was completely damaged and the left is severely infected. She may lose it too. The infection has spread to other parts of the head. It may lead to severe complication, said Dr Bimalendu Saha, deputy superintendent at NMCH.

The childs father filed a complaint at the office of the district superintendent of police on September 15.

He named seven members of his family, including his mother Sabitri Chakraborty, as accused and conspirators. He alleged that his wife, too, was attacked with acid and assaulted.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Eight Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU)Members returned home from Washington, D.C. after participating in the National Farmers Union (NFU) Fly-In that included 320 Farmers Union members from across the nation.

Times are tough right now for American family farmers and ranchers, said NFU President Roger Johnson. And when times get tough for farmers, Farmers Union members step up and advocate.

NeFU President John Hansen said his participants were polite, but not shy about sharing the fact that times were tough out in the country. They explained that agriculture has seen a dramatic, 50 percent drop in farm income over the past four years.

"Congress needs to step up their efforts to address the growing crisis in farm and ranch country. These economic problems are directly tied to failed farm and trade policies and are not going to magically disappear, he said. Farmers and their bankers need a strong and swift response from Congress before ag loans are considered.

NeFU District 2 Board of Director Jim Knopik of Belgrade said, It is up to us farmers and ranchers to share our views, problems, and concerns with our elected officials. It is up to our elected officials to listen, and then respond in an appropriate way. We think they listened to our concerns. Time will tell whether or not Congress comes up with a better Farm Bill, works across party lines to fix health care issues, and accelerate the use of more renewable energy and bio fuels. Congress needs to heal itself by working together across party lines so it can function better and do the peoples business.

Monday, Sept. 11 morning NFU Fly-In participants began with a briefing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). NFU members heard from USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett, National Resources Conservation Service Acting Chief Leonard Jordan and USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Administrator Hubert Hamer.

Monday afternoon, participants visited Capitol Hill where they heard from the House and Senate Agriculture Committees majority and minority staff, and also asked questions and shared perspectives. Participants heard differing views on the level of funding available for the Farm Bill, approaches to farm policy, rural development, and .

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent on Capitol Hill as participants met in small-group meetings with all 535 congressional offices. NeFU members met with House of Representatives Jeff Fortenberry, Don Bacon, and Adrian Smith and Senators Ben Sasse and Deb Fischer.

This year, the Fly-In focused on the need to strengthen the farm safety net in the next Farm Bill; support homegrown renewable energy development; and ensure family farmers and ranchers have access to affordable and quality health care.
A social activist, Nazneen Ansari, alleged that some hardliners were trying to inhibit Muslim women from attending a proposed dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi on September 22.

The PM is scheduled to hold a dialogue with 700 Muslim women during his visit to Varanasi.

These hardliners also threatened to socially boycott the Muslim women if they attended the event, Ansari claimed.

Ansari is planning to attend the dialogue with 100 Muslim women. At least five Muslim women received the threats ever since our plan to meet the PM became public. The hardliners visited the homes of these Muslim women and asked them not to attend the dialogue. They threatened to boycott the women socially, if they didnt follow their words, she said at a meeting at the office of the Muslim Mahila Foundation.

One Shabana said some hardliners visited her house and threatened her with social boycott. Rubina said she received a similar threat.

Asked why she didnt lodge a complaint with the police, Ansari said she hoped the hardliners would mend their ways. If they dont, she along with the women would lodge a complaint with police.

She said Muslim women were aware of their rights and they would call on PM Modi.

The district minority welfare department has held a meeting with aided and non-aided madarsa officials to hold preparations for the event.
Two incidents of loot within 50 minutes in PGI and the adjoining Aashiana police station areas created sensation in the areas and sent cops into a tizzy.

Both the incidents took place at a distance of 500 metres from each other.

Highlights Incidentally, when Soni was looted, Patel had just come out of the bank. When he came to know about the loot, he advised Soni to lodge a police complaint Patel, however, had no inkling that within the next 50 minutes he, too, would become a victim of loot.

In the first case one Soni Gautam was looted of Rs 25,000 inside an SBI ATM booth on Telibagh-Ring Road, near the banks Support Ganj branch, in Aashiana police circle area.

After around 50 minutes, miscreants looted Rs 1.05 lakh from a retired assistant prosecuting officer (APO) Nand Lal Patel.

At around 11.30 am Soni, along with her brother Rinku, had gone to withdraw money from the ATM. While she went inside to withdraw cash, her brother stood outside.

When Soni went inside the ATM booth, another youth followed her. The moment Soni withdrew the money, the youth snatched the cash and fled from the scene. The ATM guard and Rinku were clueless about the incident inside the booth and watched the miscreant flee in amazement.

It was only when Soni came out of the booth crying that the guard and Rinku came to know about the incident.

In the other incident in PGI police station area at around 12.20 pm, Nand Lal Patel withdrew Rs 1.05 lakh from SBIs Ring Road Support Ganj branch, the same bank at whose ATM booth Soni was looted.

Read more| Uttar Pradesh: After loot, miscreants make obscene video of property dealers wife

Around 500 metres from the bank, as Patel got down from his car to make some purchases, two miscreants on a motorcycle snatched his bag with the cash. When Patel tried to resist, the miscreants pointed a gun at him and fled.

After getting information, superintendent of police (north) Anurag Vats and circle officer, Cantonment Tanu Upadhyay reached the spot along with other cops and began investigation.
The education department in Uttar Pradesh has suspended the headmaster of a primary who was so drunk on Tuesday that he simply laid down by the roadside before some villagers took him to the school.

Pradeep Kumar who is a resident of Kalyanpur is the headmaster of a primary school at Parsad Nivida village in Lalpur Gram Sabha near near Kanpur. Kumar was allegedly so drunk that he collapsed on the Grand Trunk Road.

Villagers informed another teacher of the school Neelim Kannaujia who rushed to the site. The village headman Sushil Kumar also reached there and he took him to school with the help of other villagers. The headmaster was not in a position to even sit on his chair and fell down, leaving the students stunned to see him in an inebriated condition.

He spent only a short time in the school before heading off to another liquor shop in Dhaursalar where he bought another bottle and then fell unconscious.

The education department was quick to take action against him.

Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), Jais Singh said that two block education officers investigated the matter and prima facie found the headmaster guilty.

On the basis of this preliminary investigation, the headmaster has been suspended and attached to the Adangapur school in Bilhaur. Further action will be taken once full investigation report comes in, he said.

The conduct of the headmaster was highly objectionable. An inquiry has been set up and stringent action would be initiated against the headmaster after the report is received, said block education officer of Bilhaur block Amar Nath.

Village headman Sushil Kumar, however, alleged that the headmaster often came to school drunk.
It has been known for a while that heavy drinking while pregnant is a complete no-no but what about light drinking during pregnancy? It turns out that theres not much research on just how little a pregnant woman could drink without harming her unborn baby, according to a paper published in the journal BMJ Open.

In the United States, doctors have long warned that drinking any alcohol while pregnant can come with serious medical risks, such as the possibility of miscarriage, stillbirth, or physical and behavioural problems in the baby, known as foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Last year, a report from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said that women should avoid drinking completely if they are not using birth control and there is any chance they might be pregnant, reports CNN.

Guidelines in the United Kingdom also say that if you are pregnant or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all. Recently, the National Health Service Greater Glasgow and Clyde launched a No alcohol, no alcohol harm campaign aimed at pregnant women about the risk of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. There have been mixed messages around drinking while pregnant and the campaign aims to put the issue to bed once and for all, according to the NHS.

But the new paper calls for more research on the effects of light drinking on pregnancy in order to better understand potential risks and to find answers to the questions many mothers-to-be might have.

For instance, women often ask about safe levels of drinking during pregnancy -- but one glass is OK, isnt it? Loubaba Mamluk, senior research associate in epidemiology at the University of Bristol in the UK and lead author of the paper, said in an email. The distinction between light drinking and abstinence is indeed the point of most tension and confusion for health professionals and pregnant women.

We were surprised that this very important topic was not researched as widely as expected, she said. About one in 10 pregnant women in the United States, age 18 to 44, report that theyve had at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days while pregnant, according to the CDC.

-What about just a sip?

The new paper included a systematic review and analysis of previous studies on low alcohol consumption and pregnancy that were published between 1950 and July 2016. The researchers took a close look at studies that involved drinking up to 32 grams of alcohol per week, equivalent to about two pints of beer or two glasses of wine, Mamluk said. Out of thousands of studies, only 24 met the researchers criteria for review.

These were all representative studies of pregnant women or women trying to conceive who reported on their alcohol use before the baby was born, Mamluk said. The researchers found that there was a dearth of evidence demonstrating a clear safe limit or detrimental impact of light alcohol consumption on a pregnancy, they wrote.

The scientific literature lacks data on low-level alcohol consumption during pregnancy, but the new paper did a pretty thorough job of trying to examine any possible sources of information, said Dr. Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, professor and chief of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Southwesterns William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, who was not involved in the new study.

Just because evidence for potential health risks associated with light drinking was not found in the new paper, that does not mean that there are no risks at all. (Shutterstock)

The most common alcohol-related questions that Horsager-Boehrer hears from pregnant patients involve concerns about a single drink they might have had before they knew they were pregnant or having a sip of champagne at a special event, she said.

The question is really, Whats the chance that if I just have this glass of champagne at my sisters wedding, is that going to be harmful? Horsager-Boehrer said, adding that her response is, Nobody can quantify what that risk is. It is most likely low on the basis of the information we currently have, but you cant be promised that and you dont know that.

The new paper was well done and the conclusions were appropriate, said Dr. Janet Williams, professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Health San Antonio, who served as one of the lead authors on a 2015 American Academy of Pediatrics report advising no alcohol during pregnancy. She was not involved in the new paper.

Just because evidence for potential health risks associated with light drinking was not found in the new paper, that does not mean that there are no risks at all, she said. It is known that quantity and frequency of use, particularly binging, does correlate with increased risk, Williams said about fetal alcohol syndrome.

Why not give the child the chance not to have this potential limitation or health risk in their life? There are so many other factors one can worry about, so how about one less concern? There are all sorts of non-risk-based beverages or ways to relax or express ones emotions that do not confer fetal or lifelong effects, she said.

On the other hand, for the mom-to-be who might have had a cocktail or two before she knew she was pregnant, as long as she was not binge drinking, there is little evidence to suggest that she should be overcome with worry, according to the paper.

-The history of booze and pregnancy

While many health organizations strongly advise against drinking while pregnant -- the American Academy of Pediatrics says no amount should be considered safe -- some controversial studies previously have suggested that light drinking might not be harmful for the babys future health.

A study that published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health in 2010 found that children of mothers who drink one or two glasses of alcoholic beverages per week or per occasion during pregnancy were not at an increased risk of behavioral or cognitive problems by age 5.

In 2013, a study published in the journal BMJ Open found no evidence to indicate that a mothers moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy had an adverse effect on her childs ability to balance, a sign of neurological development, at age 10.

Many decades ago, oddly enough, it was common for doctors in Ireland to advise pregnant and nursing women to sip Guinness for what they thought could have been some health benefits, experts say. Of course, until more research is conducted, many doctors now advise to avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy -- no matter the type of boozy beverage.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.
HISTORY: The school was founded in 1998 by Kalyan Citizens Education Society. It has come way since its inception and crossed many milestones while progressing towards excellence.

UNIQUE FEATURES: The school has a virtual ATM and a science park to explain various concepts to the students. It has a huge online presence with initiatives like interactive portal for parents, online payment of fees, online admission, a Facebook page, blog and a Youtube channel.

Highest Ratings in: Sports, Value for money, Cultural activities

Board: CBSE

Annual fee:Rs56,063

Number of students: 2800

Student-Teacher ratio: 20:1

Quote: The school focuses on every small aspect which can bring quality in the process of developing responsible, learned and emotionally balanced students.

RANJNA JANGRA, principal
With push from the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, the concept of food trucks and nightlife will soon become reality in Mumbai. The chief minister has directed the officials to formulate a special policy to encourage food trucks in Mumbai. He has also directed to set up zones where pubs, bars and eateries can remain open throughout the night in South Mumbai.

The government is planning to designate non-residential areas in south Mumbai as nightlife zones, which will help them continue with the concept smoothly without disturbing the residents. Those who wants to enjoy can come and enjoy entire night without disturbing others, said a senior official.

This would be replicated in other parts of the city considering success and response from the people. This proposal to have nighlife zones has been pending for the last four to five years, with the city police being sceptical of the plan. Shiv Senas Aditya Thackeray has been rooting for this proposal since the last two years and had also met Fadnavis to get it off the ground in February, this year.

Read: Mumbais first food truck park shut down within a week of opening

The CMs directives for a policy on food trucks has has come two months after Mumbais first food truck park, which was launched in July in Bandra, was shut down in the same month after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) refused parking and other permissions.

Unlike cities such as Bengaluru and Delhi, where food trucks can operate under a set of licenses from local authorities, Mumbai has no legal framework to get the food truck business rolling. Right from dealing with red tapism to acquiring various licenses from the BMC and Food & Drugs Administration (FDA), food truck owners find it difficult to navigate the system.

The issues were discussed in a meeting with a delegation of National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI). Considering the issues genuine, the chief minister ordered a special policy on food trucks in Mumbai, which means those who wants to start the business in the city will start getting permissions once a legal framework comes in place, said a senior official from the urban development department.

Read: Dont commercialise our locality with food trucks, say residents in Mumbai

The NRAI delegation also raised issues related to the number of permissions to be taken from various departments for the hotel industry. Fadnavis said some of the permissions had already been reduced and the process had also been simplified. The decision will be notified soon.
A 45-year-old man was thrashed by the locals before being handed over to the Kashimira Police for allegedly raping his 7-year-old neighbour  a Class 2 student  on Monday afternoon. Brijesh Chauhan was produced in Thane court on Tuesday and was remanded in police custody till Thursday.

Chauhan had shifted to Dachkulpada two months ago and had befriended the survivors parents, who work as labourers at construction sites. After the girls parents left for work, Chauhan allegedly lured her into his room and raped her.

The incident came to light and soon the news spread across Dachkulpada after the minor told her mother about it. Angry locals first thrashed Chauhan and then dragged him to the police station. He was booked under relevant sections of the Indian penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, 2012.
After no new college was allowed to come up in the state this academic year, the University of Mumbai (MU) is hoping to start 11 new colleges in the city and suburbs in the next two years.

In its annual perspective plan, the university has proposed 45 new colleges, including six in the city and five in the suburbs. These institutes include two night, two women-only, three law and two fine arts colleges.

The university has submitted its perspective plan  the document that outlines the future growth of a university including prospective colleges for different regions under varsity's jurisdiction - to the state government. The state has directed all the public universities in the state to issue advertisement asking for proposals for new colleges from educational organisations in accordance with their respective plans. Meanwhile, the plans are being approved by Maharashtra Authority for Higher Education (MAHED) headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The new colleges won't be able to begin classes until 2019-20. The organisations interested in setting up colleges will be issued letters of intent (LoIs) in January. These organisations will have until next year to come up with the infrastructure and staff for these colleges, said an official from state higher and technical education department.

This academic year, no new college was set up - except technical colleges which are approved by their respective apex bodies - as the state had refused to accept the perspective plans of the universities, claiming that they didn't follow the guidelines laid down by an expert committee headed by economist and academician Narendra Jadhav. In 2016-17, the state had approved 62 colleges across the state, including 25 colleges under MU and five colleges in Mumbai.

While the new colleges will make higher education more accessible, especially in remote and rural areas, they will also add to the administrative burden of the university, which already has over 750 affiliated colleges.

On the other hand, the government official said that the state is keen on approving colleges that offer professional or skill-based courses only. We dont want any more of these shops of unemployment, he said, referring to colleges that offer traditional arts, science, and commerce streams.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A special NIA court in Mumbai on Tuesday granted bail to two accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case.

Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dwivedi alias Shankaracharya, facing conspiracy charges, were granted bail by NIA Court judge SD Tekale.

Both are accused of attending conspiracy meetings, where the terror attack was planned, along with others.

Two key accused in the case, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, were granted bail earlier.

The Bombay High Court granted bail to Thakur earlier this year, while Purohit was given the relief by the Supreme Court last month.

Six people were killed and nearly 100 others injured when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded in Malegaon town in Nashik district, about 200 km from here, on September 29, 2008.

Twelve people, including Thakur and Purohit, were arrested in connection with the blast.

All the accused were booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), besides under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
When Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar, the brother of absconder mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, was picked up from his home in south Mumbai late on Monday, he was busy watching the Kaun Banega Crorepati show and eating biryani, Thane Police Commissioner Parambir Singh has said.

Kaskar was picked up from the home of his sister, Haseena Parker, late on Monday by a crack team of the Thane Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) and later placed under arrest. He will be produced before a court later Tuesday.

Iqbal Kaskar demanded four flats and Rs 30 lakh as ransom from a builder. The names of some other builders and politicians have also emerged during the investigation, Singh told mediapersons on Tuesday.

The police are now examining whether the dreaded Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) can be applied to Iqbal Kaskar and his brother Dawood, believed to be in Pakistan.

Singh said that Iqbal Kaskar has been running the extortion racket for quite some time and on Monday night the AEC finally arrested him.

The police chief said he has threatened and made extortion calls to several builders in Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
COLUMBUS  Deb Burma has always enjoyed writing.

Her initial collegiate path was broadcast journalism, where she learned how to hone the craft of storytelling. After changing her major to economics, Burma needed an outlet to share her writing with others.

I initially just wrote for my church in the early 2000s, said Burma, who is married to Peace Lutheran Church Pastor Cory Burma. I saw there was a need for writing and sharing content with the church.

She used her witty personality and bright outlook to write for Peace Lutherans blog. Her words were meant to help women in their journey with God and encourage them to "come together and help each other up.

Eventually, she was noticed by a publishing company that asked her to write books.

Since then, Burma has published six books. Her latest, Sip, Savor and Drink Deeply," was released May 23. A launch event was held Sunday at The Broken Mug coffee shop inside The Sanctuary in Columbus.

Each of her six books are devotionals geared toward women. The books have their own themes to help readers relate to the content in a more meaningful way. Sip, Savor and Drink Deeply uses the theme of coffee.

The themes are many, but the coffee theme is one of my favorites, Burma said. Its all about meeting around a cup, meeting my Savior. Its the whole idea that the cup is myself  the vessel that the Bible calls me to be that is capable of containing the gospel that I can share with others.

Burma explained the premise of Sip, Savor and Drink Deeply during Sunday's event.

We are the coffee cups that can chip, can be stained and can be marred from our sins, she said. The cup, just as ourselves, needs to be constantly cleaned or refilled. That is just what God does.

As for plans for future books, Burma said thats up to God.

I never know what Im writing next, she said. Ive just let go and let Him decide what my next line of focus will be.
Forty six-year-old Jalaluddin, father of Junaid Khan who was lynched by a mob on a train at Ballabhgarh in Haryana, suffered a heart attack on Monday evening following which he was admitted to a hospital.

Chhaya Malhotra, spokesperson of Metro Hospital at Noida Sector 12 where Jalaluddin was admitted, said his condition was stable.

Jalaluddin was admitted to our hospital due to a heart attack. Doctors are attending to him as of now, Chhaya said.

A medical staff attending to Jalaluddin said he would undergo an operation soon.

We have done angiography on the patient and doctors have noticed a blockage problem in his heart. The patient is responding at the moment and we are feeding him as well. He is stable and will be operated on Tuesday morning, said the staff.

Jalaluddins family members said he was under a lot of stress after one of the accused was granted bail.

After Junaid was killed, our lives changed completely. Jalaluddin was under lot of stress and his condition deteriorated after the court released one of the accused and reduced his charges, said Saira, his wife.

On June 22, Jalaluddins son Junaid Khan (15) was lynched and stabbed to death by a mob on board a Mathura-bound train when an argument over a seat turned into religious slurs.

One of the four accused, Chandra Prakash, was granted bail after the court found no direct link with the main accused in the murder.

The brutal murder led to a series of protests across India against the rise in incidents of mob violence in India.

Jalaluddin had demanded death sentence for the culprits.

Also Read: The men asked me to attack them, I was drunk: Man accused of lynching Junaid

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Dr Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) has promised its students entrepreneurial supervision, grants, resources and legal protection to create start-ups addressing societal issues and bleak market conditions.

The decision was taken in an academic meeting at the Noida campus on Tuesday between the university administration and officials from its private affiliated colleges across Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad.

The university is planning to open a start-up cell in each affiliated college where students can present their start-up proposals under the supervision of a faculty member.

Our entire idea of entrepreneurship comes with an intent of service to the society. The idea can mature with innovation, exploring the best ways to implement it and the final step is creating the start-up itself. There are more than 4 lakh students in more than 600 colleges of AKTU; many of these students have immense potential. We want to utilize that potential to develop an ecosystem for entrepreneurship, said AKTU advisor Srijan Pal Singh.

To set up the ecosystem, the university has divided the entire process in three partsregistering students with the start-up cells, inter-college resource sharing and incubation.

For now, we are aiming at registering 1,000 students for the start-up cells. The students will then study entrepreneurship, attend seminars and workshops and complete certificate courses, said Singh.

In the next step, the university intends to distribute start-up cards to the students so they can avail resources related to their unique idea of entrepreneurship.

In the next six months, we intend that at least 250 students get start-up cards issued by the university. These cards will help students avail resources from other colleges across UP, said Singh.

In the third step, the students will become a part of the incubation cell to prepare for the launch of their idea into a business.

Under the incubation centre, we will provide funding once their project is approved. They will also receive stipend, travel reimbursement, legal security and Intellectual Property Rights, said Singh.

e-commerce start-ups may have burst in metro cities but there is immense potential in start-ups that can serve people at the grassroot level. Students must find a middle ground so they are able to serve the consumer, society, government and their business model, said Singh.

The start-up ecosystem will be cloud-based, announced AKTU vice-chancellor Dr Vinay Pathak.

The details of the start-up process will also be provided online so that students can get information regarding registration, project approval and grant process. Resources will also be available online, said Dr Pathak.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A 45-year-old man was knocked down by a school bus, ferrying nearly a dozen students of Delhi Public School Ghaziabad, Meerut Road on Tuesday morning. The victims kin have alleged that the bus was speeding and the driver resorted to rash driving which led to the incident in which the students escaped unhurt.

According to the police, victim Shiv Shanker Kumar, was riding his bicycle to his factory, Uttam Industrial Engineering, when the school bus hit the cyclist near Sihani Chungi on Meerut Road, the erstwhile NH-58. Locals from the nearby areas gathered and protested against the incident and also tried to block the main road following the accident.

However, the police rushed to the spot and pacified them. We prevented damage to the bus which also had teachers, staff and students on board. The bus driver, Suresh Tyagi, fled the spot and our teams will nab him soon. The bus has been seized and brought to the police station, said RS Khoda, senior sub inspector, Sihani Gate police station.

According to the victims family, Kumar was the only earning member in the family and was working as a machine turner at the unit.

He managed to earn Rs 14,000 per month by working hard and he invested major share of his earnings for the education of his two sons. Both of them are pursuing B.Tech. Since their father is dead now, their studies will be severely affected, said Umakant Jha, Kumars friend.

Kumar was on way to his factory and the speeding bus hit him from behind. He suffered critical injuries and died after he was rushed to a local hospital, Jha added.

We have filed a police complaint into the matter and the body was sent for postmortem, said Rinkesh, victims younger son.

The school authorities however defended the driver saying that he was driving cautiously and tried all means to stop the bus before it hit the cyclist.

He was driving at around 30-35km per hour speed when the cyclist came on road from wrong side and this led to the accident. The bus belongs to the school while the driver is outsourced. The bus was on its way from Vijay Nagar to the school with students and staff on board, said Sanjay Agarwal, vice-principal of the school.

This is the second incident in the recent past when a school bus got involved in an accident leading to death. On Saturday, a lower kindergarten student Saumya got crushed under the wheels of the school bus belonging to Silver Shine School. The bus had come to drop her back home and the driver allegedly reversed the bus while the child fell down and her head got crushed under the wheels.

The district magistrate on September 12 had called a meeting of all school principals and had directed them to take all safety and security measures to ensure safety of students, both inside the school premises and even in school transport.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A poor 75-year-old patient undergoing treatment for asthma at a city hospital attacked his doctor in a fit of rage on Monday evening, allegedly because of expensive treatment. The incident made bigger news because the doctor withdrew his police complaint against the assailant.

Maruti Shivrale (75), the father of a construction labourer, attacked Dr Santosh Awari with a knife when the doctor had come for a routine check-up on Monday evening.

Injured on his hand and stomach, Dr Awari of Sinhagad Multispeciality Hospital, Nanded Phata, filed a police complaint at Haveli police station but withdrew it later. I am not interested in court and police matters and hence I willingly withdrew my complaint, Dr Awari said while speaking to Hindustan Times.

Sinhgad Multispeciality Hospital at Nanded Phata (HT PHOTO)

The patient, who was under treatment at the hospital for four days, was discharged on Monday without any charge for medical treatment, Dr Awari said.

We at the hospital did not want any trouble and so we decided to discharge him immediately, he said.

The patient and his relatives justified the attack on the doctor and accused the hospital of levying high charges. Dr Awari refuted the charge saying that the hospital bill was never generated and therefore, there was no question of excess amount. He said that the bill for four days of treatment at the hospital would not have crossed 9,000.

According to the hospital staff, Shivrale was an alcoholic who was admitted to Navale Hospital at Narhe from where he came to the Sinhagad Multispeciality hospital.

Inspector Vishwambhar Golde of Haveli Police Station told HT that they could not take any action as the doctor had withdrawn his complaint. Dr Awari is not interested in court procedures, he said.

Representing the Sinhagad Road Medico-Legal Forum, Dr Anil Dudhbhate strongly condemned the attack and said that such attacks were happening frequently and the issue needed to be addressed urgently. There is a need for greater interaction between doctors and patients. Every section in society has to come forward to solve such conflicts, he said, adding that the Sinhagad Road Forum will soon organise a workshop on this.
Heritage furniture from Chandigarh went under the hammer at an auction held at Oak Park, Illinois, USA on September 16. The auction was conducted by Treadway Tommey Auctions.

Out of the six heritage items designed by Swiss architect Pierre Jeanneret, five were sold at a total cost of Rs 13.6 lakh. The items which were sold included Pierre Jeannerets office table desk-bookcase with armchair for Rs 3.6 lakh, against reserve price of Rs 1.6 lakh, his library chair was sold at Rs 4 lakh, against the reserve price of Rs 1.9 lakh, low stool or occasional table went at Rs 80,000, against the reserve price of Rs 64,000, an armchair went at Rs 2 lakh, against the reserve price of Rs 80,000 and a low lounge chair was sold at Rs 3.2 lakh against reserve price of Rs 1.3 lakh.

Since 2007, there has been spate of auctions of heritage furniture from the city at foreign auction houses.

The UT administration has been unable to stall these auctions. Though attempts were made earlier by sending communications to the auction houses, the administration was informed that the items have been purchased from the dealers and had all the receipts.

The auctions have fetched the auction houses millions of rupees. Most of these items were sold as scrap in Chandigarh, not fetching more than a few thousand rupees.

City advocate writes to DRI

City-based advocate Ajay Jagga has written a letter to Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seeking action. The letter relates to smuggling of furniture from Chandigarh that was designed by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier and his associate and cousin Pierre Jeanneret. It also talks of at least six consignments of antique furniture shipped to a firm Sage Mercantile LLC in US between November 2014 and August 2016.

It has also come on record that importing of heritage furniture from India (especially designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret and available in Punjab) is resulting in huge profits, as in western countries theres a huge demand for such items.
Two months after the rape and pregnancy of a 10-year-old girl came to light in Chandigarh and nine days after the DNA test indicated that the accused 45-year-old maternal uncle did not father her child, the police on Tuesday arrested.his younger brother.

Both the accused used to stay together in Sector 37, and according to sources took turns to rape the daughter of their cousin sister, who stayed in the servants quarters a few houses away. They were regular visitors to her house and allegedly committed the crime repeatedly, impregnating the minor.

The DNA report proved to be a game changer in the case.

The 41-year-old, who is a cook by profession, was arrested after recording the victims statement before the magistrate on Tuesday. Sources said she said even the younger mama (maternal uncle) used to rape her. Her mother and sister were also present in the court.

Sources said the cook has confessed to having violated the victim.

Case so far July 14: 10-yr-old girls rape, pregnancy comes to light; her maternal uncle  a security guard  held July 28: Supreme court dismisses girls abortion plea August 17: She delivers a baby girl at GMCH-32 August 25: Chargesheet filed against security guard August 30: Court frames charges September 11: Accuseds DNA sample doesnt match with that of the newborn September 18: Police move application seeking fresh samples of the accused September 19: His brother  a cook  arrested after victim names him too

It was in one of the counselling sessions that the victim told her mother about the second accused, said UT senior superintendent of police Nilambari Vijay Jagdale. He has been arrested and will be produced before court on Wednesday. Jagdale said the child had been in shock and was too young to understand the situation.

Tried to flee

The cook had tried to flee to Nepal, from where he hails, suspecting that he might be arrested after the police started re-investigating the case. Police sources said he had left his house but was arrested in time.

After the forensic report stated that the DNA of the newborn didnt match with that of the accused uncle, who worked as a security guard at a hotel, police had started counselling the victim and her family to ascertain who all had exploited her.

Sources said the cook used to threaten the victim that if she complained to anyone, her family would scold her. The accused security guard used to offer chocolates to the victim after raping her every time.

While the security guards family is staying in Nepal, the cook used to stay with his family here. His wife had been very vocal against the crime ever since it came to light.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The quality of food at the Panjab University continues to deteriorate despite repeated complaints. On Monday, one of the girl students found a worm and an insect in the food served to her, in the hostel.

The incident happened at girls hostel number 5- Savitri Bai Phule Hall, where a student uploaded a picture of her food with a worm and an insect in it, on facebook. The girl, immediately submitted a complaint to the hostel warden.

Complainant Jasveni, student of mass communication department and a resident of hostel number 5, said, This is something, which is not happening for the first time. Earlier in boys hostel, cockroaches were found in meals and plastic rise were served. I was also served a paratha one day, which had a hair in it. I took the matter to the mess owner and the issue was just ignored. Who would pay for our medical treatment?

She added, Moreover the food quality is too low here in the mess. It seems it is over cooked. Burnt fried rise is served, which smell foul and taste bitter.

The student organizations took up this issue and the president of the students council, Jashan Kamboj, said that the issue will be resolved soon and quality checks will be held, especially at the students centre as well.

Earlier the student bodies have been writing to the concerned authorities to get the Chandigarh food department conduct a surprise food sampling but to no effect.

Dean students welfare (DSW) Emanual Nahar, however, said, We have done an inspection but the student who found a worm in her meal, is not ready to submit any complaint. We have told them that we can take an action only if we receive a complaint. We are also trying to analyze the picture posted on social media of the rice having a worm. It could be something else as well.

Last year, a similar incident had happened when student organizations had protest against the PU authorities for unhygienic food in the hostel mess, due to which some students had reportedly suffered from neurocysticercosis (worm infection of the central nervous system). The varsity had even assured the students to bear the cost of their medical treatment. The complainant in the case Harwinder Kaur, had told the vice chancellor that seven cases of neurocyisticerosis were detected in various hostels so far, due to unhygienic food.
A British cyclist set a new world record by travelling around the globe in 79 days - beating the fictional exploits of Phileas Fogg by a day.

Scottish adventurer Mark Beaumont rode into Paris 78 days, 14 hours and 14 minutes after he set off from the French capital, smashing the previous record of 123 days for a round-the-world bike trip.

Arriving in evening rush hour traffic under light drizzle, the 34-year-old rode the last cobbled mile to the Arc de Triomphe with a 20-strong entourage on wheels, including a man in a top hat on a penny-farthing bicycle.

Some 50 supporters were at the monument to greet him, including his tearful wife Nicci and his daughters Harriet, four, and Willa, one. I doubt Ill ever do anything like it again, said Beaumont, describing the journey as definitely the longest two-and-a-half months of my life.

Bouncing his grinning one-year-old in his arms, Beaumont said the world record was an absolute dream come true. A Guinness World Records judge was on hand to present him with his two framed records - he also beat the previous time for the farthest distance cycled in a month - while he was still in the saddle.

Beaumont had held the round-the-world record until 2009 when it was beaten by a New Zealander, leaving Beaumont to conclude he simply had to have the title back. I have taken myself beyond anything I have ever done physically and mentally, he said.

Fogg took 80 days to complete his voyage by train, ship and balloon in Jules Vernes classic 1873 novel, Around the World in 80 Days. Although Beaumont was able to fly over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, he did the rest with his own muscles. He spent 16 hours a day in the saddle for 76 days to cover the 29,000 kilometres, getting up at 3.30 am every morning. The three remaining days were spent on flights.

I am quite looking forward to not getting up at half- past three every morning, Beaumont joked as he set out in the dark on the 180-km final stretch in the Loire valley southwest of Paris. Beaumont set out from Paris on July 2 and crossed Europe, Russia and Mongolia before arriving in Beijing.

From there he flew to Perth in western Australia and crossed the country as well as neighbouring New Zealand before flying on to Anchorage in Alaska.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced plans Monday for an $840 million Mayan theme park on the Caribbean coast to rival the major theme parks in the United States.

The park, dubbed Amikoo - or friend in the Mayan language - will have rides and characters based on Mayan mythology and be built in two phases in the so-called Riviera Maya, a stretch of pristine beaches on Mexicos southeastern coast.

Were going to compete with other (parks) up there (in the United States), and Im sure ours will be better, Pena Nieto said at a ceremony also attended by the Mexican investors behind the project. Pena Nieto said the park would bolster Mexicos place as a high-quality tourism destination.

Mexico became the eighth most-visited country in the world last year, according to the World Tourism Organization, with 35 million international arrivals who spent some $19.6 billion. The vital sector represents some 8.7 % of the Mexican economy. The move to challenge US theme parks such as Disneyland and Disney World comes at a time of tense relations between Mexico and the United States.

The two neighbors ties have frayed since US President Donald Trump was elected on vows to make Mexico pay for a wall on the border and a campaign laced with anti-Mexican rhetoric. The new 120-hectare (300-acre) park will have attractions such as a flight simulator that lets visitors fly over popular Mexican tourist attractions, a mock submarine and a pirate ride. It will also have a 320-room hotel, a Mayan archeology and anthropology museum, and dedicate 75 % of its property to environmental conservation.

The first phase is set to open in November 2018 and the second two years later. Investors say they expect four million to 4.5 million visitors per year.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
In a first since the show began a decade ago, Bigg Boss has decided to partially reveal the contestants before the day of the premiere. The Salman Khan-hosted shows Twitter handle posted a picture of who they claim is the first contestant on the show and asked fans to figure out who she is.

Dekhiye Bigg Boss 11 ka live episode from the set! All you have to do is to guess the name of this gorgeous contestant. #BBGuessList, the post read. In the mysterious photo, one could see only a womans eye.

Dekhiye Bigg Boss 11 ka live episode from the set! All you have to do is to guess the name of this gorgeous contestant. #BBGuessList pic.twitter.com/0MJirWKegE  Bigg Boss (@BiggBoss) September 18, 2017

However, even with just an eye as clue, the shows fans managed to figure out who she is. Some speculated that it must be Turkish author Betul Eldogan as she used the same picture on her book, Sen Benimsin.

But there is another, more probable contender. A fan found out the same picture from a photoshoot of English model Halima Matlub whose picture was used on the book cover of Sen Benimsin.

AND THE FIRST CONTESTANT OF BIGG BOSS 11 IS "HALIMA MATLUB".

Click here to know more  https://t.co/3sfxtR0oxd #BB11 #BiggBoss11 pic.twitter.com/3yfs1nrpbD  Liv life 2 d fullest (@Chhota_Bhim) September 18, 2017

A YouTube video attached in the same tweet, shows more pictures from the same shoot.

From what we could find through an unverified Facebook page in her name, Halima got married recently and has posted several pictures from the wedding.

It is likely the Bigg Boss Twitter page will post more clues on the rest of the contestants as well before the show stars airing the new season in October.

Salman Khan, who will host the show again this year, has shot for several promos of the show. The new season has neighbours as its theme.

Just like last year, this year we will see commoner contestants rubbing shoulders with celebrities. The winner last year was a commoner contestant, Manveer Gurjar.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
BELLWOOD  Aaron Reruchas landscaping business kept him busy when the weather was good, but during the winter he had a lot of spare time.

One winter four years ago, he started experimenting with woodworking inside a small room of his grandfathers workshop.

I came home one day with a little end table that was supposed to be a chair and I told Bri, I said, I think Im going to be a woodworker, he said, referring to his wife Brianna. From then on its just never stopped.

He named the business Oxbow Rustic Furniture in tribute to his grandfather Gerald Mick, who built the Oxbow Pioneer Memorial Park that commemorates the Oxbow/Mormon Trail that ran through Micks property.

After Mick passed away in 2008, his wife Pat Mick maintained the campground, but his workshop fell into disrepair. Pat said Rerucha could use the shop for his woodworking.

I remember the first winter out here we froze. We couldnt get it above 30 degrees in here because of all the holes in the wall, Rerucha said. The next year we insulated three-fourths of it. We can get it up to 55 now, which feels like a heat box compared to 30 degrees.

Reruchas father-in-law, Fred Ritter, who used to teach vocal music at Columbus High School, has been helping him out since the beginning, sometimes putting in long hours sanding and working the large slabs of wood that will be transformed into desks, dining room tables, benches and more.

I try to get out here when I can because its almost therapeutic, said Ritter. You sit out here amongst the cottonwoods and the dogs. Its a very relaxing, very neat thing for me to do in my retirement.

Both men are drawn to the beauty and stories hidden in the tree trunks. Oxbow takes materials many other woodworkers would turn away and embraces the character and story.

Most woodworkers are looking for a slab of wood or piece of lumber that is perfect. There's no marks, no checks or cracks or bug damage or anything like that, said Rerucha. Whereas we find that that's a lot of the natural beauty that's in the wood. Those are our favorite pieces to use because the figure of the grain changes so much with those characteristics.

Rerucha uses a special burning technique to clear the rot out of bug trails and other damage. Sometimes theyll work through a slab of wood and find a nail or bullet inside. And sometimes the grain itself, once its been sanded, turns out to be a work of art.

You'll be sanding along and all of a sudden these beautiful designs will pop up and I'll go, Aaron, come here quick! said Ritter. And we'll just discover all this beauty in this wood.

Through home and art shows, Oxbows business has grown to the point where they're receiving a custom order a month from across the Midwest. Most orders take an average of four to six months to complete.

For a 4-by-10-foot dining room table, the cost can range from $3,000 to $12,000, depending on the type of wood and delivery. But the result is a piece of furniture unlike anything else.

You can come out there and you can pick your own slab of wood and there's never going to be anything like it again, said Rerucha. It's like heirloom furniture, you can hand it down to your kids and their kids and so on for 100 years.

Theyve had some customers use the services to memorialize loved ones.

One client had pine logs from trees their grandfather planted that were later killed by beetles. The grandchildren didnt know what to do with the wood until they contacted Rerucha. He turned the wood into kitchen cabinets and an island.

So all grandpa's trees are now inside their house, said Ritter. How cool is that?

Throughout its growth, Oxbow has remained a family business. Reruchas wife helped around the shop but is now expecting their first child later this month.

Rerucha seems ready to slow down with the arrival of his child.

I think I'll be excited to go in and be able to shut all this down by 4 o'clock or 5 oclock, instead of 9, 10, 11, 12 oclock, he said. I'm kind of tired of that.

He'll continue woodworking, not only to support his family but also to fulfill what he sees as a higher purpose.

I hope I can always continue to do what I love to do forever, until my time is up, but more importantly do what I love to do and still reflect the beauty of God's creation through woodworking, Rerucha said. I pray that I never lose that mindset because that's what I think people fall in love with is that beauty that's in the wood. And its all created by a single stroke of God's hand. We just get to enhance it.
An outbreak of fighting between government and rebel forces in South Sudans oil-producing north left at least 25 people dead, a state official said on Tuesday.

The clash between rebels loyal to exiled former deputy president Riek Machar and government forces occurred early Monday in Nhialdiu, a village close to the town of Bentiu which has changed hands repeatedly since civil war began nearly four years ago.

The number of the bodies that were found on the ground were 25, said Lam Tungwar, information minister for Northern Liech State, adding the rebel attack was repulsed.

Lam Paul Gabriel, a spokesman for the SPLA-IO rebels confirmed the clash claiming a successful operation in which the gallant SPLA-IO forces took control of Nhialdiu, killed 19 government soldiers and seized dozens of weapons.

Tungwar said most of the dead were civilians.

Tens of thousands have been killed and millions uprooted since 2013 during a conflict characterised by rape, ethnic massacres and attacks on civilians.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she spoke to US President Donald Trump on Monday about Rohingya Muslims flooding into her country from Myanmar, but she expects no help from him as he has made clear how he feels about refugees.

As Trump left an event he hosted at the United Nations on reforming the world body, Hasina said she stopped him for a few minutes.

He just asked how is Bangladesh? I said its doing very well, but the only problem that we have is the refugees from Myanmar, Hasina told Reuters in an interview. But he didnt make any comment about refugees.

A Myanmar military response to insurgent attacks last month in the countrys Rakhine state sent more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded as ethnic cleansing.

The Myanmar government says about 400 people have been killed in the fighting.

Hasina, who is due to address the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, said Trumps stance on refugees was clear, so it was not worth asking him for help with the Rohingya Muslim refugees.

Already America declared that they will not allow any refugees, she said. What I can expect from them, and especially (the) president. He already declared his mind ... so why I should ask?

Bangladesh is not a rich country ... but if we can feed 160 million people, another 500 or 700,000 people, we can do it.

A senior White House official was unaware of the exchange but said Trump was deeply interested in the subject and that he would definitely engage if it were brought up.

Shortly after taking office in January, Trump tried to put a 120-day halt on the US refugee program, bar Syrian refugees indefinitely and impose a 90-day suspension on people from six predominantly Muslim countries.

The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct! Trump said on Twitter on Friday.

Trump says the move is needed to prevent terrorist attacks and allow the government to put in place more stringent vetting procedures. There is a key Supreme Court hearing next month on the constitutionality of his executive order on the ban.

About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Hasina said she wanted to see more international political pressure on Myanmar to allow the Rohingya to return.

(Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi) should agree that these people belong to her country and that Myanmar is their country. They should take them back, she said. These people are suffering.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of international criticism for not stopping the violence. Myanmar national security adviser Thaung Tun told Reuters on Monday that Myanmar would ensure those who left their homes could return, but there was a process we have to discuss.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged the Myanmar government to end military operations, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes.

People are still at risk of being attacked or killed, humanitarian aid is not reaching the people who need it, and innocent civilians are still fleeing across the border to Bangladesh, Haley said after Britain hosted a meeting on the crisis in New York on Monday.

A US deputy assistant secretary of state, Patrick Murphy, is due in Myanmar this week.
People planning to climb Snowdon are being urged to dress appropriately after a teenager developed hypothermia after hiking up the mountain in just his underwear.

An ambulance crew were called after 19-year-old Nathan French from Halewood in Merseyside completed the 1,085-metre climb of the highest mountain in Wales but became unwell at the summit.

French, who was dressed only in Superman underwear for the climb, was raising money for the Dementia UK charity in honour of his grandmother, who has the condition.

Emergency services were called to treat the student after became unwell while taking the train back down from the summit.

Paramedics discovered his blood sugar and blood pressure had dropped and he was beginning to suffer from hypothermia.

Miles Hill of Llanberis mountain rescue team said the outcome could have been much worse.

He said: While we are sympathetic to his charity fundraising for a very worthy cause, we would question the planning and perseverance which went into his day on the hill.

Hill said that, even at the height of summer, the summit of Snowdon could be 10C colder than Llanberis, the village at its base, even before any adverse weather is factored in.

A 10-point checklist for how to avoid the need to be rescued has been put together by the rescue team on its website, which Hill said he encouraged anyone considering the climb to read.

He said: Anybody walking in the mountains should always carry enough equipment, clothing and food to be self-sufficient for the duration of their trip, including adverse changes in weather.

Even with temperatures in the teens, with minimal clothing Mr French would have been highly susceptible to wind chill.

If the train hadnt been running from the summit, the outcome could have been very different. While charity events in your kecks are commendable, its not a trend we want to see started.

Hill pointed out that Llanberis mountain rescue is also a charity.

He said: As a rescue team, we are sometimes called to individuals and groups taking part in charity events who havent realised that we ourselves are a charity, and our volunteers have left their loved ones at home in order to help.

He added: We hope Mr French is back in the mountains soon, perhaps in the full suit (cape optional), rather than just the underwear.

'I'm on that superman shit' pic.twitter.com/tRONyZumlJ  Nathan French (@Nathan_French7) September 10, 2017

French, who is studying sport, nutrition and health at university, said: I climbed the mountain successfully and it was when I was at the top I was shaking uncontrollably.

He said that he was given tickets for the Snowden mountain railway to get back down, but it was when he was on the train that he started to feel sick.

I started to go deaf and my sight started to go funny. It was at this point my dad decided to ring for help.

A paramedic met them at the bottom and said the students blood sugar had dropped and he was showing the early signs of hypothermia.

French said he has received a number of negative comments on social media since his misadventure on 9 September.

These, he believes, are unfair because he was not rescued but made it down the mountain without help.

I was with the paramedic for no longer than 20 minutes. He said I wasnt wasting his time at all and he actually saw the humour in it. So I havent cost any money to the emergency services at all.

He added: There are lads my age robbing and into drugs and violence, and Im out there doing something big for something that matters and I get the hate.

More than 1,300 has been donated to Frenchs JustGiving page since his climb.

(Published in arrangement with The Guardian)
China supports efforts by the Myanmar government to protect its national security and opposes recent violent attacks in the countrys Rakhine state, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The military response to insurgent attacks in the western region of Myanmar last month sent more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded ethnic cleansing.

Myanmars government says about 400 people have been killed in the fighting.

Britain, France and Australia urged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday to push for an end to military violence against Rohingya Muslims. Her national security adviser said those who had fled could return but the process had to be discussed.

Wang told Guterres at a meeting at the United Nations on Monday China understands and supports Myanmars efforts to protect its security in Rakhine and hopes the fire of war can soon be extinguished, Chinas Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

China expresses sympathy with those who have fled into Bangladesh and will send humanitarian aid to Bangladesh, Wang said.

China advocates Myanmar and Bangladesh resolving the problem via dialogue and consultation, the Foreign Ministry cited Wang as saying.

China is willing to continue promoting peace talks in its own way, and hopes the international community can play a constructive role to ease the situation and promote dialogue, he said.

China and Myanmar have close economic and diplomatic ties and China has defied expectations that democratisation in the former Burma could lead to weaker relations between the two countries.

About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face draconian travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Two Iraqi men have been arrested in the German capital on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization and war crimes as part of the Islamic State group, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

A 31-year-old, identified only as Raad Riyadh AA in line with privacy laws, and 19-year-old Abbas R were both arrested Monday in Berlin, prosecutors spokeswoman Frauke Koehler said. Theyre both alleged to have joined IS in Mosul in June 2014 and participated in the killing of two Shiite Muslims.

Four months later, prosecutors said, they were involved in the execution of a captured Iraqi military officer.

While in Iraq, Raad Riyadh AA is also accused of extorting money from businesses to support IS and procuring weapons from the Iraqi army and police forces for the group.

After arriving in Germany in July 2015, Raad Riyadh AA tried to recruit two other Iraqis and convince a third to carry out a suicide attack, Koehler said.

In a separate case, a 24-year-old Syrian was arrested in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on allegations he was a member of multiple foreign terrorist organizations, including IS. Majed A was arrested Sept. 13 and is also accused of weapons violations.

In 2013, he joined a militia affiliated with the Nusra Front group in Syria to fight against the Assad regime, Koehler said. He ended up with IS in 2014 and fought against Kurdish forces in northern Syria before entering in Germany in August 2015.
In his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to totally destroy North Korea, end the deal capping Irans nuclear weapons plan and reaffirmed his administrations resolve to combat radical Islamic terrorism.

In a speech that ran just over 40 minutes, Trump also put on notice nations that provide terrorists safe haven  possibly Pakistan, but without naming it  and said in the context of South Asia and Afghanistan that terms of US engagement will be determined by our security interest, and not politics.

Trump laid out a vision of his foreign policy, which he called principled realism, that is moored in his call for every country to serve their people first, in line with his own America First thrust to his policies, respect each others sovereignty and cooperate as independent nations.

As first lady Melania Trump and senior members of his team, including secretary of state Rex Tillerson, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, National Security Adviser HR McMaster and treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, looked on, Trump took a tough line on North Korea and Iran, as had been previewed by aides.

He called the two countries, whose representatives sat stone-faced, rogue nations and used phrases such as wicked few and band of criminals for their leaders, as he sought to position the US as any ally of their people who, he said, were being oppressed and exploited by their rulers.

While Trump praised and thanked the UN Security Council for new sanctions imposed on Pyongyang, he said the US will be ready to defend itself if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he mocked as Rocket Man, continued to threaten the US and its allies.

We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, Trump said, going on to call Kim by the nickname he began using recently and which, according to news outlets, he personally insisted on retaining in the speech. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself.

While he had thanked China and Russia for backing the new sanctions, he called on them to do more. It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime (China is North Koreas top trading partner), but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world, he said.

Turning to Iran, Trump said the UN-backed deal capping its nuclear weapons programme was an embarrassment and it was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the US has ever entered into. He added: I dont think youve heard the end of it.

Pivoting to counter-terrorism, Trump used the phrase radical Islamic terrorism, which has been found problematic by critics who argue it unfairly tars the entire community. We will stop radical Islamic terrorism because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation and indeed to tear up the entire world, he said.

Trump then laid down in bare relief a threat to nations that harbour terrorists.

Terrorists must be denied safe haven, transit, fundingor any form of support for their vile and sinister ideology. He named no countries or regions but the context was clear.

We must drive them out of our nations, Trump said. Its time to expose and hold responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and the Taliban and others that slaughter innocent people.

The naming of the Taliban was a clear reference to Pakistan, which has been under growing pressure from an increasingly frustrated US to do more to diminish the Haqqani Network, a Taliban faction that operates from Pakistani soil and targets Afghan and US-led coalition forces.

Trump went on to re-litigate the issue of the bloated bureaucracy at the UN, and said as the largest contributor to its budget, the US would like to see the world body focus on the basic principles of its foundation and stressed the need for other countries to step up.

Shortly before Trumps speech, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed from the General Assembly lectern for statesmanship to avoid war with North Korea. This is the time for statesmanship, said the former prime minister of Portugal. We must not sleepwalk our way into war.

The Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2006 and Guterres appealed for the 15-member body to maintain its unity on North Korea.

Trump has warned North Korea that military action was an option for the United States as Pyongyang has carried out a series of tests toward developing the ability to target the US with a nuclear-tipped missile.

Financial markets showed little reaction to Trumps speech, with most major assets hovering near the unchanged mark on the day.

(With inputs from agencies)
A photo montage published by al Qaeda to mark the 16th anniversary of 9/11 shows the face of Osama bin Laden in the flames of the Twin Towers. At his side is his son Hamza, the crown prince of jihad.

The young man, now 28, has appeared since childhood in the propaganda network founded by his father.

And now, some officials and analysts believe he might try to unify jihadists around the world, taking advantage of the military weakness of the Islamic State (IS) group.

In a report published by the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), former FBI special agent and al Qaeda specialist Ali Soufan wrote: Now in his late 20s, Hamza is being prepared for a leadership role in the organisation his father founded.

As a member of the bin Laden dynasty, Hamza is likely to be perceived favourably by the jihadi rank-and-file.

With the Islamic State caliphate apparently on the verge of collapse, Hamza is now the figure best placed to reunify the global jihadi movement.

Victory or martyrdom

The 15th of bin Ladens 20 children, a son of his third wife, Hamza has been groomed to follow in his fathers footsteps since childhood.

At his side in Afghanistan before 9/11, he learned how to handle weapons, and ranted in his thin voice against Americans, Jews and Crusaders in videos uploaded online.

On the eve of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Hamza was separated from his father, whom he was never to see again.

He was evacuated with the clans wives and other children to Jalalabad in Afghanistan, then on to Iran, where they were placed under house arrest for years. His whereabouts now are unknown.

A sophisticated system of messengers allowed bin Laden and his favourite son to remain in contact by writing letters, some of which were found during the raid that killed the terrorist in Abbottabad, in Pakistan.

In them Hamza assures his father that he is forged in steel and ready for victory or martyrdom.

What makes me really sad is that the legions of mujahideen started, and I did not join them, he wrote in July 2009.

In an audio message in August 2015, Hamza pays homage his father the martyr and his elder brother Khalid, who died while trying to defend him at Abbottabad and asks jihadists around the world to strike from Kabul to Baghdad, from Gaza to Washington, London, Paris and Tel Aviv.

One year later, in a diatribe entitled We are all Osama, he called for vengeance, warning: If you think you will not be held accountable for the crime in Abbottabad, you are mistaken.

Eighteen months later, after similar appeals, the US State Department reinforced his credibility within jihadist circles by putting his name on the blacklist of international terrorists.

Like father, like son

Soufan said: Hamzas messages frequently repeat, almost word-for-word, sentences uttered by the elder bin Laden during Al Qaedas heyday in the late 1990 and early 2000s.

Hamza even makes an effort to sound like his father intoning his words with the same quiet intensity.

As the Islamic State continues to crumble, many of its adherents will be looking for new banners under which to fight. Many factors suggest that Hamza could be a highly effective leader.

It remains to be seen how, exactly, the organisation will make use of him, but it is clear that his star is on the rise. That should worry policymakers in the West as well as in the Muslim world.
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi , in her first address to the nation since attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents, condemned all human rights violations on Tuesday and said anyone responsible for abuses in troubled Rakhine State would face the law.

She said Myanmar did not fear international scrutiny and was committed to a sustainable solution to the conflict.

Communal violence has torn through Myanmars Rakhine state since August 25, leaving hundreds dead and forcing Rohingyas -- counted among the worlds most persecuted community -- to flee the country.

The Indian government made its stand clear on Monday when it told the Supreme Court it wanted to deport the thousands of illegal Rohingya refugees in the country due to security concerns.

Here are the highlights:

9.30am: Suu Kyi says she doesnt want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicities. Hate and fear are the main scourges of our world.

9.28am: We dont want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicities. Hate and fear are main scourges, says Aung San Suu Kyi.

9.26am: Hate and fear are the main scourges of our world, says Suu Kyi.

9.24am: I believe the real responsibility lies with the people of this country. But we would like our friends to join or endeavour. We will give security to you.

9.22am: We would like the world to think of our country as a whole, not just as little afflicted areas, says Suu Kyi.

9.21am: Throughout the last year, we continued with our programme of development and establishment of peace, says the Myanmar leader.

9.20am: Suu Kyi says has invited Dr Kofi Annan to lead a commission that would help us resolve long standing problems in Rakhine.

9.19am: There have been allegations and counter allegations,will listen to all. Action will be taken against all people regardless their religion, she says.

9.18am: Suu Kyi says we have made a central committee for implementing rule of law and development in Rakhine.

9.17am: Myanmar is ready to verify refugees status at any time to aid return, says Suu Kyi.

9.16am: Many Muslim villagers have remained, not all have fled.Invite members of the international community to visit, says Aung San Suu Kyi.

9.15am: Govt has been making every effort to restore peace and stability and to bring harmony in Rakhine communities, says Suu Ki.

9.13am: Aung San Suu Kyi says: We would like to find out why this exodus is happening, would like to talk to the people who have fled.

9.10am: On August 25, 30 police outposts were attacked; consequently govt declared Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army a terrorist group, says Suu Kyi.

9.11am: Myanmar feels deeply for suffering of all groups in Rakhine,concerned to hear about Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh, says Aung San Suu Kyi.

9.10am: Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny,committed to sustainable solution in Rakhine state.

9.09am: We condemn all human rights violations and all actions that undermine the rule of law, says Suu Kyi .

9.08am: Peace and stability was something we had to achieve after nearly 70 yrs of internal conflict.

9.07am: I must remind you that our govt has not been in power for even 18 months: Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi

9.06am: Myanmar is a complex nation. People expect us to overcome all the challenges in shortest time possible, says Aung San Suu Kyi.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he continued to talk to US leader Donald Trump about re-entering the Paris climate pact but that there was no scope for a renegotiation of the existing terms.

I will not budge on the Paris accord terms, Macron told reporters in New York where he is attending the UN General Assembly.

I deplore the US decision, and I continue dialogue with President Trump because I am convinced that in the end he will see that it is in the interest of Americans to be a part of the Paris climate pact.
Billboards featuring Melania Trump and the slogan just imagine how far you can go with a little bit of English were removed Tuesday from the Croatian capital after her lawyer threatened a lawsuit.

The billboards were part of a marketing campaign by a private English language school in Zagreb, which tried to persuade Croats to learn English by reminding them of the Slovenian-born US first ladys personal experience.

But Mrs. Trump did not accept what was apparently meant to be a joke about her English, spoken with a heavy accent. Her Slovenian lawyer demanded that the billboards, showing Melania Trump delivering a speech standing before a fluttering American flag, be immediately removed.

Im satisfied with the fact that the school admitted that they violated the law and that they are ready to remove the billboards and (Facebook) ads, lawyer Natasa Pirc-Musar told The Associated Press. We are still analysing possible further legal steps.

Melania Trump has hired the law firm to protect her image, which has appeared on various products in her native Slovenia, including cakes, underwear and tourism advertisements.

Pirc-Musar said that the Croatian school has apologised for the billboards, but that the statement also needs to be published by the Croatian and Slovenian state news agencies.

We are very sorry that the billboards were misunderstood as something intended to mock the US first lady, Ivis Buric, a spokeswoman for the school, American Institute, said. It was meant to be something positive, to show her as a role model.

Buric admitted that the short advertising campaign turned out to be very successful because of the wide publicity it received both locally and internationally. She said that the school intends to put up new billboards, this time without Melania Trumps image.

Melania Trump was born in neighboring Slovenia as Melanija Knavs. She left Slovenia in her 20s to pursue an international modelling career before meeting Donald Trump at a Fashion Week party in New York in 1998.
RISING CITY  Those who wanted a keepsake from a century-old school had one last chance to get their memento before the brick building is torn down.

Dozens of people rummaged through the old Rising City School building Saturday. They were armed with flashlights while searching in darkness as the building's electricity was shut off in preparation for demolition work set to begin this week.

Some had specific items they wanted to take from the school that has served as a central hub in the village for decades.

Tom and Viki McCracken were removing an old school bell that hung on a wall and a decorative window from inside one of the offices.

The Rising City couple, both of whom graduated from the school, didnt have a specific plan for the items yet.

We like antiques and old things. Besides that, it will be memorabilia, Tom McCracken said moments before he used tools to pop the window free.

Like many people in the small Butler County community, he and his wife are among multiple generations of their family who attended school in Rising City.

The building housed grades one through 12 when it first opened. After the district merged with Shelby in 2011, creating Shelby-Rising City Schools, it served as the middle school.

Because of the rising cost to maintain the aging building, voters passed a $14.9 million bond issue to expand the school in Shelby and create a site that puts every grade under one roof.

The last day of classes in Rising City was in May, and the school district and village recently signed a purchase agreement that gives ownership of the property to the village of Rising City.

As part of the agreement, the three-story building will be torn down. The gymnasium will remain and be turned into a community center.

The total cost for the project has not been finalized. The school district has money earmarked for the work through the merger agreement and another $25,000 to $50,000 is expected to be committed.

Corey Roberts, a member of the village board, said the community didnt want the building to sit empty and become an eyesore, which is likely what would have happened since the estimated price tag to update the facility is in the millions.

For lack of better words, it would have been like a tombstone to let it stand, Roberts said.

After the building is torn down, work will begin to create the community center. That includes adding a new entrance for the gymnasium.

Weather permitting, Roberts said the community center could be finished by March. The plan is to feature photos of the school's history inside the center and use some of the engraved stones from the school's south entrances in the facility's design.

Roberts and his wife, Tracy, who is the Rising City Alumni Board president, both graduated from the school. They were happy the community had a chance to take items with sentimental value.

The building is gone, but Im glad this is happening today, Tracy Roberts said Saturday.

Preserving the gym as a community center also provides a place for the annual alumni banquets. The school has always been the site for the gathering of Rising City graduates and will continue to be.

That was a concern for Jenna Cattau. She used to serve on the alumni committee and was worried about where those banquets would be held.

I didnt graduate from Shelby, so I didnt want to have it there, she said.

Cattau, of Shelby, was at the school Saturday with her cousin Crystal Stara, who lives in David City. Both went to school in Rising City, as did other members of their family.

This school was a lot of peoples lives. Im sad, but I understand it is an expensive thing to upkeep, but its part of my childhood, Cattau said as she looked through boxes and stacks of school items inside a second-floor room.

Stara, who was taking doors to use as room dividers in a coffee shop, said being there felt like a walk down memory lane.

I used to live right across the street, so from kindergarten through freshman year I came here. This was my life here, she said.

Viki McCracken said being inside the school and seeing parts of it removed piece by piece was an emotional process. But it's time to move on.

We are proud of our teachers and our community that supported the school. I think it is a sad day, but life changes and we all have to accept that. We know that, she said.
Aung San Suu Kyi said on Tuesday she does not fear global scrutiny over the Rohingya crisis, pledging to hold rights violators to account and to resettle some of the 410,000 Muslims who have fled army operations in her country. (HIGHLIGHTS)

In an address timed to pre-empt likely censure of Myanmar at the UN General Assembly in New York -- delivered entirely in English and aimed squarely at an international audience -- she called for patience and understanding of the unfurling crisis in her fragile democracy.

But she offered no solutions to what the UN calls ethnic cleansing in Rakhine state, where army-led operations have burned Muslim Rohingya from their homes, and refused to point the finger at the men in uniform.

Rights group Amnesty International said the Nobel peace laureate was burying her head in the sand over documented army abuses and claims of rape, murder and the systematic clearing of scores of villages.

Inside Myanmar, supporters say the 72-year-old leader lacks the authority to rein in the military, which ran the country for 50 years and only ceded limited powers to her civilian government.

She is trying to claw back some degree of credibility with the international community, without saying too much that will get her in trouble with the (military) and Burmese people who dont like the Rohignya in the first place, said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch.

Repatriation pledge

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25.

An army-led fightback has left scores dead, and sent hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya fleeing mainly Buddhist Myanmar into Bangladesh.

In her 30-minute speech, Suu Kyi reached out to critics who have condemned her failure to speak up for the stateless Rohingya.

Myanmar stood ready at any time, she said, to repatriate refugees in accordance with a verification process agreed with Bangladesh in the early 1990s.

Those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems, she added.

In less than a month just under half of Rakhines one-million-strong Rohingya minority has poured into Bangladesh, where they now languish in overcrowded refugee camps.

It was not immediately clear how many would qualify to return.

But the subject of their claims to live in Myanmar is at the heart of a toxic debate about the Muslim group, who are denied citizenship by the state and considered to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Suu Kyis repatriation pledge is new and significant, said Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar, explaining it would in principle allow for the return of those who can prove residence in Myanmar -- rather than citizenship.

No more violence?

Suu Kyi insisted army clearance operations finished on September 5.

But AFP reporters have seen homes on fire in the days since then, while multiple testimonies from refugees arriving in Bangladesh suggests those operations have continued.

Rights monitors and Rohingya refugees say the army -- often flanked by ethnic Rakhine mobs -- systematically attacked Muslims and then torched their villages.

Without blaming any single group, Suu Kyi promised to punish anyone found guilty of abuses regardless of their religion, race or political position.

Myanmars army acts without civilian oversight and makes all security decisions, including its notorious scorched earth counter-insurgency operations.

Amnesty International, which once tirelessly campaigned for Suu Kyis release from house arrest, pilloried the speech saying she and her government are burying their heads in the sand about the horrors unfolding in Rakhine.

Suu Kyi said the majority of Muslims in the Rakhine state have not joined the exodus... more than 50 percent of the villages of Muslims are intact.

Around 170 Rohingya villages have been razed, the government admits. Rights groups say satellite evidence shows the damage is more widespread.

Rakhine is in lockdown, and independent verification is impossible.

Siege mentality

While stories of weary and hungry Rohingya civilians streaming into Bangladesh have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for them among Myanmars Buddhist majority.

Around 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of the August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

Many in Myanmar reject the existence of a Rohingya ethnicity and insist they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Loathing for the Rohingya has brought the public, including prominent pro-democracy activists, into an unlikely alignment with an army that once had them under its heel.

A siege mentality has emerged in Myanmar with the UN, international NGOs and foreign media the focus of anger for apparent pro-Rohingya bias.

Many Facebook users changed their profile picture on Tuesday to carry a banner with a photo of The Lady and a message reading We stand with you Daw Aung San Suu Kyi -- using an honorific.

Her speech was warmly welcomed in Myanmar.

She told the real situation to the world on behalf of Myanmar people, Yu Chan Myae, 27, told AFP
As celebrations continued on Monday to mark the PML-Ns victory in bye-elections to fill the seat in Lahore vacated by former premier Nawaz Sharif, the narrow margin by which his wife won suggests the party will have to re-think its tactics for upcoming general election.

According to unofficial figures reported by the Pakistani media, Sharifs wife Kulsoom Nawaz won the seat by a little more than 13,000 votes, bagging nearly 62,000 votes while the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in second place with about 47,000 votes.

Yaqoob Sheikh, a candidate backed by the Jamaat-ud-Dawah was in the third place.

There are many lessons to learn here, said political analyst Malik Tariq Ali, who argued that what was once a safe PML-N seat has now been challenged by another party.

In the elections held on Sunday, Sharif complained how some PML-N supporters had been kidnapped on polling day and how certain polling stations were closed ahead of time to deny his party its due share of votes.

But analysts said the narrow margin has made the PML-N leadership sit up and take notice of the situation on the ground.

The Panama Papers case has given the Sharifs a battering. They will have to work on their image, said political commentator Faisal Bari. Others wondered about the political prospects of the ruling party for next years general election.

PML-N supporters outside a polling station in Lahore on September 17, 2017. (Reuters)

The person given the most credit for pulling off the victory is Sharifs daughter Maryam Nawaz, who relentlessly campaigned for Kulsoom, currently being treated in London for cancer.

In some ways, this was the launch of Maryam Nawazs political career and she impressed many with her drive and determination.

At the same time, the manner in which Sharifs brother, Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, removed himself from the campaign suggested that there may be some tension between the siblings who have presided over the fortunes of the PML-N for decades. This will also not help the party in the long run.

Apart from the PTI, the launch of the JuDs political party  Milli Muslim League (MML)  too is a cause for concern for the PML-N, observers said.

Coming third in the by-polls, ahead of the Pakistan Peoples Party, suggests that the MML is emerging as a new political force in Punjab, the countrys most politically crucial province.

While it is too early to say how the MML will fare in the general election, what seems to be apparent is that the PML-Ns vote bank could take a battering because of the new party.

As Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Sharif met in London to discuss the partys future political strategy, what became clear was that the PML-N can no longer take Lahore and the Punjab for granted.

The PTI has managed to give the PML-N a real challenge in its home base and the bye-election has proved that Imran Khans party is becoming a force to reckon with in Pakistans most populous province.
Former Pakistan prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and eight others were on Tuesday indicted by a court in a case pertaining to illegal recruitment in an electricity distribution company of Punjab Province.

Ashraf, 66, recruited as many as 437 people without taking merit into consideration, according to a case filed by top anti-graft watchdog the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Geo News reported.

The former prime minister, who held the office between June 2012 and March 2013, has rejected all the charges filed by NAB on Tuesday.

Ashraf was indicted for his alleged involvement in illegal recruitment in the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO), the report said.

The accountability court, which heard the case filed by the NAB last year, summoned witnesses to record their statements.

Ashraf, a senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader, has also been indicted by another accountability court in Islamabad in the rental power case. All accused have refused to plead guilty.

Ashraf is also accused of misusing his authority during his tenure as the minister for water and power to get approval from the Economic Coordination Committee for an increase in the down-payment to the rental power companies from seven per cent to 14%, amounting to about Rs 22 billion, the report said.
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Tuesday indicted 57 people for the brutal lynching of a university student who was falsely accused of blasphemy five months ago.

Mashal Khan, who was a student of journalism at the Abdul Wali Khan University at Mardan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, was stripped, beaten and shot by fellow students on April 13.

Strict security measures were put in place around Haripur jail where the trial of the accused is being conducted. The arrested men were presented before the judge of the anti-terrorism court, who is conducting the hearings within the prison for security reasons.

All those indicted in the case pleaded not guilty. The judge also rejected the bail applications of 17 of the accused.

The next hearing will be held on Wednesday, when the prosecution and defence will present their arguments. Khan's father, Iqbal Khan, is set appear before the judge on Wednesday.

A vigilante mob, incited by rumours, had attacked Khan for allegedly "publishing blasphemous content online". The mass communication student was beaten and shot by the mob as several people filmed the lynching with their mobile phones.

Villagers carry the body of university student Mashal Khan for burial in Swabi, Pakistan, on April 14, 2017. Police said a group of students at Abdul Wali Khan University in the northwestern city of Mardan attacked and killed Khan after accusing him of sharing blasphemous content on Facebook. (AP)

A report compiled by a joint investigation team that probed the lynching said that a group within the university had incited a mob against the outspoken Khan by using the pretext of blasphemy. It added no proof was found that Khan had ever committed the offence.

In July, chief justice Yahya Afridi of the Peshawar high court had ordered the transfer of the murder case to an anti-terrorism court after Khan's father sought the move, saying he feared his "influential adversaries".

Iqbal Khan also requested the high court to pay his legal fees and asked the Supreme Court to provide protection to his daughters, who havent been to school since Khans murder.

The lunching had triggered widespread protests across Pakistan, and rights groups and political parties had demanded an impartial investigation into the incident.
Spains interior ministry says police have arrested a Pakistani man suspected of promoting terrorism and spreading Islamic jihadi propaganda on social media networks.

A ministry statement the 25-year-old resident of the northern Catalan city of Lleida was part of a cell partially dismantled with the arrest of three Pakistani brothers in Lleida last year.

The ministry said the man detained had become more engrossed in radical activities in recent weeks.

Sixteen people were killed in attacks in the Catalan capital, Barcelona, and another Catalan coastal town last month. The Islamic State armed group claimed the attacks.

Spain says its police have been involved in the arrests of 200 suspected jihadi activists since the country raised its security alert to one step below the maximum in June 2015.
Most of the attendees at Rahul Gandhis meetings in Washington DC had gone expecting a man they had come to know through news reports or otherwise, but found him either very impressive or much more substantive than imagined or as someone who spoke very cohesively.

The Congress vice-president met a range of standard Washington DC policy experts, political strategists and a few lawmakers  all hard-nosed individuals who are not easy to impress  at a string of closed-door meetings on Monday, at the start of the second leg of his US tour that kicked off last week with an interaction with students at a California university.

I have known him and seen him for a while and he seemed much in charge of himself and his facts, said one of those who heard Gandhi on Monday, on condition of anonymity because the meeting was supposed to be private. He spoke very cohesively and  (made) pretty good points in a forceful manner.

Most of us were pleasantly surprised, the person added, noting he did not want to sound or appear patronizing. He was genuinely impressed and wanted to convey his feelings accurately.

Another person, a former official, said he was better than he had heard he was and much more substantive than I (had) imagined.

The Congress leaders visit to the United States was planned as the start of a new conversation by the party with the larger goal of representing a leader widely misunderstood and wrongly defined by a machine, as Sam Pitroda, a friend of Gandhis father and the man who ushered Indias telecom revolution Rajiv Gandhi, described the apparatus deployed by the rival party, BJP, which is currently holding power in India.

Gandhi did not complain directly about this mischaracterisation of him at any of his meetings, but may have alluded to it, according to one of those present, while talking generally about the dangers of social media.

Gandhi started with a meeting at the liberal leaning Center for American Progress, attended by its founder John Podesta, adviser to former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama who headed Hillary Clintons 2016 election campaign; Neera Tanden, a veteran of two Democratic White Houses, and former US ambassadors to India, Tim Roemer and Richard Verma.

The Congress leader also had a meeting with the US-India Business Council, an advocacy group promoting stronger business ties between the two countries, and then another one with a group of conservatives, organised by the Heritage Foundation and American Foreign Policy Council.

Republican senator Corey Gardner dropped by during this meeting, and invited Gandhi to his home-state Colorado and the Congress leader reciprocated with an invitation to India.

This meeting was attended by Ashley Tellis, who is considered the dean of Americas South Asia experts, Anish Goel, former South Asia head in the Obama-led White House and who now heads the South Asia desk of US senates powerful armed services committee, and Republican strategist Puneet Ahluwalia.

I found him very substantive on policy, said one of those who attended. That was surprising because most politicians like to talk only about manoeuvres, political alliances and coalitions.

Gandhi spoke about economic development, India-China relations, recent Chinese activities in the region and his vision for how to deal with it.

The Congress leader also met the editorial board of The Washington Post for an off-the-record interaction, and will be engaging another DC think-tank, Atlantic Council, where Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari is an associate, on Tuesday before he heads out to his next engagement.

And that is in New Jersey states Princeton University, an Ivy league institution, where Gandhi will meet students in an interaction similar to the one in University of California, Berkeley, where he set the tone for a visit that has paid well for him both in the United States and, more importantly, in India.

Gandhi will be in New York on Wednesday for the finale of his tour: a meeting with Indian Americans at a hotel in Times Square. An estimated 3,000 people are expected to attend.

Also Read: Rishi Kapoor trolled for slamming Rahul Gandhi. Heres how the actor responded
Myanmars civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi broke her silence on the Rohingya crisis Tuesday, in a speech aimed at appeasing an international community horrified by army-led violence which the UN describes as ethnic cleansing.

Here are key points from the 30-minute address, which was nationally televised and delivered in English:

Feel deeply for the suffering

Suu Kyi avoided using the term Rohingya -- a word which many in the Buddhist-majority nation refuse to use. They say the Muslim Rohingya are not a distinct ethnic group but illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

But she did express concern for the suffering of all people swept up in the latest violence, her most compassionate words yet for the more than 410,000 Rohingya who have fled Rakhine state for Bangladesh.

We feel deeply for the suffering of all the people who have been caught up in the conflict. Those who have had to flee their homes are many. Not just Muslims and (ethnic) Rakhines, but also small minority groups, she said.

Avoided finger-pointing

While Suu Kyi acknowledged the intensity of the violence, she refused to blame any specific group.

Rohingya refugees, rights groups and the UN have accused the military and Buddhist mobs of using bullets and arson to drive out the Rohingya in a systematic ethnic cleansing campaign.

The army and government, meanwhile, have defended the military operations as a legitimate crackdown on Rohingya militants who raided police posts in late August, killing around a dozen officers.

I understand that many of our friends throughout the world are concerned by reports of villages being burned and hordes of refugees fleeing, Suu Kyi said.

We too are concerned. We want to find out what the real problems are. There have been allegations and counter-allegations, and we have to listen to all of them. We have to make sure that these allegations are based on solid evidence before we take action.

She vowed to act against those who violated the law or human rights, regardless of their religion, race or political position.

Ready to repatriate

Suu Kyis most concrete promise was a vow to begin a verification process to repatriate those who have fled.

There has been a call for the repatriation of refugees who have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh. We are prepared to start the verification process at any time, Suu Kyi said.

She said the repatriation would follow the principles of an agreement with Bangladesh in the early 1990s that allowed the return of Rohingya who could prove residence in Myanmar.

We will abide by the criteria that was agreed on at that time, said Suu Kyi. Those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems and with full assurance of their security and access to humanitarian aid.

But verification will be complicated. Most Rohingya fled with few belongings while homes -- potentially containing any documentation -- have been torched.

File photo of Abdul Kareem, a Rohingya Muslim man, carrying his mother, Alima Khatoon, to a refugee camp after crossing over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, at Teknaf. (AP)

See for yourself

Suu Kyi appealed for outside observers to visit Myanmar and see the situation for themselves -- despite the severe restrictions her government has placed on access to the conflict zone in northern Rakhine.

Humanitarian aid has been severely curtailed in the region since late August and the media have only been allowed into the area on government-run visits.

We invite you to join us, to talk to us, to discuss with us, to go with us to the problem areas, where we can guarantee security for you, she said.

We would like you to join us there, see for yourself what is happening, think for yourself, what can you do to remove these problems?

Give Myanmar time

Suu Kyi appealed for understanding of Myanmars emergence from decades of military rule.

The army loosened its monopoly on power in 2011 but has retained control of security policy and other key branches of government.

Burma is a complex nation as you all know, Suu Kyi said. And its complexities are compounded by the fact that people expect us to overcome all these challenges in as short a time as possible.

We are a young and fragile democracy facing many problems. But we have to cope with them all at the same time... we cannot just concentrate on a few.

It is sad that in meeting with our diplomatic community I am obliged to focus on just a very few of our problems, when there are so many which I think we could resolve together.
A Sikh family in Australia won a legal battle on Tuesday against a Christian school which refused to enrol their five-year-old son because of his turban.

Sidhak Singh Arora was due to start preparatory at Melton Christian College in Melbournes northwest this year.

But his patka (childrens turban) does not comply with the schools uniform policy which prohibits students from wearing any type of religious head covering.

Sagardeep Singh Arora and his wife Anureet said the school breached the Equal Opportunity Act act by not allowing Sidhak to wear a patka when they tried to enrol him in 2016, Herald Sun reported.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) ruled in the parents favour, finding the school had discriminated against Sidhak, it said.

Whilst MCC is a Christian school, it has an open enrolment policy which means that it accepts enrolments of students from other faiths, VCAT member Julie Grainger found.

A little over 50% of the school community does not identify explicitly as Christian and many families at the school have no religious beliefs, the report said.

It is not reasonable to accept enrolment applications from students from non-Christian faiths only on the condition that they do not look like they practice a non-Christian religion, it said.

The school could have amended its uniform policy to allow Sidhak to wear a turban in school colours, the VCAT finding added.

Grainger ordered the parents and the school to sit down and negotiate an agreement on what orders can be made to resolve the situation.

The Aroras previously said they still wanted Sidhak to attend the school, as it is where his cousins study, and it is close to their home.
Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet military officer who is widely credited with helping prevent a nuclear war with the United States, has died aged 77, his son told AFP on Tuesday.

Petrov, whose extraordinary story was told in a documentary titled The Man Who Saved The World, received several international awards, was honoured at the United Nations and met Hollywood superstars such as Robert De Niro and Matt Damon.

Yet Petrov lived in a small town outside Moscow and died in relative obscurity on May 19, his death making headlines in Russia and abroad only months later when a German friend wrote a blog post about his death.

In September 1983, Petrov was an officer on duty at a secret command centre south of Moscow when an alarm went off signalling that the United States had launched intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The officer  who had only a few minutes to make a decision and was not sure about the incoming data  dismissed the warning as a false alarm.

Had he told his commanders of an imminent US nuclear strike, the Soviet leadership  locked in an arms race with Washington  might have ordered a retaliatory strike.

Instead the 44-year-old lieutenant colonel reported a system malfunction and an investigation that followed afterwards proved he was right.

He simply did his job

Petrov came home only several days later but did not tell his family about what had happened.

He came home knackered but did not tell us anything, his son Dmitry said.

Several months later Petrov received an award for services to the Fatherland but the incident at the control centre was kept secret for many years.

In 1984, he left the military and settled in the town of Fryazino some 20 kilometres northeast of Moscow.

Petrovs story only came to light after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and over the years he became the subject of numerous media reports in Russia and abroad.

A modest, self-effacing man, Petrov never thought of himself as a hero, said his son.

My father could not have cared less. He was always surprised that people were making a hero out of him, he said.

He simply did his job well, Petrovs son said, adding that his father received some hundred letters from Europeans thanking him for averting the outbreak of a nuclear war.

The Man Who Saved the World, a documentary film directed by Danish filmmaker Peter Anthony and narrated by US actor Kevin Costner, was released in 2014.

Footage of the elderly Petrov is combined with re-enactments of what happened at that secret control centre in 1983.

I categorically refused to be guilty of starting World War III, Petrov said in the film. I felt like I was being led to an execution, he said of those dramatic moments.
After months of Brexit talks that have made little progress and deepened rifts in her party, British Prime Minister Theresa May will try this week to put the negotiations on track and reassert her authority.

In a speech in the Italian city of Florence, May will set out on Friday her vision for future ties with the European Union and try to fill an apparent policy vacuum that has left her Brexit team adopting what Brussels regards as wrecking tactics in the talks on unravelling four decades of union.

The 60-year-old leader has deliberately chosen an EU city to deliver the speech so that she can speak directly to the other 27 nations in the bloc, but has her work cut out in seizing back the initiative.

May has been largely quiet on Brexit since her Conservative Party lost its parliamentary majority in a June election that she need not have called, saying little beyond expressing her support for a deep and special partnership with the bloc once Britain leaves in March 2019.

But days before the speech, foreign minister Boris Johnson laid out his own Brexit vision, challenging her more cautious approach and exposing the fault lines in her party and government.

EU negotiators are also frustrated with what they see as Britains policy drift. At talks in August, British officials spent almost three hours picking holes in the legal basis for the bill that the EU expects London to pay to leave.

Sources familiar with the presentation -- so detailed it stretched for 11 pages and was illustrated with 23 slides -- called it a show of legal muscle. But, as Brexit minister David Davis said, the meeting was even tetchier than the one before.

The reason lawyers gave a two-and-a-half hour presentation is because no government minister had made a decision on policy, said Andrew Hood, who was a legal adviser to former prime minister David Cameron and still has contact with lawyers in several government departments.

The August talks were almost cancelled by the EU side because of Britains lack of position, Hood told Reuters. I always thought when I was in the foreign office that if you ever need to revert to lawyers youve probably lost, he said.

Hood now advises companies on their Brexit strategy for law firm Dechert but took part in meetings with the EU under Cameron, who resigned last year after Britons voted for Brexit.

The financial settlement with Brussels is one of the most difficult parts of the Brexit negotiations, but the lack of movement so far on even the mechanics of how to calculate the sum shows the difficulties facing Britain.

RIFTS, SPLITS AND FRUSTRATION

May is walking a tightrope between hardline Conservative Brexit supporters who want to make sure any payment is as small as possible, and some top ministers who believe Britain must pay to keep ties as close as possible.

Until now, she has largely let her government do the talking by setting out a wishlist for future relations with the bloc that aims for the closest of ties without the costs. May has also stuck to a belief that by playing her cards close to her chest, Britain will force EU negotiators into concessions.

But her silence has allowed other voices to emerge. The main opposition Labour Party says it would keep Britain in the single European market and customs union during a transitional period, the Liberal Democrats are demanding a second referendum and the Scottish National Party wants Scotland to remain part of the EU.

Their opposition is to be expected, but criticism from Mays own team is not, and has raised eyebrows.

In a weekend newspaper article, Johnson wrote that he did not expect Britain to pay for access to the EUs market, putting him at odds with finance minister Philip Hammond and May, who has spoken of paying in.

At the August talks, left without clear policy direction, Davis and his teams detailed dissection of the EUs arguments on the Brexit bill left the blocs main negotiator Michel Barnier wondering whether we can build trust and start discussing a future relationship.

Weeks earlier, a former aide to May had praised the emerging agreement in her cabinet over the need for a transition deal and a divorce settlement -- something that seemed remote after last years Brexit referendum.

But though there may be agreement on this in principle, the difference lies in the detail and has opened a deep rift. Hammond wants a transition as close as possible to the status quo while others, such as trade minister Liam Fox, do not want to stay in the single market or pay for access.

Pro-Brexit lawmakers have also balked at suggestions Britain should pay 60 billion ($72 billion) for the divorce, and Mays aides have poured cold water on reports that there could be a compromise to reduce the headline figure by paying 10 billion a year to the EU during a transition.

In a move that appeared intended to tighten her control over the Brexit talks, May appointed the top official at the Brexit ministry as her EU adviser on Monday.

But resetting the talks is a tough order, and aides are silent on whether May will use the Florence speech to try to break the deadlock on the financial settlement.

Officials in Brussels are not holding their breath.

The EU has taken the black veil off and is getting on with its life, one EU official said after the August talks. The Brits are either completely overconfident or completely overwhelmed.
US President Donald Trump told world leaders on Tuesday that it is time to expose and hold responsible those countries that provide funding and safe havens to terror groups, weeks after he warned Pakistan for supporting agents of chaos.

In his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and the Islamic extremist that inspires them.

We will stop radical Islamic terrorism, because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation and, indeed, to tear up the entire world, he said.

It is time to expose and hold responsible nations that provide funding and safe havens to terror groups, Trump said without naming any country.

He said countries must deny the terrorists safe havens, transit, funding and any form of support for their vile and sinister ideology.

We must drive them out from our nations. It is time to expose and hold those responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like al-Qaeda, Hezabollah and the Taliban and others, he said.

The US president said America and its allies were working together to crush the terrorists and prevent the re-emergence of safe heavens they use to launch attacks.

Recalling his new strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia, Trump said it was aimed at defeating terrorists in war-torn Afghanistan.

From now onwards the security agencies will dictate the length and scope of military operations, not our betraying benchmarks and timetables set up by politicians, he said.

I have also totally changed the rules of engagements of our fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups, he said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is currently here, heading his countrys delegation to the UN General Assembly session.

Last month, Trump had issued the sternest warning yet by an American leader to Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists.

Trump said another pillar of his new strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia was a change in Americas approach to Pakistan, considered a long-time ally of Washington.

Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror..., Trump had said.

Trump had also slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, Trump had said on August 21.
President Donald Trumps personal lawyer Michael Cohen said Tuesday he had no ties to Russian interference in the 2016 election and saw not a hint that Trump himself was involved, labelling such allegations political.

But Cohens decision to go public with his statement ahead of a planned closed-door hearing by the Senate Intelligence Committee added to the rising tensions between investigators and the White House over the probe into possible collusion with Russian election meddling.

Angered lawmakers cancelled the meeting  one of a series of closed interviews with people close to the president  and announced Cohen could expect to be questioned in an open hearing in the future.

We were disappointed that Mr. Cohen decided to pre-empt todays interview by releasing a public statement prior to his engagement with committee staff, in spite of the committees requests that he refrain from public comment, said Senators Richard Burr and Mark Warner, committee chair and vice chair, respectively.

But Cohens lawyer Stephen Ryan suggested the legislators had already broken their agreement when someone last week leaked out the date of Cohens appearance at the committee.

Intentionally salacious accusations

In his written statement, Cohen said a British intelligence agents dossier that tied him to Russian election interference was riddled with falsehoods and intentionally salacious accusations.

I have never engaged with, been paid by, paid for, or conversed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else to hack or interfere with the election, Cohen said.

Given my own proximity to the president of the United States as a candidate, let me also say that I never saw anything  not a hint of anything  that demonstrated his involvement in Russian interference in our election or any form of Russian collusion.

Cohen said that the Russian meddling issue has been politicized to discredit our lawfully elected president and shame his supporters.

He also denied any link between an effort by Trump, a billionaire developer, to launch a luxury Trump Tower in Moscow and the election. Cohen said the project proposal was terminated in January 2016, before the first caucuses and primaries for choosing the candidates for the White House.

You can oppose the presidents points of view and his policies, but not raise false issues about the validity of his victory, Cohen said.

Wiretaps and subpoenas

The Senate committee is one of three congressional committees interviewing Trump advisors and family members in the sprawling probe into how Russia intervened in last years election to damage front-runner Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, and boost Trump.

US intelligence agencies say Russian President Vladimir Putin himself directed the effort, and Senate and Justice Department investigators have been chasing links between the Trump campaign and Moscow for evidence of collusion.

On Monday, CNN reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had run wiretaps on Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign chairman, under secret court orders before and after the election. That raised the possibility that investigators may have picked up communications between Manafort and other Trump officials, including conceivably the president himself.

And The New York Times reported that the special prosecutor handling the case under the Justice Department, Robert Mueller, has been aggressively subpoenaing all possible witnesses to speak to a grand jury.
The head of a United Nations investigation into violence in Myanmar asked on Tuesday for more time to look into allegations of mass killings of Rohingya Muslims, as well as torture, sexual violence and the burning of villages.

Marzuki Darusman told his sponsors in the UN Human Rights Council he was also still waiting for Myanmars permission to enter the country, though he was hopeful there would be progress soon.

Darusmans team started its work in August, the month that attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents triggered a military response that has forced more than 410,000 Rohingya into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Myanmar has denied rights groups accusations that it is trying to drive the minority community out of Rakhine state, saying it is only targeting militants.

Darusman told the Geneva-based council the time left until his current March 2018 deadline was utterly insufficient and asked for a six-month extension.

Now facing an escalating situation in northern Rakhine that is increasing our workload exponentially, we are deeply concerned about our ability to verify the facts necessary to produce a report of the depth and quality that is expected of us by March.

Darusman said he was he hopeful there would be progress in his request to enter Myanmar, following an address by its leader Aung San Suu Kyi from which he said two main points emerged.

One, the categorical readiness of the government of Myanmar to receive back returnees at any time on the basis of a procedure that will have to be discussed at some point. And secondly, the readiness of the government to undertake be globally scrutinised by the international community. These two points bode well.

His mission is meant to assess the situation across all of Myanmar since 2011.

Myanmars ambassador Htin Lynn told the Council that Myanmar was making efforts to restore peace, law and order and harmony.

Proportionate security measures targeted only on terrorists are being taken to safeguard our state security, and to restore law and order, he said.

We continue to believe that instituting such a mission is not a helpful course of action in solving the already intricate Rakhine issue with daunting challenges.
The US Senate passed a legislation on Monday that for the first time proposes to make payments to Pakistan for its cooperation in the war in Afghanistan incumbent on action taken by it against the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the banned terror group founded by Hafiz Saeed.

An amount of $350 million, which is half of the $700 million set aside under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) for compensating Pakistan for its cooperation in operations in Afghanistan, will be tied to Islamabads actions against LeT.

This will be in addition to the action required against the Haqqani Network, which has been part of the precondition for three years. The LeT has primarily targeted India but it has also been increasingly blamed for attacks on American forces in Afghanistan.

This is only a proposal, technically, that will make it to the final legislation only if it is reconciled with the version of the defence budget proposed and passed by the House of Representatives during a legislative process called conference, which may or may not approve the Senates proposal.

But the proposal itself, of tying the payments to Pakistani action against the LeT, was described by Senate officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the implications freely, as symbolically significant and reflecting the sense of the Senate and its frustration with an untrustworthy ally.

According to Section 1213 of the Defense Authorization Bill passed by the Senate for 2018  which is essentially the proposed $700 billion defence budget  the CSF payment will be incumbent on Pakistan conducting military operations that are contributing to significantly disrupting the safe havens, fundraising and recruiting efforts, and freedom of movement of the Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (another way to spell Lashkar-e-Taiba) in Pakistan.

The bill added that Pakistan must show it has taken steps to demonstrate its commitment to prevent the Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba from using any Pakistan territory as a safe haven and for fundraising and recruiting efforts.

Pakistan must also show that it is making an attempt to actively coordinate with the Government of Afghanistan to restrict the movement of militants, such as the Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Islamabad must also demonstrate progress in arresting and prosecuting senior leaders and mid-level operatives of the Haqqani Network and LeT.

Pakistan doesnt stand to lose too much because of this new addition to conditions because it is already not able to collect the full amount due to the US administrations failure to certify it is doing enough against the Haqqani Network.

But, as a US official said on background, this was a big signal from the Senate.
The US will send more than 3,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to shore up security under President Donald Trumps new strategy for the war-torn country.

Defence secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday that most of the troops were either on their way or had been notified of their deployment.

It is exactly over 3,000 somewhat, and frankly I havent signed the last of the orders right now as we look at specific, small elements that are going, Mattis told reporters.

Most of them are on their way or under orders now and Id prefer not to give any more information that helps the enemy.

The troops will bolster the approximately 11,000 American personnel already in Afghanistan, where the Taliban controls or contests 40% of the countrys 407 districts.

Last month, Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan policy aimed at pushing back the Taliban, who continue to mount deadly attacks and control large areas of territory.

Graphic on US troop deployment and death toll in Afghanistan since 2001, plus map showing the latest assessment of Taliban and Islamic State presence in the country. (AFP)

US generals have for months described the situation in Afghanistan as a stalemate despite years of support for Afghan partners, continued help from a NATO coalition and an overall cost in fighting and reconstruction to the US of more than $1 trillion.

The war turns 16 next month, and is Americas longest conflict.

The news of the troop deployment to Afghanistan coincided with the US Senate approving a bill that authorises a $700 billion Pentagon budget, $60 billion for wartime missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.

Trump had earlier advocated a US withdrawal from Afghanistan but changed his mind after US generals convinced him that the costs of pulling out would be worse than remaining.

His new strategy for Afghanistan will take a page from successful US efforts over the past two years to strengthen Iraqi security forces against the Islamic State group with better training, logistical support and the battlefield backup of US artillery and air strikes on enemy positions.

The US is also pressing NATO partners to increase their troop levels in Afghanistan.

Trump has also criticised Pakistan for providing safe havens to terror groups responsible for attacks in Afghanistan.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned Tuesday that the United States would forfeit the trust of the international community if it abandons a nuclear accord with Tehran.

If the United States were not to adhere to the commitments and trample upon this agreement, this will mean it will carry with it the subsequent lack of trust of countries, Rouhani, in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, told NBC.

After such a possible scenario, which country would be willing to sit across a table from the United States of America and talk about international issues?

The greatest capital that any country has is trust and credibility.

In his address to the UN on Tuesday, Trump strongly hinted that his administration was ready to abandon the agreement by calling it an embarrassment to the United States.

Were Trump to abandon the seven-nation deal which was agreed in 2015, Rouhani said Iran could resume its previous nuclear activities which it has always insisted was solely to meet its energy needs.

Certainly what I mean is a return to peaceful activities only, he said.

Clearly, unequivocally, we were members of the (nuclear) non-proliferation treaty. We were signatories to it, we did not and do not intend to leave it.

We are also adhering to additional protocols, so we will never go towards production of nuclear weapons.

Just as in the past we never intended going towards that path nor did we ever -- it has always been peaceful.

Trump, who has previously called the agreement the worst deal ever negotiated, has to certify in mid-October whether he believes Iran is abiding by the agreement.

He gave his strongest hint to date in Tuesdays address that he would quit the accord by telling his fellow leaders that the deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I dont think youve heard the last of it.
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n one of those ironic twists of history, a monument erected to honor Confederate troops who fought at the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg somehow now bears the name of a Union generalthe victor of the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg, no less! Known today as Meades Pyramid, the 23-foot-tall structurebuilt of 17 tons of stacked granitewas erected in 1897 by the Confederate Memorial Literary Society to mark where Stonewall Jacksons troops foiled Maj. Gen. George Meades breakthrough on the Confederate right on December 13. As the 20th century approached, the society had asked Virginia railroad executives to erect signs at historic locations across the state. The president of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad decided instead to erect a smaller version of the 90-foot-tall stone pyramid honoring Confederate dead placed in Richmonds Hollywood Cemetery in 1869. One plus: Since its come to be known as Meades Pyramid, its unlikely this Confederate monument will be slated for removal anytime soon.
I was soon alongside of the chap who had wounded me. Raising myself in the strirrups, I shot him through the head.

YEARS BEFORE HE WOULD BE KNOWN TO MILLIONS of Americans simply as Buffalo Bill, William F. Cody (18461917) dreamed of making a name for himself in the military. After trying unsuccessfully at the outset of the Civil War to enlist in the Union army (he was rejected as being too young), Cody went on, in the last years of the war, to serve as a scout for the 7th Kansas Cavalry. In 1868 he went to work for the U.S. Army, operating out of Fort Ellsworth, Kansas, as a civilian scout and guide for the 5th Cavalry. During the Plains Wars he fought in 16 battles, including the Cheyenne defeat at Summit Springs, Colorado, in 1869.

On April 26, 1872, Cody became one of only four civilian scouts to be awarded the Medal of Honor for valor in action during the Indian Wars. But his medal was revoked in 1917 on the grounds that he hadnt been a regular member of the armed forces. (It was reinstated in 1989 by the Army Board for Correction of Military Records.)

In 1883 Cody created what would become Buffalo Bills Wild West, a touring extravaganza that over the next three decades would propel him to worldwide fame.

UPON REACHING FORT McPHERSON, I FOUND that the 3rd Cavalry, commanded by General [Colonel Joseph J.] Reynolds, had arrived from Arizona, in which Territory they had been on duty for some time, and where they had acquired quite a reputation on account of their Indian fighting qualities. Shortly after my return, a small party of Indians made a dash on McPherson station, about five miles from the fort, killing two or three men and running off quite a large number of horses. Captain [Charles] Meinhold and Lieutenant [Laurin L.] Lawson with their company were ordered out to pursue and punish the Indians if possible. I was the guide of the expedition and had an assistant, T. B. Omohundro, better known as Texas Jack, and who was a scout at the post.

Finding the trail, I followed it for two days, although it was difficult trailing because the red-skins had taken every possible precaution to conceal their tracks. On the second day Captain Meinhold went into camp on the South fork of the Loupe, at a point where the trail was badly scattered. Six men were detailed to accompany me on a scout in search of the camp of the fugitives. We had gone but a short distance when we discovered Indians camped, not more than a mile away, with horses grazing near by. They were only a small party, and I determined to charge upon them with my six men, rather than return to the command, because I feared they would see us as we went back and then they would get away from us entirely. I asked the men if they were willing to attempt it, and they replied that they would follow me wherever I would lead them. That was the kind of spirit that pleased me, and we immediately moved forward on the enemy, getting as close to them as possible without being seen.

I finally gave the signal to charge, and we dashed into the little camp with a yell. Five Indians sprang out of a willow tepee, and greeted us with a volley, and we returned the fire. I was riding Buckskin Joe, who with a few jumps brought me up to the tepee, followed by my men. We nearly ran over the Indians who were endeavoring to reach their horses on the opposite side of the creek. Just as one was jumping the narrow stream a bullet from my old Lucretia overtook him. He never reached the other bank, but dropped dead in the water. Those of the Indians who were guarding the horses, seeing what was going on at the camp, came rushing to the rescue of their friends. I now counted 13 braves, but as we had already disposed of two, we had only 11 to take care of. The odds were nearly two to one against us.

WHILE THE INDIAN RE-ENFORCEMENTS WERE APPROACHING the camp I jumped the creek with Buckskin Joe to meet them, expecting our party would follow me; but as they could not induce their horses to make the leap, I was the only one who got over. I ordered the sergeant to dismount his men, leaving one to hold the horses, and come over with the rest and help me drive the Indians off. Before they could do this, two mounted warriors closed in on me and were shooting at short range. I returned their fire and had the satisfaction of seeing one of them fall from his horse. At this moment I felt blood trickling down my forehead, and hastily running my hand through my hair I discovered that I had received a scalp wound. The Indian, who had shot me, was not more than 10 yards away, and when he saw his partner tumble from his saddle he turned to run.

By this time the soldiers had crossed the creek to assist me, and were blazing away at the other Indians. Urging Buckskin Joe forward, I was soon alongside of the chap who had wounded me, when raising myself in the stirrups I shot him through the head.

The reports of our guns had been heard by Captain Meinhold, who at once started with his company up the creek to our aid, and when the remaining Indians, whom we were still fighting, saw these re-enforcements coming, they whirled their horses and fled; as their steeds were quite fresh they made their escape. However, we killed six out of the 13 Indians, and captured most of their stolen stock. Our loss was one man killed, and anothermyselfslightly wounded. One of our horses was killed, and Buckskin Joe was wounded, but I didnt discover the fact until some time afterwards, as he had been shot in the breast and showed no signs of having received a scratch of any kind. Securing the scalps of the dead Indians and other trophies we returned to the fort. MHQ

Excerpted from W. F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) and William Lightfoot Visscher, Buffalo Bills Own Story of His Life and Deeds (Homewood Press, 1917).

Photo: Yellowstonecountry.org

[hr]

This article appears in the Summer 2017 issue (Vol. 29, No. 4) of MHQThe Quarterly Journal of Military History with the headline: On the Trail of the Indians

Want to have the lavishly illustrated, premium-quality print edition of MHQ delivered directly to you four times a year? Subscribe now at special savings!
Military historian and Civil War Times advisory board member Susannah J. Urals new book, Hoods Texas Brigade: The Soldiers and Families of the Confederacys Most Celebrated Unit (LSU Press) elaborates on her long-standing argument that to truly understand Civil War soldiers and the effectiveness of combat units, scholars must look at both traditional military questions of leadership, training, and combat effectiveness as well as the men themselves and the families and communities that sustained (or failed to sustain) their service. The excerpt that follows relates to one of the Texas Brigades most famous engagements at the Battle of Antietam, where they suffered tremendous casualties as a divided force and by fighting too fast. They were, however, saved by the leadership, unit cohesion, and sense of sacrifice that made this one of the Confederacys best fighting brigades.

[dropcap]B[/dropcap]rigadier General John B. Hoods 2,000-man division formed up and marched by the right flank, crossing Hagerstown Pike in front of the Dunker Church as Brig. Gen. A.R. Lawtons Division fell back around them along with their wounded commander, carried on a litter. Years later, replaying the scene in his mind and knowing what awaited them, Hood marveled at all his men had been through that year, yet they remained indomitable amid every trial, he observed. Jim Polk remembered the moment as well, noting that our ranks were so reduced that regiments looked like companies and brigades like regiments. Still, the men were so anxious to engage in battle that accounts have them firing on Federals immediately after clearing the West Woods, before they had formally formed into line and advanced. It reinforced the image, W.T. Hill later admitted, that Hoods Texans sometimes fought too fast, but it also reinforced the determination Hood sensed.

Hoods Division moved toward farmer David Millers fields from the Smoketown Road. Before the Texas Brigade, commanded by Colonel William T. Wofford, a ridge of ground immediately south of the Cornfield hid them from the two 12-pounder Napoleons of Battery B, 4th U.S. artillery near Millers barn. As Hoods men advanced, however, four more Federal guns would come up, bringing the total to six.

Woffords and Evander M. Laws brigades faced north and extended about one-quarter mile to the east just north of Smoketown Road. On the far left of the Texas Brigade, anchored on the Hagerstown Pike, were the 77 men of Wade Hamptons Legion under the command of Lt. Col. Martin Gary. To his right was the 18th Georgia, Woffords old regiment, led by Lt. Col. Solon Ruff. To their right were the 1st Texas under Lt. Col. P.A. Work, Lt. Col. B.F. Carters 4th Texas, and finally the 5th Texas, their ranks so depleted a few weeks earlier at Second Manassas that they were led by a captain, Georgia-born Ike Turner. Though one of the youngest officers on the field, Turner was respected in the ranks for his daring leadership. Indeed, amid all the upheaval of officer selections, rejections, and elections between 1861 and 1862, Company K remained loyal to their youthful captain who had helped organize the company.

On the left, Hamptons Legion and the 18th Georgia fired a withering volley into John Gibbons brigade, specifically the 2nd and 6th Wisconsin and the 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters coming down the pike. It cut like a scythe running through the line, recalled Rufus Dawes, commander of the 6th Wisconsin. Two out of every three of the men who went to the front of the line were shot. The Federals who could still move raced for life back to the Cornfield, where the stalks, surprisingly intact despite all of the fighting, offered some cover. Hood assessed the situation on the right of his line and ordered the 5th Texas to the far right of the division in the East Woods to assist Law with that Federal threat.

Hood also ordered the 4th Texas to lay down momentarily, though two of Carters companies failed to hear the order and continued forward. The left of the brigade continued to pour withering fire into the Wisconsin volunteers and U.S. Sharpshooters. James Lemon of the 18th Georgia watched as the Federals opposite him shuddered & broke. The Georgians and South Carolinians drove Gibbon and Phelpss men back through the corn until Federal reinforcements began arriving. It was the 7th Wisconsin and the 19th Indiana, followed by two regiments from 3rd Brigade commander Marsena Patrick, attacking from a ledge just north of the West Woods. These men slowed the Confederate advance, while fire from Battery B of the 4th U.S. artillery brought it to a halt.

The Federal artillerymens double loads of canister tore through the Texas Brigades left flank. Hood ordered Lt. Colonel Carter, who had not quite reached the Cornfield, to shift the 4th Texas to the far left to offer some support. They rushed past Hamptons Legion and fell in with Carters front running parallel along the pike. The air was so full of shot and shell, Polk noted in Company I, that it seemed almost impossible for a rat to live in such a place. Men sought any kind of cover, even outcroppings of rocks, but there was little they could do but return fire as rapidly as possible. I didnt take time to load my gun, Polk explained, for there were plenty of loaded guns lying on the ground by the side of the dead and wounded men, and they were not all Confederates: the Blue and the Gray were all mixed up. Fourth Texan Haywood Brahan also found some cover behind fence rails along the east side of the Hagerstown Pike, and noted wryly that here they enjoyed the full benefit of Federal minnie bullets from our front, as well as grape and canister from the Federal batteries that swept the Turnpike.

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]eanwhile, Hamptons Legion and the 18th Georgia, moving to Carters right, also shifted part of their line to the left to return fire into the West Woods but also to continue their assault on Battery B. The 18th Georgia surged forward, and James Lemon staggered as the Napoleons blew large gaps in our lines. The Georgians concentrated their fire on the gunners, hoping to silence the crews at a distance of less than 70 yards. They advanced again, but another blast from the battery tore through the ranks and Lemon saw his wifes brothers, William and Marcus Davenport, cut down together, united in death as in life.

The 18th Georgia made three separate assaults on Battery B, but the Federal artillery fire produced great destruction, tearing through the 18th Georgia and the infantrymen of Hamptons Legion. The forces were so close together that the guns, firing double loads of canister, destroyed whole ranks and left corpses piled on top of each other. Opposite Gibbons right and trying to maintain some sense of order in Hamptons Legion, Colonel Martin Gary looked for their flag, knowing that when the men could no longer hear commands they could at least stay somewhat formed around their regimental colors. Gary marveled at the astonishing rate at which it dropped and rose again. Herod Wilson, of Company F, the bearer of the colors[was] shot down, Gary observed. They were raised by James Estes, of Company E, and he was shot down. They were then taken up by D.P. Poppenheim, of Company A, and he, too, was shot down. Maj. J.H. Dingle Jr., then caught them and began to advance with them, exclaiming, Legion, follow your colors! until Dingle fell along the turnpike, not 50 yards from the Federal line. Gary then picked up the colors himself until another man volunteered to carry them forward as Gary worked to direct his mens fire.

While the three left regiments were engaged along the turnpike, Works 1st Texans continued to advance. Their right was left exposed by several factors: when the 5th Texas shifted toward Laws right, when Hood ordered the 4th Texas to the Hagerstown Pike, and by Laws axis of advance. That vulnerability was amplified when the 1st Texas noticed portions of Abner Doubledays division retreating. Sensing weakness, the Texans rushed forward despite Works shouts to hold the line. Discipline was never the the 1st Texas strong suite, and the regiment raced on until they came to a fence along the northern edge of the Cornfield. There they stumbled into about 600 men of Lt. Col. Robert Andersons brigade of Pennsylvania Reserves, supported by Dunbar Ransoms battery.

Andersons men were lying on the ground, with some concealed by fence rails they had stacked before them. Armed with smoothbores and firing buck and ball, they could just make out the Texans legs beneath the smoke and their flag. At first Anderson thought it was a U.S. flag. When he realized they were Confederates, the Texans were just 30 yards away. The Pennsylvanians fired a volley, and a collective groan came up from Works men as they stumbled backward. It may have been here that Company Is Captain W.A. Bedell fell when a ball tore through his face. It broke his cheek bone, continued under his right eye, and exited behind his right ear. Moments later, a second ball cut through his shoulder, but the pain was so much less than the first that Bedell declared this a flesh wound. A third round nearly killed him but flew high and left a hole in his hat.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]exans were on the ground all around Bedell, but the officers and men still able to fight rallied and organized. What the 1st Texas lacked in discipline, they made up for in determination and courage. Having formed, they lunged forward once more, and then again, but they could not break the Pennsylvanians. Compounding the problem was that in their ill-advised dash after Doubledays men, the 1st Texas advanced at least 150 yards ahead of the rest of its division. They were fighting almost within Federal lines, and their lines of sight were nearly nonexistent. The corn stalks all around them stood about seven feet high, making it impossible to see (or be seen) beyond a few feet. All of this contributed to the astonishingly high casualties the 1st Texas suffered, and Works difficulty maintaining command and control.

Work called desperately for reinforcements. Captain John Woodward of Company G and Acting Adjutant J. Winkfield Shropshire were both sent to request support, as was Private Amos G. Hanks of Company F, and finally Private Hicks, but reinforcements never came. Work later discovered that Shropshire and Hanks were killed, while Hicks was hit so badly that his leg would require amputation. Work was struggling to bring his men together for a disciplined withdrawal when Major Matt Dale approached and reported that nearly half the regiment was down and they needed to withdraw before they lost the rest. He had to cup his hand around his mouth and shout into Works ear to be heard, and just after completing his warning, Dale fell, killed instantly at Works side.

Concluding that his men could no longer advance or defend an attack, and worried that their line of retreat could be cut off, Work ordered them to fall back. Somewhere along their withdrawal, they realized that they had left their regimental colors, a gift from the brigades first commanders wife. Work had seen it when they started falling back, but the color-bearer, like others before him, was wounded or possibly killed. The corn made it impossible to know for sure, though the men later learned that John Hanson, James Day, Charles H. Kingsley, and James K. Malone were all wounded while carrying the colors; all would survive. Significantly, they were all 1861 volunteers, and all but Hanson suffered discipline problems within the regiment. Both Kingsley and Day were returned to the ranks after promotions in 1863, and that same year James Malone was arrested by local authorities in Richmond. Their blend of ill-discipline and uncommon courage while trying to raise the regimental colors at Antietam captured the character of the 1st Texas.

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]eanwhile, Ike Turners 5th Texas and Laws Brigade continued their fight in the East Woods. Captain Turner called for reinforcements when increased Federal fire indicated that Maj. Gen. Joseph K.F. Mansfields 12th Corps had advanced to strengthen the Union lines. Some of D.H. Hills men, from Samuel Garlands old brigade, arrived, though these men of D.K. McRaes brigade were actually sent to help strengthen A.H. Colquitts right flank on the western side of the East Woods. McRae would later report that confusion ensued because of conflicting orders and a cry to cease firing because they were shooting their own men. In the midst of this, a Federal force appeared on their right, and shouts went down the line that they were flanked. Suddenly, the men broke and ran.

From the 5th Texass perspective, however, these men were here to support them, and instead McRaes Brigade had barely fired a volley before they broke. Mark Smither was stunned, and Ike Turner was furious. He called out to our men to fire at them as they ran out and then as the men prepared to do so, laughingly countermanded the order, Smither recalled. Turner realized with disgust that his men were out of ammunition, support was not coming, and Federals were less than 100 feet away. Having noted that the rest of his division had already pulled back, he deemed it prudent to fall back also.

It was about 8:30 a.m. when Turners men moved back toward the West Woods. The rest of Hoods Division had pulled back an hour earlier. Federals and Confederates would engage in similarly brutal fights for the rest of the day, but Hoods men, what was left of them, would not reengage.

As the men formed for muster and surgeons filed reports, Hood discovered that B.F. Carter and Ike Turner had lost nearly half their regimentskilled, wounded, or missingwhile Solon Ruffs Georgians suffered nearly 60 percent casualties, and Martin Garys South Carolinians lost almost 80 percent. But it was the 1st Texas losses that stunned everyone.

Of the 211 men P.A. Work had led across the Hagerstown Pike and through Millers fields, 182 of them were killed, wounded, or missing. No one remained from Company F, and Company A had just one survivor. Company C could offer the macabre boast of two soldiers, and Company E had three. Company M had the best survival rate, if one could call it that: 11 of its members survived the fight. With over 86 percent casualties, the 1st Texas had suffered the highest percentage of losses of any regiment in a single battle in the entire war. While the rest of the regiments of the Texas Brigade lost fewer men, the brigade still reported 64 percent overall losses.

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the days and weeks after Antietam, the brigades families in Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina heard about the battle in newspapers before they got specifics about their loved ones. Cecelia Morse confessed that every battle has so much terror attached to it that I dread to hear, but then admitted that by mid-October, she had learned from Mr. Edeylikely Arthur Edey, the Houston Tri-Weekly Telegraph editor who served as an agent for the 5th Texas at the Texas Depot in Richmondthat her husband, Henry, and his brother William were well when he had last heard from the 5th Texas. But Cecelia had not heard from Henry directly since he was in Frederick, Md., marching toward Sharpsburg.

In Oso, Texas, Lizzie Penn Menefee was still mourning her cousin Robert Sullivan, killed at Gaines Mill, when word arrived that her husband, Quin, had been badly wounded. Patrick Penn struggled to give his sister all the details he had, but he had been too sick to fight at Antietam, and everything he knew was secondhand. He assured her that Quin was alive, but he had been captured, and Patrick was sure that surgeons had amputated Quins right leg. It was too badly broken to save. He promised Lizzie, though, that Quin was in good hands and with fellow Texans.

For other families, though, Antietam proved far more destructive. Josh Kindred, the soldier who stayed behind with the wounded at Antietam whom Patrick Penn mentioned in his letter, was one of six brothers in Company F of the 4th Texas. Only Elisha joined the 4th Texas in the summer of 1861, but by March 1862, brothers Joshua (32), John (28), Joseph (20), and James (16) had joined Elisha, who was promoted to second lieutenant on September 11. Six days later, in their desperate fight along the Hagerstown Pike, Joseph and James were wounded, John was killed, and Joshua remained behind to help care for them and other Texans like Quin Menefee. Joseph never recovered, dying of his wounds, though there was so much suffering that the army was not sure exactly when he died. The youngest, James, was given a furlough to return home to Texas to recover. He never rejoined Company F. But Joshua returned to the Texas Brigade after he was exchanged, and he and Elisha, later promoted to captain, would continue on in Company F.

Accounts from countless units recognized the bravery of the Texans at Antietam, and they were accurate, but the other truth was that the brigade was nearly destroyed that year. In the three major battles of 1862, the Texas Brigade suffered 1,786 casualties. This reflected one of the unusual facts about this unit. Whereas most Civil War soldiers died of disease rather than in combat, the opposite was true about the Texas Brigade. The majority of their deaths occurred on the battlefield or as a result of battle-related wounds. Shocked by the brutality of the fighting in 1862, some of the survivors who were officers and could secure transfers to other units returned home. But the vast majority of the officers and enlisted men remained steadfast in the beliefs that led them to Virginia in 1861 and 1862.

When they were exchanged from Federal prisons, they made their way back to the Texas Brigade, not to their homes. Similarly, the majority of wounded men recovering at home in 1862 would return next spring for the 1863 campaign season. They were getting a bit tired of their reputation for belicosity, as W.P. Townsend described it. The men, he confided to his wife, often raised a brow and complained that their next assignment would be to charge a fleet of Yankee gunboats.

Despite all of the casualties, and even defeats like Antietam, Hoods Texans still very much believed that their best hopes for the future lay in protecting the lives and the laws that the Confederacy promised to preserve. William Townsend captured that sentiment in mid-October 1862 while recovering from his Antietam wound. Looking at his amputated leg, he confessed to his wife Elmira: I will (I am afraid) have to leave the service. This is a bitter pill to me. Townsend reflected those strong beliefs that ran through the Texas Brigade, and he never wavered in his devotion to Confederate independence. I shall try to get some place in which I can serve the Countryno one labored harder to bring on this war than I didand no one regrets more to leave the service, he mourned.

Determined but exhausted, Hoods Texas Brigade marched back to Virginia with the rest of Lees army in late September 1862.

Susannah J. Ural, Ph.D., is Professor of History and co-director of the Dale Center for the Study of War & Society at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Few firearms in history have achieved the notoriety of the Maschinengewehr 42, a general-purpose machine gun designed in Nazi Germany and used extensively by the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS during the second half of World War II. Allied troops grimly branded the MG 42 Hitlers buzz saw because of the seamless ripping noise it made as it went through belts of 7.92mm ammunition at 1,200 rpm. The MG 42 was an evolutionary advance from the MG 34, which was costly to produce and mechanically sensitive to dirt and debris. The MG 42 was quicker and cheaper to make, fired faster, was mechanically robust, and its interchangeable barrels could be swapped out in seconds.

More than 400,000 MG 42s were made during the war, and they literally changed the nature of infantry warfare on all fronts in the West. A two-man MG 42 team could inflict heavy casualties on an entire Allied platoon or company, pushing the unit to ground. The MG 42 was designed as an Einheitsmaschinengewehr (universal machine gun), meaning that it could change its role depending on its mount, whether the integral bipod, a sustained-fire tripod, or an antiaircraft or vehicular fitting. The gun proved to be so reliable, durable, and simple to use that it essentially remains in service today as the MG 3. MHQ

Ammunition The MG 42 fired 50-round sections of belted 7.92  57mm Mauser ammunition, typically with a 4-to-1 ball-to-tracer ratio. Mechanism The MG 42 was a recoil-operated weapon, using the force of recoil to drive back the barrel and bolt mechanism. Sights The MG 42s iron sights were graduated out to 2,000 meters (2,187 yards), although the gun could deliver indirect fire beyond that distance. Barrel Change A slotted barrel cover allowed a barrel change in about four seconds in the hands of a well-trained and -prepared gun crew. Mount The MG 42 was hard to control on its adjustable bipod, which could be mounted to the front or the center of the gun. Mounting the MG 42 on its tripod, with a telescopic base and extending legs, provided increased ground clearance for sustained fire and allowed the gun to be used in an anti-aircraft role.

CHRIS McNAB is a military historian based in the United Kingdom. His most recent book is The FN Minimi Light Machine Gun: M249, L108A1, L110A2, and Other Variants (Osprey, 2017).

Photo: James D. Julia Auctioneers

[hr]

This article appears in the Autumn 2017 issue (Vol. 30, No. 1) of MHQThe Quarterly Journal of Military History with the headline: Weapons Check, MG 42

Want to have the lavishly illustrated, premium-quality print edition of MHQ delivered directly to you four times a year? Subscribe now at special savings!
LINCOLN  The Legislature has heard a number of proposals in recent years to modify mandatory minimum sentencing laws, and prosecutors continue fighting to keep that from happening.

At a hearing Friday in front of the Judiciary Committee, prosecutors and law enforcement officers said they want no changes, even as supporters say it could help the state address prison overcrowding.

Judges should be able to sentence an offender based on individual circumstances of both the criminal and the crime, rather than have to follow a prescribed sentence, they say.

But Corey O'Brien, the criminal bureau chief of the Nebraska Attorney General's Office, argued modification of mandatory minimum sentences compromises public safety.

"And (it) has the potential to promote disrespect for our laws," he said.

When senators return for the 2018 session, they will likely take up a bill (LB447) that was Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers' priority bill in the 2017 session. The bill as amended would apply only to serious drug felonies, such as dealing methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine.

Mandatory minimum sentencing laws require a minimum prison term of a particular length. With such laws judges have no discretion to go lower than the minimum sentence and probation is not an option. In Nebraska, an inmate serving a mandatory minimum sentence will not earn or receive good time credit for his or her behavior while serving the mandatory sentence.

One of the options the committee could consider is allowing a sentencing judge for an offender convicted of a crime that carries a mandatory minimum penalty to decide not to impose that sentence if there are certain mitigating factors.

During a hearing on his bill in February, Chambers said mandatory minimums do not protect the public or deter crimes. Those who commit crimes don't know what the penalty is, he said, and they don't plan or expect to get caught.

O'Brien offered the committee a look at those offenders who are serving prison sentences under the mandatory minimum laws.

Of the 5,295 people in prison a week ago, 1,015  19 percent  are serving a mandatory minimum sentences. Eightly-four percent of them were previously convicted of a felony, and 69 percent previously in prison.

"This number is absolutely stunning," he said.

He empathizes with police officers because they have to deal with this on a day in and day out basis, he said.

About 13 percent, or 712 inmates, had been convicted of Class 1C and 1D felonies, and 87 of making or dealing cocaine, heroin or methamphetamines.

Of those, 54 were also concurrently sentenced for other felony offenses.

"These are the people the public demands to be in prison for a substantial period of time," O'Brien said.

Captain Scott Gray of the Omaha Police Department testified for continued use of mandatory minimum sentencing. It is an important part of the department's violent crime reduction strategy, he said.

"Deterring these individuals with firm, known punishments is likely to save citizens from injury or death, and prevent further psychological damage to the community," Gray said.

Spike Eickholt, on behalf of the ACLU of Nebraska, told the committee Chambers' bill does not apply to gun crimes, sexual assault of a child, or any of the other "horror stories" from the opposition, but only those certain drug crimes.

In fact, there are some serious crimes that do not require mandatory minimum sentences, including robbery, forcible rape, manslaughter, burglary, and the judge that hears the case decides the person's fate, he said.

With a person convicted of possessing 10 grams of methamphetamine, however, a judge must assign a mandatory minimum sentence of three to 15 years, even if it is a first offense.

Chambers' bill is a component of the solution to avoid unnecessary and lengthy prison terms, Eickholt said.

Mandatory minimums are popular with prosecutors because it gives them significant leverage to negotiate, he said, and the opportunity to determine an offender's sentence.

Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks told O'Brien she hoped he understood "we're all fighting for the safety of our communities.

"And now what we're doing is quibbling about where that stands, whether we trust the judges and want to go forward and give them the authority to set the standards, or whether we want to just mandatorily say every case is (the same), and have a broad brush painting what happens."
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.
The Hot Press cover stars have just put up on a social media a short fun film about the making of their brilliant new album, 'Concrete And Gold'

It's only just been put up online and it certainly looks like it's going t go viral after receiving almost half a million hits in such a few shorts days.

'Concrete and Gold' is eleven songs that push Foo Fighters melodic and hard rock extremes like never before.

Ever since they lit the touch paper at Glastonbury with their legendary headline set on 24th June, Concrete and Gold has received early critical notices that have been fittingly over the top, shaping up to be the most positive of Foo Fighters monolithic career,

Check out the short making of documentary here:
WASHINGTON - Hurricanes Harvey and Irma are revving up a debate that had gone quiet in Washington recently as the sheer scale of the destruction in Texas, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands forces political leaders to again confront the question of climate change, its role in the increasing frequency of violent storms and its impact on health, safety and the economy.

In the immediate aftermath, Republicans and Democrats are falling into familiar positions around an issue on which no immediate policy is expected any time soon, particularly under a president in Donald Trump who has consistently questioned the severity of climate change's threat. But the one-two punch of the storms, which cost more than 100 lives and well over $100 billion in estimated damage, are at least prompting rethinking of the issue and what Washington can or should do to address climate change, political observers said.

"Short term, does it change anything? No," said Stephen Brown, a top lobbyist for the San Antonio refiner Andeavor, formerly known as Tesoro. "But long term, does it encourage consideration by some who are on the fence that this is a serious issue and deserves a lot more careful consideration than has been given to it? This is the conversation among Republicans right now."

Bob Inglis, a former Republican congressman from South Carolina who runs the environmental group Republicen, noted that Republicans who have long used climate change as a punch line to rile up their base were becoming more cautious as flooding events piled up, recounting the dour mood in his home state last year following flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew.

"Because people had experienced climate change, this epic storm is consistent with the models of what we would expect from climate change," he said. "If anyone had attempted a joke, it would have gone over like a lead balloon."

Washington has grappled with climate change for decades, coming closest to a policy solution in 2009 when bipartisan legislation creating a cap-and-trade system on greenhouse gas emissions - similar to that in place in Europe - passed the House before stalling in the Senate in the face of concentrated opposition from the oil, gas and coal industries. Since then, the debate has devolved into a partisan dogfight.

Focus on other issues

This week, as Democrats offered Harvey and Irma as proof positive of climate change's threat, Republicans countered that powerful storms have happened throughout history, as Trump did aboard Air Force One on Thursday.

"If you go back into the '30s and '40s, and you go back into the teens," he said, "you'll see storms that were very similar and even bigger, OK?"

With Republicans in control of Congress and the White House, any meaningful action on climate change is considered dead on arrival for the foreseeable future as lawmakers focus on other issues such as tax reform, the federal budget and immigration.

At a breakfast hosted by the American Petroleum Institute last week, the trade group's president, Jack Gerard, said there was little reason to worry about regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions produced by oil and other fossil fuels. The agenda of the Trump administration is "quite clear," he said. "It's about benefiting Americans, creating jobs in America."

As the event wrapped up, Rep. Gene Green, a Houston Democrat who walks a fine line between calling for climate action and supporting the oil and gas refineries that fill his district, said even discussing the potential role of climate change in the series of destructive storms was unlikely to get much time in Congress.

"We probably won't have a hearing on any of that," he said. "There's a few on the Republican side, but nowhere near the number you would need."

Complicating politics in Washington is uncertainty about the relationship between climate change and hurricanes among scientists. There is near unanimous agreement among scientists that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - much of it from burning fossil fuels - poses a threat to coastlines and low-lying areas through increased rainfall and rising sea levels from melting polar ice caps. But how that might affect the development and strength of hurricanes remains one of the controversial areas of the field.

A basic tenet of meteorology is hurricanes feed off warm ocean waters - hence they only form in late summer and fall when surface temperatures are at their warmest. And with rising global temperatures warming oceans, scientists have long speculated the Earth would experience more severe hurricanes than in the past.

Many elements at work

But there remain "large uncertainties," said Pedram Hassanzadeh, an engineering professor at Rice University who studies the impact of climate change on weather. Even as climate change causes ocean temperatures to rise, so too does it likely affect wind patterns and the movement of air through the upper reaches of the atmosphere, potentially reducing the formation of hurricanes.

In its most recent report, the International Panel on Climate Change downgraded its forecast of more severe storms from "likely" to "low confidence."

"The number of major hurricanes is something that will depend on a lot of factors," Hassanzadeh said. "The hope is in the next cycles of research, we reduce the uncertainty."

Some Republicans, such as Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, have seized on the uncertainty around hurricanes as an argument for not taking action to reduce the carbon emissions that come from fossil fuel production in states like Texas.

"It's important to remember that hurricanes Harvey and Irma, while devastating, do not indicate a climate trend," he said. "Right now, though, the focus should be on getting displaced Americans back to their homes, assessing the damage and rebuilding. That's what my colleagues and I are focused on."

But the future of dogged skeptics like Smith is coming into some question in the Republican Party. Last year, a pair of congressmen from South Florida, one Republican, one Democrat, formed the Climate Solutions Caucus - a bipartisan group dedicated to politically realistic solutions to climate change. Membership is limited because the caucus must have an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. Still, it counts a membership of 56 House members - about one-tenth of Congress. The coalition has no members from Texas.

Cornyn, Cruz reticent

In the aftermath of Harvey, Texas Republicans have largely kept quiet on the issue of climate change. Eager to talk at any opportunity about relief efforts, neither Sens. John Cornyn nor Ted Cruz, nor a single Republican member representing areas affected by Harvey, responded to requests for comment on this story - Smith being the exception.

How much longer their constituents will let them stay quiet on climate change remains to be seen. A recent public opinion survey conducted by Yale University and George Mason University found 58 percent of Texans are worried about climate change, with coastal areas and drought-prone regions most concerned.

On the Texas coast, a group of local leaders that includes Republicans and Democrats is lobbying for federal funding to build a seawall to protect the coast from storms, specifically the area around Houston where refineries and petrochemical plants are an economic linchpin.

Michel Bechtel, mayor of Morgan's Point, just east of Houston, has spent three weeks trying to bring his town back to normalcy after receiving 4 feet of rain during Harvey. He is no climate activist, questioning predictions about worsening storms and flooding: "One man's crisis is another man's ehhh."

But when it comes to getting a seawall built that would protect the Houston Ship Channel, along which his community lies, he said he'll happily take assistance in the name of climate change.

"If you want to use it and hype it, sure, but I don't go there," he said. "Basically, if that's what you believe, you better do something."
Equifax learned about a major breach of its computer systems in March -- almost five months before the date it has publicly disclosed, according to three people familiar with the situation.

In a statement, the company said the March breach was not related to the hack that exposed the personal and financial data on 143 million U.S. consumers, but one of the people said the breaches involve the same intruders. Either way, the revelation that the 118-year-old credit-reporting agency suffered two major incidents in the span of a few months adds to a mounting crisis at the company, which is the subject of multiple investigations and announced the retirement of two of its top security executives on Friday.

Equifax hired the security firm Mandiant on both occasions and may have believed it had the initial breach under control, only to have to bring the investigators back when it detected suspicious activity again on July 29, two of the people said.

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Mike Stewart/STF Show More Show Less 2 of 2 KATHERINE TAYLOR/NYT Show More Show Less



Equifax's hiring of Mandiant the first time was unrelated to the July 29 incident, the company spokesperson said. Vitor De Souza, senior vice president for global marketing at FireEye Inc., Mandiant's parent company, declined to comment.

The revelation of a March breach will complicate the company's efforts to explain a series of unusual stock sales by Equifax executives. If it's shown that those executives did so with the knowledge that either or both breaches could damage the company, they could be vulnerable to charges of insider trading.

The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the stock sales, according to people familiar with the probe.

More for you Cuomo proposes credit reporting regulation in wake of Equifax breach

Equifax has said the executives had no knowledge that an intrusion had occurred when the transactions were made. The company's shares fell 1.8 percent in premarket trading Tuesday. The stock closed at $94.38 on Monday.

New questions about Equifax's timeline are also likely to become central to the crush of lawsuits being filed against the Atlanta-based company. Investigators and consumers alike want to know how a trusted custodian of so many Americans' private data could let hackers gain access to the most important details of financial identity, including social security and driver's license numbers, and steal credit card numbers.

In public statements since disclosing the intrusion on Sept. 7, Equifax said it became aware of the breach only after the data taken by the hackers had been gone for months. The company said it discovered the incident on July 29 and "acted immediately to stop the intrusion and conduct a forensic review." Equifax hired Mandiant to help with the probe on Aug. 2, and said the investigators eventually learned that the hackers had accessed the data in mid-May.

There's no evidence that the publicly disclosed chronology is inaccurate, but it leaves out a set of key events that began earlier this spring, the people familiar with the probe said.

In early March, they said, Equifax began notifying a small number of outsiders and banking customers that it had suffered a breach and was bringing in a security firm to help investigate. The company's outside counsel, Atlanta-based law firm King & Spalding, first engaged Mandiant at about that time. While it's not clear how long the Mandiant and Equifax security teams conducted that probe, one person said there are indications it began to wrap up in May. Equifax has yet to disclose that March breach to the public.

One possible explanation, according to several veteran security experts consulted by Bloomberg, is that the investigation didn't uncover evidence that data was accessed. Most data breach disclosure laws kick in only once there's evidence that sensitive personal identifying information like social security numbers and birth dates have been taken. The Equifax spokesperson said the company complied fully with all consumer notification requirements related to the March incident.

Even so, the revelation of an earlier breach will likely raise questions for the company's beleaguered executives over whether that investigation was sufficiently thorough or if it was closed too soon. For example, Equifax has said that the hackers entered the company's computer banks the second time through a flaw in the company's web software that was known in March but not patched until the later activity was detected in July.

Security experts say victim companies have wide leeway about how deep an investigation they want outside investigators to do. Some clients will limit the breadth of access or the time outside investigators can spend on site. Others want a full assessment that encompasses their entire computer network and could include the identification of existing security vulnerabilities. Cost is often a consideration, but the victim company might also believe a breach's scope is limited.

It's the stock sales by several executives that are likely to get the most scrutiny in light of the new timeline. On Aug. 1 and Aug. 2, regulatory filings show that three senior Equifax executives sold shares worth almost $1.8 million, with none of the filings listing the transactions as being part of scheduled 10b5-1 trading plans. Equifax's Chief Financial Officer John Gamble sold shares worth $946,374; Joseph Loughran, president of U.S. information solutions, exercised options to dispose of stock worth $584,099; and Rodolfo Ploder, president of workforce solutions, sold $250,458 of stock.

Equifax has said the executives "had no knowledge that an intrusion had occurred at the time," and the company spokesperson declined to make them available for comment.

Under the company's publicly disclosed timeline, there were fewer than a handful of days between the stock sales and the date Equifax said the breach was discovered. Under the new timeline, those sales come several months after the March breach but before the public had any knowledge of major security issues at one of the country's three big credit-reporting agencies.

The new timeline is also likely to focus scrutiny on an earlier sale by Gamble of 14,000 shares on May 23. According to a regulatory filing, which didn't indicate that the sale was part of a scheduled trading plan, the value of that transaction was $1.91 million, more than twice the size of his Aug. 1 disposal of 6,500 shares for $946,374.

If the two hacks are unrelated it could be that different hacking teams had different goals. One clue has emerged that suggests one goal of the attackers was to use Equifax as a way into the computers of major banks, according to a fourth person familiar with the matter.

This person said a large Canadian bank has determined that hackers claiming to sell celebrity profiles from Equifax on the dark web -- information that appears to be fraudulent, or recycled from other breaches -- did in fact steal the username and password for an application programming interface, or API, linking the bank's back-end servers to Equifax.

According to the person and a Sept. 14 internal memo reviewed by Bloomberg, the gateway linked a test and development site used by the bank's wealth management division to Equifax, allowing the two entities to share information digitally.

The discovery suggests that the attackers may have been trying to piggyback off of Equifax's connections to large banks and other financial institutions as a backdoor way to hack those entities and gain access to sensitive partner systems. The company spokesperson said Equifax is "working diligently with our bank partners to assess and mitigate any impact to their operations."

---

Bloomberg's Anders Melin and Chris Strohm contributed.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A group of exploration geophysicists will begin moving exhibits into the George R. Brown Convention Center on Tuesday, just days after the last Hurricane Harvey evacuee left the building. Meanwhile, a gathering of meeting planners will wrap up a successful event at the Marriott Marquis across the street, a feat one official called "incredible."

The conventions - the first major ones in Houston since Harvey's historic flooding - show the city survived the initial threat to its growing convention business despite despairing national news coverage that lasted for days. In the end, no major shows not a single scheduled show (see note below) canceled, said Mike Waterman, president of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

That includes 11 groups the bureau persuaded to keep their commitments with an onslaught of personal assurances that Houston's convention center could pivot back to business after providing shelter to more than 10,000 displaced people. By keeping those meetings on the books, officials managed to save some $50 million in hotel, food and beverage and transportation revenue, Waterman said.

The first group to commit was the Texas Society of Association Executives. The group arrived on Sunday for its New Ideas Annual Conference and also to test Houston for future events and conventions.

"We are the pickiest of the picky," executive director Steven Stout said. "So for them to be brave enough to have our meeting, while they're going through the rebuilding phase, is incredible."

As images of Hurricane Harvey swept the nation, Stout was sent Facebook Live videos of the Marriott Marquis lobby and meeting spaces and the undamaged convention center as well as a time-lapse video of the drive from Hobby Airport to the hotel. Convention officials offered to fly Stout to Houston so he could see the venues himself.

When the Texas Society of Association Executives agreed not to back out, other events kept their dates, too, Waterman said.

"That was really the first domino that fell in our favor," he said.

'You guys can do it all'

As the convention business picked back up in Houston, the shelter at the George R. Brown started winding down.

Over the weekend, the Red Cross moved more than 500 people to a Houston Community College warehouse in south Houston and 159 others to the Chinese Community Center in southwest Houston.

The city, meanwhile, transferred some 200 people to a longer-term facility at the former Star of Hope shelter on Emancipation Avenue.

The George R. Brown shelter officially closed Sunday evening.

The journey had been surreal for Waterman, who watched the center's evacuee population peak at 10,300 on the Tuesday after Harvey's landfall. Houston First Corp. employees at the George R. Brown, volunteers and the Red Cross served thousands of meals.

The convention center staff, practiced at remaking a room, were able to transition sections back into a convention center as evacuees found housing elsewhere.

"We turn that facility frequently," Waterman said. "We have to because we have to maximize that building. So that's a regular occurrence for the staff there."

Don Knox is managing director of Colorado-based Civica Associations, Conferences & Exhibitions - an organization that is hired to run the day-to-day operations for nonprofits - and was impressed by Houston's ability to both house evacuees and host conventions.

"You guys can do it all," Knox said. "You can shelter people and still be open for your own hospitality."

As the 540 convention attendees walked across a sky bridge connecting the Marriott Marquis to the George R. Brown, he said the Houston First employees applauded in appreciation. They clapped and cheered as the group walked through the convention center, downstairs and to dinner outside the building.

"We have 140,000 hospitality employees," Waterman said. "They need businesses to come to Houston."

Waterman touts two ways of helping the city: Make a donation or bring conventions, businesses and meetings to Houston. It gives hospitality workers hours and paychecks.

Still, Waterman and others recognize that parts of Houston will take months or years to recover. The George R. Brown shelter may have closed, but roughly 3,000 area residents are still living in emergency shelters.

A shelter at NRG Center operated by the local nonprofit BakerRipley remains the city's largest, with about 2,100 people living there Sunday night. That facility is slated to close Saturday.

"The shelter was supposed to be just like the GRB - it's a temporary solution to disaster," BakerRipley spokeswoman Frida Villalobos said, adding that relocation plans were a "work in progress."

The Red Cross, meanwhile, did not specify closing dates for its remaining Houston-area shelters.

"This is a fluid situation, and it's hard to offer a closing date," spokeswoman MaryJane Mudd said in an email. "Our goal is to help everyone with their recovery planning, so they can take the next step in the recovery process, whether that is returning to their own home or finding longer term, transitional housing."

'Houston is open'

Pictures of submerged infrastructure still have the potential to hurt Houston's image over the long term. But Patrick Jankowski, senior vice president of research for the Greater Houston Partnership, thinks the positive stories of people helping people will have more staying power.

"I think the world saw what people in Houston really are like," Jankowski said.

"The largest most catastrophic storm in the history of the United States hit Houston three weeks ago," added Waterman, of the convention bureau. "And because the way Houston is designed, because of the spirit of this city, the convention business is back up and running without any cancellations."

Stout, with the Texas Society of Association Executives, said he met friendly concierges, saw a taco festival in Discovery Green and marveled at people kayaking at Kinder Lake.

"I want to spread the message that Houston is open," Stout said.

NOTE: Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau chief Mike Waterman later clarified that no large-scale conventions that attract a sizable number of out-of-town visitors canceled their Houston shows. He said he was unaware at the time of four smaller shows that canceled for Harvey-related reasons. That includes a Vape Showcase that rescheduled for Dallas in November, as well a gun show, a concert and a small student expo. All are regular customers, and Waterman said officials are trying to find alternative dates.
Page Content

Less than two months before UN climate negotiations take off in Bonn, European cities and regions are consolidating alliances with civil society and environmental associations to push climate action forward. The European Committee of the Regions today signed an Action Plan with ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and another with Climate Alliance. Both cooperation agreements seek to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the European Committee of the Regions, said: "Now more than ever we must unite our efforts and resources to put a stop to global warming. Today we see that locally and regionally there is growing ambition to work together and deliver on our climate commitments. Only through cooperation can we make the transition to a low-carbon economy, demonstrate that multi-level governance is the only way forward to protect our climate and improve financing for climate projects in our communities."

Gino Van Begin, ICLEI's Secretary-General said: " In order to mobilize the vast resources needed to develop and fund urban adaptation, there in an urgent need to support cities with project preparation, assist national governments to create enabling policy environments to finance such projects, and guide international financing institutions to increase accessibility of financial resources for subnational governments."

Thomas Brose, Executive Director of Climate Alliance said: "The active involvement of the regional and local levels is key to successfully manage climate policy, whether it is within the EU or at the international stage. The European Committee of the Regions has proven to be a powerful partner in Climate Alliance's efforts to lend a stronger voice to the local and regional levels. We very much welcome the opportunities this new agreement opens up and look forward to sharing the good news with our members at the Climate Alliance conference in Essen this week."

Both Action Plans formalise existing long-standing working relationships and provide a framework for reinforced cooperation in key dossiers of mutual interest such as the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The aim is to jointly give support to specific common objectives: the development of environmentally-sustainable cities and territorial areas, the energy transition towards a low-carbon economy, the development of adequate financing mechanisms to multiply climate adaptation and mitigation actions locally and the establishment of a global climate multi-level governance that fully involves non-state actors in the implementation and progress monitoring of the Paris Agreement.
I have a thesis that won't make me popular in some parts of San Antonio: My city's no tech startup hub. Not even close.

But it wants to be one, real bad.

I talked to several people to help figure out why we aren't one and what we need to get there. We need these key ingredients: proximity, practice, leadership, unique advantages, real problems and patience.

Combining them to make a tech city probably takes a dash of luck and a bit of magic as well.

The UT San Antonio Dean of Engineering Dr. JoAnne Browning proudly showed me the architectural plans for her department's contribution to the recipe: proximity to incubators and talent.

Outside of her office window, trucks moved earth in preparation for constructing a 17,000-square-foot Makers Space, intended to bring together under one roof engineers, entrepreneurs and industry experts - a tech lab to launch the next generation of startups, and startup founders.

Meanwhile, on another part of the university campus, Diego Capeletti, coordinator at the Center for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship runs an annual startup competition to give undergraduates startup practice before leaving university.

Twenty teams typically enter the annual CITE competition, teams of engineers and business students paired with industry mentors. They are winnowed down to 10 teams that receive funds for building prototypes, and then a final group of 5 teams make a pitch to a Tech Symposium.

Winners receive a $5,000 cash prize, plus generous in-kind services such as legal, public relations, office space and patent help. The big idea here is that a startup city needs to produce young people with practice in startups.

Michael Girdley, who wears many hats as the founder of a software coding school CodeUp, co-founder of investment firm Geekdom Fund and startup incubator Real Co told me the city's main missing ingredient is a lack of leadership.

U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, who brings an intelligence agency and cybersecurity professional background to the district, said San Antonio has at least one natural, unique strength: cyber security.

San Antonio is the one of the largest cyber security hubs outside the Pentagon.

"It requires us to understand why San Antonio is Cyber Security City USA. Very simply, the 24th and 25th Air Force in SA, TX. This is what's driving the talent," he said. This is what's driving the talent, he commented, naming the two cyber warfare groups stationed at Lackland Air Force Base. The first key to building a tech startup city would be building on that unique strength, to retain people leaving those jobs who want to remain in the city, but also to build private companies to serve the Air Force's needs.

"To create an ecosystemyou've got to have problems to solve, and you've got to have people that can solve them," Hurd said.

And that, according to Hurd, requires another ingredient: the need to solve specific, real problems. To create an ecosystem you've got to have problems to solve, and you've got to have people that can solve them. If the Air Force cyber units can identify and make specific problems available to the private sector through something called theCyber Proving Grounds, Hurd argues, "then we get everybody like all these smart private sector entrepreneurs in a room, and tell them here's our problem, give us a 30-day, 60-day, 90-day solution.' "

The big idea here is that local startups shouldn't focus on solving Silicon Valley problems, but rather San Antonio-specific problems, as posed by the city's unique cyber security strength.

Ben Jones, professor of entrepreneurship at Northwestern University in Chicago, echoed Hurd's key messages, and amplified them. It sounded to me like they'd been reading the same books on start-ups.

"We think in innovation that it's easier to work back from real problems. By being close to a real problem you can pivot and innovate toward real solutions," Jones said. "You might have a company that has a real problem they are trying to improve on, and you need to bring those problems to people who can work on that. Why do clusters of innovation happen? Because it's a thick market on both sides. There's a large variety of needs and a large group that can meet those needs."

You might have a company that has a real problem they are trying to improve on, and you need to bring those problems to people who can work on that.

Why do clusters of innovation happen? Because its a thick market on both sides. There's a large variety of needs and a large group that can meet those needs.

Jones' theory echoed Hurd's focus on San Antonio's unique advantage in cyber security and the identification of real problems that need solving, as the basis for startups and innovation.

Dick Elmendorf, one of Rackspace's original founders, said the city needs one more thing: patience.

"The real challenge of being a tech city is that unlike technology itself, cities don't change overnight. So the challenge is sustaining the ambition, to be willing to stick it out even if you're not sure the plant is going to grow," Elmendorf said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON - Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended President Donald Trump modify 10 national monuments created by his immediate predecessors, including shrinking the boundaries of at least four Western sites, according to a copy of the report obtained by the Washington Post.

The memorandum, which the White House has refused to release since Zinke submitted it late last month, does not specify exact reductions for the four protected areas Zinke would have Trump narrow - Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, Nevada's Gold Butte, and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou - or the two marine national monuments - the Pacific Remote Islands and Rose Atoll - for which he raised the same prospect. The two Utah sites encompass a total of more than 3.2 million acres, part of the reason they have aroused such intense emotions since their designation.

'Traditional uses'

The secretary's set of recommendations also would change the way all 10 targeted monuments are managed. It emphasizes the need to adjust the proclamations to address concerns of local officials or affected industries, saying the administration should permit "traditional uses" now restricted within the monuments' boundaries, such as grazing, logging, coal mining and commercial fishing.

If enacted, the changes could test the legal boundaries of what powers a president holds under the 1906 Antiquities Act. Although Congress can alter national monuments easily through legislation, presidents have reduced their boundaries only on rare occasions.

The memorandum, labeled "Final Report Summarizing Findings of the Review of Designations Under the Antiquities Act," shows Zinke concluded after a nearly four-month review that both Republican and Democratic presidents went too far in recent decades in limiting commercial activities in protected areas. The act, signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt, gives the president wide latitude to protect public lands and waters that face an imminent threat.

"It appears that certain monuments were designated to prevent economic activity such as grazing, mining and timber production rather than to protect specific objects," the report reads, adding that while grazing is rarely banned "outright," subsequent management decisions "can have the indirect result of hindering livestock-grazing uses."

To correct this overreach, Zinke says, Trump should use his authority under the Antiquities Act to change each of the 10 sites' proclamations to permit activities that are now restricted. These include "active timber management" in Maine's Katahdin Woods and Waters; a broader set of activities in New Mexico's Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte; and commercial fishing in the two Pacific Ocean marine monuments, as well as in one off the New England coast, Northeast Canyons and Seamounts.

In most of his recommendations, Zinke suggests Trump amend the existing proclamations "to protect objects and prioritize public access; infrastructure upgrades, repair and maintenance; traditional use; tribal cultural use; and hunting and fishing rights."

The White House is reviewing the recommendations and has not reached a final decision on them

In an email, White House spokeswoman Kelly Love said she would not discuss in detail a review that is still underway:

The majority of the monuments listed in the report were established by either President Bill Clinton or President Barack Obama, but the two Pacific Ocean sites were created by President George W. Bush and later expanded by Obama.

New sites suggested

Yet Zinke also suggests the administration explore the possibility of establishing three new national monuments that would recognize either African-American or Native American history. These include Kentucky's Camp Nelson, an 1863 Union Army outpost where African-American regiments trained; the home of murdered civil rights hero Medgar Evers in Jackson, Miss.; and the 130,000-acre Badger-Two Medicine area in Zinke's home state of Montana, which is considered sacred by the Blackfeet Nation.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Pentagon increasingly views space as the next great battlefront. North Korea is flexing its muscle by firing test missiles and developing its nuclear arsenal. And NASA has seeded the private sector with billions of dollars in contracts, as the industry focuses more on small satellite technology.

All which helps explain why Northrop Grumman, one of the nation's largest defense contractors, announced on Monday that it planned to acquire Orbital ATK by paying $7.8 billion in cash while assuming $1.4 billion in debt.

The surprise move gives Northrop some sought-after capabilities - from missile defense to small satellites and even a rocket - allowing it to enter new markets at a time of increased tension globally.

There is "very little overlap" between the two companies, Northrop chief executive Wes Bush said Monday during a conference call with analysts.

"Through our combination, customers will benefit from expanded capabilities, accelerated innovation and greater competition in critical global security domains," he said.

Northrop has long been a leader in the defense industry and is developing the B-21 Raider, the long-range stealth bomber, for the Air Force, after beating out a Boeing-Lockheed Martin team for the contract. It manages a large cyber division and works to develop the technology behind autonomous systems and radars, while also building large satellites.

The acquisition, should it be approved by regulators and Orbital ATK's shareholders, would give Northrop access to Orbital ATK's small satellite division at a time when the Pentagon, and others, are seeking to put up constellations of small satellites that could beam internet to remote areas and provide Earth observation capabilities. Orbital also has been developing the technology to service satellites in space.

One of Orbital's key areas of expertise is robust missile and missile defense division, an important asset at a time when North Korea recently fired a missile over Japan and is developing its nuclear arsenal.

In the conference call with analysts Monday, Bush said that the acquisition would bolster Northrop Grumman's ability to compete at a time when defense technologies are advancing rapidly and other nations are catching up to the United States.

While North Korea has strengthened its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, national security experts are also increasingly worried over China and Russia's ability to challenge U.S. dominance in space.

In recent years, the Air Force has pledged to move more forcefully to defend its assets in space - the communication, GPS and spy satellites that act as its "eyes and ears" above ground.

Some in Congress, however, feel that the Pentagon is not moving aggressively enough and has called for the creation of a dedicated Space Corps, a new military branch that would focus exclusively on space.

Whatever happens, Orbital's expertise building small satellites would better position Northrop.

Northrop Grumman Corp., which is based in Falls Church, Va., said that after the deal closes, Orbital ATK Inc., based in Dulles, Va., will become a separate sector within its business operations.
Mark Russell, recently appointed vice chairman of New York-based commercial real estate firm Newmark Knight Frank, says the Houston market has plenty of sublease office space that is unscathed by Hurricane Harvey.

His firm, which recently donated $10 million to Hurricane Harvey victims, has been expanding into the state. NKF has hired a team of veteran brokers from tenant representation firm Savills Studley, including Russell and executive managing directors Steve Biegel and Jay Bonano. The trio has handled more than $1.25 billion in deals totaling more than 100 million square feet over the past several decades. They are among 125 NKF employees in Houston, including the national ARA Newmark apartment brokerage firm.

Russell spoke with the Chronicle about his new role.

Q: Why are you moving to NKF?

A: The dynamic growth they've been experiencing across the country, you want to be part of that. They've gone from a very small shop to a really big player in the marketplace. For us to be invited to be a part of that, particularly as leaders in the company, there's no way we're going to pass on that.

Q: How does Houston fit in with NKF nationally?

A: Texas is just too big of a market not to be in. We've gone from not many to 125 employees and are planning to go even bigger. We continue growing our investment sales service lines, agency business and debt market business. Those are all really key initiatives. Houston is a big part of it.

Q: What types of work will you do?

A: Because of our backgrounds, we have the ability to do a lot of different things beyond your traditional tenant rep/user-occupier brokers. We do investment sales, acquisitions, dispositions for companies that are buying other companies. We're often brought in to advise them on their real estate portfolio. We bring a strong set of tools that enables us to do more than one side, tenant representation.

Q: What are companies doing to get the right real estate footprint?

A: This will be the third meaningful, significant downturn I've been in. I've seen this show before, albeit different. You've got to have seats filled. When you have the situation with the oil and gas and the service providers, the seats are empty. That's why you've got 10 million square feet of sublease space on the market. It's a huge number. That space has got to get absorbed before the market gets healthy. When that gets done is anybody's guess. NRG did a deal where they announced they were subleasing over 400,000 square feet of space at One Shell Plaza. Those types of things happen. Those are good activity models. That doesn't help the landlords for which NRG is leaving. Companies are still pretty much hunkering down and keeping their costs down. I don't see that changing any time soon.

Q: How is Hurricane Harvey impacting real estate?

A: On the short term, you're seeing the BPs of the world who just got hammered out west and AIG's building, they've got to have some space temporarily. Fortunately for those companies, there's some good sublease opportunities that can help them. They've got some temporary relief before their buildings get up and running. That will all go back to the sublessors six months to a year from now. It's good for activity, but I don't know if it moves the needle for the overall market.

Q: How is the market different now than 10 years ago?

A: A tenant might have had one or two options 10 years ago. Today, you can count them on two hands. That creates great leverage and great opportunities. Today, you're able to get extension options and termination options and large concession packages.

Q: How do companies use space differently today?

A: Some people work at home now. You have hoteling from some companies. You don't go to the same desk every day. That reduces the number of offices you need. At law firms, you used to have 1,000 square feet per partner. That number is down to 600 to 700 square feet per partner. All the companies have to do that. Aside from HR, the real estate component is their second biggest expense. They've got to manage it. That means reducing their space.

Q: What's your outlook for the future?

A: We're cautiously optimistic. The big companies can start planning for opportunities for growth. There are some wild cards. The DuPont and Dow merger will have an impact on the real estate. Until the dust settles on acquisitions, those could have a negative impact. It's a good time to be a tenant and will be for the foreseeable future.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

For more than 30 years, Christopher Kimball taught America the ultimate, vigorously researched paths to blue-ribbon carrot cake, to-die-for roasted chicken and paramount potato salad.

As the longtime editor of Cook's Illustrated, an outlier in the world of glossy food magazines that spawned the "America's Test Kitchen" empire of television shows, cookbooks and magazines, Kimball professed a strict, technique-driven approach in the kitchen. If his exacting recipes were followed to the letter, home cooks could bask in the glory of perfect lasagna, beyond-moist roasted pork tenderloin and a quiche whose creamy custard center could bring a tear to the eye.

But that's in Kimball's past now. After a messy separation in 2015 from the media company he created and built into a culinary powerhouse, 66-year-old Kimball has emerged reborn. He sees a new way in the kitchen - one much less tied to the rigors of perfectionism - and a new meal on the American dinner table, one that's globally influenced, brightly flavored and joyously unfettered.

And with a zealot's passion, he has taken that vision and created something new, exciting and - dare we say it? - revolutionary. Welcome to Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, a multimedia enterprise named for its Boston address that last year began bimonthly publication of Milk Street Magazine, and has come to include Milk Street Radio broadcast and podcast, cooking school and, this month, its first cookbook.

With recipes that reflect the multicultural world we live in, "Christopher Kimball's Milk Street: The New Home Cooking" embraces global flavors with a fervor that would be unimaginable in Kimball's Americana kitchen governed by Euro-proper technique. "Milk Street" boldly proclaims that we're living in a culinary watershed moment when, "like music and fashion, cooking is becoming a mashup of ingredients and technique."

True, but he goes even further: "Ethnic cooking is dead." Shocking? The new Milk Street ethos presents an excellent case that there is no ethnic divide within the modern global kitchen. It is simply who we are and what we eat now. And that new realization - articulated through smart, encompassing recipes - is, at least where Kimball acolytes are concerned, game changing.

The Chronicle talked to Kimball about the new cookbook and his Milk Street machine.

Q: Milk Street has arrived at a time when people are embracing and appreciating a new way of looking at food and the food world. How was your timing so on target?

A: My cooking had started to change a few years ago. You know how you notice something and it just starts to multiply? There's nothing new about other cultures and recipes. For me, what's new is that there is a different way of thinking about cooking. That was the difference.

Q: You make the point that ethnic cooking is a thing of the past, that we're simply making dinner as opposed to making an ethnic meal. Explain what that means and why it's important.

A: I really don't like the term ethnic. It implies something I disagree with, which is "our food" versus "their food." When I was learning to cook, ethnic food was some fancy Mexican or Moroccan or Indian recipe. It was sort of Saturday-night cooking. I'd prep Friday night and cook all day Saturday. It wasn't practical, and it wasn't authentic. Making a Senegalese dish in Manhattan? You can import some of the principal ideas, but you can't really import the experience and culture. The idea of "exotic" always bothered me. If you get rid of all that, you have everyone just cooking dinner. You get rid of who owns the food. That's a much happier, better way of thinking about food other than isolating it by region.

Q: Do you think that the overall foodie realm buys into that?

A: I'm not trying to appeal to a group of people here. I've always done what I'm interested in. And I've been interested in this style of cooking for some time now. I only can do what I do and enjoy it with some like-minded people. Clearly, though, I think we have struck a nerve. Three years ago, if someone said to me, "You need sumac or za'atar," I'd be going, "I'm not going to do that, and it's not in my pantry." Every time I turn around now, someone's talking about sumac.

Q: Maybe we've already matured in the kitchen and are ready for this next step, especially if we already have kimchi in the fridge and cardamom pods in the cupboard.

A: And if you don't, you can get it delivered tomorrow.

More Information 'Christopher Kimball's Milk Street: The New Home Cooking' By Christopher Kimball, Little, Brown and Co., 336 pp., $40 See More Collapse

Q: In the many years you guided Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen, the food was distinctly and proudly American food, especially Cook's Country dishes. And now with Milk Street, there is a global embrace. Was that jarring to you or a logical progression?

A: Yes, it was a logical change and also - this sounds like marketing hype - I really do think and believe that if you start with big flavors, which most of the world does - chiles, spices, herbs, ginger, fermented sauces - you can get the big flavors quickly. The food I'm cooking now already starts with flavor. It's hard not to end up with some something tasty when you start with toasted sesame oil and ginger.

Q: Can you still get excited about a chicken pot pie and Sunday roast beef?

A: I do get excited about apple pie. American pie? Nobody does it better. It's brilliant. No, I won't get excited about a roast beef. I will get excited about pot-a-feu (French beef stew). No, I'm probably not going to do a big meat roast anymore, or a chicken pot pie. I'm not doing that anymore because I don't eat that way.

Q: What do you want the take-away to be from the new cookbook?

A: You can change how you cook. You can change, and you can actually end up with much better results.

***

Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Butternut Squash and Spinach

From "Christopher Kimball's Milk Street"

Makes 4 servings

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1 -inch pieces

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced lengthwise

4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

14-ounce can diced tomatoes

 cup dried apricots, quartered

8 ounces peeled butternut squash, cut into -inch cubes (about 2 cups)

1 cup Greek green olives, pitted and halved

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)

4 ounces baby spinach (about 4 cups)

Instructions: In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of the oil, 2 teaspoons salt,  teaspoon black pepper, the cinnamon, cumin, paprika, coriander and cayenne. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with half the spice paste, rubbing the meat to coat evenly; set aside.

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, combine the onion, garlic, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and  teaspoon salt. Cook until the onion is brown and softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Add the ginger and remaining spice paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes and apricots and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits.

Add the chicken, return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the squash and olives, return to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the liquid has thickened and the squash is tender, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat to maintain a medium simmer.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together  cup of the cilantro, the pistachios and lemon zest. Stir the spinach into the stew and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining  cup of cilantro and the lemon juice, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with the cilantro-pistachio mixture.

Punjabi Chickpeas with Potato (Chole)

From "Christopher Kimball's Milk Street"

Makes 4 servings

1 large red onion

4 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided

1 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

 teaspoon cinnamon

 teaspoon ground cloves

 teaspoon nutmeg

8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

 pound russet potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes), peeled and cut into -inch cubes

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves, finely grated

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cups water

Two 15 -ounce cans chickpeas, drained

1 tablespoon lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish

Chopped fresh tomato, thinly sliced bird's eye or serrano chiles and whole-milk Greek-style yogurt to serve, optional

Instructions: Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the onion, then transfer to a mesh strainer and drain.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of the oil with the coriander, cardamom, paprika, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cayenne, 1 teaspoons salt and  teaspoon pepper.

In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil.

Add the cumin seeds and cook, shaking the pan, until the seeds are fragrant and darken, 30 to 60 seconds.

Add the drained onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the moisture has evaporated, 1 to 3 minutes.

Add the potatoes, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown and a fond forms on the bottom of the pan, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the ginger, garlic and tomato paste, then cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Clear the center of the pan, then add the spice paste to the clearing and cook, mashing and stirring until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir into the vegetables.

Add the water and bring to a boil, scraping up all the browned bits.

Add the chickpeas and return to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook until the potatoes are tender and the oil separates from the sauce at the edges of the pan, 13 to 15 minutes.

Off the heat stir in the lime juice and cilantro.

Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with lime wedges, chopped tomato, chiles and yogurt, if desired.

Korean Pork and Kimchi Stew (Jjigae)

From "Christopher Kimball's Milk Street"

Makes 6 servings

1 cup boiling water, plus 5 cups cold water

 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, brushed clean

6 scallions, white parts finely chopped, green parts thinly sliced on a bias, reserved separately

3 garlic cloves, smashed

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

16-ounce container napa cabbage kimchi, drained ( cup liquid reserved) and coarsely chopped

4 teaspoons gochujang

1 pound baby back ribs, separated into individual ribs

12 ounces medium-firm or firm tofu, drained and cut into -inch cubes

2 teaspoons white sugar

Instructions: In a small bowl, combine the boiling water and mushrooms. Let sit for 30 minutes

Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Discard the stems and thinly slice the caps. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, combine the scallion whites, garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in half of the kimchi, sliced mushrooms and the gochujang. Add the cold water, the mushroom's soaking liquid, the ribs and  cup kimchi liquid and bring to a boil.

Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until rib meat is easily pierced with a knife, about 50 minutes, adjusting the heat to maintain a lively simmer.

Remove the pot from the heat. Using tongs, transfer the ribs to a plate and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes.

Shred the meat into bite-size pieces, discarding the bones and cartilage.

Add the meat to the stew along with the tofu, scallion greens, sugar and remaining kimchi. Bring to a simmer over medium and cook for 5 minutes.
Harvest Green is hosting a reception in honor of Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend artist-in-residence Mark Deleon, 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Farmhouse, 3400 Harvest Corner Drive.

The reception will feature classical music by the String Theory Orchestra, light refreshments and a meet-and-greet with the artist whose paintings will be on display at the Harvest Green amenity center through Oct. 20.

"It's very exciting for us as a community to be able to support local art and artists," said Shay Shafie, general manager of Harvest Green. "Mark's work is stunning, and we are happy to be able to provide a temporary home where his work can be admired."

Based in Houston, Deleon is a self-taught mixed-media artist. His artwork fuses contemporary and traditional techniques influenced by Michelangelo, surrealist painter Salvador Dali and contemporary artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

"The passion I have is to create what is non-existent and to bring to life what has no life," said Deleon. "It is my desire to inspire others to do the same."

KCAM's annual Artist-in-Residence program is designed to provide professional and up-and-coming artists with opportunities that will help them succeed in their careers. Deleon has been a member of the KCAM Fort Bend team for the past year.

Deleon has already collaborated with Harvest Green, transforming a shed at the on-site Village Farm into a work of art with the help of residents, students from Travis High School - located in Harvest Green - and the George Foundation's Youth in Philanthropy program in May. The farm-themed design can be seen from Harlem Road.

Harvest Green will be hosting additional KCAM artists throughout the year, pairing each installation with a farm-to-table chef's dinner centered on the art being displayed.

Tickets will go on sale shortly for an Oct. 20 dinner featuring Deleon's work.

Established in 2013, the KCAM Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend is a non-profit institution dedicated to presenting contemporary art to the public. Visit www.kcamfortbend.com for information.

Harvest Green is the Houston area's first community centered on a working farm. Visit www.harvestgreentexas.com for more information.
The University of Texas System board of regents on Monday hired Dr. Peter Pisters as the next head of MD Anderson Cancer Center, less than six months after Dr. Ron DePinho was forced out after years of tumult at the elite Houston hospital.

At a meeting in Austin, the regents finalized the selection of Pisters, a surgeon and administrator who spent 20 years at MD Anderson before leaving in 2014 to become president of University Health Network in Toronto. Pisters was tapped for the job Aug. 25, but regents had to wait 21 days under state law to make the appointment official.

"I look forward to reconnecting with so many former colleagues and connecting with new colleagues, all of whom are part of the most extraordinary team of cancer fighters," Pisters wrote in an e-mail sent to MD Anderson employees after the vote. "The honor of serving as your president is one that I both respect and am humbled by, and I will spare no effort in working with you to build upon and extend MD Anderson's unparalleled history of success."

Pisters, 57, will become the fifth president in MD Anderson's 76-year history.

Regents approved his hiring without comment.

Experience lauded

Dr. Ray Greenberg, the UT System's executive vice chancellor for health affairs, touted Pister's 20-year devotion to the care of patients as a surgeon at MD Anderson and experience in Toronto leading "one of the most respected academic health centers in North America."

"This combination of his clinical expertise, institutional knowledge, and servant leadership make Dr. Pisters the ideal person to take MD Anderson to the next level," Greenberg said in a statement.

Under an offer letter signed Monday, Pisters will make a base salary of $1,439,100, plus $405,900 in supplemental pay, benefits and incentives.

Pisters will be tasked with bringing MD Anderson out of cultural and fiscal crises and navigating the complexities of a changing health care landscape. Under DePinho, faculty chafed at a perceived top-down management style, and the center suffered financial losses in 2016 that led to the January 2017 slashing of roughly 1,000 jobs. Finances have improved.

First hired in 1994

At MD Anderson, Pisters most recently was vice president of the institution's regional care system. He came to the cancer center in 1994, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, as an instructor in the department of surgical oncology. He rose in the ranks to become clinical consultant for its Center for Global Oncology and then medical director of its regional care centers.

Three years ago, he was lured back to Canada, where he grew up, to become president of UHN, a system of four major hospitals affiliated with the University of Toronto and funded by the government under a single-payer model.

Pisters will join MD Anderson in a full-time capacity this year, he wrote in his email. He added he will make several visits to MD Anderson before then, including next week that will include a town hall.

Pisters called the appointment "one of the most memorable moments of my life" and added the center has "occupied a prominent place in my heart for more than two decades and to which I am so excited to return."
UNITED NATIONS - President Donald Trump on Monday opened his first visit to the United Nations since taking office with a polite but firm call for the 72-year-old institution to overhaul itself and a veiled threat to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement.

In a meeting with counterparts from around the world, Trump said the U.N. had grown too bureaucratic and ineffective and should reorient its approach. He complained that spending and staff at the U.N. had grown enormously over the years but that "we are not seeing the results in line with this investment."

"That's why we commend the secretary-general and his call for the United Nations to focus more on people and less on bureaucracy," Trump said, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sitting beside him. "We seek a United Nations that regains the trust of the people around the world. In order to achieve this, the United Nations must hold every level of management accountable, protect whistleblowers and focus on results rather than on process."

He added that any reform should ensure that no single member "shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden, and that's militarily or financially," a sore point for many American conservatives who bristle at the share of U.N. costs borne by the United States. Trump said nothing about whether he would pursue his proposal to radically cut U.S. funding for the organization.

He later met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, in the first of a string of sessions he will conduct with counterparts during four days in New York, and used the occasion to once again hint that he could pull out of the Iran deal negotiated by President Barack Obama along with the other four permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany. Netanyahu planned to press Trump to either revise the agreement or scrap it.

Asked by reporters whether he would withdraw, Trump said, "You'll see very soon. You'll be seeing very soon." He added: "We're talking about it constantly. Constantly. We're talking about plans constantly."

The president has until mid-October to certify under a U.S. law whether Iran is complying with the deal, a certification he has grudgingly made twice already this year but that he has told advisers he does not want to make again. If he were to refuse to do so, it could potentially unravel the agreement.

In a harsh message to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors compliance with the nuclear agreement, Trump warned that the United States could withdraw if the accord is not properly policed.

"We will not accept a weakly enforced or inadequately monitored deal," Trump said in a message read by Rick Perry, the energy secretary, at the agency's annual meeting in Vienna, according to news reports.

Iran has accused Trump of failing to comply with the deal by undercutting it and slapping sanctions on Tehran for other activities, like ballistic missile tests, an assertion it repeated in Vienna on Monday.

"The American administration's overtly hostile attitude and actual foot-dragging policies and measures aim at undermining the nuclear deal and blocking Iran's legitimate benefits from its full implementation," said Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's atomic energy agency.

Iran has suggested it may pull out, but analysts are skeptical that it would do so because it has benefited from the agreement that lifted international sanctions in exchange for temporarily curbing its nuclear program.

At the same time, Iranian officials have continued to make hostile threats toward Israel. "We will destroy the Zionist entity at lightning speed, and thus shorten the 25 years it still has left," said Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi, commander in chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, according to Iranian media outlets quoted by the Jerusalem Post.

The meeting with Netanyahu focused on Iran, although Trump also repeated his commitment to finding peace between the Israelis and Palestinians despite growing doubts about his initiative. He will meet with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday.

The meeting with Netanyahu was followed by another with President Emmanuel Macron of France where the two traded warm words and recalled Trump's visit to a Bastille Day military parade in Paris in July.
Page Content

The Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has elected the Mayor of Schiedam, Cor Lamers (NL/EPP), as its new Chair. The election took place shortly before members held a debate with Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the CoR, on Reflecting on the future of Europe  the environmental dimension. President Lambertz, who will lead the CoR delegation to the COP23 in November, reiterated the frontline role cities and regions play in the fight against global warming. Roby Biwer (LU/PES), Member of the Bettembourg Municipal Council in Luxembourg was elected ENVEs first Vice-Chair while Valter Flego (HR/ALDE), Prefect of the Istra County in Croatia, will be ENVEs second Vice-Chair.

Speaking after his election on Monday 18 September, Cor Lamers declared: I want to be an inclusive chair and give ENVE members the space and opportunity to get involved in issues of their interest and expertise. My political objective is to pursue efforts towards building more sustainable cities and regions and finding a balance between the economic, social and environmental development of our communities. The shift towards a circular economy and the support for eco-innovative SMEs is essential for that purpose. Cor Lamers will be part of the CoR delegation to COP23 in Bonn. The Mayor of Schiedam has been a member of the CoR since February 2007.

Lamers recalled the importance of cooperating with other EU institutions, highlighting the aim of establishing regular meetings between the CoR and the European Parliaments ENVI and ITRE committees. Ahead of COP23 in Bonn, Lamers stressed the need to identify clear areas of cooperation with US Mayors within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2010, and with the Canadian mayors that we are going to meet in Bonn.

President Lambertz congratulated Francesco Pigliaru for his commitment and achievements and welcomed Cor Lamers as the new chair of the ENVE commission. President Lambertz said: "Energy and climate issues must be at the very heart of Europe's future. Regions and cities are on the frontline which is why we need EU environmental policy that is easy to deliver locally to ensure local and regional governments are fully on board. It is an opportunity to demonstrate that the EU does benefit the lives of all our citizens and proves that Europe is ready for the challenges of the 21st century."

Cities and regions want to give environmental policy a stronger focus within the ongoing reflection on the future of Europe. The EU's assembly of cities and regions is contributing to the debate by holding citizens' dialogues across the European Union, led by CoR members, and through the adoption of Resolution on the EC White Paper on the Future of Europe . Environmental legislation is one of the greatest successes in European integration, also in citizen's views, as it is perceived as 'necessary to protect the environment' by 75% of Europeans, according to a recent Eurobarometer.

The debate included the interventions of Jeremy Wates, Secretary-General of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Marjolein Demmers, President of Ecopreneur and Gilles Gantelet, Director for Policy at DG Environment  European Commission.

The ENVE commission adopted two draft opinions.

ENVE members had an exchange of views on an upcoming opinion for ' Promoting coexistence with conflict species within the framework of the EU Nature Directives ' by rapporteur Csaba Borboly (RO/EPP).

Note to editors:

Reflecting on Europe is an Initiative the European Committee of the Regions offering a space for citizens to present their concerns, thoughts and ideas about the future of Europe. You can take part here.

Contact: David Crous | Tel. +32 470 88 10 37 | david.crous@cor.europa.eu

Pictures are available here.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

AUSTIN - Shaking up his top-level staff with a new team of seasoned senior aides, first-term Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday he has big initiatives to pursue during the 2019 legislative session - a clear indication that he expects to be re-elected next year.

"There are big ideas I plan to tackle in the upcoming session, and this team will be integral in spearheading those efforts," he said at a Capitol ceremony to announce the new hires and reshuffling in a total of 10 top jobs, which is not unusual midway through a term when top aides traditionally move to higher-paying private sector jobs and with a re-election campaign just ahead.

Asked what his ideas for change were, Abbott gave no specifics but characterized them as "very big, very deep." Top aides said privately that he plans to roll out most, if not all, of his plans in coming months as he ramps up his campaign for a second term - which he starts with a whopping war chest of more than $40 million and no significant Democratic opponent.

Political insiders close to the governor say that judging from the makeup of Abbott's new team, it appears Abbott intends to push ahead on his conservative agenda for reforms in the state budget process and a more conservative fiscal approach to spending, including new efficiencies in state agency operations.

Abbott, who became governor in January 2015 with a staff that had younger aides in many top posts compared to past governors, has since weathered two legislative sessions - both politically contentious, although lawmakers approved most of his key issues.

In announcing the changes, Abbott applauded his current top staff for achieving "many priorities I set forth since I came into office, and ... helped make Texas a better place."

"While there are big shoes to fill, I'm confident the team I'm introducing (Monday) is up to the task," he added.

The staff changes take effect Oct. 1.

Daniel Hodge, who has been Abbott's chief of staff since he came into office and has been with Abbott since 2002 when he first ran for attorney general, will be replaced by Luiz Saenz, Abbott's former director of appointments who is now an Austin political consultant. Saenz, who started his career at the conservative Heritage Foundation, served in senior staff positions for Gov. Rick Perry and was chief of staff to former Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn.

Communications director Matt Hirsch, who has been in that role with Abbott since he launched his campaign for governor in 2013, will add the new title of deputy chief of staff. He replaces Reed Clay, who is becoming Abbott's chief operating officer and has been with Abbott for eight years.

Steven Albright, a former top Senate aide who currently serves as Abbott's budget director, will serve as senior adviser for state operations. He will be replaced as budget director by Sarah Hicks, an assistant vice chancellor and director of state relations for the Texas A&M University System who formerly served as staff director of the state Senate's budget-writing committee.

Tommy Williams, a former Republican state senator from Conroe who is the vice chancellor for state and federal relations at the A&M System, will serve as Abbott's senior adviser for fiscal affairs. He is a former lawmaker who chaired the budget-writing Senate Finance Committee for several legislative sessions and was known as a fiscally conservative bottom-liner on state spending.

Abbott said Monday that Williams "will tackle long-standing fiscal issues" facing the state. He offered no specifics.

Longtime state Senate parliamentarian Walter Fisher, an experienced Capitol aide and former lobbyist who served as a senior adviser to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, will be Abbott's new legislative director. Abbott characterized Fisher's knowledge of the inner-workings at the state Capitol this way: "He knows the rules better than the people who wrote the rules."

Peggy Venable, a senior visiting fellow at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation and Texas director of Americans for Prosperity, will be the new appointments director, a key post that vets candidates for all state boards and commissions that are appointed by the governor. Venable previously served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and has decades of experience working on conservative grass-roots campaigns.

John Colyandro, the executive director of the Texas Conservative Coalition who served as a policy adviser to Abbott in his campaigns for attorney general and governor, will become the governor's policy director and a senioradviser. Colyandro was the architect of the Bicentennial Blueprint, a list of goals that Abbott used during his 2015 election campaign for governor.

Colyandro, well regarded in conservative Republican circles, is perhaps best known outside the Capitol for his 2005 indictment in a campaign finance case involving a political action committee connected to former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom Delay of Sugar Land. Colyandro pleaded guilty in 2012 to reduced charges and was fined $8,000.

In addition to the other changes announced Monday, press secretary John Wittman said he will move to a similar post in Abbott's campaign.
Time to act

Regarding "Climate change" (Page A16, Friday), this is a magnificent editorial about our need for open, honest discussion of climate change. The editorial advocates for funding NASA's climate studies and restoring climate change information to the EPA's website and FEMA's flood maps.

Don't forget NOAA's satellites, the Department of Energy's budgets for clean energy and advanced research projects and the state's climate ambassador - all cut, scrubbed.

I just disagree with the editorial over a very small point. It says the United States should rejoin the Paris climate accords. I say don't nag a new, unsteady administration about revisiting Paris.

Rather, let's ask a potentially powerful administration and a Congress - with whom the president finesses bipartisan deals - to enact climate legislation. The House climate caucus, with 28 Republicans and 28 Democrats, has been studying practical solutions. They voted to stop an anti-climate amendment in July. After Harvey and Irma, they're motivated to outline next actions.

Judy Weiss, Brookline, Mass.

Trust lacking

Regarding "A call for a special session" (Page A33, Sunday), thanks for the thoughtful editorial detailing an agenda of proposals that would greatly benefit the citizens of the Gulf Coast. It's doubtful that any of our elected representatives will seriously consider any of it.

It's a shame that any special session that may be called will be dominated once again by bathrooms and other discriminatory proposals that benefit no one.

P. Crane, Conroe

Trump's laywers

Regarding "Inquiry divides Trump lawyers" (Page A1, Monday), it is no surprise the Trump presidency is a lawyerfest, with even the lawyers getting their own lawyers. This is just a continuation of Donald Trump's earlier life with hundreds of lawsuits over his real estate, Trump University and everything else.

At 71 years of age, change is rare. I will leave it to others to explain why he thrives on turmoil, rage and winning.

Herman I. Morris, Plano

Common sense

Regarding "New law limits doctors' rights" (Page A1, Monday), in 36 years of practicing medicine in Texas, it has never even crossed my mind to write a "do not resuscitate" order without consulting the patient and family. How sad that Gov. Greg Abbott felt it necessary to legislate common sense.

Stella Fitzgibbons,The Woodlands

Dike skepticism

Regarding "As support for Ike Dike grows, we still need stubborn boosters" (Page A3, Sunday), the Ike Dike would have done nothing to help the Houston area during Harvey. In fact, it actually may have created more flooding issues by impeding rainwater runoff.

I am in favor of localized earthen levies being built specifically around the chemical plants and refineries to protect those industrial complexes from a damaging storm surge. But an Ike Dike running down the coastline is overkill.

Coastal residents themselves should be responsible for their own property by building properly and purchasing adequate insurance.

Matt Pace, Houston
I haven't yet read Hillary Clinton's "What Happened," but it seems pretty clear to me what did, in fact, happen in 2016.

These days, America starts from a baseline of extreme tribalism: 47 or 48 percent of the electorate will vote for any Republican, no matter how terrible, and against any Democrat, no matter how good. This means, in turn, that small things - journalists acting like mean kids in high school, ganging up on candidates they consider uncool, events that suggest fresh scandal even when there's nothing there - can tip the balance in favor of even the worst candidate imaginable.

And, crucially, last year far too many people were complacent; they assumed that Trump couldn't possibly become president, so they felt free to engage in trivial pursuits. Then they woke up to find that the inconceivable had happened.

Is something similar about to go down with health care?

Republican attempts to destroy Obamacare have repeatedly failed, and for very good reason. Their attacks on the Affordable Care Act were always based on lies, and they have never come up with a decent alternative.

The simple fact is that all the major elements of the ACA - prohibiting discrimination by insurers based on medical history, requiring that people buy insurance even if they're currently healthy, premium subsidies and Medicaid expansion that make insurance affordable even for those with lower incomes - are there because they're necessary. Yet every plan Republicans have offered would do away with or undermine those key elements, causing tens of millions of Americans to lose health insurance, with the heaviest burden falling on the most vulnerable.

All this should be clear to everyone by now. So you might be tempted to assume that no plan along these lines can possibly pass, let alone one that, if anything, looks worse than what we've seen so far. But it's precisely because so many people assume that the threat is behind us, and have turned their attention elsewhere, that health care is once again in danger.

The sponsors of the Graham-Cassidy bill now working its way toward a Senate vote claim to be offering a moderate approach that preserves the good things about Obamacare. In other words, they are maintaining the GOP norm of lying both about the content of Obamacare and about what would replace it.

In reality, Graham-Cassidy is the opposite of moderate. It contains, in exaggerated and almost caricature form, all the elements that made previous Republican proposals so cruel and destructive. It would eliminate the individual mandate, undermine if not effectively eliminate protection for people with pre-existing conditions, and slash funding for subsidies and Medicaid. There are a few additional twists, but they're all bad - notably, a funding formula that would penalize states that are actually successful in reducing the number of uninsured.

Did this bill's sponsors - Lindsey Graham, Bill Cassidy, Ron Johnson and Dean Heller - manage to get through months of health care debate without learning anything about the issue? Maybe. But surely the rest of the Senate, not to mention much of the public, has wised up about false Republican promises. A huge majority of voters, almost 2-1, consider it a good thing that previous attempts at repealing and replacing Obamacare failed.

Yet there is a real chance that Graham-Cassidy, which is similar to but even worse than previous Republican proposals, will nonetheless become law, because not enough people are taking it seriously.

As in the presidential election, we start from a baseline of extreme tribalism, in which 48 or 49 Republican senators will vote for anything, no matter how awful, that bears their party's seal of approval. To make a bill the law, its sponsors only need to win one or two more votes.

The main reason Republican leaders couldn't do that on previous health bills was public outrage and activism. Letters and phone calls, demonstrators and crowds at town halls, made it clear that many Americans were aware of the stakes, and that politicians who voted to take health care away from millions would be held accountable.

Now, however, the news cycle has moved on, taking public attention with it. Many progressives have already begun taking Obamacare's achievements for granted, and are moving on from protest against right-wing schemes to dreams of single-payer. Unfortunately, that's exactly the kind of environment in which swing senators, no longer in the spotlight, might be bribed or bullied into voting for a truly terrible bill.

The good news is that for technical reasons of parliamentary procedure, Graham-Cassidy has to pass by the end of this month, or not at all. The bad news is that such passage is a real possibility.

So if you care about preserving the huge gains the ACA has brought, make your voice heard. Otherwise we may wake up to another terrible morning after.

Krugman is a New York Times columnist.
A caravan of more than 50 historic military vehicles traveling across the country will make a stop at Fort Leonard Wood.

The Military Vehicle Preservation Association will display military Jeeps and trucks dating from World War II to the present day from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Daugherty Bowling Center parking lot. MVPA drivers will be available to talk about the importance of their vehicles during their military service.

The visit is part of the associations 30-day, cross-country convoy from Chicago, Ill., to Santa Monica, Calif., along Historic Route 66.

Route 66 is a major attraction in the area, and Fort Leonard Wood was a perfect fit for this group, said Karen Hood, certified travel industry specialist with the Pulaski County Tourism Bureau, which brought the tour to Fort Leonard Woods attention.

We know that our community and the participants of the convoy will enjoy the visit, Hood said.

Following the static display, the MVPA plans to enjoy a private dinner banquet at the John B. Mahaffey Museum to fuel up for the remaining 25 days of their journey.

Brad Nelson, a nine-year MVPA member, who helped to coordinate this years 2,300-mile convoy, said to be part of the MVPA, one only needs to have an interest in preserving military vehicles.

You do not need to be a veteran to be in the MVPA, but there are many veterans who are members, he said.

Nelson said MVPA members participate in the convoy, which is held every two to three years, because it is a good excuse to drive their vehicles and see the country at 35 miles per hour.

You dont get to see America on the interstate, he said. I dont know who gets a bigger kick from the event  the drivers or the people who come out to see us. Its fun to see the responses.

Honoring veterans is an important goal of the event.

The convoy participants use this event as an opportunity to say thank you to all military Veterans, active-duty armed forces personnel and their Families for their service to our country, Nelson said.

The public is invited and encouraged to meet and greet the vehicle owners and take photos.

The visit represents a joint effort between Pulaski County Tourism, the city of St. Robert, the MVPA, Fort Leonard Wood, and the surrounding community, Col. Tracy Lanier, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Leonard Wood garrison commander, said. Fort Leonard Wood looks forward to a great event and everyone is invited to come out to enjoy this historic visit.

In addition to meeting with MVPA drivers, the public may also tour the indoor and outdoor museum displays, which will be open after hours that day. The 399th Army Band Jazz Combo is slated to perform to welcome the MVPA and guests.

To gain access to Fort Leonard Wood, visitors should be prepared to provide a current drivers license, proof of insurance and vehicle registration. Visitors are not required to have a pass to attend this event.

Daugherty Bowling Center and the John B. Mahaffey Museum are located on South Dakota Avenue. Additional parking will be available across the street at Davidson Fitness Center.

For more information, call the Pulaski County Tourism Bureau at 573-336-6355 or the Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office at 573-563-5034/4145.
Irene Brown Stapleton, 82, of Greensboro, N.C., passed away Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, at home.

She was born Dec. 5, 1934, in Springfield, daughter of James and Irene Gentry Brown. She and Thomas l. Stapleton were married in 1962 in Jefferson City.

She grew up in Houston. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a journalism degree in 1957.

She worked as a reporter for newspapers in Ft. Smith, Ark., and Columbia, S.C., as a staff writer in the employee relations department of Olin Mathieson Chemical Corp. in East Alton, Ill., and as staff writer for the Missouri Division of Commerce in Jefferson City. She also worked as a hospital community relations director and as a radio news announcer in Mexico, Mo. She was employed for over nine years by the Guilford County Area Mental Health Department as an information specialist, retiring from the position in 1997.

After retirement, she operated a photography and desktop publishing business from her home. She was a published author of poetry and short stories.

She cherished trips to the beach, swimming, good novels, travel, classical music, photography, card games, and holiday dinner parties for her family.

She was a member of West Market Street United Methodist Church and multiple other organizations.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Gentry Brown; and a sister, Rebecca Jane Ellefson.

Survivors include her husband, Thomas; a son, Thomas G. Stapleton of Charlotte, N.C.; a daughter, Rhonda S. Woods of Greensboro, N.C.; three grandchildren; a sister, Helen Crow of Raymore; three nieces; and seven nephews.

Services were Monday, Sept. 18, at West Market United Methodist Church in Greensboro, N.C.

Memorials may be made to the music fund of West Market Street United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 870, Greensboro, N.C., 27402 or a charity of the donors choice.

Online condolences may be made at www.haneslineberryfuneralhomes. com.
Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print.

Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.
Not before time, the gay press in London, realising we have a dangerous drugs-and-sex scene here that is killing gay men, has finally started to cover it in an analytic, compassionate and sober way (pun intended).

I'm pleased about this, and pleased by this powerfully written piece by David Stuart. No one has done more to help and rescue gay Londoners who have got lost in the maze of chemsex, and help them achieve self-respect and structure in their lives, than David.

And yet I disagree that Chemsex is anything new. We gay men have been always been furtive about the sex we sex we want and do, and have always sought private, intoxicated spaces to do it in.

Advertisement

I was listening to "Sister Ray" by the Velvet Underground again (or at least part of it).

It's a description of a gay/trans Chemsex party. From 1968. Around the time I started fully articulating to myself that I was gay.

Look at the first verse lyrics:

"Doc and Sally inside

They're cooking for the down five

Who's staring at Miss Rayon

Who's busy licking up her pig pen

I'm searching for my mainline

I said I couldn't hit it sideways

I said I couldn't hit it sideways

Oh, just like Sister Ray said

Whip it on"...

...and although Lou Reed also wrote about heroin, he made it clear that the drug he was talking about on this track and on "White Light/White Heat" was amphetamine.

So David is right when he says that "the way we understand chemsex sits side-by-side with our understanding of gay sexual liberation. It does an injustice to separate it from our historical relationship to recreational drugs, gay community, gay scenes and gay sex."

Drugs and non-standard sexuality have always gone together.

I did chemsex whan I was young in the 70s, 80s, 90s. I spent a lot of time in public gay sex venues or at parties or one-to-one with hookups, off my face on various things, sometimes having some of the most profound and meaningful experiences I'll ever have in my life, and sometimes having a degraded, lonely, shit time. The experience made me who I am for good and bad.

Advertisement

There is one difference and one difference only today. The drugs are stronger and more dangerous. GHB and GBL are physically addictive and have a very narrow tolerance/lethality range. Meth is simply much stronger than regular amphetamine and lasts long enough to have much more disruptive potential on a person's life. And social media makes them a lot easier to score. You don't have to hang around on Lexington/125 any more.

So I'd agree that gay men are physically putting themselves in more danger than they ever were.

But I do not agree that something uniquely malign and worrying socially is happening in the gay world. We've always done what the straights all do, except we've always done it 5x more than they do. Why we do it more is partly for negative reasons, because we're repressed and guilty, and self-hating, and need to disinhibit.

But it is also for positive reasons; because we as gay men effing well CAN do the kind of sex an awful lot of people and especially an awful lot of men would love to do. Shame and opportunity both drive chemsex.

Much is also made of social media these days, as creating an isolated and unsupportive gay scene. Well, I've never been anywhere as hostile or objectifying as certain gay bars I endured in my youth, and I have never met anyone as lonely or vulnerable as the young Japanese tourist I one rescued on a 1980s winter's night from Hampstead Heath because he was off his face on LSD and couldn't see past the next bush.

I think, and always have done, that the HIV era was the exception in Queer history. AIDS forced us into self-organisation, mutual support, political action and showed that we were actual decent compassionate human beings in the eyes of the non-gay public.

Advertisement

But I always suspected that, having licked AIDS, we'd return to the problems that existed back in the old days gay lib, days I am old enough to remember before HIV ever came along.

We were facing then and, despite achieving legislative change and social recognition, face now, very profound questions. What is a good gay life? What kind of relationships serve us best? How do we overcome, and fast, the inevitable trauma of growing up in families where we are the apple that has fallen furthest from the tree? How do we continue to fight against the sexual norms that demean us without burning ourself out with alienation and anger?

And how do we stop feeling so ashamed? I think one thing saved me from serious addiction. I was lucky enough to be brought up without a lot of shame. That meant I didn't necessarily need intoxication to do the sex I wanted; it was just an extra. I was, in short, sufficiently enough of a brazen whore already to be able to do sober what a lot of guys can only enjoy blasted.

Because of this, I disagree with the tone, if not the message, of this: "Chemsex is upsetting. It's unattractive. It's a blight on all of us. Our mums will think we all do it. The straight media will have a field day. It undoes all the hard work for gay sexual liberation done by our activist forebears. It's just yuk."

That's taken out of context, of course. What David is talking about is his anger with the damage chemsex does to our public image; gay men are doing something that appears to be a step backwards. He himself makes it clear he wants compassion, not condemnation, for people who do it. Nonetheless, there is a very fine line between reporting a 'Yuk' response and supporting a 'Yuk' response.

Advertisement

Yet the very fact that a description of a chemsex party made it onto one of the coolest LPs of all time shows that 'Yuk' is not the only response chemsex engenders. It also engenders 'Wow'. We, gay and straight, react to it with both disgust and envy, pity and fascination.

And thereby, I think, lies the key to dealing with it. It's no use treating it solely as a dead end people get lost in. It's also a way people have, however daft, dangerous and bizarre, to search for meaning.

To what extent is the way we have fun pathological and driven by trauma, and to what extent is it a sought-out, occult, liminal experience that tells us something very profound about living?

The most profound question you can ask someone struggling (or not struggling) with chemsex is not: "Do you want to stop?" but "What are you looking for?"

And if the answer is the ability to enjoy sex without drugs, then personally I think we need to be careful about calling it "sober sex". If what they are looking for is rapture, union, transcendence, surrender, that doesn't sound very sober.

Advertisement
PA

When it comes to paedophile activity in online spaces, the only thing that tends to change is that their numbers continue to increase. I believe that one of the contributing factors to this is the lack of real deterrence; too few police officers to deal with the tidal wave of online offending.

There is no doubt in my mind that the growth in unregulated or 'vigilante' activity is in no small measure, down to the frustration many people feel when they see our children harmed, and so few predators caught and held to account. In 2014 'Hunters' accounted for 11% of the cases successfully prosecuted at court. Last year that number rose to 44%. Proof, if it were needed, that you do not need to be a police officer to make a difference.

Advertisement

The really shocking figure from the BBC Freedom of Information (FOI) request however, is found in the total number of convictions for grooming a child to meet for sex. According to the FOI the police and Paedophile Hunters combined achieved only 259 convictions.

Some may attempt to defend that number by including the work against offenders who download images, but that is investigated in a different way. In my opinion the only legitimate comparison between these crime types is the equally disappointing number of offenders caught in each category. The Chief Constable of Norfolk Simon Bailey set out the scale of the problem last year when he told us that up to 100,000 UK IP addresses are downloading indecent images; of someone's child everyday.

In order to move forward we must stop repeating the rhetoric that you can do more with less in policing, it's not right and unfair to the few officers working against huge odds. We must also stop letting those in power hide behind the blanket of austerity.

I am sure that vigilantes are not the answer.

Whilst most are well meaning, a few are self-serving, some may even have criminal records and are therefore unsuitable for such a role. However, they have all shown us that you don't need to be a police officer to catch a predator. You should however be vetted, trained and authorised to work within the criminal justice system. So what is the answer? Special Constables trained as Digital Detectives.

Advertisement

Special Constables, uniformed citizen volunteers walk the streets of our towns and villages every week.

Their presence deters offenders, makes people safer and critically makes them feel safer. There is absolutely no reason they cannot patrol the online spaces. These volunteer citizens can be trained to seek out these abusers, to identify, locate and lure them to a place where the police arrest them.

We sometimes see the very best of people in the worst of times and communities across the UK are filled with good, in fact great, decent people. People who care enough to make a difference. Now is the time to call up that citizen's army; vet, train and equip them to support the police.

It is time to turn the tables. If every force recruited only 25 volunteers we could launch a credible counter offensive with over a 1,000 Special Constables operating undercover as digital detectives. Such reinforcements would have the potential to make a real impact by delivering a real deterrent.

And here is the key, they are volunteers; they are absolutely free. So ask yourself this, can we afford to ignore this scheme?

Advertisement
vchal via Getty Images

He's at it again. The publicity-craving Foreign Secretary has been largely silent and off-line for much of his poor start as Foreign Secretary. While he has failed to deliver anything new of substance as a senior minister, Boris tries to make up for it in a 4,200 word rant for the Daily Telegraph on what "Brexit means Brexit" should really mean.

It raises a key question: so why did he do it?

It appears to be a clear attempt to bully a weak PM to deliver on his undeliverable promises made over the course of the EU Referendum campaign. Boris has reportedly been stung by criticisms that he lied during the campaign and his piece was an act of self-defence aimed at salvaging some part of his reputation.

Advertisement

It hasn't worked. Especially damaging to his credibility was the frequent claim that leaving the EU would mean 350 million extra per week for the NHS. The ONS has been clear through the EU Referendum campaign that the figure was a "misuse" of official statistics. Britain does not pay that amount to Brussels - and within hours of the Brexit win it was confirmed no new money to the NHS was forthcoming Brexit or no Brexit. Making it worse for Boris, the ONS chief has again called him out for peddling a porky in repeating the false 350m claim.

While May appears too weak to sack a disloyal senior member of her Cabinet, Johnson's influence so poor he must take to the papers to find the support he clearly lacks in the Cabinet. With Number 10 so keen to micromanage, Boris must be feeling hamstrung as Foreign Secretary with such limited discretion. We must wonder why anyone sitting at the top table must resort to the papers to let the PM know his views. A strong sign that he has been marginalised and left out to pasture - and that Boris feels May too weak to sack him for any apparent disloyalty.

For all the many attacks on Brexit sceptics for how they talk down Britain's potential, this very public spat at the heart of government is even worse for weakening the government's already poor hand. If the PM thought she had a difficult time before, it's only worse now. Ironically, it's mostly because of meddling by pro-Brexit ministers like Boris rather than criticisms from pro-Remain sceptics.

Yes, EU negotiators likely to continue highlighting split among the British public for what they want out of Brexit. But a split at the Cabinet table is much more damaging. It is almost beyond comprehension that Theresa May triggered Brexit without any clear, specific plans for what she wanted, how she would get it or how it could be delivered -- and without a Cabinet fully in support. If she can't carry them, why think she can carry the country?

Advertisement
Concentrated attacks on technology tools that can sometimes, but not always, be used for nefarious purposes have quite a long history, from Google and Wikipedia, to suing online sites like Craigslist over how users use the service. Even torrent technology itself, having become a four-letter-word that the content industry has managed to tether to copyright infringement, is nothing more than a tool with plenty of legitimate uses.

Well, it appears that the latest target in the music industry's crosshairs are sites that rip YouTube videos into MP3 format.

Last week the major record labels managed to take out YouTube-MP3, the largest ripping site of all. Still, there are many like it that continue business as usual. For many music industry insiders, who see streamripping as one of the largest piracy threats, this is a constant source of frustration. In the UK, music industry group BPI worked hard to tackle the issue proactively. Last year the organization already signed an agreement with YouTube-MP3 to block UK traffic. This limited the availability of the site locally, but the group believes that YouTube itself should take responsibility as well.

The crux of the plan, according to industry insiders, appears to be to get YouTube involved to block these sites from ripping its content into audio format. Between complaining that YouTube hasn't threatened enough legal action of its own and some rather silly complaints revolving around Google "steering" traffic to ripping sites via autocomplete on Google searches of all things, something of a full court press appears to be on. And, in one sense, it's understandable. Music groups that allow their music to be on YouTube look for the advertising revenue that comes along with it. One imagines that running a video through these ripping sites doesn't trigger that same ad revenue, otherwise nobody would be complaining.

But here's the thing: there are a ton of legitimate uses outside of the music business to use these sites. I use them all the time. I primarily use them for videos that are essentially speech-based content so I can listen to them on the go. History lectures, public debates, reviews: they're all on YouTube, they're all perfectly listenable in audio format, and none of the makers of that content are shouting about YouTube MP3 rips.

So what we're left with again is the content industries attacking a tool with legitimate uses simply because some percentage of the public uses it in a way they don't like.
Mayor Richard Alcombright introduces Attorney General Maura Healey at Monday's roundtable on the area's need for resources to battle opioid addiction.

Healey Told Resources Lacking to Combat Opioid Epidemic



Paul Hickling of the Brien Center talks about his organization's initiatives, including a new recovery center for new mothers. NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Northern Berkshire has been knitting together a wide array of agencies and organizations to combat an opioid epidemic that's devastated communities. Its leaders, including Mayor Richard Alcombright, have played a prominent role in working groups both regionally and statewide addressing addiction and recovery.

But while the partnerships are strong, a lack of resources has left this fragile safety net overwhelmed and with too many gaps for those seeking help to fall through.

"You need help and that's what I hear loud and clear," Attorney General Maura Healey said on Monday after an hourlong meeting at City Hall with community, recovery and public safety leaders.

Alcombright afterward said Healey has been a real champion and supporter on this issue.

"I think the cry around the table was for prevention and recovery and the fact that we don't get funded, we don't think, proportionally at the same level as other areas of the state," the mayor said. "And I think the attorney general needed to hear that message. ... Hopefully, she can help us out a little more."

Healey was looking for a "candid conversation" on Monday, she said. "Don't hold back."

The city's Police Director Michael Cozzaglio was blunt: "It is a battle."

North Adams was among the first in the state to have its public safety agencies distribute naloxone, or Narcan, which can reverse an overdose.

"We've had five doses [of Narcan] in the last week. ... We saw more overdoses and two deaths in a 10-day period. That's very high for us but it occurs," Cozzaglio said, describing the numbers as cyclical. One growing concern is the use of fentanyl, a rapid-acting narcotic, and other deadly compounds used in lacing heroin. "They're always chasing after the best high for the best dollar. They want the good stuff and the good stuff has fentanyl in it ... so now for the addict who's shooting up, the best high is when you're ready to fall off that cliff and die."

Western Massachusetts and Berkshire law enforcement has been pooling resources to make things work, Adams Police Chief Richard Tarsa said. "The collaborative we have formed has been a necessity because we don't have the reources to do it alone."

He stressed that the opioid crisis affected a community at every level, telling how he lost a relative to an overdose. The individual had been clean for two years but when something happened to a friend of his, he shot up and went into a coma.

"This was a good kid, I knew this kid," Tarsa said. "It devastated not just the family but everyone who knew him."

There's been a concerted effort to reach people before they become addicted or to prevent them from relapsing. But those efforts are hampered by a lack of resources in the geographically large but population-small county.

"We've really seen the opioid epidemic hitting this area really hard," said Paul Hickling, vice president of service operations for the Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse. "Part of what we have been focusing on is bringing services closer to the people where they live."

The center has added a 17-bed recovery home for pregnant women and those with newborns in Pittsfield, which has become the hub of recovery efforts largely because of location and population.

"We would love the idea of a recovery home here," he said. "Again, the problem with our recovery home system is the waiting list is so long and hour to hour, people are really struggling with these addiction problems."

The center is also looking at competitive grants for a peer-run recovery center and has been working with Berkshire Health Systems on several efforts, including grants and telecommunications accessibility so families can connect with their loved ones in treatment centers in Pittsfield.

"As a community we're working very well together but we're having some challengs as regards to our resources," Hickling said.

Both he and representatives for the Berkshire County sheriff's office pointed to the lack of transportation and the distance to reach services in Pittsfield, about 25 miles away.

Alan Bianchi and Frank Busener, reintegration officers for the sheriff's office, work with the Brien Center and other agencies in helping former inmates with addiction and mental health issues return to their communities. The sheriff's office runs programs at its Second Street facility in Pittsfield.

"We see they do better the longer they do services with us," Bianchi said. "It's hard for them to get back to the center to see us ... it would be good to have a center in North and South County but there's only two of us."

It's not just about getting clean, it's about continuing support and teaching life skills and job training to prevent former inmates from sliding backward, they said. Another concern is the increase in prostitution by women addicts.

"I've been working in this county on addiction for 28 years and it's getting worse," Busener said.

The hope is to educate about the dangers of addiction early on, including an evidence-based curriculum through the district attorney's office that's being slowly rolled out across the grade levels. It may take years for that to bear fruit and Superintendent Barbara Malkas worries about the traumas already being inflicted on young children because of family addictions.



Healey greets Amber Besaw of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition. "We have our youngest population being directly impacted and I don't think we talk about that enough," she said.

She and Wendy Penner, director of prevention and wellness for the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, also spoke to the "laissez faire" use of other substances, such as alcohol, which can have long term consequences and act as gateway drugs. The legalization of marijuana also creates a challenge when trying to educate young people are about the dangers of drug use.

"They're dying longer, slower deaths from related health problems," Penner said. "Alcohol is routinely used and abused."

The area's approach to the crisis has been a patchwork of education, law enforcement, and social and health services. There's been a pooling of resources and outreach between agencies, as well as highly visible forums, walks and vigils to bring awareness to the problem.

"I don't think any of us have the silver bullet but you have to throw everything against the wall when you're in the middle of a crisis," state Sen. Adam Hinds said.

Underlying all these efforts are the effects of poverty and generational substance abuse. The county's main issues that have been articulated at every level  jobs, job training and education, health-care access and transportation  are again the fundamental challenges for its marginalized populations when it comes to substance abuse.

"If we're not talking about equity issues, we can keep doing the same things over again but we're not going to see any change," Jennifer Kimball, project coordinator for the Berkshire Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative, said.

Healey agreed that foundation issues were critical in solving the crisis. The lack of care for those suffering from mental health issues is manifesting in the criminal justice system, she said, and there's a lack of urgency at too many levels.

She told of a woman who had called her office wondering what to do with the 40 pain pills she'd been prescribed when she only need four  this despite a bill passed in the state last year limiting prescribers.

Later in the afternoon, Healey laid the crisis at the federal level, calling on the Trump administration to back up words with action.

"The president declared this a national emergency weeks ago but hasn't done a darn thing," she said. "He hasn't supported us with money or resources."

Instead, Healey said, he'd hypocritically tried to sabotage the Affordable Care Act that directly affects people's ability to receive care and treatment.

"We need support, we need resources for the opioid epidemic here in Massachusetts and across this country and it is time that the administration step up and deliver," she said.
Tuesday Election to Narrow Down North Adams Mayoral Candidates

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Five entered the mayoral race but only two will survive Tuesday's preliminary to face off in November's general election.

Polls open for voters in North Adams at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, and close at 7 p.m. All five wards will be voting at St. Elizabeth's Parish Center this year. The City Council voted earlier this year to move the Ward 4 polling location to the parish center, where the other four wards have been for a number of years.

No incumbent is on the ballot for the first time in 34 years. Vying for the corner office are Thomas Bernard, Rachel Branch, Robert M. Martelle, Robert R. Moulton Jr. and Peter Oleskiewicz.

Bernard has never held elected office but has served in a number of administrative capacities at academic and nonprofit institutions. A North Adams native and the son of school teachers, he is currently director of special projects at Smith College in Northampton. Prior to that, he worked at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Bernard has focused in campaign on education, public health and infrastructure as the avenues for economic growth. He has put forward the idea of hiring a business manager/developer to help attract businesses to the city and work with those already here. He points to his background working with local and state officials, financial management and oversight, and development.

"I'm hoping for different ideas different ways of doing things," he said at last week's forum. "I don't see things in either/or terms. We often get stuck in us versus them arguments and this is a community that is us and us."

Branch has deep roots in the city as a descendant of the Gallup family and whose father served on the City Council. Most of her long experience in community and public service, however, has occurred in the wider world: working for the city of Denver in developing job training programs for the disadvantaged, fighting the siting of a cement plant in a Bridgeport, Conn., neighborhood, and working with diplomats and intelligence officials in the Middle East.

After she returned home to North Adams to care for her mother, Branch became a foster parent for sexually abused and traumatized children. She was elected as a write-in to the McCann School Committee and is a member of the North County Cares coalition. She's presented herself as a scrappy, low-income community street fighter for the marginalized, and promises a collaborative approach to problem-solving.

"What are you doing for a child today?" she said, speaks to all the needs of every community.

This is Martelle's second run for mayor; in 2011, he didn't make it past the preliminary. The longtime resident is originally from Clarksburg and worked at the former Aluminum Anodizing before its closure. He now works at Walmart.

Martelle said the city and the state have to do more to bring in jobs. The loss of manufacturing and a dismissive attitude from Boston, he said, have resulted in a mass exiting of businesses and people and that he would personally be out working to bring jobs back. He believes that Mass MoCA should be required to offer something in lieu of taxes to help lift the tax burden on homeowners. Martelle also has issues with the actions of the Department of Children and Families, which he believes is too quick to remove children from homes and too slow in returning them. It's all about how much money the department gets, he said.

"Because I just had enough," he said when asked why he was running. "The others are going to give us the same song and dance they have for years. If you ask them to do something, they won't do it."

This is also Moulton's second run for mayor. The lifelong resident has been involved in the community for many years, serving five terms as city councilor, chairing several of its committees and as president of North Adams Ambulance service. He points to his background of elective service as well as the operations of his business, Moulton's Spectacle Shoppe on Main Street, as examples of his knowledge of government operations and of budgeting, managing employees and handling day-to-day operations.

He's said he would only do a couple terms, if elected, and pointed to the cable access show he's had for years to hear his opinions and solutions to issues facing the city.

"You know what I'm going to do for you, you know I've always, in my heart, wanted to do the best for the community," he said at the forum. "I would love the opportunity to lead."

Oleskiewicz's campaign has essentially been at standstill though his name is still on the ballot. While it seemed he was withdrawing, late last week he stated he was still in.

A truck driver, his work schedule had made it all but impossible to participate in forums or outwardly campaign. He said he was interested in understanding every facet of how the city operated and look for better ways of doing things. Oleskiewicz had called for a cracking down on heroin dealers, increasing the number of police officers, and pursuing grants at all levels to provide them with resources. He also supported raising compensation packages for police and public works employees.

A frequent Facebook commenter, he had reached out to citizens to hear their complaints and help solve their issues, Oleskiewicz said. "I am not running on anyone two or even three platforms, there are an entire wealth of issues plaguing the city."

The two top vote-getters will move on to the general election on Nov. 7. Voting is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for all wards at the parish center.
The Berkshire County Education Task Force meets Saturday in Dalton.

Education Task Force Keeps Focus on Creating Opportunities for Students

DALTON, Mass.  The Berkshire County Education Task Force on Saturday pressed forward less than 48 hours after one school district voted to step back from its participation in the effort.

The committee had a full agenda for its regularly scheduled meeting at Nessacus Middle School, but Thursday's decision from the Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee to withdraw from the task force colored the conversation.

Chairman John Hockridge opened the meeting by addressing the vote head on.

"I just wished they'd put off the discussion for one more meeting to give us the opportunity to tell them where we're coming from," Hockridge said of the Berkshire Hills committee, which is responsible for schools in Great Barrington, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge. "There were a lot of misunderstandings about where we're coming from at that meeting.

"No one is asking anyone to commit to a countywide district. We've said that all along. There will be interest from some to be early adopters to cooperate with neighboring district. Some will choose not to participate. We understand that.

"We're just asking people to keep an open mind. School districts are driving the bus, and where that bus goes will always be up to them."

That theme was repeated frequently in comments as the committee discussed its immediate future and its long-term transformation from a study group to a resource for "pioneer districts" that want to look at ways to cooperate across district lines in order to enhance educational opportunities.

Some committee members on Saturday said the focus on improved education for all students in Berkshire County was missed in the reaction to the the task force's recommendation that the county aspire to forming a single unified school district over the next 10 years.

"I've had three meetings this week in which key leaders told me the message is getting away from us," task force member Douglas McNally said. "It's becoming a message about money only, and the quality of education is getting lost."

Messaging was a major topic on Saturday as the task force fine-tuned the text for a webinar that will be presented to school superintendents, administrators and union representatives on Sept. 26 and a statement that will guide presentations to municipal bodies and the general public throughout the fall.

The superintendent of the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District suggested that the task force's messaging include an emphasis on the problem it seeks to address: broadening and strengthening educational opportunities for all in a time of declining enrollment and rising costs.

"I'm wondering if we are so immersed in the educational impact that we're assuming other people know how far educational opportunities have fallen in the Berkshires," Robert Putnam said. "When I went to Monument Mountain in the 1960s, there were four or five different languages offered.

"[At Hoosac Valley], I have one art teacher. We only do Spanish. There's no French, no Latin. I don't know that people are fully aware of what's happening."

McNally noted that the curricular and extracurricular offerings are declining at all the county's public schools, a point that the executive director of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission agreed with.

"We can point to one of the districts that's perceived as being high quality," Nat Karns said. "We can say, this is one of our strongest districts, and this is what's happening to them. It's even worse for the districts that are struggling more."

The core message discussed by the task force on Saturday specifies several examples of what a single countywide district could offer that the current structure does not:

"Every junior and senior in Berkshire County has access to a distance learning economics course -- for which they receive both high school and college credit -- that meets during second period across all high schools and is taught by an MCLA or BCC professor."

"Every student on the autism spectrum in the county and their teacher has access to an autism specialist who visits the school at least once each week "

"Every middle and high school student has access to extracurricular offerings co-led by an industry specialist in rocketry, robotics and video game programming through which the students partner in person and virtually across districts and compete across the county."

McNally said the task force should be careful not to paint too bleak a picture of the state of education in the county and pointed out that the schools are doing a good job in providing the core education.

"What's being lost is choice -- the choice to take electives," McNally said. "What's happening is the floor is becoming the ceiling. If all they're getting is the core, they're not college ready."

And the loss of options for students has real implications for the communities the schools serve, North Adams Superintendent Barbara Malkas said.

"The personalized learning movement that is happening [nationally] now is all about having the students ready for the economy of the future, and the economy of the future is undefined," Malkas said. "So these options, this personal choice, the development of interest and critical thinking and seeking out information, the intrinsically motivated learner -- this happens when you engage students through options and choice.

"By not having that, there's an economic disadvantage we're handicapping communities with."

As for any short-term economic advantages of consolidation -- i.e. cost savings to local taxpayers -- some task force members advised against citing specific figures in their presentations this fall. Partly that caution was because of the uncertainty of projections, and partly because of a belief that some of the potential savings on the administrative side of the ledger would be reallocated to the classroom rather than realized in direct cuts in property tax levies.

"Once we get into the pit of financial savings, we're probably going to called liars in the long run," McNally said.

At its next meeting in October, the task force plans to return to a discussion of what form the body will take going forward -- after this fall's presentations to stakeholders throughout the county. Meanwhile, the work of those presentations continues, starting with the Sept. 26 webinar for educational leaders throughout the county; events to which Berkshire Hills administrators and staff will be invited, Hockridge said.

In the meantime, the members of the task force will be out in force explaining the group's rationale for recommending the aspiration of a single district for the county's schools.

"You are spokespeople [for the task force]," consultant Nathan Levenson of District Management Group told the panel. "People in the community are going to come up to you and corner you in the grocery store and ask you questions. It really is helpful to stick to the script.

"All of us have a different style. All of us might have a slightly different take. To the extent possible, it really is helpful to echo this [BCETF statement] with as little embellishment or modification as possible."
Attorney General Maura Healey tours a tiny house with builders Chris St. Cyr, Mitch Bresett and Jason Koperniak. Healey checks out the loft. The display model at B&B Micro Manufacturing. With Mayor Alcombright and Katie Jackson. PreviousNext

North Adams Tiny House Builders See Growth in Affordable, Custom Housing



Healey talks with Jason Koperniak, Mitch Bresett and Chris St. Cyr in the workshop. NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Tiny houses are making a big impact on the state's smallest city.

On Monday, Attorney General Maura Healey was the latest elected official to take a tour of B&B Micro Manufacturing's workshop in the Windsor Mill, where six tiny houses at various stages of completion were lined up in a row. Healey was in the city to meet with community leaders on the opioid epidemic

Mayor Richard Alcombright said the company's growth has been a bright spot in reviving the city's manufacturing base, an integral part of its creative economy.

"You can say that there's going to be 100 new jobs when a hotel is being built and people here will say, 'OK'," he said. "Now you have 42 on the payroll since April in manufacturing and that, here, strikes a very cool chord."

B&B was started by Hoosac Valley High classmates Chris St. Cyr, Mitch Bresett and Jason Koperniak. They were in an old garage off Old Columbia Street in Adams but relocated to the city earlier this year when the space at the Windsor Mill fit their needs. They'd planned to employ up to 30 but now have more than 40, including marketing manager Katie Jackson.

Right now they're mostly cranking out contracted units for a vacation rental company but they also do custom tiny houses and their own designs. A finished-out Arcadia model is on display and all the units are built to Recreational Vehicle Industry Association building standards.

Koperniak said most of their supplies come from local dealers, although the rental units' outfitting are prescribed by that company.

Their show model was outfitted with a stainless three-burner gas range and oven, a two-drawer refrigerator, tiled shower, convertible couch and loft bed, along with plenty of cupboards and cubby for storage. The ceiling was blue-weathered barnboard from Potvin's in Vermont. The unit was also outfitted with high-end features such as Bluetooth switches, an HVAC unit and a back porch with fold-up stairs and unique branch railings.

"I'd totally move in," said Healey, standing on the narrow steps to the loft. "It's so cool. Unbelievable."

The small size of the home allows it to be outfitted with higher quality amenites, said Bresett, because, for instance, instead of putting in 50 electric plates, you only need four or five.

Koperniak sees the next step in creating larger units for families or small custom homes. These could be an affordable housing solution for young people or empty-nesters.

"If we can take a $70,000 unit and put in the Boston area on a tract of land that may not support a large home  east of 495, housing is an issue," he said. "Out here you can buy a very affordable large one ...

"But we're trying to be that architecturally chic niche where you can have something very nice in a small size, at an affordable price point, and relatively fast."

State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli visited the workshop and invited them to be at the Lenox Apple Squeeze this weekend. Koperniak said he told them that tiny houses could be an attractive option for the Lenox area.

But a lot of communities have building restrictions that can prevent tiny houses from being sited as permanent homes. The company has been talking with the Smart Growth Alliance, which is looking at zoning challenges when it comes to affordable housing solutions such as cluster housing. It's also been in touch with Habitat for Humanity.

"I live in the eastern part of the state so I totally appreciate what you're saying about the lack of affordable housing," Healey said. "It's a real problem ... and it's increasing."

Alcombright said there have been discussions on whether to create adequate zoning to allow such residences to be located in North Adams.

"We've had these neighborhoods that have been at risk for years and we've done some demolition and now you've got a whole bunch of nonconforming lots," he said. "So is there a way to locate some of these on nonconforming lots and create a blended neighborhood that could be really spectacular and spark investment in the other properties?"

Jackson said they were excited to be working with city and state officials on zoning issues.

"We're talking to a lot of people who are very excited about it and Massachusetts is at the forefront," she said. "Other states will follow once we push it through."

For now though, Koperniak said they're at a comfortable level of construction, with customers coming to them. But he can also see future expansion.

"It's been a fun ride," he said. "We've had a lot of positive energy."
From left, John Barrett III, Lisa Blackmer, moderator state Rep. Paul Mark, Stephanie Bosley and Kevin Towle participate in Monday's forum for candidates in the Democratic primary for state representative. Barrett is former mayor of North Adams, serving for 26 years; Blackmer is a North Adams city councilor and past president of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. Bosley, the daughter of former state Rep. Daniel Bosley, has worked for municipalities and nonprofits; Towle was Cariddi's legislative aide since last year and has worked in politics for a decade. PreviousNext

Democratic Candidates for State House Discuss Issues in Lanesborough



Paul Mark, who represented Lanesborough when it was part of the 2nd Berkshire, moderated the 90-minute panel. LANESBOROUGH, Mass.  Education and transportation were among the chief topics of conversation at a Monday forum for Democrats running to fill the unexpired term of deceased state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi.

The four candidates on the ballot in the Oct. 10 Democratic primary discussed their platforms and qualifications to represent the 1st Berkshire District on Beacon Hill in a 90-minute forum hosted by the town's Democratic Committee and moderated by state Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru.

North Adams' John Barrett III, Lisa Blackmer and Stephanie Bosley and Lanesborough's Kevin Towle are vying for the right to face the presumptive Republican nominee, Christine Canning, in November's special election.

On Monday, the candidates largely agreed on many of the major issues before them but offered slightly different approaches to solving problems and different resumes.

When Mark asked each of the candidates to list his or her top priority for the 14 months left in Cariddi's term, each said some aspect of education would be a main focus of their tenure.

"I would pick workforce development and vocational training," Bosley said. "We have jobs in the Berkshires that need to be filled, and we need to make sure we have jobs of tomorrow here. We should be training people for biotech and clean energy.

"Linking the jobs we have here and the jobs we want here to to the people we have here will strengthen the economy."

Blackmer said funding for schools would be a priority, but she also linked that to unrestricted local aid and funding for roads.

"It's estimated that it will take $500 million to $600 million to put all the towns' roads in good repair," Blackmer said during the forum. "Right now, we're funding it at $200 million.  That needs to change."

Towle listed a number of priorities if he is elected, starting with education, and Barrett, a former teacher who has made Chapter 70 education funding a cornerstone of his campaign, returned to the theme of equitable funding for economically disadvantaged school districts.

"Funding for schools impacts the schools and the property taxpayers," Barrett said. "[The state is] not living up to the commitments they made. That's what needs to happen.  They keep dropping the state income tax, but what they're doing is putting the onus back on the property taxpayer to come up with the money to fund the schools.

"That's what I'll say to the governor. It has to start with you. You make education a priority in the state."

Towle suggested that the education funding problem can be solved, in part, by recreational marijuana tax revenue.

"In addition to changing the Chapter 70 formula, I'd advocate for the distribution of tax revenues the way Colorado did," Towle said. "Every school district in Colorado has a new school or renovation from recreational marijuana. We don't know what the revenues will be here, but if Colorado is an example, we will see something significant."

Blackmer agreed with the need for Chapter 70 reform as part a broader state commitment to education.

"I have worked and advocated for regional transportation for schools," Blackmer said. "The state made a promise that schools would get transportation aid. It reneged. I would not.  We need universal comprehensive pre-kindergarten programs. And we need to follow that through to higher education. MCLA is an economic driver and gives all the kids in Berkshire County an opportunity for an affordable education."

Towle said he has called for expanding public education to make it free and accessible from pre-K through college.

The candidates split slightly on the question of regional transportation priorities.

Towle, Blackmer and Bosley each said usable passenger railroad links from Boston to Albany, N.Y., with stops in the Berkshires should be a priority for state government.

"As someone who drives to Boston several times a month on business, I want high-speed rail," Blackmer said. "I don't just want rail. I want high-speed rail."

Bosley noted that the town of Bennington, Vt., recently made rail service to Albany a priority and suggested that the two states could cooperate on a passenger line that runs through Williamstown, on the Vermont state line.

Barrett said his first priority would be to expand opportunities to travel by bus. Building railroads, he said, will require an infusion of federal dollars.

"I can guarantee you as sure as we're here tonight, they'll be back here 10 years from tonight still talking about the same issue unless the federal government undertakes to address the infrastructure needs of the country," Barrett said. "As a state legislator, I can make sure I'm at the table to make sure we get something that connects our end of the state to the other end of the state.

"We have to start pushing the federal legislators. That's the job of the state Legislature."

All four candidates agreed on some of the hot-button issues that will be coming up in the Legislature and could be coming before voters in the form of ballot initiatives in the near future: the "Fair Share" millionaires tax, "safe staffing" laws for medical facilities and raising the minimum wage.

On the last point, Blackmer, citing her experience as a human relations manager in the hospitality industry, advocated for a measured approach to raising the minimum wage as one of a number of reforms to help workers.

"We know we have a lot of small businesses that can't afford that, so it needs to be gradual," she said of the increase to a $15 minimum wage. "There are other things that come into play like time off. We finally have guaranteed sick time, but we need to have more so that if they get sick or a family member gets sick, they're not stuck without a paycheck.

"It's part of a package of things we need to do to help working families."

A couple dozen members of the public attended Monday's event, which was filmed by Williamstown's community access television station, WilliNet, and will be available on the station's website.

The format for the evening called for audience members to submit in advance written questions that were read by Mark. Although Mark said he would allow candidates extra time to respond to specific points raised by an opponent if he felt it necessary, none of the candidates sought or were given "rebuttal" time.

The lone Republican in the special election, Lanesborough's Canning, was not invited by the town's Democratic Committee to participate in the pre-primary event.

On Monday night, she took to Facebook to complain about her exclusion, alleging that "a police officer was hired to make sure I was silenced."

On Tuesday morning, Lanesborough Police Chief Timothy Sorrel confirmed that he was asked last week by the town manager to have an officer at Town Hall in anticipation of a large crowd.

Sorrel noted that Canning, as any member of the public, was welcome to attend the forum but would not have had a seat at the table with the invited candidates. He said he was not aware of any incident involving Canning.

"We all know Christine, so I'm sure [the officer] probably spoke to her," Sorrel said. "I don't think it was anything official, probably just, 'Hey, how are you doing.'

"The officer said it was uneventful, so I assume everything went OK."




Haiti - Culture : Haitian-American selected for 2017 Barnard Young Alumna Award





Haitian American Author Cindy Similien-Johnson has been selected to receive the 2017 Barnard Young Alumna Award.



Established in 2002, the Young Alumna Award is given to an alumna who has shown outstanding achievement and significant contributions to her profession, demonstrates leadership and accomplishment in her career, and exemplifies outstanding service and volunteerism to the college or the community.



Cindy Similien-Johnson is a writer, advocate for women, and promoter of Haitian culture. Her books include "Let's Speak Haitian Food: Stories from the Haitian Diaspora on Cuisine, Community, and Culture" and "Haiti Is". After several years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she founded Goal Chic, an initiative whose mission is to educate, engage, and empower women and girls and equip them with the tools they need to succeed in their careers, personal finances, health and wellness, and relationships. In 2016, Similien-Johnson was invited as a change-maker to the first United State of Women Summit convened by First Lady Michelle Obama and the White House.



IH/ iciHaiti
























Haiti - Social : Drinking water arrives in Perodin and Casenave





Friday, the National Directorate for Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) inaugurated a drinking water supply system in Perodin and Casenave (commune of Petite riviere de l'Artibonite North) with a capacity of 8,500 gallons/hour according to information from Guito Edouard, the Director General of DINEPA, who said that the construction of water supply kiosks and sanitary blocks were also carried out. The work, which lasted 18 months, was carried out by Plan Consult and financed to the tune of 50 million Gourdes by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID), and the public treasury.



A second phase of the project will be launched by next week in Anse-Rouge (Artibonite) and will cost nearly US$2 million and will be financed by the IDB.



TB/ iciHaiti


















Imperial Valley News Center

Governor Brown Opens Climate Week NYC

New York City, New York - On his second day in New York City, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today met with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the United Nations Headquarters, delivered remarks at the opening ceremony for Climate Week NYC 2017 and discussed the growing importance of climate action from subnational governments and the business community at events with other global climate leaders, including France's Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition Nicolas Hulot, former Vice President Al Gore and Michael Bloomberg.

Climate change, if unchecked, threatens all humanity, said Governor Brown. California, with purpose and resolve, will join with the rest of the world to decarbonize the economy.

Governor Brown helped kick-off Climate Week NYC 2017  the first major gathering of international climate leaders since the U.S. announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement  with remarks at an opening ceremony alongside Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, Hawaii Governor David Ige and others.

The Governor then met with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, United Nations Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael Bloomberg, former Vice President Al Gore and other climate leaders at the United Nations Headquarters. The Governor and Secretary-General Guterres discussed the importance of subnational jurisdictions and other sectors forging alliances to curb greenhouse gas emissions, Californias upcoming Global Climate Action Summit, reducing the impacts of climate change and ways to scale up actions to implement the Paris Agreement.

Governor Brown speaks at Climate Week NYC opening ceremony.

Governor Brown meets with Secretary-General Guterres, former Vice President Gore and other climate leaders at the United Nations Headquarters.

Additionally, Governor Brown spoke with Frances Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition Nicolas Hulot about further engaging the business sector in decarbonization efforts and measures to track progress toward climate goals at an event hosted by the World Economic Forum. The Governor also joined NextGen America Founder and President Tom Steyer at an event hosted by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group at the New York Times headquarters, where they discussed the transition to a clean energy economy and the renewed drive for climate action by U.S. cities, states, businesses and civil society in response to the federal governments decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

Governor Brown joins Minister Hulot (right) at World Economic Forum event.

Governor Brown and Tom Steyer at C40 Cities discussion.

Yesterday, Governor Brown welcomed the Republic of Marshall Islands and nine other U.S. and international states and jurisdictions to the Under2 Coalition, which now includes 187 jurisdictions on six continents that collectively represent more than 1.2 billion people and $28.8 trillion GDP  equivalent to over 16 percent of the global population and 39 percent of the global economy.

Tomorrow, Governor Brown will join former Secretary of State John Kerry, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, World Bank President Dr. Jim Kim and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo at the Yale Climate Conference in New Haven, Connecticut.
Assistant SECDEF, Leaders from Allied Nations Tour USS Carl Vinson

San Diego, California - Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Ms. Mary J. Miller and leaders from four allied nations visited Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Sept. 15, to familiarize themselves with U.S. carrier operations.

Miller and her counterparts from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom toured the carrier and interacted with Sailors for one hour.



Leaders learned about hangar bay and flight deck operations before visiting the navigation bridge. Miller said the visit highlighted the intricate operations of America's 11 active carriers.



"The power that it projects and the stability that it brings to the world is something that has been important in the past and will be going forward into the future," said Miller.



Like each of the Navy's aircraft carriers, Carl Vinson can deploy with more than 60 attack fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft capable of landing and taking off from a 4.5-acre flight deck. A carrier and its embarked air wing are an enduring asset to peace and security around the world.



"Aircraft carriers really do help to send not only that message of hope to those that need it, but a message of deterrence to those that might be thinking about doing something but don't have the capacity to go against something as awesome as this," said Miller. "It's a tribute not only to the great equipment that you have, but it's really all about the Sailors that are on this particular vessel."



Approximately 3,000 men and women aboard Carl Vinson make up the ship's crew and keep the aircraft carrier running. Another 2,000 Sailors comprise the air wing who fly and maintain aircraft.



Carl Vinson was commissioned in 1982 and bears the name of a former Georgia congressman who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 50 years and chaired the House Naval Affairs and Armed Services Committee for 29 of them. Vinson was the principal sponsor of the so-called "Vinson Acts" which provided for the massive shipbuilding effort in World War II.
INL Hosts Event To Highlight Corrections Partnerships

Washington, DC - Thursday, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) hosted U.S. corrections departments for the inaugural Corrections Partnership Day. The event, at which Assistant Secretary William R. Brownfield delivered remarks, brought together 25 senior leaders from eleven U.S. state and federal correctional agencies to explore further collaboration to advance U.S. and international prison reform and development efforts.

In the fight against transnational criminal organizations, INL partners with U.S. state and local law enforcement, state departments of corrections, legal agencies, seaports, academic institutions, and professional associations to provide corrections, justice, and police assistance to partner countries overseas. INL currently has 105 such partnerships in 31 states and the District of Columbia.

These partnerships are mutually beneficial: Department of State criminal justice programs benefit from the up-to-date knowledge and expertise of active serving police officers, corrections officials, legal professionals, and port security experts. State and local partners expand their ties with particular countries of interest to their communities, form operational relationships with foreign counterparts, and develop new skill sets.

During his remarks, Assistant Secretary Brownfield underscored the importance and impact of U.S. corrections expertise on foreign corrections agencies to improve their operations in ways that support U.S. national security interests. Deputy Assistant Secretary Alexander A. Arvizu moderated a Town Hall to explore how INLs corrections programs are contributing to U.S. and international stability and security, including the fight against transnational organized crime.
Second U.S.-India-Japan Ministerial-level Trilateral Dialogue

Washington, DC - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono convened the second U.S.-India-Japan ministerial-level trilateral dialogue on September 18 on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The ministers discussed the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific region underpinned by a resilient, rules-based architecture that enables every nation to prosper. The ministers also affirmed the importance of the freedoms of navigation and overflight and the free flow of lawful commerce in the region and around the globe, including in the South China Sea. The ministers affirmed and applauded the international communitys firm resolve to oppose the DPRKs unlawful acts, as reflected in UN Security Council Resolution 2375, and called for continuing international action to curtail the DPRKs nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The ministers expressed their commitment to maintaining regular dialogue among their three governments on topics of shared concern and to expand cooperation on regional connectivity, maritime security and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief.




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!
Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic 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

The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Star Trek pioneered diversity long before diversity was a hot-button issue. When the series first launched 51 years ago, its original crew featured black, Asian and, yes, females actors  not merely as eye candy  among its cast.

But an all-new reboot, Star Trek: Discovery, goes boldly where no Trek has gone before by placing two women of colour in command of a starship: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Michelle Yeoh and Walking Deads Sonequa Martin-Green.

Trekkies have always been a passionate crowd, although even Star Trek: Discoverys genial show-runner Aaron Harberts was caught off guard by the intensity of the internet trolls and haters. Its our job to reflect the world we live in; a world where more than half the population are women. Quite frankly, I dont know what all the fuss is about, argues Harberts when The Independent meets him and his cast.

If Yeoh brushes off the pressure  after all, the Malaysian martial-arts dynamo has quietly been shattering glass ceilings for the past four decades  then much of the burden falls to Sonequa Martin-Green taking centre stage as (arguably) Treks first black female lead (some fans point to Nichelle Nichols, who played Uura from 1966-91, as the rightful owner of that honour).

My casting says that the sky is the limit for all of us. I think what were seeing now in our media is this push to diminish and to devalue and to make people feel that the sky is not the limit for them, that they are meant for the ground, says Martin-Green, a force of energy so bubbly and exuberant, its hard to imagine she was chosen to play a human raised as a Vulcan. Not only chosen, but actively waited on; production halted until her Walking Dead contract ran out.

So having me as the first black female lead of a Star Trek just blasts that into a million pieces. I am eternally grateful that the diverse casting of our show means that we are now a part of the conversation and hopefully a part of making the world a better place, as cliche as this sounds. Because I really believe it and think its vital for us all right now, she says, the spectre of Trump lurking unspoken.

Not that she views her casting as a triumph for women alone. I think it sends a message to any minority group thats been disenfranchised. We all benefit when we can see a picture of ourselves in a position of leadership and I think that goes not just for women and people in minority groups  but for everyone to see that this is possible. I think that it will help people see the beauty of women in power and also the beauty of minorities in power, and to incite change.

It should be noted that Martin-Green is the first black female first officer, rather than captain. There has previously been a female captain, played by Kate Mulgrew who made franchise history in 1995 when she was anointed as Captain Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager; however, there has yet to be a black female captain.

Star Trek: Discovery has placed two women of colour in command of a starship, Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou and Martin Green as Michael Burnham

Star Trek: Discovery is a prequel to Gene Rodenberrys original series, set about 10 years prior in a world at war. An interesting experiment from Netflix, fans will not be able to binge on the series, each episode rolling out as a weekly episodic show.

Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

One of the most popular pop culture franchises in history, now returning to TV 12 years after the last Starfleet was cancelled, Harberts and fellow show runner Gretchen J Berg have plotted a very different course for Star Trek: Discovery.

I believe this is the first time that its a serialised telling of a tale and an exploration of just one character [Martin-Greens Michael Burnham] along the path of discovering what it means to be human and finding her individuality, says Harberts. Those stories have been well told in the movie spin-offs, but were impossible to do on TV where each episode was closed-ended.

While visiting the Discovery set at Torontos Pinewood studios, plot-lines are shrouded in secrecy and many sets are off-limits, although we are allowed a peek inside the quarters shared by the crews first gay couple  Anthony Rapps Lieutenant Paul Stamets and Wilson Cruz Dr Hugh Culber.

Martin-Green says her casting as the first black lead in Star Trek: Discovery sends a positive message to any minority group thats been disenfranchised (Rex)

We dont want to make a big deal about it. Its just treated as perfectly normal  which it should be, says Harberts.

Trekkies have long been divided into Captain Kirk or Spock camps, and Martin-Green herself has always favoured Leonard Nimoys Spock from the original series. Spock is my favourite in the canon. I loved what Leonard Nimoy did, she says, reverently referring to the three original seasons as TOS.

Jason Isaacs, who plays Discoverys war-mongering Captain Gabriel Lorca, is likewise a Trek fan from a different era, admiring Patrick Stewarts Captain Jean-Luc Picard from the big screen versions of the late 1990s.

Unsurprisingly, the new cast all geeked out when Jonathan Frakes, who played Riker alongside Stewart in the early film versions, recently guest-directed an episode.

Martin-Green as Sasha Williams in The Walking Dead (AMC)

Id never met Patrick Stewart before and Jonathan was excited to introduce us at an event we were both attending, recalls Isaacs, best-known for his role as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. But Jonathan couldnt come at the last minute so I wandered up behind the world famous silhouette, heard the echo of the magnificent voice, saw the mob of gorgeous well-wishers and... chickened out. So I still dont know him.

Born and raised in Alabama, Martin-Green marked her entry into TV nine years ago with a guest spot on an episode of Law & Order, a rite of passage for all New York-based actors, progressing onto episodes on The Good Wife, Gossip Girl and Once Upon a Time before making her name as The Walking Deads fiesty Sasha Williams.

My parents, in particular my mom, were always supportive of my wanting to act but I dont think either of them viewed it as a legitimate career until they saw me on Law & Order. I played a bisexual high school lacrosse player involved in the beat-down of a high school boy. So much fun, laughs the actress who has a two-and-a-half-year-old son with husband, Kenric Green.

Its no accident that her captain takes a male name, Michael Burnham. It is on purpose. It was Brian Fullers idea, she says referring to the writer who conceived the Star Trek reboot, lobbying for a black woman at the fore, before falling out with CBS executives. A lot of Brians female leads have male names. So I am named after my biological father and I love that because I think it really speaks to the gender fluidity. Its a subtle yet powerful nod to that.

Martin-Green as Tamara in Once Upon A Time ABC) (ABC)

Certainly Star Trek: Discovery presents a darker narrative. Its grittier and raw in a way that the other iterations have not been. I think thats one of the ways were going boldly where no-one has gone before, she winks.

Shes excited to meet Nichelle Nichols, 84, who played Uhura on TOS.

She reached out to me via social media and it will be a glorious day when we meet.

If the reboot proudly promotes diversity and gender equality then Martin-Green admits her costume fits way too snugly, a common complaint among all previous female Trek cast.

Its tight, but its goood, she says letting the vowel spread like syrup. It makes you stand up straight so I appreciate it for that. Theyre beautifully made and designed. Nor am I complaining about the lipstick after years of running around with zombies in the dirt.

Empowered by the strong women in her family, she will tell you, My mother and my older sister are heroes. Also God, right? Because hes a woman too. He is all things; thats what I believe.

And lest you be wondering  yes, the new Star Trek crew do actually repeat the immortal line, Live long and prosper.

Star Trek: Discovery begins streaming on Netflix on 25 September
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 }}

Cypress Hill are working on a secret project with the London Symphony Orchestra, The Independent can reveal.

In an exclusive interview, the hip-hop legends spoke about their plans, their British influences, and Donald Trump.

Cypress Hill, who released their self-titled double platinum debut album 26 years ago, are currently on a tour of Europe.

Recommended Boomtown fair gives a welcome break from reality

The Independent spoke with founding members Sen Dog and B-Real prior to their packed-out show at Boomtown Festival last month.

Rumours have abounded on social media about the potential collaboration between Cypress Hill and the London Symphony Orchestra, who are among the finest classical musicians on earth.

The two outfits were once parodied in an episode of The Simpsons, which Cypress Hill tweeted a reference to in March this year.

Unexpectedly, the Orchestra's Twitter responded: We mostly play classical  but we'll give it a shot.

Cypress Hill then replied: Let[s] make something happen for real  It would be amazing to work on something with you.

The exchange sparked a flurry of anticipation among music fans, but there was no official confirmation of a collaboration.

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

But speaking to The Independent on the topic, B-Real says: Well, were kinda working on putting something together, just figuring out when and where and what. But yknow its definitely something in the works. Wouldnt wanna give too much away.

The project will be released next year sometime, Sen Dog explains, and B-Real adds that the band would be exploring the collaboration during their brief time in the UK.

Long-time fans will not be overly surprised  a range of styles is key to the Cypress Hill experience. Their rolling beats were the soundtrack to a generation of stoners worldwide, but the music soaks up influences from all over, and this is particularly reflected in their live performances.

We like to mix things up, Sen Dog says. We dont wanna do anything thats gonna be considered stereotypical. You never know who were gonna invite to be in front of us or to be part of the bill. But I think when you have diversity like that in a concert; a lot of people dig that s***, yknow?

Growing up in south east Los Angeles, the members of Cypress Hill listened to everything really, B-Real says. Old school R&B type music, considerable soul, funk, rock and roll from classic rock to present. A little bit of everything and eventually hip hop."

Recommended Inside the drug testing service trying to keep festivalgoers safe

The mix of styles and attitudes led to the band in their current form: We didnt just hang out with hip hoppers and b-boys and stuff yknow, Sen Dog says. I mean we got friends all across the board, so we were the type of kids that went to any type of event as long as it was cool.

And listening to all this music and stuff and all these different perspectives when we got started and we decided that we were gonna open things up and involve more elements of the things we enjoyed into Cypress.

"I think were still like that, were not scared to take chances or risks with musical styles or anything, we believe in ourselves first of all and what we grew up on shaped us as musicians to this day.

Some younger fans may be surprised by the British bands played which played their part in Cypress Hills development. While Sen Dog and B-Real have heard of Stormzy and Skepta, they still dont know what grime is.

Instead, their main British influences go further back: The stuff we were listening to as kids was like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Cream, B-Real says.

The Yardbirds Sen Dog added.

But the biggest British musician, according to Cypress, is another one of Londons own.

I think the biggest artist in the last 10 years has been Adele, B-Real decides. Shes been f***ing huge and shes impacted people around the world.

Cypress Hill are known for being the first Latino hip hop groups to break into mainstream culture, with members families hailing from Cuba, Mexico and beyond. So how do they feel about their current President, who used the scape-goating of immigrants to fuel his campaign?

It has created some division in our country, thats for certain," B-Real responds. "But theres more people opposed to the message he was spewing out than for it.

Theres a still underlying racism in America unfortunately. It doesnt really affect us musically, we just keep doing what were doing and its not something that we see any negative reaction from in terms of going on tour.

But in the political realm is definitely fucked up and well see what happens in the next three years.

Sen-Dog admits he was surprised to find Trump elected. His behaviour during the elections, he certainly didnt act like a presidential candidate should... I thought other people would take exception to that, he said.

And has their hometown, LA, kept up with the other cultural metamorphoses which have swept the rest of the country?

A lot of people are still moving in, a lot of culture and diversity, Sen Dog says. Id like to think things have changed but weve still got a lot of gangbanging, stuff like that. Cops are still as corrupt as ever. A lot of things have changed but a lot remains the same.

Cypress Hill continue their tour in the US until 1 November

Follow Independent Culture on Facebook
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 }}

The yellow-vinyl pressing of Beyonce's album Lemonade has ended up including the first five tracks from female-fronted Canadian punk band ZEX's record Uphill Battle.

An error made at the Celebrate Records plant in Germany, which Sony uses to manufacture vinyl, caused a mispressing of the punk band's music onto Side A of Beyonce's album.

The band posted a video on their Facebook page which showed the Lemonade vinyl playing their music.

A statement issued by Beyonce's label Columbia said: "Due to human error at the Celebrate Records plant in Germany, which Sony uses to manufacture vinyl, a small amount of the European run of the Beyonce Lemonade vinyl included music from Canadian punk band ZEX on Side A.

"Beyonce and ZEX were not made aware of or responsible for the mispress. Fans who purchased the vinyl will be refunded and given a replacement copy. We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused."

Beyonce's fans, collectively known as the Beyhive, were waiting for months for the "Formation" artist to release Lemonade on vinyl.

As well as the yellow pressing, the artist also released a collector's edition How To Make Lemonade box set, which includes a 600+ page coffee table book, double vinyl LP, and audio and visual album downloads, at a price of $299.99.

 Beyonce serves food to Hurricane Harvey victims

Beyonce recently pledged help for her hometown of Houston, Texas, after it was devastated by Hurricane Harvey.

She teamed up with Bread of Life, the Greater Houston Community Foundation, and Texas Southern University, to raise money towards essentials such as blankets, pillows and cleaning products.

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

She was also seen earlier this month serving food to those affected, after returning to Houston to help with her mother Tina, and former Destiny's Child bandmate Michelle Williams.

In a video of her trip to St John's Church, where she sang as a child, she was heard saying the day was a "story of survival" and added: "Houston is my home."

"The things that really matter are your health and your children, and your family and your life," she told residents.

Follow Independent Culture on Facebook
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 }}

After being spotted at Manchesters famed Johnny Roadhouse in January  the shop where Oasis and The Smiths bought their guitars  rumours grew that Ryan Adams was about to play a surprise gig in the city.

Sure enough, Adams arrived at a tiny venue in the bohemian Northern Quarter of Manchester to play his new album Prisoner ahead of release. My favourite bands come from here, he told the audience of 200, adding: You gave me s**t when I sucked, and I deserved it.

Adams is back in Manchester tonight, this time playing to a considerably larger, sold-out audience of 3500. The stage is an Eighties throwback, all huge retro TVs and fake stuffed animals that have all the grandiose absurdity of something from a Duran Duran video or Dynasty.

It proves a fitting setting as Adams roars out opener Do You Still Love Me? from Prisoner, an excellent Eighties power-ballad pastiche. Like all of Adamss best albums, his newest is full of heartbreak as he chronicles his painful marriage breakdown to actress Mandy Moore.

Channelling the Eighties again, an excellent run of new songs  the glorious Outbound Train, brooding Doomsday and title track Prisoner  are all played with the energy and spirit of Nebraska-era Springsteen. Whilst these songs might be suggestive of the more subdued introversion characteristic of Adamss early career, the rest of the mammoth 26-song set revisits the heavier, bluesier side of his hit-laden catalogue.

Adams also takes time to build a warm intimacy with his audience tonight, something that hasnt always proven easy for the 42-year-old.

This is as fun as sad music will ever be, he jokes before Everybody Knows. I think the ending is shockingly overproduced and youre going to love it, he comically says, building up I Just Might before a commotion of exaggerated guitar strumming bursts into action.

The gentle When the Stars Go Blue is stunning in delivery, as is set closer Shakedown on 9th Street. The moment of the evening perhaps goes to Adamss delivery of Prisoner as he sings into a fairy-lit microphone on a darkened stage, the audience watching in eerie silence, or the powerful Broken Anyway, which he sings within touching distance of the audience on the front row.

If there is one small criticism of Adams and his band tonight, however, its the sheer number of indulgent Crazy Horse-like jams that appear, their inclusion making for a laboured listen.

The overriding theme tonight seems to be one of kick-ass catharsis, of finding hope amongst the ashes of a failed relationship. Adams delivers an effortless, career-spanning masterclass set in dealing with the break-up blues, proving hes once again top of his game.
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 }}

Todays Google Doodle celebrates Mexican dance impresario Amalia Hernandez (1917-2000) on a day that would have marked her centenary.

Hernandez was born in Mexico City, the daughter of wealthy politician Lamberto Hernandez and Ava Navarro. Her devoted mother is credited with encouraging Amalias passion for the arts from an early age, her parents even going so far as to build her a home studio in which to practice.

Amalia joined Mexicos National School of Dance at 17 before dropping out to get married and start a family. Realising she could not allow her true calling to go unanswered, she soon resumed her career at the Fine Arts National Institute, teaching modern choreography.

The best Google Doodles Show all 50 1 /50 The best Google Doodles The best Google Doodles Mister Rogers Google Doodle celebrating children's TV presenter Mister Rogers Google The best Google Doodles Lucy Wills Google Doodle celebrating haematologist Lucy Wills Google The best Google Doodles Falafel Google Doodle celebrating falafel Google The best Google Doodles St George's Day Google Doodle celebrating St George's Day Google The best Google Doodles James Wong Howe Google Doodle celebrating Hollywood golden age cinematographer James Wong Howe Google The best Google Doodles Seiichi Miyake Google Doodle celebrating Seiichi Miyake, developer of tactile paving Google The best Google Doodles Walter Cronkite Google celebrates US broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite's 100th birthday The best Google Doodles Lantern Festival 2016 Google celebrates the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations with a doodle of the Lantern Festival Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating Sergei Diaghilev Google Doodle celebrating art critic Sergei Diaghilev Google The best Google Doodles George Boole Google marks mathematician George Boole's 200th birthday The best Google Doodles Sergei Eisenstein Google Doodle celebrating soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein Google The best Google Doodles 41st anniversary of the discovery of 'Lucy' Google marks the 41st anniversary of the discovery of 'Lucy', the name given to a collection of fossilised bones that once made up the skeleton of a hominid from the Australopithecus afarensis species, who lived in Ethiopia 3.2 million years ago The best Google Doodles Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Google celebrates physician and suffragist Elizabeth Garrett Anderson 180th birthday The best Google Doodles Sir William Henry Perkin Google Doodle celebrating chemist Sir William Henry Perkin Google The best Google Doodles Nelly Sachs Google Doodle celebrating poet and playwright Nelly Sachs Google The best Google Doodles Thanksgiving 2018 Google Doodle celebrating Thanksgiving 2018 Google The best Google Doodles Nigerian Independence Day Google Doodle celebrating Nigerian Independence Day Google The best Google Doodles Mary Prince Google Doodle celebrating abolitionist Mary Prince Google The best Google Doodles Father's Day 2016 Google celebrates Father's Day The best Google Doodles Ebenezer Cobb Morley Google Doodle celebrating "father of football" Ebenezer Cobb Morley Google The best Google Doodles Octavia E Butler Google Doodle celebrating science fiction author Octavia E Butler Google The best Google Doodles Tamara de Lempicka Google Doodle celebrating painter Tamara de Lempicka Google The best Google Doodles Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss Google Doodle celebrating mathematician and physicist Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss Google The best Google Doodles Fanny Blankers-Koen Google Doodle celebrating Dutch Olympic gold medalist Fanny Blankers-Koen Google The best Google Doodles John Harrison Google Doodle celebrating clockmaker John Harrison Google The best Google Doodles Guillermo Haro Google Doodle celebrating astronomer Guillermo Haro Google The best Google Doodles St. David's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google The best Google Doodles Carter G Woodson Google Doodle celebrating Carter G Woodson, a pioneering African-American historian Google The best Google Doodles St Andrew's Day Google Doodle celebrating St Andrew's Day Google The best Google Doodles Gertrude Jekyll Google Doodle celebrating horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll Google The best Google Doodles Children's Day 2017 Google Doodle celebrating Children's Day 2017 Google The best Google Doodles Studio for Electronic Music Google Doodle celebrating the Studio for Electronic Music Google The best Google Doodles Olaudah Equiano Google Doodle celebrating abolitionist Olaudah Equiano Google The best Google Doodles Fridtjof Nansen Google Doodle celebrating Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen Google The best Google Doodles Ladislao Jose Biro Google celebrates Ladislao Jose Biro's 117th birthday The best Google Doodles Amalia Hernandez Google Doodle celebrating ballet choreographer Amalia Hernandez Google The best Google Doodles Dr Samuel Johnson Google Doodle celebrating lexicographer Dr Samuel Johnson Google The best Google Doodles British Sign Language Google Doodle celebrating British Sign Language Google The best Google Doodles Eduard Khil Google Doodle celebrating baritone singer Eduard Khil Google The best Google Doodles Fourth of July Google Doodle celebrating Fourth of July Google The best Google Doodles Victor Hugo Google Doodle celebrating author Victor Hugo Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating Giro d'Italia's 100th Anniversary Google Doodle celebrating Giro d'Italia's 100th Anniversary Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating St. Patrick's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. Patrick's Day Google The best Google Doodles Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google The best Google Doodles Steve Biko Today's Google Doodle features anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko Google The best Google Doodles The history of tea in Britain Google celebrates the 385th anniversary of tea in the UK The best Google Doodles Nettie Stevens Google celebrates geneticist Nettie Stevens 155th birthday The best Google Doodles William Morris Google celebrates English polymath William Morris' 182 birthday with a doodle showcasing his most famous designs Google The best Google Doodles Professor Scoville Google marks Professor Scovilles 151st birthday The best Google Doodles Sophie Taeuber-Arp Google marks artist Sophie Taeuber-Arp's 127th birthday

In 1952 she created the work for which she became best known, the Ballet Folklorico De Mexico, bringing her countrys folk music traditions to a world audience. The show still tours to this day and is said to have been performed over 15,000 times, including once for US President John F. Kennedy.

Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez Show all 8 1 /8 Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez perform Charreada Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez perform Charreada Nils Jorgensen/Rex/Shutterstock Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez dress rehearsal at Coliseum, London Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez dress rehearsal at Coliseum, London Nils Jorgensen/Rex/Shutterstock Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez perform Charreada Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez perform Charreada Nils Jorgensen/Rex/Shutterstock Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez perform Guerrero-Guerrero Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez perform Guerrero-Guerrero Nils Jorgensen/Rex/Shutterstock Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez dress rehearsal at Coliseum, London Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez dress rehearsal at Coliseum, London Nils Jorgensen/Rex/Shutterstock Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez dress rehearsal at Coliseum, London Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez dress rehearsal at Coliseum, London Nils Jorgensen/Rex/Shutterstock Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez perform Guerrero-Guerrero Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez perform Guerrero-Guerrero Nils Jorgensen/Rex/Shutterstock Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez dress rehearsal at Coliseum, London Ballet Folklorico De Mexico De Amalia Hernandez dress rehearsal at Coliseum, London Nils Jorgensen/Rex/Shutterstock

Above you can catch a flavour of this world dance institution in action from its most recent appearance in London in 2015, a production that thrilled audiences through its vibrant staging and the impassioned commitment of its performers.
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 }}

The brother of Pablo Escobar warned that Netflix should change its security protocol after a location scout was shot dead in Mexico.

Carlos Munoz Portal's body was discovered, along with his car, in a remote area near San Bartolo Actopan, which is reported to have some of Mexico's highest murder rates.

Munoz was a seasoned professional and had worked on the likes of James Bond film Spectre, Sicario, and Fast & Furious.

His death has reportedly raised concerns over whether production will continue in Mexico or move back to Colombia.

Since news of his killing emerged, Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria, 71, has called on Netflix to avoid using Mexico and Colombia as shooting locations "without authorisation from Escobar Inc".

"It is very dangerous," he told the Hollywood Reporter in an interview. "Especially without our blessing. This is my country."

Gaviria, former "chief of the hitmen", also said he thought Netflix should also take further security measures to protect its Narcos crew.

"You have to eliminate all threats," he said. "If you have the intellect, you don't need to use weapons. If not, you have to. In this case, Netflix should provide hitmen to their people as security."

A statement from Netflix on Munoz's death read: "We are aware of the apssing of Carlos Munoz Portal, a well-respected location scout, and send our condolences to his family.

"The facts surrounding his death are still unknown as authorities continue to investigate."

Follow Independent Culture on Facebook
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 }}

Computer modelling used a decade ago to predict how quickly global average temperatures would rise may have forecast too much warming, a study has found.

The Earth warmed more slowly than the models forecast, meaning the planet has a slightly better chance of meeting the goals set out in the Paris climate agreement, including limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Scientists said previous models may have been on the hot side.

The study, published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience, does not play down the threat which climate change has to the environment, and maintains that major reductions in emissions must be attained.

But the findings indicate the danger may not be as acute as was previously thought.

Myles Allen, professor of geosystem science at the University of Oxford and one of the studys authors told The Times: We havent seen that rapid acceleration in warming after 2000 that we see in the models. We havent seen that in the observations.

The original forecasts were based on twelve separate computer models made by universities and government institutes around the world, and were put together ten years ago, so its not that surprising that its starting to divert a little bit from observations, Professor Allen added.

According to The Times, another of the papers authors, Michael Grubb, a professor of international energy and climate change at University College London, admitted his earlier forecasting models had overplayed how temperatures would rise.

Recommended Correction to satellite data shows 140 per cent faster warming

At the Paris climate summit in 2015, Professor Grubb said: All the evidence from the past 15 years leads me to conclude that actually delivering 1.5C is simply incompatible with democracy.

But speaking to The Times he said: When the facts change, I change my mind, as [John Maynard] Keynes said.

Its still likely to be very difficult to achieve these kind of changes quickly enough but we are in a better place than I thought.

Professor Grubb said the reassessment of the situation was good news for low-lying countries and island states in the Pacific, which would be swamped by sea-level rises if average temperatures rose by more than 1.5C.

The previous scenario allowed for the planet to emit a total of 70 billion tonnes of Carbon after 2015, in order to keep temperature rises to just 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

But the reassessment allows for a carbon budget of another 240bn tonnes of emissions before catastrophic damage is done.

Thats about 20 years of emissions before temperatures are likely to cross 1.5C, Professor Allen said.

Its the difference between being not doable and being just doable.
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 recent pause in global warming has ended following three years in which temperature records have been successively broken, the Met Office has said.

The idea of a slowing in the rate of warming has been controversial with some arguing it was little more than a statistical blip.

In a statement on its website, the Met Office said it had established that the worlds climate warmed more slowly between 1999 and 2014 than it had done previously, but the last few years had seen a return to the more rapid rate.

Professor Stephen Belcher, the Mets chief scientist, said: After a period during the early 2000s when the rise in global mean temperature slowed, the values in 2015 and 2016 broke records and passed one degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Data from the Met Office shows that the long-term rate of global warming has now returned to the level seen in the second half of the 20th century.

The so-called pause was exploited by climate science deniers, who insisted it showed the science was wrong and, therefore, should be ignored.

The Met Office said its conclusion that there had been a genuine slowdown was based on an analysis of rolling 15-year trends.

It added this was largely the result of the global impact of a long-term cooling trend in the Pacific Ocean, which had masked the effect of some of the greenhouse gases produced by human activity.

The influences of anthropogenic greenhouse gas release and aerosols explain much of this increase [the one degree rise] but natural variations in climate, such as the influence of El Nino [weather event], mean that the observed temperature rise isnt even from year to year, the Met Office statement said.

Although global temperatures remained at near record levels throughout, variations in decadal climate in the Pacific led to the slowdown in the rise of Global Mean Surface Temperature.

Recommended Irma was not caused by climate change but did make it more horrifying

Professor Adam Scaife, head of monthly to decadal prediction at the Met Office Hadley Centre, explained the Pacifics cooling effect on the planet had come to an end.

The end of the recent slowdown in global warming is due to a flip in Pacific sea-surface temperatures, he said.

This was due to a change in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation which entered its positive phase, warming the tropics, the west coast of North America and the globe overall.

The Met Office added the fact that the worlds average temperature was now 1C higher than pre-industrial levels meant there was increasing pressure on limiting global warming to a 1.5C warming threshold, as agreed in Paris in 2015.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

So far 2017 has also exceeded the 1C threshold, although the Met Office has forecast that 2017 is unlikely to be a record-breaking year as temperatures this year have not been influenced by El Nino conditions, it said.

It added that it was unclear how long the Pacific Decadal Oscillation would remain in its current warm phase.
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 }}

More than two million people used an extremely popular software cleaning tool that had been infected with malware.

CCleaner was compromised in a sophisticated manner in August, and the problem was only spotted and fixed in mid-September.

It's available on Android and Mac, but only the Windows version was affected.

Piriform, which is owned by Avast and develops the software, has fixed the issues and apologised to users.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

We estimate that 2.27 million people used the affected software, said Piriform. We resolved this quickly and believe no harm was done to any of our users.

The malicious code attempted to connect computers with recently registered web domains  a common tool used by hackers to download further malware onto infected computers.

Our new parent company, the security company Avast, determined on the 12th of September that the 32-bit version of our CCleaner v5.33.6162 and CCleaner Cloud v1.07.3191 products, which may have been used by up to 3% of our users, had been compromised in a sophisticated manner, it said.

The company says it released safe versions of both programs within three days, but the modified version of the software had been available for a month.

It added: The compromise could cause the transmission of non-sensitive data (computer name, IP address, list of installed software, list of active software, list of network adapters) to a 3rd party computer server in the USA.

We have no indications that any other data has been sent to the server. Working with US law enforcement, we caused this server to be shut down on the 15th of September before any known harm was done.

Its a particularly embarrassing error, because people use CCleaner to clean up their devices.

Piriform's vice president of products, Paul Yung, said: "We would like to apologize for a security incident that we have recently found in CCleaner version 5.33.6162 and CCleaner Cloud version 1.07.3191.

"A suspicious activity was identified on September 12 2017, where we saw an unknown IP address receiving data from software found in version 5.33.6162 of CCleaner, and CCleaner Cloud version 1.07.3191, on 32-bit Windows systems.

"Based on further analysis, we found that the 5.33.6162 version of CCleaner and the 1.07.3191 version of CCleaner Cloud was illegally modified before it was released to the public, and we started an investigation process.

Recommended Infected apps are secretly stealing money from millions of people

"We also immediately contacted law enforcement units and worked with them on resolving the issue."

Mr Yung said the company could not yet confirm how the malicious code had appeared in its software and would not like to speculate, but added that an investigation was "ongoing".

"Before delving into the technical details, let me say that the threat has now been resolved in the sense that the rogue server is down, other potential servers are out of the control of the attacker, and we're moving all existing CCleaner v5.33.6162 users to the latest version," he said.

"Users of CCleaner Cloud version 1.07.3191 have received an automatic update. In other words, to the best of our knowledge, we were able to disarm the threat before it was able to do any harm.We are taking detailed steps internally so that this does not happen again, and to ensure your security while using any of our Piriform products.

"Users of our cloud version have received an automated update. For all other users, if you have not already done so, we encourage you to update your CCleaner software to version 5.34 or higher."

The latest version of CCleaner is available to download here.

Additional reporting by PA
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A photograph capturing the close bond between a nurse and her patient who had just given birth has gone viral.

Katie Lacer, of MommaKT Shoots Photography, had been hired by a mother-to-be in Indiana to document her birth experience.

Lacer took a photo of her client's first post-birth trip to the bathroom, showing the nurse kneeling on the floor beside her offering her a cold pack, as the new mother went to the toilet.

Recommended The one thing you should never tell your children

Jill Krause, who runs the popular blog Baby Rabies, posted the photo to her Facebook page last week, explaining that it reminded her of her own birth experience.

It has since been shared more than 66,000 times, with 127,000 likes.

I'll never forget the faces of the nurses who followed me into the bathroom after delivering each baby, Krause wrote.

That moment when I was so vulnerable, so tired, scared, shaky. My swollen belly deflating, and my modesty long gone. They treated me with such kindness and dignity.

"For me, these have been moments of empowerment and confirmation that I have a real village to help me, even if just for that little bit of time in a bathroom, on a toilet, while a kind nurse shows me how to put an ice pad on my mesh undies.

The post has generated a flurry of support for nurses on social media, with fellow mothers sharing anecdotes from their powerful bonding experiences.

Immediately after my first was born, the nurse turned to me and said, 'I know you just had a baby, but the hospital kitchen closes in 10 minutes and I can score you some chicken nuggets and fries if we move fast!' I hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours. I wanted to kiss her! commented one user.

My delivery nurse grabbed my cellphone without me asking and snapped pictures of my boyfriend and I when they first put the baby on my chest.

"It was honestly one of the sweetest things anyone could've done for me that day  I'll always be thankful for that, added another.
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

There are two types of fat tissue in the body: the good brown kind  which helps us to burn calories, and the bad white kind  which leads us to gain weight.

Now, there might be a way to covert the bad into the good, new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis has found.

Though the study was conducted on mice, it has shown promising results, which could be the key to abolishing the bad fat in human bodies and subsequently treating obesity.

Published in Cell Reports, the study explains that when fat stores calories in our bellies, it generates heat.

By blocking the processes of a specific protein found in white fat cells, scientists found that the cell produced a middle ground beige fat, an intermediary that is neither good nor bad.

This blocking technique caused the beige fat cells to heat up and subsequently burn calories.

Our goal is to find a way to treat or prevent obesity, said first author Irfan J. Lodhi, PhD.

Our research suggests that by targeting a protein in white fat, we can convert bad fat into a type of fat that fights obesity.

Beige fat was first discovered in humans in 2015 and functions in a similarly beneficial manner to brown fat.

Researchers produced a genetic strain of mice that didnt make a key protein in their white fat cells, thus, they had more beige fat and boasted a lean physique in comparison to the other mice. Though they ate exactly the same, these mice burnt more calories.

Recommended How to lose belly fat

Mice normally have very low levels of the protein, called PexRAP, in their brown fat, Lodhi said. When we put the mice into a cold environment, levels of the protein also decreased in white fat, allowing that fat to behave more like brown fat. Cold induces brown and beige fats to burn stored energy and produce heat.

The challenge will be finding safe ways to do that without causing a person to overheat or develop a fever, but drug developers now have a good target, he said.

Its not the first time scientists have hailed beige fat as a possible pathway to combating obesity.

A 2015 study at Georgia State University also suggested that the bodys ability to convert white fat cells into beige ones through heat production could treat obesity and diabetes.

However, the researchers noted that the process doesnt naturally occur in humans on a large-enough scale to make any real impact.

They also concluded that because humans typically exist at a neutral heat level, naturally occurring beige fat cells are limited, as is any significant role they may play in everyday heat production.

One in four Britons is obese, with the NHS predicting that more than half of the population could be obese by 2050.
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

How would you feel if dentists did not measure up to scrutiny as they were about to turn on the drill? Or if doctors did not have the skills to diagnose as they walked on the ward? We need to feel confident that people in positions of trust are knowledgeable and can provide proficient services. One way that this happens is through mentors, who nurture and teach new members of staff and students on the job.

Yet there is evidence of a culture of failing to fail  in which students are allowed to pass despite not meeting the required standard  across several professions for a number of years. And our newly published research has found that the nursing profession is no exception.

In the UK, nursing students work in clinical practice where they are assessed by nurse mentors. In total, students must spend 2,300 hours in a hospital, surgery or other practice before they can qualify. However, some students  particularly those on the borderline of achievement  are not meeting the expected standards on these placements.

Despite this there is still the potential for them to be passed by their mentors, and then for them to register and work.

Given the alarming number of nursing vacancies across the country, it is paramount that safe staffing is not just about the number of nurses employed, but about ensuring their skills and competence.

Competence and controversy

The nurse mentor role is essential to gatekeeping professional standards, but we found that some mentors assessments can be compromised by a number of personal, professional and organisational pressures. A sense of lone accountability, the emotional burden of failing someone, resource limitations, and lack of recognition for their assessing role, can all influence their decisions.

Interestingly, nurse mentors often have to continue encouraging student mentees  even when there is not much chance of them passing. They must invest time and effort in nurturing students development, to the point where it is difficult for them to know when to let students down.

Failing to fail: some nurses are passing despite not meeting required standards (Shutterstock)

The mentors feel personally responsible for a failing students lack of progress, and find it extremely difficult to explain their reservations about failing students  particularly in writing. These concerns mean that they may be tempted to give a student the benefit of the doubt. As Fay, one of the nurse mentors in our study, said: You need the student to be there with you  especially when they are not up to the mark  but you dont always have the time or the stafng levels to be able to do that.

Supporting mentors

Our findings show how failing nursing students raise the stakes of mentorship to extraordinary levels of emotion and commitment. This is quite different from usual educational relationships where students and mentors/teachers equally contribute to a shared learning experience.

However, we discovered that the emotional turmoil of mentors could be reduced where assessment decisions are not viewed as a lone responsibility, and teams agree on a level of competence needed for a student to pass. There also needs to be recognition of the mentors emotional effort in any difficult circumstances, and an acknowledgement of the work that was put into failing mentor/mentee relationships.

In addition, nurse mentors are more likely to trust their own assessments of failing students when their decisions were listened to and acted on by others involved in the students education. When mentors feel there is a wider acknowledgement of their role in assessing failing students, they feel more authorised to act, and so there is less potential for the student to pass when they should not have.

Likewise, the way failing students are supported by their educational institution and the healthcare organisation they are training with has a crucial connection to mentors perceptions about professional standards. Ideally, the mentor role should be made more official, and seen as central to gatekeeping professions, rather than potentially as a tick-box exercise. As another nurse mentor, Mary, said: Its about thinking of the greater good. I mean if you dont bring concerns to the fore the student wont ever change.

High quality learning and assessment is fundamental to maintaining professional nursing standards  not least because there is evidence that reduced mortality occurs in services with more graduate nurses.

The UK Nursing and Midwifery Council is currently consulting on a new mentorship framework with final standards to be published early in 2018. This model will separate the supervising and assessing roles of a mentor, and there will be more of a practice team approach to assessing students. Already there have been some promising signs that a whole team approach to assessment will help to alleviate the issue.

Ultimately, the credibility of mentor assessments is pivotal to public confidence in the nursing profession, and in the way that nurses are taught under the degree system. There is extensive evidence that working towards a degree and being a competent, compassionate nurse is entirely possible.

Now, we just need to make sure that the mentor system supports both teachers and students to achieve the high standards required.

Simon Cassidy is a practice education facilitator at Swansea University; Fiona Murphy is a professor of clinical nursing at the University of Limerick; Michael Coffey is an associate professor at Swansea University. This article was originally published on The Conversation
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 }}

Government funding for social housing has collapsed under the Conservatives, exacerbating the UKs housing crisis and putting considerable upward pressure on the states housing benefit bill, according to the National Housing Federation.

The NHF, which represents social landlords and housing associations, points out that the Governments capital commitment to building homes plummeted from 11.4bn in 2009 to just 5.3bn in 2015.

As a share of GDP, state spending on this area has fallen even more dramatically, declining from 0.7 per cent to just 0.2 per cent.

Social landlords and housing associations are not-for-profit organisations that provide rental housing for the less well off. They took over most of the social housing responsibilities from councils in the 1980s.

The NHF, which opens its annual conference on Tuesday, cites this massive reduction in government grants to social landlords as the primary cause for the deep fall in the construction of social housing over the past seven years.

In 2016, just 37,985 affordable homes were built in total, almost a third lower than the 53,917 constructed in 2009.

Large cuts

NHF

More than 1 million people are on waiting lists for social housing. The lack of supply means hundreds of thousands are forced to rent in the more expensive private sector, where they often require housing benefit to afford their bills.

In the 2010 Spending Review the former Chancellor, George Osborne, slashed the state grants available for social landlords to build homes available at social rents  defined as around 50 per cent of local market rates - to zero.

Instead, the Government unveiled a new category known as affordable rent, which would be offered to people at up to 80 per cent of local market rents.

The grant available for building affordable rent homes was 1bn over the four years to 2015. This was down from the 1.5bn made available by the previous government for the three years to 2011 for the construction of social rent homes.

Insufficient supply

NHF

The logic offered by ministers for this switch and cut was that boosting the rents available to social landlords would enable them to borrow more and build more new stock, even as their state grants were reduced.

I told them at the time [it wouldnt work], David Orr, chief executive of the NHF, told The Independent.

It was entirely obvious that, if they did it, rents would go up and the housing benefit bill would go up. And that was just in our sector. There was the additional challenge of rents in the private sector going up and more and more people falling back on the private sector.

The housing benefit bill was 25.1bn in 2015, up from 22.7bn in 2009  an 11 per cent real terms increase, reflecting climbing private sector rents stemming from inadequate overall housing construction rates and the additional welfare payments required by individuals.

Mr Orr estimates that around 9bn in public money is going each year in housing benefit to private sector landlords, almost double the amount of 10 years ago.

That money is not being used to build new homes. Its dead money from the states point of view, he says.

When housing associations make any kind of profit they use it to build new homes.

Ministers have occasionally sought to blame supposedly sclerotic social landlords for the slump in affordable housing construction over the past seven years, rather than their grant cuts. But Mr Orr says this is unfair.

Actually housing associations have done a pretty sterling job of creating some [social housing] when theres been absolutely no public money to support it.

Theresa May telegraphed a shift in Government thinking on housing when she became prime minister in 2016, saying that there would be a switch of state resources from supporting higher levels home ownership to supporting social renters.

But Mr Orr says the shift was superficial.

It became clear that they were still talking about the affordable rent scheme, not more subsidy-heavy social rent, he says.

The NHF is calling for the Government to restore state resources to fund social housing construction, citing the shortage and the fact demand is set to increase strongly in the decades ahead.

It estimates that the Government has 1bn that is unspent from its Starter Homes fund (designed to help make more affordable homes available for purchase) and says this cash should be diverted to fund new grants for social landlords.
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 off-roader modeled on Land Rovers classic Defender could be rolling off British production lines if the owner of petrochemicals giant Ineos can win government backing for it.

Britains biggest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover stopped making the off-roader, known the world over and with famous owners including Queen Elizabeth, in 2016 after 68 years.

Ineos founder, chairman and chief executive Jim Ratcliffe said on Tuesday he plans to build 25,000 of the new 4x4s a year, which will be modelled on the Defender as the design is not currently trademarked in Britain.

Recommended Aston Martin CEO calls for Brexit clarity within six months

However, a spokesman at JLR, which plans to build an updated version of the Defender, said the original design has been registered in many countries and a trademark application is currently under way in the UK.

If Mr Ratcliffe succeeds in his plans, the car arm of Ineos would become one of Britains biggest carmakers, with an output more than double that of long-standing small-volume brands such as Aston Martin, McLaren, Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

Mr Ratcliffe said he would invest 600m to begin output of his new off-roader from 2020-21, saying he would prefer to build in Britain but that there are cheaper alternatives in countries such as Germany where the workforce is already trained and Ineos could use existing sites.

Wed have to build new in the UK so to balance that playing field because youre talking about hundreds of millions to build a facility... it does need some government support, he said.

Mr Ratcliffe identified a number of potential sites in Britain on the east coast, from Scotland down to the northern city of Hull, with a decision due before the end of next year.

The investment would also come as a welcome boost to the government as the car industry becomes increasingly concerned that its exports could face tariffs of up to 10 percent and borders checks if Britain leaves the European Union without a free trade deal, risking the viability of factories.

Mr Ratcliffe told Reuters that he was confident that politicians would strike a deal which would maintain unfettered trade as both British and EU businesses stand to lose out.

I think common sense will prevail... so Im not spending too much time worrying about Brexit, he said.

Reuters
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 }}

Flight cancellations, potentially affecting tens of thousands of customers, are likely to cost Ryanair up to 25m (22.2m), but analysts say that the airline should be able to recover from the debacle swiftly - at least financially.

Over the weekend, the Irish carriers scrapped well over 100 flights as a result of what chief executive Michael OLeary has called a mess of our own making in planning pilot holidays.

Hundred more flights are due to be culled between now and the end of October, but analysts have said that Ryanair is unlikely to suffer any permanent damage to its balance sheet.

UBS on Tuesday reiterated its neutral rating on the stock, meaning that it would neither recommend selling it nor buying it.

Analyst Jarrod Castle at the Swiss bank pointed out that all passengers will be able to reschedule flights and Ryanair has committed to meeting compensation requirements under EU law.

The financial implication of cancelled flights over the next six weeks is under 5m on profits and EU261 [compensation] cost[s] are expected to be under 20m, according to the company, he said.

The cost would be met during the second quarter of the companys financial year, he said, and would not impact its full-year guidance.

As of Tuesday, shares in Ryanair had fallen more than 4 per cent since the start of September, but theyre still up around 18 per cent for the year.

Neil Wilson, a senior market analyst at ETX Capital, agreed said that the cost of the cancellations would likely be easily absorbed. Clearly the calculation was that cancelling all these flights was worth the cost, he said.

In the longer term, Mr Wilson said that a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice, under which Ryanair crew can bring proceedings before courts in the place where they perform their duties, could prove to be more of a problem for the airline.

He said that the groups margins depend on low costs which they get from paying people less and having more employer-friendly contracts than other EU countries.

Mr Castle at UBS disagrees, however, saying that the impact of this ruling would also likely be limited.

[It] won't change the fact that the crew fly under Irish law and people still remain free to join unions, he said.

Last week Mr OLeary said that the ruling would give local courts more oversight, but that it would not change their contracts.

Ryanair is Europes largest airline by passenger numbers, in the year to the end of March, it made a profit after tax of 1.3bn.
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 }}

Donald Trump gave his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, pushing for sovereignty in what has been called both terrifying and delusional by experts.

The President, sticking to prepared remarks as he spoke in front of the signature green marble of the UN Headquarters in New York, spoke primarily on his America First doctrine, North Korea, and Iran.

His main message to member countries gathered also addressed his core base: I will always put America first, just like you as the leaders of your countries will always - and should always - put your countries first.

He said this emphasis of sovereignty was the basis for the international cooperation upon which the UN was founded and what made former President Woodrow Wilson and Truman's Marshall Plan - that aided reconstruction of Western Europe in the wake of World War II - a success.

Although all the experts The Independent spoke with agreed that it was a consistently Trump-esque speech - it was more rhetorically repetitious than intellectually coherent according to UN expert at the European Council of Foreign Relations Richard Gowan.

The words sovereign or sovereignty were mentioned at least 18 times in the nearly 40 minute speech as delivered.

In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour Show all 39 1 /39 In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud arriving for a reception ahead of a banquet at Murabba Palace in Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud being welcomed at Murabba Palace in Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump with King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during a welcome ceremony with traditional sword dancers at Murabba Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with US President Donald J. Trump and wife Melania during a welcome ceremony at Murabba Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump adjusts the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal, after it was bestowed upon him by Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud presents U.S. President Donald Trump with the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 Palestinians print posters depicting US President Donald Trump in preparations for his planned visit, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband White House senior advisor Jared Kushner, before delivering his remarks to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump looks on as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef exchange a memorandum of understanding Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 First Lady Melania Trump shares a laugh with a child during a visit to the American International School in the Saudi capital Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Israeli soldiers rest during preparations ahead of President Trump's landing in Tel Aviv, Israel Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 First Lady Melania Trump makes her way to board Air Force One in Riyadh as she heads with her husband the US President to Israel Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump board Air Force One for Israel, the next stop in Trump's international tour, at King Khalid International Airport AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Israeli soldiers wait for the arrival ceremony of US President Donald Trump at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive aboard Air Force One at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod near Tel Aviv, Israel Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump disembark Air Force One on arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump and his wife, US First Lady Melania Trump are welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, in Lod outside Tel Aviv, Israel EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit during welcome ceremony in Tel Aviv AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US First Lady Melania Trump chats wife Sara Netanyahu as US President Donald Trump chats to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a welcoming ceremony to welcome Trump at Ben Gurion International Airport Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump delivers a speech upon his arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump gestures during a press conference with Israel's President at the President's Residence in Jerusalem Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump watches as First Lady Melania Trump signs the guest book at the President's Residence in Jerusalem Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump walks with first lady Melania Trump in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalems Old City Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump stands next to Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz at the plaza in front of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and White House senior advisor Jared Kushner leave notes at the Western Wall in Jerusalem Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US First Lady Melania Trump touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Ivanka Trump, assistant and daughter of US President Donald J. Trump, touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump arrives in a vehicle to Saint Damaso's Court for a private audience with Pope Francis in Vatican City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis walks past Ivanka Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on the occasion of the private audience with President Donald Trump, at the Vatican AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis exchanges gifts with US President Donald Trump during a private audience at the Vatican Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis meets US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania during a private audience at the Vatican Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis with US President Donald J. Trump EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis gets into is car after meeting with US President Donald Trump AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 President Donald Trump and his wife Melania look at the frescoed ceilings during their visit to the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald Trump security vehicles are seen in front of Air Force One before take off from Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave to reporters before boarding the Air Force One to Brussels, at the end of a 2-day visit to Italy including a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, at Rome's Fiumicino international airport AP

Mr Gowan said the speech was more catered toward appeasing the Presidents base of supporters who have stuck to Mr Trumps repeated campaign and early term remarks that the UN is full of elitists and just a good time just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.

TJ Pempel, a political science professor at the University of California-Berkeley, echoed that statement, adding that the speech was good for headlines but not much else in terms of reducing global threats.

Anjali Dayal, an international security professor at Fordham University, said the speech was "terrifying" since it was such a drastic break from past US presidents despite the fact that sovereignty is still a cornerstone of the UN.

 Trump says many portions of the world are going to hell

She said the main difference is interpreting what respecting that sovereignty means.

I don't think it was a standard hawkish Republican foreign policy speech, even though much of what Trump said called back to the John Bolton era at the UN, referring to the controversial US representative under George W. Bushs administration.

Mr Trump spoke extensively on two particular countries: North Korea and Iran, calling them a depraved regime and a murderous regime, respectively.

Ms Dayal said: it's hard to square the idea of sovereignty as non-interference with his language on North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela.

After North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear weapons test recently, developed a hydrogen bomb, and fired test missiles over Hokkaido, Japan - the Security Council unanimously voted to place the strictest-ever sanctions on the hermit kingdom.

Today Mr Trump said that should Pyongyang not cease with developing its nuclear arsenal or attacks a US territory or ally the US would have no choice but to destroy North Korea.

He said, referring to the mercurial Kim Jong-un, that Rocket Man is on a suicide mission.

This is not much of a change in policy as Dr Stephen Saideman, an expert at Canadas Carleton University, pointed out.

However, what worried Human Rights Watchs UN Deputy Director Akshaya Kumar was that he said it at the UN.

War with North Korea would be an incredibly disproportionate response to punish innocent civilians for the [North Korean regimes] actions, Ms Kumar told The Independent.

Neil Bhatiya, a researcher at the Center for a New American Security, told The Independent that Mr Trumps rhetoric today ignored the necessity of cooperating with Beijing on sanctions against Pyongyang.

Mr Trumps comments do not appear to take into the account the ripple effect of his apparently fatalistic view towards military action, according to Mr Pempel.

The new sanctions authorities granted to the President have to potential to incur significant financial costs for China-based firms, which could have wider effects for the global economy if, for example, U.S. sanctions target certain large Chinese banks, noted Mr Bhatiya.

Any implementation will have to be done in coordination with major players like China.

At the same time, Mr Pempel said this speech was good for headlines but not really serving the grander purpose of actually reducing a North Korea threat.

He argued that Mr Trumps language does not do anything to help encourage more cooperation from Russia and China - who joined the world to vote in the Security Council for the strictest-ever sanctions on Pyongyang.

This is the time forencouraging China...and sending quiet messages to North Korea about a willingness to talk.

Instead, Mr Pempel said the speech helped Japan, who worries that the US will abandon them and get too close to China but also puts ally South Korea in a tough position of wanting more dialogue along the lines of President Moon Jae-ins sunshine policy and realising the real need for a militarised Seoul.

Despite what seems like a fatalistic attitude towards using military action to quell the threat of the isolated and mercurial North Korean leadership, Mr Pempel thinks Defence Secretary James Mattis had very little to do with the speech.

He is usually reluctant to start with, and stay with, comments about military action. He keeps it quietly in the background but emphasizes diplomacy, Mr Pempel said of the Presidents trusted military adviser.

 Trump says the US will "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary in UN speech

Mr Gowan argued that despite the threat of using American military might against Pyongyang, he appeared to still want to talk it through with China and Russia, as evidenced by US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haleys continued work.

The most disturbing part of Mr Trumps speech for Mr Gowan was about Iran.

Mr Trump said that the Iran nuclear deal, signed in 2015 to redesign and reduce the countrys nuclear framework, was an embarrassment for the US.

Elizabeth Rosenberg, a Senior Fellow at the Center for New American Security, said that at the very least Mr Trumps words on Iran were consistent because it reinforced the impression that he plans to take action to undermine the deal.

Ahead of the speech, a senior White House official said the goal was to separate the suffering of the Iranian people from the regime of Iran.

Mr Gowan said that the idea that the Iranian people are going to rise up against their government because Trump gave a hectoring speech at the UN is delusional.

Mr Trump mixing the accusations towards the "murderous regime", its behaviour in the region, with what should be deemed a technical agreement the international community negotiated over more than 12 years shows that this administration does not really separate the two, Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, a Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, told The Independent.

In Mr Trump also calling it "one of the worst" international pacts ever made, Ms Tabrizi said the administration undermines all the partners who worked on the deal during both the Bush and Obama administrations as well as ignor[ing] the wishes of the Iranian people, who elected the current president twice because they believed a nuclear deal...was the best way to improve their living standards since it lifted sanctions.

His rhetoric about the rogue state that has a false guise of democracy may be welcomed by his base, but ultimately does not aid in getting a better deal according to Ms Rosenberg.

It is tremendously unhelpful with expanding arms controls of Iran since there is less ally consensus on Irans non-nuclear activities.

Overall, several world leaders except for Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu who was full of praise, agreed with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom who said to the BBC: "It was the wrong speech, at the wrong time, to the wrong audience.
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 }}

For the first time, three major global organisations with key roles in the fight against slavery have come up with an agreed number for the scale of the scourge worldwide  and it stands at 40 million.

Few statistics exist about modern slavery, since it is illicit and often unseen. But previously the Walk Free Foundation, an NGO, and the International Labour Organisation, (ILO) issued separate estimates to quantify the global evil.

For 2016, they joined together, using data supplied by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), to give the shocking statistic  which is the most accurate yet.

It is the first time in history that there is a united number, said Andrew Forrest, Walk Free chairman, ahead of the figures release today.

In the past, use of different stats has allowed business leaders and governments to point out gaps and dodge taking action, he added.

There can now longer be any denial that, as Theresa May puts it, the greatest scourge affecting humanity right now is modern slavery, said Mr Forrest.

Beate Andrees, the ILOs Chief of the Fundamental Principles and Rights of the Work Branch, said it was not just a number but also provides a platform to unite the sector in a call to action at the UN General Assembly today.

At a round table this afternoon with Cherie Blair and leaders from firms Edelman, HP and Walmart, the stat will be used to prompt joint action from business and governments in a major breakthrough that will hopefully be the tipping point in ending modern slavery, she said.

The UKs Modern Slavery Act of 2015 is still the only dedicated legislation of its kind in the world, with other states such as Australia now looking to follow suit with their own special laws.

Recommended How the Catholic Church is working to bring an end to modern slavery

Most countries now have some kind of legislation against trafficking and forced labour.

However, all countries can do better, including the UK, said Ms Andrees, citing the need for better support of vulnerable migrant workers who are identified as victims of slavery.

The other area is business. We clearly hope, with the UNs guiding principles and the ILOs international law [principles], to move towards requiring businesses to be transparent and take action if a risk of forced labour was identified, she said.

Mr Forrest, who became involved in anti-slavery advocacy after finding slavery was used by at least 12 suppliers to his own company, Australian iron ore giant the Fortescue Metals Group, said he will today call on companies and world leaders at the UN General Assembly to take aggressive positive action.

Citing last months Bali Process and Government Business Forum, where leaders from 45 countries in the Indo-Pacific region gathered with business chiefs and agreed to modern slavery policies, he said companies globally should follow the example.

The figure of 40 million, which drew on the IOMs database of victim case studies along with surveys from over 50 countries and 71,000 face-to-face interviews, represents the minimum number of people enslaved, he said.

Of those, about 25 million were in forced labour, and 15 million were in forced marriage  the first comprehensive figure on forced marriage, according to the ILO.

Recommended Why London is a global hub for modern slavery

Forced labour fits the modern slavery definition as it involves being forced and the control of a person by another for personal benefit. Its inclusion in todays figure means female victims account for almost 29 million  or 71 per cent  of the total.

Asked why it had taken so long to produce definitive, joined-up figures on modern slavery, Ms Andrees said recent political momentum meant it was an opportune time to shed light on forced marriage.

She added: Its not that nothing has happened in the years before. I think we have seen tremendous action in recent years but I think joining forces we can be much more impactful in the future.

Visit Freedom United's action hub for The Independent
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 }}

Dog owners in the UK are being warned about the spread of a potentially deadly eye infection caused by a parasitic worm.

Oriental eye worm, otherwise known as Thelazia callipaeda, is transmitted by a type of fruit fly that lands on eyes, feeds on eye secretions and lays infected larvae.

The infection can cause blindness and even death in dogs and cats.

Veterinary expert John Graham-Brown, from Liverpool University, told the journal Veterinary Record that the UK has the same type of fruit fly that can transmit the infection.

So far, there has been only one strain of the infection round in Europe. But it's been spreading quite rapidly recently. We are not sure why, he said.

We do have this type of fly in the UK as well, so there is the potential for an infected dog to come back and give it to the fly here, and then it could spread.

The infection was first discovered in the eyes of a dog in China in 1910.

Thelazia callipaeda has been known for a long time as the oriental eye-worm due to its geographical distribution in the former Soviet Republics and in many far eastern countries.

Symptoms include conjunctivitis, excessive watering, visual impairment, and ulcers or scarring of the cornea.

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

If severe corneal ulceration is left untreated, it can lead to blindness.

Infections in animals are treated with antiparasitic medication.

Pet owners are advised to look out for signs of infection in dogs if they have travelled to areas where the disease is endemic.

Locally transmitted cases have been reported in Europe, including Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Romania, Hungary, Greece and Serbia.
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 }}

There is no evidence that Isis is systematically using the refugee crisis to smuggle fighters into Europe or directly targeting asylum seekers for radicalisation, research has found.

The arrest of two refugees in connection with the attempted bombing on a London Underground train has reignited public debate, following four previous terror attacks in the UK this year.

Both men, an 18-year-old from Iraq and 21-year-old Syria, remain in custody after police were granted more time to question them over an attack that injured 30 people at Parsons Green station.

Isis claimed responsibility for the blast, saying it was carried out by soldiers of the caliphate and threatening further atrocities in the UK.

New research by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warned that the terrorist group was expanding its campaign in Europe as it loses territory in the so-called Islamic State.

The US-based think tank said Isis continues to plan, resource, and execute attacks from its remaining safe havens in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

This year has seen atrocities spread to the UK and Spain, as well as in Sweden and Finland, where the ISW said Isis was targeting vulnerable populations.

 Timeline: European terror attacks since 2015

Asylum seekers launched two terror attacks in Germany last year, while the group used the refugee crisis as cover to smuggle the supercell of foreign fighters that carried out the Paris and Brussels attacks back into Europe using fake passports.

The ISW concluded that while refugees have conducted terror attacks in other countries, there was no evidence of coordinated Isis involvement.

Researchers warned that a larger threat came from the 2,500 remaining foreign fighters in Isis ranks in Syria and Iraq, who are able to form links with jihadi and criminal networks in their home countries even if they do not return.

The ISW warned that Isis would continue to organise and inspire terror attacks in Europe even while much of its physical caliphate is being wiped out.

The anti-Isis coalition must also refocus on addressing the grievances and fears of vulnerable Sunni populations that make them vulnerable to Isis messaging, the report concluded.

The widespread perception that European states and the US are aligned with Iran and the Assad regime against Sunni populations in Syria and Iraq, as well as the rise of anti-Muslim sentiments and perceived anti-Muslim policies in Europe and the US will continue to fuel toleration of and limited but growing support for Isis attack operations in the West.

Isis is waging a social and informational campaign to gain support among Western populations - Western states will not be able to kill and arrest their way out of this problem.

Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Show all 23 1 /23 Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion A bucket with flames and wires coming out of it was photographed in the carriage after the explosion  apparently the source of the blast AFP Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion An explosion on a packed Tube train has injured a number of people in west London AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion The blast triggered a stampede as commuters panicked AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Click through for more pictures from the scene Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosioN Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion PA Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty

The number of arrests for terror offences in the UK has risen almost 70 per cent in a year to a record high of 379, with the vast majority of suspects being British or dual nationals.

Ben Wallace, the security minister, told The Independent 19 terror plots have been foiled in the same period but warned that the tempo of attempted attacks was increasing.

Europol, the EUs law enforcement agency, said there was a total of 142 terror attacks and attempts in just eight countries in 2016  with more than half reported by Britain.

Its 2017 EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report said Isis had exploited the flow of migrants to Europe to deploy terrorists for attacks and would continue the strategy.

But the report found there was no concrete evidence that terrorist travellers systematically use those flows of refugees to enter Europe unnoticed.

Europol previously said jihadis using the migrant route tended to be expendable footmen, while the most highly trained and dangerous operatives were likely to use false documents and more sophisticated methods.

Given that it is in the interests of Isis to inflame the migration crisis to polarise the EU population and turn sections of it against those seeking asylum, there is a risk of some infiltration of refugee camps and other groups, said a report issued in December.

The extent of this is unknown, however, making the subject susceptible to exaggeration and exploitation especially by populist factions and extreme right-wing parties.

Mohammad Daleel, a Syrian asylum-seeker, killed himself in a suicide bombing in the German city of Ansbach last year (AFP/Getty Images)

Europol said Isis was also seeking to exploit the crisis ideologically, with German authorities reporting that jihadis have made at least 300 attempts to recruit refugees attempting to enter Europe.

A real and imminent danger is the possibility of elements of the (Sunni Muslim) Syrian refugee diaspora becoming vulnerable to radicalisation once in Europe and being specifically targeted by Islamic extremist recruiters, a report warned.

It is believed that a number of jihadists are travelling through Europe for this purpose.

Europol also reported that refugees and ethnic minorities were facing increased violence throughout the EU, saying the vote for Brexit generated a spike in hate crime in the UK.

The agency is recruiting 200 counter-terror investigators to be deployed to migration hotspots in Greece and Italy to identify suspected terrorists and criminals in what Europol called a second line of defence.

The two refugees arrested in connection with the Parsons Green attack are believed to have entered the UK several years ago as children, being taken in by the same foster family in Surrey.

The 18-year-old Iraqi and 21-year-old Syrian remain in custody as searches continue at their former homes and a chicken shop where the older suspect worked.

The younger suspect was arrested on Saturday morning in Dover, where he was attempting to buy a ferry ticket to France.

The older man, named locally as Yahyah Farroukh, was detained by undercover police, including one disguised as a homeless man, outside a fast food restaurant in Hounslow later on the same day.

Scotland Yard said magistrates had granted warrants allowing the 18-year-old to be held until Saturday, and Farroukh until Thursday.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Kenneth Clarke has launched a withering attack on Boris Johnson, describing his 4,000-word Brexit article as an irrelevant nuisance and claimed he would have been sacked the day after its publication in normal times.

The former Conservative Cabinet minister also issued a plea to ministers to set out a compromise between them on the Governments Brexit strategy ahead of Theresa Mays keynote speech in Florence on Friday.

Mr Clarkes comments come after Theresa May rebuked the Foreign Secretary in Ottawa, insisting Im in charge and denied she had lost control of her ministers despite Mr Johnsons open challenge to her Brexit policy.

Describing the Foreign Secretarys article in the Daily Telegraph  seen as a prelude to a leadership bid or a resignation by many of his colleagues  Mr Clarke said the personal publicity and campaigning by Mr Johnson was an irrelevant nuisance.

He also accused Mr Johnson of exploiting the Prime Ministers fragile Government following the inconclusive general election result, adding: Remember there are rules called collective responsibility  he shouldnt exploit the fact that she [Ms May] hasnt got a majority in Parliament and he knows perfectly well that normally a Foreign Secretary would be sacked instantly for doing that. She unfortunately, after the general election, is not in the position easily to sack him but he should stop exploiting it.

He said in any normal circumstances the Foreign Secretary would have been sacked the day after the publication of his article that was seen a direct challenge to the Prime Ministers authority.

If he wants to be Foreign Secretary he should actually make some more serious contributions on wider foreign policy, give his views on the Brexit deal privately as ministers have always been supposed to do, he added.

In the national interest there really has got to be some compromise to come together. You do that in Cabinet discussion. You do that by talking to the Prime Minister, privately. You dont put self-publicising articles in the most Eurosceptic newspaper you can think of thats read by most of the people who have got a vote in the leadership election.

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

Speaking to journalists en route to Canada for trade talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ms May swerved the question of whether she though Mr Johnson would resign. We are all agreed as a Government about the importance of ensuring that we get the right deal for Brexit, she said We are optimistic about what we can be achieving.

Asked if, after Mr Johnsons challenge, she was truly in charge, Ms May replied: This Government is driven from the front and we are all going to the same destination.
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 }}

Boris Johnson has denied reports he is preparing to walk away from his Cabinet post amid a growing row over Theresa Mays Brexit strategy.

Reports said the Foreign Secretary was contemplating resignation if Mrs May's key Brexit speech in Italy on Friday contained measures he could not accept.

Mr Johnson wrote a 4,000-word newspaper article outlining his personal vision for the EU divorce at the weekend, wrongfooting Downing Street and prompting some to interpret it as a leadership bid.

He reportedly told friends he would have to leave the front bench if the Prime Minister accepted a Swiss-style arrangement where Britain would continue to pay for access to the single market after Brexit, according to The Telegraph.

However, when caught on the way back from a run in New York, he dismissed the reports.

"Of course not," he said when asked whether he would resign. "We're going to deliver a fantastic Brexit, we're working together to make sure that Britain can take advantage of all the opportunities that Brexit provides."

The day before Ms May also moved to dismiss questions over her Tory colleague's views, saying: "This government is driven from the front."

The pair are expected to meet for the first time since the publication of the article at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Officials said the pair had no formal meeting scheduled on Tuesday, but they are both expected to attend a reception for Commonwealth leaders in the evening.

Speculation about the Foreign Secretary's future has dominated the run-up to Mrs May's speech on Friday.

Billed as the PM's most important update to the Government's position since her Lancaster House address in January, the Florence speech is thought likely to include an attempt to break the deadlock over the UK's financial settlement.

Speculation has been mounting she will offer to pay tens of billions of pounds to the EU during a two to three-year transition deal after the UK's formal exit in 2019.

Mr Johnson has argued that Britain should not continue to pay for access to European markets and said remaining in the single market and the customs union would "make a mockery" of the referendum result.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Theresa May has responded to criticism that the UK has dragged its heels on ethnic cleansing in Burma by announcing a ban on military training in the country.

The Ministry of Defence will stop all defence engagement and training of the Burmese military until it ends its security crackdown against the Muslim Rohingya minority, the Prime Minister said.

More than 310,000 people have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks and more are trapped on the border, amid reports of extrajudicial killings and burning of entire villages.

This week, the UNs most senior human rights official described Burmas actions as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

Last week, Boris Johnson was criticised for describing Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmas de facto leader and the Nobel Peace Prize-winner, as one of the most inspiring figures of our age, despite the violence.

And, in Canada, Ms May appeared flat-footed when Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, revealed he had personally spoken with Ms San Suu Kyi, to urge her to pull back.

Now the UK will end what No 10 called educational training of Burmas troops, stressing the Ministry of Defence was not engaged in combat training.

Speaking at the United Nations in New York, Ms May told Sky News: We are very concerned about whats happening to the Rohingya people in Burma. The military action against them must stop.

Weve seen too many vulnerable people having to flee for their lives. Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese government need to make it very clear that the military action should stop.

The British Government is announcing today that we are going to stop all defence engagement and training of the Burmese military by the Ministry of Defence until this issue is resolved.

Downing Street was unable to provide any detail of the extent of the UKs current level of military training in the country.

Ms May has not spoken personally with Ms San Suu Kyi, but her spokesman said Mr Johnson had done so on a number of occasions.

 Aung San Suu Kyi publically condemns Rakhine violence

Burmas leader on Tuesday condemned human rights violations in Rakhine state and said violators would be punished, but she did not address UN accusations of a campaign of ethnic cleansing by the military.

In her first remarks since the violent crackdown, Ms San Suu Kyi said: Human rights violations and all other acts that impair stability and harmony and undermine the rule of law will be addressed in accordance with strict laws and justice.

Seeking to assure foreign diplomats gathered for her speech in Naypyitaw, the capital, that those who fled to Bangladesh would be allowed to return if they passed a verification process, she said the government was working to restore order in the area.

Though fires have continued to flare in recent days in northern Rakhine state, she said there have been no armed clashes and there have been no clearance operations for the past two weeks.

Rohingya refugees  in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young girl and a baby wade through mud after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma on 10 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees walk through a camp in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after arriving from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young Rohingya refugee gathers firewood after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees wait for sacks of rice to be distributed in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees arrive on a boat in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after crossing from Burma on 8 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees react after being re-united with each other after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Getty Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees walk along the remains of a road after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Myanmar Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees stand in the rain after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indian children hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma EPA/Raminder Pal Singh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organisation, listen to their leaders' speeches against Burma's persecution of Rohingya Muslims, during a demonstration in Karachi Reuters/Akhtar Soomro Rohingya refugees  in pictures Hundreds of Iranians take part in a protest against violence in Myanmar after weekly Friday prayers, in Tehran EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indonesian Muslim activists hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya minority in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia EPA/Ali Lutfi Rohingya refugees  in pictures Members of an Islamic organisation shout slogans against the Burma government during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA

Nevertheless we are concerned to hear that numbers of Muslims are fleeing across the border to Bangladesh, she said. We want to understand why this exodus is happening. We would like to talk to those who have fled as well as those who have stayed.

The latest crackdown against the Rohingya was triggered on 25 August, when an insurgent group attacked more than two dozen security sites, killing 12 people.

Militia groups, local security forces and the Burmese army responded with clearance operations that have forced hundreds of thousands of refugees into Bangladesh and left tens of thousands displaced inside Rakhine state.

Burma says it is targeting armed insurgents, including fighters from the Araka Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa), which claimed responsibility for the August attacks.

But, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, the UNs most senior human rights official, has denounced the brutal security operation, saying: The situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

He must be feeling like J Robert Oppenheimer, Bernie Taupin.

How could he have known, back in 1972 as he stared at a shooting star out the window and had an idea for a song about the daily grind of astronaut life, that he would eventually become death, destroyer of worlds?

But we'll come back to that later.

It was a United States President, Franklin D Roosevelt, that came up with the name United Nations.

No one appears to have asked the great man, in his final busy years winning a world war while pretending not to be dying of polio, what he was getting at with the name united nations.

But Americans have always been partial to truths that have a touch of the self-evident about them.

Recommended I once met a person with the same amoral judgement as Trump and Boris

United nations. Nations united. You dont even need to concentrate for longer than it takes to bang out a tweet at 6am and push the world to the brink of destruction to pick up certain clues as to where Franklin D was trying to go.

Therea also the big metal gun tied in a knot by the entrance. The bible quotes on the walls about beating swords into ploughshares, about nations not lifting swords against nations. All these things, taken together, should be enough to give a vague intimation as to what its all meant to be about.

We must reluctantly conclude then, that Donald Trump must have had some clue what he was doing when he called the leader of another member rocket man then threatened to totally obliterate his entire country.

The rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime, Mr Trump said, all te while drawing his tiny thumb and index finger up and down the outside of a tiny imaginary flag pole, as he so likes to do. This is what the United Nations is for.

It really, really isnt.

The United Nations, by the way, holds a lottery to decide which country gets to sit where for nominally prestigious occasions such as this. The North Korean delegation had bagged a spot in the front row, but sadly chose to leave it vacant for the duration of the talk of their own obliteration. A terrible pity: they would have been some remarkable TV cutaways.

A pity too that, having chosen Elton John songs as the medium through which to bring the world to nuclear war, Trump didn't go any further. "Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids, Kim Jong. In fact it's cold as hell." That kind of thing.

Analysts are already searching for some sort of coherent thread, a doctrine even, that might be said to run through this short list of Countries Donald Trump Doesnt Like. North Korea is number one. Iran number two, then a not altogether surprising appearance for Venezuela.

If there was one, it appeared to be the idea that nationalism can save the world. It was, apparently, patriotism that prompted Poles to fight for Poland. It was patriotism that made the French fight for France and the Brits fight for Britain. That it was also patriotism that sent Germans goose-stepping down the Champs-Elysees was a point he strangely did not make, as he sought to recast the UN as the new go to place for independent, sovereign nations to make threats of war against one another.

We must assume, also, that Franklin D Roosevelt did not imagine, foresee or hope that future United States Presidents would use the UN stage as the place from which to inform the world of the $700bn they have recently spent on their own armed forces.

America, we learnt, in those early years after the war, Did not seek territorial expansion. We did not attempt to impose our way of life on others.

And yet, somehow, whilst not attempting to impose their way of live on others, American soldiers had managed to die In the deserts of the middle east, and the jungles of south east Asia.

On previous occasions, notably in Warsaw earlier this year, President Trump has shown himself more than capable of reading from a script of statesmanlike language written down for him by someone else. But whoever that someone else was, it is highly likely both they and their replacement have at some point been sacked.

We are, it is increasingly clear to see, moving into phase two of the Trump presidency, and that phase is goading volatile nuclear enabled sociopaths with Elton John songs. There's still three and a half years to go. I think it's going to be a long, long time.
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 }}

Donald Trumps provocative address to the UN General Assembly had ambassadors squirming in their seats as the US President refused to hold back on attacking Americas enemies.

Mr Trump went on a rambling crusade against a number of states, including North Korea, Iran and Venezuela - prompting awkward responses from delegates.

Some representatives even refused to listen to the speech; North Koreas UN ambassador walked out before Mr Trump arrived, leaving a more junior diplomat to represent the country.

The delegate that remained refused to look at Mr Trump, instead staring furiously into his lap and appearing to scribble on a notepad as the US President referred to the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, as "rocket man" and said: No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the wellbeing of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea.

The billionaire businessman added: It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans and for the imprisonment, torture, killing and oppression of countless more.

North Korea's ambassador walked out before Mr Trump arrived - leaving a more junior diplomat to listen to the speech

Mr Trump also turned his anger on Iran, whose UN ambassador raised his eyebrows and glared as the US President described the Middle Eastern country as a corrupt dictatorship.

The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy, Mr Trump said. It has turned a wealthy country, with a rich history and culture, into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violent, bloodshed and chaos.

It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction.

Iran's ambassador raised his eyebrows as Mr Trump described the Middle Eastern state as a 'corrupt dictatorship'

Mr Trump also condemned Venezuela, where violent clashes have followed economic collapse and attempts by the countrys President, Nicolas Maduro, to gain greater control of the parliament.

The South American states representatives sat stony-faced as the US President said: The socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the good people of that country.

This corrupt regime destroyed a prosperous nation -- prosperous nation, by imposing a failed ideology that has produced poverty and misery everywhere it has been tried. To make matters worse, Maduro has defied his own people, stealing power from their elected representatives, to preserve his disastrous rule. The Venezuelan people are starving and their country is collapsing.

Venezuela's delegation looked unhappy to hear the US President claim their country was 'collapsing'

However, the response to the speech was not entirely negative.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be seen nodding and applauding as Mr Trump praised peaceful Israel and slammed the nuclear deal with Iran made by his predecessor, Barack Obama, as an embarrassment and one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.

Saudi Arabia is also likely to have been cheered by Mr Trumps criticism of Iran, given the two countries are locked in a proxy conflict for control in the Middle East.

Some commentators also pointed out that the US President had failed to mention the Saudis own questionable record on human rights.
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 }}

US investigators reportedly wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the 2016 election, CNN reported on Monday.

The New York Times, citing two people close to the case, also reported that prosecutors told Manafort they planned to indict him. Federal agents had raided Manaforts Virginia house in July.

Manafort is one of several close advisers who helped President Donald Trump win the 2016 election and who are now being investigated as part of Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe of alleged Russian interference in the US vote.

Manafort became Trumps campaign manager in June 2016 but was forced to resign two months later amid reports of his business relationship with the Kremlin-backed former Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovich.

Manaforts attorney and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on the stories.

The secret court that oversees warrant requests under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) initially authorised monitoring of Manafort but discontinued it at some point in 2016 for lack of evidence, CNN said, citing one of its sources.

The FBI resumed surveillance under a new FISA warrant at some point last year and continued to monitor him into 2017, CNN said. The second warrant was obtained as part of the FBIs investigation into ties between Trump campaign associates and Russian operatives, it said.

FISA warrants require the approval of top FBI and Justice Department officials, and law enforcement has to demonstrate to the court that there is reason to believe that the subject of the investigation may be acting as an agent of a foreign power.

CNN said interest in Manafort deepened because of intercepted communications between him and Russian operatives, and among the Russians. The government eavesdropping continued into 2017, including a period when Manafort was known to talk to Trump after he became president. CNN said it was unclear if Trump was picked up on the surveillance.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

The FBI was not listening in June 2016 when Donald Trump Jr, Manafort and top White House adviser Jared Kushner met with a Russian lawyer who had promised to deliver negative information on Trumps rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, CNN said.

Russia has denied interfering in the US election and Trump has denied there was collusion.

Reuters
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A British woman who went missing while on a solo kayaking trip in the Amazon has died, according to the Foreign Office.

Emma Kelty, 43, disappeared last week.

Brazilian authorities have arrested a man and two teenagers.

One of the teenagers told police that Kelty was approached by a group of men who stole her belongings and shot her.

Recommended Four children arrested over murder of man in his 60s in Leicester

Her body has not been found. Authorities said they had discovered her kayak and belongings.

The Foreign Office said it was supporting the family of a British woman following her death in Brazil.

Kelty, a former head teacher from London, went missing in northern Brazil on day 42 of her 4,000-mile trip when she was kayaking along the Solimoes River.

The area is infamous for pirates and drug traffickers.

Kelty posted updates to her Twitter account. In a tweet on 12 September she wrote that she saw 30 to 50 men armed with rifles and arrows in boats.

She also wrote on Facebook on 10 September: "So in or near Coari (100km away) I will have my boat stolen and I will be killed too. Nice."

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

Two days later, she added; "Am in the clear. All OK."

Kelty had completed previous adventures including a solo ski trip to the South Pole.

She told the BBC earlier this year that she had taken a self-defence course to "minimise the risk".

"I'm going to a self-defence course which is going to be tailored to de-arming people, so if I do come across that situation at least I'm prepared for it."

Agencies contributed to this report.
Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report 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

The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A volunteer firefighter has been suspended after allegedly suggesting he would rather save a dog than a black person from a fire.

Tyler Roysdon, 20, of Franklin Township, Ohio, made the racist comments on Facebook, according to local station WHIO. Screenshots obtained by the station show Mr Roysdon suggesting he would rather save a dog because one dog is more important than a million n*****s.

Township Fire Chief Steve Bishop suspended Mr Roysdon without pay, pending a disciplinary hearing on 27 September. The department allows all employees a closed-door hearing to provide evidence and summon witnesses to prove their innocence, according to Township Administrator Traci Stivers.

Recommended Racists tried to burn down house of Dawn French and Lenny Henry

In a statement, Ms Stivers said the comments were not acceptable behaviour for a township employee. She added that the fire chief had asked Mr Roysdon to remove the post immediately after he discovered it.

The firing of any township employee must be approved by a vote from the board of trustees, local officials said. Trustee President Brian Morris told WHIO that he was disgusted by the comments.

Even if you take race out of it, it still would be wrong, Mr Morris said. ...There is no reason for him to say that anytime, anywhere.

He added: I want people to realise this is only one mans comment. We have a great group of men and disgusting comments from one individual does not represent the entire fire department.

A woman identifying herself as Mr Roysdons wife commented on Facebook to say that her husband had apologised, according to Fox 19.

Everyone deserves a second chance and is also entitled to their own opinion, she reportedly wrote.

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 town is also grappling with the removal of a plaque celebrating Confederate General Robert E Lee from a local intersection.

Monuments to Confederate soldiers  who fought to preserve slavery in the United States  have been removed across the country after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia turned violent. Supporters of the Ohio monument say it is a testament to their history; detractors say it is racist and embarassing.

The plaque was removed by the neighbouring city of Franklin over a right of way issue, according to Franklin Mayor Denny Centers. The city has said they plan to return the plaque to the township.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Roysdon for comment.
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 US government received reports of three spills at one of Houstons dirtiest Superfund toxic waste sites in the days after the drenching rains from Hurricane Harvey finally stopped. Aerial photos reviewed by the Associated Press show dark-coloured water surrounding the site as the floods receded, flowing through Vince Bayou and into the citys ship channel.

The reported spills, which have been not publicly detailed, occurred at US Oil Recovery, a former petroleum industry waste processing plant contaminated with a dangerous brew of cancer-causing chemicals. On 29 August, the day Harveys remnants cleared out, a county pollution control team sent photos to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of three large concrete tanks flooded with water. That led PRP Group, the company overseeing the ongoing cleanup, to call a federal emergency hotline to report a spill affecting nearby Vince Bayou.

Over the next several days, the company reported two more spills of potentially contaminated storm water from US Oil Recovery, according to reports and call logs obtained by the AP from the US Coast Guard, which operates the National Response Center hotline. The EPA requires that spills of oil or hazardous substances in quantities that may be harmful to public health or the environment be immediately reported to the 24-hour hotline when public waterways are threatened.

Recommended US auctioned off disaster trailers days before Hurrricane Harvey

The EPA has not publicly acknowledged the three spills that PRP Group reported to the Coast Guard. The agency said an on-scene coordinator was at the site last Wednesday and found no evidence that material had washed off the site. The EPA says it is still assessing the scene.

The AP reported in the days after Harvey that at least seven Superfund sites in and around Houston were underwater during the record-shattering storm. Journalists surveyed the sites by boat, vehicle and on foot. US Oil Recovery was not one of the sites visited by AP. EPA said at the time that its personnel had been unable to reach the sites, though they surveyed the locations using aerial photos.

Following APs report, EPA has been highlighting the federal agencys response to the flooding at Superfund sites. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt reiterated that safeguarding the intensely-polluted sites is among his top priorities during a visit Friday to the San Jacinto River Waste Pits, one of the sites AP reported about two weeks ago.

Pruitt then boarded a Coast Guard aircraft for an aerial tour of other nearby Superfund sites flooded by Harvey, including US Oil Recovery.

Photos taken 31 August by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows dark-coloured water surrounding the site two days after the first spill was reported to the government hotline. While the photos do not prove contaminated materials leaked from US Oil Recovery, they do show that as the murky floodwaters receded, they flowed through Vince Bayou and emptied into the ship channel leading to the San Jacinto River. The hotline caller identified Vince Bayou as the waterway affected by a spill of unknown material in unknown amounts.

Thomas Voltaggio, a retired EPA official who oversaw Superfund cleanups and emergency responses for more than two decades, reviewed the aerial photos, hotline reports and other documents obtained by AP.

It is intuitively obvious that the rains and floods of the magnitude that occurred during Hurricane Harvey would have resulted in some level of contamination having been released to the environment, said Voltaggio, who is now a private consultant. Any contamination in those tanks would likely have entered Vince Bayou and potentially the Houston Ship Channel.

He said the amount of contaminants spread from the site during the storm will likely never be known, making the environmental impact difficult to measure. The Houston Ship Channel was already a polluted waterway, with Texas state health officials warning that women of childbearing age and children should not eat fish or crabs caught there because of contamination from dioxins and PCBs.

PRP Group, the corporation formed to oversee the cleanup at US Oil Recovery, said it reported the spills as legally required but said subsequent testing of storm water remaining in the affected tanks showed it met federal drinking water standards. The company declined to provide AP copies of those lab reports or a list of specific chemicals for which it tested, saying the EPA was expected to release that information soon.

An aerial photo shows floodwaters surrounding the US Oil Recovery Superfund site outside Houston flowing into the San Jacinto River (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/AP)

US Oil Recovery was shut down in 2010 after regulators determined operations there posed an environmental threat to Vince Bayou, which flows through the property in Pasadena. Pollution at the former hazardous waste treatment plant is so bad that Texas prosecutors charged the companys owner, Klaus Genssler, with five criminal felonies. The German native fled the United States and is considered a fugitive. Genssler did not respond to efforts to contact him last week through his social media accounts or an email account linked to his website address.

More than 100 companies that sent hazardous materials and oily waste to US Oil Recovery for processing are now paying for the multimillion-dollar cleanup there through a court-monitored settlement, including Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations, US Steel and Dow Chemical.

Past sampling of materials at the site revealed high concentrations of hazardous chemicals linked to cancer, such as benzene, ethylbenzene and trichloroethylene. The site also potentially contains toxic heavy metals, including mercury and arsenic.

A 2012 EPA study of the more than 500 Superfund sites across the United States located in flood zones specifically noted the risk that floodwaters might carry away and spread toxic materials over a wider area.

Over the past six years, remediation efforts at US Oil Recovery have focused on the northern half of the site, including demolishing contaminated structures, removing an estimated 500 tons of sludge and hauling away more than 1,000 abandoned containers of waste.

PRP Group said the southern portion of the site, including the three waste tanks that flooded during Harvey, has not yet been fully cleaned. Over the years workers have removed more than 1.5 million gallons of liquid waste  enough to fill nearly three Olympic-sized swimming pools.

AP began asking the EPA whether contaminated material might have again leaked from US Oil Recovery last week, after reviewing the aerial photos taken 31 August. The EPA said it visited the site on 4 September, nearly a week after site operators reported an initial spill, and again the following week. The EPA said that its staff saw no evidence that toxins had washed away from the scene during either visit.

Yesterday, an EPA On-scene coordinator conducted an inspection of Vince Bayou to follow up on a rumour that material was offsite and did not find any evidence of a black oily discharge or material from the US Oil Recovery site, an EPA media release said on Thursday.

PRP Group said the spills occurred at the toxic waste site on 29 August, 6 September and 7 September. One of the EPAs media releases on 9 September, more than 11 days after the first call was made to the hotline, made reference to overflowing water at the scene, but did not describe it as a spill.

The company said it reported the first spill after Harveys floodwaters swamped the three tanks, filling them. The resulting pressure that built up in the tanks dislodged plugs blocking a series of interconnecting pipes, causing the second and third spills reported to the hotline the following week.

The company does not know how much material leaked from the tanks, soaking into the soil or flowing into nearby Vince Bayou. As part of its post-storm cleanup workers have vacuumed 63 truckloads holding about 315,000 gallons from the tanks.

The Superfund site is located just a few hundred yards from the Pollution Control Services offices for Harris County, which includes Houston. Its director, Bob Allen, says his team took pictures of the flooding on 29 August, when the area that includes the three big tanks was still underwater. The AP requested those photos as public records, but they have not yet been released.

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

Allen said his staff did not note any black water or oily sheen on the surface at the time, and did not collect water samples for testing. He said the EPA later sampled the area to determine whether there was contamination.

We knew that the water probably got into the plant, probably washed out some of the stuff that was in the clarifier, Allen said, referring to one of the old concrete tanks once used to store toxic waste. Once they get done with the assessment of that site and the other Superfund Harris County sites, then theyll probably let us know, let the public know, whats been going on.

AP
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 }}

Hurricane Maria remains extremely dangerous after it battered the Caribbean island of Dominica, having regained its Category 5 status, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has said.

The islands Prime Minister told of widespread devastation and high winds sweeping away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to.

Early on Monday the NHC said hurricane warnings were in place for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, Monserrat, the British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Culebra and Vieques.

Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion, the NHC said, warning of large and destructive storm surge waves in Marias path.

Its forecast showed Puerto Rico was facing a direct hit from the storm, with sustained winds up to 155mph, after it suffered a glancing blow from Hurricane Irma earlier this month.

That storms eye passed north of the island, a US territory, but still caused widespread power outages and a small number of deaths.

Damage from Maria is likely to be significantly worse, with governor Ricardo Rossello calling the probable impact catastrophic. The island will be battered by hurricane-force winds for the better part of a day on Wednesday, he told CNN.

He added: This is an event that will be damaging to the infrastructure, that will be catastrophic, and our main focus  our only focus right now  should be to make sure we save lives.

It could be the worst storm in 30 years for the island, he said.

The hurricane is currently moving west-north-west at about 9mph and is due to approach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

NHC analysts said: Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous category 4 or 5 hurricane while it approaches the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

If peak storm surge waters coincide with high tide, levels are expected to rise between 6ft and 9ft above ground in those territories.

The forecast path of Hurricane Maria (National Hurricane Centre)

The NHC added: A dangerous storm surge accompanied by large and destructive waves will raise water levels by as much as 7ft to 11ft feet above normal tide levels in the hurricane warning area near where the centre of Maria moves across the Leeward Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

A tropical storm warning is in place for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba and St Eustatius, St Martin, Anguilla, St Lucia and Martinique, meaning some areas already reeling from Hurricane Irma may now face renewed winds of more than 50mph.

Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Show all 45 1 /45 Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Recently planted palm trees lie strewn across the road as Hurricane Irma passes by in Miami Beach, Fla. 10 September 2017. AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Damage outside the Mercure hotel in Marigot, on the Bay of Nettle, on the island of Saint-Martin AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures People pick up debris in Fajardo as Hurricane Irma howled past Puerto Rico after thrashing several smaller Caribbean islands Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Large waves produced by Hurricane Irma crash into the end of Anglins Fishing Pier in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The category 4 hurricane made landfall in the United States in the Florida Keys at 9:10 a.m. after raking across the north coast of Cuba. 10 September 2017 Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A Royal Air Force Puma has been delivered to the US Virgin Islands to assist with the humanitarian efforts post Hurricane Irma. The Puma will be delivering Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief in support of the Department for International Development. Royal Air Force logisticians from RAF Brize Norton have assisted with the delivery of military personnel and aid cargo to the Caribbean to support disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Irma. RAF aircraft including, C-17 A400M and Voyager are supporting a Joint Task Force of RAF, Royal Marines, Army and RN personnel who are supporting the Department for International Development as it delivers aid to stricken Caribbean Islands. MoD Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Flamingos at Zoo Miami, are shown in a temporary enclosure in a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, Saturday, 9 September 2017 in Miami. Though most animals will reman in their secure structures, the cheetahs and some birds will ride out the storm in temporary housing. AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Boats are seen at a marina in South Beach as Hurricane Irma arrives at south Florida, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. 10 September 2017 Reuters Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Storm clouds are seen over Fisher Island as Hurricane Irma approaches on 9 September 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. Florida is in the path of the Hurricane which may come ashore at category 4 Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Waves crash over a seawall at the mouth of the Miami River from Biscayne Bay, Fla., as Hurricane Irma passes by. 10 September 2017 AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Some of the damage on Saint Martin EPA/Gerben Van Es/Dutch Department of Defence Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The skyline is seen as the outerbands of Hurricane Irma start to reach Florida on 9 September 2017 in Miami, Florida. Florida is in the path of the Hurricane which may come ashore at category 4. Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A tree toped by hurricane Irma is seen on a empty street in Remedios, Cuba, 9 September 2017. Hurricane Irma reached Cuba bringing winds between 160 and 190 kilometers per hour. The hurricane has hit the north coast of the island. EPA Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures James Constantineau loads sands bags in his truck as he prepares for the approach of Hurricane Irma Saturday, 9 September 2017, in East Palatka, Fla. Gov. Rick Scott is urging anyone living in an evacuation zone in southwest Florida to leave by noon as the threat of Hurricane Irma has shifted west. AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The Fort Louis Marina in Marigot is seen on 8 September 2017 in Saint-Martin island, devastated by Hurricane Irma. AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Destruction in Orient Bay on the island of Saint-Martin AFP/Getty Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The wreckage in Orient Bay on the island of Saint-Martin AFP/Getty Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures View of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Saint Martin Reuters Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A mobile network tower snapped in two by the hurricane on the island of Barbuda ABS TV Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A house reduced to rubble on the island of Saint Barthelemy AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures General view of damage on Saint Martin Reuters Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A damaged Casino Royale on Saint Martin after the passage of Hurricane Irma Anna Mazur/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures An aerial photograph taken and released by the Dutch department of Defense shows the damage of Hurricane Irma in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, the Dutch section of the Caribbean Island Gerben Van Es/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Flooded houses in Gustavia on the island of Saint-Barthelemy Kevin Barrallon/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The damage on the island of Saint-Martin, a day after Hurricane Irma hit AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A man carrying an umbrella is battered by the wind in Fajardo, Puerto Rico Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A lone police car on patrol during the passing of Hurricane Irma in Fajardo, Puerto Rico Jose Jimenez/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Haitian people walk through the wind and rain on a beach in Cap-Haitien on September 7 as Hurricane Irma approaches Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A flooded street on the island of Saint Martin AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A tree collapsed on a house in Saint Martin Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A hotel in Saint Martin is gutted by floodwater during the hurricane Guadeloupe 1ere Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Cars submerged in Saint Martin Rinsy Xieng Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Debris floats amongst the floodwater in Saint Martin @la1ere Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Household items float down the street in Gustavia, Saint-Barthelemy Carole Greaux Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The coast of Saint Martin is flooded as the hurricane hits the island Meteo Express Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A whole street underwater in Saint Martin @la1ere Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A car crashes into the tree amongst the chaos in Saint Martin @Bondtehond Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A building on the Saint Martin seafront, destroyed by the hurricane @Bondtehond Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A mobile home overturned at Princess Juliana International Airport in Saint Martin @Bondtehond Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Palm trees bend in the wind in San Juan, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Irma slammed across islands in the northern Caribbean Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A woman runs in the rain as Hurricane Irma slammed into San Juan, Puerto Rico Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A picture taken on September 5, 2017 shows a view of the Baie Nettle beach in Marigot, with the wind blowing ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A man rides past a boarded up house as part of preparations ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma on September 5, 2017, in the French overseas island of Guadeloupe Helene Valenzuela/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Employees of the Mercure Hotel fill sand bags on the Baie Nettle beach in Marigot, as part of the preparations for the arrival of Hurricane Irma Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures People in line at Costco, as they find out the store has ran out of water on September 5, 2017 in North Miami Michele Eve Sandberg/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Night view of the city of Cap-Haitien, in the north of Haiti, 240 km from Port-au-Prince, on September 5, 2017 Hector Retamal/AFP

The Dominican Republic is under a hurricane watch, meaning hurricane conditions are possible in the eastern portion of Hispaniolaanother prior victim of Irma.

After passing the Dominican Republic Maria is forecast to turn north toward the Bahamas, missing both Cuba and Florida.
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 }}

Hurricane Maria has become stronger again as it heads for Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands, threatening a chain of Caribbean islands only just recovering from the devastating Hurricane Irma.

Maria was upgraded back to a Category 5 hurricane early on Tuesday after briefly losing intensity, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

The upgrade came hours before the storm was due to hit Puerto Rico, which has a population 50 times that of the small island of Dominica.

Maria had weakened slightly  and briefly  early on Tuesday to a still major Category 4 storm after pounding the small Caribbean island nation. But the fluctuation in intensity proved to be short-lived as a hurricane hunter plane reported that it had regained the "extremely dangerous" Category 5 status, meaning it is driving wind speeds faster than 157mph.

Authorities in the US territory of Puerto Rico issued an SOS notice, warning people in wooden or flimsy homes to find safe shelter before the storm's expected arrival there on Wednesday.

"You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you're going to die," said Hector Pesquera, the island's public safety commissioner. "I don't know how to make this any clearer."

Governor Ricardo Rossello said Puerto Rico had 500 shelters capable of taking in up to 133,000 people in a worst-case scenario. He also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to bring drinking water and help restore power immediately after the storm.

A Category 5 hurricane making landfall would be "catastrophic in every way," said Roberto Garcia with the National Weather Service in San Juan. "People have to act, and they have to act now. They can no longer wait for a miracle."

Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit earlier captured the fury of Maria as it arrived. "The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God," Skerrit wrote at the start of a series of increasingly panicked posts on Facebook.

A few minutes later, he messaged he could hear the sound of galvanised steel roofs tearing off houses on the small rugged island.

Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Show all 8 1 /8 Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Jennifer Nelson, senior keeper at Zoo Miami, leads a cheetah named Koda to a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017 in Miami. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Ryan Martinez, a trainer at Zoo Miami, places an Eurasion Eagle Owl into a crate AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Flamingos at Zoo Miami, are shown in a temporary enclosure in a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Brown pelicans and an American white pelican take refuge in a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami An African crested porcupine is moved into a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami, Florida, REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami A macaw parrot looks out of it's cage after being put into a shelter REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami An African grey parrot is moved into a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Cheetahs are photographed in a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami, Florida, REUTERS/Adrees Latif

He then wrote that he thought his home had been damaged. And three words: "Rough! Rough! Rough!"

A half hour later, he said: "My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding." Seven minutes later he posted that he had been rescued.

Officials in Guadeloupe said the French island near Dominica probably would experience heavy flooding and warned that many communities could be submerged. In nearby Martinique, authorities ordered people to remain indoors and said they should be prepared for power cuts and disruption in the water supply.

Recommended This is where Hurricane Maria will hit next

The National Hurricane Center said Maria's top sustained winds returned to 160 mph shortly before daybreak Tuesday, with the eye of Maria located about 65 miles west-southwest of Guadeloupe. The storm was moving west-northwest at 9 mph.

Fluctuations in intensity were expected, and forecasters have warned Maria would likely intensify over the next 24 hours or longer, noting its eye had shrunk to a compact 10 miles across and warning: "Maria is developing the dreaded pinhole eye."

That generally means an extremely strong hurricane will get even mightier, said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami. He said it just like when a spinning ice skater brings in their arms and rotates faster.

 Satellite imagery shows Hurricane Maria gaining strength

"You just don't see those in weaker hurricanes," he said.

Hurricane warnings were posted for the US and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. A tropical storm warning was issued for Martinique, Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St Eustatius, St Maarten, St Lucia and Anguilla.

Forecasters said the storm surge could raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 metres) near the storm's centre. The hurricane was predicted to bring 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimetres) of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas.

The current forecast track will carry Maria about 22 miles (35km) south of St Croix in the US Virgin Islands late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday, territorial Governor Kenneth Mapp said.

"We are going to have a very, very long night," he added, urging people in the territory to finish any preparations.

Additional reporting by agencies
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 }}

Police in Louisiana have arrested a 23-year-old man they plan to charge with the murder of two black men and firing at a black family.

Officers in Baton Rouge detained Kenneth Gleason and led him away in handcuffs. They said he would be charged over the shooting deaths last week of a homeless man and dishwasher who was making his way to work.

The Associated Press said they had found a copy of a speech by Adolf Hitler in the suspects home. It was not immediately clear if the suspect had been given the chance to enter a plea.

Kenneth Gleason (AP)

I feel confident that this killer would have killed again, said interim Police Chief Jonny Dunnam.

Mr Gleason was arrested last week following the killings of 59-year-old Bruce Cofield and 49-year-old Donald Smart, the shootings taking place about five miles apart. Mr Cofield, who was homeless, was shot last Tuesday and Mr Smart was shot on Thursday as he was walking to work at a cafe said to be popular with Louisiana State University students.

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

Reports said the two men were both killed in a similar fashion. A gunman shot at the men from a vehicle, then got out, approached them and shot them at close range multiple times.

 Suspect Killed After Shooting Dead 3 Officers - Louisiana Police

Asked whether police suspect race was a motive for the shootings, Sgt LJean McKneely told the news agency: Were not completely closed off to that. Were looking at all possibilities at this time, so were not going to just pinpoint that.

District Attorney Hillar Moore said his office could seek the death penalty if Mr Gleason was found guilty.

It appears to be cold, calculated, planned [against] people who were unarmed and defenceless, he said. We dont need to prove motive. There are a lot of things that are unanswered.
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 }}

While Randy Potters family and friends were searching across states to find him for the past eight months, his body was decomposing in a truck at a nearby airport.

They organised search parties, scoured through local parks and enlisted the help of a private investigator.

But the entire time, Potter was already dead, apparently by suicide, at a location where the family had previously searched for him, his wife, Carolina Potter, said.

What kills me the most was I was there  he couldve been found the first week, Carolina said. She lives in Lenexa, Kansas, about 35 minutes from the airport, without traffic.

Police found Potters body inside his work vehicle at the Kansas City International Airport on 12 September after they were alerted to a foul odour, The Kansas City Star reported.

Potters family is furious and demanding answers from local authorities, who they say let them down.

The integrity of my father, his body  it just soiled because he sat in this vehicle for eight months. Through summer, cooking in the Midwestern heat, for eight months, Potters daughter Nichole told The Post. Its disgusting. Its a disgusting thought.

Chris Hernandez, director of communications for the city of Kansas City, issued the following statement to local media following the discovery of Potters body:

The City of Kansas City and its Aviation Department express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Randy Potter. We wish them peace during this difficult time. We are working with all parties to determine the facts involved, including SP Plus, which manages the 25,000 parking spaces at Kansas City International Airport.

The Kansas International Airport police and the Lenexa Police Department could not be reached for comment early Monday.

Carolina, who is a flight attendant, searched the airport parking lot within a week of her husband being reported missing and said authorities reassured her that, if he was in the parking lot, they would find him.

Carolina and others close to him gave a description of the vehicle  a white 2014 Dodge Ram  and his licence plate number and were told that airport security checked the lots on a regular basis.

So the family continued searching elsewhere.

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 enlisted the help of private investigator John Underhill, telling him not to waste his time at the airport because the airport personnel had it covered. The family did not go back to the airport either, Carolina said.

Potter, 53, was a project engineer at T-Mobile, Carolina said. The Potters attorney, John Picerno, and investigator Underhill told The Post they believe Potter, a Navy veteran, died the same day he was reported missing, meaning his body sat in his truck at the airport from January to September.

Every single entity failed my husband. Every single one, Carolina said.

Picerno said he is going to piece together what went wrong in the search for Potter. The family wants to make sure no one else goes through a similar ordeal, he said.

The family spoke at a news conference Friday because they think its important for people to know what happened to Potter, his daughter Nichole said.

I want whatever changes to come about from all of this to be permanent, Potters daughter Nichole said. I dont want for someone to have to sit there for as long as my dad did.

Local media outlets covered Potters disappearance in January. Underhill logged 4,000 miles searching for Potter. Nichole carried a stack of fliers whenever she went out of town, even handing them out in downtown Denver on Fathers Day.

Carolina, Potters wife, headed search parties and tried to stay positive that he would be found one day. But she had a feeling something bad happened.

Investigator Underhill wishes he never trusted airport security. He passed the airport almost daily these past eight months and believes if he had searched the parking lots for Potter he would have found him sooner than authorities.

They dropped the ball, Underhill said of police. If I wouldve checked that airport, I wouldve found him. Thats just the way I am.

Potters family anguished over his disappearance for eight months and now they are grappling as well with knowing he was decomposing as they searched for him. Carolina said she was shocked to find out last week that his body withered away there in plain sight.

As Carolina described how her mind wanders to the days the heat was up in the 100 degrees and what her husbands body mustve smelled like, she started to cry.

My heart breaks every time I think about that, she said. I feel awful for thinking about him inside of that truck.

 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 }}

Residents in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are preparing for potentially devastating storm winds in the next couple of days as Hurricane Maria moves through the Caribbean in what one official says will be an event unseen for generations.

No generation has seen a hurricane like this since San Felipe II in 1928, Puerto Rico Governor Ricard Russell said just a day before the storm was projected to hit his island territory. This is an unprecedented atmosphere system.

Maria has already destroyed island nations in its path, including in Dominica where Maria hit as a Category 5 hurricane, and leaving widespread devastation, according to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.

Recommended Hurricane Maria strengthens to category 5 again

The storm hit there with 160 mph (257 kph) winds, tearing apart Mr Skerrits house during the evening and leaving the island nation of 73,000 people in tatters. The eye of the storm passed directly over that island.

We lost all that money can buy, Mr Skerrit said. My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains.

As Maria moved on, the British Virgin Islands imposed a curfew for residents there, and relief efforts following the impacts of Hurricane Irma were stalled. The National Hurricane Center urged residents in both the British and US Virgin Islands, as well as those in Puerto Rico, to rush to finish their preparations.

Barbuda, Hurricane Irma  in pictures Show all 7 1 /7 Barbuda, Hurricane Irma  in pictures Barbuda, Hurricane Irma  in pictures A roof-less house in Barbuda ABS TV Barbuda, Hurricane Irma  in pictures A mobile network tower snapped in two by the hurricane ABS TV Barbuda, Hurricane Irma  in pictures The hurricane left debris strewn across the island Barbuda, Hurricane Irma  in pictures Rubble in the aftermath of the hurricane ABS TV Barbuda, Hurricane Irma  in pictures The destruction in Barbuda, as seen from an ABS TV helicopter ABS TV Barbuda, Hurricane Irma  in pictures As well as destroying most houses, the hurricane also left plenty of flooding ABS TV Barbuda, Hurricane Irma  in pictures Barbudan residents survey the damage ABS TV

On the forecast track, [Maria] would be the most destructive hurricane in Puerto Rico history, Eric Blake, a forecaster at the center, tweeted. Very sobering year.

The storm could pound islands in the area for a longer period than normally experienced by hurricanes. Maria is a relatively slow moving storm, and that could lead to some areas experiencing sustained high intensity winds.

After crashing through Dominica as a Category 5 hurricane, the storm weakened to a Category 4 hurricane. But, the storm was forecast to strengthen back to Category 5  the highest rating for the storms  before slamming into Puerto Rico. Once there, Puerto Rico could experience storm surges ranging between six and nine feet.

It is uncertain where Maria might been a week or so from now, as it can be difficult to predict specific wind patterns that could move the storm in one direction or the other.

The region is still reeling from what has been a particularly vicious hurricane season. Just under two weeks ago, Hurricane Irma smashed through the region, causing devastation in its path. That storm ultimately moved north and made landfall in Florida, where millions of people were forced to evacuate, and millions of people lost power.

Most models at this point forecast that Maria will leave the mainland United States alone.

In addition to strong winds that could pull roofs off and send debris flying, Maria could bring heavy rains in its path. That includes up to 25 inches of rain in Puerto Rico in some areas. People living in flood-prone, mudslide-prone, or coastal areas, to leave as soon as possible.

Puerto Rico has opened up hundreds of shelters to help.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The Prime Minister of Dominica has described first hand being at the complete mercy of Hurricane Maria as it swept through the island.

Roosevelt Skerrit took shelter in his official residence and announced on social media that his roof had been torn off, prompting fear for poorer islanders.

Hurricane Maria was of Category 5 strength when it blew into the 72,000- strong island with sustained winds of 160mph.

It has now been downgraded to an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, according to the National Hurricane Centre.

 Satellite imagery shows Hurricane Maria gaining strength

Mr Skerrits social media feed was unremarkable prior to the storms arrival, advising citizens of press briefings and storm preparation procedures.

But as Maria drew in, the Prime Ministers Facebook account became more panicked.

The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God! Mr Skerrit announced early on Monday evening.

He continued: We do not know what is happening outside. We not dare look out. All we are hearing is the sound of galvanise [steel roofs] flying.

The sound of the fury of the wind. As we pray for its end!

As Maria continued to pummel Mr Skeritts building, he said: Certainly no sleep for anyone in Dominica. I believe my residence may have sustained some damage.

And later, Mr Skerrit simply said: Rough! Rough! Rough!

Close to 10pm, the eye of the storm moved inland over Dominica. Despite living in a stronger property than many residents of the island, it was around this time Mr Skerrit announced: My roof is gone.

I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding.

His final post from the storm said: I have been rescued.

After the worst of the storm had passed, Mr Skerrit released a statement saying the scale of the damage was mind boggling and devastating.

So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace, he said, adding that the roofs of nearly every person he had spoken to had been torn off.

Mr Skerrit said there was still a risk of casualties from landslides caused by the heavy rains brought by the storm, and appealed to the international community for aid.

Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Show all 45 1 /45 Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Recently planted palm trees lie strewn across the road as Hurricane Irma passes by in Miami Beach, Fla. 10 September 2017. AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Damage outside the Mercure hotel in Marigot, on the Bay of Nettle, on the island of Saint-Martin AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures People pick up debris in Fajardo as Hurricane Irma howled past Puerto Rico after thrashing several smaller Caribbean islands Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Large waves produced by Hurricane Irma crash into the end of Anglins Fishing Pier in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The category 4 hurricane made landfall in the United States in the Florida Keys at 9:10 a.m. after raking across the north coast of Cuba. 10 September 2017 Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A Royal Air Force Puma has been delivered to the US Virgin Islands to assist with the humanitarian efforts post Hurricane Irma. The Puma will be delivering Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief in support of the Department for International Development. Royal Air Force logisticians from RAF Brize Norton have assisted with the delivery of military personnel and aid cargo to the Caribbean to support disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Irma. RAF aircraft including, C-17 A400M and Voyager are supporting a Joint Task Force of RAF, Royal Marines, Army and RN personnel who are supporting the Department for International Development as it delivers aid to stricken Caribbean Islands. MoD Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Flamingos at Zoo Miami, are shown in a temporary enclosure in a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, Saturday, 9 September 2017 in Miami. Though most animals will reman in their secure structures, the cheetahs and some birds will ride out the storm in temporary housing. AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Boats are seen at a marina in South Beach as Hurricane Irma arrives at south Florida, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. 10 September 2017 Reuters Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Storm clouds are seen over Fisher Island as Hurricane Irma approaches on 9 September 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. Florida is in the path of the Hurricane which may come ashore at category 4 Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Waves crash over a seawall at the mouth of the Miami River from Biscayne Bay, Fla., as Hurricane Irma passes by. 10 September 2017 AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Some of the damage on Saint Martin EPA/Gerben Van Es/Dutch Department of Defence Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The skyline is seen as the outerbands of Hurricane Irma start to reach Florida on 9 September 2017 in Miami, Florida. Florida is in the path of the Hurricane which may come ashore at category 4. Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A tree toped by hurricane Irma is seen on a empty street in Remedios, Cuba, 9 September 2017. Hurricane Irma reached Cuba bringing winds between 160 and 190 kilometers per hour. The hurricane has hit the north coast of the island. EPA Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures James Constantineau loads sands bags in his truck as he prepares for the approach of Hurricane Irma Saturday, 9 September 2017, in East Palatka, Fla. Gov. Rick Scott is urging anyone living in an evacuation zone in southwest Florida to leave by noon as the threat of Hurricane Irma has shifted west. AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The Fort Louis Marina in Marigot is seen on 8 September 2017 in Saint-Martin island, devastated by Hurricane Irma. AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Destruction in Orient Bay on the island of Saint-Martin AFP/Getty Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The wreckage in Orient Bay on the island of Saint-Martin AFP/Getty Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures View of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Saint Martin Reuters Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A mobile network tower snapped in two by the hurricane on the island of Barbuda ABS TV Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A house reduced to rubble on the island of Saint Barthelemy AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures General view of damage on Saint Martin Reuters Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A damaged Casino Royale on Saint Martin after the passage of Hurricane Irma Anna Mazur/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures An aerial photograph taken and released by the Dutch department of Defense shows the damage of Hurricane Irma in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, the Dutch section of the Caribbean Island Gerben Van Es/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Flooded houses in Gustavia on the island of Saint-Barthelemy Kevin Barrallon/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The damage on the island of Saint-Martin, a day after Hurricane Irma hit AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A man carrying an umbrella is battered by the wind in Fajardo, Puerto Rico Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A lone police car on patrol during the passing of Hurricane Irma in Fajardo, Puerto Rico Jose Jimenez/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Haitian people walk through the wind and rain on a beach in Cap-Haitien on September 7 as Hurricane Irma approaches Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A flooded street on the island of Saint Martin AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A tree collapsed on a house in Saint Martin Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A hotel in Saint Martin is gutted by floodwater during the hurricane Guadeloupe 1ere Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Cars submerged in Saint Martin Rinsy Xieng Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Debris floats amongst the floodwater in Saint Martin @la1ere Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Household items float down the street in Gustavia, Saint-Barthelemy Carole Greaux Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The coast of Saint Martin is flooded as the hurricane hits the island Meteo Express Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A whole street underwater in Saint Martin @la1ere Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A car crashes into the tree amongst the chaos in Saint Martin @Bondtehond Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A building on the Saint Martin seafront, destroyed by the hurricane @Bondtehond Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A mobile home overturned at Princess Juliana International Airport in Saint Martin @Bondtehond Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Palm trees bend in the wind in San Juan, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Irma slammed across islands in the northern Caribbean Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A woman runs in the rain as Hurricane Irma slammed into San Juan, Puerto Rico Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A picture taken on September 5, 2017 shows a view of the Baie Nettle beach in Marigot, with the wind blowing ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A man rides past a boarded up house as part of preparations ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma on September 5, 2017, in the French overseas island of Guadeloupe Helene Valenzuela/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Employees of the Mercure Hotel fill sand bags on the Baie Nettle beach in Marigot, as part of the preparations for the arrival of Hurricane Irma Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures People in line at Costco, as they find out the store has ran out of water on September 5, 2017 in North Miami Michele Eve Sandberg/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Night view of the city of Cap-Haitien, in the north of Haiti, 240 km from Port-au-Prince, on September 5, 2017 Hector Retamal/AFP

Hurricane Maria is now on course for the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

If it retains its strength, it will be the most powerful hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in 85 years, since a Category 4 storm swept the island in 1932.

Puerto Rico narrowly avoided a direct hit two weeks ago from Hurricane Irma, which reached a rare Category 5 status and ranked as the most powerful Atlantic storm on record before devastating several smaller islands, including the US Virgin Islands of St Thomas and St John.
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 powerful earthquake has jolted Mexico City - measuring magnitude 7.1 according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) - causing buildings to sway sickeningly on the anniversary of a 1985 quake that did major damage to the capital.

Mexico's seismological agency estimated its preliminary magnitude at 6.8 and said its centre was east of the city in the state of Puebla. That municipality is about 40 miles southeast of the capital.

Follow the latest live updates here

Pictures fell from walls and objects were shaken off of flat surfaces. Some people dove for cover under desks.

A video that appear to show the earthquake in action show lights swaying above people crowding into hallways for safety, and then those lights seeming to lose power.

Mexico City earthquake in pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Mexico City earthquake in pictures Mexico City earthquake in pictures A handout picture provided by the citizen Edgar Cabalceta shows a general view of Mexico City following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake, in Mexico City, Mexico EPA Mexico City earthquake in pictures Rescuers and residents look for victims amid the ruins of a building knocked down by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that jolted central Mexico damaging buildings, knocking out power and causing alarm throughout the capital on September 19, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. The earthquake comes 32 years after a magnitude-8.0 earthquake hit on September 19, 1985 Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures A police officer stands guard near a building which collapsed after a quake rattled Mexico City RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures Rescuers, firefighters, policemen, soldiers and volunteers remove rubble and debris from a flattened building in search of survivors after a powerful quake in Mexico City AFP/Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures Rescuers and residents look for victims amid the ruins of a building knocked down by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that jolted central Mexico damaging buildings, knocking out power and causing alarm throughout the capital on September 19, 2017 in Mexico City Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures People try to rescue survivors from a collapsed buildings after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on the Richter scale in Mexico City, Mexico, 19 September 2017. At least 79 people lost their lives in the states of Morelos, Puebla and Mexico by the earthquake of magnitude 7.1 on the Richter scale. EPA Mexico City earthquake in pictures People clear rubble after an earthquake hit Mexico City, Mexico REUTERS Mexico City earthquake in pictures People clear rubble after an earthquake hit Mexico City, Mexico REUTERS Mexico City earthquake in pictures Rescuers and residents assists an injured victim amid the ruins of a building knocked down by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that jolted central Mexico damaging buildings, knocking out power and causing alarm throughout the capital on September 19, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. The earthquake comes 32 years after a magnitude-8.0 earthquake hit on September 19, 1985. Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures People remove debris outside a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico REUTERS Mexico City earthquake in pictures People remove debris as they search for possible victims after a quake rattled Mexico City on September 19, 2017. A powerful earthquake shook Mexico City on Tuesday, causing panic among the megalopolis' 20 million inhabitants on the 32nd anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake. The US Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 7.1 while Mexico's Seismological Institute said it measured 6.8 on its scale. The institute said the quake's epicenter was seven kilometers west of Chiautla de Tapia, in the neighboring state of Puebla. AFP/Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures A security guard walks over debris of a building which collapsed during a quake in Mexico City AFP/Getty Mexico City earthquake in pictures Reconstruction work in the towns affected by the telic movement has begun. Several temples suffered severe damage. Rex

Another, streamed live on Twitter's Periscope in the Federal District of the city, showed dozens of men attempting to remove large metal beams that appeared to have fallen during the earthquake. A car in the footage was covered in dust, and rubble was strewn all about.
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 }}

Two nurses have been fired after they were caught making inappropriate gestures at a newborn baby in a hospital and making a baby dance to rap music.

One of the nurses, who worked for Naval Hospital Jacksonville in Florida, took a Snapchat picture of herself giving the middle finger to a baby.

She wrote in the caption: how I currently feel about these mini Satans.

Recommended Police issue image of abandoned newborn baby

The Snapchat post also showed the woman and her colleague allegedly make a baby dance" by holding it under the armpits.

As reported by First Coast News, the social media post gained 100,000 shares and comments.

One comment read: Do you not realise this is someones child your [sic] acting like its a toy or something.

(Facebook (Facebook)

The two nurses were dismissed from their jobs after a whistle blower alerted the hospital to the posts.

Jeanne Casey, the Public Affairs Officer at Naval Hospital Jacksonville, said in a statement: We are aware of a video/ photo posted online. It's outrageous, unacceptable, incredibly unprofessional, and cannot be tolerated.

We have identified the staff members involved. They have been removed from patient care and they will be handled by the legal system and military justice.

We're in the process of notifying the patients parents.
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 }}

Donald Trump responded quickly after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City, expressing support for the people there dealing with the deadly aftermath of the tremors.

"God bless the people of Mexico City," Mr Trump wrote in a tweet. "We are with you and will be there for you."

Images and videos show buildings in rubble, smashed cars, and people hurrying in Mexico City to try and save lives after the earthquake, which originated about 40 miles southeast of the Mexican capital in Puebla. At least five deaths have been reported by local media, while officials in the area have said they are unsure how many people might be trapped inside collapsed buildings in Mexico City. Some buildings in the city have been spotted on fire.

As the earthquake hit, pictures fell down from walls, and objects were shaken from flat surfaces. Facades were seen falling off of 10 story buildings, and one video showed a group of volunteers rushing to move large metal beams near what one onlooker said was a school.

Mexico City earthquake in pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Mexico City earthquake in pictures Mexico City earthquake in pictures A handout picture provided by the citizen Edgar Cabalceta shows a general view of Mexico City following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake, in Mexico City, Mexico EPA Mexico City earthquake in pictures Rescuers and residents look for victims amid the ruins of a building knocked down by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that jolted central Mexico damaging buildings, knocking out power and causing alarm throughout the capital on September 19, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. The earthquake comes 32 years after a magnitude-8.0 earthquake hit on September 19, 1985 Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures A police officer stands guard near a building which collapsed after a quake rattled Mexico City RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures Rescuers, firefighters, policemen, soldiers and volunteers remove rubble and debris from a flattened building in search of survivors after a powerful quake in Mexico City AFP/Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures Rescuers and residents look for victims amid the ruins of a building knocked down by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that jolted central Mexico damaging buildings, knocking out power and causing alarm throughout the capital on September 19, 2017 in Mexico City Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures People try to rescue survivors from a collapsed buildings after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on the Richter scale in Mexico City, Mexico, 19 September 2017. At least 79 people lost their lives in the states of Morelos, Puebla and Mexico by the earthquake of magnitude 7.1 on the Richter scale. EPA Mexico City earthquake in pictures People clear rubble after an earthquake hit Mexico City, Mexico REUTERS Mexico City earthquake in pictures People clear rubble after an earthquake hit Mexico City, Mexico REUTERS Mexico City earthquake in pictures Rescuers and residents assists an injured victim amid the ruins of a building knocked down by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that jolted central Mexico damaging buildings, knocking out power and causing alarm throughout the capital on September 19, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. The earthquake comes 32 years after a magnitude-8.0 earthquake hit on September 19, 1985. Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures People remove debris outside a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico REUTERS Mexico City earthquake in pictures People remove debris as they search for possible victims after a quake rattled Mexico City on September 19, 2017. A powerful earthquake shook Mexico City on Tuesday, causing panic among the megalopolis' 20 million inhabitants on the 32nd anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake. The US Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 7.1 while Mexico's Seismological Institute said it measured 6.8 on its scale. The institute said the quake's epicenter was seven kilometers west of Chiautla de Tapia, in the neighboring state of Puebla. AFP/Getty Images Mexico City earthquake in pictures A security guard walks over debris of a building which collapsed during a quake in Mexico City AFP/Getty Mexico City earthquake in pictures Reconstruction work in the towns affected by the telic movement has begun. Several temples suffered severe damage. Rex

The earthquake is the second major tremor to hit Mexico this year. Earlier in the month, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake hit of the southwestern coast of the country, primarily impacting the regions of Oaxaca and Chipas. The tremors reached as far as Mexico City and Guatemala City. At least 98 people were killed by that earthquake.

But, Mr Trump did not respond as speedily to that event. It took him nearly a week to call Mexican President Pena Nieto to offer his condolences, which he said was because of poor mobile phone connexion. Those condolences were the first public comments from the President on the natural disaster, which left 2.5 million people in need of assistance.
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 Senate has overwhelmingly approved a sweeping defence policy bill that would pump $700 billion into the military, putting the US armed forces on track for a budget greater than at any time during the decade-plus wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Senators passed the legislation by an 89-8 vote on Monday. The measure authorises $700 billion in military spending for the budget year that begins 1 October, expands US missile defences in response to North Korea's growing hostility and refuses to allow excess military bases to be closed.

The 1,215-page measure defies a number of White House objections, but President Donald Trump hasn't threatened to veto it. The bill helps him honour a pledge to rebuild an American military that he said had become depleted on former President Barack Obama's watch.

Recommended US tanks arrive in Poland as Russia starts military drills on border

Senator John McCain, Republican-Arizona, and other national security hawks have insisted the military branches are at risk of losing their edge in combat without a dramatic influx of money to repair shortfalls in training and equipment.

An animated McCain, the Armed Services Committee chairman, bemoaned the limits imposed on military spending by both Democrats and Republicans. He said the rash of training accidents and crashes  since mid-July, nearly 100 service members have been killed or injured in close to a dozen mishaps  can be linked to the budget cuts.

My friends, more of our men and women in uniform are now being killed in totally avoidable training accidents and routine operations than by our enemies in combat, McCain said. Where is the outrage about this? Where is our sense of urgency to deal with this problem?

Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said senior military leaders are taking a close look at whether strict budget constraints are to blame.

Approved by the Armed Services Committee by a 27-0 vote in late June, the overall Senate bill provides $640 billion for core Pentagon operations, such as buying weapons and paying troops, and another $60 billion for wartime missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. Trump's budget request sought $603 billion for basic functions and $65 billion for overseas missions.

With North Korea's nuclear program a growing threat to the US and its allies, the bill includes $8.5 billion to strengthen US. missile and defence systems. That's $630 million more than the Trump administration sought for those programmes, according to a committee analysis.

North Korea last week conducted its longest-ever test flight of a ballistic missile, firing an intermediate-range weapon over US ally Japan into the northern Pacific Ocean. The launch signalled both defiance of its rivals and a significant technological advance.

The legislation directs the Defence Department to deploy up to 14 additional ground-based interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, an increase that will expand to 58 the number of interceptors designed to destroy incoming warheads. The department also is tasked with finding a storage site for as many as 14 other spare interceptors, and senators envision an eventual arsenal of 100 with additional missile fields in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

The White House, in a statement issued earlier this month, called the order for more interceptors premature given the Pentagon's ongoing review of missile defence programmes.

Despite the push for the additional billions in military spending, major hurdles need to be cleared before all the extra money materialises. Lawmakers will have to work out a deal that lifts the caps on federal agency budgets, including the Pentagon's, mandated by a 2011 law. Congress has passed temporary relief from the limits before, but senior military officials have urged for the law to be repealed altogether.

Senator Bob Corker, Republican-Tennessee, said he voted against the defence bill because the measure blows the budget caps by nearly $83 billion. Corker, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, also said the overseas missions account is repeatedly abused to pay for normal operations. A self-described fiscal conservative, Corker is weighing whether to run for a third term.

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 their House counterparts did, the Senate bill rejects Mattis' plan to launch a new round of base closings starting in 2021. He told lawmakers in June that closing excess installations would save $10 billion over a five-year period. Mattis said the savings could be used to acquire four nuclear submarines or dozens of jet fighters. But military installations are prized possessions in states and lawmakers refused to go along.

The bill allots $10.6 billion for 94 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, which is two dozen more than Trump requested. The bill also provides $25 billion to pay for 13 ships, which is $5 billion and five ships more than the Trump sought.

AP
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 }}

In a victory for the soda industry, a California appeals court has blocked a San Francisco ordinance that would have required health warnings in advertisements for sugary beverages.

A city ordinance passed in 2015 requires ads for sugar-sweetened drinks to bear language saying consuming drinks with added sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. A business coalition that included the American Beverage Industry Association - whose members include titans like Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper and Pepsi - sued to try and derail the ordinance.

After losing an initial attempt to win an injunction suspending the ordinance, the business coalition prevailed on appeal. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday that the warning language overplayed the risks of sodas, misleading consumers by implying sugary beverages are riskier than other sweets, and unduly burdens and chills protected commercial speech.

The ruling handed a win to an industry that has been working on numerous fronts to halt new regulations and taxes on sodas and other sugary beverages, which sit at the epicentre of a political battle over Americas obesity epidemic.

Todays decision affirms our position that the San Francisco warning mandate not only violates the constitutional right to free speech but it is also deceptive and misleading to consumers, the American Beverage Association said in a statement. America's beverage companies believe there are better ways to help people reduce their sugar consumption. That's why we're taking steps to reduce sugar in our beverages, offer more choices with less sugar and put calorie information up front so people can make informed decisions about their drinks.

A spokesman for the San Francisco City Attorney's office said the disappointed city was analysing the decision and evaluating all of our options.

Unhealthy appetite: Is 'Fatsploitation' fuelling the obesity crisis? Show all 5 1 /5 Unhealthy appetite: Is 'Fatsploitation' fuelling the obesity crisis? Unhealthy appetite: Is 'Fatsploitation' fuelling the obesity crisis? 220945.bin GETTY IMAGES Unhealthy appetite: Is 'Fatsploitation' fuelling the obesity crisis? 220946.bin Unhealthy appetite: Is 'Fatsploitation' fuelling the obesity crisis? 220943.bin Unhealthy appetite: Is 'Fatsploitation' fuelling the obesity crisis? 220942.bin Unhealthy appetite: Is 'Fatsploitation' fuelling the obesity crisis? 220941.bin

San Francisco remains committed to being a leader when it comes to protecting the health of our residents, especially our children, spokesman John Cote said in an email.

Public health advocates and their political allies fault near-ubiquitous sweetened beverages for widening waistlines and driving up diabetes rates, warning that the drinks appeal especially to young people. In states and cities around the country, they have fought to broadcast those risks or deter consumption with new taxes.

Proposals to curb soda consumption by taxing sugary drinks or affixing them with health warnings, similar to those featured on cigarette packs, have met fierce industry opposition. Efforts by the California Legislature to mandate such warnings have repeatedly withered in the face of industry lobbying.

Thwarted at the state level, advocates have turned to cities - and found expensive battles. Entities funded by the American Beverage Association spent around $30 million to beat back a trio of municipal soda tax proposals in the Bay Area during the 2016 election (all three passed).

 Obesity is on the rise

Deep-pocketed supporters also poured millions into the effort, with billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg - who failed to enact a soda tax during his tenure - among those donating heavily to pro-tax campaigns.
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 says that Iran is a murderous regime and that the nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor with the country is an embarrassment.

Mr Trump gave the harsh assessment of the Persian nation during his first address to the United Nations General Assembly as President.

The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the US has ever entered into, Mr Trump said. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it. Believe me.

The President characterised Iran as a violent and oppressive regime, and called on the country to release US and other foreign citizens currently held in prisons there.

"It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction," Mr Trump said. "It is time for the regime to free all Americans and citizens of other nations that they have unjustly detained. And above all, Iran's government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people, and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors."

The Iranian government has warned that pulling back from the 2015 nuclear deal would force America to pay a "high cost". Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated that threat just a day before Mr Trump delivered his hostile remarks at the United Nations.

Iran's 'Trumpism' contest Show all 10 1 /10 Iran's 'Trumpism' contest Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images

"Exiting such an agreement would carry a high cost for the United States of America, and I do not believe Americans would be willing to pay such a high cost for something that will be useless for them," Mr Rouhani said during an interview in New York.

Pulling back from the deal, which saw the US extend sanctions relief to the Iranians in exchange for an end to nuclear weapons development, would give the US very little, Mr Rouhani said. Doing so "will yield no results for the United States, but at the same time it will generally decrease and cut away and chip away at international trust placed in the United States of America."

The US could re-impose sanctions against Iran, but Iran would likely immediately restart its former program of rapid uranium enrichment. The next major deadline for the agreement details is in October, when Mr Trump will be asked to recertify whether the Iranian government has been complying with the Iranian agreement, which is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action. Should the President decide not to recertify, Congress would have 60 days to determine whether to re-impose those sanctions.

It appears likely that the President won't recertify. Mr Trump discussed the issue with reporters last week aboard Air Force One, and similarly said that the deal was a bad one.

"You'll see what I'm going to be doing very shortly in October," Mr Trump said. "But I will say this, the Iran deal is one of the worst deals I've ever seen, certainly at a minimum the spirit of the deal is just atrociously kept. But the Iran deal is not a fair deal to this country. It's a deal that should have never ever been made. And you'll see what we're doing in a couple of weeks."

Mr Trump promised on the campaign trail in 2016 to pull back from the deal.
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 }}

Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote the song "Rocket Man" almost 50 years ago.

But the song, which tells of the melancholy and loneliness experienced by an astronaut on such a timeless flight, has been getting plenty of publicity in recent days courtesy of Donald Trump, who has chosen it as his nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

On Tuesday, in his address to the UN General Assembly, Mr Trump focused much of his attention on the East Asian nation, using language that represented a major departure from diplomatic convention.

During a bellicose speech, the US President threatened to totally destroy North Korea if it did not step aside from its nuclear weapons programme.

Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime, Mr Trump said. He said of the US: If it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

Recommended

 Trump's attacks draw stern stares in the UN General Assembly

During the election campaign, Mr Trump make powerful use of nicknames of his opponents - names that appeared to stick in the minds of voters. He termed Marco Rubio Little Marco, Ted Cruz Lying Ted and Hillary Clinton Crooked Hillary. He said former governor Jeb Bush, who many believed would become the Republican candidate, had low energy.

Now, as North Korea steps up its testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles and a nuclear payload, Mr Trump has turned to Elton John for a nickname for the 33-year-old North Korean leader.

In the past two weeks, Mr Trump has posted several posts about Rocket Man, most recently just two weeks ago in the aftermath of new UN sanctions against North Korea.

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

I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad, he wrote.

The single 'Rocket Man appeared on Elton John's 1972 album Honky Chateau (Wikipedia)

Read more

During his first speech to the body, Mr Trump adopted a puglistic, nationalist approach.

"I will always put American first. Just like you, the leaders of your countries, should and always put your countries first. The U.S. will forever be a great friend to the world and especially to its allies, the Republican president said.

But we can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal in which the United States gets nothing in return."

Not everyone was there to hear Mr Trumps words. While the North Korean delegation was seated just yards from where he spoke, its Ambassador to the UN, Ja Song Nam, left the room shortly before the US President entered the room.
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 used his first address to the UN General Assembly to make clear that the US may have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

With North Korean diplomats sitting just yards from him, Mr Trump said he will have no option to resort to such actions if Pyongyang does not halt the development of its nuclear weapons programme.

In perhaps the most striking piece of sabre-rattling yet, Mr Trump said that unless the regime of leader Kim Jong-un backed down, we will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea.

According to a seating chart of the General Assembly Hall of the New York Headquarters, North Korea was seated in plain view of Mr Trump, in the front row.

However, the senior diplomat for the isolated nation left the room just ahead of Mr Trumps speech.

In a reference to Mr Kim and a tweet he had sent at the weekend, the US President claimed the North Korean leader appeared to determined to choose a path of self-destruction.

Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime, he said.

Chatter briefly filled the hall as Mr Trump referred to another by a nickname, on the record of the world body.

 Donald Trump urges reform in United Nations debut

He said North Koreas pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable cost of human life.

In what may have been a veiled prod at China, the Norths major trading partner, Mr Trump said: It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict.

In a speech that appeared to be aimed as much at middle America as at the world leaders listening to him, Mr Trump spent much of his focus on the issue of North Koreas nuclear weapons programme  something his predecessor, Barack Obama, warned would be likely to be his toughest foreign policy challenge.

He said Pyongyangs increased testing of intercontinental missiles and nuclear payloads, threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of life.

If the righteous many dont confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph, he said as he called the Kim regime depraved and detailed several egregious human rights violations including the death of 22-year-old American college student Otto Warmbier.

Shortly before Trumps speech, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed from the General Assembly lectern for statesmanship to avoid war with North Korea.

We must not sleepwalk our way into war, said Guterres, the former prime minister of Portugal.

In pictures: North Korea military drill Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: North Korea military drill In pictures: North Korea military drill North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un watches a military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video

Mr Trumps speech had started as a defence of his America First policies, but descended into a roll call of what he called rogue nations, attacking Iran and Venezuela.

The President called the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama and a number of world powers, an embarrassment and hinted that he may not recertify the agreement when it comes up for a mid-October deadline. I dont think youve heard the last of it, he said.

He called Iran an economically depleted rogue state that exports violence and a murderous regime. Denouncing the dictatorship of Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro, Mr Trump called the collapsing situation in the country completely unacceptable and said the United States cannot stand by and watch. He warned the United States was considering what further actions it can take.

The main bulk of the start of the 41-minute speech was aimed at setting out a US foreign policy aimed at downgrading global bureaucracies, basing alliances on shared interests, and steering Washington away from nation-building exercises abroad.

Mr Trump, who entered the White House eight months ago, told the 193-member global body that the United States does not seek to impose its will on other nations and will respect other countries sovereignty  before then attacking the perils of socialism in relation to Venezuela and Cuba.

He said America needed to take care of its own citizens: I will always put America first, just like you as the leaders of your countries will always  and should always  put your countries first.

I will defend Americas interests above all else, he said. But in fulfilling our obligations to other nations we also realise its in everyones interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure..

 US: North Korea could be met with 'massive military response'

As part of that vision, he has called for reform of the UN. During the election campaign, Mr Trump frequently denounced the UN, saying that it was bad for democracy and wasted public money.

He said it was just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time in a December 2016 tweet.

In his first UN meeting on Monday, Mr Trump had said that in recent years the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement.

On Tuesday, he did indeed urge the members to meet their financial obligations as he reiterated his commitment to reform the organisation.

At the same time he emphasised that the US would forever be a great friend to the world and especially to its allies.

All responsible leaders have an obligation to serve their own citizens. Our governments first duty is to its people.In foreign affairs we are renewing this founding principle of sovereignty, the President claimed, harkening back several times to former President Woodrow Wilson and the Marshall Plan, which aided the rebuilding of Western Europe in the wake of the Second World War.

The speech  especially the rhetoric on North Korea, was met with distain in some quarters. Mr Trumps bold rhetoric was embarrassing, according to Dr Stephen Saideman, an expert and professor at Canadas Carleton University.

Mr Saideman told The Independent that despite the Presidents previous threats of fire and fury and appearing to have a fatalistic attitude toward using military options, nothing has really changed.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom  who crossed her arms when Mr Trump mentioned he could look to totally destroy.

It was the wrong speech, at the wrong time, to the wrong audience, Ms Wallstrom later said.

Venezuela also rejected the threats from a racist President Trump.

But Mr Trumps threats aimed at Iran did bring him one fan in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wgo was due to address the world body later on Tuesday, who said: In over 30 years in my experience with the UN, I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech.

Mr Trumps America First rhetoric also had some fans in American conservatives, with former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney praising a strong and needed challenge to the UN.
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 strong words for countries with human rights violations that sit on the United Nations panel to combat those abuses - even though some of those countries are friends of the US.

During his first speech to the United States General Assembly, the President said it is an embarrassment that there are countries on the UN human rights panel that have themselves committed atrocities. While Mr Trump did not mention specific countries, there are US allies on that panel who the President has previously been hesitant to condemn.

It is a massive source of embarrassment for the United Nations that some governments with egregious human rights records sit on the UN Human Rights Council, Mr Trump said Tuesday in New York.

That council is composed of 47 members. The current members include Saudi Arabia, a US ally that Mr Trump has heaped praise upon during international visits in spite of their abysmal human rights record. Another

We are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship, the President said in Saudi Arabia in May during his first trip abroad as president.

Mr Trumps embracement of Saudi Arabia isnt in itself a break from previous policy  Barack Obama and George W Bush also fostered somewhat close relationships with the country  but it was notable because the President appeared uninterested in making even symbolic gestures about human rights. Mr Obama, for instance, met with a leading womens rights advocate when he took a similar trip, and repeatedly mentioned democracy and human rights during addresses to the Muslim world. Mr Trump was mostly mum, though made fleeting reference to womens rights.

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

Another notable US ally on the human rights council is Qatar, which has been flagged by watchdog groups for exploiting foreign labourers, and for arcane punishments for crimes including stoning.

Both of those countries have sealed billion dollar deals with the Trump administration for weapons sales. The administration signed a $12 billion deal with Qatar for a fleet of F-15 fighter jets in June. The administration also approved a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia in May worth more than $110 billion.
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 }}

Amnesty International has accused Aung San Suu Kyi and her government of "burying their heads in the sand" and telling "untruths" over what it described as ethnic cleansing of minority Rohingya Muslims in Burma.

The charity has denounced the Nobel Prize Laureate over her response to the crisis which has seen at least 400,000 members of the Muslim ethnic minority flee to Bangladesh to escape a brutal crackdown by the military.

Reports have emerged of mass rape and murder by the armed forces and mobs of Buddhist ethnic majority villagers in the western Rakhine state in what the United Nations has called a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".

In a live address on Burmese television, Ms Suu Kyi defended her country from international criticism, saying it does not fear global "scrutiny". She said "more than half" of Rohingya villages were not affected by the violence and invited diplomats and foreign observers to visit them to see "why they are not at each other's throats in these particular areas".

Although Ms Suu Kyi is nominally the de facto ruler of Burma since 2016, she is ineligible for the presidency and her regime is still at the mercy of the military junta which has controlled the country since the 1962 coup. The military still continues to hold the majority of seats in the Burmese parliament and remain in control of the country's security.

James Gomez, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said: "Aung San Suu Kyi today demonstrated that she and her government are still burying their heads in the sand over the horrors unfolding in Rakhine State. At times, her speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming.

"There is overwhelming evidence that security forces are engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing. While it was positive to hear Aung San Suu Kyi condemn human rights violations in Rakhine state, she is still silent about the role of the security forces in this.

Rohingya refugees  in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young girl and a baby wade through mud after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma on 10 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees walk through a camp in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after arriving from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young Rohingya refugee gathers firewood after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees wait for sacks of rice to be distributed in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees arrive on a boat in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after crossing from Burma on 8 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees react after being re-united with each other after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Getty Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees walk along the remains of a road after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Myanmar Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees stand in the rain after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indian children hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma EPA/Raminder Pal Singh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organisation, listen to their leaders' speeches against Burma's persecution of Rohingya Muslims, during a demonstration in Karachi Reuters/Akhtar Soomro Rohingya refugees  in pictures Hundreds of Iranians take part in a protest against violence in Myanmar after weekly Friday prayers, in Tehran EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indonesian Muslim activists hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya minority in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia EPA/Ali Lutfi Rohingya refugees  in pictures Members of an Islamic organisation shout slogans against the Burma government during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA

"Aung San Suu Kyis claims that her government 'does not fear international scrutiny' ring hollow. Myanmar has repeatedly said it will not co-operate with the UN-mandated Fact Finding Mission established earlier this year. If Myanmar has nothing to hide, it should allow UN investigators into the country, including Rakhine State. The government must also urgently allow humanitarian actors full and unfettered access to all areas and people in need in the region."

Mr Gomez said the Rohingya had been "trapped in a cycle of abuse and derivation for decades" and were "essentially segregated in Rakhine State, effectively denied citizenship and face severe barriers in accessing health care and other basic services".

The Buddhist-majority in Burma tend to be hostile to the Rohingya and they are dismissed as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh even though most Rohingya have ancestors who have lived in the country for centuries.
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 }}

Aung San Suu Kyi has been asked whether she is an "apologist" for ethnic cleansing by a BBC journalist.

Former Burma correspondent Jonah Fisher was filmed attempting to question the Nobel Peace Prize winner after she spoke about the country's Rohingya Muslim crisis in the capital of Nyapyidaw.

"Ms Suu Kyi have you become an apologist for ethnic cleansing?" Mr Fisher asked. "Do you have something to say? What about the people who fled, Ms Suu Kyi?"

Recommended Aung San Suu Kyi is not worthy of her Nobel Peace Prize

Burma's de facto leader, who was walking with an entourage, did not answer the questions.

Monitors have accused Burmese security forces and Buddhist civilians of launching a campaign of violence, rape and arson intended to drive the Muslim population out of Rakhine state.

In her first address to the nation since more than 400,000 of the country's minority Muslim population was sent fleeing to Bangladesh, Ms Suu Kyi insisted Burma was not "afraid of international scrutiny".

She condemned human rights violations in Rakhine state and said the crimes would be punished, but she did not address UN accusations of ethnic cleansing by the military, prompting a hostile international response.

At the annual United Nations General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated a call for an end to military operations and for aid workers to be allowed access to the region.

"I take note of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's address today and their intention to implement the recommendations of the advisory committee for Rakhine state, that was chaired by Kofi Annan, within the shortest time possible," he said.

"But let me emphasise again, the authorities in Myanmar (also known as Burma) must end the military operations, allow unhindered humanitarian access and recognizs the right of refugees to return in safety and dignity; and they must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long."

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

Burma has rejected allegations of ethnic cleansing, claiming its security forces were simply carrying out clearance operations against insurgents.

Although Ms Suu Kyi is the de facto leader of Burmas civilian government, reform is almost impossible without the military's agreement, since it tightly controls the countrys security and holds the majority of seats in parliament.
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 }}

Aung San Suu Kyi has spoken out about the Rohingya refugee crisis in a live address on television.

The Burma leader defended her country against international criticism over an exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, saying that most of their villages remain intact, and that it is important to understand why conflict did not break out everywhere.

The Nobel Peace laureate's global image has been damaged by violence since Rohingya insurgents attacked Burma security forces on 25 August.

More than 400,000 Rohingya fled their villages, many of which were burned. The government blamed the Rohingya themselves, but members of the persecuted minority said soldiers and Buddhist mobs attacked them.

Ms Suu Kyi told foreign diplomats gathered in Naypyitaw that more than half of Rohingya villages were not affected by the violence.

She invited the diplomats to visit those villages so they could learn, along with the government, why are they not at each other's throats in these particular areas.

Her address came after a human rights organisation warned Rohingya Muslims were being wiped off the map in Burma.

The Arakan Project, which works to improve conditions for the ethnic minority, is documenting attacks on the three townships in the northern Rakhine state where Rohingya are concentrated.

Rohingya refugees  in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young girl and a baby wade through mud after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma on 10 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees walk through a camp in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after arriving from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young Rohingya refugee gathers firewood after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees wait for sacks of rice to be distributed in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees arrive on a boat in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after crossing from Burma on 8 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees react after being re-united with each other after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Getty Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees walk along the remains of a road after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Myanmar Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees stand in the rain after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indian children hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma EPA/Raminder Pal Singh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organisation, listen to their leaders' speeches against Burma's persecution of Rohingya Muslims, during a demonstration in Karachi Reuters/Akhtar Soomro Rohingya refugees  in pictures Hundreds of Iranians take part in a protest against violence in Myanmar after weekly Friday prayers, in Tehran EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indonesian Muslim activists hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya minority in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia EPA/Ali Lutfi Rohingya refugees  in pictures Members of an Islamic organisation shout slogans against the Burma government during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA

It found that almost every tract of villages in Maungdaw had suffered some burning, and that all of Maungdaw had been almost completely abandoned by Rohingya.

Most Rohingya villages in Rathedaung, to the north, were targeted. So were three camps for Rohingya displaced in communal riots five years ago. Buthidaung, to the east, has so far been largely spared.

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 }}

A crocodile handler has reportedly been killed by a reptile while searching a river for the body of a teenager attacked the previous day.

A 16-year-old, known only as Arjuna, was reportedly killed by a crocodile while he was swimming in the Maura Jawa estury in East Kalimantan, Indonesia on Friday.

Witnesses described seeing a crocodile handler known as Suprianto  who purportedly claimed to be able to be able to tame the reptiles  being dragged beneath the surface while looking for the body of the adolescent, the national Kompas newspaper reported.

Both bodies were found a day later, according to Detik.

We recovered the two (bodies) on Sunday," Kutai Kartanegara Police Chief Fadillah Zulkarnaen told the Indonesian-language website.

"The shaman (Suprianto) was found floating in Muara Jawa at 9.40pm. His body is still whole.

I think he was dragged by a crocodile under the water and then ran out of oxygen. From the pictures Ive seen, his body is still intact, his arms and legs are still there.

Indonesian waters are home to several species of crocodile and deaths by crocodiles are not uncommon.

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

Hellen Kurniati, a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), told Indonesian website Coconuts there had been an increase in the number of crocodile attacks in the country because it was the animals' mating season, which meant the reptiles were more protective of their territory.

Yet during this period, crocodiles have less appetite. meaning it is unusual for them to try to eat the people they catch, according to Ms Kurniati.
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 }}

Activists documenting the alleged ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Burma are reportedly having their Facebook posts removed and their accounts suspended.

Rohingya people who use Facebook to share information about attacks have called on the company to stop silencing them, the Daily Beast reports.

A mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims has sparked allegations of ethnic cleansing, with the UN's High Commissioner of Human Rights calling the operations against them a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing."

Attacks by Rohingya insurgents sparked a military response which forced more than 410,000 Rohingya into neighbouring Bangladesh as their villages were burned and hundreds were killed.

While the government has blamed the Rohingya themselves, members of the persecuted minority have said soldiers and Buddhist mobs attacked them.

 Rohingya Muslims flee violence in Burma

Mohammad Anwar, a Rohingya activist based in Kuala Lumpur, told the Daily Beast Facebook had repeatedly removed his posts about violence in Rakhine state, where most Rohingya people live.

One of his posts reportedly showed military activity in Rakhine state, noting Burmese military helicopters were flying over Rohingya villages. The social media giant said they took it down because it "doesn't follow the Facebook Community Standards."

Another removed post allegedly showed the Burmese army burning down a Rohingya hamlet.

Rohingya refugees  in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young girl and a baby wade through mud after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma on 10 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees walk through a camp in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after arriving from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young Rohingya refugee gathers firewood after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees wait for sacks of rice to be distributed in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees arrive on a boat in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after crossing from Burma on 8 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees react after being re-united with each other after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Getty Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees walk along the remains of a road after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Myanmar Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees stand in the rain after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indian children hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma EPA/Raminder Pal Singh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organisation, listen to their leaders' speeches against Burma's persecution of Rohingya Muslims, during a demonstration in Karachi Reuters/Akhtar Soomro Rohingya refugees  in pictures Hundreds of Iranians take part in a protest against violence in Myanmar after weekly Friday prayers, in Tehran EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indonesian Muslim activists hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya minority in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia EPA/Ali Lutfi Rohingya refugees  in pictures Members of an Islamic organisation shout slogans against the Burma government during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA

Laura Haigh, Amnesty International's researcher for Burma, told the Daily Beast there appeared to be a targeted campaign to report Rohingya accounts to Facebook in order to have them shut down.

Responding to the allegations, a Facebook spokesperson told The Independent: We want Facebook to be a place where people can share responsibly, and we work hard to strike the right balance between enabling expression while providing a safe and respectful experience.

"Thats why we have Community Standards, which outline what type of sharing is allowed on Facebook and what type of content may be reported to us and removed. These include hate speech, fake accounts, and dangerous organisations."

Facebook said it allows content if it is newsworthy or important to the public interest, but will take down content which violates its standards on hate speech and threats of violence.

However, the company admitted it mistakes do happen, but said it would act quickly to resolve them.

"Anyone can report content to us if they think it violates our standards," the Facebook spokesperson added. "It doesnt matter how many times a piece of content is reported, it will be treated the same.

"In response to the situation in Myanmar, we are carefully reviewing content against our Community Standards.
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 number of Japanese aged over 90 has passed two million for the first time, according to the latest government data.

The figure has doubled from 1.02 million in 2004 to 2.06 million.

The total number of elderly Japanese - over 65s - comes to 35.14 million, accounting for 27.7% of the population.

The data, released for Respect for the Aged Day on Monday, highlights the issues posed by Japans declining birth rate, which is already affecting the country's economy in areas including the job and housing markets.

According to Japans Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of births dropped to below one million for the first time in 2016.

The countrys current population of 127 million is expected to decline by nearly 40 million by 2065, Japans National Institute of population and Social Security Research said.

Experts say Japans shrinking population can be attributed to young people focusing on their careers and abstaining from sex and marriage, while senior citizens are living longer than ever.

A study released earlier this year found nearly a third of Japanese people are entering their 30s without any sexual experience.

The recent population data highlights the contribution of senior people to Japans economy.

It found record 7.7 million people aged 65 or over had a job as of last year, of which 3.01 million had part-time or temporary jobs.

Elderly people are eager to work and more companies are accepting them, a ministry official in charge of the statistics said.

Some doctors and academics have proposed Japan redefines the term elderly to refer to people over 75, rather than over 65, because of the countrys widespread longevity.
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 UN has announced it will investigate reports of mass killings, torture, sexual violence, and the burning of Rohingya villages in Burma.

At least 400,000 people are believed to have fled over the border into Bangladesh to escape widespread rape, murder and the destruction of whole villages in the western state of Rakhine by the Burmese military and mobs from the country's Buddhist-majority population.

Desperate refugees have reportedly been seen climbing over wire border fences in an attempt to escape and the Burmese military are reportedly laying land mines to ensure they do not return.

One fleeing Rohingya told reporters that ethnic Rakhine Buddhists came to the villages and shouted: "leave or we will kill you all".

The Rohingya, who are predominately Muslim, have faced persecution in Burma for decades but there has been a fresh upsurge in violence against them since 25 August after a small group of Islamist militants attacked 30 police stations and a military base.

The UN has previously said the violence was a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" and urged the Burmese military to end operations in the region, grant access to humanitarian groups and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes.

The chairman of the fact-finding mission, Marzuki Darusman asked the Human Rights Council for a further six months to investigate the violence  taking it up to September 2018.

In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh Hamid and his daughter Rajama sit inside their home in the Shamalapur Rohingya refugee settlement in Chittagong district. They fled to Bangladesh from the Dhuachopara village in the Rachidhong district of Myanmar In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh Rajama sits in the doorway of her home in the Shamalapur Rohingya refugee settlement in Chittagong district, Bangladesh. She fled to Bangladesh from the Dhuachopara village in the Rachidhong district of Myanmar. The Chakma people came during prayer time in a giant mob and started burning houses and burning people alive. They beat her father and brother, and then they opened fired and started shooting and killing people at random. A group of people fled to the mosque and the Chakma followed, opening fire inside. Her father fled to the ocean and escaped to Bangladesh by boat. Rajama came to Bangladesh 3 days after the riot to find her father. When she arrived in the port of Teknaf the dock workers held her captive for 3 days with no food or water. They beat her and abused her before letting her go. She has 7 siblings back in Myanmar who were not able to escape. 'I miss my family, but how can I miss them? I want to live.' she says In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh 60 year old Mukluhammad, 25 year old Zahad Hossain, and 45 year old Dilchar build a roof on their new home in the Shamalapur Rohingya refugee settlement in Chittagong district In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh Rohingya refugees unload fish from a boat in the Shamalapur Rohingya refugee settlement in Chittagong district In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh People push a boat to land in the Shamalapur Rohingya refugee settlement in Chittagong district In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh 32 year old Mahada Khatum repairs a fishing net outside her home in the Shamalapur Rohingya refugee settlement in Chittagong district. Some years ago she escaped violence and discrimination from the Zomgara Baharchara village in the Meherulla district of Myanmar In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh A Rohingya child is seen in a home in the Shamalapur Rohingya refugee settlement in Chittagong district. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on Human Rights, said that recent developments in Myanmar's Rakhine state were the latest in a 'long history of discrimination and persecution against the Rohingya Muslim community which could amount to crimes against humanity', and that the Myanmar government's decision not to allow Rohingya Muslims to register their ethnicity in the March census meant that the population tally was not in accordance with international standards In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh 7 year old Shumiakter helps her 5 year old sister Rubiata swing on a rope outside their home in the Shamalapur Rohingya refugee settlement in Chittagong district. After their grandparents were killed in the sectarian violence in Myanmar their parents fled to Bangladesh In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh 32 year old Mahada Khatum, 5 year old Hasan Sharif, and 9 year old Umma Kulsum sit outside their home in the Shamalapur Rohingya refugee settlement in Chittagong district. The family escaped violence and discrimination from the Zomgara Baharchara village in the Meherulla district of Myanmar In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh 45 year old Dilbhar looks towards the camera as she stands in the Shamalapur Rohingya refugee settlement in Chittagong district. She escaped to Bangladesh from the Bodchara village in the Mondu district of Myanmar In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh Over the years hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees have taken refuge in Bangladesh to escape the deadly sectarian violence In pictures: Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh Bangladesh 12 year old Nurana stands outside her home in the Shamalapur Rohingya refugee settlement in Chittagong district. She escaped to Bangladesh from Myanmar with her parents and 6 siblings

He said the team "will go where the evidence leads us" but warned that he still needs a clear signal from the Burmese government that they will be allowed into the country.

He also called for the Burmese government to release its own investigation in the violence in Rakhine state which was completed in August.

But the Burmese ambassador to the UN, Htin Lynn, said the investigation was "not a helpful course of action" and said Burma was taking proportionate security measures against terrorists to restore peace.

Although there has been a small upswing in militant activity among the Rohingya in recent years, the overwhelming majority of the population has remained peaceful in spite of the violence against them.

The Burmese government officially claims the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh but the community can trace back its roots in Burma for centuries.

They are denied full citizenship, have little access to healthcare or education and their movements are strictly controlled by the military.

Burma's civil leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has rejected international condemnation of the violence and claimed the country does not fear global "scrutiny".

She invited diplomats to visit Rakhine to see for themselves what was going on and claimed that "more than half" of Rohingya villages remained intact.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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 }}

Britain's government has been criticised for continuing to fund the Burmese military, despite it being accused of "ethnic cleansing" by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Deen Mohammed Noori from the Bradford based Arakan Rohingya Organisation said the UK was continuing to provide military training to troops in the country, despite the wave wave of violence that has left hundreds dead, thousands of homes burned, and tens of thousands fleeing to Bangladesh.

Human rights monitors have accused Burmese security forces and Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes of launching campaign of violence, rape and arson aimed at driving out the Muslim population. The violence was said to be in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents on police posts and an army camp, which killed a dozen people on 25 August.

Burma has rejected allegations of ethnic cleansing, claiming its security forces were carrying out clearance operations to defend against the insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which claimed responsibility for the August attacks and similar, smaller raids in October last year.

Members of the military have reportedly been laying landmines along the border to make sure they do not return and mobs of ethnic Rakhines, who are predominantly Buddhist, have reportedly threatened Rohingya, who are predominantly Muslim, to leave or they will kill them all.

Mr Noori told the BBCs Today programme that his organisation had written to Downing Street asking for an end to the programme while the Burmese are killing an ethnic group.

However, Andrew Mitchell, the former International Development Secretary, defended the programme which he said was at a very early stage.

He told the programme: This is a contract for training troops at a very early stage. It is meant to address issues of respect for human rights and the treatment of civilians. This is obviously an absolutely critical area and I think that Britain should get involved in that. It is at a very early stage and we can have some influence then I think that is very important.

He also criticised Aung San Suu Kyis reluctance to condemn the violence, saying as one of the first European ministers to meet her after she was freed he was struck by her enormous moral authority and the reverence with which she is held in Burma and was very disturbed that she was not using that moral authority to condemn what is effectively ethnic cleansing.

Rohingya refugees  in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young girl and a baby wade through mud after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma on 10 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees walk through a camp in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after arriving from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young Rohingya refugee gathers firewood after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees wait for sacks of rice to be distributed in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees arrive on a boat in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after crossing from Burma on 8 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees react after being re-united with each other after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Getty Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees walk along the remains of a road after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Myanmar Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees stand in the rain after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indian children hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma EPA/Raminder Pal Singh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organisation, listen to their leaders' speeches against Burma's persecution of Rohingya Muslims, during a demonstration in Karachi Reuters/Akhtar Soomro Rohingya refugees  in pictures Hundreds of Iranians take part in a protest against violence in Myanmar after weekly Friday prayers, in Tehran EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indonesian Muslim activists hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya minority in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia EPA/Ali Lutfi Rohingya refugees  in pictures Members of an Islamic organisation shout slogans against the Burma government during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA

Ms Suu Kyi delivered an address on Burmese television where she said the country did not fear global scrutiny.

She claimed there had been no clearance operations since 5 September and more than half of Rohingya villages remained intact.

She said she felt deeply for the suffering of all people in the conflict but said most Rohingya had opted to stay in Burma so the situation could not be as severe as has been alleged.

The Nobel Laureate invited critics to come and see the situation for themselves and said she wanted to speak to Muslims who had stayed and those who had fled to get a better understanding of the crisis.

Recommended Aung San Suu Kyi is not worthy of her Nobel Peace Prize

Although the de facto leader of Burmas civilian government, Ms Suu Kyi is powerless to oppose the military which still maintains its tight grip on the countrys security and controls the majority of seats in the parliament  making reform impossible without their agreement.

In the hours after the speech, the United Nations announced they would investigating the allegations of ethnic cleansing but the chairman of the fact-finding mission, Marzuki Darusman, said he was concerned about whether his team will be able to get into the country.

The Burmese ambassador to the UN, Htin Lynn, said the investigation was "not a helpful course of action" and said Burma was taking proportionate security measures against terrorists to restore peace.

The Independent has contacted the Ministry of Defence, which manages the programme, for comment.
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 teenage mother whose baby son died after she allegedly left him at home for a week while she went to stay with friends, is facing 10-years behind bars in a Russian prison.

Viktoria Kuznetsova told her neighbours at the student dormitory where she lived in the city of Rostov, that Egor was being looked after by an aunt.

But after they became suspicious of the 17-year-old's claim, they alerted police

Recommended Mother who wheeled baby into desert and left her to die given 20 years

Officers found the boy dead when they arrived at the home on 13 September, showing signs of exhaustion.

As he slowly starved to death, Ms Kuznetsova is said to have posted on VK.com, a social media platform in Russia, that she was hanging out with Nastya, Ive dyed my hair black.

The teenager reportedly gave up her son to an orphanage when he was one month old, but the baby was returned to his mother seven months later.

Her husband, who had been called up for military service when she abandoned her child, is believed to be seeking a divorce.
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 US has flown two bombers and four stealth aircraft over the Korean Peninsula, in response to North Koreas firing of a ballistic missile over Japan last week.

The exercise was carried out ahead of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, where world leaders will gather to discuss how to address Pyongyangs nuclear ambitions.

Four South Korean and four Japanese fighter jets also took part in the drill, which involved rehearsing attacks by releasing live weapons at a training area.

 North Korea: Our goal is to become military equals with the US

US Pacific Command maintains the ability to respond to any threat in the Indo-Asia-Pacific theatre at a moments notice, the military said.

South Korean defence officials said the exercise lasted two-and-a-half hours, during which aircraft flew north near the border with North Korea before returning to bases in Guam and Japan.

The drill was carried out in direct response to North Koreas firing of a second ballistic missile over Japan into the northern Pacific Ocean.

Kim Jong-uns regime fired the first missile over Japan in August.

Recommended North Korea says sanctions will encourage it to hasten nuclear plans

Earlier this month, Pyongyang carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, claiming it had detonated a hydrogen bomb, in a show of defiance towards the international community.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have agreed to increase the pressure on North Korea through the enforcement of UN resolutions.

The UN Security Council last week imposed new sanctions on Pyongyang in an attempt to cut off fuel and income for North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, as well as restricting textile exports and oil imports.

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

North Korea responded by announcing the international sanctions would only force it to speed up its nuclear programme.

A statement by the countrys foreign ministry was released by the official news agency of the DPRK (North Korea) said: The increased moves of the US and its vassal forces to impose sanctions and pressure on the DPRK will only increase our pace towards the ultimate completion of the state nuclear force.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A man who raped his girlfriends twin sister claimed it happened after he mistook her for her sibling.

The 24-year-old man from Melbourne was handed a four-year prison sentence after being convicted of rape and indecent assault.

He told the police his victim was a liar and claimed she had sexually assaulted him, but the court heard he had previously fantasised about having sex with her.

Victorian County Court judge Felicity Hampel accused the man of taking the cowardly way out by accusing his partners sister of lying at trial.

Instead of owning up and taking responsibility and trying to make amends, you denied it, she said.

You reduced her reputation, attacked her honesty, blamed her and ruined her relationship with her twin.

The victim had been staying with her sister and was sleeping in the spare bedroom when the man entered her room to speak to her. He then sexually assaulted the victim.

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 man then told the police the the rape occurred because his partner and the victim looked identical.

Ms Hampel told him this was a bizarre claim considering he had been talking to [the victim] about her, and her issues, for over an hour.

The victim has reportedly become estranged from her sister following the attack and has attempted suicide several times.

All I ever wanted was for him to say 'sorry' and admit what he had done to me, she 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 German charity whose refugee rescue ship was seized by Italian authorities have denied the ship had contact with Libyan smugglers.

The Berlin-based aid organisation, Jugend Rettet (Youth to the Rescue), is challenging the seizure of the rescue ship at a court in Trapani in proceedings that began on Tuesday.

The charity has requested the immediate release of its ship and called for charges against the organisation and its crew members to be dropped.

In a statement to The Independent, it demanded "those responsible for this despicable smear campaign publicly apologise to those who have been endangered by their actions".

A police officer standing next to the Iuventa rescue ship in Lampedusa (AFP/Getty)

The Iuventa was seized on the island of Lampedusa in early August after it was ordered to take rescued migrants to shore there and its crew were then interviewed by the police.

Ambrogio Cartosio, the public prosecutor in the case, said there was evidence some crew members had contact with smugglers during a rescue in September and two others in June.

He said migrants were "handed over" to the crew by smugglers instead of being "rescued", before they were later transferred to other ships to be taken ashore in Italy.

The evidence is serious, Mr Cartosio said at the time. We have evidence of encounters between traffickers, who escorted illegal immigrants to the Iuventa, and members of the boats crew.

Iuventa rescue ship carrying migrants (AFP/Getty Images)

However, he stressed there was no evidence of Jugend Rettet receiving money from Libyan traffickers and no indication of a wider conspiracy between the two groups.

My personal conviction was that the motive is humanitarian, exclusively humanitarian, Mr Cartosio said.

It would be fantasy to say there was a coordinated plan between the NGOs and the Libyan traffickers.

 Libyan Coast Guard puts refugees and rescuers in danger during rescue operation at sea

Italian police released images which appeared to show a rigid-inflatable boat from the Iuventa towing an empty wooden boat back into Libyan waters on 18 June.

Volunteers later came into close proximity with a boat containing smugglers who were removing the engine from a dinghy packed with migrants.

The smugglers were again apparently filmed in close proximity to the refugee rescue ship on 26 June.

Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily.

Jugend Rettet has denied the allegations and challenged the seizure of the Iuventa.

The judge is expected to make a decision on whether the capture of the ship was legal on Friday.
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 senior French cardinal, Philippe Barbarin, is to be tried on charges of not reporting historical child abuse, according to reports.

The clergyman, who is also the Archbishop of Lyon, was once tipped as a successor to Pope Francis.

But he and six other priests have been ordered to appear in court for allegedly not speaking out against abuse said to be committed by another clergyman, Bernard Preynat, in the 1980s.

Mr Preynat was dismissed in 2015 and prosecutors say he has admitted charges of child abuse.

His alleged victims have now accused Father Barbarin and others of not reporting the crimes to the authorities.

It follows the refusal of a French prosecutor to put him on trial for the alleged offence last year.

Father Barbarin, who has denied the claims, is the most senior priest to be implicated in the scandal.

But the lawyer represnting the alleged victims, Nadia Debbache, said the scandal goes beyond the accused priests.

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

"Everyone at his level has participated, including within the Vatican," she said.

The trial will take place next April.
St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church will host its inaugural International Culture Fest Oct. 1 from 4-7 p.m. in Stock Hall.

Tickets for the festival are $7, and $2 of the ticket price will be donated to a Polish charity. Tickets are available at the St. Paul office at the rear of 201 W. Louther St., and should be purchased by Wednesday.

The Sentinel talked to Nancy Miller, a member of the Fellowship Committee at St. Pauls which organized the event, for more details about the festival.

Q. What is the one food Polish food that will be served at the event that you absolutely cant miss?

A. Our church is blessed to have a number of members who are of Polish heritage and know of sources for authentic Polish food in the area of Pennsylvania which has a strong Polish population.

Someone will make a trip to that region for authentic Polish kielbasa for our dinner. We will be making authentic Polish cabbage rolls (gowumki) and pierogi in addition to a variety of Polish desserts.

Q. In addition to the food, what other events are planned to celebrate Polish culture?

A. William Minsker, founder and president of Pennsylvania Partnerships Abroad, will speak. The nonprofit foundation has sponsored 269 Polish graduate students to work in Central Pennsylvania. They return to Poland and graduate with a masters degree in business administration.

The foundation has also sponsored 48 teachers to serve in secondary schools in Poland as native speakers who teach conversational English. A member of the church will teach people how to polka, and someone else will demonstrate how to make traditional Polish decorated Easter eggs (pysanki). A Polish priest may also be there to speak about religion in the country, and a Polish colonel may be there to talk about the military.

Q. Why did you choose Poland for the first country to feature?

A. Our Fellowship Committee chose Poland because one of our members lived in Poland for two years and taught conversational English in two Polish high schools. She is passionate about that wonderful country which has experienced much conflict and occupation and has come out of it many times because of their strong Catholic faith and their determination to survive as a country.

Q. What are the churchs plans for future international culture festivals?

A. Our plans for the future include events which will feature other countries which are represented in our church and community.

Q. Why is it important for churches and the community to hold events like this that focus on other cultures?

A. Our church, St. Paul, views our diversity as a blessing and as an opportunity to learn about the different cultures which make up our wonderful world. We believe that diversity enriches all of our lives and that we should celebrate it. We are all Gods children and we should love all people. The more we know about different cultures, the more tolerant we can be. Through our events, we can learn more about the diverse backgrounds of the people who make up our world.
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 }}

Political supporters of Vladimir Putin have been spotted driving through the capital of Belarus, sparking fears of growing pro-USSR sentiment in the former Soviet State.

Footage of the nationalist Peoples Liberation Movement (NOD)s convoy included seven cars, plastered with St George flags, political symbols, pictures of the Russian President and the words Big Russia.

NOD peddles anti-liberal and anti-American rhetoric and supports the restoration of the USSR.

It reportedly has offices in almost every region of Russia, but is not officially registered in Belarus, despite claiming a growing following on social media.

Its founder Yevgeny Fyodorov is currently serving his fourth term as deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia. He supports the re-drafting of the Russian constitution, is in favour of sanctions from the West to bring about isolationist polices and famously claimed that the assassination of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was carried out by the CIA.

NOD helped Mr Putin to organise mass rallies  a technique of the administration to respond to political challenges  after a bomb attack on the St Petersburg metro killed 14 people earlier this year. The event, called Together Against Terror, was organised just 10 days after tens-of-thousands of people took to the streets in 90 cities across the country to protest government corruption, led by opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

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

In March, the NOD also reportedly organised a so-called All-Russian humanitarian rally, to raise funds in order to send inhabitants of occupied Russian territories in eastern Ukraine, such as Donetsk and Lugansk, to visit places the NOD describes as significant in the Russian and Soviet struggle to defend the sovereignty of the Motherland.

The month before, the party activists also held an unauthorised rally in Independence Square in Minsk.

The news of the latest convoy in Minsk on 18 September comes as Russia and Belarus carry out vast military exercises which European observers say could involve as many as 100,000 troops. It has been codenamed Zapad or West.

 Belarus: Ukraine ceasefire to start on February 15, says Putin

Zapad is expected to contain a dry-run for nuclear military engagement, and is similar to previous exercises which signalled Russias invasion of Crimea in 2008 and of Ukraine six years later.

Zapad is a routine exercise, so there is no cause for alarm in the sense that Russia will stick to the scenario, Mathieu Boulegue, a research fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, recently told The Independent.

Everything they want to rehearse is ready and its been planned for the past few years. But there is a kind of game of hypocrisy with Russia on one side and the West on the other.

We want to acknowledge Zapad as being potentially threatening, but we dont want to give Russia the chance to brag about its military prowess."

Despite mass anti-corruption demonstrations in Russia 2011 and 2012, led by Mr Navalny, as well as growing unrest over declining standards of living, Mr Putin is expected to win the 2018 Presidential election.

Mr Putin has spent years, according to critics, arresting and quashing his opponents to lay the path for the next election.
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 }}

Denmarks Prime Minister has announced a multi-million pound donation to support vulnerable women in conflict zones and in response to Donald Trump scrapping funding for overseas family planning clinics.

Lars Lkke Rasmussen told broadcaster DR that the government would give 315 million kroner (37 million) to organisations that help women at risk of rape, human trafficking and forced marriage.

This is a clear signal to America. If somebody drops the torch, others must pick it up. The world needs leadership, Mr Rasmussen said.

Recommended The dangerous situation for women and girls after Hurricane Matthew

He also accused Mr Trump of withdrawing from all international collaboration related to family planning.

He added: Denmark cannot take over from the USA. We are a small country compared to the US, but a voice for freedom is needed in a world with war and conflict.

His donation comes after the US President re-instated the so-called Global Gag Rule, otherwise known as the Mexico City policy, shortly after coming into office.

The policy strips US funding from any overseas agency that even talks about abortion to women  upping the funding restrictions compared to previous Republican administrations.

 Trump's new gag rule puts women's lives at risk

Mr Rasmussen said the new money from Denmark can be used for developing countries as it was no longer needed for asylum centres given a recent drop in the number of asylum seekers in the country.

"Women and girls in developing countries are particularly at risk of violence and assault in times of war. Thats why they need more help in being in control of their own bodies, including the use of contraception," he said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

"It is a Danish priority that women should make their own decisions regarding their bodies. This is something Denmark has always been known for."

The comments come as Mr Trump made his keynote speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the audience broke into spontaneous applause after he said the US had invested in the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, which was part of our commitment to empowering women all across the globe.

The anti-abortion Republican has, however, frequently been criticised for the way he talks about women and for consistently threatening to defund Planned Parenthood. When meeting the First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, he came under fire for telling her that she was in such good shape.

He was also accused of sexually assaulting more than a dozen women in his personal and professional life over several decades. He has denied the claims.
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 theory of evolution is conspicuously absent from the curriculum of Turkeys schools as children begin the new academic year.

Meanwhile, textbooks explaining the idea of jihad have been introduced.

The move has reignited concerns that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is uprooting Turkeys secular foundations, with critics describing the new syllabus as anti-scientific.

Recommended Erdogan has done exactly what the failed coup wanted to do in Turkey

Yet the government has accused the opposition of spreading propaganda and seeking to polarise public opinion ahead of elections in 2019.

The education ministry said opponents were utterly ignorant for claiming that evolution was entirely excluded from the new classes.

Subjects including mutation and adaptation remain in biology textbooks, without direct reference to the Darwinian theory.

The ministry argues evolution is too difficult for secondary school students to learn and should only be taught at university level.

Justifying the decision to introduce the idea of jihad to the curriculum, education minister Ismet Yilmaz argued the concept was misinterpreted by Islamist extremist groups such as Isis.

Jihad is an element in our religion, he told a news conference in July. The duty of the education ministry is to teach every concept deservedly, in a correct way.

It is also our job to correct things that are wrongly perceived, seen or taught.

According to the Turkish Language Institute, jihad is primarily defined as religious war.

Opposition MP Bulent Tezcan told the BBC: By embedding a jihadist education of values, they try to plague the brains of our little children, with the same understanding that transforms the Middle East into a bloodbath.

Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border Show all 13 1 /13 Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border Turkey-AFP.jpg AFP/Getty Images Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border turkey-rt.jpg Reuters Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border 24-turkey3-rt.jpg Reuters Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border turkey-1.jpg Reuters Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border turkey-9.jpg Getty Images Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border turkey-2.jpg Reuters Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border turkey-7.jpg Reuters Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border turkey-4.jpg Getty Images Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border turkey-6.jpg EPA Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border turkey-5.jpg EPA Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border AN22156086An-anti-governmen.jpg GETTY IMAGES Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border Turkey-REUTERS.jpg Reuters Turkey riots latest: Erdogan blames 'extremists' for nationwide riots as protester, 22, is killed near Syrian border turkey-8.jpg Reuters

Observers have noted that Turkey has steadily increased references to Islam in the curriculum, while removing references to Turkeys founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

There has also been a rise in the number of religious schools, known as Imam Hatip schools, in recent years.

The textbooks explaining the notion of jihad are being rolled out in the religious schools, before they are introduced to secondary schools as optional courses next year.
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 Russian military helicopter accidentally fired rockets near a crowd of spectators during military exercises in the west of the country, reportedly injuring two people.

Two videos of the incident show rockets slamming into the side of a small hill as onlookers watch an approaching pair of attack helicopters. Flames and debris erupted as people dived for cover.

In the footage two rockets are clearly visible streaking towards a military-type truck.

Recommended Russia and China carry out military drills close to North Korea border

A clip apparently taken after the explosion showed more debris strewn around the vehicle.

The Moscow Times reported that two journalists were injured in the blast, and an unnamed military source was cited in a Russian news outlet as saying the firing occurred due to a technical glitch.

The online 66.ru portal said the accident happened on either Sunday or Monday at the Luzhsky range, 60 miles east of the Estonian border, during the Zapad-2017 drills, which have alarmed some of Russia's close neighbours.

A separate report, however, suggested there were three people injured, who were not civilians.

Russias government has denied it occurred during President Vladimir Putin's visit to the war games on Monday.

Zapad-2017 is Russias biggest military exercise in years. Some 13,000 soldiers, plus hundreds of tanks and other vehicles, are taking part in the joint Russian-Belarussian exercise.

The exercises began on Thursday across several firing ranges in both countries, and are due to run into Wednesday. As commander-in-chief of Russias armed forces, Mr Putin observed the simulated battles along with a number of top generals at the start of this week.

Two calls from The Independent to Russias defence ministry went unanswered.

The Russian Embassy in London passed on a link to a report by the RIA Novosti agency that said the ministry denied any such accident had taken place during the Zapad exercises on Monday.

All messages on social networks about volleys on a crowd of journalists and a large number of seriously wounded are deliberate provocation or someones personal stupidity, a spokesman for the western military district told RIA.

The videos in fact show another incident happening earlier, when a truck was damaged, the embassy said.

The targeting system of one of the helicopters locked onto the wrong target. An unguided missile hit a truck but did not injure anyone, the military spokesman 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 }}

Emmanuel Macron has said the landmark Paris climate deal will not be renegotiated, after White House officials suggested Donald Trump could remain a signatory of the agreement but only if new terms were reached.

The French President's comments during his address to the UN General Assembly effectively end renewed hopes that the world's second largest polluter would remain tied to the accord's carbon emission targets.

Following a meeting with around a dozen ministers on Monday, a White House official said: We are withdrawing from the Paris agreement unless we can re-engage on terms more favourable to the United States."

But speaking a day later, Mr Macron ruled out a renegotiation of the 2015 deal, saying the wording of the agreement could be enriched with new contributions, "but we won't go back".

He added that he "profoundly respects" Mr Trump's decision and said the "door will always remain open".

Mr Trump announced in June that America was withdrawing from the Paris deal, arguing that it disadvantaged businesses and would impoverish the US.

Rather than remain signed up to the existing deal, Mr Trump said he would begin negotiations to re-enter either the Paris accord or a really entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States.

 Trump pulls US out of Paris climate change deal

However, reports in recent days suggested his administration was still exploring options to remain in the accord.

Speaking at the weekend, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US was willing to stay signed up under the right conditions.

Recommended UK will not renegotiate the Paris climate change deal for Trump

The President said he's open to finding those conditions where we can remain engaged with others on what we all agree is still a challenging issue, Mr Tillerson said.

But following Mr Macron's half-hour UN speech, the prospect of a renegotiation appears to have diminished.

The Paris deal commits 188 countries  including the US  to keeping rising global temperatures "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels, with an additional aim to limit them even more, to 1.5C.

The only two countries not to have signed up to the agreement are Syria and Nicaragua.

The French President warned that the planet "is taking its revenge on the madness of man" and said France would spend an additional $5bn (3.7bn) on fighting climate change from now until 2020.

In his own UN speech, Mr Trump reconfirmed his intention to walk away from the climate deal.

It takes four years for a country to withdraw from the Paris agreement, so the US will be a party to it until two days after Mr Trump's first term ends, if it follows through on the pull-out.

The US accounts for more than 15 per cent of worldwide emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for global climate change, second only to China.
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 }}

Click hereIt almost feels wrong writing this; theres an element of sacrilege to it. Its something that feels like it deserves a hushed whisper  like saying you put the milk in first when making tea, or admitting to never having watched Game of Thrones.

Nevertheless, Im going to make a bold statement. Disneyland isnt actually the happiest placed on earth.

Recommended Disneyland Paris apologises for banning boy from Princess day

The Parisian park may well be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, introducing a new Star Wars land and a Pirates of the Caribbean ride that features Johnny Depp in honour of this landmark event, but to my mind it still isnt a patch on another European theme park of a similar age  PortAventura.

Situated in the Spanish hills outside the popular holiday resort of Salou, PortAventura has come a long way from the small water park that first opened 20 years ago. Its now comprised of three theme parks, numerous hotels and restaurants, and even has its own beach club on site.

On paper it sounds pretty similar to Disneyland Paris  but heres why its so much more:

Disney is dated

I love some good old nostalgia as much as the next person, but Disneyland in many ways hasnt moved with the times. Kids growing up in the watch-anything-you-want-in-an-instant era dont spend their Sunday afternoons watching Western films with their grandparents; instead of amazing them, the cowboy and Indian theme in Frontierland baffles them.

And dont even get me started on Its A Small World  the ride that takes you past singing animatronic children from around the globe. These days it just seems weird; very few people under the age of 50 understand what the experience is about and you dont realise what youve let yourself in for until its too late. Then you have to spend the rest of the day with the irritating yet insanely catchy tune running relentlessly through your brain.

PortAventura has updated its offering with the new Ferrari Land (PortAventura)

On the flip side, PortAventura continues to evolve to accommodate popular trends and themes. Kids would much rather ride on family friendly Stampida, where two wooden rollercoasters race each other. The resort has also undergone a 100m (88m) investment and opened Ferrari Land this year, with a flying theatre, simulators and some of the most thrilling rides in the park.

Thrills and spills

Disneyland Paris is a condensed version of its Disney World cousin in Florida, with all the key features of the bigger park. The problem is, theyre simply not thrilling enough.

Theres nothing like being on a rollercoaster that accelerates from 0 to 180kmh in five seconds, or throws you every which way thanks to multiple loop-the-loops. At Disney, the peak of this is Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain (formerly known as Space Mountain until the rebrand this year). But even here the thrill level isnt high. And I should know. I rode it 19 times in two days last year.

PortAventura boasts Europes highest rollercoaster (PortAventura)

Both Hyperspace Mountain and the other main coaster, Aerosmith Rock n Roller Coaster, are set indoors in the dark, and theres nothing about the experience that catches you off-guard or surprises you as a rider.

Over at PortAventura, its a different story. In Ferrari Land, Red Force stands at 112m high, making it the tallest rollercoaster in Europe. Shambhala in the main park has five camel humps that make you feel like youre floating (although this may be because the restraints only come to your thighs).

Location, location, location

PortAventura is ideally located for the British holidaymaker. It is situated close to the resort town of Salou and is one hour away from Barcelona. If that isnt close enough, Reus airport (which really should be renamed PortAventura Airport) is 10 minutes drive away; airlines that fly there include Ryanair and Jet2.

Click here to find flights to Reus

PortAventura also has a beach club (PortAventura)

Disneyland Paris is easily accessible via the Eurostar  however, if you arent travelling from London, this isnt particularly useful. Despite the name, the parks arent located within Paris, but 27 miles outside it. A taxi from Charles de Gaulle airport can take more than an hour at peak times.

Queuing is a breeze

For some, queuing for upwards of two hours for a popular ride at a theme park is the norm. For others, the thought of this is enough to put them off. Disney has the single rider line for those who dont mind riding alongside a stranger; not ideal if you want to share the experience with your loved one. They also offer a FastPass system in which you are given a time to return to the more popular attractions.

PortAventura lets you skip the queue with an Express Pass (PortAventura)

At PortAventura, the Express Pass is an extra 33 (other options are more expensive) but for those wanting to maximise time at the resort its well worth it. There are separate queues for wristband holders, making queuing a much more pleasant and, most importantly, speedy experience.

Food, glorious food

There are no two ways about it  dining options at Disneyland are terrible, unless youre prepared to fork out for a character dinner. On site, your only choice is an overpriced burger and chips in the fast food joint. Either that or stuffing yourself with the sugary goods sold around the park.

PortAventura has changed a lot since it opened 20 years ago (PortAventura)

In PortAventura, there are options to suit all tastes. From a Mediterranean lunch at Vinosfera or a relaxed bite at Raco de Mar, its come a long way from chicken nuggets and chips.
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 }}

For the last month, Buddhist-majority Burma has systematically slaughtered civilians belonging to the Rohingya Muslim minority, forcing 270,000 to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh  with Burma soldiers shooting at them even as they cross the border.

The Buddhists are killing us with bullets, Noor Symon, a woman carrying her son, told a New York Times reporter. They burned houses and tried to shoot us. They killed my husband by bullet.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the widow who defied Burmas dictators, endured a total of 15 years of house arrest and led a campaign for democracy, was a hero of modern times. Yet today Daw Suu, as the effective leader of Burma, is chief apologist for this ethnic cleansing, as the country oppresses the darker-skinned Rohingya and denounces them as terrorists and illegal immigrants.

And ethnic cleansing may be an understatement. Even before the latest wave of terror, a Yale study had suggested that the brutality toward the Rohingya might qualify as genocide. The US Holocaust Museum has also warned that genocide against the Rohingya may be looming.

For shame, Daw Suu. We honoured you and fought for your freedom  and now you use that freedom to condone the butchery of your own people?

 Rohingya crisis: Muslim village burnt to the ground

Theyre killing children, Matthew Smith, the chief executive of a human rights group called Fortify Rights, told me after interviewing refugees on the Bangladesh border. In the least, were talking about crimes against humanity.

My two nephews, their heads were cut off, one Rohingya survivor told Smith. One was six years old and the other was nine.

Other accounts describe soldiers throwing infants into a river to drown, and decapitating a grandmother. Hannah Beech, a New York Times writer who has provided outstanding coverage from the border, put it this way: Ive covered refugee crises before, and this was by far the worst thing that Ive ever seen.

Its not that Daw Suu is organising the killings (she does not control the military), or that they are entirely one-sided. The latest slaughter began after Rohingya militants attacked police stations and a military base on 25 August; the Burma security forces responded with scorched-earth fury against Rohingya civilians.

Hundreds are believed to have been killed, but Daw Suu has not criticised the slaughter. Rather, she blamed international aid groups and complained about a huge iceberg of misinformation aiming to help the terrorists  presumably meaning the Rohingya.

When a Rohingya woman bravely recounted how her husband had been shot dead and how she and three teenage girls had been gang-raped by soldiers, Daw Suus Facebook page mocked the claims as fake rape.

Based on a conversation with Daw Suu once about the Rohingya, I think she genuinely believes that they are outsiders and troublemakers. But in addition, the moral giant has become a pragmatic politician  and she knows that any sympathy for the Rohingya would be disastrous politically for her party in a country deeply hostile to its Muslim minority.

We applauded Aung San Suu Kyi when she received her Nobel Prize because she symbolised courage in the face of tyranny, noted Ken Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. Now that shes in power, she symbolises cowardly complicity in the deadly tyranny being visited on the Rohingya.

Another Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, wrote a pained letter to his friend: My dear sister: if the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep.

Burma tries to keep foreigners out of the Rohingya areas, but Ive managed to get there twice in the last few years, and even then Rohingya were confined to concentration camps or to remote villages. Many were systematically denied medical care, and children were barred from public schools. Its a 21st century apartheid.

I saw a 23-year-old woman, Minura Begum, lose her baby because she needed a doctor; I met a brilliant 15-year-old girl whose dream of becoming a doctor is collapsing because she is confined to a concentration camp; I met a 2-year-old boy, Hirol, who was starving after his mother died for lack of medical care.

Rohingya refugees  in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young girl and a baby wade through mud after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma on 10 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees walk through a camp in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after arriving from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young Rohingya refugee gathers firewood after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees wait for sacks of rice to be distributed in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees arrive on a boat in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after crossing from Burma on 8 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees react after being re-united with each other after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Getty Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees walk along the remains of a road after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Myanmar Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees stand in the rain after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indian children hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma EPA/Raminder Pal Singh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organisation, listen to their leaders' speeches against Burma's persecution of Rohingya Muslims, during a demonstration in Karachi Reuters/Akhtar Soomro Rohingya refugees  in pictures Hundreds of Iranians take part in a protest against violence in Myanmar after weekly Friday prayers, in Tehran EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indonesian Muslim activists hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya minority in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia EPA/Ali Lutfi Rohingya refugees  in pictures Members of an Islamic organisation shout slogans against the Burma government during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA

Daw Suu and other Burma officials refuse to use the word Rohingya, seeing them as just illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, but thats absurd. A document from 1799 shows that even then, the Rohingya population was well established.

In Washington, Senators John McCain and Dick Durbin have introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning the violence and calling on Daw Suu to work to halt it. I hope President Trump speaks up as well.

We know that the Burma government responds to pressure because thats what won Daw Suu her freedom. Yet there has been far too little outcry for the Rohingya; bravo to Pope Francis for being an exception among world leaders and speaking up for them. A basic lesson of history: ignoring a possible genocide only encourages the persecutors.

There are petitions online calling for Daw Suu to be stripped of her Nobel. In fact, there is no mechanism to take away the prize, but I do wish that the prize money could be recovered and go to feed the widows and orphans being created on her watch.

Ultimately our aim should be to create a world free from the displaced, the homeless and the hopeless, a world of which each and every corner is a true sanctuary where the inhabitants will have the freedom and the capacity to live in peace.  Aung San Suu Kyis Nobel Peace Prize lecture, 2012

Nicholas Kristof is a Pulitzer-Prize winning collumnist for the New York Times. This piece originally appeared in the New York Times
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 }}

Boris Johnsons first speech to a Conservative Party conference as Foreign Secretary was entitled: How British Values help to make the world richer and safer.

He reeled off all those noble things we hold up as good the rule of law, human rights, independent judiciary, habeas corpus, equalities of race and gender and sexual orientation.

In the very same month Johnson was pressing for Britain to continue exporting weapons to Saudi Arabia after the bombing of a funeral in Yemen that killed 140 people.

What about the right not to be bombed when youre burying a loved one?

Johnson  lets not call him Boris because its just too cuddly  decided that such air raids by Saudi Arabia did not cross the threshold of humanitarian laws.

 Boris blasted over Brexit blueprint

Instead he could only express profound concern for the suffering of people in Yemen.

But surely if you sell weapons to a country that then uses them to commit atrocities against its neighbours are you not complicit in the crime?

The facts are that since 2015 we have sold 3bn worth of arms to Saudi Arabia which has carried out 87 unlawful attacks in Yemen, some using UK-made bombs.

Now either you just pretend its not happening like Theresa May did in April when she travelled to Saudi Arabia to sign yet another arms deal.

In some warped attempt to make up for it she boasted that we were the fourth largest donor to Yemen of humanitarian aid, handing over 103m.

Or, as Jeremy Corbyn has done, you point out that theres a bit of a disconnect going on here.

We are selling arms to Saudi Arabia and at the same time we are sending aid in, we should not be doing both, he said.

And to make his point Corbyn has just banned Saudi Arabia from next weeks Labour Party conference.

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

Is Corbyn  not Johnson  not now the one who is really standing up for British values? The right not to be bombed in your bed.

The British public are with him on this. A Save The Children/YouGov poll found that 59 per cent of the UK is against selling arms to countries fighting in Yemen.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since the Saudi-led coalition went in at the invitation of the Yemeni government fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The UN has declared the country the worlds greatest humanitarian crisis. According to Human Rights Watch, 80 per cent of the country needs humanitarian aid, seven million are hungry and a cholera epidemic has infected 500,000 people.

A report by UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein found 5000 civilians had been killed and 8700 wounded in air strikes, mainly at the hands of coalition forces.

Last month an air raid in the capital, Sanaa, which killed 14 civilians including several children was described as a technical mistake.

There have obviously been atrocities committed by the Houthis, to deny that would be idiotic.

But they are not being supplied with weapons by us, as the Saudis are.

To ban the Saudis from Labour Party conference is a gesture, but an important one because it shows the Leader of the Opposition taking a stance against a British ally.

Lets hope it will herald a change of culture at Westminster dominated to date by Saudi cheerleaders such as the Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski.

Thankfully he is no longer on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, whose new chairman is Tom Tugendhat, a former army lieutenant colonel who has shown some signs of toughening towards the Saudis.

Along with the new chairman of the International Development Select Committee, Stephen Twigg, Tugendhat is urging Britain to get behind an initiative by the Dutch and Canadian governments to establish an independent international inquiry to investigate violations committed by both sides in the Yemeni conflict.

The question of whether war crimes had been committed by Saudi Arabia using weapons supplied by British companies was the subject of heated confrontation between Newsnight and Kawczynski two years ago.

The MP spent seven minutes refusing to answer whether the Saudis should even face an investigation into whether theyd committed war crimes.

Weve had enough of the complacency of people like Kawczynski who tells us there have been no violations of international law  simply because the head of the Royal Saudi Air Force has told him so.

Why should we listen to the head of BAE Systems, which sells the weapons, say that Saudi Arabia is not an aggressor in the conflict, but a defender?

Johnson has said that promoting human rights is an essential aim of the foreign policy of a Global Britain.

Lets see if he can move beyond profound concern for the people of Yemen and actually do something about it.
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 }}

Donald Trump has spoken to the world and left us feeling what? Relieved and reassured that the leader of the worlds largest power understands his responsibilities to shelter us from calamity at a time of unusual turmoil and crisis? No. We are left on edge. We are left rattled.

Just as Trump has enjoyed upending Washington he is now revelling in chipping the crockery of international diplomacy. Could the United Nations use a breeze to clear some of its bureaucratic cobwebs and cautious timidity? It could. But an American president threatening to totally destroy an entire nation is more than a breeze. Thats not plain talking, its plain scary.

Before he got onto eviscerating North Korea and the Rocket Man who runs it  a childish monicker that would have been removed in any sober editing of his maiden address to the United Nations  and then Iran and Venezuela, Trump did a brief approximation of statesmanship. We meet at a time of immense promise and great peril, he offered. It is up to us whether we will lift the world to new heights or let it fall into a valley of disrepair.

He graciously thanked all those countries that have given aid to hurricane victims. He evoked the Marshall Plan, the US-funding rebuilding of western Europe after the end of the Second World War, as a model of global brotherhood and spoke of what he called his three pillars of peace for all UN member nations: Sovereignty, security, and prosperity for themselves, and for the world. So far so good. The UNs vision of itself is the pursuit of human rights, peace and security, and development. Kind of the same.

Except that human rights is missing from Trumps. But that fits with his other theme up there at the UN lectern. His America will be different from that of Obama, Bush and Clinton  or pretty much any president you can name since Truman  because it wont be telling others how to run their affairs. No nation-building, no finger-wagging. In America we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone but rather let it shine as an example for everyone to watch, he said.

But stop the tape there for a second. It will be a little deeper into the speech that Trump repudiates that promise precisely identifying nations he thinks arent behaving as they should. But first that thing about America setting an example. Yes, well. Not everyone, perhaps, will be straining to follow the example of his America  religious-based immigration bans, lowering the gates on refugees, building border walls, turning its back on climate and trade treaties.

That was a point that had been made in less-than-subtle terms by the new UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, who took to the lectern a little earlier. Trust within and among countries is being riven down by those who demonise and divide, he said. Trump was not in the room at the time. Instead of closed doors and open hostility, we need to reestablish the integrity of the refugee protection regime and the simple decency of human compassion.

If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph, Trump later intoned. A nice phrase reminiscent of George Ws axis of evil of 15 years ago. But then he went Elton John on North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-un. The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself and its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, he said, triggering an audible shudder in the giant chamber, if not around the world. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

Cue more shudders on Iran. Trump left no doubt what he thinks of the deal done to constrain its nuclear programme. He doesnt like it and hes aching to tear it up, though he has made no formal decision yet. If he does, everyone else who was involved in negotiating it, including Britain and the EU, will be appalled. The UNs own nuclear inspectors have said Iran is abiding by the agreement. Only Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel will have liked this passage. Actually he liked the whole speech, which tells you something. In over 30 years in my experience with the UN, I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech.

Or more filled with contradictions or arrogant posturing. Hows that no-imposition thing going for you with Venezuela, sir? The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented but that socialism has been faithfully implemented, he said. Ah, yes. America has a bit of a history of not liking socialism when practised by its neighbours. From the Soviet Union to Cuba, Venezuela  wherever through socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish, devastation and failure, he added. If President Nicolas Maduro doesnt mend his ways, the US, which has already hit Caracas with sanctions, will be prepared to take further action.

Recommended

But there was a more fundamental problem with this speech. Trump used it not just to defend his America First agenda at home, but he pleaded with every nation to take the same path. This is a recipe not for world harmony but for jungle competition and conflict and is uniquely opposed to everything the UN stands for. I will always put America first just like you, the leaders of your countries, should put your countries first, Trump said. He even appealed for a common reawakening of national patriotism. Are we still patriots?

He tried to dress it up as something else  a beautiful vision of this institution and the foundation for cooperation and success. But that is just dangerous, self-serving bunk.
More than 300 presumed victims were reported to or detected by gardai from 2012 to 2016, 94 of them children, a review found

A European watchdog has warned that Ireland's criminal justice system is inadequate for dealing with human trafficking.

Between 2012 and 2016 more than 300 presumed victims were reported to or detected by gardai, a review has found.

More than half were females and 94 were children.

According to the Council of Europe - the 47-nation organisation which oversees the European Court of Human Rights - Ireland is primarily a destination country for traffickers but increasingly people are being trafficked within these shores.

Seventy-three of the presumed victims were Irish and the majority of them were children who were sexually abused and exploited.

But the watchdog's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (Greta) warned that the Government's efforts to tackle the issue of trafficking fall short.

"Greta is concerned by the inadequate criminal justice response to human trafficking in Ireland and notes that failure to convict traffickers and the absence of effective sentences engenders a feeling of impunity and undermines efforts to support victims to testify," it said.

The Council of Europe called on the Director of Public Prosecutions to develop specialism in trafficking issues and for investigating units in the Garda, immigration offices and the state's employment rights units to be resourced properly.

It said more should be done to educate and train gardai, prosecutors and judges about the seriousness of trafficking, the severe impact of exploitation on the victims and the need to respect their human rights.

The Greta report called for a review of the law to address gaps.

It warned that the number of prosecutions for trafficking offences was low compared with the number of investigations - 58 from 2012 to 2015.

"Human trafficking cases require significant investment to ensure that there is no over-reliance on vulnerable victims and that those benefiting from the exploitation are identified and sanctioned, including through following the money flows and online activity and engaging in transnational co-operation," the report said.

Victims of trafficking are most likely forced into sex work, the review said.

But it found 82 people were essentially slaves forced into work, another 13 victims were ordered to commit crime and there was one case of forced begging.

Some 121 people came from Europe and 50 from west Africa.

But the Council of Europe, which focuses on human rights and democracy, warned that the numbers do not truly reflect the scale of the phenomenon in Ireland, due to difficulties in identifying victims.

It accepted evidence from the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) that an increasing demand for foreign workers, a shortage of legal migration and inconsistencies around the law are creating a large undocumented population in Ireland.

It is estimated to be up to 26,000 people.

The Greta report raises concerns about pop-up car washes run by organised crime gangs, particularly from Romania. They recruit vulnerable unemployed men with the promise of a well-paid job in Ireland.

It also raised concerns about the issue of sham marriages and cannabis grow houses.

Inspectors from the watchdog also took issue with the state forcing victims of trafficking to live in Direct Provision centres.

The Council of Europe called for victims to have access to a compensation scheme and for an independent rapporteur to be appointed to deal with allegations related to trafficking.

It also said anyone hiring an au pair should be forced to open their doors to inspectors.
Forensic officers at the scene in Fortunestown Lane, Tallaght, after a father-of-two was shot dead

A burnt out vehicle at Verschoyle Green, Tallaght, south Dublin, which Garda believe may be connected with the shooting dead of a man

Gardai have launched a manhunt after a father-of-two was gunned down in what is believed to be yet another gangland feud .

They believe John Gibson, 28, from the Lucan area of Dublin, may have been lured to his death.

He was gunned down in an ambush as he sat inside his silver Audi car outside the CityWest Shopping Centre on Tuesday night.

The fitness instructor managed to get out of his car in a bid to escape but was shot again.

He received medical treatment at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later.

Gardai and forensic officers remained at the scene throughout Tuesday morning. Forensic tents covered Mr Gibson's body and his car.

His body was eventually removed from the scene by ambulance shortly after 11.30am on Tuesday.

Garda Superintendent Peter Duff said Mr Gibson was in his car at the shopping centre car park when another vehicle entered the car park at around 9.20pm on Monday.

It was at this stage he was shot a number of times.

A Volkswagen Caddy van believed to have been used in the murder was found burnt out nearby. A magazine for a gun was found on the passenger seat.

Mr Duff said he was uncertain at this stage how many gunmen were involved.

He added that it was clear Mr Gibson was targeted and may have been lured to his death.

It is understood that as part of the investigation gardai are probing links to the murder of Darragh Nugent in Clondalkin, west Dublin, last week.

Mr Nugent was known to gardai and his death is believed to have been gang-related.

Mr Gibson's murder is not believed to be linked to the notorious Kinahan-Hutch feud.

An increase in gangland crime is becoming a major concern for gardai. Police resources have been diverted into the Garda's Special Crime Operations branch in a bid to tackle gangland violence.

In recent weeks, Assistant Commissioner John O'Driscoll claimed the branch prevented a surge in murders related to the Kinahan-Hutch feud.

Gardai have asked for anyone who may have been in CityWest Shopping Centre car park on Monday from 8pm onwards and who may have information about Mr Gibson's murder to contact them at Tallaght Station on 01666000.
Around 10,000 finance jobs will be shifted out of Britain or created overseas in the next few years if the UK is denied access to Europe's single market, according to a Reuters survey of firms employing the bulk of workers in international finance.

Frankfurt was by far the most popular destination for the new roles, the survey showed, with Paris a distant second. Dublin has also seen some activity.

The results from 123 firms came from the first comprehensive public survey to ask the biggest banks, insurers, asset managers, private equity firms and exchanges in Britain about the specific details of their plans so far in case of a hard Brexit.

Canvassing was conducted by email and telephone interviews between August 21 and September 15, weeks after companies submitted detailed plans on their Brexit preparations to the Bank of England as required on July 14. The bank declined to comment on the results of that survey.

Nearly half of the companies surveyed told Reuters they would have to move staff or restructure their businesses because of Brexit, which is due to take place in March 2019. Another third said it would have no impact, and the remainder said they were still deciding on their plans or declined to comment.

The number of jobs to be moved or created overseas was based on answers from 39 companies employing at least 350,000 people. About 1.1 million people work in Britain's financial sector.

The findings suggest that the first wave of job losses from Brexit may be at the lower end of estimates by industry lobby groups and firms, which could mean London will keep its place as the continent's top finance centre, at least in the short term.

Most respondents said bigger moves could be in store in a decade or more, however.

"If it is going to happen it won't be in one big bang," said a senior executive at one of Europe's largest banks, which took part in the survey. "There will be a slow drain of jobs from London over a number of years."

The survey also suggests some financial institutions may be delaying decisions, hoping a soft Brexit can be negotiated in talks currently going on in Brussels.

BoE Governor Mark Carney has specifically warned companies against that approach, saying it's important to start planning now.

"They would like to think there is going to be a mutually easy way of dealing with financial services across the EU-UK border, so firms are finding it hard to land on precise plans," said Andrew Gray, global head of Brexit for financial services at PwC. (Reuters)
The largest agricultural festival in Europe kicks off today as hundreds of thousands of people descend on Tullamore.

Here's the top five things to see and do today:

1) Sheep shearing opens the show today, starting at 9am until 4:30pm at Block 1, Row 14, stand 303. If you want to learn some new shearing tricks, this is the stall to be at this morning.

2) At 11am, join the Farming Independent at Block 2, Row 9, Stand 222 for an exclusive panel discussing women in farming and the challenges they face.

3) At noon, President Michael D Higgins will officially open the ploughing at Block 3, Row 10, stand 249. The official ceremony will include a blessing from clergy and no doubt the President will pose for a few snaps.

4) Also at midday, join Niall Cronin as he speaks to hurler Padraic Mannion at the Irish Independent tent, Block 2, Row 9, Stand 222.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Brothers Ross (8) and Fiachra O'Dowd (10) from County Roscommon at the opening day of the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Pic:Mark Condren 19.9.2017 Fiachra O'Dowd (10) from County Roscommon at the opening day of the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Pic:Mark Condren 19.9.2017 Crowds arrive for the opening day of the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Pic:Mark Condren 19.9.2017 Fiachra O'Dowd (10) from County Roscommon at the opening day of the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Pic:Mark Condren 19.9.2017 Crowds arrive for the opening day of the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Pic:Mark Condren 19.9.2017 / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Brothers Ross (8) and Fiachra O'Dowd (10) from County Roscommon at the opening day of the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Pic:Mark Condren 19.9.2017

Read More

5) A few things kick off after lunch at 1:30 with a fashion show at Block 3, Row 28, Stand 637. If you fancy yourself a baker, the National Brown Bread Baking semi-final is also on at 1:30 at Block 4, Row 10, Stand 250.

Also today keep an eye out for the tractor carpool karaoke, the puppy stand and the ploughing competition itself.

Celebrities such as Louis Walsh, Mike Denver, Jamie Heaslip, Vogue Williams and this year's Rose of Tralee, Jennifer Byrne, are all set to attend today's event.

The evening comes to a close at 6pm, as the Ploughing Competition results will be announced at Block 3, Row 10, Stand 249.
The Ploughing continues to attract the crowds of both people and commercial interests, as the social place to be and be seen over the three days and a record number of people  112,500 attended the first day of the Ploughing in Tullamore today.

Sentiment among farmers was generally positive, with dairy farmers in particular bolstered by milk price rises announced in recent weeks.

The Department of Agriculture used the event to announce that 95,000 would be receiving significant farm payments today.

However, the event was marred by news during the day of the death of a well-known farmer in a farming accident. It brings to 16 the number of farming-related fatalities in Ireland this year.

Todays attendance at the Ploughing is up from the 100,000 that attended the first day last year and comes ahead of predicted showers tomorrow as Met Eireann predicts widespread rain moving across the country.

Ground conditions at the Tullamore site were mostly dry today, despite the wet weather leading up to the event. Only the odd muddy patch was left without bark chippings as thousands thronged to the Screggan site on the first day of the three-day Ploughing festival.

Expand Close Fianna Fail TD Jim O'Callaghan jokes with Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and Fergus O'Dowd TD at the Ploughing. Picture; Gerry Mooney / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Fianna Fail TD Jim O'Callaghan jokes with Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and Fergus O'Dowd TD at the Ploughing. Picture; Gerry Mooney

However, wellies and rain jackets are strongly advised for visitors to the site on Wednesday. Met Eireann is predicting that heavy rain will spread from the west during the morning, although things might brighten up in the evening.

Today saw President Michael D Higgins officially open proceedings, while Fianna Fail leader Michael Martin was in attendance. Other stars on the first day included pop star manager Louis Walsh, who arrived by helicopter.

Jennifer Byrne, the local Offaly girl who won the Rose of Tralee earlier this month was spotted early in the morning, with sash and tiara in tow.
Up to 300 towns and villages are to be given an end-of-year boost under plans by the Government to rejuvenate rural Ireland.

It is understood Rural Affairs Minister Michael Ring has secured a significant increase in funding for the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

The scheme was given a 10m budget last year, but sources say Mr Ring will announce a fund in the coming weeks of about 15m.

Local authorities dispense funding to towns and villages, with the scheme specifically aimed at areas with populations of less than 10,000.

Applications from towns can range from 20,000 to a maximum of 100,000.

Funding of up to 200,000 will also be considered for a limited number of projects which can deliver "exceptionally strong economic benefit to a town and its outlying areas".

Funding is aimed at a range of projects, such as improving playgrounds and footpaths, tourism amenities, and the installation of public art pieces.

Government sources last night said the scheme is essentially aimed at rejuvenating rural Ireland and persuading people to return home from cities.

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is part of a package of measures at national and local level to support the rejuvenation of towns and villages across Ireland, which also includes initiatives in areas such as heritage, tourism, arts and culture, the re-use of vacant premises, energy efficiency and business supports, a source said.

Projects which demonstrate linkages with wider initiatives to increase the overall impact on town and village revival will be strongly encouraged.

"Schemes like Town and Village Renewal are a key part of the action plan for rural development," the source added.

Mr Ring is also fighting for funding for areas now crucial to his brief, such as post offices, national parks, the LEADER programme and the Rural Renovation scheme.

It is understood the additional funding for the Town and Village Renewal Scheme - which initially began as a 4m fund - will be announced separate to the Budget in early October.
Connemara Mining's newly appointed CEO expects fresh drilling this month to kick-start projects in Ireland, where zinc and gold exploration has been revived by a recovery in commodity prices.

Patrick Cullen, a geologist with experience at big resource companies including Schlumberger and AngloGold, returned to his native Ireland to become CEO of London-listed Connemara in August.

In the four weeks after his appointment Connemara's share price rose by about 40pc and is up 86pc this year as its main prospects - zinc and gold - have rallied.

Cullen said that he aims to take advantage of "a general upsurge in interest in exploration and mining in Ireland, with zinc prices that have reached their highest level in a decade and robust demand for gold".

Drilling was expected this month, he said, to verify the extent of a gold find in Donegal and the company aims to accelerate activity more widely with joint venture partners.

Last week Group Eleven, a private company that has announced plans to float in Canada this year, acquired the interest held by Teck Ireland in the Stonepark zinc project in Limerick.

Connemara holds nearly a quarter of the project and Group Eleven the remaining stake. Cullen said that is positive because he expects Group Eleven to be more active than Teck was in developing Connemara's flagship zinc property. The site is neighbour to Glencore's Pallas Green prospect, one of the world's largest undeveloped zinc projects.

Almost no exploration took place during the commodity price crash that ended early last year, but Connemara said that drilling rigs are now working the site. Glencore declined to comment.

Apart from zinc and gold, Connemara is investigating Ireland's lithium potential, attracted by expected demand growth for use in batteries to power electric vehicles. (Reuters)
At this point, who DOESNT want Trump impeached?  Ann Coulter tweet, 7:05 a.m., September 14, 2017

If reports true 100%. I blame Rs. They caused this. They wanted him to fail and now pushed him into arms of political suicide  IF TRUE.  Sean Hannity tweet, 12:11 a.m., September 14, 2017.

Flounder, you cant spend your whole life worrying about your mistakes! You (fouled) up... you trusted us! Hey, make the best of it!  Eric Otter Stratton, Animal House, 1978.

Before I continue, let me answer Ann Coulters question: Me. I dont want Trump impeached, at least not until he does something clearly impeachable. Impeaching him for policies you dont like or even for political malpractice would simply be a time-wasting tantrum. And I say that as a consistent critic of Donald Trump, going back to his flirtation with running on the Reform Party ticket in 2000.

That said, Coulters reaction is understandable and even a little praiseworthy. After all, she wrote a book  a whole book!  in 2016 called In Trump We Trust: E Pluribus Awesome! But unlike a lot of her compatriots in the Trump Army, Coulter was driven by a policy position, not an infatuation. Or perhaps she was infatuated, but her commitment to the policy was greater than her commitment to the man.

The policy in question: immigration. To wit, Coulter thinks weve had enough of it. That goes for the children brought here by illegal immigrants, commonly referred to as Dreamers. President Obama created a program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, that unconstitutionally (according to most conservatives, including the attorney general) granted a kind of de facto amnesty to the Dreamers, giving them work permits and legal residence.

On Wednesday night, Trump had dinner with the Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer. These two famously partisan Democrats came out of the dinner announcing that they had struck a deal with the president to make DACA permanent without providing any funding for Trumps cherished border wall.

Trump, witnessing the blowback, which included the new nickname Amnesty Don in a headline at Breitbart News (which until recently had been the Pravda of MAGAland), insisted in a tweet that no deal had yet been made. But then he went on to sing the praises of DACA in a series of tweets, making it clear to all that he wants the Dreamers to be legalized and the DACA program made permanent.

In other words, he threw his biggest supporters under the Trump train.

Now I should say, I think Trump is right on the policy. It would be stupid and cruel to deport a bunch of people who came here as little kids and have since assimilated into the only country theyve ever known. A large majority of Americans, including a majority of Trump voters, agree with Trump (and Schumer and Pelosi) on the policy. A poll this week found that only 12 percent of registered voters want these people deported. Coulter and former Trump adviser (and current Breitbart publisher) Steve Bannon speak for that 12 percent.

The majority of immigration hawks, however, considered DACA to be the presidents most valuable negotiating chip. He could have gotten funding for the wall  or perhaps E-Verify, or portions of Sen. Tom Cottons immigration reform legislation, the RAISE Act  passed in exchange for making DACA permanent. Instead, the author of The Art of the Deal essentially tossed his best chip into the pot as if it were the ante.

This poses a crisis for two different kinds of Trump true believers.

The nationalists honestly believed he was one of them. Meanwhile, the super-fans honestly believed Trump was the greatest negotiator and strategist the world had ever seen. Both of these notions were delusions. Oh, Im sure Trump believes much of his America First talk, but thats talk.

What really matters to him is praise. It was only a matter of time before the moth flew to glow of public opinion.

The sad thing is that both delusions were obvious from the moment he descended his golden escalator at Trump Tower. It will be interesting to see how the true believers follow Otters advice and make the best of their foul-up.

Jonah Goldberg is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a senior editor of National Review. You can email him at goldbergcolumn@gmail.com.
Cool Planet Experiences head of public engagement Philip Smyth, design co-ordinator Sinead Crowley, and CEO Vicky Brown, who have launched a programme to help explain climate issues.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Cool Planet Experience are looking for one person in each county to become an advocate for halting global warming and helping to drive change.

The Irish Independent is media partner to the Cool Planet Experience (CPE), which due to open early next year. An interactive visitor experience located at the Powerscourt Estate in Co Wicklow, it will bring visitors on an innovative journey of climate change discovery in an interactive, engaging and fun way.

The aim is to enable everyone to see how they can play their part in transforming Ireland to a low-carbon society. Key backers include the ESB, the NTR Foundation, Vodafone, Siemens and Crowley Carbon.

The Cool Planet Champions programme will provide training in communications skills to help explain the problem facing Ireland and every country across the planet, and spur behavioural change.

In return, champions are expected to give 10 climate talks in their county, to schools, business or the general public.

The advocate training programme is the first of its kind in the country, and CEO Vicky Brown said it will include professional communications skills, a bespoke presentation, demonstration training, how to respond to questions and more.

Training will take place in Powerscourt on a weekend in November and will include accommodation and food.

Chief Climate Scientist at the EPA, Frank McGovern, said that general knowledge on climate change is relatively low in Ireland, which the initiative aims to address.
The chairwoman of the country's biggest independent radio group will this week meet Communication Minister Denis Naughton to voice concerns about the vulnerability of the sector to technology firms like Facebook and Google and potential new competition at home.

The chair of Communicorp, Lucy Gaffney, whose stations include Today fm, Newstalk, Spin and 98fm, sharply criticised the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) in June after it unexpectedly threw the market open for new entrants. The BAI licenses broadcasters, and has invited offers from stations interested in setting up in national or local markets. In response, Communicorp called for an independent economic evaluation of the radio sector, and sought the meeting with Mr Naughten, to discuss regulation and funding.
The majority of Irish consumers are in the dark about early exit penalties on household utility contracts and this could be costing people dearly.

An analysis of exit fees by price comparison site Switcher.ie shows that consumers face penalties of up to 300 for leaving a utility contract six months early.

But more than six out of 10 customers do not know that they will be penalised if they exit an electricity, gas or broadband contract early.

Around one in five consumers have been charged an exit fee in the past for getting out of a contract before the term is up, the Switcher.ie survey found.

These people ended up paying an average of 180 to get out of a contract.

Eoin Clarke of Switcher.ie urged consumers to take note of minimum terms, cooling-off periods and early exit fees.

Telecoms companies were found to be the worst offers. This is because it can be difficult to find the information on the websites of some of the providers.

Charges for cancelling telecoms contracts tend to be higher, reaching up to 300 for someone who cancels their contract with six months remaining.

Vodafone imposes an early-exit fee of 300 for cancelling its broadband deal six months before the end of the contract. A similar fee is imposed by broadband supplier Fastcom.

Unlike most energy deals, broadband, TV and phone plans often come with equipment such as set-top boxes, modems and handsets included.

Mr Clarke said this goes some way to explain the higher charges. Its also worth noting that early exit fees are waived in certain circumstances.

Energy companies usually charge 50 for cancelling a contract early.

From next month new rules being imposed by the energy regulator mean that energy suppliers will have to give consumers 30 days notice before they come to the end of their contract.

Mr Clarke said: Utility providers have an important role to play in ensuring that consumers are given clear and simple information about any early exit penalties.

He added that consumers can help themselves by making sure that they read and understand their utility contracts.

And they should not allow uncertainty about exit penalties to stop them from shopping around. Householders could lose out on hundreds of euro each year if they stick with a supplier or contract that is too expensive and does not meet their needs, the Switcher.ie managing director said.

Its vital that consumers have all the information they need to empower them to engage with the market, Mr Clarke added.
The former manager of bust Rush Credit Union has been prohibited from carrying out any management functions in any financial services firm.

The Central Bank issued the notice to Anne Butterly, banning her for an indefinite period.

The prohibition arises from a Central Bank investigation into Ms Butterly's involvement in unauthorised transactions on accounts at Rush Credit Union.

It comes after the credit union was placed into liquidation when an order was obtained by the Central Bank from the High Court.

In November, Mr Justice Peter Kelly granted an application to appoint liquidators to the failed lender.

Among the issues the High Court was told about were that there were 15 cars raffled but the winners could not be located. Some 221,000 was spent on vehicles between 2009 and 2016, the court was told.

Expand Close Anne Butterly, former manager of Rush Credit Union, who has been banned from carrying out certain management duties / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Anne Butterly, former manager of Rush Credit Union, who has been banned from carrying out certain management duties

There were also allegations that money was taken out of customer accounts without their consent.

The bust north County Dublin lender owed 2m more than its assets were worth.

A report by the Central Bank into the credit union, presented to the High Court, described it as "a failing institution with poor governance and systems and control issues that it has failed to resolve over many years".

The report also found that there was "a substantial purported misappropriation and issues regarding the management of the car draw".

Head of enforcement investigations in the Central Bank Brenda O'Neill said it had conducted a probe into Ms Butterly.

"In 2016, financial irregularities were identified at Rush Credit Union which contributed to it being placed into liquidation," she said.

"As a result of the identification of these irregularities, the Central Bank's enforcement division commenced investigations into various individuals, including Ms Butterly.

"The investigation into Ms Butterly has now concluded with the issue of a prohibition order of indefinite duration, which is the most serious possible outcome to a fitness and probity investigation."

Ms O'Neill said the outcome of the Central Bank probe shows its regulatory reach extends to individuals, and not just to firms.

"We take individual accountability very seriously and this case demonstrates our resolve to act where an individual's conduct falls below expected standards."

The case against Ms Butterly is now closed.

Other related investigations are ongoing, the Central Bank said.

The allegations of fraud at the former Rush Credit Union have been reported to gardai.

Ms Butterly is the third person to be banned from holding a position of responsibility in a finance firm in recent times.

Former director of a brokerage firm and Tipperary hurler Darren Gleeson was banned in May last year, while former insurance broker Collette Murphy of Roundwood, Co Wicklow, was banned in January this year.

Asked why similar sanctions were not brought against bankers, the Central Bank said an inquiry was ongoing into Irish Nationwide Building Society "and certain persons who were concerned in its management".

An inquiry into certain people in the management of Quinn Insurance was also ongoing, the regulator said.
Matt Cooper and Ivan Yates will co-anchor The Tonight Show, taking over the TV3 slot from Vincent Browne. Photo: Kip Carroll

So it was farewell to Vincent Browne and his Eyebrows of Incredulity. And a big hello to Matt and Ivan. Or was it Ivan and Matt?

In theory, the new presenters of the TV3 late night news broadcast formerly known as Tonight With Vincent Browne shared equal billing. Matt Coopers name was listed first on the TV3 website  but in the publicity photographs Ivan Yates outshone his co-host with his blinding beige suit.

Despite both being white middle class males of roughly the same age, Cooper and Yates had been plugged as a wee hours odd couple by TV3. Cooper would be the straight "newsman"  delivering the headlines yet generally keeping his opinions to himself.

Yates, by contrast, was to assume the role of the crotchety elderly uncle. He would speak his mind, regardless of how pointedly his venting jarred with polite consensus.

However, the antagonistic chemistry we were promised failed to manifest as Cooper and Yates kicked off with a faux-furious exchange about Donald Trump at the United Nations. Cooper argued against nuking North Korea, Yates, donning his contrarian cap, banged a drum for Trump. They were aiming for grand political theatre  but what we got was third rate panto.

Studio guests offered a mixed bag. The ghost of controversies past Eamon Dunphy was joined by comedian Al Porter, Fianna Fail TD Lisa Chambers and Employment and Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty. A debate about the housing crisis lurched from talking points by the politicians to populist bromides by the other panelists. Inevitably they were all soon jabbering over one another.

With Browne exiting the producers have taken the opportunity to freshen the format.

The studio had been spruced up and there was a greater use on video clips. So it was a shame the makeover didn't extend to the presenters' outfits. Cooper's purple shirt appeared, for instance, to have been trampled underfoot before he'd donned it.

The two new hosts are competitors on radio, with Coopers The Last Word now up against Yates new Newstalk evening slot.

But any rivalry was left at the door as The Tonight Show got off to the meekest of starts.

We'd been promised strong personalities delivering unvarnished truths. What we got were two sweaty debutantes attempting to conjure contentiousness out of thin air.

Somewhere offscreen Vincent was surely rolling his eyes.
A self-employed counsellor and faith healer has told the Charleton tribunal of the night he was called to the home of a garda whistleblower in Churchill, Co Donegal in April 2013.

The tribunal is looking at contacts between gardai and Tusla in relation to Garda Keith Harrison.

Jim Quinn said he had been at the Golden Grill in Letterkenny, dealing with a young man who was intoxicated, when he got a call from Garda Keith Harrison saying he had had "a bit of a tiff" with his partner, Marisa Simms.

In a statement to gardai in October 2013, Marisa Simms said Keith Harrison had been "roaring and shouting" and banged the car dashboard with his fist as they drove home after a night out. She said she "was frightened of him at this stage and he was in a complete out-of-control rage."

Later, after Ms Simms went to bed, she said Garda Harrison "pulled the quilt off me and grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the bed and told me to get out of the house. I tried to reason and said I wouldn't get a taxi."

Ms Simms said in her statement that she had pleaded with Garda Harrison that she was in her pyjamas, but that he pushed her out the door "all the time shouting and roaring".

She then rang her mother, who was in Mayo, and subsequently rang Mr Quinn, who came to collect her outside the door.

Mr Quinn said he did not recall this, and said the phone call he had received was from Garda Harrison.

"I can't recall any of that, I swear on my oath I can't recall that," he said. "I understand what you're telling me, but nothing like that happened."

Mr Quinn said when he arrived in Churchill, Garda Harrison met him at the front door, shook his hand, and thanked him for coming to take Marisa back to her mother's home in Raphoe.

He said Ms Simms had been dressed in pyjamas.

"She wasn't distressed, she had alcohol taken, she had a glass of red wine in her hand, Keith had a drink," Mr Quinn said.

"Marisa was quite willing to stay on that night, but she was under instructions, her mother wanted her to go home that night," he said. "She had her pyjamas on her, she was set to go home on the instructions of her mother."

Mr Quinn said no Garda or social worker had contacted him about the incident until the tribunal investigators spoke to him earlier this year.

Tribunal chairman Mr Justice Peter Charleton asked lawyers for Ms Simms to seek instructions as to why Ms Simms had later withdrawn her statement, and what had happened on the night in question. Mr Quinn will be recalled to give further evidence this afternoon.
A creche owner has told the High Court that her business partner tried to push her out of a new venture they had hoped to establish together.

Michelle Keegan, who runs a successful creche in Swords, said she entered into partnership with Audrey Ayers with a view to setting up a similar childcare facility in Portland Street North in central Dublin.

She told the court a rift developed between them, culminating in an incident last month when Ayers tried to lock her into the creche from the outside.

Ms Keegan, of Holywell Green, Swords, Co Dublin, brought High Court proceedings Tuesday against Ms Ayers of Abbeyvale Close, Swords Manor, seeking to restrain her from attending at the proposed creche.

Mr Justice Anthony Barr granted the injunction and also restrained Ayers from carrying out any renovation works at the site. Ayers was also restrained from using promotional material which Keegan claimed was her intellectual property.

Keegan, who represented herself in court, said in a sworn statement that she had been approached by Ayers about going into business together and setting up a new creche. A site had been identified at Bakers Yard, Portland Street North, Dublin 1.

She said that after obtaining a loan it had been hoped to open the business by the end of June last but significant works had needed to be carried out and a contractor, who Keegan claimed had links to Ms Ayers's partner, went on site to do the work.

Ms Keegan, who took the proceedings ex parte in the absence of Ms Ayers, said she felt abandoned by Ayers who had spent a lengthy part of the summer on holidays in Lanzarote while she had been left to carry out extensive paper work as well as supervise construction.

She told Judge Barr that it had been hoped to open the creche early September but this had proved impossible due to, what she described as, poor workmanship by the contractor.

Keegan claimed in court that walls had not been properly constructed, doors had not been hung properly, floor slabs on corridors were unstable and the plumbing leaked. She had removed the contractor in late August while electrical works continued by an electrician who, Keegan alleged, was a cousin of Ms Ayers.

Judge Barr heard that Ms Ayers was livid with Ms Keegans decisions and relations between the two deteriorated. When locks on doors were changed Ms Keegan had not been given keys despite asking Ayers for copies.

On one occasion Ayers had asked her to leave the site and when she had refused to go Ayers had tried to lock her in. Keegan claimed this incident had been filmed by Ayers partner on a mobile phone and she had felt intimidated by it.

Ms Keegan told the court she has no access to the building and despite peace talks there had been no offer by Ayers to buy out her half share in the venture. She claimed she was being pushed out of the business by Ayers and others and she feared for her reputation.

She said she was now suffering from stress and feared she would be made liable for loans obtained to establish the creche. She also feared if Ayers was left in charge there would be a risk to the fabric and integrity of the building in which the creche is located.

Granting Ms Keegan the injunctions, Judge Barr said it appeared from the evidence put before the court that the relationship between the business partners had "irrevocably broken down."

He adjourned the case to Thursday's sitting of the High Court.
Two farmers claimed before the High Court that they have been "bullied, intimidated and threatened" by agents of billionaire businessmen brothers Luke and Brian Comer over five acres of land in north Co Dublin.

Rory Bridgette and Albert Murphy have used lands at Cloghran, Swords, near Dublin Airport, for grazing their horses and ponies since they went into occupation of the property in 2003. They fenced off the five acres, which are owned by Hugh Byrne. Mr Byrne, they claim, knew they put their horses on the land but never tried to put them off the land.

In late August and early September of this year, the two farmers say they were contacted by a man called 'Paul' who said he was "from the Comer brothers".

He said the brothers owned the lands and told the farmers to remove the animals.

Mr Bridgette, from Sandy Hill Way, Ballymun, and Mr Murphy, from Furry Park, Cloghran, told 'Paul' the lands were theirs and they were not going anywhere. The farmers say a large mound of soil was dumped in the laneway leading to the lands, preventing access.

The court was told the matter was reported to gardai, who were investigating, and the farmers brought High Court proceedings against Leixlip-based firm Sainfoin Property Company, of which Luke and Brian Comer are directors.

Barrister Michael Ronayne, who appeared with John Geary of JV Geary Solicitors, secured temporary injunctions for the two farmers restraining "the Comer's company and their agents from continuing to threaten, interfere with or trespass on the lands at Turnapin, Cloghran, Swords, Co Dublin".

The defendant company and its agent are also prohibited from removing, storing, moving or selling any livestock or animals on the lands.

The interim injunctions were granted, on an ex-parte basis where only one side was present in court, by Mr Justice Anthony Barr.

Seeking the orders, Mr Ronayne said his clients had been in possession of the lands since 2003. He said the two farmers had been "bullied, intimidated and threatened" by the Comers' agents. Counsel said when the farmers' solicitor Mr Geary had written to the defendant company asking it to desist no formal response had been forthcoming, leaving the two farmers no option other than to seek an injunction from the court.

Mr Ronayne added that the Comer brothers "are not millionaires but are billionaires" and had extensive interests in hotels, property and bloodstock in Ireland, the UK and Europe.

Mr Justice Barr made the matter returnable to a sitting of the High Court later this week.
Ciaran Ryan (23) can now be identified as the man who is alleged to have had a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition that were seized by gardai on a train at Connolly Station in July.

A judge has lifted a gagging order that had banned the media from naming a man accused of carrying a loaded gun on a Dublin to Belfast train.

Ciaran Ryan (23) can now be identified as the man who is alleged to have had a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition that were seized by gardai on a train at Connolly Station in July.

Judge Victor Blake said he was lifting the reporting ban following an application by the news media, after Mr Ryans solicitor could provide no legal basis for its continuation.

Judge Blake said he was allowing publication of Mr Ryan's name because justice must be administered in public, under the Irish Constitution.

This follows a similar move by Judge Alan Mitchell, who last month ruled that the press could identify co-accused Nikita Murtagh (20), a mother-of-one alleged to have handed Mr Ryan the gun and ammunition.

Both defendants had been subject of a gagging order imposed by Judge Gerard Jones after they were first arrested and brought to court in July.

Their solicitors had sought those orders for safety concerns and repeatedly opposed the medias requests in court to have them lifted.

The case against Mr Ryan was adjourned today for the directions of the DPP to be made available, while Ms Murtagh will be sent for trial when a book of evidence is ready.

Mr Ryan, from Summerhill and Ms Murtagh, from Mariners Port, both in the north inner city, are each charged with three firearms offences - unlawful possession of a CZ model semi-automatic pistol with two rounds of 7.65 Browning calibre ammunition and one shotgun cartridge.

The offences are alleged to have happened at Connolly Station on July 19.

The pair have been refused bail and are currently in custody.

Today, Detective Garda Gary Dunne of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau told Cloverhill District Court the directions of the DPP were not yet available.

He said a file had been sent to the DPP and he was seeking a further remand.

Defence solicitor Miska Hanahoe said the case had been before the court since July 21 and asked Judge Blake to consider the issue of jurisdiction, to decide whether the case was to be sent forward to a higher court.

Its a matter that is only going in one direction, she said.

Ms Hanahoe said the co-accused had been before Judge Mitchell, who refused jurisdiction in her case and adjourned it for the service of a book of evidence.

Judge Blake said he would not consider jurisdiction today and said he was remanding Mr Ryan in custody to appear in court again on October 10.

Judge Blake then said an issue had arisen in relation to Judge Jones having inserted reporting restrictions.

A query had been raised by the media and its been raised correctly about why reporting restrictions should prevail.

He asked on what basis the defence was still requesting reporting restrictions.

Ms Hanahoe said she was aware reporting restrictions were lifted for the co-accused but argued there was a slight difference in her clients case.

Judge Blake asked what her basis in law was for requesting continuation of the reporting ban for her client.

Can you refer to any statute or any legislation or any case law? he asked.

Ms Hanahoe said she could not and that she believed it was at the judges discretion.

In the circumstances, then, according to our Constitution, justice has to be administered in public and the reporting restriction order is lifted as of today, Judge Blake said.

Ms Hanahoe asked the judge to reconsider and referred to the Bail Act.

Judge Blake said he was allowing todays proceedings to be reported on, and going forward from today.

Mr Ryan, dressed in black, sat smiling during much of the hearing.

Both accused face a maximum potential sentence of 14 years in prison if they are convicted.
A garda whistleblower used the Pulse system more than 30 times to look up his partner's details after an anonymous letter led to a HSE inquiry into the welfare of her children, the Charleton tribunal has heard.

Garda Keith Harrison used the Garda computer system to check on Marisa Simms in the wake of the allegations in early 2012. In its current module, the tribunal is looking at contacts between gardai and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in relation to Gda Harrison.

Retired chief superintendent James Sheridan said that after he received reports of "a multiplicity of checks" he issued a directive on data protection to all officers in the region, and met with Gda Harrison. Mr Sheridan said Gda Harrison assured him the checks would stop. Senior counsel Mark Harty, for Gda Harrison, said the figure of "over 30" Pulse checks was inaccurate, and at the time in question there were 22 checks, dating from 2007.

He said Gda Harrison made the majority of checks to see who else was making entries relating to Ms Simms, and "he believed at the time that they were under surveillance, both he and Ms Simms".

Asked by the chairman, Mr Justice Peter Charleton, if Gda Harrison was under surveillance, Mr Sheridan replied: "Absolutely not."

Mr Sheridan said that in March 2011, he was informed of an incident in Churchill involving Gda Harrison's partner and her ex-husband, as a result of which he met with Gda Harrison.

Gda Harrison had travelled to Churchill in a Garda car while off-duty, because of the incident. Gda Harrison's partner was a sister of Martin McDermott, who was later convicted of the manslaughter of Garda Gary McLoughlin following a high-speed car chase.

Gda Harrison had not previously informed his superiors of this connection to the man facing charges relating to the homicide of a local garda.

Mr Sheridan said that while Gda Harrison's partner was not in any way responsible for the actions of her brother, he had to "manage the circumstances", and arranged to have Gda Harrison transferred away from Buncrana to Donegal town.

Mr Sheridan said he rejected utterly assertions by Gda Harrison relating to the meeting. "To say that I was angry or treated him in any way disrespectfully is a gross misrepresentation of how that meeting was conducted," Mr Sheridan said.

Meanwhile, retired Garda Sergeant Daniel Devlin told the tribunal the death of Gda McLoughlin had "a devastating effect" on officers in Buncrana, Co Donegal. Mr Devlin said he learned in March 2011 about the connection between McDermott and Gda Harrison.

"It was only a few weeks before the trial. Emotions in the unit were a bit taut at that time," Mr Devlin said. Mr Devlin said that Gda Harrison made an address to gardai at the station after the connection emerged.

"He in a way maybe was apologising for not disclosing it earlier," Mr Devlin said. Mr Devlin said he was not aware of Gda Harrison being victimised in any way. The tribunal resumes today.
Ibrahim Halawa said his four years in an Egyptian prison had been a "painful journey" and thanked his supporters for standing by him.

The Government is considering hiring a private jet to fly Ibrahim Halawa home to Ireland as quickly as possible.

Diplomats efforts are underway to ensure a "swift and smooth" journey home for the Dubliner.

Officials could not say how much a jet might cost but it is likely to be tens of thousands of Euro.

A government spokesperson today credited Mr Halawas acquittal to the "campaigning and lobbying" by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Expand Close Sisters of Ibrahim Halawa, from left, Fatima, Omaima and Somaia, celebrate the news their brother had been acquitted, at the family home in Firhouse, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Sisters of Ibrahim Halawa, from left, Fatima, Omaima and Somaia, celebrate the news their brother had been acquitted, at the family home in Firhouse, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney

However, he denied that Ireland sought to influence the Egyptian judicial process.

The spokesperson said "no formal deal" was done with the authorities but said Mr Halawas case was "raised repeatedly to an unprecedented level".

Expand Close Ibrahim Halawa celebrates moments after his acquittal of various charges at the Wadi el-Natrun prison outside Cairo yesterday. Photo: Declan Walsh/The New York Times/Redux / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Ibrahim Halawa celebrates moments after his acquittal of various charges at the Wadi el-Natrun prison outside Cairo yesterday. Photo: Declan Walsh/The New York Times/Redux

Officials are now engaged in talks with Egyptian diplomats about the quickest way of getting the Dubliner home.
Gardai at the scene of the shooting

A fitness instructor has become the latest murder victim shot dead as part of a bloody west Dublin feud.

The man, named locally as John Gibson (29), was gunned down in a car park in Fortunestown Lane, Tallaght, Dublin 24, shortly before 9.20pm last night.

Gibson was close friends with Darragh Nugent (36), who was shot dead in west Dublin last week. Both murdered men were associated with jailed hit man James 'Nellie' Walsh.

Gardai believe the murders of Nugent and Gibson were carried out by a west Dublin crime group who are intent on "wiping out" jailed 'Nellie' Walsh's gang.

The organised crime gang suspected of carrying out the murder on Gibson have links to the Kinahan cartel and are considered among the largest drug distributors in west Dublin.

It is understood Gibson was blasted a number of times as he sat in his vehicle outside a fast-food restaurant in the Fortunestown Lane area.

A gunman, who was driven to the scene in a van, fired a number of shots at Gibson, who then attempted to flee the vehicle before being shot several more times. He suffered at least one catastrophic gunshot wound to the head and another three to the body.

Gibson was brought to Tallaght Hospital, but was pronounced dead a short time later.

A van was later recovered burnt out in the Tallaght area. A magazine clip was also recovered in the front seat of the vehicle.

The scene was sealed off surrounding an Eddie Rockets restaurant at Citywest Shopping Centre some 50 metres from the incident, with the Garda armed response unit and Traffic Corps on the scene.

Around 20 locals - mainly children - stood in eerie silence late into the night staring at the bullet ridden car window behind Garda tape.

Gardai are treating it as the fourth murder linked to the bitter west Dublin feud, which has escalated in the last fortnight.

Gibson had a number of minor previous convictions, including one for simple possession of drugs when he was caught with three ecstasy tablets in Swords, last year.
The brother of missing woman Fiona Pender has vowed to continue the search for her body as he mourns the recent loss of his mother.

Josephine Pender, a staunch campaigner, passed away after a lengthy battle with illness this afternoon, just three weeks after the 21st anniversary of her daughter Fiona's disappearance.

Fiona was seven months pregnant when she went missing from her flat on Church Street, Tullamore, Co Offaly on August 23, 1996.

Her brother John (34) has now vowed to work to bring her killer to justice and has promised to continue the work of his mother who he says was his "hero".

Expand Close Missing woman Fiona Pender's brother John (34) vows to work to bring her killer to justice / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Missing woman Fiona Pender's brother John (34) vows to work to bring her killer to justice

"This is not over until Fiona is found its that simple. The time it takes makes no difference. Now that my mother has passed away it's only re-enforced the will to find Fiona and just as important bring a murderer who thinks he is gotten away with it scot-free [to justice]," he told Independent.ie.

"It is my time do what I can do for our this cause as I do not stand alone.

Read More

"I have a convoy of good-hearted people here for me , just a phone call away," he added.

"I have great support on a local and national level."

Expand Close Missing: Fiona Pender / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Missing: Fiona Pender

Mr Pender recalled the moment he discovered his sister is missing.

"It was a state of shock and belief. I was in shock and so were the rest of the family, it felt unreal as we started the search for her. We were hopeful at first that there was some normal explanation for her disappearance. Hope is very hard thing to quench but as time went by the reality dawned on all of us that something very wrong with 'our Fi'," he said.

"I remember the last time we spoke together before she was taken so cruelly from us...She sent me to the shop for a copy book and pen. I said my goodbye and rubbed her belly wished her well and that was the last time we spoke," he added.

John said it would take "nothing more than an animal to kill a mother and baby"

"As a family we have always supported the garda investigation and their conclusion to who the chief suspect was."

His older sister was "great fun to be around".

"She always remained bright and bubbly even through tough times in her life she was so down to earth and easy to talk to," Mr Pender said.

"Looking back her only fault I can honestly say is that she didn't have enough confidence in herself for such an attractive girl.

"I only started to realised how attractive she was - when I went into town with her and so many people would stop to talk to her and give her big hello - mostly boys - but she had no airs or graces about her," he said.

Mr Pender said he wanted to "send gratitude everyone have helped to try and solve the countless cases of the missing people of Ireland".

"So much more needs to be done for their memories and families left behind. I am appealing for a full re-investigation of my own sister's case as I believe time makes no difference, patience is needed and things are just beginning with Fiona's case," he said.

Fionas boyfriend at the time, John Thompson, was previously identified by gardai as a suspect in the case but has consistently denied having any involvement with the disappearance.

Thompson was arrested and questioned by gardai in April 1997 but was later released without charge.

In a newspaper interview after his arrest, Thompson said he last saw Fiona in their flat in Church Street on August 23, 1996 when he left for work at 6am.

He also said she could not have disappeared from a busy town without being seen by someone.
Private sector rents soared by 6.6pc in the year up until June, according to a new report.

At the end of June the nationalised average standard rent was 1,017, up 63 compared to 954 year-on-year.

The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) released their Q2 2017 Rent Index today, which shows that while quarter-on-quarter growth was relatively flat in the first three months of this year, this accelerated between April and the end of June.

Dublin is still our largest rental market and demand is particularly high, with rent now 10.8pc above the previous peak in the last three months of 2007.

This was mainly driven by the cost of renting an apartment, which increased by 4.4pc quarter-on-quarter, while privately leasing a house in Dublin grew by 0.9pc.

Outside of the capital rents are now 3.8pc below their 2007 peak levels.

The average cost of rent in Dublin grew by 3.3pc between April and June compared to January and March this year.

Read More

The report is compiled by the RTB in conjunction with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and is based on the actual rents being paid for over 19,000 new tenancies registered with the RTB during that quarter.

Expand Close Stock Image / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Stock Image

Following the introduction of Rent Pressure Zones (RPZ) by the Government last December the main index is compiled using the rents registered with the RTB for each Local Electoral Area.

According to the latest index two more LEAs meet the criteria to be classified as Rent Pressure Zones, before this there were 19 - including four in Dublin and also Cork City.

Ms Rosalind Carroll, Director of the RTB, said: The findings for the second quarter of this year are a further reflection of the ongoing pressure in the rental sector as demand continues to outstrip supply, and with two further areas meeting the RPZ criteria.

"These results reflect the second quarter since RPZs were first introduced. It is still too early to identify trends from these results, particularly in such a volatile market with restricted supply.

"Annually in the Dublin market we have had 3 quarters showing decline in the annual rate of growth from 8.5pc to 6.4pc and 5.8pc respectively.

"However, we did see quarter on quarter growth of 3.3pc in Quarter 2 in Dublin and we would have liked to have seen more evidence of further dampening of the market."

Read More

Ms Carroll also issued some advice for renters who may be working about their rent being hiked.

She said: We would encourage any existing, or new tenants, who are faced with increases over and above the 4% cap to refer a dispute to the RTB, and the same advice applies to tenants entering a new tenancy.

"Even if a tenant has agreed to a rent in excess of the limit and signed a tenancy agreement, they are still protected under the law; they cannot contract out their rights.

"If a landlord has been found not to have not adhered to the limits, it can have significant consequences and damages of up to 20,000 can be awarded as well as repayment of the additional rent. Cases can be referred to the RTB up to six years after the tenancy was in place.
 



Our Divisions

Copyright  2022-23 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved

This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics.
An inmate has died after being found unresponsive in an Irish prison, it has been confirmed.

Sources have said that the deceased man is Thomas Stokes (23), who was jailed for four and a half years in February for robbery and possession of an imitation weapon.

A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service told Independent.ie that the man received medical attention in Wheatfield Prison before he was transferred to hospital over the weekend.

He said: "The inmate became unwell on Saturday morning and received medical attention from prison staff.

"He was transferred to hospital and we learned on Sunday that he had passed away."

The spokesman said that as per standard procedure when an inmate dies, separate investigations have been launched by the IPS and An Garda Siochana.
A devoted mum was stunned to learn that a persistent mouth ulcer was actually terminal cancer.

Caroline Sweeney (37) is undergoing palliative chemotherapy but her family is looking for pioneering alternative treatments in the hope it'll give her more time with her daughters, Jamie (8) and Zara (3).

Caroline's sister Michelle told Independent.ie: "Caroline had a mouth ulcer for about four months and she was treating it at home homeopathically and with all different alternatives before she went to her doctor in June 2016.

"Her GP was really unhappy with what she found and she referred her to see an expert in head and neck cancer in Cork University Hospital, he was able to confirm straight away that it was tongue cancer after he did a biopsy.

"He was surprised at the aggressiveness of it and opted for her to have part of tongue removed so they could manage it, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

"In December last year an MRI confirmed that a tumor had grown in the same area and she had to get her whole tongue removed to save her life.

"She had it removed in January alongside some lymph nodes, she was told the chances of her talking or eating were very slim but she has done remarkably well since then.

"She surprised everyone with what she can do in terms of swallowing and speech."

Expand Close Caroline Sweeney is fighting cancer / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Caroline Sweeney is fighting cancer

Read More

Caroline, who is from Macroom in Cork, had another MRI in May which was clear, but a follow-up scan in August showed that there was a recurrent tumor in her neck.

Michelle (35) said they are determined not to give up.

She said: "Caroline was told it was an aggressive form of cancer and they could only offer her palliative chemo, she was basically told to get her affairs in order.

"So she's doing the palliative chemo right now but we're looking at alternatives in Germany.

"We haven't confirmed anything as of yet but we are looking at three clinics and are hoping to have a plan in place by the end of this week.

"The most important thing for her is that she's fighting this battle for her two babies, she wants to be here for them.

"We're fundraising online for the treatment because it isn't available in Ireland."

Michelle, who is from Macroom in Cork, has spoken candidly about how tough the past year has been.

She said: "It's been a horrible 16 months for her and in that time she buried two members of her family, so it's been a very difficult year.

"Our father passed away in October and her mother-in-law died as well this year.

"It's been very hard but her mind is strong and she's remarkable so all we can do is stand tall behind her and let her know she has our support and has the best treatment available."

Read More

Michelle also stressed the importance of people being aware of the symptoms of head and neck cancers.

She said: "It's unbelievable, we want to raise awareness of this.

"It's so important that people who have mouth ulcers that don't go away get them checked out.

"Many of us fob mouth ulcers off as being caused by not eating healthy, or being run down or stressed, she's obviously disappointed that she didn't see her doctor sooner but all we can do is look forward.

"She had always been fit and well, never smoked, she would only drink sociably on the odd occasion and had never really been sick before this, there was just no indicator that anything was wrong.

"It's an aggressive form of cancer so I don't know if it would have made a huge difference but people should know that it is one of the symptoms of head and neck cancers."

For more information or to donate please visit here.
Public servants face having their pay increments frozen and will not get wage hikes worth more than 7pc if they take industrial action after rejecting a new Government deal.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe issued the warning as teacher unions - who are out in the cold on the deal - consider industrial action.

Sources revealed that officials have privately warned Garda representatives, whose members have not finished balloting, that their increments will not be paid from January 1 if they fail to accept the deal.

Mr Donohoe set out his ground rules for engagement with unions just hours after the majority backed the 'stability' agreement yesterday. The pact extends the Lansdowne Road Agreement up to 2020.

Under the deal, 73pc of the country's 300,000-plus State workers will get a pay boost of 7pc or more between next year and 2020, at a cost of 1.1bn.

However, many will make a higher contribution towards their pensions as a levy imposed during the financial crisis will be kept fully in place for some, and partly for others.

Increments

In relation to the status of increments, Mr Donohoe said that "the benefits in this agreement will be made available to those who are inside the agreement".

"I and the Government have upheld that principle in relation to the Lansdowne Road Agreement, and we will continue to uphold it in relation to this new agreement," he said.

"So matters such as increments and any other matters will be dealt with in the context of that spirit."

He said he will recommend how this is done to his Government colleagues when all unions have finished balloting.

It is understood that the pay threat applies to those who take industrial action - which is seen as 'repudiating' the deal - rather than those who simply 'reject' it but do not walk off the job.

Unite, for example, has consistently rejected Government deals but accepted the majority union decision, which means its members still get the wage hikes.

However, there remains dissent among the three teacher unions, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) and the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI). The agreement's failure to end two-tier pay rates is at the root of this dispute.

Staff recruited in the last six years get lower pay for the first few years than their colleagues who joined prior to 2011. The first point on their pay scale is more than 33,000.

The TUI, which rejected the deal, has warned it will not be bound by the collective decision and has a mandate for industrial action.

But yesterday it softened its position by calling for talks on pay equality.

The INTO, whose members rejected the deal, said its executive will meet later this week to consider the collective union verdict. General secretary Sheila Nunan also called for immediate talks.

The ASTI will ballot its members next month.
DFB tend to a fire at Tyronne Place, where a woman and three children were injured. Picture: Arthur Carron

DFB tend to a fire at Tyronne Place, where a woman and three children were injured. Picture: Arthur Carron

DFB tend to a fire at Tyronne Place, where a woman and three children were injured. Picture: Arthur Carron

DFB tend to a fire at Tyronne Place, where a woman and three children were injured. Picture: Arthur Carron

Three young children and a woman in her 30s were hospitalised after a serious fire broke out in an apartment complex in Inchicore, Dublin last night.

A Dublin Fire Brigade spokesman told Independent.ie that two of the children  a seven-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy  are in serious condition in hospital.

The 13-year-old boy and a 30-year-old female are being treated for burns in hospital.

The fire broke out at 11.15pm last night at the Tyrone Place complex.

5 fire engines & 5 ambulances are attending a domestic #fire in #Inchicore, 3 people have been rescued. Units from D'Barn & Tara St on scene pic.twitter.com/IIQ5SQpZwP  Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) September 18, 2017

Five Dublin Fire Brigade tenders, one area ladder, five ambulances and DFB advance paramedics attended the scene.

DFB units from both Dolphin's Bar and Tara Street attended the scene.

Expand Close DFB tend to a fire at Tyronne Place, where a woman and three children were injured. Picture: Arthur Carron / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp DFB tend to a fire at Tyronne Place, where a woman and three children were injured. Picture: Arthur Carron

The victims of the fire were rushed to Crumlin Childrens Hospital, Temple Street Childrens Hospital and St Jamess Hospital.

More to follow
Ryan Phillippe attends the 2013 Maui Film Festival At Wailea on June 13, 2013 in Wailea, Hawaii. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Maui Film Festival)

Ryan Phillippe's ex-girlfriend has accused him of kicking and punching her in a drug-fuelled assault which she claims happened over the summer.

Model Elsie Hewitt (21) dated the actor for four months and filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging the Shooter star threw her down the stairs "like a doll" on July 3. In the court documents, she accuses him of becoming violent after he left a party early after "being ignored by Hewitt". She has provided pictures of bruising, which she says are from injuries sustained after he threw her down the stairs.

Expand Close Model Elsie Hewitt. Picture: Instagram / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Model Elsie Hewitt. Picture: Instagram

She also claims he abused drugs during their time together, alleging he "repeatedly abusing a panoply of legal and illegal drugs, including without limitation: cocaine, ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms, and steroidsPhillippe increasingly combined these drugs with excessive alcohol consumption and often exhibited symptoms attendant of poly drug and alcohol abuse, including mood swings and bouts of anger."

"He grabbed Hewitts upper arm so tightly that his grip left heavy bruises on her arm hours later. He then braced his body and violently threw her down his staircase as hard as he could."

Phillippe (43), who was married to Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon for eight years and has two children with the star, has not publicly commented on the civil suit, but an insider has denied the claims. "Ryan did not lay a hand on her. He wants to clear all of this up and he will," a source told People.

"There is no restraining order presently in place of any kind. At the time it happened, there was a temporary which was terminated only a few days after. She has since tried to seek revenge and fame by sending glamour shots of herself to media outlets with a false story of domestic violence."

An LAPD spokesperson confirmed an emergency barring order was given, but it expired on July 12.

Hewitt's attorney Keith Fink said neither he nor his client were taking payment for the case and plan on donating any potential winnings to a domestic violence charity. In response to claims she was seeking fame, he said she has recognition on her own, blasting Phillippe as someone who was "just married to a famous person".

Expand Close Actors Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon who divorced in 2007 / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Actors Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon who divorced in 2007

The Los Angeles City Attorney is currently investigating a potential criminal case in addition to the civil suit, in which she is seeking $1 million.
King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands arrive at the Ridderzaal with the Glass Coach during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands in the Glass Coach during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

Dutch King Willem-Alexander delivers his 'Speech from the Throne' next to Queen Maxima in the Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall), during 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) in The Hague on September 19, 2017

Dutch Princess Laurentien waves from a Carriage during the 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) at the Binnenhof in The Hague on September 19, 2017

Dutch Princess Beatrix waves from the Carriage of the King during the 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) in The Hague on September 19, 2017

(L-R) Netherland's King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Princess Laurentien and Prince Constantijn wave to the crowd from the balcony of the Palace Noordeinde during 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) in The Hague on September 19, 2017

King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands of the Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

Your new style crush is back.

The Netherlands' Queen Maxima made a fashionable turn at the Palace Noordeinde today with her husband King Willem-Alexander and select members of the royal family today. The palace has been home to the king since he ascended the throne in 2013 and is where he conducts most of his business.

Expand Close King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands arrive at the Ridderzaal with the Glass Coach during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands arrive at the Ridderzaal with the Glass Coach during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

The mother-of-three, originally from Argentina, made a splash in an elegant ensemble, comprising of a dramatic grey lace gown with sheer panelling, accessorsing with a ceremonial sash and a tiara.

The royals were guests of honour for Prinsjesdag, the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year, at The Hague. The Dutch king praised the economic bounce-back, forecasting growth of 3.3% this year.

"After a number of difficult years we are again seeing a flourishing economy and healthy public finances," he told parliament. "But not everyone is feeling the impact of this economic growth sufficiently in their daily lives. It is important that more people profit from this prosperity."

Palace Noordeinde is one of three official palaces run by the Dutch royal family, who also count The Royal Palace in Amsterdam and Huis ten Bosch in their property portfolio.

Expand Close Dutch King Willem-Alexander delivers his 'Speech from the Throne' next to Queen Maxima in the Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall), during 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) in The Hague on September 19, 2017 / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Dutch King Willem-Alexander delivers his 'Speech from the Throne' next to Queen Maxima in the Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall), during 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) in The Hague on September 19, 2017

On a day of pageantry and tight security, Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima rode in a horse-drawn carriage from the Noordeinde Palace to Parliament and back again. Thousands of people lined the route to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.

Police installed temporary barriers to block roads near the route and officers patrolled the city as crowds, many wearing orange hats and scarves, cheered the royals.

Expand Close Dutch Princess Laurentien waves from a Carriage during the 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) at the Binnenhof in The Hague on September 19, 2017 / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Dutch Princess Laurentien waves from a Carriage during the 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) at the Binnenhof in The Hague on September 19, 2017

Pauline Krikke, the mayor of The Hague, told Dutch broadcaster NOS that her city was "taking appropriate measures, both visible and invisible" to boost security.

Willem-Alexander also used the speech to offer support to the Caribbean territories of St Maarten, Saba and St Eustatius after they were devastated this month by Hurricane Irma.

Video of the Day

The territories were braced on Tuesday for another category five storm, Hurricane Maria, to pass.

"The government will do all in its power to alleviate the islands' acute distress," Willem-Alexander said.

Expand Close King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde during Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prinsjesdag is the annual opening of the Dutch Parliamentary year. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

"The Caribbean part of the kingdom will not stand alone as it faces the task of reconstruction."
Vogue Williams attends the Julien Macdonald show during London Fashion Week September 2017 on September 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/BFC/Getty Images for The British Fashion Council)

A model presents a creation by British designer Julien Macdonald during a catwalk show for the Spring/Summer 2018 collection on the fourth day of The London Fashion Week Women's in London on September 18, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / NIKLAS HALLE'NNIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images

Vogue Williams outside House of Holland during London Fashion Week September 2017 on September 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images)

Vogue Williams attends the Paul Costelloe catwalk show during London Fashion Week at The Waldorf London on September 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Vogue Williams attends the House of Holland show during London Fashion Week September 2017 on September 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Darren Gerrish/WireImage)

A model walks the runway at the Paul Costelloe presentation during London Fashion Week September 2017 on September 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/BFC/Getty Images for The British Fashion Council)

Vogue Williams took centre stage at Irish designer Paul Costelloe's much-awaited showing at London Fashion Week.

The tv presenter (31) was the guest of honour, given the task of closing Monday's presentation at The Waldorf Hilton Hotel, in one that attracted one of the biggest Irish audiences. Williams first shot to fame as a model in Dublin, but never did runway work and instead made a name for herself with promotional work during the Celtic Tiger before moving into television and now enjoys a successful career on the small screen both in the UK and Ireland.

Expand Close Vogue Williams attends the Paul Costelloe catwalk show during London Fashion Week at The Waldorf London on September 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Vogue Williams attends the Paul Costelloe catwalk show during London Fashion Week at The Waldorf London on September 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

She described the runway show as an "absolute dream", being given a variety of looks that showcased Costelloe's Spring/Summer '18 collection - filled with dreamy pastels and bold prints that will have you hoping to fast forward to knit layers of autumn and winter straight to next season. The vintage inspiration of the collection was apparent with colourful drop earrings and dramatic eye makeup in the vein of Twiggy's iconic dark mascara.

It seems like the fashion world has been taking note of Williams, who is dating Spencer Matthews, who just happens to count Pippa Middleton as a sister-in-law. She has been a FROW seat of choice at the Julien McDonald and House of Holland shows this week and nabbed a sponsorship deal for her Instagram account.

But yesterday was all about Costelloe, the famously outspoken designer from Limerick, who counted Princess Diana as one of his biggest champions in the '90s and still enjoys in-demand status with the British royal family. After taking a break from showing at LFW, he has once again earned a place at the top of fashionistas' front row wishlists and holds a particular penchant for Irish stars cracking the market across the water.

Former Made in Chelsea star Nicola Hughes, sporting a new orange hairdo, was among the guests and in previous years, Storm Keating, Una Healy and Laura Whitmore all enjoyed their place there, but none moreso than Vogue.

Expand Close Vogue Williams outside House of Holland during London Fashion Week September 2017 on September 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Vogue Williams outside House of Holland during London Fashion Week September 2017 on September 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images)
The killings took place during the conflict in Bosnia

Forensic experts have retrieved the remains of at least 65 victims from a mass grave in central Bosnia, the site of one of the most gruesome crimes of the country's 1992-95 war.

Lejla Cengic from Bosnia's Missing Persons Institute said on Tuesday that remains including 65 skulls have been found since September 7 in the grave at the Koricanske Stijene cliff near Mount Vlasic.

She said they were believed to belong to some of over 220 non-Serb civilians killed there by Bosnian Serb forces on August 21 1992.

Most of those killed were taken from Serb-run detention camps near Prijedor and told they were going for a prisoner exchange.

Only a dozen men survived by falling or jumping down the ravine when the shooting started.

The exhumation work is continuing.

AP
An abandoned proposal to develop a Trump Tower in Moscow during the 2016 presidential election was "solely a real estate deal and nothing more," the personal lawyer for President Donald Trump told congressional staff.

Michael Cohen was appearing privately on Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee, one of multiple congressional panels investigating Russian interference in the presidential race and potential ties to the Trump campaign.

Special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of investigators are conducting their own criminal investigation.

In a prepared statement, Mr Cohen addressed revelations from last month that the Trump Organisation had considered doing business in Russia through a proposed Trump Tower in Moscow around the time of the Republican primaries.

Mr Cohen disclosed details of the deal last month in a statement to the House intelligence committee, saying he had worked on the real estate proposal with Felix Sater, a Russian-born associate who has claimed to have deep connections to Moscow.

Mr Cohen also has said he emailed Russian president Vladimir Putin's press secretary after Mr Sater suggested that the proposal would require approvals within the Russian government.

The discussions about the potential development occurred in the autumn of 2015, months after Mr Trump had declared his candidacy, and ended early last year when Mr Cohen determined the project was not feasible.

In his statement on Tuesday, Mr Cohen said the proposal was "solely a real estate deal and nothing more".

"I was doing my job," he added.

The Trump Organisation has previously said the licensing deal "was not significantly advanced" and that no site or financing materialised during the negotiations.

Mr Cohen also denounced allegations from a dossier produced by an opposition research firm, calling the document "lie-filled" and fabricated.

He said he had never discussed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else a plan to hack into email accounts or to interfere with the election.

"Given my own proximity to the President of the United States as a candidate, let me also say that I never saw anything, not a hint of anything, that demonstrated his involvement in Russian interference in our election or any form of Russian collusion."

AP
Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech to the nation over Rakhine and Rohingya situation, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Aung San Suu Kyi has spoken out about the Rohingya refugee crisis in a live address on television.

The Myanmar leader defended her country against international criticism over an exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, saying that most of their villages remain intact, and that it is important to understand why conflict did not break out everywhere.

The Nobel Peace laureate's global image has been damaged by violence since Rohingya insurgents attacked state security forces on August 25.

More than 400,000 Rohingya fled their villages, many of which were burned. The government blamed the Rohingya themselves, but members of the persecuted minority said soldiers and Buddhist mobs attacked them.

Expand Close Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi walks off the stage after delivering a speech to the nation over Rakhine and Rohingya situation, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi walks off the stage after delivering a speech to the nation over Rakhine and Rohingya situation, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

Ms Suu Kyi told foreign diplomats gathered in Naypyitaw that "more than half" of Rohingya villages were not affected by the violence.

She invited the diplomats to visit those villages so they could learn, along with the government, "why are they not at each other's throats in these particular areas".

Her address came after a human rights organisation warned Rohingya Muslims were being wiped off the map in Myanmar.

The Arakan Project, which works to improve conditions for the ethnic minority, is documenting attacks on the three townships in the northern Rakhine state where Rohingya are concentrated.

It found that almost every tract of villages in Maungdaw had suffered some burning, and that all of Maungdaw had been almost completely abandoned by Rohingya.

Most Rohingya villages in Rathedaung, to the north, were targeted. So were three camps for Rohingya displaced in communal riots five years ago. Buthidaung, to the east, has so far been largely spared.
Aung San Suu Kyi has spoken out about the Rohingya refugee crisis in a live address on television.

The Burma leader defended her country against international criticism over an exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, saying that most of their villages remain intact, and that it is important to understand why conflict did not break out everywhere.

The Nobel Peace laureate's global image has been damaged by violence since Rohingya insurgents attacked Burma security forces on August 25.

More than 400,000 Rohingya fled their villages, many of which were burned. The government blamed the Rohingya themselves, but members of the persecuted minority said soldiers and Buddhist mobs attacked them.

Ms Suu Kyi told foreign diplomats gathered in Naypyitaw that "more than half" of Rohingya villages were not affected by the violence.

She invited the diplomats to visit those villages so they could learn, along with the government, "why are they not at each other's throats in these particular areas".

Her address came after a human rights organisation warned Rohingya Muslims were being wiped off the map in Burma.

The Arakan Project, which works to improve conditions for the ethnic minority, is documenting attacks on the three townships in the northern Rakhine state where Rohingya are concentrated.

It found that almost every tract of villages in Maungdaw had suffered some burning, and that all of Maungdaw had been almost completely abandoned by Rohingya.

Most Rohingya villages in Rathedaung, to the north, were targeted. So were three camps for Rohingya displaced in communal riots five years ago. Buthidaung, to the east, has so far been largely spared.

AP
The St. Francois County Ambulance District is still on assignment in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Irma. The district received a request from FEMA the evening of Sept. 9 to send three ambulances and a support vehicle for relief efforts.

St. Francois County Ambulance District Administrator David Tetrault, supervisors TJ Isgrig and Mike Dodson, and paramedics Lewis Miller, Jorden Flieg, Jessica Watkins and Kevin Jones all deployed to the affected area.

Tetrault said they were hoping to get released from duty Sunday evening or sometime Monday, but they hadnt heard anything as of Monday.

We have been out here for approximately 10 days and we are exhausted, said Tetrault. We are 24 hours away from home and we are stationed at the Lee County Emergency Operation Center in Fort Myers, Florida.

"We thought we were going to be released yesterday, but the state of Florida has not released the strike team ambulances.

Tetrault explained the way he understands it is the strike teams were deployed by FEMA and the director of the emergency operations of the state of Florida has to contact the FEMA director to release them from their location.

We got to wash our clothes and take a shower today. We have food and water, so thats been good, said Tetrault. They have us on base in a tent and there are outside bathrooms and a shower. We have been mainly moving patients who had been evacuated from one of several of the Lee Health System hospitals.

Tetrault said they have been taking patients from the Lee Hospital System back to either their shelter or their home, or back to where they were evacuated from originally. They have been transferring patients who are under in-home medical care.

We have been transferring them back home since they have electricity now, or they can get home health care back there again, or they can plug in their oxygen now, said Tetrault. They have more than just their boxes and patient items though ... they are sending them home with boxes of food and their luggage.

Tetrault said sometimes it takes two ambulances to bring the patients home because they have so much stuff.

From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. we get to rest, because they dont want us out at night because we arent familiar with the area, said Tetrault. Our strike team consists of myself and five ambulances. When we go we go as a team. When we get sent to a mission we dont come back until that mission is complete.

Tetrault said where they are stationed now there are seven strike teams consisting of 35 to 40 ambulances from around the country. Some are from Spokane, some are from New York, and there are none that are from the local (Florida) area.

We were with another group yesterday and those 100 ambulances were sent home, said Tetrault. We are hoping to be demobilized sometime soon, but so far they havent done that.

Tetrault explained that there are different forms of devastation they have seen and heard about. He said the Stoddard County Ambulance District from near Sikeston, Missouri, was stationed by the Keys and they were pulling bodies out of the ocean.

They had really big devastation in the Florida Keys, but we havent seen anything like that, said Tetrault. The devastation we have seen has been trees uprooted, destroyed houses and businesses, and we have seen complete tops of gas stations flipped over onto the parking lot.

He added there were also wires everywhere - electric, and phone and cables wires.

We have seen flood waters, too, but we havent seen complete devastation like in Miami or the Keys," said Tetrault. "Some of the other services have seen total devastation and were there for days. I can see why they transported people way up here, where they wouldnt get hurt.

Tetrault said a lot of family members came out to get their loved ones and take them home with them until they can figure out what theyre doing with some of the worst areas.

The first day we were transporting from Orlando to Bradenton, Florida, which is 158 miles one way, said Tetrault. We were taking them to Manatee Memorial Hospital where they were evacuated from, which is south of Tampa.

Tetrault said each ambulance has been driven approximately 1,700 miles so far in the state of Florida. He said they have gone from Tallahassee all the way to the panhandle.

It is so overwhelming, I dont know how logistically you can ever take care of an entire state like this, said Tetrualt. I see the point of bringing everyone here. I think at one point they had 800 strike teams and each of those teams consist of five ambulances.

Tetrault said the first few days were pretty rough with no food, water or gas. He said they were told in advance to bring snacks to get them through the first few days.

He hopes they are home by Wednesday or Thursday.

According to the Associated Press, Irma made landfall just after 9 a.m. Sept. 10 at Cudjoe Key, about 20 miles outside Key West.

Irma arrived as a Category 4 hurricane but by late that afternoon had weakened to a Category 2 with 110 mph winds. A storm surge of over 10 feet was recorded in the Keys.
Iraq's ethnically-mixed city of Kirkuk was on a nighttime curfew on Tuesday after clashes erupted there the previous night between Kurds and Turkmen amid preparations for the controversial Kurdish independence referendum next week, a local Turkmen official said.

The Iraqi Kurds plan to hold the referendum on September 25 in three governorates that make up their self-ruled region, as well as in disputed areas that are controlled by Kurdish forces but claimed by Baghdad, including the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

Baghdad, Turkey, Iran and the international community have rejected the vote and asked the Kurds to call it off to avoid further destabilising the region.

Shortly after sunset on Monday, gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on one of the offices of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, Mohammed Samaan Kanaan, in charge of the Front's offices, said.

The guards returned fire, killing one and wounding two of the assailants, Mr Kanaan added.

Hours later, a police patrol that included the brother of the dead assailant attacked another office, triggering clashes, Mr Kanaan said.

The fighting ended when a large ethnically mixed force reached the scene.

No casualties occurred in the second bout of clashes.

The provincial police chief, Brigadier General Khattab Omar, said an investigation committee made up of all ethnic groups is probing the incident.

He blamed "reckless enthusiastic youths" for the skirmishes and said arrests have been made.

He did not elaborate but insisted the situation was "under control" inside the city.

Kirkuk is home to Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen and Christians.

Kurdish forces took control of the province and other disputed areas in the summer of 2014, when the Islamic State group swept across northern and central Iraq and the Iraqi armed forces crumbled.

On Monday, Iraq's top court temporarily suspended the northern Kurdish region's referendum on independence, saying it "issued a national order to suspend the referendum procedures ... until the resolution of the cases regarding the constitutionality of said decision".

The move is just the latest in a number of rulings from Iraq's central government attempting to stop the vote.

On September 12, Iraq's parliament voted to reject the referendum and on September 14, politicians voted to dismiss the ethnically mixed Kirkuk province's Kurdish governor who supports the referendum.

Despite strong opposition from Baghdad, regional leaders and the United States, a key ally of Iraq's Kurds, Kurdish officials have continued to pledge that the vote will be held.

AP
An unexpected revolution in affordable renewable energy has also contributed to the more positive outlook. Stock photo: GETTY

Climate change poses less of an immediate threat to the planet than previously thought because scientists got their modelling wrong, a new study has found.

New research by British scientists reveals the world is being polluted and warming up less quickly than 10-year-old forecasts predicted, giving countries more time to get a grip on their carbon output.

An unexpected revolution in affordable renewable energy has also contributed to the more positive outlook.

Experts now say there is a two-in-three chance of keeping global temperatures within 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, the ultimate goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement. They also condemned the overreaction to the USs withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, announced by Donald Trump in June, saying it is unlikely to make a significant difference.

We're in the midst of an energy revolution and it's happening faster than we thought

Professor Michael Grubb, University College London

According to the models used to draw up the agreement, the world ought now to be 1.3 degrees above the mid-19th-Century average, whereas the most recent observations suggest it is actually between 0.9 to 1 degree above.

The discrepancy means nations could continue emitting carbon dioxide at the current rate for another 20 years before the target was breached, instead of the three to five predicted by the previous model.

When you are talking about a budget of 1.5 degrees, then a 0.3 degree difference is a big deal, said Professor Myles Allen, of Oxford University and one of the authors of the new study.

Published in the journal Nature Geoscience, it suggests that if polluting peaks and then declines to below current levels before 2030 and then continue to drop more sharply, there is a 66 per cent chance of global average temperatures staying below 1.5 degrees.

The goal was yesterday described as very ambitious but physically possible.

Another reason the climate outlook is less bleak than previously thought is stabilising emissions, particularly in China.

China has now acquired more than 100 gigawatts of solar cells, 25pc of which in the last six months, and in the UK, offshore wind has turned out to cost far less than expected.

Professor Michael Grubb, from University College London, had previously described the goals agreed at Paris in 2015 as incompatible with democracy.

But yesterday he said: "We're in the midst of an energy revolution and it's happening faster than we thought, which makes it much more credible for governments to tighten the offer they put on the table at Paris."

He added that President Trumps withdrawal from the agreement would not be significant because The White Houses position doesnt have much impact on US emissions".

The smaller constituencies - cities, businesses, states - are just saying theyre getting on with it, partly for carbon reduction, but partly because theres this energy revolution and they dont want to be left behind.

The new research was published as the Met Office announced that a slowdown in the rate of global temperature rises reported over roughly the first decade of this century was now over.

The organisation said the slowdown in rising air temperatures between 1999 and 2014 happened as a result of a natural cycle in the Pacific, which led to the ocean circulation speeding up, causing it to pull heat down in the deeper ocean away from the atmosphere.

However, that cycle has now ended.

Claire Perry, the climate change and industry minister, claimed Britain had already demonstrated that tackling climate change and running a strong economy could go hand in hand.

How is the time to build on our strengths and cement our position as a global hub for investment in clean growth, she said.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Prime Minister Theresa May with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Photo: PA

A defiant Boris Johnson has insisted there can be no extended "transition" period after Britain leaves the EU, even as Theresa May slapped him down over his "back-seat driving" on Brexit.

The British prime minister insisted Brexit talks were being "driven from the front" after the foreign secretary's dramatic weekend intervention, setting out his vision for life outside the EU in a 4,000-word newspaper article.

Attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr Johnson denied accusations by furious colleagues that he was trying to act as a "back-seat driver" in the talks with Brussels before a keynote speech by Mrs May in Florence on Friday.

However, in an interview with BBC News, he again reiterated his demands the UK should not have to make "extortionate" payments to Brussels for continued access to EU markets and that any transitional arrangements should be strictly time-limited.

Mr Johnson also side-stepped a question on whether he would resign if he did not get his way, saying: "You are barking slightly up the wrong tree here."

The two now face an awkward reunion in New York tomorrow, when Mrs May flies in to join the United Nations following talks in Ottawa with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Speculation has been mounting she will use her Florence speech to offer to pay tens of billions of pounds to the EU during a two to three-year transition deal after the UK's formal exit in 2019 to break the deadlock in negotiations.

Speaking to reporters on board her flight to Canada, Mrs May said the cabinet was fully united behind her approach to the Brexit talks.

"This government is driven from the front and we are all going to the same destination, because we are all agreed," she said.

"We are all agreed as a government about the importance of ensuring the right deal for Britain, the right withdrawal agreement, but also the right deal on a special partnership between the EU and UK for the future."

She also notably failed to offer support to Mr Johnson with the chairman of the UK Statistics Authority after he revived the controversial claim that Brexit would release 350m (395m) a week which could be spent on the NHS.

For his part, the foreign secretary said he accepted that Mrs May was in charge of the negotiations while playing down suggestions that he was at odds with key cabinet colleagues such as Chancellor Philip Hammond and Brexit Secretary David Davis.

He said that his article in 'The Daily Telegraph' had been intended as an "opening drum roll" to Mrs May's Florence speech.

"There is one driver in this car. It's Theresa. What I am trying to do is sketch out what I think is the incredible exciting landscape of the destination ahead," he said.

"Let's not try and find rows when there really aren't rows. I think it is a good thing to have a bit of an opening drum roll about what this country can do."

He made clear, however, that he stood by his arguments over the transition period.

"It is pretty important that it shouldn't be too long," he said.

"We certainly don't want to be paying in extortionate sums for access to the single market. They wouldn't pay for access to our market."

Meanwhile, Dominic Cummings, the former Vote Leave director seen as an ally of Mr Johnson, launched a blistering attack on Mr Davis's handling of the negotiations.

In a series of tweets, he said the decision to begin the Article 50 withdrawal process before the government was ready had been like "putting a gun in mouth and kaboom".

"The shambles now unfolding is a direct consequence of that historic unforgivable blunder," he wrote.
French Connection says it has made significant steps in returning to profit after strong wholesale operations helped half-year losses shrink by nearly 30%.

The company reported pre-tax losses of 5.7 million for the six months to July 31, compared with a loss of 7.9 million a year earlier thanks to higher licensing revenues, a reduced loss in its retail division, and better performance from its wholesale business.

The retailer said those improvements were achieved during a traditionally low point in the year for profitability and despite challenging conditions in the UK, Europe and the US.

We have definitely seen momentum build in the first half of the new financial year with improvements across all the divisions despite difficult trading conditions, chairman and chief executive Stephen Marks said.

With full price sales in retail up during the early part of the second half, combined with the strong Winter 17 order books in wholesale and very strong reaction to the Spring 18 collection, I am confident that we will see a good performance during the rest of the year.

Expand Close FCUK storefront / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp FCUK storefront

We have been working with the goal of returning the group to profitability as soon as possible and, while there is still much to do, I believe that we have made significant steps to achieve that in the near future.

Revenue across the group fell 1.6% to 68.1 million, and fell even further when stripped of currency effects. Sales at constant currency tumbled 4.2% for the period.

While wholesale revenue jumped 7.2%, overall retail sales fell 7.5% due to store closures and a 1% drop in like-for-like sales in the UK and Europe, where there were fewer promotional sales.

French Connection has closed seven stores during the last past 12 months, including four in the first half of the year.

It added that disposing of those non-contributing stores had further enhanced the overall improvement of operations in the UK and Europe.

However, it will be opening its first new store in years in Manchester this November as part of its strategy to open bricks and mortar sites in appropriate locations that will trade profitably.

The company also used its half-year results to announce board changes, with two of its non executive directors  Claire Kent and Dean Murray  set to step down after nine years.

They will be replaced by Sarah Curran, a former managing director at Shop Direct, and Robin Piggott, the former chief financial officer of Moss Bros.

But investors seemed disappointed with the retailers results and directorate changes, sending its shares down nearly 3%.

Retailing analyst and consultant Nick Bubb said: The interims today from the embattled French Connection are accompanied by a separate announcement about Directorate Change, but activist investors looking for a shake-up of the executive management team will be disappointed to see that it simply refers to two old non-execs being replaced by two heavyweight new non-exec directors.
South African bank Investec could be the latest client to ditch KPMG amid a growing scandal over its work on behalf of the countrys powerful Gupta family.

Investecs audit committee is set to meet on Wednesday to review its relationship with KPMG just days after the professional services firm announced a major leadership shake-up at its South African office, including its local chairman and chief executive following an internal probe at the firm.

Investec said: We note the statement issued by KPMG on September 15 2017. The Groups audit committee will consider the statement and make a recommendation to the board on how the group should proceed. The committee will be convening this week.

Old Mutual, another South African bank, said it was keeping in touch with KPMG as events unfolded.

We have maintained a dialogue with the highest levels at KPMG throughout this process. We note KPMGs announcement and will continue to engage with them on this matter.

Investec was among clients to have dumped Bell Pottinger over revelations into its own work for the Gupta family  who are said to have close ties to President Jacob Zuma  which caused the PR firm to fall into administration earlier this month.

Expand Close London skyline / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp London skyline

Bell Pottinger was left reeling after details of a racially divisive campaign for Oakbay Investments  a holding company for the Gupta family  became public, causing an exodus of clients and its expulsion from the UKs Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA).

Bell Pottingers UK operations collapsed on September 12 after failing to find a buyer, while its Asian and Middle Eastern businesses moved to rebrand in the hopes of severing its ties with the tarnished parent firm.

KPMGs South African operations have already lost clients including asset manager Sygnia, which reportedly dumped the firm earlier this summer.

KPMG Internationals probe revealed that while there was no evidence of illegal behaviour or corruption by its South African staff in relation to its work for the Guptas, it still fell considerably short of KPMG standards.

It said KPMG auditors for certain Gupta firms should have resigned, having been misled by Gupta firm management regarding party relationships and the commercial substance of significant unusual transactions.

The South African office said it regrets that its association with the Guptas and their business entities went on for far too long.

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 growing Gupta scandal has also hit pest control company Rentokil, which announced yesterday that non-executive director Chris Geoghegan was stepping down immediately.

While Rentokil gave no further information as to the reason for his resignation, it followed close on the heels of reports that Mr Geoghegan had received more than 100,000 for helping strike a deal between the Guptas and Bell Pottinger, where his daughter had worked.

His daughter would then go on to lead the account, according to reports. She was dismissed earlier this summer.
A Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor missile system (PAC3) is transported to the Hakodate base of Japan's Self-Defence Forces (AP)

Japan has moved a mobile missile-defence system on the northern island of Hokkaido to a base near recent North Korean missile flyover routes.

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor unit was deployed at the Hakodate base on southern Hokkaido "as a precaution" as part of government preparations for a possible emergency.

Tuesday's relocation came after a North Korean missile was test-fired last week and flew over southern Hokkaido and landed in the Pacific off the island's east coast, the second flyover in less than a month.

The PAC-3 was brought from another base in Yakumo town on Hokkaido, about 50 miles north east of Hakodate.

The system has a range of about 12 miles.

Four more of Japan's 34 PAC-3 units, largely used to defend the capital region, were relocated to southwestern Japan recently after North Korea warned of sending missiles toward the US territory of Guam.

Japan currently has a two-step missile defence system.

First, Standard Missile-3 interceptors on Aegis destroyers in the Sea of Japan would attempt to shoot down missiles mid-flight.

If that fails, surface-to-air PAC-3s would try to intercept them.

Japan's Constitution, which limits the use of force to self-defence, only allows the military to shoot down missiles that are heading to Japan, or debris falling onto Japanese territory.

Mr Onodera has said a new security law passed in 2015 might allow it to shoot down a Guam-bound missile if it poses a critical security threat to Japan and its top ally, the United States.

AP
KPMG has been cleared by the accounting watchdog over its auditing of HBOS in the run-up to the lenders near collapse in the 2008 financial crisis.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said it had closed the investigation into KPMGs handling of HBOSs accounts, concluding that KPMGs work did not fall short of standards.

It added it does not believe there are grounds for further action.

Expand Close KPMG / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp KPMG

The FRC said: There is not a realistic prospect that a tribunal would make an adverse finding against KPMG in respect of the matters within the scope of the investigation.

The firms work did not fall significantly short of the standards reasonably to be expected of the audit, the test that a tribunal would apply.

The decision will come as a relief to KPMG, which has also been drawn into a mounting scandal in South Africa over its work with the politically connected Gupta family.

KPMG launched a probe 15 months ago into KPMGs HBOS auditing in 2007 amid worries over whether the accountancy giant properly considered whether HBOS was a going concern in its 2007 accounts.

Former Treasury Select Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie said at the time that the FRC probe was welcome but overdue.

HBOS was taken over by Lloyds TSB in a rescue deal in the autumn of 2008 after expanding too quickly with risky lending, weak funding and management failures.

Lloyds then had to be bailed out with 20.5 billion of taxpayer cash in 2008.

HBOS, formed from the merger of Halifax and Bank of Scotland in 2001, had said in 2008 it would be able to fund itself and did not expect market conditions to worsen, according to the FRC.

KPMG considered and accepted this conclusion and HBOS published its accounts in February 2008 on that basis, the FRC said.

The FRC added: The evidence of market conditions at that time did not show this decision of HBOS or the auditors assessment of it to be unreasonable at the time.

The extreme funding conditions which arose in October 2008 were not anticipated.

The FRC said it conducted a thorough investigation, which saw it liaise with other regulators and gather expert advice from independent and experienced lawyers and audit professionals.

KPMG said: We are pleased that the FRC has reached this conclusion after a thorough investigation.

We have always maintained that our audit was robust and undertaken in accordance with the regulations and practice of the time.

It added industry-wide efforts have been made to improve auditing of banks.

The FRC said it would publish a report next month on its actions to improve audit and corporate reporting since the financial crisis.

Nicky Morgan, current chair of the Treasury Select Committee, said: When it publishes its detailed report next month, the committee will expect the FRC to provide a full explanation of its decision not to take further action against KPMG. It may take further evidence in due course.

A damning review of the HBOS saga by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), which was published in November 2015, put the blame firmly on the banks executives.

It said they were ultimately responsible for the demise of HBOS.

Only one former HBOS executive, Peter Cummings, has so far been punished.

He was fined 500,000 and banned for life from the industry in 2011.
Posters featuring Melania Trump and the slogan "just imagine how far you can go with a little bit of English" have been removed from the Croatian capital after her lawyer threatened legal action.

The images in Zagreb were part of a marketing campaign by a private English language school, which tried to persuade Croats to learn English by reminding them of the Slovenian-born US first lady's personal experience.

Mrs Trump did not accept what was apparently meant to be a joke and her Slovenian lawyer demanded that the posters be immediately removed.

Lawyer Natasa Pirc-Musar said she was "satisfied with the fact that the school admitted that they violated the law" and that the posters were removed on Tuesday.

She said they were "still analysing possible further legal steps".

AP
People are seen injured after an earthquake hit in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

Damages are seen after an earthquake hit in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

Damages are seen after an earthquake hit in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Remains of a damaged building stands after an earthquake in Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. A powerful earthquake has jolted Mexico, causing buildings to sway sickeningly in the capital on the anniversary of a 1985 quake that did major damage. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

People are seen injured after an earthquake hit in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

Damages are seen after an earthquake hit in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut

People remove debris on top of a collapsed building after an earthquake hit in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut

People works at a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut

At least 100 people were killed when a powerful earthquake struck central Mexico on Tuesday, officials said.

The highest death toll was in Morelos state, just south of Mexico City, where 42 deaths were reported. In the capital itself, mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said at least four people were killed.

In the neighboring state of Mexico, at least 8 people were killed, according to governor Alfredo Del Mazo. Six deaths were reported by civil protection authorities in Puebla state, to the south.

The quake caused buildings to sway sickeningly in Mexico City and sent panicked office workers streaming into the streets, but the full extent of the damage was not yet clear.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A damaged car is seen outside a building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut People works at a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut People help an injured man after an earthquake hit Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso People help a victim after an earthquake hit Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso The body of woman hangs crushed by a collapsed building in the neighborhood of Roma Norte, in Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Rescue workers arrive at a damaged building after an earthquake hit Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso Rescue workers and volunteers search a building that collapsed after an earthquake in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) People work at a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut A damaged building is seen after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut Police officers are seen next to a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut People and children are seen along the street after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut People and children are seen on a street after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut A collapsed building is seen after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut Women carrying their dogs stand outside their homes after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut People work to rescue people from a collapsed building in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Enric Marti) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp A damaged car is seen outside a building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 7.1 and was centred near the Puebla state town of Raboso, about 76 miles south east of Mexico City.

Thousands of people fled office buildings and hugged to calm each other along Mexico City's central Reforma Avenue as alarms blared, and traffic stopped around the Angel of Independence monument.

Expand Close People work to rescue people from a collapsed building in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Enric Marti) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp People work to rescue people from a collapsed building in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Enric Marti)

In the Roma neighbourhood, which was struck hard by the 1985 quake, piles of stucco and brick fallen from building facades littered the streets.

Two men calmed a woman seated on a stool in the street, blood trickling form a small wound on her knee.

Expand Close A damaged car is seen outside a building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp A damaged car is seen outside a building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut

At a nearby market, a worker in a hardhat walked around the outside warning people not to smoke as a smell of gas filled the air.

Market trader Edith Lopez, 25, was in a taxi a few blocks away when the quake struck.

She said she saw glass bursting out of the windows of some buildings. She was anxiously trying to locate her children, whom she had left in the care of her disabled mother.

Pictures fell from office building walls, objects were shaken off of flat surfaces and computer monitors toppled over.

Expand Close Police officers are seen next to a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Police officers are seen next to a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Claudia Daut

Some people dived for cover under desks and local media broadcast video of whitecap waves churning the city's normally placid canals of Xochimilco as boats bobbed up and down.

Earlier in the day workplaces across the city held preparation drills on the anniversary of the 1985 quake, a magnitude 8.1 temblor, which killed thousands of people and devastated large parts of Mexico City.

Much of Mexico City is built on former lakebed, and the soil is known to amplify the effects of earthquakes even hundreds of miles away.

The latest earthquake comes 11 days after a huge temblor killed 96 people.

Mexican media broadcast images of several downed buildings in heavily populated parts of Mexico City and nearby Cuernavaca.

A column of smoke rose from a structure in one central neighbourhood in the capital.

Dramatic video showed a mid-rise building collapsing into a cloud of dust. It was not clear whether there were people inside.

Mexico City's international airport suspended operations, saying in a tweet that staff were checking the structures for damage.
U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

U.S. President Donald Trump returns to his seat after delivering his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

North Korea's Ambassador to the U.N., Ja Song Nam, leaves his seat prior to the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump to address the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

U.S. President Donald Trump is shown on a large screen as he addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

A member of the North Korean delegation leaves the General Assembly Hall before the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

U.S. President Donald Trump is shown on a large screen as he addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States will be forced to "totally destroy" North Korea unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear challenge, mocking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "rocket man" on a suicide mission.

Loud murmurs filled the green-marbled U.N. General Assembly hall when Trump issued his sternest warning yet to North Korea, whose ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests have rattled the globe.

Unless North Korea backs down, he said, "We will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea."

"Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime," he said.

Expand Close United States President Donald Trump speaks during the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp United States President Donald Trump speaks during the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

North Korea's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's remarks.

A junior North Korean diplomat remained in the delegation's front-row seat for Trump's speech, the North Korean U.N. mission said.

Expand Close U.S. President Donald Trump is shown on a large screen as he addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp U.S. President Donald Trump is shown on a large screen as he addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

In his first appearance at the annual gathering of world leaders, the president used a 41-minute speech to take aim also at Iran's nuclear ambitions and regional influence, Venezuela's collapsing democracy and the threat of Islamist extremists.

He also criticized the Cuban government.

Expand Close A member of the North Korean delegation leaves the General Assembly Hall before the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp A member of the North Korean delegation leaves the General Assembly Hall before the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

But his strongest words were directed at North Korea. He urged United Nations member states to work together to isolate the Kim government until it ceases its "hostile" behavior.

He said North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles "threatens the entire world with unthinkable cost of human life."

Expand Close United States President Donald Trump speaks during the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp United States President Donald Trump speaks during the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

In what may have been a veiled prod at China, the North's major trading partner, Trump said: "It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict."

Turning to Iran, Trump called the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, was an embarrassment and hinted that he may not recertify the agreement when it comes up for a mid-October deadline.

"I don't think you've heard the last of it," he said.

He called Iran an "economically depleted rogue state" that exports violence.

The speech marked his latest attempt to lay out his America First vision for a U.S. foreign policy aimed at downgrading global bureaucracies, basing alliances on shared interests, and steering Washington away from nation-building exercises abroad.

Trump, who entered the White House eight months ago, told world leaders at the 193-member global body that the United States does not seek to impose its will on other nations and will respect other countries' sovereignty.

"I will defend America's interests above all else," he said. "But in fulfilling our obligations to other nations we also realize it's in everyone's interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure."

Reading carefully from a script, Trump said the U.S. military would soon be the strongest it has ever been.

Turning to Venezuela, Trump called the collapsing situation there "completely unacceptable" and said the United States cannot stand by and watch. He warned the United States was considering what further actions it can take.

"We cannot stand by and watch," he said.

Shortly before Trump's speech, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed from the General Assembly lectern for statesmanship to avoid war with North Korea.

"This is the time for statesmanship," said the former prime minister of Portugal. "We must not sleepwalk our way into war."

The U.N. Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2006 and Guterres appealed for the 15-member body to maintain its unity on North Korea.

Trump has warned North Korea that military action was an option for the United States as Pyongyang has carried out a series of tests toward developing the ability to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.

Financial markets showed little reaction to Trumps speech, with most major assets hovering near the unchanged mark on the day.
Protests have been held in St Louis (AP)

Protesters chanting "free our people" gathered outside a jail in St Louis after more than 100 people were arrested during protests on Sunday.

Crowds gathered to show solidarity with those who still remain behind bars as d emonstrators outside the jail criticised authorities for keeping a number of those arrested behind bars.

Monday was the fourth day of protests over the acquittal of a white former police officer in the killing of a black suspect.

The latest action followed three days of peaceful protests and three nights of vandalism and unrest in the Missouri city that has been rocked since Friday, when a judge announced he found Jason Stockley not guilty in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith.

Mr Stockley shot Mr Smith after high-speed chase as officers tried to arrest him and his partner in a suspected drug deal.

His mother, Anne Smith, was among those gathered outside the jail on Monday.

Hundreds of riot police were mobilised on Sunday, arresting more than 120 people and seizing weapons amid reports of property damage and vandalism.

The arrests came after demonstrators ignored orders to disperse, police said.

"I'm proud to tell you the city of St Louis is safe and the police owned tonight," Interim Police Chief Lawrence O'Toole said at a news conference on Monday.

On Sunday, more than 1,000 people had gathered at police headquarters and then marched without trouble through St Louis.

By the evening most had gone home, but the hundred or so people who remained grew increasingly agitated as they marched back toward the city centre.

Along the way, they knocked over planters, broke windows at a few shops and hotels, and scattered plastic chairs at an outdoor venue.

According to police, the demonstrators then sprayed bottles with an unknown substance on officers. One officer suffered a leg injury and was taken to a hospital.

During the trial, Mr Stockley, 36, testified he felt endangered because he saw Mr Smith holding a silver revolver when he backed his car toward the officers and sped away.

Prosecutors said Mr Stockley planted a gun in Mr Smith's car after the shooting.

The officer's DNA was on the weapon but Mr Smith's wasn't. Dashcam video from Mr Stockley's car recorded him saying he was "going to kill this (expletive)."

Less than a minute later, he shot Mr Smith five times.

Mr Stockley's lawyer dismissed the comment as "human emotions" during a dangerous pursuit. St Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson, who said prosecutors didn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr Stockley murdered Mr Smith, said the statement could be ambiguous.

Stockley left the police department and moved to Houston three years ago.

AP
Notes written by mourners are attached to a tree at a memorial for Georgia Tech student Scout Schultz in Atlanta. (AP)

A 21-year-old student shot dead by campus police had called 911 to report an armed person matching his description prior to the incident, officers said.

Scout Schultz was said to be advancing on police with a knife when he was shot on Saturday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said.

A vigil was held on Monday which descended into violent protests, with videos posted online showing a police car burning in the street.

Investigators have determined that Mr Schultz was the one who called Georgia Tech police to report a suspicious person on campus, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said in a statement on Monday.

"In the call, Shultz describes the person as a white male, with long blonde hair, white T-shirt and blue jeans who is possibly intoxicated, holding a knife and possibly armed with a gun on his hip," Ms Miles said, adding that three suicide notes were found in Mr Schultz's room.

Investigators recovered a multi-purpose tool that included a knife at the scene but didn't find any guns, Ms Miles said.

Chris Stewart, an attorney for Mr Schultz's parents said the GBI confirmed to him that the blade on the tool was not out.

Flanked by Mr Schultz's parents earlier on Monday, Mr Stewart said the officer who shot Mr Schultz overreacted.

Mr Schultz was having a breakdown and was suicidal but if the officer had used non-lethal force rather than shooting, he could have received treatment and gotten better, Mr Stewart said.

"The mentally ill are looking for a way out when they're having a full breakdown, and there's no way you should be able to use a police officer to take your life when that person isn't threatened," he said.

Authorities have not identified the officer who shot Mr Schultz nor have they released the audio of the 911 call, which came in around 11.17 pm on Saturday, according to the GBI.

Georgia Tech has refused to release personnel or disciplinary reports involving the officers, saying such information is exempt from Georgia's open records law.

Mr Schultz was president of Pride Alliance at Georgia Tech and the fourth-year computer engineering student used the name Scout, rather than the given name Scott, and preferred the pronouns "they" and "them" rather than "he" or "him."

"I'm bisexual, nonbinary and intersex," Mr Schultz wrote in a Pride Alliance profile.

AP
The Taliban have killed three Afghan government employees abducted last month in western Herat province.

Gelani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor in Herat, said the three were two employees from the customs department and their driver.

He said they were abducted about 20 days ago and their bodies were found on Monday evening.

Mr Farhad added that there had been ongoing negotiations with the Taliban, carried out by local tribal leaders but despite that, the bodies of the three were uncovered near a road in Islam Qalah area in Herat.

Lately, kidnappings for ransom have increased in Herat.

Mr Farhad, however, insisted the Taliban were behind this latest abduction, though they had made no ransom demands.

AP
DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a teenage daughter who has been lovely thus far. When people have warned me about how teens turn on their parents, I've shrugged it off. I figure if I focus on the positive, we can create space for less drama. Because this is my attitude, I find myself in an uncomfortable place.

My daughter has begun to be very snippy with me, and it turns out she hasn't been honest. As we were getting ready for school to start, I discovered she had not completed her summer homework. She had months to get it done and ended up cramming it in the two weeks leading up to school. I was so angry. There were some tense words between us. I took her phone away from her until she got the work done. What else can I do to keep her on track? -- Drop the Attitude, Denver

DEAR DROP THE ATTITUDE: You can still focus on the positive and point out to your daughter that her life will be more productive and pleasant if she manages her time better and meets her deadlines. You can help by letting her know you will be checking in with her daily to ensure she completes her assignments on time. She will not appreciate this. You can let her know you must monitor her work daily until you see she is on top of it.

Give her a month of daily check-ins. After that time, if she is doing well consistently, you can move to weekly check-ins. If she does not complete assignments in a timely manner or with enough attention, take away privileges -- from the phone to spending time with friends.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been going out with a nice guy for a few months. He is very old school in that he brings me a gift of some kind at each date. There's something sweet about this, but also something annoying. I can't quite pinpoint it. I guess what I like is his attentiveness, but I don't eat chocolate. I don't like tchotchkes. I have a modern, streamlined life. Somehow he doesn't seem to notice what I like. Do I say anything to him about his gifts? I feel bad continuing to accept things that I throw away when I get home. -- Bad Presents, Laurel, Maryland

DEAR BAD PRESENTS: It is good to be honest in a tender way. You might tell this man you appreciate that he brings you gifts all the time, but it really isn't necessary. Suggest you get to know each other better so you can figure out each other's interests. If he asks why, you can admit you don't eat chocolate, even though it was a lovely thought. Don't go down the list of all that you don't like, though. Make it fun so you discover each other's preferences. When you give him a gift, be sure it's something you know he will like!

Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106
A Concord man pleaded guilty to burning a house and car in an attempt to kill those inside.

Jerry Caudill, 46, of Shenandoah Drive in Concord, received 60 to 84 months in jail on a guilty plea arrangement for first-degree arson, burning personal property, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and first-degree attempted murder. Caudill entered the plea Friday, Sept. 1.

According to court documents, Caudill set fire to the house of Keith Page in Concord, while he and Aprile Dyson were inside at the time, with the intention to kill or seriously hurt them.

The defendant named above unlawfully, willfully and feloniously did maliciously burn the dwelling house inhabited by Keith Eugene Page, the indictment said. At the time of the burning, Keith Eugene Page and Aprile Dawn Dyson were in the dwelling.

Documents also said that Caudill burned a car.

[The defendant] did wantonly set fire, burn and cause to be burned the following personal property, a 1998 Honda CRV automobile, the documents said. This act was done with the intent to injure or prejudice Aprile Dawn Dyson, the owner of the automobile.

Caudill was indicted June 27, 2016, and filed his plea agreement more than a year later. The maximum punishments for the charges he pleaded guilty to totaled 419 months in jail, but the agreement reduced the sentence to between 60 and 84 months.
RALEIGH  Republicans and conservatives are growing more doubtful about the notion that higher education is a constructive social institution. According to a new Pew Research Center survey, 56 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents think that colleges and universities have a negative effect on the country, up from 45 percent in 2016. Only 19 percent of Democrats say the same.

To these increasingly skeptical right-of-center voters, university leaders and professors may be tempted to say, Good riddance! If Republicans are going to spurn universities, they might conclude, perhaps universities should spurn Republicans, who obviously have contempt for education, scholarship, and the life of the mind.

Of course, thats not really the position of the higher education sector. It cant be, not if it wants to survive and thrive. University leaders desperately want to protect their flow of cash and students. They know many donors, parents, politicians, and voters are Republicans and conservatives.

The nightmare scenario for university leaders is playing out right now in the Show Me State. In case youre not familiar with the episode, back in 2015 there was a series of campus protests at the University of Missouri. When a student journalist attempted to cover one of them, an assistant professor at Mizzou, Melissa Click, demanded the journalist leave. I need some muscle over here! she famously shouted in an attempt to recruit other students to force the journalist away.

The resulting furor made national, even international news. Click was terminated. In alliance with prominent left-wing professors and associations, she (unsuccessfully) fought her dismissal, arguing in The Washington Post that while her lack of experience had produced a certain clumsiness, I dont want to live in a world where citizens are too afraid of public scorn to take a chance. Do you?

Yes, actually. I want to live in a world where educators would be too afraid ever to consider threatening students with bodily harm. Call me a troglodyte if you must.

It turns out that lots of people in Missouri are similarly primitive. Horrified at what the episode said about the campus, and disgusted at the feckless leadership that let the protests escalate in the first place into active interference with the rights of other students and the normal operation of a school, parents and donors are voting with their feet. Mizzous freshman enrollment has dropped 35 percent. Hundreds of employees have lost their jobs.

For a group of people seemingly obsessed about categories and invidious stereotypes, far too many professors traffic in the worst kinds of stereotypes about their critics. There are many North Carolina Republicans and conservatives who possess and value college degrees, cherish higher learning, and have proudly acquired and applied graduate training to successful careers in business, law, medicine, science, and education. While there have recently been some shifts in partisan allegiances among voters with varying levels of education, the gaps arent wide. According to the 2016 exit polls, for example, half of North Carolina voters had college degrees. They split their votes for president between Hillary Clinton (49 percent) and Donald Trump (48 percent). Even 44 percent of North Carolinians with graduate degrees picked Trump.

Being Republican or conservative, in other words, does not inherently breed a lack of respect for higher education as an institution. So what does?

When parents, donors, and taxpayers see conservative speakers on campus shouted down or assaulted, they worry. When they see public universities used as platforms for progressive political activism rather than legitimate educational or research activities, they seethe. When they compare the rising cost of college degrees against the value, either in the job market or in the intrinsic worth of what their children have learned, they recoil. When they see professors deny the legitimate authority of Republican lawmakers and duly appointed boards to provide governance to state agencies, they fume.

The message many Republicans and conservatives perceive from higher education sounds something like this: Give us your children. Give us your money. Then, shut up.

The answer is no.

John Hood is chairman of the John Locke Foundation and appears on the talk show NC SPIN. You can follow him @JohnHoodNC.
Hillary Clinton's new memoir of her failed presidential campaign is titled "What Happened." A better title would be "What Happened?" because Clinton apparently has no idea.

Clinton has blamed her loss on an ever-changing cast of characters - Russia, WikiLeaks, James Comey and Bernie Sanders. Now she has put the blame on a new scapegoat: millions of bigoted white nationalists.

Clinton told Jane Pauley of CBS News' "Sunday Morning" that Donald Trump won because he "was quite successful in referencing a nostalgia that would give hope, comfort, settle grievances, for millions of people who were upset about gains that were made by others," Clinton said. When Pauley asked, "What you're saying is millions of white people?" Clinton replied, "Millions of white people, yeah. Millions of white people."

In an interview with NPR on Tuesday, Clinton was even more explicit. Trump's message, she said, was "discriminatory, it was bigoted, it was prejudiced. And yet it fed into part of the electorate that just wanted to have a primal scream. They didn't like what was going on. . . . They really responded to his racial and ethnic and sexist appeals."

So Clinton believes she lost Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the presidency because of the bigotry of middle America.

One problem with her analysis: Millions of those white people who voted for Donald Trump also proudly voted for Barack Obama. There are nearly 700 counties in the United States that voted twice for Barack Obama, one-third of which flipped to Trump in 2016. According to Nate Cohn of the New York Times, "almost one in four of President Obama's 2012 white working-class supporters defected from the Democrats in 2016, either supporting Mr. Trump or voting for a third-party candidate." Are all those Trump-Obama voters bigots? Millions of once reliably Democratic voters pulled the lever for the first black president, yet they were suddenly whipped up into a racist furor by Trump's "racial and ethnic and sexist appeals"? Give me a break.

As Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg has pointed out, many of these working-class Obama-Trump voters were not even white. "The Democrats don't have a 'white working-class problem,' " Greenberg wrote recently in the American Prospect. "They have a 'working-class problem' . . . Democrats have lost support with all working-class voters across the electorate, including the Rising American Electorate of minorities, unmarried women, and millennials."

Why did so many Obama voters defect to Trump? It wasn't race or immigration. According to a survey by the liberal super PAC Priorities USA Action, the top seven priorities were (1) protecting Social Security and Medicare; (2) creating good-paying jobs for American workers; (3) making sure Americans have access to affordable insurance; (4) cleaning up corruption in government; (5) cracking down on outsourcing; (6) making sure the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes and (7) keeping Wall Street in check.

That is hardly a white nationalist agenda.

Another reason these Obama voters defected to Trump is that they kept hearing from Clinton and the Democrats how great the economy was doing. Yet, according to Priorities USA Action, "50 percent of Obama-Trump voters said their incomes are falling behind the cost of living, and another 31 percent said their incomes are merely keeping pace with the cost of living." When Clinton touted Obama's economic progress, she seemed hopelessly out of touch.

Clinton still can't seem to tell the difference between a white nationalist and working-class voters who are upset because their family incomes are stagnant or falling, they feel shut out of the labor force, and their communities are mired in substance abuse and despair. These "forgotten Americans" had legitimate grievances that Democrats ignored. That sent a message to working-class voters that Democrats are not focused on fighting for them. So they defected.

Add to this Clinton's inability to connect with her party's liberal base (the so-called drop-off voters who turned out for Obama but failed to show up for her) - plus the Clinton Foundation and her repeated lies about her personal server, which led large majorities of Americans to conclude that she was dishonest and corrupt - and you had the toxic brew that produced her electoral defeat.

Clinton says she is done with electoral politics, so it really does not matter if she understands "what happened." But there is little sign that Democrats today understand, much less are doing what is necessary to win back these working-class voters in the heartland. Instead, they have declared themselves "The Resistance" - further alienating these voters who put Trump in office, while hoping that they can turn out their liberal base in the next election. That's precisely the strategy that failed in 2016. We'll see if doubling down on failure works in 2020.

Marc Thiessen writes a weekly column for The Washington Post on foreign and domestic policy and contributes to the PostPartisan blog. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush.
Founding UNC President Bill Friday was fond of boasting that our universities were the crown jewels of our state. Friday welcomed the restructuring of all public universities into a consolidated system in the 1970s, but he disagreed with the 32-member Board of Governors, politically appointed policymaking structure forced on him by the late Governor Bob Scott and the legislature. To his death Friday insisted it was not the most beneficial way to govern higher education.

Through the intervening years weve seen instances where this governance structure wasnt ideal, but two glaring examples prove Friday was right. The first was the sudden firing of former system President Tom Ross for no other apparent reason than politics. The second was last weeks Board of Governors meeting which looked more like a revolt than a sophisticated governing board meeting. Unbeknownst to many BOG members, four far-reaching resolutions were proposed that could have significant effects. One would endeavor to reduce tuition and fees at all our member institutions while preserving and enhancing the quality of education provided. No one can question that university costs are high and need lowering, but thoughtful steps to achieve the goal didnt accompany this resolution.

Before adjourning, the BOG further resolved to create special committees to review the size and scope of the General Administration staff, reorganize the board meetings and even study the possibility of moving the headquarters for the system from Chapel Hill to perhaps RTP or Raleigh, so as to avoid the perceived bias toward UNC Chapel Hill. All were passed without the prior knowledge of or input from UNC President Margaret Spellings and appeared to challenge her leadership. Board member Joe Knott said afterward, It would seem that we are blurring the lines between policy and management, and I think this is a long term recipe for chaos. We are not equipped to run this institution.

Can this governance structure be improved? Of course it can. It should begin with a better process for selecting Board of Governors members than just being able to get sufficient numbers of votes from one house or the other of our legislature. The ideal would be to have varied disciplines and sectors represented, people with valuable experiences and diverse backgrounds that could help guide these important institutions. And yes, the organization, scope of authority, procedures and processes of this board bear scrutiny. Studying the General Administration staffing, functions and effectiveness could also be valuable. Its been a long time, if ever, that such an evaluation has been conducted.

Our universities arent the only systems in need of restructuring. This year weve witnessed yet another court challenge to the governance of our public schools. It appears a constitutional change is needed to clear up specific roles and responsibilities between a constitutionally mandated, publicly elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction, a board appointed by the Governor, and frequent input by the legislature.

While at it, our community college system, itself a somewhat bulky and complicated governing process, also deserves study and perhaps reform.

If we truly want our education systems to work at peak efficiency we must first structure them properly to succeed. We dont need the distractions and disruptions of constant in fighting and political interference that hurt the students, educators and the public of North Carolina.

Tom Campbell is former assistant North Carolina State Treasurer and is creator/host of NC SPIN, a weekly statewide television discussion of NC issues. Show airs in Charlotte on WCCB Sundays at 6:30 a.m.
By Melissa Cyrill

India and Japan marked their 12th annual bilateral summit last week. A two-day blitz of investment pledges and the much hyped Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, it showcased a relationship that is fast maturing into a strategic economic partnership.

The timing is also all but expected.

Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have promised resurgent economies to their voters.

Further, both countries are increasingly uneasy over Chinas naked ambitions, despite having flourishing trade and business ties with the mainland.

These common concerns have manifestly transformed current Indo-Japanese bilateral engagement.

Japanese aid and investments into India are not just filling critical infrastructure gaps in the country, but are also directly benefit Modis economic reforms programs: Make in India, Skill India, Digital India, as well as Startup India.

Japan aid and investments key to economic ties with India

At the recent summit, Japanese agencies  Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro)  coordinated interactions with 450 Japanese firms, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Hitachi, Suzuki Motor, Keidanren or the Japan Business Federation, Mitsui, and Toyota Motor.

Even more important, though, was the participation of medium-sized (worth US$1 to 10 billion) companies from Japan. These firms are looking at a wide range of sectors in India: manufacture of tractors, agro-chemicals, real estate, construction, defense, and infrastructure.

Moreover, to encourage continued investments, PM Modi announced that Japanese industrial townships will be built in four states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

RELATED: Pre-Investment, Market Entry Strategy Advisory

The following are key areas that have fostered strong economic relationships between India and Japan in recent years.

Aid for development: JICA is Japans national agency responsible for managing its overseas development assistance. Aid funding is a pillar of Japanese foreign policy, and underlines its past relationships with other Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, and China.

In 10 years, JICA has provided India with soft loans worth US$23.36 billion at 0.1  1.4 percent rates, repayable over 30 to 50 years, for infrastructure projects in transport (55 percent or US$11.37 billion), water (16 percent or US$4.67 billion), energy (13 percent or US$12.07 billion), and agriculture and forestry (seven percent or US$3.63 billion) sectors, among others.

JICAs latest marquee project is the US$17.18 billion bullet train, from Mumbai (Maharashtra state) to Ahmedabad (Gujarat state). The bullet train project will create 24,000 jobs, locally manufacture key components, and will, therefore, entail technology transfers.

Major transport projects that have been backed by JICA include the Delhi Metro Rail (the first network in the country), Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (Indias largest railway project between the National Capital Region and Mumbai), roads, bridges, and tunnels in the northeast states, and cargo handling structure in Chennai and Visakhapatnam ports.

Foreign Investments: FDI from Japan is around US$4.7 billion today, climbing steadily from around a mere US$512 million in 2006. Japan now ranks third, responsible for eight percent of total accumulated FDI inflows into India from April 2014 to March 2017.

At the summit last week, 15 Japanese firms signed agreements to invest in Gujarat. This includes automaker Suzuki Motors plans to expand its production capacity from 250,000 to 750,000 units annually. Suzuki Motor will also partner with fellow Japanese firms Denso and Toshiba to manufacture lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles; the factory will be set up at Hansalpur in Gujarat by 2020.

Infrastructure push in northeast India: This region is the countrys gateway to Southeast Asia and shares a historic connection with Japan. Recently, the India-Japan Coordination Forum for Development of North East was established to execute infrastructure building projects such as connectivity and road network development, electricity generation, and disaster management. Towards this objective, Japan will extend a loan of US$348.7 million to India for its North East Road Network Connectivity Improvement Project.

A memorandum of understanding was additionally signed at the bilateral summit to combine the aims of Japans Free and Open Asia-Pacific strategy and Indias Act East Policy. This strategy feeds into the vision behind the proposed US$40 billion Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) to connect Africa, Southeast Asia, and Indias northeast. These initiatives come in the backdrop of repeated Chinese incursions into Indias border territory and the South China Sea, and the imposition of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that has left many uncomfortable in the region.

RELATED: Startups in India: New Business Relaxations, Eligibility Criteria Announced

Support for startups in India: Japanese firms invested about US$1.43 billion in Indian private equity and venture capital deals in the first half of 2017  more than triple the amount in 2016 (US$459 million). Telecommunications giant SoftBank Group Corp., accounted for 98.9 percent of this amount (US$1.40 billion). Other Japanese investors are Mistletoe Inc., GREE Ventures Inc., and Rebright Partners Ltd.

A diverse array of Indian startups have benefited: agricultural marketing Ninjacart, logistics service platform Lets Transport, digital community platform POPxo, real estate service provider Property Share Online Platform Ltd., adventure travel startup Deyor Adventures Ltd., wellness startup Healthians, and Balance Hero Co. (an app enabling prepaid mobile phone users to check their remaining credit balance). Even lesser known Japan-based investors such as Beenos Inc., Digital Garage Inc., and GMO Internet Inc. are now interested in Indian startups.

SoftBank Group Corp.s investment arm, SoftBank Capital, has invested about US$4 billion in 2017, primarily in the consumer internet space. This includes US$1.4 billion in One97 Communications Ltd., which operates Indias largest digital payment and commerce platform Paytm in May, and US$2.4 billion into homegrown e-commerce giant Flipkart in August.

SoftBank Capital previously backed Indian startups Snapdeal, Grofers, Ola, and Oyo. In future, its investments will be facilitated through a US$100 billion tech-focused fund called Vision Fund. The fund has contributions from Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, besides Apple Inc. and Qualcomm Inc.; it is the single largest capital pool in the world of private equity and venture capital.

Skilling India: Japan is also assisting Indias initiatives towards its workforce capacity-building. Four Japan-India Institutes for Manufacturing (JIMs) will be set up to train workers.

The Japan International Training Cooperation Organization (JITCO), which is a government-instituted body focused on human resource development, has also rolled out a program to up-skill Indian (industrially trained) blue-collar manpower for Japanese firms. Selected workers will be sent to Japan for a three-year, on-the-job training course.

In the healthcare sector, discussions are ongoing between the two governments to train and send nurses from the northeast Indian states to Japan.

RELATED: Business Intelligence Solutions

Japan India ties  Diversified, and expanding by necessity

The two countries are economically engaged at multiple levels.

Even if the momentum is sluggish on one front, such as trade, it is flourishing in terms of investments and private equity interest.

Strategic interests, and a retreating US in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), have pushed Japan to seek a closer defense relationship with India. This is complemented by Indias own regional interests.

Both countries are powerhouse economies in Asia, although at differing stages of development. Yet, Japans growth has been stagnant for years now, further burdened by an aging population and a shrinking workforce.

India, with its vast market and large and cheap labor supply, along with the Modi government led economic reforms presents Japan with a fundamentally important and timely set of opportunities.

As Prime Minister Abe says, the Ja of Japan and the I of India together makes Jai, the Hindi word for victory.
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
Keystone Realtors IPO Day 1 subscription Live status Keystone Realtors IPO with an issue size of Rs 635 Crore shows restrained response today. The offer is subscribed only 6% on the day one with 5,82,309 total bids received against 86,47,858 bids... November 14, 2022 | 4:11 pm

Inox Green Energy Services IPO of Rs 740 crore receives mild response from investors on day 2. The issue was subscribed 46% on Day 1. According to BSE data, investors made 4,67,21,280 bids out ... November 14, 2022 | 3:55 pm

Markets end the day in red Indian markets had a range-bound day today. Markets ended the day in red. Nifty 50 ended, down by 20.55 points. Sensex ended, down by 170.89 points. Top Gainers today were Hindalco,... November 14, 2022 | 3:45 pm

Fusion Microfinance IPO to list tomorrow Following the allotment, The IPO of Fusion Microfinance will list on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. The response to the public issues worth Rs. 1,104 crores has been relatively moderate with 2.95 ... November 14, 2022 | 3:27 pm

Vascon Engineers inks JV agreement for commercial project in Kharadi, Pune Vascon Engineers Limited has entered into a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) on Monday. Vascon has signed the JDA with Landowner to develop a commercial project at Kharadi a well-es... November 14, 2022 | 3:04 pm
The entire nation was in grief when 19 soldiers were killed in sleep, early morning after Pakistani terrorists attacked the 12 Infantry Brigade headquarters in Uri. India retaliated with the applause-worthy greatest ever surgical strike to avenge the life of the bravehearts.

qzprod.com

It has been a year since the incident took place and Ronnie Screwvala, who has produced/co-produced films like A Wednesday, Udaan, Dev-D and Paan Singh Tomar among others has announced a film starring Masaan fame Vicky Kaushal based on the Uri Attacks.

bollyworm.com

When this film came to me, I was really thrilled because this is one story I feel everyone needs to know. One of the fantastic Army operations the Indian Army has conducted and with great efficiency. I also feel it is a great opportunity and also a responsibility for all of us to portray this story, says Vicky Kaushal who seems extremely happy to have bagged this opportunity.

Instagram

Vicky Kaushal, who will next be seen in Raazi alongside Alia Bhatt, will take one month para-military training and put on some kilos to prep up for the role.

Aditya Dhar, who will be helming the project said, This is the story of what happened in those 11 days. It's an honour and very reassuring to be backed by Ronnie Screwvala and to execute on this vision and what we believe is an engaging and thrilling story inspired by this true life incident.

DESIMARTINI.COM

Its an incredible story of Indians coming together, said Ronnie Screwvala about the project, and surely it is. Such stories need to be told and shown on the silver screen!
Chat show host Ellen DeGeneres has done everything in her stride to influence the mindsets of Americans and everyone globally about gay rights than any other celebrity or public figure.

Twitter

DeGeneres first made waves in 1997 when she came out as gay on the cover of Time and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. There was a backlash, in fact, her current hugely popular show Ellen was cancelled due to falling ratings in 1998 and the comedian didnt regain her professional stride until her talk show launched in 2003.

Twitter

But gradually people came to terms with it including the then President Barack Obama who after opposing initially went onto support gay marriages and rights. And now bringing the same culture in Australia, Ellen wants marriage equality legalised in this side of the world too. Ellen who is married to Portia De Rossi, is an American actress who is from Australia.

After listening to her plea, the Australian Bureau of Statistics started their campaign and began sending out ballots for the legalization of same-sex marriage last week. Now the number of votes in the favour of same sex marriage will decide the change of law in the parliament

Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry? Yes, it should. (Lets do this, Australia.) pic.twitter.com/EslAlb3KyQ  Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) September 12, 2017

Ellen has been retweeting post that are supporting her cause.

Marriage equality in Australia???????? @AMEquality YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!!!!! Of course.......

Why is 'no' even on the ticket??????  Guy Pearce (@TheGuyPearce) August 28, 2017

The greatest thing in my life is my marriage to my wonderful wife. I just want my gay friends and family to have that. It's that simple  Mikey Robins (@MikeyRobins) September 10, 2017

What's your take?
Festivals are great events to boost sales in all businesses, and that is one of the reasons why the A-list stars of Bollywood plan to release their films during holidays and festivals. Most of Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan's films release on Eid, Diwali, and Christmas respectively.

Selling a film in the name of festivals was still fine, but a condom brand recently promoted their product in an ad featuring Sunny Leone with a tagline Play but with love, this Navratri. This Navrati special condom ad didnt go down well with many in Gujarat.

@SunnyLeone what a disrespectful advertisement, do you know anything about Navratri.!?. pic.twitter.com/LT6g0RUeRz  Tapan Lakdawala (@tapklak) September 18, 2017

A group called Hindu Yuva Vahini has begun a protest at the same spot where the ad was shot, and they have been demanding its removal.

The message in Gujarati on the hoarding reads Aa Navratri a ramo, parantu premthi  Play but with love, this Navratri. The insinuation on the hoardings from a condom brand insults the religious sentiments of Hindus. This cannot be tolerated and our protests will get stronger if these hoardings are not removed immediately. Protests are necessary to deter others from trying something similar again in future, Narendra Chaudhary, businessman and president of Hindu Yuva Vahini, told TOI.

And so, strangely, once again Sunny Leone and her condom ad became the eye of the storm.
Are you sitting as you read this? You may want to take a 'movement break' once you're through.

According to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, sitting for excessively long periods of time is a risk factor for early death.

mensfitness-magazine.fr

The study goes on to state that you need to get up every 30 minutes and move around if you want to cut your risk of death.

Scientists at the Columbia University claim that people who sit for an hour or two at a time without moving have a higher risk of premature death; as compared to people who sit for just as long but get up to move around in short bouts.

fox59.com

There's a direct relationship between the time spent sitting and the risk of early mortality of any cause, researchers said, based on a study of nearly 8,000 adults. As your total sitting time increases, so does your risk of an early death.

The positive news: People who sat for less than 30 minutes at a time had the lowest risk of early death.

"Sit less, move more" is what the American Heart Association encourages all of us to do. But this simplistic guideline doesn't quite cut it, said Keith Diaz, lead author of the new study and an associate research scientist in the Columbia University Department of Medicine.

thelandingatmia.com

"This would be like telling someone to just 'exercise' without telling them how," Diaz wrote in an email.

Exercise guidelines are precise, he explained. For example, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults do moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for two hours and 30 minutes every week, plus muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week.

"We need similar guidelines for sitting," said Diaz.

eldonkao.com

"We think a more specific guideline could read something like, 'For every 30 consecutive minutes of sitting, stand up and move/walk for five minutes at brisk pace to reduce the health risks from sitting,' " he said, adding the study "puts us a step closer to such guidelines," but more research is needed to verify the findings.

The research also found that:

- There wasn't a threshold or cutoff where one's risk for death dramatically increased," said Diaz. Those who sat for more than 13 hours per day had a 2-fold (or 200%) greater risk of death compared to those who sat for less than about 11 hours per day."

indianexpress.com

- "Bout duration is a little trickier," said Diaz. Still, he said, the study results indicate that those who frequently sat in stretches less than 30 minutes had a 55% lower risk of death compared to people who usually sat for more than 30 minutes at a stretch.

-People who frequently sat for more than 90 minutes at a stretch had a nearly two-fold greater risk of death than those who almost always sat for less than 90 minutes at a stretch, he said.

wittyfeed.com

The study was not designed to reveal why sitting increases the risk of early death, noted Dr David A. Alter, an associate professor at the University of Toronto in Ontario, who described the study as "methodologically rigorous," and its findings "robust." He claims that:

-The underlying reasons 'unclear' of how sedentary behaviour impacts our health in negative ways is "unclear and complex," wrote Alter in an editorial published with the study.

-Alter, who did not contribute to Diaz' research, said some scientists theorize that more sitting leads to reductions in insulin sensitivity, while others believe net calorie expenditures decline as sitting increases.

hindustantimes.com

-The study's most important contribution involved disentangling two sedentary behaviours: total daily sedentary time and uninterrupted sedentary bout duration.

-"Persons with uninterrupted sedentary bouts of 30 minutes or more had the highest risk for death if total sedentary time also exceeded 12.5 hours per day," noted Alter.

By teasing out these two threads, the findings show excessive sitting is bad and even worse if it is accumulated in lengthy, uninterrupted bouts throughout the day, noted Alter.

linkedin.com/Susan Heim

Asked if, say, a standing desk might be helpful for those who work desk jobs, Diaz said, "there is limited evidence to suggest that standing is a healthier alternative to sitting."

"So if you have a job or lifestyle where you have to sit for prolonged periods, the best suggestion I can make is to take a movement break every half hour," said Diaz. "Our findings suggest this one behaviour change could reduce your risk of death."
What if you were penalised for chewing gum in public? Or not allowed to get your Agents of Mayhem fix post-midnight? What if you were not allowed to connect with friends on Facebook? Would you bang your head against a wall? What if that too was banned? The world we are describing is not some strange Dystopian construct, but actual laws in some countries around the world. Here are 13 bizarre bans that make no sense.

1. Time travel (China)

In 2015, the Chinese government decided to ban every movie and television show on time travel for two main reasons. First, they feared a growing distortion of historical events. The idea of going back to ancient times, and changing the course of events didnt sit well with authorities. Second, they feared that their own people will develop a disrespect for the Chinese history given these films and shows odd plot twists, made-up myths, and ideals of reincarnation (which, by the way, you are not allowed to do without government approval).

representative image/wikia

2. Lip-synching (Turkmenistan)

Turkmenistans former President Saparmurat Niyazov banned lip-synching in 2005 to protect the nations true culture. Well, the ban only extended to cultural events organised by the state and on television channels. And this wasnt it. He also banned several other unnecessary things such as the opera, ballet, and car radios.

representative image/lip sync battle

3. Chewing gum (Singapore)

The Lion Citys ban on the import and sale of chewing gum makes it impossible for locals to get any. As an exception, however, people with a medical prescription can purchase therapeutic gum from pharmacists and dentists.

representative image/reuters

4. Blue Jeans (North Korea)

Blue jeans are banned in North Korea because the colour is associated with the United States. Black jeans, however, are fine. In addition, the tyrant regime of Kim Jong-un has added piercings to the ban of Western things.

representative image/getty images

5. Winnie the Pooh (Poland)

The cuddly bear was banned from a Polish playground for being inappropriately dressed and having dubious sexuality. The local authorities of the Polish town Tuszyn decreed that the half-naked fictional bear could not become a mascot for the childrens park.

representative image/reuters

6. Alcohol advertisements (India)

Since the late 1990s, advertising alcohol and cigarettes has been prohibited. Surrogate advertising is used instead and these brands are advertised covertly as other products. Companies in the past have tried to advertise surrogate products using the brand name of their alcohol but only to receive flak from the Indian government.

7. Dying in the Houses of Parliament (Britain)

It is illegal to pass away in the Houses of Parliament in Britain. This bizarre rule comes with a caveat that prohibits dying within the walls of the Houses for it automatically entitles the deceased to a state funeral.

reuters

8. Online gaming (South Korea)

In a bid to curb adolescents addiction to video games, South Korea has blocked access to websites after midnight. Termed as the Cinderella law, gamers below the age of 16 were denied access to various gaming websites. This rule, however, did not extend to games available on social networking sites or mobiles.

representative image/reuters

9. The Satanic Verses (India)

Salman Rushdies The Satanic Verses incited a violent reaction from Muslims in India where they accused the writer of blasphemy. In 1989, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa calling for Rushdies murder.

ap

10. Facebook (Pakistan)

In 2010, Pakistan blocked Facebook in response to public outcry over a Facebook competition that called for people to share drawings of Prophet Muhammad. The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority has also banned YouTube, Wikipedia, and Flickr.

screengrab/facebook

Cacophonous footwear is prohibited in the Italian town of Capri. The Italians love their peace and quiet and anything that impedes this is thoroughly fined. Building sand castles and saving a spot on the beaches with a towel are the other things banned in Italy.

representative image/reuters

12. Public dancing (Kuwait)

Dancing in public is strictly outlawed in Kuwait. The nation has rules pertaining to concert behavior where, forget head-banging, any movement beyond clapping of hands and swaying is prohibited.

representative image/reuters

13. Cross-dressing (Australia)

An old law dictates that men cant dress as women in public. They are specifically forbidden from wearing strapless gowns in public. Men can be fined if they fancy going to a ball dressed as Cinderella.

representative images

Weird, aren't they? Tell us which ban stumped you the most.
A routing haircut and head massage, at a barber shop in Delhi, has allegedly left a man paralyzed.

According to reports, the victim identified as Ajay Kumar, had gone to a local barber shop to get a haircut last month and came back from the salon feeling refreshed after the haircut-and-massage routine.

The massage involved a 'neck-crack', when the barber holds you by the chin and tilts the neck sharply to the left and right.

But after reaching home he became increasingly breathless.

reuters/representational image

It turned out that the neck crack had damaged his phrenic nerves that control the diaphragm, which in turn controls breathing. Kumar, a PSU employee, had to be put on mechanical ventilation.

"He has been put on non-invasive ventilation for breathing support and may continue to be on it," said Dr Anand Jaiswal, director of respiratory and sleep medicine at Medanta - The Medicity.

Jaiswal said Kumar's diaphragm was paralysed and he may need ventilator support throughout his life because the nerve rarely regenerates spontaneously.

reuters/representational image

The doctor also cautioned people against getting a neck massage at saloons.

"The neck massage and neck-crack that barbers ritually perform after a haircut can cause long-term damage to neck joints and surrounding tissues, muscles or nerves or even cause bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis like in this case," the doctor said.

Breathlessness is often associated with malfunctioning of the heart or lung. When Kumar came to Medanta with the problem about a month back, doctors said they conducted a series of tests to diagnose the problem while treating him for other suspected causes. When the problem persisted, they looked at medical literature for clues.

"While examining him, we noticed Kumar had a paradoxical breathing pattern. His chest was moving inward instead of expanding. This abnormal chest movement affected the breathing pattern and led to a drop in his blood oxygen levels," Jaiswal explained.

He added, "As we investigated the possible reasons for the paradoxical breathing, a neurological examination revealed Kumar was suffering from a damaged phrenic nerve. Because he had no other existing illness to explain it, and literature had some examples about neck-crack causing such problem, we questioned Kumar and found that his neck massage had caused the condition."

reuters/representational image

In a typical Indian barber shop, it is not uncommon to find customers such as Kumar who like to end their haircut with a massage and a customary neck-crack.

People get it done because they find it relaxing and believe a neck massage is a good practice to keep the neck loose. Dr Shakir Husain, director, stroke and neurovascular clinic at Neo hospital, said these neck massages can also lead to dissection of the vertebral artery.
Ever since the demise of Marshal of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Arjan Singh, a lot has been written on his valour and service to the nation as a soldier. But, Marshal Singh was much more than just being a soldier, who displayed his heroics in multiple wars.

Known for his quick action and never say die attitude, Arjan Singh was far bigger a person than whats being written and known about him.

One such incident is mentioned in his biography, 'Arjan Singh: Marshal of the Indian Air Force', written by Rupendra Singh, that Arjan Singh sold off his farm near Delhi and entrusted a corpus of Rs 2 crore to a trust devoted to the welfare of retired Air Force personnel.

I had full support of the family, said Arjan Singh back in 2004. His wife, Teji recalls that when she asked him, why he had put her name on it, he replied: If you hadnt agreed, how could I have done it?

The farmland that MIAF Arjan Singh sold was the last chunk of land he was left with. Arjan Singhs grandfather, Risaldar Major Bhagwan Singh had a farm near Lyallpur which now is Faislabad in Pakistan where the young Arjan Singh had spent his childhood.

After the Partition, his family was allotted 80 acres of land in Churwali village, near Adampur, Punjab.

I was also allotted a pucca house. Kartar Singh, a good man, used to look after the land and when I sold it, I gave the house to him. I sold off the land because I could not take care of it as I was in service. In fact, when I told Sardar Swaran Singh (the then External Affairs Minister), in whose constituency my land fell, how much I had sold it for, he chided me for selling it below the market rate, he said in an earlier interview when this writer wrote his biography.

The family also had land in Terai, which was tilled by his father Kishan Singh and other family members.

I am no longer a Jat as you said in the book, I have no land now, said Arjan Singh told Rupendra Singh. Arjan Singh had said the Jat in him was kept alive by the farm.

There are many other untold stories about this legend that is there in his biography which is certainly an inspiration for many who seek the motherland as MIAF Arjan Singh did.

(The quotes in this article are taken from an interview printed in The Tribune in 2004)
Sexual abuse, trafficking and exploitation of displaced people is a facet that is little acknowledged in the refugee crisis. A record increase in the number of refugee and children travelling alone has left many vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation at the hands of opportunists and traffickers.

1. Just last week, a report suggested that around 1,100 children Rohingya refugees arrived alone in Bangladesh to escape the conflict-hit region of Myanmar. A large number of Rohingya refugee children have disappeared in Bangladesh and are feared to be trafficking victims. There have been widespread reports of rape and murder as part of a military campaign against Rohingya civilians. However, the Myanmar government had denied these charges outright.

2. The complete picture of the crisis still remains hidden due to the fact that international community still doesnt have complete access inside Myanmar.

reuters

3. Recent child disappearances among the newly arrived refugees have been confirmed. An NGO, 'Action Against Hunger' says it knows of 16 suspected kidnappings since January.

4. The lack of law and order has ensured that there is no check on human trafficking groups inside the disturbed country. Many watchdogs estimate that these groups are working around the clock in search children who have lost their families or very simply just lost.

5. There is enough evidence that all booms in migration are also followed by a huge surge in human trafficking numbers. A report by VOA News quotes Mohammed Idris, a teacher at a school in Bangladeshs border area, says they hear rumours and there are ransom demands. Were very sad about losing these children, he says. Were even hearing that they are taking the kidneys from some of the children.

Read more: Rohingya Women Tell The Horror Tales Of How The Army Raped And Murdered Them In Myanmar

6. There has been a very high prevalence of underage marriage amongst the Rohingyas for a good part of this decade. It has been common for Rohingya women escaping Myanmar to marry Rohingya men the country they fled to. To make matters worse, as a part of rituals, underage girls are also married off.

7. Girls, as young as a 12 year of age are sold off in neighbouring countries and forced to marry men more than a decade older than them. A growing number of girls are becoming victims of human traffickers who sell women and girls to Rohingya men as brides.

8. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that 25,000 people have been taken to boats from January to March in 2015 by human traffickers.

9. A UNICEF report pointed out, At least 300,000 unaccompanied and separated children were recorded in 80 countries in 2015-16, a rise of almost 500% on the 66,000 documented in 2010-2011.

ap

10. Even before the current full-scale crisis kicked off, In 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said in a report it had identified 120 Rohingya child brides in Malaysia.

11. A Reuters report, quotes a former trafficking agent, a Rohingya man, saying that there is growing demand for Rohingya brides. Smuggling syndicates can earn up to 7,000 ringgit (1,249) for each girls release to their family or sale to a man.

12. Smugglers and traffickers are exploiting the vulnerability of young children travelling alone in search of a safer place, for personal gain. They help children in crossing the borders only to sell them into slavery and prostitution. The towering number of migrants and refugees have left the authorities struggling to cope with the crisis, with most children slipping through the cracks.

13. According to a recent report by the UN, more than 4,00,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh.

There is a history of persecution of Muslims in Myanmar that continues even today and in much worse shape. For seven decades, the Rohingyas have been described as one of the worlds most persecuted minorities. The persecution of the Muslim Rohingya, numbering approximately 1 million, dates back to the foundations of Burmese national identity shaped under British colonisation in the 19th and 20th centuries.

When Aung San Suu Kyi rose to power in 2015, hopes were high that the Noble Peace Prize winner could balance the countrys ethnic divide. On the contrary, she has been accused of silently standing by while widespread violence is committed against the Rohingyas.

reuters

On September 7, Aung San Suu Kyi defended her handling of the crisis. It is a little unreasonable to expect us to solve the issue in 18 months, she told the IANS.

The situation in Rakhine has been such for many decades. It goes back to pre-colonial times.

Our resources are not as complete and adequate as we would like them to be but still, we try our best and we want to make sure that everyone is entitled to the protection of the law, she said.

Read more: Rohingyas In India Have Links With Pak's ISI & ISIS, Govt Tells SC

On September 18, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that Burmese leader Suu Kyi has a last chance to halt the Rohingya crisis, describing the act as ethnic cleansing.

With India also mulling to deport approximately 40,000 Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, the fate of the boat people or the floating people hangs in the air.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested Mohammad Parvez, an alleged ISI operative for blackmailing a lady colonel.

bccl/representational image

According to the complaint by the Colonel who is posted in Kota NCC, Parvez had threatened to circulate her morphed photos on social media. Parvez has confessed that he was trying to extract confidential information for the Colonel using the morphed pictures.

He has also admitted of working for the ISI and was supposed to share the information with the ISI operatives.

afp/representational image

Parvez used two mobile numbers and Facebook to send the pictures to the colonel who continued to get harassed from other numbers after she blocked them.
Maoists have allegedly blown up a solar power plant in Bihar's Gaya district, damaging its control room and workers' accommodation unit.

hinduismnow/representational image

Apparently, irked over non-payment of levy, the Maoists detonated an Improvised Explosive Device in the premises of the Tata Power-owned solar power plant yesterday night, Assistant Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar Singh said.

Maoists had earlier demanded a levy of Rs 1 crore from the company, but its executives refused to make the payment.

The control room and workers' accommodation unit of the plant were gutted, he said.

reuters/representational image

A case was lodged and raids were on to nab the culprits, he said. Tata Power produces 30 MW solar energy from its plant here and provides it to Sherghati sub-division.
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.
How I Believe Facebook Was Censoring My Political Speech





Forget China, the Internet police are already here in U.S.



By Philip Giraldi

September 16, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - In the Summer of 2007 I traveled to China to speak at a conference concerning security preparations for the Olympic Games, which were to be held in Beijing the following year. While transiting Pariss Charles de Gaulle airport I noticed something odd. The internet sites that I checked every day would not open, to include The American Conservative and Antiwar.com . When I finally reached China, the same sites continued to be inaccessible and I also noted that writing emails had become problematic either at the airports in Hong Kong or Beijing or at the Sheraton Hotel in Shenyang. Some words would not type at all while other words that were clearly considered to be offensive would be altered without any input from me. Words like damn and hell appeared as d**n and h**l and the same alterations took place with more obviously scatological and reproductive expressions.

When I returned to the United States, I learned that there was commercially available software that enabled internet service providers to selectively censor online content. That was apparently what was being used by the French in the airport and more so in China. Since 2007, I have learned that many governments and their agencies employ such software to limit access to what they hold to be objectionable content and to control certain aspects of messaging going out of the country.

The internet was originally promoted as a completely free and uncensored mechanism for people everywhere to exchange views and communicate, but that is not really true anymore. Both governments and the service providers have developed a taste for controlling the product, with President Barack Obama once considering a  kill switch  that would turn the internet off completely in the event of a national emergency. President Trump has also had a lot to say about fake news and is reported to be supporting limiting protections relating to the internet.

Social networking sites have voluntarily employed technical fixes that restrict some content and have also hired reviewers who look for objectionable material and remove it. European legislation, meanwhile, might require internet search engines to eliminate access to many old posts. YouTube has already been engaged in deleting existing old material, and is working with by no means impartial partners like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to set up guidelines to restrict future content. Users of Facebook will have already undoubtedly noted that some contacts have been blocked temporarily (or even permanently) and denied access to the site.

Google now automatically disables or limits searches for material that it deems to be undesirable. If Google does not approve of something it will not appear in search results. And what does come up will likely favor content that derives from those who pay Google to promote their products or services. Information that originates with competitors will either be very low in the search results or even blocked. Google is hardly an unbiased source of information.

My most recent encounter with social media censorship occurred on Facebook, which announced in May that it would be hiring 3,000 new censors. I had posted an article that I had written for Unz.com entitled  Charlottesville Requiem . At the end of the first day, Ron Unz noticed that while the article had clearly attracted a substantial readership, the likes for the piece were not showing up on the screen counter, i.e. were not being tabulated. It was also impossible to share the piece on Facebook as the button to do so had been removed.

The likes on sites like Facebook, Yahoo news comments, YouTube, and Google are important because they automatically determine how the piece is distributed throughout the site. If there are a lot of likes the piece goes to the top when a search is made or when someone opens the page. Articles similarly can be sent to Coventry if they receive a lot of dislikes or negative marks, so the approvals or disapprovals can be very important in determining what kind of audience is reached or what a search will reveal.

In my case, after one day my page reverted to normal, the likes reappeared, and readers were again able to share the article. But it was clear that someone had been managing what I had posted, apparently because there had been disapproval of my content based on what must have been a political judgment. A couple of days later, I learned of another example of a similar incident. The Ron Paul Institute (RPI) website posts much of its material on YouTube (owned by Google) on a site where there had been advertising that kicked back to RPI a small percentage of the money earned. Suddenly, without explanation, both the ads and rebate were eliminated after a manual review determined the content to be unsuitable for all advertisers. This was a judgment rendered apparently due to disapproval of what the Institute does and says. The ability to comment on and link from the pieces was also turned off.

So unelected, unnamed censors are operating all around the internet to control the content, which I suppose should surprise no one. Which, curiously enough, leads again to Russiagate. Given the attempts to manage content and comments on the internet, many of those who attempt to exploit the anonymity of the medium have resorted to various ploys to get around those restraints. Among my Facebook friends I have five contacts whom I know in true name but who operate on the site in alias. In several cases it is done to protect their ability to express out-of-the-mainstream views and also keep those views at some distance from their employers, who might object or even fire them.

Earlier this month, the New York Times had a featured front page investigative piece entitled in its print edition To Sway Vote, Russia Used Army of Fake Americans  Flooding Twitter and Facebook, Impostors Helped Fuel Anger in Polarized U.S. As the title suggests, the newspaper expressed its dismay over how many supporters of Russia online appear to be alias personae , again suggesting that Moscow is an unprecedented foreign intervention in American democracy. The legion of Russian-controlled imposters were blamed for propagating an anti-Clinton message, and, to do so, they had unleashed a cyberarmy of counterfeit Facebook and Twitter accounts.

No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter

The Times concluded that the alleged Russian activity had turned social media into engines of deception and propaganda. In one sense, it was astonishing that the Times had taken so long to cotton onto something that has been taking place for years, mostly engineered by the United States. The Pentagon and State Department have long had personnel roving the internet using fake names, engaged in what is referred to as perception management. They infiltrate radical sites and even engage in debate through the comments sections. It is to be presumed that the CIA is similarly active. There have been credible claims that Washington interfered heavily via internet and other mechanisms in voting in Ukraine as well as in recent Venezuelan elections.

Israels government has also more-or-less admitted being engaged in perception management on a large scale. The Israeli Foreign Ministry even sent a letter out to a number of pro-Israel organizations emphasizing the importance of the internet as the new battleground for Israels image. Haaretz reported in 2013 how Prime Minister Netanyahus office collaborated with the National Union of Israeli Students to establish covert units at the seven national universities to be structured in a semi-military fashion and organized in situation rooms. Students are paid as much as $2,000 monthly to use aliases to work the online targets.

The Times article described how the fake accounts could be activated serially by command to bombard social media with similar messages intended to confuse the electorate and fuel a fire of anger and suspicion in a polarized country. Some fake Facebook account holders allegedly also bought political advertising totaling $100,000 that appeared on the site. But the Times is, not surprisingly, heavily editorializing in an investigative piece and is also both framing and inflating an apparent problem to suit its own biases. It produces nothing that would equate to actual evidence that Russia was involved in the wholesale deception and does not seriously examine what other interested foreign and domestic parties might also have been willing to engage in subterfuge to cook the social media content.

Anything that appeared in the Times survey that was either anti-American or anti-Clinton was attributed by the Times to the Russian intelligence services, while the word suspected appears frequently in the article. And the fake personae might have amounted to little in terms of the overall content on sites like Facebook, which concedes that there was some fraud, but that faux accounts involved in potential civic content deception amounted to less than one tenth of one percent of all traffic volume.

The Times assertions regarding the social media invasion by Moscow are reminiscent of Obama Administration claims about Russian hacking in that they are largely evidence free. One anti-Clinton site called DCLeaks is connected by the Times to the Russian military-intelligence service the GRU without any proof whatsoever to confirm that linkage. And there is, of course, nothing to suggest that the alleged Russian meddling in any way convinced the American public of anything, or changed any votes. Even if it existed on the scale that the Times is maintaining, it was demonstrably unsuccessful. It did not determine the outcome of the election.

Anyone who is paying attention would be unlikely to deny that there is an astonishing amount of fraud, disinformation, and covert manipulation floating around the internet at any given time. That is a by-product of its relative freedom and accessibility. But most people are not completely gullible and manage to filter out the frivolous and implausible. Far more dangerous than speculation about what the Russians might have done (or what the U.S. government is doing) is the self-censorship being engaged in by the actual service providers and related media sites representing large and wealthy American corporations, some of which have near monopolistic power. They are well placed to shape what the public knows and what it is able to discover. Erasing old content and restricting searches is not so much different than George Orwells Winston Smith watching the evidence for no longer politically-acceptable events being dropped down the memory hole. If the censorship and limitation of the product is allowed to continue, the information revolution promised by the internet might well turn out to be a bad bargain.
The Silencing of Dissent

By Chris Hedges

September 18, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The ruling elites, who grasp that the reigning ideology of global corporate capitalism and imperial expansion no longer has moral or intellectual credibility, have mounted a campaign to shut down the platforms given to their critics. The attacks within this campaign include blacklisting, censorship and slandering dissidents as foreign agents for Russia and purveyors of fake news.

No dominant class can long retain control when the credibility of the ideas that justify its existence evaporates. It is forced, at that point, to resort to crude forms of coercion, intimidation and censorship. This ideological collapse in the United States has transformed those of us who attack the corporate state into a potent threat, not because we reach large numbers of people, and certainly not because we spread Russian propaganda, but because the elites no longer have a plausible counterargument.

The elites face an unpleasant choice. They could impose harsh controls to protect the status quo or veer leftward toward socialism to ameliorate the mounting economic and political injustices endured by most of the population. But a move leftward, essentially reinstating and expanding the New Deal programs they have destroyed, would impede corporate power and corporate profits. So instead the elites, including the Democratic Party leadership, have decided to quash public debate. The tactic they are using is as old as the nation-statesmearing critics as traitors who are in the service of a hostile foreign power. Tens of thousands of people of conscience were blacklisted in this way during the Red Scares of the 1920s and 1950s. The current hyperbolic and relentless focus on Russia, embraced with gusto by liberal media outlets such as The New York Times and MSNBC, has unleashed what some have called a virulent  New McCarthyism .

The corporate elites do not fear Russia. There is no publicly disclosed evidence that Russia swung the election to Donald Trump. Nor does Russia appear to be intent on a military confrontation with the United States. I am certain Russia tries to meddle in U.S. affairs to its advantage, as we do and did in Russiaincluding our clandestine bankrolling of Boris Yeltsin, whose successful 1996 campaign for re-election as president is estimated to have cost up to $2.5 billion, much of that money coming indirectly from the American government. In todays media environment Russia is the foil. The corporate state is unnerved by the media outlets that give a voice to critics of corporate capitalism, the security and surveillance state and imperialism, including the network RT America .

My show on RT America,  On Contact , like my columns at Truthdig, amplifies the voices of these dissidentsTariq Ali, Kshama Sawant, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Medea Benjamin, Ajamu Baraka, Noam Chomsky, Dr. Margaret Flowers, Rania Khalek, Amira Hass, Miko Peled, Abby Martin, Glen Ford, Max Blumenthal, Pam Africa, Linh Dinh, Ben Norton, Eugene Puryear, Allan Nairn, Jill Stein, Kevin Zeese and others. These dissidents, if we had a functioning public broadcasting system or a commercial press free of corporate control, would be included in the mainstream discourse. They are not bought and paid for. They have integrity, courage and often brilliance. They are honest. For these reasons, in the eyes of the corporate state, they are very dangerous.

The first and deadliest salvo in the war on dissent came in 1971 when Lewis Powell, a corporate attorney and later a Supreme Court justice, wrote and circulated a memo among business leaders called Attack on American Free Enterprise System. It became the blueprint for the corporate coup detat. Corporations, as Powell recommended in the document, poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the assault, financing pro-business political candidates, mounting campaigns against the liberal wing of the Democratic Party and the press and creating institutions such as the Business Roundtable, The Heritage Foundation, the Manhattan Institute, the Cato Institute, Citizens for a Sound Economy, the Federalist Society and Accuracy in Academia. The memo argued that corporations had to fund sustained campaigns to marginalize or silence those who in the college campus, the pulpit, the media, and the intellectual and literary journals were hostile to corporate interests.

Powell attacked Ralph Nader by name. Lobbyists flooded Washington and state capitals. Regulatory controls were abolished. Massive tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy were implemented, culminating in a de facto tax boycott. Trade barriers were lifted and the countrys manufacturing base was destroyed. Social programs were slashed and funds for infrastructure, from roads and bridges to public libraries and schools, were cut. Protections for workers were gutted. Wages declined or stagnated. The military budget, along with the organs of internal security, became ever more bloated. A de facto blacklist, especially in universities and the press, was used to discredit intellectuals, radicals and activists who decried the idea of the nation prostrating itself before the dictates of the marketplace and condemned the crimes of imperialism, some of the best known being Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Sheldon Wolin, Ward Churchill, Nader, Angela Davis and Edward Said. These critics were permitted to exist only on the margins of society, often outside of institutions, and many had trouble making a living.

The financial meltdown of 2008 not only devastated the global economy, it exposed the lies propagated by those advocating globalization. Among these lies: that salaries of workers would rise, democracy would spread across the globe, the tech industry would replace manufacturing as a source of worker income, the middle class would flourish, and global communities would prosper. After 2008 it became clear that the free market is a scam, a zombie ideology by which workers and communities are ravaged by predatory capitalists and assets are funneled upward into the hands of the global 1 percent. The endless wars, fought largely to enrich the arms industry and swell the power of the military, are futile and counterproductive to national interests. Deindustrialization and austerity programs have impoverished the working class and fatally damaged the economy.

The establishment politicians in the two leading parties, each in service to corporate power and responsible for the assault on civil liberties and impoverishment of the country, are no longer able to use identity politics and the culture wars to whip up support. This led in the last presidential campaign to an insurgency by Bernie Sanders, which the Democratic Party crushed, and the election of Donald Trump.

Barack Obama rode a wave of bipartisan resentment into office in 2008, then spent eight years betraying the public. Obamas assault on civil liberties, including his use of the Espionage Act to prosecute whistleblowers, was worse than those carried out by George W. Bush. He accelerated the war on public education by privatizing schools, expanded the wars in the Middle East, including the use of militarized drone attacks, provided little meaningful environmental reform, ignored the plight of the working class, deported more undocumented people than any other president, imposed a corporate-sponsored health care program that was the brainchild of the right-wing Heritage Foundation, and prohibited the Justice Department from prosecuting the bankers and financial firms that carried out derivatives scams and inflated the housing and real estate market, a condition that led to the 2008 financial meltdown. He epitomized, like Bill Clinton, the bankruptcy of the Democratic Party. Clinton, outdoing Obamas later actions, gave us the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the dismantling of the welfare system, the deregulation of the financial services industry and the huge expansion of mass incarceration. Clinton also oversaw deregulation of the Federal Communications Commission, a change that allowed a handful of corporations to buy up the airwaves.

No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter

The corporate state was in crisis at the end of the Obama presidency. It was widely hated. It became vulnerable to attacks by the critics it had pushed to the fringes. Most vulnerable was the Democratic Party establishment, which claims to defend the rights of working men and women and protect civil liberties. This is why the Democratic Party is so zealous in its efforts to discredit its critics as stooges for Moscow and to charge that Russian interference caused its election defeat.

In January there was a report on Russia by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The report devoted seven of its 25 pages to RT America and its influence on the presidential election. It claimed Russian media made increasingly favorable comments about President-elect Trump as the 2016 US general and primary election campaigns progressed while consistently offering negative coverage of Secretary [Hillary] Clinton. This might seem true if you did not watch my RT broadcasts, which relentlessly attacked Trump as well as Clinton, or watch Ed Schultz , who now has a program on RT after having been the host of an MSNBC commentary program. The report also attempted to present RT America as having a vast media footprint and influence it does not possess.

In an effort to highlight the alleged lack of democracy in the United States, RT broadcast, hosted, and advertised third party candidate debates and ran reporting supportive of the political agenda of these candidates, the report read , correctly summing up themes on my show. The RT hosts asserted that the US two-party system does not represent the views of at least one-third of the population and is a sham. 

It went on:

RTs reports often characterize the United States as a surveillance state and allege widespread infringements of civil liberties, police brutality, and drone use. RT has also focused on criticism of the US economic system, US currency policy, alleged Wall Street greed, and the US national debt. Some of RTs hosts have compared the United States to Imperial Rome and have predicted that government corruption and corporate greed will lead to US financial collapse.

Is the corporate state so obtuse it thinks the American public has not, on its own, reached these conclusions about the condition of the nation? Is this what it defines as fake news? But most important, isnt this the truth that the courtiers in the mainstream press and public broadcasting, dependent on their funding from sources such as the Koch brothers, refuse to present? And isnt it, in the end, the truth that frightens them the most? Abby Martin and Ben Norton ripped apart the mendacity of the report and the complicity of the corporate media in my On Contact show titled Real purpose of intel report on Russian hacking with Abby Martin & Ben Norton.

The blacklist published by the shadowy and anonymous site PropOrNot in November 2016 soon followed. The blacklist was composed of 199 sites PropOrNot alleged, with no evidence, reliably echo Russian propaganda. More than half of those sites were far-right, conspiracy-driven ones. But about 20 of the sites were major left-wing outlets including AlterNet, Black Agenda Report, Democracy Now!, Naked Capitalism, Truthdig, Truthout, CounterPunch and the World Socialist Web Site. The blacklist and the spurious accusations that these sites disseminated fake news on behalf of Russia were given prominent play in The Washington Post in a story headlined Russian propaganda effort helped spread fake news during the election, experts say. The reporter, Craig Timberg, wrote that the goal of the Russian propaganda effort, according to independent researchers who have tracked the operation, was punishing Democrat Hillary Clinton, helping Republican Donald Trump and undermining faith in American democracy. Last December, Truthdig columnist Bill Boyarsky wrote a good piece about PropOrNot, which to this day remains essentially a secret organization.

The owner of The Washington Post, Jeff Bezos, also the founder and CEO of Amazon, has a $600 million contract with the CIA. Google, likewise, is deeply embedded within the security and surveillance state and aligned with the ruling elites. Amazon recently purged over 1,000 negative reviews of Hillary Clintons new book, What Happened. The effect was that the books Amazon rating jumped from 2 1/2 stars to five stars. Do corporations such as Google and Amazon carry out such censorship on behalf of the U.S. government? Or is this censorship their independent contribution to protect the corporate state?

In the name of combating Russia-inspired fake news, Google, Facebook, Twitter, The New York Times, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed News, Agence France-Presse and CNN in April imposed algorithms or filters, overseen by evaluators, that hunt for key words such as U.S. military, inequality and socialism, along with personal names such as Julian Assange and Laura Poitras, the filmmaker. Ben Gomes, Googles vice president for search engineering, says Google has amassed some 10,000 evaluators to determine the quality and veracity of websites. Internet users doing searches on Google, since the algorithms were put in place, are diverted from sites such as Truthdig and directed to mainstream publications such as The New York Times. The news organizations and corporations that are imposing this censorship have strong links to the Democratic Party. They are cheerleaders for American imperial projects and global capitalism. Because they are struggling in the new media environment for profitability, they have an economic incentive to be part of the witch hunt.

The World Socialist Web Site reported in July that its aggregate volume, or impressionslinks displayed by Google in response to search requestsfell dramatically over a short period after the new algorithms were imposed. It also wrote that a number of sites declared to be fake news by the Washington Posts discredited [PropOrNot] blacklist  had their global ranking fall. The average decline of the global reach of all of these sites is 25 percent. 

Another article , Google rigs searches to block access to World Socialist Web Site, by the same website that month said:

During the month of May, Google searches including the word war produced 61,795 WSWS impressions. In July, WSWS impressions fell by approximately 90 percent, to 6,613. Searches for the term Korean war produced 20,392 impressions in May. In July, searches using the same words produced zero WSWS impressions. Searches for North Korea war produced 4,626 impressions in May. In July, the result of the same search produced zero WSWS impressions. India Pakistan war produced 4,394 impressions in May. In July, the result, again, was zero. And Nuclear war 2017 produced 2,319 impressions in May, and zero in July. To cite some other searches: WikiLeaks, fell from 6,576 impressions to zero, Julian Assange fell from 3,701 impressions to zero, and Laura Poitras fell from 4,499 impressions to zero. A search for Michael Hastingsthe reporter who died in 2013 under suspicious circumstancesproduced 33,464 impressions in May, but only 5,227 impressions in July. In addition to geopolitics, the WSWS regularly covers a broad range of social issues, many of which have seen precipitous drops in search results. Searches for food stamps, Ford layoffs, Amazon warehouse, and secretary of education all went down from more than 5,000 impressions in May to zero impressions in July.

The accusation that left-wing sites collude with Russia has made them theoretically subject, along with those who write for them, to the Espionage Act and the Foreign Agent Registration Act, which requires Americans who work on behalf of a foreign party to register as foreign agents.

The latest salvo came last week. It is the most ominous. The Department of Justice called on RT America and its associateswhich may mean people like me to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act. No doubt, the corporate state knows that most of us will not register as foreign agents, meaning we will be banished from the airwaves. This, I expect, is the intent. The government will not stop with RT. The FBI has been handed the authority to determine who is a legitimate journalist and who is not. It will use this authority to decimate the left.

This is a war of ideas. The corporate state cannot compete honestly in this contest. It will do what all despotic regimes dogovern through wholesale surveillance, lies, blacklists, false accusations of treason, heavy-handed censorship and, eventually, violence.

Chris Hedges, spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He has reported from more than 50 countries and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, for which he was a foreign correspondent for 15 years.
September 18, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Donald Trump at the White House and push the U.S. to withdraw from the nuclear accord with Iran. Netanyahu will present an argument that Trump already has come to accept: Americas adherence to the nuclear deal cannot solely depend on Irans compliance with the agreement, but also whether Irans other policies challenge U.S. national interests. Its a more honest argument compared to the slogans Netanyahu has used in the past. But it is also a line that fundamentally contradicts Netanyahus central message of the past decades: That Irans nuclear program constitutes an existential threat to Israel.

The Trump administration has desperately sought a pretext to quit the nuclear deal and shed the limits the deal imposed on the U.S.s ability to pursue aggressive policies against Iran  even if it also sheds the limits the deal imposed on Irans nuclear activities. The latest idea is to use the Congressional certification  due every 90 days  where the president has to report to Congress on whether Iran is complying with the deal or not. But unlike the reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency  who is tasked to oversee the implementation of the nuclear deal  the presidents report to Congress goes beyond the nuclear issue: Trump must also report whether the suspension of sanctions against Iran is appropriate and proportionate to the measures taken by Iran and vital to U.S. national security interests.

The Trump plan  as telegraphed by several administration officials  is to certify that Iran is in compliance with the deal (Trump has no leg to stand on to claim otherwise  both the IAEA and the U.S. intelligence services have consistently reported that Tehran is living up to its obligations ), but to argue that the deal and its sanctions relief nevertheless is unjustified due to Irans policies in the region that are anathema to U.S. national security interests.

In her by now infamous presentation at AEI  riddled with falsehoods and lies  Ambassador Nikki Haley argued that the nuclear deal was designed to be too big to fail and that an artificial line was drawn between the Iranian regimes nuclear development and the rest of its lawless behavior. The push to keep the deal, Haley argued, was put above all other concerns about Irans policies. As such, the deal is constraining Americas ability to act aggressively against Iran, much to the chagrin of hawks such as Haley and her neoconservative allies at AEI.

But it is not President Barack Obama, or the proponents of the deal for that matter, that Haley and Trump should blame for the nuclear deal not addressing non-nuclear issues. Its Prime Minister Netanyahu.

As I document in my new book Losing an Enemy - Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy , Netanyahu has argued ever since the mid-1990s that Irans nuclear program and its enrichment of uranium constituted an existential threat to Israel . During the George W. Bush administration, he repeatedly warned that  Its 1938 and Iran is Germany . The implication being that the U.S. must attack Iran before Tehran invades the West. No Israeli leader pushed this line harder than Bibi.

Netanyahus argument that Iran was on the verge of being able to destroy Israel served to achieve several objectives. First, an existential threat combined with the claim that the Iranians were irrational and suicidal could ensure that preemptive military action needed to be taken. After all, an irrational, suicidal entity cannot be negotiated with it.

Secondly, existential issues take precedence over all other matters. With the nuclear program defined as an existential threat, it superseded all other concerns  and opportunities  the U.S. had with Iran. In case Israel would fail to prevent negotiations from taking place, defining the nuclear issue as an existential threat ensured that there could be no bargaining between the nuclear question and other regional matters. Ideally, it would ensure that the U.S. would not even negotiate with Iran over non-nuclear issues, but rather only focus on Irans atomic program. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter

And that is exactly what happened. Largely due to pressure from Israel and Saudi Arabia, the U.S. adopted the position that the negotiations would solely address Irans nuclear activities. (the Iranians originally insisted that the agenda would have to include a whole set of issues, including global warming). From Netanyahus perspective, the sole focus on the nuclear issue would ensure that the talks would fail. Leaders in the region were saying to me personally, and to the president, President Obama, you should bomb these guys, then- Secretary of State Kerry recently commented. Thats the only way to resolve this issue.

For the Obama administration, the opposite held true: In order to ensure unity between the countries negotiating with Iran, it was critical to only focus on the matter they all agreed on: The need to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons option. Had the agenda been expanded to include regional questions such as Syria, Tehran could split the major powers as Russia and China were closer to Iran on that question than to Washington.

Now, Washingtons hawks and Netanyahu are complaining about the nuclear deals singular focus on Irans nuclear activities. The real threat is Irans regional expansion, they suddenly claim. Allowing the nuclear deal to restrain the U.S. from confronting Tehran in the region, or allowing sanctions relief to proceed under these circumstances, would not serve U.S. national security interests, the Trump administration argues.

It is not invalid to point out that the sanctions relief put an end to more than three decades of U.S. efforts to completely isolate and contain Iran. That argument, however, cannot be combined with the central assertion made by Netanyahu and Washington hawks in the past: That Irans nuclear program constitutes an existential threat.

If the hawks truly believed in that contention, they would not complain about the nuclear deals singular focus on this existential threat. They would celebrate it.

But in their effort to kill the deal, they are twisting and turning, contradicting the very premise that ensured that Irans nuclear program would top the U.S.s and the international communitys security agenda for the first fifteen years of this century.

Nevertheless, whatever line Netanyahu uses to compel Trump to quit the nuclear deal, the end result is inescapable: Killing the deal will put the U.S. back on a path to war with Iran. Which is exactly what Netanyahu has sought for the past twenty-five years.

With Trump in the White House, he finally has a receptive ear for his shifting and contradictory arguments to push the U.S. into yet another war in the Middle East.

Trita Parsi is President of the National Iranian American Council and author of Losing an Enemy - Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy .

See also -

Iran to be at center of Netanyahu-Trump meeting in New York
Whatever Happened to America?

By Paul Craig Roberts

September 18, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Over the course of my lifetime America has become an infantile country.

When I was born America was a nation. Today it is a diversity country in which various segments divided by race, gender, and sexual preference, preach hate toward other segments. Currently white heterosexual males are losing in the hate game, but once hate is unleashed it can turn on any and every one. Working class white males understand that they are the new underclass in a diversity country in which everyone has privileges except them. Many of the university educated group of heterosexual white males are too brainwashed to understand what is happening to them. Indeed, some of them are so successfully brainwashed that they think it is their just punishment as a white male to be downrodden.

Donald Trumps presidency has been wrecked by hate groups, i.e., the liberal/progressive/left who hate the racist, misognynist, homophobic, gun nut working class that elected Trump (see Eric Draitser, Why He Won, in CounterPunch, vol. 23, No. 1, 2017). For the liberal/progressive/left Trump is an illegitimate president because he was elected by illegitimate voters.

Today the American left hates the working class with such intensity that the left is comfortable with the lefts alliance with the One Percent and the military/security complex against Trump.

America, the melting pot that produced a nation was destroyed by Identity Politics. Identity Politics divides a population into hate groups. This group hates that one and so on. In the US the most hated group is a southern white heterosexual male.

To rule America Identity Politics is competing with a more powerful groupthe military/security complex supported by the neoconservative ideology of American world hegemony.

Currently, Identity Politics and the military/security complex are working hand-in-hand to destroy President Trump. Trump is hated by the powerful military/security complex because Trump wanted to normalize relations with Russia, that is, remove the Russian threat that is essential to the power and budget of the military/security complex. Trump is hated by Identity Politics because the imbeciles think no one voted for him but racist, misogynists, homophobic gun-nuts.

The fact that Trump intended to unwind the dangerous tensions that the Obama regime has created with Russia became his hangmans noose. Designated as Putins agent, President Trump is possibly in the process of being framed by a Special Prosecutor, none other than member of the Shadow Government and former FBI director Robert Mueller. Mueller knows that whatever lie he tells will be accepted by the media presstitutes as the Holy Truth. However, as Trump, seeking self-preservation, moves into the war camp, it might not be necessary for the shadow government to eliminate him.

So the Great American Democracy, The Morally Pure Country, is actually a cover for the profits and power of the military/security complex. What is exceptional about America is the size of the corruption and evil in the government and in the private interest groups that control the government.

It wasnt always this way. In 1958 at the height of the Cold War a young Texan, Van Cliburn, 23 years of age, ventured to show up at the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. Given the rivalry between the military powers, what chance did an American have of walking away with the prize? The cold warriors of the time would, if asked, had said none.

But Van Cliburn electrified the audience, the Moscow Symphony, and the famous conductor. His reception by the Soviet audience was extraordinary. The judges went to Khrushchev and asked, Can we give the prize to the American? Khrushchev asked, Was he the best. The answer, Yes. Well, then give him the prize.

The Cold War should have ended right there, but the military/security complex would not allow it.

You can watch the performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV4wyxHMY9I

In other words, the Soviet Union, unlike America today, did not need to prevail over the truth. The Soviets gave what has perhaps become the most famous of all prizes of musical competition to an American. The Soviets were able to see and recognize truth, something few Americans any longer can do.

The supporters of this website are supporters because, unlike their brainwashed fellows who are tightly locked within The Matrix, they can tell the difference between truth and propaganda. The supporters of this website comprise the few who, if it is possible, will save America and the world from the evil that prevails in Washington.

Van Cliburn came home to America a hero. He went on to a grand concert career. If Van Cliburn had been judged in his day, as Donald Trump is today for wanting to defuse the dangerously high level of tensions with Russia, Van Cliburn would have been greeted on his return with a Soviet prize as a traitor. The New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, NPR and the rest of the presstitutes would have denounced him up one street and down another. How dare Van Cliburn legitimize the Soviet Union by participating in a music competition and accepting a Soviet prize!

Did you know that Van Cliburn, after his talented mother had provided all the music instruction she could, studied under a RUSSIAN woman? What more proof do you need that Van Cliburn was a traitor to America? Imagine, he studied under a RUSSIAN! I mean, really! Isnt this a RUSSIAN connection?!

How can we avoid the fact that all those music critics at the New York Times and Washington Post were also RUSSIAN agents. I mean, gosh, they actually praised Van Cliburn for playing RUSSIAN music in MOSCOW so well.

Makes a person wonder if Ronald Reagan wasnt also a RUSSIAN agent. Reagan, actually convinced Van Cliburn to come out of retirement and to play in the White House for Soviet leader Gorbachev, with whom Reagan was trying to end the Cold War.

I am making fun of what passes for reasoning today. Reason has been displaced by denunciation. If someone, anyone, says something, that can be misconstrued and denounced, it will be, the meaning of what was said not withstanding. Consider the recent statement by the Deputy Prime Minister of Japan, Taro Aso, in an address to members of his ruling political party. He said: I dont question your motives to be a politician. But the results are important. Hitler, who killed millions of people, was no good, even if his motives were right.

To anyone capable of reason, it is perfectly clear that Aso is saying that the ends dont justify the means. Even if is conditional. Aso is saying that even if Hitler acted in behalf of a just cause, his means were impermissible.

Aso, a man of principle, is instructing his partys politicians to be moral beings and not to sacrifice morality to a cause, much less an American cause of Japanese rearmament so as to amplify Washingtons aggression toward China.

The response to a simple and straight forward statement that not even in politics do the ends justify the means was instant denunciation of the Deputy Prime Minister for shameful and dangerous remarks suggesting that Hitler had the right motives.

Arrgh! screamed the Simon Wiesenthat Center which saw a new holocaust in the making. Reuters reported that Aso had put his foot in his mouth by making remarks that could be interpreted as a defense of Adolf Hitlers motive for genocide during World War Two. Even RT, to which we normally look for real as opposed to fake news, joined in the misreporting. The chairman of the Japanese opposition party joined in, terming Asos statement that the ends dont justify the means a serious gaffe.

Of course the South Koreans and the Chinese, who have WWII resentments against Japan, could not let the opportunity pass that the Western media created, and also unloaded on Japan, condemning the Deputy Prime Minister as a modern advocate of Hitlerism. The Chinese and South Koreans were too busy settling old scores to realize that by jumping on Aso they were undermining the Japanese opposition to the re-militarization of Japan, which will be at their expense.

Aso is astonished by the misrepresentation of his words. He said, I used Hitler as an example of a bad politician. It is regretable that my comment was misinterpreted and caused misunderstanding.

It seems that hardly anyone was capable of comprehending what Aso said. He clearly denounced Hitler, declaring Hitler no good, but no one cared. He used the word, Hitler, which was sufficient to set off the explosion of denunciation. Aso responded by withdrawing Hitler as his example of a bad politician. And this is a victory?

The media, even RT alas, was quick to point out that Aso was already suspect. In 2013 Aso opposed the overturning of Japans pacifist constitution that Washington was pushing in order to recruit Japan in a new war front against China. Aso, in the indirect way that the Japanese approach dissent, said Germanys Weimar Constitution was changed [by the Nazis] before anyone knew. It was changed before anyone else noticed. Why dont we learn from the technique? Asos remarks were instantly misrepresented as his endorsement of surreptitiously changing Japans constitution, which was Washingtons aim, whereas Aso was defending its pacifist constraint, pointing out that Japans pacificist Contitution was being changed without voters consent.

An explanation of Asos words, something that never would have needed doing prior to our illiterate times, has its own risks. Many Americans confuse an explanation with a defense. Thus, an explanation can bring denunciation for defending a Japanese nazi. Considering the number of intellectually-challenged Americans, I expect to read many such denunciations.

This is the problem with being a truthful writer in these times. More people want someone to denounce than want truth. Truth-tellers are persona non grata to the ruling establishment and to proponents of Identity Politics. It is unclear how much longer truth will be permitted to be expressed. Already it is much safer and more remunerative to tell the official lies than to tell the truth.

More people want their inculcated biases and beliefs affirmed by what they read than want to reconsider what they think, expecially if changing their view puts them at odds with their peers. Most people believe what is convenient for them and what they want to believe. Facts are not important to them. Indeed, Americans deny the facts before their eyes each and every day. How can America be a superpower when the population for the most part is completely ignorant and brainwashed?

When truth-tellers are no more, it is unlikely they will be missed. No one will even know that they are gone. Already, gobs of people are unable to follow a reasoned argument based on undisputed facts.

Take something simple and clear, such as the conflict over several decades between North and South leading to the breakup of the union. The conflict was economic. It was over tariffs. The North wanted them in order to protect northern industry from lower priced British manufactures. Without tariffs, northern industry was hemmed in by British goods and could not develop.

The South did not want the tariffs because it meant higher prices for the South and likely retaliation against the Souths export of cotton. The South saw the conflict in terms of lower income forced on southerners so that northern manufacturers could have higher incomes. The argument over the division of new states carved from former Indian territorities was about keeping the voting balance equal in Congress so that a stiff tariff could not be passed. It is what the debates show. So many historians have written about these documented facts.

Slavery was not the issue, because as Lincoln said in his inaugural address, he had no inclination and no power to abolish slavery. Slavery was a states rights issue reserved to the states by the US Constitution.

The issue, Lincoln said in his inaugural address, was the collection of the tariff. There was no need, he said, for invasion or bloodshed. The South just needed to permit the federal government to collect the duties on imports. The northern states actually passed an amendment to the Constitution that prohibited slavery from ever being abolished by the federal government, and Lincoln gave his support.

For the South the problem was not slavery. The legality of slavery was clear and accepted by Lincoln in his inaugural address as a states right. However, a tariff was one of the powers given by the Constitution to the federal government. Under the Constitution the South was required to accept a tariff if it passed Congress and was signed by the President. A tariff had passed two days prior to Lincolns inaugeration.

The South couldnt point at the real reason it was leaving the unionthe tariffif the South wanted to blame the north for its secession. In order to blame the North for the breakup of the union (the British are leaving the European Union without a war), the South turned to the nullification by some northern states of the federal law and US Constitutional provision (Article 4, Section 2) that required the return of runaway slaves. South Carolinas secession document said that some Northern states by not returning slaves had broken the contract on which the union was formed. South Carolinas argument became the basis for the secession documents of other states.

In other words, slavery became an issue in the secession because some Northern statesbut not the federal governmentrefused to comply with the constitutional obligation to return property as required by the US Constitution.

South Carolina was correct, but the northern states were acting as individual states, not as the federal government. It wasnt Lincoln who nullified the Fugative Slave Act, and states were not allowed to nulify constitutional provisions or federal law within the powers assigned to the federal government by the Constitution. Lincoln upheld the Fugative Slave Act. In effect, what the South did was to nullify the power that the Constitution gives to the federal government to levy a tariff. Apologists for the South ignore this fact. The South had no more power under the Constitution to nullify a tariff than northern states had to nullify the Fugative Slave Act.

Slavery was not, under the Constitution, a federal issue, but the tariff was. It was the Souths refusal of the tariff that caused Lincoln to invade the Confederacy.

You need to undersand that in those days people thought of themselves as citizens of the individual states, not as citizens of the United States, just as today people in Europe think of themselves as citizens of France, Germany, Italy, etc., and not as citizens of the European Union. In was in the states that most government power resided. Robert E. Lee refused the offer of the command of the Union Army on the grounds that it would be treasonous for him to attack his own country of Virginia.

Having explained history as it was understood prior to its rewrite by Identity Politics ( http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/08/23/know-called-civil-war-not-slavery/ ), which has thrown history down the Orwellian Memory Hole, I was accused of lying about the motivations of the South by a reason-impaired reader.

In this reader we see not only the uninformed modern American but also the rudness of the uninformed modern American. I could understand a reader writing that perhaps I had misunderstood the secession documents, but lying about the motivations of the South? It is extraordinary to be called a liar by a reader incapable of understanding the issues. President Lincoln and the northern states gave the South complete and unequivable assurances about slavery, but not about tariffs.

The reader sees a defense of slavery in the secession documents but is unable to grasp the wider picture that the South is making a states rights argument that some northern states, in the words of the South Carolina secession document, have denied the rights of property . . . recognized by the Constitution. The reader saw that the documents mentioned slavery but not tariffs, and concluded that slavery was the reason that the South seceded.

It did not occur to the reason-impaired reader to wonder why the South would secede over slavery when the federal government was not threatening slavery. In his inaugural address Lincoln said that he had neither the power nor the inclination to forbid slavery. The North gave the South more assurances about slavery by passing the Corwin Amendment that added to the existing constitutional protection of slavery by putting in a special constitutional amendment upholding slavery. As slavery was under no threat, why would the South secede over slavery?

The tariff was a threat, and it was a tariff, not a bill outlawing slavery, that had just passed. Unlike slavery, which the Constitution left to the discretion of individual states, tariffs were a federal issue. Under the Constitution states had no rights to nullify tariffs. Therefore, the South wanted out.

It also does not occur to the reason-impaired reader that if the war was over slavery why have historians, even court historians, been unable to find evidence of that in the letters and diaries of the soldiers on both sides?

In other words, we have a very full context here, and none of it supports that the war was fought over slavery. But the reader sees some words about slavery in the secession documents and his reasoning ability cannot get beyond those words.

This is the same absence of reasoning ability that led to the false conclusion that the Deputy Prime Minister of Japan was an admirer of Hitler.

Now for an example of an emotionally-impaired reader, one so emotional that he is unable to comprehend the meaning of his own words. This reader read Thomas DiLorenzos article ( http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/08/21/lincoln-myth-ideological-cornerstone-america-empire/ ) and my article ( http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/08/28/weaponization-history-journalism/ ) as an absolution of the South and as whitewashing of the South. Of what he doesnt say. Slavery? Secession? All that I and DiLorenzo offer are explanations. DiLorenzo is a Pennsylvanian. I grew up in the South but lived my life outside it. Neither of us are trying to resurrect the Confederacy. As I understand DiLorenzo, his main point is that the so- called civil war destroyed the original US Constitution and centralized power in Washington in the interest of Empire. I am pointing out that ignorance has spawned a false history that is causing a lot of orchestrated hate. Neither of us thinks that the country needs the hate and the division hate causes. We need to be united against the centralized power in Washington that is turning on the people.

Carried away by emotion, the reader dashed off an article to refute us. My interest is not to ridicule the reader but to use him as an example of the emotionally-impaired American. Therefore, I am protecting him from personal ridicule by not naming him or linking to his nonsensical article. My only interest is to illustrate how for too many Americans emotion precludes reason.

First, the reader in his article calls DiLorenzo and I names and then projects his sin upon us, accusing us of name-calling, which he says is a poor substitute for proving points.

Here is his second mistake. DiLorenzo and I are not proving points. We are stating long established known facts and asking how a new history has been created that is removed from the known facts.

So how does the emotionally-disturbed reader refute us in his article? He doesnt. He proves our point.

First he acknowledges what American history textbooks for decades have acknowledged: The North did not go to War to stop slavery. Lincoln went to war to save the Union.

How does he get rid of the Corwin Amendment. He doesnt. He says everyone, even the most ardent Lincoln-worshipping court historian, knows that the North and Lincoln gave the South assurances that the federal government would not involve itself in the slavery issue.

In other words, the reader says that there is nothing original in my article or DiLorenzos and that it is just the standard history, so why is he taking exception to it?

The answer seems to be that after agreeing with us that Lincoln did not go to war over slavery and gave the South no reason to go to war over slavery, the reader says that the South did go to war over slavery. He says that the war was fought over the issue of expanding slavery into new states created from Indian territories.

This is an extremely problematic claim for two indisputable reasons.

First, the South went to war because Lincoln invaded the South.

Second, the South had seceded and no longer had any interest in the status of new territories.

As I reported in my article, it is established historical record that the conflict over the expansion of slavery as new states were added to the Union was a fight over the tariff vote in Congress. The South was trying to keep enough representation to block the passage of a tariff, and the North was trying to gain enough representation to enact protectionism over the free trade South.

It is so emotionally important to the reader that the war was over slavery that he alleges that the reason the South was not seduced by the Corwin Amendment is that it did not guarantee the expansion of slavery into new states, but only protected slavery in those states in which it existed. In other words, the reader asserts that the South fought for an hegemonic ideology of slavery in the Union. But the South had left the Union, so clearly it wasnt fighting to expand slavery outside its borders. Moreover, the North gave the South no assurances over the Souths real concernits economic exploitation by the North. The same day the North passed the Corwin Amendment the North passed the tariff. Clearly, it was not assurances over slavery that mattered to the South. Slavery was protected by states rights. It was the tariff that was important to the South.

Whereas the tariff was the issue that brought the conflict to a head, correspondence between Lord Acton and Robert E. Lee shows that the deeper issue was liberty and its protection from centralized power. On November 4, 1866, Lord Acton wrote to Robert E. Lee: I saw in State Rights the only availing check upon the absolutism of the sovereign will, and secession filled me with hope, not as the destruction but as the redemption of Democracy. Acton saw in the US Constitution defects that could lead to the rise of despotism. Acton regarded the Confederate Constitution as expressly and wisely calculated to remedy the defects in the US Constitution. The Confederate Constitution, Acton said, was a great Reform [that] would have blessed all the races of mankind by establishing true freedom purged of the native dangers and disorders of Republics. https://www.lewrockwell.com/2017/09/no_author/famed-libertarian-writes-robert-e-lee/

Lee replied: I yet believe that the maintenance of the rights and authority reserved to the states and to the people, not only essential to the adjustment and balance of the general system, but the safeguard to the continuance of a free government. I consider it as the chief source of stability to our political system, whereas the consolidation of the states into one vast republic, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of that ruin which has overwhelmed all those that have preceded it.

A present day American unfamiliar with the 18th and 19th century efforts to create a government that could not degenerate into despotism will see hypocrisy in this correspondence and misread it. How, the present day American will ask, could Acton and Lee be talking about establishing true freedom when slavery existed? The answer is that Acton and Lee, like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, understood that there were more ways of being enslaved than being bought and sold. If the battle is lost over the character of government and power becomes centralized, then all are enslaved.

Lees prediction of a government aggressive abroad and despotic at home has come true. What is despotism if not indefinite detention on suspicion alone without evidence or conviction, if not execution on suspicion alone without due process of law, if not universal spying and searches without warrants?

What I find extraordinary about todays concern with slavery in the 1800s is the lack of concern with our enslavement today. It is amazing that Americans do not realize that they were enslaved by the passage of the income tax in 1913. Consider the definition of a slave. It is a person who does not own his own labor or the products of his own labor. Of course, if the slave is to live to work another day some of his labor must go to his subsistance. How much depended on the technology and labor productivity. On 19th century southern plantations, the slave tax seems to have been limited short of the 50% rate.

When I entered the US Treasury as Assistant Secretary, the top tax rate on personal income was 50%. During the medieval era, serfs did not own all of their own labor. At the time I studied the era, the top tax rate on serfs was believed to have been limited to one-third of the serfs working time. Given labor productivity in those days, any higher tax would have prevented the reproduction of the labor force.

So what explains the concern about wage slavery in 1860 but not in 2017?

The answer seems to be Diversity Politics. In 1860 blacks had the burden of wage slavery. In 2017 all have the burden except for the rich whose income is in the form of capital gains and those among the poor who dont work. Identity Politics cannot present todays wage slavery as the unique burder of a preferred minority. Today those most subjected to wage slavery are the white professionals in the upper middle class. That is where the tax burden is highest. Americans living at public expense are exempted from wage slavery by lack of taxable income. Consequently, the liberal/progressive/left only objects to 19th century wage slavery. 20th Century wage slavery is perfectly acceptable to the liberal/progressive/left. Indeed, they want more of it.

People can no longer think or reason. There seems to be no rational component in their brain, just emotion set into action by fuse-lighting words.

Here is an example hot off the press. This month in Cobb County, Georgia, a car was pulled over for driving under the influence of alcohol. The white police lieutenant requested the ID of a white woman. She replied that she is afraid to reach into her purse for her license, because she has read many stories of people being shot because police officers conclude that they are reaching for a gun. Instead of tasering the woman for non-compliance, yanking her out of the car, and body slamming her, the lieutenant diffused the situation by making light of her concern. We only shoot black people, you know. This is what a person would conclude from the news, because seldom is a big stink made when the police shoot a white person.

The upshot of the story is that the lieutenants words were recorded on his recorder and when they were entered as part of the incident report, the chief of police announced that the lieutenant was guilty of racial insensitivity and would be fired for the offense.

Now think about this. A little reasoning is necessary. How are the words racially insensitive when no black persons were present? How are the words racially insensitive when the lieutenant said exactly what blacks themselves say? And now the clincher: Which is the real insensitivity, saying we only shoot black people or actually shooting black people? How is it possible that the officer who uses racially insensitive words to diffuse a situation is more worthy of punishment that an officer who actually shoots a black person? Seldom is an officer who has shot a black, white, hispanic, Asian, child, grandmother, cripple, or the family dog ever fired. The usual investigation clears the officer on the grounds that he had grounds to fear his life was in dangerprecisely the reason the woman didnt want to reach into her purse.

For a person who tries to tell the truth, writing is a frustrating and discouraging experience. What is the point of writing for people who cannot read, who cannot follow a logical argument because their limited mental capabilities are entirely based in emotion, who have no idea of the consequence of a population imbued with hate that destroys a nation in divisiveness?

I ask myself this question everytime I write a column.

Indeed, given the policies of Google and PayPal it seems more or less certain that before much longer anyone who speaks outside The Matrix will be shut down.

Free speech is only allowed for propagandists. Megyn Kelly has free speech as long as her free speech lies for the ruling establishment. Her lies are proteced by an entire media network backed by the Shadow Goverment and the Deep State.

My truth is backed only by your support.

So, if you want the truth, or as close as I can get to it, support this website .

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order .
Due to troll attacks, it is now necessary to register before making your comment. - Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Click here to comment on our Facebook page
Militarizing Homeland Security in the Climate-Change Era

By Michael T. Klare

September 18, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Deployed to the Houston area to assist in Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, U.S. military forces hadnt even completed their assignments when they were hurriedly dispatched to Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to face Irma, the fiercest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. Florida Governor Rick Scott, who had sent members of the state National Guard to devastated Houston, anxiously recalled them while putting in place emergency measures for his own state. A small flotilla of naval vessels, originally sent to waters off Texas, was similarly redirected to the Caribbean, while specialized combat units drawn from as far afield as Colorado, Illinois, and Rhode Island were rushed to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Meanwhile, members of the California National Guard were being mobilized to fight wildfires raging across that state (as across much of the West) during its hottest summer on record.

Think of this as the new face of homeland security: containing the damage to Americas seacoasts, forests, and other vulnerable areas caused by extreme weather events made all the more frequent and destructive thanks to climate change. This is a war that wont have a name -- not yet, not in the Trump era, but it will be no less real for that. The firepower of the federal government was being trained on Harvey, as William Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), put it in a blunt expression of this warlike approach. But dont expect any of the military officials involved in such efforts to identify climate change as the source of their new strategic orientation, not while Commander in Chief Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office refusing to acknowledge the reality of global warming or its role in heightening the intensity of major storms; not while he continues to stock his administration, top to bottom, with climate-change deniers.

Until Trump moved into the White House, however, senior military officers in the Pentagon were speaking openly of the threats posed to American security by climate change and how that phenomenon might alter the very nature of their work. Though mums the word today, since the early years of this century military officials have regularly focused on and discussed such matters, issuing striking warnings about an impending increase in extreme weather events -- hurricanes, incessant rainfalls, protracted heat waves, and droughts -- and ways in which that would mean an ever-expanding domestic role for the military in both disaster response and planning for an extreme future.

That future, of course, is now. Like other well-informed people, senior military officials are perfectly aware that its difficult to attribute any given storm, Harvey and Irma included, to human-caused climate change with 100% confidence. But they also know that hurricanes draw their fierce energy from the heat of tropical waters, and that global warming is raising the temperatures of those waters. Its making storms like Harvey and Irma, when they do occur, ever more powerful and destructive. As greenhouse gas emissions increase, sea levels are rising, average global temperatures increasing, and severe weather patterns are accelerating, the Department of Defense (DoD) bluntly explained in the Quadrennial Defense Review, a 2014 synopsis of defense policy. This, it added, may increase the frequency, scale, and complexity of future missions, including defense support to civil authorities -- just the sort of crisis weve been witnessing over these last weeks.

As this statement suggests, any increase in climate-related extreme events striking U.S. territory will inevitably lead to a commensurate rise in American military support for civilian agencies, diverting key assets -- troops and equipment -- from elsewhere. While the Pentagon can certainly devote substantial capabilities to a small number of short-term emergencies, the multiplication and prolongation of such events, now clearly beginning to occur, will require a substantial commitment of forces, which, in time, will mean a major reorientation of U.S. security policy for the climate change era. This may not be something the White House is prepared to do today, but it may soon find itself with little choice, especially since it seems so intent on crippling all civilian governmental efforts related to climate change.

Mobilizing for Harvey and Irma

When it came to emergency operations in Texas and Florida, the media understandably put its spotlight on moving tales of rescue efforts by ordinary folks. As a result, the militarys role in these operations was easy to miss, but it took place on a massive scale. Every branch of the armed services -- the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard -- deployed significant contingents to the Houston area, in some cases sending along the sort of specialized equipment normally used in major combat operations. The combined response represented an extraordinary commitment of military assets to that desperate, massively flooded region: tens of thousands of National Guard and active-duty troops, thousands of Humvees and other military vehicles, hundreds of helicopters, dozens of cargo planes, and an assortment of naval vessels. And just as operations in Texas began to wind down, the Pentagon commenced a similarly vast mobilization for Hurricane Irma.

The militarys response to Harvey began with front-line troops: the National Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard, and units of the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), the joint-service force responsible for homeland defense. Texas Governor Greg Abbott mobilized the entire Texas National Guard, about 10,000 strong, and guard contingents were deployed from other states as well. The Texas Guard came equipped with its own complement of helicopters, Humvees, and other all-terrain vehicles; the Coast Guard supplied 46 helicopters and dozens of shallow-water vessels, while USNORTHCOM provided 87 helicopters, four C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft, and 100 high-water vehicles.

Still more aircraft were provided by the Air Force, including seven C-17 cargo planes and, in a highly unusual move, an E-3A Sentry airborne warning and control system, or AWACS. This super-sophisticated aircraft was originally designed to oversee air combat operations in Europe in the event of an all-out war with the Soviet Union. Instead, this particular AWACS conducted air traffic control and surveillance around Houston, gathering data on flooded areas, and providing situational awareness to military units involved in the relief operation.

For its part, the Navy deployed two major surface vessels, the USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship, and the USS Oak Hill, a dock landing ship. These ships, the Navy reported , are capable of providing medical support, maritime civil affairs, maritime security, expeditionary logistic support, [and] medium and heavy lift air support. Accompanying them were several hundred Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, along with their amphibious assault vehicles and a dozen or so helicopters and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter

When Irma struck, the Pentagon ordered a similar mobilization of troops and equipment. The Kearsarge and the Oak Hill, with their embarked Marines and helicopters, were redirected from Houston to waters off Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. At the same time, the Navy dispatched a much larger flotilla, including the USS Abraham Lincoln (the aircraft carrier on which President George W. Bush had his infamous mission accomplished moment ), the missile destroyer USS Farragut, the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, and the amphibious transport dock USS New York. Instead of its usual complement of fighter jets, the Abraham Lincoln set sail from its base in Norfolk, Virginia, with heavy-lift helicopters; the Iwo Jima and New York also carried a range of helicopters for relief operations. Another amphibious vessel, the USS Wasp, was already off the Virgin Islands, providing supplies and evacuating those in need of emergency medical care.

This represents the sort of mobilization you would expect for a small war and is characteristic of how, in the past, the U.S. military has responded to major domestic disasters like hurricanes Katrina (2003) and Sandy (2012). Such events were once rarities and so werent viewed as major impediments to the carrying out of the militarys normal function: fighting the nations foreign wars. However, thanks to the way climate change is intensifying the weather, disasters of this magnitude are starting to occur more frequently and on an ever-larger scale. As a result, the previously peripheral mission of disaster relief is threatening to become a primary one for an already overstretched Pentagon and, as top military officials are aware, the future only holds promise of far more of the same. Think of this as the new face of war, American-style.

Redefining Homeland Security

Even if no one else in Donald Trumps Washington is ready or willing to deal with climate change, the U.S. military will be. Its already long been preparing in its own fashion to take a pivotal role in responding to a world of recurring natural disasters. This, in turn, will mean that in the coming years climate change will increasingly dominate the domestic national security agenda (whether the Trump administration and those that follow like it, or even admit it) and such domestic emergencies will undoubtedly be militarized. In the process, the very concept of homeland security is destined to change.

When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was established in November 2002 in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, its principal missions included preventing further terrorist assaults on the country as well as dealing with drug smuggling, illegal immigration, and other similar issues. Climate change never entered the equation. Even though FEMA and the Coast Guard, major components of the DHS, have found themselves dealing with its increasingly disastrous effects, the departments focus on immigration and terrorism has only intensified in the Trump era. The president has ensured that this myopic outlook would reign supreme by, among other things, calling for a sharp increase in the number of Border Patrol agents (and greater infusions of funding for border control issues), while working to slash the Coast Guards budget.

He has also, of course, ensured that all parts of the government other than the military that might in any way deal with climate change were staffed and run by climate-change deniers. Only at the Department of Defense do senior officials still describe climate change in a more realistic fashion, as an observable reality that will pose new dangers to Americas security and create new operational nightmares.

Speaking as a soldier, said former Army Chief of Staff General Gordon Sullivan back in 2007, we never have 100 percent certainty. If you wait until you have 100 percent certainty, something bad is going to happen on the battlefield. The same, he continued, was true regarding climate change. If we keep on with business as usual, we will reach a point where some of the worst effects are inevitable.

General Gordons comments were incorporated into a highly influential report that year on National Security and the Threat of Climate Change, released by the CNA Corporation (formerly the Center for Naval Analyses), a federally-funded research center that aids the Navy and Marine Corps. That report focused with particular concern on the risk of an increase in overseas conflicts from the impact of climate change, particularly if prolonged droughts and growing food scarcity inflame existing ethnic and religious schisms in a range of poor countries (mainly in Africa and the Greater Middle East). The U.S. may be drawn more frequently into these situations, either alone or with allies, to help provide stability before conditions worsen and are exploited by extremists, the report warned.

The same climate effects that could trigger a more embattled world would also, military analysts came to believe, produce increased risk for the United States itself and so generate a greater need for Pentagon involvement at home. Extreme weather events and natural disasters, as the U.S. experienced with Hurricane Katrina, may lead to increased missions for a number of U.S. agencies, including state and local governments, the Department of Homeland Security, and our already stretched military, that CNA report noted a decade ago. In a prescient comment, it also warned that this could lead to clashing strategic priorities. If the frequency of natural disasters increases with climate change, future military and political leaders may face hard choices about where and when to engage.

With this in mind, a group of officers -- active duty as well as retired -- endeavored to persuade top officials to make climate change a central focus of strategic planning. (Their collective efforts can be sampled at the website maintained by the Center for Climate and Security , an advocacy group former officers established to promote awareness of the issue.) These efforts achieved a major breakthrough in 2014, when the Pentagon released a Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap, a blueprint for Pentagon-wide remedial action in a warming world. Such an effort was needed, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel explained in his foreword, because climate change was sure to generate more conflict abroad and more emergencies at home. The military could be called upon more often to support civil authorities, and provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the face of more frequent and more intense natural disasters. As a consequence, the DoD and its component organizations must begin integrating climate change considerations into our plans, operations, and training.

For a time, the armed forces embraced Hagels instructions, taking steps to reduce their carbon emissions and better prepare for just such a future. The various regional combatant commands like NORTHCOM and the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which covers Latin America and the Caribbean, responded with increased training and other preparations for extreme storm events and for sea-level rise in their areas of responsibility, a change reflected in a 2015 DoD report to Congress, National Security Implications of Climate-Related Risks and a Changing Climate.

In the past, such efforts, only beginning, were never allowed to distract the services from their main presumed function: contesting Americas foreign adversaries. Now, as with Harvey and Irma, the militarys domestic responsibilities are on the rise just as the president is assigning them yet more (or more intensified) missions in the never-ending war on terror, including a stepped-up presence in Afghanistan as well as in Iraq and Syria , more intense air campaigns across the Greater Middle East, and a heightened pace of military maneuvers near North Korea. As shown by a series of deadly collisions involving Navy vessels in the Pacific, this higher tempo of operations has already stretched the military to or even beyond its limits in various conflicts it has proven incapable either of winning or ending. The result : overworked crews and overstretched resources. With the massive response to Harvey and Irma, it is being pushed yet further.

In short, as the planet continues to heat up, the armed forces and the nation at large face an existential crisis. On the one hand, President Trump and his generals, including Secretary of Defense Mattis, are once again fully focused on the increased use of military force (and the threat of more of the same) abroad. This includes not only the wars against the Taliban, ISIS, al-Qaeda, and their numerous spin-offs, but also preparations for possible military strikes on North Korea and perhaps even, at some future date, on Chinese installations in the South China Sea.

As global warming intensifies, instability and chaos, including massive flows of refugees , will only grow, undoubtedly inviting yet more military interventions abroad. Meanwhile, climate change will increase chaos and devastation at home and there, too, it seems that Washington will often see the military as Americas sole reliable response mechanism. As a result, decisions will have to be made about ending American conflicts abroad and refocusing domestically or that overstretched military will simply swallow even more of the governments dollars and gain yet more power in Washington. And yet, whatever else the armed forces might (or might not) be capable of, they are not capable of defeating climate change, which, at its essence, is anything but a military problem. While there are potential solutions to it, those, too, are in no way military.

Despite their reluctance to speak publicly about such environmental matters right now, top officials in the Pentagon are painfully aware of the problem at hand. They know that global warming, as it progresses, will generate new challenges at home and abroad, potentially stretching their capabilities to the breaking point and leaving this country ever more exposed to the ravages of climate change without offering any solutions to the problem. As a result, the generals face a fundamental choice. They can continue to self-censor their sophisticated analysis of climate change and its likely effects, and so remain complicit with the administrations headlong rush into national catastrophe, or they can speak out forcefully on its threat to homeland security, and the resulting need for a new, largely non-military strategic posture that puts climate action at the top of the nations priorities.

Michael T. Klare, a TomDispatch regular , is a professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College and the author of 14 books including, most recently, The Race for Whats Left . He is currently completing work on a new book, All Hell Breaking Loose , on climate change and American national security.

Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook . Check out the newest Dispatch Book, Alfred McCoy's In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S. Global Power as well as John Dower's The Violent American Century: War and Terror Since World War II , John Feffer's dystopian novel Splinterlands , Nick Turses Next Time Theyll Come to Count the Dead , and Tom Engelhardt's Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World .
In Bangkok: No Speak Your Language, Speak Thai or Die



By Andre Vltchek September 18, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - It is hard to calculate the cost of the stubborn refusal of the Thai population to learn foreign languages. Some daring estimates, however, calculate that the losses could be in tens of billions of dollars, annually. And the situation is not getting any better. Bangkok wants to be the center of Southeast Asia, and by many standards it has already achieved this goal. Foreign Correspondent Club of Thailand, Hive of Western Opinion Makers (Photo: Andre Vltchek) Suvarnabhumi International Airport is the second busiest in the region. Almost all of the international news agencies are here, and not in Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur. Several UN agencies are now located in Bangkok, as well as mega malls and top private medical facilities, catering mostly for people who live in Burma, Cambodia, Laos and as far away as the Middle East. For years and decades, Thailand was busy promoting itself, capturing the imagination of millions all over the world. New Bangkok Skyline (Photo: Andre Vltchek) Some wonder whether it could really do even better than it is already doing. According to Forbes, Bangkok recently became the most visited city on Earth: According to Mastercards Global Destination Cities Index, the Thai capital had 21.5 million visitors who stayed at least one night in 2016. By comparison, London had 19.9 million overnight visitors last year while Paris had 18 million. The Big Apple was even further down the list with 12.8 million. 32.59 million foreign visitors descended on Thailand in 2016 alone, and the numbers are not subsiding. Statistics vary, but travel and tourism now account for approximately 20 percent of Thailands GDP. Thats a lot, much more than in other countries of the region. ***** For Thailand, that is all good news, or at least theoretically it is. But despite its cosmopolitan flair, Bangkok remains a relatively closed and segregated society. Now, there seems to be more Japanese eateries in the center of Bangkok than traditional Thai restaurants. However, try to order in one of them, for instance, an iced tea in any other language other than Thai, and you will be up with a great surprise. The chances are that the staff will not speak any foreign languages. And it gets much more serious than that: people working in banks, at least theoretically catering to foreign customers, hardly speak anything except Thai. Even the tourist police cannot understand what you are talking about when you try to report a crime. The other day, in Bangkok, I tried to retrieve a substantial payment from a foreign magazine, which for some reason utilized Western Union in order to transfer funds. Western Union in Thailand is teamed up with the large Krungsri Bank. In one of its branches, I spent a humiliating 90 minutes, trying to complete a simple transaction that would normally take 2 minutes, even in Beirut or Nairobi. The incompetence of the staff was covered up by spiteful facial expressions and outright rudeness (using Asian, not Western standards). More and more new additional information was demanded sadistically, by pointing at some confusing printouts. Not one out of six people involved spoke anything but Thai. ***** Generally speaking, many Thais believe that making a decent income from foreign tourists and expats is their inherent right. The perception is that no high level of knowledge, language proficiency or provision of quality services is required from them. Once my local interpreter told me: Everyone wants to come to Thailand, everyone loves it here, so they should accept things the way they are done in the Kingdom. Recently, trying to buy an item of professional video equipment at the SONY showroom in Bangkok, I realized that the assistants did not speak absolutely any foreign languages. I had the same experience in the studio, where I was attempting to capture two of my damaged HDV tapes. This was all totally acceptable when Thailand was, many years ago, one of the cheapest places on Earth, a haven for backpackers and romantics. Since then, everything has changed. The country is desperately trying to provide high-end services. But comparable services and goods are now often cheaper in London, Paris or Tokyo than in Bangkok. So is the food in supermarkets. And still, there is no foreign languages proficiency. As a veteran traveller from Japan recently pointed out: It was much easier to accept an overcooked and tasteless bowl of pasta from a waitress who was rude and spoke no foreign languages, when it came at a symbolic price of US$2. It is much more difficult to remain benevolent, if the service is still terrible, nobody speaks anything but Thai, but the cost is twice that of a good spaghetti dish in some excellent restaurant in Venice. ***** But Thailand is confident that hordes of people will keep coming. Partially it is because of the extremely positive propaganda coming out from countless Western mass media sources. If there is any criticism of Thailand, it is of an exceptionally mild and kind sort. All the basic elements of Western dogmas  about how great, relaxed, safe and comfortable the country is  are upheld in such reports. No wonder! No matter which government is in charge, the country remains one of the staunchest US ally in Asia. Thailand fully implemented the economic system promoted by the West. During the Cold War, it killed, tortured or at least imprisoned thousands of its own Communists and leftists (no need for interventions). No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter In the past, the Kingdom readily accepted and accommodated many defeated (in China), genocidal troops of Chiang kai-shek. It participated in the savage bombing campaigns of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, often lending its own pilots, and it brought poor young women from the countryside, in order to serve the US, Australian and other pilots and technicians based at Pattaya and other military airports, as prostitutes. Murdering Students by the Military It adopted draconic laws that forbid all criticism, and often even mention of almost all the basic power elements injected into Thailand by the West. The rewards have been great ever since. No matter how rude an interaction between locals and foreign visitors often is the country still maintains the reputation of the land of smiles. While the murder rate is higher in Thailand than in the United States, the Kingdom is still perceived as a relatively safe place. Endless military coups that overthrow democratically elected governments are generally accepted and after a few headlines, ignored by the Western mainstream press. While virtually all coastlines are irreversibly over-commercialized, even ruined, Thailand is known as a tropical paradise. ***** There is actually one group of Thais, which speaks perfect English  the elites. Most of their members were educated in the United States, in the UK or Australia. Some of them are leading jet set, cosmopolitan lives, with several properties in different parts of the world. But these are not people that foreigners stumble across during their two-week long vacations. I encountered several of them, on different occasions, and I can testify that their proficiency in foreign languages, particularly in English, is great. ***** Frankly and honestly, I actually love Bangkok. It is chaotic, overgrown but an extremely complex and exciting city. I have worked in almost 160 countries, on all continents, but Bangkok is still one of my favorite places on Earth. It drives me insane, it often defeats me, but I cannot imagine my life without it. It is one of the places where I come to think and to write. But it is not a friendly place, and it is not cheap. It is definitely not an easy and comfortable city. It is what it is. For me it is great, for many others it isnt. But it is definitely not at all what it is being defined as by the Western positive propaganda. Thailand could change; it could greatly improve, if its populations would take advantage of those tens of millions of foreign visitors every year, and learn about many other places, not just about the United States, Europe and Japan. People dont travel here only from the West; they are also arriving from China, India, Russia and Latin America, even Africa. And savage capitalism is not the only economic system now on offer. As the Western truth is not the exclusive one, anymore. The best thing for Thailand would be to interact, to learn something new from those millions of visitors. And what better way to learn than through interaction, through learning languages. Bangkok is now a world city, a cosmopolitan metropolis, but with a provincial mindset. All this can and should change. Not for the sake of foreign visitors, but for the sake of the people of Thailand! The image Thailand wants to project of itself (Photo: Andre Vltchek) Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Three of his latest books are revolutionary novel Aurora and two bestselling works of political non-fiction:  Exposing Lies Of The Empire  and  Fighting Against Western Imperialism . View his other books here . Andre is making films for teleSUR and Al-Mayadeen. Watch Rwanda Gambit , his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo. After having lived in Latin America, Africa and Oceania, Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter .  First published by NEO as  Can Thailand Evolve into A Regional Leader? 
Starve Them to Death: Wall Street Journals Solution to North Korea



By Mike Whitney September 18, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The editors at the Wall Street Journal have settled on a plan for ending the crisis in North Korea. Starve them to death. Im not kidding. In an article titled  Options for Removing Kim Jong In  the WSJs editorial board suggests that the US use all of its tools to topple the North Korean regime including, of course, vital food imports which keep women and children from facing an agonizing death by starvation. Heres an excerpt from the article: The North is especially vulnerable to pressure this year because a severe drought from April to June reduced the early grain harvest by 30%. If the main harvest is also affected, Pyongyang may need to import more food while sanctions restrict its ability to earn foreign currency. While the regime survived a severe famine in the 1990s, today the political consequences of a failed harvest would be severe. . The army was once the most desirable career path; now soldiers are underpaid and underfed. North Koreans will not simply accept starvation as they did two decades ago. Withholding food aid to bring down a government would normally be unethical, but North Korea is an exceptional case. Past aid proved to be a mistake as it perpetuated one of the most evil regimes in history. The U.N. says some 40% of the population is undernourished, even as the Kims continue to spend huge sums on weapons. Ending the North Korean state as quickly as possible is the most humane course. (Options for Removing Kim Jong In, Wall Street Journal) Humane? The WSJ editors think that depriving people of enough food to stay alive is humane? And look how cheery they sound about the fact that 40% of the population is (already) undernourished, as if theyre already halfway towards their goal. Hurrah for the US embargo, still inflicting misery on innocent people some 6 decades after the war! Its sick! Who are these people who grow up in our midst, attend our schools and universities, live in the same neighborhoods , and go to the same churches? Where do these monsters come from? Im reminded of what Harold Pinter said in his Nobel acceptance speech: What has happened to our moral sensibility? Did we ever have any? What do these words mean? Do they refer to a term very rarely employed these days  conscience? A conscience to do not only with our own acts but to do with our shared responsibility in the acts of others? Is all this dead? Its sure as hell is dead at the WSJ, thats for sure. Dead as a doornail. And what is starvation supposed to achieve anyway? Whats the ultimate objective? Why regime change, of course, isnt that what its always about, installing a more compliant stooge to follow Washingtons diktats? Of course it is. But hows it supposed to work, after all, depriving people of food isnt like giving them guns and training them to topple the regime, is it? No, its not, in fact, theres not even the remotest chance that the plan will work at all. None. But it will help to punish the Korean people for the behavior of their government. It will do that. And it will generate more suffering, unhappiness and misery. That much is certain. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter Imagine if the shoe was on the other foot and North Korea had the power cut vital food supplies to people in the United States. Sure, its far fetched, but just think about it for a minute. How would you react? Would you gather your neighbors and friends together to concoct a plan to overthrow the government? The idea is ridiculous, isnt it? The editors at the WSJ know that. These are educated, intelligent men who understand how the world works and who know the impact of particular policies. They know that starvation isnt going to lead to revolution. Thats just not going to happen. Then why support a policy that wont work? Good question, but thats where we have to veer into a very gray area of analysis, that is, trying to understand why some people are so morally malignant that they seem to enjoy inflicting pain on others. Why is that? Why are there so many cruel people in positions of power and authority? Its a mystery. Mike Whitney lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition . He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com . This article was first published by Counterpunch - See also - World hunger increasing for first time since turn of the century
Israeli Website Claims ISIS Commander Revealed As Mossad Agent



Libyan security forces arrested a Daesh commander in the city of Benghazi  only to find out soon after that the man they had captured, Ephraim Benjamin, was also an agent of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service. Was he working to defeat Daesh or to strengthen it?



By Whitney Webb September 18, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - T here has long been speculation regarding ties between the Israeli government and the terror group Daesh, otherwise known as the Islamic State. Such speculation has been fueled by Israels reference to Daesh as a  useful tool  and its acknowledgment that it views a Syria under complete Daesh control as preferable to the continuation of the current Syrian government. It is supported as well by the extensive aid and even medical treatments that Daesh militants have received from Israel. However, allegations have recently emerged that could suggest that the connection is even deeper than previously believed. According to a report from the Israeli website Inian Merkazi and Abna news agency , Libyan security forces arrested a Daesh commander in the city of Benghazi  only to find out soon after that the man they had captured, Ephraim Benjamin, was also an agent of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service. Benjamin, who was known in Libya as Abu Hafs, had begun work in Libya after the 2011 NATO-led invasion of Libya that ousted former leader Muammar Gaddafi. Middle East Monitor reported that Hafs/Benjamin was said to have become a prominent imam in a Benghazi mosque, before becoming a Daesh leader who commanded more than 200 fighters. Middle East Monitor has since removed the report from its site. Libyan authorities have allegedly accused Benjamin of gathering intelligence information on Daesh for Mossad and Middle East Monitor noted that some Libyan news outlets took to calling him the Mossad shiekh. Inian Merkazi suggested that Benjamins arrest showed that Mossad was influential in the rise of Daesh in the region, given that Benjamin began work in Libya in 2011 while Daesh did not begin operation in Libya until 2015. However, MintPress News was unable to independently verify the claims of Inian Merkaz linking the Daesh commander to the Israeli Mossad. Other regional media outlets, such as Masr Alarabia, have described Benjamin as being one of Mossads Arabists  Mossad agents with Arab features who fluently speak Arabic and use local dialects. Such Arabists have gained a reputation for infiltrating Palestinian protests and activist organizations, as well as assassinating prominent Palestinians who are vocally against the Israeli occupation. However, now it appears that Mossad Arabists may be involved in more than the suppressing Palestinian dissent. Given that Israel has repeatedly stated it does not want Daesh to be defeated, it is clear that Benjamin, who allegedly commanded hundreds of men in Daesh, was not gathering intelligence in order to defeat Daesh but rather to strengthen it. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter Given the reports of Benjamins arrest, last years strange-seeming statement by Israels military intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevy, makes more sense. Halevy had stated that Israel does not want to see Daesh defeated and also had expressed concern about the recent offensives against Daesh territory, lamenting the most difficult situation the group had found itself in at the time. He further added that Israel would do all we can so as to not find ourselves in such a situation where Daesh faces defeat. In light of Benjamins arrest, part of Halevys concern for Daesh may have been born out of the fear that a Daesh defeat could put the lives of Mossad agents, as well as years of their work within Daesh, at risk. Daesh has long been regarded by Israeli think tanks and politicians as a  strategic tool  for furthering Western and Israeli goals in the region. In the case of Syria, Daesh was seen as a covert means of overthrowing Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, an event that Israeli intelligence believed would result in Irans loss of its only ally in the region. On a larger scale, however, Daesh ultimately serves to help divide whole nations  like Iraq, Syria and others  into pieces. This is a key component of the Israeli strategic plan, otherwise known as the Yinon plan, to dominate the Middle East by dividing and then conquering its neighbors. With allegations of Israels direct involvement in facilitating the terror groups activities continuing to grow, its become increasingly difficult to defend the long-standing assertion that Israel has been a neutral figure in the Syrian conflict and the rise of Daesh. This article was first published by MintPress News -
Americas Slow-motion Military Coup By Stephen Kinzer September 18, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - In a democracy, no one should be comforted to hear that generals have imposed discipline on an elected head of state. That was never supposed to happen in the United States. Now it has. Among the most enduring political images of the 20th century was the military junta. It was a group of grim-faced officers  usually three  who rose to control a state. The junta would tolerate civilian institutions that agreed to remain subservient, but in the end enforced its own will. As recently as a few decades ago, military juntas ruled important countries including Chile, Argentina, Turkey, and Greece. These days the junta system is making a comeback in, of all places, Washington. Ultimate power to shape American foreign and security policy has fallen into the hands of three military men: General James Mattis, the secretary of defense; General John Kelly, President Trumps chief of staff; and General H.R. McMaster, the national security adviser. They do not put on their ribbons to review military parades or dispatch death squads to kill opponents, as members of old-style juntas did. Yet their emergence reflects a new stage in the erosion of our political norms and the militarization of our foreign policy. Another veil is dropping. Given the presidents ignorance of world affairs, the emergence of a military junta in Washington may seem like welcome relief. After all, its three members are mature adults with global experience  unlike Trump and some of the wacky political operatives who surrounded him when he moved into the White House. Already they have exerted a stabilizing influence. Mattis refuses to join the rush to bomb North Korea, Kelly has imposed a measure of order on the White House staff, and McMaster pointedly distanced himself from Trumps praise for white nationalists after the violence in Charlottesville. Being ruled by generals seems preferable to the alternative. It isnt. Military officers, like all of us, are products of their background and environment. The three members of Trumps junta have 119 years of uniformed service between them. They naturally see the world from a military perspective and conceive military solutions to its problems. That leads toward a distorted set of national priorities, with military needs always rated more important than domestic ones. Trump has made clear that when he must make foreign policy choices, he will defer to my generals. Mattis, the new juntas strongman, is the former head of Central Command, which directs American wars in the Middle East and Central Asia. Kelly is also an Iraq veteran. McMaster has commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan almost without interruption since he led a tank company in the 1991 Gulf War. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter Military commanders are trained to fight wars, not to decide whether fighting makes strategic sense. They may be able to tell Trump how many troops are necessary to sustain our present mission in Afghanistan, for example, but they are not trained either to ask or answer the larger question of whether the mission serves Americas long-term interest. That is properly the job of diplomats. Unlike soldiers, whose job is to kill people and break things, diplomats are trained to negotiate, defuse conflicts, coolly assess national interest and design policies to advance it. Notwithstanding Mattiss relative restraint on North Korea, all three members of Trumps junta promote the confrontational approach that has brought protracted war in Afghanistan, Iraq and beyond, while fueling tension in Europe and East Asia. Our new junta is different from classic ones like, for example, the National Council for Peace and Order that now rules Thailand. First, our juntas interest is only international relations, not domestic policy. Second, it did not seize power in a coup, but derives its authority from the favor of an elected president. Third and most important, it main goal is not to impose a new order but to enforce an old one. Last month, President Trump faced a crucial decision about the future of Americas war in Afghanistan. This was a potential turning point. Four years ago Trump tweeted , Lets get out of Afghanistan. If he had followed that impulse and announced that he was bringing American troops home, the political and military elite in Washington would have been stunned. But junta members swung into action. They persuaded Trump to announce that instead of withdrawing, he would do the opposite: reject rapid exit from Afghanistan, increase troop strength, and continue killing terrorists. It is no great surprise that Trump has been drawn into the foreign policy mainstream; the same happened to President Obama early in his presidency. More ominous is that Trump has turned much of his power over to generals. Worst of all, many Americans find this reassuring. They are so disgusted by the corruption and shortsightedness of our political class that they turn to soldiers as an alternative. It is a dangerous temptation. Stephen Kinzer is a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. This article was first published by Boston Globe -
Korea Solution Needs US to Sign a Peace Treaty By Finian Cunninham September 19, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Germany and France have backed the stance of Russia and China for negotiations to avert the Korea crisis. South Korea and Japan also seem to be amenable to recent calls by Russian President Vladimir Putin for exclusively diplomatic efforts. Any other option in the alarming standoff with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program portends disaster. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has endorsed the P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran as a model for possible negotiations. That puts the United States on the margin of international consensus, with its repeated threats to use military force as an option against the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea). Last week, following another North Korean ballistic missile test that overflew Japan, US President Donald Trumps top national security adviser reiterated Washingtons self-declared right to use pre-emptive military force, tacitly including the deployment of nuclear weapons. For those who have been commenting on a lack of a military option, there is a military option, said General HR McMaster to reporters in Washington. While McMaster and President Trump, as well as Pentagon chief James Mattis, have said on other occasions that the US would prefer to seek a diplomatic solution to the Korea crisis, such purported preferences do not inspire confidence. For a start, the whole doctrine of pre-emptive or preventive war is a violation of international law, if not outrightly criminal. The concept was earlier formulated by Nazi Germany as a pretext for aggression, and was duly criminalized at the Nuremberg Trials. Today, the United States stands alone as the only nation to invoke the self-declared prerogative to use military violence in self-defense. Also, when Washington talks about a diplomatic solution what it is referring to is a unilateral denuclearization by North Korea. There is absolutely no indication from the US that it reciprocates a responsibility to stand down its overwhelming military power aimed at the Korean Peninsula. Thus, what Washington means by peace is a one-sided surrender by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. For this reason, international calls for diplomacy and negotiations have to be underpinned by a proper foundational premise. The proper starting point is for the US to finally sign a full peace treaty with North Korea to mark the definitive end of the Korean War. It seems almost bizarre that 64 years after the end of that war (1950-53), the US refuses to commit to a peace treaty. The matter is hardly permitted into public discourse by the US government and Western news media. Even though the issue is key to finding a peaceful solution. The absence of a binding peace settlement means that, technically, the US and North Korea still view each other at being in a state of war. This gives profound substance to North Koreas existential fears over the US continually conducting war games around the peninsula. Former US President Jimmy Carter and former US ambassador to South Korea James Laney have both recognized the fundamental onus on Washington of now, at last, having to abide by international norms towards Korea. The US-based Campaign to End the Korean War quotes ambassador Laney as saying: One of the things that have bedeviled all talks until now is the unresolved status of the Korean War. A peace treaty would provide a baseline for relationships, eliminating the question of the others legitimacy and its right to exist. Absent such a peace treaty, every dispute presents afresh the question of the other sides legitimacy. Only with a treaty in place will both sides be relieved of the political demand to see each move as conferring approval or not. Nevertheless, despite these reasonable voices from within the US, the dominant position of Washington is one of strong-arming North Korea to capitulate to American demands  or face the threat of catastrophic military force. Such an American position is totally unacceptable to international norms. Russia, China and Europe must take a firm stand and let Washington know in no uncertain terms that its unilateralism is unacceptable, and at worst, a reckless collision course for a nuclear war. Diplomats from Russia and China last week both condemned US threats of violence against North Korea, as well as censuring Pyongyang for its missile tests. Russias ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, pointed out that the latest UN resolution 2375 voted on September 11 explicitly calls on all parties, including the United States, to re-engage in multilateral talks. Those talks involving North Korea were abandoned during the GW Bush administration more than a decade ago. How is that dereliction of diplomacy by Washington even remotely acceptable? But, again, the push for diplomacy and negotiations must be founded on a proper and viable premise. This is where German Chancellor Angela Merkels proposal to pursue a P5+1 formula comes unstuck. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed in July 2015 between the US, Russia, China, Europe and Iran has been continually undermined by the Trump administration. Iran committed to stringent limits on its nuclear energy program in return for sanctions relief. The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has filed seven reports since January 2016 confirming Irans full compliance with the JCPOA. Yet, the Trump administration is threatening to scrap its participation in the internationally binding nuclear accord with Iran. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has made the wholly irrational claim that Irans technical compliance with the JCPOA is not enough. He and US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, have said that Iran is not living up to the spirit of the deal. Absurdly, Washington is claiming that Irans support for the Syrian state in its war to defeat US-backed terror groups is grounds for resiling from the JCPOA. President Trump has called it the worst deal ever. He said that a White House review due next month may finally signal the US walking away from it. If that happens, Washington will be able to reimpose sanctions on Iran, and extend those sanctions to Europe, Russia and China for doing legitimate business with the Islamic Republic. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter Clearly, the US rulers cannot be trusted. If they cannot comply with obligations under an international legal agreement, which has been ratified by the UN Security Council, then any residual trust in US diplomacy is completely shattered. North Korea has no doubt taken note of the US bad faith over Iran. Pyongyang has already pointed to the grim fate of Iraq and Libya which were invaded and destroyed by the US when it became evident neither possessed chemical or nuclear weapons. Western corporate news media tend to portray North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as crazy. The reality is that Kim would be crazy if he were to somehow surrender the countrys nuclear weapons under prevailing conditions. Washingtons hints at diplomacy are threadbare and have no credibility. Any proposed negotiations to genuinely resolve the Korean crisis must start with the US signing a peace treaty with North Korea and foreswearing the use of any military force. Any other format is bereft of confidence building, as the Iranian nuclear deal is unfortunately showing. A declaration by the US that the Korean War is over is a bare minimum requirement in order to begin peace and security talks. Even then it still not failsafe given Washingtons perfidy. However, anything less than a peace treaty signed by the US is not feasible to end the spiral of conflict over Korea. Incredible as it seems, the demand on the US is to simply abide by international law and to stop using aggression as a foreign policy. How damning is that. Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. This article was first published by Strategic Culture Foundation -
Trump Vomits Hatred All Over The United Nations General Assembly



Video & Transcript US may 'have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea' Posted September 19, 2017 Does anyone believe that Trump wrote this speech or any other speech for that matter? Trump is a ventriloquist dummy, delivering words scripted by the military industrial complex. It is difficult to imagine how far we have fallen when the president of our nation threatens to savage and destroy 24 million people and the UN applauds this ignorant savage. We should all be appalled and ashamed as our country slips further into fascism. Tom Feeley

North Korea ambassador walks out of UN assembly in boycott of Trump's speech Transcript Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, world leaders, and distinguished delegates, welcome to New York. It is a profound honor to stand here in my home city as a representative of the American people to address the people of the world. As millions of our citizens continue to suffer the effects of the devastating hurricanes that have struck our country, I want to begin by expressing my appreciation to every leader in this room who has offered assistance and aid. The American people are strong and resilient, and they will emerge from these hardships more determined than ever before. Fortunately, the United States has done very well since Election Day last November 8. The stock market is at an all-time high, a record. Unemployment is at its lowest level in 16 years, and because of our regulatory and other reforms, we have more people working in the United States today than ever before. Companies are moving back, creating job growth, the likes of which our country has not seen in a very long time, and it has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense. Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been. For more than 70 years, in times of war and peace, the leaders of nations, movements, and religions have stood before this assembly. Like them, I intend to address some of the very serious threats before us today, but also the enormous potential waiting to be unleashed. We live in a time of extraordinary opportunity. Breakthroughs in science, technology, and medicine are curing illnesses and solving problems that prior generations thought impossible to solve. But each day also brings news of growing dangers that threaten everything we cherish and value. Terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and spread to every region of the planet. Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terror but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity. Authority and authoritarian powers seek to collapse the values, the systems, and alliances, that prevented conflict and tilted the word toward freedom since World War II. International criminal networks traffic drugs, weapons, people, force dislocation and mass migration, threaten our borders and new forms of aggression exploit technology to menace our citizens. To put it simply, we meet at a time of both immense promise and great peril. It is entirely up to us whether we lift the world to new heights or let it fall into a valley of disrepair. We have it in our power, should we so choose, to lift millions from poverty, to help our citizens realize their dreams, and to ensure that new generations of children are raised free from violence, hatred, and fear. This institution was founded in the aftermath of two world wars, to help shape this better future. It was based on the vision that diverse nations could cooperate to protect their sovereignty, preserve their security, and promote their prosperity. It was in the same period exactly 70 years ago that the United States developed the Marshall Plan to help restore Europe. Those these beautiful pillars, they are pillars of peace, sovereignty, security, and prosperity. The Marshall Plan was built on the noble idea that the whole world is safer when nations are strong, independent, and free. As president, Truman said in his message to congress at that time, our support of European recovery is in full accord with our support of the United Nations. The success of the United Nations depends upon the independent strength of its members. To overcome the perils of the present, and to achieve the promise of the future, we must begin with the wisdom of the past. Our success depends on a coalition of strong and independent nations that embrace their sovereignty, to promote security, prosperity, and peace, for themselves and for the world. We do not expect diverse countries to share the same cultures, traditions, or even systems of government, but we do expect all nations to uphold these two core sovereign duties, to respect the interests of their own people and the rights of every other sovereign nation. This is the beautiful vision of this institution, and this is the foundation for cooperation and success. Strong sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures, and different dreams not just coexist, but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect. Strong sovereign nations let their people take ownership of the future and control their own destiny. And strong sovereign nations allow individuals to flourish in the fullness of the life intended by God. In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch. This week gives our country a special reason to take pride in that example. We are celebrating the 230th anniversary of our beloved Constitution, the oldest constitution still in use in the world today. This timeless document has been the foundation of peace, prosperity, and freedom for the Americans and for countless millions around the globe whose own countries have found inspiration in its respect for human nature, human dignity, and the rule of law. The greatest in the united States Constitution is its first three beautiful words. They are "We the people." Generations of Americans have sacrificed to maintain the promise of those words, the promise of our country and of our great history. In America, the people govern, the people rule, and the people are sovereign. I was elected not to take power, but to give power to the American people where it belongs. In foreign affairs, we are renewing this founding principle of sovereignty. Our government's first duty is to its people, to our citizens, to serve their needs, to ensure their safety, to preserve their rights, and to defend their values. As president of the United States, I will always put America first. Just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always and should always put your countries first. All responsible leaders have an obligation to serve their own citizens, and the nation state remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition. But making a better life for our people also requires us to with work together in close harmony and unity, to create a more safe and peaceful future for all people. The United States will forever be a great friend to the world and especially to its allies. But we can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return. As long as I hold this office, I will defend America's interests above all else, but in fulfilling our obligations to our nations, we also realize that it's in everyone's interests to seek the future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous, and secure. America does more than speak for the values expressed in the United Nations charter. Our citizens have paid the ultimate price to defend our freedom and the freedom of many nations represented in this great hall. America's devotion is measured on the battlefields where our young men and women have fought and sacrificed alongside of our allies. From the beaches of Europe to the deserts of the Middle East to the jungles of Asia, it is an eternal credit to the American character that even after we and our allies emerge victorious from the bloodiest war in history, we did not seek territorial expansion or attempt to oppose and impose our way of life on others. Instead, we helped build institutions such as this one to defend the sovereignty, security, and prosperity for all. For the diverse nations of the world, this is our hope. We want harmony and friendship, not conflict and strife. We are guided by outcomes, not ideologies. We have a policy of principled realism, rooted in shared goal, interests, and values. That realism forces us to confront the question facing every leader and nation in this room, it is a question we cannot escape or avoid. We will slide down the path of complacency, numb to the challenges, threats, and even wars that we face, or do we have enough strength and pride to confront those dangers today so that our citizens can enjoy peace and prosperity tomorrow. If we desire to lift up our citizens, if we aspire to the approval of history, then we must fulfill our sovereign duties to the people we faithfully represent. We must protect our nations, their interests and their futures. We must reject threats to sovereignty from the Ukraine to the South China Sea. We must uphold respect for law, respect for borders, and respect for culture, and the peaceful engagement these allow. And just as the founders of this body intended, we must work together and confront together those who threatens us with chaos, turmoil, and terror. The score of our planet today is small regimes that violate every principle that the United Nations is based. They respect neither their own citizens nor the sovereign rights of their countries. If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph. When decent people and nations become bystanders to history, the forces of destruction only gather power and strength. No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well-being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea. It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans. And for the imprisonment, torture, killing, and oppression of countless more. We were all witness to the regime's deadly abuse when an innocent American college student, Otto Warmbier, was returned to America, only to die a few days later. We saw it in the assassination of the dictator's brother, using banned nerve agents in an international airport. We know it kidnapped a sweet 13-year-old Japanese girl from a beach in her own country, to enslave her as a language tutor for North Korea's spies. If this is not twisted enough, now North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life. It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply, and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict. No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles. The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing, and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary. That's what the United Nations is all about. That's what the United Nations is for. Let's see how they do. It is time for North Korea to realize that the denuclearization is its only acceptable future. The United Nations Security Council recently held two unanimous 15-0 votes adopting hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea, and I want to thank China and Russia for joining the vote to impose sanctions, along with all of the other members of the Security Council. Thank you to all involved. But we must do much more. It is time for all nations to work together to isolate the Kim regime until it ceases its hostile behavior. We face this decision not only in North Korea; it is far past time for the nations of the world to confront another reckless regime, one that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing death to America, destruction to Israel, and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room. The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy. It has turned a wealthy country, with a rich history and culture, into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos. The longest-suffering victims of Iran's leaders are, in fact, its own people. Rather than use its resources to improve Iranian live, its oil profits go to fund Hezbollah and other terrorists that kill innocent Muslims and attack their peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbors. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter This wealth, which rightly belongs to Iran's people, also goes to shore up Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship, fuel Yemen's civil war, and undermine peace throughout the entire Middle East. We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program. The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it. Believe me. It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction. It is time for the regime to free all Americans and citizens of other nations that they have unjustly detained. Above all, Iran's government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people, and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors. The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran's people are what their leaders fear the most. This is what causes the regime to restrict internet access, tear down satellite dishes, shoot unarmed student protesters, and imprison political reformers. Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the people will face a choice. Will they continue down the path of poverty, bloodshed, and terror, or will the Iranian people return to the nation's proud roots as a center of civilization, culture, and wealth, where their people can be happy and prosperous once again? The Iranian regime's support for terror is in stark contrast to the recent commitments of many of its neighbors to fight terrorism and halt its finance, and in Saudi Arabia early last year, I was greatly honored to address the leaders of more than 50 Arab and Muslim nations. We agreed that all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and the Islamic extremism that inspires them. We will stop radical islamic terrorism because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation and, indeed, to tear up the entire world. We must deny the terrorists' safe haven, transit, funding, and any form of support for their vile and sinister ideology. We must drive them out of our nation. It is time to expose and hold responsible those countries whose support and fi  who support and finance terror groups like al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Taliban, and others that slaughter innocent people. The United States and our allies are working together throughout the Middle East to crush the loser terrorists and stop the reemergence of safe havens they use to launch attacks on all of our people. Last month I announced a new strategy for victory in the fight against this evil in Afghanistan. From now on, our security interests will dictate the length and scope of military operation, not arbitrary benchmarks and timetables set up by politicians. I have also totally changed the rules of engagement in our fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups. In Syria and Iraq, we have made big gains toward lasting defeat of ISIS. In fact, our country has achieved more against ISIS in the last eight months than it has in many, many years combined. We seek the deescalation of the Syrian conflict, and a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people. The actions of the criminal regime of Bashar al-Assad, including the use of chemical weapons against his own citizens, even innocent children, shock the conscience of every decent person. No society could be safe if banned chemical weapons are allowed to spread. That is why the United States carried out a missile strike on the airbase that launched the attack. We appreciate the efforts of the United Nations' agencies that are providing vital humanitarian assistance in areas liberated from ISIS, and we especially thank Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon for their role in hosting refugees from the Syrian conflict. The United States is a compassionate nation and has spent billions and billions of dollars in helping to support this effort. We seek an approach to refugee resettlement that is designed to help these horribly treated people and which enables their eventual return to their home countries to be part of the rebuilding process. For the cost of resettling one refugee in the United States, we can assist more than 10 in their home region. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we offer financial assistance to hosting countries in the region and we support recent agreements of the G20 nations that will seek to host refugees as close to their home countries as possible. This is the safe, responsible, and humanitarian approach. For decades the United States has dealt with migration challenges here in the Western Hemisphere. We have learned that over the long term, uncontrolled migration is deeply unfair to both the sending and the receiving countries. For the sending countries, it reduces domestic pressure to pursue needed political and economic reform and drains them of the human capital necessary to motivate and implement those reforms. For the receiving countries, the substantial costs of uncontrolled migration are born overwhelmingly by low-income citizens whose concerns are often ignored by both media and government. I want to salute the work of the United Nations in seeking to address the problems that cause people to flee from their home. The United Nations and African Union led peacekeeping missions to have invaluable contributions in stabilizing conflict in Africa. The United States continues to lead the world in humanitarian assistance, including famine prevention and relief, in South Sudan, Somalia, and northern Nigeria and Yemen. We have invested in better health and opportunity all over the world through programs like PEPFAR, which funds AIDS relief, the Presidents Malaria Initiative, the Global Health Security Agenda, the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, and the Women Entrepreneur's Finance Initiative, part of our commitment to empowering women all across the globe. We also thank  we also thank the secretary general for recognizing that the United Nations must reform if it is to be an effective partner in confronting threats to sovereignty, security, and prosperity. Too often the focus of this organization has not been on results, but on bureaucracy and process. In some cases, states that seek to subvert this institution's noble end have hijacked the very systems that are supposed to advance them. For example, it is a massive source of embarrassment to the United Nations that some governments with egregious human rights records sit on the UN Human Rights Council. The United States is one out of 193 countries in the United Nations, and yet we pay 22 percent of the entire budget and more. In fact, we pay far more than anybody realizes. The United States bears an unfair cost burden, but to be fair, if it could actually accomplish all of its stated goals, especially the goal of peace, this investment would easily be well worth it. Major portions of the world are in conflict, and some, in fact, are going to hell, but the powerful people in this room, under the guidance and auspices of the United Nations, can solve many of these vicious and complex problems. The American people hope that one day soon the United Nations can be a much more accountable and effective advocate for human dignity and freedom around the world. In the meantime, we believe that no nation should have to bear a disproportionate share of the burden, militarily or financially. Nations of the world must take a greater role in promoting secure and prosperous societies in their own region. That is why in the Western Hemisphere the United States has stood against the corrupt, destabilizing regime in Cuba and embraced the enduring dream of the Cuban people to live in freedom. My administration recently announced that we will not lift sanctions on the Cuban government until it makes fundamental reforms. We have also imposed tough calibrated sanctions on the socialist Maduro regime in Venezuela, which has brought a once thriving nation to the brink of total collapse. The socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the good people of that country. This corrupt regime destroyed a prosperous nation  prosperous nation, by imposing a failed ideology that has produced poverty and misery everywhere it has been tried. To make matters worse, Maduro has defied his own people, stealing power from their elected representatives, to preserve his disastrous rule. The Venezuelan people are starving, and their country is collapsing. Their democratic institutions are being destroyed. The situation is completely unacceptable, and we cannot stand by and watch. As a responsible neighbor and friend, we and all others have a goal  that goal is to help them regain their freedom, recover their country, and restore their democracy. I would like to thank leaders in this room for condemning the regime and providing vital support to the Venezuelan people. The United States has taken important steps to hold the regime accountable. We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people. We are fortunate to have incredibly strong and healthy trade relationships with many of the Latin American countries gathered here today. Our economic bond forms a critical foundation for advancing peace and prosperity for all of our people and all of our neighbors. I ask every country represented here today to be prepared to do more to address this very real crisis. We call for the full restoration of democracy and political freedoms in Venezuela. The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented. From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems. America stands with every person living under a brutal regime. Our respect for sovereignty is also a call for action. All people deserve a government that cares for their safety, their interests, and their well-being, including their prosperity. In America, we seek stronger ties of business and trade with all nations of goodwill, but this trade must be fair and it must be reciprocal. For too long the American people were told that mammoth, multinational trade deals, unaccountable international tribunals, and powerful global bureaucracies were the best way to promote their success. But as those promises flowed, millions of jobs vanished and thousands of factories disappeared. Others gamed the system and broke the rules, and our great middle class, once the bedrock of American prosperity, was forgotten and left behind, but they are forgotten no more and they will never be forgotten again. While America will pursue cooperation and commerce with other nations, we are renewing our commitment to the first duty of every government, the duty of our citizens. This bond is the source of America's strength and that of every responsible nation represented here today. If this organization is to have any hope of successfully confronting the challenges before us, it will depend, as President Truman said some 70 years ago, on the independent strength of its members. If we are to embrace the opportunities of the future and overcome the present dangers together, there can be no substantive for strong, sovereign, and independent nations, nations that are rooted in the histories and invested in their destiny, nations that seek allies to befriend, not enemies to conquer, and most important of all, nations that are home to men and women who are willing to sacrifice for their countries, their fellow citizens, and for all that is best in the human spirit. In remembering the great victory that led to this body's founding, we must never forget that those heroes who fought against evil, also fought for the nations that they love. Patriotism led the Poles to die to save Poland, the French to fight for a free France, and the Brits to stand strong for Britain. Today, if we do not invest ourselves, our hearts, our minds, and our nations, if we will not build strong families, safe communities, and healthy societies for ourselves, no one can do it for us. This is the ancient wish of every people and the deepest yearning that lives inside every sacred soul. So let this be our mission, and let this be our message to the world. We will fight together, sacrifice together, and stand together for peace, for freedom, for justice, for family, for humanity, and for the almighty God who made us all. Thank you, God bless you, God bless the nations of the world, and God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. See also At UN, Trump says US may have to 'totally destroy' North Korea Mattis: Use of tactical nuclear weapons discussed with South Korea U.N. chief says statesmanship needed on North Korea, takes digs at Trump North Korea ambassador walks out of UN assembly in boycott of Trump's speech
Holtzclaw's appeal from his 2015 jury trial was proceeding routinely until prosecutors sought permission to file a motion and accompanying materials under seal  that is, privately. Rumor, which is all the public has to go on, is that problems have arisen with the lab and/or investigator in charge of analyzing critical DNA evidence. On May 30, the court entered two secret orders, directing unspecified proceedings to take place before Holtzclaw's trial judge. In late June, the judge held two days of closed-door hearings; prosecutors, a deputy police chief, and at least one witness from the DNA lab appeared. Neither Holtzclaw, his lawyers, the media nor the public were allowed in. Although a 347-page transcript of those hearings was filed, it remains  you guessed it  under seal.



The black-box proceedings are troubling. Holtzclaw is directly attacking the DNA evidence used to convict him, arguing that the prosecution not only botched its gathering and analysis, but violated ethical rules by misrepresenting it to the jury. A group of six well-credentialed scientists recently agreed, releasing a detailed, 45-page report dissecting the Holtzclaw DNA techniques and testimony and slamming them as biased and inaccurate.
A quick-tempered Queens man shot and killed the 34-year-old mother of his newborn son after the couple had a fight early Sunday, cops said.

The boyfriend, 31, blasted Luz Cuza in the head outside her home on 147th St. near 133rd Ave. in Jamaica at about 2 a.m., according to police. She was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where doctors tried in vain to save her.

Cops picked up the boyfriend, identified by sources as Robert Rodriguez, a short time later at 115th Ave. and 225th St. in Cambria Heights. They recovered a .40-caliber firearm, authorities said.

Suspect Robert Rodriguez is charged with murder, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of marijuana. His arraignment was pending early Monday.

Cuzas brother, Ray Garcia, was at home with his sister when the crazed boyfriend pulled the trigger. He said the couple had been arguing that night.

I didnt think he was going to hurt her because she just gave birth to his son, like, two months ago, he said.

Garcia was in a separate room when he heard a shot ring out.

When I go to the front, my sister is laying on the ground with her eye almost popped out, he said. She was gasping for air. When I saw that, I knew how much I loved my sister, because I started crying, Garcia recalled, devastated.

I said, Dont worry, Im gonna save you. And I knocked on every neighbors house, because I didnt have my phone with me.

One of the neighbors had already called 911, but the boyfriend had fled.

Police caught up with Rodriguez, who works as a parking attendant in Manhattan, soon after.

Cops said there had been no previous calls for domestic violence at the home.

Neighbors said the suspects mother came by every weekend to spend time with the child.

The investigation was ongoing Sunday.

Report courtesy: NYDaily
A man has tried to kill his own children after a witch doctor told him he had to sacrifice them to make money.

A Kenyan man identified as Katana Futa tried to kill his three children in Mombasa last week was yesterday charged with attempted murder.

Police claim that Katana Futa allegedly threw his children into a septic tank after he was misled by a witchdoctor that killing them would make him rich.

According to SDE, Futa, who appeared before Shanzu Principal Magistrate Diana Mochache, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

According to the charge sheet, on September 10 this year in Bombololu, Mombasa, Futa, in an attempt to generate wealth and become rich, forced his three children into a septic tank with the intention of killing them.

Futa was also charged with endangering the lives of the children. The accused asked the court to grant him bail pending the hearing and determination of the matter.

As a Kenyan I have a right to be granted bond as stipulated in the Constitution, and the court should consider that I have a fixed abode in the country and grant me bail, added Futa.

He further informed the court that he would abide by whatever instructions it would give so that he can follow the proceedings while out on bail.

The witchdoctor reportedly instructed Futa to kill three people to enable him to undergo rituals that would make him rich.

Witchdoctors services

He was arrested in Kitui last week, where he had gone to seek the witchdoctors services.

The children have been taken to a rescue centre.

The magistrate told Futa to make his application during the next mention of the case after the court determines how the children are faring.

Mochache also ordered the man to be remanded at the Shimo la Tewa Prison.

The matter will be heard on October 25 this year.

Elsewhere, four boys were charged with defilement in Eldoret.

The boys who are aged between 12 and 17 are accused of defiling a nine-year-old girl on September 13, 2017 in Timboroa, Uasin Gishu County.

They all denied the charge before Chief Magistrate Charles Obulutsa.

The court heard that the boys were returning home from school when they met the girl, dragged her into a maize plantation, and defiled her.
An explosion at the popular Apapa Wharf in the commercial capital of Nigeria has claimed four lives with properties destroyed.

Tragedy struck on Monday at the Petroleum Wharf, Apapa, Lagos State, after an explosion at the jetty killed four people.

PUNCH Metro learnt that a vessel, identified as Histria Ivory, was discharging Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) around 3am when some hoodlums besieged it to scoop fuel spilling from the vessel.

The activities of the hoodlums were to have caused an explosion, which resulted in the death of four people. Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, men of the Lagos State Fire Service, Federal Fire Service, Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Navy were said to have been called when the jettys in-house fire unit could not handle the inferno.

A top official of one of the oil marketing companies in Apapa told PUNCH Metro that the fire lasted for about one hour.

He said, The fire incident started around 3am at the Petroleum Wharf, Apapa, which is one of the three jetties in Apapa. It lasted for about one hour. The people who were scooping fuel were trying to open one of the manifolds through which the depots receive fuel from vessels when the fire occurred. Four people died in the process.

The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, who confirmed the explosion, said he could not tell if there was any casualty.

He said, A vessel was discharging fuel and the manifold caught fire, which led to an explosion. The jetty in-house fire unit responded first, before calls were made to other fire agencies. We all battled the fire and put it out.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, in a statement on Monday, said the fire was caused by hoodlums who interrupted the discharge of fuel.

The statement, which was signed by the NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu, assured motorists and other consumers of petroleum products nationwide that the fire would not affect the supply of petroleum products.

He said, The NNPC has deployed a team of engineers in the jetty, while the repair of the affected parts will commence immediately.

The fire was caused by the activities of hoodlums who were scooping fuel spilled from ships discharging fuel at the jetty.

NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru, who has been fully briefed on the incident, described the occurrence as unfortunate, assuring the public that the NNPC has more than 1.6bn litres of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petrol, enough to last for 48 days.

A police source told one of Punch correspondents that the corpses of four people that were killed had been deposited in a morgue.
An Abuja-based artisan has allegedly beaten his apprentice to death for his refusal to stop dating a lady after he caught him having s*x in the Lugbe area of the federal capital.

Over his refusal to stop dating a lady in the Lugbe area of Abuja, a young man identified as Samarola Musa, has allegedly beaten his apprentice, Ademola Adeshina, to death, and is facing a homicide charge at a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

According to a report by Punch newspaper, an autopsy indicated that Ademola died as a result of the beating he received from Musa who is believed to have had a homosexual relationship with the 24-year-old man.

The report also showed that the furniture maker had sodomised his apprentice before his death in May 2017.

In his statement to the police, 42-year-old Musa said he slapped the deceased after he caught him having s*x with the lady, identified simply as Precious, in his workshop, claiming that Ademola died of malaria a week after the incident.

But Ademolas father, Okuneye, faulted Musas claims, stressing that the son died from the beatings he received from the former bouncer, who he described as a huge man.

While speaking to a correspondent, Okuneye said that Musa had once informed him that Ademola was dating a lady he did not approve of, adding that he warned the deceased to stop going out with the lady.

The bereaved father said his son called him on May 3, two days before his death that he had malaria, adding that he visited him at the workshop and found him working.

About 48 hours after, I got a text message from Musa asking me to call him back urgently. I did and he simply told me that my son had passed away; I was shocked. He said he was at Asokoro General Hospital and when I got there, I found my son lying in the back seat of his Honda Accord car with his face against the glass window, he said.

Okuneye said the accused informed him that his son died of malaria and suggested that the body should be buried, but he insisted on depositing it in a morgue.

The engineer explained that after returning home, he received a call from Precious, who narrated to him how Musa beat his son to death.

He said, The girl said she witnessed the assault and when she confronted Musa, he injured her in the leg. I asked if she was ready to make a statement at the police station about it and she agreed.

Musa was arrested and he admitted to beating my boy because he was dating the girl. We did a post-mortem on the body and it showed that Ademola suffered serious internal injury from the beating.

The autopsy also showed that the boy was sodomised; it was after this that we got to know that Musa is a well known homosexual in Lugbe and its environs; he had been sleeping with my son and he killed him because he was dating a woman.

It was gathered that the family had made plans to bury the deceased last Saturday, but the police declined to grant them the permission to carry out the funeral.

The accused was remanded in Kuje prisons by the court on Monday, while the case was adjourned till November 20,2017.
There is panic in Nigeria following strong rumours of fuel scarcity as petrol stations have begun to halt the sale of petroleum products.

Despite the assurance by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that it has in stock sufficient quantity of diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel to serve the country, fuel crisis looms as the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG) yesterday stopped loading at the various depots in Lagos.

This is coming as the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, assured motorists and other consumers of petroleum products nationwide that the fire incident, which occurred at Apapa loading jetty at the early hours of yesterday would not affect supply of petroleum products.

According to the NNPC boss, the corporation has more than 1.6 billion litres of petrol, enough to last for 48 days. No fewer than four people lost their lives with several others severely injured when the Apapa PWA loading jetty belonging to the NNPC caught fire in the early hours of yesterday.

Apapa has three jetties  PWA, BOP and NOJ-all belonging to NNPC for the discharge of imported petroleum products.

Despite the NNPCs commitment to ensure uninterrupted supply of petroleum products, NUPENG has embarked on strike in solidarity with the Joe Ajaero-led United Labour Congress of Nigeria (ULC), which commenced nation-wide industrial action yesterday.

NUPENG, which also comprises Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), belong to Ajaeros labour faction. Efforts to reach the Western Zonal Chairman of NUPENG, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, were unsuccessful as his mobile phone was switched off, but THISDAY confirmed that the drivers did not load fuel at the depots.

ULC had urged Nigerians to stockpile foodstuff and other basic necessities that could last them during the duration of the strike as critical sectors of the economy would be affected by the action.

Ajaero listed critical sectors that would be affected to include transportation, petroleum products supplies, power supply and banking and other financial operations.

ULCs action was in protest against what it described as the militarisation of some states and had demanded that the federal government bans the stationing of the army and police in our workplaces and factory premises.

This will stop employers who are now colluding with the army and other security agencies from setting up garrisons in our factories for the purposes of intimidating and harassing workers in order to deny them their rights and privileges. The army and the police should immediately withdraw their garrisons in the different workplaces where they are currently stationed.

The NNPC has, however, advised motorists not to engage in panic buying over the jetty fire incident, adding that they should report any challenge they may have in the course of purchasing to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) which is statutorily empowered to deal with such issue

THISDAY gathered that the fire at PWA Jetty started around 3 a.m. when hoodlums tampered with the manifold, which is the connecting pipe to the vessel, to scoop fuel.

It was not clear how hoodlums managed to enter the jetty, which is heavily guarded by personnel of the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies.

But there are concerns that security officials allegedly connived with miscreants, who scoop fuel from the pipelines at the jetty every night and in the early morning hours.

The fire incident was said to have occurred shortly after a vessel, MT HISTIA IVORY, finished discharging petrol at the jetty. Though the jetty was gutted by fire, the vessel was not affected.

It was also gathered that the casualty figures would have been much higher if security officials of NIPCO Plc on duty had not opened the companys exit gate through which the people at the jetty escaped from the raging inferno.

When THISDAY visited the facility, the four dead bodies were still lying unattended to. A source close to the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), which manages the three NNPC jetties at Apapa, told THISDAY that it took the intervention of fire fighters from the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and NIPCO for the fire to be put off.

The fire started around 3 a.m. when hoodlums tampered with the manifold at the jetty to scoop fuel. Nobody knows how hoodlums managed to enter the jetty with the large number of naval personnel on ground. MT HISTRIA IVORY just finished discharging petrol and was supposed to have sailed away on Sunday. When a vessel finished discharging, the pipelines and manifold still contain many trucks of product and that was what those people went to scoop, he explained.

The spokesman of NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu has, however, assured motorists and other consumers of petroleum products nationwide that the fire incident would not affect supply of petroleum products.

Ughamadu said in a statement yesterday that NNPC had also deployed a team of engineers to the jetty while the repair of the affected parts would commence immediately.

He disclosed that the fire was sparked from the activities of hoodlums who were scooping fuels spilled from ships discharging fuels at the jetty.

According to him, Baru, who has been fully briefed on the incident, described the occurrence as unfortunate, assuring that NNPC has more than 1.6 billion litres of petrol, enough to last for 48 days.
Following reports that ASUU decided to suspend its nationwide strike on September 18, after a meeting with the federal government, the news has been met with mixed reactions.

ASUU said the strike which started on August 13 would be suspended till October, giving room for the federal government to fulfill its pledges.

However, a reader, Francisco Onumaechi, who doesnt want the strike to be called off, has lashed out at ASUU.

Francisco who is a medical student at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo state, maintained that just like him, several students dont want to resume as their tuition fees were increased and the strike has afforded them the opportunity to make extra money to be able to pay the fees. An annoyed Francisco said:

What is wrong with ASUU? I beg you with the name of God, dont call off the strike please we beg you. Many Nigerian students are against it because many state universities due to lack of funding they increased their tuition fees.this strike help them to pay their fees I beg you ASUU tell us you are joking about the suspension of the strike.

When asked if he thinks other students share his view, he said:

At least more than 65% doesI have friends from 12 universities, the samego to Facebook, Twitter and some social media, many students are complaining ooo.the suspension of the strike is too early. Please I beg you try to tell ASUU that they have fail us.

See screenshot of a post he shared on his page asking ASUU to reconsider:



(Naij)
Some twin sisters have attacked their father, pouring hot water on the old mans head over a grudge they hold.

Ben Maphanga is a South African man whose wife died more than a year ago, however his children are still blaming him for her death.

According to Daily Sun SA, Ben claims that last week they poured boiling water over his head.

His wife, Pinkie Maphanga (64) died last year in August after a long illness but his twin daughters allegedly accused Ben (67) of killing her.

Ben alleged they attempted to poison him last year but he survived. To save his life, he moved out of his house in Thokoza, Ekurhuleni to rent a room, but last week when he went back to the house he found his daughters still waiting for him.

This time they poured boiling water mixed with fish oil over him.

They poured water on my head, saying they wanted my brain to be cooked so I would die, he claimed.

I ran to the streets and asked neighbours for help. They called the ambulance for me.

Ben is now in hospital,

Their mother was sick for five years. How could I kill my wife? I saw her dying of natural causes.

I cant believe my biological children would do this to me. Im in pain and I have been scarred for life.

Daily Sun phoned the daughters for comment but their phones rang unanswered.

A relative said the daughters had left the house.

Captain Andre de Jager of the Vosloorus cops said they are waiting for Ben to be treated.

They will open a case when he is fit enough to make a statement.
Paradigm Shift Monica Kingsley - 4 minutes ago S&P 500 confirmed Thursdays sharp upswing with more strength, and thats great for all of our long portfolio bets. Smashing turn continues in a taking no prisoners style (fresh China corona rules...

Risk On Can Be Supportive For Aussie - Elliott Wave Video Wavetraders - 13 minutes ago nflation in the US came down last week which allowed stocks finally to rally while US yields and USD came down across the board. Speculators think that FED will slow down the hikes, but further move on...

Germany nationalizes former subsidiary of Russia's Gazprom AP - 31 minutes ago Germany says it's nationalizing the former German subsidiary of Russian gas company Gazprom months after it was put under the control of a government agency in Europes biggest economy $SPX : 3,986.23 (-0.17%) $DOWI : 33,805.88 (+0.17%) $IUXX : 11,741.11 (-0.64%)

Last Trading Day November Soybeans. The Corn & Ethanol Report 11/14/2022 The PRICE Futures Group - 35 minutes ago We kickoff the day with Consumer Inflation Expectations at 9:00 A.M., Export Inspections 10:00 A.M., 3-Month & 6-Month Bill Auction at 10:30 A.M., and Crop Progress at 3:00 P.M. On the Corn Front harvest...

Billions The PRICE Futures Group - 57 minutes ago Gasoline prices are clocking in at $377.3. Diesel prices are clocking in at a whopping $5.359 cents a gallon. Heating oil dealers are rationing supply in the Northeast and more than 20 million American...

Ukraine, China-US frictions dominate at G-20 summit in Bali AP - 1 hour ago Discord over Russia's war on Ukraine and festering tensions between the U.S. and China are ominous backdrops for world leaders gathering in Indonesia's tropical Bali island for a summit of the Group of... $SPX : 3,986.23 (-0.17%) $DOWI : 33,805.88 (+0.17%) $IUXX : 11,741.11 (-0.64%)

Tactical Insights Blue Line Futures - 1 hour ago "Navigating the world of futures and commodities with actionable trade ideas, supported by quantitative insights through the lens of a macro framework."
For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser
By Ken Turley

When making a purchase, many people look at online reviews to see if the product or company has a good reputation. Whether theyre signing up for a subscription service, renting a self-storage unit or just buying a new toothbrush, the fact is reviews can make a huge impact in their buying decision.

A recent infographic by marketing firm Vendasta offered interesting insight to the importance of online reviews:

92 percent of consumers now read online reviews vs. 88 percent in 2014.

40 percent of consumers form an opinion by reading just one to three reviews.

Star rating is the No. 1 factor used by consumers to judge a business.

68 percent of consumers say positive reviews make them trust a local business more.

48 percent of customers will visit a companys website after reading positive reviews.

23 percent will visit the business premises directly after reading positive reviews.

9 percent will phone a business after reading positive reviews.

More than half of consumers age 18 to 34 say they trust online reviews more than the opinions of friends and family.

86 percent of people will hesitate to purchase from a business that has negative online reviews.

68 percent of consumers trust reviews more when they see both good and bad scores.

30 percent of consumers assume online reviews are fake if there are no negative reviews.

Reviews are especially important for local searches, as they influence up to 10 percent of the ranking.

If these numbers are accurate, you can expect most people searching for storage units to rely on reviews to help them choose a facility. If theyre basing their decision on just a few reviews, its critical to get high-quality, positive reviews. You want to ensure your prospects see lots of high ratings to build trust. The more trust they have in your business, the more likely theyll rent from you.

Simply put: Online reviews are vital to the success of any business, and theres a fine line to walk when obtaining them. Business owners sometimes dont know where to get reviews or how to do so properly. Following are some guidelines to simplify the process.

Market Focus

The focus of your marketing strategy should be to build trust with consumers. Marketing is about telling your story building trust with a consumer so hell use your services or buy your products. To accomplish this, you build a website, offer promotions, set up competitive pricing, and add high-quality features like security cameras. Then you invest time and money into techniques including pay-per-click campaigns, search engine optimization, social media, etc. You do all these things to get your companys story in front of your target audience.

For the most part, those are good things to do and vital to the success of a company. However, its easy to forget that online reviews are often the first impression a consumer gets of your business.

Try it out yourself. Search your facility name on Google and see what comes up. You should see a Google Business Listing containing key information and your reviews. Now try searching for something like self-storage Dallas TX or any other city. Youll see the Google Map results with review ratings highlighted. If consumers are looking for storage in your area and seeing these reviews, its probably a good idea to invest some time into cultivating them. Online reviews are a big factor in telling your story. What do they say about your facility?

Gathering Reviews

So, where and how do you get online reviews? There are so many places for people to leave them that it may be confusing to know where to direct customers. The top three places are your Google business page, your Facebook business page and your Yelp page. Reviews on these pages will have the most effect on your business. All three platforms are good, but aim to get as many as you can on Google, as it has the most effect on your rankings and website traffic.

Collecting reviews does take effort. The main thing is to make it as quick and easy as possible for customers or they wont do it. You can tray adding a link to your preferred review platform in your e-mails and on your website so its convenient and they dont have to go through a bunch of steps.

When dealing with customers in person, always ask them to leave you a review, especially when they have a positive experience. Dont be overbearing, but always have it in mind. If they agree, ask them to go your website or social media page, or send them an e-mail with a link. Ask them to comment on things youve done well.

How many reviews should you collect? As many as you can. Theres no specific number you need to have, but its good to have at least 25. Getting them should be an ongoing part of your marketing plan.

Can you include reviews from family and friends? Theoretically, this is fine with Google and other search engines; however, you need to make sure you dont get too many reviews at once. Google is very watchful. It knows the importance of reviews for businesses, so it wants to make sure nobody is cheating the system with fake or spam posts. Post your friendly reviews periodically, and try to keep it to fewer than 15. Theres no sense in getting in trouble with Google.

Handling Bad Reviews

Dont panic over one bad review. Respond to the customer and try to resolve the problem quickly and professionally. Then go get some better reviews ASAP. The best strategy is to drown out the bad review with positive ones. In the long run, it wont make a huge impact if youre consistently getting good comments. Focus on your customer service and limit your negative experiences as much as you can. If you receive a bad review and a false, you can report it to Google for removal; however, you must provide proof that its fake or incorrect.

If youre considering online reviews and dont know where to start, first set up all your local business listings. Once theyre created and to include the correct information, focus on getting reviews. Dont overdo it and get 100 reviews in one week. Rather, make it a consistent part of your marketing plan and follow through each month.

Ken Turley is CEO and co-owner of RIZE Marketing Agency, which helps self-storage companies and other businesses increase online visibility and meet marketing and operational goals. Ken has several years of experience in SEO and online marketing, and hes helped hundreds of companies working directly with Easy Storage Solutions, a self-storage software provider. For more information visit www.selfstoragemarketing.net.
STROUD, ON (September 18, 2017)- After battling hard all year long, Lisa DeLeeuw was able to close out her 2017 points campaign at Sunset Speedway with a top-10 finish.

DeLeeuw was fast in her first heat, picking up a third-place finish, followed by a fifth in her second qualifier.

Starting the 25-lap feature on pole, shed battle side-by-side with Josh Bullen for the lead, before taking the top spot on the second lap. Her advantage did not last for long, though, as she was passed on the following lap by Andy Kamrath before the races first caution. Restarting in second, she battled among the leaders, though would fade back to fifth by the second yellow flag at Lap 6.

Restarting inside the top-five, competition was at an all-time high at the front of the field, but she held her ground, only fading back to 11th by the races third caution. From there, she continued to battle hard, running 12th as of the last caution. Restarting there with three laps to go, she battled hard to cross the finish line in 12th. In the final results, though, she was bumped up to 10th following a pair of disqualifications.

DeLeeuw and DY Racing are proud to be supported by Partimer Sign, Skytec Rentals, Solex Steel, Safeway Towing, BDS Enterprises, Can-alignment, Scentsy Independent Consultant, Jays Signs and Graphics, P&A Plastics, Higher Ground Landscaping, and Cabral Racing Promotions.

Be sure to check out the DY Racing website at https://dyracing.wordpress.com and like the DY Racing facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/dyracing

By: Ashley McCubbin/AM Marketing  ashleymccubbin17@gmail.com
Capital Dynamics has hired former Credit Suisse executives to create a direct-lending business and plans to raise a fund targeting the middle market.

Capital Dynamics has started a direct-lending business targeting the U.S., Europe and Asia, joining an influx of asset managers originating loans to smaller companies.

The firm has hired two former Credit Suisse Group executives, Jens Ernberg and Thomas Hall, to co-lead a private-credit unit targeting middle-market companies, according to a statement expected to be released Tuesday by Capital Dynamics. The new debt division aims to raise around $500 million for its first fund this year, though no specific targets have been set, according to a spokesperson for the firm.

Our limited partners are interested in products like these, Martin Hahn, chief executive officer of Capital Dynamics, said in a phone interview. They need yield-generating assets.

While large private-equity firms such as Blackstone Group and KKR & Co. have for years been building out their credit units, smaller asset managers are now entering or stepping up direct lending. The amount of capital raised by private credit funds has soared since the 2008 financial crisis as these firms increasingly provide midmarket loans traditionally made by banks.

The credit market is relatively crowded, Ernberg said by phone. The lower middle market offers less competitive tension.

Ernberg and Hall, who joined Capital Dynamics' New York office in July, co-founded and ran Credit Suisses direct-lending business. While working for the bank, they originated $2 billion in private debt across 50 midmarket transactions since 2011.

Private-equity firms raised $21.1 billion for credit funds during the first quarter, a 63 percent increase from the same period last year that was driven by a 200 percent jump in direct-lending pools, according to an April report from EY. The firm estimated at the time that credit funds had about $200 billion to invest.

In June, Steadfast Capital Markets Group and Alcentra NY, an asset manager owned by Bank of New York Mellon Corp. that focuses on below-investment grade credit, jointly announced a new private fund that seeks to capitalize on the growing opportunity to provide direct lending to middle-market companies in the United States and Western Europe.

In April, Griffin Capital Co. said it started a closed-end credit fund sub-advised by Bain Capital that provides individual investors access to debt market opportunities typically reserved for large institutional investors. The fund may in invest in direct midmarket loans in addition to other areas of the credit market.

[II Deep Dive: Be Damned Careful]

Many of our own LPs want to access the middle market and types of opportunities there, Hahn said, referring to Capital Dynamics' limited partners, or investors that it works with in others areas of its business, including private equity and clean energy infrastructure. The firm has $28 billion of assets under management or advisement globally.

While its new direct-lending pool will mainly focus on companies based in the U.S., the firm will also provide loans in some markets in Europe, Korea and Japan, according to Hahn. The businesses it targets will have a least $7.5 million of Ebitda, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, and an enterprise value of at least $50 million.
When Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the One Belt, One Road infrastructure initiative a few years ago, many chief executive officers leaped into emerging markets to build transport links connecting China with Central Asia and Europe. The CEO of China Everbright International is taking a different tack.

Instead of railroads and highways, Chen Xiaoping is building waste-treatment centers in China and offshore, while investing in green technology and projects supporting a clean environment.

Everbright International  the Hong Kong-listed unit of state-controlled industrial and financial conglomerate China Everbright Group  invested about 9 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in 21 new projects during the first six months of the year, according to its earnings report last month.

The firm is at the vanguard of the Chinese governments environmental clean-up effort, which includes moving away from power plants fueled by dirty coal in favor of renewable energy. The nations infrastructure strategy gives Everbright International a large global remit, Chen said in an interview in Hong Kong, adding that 70 percent of the worlds population lives in emerging and frontier markets that have a huge need for environmental investments.

Many of these markets are just gaining environmental consciousness, he said. Our job is to strengthen that consciousness wherever we may go.

Everbright Internationals portfolio held $95 billion of assets tied to 236 environmental projects at the end of June, only three of which were offshore. The assets consisted of energy plants fueled by waste, methane, wind, solar and biomass, as well as centers treating sludge, waste water and hazardous waste.

While the new projects backed by the firm during the first half of 2017 were all in China, Chen said hes eyeing possible investments abroad.

Last year, Everbright International announced it invested $47 million in a waste-to-energy project in Vietnam. The firm also completed its purchase of Novago sp. z o.o, a solid waste treatment company in Poland, for 123 million ($147 million) in 2016.

Chen invited Geoffrey Hamilton, the chief of public-private partnerships at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, to visit the firms waste-to-energy project in Nanjing, China last year. Hamilton then asked Chen to lead the development of the UNs standards for public-private partnerships for waste-to-energy projects, and help promote its sustainable development goals.

We are strengthening our ties with markets around the world  we are sharing our experience with others, Chen said. Through international cooperation we can discover new markets and new opportunities globally.

[II Deep Dive: China Updates the Silk Road]

Will Oulton, the global head of responsible investment at Australias First State Investments, said fund managers increasingly want to invest in companies that provide green technology and operate in a sustainable manner. He said their interest is due in part to asset owners desire to invest with firms that help meet the UNs goals for sustainable development.

In the future, we believe that it will not enough to say your fund performance was X percent relative to a benchmark, said Oulton, who is based in London. You must think about how to measure and disclose the social and environmental performance and outcomes of companies in investment portfolios. The UN sustainable development goals provide a useful framework for addressing this.

Everbright International is reaching out to universities to stay on top of cutting-edge, green-tech research and development.

For the past six years, Chen has engaged Beijing-based Tsinghua University  Chinas equivalent to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology  to help train the firms senior management staff. He also has been working with Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, the hometown of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, to train Everbright Internationals senior engineers.

No matter how much ability I have I cannot manage 230 projects, Chen says. You need a huge team to manage 230 projects. You need an enterprising system, you need technology, and most importantly you need a lot of talent.

With 8,000 staff and more than 400 senior managers, Chen is well-equipped.

The key is whether you can grasp the opportunity and that depends on your skills and your team, Chen said. You have to understand the government policy, and you have to move quickly as the markets and policy environment is adjusting as the world is in the midst of a major transition.

Chinas National Energy Commission said in January that the country planned to invest 2.5 trillion yuan into renewable power generation by 2020, according to a Reuters report at the time.

Chen and his senior engineering team began collaborating last year with Columbia University in New York to develop a set of waste-to-energy standards that will become part of the World Banks investment guidelines for green-energy projects.

Our future is not only in China, Chen said. I tell our staff going out is the key strategy for us. In the future, we may invest in Southeast Asia, South Asia as well as Central Asia.
In a submission to a Productivity Commission inquiry, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority ( APRA ), which regulates the banking, superannuation, and insurance sectors, has argued that too much competition could upset the stability of the financial system.The commission was tasked by the Turnbull government to investigate competition in the financial system as part of its response to a 2014 financial system inquiry by former banker David Murray.APRA said the global financial crisis drove away less financially strong companies from the industry, resulting in greater market concentration; and that the relatively high levels of concentration within the industries it regulates do not adequately reflect the level of competition within a sector, The Australian reported.Australia's four big banks, Commonwealth, Westpac, National Australia Bank, and ANZ, hold majority of the market share, at 75%  a figure that has remained pretty much the same for the past five years.The major banks and AMP represent almost half of all financial advisers in the country. In the insurance sector, QBE Suncorp and IAG hold major control, while five life insurance groups have more than 80% share of the market.Australia's largest banks also have cost-to-income ratios of about 45%, which is among the lowest in the world. The ratio indicates the efficiency of bank operations  the lower the ratio, the more profitable the bank. For comparison, large banks in the US have ratios above 60%, 65% in Japan, and almost 80% in Britain, the report said.APRA is of the view that, with the right balance, stability and competition are mutually reinforcing objectives, APRA wrote. However, competition can also lead to instability in the financial system and there are times where it is important for APRA to actively temper competitive forces. Periods of excessive and unsustainable competition can result in financial institutions inappropriately pricing risk or unintentionally accepting excessive risk in order to gain or retain market share.APRA said the banking sector saw its return on equity drop to 11.7% over the latest financial year  below the long-run average of 13.4%. The returns were expected to suffer further decline in the wake of stronger capital requirements, it said. Meanwhile, the sector's other measure of profitability, net interest margins, converged over the past decade, although the larger banks managed to retain an edge over the regional lenders.Martin North, principal of Digital Finance Analytics, said APRA should have compared returns and margins on an international basis.Australian banks are super profitable relative to players in many other countries, thanks to weaker competition and the market moving rates together, he told the publication. We may have better cost income ratios here, but that has more to do with  profits than core efficiency.
With John Neal soon to exit his role as chief executive of the still-faltering QBE Insurance, Pat Regan is faced with the challenge of living up to his reputation as a turnaround king when he assumes the top job in January.Neal was axed amidst mounting investor frustration, after a five-year tenure fraught with multiple profit downgrades, leadership shuffles, and a personal scandal  an affair with his personal assistant that docked $550,000 from his bonus earlier this year.Regan, who joined QBE in 2014 as chief financial officer, has a huge task of winning back the favour of unimpressed shareholders  and fast  armed with his reputation and experience as the master of the turnaround, The Australian Financial Review reported.Regan, hailed as the architect of the UK-based Aviva's transformation out of a financial black hole, was tapped by QBE with a sign-on bonus of $8.5 million, at a time when Neal's leadership was already marked by four profit downgrades.In 2016, he was made chief executive of QBE's Australian and New Zealand operations, succeeding Tim Plant, whose one-year tenure yielded disappointing results.David Walker, an analyst with QBE investor clime asset management, said Regan was successful in that role."Pat Regan has a fairly good reputation in the market. He was previously the CFO, so presumably he's a good numbers man," he told AFR. "He is an industry veteran. You need people who have worked in it [the insurance sector] and not people who have come from the outside, because it's such a risky business."Regan, who was described as energetic and a dogmatic character with a stronger pricing discipline, is yet to divulge his plans for the company, and said one of his first tasks was to find a successor for his Australia and NZ role. AFR understands that he is unlikely to renegotiate the company's pricey reinsurance programs, despite the fallout from Hurricanes Irma and Harvey.K2 Asset Management's David Poppenbeek said it is unlikely that Regan would do anything radically different."[I would expect to see] fine-tuning and minimising those operational mishaps, given a lot of work has already been done. It's just a matter of evolution  this has been a successful company for a very long time," he told AFR. "The market conditions and the operating environment has changed and they've had to adapt. It's come a long way in the last few years."Poppenbeek said QBE may run off its lagging businesses."If they don't have an edge, running certain businesses off should improve their returns above the cost of capital and make sure that everything has a return on equity approach, because that's the whole nature of this caper, he told AFR. Everything else is coming along nicely, investment performance is going well and expenses seem well contained. I think leading the market in pricing is something they don't need to do. With Pat's background, he's more of a numbers man, being a price follower might be the right strategy for a while."
Corporate culture within the financial services sector has been placed under the microscope by the public and regulators alike.Whether it is a scandal in insurance or in another area of the industry, culture has to be front of mind for anyone in financial services and brokers are no different. Peter Kell ASIC deputy chair, advised brokers that a focus on culture need not be complicated as it all boils down to putting the customer first.I want to underscore that at the centre of everything is firm culture and industry culture, Kell told the 2017 NIBA Convention. A culture where it is acceptable to pass on a product, however it is designed to a third party, with no considerations to who the final consumer might be and whether the product adds any value, that sort of practice is no longer acceptable because it inevitably leads to poor consumer outcomes.With corporate culture firmly in the sights of the regulator, Kell revealed areas that brokers can focus on to avoid the watchful eye of the ASIC. Specifically, brokers should look to improve transparency around the outcomes delivered to customers.Reforms are currently under way on the design and distribution of financial services products, and Kell said it has been made abundantly clear that brokers have a responsibility to clients regardless of product.You can no longer wash your hands of responsibility for the products you sell or outcomes you produce  if you ever did or didnt  just because a third party is involved in product design or claims handling, Kell continued.Potential conflicts of interest should also be monitored.History tells us again and again that conflicts of interest create problems so as leaders what sort of line of sight do you have for how to manage those conflicts of interest? Kell asked.While the broking sector remains well regarded by the regulator within the financial services industry, Kell stressed that when difficulties with clients do arise, it is important to consider not just a legal obligation but also the more public side of a dispute.Think hard about how you manage the difficult cases, Kell said, the relatively small number of cases where there may technically be a reason why the customer can be pushed away or where you may be technically correct from a legal perspective but would fail badly on any public assessment, on any public interest test, on any front-page test. This is what we have seen creating, in many cases, very bad reputational damage for insurance.
An integrated building services group, whose clients include insurers QBE Suncorp , and Cushman & Wakefield, is considering getting listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in an offer that could value the Melbourne firm at over $200 million.Johns Lyng Group (JLG) provides building and restoration services across Australia, and conducts 24-hour emergency plumbing and electrical call-outs in joint venture with insurers RACV and NRMA. It is partly owned by ASX-listed insurance broking group PSC Group and entrepreneur Scott Didier.It is understood that JLG hired Bell Potter and Evans & Partners to examine the potential float, and is planning to canvass fund managers starting this week, The Australian reported.According to Street Talk, JGL is selling shares at $1 apiece to raise $95.8 million, which will deliver the company $220 million market capitalisation and enterprise value of $225.4 million. The funds raised will be used to settle company debts and debts to shareholders, working capital, and to cover the costs of the IPO.The firm will submit a prospectus on Oct. 2, and its shares are expected to commence trading on the ASX on Oct. 25.If JLG's IPO pushes through, it is understood that a new high profile chairman will be tapped to head the new public company board; while Didier will continue as an executive chairman and COO, The Australian said.
As risks in the construction industry continue to rise, stronger relationships with clients are more important than ever, according to an industry expert.Iain Drennan, head of construction at Jardine Lloyd Thompson, said that a host of risks are presenting themselves in the construction sector, with one of the biggest being the contractual terms and conditions contractors face from principals.The balance of power between principal/developer and contractor has traditionally fluctuated in line with demand and supply economic theory. However, even in todays environment with high demand for contractors, principals are still able to impose onerous T&Cs on to contractors through liabilities beyond common law, liquidated damages or express warranties of guarantees, Drennan told Insurance Business.There is a lack of flexibility for contractors and their inability to push back inevitably leads them to accept greater liabilities which at best increasingly exposes their insurance programme or worse, exposes them to liabilities beyond the scope of their insurance programme. With contractor margins so tight and cashflow so critical, it is imperative that contractors insurance programs adequately protect their business exposures.As insurance becomes even more important for clients in the construction space, Drennan stressed that brokers need to form stronger relationships with their clients to win their trust.Construction clients need to be sure brokers are working closely with them to understand their operations, contracting principals and risk management procedures, Drennan said. A comprehensive insurance program can then be put together for the client including (potentially) non-traditional insurances such as liquidated damages cover, parametric (weather), credit risk or cyber insurance.Drennan added that the insurance industry has done well in matching client risk over recent years through the development of new products. Now brokers need to ensure that clients are aware of the benefits and drawbacks of each of the new and existing covers relative to their specific business needs.The relative uptake of such new lines ultimately falls on the broking community who need to explain the respective benefits each new policy can offer their clients businesses, Drennan concluded.
The remarkable success story of Key Media International (KMI) keeps gathering pace. After a spectacular five-year revenue growth rate of 169%, KMI has been included on the 2017 PROFIT 500 ranking of fastest growing companies by Canadian Business.Now in its 29th year, PROFIT 500 is a joint venture between premier business and current affairs media brands, aiming to profile the most successful growth companies. KMI  a global publishing and events company with a huge stable of influential industry publications  has now made the list for five consecutive years.Were massively excited  once again  to be part of the PROFIT 500 line-up, said Tim Duce, CEO, KMI. To be included among such powerhouse contemporaries is proof that KMI is fast becoming one of the biggest names in the business. Ive no doubt that this is down to our great range of products, our wonderful readers, our roster of valued clients, and  of course  the hard work of our dedicated team. As we go from strength to strength, heres to celebrating our PROFIT 500 inclusion next year!Its never easy to earn a spot on the PROFIT 500, but this years applicant pool was the most competitive yet, explains Deborah Aarts, PROFIT 500 program manager. This years winners demonstrate the resilience, innovation and sheer management smarts it takes to build a thriving business today.KMI ranked at number 335 on this years list.
Mexico City and the central Mexican state of Puebla were rocked by a magnitude-7.1 earthquake this afternoon. The quake comes barely a week after a magnitude-8.1 earthquake struck off the countrys southern coast and killed at least 61 people.Mexico City was about 75 miles from the quakes epicenter, which preliminary reports indicate was near San Juan Raboso.There were no immediate reports of injuries, according to a CNN report. There were, however, reports of damaged buildings. All public schools in Mexico City and the states of Puebla and Guerrero were closed until further notice.The Mexico City airport was also closed. Operations are suspended until every infrastructure is assessed, the airports Twitter account reported.Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has called a meeting of the countrys National Emergency Committee to evaluate the situation, CNN reported.
LINN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

From Monday afternoon

Domestic assault  John Andrew Mance, 29, of Lebanon was charged with felony fourth-degree assault, strangulation, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, interference with making a report, second-degree theft, third-degree escape and resisting arrest. Five of the charges were labeled domestic violence. The crimes occurred on Sunday and an adult female was listed as the victim for most of the charges, according to court paperwork.

Assault  Tyrell Pride Richard, 40, of Albany, was charged with felony fourth-degree assault. The crime allegedly occurred on Saturday and the victim was an adult female, according to court paperwork. Richard was arrested by the Albany Police Department in the 3000 blcok of Marion Street S.E.

Domestic assault  Isaac Nathaniel Ladd, 19, of Lyons, was charged with two counts of felony fourth-degree assault, strangulation and harassment. Three of the crimes were labeled as domestic violence. The crimes allegedly occurred on Friday and the victim was a pregnant woman, according to court paperwork. The charging document states that Ladd kneed the victim in the stomach.

ALBANY POLICE

Two crashes, DUII  10:19 p.m. Friday, Linn-Benton Community College. Cyol Eugene Paglia, 31, was cited for driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving and two counts of failure to obey the duties of a driver. At about 9:33 p.m., he allegedly rear-ended another vehicle in traffic at a stop sign at Elm Street and 24th Avenue S.W. and left the scene. Less than an hour later, Paglia crashed near the intersection of Allen Lane and Looney Lane, rolling onto the LBCC property. He was taken to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis.

LEBANON POLICE

Burglary  10:35 a.m. Friday, 700 block Manor Way. A woman reported that someone gained entry to her residence through a window and took a $2,000 ring that was in her kitchen.

Theft  4:42 p.m. Friday, 3300 block Columbine Street. A 2014 Trek mountain bike and a 2016 Trek womens mountain bike were stolen from a trailer in a driveway sometime in the last week. The bikes were worth a combined $1,050.
Just under a year since Florida workers compensation rates shot up by 14.5 percent, Florida businesses may get some relief in their workers comp premiums.

The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has recommended to Florida regulators an overall premium level decrease of 9.6 percent, effective Jan. 1, 2018.

The filing submitted to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) includes a statewide average premium decrease of 9.3 percent and a reduction of the fixed expense cost applicable to every workers compensation policy in Florida from $200 to $160. The filing includes a 1.9 percent decrease in expense provisions, including a proposed decrease to the Profit & Contingency provision from 2.75 percent to 2 percent.

Rate level changes by industry group are as follows:

Manufacturing: -10.3 percent

Contracting: -6.9 percent

Office and Clerical: -11.3 percent

Goods and Services:-10.4 percent

Miscellaneous: -8.1 percent

According to a statement from the rating organization, which is authorized to make rate filings on behalf of workers compensation insurance companies in Florida, the proposed rate reduction represents a continued improvement in claim frequency of more than 8 percent over the last two years.

NCCI said the 8 percent decrease in claims is the major driver of the proposed decrease, which comes just a year or so after two 2016 Florida Supreme Court decisions sent rates up 14.5 percent for 2017.

NCCI said those cases, Castellanos v. Next Door Company, and Westphal v. City of St. Petersburg, brought about retroactive changes to claimant attorney fee and benefit levels. NCCI noted its filing for the 14.5 percent increase in October 2016 addressed the projected impact of the two court decisions, including future upward pressure on claim costs as well as a growing unfunded liability on open claims. The OIR approved increase took effect on Dec. 1, 2016.

The biggest cost driver behind that rate increase, according to NCCI at the time, was Castellanos. The decision found the states mandatory attorneys fee schedule for workers compensation cases eliminated the right of a claimant to get a reasonable attorneys fee  a critical feature of the workers compensation law. The impact of the Castellanos decision equaled 10.1 percent of the 14.5 rate increase, while Westphal accounted for 2.2 percent.

Florida state legislators attempted to enact reforms earlier this year that would stem any future changes to Floridas workers comp market as a result of the court cases. Those reforms failed, however, and stakeholders warned of additional rate increases in the future.

But NCCI says that wont be the case, this year at least.

The [current] filing assumes that the 14.5 percent increase is adequate to cover the increased claim costs due to the court cases. No further increase is necessary, said NCCI Marketing Communications Director Dean Dimke.

Industry advocates say this filing for a rate decrease is not a reason to shirk enacting workers comp legislative reforms in 2018.

The recent rate filing made by NCCI mostly reflects frequency and experience data that pre-dates the Castellanos and Westphal decisions. Experience data relating to the impact of Castellanos and Westphal continues to mature and will likely be reflected in future rate filings, said Logan McFaddin, Southeast director for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). The Florida Supreme Court decisions create systemic instabilities that warrant legislative attention.

OIR said it will review the 2018 Florida workers compensation rate filing by NCCI to ensure the proposed changes are not excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory.

It will also evaluate its potential effects on the insurance marketplace and employers, who are required by law to carry this insurance on their employees.

A public rate hearing will be conducted in October.

Topics Trends Florida Workers' Compensation Pricing Trends
The federal flood insurance program is on a course to continue falling deeper in debt, even when there is no catastrophic storm like Katrina or Harvey.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is currently on a path that will lead to a shortfall of $1.4 billion because its method for setting premiums has underestimated how much its claims will cost by about $1.1 billion and also because legislated surcharges are about $300 million shy of whats needed to cover premium discounts given to certain properties, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report, National Flood Insurance Program Financial Soundness and Affordability.

Also, according to part of the analysis that could draw political interest along geographic lines, under the NFIPs current structure, policyholders living in inland counties are subsidizing policyholders in coastal counties, particularly in southeastern and Gulf Coast states.

The CBO report was written before Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit Texas, Louisiana and Florida. It was issued as Congress is returning to Washington to consider reauthorization of the flood program along with billions in disaster aid for victims of Hurricane Harvey.

The agency estimates that the shortfall for the NFIP program as a whole stems largely from premiums falling short of expected costs in coastal counties, rather than in inland counties.

For this report, CBO analyzed roughly 5 million policies in effect on August 31, 2016, which it said approximate the policies currently in place. CBOs estimate of expected claims accounts for low-probability, high-cost events, such as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. As a result, CBO says its estimate is probably greater than actual costs would be in a typical year, although lower than costs could be in the aftermath of a catastrophic storm.

CBO estimates that the NFIP faces $5.7 billion a year in costs while bringing in only about $4.3 billion in revenues. NFIP collects about $3.3 in premiums and about $1 billion in surcharges and fees per year.

Using commercially available computer predictive models, CBO estimates expected actual claims costs to be about $3.7 billion per year, which is $1.1 billion more than the programs administrator, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), uses in its method of analyzing historical data.

Of the total costs of $5.7 billion in CBOs analysis, $3.7 billion covers claims, $1.1 billion goes to private insurers and brokers for selling and servicing of policies, about $200 million is for salaries, about $200 million is for flood plain mapping, $200 million is for mitigation grants and $300 million is for interest payments on the $24.6 billion debt NFIP owes the Treasury.

On top of the claims cost discrepancy, CBO said the rest of the NFIPs $1.4 billion shortfall is due to a $300 million gap between discounted rates for certain policies and the money from surcharges created to help cover the costs of those discounts. The discounts are mainly for properties built before the development of flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) and are meant to prevent hardship on homeowners that might cause some to not buy coverage.

Coastal Counties

CBO examined the contributions of coastal and inland counties to the $1.4 billion difference between NFIPs total expected costs and premiums and concluded that the overall NFIP shortfall is largely caused by underpricing in coastal counties, which account for three-quarters of all NFIP policies nationwide.

The agency estimates that the shortfall for the NFIP program as a whole stems largely from premiums falling short of expected costs in coastal counties, rather than in inland counties, CBO says. Although some coastal counties generated surpluses and some inland counties contributed to the aggregate shortfall. On the whole, coastal counties generated a shortfall that was greater than the aggregate shortfall, and inland counties generated a small surplus.

CBO says the difference between coastal and inland counties is influenced by two factors: subsidies built into the NFIP and FEMAs rate-setting system, both of which favor coastal policyholders.

The result is that most policyholders whose property is at risk of wave damage from storm surges do not pay premiums that cover their expected costs. Instead, the additional expected costs from wave damage are spread broadly among the NFIPs policyholders, resulting in a cross-subsidy from inland counties (on average) to coastal counties: That is, some of the expected costs associated with coastal policies are covered by higher premiums paid by policyholders in inland counties, the study says.

The fact that premiums on policies for most homes in coastal areas do not cover the expected cost of wave damage from storm surges is important. Storm surge, the report notes, is a significant contributor to flood losses. Over the past 35 years, hurricane-related storm surges have been responsible for 37 percent of claims, followed by inland flooding primarily from rivers, lakes and ponds at 36 percent. Hurricane-related rain (16 percent), tropical storms (5 percent), and noreaster coastal storms that typically affect the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states (2 percent).

The NFIP had a shortfall in about one-fourth of all 2,984 counties that CBO analyzed; the program had a surplus in the rest of the counties. For most counties, the difference between premiums and expected costs was small. The net shortfall measured over all coastal counties was $1.5 billion, whereas the net surplus measured over all inland counties was $200 million.

CBO also found that out of 823 counties with a total of $2 billion in shortfall, 33 of them showed a shortfall of more than $10 million, or nearly 90 percent of the $2 billion total. These 33 counties, which are located mostly along the southeast coast and the Gulf of Mexico, had both large numbers of policies (41 percent of all NFIP policies) and high average shortfalls per policy ($840, compared with $220 for the 790 counties with smaller shortfalls).

The surpluses also were geographically concentrated, although not as much as the shortfalls. CBO estimates that 59 counties with surpluses of more than $2 million accounted for roughly 60 percent of the $600 million total from all 2,161 counties with surpluses. Those 59 counties, mainly located along the northeast and west coasts, contained 16 percent of all NFIP policies. Their average surplus per policy was $480 compared with $280 for the roughly 2,100 counties with smaller surpluses.

Affordability Assessment

CBO also assessed the NFIPs affordability. Comparing premiums with household income from census data, it found:

The median annual premium for residential NFIP coverage is $520.

Most of the premiumsspecifically, the central two-thirds of the distribution around the median of $520are between $420 and $1,330.

The median value of the ratios of census tracts median premium to median household income is 0.8 percent; the central two-thirds of the ratios fell in the range of 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent.

Premiums differed somewhat by type of residence. The median premium for condominiums (one-fourth of the total) was about 15 percent lower than the median premium for single-family non-condominium homes ($440 per year versus $520 per year). Those differences reflect generally lesser coverage for condominiums.

Within the subset of single-family non-condominium residences, premiums tended to be significantly lower for primary than for non-primary residences. The median annualpremium was $450 for primary single-family residences (56 percent of all residential policies); it was $740 for non-primary single-family residences (19 percent of all residential policies). Of that difference of $290, $225 can be attributed to lower fees for primary residences as the surcharge to help cover the costs of discounted rates (primarily for pre-FIRM properties) is $25 for policies that cover primary homes and $250 for policies that cover non-primary homes and non-residential properties.

Authority Expires; Harvey Aid

Insured losses, including for flooding, from Hurricane Harvey are still being tabulated. Data analytics firm CoreLogic has projected home flood insurance losses from Harvey running between $6.5 billion and $9.5 billion. Hurricane Katrina resulted in more than $15 billion in flood insurance losses in Louisiana and Mississippi.

The current authorization for the NFIP expires on Dec. 8. If Congress does not reauthorize it by that date, it will still be able to pay claims from funds on hand, but it will not be able to borrow additional funds, renew policies or issue new ones.

Congressional lawmakers are not in agreement on what to do about the NFIP. Some have said Harvey is a reason to press for program reforms now while others have called for a straight reauthorization, leaving reforms for another day.

CBO estimates that the NFIP faces $5.7 billion a year in costs while bringing in about $4.3 billion in revenues. NFIP collects about $3.3 in premiums and about $1 billion in surcharges and fees a year.

Under current law, FEMA can borrow up to $30.4 billion from the Treasury to operate NFIP. The agency owes the Treasury $24.6 billion, leaving $5.8 billion in remaining borrowing authority. The program was forced to borrow heavily to pay claims for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma and Sandy. It also borrowed $1.6 billion in January 2017.

Lawmakers also have President Trumps request for close to $8 billion in aid for Harvey victims.

Reform Approaches

The CBO report closes with a discussion of a dozen approaches that lawmakers could consider to make the program more solvent, align premiums with risks, or keep rates low. They include:

Improve solvency by increasing premium income from policyholders, reducing the use of discounted rates, or increasing the share of costs borne by certain categories of policyholders or taxpayers;

Better align premiums with risks, reducing the use of subsidies, including discounted rates and cross-subsidies, or by adjusting premiums to better reflect underlying risk factors;

Keep costs low for some policyholders by targeting subsidies to low-income policyholders, shifting costs to taxpayers, or adjusting premiums to reflect the value of insured properties.

Topics Catastrophe Legislation Claims Profit Loss Flood Hurricane
It sounds like a Hollywood disaster movie. A Category 5 hurricane churning in the mid-Atlantic suddenly veers northwest  and heads straight for New York City.

The good news is that, for now, experts agree a Cat 5-sized deluge appears to be a meteorological impossibility in the U.S. Northeast, given todays sea temperatures and weather patterns.

The bad news: A storm doesnt need to pack the wallop of a Harvey or an Irma to knock out the region. Superstorm Sandy, whose wind speed was a relatively tame 80 miles per hour when it reached New Jersey, did $70 billion of damage in October 2012. Irma made landfall in Puerto Rico at 185 mph.

But if theres anything we know about climate change, its that the boundaries of whats possible keep shifting. As yet another hurricane, Jose, grinds up the Eastern Seaboard, the black-swan scenarios offer alarming perspective. Imagine what the Great Hurricane of New York might look like:

Winds of 100 mph and 12 inches of rain at high tide push a 16-foot storm surge through the funnel-like entrance of New York Harbor. It wouldnt take Irmas killer gusts or Houstons torrential 50 inches of rain to create a wall of water swamping 500 miles of New York City coastline. The Hudson and East rivers would cascade into Manhattan, overwhelming subways, sewers and roads. Corrosive seawater would fill the aging Lincoln and Holland tunnels to New Jersey, as well as the vulnerable railway tubes beneath the Hudson.

Crazy? Climate change means meteorologists and emergency managers must now consider scenarios they never confronted before. Thats especially true given the rising sea. The water level around New York is 1.1 feet higher today than in 1900 and could increase as much as 2 feet more by 2050.

Global Warming

With global warming and sea-level rise, what were seeing is the effects of these storms amplified, Ernest Moniz, energy secretary for President Barack Obama, told Bloomberg TV.

The potential risks, however remote for now, are enormous for the New York metro area. Sandy, which hit New Jersey as a post-tropical storm, flooded almost 90,000 buildings, with 443,000 New Yorkers living in inundated areas. In one part of Staten Island, floodwaters reached 14 feet. Bridges reopened quickly, but close to 2 million people lost power, and cell service for more than 1 million people was reduced or lost. Rebuilding is still going on five years later.

One of the legacies of Sandy was a change in the number of evacuation zones, which the city doubled to six. Roughly 3 million New Yorkers now live in one of those zones.

Megan Pribram, assistant commissioner for planning and preparedness at the citys Office of Emergency Management, said for a storm on the scale of Harvey, the city would evacuate some low-lying coastal areas.

Unprecedented Rain

Harvey-sized rains would be unprecedented in the U.S. Northeast, according to Allan Frei, chairman of the geography department at Hunter College in Manhattan. The most serious flooding in the region was Hurricane Irene in 2011, when 15 or so inches of rain left parts of Vermont underwater.

A Category 3 hurricane  with winds up to 129 mph  hit the New York area in 1938, when The Long Island Express caused 18-foot surges. Another Cat 3, Hurricane Hazel, produced wind gusts of 113 mph in Battery Park in 1954, according to Nassau Countys Office of Emergency Management.

Still, Frei said climate change increases the odds that severe rainstorms like the one in Houston could strike New York City. And if New York ever got that much rain, it would be absolutely devastating.

If a storm causes a big storm surge at the same time as its raining, and if it hits during high tide, that would be  I cant even imagine, Frei said. The sewer system would probably be blocked with debris, diminishing its capacity to drain the city, he said.

New York City is updating preparedness plans to incorporate the lessons of Harvey, said Daniel Zarrilli, senior director of climate policy and chief resilience officer for Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Part of that includes the tens of billions of dollars spent since Sandy.

Billions Spent

Hospitals and public-housing complexes have been refitted to offer more flood protection at a U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency expense of more than $10 billion. Utility Consolidated Edison Inc. has spent $1 billion for upgrades to its underground steam, electric and gas infrastructure. A $340 million boardwalk in the Rockaways has been redesigned as a sea wall protecting beaches and homes. The city has planted trees and other vegetation in flood-prone neighborhoods to soak up runoff and ease the burden on the citys sewer system.

The NY-NJ Metropolitan Storm Surge Working Group is pushing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to approve a $30 billion system of retractable sea barriers at the mouth of New York Harbor and in the Throgs Neck narrows north of the East River. Similar engineering projects now protect cities including New Orleans; Rotterdam, Holland, and St. Petersburg, Russia.

The system could protect about 800 miles of coast from Elizabeth, New Jersey, to the Bronx, and as much as $1 trillion in assets, said Robert Yaro, former executive director of the Regional Plan Association, a policy-research group.

We in New York are far behind, and among the cities on Earth we have the most to lose, Yaro said.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters USA Flood New York Hurricane Climate Change New Jersey
A Qatari insurance company is closing its branch in Abu Dhabi because authorities there have not renewed its license, a sign of how the regions diplomatic crisis is starting to have long-term effects on its economy.

Qatars stock index also hit a five-year low on Monday because of concerns over the impact of the diplomatic dispute on some of its companies.

Qatar Insurance Co. said on Monday its Abu Dhabi branch, open since 2002, would shut because it could not renew its license. In response, the firms share price dropped 2.3 percent; the branch earned gross premiums of about $30 million annually.

In the initial weeks after the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and transport ties with Doha on June 5, accusing it of backing terrorism, many long-term investors sat tight, hoping the dispute would be resolved soon and allow normal business to resume.

Gulf investors withdrew deposits from Qatari banks and pulled funds out of Dohas stock market, but with the exception of Qatar Airways, Qatari companies continued to operate in the four Arab states.

Now, however, there are indications that the damage to business ties may last for many years, as Qatari firms begin to close operations and sell assets  steps that will be hard to reverse even if the diplomatic crisis ends.

The pull-back by Qatar Insurance is another sign that the fraying of political ties between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors is also damaging economic ties, said Jason Tuvey, Middle East economist at Capital Economics in London.

The move suggests there is little confidence that relations will improve any time soon, and we could see more Qatari corporates downsize or withdraw their operations in the rest of the region.

COSTS RISING

Because of Qatars vast wealth  it is the worlds largest natural gas exporter  it is able to cope with the isolation. But it will have to pay higher costs, many of them borne by the government, to do business with the rest of the world, said another analyst monitoring the region.

Doha Bank, Qatars fifth-biggest lender, has cut around 10 jobs in the UAE and plans to put some staff in the region on unpaid leave, sources told Reuters last week. Its UAE operation has been in talks to try to sell some of its assets.

Last month, major shipping and logistics group Qatar Navigation said it was shifting its regional hub from Dubai to the Omani port of Sohar because direct shipments between Jebel Ali and Doha were no longer possible.

Companies in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have not so far announced formal exits from Qatar, but Qatari trade statistics suggest their exports to Doha have plunged since the crisis began.

They may also be starting to sell assets in Qatar. A company owned by a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family is seeking to sell Dolphin Tower in Doha, the Qatari headquarters of natural gas supplier Dolphin Energy, sources told Reuters.

Previously, many multinational companies in the region used Dubai as a base to do business with Qatar. But because of disruption to shipping and banking links, some are now handling Qatari business out of other centers such as London  a more expensive and time-consuming alternative.

An international banker in the Gulf, who declined to be named because of political sensitivities, said the rift between Qatar and its neighbors appeared to be widening as the dispute dragged on.

If the crisis worsens, other countries could formally sever financial ties with Qatar, which would deepen Dohas isolation, he said.

At the moment there are no credit or capital controls, but that is the next one to watch out for.

(Writing by Andrew Torchia; Editing by Keith Weir)
Ed, the global reinsurance, wholesale and specialty broker, has announced the appointment of Minesh Jani as chief executive of Middle East North America (MENA), India and Indian sub-continent.

Jani brings two decades of reinsurance experience to Ed. He joins from Aashvaasanam Analytics Limited in Mumbai, a business which he founded to support the launch of an international reinsurance business. Prior to this Minesh led the treaty reinsurance business in India for the Willis Group with its local partners AlmondzBrokers. He has also served as manager of the reinsurance division of ICICI Lombard General Insurance.

Topics Reinsurance India
A U.S. Census Bureau report has found that Indiana had 373,000 fewer people without health insurance last year than three years earlier.

The report released last week said about 8 percent of Indiana residents, or about 530,000 people, lacked medical insurance in 2016. Thats down from 14 percent, or 903,000 residents, in 2013.

Those figures are similar to the national uninsured rates of 14.5 percent in 2013 and 8.6 percent in 2016.

The decreases follow the 2013 implementation of former President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act, which requires most Americans to have medical insurance, and the expansion of Medicaid coverage for low-income people in many states, including the Healthy Indiana Program.

Census Bureau official Jennifer Cheeseman Day said data analysts couldnt determine how much of the improvement was linked to the Affordable Care Act and how much was the result of economic trends.

Certainly weve seen improvements in the uninsured rate since after 2013, when many of the effects of the Affordable Care Act went into effect, she said.

Dr. Jonathan Walker, assistant clinical professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Fort Wayne, attributed the declines in uninsured Americans to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion.

It is difficult to understand why there are still some states that are refusing to help their uninsured by expanding Medicaid, Walker told the (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette . This refusal has resulted in millions of Americans struggling without access to care, and it is so counterintuitive that it seems to be an act of spite rather than considered policy.

Massachusetts had an uninsured rate of 2.5 percent last year, the lowest in the nation. Massachusetts enacted state insurance mandates in 2006.

Texas had the highest rate, at 16.6 percent. Texas is one of 20 states that havent expanded Medicaid.

The Census Bureau report found that employer-based insurance covered 55.7 percent of the U.S. population in 2016. Medicaid covered 19.4 percent, Medicare 16.7 percent, direct-purchase 16.2 percent and military coverage 4.6 percent.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Indiana
Iowas governor and the organization that sets workers compensation rates are disputing whether a new law influenced a recent rate reduction in premiums for employers.

The National Council on Compensation Insurance announced an 8.7 average premium reduction for Iowa employers that will begin January 2018, The Des Moines Register reported .

Rep. Gov. Kim Reynolds said the decrease was a direct result of reforms that took effect in July, but council officials said the legislation played no part in the lower rates.

The governor released a statement last month saying that over the last decade, Iowas states workers compensation system has mutated into one that benefits trial lawyers at the expense of businesses and workers. Reynolds said recent reforms rebalanced the scale to ensure employees are compensated fairly for being injured on the job while ensuring abuses are curtailed.

The Legislative Services Agency said the legislation cuts benefits for injured workers, makes it more difficult for injured workers to claim lump sum payments and limits attorney legal fees.

But officials with the National Council on Compensation Insurance, which sets the rates in Iowa and other states in the US, said the reduction was based on data from premium years 2014 and 2015, along with a decrease in claims.

Questions regarding the governors statement were directed to the Iowa Insurance Division, which had reviewed the governors press release before it was issued.

Chance McElhaney, communications director and legislative liaison for the Iowa Insurance Division, said the governors press release incorrectly claimed the source of the reductions. However, McElhaney said state officials believe the legislation will create a positive environment that will continue to drive down rates in the future.

The impact of the law will be seen when workers who were injured in July after the law took effect begin to seek compensation, said Andrew Mertens, spokesman for the Iowa Association of Justice, which includes many attorneys who represent injured workers in compensation claims.

This rate reduction is wrongly being used to justify the devastating workers compensation legislation last year, Mertens said. The governors office claimed that this was a direct result of the legislation that passed when the report clearly states the opposite.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Workers' Compensation Iowa
The man tasked with overseeing Texas Hurricane Harvey rebuilding efforts sees his job as future-proofing before the next disaster, but he isnt empowered on his own to reshape flood-prone Houston or the states vulnerable coastline, which has been walloped by three major hurricanes since 2006.

Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp will face the same political and bureaucratic challenges that have long stalled meaningful improvements in storm protections, and some doubt that even Harveys record flooding and huge price tag will bring about real change.

It doesnt give me very much confidence at all, Houston resident Steve Sacks said of the prospects that the government will get the recovery right. Sackss home has flooded four times since 2012, and even before Harveys floodwaters near the rooftops in his Meyerland neighborhood, he was frustrated by delays and what he believes is the mismanagement of a government project to elevate homes in the city.

Its all spur of the moment and not thought out. Its just, Lets go ahead and react now to make it look good, said the 46-year-old Sacks.

Sharp, who was appointed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, follows a line of fix-it men charged with picking up the pieces following major storms in recent years, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012. He has won early bipartisan praise as a practical choice to preside over the efforts to recover from Harvey, which killed more than 70 people and damaged or destroyed more than 200,000 homes.

Sharp is the rare Democrat with sustained relevance in Republican-controlled Texas. He is former lawmaker and state comptroller who was U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perrys college roommate at Texas A&M, which Sharp has led since 2011 and will continue to lead while overseeing the rebuilding effort. Abbott joked that hes now getting calls, texts and emails from Sharp up to and sometimes well after midnight.

Sharp hasnt laid out a long-term rebuilding plan yet and most of his public comments so far have been aimed at reassuring hard-hit communities that he wont be a bureaucratic cog. But he has indicated that hes thinking about the next disaster, saying one of the guiding principles will be to future-proof what is being rebuilt so as to mitigate future risks as much as possible.

Abbott spokesman John Wittman said Sharp will be involved in developing a rebuilding plan to minimize the impact of future natural disasters and will advocate for funding.

But Sharp is constrained in how far he can go in reimagining a more resilient Texas coast. His mandate only pertains to public infrastructure, and not housing, which experts say is crucial to any comprehensive mitigation plan, including buying out particularly flood-prone neighborhoods.

Sharps mandate also doesnt mention zoning changes  Houston is the largest U.S. city with no zoning laws  or how much money the state will put up to deliver on his eventual recommendations. Abbott, who has estimated that the recovery could cost more than $150 billion, has suggested the state will dip into its $10 billion rainy day fund, but not by how much.

When youre dealing with a limited amount of funds, there are always trade-offs that have to be made, said Marc Williams, deputy executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. His agency will work closely with Sharps commission, which could recommend elevating certain roads that flooded during Harvey.

All rebuilding czars are eventually tested by political and financial realities. Donald Powell, who left his role as chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to be the federal coordinator of Gulf Coast recovery efforts after Katrina, expressed frustration over not being able to speed up the rebuilding.

Marc Ferzan, who was appointed by Gov. Chris Christie to oversee New Jerseys recovery after Sandy, said his biggest struggle was jumping from agency to agency to get funding.

Whether its Katrina or Sandy or any major event youre going to hear the same story. Its just the way disaster aid is administered. Its a slow, cumbersome process that is too bureaucratic to respond to the urgency of the situation, he said.

After Hurricane Andrew caused $26 billion in damage to the Miami area in 1992, Florida installed the most stringent building codes in the country. Since 2001, structures throughout the state must be built to withstand winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph), and new codes also require shatterproof windows, fortified roofs and reinforced concrete pillars, among other things.

Sam Brody, an environmental planning expert and director of the Center for Texas Beaches and Shores at Texas A&M University, said drainage is among the low-hanging fruit that could be addressed immediately to begin future-proofing the coast for the next major storm. But he said the funds and the political determination must be solved.

In terms of will, there hasnt been the will in the past. Maybe this is a wake-up call, and maybe with his leadership and personality, he can change the way we can think and act, Brody said of Sharp.

This week, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner endorsed long-stalled plans for a sweeping reservoir project that might have spared parts of the city from Harveys flooding. He also has joined some top Texas Republicans in urging Congress to approve billions to build a coastal seawall that could protect Houston and other areas from deadly storm surges that Harvey didnt unleash but that future storms could.

Turner said Houston cannot talk about rebuilding if we do not build the coastal spine.

How active the federal government will be in making the Texas coast more resilient is unclear. Following Sandy, the Obama administration commissioned a design competition that ultimately resulted in nearly $1 billion in federal funding to kickstart projects that include turning the low-lying Meadowlands into a flood-protected public park and installing bulkheads and seawalls along the Hudson River.

The project, known as Rebuild by Design, was just a one-time initiative. And even when things go right, such enormous undertakings are slow to materialize: the first projects arent scheduled to break ground until 2019, seven years after Sandy.

You are receptive when you feel like something ripped the heart out of your city, said Amy Chester, managing director of Rebuild by Design. Everyone is going to need to say, Weve had enough.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Trends Texas Flood Hurricane
Chicago-based insurance brokerage Hub International Limited (Hub), has acquired the assets of Benefit Advisory Group LLC (Benefits Advisory Group), with offices in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Benefit Advisory Group specializes in employee benefits, including group and individual plans as well as voluntary benefits.

Jay McGuire and Jeff Joffrion, managers of Benefit Advisory Group, will join HUB Gulf South and report to Steve Terry, president of HUB Gulf South.

Source: Hub International

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Louisiana
Federal authorities say a West Virginia man has been sentenced to almost three years in prison for a staged vehicle crash, faked injuries and false insurance claim for a $41,000 settlement.

According to prosecutors, 34-year-old Michael Sine, of Fairmont, also was ordered to repay more than $74,000 after pleading guilty to mail fraud for the 2013 Marion County crime.

In a related case, 26-year-old Bryce Martin, of Fairmont, was sentenced to six months from a staged crash, faked injuries and false insurance claim in 2012 in Harrison County. He was ordered to repay $152,000.

Also, 35-year-old Eric Warner, of Clarksburg, was sentenced to 18 months and ordered to repay $152,000 from that crash.

And 38-year-old Chasity Costilow, of Clarksburg, was sentenced to 21 months and ordered to repay $65,000 from a staged 2012 crash in Marion County.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Its David vs. Goliath.

That about sums up California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones feelings on his efforts to keep the remnants of Obamacare up and running in his state while President Trump does his best to repeal and replace it.

I feel like a kid with a finger in the dyke as the presidents taking a big wrecking ball to the dyke, Jones told an audience of insurance professionals and students at an insurance forum on Monday.

He said Trump is trying to sabotage healthcare by attacking individual mandates, the open enrollment period and the exchanges themselves.

The forum was hosted by the Center for Insurance Studies, which is part of the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics at Cal State University Fullerton. The center regularly hosts speakers to bring together the insurance community. Last year actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Hartwig, former economist and president of the Insurance Information Institute, headlined the forum.

Jones was joined by representatives from the Orange County District Attorneys office to speak about fraud, and an executive panel discussion on insurtech that included Jamie Hale, CEO and co-founder of Ladder Life Insurance, David Loughran, co-founder and chief economist of Praedicat Inc., and Dr. Tadashi Funahashi, chief innovation and transformation officer and assistant regional medical director for Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

Jones, who is running for the state office of Attorney General in the 2018 election, hit on just about every subject the California Department of Insurance deals with that he could address in a nearly hour-long speech.

He talked about his support for the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers and the departments efforts to make getting insurance agent licenses easier in California, dealing with ridesharing and the growth in the number of carriers writing rideshare insurance, cybercrime, fraud, wildfires, marijuana insurance, insurtech and autonomous vehicles.

He addressed concerns that autonomous vehicles will bring about the end of Californias auto insurance consumer protection law, Proposition 103, as cars do more of the driving and insured drivers do less, potentially rendering the law obsolete. Some consumer advocates worry that the insurance and auto industries will use autonomous vehicles as a reason to do away with Prop. 103.

Were confident that Prop. 103 has sufficient protections, Jones said.

However, he acknowledged that there will likely be a time when the at-fault aspect of the law that governs rates will have to be examined.

At some point in the future  then we will have to take a look at these regulations, he said.

Jones, a staunch advocate of combating climate change who has pushed efforts to get insurers to disclose their coal investments, said global warming has increased wildfire risk in places like California and that hes concerned that carriers will stop writing in wildfire prone areas.

He said the department has already begun seeing carriers curtail writing insurance in some of the states riskier foothill areas.

Were seeing some pullback by insurers in some parts of the state, Jones said.

He said the pullback hasnt yet impacted the FAIR Plan Association, the insurer of last resort for residents unable to find coverage through other insurers. The FAIR Plan provides basic coverage for fire up to $1.5 million for a structure and its contents.

But, he said hes worried that when insurance for homeowners becomes increasingly harder to find, political pressure will mount and force the Legislature and the states insurance community to square off.

Its something that were monitoring, he said.

Jones was high on a new law that enables Californians to light up cannabis for recreational purposes, which he believes presents an opportunity for the industry.

He encouraged insurance professionals to consider getting into marijuana insurance because there isnt enough insurance or insurance pros to go around who specialize in this.

He estimated there are roughly 25 surplus lines insurers working on supplying coverage to various parts of the cannabis supply chain.

Increasingly, this is a very, very well financed and capitalized industry, Jones said.

He said that any insurance carriers listening should file products catering to the marijuana industry and he indicated they wouldnt have much trouble getting rates approved because theres currently not enough history for the department to debate rates.

Were going to pretty much accept what you file with us, Jones said.

He added: As your regulator, I would encourage you to get in. Its a growing industry.

Topics Carriers California Wildfire Cannabis
Le coppie LAT (living apart together), fenomeno attualmente in aumento in tutta Europa e negli Usa, sono quelle in cui la relazione sentimentale si vive a distanza, per ridurre al minimo le situazioni impegnative e conflittuali. I due si amano ma decidono di vivere per conto proprio in case separate (per esigenze di lavoro, altre volte deliberatamente, oppure per emulare le tendenze dei vip statunitensi reali o immortalati nei film). In tale contesto sociale si e introdotto, improvviso e rapido, il Coronavirus, producendo delle dinamiche inimmaginabili. Sara stato effetto, infatti, della troppa vicinanza o, per paradosso, della troppa lontananza, limpennata delle richieste di separazione (circa il 30% in piu rispetto ai periodi ordinari) che si e registrata durante e subito dopo il lockdown?

Lamore a distanza

Occorre analizzare, innanzitutto, in cosa consiste lamore a distanza. In contrasto con quelli che sono i principi del matrimonio, della vita in comune, dellassunzione delle responsabilita, si mira allottimizzazione di tutto con un amore part-time dal quale pretendere solo aspetti positivi, nei momenti di cui si ha tempo o desiderio. La liberta viene confusa con legoismo, a detrimento di quella che era considerata la famiglia tradizionale.

I confini dellamore

I confini dellamore, indotti da una societa in continua trasformazione, sono infiniti, tanto che le nuove relazioni non residenziali (altra definizione delle coppie LAT) sono in aumento poiche soddisfano le esigenze individuali di mantenere i propri spazi, senza compromettersi ulteriormente e beneficiare della persona che si ama (?) solo quando si ha voglia. Questo amore part- time si concilia con i ritmi frenetici del mondo moderno e laffetto diviene uno dei vari passatempi o impegni settimanali, come la palestra, il ballo, la pizza con gli amici.

Sul matrimonio e sullamore

Pietro Sorci, frate francescano e professore, nel volume La celebrazione del matrimonio cristiano: il nuovo rito nel contesto delle attuali problematiche culturali e sociali (pubblicato da Il pozzo di Giacobbe nel gennaio 2007), afferma Si dice che ci si sposa in tre, alludendo a quellessere Chiesa sancito dalla presenza del Cristo tra i suoi, che Tertulliano applica alla coppia, secondo la promessa: dove due o tre sono uniti nel mio nome, la sono io in mezzo a loro (MT 18,20) [] Senza quel terzo, e difficile sfuggire al rischio di una fusione indistinta, di un appoggio tra due identita mezze mele, incapaci di sostenersi e risorgere dalle mille morti dellamore.

In Amoris Laetitia, Papa Francesco al punto 73 scrive Il sacramento non e una cosa o una forza, perche in realta Cristo stesso viene incontro ai coniugi cristiani attraverso il sacramento del matrimonio. Egli rimane con loro, da loro la forza di seguirlo prendendo su di se la propria croce, di rialzarsi dopo le loro cadute, di perdonarsi vicendevolmente, di portare gli uni i pesi degli altri. Il matrimonio cristiano e un segno che non solo indica quanto Cristo ha amato la sua Chiesa nellAlleanza sigillata sulla Croce, ma rende presente tale amore nella comunione degli sposi. Unendosi in una sola carne rappresentano lo sposalizio del Figlio di Dio con la natura umana.

La societa moderna e la famiglia

La societa moderna ha scardinato lo schema classico del matrimonio e della famiglia e ha fatto emergere nuove conflittualita comportamentali e caratteriali, con ruoli modificati e minor propensione al sacrificio e alle responsabilita (coniugali e genitoriali), incrementando le separazioni e i divorzi. Anche le coppie conviventi soffrono di questa grave crisi e vivono a tempo. Tutto cio illude che la soluzione sia il metodo LAT. Il legame affettivo, di vicinanza e di completamento (fisico e mentale) che inizia nel rapporto con i genitori, si sviluppa, poi, verso altre figure. Il bisogno di sostegno sentimentale e alla base di una relazione nella quale, proprio la vicinanza fisica, e il motore per una crescita psicofisica equilibrata e complementare, in cui le due parti si completano e si arricchiscono in uno scambio simmetrico, senza pericolosi squilibri. La paura di cadere (o ricadere) in una situazione asimmetrica, spinge, paradossalmente, le coppie piu a mantenere in vita una relazione a distanza anziche avere il coraggio di interrompere un legame di per se non ottimale o insano. Il ragionamento, piuttosto calcolato e: meglio prendersi solo gli aspetti positivi dellaltro, per un tempo prestabilito, con la consapevolezza che, aggiungere quelli negativi, sia mortifero per la relazione.

Lamore ai tempi del Covid

La pandemia (e il boom di separazioni che ha arrecato) ha sicuramente acuito queste diffidenze e ha indotto a essere piu prudenti. Alle coppie LAT, durante la quarantena, e mancata (quando non se potuta realizzare per i divieti) la periodicita occasionale e saltuaria dei loro incontri, come per la pizzeria e la palestra. Ristabilire le libere uscite e la cadenza di prima e stato lelemento agognato e realizzato, perche trionfasse lamore. Lamore a distanza, quello che continuera a far innamorare a tempo e a peso, un tanto al chilo.
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 Fashion News - Investor Idea

New Fashion Designer Launches this Holiday Season in Kelowna and Online; Sweet Dees Creations  Fun, Flirty and Affordable

Kelowna B.C. - November 14, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) A local fashion designer is launching a new women's line at Kelowna markets and online this Holiday Season that will make heads turn with her whimsical and colourful choices

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.

Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas:

Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by

Investorideas.com Newswire:

Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire
Apple will be releasing iOS 11 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in just a few hours from now. It brings hundreds of exciting new features and improvements.

If youre curious about all the new iOS 11 features and changes and how exactly they work, just keep reading.

The Comphrehensive List of All the New and Hidden iOS 11 Features

1. Redesigned Lock Screen

While it might not look like it, the Lock screen has been redesigned in iOS 11. If you dont have Touch ID or a passcode set up, youll be able to swipe up to unlock your device. Both Lock screen and Notification Center have been merged and behave in the same way.

So instead of swiping down from the top of the screen, you swipe up from the middle of the Lock screen to reveal all notifications.

2. Redesigned Notification Center

When youre in an app and you swipe down, youll see a new, redesigned Notification Center that will show the current notifications and the Now Playing card. To view all notifications, you need to swipe up.

3. New Lock screen Now Playing

When youre playing something, it now shows up as a card in the Lock screen instead of taking over the entire screen.

4. Redesigned Control Center

One of our biggest wishes has come true. Apple has finally redesigned Control Center. Now, its back to being just one page. Design wise, each tile has a dark background. There are some tiles that can be expanded to reveal more functionality. Like the toggles tile and the Now Playing tile.

When you 3D Touch the Now Playing tile, youll get access to audio outputs. The toggles tiles shows more toggles when expanded, including Cellular Data and Personal Hotspot.

5. Customizable Control Center

And it gets better. Control Center is customizable. Go to Settings -> Control Center and youll be able to add and remove several actions like Notes shortcut, Alarms, Magnifier and so on.

6. iPad: All-New Dock

Theres a new, Mac style floating Dock on the iPad. You can now add more than 6 icons here. And your recent apps and Continuity apps show up in the far right edge.

7. iPad: New Slide Over

Instead of swiping in from the right edge to bring up Side Over, you now swipe up when youre in an app to bring up the Dock. Tap on an app in the dock and bring it up to expand it as a floating bubble. You can dock it to the left/right edge. Or swipe it away.

8. iPad: New Multitasking System

To actually dock an app to the right/left side of the running up, bring up the Dock, and drag an app icon to the far edge of the screen till you see the dark edge.

Then drop the app. Use the handle bar to adjust the width.

9. iPad: New App Switcher

Swipe all the way up from the bottom of the screen, double click the Home button or swipe up using four fingers to reveal the new App Switcher. This now integrates apps, spaces, Dock and even Control Center. Tap and hold on apps or spaces to get the option to close them.

10. iPad: Drag and Drop

When two apps are open side by side, youll be able to drag text, links, images and files between the two apps.

11. Swipe Up to Quit Apps on iPad

You can now swipe up on app previews in the App Switcher to quit apps.

12. Screen Recording

One of the customizable toggles in Control Center is for Screen Recording. Tap on it and youll be able to start recording the screen. Tap on the blue bar on top to bring up the popup to stop recording. The video file is saved in Photos app.

13. Markup Screenshots

When you take a screenshot on iPhone or iPad, youll see a preview for it in the bottom-left corner. Tap on it and youll be able to mark it with a doodle, annotation, text, signature and more. When done, you can save it to Photos or share it to any app using the Share sheet.

14. Quickly Share Screenshots

After taking a screenshot, tap on the preview in the bottom-left corner and then tap on the Share button to quickly send it to a device using AirDrop or to an app like WhatsApp.

15. Do Not Disturb While Driving

Do Not Disturb While Driving is a new feature that automatically engages when youre in a car. Its built on top of Do Not Disturb so it automatically disables notifications from everyone except your Favorite contacts. When someone tries to contact you via iMessage, theyll get a canned reply that youre currently driving.

16. New Files App Replaces iCloud Drive

Files replaces the iCloud Drive as the preinstalled app when you update to iOS 11 on iPhone and iPad. Files app gives you access to files on your device, along with services like iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Box and more.

The app lets you create folders to manage your file structure. Theres tagging support as well.

New iOS 11 Features for Maps App

17. Indoor Mapping in Maps App

Maps app brings indoor mapping for hundreds of Malls across the world. Theyll also be adding Airports in future.

18. AR Mode in Apple Maps App

Apple Maps Flyover feature now works on the ARKit technology. When youre in it, you can move your device to basically fly around a city. Its really cool.

19. Lane Guidance in Maps App

When youre navigating in Maps, youll now also get lane guidance for making the turns.

20. One-Handed Zoom in Maps app

Just like Google Maps, you can now tap and hold with one finger in Apple Maps and swipe up and down to zoom in and out.

New Apple Pay iOS 11 Features

21. Person to Person Apple Pay

Apple will now let users pay each other using Apple Pay. It works using the iMessage app thats integrated in iMessage threads. Youll be able to enter the amount, pay from your connected card and authenticate using Touch ID.

22. Apple Pay Cash

When you recieve money using Apple Pay, it will go to your Apple Pay cash. You can use this wallet balance to pay for apps, to other users or to transfer to your bank.

Note: Person to Person Apple Pay and Apple Pay Cash wont be available in iOS 11, Apple has announced that it will be available in later this fall so most likely in iOS 11.1.

23. Makeshift Dark Mode Using Smart Invert Colors Feature

Theres a new setting in Accessibility -> Display Accommodations -> Invert Colors called Smart Invert. It inverts the colors for just the UI elements and text and not images and rich media. So what you end up with is a version of a dark mode, especially in apps like Settings (but it doesnt work so well across the OS).

24. Emergency SOS Feature

iOS 11 brings a new Emergency SOS feature for every iPhone on the planet. Previously this feature was only available on the Apple Watch and for citizens in India. This new feature makes sure that you can quickly reach the emergency services in the time of need. This feature is enabled by default. To call for Emergency Services, tap on the Sleep/Wake button 5 times.

This will bring up a new screen that will show Power Off, Medical ID and Emergency SOS sliders. Swipe on the Emergency SOS slider. This will place a call to the Emergency Services number for the country youre in. You can choose the cancel this call as well.

25. ARKit

One of the most exciting features in iOS 11 is the ARKit framework. With ARKit, Apple is giving developers the basic framework that they can build on top of so they dont have to do the heavy lifting. In some ways, this is similar to when the App Store was launched. Were about to see a whole new category of apps emerge. For App Store, it was about touchscreen apps, for ARKit, its about augmented reality.

ARKit is not available for all iOS 11 compatible devices. You can check our post for the list of iPhones and iPads compatible with ARKit.

New Siri iOS 11 Features

26. Siri Intelligence Throughout iOS 11

It looks like Siri is going to be everywhere on iOS 11, paying attention to things you do in apps like Safari and suggesting other actions. For example, it can prompt you to create a calendar event for a concert you just booked in Safari.

Siri now has on-device learning capability for the stock Apple apps. So if you search for something in Safari, Siri will remember it and will populate it as a suggestion in the News app. If you book tickets in Safari, youll see a banner notification asking if you want to add that to your Calendar. Thats all Siri smarts running in the background. If you search for a location with a unique name, it will be saved in Siri Intelligence so the next time you try to type it, Siri will offer auto correct suggestion via the QuickType keyboard.

27. Same Siri For All Devices

Apple will now sync your personal data and customizations between all your devices (in a private and encrypted manner) so that the Siri experience across all devices is similar.

28. Ability To Type To Siri

If you go to General -> Accessibility -> Siri and turn on Type to Siri, youll now get a type only UI in Siri. Unlike Google Assistant, theres no option to have both voice and typing feature side-by-side, which is a shame.

29. Translation Feature in Siri

Siri gets translation support for English to Chinese, French, German, and Italian, and Spanish in iOS 11.

30. Siris Voice Is More Natural

Apple has made improvements in Siris speech engine to make it sound more natural and less robotic.

31. New Male Siri Voice

Theres a new male Siri voice as well, just as natural sounding.

32. New Siri Visual UI

Siris UI has also been slightly tweaked. Theres more space everywhere, and the replies are in bold and Siri now presents multiple results instead of just one.

Plus, the text is now left-aligned. Theres also an always animating Siri orb in the bottom and a much clearer, Tap to Edit button that lets you change your command.

33. Lists and QR Code Support in SiriKit

Siri can now support two more kinds of apps  lists and QR Codes. Youll be able to ask Siri to display your QR code from an app so that your friend can scan it. And youll be able to add things to a to-do list app like Todoist right from Siri.

New iOS 11 App Store Features

34. App Store Redesign

App Store sees its first redesign since it launched 9 years back. The apps redesign looks like the Music app, with big cards and horizontal swiping lists.

35. Today Tab in App Store

Along with a new tab for Apps and Games, theres an entirely new Today tab. This will be a great way for users to discover new apps, videos, in-app purchases, features and more everyday.

36. Apple Music Friends Network

Apple Music now lets you have your own public profile that people can follow. When youre in the For You tab, youll see icons for people who have listened to or liked the songs and albums. So you have an idea what your friends are listening to.

New iOS 11 Photos App Features

37. Photos App Redesign

Photos app also sees a minor redesign like the Messages and Notes apps.

38. Memories UI and Technology Overhaul

The Memories tab has been overhauled in UI and the technology. Memories engine is now much smarter and will automatically create videos for your pets, your kids and more. They also have a new style when it comes to text.

39. Portrait Memories Videos

Memories videos are generated intelligently and just like Snapchats Spectacles, theyll automatically adjust themselves when you switch from landscape to portrait mode.

40. Live Photos Effects: Loop, Bounce, Long Exposure

To add an effect to a Live Photo, just swipe up and select one from the Effects left. There are three cool effects. Loop lets you loop the effect like a GIF. Bounce adds a reverse effect that looks like a Boomerang. Long Exposure does a really cool thing that adds long exposure effect to the moving parts of the photo, while the background stays still.

41. Live Photo Editing: Trim, Mute, Key Photo

When viewing a Live Photo, tap the Edit button. Youll now see all frames in the Live Photo in bottom. Select a frame and tap on Make Key Photo to make it the main image. To mute the Live Photo, tap on the speaker in the top-left. To trim a Live Photo, grab the handles at either side of the frames and pull them in.

42. GIF Support in Photos App

You can now save and playback GIFs in the Photos app.

43. Create Watch Face from Photos App

When youre viewing a photo, tap on the Share button and select Create Watch Face to make a watch face from the current photo.

44. One Handed Keyboard

iPhone 6 and above users can tap and hold the Globe key to dock the keyboard either to the left/right side of the screen, making it easier to type with one hand.

New iOS 11 Settings

45. Offload Unused Apps

A new feature in iPhone Storage section automatically deletes old and unused apps when youre low on storage. All of the apps data and documents are saved.

46. New Background Refresh Options

You can now select the Background App Refresh to only happen when connecting to Wi-Fi and not to Cellular data.

47. Auto Answer Calls

This is an accessibility option. Basically, you can tell iOS to automatically answer any call after a set seconds.

48. Disable Aut0 Join Feature by Networks

In Wi-Fi settings, you can now toggle auto-join feature based on each network.

49. Disable Recent Apps in Dock

From Settings -> Control Center you can now stop recent apps from showing up in the Dock on the iPad.

50. Settings for Do Not Disturb while Driving

There are now dedicated settings items for Do Not Disturb while Driving mode. You can decide the auto reply message, and who to allow calls from.

51. Alerts look like Banners

Persistent alerts now look like banners and show up from the top of the screen instead of the middle.

52. Redesigned Storage Management Section

Storage and Cloud Usage section in Settings is now renamed to iPhone Storage. It has a new UI that shows a graph of storage space by apps, photos, media and other.

53. Unified Siri and Search Section

Theres a new Siri & Search section in Settings tab that unifies both Siri and Search sections.

54. New Accounts and Passwords Section

Theres a new section called Accounts & Passwords that lists all your Mail and Contacts accounts, along with all the passwords saved on the device.

55. AirPods Settings

iOS 11 now lets you customize actions for individual AirPod. So you can double tab left one for Siri and right one for Play/Pause. There are also new actions for Next and Previous tracks.

New Shut Down option

Shut Down option in Settings > General

New iOS 11 Messages App Features

56. iMessages in iCloud (with Manual Sync)

iMessages can now live in iCloud and can be the same between all devices. Theres a toggle for it in the Settings and also an option to manually force the sync.

57. New iMessage Effects

There are two new iMessage Effects  Echo and Spotlight.

58. iCloud Message Sync Counter

The new feature that allows you to sync messages using iCloud now shows a counter to tell you just how many messages are being backed up.

59. Redesigned iMessage Apps Drawer

Apple is trying to fix the iMessage apps discovery and usability problems by integrating a small, horizontal scrolling apps bar right in the bottom of the conversation view. Tap on an app icon to directly jump into the iMessage app. Tap and hold on the bar for a larger view of the apps, along with their names.

60. Redesigned Messages App

Like many other default apps, Messages app sees a redesign that puts a big bold Messages tag at the top of the messages view. Theres update in typography as well, with titles being a lot bolder across the app.

New iOS 11 Safari Features

61. Auto Reader View

Reader View is Safaris minimal reading mode. Just like Pocket, it removes formatting, styling and other assets. Leaving you with just the text and images. The new Auto Reader View feature lets you open all compatible articles automatically in Reader View. No need to tap the Reader View button.

62. Prevent Camera and Microphone Access

Theres a new toggle in Settings called PCamera and Microphone Access. Its directly dependent on the Web-RTC feature. If you never want any website to access these feature, turn this off from Settings -> Safari.

63. Flight Tracking and Definitions in Search Bar

Safaris search bar is picking up some smarts from Spotlight. Now, when you type in any flight code, it will show you contextual information right there.

Also, try typing define (word). Youll see the definition in the drop-down menu. For some common words, you dont even need to type the word define first.

64. Conversions in Search Bar

65. UI Changes in Safari

You can also do some basic math and unit conversion in the search bar now. Type in something like 100 feet in inches or 543 into 8 and youll get your answer right there.

In Safari, the URL bar is now more spaced out and tabs are more rounded out. Reading List UI also gets the huge headers.

66. Faster Scrolling in Safari

Scrolling in Safari now works the same way it does in the rest of the OS. The inertial scrolling is gone.

67. Create PDF from Pages (and Markup)

In Safari, in the Share sheet, theres an option to covert the entire page into a PDF (on both iPhone and iPad). Plus, once coveted, you can start marking it up right there.

68. Prevent Cross Site Tracking in Safari

The new Apple feature that prevents sites from following you everywhere you go is enabled by default.

69. Block New Cookies and Data

Now that iOS automatically blocks some cookies, the previous setting for cookies is gone. In iOS 10, you could switch between a couple of different options for blocking cookies  block all, block allow from current website, always allow and more.

In iOS 11, its now just one toggle called Block All Cookies. Now, you can either block every single cookie, or you can let Safari do the intelligent blocking for you. From Safari section in Settings, toggle on Block All Cookies and then from the pop-up tap on Block All to enable this feature.

70. 3D Touch for Safari Tab Switcher

You can now switch between tabs quickly using 3D Touch.

71. New Advanced Settings for Safari

Safaris Settings section adds a new section for Advanced Settings. Youll find experimental features here.

New iOS 11 Notes App Features

72. Create Tables in Notes

Theres a new Tables option in the formatting bar in Notes.

73. Document Scanning in Notes

In Notes, tap the + button and select Scan Documents to scan paper documents in color or gray scale. The borders will be selected automatically but you can always edit them yourself later.

74. Swipe Options in Notes

Swipe in from the right edge to get the option to lock the note, move it or delete it.

75. Pin Notes to Top

Swipe in from the left edge of a note in the list view and tap on the Pin button. It will now always show up at the top of the list.

76. Change Paper Style in Notes

From the Share menu, select Change Paper to get the option to get grid and lined paper options.

77. New Notes Typography

The typography in Notes app is slightly tweaked.

78. iPad: Handwriting Recognition in Notes App

When you write using Apple Pencil in Notes app, Apple will be able to scan the text and index it in Spotlight so youll be able to get back to your handwritten notes using Search. We dont know if other features like text export are supported yet. This feature works over iCloud so you can even search your handwritten notes from your iPhone.

New iOS 11 User Interface Changes

79. New Unlock Animation

When you unlock your device by pressing the Home button, the Lock Screen now pushes out by sliding up to reveal the Home Screen.

80. New Status Bar Icons

One of the subtle changes is in the Status bar. Instead of the bubbles, you now see a classic Nokia style cell range icon. The location icon is also hollow and the battery icon looks slightly different and more rounded.

81. Redesigned Calculator App and Icon

Calculator apps redesign makes it look more like the circular keypad in the Phone app. The new icon has a retro feel to it.

82. New App Store and iTunes Store Icons

83. New Passcode UI

The new passcode UI has buttons without borders and bolder text.

84. Phone App Redesign

Phone app also gets huge titles in all tabs, bolder titles and the keypad looks like the Passcode.

85. New Spotlight UI Design

Now, when you search for an app in Spotlight, it will show up in the Siri Suggestions box, instead of a list. And right, below youll get autocomplete like search lists.

86. No Labels in Dock

On both the iPhone and iPad, the Dock no longer has labels for apps and folders.

87. New Video Player UI

The new video player UI has a floating view and is dark. There are clearer buttons for Picture in picture and AirPlay.

87. Podcast App Redesign

Just like the App Store, the Podcasts app also sees an Apple Music style redesign.

88. New Numeric Keypad Design

Theres a new, more button-like rectangular design for the keypad.

89. New App Launch animations

The animations when you launch the app is new.

90. Cellular Signal icon

The dotted icons for the cellular signal has changed back to bars in Status bar.

91. Mail App Design Updates

Mail app also gets the huge headers and spaced out UI.

92. Persistent Status Bar for Location Services

Whenever an app is using location in the background, youll see a persistent bar at the top. This is great for spotting when apps like Uber keep using location even after youve left the app. But its not so great for apps like Moves.

93. 32 Bit Apps No Longer Supported

While youll still find them on the App Store, you can no longer install 32-bit apps on iOS 11.

94. No Volume HUD When Playing Videos and Audio

When youre playing a video or audio, you wont see a Volume HUD take over the middle of the screen when you go to change the volume. Other times (and when adjusting the ringer), it still does show up.

95. FLAC Support

You can now play FLAC files in iOS 11 using the built-in media player.

96. Automatic Setup

When you buy a new iPhone running iOS 11, youll be able to copy over passwords, data and apps easily from your old device. During setup, youll see the Automatic Setup section. At that time, just bring your old iPhone closer to the new one to start the transfer.

97. New Purchases Overlay in App Store

When you make a purchase for a new app on App Store, youll see an Apple Pay style overlay before you confirm the purchase.

98. Seconds Option in Timer

You can now set Timers in seconds.

99. Social Sharing Features in Apple Music

You can now create a profile in Apple Music, and follow people. Others listening recommendations will show up throughout the app.

100. iPad: Unlock with Apple Pencil

On the Lock Screen, just tap with your Apple Pencil to open your most recently used note in Notes app.

101. iPad: QuickType Keyboard Flick Gesture

On the iPad keyboard, just swipe down any key to type the alternative character.

102. iPad: Inline Drawing

In Notes and Mail app, just start doodling with the Apple Pencil to create a sketch.

103. New Wallpaper

iOS 11 brings a new beach wallpaper.

104. Share Wi-Fi Passwords

When a friend of your comes over, and if theyre running iOS 11, youll now be able to log them into your network without them doing anything. When both devices are near, youll get an AirPods style popup asking if youd like them to connect to your network.

105. Family iCloud Sharing

If you have a 200 GB or higher iCloud plan, you can now share it with your Family members.

106. HEVC (H265) Video Support

iOS 11 has officual HEVC support and thats what Apple will use for recording videos, resulting in a 2x compression in size.

107. AirPlay 2

AirPlay 2 is the update to Apples audio stream format. AirPlay 2 now supports multi-room audio.

108. Kannada, Malayalam and Odia keyboards

109. Flashlight for iPads

iPads now get Flashlight controls in Control Center.

110. Spotlight Tab in News App

You can now search through the News app.

111. iCloud File Sharing

You can now share files you have stored in iCloud Drive.

112. WebRTC Support

A big deal for the open, web-based audio and video interface format. Safari now supports WebRTC.

113. Scan QR Codes from Camera

Now, just open the Camera app and point to a QR code. iOS 11 will recognize it and if its a Wi-Fi QR code, it will even offer to connect to the network for you.

114. Dictation Works in Hindi

What could be a boon in India, the Dictation (Speech to text) feature now works in Hindi as well.

115. Move Multiple Apps on iPad

Tap and hold on an app and move it, now tap on other apps and youll select them too. Move to another page, release your finger and youll be moving multiple apps.

116. HEIF Replaces JPEG

Just like HEVC, HEIF is an open, compressed format for images. Apple will end up saving half the storage space. When you share photos, theyll go out as JPEG though.

117. AirPlay Button in Music Widget

The Lock screens music widget now has an AirPlay button right there.

118. Better Search in Music App

When you search in the Music app, youll now get smarter results with links to directly search in artists, playlists and more.

119. Files App Share Extension

Theres a new Save to Files extension that lets you add anything to the Files app using the Share sheet.

120. Locations in Files App

Locations section in Files app has been enabled and you can now add sources like Dropbox.

121. Long Press Option for Screenshot Preview

When you tap and hold the screenshot preview, youll now get the familiar Share sheet. So you can now share a screenshot to an app without ever opening the Photos app.

122. Automatically Create Zips When Sharing Folders in Mail app

When you drag a folder from the Files app to the Mail app, it will automatically create a zip from the contents of the folder and attach it to the email.

123. Authentication API for Safari

Safari in iOS 11 has a new authentication API that will make it easier for apps and websites to log users in.

124. Safari View Controller Update

Safari View Controller has been redesigned so that when you 3D Touch a link thats supported in the Safari format, it will no longer show top and bottom toolbars.

125. New TV Providers

The TV Providers section in Settings adds new providers like Comcast but right now its just a list item that doesnt go anywhere.

126. iMessage in the Cloud Counter

Theres now a counter that shows how many iMessage are yet to be uploaded to iCloud.

127. Control Center Is More Interactive

Now, when you 3D Touch something like the timer or alarm widget, youll be directly able to swipe up or down to increase or decrease the time. This wasnt possible before Beta 3.

128. Icons in Control Center

The list items in Control Center now have icons.

129. Japanese Romaji keyboard

iOS 11 brings English input for Japanese Romaji keyboard

130. New Arabic system font

New Arabic system font has been added.

131. Maps Entrances to Landmarks

Maps entrances to landmarks in China

132. Traffic Camera Alerts

Traffic camera alerts in China

133. NFC Reader mode

iOS 11 Supports Core NFC to Detect NFC Tags and Read NDEF Data

134. VoiceOver descriptions for images

iOS 11 provides VoiceOver descriptions for images.

135. Health Data Sync

Health data is now synced across iOS devices via iCloud.

136. Spirit Level

The iOS 11 Camera will display the spirit level in grid view when you try to take a photo of an object from the top.

Stay Tuned!

We wont rest till we find all of them. So dont forget to bookmark this page for the complete list of iOS 11 features.

Your Favorite Features

What are your favorite iOS 11 features and changes? Please share them in the comments below.
Hundreds of people have attended a rally in solidarity with probation officers threatened by dissident republicans.

Probation staff were warned by the PSNI last week that the level of threat from dissidents has increased, particularly for workers living in republican areas.

The rally was held outside the Probation Board's Belfast headquarters and included probation staff as well as representatives of the trade union Nipsa. Politicians were also in attendance, including Stephen Farry, David Ford and Stewart Dickson of the Alliance Party.

Addressing the crowds, Nipsa president Carmel Gates said: "Gone are the days when people with guns determine what happens in our community. Workers will stand together, we will stand strong, we will say no to division, no to threats, no to intimidation. You will not tell us where we work, how we work.

"Never again will we allow the paramilitaries in our communities to speak for us. We say to you - disband, disappear, get rid of your guns. You do not speak for us, you do not determine what we do."

Ms Gates also called for politicians to show leadership, saying: "I want to send a message to the political parties, because in a vacuum you create a situation where people who think they can run the streets, will run the streets. This is a failure of bringing communities together. So I say to the politicians, you have a job of work to do and if you're not up to it, step aside."

Fergal McCann said: "I work for the probation service and also live in an area which has been considered under threat. There is a lot of fear amongst a lot of people here. Some people are genuinely scared, they have asked for their names and address to be passed to the police for protection.

"The Probation Board has gone some way in trying to help that. As a union, we think that they need to go further but those discussions are ongoing and we hope to have a resolution going forward."

Former Stormont justice minister Mr Ford said: "I know from the role that I had as justice minister, that excellent work is done by probation staff. Any threat against them is utterly reprehensible and so I'm here to show my support for them and show that I'll do whatever I can to support them."

The Probation Board employs around 400 members of staff across Northern Ireland. Employees were notified of the threat increase at meetings on Friday.

AP
Ed Lee was speaking at a business breakfast in Cork to celebrate the links between the cities, which twinned in 1984. Mr Lee said the cities shared a culture of IT and had followed the same path economically since the twinning agreement.

Mr Lee, who was accompanied by members of the business community in San Francisco for the meeting at the Kingsley Hotel, said that the IT industry in San Francisco had been bolstered by Cork talent.

The event was sponsored by San Francisco-headquartered web management company NGinX, which plans to double its Cork workforce in the next year to 60, and up to 100 new roles in three years.

Mr Lee said: We know our partnership with Cork will lead to increased economic development between our two cities. We look forward to fostering the ongoing growth of our shared businesses communities while continuing to share best practices for supporting innovation and ingenuity.

San Francisco was the innovation capital of the world, Mr Lee said, with the likes of Instagram, Yelp and Twitter headquartered in the city.

However, technology figures such as Limerick brothers John and Patrick Collison, who founded online payments company Stripe and became the youngest self-made billionaires last year, were evidence that Ireland was also a global leader, Mr Lee said.

Cork Chamber president Bill OConnell said Corks relationship with the US west coast extended from the San Francisco Bay Area into Silicon Valley.

There are currently over 30 companies from the wider state of California with a presence in Cork.

Companies from San Francisco have been investing in Cork since our very first foreign direct investment from Apple in the 1980s, and have been particularly instrumental in growing the tech and life sciences clusters here in Cork, Mr OConnell said.

It is positive to note that more recently, the flow of investments is also starting to reverse, with Cork companies such as Voxpro and PCH establishing a presence on the west coast in the last decade, he said.

Mr Lee visited Johnson Controls at One Albert Quay, which has been dubbed Irelands smartest building for its integrated technology.

He also visited Voxpro, the Cork-founded call centre company that was bought by Canadian firm Telus International for an estimated 150m last month.
Wenner Media hired Methuselah Advisors, the company said, but didnt say whether Mr Wenner is in talks with any potential suitors.

Founded in 1967, Rolling Stone became a fixture of American pop culture, helping launch the careers of writers and creative artists over 50 years. But like many of its peers, the magazine has steadily lost advertising and readership to nimbler online alternatives over the years.

The announcement comes almost a year after Mr Wenner sold a 49% stake in the magazine to Singapore-based BandLab Technologies, a budding digital music company co-founded by Kuok Meng Ru, the scion of one of Asias richest families. BandLab declined to comment on Mr Wenners latest statement. When the minority stake in Rolling Stone was sold to BandLab in September 2016, it was the first time Mr Wenner had admitted an outside investor, encapsulating the plight of an industry fighting to stay relevant in an online age.

Social Network Kuok, the third son of Singapore-based agribusiness tycoon Kuok Khoon Hong, graduated from Cambridge University with a mathematics degree and launched BandLab in 2016 as a social network for musicians and fans.

The startup is funded by private investors, including Mr Kuoks father and JamHub, a maker of audio mixers. BandLab, his flagship business, is a cloud-based online community that allows artists to create, collaborate and share their music.

In 2012, Kuok acquired Swee Lee, a sleepy 71-year-old distributor of guitars in Singapore and turned the company into a modern enterprise, selling merchandise online and offering music lessons. Its now the biggest distributor of instruments and audio equipment in Southeast Asia.

Other acquisitions include Composr, a European iOS and web music-making service, and Mono Creators, the San Francisco-based design studio that creates high-end instrument cases, straps and accessories for musicians. BandLab most recently acquired Chew.tv, a London-based DJ streaming platform, underscoring the efforts of Mr Kuok, 29, to build a global music empire.

Rolling Stone made its mark in the 1970s and 80s with cutting-edge music and political coverage.

Gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson wrote for Wenner for decades, including publishing first in its pages Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Last week Mr Justice Tony OConnor put an examiner into three companies connected with Galway Citys four-star Meyrick Hotel but refused court protection to four related companies involved in operating other Galway-based businesses including the Five Star G Hotel and the Eye Cinema.

Michael Cush, counsel for all of the Galway companies, told Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan in the Court of Appeal that his clients were challenging Mr Justice OConnors decision not to confirm the appointment of an examiner to four of the companies.

Paul Gallagher, counsel for Deutsche Bank, told the judge the bank would be appealing examinership of the trio of companies covered by Mr Justice OConnors decision and defending the High Courts decision not to extend protection to the remaining four.

All seven companies are part of the Edward Capital Group controlled by Gerry Barrett. Deutsche Bank had opposed the examinership on the basis it was an abuse of process and a bid by the companies, over which they had appointed a receiver, to renege on a debt settlement agreement.

The settlement would have involved the sale of group assets to reduce its 698m debt to the bank.

Last week Mr Justice OConnor, on the application of Mr McCarthy, put a stay on his order refusing to extend examinership to the four companies.

The seven companies employ more than 330 full- and part-time staff and in August had insolvency practitioner Neil Hughes appointed as interim examiner.

The firms directors, Gerry and Catherine Barrett, of Drimbawn House, Chestnut Lane, Lower Dangan, accepted the bank was owed 698m and claimed while they could service a certain level of the debt, a large amount of what was owed could never be repaid.

Deutsche Bank acquired the groups loan portfolio from Nama in 2015 and its case was that an examiner could not better the settlement agreement the parties had reached in regard to the sale of assets which included the proposed sale of the Meyrick Hotel for 16.7m.

The Court of Appeal will hear statements and submissions early next week.
In a letter organised by the Confederation of British Industry, more than 100 companies employing a total of more than one million people in Britain and the European Union said they needed to make decisions now about investment that will affect jobs in the future.

Until transitional arrangements can be agreed and trade discussed the risk of no deal remains real and has to be planned for, with inevitable consequences for jobs and growth on both sides, it said.

Brussels has said talks on Britains future trading relationship with the EU can only start after the other 27 EU governments are satisfied that sufficient progress has been made on the terms of the departure.

Britain is due to leave the union, deal or no deal, in late March 2019. UK Prime Minister Theresa Mays office caused dismay within the business community earlier this month when it asked business leaders to put their name to a letter backing the governments approach to Brexit. The letter did not materialise.

Businesses across the EU and UK are clear: Being able to plan for a transition of up to three years that avoids a cliff edge is critical for our collective prosperity, the letter organised by the countrys leading trade body said.

British firms are also facing uncertainty about consumer demand.

An IHS Markit survey showed UK households are feeling the tightest squeeze on their finances in three years and the Bank of Englands signal that it is getting close to raising interest rates is likely to make things worse.

Its monthly household finance index fell to 42.8 in September from 43.4 in August though above a three-year low of 41.6 seen in July. The amount of cash available to spend continued to fall at one of the steepest rates seen over the past three years, according to the survey.

Last week the Bank of England said it expected to raise interest rates in the coming months if inflation pressure continued to build, surprising many investors.

Reuters
Speaking at the opening of US multi-national firm LinkedIns new Europe, Middle East and African section headquarters in Dublin, Mr Varadkar said that despite renewed pressure from Brussels there is no reason to alter Irelands existing tax rules.

In his state of the union speech last Wednesday, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker hit out at Irelands coveted 12.5% corporate tax system, saying harmonisation of tax levels must take place across the EU.

The comments were strongly rejected by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe at an EU meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, last Friday, with Mr Donohoe reminding counterparts that existing EU treaties protect Irelands right to decide its tax levels without interference.

While Mr Juncker repeated over the weekend that tax harmonisation remains a key objective of Brussels officials, Mr Varadkar yesterday re-emphasised the fact that Ireland will not increase its corporate tax levels as there is no reason to do so.

The Government is committed to maintaining our stable and competitive corporation tax regime, and our strong incentives for research and development, so we can continue to attract and retain inward investment and create high-quality jobs.

When LinkedIn first came to Ireland in 2010 we were in the middle of one of our darkest periods economically. But today, thanks to the sacrifices of the Irish people and the policies pursued by Government, our economy has recovered.

This [the new LinkedIn headquarters] is a strong endorsement of the Governments economic and job creation strategy, because it reaffirms that Ireland is the perfect location for investment, the Taoiseach added.

Mr Varadkars comments were repeated by Tanaiste and Employment Minister Frances Fitzgerald, who told the same event that Irish agencies are continuing to work hard to attract high-quality direct investment an issue which is increasingly prominent due to the fallout from Brexit.

While the Taoiseach did not take questions at the event, the fact he chose to address the stand-off between Ireland and other EU member states over our corporate tax rate during a speech at the headquarters of a multi-national firm benefiting from the situation was a clear indication of his ongoing commitment to the rate.

The issue is expected to be raised again by Mr Juncker and other EU states  including Germany and France  which would be in line to attract greater foreign direct investment if Irelands corporate tax rate was reduced in the coming months.

The Government was last week backed in its determination to continue the existing tax regime by Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein finance spokespeople Michael McGrath and Pearse Doherty.

However, both opposition TDs also noted that Ireland must shoulder some of the blame for being targeted by the EU in light of the Apple investigation.
Constant breaks in mains pipes and low water pressure have dogged the people of Kildorrery in north Cork since 2009.

There have been four major breaks in the mains in recent weeks, one of which caused an outage for 72 hours.

Many families continue to drive to relatives homes to shower and regularly have to get churns of water delivered to their homes and businesses because of frequent supply problems.

Cork County Council engineers said yesterday that Irish Water had been unable to acquire a suitable site for a new reservoir.

They were told by council engineers that as a result, Irish Water was now looking at what it might do to upgrade the existing reservoir.

Fine Gael councillor Noel McCarthy said this was yet another disappointment for the people of Kildorrery.

In recent years, bars and restaurants in the village have had to cancel functions if water outages lasted more than 24 hours. Hairdressers have been badly hit on numerous occasions, while farmers have often found themselves without enough water for their cattle.

Mr McCarthy criticised Irish Water for not communicating properly with councillors on the issue.

Theres been no progress made as far as I can see. We need a meeting with Irish Water. This is not good enough at all, he said.

Fianna Fail councillor Frank OFlynn brandished a letter from his files in which Irish Water stated that work on building a new reservoir would start in late 2015 or early 2016.

At this stage, can we believe anything? he said. Its an absolute disgrace the way the people of Kildorrery are being treated. I want an Irish Water representative to come to our next council meeting.

Mr OFlynn told councillors at a meeting of the councils northern division in Mallow that the saga had been going on since 2009.

Thats when we got a letter from Phil Hogan [the then environment minister] that funding was in place [to address the problems]. Its gone beyond a joke, he said.

Mr OFlynn said a previous letter from Irish Water had stated that work on replacing 1.9km of ageing water mains will start by the end of the year. A more recent letter replaced the word will with hope, he pointed out, adding that he was concerned about this.

Fianna Fail councillor Deirdre OBrien said the news was regrettable and that water is not a luxury.

Council engineers said that they appreciated the frustration councillors were feeling, especially after the number of false starts the Kildorrery scheme had seen.

They said they did not have any direct interaction with the utility and suggested councillors go on a delegation to Irish Water at the next clinic it holds in County Hall.

Independent councillor June Murphy said this was a good idea, but insisted the council also write to Irish Waters chief executive outlining their frustration at yet another delay.

In 2014, one of the main concerns was that it would be pushed back again, and now thats come to fruition, she said.

Mr McCarthy said any delegation meeting Irish Water should also include council engineers and members of the executive.

He said that after such a meeting takes place, councillors should immediately give any update to the people of Kildorrery.

Assistant county manager James Fogarty said the delegation should also ask why a compulsory purchase order was not used by Irish Water to acquire a site for a new reservoir.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the 21-year-old Dubliner could be home in days, but Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney cautioned that the process could take a while because of the formalities involved.

Ibrahim, who was 17 when he was detained, could have faced the death penalty after being subjected to a mass trial involving hundreds of people rounded up during anti-government protests in 2013 when he was holidaying with relatives in the Egyptian capital.

Three of his sisters were also arrested and spent several months in jail but were released on bail and allowed return to Ireland. They were also formally acquitted yesterday.

Another sister, Nosayba Halawa, told through tears yesterday how the family watched the acquittal over the internet after waiting anxiously while the names of the convicted were read out.

We couldnt believe it. After all our suffering, it has come to an end, she told RTE. She said the news could not have come at a better time as the siblings mother is scheduled for surgery today. We were hoping her spirits would be high going into hospital so this news is the best.

Ibrahim Halawa

Somaia Halawa, who spent three months in jail, said the family was overjoyed. We would like to extend our thanks to all those who tirelessly campaigned and fought for Ibrahims release, she said.

The verdict was warmly welcomed by human rights groups, politicians of all parties, and by President Michael D Higgins, who said: I welcome the news that Ibrahim Halawa and his three sisters have today been acquitted of all charges brought against him, and them, in what has been a prolonged, distressing, and draining experience.

Colm OGorman of Amnesty International Ireland said he was delighted but added that it was devastating that Ibrahim, who was waiting for his Leaving Certificate results when he was arrested, had lost four years of his life.

Ibrahims international legal team said they were relieved by the verdict. Solicitor Darragh Mackin, of KRW Law, said the acquittal brought to an end a turbulent time for his client and his family.

During his time in detention in various prison facilities in Egypt, Ibrahim witnessed and was subjected to horrific human rights abuses and inhumane prison conditions, he said, urging his return home without delay.

Diplomats at the Irish embassy in Cairo, who have attended court over almost 30 adjournments, were present again yesterday to hear the verdict and rushed to the sound-proofed glass and wire cage in which Ibrahim and the other prisoners were held.

Irish journalist Declan Walsh, the Cairo bureau chief for the New York Times, who witnessed the proceedings, said Ibrahim could not be heard but was seen jumping up and down and punching the air in delight.
While overall levels of optimism have rebounded this year to the same extent as two years ago, at 72%, just 20% said they were very optimistic versus 52% who said they were slightly optimistic.

Five years ago, 38% of farmers polled said they were very optimistic about the future. Nevertheless, almost three quarters of those polled this year expressed some level of optimism, versus 15% who expressed any pessimism.

When it came to the views of farmers regarding their own agricultural sector the poll results tell a similar story  another decline in the percentage of farmers who say they are very optimistic (19%), but a growth in the number who said they were slightly optimistic (54%). Just 16% said they were in any way pessimistic about their own section of the industry. Just as with the question on the future of farming, this was the lowest level of pessimism expressed since the 2013 poll.

When it came to levels of positivity about farming and sections within it, younger farmers were more likely to express optimism, whereas levels of pessimism grew with age. So, while 82% of those aged under 34 said they were positive about the future and just 7% expressed any negativity, 68% of those aged over 65 expressed some level of positivity and 22% expressed a negative view.

As for the regions, and notwithstanding the fact that people may travel considerable distances to attend certain agricultural shows, those attending Tullamore, Limerick, and Dualla shows expressed the highest levels of optimism about the future of farming and the sectors within it, while optimism was more muted at Iverk, Virginia, and Claregalway shows.

Just 7% of respondents strongly agreed their level of farm debt was too high and just 14% slightly agreed their level of farm debt was excessive. That is a fall of three percentage points compared to last years poll. Those aged 35 to 64 were most likely to have debt concerns, with the highest level among those in the 35 to 44 age bracket.

It was also more likely to be a feature for those in dairy and non-livestock or non-tillage sectors of farming, but the overall picture is positive, with 35% stating they strongly disagreed with the idea that their farm debt was too high and another 26% slightly disagreeing.

ICMSA president John Comer said it was significant that the numbers saying they are very optimistic have fallen overall with more now coming back to slightly optimistic.

He said this was linked to a recovery in confidence evident in dairying after the turnaround in milk price that coincided with the EUs acceptance of the ICMSA and EMB policy of a Voluntary Supply Reduction Scheme, while the noticeable uptick in live exports is also encouraging. However, he said pessimism can be attributed to two huge problems  price volatility and debt.

Just a few weeks ago a good deal of media and public attention focused on figures published by Teagasc projecting a 2017 average income for dairy farmers of in excess of 70,000, but we know that outstanding debts from the 2015/16 price collapse still need to be paid and money needs to be put back into farms, he said.

We must also emphasise to the more excitable commentators that tax, drawings and bank repayments must come out of this, so this kind of income figure will not be the reality for the vast majority of dairy farmers with averages hiding the true picture for many.

For instance, the latest 2015 National Farm Survey highlights the fact that 63% of dairy farmers have an average debt over 100,000  much greater than other sectors within the industry.

Farm debt is a real and growing phenomenon that reaches across every sector of farming  and emphatically includes dairying.

Irish Examiner ICMSA farming poll

The Irish Examiner ICMSA farming poll was designed to provide a robust and accurate snapshot of the attitudes, beliefs and opinions of the farming community about a range of issues, both farming and social. The survey involved 569 interviews with farm dwelling adults in the Republic of Ireland.

Fieldwork was completed by Behaviour & Attitudes over a two-week period between August 13 and 27, with interviewing undertaken onsite by Behaviour & Attitudes interviewers across eight agricultural shows. The sample size is large and the data has a statistical margin of error of +/-4%.

The sampling approach involves a random probability method, with interviews being undertaken with attendees provided they worked and/or lived on a farm. 429 interviews were with farmers themselves, 31 with non family, farm employees, and the balance with spouses (66), most of whom -5 out of 6- personally work on the family farm as well.

All data is copyrighted by the Irish Examiner and Behaviour & Attitudes and should be attributed to this source where quoted.
Gardai have apologised and are seeking to get the conviction overturned, but no explanation was offered in their letter to the man as to how the error occurred.

It emerged this year that 14,700 people wrongly got convictions and court-imposed penalties, including the imposition of penalty points, despite never being sent a fixed-charge notice.

The latest case, which occurred in Co Cork, involved a failure to stop at a Garda checkpoint, which is covered by the fixed-charge notice system. The motorist was issued with a summons and sentenced in the district court to a month in prison. It is unclear if the offence was the only one which he was prosecuted for on the occasion, which dates from 2008.

The man, then 21, was banned from driving for five years. He served a week in prison and had to sign on for three weeks as a condition of temporary release. Subsequently, he emigrated to Australia and New Zealand because of the effect the driving ban would have on his chances of getting work.

On August 22, he received the standard letter that is being issued to the 14,700 people wrongfully convicted.

The letter, from assistant commissioner Michael Finn, sets out that the correct procedures were not followed by An Garda Siochana in respect of the court conviction imposed on you on 04/07/2008 in relation to Fail To Stop For Garda.

The letter apologises for the failure to follow correct procedure. There is no reference to the sanction imposed on the man at court.

His solicitor, who did not represent him in the original case, is collating all data in relation to the conviction before deciding how to proceed.

Meanwhile, the Irish Examiner understands that deputy commissioner John Twomey met with leaders of the four Garda representative associations yesterday to discuss the fallout from the breath-test scandal.

He is believed to have sought their views on how it should be addressed. It is understood they made clear their strong concerns at difficulties in identifying disciplinary offences and in proving that particular members breached discipline given the range of other factors involved in the fake breath tests.
Why is Ryanair in the news?

Last Friday Ryanair announced it would cancel up to 50 flights per day for the next six weeks. The cancellations began on Saturday.

How do you know if your flight has been cancelled?

The airline said unless you receive an email, your flight is operating as usual. Passengers can check on Ryanairs website to see the list of cancelled flights.

Why is this happening?

Ryanair cited multiple reasons for these last-minute cancellations. It said it wanted to improve its system-wide punctuality which has fallen below 80%, air-traffic control capacity and delays, as well as strikes and weather disruptions, were also listed as reasons.

Is there one main reason?

A significant number of aviation experts referred to pilots annual leave as being the problem as well as a shortage of pilots.

Ryanair, in its statement, said the impact of increased holiday allocations to pilots and cabin crew as the airline moves to allocate annual leave during a nine-month transition period (April to December 2017), was also behind the cancellations.

What happens if your flight is cancelled?

According to the Commission for Aviation Regulation, if Ryanair cancels a flight, it must offer you the choice of an alternative flight at the earliest opportunity or at a later date of your choice subject to the availability of seats or a full refund of the ticket.

What if no other flight is available?

The commission said that Ryanair is entitled to offer a passenger comparable transport to the final destination if no alternative flight with the carrier is available. When an area or city is served by several airports, such as Paris, Ryanair may offer a flight to an alternative airport to that originally booked. The airline is then obliged to bear the cost of transferring you to the airport you had booked or to another close-by destination agreed with you.

If you are abroad and your return flight to Ireland is cancelled, what should you do?

The regulator said: Go to the airport. Ryanair have a duty to give you care and assistance and that means, as required, reasonable food and refreshments given the length of time youre going to be there waiting for your return flight, or hotel accommodation until they can get you out of there and transport to and from the hotel. It is very, very important that the passenger stays with a Ryanair flight. If they choose to choose another airline or go home a different way they wont get the same level of duty of care and compensation.

What compensation are passengers entitled to?

Compensation in the event of cancellation depends on several factors. Ryanair may have to compensate you if it has given you between seven days and two weeks notice of the cancellation but your flight departs more than two hours before your original departure time and four hours of the original arrival time (or half these times where the notice period is under seven days.) Compensation depends on the distance of the flight. If the distance is 1,500km or less the amount payable is 250; 1,500km to 3,500km and all EU flights over 3,500km, the amount payable is 400. It is very important to note compensation is distinct from and separate to the notion of reimbursement of expenses and/ or the refund of the cost of an unused flight ticket.

How do make a claim?

If you claim for expenses or compensation from Ryanair, you must contact it directly. This is covered in Article 15 of its terms and conditions. Ryanair says it aims to deal with claims in four to six weeks.
The Irish Examiner/ICMSA poll also shows that despite these misgivings, 63% of farmers are in favour of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar visiting the White House for the annual St Patricks Day ceremonies.

Earlier this month, the Taoiseach told The New York Times it would be rude not to invite Mr Trump to Ireland, given he will be travelling to Washington next March.

Prior to being elected Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach, Mr Varadkar had said he wouldnt be keen on a state visit from Mr Trump.

That is still the prevailing view among farm families. The poll, conducted at agricultural shows across the country in August, shows that 53% of respondents disagreed that Mr Trump should be welcomed here, with 28% strongly disagreeing with the idea of a state visit.

Just 30% agreed with the idea of a state visit.

Digging deeper in the data, 40% of women were strongly opposed to a visit to Ireland by Mr Trump  a higher level of opposition than found among men, where 25% were strongly opposed and 51% were against the idea.

As for age groups, the strongest level of opposition to a US presidential visit to Ireland was among those aged 35 to 44, with 58% of respondents disagreeing with that proposition. The age group with the highest percentage of respondents strongly in favour of a state visit was that aged under 35, at 13%.

The poll was conducted at some of the largest agricultural shows in the country and respondents at Limerick Show, located close to Shannon Airport, had the lowest level of support for a presidential visit, at just 18%.

Just 5% of those polled disagreed with the statement that Trumps presidency will damage Americas reputation abroad, with 75% of respondents agreeing with the view that the US president will damage his countrys international reputation. Some 44% of those polled strongly agreed with that sentiment.

This chimes with an overall view that the Trump presidency will harm Americas reputation abroad. There is little divergence between respondents in terms of their farming background or farm size on this question, while in terms of age groups this view is strongest among those in the 45-54 group, at 81%.

As for the annual White House pageantry in March, 63% of farmers said the Taoiseach should visit Mr Trump on St Patricks Day, with 19% disagreeing.

Older farmers, particularly those aged 55 and over, are most in favour, at 68%, whereas the level of support is lowest at 53% among those aged 35 to 44. Support is also strongest among tillage and livestock farmers, and less pronounced among dairy and other farmers.

ICMSA president John Comer said the poll showed that farmers valued stability, continuity, and a conciliatory approach to leadership.

We do think that farmers really value a constructive attitude where you act as a team or a community  this might have something to do with the old meitheal concept where farm families came together and worked through everyones harvests as a group and in an agreed order, he said.

Perhaps farmers see President Trumps perceived attitudes to minorities and the way he seems to divide societies and a politics that seems to pit one group against another.

As for the traditional White House visit Mr Comer said farmers differentiate between the individual and the state and they want our traditionally close ties of family and friendship with the United States to be absolutely maintained.

Im glad to see that this practical distinction is borne out. I do not subscribe to the idea of tokenistic or symbolic snubs of the kind represented by not visiting the White House on St Patricks Day or not extending an invitation to the president to visit us in turn.

Many families in Ireland, my own included, have relations in the United States and we should be meticulous in making sure that whatever disagreements we have with the approach of a particular incumbent that that can never be interpreted as a disagreement with the United States itself or its people, he said.

Irish Examiner ICMSA farming poll

The Irish Examiner ICMSA farming poll was designed to provide a robust and accurate snapshot of the attitudes, beliefs and opinions of the farming community about a range of issues, both farming and social. The survey involved 569 interviews with farm dwelling adults in the Republic of Ireland.

Fieldwork was completed by Behaviour & Attitudes over a two-week period between August 13 and 27, with interviewing undertaken onsite by Behaviour & Attitudes interviewers across eight agricultural shows. The sample size is large and the data has a statistical margin of error of +/-4%.

The sampling approach involves a random probability method, with interviews being undertaken with attendees provided they worked and/or lived on a farm. 429 interviews were with farmers themselves, 31 with non family, farm employees, and the balance with spouses (66), most of whom -5 out of 6- personally work on the family farm as well.

All data is copyrighted by the Irish Examiner and Behaviour & Attitudes and should be attributed to this source where quoted.
The warning puts teachers on a collision course with the Government after two unions voted to reject the deal and a third, which has yet to ballot members, has also recommended rejection.

Public sector unions affiliated to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) voted by more than 80% yesterday to pass the deal which comes into effect from January 1.

The Public Sector Stability Agreement (PSSA) will boost their pay by more than 6% over the next three years, increase pension levy thresholds and restore some working hours arrangements affected by austerity.

However, while the deal was backed by almost a dozen ICTU unions, including Siptu and Impact, the two largest in the country, teachers belonging to the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) and the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), along with members of Unite, rejected it. The TUI refuses to be bound by the majority ICTU vote.

Some unions have yet to ballot their members. The ASTI has recommended its teachers reject the deal but the Garda Representative Association (GRA), which negotiates outside of ICTU, has asked rank-and-file gardai to back it. Mr Donohoe welcomed yesterdays vote.

The benefits within this agreement will be made available to those inside this agreement, he said.

Mr Donohoe said his officials would meet teachers unions in the coming weeks and he would wait until all ballots were completed before going to Cabinet with proposals for dealing with those who put themselves outside the agreement.

Under previous public sector pay deals, workers in unions that rejected them had pay increments that are a normal part of their career progression suspended. Mr Donohoe indicated the same policy applied now.

In relation to increments, the benefits in this agreement will be made available to those inside this agreement, he said. Increments and any other matters will be dealt with in the context of that spirit.

Under the PSSA, workers are due a 1% raise in January and a further 1% raise in October 2018. Increases in pension levy thresholds and further wage increases will be staggered over 2019 and 2020 for other grades and there will also be universal pay rises of 1.75% and 2%.

Non-pay measures in the agreement include safeguarding against the outsourcing of public services, an end to pension levy payments on overtime and an option to return to pre-austerity working hours.

The Government has argued the deal would remove 90% of public sector workers from the FEMPI austerity measures implemented during the recession.

The TUI said it could not accept the deal without action to end the two-tier pay system which sees new entrants to the teaching profession start on pay scales below existing members.

We note the overall position of the PSC, but it is our longstanding policy that we will make our own sovereign decision on matters affecting terms and conditions of employment and not be bound by an aggregate vote of unions, it said.
HIS multifaceted turn as sinister crime boss Nidge in Love/Hate singled out Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as one of our greatest emerging talents.

Now the actor is building on that extraordinary breakthrough with a major role in Marvels next Avengers movie and a zombie horror thriller.

This week, well see him play an IRA man who masterminds the prison escapes in Maze, which was shot on location in the decommissioned Cork Prison last year.

For Vaughan-Lawlor, taking up acting meant making a move to

London. I went to Trinity to do the academic drama course, and then I went to RADA. The honest answer is I wanted to go to London because I knew that if I wanted to be an actor Id have to be unafraid of being embarrassing, if that makes sense, or unafraid of making a fool of myself, he tells me.

I think I was probably too self-conscious a kid growing up to be able to feel comfortable doing that in Dublin. We used to spend movement classes in Russell Square in London chasing leaves around. If Id done that in Stephens Green, I would have been too self-conscious and embarrassed. I was a bit of a shy teenager. But doing it in London where no-one knew me, I could do it with double intensity. So it was an amazing way to go away and experiment, and push the boundaries of what youre capable of in certain ways, without feeling self-conscious.

Making the decision to move to London in 2000 did not come easy. The city has been kind to him and hes bought a home there with actor wife Claire Cox and their six-year-old boy, Freddie. But he vividly remembers the day he left.

It was 2nd of September 2000, and I remember getting on the plane and being kind of inconsolable, and my dad (actor Tom Lawlor) didnt know what was wrong with me, and I think it was because he thought I was going to be a student.

But I knew I was leaving, I was moving. I knew Id always come back but I justyou have that moment of being on the brink of something else in your life and youre standing on this precipice, standing on this threshold, or frontier, that youre passing into something else. It made me really emotional, that this was a really big moment in my life. And it was.

Getting the opportunity to work regularly at home on stage and screen has been wonderful, he says, and indeed in the days after we meet he plans to catch up with family and friends. Because I come back to work here so often, I never feel that Im gone too long. I just love coming home. Home is where my wife and son are first and foremost, and yet, that pull of Ireland is that wherever you go its always there.

In Maze, he plays Larry Marley, one of the IRA prisoners who masterminded the notorious escapes in the 1980s. The films much more than that story, centring on the

relationship between Marley and a prison warden (Barry Ward).

Thats why the film isnt just a prison escape film, its also a drama about men from opposite sides of the divide who have a shared understanding of conflicting internal

ideologies.

Especially whereby choices they make politically come into conflict with their domestic obligations and responsibilities. The love of their families. How they reconcile a

political motivation with their roles as family men. Thats why I thought it was a really clever script.

The young Vaughan-Lawlor grew up in middle-class Dundrum and was fortunate, he says, to be exposed to the arts from an early age.

My mum is very artistic as well, so it was a very artistic household, a very liberal household. There was always music and books and films, we were always going to the theatre. Theyre of the psyche of if you have a passion for something, whether it makes you wealthy or you struggle to pay your bills, if its something that makes you happy, and its something that you have a passion for, thats what you should pursue. And I think thats so important, isnt it? That you find something you have a passion for, if youre lucky enough to find something you have a passion for.

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Barry Ward in a scene from Maze, which opens on Friday.

Well next see him in zombie thriller The Cured, and he was recently revealed to have a key role in the next Avengers film (he is sworn to secrecy, but seems very excited).

But for many Love/Hate fans, hes still best known as that kingpin who dominated their TV schedules, and they still talk to him about it when hes home.

Because I lived in England when it was being screened, I only got it in fits and starts. I was able to duck out when I needed to! he laughs.

Whats great about it is its irreverent stuff, its never fawning sycophancy. Its always familiar and generous, its not a negative energy coming at you. At times it was intense, but it was never unkind.

Maze opens in cinemas on Friday

Made in Cork: Why the old prison had a special cell-ing point

An exhibition of photographs by Marcin Lewandowski from the making of Maze will be on display in the foyer of Concert Hall, City Hall from 3.30pm to 10pm on Friday.

Cork Prison not only made the perfect location for Maze, but it also helped get the project back on track, says writer/ director Stephen Burke.

At the end of 2015 the production had stalled, wed lost a bit of money. We were going to build a small set, but at that time we heard that Cork Prison was closing. When we went down we hoped it would be like the Maze prison. We needed two wings in a line, separated by a cage area. We just walked in and there it was. It was as close as you could hope for.

But first they had to address the colour scheme, which featured the county colours. It was all painted magnolia and red, Cork colours, which for a prison it was quite strange! So we had to change that. When we looked at it the prisoners were still there are we were chatting to them.

It proved to be an inspired call, as filming in a real prison added authenticity to the film. Actors trying to imagine surroundings and endow sets with authenticity, we didnt have to do any of that, says Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.

Because youre really in cells, and youre really on wings, going through functioning gates, and yards, and shower rooms. You do understand the intensity of what that must be like, to be incarcerated for long periods in very confined spaces. And not being able to have free will or free movement. It was quite eye-opening and sobering.

Forthcoming drama Michael Inside was also filmed in the prison.

Maze will feature in Cork Culture Nights film programme at 8.30pm on Friday in the Concert Hall in City Hall, with a Q&A with Stephen Bourke and cast.
ZEMINAR, the well-being and education movement for Generation Z, is shaping up to break records again this year.

In 2016, its inaugural event at the RDS in Dublin brought together more than 14,000 young people, 850 teachers and some 75 speakers, who spoke openly about their teen experiences of bullying, mental health struggles, exam stress, and much more.

This year, Zeminar is back in the RDS from October 10 to 12 and once again, it coincides with global mental health week. That is no accident, as co-founders Damien Clarke and Ian Fitzpatrick hope to equip a generation of 15 to 20-year-olds with the tools to deal with the challenges that life will throw at them.

Olympic heroes Paul and Gary ODonovan, Rubberbandits artist Blindboy, and teen author Eilis Barrett are just some of the many high-profile speakers who will speak about the

problems they faced in their teens and how they coped with them.

Visitor numbers are already significantly up on last year, with an estimated 20,000 expected at the three-day event.

Damien Clarke said: We knew there was a demand for a fully inclusive and educational youth event built on a foundation of wellbeing, but even we were surprised by the appetite and feedback, so weve moved quickly to extend.

Damien, a long-standing Foroige Big Brother ambassador, has seen first-hand the issues facing young people.

He is researching the impact of social media on body image among Irish teenage girls in conjunction with Bodywhys, the eating disorders association, as part of a PhD thesis.

However, he and fellow co-founder Ian Fitzpatrick say Generation Z faces a range of problems. Research shows levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in the 12-25 age bracket are up. Alcohol consumption is also increasing but young peoples use of positive coping strategies has fallen. Its at its lowest level among 14 to 15-year-olds.

Almost 75% of mental health issues emerge between the ages of 15 and 25 and discussing those issues has been shown to reduce distress, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm. The impact one good adult can have is considerable, says Fitzpatrick.

He says one of the reasons he and his colleague have invested so much time and effort, all of it voluntary, in Zeminar, is that as a father of two he is really trying to make a positive impact for the next generation.

I have many drivers for doing this, including my parents, but one very powerful one is my children, he says.

I guess Im trying to set an example around work ethic; career choices; pursuing what you love and what is in line with your value system. On a more personal note, theres something I find very amusing about two pre-middle-aged men trying to build something to change the world for young people with a pair of 10-year-old laptops and 85-hour work weeks!

To get a taste of whats to come, check out the Z-Series talks on YouTube and Facebook, where well-known sport, entertainment, industry, and science figures talk about their own struggles.

Tickets (10) are almost sold out, so book soon at www.zeminar.ie/tickets or hello@zeminar.ie. Potential exhibitors can get in touch by emailing hello@zeminar.ie

Young people can reach their dreams

The ODonovan brothers Olympic heroes and credit union ambassadors.

Gary: I think any event that puts the wellbeing of young people at its centre is important. Weve seen it ourselves in the rowing club at home, when young people are encouraged and supported, they can really flourish. I think Zeminar is a brilliant resource for them and will give them a positive feel for the future and a sense that they can really achieve their dreams.

As a teenager, I would have been interested in any of the talks that focus on a balanced approach to life, not just looking after your body but also ensuring you are happy and take time for yourself and are not stressed out. I know, for us, its really important that we take some time to balance the full-on training and the tension of the competitions with some down-time and just being with family and friends.

Weve given a few talks now for the credit unions and we find thats the best approach. Overall, we want to inspire young people!

Paul: I really like the Zeminar philosophy, that it was created especially for young people and that it only focuses on the issues that matter to them. I think thats really important, and maybe something that was missing in Ireland until now. Weve been youth ambassadors for the credit unions this year and weve both really enjoyed that experience and found it very fulfilling.

Youths time has come to make change

Sr Stan, social campaigner and founder of several voluntary organisations.

Im taking part in Zeminar because it is all about young people. Young people are our greatest resource in Ireland. They are our future. They are the innovators, the enterprisers, thinkers and doers of tomorrow.

I will be speaking about my own life and what I have learned from working with the poor and homeless. How they have taught me so much about myself. They are loud speakers who shout out at us the gross inequalities in this society. If we listen deeply to them, they can change our lives.

I will remind young people that it is not a question of doing great big things. Great big things are fine, but the problem about doing great big things is that the opportunity to do the big thing may never come. What is much more to the point, and much harder, is to do small things and do them well, with heart and  this is the important thing  to do them now. This is their time; their time has come here in this place, in this country, in their community, in their housing estate, in their club, in their street, in their parish, to be active concerned citizens.

I will remind them that if, as young people, they are compassionate and caring and are involved in their local communities, they will be the kind of people in the future who will create a just and fair society, who will challenge inequalities and unequal access to healthcare, housing, education and environment.

When I was young, I would like to have heard of the potential I had to help others in a way that was meaningful and the potential I had to be a changemaker in society.

Shaking off shame about sex

Anna Keogh: Sexuality educator who thinks its time we shook off our shame and talked about sex and sexuality.

I think its really important to speak to young people in a language they can understand, so I will be delivering some fun, relevant sex education facts using a fresh format that hopefully Generation Z will find useful, humorous, and informative.

Events like Zeminar are so important so that young people can get some factual information in a world where they have an infinite amount of opinions at their fingertips. Real interaction with experts who have the wellbeing of young people at the forefront of their enterprise is really valuable.

These events are something that you remember as a student. You can have every day in a classroom using the same learning format and none of it can go in, if you are not that type of learner. These events are the places where something sparks. An interest is born. A message received.

I didnt receive much in the way of relationships and sexuality education at all as a teenager so I could have benefitted from having more information on healthy and unhealthy relationships, as well as some factual information with regard to sexual activity. We didnt have a clue, even though we thought we knew everything!

Discovery is half the fun, but it would have been nice to be told that its ok not to know everything.

Embrace your insecurities

Ellen Keane: Paralympic swimming medallist at Rio 2016.

Embrace your insecurities. What makes you different is what makes you remarkable. Use it to make a difference.

As a teenager, I would have liked someone to tell me to stop hiding who you are because that makes you miserable. Zeminar is an opportunity for young people to learn more about mental health from listening to other peoples experiences. This is a chance for me, not only as a person with a disability, but as a person who struggled with their appearance for the majority of their life to share my story about how I overcame this. Its something I couldve done with when I was younger and I hope that I might be able to change at least one persons life.

Young people have so much exposure through media and social media that can impact their perception of what is normal or perfect. It is unrealistic because there is no such thing as perfect. If there is something they cant change about themselves or dont like about themselves, they become insecure. This is what happened to me and the minute I accepted myself for who I was, I became I much happier person.

Tree speech and conspiracy theories

Blindboy Boatclub: Artist and one half of comedy duo The Rubberbandits.

Theres a tree in the Burren, Co Clare, where I go when I feel like I need direction in my life. I shout my worries into the trunk of this tree, until it gives me an answer. It told me I needed to take part in Zeminar. Here I am. Zeminar is important because I can say good words that come out of my mouth. Then the words go into the audiences heads. And they can then ask themselves introspective questions based on the quality of my words.

As a teenager, I would like to have heard Nirvana if Kurt Cobain had never died and all his new songs were about Junior Cert history. The Norman invasion, Silken Thomas, Erskine Childers. That type of stuff.

At Zeminar, Ill be talking mostly 9/11 conspiracy theories.

Teenagers are naturally innovative

Eilis Barrett: Teen author whose second book Genesis, the sequel to Oasis, was published last month.

The minute I heard about Zeminar, I wanted to take part! Its such an exciting concept to me. I love innovators and risk-takers, people who are really living their lives on their terms. Thats the kind of life I want to live, and those are the people I try to surround myself with. I think Zeminars the perfect place to do that, and Im ready to be inspired by everyone attending.

I think teenagers of this generation have a naturally innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, and I love that Zeminar has seen that and responded with a wealth of opportunity. A single word, or a single conversation, or a single person at the right time in your life can inspire you to go after what really matters to you, and end up changing your life for the better. I think Zeminar is where all of those things come together in one place. The catalyst effect of that could be astronomical.

What I heard as a teenager, at least from my family, was that nothing was impossible, and that I have the kind of fight in me that gives me the ability to overcome any obstacle I come across. I think everyone has that fight in them, sometimes they just need to be reminded.

Once you overcome yourself, you can overcome your circumstances. People say that they dont do what theyre really passionate about because they dont have the time, or the money, or they have too many responsibilities. Really, its just because theyre afraid. Once you beat fear you can beat anything else, and thats what I hope to instil in everyone I meet.

Stop judging ourselves

Harry Barry: Doctor with a special interest in anxiety and depression.

Our young people are our greatest asset in Ireland. They are first to admit that mental health challenges are one of the commonest difficulties they face, especially anxiety. I would like to impart some simple skills to deal with anxiety, especially panic attacks which are a major problem for many in this age group. We need to arm our young people with skills to deal with anxiety as they face the challenges of life.

Zeminar is a wonderful event bringing together students, teachers and mentors to provide a wealth of practical information and advice in relation to many areas of their young lives.

I would have liked someone to explain to me at an early age in life just how special and unique we all are and how we should stop judging ourselves and others. The real secret to mental health!

I will, hopefully, be able to impart some practical advice on how best to manage anxiety in the form of panic attacks.
AFTER the rebel surrender in Moore Street, Dublin on 29 April 1916, Volunteer Michael Collins vowed, By Christ, Ill have my revenge for this.

By early 1919, as Irish Volunteers director of intelligence, he  in partnership with Chief of Staff Richard Mulcahy and Dublin Brigadier Dick McKee  were clandestinely preparing for renewed war with the British. This triumvirate envisaged a Volunteers intelligence organisation attacking British agents  especially the detectives of the Dublin Metropolitan Police G Division  in order to provoke the military conflict they regarded as inevitable.

Assisted by G Division moles, such as Ned Broy, Jim Kavanagh, James McNamara and David Neligan, Collins first familiarised himself with the British intelligence system (on which he would model his own intelligence organisation), and then began eliminating its most prominent officers. To decapitate G Division, Collins established in mid-July 1919 an execution squad of full-time Irish Volunteers gunmen from McKees Dublin Brigade.

Located originally in a private house near Amiens Street, the Squad eventually settled in Upper Abbey Street, its secret headquarters disguised as Morelands cabinet-makers, upholsterers and builders. Here the Squad posed as carpenters, though always carrying concealed weapons under their white aprons. On 30 July 1919 they assassinated their first G-man, Patrick Smyth. Dublin Castle finally reacted by suppressing Dail Eireann on 11 September; that same day Collins had the Squad execute G Divisions rising star, Daniel Hoey. Soon afterwards Collins went on the run, the Dail government departments went underground, and the British government suppressed Sinn Fein and the Irish Volunteers. The Viceroy, Lord French, declared: We are really at war now.

Collins and Mulcahy now sent the Irish Volunteers on the offensive. On 19 December the Squad unsuccessfully attempted to kill French at Ashtown railway station. Collins also established a Volunteers General Headquarters (GHQ) Intelligence Department, whose offices, disguised as the Irish Products Company, were located at 3 Crow Street, in the capitals main banking-and-business district, only about 200 yards from Dublin Castle.

Inside, a dozen business-suited, paid, full-time intelligence officers worked under twenty-four-year-old Deputy Director Liam Tobin, a laconic and exceptionally efficient administrator, Assistant Director Tom Cullen, and Deputy Assistant Director Frank Thornton. Coordinating its activities with the Squad, the Intelligence Department monitored British agents and spies, kept records on enemy personnel, liaised with friendly intelligence sources, and deciphered leaked police telegrams. It also identified the living quarters, workplaces, social haunts and modes of transport of enemy personnel, and monitored their telephone, telegraph and postal communications.

Among the sources were policemen, clerks, typists, waiters, hotel porters, bar staff, railway officials and journalists. Collins never visited Crow Street and instead maintained contact through his assistant Joe OReilly, who called twice a day to collect reports and correspondence and deliver Collins instructions and replies. Compared with many modern intelligence agencies with massive headquarters, many employees and huge budgets, Collins organisation was indeed tiny  almost a shoestring operation.

Face of the revolution

A memorial cross to Michael Collins placed at the scene of his death shortly after he was killed in 1922.

By the end of 1919 the Squad had decimated G Division. Three of its nineteen detectives were dead, another permanently disabled, four had retired, two had transferred to ordinary crime, and another three had returned to the uniformed branch. For their protection the survivors retreated into Dublin Castle.

An attempt to rejuvenate G Division by importing District Inspector Redmond from Belfast failed when the Squad killed him on 21 January 1920 near Dublin Castle. On 29 February 1920 the Squad also assassinated Jack Byrnes, a spy being run from London by Sir Basil Thomsons Directorate of Intelligence. However, before his demise Byrnes had achieved for the British the vital intelligence breakthrough of identifying Collins as the mastermind behind the Irish Volunteers war effort, and making him the face of the revolution. Another British effort to infiltrate Collins inner circle foundered in February 1920 when Henry Quinlisk, a former member of Casements Irish Brigade, was executed in Cork. Alan Bell, a former British magistrate who began investigating Collins many secret bank accounts, was dragged off a Dublin tram by the Squad and shot dead on 26 March 1920. Bells assassination was part of an escalating IRA campaign that was to make 1920 the bloodiest year in Ireland since the 1798 Rebellion.

This deteriorating situation compelled Lloyd George to reconstruct his Irish administration in March 1920 with a new Chief Secretary, Sir Hamar Greenwood, and General Officer Commanding General Nevil Macready. Two months later they received a devastating report on the Irish administration by the head of the British civil service, Sir Warren Fisher. Fisher exposed a decrepit regime dominated by a clique of political reactionaries, with the heads of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and Dublin Metropolitan Police hopelessly isolated, living cooped up in the Castle, their forces demoralised and on the defensive. To revitalise the police Macready appointed General Hugh Tudor as chief of police, and Tudor in turn recruited as his director of intelligence Colonel Ormonde Winter, a former artillery-officer colleague.

The new Irish administration was an uneasy balancing act. Whereas Greenwood was a hawk who wanted a military victory over the Irish Volunteers, Fisher had also drafted into Dublin Castle a team of young talented civil servants, such as Under-secretary Sir John Anderson, Lloyd Georges fixer Alfred (Andy) Cope and Mark Sturgis, who envisaged ultimately a negotiated political compromise with Sinn Fein.

Though Macready was a moderate who envisaged the army holding the line while a political compromise was negotiated with Sinn Fein, both Tudor and Winter were a war party intent on reviving RIC morale, rebuilding its intelligence system and grinding down the IRA. They believed only in a political settlement dictated by a victorious British side, and that defeating the IRA was an essential precondition for a durable peace. Tudor declared: This country is ruled by gunmen and they must be put down. In microcosm, this new administration of hawks and doves encapsulated the haphazard nature of British policy in Ireland, a constant fluctuation between repression and conciliation that infuriated many British administrators, policemen and soldiers.

During the summer of 1920 Tudor and an utterly fearless and aggressive Winter took the fight to the IRA, initiating a deadly cycle of assassination and instant retaliation in Ireland. After two policemen were killed in Tuam, County Galway on 20 July, colleagues rampaged through the town threatening to shoot inhabitants, smashing windows, hurling grenades and setting fire to businesses. Although every policeman at Tuam was Irish, many of the killings were attributed to the thousands of former British army officers and soldiers who volunteered for police service in Ireland. Some, quickly nicknamed Black and Tans, filled the depleted ranks of the RIC while others were drafted into the Auxiliary Division of the RIC (Auxies) that was established on 27 July 1920. From the ashes of G Division Winter also started building from scratch a new intelligence apparatus by first recruiting 150 staff.

Even though the well of police intelligence had run dry, Winter and his associates attributed this to the moral deficiencies of an Irish people, of whose history and way of life they knew little. Regarding them as instinctively violent, insatiably greedy, duplicitous and treacherous, a siege mentality was created in Dublin Castle, with Winter declaring that There were spies everywhere and a very large percentage of the population was ready to act as extra eyes and ears for Sinn Fein and for the IRA even if they were not prepared to fight for them. Yet neither the British army nor the police ever established a proper counter-intelligence system.

Coercion and conciliation

Irish soldiers in an armoured car marking the Beal na Blath anniversary in 1924.

Whatever Winters opinions of the Irish, he realised that the British governments muddled and inconsistent policy seriously discouraged informers because, while the IRA was openly at war, the British government peddled a fiction that it was simply suppressing a crime wave through the due process of law. Even then it always acted tardily and usually in response to IRA actions. The Restoration of Order in Ireland Act came almost a year after the shooting war began, and mass arrests, internment, deportations, courts martial, curfews and executions were implemented piecemeal and only as the military situation deteriorated. Furthermore, the British government oscillated constantly between coercion and conciliation, first resisting and then capitulating to hunger strikes, refusing to speak to terrorists and then putting out peace feelers and conducting secret negotiations.

This vacillation only confused and demoralised the army and police, and military intelligence became increasingly exasperated by a policy of stroke and slap. Furthermore, a dual system of army and police intelligence bedevilled the British war effort to the end, preventing unified control at the top and spawning inter-service rivalry.

Determined to turn the tide of the intelligence war, Winter imported English agents who would exert pressure on the Volunteers GHQ and the Dublin Brigade. Having become obsessed with capturing his rival spy chief, he wanted them, metaphorically, to bring him the head of Michael Collins. The quality of these hurriedly trained agents, however, varied enormously, and none was worse than Frank Digby Hardy, a spectacularly corrupt and incompetent common criminal who attempted to worm his way into Collins inner circle. Hardy was quickly rumbled, though, unlike Byrnes and Quinlisk, Collins spared his life; Hardy was more useful instead as a tool in the propaganda war, with newspaper headlines heaping scorn and ridicule on a British intelligence system that would employ such an incorrigible rogue, a system that a G Division detective had once described as the most efficient in the world.

However, a sustained British military build-up and the burgeoning presence of the Auxiliaries and their intelligence agents threatened to turn the tide of war in the capital; by the autumn of 1920 both the Volunteers GHQ and McKees Dublin Brigade were on the defensive. Between July and November 1920 McKees lacklustre leadership meant the Dublin IRA failed to mount one attack on the Auxiliaries or kill a single British soldier. Even the Squad settled for pinpricks, such as hijacking a large consignment on its way to Beggars Bush Barracks.

But Collins eluded Winters efforts to capture him. Despite being the most wanted man in Ireland, Collins, circulated easily among his favourite haunts and Irish government and Volunteers offices, indicative of the collapse of the British intelligence system and the fear or sympathy of Dublin policemen.

Murder by the throat

Emboldened, Lloyd George boasted on 9 November 1920 that he had murder by the throat in Ireland. In response Collins decided to eliminate enemy intelligence agents in one massive swoop, a gamble that required absolute secrecy, meticulous planning and ruthless execution.

Volunteers GHQ intelligence spent six weeks compiling dossiers on the new British spies in Dublin before recommending the assassination of nearly sixty British intelligence officers at twenty locations. Collins decided on a single strike on a single day, one that he delegated to McKees Dublin Brigade, where the detailed planning was undertaken by Sean Russell, commandant of the 2nd Battalion. Russell mobilised the Squad and over a hundred Volunteers. Since British agents  many living undercover in Georgian residences near St Stephens Green  were predominantly nocturnal creatures, Russell decided to strike on a Sunday morning, when people slept late and assassination units were most likely to surprise armed and experienced enemy officers.

Collins was disappointed at the tally of executions on Bloody Sunday, 21 November 1920. Some targets were unexpectedly absent, but other planned actions failed due to the incompetence or lack of enthusiasm of Volunteers. Furthermore, not all of the fifteen British dead and four wounded were intelligence agents, and many agents had escaped or were now on their guard, making a repetition of Bloody Sunday impossible. Even so, the event was a remarkable achievement by Collins and sent a seismic shock wave through the British political system, shaking public faith in the governments Irish policy and forcing Lloyd George to reassess his goals in Ireland. Soon, peace feelers went out to Sinn Fein, making Bloody Sunday the tipping point of the war.

In the short term, however, there was a heightened struggle in Dublin, where constant British searches and dragnets threatened to flush out the Squad. Volunteers GHQ intelligence officers also felt the heat. But the Dublin Brigade could not retaliate effectively since many officers were under arrest and most of its 1,500 Volunteers were in hiding. The brigade was also flat broke. Collins also considered retaliating against the upper reaches of the British political establishment. The assassination of Lloyd George was mooted in the IRA though never sanctioned, while Collins rejected the idea of bombing crowds leaving London theatres.

Despite Bloody Sunday, British intelligence remained optimistic. Using captured IRA papers, the British army rapidly interned over 500 suspects, and by the Truce of July 1921 4,000 men had been incarcerated. At the end of December 1920 Winter took over the Special Branch and became director of intelligence for the Crown forces, but still the British intelligence system remained dysfunctional. Many Special Branch officers resented being subsumed into a larger police organisation, and Macreadys GHQ intelligence section was left untouched, leaving intact an inherently inefficient dual military/police system. Chief Secretary Greenwood was not worried because he thought the war would soon be over, but the need for unified control at Dublin Castle was undeniable. However, the administrative-machines innate conservatism smothered reform.

By the end of 1920 Collins G Division sources had also become wasting assets, especially after Broy was arrested on 17 February 1921. Furthermore, British raiding forced many Volunteers to go on the run following the capture of eight Dail and Volunteers GHQ offices, the Dublin Brigades main weapons workshop, and the Republican Police headquarters. By 1921 the British had also identified nearly every Dublin Brigade officer, many of whom they arrested, imprisoned or interned. By the first week of May 1921, besides those in prison, nineteen IRA brigade commanders, fifty-three brigade staff officers, seventy-seven battalion commanders, 182 battalion staff officers, 1,407 company officers and 1,596 other ranks were interned.

During the early part of 1921 the Dublin struggle intensified, and on 25 May 1921 the Dublin Brigade attacked the Custom House, the administrative heart of the British Civil Service machine. Its four floors contained numerous offices belonging to the Local Government Board and Inland Revenue and over 100 staff. However, Auxiliary parties were in the area and in the ensuing gun battle the IRA suffered severe losses, with five Volunteers dead and eighty captured. Most of the Squad was also apprehended. Although a setback for the IRA, the Custom House operation was, on a smaller scale, as significant as the Vietnam Wars Tet Offensive, a military catastrophe for the US that drained its commitment to an apparently endless war. Just as Tet was quickly followed by the Paris peace negotiations, so the Custom House attack was a prelude to the Truce of 11 July 1921.

Exceeding its limited resources

Michael Collins lying in hospital after being shot dead at Beal na Blath.

Throughout the War of Independence Collins was acutely aware of the struggles unequal nature, with the gap between the resources of the British and Irish so wide that a military victory by the Irish Volunteers was unattainable, and the best that could be hoped for was achieving a dignified British withdrawal. This, Collins believed, could be realised by crippling the British intelligence system and compensating, in large part, for the IRAs military inferiority. Decimating G Division eliminated the best G-men, along with their knowledge, expertise and contacts (forcing Winter to start all over again in 1920), and frightening off informers also stemmed the flow of information to the enemy. Furthermore, the fear inspired by the Squad permeated every branch of the Irish administration, right up to the highest levels in Dublin Castle. The abnormal insecurity in which Collins enveloped the British elite in Ireland, the psychological pressures they suffered, and the transparent nonsense of any British claims about restoring normality undoubtedly contributed to the Truce.

As was the case with G Division itself (which Collins emulated and finally superseded), his organisation far exceeded its limited resources in its power and impact on the enemy. However, he never penetrated the higher echelons of the British political, military and police system in Ireland. IRA agents like Broy and Neligan were junior figures in the bureaucratic hierarchy, whose main value lay in their access to confidential documents and information about colleagues and superiors. As far as we know, Collins never recruited a single important member of the Irish administration  political, military or police. His intelligence system was most useful on the tactical, rather than the strategic, level. Frequently, it enabled him to put the British on the defensive or outwit them either by frustrating their planned operations and raids or facilitating daring Irish operations, such as Bloody Sunday or the attack on the Custom House.

While in purely military power and resources the British were infinitely superior in the intelligence field, the position for most of the war was substantially reversed, significantly neutralising Britains military advantages. That was not in itself a decisive factor in the armed conflict. Indeed, by the time of the Truce of July 1921, the IRA was effectively beaten in Dublin, while in Cork the situation had reached stalemate. But the political and propaganda impact of events like Bloody Sunday in particular, and that of Collins intelligence system in general, had proved enormous. The myth of the omniscience of Collins intelligence system far outstripped the reality, but the myth itself became Collins most powerful political weapon.

The death of Michael Collins: How it happened

While an ambush was in place earlier that day, it had just been stood down in the belief that the convoy would not arrive. What Collins convoy encountered at Beal na Blath was a small group of anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army (IRA) Volunteers sent to clear the road after the ambush party had left the site.

When the lookout saw the approaching convoy, he fired warning shots. The clearing party then opened fire on the convoy, partly to protect the main ambush party en route to Longs public house. After the initial engagement, a number of the Volunteers ran south along the track. On hearing the warning shots, Collins chose to stop and fight, going against the advice of Emmet Dalton; had they driven on they would have been forced to stop anyway due to the convoy ahead having halted, but Collins would have been less exposed.

The anti-Treaty Volunteers continued to move along the track towards Collins, but were pinned down by machine gunfire from the armoured car. The machine gun then jammed, which provided the anti-Treaty force with an opportunity to escape, using the approach to Longs Lane.

Collins moved to the back of the armoured car and then further south to get a better firing position, and stood in the middle of the road, presumably believing the attackers were making their escape up the laneway.

The IRA, knowing how exposed they were, covered the retreat, and it was this action that resulted in the killing of Collins. Smyth, the outrider, having made his way down the full length of the ambush site to attend Collins, was shot in the neck.

[Sources: All relevant published and available unpublished sources were consulted in the preparation of this map, combined with a survey of the site and utilisation of the OSI. Most of the key sources are listed and assessed in D. Lenihan, The Death of Michael Collins: who pulled the trigger?, Feb. 2014]
The problems around the false convictions of 14,700 people on fixed charge notices may be a lot bigger than is being admitted by An Garda Siochana.

Today, the Irish Examiner reveals the details of the case of a man in Co Cork who was incarcerated on foot of a false prosecution. He served time in prison and subsequently emigrated as he had received a five-year driving ban.

Then, last August, he received a letter from Assistant Commissioner Michael Finn setting out that correct procedures were not followed in his conviction.

A question arises as to whether an admission about a procedural fault suffices to address a wrongful incarceration.

The other question that arises is how many others spent time in jail because correct procedures were not followed.

On Monday, this newspaper reported on a case being pursued by Killarney solicitor Padraig OConnell, in which a woman was sent to Limerick Prison for failing to pay a fine. She suffered the ignominy of being taken from her home by gardai, in front of all her neighbours, and spending a few hours in prison.

Now, in the standard letter dispatched to 14,700 people, she has been told that correct procedures were not followed.

The case reported on in todays paper also gives rise to the spectre of people having emigrated as a result of having their licences revoked on a false premise.

It should also be noted that those who may have wished to emigrate during the recession could have found their routes to doing so severely restricted if they were recorded as having a conviction.

When this matter first surfaced last March, An Garda Siochana issued a statement setting out how it proposed to rectify the matter.

We will be writing to all of the people affected and explaining what happened and how we propose to rectify the situation. Any fines imposed will be reimbursed and all records involved will be corrected.

A template letter was subsequently issued. This applied to those who may have wrongfully had a few penalty points imposed on their licence, to those who were hit with a hefty fine, to anybody who was incarcerated as a result of the cock-up.

The letter includes a consent form which recipients are asked to sign in order to allow An Garda Siochana appeal the case to the Circuit Court.

Subject to your consent An Garda Siochana will commence a process of appealing the conviction on your behalf. If you so consent please complete the enclosed form and return it in the prepaid self-addressed envelope provided.

The letter ends with an apology from Assistant Commissioner Michael Finn, who is overseeing the whole process.

I would like to take the opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience caused and we will do everything possible to redress this issue as quickly and efficiently as possible, he says.

No provision is made for cases where the sanction imposed as a result of the cock-up was severe. Instead, everybody is asked to stand back and let the gardai rectify the matter, which, presumably would be done with as little fuss as possible.

This softy-softly approach is also reflected in the recently published internal garda report into the matter.

The report sets out how those affected were dealt with by way of summons and ultimately by the courts which resulted in approximately 14,700 persons receiving convictions and court-imposed penalties including the imposition of penalty points on persons who should correctly have received a Fixed Charge Notice for those offences.

There is no mention of sanctions more punitive than the imposition of penalty points. Yet it is now emerging that there could be an as yet indeterminable number of people who have a major grievance as a result of their conviction.

The approach of the force to rectifying the matter has to be called into question. As one solicitor put it: The attitude seems to be play ball with us and well sort this thing out for you. But what is involved in that? Are they just trying to get the thing done without really looking at what the consequences were?

One thing that cant be sorted out is the turning back of the clock on a spell in prison and all that flows from that. There is also an issue around those who were falsely convicted and found themselves exceeding the 12 penalty points limit and having their licences endorsed. And then there are those who found their insurance premiums hiked as a result of the conviction.

How exactly these people are to be compensated has not been addressed in any form by An Garda Siochana or the State. There is no reference to any of this in the internal report beyond an acknowledgement of the imposition of penalty points.

In Mondays report, solicitor Padraig OConnell that none of his clients have signed the consent forms, presumably on his advice. He has sought legal opinion, and he told reporter Anne Lucey: I have told the Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park that I am suing the State, pursuing a claim for damages in the appropriate cases to include exemplary damages.

Should he or other solicitors pursue actions against the State, it is likely to be costly and long drawn out.

The usual route taken in instances like this has been for a test case to clear a path through the legal system. Everybody, including the State sits tight until a result is forthcoming. And, if such a case is successful, action is finally taken to address the wrongs perpetrated.

Perhaps a more judicious approach would be to examine in detail at an early stage whether or not there may be legitimate claims on the public purse for compensation. It would demonstrate a pro-active approach which would in the long term be more cost-effective, and, if compensation is likely to be an issue, less stressful on those who were wronged.
This module is the only one of the four scheduled which does not deal with allegations concerning the treatment of Sergeant Maurice McCabe.

Instead the focus for the next two to three weeks will be on the treatment of another garda member, Keith Harrison. He turned up at the inquiry yesterday in full uniform and took his place among the suits who occupy the legal benches.

He alleges that he was subjected to some severe treatment, most of which he claims stemmed from reporting malpractice in the force. The tribunal will be examining in particular whether Garda management had any influence in the intervention of the child and family agency Tusla in his domestic circumstances. Tusla intervened following the receipt of an anonymous letter concerning the welfare of Garda Harrisons partner, Marisa Simms.

It might well be surmised that the Harrison case piggybacked on the huge controversy generated last February, following revelations in this newspaper about the false allegation of sexual abuse against Sergeant McCabe, which was generated in Tusla.

In the days after that story broke, Garda Harrisons legal advisers and politicians such as the Labour Partys Alan Kelly lobbied hard to have his case included in the tribunal.

In 2008, Garda Harrison arrested a colleague for drink-driving. Over the following months, he was involved in other incidents which discommoded colleagues, although he acted correctly. He claims that he was a marked man within the force after that. The tribunal will not be examining any of those issues, which would have provided some interesting insights, but is beyond the terms of reference.

Instead, the Harrison story is taken up after he transferred to Donegal in March 2011. The transfer was requested to be near his partner, Ms Simms, but the tribunal saw correspondence yesterday which suggested transfers to two other areas were turned down before the transfer to Donegal. Quite obviously, Garda Harrison felt he couldnt continue on in the midlands under the circumstances.

There was a complication. His partner, Ms Simms, is the sister of Martin McDermott, who was convicted in July 2011 of the manslaughter of 24-year-old Garda Gary McLoughlin in a car ramming incident in December 2009.

McDermotts sister Marisa Simms married Andrew Simms and took her husbands name. They had two children but the relationship had broken down and she was seeing Keith Harrison while he was stationed in the midlands. They knew each other from college.

Keith Harrison was transferred to Buncrana a few months before McDermotts trial. He never revealed his connection during the transfer process. The tribunal heard yesterday that it only came to light following an incident between Ms Simms and her ex-husband in May 2011, to which gardai were called.

Yesterday, retired Sergeant Daniel Devlin, who worked with Harrison in Buncrana, told the tribunal that the new boy did fine in the station for the first few months. He settled in well, Sergeant Devlin said. He was a good worker. Then the incident in May. Once the connection came to light Harrison apologised for not disclosing his connection when he began working there. Some weeks later he was transferred to Donegal town. Chief Superintendent Jim Sheridan told the inquiry yesterday that Garda Harrison had requested that he not be moved outside Donegal.

The following February, Chief Sheridan was informed that an issue had arisen about Garda Harrison. He had been pulled up for accessing the details of his partner on the Pulse system up to 30 times.

Yesterday, Harrisons lawyer told the tribunal that he accepts he accessed the data but did so to check whether other members had accessed her name. He claims he believed both he and she were under surveillance from members of the force at this time.

Another problem arose in Donegal town when it was alleged Garda Harrison was not insured on the vehicle he was driving. Chief Super Sheridan appointed a Superintendent to initiate a disciplinary process about that.

Most of yesterdays proceedings were taken up with those matters that affected Garda Harrison in his first year in Donegal.

The inquiry is expected to hear about the anonymous letter that was sent to the gardai which prompted Tusla to get involved. In 2013, Ms Simms made a statement to gardai about what was alleged to be aggressive and threatening behaviour by Garda Harrison. She later withdrew a complaint about the matter.

Next Monday the tribunal is scheduled to hear from Keith Harrison and Marisa Simms.
Whats scarier? The thought that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un may be able to blow up a major American city with the press of a button, or that US president Donald Trump has full authority to do the same to any place in the world?

Plenty of people think the latter possibility demands a radical rethinking of how the US might go about launching an apocalyptic, or even tactical, nuclear weapon strike.

To get some perspective on the issue, I talked with someone whose entire adult life has been steeped in it: Bruce G. Blair.

Blair is perhaps best known as a co-founder of Global Zero, a non-profit group advocating total abolition of nuclear weapons that has teamed up with not only the expected nonproliferation types but also Republican lions such as former secretaries of state George P. Shultz and James Baker.

But what makes Blair so vital to this debate is that, in the early 1970s, he was an launch-control officer at the Great Plains bases hosting the US Air Forces nuclear-tipped Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles. In other words, an integral cog in the process that could bring about armageddon.

Here is an edited transcript of our discussion:

Tobin Harshaw: Lets briefly discuss the current protocol . How, in a nutshell, would the process work if Trump decided to initiate a strike?

Bruce G. Blair: The protocol calls for the president to be connected to about a dozen top military and civilian advisers, either in person (as in the Situation Room beneath the White House) or by secure phone.

The main talker is the 4-star head of US Strategic Forces, who explains the options (e.g. a nuclear strike plan against N Korea hitting 80 aim points, mostly nuclear forces and associated facilities) and their consequences.

The president may or may not ask others for their advice before picking one. If the conference was prompted by indications of an incoming nuclear attack, then the briefing of the president may not last longer than half a minute, and he may have no more than six minutes to deliberate.

If the question at hand is whether to order a first strike, then the discussions could be drawn out for hours or days.

The Pentagon war room, headed by a 1-star officer (the officer on duty may be a notch lower in rank, as happened on the morning of the 9/11 attacks), is listening during the exchange, and will require the president to provide a valid identification code (the biscuit or Gold Code, which, by the way, several presidents, including Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, have misplaced for significant periods) before formatting and transmitting a launch order (the length of a tweet, containing unlock codes and special authorisation codes strictly in the possession of the military) to the executing submarine, land-based missile or bomber crews.

TH: So there is a level of Pentagon oversight?

BGB:The war rooms job is to quickly execute the presidents order. It only has a couple of minutes to send out the go code.

No one else  not even the US secretary of defence, who is nominally a national command authority along with the president  plays an active role. No one else need approve the order or confirm that it came from the president prior to its dissemination and implementation.

Trumps top advisers may not be in the loop at all. The president decides whom to consult, besides himself. Its all over in minutes. Once the launch order is sent, missiles begin flying out of their silos in the Plains states a minute or two later, and missiles leave their tubes on submarines about 15 minutes later. None can be recalled.

TH: Has this system changed since you were a missileer?

BGB: The protocol has not changed in any major way, but I should mention that all presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan (Kennedy straddled the issue) signed secret instructions delegating nuclear release authority to a raft of generals, in the event of the protocol breaking down under attack.

Whether Trump has signed any such letters of last resort in light of growing tensions with Russia is an open question.

Also, different presidents had different ideas about who in the civilian chain of succession should be given the biscuit. Under Barack Obama, vice president Joe Biden had a military aide who carried around a briefcase (the so-called football) and doubtless also possessed his own biscuit for emergency use.

Carter allowed vice president Walter Mondale to carry a biscuit, but he withheld such codes from all other successors except possibly the US secretary of

defence.

Standard procedure under plans to maintain the continuity of government during a nuclear war also designates a sole survivor from the Cabinet who is protected and equipped to

assume nuclear command if Washington is decapitated.

TH: How did your experience in the missile silos inform your current views and vision of global zero? Were there any close calls in terms of an unintended nuclear war when you were there? Or at other times historically?

BGB: There were myriad risks of nuclear use run every day  risks of unauthorised or accidental use, mistaken launch on false intelligence or warning, and crises that escalate out of control.

Launching on warning that an enemy strike is under way became an acute concern of mine after the US adopted this policy (notwithstanding the governments denials) in the early 1970s, followed by the Soviets in the 1980s.

This posed a serious risk of launch on false warning, which nearly happened a couple of times on both sides.

This policy intensified the protocols deadlines and danger of a hasty launch decision, a fear illustrated by a 1979 false alarm in which Carters national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, was seconds away from waking Carter at 3am to tell him an all-out Soviet attack was underway and an immediate retaliatory decision was needed.

TH: And your experience?

BGB: During my stint, there was one false alarm (in 1973) that put the entire US strategic force on the brink of launch. There were other flabbergasting human mistakes, such as the time that an exercise message calling for a large-scale attack was erroneously retransmitted as an actual launch message.

There are still today hundreds of incidents every year involving US nuclear forces, and now there are nine countries operating nuclear arsenals, and thus nine fallible nuclear monarchs (although Israels leader appears to require approval from the security council to use nukes).

Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping  any of them is perfectly capable making a terribly bad call with nukes. Most of these countries are also far inferior to the US in safety and security standards.

Pakistans weapons, for instance, are accidents waiting to happen. And terrorists are trying to get their hands on them.

I used to devote all my efforts to reducing the risks, for instance by pressing for the elimination of quick-launch procedures, but 10 years ago realised that the risks will remain unacceptably high unless the worlds arsenals are completely eliminated.

I became convinced that if we fail to achieve global zero in our lifetimes, then their use during our lifetime is inevitable. I was not alone in this belief, and quickly enlisted the support of hundreds of world leaders including most of Reagans top security officials to back the movement for Global Zero.

TH: For about the last year, there has been much discussion of putting more safeguards into the process, and even taking away some of the presidents unilateral authority. Do you think its any accident that this conversation started up about the time Donald Trump became a viable presidential candidate?

BGB: Efforts to reform the checklist-driven launch protocol began long ago. (All the nuclear operations from top to bottom of the nuclear chain of command are driven by checklists.)

I and US Senator Sam Nunn and others, decades ago, warned that it allowed too little warning and decision time for any president to reach a rational decision whether and how to use nuclear weapons. The protocol literally railroads him into this when under an apparent attack.

By the same token, it enables the president to railroad the process into executing a decision that may be ill-advised, impetuous, and reckless.

It is true that Trumps candidacy and election threw a spotlight on this particular deficiency and inspired many to seek new ways to strengthen safeguards on nuclear decision-making.

At other times in our history, steps have been quietly taken by insiders to insulate the protocol from rash presidential orders  as when defence secretary James Schlesinger and secretary of state Henry Kissinger instructed the Pentagon war room to check with them first before carrying out any orders from President Richard Nixon.

Now its all out in the open, and a long-overdue debate has begun about the danger of having a nuclear monarch in the Oval Office.

Trump is Exhibit A, because of his character and history. Under the militarys personnel reliability rules, he would never be eligible for access to nuclear weapons if he were subjected to them.

TH: Do you share the concerns that any changes made might unnecessarily tie the hands of more experienced, less mercurial presidents down the road?

BGB: Not at all. All presidents, no matter how calm, rational, and seasoned they may normally seem, have their moments of poor judgment and emotionally charged decision-making, and I cannot think of a situation that cries out more for more consultation and more time and information than one in which the first or second use of nukes is under consideration.

TH: Some alternative proposals, including one in a much-discussed New York Times op-ed article recently, would have US Congress pass a law to ensure that its leaders, as well as perhaps top generals and Pentagon civilians, were part of the decision-making process. But might this be dangerously slow and cumbersome in the event of a clear and present existential threat?

BGB: The established emergency protocol in practice already involves these generals and Pentagon leaders, as well as many other senior officials  even though their participation has not been legislated and could be altered at any time by a sitting president.

Nobody has complained that it is too sluggish or that it even precludes launch- on-warning during the 15- or 30-minute flight times of enemy missiles.

In my view, the entire process needs to be slowed down and made more consensual, especially in the case of an apparent imminent existential threat that may be too easily misinterpreted by one all-powerful person, who may too quickly seize upon nuclear weapons as the solution.

In fact, I have yet to find any such threat that warrants the first use of nuclear weapons in a pre-emptive, much less preventive strike.

No one has ever put forward a persuasive case for using US nukes first in light of the marginal benefits, the alternative non-nuclear means at our disposal, and the large costs and risks that nuclear use would end in large-scale catastrophe for everyone.

In most scenarios, using nukes first also violates the laws of war and the UN charter. The exception that self-defence would necessitate a pre-emptive strike against an enemy committed to attack us is bound to require careful assessment.

We should not want any one person to render this judgment and have the power to enforce it, especially one lacking in experience and knowledge in international security affairs.

TH: If a plan along those lines emerged, whom do you think should be involved in the collective decision?

BGB: The US president and the vice president should approve the second use of nuclear weapons in situations of confirmed nuclear attack against the US.

If the nuclear command and control system collapses under attack and cannot be reconstituted with these authorities in command, then the protocol should allow reliable and fairly rapid devolution down the chain of succession until the next two successors can be installed.

For situations involving first use of US nuclear weapons, a consensus of six individuals should be required  the president, vice-president, speaker of the House, Senate leader (pro tem), national security adviser, and secretary of defence.

The first four in that order represent the legal chain of presidential succession, and involve senior congressional as well as executive branch officials to provide balance and broad political legitimacy.

TH: There is no consensus among experts as to whether such an abrogation of executive power would be constitutional. Indeed, of the two constitutional law professors Bloomberg View has on its columnist roster, Stephen L. Carter of Yale is sceptical that it would pass muster, while Noah Feldman of Harvard tells methat it is well within US Congresss authority to regulate the use of force. I know youre not a law professor, but as both a nonproliferation expert and former officer who swore an oath to the commander in chief, how do you see it?

BGB: I and all US military officers swore an oath to defend the US Constitution. Perhaps because this document stipulates in Article 2 that the president is the commander in chief of the armed forces, the oath implies fealty to the president.

But the oath certainly explicitly refers to the Constitution, which in turn gives Congress

(Article 1) the right to declare war. I will let the lawyers brawl over whether strengthening safeguards on nuclear decision-making runs afoul of the Constitution.

I would never today swear an oath to obey the nuclear orders of this president unless he were subject to firm checks and balances. Trump is unfit to be commander in chief and he himself poses a clear and present existential threat to the Republic.

TH: There have been problems at the Great Plains bases that host the nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles, including officers cheating on proficiency tests, a nuclear-tipped cruise missile accidentally loaded onto a B-52 flying from North Dakota to Louisiana, and reports that the three bases were forced to share a single wrench necessary to attach a warhead. What needs to be done?

BGB: Things had gotten really bad. I keep in touch with launch officers who recently served, and am told that life and work are better  less micromanagement, relief from testing hell, cleaned-up facilities, better equipment, etc.

And sense of mission has increased in view of deteriorating relations with Russia and loggerheads with North Korea.

Nuclear war is back in the air after nearly three decades, and senior officials are showing their nuclear bare knuckles.

Notwithstanding the image painted by Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis of the missile forces sponging up enemy warheads (not a mission anyone can lovingly embrace), this newfound attention boosts the crews morale, even if it represents a setback in reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in international relations.

Still, the forces are aging and the Air Force will never value the missile crews the way it reveres airplanes.

The sacred cows in the Air Force today are the new bomber, new tanker, and new fighter.

Silo-based missiles may get a reprieve for a while but they are on the chopping block and no one entering the Air Force can imagine a strong career in missiles for the next 30 years.

This is not a recipe for sustaining high morale. Its no wonder that the vast majority of missile launch officers are drafted involuntarily into the assignment.

TH: Barack Obama won a Nobel Prize for his work on your shared vision of a world without nuclear arms. Not only didnt he make much progress over eight years, he approved a modernisation of the US arsenal that could cost up to $1trn. Do you feel let down by his legacy?

BGB: Obama nailed the vision and the oratory, but he failed to give marching orders to his bureaucracy to devise a serious plan leading to the elimination of nuclear weapons.

So of course the bureaucrats did what they do best: Turn good proposals into mush and preserve the status quo at all costs.

Obamas lack of strong governance in this arena is illustrated by his 2013 nuclear-employment guidance, which missed the boat for eliminating launch-on-warning, rejecting the first use of nuclear weapons, and abjuring the war-fighting strategy that continues today to dominate the work of US targeteers.

In fact, the guidance boosted the aim of destroying the nuclear forces of Russia, China, and North Korea in wartime. Barack Obamas policies have done nothing to strengthen strategic stability.

He would have pursued further cuts in US and Russian arsenals, however, if only his counterpart had been more co-operative. He was on the right track in this sense.

As for the trillion dollars, the amount itself is not so important - it represents 4% of the current US stock market capitalisation  as the misallocation it represents.

We should be eliminating the use or lose land-based missile force which must be launched first or quickly on warning to survive. We dont need this leg of the triad.

The US Trident submarine force alone can cover all the core deterrence aimpoints of leadership and economic targets in Russia and China combined.

The land missile force adds a few hundred weapons to the game of war-fighting. Its funding should be redirected into nuclear command, control, and communications.

This system remains vulnerable and prone to collapse under the weight of even small attacks, and is increasingly infected with malware that could derange its performance and cause a mistaken launch.

This vulnerability is one key reason the protocol for nuclear decision-making drives a president to acquiesce to the imperative of speed in authorising release. It is a deficiency that limits our options for strengthening checks and balances on nuclear decision-making.
I DONT have a long bucket list. But one of the things on it has always been to be invited to speak at a literary lunch. Not too many people (apart from me, that is!) would put my name and high literature in the same sentence. But hey, a man can dream, right?

Anyway, Ive made it. Last Saturday I spoke to an enthralled audience of what looked to me like deeply intellectual and charming people, at the first literary lunch Ive ever been asked to speak at. (If you end a sentence with a preposition, does that disqualify you from the use of the term literature?) Held them in the palms of my hands, I did.

Well, maybe it wasnt me (if Im being honest!). I wasnt even asked to do anything particularly literary  just to talk about some of my favourite books, which always

include biographies, thrillers, and (surprise surprise) some books about politics. The real literature came from Eithne Hand, who introduced and read some inspiring poetry (some of which was also very funny), and from the novelist Mike McCormack.

To my shame, I havent read McCormacks work. After listening to him read a really moving and funny few pages from his novel Solar Bones, I set about rectifying the omission over the weekend. You have to just go and get it, dear reader  I cant begin to describe it. Ive never read anything before that is both measured and breathless, hilarious and sad, all at the same time.

Incidentally, one of my favourite political thrillers, which was on the list I brought with me to Portumna, is The Manchurian Candidate. Written in the late 1950s, its based on the absurd premise that the Russians and the Chinese conspire to have their man elected as president of the US.

They pick someone (a blowhard, lying, unpleasant Republican), give him an evil genius to manage him, and set about creating the circumstances through which he will be propelled into office. Crazy, isnt it? Youd really have to wonder how author Richard Condon got that idea past the publishers.

But the real point of mentioning all this isnt to write about my literary genius (and I beg you to keep your comments to a minimum). Its to write about one of the things that never ceases to amaze me  the drive and the creativity of people living and working in rural Ireland; especially  if a departure from gender neutrality can be permitted for a moment  the women.

The Shorelines Art Festival in Portumna is in its tenth year. Started as a tiny voluntary festival, it has grown to the point where it represents a full years work for people who are still volunteers, and also to the point where it fills the entire town, for one weekend, with art, drama, literature, music, and film. All over the weekend people were wandering from one exciting event to another.

A lot were fetching up in a building that used to be a workhouse. It is perhaps the last surviving workhouse in Ireland, in the sense that all its buildings are intact. Its atmosphere is compelling  despite the welcome you get there now, theres a chill of history and sadness in the air. It ought (but it isnt) to be a central facet of public policy that places like the workhouse in Portumna are properly supported to ensure that they stand forever as testament to the sad and futile dreams of the past.

All along the road to Portumna, of course, and all the way back to Dublin, there were thousands of other signs of what turned out to be sad and futile dreams. On every pole and strung across every bridge were hung dozens of green and red flags to cheer the Mayo supporters on their way to Dublin. It must have been an exciting journey up to Dublin  and a pretty sad journey home. (Portumna itself was of course bedecked in the maroon and white of Galway  no futile dreams there!) But heres the thing.

Theres huge slog in putting on a festival  reams of paperwork, management, and administration. Even securing small grants from bodies such as the Arts Council demand a lot of accountability  depressing work if youre a volunteer. Endless hours are put into developing a programme, getting venues and kitting them out, securing artists and speakers, making sure theres something for everyone in the audience.

The payoff is a town thats alive and full of colour and fun, thats capable of showing what it can do. Festivals like these show Ireland, and especially small-town Ireland, at its best. But they depend entirely on people being willing to give up winter evenings, sit on committees, foster relationships and iron out problems  always working on a shoestring.

Women such as Noelle, Margaret, Dolores, and many others (they know who they are, as the saying goes) deserve a huge vote of thanks.

There are women like that in every town in Ireland, of course. The rest of us might grumble about the poor roads, the lack of broadband, the fact that the economics of the town were so badly hit during the recession.

Women like that just get on with the job. They might have nothing in common except the sense that art and colour can show how alive a town really is, but thats enough for them.

Ive written about this before. There was a time when I was pretty sure that rural Ireland was dying. You would visit towns such as Ballydehob in West Cork, or Boyle in Roscommon, and see the holes in the wall where ATMs used to be.

Or youd notice that some of the staples of living in a rural town were gone. The chemist shop had disappeared, there was no hairdressers salon, even the pubs werent open every night. And of course towns like this were (still are) way down the list when it comes to investing in industrial development, new schools, housing, and broadband.

But wherever you go in Ireland, all the signs are that rural Ireland, if not thriving yet, is alive and well and fighting back. Festivals are a big part of it. But a huge part of it is women who wont take no for an answer. Women who get things done.

This week, of course, the biggest of them all  the Ploughing match  will draw tens of thousands of people to a field near Tullamore. The event has been run for more than 40 years, and developed into a world-class event, by a woman (of course!) Anna May McHugh.

Its often the thing less noticed, mind you. You tend to see mostly men at the opening ceremonies, or on the reviewing stands. There is an age-old tradition in Ireland that women are in the background making sandwiches and tea.

Apart from the intrinsic injustice of that, its another way of selling ourselves short. The levels of skill, focus, and sheer hard work that Ive met in groups of women all around Ireland are a resource that only stupid people dont want to tap into. Theyre the real leaders. The rest of us should be making the sandwiches.
The decision yesterday, after 25 trial adjournments and many interventions to acquit him, is welcome. He was arrested, along with his sisters  Somaia, Fatima, and Omaima  on August 17, 2013, and hundreds of others in Cairo during protests against the military coup against then-president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Ibrahim was 17 in 2013. His sisters were soon released and he is expected to be released within days.

It would be dishonest and dangerous to say the welcome his release provokes is equivocal. His association with the Muslim Brotherhood must colour it. That organisations long-standing objectives are diametrically opposed to the tolerance and inclusivity this society expects and cherishes.
The good news: More organizations are using threat intelligence to detect and then mitigate potential cybersecurity incidents.

The bad news: There is so much threat data being generated and so few skilled security personnel to address these concerns that the overall effectiveness of threat intelligence is diminished.

This good news/bad news paradox is among the findings of a new study from Anomali and the Ponemon Institute. The Value of Threat Intelligence: The Second Annual Study of North American and United Kingdom Companies found that 80 percent of North American organizations are currently using threat intelligence as a part of their cybersecurity program, up from 65 percent in 2016, but 69 percent of respondents indicated that threat intelligence is too voluminous and complex to provide actionable intelligence. This led Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute, to say in a formal statement:

Its abundantly clear that organizations now understand the benefits provided by threat intelligence, but the overwhelming volume of threat data continues to pose a hurdle to truly effective adoption. Threat intelligence programs are often challenging to implement, but when done right, they are a critical element in an organizations security program.

In that same statement, Hugh Njemanze, CEO of Anomali, added that organizations need to improve their ability to quickly pinpoint active threats and mitigate them before material damage occurs.

One way to do that is by having more skilled staff on hand who are prepared to understand the threat intelligence gathered and to actively work on solutions to address the problems. Yes, I know the stories about the security skills shortage. Ive written about the security skills shortage. However, the security help that you need might be lurking within your organization already. An (ISC) study found that companies arent doing enough to empower the employees inhouse to gain security skills needed or to train security advocates throughout different departments to be able to recognize and prevent security threats. According to the report, IT professionals, in particular, are underutilized in the battle against cybersecurity threats. After all, IT staff are the ones already working with the infrastructure and have a better understanding of the organizations mission than other employees, and many already do frontline cybersecurity defense or mitigation as part of their regular duties. At the same time, we should also recognize the talents of other, non-technical professionals who may be more adept at people-reading skills who could play a role to stop social-engineered threats. As (ISC) CEO David Shearer pointed out in a formal statement:

Our findings suggest too many organizations overlook a tremendous pool of cybersecurity talent already on staff and intimately familiar with their infrastructure and processes. The quickest way for many organizations to bolster their cyber defense is through continuous security education and empowerment of their IT team. Security is a shared responsibility across any enterprise or government agency. Unless IT is adequately trained and enabled to apply best practices across all systems, even the best security plan is vulnerable to failure.

Sue Marquette Poremba has been writing about network security since 2008. In addition to her coverage of security issues for IT Business Edge, her security articles have been published at various sites such as Forbes, Midsize Insider and Toms Guide. You can reach Sue via Twitter: @sueporemba
I had a nice chat with HPs Security Advisory Board at HP Reinvent and it got me thinking about why, on PC and printer security, the firm seems to understand the problem and address it better than most. Part of it is that HP, of all the vendors, was hit the hardest with a security problem some time ago when the then combined companys board didnt understand that pretexting was a synonym for identity theft and authorized an action against reporters that cost most of the board, and several HP employees, their jobs, not to mention a ton of avoidable bad press.

I still think back on this and think the cause was that a bunch of folks didnt really want to look stupid by asking what pretexting was. This stands as a shining example that, if you dont know what a word means, it is better to look stupid than to make this kind of mistake.

I think, partially because of this, HP really seems to grasp that security is important (since Ive been personally hurt by leaks, preventing them has become somewhat of a passion), and not from an abstract layered tech perspective, but as a fundamental foundation to good governance. As a result, particularly when it comes to printers, HP is arguably the most secure vendor on the planet.

Lets talk about security in the shadow of the Equifax breach.

The Basics

Ive run security units on and off for many decades and was even in law enforcement for a time. I tend to take security seriously and I even had breach team that used to test that security for a time. Some of the biggest problems, then and now, didnt have to do with state-level, high-tech attacks but with simple, easy to do, phishing attacks on line workers or executives. It is how I breached security, it is believed this is how both the DNC and RNC were breached last election, and it was what the old HP got caught doing when it attempted to get reporter phone records.

It really doesnt matter how much security technology you buy; if you cant keep employees and particularly executives, from doing stupid stuff, you are still screwed.

HP and the Basics

HP is the only company aggressively pushing privacy screens. I was sitting next to a guy on the plane this week; he was doing a spreadsheet on his public firms financials. This is protected information that, were I so inclined, I could have used to do trades (since I have no desire to stay for any time in a federal facility, I chose to watch a movie rather than read what he was doing). But people email about unannounced products, email about pending acquisitions, and do confidential reports on planes where folks next to them and even behind then can quietly read their screens. Yet privacy screens, for most companies and vendors, remain the exception rather than the rule. To me, this is no different from allowing common passwords like Password and 1234 to be used.

HP pushes privacy screens hard and its commercial offerings generally come with a privacy screen option attractively priced into the mix. But the thing that recently made HP stand out was when Intel was asked which of the OEMs was the most focused on security. It pointed to HP. Ive covered Intel for decades and typically both that company and Microsoft play Switzerland and dont name any of the OEMs as better; they love everyone even though I know, inside, both have OEMs they really like and those they really hate (sometimes they have some nasty nicknames for CEOs on the hate side).

Wrapping Up: The Importance of the Basics

As I mentioned to HPs unique Security Advisory Board, it bothers me a great deal that while threats have increased, the same basic problems that I wrote up and reported in the 1980s remain prevalent. I was pleased that at least HP seems to get that the foundational elements of security, like protecting the networked peripherals (printers) and driving privacy screens, are important, but I remain concerned that this still largely remains the exception rather than the rule in the market even though each breach, like the one at Equifax, seems to set a new bad record.

With things getting worse, it was nice to know that HP, at least, seems to get security and give it the focus it must have if we are to remain safe.

Rob Enderle is President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, a forward-looking emerging technology advisory firm. With over 30 years experience in emerging technologies, he has provided regional and global companies with guidance in how to better target customer needs; create new business opportunities; anticipate technology changes; select vendors and products; and present their products in the best possible light. Rob covers the technology industry broadly. Before founding the Enderle Group, Rob was the Senior Research Fellow for Forrester Research and the Giga Information Group, and held senior positions at IBM and ROLM. Follow Rob on Twitter @enderle, on Facebook and on Google+
Moto G4 Plus owners are in for some great news as Motorola has finally reconsidered its decision to release Android 8.0 Oreo update for the flagship handset. The company has done a U-turn to honor its promise, after drawing severe criticism from top publications like Android Police over its inadequate software support.

Here is that Motorola had to say in an official statement in response to the tech publication's recent report:

"It's been brought to our attention that there were some errors in our marketing materials around Android O upgrades for Moto G4 Plus. This was an oversight on our part and we apologize for this miscommunication. It's our general practice for the Moto G family to get one major OS upgrade per device, but it's important to us we keep our promises, so in addition to the N upgrade it has already received, we will be upgrading Moto G4 Plus to Android O. Because this is an unplanned upgrade, it will take some time to fit it into our upgrade schedule. Watch our software upgrade page for more information."

Motorola's decision to reconsider its promise comes as a compensation for its oversight and mistake in the published content used in marketing materials. The company, however, has not been so generous with the standard G4 model and G4 Play, as they are not destined to receive any Oreo update.

The official statement clearly specifies the company guidelines to rollout just one major update for the Moto G family in line with its tradition. However, given the power-packed features of the Moto G4, it seems the potential of these devices are underutilized.

Despite the Moto G series being marketed in the mid-range segment, one cannot really undermine the potential of a G4 device which is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 625 processor clocked at 2.0GHz and paired with 4GB of RAM. So, it's a bit of a letdown for the users of regular Moto G4 variant as they won't be getting any official Oreo update.

Although the official Android Oreo update seems like some consolation for the Moto G4 Plus owners, they still have the better option of flashing the LineageOS Oreo ROM instead of waiting for several more months for the official release.
I am a retired newspaperman. I am 69 and live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 45 years, Lou Ann. We grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.

More on who I am is here.

Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com
BRITAIN'S Got Talent winner, Lance Corporal Richard Jones, will be bringing his Power of Imagination tour to the Isle of Wight.

The magician will take to the stage at Medina Theatre, in Newport, on Thursday, November 16.
As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles.

Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience  the local community.

It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.

Close
Sept. 17

James V. Bingham, 51, of Elko was arrested at the Scoreboard casino for possession of a controlled substance and throwing a substance at a vehicle. Bail: $5,640

------

Carlos Carrillo-Perez, 21, of West Wendover was arrested on U.S. Highway 93A for open container of alcohol in a vehicle, failure to yield from private way, and DUI. Bail: $1,655

------

Blake E. Evans, 31, of Elko was arrested on Mountain City Highway for DUI and failure to decrease speed or use due care. Bail: $1,255

------

Justin B. Hunt, 30, of Tooele, Utah, was arrested on Interstate 80 for DUI. Bail: $1,050

------

Colleen N. Hustead, 49, of Carlin was arrested at 310 Cedar St. for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $1,350

------

Daniel F. Ortega, 37, of Elko was arrested at Fifth and Commercial streets for headlamps not illuminated when required, operating a vehicle with expired registration or plates, and driving with a suspended license. Bail: $665

------

Corey J. Shinn, 26, of Elko was arrested at 140  Court St. for DUI. Bail: $1,140

------

Samual E. Soto, 21, of Owyhee was arrested on Mountain City Highway for DUI. Bail: $1,140

------

Mario T. Valencia, 66, of Ogden, Utah was arrested at 101 Wendover Blvd. for two counts of failure to appear after a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $1,494
By continuing to browse or by clicking "Accept," you agree to our site's privacy policy.
SPRING CREEK  Residents can comment about utilities including telephone, water and internet at a consumer session with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada on Wednesday.

The 6 p.m. meeting at the Spring Creek High School gym allows Elko County residents to provide input about any topic concerning utilities regulated by the PUCN, including Frontier Communications, Great Basin Water Co., NV Energy, Southwest Gas, and some telecommunication, railroad and water companies.

PUCN commissioners visited Spring Creek in April at a special meeting to hear water customers complaints about meter-reading issues and overcharging. A decision on customer reimbursements could be made Sept. 19, as the PUCN will consider whether to grant or deny a GBWC petition that states its resolution of meter-reading issues was consistent with its tariff. The PUCNs draft order denies that petition.

This summer, the Spring Creek Association board of directors gave President Jessie Bahr the go-ahead to resolve residents problems with Frontier Communications internet and phone service.

Receiving consumer input from Elko County, including the growing communities of Elko and Spring Creek, is important to the Public Utilities Commission, said PUCN Chairman Joe Reynolds.

Reynolds explained that in the 2017 legislative session, there was interest in conducting a general consumer session in Elko County.

Assembly Bill 109 would have mandated a session in Elko County, the fifth-largest county in the state. Currently, the sessions are held in the first and second most populated counties: Clark and Washoe.

Although the bill did not pass, Reynolds said, The commission supports the idea of fostering greater input from Elko County residents and welcomes the opportunity to conduct a meeting in Spring Creek this year.

Bahr said getting resolution on these issues was not going to be a quick process but stressed that it was important to continue to push forward to get to the resolution.

It is frustrating, Bahr said about the lengthy process, but things are working on the back end where it isnt always seen.

The recent action toward Frontier is a conversation that needs to start happening, Bahr said because of residents and business owners reliance on internet and phone service every day.

Representatives from the PUCN, Nevada Attorney Generals Bureau of Consumer Protection and the utilities will be attending.

Public comment may be limited to three minutes per speaker. Individuals with questions regarding the consumer session may contact the PUCN at 775-684-6101.

The public notice for the consumer session can be found on the PUCNs website at puc.nv.gov. Go to Popular Links on the homepage and select Consumer Sessions.
Kimpton halts plans for second Charlotte hotel

Kimpton Hotels said Monday that its not moving forward with the upscale brands planned second hotel in Charlotte, which would have been in Dilworth.

The Charlotte Observed reported that the opening for Kimptons uptown hotel, a 217-room glass tower next to Romare Bearden Park, is fast approaching.

But the second site, at the corner of East Worthington and Cleveland avenues, is still sitting vacant. The Dilworth hotel was planned to be a six-story, 128-room property.

The owners of the Kimpton Dilworth Hotel project have decided not to proceed with building the hotel, Kimpton said, referring further questions to developer Catellus Group. It bought the property for $2.5 million in 2014.

Kimpton opened its first North Carolina property, with 174 rooms and suites, in the historic former R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. headquarters in downtown Winston-Salem.

N.C. gains $749,225 grant to aid exports

North Carolina has received a $749,225 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration to support export growth by small businesses in the state.

Anthony Copeland, the states Commerce secretary, said North Carolina reported $30 billion in exports in 2016.

The grant was authorized by the federal Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, under the State Trade Expansion Program.

North Carolinas STEP program has assisted small businesses more than 900 times since 2011, resulting in more than $400 million in reported sales. These new exports will help create or support new jobs for the years ahead.

The grant will be used to continue and expand an export assistance initiative called N.C. Passport to Export, managed by the International Trade Division of the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. For more information, call Mike Hubbard, the divisions director, at 919-447-7757.

Richard Craver

Toys R Us may soon file for bankruptcy

Toys R Us may soon be filing for bankruptcy, Bloomberg reports. The big box toy store has three different owners and has struggled to compete in the era of online shopping and tablet games. Toys R Us has remaining debt from its 2005 buyout, a $7.5 million deal involving Bain Capital, KKR & Co. and Vornado Realty Trust.Filing for bankruptcy would allow Toys R Us to restructure $400 million in debt that comes due next year, potentially letting the chain rebuild as a leaner organization.

The retailer has hired a claims agent, which typically helps with administering such a process, people with knowledge of the situation told Bloomberg last week.

The store has also struggled because it doesnt offer discounts as deep as some other retailers, like Target and Wal-Mart, which is the countrys No. 1 toy retailer. Amazon comes in second.

The bankruptcy filing does not guarantee that Toys R Us stores will close, CNBC reported, noting the bankruptcy plan was not definite. It could actually help toy companies like Hasbro and Mattel understand the viability of the company and make sure there is enough stock on the shelves ahead of the busy holiday shopping season.
SPRING CREEK  Water customers in Spring Creek could receive some money back from Great Basin Water Co. for meter reading issues if the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada approves a proposed order.

In a draft order, the PUCN orders GBWC to re-price customers water consumption from January to October 2016 at a discounted rate of $3.47 per 1,000 gallons.

The proposed order, available on the commissions website, is on a special agenda for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, to be formally granted or denied by the PUCN. It will be streamed live online.

The draft order denies GBWCs petition, Docket No. 16-12006, filed last year with the PUCN declaring that resolutions of issues related to the 2016 meter reading problems in its Spring Creek division is consistent with its tariff.

More than 2,400 customers were affected, according to the PUCN staff, who recommended that the commission find that the billing issues in Spring Creek were widespread and any refund amount should be calculated and potentially refunded to every Spring Creek customer, not only those customers originally identified by the utility.

Using the Tier 1 method rate, staff said the method will capture all potentially incorrect bills for the entire year.

The special agenda meeting Tuesday could help Spring Creek water consumers ongoing struggle with GBWC, formerly Utilities Inc., regarding fluctuating water usage and inconsistent billing.

In April, a special meeting of the PUCN, GBWC and representatives of the Attorney Generals Bureau of Consumer Protection allowed Spring Creek customers to share complaints and frustrations.

Residents stories of high water usage during winter months, bills totaling hundreds of dollars, and customer service representatives dismissing concerns took up most of the two-hour meeting.

In its draft order, the PUCN cites several failures of the GBWC in resolving the issue with customers involving use of meter data that was incorrect. The commission also states the companys investigation into the problem was inadequate because it focused on the GBWCs theory that the incorrect readings were because of a single employee.

The commission states in the draft order that GBWC also failed to observe prudent utility practices in the administration of meter reading because the company sent out bills that it knew or should have known to be inaccurate.

Pointing to customer relations with the Spring Creek division, the commission states the GBWC failed to communicate  in a responsible manner and took the company to task for their response to consumers who complained about high water bills.

When consumers file a complaint with GBWC regarding their usage, GBWC should take time to thoroughly investigate their concerns, the draft order states, not just tell them the bill is high due to a leak.

To watch the hearing on live stream, go to the commissions website at http://puc/nv/gov.

When consumers file a complaint with GBWC regarding their usage, GBWC should take time to thoroughly investigate their concerns, not just tell them the bill is high due to a leak.
Good for a three-judge panel that has delayed a new state law that would shift power from the state school board to the state school superintendent. Lawyers for the board now have more time to convince the state Supreme Court that the law is an unjustified power grab.

By the terms of the state constitution, the state school board has enjoyed strong power. The GOP-dominated legislature never tried to change that when Democrat June Atkinson was the state superintendent. But when she lost her post in last falls election to Republican Mark Johnson of Winston-Salem, the legislature pushed through a bill that outgoing Gov. Pat McCrory signed that would give more power to the state superintendent.

The Associated Press reported last week that the panel gave lawyers for the State Board of Education until Oct. 16 to make their case that the law is unconstitutional. The AP also noted that the same three judges ruled in July that the law was valid.

We hope the state Supreme Court will strike down the law.

The state school board that is GOP-dominated should retain its power. As weve said on this page, After serving only two years on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board, Johnson, a lawyer and former teacher, ran for state superintendent and won. Hes a hard worker. But no superintendent should be given this unchecked power, especially one with this little experience and especially not for partisan motives.

Johnsons lawyer is fighting the delay. But the state school boards attorney, according to the AP, argues that the risk of disrupting operations at the core of the states education system before the state Supreme Court ultimately decides the case is too great.

Lets do this calmly, slowly and give the appellate courts a chance to rule and make the final resolution of this issue, the attorney, Andrew Erteschik, said. In a case of this size and magnitude, a well, lets just see what happens approach is not whats best for our 1.5 million school children.

The high court should strike down this law.
UCOM HAS INTRODUCED FUTURE NETWORK WI-FI 6E ROUTERS

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

Google Ad

Todays Shushi, Occupied and Cleared of Armenians, is a Real Example of Turkish-Azerbaijani Policy of Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh

Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom

Sweden will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

Google Ad

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

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
The Moscow Meshchansky court rejected a lawsuit [Moscow Times report] Monday filed by a relative of Raoul Wallenberg, seeking to access uncensored documents concerning Wallenbergs death in Soviet captivity.

Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat who is said to have rescued thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II. Soviet forces captured Wallenberg in 1945 for espionage and placed him in KGBs Lubyanka Prison. The USSR released a document in 1954 saying Wallenberg died in the Lubyanka Prison of heart failure in 1947.

The actual cause of Wallenbergs death is still speculative. Wallenbergs niece, Marie Dupuy filed the lawsuit against [AP report] KGB successor, the Federal Security Service, requesting documents that would shed light on the circumstances surrounding his death. Ivan Pavlov, the lawyer representing the family, said Russian authorities have been repeatedly declining to provide Wallenbergs relatives with documents, which could clarify his fate [RAPSI report]. The court rejected the lawsuit, stating that the documents could not be released [Reuters report] because they also contained personal information about other individuals.
The US Senate [official website] on Monday voted 89-8 [roll call] to approve HR 2810 [text, PDF], a $700 billion defense bill, authorizing support for defense programs and combat operations at home and overseas.

Among other things, the bill authorizes appropriations to the Department of Defense [official website] for: 1) procurement, including aircraft, missiles, weapons and tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, and space procurement, 2) research, development, test, and evaluation; 3) operation and maintenance; 4) working capital needs 5) the Joint Urgent Operational Needs Fund; 6) chemical agents and munitions destruction; 7) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities; 8) the Defense Inspector General; (9) the Defense Health Program; 10) the Armed Forces Retirement Home; 11) overseas contingency operations; and 12) military construction.

Additionally, the bill authorizes increased personnel strength for active duty and reserve forces for fiscal year 2018, formulates policies concerning compensation and other personnel benefits, and includes provisions banning contract awards to specific contractors such as the Russian firm, Kaspersky Labs [corporate website].

While the bill left unresolved [WP report] many open controversial issues, it received overwhelming bipartisan support. US Senator John McCain [official website] expressed his personal support for the bill stating:
Outgoing Syria war crimes investigator Carla Del Ponte said on Monday she had quit her post out of frustration over "total impunity", in a fiery farewell speech.

Del Ponte, an accomplished war crimes prosecutor, announced last month that she was leaving the Commission of Inquiry (COI) for Syria, a UN-backed panel that has collected evidence of alleged atrocities committed in the country since the outbreak of civil war in 2011.

"I resign to put an end to my frustration," Del Ponte told the Human Rights Council, after the COI presented its latest report.

"Seven years of crimes in Syria and total impunity. That is not acceptable".

Del Ponte, a Swiss national, worked on the international tribunals that prosecuted war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

She said that when she joined the COI she did not anticipate that the international community would fail to set up a court capable of trying crimes committed in Syria.

The commission has repeatedly urged the United Nations Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court, an effort that has been blocked by the Damascus regime's ally Russia.

"Why is it not possible to have a tribunal?" Del Ponte asked, addressing some of her farewell remarks directly at Syria's UN ambassador Hussam Edin Aala.

The COI has accused all sides -- including the government and rebels -- of committing war crimes in Syria.

Its most recent report, submitted to the rights council on Monday, charged Damascus with carrying out a chemical attack which killed dozens of people in Khan Sheikhun in April.

A new UN body -- called the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism -- has recently started work in Geneva with a mandate to prepare cases against specific individuals.

Del Ponte called that effort "a little step towards justice".

But the mechanism's chief, Catherine Marchi-Uhel of France, cautioned earlier this month that her office was not a court and had no power to bring international charges.
The Myanmar governments policy options for troubled Rakhine state are a choice between an army strategy focused on the 1982 Citizenship Law or implementing recommendations in the final report by the Annan commission.

The coordinated attacks by extremists on 30 police posts and a Tatmadaw (army) camp in northern Rakhine in the early hours of August 25 came as no surprise to many political observers and conflict analysts.

The attacks, which initially claimed the lives of 10 policemen, a soldier and two government officials, and also left dozens of extremists dead, followed a disturbing rise in tensions in northern Rakhine.

The escalation was expected because the Rakhine problem was not being handled with the right policy.

The Tatmadaw and the National League for Democracy government have different policies on northern Rakhine State. The Tatmadaw is advocating a security response and the rigorous application of the controversial 1982 Citizenship Law; the governments approach is based on the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State. In its final report last week, the commission, appointed by the government in August 2016 and headed by former United Nations secretary-general Mr Kofi Annan, urged a review of the citizenship law and freedom of movement for all people in Rakhine.

In the aftermath of the latest attacks, the Tatmadaw has called for President U Htin Kyaw to convene a meeting of the 11-member National Defence and Security Council. The Tatmadaw wants the NSDC, on which it controls six seats, to exercise its authority to declare a state of emergency in northern Rakhine and place the area under martial law.

Citizenship law not effective

As well as martial law powers, the Tatmadaws policy for Rakhine, as occasionally outlined by Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, calls for the application of the 1982 Citizenship Law, under which eligible residents can become naturalised citizens. The military says those who do not meet the criteria for citizenship should be declared illegal immigrants and detained in camps.

The 1982 Citizenship Law, enacted during the Ne Win dictatorship, provides for three categories of citizenship  full, associate and naturalised citizens. The law recognises as full citizens the descendants of residents who lived in Myanmar before 1823 or those born to parents who were citizens. Associate citizens are those who acquired citizenship under the 1948 Union Citizenship Law, and naturalised citizens are those who lived in the country before independence on January 4, 1948 and who applied for citizenship after 1982. One of the obstacles to citizenship for those who identify as Rohingya is that their community is not among the countrys 135 officially recognised ethnic groups considered indigenous and therefore eligible for full citizenship.

If the citizenship law was applied to Muslims living in northern Rakhines Maungdaw Township, the vast majority could face the prospect of being declared illegal immigrants and sent to refugee camps. They would likely share the same fate of the estimated 100,000 Muslims who have been held in camps for the internally displaced in and around the state capital Sittwe since the state was wracked by communal violence in 2012.

Needless to say, the application of such a policy would not resolve the situation in Rakhine.

Former military governments and the administration of President U Thein Sein were unsuccessful in their attempts to solve the Rakhine problem and their failures contributed to the grim situation in the north of the state today. It is difficult to understand why the Tatmadaw leadership continues to prefer a policy based on the application of the 1982 Citizenship Law, when it has clearly not been effective.

Annan commission

The policy approach adopted by the NLD government and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is based heavily on the recommendations made by the Annan commission.

As well as urging a review of the citizenship law and greater freedom of movement, another key recommendation in the report called for increased economic development in Rakhine, one of the nations poorest areas, for the benefit of both its Buddhist and Muslim communities.

The report urges the government to bring the citizenship law into line with international standards and abolish different distinctions between different types of citizens. A review of the law was necessary to ensure the equitable treatment of all citizens, it said.

The commission acknowledged efforts by the government to improve freedom of movement in northern Rakhine but said more needed to be done.

To have greater impact, freedom of movement should be delinked from the citizenship verification process, meaning that all individuals in Rakhine State should be able to move freely irrespective of whether they hold an NVC [National Verification Card], NRC [National Registration Card], or citizenship documentation, consistent with the basic right of all people to free movement, it said.

The commissions recommendations are aimed at creating an environment that enables the Buddhist and Muslim communities to co-exist peacefully and to develop.

For long-term success in Rakhine, the government should implement the recommendations of the Annan commission report that are beneficial to Myanmar.

This article was first published by Frontier
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Tuesday urged those displaced by the conflict in Darfur to return home, saying the region had now recovered from a war that has killed tens of thousands.

More than 2.5 million people have fled their homes since 2003, when a conflict erupted in Darfur after ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of marginalising the region economically and politically.

Most of the displaced live in camps, after escaping fighting between government forces and rebels that the United Nations says has killed around 300,000 people.

Top Sudanese officials claim the conflict has now ended, and Bashir on Tuesday said those displaced should return to their homes as he visited the region.

"The war has impacted the people negatively, but now the people are reconciling," Bashir said at a rally in West Darfur broadcast live on state television.

"We want the internally displaced people to return to their homes, their farms and their villages."

Bashir said the government also planned to disarm all militias in the region.

"Darfur has started to recover, but this recovery will be complete when we collect arms," he said.

"We want arms to be held only by our regular forces."

Darfur, a region of the size of France, is awash with weapons held by tribal militias, including those backed by government forces.

Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes related to the Darfur conflict, is expected to visit some camps for the displaced over the next few days.

On Tuesday, the residents of the Kalma camp in South Darfur, the largest housing those displaced by the conflict, protested ahead of Bashir's likely visit there.

"We reject Omar al-Bashir's visit to Kalma because these camps appeared only after the killings and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur," they said in a statement.

"We reject meeting him completely."

Human rights groups warn the Darfur conflict is still far from over and the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers, as planned earlier this year, will leave many areas of the region without international protection.

Bashir's visit to Darfur comes just weeks ahead of Washington's decision on October 12 on whether to permanently lift its sanctions imposed on Khartoum.
Artsakh President sends letter of condolence over death of Andrey Nuykin

On 19 September President of the Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Republic Bako Sahakyan sent a letter of condolence to the family of writer and publicist Andrey Nuykin. "It was with deep sorrow that I learnt about the death of Andrey Nuykin. As one of the founders and inspirers of the "Karabakh" Russian Intelligentsia Committee Mr. Nuykin was well-known and enjoyed a great respect in our country. Being a true patriot and democrat, he actively supported the aspiration of our people to live freely and independently in their own soil. He made a tangible contribution to the objective and fair coverage of the Karabakh cause, presenting to the world the facts of gross violations of human rights committed by Azerbaijan. The merits of Andrey Nuykin are deservedly appreciated by our people. He was awarded the high state award of the Artsakh Republic - the "Mkhitar Gosh" medal. On behalf of the people, authorities of the Artsakh Republic and myself personally I express my deep condolences to all the relatives and friends of Andrey Nuykin in connection with the great loss that befell all of us. His bright memory will always remain in our hearts," Bako Sahakyan said in part.
We will respond - Prime Minister to Diaspora Armenian who lost business (video)

Armenias Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan today spoke about successful and unsuccessful businesses while answering journalists questions at the Sixth Armenia-Diaspora Conference in Yerevan. There are very few businessmen who admit that they had made wrong calculations and everyone blames others, the prime minister said adding that many Armenians from the Diaspora return to their homeland expecting the government to do for them what no other country would do. "They do not even dream of having such a reception or conditions in any country. But the fact is that we have to work on a regular basis in order to be able to change the atmosphere of distrust if of course there is such. We have to work in that direction, Karen Karapetyan said. In reply to a journalists request to comment on the statement of Zareh Palian, a Diaspora Armenian public figure, businessman from the United States, who said he did not trust Armenian authorities; he was let down in Armenia and he was left without his businesses. "I do not know. If he produces facts, we will move very consistently in that direction, because we cannot develop the economy, if we do not have confidence in the property, business rules and equal opportunities. That is why, I am very open. Moreover, we have clearly announced the phone numbers, addresses and e-mail addresses of my staff members and advisors. Let them provide information and we will respond to it," Mr. Karapetyan said.
Ambassador Mills opens U.S. government-funded Areni Cave preservation project

In the hills, just down the road from the Noravank Monastery, is a cave known as Areni-1. At first glance, it would be easy to miss. But as archeologists worked in the cave they found some important items, such as the earliest-known human shoe and the earliest winery. This speaks to our shared human heritage, cutting across borders and tying us all together as one people. As word of the discoveries spread, more and more tourists flocked to the site, endangering any unfound objects and interfering with ongoing archeology. That is where the U.S. government stepped in, funding a preservation effort with a grant from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP). The $52,870 grant, awarded in 2013, helped fund the installation of a protective fence around the site, installation of lighting and pathways to allow for visitors without disturbing the site, and conservation of the site to protect it from deterioration. We as humans share a common story. Armenians, Americans, no matter where you are from, it is ancient cultural sites, like the Areni cave, that help us understand our interwoven history. That is why the U.S. governments Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation supports efforts like the preservation work here in Areni, said U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr., during a ceremony marking completion of the renovation project on September 19, 2017. Ambassador Mills was joined at the Areni Cave by Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan and the Embassys Armenian partners who worked on the preservation, including Boris Gasparyan and experts from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, led by Director Pavel Avetisyan. During the ceremony, Ambassador Mills pointed out that the preservation not only helps protect the Areni cave and its historical finds, but can help support tourism in Armenia by encouraging sustainable, non-impact visits by tourists to the cave. We are not only protecting the finds that will be made here tomorrow, he said. We are also building Armenias future, allowing sustainable and protective tourist visits to the site, and helping to stimulate Armenias economy by strengthening options available for tourists. With the paths and lighting installed now, thanks to the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, visitors can see the home of these unique artifacts without trampling on tomorrows discoveries. Since 2005, ten sites in Armenia have been funded through the AFCP, totaling $934,000. These include grants to create a climate controlled storage space for the Armenian National Film and Photo Archive, preservation of khachkars at the Noratus Medieval Cemetery, the reinforcement of a medieval bridge in the Garni Gorge, and the moving and renovation of two murals in Gyumri, one by Rafayel Atoyan and another by Hakob Hakobyan. A major restoration of the St. Hovhannes Church in Meghri, with its amazing medieval frescos, is on-going thanks to the AFCP. The fact that so many projects in Armenia are funded by the highly competitive U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation speaks to two facts, I believe. Frist, it shows Armenia has a valued place in our shared human history. And second, it speaks well to the close partnership and support we find here with our Armenian partners, Ambassador Mills said. While in Areni, Ambassador Mills announced the latest project to be funded by the AFCP, a $143,000 grant to continue restoration and preservation work at the Dashtadem fortress. Building on a grant awarded in 2013, the latest funding will allow us to support archaeological excavations and restoration of the inner surrounding wall of the fortress.
United States supports peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict - U.S. Congressmen

On September 19, Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly (Parliament) Ara Babloyan received members of the delegation of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress.

Vahram Baghdasaryan, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly who heads the parliamentary group of the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) , Nikol Pashinyan, Head of the Yelk (Way Out) faction, Aghvan Vardanyan,Secretary of the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun faction,Vahe Enfiajyan, Secretary of Tsarukyan faction, and member of the same faction Vardevan Grigoryan, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard MIlls and Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Grigor Hovhannisyan participated in the meeting.

Welcoming the guests in the parliament, Ara Babloyan highlighted the further strengthening and deepening of the relations between the two countries, documenting that the United States of America is Armenias friendly country and one of the important partners.

Touching upon the regional problems, Ara Babloyan underlined the role of the U.S. as OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country in the peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The Head of the parliament emphasized the visits to Artsakh Republic and getting acquainted with the problems on the spot.

Mr. Babloyan referred to the Constitutional reforms implemented in our country, noting that Armenia had passed into the system of the parliamentary government.

Thanking the NA Speaker for the warm reception, the U.S. Congressmen emphasized the mutual visits and the active cooperation. The guests underscored the further expansion and development of the cooperation between the two countries in the political, economic, cultural and other spheres. The U. S. Congressmen greatly highlighted the contribution of the Armenian community to the public, political, economic, cultural and other spheres of the United States.

Regarding the Karabakh conflict problem, they assured the Armenian side that the U. S. is for the settlement of the issue through negotiations: the borders will be opened by the solution of the problem, which will promote the development of the trade relations.

At the meeting the representatives of all factions of the National Assembly expressed their viewpoints on the discussed issues, National Assembly's Press Service reports.
Your skin has a different feeling - Prime Minister

Armenias Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan is not sure that emigration will stop, if living conditions better in Armenia. Journalists observed that he [Karapetyan] has been in office for a year and life in the country has gone from bad to worse. On what criteria do you assess the governments work? Do you want us to feel everything on our skin? Your skin has a different feeling. Everyones skin has a different feeling. How are you going to differentiate? Karen Karapetyan said. Karen Karapetyan claims that the records of his government are the best not only in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) but also in the region. Of course, it is not enough for citizens to feel good. Some citizens may feel something on their skin, others may not; this is very subjective. We have had 6.2% economic growth and 12.7% growth in the industry," Mr. Karapetyan continued. Prime Minister hints that he is not worried about citizens' dissatisfaction and complains: nowhere in the world are citizens pleased with their government. Is it possible to change everything in one year? No, it is not. Likewise, the prime minister does not care about complaints of Diaspora Armenians concerning the investment climate in Armenia. There are few businessmen who admit that they have done wrong calculations. Everyone blames others [for their failure], Karen Karapetyan stressed. In reply to journalists observation that Serzh Sargsyan has been heading the country for nine years but no progress was recorded in the economy ever since, the prime minister said, I do not know whether the question betters or worsens your life. What will change in your life?
KEARNEY -- Students at Northeast Elementary School, 910 E 34th St., were evacuated from the building Tuesday morning after reports of a struck gas line, according to police radio traffic.

Around 9:03 a.m. the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department and NorthWestern Energy were called to the school after a construction crew accidentally hit a gas line about 15 feet north of the building.

Students were evacuated to a nearby church, according to a news release from Kearney Public Schools. The gas line was repaired and students returned to the building at 9:35 a.m.

The students and staff did a magnificent job during our evacuation, Northeast Elementary Principal Catherine Gundersen said in the news release. We practice many safety drills throughout the school year and this event is evidence that our students are listening and learning.

School will resume as normal today at Northeast.
NEBRASKA CITY  As a light rain fell and a crowd cheered, an eagle that was found severely injured this spring was released into the wild.

Chip Davis, founder of Mannheim Steamroller and a supporter of local raptor efforts, released the eagle Monday outside the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Nebraska City.

The bird, who became known for his feisty personality as he grew stronger, was nicknamed Bolt.

A crowd of more than 75 people gathered outside the center as Fontenelle Forest staff prepared the eagle for release. A staff member handed the eagle to Davis, who wore special protective orange gloves that stretched past his elbows.

The eagle looked fierce and alert as he twisted his head, snapping his sharp beak. His long talons clung to Davis gloves as the Grammy Award-winning musician held the bird in front of him.

Davis lowered his arms slightly, then lifted them, releasing the eagle aloft. With a few powerful flaps of his wings, Bolt disappeared into a misty, gray sky.

Molly Mullen, a spokeswoman for Fontenelle Forest, said Davis has been a good friend and donor to the Raptor Recovery program. The program invited him to participate in the release.

I was thrilled to be able to do it, Davis said, adding that he hopes the event brings attention to wildlife conservation.

Bolt was found in May by fishermen about 10 miles from where he was released. He had a mysterious head wound.

Dr. Coleen Stice, an Omaha plastic surgeon, determined that the wound was an electrical burn, possibly caused by a power line. The burn had destroyed the tissue and feathers on the top of the eagles head, leaving a thin layer of bone covering the eagles brain.

The bird this summer had undergone rehab at Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery and then underwent a skin graft at the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium. Feathered skin was removed from the eagles inner leg and attached to his head.

The feathers on the top of the birds head, which is both brown and white, will continue to grow.

The skin graft was an essential step for the bird to be released into the wild. Without the feathers, the bird would suffer dangerous sunburn. Mullen said the eagle recovered sooner than expected.
The recent harassment of a conservative student advocating publicly for her beliefs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was troubling. It was encouraging that university leaders  NU President Hank Bounds and UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green  responded strongly and appropriately.

Bounds, for example, rightly observed that NU must allow for the healthy exchange of ideas without personal attacks, especially against young people who are our future.

To listen to some critics, one would think  contrary to the facts  that NU leadership is abandoning its support of free thought and that the state and private donors ought to pull back from supporting the NU system financially. That would be a supremely irresponsible step harmful to Nebraskas future.

All NU campuses have adopted initiatives to boost students entrepreneurship knowledge and skills, including for students studying law or medicine.

The Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at UNL has proved to be a vital resource for nurturing a skilled high-tech talent supply. Agricultural science and natural resources studies at UNL continue to be among the most respected in the nation, and Nebraska Extension provides a range of support for youths and adults alike.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha has repeatedly won national recognition for being a military-friendly campus. The University of Nebraska Medical Center is showing great vision with its high-tech iExcel medical training program.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney continues as a hub for many first-generation college students seeking a smaller campus.

UNK and UNMC showed impressive collaboration as they worked together to create the Health Science Education Complex on the UNK campus. This training center is helping Nebraska greatly boost its number of health care professionals across the state.

The 2017 fall enrollment figures indicate NUs continued forward momentum. The NU system is at an all-time high with 52,679 students, up slightly from last year.

NU strengthens Nebraska in far-ranging ways and is well-deserving of continued strong support from state leaders and the public.

Omaha World-Herald
Four years ago, a columnist for The Economist predicted a huge tech-lash against Americas giant technology firms. Adrian Wooldridge considered it inevitable that executives at Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft would be seen by the public in the same malign fashion as bankers and oil barons  symbols of a greedy nerd version of avaricious capitalism.

Wooldridge was right about the backlash  but he probably didnt count on how broad an indictment critics of the tech giants would bring. It was predictable that big tech companies would stand accused of operating in monopolistic ways and of stealthily monetizing information about individuals acquired from their online activities.

But its not just these practices that have poked holes in Silicon Valleys bubble of public regard and admiration. Its also how the tech giants have behaved in other ways.

With the release of its iPhone X, Apple joined Facebook and Google as companies pursuing facial recognition technologies that portend an end to old concepts of privacy. Despite their insistence otherwise, those firms and Microsoft have been called de facto silent partners to U.S. intelligence agencies attempts to vacuum up information from people around the world without their consent. Despite all the benefits they bring, Facebook and Google are villains to both sides of the culture wars.

Theyre accused of enforcing left-wing speech codes on acceptable commentary and enabling the far right to spread election-skewing fake news and bigotry. ProPublica provided a new example Thursday when it showed Facebook provided tools for advertisers to reach anti-Semitic hate groups.

Now the backlash may be moving beyond rhetoric. In June, European Union regulators slammed Google with a record $2.7 billion fine for seeking to profit by manipulating online search requests.

In the U.S., the traditional American fear of giant corporations has begun to manifest itself. The same impulse that led to the break-up of Standard Oil in 1911 and AT&T in 1982 is flaring as awareness grows of Googles and Facebooks hegemony in advertising and the realization sets in that Amazon may destroy more American jobs than China.

Standard Oil and AT&T had monopolistic control of gasoline supplies and telephone service, respectively  major bills most American households pay. Googles and Facebooks chief services are addictive  and free.

Still, as everyday life makes clear, Americans are stirred up. The Trump and Sanders wings of the two largest political parties want and expect dramatic change. If they get their way, the most powerful forces in this country are likely to feel the fallout. And that is a category that very much includes Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft.

San Diego Union-Tribune
After Equifax revealed earlier this month that hackers accessed the Social Security numbers, birth dates and other information of 143 million people, leaving them at a lifelong risk of identity theft, both the company and consumer rights advocates were quick to tell Americans they needed to get to work.

First, visit the companys often-crashing web page to check if your information was compromised. Then decide whether to sign up for the one year of free credit monitoring, weighing competing claims about whether you would be giving up your legal right to sue in the process. (Equifax said no.) Next, the personal finance experts said, freeze your credit reports, not just at Equifax, but at its two major competitors, TransUnion and Experian. Freezing locks your report, allowing only you to open it up to an approved party by telling the credit bureau in question your PIN identification number. That process costs time and money, and you might need to pay every time you open your report and secure it again.

Equifax messed up. You need to clean up the mess. Thats how it goes. The assumption of financial risk and the work it entails is now a seemingly constant feature of our society. Once many of us received pensions to live on in retirement; now we need to invest via a 401(k) and hope. Were expected to be efficient shoppers for medical services, even though finding the charge on a specific medical service is well nigh impossible.

So we barely even notice how odd it is that the responsibility for a monster credit bureau hack is on us. By the middle of last week, Richard Smith, the chief executive officer of Equifax, crowed in a USA Today op-ed that more than 15 million people had visited his website in an attempt to find out if their information was compromised. Sounds like a lot, no? But it also means more than 100 million people are still unaware, too busy, or too apathetic to have checked in. Where are they? Unknowing? Despairing? Who could blame them?

Open Secrets reports that Equifax spends about $1 million annually on Washington lobbying, supporting regulation and legislation to reduce the already paltry responsibilities the credit bureaus have to the people whose data it collects. That sort of buck pays off: The morning Equifax announced the hack, the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on a bill that would severely cut the amount of money a consumer could receive if she successfully filed suit against a credit bureau.

Government penalties  in the rare event they happen  are a slap on the wrist, if that. And its not as though Equifax  and the other credit bureaus  are doing their utmost to protect the people whose information it collects. They could do much, much more. Heres one idea: Aggressively push free credit freezing on consumers. Theres nothing stopping them from doing so.

And heres another: Rep. Maxine Waters recently announced that she would introduce legislation to toughen up the standards the credit bureaus operate under. Of particular note in that bill is a provision that would shift the burden of proof. Instead of a consumer needing to prove the information was wrong, as is the case now, the offending company would need to prove the information was correct or remove it. In other words, make Equifax and the other credit reporting companies do the work. For once.

Helaine Olen wrote Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry and co-author of The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesnt Need to be Complicated. She wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to form
A sign against a residence for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts is displayed on a fence at the corner of Aldon and Felix roads in Rutland, near the site of the proposed complex.
Federal NDP leadership candidate Jagmeet Singh participates in an interview with The Canadian Press in Ottawa on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. One of the leading contenders in the federal NDP race is standing by the new leader of the Manitoba wing of his party as Wab Kinew acknowledges he will continue to face questions about 14-year-old domestic violence charges. Jagmeet Singh, who has been endorsed by the newly-minted Manitoba NDP leader, said Tuesday he believes survivors but added Kinew now speaks out on violence against women. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Hundreds of protesters stand in the rain outside of the St. Louis city jail on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017. The protesters chanted "free our people" outside the jail on Monday night to show solidarity with those who remain behind bars. Police said that more than 120 people were arrested during Sunday's protests. Monday was the fourth day of protests over the acquittal of a white former police officer in the killing of a black suspect. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
The naval tugboat Glenivis assists as HMCS St. John's heads to the Mediterranean in Halifax on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017. The crew of HMCS St. John's is helping deliver supplies and clear debris in the Caribbean in the wake of hurricane Irma. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
First American Bank, an privately held lending institution with assets of more than $3.8 billion, has purchased Southport Financial Corp., parent to Kenoshas Southport Bank, in an undisclosed cash deal that is expected to be finalized in early 2018.

Under the acquisition agreement, Southports three Kenosha County sites will be rebranded as First American branches. Southports CEO Russ Weyers will take on the title and responsibilities of First Americans Wisconsin regional president.

Southport has total assets of $275 million. it has two Kenosha branches and one in Salem.

The acquidition is subject to regulatory approval. It could be finalized in January.

Elk Grove Village, Ill., First American  with 50 branches in Illinois and Florida is entering Wisconsin for the first time in a move to grow its business by offering more consumer and business products.

Thomas Wells, First American CEO, said Southports customers will have available more personal and commercials products. There will be mortgage loans that Southport did not offer. On the commercial side, customers will be able to get larger financing for businesses.

Were excited to bring the quality local delivery capabilities of Southport into our organization, thereby enhancing our service to our existing Wisconsin clientele., said Wells. Additionally, we look forward to bringing expanded deposit and loan products to Southports team. which will continue to be led by Russ Weyers as we expand further into Wisconsins vibrant privately held small business and residential communities.

Wells said he was amazed at the growth in Kenosha County, citing strong economy fueled by job growth and new companies coming into the region.

Weyer said the merger is an opportunity that allows the bank to take on new customers, some from across the border.

We had to be larger as business moved into town, he said.
We have more newsletters

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Sign up for a weekly travel round up and all the latest breaking news from the roads, rails and beyond delivered straight to your inbox

A man has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after a multi-vehicle crash that has closed the A227 in both directions in Wrotham, near Sevenoaks.

All the emergency services, including the air ambulance, were called to the scene just before 1pm and it is not yet known when the road will reopen.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service sent two fire engines to the scene of an incident involving a car and a lorry.

The A227, Gravesend Road road is currently closed between Fairseat Lane and Vigo Road.

A police spokesman said: We are at the scene of a serious road collision in Wrotham reported at around 12.50pm.

Ambulance crews are also in attendance.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service sent two paramedic cars and one ambulance to the scene after reports of a "serious collision".

A spokesman said: "One male patient suffered serious injuries and was taken by road to the Darent Valley Hospital.

"He received emergency treatment at the scene and is in a serious condition."

The incident is causing problems for public transport with Arriva having to divert one of its services.

A spokesman said: Service update 308 - Due to an RTA at Wrotham our 308 services will be severely delayed and diverting via Longfield and Farningham. We will be operating a shuttle service between Gravesend town center and Vigo. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Sign up to our daily newsletter for all the latest Kent stories and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.

Toys R Us has filed for bankruptcy potentially leaving the future of its UK stores in uncertain waters just months before the Christmas rush.

The major brand made national headlines overnight, and is said to have filed for bankruptcy protection in the US and Canada, which the Telegraph has reported is due to a huge shift in online shopping habits.

The chain has two huge stores in Kent, one at Horsted Retail Park in Chatham, Medway and the other at the Great Lodge Retail Park in Tunbridge Wells.

It is not known exactly how many employees are working at the two Kent stores, but its thought that their jobs could be at risk.

But, national newspapers are saying the company has been wrestling with huge debts as sales fall.

It is said to have secured a 2.22 billion sum of debtor-in-possession financing to keep its 1,600 stores worldwide afloat during a reported restructure to safeguard its future.

The store arguably makes an annual comeback at Christmas when it releases a festive themed advert and is a renowned retail outlet for children's toys dating back decades.

Chief executive Dave Brandon told The Telegraph: "We are confident that we are taking the right steps to ensure that the iconic Toys R Us and Babies R Us brands live on for many generations.

"Our customers around the world can continue to count on an outstanding shopping experience and excellent service whenever, wherever and however they choose to shop with us."
At 101-years-old, sister Elizabeth Novy struggles to find the words to describe her biggest accomplishment.

"Never ever thought about that (long pause) Let's see, Novy paused. She says it's not her longevity, or even her 60 plus years as a first grade teacher. "Well I think the biggest accomplishment was really my entering St. Benedicts Convent."

The North Dakota native made vows in 1940, then helped found the Benedictine community in Bismarck in 1947. That group later founded what is now the University of Mary in 1959. Sister Elizabeth said she didn't answer her call on the first ring.

"That was in my heart for years but I was always pushing it away and then finally, it came, Novy said.

Other sisters call her an inspiration.

"One of our sisters says is that one morning at breakfast, she thank sister Elizabeth for her example and Elizabeth commented with I guess that's all I have to do today is to be an example for the rest of you, said Sister Nicole Kunze.

An example she will continue to set as long as God allows her.

Just as incredible as her service, Sister Elizabeth makes sure she walks outside almost every single day.
1 of 4

Samsung Galaxy Note8 pre-order starts:Cash discount & more..



Samsung's official e-commerce partner Amazon has commenced taking pre-orders for the recently unveiled Galaxy Note8 for Rs 67,900 in India. Prospective buyers can avail more than Rs 10,721 cash discount on the new Galaxy Note8, provided they are willing to part their old phone. Samsung is also waiving additional Rs 4,000 on the flagship phablet for HDFC card holders [Offer valid till December 31, 2017]. If the consumers are ready to pay a one-time fee of Rs 990 during the purchase, they can claim one-time screen replacement coupon, otherwise, it costs more than Rs 12,000.



To make the deal sweeter, the company is giving away free wireless charger worth Rs 4,499. As far as the delivery is concerned, Amazon India has confirmed to begin shipping from September 22.



Note: Samsung is also hosting pre-order service on its official site. It is also offering free wireless charger and exchange deal, but on old Samsung branded models only.]



Read More...


1 of 3

Study finds bald men are more confident and attractive



A study that claims that bald men are perceived as more attractive, confident, and dominant. "Choosing to dispense with one's hair is arguably a form of nonverbal behaviour, a form of expression which communicates information about the self otherwise difficult to observe," researchers from The University of Pennsylvania, were quoted as saying by Britain's Independent. The researchers also suggested that bald men might be more elusive than those with typical mops. For the study, the team gave three major tests to college students, both men and women, asking them to rate images of men according to attractiveness, confidence and dominance. In the first study, men with shaved heads were rated as more dominant than similar men with full heads of hair. In the second study, men whose hair was digitally removed were perceived as more dominant, taller, and stronger than their authentic selves. Read More...


Robert Edison Sandiford

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (Reuters) - A rapidly strengthening Hurricane Maria barreled towards the eastern Caribbean islands with 125 mile-per-hour (200 kph) winds on Monday, threatening the region with its second major storm this month.

Officials from French-controlled Martinique to the U.S. Virgin Islands warned residents to prepare for the storm, now ranked by U.S. forecasters as a major hurricane, at Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale.

Maria was located about 45 miles (70 km) east of Martinique, headed west-northwest on a track that would put it over the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico by Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT) advisory. The hurricane was expected to continue to strengthen during the coming two days, the center said.

Residents of some islands fled ahead of the storm.

Beth Tamplin Jones, 45, rode out Hurricane Irma earlier this month in the pantry of a friends house on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

It was so intense, said Jones, who evacuated from St. John to Puerto Rico last week and then got a flight to Atlanta, where she planned to remain until Maria passed.

Were in hurricane alley, so weve had other storms, but nothing like this, Jones said, referring to Irma, which was one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded and which killed more than 80 people on Caribbean islands and the U.S. mainland. I dont think anybodys ever been hit by a storm like that. To see another one coming is just so discouraging.

U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Kenneth Mapp warned residents not to underestimate the threat from Maria, or its potential to change track. Just remember this is a live animal, he said.

The island of St. Croix looked to face hurricane force winds with nearby St. Thomas and St. John seeing tropical storm force winds, Mapp said, adding, given the current conditions of St. Thomas and St. John, thats not good.

Maria was expected to whip up storm surges - seawater driven ashore by wind - of up to 9 feet (2.7 m), the NHC said. Parts of Puerto Rico could see up to 25 inches (64 cm) of rain, it said.

Hurricane and tropical storm warnings and watches were in effect for a string of islands in the area, including the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda and the French-Dutch island of Saint Martin.

Several of those islands were devastated earlier this month when Irma rampaged through the Caribbean.

French weather service Meteo France issued a red alert for Martinique. Businesses were ordered to shut down, public transport services were suspended and residents were told to take shelter in their houses.

Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory which Irma grazed as it headed toward Cuba and Florida, opened shelters and began to dismantle construction cranes that could be vulnerable to Marias high winds.

More than 1,700 residents of Barbuda were evacuated to neighboring Antigua after Irma damaged nearly every building there.

Streets were flooded in some residential parts of the island of Barbados, doused with heavy rain since Sunday as the storm passed to the north of the island.

Were not really taking it serious for some of the warnings we get, said Felicia Waith, a 42-year-old customer service representative at a shipping company in Barbados. Customers are still coming in. The rain stops, (its) business as usual.

Forecasters were also tracking Category 1 Hurricane Jose, which was carrying 75-mph (120-kph) winds and was located about 265 miles (430 km) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Joses center was forecast to remain off the east coast of the United States for the next few days, bringing dangerous surf and rip currents from Delaware through Massachusetts.

Additional reporting by Harriet McLeod in Charleston, South Carolina, Tracy Rucinski in Chicago and Richard Lough in Paris; Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Alistair Bell and Frances Kerry
(Adds ProSiebenSat.1, Cementir Holding, Buenaventura, T-Mobile; Updates Linde)

Sept 19 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Tuesday:

** The proposed $74 billion tie-up of German industrial gases group Linde and U.S. peer Praxair got a boost on Tuesday when the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund said it was backing the deal. ** The activist investor fighting Clariant's planned $20 billion merger with Huntsman Corp has built a 15.1 percent stake in the Swiss chemicals maker, making it the company's biggest shareholder. ** Buenaventura , is considering making a bid on a $2 billion copper project in Peru as the precious metal miner's gold production dwindles and copper prices rally, the company's chairman told Reuters. ** Post Holdings Inc , which makes Honey Bunches of Oats and Grape-Nuts cereals, said it would buy Bob Evans Farms Inc for about $1.5 billion, adding vegetable-based side dishes and breakfast sausages to its portfolio. ** German chemicals group BASF has strengthened its nylon business by agreeing to buy the global polyamide business from Belgian rival Solvay for 1.6 billion euros ($1.9 billion). ** Drugstore chain Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc said it received regulatory clearance to buy 1,932 stores, 254 stores lesser than it had previously intended, from Rite Aid Corp for $4.38 billion. ** Fomento Economico Mexicano (Femsa) said it had sold a stake of 5.24 percent in Heineken, the world's second largest brewer for some 2.5 billion euros ($3 billion). ** U.S. drug contract manufacturer Catalent Inc agreed to buy Cook Pharmica LLC for $950 million in cash as the company doubles down on its fast-growing business of supplying biologics to drugmakers. ** The sale of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci's SkyBridge Capital LLC hedge fund investment firm to a consortium that includes a Chinese buyer is still on track, with the closing date expected in late September, the firm's chief investment officer said. ** New Hope Corp is chasing more coal mine acquisitions in Australia over the next year to drive growth, its boss said after reporting a huge rise in annual profit on the back of an earlier expansion and higher coal prices. ** Creditors of Australia's embattled Ten Network Holdings Ltd agreed to a A$209.7 million ($167 million) buyout from CBS Corp , effectively ending a battle for control between the U.S. broadcasting giant and Lachlan Murdoch. ** Thai coal miner Banpu PCL is buying a 25.7 percent stake in Singaporean green energy firm, Sunseap Group Pte Ltd for $55.7 million, the company said. ** China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) is bidding to make an equity investment in a planned British nuclear plant, the future of which was thrown into doubt earlier this year amid mounting financial woes at its developer Toshiba Corp . ** Nordic telecom operator Telia Company said it had sold a 7 percent stake in Turkish mobile operator Turkcell in a deal generating proceeds of about 4.1 billion Swedish crowns ($516 million). ** German vehicle brake systems maker Knorr-Bremse has dropped its 5.5 billion crown ($692 million) bid for smaller Swedish rival Haldex , ending for now a heated bidding process that has lasted more than a year. ** Oil major Total has stepped up its expansion into renewables with investments in solar and wind energy producer EREN RE and energy efficiency firm GreenFlex. ** German media group ProSiebenSat.1 is looking at up to 10 potential takeovers to reduce reliance on its advertising-driven TV operation, Chief Executive Thomas Ebeling has told investors. ** German automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen will not reenter the race for Swedish brake-systems maker Haldex after Knorr-Bremse dropped its 5.5 billion Swedish crown ($693 million) bid, it said. ** Thyssenkrupp's works council is prepared to consider a merger of the group's European steel operations with those of Tata Steel , even though it remains opposed to such a move as a way to restructure the business. ** Russia's O1 Properties, one of the largest commercial property owners in the country, is in talks with a Chinese investor to sell a stake in the company, three people familiar with the talks said. ** U.S. hedge fund Elliott Management Corp raised its stake in Hitachi Kokusai Electric to just over 6 percent, a government filing showed, piling up pressure on KKR & Co LP that has been trying to buy out the Japanese firm.

** Italy's third-largest cement maker Cementir Holding has agreed to sell its domestic assets to Italcementi, owned by Germany's HeidelbergCement . ** Pioneer and digital mapping group HERE said they had agreed to invest in one another so the companies can develop maps for autonomous driving services. ** Portugal's telecom market watchdog Anacom delivered a blow to takeover plans by Dutch-based Altice for Media Capital, the owner of the TVI television channel, warning it could create serious obstacles to competition and harm consumers. ** Bayer said it was unable to propose the sale of any digital farming assets to allay EU concerns about its planned $66 billion takeover of Monsanto . ** U.S. investment fund Apollo Global Management was one of two bidders for a 55 percent stake in Slovenia's Gorenjska Banka and is now considering making a higher offer, a newspaper reported. ** U.S. wireless carriers T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp are said to be in active merger talks, CNBC reported on Tuesday, citing sources. (Compiled by Roopal Verma and Anirban Paul in Bengaluru)
BUDAPEST, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Hungary's central bank will monitor the impact of Tuesday's overnight deposit rate cut on longer yields and take further steps if needed to reduce them, Deputy Governor Marton Nagy told a news conference.

"The question is what we will see on the yield curve in the coming days, not just on the short end, but also on longer maturities," Nagy said.

He declined comment on the exchange rate of the Hungarian forint , which strengthened after the central bank announced its latest easing measures, as some investors had probably bet on more aggressive action.

(Reporting by Gergely Szakacs and Krisztina Than)
BUDAPEST, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Hungary's central bank will take further steps in monetary easing if necessary, deputy governor Marton Nagy told a news conference after the bank cut its overnight deposit rate and announced other measures to ease monetary conditions. Nagy said the bank wanted the impact from the 10 basis point overnight deposit rate cut to -0.15 percent to filter into longer government bond yields as well, as soon as possible.

(Reporting by Krisztina Than and Gergely Szakacs)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
SINGAPORE/BEIJING, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The National Iranian Oil Co has informed buyers in Asia that it could reduce condensate exports in October because of maintenance at the South Pars gas field, six industry sources said on Tuesday.

NIOC could trim exports by at least 1 million barrels that month, one of the sources said. The company typically exports about 15 million barrels of South Pars condensate each month.

The drop in Iranian condensate exports in October comes as China's Unipec is about to resume cargo liftings from Iran in October, a second source said. The trading arm of Asia's largest refiner Sinopec typically halts imports in summer months due to environmental restrictions at Chinese ports.

Demand for Iran's condensate is also on the rise as test runs continue at a new splitter operated by its Persian Gulf Star Refinery at Bandar Abbas, the sources said.

A rise in Chinese demand and a drop in Iranian supplies have supported values for Qatari condensate. Spot premiums for low-sulphur condensate (LSC) in November are up about 70 cents from the previous month. Condensate is an ultra light oil that is processed in splitters to produce mainly naphtha, a petrochemical raw material.

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu in BEIJING, Florence Tan and Mark Tay in SINGAPORE; Editing by Richard Pullin)
VIENNA, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Jean-Claude Juncker's reform plan should inspire EU member states to build a common vision for an after-Brexit bloc and not to quarrel about details, Thomas Wieser, the EU official who runs preparations for Eurogroup meetings, said on Tuesday.

The head of the European Commission last week challenged German and French ideas of how to revamp the euro zone institutions after Britain leaves the European Union in March 2019, calling for a pan-European finance minister in charge of all forms of EU or euro zone financing via the EU budget. Juncker suggested such a minister should also be the chairman of all euro zone finance ministers and be accountable to the European Parliament. His ideas of expanding the euro zone and deepening its cooperation triggered mixed reactions and lively discussions within the member states.

"He (Juncker) addressed the big topics of the next 20, 30 years, but many made the mistake of interpreting it as if (the changes) were to be expected next year," Wieser said at a panel discussion in Vienna.

"I do have the impression that too many quarrel about nitty-gritty details before having discussed the overall issue."

If member states could agree on what they want, it would be much easier to draw up a time table for the next three years, said the president of the Eurogroup working group, which prepares decisions for euro finance ministers.

"The real debate is, do we want a centralist, federalist European Union in the future, or a more decentralized bloc, controlled by the individual governments and parliaments?"

The European Union government heads should discuss these issues at their meetings in December and March, agree on framework conditions and after that task EU officials to produce concrete reform proposals, Wieser said.

(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; Editing by Dan Grebler)
LIMA, Sept 19 (Reuters) - A farmer in Peru is suing Newmont Mining Corp in U.S. federal court over allegations the miner used violence and threats to try to evict her from her home to make way for a gold project, the environmental group representing her said Tuesday.

The lawsuit filed on Sept. 15 by Maxima Acuna and her family in the U.S. district court for Delaware, where Newmont is incorporated, aims to "stop a pattern of harassment" by Newmont and its security personnel in Peru, EarthRights International said.

Acuna asked the court to try the company on counts including battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to the lawsuit. Damages of at least $75,000 for each affected member of Acuna's family are also sought.

Newmont did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The company's Peruvian unit has previously accused Acuna and her family of illegally occupying land that it said it had lawfully purchased in the 1990s in a highland region where it once hoped to build a $4.8 billion gold mine. Newmont put the gold project, Conga, on hold in 2011 amid violent protests by local farmers worried about its impacts on water supplies.

(Reporting By Mitra Taj; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
LISBON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Portugal's telecom market watchdog Anacom delivered a blow to takeover plans by Dutch-based Altice for Media Capital, the owner of the TVI television channel, warning it could create serious obstacles to competition and harm consumers.

Altice, which owns the country's largest telecom operator MEO, agreed to buy Media Capital in July from Spain's Prisa in a 440 million euro deal.

Anacom said it submitted its report on the proposed MEO-Media Capital merger to the competition authority, which is yet to rule on the issue and has the power to reject the plan or impose conditions for it to go ahead.

Anacom said the proposed terms, which among other things allow the owner to bar its rivals access to its television and radio channels and advertising, "could create significant obstacles to competition in the electronic communications markets".

It also said that Altice had failed to explain the benefits of the proposed merger between its unit MEO and Media Capital.

(Reporting By Andrei Khalip, editing by Axel Bugge)
LONDON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The gap between Portuguese and Italian 10-year government bond yields narrowed on Tuesday to levels last seen at the start of the euro zone debt crisis of 2010-2012. This follows a strong rally in Portuguese debt over the last two sessions after S&P Global became the first major ratings agency to give the country back its investment grade status late on Friday. Portugal's 10-year government bond yield spread over Italy narrowed to 36 basis points, the lowest since March 2010. In absolute terms, Portugal's 10-year government bond yields dropped 6 basis points to 2.43 percent.

(Reporting by Abhinav Ramnarayan, Editing by Sujata Rao)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
DUBAI, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Qatar pumped 29.1 billion riyals ($8 billion) into its banking system in August to cushion it from withdrawals by financial institutions from neighbouring Arab states due to the Gulf's diplomatic crisis, central bank data showed.

The current crisis, triggered by the political and economic boycott of Qatar by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, had already led to government deposit injections of $6.9 billion in July and $10.9 billion in June.

The Saudi-led bloc accuses Qatar of supporting terrorism, a charge denied by Doha.

Total deposits at Qatari banks rose to 793.6 billion riyals in August compared to 772.5 billion riyals in July as public sector deposits climbed to 302.6 billion riyals, up from 273.5 billion riyals in July, the data showed on Tuesday.

That represents additional inflows of 29.1 billion riyals from Qatar's public sector in August from a month earlier. The data did not indicate which public sector entities had deposited these funds at Qatar-based banks.

Foreign customers deposits at banks in Qatar - mostly in foreign-currency deposits - fell to 148.97 billion riyals in August from 157.2 billion riyals in July.

Reuters had reported that Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), had deposited fresh funds in its banks as Gulf investors withdrew deposits from Qatari banks and pulled funds out of Doha's stock market. Qatar's central bank chief said in July the country had $340 billion in reserves that could help it to weather the isolation by its powerful neighbours. ($1 = 3.6405 Qatar riyals)

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar; editing by Alexander Smith)
HANOI, Sept 19 (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 0401 GMT.

September 19 USD/VND mid-point 22,443 USD/VND interbank 22,728/22,730 USD/VND unofficial 22,720/22,740 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.55/36.77

Interbank offered rates Overnight 0.8-1.1

1 week 1.0-1.2

1 month 1.4-1.9

3 months 3.0-3.6

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016, the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co.

For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on .

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
JOHANNESBURG, Sept 19 (Reuters) - South African mining company Sibanye-Stillwater will sell bonds worth $450 million convertible into stock to refinance a loan used to partly fund an acquisition, the company said on Tuesday.

Sibanye plans to set the conversion price in a range of 30 and 35 percent above volume-weighted average share price during Tuesday's session.

Shares in Sibanye, which bought sole U.S. platinum producer Stillwater last year in a $2.2 billion deal, fell 9 percent to 15.94 rand as of 0748 GMT, reflective of the dilutive impact of the bonds.

The 2023 bonds are expected to carry a coupon of between 1.625 percent and 2.375 percent, and are payable twice a year.

Sibanye, rated Ba2 with a stable outlook by Moody's, said it would set the final conversion price and coupon later in the day.

(Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; Editing by Ed Stoddard)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trumps lawyer on Tuesday denied that he or Trump colluded with Russia to interfere in last years presidential election, and said such charges were meant to discredit Trumps presidency.

I emphatically state that I had nothing to do with any Russian involvement in our electoral process, Michael Cohen said in a statement prepared for a scheduled meeting with Senate Intelligence Committee investigators that was ultimately postponed.

Given my own proximity to the president of the United States as a candidate, let me also say that I never saw anything - not a hint of anything - that demonstrated his involvement in Russian interference in our election or any form of Russia collusion, Cohen said.

After the statement was reported by media organizations on Tuesday morning, Cohen and his attorney, Stephen Ryan, traveled to Capitol Hill for a closed-door interview with Intelligence Committee investigators - but were told that the committee had decided to postpone the meeting.

The Senate committee, as well as other congressional panels and special counsel Robert Mueller, are investigating Russias reported interference in the 2016 election and whether Trump or his top aides colluded with Moscow.

Cohens name surfaced in a dossier, compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, that reported Cohen played an important role in liaison with the Russian government and secretly met with Kremlin officials in Prague in August 2016.

The Steele dossier, Cohen said in his statement, is riddled with falsehoods and intentionally salacious allegations.

I have never in my life been to Prague or to anywhere in the Czech Republic, he said.

Current and former U.S. intelligence officials have said that while they cannot verify all the details in the Steele dossier, neither have they debunked it entirely.

It was not immediately clear why Cohens meeting with Senate investigators was postponed.

The committee has chosen to postpone todays interview and we will come back for a voluntary interview whenever we can to meet with them, Ryan told reporters. Mr. Cohen will continue to co-operate.

Cohen said in his statement that the collusion charges are meant to discredit Trumps presidency.

Im also certain that there are some in this country who do not care about the facts, but simply want to politicize this issue, choosing to presume guilt - rather than presuming innocence - so as to discredit our lawfully elected president in the public eye, he said.
(Adds pricing of bond, updates share price)

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 19 (Reuters) - South African mining company Sibanye-Stillwater is to issue convertible bonds worth $450 million to refinance a loan used to partly fund an acquisition, the company said on Tuesday.

Sibanye has set the price for conversion into shares at 35 percent above Tuesday's volume-weighted average price.

Shares in Sibanye, which bought sole U.S. platinum producer Stillwater last year in a $2.2 billion deal, fell to a seven-week low of 15.70 rand, reflecting the dilutive impact of the bonds, but recovered to 16.43 rand, down 6.2 percent in the session.

The 2023 bonds will pay a coupon of 1.875 percent, and are payable twice a year, the company said in a statement.

Sibanye, rated Ba2 with a stable outlook by Moody's, said it would set the final conversion price and coupon later in the day.

(Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng and TJ Strydom; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
* Saudi exports fell to 6.693 million bpd in July - JODI

* Iraq's output at 4.32 mln bpd, within OPEC compliance - minister

* Caribbean islands hit by next strong hurricane

(Releads with Iraqi production data, updates prices)

By Henning Gloystein

SINGAPORE, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Oil markets held largely steady on Tuesday, even as OPEC producers Saudi Arabia and Iraq pointed to a reduction in supplies in line with efforts to tighten the market and prop up prices.

Prices were capped by rising U.S. shale output and fears that another strong hurricane hitting the Caribbean could knock out refineries and disrupt shipping to and from the United States. Brent crude futures , the international benchmark for oil prices, were at $55.48 per barrel at 0624 GMT, unchanged from their last close.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $50 per barrel, up 9 cents from their last settlement.

Iraq's oil minister Jabbar al-Luaibi said on Teusday that his country's crude oil production was currently at 4.32 million barrels per day (bpd). That compares to almost 4.5 million bpd in May and June. His comments came after data showed Saudi crude exports fell to 6.693 million bpd in July, down from 6.889 million bpd in June. Saudi Arabia is the de-facto leader of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which together with some non-OPEC producers like Russia, has pledged to hold back around 1.8 million bpd of supplies this year and into 2018 in order to tighten the market and prop up prices.

But with the United States not part of this agreement, analysts said the upside for prices was limited due to the rising U.S. output.

U.S. shale production is set to rise for a tenth month in a row in October, the U.S. government said late on Monday. Output across seven shale plays is forecast to rise by nearly 79,000 bpd to 6.1 million bpd, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. "Technological advancements continue to make inroads in the U.S. shale industry, boosting well-level economics ... 80 percent of the cost base is below $60 per barrel (and) breakevens have fallen a further 15 percent just in the last year," Barclays bank said in its September market outlook.

It said significant numbers of producers could also operate below $40 per barrel.

"We remain bearish on prices at current levels due to expected shale growth, Chinese economy concerns," the bank said, adding that its average Brent and WTI price forecast was $53 and $49 per barrel, respectively, for this year and $52 and $49 per barrel for 2018.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ MAP: Hurricane Maria Interactive Map reuters://REALTIME/verb=Interactive%20Map/context=%3CNavigation%3E%3CEntities%3E%3CEntity%3E%3CInteractiveMap%20version=%221%22%3E%3CMap%3E%3CMapTargetZoom%3E5%3C/MapTargetZoom%3E%3CMapTargetCenter%20X=%22-69.37108994%22%20Y=%2223.04987767%22%20/%3E%3CMapMode%3E2%3C/MapMode%3E%3CWrapAround%3ETrue%3C/WrapAround%3E%3CLayers%3E%3CLayer%20Type=%22TropicalTracks%22%3E%3CCurrent%3Eall%3C/Current%3E%3C/Layer%3E%3CLayer%20Type=%22SatelliteAndRadar%22%3E%3CCurrent%3Eall%3C/Current%3E%3C/Layer%3E%3CLayer%20Type=%22OilRefineries%22%3E%3CIsShowAssetNames%3Eyes%3C/IsShowAssetNames%3E%3C/Layer%3E%3C/Layers%3E%3C/Map%3E%3C/InteractiveMap%3E%3C/Entity%3E%3C/Entities%3E%3C/Navigation%3E

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Henning Gloystein; Editing by Joseph Radford and Richard Pullin)
Stuff reports:

The president of the University of Canterburys (UC) queer students society says he was forced to resign after coming out as a National Party supporter. Max Farra, 20, stirred controversy when a Young Nats promotional social media post showing him pledging his support to the party was shared with QCanterbury members. Many were concerned the post erroneously conveyed the groups endorsement of the political party. The Young Nats refused QCanterburys requests to remove it. A QCanterbury spokesperson said the club wishes to avoid association with any political party and to remain unbiased.

Who thinks that if he had facebooked his support for say Labour or the Greens, it would not be an issue?

Rather than wait for a special general meeting, he chose to have a slightly more graceful exit. Its really disappointing, he said. He had been president for three weeks and a society member since September 2016. He said there had been a really big call for me to resign on a closed Facebook group. [They said] I was basically unfit for the job. This was completely unexpected, especially from someone like QCanterbury. The backlash was massive and I was not prepared for the intolerance and hate that followed.

Rather ironic.

In a post on the Canterbury Westland Young Nats Facebook page, Farra is identified as QCanterburys leader. As an LGBT person, voting National is breaking a stereotype, he is quoted as saying. Im proud to be an out Nat because tolerance, free enterprise and a great economy means everyone can thrive.

Sounds good to me.

Share this: Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Reddit

WhatsApp

More

Pinterest

Print



Tumblr


Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 42F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Snow showers. Low 26F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. About one inch of snow expected.
Holiday birds flying out of Tennessee farms





NASHVILLE  Most of us wish Thanksgiving promotions would hold off at least until summer is over. If you want a locally raised turkey on your table, however, theres no time to spare. Farmers are taking reservations now for turkeys and other meats that are in high demand for the holidays.



A directory of farms that accept holiday meats and poultry reservations is available now at Pick Tennessee Products, the farmer to consumer service provided by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. The directory is posted here.



We will have turkeys available for Thanksgiving, Walter Bates of Hoe Hop Valley Farm in Benton said, but he recommends pre-ordering his birds.



We're raising a small flock, about 25, of Broad Breasted Bronze Thanksgiving turkeys at Liberty Trace Farm, Kevin Krause said from his farm in Hampshire. We have several orders already and getting more daily from our existing customers.



Most Tennessee farms are small family farms, so herds and flocks are limited. Once flocks have matured and are ready to market, theres no time to raise more to fill additional orders.



David Horwath of Katharos Farm offers both turkey and bone-in cured ham. The Maury County farm will also have special holiday combination packages to help customers plan their special gatherings through the entire holiday season. A number of farms offer special orders of meats that not only make meal planning easier, but also make excellent gifts.



Pick Tennessee lists hundreds of farmers, like Karen Overton of Wedge Oak Farm in Wilson County, who sell a variety of meats all year long including beef, pork and poultry. Overton makes numerous artisan sausages and bacons, and sells large and specialty cuts of meat if they are pre-ordered.



Other farms that offer popular pre-ordered holiday meats, like rack of lamb, beef tenderloin and steaks in addition to Thanksgiving turkeys, include J & J Farm in Lexington, Pure Pasture Farms near Springfield, and Glendale Farms in Williamson County.



Find local farms and farmers markets with Pick Tennessee on the Web and by mobile app. Follow Pick Tennessee on social media for information about seasonal farm fare and activities. Published September 19, 2017














Harrison Ford, left, Ryan Gosling, center, and filmmaker Denis Villeneuve speak during an online video interview with the press at CGV Yongsan, Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Sony Pictures



By Kim Jae-heun

Actor Ryan Gosling stars in the neo-noir science fiction film sequel "Blade Runner 2049," playing LAPD Officer "K." Gosling said he tried to bring out a more human side compared to Rick Deckard, the protagonist in the 1982 movie.

K is the new blade runner after Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, who returns after going missing for 30 years.

"The former blade runners were much more isolated and dismissed from society," Gosling said during a media teleconference at CGV Yongsan, Seoul, Monday. "My character K struggles to find his identity and love and friendship. He tries to overcome hardships in that process."

Blade runners have a mission to hunt down human clones who are out of control. The clones are called "replicants." K believes there is a secret involving him and the replicants and turns to Deckard for answers.

Ford said he has developed the character Deckard to be deeper and more sophisticated for the sequel.

He also said Gosling is a well-prepared actor who likes to challenge himself in new adventures. Gosling responded by praising Ford as the best actor at the moment and said he catches all the important parts of every sequence on screen.

The original "Blade Runner" directed by Ridley Scott questioned the essence of a person through the replicants cloned by humans. The sequel's filmmaker Denis Villeneuve posed a philosophical question of whether a replicant should also be called human in the end. Director Villeneuve left every possible room for the audience to believe Deckard could also be a replicant but did not give specific clues. It is the same in the sequel, he said.

"The new episode makes it more suspicious on Deckard's identity as a human being or not and keeps the mystery in the sequel. It is interesting how original fiction that movie is based on shows a human clone question his own identity," Villeneuve said.

Ford agreed finding out the identity of Deckard in "Blade Runner 2049" is an interesting point to watch for and there is a new story added to gives clue on the mysterious character, which the actor hopes audiences will interpret differently.
"Goblet in the form of a Maiden" from the Green Vault in Dresden / Courtesy of Green Vault and National Museum of Korea



By Kwon Mee-yoo

Germany is a country known for its practicality, but some rulers appreciated the beauty of art and collected some of the world's most glamorous treasures.

An exhibition at the National Museum of Korea introduces some of the highlights from the Dresden State Art Collection.

Titled "The Dream of a King," the exhibit centers around Augustus II (1670-1733), who was the Elector of Saxony, elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, had one of the finest treasure collections in Europe.

Also known as Augustus the Strong, the Elector was an avid patron of the arts and architecture. He built beautiful castles in the Saxon capital of Dresden and displayed his prized collections at one of the palaces. He even gave limited access to the collection for the general public and made an inventory of the items in the collection to systematically prevent treasures from going missing, which makes the Green Vault the first museum in Europe.





"Sun Mask with the Likeness of Augustus the Strong" / Courtesy of Green Vault and National Museum of Korea



Augustus II had strong sovereign authority and boasted of his power through lavish Baroque-style palaces and his treasured art collection.

He threw many balls and invited guests from all over Europe. Augustus II admired the absolute monarchy of the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, and made a mask customized for him in the shape of the sun. He engraved the Augustus Rex monogram (AR) on his possessions such as his hunting sword and other court objects, wielding his power.

The Green Vault has themed exhibition rooms such as the Ivory Room, the Bronze Room, the Silver Room and the Jewel Room. The Seoul exhibition is also organized by the rooms and tries to give a peek of the luxurious atmosphere of the Green Vault in Dresden and placed photos of the museum and magnified objects on the wall.

The Gilded Silver Room showcases the highlight of Saxon metalwork. It is interesting that makers of each piece are noted, sometimes separated into metal work, stone work and jewel work. Elias Geyer, who made "Cup in the Form of a Sea Unicorn," was an innovative goldsmith who combined natural objects such as nautilus and coral with metalwork.

"Goblet in the Form of a Maiden" was a popular type of cup in the 16th century and suspected to be used during wedding ceremonies, when the bride drank from the top cup and the groom from bell-shaped bottom cup.

The Jewel Room is at the height of glittery delights. Augustus collected jewels and adorned various objects to display his dignity. "Small Sword with Scabbard" has 911 pieces of diamonds decorated on it.





"Red Dragon" Service / Courtesy of Green Vault and National Museum of Korea



Augustus II is also known as a lover of porcelain. He collected a large amount of porcelain from China and Japan and later became the first to manufacture porcelain in Europe, which was known as "white gold" back then.

Meissen porcelain at first copied the style of Asian porcelain, but later produced tableware sets for the European courts.

The exhibit runs through Nov. 26 at the Seoul Museum and then travels to the Gwangju National Museum from Dec. 19 to April 8, 2018. Admission is 9,000 won for adults. For more information, visit www.museum.go.kr or call 02-2077-9000.
Im Ji-hyun, a former defector who re-entered the North, testifies against South Korea in a video released by Pyongyang's propaganda website Uriminzokkiri on July 9. The video introduced her as Jeon Hye-sung, who returned to North Korea after suffering in the South. / Yonhap



By Choi Ha-young

Five North Korean defectors who returned to the North after failing to settle in South Korea have re-defected to the South over the past five years, a lawmaker claimed Tuesday.

Citing information from the Ministry of Unification, Rep. Park Joo-sun of the People's Party, who serves as a deputy National Assembly speaker, said the five people received due punishment for violating the National Security Law because they had acquired South Korean citizenship after their first defection.

Four of the defectors said they returned to North Korea because they failed to adjust to South Korean society, while one of them suffered homesickness. All of them came back to the South through China.

In July, former North Korean defector Lim Ji-hyun bewildered South Koreans by lambasting the capitalism system in an appearance on Pyongyang's propaganda broadcasts. Lim's return to the North was more shocking because she had appeared on South Korean television shows.

"The primary reason for North Korean defectors returning to the North is maladjustment. We should review our policies thoroughly to support their lives in South Korea," Rep. Park said in a press release.

The lawmaker also claimed the government did not know the addresses of 886 defectors as of July this year. The figure, obtained from the unification ministry and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, tends to increase  standing at 888 in 2016, 815 in 2015 and 2014 and 809 in 2013.

According to the unification ministry and the National Police Agency, most of the defectors were in a third country. As of April 2015, 664 people out of 791 were confirmed to be living abroad.

"The government seems unwilling to take care of defectors, considering over 800 defectors remain at large," Park said. "The nation would be unable to prevent yet another case like Lim's with such lax administrative power."
By Kim Hyo-jin

More countries are joining the move to scale back diplomatic ties with North Korea in response to its sixth nuclear test, Sept. 3.

On Monday, Spain asked the North Korean ambassador in Madrid to leave the country by the end of September, the first European country to expel a North Korean diplomatic envoy.

The move follows similar steps by Mexico, Peru and Kuwait earlier this month. It also comes as the international community steps up its efforts to heighten sanctions against the nuclear-weapons seeking state.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2375 last week, which put a cap on the country's crude oil imports and a ban on its textile exports.

The United States has called on other countries to cut diplomatic and trade ties with the North in a bid to further isolate the Kim Jong-un regime.

"Today, the North Korean ambassador was summoned and was told of the decision to consider him persona non grata, therefore he must stop working and leave the country before Sept. 30," the Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Korean residents in New York wave placards in a welcoming rally to greet President Moon Jae-in at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel, Monday. Moon is visiting the United States for the United Nations General Assembly meeting. The placards read: "We support you till the end." / Yonhap



By Jane Han

NEW YORK  Wearing matching customized T-shirts saying "We Love Moon," Lee Ji-young and Kim Ji-hyun camped out in front of the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel for almost three hours, Monday, before they had a chance to catch a glimpse of President Moon Jae-in, flanked by his entourage.

"Five friends chipped in to make this T-shirt and come here together," said Lee, 42, a mother and an accountant. "Unfortunately, the other three couldn't make it, so it's just us."

But the two were anything but lonely as they were joined by dozens of other Korean residents who showed up in front of the Midtown hotel, where the President is expected to stay during his four-day trip, for a welcome rally.

Moon is here for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly meeting and to hold talks with world leaders on dealing with North Korea's intensifying threat.












This is the congratulatory remark from Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Korea, Riyad Almubaraky, on the occasion of the 87th anniversary of National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  ED.





His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud / Courtesy of Embassy of Saudi Arabia

As we celebrate the 87th anniversary of the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we recall and remember the efforts and sacrifices of the Kingdom's founder His Majesty late King Abdul Aziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud to build such a great state, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, based on the Holy Quran, adhering to the teachings of Prophet Mohammed  May peace be upon him, with Allah's help, the Kingdom was reunified.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands proudly, side by side, with the developed countries in every field. Under the great leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Kingdom witnesses a glorious era and a blessed renaissance with more security and stability.

With a vision to secure the brighter and more prosperous future, the Kingdom's "Vision 2030" was announced which has national, developmental and future plans approved by His Majesty the King.

The vision represents a new phase of development and hard work for a better future, with the aim to keep up with the developed countries, to achieve a comprehensive development, to employ the Kingdom's potentials and its energy, by taking advantage of the Kingdom's strategic location, while adhering to the genuine faith of Islam and preserving the genuineness of our society and its principles.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to praise the strategic, friendship, and cooperative relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Korea.





H.R.H. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, deputy premier and defense minister

The two friendly countries established diplomatic ties on Oct. 16, 1962. Through a long history, the two countries witnessed various forms of friendship and cooperation in many fields, including politics, economy, education, and culture. The Republic of Korea managed to secure a safe source of crude oil, while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was able to obtain high-quality and efficient infrastructure when the Korean firms began to enter the Saudi markets in 1973.

The Korean companies have participated significantly in modernizing the Saudi basic infrastructure in the 1970s and 1980s.

In terms of the volume of contracts, the share of the Korean companies in Saudi Arabia has reached 23 percent, which in turn assures that Korea is the first partner to Saudi Arabia in the fields of construction and reconstruction.

The cooperation between the two friendly countries, however, was not limited only to the fields of oil and construction, but extended to many other fields. Given the accumulative trust built by the Korean companies in Saudi Arabia since the last century, these firms managed, recently, in securing huge project contracts in Saudi Arabia such as plants for petroleum, petrochemicals, power generation and water desalination.

The two countries are seeking to expand cooperation in the fields of shipbuilding, automobiles, military industries, and renewable energy.

The bilateral relationship between the two friendly countries is considered as the model of relations among other nations as the two countries witnessed continuous development and mutual coordination in many international issues, such as combating piracy and terrorism, climate change, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, and providing mutual support for the positions and candidacies of the two countries in international bodies and organizations.





H.E. Ambassador

Riyad Almubaraky

The two countries particularly pay attention to enhance the strategic relations and to increase cooperation in various fields.

The Kingdom is the first supplier of crude oil to Korea, its fourth-largest trading partner and the largest market for the Korean products in the Middle East.

In 2012, the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of their distinguished historic friendship.

On the same year, the Republic of Korea was a guest of honor at the Janadriyah Cultural Festival. This October, the two friendly countries will celebrate together the 55th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations.

The next era will witness an increase in the level of cooperation and rapprochement as the Republic of Korea is selected as among the strategic cooperation countries within the framework of the implementation of the Kingdom's "Vision 2030" that aims to reduce Saudi's dependence on oil and to make development in other fields.

I sincerely wish the two countries and the two friendly peoples continued prosperity, security and stability.





The Prophet's Mosque in Madinah

Country Information

Official name of the country:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Capital city: Riyadh

Population: 28.7 million

Area: 2.24 million sq. km

(864,869 sq. miles)

Major language: Arabic

Major religion: Islam

Currency: Riyal

Historical, sightseeing places

Madain Salih

In 2008, the Archaeological Site of Al-Hijr (Madain Salih) was enlisted to the UNESCO's list of the world cultural heritage as the first UNESCO World Heritage property to be inscribed in Saudi Arabia.

Formerly known as Hegra it is the largest conserved site of the civilization of the Nabataeans south of Petra in Jordan. It features well-preserved monumental tombs with decorated facades dating from the 1st century B.C. to the 1st century A.D.

The site also features some 50 inscriptions of the pre-Nabataean period and some cave drawings. Al-Hijr bears a unique testimony to Nabataean civilization. With its 111 monumental tombs, 94 of which are decorated, and water wells, the site is an outstanding example of the Nabataeans' architectural accomplishment and hydraulic expertise.

Saudi foreign investment policy

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia realizes that achieving its ambitious economic goals requires a steady flow of technology and expertise into the country. Therefore, its policy is to welcome foreign capital and invite it to participate in economic development projects in cooperation with Saudi business. The government policy aims not to impose any restrictions on the movement of capital inflow but to respect private ownership.

In addition, foreign investment that fulfills the requirements of the Foreign Capital Investment Code enjoys all privileges of national capital and is entitled to the same treatment, protection, and incentives accorded to national capital.

The Code requires that foreign capital be invested in economic development projects (which, under the code, do not include petroleum and mineral projects). Development projects are defined by the Ministry of Industry and Electricity.

Provided that the share of national capital is at least 25 percent, industrial or agricultural projects that fulfill the above requirements enjoy the following benefits:

An income tax holiday of up to 10 years from the commencement of commercial production.

Ownership of land according to the regulations governing land ownership by non-Saudis.

For industrial projects, the same privileges are given as the Saudi capital under the National Industries Protection and Encouragement Regulations. These privileges include:

Exemption from customs duties on machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts imported for industrial products.

Exemption from customs duties on primary raw materials, semi-finished goods, containers, etc., necessary for industrial projects (provided that similar items are not sufficiently available locally).

Provision by the government of plots of land at a nominal rate for factories and residential quarters for workers.

Low electricity and water rates.

No restriction on repatriation of profits.

Preferential treatment for local products in government procurement in addition to preferential treatment accorded to national products by Arab League and Saudi Arabian bilateral trade agreements.
The box on the left shows the resident register prior to a law revision, in which the name of the foreign spouse is omitted. The law has been revised to indicate the name of the foreign spouse right below that of the Korean spouse, as shown in the box on the right. / Courtesy of Ministry of the Interior and Safety



Resident registers to properly include foreign spouses' names

By You Soo-sun



Foreign spouses will now have their names properly recognized in the resident register, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

This follows a legal revision proclaimed Tuesday mandating the name of a foreign spouse married to a Korean partner be included in the resident register in the same way a Korean spouse is included.

A resident register is a government certificate indicating members constituting a household. It is often requested by employers, schools and sometimes for simple activities such as making a purchase.

Unlike Korean nationals, foreigners need to file a request to include their names in the document. But even upon request, their names have been placed on the very bottom of the form  in a separate row.

This was criticized for giving the impression the spouse was not part of the family. It also led to a misconception that children born to Korean national and foreigner couples are raised under a single-parent household, according to the ministry.

With the revision, their name will appear right below that of the Korean spouse. However, they must still file a request.

For foreigners, according to the ministry, the document becomes especially relevant when their children attend schools in Korea.

"Many schools ask their students to turn in the certificates at the beginning of the school year," a ministry official told The Korea Times, Tuesday. "A child born to a non-Korean mother, for example, could be falsely seen as being raised by a single dad. Many multicultural families demanded to see the law changed."

After the revised law kicks into effect in six months, the name of the foreign spouse will be placed right below their Korean partner upon request and those of their immediate family members may also be included even if they do not have Korean citizenship.

Requests may be filed by anyone in the household, either at a community center or online at minwon.go.kr.

"The revision is expected to alleviate inconvenience for foreigners married to Koreans," ministry official Yoon Jong-in said. "We will continue with our efforts to provide resident registration services tailored to individuals' needs to improve the wellbeing of citizens."
By Yi Whan-woo



The United States plans to send F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightening II stealth fighter jets to South Korea next month for an air show, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday.



The planes will conduct test flights and be displayed at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2017, slated for Oct. 17 to 22 at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.



The presence of such strategic assets in South Korea will be seen as a warning to North Korea, military officials here said.



The F-22 Raptor is considered one of the most-feared U.S. strategic weapons by the Kim Jong-un regime. The all-weather stealth fighter jet can fly at a maximum speed of mach 2.5, with its twin engines producing 70,000 pounds of thrust combined, which is more than that of any current fighter engine.



The plane last visited South Korea in February 2016 when North Korea launched the Unha-3 satellite rocket, which was seen as a cover for a ballistic missile test. The fifth-generation F-22 fighter jets are stationed at the U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan.



But the South Korean and U.S. military are believed to be considering their rotational deployment on the Korean Peninsula along with other U.S. strategic assets as part of efforts to better press North Korea.



The F-35A, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is South Korea's next-generation fighter jet that the country will put into service next year.



This will be the first time the jets will come to South Korea. They will be directly sent from the U.S. mainland for the ADEX show.



The supersonic, multi-role F-35A features advanced stealth, integrated avionics, sensor fusion and superior logistics support.



A squadron of F-35s can also handle missions traditionally performed by specialized aircraft, such as air-to-air combat, air-to-ground strikes, electronic attack, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.



The F-35A is among the three variants of the F-35, including the F-35B that the U.S. deployed to South Korea, Tuesday.



Four F-35Bs, along with two B-1B Lancer bombers, were dispatched in a show of force against North Korea's sixth nuclear test, Sept. 3, and Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile test, Sept. 14.



They carried out a bombing drill at the training field in Gangwon Province and flew over the airspace near the Military Demarcation Line before heading eastward out of the peninsula.



The F-35A is capable of conventional takeoff and landing, while the F-35B can perform short takeoff and vertical landing.



The defense ministry said ADEX 2017 will be held in the largest scale, bringing over 400 defense contractors from 22 countries.



It is expected to attract 98 defense ministers from 60 countries and over 250,000 visitors, both domestic and international.












By Jun Ji-hye

Defense Minister Song Young-moo apologized Tuesday for defamatory remarks about President Moon Jae-in's security adviser.

"I apologize for my careless remarks," he said during a session of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

Song's apology came hours after Cheong Wa Dae issued a "stern warning" to him for openly criticizing Moon Chung-in, a Yonsei University professor and special adviser on security and diplomacy for the President, during a National Assembly Defense Committee session, Monday.

Song said he was given the warning from the President's top national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong.

"Cheong Wa Dae has issued a stern warning to Minister Song for his inappropriate expression as a Cabinet member and uncoordinated remarks that have caused confusion about government policy," Yoon Young-chan, the chief press secretary, told reporters.

The warning was issued as Minister Song said during the Monday's session it was "deplorable" that Moon Chung-in is speaking to the media carelessly as a scholar, but this is hardly suitable for a presidential adviser.





Defense Minister Song Young-mo

Song's remarks were construed as a counterattack against the adviser who slammed the defense chief, Sept. 15, for mentioning a "decapitation operation" against the North Korean leadership. Song mentioned such an operation as one of the possible options in the event of war while appearing before the Assembly on Sept. 4, a day after the North conducted its sixth nuclear test. The adviser criticized this, saying Song used "quite an inappropriate expression" that could have unnecessarily provoked North Korea.

The adviser earlier courted controversy by suggesting what he claimed were his personal ideas as a scholar, including proposals to reduce the scale of the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises in exchange for the North's suspension of its nuclear and missile programs. The suggestions were controversial as they could be seen as undermining the allies' joint efforts to curb the North's nuclear and missile threats.

During the Monday session, Song also said he "heard" that the Ministry of Unification plans to delay the Moon administration's planned humanitarian assistance, worth $8 million, to Pyongyang for quite a long time.

The remarks were in contrast to a position of President Moon who said humanitarian assistance should be dealt with separately from political situations.

The unification ministry later said there has been no change in the government plan.

Regarding the warning from Cheong Wa Dae, ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said, "We will take heed of that," adding that there will be another chance for Song to express his position.
By Jun Ji-hye



South Korea wasted 150 billion won ($130 million) buying aging Chinook helicopters from the United States under the Park Geun-hye government, a ruling party lawmaker claimed Tuesday.



The helicopters have not been operating properly since their March 2014 delivery.



Rep. Rhee Cheol-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea said then-Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, who later became Park's national security adviser, played a leading role in the decision to buy the obsolete choppers.



"I confirmed 14 Chinook helicopters that were delivered to Korea three years ago have become a headache for the military," Rhee said. "The United States sold the choppers, used by the U.S. Forces Korea for almost 50 years, to Korea while replacing them with new models."



The CH-47D helicopters, better known as the Chinook, were priced at 5.75 billion won each, and the total price of the purchase was about 150 billion won including associated equipment, parts and logistical support.



Rep. Rhee noted the military at the time rushed to buy the choppers, citing their lower price compared to that of new models as well as their utility in the event of a contingency. But the helicopters have not been operating properly for the past three years as the delivery of their navigation equipment has been delayed.



The lawmaker also said the Korean military canceled a plan to upgrade the choppers last month, citing the lack of feasibility in such a project. The decision reflected the results of a feasibility study by the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, which showed residual life of the old helicopters could not be guaranteed even if the project proceeds.



Rhee said the cancellation of the upgrade project mirrored the fact that the decision to buy the choppers was wrong from the beginning.



In addition, the United States notified Korea in 2015 of its decision to discontinue sale of some parts of the Chinook beginning September 2018, which will make it hard to secure relevant parts in case of the choppers break down.



"Then-Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin was behind this hasty decision to buy the used helicopters," Rep. Rhee said, adding Kim made a verbal instruction to review the purchase details in 2012 only two days after the U.S. suggested it.



The lawmaker said he will concentrate on the issue during the National Assembly inspection of the Ministry of National Defense scheduled for next month.



Regarding the issue, Defense Acquisition Program Administration spokesman Kim Si-cheol said the agency at the time pushed for the purchase in accordance with due procedures.



"The contract was signed after the consideration of economic feasibility and effectiveness of the helicopters," he said. "The decision to buy them was made after completing advanced research and a feasibility review."








By Chyung Eun-ju

Twelve high school students have been caught for allegedly scamming more than 200 people in partnership with a voice phishing organization, according to police on Tuesday.

Daegu Police Station arrested a high school ring leader, surnamed Kim, 18, and two others allegedly involved. Nine other teens are also accused.

In this joint financial swindling scheme with grown-ups, the teens role was to withdraw cash.

Kim allegedly told one victim, in his 40s, in March,"I change your existing loans to a low-interest loan," according to police. The victim then transferred 2 million won ($1,700) to Kim, who received 5 percent of the money as commission.

The students allegedly scammed 206 people into wiring a total of 980 million won and made 50 million won in commissions.

Kim recruited the scammers by sending a text message saying, "Recruiting for Cash Withdrawal Part-Time Job," according to police.

Police also booked 30 adults for allegedly violating the Electronic Financial Transaction Act. They allegedly provided bank accounts for the teens, who sent around 2 to 3 million won to each account.
By You Soo-sun

The head of Korea's major airline company was questioned by police Tuesday, over allegations that he used company money to renovate his private residence.

Korean Air and Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho, is accused of using 3 billion won ($2.65 million) of company funds for the remodeling of his house in Pyeongchang-dong, central Seoul, between May 2013 and August 2014.

The money was taken from funds allocated for the construction of the airline's hotel around the same time at Incheon International Airport.

Cho has denied the allegations, saying he had no knowledge of the misappropriation. Police will look into whether Cho was aware of fund misuse and if he was directly involved. They are also looking into whether Cho's wife, Lee Myung-hee, was involved.

Cho and Lee were questioned by prosecutors twice in August but the investigation was suspended when Cho sought receiving medical treatment in the United States. Cho's lawyer argued that the long flight to Korea would be difficult due to his health.

The allegations were raised during a separate police investigation of an interior renovation company suspected of committing tax fraud. The company, which has worked on the renovation of various top corporate executives' houses, handled both the construction of the hotel and the work on Cho's residence.

In early July, the police raided the airline's headquarters in western Seoul and seized contracts and accounting documents for inspection. They summoned officials related to the case for questioning and based on their testimony detained a senior official surnamed Kim.

The crackdown is seen as part of President Moon Jae-in's drive to reform major conglomerates since he took office.
By Kim Se-jeong



Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon filed a complaint with the prosecution against former President Lee Myung-bak, accusing him of defamation, abuse of power and obstruction of justice.



Park said the National Intelligence Service (NIS) systematically conducted illegal surveillance on him and spread groundless rumors about him and his family during the 2008-2013 Lee Myung-bak administration.



The prosecution has already been looking into the spy agency over allegations it worked to serve the former president's interest, breaching the NIS Law that prohibits intervention in domestic politics.



"I believe this should be done for the future of Korea. What Lee did damaged the core principles of democracy," Park said during a speech at the National Assembly before lodging the complaint with the prosecution. "Lee's oppression hurt me personally, my family, young jobseekers, irregular workers and employees of the Seoul Metropolitan Government."



Beside Lee, Mayor Park's complaint accused 10 others, including former National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon.



Park said recently disclosed documents proved there had clearly been operations conducted against him.



"I believe this deserves adequate investigation," Park said.



The documents, drafted by the NIS, called Park's city governance too liberal and included detailed action plans to create negative public opinions on his policies.



The mayor has pressed for policies such as free lunches for students, halving university tuition fees and offering young jobseekers allowances without any strings attached.



"The documents also showed 19 rallies against me waged by conservative protesters," Park said. "False information about my family and derogatory online messages really hurt me. But I didn't see any investigation."



Park's complaint against the former president comes amid the prosecution's investigation into the NIS's attempts to control media and public opinion during the December 2012 presidential election.



Established to handle national security, the NIS is not allowed to meddle in politics according to its charter. The NIS allegedly made a blacklist of artists, actors, actresses and TV producers, posted fake photographs of a naked actor and actress who were critical of the government, and paid volunteers to flood the internet with pro-conservative government messages.



On Tuesday, Rep. Lee Jeong-mi of the Justice Party also said she will seek to have former President Lee testify before the National Assembly during a congressional audit of government environmental affairs in October.



Lee spearheaded the controversial Four Major Rivers Restoration Project. Completed in 2012, his government spent 22.2 trillion won ($17.3 million) on building dams along the country's four major rivers which eventually slowed water flow and caused ecological damage.




Foggy air contaminated with fine dust in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji

Korea has the worst air quality of any advanced country, with its fine dust level soaring over the past 17 years, according to an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report released Sunday.

The report shows Korea had the worst level 12 times over the period with a fine dust level of 32 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015, compared with a 13.7 micrograms average for the OECD countries.

The fine dust exposure level refers to ultrafine particles or particle matter in one cubic meter of air.

Poland was second worst, with 23.4 micrometers, which is 8.6 micrometers lower than Korea.












By Lee Kyung-min



The Seoul city government will hold a job fair for marriage immigrants today between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Seoul City Hall, the city government said Tuesday.



More than 10 immigrants who landed jobs through the city-organized program will share their experiences to help others like them.



Among 100 marriage immigrants who have landed jobs this year, 12 did so through this job fair and the rest through Yeongdeungpo Multicultural Village Center in southern Seoul.



Many became interpreters at police stations, courts, prosecutors' offices and other government organizations as well as coordinators at medical institutions, duty free shops and financial institutions.



Others got jobs as consultants at multicultural centers in the city.



Based on each jobseeker's capacity, the city government will offer in-depth, tailored consultations on interview preparation, writing self-introduction papers (resume), as well as fashion and makeup tips. Visitors will be able to take a resume profile photo for free at City Hall during the three-hour event.



The event offers one-on-one interviews with 15 employment agencies and information on 50 employers.



Over 10 interpreters fluent in both Korean and other languages will be at the fair to help those who are not fluent in the native language here. Available languages will be Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Thai and Mongolian.



"We expect this job fair will provide a much-needed chance for marriage immigrants by helping them get jobs through which their strengths in language skills would shine," a city government official said.



"We recommend marriage immigrants participate in this event to increase their chances of employment. The city government will continue efforts to help marriage immigrants shine their best in various sectors in Korea."



The SMG launched the job fair program in 2013 and has run the event up to twice a year since.



Call Yeongdeungpo Multicultural Village Center at 02-845-5433 or Danuri call center at 1577 1366 for more information.



Websites such as liveinkorea.kr and mcfamily.or.kr offer other detailed information that would help land a job including Korean language classes. Other state support programs for marriage immigrants are available there.



Currently, there are around 270,000 foreign spouses in Korea, 85 percent of them women.












South Korea is expected to review its plan for humanitarian assistance to North Korea via U.N. agencies, including the timing of its actual provision, this week, a government official said Tuesday.

Defense Minister Song Young-moo said at a parliamentary session Monday that Seoul's provision of $8 million in aid to North Korea could be considerably delayed even if the government approves the plan Thursday.

Seoul's unification ministry said that Song's remarks appeared misleading as there is no change in the government's stance over humanitarian support for the North.

The government has said that aid to those who are vulnerable in the North should be handled regardless of political situations.

"A decision over the timing and other details will take into account inter-Korean ties and other factors," a ministry official said.












/ Captured from Seoul Global Center homepage

By Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-soo

Seoul City will hold a business fair this week for startups established or run by foreigners here in the latest in a series of efforts to foster a startup-friendly business environment.

The International Startups Business Fair will be held at Seoul Business Agency, in Mapo-gu, on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Its organizer is Seoul Global Center (SGC), a multilingual comprehensive support center for foreign residents here.

Twelve startups will participate in the event, during which their representatives  from countries including Canada, the U.S., Finland, Indonesia, will talk to the audience, including investors and city officials, about the companies' business and growth potential.

"We hope to help foreigners who are having difficulty with marketing and building up a market," said Ko Kyung-hee, a SGC manager responsible for the event.

For more information, visit the SGC website (global.seoul.go.kr).
By Ko Dong-hwan





Pedestrians wear masks near Gwanghwamun metro station in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Sep. 19, when the city's air pollution abruptly worsened. / Yonhap

The sky over Seoul turned foggy from Tuesday morning following weeks of relatively clean air.

Chinese smog drifted to the Korean Peninsula, sending the air quality index across most of the capital to over 150 micrograms per cubic meter, according to global air monitoring site Air Visual.

Incheon, west of Seoul and closer to China, took a more direct hit, with Jooan-dong in Nam-gu recording 176 micrograms per cubic meter as of 3 p.m.

The entire western regions and Busan suffered "unhealthy" air pollution, the site showed, while eastern regions remained "moderate" or "unhealthy for sensitive groups."












By Zhang Baohui





The world is at a critical juncture after North Korea's sixth nuclear test. How the international community reacts to the latest provocation from Kim Jong-un will profoundly affect prospects for peace and stability.

While U.S. President Donald Trump seems to have toned down his threat of war, he nonetheless rejects a diplomatic resolution. On Aug. 30, he tweeted that "Talking is not the answer." Instead, the Trump administration has been pushing for harsher sanctions, including a ban on the sale of oil and refined petroleum products to North Korea.

Even if China, the main supplier of oil to North Korea, supported this package, the international community may not have been able to force Kim to give up his nuclear program. More likely, by cornering North Korea with truly strangling sanctions, the world may find itself heading towards the abyss of military conflict.

A more promising approach lies in diplomacy and sanctions working in tandem. In this regard, China should use its critical position to shape the world's course of action. Specifically, Beijing needs to insist on the U.S. committing to dialogue with North Korea as a condition for supporting any more sanctions.

Sanctions, including a ban on the sale of oil, cannot address the root cause of North Korea's nuclear ambition. Fundamentally, North Korea is no different from other countries; they are all shaped by the same anarchic order of the international system, so-called because it lacks a centralized authority. This anarchic context makes all states insecure, and motivates them to adopt an assuming-the-worst mindset for their security. They tend to exaggerate external threats and are inclined to use all means available to provide for their own security.

This self-help logic explains states' quest for nuclear capabilities as the ultimate guarantee for their survival. This logic applies to North Korea, in particular, as it faces the mightiest military power on the planet, the United States. The massive imbalance of conventional military capabilities, coupled with the lingering effects of the cold war, generates an astute sense of insecurity for the North Korean regime.

Its quest for nuclear capabilities, which began with the dawning of the US-led unipolar system in the 1990s, is an inevitable response to the power imbalance and the consequent insecurity. Indeed, even the U.S., as the world's most powerful country, feels insecure and insists on possessing more nuclear weapons than others.

Therefore, any attempts to resolve the North Korean nuclear quagmire must first address Pyongyang's insecurity. Diplomacy, not sanctions, is the pathway towards greater security for North Korea. In contrast, Trump's plan to cut off oil supply will only aggravate Pyongyang's insecurity and strengthen its determination to hold onto its nuclear program. As Russian President Vladimir Putin rightly warned, North Korea would choose to "eat grass" before giving up its nuclear program.

To resolve this nuclear quagmire, the US needs to provide measures that reduce Pyongyang's insecurity. This requires Washington to engage and assure North Korea the US intends it no harm. The best way to assure North Korea about its security is to end the cold war situation between the two countries.

North Korea has repeatedly signaled that appropriate U.S. measures, like a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War and normalization of relations between the two countries, could create the conditions for a freeze of its nuclear and missile program.

In May, Choe Son-hui, head of the North Korean foreign ministry's North America bureau, told reporters that a North Korea-U.S. dialogue could be held "if conditions are met".

In June, Kye Chun-yong, North Korea's ambassador to India, put it more explicitly, saying, "Under certain circumstances, we are willing to talk in terms of freezing our nuclear and missile testing."

While U.S. diplomatic engagement may offer hope for the nuclear quagmire, truly strangling sanctions that involve cutting off oil supplies could gravely destabilize the Korean peninsula and world peace. It is North Korea's pattern to push back hard against external pressure. In fact, it has already promised "more gift packages" to the US to retaliate against new sanctions. At the very least, Pyongyang could show defiance through more nuclear and missile tests, further cornering the Trump administration.

Even worse, North Korea may resort to its old brinkmanship game to force the world to back off. It may threaten direct but limited military actions against U.S. allies in the region, provoking a security crisis. Now nuclear-armed, North Korea's brinkmanship would generate tremendous pressure on the decision-makers in Washington, Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing. They would face the stark choice of either war, which could involve the nuclear scenario, or humiliating compromises with Pyongyang.

To avert this dangerous scenario, China has a critical role to play. Beijing has long championed a dual-track strategy to resolve the quagmire. As argued by foreign minister Wang Yi on September 7, sanctions and diplomacy must go hand in hand. Indeed, Beijing has lobbied the Trump administration to agree to diplomatic engagement with North Korea.

Now, Beijing has a unique opportunity to shape U.S. policies towards North Korea. China should insist on Washington committing to a diplomatic strategy while supporting any new U.N. sanctions. Indeed, before the Security Council adopted the latest sanction package, involving a significant cut in oil going to North Korea, China had exerted unprecedented efforts to nudge Washington towards simultaneous diplomatic efforts.

China owes this to the world. Its peculiar role in the situation requires Beijing to tell the Trump administration that world peace is at stake and that everyone, including the U.S., must exhaust all diplomatic means to make it possible to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear quagmire.

Zhang Baohui is a professor of political science and director of the Centre for Asian Pacific Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. Copyright belongs to South China Morning Post.
By Grace Oh





What I have learned about the formula for life success, so far, is to ace the SATs, have straight A's during high school years, get into a brand-name college, and land a well-paying job. These series of achievements would make my parents proud.

The only way I could reach these goals, I presumed, was to become book smart. Being good at sports, arts, dancing, singing, or any other activity outside of the classroom was not good enough. After all, higher paying jobs are software engineers, corporate managers, or doctors, not dancers or artists. Simply put, money held the key to having a successful life.

Recently, before I started my high school career, I watched Ken Robinson's TED presentation, "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" I learned three lessons. First, I used to believe intelligence was related to academic performances in school. So called intelligent students often have straight A's, speak the most during class discussions, and take a leadership position in math club. Nevertheless, intelligence comes in many different forms. For instance, Kim Yuna, the first South Korean skater to ever win a medal in the Olympic Games, possesses bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Robert Frost, a famous poet, has linguistic intelligence. He is able to write prose that hides complex and deeper meanings. My 7th grade history teacher had interpersonal intelligence. She engaged and bonded with her students by having interest in them. One of my best friends possesses spatial intelligence. She is able to translate her imagination into her work on the canvas.

Second, I used to believe that the level of education is an indicator for success and happiness in life. But I learned from the TED presentation that the lack of education does not mean failure in life. For example, Abraham Lincoln had limited education and was self-educated, but it did not stop him from becoming a greatly impactful and powerful man. Albert Einstein, known for being a genius, failed his first college entrance exam. Despite the failure, he was able to rewrite the laws of nature. William Shakespeare had no sign of formal education at least until the age of 13. Nevertheless, he produced some of the most famous and loved writing.

Third, I learned the importance of creativity. Although Mr. Robinson discussed the significance of creativity focusing on education, I believe it is crucial for any stage in life. When I think of creativity, a clear and memorable example comes to mind. In my 8th grade U.S. history class, students had to display all the items a family would have to take to migrate from the East to West. To showcase, most students displayed either pictures from online or just a list of items and labeled them on a poster board. But one of my friends had made all the items out of clay. By showing something different from the rest of the class, she demonstrated her imagination and unique idea. She did not just go for the basic and surface level representation, but deeply thought and chose a divergent way of displaying her work.

This TED Talk opened up my mind to new ideas: education is not about grades or scores but about creativity. I am now ready to figure out what creativity is all about.





The writer is a 9th grade student at International School in Bellevue, Washington State. Write to Grace27sw.oh@gmail.com.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, with a gentle smile and welcoming presence, charmed foreign participants at the Davos forum in Switzerland this past January. "Please come to China, the guardian of free trade, and invest in our country," Xi said.



Last week, Lotte Mart decided to withdraw from China, as 87 of its 112 stores had their business suspended. Lotte's losses from its Chinese operation are estimated to snowball to 1 trillion won ($882 million) by the end of this year. Hyundai-Kia Motors' sales in the world's No. 2 economy have halved, with other distribution and cosmetics companies also beginning to leave China.



The Global Times, which represents Beijing's position in foreign affairs, poured out raw criticism of Hyundai Motor. The propaganda machine set its face against the deficits inflicting the Korean companies amid China's economic retaliation against the deployment here of a U.S. anti-missile battery, which China thinks can compromise its security.



So it was natural for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to say it would petition the World Trade Organization over China's hindering of free trade. On Saturday, however, Cheong Wa Dae denied the report. "Now is a critical juncture to maintain cooperation with China given North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations," a presidential spokesman said.



National security apparently is a bigger issue than private businesses' bottom lines. Lotte is bearing the brunt of Beijing's anger because of the group's provision of its land for the U.S. missile shield. Next time the Seoul government wants similar sites, it will experience difficulties finding corporate volunteers, if any.



That said, the government staying away from WTO might prove to be a wise, albeit galling, move, considering the nation's heavy economic dependence on China.



Any emotional move by Seoul may bring more losses than gains. A dispute settlement at the WTO would be a long and tough process. Even if South Korea wins, there may not be many substantive benefits, either. This notwithstanding, the government seems to have shown its hand too easily and early in the forthcoming tug-of-war with China.



Business enterprises will have few other options but to get this over with a fundamental solution. They had better withdraw troubled sectors from China and strengthen remaining ones' competitiveness by upgrading their technology to global levels.








This is the second of a three-part series contributed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ahead of the ITU Telecom World, which will take place from Sept. 25 to28 in Busan.  ED.



Artificial intelligence (AI) can crunch the numbers on inconceivably large volumes of data, predicting trends, mitigating problems, driving a revolution in socio-economic development. Smart machines can learn, understand, develop and, in many areas, out-perform humans. But what will be the impact on our jobs, our economies and our societies? Do we need an international code of AI ethics now, before it is too late?



Digital financial services over mobile broadband can bring the millions of unbanked into the modern economy, using information, communication and technology (ICT) to reshape transactions, processes and consumer behavior. Connected cars offer a vision of automated vehicles, enhanced road safety, environmental protection and smart urban planning. But where are the guarantees on security and privacy paying for all this innovation, and is it really possible for regulatory authorities from sectors as diverse as finance, transport and telecoms to work together?



The internet of things (IoT) promises to connect billions of sensors and devices to each other, to humans and to the internet, enabling unprecedented growth, sustainability and innovation across verticals such as manufacturing, health, media, logistics, and electricity. Combined with the exponential increases in bandwidth, speed, reliability and flexibility offered by 5G and software defined networks, smart technologies are creating the critical infrastructure of the future. But where are the international standards and harmonized spectrum essential for global interoperability and seamless connectivity? Are regulatory and government policies ready to exploit the potential of smart technologies while protecting consumers, providing for fair competition and keeping control of cybersecurity?



These questions are at the heart of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World 2017, the leading tech event for governments, large businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), organized each year by ITU, the UN's key agency for ICT matters. This year's event will be held in Busan, Korea, from Sept. 25 to 28, 2017, on the theme of smart digital transformation, its impact and opportunities.



Given its status as pioneering smart city, test bed for the deployment of IoT solutions across the urban environment in one of the most technologically-advanced nations on earth, Busan is an ideal venue to explore smart technology. And given ITU's key role in allocating spectrum and establishing international consensus on industry standards, as well as supporting the critical role of ICTs and smart technologies in meeting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, the event is certain to provide expert analysis and even some answers.



ITU's authority and expertise enable it to convene a unique and uniquely powerful global audience. Heads of state and government will come together with ministers, regulators, leading industry CEOs from major players and SMEs, organizations, associations and consultants. As a UN event, it delivers a truly international perspective on smart digital transformation from emerging and developed markets from all around the world.



International expertise on policy, technology and business strategy in an increasingly smart world will be evident throughout all aspects of ITU Telecom World 2017, which features an exhibition of digital solutions, a forum for sharing knowledge, an Awards Program recognizing the best in ICT innovation with social impact, and a networking hub for nations, organizations and individuals.



A key presence in the exhibition will be KT, Korea's leading operator, showcasing among other advancements its world-beating deployment of 5G, which it aims to pilot as a commercial service at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, a few short months after ITU Telecom World. KT will be joined by exhibitors from countries, organizations, big industry players and SMEs from around the world with innovative digital projects and demos, technologies, projects and partnership opportunities. Industry Stands, SME Pods, National and Thematic Pavilions provide global visibility, networking and business development opportunities for developed and developing markets like no other tech event.



ITU Telecom World 2017 this year brings together the best of ITU in three major pavilions from its sectors. ITU-T, home of standardization, will focus on Smart ABC, highlighting three key emerging smart industries, the connections and interplay between them and the tremendous potential they represent: smart AI, smart banking and smart cities. City mayors from across the globe will exchange knowledge, network and debate on smart solutions. ITU-R will showcase 5G solutions, satellite communication applications and future broadcasting options; and ITU-D will demonstrate the importance of ICTs in meeting the sustainable development goals and in driving global socio-economic development.



In-house experts join international figures from industry, government and technology in the Leadership Summit and the Forum, an exciting world-class program of interactive debate on smart digital transformation. Leading speakers from public and private sectors, consultants and digital thinkers will explore topics such as collaborative regulation, connected cars, smart sustainable cities, Industry 4.0, digital skills, security in the age of smart technologies and the ethics of AI.



Whether sharing ideas, best practice and case studies in the forum or meeting new leads, making contacts and discovering new solutions in the exhibition, ITU Telecom World is all about networking. Making the right connections is essential for success in business and partnerships  and perhaps never more so than now, in an era of transformation, convergence and cross-sector collaboration. A program of specially-designed networking events, spaces and online tools put participants in touch with the right people from across the industry and the world, from the high-profile Opening Ceremony and high-level LeaderSpace to coffee breaks, networking lunches and dinners and the ever-popular event app.



Leveraging the unique international platform and networking opportunities that the event provides, the ITU Telecom World Awards recognize the most promising innovative ICT-based initiatives with real social impact. The Awards are open to all exhibiting and sponsoring participants, as well as to any SMEs entering with an application fee, which includes a free Exhibition Pass and access to the full SME Program of workshops, capacity building sessions, pitching and targeted networking events.



Presented by ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao in a high-profile onsite ceremony, the Awards are for a number of categories, including the Global SME Awards for the most promising and innovative solutions from small and medium enterprises; the Corporate Awards for the best solutions from larger organizations working in areas such as smart emerging technologies, e education or e health; and the Government Award for the National Pavilion organizer bringing high numbers of excellent, innovative SMEs to the event.



ITU Telecom World 2017's combination of audience, activities and expertise offers a compelling opportunity to explore smart digital transformation and perhaps find answers to some of those key questions.



Please visit telecomworld.itu.int to find out more ITU Telecom World 2017 and how to take part in Busan this September.




Its not every day you get to sit down with a Nobel Prize winner, but for this edition of People in Your Neighborhood, we spoke to 93-year-old La Jolla resident Roger Guillemin, who served as interim president of the Salk Institute for two years. Guillemin shares the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1977 for the discoveries concerning the peptide hormone production of the brain.

The father of six and grandfather (with the first great-grandson due at the end of this year) is also a member of La Jolla Parks & Beaches advisory group. When affirming or confirming, he says you know it all and of course without an ounce of condescension, and joyfully recalls the first time he visited the Salk Institute campus.

I was invited by Dr. Salk, they were looking for new faculty to start a neurobiology or neuroendocrinology (department). I didnt know about the place. When I saw it for the first time, I was so amazed. I thought to myself, whatever the offer is, Im going to say yes. And Ive been here ever since.

Where did you grow up?

Burgundy, France  I became very interested in fundamental biology and eventually that would lead to medical school. In France, you can start practicing medicine before you get the M.D. degree, so long as you have completed a certain amount of schooling. So I started practicing medicine and seeing patients.

How did your medical studies evolve?

One day, I saw that a man from Montreal named Hans Selye, who is the one who introduced the word stress to medical literature, was giving lectures in Paris. I went, and I couldnt believe what he was saying. It was hypnotizing. There were colored slides on the screen, can you believe it? I wanted to study what he was talking about, so I approached him afterward, and after some talking, he agreed.

I took a plane for the first time in my life and went to Montreal. I stayed there for a year and studied extensively. There were about 12 people working in the lab. Three of us became ill with TB. One died, the other had part of a lung removed. I got meningitis. But it would happen that streptomycin was just introduced as a medication against TB, so I was admitted as a patient in the local hospital. I received a spinal injection every day for a month. It worked so well, I married the nurse that administered it, and we are still married!

What brought you to Salk?

When I decided to leave (Montreal), I had several offers for places to work and study.  A friend convinced me to go to Baylor College as a staffer in the college of medicine. Thats where I did all the work that led to the discovery of the brain molecule that controls the pituitary gland functions.

We published papers on this, and one of them must have gotten the attention of Jonas Salk, because I was invited here to establish a neuroendocrinology laboratory. We kept working on these brain molecules, and eventually, we isolated and characterized the molecule.

The first molecule was an incredibly simple and small one. So small, in fact, we thought we made a mistake. But we learned this was indeed the molecule that is in all our brains that controls the function of the thyroid gland. That was the beginning. Later, we characterized six or seven other molecules made in the brain.

Was that the work for which you earned the Nobel Prize?

Of course. Quite a few people in the world were trying to isolate these molecules, but could not for various technical reasons. That was the work that led us to Stockholm for the Nobel Prize.

During the Nobel Prize ceremony, there were representatives from the Nobel Foundation and the king and queen were there. The king gives you a book with your name on it with all the Nobel laureates and the medal, and when I sat down, I realized he had given me (co-recipient Andrew) Schallys book and he had given Schally my book. We nudged each other and chuckled. We were not about to switch books in front of 800 people and dignitaries. So we switched books privately.

Where is the Nobel Prize and the book now?

I gave the book to Baylor College with the condition that it be displayed in a way and place where students could walk by, see it and maybe think, He got the Nobel Prize, maybe I can, too. The medal is in safe keeping. I told one of my daughters to sell it when my wife and I pass away, and divide the money between her brothers and sisters.

How many children do you have?

Six  five daughters and one son. My wife is Lucienne. Im 93 and she is 96 (chuckles).

How did you get involved with La Jolla Parks & Beaches?

I was reading in your paper some of the issues that were being discussed and wanted to get involved. One issue that is important to me, but not everyone, is the planned reservoirs. One is being proposed at a park near my home. In my opinion, it is a social tragedy and Im not convinced its even necessary. That little park is going to be destroyed for years.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my office, there are posters for the lectures held here in my name, which have been given at Salk every year. I made those posters. I was one of the first people in my lab here at Salk to use computers for graphing of bio-acids. I thought about putting color functions into the programming and creating digital art. So I made the images for the posters and I love to create pieces on the computer. I have some very early computer paintings in the office.  A couple of my computer paintings hang in the presidents office. Whatever you have in mind, you can put it onto canvas or paper.

Do you have a philosophy in life?

Help people. I really wanted to be a physician  I knew all my efforts would be to help people.

Editors Note: La Jolla Lights People in Your Neighborhood series shines a spotlight on notable locals we all wish we knew more about! Light staff is out on the town talking to familiar, friendly faces to bring you their stories. If you know someone youd like us to profile, send the lead via e-mail to editor@lajollalight.com or call us at (858) 875-5950.
If youve called the administrative offices at La Jolla High School any time in the last five years, youve likely been met with a sweet voice saying La Jolla High School, this is Rita. How can I help you? And the problem-solving Rita McGee-Bastani truly means that she wants to help.

In her role, she daily fields calls from the San Diego Unified School District, parents, and other La Jolla High teachers and staff, seeking to find solutions to their queries right away.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles. Im the seventh of 10 children, and we all went to Catholic School, K-12. So when it came to all of us going to college, we all tried to work and pay for as much of it as we could.

Nine siblings! How many nieces and nephews do you have?

I dont even know. I think its in the low-40s.

What did you study in college?

I have a degree that is not common: Interior Architectural Design. Am I using it now? No. Im not a decorator, but I wanted to design space. I had a lot of different ideas for coordinating space, making it more efficient, form following function. Thats just what I liked and when youre young, you go with what you love. There were a lot of jobs, but they were mostly decorating jobs. So I mostly did furniture sales.

How did you go from decorating to school administration?

I have three (grown) children and was super involved in their activities when they were growing up. I worked for an architect at that time and only worked 30 hours a week so I could be home when they got out of school. Once they graduated from high school and went to college, I found myself wondering what to do with my time and energy. I missed the involvement in childrens activities.

I had a friend who encouraged me to work at the (San Diego Unified School) District, and I eventually applied for a job. I did a lot of similar things for the architect I worked for as you would as an administrative assistant, so it was an easy fit.

The first principal I worked for (at Pacific Beach Middle School) didnt like numbers and Im a numbers person, so she was quick to hire me. Plus, with my own kids and nine siblings, managing and being around a lot of kids wasnt an issue for me.

What kinds of activities did you do with your children?

I was the mom that took all the kids surfing or to sports. We moved to San Diego in 1983, so two of my kids were born here. My son loves surfing, so I would get up at 5 a.m. and take him and his friends to the beach before school. My son is still a surfer.

My daughters also surf, but they are not as addicted to it as he is. I could tell when he hadnt been surfing for a few weeks based on his demeanor.

What do you like most about your job?

How much I do is a double-edged sword. Im always busy, which is good because I dont like boredom. Im not good with idle time. Here, I am so busy all day. I like that, but its exhausting. Im doing three peoples jobs because there just enough staff to do what is expected of us.

But my favorite thing is helping these kids to calm down. Freshman come in so doe-eyed and nervous, I like to let them know everything is going to be OK.

Im a problem solver, so I like solving problems for teachers, staff, parents and students. I answer phones and fill-in for the receptionist, field the principals calls and slim them down so only the ones that are necessary go to him. Getting up at 5 a.m. is not my favorite part.

What do you do when schools not in session?

Its all about family. But my problem is, I like to spend time with my husband, but he works retail, so when Im off for the holidays, he is at his busiest. I have three kids and two grandkids, so I try to spend time with them. My husband is from Iran, so we go there sometimes on vacations. Its a wonderful country and we have such a good time with his family.

There was a time my daughter worked in Switzerland, so we spent some time in Europe. We love to travel. Plus, being one of 10 kids, there is always someone to visit. My mom is still hanging on at age 92, so I visit her, too. My vacations almost always involve visiting someone.

Do you enjoy Persian food?

Are you kidding? Have you had Persian food? Its amazing! When the kids were growing up, we had Persian food every Sunday. My husband was never in the kitchen growing up, but when he came to the United States as a student, he lived with other Iranians and they needed to either learn how to cook or eat fast food all the time. They would share family recipes and I learned from him, my sister-in-law, or when we would go out, Id try something and say, I need to learn how to make this.

Do you speak Farsi?

Im nowhere near fluent, but Im conversational. I write like a kindergartener, but I can still write it. When we go to Iran, I can piece things together. Weve been married 38 years. But students who know me will speak some Farsi to me and thats fun. Those who dont know me are surprised when I bust out the Farsi and greet them.

What do you do to relax?

Nothing, like I said, I do not like boredom.

Just kidding. Im a movie fanatic. I love movies. My favorites right now are Leap Year and About Time. My favorites change all the time. I have probably 800 movies. I have VHS tapes, which take up so much space, and DVDs. I have all the Disney movies, all the Harry Potter movies, all the Twilight (Saga) movies. People make fun of me for that, but I still like them. The acting is so horrible in the first one, but it got better.

I read the Twilight books and had to see how it was as a movie. I read the books, and then I watch the movies. And of course, I have all the Back to the Future movies. That is one series where the first, second and third movies are all good. I love these movies. Thats my thing.

Editors Note: La Jolla Lights People in Your Neighborhood series shines a spotlight on notable locals we all wish we knew more about! Light staff is out on the town talking to familiar, friendly faces to bring you their stories. If you know someone youd like us to profile, send the lead via e-mail to editor@lajollalight.com or call us at (858) 875-5950.
A state Senate committee heard emotional testimony on a series of bills looking to tighten penalties on drunken drivers, as citizens and legislators called on members to further safeguard the roads.

Bill author Rep. Jim Ott noted while the number of alcohol-related crashes has been going down, giving the impression the current penalties are a sufficient deterrent for drunken driving, the numbers dont show how many, many families in our state have been devastated by drunk drivers.

What you read in the papers, the stats, the numbers, the facts dont just tell the whole story of how this problem impacts people in Wisconsin, the Mequon Republican told Judiciary and Public Safety Committee members on Sept. 5. I think every step that we take to cut down on drunk driving makes our roads safer.

Two of those bills passed an Assembly committee this spring. One would send a person convicted of killing someone while driving drunk to prison for at least five years, while the other bill would increase the minimum incarceration time for fifth and sixth OWI offenders.

The third bill, which passed the full Assembly in May, would make changes to ignition interlock device requirements and require the operating restriction takes effect immediately, rather than when the Department of Transportation re-issues the offender a drivers license.

Nearly 10 people, whose lives were all affected by family members, friends or coworkers who were killed by drunken drivers, testified in support of the bills.

Among them was Paula Patoka, whose husband, Roger, was killed while riding his motorcycle in August 2015 near Shawano when a drunken driver, who had four OWIs on his record at the time, hit him after crossing the centerline. Patoka and her two kids, then ages 12 and 14, were following behind Roger in their Suburban and were also injured in the crash.

I beg of you to vote yes on this bill because why wouldnt you? This is all thats left of him, she said through tears, as she showed committee members a picture of the remains of the motorcycle her husband had been driving.

Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Fred Risser of Madison asked bill co-author Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, if the Joint Finance Committee would be willing to allocate the necessary funds for higher costs, including at the Department of Corrections.

Yes, Darling said, adding the pain families feel is also felt by the state.

What would it say about us to say were against drunken driving, but we wont do what it takes to (combat it)? asked Darling, co-chair of the Finance Committee.

Members also heard testimony on a bill from committee chair Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, that would permanently revoke someones drivers license if theyve committed at least four OWI offenses.

That bill has yet to be taken up in the Assembly committee it was referred to. It remains unclear which OWI-related bills are most likely to pass both chambers and get Gov. Scott Walkers signature.
Earlier this year an Illinois woman sent an email telling me of the poor care her husband received at a large Chicago hospital. After six weeks of fighting for his life, he died.

I wish you could see his records and all the infections and surgeries he had, she told me. Ive been wanting to do something about the care he got and just didnt know who to go to.

I return to this topic from time to time because everyone is vulnerable to hospital mistakes. Most people think of hospitals as safe, loving places that advertise their miracle cures on TV and build new wings to house the latest technology. How can things go wrong? But they do, and readers of this column have been eager to share their experiences.

Increasingly, its becoming clear there are few places patients and their families can turn for help in avoiding bad care and equally important theres almost no guidance from state or the federal regulators. When news outlets try to write about unsafe hospitals, they run into a veil of secrecy that protects the industry as one reporter in Michigan put it.

The Wall Street Journal has just published a fine story that begins to lift that veil.

Not many Americans know that the federal government has turned over the task of accrediting most of the nations hospitals to a private organization called the Joint Commission, which is funded by hospitals and governed by a board of directors some of whom are executives in the health systems it accredits.

Medicare requires hospitals to comply with safety standards, and they can use state inspections or hire a government-approved accrediting body to show they are in compliance. Most have chosen the latter.

Hospitals have a lot of skin in this game paying the Commission an annual fee between $1,500 and $37,000 depending on how big they are, the Journal reported. They also pay for the inspections, which in 2015 cost on average $18,000.

The Joint Commission awards a Gold Seal of Approval to those facilities that meet its standards. Maybe youve seen them when youve visited a hospital. It encourages hospitals to use those accreditations in their marketing activities, even providing them with a publicity kit.

The commission has also created a patient brochure with this reassuring message, Whenever and wherever you receive health care, look for The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval.

However, the Journal found that those seals of approval can be misleading. Using information from inspection records, reporters found that in 2014 some 350 hospitals had Joint Commission accreditation even though they were in violation of Medicare safety requirements, and 60 percent of them had safety violations in the preceding three years.

It seems that most patients facing an operation or a hospital stay would want to know that.

Dr. Mark Chassin, president and chief executive of the Joint Commission, told the Journal that his organization doesnt routinely withdraw accreditation of hospitals with safety problems because its focus is less on regulating or penalizing and more on preventing problems.

And this brings us back to that age-old problem: Should a government regulate business, including hospitals which have become very big businesses  or should it provide information so buyers, or in this case patients, can compare the offerings and make decent choices? Opponents of regulation argue that providing information is best.

In the case of hospitals, though, patients have neither regulation nor information.

The Journals reporting shows that the Joint Commissions inspection process often lets hospitals keep their accreditation even as they deliver poor care. At the same time, the Joint Commission has continually refused to make its hospital inspection reports public.

So if patients are supposed to do their homework before undergoing health procedures, its a fair question to ask: How should they do that?

Earlier this year the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed a rule that would have required the Joint Commission to make its inspection records public. The agency cited serious concerns about the commissions ability to identify safety problems. The Commission opposed the regulation, arguing it would make its work harder. Hospitals opposed it, too. CMS heard their pleas and withdrew the proposal leaving patients in the same information vacuum they were in before.

Earlier this year Ashish Jha, a professor of health policy at the T. H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard, told me he had no idea which hospital in New York City had the lowest risk of safety problems. At best he could only make a rough guess. He told the Journal its findings show accreditation is basically meaningless  it doesnt mean a hospital is safe.

What kind of information would you like to see about safety and quality of care at your local hospital? Write to Trudy at trudy.lieberman@gmail.com.
PRESS RELEASE

Agreement in Astana on New De-Escalation Zone in Syrias Idlib Province

Sept. 16, 2017 (EIRNS)The Sixth Astana meeting on the Syrian ceasefire closed yesterday, with another agreement on de-escalation zones. The three guarantor powers, Russia, Turkey, and Iran, agreed to set up a new de-escalation zone in Idlib province and to deploy observers around the zone "to prevent incidents and clashes between the conflicting parties." A joint Iran-Russia-Turkey coordinating center is being established to coordinate actions of this observer force, also referred to as de-escalation control forces.

The statement released stressed that the de-escalation zones are a temporary measure renewable after six months, and that the zones will not, under any circumstances, "undermine the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic." The statement also calls for international humanitarian aid, and for impetus to such initiatives as the intra-Syrian dialogue, backed by the UN-led Geneva process.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, attending as an observer this week, had high praise for the impact the new agreement can have on the Geneva process. He reiterated that there is no military solution to the conflict.

De Mistura reported that next week he will be consulting with the UN Secretary General and the UN Security Council in New York, and then announce when the next Geneva meeting will take place.

"We are counting to actually work on the momentum of Astana, in order to make sure that this round will be serioushopefully as close as possible to direct discussions,"

he said.

The next Astana meeting is planned for October. Russias Special Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentyev said that,

"If they apply through diplomatic channels, China, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon will also be invited to next meetings as observers."

Lavrentyev stressed the importance of getting the armed opposition groups to join with the Syrian army against both ISIS and Al Nusra (which some of these groups were once allied with against Assad). "The Syrians unity against terrorism will lay the groundwork for enhancing trust between them," he said.

Syrias UN Ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari, who heads the Syrian delegation in Astana, praised the agreement. He stressed Syrias support to any initiative that stops shedding the Syrian blood and alleviates the suffering of its people everywhere. In this regard, he said that the final statement was "positive and the outcome of joint international efforts."
PRESS RELEASE

Foreign Policy Attacks Lyndon LaRouche over New Silk Road

Sept. 18, 2017 (EIRNS)Just days after a prominent interview with lead parliamentary candidate Helga Zepp-LaRouche was quickly "disappeared" from Germanys Junge Welt publication, the U.S.-based neo-Conservative magazine Foreign Policy has vented its spleen against Lyndon LaRouche for the very existence of Helga LaRouches campaign. Foreign Policys title"Lyndon LaRouche Is Running a Pro-China Party in Germany"makes clear the issue is Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, or "New Silk Road," which Helga LaRouche prominently represents both in China and in Europe.

The article, appearing just before the parliamentary election, is largely unencumbered by easily verifiable facts: Lyndon LaRouche is not a millionaire, Helga LaRouche is not "Russian-German," LaRouche doesnt publish on websites only in Russian and German, etc. "Germany must join the New Silk Road" is hardly a "bizarre campaign poster" to any informed German. "Overhauling global banking to stop the collapse of the financial system" is not a "vague idea": It is the return of the Glass-Steagall Act.

But this is fundamentally a ham-handed attack by geopoliticians, on the new international paradigm which rejects British geopolitics in favor of collaboration for the mutual benefit of nations. The successful emergence of that new paradigm defines Lyndon and Helga LaRouches 40 years of work, and they represent it internationally.

The McCarthyite Russia-baiting by Foreign Policy is clear, charging both LaRouches with "promoting the interests of Russia and China in the West." Even more clear is the fear of the LaRouches leadership with regard to the New Silk Road policy itself.

"The question is whether the LaRouche movements real audience isnt in Germany but rather in China, where theres growing evidence the movement has influential followers."

Testily, Foreign Policy notes how often Helga Zepp-LaRouche is cited as an expert in the press in China; and the lengthy August China Daily profile of Helga LaRouche is denounced as "a puff piece."

The author of the attack, Bethany Allen-Ebrahemian, comes from the East-West Institute in Hawaii, and the detestable contempt she affects for Chinese intelligencia and leaders is a mark of neo-Con geopoliticians. But it belies a real fear of the New Silk Road policy, and the LaRouches as leaders of it.

Foreign Policy will be one U.S.-based observer nervously counting the votes of the parliamentary slate of Germany's Civil Rights Movement Solidarity (BuSo) party.
PRESS RELEASE

Lavrov and Tillerson Discuss Strategic Issues During Meeting at Russian UN Mission

Sept. 18, 2017 (EIRNS)Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held an hour-long informal meeting at the Russian United Nations Mission in New York. They reiterated their commitment to cooperate in Syria to eliminate conflict situations and reduction of violence, according to a statement by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert.

"The two recommitted to deconflicting military operations in Syria, reducing the violence, and creating the conditions for the Geneva process to move forward, pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254,"

according to the document.

The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that they also discussed cooperation on the Syrian crisis and other aspects of the situation in the Middle East and North Africa as well as the status of implementation of the Minsk agreements.

Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev said today that the meeting was a positive signal. "I see a positive signal in todays meeting," said Kosachev, who chairs Russias Federation Council (upper house of parliament) International Affairs Committee.

"No doubt, the two countries, which are permanent UN Security Council members, should coordinate their steps ahead of the upcoming General Assembly. This is a good sign,"

he said.

Nonetheless, Kosachev said it was unfortunate that in a interview with Face the Nation on CBS, Tillerson said that "if our diplomatic efforts (on North Korea) fall though, our military option will be the only one left." Kosachev didnt mention the fact that both U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster issued similar threats of military action, speaking on Sunday talk shows.

"As long as the U.S. and other Western countries, their allies and neighbors of North KoreaSouth Korea, Japan and other regional countriesleave open the possibility of external interference and toppling the current regime there, unfortunately North Korea and its authorities will continue implementing its nuclear program,"

Kosachev warned.

"Definitely, there is no military solution there, no doubt that if any military operation is carried out, unfortunately, North Koreas authorities will fulfill those possibilities that they have," the Russian Senator stressed. "All this will end sadly not only for the region but for the whole world, including the U.S."

"Thats why I sincerely regret Tillersons statement as this is definitely not a solution to the North Korean problem, recognizing that this is a problem, it is evident that it exists and demands immediate solution,"

he senator said.
PRESS RELEASE

New Silk Road Erupts in Paris, in High-Level Sino-European Forum

PARIS, Sept. 18, 2017 (Nouvelle Solidarite)An exceptional Sino-European forum on Chinas New Silk Road project took place in Paris, on Friday, Sept. 15, co-organized by the BOAO Forum for Asia (also called the Asian Davos) and the Prospective and Innovation Foundation headed by former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. The Forum was a follow up to the May 14-15 Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, where Raffarin represented President Emmanuel Macron, and was organized with the support of the authorities of both countries.

The 250 participants engaged in a thorough, full-day discussion on all aspects of the Chinese proposal. Introductory remarks were made by Raffarin, followed by the former Deputy Prime Minister of China Zeng Peiyan, current Vice President of the BOAO Forum; and by the President of the French Senate Gerard Larcher. This is the highest level Franco-Chinese event in a long time, and perhaps the most important event organized thus far on the New Silk Road project in a major Western European country, since President Xi Jinping launched the policy in 2013. Clearly, the organizers want it to succeed rapidly now in Western Europe.

The representation, in particular from the Chinese side, was very high level, with representatives of several of Chinas main infrastructure, transport and engineering companies, but also financial and banking institutions, participating at the level of their presidents and vice presidents. From the Western side, speakers included the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as well as bankers (the Vice President of Barclays), fund managers and company CEOs. A Swiss company, AAQIUS, producing hydrogen cans to run electrical motors for small vehicles, signed a deal with a Chinese company on the sidelines of the Forum. Three roundtables dealt with infrastructure; trade and investment; and innovative financing to carry out those projects.

From all sides, this was a major effort, not only to describe the nature of the project, but to clear up any doubts, questions and concerns which have arisen in a depression-ridden and declining Europe, due to the enormity of the project and to its totally innovative quality. Since the Beijing Belt and Road Forum last May, the mainstream media and thinktanks, as well as strategists and important Sinologists, have come out denouncing the project as a geopolitical scheme from power-hungry China. President Macron, who is not an enemy of the project, nonetheless asked the European Union last June to define a strategy to forbid the takeovers of strategic companies and strategic infrastructure by foreign capital. At this point, its not clear whether they want to protect only the defense-sensitive companies, something that China does itself, or to hamper collaboration with the New Silk Road project as a whole. The danger, if the EU gets involved, is that it will try to establish an EU-wide negative position, including all the southern or eastern European countries that have developed close ties to China. Interestingly, thinktankers such as Barthelemy Courmont (IRIS), wonder if this is possible.

Addressing Doubts and Worries

Behind the scenes, all these issues were being addressed at this forum as reflected in an interview given by Raffarin to Xinhua, where he called on Europe "to take this historical project seriously ... and not fear entering into discussions." Trust, he insisted, is of the essence.

"In the uncertain world in which we stand, trust relations are very important.... China is opening up, participating in the international institutions, proposing partnerships. Lets take the hand being offered and defend our interests; and I trust that our Asian partners will make a win-win vision possible."

Conscious that the crisis is progressing, he called on Europe

"to defend this idea from within the process, rather than discussing it from the outside, because we would lose a lot of time. France and the other countries need rapid growth, this is why Im favorable to a frank and rapid engagement, to be able to negotiate from within the process."

The President of the French Senate called for organizing workshops to make clear "investment conditions, opening of markets, codevelopment ethics, conditions of mutual respect."

From the Chinese side, Zeng went into a real pedagogy of the project, restating that China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was launched in a depressed world economy after the 2007 crash, to "explore new growth motors for the world economy." It aims at realizing a

"common prosperity. It will never go back to the old mentality of political games, and will never aim at exporting a social system or a mode of development. It is not a geopolitical tool, nor an aid plan, but a platform of pragmatic cooperation and an initiative for interconnected development."

He also clarified that BRI was not

"about selling surplus capacities. The methods adopted by China to face up to the world financial crisis of 2008 contributed greatly to the jump-starting of the world economy, but they also lead to expansion of production capacities. To solve the problem, China decided to reduce its steel and coal production capacities by 150 million tons each, during the 3-5 years to come."

Zeng and other speakers insisted on the specific role of infrastructure which does not generate profit in the short term, but in the long term, and within the context of the overall development of a region. Aziz, former Pakistani Prime Minister, board member of the Boao Forum, also stressed this idea.

To note also: The roundtable presentations and discussions that dealt with financial means, didnt go anywhere. Since the BRI is presented to the West as concerning mainly private companies, the role of the state being relegated only to the creation of conditions in which these private companies can invest, there was no discussion about "public investment tools," or even "sovereign funds" which are close to what is needed. Discussion on reliance on crowd funds, ended rather quickly, as most of the roundtable participants accepted that crowd funds would only be applicable to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The same was true of the proposal to use Fintech funds, as several people admitted to not knowing what these are. In France, the public sovereign fund CDC is already using what they call counterpart funds to assemble 50-50 funds with the Chinese. In that context, the Chinese financed 1 billion of the Greater Paris investments, while the CDC raised another 1 billion in French funds.
PRESS RELEASE

Saudis Barred from Attending Labour Party Convention, Because of War Against Yemen

Sept. 18, 2017 (EIRNS)Britains Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, has decided to reject Saudi Arabias application to attend the partys annual convention Sept. 25 because of the Kingdoms genocidal war against Yemen. Sudan has also been barred from attending.

A Labour Party spokesman, quoted by RT, announced that

"following evidence of war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia in its bombing campaign in Yemen and other large scale human rights abuses, the NEC [National Executive Committee] agreed that the embassys application to attend the Labour Party conference would not be accepted."

In response, an outraged League of Arab States has written to Labour MPs and peers to inform them it has cancelled the annual reception and dinner, normally hosted by Arab ambassadors.

Corbyns stand on Saudi Arabia stands in stark contrast to that of Prime Minister Theresa May, who has made no comment on the Saudis barbaric bombing of Yemen, while continuing to sell massive amounts of weaponry, in the amount of $4.87 billion, to the Kingdom. Corbyn has called on the Tory government to cease arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

According to RT, the Saudis received "red carpet" treatment at the DSEI arms fair in Londonthe largest such fair in the world.
PRESS RELEASE

U.S.-South Korean Militaries Engage in Show of Force

Sept. 18, 2017 (EIRNS)The U.S. and South Korean militaries engaged in a show of force today, that included the dropping of both inert and live weapons on a South Korean bombing range and a flight along the Demilitarized Zone. According to a report in the Korea Herald, a pair of B-1B bombers flying from Guam and four U.S. Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighters were joined by four South Korean F-15K fighters for the exercise for the two-and-a-half hour drill "where they honed their attack capabilities." After they released their weapons, they made the "highly unusual" move of approaching the tense inter-Korean border, reported Yonhap. Prior to arriving over Korea, the U.S. aircraft had drilled with F-2 fighters from the Japanese Air Self Defense Force over waters near Kyushu, reported the Japan Times.

There will be more such exercises to come. The South Korean Defense Ministry reported to the National Assembly, today, that the United States and South Korea will hold an exercise in October involving "the U.S. aircraft carrier strike group," though it didnt name the carrier involved. The ministry also reported that South Korea and the United States will also conduct a combined missile alert drill joined by Japan between late September and early October.
The book Michelle McNamara, comedian Patton Oswalts wife who died unexpectedly in 2016, had been working on will be published next year. McNamara, a true crime aficionado, had helped pursue the cold case of an assailant she dubbed the Golden State Killer.

McNamaras book, Ill Be Gone in the Dark: One Womans Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer will be published by HarperCollins on Feb. 27.

Oswalt announced the book news on social media. Despite my bias, I can say with quiet, deep confidence that Michelles book is going to join the pantheon of true crime, he wrote on Facebook. Its an intense, fascinating read.

Advertisement

After her death, Oswalt had said that he would help finish his late wifes book. The final version has an afterword by Oswalt and an introduction by Gone Girl novelist Gillian Flynn.

McNamara was known for her popular website, True Crime Diary, which was largely dedicated to unsolved murder cases.

Ill Be Gone in the Dark was inspired by an article McNamara published in Los Angeles magazine, In the Footsteps of a Killer. The article detailed her search to uncover the identity of the Golden State Killer, an unknown assailant who police believe was responsible for 50 rapes and 10 murders in California in the 1970s and 80s.

On the books web page, HarperCollins writes that the book offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind.

When McNamara died in her sleep on April 21, 2016, the 46-year-old left behind her husband Oswalt and their young daughter. McNamaras unexpected death was later determined to have been caused by arterial blockage exacerbated with a combination of prescription drugs including Xanax, Adderall and fentanyl.

In his Facebook post, Oswalt, who has returned to performing comedy, wrote that he hopes the book will lead to the capture of the still-uncaught creep responsible for the attacks. I cant help feeling that somewhere, in her final pages, she left enough clues for someone to finish the job she couldnt  to put Californias worst serial killer behind bars.
Senate Republicans are preparing to vote on their last-gasp Affordable Care Act repeal bill without estimates from the Congressional Budget Office of its effects on the deficit, health insurance coverage, or premiums. So someone else has to step in to inform the senators of the measures grim consequences.

Enter Rebekah Gee, the secretary of the Department of Health in Louisianawhich happens to be the home state of the measures chief sponsor, Sen. Bill Cassidy. In a letter to Cassidy dated Monday, Gee offers chapter and verse on how the bill would cut health coverage for 433,000 of Cassidys constituents enrolled in Medicaid expansion; eliminate protection for people with pre-existing medical conditions, driving many of them into the increasingly battered and tattered safety net of public assistance; and threaten the health of the unborn and their mothers.

Like all the GOP repeal proposals before it, Gee wrote, Cassidys bill uniquely and disproportionately hurts Louisiana due to our recent expansion and high burden of extreme poverty. Gee calculates that the bills elimination of expansion and capping of federal funding to states would cost Louisiana $3.2 billion through 2026, making Louisiana the eighth biggest loser among all states, and by far the poorest and sickest state affected by these cuts.

Advertisement

A generational bill as transformative as this one...should be done through regular order with public hearings.  Louisiana Health Secretary Rebekah Gee

Thats a major threat to critical access and care for our most vulnerable Medicaid populations including the disabled, children, and pregnant women, Gee wrote.

Gees broadside isnt uniquevirtually every responsible healthcare expert and medical organization has said much the same, as has the fiscal analysis firm Fitch Ratings, which judged the measure more disruptive for most states than prior Republican efforts. As many as 32 million Americans could lose their health coverage, according to legislative analysesfar more than under previous GOP repeal bills.

But Gees words are notable because theyre so specific and come from Cassidys home state, albeit not from his side of the partisan aisle. Gee, a Utah-born physician and veteran public health administrator, was appointed secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services last year by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards shortly after his inauguration. Edwards promptly instituted Medicaid expansion, reversing the policy of his GOP predecessor, Bobby Jindal, of resisting the Affordable Care Act.

Whether Gees letter will have any effect on Cassidy is uncertain, but its unlikely that it will. Cassidy, like Gee a physician, hardly needs to be reminded of the effects of his bill, which is dubbed Cassidy-Graham to acknowledge the co-sponsorship of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). If he cared, he wouldnt have introduced it in the first place.

Yet the Republican Senate caucus appears determined to push the bill through without even the semblance of considered discussion. The Congressional Budget Office informed the Senators on Monday that it would be able to produce only a preliminary assessment of the measure early next week, but would need at least several weeks more to provide specific estimates of the effects on the deficit, health insurance coverage, or premiums. That would place the CBO analysis past the Sept. 30 deadline for the Senate to pass the bill on a reconciliation basis, which requires only 50 votes plus a tie-breaker by Vice President Mike Pence. After that, the bill would need 60 votes to overcome a certain filibuster by Democrats.

My letter to @BillCassidy explaining how his bill uniquely and disproportionally hurts his home state of Louisiana. pic.twitter.com/5re6ETMMiw  Rebekah Gee (@rebekahgeemd) September 19, 2017

As we reported Monday, thus far the sponsors seem to be a hair short of the 50. GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky are expected to be firm no votes; Collins has voted against every Obamacare repeal bill so far, and Paul has said hell vote against this one because it doesnt go far enough in dismantling the Affordable Care Act. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has said shes still examining Cassidy-Graham. But she voted against the previous repeal bill, which wasnt nearly as draconian.

Another question mark is Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who also voted against the previous bill. McCain is a friend of Grahams. Arizonas Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has endorsed the bill, which could put pressure on McCain to go along. But McCain has been outspoken about the need to enact healthcare reform legislation only under regular order. That means the Senate would have to hold hearings, receive input from members of both parties, and heed the recommendations of our nations governors on healthcare, he said in July.

Cassidy-Graham is being pushed through entirely outside that process. There will be no hearings before the committees charged with healthcare legislation, virtually no debate, and no input from Democrats. For McCain to support the bill under those circumstances would mean his reneging on a principle he articulated as recently as Aug. 31.

Gee, as it happens, nodded toward that principle in her letter to Cassidy: A generational bill as transformative as this one, that would overhaul aspects of nearly one-fifth of this countrys economy, should be done through regular order with public hearings. Instead, its being rushed to a vote in a closed-door and hurried process.

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

With a deadline approaching, Republicans last push to roll back Obamacare gains strength

Turning aside risk, Democrats rally to Bernie Sanders single-payer health plan

Trump may strip protections from 10 national monuments
Political commentator Scottie Nell Hughes, who this year said she was raped in July 2013 by Fox Business Network host Charles Payne, made that allegation in a civil lawsuit filed Monday.

Payne was suspended from his role as an on-air host July 6 while the allegations, made to Fox News and its parent 21st Century Fox, were being investigated by the law firm Paul, Weiss. Payne was cleared in the investigation and returned to his hosting duties on Fox Business Network on Sept. 8.

Hughes suit in a federal court in New York names Payne, 21st Century Fox and Fox News. Hughes also alleges that she was coerced into a sexual relationship with Payne in order to keep getting appearances on the network, which she believed would lead to a job as a commentator at Fox News.

Advertisement

Hughes, a Republican commentator and a supporter of President Trump, said her opportunities to appear on Fox Business Network and Fox News stopped after her relationship with Payne ended in 2016, and she tried to bring the allegations to the attention of Fox News management.

Payne denied all of Hughes accusations when they were first made in July. A Fox News spokesperson said the lawsuit has absolutely no merit.

Jonathan Halpern, a lawyer representing Payne, said in a statement: My client Charles Payne vehemently denies any wrongdoing and will defend himself vigorously against this baseless complaint. We are confident that when the evidence is presented in this case, Mr. Payne will be fully vindicated and these outrageous accusations against him will be confirmed as completely false.

Hughes lawsuit also says Fox News and two of its executives, Dianne Brandi and Irena Briganti, were responsible for leaking the story that Payne and Hughes were involved in what was described as a romantic affair.

As alleged in the complaint, after Ms. Hughes confidentially reached out to Fox to disclose that she was sexually assaulted and raped by Fox anchor Charles Payne, Fox ruthlessly leaked her name to a reporter at the National Enquirer, along with a self-serving statement by Payne apologizing for what he falsely described as an affair, Hughes attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said in a statement. We intend to aggressively litigate Ms. Hughes claims and hold Fox accountable to the fullest extent under the law.

The Los Angeles Times previously reported the allegations against Payne but did not name Hughes because of the claims that she was a victim of sexual assault.

A Fox News spokesperson said the network will vigorously defend the lawsuit.

The latest publicity stunt of a lawsuit filed by Doug Wigdor has absolutely no merit and is downright shameful, the spokesperson said. We will vigorously defend this. Its worth noting that Doug is Ms. Hughes third representative in the last six months to raise some variation of these claims which concern events from four years ago, since it apparently took some time to find someone willing to file this bogus case.

stephen.battaglio@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveBattaglio
Fox News has filed a motion to dismiss a defamation and discrimination lawsuit filed by a former contributor who said he was used by the network in a plot to downplay reporting on President Trumps ties to Russia.

Rob Wheeler, a private investigator and former Washington, D.C., police detective, alleged in a suit filed Aug. 1 that Fox News fabricated quotes by him in an online story that suggested that the death of Seth Rich, a Democratic operative, was related to the leak of Democratic National Committee documents to WikiLeaks. Wheeler had been hired by Richs family to look into their sons unsolved July 10, 2016, slaying.

The story published on FoxNews.com quoted Wheeler as saying that Rich had exchanged emails with WikiLeaks. The story was retracted and removed from the site with Fox News stating that it did not meet its standards.

Advertisement

Wheeler said the story was an attempt by Fox News and Ed Butowski, a Trump supporter also named in the suit, to shift the blame from Russia and help put to bed speculation that President Trump colluded with Russia in an attempt to influence the outcome of the presidential election.

Fox News host Sean Hannity and other conservative commentators have raised the unconfirmed circumstances of Richs death as an alternative narrative to government assertions that the Russian government was responsible for the leaked DNC emails.

Fox News said that Wheeler was not misquoted or defamed in the online story. The network said Wheeler repeated his comments in several TV interviews before and after the story appeared.

Wheeler made the allegations in a lawsuit that claims he has faced racial discrimination at Fox News and received less money and airtime than his colleagues.

In its motion filed Monday in federal court in New York Fox News said that Wheeler is contractually required to take his discrimination claims to a mediator. The 21st Century Fox unit says the court complaint is overloaded with sensationalistic claims that have nothing whatsoever to do with his action.

stephen.battaglio@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveBattaglio
The Southern California real estate market continued to sizzle in August as home prices jumped 7.5% from a year earlier, reinforcing new poll results showing widespread concern about the states housing affordability.

Across the six-county region, the median price increased to $500,000 from $465,000 a year earlier, though down slightly from $502,000 in July, according to a report Tuesday from data firm CoreLogic.

In Los Angeles County, the median price surged 9.4% to a record $580,000. The previous record of $575,000 was set in July.

Advertisement

It was the best August for home sales since 2006. Total sales in Southern California were up 3.2% year over year and surged 13.3% from a sluggish July, CoreLogic said.

The August home price for the six-county region was just below the all-time high of $505,000 reached in 2007 at the height of the housing bubble. The market began collapsing soon thereafter.

But its been rebounding for the last six years, fueled by a slowly improving economy, historically low mortgage rates and a shortage of homes for sale.

The markets just chugging along, said Tregg Rustad, estates director for Rodeo Realty in Beverly Hills. He and his partner sold 10 houses in August  half were at or above the list price and the rest were very close to it.

Buyers are taking advantage of some of the lowest interest rates weve had in the last year. The economy is continuing to improve and the stock market and financial sector is up, so confidence is up, Rustad said. And I think sellers are taking advantage of record prices and low inventory.

Home prices in the region cant keep rising 7% a year and will probably moderate to between 3% and 5% annually for the foreseeable future, said Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.

Unless theres some existential event like a nuclear missile hurled in our direction, he said, I dont know why prices are going to fall any time soon.

Los Angeles County is short about 100,000 housing units right now and needs to be adding between 30,000 and 35,000 a year to keep up with growing demand, Green said. But only about 25,000 units are being built annually, meaning the county is falling further behind, he said.

This is different than the housing bubble, which was fueled by real estate speculation, Green said. Now its a simple case of low supply and high demand in an area that is attracting more upper-income workers, he said.

Andrew LePage, a research analyst at CoreLogic, said inventory is particularly tight for homes in the lower price ranges and demand for those more affordable units remains strong.

The result is somewhat higher price gains in many of the regions more affordable communities, LePage said.

The median price  the point where half the homes and condos sold for more and half for less  rose 12.5% in San Bernardino County to $315,000, the report said.

Median prices rose 7.7% in Riverside County to $365,000; 7.4% in San Diego County to $535,000; 6% in Ventura County to $567,000; and 5.5% in Orange County to $685,000.

The report came as a new statewide poll showed nearly half of the states voters  48%  described housing affordability in their area as extremely serious.

The figure was 42% for respondents from Los Angeles County and 65% for those in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The survey of 1,200 registered voters this summer by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley also found that 56% of voters considered moving to find more affordable housing, with 25% saying that they would most likely choose to leave the state.

Nearly six in 10 Los Angeles County voters  59%  said they considered moving out of the area because of rising housing costs, the poll found. In the Bay Area, the figure was 51%.

The poll showed 51% of registered voters support a measure on the 2018 state ballot to spend more money on affordable housing.

Last month, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders agreed to a $4-billion bond proposal to be put on next years ballot that would fund low-income housing developments and subsidize mortgages for California veterans.

jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com

Twitter: @JimPuzzanghera

UPDATES:

11:45 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from Tregg Rustad of Rodeo Realty and Richard Green of USC.

This article originally was published at 9:50 a.m.
Even as millions of consumers grapple with fallout from the Equifax data breach, Republican lawmakers are quietly backing legislation to deregulate credit agencies and make them even less accountable for wrongdoing.

Bills are pending in Congress to limit class-action damages for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and to give credit agencies more latitude in profiting from identity theft protection products.

The legislation is part of sweeping efforts by Republican lawmakers to reduce oversight of banks and other financial-services firms, and to cripple or eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has notched a successful track record of holding industry players accountable for unfair and illegal practices.

Advertisement

Democrats, for their part, introduced a bill Friday  the Freedom from Equifax Exploitation Act  that would require credit agencies to allow people to freeze and unfreeze their files at no cost, and that calls upon the CFPB to play a greater role in overseeing the companies.

Consumer advocates say the Equifax breach should serve as a wake-up call for Americans that the three leading credit agencies  Equifax, Experian and TransUnion  are focused primarily on earning cash from peoples personal information, not keeping such information under lock and key.

Consumers are not customers of these companies  theyre commodities, said Chi Chi Wu, a staff attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. We have no say over what they do with our data.

Ironically, the Republicans credit agency bills came up for a hearing this month by the House Financial Services Committee on the same day Equifax revealed that hackers may have gained access to the credit files of 143 million people.

Equifaxs shocking announcement was followed by reports that senior execs sold off shares in the company before the breach was made public and that consumers might not be able to sue because of an arbitration clause in Equifaxs terms of service.

The company subsequently clarified that the arbitration provision applied only to its credit monitoring, not the security breach. It then waived the arbitration clause in its entirety. Meanwhile, it was reported Monday that federal authorities are investigating the stock sales as possible insider trading.

Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.), who chaired the recent hearing by the Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit subcommittee, said the bills would streamline regulatory requirements and eliminate inefficiencies for credit agencies.

The legislation discussed in the subcommittee today will better allow financial companies to serve their customers, he declared.

Not really. What the legislation would do is reward credit agencies with greater regulatory elbow room and diminished accountability for screw-ups.

The FCRA Liability Harmonization Act is particularly noxious. Authored by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), the bill would cap actual and statutory damages for class actions involving credit agencies at $500,000, and completely eliminate punitive damages.

Loudermilk said Friday that his bill is aimed at curbing frivolous class action lawsuits against businesses under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which contains many of the rules for credit agencies.

When he introduced the legislation in May, he said that a small technical error, turned into a lawsuit, can affect everyone in a business, including employees, customers and vendors.

What Loudermilk ignores, however, is that a small technical error by a credit agency can have disastrous consequences for consumers  particularly if the agency, as is so often the case, shows little interest in fixing things.

Take the case of Oregon resident Julie Miller, who said she repeatedly reached out to Equifax from 2009 to 2011 to correct errors in her credit report. They included accounts she never opened, uncollected debts she never ran up and even a Social Security number that wasnt hers.

Atlanta-based Equifax apparently had merged Millers file with that of another woman with the same name and a similar Social Security number. Yet the company shrugged off Millers complaints.

In 2013, a jury awarded Miller $180,000 in compensatory damages and a whopping $18.4 million in punitive damages, reflecting a sense among outraged jurors that Equifax just couldnt be bothered to help a distressed consumer.

A federal judge subsequently reduced the amount of punitive damages to $1.62 million, citing the precedent of earlier cases. Nevertheless, U.S. District Court Judge Anna J. Brown ruled that Equifax engaged in reprehensible conduct.

Under Loudermilks bill, Millers compensation would have been limited to the $180,000 in compensatory damages, with no punitive damages possible.

The second bill under consideration by the House is the Credit Services Protection Act, introduced by Californias Ed Royce (R-Fullerton). This one isnt as shameless as Loudermilks legislation but nevertheless contains pitfalls for consumers.

The bill would undercut an existing law known as the Credit Repair Organizations Act, intended to prevent so-called credit repair firms from fleecing consumers with exaggerated promises of being able to boost a sagging credit score.

Among other things, the Credit Repair Organizations Act prevents such firms from demanding advance payments before rendering a service.

Royces legislation would exempt credit agencies from the act and allow them to demand payment upfront. Theyd also be able to keep reasonable value for services even if the consumer cancels within three days.

In other words, a credit agency could still pocket a consumers cash just for having opened a file in that persons name.

Royce said at this months hearing that his bill would enhance credit education.

The National Consumer Law Centers Wu, who testified at the hearing, told me the legislation actually is all about the money. Its about allowing credit agencies to bill consumers without doing a thing to help them, she said.

In response, a spokesman for Royce reiterated only that the bill would make it easier for Americans to access credit education services.

Just as Wells Fargos assorted scandals highlight the absurdity of Republican efforts to do away with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Equifax breach shows the foolishness of deregulating credit agencies.

As a dog owner, I know that you encourage good behavior with treats.

Nobody should get a Milk Bone for peeing on the floor.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
Carolina Caycedos exhibition at Commonwealth & Council continues her project Be Dammed, in which she investigates the socio-environmental impacts of dams, often in collaboration with local activists protesting their construction. The current iteration, El Hambre Como Maestra/Hunger as Teacher, was inspired by a quote from Brazilian activist Raimunda Silva: Hunger taught me to fish.

Most of the works employ fishing nets in hanging sculptures, creating elegiac volumes in the gallery. Big Woman/Mujer grande is the most literal of these, depicting a female figure draped in net. The sculpture is talismanic in tone but also a tribute to Latin American female activists celebrated in a nearby drawing, two of whom were killed for their activism in 2016.

Also hanging nearby is the drawing Pisisbaiya, an illustrated fable that Caycedo wrote in the voice of the river we know as the Colorado, charting its multicultural history and influence and lamenting the construction of dams that keep it from flowing freely.

This tension between flow and congestion runs through the show. To Drive Away Whiteness/Para Alejar la Blancura, is a rainbow-hued fishing net exuberantly stretched like an off-kilter hoop skirt and suspended from the ceiling. From its center hangs a column of glass bottles, each filled with dingy liquids and various items, among them currency and hair. The bottles, stagnant and stoppered, contrast with the fishing net  an object that lets water flow even as it allows people to catch the fish they need to survive.

Carolina Caycedos Undammed/Desbloqueada (detail), 2017. (Ruben Diaz / Commonwealth & Council) (pingpongpaw /)

Carolina Caycedos Undammed/Desbloqueada, 2017. (Ruben Diaz / Commonwealth & Council) (pingpongpaw /)

SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter 

Caycedo extends this idea of flow to her own body in Undammed/Desbloqueada. The sculpture is a hanging cone of fishing net whose bottom is a metal gold pan holding a Navajo sandstone and, unexpectedly, Caycedos IUD, which she had removed to unblock her own flow. While I quibble with the notion that birth control is a blockage  an intrauterine device certainly allows for other parts of life to flow more readily  the gesture creates a vital linkage between Mother Earth and our own bodies, one that we continue to neglect at our peril.

Commonwealth & Council, 3006 7th St., Suite 220, L.A. Through Oct. 21; closed Sundays and Mondays. (213) 703-9077, www.commonwealthandcouncil.com.

Support coverage of the arts. Share this article.

MORE ART NEWS AND REVIEWS:

The mystery of an artist only deepens: The remarkable drawings of Martin Ramirez

The godfather of Chicano art  and the son who's keeping his memory alive

Did you spot the egg-shaped museum cruising L.A.? Next stop: LACMA

Kusama 'Infinity Mirrors' frenzy prompts the Broad to offer 40,000 more tickets
Hugh Hefner spoke with the L.A. Times often  and always had something memorable to say

(Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

Understanding Playboy-in-Chief Hugh Hefners revered  and reviled  lifestyle was often just a question or two away.

The iconoclastic publishing mogul, who died Wednesday at 91, was an open book when it came to his views on swinging ways and sexuality, particularly how his puritanical upbringing shaped his career and gave rise to the revolutionary Playboy empire.

Over the years, the perennially pajama-clad Hef was interviewed often by the Los Angeles Times. Heres a sampling of some of his memorable quotes.

On sexualitys problematic origins in America:

Our society is fragmented, he asserted in 1994. Messages regarding human sexuality have always been mixed in America. We are a schizophrenic nation. We were founded initially by Puritans, who escaped repression only to establish their own. Then the founding fathers gave us the Constitution to separate church and state. But the one thing that got left out of all those laws was human sexuality.

On the life he made for himself:

Much of my life has been like an adolescent dream of an adult life, he told The Times in 1992. If you were still a boy, in almost a Peter Pan kind of way, and could have just the perfect life that you wanted to have, thats the life I invented for myself.

OBITUARY: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who shook up American morality with an ideal of swinging singlehood, dies at 91

On why he was so happy:

You will find in my bedroom images from long ago, little photographs and things from when I was a kid. Im a very happy guy, and part of that has to do with my connection to my childhood, he said in 2009.

On how he became Hef:

Through a lifetime, you reinvent who you are, he explained in 2009. I actually reinvented myself the first time when I was 16, when a girl rejected me. I started referring to myself as Hef, started changing my wardrobe  the same thing I did in 1959-1960 with the magazine, when I came out from behind the desk and started living the life and got the first Playboy mansion, started to drive a Mercedes 300SL.

On how the 1942 film Casablanca led to the Playboy Club:

I think I opened the first Playboy Club because of Casablanca. I wanted to have a place where people came to hang out as they did at Ricks, he said in 2010. It has everything  not only Bogies charismatic character, but lost love, redemption, patriotism, humor  it had a great musical score.

On traditional attitudes toward marriage and sex:

If you dont commit, he told The Times in 1994, you dont get hurt. I was always unwilling to commit to marriage because I was afraid to lose the romance.

On the Playboy brands global status:

It has been said that the two most famous trademarks in the world are Coca-Cola and the Playboy bunny rabbit, he said in 1994. There is certainly no one else in our area that represents the American dream in this particular kind of way. That rabbit means economic freedom, personal freedom and political freedom. That potential is unlimited.

On the Playboy Jazz Festival:

Ive never found anything that Ive cared more about than the music from my youth. I loved the Beatles, sure, but I never became  except for dancing purposes  a hard rocker. To me, there is something incredibly celebratory, and so wonderful about really good big-band swing and Dixieland, he said in 2002.

When I started, I just wanted to put out a mens magazine. But by the end of the 50s, it was so successful that I seized it as a vehicle for changing the direction of my life, he added. And that crucial change in my life was also associated with jazz, because it all began within a space of about six months after the first Playboy Jazz Festival in August of 1959.

Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire, relaxes during a visit to England in 1966. (John Downing / Getty Images)

On his personal legacy:

One of the reasons that I have such tremendous satisfaction at this point in my life is because I know Ive made a difference, he said in 1994. Ive made a difference in a way that really matters to me.

On publishings shift to digital:

I dont sit around thinking about, Gee, what happened to the new generation and they dont read enough and why is the internet replacing books? he said in 2009.

On his fame and sex appeal:

I think that just as [Henry] Kissinger said, power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Celebrity is the ultimate aphrodisiac in todays world. And Im lucky enough to have fallen into a unique kind of celebrity, he said in 2009. So against all logic, nothing else matters  age doesnt matter. When [my last long-term] relationship ended, last year, they were climbing over the gate. ... young women. Endless numbers of young women.

ALSO

Hugh Hefners life pushing boundaries started with comics

Hugh Hefners Playboy Mansion was hedonistic headquarters for his brand

Your legacy lives on: Hugh Hefner is remembered as an innovator, friend and supporter of civil rights
Editors note: A powerful 7.1 earthquake jolted Mexico City on Tuesday, seriously damaging buildings and sending people fleeing into the streets on the anniversary of a 1985 quake that did major damage to the capital. This is the Times story from Sept. 19, 1985:

A major earthquake struck off the southwest coast of Mexico today, collapsing buildings as far inland as Mexico City 250 miles away and causing severe damage there and in at least three Mexican states. Death reports ranged to 1,000 or more and the capital was in chaos.

Damage was reported heavy in the Mexican capital, the most populous urban area in the world, with hospitals and hotels among the casualties. Cathedrals collapsed in Jalisco, Guerrero and Michoacan states, all on the countrys west coast.

Advertisement

In Mexico City several buildings toppled as the 7.8 quake hit at 7:18 a.m., the height of the morning rush hour.

Amid fires and panic, a state of emergency was declared and President Miguel de la Madrid appealed for calm over the radio.

Above all the first priority is to save human lives, de la Madrid told listeners, according to a radio station in Bogota, Colombia, which monitored Mexican television.

Unfortunately there appear to be many dead. All of the hospitals are on a state of alert to take care of the injured. The army is in a state of alert, he said.

Hours after the temblor, de la Madrid said the government did not know how many people were dead or injured. Asked about casualties as he toured some of the worst-hit areas, he told a reporter, We dont have any statistics.

Telephone and telex circuits were out to Mexico City and flights from the United States were canceled, one airline official said, because we didnt know what we would find when we got there.

A reporter for Mexico Citys Channel 13, the only working television station, said some downtown zones give the impression of a city after a bombing.

An amateur radio operator said he had seen many dead people on the street. Another report said 35% of the citys buildings were damaged.

Luis Ramirez, a secretary at the Mexican Embassy in Buenos Aires, told reporters that the earthquake destroyed about 50% of the older buildings in Mexico City.

Through unofficial communications we know that the buildings of the Commerce Secretariat, the Justice Department and other agencies have been totally destroyed, he said.

Victims of the quake have loaded all the hospitals in Mexico City and unfortunately three of them that are jammed with injured people must be evacuated because they suffered grave structural damage, he said.

At first I heard a tremendous noise and I grabbed my daughter and jumped out the window. I had no chance to help my wife, who was killed when she was buried by rubble, said a young man shown on Mexican television, his voice choked with emotion and tears streaming down his dust-covered cheeks.

Television pictures showed Hotel Regis, in downtown Mexico City on Avenida Juarez totally destroyed.

We dont know how many persons were trapped in the hotel ... some downtown Mexico zones give the impression of a city after a bombing, said a broadcast reporter.

Gas Leaks, Fires Reported

Mexico City station XEQ said that one-third of the city was without electricity and that several gas leaks and fires had been reported.

It was very loud, ham radio operator Carlos Santorius said from Mexico City. That was the worst thing. It was terrible, loud.

The most affected area is downtown Mexico. Im living in the south of Mexico City so I felt this earthquake and I never thought it was so bad.

Close to the office where I work I saw six buildings completely damaged, completely, just went down. There was one of a radio station of seven or eight stories high and it was like a sandwich.

A Mexican Embassy spokeswoman in Washington said two areas to the north of downtown Mexico City--Colonia Roma and Colonia Doctores--sustained heavy damage.

Several Buildings Fell

She said that several buildings had fallen, that part of an office of the Ministry of the Navy collapsed and that there were fires in the citys communications tower and in a building of the Ministry of Labor.

In Tijuana, a local cable television channel showed live pictures from Mexico City and an announcer said deaths were considered to be in the thousands.

The University of Mexico was shown to have been damaged, with students trapped in its buildings.

There were unconfirmed reports that several large hotels in the citys center were badly damaged.

Ambulances and rescue crews were hampered by a lack of gasoline. Buildings on the Paseo de la Reforma and Insurgentes avenue, the citys major thoroughfares, reportedly were heavily damaged.

Hospital Reported Full

A reporter for station XEQ said one hospital was full and asked that the injured be taken elsewhere. Residents of the city were told to stay in their homes, the radio said.

The TV broadcasts of Mexico City--the worlds most populous urban area with an estimated 18.1 million people in its metropolitan area--showed buildings in rubble with many people trapped. One 13-story building was said to have collapsed, trapping people inside.

Sergio Olmos, news coordinator at Spanish-language television station KMEX in Los Angeles, monitoring Channel 13 in Mexico City, said:

The Army has been called in to help with rescue operations. . . . There have been several major fires. . . . Ambulances can be heard all over the city.

10 Aftershocks

The Spanish International Network said that there were 10 aftershocks in the capital city and that the city government was asking for donations of gasoline for emergency vehicles. Most streets were said to be blocked or closed.

Telephone and telex circuits were out to Mexico City and flights from the United States were canceled, one airline official said, because we didnt know what we would find when we got there.

State Department spokesman Bernard Kalb confirmed that the U.S. Embassy was undamaged and that communications with the embassy had been established.

Kalb said there was significant damage in the old section of the city, including the popular tourist area Zona Rosa, a fashionable hotel district in the center of the city.

Epicenter in Pacific

The U.S. Geological Survey put the epicenter in the ocean about 250 miles southwest of Mexico City.

In Houston, there were reports of several large buildings swaying, with window shades banging against the windows. Water was reported sloshing out of swimming pools in Texas and New Mexico.

The National Weather Service, concerned about a possible tidal wave, or tsunami, said emergency measures might be required into the early afternoon along the California coast. Officials issued, but hours later canceled, a tidal wave alert.

Communications with much of Mexico were only fragmentary hours after the quake.

Transmissions Monitored

Howard L. Lester, an amateur radio operator in Schenectady, N.Y., said he had monitored a transmission between a Mexico City operator and another in Tucson, Ariz.

Speaking in English, the Mexico City operator said:

This is no joke. . . . We have only one radio channel left. Its a government channel. Were trying to get it working so we can tell the world what is happening.
Los Angeles County health officials declared a hepatitis A outbreak Tuesday, days after a public health emergency was announced in San Diego County, where at least 16 people have died of the highly contagious virus.

Case numbers are still small in L.A. County, with only 10 people infected as part of the outbreak, said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health. By comparison, almost 450 people have contracted the virus in San Diego.

Ferrer said the department is ramping up prevention efforts locally so more people dont get sick. San Diegos outbreak has already spread to Santa Cruz, where 69 people have been diagnosed.

Advertisement

Officials say homeless people in California are most at risk, because the virus appears to be moving from person to person within that community. People become infected with hepatitis A, which affects the liver, by ingesting the feces of someone whos infected, often through contaminated food or sexual contact.

San Diegos outbreak appears to be fueled by poor sanitary conditions, with many cases among people who used shared restrooms in jails or shelters.

Ferrer said L.A. health workers will inspect homeless encampments in Los Angeles to improve sanitation, while spreading the word about improved hygiene. The city of Los Angeles is already cleaning the streets on skid row with bleach, a practice San Diego adopted earlier this month in an effort to reduce disease transmission.

She also said theyre aiming to distribute 40,000 vaccinations of hepatitis A to homeless people in L.A. County. Theyre also providing shots to new jail inmates, active drug users and medical providers.

We are very early in an outbreak and the more people who get vaccinated in the high-risk populations ... the smaller the outbreak will end up being in L.A. County, Ferrer said. This is in fact a disease thats preventable.

The efforts will continue for months, she said, as San Diego officials expect their outbreak to persist into next year.

Los Angeles County health officials said that before this week, they had already counted eight patients infected with hepatitis A. Five had recently traveled to San Diego or Santa Cruz, where they were probably exposed, officials said. Three other people were infected at a healthcare facility where one of those five was being treated.

But Tuesday, officials said they had diagnosed two people who appear to have been infected locally, triggering the outbreak declaration. The two new cases involved homeless people who had not traveled to a place with an outbreak, Ferrer said.

The outbreak label isnt meant to scare people, said County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl at Tuesdays county supervisors meeting. It isnt suddenly that were rife with hep A cases here.

Dr. Sharon Balter, L.A. County public health departments director of acute communicable disease control, said an outbreak of hepatitis A is the homeless community is especially concerning because many have underlying health conditions.

Most people recover from hepatitis A on their own, but it can be seriously harmful for people with other liver conditions, including hepatitis B or C. Approximately 4% of infected patients in San Diego have died, a significantly higher proportion than the typical 1% mortality rate for the disease, she said.

This particular population is particularly vulnerable, Balter said.

Should you get vaccinated?

Though the current outbreak is centered in the homeless community, anyone can contract hepatitis A. Each year in L.A. County there are 40 to 60 people infected by the virus, which is often transmitted through contaminated food.

One of the 10 people in L.A. County infected in the ongoing outbreak worked at a fruit stand in Lancaster and may have passed on the virus. The only outbreak in the past 20 years in the United States bigger than San Diegos was caused by green onions served at a Pennsylvania restaurant that sickened more than 900 people.

It typically takes about three weeks to notice symptoms, which include vomiting, fever, yellowing of the eyes or skin, joint pain and dark urine. Theres no specific treatment for hepatitis A, but for most people, symptoms usually dont last more than two months.

Health officials reminded people not to share food, drinks or cigarettes with people, and to wash their hands with soap after using the bathroom and before handling food.

Ferrer said people who are concerned about the outbreak should ask their doctor about the vaccine, which is already recommended for children.

If youre older than 18 and you havent been vaccinated, this might be a good time for you to get vaccinated, Ferrer said.

ALSO

San Diego is struggling with a huge hepatitis A outbreak. Is it coming to L.A.?

Medi-Cal programs to the state: Can we stop printing and mailing directories the size of phone books?

Knocking on doors, climbing through fences: How L.A. Countys health investigators are out trying to stop syphilis

UPDATES:

3:50 p.m.: This article was updated with background and additional details from the outbreak declaration.

This article was originally published at 1:05 p.m.
USC names retired aerospace executive Wanda Austin as acting president, announces Nikias departure By Harriet Ryan USC appointed a retired aerospace executive as interim president and laid out a detailed plan for selecting a permanent leader Tuesday, ending speculation about whether outgoing President C.L. Max Nikias might remain in the post. Nikias, embattled over his administrations handling of a campus gynecologist accused of sexually abusing patients, relinquished his duties after a meeting of USCs board. The trustees tapped one of their own, Wanda Austin, an alumna and former president of the Aerospace Corp., to temporarily run the university. The trustees also approved the formation of a search committee and the hiring of firm Isaacson, Miller to coordinate the selection of a successor. A second search company, Heidrick & Struggles, will also advise trustees. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Ex-student sues elite Brentwood School after teacher is charged with sexually abusing him By Richard Winton A former student sued the elite Brentwood School on Monday in the wake of a female teacher being charged with repeatedly having sex with the minor, alleging that other faculty members encouraged the unlawful behavior and failed to report it to authorities. The lawsuit accuses the private school, whose students include the children of many of Hollywoods elite and L.A.s powerful, of acting negligently and allowing Aimee Palmitessa to abuse and batter the teenager sexually. The suit alleges that the student was abused in summer 2017 after one of the schools counselors offered words of encouragement to the then-17-year-old, identified in the suit as only John Doe, to engage in an illegal relationship with the teacher. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Civil jury vindicates fired Montebello school executives in whistleblower case By Howard Blume The Montebello school district is in dire straits  at risk of insolvency and under apparent criminal investigation. An outside audit in July found some teachers earning more than $200,000 a year, as well as improper raises, excess paid vacation time and inappropriate overtime, sick leave and car allowances. Fixing the district and pinpointing blame could take time. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. schools fall short on safety measures, new report warns By Howard Blume After the mass shooting at Floridas Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, Los Angeles school officials reassured parents that much had been done to keep local schools safe. California had tougher gun laws, after all, and the school district paid close attention to students mental health. But a new report issued Monday by a panel convened to take a close look offers some cause for concern, flagging inconsistent campus safety measures, thinly spread mental health staff and inadequate coordination between the school district and other public agencies. With the stakes this high, we must strive to do better, said L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer, who assembled the panel. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

L.A. school district says more are graduating, but rate may not show it By Howard Blume The L.A. Unified School District has hopes of continuing its winning streak this year with another record graduation rate, but the official numbers may not show it. A senior district administrator warned the board Tuesday that graduation rates were likely to decline 2% to 3% across the state, even though L.A. Unified is likely doing better than ever in producing graduates, he said. The issue is that the state will now count high school students who transfer to adult school as dropouts, said Oscar Lafarga, who heads the districts office of data and accountability. Previously, schools treated these students as though they had simply enrolled in another high school, he said. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Betsy DeVos to California: Not so fast on that federal education plan By Joy Resmovits In April, Californias top education officials breathed a sigh of relief. After months of debate and back-and-forth with Betsy DeVos staff, they had finalized a plan to satisfy a major education law that aims to make sure all students get a decent education. The state focused on aligning its plan to fulfill the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act with Californias Local Control Funding Formula, which gives extra money to districts to help students who come from low-income families, are in the foster system or are English learners. But this week, DeVos team said not so fast. Jason Botel, the U.S. Department of Educations principal deputy assistant secretary, sent California education officials a letter asking for more information in such areas as measuring student progress, graduation rates and English learners. In an unsigned statement, the California Department of Education declared itself surprised and disappointed because officials thought  after a meeting with federal officials in Washington  that they were on the right track to get approval. Now the Every Student Succeeds Act plan will be up for discussion once again at the July meeting of the State Board of Education. The U.S. Department of Education has already approved most state plans. Every Student Succeeds is the Obama administrations 2015 replacement for the No Child Left Behind Act. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. school board sets a new goal: prepare every grad to be eligible to apply for Cal State or UC By Sonali Kohli Last month, Los Angeles school board president proposed a spate of highly ambitious mandates aimed at ensuring that every district graduate be eligible to apply to one of the states public four-year universities by 2023. By the time the L.A. Unified school board unanimously approved the resolution Tuesday, the original language had been watered down. The goal is no longer that in five years 100% of students meet the long list of benchmarks, which include not just college eligibility for graduates but first-grade reading proficiency and English fluency by sixth grade for all students who enter the district in kindergarten or first grade speaking another language. The original college-readiness goal, for example, called for 100% of all high school students to be eligible to apply to one of the states four-year universities. Now the goal seems to offer more wiggle room: Prepare all high school graduates to be eligible to apply to a California four-year university. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

We have been hurt. More women say they were mistreated by USC gynecologist By Richard Winton USC student Anika Narayanan says she vividly recalls her first appointment with Dr. George Tyndall at the campus health center, alleging that he made several explicit comments during an examination she felt was inappropriate and invasive. When she came back for a second visit in 2016 after a nonconsensual sexual encounter, he allegedly chastised her, she said in a civil lawsuit and at a press conference Tuesday. He asked me if I had forgotten to use a condom again,  said Narayanan, 21. At one point, she said, Tyndall asked if I did a lot of doggy style,  she said. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. Unified gives inspector general brief contract extension By Howard Blume The Los Angeles school board on Tuesday extended the contract of Ken Bramlett, its inspector general, by three months, though his job is far from secure and questions remain about the future direction of his watchdog office. Board members also unanimously promoted Vivian Ekchian, who had been the runner-up for the superintendents job, to deputy superintendent  the districts No. 2 position. Both moves had elements of peacemaking between different factions on the board. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

USCs handling of complaints about campus gynecologist is being investigated by federal government By Harriet Ryan The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday that it has launched an investigation into how the University of Southern California handled misconduct complaints against a campus gynecologist, the latest fallout in a scandal that has prompted the resignation of USCs president, two law enforcement investigations and dozens of lawsuits. In revealing the inquiry by the departments Office of Civil Rights, officials rebuked USC for what they alleged was improper withholding of information about Dr. George Tyndall during a previous federal investigation. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who has been criticized for taking a less vigorous approach to examining sexual misconduct than predecessors, called for a systemic examination of USC and urged administrators to fully cooperate. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Judge to sentence woman and her boyfriend for the murder of an 8-year-old that led to L.A. child welfare reforms By Marisa Gerber A woman and her boyfriend are expected to be sentenced Thursday for the torture and murder of an 8-year-old boy whose killing in 2013 provoked public outrage, prompted sweeping reform of Los Angeles Countys child welfare system, and led to unprecedented criminal charges against social workers who handled the childs case. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, 34, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for her role in the death of her son, Gabriel. A jury decided last year that her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, 37, should be executed. When paramedics arrived at the boys Palmdale home in May 2013, Gabriel had slipped out of consciousness. He had a fractured skull, broken ribs, burned skin, missing teeth and BB pellets embedded in his groin. A paramedic would later testify that every inch of the boys small body had been abused. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. Unifieds spending out of step with similar school systems, task force says By Howard Blume The Los Angeles school district is out of step with similar school systems, spending more on teachers pay and health benefits and less on activities that could enhance student learning, according to a new report by an outside task force. The L.A. Unified School District Advisory Task Force did not make specific recommendations, but instead posed a series of questions it said the district needs to answer to make sure its funding is aimed at providing a full opportunity for all students to succeed. What were trying to say is: Lets put the data on the table. Lets look at the truth. Lets be transparent and here are the numbers, said task force member Renata Simril. This is not to say that  we should cut teachers salaries. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Top USC medical school official feared dean was doing drugs and alerted administration, he testifies By Paul Pringle A former vice dean of USCs Keck School of Medicine testified Tuesday that he feared the schools then-dean, Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, could be doing drugs and expressed concerns about his general well-being to the universitys No. 2 administrator before Puliafito abruptly left his job in 2016. Dr. Henri Fords testimony at a hearing of the state Medical Board marks the first suggestion that any USC administrator had suspicions about Puliafitos possible drug use before he stepped down. A Times investigation in 2017 found Puliafito led a secret second life of using illegal drugs with a circle of young criminals and addicts. Puliafito testified about his behavior at the hearing Tuesday, saying he took drugs with one young woman on a weekly basis. Ford said that he decided to alert USC Provost Michael Quick after receiving reports in early 2016 that Puliafito was partying in hotels with people of questionable reputation, and that he came to worry about his mental stability. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Why L.A. Unified may face financial crisis even with a giant surplus this year By Jessica Calefati With more than half a billion dollars socked away for next school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District hardly seems just two years from financial ruin. Its a scenario that is especially tough to swallow if youre a low-wage worker seeking a raise or a teacher who wants smaller classes. But budget documents show that todays $548-million surplus cannot be sustained  and that even basic services face steep, seemingly unavoidable cuts because of massive problems barreling the districts way. Theres a disconnect between the rosy short-term picture and what we know is coming, said board member Kelly Gonez. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

We have failed: Top USC officials try to reassure students amid gynecologist scandal By Joy Resmovits Top administrators at USC are reaching out to students in the wake of misconduct allegations against the universitys longtime gynecologist, acknowledging failings and vowing reforms as they try to address growing outrage over the revelations. Several USC deans have sent out messages trying to reassure students and faculty that the university is committed to changing. We have failed, wrote Jack H. Knott, dean of USCs Sol Price School of Public Policy, in a May 24 letter. What happened is antithetical to everything we know is right. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Rick Caruso is named chair of USCs trustees, vows swift investigation of gynecologist scandal By Thomas Curwen The University of Southern Californias board of trustees has elected mall magnate Rick Caruso to be the new chair of the board, giving fresh leadership as the university navigates a widening scandal involving a longtime campus gynecologist. The move marks the latest effort by USC to address the case, which has sparked a criminal investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and dozens of civil lawsuits. More than 400 people have contacted a hotline that the university established for patients to make reports about their experience with Dr. George Tyndall. In his first act as chairman, Caruso announced that the white-shoe L.A. law firm OMelveny & Myers would conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the gynecologists conduct and reporting failures at the clinic. He set an ambitious timeline for the review, pledging it would conclude before students return for the fall semester. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

UC Berkeley students persistence helps win more liberal rules for in-state tuition By Teresa Watanabe Ifechukwu Okeke thought shed be a shoo-in for in-state tuition when she was admitted to UC Berkeley for fall 2016. She had moved to the United States from Nigeria in 2012 to go to Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga. By the time she got her acceptance to transfer to UC to study molecular and cell biology, she had lived in California four years. She had a California drivers license, bank account and rental records as proof. UC Berkeley, however, ruled she was a nonresident  which meant she would have to pay nearly $27,000 more. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

State medical board calls former County-USC doctor a sexual predator, suspends his license By Matt Hamilton A UCLA cardiologist has been temporarily stripped of his medical license after state regulators described him as a sexual predator who assaulted three female colleagues when he was working and training at L.A. County-USC Medical Center. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Global California 2030 aims to get more students learning more languages By Joy Resmovits Tom Torlakson (Andrew Seng / Associated Press) Outgoing state Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson on Wednesday announced a new statewide effort to encourage students to learn more languages. Called Global California 2030, its goal is to help more students become fluent in multiple tongues. Torlakson said that by 2030, he wants half of the states 6.2 million K-12 students to participate in classes or programs that lead to proficiency in two or more languages. By 2040, he wants three out of four students to be proficient enough to earn the State Seal of Biliteracy. Torlakson announced the initiative at Cahuenga Elementary School, which offers a dual-language immersion program in English and Korean. Californias public school students speak more than 60 languages at home, and 40% come to school with knowledge of a language other than English. Torlakson called his plan a call to action that invites parents, legislators, educators and community members to pool resources to expand language offerings in schools and get more bilingual teachers trained. He said the state already is working with Mexico and Spain to expand a teacher-exchange program. Fluency, the plan argues, can help students succeed economically  and language acquisition can help their overall critical thinking. The initiative builds on Proposition 58, a ballot initiative passed in 2016 that undid an earlier requirement that English learners be taught in English-immersion classes unless their parents signed waivers. Torlakson recently visited Mexico and met with that countrys education secretary. They later signed a pact to increase collaboration, particularly in language education. This [Global California 2030] is great follow-through on Toms part and very important, Patricia Gandara, a UCLA education professor who hosted the Mexico meeting, said in an email. It hands over a plan to move forward in an area in which California has a unique advantage, but must seize the opportunity. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Jury convicts man of murder in 2015 slaying of UCLA student found inside her burning apartment By Marisa Gerber A jury on Tuesday convicted a man in the 2015 slaying of a UCLA student found dead inside her burning apartment  a gruesome stabbing case that led to a fierce rebuke of the police response amid concerns that the killing could have been prevented. The panel deliberated for about six hours before finding Alberto Medina, 24, guilty of murder, arson, burglary and animal cruelty. On Sept. 21, 2015, firefighters found the charred body of Andrea DelVesco inside her apartment after responding to the complex a block from campus. The 21-year-old student  an Austin, Texas, native known to her sorority sisters as a fearless giver who befriended others with ease  was stabbed at least 19 times, authorities said. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

LAPD begins sweeping criminal probe of former USC gynecologist while urging patients to come forward By Adam Elmahrek The Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday it is investigating 52 complaints of misconduct filed by former patients of USCs longtime campus gynecologist as detectives launch a sweeping criminal probe into the scandal that has rocked the university. LAPD detectives also made an appeal for other patients who feel mistreated to come forward, noting that thousands of students were examined by Dr. George Tyndall during his nearly 30-year career at USC. More than 410 people have contacted a university hotline about the physician since The Times revealed the allegations this month. Tyndalls behavior and practices appear to go beyond the norms of the medical profession and gynecological examinations, said Asst. Chief Beatrice Girmala. We sincerely realize that victims may have difficulty recounting such details to investigators. We are empathetic and ready to listen. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

At L.A.'s only school for the deaf, parents want leaders who speak the same language By Anna M. Phillips Ever since her son was 6 months old, Juliet Hidalgo has been bringing him to the Marlton School, a low-slung building in Baldwin Hills that for generations has been a second home for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Los Angeles. Marlton staff taught Hidalgos brother and sister, both of whom are deaf. The school was where her deaf son learned to make the signs for milk and food. Hidalgo had planned to enroll her daughter, taking advantage of a popular program that allows hearing children to learn American Sign Language alongside their deaf siblings. But after more than a decade of involvement, she and other family members are considering withdrawing their children. They are not alone. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Fueled by unlimited donations, independent groups play their biggest role yet in a California primary for governor By Ryan Menezes An unprecedented amount of money from wealthy donors, unions and corporations is flowing into the California governors race, giving independent groups  unrestricted by contribution limits  a greater say in picking the states chief executive than ever before. The groups have already spent more than $26 million through Thursday, the most ever spent by noncandidate committees in a gubernatorial primary, according to a Times analysis of campaign finance reports. California elections have always been expensive, and the future is even more expensive, said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College and a former state Republican leader. The stakes are very real. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

2 hurt in Indiana middle school shooting; suspect in custody, authorities say By Associated Press Authorities say two victims in a shooting at a suburban Indianapolis school are being taken to a hospital and the lone suspect is in custody. Bryant Orem, a spokesman for the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office, said in a news release that the victims in Friday mornings attack at Noblesville West Middle School are being taken to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and their families have been notified. He says no other information is available about the victims. Orem said the suspect is believed to have acted alone and was taken into custody. No additional information about the suspect was made public. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

For new L.A. schools chief Austin Beutner, some key unions are giving no honeymoon period By Howard Blume In the less than two weeks since Austin Beutner took charge of Los Angeles schools, unions representing teachers and administrators have staged a job action and a protest. Theyve made it clear that they will not give the new superintendent the traditional honeymoon period, and they are bashing him for his wealth and lack of experience running either a school or a school district. Beutner is a billionaire investment banker with zero qualifications, local teachers union President Alex Caputo-Pearl told members in a phone alert urging them to participate in a Thursday afternoon rally in Grand Park. The board is saying that billionaires who made their money blowing institutions up and making money off it know best  not the education professionals who have dedicated our careers to working with students. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Pressure grows on Board of Trustees amid USC gynecologist scandal By Paul Pringle USCs large and powerful Board of Trustees is coming under growing pressure to provide a stronger hand as the university faces a crisis over misconduct allegations against the campus longtime gynecologist that has prompted calls for President C.L. Max Nikias to step down. Allegations that Dr. George Tyndall mistreated students during his nearly 30 years at USC have roiled the campus, with about 300 people coming forward to make reports to the university and the Los Angeles Police Department launching a criminal investigation. USC is already beginning to face what is expected to be costly litigation by women who say they were victimized by the physician. So far, the trustees to whom Nikias reports have expressed sympathy for the women who have come forward and launched an independent investigation while also publicly backing the president. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

UC regents approve leaner budget for Janet Napolitano By Teresa Watanabe University of California regents on Thursday unanimously approved a leaner, more transparent budget for President Janet Napolitano, moving to address political criticism over the systems central office operations. The $876.4-million budget for 2018-19 reflects spending cuts of 2%, including reductions in staffing, travel and such systemwide programs as public service law fellowships, carbon neutrality and food security. Napolitano shifted $30 million to campuses for housing needs and $10 million to UC Riverside to support its five-year-old medical school. She also permanently redirected $8.5 million annually to help enroll more California students, as required by the state. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

USCs Academic Senate calls on university president to resign after a series of scandals By Matt Hamilton The body that represents USCs faculty called on President C.L. Max Nikias to resign Wednesday in the wake of relevations that the universitys longtime gynecologist faced years of accusations of misconduct by students and colleagues at the campus health clinic. The Academic Senate took the vote late Wednesday afternoon after a fiery town hall meeting attended by more than 100 faculty members, many of whom voiced outrage over Nikias and the Board of Trustees leadership. The vote came a day after the trustees executive committee stood firmly behind Nikias, saying it has full confidence in his leadership, ethics and values. At the town hall meeting, Senate President Paul Rosenbloom said he did not think Nikias or Provost Michael Quick committed wrongdoing but that the university president deserved criticism for a lack of transparency. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Californias public universities on the way to getting a big longed-for boost in funding By Teresa Watanabe The University of California and California State University systems are poised to get major funding boosts that will help them enroll thousands of additional state students and eliminate the need for tuition increases in the coming school year. A key Assembly budget panel on Wednesday approved $117.5 million in new funds for the UC. A Senate panel approved a similar sum last week. The same committees recently approved even more funding for the Cal State system. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

UC regents to scrutinize Janet Napolitanos office budget in a step toward stronger oversight By Teresa Watanabe University of California regents this week plan to scrutinize the budget of President Janet Napolitano, whose office came under political fire last year for questionable spending and murky accounting. Regents will vote on the proposed $876.4-million budget for 2018-19 during their two-day meeting, which starts Wednesday, at UC San Francisco. They also will discuss state funding, financial aid, online education and transfer student policies. Board Chairman George Kieffer said regents are stepping up to exert stronger oversight of the presidents office after a blistering state audit last year found financial problems including an unreported $175 million budget reserve. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

State legislative panels approve major funding boost for Cal State By Teresa Watanabe After months of intensive lobbying, Cal State University has convinced two key legislative panels to approve funding to enroll nearly 11,000 more students, hire more faculty and expand housing aid to those without shelter this fall. An Assembly budget panel on Tuesday approved $215.7 million more for Cal State, adding to Gov. Jerry Browns proposed $92.1 million general fund increase. A Senate budget panel approved a similar increase last week. The extra funding  which went beyond Cal States own request to the Legislature of $171 million  is still subject to final budget negotiations with Brown. But the actions by the Senate and Assembly panels amount to a demand from Democrats that the governor hike higher education spending. Cal State University is the workhorse undergraduate university serving hundreds of thousands of Californians, said Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), who heads the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance. We need more graduates for the California workforce and higher education is the ticket to the middle class. Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White hailed the actions, but said it was too soon to celebrate. The CSU has a singular focus on helping students earn high-quality degrees sooner, and the entire university community has rallied to reinforce that message to our states lawmakers, he said in a statement. The actions taken thus far by the Assembly and Senate are promising and show that our message is being received, but there is still work to be done. Funding for the University of California was not taken up Tuesday as originally scheduled. McCarty would not comment on sticking points but said he was confident that a resolution would be reached this week. Were looking to provide resources above whats in the governors budget, but negotiations are ongoing, he said in an interview. State per-student funding is not what it once was, leaving both Cal State and the UC in a tough financial squeeze. Both systems raised tuition last year after a six-year freeze on higher costs. For this year, Cal State had asked for funding to enroll an additional 3,621 students, but both the Senate and Assembly panels approved three times that amount. Cal State, the largest public university system in the nation, turned away 32,000 eligible students last year because its campuses werent able to accommodate them. The panels asked that at least $50 million of the extra funding be used to hire more tenure-track faculty to help boost graduation rates. The Assembly panel also approved one-time funding of $5 million to ease hunger on campuses and $14 million for rapid rehousing pilot projects at three campuses, offering needy students rental support and short-term case management. Other items approved include $5 million to support the CSU Long Beach Shark Labs research on sharks and beach safety and $2 million for equal employment opportunity practices. This post has been updated to include comments from Assemblyman Kevin McCarty and Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Faculty members call for USC president to step down: He has lost the moral authority to lead By Matt Hamilton Two hundred USC professors on Tuesday demanded the resignation of university President C. L. Max Nikias, saying he had lost the moral authority to lead in the wake of revelations that a campus gynecologist was kept on staff for decades despite repeated complaints of misconduct. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Gun battle, negotiations lasted 15 minutes before Texas school shooter was apprehended, sheriff says By Molly Hennessy-Fiske Minutes after a school shooter opened fire in an art class last week, killing 10 people and wounding 13, including a local police officer, fellow officers returned fire in a protracted gun battle before isolating the suspect, the local sheriff said Monday. Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset praised first responders as well as Santa Fe Police Officer John Barnes, who was working as a resource officer at the school the day of the shooting. Their actions, he said, prevented the attack from spreading to other classrooms and potentially claiming additional victims. As officials continue to probe last Fridays shooting at Santa Fe High School, students are worried about returning to the scene of the attack when classes resume next week. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

6 women sue USC, alleging they were victimized by campus gynecologist By Richard Winton Six women filed civil lawsuits Monday alleging that a longtime gynecologist at the University of Southern California sexually victimized them under the pretext of medical care and that USC failed to address complaints from clinic staff about the doctors behavior. One woman alleged Dr. George Tyndall forced his entire ungloved hand into her vagina during an appointment in 2003 while making vulgar remarks about her genitalia, according to one of the lawsuits. Another woman alleged that Tyndall groped her breasts in a 2008 visit and that later he falsely told her she likely had AIDS. A third woman accused the doctor of grazing his ungloved fingers over her nude body and leering at her during a purported skin exam, the lawsuit states. The wave of litigation comes as USC continues to grapple with the scandal, which legal experts said could prove costly to the university as scores of former patients come forward about their experiences with the gynecologist. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Fatalities reported in Texas high school shooting; suspect arrested, officials say By Associated Press Houston-area media citing unnamed law enforcement officials are reporting that there are fatalities following a shooting at a local high school Friday morning. Television station KHOU and the Houston Chronicle are citing unnamed federal, county and police officials following the shooting at Santa Fe High School, which went on lockdown around 8 a.m. The Associated Press has not been able to confirm the reports. The school district has confirmed an unspecified number of injuries but said it wouldnt immediately release further details. Assistant Principal Cris Richardson said a suspect has been arrested and secured. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

This student followed the new L.A. schools chief on his first-day tour Melissa Barales-Lopez, a senior at Garfield High School followed Supt. Austin Beutner on his first day on the job, as he toured a variety of programs around the Los Angeles Unified School District. Heres what she took from the experience. LAUSD students and staff alike are looking for a personal champion, someone who will address and improve the difficulties afflicting their education.  What LAUSD students need is someone whos willing to listen and learn, someone who can understand the current issues affecting their schools and act to efficiently amend them, someone who can unlock the full potential of LAUSD students and enable them to reach their goals. During the entirety of his first day, superintendent Austin Beutner did indeed demonstrate a willingness to learn. Posing questions to teachers and students, Beutner engaged with the student communities he encountered to gain a better comprehension of the minutiae and nuances that distinguish each school inside an overwhelmingly large district. From inquiries about Grand View Boulevard Elementary Schools dual language program to questions regarding the services of LAUSDs after-school program, Beyond the Bell, Beutner revealed he has a lot to learn about the system. But, Beutner also showcased a willingness to tackle challenges head-on on his first day. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

USC let a gynecologist continue treating students despite years of misconduct allegations By Matt Hamilton For nearly 30 years, the University of Southern Californias student health clinic had one full-time gynecologist: Dr. George Tyndall. Tall and garrulous with distinctive jet black hair, he treated tens of thousands of female students, many of them teenagers seeing a gynecologist for the first time. Few who lay down on Tyndalls exam table at the Engemann Student Health Center knew that he had been accused repeatedly of misconduct toward young patients. The complaints began in the 1990s, when co-workers alleged he was improperly photographing students genitals. In the years that followed, patients and nursing staff accused him again and again of creepy behavior, including touching women inappropriately during pelvic exams and making sexually suggestive remarks about their bodies. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Cal State trustees to discuss Browns latest budget proposal, which they say still falls $171 million short By Joy Resmovits Just how much money does California State University need to serve its students? In recent years, this question has been front and center for the nations largest public university system. Cal States leaders say that to keep their campuses quality from slipping, they need much more money than the state is giving them. This year, theyre also at odds with Gov. Jerry Brown on the question of whether any extra money should come in one-time bursts or be ongoing. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

On his first day as L.A. schools chief, Beutner plans a day of visits across the district By Howard Blume L.A. Unifieds new superintendent, Austin Beutner, will kick off his first day of work on Tuesday with a choreographed tour of the nations second-largest school district, from the San Fernando Valley to Carson. His day is scheduled to begin at 5:15 a.m. at a school bus depot and end more than 12 hours later at a parent meeting at Garfield High School. Along the way, Beutner is expected to be joined by school district administrators, L.A. Unified board members and the vice president of the union that represents school bus drivers. Though he will be covering a lot of ground, Beutners tour has him skipping Tuesdays school board meeting, when board members are expected to discuss labor negotiations in closed session. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Cal State trustees to discuss Browns latest budget proposal, which they say still falls $171 million short By Joy Resmovits Just how much money does California State University need to serve its students? In recent years, this question has been front and center for the nations largest public university system. Cal States leaders say that to keep their campuses quality from slipping, they need much more money than the state is giving them. This year, theyre also at odds with Gov. Jerry Brown on the question of whether any extra money should come in one-time bursts or be ongoing. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Why a handful of rich charter school supporters are spending millions to elect Antonio Villaraigosa as governor By Ryan Menezes California voters have seen a barrage of sunny television ads in recent weeks touting former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosas record on finances, crime and education, aired by Families & Teachers for Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor 2018. But the group is, in fact, largely funded by a handful of wealthy charter-school supporters. Together they have spent more than $13 million in less than a month to boost Villaraigosas chances in the June 5 primary  at a time when his fundraising and poll numbers are lagging. Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix, jump-started the group with a $7-million check, by far the largest donation to support any candidate in the election. Their efforts are part of a broader proxy war among Democrats between teachers unions  longtime stalwarts of the party  and those who argue that the groups have failed low-income and minority schoolchildren. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Talking schools with L.A. Unifieds new superintendent By Anna M. Phillips Austin Beutner, who officially starts Tuesday as the new superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, is taking on a famously difficult job at a particularly difficult time. The school board is divided and did not back him unanimously. The nations second-largest school district has deep-seated problems, including declining enrollment, lagging academic achievement and rising pension and healthcare costs that eat away at its budget. The 58-year-old former investment banker and former L.A. Times publisher has years of experience in the financial world but none as an educator. Earlier this week, he sat down with the Times education team to discuss the challenges facing the district, which has about 60,000 employees and 500,000 students in traditional public schools. He did not talk about his plans  saying repeatedly, stay tuned  but he spoke in broad terms about his mindset in approaching the tough decisions ahead. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Suspect detained, authorities search campus after reports of armed man at Palmdale high school By James Queally One person has been detained after a report of an armed man at a Palmdale high school sparked a massive law enforcement response Friday morning. The suspect was spotted at 7:05 a.m. on the campus of Highland High School in Palmdale, according to Sheriffs Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida. The person was detained in a nearby parking lot, according to Nishida, who did not know whether that person was an adult or juvenile. Deputies at the scene are clearing the school methodically, and students will be transported home via school buses once the campus is deemed safe, Nishida said. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

The education of Bertha Perez: How a UC Merced custodians disenchantment led to a political awakening By Robin Abcarian Its the third day of a three-day strike, and UC Merced custodian Bertha Perez is taking a break from a picket line at the universitys unremarkable entrance, an intersection with stop lights. Photos from other UC campuses this week have shown big crowds of striking service workers  members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees  marching and chanting pro-labor slogans as they try to force the University of California back to the negotiating table. But here, at UC Merced, whose handful of big buildings rise from a flat expanse of farmland, the picket line is tiny, maybe two dozen workers and a few students. Its not a big-city-style show of force. Then again, a union sympathizer is banging relentlessly on a snare drum, so its noisier than youd expect. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Ref Rodriguez resigns from teacher credentialing commission By Howard Blume Ref Rodriguez appears during a court appearance. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez has resigned from the states Commission on Teacher Credentialing, which oversees the integrity and quality of Californias teachers. Rodriguez faces felony and misdemeanor charges for political money laundering. Separately, his former employer, a charter school organization, has accused him of improperly authorizing checks to a nonprofit under his control. Rodriguez has denied wrongdoing. Rodriguezs resignation from the state body was effective May 4, days after he cast a crucial vote as part of a narrow majority that voted to authorize contract negotiations with Austin Beutner to become superintendent of the L.A. Unified School District. Beutners first official day on the job is Tuesday. Rodriguez remains in his $125,000-a-year position on the Los Angeles Board of Education. The mission of the state body is to ensure integrity, relevance, and high quality in the preparation, certification, and discipline of Californias teachers. Critics had questioned Rodriguezs continued service on the commission, given that teachers can be suspended from work if they face criminal charges. They also can lose their jobs for lapses in personal behavior, such as excessive drinking, with the potential to affect their performance. Police in Pasadena arrested Rodriguez on a Friday afternoon in March for public drunkenness. He was not charged in the incident and has apologized. The state commission reviews teacher discipline cases and can take action to remove a teachers credential to work in a California classroom. The commission has 15 members. Rodriguezs departure was disclosed in a one-sentence announcement on the agencys website. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

School board members request for restraining order against blogger is rejected By Priscella Vega An Orange County Superior Court judge on Wednesday denied a school board members petition for a permanent restraining order against a Huntington Beach blogger. Attorney Jeffrey W. Shields filed the petition on behalf of Ocean View School District trustee Gina Clayton-Tarvin, 46, who alleged in court documents that Charles Keeler Johnson, 56, has threatened her on social media and at school board meetings, causing her to fear for my own safety and for that of my immediate family members. Johnson, who goes by Chuck and publishes HBSledgehammer.com, said the trustee tried to stifle his freedom of speech. He also contended that Clayton-Tarvin took his blog posts and Facebook comments too seriously and out of context, saying anyone who is afraid of metaphors has serious issues. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Deal with workers averts one-day strike that could have shut down L.A. schools By Howard Blume Los Angeles school district and union officials announced a contract agreement Tuesday night that averted a one-day strike planned for next week. The pact, which runs through June 2020, removes one labor problem from the desk of incoming Supt. Austin Beutner  whose first day on the job would have coincided with the strike. Plenty of other challenges remain. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

UC labor strike expands with show of support from more unions By Teresa Watanabe Fong Chuu is a registered nurse who has assisted with countless liver transplants, kidney surgeries and gastric bypasses during 34 years at UCLA. Working with her are scrub technicians who sterilize equipment, hand medical instruments to the surgeon and dress patient wounds. They are a team, Chuu says, which is why she walked off her job Tuesday in support of those technicians and other members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299. The 25,000 member AFSCME local, the University of Californias largest employee union, launched a three-day strike Monday. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

We are humans too: Voices of UCLAs striking custodians, hospital aides and imaging technicians By Joy Resmovits Demonstrators parade in front of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) This week, thousands of UC employees are staging a three-day strike for better pay and working conditions. On Monday, more than 20,000 custodians, cooks, lab technicians, nurse aides and other members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 walked off their jobs. By Tuesday, two more unions joined in sympathy strikes. The union and UC reached a bargaining impasse last year. The university has said it wont meet the workers demands. The strikers said they wanted better pay, more equity in the allocation of work, stable healthcare premiums and an end to the universitys use of contract workers. These are their stories. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Massive UC workers strike disrupts dining, classes and medical services By Joy Resmovits A massive labor strike across the University of California on Monday forced medical centers to reschedule more than 12,000 surgeries, cancer treatments and appointments, and campuses to cancel some classes and limit dining services. More than 20,000 members of UCs largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, walked off their jobs on the first day of a three-day strike. They include custodians, gardeners, cooks, truck drivers, lab technicians and nurse aides. Two altercations involving protesters and people driving near the rallies were reported at UCLA and UC Santa Cruz. At UCLA, police took a man into custody Monday after he drove his vehicle into a crowd, hitting three staff members. They were treated for minor injuries at the scene and released, said Lt. Kevin Kilgore of the UCLA Police Department. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Sen. Kamala Harris to skip UC Berkeley commencement in support of striking workers By Teresa Watanabe California Sen. Kamala Harris has canceled plans to deliver UC Berkeleys commencement address this weekend in support of UC workers who are on strike over wages and health benefits. Due to the ongoing labor dispute, Sen. Harris regretfully cannot attend and speak at this years commencement ceremony at UC Berkeley, said a statement from Harris office issued Monday. She wishes the graduates and their families a joyous commencement weekend and success for the future. They are bright young leaders and our country is counting on them. UCs largest employee union, the 25,000-member American Federation of County, State and Municipal Employees Local 3299, launched a three-day strike Monday and had earlier called for a speakers boycott. The union and university reached a bargaining impasse last year and subsequent mediation efforts have failed to produce an agreement. The union is asking for a multiyear contract with a 6% annual pay increase while the university is offering 3% annual increases over four years. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ will deliver the keynote address instead, the university announced. About 5,800 students are expected to participate in the ceremony Saturday. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

School mural depicting Trumps bloody, severed head sparks controversy By Gary Warth A Chula Vista school mural that depicts the bloody, severed head of President Trump on a spear sparked a controversy that prompted officials to cover it and issue a response distancing themselves from the work. The statement also said the artist will alter the painting. We understand that there was a mural painted at the event this past weekend that does not align with our schools philosophy of non-violence, read the statement from MAAC Community Charter School director Tommy Ramirez. We have been in communication with the artist  who has agreed to modify the artwork  to better align with the schools philosophy. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

New blackface incident at Cal Poly prompts calls for state investigation By Kim Christensen Cal Poly San Luis Obispo officials have asked the state attorney generals office to investigate after a new photo of a white student in blackface surfaced on a fraternity groups private Snapchat. I am outraged, Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong said in a video address Friday to the campus. These vile and absolutely unacceptable acts cannot continue. We must not allow these acts to define us as an institution. Armstrong said the latest photo was intended to imitate an incident last month in which a white member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity was photographed at a party wearing blackface. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

More than 50,000 UC workers set to strike this week but campuses will remain open By Teresa Watanabe More than 50,000 workers across the University of California are set to strike this week, causing potential disruptions to surgery schedules, food preparation and campus maintenance. The systems 10 campuses and five medical centers are to remain open, with classes scheduled as planned. UCs largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, plans to begin a three-day strike Monday involving 25,000 workers, including custodians, gardeners, cooks, truck drivers, lab technicians and nurse aides. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

New L.A. schools chief Beutner pledges to listen, learn and take action By Howard Blume New Los Angeles schools Supt. Austin Beutner proved Wednesday that hes a quick learner even without an education background. Like countless public officials before him, he appeared at an important event  his first speech and news conference  with a photogenic background of students. His message  that he would put those students first  seemed heartfelt if hardly original. Nor was it a huge surprise that he pledged to push cooperatively but unflinchingly to improve the districts academic performance and stabilize its finances. As an introduction, Beutner, a former investment banker who made a fortune on Wall Street, offered little flash, but that was partly the point. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

In a school lockdown, one student takes stock of the stressful scene At the beginning of lunch one day late last month, Duarte High School, Northview Middle School, and California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley were advised by the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department to go into lockdown mode due to police activity in the immediate area. Phalaen Chang, a junior at the California School of the Arts, wrote a series of notes on her iPhone while she sat in a room with her classmates. By the time the lockdown ended an hour later, she wrote, she knew which of her friends would hold open the door for others, be the ones calming others down, be the ones barricading the doors. She knew that all of them have the potential to be such strong people. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Tale as old as time: L.A. Unified superintendent pick follows a historical pattern of outside-the-box choices By Joy Resmovits L.A. Unified has long gone back and forth between picking insiders and outsiders to run the nations second largest school district. The choice of Austin Beutner, announced Tuesday, places the district squarely back in the outsider camp  months after a consummate insider, Supt. Michelle King, announced that she had cancer and would not return to the job. Check out this timeline of former L.A. superintendents to see how the school board members have changed their minds, sometimes favoring leaders who come from the world of education and sometimes executives from elsewhere, recruited to shock the system into change. At one point, the district hired someone from the military  retired Navy Vice Adm. David L. Brewer III, who served as superintendent from 2006-2008. In hiring Brewer, board members had opted for a non-educator  largely because they sought a fresh thinker, unwedded to the bureaucracy, unafraid to make bold, even unorthodox moves, reads a 2008 Times story. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Austin Beutner named superintendent of Los Angeles schools By Howard Blume Austin Beutner, a philanthropist and former investment banker, on Tuesday was named superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nations second-largest school system. His selection was the biggest move yet by a Los Angeles school board majority elected with major support from charter school advocates. The decision came after lengthy public testimony, most of it in support of the other remaining finalist, interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian, who is well known within the school system. Beutner, 58, has no background leading a school or school district. Less than 2 years ago, a school board with a very different balance of power named Michelle King, a former teacher who rose through the district throughout her career, to L.A. Unifieds top job. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Hearing delay gives both sides more time in Ref Rodriguezs potential trial By Howard Blume Ref Rodriguez and his attorneys will have more time to prepare their defense against charges of political money laundering, a judge ruled Monday. The preliminary hearing in the case had been scheduled to begin May 9, but that date will now be pushed back to July 23 per the ruling from L.A. Superior Court Judge Deborah S. Brazil. Rodriguez, 46, faces three felony charges of conspiracy, perjury and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, as well as 25 misdemeanor counts related to the alleged campaign money laundering. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

L.A. school board poised to name Beutner as superintendent By Howard Blume The Los Angeles Board of Education is poised to select philanthropist and former investment banker Austin Beutner to be the next superintendent of the nations second-largest school system. Barring a last-minute development, the only mystery is whether Beutner emerges with four or five votes from the boards seven members. Terms of his contract already have been under discussion, according to sources close to the process who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak. The selection of Beutner, 58, who has no experience managing a school or a school district, would be a signal that the board majority that took control nearly a year ago wants to rely on business management skills instead of insider educational expertise. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Teacher walkouts in Arizona and Colorado continue national debate on money for schools By Michael Livingston Following the lead of teachers who walked off the job in other states in recent weeks, thousands of teachers and their supporters took to the streets in Arizona and Colorado for the second day in a row to demand better pay and more funding for education. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Three decades before the #MeToo movement, UC San Diego led the way against sexual assault By Teresa Watanabe When Nancy Wahlig first started her fight against sexual assault, one company was marketing a capsule for women to stash in their bras and then smash to release a vile odor. Because of the very nature of society, the only person who can prevent rape is the woman herself, read a 1981 advertisement for the Repulse rape deterrent. Ideas about how to prevent sexual violence have come a long way since then, and Wahlig has helped lead that evolution on college campuses. In 1988, she started UC San Diegos Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC), the first stand-alone program at the University of California. Today, she remains the systems most senior specialist. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Andres Alonso withdraws from consideration for L.A. schools job By Howard Blume Andres Alonso, believed to be one of three remaining finalists to lead the Los Angeles school system, has withdrawn from consideration. The remaining known candidates in the confidential search are former investment banker Austin Beutner and interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian. Alonso, 60, announced his decision on Twitter on Thursday night, saying he had notified the L.A. Unified School District on Monday. The exit of Alonso, the former Baltimore schools chief, seems to solidify the front-runner status of Beutner, who also was a former L.A. Times publisher and a Los Angeles deputy mayor. He held each of those positions for about a year. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Heres why the apparent increase in autism spectrum disorders may be good for U.S. children By Karen Kaplan The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among American children continues to rise, new government data suggest. And that may be a good thing. Among 11 sites across the U.S. where records of 8-year-olds are scrutinized in detail, 1 in 59 kids was deemed to have ASD in 2014. Thats up from 1 in 68 in 2012. Normally, health officials would prefer to see less of a disease, not more of it. But in this case, the higher number is probably a sign that more children of color who are on the autism spectrum are being recognized as such and getting services to help them, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

UC shelves tuition increase for now, in hopes of getting more state funding By Teresa Watanabe University of California regents will not vote on a tuition increase next month, shelving the plan for now in hopes that state lawmakers will come through with more funding. Raising tuition is always a last resort and one we take very seriously, UC President Janet Napolitano said Thursday in a statement. We will continue to advocate with our students who are doing a tremendous job of educating legislators about the necessity of adequately funding the university to ensure UC remains a world-class institution and engine of economic growth for our state. Last week, Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White said the 23-campus system no longer would consider a plan to raise tuition for the 2018-19 academic year. But unlike Cal State, UC officials have not taken a tuition increase off the table entirely. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

A chemical spill, unchecked eyewash stations, poor training: Audit details Cal States lax lab safety By Joy Resmovits In May 2016, two bottles tumbled off a poorly supported shelf and broke, leading to a chemical spill in a Sacramento State University lab. The liquid got onto one students legs and soaked anothers feet. Five employees cleaned up the mess, even though no one knew for sure what it was and whether it was dangerous. They called fellow employee Kim Harrington, their union representative, to let her know what happened. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

After blackface incident, minority students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo say they dont feel welcome By Hailey Branson-Potts Aaliyah Ramos was walking through the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus last year when a prospective student approached her. Ramos was the only black person, the young woman said, that she and her mother had seen that day. They asked about the quality of education and the diversity of the student body. Ramos, a mechanical engineering student, didnt want to sugarcoat the truth: Cal Poly long has been predominantly white. But she told the young woman  who also was black  that she didnt want to discourage her from applying, because that wouldnt help with diversity at a school where only 0.7% of students are African American  the lowest percentage of any university in the California State system. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills wins the 2018 U.S. Academic Decathlon By Carlos Lozano El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills has won the 2018 U.S. Academic Decathlon, officials said. The winner was announced early Saturday at a ceremony in Frisco, Texas. More than 600 students from the U.S., Canada, China and the United Kingdom gathered there over the last three days to compete in the 37th annual U.S. Academic Decathlon. Congratulations to El Camino Real Charter High School for another impressive victory, said Vivian Ekchian, interim superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Your academic stamina and competitive spirit to win is remarkable. The entire L.A. Unified family is so proud of you. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Anticipation mounts as L.A. school board meets over superintendent selection By Howard Blume The Los Angeles Board of Education is reconvening in closed session Friday at noon as anticipation mounts about the choice of the next leader of the nations second-largest school system. The presumed front-runner is former investment banker and philanthropist Austin Beutner, but interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian and former Baltimore Supt. Andres Alonso also are in the running. Most district insiders appear to be rooting for Ekchian, who has spent her entire career in education within the school system. After her 10 years as a teacher, her roles have included head of human resources, chief labor negotiator and regional administrator for campuses in the west San Fernando Valley. Shes managed the district since September, when then-Supt. Michelle King went on medical leave and chose Ekchian to fill in for her. King, who is battling cancer, never returned and announced her retirement in January. Numerous influential civic leaders have urged  and pressured  the board to select Beutner. Also lending their weight have been advocates for charter schools, which are independently operated, growing in number and competing for students with district-operated campuses. Four of the seven board members  enough to control the outcome  were elected with major financial support from charter supporters. Beutner has two ongoing connections with the L.A. Unified School District. The first is his leadership of an outside task force that is making recommendations on how to improve the school system. The second is his charity, Vision to Learn, which supplies glasses to low-income students. The charity and the school system are in a dispute at the moment over who is responsible for delays in providing services to students as part of a $6 million contract, half of which is paid for by L.A. Unified. Unlike Ekchian and Buetner, Alonso, who currently teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has no deep-seated local constituency, but the prospect of his selection has generated some excitement. While in Baltimore, Alonso was recognized for pushing for progress at low-performing schools, and for being willing to take strong action. While in Baltimore, he also weathered a test-score cheating scandal and occasionally rocky relations with the teachers union. But by the time he resigned, after six years, he and union leaders seemed to be working together without rancor. Leaders of some community groups have split from the pro-Beutner camp. They worry that Beutners approach to confronting the districts financial problems could shut out their voices or involve severe economic cutbacks that would undermine programs that are helping students. Some prefer Ekchian; some Alonso. Theyve been reluctant to speak out publicly because theyll have to work with whoever is selected, but they have tried to get the ear of board members. On Friday morning, one leader of a community group decided to come out in favor of Alonso. L.A. Unified has the opportunity to bring in an instructional leader of color with a history of success, said Alberto Retana, president and chief executive of Community Coalition, which works on behalf of low-income students and families in South Los Angeles. If we have a shot at that, we should go for it  because its in the best interests of our kids and of our community. Retana said his statement was not meant to criticize Beutner or Ekchian but to alert board members that there also is community support for Alonso. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Cal State leader shelves proposed tuition hike: Its the right thing to do, but its not without risk By Joy Resmovits Cal State, the nations largest public university system, will no longer consider a plan to raise tuition for the 2018-19 academic year, Chancellor Timothy P. White announced Friday. The decision is a bet that Sacramento will come through in the end. If Cal State loses that bet, it could mean cuts to campus programs. White said in an interview that Californias economy is strong enough that families should not be shouldering the burden of higher college costs. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. students to participate in national walkout activities on Friday By Joy Resmovits Students are taking to the streets again Friday to protest gun violence on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting. Starting at 10 a.m., students at many schools will spend 13 seconds honoring the 13 people  12 students and one teacher  killed on that day in Littleton, Colo. After that, theyll participate in a host of different activities. Within L.A. Unified, one school is having an open-mic event for students to talk about school violence, and lawmakers are visiting campuses to hear students thoughts. According to a central hub for organizing the protests  written by the students of Ridgefield High School in Connecticut  the walkouts are intended to drive the political change necessary to curb school violence. The day is also a time for students to interact on an elevated platform they have never had before, the site states. It is a day of discourse and thoughtful sharing. Bringing together communities and students to get a national discussion rolling. Organizers have suggested using the event to convey the importance of curbing gun violence to legislators. They are encouraging students to push legislation that would ban assault weapons and tighten up rules around who can buy guns and how. Over 2,500 schools nationwide are expected to participate. In L.A., some students  at campuses including Eagle Rock High School, the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts and Bravo Medical Magnet  plan to walk out. Students from various schools expect to join area marches, including those in Santa Monica and Huntington Park. Other schools are hosting career days and voter registration drives. At 1 p.m., students plan to start a rally in front of L.A. Unified headquarters. For the record: An earlier version of this article stated that 12 teachers and one student were killed in the Columbine shooting. The opposite is true: twelve students and one teacher died. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Stabbing of popular student devastates South El Monte High School; teen friend suspected in slaying By Sonali Kohli When administrators at South El Monte High School called Jeremy Sanchezs parents to say he never showed up for class Wednesday, his father began to worry. It was unusual for the 17-year-old junior to miss school, so his father filed a missing persons report and assembled two of Jeremys close friends to look for the popular student-athlete. Their search took them to a scenic stretch of the San Gabriel River Trail, where one of the friends  a 16-year-old boy  made a tragic discovery. Among the bushes in the riverbed near Thienes Avenue and Parkway Drive was Jeremys body, punctured with stab wounds, according to Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Racist fliers spark outrage at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo By Alene Tchekmedyian Soon after Neal MacDougall arrived on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus Tuesday, the professor noticed university police standing outside a restroom near his office. A racial slur against African Americans had been scrawled in red marker on a stall wall. Later, he discovered a series of racist fliers pinned up next to his door. Someone had also slashed posters hed hung outside his office supporting students in the country illegally. The discovery was the latest controversy on the prestigious campus  which the president said is less than 55% white  that MacDougall said demonstrates a culture of racism at the university. Last week, photographs emerged of white fraternity members, including one in blackface, flashing gang signs. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

The superintendent waiting game, paying for L.A.'s College Promise, Princetons slave history: Whats new in education By Joy Resmovits Acting LAUSD superintendent Vivian Ekchian is a finalist for the permanent job. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) In and around Los Angeles: The L.A. Unified school board spent 10 hours interviewing and discussing candidates for superintendent. When they adjourned after 10 p.m., they said they would reconvene on Friday. Who is paying for Mayor Eric Garcettis much-touted College Promise, a program that promises two years of community college for LAUSD grads? In California: The Legislature is considering a proposal that would boost K-12 education funding for black students. When the cost of living is taken into account, California has the highest rate of child poverty. Nationwide: The families of two children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School are suing Alex Jones and Infowars for saying the school massacre never occurred. Princeton will name two spaces  an arch and a garden  after slaves who lived or worked on the campus. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. school board meets privately with finalists and debates choice for school district leader By Howard Blume The Los Angeles Board of Education adjourned late Tuesday after spending more than 10 hours interviewing candidates and trying to reach a decision on who would be the next leader of the nations second-largest school system. When the meeting finally recessed at 10:11 p.m., a spokesman announced only that the school board would reconvene Friday at noon. Going into the days meetings, there were apparently four finalists, according to sources who could not be named because they were unauthorized to speak. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Two Sandy Hook families sue Alex Jones and Infowars for saying the school massacre never happened By David Altimari Families of two children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School have filed lawsuits in Texas against controversial radio host Alex Jones for continually claiming the massacre never happened. Neil Heslin, the father of Jesse Lewis, and Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, whose son Noah Pozner died in the massacre, filed separate lawsuits late Monday in Travis County, Texas. The lawsuits allege that Jones defamed the parents by constantly calling them crisis actors and insisting the shooting was a false flag operation; they also claim Jones accusations have led to death threats against the Sandy Hook families by Jones followers. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Beutner emerges as a top pick for L.A. schools superintendent amid last-minute jockeying By Howard Blume Austin Beutner has emerged as a leading contender to run the Los Angeles school district, with backers saying he is smart enough and tough enough to confront its financial and academic struggles. Though he does not have a background in education, the former investment banker has in the last year examined some of the districts intractable problems, serving as co-chair of an outside task force with the support of then-Supt. Michelle King. Sources inside and outside the school district said Beutner appears to have more support on the seven-member board than other finalists, and his name could come up for a vote as early as Tuesday. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Challenge at Chicago school construction site: Watch for 38,000 unmarked graves By Nereida Moreno A 15-year effort to build a school in Chicagos Dunning neighborhood is underway with an unusual complication: Construction workers are taking careful steps to avoid disturbing human remains that may lie beneath the soil. The $70-million school is to be built on the grounds of a former Cook County Poor House, where an estimated 38,000 people were buried in unmarked graves. Among the dead are residents who were too poor to afford funeral costs, unclaimed bodies and patients from the countys insane asylum. There can be and there have been bodies found all over the place, said Barry Fleig, a genealogist and cemetery researcher who began investigating the site in 1989. Its a spooky, scary place. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Oklahoma teacher walkout winds down despite lawmakers failure to meet demands By Washington Post Oklahomas largest teachers union has announced an end to a walkout that has drawn thousands of educators out of classrooms and to the state Capitol demanding greater investment in the states schools, which have endured the nations steepest funding cuts. The announcement Thursday from the Oklahoma Education Assn. does not necessarily end the protests at the Capitol, as teachers not affiliated with the union vowed to stay longer. Instead of a walkout, the union and school districts across the state have said they plan to send delegations of teachers to Oklahoma City to keep the pressure on lawmakers. Teachers and their supporters have also promised to push education issues to the forefront of November elections, when the state chooses a new governor. As school districts begin to reopen, the protests may lose steam. The Legislature is not in session Friday, and observers are waiting to see what happens Monday, when lawmakers return. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Most Californians are worried about school shooting threats and oppose arming teachers, survey finds By Joy Resmovits Hamilton High School student Aiyana Dabriel holds a sign during a March 14 walkout in support of the Parkland shooting victims. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Most Californians are worried that a school shooting like the one that occurred in Parkland, Fla., in February could shed blood closer to home, a new survey found. Some 73% percent of adults and 82% of public school parents said they were very concerned or somewhat concerned about school shootings. The Public Policy Institute of California surveyed 1,704 adults in the state by phone just after the March for Our Lives protest against gun violence. Latino and black respondents were significantly more likely to be concerned about school violence than white or Asian respondents, the institute found. Two-thirds of adults and public school parents said they opposed letting more educators carry weapons in school. The response differed across party lines, with 86% of Democrats and 69% of independents voicing their opposition, while 60% percent of Republicans said they would support a measure to arm educators. The poll, which had a margin of error of 3.2% in either direction, also asked Californians about school funding, educational issues in the governors race and the impact of immigration enforcement on students. You can find the full results here. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Californias largest virtual charter school network agrees to contract with its teachers By Anna M. Phillips Nearly four years after teachers at Californias largest online charter school voted to unionize, they have reached a deal to increase pay and create job protections, according to a spokesman for the California Teachers Assn. The contract, which is still tentative and subject to ratification, is a victory for the teachers union. Although charter schools are publicly funded, most are privately managed and their employees arent protected by labor contracts. Under the terms of the contract  the result of years of negotiation and legal wrangling  approximately 500 teachers working for California Virtual Academies will no longer be at-will employees who can be dismissed for almost any reason. Their average salary will rise to just over $45,000, according to union estimates, a figure that remains far below the norm for traditional public school teachers. Still, it is an improvement over the previous average of $38,000. The accord also places a limit on the number of students each teacher is responsible for monitoring in online homeroom classes. Were very satisfied with the gains we made, said teacher Brianna Carroll, president of California Virtual Educators United. I think were going to see some extraordinary changes in our schools. According to Carroll, teachers at California Virtual Academies  better known as CAVA  had grown frustrated with the organizations foot-dragging and were making preparations to go on strike when CAVAs leadership agreed to the deal. CAVA and K12, the Virginia-based for-profit company linked to its schools, did not immediately respond to an email Tuesday asking for comment. The network currently operates nine virtual charter schools across California. In 2016, the charter network agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle claims of false advertising, misleading parents and inadequate instruction. The state attorney generals office had also accused K12 of controlling the charters for its own financial benefit. Neither CAVA nor K12 admitted to wrongdoing in the settlement. A year later, the state imposed a $2-million fine on CAVA after an audit found that it had misspent public funds. The network disputed the findings. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

School board approves a new formula for funding high-need schools By Sonali Kohli L.A. schools will soon get more money if they are located in neighborhoods with such problems as high levels of gun violence and asthma. The Los Angeles Unified school board voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a new formula to determine how to dole out some funding to schools, based not only on the characteristics of the student populations but on the traumas that affect the communities around campuses. The new formula will be applied to $25 million in funding next fiscal year and about $263 million annually in future years  a small part of the districts $7.5 billion annual budget. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Protesters demand Ref Rodriguez resignation outside school board meeting By Sonali Kohli Students, parents, teachers and UTLA marching outside the board meeting chanting "Ref resign" pic.twitter.com/W0LRWZSIXY  Sonali Kohli  (@Sonali_Kohli) April 10, 2018 A few dozen parents, students and teachers marched outside the Los Angeles Unified School Board meeting Tuesday, some calling for board member Ref Rodriguez to resign the week after news broke that he was taken into custody on suspicion of being drunk in public at a Pasadena bar and restaurant. Rodriguez was not cited or charged in that incident, but was held for more than five and a half hours before being released. The school board member faces felony and misdemeanor charges for political money laundering. He is accused of getting more than two dozen people people to donate to his campaign for his school board seat with the understanding that he would reimburse them. He stepped down from his post as school board president after he was charged last fall, but he did not give up his seat on the board. He has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of conspiracy, perjury, and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, as well as 25 misdemeanor counts related to the alleged campaign money laundering. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May. He cant give his full focus to our students, said Rebecca LaFond, a Highland Park parent whose three children marched with her as she chanted, Ref resign. One daughter marched in front of her, using a drum stick to hit the bottom of a gallon-size empty water jug. Our kids deserve someone who has the utmost ethical standards representing them, LaFond said. The protests continued into the board meeting, where some addressed Rodriguez directly, calling on him to step down during public comment portions of the meeting. Rodriguez, through his chief of staff, declined to comment. Some parents outside the board meeting did not know about the charges against Rodriguez but came out to protest the possibility of sharing their school campuses with charter schools. Protesters also oppose colocation  not all of the parents are here to ask Ref Rodriguez to step down pic.twitter.com/1Co8zQ9zSi  Sonali Kohli  (@Sonali_Kohli) April 10, 2018 Cynthia Martinez said her son, who goes to Christopher Dena Elementary School in Boyle Heights, has been bullied in the past by students from a charter school sharing the campus. She said she didnt know who Rodriguez was. Some parents and teachers are worried about losing computer labs, robotics rooms and fitness centers if they are required to share their campus with charter schools, said Ilse Escobar, a parent community organizer for United Teachers Los Angeles. The issues of Rodriguez and colocation are related, Escobar said. Rodriguez is part of a majority on the school board elected with financial backing from charter school supporters, and many parents, she said, feel that the school board is compromised if he is a part of it. Staff reporter Howard Blume contributed to this post. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Delaine Eastin tries to gain momentum in the California governors race, one voter at a time By Seema Mehta Delaine Eastin was a sophomore in high school when a drama teacher urged her to try out for a part in The Man Who Came to Dinner. She hesitated until he told her: This is a metaphor for your whole life. If you never try out, you will never get the part. Eastin auditioned and won the role. Decades later, the advice sticks with the former state schools chief, this time in her unlikely run for governor. Despite calls for more women in leadership roles in state politics following sexual misconduct allegations in Sacramento, Eastin has been largely overlooked in the race, lagging far behind her Democratic rivals in fundraising and the polls. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Arizona high court rejects in-state tuition for DACA recipients By Associated Press Young immigrants granted deferred deportation status under a program started by President Obama are not eligible for lower in-state college tuition, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Monday. The unanimous ruling will affect at least 2,000 students attending the states largest community college district and hundreds more at other colleges and the states three public universities. The Maricopa County Community Colleges District and state universities said they would begin raising tuition immediately for the coming school year. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

New York high school students injured when bus strikes overpass By Associated Press A charter bus carrying teenagers returning from a spring break trip Sunday night struck a bridge overpass on Long Island, seriously injuring six passengers and mangling the entire length of the top of the bus. The crash happened shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday on the Southern State Parkway in Lakeview, according to New York State Police. One of the six injured passengers had very serious injuries, said State Police Maj. David Candelaria. Thirty-seven other passengers suffered minor injuries. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Some good news for California in national student test scores By Joy Resmovits Every two years, the nations fourth- and eighth-graders are tested in math and reading  and newly released results from last years tests give California at least a little reason to be pleased. The 2017 results  out Monday night  were mostly flat nationwide compared with 2015, though the average score in eighth-grade reading went up. But while that improvement largely came from the increased scores of the highest-performing students, California eighth-graders showed some reading progress from the lowest levels to the highest. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Under state control, Inglewood school districts financial picture worsened By Anna M. Phillips When Eugenio Villa agreed to return to the Inglewood schools for a second tour last summer, he knew the district remained one of Californias most troubled. Inglewood Unified had been nearly insolvent when it was taken over by the state Department of Education in 2012. Six years later, its enrollment was still declining. Its school buildings were tired  some edging into decrepitude. Its test scores and graduation rates were still below the state average. And the public was out of patience. Still, Villa, who had signed back on as the districts chief business official, was shocked at what he found when he arrived in June 2017. Two years earlier, he had left the school system on what he thought was firm ground. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Charter school group drops two lawsuits against L.A. Unified By Howard Blume A charter schools advocacy group last week announced that it would end two long-running lawsuits in which it was seeking more classroom space and construction money from the Los Angeles school district. The decision, the California Charter Schools Assn. said, reflects better relations between charter schools and the L.A. Unified School District. But the move also suggests that the litigation, which already contributed to significant gains for area charters, was unlikely to produce much more. It takes time, money and effort to litigate, said Ricardo Soto, general counsel for the charter group. Maybe its better to see if we can find the time and opportunity for collaboration. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez is arrested on suspicion of public intoxication By Richard Winton Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez was arrested recently on suspicion of being drunk in public at a Pasadena restaurant, the latest trouble for an elected official who faces political money-laundering charges. Pasadena police took Rodriguez into custody on March 16, according to city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. Officers arrested Rodriguez at about 4:30 p.m. at the Yard House restaurant and bar at the Paseo Mall and held him in jail for more than five-and-a-half hours. Rodriguez was ultimately released without being cited or charged, Derderian told The Times. Other details about the arrest were not available, she said. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Kentucky teachers rally at Capitol over state budget By Associated Press Thousands of Kentucky teachers filled the streets near the state Capitol in Frankfort on a cold, overcast Monday to rally for education funding. Teachers and other school employees gathered outside the Kentucky Education Assn. a couple of blocks from the Capitol chanting, Stop the war on public education and holding or posting signs that say, Weve Had Enough. Were madder than hornets, and the hornets are swarming today, said Claudette Green, a retired teacher and principal. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy L
Cal State faces difficult problems that dont seem likely to disappear soon. The state covers a smaller proportion of its costs than it used to, and the number of students who want to attend keeps growing  with demand particularly high for certain popular campuses and programs.

The trustees of the nations largest public university system will be discussing how to make progress on both fronts when they meet in Long Beach, starting Tuesday.

In the 2017-18 budget, Gov. Jerry Brown gave the university system more money than he initially proposed. But Cal State officials also had to commit to get to work on its enrollment problems. They have until May to develop a policy to redirect applications turned away from crowded campuses to those that are less crowded, as long as they meet systemwide requirements.

Advertisement

Officials also have to put a policy in place to require Cal State campuses to give local students priority admission for undergraduate majors and programs that receive more qualified applicants than can be accommodated by faculty, staff and campus resources. At Cal State L.A., for example, these impacted programs include biology, criminal justice, psychology and social work.

The number of eligible applicants for Cal State continues to outpace state support and campus capacity. About 31,000 fully qualified students were turned away for the fall term because their desired campuses had no more room, administrators said. After months of lobbying by faculty, students and staff, Brown this summer signed off on a $20-million boost aimed at enrolling about 3,000 more students.

Trustees will discuss enrollment plans as well as Cal States operating budget for next year, which will be finalized in November. Officials project that the state will provide an additional $102 million for next years budget, which is still short of what Cal State leaders say they need for such priorities as improving graduation rates, increasing enrollment and updating aging buildings.

If CSU faces a budget gap, administrators wrote in a memo, trustees would have to consider various options, including pushing harder for state funding, investing less in new priorities, looking for systemwide cost savings and even another tuition increase. Earlier this year, after lengthy debates, trustees voted to increase tuition by about 5%  the first hike since 2010-11.

The board is also expected to vote on a proposed 2.5% salary increase for Chancellor Timothy P. White, six vice chancellors, and the systems campus presidents. Sally Roush, who was appointed interim president of San Diego State in the spring, would not get an increase.

Executive compensation has been a thorny issue in the past: The system took heat in 2011 when trustees approved both a $100,000 boost in pay for the incoming San Diego State president and a 12% tuition hike. The following year, Cal State froze compensation paid with state funds while allowing increases of up to 10% paid with private donations. In November 2015, to quell criticism, the trustees voted to eliminate the use of private funds to supplement salaries.

From 2010 to 2014, according to officials, executives received no salary raises. In the 2014-2015 budget year, trustees approved a 3% increase, followed by a 2% increase in 2015-2016 and a 2% increase in 2016-2017.

Officials had long argued that restricting compensation puts the system at a competitive disadvantage.

Whites salary, after the 2.5% increase, would total $450,345. Cal State campus president salaries would range from $274,601 at the Maritime Academy to $428,645 at San Diego State.

Also on the trustees agenda are discussions about the systems financial reserves, building plans and maintenance priorities for the next five years and a report on research grants and opportunities. Collectively, Cal State campuses received more than $579 million in research grant funding in 2015-2016.

A live stream of the open sessions can be viewed here.

rosanna.xia@latimes.com

Follow @RosannaXia for more education news
Less than three months into his role as president of the Los Angeles Board of Education, Ref Rodriguez announced Tuesday that he would step down from that post to spare the school district the distraction of a criminal case filed against him.

The decision marks a stunning turnaround for Rodriguez and supporters of charter schools, who spent record sums in campaigns this year to elect a board majority that is widely viewed as pro-charter. That new majority chose Rodriguez as its president in July.

Rodriguez, 46, who faces three felony charges on allegations of campaign money laundering, said he would retain his seat on the board.

Advertisement

That will leave the charter-friendly majority intact, though his legal problems could detract from what the majority has described as its kids-first agenda.

When he was elected in 2015, Rodriguez, the co-founder of a charter organization, was the first member of the board to have deep personal ties to the charter school community.

The charges stem from that 2015 campaign.

Although investigators began looking into Rodriguezs actions regarding campaign contributions at least two years ago, the case became public only when the charges were announced last week. The district attorneys office charged Rodriguez with perjury and other felonies, alleging he funneled more than $24,000 of his own money into his campaign and hid the true source of the donations by reimbursing the family members, friends and charter-school employees who had served as his straw donors.

Rodriguez has not said publicly whether the allegations are true or not, but his attorney Daniel Nixon said he has cooperated fully with the investigation.

Nixon initially said Rodriguez would continue his work on the board as before. But his ability to function as president was immediately called into question, including by his board colleagues, although they declined to say so publicly.

The board president presides over the meetings, manages the meeting schedule and controls the committee assignments of other board members. The president also frequently serves as the public face of the nations second-largest school system, appearing at events and fielding questions from reporters.

Rodriguez has declined to talk to reporters since being charged, including on Tuesday, when he arrived after the start of a board meeting and left immediately at its close. Although his announcement came as board members were meeting, he made it on social media, not in person.

In order to allow the board to remain focused on the hard work ahead of us, I have decided to step aside as board President, Rodriguez said in a statement that was posted on Facebook and Twitter. I do not want to serve as a distraction to my colleagues, or to any of the other dedicated teachers, principals and employees who do the hard work of educating students every day.

I am committed to the Kids First agenda, and have decided to step aside as Board President, so this Board can remain focused on the work. pic.twitter.com/vKCDbZimPT  L.A. Unified District 5 (@lausdbd5) September 19, 2017

Had he not stepped down voluntarily, other board members could have chosen to replace him before his one-year term expired.

For the moment, the task of chairing meetings will fall to board Vice President Monica Garcia, whom Rodriguez appointed to that position in July. The longest-serving board member, Garcia has been president in the past. Shes an ally of Rodriguez and would be an obvious choice to replace him.

Board member Nick Melvoin said in a text that he expected the board to call a special meeting to select a new president very soon.

L.A. schools Supt. Michelle King said she respected Rodriguezs decision to step aside as board president.

Reaction from Rodriguezs supporters was muted but generally supportive both of him and his decision.

We believe Ref Rodriguez made the right choice today to step down as president of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board, the California Charter Schools Assn. said in a statement. This decision allows the board to stay focused on the needs of students, while also providing board member Rodriguez the time he needs to address the charges that have been filed against him.

Other political allies said they were confident that his problems would not slow the momentum for change in L.A. Unified.

It was smart of Ref to step down so hes not a distraction from the broader agenda, said Ben Austin, who recently founded a nonprofit called Kids Coalition, and has been a leader among those who backed the election of the current majority. In terms of the broader agenda, I think everybody recognizes that this is a historic moment that is bigger than any single elected official, Austin said.

For many Rodriguez backers, this agenda includes making it easier to fire teachers, eliminating seniority protections when school employees must be laid off and increasing the number of charter schools. They also want charters to have greater freedom to operate and improved access to classroom space on district campuses.

Charters are exempt from some rules that govern traditional campuses and are run by their own boards, largely independent of the school district.

The criminal charges prosecutors filed against Rodriguez include three felony counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, perjury and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument.

The case against the former school board president is the result of a lengthy investigation into his successful first-time run for office.

In the 14-page complaint, the district attorneys office accused Rodriguez of giving money to his own campaign, while illegally representing that the donations had been made by 25 other contributors.

The case grew out of an inquiry by the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, which reviewed the suspect contributions after a tip from a whistleblower.

One reason political money laundering is illegal is because it deprives the public of information about the true source of a candidates financial support, the commission stated.

The commission referred its findings to the district attorney. Prosecutors have also charged Rodriguezs cousin, Elizabeth Tinajero Melendrez, 45, for her alleged involvement in the scheme.

If convicted on the felony counts, Rodriguez faces a possible maximum sentence of four years and four months in jail. Melendrez, who has one felony charge, could serve up to three years in jail.

Rodriguez supporters and some observers have downplayed the seriousness of the allegations, noting that it would have been legal for Rodriguez to have openly written his campaign a check for the same amount hes accused of laundering.

But others characterize the charges as disturbing.

The allegations against Dr. Ref Rodriguez are serious and we trust the due legal process is being followed to bring all issues to light, said Max Arias, executive director of Service Employees International Union Local 99, which represents the largest number of the districts non-teaching employees.

When the president of an organization has these issues, it obviously takes away energy from the mission of the organization, which is to educate students, Arias said.

Former board member Bennett Kayser, whom Rodriguez defeated in the election in question two years ago, said Rodriguez should leave office.

Im glad he stepped down as president, Kayser said. But I think he should resign from the board. Because hes setting a bad example for the kids and anybody that wants to believe in an ethical election process.

howard.blume@latimes.com

Twitter: @howardblume

sonali.kohli@latimes.com

Twitter: @Sonali_Kohli

joy.resmovits@latimes.com

Twitter: @Joy_Resmovits

Times staff writers David Zahniser and Anna M. Phillips contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

8 p.m.: This article has been updated throughout with additional comments about Rodriguezs decision and additional details of the case against him.

3:40 p.m.: This article updated with information about who will preside as board president and the process for choosing a replacement.

2:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional background on the charges against Rodriguez.

This article was originally posted at 2:05 p.m.
One of Texas 10 most wanted criminal suspects was taken into custody by Los Angeles police early Tuesday after he displayed video of an arsenal of weapons on Instagram that authorities used to track him to Woodlands Hills.

Christopher Ricardo Gonzalez, 18, a Texas gang member with a lengthy history of violent robberies, home invasions and alleged murder, was captured by the LAPD after Dallas police were able to track his position when he posted a video of himself on Instagram displaying a gun collection, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the arrest.

Los Angeles police said Gonzalez was taken into custody with the help of a police K-9 about 2 a.m near Serrania Avenue.

Advertisement

Detectives in Dallas provided the LAPD with GPS coordinates for the Instagram post and an LAPD fugitive team found a rented Chevrolet SUV connected to Gonzalez.

Gonzalez sped off in the SUV and eventually struck a power pole in 4800 block of Serrania. Gonzalez and an unidentified man abandoned the vehicle and fled to a nearby area where the police dog tracked them down, according to police. Both men were treated at a hospital for minor injuries, officials said.

According to Dallas police and the Texas Department of Public Safety, Gonzalez  who is also known as Little Chris  is tied to a Bloods clique and wanted for murder; leading an organized crime group and a series of aggravated robberies and home invasions.

richard.winton@latimes.com

Twitter: @lacrimes

ALSO

Man who killed Fox executive having an affair with his wife gets 11 years in prison

Man removed from sex offender registry arrested on suspicion of possessing child porn, police say

A would-be mugger handed a woman a note on BART train saying guns were pointed at her, so she faked a seizure
The tops came off, and the wallets came out.

A Yuba County strip club, feeling particularly philanthropic, used its abundant assets  topless ladies  in a weekend carwash to raise money for two sheriffs deputies who were injured in a shootout at a Rastafarian pot farm last month.

The shirtless carwash at City Limits Showgirls in Marysville on Saturday raised $2,560, the strip club wrote on Facebook. A long line of cars snaked outside the fundraiser, which was held in a tented parking lot.

The charity event was held for Yuba County sheriffs Deputies Phillip Bronson and Andrew Everhart, who were shot multiple times on Aug. 1 at a Rastafarian churchs marijuana farm in Oregon House, a small community northeast of Sacramento.

Advertisement

That day, a new worker at the farm who was armed with a handgun started acting erratically, pulling marijuana plants from the ground, Heidi Lepp, a reverend at Sugarleaf Rastafarian Church, told KCRA-TV.

When deputies were called to the farm, the man hid, then began firing, hitting Bronson and Everhart. The shooter, identified as Anthony Sanchez, 33, of Gilroy, died after being hit by return fire from the wounded deputies, according to the sheriffs department.

Everhart and Bronson both underwent surgery after the shooting and have since been released from the hospital, said Leslie Carbah, a spokeswoman for the sheriffs office. They are still under medical care and are recovering at home, she said.

The sheriffs department said it was not affiliated with the strip club carwash. The department looked into the legality of the event but found that since it was held in an enclosed space and that identification was checked before any adult could enter, it was a legal business promotion.

While we appreciate the sentiment of support from the business owner, we do not endorse the event, the department said in a statement.

Hal Meyer, the operations manager for City Limits Showgirls, said he hopes the deputies families can use the money.

Sheriffs officials dont promote it, but they didnt condone it. Most of the deputies and people that we have spoken to on an individual basis, Meyer told KCRA before the event. Some of them are even bringing their own vehicles through.

If people gave a larger donation, they got a longer wash, Meyer told the Sacramento Bee.

One of the dancers who planned to participate in the carwash, Talina Kirker, was asked by a TV reporter if she had ever washed a car before.

No, actually, I havent, she said, laughing.

She volunteered to do the carwash, she said, because the deputies make the dancers feel safe while theyre at work.

The strip clubs Facebook page is filled with thankful comments.

Thank you for your Community spirit, one woman posted. Great job Ladies.

Im a retired cop, a man wrote. I thank you for putting [forth] the effort to help. Your hearts are golden.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson
A California appeals court has overturned a nearly $4-million jury verdict for two Los Angeles police officers placed on desk duty for five years after fatally shooting an unarmed, autistic black man in 2010.

The three-judge panel last week tossed out a 2015 Los Angeles County Superior Court jury decision in favor of Officers Allan Corrales and George Diego, saying they failed to prove the discrimination to support the jury verdict. Corrales had been awarded more than $2 million and Diego $1.9 million. The Los Angeles City Attorney appealed that verdict.

During the jury trial, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said the officers, both Latino, were given desk jobs after the fatal shooting of Steve Washington in 2010 because they were unfit to work in the field and not because of their race.

Advertisement

The officers, he said, made serious tactical errors during their encounter with Washington. But Beck said the shooting was justified because they feared for their lives.

The civilian commission that oversees the LAPD however, found that the officers violated the departments use-of-force policy and that the shooting was unreasonable. The officers subsequently sued when they were kept from returning to patrol  a move that would deny them opportunities to promote.

The Court of Appeal wrote, While the evidence that the officers produced at trial might have been sufficient to support the theory of discrimination that they presented, that theory was legally flawed.

The court noted that the officers claimed that they suffered disparate treatment because they are Latino and the victim was African American. They relied on evidence of another shooting involving a white officer and a Latino victim where the officer was returned to patrol quickly.

The court of appeal found that the jurors considered whether the officers were treated differently, not simply because of their race, but because of the race of their victim. That theory, the panel wrote,does not support the discrimination claim the officers brought.

During the trial, a white officer testified that he had shot an unarmed Latino and was allowed to return to field work after six weeks.

Following the jury verdict, Gregory W. Smith, the attorney for the officers, said it shows there are much larger issues that need to be addressed: Officers need more training on how to handle people with mental illness, and those suffering from mental illness need more protection and support.

In the suit, which was filed in 2012, the officers alleged they repeatedly faced discrimination and retaliation within the department because they are Latino and the slain man, Washington, 27, was black. Corrales and Diego said they made requests to return to the field but were denied, and also passed over for promotions and transfers.

Washington was unarmed and not involved in criminal activity when he was shot and killed in March 2010 in Koreatown.

The officers, who worked in an anti-gang unit, drove up slowly behind Washington as he walked alone on the sidewalk just after midnight.

Corrales told investigators that Washington appeared to reach for his waistband for what the officer believed was a weapon, according to the departments internal review.

Corrales, who was in the passenger seat, fired once, striking Washington in the head. Diego got out of the vehicle, fired and missed, the review said.

No weapon was found, but authorities said the officers feared for their lives because Washington did not respond to commands.

Smith said a video of the shooting showed Washington turning violently at the officers.

After the shooting, Washingtons relatives and the American Civil Liberties Union called on the LAPD for more information to justify the shooting.

The slain mans mother received $950,000 as part of a settlement in 2012 after she filed a claim against the city.

richard.winton@latimes.com

Twitter: @lacrimes
A lawyer for a wealthy Democratic donor who has become the subject of an investigation into a drug death claims that a West Hollywood official has launched a character attack on his client and should be investigated for ethics violations.

As Los Angeles County sheriffs homicide detectives continue to investigate the death of Gemmel Moore  a 26-year-old man who died of a methamphetamine overdose on July 27  an attorney representing political donor Ed Buck said that West Hollywood City Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath attacked his client for campaigning against her.

Attorney Seymour Amster, who addressed the City Council on Monday night, said a grand jury should investigate Horvath in the wake of statements she made last month.

Advertisement

At an Aug. 21 council meeting, Horvath asked the L.A. County district attorneys office and the Sheriffs Department to take the necessary steps to make it possible for anyone with information pertinent to this case to safely come forward. I want all facts surrounding this case to be known.

I am sad to hear the news of his tragic passing, and Im deeply disturbed by the accounts in local reports, Horvath said. As you have heard, the case involves someone well-known to this community and in LGBT and local political circles.

The circumstances of Moores death have generated controversy since the mans lifeless body was recovered from Bucks West Hollywood apartment.

The L.A. County Coroners office initially ruled the death an accident caused by the use of methamphetamine. However, detectives opened an investigation after Moores family and friends demanded a closer look, citing pages from Moores journal that described using drugs with Buck. The district attorneys office has granted immunity to several young male sex workers who had contact with Buck and are talking to detectives, according to their attorney.

On Monday night, Amster called for a grand jury investigation into Horvath because she failed to reveal that Buck opposed her election and campaigned against her. The attorney said an investigation is needed to determine if she has been involved in instigating, promoting or financing the character attack on Mr. Buck.

Mr. Buck hasnt been accused of anything. Mr. Buck has no complaint filed against him, Amster insisted.

Amster, who represented the infamous Grim Sleeper serial killer, Lonnie David Franklin Jr., in his death penalty conviction, has called Moores death a tragedy, and said Buck opened his home to an individual who was troubled. He said allegations that Buck had any role in the death are unsubstantiated.

Horvath did not respond to Amsters accusations Monday night, but suggested that Moores death still weighed on the community.

Gemmel Moore was 26 years old at the time of his passing  26 years old, Horvath said. By all accounts, he was a thoughtful, caring and giving person.  I hope Gemmel Moores family and friends find the justice they are seeking for Gemmel.

richard.winton@latimes.com

Twitter: @lacrimes
Acting more the statesman than the flamethrower, President Trump made a smooth debut at the United Nations on Monday, chairing a meeting on reforming U.N. operations and agencies, and urging the global body to focus more on people and less on bureaucracy.

He called for the 193 member nations to contribute more to the U.N. budget and decried what his administration sees as an anti-Israel bias.

In recent years, Trump said, the United Nations has not reached its full potential due to bureaucracy and mismanagement.

Advertisement

Accompanied by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other senior aides, Trump will spend four days in New York for bilateral meetings with allies, working lunches, ceremonial dinners and other events.

He will take center stage Tuesday morning in his first speech to the General Assembly, an address that the White House says will explain how Trumps America first doctrine and agenda fit in with the role of international institutions.

As a candidate, Trump was openly dismissive of the U.N., saying it did not defend democracy and was a wasteful gabfest for people to have a good time.

But in his brief public remarks Monday, he said the body was founded on truly noble goals. He praised reform efforts led by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to hold every level of management accountable, protect whistle-blowers and focus on results rather than on process.

Trump called on member states to reject business as usual and not be beholden to ways of the past which were not working.

Noting that the U.N. budget has grown 140% and its staff has doubled since 2000, he added, We are not seeing the results in line with this investment.

He raised eyebrows only when he began his remarks by noting that he foresaw great potential in real estate near the U.N., and that the Trump World Tower across the street turned out to be such a successful project.

Later he met separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron at a nearby hotel. Trump told reporters that he had enjoyed the two-hour Bastille Day military parade in Paris so much that he hoped to stage a similar military extravaganza next July 4 in front of the White House.

So were actually thinking about Fourth of July, Pennsylvania Avenue, having a really great parade to show our military strength, he said.

The Pentagon later said it had no such plans underway.

A senior White House official separately offered perspective for Trumps address to the General Assembly, saying it represents the presidents vision and declaration to the rest of the world about how America fits into the world.

The official, who briefed reporters on condition he not be identified, called Trumps doctrine one of principled realism, which he defined as a clear-eyed look at the world, driven by outcomes, not by ideology.

Within that vision, the United States will no longer focus on nation-building and imposing democracy abroad, as conducted by previous Republican and Democratic administrations, the official said.

Nor will America dictate how other nations should live or the type of government they have  unless they threaten U.S. security.

Instead, U.S. behavior is aimed at seeking stability, mutual prosperity among nations and the security that results from that, the official said.

The official pointed to two of Trumps prior speeches as laying the groundwork for the U.N. address.

The first, in May at the Arab Islamic American Summit in Saudi Arabia, called on nations to share the burden in the fight against terrorism. But critics said Trump also used the speech to back away from U.S. concerns about human rights abuses overseas.

We are not here to lecture  we are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship. Instead, we are here to offer partnership  based on shared interests and values  to pursue a better future for us all, Trump said at the time.

The second speech, in Poland in July, focused on civilizational values and what makes us special, the official said.

The official said Trump sees the original charter for the U.N. as a vehicle for sovereign nations to cooperate rather than a bureaucracy in and of itself.

Trump is expected to call out North Korea and Iran  and to a lesser extent Venezuela  as a shared menace in his speech Tuesday.

To meet that threat, Trump will argue that nations cannot be bystanders to history, the official added.

Wilkinson reported from the United Nations and Bierman from Washington.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter
President Trump delivered a forceful inaugural speech to a packed United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, a sprawling 42-minute address  warlike at times, flowery at others  that challenged some tenets of U.S. foreign policy.

With the cavernous hall packed so full that scores of people jammed into the aisles, Trump caused a stir when he mocked North Koreas ruler, Kim Jong Un, as Rocket Man on a suicide mission and threatened his depraved regime.

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, Trump added.

Advertisement

Another buzz arose when he warned that parts of the world are going to hell. He also vowed to crush loser terrorists and condemned a small group of rogue regimes, including Iran, for threatening global stability.

Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terrorists, but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity, he said.

Trump first tried out his Rocket Man insult in a tweet on Sunday, and his U.N. speech was laced with some of the harsh language and colloquialisms that have delighted his base and horrified his critics.

But Trump also praised U.N. humanitarian aid and development programs that have fought famines and disease, helped victims after wars and disasters, sheltered millions of refugees and educated women and girls.

He applauded U.N. peacekeeping operations for stabilizing conflicts in Africa and complimented Secretary-General Antonio Guterres  who, like Trump, also took office in January  for leading efforts to make U.N. operations and agencies more efficient, taking on a problem as old as the institution.

He called for restoration of democracy and political freedoms in Venezuela and cited the enormous potential waiting to be released around the world.

To put it simply, we meet at a time of both immense promise and great peril, he said.

If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph, he added. When decent people and nations become bystanders to history, the forces of destruction only gather power and strength, he said.

Now we are calling for a great awakening of nations, for the revival of their spirits, their pride, their people and their patriotism, he added. History is asking us whether we are up to the task.

Trump began, as he often does in public gatherings, by boasting about his time in office.

The United States has done very well since election day, he said, claiming credit for a rising stock market, low unemployment and a military that he said will soon be the strongest it has ever been.

Trump jettisoned traditional U.S. positions advocating for human rights and democratic reforms as part of his America first doctrine. He instead promoted national sovereignty as the bedrock of international cooperation, calling it key to his foreign policy.

In foreign affairs, we are renewing this founding principle of sovereignty, he said.

Without mentioning Russia or China by name, he said that we must reject threats to sovereignty, from the Ukraine to the South China Sea.

The United States and its allies have accused Russia of illegally seizing the Crimean peninsula and backing an armed insurgency in eastern Ukraine, and have sought to counter China as it builds up disputed islands and shoals in the resource-rich South China Sea.

I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always and should always put your countries first, Trump said to scattered applause. The nation-state, he added, remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition.

Insisting the United States would be a great friend to the world, Trump added, We can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return.

Trump has used that argument to try to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, to announce plans to withdraw from the 200-nation Paris agreement on climate change and to refuse to support an 11-nation trans-Pacific trade agreement.

He also renewed hints that he would withdraw from the landmark nuclear disarmament deal with Iran, which he called a corrupt dictatorship and a murderous regime.

The 2015 deal, which eased international sanctions in exchange for Irans destroying or dismantling its nuclear development infrastructure, was blessed by the U.N. Security Council and is monitored by a U.N. nuclear watchdog agency.

We cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program, Trump said.

He called it one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into and an embarrassment to the United States. And I dont think youve heard the last of it, believe me.

The Trump administration faces an Oct. 15 deadline to certify to Congress that Iran is complying with its obligations under the deal. If Trump refuses, Congress will have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose nuclear-related sanctions, in effect breaking the U.S. part of the agreement.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson conceded this weekend that Tehran is in technical compliance, but he accused it of fostering instability across the Middle East that he said violated a preamble of the accord.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed Trumps comments in a tart tweet Tuesday.

Trumps ignorant hate speech belongs in medieval times-not the 21st Century UN -unworthy of a reply. Fake empathy for Iranians fools no one, he wrote.

Some domestic critics also weighed in. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Trumps over-the-top rhetoric wont stop North Korea from expanding its nuclear arsenal. She also criticized Trump for not taking on Russia and China in his comments.

Absence of constructive American leadership in these areas will only encourage Russia, China and others to fill the void, she said.

Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the General Assembly. Trump spoke by phone with Xi on Monday morning and later praised their very, very fine relationship, according to the White House.

Any U.S. presidents first U.N. speech would merit global attention. Trumps garnered unusual interest because of his unpredictable policies and because he fired barb after barb at the U.N. during his campaign, calling it wasteful, useless and ineffective.

That criticism seemed distant history Tuesday afternoon when Trump offered a generous toast to what he called the great, great potential of the United Nations at a luncheon that Guterres hosted for 200 presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and diplomats in a ballroom at the U.N.

The potential of the United Nations is unlimited, Trump said. Ive met your representatives, and I know you well. You are going to do things that will be epic, and I certainly hope you will. But I feel very, very confident.

Times staff writers Wilkinson reported from the United Nations and Bierman from Washington.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter

ALSO

One word to rule them all: Sovereign

Dianne Feinstein says Trump used U.N. as a stage to threaten war

Trump: Major portions of the world are in conflict, and some, in fact, are going to hell

UPDATES:

2:35 p.m.: This article was updated with reaction to Trumps speech.

11:30 a.m.: This article was updated with details from Trumps speech.

This article was originally published at 10:30 a.m.
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were bracing for possible catastrophe as they remained locked in the crosshairs of Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm that has already devastated the Caribbean island of Dominica and was continuing to gain strength Tuesday.

Now is not the time to wait, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said in a televised plea for people in high-risk areas or rickety homes to evacuate to government-run shelters. Now is the time to accept the reality of whats going to happen.

Speaking from the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, where more than 500 evacuees were hunkering down, she warned that the storm would probably shut down communications and could leave the city of about 400,000 without power for months.

Advertisement

We will keep in contact with the outside world as long as we can, the mayor told reporters.

The storm was packing sustained winds of nearly 175 mph and gusts even faster. The eye, a pinhole just 10 miles wide, was expected to move near or over St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands late Tuesday and cross Puerto Rico on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Hundreds of people take shelter at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

The hurricane briefly weakened to Category 4 on Tuesday but soon returned to a maximum Category 5 and was upping its wind speeds into the evening. Forecasters said the storm surge could raise water levels by as high as 11 feet.

When Maria made landfall in Dominica on Monday, it carved a path of devastation.

The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit wrote in one of several Facebook posts chronicling the storm from his official residence.

He said he could hear the sound of the storm stripping away steel roofs, including his own: Rough! Rough! Rough!

So far the winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with, he wrote after being rescued.

In an appeal for international aid, he wrote, We will need help of all kinds.

On the French island of Guadeloupe, at least one person was killed after being hit by a falling tree, officials said. It was the first death attributed to Maria. Two people were reported missing after their boat sank off La Desirade island, where 80,000 homes were left without power, the Associated Press reported.

On nearby Martinique, officials said, about 25,000 homes were without power, and two towns were without water after the storm passed.

In St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp predicted that Tuesday would be a very, very long night.

Forget about your house, about how much property you have in your house, and concentrate on your family, he warned residents, urging them to move to shelters.

The other main U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas and St. John, are still recovering from a direct hit by Hurricane Irma, which caused four deaths, destroyed scores of homes and stripped vegetation off the hills.

Chris Wachtas home was among those damaged. He had been on vacation in Europe with his wife celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary when the storm struck. Unable to return, he struggled to help his pet sitter escape with his dog and three cats. She finally joined him and his wife in San Juan on Monday.

We cant get back to see whats going on, he said.

Wachta, 59, is a regional project director for Marriott Vacation Club and worried about colleagues still on St. Thomas, some living with their children in homes without roofs. His company was trying to place them in vacant rental properties before Hurricane Maria strikes.

Weve been moving them to safe havens, he said.

In Puerto Rico, officials were calling Maria the storm of the century. If it makes landfall at Category 5, it would be the first to do so in nearly 90 years.

Old San Juans streets were largely empty Tuesday, storefronts along the water boarded up and some entrances fortified with sandbags. Police patrolled and prepared a shelter in City Hall. The skies were overcast most of the day, with spotty rain and strong surf.

A homeless man who says he will go to a church for shelter during the storm sits in the stairwell of a boarded-up building in Old San Juan. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

By the end of the day, about 12,000 people across the island of 3.4 million were in shelters. The eye of the hurricane was less than 160 miles from San Juan, the capital.

Were waiting to see what happens, said Merian Morales, 31, who had evacuated to the coliseum with her husband, three children and Labrador retriever. They had not evacuated this month during Hurricane Irma, but this time heavier rains were predicted.

Maria Torrens, a 55-year-old accountant on a nearby cot, said she was expecting to stay two nights. She could not persuade her sister to leave her oceanfront condominium.

Theres a lot at home, she said. They dont want to leave. They think the hurricane wont come. They hope.

Artist Cresenciano Sotomayor, 41, took his family to get last-minute supplies  paper towels and candles  Tuesday morning in Old San Juan.

We just do our preparations as best we can, he said.

Sotomayor said the island had done all it could to prepare, but he still worried about poor neighborhoods outside the capital. He hoped people would help one another after Hurricane Maria as they helped the other Caribbean islands after Irma, sending emergency supplies and other aid.

In the coastal town of Loiza, just east of the capital, families were boarding up the windows and doors of their cinder-block homes.

Its going to be catastrophic, said Monica Pisarro, 49, as her brothers drilled plywood into place.

Monica Pisarro, age 49, outside her home in Loiza. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

David Nieves, 28, waited in a long line with his family for $3 bags of ice, which his family intended to use to keep their meat from spoiling when the power went out. The family planned to take its chances and stay home during the storm.

Chent Quilichini, who works at a medical clinic for the poor and planned to get around after the storm on his bicycle, said he was worried about Puerto Ricos vulnerable population.

The island is in very bad shape economically, and now its going to be a catastrophic event, he said.

Nearly 70,000 people in the U.S. territory were still without power llowing after Irma, and several hundred remained in shelters as Maria approached. Gov. Ricardo Rossello said that the islands 500 shelters could house as many as 133,000 people and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was prepared to supply drinking water and restore power after the storm.

Back at the coliseum, the San Juan mayor had a message for the large population of Puerto Ricans living in New York City, Orlando, Fla., and elsewhere on the U.S. mainland.

This is your country and this is your capital city, she said. Please pray for us, keep us in your thoughts and prayers. And be convinced as we are that we will overcome.

ALSO

In Irma-devastated Virgin Islands, resolve blends with worry of being forgotten

Still reeling from Irma, U.S. Virgin Islanders scramble to evacuate ahead of another hurricane

Fearing a big earthquake isnt enough. Heres how to turn anxiety into action

UPDATES:

7:47 p.m.: This article has been updated with forecast information and scenes from Puerto Rico.

1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with rains from the storm lashing the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and additional details.

11:50 a.m.: This article was updated with the death of at least one person on Guadeloupe and a statement from U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth E. Mapp.

This article was originally published at 7:15 p.m.
Hurricane Maria, a dangerous Category 5 storm, reached the island of Dominica in the eastern Caribbean on Monday night with sustained winds of 160 mph, forecasters said.

It was expected to deliver destructive waves, a storm surge of up to 9 feet, flooding and mudslides along a path that the National Hurricane Center said includes Guadeloupe, the Leeward Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The storm was moving northwest at 9 mph Monday night as it struck Dominica, a nation of roughly 74,000 people located less than 400 miles southeast of Puerto Rico. Landfall there was expected as soon as late Tuesday.

Advertisement

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello declared a state of emergency Monday, activated the National Guard and closed all schools.

Our call is for people to evacuate areas that are prone to floods and landslides, in addition to vulnerable structures, he said in a statement. We are informing citizens that it is time to seek refuge with a family member, friend, or move to a state shelter because rescuers will not go out and risk their lives once winds reach 50 miles per hour.

Public Security Secretary Hector Pesquera was more blunt: Flood-prone areas must be abandoned, he said. If not, you will die.

The Puerto Rico Housing Department said there are 450 emergency shelters available with space for 62,714 people.

Residents in the capital of San Juan lined up with stranded tourists and evacuees from other Caribbean islands Monday to vie for hurricane staples in short supply: cases of water, flashlights and generators.

In the historic seafront neighborhood of Old San Juan, workers boarded up windows and hotel managers tested emergency alert systems and warned guests that power and air conditioning would likely fail during the storm.

Were just going to stay put, said 35-year-old Teresa Trejo, who was visiting from Napa, Calif., with a friend and had been unable to find a flight out. Were told the hotel is well-versed in this sort of thing. I feel confident they have these contingency plans.

Their hotel, the Sheraton, had a backup generator and was well-stocked with food, a manager told them.

Maria would be the second major hurricane to affect Puerto Rico in two weeks. Much of the island is still without power from Hurricane Irma, which passed nearby earlier this month.

The Government is in constant communication with the White House and federal agencies since before the passage of Hurricane Irma last week, Carlos Mercader, the governors representative in Washington, said in a statement.

We will continue to collaborate with our federal partners. We are preparing for a powerful hurricane that will put even more pressure on our infrastructure, already deeply affected by Hurricane Irma.

On Monday, President Trump approved an emergency declaration in the U.S. Virgin Islands in order to provide federal assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Its been an especially dangerous hurricane season this year.

In August, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 storm, with winds reaching 110 mph. A few weeks later in September, Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Caribbean as a Category 5 storm, devastating Barbuda and St. Martin with winds reaching 185 mph.

Men board up buildings ahead of Hurricane Maria in Sainte-Anne on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe on Monday. (Dominique Chomereau-Lamotte / Associated Press)

Etehad reported from Los Angeles and Hennessy-Fiske from San Juan.

melissa.etehad@latimes.com

Twitter: @melissaetehad

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

Twitter: @mollyhf

ALSO

After Hurricane Harvey, a family throws away their past, piece by moldy piece

Still reeling from Irma, U.S. Virgin Islanders scramble to evacuate ahead of another hurricane

Cruise lines send ships and cash to help Caribbean islands recover from Irma

UPDATES:

8 p.m.: This article was updated with more reporting from San Juan.

7:15 p.m.: This article has been updated with reporting from Puerto Rico.

6:35 p.m.: This article has been updated with the news that the storm made landfall in Dominica.

6:05 p.m.: This article was updated with news that Hurricane Maria became a Category 5 storm and was soon expected to strike Dominica.

3:05 p.m.: This article was updated with the storms location, comments from people in Puerto Rico and Dominicas prime minister and information about the deadly past storm in Dominica.

12:20 p.m.: This article was updated with the latest position and strength reports for Hurricanes Maria and Jose and additional details on storm preparations.

8:25 a.m.: This article was updated with Marias upgrade to a Category 3 storm.

This article was originally published at 7:25 a.m.
Three people were arrested Monday night during a protest after a vigil for a Georgia Tech student who was fatally shot by campus police, a university spokesman said.

Police shot and killed Scout Schultz late Saturday night after the 21-year-old student called 911 to report an armed and possibly intoxicated suspicious person, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

Georgia Tech sent out alerts urging students to shelter indoors Monday night and lock doors and windows because of violent protests. Video posted on social media showed a police vehicle burning in the street and officers pinning people to the ground as onlookers shouted at them.

Advertisement

After a peaceful vigil, about 50 protesters marched to the campus police department, university spokesman Lance Wallace said. A police vehicle was damaged and two officers suffered minor injuries, with one taken to a hospital.

Police restored order relatively quickly, and three people were arrested and charged with inciting a riot and battery of an officer, Wallace said.

In a statement released through attorney Chris Stewart, Schultzs family urged protesters to remain peaceful.

We ask that those who wish to protest Scouts death do so peacefully. Answering violence with violence is not the answer, the statement said. Our goal is to work diligently to make positive change at Georgia Tech in an effort to ensure a safer campus for all students.

The GBI has said an officer responding to a 911 call about 11:17 p.m. Saturday shot Schultz as the student advanced on officers with a knife and refused commands to put it down. Stewart said Monday that the GBI confirmed to him that Schultz was holding a multipurpose tool and that the knife blade was not out.

Schultz was the one who called 911, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said in an emailed statement Monday.

In the call, Schultz describes the person as a white male, with long blond hair, white T-shirt and blue jeans who is possibly intoxicated, holding a knife and possibly armed with a gun on his hip, Miles said, adding that three suicide notes were found in Schultzs dorm room.

Investigators recovered a multipurpose tool at the scene but didnt find any guns, Miles said.

Flanked by Schultzs parents Monday morning, Stewart said the officer who shot Schultz overreacted. Schultz was having a breakdown and was suicidal but if the officer had used nonlethal force rather than shooting, Schultz could have received treatment, Stewart said.

The mentally ill are looking for a way out when theyre having a full breakdown, and theres no way you should be able to use a police officer to take your life when that person isnt threatened, Stewart said.

Georgia Tech police dont carry stun guns, but are equipped with pepper spray, a spokesman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Stewart says he plans to sue over the shooting.

Authorities have not identified the officer who shot Schultz. Georgia Tech on Monday refused to release personnel or disciplinary reports involving the officers, saying such information is exempt from Georgias open records law.

Schultz was president of Pride Alliance at Georgia Tech. The fourth-year computer engineering student used the name Scout, rather than the given name Scott, and preferred the pronouns they and them rather than he or him.

Im bisexual, nonbinary and intersex, Schultz wrote in a Pride Alliance profile.

William Schultz told reporters Monday that his child had a 3.9 GPA and was on track to graduate early in December.

Lynne Schultz told the Journal-Constitution over the weekend that her oldest child had struggled with depression and attempted suicide two years ago using a belt as a noose.

After that, Scout Schultz went through counseling, William Schultz said. Scout Schultz spent this past summer at home and there were no obvious problems when school resumed last month, the elder Schultz said.

The GBI, through its Crisis Intervention Team, has trained about 10,000 local, state and federal law enforcement officers since it began in 2004, the Atlanta newspaper reported. Some agencies require that training while others dont.

It wasnt immediately clear whether the officers who responded Saturday had undergone such training.

Stewart, the familys lawyer, said the university has failed in not providing its officers with stun guns. He also said university police officers should have the highest training in dealing with people having mental or emotional breakdowns and issues.

Referring to a video of the incident, Stewart says the main officer was doing a phenomenal job handling the situation  retreating, trying to deescalate and putting a barrier between himself and Schultz  and that other officers also appeared to be providing appropriate backup. But one officer behaved inappropriately by firing on Schultz when there was no immediate danger to any of the officers, Stewart said.

William Schultz said the encounter shouldnt have ended in his childs death.

If given a chance to talk to the officer, he told reporters, he would just have one question: Why did you have to shoot? Thats the question. I mean, thats the only question that matters right now. Why did you kill my son?
American travelers returning to the United States probably understand that customs officials might search their luggage looking for contraband or weapons. But many would be shocked to learn that agents also have been inspecting the contents of smartphones and laptops, devices that can contain a vast quantity of potentially sensitive personal information. And in addition to poking their noses into personal texts, emails and photos, agents can use whatever they find in such a spontaneous search to bring charges against the devices owner, even if the allegations had nothing to do with smuggling, terrorism or any border-related crime.

Last week 11 U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have been subjected to warrantless searches filed a lawsuit alleging violations of their 1st and 4th Amendment rights. The suit, filed by lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, argues persuasively that customs agents should have to obtain a warrant based on probable cause before searching travelers devices.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, agents searched the electronic devices of 14,993 arriving international travelers in the first six months of fiscal year 2017. That is a troubling number even if, as the agency notes, it involves less than 1% of the people arriving in the U.S.

Advertisement

Historically the courts have given customs officials broad powers to engage in border searches, noting the governments strong interest in protecting its territorial integrity. In a 2004 case, the Supreme Court said that the expectation of privacy is less at the border than it is in the interior.

But information contained on a smartphone or laptop is different from the contraband and weapons border searches traditionally were designed to uncover  and vastly more revealing.

In defending its search policy, Customs and Border Protection says that electronic media searches have produced information used to combat terrorism, violations of export controls, and convictions for child pornography, intellectual property rights violations and visa fraud. But police could no doubt gather similar evidence of wrongdoing if they stopped people walking down the street and conducted warrantless searches of their electronic devices. And under a 2014 Supreme Court decision, police seeking to search smartphones and similar devices even of a criminal suspect in custody must generally obtain a warrant.

In that ruling, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. noted that the vast amount of data collected and stored on cellphones makes them different in both a quantitative and a qualitative sense from other objects a person might carry. If a warrant is required to search a persons electronic devices inside the country, it also should be necessary for a search at the border.

Federal courts, including the Supreme Court, should recognize that reality. Meanwhile, Sens. Ron Paul (R-Ky.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have introduced the Protecting Data at the Border Act, which would require a warrant for border searches of the electronic devices of citizens and permanent residents. Instead of waiting for the Supreme Court to protect the privacy of travelers, Congress should swiftly approve that bill.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
The Trump administration thinks it would be a good idea to allow seismic testing in part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to assess how much oil and gas might lie underground, a possible prelude to drilling in a pristine wilderness that provides a vital habitat for polar bears and a variety of other species. In reality, its a stupid idea, both as a matter of environmental policy and as an energy strategy, and the administration ought to drop it.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke last month quietly asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to update regulations to allow for seismic exploration of the coastal plain section of the more than 30,000-square-mile refuge in northeastern Alaska. The region is a breeding ground for caribou, a key migratory stop for birds, and increasingly home to polar bears losing hunting ground as the polar ice cap retreats. It would be beyond ironic for the government to let oil companies drill in the very ground directly imperiled  from receding sea ice to thawing permafrost  by the effects of global warming.

The refuge was declared off-limits to oil drilling more than 35 years ago, and Congress should have acted then to declare the unique landscape a national park. That would have ended what has become a tiresome and persistent effort by the oil industry and its political friends to start sinking wells and carving up the tundra with roads, wellheads and pipelines. And while drilling cant occur without congressional approval, the administration can allow some testing in the region through regulatory changes. The proposed rule to allow that is due by the end of the month.

Advertisement

Defenders of the proposal say that it makes sense to learn how much oil and gas lie beneath the refuge to inform decisions on whether to seek to pump it out. Thats a chimera. The refuge should not, and must not, be opened to drilling, so it doesnt matter whether we know how much oil and gas might be there. Environmentalists also argue that just conducting seismic tests could be enough to damage the already fragile tundra.

This move by the Trump administration is part and parcel of its ill-conceived ambition to increase domestic gas and oil production and make the U.S. a dominant player in the very industry that is increasingly making the earth less habitable for humans. The future of the global environment hinges on the decisions we make now about our energy sources, and taking even a baby step toward developing new sources of fossil fuels  especially in one of the harshest climate zones in the world  would be foolhardy and dangerous.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
Much of what President Trump said in his much-anticipated first address to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday was directly on point. He was right to demand that the U.N. do more to address violations of human rights, violations of national sovereignty and acts of terrorism. He was also on solid ground in much of the criticism he leveled against North Korea and Iran.

But Trump undermined the effectiveness of his message with the bombast, boastfulness (Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been) and illogic he displayed on the campaign trail. There were also gratuitous insults, including a simplistic denunciation of socialism likely to offend many of the countries he implored to confront together those who threaten us with chaos, turmoil and terror.

The U.N. was never going to be an ideal forum for Trump, with his America First nationalism, his eagerness to slash U.S. foreign aid and his disregard for broad global agreements. In a way, Trumpism is the polar opposite of the U.N.s spirit of shared responsibility and its belief in multilateral solutions to the planets problems.

Advertisement

Trumpism is the polar opposite of the U.N.s spirit of shared responsibility and its belief in multilateral solutions to the planets problems.

Still, we had hoped that the president might temper his tone, if nothing else. We hoped, for instance, that he would discipline his language when discussing North Korea and its frightening development of nuclear weapons. But at the U.N. he continued his guns-blazing rhetoric, saying the U.S. would have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea if it was forced to defend itself or its allies. It was a bizarrely bellicose message for an American president to send to an audience of world leaders.

Its true that the U.S. long has warned of catastrophic consequences for the North if attacked South Korea or the U.S.; but Trumps choice of words made him sound more reckless than the policy he was defending. It didnt help that Trump insisted on referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as Rocket Man, a juvenile insult recycled from one of his tweets.

Moving to Iran, Trump suggested that it was also a equally deserving of condemnation, a reminder of George W. Bushs inclusion of Iran and North Korea in an axis of evil that also included Saddam Husseins Iraq.

Not only did Trump (rightly) criticize Irans support for Hezbollah and the government of Bashar Assad in Syria; he called the Islamic republic a rogue state that masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy.

Its true that religious leaders exercise an inordinate influence over Irans electoral process and that dissidents are imprisoned. But there are competitive parliamentary and presidential elections in Iran and a degree of personal freedom that is unknown in North Korea. False equivalencies undermine Trumps criticism of both nations.

Trump also repeated his campaign-trail denunciations of the international agreement under which Iran agreed to important limits on its nuclear program, calling it an embarrassment and one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. He teased the audience (and U.S. allies who are also signatories to the agreement) by saying: I dont think youve heard the last of it. Believe me.

That cryptic promise will rekindle speculation that Trump will refuse next month to certify Irans compliance, opening the door for Congress to repudiate the deal and reimpose sanctions. That would be a doubly disastrous course of action. It would give Iran, which has been complying with the deal, an excuse to resume work on a nuclear weapon. It also would put North Korea on notice that if it struck a deal to limit its nuclear program, the U.S. couldnt be trusted to keep its end of the bargain.

In his broadside against the autocratic government of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, Trump claimed that the problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented. For Trump and his speechwriters, there may be no difference between socialism and Stalinist dictatorship. But in many countries, including some U.S. allies, socialist is a synonym for social democrats who favor a generous welfare state that is also a representative government.

As for reconciling America First with the U.N. mission, the president tried to square the circle in his speech by suggesting that the U.N.s success depends upon the independent strength of its members. In Trumps telling, the U.N. is a collection of self-interested sovereigns that shouldnt be pressed by outsiders to alter their internal political arrangements. Yet Trump also insisted that we do expect all nations ... to respect the interests of their own people.

This is a contradiction that has haunted the administrations foreign policy from the start. Trumps needlessly offensive speech did nothing to resolve it.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
Banks and insurance experts are reporting that, with 2  months to go, the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is already one of the most expensive to date for the insurance industry.

Heres the weird part: Insurance companies are quietly happy about this. About the time that Hurricane Irma was making landfall in Florida, the chief executive of Lloyds of London, Inga Beale, told the Times of London that the recent spate of storms would allow insurers to raise premiums. Almost in a perverse way, Beale said, the hurricanes would benefit the sector.

Perverse indeed. Insurance companies have figured out how to make a handsome profit from large-scale disasters. Raising premiums isnt the only way they do it. They also shed unprofitable neighborhoods and policyholders, leaving public treasuries to fill the void.

Advertisement

In the wake of Harvey and Irma, insurance providers, including the government-administered National Flood Insurance Program, are sure to spend vast sums to help restock coastlines with mansions, yacht-filled harbors and low-lying subdivisions, restaurants and casinos. Much of what gets rebuilt will get re-insured  at higher rates  so that it can be ransacked by extreme weather once again.

As long as its profitable, insurance companies will continue to build castles in the sand and suburbs in floodplains.

Insurers will also do the dirty work politicians arent willing to do: They will help to push some people  poor people who cant pay big insurance bills, namely  out of areas deemed too dangerous to live in.

They do all this not because they are in the business of making people safe, but because they are in the business of managing risk and making a profit. This has long been the case, of course. But as climate change wreaks more acute havoc, the industry is looking for ways to profit from the increasing damage rather than protect policyholders from it.

In the decade I spent as a journalist in New Orleans, covering Hurricane Katrina, its fraught aftermath and the rebuilding effort, I watched the poorest urban neighborhoods and fishing towns get red-lined.

In the Lower 9th Ward, the grass grew long as snakes moved into lots where families once barbecued. In Louisianas marshlands, rugged fishermen relayed stories of friends who had committed suicide after losing everything. I will never forget the day I happened across Grand Bayou, the last Native American fishing village in south Louisiana reachable only by boat. Thirty months after Katrina, nobody there had been able to rebuild their demolished homes.

By contrast, just over the horizon of golden marsh grass, a hamlet of sport fishermen and retirees had already bounced back. This community, named Happy Jack, was made up mostly of weekend warriors. It was jammed with insurable stuff: shaded docks, high-end boats, automatic boat lifts, jet skis. I counted how many of the waterfront homes were either rebuilt or nearly completed: 83 out of 94.

These communities are what the insurance industry wants. They are less risky to insure simply because the people there can pay ever-higher premiums. Happy Jacks keep insurers balance sheets in the black.

Insurance providers have figured out how to profit off disasters even when theyre not paying out claims. As investigative reporters at NPR and Frontline revealed, private insurers made hundreds of millions after Sandy simply by administering claims for the National Flood Insurance Program.

There is at least one area where the insurance industry has started taking climate change seriously  risk modeling. It has no choice: Weather-related disasters have tripled since the 1980s, and annual average insurance losses have increased from $10 billion to about $50 billion over the last decade. Insurers are rightfully worried that, in the long term, climate change could devastate their industry.

As part of the grand enterprise of managing risk, the European insurance titans  Lloyds, Swiss Re, Munich Re  are investing heavily in research so that they can more precisely predict what the toll of climate change will be. A growing number of American firms are also incorporating warming temperatures into their business models, according to industry surveys.

Some insurance firms are devising schemes to encourage individuals, cities and even countries to get their heads out of the sand, rewarding policyholders who build higher and safer structures, reduce carbon emissions or use solar panels with lower rates.

But for the most part, the industrys efforts to understand climate change are done in service of a limited goal: keeping shareholders happy. This is especially true in the U.S., where big insurance firms are also heavily involved in the fossil fuel industry. Many of the same insurers who underwrite construction in the hurricane alleys of the Florida also underwrite oil and coal companies, as well as pharmaceutical giants and agribusiness corporations  some of the worlds biggest sources of greenhouse gases.

So although insurance companies are quietly calculating the considerable risks posed by global warming, dont expect them to declare our way of life unsustainable. They arent going to force paying policyholders to change their behavior in any meaningful way, nor will they urge Houston or New Orleans to take the drastic measures needed in order to prevent another flood.

As long as its profitable, insurance companies will continue to build castles in the sand and suburbs in floodplains. Its up to Americans to face the facts about climate change, or we will lose much more than affordable insurance and predictable weather patterns.

Cain Burdeau is a journalist based in Italy. He covered Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath for the Associated Press.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
In the seesaw battle over Californias bullet train, its easy to overlook the reasons why the project should be built  and why theres still a good chance that it will be.

On the seesaws upside, construction for the trains first phase, which will connect Silicon Valley and the Central Valley, is underway. Project planners say that by 2025, passengers will be able to travel between San Jose and Fresno in an hour, a prospect they hope will build support for the rest of the project.

But the downside seems ominous. Next year, voters will decide on a ballot measure that would require a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to use the states cap-and-trade revenue to fund the train. Republicans devised the measure as a way of stopping the project.

Advertisement

On top of that, two convoluted recent court decisions  one in the California Supreme Court and the other in federal appeals court  increase the likelihood that the train will face a spate of environmental-impact lawsuits. Such suits probably wont kill the train, but they could delay it.

Decades from now, Californians will be far less concerned with the bullet trains cost than its success in meeting its lofty goals.

These ups and downs fuel bullet-train controversies, while the larger context is often ignored. For a project of this size  now pegged at $64 billion, making it one of the largest infrastructure projects in the states history  delays, cost overruns, near-death experiences and outraged opposition are more or less predictable.

As Dan Richard, board chair of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, told me: The vote on the state water system in the 60s passed the Legislature by one vote. Gov. Pat Browns master plan for the University of California passed by one vote. The Bay Area Rapid Transit System was passed by one vote of county supervisors. Yet its unimaginable that wed have the state we have without those things.

The trains biggest vulnerability is its mounting cost. Overruns are a failing of virtually all high-speed rail projects. According to Bent Flyvbjerg, an expert on mega-projects at the University of Oxford, these systems are among the most likely of all transportation projects to experience overruns, and their forecasts of passenger use are typically over-optimistic by 30% to 50%. Most of the systems require perpetual subsidies, he said  but, he adds, that is not necessarily an argument against them.

Because money isnt everything.

Heres whats at stake: If successful, the nations first high-speed rail system will integrate Californias affluent coast and its poor interior  among other ways, by cutting travel times from the San Joaquin Valley to Los Angeles and the Bay Area enough for some valley residents to commute to coastal jobs. It will form the backbone of the states attempt to reduce the role of conventional cars in favor of light rail, ride-sharing, bicycles and electric, even driverless cars. Central Valley locales that house the rail lines stations  initially, Madera, Fresno and sites near Visalia and Bakersfield  will be transformed too as development radiates from the stations.

Californias population, now 39 million, is expected to grow to 50 million by 2055, putting more strain on already clogged highways and airports. Shifting some of those travelers to the bullet train would almost certainly reduce road and air traffic congestion, car accident casualties and fossil fuel emissions. A 2012 analysis by Caltrans and the High-Speed Rail Authority estimated, perhaps optimistically, that in the first 50 years of the trains life, it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 58.7 million metric tons. That number sounds grander than it really is  its the equivalent of a little more than a third of the California transportation sectors emissions in 2014  but it still moves the state closer to its ambitious renewable energy goals.

The expense of a bullet train must also be measured against the costs its absence would incur, most notably in the form of other transportation infrastructure that would have to be added, such as highway lanes and airport gates and runways. The projects 2012 business plan pegs that cost at $120 billion to $180 billion  a number that, even if inflated, makes the cost of high-speed rail look far more reasonable.

Theres no guarantee that the project will flourish. That depends on its management and an array of factors outside managements control. Local governments along the route will have to support the system by making land-use decisions that treat new stations as potential economic hubs and provide sustainable transportation connections to them. If they surround the stations with parking structures instead, theyll just promote more sprawl.

Driverless cars could become the bullet trains rivals, or they could complement the system by smoothly delivering passengers to stations and promptly departing. The train could reduce the income divide between the rich and poor sides of the state, or it could extend L.A.- and S.F.-style gentrification into the Central Valley, deepening the rich-poor divide.

What is certain is that decades from now, Californians will be far less concerned with the projects cost than its success in meeting its lofty goals. Its not just that its ascendance would reinforce the states status as a pioneer of forward-thinking policy: The bullet train is the rare transportation project that could foster a more habitable, sustainable and equitable society.

Jacques Leslie is a contributing writer to Opinion.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
To the editor: I am saddened but not surprised when I read about people defending the outrageous depravity that is force-feeding ducks and geese to produce foie gras. Clearly they are threatened by change, and their defenses, predictably, fall into three camps. (Chefs react angrily as federal appeals court upholds California ban on foie gras, Sept. 15)

First, theres the slippery slope argument; then the libertarian position gets espoused; and finally, we have the not as bad as dismissals. These tired arguments have been used to fight progress for social justice throughout history.

We all draw the line somewhere, and laws curtailing the most egregious cruelties inflicted upon animals have been around for centuries. Compassion is not finite; we can care about animals and humans simultaneously.

Advertisement

I applaud the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision allowing California to finally enforce its foie gras ban. As a 30-year vegan, I hope this is the beginning of a long and steep slippery slope. Animals should not be abused simply to satisfy culinary preferences. Why be cruel when we can be kind?

Stewart David, Venice, Fla.

..

To the editor: This atrocious decision cannot be forced down our throats. Live and let liver!

Mark Steinberg, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: As I am the lanky and grizzled die-hard animal rights activist pictured on Page A6 of Saturdays print Los Angeles Times holding the anti-foie gras sign, Im obviously happy to see The Times spotlight the decision of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of the states ban.

It comes as no surprise to me that the purveyors of such cruelty would react with self-serving drivel.

Los Angeles chef Eric Greenspans response  that people who object to foie gras should not prevent others from eating a food they love  seeks to obfuscate the inherent moral imperative in banning foie gras and overlooks the fact that the tortured geese and ducks have absolutely no choice in the matter.

Chef Neal Frasers trite dont we have anything better to do? comment is ridiculous. I can protest foie gras and fight for social justice, help children and work to end homelessness. And I do.

I am curious to learn of Frasers plan for ending childhood hunger while selling diseased duck livers.

Robb C. Curtis, Los Angeles

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
California farmworkers will have to undergo sexual assault prevention training By Jazmine Ulloa Gov. Jerry Brown/ (Monica Davey/ EPA) Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed legislation to ensure farm labor contractors train employees on how to prevent and report sexual assault, a response to a 2013 PBS Frontline investigation that found sexual violence against women was a pervasive problem in California fields. Senate Bill 295 by Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) makes sexual harassment training mandatory at all businesses that supervise farm employees or provide them with lodging, transportation or other services. The training has to be conducted or interpreted in a language that employees can understand, the law stipulates, and farm labor contractors will have to provide proof of all of their materials and resources to the Farm Labor Commission as part of the license renewal process. Under the new law, the state labor commission also will be able to charge a $100 civil fine for any violation of the new requirements. The PBS Frontline investigative documenatory, Rape in the Fields, The Hidden Story of Rape on the Job in America found more than half a million women work in U.S. fields. Most do not have legal residency in the country, and sexual harassment and violence often go unreported. A 2012 Human Rights Watch survey found 80% of 150 women in Californias Central Valley had experienced some form of the abuse. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Los Angeles voters can cast ballots in Assembly race on Tuesday By Chris Megerian Wendy Carrillo is one of 13 people running for a state Assembly seat. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) The political dominoes from U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxers retirement are almost done falling. Her decision two years ago to forgo reelection led to a reshuffling that eventually left vacant a state Assembly seat in Los Angeles. There are 13 candidates running in the special election, and the primary is Tuesday. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Gov. Brown signs major housing legislation By Liam Dillon At a signing ceremony in San Francisco on Friday morning, Gov. Jerry Brown signed 15 bills aimed at addressing the states mounting housing problems. It is a big challenge, Brown said. We have risen to it this year. The bills could add nearly $1 billion in new funding for low-income housing developments in the near term as well as lessen regulations that slow growth. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Watch live: Gov. Jerry Brown signs bills to tackle Californias housing crisis Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers are gathered in San Francisco for the signing into law of a package of proposals designed to tackle some of the most pressing parts of Californias housing crisis. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Businesses in California will be required to tell customers exactly how much their automatic renewal will cost By Mina Corpuz California will require online businesses that offer free trials to tell customers exactly how much an automatic renewal will cost under a law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday. The laws author, Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), thinks the bill, known as SB 313, will make it easier for customers to cancel service. Consumers need to know what they are signing up for and that they can just as easily cancel any service or subscription online as when they started it online, Hertzberg said in a statement. Streaming services like Hulu and Spotify and the file-sharing site Dropbox have elicited lawsuits and consumer complaints about their automatic service renewals, according to Hertzbergs statement. The law goes into effect in July. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Heres why Californias early primary in 2020 is destined to pick the next president. (Nah, not really) By Mark Z. Barabak (Harry Chase / Los Angeles Times) Today we answer questions. Woo-hoo! Now that Gov. Jerry Brown has signed the bill, it looks like California is moving up its 2020 presidential primary. Finally! Uh. No more watching from the sidelines as small-fry states like Iowa and New Hampshire throw their weight around. Um. Im already fluffing pillows and prepping the guestroom for all the 2020 hopefuls wholl be camped out. Er. What? You dont seem too excited. Look, it would be great if California voted in a truly meaningful presidential primary. Its been about 50 years since that happened. But its about as likely in 2020 as President Trump dumping Vice President Pence and running for reelection on a unity ticket with Hillary Clinton. How can that be? Lots of reasons, both political and practical. Do tell. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Poll: Californians like Obamacare more than ever but are divided on single-payer healthcare By Melanie Mason Members of the California Nurses Assn. and other supporters rally at the state Capitol for a single-payer health plan June 28. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) As the latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act fizzles, the law has reached its highest popularity in California in four years, according to a new poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California. Nearly 60% of the Californians hold a generally favorable view of the healthcare law, and just over a third of Californians see it unfavorably  the highest approval rating since PPIC began tracking the laws popularity in 2013. But while Democrats and independents back the law, known as Obamacare, with strong majorities, three-quarters of Republicans have negative views of it. Only 18% of Californians believe congressional Republicans should try again to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and 58% of adults want to see bipartisan efforts to improve the law. Underscoring the GOPs challenge in dramatically reducing governments role in healthcare, two-thirds of the states adults believe it is the federal governments responsibility to ensure that all Americans have health coverage. But Californians are divided on whether to substantially increase government involvement through a single-payer system, such as the Medicare for All proposal recently introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). A national single-payer insurance program such as Medicare for All gets support from 35% of Californians, according to the poll. Support is higher among Democrats  44%  and independents  34%  than among Republicans. Only 6% of Republicans back such a system. But the current system, a patchwork of government and private insurance options, isnt particularly adored by Californians. Just under 30% of adults support continuing with a mix of private and public insurance options, while 36% of Democrats, 21% of Republicans and 31% of independents see that mixed system as the best way to provide health coverage. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Half of Californias likely voters think Sen. Dianne Feinstein should retire, poll finds By Phil Willon (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) As Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein contemplates a 2018 bid for reelection, a new poll has found that 50% of Californias likely voters think she shouldnt run again. Just 43% of likely voters support Feinstein running for a sixth term, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll released Wednesday. The results are similar among all California adults, not just likely voters, with 46% saying she should not run for another term and 41% saying she should run. Feinstein, 84, has come under increased pressure from members of Californias left, many of whom were infuriated when earlier this month she called for patience with President Trump and refused to back demands for his impeachment. Still, the poll found that Feinstein remains popular. More than half of likely voters  54%  approve of the job shes doing, compared with 38% who disapprove. Thats on par with Gov. Jerry Browns approval rating, and it bests the marks for Californias other Democratic senator, Kamala Harris. When likely voters were asked about Harris, the former state attorney general elected to the Senate in November, 47% approved of the job she was doing in Washington and 30% disapproved. Almost a quarter of voters didnt offer an opinion about Harris. The contrasting results on Feinstein are difficult to decipher but at the very least indicate voters remain restless. Partly, this is a holdover from last years election in which you saw many Democrats wanting a more liberal alternative at the presidential level and you saw many independents wanting an outsider, said Mark Baldassare, president of Public Policy Institute of California. As people are looking to next year, theres a desire for something new. Speculation continues that Feinstein may face a Democratic challenger. Among those who have been mentioned is state Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), who is weighing his next political move after he terms out of office in 2018. De Leon lashed out at Feinstein after her comments about Trump in early September. In her last election, Feinstein trounced her Republican opponent, Elizabeth Emken, by a 25-percentage-point margin in 2012. She won by almost an identical margin in 2006 when challenged by former Republican state Sen. Richard Mountjoy. However, California has since switched to a top-two primary system. The two candidates who receive the most voters in the June primary election will advance to the 2018 general election, regardless of their party. Two Democrats faced off in the finale of Californias 2016 U.S. Senate election, with Harris besting then-Rep. Loretta Sanchez. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Barbara Boxer says if Sen. Dianne Feinstein runs for another term, she should expect a tough race By Mina Corpuz Former Sen. Barbara Boxer (Mina Corpuz / Los Angeles Times ) Its one of the hottest political parlor games in California right now: Will she run again? Everyone is waiting for Sen. Dianne Feinstein to announce if shell seek a sixth term. And even though they served as colleagues in Washington for more than two decades, former Sen. Barbara Boxer said she has no inside intel on what Feinstein will do in 2018. I believe she is running until I see any other indication, Boxer said Wednesday at a Sacramento Press Club lunch. Every single race is hard.... Anyone who runs against her will give her a tough race. Feinstein, 84, has made clear she is taking her time, even as ambitious politicians eye the seat she has held since 1992. One long-shot Democrat already is raising money for the race, and Feinstein recently drew criticism from California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, who has not ruled out a primary challenge against her. Boxer said Wednesday her own priority for next years midterm election is flipping several Republican-held House seats in Southern California. Theres no such thing as an off election year, she said. Its an on year. Much of this work will be done through the political action committee Boxer founded, PAC for a Change. The organization also supports electing more Democrats to the Senate and standing up to President Trumps policies, she said. Since leaving the Senate in January, Boxer has also given speeches and promoted her book, The Art of Tough. She doesnt like to consider herself a retiree. Boxer also skirted a question about her pick for governor in a race that already is crowded with several Democrats. All of the candidates, she joked, are like my sons and daughters. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Californias top elections officer now says his agencys website wasnt the one scanned by Russian hackers By John Myers Secretary of State Alex Padilla (John Myers / Los Angeles Times) Five days after saying he had been told Russian hackers scanned the states main elections website for weaknesses in 2016, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Wednesday that it turns out it didnt actually happen that way. Padilla said that his office was given incorrect information by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and that the Russian operation was instead focused on scanning the network of the state Department of Technology. Our notification from DHS last Friday was not only a year late, it also turned out to be bad information, Padilla said in a statement. Bryce Brown, a spokesman for the states information technology agency, said officials had long known about suspect activity that occurred on our network last summer but didnt know anything else until the notification from federal officials. Although we did not have knowledge of the source until now, we have confirmed our security systems worked as planned and the activity was blocked as it happened in 2016, he said. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that federal officials also reversed course in a notification they had made to Wisconsin elections officials about Russian activity. In June, federal officials told Congress that 21 states elections systems were targeted by Russian activity. Padilla insisted last week that the scanning incident found no vulnerabilities or access to any California voter information, and he criticized DHS officials for the delay in sharing information about 2016 activities. On Wednesday, he said hopes that federal officials will continue to work with the states in preventing cyberattacks. I remain committed to a partnership with DHS and other intelligence agencies; however, elections officials and the American public expect and deserve timely and accurate information, Padilla said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Hollywood tour buses could get more rules slapped on them under the law Gov. Jerry Brown just signed By Patrick McGreevy A tour bus passes the late Carrie Fishers gated home in Beverly Hills. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at reining in the proliferation of tour buses offering to take fans to the homes and gathering spots of celebrities in Hollywood and other trendy neighborhoods. The measure allows cities and counties to adopt rules that restrict the routes or streets used by the tour buses, and prohibit the use of loudspeakers on open-topped buses and vans. Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian (D-Sherman Oaks) introduced the proposal in response to a report by NBC Los Angeles that found some tour buses were operating unsafely without proper permits. He also cited complaints about topless buses on narrow streets of the Hollywood Hills, Malibu and Bel-Air. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Latino state lawmakers back Antonio Villaraigosa for California governor By Phil Willon Antonio Villaraigosa gives a pep talk in Los Angeles at Cathedral High School, where he once was also a student. ((Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) The Legislatures California Latino Caucus on Wednesday endorsed former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for governor. While expected, the nod from the politically influential caucus is a boon for Villaraigosa, a former Democratic Assembly speaker and the only major Latino candidate running for governor. Villaraigosa has lagged behind Lt. Gov. Gavin Newson in early polls and fundraising. As Assembly speaker and Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa worked to strengthen our economy, expand our healthcare, improve our schools and invest in strategic infrastructure projects that create middle-class jobs, Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego), chair of the caucus, said in a statement Wednesday morning. An intriguing aspect of the endorsement is that one of the most prominent members of the California Latino Caucus is Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles). In Sacramento, speculation abounds over whether De Leon may run for governor, and the Villaraigosa endorsement could indicate De Leon has other plans for his political future. Villaraigosa joins a slate of other Latino statewide candidates endorsed by the caucus: Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-Azusa) for lieutenant governor; current appointee Xavier Becerra for attorney general; incumbent Alex Padilla for secretary of state; Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) for insurance commissioner; and Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) for superintendent of public instruction. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

California is trying to educate people about marijuana before recreational sales start By Patrick McGreevy Months before California allows the sale of marijuana for recreational use, the state has launched an education campaign about the drug, including highlighting the potential harms of cannabis for minors and pregnant women. The state is scheduled to issue licenses starting Jan. 2 for growing and selling marijuana for recreational use, expanding a program that currently allows cannabis use for medical purposes. In response, the California Department of Public Health has created a website to educate Californians about the drug and its impacts, including how to purchase and safely store cannabis. We are committed to providing Californians with science-based information to ensure safe and informed choices, said State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. The website, Lets Talk Cannabis, notes it is illegal for people under 21 to buy marijuana for non-medical use and warns that using cannabis regularly in your teens and early 20s may lead to physical changes in your brain. The site also warns that marijuana edibles may have higher concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. If you eat too much, too fast you are at higher risk for poisoning, the website warns. The state urges parents and guardians to talk to their teenagers about legal and health issues surrounding marijuana use. The state officials also say consuming cannabis is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or who plan to become pregnant soon, noting that it can affect the health of your baby. The website got good marks from legalization activist Ellen Komp, deputy director of Californias chapter of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. The website is fairly accurate, she said, but added, The risks with pregnancy are somewhat overstated, telling women they should not use cannabis for nausea or even if they are thinking of getting pregnant. Some 43% of Californians have used marijuana for recreational purposes and 54% said they have not, according to a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll last November. Among those who have not used it, just 2% said they are much more likely to use it if Proposition 64 passed, which it did, while 5% said they are somewhat more likely to use it, and 89% said they are no more likely to smoke pot if it was legalized. Other advice from the states site: driving under the influence of cannabis is illegal and increases the chance of a car accident, and cannabis should be stored in a locked area to avoid poisoning children and pets. Updated at 11:30 am to include data from poll on marijuana use. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Todays newsletter: Republicans fail again to repeal Obamacare By John Myers Todays Essential Politics newsletter details the last gasp of the Republican efforts in Washington to repeal the Affordable Care Act, efforts that President Trump insisted on Tuesday arent over. We also take a look at the win by Roy Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, in a Senate runoff that saw the president back the losing candidate. And weve got the details of what happens if Gov. Jerry Brown, as expected, signs the sanctuary state bill into law. The newsletter comes out Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Are you a subscriber? Sign up below. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

After meeting with Trump, California Democrats say they want a seat at the tax reform table By Sarah D. Wire Ahead of Republicans plans to unveil a more detailed overview of their tax reform plan Wednesday, President Trump sat down with a bipartisan group of members that included California Democratic Reps. Linda Sanchez and Mike Thompson. Sanchez, of Whittier, who serves on the House committee that has authority over tax legislation, said members didnt learn much about the details of the plan Tuesday. There were kind of generalities but no specificity, which is why were interested to see what they put out tomorrow, because clearly its not something thats had Democratic input, Sanchez said. According to a White House transcript of part of the meeting, Trump said the plan is focused on making the tax code simple and fair, increasing the deduction most families can take, lowering the business tax rate and bringing wealth stored overseas back to the United States. Thompson, of St. Helena, said the president listened to what Democrats had to say, but he didnt get the impression that the policy plan would change before it becomes public Wednesday. I dont think it was that kind of meeting. We all agreed we wanted a fair, easy-to-work-with tax code that generates more jobs, said Thompson, who is also on the committee. He said repeatedly he wants to be successful. Republicans are set to unveil a consensus document Wednesday they say will be a much more detailed overview than previous tax policy papers theyve released. But it is not expected to be an actual plan or bill. Republicans will huddle with Vice President Mike Pence for half of Wednesday to discuss tax reform. Democrats are holding their own tax reform forum too. Its been 30 years since Congress has passed a major tax overhaul, and Republican leaders have set an ambitious timeline for passing a tax-reform measure, indicating they want to get it to Trumps desk by the end of the year. Sanchez said she tried to stress in the meeting that Democrats should play a role in writing the final bill. There wasnt discussion about the group sitting down with Trump again, she said. The president was very pleased that it was a bipartisan effort, which sort of confused me because that was the first meeting where there were members of the Democratic side of the Ways and Means Committee there, Sanchez said. I dont know if theyve been telling him that the process is bipartisan or if he knew it wasnt bipartisan but didnt care, but I thought that was kind of odd. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Judge rewrites summary of proposed gas tax repeal initiative, saying it was fundamentally flawed By Patrick McGreevy A Chevron gas station in Sacramento shows prices in February. ( (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) A judge on Monday rewrote the title and summary for a proposed initiative that would repeal recent gas tax increases in California. He rejected a title and summary written by the state attorney generals office as fundamentally flawed. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley criticized the attorney generals office for not mentioning in the title that the ballot measure would repeal newly approved taxes or fees. This is not a situation where reasonable minds may differ, Frawley wrote in his ruling. The Attorney Generals title and summary ... must be changed to avoid misleading the voters and creating prejudice against the measure. The initiative proposed by Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) would repeal a bill approved in April by the Legislature and governor that would raise the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon and increase vehicle fees in order to generate $5.2 billion for road repairs and to improve mass transit. The title and summary will be placed on petitions to be circulated by those trying to qualify the measure for the November 2018 ballot. The title and summary are also placed on the ballot if enough signatures are collected. The original title written by Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerras office was: Eliminates recently enacted road repair and transportation funding by repealing revenues dedicated for those purposes. Allens attorneys argued the voter could read that to mean that the Legislature identified existing funds for transportation and the initiative would take those funds away. The judges title says: Repeals recently enacted gas and diesel taxes and vehicle registration fees. Eliminates road repair and transportation programs funded by these taxes and fees. The judge also made it clear in the summary that an Independent Office of Audits and Investigations that would be eliminated by the initiative is newly established. Representatives of the attorney generals office were not immediately available to comment on whether the ruling would be appealed. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Democrats to try to force vote on Dream Act with rarely successful procedural move By Sarah D. Wire House Democrats are trying to force a vote on Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allards version of the Dream Act, they announced in a news conference Monday. The House and Senate have less than six months to address the legal status of people brought into the country illegally as children before the program protecting them from deportation ends in March. In the weeks since President Trump announced he was ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Democrats have pushed for a quick vote on Roybal-Allards bill, which is backed by every House Democrat and four Republicans. There are also a handful of other Republican-sponsored bills that could be considered. To force a vote, Democrats would need a majority of the House  218 members  to sign whats called a discharge petition to pull the bill from the House Judiciary Committee and bring it to the House floor. Roybal-Allard, a Democrat from Downey, said she believes there is enough support to pass the bill if Democrats can get it to the House floor. Democratic leaders said they expect all House Democrats will sign the petition. The American people overwhelmingly oppose deporting our Dreamers, Roybal-Allard said. But the Republican leadership is ignoring the wishes of a majority of the American people. Democrats hold only 194 seats, and would have to convince 24 Republicans to buck their party leaders and sign the petition. House leaders control which bills come to the floor for a vote and when. Although discharge petitions have been used in the past to shame congressional leadership into letting a bill move forward, the procedural move is rarely successful. This month, Republican Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado filed a discharge petition for the Bridge Act, a Republican- sponsored bill to address the legal status of people brought to the country illegally as children. Five members of Congress had signed on as of Monday. FOR THE RECORD Sept 26, 12:38 p.m.: An earlier version of this post identified the member of Congress who filed a discharge petition for the Bridge Act as Rep. Mike Thompson. It was Rep. Mike Coffman. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

California lawmakers grant some megaprojects relief from environmental law, but not others By Liam Dillon Developers plan to build two skyscrapers near the Capitol Records building in Hollywood. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press) When professional sports team owners, Facebook and big developers have asked California lawmakers for some relief from the states main environmental law over growth, the answer usually has been yes. The law, the California Environmental Quality Act, requires developers to disclose and reduce a projects effects on the environment  a process that often can get tied up in lengthy litigation. This year, legislators passed a measure aiming to shorten any potential environmental lawsuit against Facebooks expansion of its headquarters, two skyscrapers planned in Hollywood and other megaprojects to less than nine months. Doing so has led many to question why only big projects get such relief. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

The fate of Californias biggest campaign donor disclosure bill may hinge on some small details By John Myers Members of the California Fair Political Practices Commission. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP) You wouldnt expect to see the leader of Californias campaign watchdog agency rooting for Gov. Jerry Brown to veto sweeping new disclosure rules for political donors. And yet, thats where things stand in a seven-year debate over helping voters follow the money. I think we can do better than this bill, said Jodi Remke, chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission. Remke and her staff have raised a red flag about the fine print tucked inside Assembly Bill 249, the California Disclose Act, that rewrites rules for campaign contributions that are earmarked. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Oceanside lifeguard receives Californias highest public safety honor By Mina Corpuz Medal of Valor recipient David Wilson stands with his parents, a family friend, Gov. Jerry Brown and Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. (Mina Corpuz / Los Angeles Times ) An Oceanside Fire Department officer who risked his life to save a boater received the states highest award for public safety officers on Monday. Gov. Jerry Brown and Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra presented David Wilson with the Public Safety Medal of Valor at a ceremony at the state Capitol. In July 2016, Wilson rescued a man whose boat crashed into a jetty in Oceanside Harbor. The victim was barely conscious and jammed between two rocks. With only a short window between each set of waves, Wilson dove underneath the water and swam into the boulders to free the victims legs. You earned it, Brown said at the ceremony. You were assaulted by the waves and the rocks, and you went ahead anyways. Thats why you are the only one getting a medal of honor. A review board made up of law enforcement officers reviewed 21 nominations for the Medal of Valor. The award is given out once a year. There can be more than one recipient, but this year Brown chose one. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

7.5 million Californians could lose coverage under latest Obamacare repeal effort, state health insurance exchange says By Melanie Mason Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California, the states health insurance exchange, in 2013. (Rich Pedroncelli / AP) Californians who get their health coverage on the individual market could face dire consequences under the current Republican effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, warned a new analysis released Monday by Covered California, the states health insurance exchange. Under the latest plan, which is being led by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), 7.5 million Californians could lose their health insurance by 2027, the analysis said. It also said the repeal could trigger a collapse of the states individual insurance market. The Graham-Cassidy plan takes resources away from California and from the majority of states, which means that far fewer Americans would have insurance or the existing protections from insurers, said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California, in a statement. The effect on California would be devastating, and lead not only to there being more uninsured people than there were before the Affordable Care Act, but would also cause huge negative impacts on the health care delivery system, the economy and on those with employer-based coverage, Lee said. The report comes on the heels of another grim analysis by Gov. Jerry Browns administration, which estimated that the Senate proposal would strip California of nearly $139 billion in federal funds from 2020 to 2027. The Covered California report looked at two different scenarios for how state officials could respond to such a slash in federal dollars. If the state chose to prioritize protecting Medi-Cal, which provides coverage for low-income Californians, the analysis projects the collapse of the individual insurance market by 2021. If officials chose to direct attention to the individual market by stepping in to cover subsidies now paid for by the federal government, that could lead to large reductions in the Medi-Cal program. In both scenarios, the result would be up to 7.5 million fewer Californians with health insurance, according to the report. Proponents claim Graham-Cassidy gives states flexibility and choice, but in reality it puts states into a lose-lose situation, Lee said. Under this plan, California and states across the nation would be forced to either turn their backs on their most needy residents, or let the individual market be destroyed. Either way, millions lose coverage. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Todays newsletter: Sports spat starts with California teams By Christina Bellantoni Todays Essential Politics newsletter details President Trumps sports spat, which originated with California teams before becoming national political drama on football fields across America. It also notes last falls USC/Los Angeles Times poll, which found huge partisan divisions in how California voters viewed Colin Kaepernick at the time. Democrats liked him more, while he had just 6% favorability among tea party Republicans here. The state was evenly divided on whether to support his protest during the national anthem. The newsletter comes out Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Are you a subscriber? Sign up below. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Attorney running against Sen. Dianne Feinstein is hosting Hollywood fundraiser By Christine Mai-Duc Pat Harris may be a long-shot candidate for U.S. Senate, but hes not fundraising like one. On Monday Harris, a Democrat challenging Sen. Dianne Feinstein, is set to tread territory familiar to many prominent statewide candidates looking for cash: the Hollywood fundraiser. The event is to be held at the Catalina Jazz Club on Sunset Boulevard and is being billed as a CD release party for Carol Welman, a jazz musician and Harris wife. Tickets range from $150 for a single ticket to $2,700 for a VIP dinner for two. (An email to Welmans subscriber list earlier this week advertised tickets for as little as $30). Harris announced that he was running last month on a platform that includes support for single-payer healthcare and a pledge that he will only take campaign donations from individuals. Facing pressure from progressive activists, Feinstein has been coy so far about whether shell retire or run again in 2018. Either way, shes stockpiled $3.5 million in her campaign war chest. As of June 30, Harris had raised no money except for $104,685 he loaned his own campaign. Three other candidates have also filed to run against Feinstein: Democrats Steve Stokes and David Hildebrand, and independent Jerry Carroll. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Rep. Keith Ellison headlines dinner for Orange County Democrats, who declare orange is the new blue By Christine Mai-Duc The focus was on 2018 as Orange County Democrats gathered Saturday night in Costa Mesa to bask in their high hopes here. Headliner and deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, urged unity as dozens of Democrats navigate crowded primaries throughout the state. Ellison getting star treatment tonight, speaking to VIP attendees & meeting congressional candidates & gubernatorial hopeful @DelaineEastin pic.twitter.com/2Bh8K5H1Qu  Christine Mai-Duc (@cmaiduc) September 24, 2017 Much of focus tonight on flipping 4 GOP congressional seats in OC. Ellison: "We need 24 more seats...I figure 4 of em we can get right here" pic.twitter.com/CDDbGWpNnT  Christine Mai-Duc (@cmaiduc) September 24, 2017 The theme of the annual awards dinner was Orange is the New Blue, a twist on the title of a popular Netflix show and the latest indication of Democrats rosy outlook as they try to flip the countys four GOP-held House seats next year. Ellison told the crowd it was not the proper role of the DNC to choose among the many primary contenders. But you will sort it out running spirited campaigns, you will sort it out over ideas, and when it is over we need you to hold hands and support the Democrat. Ellison pushed for a return to grass-roots organizing and outreach to voters of all stripes  and not just during election years. We cannot come a month before the election, tell them ... Come vote for us, Ellison said. Weve got to be in their lives in a physical, palpable way. Then we do have to have the right words, we do have to stand up for them. Ellison on more permanent solution for DACA: no wall, no increase in detention beds "but there might be some other things" Dems can agree to pic.twitter.com/yrmOGfXYan  Christine Mai-Duc (@cmaiduc) September 24, 2017 In an interview, Ellison also stressed the need to pass legislation for young people brought to the country illegally who were allowed to stay and work under the Obama Administrations Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Ellison said Democrats are open to negotiating certain immigration enforcement provisions in order pass a replacement for DACA, which President Trump announced he will end in March. But he said Democrats wont acquiesce to Trumps demand for a border wall or allow additional capacity for immigration detentions. There are certain things that are simply not on the table  the wall or more detention beds, were just not doing that, he said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Russians tried to find weaknesses in Californias election website last year, say state officials By John Myers Secretary of State Alex Padilla (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Californias chief elections officer said U.S. government officials believe Russian hackers tried to find weaknesses in the states election website during the 2016 campaign, but that theres no evidence their effort was successful. Secretary of State Alex Padilla said the Department of Homeland Security only told him on Friday of last years attempt. He described the attack as a scanning of the states website in hopes of finding weaknesses in its computer network. Our office actively monitors scanning activity as part of our routine cybersecurity protocols, Padilla said in a statement. We have no information or evidence that our systems have been breached in any way or that any voter information was compromised. Those involved were Russian cyber actors according to Padillas description of information he received from federal officials. In June, a top federal official told the Senate Intelligence Committee that systems in 21 states were believed to have been scoured by cyberattackers. The election website, www.sos.ca.gov, contains public information about voting procedures as well as data on past election results and current issues. More sensitive data, including the electronic files of some 17 million registered voters, are not included on the website. A leaked National Security Agency document earlier this year outlined a Russian effort to hack into devices made by a Florida-based voting software company. One California county, Humboldt, used the companys software, but did not find any evidence of tampering. Padilla, a frequent critic of President Trumps special panel investigating the potential of voter fraud, said federal officials should have notified him much earlier of the attempted breach. The practice of withholding critical information from elections officials is a detriment to the security of our elections and our democracy, he said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Antonio Villaraigosa jabs at Gavin Newsom over his apparent embrace of single-payer healthcare bill By Melanie Mason Supporters of a measure to establish single-payer healthcare in California were thrilled by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsoms embrace of their bill on Friday, but a rival gubernatorial campaign was less impressed with his position. A spokesman for former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa accused the lieutenant governor of flip-flopping because after Newsom was asked if he explicitly endorsed the legislation  Senate Bill 562  he responded that he endorsed getting this debate going again. This is an outrageous parsing of words when millions of people are at risk of losing their healthcare, Villaraigosa spokesman Luis Vizcaino said in a statement. It is a yes or no question, lieutenant governor. Are you for SB 562 or not? The nurses and California voters deserve the truth, Vizcaino added. The question of backing SB 562 is thorny since it was shelved earlier this year after Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) called it woefully incomplete. Backers have said theyd be willing to make changes to the measure, but the contours of those proposed changes have not been made public. Vizcaino said Villaraigosa has always supported universal healthcare and the concept of single payer, but agreed with Speaker Rendon that the bill couldnt be sent to the governor without a funding plan. Speaking to reporters, Newsom said he saw a single-payer system in which the government covers healthcare costs as the best way to achieve universal coverage and said he would be actively engaged in designing and developing it if SB 562 does not pass next year. RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of the California Nurses Assn./National Nurses United, said she saw Newsoms remarks as a clear endorsement of their measure and a stance she said was not surprising. We always knew Gavin would support our bill, DeMoro said. She lambasted Villaraigosa  who does not support SB 562  for criticizing Newsom, whom her group endorsed nearly two years ago. I want Villaraigosa to explain to the Latino community why he doesnt think they should have ... comprehensive healthcare, she said. Villaraigosas being disingenuous. He knows better. Hes just politically posturing trying to find a wedge issue and he knows better. UPDATE 4:32 p.m.: This post was updated with an additional statement from Villaraigosas spokesperson on the former L.A. mayors support for universal healthcare. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

In San Francisco, Bernie Sanders plays two roles: Obamacare defender and single-payer advocate By Melanie Mason View Twitter post Sen. Bernie Sanders headed west to drum up support for his recently unveiled Medicare for All proposal Friday, but first trained his sights on the Obamacare repeal bill currently gripping Congress. Sanders (I-Vt.), whose speech was the cornerstone of a California Nurses Assn. gathering in San Francisco, blasted the Republican plan led by Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina as horrific legislation. How cruel, how immoral it is, to say to those millions of Americans, we are going to take away that health insurance that keeps you alive, Sanders said. Sen. John McCain announced on Friday he could not support the measure, dealing the GOP plan a blow. Sanders thanked McCain for his stance, prompting the liberal crowd to cheer the Arizona Republican. Some Democrats had worried that Sanders push for his single-payer plan could distract from efforts to oppose the repeal bill. But the senator was explicit in his appeal to the approximately 2,000 supporters in attendance to focus their energy on defeating the repeal measure. Our job is to continue to make sure the Republicans do not get the 50 votes they need ... I beg of you, please, do everything you can to stop the bill, he said. Still, the crux of Sanders speech focused on his single-payer bill, which he sold as an improvement over the status quo. The Affordable Care Act, as we all know, made significant improvements to our healthcare system, Sanders said, citing the expansion of the number of Americans with health insurance and the ban on insurance companies ability to deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions. But we must be honest and acknowledge that with all the gains of the Affordable Care Act, it does not go far enough, he added. The bill expands the Medicare program to cover the healthcare costs of all Americans with no out-of-pocket payments for patients. The measure does not include a plan to finance such a system, but Sanders has released a report laying out various ways to cover the costs, including a progressive income tax. During his pitch, Sanders said the implications extended beyond health policy. It is a struggle about what this great nation stands for, Sanders said. It is a struggle about whether or not every working person in this country has healthcare as a right or whether we allow insurance companies and drug companies to continue to rip us off. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Gas tax foes win victory as they try to get a repeal on November 2018 ballot By Patrick McGreevy A Chevron gas station in Sacramento shows prices in February. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) In a rare court rebuke of the state Attorney Generals Office, a judge said Friday that the title and summary written for a proposed initiative is misleading  and that hed do a rewrite himself to make it clear the measure would repeal recently approved increases to gas taxes and vehicle fees. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley said he would draft a new title and summary to be placed on petitions for the initiative after attorneys for the state and proponents of the ballot measure could not agree on compromise language. In this circumstance, I honestly believe that the circulated title and summary that has been prepared is misleading, Frawley told attorneys during a court hearing Friday. He hopes to release the new title and summary by Monday. The initiative proposed by Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) would repeal a bill approved in April by the Legislature and governor that would raise the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon and increase vehicle fees to generate $5.2 billion annually to fix the states roads and bridges and improve mass transit. Allen and his attorneys said the state attorney general sought to confuse voters with a title that does not use the words taxes or fees. The title was proposed to say: Eliminates recently enacted road repair and transportation funding by repealing revenues dedicated for those purposes. Allen, who is running for governor in 2018, said the court decision showed the attorney general was trying to sway voters against the initiative. Justice is being served for the voters of California, Allen said after the court hearing. I think that he [the judge] has properly seen that the attorney general has tried to intentionally mislead the voters of California because he has tried to prejudice their vote and tried to keep increased taxes for Californians. A coalition of business, labor and government officials called Fix Our Roads, which supports the gas tax legislation, had representatives in the courtroom who later criticized Allen for seeking political gain at the expense of California motorists. This is more about Travis Allens gubernatorial race than anything else, said coalition spokeswoman Kathy Fairbanks. Hes condemning voters to driving on potholed roads and being stuck in traffic. Allen said the initiative and his campaign for governor are both aimed at giving voters power to fight higher taxes. Finally ordinary Californians are understanding that they actually can hold Sacramento accountable, Allen said. This is why Im running to be the next governor of California, because for too long Sacramento has been run by out-of-touch elitists that are coming from Sacramento and the Bay Area of San Francisco. A second initiative to repeal the gas tax has been proposed by a different group of Republican activists. Allen said he supports the second initiative but noted it has to collect many more signatures because it seeks to change the state constitution. It has a long way to go, Allen said. If the judge issues a new title and summary Monday, Allen said the petitions will hit the streets immediately and he is confident they will get the 365,880 signatures to qualify the measure for the November 2018 ballot. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

We will have universal healthcare in the state of California, Gavin Newsom promises single-payer advocates By Melanie Mason View Twitter post Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has made his most explicit endorsement yet of a controversial single-payer healthcare proposal that has roiled Democratic politics in California. Newsom appeared Friday before the California Nurses Assn., the most ardent backers of SB 562, a stalled bill to establish a system in which the state would cover all residents healthcare costs. Theres no reason to wait around on universal healthcare and single-payer in California, Newsom said. Its time to move 562. Its time to get it out of committee. The line prompted cheers and a standing ovation from the audience of about 1,500 members of the nurses union. He capped off his remarks with a promise: If we cant get it done next year, you have my firm and absolute commitment as your next governor that I will lead the effort to get it done. We will have universal healthcare in the state of California. Enthusiastic nurses in the room heard an unequivocal backing of their effort to push forward with the bill. When he says hes going to get this done, he means, seriously, that he will pass SB 562 and make sure that there is healthcare for all Californians, said Catherine Kennedy, a neonatal nurse from Roseville. But speaking to reporters after his address, Newsom was less clear in embracing the specifics of the proposal. I 100% support moving this process along, getting this debate going again and addressing the concerns, the open-ended issues that the nurses themselves have acknowledged as it relates to the need of going through the legislative process and to fill in the blanks on the financing plan, among other issues, he said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

President Obama appears in an Assembly race mailer in California  but read it closely By Christina Bellantoni The race to replace Jimmy Gomez, who was elected to Congress earlier this year, has so far been waged by mail and door-knocking in northeast Los Angeles. Most of the mailers feature local leaders and endorsements from groups including Planned Parenthood and the Sierra Club. But one mailer that arrived in my mailbox Thursday has a much more familiar face  former President Barack Obama. While it might seem like one to the casual voter sorting through junk mail, this isnt an endorsement. Want to know what kind of job Gabriel Sandoval will do in the Assembly? Listen to the people hes worked with in the past, the mailer reads, above Obamas official White House portrait. In small type, it notes that Sandoval served as a Senior Civil Rights Attorney and Senior Advisor for a White House initiative within the Department of Education. It features a glowing quote over an image of a July 12, 2013, letter from the president to Sandoval written on White House letterhead. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Healthcare a hot issue in race for California governor By Phil Willon Antonio Villaraigosa, left, and Gavin Newsom (Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images; Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) With the hyperpartisan politics surrounding healthcare stirred up by efforts to repeal Obamacare and calls for a single-payer system, both Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa are claiming the mantle of healthcare visionary. On the campaign trail the two Democratic candidates for governor are touting their signature healthcare accomplishments from earlier in their political careers as their bona fides. For Newsom, its about Healthy San Francisco, the nations first municipal universal healthcare program, approved while he was mayor; and for Villaraigosa, its Healthy Families, which provided healthcare coverage to the children of Californias working poor, legislation he authored as a California assemblyman. But do they deserve all the credit? It sure doesnt look that way. Healthy San Francisco is one of the many topics Newsom is expected to highlight when he speaks to the California Nurses Assn. convention in the Bay Area on Friday morning. On Thursday night, Newsom took a shot at the latest Republican effort in Washington to roll back the Affordable Care Act  a bill written by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) The numbers on this make my skin crawl. Under Graham-Cassidy, an individual with metastatic cancer could see their premiums increase by $142,650. Diabetes? $5,600. Want to tackle the opioid crisis? Gets a lot tougher if an individual suffering from drug dependence sees their premiums go up by $20,450, Newsom said in an email sent out by his campaign. This is not a game. Lives are at stake. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Rep. Duncan Hunter calls for preemptive strike against North Korea By Joshua Stewart, San Diego Union-Tribune Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) introduces U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions at a news conference. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) Rep. Duncan Hunter said that the United States needs to launch a preemptive strike against North Korea in order to prevent the rogue nation from harming the U.S. first. You could assume, right now, that we have a nuclear missile aimed at the United States, and here in San Diego. Why would they not aim here, at Hawaii, Guam, our major naval bases? Hunter, an Alpine Republican, said Thursday during an appearance on San Diego television station KUSI. The question is, do you wait for one of those? Or two? Do you preemptively strike them? And thats what the president has to wrestle with. I would preemptively strike them. You could call it declaring war, call it whatever you want, Hunter continued. Hunter, a member of a House Armed Services Committee and the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the United States nuclear arsenal, did not say whether the military should strike North Korea with conventional or nuclear weapons. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Will Bernie Sanders push for Medicare for All help or hinder the California effort for single-payer? By Melanie Mason When Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders visited Beverly Hills last May, he made a full-throated appeal for California to lead the country and pass a pending state proposal to establish single-payer healthcare. On Friday, hell return to California for a San Francisco speech trumpeting his own higher-stakes plan  a bill to drastically overhaul the nations healthcare system by covering everyone through Medicare. The push for single-payer, in which the government pays for residents medical care, has already rattled Californias political landscape. Now, the Sanders measure brings an additional jolt, elevating the issue to a national debate that has implications for the future direction of the Democratic Party and early jockeying in the 2020 presidential race. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

What will Kevin de Leon do when his term in the California Senate expires next year? By Patrick McGreevy State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, speaks during the last regular Senate floor session of the year. ( (Rich Pedroncelli / AP)) As he gaveled down what may be his last full year as leader of the California Senate on Saturday, Kevin de Leon had still not said what he planned to do next. Will he run for governor or U.S. Senate? Does he want to be mayor of Los Angeles some day? De Leon told reporters they will have to wait to find out. His advisors, supporters and political observers have their own ideas what De Leon could do next. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Skelton: The presidential election bills on Gov. Browns desk may be satisfying politics, but theyre risky ideas By George Skelton Two presidential election bills are on Gov. Jerry Browns desk, sent to him by the Democratic Legislature. Both should be tossed in the trash. No doubt Im in the minority on this. These bills do offer some fun, even if theyre flawed. One has strong pluses that are outweighed by unacceptable minuses. The second is a mean-spirited gotcha bill aimed at the Democrats No. 1 enemy: President Trump. It may be satisfying politics, but it sets a risky precedent. The first bill moves up Californias presidential primary from June to March. Great idea. But it also moves up the state primary along with it. A horrible idea. The second measure would require all presidential candidates to release their tax returns for the last five years. Anyone who refused wouldnt be allowed on the California ballot. Thats a sharp poke at Trump, who in 2016 was the first presidential candidate in 40 years not to release his taxes. Yes, watching Trump squirm would be entertaining. And maybe the tax information would be useful for some voters. But even if the disclosure requirement were constitutional  and theres substantial doubt about that  its a crummy precedent. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

California Senate leader preparing for legal fight over sanctuary state legislation By Sarah D. Wire California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Gov. Jerry Brown hasnt yet signed legislation making California a so-called sanctuary state, but state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon is preparing to defend it in court. In between several immigration events in Washington on Wednesday, De Leon (D-Los Angeles) said he met with former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr.  who has served as outside counsel to the Legislature for much of the year  to continue to further discuss inoculating California from [U.S. Atty. Gen.] Jeff Sessions Department of Justice. Passed early Saturday by the Legislature, the sanctuary state bill would limit state and local law enforcement communication with federal immigration authorities and prevent officers from questioning and holding people on immigration violations. Sessions has threatened to withhold some federal grant funds from cities and counties that refuse to assist federal immigration agents. Holder and other former Justice Department lawyers believe the bill is defendable, and if the Trump administration tries to compel California cities to act by withholding funds, it will find itself in court, De Leon said. Defenders of so-called sanctuary cities often rely on a 1996 Supreme Court ruling that cited the 10th Amendment and found the federal government cant compel local governments to cooperate with enforcing federal laws. It is immoral, and quite frankly un-American, that Americas top law enforcement official would withhold dollars that our local police officers need  precious dollars we need desperately to counter terrorism, to deal with the issue of human trafficking as well as international drug cartels, De Leon said. On Tuesday, Sessions urged Brown not to sign the bill, calling it unconscionable and a threat to public safety. Brown responded to Sessions comment on CNN by calling the legislation well-balanced. It protects public safety, but it also protects hardworking people who contribute a lot to California, Brown said. He has until Oct. 15 to sign the bill. De Leon also shot back against Sessions statement that the federal money isnt an entitlement, saying Californians pay more in federal taxes than they receive in federal funding. Thats not a gift or a grant from the Department of Justice to California. Those are our dollars; they belong to the people of California, he said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

California, with alliance of states, pledges to keep pushing climate policies despite lack of federal progress By Chris Megerian (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) California and a growing alliance of states committed to fighting global warming said Wednesday that theyre slashing greenhouse gas emissions at the rate required by the Paris climate agreement. However, the rest of the country would need to join their effort for the United States to actually hit the target of cutting emissions by at least 26% below 2005 levels by 2025. President Trump has pledged to pull the country out of the Paris deal, but the states reiterated their pledge to keep pressing forward during a news conference in New York. Were all in, California Gov. Jerry Brown said. Eventually, Washington will join with us. You cant deny science forever. Californias climate goal is even more ambitious than the Paris target. A law signed by Brown last year requires the state to cut emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. California became a founding member of the U.S. Climate Alliance, along with New York and Washington state, months ago. Either we end this problem, or this problem will end us, said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. On Wednesday, North Carolina became the 15th member of the U.S. Climate Alliance. Other members include Massachusetts, Oregon and Puerto Rico. Clean air and a healthy environment are vital for a strong economy and a healthier future, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a newly elected Democrat, said in a statement. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Bay Area cities sue major oil companies over climate change By Chris Megerian (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) San Francisco and Oakland are suing to get five oil companies, including San Ramon-based Chevron, to pay for the cost of protecting the Bay Area from rising sea levels and other effects of global warming. These fossil fuel companies profited handsomely for decades while knowing they were putting the fate of our cities at risk, San Francisco City Atty. Dennis Herrera said in a statement. The lawsuits, which were filed Tuesday in state court in San Francisco and Alameda counties and announced Wednesday, dont ask for a specific dollar amount. But the cities could try to put oil companies on the hook for billions. Long-term improvements in San Franciscos seawall are projected to cost $5 billion, according to one of the lawsuits. The law is clear that the defendants are responsible for the consequences of their reckless and disastrous actions, Oakland City Atty. Barbara J. Parker said in a statement. A spokesman for Chevron, Melissa Ritchie, said the lawsuits would not help address climate change. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a global issue that requires global engagement and action, she said in a statement. Should this litigation proceed, it will only serve special interests at the expense of broader policy, regulatory, and economic priorities. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

California sues to stop Trumps border wall: No one gets to ignore the laws. Not even the president By Patrick McGreevy  California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announces lawsuit against Trump Administration. California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that President Trumps proposal to expedite construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border violates laws aimed at protecting the environment. Becerra announced the legal challenge standing in front of the existing border fencing at Border Field State Park near San Diego, saying the federal government failed to comply with federal environmental laws and relied on federal statutes that dont authorize border wall projects in San Diego and Imperial counties. No one gets to ignore the laws. Not even the president of the United States, Becerra said. The border between the U.S. and Mexico spans some 2,000 miles. The list of laws violated by the presidents administration in order to build his campaign wall is almost as long. He said the project involves the improper waiver of 37 federal statutes, many aimed at protecting the environment. Filed in federal court in San Diego and including the California Coastal Commission as a plaintiff, the lawsuit states its purpose is to protect the State of Californias residents, natural resources, economic interests, procedural rights, and sovereignty from violations of the United States Constitution and federal law. Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra at the U.S.- Mexico border where he announced lawsuit to stop a proposal for a border wall. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) The lawsuit also alleges that federal officials have not shown any data suggesting new border barriers in the San Diego area will reduce illegal entry into the U.S., nor that there is a significant problem in that area. It adds that the wall would have a chilling effect on tourism to the United States from Mexico. In August, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a notice that it was waiving federal and state laws on the environment to expedite the construction of prototypes of the wall along the San Diego border with Mexico. The California lawsuit claims the federal government violated the U.S. Constitutions separation-of-powers doctrine by vesting in the Executive Branch the power to waive state and local laws. The lawsuit also says the Department of Homeland Security decided to build the walls without complying with the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act. As a result, the lawsuit alleges, the federal government lacks proper environmental analysis of the impact of the 400-foot prototypes of the wall currently planned, as well as the 2,000-mile-long final wall. A federal official declined comment. As a matter of policy, we do not comment on pending litigation, said Tyler Q. Houlton, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security. State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) stood with Becerra at the event, saying the wall is unnecessary and will put a barrier between relations involving the two countries. Maybe to people in Iowa, it sounds like a really good idea, she said. We dont need more structure. We need a good relationship [with Mexico]. Times staff writers McGreevy reported from Sacramento and Ulloa from San Diego. AG @XavierBecerra takes some shots at Trump: He hasn't made the transition from candidate to president. #borderwall pic.twitter.com/liSJdrAK2v  Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) September 20, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

California to sue Trump administration over plan for U.S.-Mexico border wall By Patrick McGreevy California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra plans to announce a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of the state that will challenge President Trumps proposal to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, a project Becerra has called medieval. Becerra is scheduled to travel to Border Field State Park near San Diego to announce that a lawsuit is being filed in federal court over construction of border wall projects in San Diego and Imperial counties. The lawsuit, which includes the California Coastal Commission as a plaintiff, states its purpose is to protect the State of Californias residents, natural resources, economic interests, procedural rights, and sovereignty from violations of the United States Constitution and federal law. It adds that the wall would have a chilling effect on tourism to the United States from Mexico. The states lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration has failed to comply with federal and state environmental laws and relied on federal statutes that dont authorize the proposed projects. The brief alleges the federal government violated the U.S. Constitutions separation-of-powers doctrine by vesting in the Executive Branch the power to waive state and local laws, including state criminal law.. The lawsuit also says the Department of Homeland Security decided to build the walls without complying with the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. As a result, the lawsuit alleges, the federal government lacks proper environmental analysis of the impact of 400-foot prototypes of the wall currently planned, as well as the 2,000-mile-long final wall. The Democratic attorney general has been critical of the wall for months, including in April during an appearance on ABCs This Week. Im still trying to figure out who believes that a medieval situation to fix our broken immigration system is what we need, Becerra said. He also accused Trump at the time of reneging on his promise to have Mexico pay for the wall. I think American taxpayers probably are very much aligned with Mexico. None of them, whether its Mexico or our taxpayers, wants to pay for a medieval wall, he said. This is the latest of more than two dozen lawsuits and legal briefs filed against the Trump administration by Becerra, who was appointed attorney general in January and is running for election to the post next year. He previously sued to challenge Trumps plans to end a program that protects young immigrants from deportation, ban immigration from some countries and roll back environmental laws. Last week, three advocacy groups sued the federal government to block construction of a border wall, alleging that the Trump administration overstepped its authority by waiving environmental reviews and other laws. The action by the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and Animal Legal Defense Fund seeks to prevent construction of wall prototypes in San Diego. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said last month that prototypes for a border wall may be completed by the end of October. Becerras lawsuit is the latest attempt by California Democrats to fight the wall proposal. A bill that would have banned state government contracts for any company that helps build the wall passed the state Senate, but stalled recently in an Assembly committee. Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) authored the bill, testifying at a committee hearing that the wall is another attempt to separate and divide us. It sends a message that we are better off in a homogenous society. Todd Bloomstine, a lobbyist representing the Southern California Contractors Assn., opposed the bill, asking the panel, What next unpopular project would be [on the] blacklist? Read the lawsuit >> UPDATE 8:30 a.m. This article was updated to provide additional details of the lawsuit. This article was originally published at 6 a.m. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Judge rules state used misleading language in summary of ballot measure to repeal California gas tax By Patrick McGreevy GOP Assemblyman Travis Allen, in red tie, with Democratic state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, left, and Charles Munger Jr., far right, in 2014. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A judge tentatively ruled Tuesday that the state-written title and summary of an initiative to repeal the recent gas-tax increases were misleading and should be rewritten by the state attorney generals office. The ruling by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley, scheduled to be finalized at a court hearing on Friday, was welcomed by the initiatives lead proponent, Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach). This preliminary ruling is a major victory for Californians, Allen, a candidate for governor, said in a statement. This brings us one step closer to repealing Jerry Browns hugely unpopular gas tax. I look forward to the final ruling on Friday, and ensuring that the Repeal the Gas Tax Initiative receives the straightforward ballot title and summary that it deserves. Judge Frawley agreed with Allens legal claims that the title and summary drafted by Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerras office is confusing, misleading, and likely to create prejudice against the proposed measure. The judge said the initiative would repeal taxes and fees approved by the Legislature this year, but the title and summary issued by the state makes it sound like it would eliminate transportation funding without using the words taxes and fees in the title. He ordered state officials to come to Fridays hearing prepared to discuss alternate language for the ballot measure. To avoid misleading the voters and creating prejudice against the measure, the Attorney General must prepare a true and impartial statement that reasonably informs voters of the character and real purpose of the proposed initiative in clear and understandable language, the ruling says. The existing circulating title and summary fails this test. If the judge finalizes the order after hearing arguments Friday, Allen can use the new title and summary to circulate a petition. Allen needs to collect 365,000 signatures from registered voters in 150 days to put the measure on the November 2018 ballot. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Gov. Jerry Brown: Trumps rhetoric about North Korea adds to non-rational bluster By Mina Corpuz (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) California Gov. Jerry Brown said President Trumps name calling and threats at the United Nations can get in the way of diplomacy and statesmanship. Earlier Tuesday, Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a Rocket Man on a suicide mission and said the United States may have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. It just raises the temperature and the exchange of non-rational bluster back and forth, Brown said in a interview with CNNs Jake Tapper. I dont think thats positive. Brown is in New York for some climate meetings related to the United Nations General Assembly. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Yes, dahlink: Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, widower of Zsa Zsa Gabor, is running for California governor By Phil Willon Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, widower of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, outside of the couples Bel-Air mansion in 2011. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, widower of the whimsical celebrity and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, is back. Von Anhalt has filed to run for governor of California  his second attempt after a short-lived campaign in 2010  saying hes fed up with seeing roads falling apart, people struggling to afford rent and an explosion of homelessness in the state. Ive lived in this city for 36 years. Ive never seen so many people eating out of a trash can in the Western world, Von Anhalt said Tuesday. We talk about Hollywood, and this being the entertainment center of the world. How is this possible? Von Anhalt, Garbors ninth and last husband, is running as an independent. He filed an official Candidate Intention Statement with the California Secretary of States office Monday, the first step in launching an official campaign. The 74-year-old Bel-Air resident, a German immigrant, said he has enough money to help support his own campaign. He said he dropped out of the 2010 governors race only because his wife became seriously ill. She died in December. She was the one  who wanted me run, Von Anhalt said. Von Anhalt also flirted briefly with a run for Los Angeles mayor in 2013, a race eventually won by Eric Garcetti. FOR THE RECORD 5:33 p.m.: An earlier of this post said Von Anhalt was age 71. He is 74. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Assemblyman urges other legislatures to join California in censuring President Trump By Mina Corpuz Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) speaks with Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A California lawmaker who authored a resolution to support a censure of President Trump sent letters to 49 other state legislatures Tuesday to urge them to join the effort. Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, a Richmond Democrat, sent the letters days after the Assembly became the first state legislative body to support a congressional censure of the president. California has spoken and we look to the rest of the nation to join us, Thurmond said in a statement. Its important that all our states unite and show that the United States of America stands against hate. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

After cap-and-trade vote, Assemblyman Chad Mayes faces a second Republican challenger for reelection By Patrick McGreevy Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley leaves the Assembly floor before resigning as Assembly Republican leader on Aug. 24. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) Former Palm Springs Police Chief Gary Jeandron on Tuesday became the second Republican to announce plans to challenge Assemblyman Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) in the 2018 election. Jeandron, a La Quinta resident, said he was angered over Mayes vote as Assembly Republican leader to support an extension of the states controversial cap-and-trade program, which requires businesses to buy permits to release greenhouse gas emissions. Jeandron saw the action as continuing a wrongful tax increase and said he is signing a no-tax pledge. I just dont believe [Mayes] has held Republican values, Jeandron told The Times. He has been blinded by ambition. He has been seduced by the governor. Mayes vote led to an outcry by Republican leaders, and he eventually succumbed to pressure to step down as leader of the Assembly Republicans. Mayes defended his position, telling colleagues during the floor debate, many of us believe that climate change is real and  we have to work to address it. Jeandron, who lost to Mayes in the 2014 election, joins San Jacinto City Councilman Andrew Kotyuk in planning to challenge Mayes for the 42nd Assembly District seat. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Republican John Cox tasted political defeat many times before launching his bid for California governor By Phil Willon Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox speaks to the Lincoln Club of Riverside County in June. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) Candidate for California governor John Cox is relatively new to the states politics, but Cox has run for office multiple times, and even tangled with Barack Obama on the debate stage when the pair ran in the 2004 Illinois U.S. Senate race. Neither candidate was considered their partys favorite. But things began looking up for Obama, of course, who won the Senate race and then the presidency. Cox dropped out before the GOP primary election. It was his third try for elected office in Illinois and his third defeat. Now hes back, this time in his new home of California, running for governor against a trio of Democratic heavyweights. Once again, Cox is a practical unknown. Once again, the Republican is in a left-leaning state reaching for a coveted political office. Once again, Coxs campaign is being fed by cash from his own bank account. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

After she was confronted by protesters, Pelosi says Democrats want a clean Dream Act  with no border wall By Jazmine Ulloa House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday said she understood the fear in young protesters who shouted her down at a San Francisco news conference, asking for a legal path to citizenship for themselves and their parents. Speaking at Sacramento State hours after the disruption, Pelosi said she agreed with the protesters, pointing to the Dream Act as only the first step to broader immigration reform. We are all disrupters ourselves, she said, standing next to fellow congressional Democrats. So we recognize it and respect it in others. At Sac State, @NancyPelosi on SF protests today: We are all disruptors ourselves. So we recognize it and respect it in others. #dacadeal pic.twitter.com/W1WKQikmsc  Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) September 19, 2017 Both press events were scheduled by Pelosi to discuss a legislative fix to help thousands of young people affected by President Trumps decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The Obama-era policy provided temporary status for 800,000 people brought to the country illegally as children. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York met with Trump last week after the termination of DACA was announced. In Sacramento, Pelosi said they had come to an agreement to a clean Dream Act, which would provide a path to permanent status for citizens who work, study or serve in the military, without tougher border enforcement or increased deportations. Meanwhile, Democrats are fighting with the president over the construction of a wall along the U.S-Mexico border. And House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin has made it clear he wants some kind of border security, Pelosi said. That is not under discussion, she said. We can discuss other issues, but we are not going to discuss how we protect the Dreamers. At Sac State, @NancyPelosi arrives to talk #DACAdeal and help for Dreamers. Elected officials from every level of government also present. pic.twitter.com/yoESsRC1Ok  Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) September 18, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Feinstein, who called for patience with Trump, lashes out over his attacks on Clinton By Sarah D. Wire Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said it was appalling and disgusting to see President Trump retweet a video edited to look like he hit former rival Hillary Clinton in the head with a golf ball. He continues to obsessively lash out at her  at his rallies, with his words and now through social media  in a manner that is utterly unbecoming of the president of the United States, Feinstein said in a statement Monday. Every one of us should be offended by the vindictive and candidly dangerous messages the president sends that demean not only Secretary Clinton, but all women. Grow up and do your job. Clinton is out with a new book about the campaign, and Trump has repeatedly used Twitter to deride her as a sore loser. He retweeted the animated GIF Sunday which shows him hitting a golf ball that then knocks down Clinton. Feinstein, who has yet to say whether shell run again in 2018, has walked a fine line with Trump in recent months. Shes criticized him at times, but drew ire from some progressive Californians last month when she called for patience in dealing with the president, saying that Trump could be a good president if he learned and changed. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

California lawmakers are building a wall against President Trumps policies By George Skelton California state legislators ended their annual session the way they began it  building a wall to protect undocumented immigrants from President Trump. Not an iron wall, as Trump promised to erect along the U.S.-Mexico border, but a legal barrier to prevent local police and sheriffs from teaming with the presidents agents to enforce federal immigration law. The legislators did a lot of other things, too, before adjourning early Saturday until January. They sent Gov. Jerry Brown bills to address Californias dearth of affordable housing, to borrow $4 billion for parks and waterworks, to spend $1.5 billion in greenhouse-gas pollution fees, to provide tuition-free community college for first-year students and to lift some secrecy from prescription drug pricing. Earlier in the session, the heavily Democratic Legislature passed its boldest, most controversial bill of the year: A $5.2-billion annual increase in fuel taxes and vehicle fees to finance transportation infrastructure, especially to repair crumbling highways. Republicans will attempt to repeal the bill at the ballot box in 2018. Brown says that borders on insanity. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Trump is riding a very dead horse on climate change, Gov. Brown says at New York conference By Ann Simmons (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press) Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday touted steps California has taken toward a healthier climate, but warned that powerful forces he called climate deniers are resisting technologies and policies designed to improve conditions. I like all the optimism around here, but I dont want to minimize the steep hill that we have to climb, Brown said at the start of a gathering of international leaders called Climate Week NYC. Decarbonizing the economy when the economy depends so totally on carbon is not childs play. Its quite daunting. Hosted by the Climate Group, an international nonprofit organization that works with business and government to promote clean technologies and policies, the event was scheduled to bring together high-profile governors, executives of Fortune 500 companies and leaders of multinational businesses for a week to share their strategies in tackling climate change. The discussions come amid concerns about global warming and after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma caused devastation in Houston, Florida and across parts of the Caribbean. Some scientists believe that warmer ocean waters caused by climate change are creating stronger storms. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Nancy Pelosi shouted down at DACA news conference for working with Trump By Sarah D. Wire Dreamer protesters have disrupted a Pelosi presser in CA, asking for protections for Dreamer & their parents: https://t.co/o3zGNJvblL  Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 18, 2017 More than four dozen immigration activists upset with Democrats for negotiating with President Trump shouted down House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at a San Francisco news conference Monday. We are not your bargaining chip, the crowd chanted at one point, according to KCBS News political reporter Doug Sovern. VIDEO: Chaos at @NancyPelosi #DACA event as 40+ undocumented hijack her news conf in SF: "We are not your bargaining chip! Let us speak!" pic.twitter.com/KC2WyrjqSy  Doug Sovern (@SovernNation) September 18, 2017 'All of us or none of us' Crowd takes over DREAM Act event. Pelosi getting blasted by about 100 young 'undocumented youth' pic.twitter.com/RgwnZ4dB3O  Evan Sernoffsky (@EvanSernoffsky) September 18, 2017 San Francisco Chronicle reporter Evan Sernoffsky said on Twitter that some in the group were yelling, All of us or none of us. Other reporters said the group chanted, Shut down ICE. Pelosi held the news conference to advocate for speedy passage of a legislative fix to the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country illegally as children. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York met with Trump last week after he announced an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The Obama-era program deferred deportation for some people brought to the country illegally as children. Pelosi and Schumer said their discussion with the president included the possibility of adding more immigration enforcement  which some immigration advocates are against  to legislation to address DACA. At the news conference, Pelosi first made remarks and introduced an immigrant in the country illegally, at which point the shouting began, according to a Pelosi aide. The group surrounded Pelosi, with some gesturing close to her face. She attempted to calm the crowd for about half an hour before leaving the news conference. The aide said the group was made up of local DACA beneficiaries. We need to have a conversation, but that was completely one-sided; they dont want any answers, Pelosi told reporters afterward, according to a transcript. Pelosi said the activists should be focused on Republican members of Congress, not Democrats. I understand their frustration, Im excited by it as a matter of fact, but the fact is theyre completely wrong. The Democrats are the ones who stopped their assault on sanctuary cities, stopped the wall, the increased deportations in our last bill that was at the end of April, and we are determined to get Republicans votes to pass the clean Dream Act. Is it possible to pass a bill without some border security? Well well have to see. We didnt agree to anything in that regard, except to listen, Pelosi said. UPDATES

1:06 p.m. This post was updated with more details throughout and quotes from Pelosi. This post was originally published at 12:12 p.m. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Democrats hopes of flipping seats in California are soaring, but it wont be as easy at it seems By Christine Mai-Duc (Associated Press / AFP/Getty Images) Democrats know they have to win at least a few seats in California if they want to regain control of the House in 2018. But though the energy and hopes of many Democratic activists here are soaring, flipping Republican-held seats here could be harder than it appears. There are a few bits of conventional wisdom that suggest Democrats have a long road ahead. For one, Republicans often turn out in greater numbers than their Democratic counterparts in midterm-election years. And even though Hillary Clinton won seven of the Republican-held districts Democrats are now targeting, past election data show voters there still lean much more conservative than other parts of the state. If past is prologue, says Rob Pyers, research director for the nonpartisan election guide California Target Book, Democrats will have a hard time picking up more than a couple of seats in California. With most voters unlikely to tune in until at least next spring, there are many factors that could affect the political calculus, including whether the California Republican Party will be able to field a competitive candidate for governor, or whether ballot initiatives such as a potential repeal of the newest gas tax hike will propel GOP voters to the polls. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

California will be the keeper of the nations future in the era of Trump, state Democratic lawmakers promise By Melanie Mason State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, from left, Gov. Jerry Brown and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press) Within a day of President Trumps election last November, Californias top Democratic lawmakers responded with a joint statement that contained an audacious promise. It was their state, not Washington, D.C., that would be the keeper of the nations future. An artistic rendering of that vow, with looping calligraphy and a roaring grizzly, is now on display in the offices of Senate leader Kevin de Leon and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. In the wake of Trumps win, the words seemed to be a sort of foundational document  Californias declaration of resistance. That pugilistic posture is often conveyed in shorthand: California versus Trump. But the ensuing legislative year, which ended Friday, revealed the messy reality of squaring up against the federal government. Its been challenging, De Leon (D-Los Angeles) said, bleary-eyed as he took a break during the final days of the session. You have to debate, you have to negotiate, you have to make your case, and I think at the end of the day, well still have the most far-reaching policy in the nation. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

California Politics Podcast: Lawmakers leave Sacramento after a busy year By John Myers From immigration issues to housing, some of the biggest debates of the Legislatures nine-month session happened at the very end. In governing, as in life, deadlines often make things happen. On this weeks California Politics Podcast, we take an early look at some of the most important decisions lawmakers made in the final few days of the 2017 session in Sacramento. That includes a landmark decision to intervene in the issue of illegal immigration, and to pass a long discussed package of bills to begin addressing Californias housing crisis. We also look at some of the broader political themes of the entire legislative year -- most notably, the effort by Democrats in the Legislature to provide a resistance to actions taken by President Trump. Im joined by Times staff writers Melanie Mason and Liam Dillon. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Passage of sanctuary state bill draws rebukes from Trump administration officials, praise in California By Jazmine Ulloa Supporters of state sanctuary bill SB 54 rally outside the Hall of Justice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) California lawmakers on Saturday passed a sanctuary state bill to protect immigrants without legal residency in the U.S., part of a broader push by Democrats to counter expanded deportation orders under the Trump administration. The landmark legislation by Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) would limit state and local law enforcement communication with federal immigration authorities, and prevent officers from questioning and holding people on immigration violations. But the bill sent to Gov. Jerry Brown drastically scaled back the version first introduced, the result of tough negotiations between Brown and De Leon in the final weeks of the legislative session. Its passage already is reverberating across the country. Trump administration officials have sounded off in opposition. And immigrant rights groups and some California law enforcement officials have come out in support of what they call a hard compromise. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Supporters unable to resurrect California clean-energy proposal on final day of legislative session By Chris Megerian Environmentalists rally in front of Assemblyman Chris Holdens office in Pasadena on Thursday. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Despite a last-minute push from environmentalists and actors from The Avengers, legislation that eventually would require all of Californias electricity to come from clean sources failed to advance this year. Facing opposition from unions and utilities, Assembly leadership refused to put the measure, SB 100, up for a vote on Friday, the final day of the legislative session. The decision to not move the bill this year is disappointing, said Kathryn Phillips, director of the Sierra Clubs California chapter. But we are committed to moving this policy next year. Theres no time to waste. The measure, written by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (
President Trump used variations of the word sovereign 21 times during Tuesdays 42-minute speech to the United Nations General Assembly, driving home his belief that countries, not international institutions like the U.N., will and should determine the fate of the world by pursuing their own best interests.

The speech offered the most fleshed-out definition yet of the Trump doctrine, a style of big-power nationalism that the president and his advisors have also labeled principled realism and America first. It brushed aside decades of American policy in favor of an approach that was dominant in the 1940s and 1950s.

The nation-state remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition, Trump declared. Our success, he said, depends on a coalition of strong and independent nations that embrace their sovereignty, to promote security, prosperity and peace for themselves and for the world.

Advertisement

The speechs emphasis on nationalism was consistent with Trumps campaign themes, but its assertive view of the U.S. role in the world broke sharply with some campaign rhetoric that suggested a more isolationist path.

It contrasted even more directly with the foreign policy approaches of his two most recent predecessors.

Gone was President Obamas focus on climate change and human rights, as well as his concern with the limitations of U.S. military force and emphasis on international organizations.

Instead, the speech featured a denunciation of Obamas nuclear accord with Iran and a repeated emphasis on the need for the U.S. to consider its own citizens before those of other nations.

You really are seeing America first campaign rhetoric being turned into a global strategy, said Frederick Kempe, president and chief executive officer of the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.

But the speech also drew a sharp contrast with the foreign policy approach of the last Republican president, George W. Bush, who justified his administrations invasion of Iraq in part by emphasizing the hope that removing dictatorial regimes in the Middle East would lead to the spread of democracy.

The defense of freedom requires the advance of freedom, Bush declared in one of his main foreign policy speeches.

Trump, by contrast, downplayed the idea that the U.S. should intervene to spread democratic systems worldwide.

We do not expect diverse countries to share the same cultures, traditions or even systems of government, Trump said. But we do expect all nations to uphold these two core sovereign duties: to respect the interests of their own people and the rights of every other sovereign nation.

As the speech showed, Trump accepts that rival powers like China and Russia will pursue their own goals, which will often run afoul of American values or even global norms. He treats relationships with those countries as transactional, aimed at serving security or economic goals. He thanked both Moscow and Beijing for help with sanctions against North Korea and avoided any criticism of either by name, making only oblique references to instability in Ukraine and the South China Sea.

Yet even as Trump preached a live-and-let-live philosophy with Americas most powerful rivals, he made exceptions for weaker ones. He made clear that his respect for sovereignty does not cover the behavior of smaller countries that he considers to be rogue regimes, employing his most bellicose rhetoric to threaten them with destruction and belittle their leaders. He directly and at length denounced North Korea, Iran and Venezuela and offered shorter criticism of Cuba.

Despite the audience of global leaders, the criticism of Venezuela and Cuba, in particular, were among several nods Trump made to his domestic political base. He branded North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as Rocket Man on a suicide mission as if he were insulting him during a campaign rally, called out loser terrorists, and boasted that the United States has done very well since election day last Nov. 8.

Trumps address left some in his audience filled with misgivings.

This was the wrong speech, at the wrong time, to the wrong audience, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom told the BBC.

Europeans who sit in Trumps nationalistic camp, however, were gleeful. Nigel Farage, an enthusiastic proponent of Brexit, the vote last year for Britain to depart the European Union, tweeted: Trumps UK approval ratings will go up significantly after this UN speech.

Trumps speech rejected Bushs argument that the best path to security involves promoting U.S.-style democratic systems around the world.

Bushs clearest expression of his foreign policy doctrine came in a speech at the National Defense University at Ft. McNair, a few miles from the White House, on March 8, 2005, where he offered a strong defense of U.S. intervention overseas.

Our strategy to keep the peace in the longer term is to help change the conditions that give rise to extremism and terror, especially in the broader Middle East, Bush said, adding that the region had been caught for generations in a cycle of tyranny and despair and radicalism.

Bush railed against decades of excusing and accommodating tyranny, in the pursuit of stability, but Trump, who has lavished praise on strongmen for their ability to contain extremists in their countries, said that economic prosperity would be the chief force leading to stability.

But like so much else in the Trump presidency, a bigger feature of his foreign policy is a direct assault on Obama.

The former president, along with some Republicans, like George H.W. Bush, saw the United Nations and other alliances as mechanisms to promote trade, restrain global conflict and underscore a sense of fair play that would keep rogue nations in line. In Obamas worldview, an occasional compromise of short-term interests was worthwhile to promote alliances and fight for the longer-term goal of enforcing international rules.

This administration takes exactly the opposite approach to that and probably the exact opposite approach to the people in that room, said James Carafano, a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation who advised Trump during the transition. Institutions are not what holds the world together. They are standing on what holds the world together.

Obama, in his foreign policy speeches, emphasized the importance of international institutions and the limitations on the United States ability to use its military to enforce its will.

Since World War II, some of our most costly mistakes came not from our restraint, but from our willingness to rush into military adventures  without thinking through the consequences, without building international support and legitimacy for our action or leveling with the American people about the sacrifice required, he said in his speech to the graduating class at West Point in 2014.

Obama said the U.S. should use the military when our core interests demand it, but warned against going it alone.

We cannot exempt ourselves from the rules that apply to everyone else, he said. I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being. But what makes us exceptional is not our ability to flout international norms and the rule of law; its our willingness to affirm them through our actions.

Trump, by contrast, spoke of an America that would not only act primarily in its own interest, but would also encourage others to do the same.

As president of the United States, I will always put America first, he said. Just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always and should always put your countries first.

That remark drew scattered applause in an audience split between internationalists and leaders of countries who have sought for decades to avoid U.S. scrutiny of their domestic and foreign behavior.

Staff writer Laura King contributed to this article.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman

ALSO

With a deadline approaching, Republicans last push to roll back Obamacare gains strength

Trump may strip protections from 10 national monuments

Dealing with Democrats? Protecting Dreamers? Here in Arizona thats just fine with these Trump supporters
The candidate was opposed to entrenched lawmakers doing favors for friends and sold himself as an anti-corruption reformer in favor of limited government. Was it the 2004 Illinois Senate race or the 2018 California governors race? For John Cox, it was both.

In the heat of the 2003 Illinois U.S. Senate primary, millionaire Republican businessman Cox stood on a debate stage in Chicago, butting heads with a little-known Democratic state senator named Barack Obama.

Neither candidate was considered their partys favorite. But things began looking up for Obama, of course, who won the Senate race and then the presidency. Cox dropped out before the GOP primary election. It was his third try for elected office in Illinois and his third defeat.

Advertisement

Now hes back, this time in his new home of California, running for governor against a trio of Democratic heavyweights. Once again, Cox is a practical unknown. Once again, the Republican is in a left-leaning state reaching for a coveted political office. Once again, Coxs campaign is being fed by cash from his own bank account.

And once again, Cox is running as a Ronald Reagan-style conservative espousing limited government, lower taxes and a strong national defense, and campaigning as a reformer who would take on Democratic leadership overrun with corruption.

When he announced his Senate run in 2003, Cox told the Chicago Tribune that he was going to end the politics of corruption and cronyism in Illinois.

Im sick and tired of political decisions being made because of some crony or because it moves money to some guy whos going to give you a political hand up, Cox said.

And when Cox announced his bid for California governor, he pressed on with the anti-corruption message.

Legislators are largely responsive not to the voters but to the funders and the lobbyists whose bills theyre going to vote on, Cox said. You couldnt have designed a system more fraught with temptation or ripe for reform.

Cox grew up on the south side of Chicago, the area that Obama represented an an Illinois state senator. His first view of politics was a bitter one that he saw through his single mother, a public school teacher.

My mom would come home at night and she would sit on the sofa and literally cry. Why? Because she had to deal with some of the worst principals you could ever imagine in the Chicago public schools, Cox said during a recent speech in Fresno. Why were they principals? Because they were friends of the [City Council member]. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is political corruption.

Cox went on to earn an accounting degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago and later graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technologys Chicago-Kent College of Law. The Illinois law firm he founded in 1981 specializes in tax law, estate planning and corporate law, and is worth upward of $200 million, he says.

In the mid-1990s, he was the chief financial officer of a Chicago snack food institution, Jays Foods, helping the family that started the company buy it back from food giant Borden Inc. and putting it back in the black, saving hundreds of jobs.

Ive hired people, Ive fired people. I fought the battle. I borrowed money. I dealt with agencies, Cox said. Now that doesnt make me a saint. Theres tons of other people who have done the same thing. But it does give me certain skills that allow me to look at a situation like California is in right now, and say, Hey, heres the things we need to do.

The silver-haired 62-year-old moved to the posh San Diego County enclave of Rancho Santa Fe about a decade ago, and now belongs to the New Majority, a group founded primarily by Orange County Republican business executives in order to nudge the state party away from social conservatives. In November, Cox voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, saying he harbored doubts about Donald Trump. Cox now says he backs Trump 100%.

But Cox still describes himself as a Reagan Republican, just as he did in the 2003 Illinois Senate primary during his multiple debates with Obama.

Cox offered a glimpse of his biggest clash with Obama in the 2012 San Diego Union-Tribune article My debate with Barack Obama. He was both gracious and self-effacing about their encounter, saying he was the one who stayed unknown, but true to form, he went after Obama as a big-government Democrat.

In an interview this summer, Cox didnt hesitate to take another ideological jab at the former president, styled in the spirit of Reagan.

He was a guy who parroted the line of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, a whole bunch of people, saying basically, Im going to have government give you everything, just give me your vote, Cox said. That sounds wonderful. It sounds compassionate. But its never worked.

In California, Cox has been crisscrossing the state interviewing with media outlets, hobnobbing with Republican clubs and speaking to GOP groups including the Tea Party California Caucus during its annual convention in Fresno in August. Cox also seems to be sticking to his anti-corruption message while following what has become standard practice for statewide candidates seeking exposure  sponsoring ballot measures.

Cox launched a ballot measure last year that would have required state legislators to wear the logos of their top donors when they appeared at official functions, similar to sponsor patches plastered on the uniforms of NASCAR drivers. That proposal failed to gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Cox is currently pushing a proposed ballot initiative to establish a neighborhood legislature that would add thousands of citizen legislators to the 80 Assembly members and 40 senators who make up the California Legislature. It would, Cox argues, squeeze money out of politics since candidates who would represent tiny neighborhood districts could easily campaign door to door instead of needing cash for television ads or mailers. Hes plowed $1 million into the effort, which is still in the signature-gathering stage.

To have even a remote shot in the governors race, Cox must find a way to persuade the vast majority of Republican voters to back him in the primary and give his GOP rival, Assemblyman Travis Allen, the brush-off. Even though the GOP trails far behind Democrats in voter registration in California, unified Republican voters might give Cox enough support to finish in the top two in the June primary. The top two primary finishers advance to the November general election regardless of their party affiliation.

They are the kind of daunting political odds Cox has faced multiple times. Before the 2004 Illinois Senate race in which conservative political commentator Alan Keyes eventually became the GOP nominee, Cox had already run for office twice against better-known Republicans  for Congress in 2000 and U.S. Senate in 2002. His best showing was in 2002, when he came in third in the primary.

John was a very serious candidate, and was very studious, said Andy Bloom, who worked as Coxs communications director for the 2003 primary race. But it never really felt doable. It felt like he was a guy who looked the part, knew the part and talked the part, but was just aiming too high.

GOP Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis, who ran against Cox in both Senate races, said hes baffled Cox has jumped into another long-shot race.

He must like to campaign a lot more than I do, Oberweis said. If I could give him any advice, it would be to run for state representative first. It doesnt help you to lose at a high level.

Cox, who has plunked $3 million into his campaign for governor, said he had no interest in being just one of scores of lawmakers in the California Legislature.

I dont want to have a career in politics, Ive got other interests in my life, Cox said. I didnt want to sit there and start at the bottom and work my way up.

A few years after their Senate run, Cox and Obama crossed political paths again in Iowa. Yes, Cox also ran for president.

That campaign was also short lived, but his name did appear on a few 2008 state primary ballots. Cox nabbed 39 votes in New Hampshire and 83 in South Carolina.

Obama, again, did a lot better.

phil.willon@latimes.com

Twitter: @philwillon

Updates on California politics
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
Trump Jr. to speak privately to Senate staff on Thursday

(Richard Drew / Associated Press)

President Trumps oldest son is expected to meet privately with a Senate committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, several senators said Wednesday.

Donald Trump Jr.'s appearance Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee would probably focus on a meeting he had with a Russian lawyer and others during the final stretches of last years campaign. Emails released in July show that Trump Jr. was told the session at Trump Tower in New York was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, the Republican nominee.

Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating that meeting, also attended by Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. A grand jury has heard testimony about it.

Trump Jr. has also agreed to appear in the coming weeks before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting its own investigation.

Separately, President Obamas national security advisor, Susan Rice, was meeting on Wednesday with the House Intelligence Committee, according to a person familiar with the interview. This person wasnt authorized to discuss the committees confidential work and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

That committee has subpoenaed the Justice Department and the FBI for documents related to a dossier of salacious allegations involving Trump and possible ties to Russia.

As for Donald Trump Jr., some Democratic senators said they planned to attend his session though tradition dictates that senators cannot ask questions at such interviews conducted by committee staff.

Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said they would be there. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) was considering it.

I go in with an open mind, Durbin said. I want to hear his answers to questions  there are plenty of questions  about the involvement of the Trump corporation as well as the Trump campaign with the Russians and other foreigners, and I just want to hear what Mr. Trump has to say.

Durbin said he would be shocked if questions werent asked about whether Trump Sr. knew about the Trump Tower meeting.

The critical part of his testimony will be following the financial dealing, Blumenthal said. He said he also wants to find out what Trump Jr. may know about potential obstruction of justice, adding there may have been conversations between the two about the firing of FBI Director James Comey and other matters.

Blumenthal and Coons said the private interview is no substitute for a public hearing, which the committee chairman, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), has promised will happen.

This meeting is far less important than his public testimony, under oath, before the American people, Blumenthal said.

Grassley would not say on Wednesday whether he would issue a subpoena for Trump Jr. if he refuses to testify publicly.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department is reviewing subpoenas from the House intelligence committee.

In a letter Friday that was obtained by the AP, the committee wrote that it had served subpoenas on Aug. 24 to the department and the FBI for documents related to the committees investigation of Russian meddling. The Justice Department and FBI had missed the original Sept. 1 deadline, so the committee extended the deadline to Sept. 14.

The letter was signed by the committee chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who stepped back from the Russia investigation this year after he was criticized for being too close to the White House. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) took over the leading role, but his name does not appear on the letter.

As chairman, Nunes retains subpoena power in the committee.

According to the letter, the original subpoenas requested any documents related to the dossier and sought information about whether the department was involved in its production.

If the documents are not produced, the committee is seeking to compel Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, who has withdrawn from investigations examining connections between Trump and Russia, and newly installed FBI Director Christopher Wray to testify in an open hearing. The committee issued two additional subpoenas to Sessions and Wray on late Tuesday.

Resort to compulsory process was necessary because of DOJs and FBIs insufficient responsiveness to the committees numerous Russia-investigation related requests over the past several months, the letter said.

If the committee is unable to obtain documents or testimony, Nunes wrote, the committee expressly reserves its right to proceed with any and all available legal options, including a House vote to hold Sessions and Wray in contempt.

The Justice Department confirmed it was reviewing the subpoenas but declined further comment.

The dossier attracted public attention in January when it was revealed that then-FBI Director Comey had briefed Trump, soon before he was inaugurated as president, about claims from the documents that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about him.

Its unclear to what extent the allegations in the dossier have been corroborated or verified by the FBI because the bureau has not publicly discussed it.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said Tuesday evening on MSNBC that the subpoenas were issued over the objections of Democrats. Schiff said Republicans are working harder to discredit those who compiled the dossier than to find out if the allegations in it are true. He said Republicans should be more focused on getting documents from the White House.

The subpoenas were first reported by the Washington Examiner.
A Newport Beach man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a scheme to traffic heroin from California to Louisiana.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson on Thursday sentenced Logan Brannon, 32, and three others charged in connection with the scheme, according to the U.S. attorneys office.

Six other people already had been sentenced in the case.

Brannon was three days into his jury trial in Louisiana when he pleaded guilty March 9 to conspiring to distribute heroin, distributing heroin and conspiracy to commit money laundering, authorities said.

He was one of 10 people indicted by a federal grand jury in 2015 following a years-long investigation into a drug-trafficking conspiracy involving the shipment of heroin from California to Baton Rouge, La.

The indictment alleged that the group conspired to distribute heroin that had been pressed to resemble oxycodone pills in California before they were shipped to Baton Rouge. When the pills arrived in Louisiana, they were distributed to mid-level drug dealers and ultimately sold to users in East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes, according to federal prosecutors.

According to a news release, Brannon admitted that between December 2013 and October 2015 he conspired with others in California and Louisiana to distribute thousands of pills that contained more than a kilogram of heroin.

By disguising heroin as oxycodone, the traffickers sought the higher street price paid for oxycodone, according to prosecutors.

During a three-month period in 2015, Brannon supplied more than 30,000 heroin pills for distribution in Baton Rouge, authorities said. Between July 2014 and April 2015, Brannon and others involved in the scheme also tried to conceal and disguise the source of the money they received from distributing the heroin, prosecutors alleged.

Our nations opioid crisis demands a strong response on all fronts and from all angles. Aggressively investigating and prosecuting heroin traffickers is one such front, acting U.S. Attorney Corey Amundson said in a statement. Dismantling this group is an important step.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
A Newport Beach man was sentenced to 180 days in jail for posing as a fire marshal and charging Orange County businesses for fraudulent inspections, prosecutors said Monday.

Brian Lee Carsten, 37, pleaded guilty Friday to five felony counts of extortion by force or threat, five misdemeanor counts of fraudulently personating fire personnel and one misdemeanor count of possessing a firearm in violation of a protective order, according to the Orange County district attorneys office.

In addition to the jail time, he was sentenced to three years formal probation and ordered to pay restitution.

Prosecutors said Carsten visited a car audio store in Huntington Beach in August 2016 wearing a uniform and identifying himself as a fire marshal. He charged the business $209 for his fraudulent work, dropping off a bill and receipt on Cal Fire letterhead, according to the district attorneys office.

Prosecutors said Carsten also did a fraudulent inspection at an Anaheim business in September 2016 and threatened the business with a citation if it didnt pay. He later received two payments of $209.

Later that month, Carsten did fake inspections of businesses in Santa Ana, prosecutors said.

He was arrested by Anaheim police.

bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @BradleyZint
The organizer of a demonstration that drew thousands to Laguna Beachs Main Beach last month says he has canceled an event scheduled for this weekend.

Johnny Benitez, leader of the group Onward America, formerly known as America First!, said in Twitter messages that he would not stage a demonstration at Main Beach on Sunday because he had received many death, rape and assault threats and was slandered by a media outlet.

It was being conflated as a Nazi/white supremacist rally despite the attendance of many legal Latinos and blacks, he said.

Benitez responded to questions from the Daily Pilot after another media outlet reported that a demonstration would be held Sunday in Laguna Beach. Benitez said he canceled the event weeks ago.

Asked to explain the Sept. 24 entry under the Upcoming events portion of his Facebook page, Benitez said his account was mass reported and deleted, so he could not remove the listing.

Last months America First! demonstration on Main Beach drew more than 2,500 people, including hordes of counter-demonstrators, some of whom claimed Benitez is a white supremacist and racist.

Four people were arrested, including one man who allegedly carried a knife, according to police. Officers also found pepper spray, sticks, poles, chains and metal pipes, according to a city staff report prepared for last weeks City Council meeting.

The council on Sept. 12 passed an ordinance that prohibits participants or others attending public demonstrations, rallies or protests at city beaches and parks from carrying items Laguna police consider weapons or capable of being used as weapons.

The ordinance took effect immediately.

Benitez claims in a video that his white advocacy has never been white supremacy. My white advocacy has been that we need to curtail the messages in academia that are training the white kids to hate themselves.

Benitez said he is planning an Oct. 22 demonstration that will focus on demanding justice and truth for Extortion 17 and Benghazi.

Extortion 17 was an Army helicopter the Taliban shot down in 2011, killing all 38 occupants, according to Air & Space Magazine, a news division of the Smithsonian Institution.

Benghazi refers to a coordinated attack against two U.S. government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012 by members of an Islamic militant group, killing four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya.

Benitez said he picked Laguna for demonstrations because the city was a Hillary Clinton campaign stop in her 2016 presidential run.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall met during filming of 1944s To Have and Have Not. They were married May 21, 1945, at the home of Bogarts close friend Louis Bromfield near Lucas, Ohio. Journalists greeted the couple upon their return by train to Pasadena.

This image by photographer L. Maxine Reams appeared on the front page of the Los Angeles Times Metro section the next morning. The accompanying story reported:

With four cartons of cigarettes under one arm and Lauren Bacall, the gal who revived whistling, clinging to the other, Humphrey Bogart stepped off the Santa Fe Chief at Pasadena yesterday convinced that married life is just what the doctor ordered.

Advertisement

Bogey called her darling and Bacall called him honey.

Each was wearing a gold link wedding band, which they exchanged at Louis Bromfields Ohio farm last Monday not long after the actors third wife, Mayo Methot, scuttled their stormy romance in a Las Vegas divorce court.

The tough guy abandoned his lissome 20-year-old bride to the mercy of photographers and reporters only long enough to make sure that the perspiring redcap didnt drop the package of imported Scotch cough syrup Bogey had brought along on the trip to treat snake bites, etc.

Their romance began when they were making a movie in which Bacall suggests to Bogart that in case he feels like a cold bottle of beer or a midnight snack, all he has to do is whistle.

Symbolic of this touching idyll was a tiny gold whistle attached to a gold slave bracelet that Bacall was wearing on her right wrist yesterday.

Blow it, requested an inspired photographer.

Shall I, honey? said Bacall, turning to her husband.

Oh, thats Van Johnson stuff, snapped Bogart, but go ahead and blow it.

She blew it.

Bogart tugged her arm and said, Come on, mamma, lets go home.

This post was originally published Dec. 11, 2011.

See more from the Los Angeles Times archives here
With nearly half of Myanmars Rohingya Muslim population having fled the country in the past three weeks, Aung San Suu Kyi addressed the crisis publicly for the first time  and called it a mystery.

We want to find out why this exodus is happening, Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmars governing party, said Tuesday in a nationally televised speech from the capital, Naypyidaw.

The reasons why more than 400,000 Rohingya have escaped over the border into Bangladesh have been well documented by human rights groups: The Myanmar army, responding to an Aug. 25 insurgent attack, is carrying out deadly clearance operations in the western state of Rakhine, shooting civilians as they flee and burning Rohingya villages to the ground. The United Nations top human rights official called it a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

Advertisement

But in a closely watched speech, Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who led the opposition to Myanmars former military rulers, defended the army that once kept her under house arrest for more than a decade.

She accused the international community of overlooking the other challenges facing Myanmar, an overwhelmingly Buddhist country also known as Burma, where an estimated 1 million Rohingya Muslims have long complained of persecution.

It is sad that in meeting our diplomatic community I am obliged to focus on a very few of our problems when there are so many which I think we can resolve together, Suu Kyi said in English, aiming her half-hour address at foreign diplomats and fellow Nobel laureates who have grown increasingly dismayed by the violence and her refusal to speak out in favor of the Rohingya.

It was a remarkable moment for Suu Kyi, who was once so isolated as a political prisoner that BBC radio broadcasts were her only link to the outside world. Now on the global stage, she appeared not as an icon of the struggle for democracy but as an embattled politician deflecting allegations of grave human rights abuses occurring on her watch.

Suu Kyi did not refer to the Rohingya by name, in keeping with the governments view that members of the ethnic and religious minority are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and not among the dozens of national ethnic groups officially recognized by Myanmar. Rohingya activists strongly dispute this, saying many families have lived in Myanmar for generations.

Suu Kyi said the great majority of Muslims in Rakhine state have not joined the exodus and invited international officials to visit the state to learn more from the Muslims who have integrated successfully.

More than 50% of the villages of Muslims are intact. They are as they were before the [Aug. 25] attacks took place, she said. We would like to know why.

By downplaying the Rohingyas plight, Suu Kyi dashed hopes that she would use her moral authority and tremendous popularity at home to push for an end to an army campaign that seems designed to drive the minority group out of the country for good.

This speech is very disappointing and could have been written by Myanmars military, said Ronan Lee, a Myanmar researcher at Australias Deakin University. This is more of the same from Aung San Suu Kyi, who calls for calm but fails to call out the military for the human rights violations they continue to commit in Rakhine state.

Human rights groups also questioned Suu Kyis claim that the army has carried out no operations in Rakhine since Sept. 5. Humanitarian workers and journalists in Bangladesh witnessed fires in Myanmar villages as recently as last week, and refugees have continued to stream across the border with accounts of soldiers burning their homes.

Richard Weir, a Myanmar researcher with the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch, said satellite sensors have detected dozens of active fires in Rakhine over the past two weeks. Northern parts of the state have been off-limits to outsiders.

Aung San Suu Kyis claim that security operations and clashes ended on Sept. 5 begs the question: Why were so many villages burned to the ground following that date? Weir wrote in an email from Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi: clearance operations/clashes ended 9/5. On 9/13 @hrw watched village burn. 2 mil trucks, soldiers present. https://t.co/RxAaxYxkyZ pic.twitter.com/9e5VFhQvQv  Richard Weir (@rich_weir) September 19, 2017

Human Rights Watch said Tuesday that an analysis of satellite imagery showed tens of thousands of homes across 214 villages had been destroyed. Myanmar military officials have alleged that Rohingya villagers and insurgents set fire to the homes, but Human Rights Watch and others say there is no evidence to support that claim.

The nongovernmental organization called on the United Nations General Assembly, meeting this week in New York, to condemn the Myanmar military campaign and urged the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions and an arms embargo against the army.

Suu Kyi skipped the U.N. gathering to deal with the crisis in Rakhine, which has generated worldwide outrage, much of it directed at her near-silence on the issue. The speech Tuesday was her first national address since Aug. 25, when an insurgent group calling itself the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Army attacked police and army posts in Rakhine state, killing about a dozen security personnel.

Those sympathetic to Suu Kyi say her hands are tied because, as part of Myanmars incomplete transition to democracy, the army still retains enormous power, including total control of security affairs and the civil service. They say she also risks alienating Myanmars Buddhist majority, including some who gathered to watch the speech in Yangon, the largest city, carrying placards that read, in English, We stand with Mother Suu.

Gleeful crowds outside Yangon's City Hall just before Aung San Suu Kyi's speech on #Rakhine. pic.twitter.com/COln9PdU8M  Coconuts Yangon (@CoconutsYangon) September 19, 2017

In August, a commission headed by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to evaluate the Rakhine crisis called on the government to end the enforced segregation of Buddhists and Muslims in the state, ensure access for humanitarian groups, revise citizenship laws that exclude the Rohingya and end restrictions on freedom of movement.

Suu Kyi said her government would act on the recommendations within the shortest time possible. But she also indicated that the government would allow refugees to return to Myanmar only if their citizenship could be verified. That would in effect keep out the stateless Rohingya, who are denied any legal status in Myanmar, have at various times had their documents confiscated by authorities, and fled to Bangladesh in most cases without collecting their belongings.

Many came only with the clothes on their backs, Weir said. How will those people be verified when they are presumptively considered illegal immigrants and have fled their homes carrying little or nothing with them?

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia

UPDATES:

8:40 a.m.: This article was updated with background on Suu Kyi appearing as a politician versus her previous role as an activist.

7 a.m.. Sept. 19: This article was updated with statements from Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and additional details.

This article was originally published at 9:50 p.m., Sept. 18.
A report published Tuesday highlighting the scourge of modern day slavery paints a stark picture.

We now have the largest number of slaves on Earth than weve had in human history, said Andrew Forrest, founder of the Walk Free Foundation, an organization working to end contemporary slavery and human trafficking which co-authored Global Estimates of Modern Slavery with the International Labor Organization, or ILO.

But we also feel equally as confident that we have the weapons now, we have the communications skills, we have the interest to raise it to public attention, Forrest said. As soon as the public becomes aware that slavery exists among them they can ask the question when theyre at the teller, or when theyre at the shops, or when theyre buying clothes, how can I be sure that this clothing, this seafood, this product wasnt made by slaves? And with that question frees a slave.

The report demonstrates the challenges of achieving the United Nations goal of combating forced labor, modern slavery and human trafficking in all its forms by 2025. But its not due to lack of trying, researchers said.

The thing about criminals is that they are incredibly inventive, said Fiona David, the Walk Free Foundations executive director of global research. So as one form of slavery becomes illegal or becomes very difficult to perpetrate, criminals really look for the weakest link and they find new ways to exploit vulnerability.

The report, supplemented by accompanying analysis by the ILO, examines different forms of forced labor, which it said occurred in every region of the world in 2016. The problem was the most prevalent in Africa, followed by Asia, the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, according to the report, which acknowledged that the results should be interpreted with caution due to the dearth of data from some areas, such as the Americas and Arab states.

According to the report, which also spotlights forced marriage, no single source provides suitable and reliable data for all forms of modern slavery.

The core statistics were based on national surveys involving interviews with more than 71,000 respondents across 48 countries, researchers said. It was supplemented with data from the International Organization for Migration that also partnered to produce the report, according to David.

The enslaved included people threatened or coerced into roles as domestic workers, on construction sites and farms, in clandestine factories and in the sex trade.

Heres a look at some of the disturbing numbers, which the report warned were conservative estimates due to the limitations of the data.

151.6 million

The number of children 5 to 17 years old who are in forced labor, according to International Labor Organization findings. By international standards, child labor is defined as work that is hazardous, demands too many hours, or is performed by children who are too young, the agency said.

Brothers Hekmat, 12, left, and Qudratulla, 9, as they work in a metal shop in Kabul, Afghanistan, where they help make water heaters and other metal items for $6 per week, in 2014 (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

89 million

The number of people who have experienced some form of slavery in the last five years. The average length of time victims were forced to work varied from a few days to five years. And one in four victims of modern slavery were children, the report found.

Slavery is a crime of opportunity, said Forrest, who is also chair of the Fortescue Metals Group, an Australian iron ore company. If youre in Bahrain and youre enslaving an African girl  because you think youre a higher species of human, youre in fact nothing more than the modern day slaver who used to ship Africans out of Africa to Europe and North America for blood money.

40.3 million

The estimated number of people who were victims of slavery in 2016. Of these, 25.9 million were men, women and children who were forced to work against their will last year.

Today, women and girls are predominantly being subjected to forced labor in domestic work and the sex industry, whereas men and boys are being subjected to forced labor in construction, in manufacturing and in fishing, said David, the researcher. And these are industries quite thoroughly regulated.

Meanwhile, 15.4 million people were confined to a marriage to which they had not consented. Most the enslaved are women and girls, who comprise 71% of the overall total of enslaved people.

People need to be aware that if they enslave a domestic servant, if they enslave a child, if they enslave a bonded laborer, they are nothing greater than the worst individuals who propagated slavery in the 18th century, Forrest said

African women aboard the Topaz Responder after a rescue operation of migrants and refugees off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea in 2016. The arrive in the hundreds every month. Many of them are destined for years of sexual slavery. (ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP / Getty Images) (ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP/Getty Images)

16 million

The number of people who were in forced labor in the private economy in 2016. Half of these men and women were in so-called debt bondage, in which personal debt is paid through forced labor, according to the report.

5.7 million

The number of children who were forced to marry. Among the child victims, 44% were forced to marry before they were 15 years old.

Child marriage and forced marriage is absolutely the domain of government and we should force governments to put an end to the practice, which absolutely meets every definition of slavery, Forrest said.

4.1 million

The average number of people in state-imposed forced labor last year. These included citizens recruited by government authorities to participate in agriculture or construction work for economic development, and young military conscripts.

Former fishing slaves who were rescued by the Indonesian government from the remote island of Benjina. Indonesia in 2016. (Margie Mason / Associated Press) (Margie Mason / AP)

3.8 million

The number of adults who endured forced sexual exploitation. In addition, 1 million children were victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The vast majority of those subjugated were women and girls.

So how to end this modern-day scourge?

Ridding the world of this blight would require a multifaceted a response, the report said, with solutions targeting economic, social, cultural, and legal factors.

There can be no one-size-fits-all solution, the report said.

Companies, governmental agencies and consumers must collaborate and take the lead, Forrest said.

I think that theres real hope in the world that slavery can come to an end with the united action of business and government, Forrest said. That is absolutely the solution.

ALSO:

Ivanka Trump leads U.S. condemnation of China and other countries for human trafficking

'Ruthless human smugglers' blamed for deaths of 9 people left in a truck in 100-degree Texas heat

Dozens of women and children rescued in human-trafficking sweep in California that nets 474 arrests
Describing the United States as a compassionate nation, President Trump on Tuesday told the United Nations General Assembly that America would continue to support refugees but said that he would rather they remain as close to their home countries as possible.

Out of the goodness of our hearts, we offer financial assistance to hosting countries in the region, Trump said in his address to the world body. This is the safe, responsible and humanitarian approach. For decades the United States has dealt with migration challenges here in the Western Hemisphere.

His comments struck a sour note with some human rights advocates who have criticized what they view as Americas retreat from helping the worlds most needy.

Advertisement

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times earlier this week, Melissa Fleming, chief spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, underscored the challenges facing the more than 65 million displaced people and 22 million refugees in the world.

The discussion has been edited for length and clarity.

The statistics are staggering. How do you get people to think about displaced people and refugees as more than just a statistic?

Theres a saying: statistics are human beings with the tears dried off. And beyond that  if you push out statistics and human beings are behind them, the result is that people just become numb. The problem just becomes too big. The other problem is that they can be manipulated to generate fear among populations and to garner votes.

So the best thing to do is to tell the individual stories behind those statistics, and all refugee stories are extremely compelling. They are harrowing survival stories and incredible stories of triumph of the human spirit and resilience.

So what are the kinds of stories that resonate when you speak to refugees?

One of the things I always ask refugees is, What did you take with you when the bombs were falling on your house, or the tanks were rolling into your neighborhood?

There was one story that I cant get out of my mind of a young Syrian teenager, who just graduated from high school in the city of Homs. I was speaking to him in his tent in Lebanon and asked him, What did you take? And then he got up and went to the other side of the tent and came back with this silk-covered package that he unraveled, and then presented me with his high school diploma.

He said, I took my high school diploma because my life depended on it. Without education I am nothing.

What refugees tell me is also that the worst thing about the refugee experience is losing control of your life, that you no longer are the director of your life. But what I find is, very often, if you help refugees a little bit, then they can take back that control and move on despite all of the trauma that theyve gone through. They just need a bit of help.

That bit of help could come from countries through resettlement. But the Trump administration is actually considering slashing resettlement numbers. What are the likely implications of such an action?

This is at a time when we have record numbers of refugees in the world, so were hoping that the U.S. will continue its leadership in humanity, because the people who are being resettled are the most vulnerable people  victims of torture, women whove been raped, children with medical conditions that cant be treated in the country where theyre being hosted.

Were hoping that the program will continue and that the U.S. will recognize that there is no more vetted person arriving in the United States than a refugee.

How do you dispel the fear that some people who want to do the U.S. harm may slip through as refugees?

The screening process is incredibly thorough. It starts with UNHCR that knows the case of each and every refugee. Our people on the ground have incredible knowledge and can cross-check a lot of the information. And once weve done our screening, the screening process restarts again with the country that has agreed to accept, unconditionally, this refugee, or this refugee family.

And the U.S. process is the most rigorous of any process in the world. It goes through many layers. And so we feel extremely confident that  these are people who are fleeing terrorism, not people who are bringing terrorism.

Whats your message to wealthy nations that have been criticized for shirking their responsibility for helping refugees?

The first message is recognize that 86% of the worlds refugees are in the developing countries, in poor countries. And those are the countries that need to be recognized for their humanity and also just the burden that theyre undertaking by hosting so many.

So support them and support them through development projects, infrastructure projects, and then support the humanitarian organizations  working on the ground to make sure the people fleeing war and persecution are not having to suffer so much again, that they have not just shelter over their heads but the ability to restart their lives  their children can go to school, the adults can receive therapy, and then they can rebuild their lives and move on.

Weve seen a backlash by some of these poor host countries that have their own challenges. Take Kenya, for example, that has threatened to close its refugee camps. Why should they continue to bear the burden of refugees? Can they?

We can understand that Kenya gets frustrated and that it doesnt feel like its generosity towards these refugees has been recognized as much as it should be by the international community. And when it sees that other richer countries that are taking in far, far fewer [refugees] are shutting their borders, then that does not send the right signal.

[But] were very hopeful. The world came together at the U.N. one year ago, united, to say we have to do more to help the worlds refugees, to respond to the worlds refugees, and to support the countries that are hosting them. So the pledges are there, but now we have to see this translated into more support for those countries, more support for UNHCR.

What are the durable solutions?

First of all, stop the conflicts that are driving so many people from their homes. Work to implement the [United Nations] sustainable development goals [a set of targets relating to future global development]  because if many of these goals were implemented you would not have the instability that leads to conflicts. Support the countries hosting so many refugees, but then also do your share through legal avenues like resettlement, like student scholarships. Take a meaningful proportion of refugees into your country in a regular way.

ann.simmons@latimes.com

For more on global development news, see our Global Development Watch page, and follow me @AMSimmons1 on Twitter

ALSO

Trump gives a forceful first address to U.N. General Assembly

U.N. General Assembly live updates

Human Rights Watch calls for U. N. General Assembly to condemn Myanmars military in Rohingya crisis
Editors note: Times journalists are annotating this speech. If you see a passage highlighted in yellow, you can click on it to see what we have to say about it. You can also highlight passages and leave your own comments.

In a forceful but highly unusual speech before the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, denounced loser terrorists and renewed hints he would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

Read Trumps full remarks, as provided by the White House, below:

***

It is a profound honor to stand here in my home city, as a representative of the American people, to address the people of the world.

As millions of our citizens continue to suffer the effects of the devastating hurricanes that have struck our country, I want to begin by expressing my appreciation to every leader in this room who has offered assistance and aid. The American people are strong and resilient, and they will emerge from these hardships more determined than ever before.

Fortunately, the United States has done very well since election day last Nov. 8th. The stock market is at an all-time high, a record. Unemployment is at its lowest level in 16 years, and because of our regulatory and other reforms, we have more people working in the United States today than ever before. Companies are moving back, creating job growth the likes of which our country has not seen in a very long time.

And it has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense. Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been.

For more than 70 years, in times of war and peace, the leaders of nations, movements and religions have stood before this assembly. Like them, I intend to address some of the very serious threats before us today, but also the enormous potential waiting to be unleashed.

We live in a time of extraordinary opportunity. Breakthroughs in science, technology and medicine are curing illnesses and solving problems that prior generations thought impossible to solve.

But each day also brings news of growing dangers that threaten everything we cherish and value.

Terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and spread to every region of the planet. Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terrorists, but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity.

Authority and authoritarian powers seek to collapse the values, the systems and alliances that prevented conflict and tilted the world toward freedom since World War II.

International criminal networks traffic drugs, weapons, people; force dislocation and mass migration; threaten our borders. And new forms of aggression exploit technology to menace our citizens.

To put it simply, we meet at a time of both immense promise and great peril.

It is entirely up to us whether we lift the world to new heights or let it fall into a valley of disrepair. We have it in our power, should we so choose, to lift millions from poverty, to help our citizens realize their dreams and to ensure that new generations of children are raised free from violence, hatred and fear.

This institution was founded in the aftermath of two world wars to help shape this better future. It was based on the vision that diverse nations could cooperate to protect their sovereignty, preserve their security and promote their prosperity.

It was in the same period, exactly 70 years ago, that the United States developed the Marshall Plan to help restore Europe. Those three beautiful pillars, they're pillars of peace: sovereignty, security and prosperity.

The Marshall Plan was built on the noble idea that the whole world is safer when nations are strong, independent and free. As President Truman said in his message to Congress at that time, our support of European recovery is in full accord with our support of the United Nations. The success of the United Nations depends upon the independent strength of its members.

To overcome the perils of the present and to achieve the promise of the future, we must begin with the wisdom of the past. Our success depends on a coalition of strong and independent nations that embrace their sovereignty, to promote security, prosperity and peace for themselves and for the world.

We do not expect diverse countries to share the same cultures, traditions or even systems of government. But we do expect all nations to uphold these two core sovereign duties: to respect the interests of their own people and the rights of every other sovereign nation.

This is the beautiful vision of this institution. And this is the foundation for cooperation and success. Strong, sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures and different dreams not just coexist, but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect. Strong, sovereign nations let their people take ownership of the future and control their own destiny. And strong, sovereign nations allow individuals to flourish in the fullness of the life intended by God.

In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch. This week gives our country a special reason to take pride in that example.

We are celebrating the 230th anniversary of our beloved Constitution, the oldest constitution still in use in the world today. This timeless document has been the foundation of peace, prosperity and freedom for the Americans, and for countless millions around the globe whose own countries have found inspiration in its respect for human nature, human dignity and the rule of law.

The greatest (sic) in the United States Constitution is its first three, beautiful words. They are "We the people." Generations of Americans have sacrificed to maintain the promise of those words, the promise of our country and of our great history.

In America the people govern, the people rule and the people are sovereign.

I was elected not to take power, but to give power to the American people where it belongs.

In foreign affairs, we are renewing this founding principle of sovereignty. Our government's first duty is to its people, to our citizens, to serve their needs, to ensure their safety, to preserve their rights and to defend their values.

As president of the United States, I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always and should always put your countries first.

(APPLAUSE)

All responsible leaders have an obligation to serve their own citizens, and the nation-state remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition.

But making a better life for our people also requires us to work together in close harmony and unity to create a more safe and peaceful future for all people.

The United States will forever be a great friend to the world, and especially to its allies. But we can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return.

As long as I hold this office, I will defend America's interest above all else. But in fulfilling our obligations to our own nations, we also realize that it's in everyone's interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure.

America does more than speak for the values expressed in the United Nations charter. Our citizens have paid the ultimate price to defend our freedom and the freedom of many nations represented in this great hall. America's devotion is measured on the battlefields where our young men and women have fought and sacrificed alongside of our allies, from the beaches of Europe, to the deserts of the Middle East, to the jungles of Asia.

It is an eternal credit to the American character that even after we and our allies emerged victorious from the bloodiest war in history, we did not seek territorial expansion or attempt to oppose and impose our way of life on others.

Instead, we helped build institutions such as this one to defend the sovereignty, security and prosperity for all.

For the diverse nations of the world, this is our hope. We want harmony and friendship, not conflict and strife. We are guided by outcomes, not ideology. We have a policy of principled realism rooted in shared goals, interests and values.

That realism forces us to confront the question facing every leader and nation in this room. It is a question we cannot escape or avoid. We will (sic) slide down the path of complacency, numb to the challenges, threats and even wars that we face, or do we have enough strength and pride to confront those dangers today so that our citizens can enjoy peace and prosperity tomorrow?

If we desire to lift up our citizens, if we aspire to the approval of history, then we must fulfill our sovereign duties to the people we faithfully represent.

We must protect our nations, their interests and their futures. We must reject threats to sovereignty, from the Ukraine to the South China Sea. We must uphold respect for law, respect for borders and respect for culture, and the peaceful engagement these allow.

And just as the founders of this body intended, we must work together and confront together those who threaten us with chaos, turmoil and terror.

The scourge of our planet today is a small group of rogue regimes that violate every principle on which the United Nations is based. They respect neither their own citizens, nor the sovereign rights of their countries.

If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph. When decent people and nations become bystanders to history, the forces of destruction only gather power and strength.

No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well-being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea. It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans, and for the imprisonment, torture, killing and oppression of countless more.

We were all witness to the regime's deadly abuse when an innocent American college student, Otto Warmbier, was returned to America only to die a few days later. We saw it in the assassination of the dictator's brother using banned nerve agents in an international airport. We know it kidnapped a sweet 13-year-old Japanese girl from a beach in her own country to enslave her as a language tutor for North Korea's spies.

If this is not twisted enough, now North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life. It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict.

No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles.

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

The United States is ready, willing and able. But hopefully, this will not be necessary.

That's what the United Nations is all about. That's what the United Nations is for. Let's see how they do.

It is time for North Korea to realize that the denuclearization is its only acceptable future.

The United Nations Security Council recently held two unanimous 15-to-nothing votes adopting hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea. And I want to thank China and Russia for joining the vote to impose sanctions, along with all of the other members of the Security Council. Thank you to all involved.

But we must do much more. It is time for all nations to work together to isolate the Kim regime until it ceases its hostile behavior.

We face this decision not only in North Korea. It is far past time for the nations of the world to confront another reckless regime, one that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing death to America, destruction to Israel and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room.

The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy. It has turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos.

The longest suffering victims of Iran's leaders are, in fact, its own people. Rather than use its resources to improve Iranian lives, its oil profits go to fund Hezbollah and other terrorists that kill innocent Muslims and attack their peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbors.

This wealth, which rightly belongs to Iran's people, also goes to shore up Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship, fuel Yemen's civil war and undermine peace throughout the entire Middle East.

We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles. And we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program.

(APPLAUSE)

The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it, believe me.

It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction. It is time for the regime to free all Americans and citizens of other nations that they have unjustly detained. And above all, Iran's government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors.

The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran's people are what their leaders fear the most. This is what causes the regime to restrict internet access, tear down satellite dishes, shoot unarmed student protesters and imprison political reformists.

Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the people will face a choice: Will they continue down the path of poverty, bloodshed and terror, or will the Iranian people return to the nation's proud roots as a center of civilization, culture and wealth, where their people can be happy and prosperous once again?

The Iranian regime's support for terror is in stark contrast to the recent commitments of many of its neighbors to fight terrorism and halt its finance.

In Saudi Arabia early last year, I was greatly honored to address the leaders of more than 50 Arab and Muslim nations. We agreed that all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and the Islamic extremism that inspires them.

We will stop radical Islamic terrorism, because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation, and indeed, to tear up the entire world. We must deny the terrorists safe haven, transit, funding and any form of support for their vile and sinister ideology. We must drive them out of our nations.

It is time to expose and hold responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like Al Qaida, Hezbollah, the Taliban and others that slaughter innocent people.

The United States and our allies are working together throughout the Middle East to crush the loser terrorists and stop the reemergence of safe havens they use to launch attacks on all of our people.

Last month, I announced a new strategy for victory in the fight against this evil in Afghanistan. From now on, our security interests will dictate the length and scope of military operations, not arbitrary benchmarks and timetables set up by politicians. I have also totally changed the rules of engagement in our fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups.

In Syria and Iraq, we have made big gains toward lasting defeat of ISIS. In fact, our country has achieved more against ISIS in the last eight months than it has in many, many years combined. We seek the deescalation of the Syrian conflict and a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people.

The actions of the criminal regime of Bashar al-Assad, including the use of chemical weapons against his own citizens, even innocent children, shocked the conscience of every decent person. No society can be safe if banned chemical weapons are allowed to spread. That is why the United States carried out a missile strike on the air base that launched the attack.

We appreciate the efforts of the United Nations agencies that are providing vital humanitarian assistance in areas liberated from ISIS. And we especially thank Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for their role in hosting refugees from the Syrian conflict.

The United States is a compassionate nation, and has spent billions and billions of dollars in helping to support this effort. We seek an approach to refugee resettlement that is designed to help these horribly treated people, and which enables their eventual return to their home countries to be part of the rebuilding process.

For the cost of resettling one refugee in the United States, we can assist more than 10 in their home region. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we offer financial assistance to hosting countries in the region, and we support recent agreements of the G-20 nations that will seek to host refugees as close to their home countries as possible. This is the safe, responsible and humanitarian approach.

For decades, the United States has dealt with migration challenges. Here in the Western Hemisphere, we have learned that over the long term uncontrolled migration is deeply unfair to both the sending and the receiving countries.

For the sending countries, it reduces domestic pressure to pursue needed political and economic reforms, and drains them of the human capital necessary to motivate and implement those reforms.

For the receiving countries, the substantial costs of uncontrolled migration are borne overwhelmingly by low-income citizens whose concerns are often ignored by both media and government.

I want to salute the work of the United Nations in seeking to address the problems that cause people to flee from their homes. The United Nations and African Union led peacekeeping missions to have invaluable contributions in stabilizing conflicts in Africa.

The United States continues to lead the world in humanitarian assistance, including famine prevention and relief in South Sudan, Somalia, and northern Nigeria and Yemen. We have invested in better health and opportunity all over the world, through programs like PEPFAR, which funds AIDS relief; the President's Malaria Initiative; the Global Health Security Agenda; the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery; and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, part of our commitment to empowering women all across the globe.

We also thank...

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you. We also thank the secretary general for recognizing that the United Nations must reform if it is to be an effective partner in confronting threats to sovereignty, security and prosperity.

Too often, the focus of this organization has not been on results, but on bureaucracy and process. In some cases, states that seek to subvert this institution's noble ends have hijacked the very systems that are supposed to advance them.

For example, it is a massive source of embarrassment to the United Nations that some governments with egregious human rights records sit on the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The United States is one out of 193 countries in the United Nations, and yet we pay 22 percent of the entire budget and more. In fact, we pay far more than anybody realizes.

The United States bears an unfair cost burden. But, to be fair, if it could actually accomplish all of its stated goals, especially the goal of peace, this investment would easily be well worth it.

Major portions of the world are in conflict, and some, in fact, are going to Hell. But the powerful people in this room, under the guidance and auspices of the United Nations, can solve many of these vicious and complex problems.

The American people hope that one day soon the United Nations can be a much more accountable and effective advocate for human dignity and freedom around the world.

In the meantime, we believe that no nation should have to bear a disproportionate share of the burden militarily or financially. Nations of the world must take a greater role in promoting secure and prosperous societies in their own regions.

That is why, in the Western Hemisphere, the United States has stood against the corrupt, destabilizing regime in Cuba and embraced the enduring dream of the Cuban people to live in freedom.

My administration recently announced that we will not lift sanctions on the Cuban government until it makes fundamental reforms.

We have also imposed tough, calibrated sanctions on the socialist Maduro regime in Venezuela, which has brought a once-thriving nation to the brink of total collapse.

The socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the good people of that country. This corrupt regime destroyed a prosperous nation by imposing a failed ideology that has produced poverty and misery everywhere it has been tried. To make matters worse, Maduro has defied his own people, stealing power from their elected representatives to preserve his disastrous rule.

The Venezuelan people are starving and their country is collapsing. Their democratic institutions are being destroyed. This situation is completely unacceptable, and we cannot stand by and watch. As a responsible neighbor and friend, we and all others have a goal. That goal is to help them regain their freedom, recover their country and restore their democracy.

I would like to thank leaders in this room for condemning the regime and providing vital support to the Venezuelan people.

The United States has taken important steps to hold the regime accountable. We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people.

We are fortunate to have incredibly strong and healthy trade relationships with many of the Latin American countries gathered here today. Our economic bond forms a critical foundation for advancing peace and prosperity for all of our people and all of our neighbors.

I ask every country represented here today to be prepared to do more to address this very real crisis. We call for the full restoration of democracy and political freedoms in Venezuela.

(APPLAUSE)

The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented.

(APPLAUSE)

From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems.

America stands with every person living under a brutal regime. Our respect for sovereignty is also a call for action. All people deserve a government that cares for their safety, their interests and their well-being, including their prosperity.

In America, we seek stronger ties of business and trade with all nations of goodwill. But this trade must be fair and it must be reciprocal. For too long, the American people were told that mammoth multinational trade deals, unaccountable international tribunals and powerful global bureaucracies were the best way to promote their success.

But as those promises flowed, millions of jobs vanished and thousands of factories disappeared. Others gamed the system and broke the rules. And our great middle class, once the bedrock of American prosperity, was forgotten and left behind. But they are forgotten no more and they will never be forgotten again.

While America will pursue cooperation and commerce with other nations, we are renewing our commitment to the first duty of every government, the duty of (sic) our citizens. This bond is the source of America's strength and that of every responsible nation represented here today. If this organization is to have any hope of successfully confronting the challenges before us, it will depend, as President Truman said some 70 years ago, on the independent strength of its members. If we are to embrace the opportunities of the future and overcome the present dangers together, there can be no substitute for strong, sovereign and independent nations; nations that are rooted in their histories and invested in their destinies; nations that seek allies to befriend not enemies to conquer, and most important of all, nations that are home to patriots, to men and women who are willing to sacrifice for their countries, their fellow citizens and for all that is best in the human spirit.

In remembering the great victory that led to this body's founding, we must never forget that those heroes who fought against evil, also fought for the nations that they loved. Patriotism led the Poles to die to save Poland, the French to fight for a free France, and the Brits to stand strong for Britain.

Today, if we do not invest ourselves, our hearts and our minds in our nations, if we will not build strong families, safe communities and healthy societies for ourselves, no one can do it for us. We cannot wait for someone else, for faraway countries or far off bureaucracies. We can't do it.

We must solve our problems to build our prosperity, to secure our future, or we will build vulnerable to decay, domination and defeat.

The true question for the United Nations today, for people all over the world who hope for better lives for themselves and their children, is a basic one: Are we still patriots? Do we love our nations enough to protect their sovereignty and to take ownership of their futures? Do we revere them enough to defend their interests, preserve their cultures and ensure a peaceful world for their citizens?

One of the greatest American patriots, John Adams, wrote that the American Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people. That was the moment when America awoke, when we looked around and understood that we were a nation. We realized who we were, what we valued and what we would give our lives to defend. From its very first moments, the American story is the story of what is possible when people take ownership of their future.

The United States of America has been among the greatest forces for good in the history of the world and the greatest defenders of sovereignty, security and prosperity for all. Now we are calling for a great reawakening of nations, for the revival of their spirits, their pride, their people and their patriotism.

History is asking us whether we are up to the task. Our answer will be a renewal of will, a rediscovery of resolve and a rebirth of devotion. We need to defeat the enemies of humanity and unlock the potential of life itself. Our hope is a word and world (sic) of proud, independent nations that embrace their duties, seek friendship, respect others and make common cause in the greatest shared interest of all, a future of dignity and peace for the people of this wonderful Earth.

This is the true vision of the United Nations, the ancient wish of every people and the deepest yearning that lives inside every sacred soul.

So let this be our mission and let this be our message to the world: We will fight together, sacrifice together and stand together for peace, for freedom, for justice, for family, for humanity and for the almighty god who made us all.

Thank you. God bless you. God bless the nations of the world. And God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much.

(APPLAUSE)

END

ALSO

Trump gives a forceful first address to U.N. General Assembly

Will Kim Jong Un be deterred by Trump's threat?

Trump, a United Nations foe during his campaign, offers nuanced praise
The nuclear threat from North Korea and the plight of Myanmar's minority Muslims are among the many intractable challenges confronting world leaders as they begin high-level talks at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

President Trump , who makes his debut before the world body at 10:30 a.m., is attracting much of the attention from diplomats anxious to know what his "America first" approach will mean for international institutions and alliances that have been a bedrock of U.S. foreign policy for decades.

Trump has made his disdain known for what he regards as a bloated U.N. bureaucracy that relies too heavily on the generosity of the U.S. And his administration has staked out positions that are at odds with the U.N. on key issues such as climate change and the deal to curb Irans nuclear program .

But he is one of more than 100 heads of state and government expected to deliver speeches and take part in the meetings this week at U.N. headquarters in New York. Here are some of the issues that are expected to take up a majority of their attention:

Live updates: The U.N. and world await Donald Trump's first assembly 

North Korea

North Korea's reclusive leader, Kim Jong Un , has remained unfazed by successive rounds of U.N. sanctions and a chorus of international condemnation for his recent nuclear and missile tests. Trump has warned that he will bring fire and fury against the country if it continues to threaten the U.S. But experts see few good military or diplomatic options to rein in the rogue nation. A delegation from Pyongyang is scheduled to be at the U.N. this week, although Kim is skipping the annual gathering. So is Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kim's top ally.

A photo from North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency is said to show an intermediate-range strategic ballistic rocket lifting off near Pyongyang on Aug. 29, 2017. (Korean Central News Agency / AFP/Getty Images) (Korean Central News Agency / AFP/Getty Images)

Global warming

The gathering comes at a time of mounting concern about the effects of global warming. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has made implementation of a landmark climate agreement reached in Paris in 2015 a priority, telling reporters last week that recent hurricanes and flooding remind us that extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent and severe due to climate change. But Trump has said the U.S. will pull out of the deal unless terms are reached that he considers more favorable to American economic interests.

Emissions rise from a factory at Broadwater in far northern New South Wales, Australia. (Dave Hunt / European Pressphoto Agency) (Dave Hunt / European Pressphoto Agency)

Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims

More than 400,000 minority Muslims have streamed out of Myanmar in recent weeks, fleeing a violent military crackdown that followed insurgent attacks on military posts. The U.N.s top human rights official has branded the bloodshed a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, but the response from the Security Council has been muted. Aung San Suu Kyi , the Nobel Peace laureate who is leading Myanmars first civilian government after a half-century of military rule, canceled plans to attend this year's General Assembly.

Rohingya refugees cross into the mainland after arriving in Bangladesh. (Allison Joyce / Getty Images) (Allison Joyce / Getty Images)

Iran's nuclear program

Trump has also threatened to tear up the Iran nuclear disarmament accord negotiated by President Obama and other world leaders in 2015. Although the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has found that Iran is complying with the restrictions imposed, the administration has argued that the Islamic Republic is violating the "spirit" of the deal. The parties that negotiated with Iran  Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.S.  are scheduled to meet Wednesday on the sidelines of the General Assembly. But there are no plans for Trump to sit down with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani , who will also be in New York.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends an interview with state-run TV at the presidency office in Tehran. (The office of the Iranian Presidency / Associated Press) (The office of the Iranian Presidency / Associated Press)

alexandra.zavis@latimes.com

Twitter: @alexzavis
Netanyahu would like to pull back the Iran nuclear agreement. But will he get what he wants?

President Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

With his eye on domestic politics, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to New York this week hoping to return home with a promise that the U.S. president will attempt to modify the 2015 deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program, Israeli sources said.

Netanyahu was also hoping to avoid the subject of peace talks with the Palestinians.

But the Israeli and American leaders seemed to come to their meeting Monday in New York, their third encounter this year, with different agendas.

Trump has until Oct. 15 to notify Congress whether Iran is living up to its commitments under the deal, which was spearheaded by President Obama in an attempt to curb Iranian nuclear ambitions. Netanyahu is an implacable opponent of the agreement, and Trump is certainly no proponent  as a presidential candidate, he termed it a terrible deal.

But even if the United States were to pull out of the pact, any modification would require an agreement from the other five signatories, which include China, Russia, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

Trump on Monday seemed eager to change the subject.

We are going to discuss peace between Israel and the Palestinians; it will be a fantastic achievement, Trump said during a brief media event before meeting privately with Netanyahu for an hour.

We are giving it [an] absolute go  there is a good chance it could happen. Most people would say there is no chance whatsoever, but I think that with the ability of Bibi and the other side  I really think we have a chance, Trump said, using Netanyahus nickname.

In a manner of a response to the president, the prime minister said, Peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and peace between Israel and the Arab world, go together.

It is a formulation Netanyahu uses often, implying there can be no peace negotiations with the Palestinians until Israel is recognized by the Arab world as a whole.

Despite this position, Netanyahu has by and large ignored the Arab Peace Initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia that would normalize ties between Arab states and Israel in exchange for a total Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, which Israel has ruled since 1967.

Haaretz reported from New York that Netanyahu and his staff have insisted in recent days that his meeting with Trump would focus on Iran, and he seemed a bit surprised by the presidents remarks.

Israeli political analyst Ron Ben-Yishai suggested that Netanyahus demand was no more than Israeli spin.

In the current state of affairs, theres absolutely no chance the nuclear agreement with Iran would be cancelled, and theres no chance the United States would walk away from the agreement, he wrote on the Ynet website. Theres a simple reason for that: None of the countries and international organizations that signed the agreement have an interest in violating it.

Trump said he expected to have a response regarding Iran very soon.
The earthquake struck at the height of morning rush hour, toppling buildings, igniting fires and leaving residents panicked in the streets.

It happened 32 years ago, exactly. On Sept. 19, 1985, a 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the southwest coast of Mexico, jolting the capital city and small towns throughout the country. At least 4,200 people died  possibly many more  and hundreds of thousands were left homeless.



For the record: An earlier version of this article said the 1985 earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8. The magnitude was 8.0.

Chaos again erupted in Mexico on Tuesday, the anniversary of the 1985 temblor, when a 7.1 earthquake hit the country, killing at least several dozen.

Advertisement

The irony was not lost, nor the sense of remembered panic, as frightened residents in Mexico City raced out of their homes and stood in the streets, terrified to go back inside.

The earthquake in 1985 hit Mexico City especially hard. At General Hospital, near the citys central core, more than 250 people died when a tower on the building collapsed.

At the time, President Miguel de la Madrid went on the radio to appeal for calm.

Above all, the first priority is to save human lives, de la Madrid told listeners. Unfortunately, there appear to be many dead. All of the hospitals are on a state of alert to take care of the injured. The army is on a state of alert.

Howard L. Lester, an amateur radio operator in Schenectady, N.Y., reported that he had monitored a transmission between a Mexico City operator and another in Tucson, Ariz.

Speaking in English, the Mexico City operator said:

This is no joke.  We have only one radio channel left. Its a government channel. Were trying to get it working so we can tell the world what is happening.

In the hours after the earthquake, 10 aftershocks hit Mexico City as streets were blocked with debris and medical personnel trying to help those trapped.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee
The World Bank's private sector division could raise $1bn to buy minority stakes in companies, says Irene Arias, the IFC's director for Latin America and the Caribbean
Twenty years after they first discussed merging, Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown and St. Luke's University Health Network on Tuesday announced this time the deal was going forward.

The Allentown hospital will become part of St. Luke's network, the medical providers announced at Sacred Heart hospital at 421 W. Chew St. in Allentown. The name -- which will include Sacred Heart in it -- is still being worked on.

"The main change will just be the resources, and a very large, incredibly large system to expand that mission," said John Nespoli, president and CEO of Sacred Heart.

Sacred Heart includes the hospital and 10 family practices, and about 1,000 employees.

St. Luke's CEO Rick Anderson said the two sides discussed a merger in 1997, right after St. Luke's bought the osteopathic center at 17th and Hamilton streets in Allentown.

"They decided they wanted to stay independent," Anderson said of Sacred Heart officials at the time.

Fast forward to this past April, when Sacred Heart was looking for proposals from possible partners. The Catholic nonprofit founded in 1912 put feelers out and heard back from nine providers, Nespoli said.

Nespoli would not say who the other suitors were, but Anderson said he heard Lehigh Valley Health Network was in negotiations with Sacred Heart.

Anderson said Nespoli gave him a call and again broached the idea of the two sides merging.

This time, it stuck.

The Allentown hospital had four goals in the partnership, Nespoli said: remain a charitable organization; have a partner willing to invest and expand the hospital's mission; expanded opportunities for employees and staff; and allowing the hospital to remain a faith-based Catholic organization.

Nespoli said remaining a Catholic hospital was important, and that if a partner wouldn't guarantee that, "It would have been a deal breaker."

Anderson said the downtown Allentown hospital offers "significant opportunities. Not problems, opportunities."

"We'll, together, be able to extend care. It won't be easy. Nothing is easy," Anderson said. "The mainstay is to keep healthcare local."

The merger will now go before regulators for approval, including the state attorney general's office, which officials said should take between three to six months. They are hopeful the deal is signed, sealed and delivered by the beginning of 2018.

The announcement caps a flood of news for St. Luke's, including a $100 million addition to the Anderson campus just approved by Bethlehem Township commissioners on Monday, and a merger with Blue Mountain Health System in Carbon County announced last week.

The mergers both bring risks for the health network; Sacred Heart had an operating loss of $10 million and Lehighton's was $2 to $3 million, Anderson said.

Nespoli said of the 2 percent operating loss last year, "we're climbing out of that. It was a warning sign." The hospital has a budget of $115 million, and had a balanced budget for several years before hitting a deficit in August 2016.

"We believed we could fix it," and have, Nespoli said, but "It was clear that the handwriting was on the wall."

In addition to sharing doctors and staff, and bringing Sacred Heart employees under St. Luke's medical insurance, the merger will include a capital plan for improvements. Anderson and Nespoli didn't want to talk about specifics, but Anderson said it would include improvements to the hospital's parking deck and the possibility of urgent care centers to take some of the strain off of the Allentown hospital.

Nespoli called it a high-level improvement and investment plan.

"It far exceeds what our inner city hospital can do on our own," he added.

Asked about any risks so much growth may put on St. Luke's, Anderson said he wasn't worried.

"What it is, I stay focused. Is it a reach? Is it a tough, gig? Yeah," he said, but the moves will enhance the health network. St. Luke's officials are prepared for operating losses in the first few years of taking on the new hospitals.

Talk of growing health care providers also brought up Lehigh Valley Health Network, a direct competitor for St. Luke's.

"Competition makes you better. They're a very fine institution at what they do. They made us better," Anderson said. But looking at the two, Anderson said St. Luke's growth has been more "organic."

"We haven't decided we're going to get to a certain size," he said.

With sales and mergers of medical providers increasing across the country, is St. Luke's up for sale?

"No. Absolutely not," Anderson said.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Months after trying to reinvent itself as a cafe, Hometown Heroes on Goepp Street in Bethlehem has closed.

Over the summer, the popular neighborhood bar and restaurant switched over to a cafe serving breakfast and lunch. The cafe was renamed Hometown Heroes Stars and Bars Cafe.

But that seems to have been short lived.

Signs posted in the windows of the restaurant at 310 E. Goepp St. indicate that the eatery is now closed for good. The building and/or the business is posted for sale, according to the signs.

A man who answered the number listed in the window confirmed the closing, but said he had no further statement.

Hometown Heroes opened 13 years ago offering customers a cozy neighborhood bar with elevated bar food made fresh. The wings were awesome and the sandwiches massive.

The cafe transformed over the summer into a cafe with a seat at the front window. The bar became a pastry case but its superhero decorations remained.

At the time, owner Paul Schirripa told The Morning Call that his bar business had fallen off, but his food was still popular, so he opted to make a change. He cited changes to state liquor laws that have made alcohol more accessible and the rise of nightlife options on the South Side as factors that hurt his bar business.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A Centenary University student recently was awarded a rainbow scholarship from the Pride of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

Abraham Rexrode of Phillipsburg, a senior in the university's English creative writing program, was recommended for the $750 scholarship by two professors after he took a leadership role in the Centenary community. Educators included Sharon Decker, associate professor of English and chairwoman of the English and Foreign Languages department, and Robert Battistini, associate professor of English.

Decker described Rexrode as a student who quickly moved up the ranks in various clubs and organizations offered by the university. Among several initiatives, Rexrode serves as editor-in-chief of the school's literary magazine and oversees "RW," Centenary's student-led creative writing group.

He also is the co-host of a broadcasted show titled, "Lines & Lyrics" and active member of "I Am", a group on campus that explores issues of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Queer (LGBTQQ) rights and awareness. Additionally, he is a member of the International English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta.

"Abe fit in seamlessly in the English Department, motivating students to get involved, and more importantly, encouraging people to broaden their perspectives," he said.

Rexrode recently was a speaker at the LGBTQ+ Coalition at Lafayette College entitled, "TRANSforming Art: Life as a TRANS Artist" and read a collection of self-written poems about being transgender titled, "Creating a Man" at the Sigma Tau Delta's National Conference in Louisville. At that conference, Rexrode won Honorable Mention in the Original Poetry category.

Rexrode has upcoming plans to speak at the Mid-Atlantic LGBTQ Conference about gender inclusive housing. He has engaged English faculty in discussions regarding being sensitive to each person's gender identity when referring to the proper use of pronouns in papers and discussions.

After completing his undergraduate work at the university, Rexrode plans to earn a master's degree graduate degree in creative writing with a goal to teach writing to undergraduate students.

Rexrode said he was pleased to be recognized by the Pride of the Greater Lehigh Valley for his efforts.

"I feel like I have made strides in promoting awareness regarding LGBTQ issues on the Centenary campus and beyond," he said. "The time here at Centenary has been one of growth for me. The professors are such high quality. They are supportive, approachable and are accomplished and talented. Centenary has been such a great fit for me."

Pride of the Greater Lehigh Valley has a mission to build safe and inclusive communities. The group in 2003 created new programs for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender youth and their supportive friends.

Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary University's academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. Its main campus is located in Hackettstown with an equestrian facility in Washington Township, Morris County.

The Centenary School of Professional Studies offers degree programs online and in two locations: Parsippany and Edison, online, as well as corporate sites throughout New Jersey.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
UPDATE: Lafayette student's death likely not linked to hazing, DA says

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli on Tuesday afternoon will discuss the death last week of a Lafayette College freshman.

McCrae Williams, 19, of Weston, Massachusetts, was taken by ambulance from outside Ruef Hall North late in the afternoon of Sept. 10 and was pronounced dead about 24 hours later at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office reported.

It was later determined that Williams died from blunt force trauma to the head, but Coroner Scott Grim withheld the manner of death until an investigation headed by Easton police was completed.

Grim on Tuesday morning said the manner -- accident, homicide, suicide, natural, undetermined -- was "still pending."

Morganelli scheduled a news conference for 3 p.m. at his office in the county courthouse in Easton. City police will take part, he said.

Police were investigating if alcohol played a part in Williams' death. Lafayette public safety records show officers were responded to a call involving alcohol use.

Services for Williams were over the weekend, and his father, Chris, said five of the young's man's organs had already been donated for transplant.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is looking into a case involving an Easton Area teacher accused of roughly disciplining a child on a school bus.

Aaron Dufour allegedly slammed the child onto the seat of a bus on Feb. 8, 2017, in the morning in front of Paxinosa Elementary School. The school was temporarily housed in the Easton Area Middle School at that time due to construction.

School district solicitor John Freund said in May that Dufour was terminated for "failing to follow the proper procedures in dealing with a disruptive child, otherwise causing unnecessary distress and humiliation to the child."

Dufour appealed the termination.

In court Tuesday, school district attorney Rebecca Young said a school district disciplinary investigation into the case remains open.

"The Pennsylvania Department of Education is also investigating the individual," she said.

She was in court to fight the release of a surveillance video of the alleged attack. The school district says the video is an educational record and is confidential under federal law.

"Producing this video won't show how we spend our money or anything that is going to promote openness in government," she said.

The Express-Times and lehighvalleylive.com want the school district to release the video. The state Office of Open Records ruled in favor of the newspaper but the school district appealed to Northampton County Court.

Attorney Doug Smillie said educational records are typically grades or a disciplinary record. A surveillance video doesn't fit that narrow definition.

Although the video has not been released, a source who has seen it confirmed to lehighvalleylive.com that the child was roughly slammed down on the bus seat.

Northampton County Judge Samuel Murray will rule at a later date on whether the school district must release the video.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
On the 24th September the Organic Centre in Rossinver (12 noon - 5pm) will be hosting their Annual Apple Day. To coincide with this, a new Taste Leitrim Harvest Feast will be held at the Centre.

The day will start off at 12 noon, where a host of food producers from throughout the county will be showing-casing their produce, where the best of Co Leitrim will be on display (including our local Gunpowder Gin who will be demonstrating on how to make the perfect Gin drinks)

The programme includes; Pruning and Juicing Apples, an Orchard Tour, Seed Saving Demonstration, Cookery Demonstration (by David Jordan Cox's Steakhouse, Dromod) and Introduction to Artisan Cider Production by Scott's Cider.

For our younger audience, Kate Wilson will do 2 interactive book readings. The children will also have an opportunity to gather seeds in a natural environment and learn how to sow them. Don't worry we haven't forgotten our face painting!



Jo Lewis and Mike Harris from the Edergole Kitchen in Dromahair will be popping up in the Grass Roots Cafe, providing delicious food for the day. Where possible all events will be held under cover.

For further information and a full programme of events check out the Taste Leitrim Facebook page and The Organic Centre Facebook page. For further details contact 086 1706939.


With two weeks to go until the end of the month, Suicide or Survive (SOS), is calling on tea and coffee lovers across the nation to put on the kettle, make a cuppa and talk about mental health.

SOSs National Tea Break campaign offers the perfect opportunity to gather friends, family, colleagues and the community together to host a CommuniTea Break. As well as raising awareness about mental health, each tea break will raise much-needed funds which will assist Suicide or Survive in continuing its work and programmes.

To take part in the National Tea Break, simply register and download a pack from www.suicideorsurvive.ie, then all thats left is to get the community together, pop on the kettle and get chatting. The National Tea Break pack includes everything needed to host a successful tea break.

All funds raised will be invested in bringing Suicide or Survives unique programmes and services to communities across the nation.

SOS was founded by Caroline McGuigan in 2003, born from her own personal experience of anxiety, depression and suicide attempt, and her road to recovery.

The Irish charity is dedicated to breaking down stigma associated with mental health, through a range of innovative and life changing programmes that provide tips, tools and techniques to allow everyone to take ownership of their own mental health and wellness.

To find out more about Suicide or Survive and the upcoming National Tea Break, visit www.suicideorsurvive, or call 1890 577 577 to speak to a SOS representative.
The Lib Dems only Cabinet Minister, Kirsty William, Cabinet Secretary for Education in Wales, addressed Conference on Sunday. Here is her speech in full.

Introduction

I would like to open this speech with a thank-you to Tim Farron for his leadership over what, unquestionably, has been the toughest period this party has ever faced.

At our lowest point, Tim stepped up to the plate, helping reverse our fortunes.

In an unexpected election, Tim nearly doubled the number of seats we held in Parliament, and took our membership to over 100,000. A record.

As I look across the room and see plenty of new faces, Tim can rightly be proud of the liberal vision that he put forward that attracted so many new people to our party.

I would also like to thank Mark Williams. Wales has lost a tremendous MP, and a strong advocate for radical Welsh Liberalism.

Mark worked tirelessly for the communities of Ceredigion, dealing with thousands of pieces of casework, leading major campaigns such as changing the legal definition of child neglect, and continuously being a strong voice for rural Wales.

Mark, we thank you.

Now, conference, despite our solid performance in the General Election, it is clear that many shifted back to the old way of doing things: red versus blue. Left versus right.

Increasingly, people are feeling powerless, neglected, excluded.

Some look to exploit those fears. Exploit them with easy answers. Tell them itll all be ok if we just turn back the clock.

Sometimes back to the 1950s, sometimes 1970s sometimes the 1670s if youre Mr Rees-Mogg.

But liberal values havent gone away. The populist voices have just got louder. Shouting down all that disagree.

Too often, especially in recent years, the louder voice has won the day.

Well heres an idea  isnt it time the liberal voice was heard again?

There are people across Britain looking for reasons to support us.

We must provide the leadership Britain needs, standing up for what is right.

Its our turn to be loud.

Building a coalition that fights for fairness. Fights for reason. Fights for tolerance.

Conference, we must fight to win todays arguments  so that we can win for tomorrow.

Education

Its 75 years since William Beveridge published his ground-breaking report.



After a war that brought turmoil to millions, an exhausted Britain was preparing for reconstruction.

Beveridge supplied the ambitious, optimistic blueprint that we desperately needed.

When he chose ignorance as one of his five evils which no democracy can afford among its citizens, he was making the case for improved education.

He was right then. It is right now.

People dont expect government to perform miracles. They know it isnt the answer to every problem.

But what we do expect is government to help provide a level playing field. The opportunity to succeed.

Division and fear rise up when people feel helpless.

To fight this, we as liberals have always believed that education is the key to empowering people.

Its at the heart of what we stand for.

Weve shown this in Wales with our actions.

In the last Assembly, which party prioritised education in negotiations with the Welsh Government?

Was it Plaid? No.

The Tories? Not once.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats? Every. Single. Year.

Because of our determination, we secured the Welsh Pupil Premium, over 300m funding for our schools.

One to one tuition, extra staff, outreach programmes  all supporting our most disadvantaged pupils.

And now, with a Welsh Liberal Democrat Education Secretary, we can do even more.

In just a year, weve extended the Pupil Premium to all three year old looked after children,

Weve extended it to pupils whose education happens outside of school,

And conference, we have doubled the Pupil Premium for our very youngest learners.

This policy embodies all that we stand for. Times are tough. Austerity continues. Hard decisions will be made.

But let me be clear: our work is not done until every child, EVERY child, gets a fair start in life.

That is our national mission. That is the mission for the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

STANDARDS

Conference, compromises have to be made in all walks of life. Government is no different.

But as Education Secretary  my promise to every parent, teacher and child in Wales is that I will never compromise on raising standards in the classroom.

In my first year in office, every decision, every policy, every priority is focused on raising standards and closing the gap for pupils from the poorest backgrounds.

Too often, people make it a false choice between equity and excellence in our schools. Im not ashamed to say I want it all  and pupils across Wales need it now.

It pains me to say that until recently there were secondary schools in Wales where not a single pupil did a science GCSE. Not a single pupil.

In a combination of cynicism and lowered ambitions, many schools were just entering pupils for the easier to pass BTECs  meaning that, in 2016, 99% of pupils passed the Level 2 BTEC science.

99%.

Its right for some pupils, but not for the majority.

This poverty of ambition simply narrows the future opportunities of our pupils and the future vibrancy of our economy.

And it must end. Were now making the necessary changes and Im pleased to see a huge increase in pupils now studying science at a higher-level, including triple science.

Well also look at the emphasis on C grades. The current system motivates schools to support students to reach a C or above, which schools have done, and thats to be welcomed.

But it has unintended consequences. For too long weve told schools that for all pupils a C is as good as an A.

That shouldnt be the case. For some, were just settling, rather than challenging. We will take action to support our more able pupils.

And then there is the issue of early entry, where many students miss out on a whole year of academic study.

This Summer, around 65% of 15 year olds took their English Language GCSE a year early.

Schools were putting forward whole cohorts in some cases.

Dont get me wrong, for some, early entry works. But for others, it can be so damaging to their confidence.

Many schools who enter pupils a year early also bank a C, rather than look to improve the following year, as they feel that is all thats needed.

Conference, this damping down of ambition will end on our watch.

There may be resistance, but I am not afraid to ensure that every pupil can reach their potential.

We are introducing new, rigorous GCSEs and A Levels. Well introduce performance measures rewarding excellence at all levels. And we will take action on early entry.

Raising attainment for all.

Standards, standards, standards. That is our focus. That will be our legacy.

Higher Education

Conference, our national mission reaches beyond the school gates.

We must deliver excellence at all levels of education.

Our reforms are wide reaching.

Were establishing a new strategic authority to oversee skills and higher and further education sectors.

Working lives are getting longer, jobs are changing rapidly.

Thats why were building a system that makes it easier for people to learn and acquire skills throughout their careers: ensuring high-quality options and outcomes for all.

The Tory Government may think the answer is only more privatisation.

Weve more imagination, ambition and aspiration than that.

Drawing on best international practice, well build a sector that is coordinated, coherent and places learners at its centre.

It will help link vocational education with business, it will better connect higher and further education, and we will maintain the link between teaching and research.

These are radical, but necessary changes.

You may have seen recent media stories on University Vice Chancellors pay.

I agree restraint must be shown, but I have to be honest, my priority, and I believe our priority, must always start at the other end of the scale.

This issue isnt just about senior pay, but ensuring a fair wage for everyone

I was shocked when I became Cabinet Secretary to discover that Cardiff University and the OU were the only universities in Wales to be accredited Real Living Wage employers.

Since then, Ive consistently challenged universities, publically and privately, on this issue.

Universities commitment to a civic mission requires reach beyond just teaching and research.

It should be demonstrated in how they value their staff and students. They must be examples of progressive and fair employers.

Since then, Wales sector has risen to the challenge.

I am delighted to say that every single university in Wales are due next year to become Real Living Wage employers, while also signing up the Governments Code of Practice on Ethical Procurement.

That Conference is real progress we can all be proud of.

We are also transforming student finance.

I know this is a difficult issue for our party. That is why Ive been so intent to get it right.

Learning lessons from the past, we went into the Assembly elections with a clear and achievable policy.

We knew, and said so, that Wales higher education system was unsustainable.

More importantly, we recognised it was living costs, not fees, that deterred more disadvantaged people from going to university.

In government, were putting that right, putting our principles into practice.

Were securing stable and sustainable funding for higher education. And unlike the Tories who dont offer a single penny, we will support our students.

Because of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, students will receive the equivalent of the Living Wage while they study,

Because of us, were introducing the first system in Europe that is fair and consistent for full time, part-time and post graduate students,

And because of us, Wales will have the most progressive system in the UK.

And you know what  English Vice Chancellors and students have noticed and are demanding that that England follows Waless lead.

Weve learnt our lessons conference. Be proud, the Liberal Democrats are leading the way.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Now, conference, its been just over a year since the Progressive Agreement was reached with the First Minister and I became Education Secretary.

Its difficult to imagine a busier year.

NUS Wales described our reforms as nothing short of revolutionary.

With the reforms already mentioned, along with introducing a completely new school curriculum, I can see their point.

Policy after policy, were delivering on our manifesto.

We said wed improve broadband in schools  and we are, with millions of pounds of extra investment ensuring every school has access to superfast broadband.

We said we wed support rural schools  and we are, by changing the school organisation code and investing over 10m to raise standards.

We said we wed support teachers  and we are, by improving teaching training and introducing new standards to promote excellence and support career-long professional learning.

We said we wed establish a Leadership Academy  and we are, preparing all leaders with the right skills to benefit pupils.

And we said wed reduce class sizes  and now we are, with investment worth 36 million.

I could go on, and thats just education.

Lets not forget: 20,000 new affordable homes, 40m additional support for our farmers, more nurses on our wards, support for first time home buyers, extra investment into mental health services.

Yes weve taken some knocks, but conference, I can guarantee you one thing:

The Welsh Liberal Democrats will always deliver for our communities.

ENDING

Now, our party is nothing if its not optimistic.

Our belief in the common good and community,

Our ambition for equality of opportunity,

Our passion for internationalism and fighting intolerance.

This optimism has never been more needed.

Weve been here before, and weve come up with the answers.

We need that conviction again.

Because millions of liberal-minded people need a voice that is optimistic, effective and credible.

We know that bouts and bursts of anger and frustration are never a long-term solution.

We know that the politics of envy will keep letting us down.

No other party is thinking about a positive, optimistic future.

A future where science and technology will create new jobs if we get the skills offer right,

A future where everyone has the chance to learn throughout their lives,

A future that ensures dignity, fairness and opportunity in education, in the workplace, on boards and across government.

Conference, its now fifty years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality, the abortion act, and the first ever Welsh Language Rights legislation.

LGBT rights, feminism, bilingualism  the arc of history has bent further towards progress on each of these issues and more.

But we cant rest on our laurels.

These victories are fragile. More fragile than we ever imagined.

When a large section of society believe liberal values only benefit others, then they might just think theres nothing lost in resisting them.

Yes we must continue to stand up and be counted, fighting for individualism, identity and differences,

But in doing so, we must have the courage, conviction and clarity to say that these liberal causes are for everyone and exclude no-one.

Raising everyone up is to the benefit of our society as a whole.

We must inspire and persuade people from all backgrounds that we all benefit from liberal values and ideas.

Freedom. Fairness. Opportunity.

These arent just nice-to-haves,

Not pet projects,

Not niche and on the margins.

We must be at the centre of political life.

We must fight for every argument, every vote, every seat.

And conference we must be ambitious. We must fight for everyone.
MEN with prostate cancer are being denied life-saving surgery at University Hospital Limerick, as a result of a strict HSE regulation that has been in place for 11 years.

Findings in a Limerick Leader investigation show that an annual average of 30 men are forced to travel to Galway to undergo radical prostatectomies  a service prohibited in the Mid-West region.

This is despite the Dooradoyle complex having access to the most unique range of surgical equipment  for any public hospital in the country  to treat all ailments in the urinary tract and the most complex of cancer sites.

One of the unique pieces of equipment includes the Da Vinci Xi Dual Console surgical robot, which was installed at UHL in 2016 and has operated on approximately 90 patients since. It is the only device of its kind in Irish public healthcare.

And UHL is home to a number of surgeons who are trained to carry out Da Vinci operations, and three highly-skilled consultant urologists, who regularly perform surgeries on the kidney, bladder and prostate.

11-YEAR-OLD RULE

However, radical prostatectomies have been out of the equation for more than a decade, since the HSEs National Cancer Strategy in 2006. This was responsible for the formation of eight cancer centres at eight hospitals, including UHL.

The National Cancer Control Programmes criteria for assigning types of cancer surgeries to the centres has been mainly based on the number of new cases per year presented to the hospital. The NCCP is run by the HSE.

A spokesperson for the Health Service Executive told this newspaper that it more recently reviewed international studies on the link between caseload per hospital or surgeon and clinical outcomes.

It said that, specifically for prostate cancer, the volume should be 50 cases or more, with each urologist operating on at least 20 men every year. The spokesperson added that it would be preferably 40 to 50 cases per year.

Looking at the Irish prostatectomy data this would mean four or five cancer centres would perform this work.

The spokesperson added that, in line with the new National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026, there needs to be completion of centralisation of cancer surgery to the designated cancer centres.

But the HSE has also said that there is a requirement to optimise the number of designated cancer centres performing surgery for different cancer types to ensure the best possible outcome for patients.

REVIEW REQUESTED

While UHL is just 10 Mid-West patients short of reaching the general NCCP target, if prostrate cancer surgery was made available at UHL it is likely a large number of patients from all over the country would avail of the Da Vinci keyhole surgery, following positive feedback from other patients on whom the robot was employed.

It is understood that if prostate cancer surgeries were to become available at UHL, patients from all over Ireland requiring radical surgery would be able to receive treatment in Limerick.

In December 2016, a spokesperson for the UL Hospitals Group confirmed that it was not a designated prostate cancer surgery hospital as per NCCP policy.

The spokesperson explained that the NCCP policy was put in place to restrict the number of public hospitals doing prostate cancer surgery in order to centralise expertise for this procedure.

The UL Hospitals Group said that patients requirements for prostate cancer surgery were well provided for under the current arrangement.

But then on July 21, the spokesperson stated it had requested that the NCCP reviews the current situation to allow UL Hospitals to become a dedicated centre for prostatectomy surgery.

81 MEN REFERRED

According to new data received by the Leader, through Freedom of Information, 81 men were forced to travel to Galway University Hospital between 2014 and 2016 for radical surgery. Thirty men were referred from the radical access prostate clinic (RAPC) in 2014. This dropped to 25 the following year, but increased by one patient in 2016.

All patients that choose the surgical treatment option for the prostate cancer are referred to Galway University Hospital. This decision is a result of the recommendation for the NCCP on the surgical sites for prostate cancer treatments, a HSE official said.

And while UHL refers an annual average of 30 men from the RAPC to Galway, the Dooradoyle clinic deals with 1,300 patients every year.

Of this huge number, there are approximately 300 prostate cancer diagnoses every year in the Mid-West, according to National Cancer Registry Ireland data.

Men are generally diagnosed and initially treated at the radical access clinic in Dooradoyle. If they require surgery, they are then referred onto Galway University Hospital.

The clinic is run by Garett Durkan, a consultant urologist based at GUH, on a weekly basis, while UHLs three consultant urologists also assess patients at the clinic, a spokesperson stated.

SKILL AND TECHNOLOGY

The three highly-skilled urologists are each paid between 122,753 and 160,893, and the UL Hospitals Group has been looking to add a fourth to the team for a number of months.

In 2016, the JP McManus Benevolent Fund donated to UHL the Da Vinci surgical robot, worth 2.6m. This device provides minimally-invasive keyhole surgery, enabling largely improved recovery periods in comparison to regular laparoscopic [keyhole] operations.

Speaking about the Da Vinci Xi robot at a board meeting of the UL Hospitals Group on October 6, 2016, robotic surgeon Prof Calvin Coffey said that if UHL is to become a centre of excellence for robotic assisted surgery, more theatre access would be required.

This is according to minutes of that meeting, received through Freedom of Information from the UL Hospitals Group.

Prof Coffey also mentioned that the state-of-the-art machine can provide annual financial savings of 110,000 in equipment use.

Separate figures received through Freedom of Information show that there is an average cost-saving of four bed days per patient. UL Hospitals Group confirmed that one bed day equates to an expenditure of 1,456.

When asked if the NCCP will be reviewing the restriction on UHL, the HSE did not directly respond to the question.

Comment: Can UHL be a centre of excellence without full spectrum of services?

SINCE the foundation of the UL Hospitals Group in 2013, multi-million euro investments into medical innovation have been rolling off the conveyor belt for Limerick.

While the 16m Leben building and 25m A&E have been applauded by health professionals, there is one string to UHLs bow that has piqued greater interest  the Da Vinci surgical robot.

Not only has it immensely improved the patient experience at UHL, it has saved the taxpayer hundreds of thousands, and has contributed to surgeon upskilling.

It is the only one of its kind in Irish public healthcare, and has set the standard for treatment in colorectal, renal and adrenal cancer. But men with prostate cancer  the most common male cancer worldwide  are told to go to Galway instead, because of an archaic HSE policy based on quantity of patients and not on quality of services.

When this rule came into effect in 2006, UHL was the Mid-Western Regional Hospital with no comparable state-of-the-art tools or level of skill to treat prostate cancer, like it can today. There are three urologists at UHL who are trained to carry out world-class prostate cancer surgery, but red tape cordons off the theatre for this operation.

How can UHL be a centre of excellence if the full spectrum of urology surgeries are not available? UL Hospitals has recognised this problem as it is now seeking the National Cancer Control Programme to review the matter.

The NCCP wants to centralise expertise, a fair system that has been championed by the NHS. But already, patients from all over the country are availing of Da Vinci operations because the feedback is glowing. So if the HSE wants more numbers, the problem can be easily solved.

Parallel to that, if they want to turn a hospital into a centre for prostate cancer excellence, then why have they not invested in this crucial piece of infrastructure elsewhere?

In the meantime, UHL trains hundreds of medical students, but none of whom will be able to learn how to carry out prostate cancer surgery on-site.

UHL has a golden opportunity to be a champion in robotic surgery, but an anachronistic policy stands in its way.
NINETEEN inmates at Limerick Prison are continuing to slop out from their cells, but the inhumane practice is expected to end in 2020.

Over 800 High Court cases on slopping out in prisons are expected after the State lost a landmark action in the High Court last week.

The court ruled the State had breached the constitutional rights to privacy of prisoner Gary Simpson who had to defecate and urinate in a chamber pot in front of other cellmates while in Mountjoy Prison.

Official figures show approximately 880 similar cases have been litigated and are before the courts. A further 1,400 actions are at pre-litigation stage.

The latest figures from the Irish Prison Service show that 19 inmates in Limericks Mulgrave Street jail continue to slop out, as of this July, in addition to 41 prisoners in Portlaoise.

The practice is due to end across the entire Irish prison estate by 2021, following further multi-million euro capital works programmes in Limerick and Portlaoise.

The number of prisoners without access to in-cell sanitation has decreased from 1,003 at the end of 2010 to 60 this July.

The slopping out regime was condemned in 1993 by the European Committee on the Prevention of Torture, which urged it be ended as a matter of the highest priority.

The 8.6m redevelopment of Limerick Prison is set to comprise of a new 103-person cell block and a facility for 58 female prisoners, which will more than double the capacity for female inmates jail. It also includes the modernisation and completion of the A and B wings.

The first phase of the development will comprise enabling works at a cost in excess of 8.6m, with the construction phase, due to start in February 2018, and due for completion in 2020. Figures show that 77 inmates in Limerick Prison are locked in their cells for 21 hours a day  the highest lock-up rate in the country after Mountjoys mens prison, where 122 inmates are locked up for the same period.

The majority of those in their cells for 21 hours a day in Limerick is due to Rule 63  for the protection of vulnerable prisoners, which can be enforced on a voluntary or involuntary basis.
A LIMERICK priest has said he plays the Lotto every week in the hope of winning the jackpot to help people beat depression, following his own personal battle.

Fr Joe Young, chaplain with the Brothers of Charity in Bawnmore, said as someone who has personally suffered from depression, he believes Ireland is facing a tsunami of depression, and particularly in the diocese in Limerick.

The outspoken cleric said its his dream - should he win the Lotto or Euromillions - to buy a retreat in Lourdes for those who are suffering from constant mental torment.

It causes me so much upset and pain and distress to see that so many people are suffering and are given such little support, he told the Limerick Leader.

We are sleep-walking as a nation into an area of unbelievable pain, suffering, anxiety and pain disorder, because weve lost the ability to communicate.

If I won the Lotto, and I do it every week in the hope of winning the jackpot, Id bring them all to Lourdes. Some of my pilgrims, who suffer from depression, regularly go there with me and get great solace from the experience.

Its one of the few places Ive found where its OK not to be OK. The greatest joy is not going to the grotto or the baths [in Lourdes]; its simple communication over a cup of tea.

Fr Young, 63, said that he suffered from depression in the late 90s, when he was many years into his ministry, but found that there was no one to talk to; that you were left on your own.

At a time when Limerick was experiencing one of the highest suicide rates in the country, he said he found comfort from his parishioners in Southill, whom he described as the greatest people in the world, and salt of the earth people.

But he feels that many people have lost the ability to communicate fully, particularly in a digital age.

Weve lost the ability to communicate and with that we have untold numbers of people suffering, and have lost many of them to suicide.

All were doing is texting now  texting parents instead of speaking to them  and I just find that absolutely abhorrent, said the former parish priest of 26 years in Southill.

If he ever won the Lotto, he said all he wishes for is enough to buy a house, which could be a retreat for people, where I could say Mass and they could switch off from technology, share the secrets that are weighing down their lives and have the freedom to be themselves.

If you don't deal with your secrets, youll end up with depression, which is akin to waiting for a volcano to erupt. But were not dealing with the problem  were living in total denial.

How many people carry so much unbelievable baggage with them every day? Who suffer from constant mental chatter? Our thoughts bring us to the point where we want to be part of Gods beautiful nature, or lose the ability to see whats in front of us, to be able to see the wood through the trees.

Fr Young believes that issues of violence, criminality and drug abuse and addiction are all tied up with mental health and a persons ability to resolve issues in their lives.

Look at the level of domestic abuse in this country, and one of the reasons I believe thats happening is that someone is carrying issues historically from their past that theyve never dealt with. Its unbelievable abuse, and we are not dealing with that, he said.

He encouraged older people, in particular, who feel isolated or depressed or are living alone to adopt a pet for companionship.

Have a little dog in your house and youll never be alone, he urged.

Fr Young said one of his greatest joys was his dog of 13 years, Moses, my greatest friend, a Tibetan spaniel, who died a month ago.

I spoke about Moses so often and my love for him that many of my parishioners believed I was talking about the prophet. He was the most wonderful companion, he said.

The Limerick satirical and music duo, the Rubberbandits, have been praised for their hard-hitting new music video, Sonny, which tackles mental health and suicide from a number of angles. It has amassed over a quarter of a million views in one week.

It contains the lyrics: "He's gonna break a lot a hearts when he hangs himself...Sonny, oh Sonny, don't go hanging yourself. It isn't your time to die."

The song encourages listeners to recognise that it's always dark before the light.

But you've to hold on to hope. You are important to someone, so cut down the rope.

Musician Hozier tweeted the Rubberbandits to say that he was heartened by peoples responses to the single, adding: Reached a lot of folks, fair play.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this piece, contact Aware 1800 80 48 48, Samaritans 116 123 and Pieta House 1800 247 247.
The Italian media isn't holding back following Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel's disastrous Sunday in Singapore.

While the Scuderia was quick to apportion blame on Max Verstappen for the mayhem which ensued at the start of Sunday's race, the partisan press in Italy is pretty clear on where it stands when it comes to deciding who was at fault for Ferrari's collapse in Marina Bay.

"Ferrari did everything wrong," declared La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The red cars destroyed themselves in a way that even the best horror movie director could not imagine."

The front page of Corriere dello Sport was equally incendiary: "No, Vettel! Not like that!

"The first 300 metres in Singapore was one of the most catastrophic events for Ferrari in the last decade."

Tuttosport added: "A catastrophic accident drowns Maranello's world title hopes. In a few seconds an entire season is destroyed."

And La Stampa followed suit: "Hamilton can now walk to the world title."

Sunday's race was the first time in its history that Ferrari suffered a double DNF on the opening lap of an F1 race. And from Milano to Palermo, the Italians likely won't forget it!

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Two persons of interest in the slaying of a young couple in June 2016 have been sentenced to prison in Mexico on drug-related charges, according to Nuevo Leon authorities.

Francisco Villarreal Jr. and Ernesto Rodriguez Jr. were recently sentenced to three years in prison for drug trafficking with intent to distribute after a trial in late June, according to a spokesperson with the Nuevo Leon attorney general's office.

Villarreal is no stranger to serving prison time. He was released from a Texas prison in February 2016 after serving a sentence for aggravated robbery.

READ MORE: Timeline sheds light on escape, eventual capture of man charged in Ochoa Sanchez park homicide

Laredo police said Villarreal and Rodriguez are persons of interest in the killing of George O. Rodriguez, 20, and Alondra Gutierrez, 19. Both were found dead in an empty lot in the Lakeside Subdivision on June 26, 2016. No charges have been brought in the case.

Nuevo Leon authorities arrested Villarreal and Rodriguez in October after a shootout with police. Each was charged with possession of cocaine.

The shootout happened when agents patrolling Colonia Tecnologico in Monterrey, Mexico, saw a man on a black NINJA-type motorcycle exchanging bags with Villarreal and Rodriguez.

Police said the motorcyclist had a gun in his waistline. When confronted, he fled while Villarreal and Rodriguez took cover in some nearby apartments. Authorities said they fired shots at police officers.

MORE FROM LMTonline: McDonald's employee fired after asking customer 'Can you spell deportation?' in viral video

Police fired back, wounding Rodriguez in his right leg, according to reports. Authorities said they seized two handguns from Villarreal and Rodriguez, 77 doses of cocaine, plastic baggies containing marijuana, two digital scales and a black briefcase.

Warrant for arrest

Following a shooting on June 13, 2016, LPD issued warrants for the arrest for Villarreal and George Rodriguez, charging each with aggravated assault with a firearm. Police said Villarreal and Rodriguez arrived at the residence of Esteban Yruegas in the 3600 block of Galveston Street to allegedly collect a quota, or tax, from him for selling drugs.

Shortly after they arrived, Villarreal shot Yruegas, police said. His injury was non-life threatening.

Homicide suspects

Police named Yruegas as a homicide suspect less than two months later in relation to the death of Cesar Javier Sarmiento, 44.

This week, LPD said there are active arrest warrants for Yruegas and another man, Pedro Vasquez, in connection to Sarmiento's death.

Police said Vasquez and Yruegas gunned down Sarmiento in the 3300 block of Guerrero Street, outside a mobile home equipped with a surveillance system. Sarmiento sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his head, chest and abdomen area. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said Vasquez is the owner of the mobile home where the July 26, 2016, shooting occurred. He and Yruegas are currently fugitives from justice, according to police.
Some UAH 1.4 bln to be issued for school reform, UAH 3.2 bln for scholarships in 2018

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has proposed the Verkhovna Rada to allocate UAH 1.37 billion in the form of subventions from the national budget to local budgets for the reform of schools, UAH 3.16 billion for payment of academic stipends and UAH 631.6 million for social scholarships to the students of higher educational institutions in 2018.

This is stated in the draft national budget for 2018 registered under No. 7000 in the Verkhovna Rada on September 15, 2017.

It is planned to allocate UAH 205 million for independent external evaluation in 2018.

Some UAH 23.83 billion is to be spent on training staff for the higher educational institutions of the third and fourth levels of accreditation and maintenance of their practice bases.

Some UAH 119.6 million is to be used for training personnel in vocational schools for professions of national importance, UAH 208.9 million for training personnel in vocational schools of social rehabilitation and adaptation, methodical support for vocational education establishments. The bill provides for the allocation of UAH 990 million for implementation of methodological and logistical support for the activities of educational institutions.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

U.S. Border Patrol said Monday they recorded three rescues of people who allegedly tried to cross the border illegally through Webb County.

"The Laredo Sector Border Patrol will continue to warn against the dangers of people crossing illegally into the United States through dangerous environmental conditions," authorities said in a statement.

"Our Border Safety Initiative is a humanitarian, bi-national strategy designed to reduce illegal (immigrant) deaths, educate and inform potential illegal (immigrants) of the dangers and hazards of crossing the border illegally, and to respond to those who are in life-threatening situations."

READ MORE: United HS students face possible expulsion, criminal charges after caught changing grades, district says

A near-drowning was reported Saturday in south Laredo. An immigrants from El Salvador tried crossing the Rio Grande but fell into distress in his alleged attempt.

"The subject was evaluated by a Border Patrol Agent certified as an Emergency Medical Technician and determined to be in good health," Border Patrol said in a statement.

The second rescue occurred later in the day at a ranch northwest of Laredo.

Three immigrants who had crossed the border illegally called 911 because they got lost in the brush. Agents with the horse patrol unit located the trio.

RELATED: Customs and Border Protection now accepting applications

"One subject was treated for heat related injuries. The rest of the subjects were found in good health and determined to be from the country of Mexico," states a news release from Border Patrol.

Lastly, another rescued occurred Friday at a ranch near Bruni.

With assistance from an Air and Marine Operations choppers, agents rescued three immigrants from Mexico who called 911 after they got lost in the brush. All were determined to be in good health.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A federal appeals court has overturned the murder conviction of a Richmond man for a 2006 killing in Berkeley, saying the defense lawyer failed to challenge the testimony of the prosecutions key witness.

Nicholas Beaudreaux, 20, was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Wayne Drummond.

Drummond, 23, and another man, Brandon Crowder, got into a fistfight outside a Telegraph Aveune nightclub during the early-morning hours in September 2006. Prosecutors said Beaudreaux, a friend of Crowders, jumped in, pulled a gun and shot Drummond after a struggle.

Now Playing: Comparison of 2016's violent crime stats from major Bay Area cities Video: Ted Andersen, SFGATE

Crowder pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, testified against Beaudreaux, and was released after 18 months in jail.

But the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Monday that the defense should have objected to the testimony of a youth named Dayo Esho, a key prosecution witness who said that Beaudreaux was the gunman. After tentatively identifying Beaudreauxs picture in a pretrial photo lineup, Esho identified him at a preliminary hearing and testified against him at the trial.

The court said Beaudreauxs trial lawyer later acknowledged he should have objected to Eshos testimony because of his interactions with police, which took place 17 months after the shooting. Officers showed him a pair of six-photo lineups, which had one picture in common, that of Beaudreaux, the court said. Esho was uncertain after the first showing but said Beaudreaux looked very close to the gunmans appearance after the second lineup, even though his description of the shooters face was different, the court said.

Police obtained the identification through unduly suggestive procedures that the defense lawyer should have challenged, the three-judge panel said.

The prosecutions case without Esho was weak, the court said, and the jury probably would have reached a different verdict without his testimony. The only other eyewitness was Crowder, and the court said his credibility was questionable because he had lied to police before reaching a plea bargain.

Prosecutors could seek a new trial for Beaudreaux, who remains in prison. The ruling was issued by Judges Ronald Gould, Marsha Berzon and Marvin Garbus, a federal judge from Maryland temporarily assigned to the appeals court.

Attorney Jamie Lee Moore, who represented Beaudreaux on appeal, said the ruling reflects increasing skepticism about eyewitness testimony since reports by the nonprofit Innocence Project have uncovered many cases in which eyewitness-based convictions were later contradicted by DNA evidence.

If Beaudreaux is retried, she said, it will be a very different trial.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
The Washington Post

The Washington Post is providing a daily podcast companion to the new PBS documentary from Ken Burns, "The Vietnam War." The podcast will include inteviews with Burns, co-director Lynn Novick and other collaborators on the film.

It's easy to say now that the Vietnam War was always a doomed endeavor. But Americans who went to fight in Vietnam thought they were answering John F. Kennedy's call to public service. The Post's Alyssa Rosenberg asks Ken Burns how our ideals went so wrong.
The fifth bulk carrier with 75,000 tonnes of anthracite from South Africa for Prydniprovska and Kryvy Rih thermal power plants (TPP) of DTEK Energy has arrived in Ukraine, the company's press service has said.

According to its data, two bulk carriers with imported anthracite are being unloaded at the port, which will allow the company's TPPs to accumulate resources for stable operation during the heating season.

The process of unloading the MIN SHENG 1 ship will take approximately three days. At the same time, the Semiramis bulk carrier with 80,000 tonnes of anthracite, which arrived in Yuzhny port on September 17, as of 08:00 on Tuesday had already been 85% unloaded.

"In October we expect the arrival in Ukraine of an additional 150,000 tonnes of South African coal to create necessary stocks in the warehouses of our TPP on the eve of the heating season," DTEK Energy Commercial Director Vitaliy Butenko said.
Rebel in the Rye attempts to understand a man who didnt want to be understood, made by a writer-director who is clearly a fan.

This can have its drawbacks  its hard to attain some level of objectivity when you are an advocate. But it also means we have the warmest possible portrait of a chilly personality, author J.D. Salinger, an uncompromising writer who became burdened by his 1951 debut novel, Catcher in the Rye, now an American classic.

Writer-director Danny Strong focuses on a roughly 15-year period in Salingers life, from his late teenage years in late 1930s New York, where he is raised by a father (Victor Garber) who has no confidence that Jerry (as he is called) will make it as a writer, and a mother (Hope Davis) who very much does (Salinger dedicated Catcher in the Rye to his mother), to the beginnings of a decades-long isolation in rural New Hampshire.

As played by Nicholas Hoult, Jerry is a precocious brat who woos Eugene ONeills daughter Oona (Zoey Deutch)  later the wife of Charlie Chaplin  and is taken down a peg or two by his writing mentor at Columbia, the brilliant editor of Story magazine, Whit Burnett (Kevin Spacey, in another outstanding supporting effort following Baby Driver).

Whit is unrelentingly tough on the young writer, and Strong suggests that without his guidance, Salinger might never have written his masterpiece. It is Whit who urges Salinger to expand Holden Caulfields character, first appearing in an unpublished short story, into a novel.

To this point, Rebel in the Rye is just skimming the surface. Strongs script, a simplification of Kenneth Slawenskis biography J.D. Salinger: A Life, doesnt quite give us an understanding of Salingers character. But the film and Hoults performance deepens after Salingers service in World War II.

Salinger was a soldier who was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. His unit just misses the point where the heaviest fighting was  though he does see heavy action as his unit battles its way across France, retaking the country from the Nazis, and is later present at the liberation of the concentration camps  so he has a sort of survivors guilt that haunts him for much of the rest of his life.

While apparent budget limitations hinder the film during the war scenes, its what happens when Salinger returns home after the war that the movie hits a higher gear. More determined than ever to get Catcher in the Rye published, Jerry has a falling-out with Whit. His only friends seem to be his pragmatic but relentlessly understanding agent (Sarah Paulson, excellent), who understands the idiosyncrasies of the creative mind; and Swami Nikhilananda (Bernard White), his teacher when he turns to Zen Buddhism.

What drove Salinger to retreat after the success of Catcher in the Rye? Was it the pressure to follow up a book that unexpectedly made him an instant celebrity?

In Rebel in the Rye, Salinger is repeatedly stalked by nerdy fanboys wearing Holden Caulfields signature red hunting cap, and the suggestion is he fled to the woods as much for his own safety as his sanity.

Salinger, who died in 2010 at age 91, probably would have hated this movie. If Jones doesnt quite pull it off, it is at least a film of many pleasures and a thought-provoking look at American literatures most famous loner.

G. Allen Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ajohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BRfilmsAllen

Rebel in the Rye

Drama. With Nicholas Hoult, Zoey Deutch, Kevin Spacey. Directed by Danny Strong. (PG-13. 106 minutes.)
1 Severe storm: A tropical storm warning has been issued for a stretch of New England as Hurricane Jose approaches the Northeast coast. The National Hurricane Center said Monday that the warning was in effect for an area stretching from Watch Hill, R.I., to Hull, Mass. The storm is expected to remain offshore, although coastal flooding is possible from Delaware to southern New England over the next few days. Jose is expected to bring rain accumulations of 3 to 5 inches over eastern Long Island, southeastern Connecticut, southern Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts.

2 Masked gunman: A man wearing a Jason Voorhees mask from the horror movie Friday the 13th shot three people in Jackson, Miss., killing one and injuring two, authorities said. The Clarion-Ledger reported that Kendrick Hughes, 30, was shot dead at an apartment complex on Sunday afternoon. Police Sgt. Derrick Jordan said the suspect came from behind an apartment building with a handgun and shot the three victims, who were standing together. The suspect fled the scene on foot. Jordan said a motive was not immediately known. Police are searching for the gunman.
Fox News asked a judge to throw out a defamation suit tied to the network's discredited story connecting a murdered Democratic staffer to the leak of party emails during last year's presidential campaign.

Rod Wheeler, a private investigator and paid contributor to the network, sued Fox News and parent company Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. in August, claiming a Fox reporter, Malia Zimmerman, made up quotes attributed to him in an online story. Fox asked a judge to force the case into arbitration or dismiss it outright, claiming Wheeler wasn't misquoted.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has met with Permanent Secretary of State at the Icelandic Foreign Ministry Stefan Haukur Johannesson on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in New York and discussed with him the deepening of bilateral political contacts, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"A major issue was combating Russian aggression and the need to support the regime of European sanctions against Russia, as well as strengthening pressure on the Russian side to ensure human rights in the temporarily occupied Crimea. In this connection, the attention of the Icelandic side was drawn to numerous violations by Russia of its respective internationally legal obligations, exemplified by political persecution and the recent sentencing of a Crimean Tatar leader, Ahtem Chiygoz," reads the report.

The sides also discussed interaction within the OSCE, noting the important role of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, which has recently been headed by a representative of Iceland. It was noted that this body could complement the efforts of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine in terms of monitoring the ensuring of human rights and freedoms, and respect for the rule of law.

The sides considered the prospects for the development of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, including the use of the mechanisms of the European Free Trade Association. Special attention was paid to the use of Iceland's experience in introducing renewable energy sources and the possibility of implementing joint investment projects in this area.
On a hot, sticky May afternoon in 1970, a crowd of several thousand students and protesterstook over the University of Maryland mall. Many were there to protest the Vietnam War. Others were hoping to catch a glimpse of a famous Hollywood actress. Her name was Jane Fonda.

As the war raged, the one-time blonde bombshell cut her naturally brown hair short, trading sex appeal for liberal activism and rebranding herself as a political crusader against the war. On campus, she was pushing her movement to turn U.S. soldiers into pacifists. "The Army builds a tolerance for violence," she shouted at the crowd. "I find that intolerable."

The Washington Post spent that day with Fonda, following her and a dozen or so students to Fort Meade in Maryland, where they planned to hand out antiwar leaflets to soldiers. She was arrested before she got the chance, just as she had been at Fort Lewis, Washington, Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Fonda told The Post she'd made talking to GIs her full-time job.

For the next several years, Fonda would continue as one of the most prominent public faces in the antiwar movement. But it wasn't until she traveled to Hanoi in July 1972 that she really enraged critics and fundamentally altered how the world viewed her for decades to come.

This weekend, filmmaker Ken Burns's 10-part documentary on the Vietnam War began airing on PBS. Burns said the project is an attempt to heal old resentments. Although he didn't interview Fonda, the film looks at her controversial 1972 visit to Hanoi.

Fonda's transformation from actress to activist began several years earlier. She was active in the Black Panthers and marched for the rights of American Indians, soldiers and working mothers. But she was advised by other activists to focus her political energies, deciding to go all-in as an impassioned voice for the antiwar movement.

She and actor Donald Sutherland started an "anti-USO" troupe to counter Bob Hope's famous shows for the troops. They called it FTA, which they said stood for Free the Army, but it was also a not-so-subtle nod to the expression "f- the Army."

By July 1972, when Fonda accepted an invitation to visit North Vietnam, America had been at war overseas and with itself for years. She went to tour the country's dike system, which was rumored to have been intentionally bombed by American forces - something the U.S. government to this day forcefully denies. During her two-week stay, Fonda concluded that America was unjustly bombing farmland and areas far flung from military targets. North Vietnamese press reported - and Fonda later confirmed - that she made several radio announcements over the Voice of Vietnam radio to implore U.S. pilots to stop the bombings.

"I appealed to them to please consider what you are doing. I don't think they know," Fonda said in a news conference when she returned home. "The people who are speaking out against the war are the patriots." She said the radio addresses were the only way to get access to American soldiers, because she was barred from meeting them at their bases in South Vietnam.

In Hanoi, Fonda also met with seven American POWs and later said they asked her to tell their friends and family to support presidential candidate George McGovern; they feared they'd never be freed during a Richard Nixon administration. Rumors spread and still persist that she betrayed them by accepting secret notes and then turning them over to the North Vietnamese. The POWs who were there have denied that this ever occurred.

But the action that still enrages veterans most was that photograph of her with the Viet Cong on an anti-aircraft gun that would have been used to shoot down American planes. This, probably more than anything, earned her the nickname "Hanoi Jane."

After Fonda returned from her trip, the State Department spoke out against her.

"It is always distressing to find American citizens who benefit from the protection and assistance of this government lending their voice in any way to governments such as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam - distressing indeed," said State Department spokesman Charles W. Bray, according to a July 1972 Reuters story.

Some lawmakers called her actions treason. Congress held hearings. The Veterans of Foreign Wars passed a resolution calling for her to be prosecuted as a traitor.

Perhaps most dramatically, in March 1973, the Maryland state legislature held a hearing to have Fonda and her films barred from the state. Democratic Del. William Burkhead said, "I wouldn't want to kill her, but I wouldn't mind if you cut her tongue off," according to a Post story.

Fonda wasn't deterred. She continued openly to question the accounts of the U.S. government and American POWs, who told devastating stories of the torture they endured at the hands of the North Vietnamese.

"These men were bombing and strafing and napalming the country," she said, according to an Associated Press report in April 1973, which quoted an interview she gave to KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. "If a prisoner tried to escape, it is quite understandable that he would probably be beaten and tortured."

Over the years, as Fonda reinvented herself as a fitness maven and again a movie star, she apologized many times for the anti-aircraft gun photo. But she maintains she was not a traitor by speaking out against the war or trying to turn soldiers against it, because she still believes the U.S. government was lying to them.

In her 2005 memoir, "My Life So Far," Fonda wrote of the infamous photo this way:

"Here is my best, honest recollection of what took place. Someone (I don't remember who) leads me toward the gun, and I sit down, still laughing, still applauding. It all has nothing to do with where I am sitting. I hardly even think about where I am sitting. The cameras flash. I get up, and as I start to walk back to the car with the translator, the implication of what has just happened hits me. Oh, my God. It's going to look like I was trying to shoot down U.S. planes! I plead with him, You have to be sure those photographs are not published. Please, you can't let them be published. I am assured it will be taken care of. I don't know what else to do. It is possible that the Vietnamese had it all planned. I will never know. If they did, can I really blame them? The buck stops here. If I was used, I allowed it to happen. It was my mistake, and I have paid and continue to pay a heavy price for it."

Still, for some veterans, no apology from Fonda will ever change their views of her as an adversary of America and the troops during wartime. In 2015, about 50 veterans stood outside the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, Maryland, to protest Fonda's appearance there. They held signs that read "Forgive? Maybe. Forget? Never." and booed people attending the event, according to the Frederick News-Post.

Fonda told the audience that their protests saddened her.

"It hurts me," she said, "and it will to my grave that I made a huge, huge mistake that made a lot of people think I was against the soldiers."
The wicked 2017 hurricane season is set to deliver its next two punishing blows from Hurricanes Maria and Jose. In both the Caribbean and along the Atlantic coast of the Northeast United States, conditions are set to deteriorate rapidly through Wednesday as these storms arrive.

Of the two storms, however, Maria is the much more serious hurricane - upgraded to Category 5, the most extreme level Monday evening. The "potentially catastrophic storm" with 160 mph winds has the potential to cause widespread destruction along its path from the central Lesser Antilles through Puerto Rico.

"Maria is likely to affect Puerto Rico as an extremely dangerous major hurricane, and a hurricane warning is in effect for that island," the National Hurricane Center said Monday.

While Jose is capable of producing coastal flooding and pockets of damaging wind from eastern Long Island to coastal Massachusetts, its effects are most likely to resemble those of a strong Nor'easter - rather than a devastating hurricane.

--Maria

This storm has rapidly intensified which is a potentially disastrous scenario for the islands it will sweep across. At 9:35 p.m. Monday, the storm made landfall in Dominica, as it plowed west-northwest at 10 mph. It is the first Category 5 storm to strike Dominica in recorded history.

The Hurricane Center said some additional strengthening is possible Monday night and, while fluctuations in intensity are possible over the next 36 hours, the storm could strike St. Croix and Puerto Rico as a Category 5 Tuesday night into Wednesday.

On Monday, the storm cut across not only Dominica but also Martinique, French Guadeloupe and St. Lucia, where hurricane warnings were in effect. It was also passing close to and affecting St. Kitts, Nevis, and Montserrat, under hurricane warnings, but perhaps positioned far enough north of the storm to miss its brunt.

The worst part of the storm was likely to pass a good deal south of beleaguered Barbuda and Antigua, reeling from Hurricane Irma, but they could still get brushed by some strong wind gusts and heavy showers.

On Tuesday, Maria is predicted to mostly pass through a patch of the Caribbean free of islands before potentially closing in on St. Croix, now under a hurricane warning, late in the day or at night. This island was one of the few U.S. Virgin Islands that was spared Irma's wrath, but may well get hammered by Maria.

The other U.S. Virgin Islands as well as the British Virgin Islands will also need to carefully monitor and prepare for Maria. While they may remain north of its most severe effects, they could easily face hurricane conditions

By Wednesday, the storm is likely to pass very close to or directly affect Puerto Rico from southeast to northwest. A hurricane has not made landfall in Puerto Rico since Georges in 1998.

Just one Category 5 hurricane has hit Puerto Rico once in recorded history; and Maria could become the second if it does not lose strength. The last Category 4 storm to strike the island occurred in 1932.

The islands directly affected by the storm's core face the likelihood of destructive winds of 120 to 150 mph and 6 to 12 inches of rain (with isolated totals of 20-25 inches, especially in high terrain), which will cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.

A devastating storm surge of at least 6 to 9 feet above normally dry ground is likely to target coastlines positioned just north-northeast of the storm center - which could include the south shores of St. Croix and southeast Puerto Rico.

On Friday, the hurricane may come close to the Turks and Caicos and southeast Bahamas, which were ravaged by Irma. Beyond that point, Maria's path becomes more uncertain. Some models suggest it could find an escape route out to sea, remaining offshore from the U.S. East Coast, but it is way too early to sound the all-clear.

With Maria, the 2017 hurricane season has already featured four Category 4 or stronger storms; this has only happened four previous times by Sept. 18.

"2017 joins 1932, 1933, 1961, 2005, and 2007 as only years with multiple Cat 5s; likely to join 2007 as the only with multiple Cat 5 landfalls," tweeted MDA Federal, a meteorological consulting firm.

2017 is the first hurricane season with two Category 5 storms since 2007.

--Jose

Jose, which is losing some of its tropical characteristics, is expected to behave like a strong nor'easter along the coast of the Northeast, from near Long Island to eastern Massachusetts.

The tropical storm watch was upgraded to a warning for coastal Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, the areas most likely to be substantially impacted by Jose. A tropical storm watch continues for areas to the south down to eastern Long Island. Farther south, along the New Jersey and Delaware coastline, the tropical storm watch was dropped.

The storm, positioned 250 miles east of Cape Hatteras, was headed north at 9 mph at 5 p.m. Monday. The storm's peak winds were around 75 mph and expected to remain at that intensity through Wednesday.

The Hurricane Center said tropical storm-force winds could begin in coastal sections of the Northeast as soon as Tuesday and Tuesday night. Moderate coastal flooding is expected with water rising up to one to three feet above normally dry land at high tide. Because the storm is a slow-mover, beaches will be assaulted for an extended duration, leading to the prospect of severe erosion.

The worst conditions are likely from eastern Long Island to eastern Massachusetts on Wednesday when these areas may get battered by the combination of heavy rain, damaging wind gusts to hurricane-force, and coastal flooding.

"Total [rain] accumulations of 3 to 5 inches are expected over eastern Long Island, southeast Connecticut, southern Rhode Island, and southeast Massachusetts, including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket," the Hurricane Center said.

It's important to note that small changes in Jose's track could increase or decrease the intensity of effects and how far they expand inland.

"Any deviation to the left of the Hurricane Center forecast track would increase the likelihood and magnitude of impacts elsewhere along the U.S. east coast from Delaware to southern New England," the Hurricane Center said.

Irrespective of its track, dangerous surf and rip currents are expected along the East Coast through much of the week.
NEW YORK - President Donald Trump on Tuesday delivered a toughly worded defense of his "America first" foreign policy in his inaugural address to the United Nations and threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary.

The president, speaking at the United Nations' hallowed green-marble rostrum, also excoriated the international nuclear deal with Iran as an "embarrassment" and strongly hinted that his administration would soon back out, against the wishes of many nations in the room.

The defiant and pugilistic speech put the General Assembly hall of more than 150 delegations on notice that the United States, under Trump's leadership, is willing to pursue an unpopular and unpredictable course to protect its interests across the globe.

Trump called on world leaders to rally in the fight to defeat murderous regimes and "loser terrorists," and he derisively referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who oversees an expanding nuclear arsenal, as "Rocket Man." Reflecting on the United Nations charter of promoting world peace, the president asserted to the room full of diplomats: "Major portions of the world are in conflict, and some, in fact, are going to hell."

"To put it simply," Trump declared, "we meet at a time of both of immense promise and great peril. It is entirely up to us whether we lift the world to new heights or let it fall into a valley of disrepair."

Most of the president's views were well known before he arrived at the annual U.N. gathering. But his 42-minute speech, delivered in a combative tone rare for an American leader, put them in stark relief at a time of widespread anxiety among U.S. allies and partners over the nation's traditional role of world leader.

In contrast to Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron used his own first U.N. address later Tuesday to defend the principle of global cooperation.

"Today, more than ever before, we need multilateralism" to deal with worldwide threats such as climate change and terrorism, Macron said. "We can only address those challenges through multilateralism," he said, "not through survival of the fittest."

Macron, in an interview with CNN, also said the rhetoric toward North Korea should be toned down and warned against abandoning the nuclear deal with Iran.

"Look at the map - if we talk of a military solution, we speak about a lot of victims," he told the network about the tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "Building peace is what we have to do in this region."

If Trump was eager to use his U.N. address to set the terms for his engagement with an international organization that he derided as ineffectual during his presidential campaign, his rhetoric also set up a potentially dangerous test of his administration's credibility to carry out the promises and threats he issued.

The president said the United States has "great strength and patience," but he emphasized that if forced to defend America or its allies, "we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea." He said that Kim "is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime."

Kim, the leader of a nation of 25 million, has responded to past threats from Trump by highlighting his government's nuclear weapons programand conducting ballistic missile tests. Foreign affairs analysts contend that a U.S. military response would risk sparking a regional conflict that would result in millions of deaths in densely populated South Korea and Japan.

Despite his past criticism of the United Nations - including a 2012 tweet mocking the "cheap" green marble backdrop in the General Assembly hall - Trump extended a hand to fellow leaders and praised those who offered help in the wake of the hurricanes that destroyed areas of Texas, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

But he also called repeatedly for all nations to embrace sovereignty and self-reliance at a body founded after World War II on the idea that all countries are stronger when they work together.

"As president of the United States, I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always, and should always, put your countries first," Trump said, returning to a campaign theme and the "America first" phrase, which has been criticized as isolationist and nationalistic.

Trump, who campaigned as an iconoclast who would speak for a marginalized middle class and focus on domestic priorities, made clear that his administration would not shrink from global challenges, including the escalating economic and political crisis in Venezuela.

At the same time, however, he took care Tuesday to send signals to the mostly white, middle-class voters who form the core of his political support. He took a swipe at "mammoth multinational trade deals" and "powerful global bureaucracies," and he emphasized that "uncontrolled migration is deeply unfair."

"The substantial costs . . . are borne overwhelmingly by low-income citizens whose concerns are often ignored by both media and government," Trump said.

But it was Trump's strong criticism of authoritarian regimes that drew the most reaction in the U.N. assembly hall and on Capitol Hill.

"The goals of the United Nations are to foster peace and promote global cooperation," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said. "Today, the president used it as a stage to threaten war."

After the president's address, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sought to temper the idea that Trump's remarks on North Korea represented a break from long-standing U.S. policy. In a tweet, she cited President Barack Obama's U.N. address last year when he said that the United States "could, obviously, destroy North Korea with our arsenals" - though Obama appeared to be stating a fact rather than a step that his administration was considering.

On Iran, Trump called the U.N.-backed nuclear deal "one of the worst and most one-sided" agreements ever. His administration has said that Tehran is violating the spirit if not the letter of the landmark 2015 accord through its alleged support for terrorism and other activities. Iran, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency and other parties to the deal disagree.

"We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program," Trump said Tuesday.

His voice rising, Trump strongly hinted that his administration could soon declare Tehran out of compliance, which could unravel the accord.

"I don't think you've heard the last of it - believe me," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a vehement opponent of the deal, looked pleased as he and his wife, Sara, listened to Trump's address.

"In more than 30 years of my acquaintance with the U.N., I have not heard a more courageous and sharp speech," Netanyahu said of Trump in his own speech Tuesday.

Iranian leaders sharply rebuked the U.S. president.

In a meeting with American media executives ahead of the speech, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran has complied fully and predicted that the United States will be the loser if it "tramples upon" the agreement.

"Everyone will clearly see that Iran has lived up to its agreements and that the United States is therefore a country that cannot be trusted," Rouhani said.

On Twitter, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Trump's threats amount to "ignorant hate speech" that "belongs in medieval times."

Aides have rejected the notion that Trump's rhetoric and name-calling fall outside the bounds of international norms, suggesting that the president is merely employing language his rivals understand.

"The scourge of our planet today is a small group of rogue regimes that violate every principle on which the United Nations is based," Trump said. ". . . If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph."

- - -

The Washington Post's Martin Baron and Carol Morello contributed to this report.

---

Trump attacks "depraved" North Korean regime

Video coding
IRBIL, Iraq - Iraqi forces backed by U.S. airstrikes began an assault on the Islamic State in western Anbar province on Tuesday, breaching one of the last two militant strongholds in the country that is believed to be a possible hiding place of the group's elusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

A force composed of army units, police and tribal fighters from the area launched the attack at dawn near the town of Ana, located on the Euphrates River about 60 miles from the Syrian border, Iraq's military said in a statement.

Additional forces from Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces are expected to join the fight as it moves west toward the border with Syria.

The fight for the remaining Islamic State bastions in Anbar province is expected to be complex due to the porous Syrian border and vast desert terrain that is difficult to surround and choke off. The challenges in Anbar are well known to U.S. forces after years of combat against al-Qaida in the province a decade ago.

American intelligence officials believe there are between 5,000 and 10,000 militants in the area, moving easily between Anbar and the neighboring Deir al-Zour province in Syria, which they still largely control.

Iraqi and American military officials have said Baghdadi is likely holed up in the region, moving between safe-houses along the Iraqi and Syrian borders.

But there have been frequent uncorroborated reports on Baghdadi's movements, including several claims of his death by airstrike. Last month, the outgoing commander of U.S. coalition forces, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, said he believes Baghdadi is still alive, contradicting Russian assertions that the militant leader had likely been killed in airstrikes.

Tuesday's announcement came without the usual fanfare that has accompanied such campaigns in the past, underscoring how far Iraq has come in pushing back Islamic State's influence and territorial dominance in the country.

The group has now been evicted from 90 percent of the cities and towns it held - including the northern city of Mosul - and the launch of each battle was usually accompanied by a televised speech from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The campaign in western Anbar is expected to push westward from Ana along the Euphrates to the town of Rawa and end in the border outpost of Qaim.

Brett McGurk, the White House envoy for the fight against Islamic State, said "major operations" were underway in western Anbar in a Twitter post early Tuesday. The spokesman for the U.S.-lead coalition confirmed in a separate Twitter post that the Iraqi forces were being backed by American airstrikes.

Islamic State is now under pressure from three large offensives in one of its last major territorial holdings, the Euphrates River Valley which straddles both Iraq and Syria.

From the west, Syrian regime forces backed by Russia and Iran are moving on Deir al-Zour. Separately, U.S.-backed forces are pushing into the province from the north. With the launch of operations in Iraq on Tuesday, Islamic State is now being pressed from the east.

The convergence of these forces, often with competing interests and loyalties, sets the stage for a complicated military campaign which puts rival forces fighting a common enemy into proximity - raising the possibility of clashes.

Iraqi forces are separately preparing to assault the town of Hawija in central Iraq - a battle that has been delayed and complicated by a political dispute over who will control it once Islamic State is evicted.

Hawija sits in Kirkuk province, which is due to participate in a controversial referendum on Kurdish independence from Iraq on Monday. Both Kurds and Arabs have a historical claim to the province and have jockeyed for position over who should lead the fight for Hawija.
Two Republican members of the Senate Budget Committee reached a tentative deal to craft a budget that would allow "headroom" for a significant tax cut, Sen. Bob Corker said -- though he didn't specify the amount of that cut.

Corker of Tennessee and Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania had disagreed over allowing a budget that would add to the deficit. On Tuesday, they hammered out a potential path forward with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Corker said. The deal was expected to be shared more widely Tuesday afternoon.

Corker, a self-described deficit hawk, said he will still insist that any eventual tax bill pay for its cuts through economic growth, as determined by valid economic modeling. His remarks came after another Republican member of the budget panel, Sen. Ron Johnson, said the group is considering a budget that would allow for $1.5 trillion in tax cuts that would add to the deficit on a so-called "static" basis over the next 10 years.

If the panel follows that course, at least some of the cuts in any tax-overhaul bill that follows the budget may have to be only temporary. That's because Senate leaders want to use a budget procedure that would protect the tax legislation from a Democratic filibuster -- and that procedure requires that the legislation can't add to the long-term deficit.

The notion would represent a pronounced departure from McConnell's position earlier this year. McConnell said during a Bloomberg interview in May that a tax overhaul can't add to the nation's "alarming" debt.

Corker said Tuesday afternoon that Republicans have "potentially gotten to a very good place" in terms of the budget -- a necessary first step in their push to overhaul the U.S. tax code. "I'm not going to say what the number is yet until we talk to our members," he said.

Johnson of Wisconsin said $1.5 trillion is the minimum amount he'd like to see, and he'd consider doing as much as $3 trillion. That would make it easier for the GOP to create a tax bill with cuts that aren't completely offset by revenue raisers or the elimination of deductions. Johnson said the panel's numbers don't take into account the economic growth that would result from tax changes -- and he believes the cuts would stimulate enough growth to pay for themselves.

Johnson and others advocate the use of "dynamic scoring" -- a method that considers the effects of any changes on the larger economy -- as opposed to "static scoring," which examines only the changes themselves. Economists disagree on the best way to shape dynamic scoring models.

"There's a spectrum of opinion inside our conference," Johnson told reporters Tuesday. "Why do tax reform if you are not getting a lot of economic growth?"

A Senate Republican aide said that the budget is expected "sooner rather than later," and discussions are ongoing among the committee and the wider conference.

Johnson said that part of the $1.5 trillion in static revenue cuts, as compared to the Congressional Budget Office baseline, would be due to the committee assuming that $450 billion in expiring tax breaks are extended. CBO's baseline assumes the tax breaks actually do expire, even though Congress regularly extends them. Johnson said assuming the tax breaks are extended better represents "reality."

Republicans have to agree on a 2018 budget resolution -- a necessary step to unlock the procedural maneuver they intend to use to pass the tax plan with 50 votes in the Senate. The party controls only 52 of the chamber's 100 votes. White House advisers and congressional leaders have promised a tax framework outlining more details the week of Sept. 25, which may help to assuage members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who have said they won't vote to pass a budget out of the House until they get more details on tax changes.

Republican Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, a member of the tax-writing Finance Committee, said Monday he wants a tax cut that's "as big as we can get" within the budget window, though he declined to put a number on it. He said it "depends on what kind of dynamic impact a tax relief package can have, but I want it to be as big and bold as we can get."

Another committee member, Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said senators should discuss who'd get the benefits of a tax cut before discussing its size.

"My strong guess is that Republicans want to give a tax cut to billionaires which is exactly what we don't need," Sanders said in an interview.

---

Bloomberg's Sahil Kapur contributed.
During Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin's participation in the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, the minister met with Croatian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejcinovic Buric, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service said on Monday evening.

"The interlocutors discussed a number of issues on the agenda, in particular, the planned visit of the Croatian president to Ukraine, security in the region, initiatives within international organizations, as well as rehabilitation of people affected by the anti-terrorist operation (ATO)," the report reads.

At the same time, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also confirmed that Croatia will provide assistance in the rehabilitation of the people affected by the ATO.

In addition, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry added that one of the main topics of discussion was the issue of expanding cooperation in the energy sector: "In this context, the parties agreed to discuss this matter in more detail during the visit of Minister Klimkin to Zagreb in the near future."
A man was arrested after vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial with a penny on Monday, police said.

At about 1 p.m., an officer observed a man using a penny to write the letters "HYPT MAEK" on to the fifth pillar on the north side of the memorial, the United States Park Police said in a statement.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Former congressman Tom Perriello joined a handful of college students on Monday as they pressed Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie, a former Washington lobbyist and strategist, to disclose the names of clients he has represented over the past five years.

It's the kind of campaign event that would have been expected of Perriello had he won the June 13 Democratic primary for governor. He lost to Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, but there he was anyway, stumping for Northam.

"Whenever I can be useful, I'm there," Perriello said after his appearance at Virginia Commonwealth University. "This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. I was very clear with the Northam campaign and party that if I can be helpful, put me in."

Perriello is leading Win Virginia, a political action committee that is trying to help Democrats build their numbers in the GOP-controlled House of Delegates in November. The PAC is especially focused on 17 Republican seats in districts where Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in last year's presidential election.

Perriello, who estimated he covered 800 miles last weekend promoting Northam and Democratic House candidates, is on the campaign trail for Northam in a way that's unusual even for good sports. The primary loser is expected to promptly concede, endorse the winner and pretty much fade away.

That hasn't happened on the Republican side either. After narrowly losing the GOP primary to Gillespie, Corey Stewart has stayed visible - but not in a way that's likely to help Gillespie, who polls show is locked in a close contest with the Democrat.

Chairman of President Donald Trump's Virginia campaign until he went too rogue even for that unconventional outfit, Stewart tormented the man he derided as "Enron Ed" during the primary for his establishment ties. Stewart has barely turned down the rhetoric since. He has continued to call Gillespie weak on illegal immigrants and even blasted his choice of campaign-commercial attire, advising him to lose the "dorky Mister Rogers" sweater.

Stewart also immediately jumped into another race, to take on Sen. Tim Kaine, D, in 2018, which has kept him in the news.

Although polls show Republicans are lining up behind Gillespie, Stewart recently told the Daily Beast that Gillespie remains weak with the party's conservative base - something he says he could help Gillespie shore up if only the nominee would ask.

"I don't want to overplay my significance, but it would help if I got out there and encouraged people at rallies to vote," Stewart said, according to the website. "Ed has not asked for my help. If asked, I would give it."

Gillespie's campaign and Stewart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But Gillespie's campaign has noted in the past that while he has worked as a political consultant for various corporations, he has not worked as a lobbyist for 10 years. In April, Gillespie voluntarily disclosed his consulting clients for 2016. When he unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., in 2014, Gillespie disclosed clients he represented the previous year.

With Stewart still playing up rifts within the GOP, Perriello has been trying to smooth over those exposed by the Democratic primary. In a submission to the Blue Virginia blog, Perriello took on the biggest issue that divided them: a pair of proposed natural gas pipelines that Perriello opposes and Northam supports if they can be built safely.

The headline there: "Why I oppose the pipelines and strongly support Ralph Northam."

Virginia's race for governor continues to look like a close contest, as Northam has a slight but statistically insignificant edge over Gillespie in one new poll of likely voters and another new poll shows a dead heat.

Northam is the pick for 44 percent of likely voters and Gillespie gets 39 percent in the University of Mary Washington survey released Monday. That five-point difference is within the poll's margin of error of 5.2 percent for likely voters.

Libertarian candidate Cliff Hyra gets 3 percent of likely voters in the survey, with 14 percent undecided.

A poll of likely voters from Suffolk University in Boston finds the race evenly split at 42 percent for both Gillespie and Northam, with Hyra drawing 3 percent and 12 percent of likely voters saying they're undecided.

"Both candidates have a lot of work to do between now and November," UMW political scientist Stephen Farnsworth said in a statement accompanying that school's results.

The UMW survey was conducted from Sept. 5-12 with telephone interviews of a representative sample of 1,000 Virginians over age 18. Of those, 562 identified themselves as likely voters.

The Suffolk University poll was conducted Sept. 13-17 among 500 likely Virginia voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Other polls ahead of the Nov. 7 election have also shown a tight race, with surveys from Quinnipiac University and Virginia Commonwealth University's L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs showing similar results last month.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The San Francisco Police Department said Tuesday it remains committed to the reforms recommended last year by the Department of Justice, despite Attorney General Jeff Sessions recent announcement that his office will shift resources away from assisting local jurisdictions with community policing efforts.

Our work is not done, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said in a statement. The SFPD are determined to strengthen trust between law enforcement officers and the communities we serve.

Sessions on Wednesday said his office would focus more on delivering resources to local law enforcement agencies that would help fight violent crime, rather than expensive wide-ranging investigative assessments.

The Department of Justices Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, began reviewing the San Francisco Police Department following the 2015 killing of Mario Woods and other deadly police shootings. The federal report, released in October 2016, recommended 272 department-wide changes.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee hired Chief Scott in December as part of an effort to implement the reforms. Former Chief Greg Suhr resigned amid intense public backlash, following several high-profile police killings of African Americans and Latinos.

The recommendations, which the Police Department characterized as a road map to building trust between officers and the public, included better tracking of use-of-force incidents, updating community policing efforts and being more transparent in its disciplinary process. The department said it had moved forward with 45 percent of the Department of Justices recommendations before Sessions announcement.

The report also said the Police Department should strongly consider giving officers electronic stun guns as an alternative to using deadly force. The city has been holding recent community forums to gather public input about whether to equip officers with stun guns. Scott and the police officers union both support arming officers with stun guns.

We are committed to working together with City Hall to pursue sensible reforms that protect the public and police officers, Martin Halloran, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said in a statement. Tasers, which were included in the Department of Justice recommendations, are a key issue for police officers and we will keep advocating for them.

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi expressed concern over Sessions move away from the police reform initiatives and called for the California attorney general to step in.

The fact that the Department of Justice is jumping ship and abandoning its critical oversight of reform efforts is of grave concern, Adachi said in a statement.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
TOKYO - Spain has given the North Korean ambassador assigned to Madrid until the end of September to leave, becoming the fourth country this month to expel Pyongyang's representative in the wake of the regime's sixth nuclear test.

The Spanish government announced that it had ordered the North Korean ambassador to Madrid to leave, following similar steps by Mexico, Peru and Kuwait.

The move will please Trump administration officials, who have been asking countries with diplomatic relations with North Korea to scale them back as a way to further isolate Kim Jong Un's regime.

The United States had been leading efforts to punish the regime for its repeated missile launches this year, which Pyongyang says are part of an effort to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile aimed at reaching the U.S. mainland.

But these efforts have intensified following North Korea's huge nuclear test on Sept. 3, which experts say appears to have been the detonation of a hydrogen bomb, as Pyongyang claimed, rather than the relatively smaller atomic bombs it had previously exploded.

The Spanish foreign ministry said it was expelling Kim Hyok Chol, who became North Korea's first ambassador to Spain when the country opened an embassy in Madrid at the beginning of 2014.

"Today, the North Korean ambassador was summoned and was told of the decision to consider him as a persona non grata, therefore he must stop working and abandon the country before 30 September," the foreign ministry said in a statement, according to Reuters. It also announced the move on Twitter.

Earlier this month, just four days after the nuclear test, Mexico's foreign ministry said it had given the North Korean ambassador, Kim Hyong Gil, 72 hours to leave the country.

"With this diplomatic step, Mexico expresses to the North Korean government its categorical repudiation of its recent nuclear activity, which is an increasingly brazen violation of international law and which poses a serious threat to the Asian region and to the world," the ministry said in a statement.

North Korea was a growing threat to the world, but particularly to key allies of Mexico such as Japan and South Korea, it said.

Before leaving, Kim sharply criticized the decision.

"Mexico took an ignorant measure to declare an ambassador of a revolutionary regime from an independent country as persona non grata," he said in a statement to the Mexican press, as reported by the specialist website NK News. "I condemned and totally rejected the U.N. Security Council's sanctions resolution as an infringement on our independence."

Peru also took extra steps to limit the North Korean presence in Lima. The Peruvian government had already said in July that it would reduce the number of diplomats accredited there, in accordance with a U.N. Security Council resolution passed at the end of 2016.

That resolution, number 2321, required member states to reduce the number of staff at North Korea diplomatic missions and consular posts and limit the number of bank accounts to one per diplomatic mission and one per diplomat.

During a trip to Latin America in August, Vice President Mike Pence called on Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Peru to sever all diplomatic relations with North Korea.

The day after the latest nuclear test, the same day that the U.N. Security Council passed its latest resolution, the Peruvian government told North Korea's ambassador in Lima, Kim Hak Chol, he had five days to leave. He had been in Lima since the end of 2013.

These moves follow an announcement from Kuwait that it would expel the North Korean ambassador there, So Chang Sik, as part of a move to scale down Pyongyang's diplomatic presence in Kuwait City.

The Kuwaiti government had decided to reduce the number of diplomats accredited to the country from nine to four, it said in a notice to the United Nations dated Aug. 22 but not disclosed until last week. It said the ambassador would be among the diplomats whose accreditation was revoked.

Kuwait also said it would stop issuing visas to North Korean passport holders.

This is significant because Kuwait also accepts North Korean laborers, who work as doctors or on construction sites earning money for the regime. This is another practice that Washington is actively trying to stop as part of its efforts to punish Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program.
Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said Catalan separatists are using "Nazi" tactics to intimidate their opponents before an illegal referendum on independence.

"Referendums are a weapon of choice of dictators," Dastis said in a television interview in New York, observing that General Francisco Franco conducted two referendums in Spain before the country returned to democracy after his death in 1975.

"These people actually are taking some Nazi attitudes because they are putting up posters with the faces of mayors who are resisting their call to participate in this charade," Dastis said.

Spain's foreign-policy chief is attending the United Nations General Assembly as he pushes back against the Catalan government's insistence that its plans for an Oct. 1 vote on secession are about delivering freedom and democracy. After a series of rulings from the Constitutional Court decreed the vote illegal, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is imposing financial curbs on the regional administration and has promised tougher sanctions still if officials refuse to back down.

Dastis said that the separatists are encouraging their supporters to harass their opponents as tensions rise before the date set for the referendum.

"That's something you don't see in a democracy," he said.

Dastis said he's looking forward to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May's speech on Sept. 22 and he hopes that she will make it clear whether she wants Britain to remain in the European single market or the customs union after Brexit, even for a limited time.

"We need some clarity about what the U.K. really wants," he said. "We want to know really that they are determined to achieve a deep and constructive partnership."

The Brexit deal is of particular importance to Spain as almost 18 million Britons visited the country last year. Spanish companies also export far more to the U.K. than the U.K. buys from Spain. More than 300,000 Britons are registered as residents in Spain, compared with 130,000 Spaniards in the U.K., though the real number of Britons living at least part of the year in the southern European country may be as high as 1 million.

He also said that U.S. foreign policy hasn't changed as much under President Donald Trump as some observers suggest.

"It has changed in terms of communication but in terms of government policy I think it is slowly but surely accommodating to what we have come to expect from the United States," he said.
A rally of employees of public joint-stock company Sukha Balka (Kryvy Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region) has started near the building of the State Service for Geology and Deposits of Ukraine in Kyiv on Tuesday morning. The miners are demanding to implement the court ruling permitting the issue of deposit use permits, which the authority has not implemented due to unknown reasons.

"We want to work honestly. We want the head of the State Service for Geology and Deposits come to us and look at the eyes of these people, hard workers, and say why they do not allow them working," Chairman of the primary trade union of employees of metal and mining industries of Ukraine Viktor Schastlyvy said at the rally.

Over 250 employees of the enterprise arrived to Kyiv to take part in the rally.

The situation with the blocking of the mine's operations occurred after the fact that in August 2016 the enterprise had expired previous permits. The top management of Sukha Balka appealed to the State Service for Geology and Deposits asking to extend them and in 60 days, the company appealed to court. Dnipropetrovsk district administrative court granted the mine's claim and obliged the State Service for Geology and Deposits to extend the period of validity of the deposit use permits until 2036.On March 23, 2017, the higher administrative court of Ukraine upheld this decision. However, according to Schastlyvy, the company still does not have the opportunity to work legally.
The Kyiv-based 410 Civil Aviation Plant is overhauling light transport An-32 planes under a request of Bangladesh, the press service of the enterprise has reported.

According to a posting on the company's website, recently the plant received an An-32 plane from the Bangladeshi customer. The plant did not disclose the details of the contract, adding that this is the second An-32 from Bangladesh arrived to Ukraine for repair in 2017.

"The plane's crew soon will return to their aviation base on board of the restored An-32 arrived to the 410 Civil Aviation Plant in March 2017," the company said.

The first plane was tested before handing it to the customer, the press service said.

The press service said that the 410 Civil Aviation Plant has customers from Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, India, Hungary and Sudan.

The 410 Civil Aviation Plant is the sole enterprise in Ukraine that repair Antonov aircraft and D-36 engines. Since June 2015, the enterprise has been part of the Ukroboronprom State Concern. In July 2015, the enterprise was certified its compliance with NATO standards.
AUSTIN -- Western Governor's University announced Monday that Steven Johnson will be the new chancellor WGU Texas, starting immediately.

Johnson will succeed Veronica Vargas Stidvent as head of the Texas branch of the online, nonprofit university.

"With his focus on student success and extensive background in state higher education, Steven Johnson is ideally suited to lead WGU Texas," said WGU President Scott D. Pulsipher. "We look forward to accelerating the fulfillment of our mission to expand higher education opportunity and access in Texas with Steven as our WGU Texas Chancellor."

Johnson is leaving his role as senior vice president and chief operating officer of the Texas Association of Community Colleges. Johnson is also the co-chair of the Statewide Dual Credit Taskforce.
A 22-year-old Belgian man stopped at George Bush Intercontinental Airport for possession of child pornography was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to time served for having explicit photos of a Texas teenager he'd begun a relationship with as a minor.

Ilyass Benlamkaddem told Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal he understood the gravity of the charges and that he should expect to be deported promptly.

"Given the circumstances of this case, he certainly never will repeat this type of conduct," said his attorney, Peter Bray, of the federal public defender's office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Leo told the judge the government agreed to offer leniency because the pair had begun their relationship when they were minors.

Benlamkaddem pleaded guilty in May to having 11 nude imagines of the 16 year-old on his personal devices, stills taken from Facebook video chats.

He told officials at the airport he had traveled to Houston to look at colleges, but then revised that during questioning at a secondary checkpoint where officials were reviewing his belongings.

He explained he had traveled to Houston to visit a 16-year-old girl he had been communicating with for three years, and said to an agent that the nude images of the girl on his devices were a result of Facebook video chats they had engaged in.

A special agent for Homeland Security in Corpus Christi confirmed the girl whose name and address he provided was indeed 16.
AUSTIN  House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick upheld promises not to accept campaign cash during the recent special session as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott raked in nearly $700,000 for his re-election effort, recently filed finance reports show.

Political candidates arent allowed to accept campaign contributions during the regular legislative session, but that ban lifts when a special session starts.

Straus, R-San Antonio, and Patrick said beforehand they wouldnt accept campaign dollars during the four-week summer session, which began July 18 and ended in mid-August. Abbott, however, made no such promise and continued to pad his campaign war chest that now boasts over $40 million.

Abbotts campaign raised most of the money during the special session  about $675,000  but it also brought in nearly $220,000 the week before lawmakers returned to Austin, according to a finance report provided by the campaign.

Straus campaign also fund-raised in the week leading up to the special session, while Patricks did not, records show.

Abbott called the special session in early June and set an ambitious 20-point agenda packed with controversial items including measures restricting abortion, local government control and which public bathrooms transgender people can use.

During that time, Abbotts biggest campaign contributions came from business executives representing investment firms and energy companies, among others. The largest, a $50,000 check from Al Hill Jr. of Dallas-based A.G. Hill Partners, came in midway through the special session, on July 31. Abbott also got five separate $25,000 donations, including from Texas-based oil and solar energy company executives.

With only two months left before candidates can start filing for party primaries, Abbott faces no serious Democratic or Republican challengers.

Regardless of special session or not, the Governor makes decisions on what is in the best interests of the state, not those who support his campaign, spokesman John Wittman said in a statement. The most important standard is to avoid any conflict of interest and follow the letter and spirit of the law. That was done.

Straus, who has said he plans to seek a record-setting sixth term as House speaker, did not accept campaign cash during the four-week special session. He did, however, raise more than $58,000 the week before.

The two biggest contributions  each $25,000  came from the Texas Association of Realtors PAC and Steve Chazen, former CEO of Occidental Petroleum Corp., according to finance reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission.

Speaker Straus told Texans that he would not accept contributions during the special session and he kept his word, said spokesman Jason Embry.

Patrick didnt raise a cent during the entire reporting period, which began when Abbott signed the official declaration on July 10 and lasted through the special sessions end on Aug. 15.

Patrick indicated he was not going to raise money and he did not, said senior political adviser Allen Blakemore. We did not do any fundraising from the date of the declaration up to the beginning of the session and all the way through.

The campaign didnt file anything with the Texas Ethics Commission because candidates who dont raise money during a reporting period dont have to, Blakemore said. Campaign finance reports covering the special session were due last week.

amorris@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Four reputed members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club have signed plea deals in which they will admit to their roles in the killing of a man in Austin who reportedly tried to start a chapter of the California-based rival, the Hells Angels.

The Bandidos have long been suspected of the hit on Anthony W. Benesh III, who was gunned down March 18, 2006, in front of his girlfriend and two children as they left Saccones Pizza in Austin.

Benesh,44, had been wearing a motorcycle vest depicting the Hells Angels death head and colors, despite being told by the Bandidos that he could not do so in Texas, which is Bandidos territory, and that he would be killed if he didn't stop, according to federal court documents.

RELATED: Feds blame more violent acts on ex-president of the Bandidos

In a news release in March, the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Attorneys Office said Johnny Downtown Johnny Romo, 47, his brother Robert Romo, 45, Jesse James Kronic Benavidez and Norberto Hammer Serna Jr., murdered Benesh on March 18, 2006, to protect the power, reputation and territory of the Bandidos enterprise.

Newly filed court records said all four went to Austin to carry out the hit. They also say that Robert Romo shot from a high-powered rifle at a nearby parking lot, and he will plead guilty to a murder in aid of racketeering, and discharging a firearm during murder in aid of racketeering. His brother, Johnny Romo will plead to the same charges, while Benavidez and Serna will plead guilty to discharing a firearm during murder in aid of racketeering.

Their plea hearings have not yet been scheduled, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Fuchs. The murder charge carries a mandatory life sentence, while discharging a firearm count carries a sentence of up to life.

RELATED: Feds hit suspected heroin, meth ring in San Antonio; 40 arrested

The Bandidos and Hells Angels are decades-long rivals and Hells Angels are forbidden from setting up chapters in Texas the same way Bandidos cant open up shop in California.

It is the second killing the feds have pegged on the Bandidos in the governments two-year-old racketeering case that targeted then-national president Jeffrey Fay Pike, 61, of Conroe, national vice president John Xavier Portillo, 57, of San Antonio, and other members of its leadership.

Pike and Portillo are accused of directing, sanctioning, approving and permitting members of the Bandidos to carry out racketeering acts including murder, attempted murder, robbery, assault, intimidation, extortion and drug trafficking to protect and enhance the organizations power, territory, reputation and profits.

RELATED: Police arrest regional Bandidos president

In an indictment in March detailing charges for Beneshs killing, prosecutors also added a charge against Portillo of discharging a firearm during a murder in aid of racketeering for the retaliation slaying of Robert Lara in January 2002 in Atascosa County. Authorities said Lara killed Bandidos member Javier Negrete outside a San Antonio bar in October 2001.

Portillo remains behind bars without bond, while Pike is out on bond. Their trial is scheduled for Feb. 5 in San Antonio.

gcontreras@express-news.net

Twitter: @gmaninfedland
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Two leading members of a South Texas family have each been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for their roles in trafficking drugs for Mexicos cartels.

Juan Juando Villarreal Arelis, 44, and his nephew Jose Luis Nune Villarreal Gonzalez, 33, were the latest of 15 defendants to be sentenced in the governments case against a Rio Grande Valley family known as Los Piojos, the lice.

At a hearing Monday in San Antonio, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez gave the two men sentences they had already bargained for when the pleaded guilty earlier this year to cocaine trafficking and money-laundering related charges.

RELATED: Bandidos to plead guilty in 2006 murder of rival biker

In January, for example, Juan Villarreal pled guilty to a  specific range of 18 to 20 years, said his lawyer, Tom McHugh.

Prosecutors contend that the Villarreal family was a heavy hitter in the drug trade, and that Juan Villarreal and his brothers, Gilberto Villarreal Arelis and Reymundo Villarreal Arelis, 45, led the ring, along with Jose Luis Villarreal. The case also swept up a former Mexican prosecutor-turned U.S. informant, Sergio Guadalupe Adame Ochoa Sr., 66, of McAllen, who pleaded guilty June 7 to making false statements on a loan and credit application.

At a trial in June in San Antonio for Reymundo Villarreal, testimony showed the Villarreal family relocated from near Reynosa, Mexico, to the Rio Grande Valley after Los Zetas, a paramilitary enforcement wing of the Gulf Cartel, broke off to form its own cartel. The family sided with the Gulf Cartel, federal agents testified.

RELATED: Zetas massacre suspect deported at international bridge in Laredo

At trial, prosecutors painted the family as an important piece of Mexicos drug flow, bringing witnesses who told of marijuana and cocaine shipments to San Antonio, Houston and other parts of the United States. Agents also testified that the family laundered their cocaine proceeds in real estate in South Texas and in quarter horses, agents testified.

During the investigation, authorities seized 280 kilograms of cocaine and between $15 million to $20 million in assets, including cash in various bank accounts, quarter horses, the Riverside Plaza shopping center in Mission, numerous residences and other real estate properties.

At Reymundo Villarreals trial, jurors convicted him of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

He awaits sentencing on Oct. 24.

RELATED: Report: 3 headless bodies left in Mexican street with decapitated heads in sombreros

Also awaiting sentencing is Adame, who was also a former director of intelligence for the Mexican state of Jalisco. He admitted during his plea hearing in June that he owed $1.7 million on a loan for the mixed-use Riverside Plaza development in McAllen, which was at risk of foreclosure, and sought money from Gilberto Villarreal, whom Adame had helped escape from the Zetas drug cartel, federal agents previously said in court testimony. In the interim, Adame lied to a bank about how much money he was being paid by the U.S. government, according to court records.

Gilberto Villarreal, meanwhile, returned to Mexico and remains a fugitive, prosecutors have said.

gcontreras@express-news.net

Twitter: @gmaninfedland
The U.S. Department of Commerce continues an antidumping duty investigation into imports of carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod, originated from Belarus, Italy, South Korea, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates and UK.

The U.S. Department of Commerce said on September 15, 2017 that the U.S. Department of Commerce is aligning the final determinations in the countervailing duty investigations of wire rod from Italy and Turkey with the final determinations in the companion antidumping duty investigations.

The products under investigation are currently classifiable under HTSUS subheadings 7213.91.30, 7213.91.45, 7213.91.60, 7213.99.00, 7227.20.00, and 7227.90.60 of the HTSUS.

The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) that determines if damage was caused and the U.S. Department of Commerce that establishes the fact of dumping are involved in the investigation.

If the fact of causing damage to the national manufacturer is established, the investigation will go on and the commission will issue the final determinations before January 2, 2018. The U.S. Department of Commerce will issue the final determinations before November 20, 2017.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

San Antonio police renewed their call for help finding a woman missing since April.

Crystal Ana Lopez, a 34-year-old woman with wavy shoulder-length hair and a "CA" tattoo on her left wrist, was last seen in the 17,000 block of Henderson Pass on April 26.

Lopez is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs roughly 160 pounds.

RELATED: Police searching for missing 34-year-old woman who needs medication

Police believe Lopez has a white Maltese dog with her.

Lopez suffers from a medical condition which requires medication, according to a news release put out by police Tuesday.

Anyone with information on Lopez's location is asked to contact the department's missing persons unit at 210-207-7660.

fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSA
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A woman who dubbed herself and her co-defendant Bonnie and Clyde in a string of robberies that escalated into capital murder was found guilty Tuesday of conspiring to rob two men of their cars and money and kill them in 2014.

Antoinette Martinez showed no reaction when the verdict was read by Judge Catherine Torres-Stahl in the 175th state District Court.

Martinez and Cameo Marcus Clines were both 20 when they were arrested and charged in the deaths of Xavier Cordero Jr., 20, the son of a San Antonio police detective, on June 18, 2014, and Steven Rendon, 19, on June 25, 2014. Corderos body was found face-down hours after he was shot in a secluded field near Lake Braunig in Southeast Bexar County. Rendons body was found five days after he died in a South Bexar County cornfield.

Martinez told police in an interview on video that she knew Cordero from a previous relationship and met Rendon through a dating site she set up for the robbery. She said she lured both men to her apartment with the promise of sex and that she and Clines robbed them at gunpoint.

Martinez said she bound the men with tape, and the pair placed the men in the trunks of their cars, drove them to separate remote locations in Bexar County and that Clines shot them each in the back of the head.

Defense attorney Mark John McKay told the jury in his closing argument that Martinez was blinded by her love for Clines when she admitted during a three-hour police interview video that was shown to the jury that she told Clines to shoot Cordero again to make sure he was dead.

She falls in love with a guy and does stupid stuff. She tells a grandiose story that she thinks will help Cameo not get into trouble, McKay said.

McKay, who called Clines a stone cold killer, referenced Clines testimony Monday afternoon when he told the jury that he alone twice decided at the spur of the moment to kill both men and that he left evidence in Martinezs apartment on purpose to pin the crimes on her because he was angry she had given him a sexually transmitted disease that he passed on to his girlfriend.

She was protecting him. They want you to convict her of capital murder, something he (Clines) confessed to, McKay told the jury.

Dont be swayed by Cameos lies, prosecutor Mari Janssen told the jury in her closing argument.

When you look at her, think of the sound of the tape going around their faces, wrists, legs, Janssen said. When you look at that woman, think of the gunshots to the back of Xaviers head and to the back of Stevens neck.

Prosecutor Josh Somers told the jury Martinez is ruthless and without remorse.

She knew what they were going to do. They had a plan and carried it out, Somers told the jury. Shes the one luring the victims. Shes the one tying them up.

Clines already is serving two life sentences for murder as part of a plea agreement reached in the same case in 2016.

The mothers of both victims and other relatives gave tearful but inaudible victim impact statements as Martinez looked to the floor and silently cried. Shortly after, the judge sentenced Martinez, now 22, to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
In June, NASA graduated its newest class of astronauts. From more than 18,000 applicants from around the U.S., only 12 individuals were selected. Nearly half of those were women.

This is a game-changing moment for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics  or STEM  careers. The National Student Clearinghouse, the countrys top source for education verification, projects growth of nearly 25 percent for occupations in STEM by 2020.

Over the years, there has been an increasing shift in the number of women interested in STEM. Institutions of higher education have played a role in this shift by encouraging women to pursue these important careers. Studies suggest that exposure to courses in high school or interacting with others in a STEM field are important contributing factors to choosing and succeeding in a STEM major. Specifically, exposure to upper-level math and science classes in high school are significant indicators for women choosing to major in engineering and physics.

According to sociologist Lisa Wade, Girls in the U.S. have been outperforming boys in math and science classes for some time. Wade reports that women are still underrepresented because of a misconception that women dont excel in STEM professions. Currently in the U.S., women earn 35 percent of the undergraduate degrees in STEM, even though they account for almost 60 percent of college graduates, according to the World Economic Forum, a Swiss nonprofit that works to engage business, political and academic leaders around the world.

Women interested in STEM do well in Texas, and Texas A&M University ranks first in Texas and 12th nationally on a list of colleges that graduate the most women in STEM, according to BestColleges.com.

Texas A&M University-San Antonio offers five degree programs in STEM, and attracts hundreds of middle and high school students to its campus during the summer to participate in hands-on science camps.

On Thursday, Sept. 21, Texas A&M-San Antonio will host a topping-out ceremony for the construction of the 136,000-square-foot Science & Technology Building. The facility, which is slated to open in fall 2018, includes a variety of classroom spaces, and laboratories for studies in biology, chemistry, geology and physics, as well as microscopy, genetics, ecology physiology and other environmental degrees. The building also houses the Center for Experiential Learning and Community Engagement, which helps prepare students for the modern-day workforce by allowing them to gain practical experience in their chosen disciplines.

To learn more about A&M-San Antonio, please call 210-784-1103 or visit tamusa.edu.

Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Ph.D., is president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will use money donated to his campaign and the Republican National Committee to pay for his personal legal bills related to investigations into his campaign's ties to Russia, two people familiar with the matter said.

The first payments from the campaign and RNC have already been made to Trump lawyers John Dowd and Jay Sekulow, said one person. Another person said the RNC has been working for months to figure out the legal parameters for using campaign donations for a candidate's personal defense.
AUSTIN -- State officials announced Tuesday that Texas will opt-in to a new nationwide broadband network designed to boost the communication abilities of first responders, a move that will help with response to future disasters like Hurricane Harvey.

In announcing that Texas will partner with AT&T and FirstNet Network, the national network created by Congress in 2012, Gov. Greg Abbott said first responders in Texas will be provided with modernized devices, apps and tools "to boost their communication abilities on the job."

The plan will improve public safety and enhance emergency preparedness across the state by providing first responders with cutting edge communication technologies, Abbott said.

Texas becomes the latest state to opt in to the FirstNet network.

"As we saw in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, our first responders are often the last and only hope for safety in rapidly-changing and life-threatening situations, but this partnership with FirstNet and AT&T, allows Texas's fire, police, EMS and other public safety personnel to be better equipped when responding in these emergencies," Abbott said in a statement.

State officials said the decision to join the network will connect first responder subscribers to the critical information they need in a highly secure manner when handling day-to-day operations, responding to emergencies and supporting large events, like the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, which hosts over 2 million visitors each year.

In addition, it will strengthen emergency response communications "for public safety personnel in agencies and jurisdictions across the state to support the preparation and response to natural disasters such as the recent and ongoing response to Hurricane Harvey."

It will also enhance network coverage across Texas's topographically diverse landscape, and allow for new public safety apps, use of specialized devices and allow for possible integration with future NextGen 9-1-1 networks and Smart Cities' infrastructure, according to officials.

Abbott said it will leverage investment and innovation in the Texas Early Builder Program in Harris County "to solidify their participation as a thought leader in the development of not only technology, but the service solutions that are intuitive and meet the expectations of the public safety community."
The Hungarian parliament has unanimously adopted a resolution condemning Ukraine's law on education, pointing out violations of the rights of Hungarians living in Zakarpattia region.

The resolution urges Ukraine to respect the fundamental European values  democracy and the rule of law, as well as to prevent this law from entering into force, Yevropeiska Pravda (European Truth) news portal said referring to the Hungarian publication Magyar Nemzet.

The lawmakers noted that the Ukrainian law on education seriously violates the right of Hungarians living in Zakarpattia region to education in their native language and also contradicts a number of international documents, in particular the Copenhagen Document and the Paris Charter of the OSCE, the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the Treaty on the Principles of Good Neighborliness and Cooperation etc.

The resolution states that this law also violates the Constitution of Ukraine, according to which the adoption of new laws or amendment of existing laws should not restrict the existing rights. In addition, the Fundamental Law of Ukraine prohibits ethnic and linguistic discrimination, Hungarian lawmakers said.

In addition, the Hungarian parliament called on the international community to condemn the law.

The deputies appealed to the government of Hungary with a request to take all necessary measures to prevent the law from entering into force, and to regularly inform the parliamentary committees on this matter.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Since the Great Depression, two neon signs with the name of the Confederacys top commander have shone over San Antonios downtown, serving as a reminder of the citys Dixie past.

But the owner of the 10-story Robert E. Lee apartments is asking the city for permission to remove the Confederate commanders middle and last names, shortening the signs from Hotel Robt. E. Lee to Hotel Robt. The request comes in the midst of a heated local and national debate over the handling of Confederate monuments.

Three weeks ago, the city removed a 117-year-old statue of a Confederate soldier from Travis Park in the middle of the night. City Council voted 10-1 to put the statue into storage after activists argued that it represented the Souths history of racism and oppression. That same week, trustees of North East Independent School District voted 7-0 to change the name of Robert E. Lee High School.

Both decisions were met with passionate protests by local residents who said that Texas heritage was being erased.

The citys Historic and Design Review Commission will consider the request for new signs on Wednesday. City staff recommend approval, according to the commissions agenda.

The owner of the Robert E. Lee apartments, a partnership affiliated with JHM Group of Connecticut, didnt respond to requests for comment on Monday.

The San Antonio Conservation Society opposes changing the signs, its president Susan Beavin said. She pointed out that the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was constructed in 1922 as a hotel, and the neon signs were added in 1938.

When the buildings previous owner received state tax credits to rehabilitate it as apartments in the 1990s, one of the conditions was to preserve the signs, Beavin said.

The conservation society didnt take a position on the removal of the Travis Park statue because its board was split on the issue, she said. But the choice of whether to change the signs is less difficult because they are not on public land, she said. Shortening the name to Robert only confuses rather than clarifies, she said.

We felt very strongly that the sign should remain the way it is, Beaven said. We just feel that it is a historic building, its a historic sign, (and) its rather strange to make the changes theyre making.

District 1 City Councilman Roberto Trevino, who co-initiated the proposal to remove the Travis Park statue, said he supports changing the signs.

This is something that has been discussed by the applicant and staff for some time, he said in a statement. This city has shown itself to be resilient and thoughtful about residual elements of the Civil War.

The Robert E. Lee building is in the middle of one of the most prominent parts of downtown. Its across the street from where the new Frost Tower is being built, and its a block away from where the rehabilitated San Pedro Creek will run. The city is consolidating its offices in the former Frost Tower, which looks directly onto the building.

The Robert E. Lee was one of the first air-conditioned buildings in Texas when it was built in 1922. The hotel slid into disrepair and closed in 1974. Local leaders struggled to find a way to rehabilitate the building until the mid-1990s, when local firm Property Solutions USA fixed it up with the help of a $1.2 million federal grant and $2.7 million from the state.

The tubes for the neon signs have been destroyed in a hail storm, according to documents that the owner submitted to the city.
In the United States, there is no federal law banning the use of a cell phone while driving. Most laws pertaining to traffic regulations are left to each individual state to decide. Depending on the state you drive in, there may be restrictions on only certain kinds of cell phone use, such as texting and driving or hand-held cell phone use, or bans affecting only younger drivers. In some states, cities and municipalities can set their own restrictions on cell phone use as well. In Texas, for example, more than 90 cities have adopted a cell phone ban while driving in some form.

Each state also determines how a cell phone-related violation is enforced by law enforcement. In states with primary enforcement, you can be pulled over and cited for the infraction even if you are otherwise obeying other traffic laws. In states with secondary enforcement, a police officer must witness you breaking another traffic law, such as speeding or running a red light, before stopping and ticketing you for the cell phone-related infraction.

Commercial vehicle operators are banned from using hand-held cell phones and texting while driving throughout the entire country. The United States Department of Transportation imposes this regulation and has oversight over interstate commerce. Large truck drivers risk losing their commercial driver's license when they decide to use their cell phone while driving. Large truck accidents caused by drivers distracted by a cell phone are oftentimes severe in nature.

Cell Phone Laws in the United States

Laws prohibiting cell phone use while driving are implemented to protect drivers, other motorists, and pedestrians. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately ten percent of all fatal motor vehicle accidents are caused by distracted driving.

Talking on a hand-held cellphone while driving is banned in 15 states and the District of Columbia. oTexas has a statewide ban on hand-held cellphone use while driving through a school zone.

Texting and driving is banned for all drivers in 47 states and the District of Columbia.

Thirty-eight states ban all cellphone use by novice or teen drivers

To find out about your state's regulations, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has a chart describing each state's laws restricting cell phone use while driving. Regardless of what the law is in your state, it's important to understand how unsafe it is to drive distracted, either hands-free, with a cell phone to your ear, or texting.

Is All Cell Phone Use Dangerous?

No matter how you are using a cell phone while operating a vehicle  texting, hand-held, Bluetooth, or otherwise  it is a dangerous distraction that puts your life and other motorists' lives in jeopardy. Studies have shown that the effects of distraction on a driver is similar to that of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Thomas J. Henry has handled many cases involving distracted drivers in which expert witnesses testify to the similarity of impairments associated with distracted driving and drunk driving.

In order to safely operate a vehicle, a motorist must not have any visual, manual, or cognitive distractions. Texting and driving, for example, removes your eyes from the roadways, your hands from the steering wheel, and your mind off the task of driving. This creates an incredibly dangerous situation; distracted driving-affected crashes caused more than 3,400 deaths in 2015 in the United States.

Contact an Experienced Accident Attorney

Thomas J. Henry urges everyone to operate their vehicles safely and without any sort of distraction. Protect your livelihood, the safety of your passengers, and the motorists you share the road with. If you were injured in an accident involving a distracted driver, you may be entitled to compensation. Our attorneys have experience handling distracted driving accident cases that result in catastrophic injuries. Call our law offices today for a free case review.

Editors Note: This content is made possible by Thomas J. Henry Personal Injury Law. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com.
1 Man who saved the world: Stanislav Petrov, a former Soviet military officer known in the West as the man who saved the world for his role in averting a nuclear war over a false missile warning at the height of the Cold War, has died at 77. Petrov was on night duty at the Soviet militarys early warning facility outside Moscow on Sept. 26, 1983, when an alarm went off, signaling the launch of several U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles. The 44-year-old lieutenant colonel had to quickly determine whether the attack was real. He chose to consider it a false alarm, which it was. The incident was particularly harrowing as it happened at one of the tensest periods of the Cold War when the Soviet Union appeared to genuinely fear a surprise U.S. nuclear attack. The false alarm was later determined to have been caused by a malfunction of a satellite, which mistook the reflection of the sun off high clouds for a missile launch.

2 Kalashnikov monument: A towering monument to Lt. Gen. Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the AK-47, the Soviet rifle that has become the worlds most widespread assault weapon, was unveiled Tuesday in the middle of one of central Moscows busiest thoroughfares. The ceremony took place to the sounds of military folk music, the Soviet anthem and words about how his creation had ensured Russias safety and peace in the world. The bronze statue depicts Kalashnikov cradling one of his automatics in his arms.
U.S. weapons to help Ukraine liberate Donbas and return its territories - Poroshenko

U.S. weapons will help Ukraine liberate the Donbas, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"First and foremost, American weapons will help us liberate the Donbas and return Ukrainian territories," he said in his speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York early on Tuesday.

Poroshenko expressed regret that the issue of providing Ukraine with lethal weapons still remained controversial and unresolved.

He refuted an argument by Russian representatives that "American weapons cannot help resolve the situation in Ukraine" - "in fact, it can."

"They [Russian representatives] also use the arguments that the provision by Americans of weapons to our country will further escalate the conflict, but this is absolutely untrue. Why not take this positive decision and save more Ukrainians lives?" Poroshenko said.

He recalled that the lives of many Ukrainian servicemen had been saved thanks to cooperation with the United States, including in the sphere of humanitarian assistance.
Voter turnout in New Zealand elections is woeful but there are signs that a stronger showing by Labour could get more people out on polling day; there is a feeling that this time, it could be a tight contest.

The three Meet the Candidates sessions that I attended locally have all had good turnouts; earlier this week there was one held specifically for young people, at a Silverdale bar, arranged by young local board members Caitlin Watson and Tessa Berger.

Local teenagers tell me that there is a lot of interest being generated among new voters who are sharing thoughts and information about who theyd like to vote for via social media. Around half the brand new voters, aged 18, that I spoke to are going to vote now, whereas a few months ago they showed little interest.

A report by the Electoral Commission that analysed the 2014 general election noted that voter turnout has been in decline in most developed democracies over the last 30 years, but New Zealands has been particularly steep and persistent. At the 2011 election, turnout as a percentage of those eligible to enrol dropped to an all time low of 69.57 percent  the lowest recorded at a NZ general election since the adoption of universal suffrage in 1893. The 2014 result, 72.14 percent, is the second lowest.

In Rodney that percentage was higher  81.21 percent last election  perhaps a reflection of this areas older demographic.

However, the commission makes it clear that low participation is not only confined to 1824-year-olds, with enrolment rates falling in all age groups up to the age of 39.

The trend appears to show that enrolment and voting is a habit which needs to be formed young and, if it is not, non-engagement persists as one ages, the report says.

For me, however the election cards fall after September 23, the best result would be a higher voter turnout that could help galvanise more people into getting into that voting habit.
Mayor Phil Goff told this months Environment and Community Committee that Council needs a more comprehensive approach to improving Aucklands water quality.

While wastewater overflows into our harbours go back more than a century, the current state of Aucklands water is no longer acceptable, Mr Goff said.

Upgrading and building our water infrastructure is a top priority for this council and the council group for the next decade.

Committee chair, Cr Penny Hulse, is leading a programme to develop a coordinated approach for water.

It will look at drinking water, wastewater, estuarine and marine environments, stormwater, natural waterbodies and groundwater and aquifers; and the policy, infrastructure and investment, regulatory requirements, community involvement and research required to manage this.

Were stepping up to reinforce a smarter, bolder and more integrated approach to delivering water outcomes for Aucklanders into the future, she said.
Waders and Wonders of Orewa Estuary, an exhibition opening at Estuary Arts Centre this month, will portray the birds, plants and marine animals of the estuary.

The opening of the exhibition coincides with the arrival of the eastern bar tailed godwits, after their long flight from Alaska where they nested in the northern summer.

Pauline Smith of Forest and Bird Hibiscus Coast says that the exhibition was first envisaged more than a year ago.

We want to raise awareness about this amazing environment, she says. Work we are doing at Orewa Estuary complements the Pest Free Peninsula project, and when animal pest control is complete, will be an important part of the North West WildlInk programme.

Under expert guidance from Val Cuthbert, three successful printmaking workshops were held and the 30 resulting prints will be on display.

There will also be a mural and Silverdale School is supporting this part of the project with students from years 14 displaying drawings related to the estuary. Visitors to the exhibition are invited to add to the mural.

Pauline says that Forest and Bird have had amazing support for the exhibition, with three photographers, Philip Moll, Matt van der Linden and Donald Snook, offering outstanding images of birds to be found in the estuary.

There is also a selection of photographs of birds which should be living in the Estuary and currently are not. These birds should appear of their own accord when animal pest control, targeting rats, stoats, possums and hedgehogs, is underway there on a consistent basis.

Isee video have created a film which will be running throughout the exhibition, highlighting which birds use the estuary, species that could live there and the animal pests to be removed for this to happen.

Support has been received from Auckland Council and the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board, and the conservation plan Council has had written will be presented on September 27 at one of the three talks Forest and Bird will host this month and next. There will also be three walks around the estuary (see Whats On for details).

Waders and Wonders of Orewa Estuary is on at Estuary Arts Centre, Western Reserve, Orewa, September 30October 29.
There were few surprises at a pre-election meeting hosted by Penlink Now in Manly recently  although the strong turnout came as a surprise to organisers.

There can be few other single issues on the Coast that would drag close to 100 people out to a public meeting on a cold and rainy Sunday.

All the Rodney candidates views on Penlink were already well publicised, most recently in Hibiscus Matters election guide (September 6 issue).

At the meeting, on September 10, candidates from National and NZ First promised speedy delivery of the project. A more measured tone came from Labour. Candidate Marja Lubeck said her party is putting more money into regionally significant roads, and that Penlink should be top of that list. She favours the four-lane option, saying that the two-lane road was approved in 2001 and since then there has been significant growth. She said Labour will (within six months of taking office) review Penlink along with other large roading projects and agree a new, updated 30-year Auckland Transport Alignment Project with Auckland Council.

Rodney MP Mark Mitchell made a commitment to get the project started as a state highway, within three years of being re-elected. He said that Penlink is the first project on Crown Infrastructure Partners to do list and that it will be delivered as tolled road via a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

He said to get it started within three years it will need to be the two-lane version, with clip ons possible at a later date to extend it to four lanes.

NZ Firsts Tracey Martin promised to deliver the full, four-lane road as a Build Own Operate and Transfer Back (BOOT) or PPP and questioned the need for tolls, saying it would be the only road in Auckland to require them and once private investment is obtained, Government should stump up the rest. Why should we be the only people in Auckland paying a toll? she asked.

ACTs Beth Houlbrooke was focused on ensuring that Penlink allows for driverless electric cars, which take up less space and could effectively turn two lanes into three.

The meeting was chaired by Penlink Now chair Stephen Lyttleton, who said the team currently has eight members, including four who joined 14 years ago.

One foundation member, Gerry Rea of Arkles Bay, put forward a funding proposal that involves the issue of bonds for public subscription underwritten by Government. This gained a favourable response, particularly from Tracey Martin.

Details of Mr Reas proposal are linked here.

Charges used to control use of Penlink

If Penlink is built as a two-lane highway, Auckland Transport plans to keep it that way as long as possible.

The plan is to control the number of cars using the road by raising the toll if demand gets too heavy and traffic begins to clog up.

Auckland Transports (AT) strategic projects group manager, Theunis van Schalkwyk, told the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board that the two-lane option is all about value for money  improving the cost/benefit ratio and increasing revenue from tolling.

Previously the toll revenue was to be at similar levels to the Northern Gateway for a period of around 25 years after which the toll would be removed, he said. As soon as the tolls are removed, demand will go up, and four lanes might be needed, so the idea is to manage demand by never removing the toll and putting the price up if demand gets too heavy.

Member Caitlin Watson asked how much the toll could be and Mr van Schalkwyk said it was originally $2.20 but could go up to $3.80 and would be adjusted every three years.

He said demand management would mean Penlink could remain a two-lane road for a lot longer than 25 years. It would also allow buses to operate without the need for dedicated bus lanes; he said the current two-lane design includes a shared cycle/walkway.
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.
Providing Ukraine with defensive weapons is not just a weapon, but a legal instrument to protect the Ukrainian position, President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"Another importance of defensive weapons is not just Javelin anti-tank missiles. We produce the Stugna [anti-tank missile system], which has a different principle, but still very efficient. We are talking about a radio-electronic warfare system that presents irrefutable evidence of Russia's crimes to the world  from where they open fire to kill our civilians, where and when, what is the caliber of the heavy weaponry they brought contrary to the Minsk agreements. After all, this evidence will help us form a legal position when the crimes of Russia will be considered in an international court The Hague... This is not just a weapon, but also a legal instrument to protect the Ukrainian position," the presidential press service quoted him as saying at a meeting with the Ukrainian community and representatives of Crimean Tatar organizations in New York on Monday, September 18.

Poroshenko also noted that Ukraine had achieved significant progress in talks with the new U.S. administration on the provision of defensive weapons.

According to him, not only Ukraine is waiting for the provision of defensive weapons.

"This is not just a position that helps increase the price the Russian aggressor will pay for assuming the offensive. It also opens an opportunity for the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries to provide the same assistance for us. They are waiting for the political decision by the United States," Poroshenko said.
By Long Island News & PR Published: September 19 2017

18 Attorneys General File Amicus Brief Opposing The Ban, Citing Harm To States Residents, Institutions, And Economies.

New York, NY - September 19, 2017 - New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, leading a coalition of 18 Attorneys General, filed a new amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court opposing President Trumps travel ban.

The brief was filed in related cases Trump v. IRAP (No. 16-1436) and Trump v. Hawaii (No. 16-1540), ahead of arguments scheduled for October 10th. In both cases, the district courts entered nationwide preliminary injunctions prohibiting among other things enforcement of President Trumps 90-day ban on the entry to the U.S. of nationals from six overwhelmingly Muslim countries, the suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, and the reduction of the Programs refugee cap. Both the Fourth Circuit and the Ninth Circuit affirmed the injunctions.

Since January, our coalition of attorneys general has been on the front lines of the fight against this unconstitutional, unlawful, and un-American ban, said Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. President Trumps discriminatory ban doesnt just harm the families caught up in the chaos of his draconian policies. It also undermines our states residents, institutions, businesses, and economies  and well continue to take action to ensure that those we represent are protected.

Click here to read the brief , which was led by Attorney General Schneiderman and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, and signed by New York, Illinois, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

Amici have a strong interest in respondents challenges to the Order, and to its travel ban in particular, which has already caused  and absent the continuation of the injunctions, will continue to cause  substantial harm to our universities, hospitals, businesses, communities, and residents, the brief reads.

While the amici States differ in many ways, all welcome and benefit from immigration, tourism, and international travel by students, academics, skilled professionals, and businesspeople. Notwithstanding the injunctions now in place, the travel ban has inflicted economic damage on the States themselves through lost tuition and increased administrative costs at the States public universities and colleges, as well as diminished tax revenues. The ban has also disrupted the provision of medical care at the States hospitals and harmed our science, technology, health care, finance, and tourism industries by inhibiting the free exchange of information, ideas, and talent between the six designated countries and the amici States. In addition, the ban has hindered the States from effectuating our own constitutional and statutory policies of religious tolerance and nondiscrimination.
By Long Island News & PR Published: September 19 2017

Review of More than 240 Colleges and Universities Finds that Majority of Schools Significantly Compliant with "Enough is Enough" Law.

Albany, NY - September 19, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the findings of a comprehensive statewide review of compliance under the "Enough is Enough" law at 244 higher-education institutions across the state. The results, coming in the aftermath of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos's announcement of her intention to dismantle and replace Title IX protections for victims of sexual assault on college campuses, found that the majority of colleges and universities are significantly compliant with the law, although many present concerns that must be addressed in order to be in full compliance.

"In New York, we know that sexual assault is a crime, and we will continue to hold our colleges and universities to the highest possible standards to ensure the safety of all New York students," Governor Cuomo said. "Regardless of the federal government's dangerous actions to rescind Title IX protections, this state and this administration will continue to stand with and advocate for survivors, and we will not go backwards in the fight against sexual assault."

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said, "We've made tremendous progress when it comes to protecting New York's college students from the sexual assault epidemic that's plagued this nation, but we still have further to go. Under Governor Cuomo's leadership, a vast majority of colleges across the state have adopted the Enough is Enough policies, but until we have 100 percent compliance, there are still young women and men who remain vulnerable. We will not rest until we make sure all New York college campuses are safe for our students."

The statewide review was initiated to ensure that all colleges and universities fulfill their obligations under the law to protect students from sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking, and are taking every measure to properly investigate allegations of sexual assault on campus. Governor Cuomo signed "Enough Is Enough," the nation's most aggressive policy to put an end to sexual assault on college and university campuses, into law in 2015.

The statewide review found that, while many colleges and universities have taken steps to comply with the "Enough is Enough" requirements, many institutions have not taken the necessary steps to achieve full compliance. Institutions not fully in compliance will be notified by the New York State Office of Campus Safety. These schools will be required to submit an action plan to achieve full compliance within 30 days, and to submit documentation of full compliance within 60 days of such notification. The full report is available on the New York State Office of Campus Safety website and the data breakdown is available here

95 schools (38.9 percent) were found to be compliant with the requirements. Several schools and systems are demonstrating innovative approaches to protecting students, including: linking law enforcement, campus administration, and victim services to better serve victims of Sexual Assault, as well as using technology to provide informational resources to students and direct access to assistance when necessary.

29 institutions (11.9 percent) were found to be non-compliant, meaning their policies were deficient on the majority of elements.

120 (49.2 percent) schools were found to be significantly compliant, but presented concerns that must be addressed to achieve compliance with the requirements. Those concerns fall into the categories of training consistency; lack of adequate services available to students; verifications of completion of student training; accessibility and availability of information; definition of confidentiality; missing, inconsistent, or contradictory information; and noncompliant resolution procedures.

Following-up on the results of this preliminary review, the Office of Campus Safety and assisting agencies will begin a second phase of review, focused on addressing shortfalls in institutions' procedures when investigating and adjudicating reports of sexual assault. This second phase will be an in-depth review of campus practices beyond documentation; It will include review of campuses identified as potentially problematic during the initial review, and others where there is an indication of potential non-compliance when handling reports.

Work continues with partners in the advocacy community to identify widespread problems and those specific to individual institutions and cases, to identify best practices for approach to sensitivity of personally identifiable information, and to ensure all necessary steps are taken to protect the identities and personal information of reporting individuals, witnesses, victims, and respondents.

"Enough is Enough" is the strongest law in the nation protecting students from sexual assault. It requires all colleges to adopt or implement:

A uniform definition of affirmative consent, defining consent as a knowing, voluntary, and mutual decision among all participants to engage in sexual activity;

An amnesty policy, to ensure that students reporting incidents of sexual assault or other sexual violence are granted immunity for certain campus policy violations, such as drug and alcohol use;

A Students' Bill of Rights, which campuses will be required to distribute to all students in order to specifically inform sexual violence victims of their legal rights and how they may access appropriate resources. The Bill of Rights clearly states that students are given the right to know they can report sexual assaults to outside law enforcement, including the State Police;

Comprehensive training requirements for administrators, staff, and students, including at new student orientations.;

Reporting requirements for campuses to annually submit aggregate data on reported incidents of sexual violence and their resolution to the State Education Department
Local News, Crime, National & World News, Health & Wellness, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: September 19 2017

Attorneys General Demand Information And Documents From Major Opioid Manufacturers And Distributors.

New York, NY - September 19, 2017 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that a bipartisan coalition of 41 attorneys general from across the country has demanded information and documents from the manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioid drugs, part of a multistate investigation into whether the companies engaged in any unlawful practices in the marketing and distribution of prescription opioids.

The investigative subpoenas and document requests, which were served yesterday, mark a major expansion of the investigations by the Attorneys General into the nationwide opioid epidemic. A large, bipartisan coalition of states' chief legal officers are now pooling resources to address the most pressing public health crisis affecting the country, and doing so with a broad focus on multiple entities at both the manufacturer and distributor levels.

Too often, prescription opioids are the on-ramp to addiction for millions of Americans, said Attorney General Schneiderman. Were committed to getting to the bottom of a broken system that has fueled the epidemic and taken far too many lives. New Yorkers whose families have been torn apart by the opioid crisis deserve to know if the industry put its bottom line ahead of patient safety. My office is committed to using every tool at our disposal to curb the epidemic and get those affected by it the help they need and the justice they deserve.

The attorneys general served subpoenas on the following pharmaceutical manufacturers and their related entities:

Endo International plc

Janssen Pharmaceuticals

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd./Cephalon Inc.

Allergan Inc.

The attorneys general have also served a supplemental investigative subpoena on Purdue Pharma.

The attorneys general also demanded documents and information about distribution practices from the following opioid distribution companies, who together manage approximately 90 percent of the nation's opioid distribution:

AmerisourceBergen

Cardinal Health

McKesson

Opioid distributors alone make nearly $500 billion a year in revenue.

Opioids  both prescription and illicit  are the main driver of drug overdose deaths nationwide and in New York. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids were involved in 33,091 deaths in 2015  including 2,754 in New York  and opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999. Drug overdoses account for a large percentage of deaths among New Yorkers between 15 and 44 years of age  accounting for a stunning 41 percent of deaths in Sullivan County, 37 percent in Erie County, and 32 percent in Nassau County, according to an analysis conducted by the New York Times.

Since taking office, Attorney General Schneiderman has launched a multi-levered strategy to tackle New Yorks evolving opioid epidemic, including:

Obtaining settlements with major domestic and global health insurers including Cigna, Anthem, and Empire BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS), which insure over 4 million New Yorkers, to remove barriers to life-saving treatment for opioid use disorder. The agreements put an end to the insurers policy of requiring prior authorization for medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which can lead to significant delays for patients seeking relief from addiction.

Creating the Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing Act (I-STOP), a series of enhancements to New Yorks prescription drug monitoring program that provide doctors with patients up-to-date controlled substance prescription history and established a safe disposal program providing a place for New Yorkers to get rid of expired and unneeded drugsthus reducing the likelihood of stolen and forged prescriptions being used to obtain controlled substances from pharmacies. I-STOP reduced doctor shopping, a practice in which an individual attempts to obtain the same or similar prescriptions from multiple physicians, by 90% since 2014.

Launching the Community Overdose Prevention (COP) program, a life-saving initiative that enabled state and local law-enforcement officers in the state of New York to carry naloxone, the extremely effective heroin antidote that can immediately reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Since the programs implementation in April 2014, more than 100 overdoses were reversedusing kits provided by the COP program, which distributed over 27,000 kits across the state.

Obtaining an agreement with Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to cut and cap the price of naloxone for all agencies in New York State, reducing the price of naloxone by nearly 20 percent.

Enforcing Mental Health Parity Lawsto reach agreements with health insurance companies, requiring them to implement sweeping reforms in their administration of behavioral health benefits, in particular relating to medical management practices, coverage of residential treatment for substance abuse, and co-pays for outpatient treatment, and to submit regular compliance reports. The agreements ultimately provided over $2 million in restitution for members whose claims for were improperly denied.

Successfully prosecuting more than ten licensed prescribers including operators of pill mills and other unlawful practices for crimes related to improper opioid prescriptions.

Cracking down on drug trafficking networks that traffic opioids into communities around the state. The Attorney Generals Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) has now taken down 25 large drug trafficking gangs, made more than 580 felony narcotics arrests, and seized more than $1.5 million and more than 2,000 pounds of illegal drugs since 2011. In the past several months alone, Attorney General Schneidermans SURGE (Suburban and Upstate Response to the Growing Epidemic) Initiative has resulted in 260 alleged traffickers and dealers taken off the streets.

Urging health insurance companies to review their coverage and payment policies that contribute to the opioid epidemic, as well as sending letters to the countrys three largest pharmacy benefit managers requesting documents, data, and other information regarding how they are addressing the opioid crisis.
The Senate of the United States of America has passed the draft National Defense Authorization Act for 2018, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"The US Senate passed the U.S. defense policy bill for 2018, which provides, among other things, the allocation of $500 million to support Ukraine in the field of security and defense," he wrote on Facebook in the early hours on Tuesday.

The draft authorized the supply of lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine. It also permitted to spend funds of the U.S. defense budget on rehabilitation of wounded Ukrainian servicemen at U.S. hospitals, and to beef up the capacity of the Ukrainian Air Force and Navy, Poroshenko said.

"This is the first legislative act providing Ukraine with such means of defense as air defense and sea surveillance radars, naval countermine hardware, and coastal and Coast Guard vessels," Poroshenko said.
The confidence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which confirmed the intention to transfer the next tranche under the EFF program to Ukraine, was one of the reasons for the rush demand for Ukrainian eurobonds, which allowed Ukraine to raise $3 billion for 15 years at a rate reduced from 7.75% to 7.735% per annum, the secretary of the National Investment Council, the former head of the presidential administration, Borys Lozhkin, has stated.

"The main reason for the rush demand is, of course, a successful market situation: a high rate of return and the availability of free money from investors ... Another reason is the confidence of the IMF, which confirmed the intention to transfer the next tranche after the pension reform is implemented. Institutional investors rely heavily on the IMF's view on the economic prospects of a certain country," he wrote on his Facebook page from New York, where he meets with investors together with the president.

He specified, for comparison, that U.S. securities are circulating in the market at a rate of about 2%, those of the UK at 1.5%, and Greece at 5.4% per annum.

Lozhkin, commenting on the discussion with investors, noted they recognize Ukraine as worthy of trust.

"I hope that in the near future we will see the results of this interest not only in the public but also in the private sector," he said.
Financing for National Guard to be raised by UAH 238 mln in 2018

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has proposed the Verkhovna Rada to allocate UAH 10.652 billion for financing the National Guard in 2018, which is UAH 238 million more than in the previous year.

Such a norm is stipulated in the draft national budget for 2018 registered under No. 7000 in the Verkhovna Rada on September 15, 2017.

According to the draft law, it is also planned to increase expenditure for treatment of National Guard officers by UAH 18 million, to UAH 74.255 million.

Some UAH 203.78 million is foreseen to finance the management of the National Guard and UAH 379.103 million for training personnel.

The level of financing housing construction (purchase) for servicemen of the National Guard remains, as in the national budget for 2017, at the level of UAH 200 million.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Green is the Colour of Indo-US Ties

by Shreya Upadhyay

The Indo-US strategic partnership is broad-based and has found resonance in shared values, democratic principles as well as geopolitical interests. Both the countries over the years have taken innovative steps and exceptional foreign policy measures to gain optimal and mutual benefits in the fast changing global order. Signing of the historic civil nuclear cooperation agreement, multiple defence deals, the defence technology handshake, regular maritime exercises and vibrant trade and investment ties have marked remarkable developments in bilateral relations.

The energy chapter in this all-encompassing relationship is just one spoke and Prime Minister Narendra Modis conspicuous silence on the issue of the Paris Agreement when he met US President Donald Trump in June is a telltale sign regarding how strategic (or not) climate change is an issue when it comes to India-US energy ties. This article explores the long-term response of New Delhi on climate change in the wake of Trexit. What readjustments need to be made from the Indian side to make the situation advantageous to suits it energy needs? What is the future of Indias involvement in shaping the emerging world?

Trexit and Target India

President Trump fulfilled the campaign promise of pulling the country out of the Paris Climate Agreement, signed by 195 countries after years of fraught discussions. He attacked the deal as being less about the climate and more about other countries gaining a financial advantage. The targets were China and India who were dubbed free riders and advantage-seekers. He insisted that while India could double its coal production by 2020, the US was not allowed to build the plants. Several Indian commentators took a high ground to Trumps jibes suggesting that India now leapfrogging ambitious renewable energy goals, could lecture (Perkins 2017) the American President on climate change. Aspersions were cast on the Modi-Trump meet scheduled in July. Observers were also of the view that this can prompt India to go the Trump route. The Indian Government was, however, prompt in refuting the possibility that nothing would deter Indias contribution.

Indias Clean Energy Revolution

The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, works to limit global warming to 2C above pre-industrial levels. India was apparently earlier reluctant in signing the agreement. (Westcott 2017) While India for long championed the importance of reducing carbon emissions, its development needs, and historically low per capita emissions have been cogently argued in international negotiations. However, over the years, with air pollution almost assuming crisis proportions, policy-makers and the general populace in India are on the same page in appreciating the moral, political and economic incentive to stay aligned with the Paris Agreement. Actions pledged by India for boosting electricity efficiency in consumption as well as generation and a shift to renewable energy are under way. (Tongia et al. 2017)

India has started to do away with coal. Coal India recently announced shutting of 37 mines that were no longer economically viable. The government has also announced that it will not be building any coal plants after 2022 and renewables are predicted to generate 57 per cent power by 2027. Dropping coal isnt a new phenomenon in India. From July 2015 to July 2016, Indias coal plant pipeline fell by 40 gigawatts. (Shearer et. al. 2017)

Indias solar sector has also received heavy investment from the private sector and wealthier nations. Japans Softbank has committed to invest $ 20 billion in the Indian solar energy sector, along with the Taiwanese company, Foxconn, and Indian business group Bharti Enterprises. (Safi 2017) The French company, EDF, has also announced investment of $ 2 billion in renewable projects. The American private sector has earmarked $ 2.5 billion for India between 2009 and 2016. Adani unveiled the worlds largest solar plant in Tamil Nadu in 2016. (The Times of India 2016 a) Tata Power also announced that it would increase the share of its renewable energy output up to 30-40 per cent by 2025. (The Times of India 2016 b) Due to technological advancement, the price of solar energy has also fallen by 80 per cent in the past five years. India also aims to generate 275 gigawatts of total renewable energy, in addition to 72GW of hydro energy and 15GW of nuclear energy by 2027.

Where is the Moolah?

While Trumps comment can be dubbed simplistic, it is a fact that India at the time of signing the Paris declaration had stated that the ratification was keeping in view its develop-ment agenda, particularly the eradication of poverty and provision of basic needs for all its citizens... and on the assumption of unencumbered availability of cleaner sources of energy and technologies and financial resources from around the world. (UN 2015) India also gave the estimation that it would need $ 2.5 trillion to achieve its goals by 2030, part of which it seeks from the West. (Mohani 2015)

As part of the Paris Agreement, developed nations agreed to donate $ 100 billion per year by 2020 taking into account the needs and priorities of developing countries. (UNFCC 2014) As much as $ 34.35 million have already been sanctioned by the Green Climate Fund for the Ground Water Recharge and Solar Micro Irrigation for Food Security in April 2017. (Green Climate Fund 2017) Regardless, much of the finance is going to emerge from commercial institutions and not the US Government. The US Government has sanctioned $ 3 billion to the GCF, of which only $ 1 billion was transferred by the Obama Administration. The current Administration is sure to block the remaining amount.

India surely faces a tougher pathway to finance and technology to meet its goals. A more negative outcome will be other developed countries also tightening their purse strings. India on its part has started building ground-work with interaction on the issue with Spain, Germany, Russia and France and nudging them to speed up climate finance to developing countries. (Mudur, Kasturi 2017)

Turning Lemons into Lemonade

While solar power is suddenly the buzzword with Modi referring to sunshine countries as suryaputra (sons of the Sun), coal remains the backbone for energy needs with a 65 per cent share of total production in 2035. Modis above and beyond rhetoric on the Paris Climate Change is thus balanced by the realistic perspective.

India is now poised to make coal cleaner and more efficient, and understands that this is the area where the US can contribute in a big way. India is also implementing standards for sulphur emissions from coal power plants to make it clean and is tightening standards for other pollutants linked to local air pollution. India has limited experience and capabilities for the required retrofits. Therefore, US technology providers come in a big way. Trump might not be a seasoned politician or politically correct, but there is no denying the fact that he is a deal maker and India has been on a lookout to exploit that. In the Obama years, if the US-India relationship talked about climate change, and cooperation in solar energy and clean energy finance, the present relationship seeks trade of hydrocarbon products, albeit LNG and clean coal.

This dynamic of growth in India is precisely what makes US-India energy collaborations mutually beneficial. US energy demand is generally flat, but the total energy demand in India may grow about seven per cent annually. (Tongia et al. 2017) Indian targets for renewables of building 175 gigawatts are so ambitious that they require 25 per cent annual growth through 2022. Renewables are poised to overtake oil as second largest, increasing from four per cent to 14 per cent by 2035 as oil will drop from 10 per cent to three per cent by the same time. To make that a reality, India needs to tap into global technology and capital markets. (Economic Times 2017)

India is nonetheless working on a lighter carbon footprint. In line of these goals, the government introduced a coal tax of Rs 50 per metric tonne of coal produced and imported. This Clean Environment Cess was doubled three times, reaching 400 rupees per tonne in the 20162017 Budget. The revenues generated provide finance to renewable energy projects, part of which is earmarked for the implemen-tation of Ultra Mega Solar Power projects. (Climate Action Tracker 2017)

India also faces high power grid losses. Per data available, India has approximately 26 per cent, that is, the highest aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) grid-loss rate in the world. In order to bring efficiency in power supply, the National Smart Grid Mission was approved. The US is also contributing on it and India is keen to increase its utilisation of natural gas. India has also been working on electrification of vehicles and plans a deployment of 6-7 million hybrid/ electric vehicles per year by 2020.

Interestingly, even as the federal government stepped down from fighting climate change, a coalition of economic, education and local government leaders pledged their support through the We are still in movement. The coalition represents 120 million Americans, 125 cities, nine states, 902 businesses and investors and 183 educational institutions and a whopping $ 6.2 trillion of the US economy. (Perkins 2017) India and other developing countries working to contribute to Paris Climate Agreement are eyeing for support in the form of loans and trade agreements from this group consisting of big names such as Apple, Google, Tesla, Target, Facebook, Nike etc.

Leadership Readjustment on the way

Indias growing internationalism has been recognised and also institutionalised with a seat in G-20, support on its quest for the United Nations Security Council membership, increasing clout in international financial institutions and impressive record in UN peace-keeping. Paris Climate accord was another step of positioning itself as a responsible global power.

According to the Paris accord, India which currently contributes four per cent to global emissions, became bound to reduce its carbon foot-print by 33 to 35 per cent from its 2005 levels to 2030. South Asia is already vulnerable to climate change. Thus, renewable energy, energy efficiency and transition to zero carbon technologies over time remain a reality. Alongside we also need to align positively with the cleaner energy agenda, including coal. India also needs to increase its forest cover by five million hectares during this period, as well as improve the quality of its green cover.

India has, however, been chastised that its Paris Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitment is weak and has scope for improvement. Its effort has only been tracked medium by the Climate Action tracker, a research unit. India will soon achieve its 2030 NDC emissions intensity target. No new targets have been set regarding Indias continued expansion of renewables after 2022. The Draft Electricity Plan has projected that, despite the increasing electricity demand, no new coal capacity, apart from the capacity already under construction, would be needed after 2022. If the Draft Electricity Plan is implemented, India will achieve its NDCs 2030 40 per cent non-fossil capacity target before 2022, and will reach 57 per cent by 2027. (Climate Action Tracker 2017) India, on its part, can achieve the target with the currently implemented policy. Under the current pledge, it would not have to put any new policies in place. Critics have pinpointed that current policies are not consistent with limiting warming to below 2C, let alone with the Paris Agreements stronger aim of a 1.5C limit, unless other countries make much deeper reductions and comparably greater efforts.

In terms of leadership, however, India reaffirming its commitment is a right step. It can play a lead role in development and generation of renewables. However, leadership with regard to climate change must be left to countries with historical responsibilities. For now, what India needs is sticking to the Declaration language at the time of ratification of the agreement which talked about following the low carbon path to progress...

References

Economic Times (2017), Indias energy consumption to grow faster than major economies, Economic Times, January 27, 2017, URL: http://economictimes.indiatimes. com/industry/energy/oil-gas/indias-energy-consumption-to-grow-faster-than-major-economies/articleshow/56800587.cms

Climate Action Tracker (2017), Climate Action Tracker: India, Climate Action Tracker, URL: http://climateactiontracker.org/countries/india.html

Green Climate Fund (2017), GCF Approves eight projects at its first Board meeting in 2017, Press release, Green Climate Fund, URL: http://www.greenclimate.fund/documents/20182/38417/release_GCF_2017_B16.pdf/32dedae7-8283-4998-be42-f86a24baa984

Mohan, Vishwa (2015), India commits to 35% cut in emission rate by 2030, The Times of India, URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollution/India-commits-to-35-cut-in-emission-rate-by-2030/articleshow/49201340.cms~

Mudur, G.S. and Charu Sudan Kasturi (2017), Climate funds and tech challenges for India,The Telegraph, June 3, 2017, URL: https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170603/jsp/frontpage/story_154952.jsp

Perkins, Madeline (2017), Prime Minister Modi could lecture Trump on climate changeIndia is leapfrogging the US on renewables, Business Insider, June 27, 2017, URL: http://www.businessinsider.in/Prime-minister-Modi-could-lecture-Trump-on-climate-change-India-is-leapfrogging-the-US-on-renewables/articleshow/59329226.cms

Safi, Michael (2016). India plans nearly 60% of electricity capacity from non-fossil fuels by 2027, The Guardian, December 22, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/21/india-renewable-energy-paris-climate-summit-target

Shearer et al. (2016), A Shrinking Coal Plant Pipeline: Mid-2016 Results from the Global Coal Plant Tracker, Coal Swarm,URL: http://coalswarm.org/trackers/a-shrinking-coal-plant-pipeline-mide-2016-results-from-the-global-coal-plant-tracker/

The Times of India (2016), Adani unveils worlds largest solar power plant in Tamil Nadu, The Times of India, September 21, 2016, URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Adani-unveils-worlds-largest-solar-power-plant-in-Tamil-Nadu/articleshow/54444571.cms

The Times of India (2016), Tata Power revises renewables share upwards to 30-40% by 25", The Times of India, April 24, 2016, URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Tata-Power-revises-renewables-share-upwards-to-30-40-by-25/articleshow/51965061.cms

Tongia et al. (2017), Clean energy can cement Indo-US ties, Live Mint, June 21, 2017, URL: http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/vhaDlteDjLfe7TUvDyz1PP/Clean-energy-can-cement-IndoUS-ties.html

United Nations (2015), Declaration: India, United Nations, URL: https://treaties.un.org/Pages/Declarations.aspx? index=India&lang=_en&chapter=27&treaty=246

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(2017), Climate Finance, UNFCC, URL: http://unfccc.int/cooperation_and_support/financial_mechanism/items/2807.php

Wescott, Ben (2017), Reluctant signatory India takes moral high-ground on Paris climate deal, CNN, June 2, 2017, URL: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/02/asia/india-paris-agreement-trump/index.html

The author is a Ph.D from the School of International Studies, New Delhi, and is currently working as a Research Consultant with the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > US-Russia ties are heading south

The US-Russia diplomatic tit-for-tat escalated with the announcement in Washington on August 31 ordering the Russians to shut down their consulate in San Francisco as well as two trade annexes. Moscow has regretted the escalation of tensions and promised a reaction after careful review of the new measures. The State Department press release is titled Achieving Parity in Diplomatic Missions, implying that the US has merely followed up the Russian desire for parity in the diplomatic relationship, which was how Moscow had rationalised its order to cut down the total strength of the US diplomats and staff in Russia by September 1.

A senior State Department official explained in a special media briefing that it is our hope that the Russians will recognise that since they were the ones who started the discussion on parity and were responding and complying with what they required of us... Regarding previous actions, the actions that this govern-ment took in DecemberI think you all know the reasons why we took those steps. It had to do with harassment of our diplomats and interference in our domestic affairs, in our elections. So I think those actions spoke for themselves. (Transcript) Interestingly, the White House has since added that President Donald Trump took the August 31 decision. (President Vladimir Putin had said in July that he personally took the decision to achieve parity in the diplomatic relations.)

The State Department has warned that Washington is prepared to take further action as necessary and as warranted. In sum, if Russia makes further moves, US threatens to retaliate. Lavrov reacted cautiously on September 1: The President (Putin) has said it many timeswe do not wish to quarrel with this country. We have always maintained a friendly attitude towards the American people, and now we are open for meaningful cooperation in the areas of our interests. Our sincere wish is for the political atmosphere between the two countries to return to normal. But, as you know, it takes two to tango. It seems to me, our US counterparts have been performing solo break-dance moves recently.

It appears that the Trump Administration lulled the Russians to complacency through recent weeks. On August 30, in fact, Russias Ambassador-designate to the US, Anatoly Antonov, gave an interview to Kommersant newspaper highlighting the great potential for the mutually beneficial cooperation in various spheres between Russia and the US. Indeed, ambassadors are obliged to present a hopeful landscape even when the skyline is thick with dark clouds, but the interview sounded hopeful that the Trump Administration would adopt a constructive approach.

Quite obviously, the US-Russia diplomatic feud seems only widening and it is a reflection of the state of play in the overall relations. There is growing talk of the US supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine. In Syria, the race for the Dier Ezzor city and for control of Syrian-Iraqi border is still open. On Afghanistan, Trump announced a new strategy in a 30-minute speech ten days ago without mentioning Russia even once. Over the North Korean situation, Putin said in an interview with the Chinese media on August 31: Russia believes that the (US) policy of putting pressure on Pyongyang to stop its nuclear missile programme is mis-guided and futile... Provocations, pressure and militarist and insulting rhetoric are a dead-end road.

Meanwhile, provocative US deployments to Russias western borders continue. On the pretext of reinforcing the NATO allies in the Baltics against the backdrop of Zapad 2017 (forthcoming Russian military exercise), the US deployed to Lithuania another seven US F-15 fighter jets.

Ambassador M.K. Bhadrakumar served as a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service for over 29 years, with postings including Indias ambassador to Uzbekistan (1995-1998) and to Turkey (1998-2001).
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Another Effort to Revive Bigotism

With a clutch of followers, Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat was about to storm into Kolkata when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cancelled the use of a hall which the RSS had hired for him to address a meeting. He was quite right when he criticised the cancellation as undemocratic. But the record of the RSS in polluting the Hindu-Muslim equation is so long that the precaution is quite in order. True, Mamata Banerjee looks dictatorial. But her act can be rationalised. Still I wish that she had allowed another voice, however critical, to be raised.

Other steps like including Muslims in the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and giving stipends to selected Mullahs and Moulvis do not go well with the democratic India we are trying to build. Appealing to the sentiments of a particular community is obviously meant to get their vote. This is worse than what the RSS does.

With a small temple, which came up overnight on the site where the Babri Masjid stood once, the chapter had been closed for the time being at least. But that does not seem to satisfy the Muslims, nor is it in their interest, as they perceive. The BJP, guided by the RSS, is trying to create the same atmosphere. The equivocal stand by the government on pluralism has only helped the Hindutva elements.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi could have done something positive to clear the vitiated atmosphere. But his party does not appear to do so because its getting dividends in keeping the society polarised. No outsider could interfere because the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh, did little to follow the Supreme Courts judgment, which said that the status quo should be maintained.

By Hinduising a secular society, the integrity of the country is in danger. Religion can never integrate a nation as the example of Bangladesh cutting itself asunder from Pakistan shows. The imposition of Urdu forced the same Islamic East Pakistan to become independent, sovereign republic of Bangladesh.

India has stayed as one country because the various cultural entities have not been disturbed. True, the Hindus are 80 per cent of the population. But the minority, the Muslims, have not been threatened except by a lunatic fringe. If the RSS is really interested in Hindutva, it should be agitating for the rights of Dalits who, despite discrimination, have remained in the fold of Hinduism. True, some have sought freedom through conversions to other religions. But they have only adversely affected the Muslim and Christian societies. The converts from among the Dalits face more or less the same discrimination in the religious society they join.

The RSS chief, claiming to be championing the cause of Hindus, did not react to the recent burning of a Dalit because his goat had strayed into the land of an upper-caste member. Now that Modi has caught the imagination of the country, he should help the Dalits and ask the upper castes to give up discrimination against the Dalits.

I have not seen even a mild criticism by Modi of his ardent followers, who claim that they would build a future India which will know of no discrepancy. At least the burning of Dalits, if not the daily prejudice, should have been covered by the widely-watched Doordarshan network. But it seems that the government itself doesnt want to raise the pitch on this issue because it is dominated by the upper castes. Even otherwise, there seems to be an unwritten law which dictates that such stories should not be printed. Surely, this does not constitute the freedom of the press.

Consequently, the institutions in the country are languishing. Had the media, an important institution, been free from pressure, the RSS would not have dared to challenge the basic structure of the Constitution, which includes secularism. The RRS chief should realise that the core of Hinduism is a sense of accommo-dation and spirit of tolerance, not the division of the society.

The spread of the BJP is a point of concern because it ignores the aspirations of Muslims. Modis slogan of development has gone down well because it gives the hope of reducing, if not eliminating, poverty. He has done well not to deviate from that path. Unfortunately, his regular contacts with the RSS and that of his Man Friday, Amit Shah, effaces even the wishful thinking that Modi would build the society without any prejudice or bias.

Things would have been different if the demand by some liberal BJP men to severe all connections with the RSS had been implemented. This possibility was on the anvil when the Gandhian Jayaprakash Narayan was able to convince the top Jan Sangh leaders to dissolve the outfit and join the Janata Party. However, the old Jan Sangh members stayed constantly in touch with the RSS and this negated the very purpose.

Not long ago, the liberal Atal Behari Vajpayee tried his best to terminate the relationship between the RSS and the Jan Sangh. He, however, succeeded only on paper. He could not dilute the loyalty of the old members. L.K. Advani too was the one who had founded the BJP. He thought that the old Jan Sangh members were not trusted any longer in the Janata Party. He was successful in building the party because the Gandhian Jayaprakash Narayan had given credibility to the Jan Sangh members when he brought them into the Janata fold. Obviously, he did not succeed in his mission. But the situation today is worse. The Congress is no more relevant and there is no other opposition in the horizon.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar can stop the BJP onslaught if he brings all the non-BJP parties on one platform to fight against the BJP. Even this combination would be late if it is not brought into being immediately. The soft Hindutva which has spread in the country will thicken and push the idea of India, secular and democratic, in the background. This is a harrowing prospect.

The author is a veteran journalist renowned not only in this country but also in our neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh where his columns are widely read. His website is www.kuldipnayar.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Indias Army Chief and his Public Posturing on China

by Gautam Sen

General Bipin Rawat, Indias Army Chief of Staff, has spoken twice publicly on Indias ability to wage a two-front war against China and Pakistan, inter-alia stating that internal insurrection, Maoists, etc. can be controlled simultaneously. The first such assertion was at the beginning of the recent Doklam border crisis, which drew sharp derisive reaction from China with the latter drawing reference to the Indian Armys debacle in 1962. Thereafter, the General did not dwell on this issue in any public pronouncement, till the crisis was resolved for the present. The Army Chief then again mentioned in a talk before a think-tank on Indian Armys posture as above, while virtually speaking against the joint theatre-oriented Indian armed forces proposed re-organisation where, the Army does not have primacy. The Chinese Government was provoked enough after General Rawats second assertion, and particularly after the BRICS Summit, where attempts were initiated by both the countries to re-set their ties, to solicit clarification through diplomatic channels, whether the Army Chief was reflecting his governments views. The Government of India would have responded suitably at a low key, to the Chinese governments demarche.

It may be appropriate to consider at this stage whether the armed forces chiefs should mandatorily follow certain norms on the issue of public pronouncements on matters of sensitive bilateral relations of India, and particularly before, during and after crises or tension, with neighbouring countries. During conflictual periods in the past, the Services chiefs or Services senior functionaries had articulated the views of the government of the day to the media and in the public domain, in an organised and authorised manner. This had been the pattern during the Indo-Pak wars, Sino-Indian conflict, limited conflict in the Rann-of-Kutch and shooting down of Pakistans Atlantis maritime surveillance aircraft over the Kathiawar peninsula and the Kargil crisis. But, General Rawats statements did not fall in that category, and in fact, had the potential to and did apparently negate diplomatic efforts to resolve the Doklam military stand-off for a temporary period.

There is a view in some internal circles that the Army Chiefs statements were really targeted at domestic audiences and intended to indicate military resolve in order to enhance public confidence and morale of the Services. This does not appear plausible because, the present Union Government has been quite adept in dealing with the media and its Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)and Indias Foreign Secretary has handled the public domain and diplomacy at the right time with appropriate measure of finesse and nuances. What the Army Chief stated, could have been spoken before the troops on frontier deployment and at Army durbars.

It may be in the fitness of things towards avoiding the conveying of mixed signals to countries contesting Indias sovereignty in any way or over part of its legitimate territory, to perforce have some parameters laid down for avoiding controversial public pronouncements of the nature resorted to by the incumbent Army Chief. In the ultimate, the governments views should invariably be disseminated at appropriate media briefings at the Press Information Bureau or by the spokesperson of the MEA or the Foreign Secretary. Views of the nature expressed by General Rawat were de-facto out of turn and uncalled for during the Doklam crisis.

As regards the substance of the Indian Army Chiefs views, there are many issues which have deep implications. The views seem to indicate the role and capability of the Army will be the sole determinant of Indias China policy and posture. To say the least, such a policy premise will be unrealistic and may not serve Indias long-term interest. Indias deterrence against China, both nuclear powers, can only be realistically conceptualised through a judicious combination of tri-Service deployable military might as well as the national civil establishment supported with a looming nuclear capabilityeven of an intermediate rangeto target some parts of China.

Furthermore, there is a hiatus as per status or capability at the ground level and the public posturing of the General. This is not to underrate the Indian Armys dedication, morale and military prowess. However, there are still lacunae in logistics and ground connectivity, militating against the obtaining of the desired level of defensive capacity vis-a-vis China, if the CAGs Performance Audit Report No. 5 of 2017 on China Study Group Roads highlighting inadequacy in construction of strategic border roads is any indicator.

In the backdrop of history, there is a well established view that, the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962 was to an extent precipitated by public posturing of the Indian leaders consequent on enormous political pressures built up on the government within and outside Parliament, notwithstanding a huge hiatus between the Indian Armys deployments and de-facto logistics and support structures to sustain them. Of course, the then senior Army hierarchy did not engage in public pronouncements of the nature under reference. Nevertheless, the essence of the matter is that, for diplomatic initiatives to succeed and avoid military escalation, which neither India or China wanted as is apparent now, strong statements at the non-policy echelon like the Services headquarters or Service chiefs, needs to be avoided.

There is another aspect which must be considered regarding perceptions of military leaders of both India and China vis-a-vis each other. Apart from structured border meetings at five designated points along the Line of Actual Control (which de-facto denotes the forces disposition along the Sino-Indian boundary but not delineated and formally demarcated except in the middle sector bordering Uttarakhand), substantive bilateral dialogue on strategic postures of the armed forces of the two countries have not been taking place. There is a view in some circles that, such a dialogue can be feasible only contingent on a broad political understanding on finalisation of the border issue. Notwithstanding such a perception, it may be politically beneficial and strategically rewarding to start such a dialogue process involving the defence bureaucracy, MEA and chief of integrated defence staff. Such an interaction may be in the realm of a continuous bilateral strategic dialogue. The need for disseminating more or less unilateral strong albeit bellicose postures, as done by the present Army Chief, may thus be avoided. There is a regime of bilateral exchanges between the armies of India and China, joint exercises in a restricted area as well as familiarising visits of naval units to each others ports. But these are not at a level of those who formulate policy or work out the strategic posture frameworks and support mechanisms.

It for the Union Government to ensure that a credible framework for defence posturing is in place, in relation to our immediate neighbours like China and Pakistan, as well apropos the strategic environment from the Middle East to the Pacific, which is evolving and presently quite unstable. The opportunity or onus for short-term posturing as was evident in relation to China, may be detrimental to Indias long-term interests.

The author is retired IDAS officer who has served in senior appointments of Govt. of India, a State Govt. and was Additional Controller General of Defence Accounts.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Adieu...Comrade Gauri!

by K. Ramachandran

If Gauri had not attacked the RSS, she would have been alive todaythat was BJP MLA from Chikmagaluru C.D. Ravi. Kannada TV channels were flashing this statement made on September 7, 2017 repeatedly. The RSS-BJP people also sometimes speak the truth and in the process expose their true colours. This BJP MLAs statement makes it amply clear the Gauris killing was a political assassination.

But who was Gauri Lankesh and why was she killed? We will draw a short profile and try to answer that question. In all cases of targeted political killings, we will have to look into the motives behind the assassination.

Let us list the major crusades of Gauri in the last few months.

On the day of her assassination and on the previous day, her weekly magazine was on a crusade against the inclusion of North Kanara BJP MP, Anant Hegde, with an RSS background in Modis expanded Council of Ministers. She openly condemned him as a criminal and a gangster. In fact, when he had taken his mother to a hospital in Sirsi, he slapped the doctor there and it was Gauri who got the CC TV footage of it and exposed it in the media and demanded that he be arrested. But Modi rewarded him with a berth in his Council of Ministers.

Her magazine was also carrying on a crusade against Mysore BJP MP Prataph Simha exposing his manipulation. After rationalist Kalburgi was killed for being opposed to superstitious practices of religious mutts which are RSS dens in Karnataka, the Siddharamaiah Government expressed willingness to pass a legislation banning some superstitious practices by babas and some mutt leaders and formed a committee to frame a draft legislation. That committee invited opinions from the public to identify superstitious practices and some people had given extreme opinion that wearing sindoor or mangal-sutra was also superstition. The committee published all the opinions received on the government website. This Mysore MP, Prataph Simha, who incidentally was also an RSS leader, picked up some such extreme opinions and started propaganda that those were the opinions of the Congress Government. It was Gauri who exposed the nefarious design of the BJP MP and showed how the RSS tried to defend supers-titious practices like bettele seve (nude worship by women once a year in Shimoga) or urulu seve in Udupi Pejawar mutt, where people from lower castes are made to roll on the leftover plantain leaves on which Brahmins had taken food.

And she went all out in support of the Lingayat demand for recognition as a separate minority religion outside Hinduism. She incurred the wrath of the RSS and Veerashaiva orthodoxy due to this. These are some of the proximate reasons where she created powerful enemies in the saffron camp.

More than these, she was not just a crusading journalist but an activist and her existence as a bold activist was a threat to many vested interests. Thos who are familiar with the arena of activism can understand that civil society activism blossoms around some nodal points in all major cities and even at the national and State levels, and in recent times Gauri had emerged as such a nodal point in Karnataka, the key rallying point for civil society activism of all progressive shades.

If some radical journalists in Delhi decided to launch a campaign against lynching under the common rubric Not-in-My-Name, Gaur Lankesh was the first person they would contact in Bangalore as she was the one who could bring together almost all shades of activists in a very short time. After the Una whipping of Dalits, when a new generation Dalit resistance emerged under a young leader, Jignesh Mewani, she was the one who organised a solidarity in Bangalore on Una and got Jignesh Mewani to fly down to Bangalore, put him up in her own house and arranged for his Udupi Chalo march to resist the anti-Dalit urulu seve practice of the Pejawar Mutt Swami. Jignesh repeatedly visited Karna-taka and she declared him to be her son affectio-nately and organised all his programmes with the help of local Dalit leaders like Devanur Mahadeva.

When Rohith Vemulas suicide triggered a major all-India protest, she was at the forefront of organising the solidarity protest in Bangalore by mobilising a large number of non-Dalits in solidarity.

When JNU students were victimised with sedition cases, Gauri reached out to the students of St Jospeh College in Bangalore to organise solidarity protests and got young Shehla Rashid from the JNU to come and address them. Likewise, she arranged all the programmes of Kanhaiya in Karnataka and made him stay in her house and declared him to be her second son. She also fondly told a friend that Sheila was like a daughter and youth like Kanhaiya and Shehla were the hope for a better future. Their different political persuasions and Leftist background did not trouble her and she was such a pluralist democrat at heart.

How did she emerge as a central point of reference for civil society activism in the Bangalore megapolis? The query can be answered by the fact that she was born and brought up in a political familywhere her father, P. Lankesh, was a foremost Lohiaite in Karnataka and this had a profound effect on her. Next, during her college days in Bangalore, her senior, Saket Rajan, had a far-reaching influence on her. After Saket shifted to the Institute of Mass Communication in Delhi, probably he only influenced her to follow suit and she went to Delhi to join the same institute. Saket had already come under the influence of Maoism and after returning to Karnataka from Delhi, as a brilliant organiser, he had formed a youth organisation, Karnataka Vimochana Ranga, and went underground.

Gauri probably had mixed feelings about the political evolution of her friend and due to her Lohiaite heritage she was against violent armed struggles but had great respect for his commitment and sacrifice. When Saket was killed in an encounter, she launched a crusade against it. By that time her father had already passed away and when her brother opposed her crusade, she didnt mind breaking up emotional family ties and moving away from her brother who was the publisher of LankeshPatrike brought out by her father and she launched her own Gauri Lankesh Patrike. Because of carrying on the same democratic crusade of her father, the entire old readership shifted to her magazine and she became the true legatee of her father, P. Lankesh. After that there was no turning back.

Many of Sakets comrades, who shared his opinion that the Andhra line of the Maoists was unsuitable in Karnataka where prolonged mass movements were needed, decided to leave the Maoist party. But many had cases against them and the State Police was on an encounter spree in Karnataka. She interceded with the govern-ment and convinced Siddaramaiah to form a peace committee and she became a member of the committee and arranged for the return of about a dozen Maoists to mainstream activism.

It coincided with the aggressive communal designs of the saffron forces who wanted to make Karnataka a saffron laboratory after Gujarat, especially in Baba Budhangiri in Chikmaglur, where they tried to grab a Muslim shrine where Hindus also perform poojas. Gauri helped many comrades to come overground in Komu Souhartha Vedike (Communal Harmony Forum) and came into national prominence when this Forum took out a 10,000 strong march against the BJPs designs in Baba Bhudangiri. Komu Souhartha Vedike was at the forefront of anti-communalism during attacks on Christians, Mangalore riots, etc. That became a very effective rainbow platform for street resistance against the Sangh Parivar where diverse forces joined.

She also engaged leaders like Siddaramaiah at the individual level and during the BJP regime when Siddaramaiah took out a Bangalore to Bellari march against illegal mining by the Reddy Brothers, she also joined the march and her paper vigorously crusaded against the mining mafia. Some people later interpreted her access to Siddaramaiah as her soft corner towards the Congress and attributed it to her Lohiaite political legacy. While making it clear that the RSS-BJP was her main target, she silenced her critics by going hammer and tongs against H.D. Shivkumar, now a Minister in Siddaramaihs Cabinet, as he was involved in illegal granite mining and she exposed the granite mafia also aligned with the Congress. Her paper further exposed the real estate mafia of K.J. George, a Congress Minister. She criticised Siddaramaiah when he celebrated Tipu Jayanti to woo Muslims along soft communal lines and she argued that the secular state had no business organising jayantis for votebank politics.

She came into greater prominence when she was at the forefront of the rsistance to the Sri Rama Sene of Promod Muthalik when his goons attacked girls in a Mangalore bar. She boldly challenged him right there in Mangalore.

Many chitpavan Brahmins in Maharashtra and many conservative Brahmins in Karnataka are getting militarised as saffron extremists. One may recall that Bhatkal alone produced half-a-dozen saffron terrorists and there was a team of saffron extremists near Dharwad also. Kalburgi was targeted because, as a scholar, he was exposing orthodox Hinduism and Gauri was targeted because she was objectively emerging as the foremost anti-fascist civil society pillar in Karnataka.

Unfortunately, she remained a bit aloof from the organised Left, partly because the organised Left in Karnataka was a victim of some kind of labourism, confinement to small trade unions in Bangalore, and looked at Komu Souhartha Vedike with suspicion and jealousy and did not join their initiatives. Some Left activists, however, thought that her aloofness was because of her Lohiaite legacy and interaction with Maoist Saket in her formative days. Whatever it was, she had proved that she had no bias against the Left when it came to assisting Kanhaiya and Shehla Rashid, knowing well about their Leftist background. The national leaders of the organised Left should have overcome their own bias and interacted with her to dissolve this aloofness as it was not possible for local trade unionist leaders to exert any influence on such a remarkable personality with vastly wider democratic concerns.

When she wrote against the irregularities of a BJP MP and another BJP leader in 2008, in two cases of defamation, they managed to get her convicted for six months in jail. She got a conditional bail but had to stay in Dharwad for a couple of months and she used this stay to overcome the spatial chasm between Dharward-centred North Karnataka progressives and the Bangalore-Mysore-centred Old Mysore State progressives. She became a bridge linking them and took a leading role in the campaign for justice to Kalburgi. Even on August 30, three days before she was killed, she organised a hall meeting to demand nabbing the killers of Kalburgi. Because of her exposure to the radical activist circles in Delhi, she had a pan-Indian profile and if there was an all-India civil liberties meet, despite her pressing engagements, she would take the morning flight to Delhi, attend the programme, and return by the evening flight to Bangalore, spending money from her own pocket.

She had a deep humanist side. When poor Tamil migrant labourers were displaced in Bangalore slums due to the Cauvery riots, she arranged food and clothes for them. She did the same to the victims of every communal riot. She was at the forefront of performing several inter-caste and inter-religious marriages.

A radical Christian priest emotionally recalled to this writer how just one week before her killing, in an hour-long conversation with him and another Dalit-Christian activist, she was underlining the need for Dalits, minorities and the Left to come together to resist fascism.

She was also in some financial difficulty. Another mutual friend recalled that she told him she was encashing her last LIC policy to give Rs. 1 lakh to her son Kanhaiya to move around and organise the youth against the fascists in different States!

And that gives an idea about this radical Mother!

The author is a journalist and social activist.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Darkness Falls On Our Democracy

As darkness fell on September 5, noted activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh was entering her home in Bengaluru, and unknown gunmen extinguished the life of a courageous and outspoken upholder of democracy and opponent of communalism. Gauri is the fourth well-known person after Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and M.M. Kalburgi, to be murdered for speaking out her mind. What is common to these four martyrs for the cause of democracy and freedom is that they were unequivocal in their condemnation of the forces which worked against democracy and freedom, and opposed and condemned social, economic and physical violence against individuals and groups on the basis of religion and caste. Also, they were all murdered in the same manner. It is therefore not possible to avoid the needle of suspicion turning towards the Right-wing forces.

Many persons have also been murdered for various reasons like suspicion of possessing certain goods, or exercising their right to eat what they choose, or doing their job of skinning dead animals, and the surviving members of their families have been subjected to threats of dire consequences. These were not murders like those of the four martyrs named above, but were done by mobs, whether instigated or spontaneous, and always for causes sponsored by the Right-wing forces.

Murders and rapes due to personal and non-political reasons are of course condemnable crimes, but rapes, murders and lynchings for reasons of ideological, political, religious, caste or language differences are doubly condemnable because they are strong indications, even proof, of intolerance and hate in our society. All murders are condemnable including murders of Right-wing workers.

Those who wield political and administrative power and authority are engaged in petty and not-so-petty politics of winning the forthcoming elections. They have failed to investigate the murders adequately, or play down the lynchings as having been done by bad gaurakshaks, or transfer blame onto the victims. In one case, one of the persons accused in a mob-lynching case died of natural causes, and an elected represen-tative honoured his dead body with our national flag, an honour given to only those who die in the cause of our nation like soldiers killed in action. The silence, inaction or negligence of the Indian state in dealing with these murders is violation of their oath of upholding the ideals of our Constitution in letter and spirit. If we can be generous enough to absolve some elected representatives of secret acts of commission in these murders (impossible to prove in any case), it is not possible to absolve them of acts of omission of upholding the Constitution. This culpability cuts across all political parties in-power and out-of-power at different levels.

As regards Gauri Lankeshs murder, who murdered her (and who commissioned them to murder her) is yet to be found out, but what murdered her is abundantly clear. She, like Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi before her, was murdered because she courageously translated her thoughts, beliefs and convictions into words and actions, in the interest of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. Of course some, even many, may have been unhappy, even pained, by what she spoke and wrote, but they had no right whatsoever to take her life. Her murder is wholly condemnable and calls for swift and transparent action by Government of Karnataka. The police cannot be accused of incompetence, but perhaps can be accused of being politicised if investigation into Kalburgis murder two years ago is any indication. So we must pray that investigation, arraignment and prosecution in Gauris murder will be rapid and definite.

There is a sinking feeling that among many elected representatives at all levels, there is little understanding of the tenets of our Consti-tution, and even less willingness to act in implementing what they have understood of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. Of personal examples there are few if any, but there is hope with Suresh Prabhu (possibly the first after the exemplary Lal Bahadur Shastri) notably offering to resign his Railways minis-terial post, taking moral responsibility for accidents as his personal failure. Which Home Ministers will resign their posts for failing to handle repeated murders and mob violence, taking a cue from Suresh Prabhu for moral responsibility? Do they have it in them to understand that violence due to difference in thought, belief or speech should not be tolerated, and that dissent is an essential element of democracy? Which political party leader will direct his/her party members to adhere to the tenets of our Constitution? If a government cannot use the powers given to them by We the People to maintain the writ of law, they do not deserve to continue in power.

Even though the Executive at various levels is primarily responsible for the deteriorating state of affairs in our society, the Legislature and the Judiciary at all levels cannot be let off the hook, since they too have the responsibility to perform their duties in accordance with our Constitution, using their authority and power in the best interest of We the People. Shouting matches in legislatures or the ivory tower attitude by courts of law in delivery of justice cannot deal with real-life, real-time threat to our very Constitution.

If Gauris murder is not followed by non-partisan, firm and definite action by the elected representatives in the Executive and Legislature and by members of the Judiciary, they will fail We the People and their constitutional oath. It will confirm fears that our precious Constitution is being extinguished, and our dear country is sinking into a condition where the mind will be beset by fear, where the head will be bowed by the shame of not fighting untruth, and all Indians will suffer from the fragmentation of society in the enveloping darkness of hate and fear. There is need for every citizen to awake to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagores call for freedom.

Major General S.G. Vombatkere, VSM, retired as the Additional DG, Discipline and Vigilance in the Army HQ AGs Branch. With over 520 published papers in national and international journals and seminars, his area of interest is strategic and development-related issues.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > The Short Shelf-life of Post-Truth

It is extremely rare to hear murmurs of discontent from within the Bharatiya Janata Party. Which of course does not mean that discontent does not ever exist.

A brave BJP Member of Parliament has, if you like, broken the hard ice and let out the best known secret of our times: Modi does not like being asked questions (The Indian Express, September 2, 2017) Indias vibrant media outlets have of course long swallowed this fact, reserving all their tired out barbs about lack of inner-party democracy for the Indian National Congress. Remember the adage about kicking the one who is down.

What is more, Mr Modis theatrical persona-outreach has over the last three years succeeded in inculcating among his mesmerised adulators in civil society a dour refusal to allow questions about him and the truth-value of the claims routinely made on behalf of the regime he runs. His artful words have stood in place of not just deeds but, as it were, deeds accomplished just as soon the words have left his mouth requiring no scrutiny or skepticism. As happens with any devotional cult figure, you can hear the charmed followers say to the inner ear: We do not need the truth when we have Modi. Those that swear by Donald Trump say pretty much the same thing, although more vociferously.

There have been other notable periods of modern history in which the Presence of the great leader has stood for the revealed truth. But, as the French theorist of Culture, Jaques Derrida, was to teach us, such metaphysical Presence is always in fact Absence. Far from being tanta-mount to any transcendant truth, it is usually merely a cunning historical construction, meant to conceal the often unlovely cultural and political package that informs its opportune materialisation.

Sooner or later, the claim that such Presence is larger than fact or reason comes apart as embarrassingly quotidian realities of common experience shame it out of existence.

Often where great debates on the electronic media, especially in India, fail to move the protagonists an inch from their rehearsed briefs, it is the regime of mute numbers that come to speak more eloquently to the cases in point. Not that numbers, faked and packaged, are not routinely bandied about, leaving the carpers to expose their falsity. But when an institution such as the Reserve Bank of India, however reluctantly, finally makes public the truth of numbers the peddlers of post-truth are put to difficulty. After all, the authority of ones own RBI is not easily drowned out in politic noise. Nor may now grossly disingenuous interpre-tations continue to be made of figures that stand not as phantoms but as flesh and blood entities.

Thus the decision to demonetise eightysix per cent of Indias currency, oracularly announced by the numero uno on November 8 of 2016, has, like it or not, come home to roost.

Not one of the four claims made for it by Mr Modiremember that Indias Finance Minister was, for the most part, merely a happy adjunct to the great leaderhas turned out to be of any truth. Assuming of course that those claims were made in good faith with no ulterior purpose hidden away in mind.

On the first count, of all the currency in circulation, all but one measly per cent came back to the banks. So much for the claim that the decision to demonetise would unravel hoards of unaccounted money. The spin here now is that not all the money that came to the banks may have been legitimate, the idea clearly being to lead us into another wild goose chase so that the hard fact recedes from the popular mind. Time will tell on this too. In fact it may be true, as an erstwhile Finance Minister of India, P. Chidambaram, has said, that the real purpose of the decision was to allow big fat cats to make their unaccounted wealth white and legitimate by finding new cunning routes into bank accounts with help from obliging managers and such like. Many instances of such collusion did find their way into the media for whatever it is worth.

On the second countthat demonetisation would erase fake currency from circulationwell, what do you know: a massive amount of Rs 41 crores out of a total of Rs 15.44 lakh crores in circulation turned out to be fake. Do laugh.

As goal-posts shifted twenty days after the first announcement, we were told that the real purpose was to drive the economy towards cashless transactions. After all the agony, it turns out that, as of the present moment, the levels of cash transactions are back to pre-demoneti-sation levels. Not to speak of the empirical falsity of the assumption that excessively cash-driven economies are ipso facto more corrupt: Many economies in the Western world have similar cash-to-GDP ratios as India and are simultaneously far less corrupt.

Lastly, and most stridently, dont we know, the claim that demonetisation would demolish terror-funding and nearly eliminate incidences of terror strikes and stone-peltings? Cruelly, it must be noted, not only has such funding not been dentedindeed, the terrorists had access to new fake currency notes even before the government didmilitant strikes have expo-nentially increased, as has the loss of life on either side of the imbroglio. Claims made for that famous surgical strike inevitably come to mind as well.

It is however not that nothing has been achieved through demonetisation, cash economies in the farming hinterland and the informal retail trade as well as in the labour sector in the small and medium enterprises have been crippled out of business; Indias GDP has been spectacularly brought to a low of 5.7 per cent, underscoring the loss of Rs two to three lakh crores of national wealth, with the concomitant consequences that have for job creation and investment; and, Indias population has been shorn of some one hundred and twentyfive good men, women and children who died waiting in lines before banks for a right to their own hard-earned money. A mass murder which came to be propagated as qurbani towards a great national cause and for which no one may be accountable. Indeed, as the Union Cabinet is being reshuffled to reward the performing and punish the laggard, the question may be asked as to which doorstep the criminal failure of demonetisation belongs to.

Thus far, the general attitude of the supporters of the regime has been one of indifference to the facts and insouciance towards those that speak of them. This class of Indians have been characterised by an all-encompassing so whatism. It will remain to be seen whether or not their embarrassed silence in the face of the RBI revelations may transmute, however diffi-dently, into gentle nays. After all, for such ones, in the end, it is the economy, stupid. Such segments of the population may not long be indifferent to the other factsthat contrary to promise, the ratio of jobs created to jobs lost has been like tea-spoons of milk in oceans of dark ink; or that the manufacturing and mining sectors, the construction sector and other domestic investment should all be in the negative growth areas. Because, alas, hot cash flows in the Stock Market never have any mentionable bearing on the lives of some ninety per cent or more of the population.

Some Positive Happenings

For the Preambular citizenby that I mean the citizen whose allegiance remains steadfast to the vision and stipulations of the Preamble of the Constitution of India rather than to new-fangled constructions of state and polity, although with ancient pedigreethere has been a sweet slew of good news in recent weeks.

Here, the first to be mentioned must be the path-breaking determination by a nine-judge Constitutional Bench of the highest Court in the land that the citizens Privacy constitutes a Fundamental Right, deriving from Article 21 namely, the Right to Life with Dignity. After the concerted attempts by state agencies to diminish the citizen through an aggressive surveillance regime, this decision of the Supreme Court is nothing short of a new lease of life for the Republic. Indeed, would it not be wonderful if once and for all our democracy was put on an irreversible footing by legislating our own First Amendment, making the Right to Free Speech absolute rather than merely funda-mental. With the proviso of reasonable restrictions restricted, in turn, only to incitement to or actual violence. Let us hope this is truly work-in-progress.

Then, there have been the two cases of the assertion of secular principles of law over criminal and irrational abuse of male authority, both linked to so-called religious practices. In the matter of the striking out of instant triple talaaq as ultra vires of the fundamental rights of citizenship of Muslim women, however devious the motivation of some ruling prota-gonists for the cause, a great exposure has been made of the disingenuous claims of some Muslim clergy that striking out this provision, however, obnoxious the practice they conceded, would damage the right to religious freedom. The fact is that this instant practice has never had any sanction in the Koran, only in some schools of Islamic jurisprudence like the Hanafi school, and has been a cunning toll to hold Muslim women in thrall. Thus we say, good riddance to a suffocating and servile patriarchal practice. And a salute to the brave Muslim women who stood up and followed through the secular system, vanquishing obstreperous orthdoxy. One awaits similar action from the Sangh affiliates with respect to, for example, further the cause of temple entry into the sanctum sanctorum of Hindu women of all ages at Sabarimala. Ideally of course men and women from across communities need in the days to come to make conjoint struggles against the remnants of federal/patriarchal cultures which misuse religion to oppress vast sections of our population.

Then, the gloriously heartening courage of the District Judge, Honourable Jagdeep Singh, in sending away the criminal charlatan, Ram Rahim, to the place he properly belongs to; all of that in the face of the most shameful connivance with him of the Government of Haryana, and the menacing threats and violence unleashed by more than a million charmed followers of the said conman. Mention to be made also of the no-nonsense upbraidings of that complicit government by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, making it impossible to find escape routes of any sort.

In both of these above cases, the secular Constitution of the Republic of India has stood tall at the hands of officials of the Court who have struck far-reaching blows against a ravaging culture on both sides to seek to subvert the constitutional regime by placing custom and sentiment above its imperatives. It is to be hoped that increasingly the right reason of the secular and law-abiding citizen will find greater and greater resonance with our systems of law enforcement and judicial pronouncement, keeping in check the proclivities of an Executive that palpably desires unfettered sway.

In this general pattern of counter-assertion must also be counted two political occurrencesone the defeat of the BJP at Bawana and, no less significantly, in the elections to the Delhi University Teachers Association. Regretaby but unsurprisingly, the latter has found scant space in the media as opposed to previous times A negligence that seems complicit with the general assault on institutions of higher learning, especially where the Humanities and the Social Sciences occupy pride of place. Now, of course, such institutions that produce advanced know-ledge are to be taught lessons in patriotism by rockbands, we are told. How much further may we fall into rank imbecility, one wonders. And such edicts from a regime that used to snigger at the Red Book etc.

As we write, news comes of a Left sweep in the elections to the jnu students body; nothing could be a greater affirmation of changing timesafter all the vilification and the campaign to discredit the progressive character of this premier university to make space for Right- wing Hindutva politics, this result bears extra-ordinary significance in asserting the relilience of democratic voices that speak for reason and debate in opposition to demands for oppressive conformity.

Altogether, one is encouraged to think that coming events may indeed be casting their shadows; that the fumes of irrational commit-ment may in time yield to the flame of reasoned action, that post-truth may, sooner than later, vacate its impostor dominance and satyameva jayate once again to find its due place in the hearts and minds of state and polity alike, that the Constitution of India may indeed be the holy book Mr Modi called it when he took office, in word and deed. Additionally, that Indian legislators may find it in their will to install an electoral system that be truly representative of the votes cast, that politicians come to see party hopping as more heinous than the private acts of converting from one faith to another, that individual legislators not be bound hand and foot by coercive whips but be free to make known what their real thoughts are on any policy or organisational principle pertaining to their own parties, that elections come to be state-funded in proportion to vote-share, that the investigating agencies of the state be made autonomous and independent of the govern-ments of the day, that police forces be made respectable as employment with all accoutre-ments duly provided, and likewise bestowed the freedom to act per law regardless of any subject in question without fear of political reprisal, although always themselves accountable to the law.

Were all this to happen, and some more for which another time (just as a hint, if we were to cease to be the second most unequal society in the world, with some quarter of the budgets spent on health and education, and women and all ethnic, religious and other minorities free and equal at all times, safe from predatory majoritarian or male vigilantes), would we not be justly proud of Bharat Mata?

The author, who taught English literature at the University of Delhi for over four decades and is now retired, is a prominent writer and poet. A well-known commentator on politics, culture and society, he wrote the much acclaimed Dickens and the Dialectic of Growth. His book, The Underside of ThingsIndia and the World: A Citizens Miscellany, 2006-2011, came out in August 2012. Thereafter he wrote two more books, Idea of India Hard to Beat: Republic Resilient and Kashmir: A Noble Tryst in Tatters.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Disturbing Scenario Unfolds

EDITORIAL

The economic situation is worsening by the day. This is the naked truth which is staring us in the face. Lately the fuel prices have been increased phenomenallyseven per cent increase in the last few months. Prices of vegetables have already recorded considerable rise.

Against this background one has to read the latest column of Pratap Bhanu Mehta, the Ashoka University Vice-Chancellor and a regular columnist in The Indian Express. The article Inglorious uncertainty appears in the daily today and it reads:

In times when violent political intimidation, social polarisation and moral pathology have, rightly, become overriding preoccupations, it is hard to focus on the listlessness of the Indian economy. BJP President Amit Shah was reported as explaining away Indias economic slowdown to 5.7 per cent, as one due to technical reasons. It is hard to know what that means.

It could be of a piece with the governments contempt for technical reasons, or it could mean, we dont care to explain and neither should you ask too insistently. Fortunately for the government, other than a few technical people, no one is asking about the economy too insistently. And that should worry us.

Mehta concludes with the following words that provide an incisive understanding of the current reality:

The lack of focussed intellectual and political outrage at what is at best a very modest economic performance should be worrying. It is of a piece with the governments constant success in trapping us in an air of unreality. It also means that the political pressure to deepen the politics of polarisation will continue. The invisible technical reasons behind the slowdown will have to be masked by the visible and intimidating reasons of political polarisation.

What is currently happening is deeply disturbing. The economic conditions having deteriorated vastly from those that prevailed when the Modi-led BJP Government, representing NDA-II, took over at the Centre in mid-May 2014, there is every likelihood of the fringe elements of the Sangh Parivar more and more taking law in their own hands as they did when they killed Mohammad Aklaq (on the allegation that he had stored beef in his house), Pehlu Khan (for being involved in cattle-trading) and Junaid (returning to his village after purchasing new clothes for Eid in New Delhi). In none of these cases were the victims engaged in anything remotely illegal or violative of law. Yet they were killed. Why? Because they belonged to the minority community. This was the consequence of the politics of polarisation which the BJP has embarked upon in a big way.

While such polarising politics is taking place in the Hindi heartland, elsewhere as in Maharashtra and Karnataka where the democratic forces are even weaker than those in North India, the fringe elements of the Sangh Parivar are on a killing spree. After Dabholkar and Pansare in Maharashtra, and Kalburgi in Karnataka, Gauri Lankesh has been likewise liquidated in West Bengaluru.

This is real face of the Modi-Shah combine that needs to be unmasked at the earliest.

In this context the late stirrings in the secular camp are doubtless noteworthy. Gauri Lankesh was killed outside her home in West Bengaluru as she returned from work around eight in the evening of September 5. This assassination shook not just writers and journalists but all sections of the people across the country and protest marches and meetings were organised at different places. But the largest rally took place in Bengaluru itself with thousands (they numbered 10,000 in all) repre-senting various peoples movements marching through the cityfrom the Krantiveera Sangoli Rayanna railway station to the Central College grounds where a peoples convention was held on September 12 a week after the gruesome murder. The slogan I am Gauri was raised throughout the march and Gauris mother, Indira, saluted the attendees saying: I welcome all the Gauris that have come here.

Those who addressed the convention included Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, representing the National Alliance of Peoples Move-ments, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, and noted journalist P. Sainath who opined that the huge turnout will be a stirring chapter in the fight against the culture of intolerance and hatred.

Significantly, one of the spokesmen from among several seers at the rally, the seer of Nidumamidi Mutt, Veerabhadra Chennamalla Swami, did not mince words to openly proclaim that Gauri was martyred by the proponents of Hindutva terror.

While all these are happening in India, a new humanitarian issue has cropped up in our neigh-bourhood: the veritable ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar. Countless Rohingya men, women and children have been forced to leave Mynamar and seek refuge in Bangladesh.

Initially the Government of India took a stand on the subject that was definitely contrary to Indias age-old position of extending all help to such hapless and beleaguered persons. That has lately been reversed and New Delhi is extending humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees in relief camps in Chittagongs Coxs Bazar (Bangladesh). Better late than never!

September 14 S.C.
Final call for applications to our Dr Sylvia Meek scholarship for Entomology in South Africa

19 September 2017



Malaria Consortium is proud to be continuing its partnership with the University of Pretoria, South Africa, to further Dr Sylvia Meeks legacy through the Dr Sylvia Meek Scholarship for Entomology.

The Scholarship for Entomology has been set up in the memory of Dr Sylvia Meek, Malaria Consortiums Global Technical Director whose untimely passing away in 2016 has left a big void in the fight against infectious diseases, and malaria in particular.

Both Malaria Consortium and University of Pretoria are committed to ensuring Sylvia's values are carried on by the future generation of entomologists in Africa. Sylvia was not only a great scientist but someone with great compassion who was an inspiration to her associates and colleagues. The University of Pretoria is one of the leading higher education institutions on the continent, with its origins dating back to 1908. While building on a century of experience, the institution has transformed into a multicultural, multiracial university offering high-quality education.

The University of Pretoria will be accepting one scholarship student in 2018 for a two-year Master of Science in Entomology based in and supervised by academic staff in the Department of Zoology and Entomology. The MSc in Entomology offered by the Department of Zoology and Entomology is a research-only programme that does not include a coursework component. The successful applicant will start their MSc programme before the end of March 2018.

The scholarship, established in Sylvias honour by Malaria Consortium, will empower a new generation of public health entomologists and malaria staff in Africa and Asia. Given the limited number of field-oriented vector biologists, and the challenges African countries face in achieving malaria elimination, this scholarship is a great opportunity to support the next generation of public health entomologists in support of this quest.

This is a final call for applications.

The deadline for this scholarship is 17:00 (Johannesburg time; GMT+2) Friday 29 September 2017.

Who can apply for the Dr Sylvia Meek Scholarship for Entomology at University of Pretoria?

Nationals from the following countries can apply: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Applicants need to have successfully completed an Honours degree or equivalent in Entomology or a related discipline

Applicants should have good knowledge of English (the language of instruction)

Applicants should demonstrate an interest in, and commitment to, entomology and the control of vector borne diseases

Applicants should be no older than 35 at the time of submission

Application and Selection Procedure

First step:

Applicants should send an application to Dr Heike Lutermann at the University of Pretoria (hlutermann@zoology.up.ac.za), including the following documents:

A cover letter not exceeding one A4 page, stating your educational background, the area of medical entomology you intend to specialise in, and A preliminary proposal of no more than 2 pages (including relevant references) for your research project, including project title, background and justification, objectives, methodology, and budget (no more than ZAR50 000 over two years,

+/- 3,000) with brief justification. The preliminary proposal must focus on public health entomology. Bachelors and Honours degree certificates Bachelors and Honours degree academic transcripts (grade report where the completed courses are listed, including interpretation of grades when not numeric) English proficiency test result or any other proof of proficiency in English for applicants from countries where English is not the official language

It is advised that applicants contact Dr Lutermann before submitting their application so that she can suggest a suitable supervisor who can help to refine the preliminary proposal.

Please submit these documents no later than 17:00 (Johannesburg time; GMT+2) Friday 29 September 2017.

The University of Pretoria will screen and shortlist applications based on (1) the quality of the preliminary proposal and (2) eligibility for the MSc in Entomology programme. The shortlist will be submitted to a scholarship selection panel comprising of University of Pretoria and Malaria Consortium vector control experts.

Second step:

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to send to the scholarship selection panel the following:

Personal statement written in English of no more than 500 words indicating why you would like to study public health entomology Two letters of recommendation (can be professional or academic references)

Shortlisted applicants will be informed of the outcome of the selection process by Friday 27 October 2017.

Third step:

The successful applicant will be invited to submit an online application for the MSc in Entomology programme at the University of Pretoria. An admission letter will be processed, which can then be used by successful non-South African applicants to apply for a study visa in preparation for the start of the 2018 academic year. The successful applicant must be registered and commence the MSc in Entomology programme before 31 March 2018.

Financial aspects

The Dr Sylvia Meek Scholarship for Entomology will cover all tuition fees, a research allowance to the total value of ZAR50 000, +/- 3,000, upkeep costs such as accommodation and board, an allowance for travel to South Africa (if non-national) and return home after completion of the programme, health insurance, and stationery costs for the duration of the MSc programme, i.e. a maximum of two calendar years, by which time the students should finish their degree.

Related content
Chief of Kharkiv's Police Patrol Vadym Lisnychuk is stepping down in order to head Ukraine's Police Academy.

"Vadym Yaroslavovych [Lisnychuk] has won the competition for the post of Police Academy head and is going to work there," Kharkiv's Police Patrol told the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news service.

Oleksiy Nikolayev will replace Lisnychuk, according to Kharkiv Police Patrol's press service, which said he has worked there since the start.

As earlier reported, Lisnychuk was appointed Kharkiv Police Patrol head in early November 2016, replacing Olha Yuskevych, who was transferred to the National Police office in Kyiv.

Prior to that, he had headed Cherkasy's Patrol Police since March 1, 2016.

"Vadym was an active participant in the Euromaidan protests. Immediately following the Revolution of Dignity he joined the Kyiv-1 volunteer battalion and helped restoring order in Kyiv immediately after the revolution. He was one of the first to be sent to the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in eastern Ukraine and took part in the liberation of Mykolayivka and Slovyansk, and was later named Kyiv-1 battalion commander," Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page.
Malayalam industry is having a bad time with the arrest of actor Dileep in the actress assault case. While many film fraternities openly expressed their support for Dileep, some in the industry also expressed their solidarity for the assaulted actress.

Hashtags supporting both of them #Avalkkoppam and #Avanoppan trended in the social media for some days.

Actor Koottikkal Jayachandran also took a stand by posting a picture along with Meenakshi, daughter of Dileep, with the caption. 'This is Meenakshi Dileep, She is also a girl..I am with her'.

However, the post went viral for all the wrong reasons and many people slammed the actor for dragging Meenakshi into this. After facing huge backlash from the social media the actor edited the caption as 'Also with her'.
New York : India today sought a probe into North Korea's nuclear proliferation linkages and demanded that those responsible for it should be held accountable, in a veiled reference to Pakistan. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's remarks came after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday. It follows North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 which was in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure. "External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj deplored North Korea's recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable," the ministry's spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

Swaraj's remarks came as she met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono yesterday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session here. Though there was no direct reference to Pakistan in her remarks, it came amid reports that Pyongyang had clandestinely received nuclear enrichment technology from Pakistan when A Q Khan was at the helm of Islamabad's nuclear programme. Responding to questions, Kumar did not specify the country, but said the hints were enough to determine that. "I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about," he said. PTI
Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy has signed the bill on education in Ukraine, which has recently been passed by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

"Today we are launching a fundamental reform ... now I am signing the law of Ukraine on education," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Under the law, teaching in Ukrainian schools will be conducted in the national language, "as in all European world, in all civilized countries," he said.

"The right to get education in the native language is also given to members of national minorities and indigenous peoples, but the language of education at Ukrainian public schools will be the national one," he said.

The document signed by the speaker will be transferred to the Presidential Administration of Ukraine on Tuesday for the president's signature, he added.
MARTINSVILLE  Prior to the end of August, students at Albert Harris Elementary School had never heard of Mitchell Elementary School in Houston, Texas.

Following the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, children in the local school are reaching out to their fellow students some 1,167 miles away.

A 17-hour and 19-minute trip down I-85 South and across I-10 West, cities like Charlotte, North Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, Montgomery, Alabama, Biloxi, Mississippi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana dot the route between Martinsville and Houston. However, kids at Albert Harris see a straight path to a school that Principal Renee Brown said is a lot like theirs.

Similar to the mascot of the high school many Albert Harris students will attend, Mitchell showcases its pride as bulldogs. Both schools also serve a similar number of students  552 in Houston and 564 in Martinsville.

However, it wasnt just the similarities that struck Brown  it was the need.

My pastor, Rev. Charles Whitfield, worked with the Virginia Baptist State Convention to connect with the Church Without Walls organization in Houston, Brown said.

Brown said that her pastor mentioned Mitchell Elementary, which flood waters destroyed, to her.

That school lost everything, Brown said. They were devastated by the flood.

Sensing a need for the students affected by Hurricane Harvey, Brown spoke with Albert Harris STEM teacher Laurie Witt, who helped organize a fundraiser to benefit the victims.

The local school held two Hats for Houston days, and plans to hold one more, During these days, students and faculty who donate a dollar to the relief effort may wear any hat they choose to school. The proceeds of the fundraiser will benefit Mitchell Elementary School in the form of gift cards.

Weve been in contact with them and theyre aware that were doing this, Brown said about staff at Mitchell.

Gift cards are what they asked for, Witt said. They know what they need, and that gives them the freedom to buy it.

The effort to help another school is a way for the local kids to pass on kindness that often is bestowed upon them by community members.

Albert Harris does receive a lot of help from our community, Brown said.

From weekend backpack programs to stockings and gifts at Christmastime, the Martinsville area often contributes to the wellbeing of the youngest members of the population.

This fundraiser helps us build on character education, to be respectful, responsible and safe, Brown said. Its our responsibility to help those in need, especially when theyre just like us.

While donating a dollar to wear a hat provides an opportunity for a little more fun in the classroom, the activity  when coupled with a fundraiser  also promotes good citizenship.

Giving is a good thing because we are our brothers keeper, Brown said.

While an estimated 90-percent of staff and a large number of students have given to support the cause, a few specific donations warmed Witts heart.

Some kids have told me, This is from my piggy bank, Witt said.

One child approached Witt with a handful of coins the child had saved. The donation didnt make a full dollar, but the teacher collected the money with gratefulness and included it with the rest of the funds.

Several staff members gave more than one dollar and a number of students participated in both hat days. While the funds havent been counted from the most recent Hats for Houston Day, the school raised more than $100 during the first event.

Based off of the information shes gathered from the administration in Texas, the elementary school will relocate to a different facility by the end of the month.

In the classrooms, were making cards to send to Houston to welcome the students back, Witt said. We hope that will make it feel more like home, even though theyll be in a new building.

While students and staff are encouraged to donate once more before the funds will be sent to Houston, the community is also welcome to make a donation, Brown said.

For those interested in supporting Albert Harriss Hurricane Harvey relief effort with a monetary donation, contact the school by 3 p.m. on Friday at (276) 403-5838.
COLLINSVILLE-A Henry County grand jury handed down 163 indictments on Monday, according to records in the Henry County Circuit Court Clerks Office.

Of that number, 31 indictments were sealed by a judges order until served or for five days. A portion of the 132 unsealed indictments follows, and the remainder will be released tomorrow.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt. It is a grand jurys determination that enough evidence exists to hold a trial.

Among those indicted were:

-Dakota Chase Mohler, 22, of Martinsville, faces one count of attempting to commit arson of an occupied building. This stems from an alleged incident May 18.

-Shawn Kailyn Mullins, 30, of Collinsville, faces one count of possession of methamphetamine. This stems from an alleged incident Sept. 25, 2016.

-Davy Warren Roark, 53, of Harmony, N.C., faces one count of possession of a fire bomb or explosive device. This stems from an alleged incident Feb. 12.

-Brandon Eugene Tipold, 22, of Ridgeway, faces one count each grand larceny and breaking and entering a building with intent to commit larceny. These stem from an alleged incident Feb. 5.

-Daryl Wayne Wilson, 48, of Martinsville, faces two counts felony shoplifting greater than $200. These stem from alleged incidents Feb. 17 and Feb.24.

-Kasey Michael Anderson, 21, of Bassett, faces one count of attempted malicious wounding of family/household member. This stems from an alleged incident Nov. 4.

-Justin Lee Justice, 27, of Stuart, faces one charge of possession of hydrocodone and acetaminophen. This stems from an alleged incident Jan. 1, 2016.

-Dominique Latraye Morrison, 24, of Bassett, faces one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute  more than  ounce but less than five pounds. This stems from an alleged incident Feb. 9.

-Jeffery Wellington Newton, 50, of Bassett, faces one count of assaulting a police officer. This stems from an alleged incident April 15.

-Ronald Dale Spencer, 52, of Bassett, faces one count of possession of a sawed-off shotgun or rifle. This stems from an alleged incident Feb. 25.

-Sean Aubrey Thomas, 49, of Bassett, faces one count of possession of cocaine. This stems from an alleged incident April 13.

-Ryan Deontae Venable, 21, of Collinsville, faces one count of malicious wounding. This stems from an alleged incident Feb. 20.

-Clara Conner Pettry, 72, of Martinsville, faces one count of endangering the life of a child. This stems from an alleged incident April 24.

-Michael Anthony Cullins, 45, of Martinsville, faces one count of embezzlement  $200 or more. This stems from an alleged incident between Dec. 10 and Dec. 30, 2015.

-Charles Donnie Thornhill, 45, of Bassett, faces one count of grand larceny of a motor vehicle. This stems from an alleged incident between May 1 and Nov. 19, 2016.

-Robert Craig Wilson, 52, of Eden, N.C., faces one count of obtaining money by false pretense  third or subsequent offense. This stems from an alleged incident May 16.

-Jamie Allen Bailey, 26, of Collinsville, faces one count of felony hit and run. This stems from an alleged incident May 26.

-Patrick Charles Carroll, 34, of Williamson, W.Va., faces one count of attempted grand larceny. This stems from an alleged incident March 23.

-Jakeyz Tyshun Giles, 18, of Martinsville, faces one count of grand larceny of a motor vehicle. This stems from an alleged incident April 4.

-Stevan Joseph Keys, 30, of Bassett, faces two counts of obtaining money by false pretense  $200 or more. These stem from alleged incidents Dec. 27 and Dec. 28.

-Jessie Lee Robert Rumley, 42, of Martinsville, faces one count each possession of a firearm by a violent felon, possession of ammunition by a felon, abduction, and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felon. These stems from alleged incidents April 1.

-Chase Dwayne Watson, 26, of Bassett, faces one count of failure to register information as a sex offender. This stems from an incident between March 8 and June 21.

-Joshua Wayne Wright, 25, of Hardy, faces four counts of arson of an occupied building and one count shoplifting  third or subsequent offense. These stem from alleged incidents March 31.

-Emily Ann Church, 22, of Ridgeway, faces one count each of eluding police  speed 20 mph or more over limit, grand larceny of vehicle, and felony destruction of property. These stem from alleged incidents May 15.

-Justin Lee Cannaday, 19, of Ridgeway, faces four counts of forcible sodomy of a victim less than 13 years old. These stem from alleged incidents May 7 and May 8, 2016.

-Dirk Thomas Hood, 32, of Bassett, faces one count of violating a protective order  third or subsequent offense. This stems from an alleged incident May 1.
Ukraine's first simulation center for combat operations opened at the Yavoriv military training ground in Lviv region on September 15.

"The center will be one of the most progressive in Eastern Europe. The control bodies of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and partner countries will undergo training there," Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak told journalists at the opening of the center on September 15.

According to him, this is the first such center in Ukraine, and it was created with the help of the United States. The center is unique in allowing full simulation of various combat situations, check the level of each military and adjust the training of units.

"The center's work will help draw the right conclusions from the situations occurring in the anti-terrorist operation zone and properly plan the training of our military personnel," Poltorak said.

The center currently operates as part of the Rapid Trident 2017 international exercises that are being held at the Yavoriv training ground. Some 2,500 servicemen from 15 countries take part in the war games.
SPRINGFIELD -- Massachusetts' two new casinos -- including the MGM Springfield complex under construction in the city's South End -- will soon generate tens of millions of dollars a year in economic development money under their license agreements with the state.

A portion of that money should be put to work in the Pioneer Valley, said Richard K. Sullivan Jr., CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Corp. Sullivan testified Tuesday at a hearing of the state Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. State Sen. Eric P. Lesser, D-Longmeadow, and state Rep. Joseph Wagner, D-Chicopee, together chair the panel.

Lesser and Wagner conducted the hearing in an auditorium at Springfield Technical Community College. It focused on the plight of Gateway Cities, on regional economic development, on business regulation, and on workforce education and training.

Under state law, both MGM Springfield and Wynn Boston Harbor will pay a quarter of their gross gambling revenue in taxes. Of that sum, 9.5 percent will go to economic development initiatives.

Sullivan, a former Westfield mayor who also was a cabinet official under former Gov. Deval Patrick, said the economic development fund could total tens of millions of dollars. And the state Legislature will have to decide, starting with the 2019 or 2020 state budget processes, how that money will be spent.

"I am asking that it not be put into the general fund," Sullivan said.

Wynn Boston Harbor in Everett opens in 2019. MGM Springfield opens in September 2018.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has already asked the EDC to come up with initiatives worthy of funding through the gambling tax. Ideas include training workers in a variety of industries including hospitality, promoting tourist attractions in Western Massachusetts and promoting agriculture, Sullivan said.

Also Tuesday, state. Rep. Bud L. Williams, D-Springfield, and others spoke in favor of a Western Massachusetts Balanced Sustainable Development Commission. Williams' proposed commission would bring together regional planners in Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties along with organized labor and others. It would come up with policies and would have a regional economic development corporation with the ability to take property by eminent domain.

Wagner said the bills that got hearings Tuesday, including Williams', might come up for votes on Beacon Hill later this year.
Cross Andrew Bogut off the list of players the Boston Celtics could consider with their 15th roster spot.

The big man has agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to multiple reports.

Andrew Bogut signing with the Lakers for one year at veteran minimum, per agent David Bauman.  David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) September 19, 2017

Wolves made major pitch for Bogutl; had playing time/role available behind KAT. Celtics, Cavs also were in mix, but Bogut liked LA vibe.  David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) September 19, 2017

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported Bogut's deal is only partially guaranteed. Though she added the Lakers are "obviously ... planning on him being a big part of the team," it's notable that such an established, solid center would agree to anything less than a fully-guaranteed contract. That might mean nothing, or it might be a sign Bogut still has injury concerns after a fractured tibia prematurely ended his 2016-17 season.

When healthy, Bogut has been an elite rebounder and rim protector. If his addition helps keep the Lakers out of the top-five, the Celtics will not receive the team's lottery pick next summer. They will collect LA's pick only if it lands 2-5.

The Celtics still have one roster spot open and a need for more frontcourt size/depth. Training camp is set to open one week from today.
SPRINGFIELD -- Pizza loving social media users are in a tizzy that the venerable Red Rose Pizzeria in the South End is closing its doors after 54 years.

The only problem is they have confused the Red Rose Pizzeria in Springfield with the Red Rose Restaurant in Brooklyn, which is closing after 34 years.

"The rumors have gone rampant -- rampant," co-owner Carmela Caputo said on Tuesday. "It's all over Facebook."

The pizzeria started receiving calls on Monday from concerned patrons, Caputo said.

One person was not going to book a party for fear that the South End pizzeria would no longer be open, she added.

Red Rose Pizzeria is next to the $950 million MGM Springfield casino project, prompting some to assume its owners had decided to sell the pizzeria.

A Wilbraham man posted on Facebook, "WOW!!! Red Rose is closing!! They must of got one hell of an offer for their property!!! They sure had GREAT food especially the MEATBALL !!!!!!!!!!."

That view was shared by a Springfield man, who posted. "So sad. I knew it would come to an end with the casino coming. Great times and great food so disappointed."

A West Springfield High School graduate also expressed concern. "Please tell me this rumor I heard that Red Rose is closing on the 24th of this month is a LIE!!!"

The Caputos have taken to Facebook to calm customer fears and end any confusion.

ATTENTION ALL FACEBOOK FRIENDS AND FAMILY RED ROSE PIZZERIA IN SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTES IS NOT CLOSING. THERE IS A RED ROSE RESTAURANT IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK THAT IS CLOSING. SORRY FOR ANY CONFUSION. Posted by Red Rose Pizzeria on Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Below is the Facebook posting from the Red Rose Restaurant at 315 Smith St., between President and Union streets, in Brooklyn. It is closing after 34 years.
U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker believes that a UN peacekeeping force should ensure security in the entire territory of the occupied Donbas, control the Ukrainian side of the border with Russia and help stop the flow of heavy weapons.

He told reporters at a briefing in Kyiv on Saturday, September 16, that a peacekeeping mission, if it were deployed, should be responsible for this area instead of the Russian army that occupies the territory, probably by means of bringing security to citizens and granting access to the Ukrainian authorities, providing the space where elections are possible and where the Minsk agreements can be implemented.

At the same time, Volker noted that Russia's initiative on the deployment of UN peacekeepers was interesting in terms of the possibility of moving to the discussion and bringing it to the level of the UN Security Council.

He expressed concern that the terms of the mandate proposed by Russia would only deepen the division of Ukraine, as the mission would be deployed on the contact line, not on the whole territory, would only protect members of the OSCE monitoring mission, not people, and that it would not give access to control the Russian-Ukrainian border.

He expressed hope that through this dialogue it would be possible to talk about the idea of a genuine peacekeeping mission that would be focused on the security in the entire area. He also said that the force should control the Ukrainian side of the border with Russia and help stop the flow of heavy weapons.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. President Donald Trump will meet to discuss the increase in the U.S. support, the Ukrainian reforms and the continuation of sanctions against Russia, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said.

"As for bilateral relations, there is already an increase in the budget of the United States for the next year with respect to Ukraine's defense support. I think Poroshenko's conversation with Trump will address the use of budget resources," she said answering a question from Interfax-Ukraine in Kyiv on Tuesday.

According to Klympush-Tsintsadze, the two presidents will discuss the Ukrainian reforms and economic cooperation, which is substantially expanding.

"They will also talk about extending the sanctions against Russia that were adopted at the level of both the Congress and the U.S. president. We've had very good dynamics since the first meeting of the presidents in June," she said.
Stop recruiting and start eCruiting. MNAs online career center gives member nonprofit organizations an affordable, highly visible, and demographically focused place to post job vacancies. Employers can post as much or as little of the job description as they like, and our Career Center sends out an email alert to active job seekers all at no additional charge.

http://www.mtnonprofit.org/CareerCenter/

Opportunities: https://mtnonprofit-jobs.careerwebsite.com/c/search_results.cfm?&msessid=DFiny
Trump administration officials, under pressure from the White House to provide a rationale for reducing the number of refugees allowed into the United States next year, rejected a study by the Department of Health and Human Services that found that refugees brought in $63 billion more in government revenues over the past decade than they cost.

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS and SOMINI SENGUPTA
A book on Chinas governance written by Chinese President Xi Jinping has been hailed by international leaders and readers, with a total circulation of over 6.42 million copies in 22 languages worldwide.

The book, which is the most influential book written by a Chinese leader in the 40 years of Chinas publication history, is titled Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. Made up of 79 chapters of speeches and notes made by Xi from his elections as General Secretary of the CPC China Central Committee in 2012 to June 2014, the work has provided foreign readers a new way to understand Chinese state governance, opening them up to Chinas top leaders political ideas.

The book has been praised by many foreign leaders since its publication. During the release ceremony of the books Thai version in April, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha had asked his cabinet to read the book, while Marta Martrai, deputy speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, said in April that the book might help those who try to find the secret of the Chinese miracle get the answer.

Liu Qibao (L), member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, and Matrai Marta, executive vice chairman of the Hungarian National Assembly, attend the release ceremony of the Hungarian version of Chinese President Xi Jinping's book "Xi Jinping: the Governance of China" in Budapest, Hungary, on April 24, 2017. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

The book has also gained applause from ordinary readers. On the popular website amazon.com, users gave the book a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, with many readers submitting positive reviews.

If you would like to know how China has so rapidly advanced since the disastrous Cultural Revolution, read this book. In the same way that China has learned much from us, we would do well to learn a bit from China, wrote a reader named Michael J Carr.

According to Xinhua, a dozen of the existing 22 language editions were released at the request of foreign countries. By the end of 2018, another 13 language versions are expected to added to the series.
Located at the Port of Akonikien, the landmark regasification plant will enable the storage, transportation and distribution of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the countrys mainland; 12 bullet tanks will carry 14,000 cubic meters of storage capacity, supported by a truck loading station and 12-kilometers of ten-inch gas and diesel pipelines; The project will be led by local construction and engineering firm Elite Construcciones; The project forms part of Equatorial Guineas regional LNG2Africa initiative which seeks to drive gas monetization through in-country gas-to-power projects.

Equatorial Guinea is set to construct the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and regasification plant in West Africa, advancing efforts to monetize gas resources through the creation of a domestic gas-to-power infrastructure.

Located at the Port of Akonikien on the countrys mainland, the plant will enable the transportation and storage of LNG from the EG LNG plant at the Punta Europa Gas Complex on Bioko Island, to Akonikien on the southern border of the mainland. It will then be fed into the regasification plant to be distributed to smaller-scale power plants and LNG power stations throughout the country, as well as exported to neighboring countries.

The Akonikien project is the first gas-to-power development in Equatorial Guineas LNG2Africa initiative. Launched by the Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons in 2018, the initiative seeks to facilitate the production and trade of LNG through the creation of a domestic gas-to-power infrastructure and intra-African LNG industry.

Spearheaded by local construction and engineering firm Elite Construcciones, the plant will have a storage capacity of 14,000 cubic meters with 12 bullet tanks. The tanks are currently the largest factory-built cryogenic bullet tanks in the world with a capacity of 1,228 cubic meters and dimensions of 31 meters by 9.3 meters by 8.8 meters. Built by American manufacturer Corban Energy Group, each tank is estimated to require 12 hours to complete the 12,000-meter distance from the port to the new plant. Elite Construcciones is also installing a truck loading station and 12 kilometers of 10-inch gas and diesel pipelines.

Other major suppliers include pipe supplier PFF Group, who manufactured 12,400 meters of pipes, shipping agents D&B Shipping Ltd. who facilitated the shipment of 22 40-foot open-top containers, and Meakin Logistics UK. Elite Construcciones also worked closely with German companies Noorwerk and ESC on the design and construction of the plant.

Partager et informez vous aussi......

0 shares Share

Tweet

LinkedIn

Articles similaires
Consortium of nine development partners to support Biovacs expansion of its existing vaccine manufacturing plant capacity, and enable the production of Pfizer-BioNTechs COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines; Biovac to raise around $150 million (ZAR2.3 billion) to boost increased local vaccine manufacturing capacity across the African continent; Partners include AfDB (www.AfDB.org), CDC Group, DEG, DFC, EIB, IFC, Proparco, the European Union Delegation to South Africa, and the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC).

To support South Africa and the African continent increase vaccine manufacturing capacity and reduce reliance on imports, a consortium of nine development and finance institutions have today announced a partnership with Biovac in Cape Town, South Africa to support Biovacs vaccine manufacturing expansion.

Biovac, a bio-pharmaceutical company and established vaccine manufacturer based in South Africa, is part of a consortium (https://bit.ly/3Izu6EK) of organizations that has partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) and its COVAX partners to establish the first COVID-19 mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa. Biovac has also entered into an agreement with Pfizer in July 2021 with the goal to manufacture up to 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use exclusively in Africa.

Biovac aims to expand its vaccine manufacturing capacity in Africa initially through its current activities related to the production of Pfizer-BioNTechs COVID-19 vaccine and subsequently for much needed routine vaccines as well. This will bolster the global response to COVID-19 and advance long-term health security throughout the African continent. This expansion is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development (SDG) Goal 3 on Good Health and Well-being by improving access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines; and UN SDGs 8 and 9 on improving economic opportunities and upgrading technological capabilities of the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector in Africa. To realize the expansion and increased local vaccine manufacturing capacity on the African continent, Biovac will need to raise around $150 million (ZAR2.3 billion).

The consortium partners will aim to support Biovac in this future manufacturing plant capacity and vaccine pipeline expansion. The consortium partners include the African Development Bank (AfDB), CDC Group  UKs development finance institution which is soon to be renamed British International Investment, the German development finance institution DEG, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union Delegation to South Africa, International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC), and the French development finance institution Proparco.

COVID-19 has proven that a more geographical spread of vaccine manufacturing is much needed globally, with the African continent having the least number of vaccine manufacturers. We are pleased that the consortium of funders is willing to work with Biovac to create sustainable African vaccine manufacturing, not only to respond to the current pandemic, but also to much needed routine vaccines and future pandemic vaccines as well, said Biovac CFO Craig Mitchell.

We have developed a 2030 Pharmaceutical Action Plan/Continental Vision for Africa. We aim to increase the local production of pharmaceuticals to 70% by 2030, and of vaccines to 60% by 2040. Todays announcement with Biovac is a strong testament to our pledge to make direct investments in manufacturers and provide leadership to support the development of the pharmaceutical industry on our continent. Africa must become self-sufficient. Health security is fundamental to economic security, said African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, adding the COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call that Africa could not outsource the health of its people to other continents or rely on global supply chains.

Accelerating vaccine delivery to countries that need them the most must become a global priority, and this requires collective effort. CDC is thrilled to be a part of this consortium that brings together DFI expertise and capital to support Biovac in contributing to scaling vaccine production across Africa, and bolster the continents response and self-reliance on this and other health crises, said Tenbite Ermias, the CDC Groups Managing Director for Africa.

It is essential to join forces to address medical care in Africa. This is why we welcome Biovacs initiative to expand its vaccine manufacturing capacity in Africa. Besides strengthening vaccine production on site, it has a positive signaling effect for South Africa as a medical hub. We are happy to support the development of this project and look forward to strengthening the cooperation, said Roland Siller, CEO of DEG.

The United States is proud to collaborate on this effort to expand manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 and other critical vaccines in Africa in order to improve healthcare on the continent, said DFC CEO Scott Nathan. Supporting the global communitys continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthening health systems in developing countries are top priorities for DFC. This project advances President Bidens Build Back Better World (B3W) Initiative by bolstering global health infrastructure.

Scaling up vaccine production in South Africa is crucial to accelerating global immunization and beating COVID-19. EIB Global is working with African and international partners in supporting vaccine manufacturing, improving public health and enhancing economic resilience to the pandemic across Africa. As part of Team Europe, the EIB is pleased to join financial partners to support Biovacs plans to produce vaccines in South Africa for Africa, said Ambroise Fayolle, European Investment Bank Vice President responsible for development.

Our differentiated approach to find the best way to assist partner countries fight the COVID-19 pandemic has made possible EU funding to help unlock significant Development Finance Institution loans in support of South Africas own vaccine manufacturing capacity. The EU grant is an expression of Team Europes unwavering commitment to the global fight to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, said Dr Riina Kionka, the EUs Ambassador to South Africa.

The IDC has a long-standing partnership with Biovac. From the onset, the Corporation appreciated the companys long-term objectives to establish a world-class commercial vaccine production facility. Recent development in vaccines access has reinforced the need to scale up and ensure capacity to manufacture vaccines locally, for our country and our continent, said Hilton Lazarus, IDCs Head of its Chemicals, Medical and Industrial Mineral Products Business Unit.

This unique partnership will help boost the production and manufacturing capacity of a range of vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine, in Africa. With strong partnerships and increased investment, manufacturers in Africa, such as Biovac, can ramp up domestic vaccine production to build a more resilient health sector and strengthen regional value chains, said Makhtar Diop, IFC Managing Director.

France is strongly committed to increasing vaccine production and access in Africa, as illustrated by its support to the creation of the continents first mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub announced by President Emmanuel Macron in June last year. Through this partnership with Biovac and our DFI partners, Proparco will build on its experience working with local pharmaceutical companies and further contribute to scaling up vaccine manufacturing capacities in South Africa, said Gregory Clemente, CEO of Proparco.

Partager et informez vous aussi......

0 shares Share

Tweet

LinkedIn

Articles similaires
(Freshmen at Tsinghua University are preparing for their swimming tests)

New students at Chinas prestigious Tsinghua University took the swimming test after a decision made earlier this year required all the students to learn how to swim before they graduate, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

Knowing how to swim is a 90-plus-year-old campus rule at Tsinghua. Earlier this year, the university decided to continue applying this rule starting this fall semester.

Over 400 freshmen took the swimming test, which requires them to swim at least 50 meters. About 91.5% percent of the test takers passed and earned a certificate and a Tsinghua-style medal as rewards. Those who failed or who did not know how to swim were told to take swimming courses.

Learning swimming is simple compared to academic courses, said a freshman. It is also a good thing to learn how to swim for free. However, a different new student expressed worry about past experiences of drowning.
(Lu Yongmei, founder of a Dong's traditional indigo dying company. Photo/CRI Online)

A dozen post-80 girls from the Dong ethnic group in southwestern Chinas Guizhou province innovatively commercialized their traditional indigo dying technique out of a strong passion to keep it alive, China Radio International reported on Sept. 17.

Lu Yongmei, founder of an indigo dying company, started her entrepreneurship to promote her cultural heritage of dying cloth by hand. Her business cannot only help save the 1,000-year-old traditional craftsmanship, but also provide employment opportunities to local Dong girls.

Traditional Dong clothes are generally made after being woven, dyed, and embroidered. Girls will focus on the technique that they are best at so as to improve their efficiency. Love and passion is the basic requirement, said Lu.

Now, Lus company has more than 600 employees and is expected to make six million yuan (around $900 thousand) this year. With joint efforts, Lu and her fellows recovered a special dying technique, and they have been awarded five technological patents and nine design patents owing to it.
Representatives from both Mission Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina spoke to the McDowell County Commissioners Monday evening about the ongoing contract dispute and what this could mean for the people of McDowell.

Last month, county officials contacted the chief executive officers for both Mission and BCBS of North Carolina and asked them to send representatives who could explain their positions to the commissioners.

In July, Mission Health decided to it would leave BCBSNC effective Oct. 5, unless an agreement can be worked out. This means all Mission hospitals (including McDowell Hospital), outpatient facilities and most healthcare providers affiliated with Mission would no longer take BCBSNC insurance and be out of network.

County Manager Ashley Wooten said, BCBSNC is the health insurance carrier for county employees and Mission Health serves many of our employees, so there is definitely an impact to the budget and employees health care if an agreement is not reached. Furthermore, many McDowell County residents go to Mission Health for their care and they also have BCBSNC insurance.

At Mondays meeting, county officials informed both sides of the dispute that they would have 15 minutes each to make their presentations. There would be no questions taken from the audience and no action taken by the board.

Patrick Brady, director of major and national accounts with BCBSNC, spoke first.

We were as surprised and disappointed as anybody when Mission decided to walk away from negotiations and cancel their contract with us, said Brady. We were even more surprised that Mission also canceled its Medicare Advantage contract, which wasnt even part of current negotiations. We were surprised that Mission chose this disruption to seniors in western North Carolina. Premiums and health care costs are already too high. Thats what this dispute is all about.

Brady added there are other hospitals and doctors who will stay in BCBSNCs network and are within easy access for McDowell residents.

Overall, this decision impacts approximately 260,000 Blue Cross NC members in 16 western North Carolina counties, he said. Roughly half of these members are in employer self-insured plans. This directly impacts these area companies bottom lines. More than 9,400 McDowell County residents are affected.

Again, we were surprised and disappointed at Missions action. We stand ready to work with them on a new contract that helps slow rising health care costs if they withdraw their contract termination.

Jill Hoggard Green, Missions chief operating officer, spoke next. She was joined by McDowell Hospital President Carol Wolfenbarger and members of the hospitals board.

Green said BCBSNC forced this issue using a three-pronged strategy to keep health systems scared and under control. She said this strategy, which she described as intimidation and bullying, involved BCBSNCs requiring forever-zero contracts with health care systems that automatically renews (in the absence of a notice of termination) with a zero rate increase for an indefinite time.

"If BCBSNC maintains its position of refusing to negotiate, which on its face is nonsensical and specifically precludes the ability to reach any compromise agreement, then Mission Health will indeed be forced out of BCBSNCs network," reads a statement from Mission Health.

They follow with a policy of We will never speak with you again if you provide a notice of termination, which we view as nonsensical and not consistent with resolving issues, said Green. And finally which is something that is already illegal in the majority of states, is that they overturn patients voluntary election and pay the patient rather than the provider.

Despite this intimidation strategy, the reason we gave them a deadline  solely to get their attention with a deadline to act - is because the consequences for Mission and western North Carolina are so significant, she added.

Like Brady, Green said Mission is willing to work out an agreement any time and President Ron Paulus has his phone ready 24/7 in case BCBSNC is ready to meet with him.

After hearing both presentations, the commissioners thanked them for coming to Mondays meeting.

We wanted to hear from both parties, said Chairman David Walker.

In other business, the commissioners approved a contract between the county and Mission Health regarding the transportation of behavioral health patients.

Often behavioral health patients are transported to other facilities from McDowell Hospital by deputies or in an EMS vehicle. This proposal would transport them using the Community Care Paramedic program. Its a win-win, said Emergency Services Director William Kehler. Were transporting them in a more secure vehicle. It promotes safety for our employees as well as the patients.

The proposed cost per transport is $300. Many times behavioral health patients do not have insurance, so the transport is covered with no reimbursement, according to county officials.

In another matter, the commissioners met with Public Works Director Randall Thomas and approved two items in his department.

The first concerns the monitoring of methane gas that is generated by the old landfill. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality requires owners of landfills (closed or open) to monitor the gas generated by the decomposing waste underground. The countys solid waste engineer has developed a plan to meet this requirement, which requires the installation of monitoring wells. County officials were not able to get a firm estimate for doing this work before the budget was adopted. Therefore, the county will need to use money from the fund balance, which is like a savings account, to cover the project since it has to be underway by the end of the year.

The second item concerns the disposal of electronics. Prior to 2015, TVs, computers and other electronic equipment could be disposed of in landfills. Later, the law was changed and now these items must be recycled.

Unfortunately there is a glut of these items and the recyclers are not paying for the items, but the county must pay to dispose of them, said County Manager Ashley Wooten. The cost each month fluctuates between $2,000 and $3,000 a month. In order to recoup this cost, most counties have resorted to charging a fee for electronic disposals.

The adopted fee schedule for disposal of electronics is: $10 (per item) for tube computer monitors or TVs, $5 (per item) for flat-screen monitors or TVs and $5 (per item) for computers, printers and scanners.

In other business, the McDowell County Commissioners:

 Heard an update on the transportation department for McDowell. At the August meeting, the commissioners voted to establish a transportation department effective July 1, 2018 if state Department of Transportation funding is made available. County officials immediately informed DOT staff. State transportation officials are still working on some of the plan recommendations. They have also indicated they would assist county staff in developing the required plans that would be necessary to have a standalone department. DOT staff will be in the county in early October to review the documents. They have reassured the county they will work with McDowell to apply for the grants that would be necessary to operate the department.

 Again talked about the Health Department. At the August meeting, the commissioners voted to have a study done that would look at the feasibility of a stand-alone health department for McDowell County. County officials said they have heard from local residents about why McDowell does not have its own department, apart from the one that is shared with two other counties. Based on information from the Rutherford-Polk-McDowell District Health Department, McDowell County would need to budget at a minimum an additional $301,022 in the next budget year in order to operate a stand-alone department. County officials took no action regarding this. The goal is to stay in the group we are in, said Chairman David Walker.

 Heard another update about a possible shooting range in McDowell. Weve not seen a lot of movement from N.C. Wildlife, said County Manager Ashley Wooten. N.C. I asked if there is anything we can do to speed it up. Wildlife Resources Commission will do a sound test in October and hold a public meeting in December. Commissioner Tony Brown said the county should put the pressure on state Wildlife officials. This is dragging on, said Brown. We want it. We want this opportunity for our people.

 Heard another update about the courthouse project. The estimated cost to add the third courtroom, replace all of the windows and install a new heating/air conditioning system are in the range of more than $3 million. The board directed that the windows and HVAC ($1 million) be paid from fund balance with the other work ($2 million) to be financed.

 Talked again about the Stacy Hill Road water line project, which would construct a water line from U.S. 70 to the intersection of Fairview and Harmony Grove roads. The estimated cost is approximately $1.2 million. The original plan was to use $365,000 in EPA grant money and finance the remainder. A financing package of that size requires Local Government Commission approval. However, McDowell probably wont get this approval from the LGC. The commissioners agreed to dip into the fund balance again to get this done.
(File Photo)

China will avoid the middle income trap and become a high-income country, said an article published by Peoples Daily on Sept. 17.

The blue tone that China could get caught in the middle income trap has been speculated since the countrys economic growth slowed in 2012.

In 2016, the GDP per capita of China reached $8,000, a figure much higher than the threshold value of medium-high income countries. But there is still a gap between China and high-income countries.

Now the country is at a key stage to proceed into high-income territory, and recognizing the essence of the middle income trap and the prospect of the Chinese economy is of great significance, the article noted.

The concept of the middle income trap was first put forward by the World Bank in 2006. It said that middle-income countries tend to have slower economic growth than both poorer and richer economies.

However, the concept is more of a statistical phenomenon than a reality, as it is mainly caused by increasing labor costs and insufficient innovation when an economy becomes a middle-income country.

Only 13 out of the 101 middle income countries and regions have become high-income economies from 1960 to 2008. That is a major part of the argument that says China will be caught in the trap too.

However, such statistics are not convincing, because not all of the middle-income economies failed to evolve into high-income countries.

China has not only kept a leading economic growth, but also maintained the health and stability of its economy. It is obviously at an opposite pole of the stalled development described by the middle income trap.

Cross-country comparison and econometrics show that a 4% growth is enough for China to evolve into a high-economy country, and Chinas growth is way above that mark.

China has kept its growth between 6.7% and 6.9% for eight quarters. Researchers believe that the country is able to maintain its growth rate above 6% for the next decade.

According to international comparative studies, a stable government, market-oriented economic policies, high-quality human capital, openness, and social stability are the essential conditions for a middle-income country to evolve into a high-income one. China possesses all of them.

There is no doubt that China will eventually become a high-income country, and when should be the topic that deserves all of the attention.
(Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to discuss bilateral ties and global hot-spot issues on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) summit, in Hamburg,Germany, July 8, 2017. Photo/Xinhua)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump discussed Trump's visit to China later this year and the Korean Peninsula situation over phone late Monday.

In the phone conversation, Xi said China and the United States share extensive common interests and have seen sound momentum of exchanges and cooperation in various areas at present.

The Chinese president said that he is happy to maintain communications with Trump on a regular basis over topics of mutual concern.

He also said that Beijing attaches great importance to Trump's state visit to China, and called on both sides to work closely so as to ensure a fruitful trip and inject new impetus into the development of China-U.S. relations.

The two sides need to strengthen high-level contacts and contacts at all levels, well operate the first round of China-U.S. social and cultural dialogue, as well as law enforcement and cyber security dialogue, and extend bilateral cooperation in all fields, Xi noted.

For his part, Trump said he is looking forward to paying the state visit to China, hoping that the trip can strongly move bilateral ties further forward.

It is satisfactory for the U.S. and Chinese heads of state to maintain close contacts and a fine working relationship, Trump said.

This year, both the United States and China have important domestic agendas, the U.S. president noted, expressing the hope that these agendas will all be smoothly carried out.

In the phone conversation, Xi also expressed sympathy and solicitude to Trump and the American people for the hurricane attacks on the United States over the past few days, and Trump expressed thanks therefor.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the current situation on the Korean Peninsula.

It is notable that this is the second phone conversation between the two heads of state within less than two weeks. The previous talk came on Sept. 6, when the two leaders talked about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

During their previous phone conversation, Xi said China has been adamant in preserving international nuclear non-proliferation regime, maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, and resolving the nuclear issue through talks.

The Chinese president said the general direction should head toward a peaceful settlement of the issue, adding that dialogue combined with a set of comprehensive measures is best for seeking a long-term solution.

Trump responded that Washington has been deeply concerned over the ongoing situation on the Korean Peninsula, and attaches importance to China's essential role in resolving the issue.

He pledged to step up communication with the Chinese side in a bid to find a solution as early as possible.

On Sept. 3, the DPRK undertook the sixth nuclear test by detonating a hydrogen bomb that can be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile. On Sept. 15, it launched a balllistic missile flying over northern Japan and then fell into the Pacific Ocean.

The DPRK's actions have been widely condemned by the international community and organizations, including the United Nations Security Council.
Error 404 Not Found

You may have mis-typed the URL. Or the page has been removed. Actually, there is nothing to see here...

Click on the links below to do something, Thanks!

Take Me our of here
Do you know the number of active companies out there in the world today? Even we don't know the exact number, but with proliferating startup numbers, it must be hella high. They could be in the range of 100 - 200 million. With so many companies, i.e people working their asses off, only a few make it big or to an Initial Public Offering(IPO). Why, you ask? Because running a successful company is no less than art backed by a little science. Some leaders master it and some don't. Amazon's Jeff Bezos seems to have mastered one of them, which may seem very simple but is crucial enough to make the difference. He knows the art of how meetings work at a workplace. This technique will definitely result in the desired output.

If you are a startup, you have to learn this. If you are a manager in a big company, you have to learn this. In other words, if you are in a meeting, you have to learn and implement this, only if you want to take your company to the next level..

This is what he does at Amazon

 ztnet

At Amazon, a meeting starts in complete silence, which can sometimes go up to 30 minutes.

So, before any discussion begins, Jeff and senior executives read their printed memos in total silence. These memos sometimes reach up to six pages, so you can estimate why the period of total silence reaches up to 30 minutes.

What are they supposed to do with that memo and time? Isn't he just wasting time? No, during this time he scribbles notes in the margins but most importantly, he thinks.

How do we know if this will work?

 Kaskus

Haven't you sent agendas in advance for an upcoming meeting before? Did it work? Are you achieving the target you had decided in the last meeting? Didn't you ask them or sent all the resources they need to come prepared at the time of a meeting? Now, I hope you could see the problem with your current style and why you are struggling to put up a more productive meeting. Jeff's style is so beautiful, that it will bring you all on the same page without much hustle. It is something of a picture like where a group of people is thinking, acting and most importantly living in the present moment. No multitasking, incredible results.

Jeff says:

"For new employees, it's a strange initial experience. They're just not accustomed to sitting silently in a room and doing study hall with a bunch of executives."

According to him, this community exercise has a wonderful purpose.

First, it assures undivided attention on the part of everyone in attendance.

Second, it helps people better prepare to lead such discussions. It's like preparing written notes to put those memos together, in the first place. They get a better grip on the subject and a better grasp while the discussion is on.

How do you prepare good memos?

 YouTube/lax 3000

Jeff says, "Full sentences are harder to write. They have verbs. The paragraphs have topic sentences. There is no way to write a six-page, narratively structured memo and not have clear thinking."

Conclusion:

Now, if you are afraid that this coule be an another counter-productive activity. Don't! We have only one advice for you, try it for yourself. We have all been wasting precious time as we sit in meetings that are heading nowhere fast. So, for once why not believe a man who has built a multibillion-dollar retail empire. So, from now on, try to start your meetings silently with a memo in your hand.

This article was first published on Inc. by Justin Bariso, who is an author and a business consultant as well.
(Tang Dengjie, head of the Chinese delegation to the UN atomic agency IAEA's 61th General Conference, speaks during the IAEA's 61th General Conference in Vienna, Austria, Sept. 18, 2017. Photo/Xinhua)

China has followed a rational, coordinated and balanced nuclear safety and security approach in developing nuclear energy, a senior Chinese official said on Monday.

Tang Dengjie, head of the Chinese delegation to the UN atomic agency IAEA's 61th General Conference held in Vienna, made the remarks while addressing the opening of the conference.

China stick to the policy for efficient development of nuclear power on the basis of safety and security, said Tang, who is also chairman of the China Atomic Energy Authority and vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The Nuclear Safety Law, which was passed earlier this month by China's top legislature or the National People's Congress, will provide a strong support for the safe and sustainable development of nuclear energy in China, he said.

Since the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, comprehensive safety inspections have been carried out on all nuclear installations and facilities in China, Tang said.

Tang said China has been supporting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to play a leading role in international nuclear security cooperation.

Last month, an IAEA expert mission visited China to carry out the International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS), which provided beneficial recommendations and suggestions for China to strengthen its nuclear security capability building.

China currently has 36 operational nuclear reactors and is building 20 more.

By the end of 2020, China aims to have 58 million kilowatts of nuclear power capacity in operation and more than 30 million kilowatts under construction.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias met on Monday, 18 September, with representatives of American Jewish organizations, including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the American Jewish Committee, Bnai Brith International, the World Jewish Congress, and the Anti-Defamation League.



During the meeting, which took place in a very good atmosphere, there was discussion on the strategic and historical relationship between Greece and Israel, the historical ties between the two peoples and cooperation between the Greek and Jewish diasporas, the prospects of the Middle East Peace Process and security issues concerning the wider Eastern Mediterranean region.



Mr. Kotzias set out the Greek states clear stance against any form of anti-Semitism and presented policies that Greece has introduced to honour the memory of Greek Jews and their contribution to Greek society.
On the margins of the High-Level Week of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, in New York, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias, met today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Libya, Mohamed Taha Siala.

During the meeting, the Ministers considered the outlook for Libyas stability, as well as current issues of mutual interest, regarding security and stability in the Mediterranean. They also discussed the security situation in Tripoli, including in relation to the prospects for the reopening of the Greek Embassy there. Also raised were issues concerning bilateral cooperation in the sectors of economy, education and research.

Mr. Kotizas extended invitations to his Libyan counterpart to participate in the next Rhodes Conference for Security and Stability in the Mediterranean, and in the International Conference on Religious and Cultural Pluralism and Peaceful Coexistence in the Middle East, both of which were accepted.
On the margins of the High-Level Week of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias, met today in New York with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin.



The meeting took place in a good climate and provided opportunity for an in-depth exchange of opinions on issues of regional and international interest, with emphasis on the Ukraine crisis and recent related developments, as well as on Ukraine-EU relations, in light of the EUs approval of visa-free travel for Ukrainian citizens travelling in the Schengen area.



Also raised were issues relating to bilateral cooperation, including matters concerning the education of minorities in Ukraine. The Greek Minister asked for assurances that the rights of the Greek minority will not be impinged.



Reaffirming the high level of bilateral relations and ascertaining the need for their further deepening, the two Ministers agreed to meet again during Mr. Klimkins visit to Greece in the first half of 2018.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias met in New York today, on the margins of High-Level Week of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.



During the meeting, Mr. Kotzias referred to Greeces close, age-old ties of friendship with the Arab states and noted the need for further intensification of cooperation between the European Union and the Arab League.



Topics of interest in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean region were discussed as well. The Minister of Foreign Affairs underscored our countrys important role as a stabilising factor in the region, and in this context he briefed the Secretary-General on Greeces initiatives aimed at enhancing regional stability and promoting peace in the wider region through the adoption of a positive agenda.



More specifically, he referred to the Rhodes Conference for Security and Stability, which will reconvene within the first six months of 2018, and to the International Conference on Religious and Cultural Pluralism and Peaceful Coexistence in the Middle East, which will reconvene in Athens at the end of October, inviting his interlocutor to attend.


Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Monday chaired a meeting reviewing a report on the implementation of the eight-point frugality code in the past five years.

The report focuses on the efforts of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in implementing the eight-point frugality code, which was introduced in 2012, and the political bureau's role in leading the Party to improve work styles.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the eight-point rule has been important in safeguarding the Party's authority, enhancing its cohesion and tightening the flesh and blood ties between the Party and the people, according to a statement released after the meeting.

The statement also asked leading officials at all levels to take the lead in overcoming formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance, saying that efforts should be made to address both symptoms and root causes of unwanted work styles.

The meeting, held by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also studied a draft work report by the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection to be submitted to the upcoming 19th CPC National Congress.

It revealed the practices and explorations, achievements as well as experiences of discipline inspection departments at all levels in comprehensively promoting strict Party governance under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee.

The statement called for upholding the leadership of the Party, promoting clean governance, and deepening the anti-corruption battle to pave way for achieving the two centennial goals and the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.
I thank you for this honour. An honour for me personally and for my country in particular.

I bow in the face of history. I am ashamed that humanity experienced the crime, industrial in its scale, of German Nazism. A crime unique in history. The genocide of a people whose only so-called crime was that they were different from other nations that, in fact, appeared much later in history.

German Nazi crimes against the Jews, as well as against the gypsies and people with special needs, were crimes of extreme barbarity in a war of unparalleled inhumanity, unique in history. Anyone who tries to compare these crimes with other crimes and draw parallels with other regimes ends up-perhaps intentionally- presenting uniqueness as normality. In this way, he levels historical differences and trivializes the Nazi regime to the level of a common criminal, along with Germany that supported this regime.

From this perspective, we in no way accept the reduction of the Nazi crimes to a more general category of political crime.

Unlike many in Europe today, I continue to regard the Holocaust as a uniquely inhuman crime. As the most extreme form of barbarity, though some people regard barbarity as a trivialised form of crimes against humanity. I regard it as an abhorrent and unparalleled crime against humanity.

This historical realisation has its significance when one wants to come to grips with the West's relations with Israel and, more specifically, the relations of Europeans and the European Union with the Jews and their state, Israel.

Each of us needs to respond to a fundamental question: do the Jews have a right to live in a secure, democratic state? The answer is simple, and one word: Yes, they do! Moreover, the rest of us have the obligation to defend this right. This historical and fundamental right does not mean that the state of Israel has the right, even for a second, to ignore the rights of others. But, it does not mean that even when the state of Israel makes mistakes, as all democratic states in the world do, criticism should take the form of polemic. It cannot be an excuse for denying the state of Israel the right to exist. Or, in the name of this criticism, for one to go so far as to deny the uniqueness of the Holocaust. Because when I hear people say that the Jews are doing what was done to them, when I hear them equate Israel with the Nazi crimes, I do not hear "normal" criticism. What I hear is an ex post attempt to acquit those who committed the crime of the Holocaust.

Are there aspects of Israeli policy that are for good reason the subject of discussion and reflection in the EU and in the rest of the West? I would say yes. But I would add that, when we are talking about Israel and aspects of its policy that we do not like, we should have a context and not forget the reality on the ground.

In Europe, there exist stances that are no different from "traditional"/classic anti-Semitism. But most criticism is well intentioned. And elements of this criticism are often correct. But as a rule, critics tend to forget two fundamental elements: on the one hand, History and the Holocaust and, on the other hand, the fact that Israel is the only Democracy in the Middle East.

There are some who question how democratic Israel is, pointing to its use of violence -just or not- against the Palestinians. But this won't be the first time in history that a democracy may not conduct itself in its external relations in the way that the odd observer or commentator might like. One only needs to remember the Athenian Democracy. The way it conducted itself towards the Melians when they chose not to join the Athenian League. It was extreme. Profoundly undemocratic. But no one forgot, even for a second -even today- that Athens was a solid democracy that made errors. Even major errors. And no one questioned, even for a second, the special role of Athenian democracy in the history of Humanity.

The Israeli Ambassador to Athens once came to speak at the university I was teaching, the University of Piraeus. He was to address a colleague's class on the Middle East. I took a poster from a group that was against the ambassador's presence and asked my graduate students to find the errors in the poster. They found 14 spelling and grammatical errors. But not the political one: the poster criticized the "Jewish ambassador". But the Israeli Ambassador in Athens at that time was Muslim!

One can draw certain conclusions from the two examples I mentioned:

First, that one doesnt need to agree with everything Israel does, but one should acknowledge a key fact: that it is a state with rules, a functioning democracy. A democracy in which no one is above the law  neither conscript nor president.

Second, there is often an inaccurate picture and many prejudices regarding the state of Israel. These have to be remedied with patience and persistence. Understanding that what is self-evident to the Jews is not so to everyone else. That any historical right must be won many times over. Nothing is self-evident with regard to what is right and what is unjust. The Jewish people, aware of what they have suffered through history, often believe that it is self-evident that they are right and that everyone else needs to understand this all at once. But that is not how it is. Not only because they aren't always right, but also because, in today's Western world, there are many, many cases of doublespeak, hypocrisy and double standards.

We always have to remember that the history of most western states and peoples goes back only a few centuries, not thousands of years like ours; that, as a result, they do not have the same sense of history as do our peoples and of the importance of historical events. They weren't often on the verge of extinction. They did not experience genocide. They haven't experienced the breadth of events and the depth of historical time. The marks of history, the commitments it entails, its magnificence. But our two peoples have a long, heroic, glorious history full of sorrows and injustices. And this is something that links our two countries in a unique way.

Third, it is indeed possible that even a country that has suffered so much injustice through history can commit an injustice. And this possibility must be fought off.

Israel is the homeland of a people who have suffered much through history, and it has the right to defend itself against a potential repetition of history. But, it must always do so democratically, capitalizing on the democratic conscience of its people, its institutions and its values.



Fourth, and to me most important, Israel has to see itself not just in terms of History. Because its history, like ours, has produced so many events that often, rather than being "consumed", can drown us. I often say this, and allow me to repeat it: History must not be our prison. It must function as our school. And this means that our historical rights are certainly important, but today, more than ever, our future survival and security are at stake. Our securing a good, creative, peaceful future. A historical right is no guarantee of a secure future. And we can build this together. Along with the other peoples of the region.

It is no coincidence that Greece is one of the most secure holiday and investment destinations for Jews around the world. Greece is a country where anti-Semitism is now waning at a relatively fast rate.

Today there needs to be as much cooperation as possible in order to stabilize the world and, in particular, the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. In this context, Greece has taken a number of initiatives in the region. One important initiative is the "Rhodes Conference". Eight countries from Southeast Europe, 12 Arab countries and two international Arab organizations are participating in this initiative. Our goal is to develop and implement a positive agenda. To create networks of cooperation that will lead to the shaping of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean. Our goal is to overcome the perception that the Eastern Mediterranean is a region consistently producing crises and wars.



Equally important are the cooperation forms we are creating to promote friendship between the states of the Eastern Mediterranean region, such as, in particular, Greece and Cyprus's trilateral cooperation forms with Israel, Egypt, Jordan and other countries of the region. The most developed cooperation forms are those with Israel and Egypt. These extend to all levels, from the Presidents and Prime Ministers of our states to cooperation between specialized departments of our institutions, and from foreign policy to energy, transport, defence, security and stability, tourism and economy. These cooperation forms are not directed against anyone. They promote a positive agenda. They create networksof cooperation, networks of stability in the region.

These cooperation forms are a response to the doublespeak and hypocrisy that exist in today's global politics.

Cooperation with these countries, as Israel, is being extended into the field of European Policy. Greece thinks it is wrong of certain circles to try to have the European Union conduct itself towards Israel as if Israel were just one of the many countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. And this is because Israel, beyond any weaknesses or mistakes, is a democratic state with a deep belief in western principles and values. Don't forget, moreover, that Judaism, like the ancient Greek civilization, is the wellspring of the Enlightenment, the modern western way of life and European culture.

There are many in the West who do not like the fact -I have to be honest- that the civilizations of our peoples, Jews and Greeks, their religious aspects, our institutional achievements, mark their very physiognomy. That is why we witness the paradox and contradiction of their honouring and appreciating us, while experiencing, at the same time, a certain kind of hostility towards us.

We do not support our friendship with the Jewish people and the state of Israel because we or you are infallible or faultless; because we don't have critical observations to make of each other -often stern, sometimes "acute" and other times "very polite". What we do not accept, however, is for some people to coddle authoritarian, fascist, extremist regimes, but having only criticism, even polemic, for us and you. In other words, for them to be consistently unjust, often deliberately unjust. Not only because they don't understand historical time, but also because they criticize us and exercise their foreign policy with an eye on their own domestic politics.

Last but not least, I am the last person who has a right to give advice to third parties. But, as a friend, I want to state my opinion. I believe deep in my soul that now is a good time for Israel to resolve any problems it has in its neighbourhood. Not to put it off to a foggy tomorrow. And this is because the historical trend is now for Israel's powerful friends to be showing signs of decline. Because in the future, the weak West Bank may find itself under the control of extremist groups. Because the global balance of power is changing, and because the Nazi crimes are not in peoples' memories as was the case with the first post-war generations. Because the impasses many Palestinians find themselves in may lead to hard clashes. And also, because I see the partiality of many European leaderships.

It is today, when Israel is strong, when it has strong powers on its side, that it needs to resolve the Palestinian problem and contribute to the founding of a Palestinian state, on terms of friendship and peace. I am deeply convinced that the solution to problems, when possible of course, must not be put off. The strongest party must take the initiative and promote just and lasting solutions. Because later on, the solutions will be promoted by third parties, and they may not be just and may lack perspective. The world, as everybody here knows, is changing and we need to intervene in the way it changes.

In this context, I have often proposed to our western partners that we contribute to safeguarding the security of Israel through NATO and the EU. I know that Israel has the capacity of self-defence, of safeguarding its own security with its own forces. But this will likely become more and more difficult in a changing world. Moreover, all of those who want to have a say -from afar- on the Middle East should at long last say how they will contribute in a just and right direction. Only through one-sided condemnations? Through doublespeak and hypocrisy?

If they want Israel to promote the two-state solution in the Middle East -the right solution, in my opinion- then they should decide to no longer be part of the protest and instead be part of the solution. The same holds for the EU. Let it develop its relations with Israel, in the form of relations of peace and development, security and stability, and not of condemnations for the domestic audience in certain member states.

In other words, if the West wants to stop its doublespeak and hypocrisy, let it decide to make public what contribution it will make and how it will participate in the resolution of the Middle East problem. Let it stop wagging its finger at third parties and engage with specific initiatives.

Israel's security, stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, safeguarding the rights of the Palestinians, promoting peace in the Middle East, fighting doublespeak and double standards in international politics, all of these, are goals that are worth fighting for, and this evening honours me greatly for my stance based on principles and values.



Thank you very much for being here with us today.
(Brazilian President Michel Temer (L) applauds the country's new Attorney General Raquel Dodge, during her inauguration, in Brasilia on Sept 18, 2017. Photo/VCG)

For the first time in Brazil's history, a female took over prosecutor-general's post on Monday, replacing Rodrigo Janot, who held the position for four years.

In a ceremony in Brasilia with the presence of President Michel Temer and Supreme Court (STF) President Carmen Lucia, Raquel Dodge was sworn in as the new prosecutor-general.

In her inauguration speech, Dodge vowed to "defend democracy, watch over the common good and the environment, and guarantee that nobody is above the law."

The 55-year-old is taking over at a difficult time. She will have the mission of continuing Operation Lava Jato (Car Wash), the investigation into the Petrobras corruption ring, which saw over 100 politicians charged in recent years.

Dodge was named to the post by Temer but the president was charged by Janot for a second time last week for obstruction of justice and illicit association.

The first charge was made earlier this year for corruption but it was shelved by the Chamber of Deputies.

Therefore, the public will keenly watch how Dodge continues the investigations against Temer and members of his ruling party.
(File Photo)

China has responded positively to the decision of the European Union (EU) to loosen trade restrictions on Chinese solar panels.

The EU has taken "a positive step" to put the photovoltaic (PV) panel trade back on track as soon as possible, Wang Hejun, head of the Ministry of Commerce's trade remedy and investigation bureau, said Monday in a statement.

China has noticed that the European Commission, the EU's executive body, took into consideration opinions from the Chinese government and firms during its mid-term review of trade measures, Wang said.

Wang welcomes the move, as there will be no caps on import volume and the minimum price will be lowered gradually.

The EU announced that it would progressively reduce the minimum prices for which Chinese solar panel makers are allowed to sell their products in Europe. The prices will be cut every three months, first on October 1 and finally on July 1 next year.

"China hopes the EU could completely terminate its trade restrictions on Chinese PV products to provide a more stable and predictable business environment and achieve mutual benefits in the sector," Wang said.

The EU started imposing hefty tariffs on Chinese solar panels in 2013 and extended trade measures at the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2017.

Chinese companies that sell below the set minimum prices are subject to import duties of up to 64.9 percent.
The fruits and vegetables grown in Zongzhai Gobi greenhouses are pollution-free. Photo: Kimeng Hilton

The Zongzhai Gobi desert agricultural industrial park in Suzhou District, Jiuquan City, Chinas northwestern Gansu province is testimony to how much the people have overcome environmental and climatic challenges to turn their area into nationally-acknowledged breadbasket. Simply put, the demonstration centre is today an agricultural marvel, making use of soil-less and drip irrigation farming technologies to produce large quantities of 27 crop types a year.

It covers 3,500 Chinese Mu (233.3 hectares) consisting of 1,032 greenhouses. With annual crop yields of 100,000 kg for large greenhouses and revenue of 100,000 RMB a year for such areas of cultivation, the park is renowned today for its efficiency, high quality products and productivity.

Hostinging 42 African, South Asian and Southeast Asian journalists round the site on September 17, 2017, Li Chengping, the Communist Party of China Secretary for Zongzhai County, said the project was launched in 2009 at the cost of 2 million RMB. The excited, impressed and attentive journalists listened as Li explained how such a farming method had to be adopted in the stony Gobi desert that has almost the same ecology and climate like most of Gansu province.

Foreign journalists listen to explanations on work at Zongzhai Gobi desert greenhouses. Photo: Kimeng Hilton

Three main types of crops are cultivated in the Zongzhai Gobi desert agricultural industrial park - vegetables, fruits and fungus or mushrooms. The vegetables and fruits grown in the greenhouses include tomatoes, cucumber, peaches, grapes, small tomatoes, etc. The park is designed to cover 10,000 Chinese Mu (666.7 hectares) costing 102 million RMB, the local CPC official explained. Meanwhile, roads, power and water have been provided and 1,032 high-standard solar greenhouses constructed, offering a pollution-free vegetable production base of about 3,500 Chinese Mu (233.3 hectares).

Li recalled that the park was constructed using 17 advanced practical technologies. These include organic ecological soil-less cultivation, hole tray seedling matrix, drone pollination, fertigation, use of smart gathering vehicles and intelligent greenhouse control system.

The agricultural industrial park has a number of distinctive features. It makes full use of the idle Gobi desert and also helps in resolving the land dilemma between food and vegetable production. The use of water is largely economized with the application of micro-spraying drip irrigation technology, thereby reducing the water consumption of each greenhouse by 25 percent.

Journalists visit a cucumber greenhouse in Zongzhai Town, Gansu province on September 17. Photo: Kimeng Hilton

Crop rotation in the Gobi desert greenhouses is carried out scientifically, ensuring continual production all-year-round. As a result, the annual revenue for each greenhouse is at least 30,000 RMB, nearly 30 percent higher than average greenhouses elsewhere. Zongzhai Gobi desert agricultural industrial park vegetables pose no pollution risks to the environment as they are free from soil-borne diseases and are high quality and profitability.

The vegetables are sold online, making them available to a larger clientele. By employing advanced technology, agricultural engineers are able to achieve real-time monitoring of temperature, humidity and illumination in each greenhouse through automation of ventilation, shutter-rolling, watering and fertilizing.

Vegetables cultivation under drip irrigation conditions in Gobi desert. Photo: Kimeng Hilton

*Kimeng Hilton Ndukong, a contributor to Peoples Daily Online, is Sub-Editor for World News with Cameroon Tribune bilingual daily newspaper in Cameroon. He is currently a 2017 China-Africa Press Centre, CAPC fellow.
UPPER THUMB -- While the decision to put a nuclear waste repository 55 miles northeast of Huron County lingers, a U.S. congressman is taking action against the move.

U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell attached an amendment to a federal spending bill in opposition to a nuclear waste project on the shore of Lake Huron.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) wants to bury nuclear waste on a site 55 miles northeast of Huron County on Canadian soil less than a mile off Lake Huron.

Numerous local, state and federal elected officials from the Michigan and the United States have spoken against the move via letters and resolutions in recent years.

Mitchell, a Republican representing the 10th District -- which includes Huron County, wrote letters opposing the dump to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson earlier this year.

Last week's amendment prohibits the federal government from spending money on attendance to an annual Canadian water resources conference.

"My amendment was narrowly tailored to prohibit American money for the (International Joint Commission) from going toward a conference that provides little to no benefit to my constituents," Mitchell said. "Importantly, the amendment does not otherwise affect the IJC's other efforts to protect our shared waters or other essential funding like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative."

Fred Kuntz, manager of Corporation Relations and Communications for OPG in Bruce County, said the move won't do a lot to change Canadian policy by causing the U.S. not to contribute to the "Our Common Water Future" Conference.

"If you think it helps policy for officials not to be informed," Kuntz said,"if that leads to better policy in someone's mind, I'd be astonished."

"The IJC was created to resolve disputes over transboundary waters between the United States and Canada and protect our shared waters," according to a press release from Mitchell. "The commission will take up disputes when both countries agree to reference them to the commission, but otherwise will not consider the issue. They have so far not addressed the Ontario Power Generation (OPG) plan to build a nuclear waste repository along the shore of Lake Huron."

''We share a tremendous resource," Mitchell told the Tribune.

And U.S. officials must join their Canadian counterparts in a dialogue that will prohibit the waste site and protect Lake Huron, Mitchell added.

"We are working on a follow-up joint letter from as many members of the Great Lakes Caucus as possible," he said.

The House of Representatives passed the amendment, as well as the entire spending package, known as the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act (H.R. 3354), last week.

OPG's preferred site is on the grounds of the Bruce Power Generating Station near the world's largest nuclear power complex, which has eight reactors. The proposal calls for burying low- and intermediate-level waste such as clothing, brooms and discarded machinery -- some of which could remain dangerously toxic for thousands of years -- about 2,230 feet underground.

The waste site would be encased in a limestone formation that the company says has been stable for 450 million years. The storage chamber would be much deeper than Lake Huron and the company says there is virtually no chance of radioactive pollution reaching the lake.

Mitchell says a better site needs to be found in Canada that is not less than a mile from the Great Lakes.

Canadians have studied other sites.

The company told the Associated Press earlier this year that it had examined two alternative sites -- one in a crystalline rock formation in north-central Ontario and the other in limestone in the province's south. The specific locations were not disclosed because of the study's hypothetical nature, company spokesman Kevin Powers said, adding that both are farther from the lake than the Bruce Power site.

Although technically and economically suitable, they would be costlier and could affect the environment more than the preferred spot, the report said. Building a disposal facility at either of the alternative sites would create a new industrial footprint and boost greenhouse gas emissions for decades as waste is hauled from temporary storage canisters at Bruce Power to the permanent dump.

Kuntz added that a new nuclear site would have to be built at any altermaive site.

State Sen. Phil Pavlov, a Republican from St. Clair, previously told the Tribune that more studies on alternatives "away from the world's largest supply of freshwater" should be conducted.

He hopes for continued delays on the decision of where to house the waste site.

He added the reason he thinks the site remains the favorite: "It's the cheapest place to get rid of it. This is all about taking your trash and throwing it out the front door."

Kuntz called the repository "a $1 billion lake-protection measure."

"It's designed to protect the lake," Kuntz added.

"There are more than 40 sites all around the Great Lakes that store nuclear waste at the surface," Kuntz said. "The majority are in USA. Those are interim measures  not the safe way to store it in long run."

"I applaud anyone who takes an interest in their environment," Kuntz said.

But he said that those with a gut reaction opposing the repository have "no understanding of science and geology."

"Get informed and then make an opinion. Don't just react," he said.

Mitchell agrees that there is too much surface nuclear waste along the Great Lakes.

He supports transporting U.S. nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, Nevada, where a high-level nuclear waste facility has been designated, but licensing was suspended by former president Barak Obama.

Kuntz calls the lack of permanent storage for nuclear waste "irresponsible."

"The people who portray themselves as caring about the environment should be in favor of this," he said.

There are three more hoops to jump through before the site is granted to OPG as a nuclear waste depository.

Kuntz said officials at OPG are awaiting a final decision on obtaining support of the local indigenous community: the Saganing Ojibway Nation. Also, environmental assessments need to be approved. And finally, a construction permit must be issued. This could take months or years.
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...
Pilots not wearing flight suits while flying? Don't worry. The Air Force knows some units may be doing just that.

Airmen flying cargo airlift or helicopters -- anything aside from a fighter and without an ejection seat -- have been seen wearing the Army Aircrew Combat Uniform, known as the A2CU, more often, Capt. Kathleen Atanasoff recently told Military.com

The uniform looks very much like the Air Force's Operational Camouflage Pattern, or OCP. In 2014, to coincide with the Army, the service announced that deployed airmen would wear the combat OCP camouflage pattern.

"The two-piece [A2CU] uniform has OCP-patterned fabric and the same fire-retardant properties as the flight suit, making it certified for wear by pilots flying aircraft without ejection seats," Atanasoff said in an email.

Related content:

"Since the [uniform] pattern matches the OCP, it is often the uniform for downrange locations where many aircrews are operating," she said.

But the A2CU has also been in use stateside, Air Force officials said.

There's no official effort to adopt a new uniform. But commanders across the force are giving some airmen the option to wear the A2CU as a duty uniform during training or while deployed.

For example, Air Mobility Command's director of operations authorized AMC pilots to wear the uniform for Exercise Mobility Guardian this summer, according to spokesman Col. Chris Karns.

"Some AMC pilots have opted to wear where authorized," Karns told Military.com. "It is authorized for mobility aircrews flying in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Those outside [CentCom] but performing combat and combat support operations into U.S. Central Command are authorized use of the uniform" as well.

Additionally, loadmasters with the modular aerial firefighting systems (MAFFS)-equipped C-130 Hercules, who have had a busy firefighting season in states such as Montana, Oregon and Washington, can wear it during specific missions, he said.

The move was approved in February as part of Air Force Instruction 36-2903, "Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel," Karns said.

Atanasoff said the service routinely considers uniform updates, to include airmen operating in high temperature environments.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- One woman remains in training to become a battlefield Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) specialist, one of several special operations jobs in the Air Force, the head of Air Education and Training Command said Tuesday.

"We have one female that's in the course right now," AETC commander Gen. Darryl Roberson said during a Facebook Live interview Tuesday with Military.com.

Roberson didn't identify the airman, who joined the program Aug. 14 after Basic Military Training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, according to Air Force Times.

Roberson said four other women have entered Air Force special operations training since then-Defense Secretary Ashton Carter reversed long-standing U.S. military traditions in late 2015, when he announced that all military occupational specialties would open to women.

Related content:

Those other trainees have left the program for various reasons, the general said.

One woman who began SpecOps training in August dropped out that same month. One TACP retrainee ended up removing herself from training due to a leg injury last year; a combat rescue officer candidate passed the physical test but never completed the selection program application; and another non-prior service TACP candidate couldn't meet entry standards following BMT.

Related Video:

Roberson said he is hopeful more women will seek out some of the toughest jobs the service has to offer.

"Come and join us!" he said during Tuesday's interview. "We can help you get through it."

The general this spring introduced a new initiative, the Continuum of Learning, which aims to streamline training for airmen just beginning their Air Force careers.

"We're working really hard for battlefield airmen. It's our hardest specialty area; it's our biggest attrition rate area," Roberson said. "We have to figure out better ways to train and get these airmen through the program. Several of the ways we're doing this is through the Continuum of Learning [initiative]."

"We just instituted a brand-new course -- the Battlefield Airmen Prep Course, a preparatory course that once you finish BMT ... we're going to put you in this training program that is six weeks long. And it's going to prepare you to start the original course of initial entry," he said.

Following the prep course, airmen head to the indoctrination course, both of which are under the Battlefield Airman Training Group, also at JBSA-Lackland, Marilyn Holliday, a spokeswoman for AETC, said last month. "Both of these groups are part of the 37th Training Wing" at Lackland.

Roberson said airmen must trust the process.

"It's to get you ready better than we've ever done before, so when you start the [special operations training] course, your chances of success are much higher," he said.

Lt. Gen. Marshall "Brad" Webb, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, said he is confident women will soon count themselves among the service's commandos.

"It's going to happen, and we are ready in this command for it to happen," he said during a briefing with reporters. "It's going to be a huge non-event when it does happen."

Webb said he isn't sure when, exactly, or whether some special operations fields may see more female recruits than others. But he drew a comparison to the 1990s, when female pilots started flying service aircraft and many advanced into leadership positions.

"It's maturing at a pace that you'd expect," he said.

So far, six women have expressed interest in applying for special operations positions, including three for TAC-P, two for combat control officer and one for pararescue jumper (PJ), according to Command Master Sgt. Greg Smith.

Of those, two followed through, but one suffered a foot injury during initial training and another wasn't ultimately selected, Smith said.

"For recruitment, it is open, it is there," he said. "Assessment, that is always our hardest part. We graduate less than 1 percent of males that go through, so you can expect probably 1 percent of females that go through will do that. We will get there. We are enthusiatsically waiting and wanting this to happen.

"If you watch 'American Ninja Warrior' today, I'll tell you right now we need to go hang out there with recruitment because half of them could kick the crap out of half of us," he added, referring to the NBC series on obstacle course competitions. "Those are the ones we want in special tactics today."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- The Air Force has begun shifting assets back into the Afghan theater, two generals said Tuesday at the Air Force Association's Air, Space and Cyber Conference.

Air refueling tankers are in Afghanistan for the first time in about five years, and the theater has just welcomed more F-16 Fighting Falcons to the area of responsibility, they said.

The Air Force now has 18 multi-role F-16 fighters in country, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, told reporters at the conference.

"We just plussed up our number of fighters. We had 12 F-16s; we now have 18," said Harrigian, who oversees missions at the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

"Our close-air support role continues and, as you look at the strategy coming forward, we're actually right now working with [Commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan] Gen. John Nicholson's staff on how to best synchronize his advise-and-assist strategy going forward to optimize the placement of the air assets," he said.

Related content:

Harrigian said there has been a large focus in the northeastern part of Afghanistan in provinces such as Kunar and Kunduz. "But there's a recognition that we're going to have to distribute our force, and that's going to require a lot of airpower support."

The emphasis will be on supporting ground forces as they position throughout the country. And Harrigian plans to "optimize" drones, such as MQ-9 Reapers, operating in the area.

Does that mean more remotely piloted flight time? Not necessarily, he said.

It's about, "are we optimizing them to understand the enemy and then be in the position to take advantage of what we're seeing to pressure the enemy?" Harrigian said.

President Donald Trump on Aug. 22 announced the U.S. will send more troops to Afghanistan to step up the fight against the Taliban and the offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria called Islamic State-Khorasan province, or IS-K.

The president would not cite specific numbers, but defense officials have said 3,500 to 5,000 additional troops are likely as part of the plan, which has been endorsed by Mattis.

Any additional airpower won't be limited to backing U.S. ground troops, Harrigian said.

While plans are still in flux, he noted, "There's going to be opportunities to better support the Afghans and our own force as we distribute across the battlespace."

Meanwhile, Gen. Carlton Everhart II, head of Air Mobility Command, confirmed Tuesday that the service has sent a number of tankers back to the theater.

Everhart -- who didn't disclose how many, or if they were KC-10 Extenders, KC-135 Stratotankers, or both -- said roughly three weeks ago the refueling craft came from outside the Middle East.

"They're flying in there, and it's economies to scale ... it's getting gas up in the air faster to support troops in contact with [aircraft] and it's proven itself well right now," Everhart said.

The aircraft reshuffling comes as U.S. warplanes have dropped the most weapons in a single month since 2012, according to newly released figures.

Aircraft including F-16 fighter jets and MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicles have dropped more than 2,000 bombs this year, already almost doubling the number of weapons released during all of last year, according to Air Forces Central Command's latest airpower summary.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said Monday that a failure of command throughout the service was the main contributing factor in the deadly collisions of the destroyers USS Fitzgerald and USS McCain, which cost the lives of 17 sailors.

"I own this problem," the service's top officer told lawmakers.

Richardson testified as part of a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on "recent incidents at sea," including the Fitzgerald's collision with a merchant ship off Japan on June 17 that resulted in the deaths of seven sailors, and the McCain's collision with a chemical tanker near Singapore on Aug. 21 that killed 10 sailors.

He said he had "no explanation," pending ongoing investigations, to provide the panel on how two fast and agile Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, equipped with the latest radar and guidance systems, were rammed amidships by slower and larger commercial ships.

Related content:

He listed budget constraints and a high operations tempo -- also cited by other services as impacting readiness -- but put the main emphasis on failures of leadership.

"What we do is inherently dangerous," Richardson said, but "at the core, this issue is about leadership, especially command."

"We have a problem in the Navy, and we're going to fix it," new Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer told the committee. He said the ongoing reviews will "highlight a way forward to renew a culture of safety."

Before the testimony began, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the committee chairman, introduced family members of several of the sailors killed aboard the destroyers.

He extended "deepest condolences to you all on behalf of this committee, and all Americans."

The USS McCain is named for the senator's father and grandfather, both of whom served during World War II.

Immediate Action Urged

McCain and several other senators on the panel expressed impatience with the Navy's deliberative investigations and reviews of the McCain and Fitzgerald tragedies, as well as other incidents in surface operations, and urged immediate corrective actions.

Spencer is overseeing a civilian-led Strategic Readiness Review that seeks to determine "root causes" for the service's failures, while Richardson has directed Adm. Phil Davidson, the U.S. Fleet Forces commander, to conduct a Comprehensive Review of Recent Surface Fleet Incidents to develop "tactical" solutions.

Davidson's review will include the grounding of the guided-missile cruiser Antietam in Tokyo Bay in January and the collision of the guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain with a South Korean fishing vessel in May.

Also testifying at the hearing was John H. Pendleton, director of Defense Force Structure and Readiness Issues for the Government Accountability Office.

Overworked Sailors

McCain and others focused on Pendleton's reports showing that sailors at sea routinely work 100-hour weeks and that many of them in the Western Pacific's 7th Fleet, including those on the McCain and Fitzgerald, lack time to renew their certifications because of the operations tempo.

In the 7th Fleet, "they squeezed in training when they could," Pendleton said.

"I will not deny that," Richardson said in commenting on Pendleton's testimony.

Richardson said "just about every ship" in the Navy "has some element of their warfare certification expired. Is it irresponsible? Yes, but we'll get this right. If that certification has meaning, we'll do the damn certification."

Pendleton's reports also showed that 37 percent of the training certifications for cruisers and destroyers based in Japan had expired as of June, a five-fold increase over the last two years.

"I don't need to tell you this is troubling and unacceptable," McCain said to Spencer and Richardson.

"These preventable incidents also come with a very real price tag," estimated at more than $600 million for repairs to the McCain and the Fitzgerald, the senator said.

'A Number of Small Errors'

While he had no immediate explanation for the McCain and Fitzgerald collisions, Richardson said, "These catastrophes result from a number of small errors."

The normal watch team on the two ships includes about 10 personnel, including four officers, two lookouts and a quartermaster, he said. They are supported by a team below decks in the Combat Information Center checking electronic displays.

In addition, the ship has redundancies for most systems, including a primary and a backup radar, and two rudders.

"How could all that break down so catastrophically? That's why we have to do a thorough investigation," Richardson said.

Accidents Across the Services

Several senators said that the McCain and Fitzgerald collisions are emblematic of accidents across the services attributable to an overall shortfall in readiness brought on by a lack of guaranteed funding for the military and the budget caps of the sequestration process.

Last week saw three fatal accidents at bases across the U.S.

In one, a special operations soldier was killed and several others injured in a firing range incident at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

In another, 15 U.S. Marines were injured -- several critically -- after their amphibious landing vehicle caught fire during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton, California.

Also last week, one service member was killed during a medical evacuation hoist training exercise at Fort Hood, Texas.

"Over the past three years, in total 185 men and women in uniform have been killed in non-combat accidents," McCain said. "During the same period, 44 service members were killed in combat.

"Bottom line is this: I want all of my colleagues to concentrate on what I'm about to say -- we are killing more of our own people in training than our enemies are in combat," he said.

On Monday at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters, "We've got to find out why we've suddenly had this spate of incidents."

"I am not willing to say right now that there's a direct line between sequestration and what has happened," Mattis said, but "we are going to take a very close look at that."

Ops Tempo Takes a Toll

In her opening address Monday to the Air Force Association's Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson Wilson echoed Mattis' concerns that the pace of operations is having a toll on readiness.

"We have been doing too much, for too long, with too few, and that has to change," she said. "It is not fair for this nation to ask our commanders to keep saying, 'We got this,' right up to the point of failure, because we don't got this."

At the close of the Senate committee hearing Tuesday, McCain pleaded with Spencer and Richardson, even as they conduct their wide-ranging reviews, to take immediate action to relieve the burden for sailors faced with 100-hour work weeks.

"I appreciate what you're saying, I appreciate what you're doing" in bringing in civilians and "whoever the hell else it is" to review and study the incidents, "but I'd also like to see some immediate common sense actions taken," McCain said.

"If somebody's working 100 hours a week, over time they're going to make mistakes," he said. "Why not declare a halt to it right now, right now? They should not be working 100 hours a week."

"Who's looking out for them?" McCain asked.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Despite President Donald Trump's threatening rhetoric at the United Nations, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis maintained Tuesday that patient diplomacy rather than military action is the best course in responding to North Korea.

"We are dealing with the North Korea situation through the international process, and we will continue to do so," Mattis said at the Pentagon during a meeting with Adrian Tutuianu, Romania's minister of national defense.

When asked about Trump's comments on "rocket man" Kim Jong-un and his threat to "totally destroy" North Korea, Mattis responded that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is "leading the effort" to reach a peaceful solution, "and we will hopefully get this resolved through diplomatic means," NBC News reported.

In his first address to the U.N. General Assembly, Trump said, "If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph," a reference to what he called the "depraved" North Korean regime.

"Rocket man is on a suicide mission," Trump said of Kim's recent test launches of two intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of hitting the U.S. mainland and the underground explosion last month of what Kim claimed was a hydrogen bomb.

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," the president said.

Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford have backed up Trump's frequent statements that "all options are on the table" in dealing with North Korea, but they have also warned of the horrific consequences of another war on the Korean peninsula.

Dunford has repeatedly pointed out that military action against the North by the U.S. and its South Korean ally would likely trigger a massive artillery and rocket barrage across the DMZ by the North that would devastate Seoul and the 20 million people in the metropolitan region.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
The 2017 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road kicked off today in Dunhuang, northwestern Chinas Gansu province.

A total of 126 countries and international organizations and representatives from 265 media outlets are participating in the forum. The form is themed as, New Cooperation Prospect: Towards a Community of Common Destiny, and is being co-hosted by the Peoples Daily and the Gansu Government.

Zhang Ping, National Peoples Congress Standing Committee Vice Chairperson, Yang Zhenwu, President of the People's Daily, and Gansu Provincial Party Committee Secretary Lin Duo all attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

Zhang pointed out that the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, conforms to the trend of development. The media cooperation forum serves as a platform for communication and mutual learning among journalists, politicians, business people, and scholars from around the world.

Yang pointed out that the Peoples Daily started the annual media forum in 2014 to build an information highway, expand circle of friends, and enlarge concentric circles of cultures through media cooperation.

Media plays an important role in enhancing people-to-people communication, Yang said, adding that news sharing, policy studies, information integration, and business exchanges should be strengthened to build bridges between cultures and embrace a brighter future.

Lin remarked that Gansu was a strategic channel with commercial importance on the ancient Silk Road. As one of the earliest regions in Chinese history to conduct economic and cultural exchanges, the province has contributed greatly to the cooperation between China and the Western world.

Lin recognized the efforts made by Gansu during the construction of the Belt and Road, saying that fruitful results have been reaped. He hopes that media from each country could place more importance on the Belt and Road, and gather positive energy to create a community of shared future for mankind.

Participated by 600 business representatives, scholars, and journalists, the 2017 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road is the largest media forum held by Chinese mainstream media in recent years.
If you think about it, there is not a better time to build a new morning fitness habit than right now with the end of...
An Ada native has received a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to study in Ecuador in the field of public health.

Clara Cullen, daughter of William and Susan Cullen, recently graduated from the University of Michigan in May with a degree in international studies and Spanish language and literature. The scholarship is awarded by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

"Receiving a Fulbright Scholarship is an enormous honor and a personal goal that I have been working towards for several years now," she said.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international education exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and operates in more than 160 countries worldwide. It is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries.

The program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. In addition, participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world provide direct and indirect support.

Cullen, an Ada native, attended Forest Hills Eastern High School and had hopes of pursuing a more traditional pre-medical path.

But that path soon changed after she became involved with a student-run organization, The Quito Project, which partners with local communities in Quito, Ecuador on research and development projects in the areas of health and education.

"My experience with TQP sparked a keen interest in community development and inspired me to think about healthcare in a much more global and interdisciplinary way," Cullen said.

Cullen will soon begin working with Universidad San Francisco de Quito through the Fulbright program to conduct public health research about access to women and children's healthcare in Ecuador.

Eventually, Cullen hopes to attend graduate school and pursue a career in the global health field.

Cullen is one of more than 1,900 U.S. citizens who will conduct research, teach English and provide expertise abroad for the 2017-2018 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as a record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.

"I am thrilled for the adventures that the upcoming year have in store and for the opportunity to explore my academic interests outside of the classroom," Cullen said.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Gurmej Singh, also known as Artist SinGh, believes he has found a way to publicize his "fight for artistic freedom" after he was banned from participating in ArtPrize.

The Kalamazoo stunt artist says he is hosting a $1 million treasure hunt during ArtPrize in which the winner will collect $100,000 in cash and $900,000 worth of art collectibles.

The prize, hidden somewhere in Kent County, can be found through clues Singh is offering in a 125-page code book he is selling for $39.99.

"X the ArtPrize: Clue Book to Finding Treasure Worth 1 million dollars" is going on sale this week as ArtPrize begins, he said.

Singh, who bills himself as "Michigan's Most Renowned Artist," was banned from ArtPrize in 2014 after bumping heads with ArtPrize officials over his performances and art placements.

In 2012, Singh's entry depicting Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein hanging from a noose was removed from the display area owned by Greg Gilmore, the proprietor of The B.O.B. night club.

In 2013, Singh ran afoul of ArtPrize and city officials when he expanded what was supposed to be a 40-foot-long mural in the Sixth Street Park into the "world's longest painting," a 3-mile-long piece that interfered with riverfront pedestrians and a foot race along the riverfront.

In 2014, he was banned for life when he bypassed the ArtPrize organization and hung 100 drawings on the windows of downtown restaurants and businesses during ArtPrize.

Frustrated by media accounts of his battles, Singh said he's going to get his story out this year by publishing his account of his ArtPrize battles in his book. Filled with clues to the whereabouts of his hidden prize, Singh said he's hoping the code book will find many eager readers.

The book is available on his blog, "X the ArtPrize" for $39.99, said Singh.

"This treasure hunt is my parting gift to the people of Michigan, in particular the people of Grand Rapids," Singh said in a Sept. 19 news release.

"I am giving $100,000 (a small portion from the painting's sale) to the people as a parting gift. Why? Because they have been very supportive of me and my art, and I am grateful," Singh said.

Earlier this summer, Singh staged a treasure hunt in Detroit by placing 100 works of art in random locations around the city during its Great Lakes Food Art and Music Festival.

Singh, who valued each of the paintings at $10,000, hung upside down from a crane while creating his paintings during the festival.
When you talk to Audrey Smith about how her painting of elephants brings the big animals to life, the young artist can describe her technique. How her brush strokes convey the herd's deep family bonds. She can talk acrylic and canvas.

But when you ask her about the possibility of seeing those animals up close - elephants, apes and zebras - her excitement bubbles up. She tells you about her plans to travel to Africa. How she wants to see these animals in their natural habitat.

"I would really love to go," said Smith, 26. "And I think it would be amazing to see a giraffe."

ArtPrize might be the first step toward her dream.

This young painter from Northern Michigan doesn't see any limitations on her future. And that's a fascinating place to be for Smith, whose young life and school years were marked by medical issues and other obstacles she's worked to overcome.

Smith was born with Velocardiofacial syndrome. For her, it meant a heart that stopped developing too soon, making surgery necessary shortly after her birth. More surgeries followed when she was 7, and then at 21, when she received an artificial heart valve.

It also meant some developmental disabilities. While Smith has a keen emotional intelligence and enjoys her job bagging groceries at a local market, math can be a struggle. She doesn't drive. And high school was not an easy path for her socially, her family said.

But in an art class at Glen Lake School, she found the pull that led to her own creative path.

At first it was jewelry-making that got her attention. Then she fell hard for painting. She waited for sales on supplies at the local craft stores, and studied how some of her favorite animals moved by watching YouTube videos of them.

Along the way, Smith attracted some well-known mentors on the Northern Michigan art scene.

"I've been a fan of Audrey's work since I first saw it. I love how she can get right down to the essence of her subject," said Glenn Wolff, an artist and illustrator with a studio in Traverse City.

"I've mainly just encouraged her to continue on her path. I also encouraged her to show her work, which she has started to do in Traverse City, and now has taken the huge step of entering ArtPrize.

" ... I know her work will be a breath of fresh air to those who view it."

Billed as the world's largest art competition, ArtPrize this year runs from Wednesday, Sept. 20 to Oct. 8.

Smith' wildlife paintings are among the 1,353 entries up for public vote. They are displayed at Gita Pita, 2 Jefferson Ave. SE.

This is another no-limits moment for Smith. She was determined to enter ArtPrize after reading about it, and didn't seem fazed when she was matched with the restaurant venue.

"I've always wanted to be an artist," she said. "I have never been to ArtPrize and I've always wanted to go. So I thought I would just try and put my stuff in."

Her quick acceptance might have surprised her parents, Jeff and Linda Smith, but they also are incredibly proud their daughter is developing a talent that means so much to her.

"The fact that she knew she needed something, and that art was it, and then to see it flourish ... that was a really great thing," said her father, Jeff Smith, editor of Traverse magazine.

"She doesn't look at barriers. She can think big."

Jeff Smith hopes his daughter's journey to ArtPrize inspires others to pursue their dreams, no matter the barriers.

As for Audrey, she would like to someday be part of a foundation that protects elephants. Watching videos of them interacting in their groups, she was struck by how much they have in common with human families like hers.

"Elephant moms and babies are really close together. I thought that was cool, because I'm really close to my mom. We're kind of like best friends."
China is building the country's first specially designed vessel for the manned deep-sea research submersible, Jiaolong.

The vessel, Shenhai Yihao (DeepSea No. 1), will give full play to Jiaolong's technical performance, improving the country's deep-sea fine investigation capability, said Sun Shuxian, deputy chief of the State Oceanic Administration.

Shenhai Yihao is designed to be 90.2 meters long, 17 meters wide and has a cruising range of more than 14,000 nautical miles. It will be able to navigate in unlimited global navigation area, with good performance in energy saving and noise reduction.

The vessel will have a 300-square-meter lab equipped with devices for scientific research and data analyzing. It will also have an operating system for a 6,000-meter, cable-controlled submersible.

(China's domestically built submersible Jiaolong /Xinhua Photo)

Shenhai Yihao is being constructed to work in tandem with Jiaolong for deep sea investigation. Xiangyanghong 09, Jiaolong's current mother vessel, went into service in December 1978 and is set to retire.

Xiangyanghong 09's freeboard is 4.3 meters high when fully loaded. It is difficult to raise Jiaolong as it might roll severely during severe ocean conditions, and that can seriously impede the efficiency of a scientific expedition. In addition, Xiangyanghong 09 is noisy and doesn't have a dynamic positioning system and submersible depot.

Shenhai Yihao is designed especially for Jiaolong. It is positioned as a comprehensive scientific expedition vessel and is going to be put into service for deep diving. It may largely enhance Jiaolong's working efficiency.

(Inaugurating the construction of Jiaolong's supporting mothership in a shipbuilding factory /Xinhua Photo)

The vessel is expected to be in service in March 2019, and will conduct a global investigation trip with Jiaolong.

During its latest expedition that ended in June, Jiaolong descended to nearly 6,700 meters in the Yap Trench in the western Pacific, close to its record depth of 7,062 meters set in 2012.

China also plans to upgrade its submersible Jiaolong before 2019, scientists said.
Dr. Tonya Matthews, executive director of the Michigan Science Center, with The Friends of 1001 Inventions Michigan

Kids in awe at a display in "1001 Inventions"

As the president and CEO of the Michigan Science Center, Dr. Tonya Matthews is used to delayed gratification. The process of researching, identifying, evaluating, and negotiating to bring traveling exhibits to the Michigan Science Center can take years, sometimes longer.So in 2014, when Matthews first talked with Ahmed Salim, co-founder and director of " 1001 Inventions: Untold Stories From A Golden Age Of Innovation ," they both knew that securing the exhibit's Detroit debut would require perseverance."When you contact some venues, you could hear, 'Well, maybe in 2025, we might be able to host then,'" Salim says. "It is quite difficult to align all the stars to make something happen."But getting "1001 Inventions"to Detroit was important to a small group of dedicated people, including Matthews and those in The Friends of 1001InventionsMichigan, a community organization dedicated to bringing the exhibition to the state.Dr. Dima El-Gamal of The Friends of 1001 InventionsMichigan has been working since 2015 to help the Michigan Science Center book the exhibition. And on Saturday, Oct. 7, she and Matthews will finally see their hard work pay off, when "1001 Inventions" opens its doors in Midtown.Thanks to El-Gamal's group and their fundraising efforts, the entire exhibition will be free with general admission to the Michigan Science Centerwhich is rare for an exhibition of the size, scale, and production quality of "1001 Inventionsaccording to Matthews."We believe that this exhibition will showcase our diversity, improve community cohesion, encourage curiosity, and contribute to revitalizing Detroit," El-Gamal says.And the work was well worth it. "1001 Inventions"highlights an era of Muslim Civilization that coincided with the European Dark Agesa period of almost 1,000 years and with a geographical location spanning from Spain to China. During this time, women and men achieved major scientific, artistic, and cultural advancements that still have an impact on society today."'1001 Inventions' is essentially introducing a really big idea: this idea of the myth of the dark ages may have been true in some parts of the world, but not true everywhere," Salim says. "This myth of the dark ages, I experienced it myself in school many years ago. Most of the school curriculum, it states that after the fall of the Roman Empire, we have this period of almost 1,000 years of nothingness, and then we had the rise of the European Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution and the age we all enjoy. That was quite a difficult concept, because how can you have a period of human history where people just stopped doing things?"When you actually study it, the torch of enlightenment has been passed around. Many civilizations have contributed to scientific discovery."This period of Muslim Civilization, also known as a Golden Age, might not be studied extensively in schools, but more than 250 million people in 30 cities around the world have experienced "1001 Inventions." Detroit is just the fourth American city, after New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., to host the exhibition.The exhibit highlights scientists, thinkers, scholars, and philosophers from this civilization who contributed big ideas to the world, including Ibn al-HaythamBefore al-Haytham, scientific debate was purely theoreticalthat is, until his work in optics gave birth to the scientific method."He established a mathematical scientific method of developing your hypothesis, studying it, revising that, producing your proofs, making sure it can be repeated under similar conditions," Salim says. "This had a major impact on the way science was developed in the Golden Age and still today. A number of historians call him the first true scientist, because of that major distinction."Men and women like al-Haytham and their inventions and innovations are presented in the exhibition through hands-on exhibits, an introductory film starring Sir Ben Kingsley, live character performers who bring these historical figures to life, and an impressive elephant statue/clock, the centerpiece artwork of the exhibition and one of Matthews's favorite features.When all of these aspects of the exhibit come togetherhistory, technology, interactive experiences, live performance art, multimedia shows, and cultural archeologythe result is an experience that educates, entertains, and inspires."Many teachers have told us the materials have really helped enrich the teaching of science in schools, especially with underrepresented groups," Salim says. "When you have groups that have ethnic backgrounds, whether they are Asian, Middle Eastern, Africanwhen they find they can relate to people from their own history, who have names like them and spoke languages like their ancestors, who also contributed to scientific discovery, it really helps demonstrate that science is global."For Matthews, it's crucial to provide affordable access to this award-winning and groundbreaking exhibit. The innovative spirit of this era of Muslim Civilization has direct parallels to the resurgence Detroit is currently experiencing."Throughout Detroit's history, innovation has been the engine at the core of our identity," Matthews says."This exhibition showcases how it takes many different minds to create innovation. When you think about the conversations that are happening around Detroit: the car industry is about to revolutionize itself, the information-technology industry is about to revolutionize, and we have folks that are trying to bring people here from all over the country. It takes all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds, from all parts of the world to collaborate and create, and bring different perspectives, ideas, and challenges to the table.""1001 Inventions: Untold Stories From A Golden Age Of Innovation" opens Oct. 7 at the Michigan Science Center.This article is part of a series on the state of STEM education and workforce development in Detroit. It is underwritten by the Michigan Science Center . Read more articles in the series here
Sudip Bandhopadhyay, Market Expert told CNBC-TV18, "We have been positive on Tata Motors for quite some time. We strongly believe that it is an undervalued stock compared to its peers. Domestic business has not been doing anything great and obviously one would not buy Tata Motors based on domestic business. 90 percent plus profits of the company comes through JLR business and that business has been rocking, that is a very good business, quarter-on-quarter they are coming up with good numbers, month-on-month the sales numbers are good, the China joint venture (JV) production has started and that should further improve the margins, the new models which they have launched are gaining traction."

"So, I think on the back of JLR and the strength of the JLR business which we envisage for the next couple of years, we definitely recommend a buy on Tata Motors. We have been recommending a buy for the last two months, even now at current level we are definitely a buyer."

"We believe there is still about 20-25 percent upside from current level. Domestic commercial vehicle business is showing signs of turnaround and that turnaround should do well for the company. For passenger vehicle, they are trying to get their act together, there has been VRS in the plants, they are trying to shut down some of the plants because capacity utilisation is around 30 percent," he said.

"So if all these steps are taken, I think even domestic business will start showing signs of improvement. Overall, I think it is a great company with the JLR business as icing on the cherry."
Mahindra and Mahindra is all set to acquire one of Turkey's top five tractor makers. The acquisition, according to sources is in its final stages and an announcement is imminent, maybe as early as a day or two, reports CNBC-TV18's Ronojoy Banerjee.

This is going to M&M's second acquisition in Turkey this year and one of the largest ones the company has made in the recent past. Sources say, the move is part of M&M's efforts to de-risk its business model, which is very cyclical and also help expand to other geographies. In fact the company has set itself a target of generating 50 percent of its revenues from global operations and Turkey fits into that roadmap.

Today, Turkey is Europe's largest tractor market with annual sales of close to 50,000 units per annum. The company may also look at using Turkey as a base to target other markets, say sources.

When contacted M&M Managing Director Pawan Goenka declined to comment on the story.
The logo of messaging app Snapchat is seen at a booth at TechFair LA, a technology job fair, in Los Angeles

Qatar-based media network Al Jazeera has lashed out at Snap, the tech company behind Snapchat, for removing its news outlet from Snapchat's Discover Publisher Channels in Saudi Arabia, reported Financial Times.

Al Jazeera Media Network's acting Director-General Mostefa Souag denounced the move of the social media platform Snapchat following a request from Saudi Arabias Communications and Information Technology Commission, to conform to the local laws.

It is deplorable that a renowned global social media platform like Snap Inc [would] start censoring media content in order to submit to pressures from Saudi authorities, Souag said.

Souag added it is a clear attack on the rights of journalists and media professionals to report and cover stories freely from around the world.

"We find Snapchat's action to be alarming and worrying. This sends a message that regimes and countries can silence any voice or platform they don't agree with by exerting pressure on the owners of social media platforms and content distribution companies," Souag added.

However, Snapchat justified its move by saying the company complies with local laws. "We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate," a Snapchat spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday.

Snapchat has a strong presence in the Middle East where, alongside Instagram, it has grown rapidly in the past couple of years. However, the company seems to be trapped between the ongoing dispute between a Saudi-led quartet of Arab states and Qatar.
Air India Express

Bankers will meet government officials including the Aviation Minister and the ministerial group on Wednesday to decide the fate of further loans to the financially-troubled national air carrier Air India.

According to banking sources who spoke with Moneycontrol, Air India has asked for some extra funding. "We will attend the meeting to find out the modalities of further capital requirement. We have to see if we can lend further because it is an NPA (non-performing asset) already. The government is also planning to sell its stake so we have to discuss, and then decide if we will be ready to provide more funding," add the above-mentioned sources.

Last week, a tender document (as per PTI reports) suggested that the government-owned airline is looking for government guarantee-backed rupee (Indian rupee) short-term loans totaling up to Rs 3,250 crore in the first phase to meet its urgent working capital requirements by September 25, 2017.

The tenure of the loan would be one year and the amount is proposed to be drawn in two or three tranches.

Banks were asked to submit their financial bids by September 19, indicating the amount of government-guaranteed short-term loans they are willing to offer.

At present, Air India has a total debt of over Rs 50,000 crore which comprises Rs 22,000 crore as aircraft loan and the rest as working capital loan and other liabilities. Most banks have declared it as an NPA.

Previously, Air India has made unsuccessful attempts in the past to clear its debt, including asking banks to convert a part of loans into equity share and asking Reserve Bank of India to provide concessions for debt restructuring.

According to bankers, given that it is an NPA, they have to look at what is on the table for them. Given that the government is looking at the disinvestment programme, there can be some benefits that can accrue from it to help banks.

The government has already decided to sell its stake in the airline as the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave its in-principle nod to the strategic disinvestment plan in June this year. Subsequently, an Air India-specific alternative mechanism was set up to guide the process.

After the government announced privatisation of Air India, InterGlobe Aviation was one of the firms which showed interest in acquiring Air India in June. The government wants the process to offload all or parts of the airline by early 2018.

On August 24, Rajiv Bansal was appointed as the interim Chairman and Managing Director of Air India.

A ministerial group is now looking into treatment of Air Indias unsustainable debt by considering hiving off of certain assets to a shell company, demerger and strategic disinvestment of three profit-making subsidiaries, among other things. Last month, the ministerial panel decided to appoint transaction advisors for Air India disinvestment.

The government is also looking to sell some of Air Indias real estate directly to expedite the state-owned carriers divestment. This follows the discovery that some of the assets are not owned by the carrier but on a 99-year lease from the government.

Separately, the government may also go for strategic disinvestment of Air Indias three profit-making subsidiaries: its MRO unit Air India Engineering Services, ground-handling arm Air India Transport Services and Air India Charters.

Its other subsidiaries include: Airline Allied Services, which operates Alliance Air and Hotel Corporation of India (which owns Centaur Hotels) along with a joint venture AISATS.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Cadila Healthcare, part of Zydus Cadila on Tuesday, said it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Russia-based Pharm-Aid for the technology know-how for Chickenpox vaccine production.

Through this agreement, Zydus gains access to the public and private market segments in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, Cadila Healthcare said in a statement.

Chickenpox vaccine also called Varicella is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which leads to a highly contiguous childhood disease.

The vaccine is made from a live but weakened, or attenuated, virus.

"With an absence of assured supply of indigenously manufactured varicella vaccine, this vaccine does not feature currently in the National Immunization Programme of Russia," Cadila Healthcare said.

"The agreement aims to bring in a continuously supply of vaccines which could be included in the critical childhood immunization programme," the company added.

Cadila estimates 3 million doses per annum varicella vaccine in the Russian Federation alone. The exclusive agreement was signed at the BIOTECHMED conference in Gelendzhik, Russia.

Pharm-Aid has been set up by state-owned Russian Immunobiological Company or (Nacimbio) together with UAE-based Ishvan Pharmaceuticals for the localisation of innovative vaccine production in Russia. Ishvan holds around 51 percent of the Pharm-Aid, while the rest is held by Nacimbio.

"We welcome this opportunity to participate in and partner biotech opportunities in the Russian Federation market. In Pharm-Aid and Nacimbio, we have found a reliable partner, representing one of the largest state corporations, said Dr Sharvil Patel, Managing Director of Zydus Cadila.

"Our partners are the leaders of the global biotech industry that supply their products to many countries," said Kirill Ganin, Director General of Pharm Aid.

"With the co-operation that will bring together partners' experience, our local manufacturing, distribution and managerial capabilities, we will be able to reduce the prime cost of the purchased vaccines and offer the market entirely new better medical products," Ganin said.
Here's some useful news. Google deletes all backups stored in an Android device if the device remains inactive for sixty days continuously. Google's automatic deletion policy has been around for a while but it is known only to a very few of its users.

Any information stored on Google drive gets automatically deleted if the Android device is kept inactive for two months continuously. The user is sent an alert once when the Android device is kept unused after a period of fourteen days.

If the user fails to use the device even after the warning all backups get deleted. Once deleted there will be no option to retrieve back the information. All stored data, documents, settings, apps among other things will be lost forever.

While many other storage companies also follow a similar policy, it is only Google that does not provide prior information about the deletion policy to the users.

So for the users, the only solution to prevent such a mishap is to log on periodically to the device or to make prior backups for relevant information.
The price of Jeep Compass is set to increase following the hike in the government cess. The hike in cess will also lead to a rise in the price for various other models from the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).

The price of the Compass SUV, which was launched in July has been increased between Rs 21000 and Rs 72000, as per a report in The Financial Express. The cost of the petrol variant of the model will now come in the range of Rs 15.16 lakh to Rs 19.67 lakh, while the diesel variant will now cost between Rs 15.99 lakh to Rs 21.37 lakh in New Delhi.

It is not clear how the hike will affect the prospects of the model in the country. FCA has invested around $280 million for Jeep Compass on its plant at Ranjangaon, Pune.

The company has plans to export the SUV from the plant to other right-hand drive markets as well. Further, with over 80 percent of the parts sourced from India, it was expected that the supplier base will aid in the production of future models.

However, it will not just be the Compass, which will see a price hike. The price of Grand Cherokee and Wrangler have also increased between Rs 2.75 lakh to Rs 6.40 lakh. Similarly, Fiat India also increased the prices of its models Linea and Avventura by Rs 9,000 to Rs 14,000.
The formal sector employers will be required to intimate about the details of their new employees online to retirement fund body EPFO from October 1, 2017, an EPFO official said on Monday.

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has decided to do away with filing of Form-9, a declaration by a person (employee) taking up employment in an establishment in which Employees' Pension Scheme is in force, a senior official said.

This Form-9 is filed by the formal sector employers manually at present to intimate about their new employees.

The body has taken this step in the wake of rapid computerisation in EPFO as an initiative towards Electronic Paper Free Organisation.

The official said that since employee master (roll) is available in the system containing all relevant details of the employee like name, gender, DOB, DOJ, father's/spouse's name as well as Aadhar & bank details fetched through electronic challan (PF return), submission of Form-9 in physical form by the employer can be discontinued.

He opined that this would boost e-governance for fully electronic settlement of claims and also facilitate the employers in ease of doing business by reducing their paper work.

The body has planned to provide all service online and go paperless by August next year.
electronic_image_slide_300_92912871

In a bid to strengthen domestic production of electronic goods and bolster security norms, the government will be drafting a new national electronics manufacturing policy.

A consultation with stakeholders will take place in the last week of September.

In recent months, the IT ministry has been taking steps to curb the flow of sub-standard electronic goods in India and to block data breaches that have become more widespread in the past year.

In August, the IT Ministry wrote to nine smartphone companies including Motorola, Honor, Asus, OnePlus, InFocus asking them to update outline security procedures.

In August, Ministry of Electronics and IT (MEITY) added 13 electronic items to the list of products under the scanner over standards, which now includes smartwatches and CCTV cameras.

Other products such as optical fingerprint scanners, USB driven barcode readers, LED/LCD TVs will also be brought under the Compulsory Registration Order (CRO), Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2012.

This order states that the goods in the list will have to meet the security standards set by the government which also means that the companies wont be allowed to sell or import any sub-standard product in the country.

These provisions will be applicable from February 2018.

Earlier this year, the government said its focus will be on reducing dependence on import of electronic goods.

A MEITY senior official was quoted as saying that work on the new draft has already started. Moreover, the government also plans on providing skill development and funds for research.

However, some experts are skeptical about the government's measures.

Companies are still struggling with delays in the CRO approval process resulting from bottlenecks at test labs. The addition of visual display units and video monitors with a screen size up to 32 inches alone would include over 200 separate models with multiple SKUs (stock keeping units)," Joshua Rosenberg, director, global policy, Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), an advocacy and policy organization was quoted as saying.

"With Indias labs lacking the capacity to perform testing of this magnitude in a timely manner, there will be further delays in getting these essential products approved and into the hands of consumers, he added.
GST

live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

It seems one of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs predictions is likely to come true again. Singh had earlier said that GDP growth would be impacted by 2 percentage points on account of demonetisation. Though most of the drop in GDP was on account of Goods and Service Tax (GST), Singh was partly right as GDP did fall by 2 percent. Singh had also said that hasty implementation of GST would have an adverse impact on growth.

The way things stand, the GDP number for the September quarter will be affected as badly as the June 2017 quarter, if not worse.

GST implementation is getting affected on account of procedural issues, technical glitches, delayed payments and an almost complete gridlock of systems, especially for the smaller businessmen.

Among the most severely affected entities are exporters who are working in complete uncertainty. It is reported that over Rs 1.8 lakh crore of working capital of exporters is locked up in refunds at the tax departments end since the implementation of GST. Current account deficit (CAD) is already at a five-year high due to poor export growth.

Other entities may have more money stuck at various stages in the process. The government is in a bind over GST transition credit and is using its tax officials to find out why the claims are above its expectations.

Taking cognizance of the events Prime Minister Narendra Modi is meeting with the Finance Minister and other top officials of the Finance Ministry.

Reports on the action plan that the government is considering differ in various sections of the media. One report says that government is considering cutting its expenditure in line with the fall in revenue on account of lower tax collections. Others have reported that government is considering remedial measures to revive the economy.

Government spending is one of the main reasons why the economy has managed to keep its head above water. The last thing that the economy, markets and more importantly the government as a political entity needs is an expenditure cut. Not only will this lead to a further slowdown but also increase unemployment and aggravate the situation.

Despite various stakeholders saying that the country does not have the infrastructure in place for a GST roll-out, the Prime Minister and Finance Minister went ahead with the implementation. The government needs to come out of the situation as soon as possible to save itself from further embarrassment.

Apart from the political fallout is the risk of people losing their jobs if companies are unable to function on account of lack of clarity on GST. A reluctant banking system will freeze funding the trade during such times.

Unfortunately, the government has few options in its hand to kick-start the economy at a time when there are operational difficulties on the ground. All steps will be meaningless unless the GST system is running smoothly. Even if the government decides to increase investments in, say, infrastructure, suppliers would not be able to meet the demand unless there is clarity on the tax front.

A five-member Group of Ministers (GoM) committee has been formed to look into the technical issues. A meeting of all stakeholders and the vendor of GST software  Infosys -- has already taken place. The key outcome of the meeting was that 80 percent of the problem is expected to be resolved by October 30, 2017.

A game changer act like the GST was expected to see teething problems during the implementation. But some of the issues encountered by the stakeholders are so basic that one is tempted to think that the roll-out was not thought through properly.

Ironically, after the GST system is rectified, by the governments own account, the increased tax base would result in higher revenue inflow which would not need any kick-starting. That being the case the government needs to focus its attention on the smooth running of GST rather than pressuring the system with new policy measures. If the government needs to show that it is working to boost the economy, it can work on the creaking banking system to keep itself busy.
The Nifty50 rose slightly to a fresh record high of 10,178 on Tuesday but then quickly pared gains as traders preferred to book profits ahead of US Federal Reserve policy outcome on Wednesday.

The Nifty50 witnessed a breakout on Monday as it surpassed its previous record high of 10,137 but the S&P BSE Sensex was still 260 points away from its record high of 32,686.48.

The breakout will be more effective if both indices i.e. S&P BSE Sensex and Nifty50 hit record high simultaneously. Most analysts on D-Street are hoping for the rally which could stretch by 4-5 percent for the rest of 2017.

However, failure of Sensex to surpass its previous record high in the immediate short term could result in a correction as well, suggest experts.

While Nifty has breached its previous high, Sensex is nearly 0.65 percent away from its previous high. A breakout on the Sensex will add to the strength of the broader markets until then this move can be questioned, Paragnesh Jain, AVP Technical Research - Institutional Equities, Systematix shares told Moneycontrol.

However, a failure to Sensex to surpass its previous high can lead to a correction, he said.

The only negative factor which could dash hopes of retail investors are the FOMC meet in the US and any adverse news flow with respect to geopolitical tensions between North Korea and the US could result in a knee-jerk reaction.

But, most analysts on D-Street remain optimistic on the strength of the rally which was led by strong flows from domestic institutional investors (DIIs) at a time when foreign investors were dumping equities. FPIs remain net sellers in August and so far in September.

The Nifty50 witnessed a phenomenal rally of over 24 percent on a YTD basis in 2017. It crossed all-time high after a lag of 30 trading sessions mainly aided by favorable macro scenario, continued the flow of easy money, healthy inflows into MFs through SIPs and policy reforms with improving the visibility of governments stability beyond 2019, suggest experts.

On the back of waning impact of GST roll-out and low base effect, we expect the corporate earnings to improve in 2HCY17. We remain positive and expect the market to witness another4-5 percent rally by Dec17, Rakesh Tarway, Head - Research, Reliance Securities told Moneycontrol.

A Large part of the rally which we witnessed in 2017 was driven by domestic institutional investors which pumped in close to Rs 20,000 crore in the previous month which was also all time highs.

Amid strong liquidity and weak fundamentals, investors are advised to stay cautious. The rally could stretch towards 34000 on the Sensex and around 10,700 on the Nifty in 2017, but stock picking will be crucial.

The domestic flows into equities remain strong, more than offsetting the weak trend in FII flows since August 2017. Furthermore, the global sentiments have reverted to buoyancy as geopolitical tensions news flows seemed to have ebbed as of now, Pankaj Pandey, Head of Research, ICICI Securities told Moneycontrol.

Going forward, with positive undercurrent in the economy driven by ongoing reforms (including GST), stable commodity prices and normal monsoon, we have a positive outlook on the domestic equity markets and expect Sensex earnings to stage strong double-digit recovery (15.7 percent CAGR) over FY17-19E, he said.

Pandey said that ICICI Securities CY17/FY18 end Sensex target is at 34,500, valuing the index at 18.4x P/E on FY19E EPS of Rs. 1878. Corresponding levels for Nifty will be 10,750.
As the market surges to fresh milestones  Nifty achieved yet another record high on Tuesday  Avendus Capital Alternate Strategies said that surging liquidity has been the reason for this rally.

It (liquidity) will continue to push markets higher than we thought, while we can just sit around and look at negatives, Andrew Holland, CEO, Avendus Capital Alternate Strategies told CNBC-TV18 in an interview. He also highlighted how the Street chose to look over disappointing macroeconomic data and whatever has to be swept under the carpet, has been done.

Holland also highlighted the extra gush of liquidity in several IPOs. Bankers are probably underpricing them. The situation actually reminded him about the scenario in 2007, where companies were getting a huge premium for no reason. Insurance IPOs are priced high and it will be difficult for the market to absorb them, he told the channel.

In this market, Hollands strategy is to continue with FMCG stocks and selectively buying auto stocks, along with a few PSU banks here and there.

Among financials, Holland continues to be bullish on private banks along with a few names in the housing finance space.

On pharmaceuticals space, he said that it was too early to start adding the sector to your portfolio. It is not a buy at current valuations as more pain is still left.
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,...
September 19, 2017 / 10:47 PM IST

22:40 SpiceJet plane overshoots runway; all passengers safe

A SpiceJet flight overshot the runway upon landing at Mumbai airport and got stuck in mud. Emergency exit chutes were deployed for passenger evacuation. No fire or smoke was reported. All 183 passengers are safe, media reports suggest.
Today is the last date for Amrapali homebuyers to file their claim forms. In the first week of September, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) ordered initiation of insolvency proceedings against Amrapali's Silicon City on a plea by Bank of Baroda and appointed Rajesh Samson of Deloitte as the Insolvency Resolution Professional to take control of the company.

Homebuyers associations have held camps in the society over the weekend to help buyers fill the forms. Lawyers have been roped in to help them in the exercise. We held a camp within the premises of Silicon City on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In Phase 2, as many as 500 people have already filed the forms, says Surendra Jain, vice president Amrapali Silicon City Flat Owners Welfare Society.

Lawyer Shwetabh Sinha from Classic Law, who advised buyers with the forms, said that while a majority of them have filed the forms online, there are some who have done it manually and his firm would be delivering them to his office on their behalf today. The firm has charged Rs 900 as fees per person. There are some buyers residing abroad who are yet to file the forms, he says.

He said that while today is the last date for filling the forms, buyers can even send the forms after the deadline is over. But the IRP has said that for those who file it after the deadline, there is no assurance that their forms will be considered.

The public announcement dated September 7, 2017, had asked buyers to submit their claims along with supporting claim documents and evidence to prove the claim in accordance with the public announcement, the Code and the regulations framed, to the IRP.

Some FAQs posted on the Amrapali website said that while the last date for submission of proofs of claim is September 19, 2017, as is stated in the public announcement published on September 7, 2017. Any creditor who fails to submit the proof of claim within the time stipulated in the public announcement may submit such proof to the IRP till the approval of a resolution plan by the CoC.

Also, claimants can file their proof of claims by way of the relevant forms

http://www.amrapali.in/pdfs/crip/FormF-OtherthanFinancialCreditorsandOperationalCreditors.pdf

as per the Code and the public announcement published on September 7, 2017, and they may be sent electronically to the email id inascplip@deloitte.com or sent by post or in person, depending on the nature of their claim.

The supporting documents for proof that homebuyers are required to attach with the claim form include documents such as allotment letter, receipts, Sale Deed, Agreement of Sale, bank statements, etc. or other relevant documents in support of claim (as per the Code).

Silicon City is constructing its project in Noida Sector 74-75. The project is divided into three phases. Under the first phase, out of 2000 units, the company is yet to deliver 500 units. As part of the second phase, the company has not delivered 950 apartments and work is almost 60 percent complete. The third phase is barely 30 to 40 percent complete. Out of a total of 4,400 flat buyers, only about 1,500 flats have been delivered which means that around 3,000 homebuyers have so far been impacted by the order.

Some 57 members of phase 2 have also filed cases against the company in National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). While one hearing is complete the other is expected to come up on November 24, according to sources.

Under the insolvency law, the insolvency resolution professional (IRP) takes over the day-to-day management of the company and tries to arrive at a solution within six months. In this case, Deloittes Rajesh Samson has been appointed as the IRP. Bank of Baroda had initiated the insolvency process for an outstanding amount of Rs 56 crore. The company has delayed delivery of the Silicon City project located in Noida and has been unable to clear dues it owes Noida Authority (around Rs 550 crore). It is facing a default of Rs 155 crore against banks.

On August 31, a three-member panel of UP ministers had come up with a plan that homebuyers need not pay remaining flat cost until the housing project is ready for possession. But now IRP has the control of the project. The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), has also proposed to take over has offered its support to be part of the resolution process involving unfinished projects by Amrapali Group in which over 45,000 homebuyers have invested their hard-earned savings.

The group's other two companies, Ultra Home Construction and Amrapali Infrastructure, both in Greater Noida, are also facing the prospect of insolvency. And if that happens, more than 50,000 home buyers will be impacted by the move, sources say.

Some 3,000 Amrapali home buyers are planning to move Supreme Court. We are in touch with lawyers and will soon be filing a petition in the Supreme Court," said Jain, adding "The first is to do with consumer rights violations. We should be allowed to approach consumer courts with our grievances, second, we should be treated under the same category as secured creditors and third the builder should be registered under RERA.

Amrapali buyers are also planning to file a petition with the NCLT to declare homebuyers as secured creditors, he said.

Our contention is that since we are not stakeholders in the insolvency process, we will be nowhere in the event of the company going into liquidation, Jain said, adding in case there is an order instructing the government to make an amendment in the code stating that buyers should be made secured creditors and will get equal voting rights, we are ready to repose faith in the IRP.

Phone calls made to the company went unanswered.

Some important addresses and website links

IRP: Rajesh Samson

Address: Deloitte Touche Tohmastu India LLP 7th Floor, Building 10 Tower B, DLF Cyber City Complex, DLF City Phase II, Gurgaon 122002, Haryana, India

Email: r_samson@hotmail.com

Websites: http://www.amrapali.in/pdfs/crip/FormF-OtherthanFinancialCreditorsandOperationalCreditors.pdf

http://www.amrapali.in/pdfs/crip/FAQs_Amrapali_Updated_14-09-2017.pdf

vandana.ramnani@nw18.com
As a Sebi panel on corporate governance mulls benefits of splitting posts of chairman and managing director at listed firms, the public sector units may be the first where such a move could be implemented.

While a final decision would be taken by capital market regulator Sebi with regard to listed companies, the public sector banks already have separate persons for the positions of chairman and MDs as per the decision taken by the government and the RBI.

Sebi rules require that the listed companies may voluntarily separate the two posts to avoid any conflict of interest, but the regulator has so far refrained from making it mandatory.

However, a Sebi panel on corporate governance is now discussing a proposal to suggest to the regulator that the two posts at listed companies should be separated for better business practices, a member said.

As the board, headed by chairman, is required to play a supervisory role about the decisions taken by the managing director or CEO-led management, it would give a strong signal about robust corporate governance practices at listed firms in India if the two posts are held by separate individuals, the Sebi panel member added.

A number of advanced economies have similar rules while the split in the two posts at banks has worked out well in India also, he added.

The panel is also looking into a comparative study of the corporate governance practices at various Indian listed firms that have voluntarily split the two posts, as against those where the two posts are held by the same person who also happens to be from the promoter family in majority of the cases.

The panel is expected to submit its report to Sebi next month after which the regulator will take a final call and initiate a public consultation process, if required.

"Managing directors work under the supervision of the board of directors whereas chairman is the head of the board, therefore common position of chairman and MD always leads to potential conflict of interest," said Pavan Kumar Vijay, founder, Corporate Professionals.

"Splitting of position of chairman and MD is a welcome step towards better corporate governance as it will make easier for the board members to review the performance of the MD and fix accountabilities for his functioning," Vijay said.

"Non-executive chairman will have lesser conflict and unbiased approach towards the functioning of the executives, including the managing director," he added.

"This step is forward looking and already PSU banks have implemented it. This will enable better governance and will augment independence," said S Ravi, chartered accountant, who has been on several PSU boards.

Sebi had set up the 21-member panel in June this year to advise it on issues relating to corporate governance. It includes representatives from companies, stock exchanges, professional bodies, investor groups, law firms, academicians, research professionals and Sebi officials.
Festive season is here and e-commerce biggies like Amazon, Flipkart and the recent entrant Paytm have all initiated their festive season sales that commence from September 20 onwards.

This year's sales are expected to be better and bigger with heavy discounts across platforms. The e-tailers have been prepping for the sale adding extra warehousing capacity as well as smoother payment options for the customers.

While Paytm and Flipkart have already initiated the sales, e-commerce giant Amazon India has thrown open the gates exclusively for Prime customers today, and officially the sale will begin for everyone from Sepetmber 21.

The companies have tied up with brands and sellers to enhance buyer's shopping experience.

The e-commerce sites are expected to sell over USD 1.7 billion or nearly Rs 10,880 crore worth of products during the sale, according to RedSeer Consulting.

This year is likely to be the biggest ever as companies look to tap new customers with attractive offers and discounts.

Here's what the e-commerce giants are gearing up for:

Flipkart

Flipkart's 'Big Billion Days' sale will be on from September 20 to 24. The sale will offer up to 90 percent off on products across categories.

The Bengaluru-based e-tailer will offer personalised services to customers targeting them with specific products and solutions.

The company will offer 'buy now and pay later' option for its loyal customers and also offer installments for debit card transactions. Flipkart has tied up with four big banks for the same.

In fashion, Flipkart is continuing with its direct 90 percent off stashed across 1 lakh sarees in this festive season.

Also Read: Flipkart Big Billion Days sale: Twitter users spot inflated prices of products

Men's fashion also has good offers stashed up as well, with 50-60 percent off being laid across several products that include clothing and footwear from Wrangler, Puma and United Colors of Benetton.

On white goods, Flipkart is doling out exchange offers on big TV screens from Samsung, Sony and LG and no-cost EMIs on a range of refrigerators and washing machines.

The consumers can also exchange old TVs for new ones, and may also win gift vouchers upto Rs 50,000.

From September 21, mobile, tablets and other electronic products will be available during the sale that will go on till September 24.

Notable offers in smartphones include Samsung Galaxy s7 for Rs 29,990 In place of Rs 46,000 and the Huawei P9 being made available for Rs 14,999.

There is also a Redmi 4A flash sale from midnight for Rs 6,999 while Mi A1 will also simultaneously go up for Rs 14,999.

SBI debit and credit card holders get an additional 10 percent discount on all deals.

The company expects 60 percent growth in sales to almost USD 1.7 billion this festive season.

Amazon India

Amazon will hold its Great Indian Festival sale from September 21-24. However, Amazon Prime customers will get preference over other customers and the sale will be thrown open to them 12 hours earlier i.e. 12 noon on September 20.

The sale will include huge discounts on a range of products like smartphones, laptops, air conditioners, fashion, accessories and more.

Some of the top offers include OnePlus 3T for less than Rs 25000, nearly 30 percent off on Micromax Canvas Infinity and over 30 percent off on Sony Xperia phones.

The platform is also offering Mi Max 2 (32 GB) at an introductory price of Rs 12,999 exclusively for its Prime members. Additionally, there would be a flash sale for Redmi 4 and Redmi 4A at 6 pm on September 20, respectively.

Amazon is offering up to 60 percent discount on white goods. This includes minimum 20 percent and 25 percent off on refrigerators and washing machines, respectively and up to 40 percent on televisions.

Other offers include Jio 4G portable data and voice device at under Rs 1000 - down from Rs 2329, nearly 20 percent off on the recently launched HP Sprocket Z3Z92A Photo Printer, up to 40 percent off on wearable devices, and power banks and storage devices for half its MRP.

For Kindle users, Amazon is offering a cashback of Rs 400 on joining its Kindle Unlimited plan for a 12 month period. The sale will also see daily deals on e-books with up to 90% off on handpicked ones every day.

Amazon's own brand AmazonBasics will also be available for up to 60 percent discount.

Ahead of its big sale, Amazon opened its fifth warehouse in India in Telangana. This warehouse will add about 2.1 million cubic feet of storage space for the e-tailer.

Amazon India has almost doubled its warehouse capacity at 13 million cubic feet after taking the number of warehouses to 41, across the country. The company expects the 41 fulfillment centres to help in quicker storage and distribution during the Diwali sale.

Also Read: Amazon bets big on fashion, sets up 'imaging studio' in India

Paytm

Paytm, the latest entrant in the e-tailing space, will hold its sale 'Mera Cashback Sale' from September 20-23.

What's different? The e-tailer will be offering 100 percent cashback on select products during the sale. .

The 100 percent cashbacks will be offered to 25 phone buyers every days while 200 customers will get 100 gm of Paytm Gold every day.

"During this four-day mega sale, any customer buying smartphones from Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Vivo or Oppo will be eligible to enter a lucky draw. 25 lucky winners from this draw will get 100 percent cashback every day over and above the cashback offers they have availed at the time of buying. All they have to do is buy a smartphone within any price range and they could literally get it for free!" says Paytm.

Apart from this, customers will get to avail a number of other cashback offers as well. The company says that it is offering a total of Rs. 501 crores worth of cashback during the sale.

Cashbacks will be on mix of products including Paytm Gold. The company has collaborated with partner brands and merchants for the sale.

The e-tailer has set aside nearly Rs 1,000 crore for marketing, cashback and promotions during the sale. The orders will be services as near-by authorized stores in the shortest time possible.
Bull's Eye, CNBC-TV18's popular game show, where market experts come together to dish out trading strategies for you to make your week more exciting and compete with each other to see whose portfolio is the strongest.

Remember these are midcap ideas not just for the day, but stocks that look attractive in the medium-term as well.

This week, Pankaj Jain, Ashish Kyal and Jay Thakkar battle it out for top honours.

Below their top stock picks and analysis:

Pankaj Jain of SW Capital

Buy Kiri Industries with a stoploss at Rs 429 and target of Rs 455

Buy Tainwala Chemicals with a stoploss at Rs 121.5 and target of Rs 132

Buy Bajaj Electricals with a stoploss at Rs 396 and target of Rs 433

Buy Phillips Carbon Black with a stoploss at Rs 828 and target of Rs 887

Ashish Kyal of Waves Strategy Advisors

Buy L&T Finance Holdings with a stoploss at Rs 203.90 and target of Rs 220

Buy Power Finance Corporation with a stoploss at Rs 128 and target of Rs 138

Buy Biocon with a stoploss at Rs 347 and target of Rs 375

Sell Repco Home Finance with a stoploss at Rs 668 and target of Rs 615

Jay Thakkar of Anand Rathi Securities

Buy Torrent Pharmaceuticals with a stoploss at Rs 1218 and target of Rs 1289

Buy Max Financial with a stoploss at Rs 611.50 and target of Rs 657

Buy Sun TV Network with a stoploss at Rs 832 and target of Rs 879

Buy Mahanagar Gas with a stoploss at Rs 1094.50 and target of Rs 1157
Toys "R" Us, one of the most famous toy brands known worldwide, has voluntarily filed for bankruptcy because of the growing online competition, reports Bloomberg.

The company has USD 5 billion debt and is now in the process of restructuring its balance sheet. "We are confident that these are the right steps to ensure that the iconic ToysRUs and BabiesRUs brands live on for many generations, the company's CEO Dave Brandon in the press release.

The company has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy norms which target the operating brick and mortar stores.

According to the report, retailers have closed their stores due to the threat of e-retailers. The report suggests that chapter 11 filing is being done to shut down underperforming stores and expand in the online market.

Even though the all-time favorite toy brand and Monopoly board game maker seems to be in a soup, the company's press release clearly stated that the overseas operations will continue as usual.

"The companys operations outside of the US and Canada, including its approximately 255 licensed stores and joint venture partnership in Asia, which are separate entities, are not part of the Chapter 11 filing and CCAA proceedings," it said.

Toys "R" Us, which was supposed to enter India this month, is yet to open its stores. According to a Times of India report, their first store will be opened in Phoenix Marketcity in Whitefield, Bengaluru.

A Phoenix Marketcity official requesting anonymity told Moneycontrol that the store is set to open on October 7. He said that the store will be inaugurated by the Toys "R" Us core team and confirmed that they have already shared the launch plan with Phoenix.

Toys"R" Us is being brought into India by Lulu Group's retail initiative Tablez. Babies "R" Us, the brand which deals with toys and products exclusively for babies, is also planning to enter India soon.
Children practice yoga at a park in Mumbai March 27, 2012. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui (INDIA - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR2ZYKJ

The Assam government has become the 12th state to bring into effect a two-child policy for state government employees after passing its State Population Policy recently, reported Times of India.

Under this policy, anyone who has more than two children cannot be elected or nominated to Panchayat and other local bodies' elections or government jobs.

According to the report, Assam health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the service rules for state government employees will soon be changed to give effect to the two-child policy.

The policy states that it would also propose to the Centre to set the two-child norm as a yardstick for candidates who want to contest Assembly elections.

"In case any MLA from the state flouts the family planning norms, say MLAs having more than two children, he/she may be disqualified from hisher membership and be debarred from contesting polls," read the policy.

The policy was drafted by the Health & Family Welfare Department and the state government keeping in mind the strain of the growing population on the natural resources and environment.

According to the 2011 Census, the population of Assam increased to 3.2 crores from 2.66 crore in 2001 and recorded a decadal growth of 17.07.

Although there was a decline in the decadal growth of population, the rate of increase is at an unsustainable level, the government stated.

The Population Policy draft is aligned with the country's National Population Policy that aims at reducing or stabilising India's population by 2045.

As per the latest World Population Prospects released by United Nations (revised in 2015), the estimated population of India will be 1419 million (approximately) by 2022, outpacing China as the worlds most populous nation.

Assam is not the only state that has implemented two-child policy to meet the national target. Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand have at some point implemented two-child policy for state government employees.

Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh later revoked their two-child policy laws.

Even though the goal of the policy is to provide access to quality education, healthcare and employment opportunities, the policy is criticised for its possible side-effects, similar to the ones China is facing now such as demographic changes following the implementation of one-child policy.

According to a report by Deloitte LLP, the population aged over 65 in Asia will grow from 365 million in 2017 to more than 520 million in 2027 owing largely to China and Japan. Both the economic powerhouses will see a sharp drop in its working population which will mean a lower growth for these countries.
Amidst mounting criticism from all corners against the rise in the oil prices, petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said that the prices may come down by Diwali.

Pradhan said that the price of oil which had increased due to floods in the US will likely come down by the next month.

The minister who was recently elevated to the cabinet rank with an additional charge of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said that the recent price rise was due to the fact that production of oil had dropped by 13 percent in the US because of the floods.

Hurricanes in the US affected Houston which accounts for nearly 40 percent of its refining capacity. World prices of all refining products including petrochemicals shot up on account of the imbalance.

Pradhan also rejected allegations that the main reason for the hike in fuel prices is the high margins taken out by the oil companies. The minister said that the oil companies are government run and hence everything is crystal clear.

Also Read: Why high petrol prices are not a reason for lower taxes or re-regulation

Pradhan hoped oil will be brought under the purview of Goods and Services Tax (GST). The minister added that if oil was brought under the purview of the GST, "it will extend an enormous benefit to customers."

Insight18 Explainer: How Daily Revision Of Petrol, Diesel Prices Works

Daily revision fuel pricing was introduced in June by the government to bring fuel prices in India in alignment with the international oil price movements.

The policy has met with criticism as fuel prices have risen sharply after its introduction.

(With inputs from PTI)
People walk on water-logged railway tracks during rains at a railway station in Mumbai, India, August 29, 2017. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade - RTX3DT8V

Maharashtra is all set to scrap the use of plastic bags in its bid to become an environment-friendly state. Maharashtra environment minister Ramdas Kadam has set a target to ban all plastic bags by next year.

Kadam has set the target till Gudi Padwa, the traditional Marathi new year, according to a report in Hindustan Times.

The Shiv Sena minister had got a meeting at the Mantralaya on Tuesday to discuss it other senior bureaucrats and ministers such Satish Gavai, the environment secretary and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board member secretary PN Anbalgan, according to the report.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray too had called for a blanket ban on plastic bags after Mumbai witnesses a deluge following heavy rain last month.

Plastic bags below 50 microns were banned in the city and its suburbs after the 2005 floods in Mumbai.

Kadam looks to meet with all municipal corporations across Maharashtra to discuss the ban on plastic carry bags.

Kadam said that there will be public awareness drive through various mediums, including the radio channels of Doordarshan, FM and other radio channels. He even spoke of a proposal that came for giving subsidies to womens self-help groups and getting them to supply other people with cloth bags.
ADS ADS

Roger Dubuiss CEO Jean-Marc Pontroue wants to get one thing straight from the outset: This is certainly not a question of simple branding, he told me over a relaxed lunch well ahead of todays announcement. Think instead along the lines of what has come to be known as a 360-degree partnership, where the activities of the two brands intermingle and both parties benefit. A partnership where the legitimacy of two sets of brand histories and values have to gel with a third story  namely, why those two brands fit so well together.

Mr Pontroue has enough experience in the industry and enough negotiations about potential partnerships under his belt to understand what can work and what will not. From the start he says his relationship with Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali (former team principal of Ferrari Formula 1) was excellent. For such a partnership to work, both sides need to be motivated, he says,but not just at management level. The entire team and all 140 Lamborghini dealers worldwide are behind the project 100% and its the same at Roger Dubuis.

The new deal comes at an excellent time for the development of both brands. Lamborghini is poised to launch its Urus SUV towards the end of this year, doubling at a stroke its annual production volumes. While the same will certainly not be true for Roger Dubuis, Mr Pontroue is hoping to grow the network of Roger Dubuis flagship stores worldwide from 27 to 40 in the coming years. But more important will be the paradigm shift in the watch brands entire planning process. We will still be at SIHH, of course, but it will be just one event on our annual launch calendar, which will expand to include events such as the Geneva motorshow and Pebble Beach. It will also see Roger Dubuis accompanying the Lamborghini Super Trofeo with three travelling pop-up stores. Mr Pontroue also expects an enormous communication boost from the new partnership, which will be accompanied by spectacular promotional events on key locations in the world such as Wempe on Fifth Avenue in New York, at the worlds biggest Lamborghini dealership that abuts the multi-lane Sheikh Zayed road in Dubai, as well as the facade of iconic hotels in Hong Kong.

Aventador S  Roger Dubuis

For watch fans, the new partnership means not just a new watch but a brand new calibre: the Duotor, with two balance wheels inclined at 45 degrees and a rare deadbeat seconds hand that beats in direct contrast to the oscillation of those two balance wheels. The cases of the new Aventador S models are made of forged carbon that comes directly from the Lamborghini Manufacture in Santa Agata and add a welcome touch of colour to an otherwise dark background. Much like the Lamborghini Aventador that they are named after, they are hard to come by (limited editions of 8 and 88 pieces respectively) and expensive, starting at 180,000 Swiss francs.
The Chennai bench of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) today ordered the commencement of the corporate insolvency resolution process against online homestay startup Stayzilla and asked them to pay the outstanding dues to JigSaw Advertising and Solutions.

The operational creditor (Jigsaw) has fulfilled all the requirements of law. "We are satisfied that corporate debtor (Stayzilla) committed default in making payment of outstanding debt," NCLT said in its order.

"Therefore, we order the commencement of the corporate insolvency resolution process which ordinarily shall get completed within 180 days, reckoning from the day this order is passed," it added.

Jigsaw had alleged Stayzilla had defrauded it to the tune of about Rs 1.68 crore for services it rendered since last year. NCLT also appointed an Interim Resolution Professional to take over the company assets for liquidation and pay off all the dues owed to the prosecutor--Jigsaw.

"We appoint Mr Karthigeyan Srinivasan, as IRP as proposed by the operational creditor . The IRP is directed to take charge of the corporate debtor's management immediately," NCLT said.

It also directed IRP to cause public announcement within three days from the date the copy of the order is received and call for submissions of claim in manner prescribed.

Speaking to PTI from Chennai, Jigsaw's co-proprietor Radha Shekhar's husband G C Shekhar, said his family would wait and see if the entire due would be paid by the defaulting company.

"I would cross the bridge if need be," Jigsaw o-proprietor C S Aditya said.

Shekhar said the options left with defaulting company were to either move the Delhi-based NCLT or the Supreme Court if it finds technical shortcomings in the petition filed by Jigsaw.

NCLT also prohibited Stayzilla from transferring, encumbering, alienating or disposing any of its assets, besides recovering of any property by an owner or lessor where such property is occupied by or in the possession of Stayzilla.

Yogendra Vasupal, Co-Founder of Stayzilla, was arrested on March 14 for alleged cheating and criminal intimidation. The Central Crime Branch sleuths had arrested Vasupal on a complaint from Aditya and booked him on charges of criminal breach of trust, intimidation, and cheating.
Devotees dry their sarees, a traditional cloth used for women's clothing, after taking a dip in the seawaters of a beach in Odisha, India, July 17, 2015. Devotees are gathering in India's eastern state of Odisha to attend the annual Rath Yatra, or chariot procession that commemorates a journey by Hindu god Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, in specially made chariots. REUTERS/Stringer - GF10000161784

The free distribution of over one crore sarees for women below the poverty line for the upcoming traditional 'Bathukamma' festival began across Telangana today.

The Telangana government said that about 1.04 crore women would be given sarees free of cost. The scheme cost te government Rs 222 crore.

However, the saree distribution found itself in a row with the sarees allegedly being burnt over poor quality.

Meanwhile, a videos surfaced online showing a group of women fighting near a counter distributing free sarees at Saidabad, among other places.

The video aired by some local news channels purportedly shows few women exchanging blows and pulling each other by the hair while few others are seen shoving and attacking with footwear.



Saree state of affairs: In response to tweeples asking for a longer version of the ugly quarrel that broke out, posting this. pic.twitter.com/fW92IWvVxT  T S Sudhir (@Iamtssudhir) September 18, 2017





This quarrel happened at a free saree distribution centre in Saidabad in #Hyderabad. pic.twitter.com/cC8AxC0sCP

 T S Sudhir (@Iamtssudhir) September 18, 2017

(Courtesy: Twitter)

Following the fight, women police personnel immediately intervened and separated the fighting women.

The exact reason behind the scuffle was not clear, though reports said an argument broke out between a group of women over the queue for sarees.

Police said the fighting women were separated and the saree distribution programme proceeded after the incident.

Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao told reporters here that the government targeted to distribute about 1.04 crore sarees at over 8,000 centres in the state.

About 25 lakh sarees were distributed on the first day today, he said.

Hitting out at the opposition parties, he alleged that Congress leaders were behind the incident of burning the distributed sarees at places like Chalgal in Jagitial district.

It is an utterly low-level politics to burn the sarees, he alleged.

"On the occasion of 'Bathukamma' festival, all the poor women above the age of 18 will get sarees as a gift irrespective of caste, community or religion," Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had earlier said.

District Collectors of 31 districts in the state are overseeing the saree distribution programme, Commissioner Textiles Shailaja Rama Iyer, told reporters here today.

She said power-loom weavers of Sircilla in the state have woven over 50 lakh sarees measuring up to 3.75 crore metres while remaining sarees have been procured from Surat after following the open competitive tender process.

"There are over 500 designs of sarees which are being distributed. Polyester saree distribution has been taken up... we got feedback that cotton sarees should also be distributed and we are open to the feedback," she said.

Reacting to queries that some women complained and protested in few places over alleged 'poor' quality of sarees, Iyer and Principal Secretary of the Industries Jayesh Ranjan said there is no compromise with regard to quality of sarees.

"We stand by the quality of the sarees. As per specifications the sarees have been produced and there is no problem at all," they claimed.

Iyer maintained that there is no quality issue with regard to sarees being distributed.

"Sarees are inspected and also tested and there is no such quality issue. If there is any specific problem on one or two sarees we have permitted replacement. If there is any specific issue on quality we will take up the matter," he said.

"Factories were also inspected. There are no quality issues in the sarees and I want to indicate that very clearly. We stand firmly by the quality of the sarees that we have produced," Iyer said.

"If there is any specific quality issue with regard to specifications it can be brought our notice," added Iyer.

She said saree specifications of Surat are slightly different when compared to Sircilla.

On allegations that sarees priced at Rs 50 were distributed, both Ranjan and Iyer dismissed the allegations and said each Sircilla saree is priced at Rs 224 while the Surat saree costs Rs 200.
The Indian government wants to deport the thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees living in India as it dubs them "illegal immigrants" who are a security threat.

In a reply to the Supreme Court on Monday, the Centre alleged that some sections of the Rohingyas had connections to Islamic State among other terrorist outfits and Pakistans spy agency ISI.

The government has also asked the apex court to not interfere in the matter. The court is yet to decide on whether it has jurisdiction over this particular situation.

The governments argument came in response to a petition filed by two Rohingya refugees who challenged India's decision to deport them back to Myanmar.

Also read: The Rohingya's plight: A history of the 'floating population' in Myanmar

Currently, 16,000 Rohingyas living in India are registered with the UN while 40,000 are said to be living illegally. On Tuesday, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi offered to take back those Rohingyas who wish to come home, but only after a thorough verification process.

While the international community and the United Nations have questioned India regarding its decision, the Centre has been arguing that Rohingyas are a threat to the country's 'national security'.

The government has elaborated on these concerns in an affidavit:

India's key concerns

# The Home ministry stated in the affidavit submitted to the SC that it had "contemporaneous inputs from security agencies and other authentic material" which indicate a Rohingya link to Pakistan-based terror groups and such other terrorist outfits in the South Asian region.

# The Centre also said some Rohingyas with militant background were found to be active in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mewat, and posed serious threat to the country.

# Concerns were expressed regarding the "organised influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar through agents and touts" who are helping the Rohingyas enter India through multiple frontier states.

# The Indian government also thinks that these refugees will drain the country's natural resources and be a burden on the overtly saturated job market. It sees the refugees as an additional burden on the resources of a country which already has a "surplus labour force".

# The Centre has also said that if they allowed the Rohingyas to stay, Indians would become hostile to them in the long term, seeing them as outsiders taking away their resources and jobs, and that could lead to social tension as well as law and order problems.

# It was also mentioned that radicalised Rohingays may carry out violent acts against Indian Buddhists, since the group claims to be persecuted by Buddhists in Myanmar.

Also read: Are Rohingyas really a threat to national security?

Myanmar's Role

In an address to the nation, Myanmar's de facto leader and officially State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi said she condemned all human rights violations but did not acknowledge any persecution of Rohingya Muslims in her country.

She said she was committed to the "rule of law" and wanted peace for everyone. She also added that Myanmar "does not fear international scrutiny".

Although Suu Kyi claimed that most Muslim villages in Myanmar were intact, the UN estimated that over 400,000 Rohingyas had fled to Bangladesh after the army crackdown took place in retaliation for an attack on some police posts in August.

The attack was carried out by Arakan Salvation Army which claims to fight for Rohingya interest. It has been declared a terrorist organisation in Myanmar.

Myanmar does not grant the minority community of Rohingya Muslims citizenship, deeming them as migrants from Bangladesh. The UN has declared the community as the "most persecuted" in the world.

With inputs from PTI.
After wine, cocoa and cars, premium water is the next luxury good.

A Beverly Hills 9OH2O luxury edition of bottled water has hit the market with an unbelievable price tag of Rs 65 lakh.

While many in India don't have access to clean drinking water, even a bottle of Quas Himalayan water, priced at Rs 50 for a 1-litre bottle, is expensive.

Beverly Hills 9OH2O Diamond Edition

Beverly Hills 9OH2O offers the worlds most expensive bottle of water in its diamond edition. The edition is limited with only nine 1-litre bottles available, each priced at USD 100,000, or Rs 65 lakh. Containing master crafted spring water from Beverly Hills, the bottles are designed by celebrity Jeweler Mario Padilla.

Each exquisite bottle of this luxury water contains a white gold cap studded with a total of 14 karats diamonds  600 G/VS white diamonds and over 250 black diamonds. Each bottle also comes in a case with four Baccarat crystal tumblers.

It is marketed, like other luxury editions from the brand, as The Beverly Hills Lifestyle in a Bottle.

Acqua Di Cristallo Tributo a Modigliani

The second most costly bottle of water is called Acqua Di Cristallo Tributo a Modigliani, priced at a whopping USD 60,000 for 750 ml. The bottle, designed by Fernando Altamirano, is a tribute to French artist Modigliani, as suggested by the name.

The bottles design is inspired by Modiglianis famous style of painting elongated human faces.

The bottle is made from 24-karat solid gold, and has a matte variation. The water, sourced either from France or Fiji, contains gold dust in it.

Kona Nigari

The third on the list is Kona Nigari water, priced at USD 402 per bottle of 750 ml. The manufacturers claim this water improves skin, hydrates better than spring water, and contains deep ocean electrolytes.

Kona Deep has a unique blend of electrolytes and trace minerals that come directly from the ocean, the products description states.

Electrolytes are indeed important for our body, but USD 402 might a bit too much for that. But the import is gained by Kona water is in how it is sourced, as the presentation or bottle is nothing unique.

The company says Konas water has its origin in the deep ocean current, 3000 below the surface in one of the most remote and protected archipelagos in the world.

The water is supposedly from the same one that comes from a natural melting of glaciers in Greenland and Iceland, which then goes to the ocean floor and makes a 1000-year journey to arrive at the coast of Hawaii.
India on Tuesday sought a probe into North Korea's nuclear proliferation linkages and demanded that those responsible for it should be held accountable, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's remarks came after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday.

It follows North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 which was in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure.

"External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj deplored North Korea's recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable," the ministry's spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

Swaraj's remarks came as she met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono yesterday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session here.

Though there was no direct reference to Pakistan in her remarks, it came amid reports that Pyongyang had clandestinely received nuclear enrichment technology from Pakistan when A Q Khan was at the helm of Islamabad's nuclear programme.

Responding to questions, Kumar did not specify the country, but said the hints were enough to determine that.

"I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about," he said.

"We have very clearly mentioned that we not only deplore North Korea's recent actions but also stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable," Kumar said.

In addition to proliferation, the three leaders discussed the issue of maritime security and connectivity.

"Three broad issues were discussed -- maritime security connectivity and proliferation. We have spelled out what these heads mean on security the ministers emphasised the need to ensure freedom of navigation respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes," he said.

"On connectivity, there was discussion on how to base them on universally recognised international norms prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity," Kumar said.

The first trilateral ministerial meeting between the three countries was held in 2015. Senior official level meeting has been taking place since 2011.
Representative image

The Committee on Exports headed by revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia will meet export promotion councils today to formulate a suitable strategy to aid the sector grappling with liquidity following the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1.

This will be the first ever meeting of the committee after the announcement of its inception at the GST Council meeting in Hyderabad on September 9. Representatives from eight export promotion councils will also be present to discuss the challenges with the government panel.

The committee will take up the issue of the delay in GST refund to exporters and a consequent blocking of working capital that has negatively impacted their liquidity, thereby escalating their tax burden.

Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) Chairperson, CBEC Member (Customs), DGFT, GST Council Additional Secretary, Director General, Export Promotion, from the central government and commissioners of commercial taxes from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are members of the committee.

In the pre-GST era, exporters would get ab-initio exemptions from duties, as per various schemes under the foreign trade policy. With the implementation of the new indirect tax system from July 2, exporters will now have to pay the duties first, while importing the raw material and seek refund after the finished good is exported.

As a result of this process, about Rs 1.85 lakh crore will get stuck with the government, as per industry estimates.

According to Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), exporters have stopped taking orders with least or no working capital at their disposal due to blockage of funds under GST and uncertainties looming large on refunds for the months of July to October, 2017.

Small and medium exporters are being hit due to delay in refunds, with the government extending deadline for tax return forms GSTR1, GSTR2, GSTR3 due to technical glitches on the IT portal Goods and Services Network (GSTN).
Foreign Ministers of India, Japan and the US on Monday emphasised on the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes, as they held a trilateral meeting in the backdrop of Doklam crisis and assertive Chinese behaviour.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly here, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono also exchanged views on maritime security, connectivity and proliferation issues.

"The Ministers emphasised the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

"On connectivity initiatives, the importance of basing them on universally recognised international norms, prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity was underlined," Kumar said in a statement.

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert in a statement said, "The ministers discussed the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific region underpinned by a resilient, rules-based architecture that enables every nation to prosper.

"The ministers also affirmed the importance of the freedom of navigation and overflight and the free flow of lawful commerce in the region and around the globe, including in the South China Sea," Nauert said.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.

China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea. However, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

India and China last month ended a 73-day standoff in Doklam area of the Sikkim sector that was triggered by China's move to build a road in the border area.

Swaraj also deplored North Korea's recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable, Kumar said.

Nauert said that the three leaders affirmed and applauded the international community's firm resolve to oppose North Korea's alleged unlawful acts, as reflected in UN Security Council Resolution 2375, and called for continuing international action to curtail its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Tensions have dramatically risen on the Korean peninsula after North Korea early this month conducted its biggest nuclear test, which its state-run KCNA news agency described it as a hydrogen bomb.

The three ministers directed their senior officials to explore practical steps to enhance cooperation, he said at the conclusion of the meeting.

Swaraj arrived in New York early today to attend the 72nd annual session of the UN General Assembly. She is scheduled to address the United Nations on September 23.

During her week-long stay here, she is likely to hold between 15-20 bilateral meetings in addition to several multilateral and trilateral meetings.

She is scheduled to have a series of other meetings today including that with Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, and her Bolivian counterpart Fernando Huanacuni Mamani.

In a day jam-packed with consecutive meetings, Swaraj will also participate in a high-level meeting on UN reforms, hosted and chaired by US President Donald Trump.

India is among the 120 countries which have supported the reform efforts of the UN Secretary General.
Facebook is facing criticism for its alleged censor of news related to Rohingya muslims.

After a ProPublica report accused the company of enabling advertisement services to Jew haters, an activist Betsy Woodruff writing for The Daily Beast claimed that Facebook is deleting reports and posts about Rohingya ethnic cleansing.

One of the instance cited in the report, Kuala Lumpur-based Rohingya activist Mohammad Anwar said, he wrote this on his page: #Rohingya homes in the downtown of #Maungdaw are still being set ablaze by the #Myanmar military & #Rakhine extremists. Following which, the post was removed and the account was frozen. Facebook said that the account could be permanently disabled.

All the removed posts have a notification written under it which reads: We removed the post below because it doesnt follow the Facebook Community Standards.

When contacted by The Daily Beast which carried the report on censore by Facebook, a spokesperson from the California-based tech-giant, Ruchika Budhraja said, We want Facebook to be a place where people can share responsibly, and we work hard to strike the right balance between enabling expression while providing a safe and respectful experience.

Thats why we have Community Standards, which outline what type of sharing is allowed on Facebook and what type of content may be reported to us and removed. Anyone can report content to us if they think it violates our standards. In response to the situation in Myanmar, we are carefully reviewing content against our Community Standards.

In Myanmar, where Facebook is [essentially] the internet, this claim, if proven correct, worsens the current state of affairs.
Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has rejected as "unfounded" the impression that the army was behind the ouster of prime minister Nawaz Sharif and said the military had no role in it.

Sharif, 67, stepped down after a Supreme Court bench disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in his office for dishonesty in the Panama Papers case and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the scandal.

Gen Bajwa was responding to questions by members of defence committees of the National Assembly and Senate who visited General Headquarters (GHQ) yesterday.

The parliamentarians had raised many of the oft-discussed issues including security operations, military courts, defence budget, engagement with the US, tensions with India, problems in relations with Afghanistan, and civil-military relations, Dawn reported.

Gen Bajwa dismissed rumours of the army's alleged role in the Panama Papers case as "unfounded" and told the parliamentarians that he was an ardent supporter of democracy and believed in the supremacy of parliament, the paper said.

"One of the parliamentarians, quoting the army chief, said the military had no role in ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharifs ouster, and for him, the current prime minister was as good as the previous one," the paper said.

The powerful army, which enjoys considerable influence over policy decisions in Pakistan, has ruled the country for much of its life since it gained independence 70 years ago.

Last month, Sharif had termed his disqualification by the Supreme Court as a humiliation and said the "conspiracies" to oust him from the premiership had begun over three years ago.

During a brief stay in London this week before heading out to New York for the UN General Assembly session, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said conspiracies against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government were continuing.

Talking about the perception that the defence budget consumed a major portion of national resources, Gen Bajwa said that it comprised nearly 18 per cent of the total budgetary outlay. He added that more money was required, particularly in view of certain acquisitions that had to be made, some of which were overdue.

On the subject of foreign relations, he underscored that putting the house in order was a pre-requisite for getting a respectful position in the comity of nations.

As a principle, he said, Pakistan desired good relations with all other countries especially the neighbours.

Gen Bajwa said he was ready to appear before the defence committee or any 'committee of the whole House' and answer any queries that the parliamentarians might have.

He also said he had congratulated Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif over the PML-N's victory in NA-120 (Lahore) by-poll in which Nawaz Sharif's wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz was elected on the National Assembly seat vacated by her husband.

One of the participants in the meeting said that the engagement was meant to showcase the armys achievements and to highlight the challenges it was facing.

The interactive session, which was originally planned for 30 minutes, went on for nearly three hours, the paper said.

In a statement, the army said the delegation was given a detailed briefing on the evolving security environment including the situation at the borders and Pakistans Army efforts for peace and security.

"The session (with Gen Bajwa) concluded with the resolve to continue our struggle against the menace of violent extremism through a synergetic, whole-of-the-nation approach based on the principle of collective potential and shared responsibility," it added.
Barack Obama will be paid $1.2 million by Wall Street firms for a series of speeches he is set to deliver for them. The former US president is receiving criticism from various sides for his involvement with powerful financial institutions based on the Wall Street.

The upcoming million-dollar lecture series is not the first occasion that the former President has been linked with rich bankers. According to a report on Bloomberg Obama received $800,000 from Northern Trust Corp and Carlyle Group for his speeches. Obama is also slated to deliver a speech at an event organised by Cantor Fitzgerald.

Obama's actions have received their share of criticism as he was an ardent critic of rich banking and financial institutions during his tenure at the Oval Office.

He had slammed the bankers for their role in the global financial crisis back in 2009. While public money was used to bail out many financial firms during the crisis, Obama administration had tried to put a leash on financial institutions by introducing several rules and regulations.

However, of late, Obama has picked individuals who have had strong ties and history with various financial and investment institutions for his foundation. Senator Sanders from Vermont had termed Obamas decision to deliver speeches as unfortunate while another senator, Elizabeth Warren, told a radio station that she was troubled by the decision, says a report from The Independent.

The decision has not gone down well with the public who had earlier seen former Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addressing the Wall Street, a decision which she herself later admitted as a big mistake. A person criticised the decision on Twitter by tweeting that the Democratic party is only opposed to war, racism, corporate pwr, etc if a Rep is behind the wheel.

However, Obamas spokesperson Kevin Lewis defended the decision stating that a bulk of the revenue generated went to charity activities. His paid speeches in part have allowed President Obama to contribute $2m to Chicago programs offering job training and employment opportunities to low-income youth, Lewis said.
Turkey on Monday summoned the German ambassador for the second time in just three days, Turkish diplomatic sources said, as an intensifying bilateral crisis showed no sign of ending.

Germany ambassador Martin Erdmann had already been called in by the Turkish foreign ministry on Saturday over a rally that Ankara said was organised by supporters of Kurdish militants in Cologne.

Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu said the summons related to a previous incident where Erdmann had been unable to attend but did not specify further.

A Turkish foreign ministry source, who asked not to be named, said it was a "coincidence" that the latest summons came so soon after the previous order from the ministry at the weekend.

German foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer confirmed the summons, saying it was the 17th time in his tenure as ambassador that Erdmann had received such an order.

Erdmann has been Berlin's envoy to Ankara since August 2015.

Schaefer told reporters in Berlin the number of summonses Erdmann had received was "very unusual" between "partners within NATO".

Relations between the allies deteriorated sharply after last year's failed coup, with Berlin condemning the mass arrests in Turkey which have included German citizens.

Among those imprisoned is Deniz Yucel, a German-Turkish journalist with the Berlin-based newspaper Die Welt, accused of terror charges earlier this year.

But Turkey has repeatedly accused Germany of supporting "terrorists", referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and individuals accused of involvement in the failed coup.

The Turkish foreign ministry said on Saturday it expressed "in a strong way" its opposition to the rally which it claimed was "an activity by the PKK terror group's extensions in Germany and their spreading terror propaganda there today in Cologne".

Erdogan has accused Germany of "Nazi" and "fascist" practices while Germany has responded by updating its travel advice to warn citizens that they could face arrest if they travel to Turkey.

The PKK, which has waged an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984, is proscribed by Turkey as well as the European Union and the United States.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, head of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba

Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jammat-ud-Dawah will foray into Pakistan's political scene by contesting the 2018 general elections, a senior member of the outfit said, a day after its candidate finished third in a crucial by-poll.

Last month, Jamaat-ud-Dawah, a front for the Lashkar-e- Taiba militant group that carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attack, announced that it was launching the Milli Muslim League.

Sheikh Yaqoob, a JuD-backed candidate who was defeated by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif's wife Kulsoom Nawaz from a parliamentary seat that fell vacant after he was disqualified by the Supreme Court, said the new front "will field candidates in every constituency of the country in next year's election."

Yaqoob wanted to contest yesterday's election from Milli Muslim League, launched just before the NA-120 by-poll, but could not do so as the Election Commission of Pakistan is yet to register it as a political party.

Yaqoob was placed in 2012 on a US Treasury sanctions list of those designated as leaders of terrorist organisations, The New York Times reported.

"We have got a very good response in NA-120. It was our first election and people have welcomed us," said Yaqoob, who contested as an independent candidate.

"We are here to stay in the political field. People want a party that talks about making Pakistan strong against its enemies India, United States and Israel and at the same time help them in solving their basic livelihood problems," he said.

The JuD formed Milli Muslim League at the time when Saeed was detained in Lahore.

Saeed and his four aides- Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain were placed under house arrest in Lahore on January 30 under anti- terrorism act.

The JuD has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States in June 2014. The JuD chief also carries a $10 million American bounty on his head for his role in terror activities.
Stanislav Petrov (R), a former lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces, poses with his award next to Karlheinz Koegel, chief of German Media Research Group during the German media award 2011 ceremony in Baden Baden, February 24, 2012. REUTERS/Alex Domanski (GERMANY - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA) - GM1E82P0BD101

Moneycontrol News

On 23 rd June 1987, Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet Officer was on duty in a secret command centre outside Moscow on 26 September 1983 when a radar screen showed that five intercontinental ballistic missiles had been launched by the US towards the Soviet Union.

Instead of ordering a retaliatory strike, Petrov, a 44-year old Lieutenant Colonel back then, decided to save the world by relying on his gut and deducing that it was a false alarm.

The siren howled, but I just sat there for a few seconds, staring at the big, back-lit, red screen with the word launch on it, he told the BBCs Russian Service in 2013.

All I had to do was to reach for the phone; to raise the direct line to our top commanders, he added.

Instead of triggering, in what could possibly have been another World War, Petrov with a calm head decided to call malfunction in the warning system. He could only breath easy after 23 long minutes when no bombs went off.

Later, it was revealed that the false alarm was apparently the result of a satellite mistaking the reflection of the suns rays off the tops of clouds for a US missile launch.

Petrov, however, was never honoured by the Soviet authorities for his role in saving the world from a thermonuclear conflict.

On the contrary, he was reprimanded by authorities for failure to describe the incident correctly in the logbook.

Petrov came into the limelight only after General Yury Votintsev, retired commander of Soviet Missile defense, published his memoirs where he recognised Petrovs feat.

Petrov was thereafter honoured by the Association of World Citizens at the UN headquarters in 2006 as the the man who averted a nuclear war, following a documentary film was also made on him.

Petrov passed away on 19 May in Moscow, but his death was reported only on Monday.
India has extended its support to US President Donald Trump's efforts to reform the UN, saying it should include the expansion of the world body's permanent and non-permanent members to keep pace with the changed times.

Trump, during a discussion on UN reform yesterday, insisted that he had always seen the "great potential" of the organisation but warned that "bureaucracy" was stopping it from realising its potential.

Trump, once a harsh critic of the UN, called for reforms in the body  a view India has been expressing for a long time.

"We have said that the world body should be reformed to keep pace with the changed times including the expansion of its permanent or non-permanent members," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

"We have consistently maintained the same line," he said.

Kumar was referring to the high-level meeting on UN reform which was chaired by Trump. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also attended the meeting.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that Trump supports the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' reform agenda for the UN, and was pleased to join nearly 130 countries to support a big, bold reform to eliminate inefficiency.

In his address, Guterres said, "We are reforming our peace and security architecture  to ensure we are stronger in prevention, more agile in mediation, and more effective and cost-effective in peacekeeping operations.

"We are reforming our development system to become much more field-focused, well-coordinated and accountable to better assist countries through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  our contribution to a fair globalisation," he added.

"We need to bring decision-making closer to the people we serve; trust and empower managers; reform cumbersome and costly budgetary procedures; and eliminate duplicative structures," he added.

Describing it as a great day, the US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said this is the beginning of a process.

"There are 193 members of the United Nations. That means there are about 70 Member States out there that have not yet signed the declaration of support for United Nations reform. Our mission leaving here today is to not be satisfied with less than a complete consensus on this reform agenda.

"We are always stronger when we speak with one voice, and the future of this institution is worth the extra mile," Haley said in her address.
The US is determined to withdraw from the Paris climate pact unless it gets a favourable term, President Donald Trump's top economic adviser said at the United Nations on Monday.

Gary Cohn, the Director of National Economic Council, said this after a breakfast meeting with energy ministers from about a dozen countries on the sidelines of the annual General Assembly session of the United Nations.

"We are withdrawing from the Paris Agreement unless we can reengage on terms more favourable to the United States. This position was made very clear during the breakfast," the White House said in a statement after the meeting.

"Todays Energy Minister Breakfast was a useful conversation with many of our international allies and partners. We discussed the president's energy agenda, and the role that US energy resources and technologies can play in promoting energy security, driving economic growth, and reducing emissions at home and globally," a senior White House official said.

The conversation also focused on ways that the countries can work together to provide affordable, reliable energy to help reduce global poverty, the official said.

"Participants discussed the important role that technology and innovation will continue to play as our countries strive to achieve these important goals," he said.

"As a global leader in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies, including highly efficient fossil fuels, the United States looks forward to continuing this conversation as we work together to promote a balanced approach to reducing emissions that does not sacrifice energy security or economic growth, said the White House official.

President Trump in June announced his decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change and renegotiate the deal that was agreed upon by over 190 countries during the previous Obama administration.

Arguing that countries like China and India are benefiting the most from the Paris Agreement, Trump had said that the agreement on climate change was unfair to the US, as it badly hit its businesses and jobs.

The Paris agreement's central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping the global temperature rise in this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The landmark agreement, which entered into force last November, calls on countries to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future, and to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change.
Representative image

North Korea bitterly denounced new sanctions on its economy as "vicious, unethical and inhumane" and warned the measures would only accelerate progress on its nuclear weapons programme, state media reported on Monday.

The angry statement from Pyongyang's foreign ministry came as the crisis surrounding the reclusive state was set to dominate the annual UN gathering of world leaders.

The UN Security Council last week imposed a new raft of sanctions on North Korea, slapping an export ban on textiles, freezing work permits to North Korean guest workers and placing a cap on oil supplies.

The international community is scrambling to contain an increasingly belligerent Pyongyang, which has conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test and fired long-range missiles over Japan that it says could reach the US mainland.

Pyongyang says it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself from US forces. It says it is determined to build a weapons system capable of delivering a nuclear warhead capable of hitting the American mainland.

The state news agency KCNA, quoting the foreign ministry statement, said the economic restrictions -- which US officials estimate could deny the impoverished state more than USD 2 billion in revenue -- were an "act of hostility to physically exterminate the people of" North Korea.

"The increased moves of the US and its vassal forces to impose sanctions and pressure on the DPRK will only increase our pace towards the ultimate completion of the state nuclear force," it said, referring to the country by the initials of its official name.

The effectiveness of the sanctions depends largely on whether China, North Korea's ally and main economic partner, will fully implement them.

US President Donald Trump, who was due to address the UN in New York tomorrow, spoke by phone to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping today, with the White House saying the two men were committed to "maximising pressure on North Korea."

The US flew four F-35B stealth fighter jets and two B-1B bombers over the Korean peninsula today in a blunt show of force.

Trump says he has not ruled out a military option in the crisis. War could leave millions of people in the South Korean capital of Seoul -- and 28,500 US soldiers stationed in the South -- exposed.
I have a guy who needs convincing. Him: No, no way, nope. Me: Oh, come on. Well get up at 4 a.m., sunrise already in some parts of the world. Well throw our coats over our pajamas and take a...
The Egyptian president met with the Israeli PM in New York on Monday, discussing ways to revive the Israel-Palestine peace process, which has been stalled since 2014

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York on Monday for discussions on ways to revive the Israel-Palestine peace process, the Egyptian president's office said in a statement.

During the meeting at his New York residence, El-Sisi stressed the importance of resuming talks between the Palestinians and Israelis in order to reach a fair two-state solution based on international treaties, the statement said.

Monday's meeting is the first official meeting between El-Sisi and Netanyahu.

During the meeting, the Egyptian president expressed his appreciation for US President Donald Trump's efforts to progress the peace process, saying they contribute to the achievement of a fair and final resolution of the Palestinian issue.

In April 2014, the Israel-Palestine peace talks collapsed due to the insistence of the Israeli government on expanding illegal settlements in the occupied territories.

On Monday, Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for the role of Egypt in the Middle East, including its efforts at fighting terrorism and supporting stability in the region.

Also attending the meeting were Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Director of the Egyptian General intelligence Directorate Khaled Fawzy, and the head of the Egypian president's office Abbas Kamel.

Before meeting Netanyahu, the Egyptian president met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the latest in the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation process.

Israeli ambassador to Cairo David Govrin returned back to Egypt in late August after an eight-months absence due to "security threats" according to Israeli media.

El-Sisi is currently in New York to attend the meetings of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). He is expected to address the UNGA on Tuesday.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Ever find it hard to find the right kind of movie to watch? This could fix that
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said a political solution to the dispute can be reached, on condition that Qatar complies with the principles and demands of Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE and Saudi Arabia

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain agreed during talks in New York on Monday that they welcome a political resolution to the festering three-month row with Qatar, on condition that the Gulf state complies with the demands and principles outlined by the quartet of Arab nations.

"We discussed recent developments in the dispute with Qatar," Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told reporters following the talks, which were held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at the headquarters of the Egyptian mission to the UN.

"We affirmed our readiness for a political solution for the crisis, should Qatar abide by the 13 demands and six principles adopted earlier," Shoukry said on Monday.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE severed diplomatic and transport links with Doha on 5 June, accusing the oil-rich state of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs, sparking the region's worst diplomatic dispute in years.

Doha denies the charges levelled against it.

The four Arab nations demand that Doha comply with six principles, including a commitment to combating terrorism and ending what they describe as acts of incitement and interference in the internal affairs of other Arab countries.

They also demand that the Gulf monarchy abide by a list of 13 demands for Qatar, which include ending its support for the Muslim Brotherhood group, shutting down the Doha-based Al-Jazeera news channel, closing a Turkish military base and downgrading its ties with Iran.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said last week in Berlin that his country is ready to sit at the negotiating table to try to resolve the dispute with its Gulf Arab neighbours.

"If this is true ... this is what the four countries have demanded; we are aiming for normal relations with Qatar, should it cease supporting and financing terrorism, interference in the internal affairs of the four countries and undermining their stability," Shoukry said.

Shoukry hailed efforts by the leader of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, to mediate the diplomatic crisis with Doha.

"We have every confidence in any efforts [by Al-Sabah]," Shoukry said.

Following talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said on Monday that resolving the row with Qatar is "in Doha's hands", Saudi Arabia's state-run press agency SPA said.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Petty theft

Someone stole about $200 to $300 worth of tools from a work truck near Christeph Drive and Llagas Road. The crime was reported 3:48 p.m. Sept. 1.

A thief or thieves stole the rear license plate a vehicle parked on Serpentine Court. The theft was reported 2:08 p.m. Sept. 8.

Municipal code violation

An employee of a carpet cleaning company was seen dumping waste into a storm drain in the area of La Rocca Court and Alamo Drive. The violation was reported 4:46 p.m. Sept. 11.

Stolen vehicle

A thief or thieves stole a Nissan pickup from a parking spot on Del Monte Avenue. The crime was reported 5:19 p.m. Aug. 30.

Someone stole a 2001 Honda Civic from a spot on Jade Lane. The crime was reported 3:45 p.m. Sept. 5.

A white Dodge Ram was stolen from a driveway on Percheron Court. The theft was reported 6:48 a.m. Sept. 6.

A thief or thieves stole a gray 1997 Honda Civic from a spot on Butterfield Boulevard. The crime was reported 2:25 p.m. Sept. 3.

Someone stole a black 1998 Honda Civic from a spot on Monterey Road. The theft was reported 3:36 p.m. Sept. 3.

A white 2014 Toyota Sienna van was stolen from the Centennial Recreation Center, 171 W. Edmundson Ave. The thief or thieves stole the vehicle owners keys from the exercise room inside the facility. The crime was reported 5:49 p.m. Sept. 11.

Someone stole a blue 1997 Toyota Rav4 from California Inn, 16525 Condit Road. The owner later found the vehicle, stripped, down the street at another motel. The crime was reported 6:48 a.m. Sept. 13.

A thief or thieves stole a work truck from an apartment complex on the 16700 block of Barnell Avenue. The crime was reported 8:59 a.m. Sept. 15.

A black 2002 Cadillac Escalade was stolen from a location on Peebles Avenue. The theft was reported 7:48 a.m. Sept. 8.

Someone stole a blue 2006 BMW from a spot on Almond Way. The crime was reported 1:24 p.m. Sept. 8.

A silver 2017 Nissan Frontier was stolen from Enterprise Rent A Car, 16190 Monterey Road. The crime was reported 10:52 a.m. Sept. 11.

Auto burglary

Someone broke into a rented gray Kia Sol parked on Madrone Parkway, and stole a black iPhone. The crime was reported 7:27 p.m. Aug. 30.

A thief or thieves broke through a passenger door of a gray GMC Suburban on Espana Court. The front license plate was also stolen from the vehicle. The crime was reported 7:51 a.m. Sept. 5.

Someone smashed the windows on two vehicles parked at Wal-mart, 170 Cochrane Plaza. The suspectsidentified as two males associated with a black vehiclestole a laptop computer. The crime was reported 1:55 a.m. Sept. 15.

A thief or thieves broke the window of a white 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe parked at Dennys, 875 Cochrane Road, and stole two laptop computers and a Sony camera, among other items. The crime was reported 12:53 a.m. Sept. 14.

Someone broke into a Subaru Outback and a Nissan Pathfinder parked at In N Out, 895 Cochrane Road. Two men associated with a white Dodge Challenger were allegedly the suspects. The crime was reported 1:58 p.m. Sept. 14.

A thief or thieves broke a window on a white Ford Escape parked at Chilis, 1039 Cochrane Road. Stolen were tools and paperwork. The crime was reported 2:17 p.m. Sept. 14.

Vandalism

Four juvenile males threw a rock at a vehicle and shattered the rear window as it drove past the intersection of Edes Court and Monterey Road. The vandalism was reported 7:37 p.m. Sept. 3.

Fight

Eight people jumped another group at the downtown parking garage, 50 E. Third Street, and stole a BMX bicycle from one of the victims. The fight was reported 5:40 p.m. Sept. 4.

Hit and run

The driver of a Jeep collided with a black Honda Civic on West Main Avenue, and fled the scene. The crime was reported 5:38 p.m. Sept. 7.

The driver of a white pickup hit a tan truck in the area of Main Avenue and Monterey Road, and then collided with two more vehicles after he fled the scene and tried to elude police. When police caught up to the white pickup, the driver fled on foot into the Murphy Ranch apartment complex. Officers caught up to him and arrested him shortly afterwards. The crime was reported 5:05 p.m. Sept. 8.

The driver of a four-door sedan hit the neighbors parked Toyota Tacoma on Carriage Drive and left the scene. The crime was reported 1:53 a.m. Sept. 9.

Disturbance

Four petition holders soliciting signatures outside Wal-Mart, 170 Cochrane Plaza, began arguing among themselves, causing a disturbance for other customers. The incident was reported 12:42 p.m. Sept. 9.

Reckless vehicle

A witness said residents from a home on Spring Hill Drive were racing their motorcycles up and down the street. The motorcyclists also ride the vehicles on the sidewalk, and the witness said it is an ongoing concern. The recklessness was reported 7:19 p.m. Sept. 9.

Animal control

A resident of Holiday Drive saw a mountain lion walking across his front yard. A park ranger said the same mountain lion has been hanging out in the area for about six weeks. The sighting was reported 7:41 p.m. Sept. 9.

All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.
The two presidents met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Monday, discussing reconciliation efforts between Fatah and Hamas

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New York on Monday, discussing developments in the Palestinian national reconciliation process, the Egyptian president's office said in a statement.

At the meeting, held at El-Sisi's New York residence, Abbas expressed his appreciation for Egypt's sincere and productive efforts at achieving reconciliation between Palestinian factions.

Egypt has played an important role in mediating a reconciliation agreement between the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah and the Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, Hamas announced that it had dissolved its administrative committee running Gaza, making way for the formation of a unity government in Gaza comprised of Hamas and Fatah officials, and paving the way for the first elections in Palestine since 2006.

The move follows several rounds of talks in Cairo between Egyptian officials and Hamas leaders over the past several months.

Fatah welcomed the Hamas decision and said the PA is ready to work with the Islamist movement to achieve national unity.

The Palestinian president also expressed optimism about the prospects for acheving unity among the Palestinian people.

During Monday's meeting, El-Sisi said that Palestine would always be a top priority in Egyptian foreign policy and that Egypt would continue its efforts with the various Palestinian factions, seeking to end the spilt that divides them between the West Bank and Gaza.

The Egyptian president's office said that the two leaders agreed during the meeting to continue consultation and coordination to end divisions within Palestine.

Also attending the meeting were Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate Khaled Fawzy.

El-Sisi is currently in New York to attend the meetings of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). He is due to address the Assembly on Tuesday.



Search Keywords:

Short link:


Further changes to mortgage rules proposed by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions will extend mortgage stress tests to uninsured loans, which might force some Canadians to go for more volatile options such as variable-rate mortgages.The OSFIs proposal would compel consumers to qualify for loans based on the rate on their contract plus 200 basis points, a move that might lead some people into shorter-term loans with lower rates.It could be one of the unintended consequences, CIBC World Markets Inc. deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal told the Financial Post.Tal added, however, that the OSFI will modify its proposal, taking into account how the regulatory regime is actually discouraging consumers from locking in their rates.Urban Development Institute (Pacific Region) president and CEO Anne McMullin agreed, saying that the proposed changes are unnecessary, excessive, and in many respects, counterproductive to growing our economy and improving housing affordability.McMullin warned that first-time buyers such as young families will suffer the most should the changes push through, as more and more members of this demographic will be priced out of the already ruinously expensive Canadian housing sector. The UDI executive also stressed the need for the government to focus on improving housing supply to successfully address the problem of steady price growth.RateSpy.com founder Rob McLister stated that the potential impact of the OSFI proposals can be determined upon examination of the current yield curve, which shows longer term rates are still much higher. For instance, with the prime rate now 3.2 per cent and the average discount on a five-year variable rate mortgage around 65 basis points, consumers would have to qualify based on a rate of 2.55 per cent plus 200 basis points or 4.55 per cent.Generally, the variable will be cheaper. Maybe the one-year or two years (even more so). We have people who cant qualify because of 10 basis points. I think it will force at least 10 per cent of uninsured borrowers to look at shorter-term rates that have more risk, McLister explained.
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi attended a luncheon organised by the United States Chamber of Commerce and the US-Egypt Business Council in New York on Monday, where he advocated a free trade agreement between the two countries.

According to El-Sisis office, the president met with a number of US businessmen from different sectors and expressed his appreciation for the role played by the Chamber of Commerce and the business council in supporting economic and commercial relations between Egypt and the United States.

In his address at the luncheon, El-Sisi told the attendees that economic relations between the two countries are an important pillar in the strategic relationship, and that Egypt was looking forward to strengthening those relations.

He also advocated a free trade agreement between the two countries as it would lead to an increase in trade.

According to the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, the stock of US direct investment in Egypt stood at $22.6 billion in 2016, representing 35.4 percent of US direct investment in Africa and 46.2 percent of US direct investment in the Middle East.

As of 2016, Egypt became the largest recipient of US foreign direct investment in Africa and the second in the MENA region after the UAE.

Myron Brilliant, the executive vice-president and the head of international affairs at the Chamber of Commerce, also addressed the attendees, praising the Egyptian governments recent economic reforms and the economic delegations to Egypt organised by the chamber.

He said the chamber has formed a taskforce to organise an investment forum in Egypt, to show American companies the investment opportunities in the country.

The luncheon was attended by a number of Egyptian officials, including Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr.

Also on Monday, El-Sisi attended a dinner at the Business Council for International Understanding, an NGO that aims to expand international trade and commerce through dialogues between governments and businessmen.

He also expressed how he looked forward to having American companies increase their activities in Egypt, especially as the Egyptian market is large.

El-Sisi is currently in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly. He will address the UNGA on Tuesday.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Tim Fischer/Midland Reporter-Telegram

ODESSA  Comments about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and health care led to some spirited exchanges at U.S. Rep. Mike Conaways town hall meeting on Monday.

One flashpoint was the DACA program. President Donald Trump on Sept. 5 made an announcement about phasing out the program, which shields from deportation immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children.
The committee will begins visits to police station holding cells and prisons, particularly those where torture has been reported

A delegation of MPs affiliated with the Egyptian parliament's human rights committee began on Tuesday paying field visits to a number of police stations and prisons in Cairo and Giza.

Alaa Abed, the head of the committee, told reporters that the visits reflect the committee's role in supervising the performance of police officers and ensuring that human rights are fully observed in police stations and prison cells.

"The visits will in particular focus on police stations and prison cells where some torture cases were reported," said Abed.

The delegation includes Margaret Azer, Manal Maher, Abu Bakr Gharib, Hayam Halawa, Ahmed Youssef, and Abu Sobhi El-Dali.

Azer told Ahram Online that the parliamentary delegation began on Tuesday by visiting El-Warraq district police station in Greater Cairo.

"There were violent clashes between the residents of El-Warraq and policemen two months ago," said Azer.

We want to make sure that citizens who were detained following these clashes receive good treatment."

Azer revealed that the committee's visits will also include orphanages.

"We got several reports from the media and independent lawyers that there was a lot of abuses in some orphanages and child care centres and we want to review conditions there," said Azer.

Abed indicated that the committee's visits to a number of police stations last year resulted in improving performance and imposing discipline.

"For example," said Abed, "following a visit to East Cairo's El-Ameriya police station last year, a police officer suspected of torturing a Christian citizen  Magdi Makeen  was referred to trial," said Abed, adding that "the committee also visited Fayoum prison in Upper Egypt after some torture cases were reported there."

Abed explained that the visits will continue on Wednesday and Thursday.

"I want to stress that these are surprise visits because police stations do not have notice in advance," said Abed, adding that " this differs from visits to prison cells, which require that you must get prior permission from the interior ministry, in accordance with prison regulations in Egypt."

Abed said the first group of visits this week will focus on police stations in densely populated districts in four governorates: Cairo, Giza, Alexandria and Assuit.

"At the end of the visits we will prepare a report to be discussed by parliament in a plenary session and in line with Egypt's 2014 constitution which gives the committee and the National Council for Human Rights primary roles in observing respect for human rights in Egypt," said Abed.

Abed said in general the committee wants to send a message that "performance of police officers and respect of human rights are strictly observed by the Egyptian parliament, as well as independent human rights groups and civil society organisations."

Western visits

Abed revealed that the Committee will also make visits to a number of Western cities in the USA and Europe next October or November. "We plan to visit New York and Washington in the US, Geneva in Switzerland, and Brussels in Belgium to meet with a number of human rights organizations based in these cities," said Abed, explaining that "the visits aim to meet officials there to give them detailed response to a recent report in which the New York-based Human Rights Watch alleged that torture has become a systematic practice in Egypt."

According to Abed, the committee will hold meetings with the European Parliament's Human Rights Committee, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and human rights committees in parliaments in Italy, Germany and England.

"We have friendship associations with MPs in these countries and we will use them to expose facts about the human rights situation in Egypt," said Abed.

Abed said Egypts parliament has already filed a complaint against Human Rights Watch with the Geneva-based Inter-parliamentary Union.

"In its politicised and flawed report, HRW alleged that parliament's human rights committee is being manipulated by security apparatuses in Egypt," said Abed, adding that "for this reason, we asked the Inter-Parliamentary Union to open an investigation into this allegation and to question HRW's officials who propagated this lie."

"We know who gives HRW this flawed information for political reasons," said Abed, adding that "HRW receives $250 million in funding every year, with most of this money coming from Qatar and Muslim Brotherhood offices in Turkey and some European capitals."

Search Keywords:

Short link:


This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

More than four weeks after he vanished, a missing Baytown man has been identified as the victim in a gruesome slaying and dismemberment allegedly carried out by his machete-wielding girlfriend, according to court documents.

Cierra Sutton was arrested Thursday after police accused her of shooting a sleeping Steven Coleman and cutting him up with a machete before ditching his body in different dumpsters.

But as of Sunday evening, authorities said the one recovered body part had not yet been positively identified through DNA as Coleman.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Baytown man surrenders after shooting wife in front of kids

"Based off what we learned they appear to be one and the same," Baytown police spokesman Steve Dorris said.

Sutton kicked off the case with a missing persons report on Aug. 18, two days after the slaying police say occurred at Briarwood Village Apartments. When she came into the station to file a report, Sutton told police she'd last seen her boyfriend that Wednesday, when he'd left home around 10:30 p.m.

But Coleman's car was still sitting in the lot outside the couple's shared apartment, and the 32-year-old's mother told investigators she hadn't seen him in at least a week. A friend said she'd spoken to him that Wednesday around 10:20 p.m., when he'd promised to come help look for her daughter - but then he never showed up.

The friend also cautioned investigators that the missing man had allegedly warned her before: If he ever disappeared, police should investigate his girlfriend.

Coleman's neighbors and apartment manager said they'd last seen him the Monday before his disappearance. Afterward, one witness said she'd spotted Sutton moving furniture out of Coleman's apartment, court records show. Another witness told police she'd seen two men help Sutton move stuff into a truck.

That Thursday - the day before Sutton reported her boyfriend missing - a woman matching her description used Coleman's card to buy a foam bed topper and duct tape at a Baytown Walmart, according to a sworn statement filed in Harris County court.

Five days later, a man's torso was found in the Baytown landfill in Chambers County, which takes trash from dumpsters across Baytown and Pasadena. The decomposing pelvis included certain details matching the description Sutton gave police when her boyfriend disappeared.

The week after Coleman's last sighting, police searched the couple's apartment and found it "mostly vacant" with blood traces scattered across the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

But as the case dragged on, Sutton had disappeared as well. Before the hurricane, she told Baytown police she'd come talk with them further about the investigation - but then she never showed, according to court documents.

Instead, authorities used an anonymous tipster to help track her down in September, tracing her to Louisiana, where she'd stopped by a Covington home shared by her brother and his girlfriend. Under questioning, the brother's girlfriend told investigators that Sutton had admitted to shooting Coleman in his sleep, then cutting him up with a machete and wrapping the remains in sheets and duct tape, according to court records.

Then, Sutton allegedly loaded the evidence in her Jeep and disposed the pieces at different dumpsters.

When police finally interviewed Sutton's best friend, she and her boyfriend both offered a similar story, claiming Sutton had confessed to killing her boyfriend after an argument  allegedly while her 10-year-old daughter Trinity was in the living room. She'd chopped up his body because he was too heavy to carry, police say she told her best friend's boyfriend.

Sutton was charged with murder and arrested late Thursday in Louisiana. She did not appear to be in the Harris County jail as of Sunday afternoon, and court records do not show any assigned attorney.
Egypt is working with African nations to combat the phenomenon of early marriage for girls, Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali said on Monday in a meeting held with African and European ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

According to Wali, 16 percent of Egyptian girls marry before the age of 18. She described the figure as a high number.

Attendees included the presidents of Zambia, Uganda, Malawi, and the international cooperation ministers of Holland and Canada.

Wali also presented Egypt's programme for creating a social and economic safety net for families in need of assistance.

She said Egypt is working with African nations to curtail the phenomenon.

Child marriages are common in poor neighbourhoods around Egypt, with some families forcing their teenage daughters to marry older suitors from wealthier countries, mainly in the Arabian Gulf, according to the US State Departments 2015 Trafficking in Persons report.

In 2015, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi withdrew an objection made by Egypt in 1990 to a provision of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child regarding the child marriage issue.

The article, issued in 1990, reads that minors may not be married or engaged and that African states must take effectual procedures to ban marriage before 18.

Since 2008 it has been illegal to register a marriage in which either party is under the age of 18.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi held talks on Tuesday with a number of head of states and senior international leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, his office said.

El-Sisi met with Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, and the two men discussed irregular migration and signed a document of cooperation priorities for the next three years, presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef said in a statement.

In addition, El-Sisi met with Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and discussed energy issues and Egyptian-Greek-Cyprian cooperation, as well as the means to put into action mutual projects agreed in previous summits between the three states.

The Egyptian president also discussed means of bolstering Egyptian-Brazilian economic ties and trade links with President Michel Temer of Brazil.

On Monday, El-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met for the first time, in what Egypt said was part of its efforts to revive the Middle East peace process.

The Egyptian president is also scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here.
A Volusia County man faces charges after he reportedly struck another man in the face with the flat side of a machete following an argument Monday morning in the parking lot of a Bank of America, police said.

Fight broke out in Bank of America parking lot in DeLand

2 men got into a verbal argument that turned physical

Man is accused of striking the other man with a machete

The incident began at about 11:23 a.m. at the branch located at 230 N. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand.

DeLand Police officers were called to the bank because of a report of a fight in the parking lot. The victim, identified as George Dominguez, said he was walking through the parking lot when another man, later identified as 70-year-old Arlen Hubbard, appeared to drive to close to him, almost hitting Dominguez with the vehicle.

Dominguez told police that he confronted Hubbard about his driving and banged on the drivers window, a police report states.

Dominguez told police that a verbal argument ensued, which then turned physical after Hubbard exited his vehicle. The two began to push each other, and thats when Hubbard reportedly took a machete out and cut Dominguez across the face, police said. The fight ended after Dominguez was cut in the face with the machete, police said. Dominguez did tell police at the scene that he didnt wish to pursue charges, according to the charging affidavit.

Hubbard told police that he felt Dominguez was attempting to take him to the ground, and said he struck the man with the flat side of the machete. Hubbard said he attempted to render first aid to Dominguez by giving him tissues to stop the bleeding.

Police said the bank was unable to provide video surveillance from the area.

Hubbard was arrested and charged aggravated battery. He was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail.
For a fourth consecutive day, protesters flooded the streets of St. Louis outraged over the acquittal of a white officer, Jason Stockley, in the fatal shooting of a black man.

St. Louis protesters upset over acquittal of cop in black man's shooting

Anthony Lamar Smith was shot 5 times after high-speed chase

More than 80 people arrested Sunday night



We need more and better opportunities for all our citizens, but destruction cannot be tolerated," Mayor Lyda Krewson said.

Although protests were under control Monday morning, the mayor said in a late Sunday night news conference that the days have been categorically calm and nights "destructive."

Im proud to tell you the city of St. Louis is safe and police owned the night," said Lt. Larry OToole, Acting Police Commissioner of the St. Louis Police Department.

Police arrested more than 80 people Sunday night as peaceful marches again turned violent. They also say they confiscated at least five weapons, none of which were used.

Journalists heard officers chanting, Whose streets, our streets as they made arrests, according to the Washington Post.

But, the damage was already done: broken windows, destroyed property.

The anger that has boiled over revolves around the shooting death of a black man, Anthony Lamar Smith, who was killed following a high-speed chase in 2011. He was shot five times.

I am appalled at what happened to Anthony Lamar Smith, sobered by this outcome. Frustration, anger, hurt, pain, hope & love all intermingle. pic.twitter.com/nezvtIDBQC  Mayor Lyda Krewson (@LydaKrewson) September 15, 2017

And although the Mayor tweeted she was sobered by the outcome of the verdict and understands many wont find comfort or justice in what happened, it has not quelled the violence or stopped the marches from rolling on.
The opportunity of peace should not be wasted, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told Palestinians and Israelis during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

"I ask the Palestinian people to reunite, and tell them that it's important that the chance to live in peace with the Israelis does not dwindle," El-Sisi said.

El-Sisi also addressed Israelis, recalling the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty and asking them to replicate this "excellent experience of peace."

"Please stand with your political leadership and don't hesitate. We are all with you for the attempts at peace," El-Sisi said.

The Egyptian president also addressed other nations and lovers of peace, asking them to support the ongoing steps towards peace.

"To American President Donald Trump, we have the chance to write a new page for peace," he said.

He reiterated Egypt's support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with the pre-1967 borders, a long-standing Egyptian policy.

"This will bring larger stability to the region," the president said.

El-Sisi also discussed several ongoing crises in the Middle East, including the conflicts in Syria and Libya, and Egypt's efforts in combating terrorism and sources of its funding.

El-Sisi also discussed religious reform as a part of a plan to fight terrorism.

The statements by the Egyptian president come one day after meeting with Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the assembly.

During the meeting at his New York residence, El-Sisi stressed the importance of resuming talks between the Palestinians and Israelis in order to reach a fair two-state solution based on international treaties, a statement by the Egyptian presidency said.

Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for the role of Egypt in the Middle East, including its efforts at fighting terrorism and supporting stability in the region.

Prior to his meeting with Netanyahu, El-Sisi met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New York, where he discussed the latest in the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation process.

This is not the first time that the Egyptian president has publicly called on Israelis and Palestinians to make peace.

In May 2016 El-Sisi said in a public address that peace, prosperity and cooperation will only take happen if both parties are able to reach a two-state solution.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Duke Energy is again apologizing to customers  and answering questions from lawmakers Tuesday about delays in getting customers' power restored more than a week after Hurricane Irma.

State leaders who represent Seminole County asked Duke Energy why they had problems with their notification system and why it has taken so long to restore power to customers in the area.

A spokesperson for the company again apologized for technical glitches he said caused issues with notifying customers about the status of their power restoration.

State leaders demanded the utility make changes to their infrastructure in hopes that might prevent as many people from losing power the next time Floridians face another disaster such as Irma.

Duke Energy said it would have power restored to most of Seminole County customers by 11 p.m. Monday. The company said there are still almost 8,000 customers without power as of Tuesday. Duke said those areas incurred extensive damage, and it hopes to get all of those customers back on the grid by Tuesday evening.

Weve not lived up to our expectations, weve not lived up to your expectations and weve certainly not lived up to our customers expectations," Duke Energy's Chris Flack said. "So as we talk about lessons learned and moving forward, this will be something we are focused on and something well continue to look at.

Republican state Rep. Bob Cortes, R-Altamonte Springs, also sent a letter to Duke Energy, asking them to explain why it has taken longer to restore power to thousands in Seminole County.

Duke had originally told Central Florida customers they would get their power back on by Sunday night; however, the company said technology issues forced more delays.

Unfortunately in this instance, we didnt provide the experience that a lot of our customers wanted, said Jeff Brooks with Duke Energy. We had some costs that caused us to revise some estimates, and we apologize for that. That was totally on us, so thats something were going to work to improve on.

Veronica Abreu says her family was one of a just a few in her Seminole County neighborhood still without power on Tuesday morning. By the afternoon, her power was restored. But Abreu says it wasnt just being without power that frustrated her.

When we would call and report it everyday, it would say we were the first person to report it. So who knows how long it was until they even knew that we didnt have power, said Abreu.

As of Tuesday evening, Duke Energy officials said they had restored power to all but 2,770 customers in Seminole County. The electric utility reported 3,850 customers in Orange County were still without power. The utility says all Central Florida customers should have power restored by Tuesday night.
In his debut address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would "always put America first."

President Donald Trump addresses UN General Assembly

Calls North Korea leader Kim Jong Un 'Rocket Man' again

Also said Iranian government a 'murderous regime'

Elected on the nationalist slogan "America first," Trump used his debut address to the U.N. General Assembly to argue that individual nations should act in their own self-interest, yet rally together when faced with a common threat such as North Korea.

Trump said he will "defend America's interests above all else."

He also said the U.S. will "forever be a great friend to the world," but the U.S. won't be taken advantage of and get nothing in return.

.@POTUS to #UNGA: This is our hope for the diverse nations of the world. We want harmony and friendship, not conflict and strife. pic.twitter.com/66COHG5ZCI  Department of State (@StateDept) September 19, 2017

The discussion on foreign policy took place at the organization's New York headquarters.

Trump said the United States will have no choice but to "totally destroy'' North Korea if the U.S. is forced to defend itself or its allies against the North's aggression.

Just two days ago, the president called North Koreas Kim Jung Un "Rocket Man" in a tweet.

I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 17, 2017

Trump also called Syria's government a "criminal regime" and the Iranian government an "economically depleted rogue state" and "murderous regime" whose chief export is violence.

Before Trump's speech, some weighed in with advice for the president, including Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons.

He needs to show he can be a world leader, rise above name-calling on Twitter or blustering or threatening speeches," Coons advised.

While the White House tweeted about Monday's first meeting at the U.N., calling it productive, the president has been highly critical of the U.N. in the past. Trump tweeted about their cheap marble tiles." He also criticized their approach to ending major conflicts around the world.

Productive first day at UNGA. @POTUS met w/ @netanyahu and @EmmanuelMacron. Busy week ahead! pic.twitter.com/U2hMmpBhRU  Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) September 18, 2017

The cheap 12 inch sq. marble tiles behind speaker at UN always bothered me. I will replace with beautiful large marble slabs if they ask me.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2012

Trump has also frequently questioned the value of a robust American presence around the world. When briefed on the governments diplomatic, military and intelligence posts, the new president would often cast doubt on the need for all the resources.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
LUBBOCK -- Community leaders from across North Americas energy and agriculture heartland gathered in Lubbock last week to celebrate 20 years of progress on the Ports-to-Plains corridor and look forward to the next milestones, including extending Interstate 27.

Among the speakers and conference attendees were elected officials, members of the Texas Department of Transportation and other transportation groups from across the country. Four West Texas mayors spoke on a panel discussion to make their plea. The discussion was booked as Efforts to Create a Major Milestone.

Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope led the panel with Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson, San Angelo Mayor Brenda Gunter and Big Spring Mayor Larry McLellan. Pope talked about how extending I-27 will improve communities and what needs to happen to get it done. The mayors talked about the benefits of trade and commerce flowing through their West Texas communities, plus the business development it would expect to create.

Another highlight of the conference was a panel discussion featuring some of the founders of the Ports-to-Plains Coalition. Former U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, Texas Tech Chancellor, Robert Duncan and El Paso City Manager Tommy Gonzalez, who all played key roles at the inception of Ports-to-Plains, reflected on the challenges they overcame and noted the accomplishments of the organization over the last 20 years.

Economist Dr. Ray Perryman noted that the extension of Interstate 27 would have a tremendous impact on boosting the regions economy and economic competitiveness. In highlighting the importance of interstate highways, Perryman noted the U.S. economy today would be 25 percent smaller without the interstate system. Perryman also said there is a 32 percent annual return on investment in interstate highways.

Michael Reeves, president of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance, said "the commitment we've seen over 20 years through our membership, staying committed to the project and then also the growth, as well, speaks to the commitment and importance it is to the whole region and why it's important for everyone to continue pushing forward.

We have a lot of accomplishments, but we still have a way to go, Reeves said.

The full conference agenda and speaker presentations are available online at portstoplains.com.

Ports-to-Plains is a grassroots alliance of over 275 communities and businesses, including alliance partners Heartland Expressway, Theodore Roosevelt Expressway and Eastern Alberta Trade Corridor Coalition, whose mission is to advocate for a robust international transportation infrastructure to promote economic security and prosperity throughout North America's energy and agricultural heartland including Mexico to Canada. Additional information on the Ports-to-Plains Alliance is available at http://www.portstoplains.com/.
An Islamist militant offensive in a region of northwestern Syria where a safe zone deal had brought months of relative calm prompted heavy government and Russian air strikes on Tuesday, a monitor said.

Idlib province and some adjacent areas form one of four so-called de-escalation zones agreed in May by rebel backer Turkey and government allies Russia and Iran.

Front lines across the province had been relatively quiet since then but intense fighting erupted on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Islamist militant factions led by a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, which are not included in the de-escalation deal, launched a fierce assault on a string of government-held villages along the border between Idlib and neighbouring Hama province.

"An hour later, the regime launched air strikes on the operation's supply lines. Raids are now ongoing across southern Idlib province and northern parts of Hama province," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

He said Russian warplanes later joined in the strikes, which wounded dozens of civilians.

"The attack and air strikes are the most intense in the area since the de-escalation zone was announced in May," Abdel Rahman told AFP.

At least 17 government troops and militia were killed, the Observatory said. Twelve Islamist militants and two medics who had been working with them also died.

State news agency SANA also reported heavy clashes and said that government warplanes had hit the opposing forces' supply lines.

The fighting comes just days after Iran, Russia and Turkey announced they would jointly police the safe zone in Idlib and parts of adjacent Hama and Latakia provinces.

Russia has already deployed military police to the other three safe zones -- Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, parts of the south and some areas of the central province of Homs.

The de-escalation agreement excludes the militants of the Islamic State (IS) group and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance dominated by Al-Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Human factor in aviation



Editor:



As a pilot, I read the article Higher standards urged for air travel (Southington Citizen, Sept. 8) with interest. The point that General Aviation (GA) standards can be increased to improve safety is true. However, the implication that little is being, or has been, done to increase standards and improve GA safety needs addressing. The FAA and GA community are working diligently to educate pilots on improved safety practices.



All activities have risk and piloting a small aircraft is no more risky than other activities (e.g., motorcycle riding, rock climbing, scuba diving). The GA community and FAA know that more laws and rules will not lower accident rates. It is safety education that improves standards and minimizes accidents. The marked drop in accidents for 2014 and 2015 (Nall Report) is considered the result of safety education. Mandating more training will not minimize accidents. Flying has a human factor. Some pilots are natural flyers while others need more training. Certified Flight Instructors are very good at judging a students training progress. After training, a rigorous practical exam must be passed before certification. Every two years thereafter, a flight review must be completed. Periodic medical exams are required. Regardless, the human factor will always present the possibility of making a mistake.



Efforts are continually being made to stress high standards of safety upon the already safe practices of GA. Methods to promote safety have been, and continue to be, updated and improved by experts. To determine what GA is about and how safety is a significant part of the culture, visit a flight school or attend the AOPA fly-in exposition in Groton on Oct. 6-7, 2017. Doing so will show that standards are high and are being made higher. Plus, you are highly likely to have an enjoyable time.



D. W. Dingman, Southington



Hospitals punished



Editor:



Gov. Malloys recent revised proposal to increase hospital tax to 8 percent is ridiculous. Majority of Connecticut hospitals are nonprofit and should not have to be penalized by demanding such high taxes. This threatens the quality of care patients rely on. Find a way to cut spending before Connecticut hospitals begin shutting down much needed services.



Sonnie Sherry, New Milford



Help health care



Editor:



You must all be aware of the disgrace and turmoil imposed on Connecticut residents by Gov. Malloy. He has already put our much-needed hospitals in risk of bankruptcy! If he raises taxes again on hospitals it will be devastating to our state. As a former health system employee I have personally witnessed patient care decline due directly to the governors decisions. Hospitals cannot continue to provide care to the communities that need them. It disgusts me that he has been allowed to continue this trampling of the health care provided to Connecticut residents. You must get involved! Do you truly understand the devastation this is causing? You cannot understand if you hadnt helped to stop it!



We need your help!! Now!



Toni Ann Marchione, Sandy Hook










Political tensions between Bahrain and Qatar rose as Manama accuses Doha of illegally seizing 15 boats from the kingdom with 20 fishermen on board.

In a statement on its website, Bahrain's interior ministry said Qatar had seized three Bahraini boats with 16 aboard in the past two days.

Coast Guard commander Ala Siyadi said in the statement that this took to 15 the overall number of boats seized and 20 the number of fishermen.

The Bahraini authorities did not specify when the other four people were detained, but the ministry said some boats had been seized in 2009.

Meanwhile, Qatar accused Bahrain on Tuesday of abusing a routine fisheries enforcement case.

"The State of Qatar condemned the statement issued by the Bahraini interior ministry on the detention of 15 Bahraini boats carrying 20 sailors, describing it as a desperate attempt to escalate the ongoing diplomatic dispute," the official QNA news agency reported.

The official told QNA the Coast and Borders Security Department had repeatedly warned the fishermen not to operate in Qatari waters and not to use harmful fishing practices.

Qatar had a longstanding territorial dispute with Bahrain over the waters and small islands that separate the peninsula from the main islands of its maritime neighbour which was only resolved by the International Court of Justice in 2001.

In June this year, Bahrain joined with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in breaking off diplomatic relations with Qatar and severing all sea and air links as they accused Doha of supporting terrorism. Doha denies these accusations.

Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, has held talks in Turkey, Germany and France over the past week to try to find a way out of the crisis and is due to meet US President Donald Trump in New York later on Tuesday.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Californias biggest agricultural water supplier said Tuesday that its not ready to spend money on Gov. Jerry Browns proposed delta tunnels plan, a decision that could threaten the future of the $17 billion project.

The Westlands Water District, the powerful San Joaquin Valley supplier that irrigates some of the states biggest farms, was widely expected to pay as much as a fifth of the bill for two 35-mile-long tunnels that would help move water from Northern California to fields and cities to the south, including in the Bay Area.

But Westlands board members said at their Fresno meeting that the district is being counted on to carry too much of the load. The state is expecting the dozens of water agencies that benefit from the State Water Project to help finance the tunnels, but several of them had already begun to rethink their support even before Westlands vote.

Without Westlands contribution, the remaining agencies, which include the Santa Clara Valley Water District, Alameda County Water District and the Tri-Valley areas Zone 7 Water Agency, each would have to pay more.

Paying for the project is certain to force the agencies to raise rates for customers. The state has threatened to withhold benefits from the tunnels project  chiefly, increased water deliveries  from agencies that dont contribute to its cost.

Westlands refusal to pay, however, raises the specter of a bolt for the exits by local water agencies that would make it impossible for the state to move forward with construction.

Westlands stated from the beginning that the district would not obligate its farmers to billions of dollars of new debt without a reasonable assurance that the project would result in a reliable, adequate and affordable supply of water, said district General Manager Tom Birmingham. The uncertainty of the project as currently envisioned was reflected in the vote of todays decision not to participate.

The twin tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are designed to bypass an aging system of canals that have made it difficult for the state to increase water deliveries from Northern California to the Bay Area, Central Valley and Southern California. Proponents say the new infrastructure will make water deliveries more plentiful and reliable and will maintain supplies for dwindling fish populations.

The decade-old plan, known as California WaterFix, was given the go-ahead from environmental regulators this summer, and state water officials had hoped to begin construction as soon as next year. But the financing snag is likely to affect that timeline.

State officials have said if they dont have enough funding to cover the project, theyll have to downsize it. That would prompt another long and arduous approval process.

The takeaway from todays vote is that the current twin tunnels plan is dying from its own weight, said John McManus, executive director of the Golden Gate Salmon Association, which has opposed the project because of fears it could harm fish runs. Its way too big and expensive, even for the growers in the desert-dry western San Joaquin Valley who need the water the most.

State Natural Resources Secretary John Laird said in a statement, There is one thing on which everyone agrees: Our aging water infrastructure needs to be modernized. Failing to act puts future water supply reliability at risk. This vote, while disappointing, in no way signals the end of WaterFix.

Officials with the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which serves 1.9 million South Bay residents, and the Alameda County Water District, which serves about 350,000 in the East Bay, said they had not made up their minds on whether to make a financial commitment.

Officials at the Zone 7 Water Agency, which serves Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin and San Ramon, said they have no choice but to sign on. The agency gets 80 percent of its water from state deliveries through the delta, and the cost of developing new sources would be far greater.

Its expensive and it will probably have an impact on our water rates, but it will be spread out, said Jill Duerig, the agencys general manager.

Duerig said she hopes that all the agencies getting delta water work among themselves to figure out a financing plan and not leave each other guessing about whos going to pay.

This project is the result of a dozen years of trying to come up with something thats going to minimize impacts, she said. This is the best were going to get.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@

sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @kurtisalexander
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

In the days before Paul Doherty died, there was one last thing he wanted to see: last months total solar eclipse.

A senior scientist at the Exploratorium, Mr. Doherty had plans to be on the museums eclipse team stationed in Casper, Wyo. But it was not meant to be  he died of cancer Aug. 17, four days before the solar phenomenon.

His death at age 69 came as a surprise to his friends and family, who recently had been told the disease was in remission.

Mr. Dohertys reputation as a science guru will endure. He worked at the Exploratorium for 31 years, founded its Center for Teaching and Learning, and taught as an adjunct professor at San Francisco State University. He traveled to Tibet to teach science to Buddhist monks. He even co-wrote science fiction novels.

He influenced a disproportionate number of people in the Bay Area with his intelligence, kindness and love of science, said Martin Rock, an associate director at the Exploratorium.

In fact, if you ask any science teacher at any level in the Bay Area, they likely will have been mentored by Paul personally, and will almost certainly be using lessons in the classroom developed and taught by Paul, he said.

Mr. Doherty, a native of Boston, received a doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then spent 12 years as a physics professor at Oakland University in Michigan. His career centered on helping others learn  he published his workshops on his website for others to use. In 1996, the National Science Teachers Association awarded him the title of Best Science Demonstrator at the World Congress of Museums in Helsinki.

But hes better remembered for turning Late Show host David Letterman into a human conduit on live TV. Mr. Doherty hooked the late-night television host to a Van deGraff generator and passed 50,000 volts of electricity through him. It was enough energy to pop the corn kernels Letterman was holding in his open hand.

Hal Murray, who liked to hike and climb with Mr. Doherty, recalled his friends generous spirit.

All of my friends who knew him think he was one of the nicest people they have ever met, Murray said. He was helpful and encouraging. He was very good at explaining things at almost any level.

Mr. Doherty was a skilled rock climber who could scramble up the face of El Capitan and became the first person to ascend a 20,000-foot peak in the Sierra Nevada de Lagunas Bravas in the Andes.

His friends recalled he was also adept at playing a corrugated plastic tube instrument known as the whirly.

When he set his mind to something, there was nothing that could prevent him from accomplishing his goals, Rock said. Whether it was building a Mars chamber to be the first person on Earth to view Martian snowflakes or mastering an instrument called the whirly.

Mr. Doherty is survived by his wife, Ellen Henson.

A celebration of his life is scheduled for the evening of Oct. 6 at the Exploratorium.

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Battalion Chief Terry Smerdel spent more than a quarter century with the San Francisco Fire Department  longer than some of the firefighters who saluted him at his funeral Tuesday have been alive.

The 59-year-old Smerdel, who collapsed and died in his office Sept. 10 after returning from a fire call, was remembered Tuesday by scores of first responders throughout the Bay Area during a service at St. Ignatius Parish on the University of San Francisco campus.

At least 52 fire trucks and engines lined Parker Avenue from Turk Street to Fulton Street, shutting down the area as more than a thousand firefighters in formal dress uniforms gathered at the Richmond neighborhood church.

Outside, Lt. Jonathan Baxter remembered Smerdel, a member of the Fire Department for 26 years, as a firefighters firefighter, someone who was always willing to lend a helping hand to his colleagues.

Now Playing: Chief Battalion Terry Smerdel volunteered to assist NYFD following the tragedy of 9/11. Smerdel died in his office the San Francisco Fire Department on Sunday, September 10, 2017. Video: KTVU

Hes one of those individuals that served as a mentor to myself as well as many firefighters at the San Francisco Fire Department, Baxter said. Just loved his community. Hes going to be sorely missed by the Fire Department and the community at large.

The day he died, Smerdel was detailed to Battalion 1 to fill in at the busier jurisdiction. He had even offered to cook for the firefighters at Station 2 that day, Baxter said.

Thats just the type of person Chief Smerdel was, he said.

When Smerdel came back from a fire alarm call that day, he went into his office. After about an hour, a firefighter walked in to check on him and found he needed medical attention. Paramedics called to the scene were unable to revive him. He died from an undisclosed medical cause, Baxter said.

Terry was a valued member of our department and loved by all, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said in a statement after his death. He was a devoted family man: great husband, father, grandfather and brother.

Firefighters from at least 27 agencies gathered for the funeral, each of their badges bearing a black sash signaling a fallen first responder. Members of the San Francisco Fire Commission were in attendance, along with Hayes-White. Mayor Ed Lee could not attend due to a prearranged trip to Ireland for a conference on city development.

The funeral began with a procession down Fulton Street led by two San Francisco Police Department motorcycles and Fire Engine 15, followed by a hearse containing Smerdels coffin. Smerdel had been promoted to battalion chief last year and headed Battalion 9, overseeing Stations 15, 19, 33, 39 and 43.

Mourners in black descended from the procession and were embraced by Hayes-White outside the church steps. At 9:59 a.m, bells began to toll outside the Jesuit parish.

Firefighters stood at attention along the columns of the Baroque-style church as pallbearers carried the casket wrapped in an American flag up the steps and a bagpiper played in the distance.

After the service, Smerdels casket was placed atop Engine 17, and driven to Holy Cross Cemetery for a private interment. Smerdel had spent years as captain for Station 17 before his recent promotion.

Throughout the service, a contingent of SFPD officers were on hand, forming a motorcade lining Fulton Street. The death of Smerdel was felt across all agencies, Officer Robert Rueca, a police spokesman, said outside of the parish.

We are present to support them in their time of need, he said. Whenever a first responder passes away, we all lose a family member.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
Texas is the latest state to opt in to the federal government and AT&Ts plan to deliver a wireless broadband network to the public safety community, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday.

The First Responder Network Authority, known as FirstNet, worked with AT&T to hand the governor a plan earlier this year for Texas portion of the nationwide broadband network. If Abbott had chosen to opt out, Texas would have had to develop its own such network.

In accepting the plan, Abbott joins many other governors, including those from Michigan, Virginia and New Mexico, who have announced they were opting in. Idaho Gov. Butch Otter also announced Tuesday the state was opting in to FirstNet, and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday his state would opt in.

Texas and Idaho bring to 23 the number of states and territories that have opted in.

Hurricane Harvey is still fresh on our minds as the area continues to recover, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said in a statement. The support we received from AT&T and FirstNet during our response was incredible, and with this partnership, it will only get better.

Dallas-based AT&T is spending about $40 billion over the life of a 25-year agreement to build, deploy, operate and maintain a high-speed, reliable wireless broadband network, according to a news release earlier this year.

By the end of the year, its expected that AT&T will provide pre-emption over its LTE network, meaning fire, police and EMS will have dedicated access to the network when they need it, according to a FirstNet release from June.

Whether responding to storms like Harvey or wildfires in West Texas, our states first responders go above and beyond the call of duty every day to help Texans and save lives, Salazar said in a release from AT&T. The innovative FirstNet system will provide them a network worthy of their service  that will help protect their safety while giving them the tools and technologies they need to stay connected and to help communities and citizens across Texas.

Among other benefits, the network will strengthen emergency-response communications around natural disasters for public safety personnel across Texas, the governors office said in its announcement, pointing to the recent and ongoing response to Hurricane Harvey.

The network will also enhance coverage to benefit first responders and residents in the states rural and tribal areas, according to the release, and will help first responders get secure access to the information they need to handle everything from emergencies to large events such as the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.

The FirstNet network will provide Texas with modernized devices, apps and tools for first responders to boost their communication abilities on the job, according to the release.

In the announcement, Abbott noted he wants to provide the states first responders with the best technology possible.

As we saw in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, our first responders are often the last and only hope for safety in rapidly-changing and life-threatening situations, but this partnership with FirstNet and AT&T allows Texas fire, police, EMS and other public safety personnel to be better equipped when responding in these emergencies, he said in the announcement.

sehlinger@express-news.net

Twitter: @samehlinger
Two suicide bombers killed at least three people and wounded 34 on Tuesday in a northern Iraq restaurant frequented by militiamen battling the Islamic State (IS) militant group, security sources said.

The twin bombings came just five days after a gun and bomb attack on a restaurant and nearby checkpoint in southern Iraq killed 84 people, the deadliest assault claimed by IS since their defeat in second city Mosul in July.

The bombers struck Tuesday in the town of Hajaj, in Salaheddin province between the cities of Tikrit and Baiji.

"Two attackers detonated their explosive belts in a restaurant in Hajaj, killing three people and wounding 34," interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said in a statement.

"A third assailant was shot dead by the security forces."

A police lieutenant colonel said the restaurant was frequented by members of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation), a paramilitary force mainly composed of Iran-trained militias which has played a major role in the fightback against IS.

There was no immediate claim for Tuesday's bombings.

Last Thursday's attack in the southern city of Nasiriyah was swiftly claimed by IS.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Adding insult to injury, Texans trying to rebuild from Hurricane Harvey may be hit again  this time with higher property taxes and utility rates, bond-rating company Moodys Investors Service warned Tuesday.

Some of the 39 Southeast Texas counties declared federal disaster zones may need to pass along some of their cleanup costs to consumers to stay current on debt payments and avoid a downgrade in their credit rating, the Moodys report stated.

Local governments with broad tax and economic bases will likely emerge from temporary liquidity stress with limited-to-no credit impact. Smaller issuers, however, that do not benefit from economic diversification or ample reserve levels are more exposed to credit deterioration, the Moodys report stated.

Higher taxes and utility rates may be unavoidable if insurance proceeds, cash reserves and federal and state government aid programs for municipalities and school districts dont cover higher operating costs, repairs and lost revenues from lower property values and reduced utility revenues, the report added.

Municipalities have the flexibility to raise taxes for debt service, tap reserves and use other options to manage expenses, the report said. Local government managements ability to steer through challenges posed by the hurricane will play a role in whether issuers suffer notable credit impact, the report said.

Harvey is expected to leave a lot of Texans without jobs, making it likely that tax income and property tax revenues will fall, but local governments often conservatively estimate property tax revenues and maintain reserves to provide a cushion for annual debt payments, the report stated.

Revenues from special taxes, such as hotel occupancy taxes, also may decline due to reduced business and tourism activities, the report said. Certain cities may be faced with few options to recoup the lost revenues  most issuers will likely rely on reserves for operations and debt service as needed, Moodys said.

School districts are funded mainly by a mixture of property taxes and state aid, the report explained. Lower property values could reduce school revenues, but the equalized funding formula will provide more state-aid revenues as log as enrollment remains consistent. In cases where students are displaced, the Texas Education Agency allows districts to apply for short-term enrollment loss waivers that would help mitigate potential state-aid declines, the report stated.

Higher property taxes and adjusted property valuations could appear in 2018, the report explained.

Properties are assessed in Texas by appraisal districts Jan. 1 for the upcoming budget year. Residential property owners have until April 30 to protest valuations. Other property owners have until May 31. Valuations are certified on Aug. 31, and tax bills are mailed to property owners on Oct. 1, becoming delinquent the following Feb. 1, the Moodys report stated.

Local taxing units may request an appraisal district to reassess all properties in a disaster area. The property taxes would be prorated for the remainder of the year in which the disaster occurred. Hurricane Harvey happened about two-thirds of the way into 2017, reaching the Texas coast on Aug. 25, damaging an area stretching from Corpus Christi to Port Arthur in Texas, while flooding much of Houston.

One third of fiscal 2018 taxes could potentially be assessed at a lower property value and lead to revenue declines, the report warned.

Moodys added that unpaid taxes become a lien on the properties. After deemed delinquent, the foreclosure process begins.

Property tax rate hikes of more than 8 percent are subject to rollback elections, the report said.

dhendricks@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Young chefs showcase their skills

It was the dubbed the Young Chef Showcase, and the young chefs did not disappoint. Three Midland High School students, Zach Breaux, Devin Felarve and Jesus Lozano took over the kitchen of Opals Table -- where they currently work -- to raise money for the Midland High School Culinary Program, which is led by Patsy Wallis.

Chef Chip Hight let the students feature their skills and showcase their creativity for the fundraiser. Those in attendance for the dinner chose a bottle of wine from a select menu to pair with their meal.

The menu included Caesar salad with cured egg yolk, flaming hot Cheeto chicken, pimento cheese-stuffed jalapenos, shrimp bisque, roasted cornish game hen with local vegetables, heritage duroc pork tamale with green tomato salsa, West Texas peanut mousse with chocolate and ice cream with kajari melon puree.







Crowd views eclipse at MCPL

Hundreds of Midlanders showed up at the Midland County Public Library Centennial branch to get a safe glimpse of the solar eclipse that captivated the nation on Aug. 21. Families were lined up outside the library doors before opening time hoping to get a pair of solar glasses in order to view the eclipse outside.

Families also came to view a live stream of the eclipse that was shown inside the library. Throughout the day, kids made arts and crafts related to the eclipse -- such as a sun-and-moon spinner and a homemade eclipse viewer made out of a cereal box and foil.







To have an event included in "Out and About," contact Julie Donnelly at mrtjulie@outlook.com.






BRIDGEPORT - The Russians have been meddling with Americas elections and now apparently have their hands into our cooking oil.

Two New York men were recently arrested after police said they admitted being ordered by the Russians, to suck used cooking oil from local restaurants.

Russia is one of the world leaders in reprocessing used cooking oil which it then sells to Iran and Turkey.

Anthony Morgan, 35 and Jahquay Rowe, 21, of Flushing, N.Y., were both charged with fifth-degree larceny and released after posting $1,000 bonds.

On Sept. 10, police said officers were flagged down by the owner of Valley Farms Drive In on Boston Avenue. They said the owner then pointed to the outside rear of the restaurant where a small tanker truck was pumping used cooking oil from a tank. They said the restaurant owner told officers he had not given permission to the truck driver to take the oil.

On the side of the truck was the company name, Grease Monkeys Inc. of Old Bridge, N.J.

When they confronted the two men in the truck, later identified as Morgan and Rowe, police said the men admitted they did not have permission to take the oil. They told officers their Russian bosses, in Queens, N.Y., had told them to drive along Route 1 in Connecticut looking for unlocked containers of used cooking oil, police said.

The New Jersey company listed on the truck is out of business and the telephone has been disconnected.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

MONROE  The photos that journalist Lara Logan displayed on a series of video monitors Tuesday afternoon at the Waterview were almost unbearable to look at.

They were blurry, and too close-up to reveal much. But what they showed was horrifying.

They were taken during the brutal 2011 sexual assault she experienced while covering the Arab Spring in Egypt. Logan, best known for her work on CBS News and 60 Minutes, was nearly killed by a mob of men who separated her from he camera crew and security team and assaulted her.

One of the photos Logan displayed was a close-up of her face, clearly distended in horror during the attack. Others showed her surrounded by men. Though the photos  which she found on the Internet  dont show what theyre doing, its clear from the look on Logans face that shes being hurt.

I wonder what the person holding that camera was thinking, Logan said. They certainly werent thinking of intervening.

Logan spoke before about 440 people during the 20th annual Speaking of Women fundraiser for The Center for Family Justice. The center provides shelter, counseling and other services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Bridgeport and the surrounding towns. In an average year, the program helps about 9,500 people.

One of the most important services it provides is listening to victims of violence, who often find it hard to get support, said Debra A. Greenwood, the centers president and CEO.

When youre a victim of abuse, you need someone, she said. Thats the darkest moment of their lives.

Thats a feeling Logan can relate to. During her speech, she described her attack in detail, saying it quickly evolved from feeling peoples hands where they werent supposed to be, to having her attackers tear at her clothes, her hair  even attempting to tear her breasts off her body. She was sure she was going to die.

I tried to run, and I couldnt run, she said.

Logan said the photos, which remained on the monitors throughout her talk, represent my dark place, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. She said the incident taught her about how tragedy changes people.

I think that my purpose in surviving that attack was to be living example to so many people that healing and surviving is not the same as forgetting, Logan said. Healing isnt hiding, and its not erasing.

She said speaking at the centers fundraiser is like coming home, for her, because she has empathy for its clients and the ordeals theyre undergoing. I know what its like to have nowhere to go, she said.

Logan implored the centers volunteers to teach clients how to cope with their pain without encouraging them to ignore it. Dont tell your victims that healing is forgetting, she said.

For those gathered Tuesday, Logans words were powerful and inspiring.

She was outstanding, said Karen DelVecchio, executive vice president with the Bridgeport Regional Business Council. She was so amazingly honest and truthful about her experience.

Those who believe they or someone they know is a victim of violence can call the Center for Family Justice domestic violence hotline at 203-384-9559 or the sexual violence hotline at 203-333-2233.
A Tennessee university president has apologized for offending African-American students with a table centerpiece that included stalks of cotton - a piece of Southern-style decor that is raising questions about cultural and racial sensitivity.

Lipscomb University President Randy Lowry said in a statement late last week that he had invited African-American students to his home for dinner, serving what one student called "black meals" - "mac n cheese, collard greens, corn bread." A picture posted on Instagram showed the meals placed around a table that was embellished with a jar filled with decorative branches and cotton stalks.

"Several students shared with me their concern about the material used for centerpieces which contained stalks of cotton," Lowry wrote in an email, which was shared Thursday on Facebook. "The content of the centerpieces was offensive, and I could have handled the situation with more sensitivity.

"I sincerely apologize for the discomfort, anger or disappointment we caused and solicit your forgiveness."

Instagram user nakaylayvonne wrote last week that African-American students had been invited to the university president's home to share a meal.

"As we arrived to the president's home and proceeded to go in we seen cotton as the center pieces," she wrote. "We were very offended, and also the meals that were provided resembled many 'black meals' they had mac n cheese, collard greens, corn bread etc. The night before Latinos also had dinner at his house and they had tacos. They also DIDN'T have the center piece that we HAD tonight."

She said that when Lowry was asked why there was cotton on the table, he told them he did not know.

"He kind of thought it was 'fallish,' THEN he said 'it ISNT INHERENTLY BAD IF WERE ALL WEARING IT' then walked off," she wrote on Instagram.

Lowry told the Tennessean that he was "probably not as artful as I should have been" in his response, "but I was trying to meet everybody and get on with the show."

"I wrote in my apology that I did the next day how I understand that cotton represents something to some of the African American community that takes us back to the deplorable times of slavery. So I understand that student and am extraordinarily sorry to have anything on the table that would have been offensive," he told the newspaper.

"It was extraordinarily innocent, but I understand fully and I have tried to apologize fully for any offense that might have caused any of our students."

Comments on the university's Facebook page varied widely on the issue, with some calling it "offensive" and others calling it "nonsense," saying the backlash against the university president is "ridiculous."

"I'm sorry, but as a lipscomb alum I find this completely ridiculous," one person wrote. "That is a popular style of decorating in the south right now, and has NOTHING to do with race. You can't do anything now without someone being offended."

"I'm white and regardless of [your] decorating expertise or preferences, this is with poor taste," another chimed in. "You're seriously telling me you don't see how this would be offensive?"

One commenter, who identified herself on the school's Facebook page as a black student who was at the dinner, said the issue is about more than cotton.

"There were other problems that occurred at the dinner that are not mentioned in this 'apology,' " she wrote. "We came to his house after being told that we would get to share our experiences as a black student and to have a question and answer session with President Lowry. Instead, we heard his life story, his wife's, and the life story of David Lipscomb (with an emphasis on all the good things he did for slaves and African Americans). We did not get a chance to voice any of our questions like we were promised. Therefore, we are upset about other things aside from these poorly chosen cotton centerpieces."

Amid the uproar, a Texas woman also called out the arts-and-crafts retailer Hobby Lobby last week for selling such stalks of cotton, or "cotton bouquets."

"This decor is WRONG on SO many levels," Facebook user Daniell Rider wrote Thursday on the store's page. "There is nothing decorative about raw cotton. . . . A commodity which was gained at the expense of African-American slaves. A little sensitivity goes a long way."

Hobby Lobby did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin posted a link on Facebook to a story about it on Young Conservatives, a right-wing news and opinion website, along with a caption: "You need to see this."

The blog post stated:

"At what point does the insanity end?

"Pro-tip: everyone in the South picked cotton, not just slaves.

"And slaves not only picked cotton, they also picked tobacco, for example.

"So everyone who is truly woke shouldn't smoke."

Lipscomb University is a predominantly white school, with white students making up more than 76 percent of the undergraduate population. Black students account for 7 percent, Hispanic students less than 7 percent and Asian student less than 3 percent, according to a diversity report. The university president told the Tennessean that improving diversity on campus has been a main concern.

"It doesn't hurt the goal. It doesn't change the mission. I think it acknowledges that we're not perfect," Lowry told the newspaper. "We always seek to be perfect but we never expected we would be - even the president of the university."
The call that led Georgia Tech campus police to respond to a man reportedly wielding a knife was made by the student who was later shot and killed by officers, police investigators said Monday night.

That student, Scout Schultz, left three suicide notes behind in a dormitory room, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The developments added further layers of complexity to the death of Schultz, a 21-year-old who led the university's Pride Alliance and had a history of mental illness.

In the call to police Saturday night, Scout Schultz described a suspicious person "as a white male, with long blond hair, white T-shirt & blue jeans who is possibly intoxicated, holding a knife and possibly armed with a gun on his hip," according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Investigators said a multipurpose tool that contained a knife was recovered from the scene. The statement did not say whether the knife was displayed but said no firearms were recovered.

An attorney for Schultz's family said in a statement Monday night the knife remained in its holder and Scout's arms were at the student's side.

"It's tragic that as Scout was battling mental health issues that pushed them to the edge of desperation, their life was taken with a bullet rather than saved with non-lethal force," said the statement from Chris Stewart, the Schultz family attorney.

The parents of Scout Schultz said their child, who identified as neither male nor female, had suffered from anxiety and depression and had spent time in counseling after attempting suicide by hanging two years ago.

But Scout's death stunned Lynne and Bill Schultz, who described Scout as "a very loving and caring and empathetic person."

"I don't think there was a single person that didn't love them and cherish them for their involvement in the different causes," Bill Schultz said.

The shooting in Atlanta comes as police nationwide continue to face protest and media scrutiny over the use of deadly force. Police across the country shoot and kill an average of three people each day, a rate virtually unchanged in recent years despite calls from police leaders and the public for change.

On Monday night, Georgia Tech officials urged students to stay indoors because of violent protests on campus, the Associated Press reported. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a police car was set afire as about 50 people marched to the Georgia Tech Police Department headquarters in Atlanta.

Mental illness is a major factor in fatal police shootings, playing a role in at least one-fourth of all such shootings - at least 159 so far in 2017 - according to a Washington Post analysis.

Police reform groups have long emphasized the need for officers to undergo specialized crisis intervention training to learn best practices for interacting with people who are in the midst of a mental health crisis, but many police departments do not require such training.

Since January 2015, police nationwide have shot and killed at least 392 people who were armed with knives, blades or other edged weapons - an average of about one such shooting every four days - according to The Post's database of fatal police shootings.

At least 102 of those cases, including the shooting of Schultz, occurred in 2017.

Fatal shootings of people armed with knives account for about 14 percent of the nearly 2,700 deadly police shootings tracked by The Post since the beginning of 2015.

Officers from Georgia Tech's campus police encountered Schultz, a computer engineering student, in a parking lot outside a dormitory, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Schultz wasn't holding a gun in video captured from a window above the parking lot shortly before midnight, as the campus was placed on lockdown.

Stewart said that Schultz was shot once and that the bullet pierced the heart. Stewart said that only one officer fired and that none of the other officers who responded from the Georgia Tech police had been issued stun guns. A spokesman for Georgia Tech told CNN that campus police do not carry stun guns.

"That's baffling to me that on a college campus you'd rather give the officers the most deadly weapons and not equip them with less-lethal weapons," Stewart said, noting that Schultz's family is hoping the death leads to changes within the department, including better training.

Video shows officers repeatedly telling Schultz to drop the weapon as the student advances.

"Come on, man, let's drop the knife," an officer with his gun drawn says in the graphic video. But Schultz walks toward him.

"Shoot me!"

The officer keeps backing up, moving behind a parking barricade and imploring again: "Nobody wants to hurt you, man."

At least four officers had surrounded Schultz, according to WSB-TV. In the video, one of the officers calls out to the student, who turns away from the barricade and begins to move toward the new voice.

"What are we doing here?" the officer asks. No reply.

"Do not move!"

"Drop it!" someone says finally, as Schultz takes three more steps toward an officer, followed by the report of a gunshot and many screams. Schultz died Sunday at an Atlanta hospital.

Citing the state investigation into its officers, Georgia Tech declined to comment on the incident, though a spokesman called it a "tragic death."

While the state's investigative bureau referred to Schultz as a male - "Scott Schultz" - the student and the student's family used the pronoun "them," and on the Pride Alliance website Schultz used the description "bisexual, nonbinary and intersex."

"When I'm not running Pride or doing classwork I mostly play D & D and try to be politically active," Schultz wrote.

Bill Schultz said recently Scout had expressed interest in the anti-fascist political movement and frustration with news coverage of police-involved shootings.

Scout, a fourth-year student at Georgia Tech, was born in Rockville, Md., and spent time in Iowa, Missouri and Florida before moving to the Atlanta area six years ago. Bill Schultz, a retired computer engineer, said Scout came by an interest in engineering earnestly and was scheduled to graduate a semester early.

Bill Schultz said Scout was "all justice for everyone. Now, we have to seek justice for Scout."
Iraqi security forces and paramilitary units launched a dawn assault Tuesday against one of the Islamic State (IS) militants group's last bastions in the vast western province of Anbar bordering Syria.

The Joint Operations Command, which is coordinating Iraqi security forces battling IS, said an offensive had begun to retake the town of Anna and the nearby village of Al-Rayhanna.

"Infantry units and armour backed by the Hashed al-Shaabi began an offensive to liberate Anna and Al-Rayhanna from Daesh terrorists," JOC head General Abdelamir Yarallah said in a statement, using an Arabic name for IS.

A general in the area said the operation was "developing along three axes" involving the army, police and the Hashed al-Shaabi, a paramilitary force composed largely of Iran-trained Shiia militias.

The operation was supported by Iraqi army helicopters and warplanes from the US-led coalition battling IS in Iraq and Syria, the general said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The head of Anna's municipal council, Abdel Karim al-Ani, confirmed the start of the offensive and said security forces had opened a road out of the town to allow civilians to flee.

Anna, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of the border with Syria, is one of three towns in Anbar province under IS control.

After retaking the town, Iraqi forces are expected to next target Rawa to the northwest and finally Al-Qaim, which is close to the border with the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor.

Three years after IS took control of large parts of Syria and Iraq, Iraqi forces are pushing to retake all areas seized by the militants, scoring their biggest victory in July with the recapture of second city Mosul.

Iraq is preparing to launch an assault against another of the militants' final strongholds, the town of Hawija about 300 kilometres (185 miles) north of Baghdad.

IS is also under pressure in Syria, where a US-backed alliance of Kurds and Arabs is battling to retake the militants' de facto capital Raqa and Russian-backed regime forces are fighting for control of the city of Deir Ezzor.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


CHP / /

A 44-year-old California Highway Patrol officer was struck and killed while riding his motorcycle to work on Tuesday morning in San Martin, officials said.

The rider, identified as San Jose resident James Reynolds Branik, worked out of the CHPs Hollister-Gilroy office, monitoring a northbound Highway 101 weigh station in San Martin, officials said.
Let's start with a simple lesson: Trending on Twitter is not an accomplishment. It is not an honor. It does not mean success.

I mean, seriously. #NationalCheeseburgerDay and #TrumpsAWhiteSupremacist were also trending in America on Monday morning.

But some adults in the nation's capital missed that lesson.

It started when comedian Dave Chappelle took the stage before millions of Emmy viewers Sunday night and admitted that he had missed the rehearsal, so he was reading his script cold. And his Washington, D.C., public school education would be the thing to save him.

"Please forgive me. Shout-out to D.C. Public Schools. Here we go," he said.

Awesome. And what a great way to give a shout-out to the school system that educated you.

Then the kooky John Oliver, a graduate of the Mark Rutherford School in Bedford, England, and Christ's College at the University of Cambridge, ran with the mention.

"Like Dave Chappelle, I would like to unexpectedly thank D.C. Public Schools because I think it would be great if it started trending tonight on Twitter for no reason whatsoever. So, if you're tweeting about the Emmys at home, please use the hashtag D.C. Public Schools," Oliver said.

So #DCPublicSchools took off on Twitter.

And then D.C. public school officials reacted as though they were on the stage.

"What an unexpected honor!" someone tweeted from the school system's official account.

Trending is fun, it's silly, and sometimes it's embarrassing. But it is not an honor.

This is basic middle-school stuff at home. Tweens are always being told to understand and learn the difference between popular and accomplished, "liked" and actually liked. Likes, retweets and followers are hardly a measure of success. Social media mastery doesn't replace hard work, grit and heart.

The D.C. public schools have amazing alumni to be proud of, including Chappelle. And they range in field and fame from The Washington Post's Colbert King to the New York Times' Frank Rich. DCPS graduates bookend my music collection, from Minor Threat's Ian MacKaye to Meshell Ndegeocello. They are leaders in business and government.

And every day, extraordinary teachers change children's lives. I know some teachers who had huge influences on my children.

But the school system today is also a chaotic, struggling enterprise, where a solid education in a safe environment is often guaranteed only by ZIP code, where the lottery system is a frenetic annual game that decides a family's future, where well-to-do parents in the wrong ZIP codes will rent a ghost apartment in the right ZIP code (because that's still cheaper than private school) and where disparities remain enormous.

"Excellence exists in our schools today, but too many of our children never experience it," D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson wrote in The Post this month.

It is a school district with high schools that have a 95 percent graduation rate and a 66 percent graduation rate. Want to see how different these schools are?

Three years ago, in one of the good-ZIP-code schools, Avery Gagliano's parents received robo-calls and notices of social services intervention when their middle-schooler missed class to perform at international piano competitions and prestigious festivals.

That same year, the same school system - in a different ZIP code - didn't contact anyone when Relisha Rudd, who was living in a homeless shelter for families at the time, missed school for 30 days. Relisha is still missing.

Today, the school system is also struggling with suspensions, something uncovered by a Post investigation published this summer. Schools were touting huge drops in suspension rates, even as their own officials warned principals to stop "hiding" suspensions.

"This is inappropriate, unprofessional and fraudulent," Instructional Superintendent David Pinder wrote in an email obtained by The Post.

These stories are also ways that D.C. Public Schools made an appearance on Twitter.

Listen, as the product of public schools, I get that public school systems need all the support they can get. Teachers are still underpaid, unsupported and unappreciated for the phenomenal job they do of taming, sculpting and educating our kids.

Lord knows I can't do the job.

But this Twitter trumpeting is not the victory to embrace. This trending is also pretending.

Pretending there isn't huge work ahead.

Pretending it's a healthy and equitable system.

Pretending you know what the heck you're tweeting about, Emmy watchers.

And once the #DCPublicSchools hashtag is bumped off the trending list by a celebrity who farts in public or a cat that eats eggplant (which may have happened an hour ago), we're still left with a system with huge flaws and huge disparities.
Former Maryland attorney general Douglas Gansler said Monday that he will not join the increasingly crowded field of Democrats seeking to challenge popular incumbent Gov. Larry Hogan, R, in 2018.

"At this point, I have no plans to enter the race," Gansler, a partner in a Washington, D.C. law firm, told The Washington Post. "I've spent 22 years in government service, and I'm enjoying what I'm doing in the private sector and working with nonprofits."
ISTANBUL -- Al-Qaida-linked jihadists began a large-scale offensive Tuesday against government targets in western Syria, state media and opposition activists said, prompting a fierce response by pro-government forces and potentially impeding international efforts to quell fighting in that part of the country.

The campaign started Tuesday morning when insurgents - led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a former al-Qaida affiliate - launched attacks on government-held villages in Hama province, just south of the jihadists' stronghold in Idlib province.

Their offensive was met with airstrikes and mortar fire, including attacks on medical facilities and personnel in rebel-held areas, activists said. One medic was reported killed in an airstrike on al-Tih hospital in southern Idlib, according to activists. Further strikes were reported on field hospitals in Khan Sheikhoun, the site of a deadly chemical weapons attack in April, which the United Nations has blamed on Syrian government forces.

The fresh fighting threatened to upend a months-long initiative by Iran, Russia and Turkey to establish what they call "de-escalation zones" in four regions of Syria, including parts of Hama and jihadist-controlled Idlib, which also hosts a growing number of displaced civilians.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, rejected the talks, which took place over months in the Kazakh capital of Astana. The group denounced the negotiations as a "betrayal" and a plot to hand opposition areas over to the Syrian government.

Both Iran and Russia are staunch backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and have contributed troops and military assets to crush Syria's rebellion. The conflict began in 2011 as a popular uprising but quickly morphed into a brutal civil war, sucking in world powers and fueling the rise of the Islamic State.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced last week that Iran, Russia and Turkey had agreed to deploy armed observers on the edge of Idlib, where troops would provide a cordon with checkpoints and watchtowers. It was unclear when these forces would be deployed.

The insurgent offensive Tuesday was the largest in the area since March, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based monitoring group said the campaign kicked off with heavy shelling and machine-gun fire on government-held villages in northern Hama, including along a highway that links the capital, Damascus, with other provinces.

A spokesman for HTS, Imad al-Din Mujahed, told an opposition outlet that the group did not want to broadcast its reasons for launching the offensive. The same outlet, Ennab Baladi, quoted a media activist linked with HTS as saying the battle was in response to the agreement on de-escalation zones.

The jihadists will continue to fight to prevent the establishment of such a zone in Idlib, the activist, Abu Baraa al-Qahtani, said.

---

Zakaria in Istanbul and Habib in Stockholm contributed to this report.
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May declined to rule out firing outspoken Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as she said her Cabinet is "absolutely clear" in backing her strategy for Brexit.

Asked directly by Sky News whether Johnson should be ousted for freelancing on how Britain should leave the European Union, May ducked the question and gave the tepid endorsement that he is "doing good work" as her top diplomat.

"Boris and others" are "all very clear about the destination we have as a country and that is getting that deep and special relationship with the EU when we leave," May said in New York, where she and Johnson are attending meetings of the United Nations.

May spoke as media reports gave conflicting reports over Johnson's future days after he released a 4,200-word opus on Brexit that took a harder line than others in the government.

As the prime minister prepares to deliver her own vision for the divorce on Friday, the Daily Telegraph reported that Johnson, the figurehead of last year's Leave campaign, may resign before the end of the week if he doesn't like the contents of her speech. The pound strengthened on the report.

He told reporters after a jog in New York that he won't quit and May's spokesman said he will be in the same job by the weekend. He and May are staying in the same hotel and may bump into each other at the Commonwealth reception Tuesday evening in New York.

At the heart of their current differences is whether May will sanction paying the EU for continued access to its single market for goods and services either for a temporary period after Brexit occurs in March 2019 or perhaps even in the long-term. May was coy on that subject too, saying only that "in the future, year on year on year, we will not be sending huge sums of money into the European Union."

The Telegraph, a Conservative-leaning newspaper for which Johnson used to write, reported that he was ready to walk out if May embraces a "Swiss model" for Brexit in which the U.K. pays for trade. She is due to flesh out her thinking on Friday in Florence, Italy.

"The Cabinet is absolutely clear about the destination we are aiming for in relation to our European negotiations," May said. "We want to make sure we get the best possible deal for the United Kingdom as we leave the European Union."

Late on Monday Johnson openly discussed leaving office in an interview, having shocked the political establishment late on Friday with his Telegraph essay that argued that Britain shouldn't offer cash to access its biggest market. He gave an upbeat assessment of the U.K.'s "glorious" future after the split.

May will renew her efforts to show who is in charge on Thursday, with a special Cabinet meeting on the eve of her Brexit speech. She told reporters on a trip to North America on Monday that Johnson's article wasn't authorized and that she is in control.

Johnson's maneuvers have thrown the plans for her speech into disarray. She had been hoping to break the deadlock in negotiations, which have stalled over the question of the U.K.'s divorce settlement. Instead she may have to protect her flank against attacks from euroskeptics such as Johnson.

May's authority over the Conservative Party was shredded after she called a snap election and lost her majority in June. Colleagues including Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, who wants to maintain ties to Europe and was previously shut out by May, have now gained greater clout. Johnson released his Brexit vision just as the rest of the Cabinet was mostly coming together around a common stance for the split.

His foray risks the wrath of colleagues as he's perceived as putting his own ambitions ahead of government unity. May needs to make a political calculation if she can afford to let go of him or if she still needs his stamp of approval.

"There are rules called collective responsibility," former Tory Chancellor Kenneth Clarke told BBC Radio 4. "Sounding off in this way is completely unacceptable. Unfortunately after the general election it's difficult for her to sack him."

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Tony Blair continued to argue for Brexit to be reversed. He told Bloomberg there is a 30 percent chance that the split doesn't happen. "I still have some difficulty seeing how, after the general election which produced a hung parliament in the U.K., this government is going to get its form of Brexit through," he said.

While Johnson was putting pressure on May from one side, at a meeting with businesses investing in the U.K. on the sidelines of the U.N., she was reminded of the need to get a deal that doesn't scare companies off.

"What we need is clarity and consistency," Ken Frazier, CEO and president of Merck & Co., told the prime minister at the start of the meeting. In an interview afterwards, he said he wanted to "understand what the regulatory requirements will be" after Brexit.

---

Bloomberg's Svenja O'Donnell and Tim Ross contributed.
WASHINGTON - Navy leaders acknowledged Tuesday several unsettling truths about the service's dangerous deployment pace and the role physical exhaustion - some sailors routinely endure 100-hour workweeks, they said - may have played in two deadly collisions at sea.

While leading a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., demanded answers and accountability for a string of recent mishaps, to include three collisions and a grounding, that have exposed the Navy's struggle to address widespread leadership shortcomings and the erosion of training standards.

"As leaders of our Navy, you must do better," McCain admonished Navy Secretary Richard Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson during a hearing to learn what the service is doing to restore confidence in its surface warfare fleet, and correct glaring questions about its commanders' ability to hone seamanship and readiness amid constant deployments.

During his opening remarks, McCain, whose familial ties to the Navy span multiple generations, read aloud the names of several honored guests in attendance. They included the mothers, fathers and spouses of the 17 sailors killed this year.

"Your presence here today reminds us of our sacred obligation to look after the young people who serve in our military," McCain said, noting his personal connection with the USS John S. McCain, a guided-missile destroyer named after his father and grandfather.

The ship collided with an oil tanker in a bustling sea transit lane near Singapore, killing 10 sailors on Aug. 21. Two months prior, the USS Fitzgerald, also a guided-missile destroyer, collided with a container ship in Tokyo Bay. That accident left seven sailors dead.

"We will identify shortcomings, fix them and hold people accountable," McCain said, shifting his focus to Spencer and Richardson.

Global demand for Navy assets has soared since the United States went to war in 2001, but its number of ships has been cut by 20 percent since then, the officials said. Faced with persistent threats from North Korea and China's growing empirical ambitions, U.S. commanders have leaned on the Navy to maintain a steady, robust presence in the Western Pacific.

The McCain and the Fitzgerald both belong to the Navy's 7th Fleet, which is headquartered in Japan, and what befell their crews brings into stark focus how more missions in this region have left the Navy spread thin, hobbled by too few ships and worn-out, under-trained crews.

With a current fleet of 276 vessels, the service has taken considerable risk, officials say. They've argued it would require about 350 ships to meet minimum needs.

Richardson shifted some blame to Congress, saying the pressure Navy commanders feel to meet high operational demands has been exacerbated by automatic military spending cuts mandated by lawmakers. This impedes training schedules and budgeting for new ships and modern weapons, the admiral said.

But Richardson also acknowledged that commanders at every level of the Navy share responsibility for these recent mishaps.

"At the core, this issue is about command," he said, which includes the spiraling consequences of a "can-do" culture that agrees to take on missions despite perilous gaps in training and certifications designed to measure how ready ships and sailors are for combat. The Navy has sacked at least half a dozen commanders following the four accidents this year, including the 7th Fleet commander, a three-star admiral - part of at least 20 reprimands of sailors across three ships.

McCain and other lawmakers on the armed services committee honed in on a critical new report, released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office, highlighting the 100-hour weeks being worked by many sailors, a burden that erodes time needed for training and rest. Richardson told McCain he does not deny sailors commonly work those hours.

"There is a cultural factor here, where you're more dedicated if you can stay awake," Richardson said. "It's like pulling an all-nighter in college." Exhaustion leads to a "corrosive effect" on decision-making and performance, he added, noting that studies are being conducted to examine how schedules can be rectified.

"If we're pointing out that sailors are working 100 hour weeks, I'm not sure we need a study," McCain shot back.

John Pendleton, a defense readiness expert with the Government Accountability Office, bluntly acknowledged during his testimony the extremes some personnel take to man their ships and aircraft. Sailors, he said, "wish for a 100-hour week."

The watchdog published another report in June that found combat certifications had lapsed for nearly 40 percent of cruisers and destroyers ported in Japan - a five-fold increase since 2015.

Reports also found ship staffing cutbacks since the 2000s have led to safety risks, along with maintenance windows prolonged by older ships outliving their intended lifespans. About 60 percent of 169 surface ships were out of commission for 6,603 operational days from 2011 to 2016, the report said, or about 18 years-worth of training and mission time.

In a stern closing statement, McCain warned that such a relentless operational tempo not only risks driving away talent, it sets the conditions for human error. He implored Navy leaders to inject "common sense" into their overhauls.

"I think I know what 100-hour weeks does to people over time," he told Richardson, exasperated at the pace of change when everyone in the room acknowledged exhaustion was a central reason for the Navy's troubles.

"You could make the change tomorrow," he said.
A prominent Chicago Palestinian activist will be deported to Jordan on Tuesday, her spokesman said.

Supporters and community activists plan to gather at O'Hare International Airport before Rasmea Odeh, 70, departs for Jordan, said Hatem Abudayyeh, coordinator of her defense committee.

Odeh pleaded guilty in April to concealing her convictions when she applied for U.S. citizenship in Detroit in 2004. Her record would have disqualified her from entering the U.S. a decade earlier.

In 1970, Odeh was convicted by the occupation forces of two bombings in Jerusalem, including one that killed two young men at a supermarket.

She insists she was tortured into confessing by the Israeli military. She was sentenced to life in prison but was released in 1979 as part of a prisoner swap with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

With family in Michigan, she applied for a U.S. visa in 1994, but didn't disclose her criminal record. She also didn't disclose it when she applied for citizenship in 2004. Odeh was convicted of lying and sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2014, but the verdict was overturned. She chose to make a deal with the government rather than face a second trial.

Odeh didn't serve any time in prison after pleading guilty, but she lost her citizenship and must leave the U.S.

In Chicago, Odeh was associate director of the Arab American Action Network, which provides social services and education. She is widely respected for her work with immigrants, especially Arab women.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

Search Keywords:

Short link:


MEXICO CITY - A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck central Mexico on Tuesday, collapsing buildings and killing scores of people on the anniversary of a 1985 quake that devastated Mexico City.

Coming less than two weeks after a deadly temblor off the country's Pacific coast, and just hours after a siren signaled an annual earthquake drill in the capital, Tuesday's quake shook the ground with terrifying force, buckling walls and sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets. There were reports of fires and gas leaks.

At least 149 people were reported killed, local officials and news agencies reported. They included 55 people in Morelos state south of Mexico City, 32 in the state of Puebla, one in Guerrero state, nine in the state of Mexico - which surrounds the capital - and 49 in Mexico City.

Residents feared more people were buried under rubble. At least 44 buildings collapsed or partly collapsed in the quake, according to Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera. In the central Mexico City neighborhood of Del Valle, a frantic scene played out Tuesday afternoon as hundreds of people gathered to search for trapped residents. At least two multistory apartment buildings fell, and residents said dozens of people could have been inside. Marines, medical volunteers and regular citizens formed lines to pass trash cans, plastic crates, and plastic barrels to remove debris.

Rescue workers carried at least one person out on a stretcher while helicopters circled.

Victor Arrecha, 25, who lived nearby, said he feared that up to 40 people might have been trapped inside one of the buildings.

"My friends lived there," he said, looking at the pancaked apartment building directly in front of his house.

Elsewhere, dozens of people were rescued from collapsed buildings.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the quake was 76 miles southeast of the capital, near the town of Raboso in Puebla. (The epicenter is the point on the earth's surface directly above where the earthquake occurs.) The quake struck at 1:14 p.m. local time, the agency said. There appeared to be widespread damage, including to a major highway connecting Mexico City to Cuernavaca, the capital of Morelos, about 35 miles to the south. Authorities closed the Mexico City airport to inspect it for damage.

At the Clinica Gabriel Mancera in Mexico City, more than a dozen hospital beds had been set up on the patio outside as a triage center on Tuesday afternoon. Leticia Gonzalez, a 45-year-old maid in a nearby apartment building, said she tried to race out of the building but that concrete crashed down as she fled. Her right leg was wrapped in a bandage as she grimaced in pain outside the hospital.

"We were all running like crazy," she said. "This was the worst earthquake I've ever seen."

Marisela Avila Gomez, 58, was in her apartment in the central Narvarte neighborhood in the capital when the shaking began, toppling her furniture and shattering the windows. A piece of glass sliced deep into her right leg.

"My whole house is full of blood," she said.

Her husband, Francisco Vicente Lozada Garcia, 55, a landscaper, tried to drive across town to get to his wife, but traffic was snarled and the "street felt like gelatin."

The couple eventually made it to the Clinica Gabriel Mancera, where Avila Gomez was treated.

The earthquake struck less than two weeks after the 8.1-magnitude quake off the Pacific coast of southern Mexico. Scientists said the same large-scale tectonic mechanism caused both events: The larger North American Plate is forcing the edge of the Cocos Plate to sink. This collision generated both quakes. But it was unlikely that the quake earlier this month caused Tuesday's disaster.

"In general, we don't think there's a triggering effect over that kind of a distance," said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist with the USGS. In California, he said, there have been earthquakes that set off quakes tens of miles away and within hours. This distance was farther and the timeline longer. The recent Mexico quakes also did not share a fault line, he said.

Mexico City is partially built on old lake sediment, which is much softer than rock. The seismic waves can be amplified traveling through the sediment, Blakeman said, making the damage worse than in areas on more solid ground. He said aftershocks were possible, too. The rupture was approximately 50 kilometers, or 31 miles deep, and as a rule, the shallower an earthquake is, the higher the chance for aftershocks. "Fifty kilometers is pretty shallow, so I would expect aftershocks," Blakeman said.

The USGS's model for estimating earthquake damage predicts 100 to 1,000 fatalities and economic losses of between $100 million and $1 billion for a temblor of this scale and proximity to population centers.

The quake shook Mexico City so hard that the murky, stagnant waters of the city's ancient Xochmilco canals were churned up, turning the waterways into rollicking wave pools. Videos posted to social media showed tourists in flat-bottomed tour boats struggling to stay in their seats and hold onto their beers.

Roberta Jacobson, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, said that one U.S. Embassy worker suffered a broken elbow in the quake but that no other staffers were hurt.

Mexico City has a large U.S. expatriate community, but Jacobson said she had not received reports of American deaths or injuries. "We're not hearing of U.S. citizens affected yet," she said in a phone interview, calling Tuesday's quake the strongest she had experienced. "I was on the fifth floor of the embassy, and it felt like a long roller coaster ride," she said.

The embassy building, constructed in 1964, did not appear to sustain structural damage, Jacobson added. She said U.S. officials were in touch with Mexican civil defense authorities and had extended offers of assistance.

In a Twitter message Tuesday after receiving news of the quake, President Donald Trump wrote: "God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you."

President Enrique Pena Nieto was traveling to Oaxaca to inspect the earthquake damage that occurred earlier this month when the latest temblor struck. He turned around and returned to the capital, where he convened a national emergency council.

In the capital's southern neighborhood of Coyoacan, the walls of colonial-era buildings cracked and sagged in the quake, with some collapsing into rubble. Residents hugged and cried in the streets. At the Barricas Don Tiburcio shop, shelves bearing food crashed down and wine bottles shattered on the floors.

"This is the worst one I have ever felt," shopkeeper Beatriz Aguilar Bustamante said. "I don't know if I will have a house when I go home."

- - -

The Washington Post's Nick Miroff and Ben Guarino in Washington contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON - If you're a conservative Republican who believes in empowering states instead of the federal government, voting for the latest Obamacare overhaul bill absolutely makes sense. But if you're a moderate Republican who has fretted all along about cutting health-care benefits, it absolutely doesn't.

Just like the health-care bill the Senate rejected in July, the plan that GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina are furiously whipping among their GOP colleagues this week would significantly cut federal Medicaid spending across the board. And it even contains a double whammy for the 30 or so states that accepted the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, reducing their share of the extra funding by spreading it across all 50 states in an effort to put all the states on a more equal playing field.

Cassidy lives in one of these states - Louisiana - that expanded Medicaid and stands to receive among the heftiest funding cuts if his bill is enacted. So does Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, who has also signed onto the Cassidy bill, and several other moderate Republicans whose votes are crucial to passing it -- including Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, Arizona Sen. John McCain and even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Republicans often complain about the federal government's burdensome Medicaid costs. But when push came to shove many were hesitant to go on record supporting a bill that deeply cut the program, as the Senate's Better Care Reconciliation Act would have done. Disputes over how to treat Medicaid - coupled with dissension over how much to regulate insurers and retain the ACA's consumer protections - ultimately brought down that bill and a few versions of it in July, when the Senate held several late-night votes in a desperate attempt to fulfill the GOP pledge to repeal and replace the ACA.

Republicans could very easily crash and burn again if they move forward with the Cassidy-Graham measure. But they're trying anyway, frantic that they'll lose out on potentially their last real chance to repeal the law they have made a political punching bag.

The Senate Finance Committee announced Monday night that it will hold a hearing next Monday on the measure. McConnell and his team will be trying to sell Graham-Cassidy at their weekly luncheon Tuesday. Senate Republicans have until only the end of next week to pass the measure before the budget reconciliation bill they're using as a vehicle expires. The House could pass the bill after that, but couldn't enact any changes.

Compared with the House and Senate health-care bills, the Graham-Cassidy measure would more drastically remold the ACA by giving states virtually unlimited control over federal dollars currently being spent on marketplace subsidies and Medicaid expansion. It also would allow states to opt out of virtually all the ACA's insurer regulations by obtaining waivers.

It would work roughly like this: Starting in 2021, the federal government would lump together all the money it spends on subsidies distributed through the ACA marketplaces and expanded Medicaid programs covering poor, childless adults living at up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

The government would redistribute that money to states through what's known as a block grant. These block grants would be based on a formula that, among other factors, takes into account the state's share of low-income adults - an approach that would generally result in less money for states that expanded Medicaid and more money for states that didn't.

So Texas, for example, would see an increase in its federal health-care funding, while states such as Alaska or Arizona (which both expanded Medicaid) would see a decrease. That could make it harder for Cassidy to convince senators from those states - Sen. LIsa Murkowski of Alaska and John McCain of Arizona, who is being treated for brain cancer, to support his bill. Both helped sink the July effort.

By 2026, the federal government would be spending 17 percent less on subsidies and Medicaid expansion overall than under current projections, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Then, in 2027, states would face a big fiscal cliff, when Graham-Cassidy would halt all that spending. That's a major step further than the BCRA, which would have retained the marketplace subsidies (despite reducing them somewhat) and allowed states to keep Medicaid expansion (albeit paying for these enrollees at the normal matching rate and not the ACA's expanded matching rate).

The Graham-Cassidy bill does pretty closely mirror the BCRA in how it treats the regular Medicaid program. It would convert that program to a per capita system based on the number of enrollees in a state instead of the open-ended funding approach the federal government takes.

Under the measure, regular Medicaid funding (not including expansion) would be 8 percent lower by 2026; it would have been 9 percent lower that year under the BCRA.

But there's another way Graham-Cassidy goes further than previous Obamacare rollback measures: It would allow states to opt out of the law's "essential health benefits," the baseline services that insurers must cover. That means there will no longer be a rock-solid prohibition on charging higher premiums to people with preexisting medical conditions, although states would need federal waivers.

The second version of the BCRA - which McConnell rolled out in mid-July with an amendment from Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas - would have allowed insurers to opt out of those regulations - but only if they also sold a fully ACA-compliant plan on the marketplaces.

Is the momentum around Graham-Cassidy real? Senate leadership is sure trying to make it so. Many had assumed the GOP's Obamacare repeal effort was dead after that failed series of votes two months ago, which represented a substantial defeat to both McConnell and President Trump. But Republicans seem desperate to be able to tell their base in next year's midterm elections that they repealed Obamacare.

The bottom line is this: The Cassidy bill will appeal to most conservatives in the House and the Senate, who can make the case to their base that they're unshackling states from federal mandates and giving them huge leeway to construct a health-care approach that works best for them.

But if the moderate Republicans go along with this latest approach, they'd have to ignore the steep Medicaid cuts and insurance regulation rollbacks some had previously opposed.
WASHINGTON -- Michael Cohen, a close associate of President Donald Trump and former lawyer for his business, has agreed to speak to the Senate Intelligence Committee for a public hearing next month, after investigators abruptly canceled a private Tuesday session with him.

The Oct. 25 hearing is part of the committee's ongoing investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, and came together just hours after committee investigators dismissed Cohen from the private interview. Cohen had arrived with his attorney, Steve Ryan, but left after about an hour, informing reporters waiting outside that committee staff told him they did not wish to proceed.

"We will come back for a voluntary interview whenever we can to meet with them, and we look forward to voluntarily cooperating with the House committee and with anyone else who has an inquiry in this area," Ryan said.

In a joint statement, committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and ranking Democrat Sen. Mark Warner, Va., said the session was canceled because Cohen made public statements before his interview "in spite of the Committee's requests that he refrain from public comment."

"As a result, we declined to move forward with today's interview," they said."The Committee expects witnesses in this investigation to work in good faith with the Senate."

Cohen is not the only witness to publicly release a statement ahead of meeting with investigators - Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, did the same before he huddled with committee investigators several weeks ago. But Burr said the committee changed its policy after the Kushner meeting, reworking its agreements with other witnesses. Cohen's experience, he said, should be a warning to those who might try to spin the public before they are done speaking with investigators.

"This is the model we'll follow," Burr said, speaking of the decision to postpone Cohen's session and insist on a public hearing. "We don't expect individuals who come behind closed doors to publicly go out and tell . . ."

"Their side of the story only," Warner said, finishing Burr's sentence.

Cohen had planned to use the session to vigorously deny playing any role in Russia's efforts during the presidential election campaign. Ryan told reporters that Cohen stood by written testimony he had submitted to the committee for its review, which had been obtained by The Washington Post.

"That statement was factual, it was accurate, it was respectful, and we stand behind that statement," Ryan said.

According to that statement, Cohen had planned to tell the committee that he has "never engaged with, been paid by, paid for or conversed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else to hack or interfere with the election."

Also in the written testimony, Cohen denied playing any role in efforts to hack Democratic Party computers or help create fake news stories to boost Trump's campaign.

"I emphatically state that I had nothing to do with any Russian involvement in our electoral process," he said.

Instead, Cohen had planned to ask the committee to reach a "public conclusion" - one way or the other - about the truth behind allegations that were raised about him in an opposition-research dossier compiled before the election by a former British spy working on behalf of Trump's political opponents.

Former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele reported that Cohen had helped orchestrate the Russian effort, meeting with Kremlin representatives in Prague to discuss finances and strategy. The unverified dossier became public in January, when it was posted online by BuzzFeed.

In the written testimony, Cohen called the document "riddled with total falsehoods and intentionally salacious accusations."

Noting that Steele's work mentions his name more than a dozen times and damaged his reputation, Cohen said he is confident that the Senate's investigation will conclude that neither he nor Trump was involved with Russia's intervention in the campaign.

"The accusations are entirely and totally false," Cohen said, insisting that he has never been to Prague or the Czech Republic.

Committee staff members could have used the session to question Cohen about the dossier. But their questions also could extend into other Russia-related areas where he has acknowledged activity.

Cohen was one of Trump's most trusted confidants during the years following the success of Trump's reality TV show "The Apprentice," as the celebrity mogul expanded his business worldwide by licensing his name to development projects in India, Panama, Turkey and elsewhere. Cohen left the Trump Organization in January, when Trump became president, and since has served as a personal lawyer to the president.

Cohen also turned over internal emails to Congress last month that show that he served as a point person for the Trump Organization on the latest attempt to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, even appealing to a Kremlin official - after Trump had launched his presidential bid. Before doing so, however, Cohen sent an email to Dmitry Peskov, top spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking him to intervene to propel the project forward. Cohen said the Kremlin aide didn't respond, and that he was simply "doing my job."

In a statement that accompanied the emails, Cohen said he began discussions about the project in September 2015 with Felix Sater, a Russian emigre who has worked on previous Trump projects. The discussions were the most recent of repeated failed attempts by Trump to build in Moscow dating to the late 1980s.

In October 2015, Trump signed a letter of intent agreeing to move ahead with a Moscow developer named Andrei Rozov. But Cohen said he pulled the plug on the deal in January 2016, impatient about a lack of progress on the project.

"This was solely a real-estate deal and nothing more," he said in his written testimony to the committee. "I was doing my job."

Another episode that could have been on the panel's agenda also involved Sater. In January, shortly after Trump became president, Cohen and Sater met at a New York hotel with a Ukrainian parliamentarian who was pushing a peace proposal for the former Soviet Republic.

In interviews at the time, Cohen said the Ukrainian lawmaker had said that his plan came with Russian government approval. The New York Times, which first reported the meeting, reported that Cohen said he took an envelope containing the proposal to Washington and left it in the office of national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn resigned days later after he misled Vice President Mike Pence and the public about his interactions with Russia's ambassador.

However, Cohen has insisted to The Post that he took an envelope containing the plan to his New York City apartment and threw it away. He said he had merely advised the Ukrainian that Flynn was the appropriate person to receive his idea.

---

Tom Hamburger contributed to this report.

---

Trump lawyer Michael Cohen speaks after Senate meeting canceled

Video coding:
The U.S. military acknowledged it has closed an outpost in southern Syria in recent days amid reports that American forces and their contingent of Syrian proxies had pulled out from an important base in the area.

The decision to vacate the outpost, a small barrier-walled compound just miles from the Syria-Iraq border called Zakaf, appeared to represent a tacit acknowledgement that U.S.-backed forces will now be in an increasingly difficult position to recapture a series of strategically important border towns where the Islamic State's most senior leaders have been sighted in recent months.

The closure also effectively cedes more territory to Iranian-sponsored Shiite militias that have pushed toward the Euphrates River Valley in recent months. The pro-Syrian government forces, equipped with armored vehicles and pickup trucks, came dangerously close to U.S.-backed Syrian fighters over the summer. Their proximity sparked multiple incidents that included strafing runs on the militias by American aircraft and the shooting down of two Iranian-built drones, one of which occurred near the base at Zakaf.

Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in the region and said over email that the "decision to establish and close temporary bases is determined by operational requirements and the progress of the campaign."

"Throughout Syria and Iraq, the Coalition has established and closed numerous bases, as warranted by the operational situation, in order to ensure we provide effective support to our partner forces," he said.

Dillon added that coalition troops and their Syrian partner forces - known as the Maghawir al-Thawra - are still located at Tanf, a larger outpost roughly 45 miles away from Zakaf that acts as a gateway to the Syria-Iraq-Jordan tri-border crossing to the south. It is unclear if the closure of the base as the result of a July deal reached by Jordan, Russia and Syria or further unreported discussions between the countries.

Zakaf was constructed this summer and Maghawir al-Thawra posted multiple pictures of the outpost to its media arm showing U.S.-led coalition forces mingling among their fighters and boasted to news outlets about its key location. The small fortification appeared to be an effort by the U.S.-led coalition and Maghawir al-Thawra forces to extend their presence closer to Bukamal, an Islamic State controlled key border town that U.S.-backed forces, then called the New Syrian Army, tried to liberate in June 2016.

The offensive stalled and ultimately failed, forcing the Syrian fighters to retreat across the desert to Tanf. Since their defeat, the New Syrian Army changed its name, was re-equipped and re-trained by British and U.S. Special Operations Forces and quietly began pushing back toward Bukamal.

Over the summer, however, the Syrian Army and its Iranian-backed proxies effectively cut off the U.S.-backed forces from any overland approach to Bukamal, bypassing the coalition's outposts at Tanf and Zakaf and linking up with their Iraqi-counterparts at the Iraqi border. Since then U.S. officials have said that the Maghawir al-Thawra fighters will likely have to be airlifted into the Euphrates River Valley if they're going to fight the Islamic State.

The shuttering of Zakaf comes as another U.S. proxy group, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, continue to make gains in the northern Euphrates River Valley and in the Islamic State's de-facto capital of Raqqa. Roughly 70 percent of the city has been retaken from the militant group as the urban battle stretches into its third month. The SDF has also recently pushed south of Raqqa toward the ISIS-held city of Deir al-Zour.

On Friday, the Pentagon accused Russia of bombing the SDF. While Russia did not take responsibility for the attack, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Joseph Dunford spoke with his Russian counterpart on Saturday and agreed to closer military discussions to ensure U.S.-backed fighters and Syrian and Russian forces avoid each other in the increasingly congested area.

---

The Washington Post's Louisa Loveluck in Beirut and Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Melissa Morgan backed her truck up to the parking lot beside City Hall in Rose City and began loading it with supplies: water, dog food and clothes pulled from boxes piled high under blue tents.

Chad Landry picked up hot dogs from volunteers serving them outside the now-moldy building, and Jessica Ferman filled up buckets from large black tanks of water to clean her muddy home.

More than two weeks after Tropical Storm Harvey hit Southeast Texas, the Orange County city of 500 is still without running water. The city's water system alongside Old U.S. 90 was overwhelmed by flooding, with 8 feet of water drowning the pipes and electrical system.

"That's the No. 1 question - when are we going to get water back?" Mayor Bonnie

Stephenson said. "Your guess is as good as mine."

They have stacks of bottled water piled high outside City Hall, and two tanks hold another 5,000 gallons of water for residents to fill up, but it makes the already-challenging task of ripping out and rebuilding homes even harder.

"If you've camped, you can do without the running water," Landry said. "But to clean, you really need it."

Cleaning is something desperately needed by almost all of the city's residents, many of whom described their homes as a "total loss."

"To my knowledge, there's one house that didn't get water, it's built up on stilts," Stephenson said. "Ninety-nine percent of Rose City is gone."

Some, like Stephenson, are staying with friends while they repair their homes. Others, like Ryan Long, have parked campers on their property, enabling them to stay near their homes while they work on them.

Stephenson said some residents are commuting from Louisiana each day, the closest they can find a place to stay.

"There's no motels or hotels," said Linda Pickering, who counts herself one of the lucky ones in Rose City because her home had only five feet of water inside.

"Everybody's struggling," said Landry, who is staying with friends for now.

Orange County Judge Stephen Brint Carlton said officials are searching for a place to accommodate more than 600 residents who evacuated to other cities, but many of the standard options are off the table.

"The other housing that you're typically looking at is for people to be in apartments, rent mobile homes or, for a temporary basis, to stay in hotels," Carlton said. "Well, the hotels are full, and almost all of the apartment complexes have had some type of damage to the first floor, so tenants had to move out."

Read more in Tuesday's print edition of The Enterprise
Hamas called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to respond to the disbanding of its shadow government in the Gaza Strip by ending his sanctions on the impoverished enclave.

Following Egyptian-mediated reconciliation talks with Abbas's Western-backed Fatah faction, Islamist Hamas said on Sunday it would dissolve its Gaza "administrative committee" to enable the president's administration to retake control.

The announcement promised relief for Gazans who, under a decade of Hamas rule, have endured poverty, three wars with Israel and Cairo's cold shoulder. Yet implementation may hinge on power-sharing negotiations that stymied previous unity bids.

"We have taken practical steps on the ground. The administrative committee no longer functions in Gaza and we are ready, starting now, to welcome the government of national consensus," Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh told reporters.

Speaking after crossing into Gaza from Egypt, Haniyeh said he spoke with Abbas by phone, telling him: "Our people expect you to suspend and cancel the measures and begin a dialogue."

Aiming to pressure Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza, Abbas in June cut payments to Israel for the electricity it supplies to the enclave, leading to power being provided for less than four hours on some days, and never more than six hours a day.

Abbas has also slashed by 30 percent the salaries of some 60,000 Gazans employed by his Palestinian Authority.

Abbas, who is at the U.N. general assembly, on Sunday welcomed the Hamas overture and said he would convene the Palestinian leadership for further discussion on his return.

Blacklisted as a terrorist group by Israel and the West, Hamas won 2006 legislative elections and, after an uneasy alliance with Fatah, seized control of Gaza in a brief civil war the following year. The rival factions agreed in 2014 to form a national unity government but could not agree on the details.

Mending fences with Abbas would be another step in Hamas diplomatic push to improve relations with its neighbour Egypt, which accused the group in the past of aiding Islamist militants in Egypts Sinai desert, something Hamas denies.

However, in recent months Egypt has eased the border closure.

"I can say that this visit (to Cairo) has laid strategic foundations for the ties between Egypt and Hamas," Haniyeh said.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

State Sen. Jose Menendez, in a letter to Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, has asked for information about what he described as allegations of criminal activity at Edgewood Independent School District.

The district did investigate an employee of its police department for working on a side business, but didnt consider it criminal, an Edgewood spokeswoman, Keyhla Calderon-Lugo, said Tuesday.

The individual immediately resigned upon the commencement of the investigation, the district said in a statement.

Menendezs letter, dated Friday, was part of the continuing fallout from Moraths removal last week of Amanda Gonzalez from the state-appointed board of managers that oversees Edgewood. Gonzalez has said she believes she was replaced because she questioned the districts hiring, without a board vote, of an outside law firm to conduct the investigation of the police department.

Gonzalez said the Edgewood police department employee who was under investigation had been operating a private surveillance company while on the clock at the district job.

I think they just wanted to put this under the rug and they didnt appreciate the whistle blower approach, she said.

Gonzalez said she was given no explanation why she was removed. She was among five board members appointed in March, 2016, to take over the district from elected trustees paralyzed by 3-3 voting factions that prevented them from filling a vacant board seat or hiring key personnel.

Menendezs letter asked if video records of board meetings had been edited and whether the board had voted during work sessions instead of at open meetings.

He also wanted to know if it was standard practice for the TEA to notify elected officials about Gonzalezs ouster almost a week before it notified Gonzalez herself.

Read more at ExpressNews.com or in Wednesdays Express-News.
Related Egypt and Saudi Arabia to hold joint military drill this week

Britain and Saudi Arabia signed a framework deal on military and security cooperation, Saudi state news agency SPA said on Tuesday, redoubling efforts to counter Iran in the Gulf region and defeat Islamic State group.

Prime Minister Theresa May said in December that Britain would invest over 3 billion pounds ($4.05 billion) in defence in Gulf Arab states over the next decade as it seeks to build on traditionally strong ties with the conservative, oil-wealthy monarchies before its planned departure from the European Union.

British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon discussed military cooperation with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who serves as the kingdom's defence minister and deputy prime minister, the SPA report said without providing details of the agreement.

Gulf Arab states say Iran is trying to expand its influence in Arab countries, including Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and Arab allies have been waging war against Iran-aligned Houthi forces that seized control of much of Yemen.

Britain's close relationship with Gulf states has drawn concern from human rights groups, including criticism of Saudi air strikes in Yemen's war that have killed hundreds of civilians. British military personnel have been working with the Saudi forces

Search Keywords:

Short link:


This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

District Attorney Nicholas Nico LaHood announced his 2018 re-election campaign Tuesday on the steps of the old Bexar County Courthouse.

During the 30-minute event, which was at times religious, LaHood referenced several achievements since he took office on Jan. 1, 2015, including the creation of the Child Abuse Unit and Domestic Violence Task Force and the revamping of a pretrial diversion program.

Heriberto Berto Guerra Jr., a local business owner and longtime friend of LaHood, introduced the district attorney. Manuel Medina, chairman for the Bexar County Democratic Party, and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff were also in attendance.

I can sense a dedicated leader, with the right work ethic and the foundation to go with it in my friend, Nico. Guerra said, according to a video on LaHoods public Facebook page. He is a man of principles, which you will see, if you havent already, and you will come to learn.

LaHoods announcement comes two months before the official filing window opens to register as a candidate for the March 6 primary.

La Hood, a native of San Antonio who ran as a Democrat, said the city has seen an uptick in violent crime in recent years, and his job is to seek justice for the victims and their families.

We need to address these issues because they can no longer be ignored, LaHood said. Hiding from this reality will not make it go away.

At one point, LaHood began to address his critics, saying: Now, there are some people out there with the opinion that Im rough around the edges, at which point the video cut out.

The video resumed as LaHood told the audience he would unapologetically fight for crime victims and their families. Im your guy, he said.
A drive-by shooting in the parking lot of an East Side apartment complex injured one man Tuesday morning, police said.

The victim, who has not been identified, was shot once in the lower left leg around 6:50 a.m. in the 1500 block of Upland Road.



The mother of the victim, who did not see the shooting but learned what happened, told police her son was standing in the parking lot waiting for a friend to pick him up, when a vehicle approached, and someone inside the car began shooting.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A San Antonio man fatally injured during a confrontation with two others early Sunday in Austin died Tuesday.

Marques W. Johnson, 33, was found unconscious at 2:08 a.m. when officers arrived in the 200 block of East 6th Street, according to a news release from the Austin Police Department.

Austin Police released an image and security camera footage of a person of interest in the case Wednesday.

The footage shows a man walking into a convenience store, while other video shows a crowd gathered at the scene of the crime.

Now Playing: Austin Police released security camera footage of a person of interest in the case and a crowd gathered at the scene of the crime. Video: San Antonio Express-News

Investigators said Johnson had exchanged words with two men when he turned and walked away with his wife.

The two men then followed Johnson until they threw an object at him, police said. Johnson was hit by the object and turned to face them.

That's when one of the two men punched Johnson, police said. After he fell to the ground, the two men ran away, the release states.

He was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center in critical condition, police said. He remained critical there until he died Tuesday.

Police described one of the suspects as 25 years of age, around 5 feel tall with short, curly black hair, blue or light-colored eyes and a beard. He was wearing a light-colored shirt with blue jeans.

Austin detectives are asking anyone with information regarding the incident to call (512) 477-3588 or Crime Stoppers at (512) 472-8477. Cell phone users can text "Tip 103" and their message to CRIMES or use the Crime Stoppers App.

jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

AUSTIN  In a letter Tuesday, House Speaker Joe Straus called for the removal of Confederate plaque at the state Capitol.

He said the plaque, which denies slavery led to Texas session, is blatantly inaccurate.

We have an obligation to all the people we serve to ensure that our history is described correctly, especially when it comes to a subject as painful as slavery, wrote Straus, R-San Antonio, in a letter to fellow members of the State Preservation Board.

The six-member group, led by Gov. Greg Abbott, oversees the state Capitol complex.

I do hope that we can quickly form a consensus to begin the process of removing the blatantly inaccurate plaque on the Capitol's first floor, Straus wrote.

His letter marks the first time a board member has urged removal of a Confederate symbol in wake of a renewed push to take down such imagery following racially charged protests in Charlottesville over a statute of Robert E. Lee that left one woman dead and many others injured.

Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, who in August asked for the immediate removal of the plaque near his office and a review of all other Confederate symbols, applauded Straus letter.

We still have work to do, obviously, but this is a very positive step in the right direction, Johnson said in a statement. With Speaker Straus's support, I am confident the plaque will come down soon.

amorris@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

This week marks 49 years since one woman died and 48 others were injured when the mini monorail at Hemisfair Park derailed while more than 89,000 people celebrated Mexico's National Day in 1968.

The 6-month, $156-million World's Fair celebrating the city's 250th birthday was created as a miniature city, complete with sky rides, fountains, exhibits and the monorail. Notable figures like President Johnson and Princess Grace of Monaco stopped by the fair grounds along with 6 million other visitors.

The extravaganza is credited for igniting San Antonio's tourism industry, but the scene of Sept. 15  marked as one of the record admission days  has not been forgotten.

READ ALSO: Archive photos show the things you'll never see again in San Antonio

Artist Kelly O'Connor memorialized the derailment, which killed Emilee Schmidt, a 65-year-old Missouri visitor, in her 2015 mural titled "As the Future Unfolds" at the 1010 South Flores building.

Vintage San Antonio, a Facebook page which shares moments of local history through photos, shared a shot of the toppled carts last Friday.

Many people who were children at the time recounted their shocking experiences.

A Facebook user named Norma Jean Quiles commented, saying she was 6, but still remembers "people falling on the cement," the "screaming and crying" and others running frantically about her.

"I was standing on the walkway right next to where it happened," another witness named Will O'Mara remembered on Facebook. "My neighbor, Jimmy Wardwell, and I were watching and talking about how the monorail wasn't slowing down. Next thing...bam!"

RELATED: Vintage photos show how San Antonio looked the decade you were born

Authorities determined the 11-car derailment was caused by two loaded trains bumping on a curve.

"The jolt knocked one car off the rail and it tipped several connected cars off the track like an accordion, pulling cars and passengers to the ground and into a shallow lagoon below," a San Antonio Express-New article from that day reads.

Schmidt died after being pinned under the toppled cars and the 48 others were taken to either Santa Rosa or Baptist Memorial hospitals, according to San Antonio Express-News archives.

Jackie Stewart, a Huntsville visitor who was 15 at the time, was at the fair with a friend named Gary Davis.

"There wasn't time to be scared [...] I heard him (the driver) blow his whistle at the other train twice, the next thing I know, Gary was pulling me out of the water," Stewart told the San Antonio Express-News after being treated at Santa Rosa.

RELATED: It's been 16 years since South Padre Island's Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway collapsed, killing 8

In the days following, Hemisfair CEO H. B. Zachry extended his condolences to those involved and "heartfelt appreciation" for first responders and people at the scene who reacted in "magnificent fashion and performed heroic acts" to save monorail passengers.

The first damage lawsuit was filed five days later by Jose Sanchez against three defendants: operators HCP Enterprises; manufacturers of the equipment, Universal Design Ltd. and 25-year-old Gustav Jackson, who authorities said was driving the train that hit the other from behind.

The Hemisfair monorail served about 1 million riders during the event. Parts of the overhead ride remained operational after Oct. 6, 1968, according to San Antonio Express-News archives.

Portions of the ride were kept in a city storage facility, as plans proposed to rebuild the monorail failed due to high costs involved. The city decided to auction off leftover pieces in 1995.

News researcher Misty Harris contributed to this report.

mmendoza@mysa.com | Twitter: @MaddySkye
The Universal City Public Library recently launched its inaugural Monarch Butterfly Flyby Party program with a screening of the Flight of the Butterflies, a 2012 documentary that depicts monarch butterflies migratory routes from Canada across the United States and into Mexico.

Since September 2015, 300 U.S. cities have pledged support through the National Wildlife Federations Mayors Monarch Pledge to preserve monarch butterflies, whose population has declined by 90 percent in the last 20 years, according to the organizations website. Through the pledge, the cities create habitats for monarch butterflies while educating about monarch butterfly preservation.

While Universal City hasnt formally affirmed its commitment to monarch butterfly preservation, Susan Ennis, Universal City Public Library director, said she thought it would be a good idea to plan programs that would raise awareness about the migration of monarch butterflies.

(September and October) are the times when the migration of monarchs is taking place, she said. (The Flyby Party initiative) is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the world and something kind of cool that is happening in the community.

Those who couldnt attend the Sept. 16 Flight of the Butterflies screening will have two more opportunities to see the film Sept. 27 and Oct. 1. NOVA: The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies will also be featured at the library on Sept. 20 and Oct. 11 and 25. Showtimes for both films is 6:30 p.m.

Other scheduled events during the month-long initiative include a two-hour workshop at noon on Sept. 30 conducted by Grace Barnett, an outreach coordinator for the National Wildlife Federations South Center Regional Center. She will talk about creating a friendly backyard and neighborhood for monarch butterflies and pollinators.

A public speaking session with Tyler Sieboldt, of the University of Texas at San Antonios Department of Environmental Science, discussing the universitys Monarch and Milkweed research teams work will be held Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. Virtual Reality! Live Butterflies!, an event where patrons can experience butterflies in virtual reality and witness the release of 30 live monarch butterflies, caps off the libarys monarch butterfly programming on Oct. 21. The event is at 10 a.m.

Contact the Universal City Public Library at 210-659-7048 for more information on Monarch Butterfly Flyby Party events.
Japan deployed Tuesday an additional missile defence system on its northern island of Hokkaido, days after North Korea launched a missile over the island, sparking emergency warnings to take cover.

"As part of measures to prepare for emergencies, we will today deploy a PAC-3 unit" to a base of the nation's Ground Self-Defense Force in the southern tip of Hokkaido, Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters.

The Patriot Advanced Capability-3 system arrived at the base later on Tuesday, a local defence official told AFP.

The move came with tensions on the Korean peninsula at fever-pitch after Pyongyang carried out its sixth nuclear test and fired two missiles over Japan in the space of less than a month.

North Korea "may take further provocative actions including launching ballistic missiles that would fly over Japan again in the future", Onodera said, adding that his ministry "would take appropriate measures to protect people's safety".

According to local officials, Japan has already deployed the PAC-3 system to another part of Hokkaido.

But defence officials declined to confirm where in Japan other systems were deployed, citing the sensitive nature of defence information.

North Korea has threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and said Saturday it sought military "equilibrium" with arch-enemy the United States by developing a full nuclear arsenal.

Hawkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he would "never tolerate" the North's "dangerous provocative action" and has urged the international community to ramp up pressure on Pyongyang.

The UN Security Council, which condemned the launch as "highly provocative," will hold a new ministerial-level meeting Thursday on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, focused on enforcing sanctions on the North Korean regime.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The Schertz City Council voted 6-0 on Sept. 12 to censure one of its own following an incident involving a questionable Hurricane Harvey meme that some community members found offensive, and a faulty effort to apologize for its appearance on the councilmans Facebook page.

Councilman Robin Thompson was placed under censure for 30 days and was found to be not in good standing with council during that time period.

RELATED: TEA apologizes, retracts letter about South San probe

Thompson, who is running for re-election in November for his Place 5 council seat, apologized during the meeting for the meme he copied and pasted on his Facebook page in the days following Hurricane Harveys devastation in Houston, Rockport and along parts the Texas coast.

I deeply and sincerely apologize for all the embarrassment, hurt and confusion that I have caused to the Schertz City Council, its staff and employees, Thompson read from his prepared statement, and especially to all the residents of Schertz through my lapse of judgment in the sharing of an inappropriate Facebook post, and the offensive word I used, even in the context of a quote directed toward me, in trying to explain my mistake last Tuesday (Sept. 5) night.

He continued: These mistakes do not reflect who I am in my inner being, and from this point on, you may be assured that I will focus all of my efforts to be the leader you expected me to be when you elected me into office.

RELATED: TEA removes one of its own Edgewood ISD managers

The posted meme displayed a semi tractor-trailer truck with its rear doors open, showing an empty cargo area. The meme criticized two groups involved in racial tensions in recent months, Antifa and Black Lives Matter, criticizing them for not taking part in Harvey relief efforts.

Thompson said he pulled the meme from his Facebook page hours after it first was posted, and wrote a lengthy apology on his page. However, the meme post was linked and shared on various peoples sites and pages.

At a Sept. 5 council meeting, Thompson first addressed the post. He spoke of having once worked in a church in Georgia in an African-American neighborhood, where he was fired for allowing blacks to use the churchs bathrooms and drinking water. However, Thompson used a racial slur while quoting one of the church members.

RELATED: Donors: Chancellor Bruce Leslie texting on stage during graduation cost Alamo Colleges $4,000

After its vote to censure Thompson, with the councilman standing at the rear of the council chambers near the room where they had retired into the nearly two-hour executive session, Mayor Michael Carpenter read into the minutes the writ of censure issued on Thompson.

The word used by Mr. Thompson in our meeting of 5 September is unacceptable, inappropriate and without merit in any context or in any manner at any time, Carpenter read. The use of the word is further found to be indecorous and therefore in violation of our Rules of Procedure and Mr. Thompson is hereby ordered not to repeat this offense against our rules.

Mr. Thompson is hereby placed under censure by this writ by this council for a period of 30 days, and as such, is found to be not in good standing with this body for that period, the mayor read. Separately from the Writ of Censure, this council finds that the post itself was inappropriate and is not condoned by the City Council and is not reflective of its opinion as a body.

Prior to the vote, Schertz residents addressed the issue during the citizens to be heard portion of the meeting. Opinions were divided among those who cited Thompson as a just and upright man who made a mistake and apologized for it, and those who called him out for posting the meme and for using a racial slur in his initial attempt to justify the post.

jflinn@express-news.net
San Antonio police said David Bradshaw had more than 100 pieces of identifying information on him during a recent traffic stop.

None belonged to him.

Bradshaw, 43, was arrested over the weekend on charges of possessing more than 50 items of identifying information, a first-degree felony.

RELATED: Records: 120+ arrested, indicted on child sex abuse charges in Bexar County in first half of 2017

Police pulled him over on Aug. 24 for alleged traffic violations while driving a moving truck, according to an arrest affidavit.

Bradshaw, who didn't turn over a valid driver's license in his name, told the officer his ID was in the rear of the truck, the affidavit says.

The officer found boxes of checks, IDs, computer equipment and documents, including tax forms and stolen mail, in the truck. The documents had sensitive information, including names, dates of birth, social security numbers, driver's license numbers and bank account numbers, according to the affidavit.

During the search, police also allegedly found methamphetamine in the truck's center console, as well as a syringe in Bradshaw's pocket.

Each victim listed in the affidavit told police they did not know Bradshaw or give him permission to possess those documents. They all wished to pursue charges, the affidavit says.

Bradshaw has previously been convicted of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and criminal mischief in 2014, according to Bexar County court records.

If convicted, Bradshaw faces up to 99 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSA
WASHINGTON - Just when the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act appeared to be dead, a last-ditch push to dismantle the law could be nearing a showdown vote in the Senate, and a handful of Republicans insist they are closing in on the votes.

The effort received a jolt of energy Monday when Gov. Doug Ducey, R-Ariz., endorsed the latest repeal bill. That put pressure on Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who cast the deciding vote in July that seemed to stop the repeal movement, but who has said he would seriously consider the views of his governor.

The leaders of the latest repeal effort, Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, say their drive is gaining momentum. But it is still a long shot. Under their bill, millions could lose coverage, Medicaid would see the same magnitude of cuts that earlier repeal bills extracted, and insurers in some states could charge higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions.

Already, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has said he will not vote for the measure because it leaves too much of the Affordable Care Act in place.

And McCain expressed misgivings that the Senate would try again to pass a bill that had not been examined by committees with expertise - and with no Democratic support.

"Why did Obamacare fail? Obamacare was rammed through with Democrats' votes only," he said on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "That's not the way to do it. We've got to go back. If I could just say again, the way to do this is have a bill, put it through committee."

Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Republicans who opposed previous repeal efforts, have not said where they stand. But the new bill holds the same provisions that they opposed this summer: deep cuts to Medicaid and a temporary elimination of federal funding to Planned Parenthood.

If the Senate does not vote by the end of next week, it will become nearly impossible to repeal the law because the drive to kill the Affordable Care Act will lose the procedural protections that allow it to pass the Senate with a simple majority, rather than the 60 votes that would otherwise be needed.

Sixteen groups representing patients and heath care providers came out Monday in opposition to the bill. Among those who issued a joint statement opposing it were the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, the March of Dimes and the lobbying arm of the American Cancer Society.
Britain said Tuesday it had suspended its educational training courses for the Myanmar military due to the ethnic violence in Rakhine state.

London said it had "deep concern" about human rights abuses and would not be resuming the military courses unless there was an "acceptable resolution" to the ongoing Rohingya crisis.

Communal violence has torn through Myanmar's western Rakhine state since Muslim minority Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25.

An army-led fightback has left scores dead and sent more than 420,000 Rohingya fleeing the mainly Buddhist country into neighbouring Bangladesh.

"In light of the ongoing violence in Burma's Rakhine state, the growing humanitarian crisis it has caused, and our deep concern about the human rights abuses that are taking place, we have decided to suspend the educational courses provided to the Burmese military until there is an acceptable resolution to the current situation.

"We call on the Burmese armed forces to take immediate steps to stop the violence in Rakhine and ensure the protection of all civilians, to allow full access for humanitarian aid and to facilitate the civilian government's implementation of the Rakhine Advisory Commission's recommendations in full."

The year-long commission, led by former United Nations chief Kofi Annan, tasked with healing divisions between the Rohingya and local Buddhists, urged immediate action to heal the divide.

Britain's junior foreign minister Mark Field has said the UK armed forces provided vocational courses, focused on language training, governance, accountability, ethics, human rights and international law to the Myanmar military.

"Exposing them to how modern militaries operate in a democracy is more effective than isolating them," he told parliament on September 5.

Britain did not provide combat training, Field said.

"The UK is, and will remain, a very strong supporter of continuing the EU arms embargo" on Myanmar, he added.

Some 150 members of parliament wrote to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on September 6 calling for the training programme to be suspended.

Britain is the former colonial power in Myanmar, which gained independence in 1948.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Courtesy/El Blog del Narco Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy/El Blog del Narco Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Disturbing photos surfaced this week showing three heads wearing sombreros sitting next to their decapitated bodies in a Mexican street, according to an El Blog del Narco report.

The three headless bodies were rolled into a street in Xalapa, Veracruz, and wrapped tightly in tape on Sept. 13, according to the Mexican publication. Heads adorned with sombreros sat with the bodies. Two of the bodies were male and one was female, according to a Plumas Libres report. Brooms were left on top of the bodies as well.
The Texas Education Agency is doing little to promote public confidence in its ability to fix the governance issues in the Edgewood Independent School District.

There was much optimism of a change in direction of the beleaguered district last year when the states public education agency intervened, removed the elected school board and appointed a board of managers.

The elected Edgewood board had grown dysfunctional and needed removal for the district to move forward. The board became hopelessly deadlocked at 3-3 after one of its members resigned. Its inability to come to an agreement on who should fill the vacant post resulted in a continued voting deadlock that severely hampered district operations.

The appointment of a five-member board by TEA was supposed to move the district forward and set it on a path that would allow the eventual return of an elected board. Those hopes have diminished. Recent activities raise serious concerns about the future of the district.

The state public education agencys recent removal of Amanda Gonzalez from the troubled board of managers lacked transparency and was handled unprofessionally.

A public servant who has volunteered to serve in an unpaid position should not have to learn from a third party that she had been removed from her post and a replacement has been named.

The TEAs actions in this case are inexcusable and a disservice to Gonzalez  and to Timothy Payne who was named to the fill the vacancy created by Gonzalezs removal from the troubled districts board of managers.

TEA has offered no explanation for Gonzalezs sudden removal. This is troubling because Gonzalez was the most outspoken in the group of appointees and the only one to publicly raise serious questions about district operations.

Independent thinkers play an important role on school boards. We understand the concept of having school boards and superintendents working as a team, but that does not mean all administrative decisions merit a rubber stamp from board members.

State Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, has called the board appointees removal without explanation unfair and has requested a meeting with Edgewood and TEA officials.

Commissioner Mike Morath and A.J. Crabill, deputy commissioner for governance, need to offer a valid explanation for what transpired in Edgewood.

The lack of transparency is troubling. The public deserves more.
Contrary to popular belief, not all homesor neighborhoods--are created equal. While many large builders are quite capable of constructing a home that "wows" from the outside, not all have the understanding or awareness to make the "working parts" of the home just as attractive in their function. It's that knowledge and application that sets Imagine Homes apart from the rest.

For more than a decade, Imagine Homes has been building beautiful and energy efficient homes in the San Antonio area. Imagine Homes was founded by Jim Bastoni and John Friesenhahn, who had a shared vision about creating an innovative kind of home building company. Their philosophy was simple. They set out to create a company that was different in their approach and technique, resulting in a more functional home. The partners focused on three main principles: innovation, craftsmanship and integrity. They poured their energy into creating a product that was not only beautiful and functional, but also energy efficient, environmentally friendly and designed to put money back into the pockets of their homeowners.

Creating homes that are energy efficient is a very important requirement for Imagine Homes. In fact, every single Imagine Home is rated 100 percent Energy Star Certified before the homeowner receives the coveted keys to the front door. As impressive as all this sounds, what any homeowner really wants to know is, "What does all that mean for my family?" It means cooler and more comfortable summers, warmer, cozier winters, the need for less water and resources--all with lower monthly utility bills. It's a brilliant design that benefits the homeowner. Imagine Homes are built to run more efficiently by using less. Their homebuilding plan has been so successful, that over the years, Imagine Homes has received five prestigious awards from the National Association of Home Builders commending their building practices.

Building an efficient home is not the only quality important to Imagine Homes. Each home is built with special attention placed on exceptional craftsmanship. Materials used in construction are of the best quality, with focus on building techniques that will result in only the finest finished product.

Imagine Homes is also committed to creating a high quality home that will meet the high expectations of their clients. It is their goal to make each and every Imagine Home buyer satisfied and pleased with their home purchase.

In addition to building homes that satisfy all three of their rigorous requirements, Imagine Homes strives to create communities that afford homeowners a safe and desirable family environment, countless amenities and much more. Among the most attractive Imagine Home communities is

Willis Ranch, found just north of San Antonio on the fringes of the Texas Hill Country. This community combines the best of country living with the conveniences of the city. While lush green country views are framed by the windows of any given home in the community, grocery stores, shopping establishments and dining are just minutes away. The community boasts playgrounds and open spaces for the little ones, a refreshing pool and cabana for the lazy dog days of summer, a fitness center that is ready to workout whenever the residents are...24/7, gated access for security and even a peaceful greenbelt that winds its way behind every beautiful home. Willis Ranch is located outside the San Antonio city limits, which translates to no city taxes for the homeowner. It also means kids who live in the coveted Willis Ranch community will attend the prestigious Comal Independent School District.

Now is the perfect time to buy an Imagine Home in Willis Ranch. There are currently a variety of homes that are move-in ready, ranging in size from 2675 square feet to 3631 square feet and are priced from $393,901 to $478,239. And because they want the road to homeownership to be as easy and uncomplicated as possible, Imagine Homes has partnered with several mortgage lenders who offer the best financing options for each buyer and guide them through the loan application process.

To learn more about the Imagine Homes at Willis Ranch, stop by the model home at the community near Borgfeld Road and Bulverde Road, or visit www.imaginehomessa.com to take virtual tour.

Editors Note: This content is made possible by Cortney O'Neill. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com.
A jury award of $38M must be paid to a girl born with spina bifida, whose mother took the epilepsy drug Depakote, the Supreme Court of Missouri ruled this week. According to Law360, the ruling states that Abbott Laboratories Inc., the manufacturer of Depakote, failed to properly warn about the increased risk of birth defects associated with the drug's usage during pregnancy.

About the Depakote Lawsuit

In 2003, Maddison Schmidt was born with spina bifida and other birth defects, leaving her with severe cognitive impairments and brain malformations. Schmidt, now 14 years old, is paralyzed and lacks bowel and bladder control. The lawsuit was filed in 2012 along with two dozen other similar cases against Abbott, alleging the company did not warn expectant mothers about the severe risk of birth defects associated with the dangerous drug.

The product's label includes warnings of an increased risk of birth defects, estimating between one and two out of every 100 babies will be born with spina bifida or other neural tube defects. However, Schmidt's lawsuit alleges that the pharmaceutical company was aware of medical studies that showed the actual risk of a baby being born with spina bifida to be greater than 10 percent.

Schmidt was awarded $38M, and an appellate court affirmed the jury verdict in late 2016. On September 12, 2017, the Missouri Supreme court upheld the ruling.

Children born to mothers taking Depakote are also at an increased risk of developing structural issues in the heart, head, arms, and legs as well as having a lower IQ than children exposed to other anti-epileptic drugs. Because malformations to the fetus occur within the first 30 days of pregnancy, a period of time when a woman may not know she's pregnant, it is oftentimes too late to simply stop the use of Depakote to prevent the risk of spina bifida or other birth defects from occurring.

Abbot Labs Hit with Thousands of Lawsuits over Depakote

Abbott faces thousands of similar lawsuits surrounding its anti-epilepsy drug. In another case similar to Maddison Schmidt's, a 10-year-old boy born with spina bifida was awarded $15M from an Illinois jury. In this case, the boy's mother was taking Depakote to treat her bipolar disorder when she became pregnant.

During the trial, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities took the stand as an expert witness for the plaintiff. He explained how the main ingredient in Depakote, valproic acid, greatly increases the risk of spina bifida developing in unborn children, and that doctors that prescribe the drug are not properly informed of the true risk of birth defects that the drug poses to pregnant women.

Spina bifida is a neural tube defect that occurs at birth, affecting the child's brain, spine, and spinal cord. It occurs when the child's spinal column isn't closed completely during the first month of pregnancy. In serious cases of spina bifida, children can experience learning difficulties, intellectual disabilities, bowel and bladder issues, paralysis, and hydrocephalus.

Child Born with Defects Related to Depakote Usage?

If your child was born with spina bifida or other birth defects after you took Depakote during pregnancy, contact our dangerous drug attorneys immediately. Thomas J. Henry has handled many product liability cases and is experienced in pharmaceutical litigation, achieving real results for injured clients and helping them get the compensation they need. Your child deserves to be compensated for the pain and suffering they have been through and the years of extensive medical care that will be required for the rest of their life.

Our firm has the resources and experienced attorneys necessary to take on pharmaceutical giants and hold them accountable for their dangerous drugs. Attorneys are available 24/7, nights and weekends. Call us today for a free legal consultation.

Editors Note: This content is made possible by Thomas J. Henry Personal Injury Law. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com.
When you are involved in a serious trucking accident, it is very likely that you will miss some work due to your injuries. The amount of work missed generally depends on the severity of your injuries and the physical requirements of your job. In the most severe cases, you may not be able to return to your previous occupation at all.

What Are Lost Wages?

In the simplest terms, lost wages are any wages you did not or cannot earn due to your injury. Lost wages are not limited to those you have already missed out on, but can also refer to wages you will miss out on in the future.

Typically, lost wages are broken down into three categories:

Lost wages  wages you lost during a period you were unable to work.

Loss of earning capacity  if you have sustained a long-term disability from an accident and cannot make as much money as you did before your accident.

Lost opportunities  this would include things like missing a job interview while you were recovering.

An important thing to remember is that if you lost your previous job due to your injuries and returned to work for lower pay, you may be entitled to the difference in pay between your previous job and the job you now hold.

What Lost Income Can I Recover?

As a victim of a trucking accident, you are entitled to reimbursement for any income you have lost because of the accident and your resulting injuries. Many people believe they must have been out of work for an extended period in order to recover lost wages  this is not true. If you missed even an hour of work due to hospital visits, treatment, or surgery, you have the right to be reimbursed.

Another important note is that lost income applies to all workers, not just full-time employees or salaried workers. If you are a part-time worker, hourly employee, or even self-employed, as long as you can document the wages you have lost, you can make a full recovery.

Aside from basic wage calculations (how much direct pay you lost), you are also able to claim:

Money that reflects a promotion or wage increase provided you were due for a wage increase or promotion while out of work.

Loss of commissions on sales.

Bonuses that you were paid in the past and were on track to receive prior to your injury.

Loss of fringe benefits.

Loss of pension benefits.

What If I Avoid Losing Wages By Using Vacation and Sick Leave?

The fact that you were able to use sick leave or vacation pay to avoid losing income has no bearing on your claim. Using sick leave or vacation pay due to an accident or injury is considered the same as losing pay itself.

Therefore, you are able to be reimbursed for the sick leave or vacation pay provided you can show:

You missed work because of the accident.

You have documentation showing the use of sick leave or vacation during that time period.

In addition, if you work in a commission based industry, you can still claim wages that would have result from commission on sales you missed while you were out of office. Remember, you were not "on vacation", you were out of work to recover from an accident.

How Do I Prove the Wages I Lost After a Trucking Accident?

In order to prove loss of income, you will want to gather the appropriate documentation to support your claim. You attorney will go into more detail, but generally you will want to start by:

Getting a letter from your employer indicating how much time you took off.

A paycheck stub or W-2 that can be used to calculate hourly rate of pay or your monthly salary.

Documentation from your employer showing how many hours a week you work.

Documentation from your employer indicating whether you are qualified to receive overtime pay and whether or not you typically work overtime.

Once that information is collected, you can begin calculating a rough estimate of your lost wages by:

1.Determine the number of hours you missed from work. If your hours vary from week to week, calculate the average based on your last two to three weeks of work.

2.Determine the number of overtime hours you missed.

3.Multiply the number of hours you missed by your hourly rate or estimated hourly rate.

4.Multiply any overtime hours by 1.5 your hourly rate or estimated hourly rate.

5.Add the values for regular hours missed to the overtime hours you missed.

If you are salaried, you can work out your lost wages by:

1.Divide your annual salary by the number of hours you work (hours a full time employee works per year: 2,080) in order to get the amount you earn per hour.

2.Calculate the number of hours you missed by multiplying the days you were out of work by 8 (typical work days for salaried employees 8 hours - even if you actually work more).

3.Multiply those two figures to calculate your lost wages.

Tips, commissions, bonuses and other items can be added to the base amount of loss wages.

What if I Have More Questions About Wages Lost After a Trucking Accident?

If you have any questions about the wages you have lost or need help calculating just how much you are entitled to, contact Thomas J. Henry. Our attorneys can provide a free consultation so you better understand the laws surrounding your case and your best course of action. If your injuries prevent you from visiting our offices, we will send one of our attorneys to you.

Thomas J. Henry has been successfully resolving trucking accident claims for more than 25 years. We have the experience and resources to take on even the largest commercial trucking and insurance companies. We are available 24/7, nights and weekends  attorneys are standing by.

Editors Note: This content is made possible by Thomas J. Henry Personal Injury Law. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com.
The Egyptian cabinet's Information and Decision Support Center has denied media reports that Egyptian pharaonic antiquities have been sold or smuggled to the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

In an official statement on Tuesday, the IDSC said that the antiquities ministry has said that Egypt has not sent any antiquities to make a debut at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, set to be officially inaugurated in November.

Images have been circulating on social media showing a number of Emirati officials inspecting pharaonic antiquities inside the museum, raising speculation that Egypt had given up the items.

The ministry clarified that the antiquities pictured were from archeological collections already in the Paris Louvre.

The Paris branch of the museum currently includes about 50,000 pieces in its Egyptian collection, dating from 4,000 BC to the fourth century AD.

"Egypt has no right to interfere to stop the antiquities from being presented based on the law," the IDSC statement added, pointing that the acquisition of any antiquities by international museums was "legal."

"The antiquities were transferred outside the country legitimately before the issuing of a 1983 law that banned the trade in antiquities," the IDSC said, adding that prior to the passing of the law, countries that conducted excavations in Egypt had the right to have a share in the antiquities found.

This is not the first series of denials by officials on the issue.

On Monday, the head of the Egyptian museums department at the antiquities ministry, Elham Saleh, denied the rumours that the Abu Dhabi items had been smuggled out of Egypt, calling on the media to ensure the accuracy of their reports.

Egypt has been making efforts to retrieve smuggled artefacts from foreign countries.

It has called upon other countries to prevent illegal exchange, transfer, import or re-export of antiquities within their territories.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is the result of a 2007 agreement between the UAE and France.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


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) To borrow a phrase that was used hundreds  if not thousands  of times by leftists in the months following the election of Barack Obama, President Trump was dealt a bad hand. This is not an excuse for inaction or strategic mistakes, however, sort of like how the liberals used it to cover up Obamas foolishness. Rather, the fact that Donald Trump was dealt a bad hand with regards to foreign policy is simply reality. Due largely to the fecklessness and the submissiveness of the prior administration on the global stage, America now faces several dangerous threats, not the least of which is North Korea.

For months now, President Trump and Kim Jong-Un have been engaged in a war of words, so to speak, with both leaders casting threats at one another without actually pulling the trigger. However, in addition to these threats, Kim Jong-Un has been repeatedly testing intercontinental ballistic missiles, almost as if he is trying to provoke the United States into making the first move. Many Americans and conservative commentators, such as nationally syndicated radio host The Great One Mark Levin, rightfully believe that the time has come for us to consider taking action against North Korea before they have a chance to strike.

He needs to be taken out, Levin said of Kim Jong-Un on his radio program back in April. This inbred is hell-bent on developing long-range ICBMs  which he doesnt need. Levin went on to explain that hes not a neocon, and that he just wants to protect America.

Indeed, the time to strike North Korea may have arrived. Waiting around while one of our greatest enemies continues to threaten us and produce powerful long-range weapons is not a strategy; it is surrender. But before the United States officially pulls the trigger, it is helpful to know what exactly we would be getting ourselves into.

Rob Givens, who was the deputy assistant chief of staff for operations of U.S. Forces Korea as well as special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently published an article on BreakingDefense.com to help shed some light on the matter. According to Givens, war with North Korea will look something like this: Thousands of aircraft will wage an epic battle across the entire Korean Peninsula. The two American Air Force fighter wings  100-plus fighter aircrafts permanently stationed there  accompanied by our South Korean partners would fight the opening minutes, striking against the Norths aged, but plentiful air forces while also bombing Kim Jong-Uns missiles and artillery.

Givens ultimately concludes, North Koreas casualties would be appalling. The estimates are that we would inflict 20,000 casualties on the North each day of combat. Sadly, this sort of violence and mayhem is expected when two nations go to war with each other. While 20,000 North Korean casualties per day is certainly unfortunate, it would be unwise for President Trump and his military advisors to let it dissuade them from taking action. There is simply too much on the line. (Related: Read about why preppers should expect a war between the U.S. and North Korea, and what they should do to prepare.)

What would happen if one day, North Koreas threats turned into action? What if they finally developed an effective ICBM that could carry a nuclear warhead over a long distance, and then used that ICBM to reduce one of Americas cities to rubble? And then what if instead of U.S. forces taking the battle to the other side of the world, the North Koreans infiltrated our country and began taking over? The amount of innocent American lives that would be taken would be innumerable, and as commander-in-chief, that is something that President Trump should do everything in his power to prevent. Because when it comes to war with North Korea, it really is a simple reality  its either them or us.

Sources Include:

ConservativeReview.com

BreakingDefense.com
(Natural News) As hurricanes batter Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, a fiery hell burns on through the night in the western United States. The year 2017 is on pace to be the worst year for forest fires. The two main firefighting agencies, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Interior, have spent more money combating fires than ever before  $2.1 billion so far.

Drought-stricken areas, low humidity, and lightning storms have sparked countless fires in poorly managed federal lands spanning from Oregon to Montana. Western states are using up all their resources to control the blaze and Montana is on the verge of financial demise.

As of September 7, Montana has lost 980,887 acres to fires. An additional 578,679 acres have burned up in Oregon, 422,565 in California and 198,692 in Washington. At the height of the chaos, 76 large fires were burning across nine states. Homes, livestock, forage and infrastructure have been consumed at record pace. At least 500 single family homes and 32 commercial buildings have burned to the ground. The National Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center has reported nine firefighter deaths and over 35 bad injuries.

Billows of smoke are taking over the once pristine countryside air, causing health problems for people with COPD and asthma. Even the most pristine tourist locations, such as Montanas Sperry Chalet are evacuating. Firefighters had no choice but to light backfires to stop an all-consuming fire that had burned over 122,000 acres at Rice Ridge nearby Lolo National Forest.

In recent years, poorly-logged federal lands have exacerbated the fires, which have wiped out a record 15,800 square miles in 2015 and 14,600 square miles in 2012.

With more than 26,000 people fighting the fires, including more than 200 helicopters, 200 active duty soldiers, 1800 trucks, 28 air tankers, and the National Guard, the Western states are at a breaking point. Were stretched thin, said Jennifer Jones, a spokeswoman for the interagency fire center. Much of the land that has burned is federally managed lands, which are poorly managed lands. Restrictions on logging have created dense forests that are begging to be thinned out by natural disasters.

Strapped for cash, the government of Montana has used up $50 million to help the feds fight the fires. The feds have spent $220 million in the state. FEMA has issued grants to the state to control the Lodgepole Complex and Lolo Peak fire, two horrendous outbreaks that have disrupted recreation and tourism in the Montana.

Delusional climate change cultists are quick to blame global warming for the fires, jumping at the opportunity to use this crisis to their advantage. The problem here is not that the Earth is burning up, plagued by rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The problem here is mismanagement of federal forests. Radical environmentalists have stopped logging operations on federally managed lands in Western forests. If humans do not naturally thin the forests out, then the dense forests become ticking time bombs during dry weather cycles. Now the burning forests are causing real problems with air quality. US Senator Steve Daines from Montana spoke on the Senate floor, calling for better management and more logging of federal lands in Montanas forests.

We are tired of being told that others know better than we do, and watch our forests burn every summer, our mills close, our neighbors lose jobs, and counties lose road crews because they dont have money to support basic infrastructure, Daines proclaimed on the Senate floor. A safe forest is a managed forest.

Even though the cause is clear, it is too late for many. The late September and October outlook for Montana and the Northwest is expected to remain bleak, with fires continuing to ravage the beautiful countryside.

Sources include:

CourtHouseNews.com

Environ.news
(Natural News) Democrat politicians in California have no hesitation about speaking truth to power when it comes to their opposition to the policies of President Trump. When it comes to the communist dictatorship of China, apparently not so much.

The state legislature, which is firmly in the grip of far-left Democrats, sidelined a resolution calling for an investigation into human rights abuses against the Falun Gong spiritual movement after the Chinese embassy apparently intervened.

Falun Gong adherents practice techniques similar to Tai Chi and Qi Gong along with a philosophy centering on truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. The Chinese government banned Falun Gong in 1999, and since then has arrested thousands of its peaceful practitioners after classifying it as an illegal heterodox religion.

After it was introduced by Republican state senator Joel Anderson, the California resolution sailed through the senate judiciary committee before it was short-circuited, the Courthouse News Service reported.

Lawmakers then whittled down the initial resolution  five pages of forceful rhetoric against the actions of China  to a single, factual page. But just before the resolution was to be read on the floor, Senate Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, D-Los Angeles, moved the measure to the Senate Rules Committee without a vote or discussion and then shelved it. De Leons decision may have been due to an unsigned letter sent by Chinas consulate general in San Francisco, calling Falun Gong an evil cult. The letter was received the day before De Leon moved the bill. Neither De Leons office nor the Chinese consulate returned requests for comment.

As Natural News detailed last year, accusations have emerged that the Chinese government harvested the organs of jailed Falun Gong members while they were still alive. Many of these religious prisoners allegedly had their livers, organs and even eyes forcibly removed from their bodies so their captors could sell them for profit.

First launched in the early 1990s, Falun Gong reportedly gained approximately 70-100 million followers in China in its first few years. Beijing started cracking down on the movement after founder Li Hongzhi refused to tie Falun Gong to communism and the state.

Reacting to the way the resolution was circumvented, Sen. Anderson told the Courthouse News Service that Here in California, we talk about California values. If we cant stand up for those who simply want to meditate and become better people, if we cant step up for religious liberty and freedom, not just here but around the world, we have failed those values.

Separately, Republican lawmaker Janet Nguyen was silenced and physically removed from the Senate chamber last February for attempting to provide an alternative perspective about the late Tom Hayden, an anti-Vietnam War activist. Sen. Nguyen and her family became refugee boat people when they fled Vietnam after the communists took control of the entire country as U.S. forces withdrew.

Parenthetically, anti-Trump, progressive Hollywood has been accused of editing films to satisfy Chinese government censors on several occasions. And Apple is helping Beijing censor internet content by removing VPN software from its app store in China.

The late talk show host Bob Grant, whose career got started primarily in California before he moved on to New York City radio, used to say that liberals are the ultimate hypocrites. (Related: Read more about California and other lawless bastions of socialism at Corruption.news.)

Trump-hating Democrats are also hell-bent on making California a sanctuary state non-compliant with federal immigration law, thereby enabling illegal alien felons to avoid apprehension. President Trump has prioritized the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants who have committed violent crimes.

Sen. Anderson has vowed to attach the Falun Gong resolution language to each resolution that reaches the floor. I am going to be relentless, because if Republicans dont stand up to Democratic leadership that refuses to acknowledge genocide, who will, he asked rhetorically.

Collusion has been a politically weaponized term thrown at the Trump administration, but do you think that California Democrats colluded with China to stop the Falun Gong resolution?

Sources include:

Courthousenews.com

Inquisitr.com
(Natural News) Its difficult for me to even fathom having to write this story on so many levels, so Ill just go through them one by one.

First, the obvious: Anal sex and teenagers should never be spoken of in the same breath, in the same sentence. Call me old-fashioned, but no father should ever have to worry about his daughter experiencing this sexual act, let alone when shes still a teenager  so to my way of thinking, this subject matter should never be published in a pop culture magazine designed for teens. [Or have things changed that much since my kids were that young?]

In any event, the perverts who edit, monitor and censor at Twitter are apparently just as bad as the pervs at Teen Vogue, because they just kicked off a user and mother who chastised the magazines editor, Phillip Picardi, for teaching kids sodomy.

Writer Elizabeth Johnston, who writes at The Activist Mommy website, tweeted this message after discovering Teen Vogues content: Congrats Phillip! A sodomite mag just awarded you for teaching kids sodomy. Way to recruit there @TheAdvocateMag! [The Advocate is a magazine that caters to gays and lesbians, as well as the LGBT community].

As reported by PJ Media, Picardi okayed for publication a guide to anal sex for teen girls in a recent issue. Needless to say, parents everywhere were shaken, disturbed, and upset at something that was, quite frankly, an act of pure stupidity.

So what was Picardis tweeted response? To give everyone the finger while kissing another man.

https://twitter.com/pfpicardi/status/885923789485342721

Nice, huh?

Needless to say, Picardi wasnt banned by Twitter. Or censored. Or limited. Or anything.

Because when it comes the destruction of decency, morality, and traditional American cultural mores, the Alt-Left gets a free pass from the like-minded morons who run tech and media companies.

Writes Megan Fox at PJ Media:

If Phillip Picardi doesnt like the word sodomy, then why is he publishing articles encouraging young girls to practice it? And why is a gay magazine handing him awards for doing it? That does seem rather strange, doesnt it? I can only guess that Johnston got suspended for using the words sodomite and sodomy instead of gay and anal sex and thus angering the gaystappo who appear to run social media.

Exactly right. Because Johnston is a Christian who believes in the Bibles teachings regarding homosexuality and aberrant sexual behavior, her account is the one that gets banned. Or censored. Or limited. (Related: Facebook to become left-wing propaganda echo chamber with Orwellian plan to label independent journalism fake)

We have determined that this account violated the Twitter Rules, so weve temporarily limited some of your account features, said a message from the gaystoppo. While in this state, you can still browse Twitter, but youre limited to only sending Direct Messages to your followers  no Tweets, Retweets, or likes.

The ban was for 12 hours.

Of course, writes Johnston, actual videos of children being abused can be found on Twitter. But calling out an editor for promoting teen sodomy is worth a suspension?

While leftists accuse The Activist Mommy of wanting society to become A Handmaids Tale, they are the ones taking us back to the dark ages through infanticide  all with the approval of Silicon Valley.

Twitters anti-conservative Nazis arent alone in the world of social media. Google and Facebook are equally guilty of equating conservative, pro-Trump speech and support with racism and bigotry and then using their contrived narrative as the impetus to ban or censure political speech the sensitive Lefties cant deal with (or adequately refute  which is why they name-call instead of debate).

Its time conservatives, libertarians, and political independents who respect and defend American principles, liberties, freedoms, and values abandon these Leftist social media sites that are owned and operated by people who seek to distort or destroy everything that made our country great. There are alternatives.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

ActivistMom.com

PJMedia.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Food allergy awareness posters in elementary schools list the following 8 food products as the most popular food allergies among children. Allergic reactions from exposure, consumption or injection of these foods can be fatal. Those 8 ingredients include peanuts, nuts, wheat, soy, milk, eggs, fish and shellfish. If your M.D. tells you that your food allergies are hereditary, maybe thats because your parents were injected with the same food excipients when they got their dozens of vaccines growing up. Either you inherited your parents allergies, or millions of humans are simply allergic to injecting proteins, foreign animal blood cells, aborted baby blood cells, known carcinogens, and heavy metal toxins directly into their muscle tissue and blood, which would make perfect sense for any normal person with a perfectly functioning immune system.

Exposing the link: Serum sickness and extreme food allergies

Could vaccine food ingredients be the inexplicable reason millions of American children cant even be in the same room where someone else opens a package of nuts? Consider this: Peanut oils were first used as carriers in influenza vaccines in the mid-1960s, thought to enhance the vaccines strength. Before that, anaphylactic shock syndrome from exposure to nuts was virtually nonexistent. Nobody was fainting and suffering from respiratory distress and experiencing convulsions just because somebody ate a Snickers bar on the other side of the room.

Today, peanut allergy is the #1 cause of death from food reactions, and its primarily among children. Coincidence? The reaction surge kicked into full force in the early 1990s. Is that because the mandated schedule of CDC-approved vaccines for children (before they turn age 7) doubled from the 1980s? It has more than doubled again since then! Take a look.

1980: 20 vaccines

1995: 40 vaccines

2011  2017: 68 vaccines (36 of those vaccines are administered before the age of 18 months)

That means nearly all of the vaccines given in the first 7 years of life in 1995 are now ALL given in the first 18 months of life. Maybe we should rename the top 8 food allergies serum sickness. Then the root cause would be realized and maybe doctors who actually understand nutrition (naturopaths) could step in and do something to reverse the epidemic.

As discovered over 100 years ago by Dr Charles Richet, anaphylactic reactions to certain foods are a result of intact proteins that bypass the digestive system and find their way into the blood. This is a universal trigger for allergic reactions in all animals. Interesting. The initial sensitization involves injection, which creates the hypersensitivity, and the later violent and sometimes deadly reaction comes from eating the same food. Dr. Richet worked primarily with eggs, milk and meat proteins.

Bacteria, viruses, pathogens and parasites thrive in egg and milk, and are carried like a time release capsule in peanut oil

Peanut adjuvants in vaccines in America is a huge secret. Vaccine manufacturers are NOT required anymore to disclose all of the ingredients in vaccines, and they are also NOT allowed to be sued by anyone, ever, for injuries from reactions to the injections. The full formula for any vaccine is never revealed on the vaccine insert information page, because the full formula contains proprietary information and is protected as intellectual property.

The FDA admits peanut protein traces persist in vaccines today. This is exactly why doctors are directed to inject vaccines intramuscular rather than intravenous, because theres a better chance of absorption of intact proteins and less chance of a bad reaction. Still, no money has ever been allocated from the National Institute of Health (NIH) or the CDC to study the obvious connection between vaccine food protein excipients and food allergies. (The vaccine industry will never allow the unvaccinated population to serve as a control group for this testing, knowing the results that will be found.) Its obvious that medical extremism is at an all-time high right now in America. You really have to look out for yourself and your family.

Important considerations regarding food allergies in relation to common vaccine ingredients

Initial warning signs and symptoms of allergic reactions to foods found in vaccines include mouth tingling, itching or metallic taste; also hives. Got wheat allergies? Is the allergy really to wheat or is it to yeast protein and yeast extract, that are both common ingredients in vaccines? Just check experimental jabs like the Cholera vaccine, Hep B, HPV, Meningococcal and Pneumococcal.

Got milk and dairy allergies? Check vaccines for casein derivatives called Miller or Mueller medium, and also lactose in the Hib vaccine. Plus, casamino acids are derived from cows milk, such as in DTaP vaccine. Many parents report childrens allergic reaction to the DTaP jab immediately after injection. Also beware because there is hydrolyzed casein in the meningococcus vaccine.

Got soy allergies? Did you know that Soy peptone broth is used in vaccines to enrich salmonella and cultivate microorganisms, including fungi?

Got fish allergies? Some oral vaccines contain fish oil. Allergic to shellfish? Read this informative blog at Cure Zone about the link to certain vaccines.

Got egg allergies? Eggs are in all flu vaccines and the yellow fever jab. Egg proteins are present in the final product also.

Also, children with the following allergies should have their parents check every single vaccine insert, including flu shots, for the following popular allergens that are found in many vaccines or the packaging, vial or syringe stopper: Latex, mercury, gelatin, antibiotics, formaldehyde, fetal cells from abortions, aluminum, MSG (monosodium glutamate), African Green Monkey kidney cells and polysorbate 80.

Vaccines are also now linked to learning disabilities, not just allergies! Look into natural immunity builders that have worked for millennia, including oil of oregano, chaga mushrooms, vitamin D3 and vitamin C. Maybe the secret to immunity and avoiding creating food allergies is to never inject food proteins, heavy metal toxins, gelatin, urea (animal urine) and other known carcinogens (like methyl mercury, aluminum and formaldehyde) into your muscle tissue. This is worthy of much careful consideration.

Learn more at Immunization.news.

Sources for this article include:

Thedoctorwithin.com

Michigan.gov

CureZone.org

MPBio.com

FoodsMatter.com

Empowher.com

CDC.gov

Immunization.news

VaccineImpact.com

NaturalNews.com

ScienceForums.net
(Natural News) According to engineers at the University of California San Diego, people who are getting checked at their dentists offices for gum disease need not worry anymore about pain and discomfort. Why? Because squid ink is the answer to their problems.

In a study that was published in the Journal of Dental Research, the researchers developed a new dental imaging method to look at a patients gums by combining cuttlefish ink with light and ultrasound.

Traditionally, dentists assess the condition of their patients gums using an instrument called periodontal probe, which is a thin, hook-like metal tool that has labels like a measuring stick and is placed in between the teeth and gums to see how much the gums have shrunk back from the teeth, causing the formation of pockets.

A pocket depth that measures one to two millimeters shows healthy gums while a pocket depth of three mm is indicative of gum disease. The deeper the pockets, the worse the gum disease. (Related: Contrary to what your dentist may tell you, you CAN reverse tooth decay, new research finds.)

However, the researchers mentioned that dentists often measure pockets differently, and that the probhe can only measure the pocket depth of one spot at a time.

The researchers said that the process of identifying gum disease via squid ink begins by rinsing the mouth with a paste that is made of food-based squid ink mixed with water and cornstarch. The squid ink then would cling to the pockets in between the gums and the teeth. Next, an ultrasound would be taken of the patients mouth.

The squid ink-based rinse acts as a contrast agent for an imaging method called photoacoustic ultrasound. This involves shining a white, laser pulse onto a sample, which heats up and expands, giving off an acoustic signal that researchers can examine.

Using the periodontal probe is like examining a dark room with just a flashlight and you can only see one area at a time. With our method, its like flipping on all the light switches so you can see the entire room all at once, senior study author and UC San Diego nanoengineering professor Jesse Jokerst said.

This technique makes it possible for dentists to visualize a full map of the pocket depth around each tooth  a remarkable improvement over the traditional method.

Researchers said the results of the photoacoustic imaging method were consistent across multiple tests, unlike when the assessment was done with the periodontal probe, wherein results varied from one test to another.

Jokerst said the idea of using squid ink started while he and some colleagues were having dinner in Tokyo. They brainstormed about possible contrast agents that wouldnt be rejected by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The idea that a food could be used was intriguing, but which foods are dark and could potentially be used for imaging? Squid ink is perfect because it is a liquid and thus can penetrate into the space between the tooth and the gum, i.e., the pocket, Jokerst said.

Squid ink is a good option, Jokerst said, since because it was so dark, it can readily absorb light. Plus, it is already edible.

Getting materials FDA-approved is very time-consuming. We didnt want to create a new material that would be subjected to years of scrutiny and testing. By using a material that is already approved as a food, we hope to speed up the time needed to get this into dental offices, Jokerst concluded.

Read more stories such as this one at Dentistry.news.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

Washingtonian.com
(Natural News) U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who was cheated out of the Democratic Party nomination for president last year by a dishonest political organization, doesnt believe you, your doctor, or insurance company should have control over your healthcare.

He thinks the federal government should. And not just primary control, like we now have with the Obamacare disaster, absolute control.

In recent weeks Sanders has been pushing legislation that would transform the current system of health insurance and healthcare delivery  which is being destroyed by Obamacare anyway  into a Medicare-for-all system, a single-payer scheme in which every American (and no small amount of illegal aliens, no doubt) are covered by full-on, government-supplied insurance.

Several Democratic senators, in fact, have already signed on to Sanders Medicare for All Act of 2017, the Washington Free Beacon reports, which would repeal Obamacare, along with most other private and public insurance, and replace it with a government-run, one-size-fits-all, centrally directed system of reimbursement for medical expenses.

Sanders, who went on his honeymoon in the former Soviet Union, has the same opinion of health insurance that he holds for antiperspirants, the website noted: You dont necessarily need a choice of 23 spray deodorants or of 18 different sneakers when children are hungry in this country.

Facepalm. Groan.

First of all, it takes an incredible amount of arrogance to think that you alone have the right to decide what the rest of the country needs. This is the same approach Alt-Left Democrats have taken with other issues in the past, like guns: You dont need a semi-automatic rifle that looks like an M-4, and so on. Considering the founders didnt put need as a qualifier for the Second Amendment makes such claims meaningless and inappropriate.

But whats worse about Sanders new healthcare legislation is his incredible hypocrisy, for once upon a time Sanders was very clear-minded about what a full-on Medicare for all government healthcare system would entail.

Again, as reported by the Washington Free Beacon, back in 1987 Sanders  then the mayor of Burlington, Vt.  understood that such single-payer schemes were just not economically tenable.

In talking about the possibility of implementing complete socialist healthcare in the U.S., Sanders, in a Bernie Speaks with the Community episode, said:

You want to guarantee that all people have access to health care as you do in Canada. But I think what we understand is that unless we change the funding system and the control mechanism in this country to do that  for example if we expanded Medicaid [to] everybody. Give everybody a Medicaid card  we would be spending such an astronomical sum of money that, you know, we would bankrupt the nation.

See the relevant exchange here:

So what has changed, Bernie? Socialized, single-payer, full-on, government-controlled health care is as much of a disaster today as it was back then. It would still be prohibitively expensive, and in fact, legislators in your own home state just rejected a single-payer health system like the one Sanders is proposing. And why? Because it would cost too much. (Related: Sen. Graham on Obamacare repeal: Melt Congress phone lines.)

One thing that has changed since 1987 is the national debt; thanks to rampant, unrestrained, uncontrolled federal spending  mostly on mandatory entitlement programs  our debt has risen from about $3.1 trillion in 1990 to more than $20 trillion today. One hundred percent government-supplied healthcare would explode our debt even further.

Sanders has been notably vague about the details of his plan, most importantly how to pay for it. The Left-wing Urban Institute said nationally, health expenditures would climb by an astronomical $6.6 trillion between 23017 and 2026, as federal expenditures increased by $32 trillion over the same period.

There is no way to pay for the benefits they desire without a) economy-crushing tax hikes, b) rationing, or c) some combination thereof, the Washington Free Beacon noted.

A better plan is being offered by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. At least with his plan, the nation wont go bankrupt nearly as fast.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

TheNationalSentinel.com

FreeBeacon.com
Berkeley police on Monday issued a warning to families about a man who earlier this year allegedly tried to feed an unknown liquid to three young children at a playground.

William Turner, 36, of Berkeley, was arrested after allegedly trying to feed the liquid to children, including one as young a year old, on June 12 at a playground in the Ohlone Greenway near McGee and Hearst avenues, according to police.

San Leandro PD

"Since May, theres been a total of four incidents; three are particularly troubling to us," said Berkeley police Sgt. Andrew Frankel.

Officers placed Turner on an emergency psychiatric hold, and he was later arrested on suspicion of annoying or harassing a child and possession of stolen property, police said.

He later pleaded guilty to a lesser offense and was placed on probation with a stay-away order from all parks and schools in Alameda County, but was arrested again on Sept. 1 after being spotted near Berkeley High School and Berkeley City College, police said.

"In one of the incidents, he was in front of a preschool at six in the morning, and he stripped down to his underwear," Frankel said. "The totality of the circumstances we find troubling."



Turner has since been released from custody again, and Berkeley police spokesman Sgt. Andrew Frankel said the department wanted to notify the public about him so parents can remain vigilant when visiting parks with their children.

"Because we feel like he shows a propensity to annoy, molest small children, we felt we need to share his picture with the community," Frankel said.


Redwood High School in Larkspur was safely evacuated on Tuesday after the school reported a bomb threat, according to the school's Twitter account.

After the threat was reported, school and law enforcement officials announced that 1,900 students were "calmly leaving" classrooms and assembling at a safe location.

Students were not released until the entire school was evacuated, the Marin County Sheriff's Office tweeted.

Authorities advised that no injuries were reported.



Further information was not available.

Stay tuned for details.
Six immigrants brought to the United States as children who became teachers, graduate students and a lawyer sued the Trump administration on Monday over its decision to end a program shielding them from deportation.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco alleges the move violated the constitutional rights of immigrants who lack legal status and provided information about themselves to the U.S. government so they could participate in the program.

"The consequences are potentially catastrophic," said Jesse Gabriel, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. "These people can very powerfully and very clearly communicate the extent to which they organized their lives around this program."

The lawsuit joins others filed over President Donald Trump's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has allowed nearly 800,000 immigrants to obtain work permits and deportation protection since 2012.

More than a dozen states from Maine to California have sued over the administration's decision to phase out the program, alleging similar constitutional violations. So has the University of California system.

Gabriel said the impact of Trump's decision directly weighed on his clients' personal lives and decisions they made to advance their careers in this U.S.

He said Dulce Garcia is a 34-year-old lawyer in San Diego who came to the United States from Mexico when she was four years old. She recently signed a lease for an office and hired employees because she believed she could stay and work in the U.S. under the program, Gabriel said.

"Now, the government is totally pulling out the rug from under her," he said.

The plaintiffs also include teachers, a medical student and a law student. They are from Mexico and Thailand.

Trump's announcement on Sept. 5 came after 10 Republican attorneys general threatened to sue in an attempt to halt the program. Under Trump's plan, those already enrolled remain covered until their two-year work permits expire, and some renewals are being allowed. But there will be no new applications.

Department of Justice spokesman Devin O'Malley blamed the Obama administration for starting the program and said the agency will defend Trump's decision.

"It was the previous administration's arbitrary circumvention of Congress that got us to this point," he said. "The Department of Justice looks forward to defending this Administration's position and restoring respect for the rule of law."

Immigrant advocates praise the program for protecting immigrants who were raised and educated in the U.S. despite their lack of legal immigration papers. The program's opponents criticize it as too broad and said major changes to immigration laws need to go through Congress and cannot be enacted by the U.S. president alone.
Is the creepy clown mask back?

A victim of theft in the South Bay says one of the suspects left behind a clown mask as he was getting away. The suspect was not wearing it at the time of the crime, but police said it might provide a link to other crimes in the area.

"They say they believe it might be linked to a few home invasions," victim Justin Wise said. "There's been a slew of robberies."

Wise says he was installing shutters at a home in North San Jose last Wednesday when he saw two young girls and a man stealing power tools from his unlocked truck.

The suspects jumped into a car and Wise ran after them down a street.

Police told Wise the car was stolen out of Fremont.

"I work hard for my tools and those are what I use to support my family," he said. "No one should be able to go into someone else's property and take it."

What stuck with Wise was the clown mask.

Surveillance video of a convenient store robbery in Florida this past June show suspects both wearing clown masks.

Police are not confirming a trend with clown masks, but there is a concern because Halloween is only a month and a half away.

Schools last year banned clown masks on campus, along with any mask that conceals the identity of the person wearing them.
Fewer people are being diagnosed with HIV in San Francisco, an ongoing trend, according to a new report from the San Francisco Health Department.

New HIV diagnoses in San Francisco declined from 265 cases in 2015 to a record low of 223 in 2016, down from a high of 2,332 at the peak of the epidemic in 1992, the health department said Friday.

This is a 16 percent reduction in new HIV diagnoses overall in 2016 in the city compared to the previous year, according to the health department. Such diagnoses declined by 18 percent nationally over the last six years, from 2008 to 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The city's Getting to Zero consortium, a coalition of groups, individuals and activists, has been working since 2014 to achieve the goal of zero new HIV infections. The health department gave credit to the group for the good news announced Friday.

"New HIV infections in San Francisco are declining at a faster rate than ever, and the city continues to do better than the nation in reducing new infections," Barbara Garcia, the city's director of health, said in a statement.

One of the most troubling aspects of the epidemic, the disparity between new infections in white men and men of color, appears to be closing, according to the health department.

"Infections are dropping among all groups, including African American and Latino men, and we are starting to close the disparity gap," Garcia said. "It is essential that we focus on disparities in order to get to zero."

African American men have the highest new HIV diagnosis rate in San Francisco, at 96 cases per 100,000 population in 2016, the health department said. In comparison, 39 such cases were diagnosed per 100,000 among white men in San Francisco in 2016.

This number is arrived at by dividing the number of African American men diagnosed with HIV in 2016 by the number of African American men in San Francisco based on U.S. census information.

Latino men in San Francisco have a new HIV diagnosis rate of 77 per 100,000 population, down from 85 in 2015, the department said.
A known gang member fatally shot by police late Friday in San Jose was not armed with a gun, San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia said Monday.

The deadly shooting incident occured shortly after undercover officers in unmarked cars pulled over Jacob Dominguez in East San Jose. Officers told Dominguez, who was wanted for armed robbery and had evaded police hours earlier, to put his hands up and stay that way, Garcia said.

"Dominguez disobeyed those orders and put his hands down out of sight and the officer believed he was reaching for a weapon, so he fired at least one time," Garcia said.

Dominguez, 33, died at the scene and Garcia said no gun was found in the vehicle.

Relatives of Dominguez said he was living in a Christian home, trying to turn his life around and was a great father to his three young kids.

"His babies want him home," said Rosie Chavez, Dominguez's aunt. "How do you tell three babies daddy's not coming home?"

Police paint a different picture. They say Dominguez was a known norteno gang member linked to a crime spree earlier this month, including a drive-by shooting that injured one person and armed robbery at an Arco gas station.

Police also said Dominguez had a violent past, including a conviction for first-degree robbery.

But many of the more than 100 people who gathered Saturday to mourn Dominguez said the man they knew was a good person. His family said because Dominguez was unarmed when he was shot, they plan to pursue legal action against police.

The officer who fired the shot that killed Dominguez is on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.
An off-duty California Highway Patrol officer was killed when his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck in San Martin on Tuesday, according to authorities.

A 47-year-old man driving in a Chevrolet pickup truck was travelling northbound on Monterey Road in the turn lane for Chester Avenue around 5:51 a.m. when he turned into the path of 44-year-old James Branik, who was riding in the opposite direction, according to the CHP.

Branik, who is from San Jose and was currently working at the commercial scales in Gilroy, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP. Branik previously spent time working at the San Jose CHP office.

"He was happily married, grew up in San Jose and was an avid motorcycle enthusiast," said CHP officer, Rob Kaczor. "Today, he ultimately lost his life on a motorocylce."

An investigation is ongoing, according to the CHP. Officers do not believe that alcohol or drugs played a factor in the collision.

San Martin is located in Santa Clara County between Morgan Hill and Gilroy.

Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to contact Officer Sean Nichols at 408-848-2324.

Further information was not available.
Suisun City police said early Tuesday morning that a 12-year-old boy that was reported missing Monday afternoon has been found safe and returned to his family.

Officer Joe Elliott said that Abram Rodriguez was found at 6:53 p.m. Monday near his home. Elliott said that Rodriguez told officers when he was found that he was hiding in the home when police originally searched it.

However, Elliott said police believe the boy was hiding somewhere near his home during the search.

Rodriguez went missing around 5 p.m. Monday after he allegedly ran away from his home, according to police.
California is quickly becoming an expensive place to live in, and more than half of the states voters have considered moving, according to a new statewide poll.

UC Berkeleys Institute of Governmental Studies conducted research on the housing affordability crisis in California and their findings revealed that 48 percent of the states registered voters described the issue as an extremely serious problem. From that poll, at least 65 percent of San Francisco Bay Area residents agreed on the severity of the housing crisis.

Its an extremely serious problem, said poll director Mark DiCamillo in an interview with the Sacramento Bee. People are being forced to consider moving because of the rising cost of housing  thats pretty prevalent all over the state.

Source: Berkeley-IGS Poll

In the Bay Area alone, 51 percent of residents have considered relocating to a less expensive region compared to 56 percent statewide.

The poll also asked voters their opinions on rent control and found that 65 percent of statewide voters support local laws for rent control. Only 26 percent believe that limiting rent increases would lead to fewer rentals being built, making the problem worse. Support for local rental control is strongest among voters in the Los Angeles region - 68 percent - and the San Francisco Bay Area - 63 percent.

In California, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is approximately $1,750 and a two-bedroom averages at $2,110, according to data collected by Apartment List.

San Francisco and San Jose take the top two spots on the ten most expensive cities to live in California, followed by Los Angeles, San Diego and Long Beach.
Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday it aims to launch a foldable smartphone next year under its Galaxy Note brand.

Koh Dong-jin, president of mobile business at Samsung Electronics, said the company is setting its eyes on 2018 to release a smartphone with a bendable display. But he said there are several hurdles it has to overcome, leaving room to push back the release if those problems are not solved.

"As the head of the business, I can say our current goal is next year," he told reporters. "When we can overcome some problems for sure, we will launch the product."

He did not elaborate what the problems are. Analysts said mass-producing a foldable phone with top tech features and a thin body will take time.

When Samsung will release its first foldable phone has been a perennial question in the market since Samsung first showcased a flexible display prototype called Youm in 2013. For at least the past two years, there have been rumors that Samsung is close to showing off its first smartphones that can be folded.

Koh also said the company is working with auto-systems maker Harman to develop an artificial intelligence-enabled speaker that users can speak to in order to play music and conduct other tasks. Samsung acquired the Stamford, Connecticut-based company last year as part of its plans to expand in the emerging market for connected cars.

Amazon and Google already have those always-on voice-controlled speakers in the market while Apple's Homepod is due to go on sale later this year. It is not clear when Samsung's voice-controlled speaker, which will likely use the South Korean company's Bixby voice assistant, will be unveiled. Koh did not say when it will hit the market.

The comments were made at Samsung's news conference to announce the Galaxy Note 8 smartphone to domestic media, just hours before Apple announces its 10th-anniversary iPhone models.

Samsung's mobile president said market response to the Note 8 beat its expectations even though its price was more expensive than past models and even as the Note brand's reputation took a hit from its previous model, the disgraced Note 7 phone that was recalled twice and discontinued after it spontaneously overheated or caught fire.

Samsung received more than a half million pre-orders  650,000 units  for the Note 8 in South Korea before its Friday launch, Koh said. The Note 8 has been the most expensive smartphone Samsung has released. Its price starts at 1.1 million won ($969) in South Korea and $930 in the U.S.
The most stunning nighttime view of San Francisco may soon be off-limits as city leaders on Monday night considered a proposal to close Twin Peaks daily from dusk until dawn.

Police officials say it's a matter of safety over sightseeing as crime as spiked at the popular vista point. But, as expected, some don't like the plan.

A group of friends at Twin Peaks on Monday said they couldn't imagine the spectacular overlook being shut down.

"More security, yeah, that would be great because this is so beautiful," said Megan Allbritten of Oakland. "You can't just close it off. This is something for everybody to see, straight up."

Jed De La Santos, of South San Francisco, agreed.

"There's not that much crime happening here because there's cops happening here all the time I wait," he said. "Why close it?"

But San Francisco police have seen more than the views up there at night. Capt. John Sanford aggravated assaults and noise complaints are common.

"It's a lot of these incidents that have occurred after these particular hours," Sanford said.

Supervisor Norman Yee has proposed gates at both entrances that lead up to Twin Peaks to keep vehicles out of here from dusk until dawn.

"If you put it down half a mile, most kids, most people that are going to do bad things are not gonna walk up the hill," he said.

In July, a robbery turned into a fatal shooting at Twin Peaks. Last year, two people were shot. And then there are crimes the public doesn't hear much about.

"Including partying, which is one thing, drinking and so forth. But that leads into fights, which has happened quite a bit up there," Sanford said.

Dramatic increases in police patrols and recently installed security cameras have deterred crime, police said. But one neighbor said it's still not enough.

"Something has to be done because the people who are up there after 11, parking, it's a problem," said Jody Yeary.

Yee said he has a lot of support from other members of the board, and he believes the city can get the gates up by the end of the year.
An Oakland man has been arrested for suspicion of attempted murder and evading police for allegedly striking two San Leandro police officers with his car in front of a grocery store on Sunday night, police said.

Terry Gordon, 57, was arrested in Oakland shortly after 9 a.m. Monday after officers spotted his black 1998 Lexus ES 300 sedan, according to police.

Officers tried to stop Gordon but he disobeyed their command to stop and led officers on a short pursuit before crashing into a parked vehicle, at which point he was then taken into custody without incident, police said.

Gordon's Lexus had damage consistent with Sunday night's incident, which occurred at about 8:30 p.m. In that incident, Gordon allegedly struck the two officers in front of a Safeway store, located at 699 Lewelling Blvd., according to police.

The officers were trying to detain Gordon because store employees alleged that he had just shoplifted items from the store, police said.

The officers tried to stop Gordon but he ran to his car and struck the officers as he was driving away, according to police.

The officers were transported to a hospital for treatment. One officer is still in the hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, while the other was released some hours after being hit, police said.

The officers identified Gordon as the suspect who struck them and his car has also been identified as the vehicle that was used in the alleged assault, according to police.

"We are grateful that this subject has been located and arrested," San Leandro police spokesman Lt. Isaac Benabou said in a statement.

Benabou said, "We are also very thankful that both officers are doing well and we expect a full recovery. Thank you to everyone who extended their thoughts and prayers for our officers."

Detectives will present the case to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office on Wednesday for charging, Benabou said.
The show will go on in Berkeley, according to far-right speaker Milo Yiannopoulos, who took to YouTube and Facebook Monday, accusing UC Berkeley of trying to sabotage Free Speech Week.

It was Yiannopoulos who was on campus when violent protests broke out in February. He said the university didn't do enough to protect speakers and visitors, and his speech was canceled at the last minute.

Now, Yiannopoulos and a newly formed conservative student group are accusing UC Berkeley of trying to silence them once again.

In the YouTube video, Yiannopoulos and student journalists with the Berkeley Patriot say the university has not negotiated with them fairly, refusing to answer questions about refunding more than $65,000 in venue rental fees if they end up canceling.

"This was designed to force a cancellation," Yiannopoulos says in the video. "We are not going to cancel Free Speech Week."

The problem emerged Friday, according to the Berkeley Patriot's editor William Mike Wright.

"Right now, the way the contract is ... that we're going to be forced to sign ... we're on the hook for that money," Wright said.

The Berkeley Patriot has been promoting a Free Speech Week for months, saying big names like Steve Bannon and Ann Coulter also will be making appearances.

UC Berkeley said the event's organizers still have not provided confirmation from the speakers that they will appear, and university spokesman Dan Mogulof said they failed to meet critical deadlines over the past month to pay reservation fees on two large auditoriums.

"If they wanted this venue so badly, why did they miss three deadlines, and why did payment finally show up on our doorstep, days, weeks after these deadlines had passed?" Mogulof said.

Mogulof said the school answered all of the organizers' questions. The main disagreement was over the university's no-refund policy, something that he said is standard in every contract.

"Those questions had been answered weeks earlier," Mogulof said. "They didn't like the answers."

The Berkeley Patriot said it will hold a news conference Wednesday to update the list and schedule of speakers.

The university released the following schedule:

SUNDAY, Sept. 24

Savio steps, noon-12:55 p.m., speech by Miss Elaine

Savio steps, 5-6:45 p.m., speeches by Lucian Wintrich, Lisa DePasquale and Chadwick Moore

MONDAY, Sept. 25

Savio steps, noon-12:55 p.m., speech by Heather MacDonald

Savio steps, 5-7 p.m., speeches by Monica Crowley and SABO

Anna Head Hall, 7:30-9:30 p.m., speakers Jordan Peterson and James Damore. (Campus will not permit late changes to this event, per UCPD security requirements and campus policy.)

TUESDAY, Sept. 26

Lower Sproul Plaza, noon-12:55 p.m., speech by Michael Malice

Lower Sproul Plaza, 5-7 p.m., speech by Katie Hopkins; interviewer Milo Yiannopoulos to interview subjects Erik Prince, Pamela Geller and David Horowitz. (Campus has informed student organization that it may add speakers to this event if it chooses to do so, per campus policy.)

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27
A powerful earthquake shook central Mexico on Tuesday, collapsing buildings in plumes of dust and killing more than 200 people. Thousands fled into the streets in panic, and many stayed to help rescue those trapped.

Dozens of buildings tumbled into mounds of rubble or were severely damaged in densely populated parts of Mexico City and nearby states. Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said buildings fell at 44 places in the capital alone as high-rises across the city swayed sickeningly.

Early Wednesday, the head of Mexico's national Civil Defense Agency lowered the number of confirmed dead in Tuesday's earthquake to 217.

Luis Felipe Puente said on his Twitter account that at least 86 people died in Mexico City, 71 in Morelos state, 43 in Puebla, 12 in the State of Mexico, four in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

He gave no explanation for the lower toll after earlier reporting 248 confirmed deaths.

Hours after the magnitude 7.1 quake, rescue workers were still clawing through the wreckage of a primary school that partly collapsed in the city's south looking for any children who might be trapped. Some relatives said they had received Whatsapp message from two girls inside.

The quake is the deadliest in Mexico since a 1985 quake on the same date killed 9,500. It came less than two weeks after another powerful quake caused 90 deaths in the country's south.

The federal government declared a state of disaster in Mexico City, freeing up emergency funds. President Enrique Pena Nieto said he had ordered all hospitals to open their doors to the injured.

Mancera, the Mexico City mayor, said 50 to 60 people were rescued alive by citizens and emergency workers in the capital. Authorities said at least 70 people in the capital had been hospitalized for injuries.

The federal interior minister, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, said authorities had reports of people possibly still being trapped in collapsed buildings. He said search efforts were slow because of the fragility of rubble.

"It has to be done very carefully," he said. And "time is against us."

At one site, reporters saw onlookers cheer as a woman was pulled from the rubble. Rescuers immediately called for silence so they could listen for others who might be trapped.

Mariana Morales, a 26-year-old nutritionist, was one of many who spontaneously participated in rescue efforts.

She wore a paper face mask and her hands were still dusty from having joined a rescue brigade to clear rubble from a building that fell in a cloud of dust before her eyes, about 15 minutes after the quake.

Morales said she was in a taxi when the quake struck, and she got out and sat on a sidewalk to try to recover from the scare. Then, just a few yards away, the three-story building fell.

A dust-covered Carlos Mendoza, 30, said that he and other volunteers had been able to pull two people alive from the ruins of a collapsed apartment building after three hours of effort.

"We saw this and came to help," he said. "It's ugly, very ugly."

Alma Gonzalez was in her fourth floor apartment in the Roma neighborhood when the quake pancaked the ground floor of her building, leaving her no way out  until neighbors set up a ladder on their roof and helped her slide out a side window.

Gala Dluzhynska was taking a class with 11 other women on the second floor of a building on trendy Alvaro Obregon street when the quake struck and window and ceiling panels fell as the building began to tear apart.

She said she fell in the stairs and people began to walk over her, before someone finally pulled her up.

"There were no stairs anymore. There were rocks," she said.

They reached the bottom only to find it barred. A security guard finally came and unlocked it.

The quake sent people throughout the city fleeing from homes and offices, and many people remained in the streets for hours, fearful of returning to the structures.

Alarms blared and traffic stopped around the Angel of Independence monument on the iconic Reforma Avenue.

Electricity and cellphone service was interrupted in many areas and traffic was snarled as signal lights went dark.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.1 quake hit at 1:14 p.m. (2:15 p.m. EDT) and was centered near the Puebla state town of Raboso, about 76 miles (123 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City.

Puebla Gov. Tony Gali tweeted there were damaged buildings in the city of Cholula, including collapsed church steeples.

In Jojutla, a town in neighboring Morelos state, the town hall, a church and other buildings tumbled down.

The Instituto Morelos secondary school partly collapsed in Jojutla, but school director Adelina Anzures said the earthquake drill that the school held in the morning was a boon when the real thing hit just two hours later.

"I told them that it was not a game, that we should be prepared," Anzures said of the drill. When the shaking began, children and teachers filed out rapidly and no one was hurt, she said. "It fell and everything inside was damaged."

Earlier in the day, workplaces across Mexico City held earthquake readiness drills on the anniversary of the 1985 quake, a magnitude 8.0 shake that killed thousands of people and devastated large parts of the capital.

In that tragedy, too, ordinary citizens played a crucial role in rescue efforts that overwhelmed officials.

Market stall vendor Edith Lopez, 25, said she was in a taxi a few blocks away when the quake struck Tuesday. She said she saw glass bursting out of the windows of some buildings. She was anxiously trying to locate her children, whom she had left in the care of her disabled mother.

Local media broadcast video of whitecap waves churning the city's normally placid canals of Xochimilco as boats bobbed up and down.

Mexico City's international airport suspended operations and was checking facilities for damage.

Much of Mexico City is built on former lakebed, and the soil can amplify the effects of earthquakes centered hundreds of miles away.

The new quake appeared to be unrelated to the magnitude 8.1 temblor that hit Sept. 7 off Mexico's southern coast and also was felt strongly in the capital.

U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Paul Earle noted the epicenters of the two quakes were 400 miles (650 kilometers) apart and said most aftershocks are within (60 miles) 100 kilometers.

There have been 19 earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or larger within 150 miles (250 kilometers) of Tuesday's quake over the past century, Earle said.

Earth usually has about 15 to 20 earthquakes this size or larger each year, Earle said.

"People need to expect to be feeling more earthquakes," prominent American seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said of possible aftershocks in an interview on MSNBC.



Initial calculations showed that more than 30 million people would have felt moderate shaking from Tuesday's quake.
What to Know Three members of Congress were among the 10 people arrested in front of Trump Tower during a protest of the White House decision to end DACA

Organizers had timed the protest to coincide with Trump's visit to New York City for his address to the United Nations General Assembly

Trump is scheduled to stay at Trump Tower Tuesday evening, but wasn't present for the protest

New York congressman Adriano Espaillat, City Council President Melissa Mark Viverito and other lawmakers have been arrested in a protest outside Trump Tower.

They were fighting President Trump's decision to end the DACA program, which protected immigrants who arrived in the U.S. illegally as children.

Espaillat's spokeswoman confirmed to News 4 he was arrested.

"Since day one, the Trump administration has threatened Latinos, Muslims, LGBT, women, and the list continues. His decision to end the DACA program earlier this month increased the urgency of what's at stake and the lives at risk when we fail to speak out against racism in America," spokeswoman Candace Randle Person said.

Dozens of people gathered at the corner across Trump Tower for the planned protest, holding signs and chanting. NYPD officers were also there in force to control the crowds.

The lawmakers had planned to get arrested by sitting down on Fifth Avenue and refusing to move. Three members of Congress, along with Mark Viverito, were among the 10 people arrested.



Organizers had timed the protest to coincide with Trump's visit to New York City for his address to the United Nations General Assembly. They're demanding the president work with Congress to pass a clean DREAM Act that includes a path to citizenship for immigrant youth.

Trump is scheduled to stay at Trump Tower Tuesday evening, but wasn't present for the protest.
More than 25 years after her murder, a suspect has been charged in the 1992 killing of a Massachusetts middle school teacher's aide.

Forty-eight-year-old Gary E. Schara of West Springfield has been charged in the April 1992 death of Lisa Ziegert, according to Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

"We are so grateful and  'happy' is the wrong word, I can't use the word 'happy,' because in this situation, we're not happy  but we are so grateful for the hard work and determination and faith that all of these investigators had over all these years," Dee Ziegert, the victim's mother, said Monday. "They never, ever gave up on Lisa, and that is what we're focused on."



The DNA of Schara, who was described as a person of interest years ago, was found at the scene, but investigators didn't have a sample to test it against until last week, Gulluni said. The same DNA was used in a computer-generated rendering of a suspect last year.

Ziegert, a 24-year-old Agawam woman, was working her night job at a card shop when she disappeared  the store found open with her car and belongings abandoned there the following day. Her body was found four days later in a wooded area about four miles away. Investigators determined she had been raped before being stabbed.

A warrant was issued Friday for the arrest of Schara on charges of murder, aggravated rape and kidnapping in connection to Ziegert's death. Saturday, the warrant was executed and Schara was found in a medical facility in Connecticut. Authorities said he had attempted suicide after fleeing to that state.

Schara was released into the custody of Connecticut State Police on a fugitive from justice charge.

Last year, authorities released a computer-generated rendering of a suspect using new technology that analyzed DNA found at the crime scene to predict the suspect's physical characteristics.

Gulluni said the DNA collected in the case had "been recurrently run against state, national and international databases, without a match." So in recent months, Gulluni said he decided to investigate people named persons of interest over the year whose DNA profiles were not on record.

After a small list was developed in August, investigators began a legal process to obtain DNA samples. State troopers in Massachusetts tried to notify Schara about this process last Wednesday, according to Gulluni. He was not home, and troopers left a message with someone there.

The district attorney said Thursday, someone close to Schara gave police information confirming his involvement in Ziegert's killing. Later that day, police tried to find Schara, and learned he had fled to Connecticut.

Police found Schara after he tried to kill himself, according to officials.

Schara appeared in a Connecticut court Monday and waived extradition to Massachusetts. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.

The district attorney said officials "have a sense of why he did it" but did not provide details about a possible motive.


A team from both the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois will head to Seattle Tuesday, as the full-court press to bring the new Amazon headquarters to Chicago continues to heat up.

Gov. Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the joint delegation Monday, saying the group of 10 leaders will be surveying Amazon's main campus "to help determine which Chicago area sites would best fit the company's future needs."

The online giant plans to invest $5 billion in the new site that will eventually house 50,000 employees  a revelation that has caused cities across the U.S. to engage in a charm offensive to lure the company in.

The bids to Amazon are due in roughly one month, which is why the governor and mayor - who often find themselves at odds with one another politically - are working together to offer a united proposal.

"The home run for us and where our real focus is, is given metropolitan Chicago and given the power of O'Hare Airport, our real focus is here," Rauner said at a news conference Monday, fresh from his trip to Japan and China.

Though Deputy Governor Leslie Munger was at Monday's event, Rauner did not mention that she is his point person for the project. Munger will be a part of the delegation, alongside Deputy Mayors of Chicago Bob Rivkin and Andrea Zopp, former U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, and six other business and civic leaders.

Emanuel has made it clear he will personally play a role in the effort.

"We have the universities, we have the aviation system, the public transportation, the lowest cost of living of 10 major cities in the United States, and the cultural diversity," he said Thursday.

Like so many other cities interested in the Amazon bonanza, St. Louis is also preparing a bid. Although he said Chicago is his top priority, Rauner is walking a delicate supportive line in regard to that proposal as well.

"As governor of the entire state of Illinois, St. Louis is also competing and we have major population center in Metro East, we have major strategic transportation advantages in Metro East around the St. Louis area and we will be working in assistance with the St. Louis proposal as well because that could, if St. Louis has some benefits that they bring in terms of their overall package, we want to make sure that Illinois is positioned to be a great benefit of that," Rauner said Monday.

But will Illinois' reputation for chaotic, and even corrupt politics play a role?

"The number one thing we hear over and over again is a quote that frankly Speaker of the House Ryan uses," Democratic State Sen. Melinda Bush, of Grayslake said. "When he talks to the businesses, the first thing he says to them is, 'Do you really want to be in the state of Illinois where they have a dysfunctional government?'"

For now, the delegation's trip is just a fact-finding mission to see what they can learn about which site in Chicago may be the best fit. The citys bid for the Amazon headquarters is due by Oct. 19, with the decision set to be made next year. Construction on the project - for which several potential Chicago locations have already been floated - would begin in 2019.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has temporarily increased the reward in the unsolved 1988 murder case of 7-year-old Courtney Clayton.

The DPS said Monday the reward, now at $6,000, will be paid for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for the child's death provided the tip is received before next month's feature case is announced.

Officials said Clayton was abducted Sept. 12, 1988 from her home near Stamford, about 40 miles north of Abilene in Haskell County. Her body was discovered months later by hunters.

The young girl was last seen when she walked to a small store, about a block from her home, to buy a soft drink. Despite an immediate and extensive search, the second grader's remains were not discovered until six months later on Easter Sunday by hunters in Shackelford County, about 50 miles away near the small town of Moran. She was identified by the hair from a hairbrush her parents had kept. She is survived by her parents and two brothers.

To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477) . All tips are anonymous.

Individuals also can submit information through the Texas Ranger Cold Case website or by contacting us at 1-800-346-3243 (DPS Missing Persons Hotline).

The DPS Texas Rangers' Unsolved Homicides website provides information on more than 75 cases in an effort to help garner public interest in unsolved or "cold cases." Texas Crime Stoppers offers rewards (funded by the Governor's Criminal Justice Division and administered by DPS) of up to $3,000 for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for any Rangers cold case listed on the website. For more information, visit the Texas Ranger cold case website here.

As part of a DPS public awareness program, one case from the Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation (Cold Case) Program is featured each month in an effort to generate new investigative leads and bring attention to these cold cases. The Texas Crime Stoppers reward is increased up to $6,000 for the featured case in hopes that the higher reward money will generate additional tips. The higher reward amount will only be paid if the tip is submitted before the next case is featured.

The Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program was created to assist Texas law enforcement agencies investigating unsolved murders or violent serial crimes. Since there is no statute of limitations for the offense of murder, investigators pursue these cases to a successful resolution or until no viable leads remain.
Police say a Houston-area woman has been arrested in Louisiana and accused of shooting her boyfriend and using a machete to dismember him and dump the body parts in Texas.

Baytown police say 30-year-old Cierra Sutton of Baytown was being held Monday on a murder charge. Jefferson Parish sheriff's online records show Sutton was held without bond in Harvey, Louisiana.

Police say Sutton is charged with killing 32-year-old Steven Coleman. Court records indicate authorities believe Coleman was shot and dismembered in mid-August at a Baytown apartment after the couple argued and he fell asleep.

Sutton later reported Coleman missing.

Police say formal identification was pending on male body parts, similar to Coleman, later found in a Baytown landfill.

Online jail records don't list an attorney to speak for Sutton.
For one North Texas family, it all started with an ad on Craigslist.



A house in Burleson was going for $900 a month with all utilities included.

The man who identified himself as the "landlord" sent the couple a code to a lockbox with the key inside so the family could see the home.

After they wired the man $1,800 and signed the lease, they moved in, thinking the home was theirs. But they were wrong.

"A lady had came to the door, and she said that she was the property manager of this house," said Elizabeth Jones.

It turns out that the property belonged to Streetlane Homes, and the manager knew nothing about the so-called landlord.

NBC 5 found at least two other ads on Craigslist that appeared to be from the same man. One was in Royse City, and the other in Temple, near Austin.

The ads all show the same phone number. When we called the number, the man who answered identified himself as "Mr. Thomas," the owner of the home.

He said he couldn't meet in person because his son was in the hospital. So, he sent NBC DFW a code to the lockbox. He said the house in Royse City was still available and we could see it as early as Monday.

A quick Google search led me to the real owner: American Homes 4 Rent.

An employee with the company confirmed that the Craigslist ads we found were not legitimate.

NBC 5 Responds called the person posing as the landlord multiple times, and each time, he hung up the phone.

"It's very common and it has been going on for several years," said Sherri Aaron, with the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors.

She said these scams aren't new, but technology is making it even easier for crooks to trick consumers.

And on top of that, the North Texas housing market is putting pressure on renters to act fast.

"Some of these landlords...They go to home depot to buy a fifty dollar combination, you know lockbox," Aaron said. "Somebody gets the combination. Then they can share it or if they know it, then all of a sudden they go over there, take the key out, and put it in their own lockbox. The technology has helped in a way, but it's hurt in a way."

If you or if someone you know is looking to rent, here are Samantha Chatman's Solutions:

 It's advised that you meet with a licensed realtor or the property owner in person. If they don't want to meet face-to-face, that's a red flag.

 You should also check with your county's appraisal office to verify who owns the property. You can do this online.

 Never wire any money to someone you've never met.

 Check the prices on nearby homes to see if the proposed rent is too good to be true. For instance, in the Royse City ad, the home was listed for $1,000 a month with utilities. In reality, that home is going for just under $1500 a month, with no utilities included.
Things got a little heated Monday when a group of young immigrants confronted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at a pro-DACA press conference in San Francisco.

Several dozen young immigrants shouted down the top House Democrat, following her recent conversations with President Donald Trump over the future of a program that grants many of them legal status.

"We are immigrant youth, undocumented and unafraid," they chanted, taking over a scheduled press conference Pelosi, along with Reps. Barbara Lee and Jared Huffman, organized to call for the immediate passage of the Dream Act, a federal proposal that offered many of the same protections as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, but was never approved by Congress.

The demonstrators, from the group Immigration Liberation Movement, appeared to be aiming at Pelosi's recent engagement with Trump on the future of the DACA program, which former President Barack Obama enacted to protect young people brought into the United States unlawfully as children. Trump said in early September he will halt the program in six months if Congress does not act to continue it.

After smiling and occasionally trying to speak through much of the protest, an aggravated Pelosi told the protesters to just stop it, now."



The group cut off planned speeches from DACA recipients who joined Pelosi at the event.

Protesters accused Pelosi and other democrats of deporting undocumented immigrants, asking for protection for 11 million undocumented immigrants across the country. They chanted: "Shut down ICE" and "All of us or none of us."

Democrats created an out-of-control deportation machine, the protesters yelled. Democrats are not the resistance to Trump.

Youve had your say, and its beautiful, Pelosi told the demonstrators at one point. But the shouting did not stop.

The group also called Pelosi a liar.

"You're fighting deportation," the group asked, over and over again.

"Yes, I'm, yes, I'm," Pelosi responded.



"You're a liar, you're a liar," protesters said, attacking her about her efforts to stop deportation.

"You don't know what you're taking about," a visibly upset Pelosi responded.

Last week, Pelosi and Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer met with Trump twice and discussed a deal to extend the program. Schumer and Pelosi said they reached a deal with the White House that did not include funding for Trump's promised border wall. But the White House and Congressional Republicans say nothing is finalized.

"It's clear you don't want any answers," Pelosi told the group. "It's clear."

Pelosi then walked out of the press conference and told reporters outside, "They don't want the Dream Act."

"I understand their frustration, I'm excited by it as a matter of fact," she said. "But the fact is, they're completely wrong. The Democrats are the ones who stopped their assault on sanctuary cities, stopped the wall, stopped the increased deportations in our last bill towards the end of April, and we are determined to get Republican vote for the clean Dream Act."



Pelosi told The Associated Press last Friday in an interview that she and Schumer are looking for ways to "build some trust and confidence" with Trump. She says it does not matter whether or not she and Trump like each other.

Trump has said he wants to protect DACA recipients, despite his decision to wind down the program doing so over six months.

Pelosi released a statement after Monday's chaotic press conference, saying that she had talked with immigration groups about their concerns but never received a request for a meeting with Immigration Liberation Movement.

"Congresswoman Pelosi and her staff have met with dozens of immigration groups and advocates across the country this year alone to listen to their concerns and find a pathway forward to secure citizenship for 800,000 DREAMers in our country. She will continue to work with advocates in efforts to pass the DREAM Act," the statement read.

"Dreamers" is a nickname used for young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children or by parents who overstayed visas.



Following the Trump administration's decision to end the DACA initiative, communities across the country began fighting back to lobby for the protection of young immigrants.

Six immigrants brought to the United States as children sued the Trump administration on Monday over its decision to end DACA.



The lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco alleges the move violated the constitutional rights of immigrants who lack legal status and provided information about themselves to the U.S. government so they could participate in the program.

The lawsuit joins others filed over President Donald Trumps decision to end DACA, which has allowed nearly 800,000 immigrants to obtain work permits and deportation protection since 2012.
If Donald Trump backs out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, "no one will trust America again," Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, told NBC News.

The move would also leave Iran free to resume work on expanding its nuclear capabilities, Rouhani said in the interview, which took place shortly before Trump's first speech to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday.

Trump called Tehran a "murderous regime" and hit out at the deal, which was agreed between Iran and six world powers, the United States included.

"Every word was analyzed many times by countries involved before its ratification, so if the United States were to not adhere to the commitments and trample upon this agreement, this will mean that it will carry with it the lack of subsequent trust from countries towards the United States because the greatest capital that any country has is trust and credibility," Rouhani told "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt.
What to Know A public health emergency was declared in San Diego County on September 1, 2017.

Hepatitis A is most commonly spread person-to-person through the fecal-oral route.

Hepatitis A can sometimes cause liver failure and even death.

One of the worst Hepatitis A outbreaks in San Diego County history is likely to continue for up to six months and lead to more victims, health experts said Tuesday. County and city officials also suggested not everyone needs to get a vaccine.

Since the outbreak was identified in early March, 16 people have died. Two other deaths are being investigated as possibly connected to the outbreak.

There have been 444 confirmed cases with an additional 44 cases that are considered suspicious. Officials said 305 people have been hospitalized for Hepatitis A virus. To compare, there were 181 cases in California in 2015 with just 22 in San Diego.

Given the incubation period of 15 to 50 days, health officials expect the outbreak to continue an additional six months.

"Based on history, prior to the availability of the vaccine in the late 1990s, we expect this outbreak will last longer, and will likely have an additional number of further cases," said Dr. Nick Yphantides, San Diego County's chief medical officer.

Most of the cases have been from downtown San Diego, El Cajon, Santee, La Mesa, and the adjacent unincorporated areas, county officials said.

"This is personal, this is our community, and we will protect it, said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer as he unveiled a new media campaign he called "Vaccination, Sanitation & Education."

Officials want the public to know not everyone needs a vaccine.

The following occupational groups must be vaccinated: fire, emergency, law enforcement personnel, food handlers, health care personnel and professionals, service workers working directly with the homeless population, and individuals working directly in substance abuse treatment programs, and public transit workers.

Information on upcoming changes to get the vaccine can be found by calling 211 or www.211SanDiego.org.



Since 2006, children have received the Hepatitis A vaccine in accordance with school immunization requirements.

Over 22,000 vaccinations have been performed by county health officials so far. Of these, 15,000 people were in a high-risk category, homeless, drug users.

The officials said 1,400 hygiene kits have been distributed, largely in the downtown area.

San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts said the first sign of something wrong was apparent in late February or early March. He said the county and city have been ramping up efforts to deal with an outbreak ever since.

Public nurses have been sent into areas of the county to reach transients and other people who may not have seen the warnings and alerts on local media, Roberts said.

Vaccination and hygiene are the strongest things we can do, Roberts said.



The most vulnerable are those living on the streets.

Theyre most concerned for at-risk community  homeless, intravenous and illicit drug users, men who have sex with men, people who have sexual contact with someone who has the virus, people with a chronic liver disease, and individuals who have clotting factor disorders, Yphantides said.

Of the 444 confirmed Hepatitis A cases in San Diego County: 34 percent have occurred in individuals who are both homeless and IV or illicit drug users; 17 percent have occurred in individuals who are homeless only; 13 percent in individuals who are illicit or IV drug users only; 24 percent are neither homeless nor illicit drug users  but many of these cases have some relationship with individuals who are in an at-risk population; remaining 12 percent  no available records to classify accordingly.

Of the 16 deaths: officials had access to the personal history available on 15 of them. Those victims had underlying medical conditions, officials said. All but one was either homeless or/and an IV/illicit drug user.

The homeless outreach team with the City of San Diego and vaccination teams with the county have added public health nurses to administer the shots. They walk the river bed to vaccinate the homeless population living there.



"A big percentage of the people who have been victims of the Hepatitis A outbreak have been drug users or homeless people and we have both living along the river bed," said Sarah Hutmacher with San Diego River Park Foundation.

Workers and volunteers with the organization pick up trash along the river. They encounter everything, including human waste and needles, both of which can spread Hepatitis A.

"It's very, very common for us to encounter places where you find human waste, toilet paper, stuff like that," Hutmacher said.

The San Diego River stretches across areas like Santee, Mission Valley and then out to the ocean at Ocean Beach dog beach. The virus can live in standing water for months.

Of the 22,966 vaccines given by the county, 10,332 of those were given to at-risk population via field events, foot teams going out into at-risk remote places, mass vaccination clinics.

An additional 12,436 vaccines were given by community partners including clinics and pharmacies.

People who were known to have been exposed to the virus received the remaining 198 vaccines.

"Were not recommending all adults get vaccinated for Hep A," said Yphantides.

He added that a member of the general population who is concerned has the right to pursue getting the vaccine from his or her own medical provider.

Dr. William Tseng with the San Diego County Medical Society said the prescription is simple - wash your hands.

"Remember what our moms used to tell us, what our teachers used to tell us  wash your hands," Tseng said. "Wash your hands. Say it 100 times, say it different ways."

The county sent out an alert to the public last week about possible contamination at World Famous restaurant in Pacific Beach. The restaurant has since been thoroughly cleaned.

Some diners, like Suzzette Haack, hope the news won't hurt business.

"It is not fair to the business. They don't deserve this or the reputation. They have a stellar reputation in the community," she said.

As of now, it is the only restaurant in the county with this warning.

The county will only notify the public if a person who handles food and drinks at a local restaurant tests positive for the virus. But managers, hostesses, and even dishwashers are not included.
A second man has been charged with attempting to smuggle a Bengal tiger cub across the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego County, U.S. Attorney officials said Monday.

Eriberto Paniagua, 21, a resident of Perris, was charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of smuggling contrary to law. He appeared for the first time in federal court on Monday.

Authorities said Paniagua, a passenger in the car, conspired with the driver of the car, Luis Valencia, and others, to knowingly import the tiger cub into the U.S.

Valencia faces the same charges.

At the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, Paniagua told border officials that the Bengal tiger cub at his feet was just a "cat," according to the U.S. Attorney.

The pair were bringing the cub in from Mexico. Valencia told investigators he had arranged to pay $300 for the cub from a man he saw walking a full-sized tiger on a leash in Tijuana.

Around 1:30 a.m., Valencia arrived at the Otay Mesa port of entry, according to CBP. Officers conducted an inspection and then referred the vehicle for a secondary inspection. When they searched Valencia's car, they found a tiger cub lying on the floor of the front passenger side.

They pulled out the cub and placed it in an animal crate until agents from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services arrived.

According to a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court, the CBP inspector shone a flashlight and saw the tiger lying between the legs of the backseat passenger, Paniagua.

When asked if it was a tiger, Paniagua claimed it was just a cat.

He then produced paperwork from AeroMexico Cargo that indicated a Bengal tiger was shipped on Aug. 22.

This included a sales receipt from a Mexican individual that falsely stated the species was not covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), according to the complaint.

The man failed to reveal the tiger cub to officers, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

He also said he asked the man about the tiger and agreed to purchase a cub on Friday. He returned to Mexico on Monday, waited several hours and drove to meet the individual at a nearby club. From there, they drove to another location where the cub was located.

The complaint states that Valencia said he wanted to take the tiger cub home to keep as a pet.

He denied having any photos of the tiger on his phone. But when officers searched his phone, numerous photos of several tiger cubs were discovered, including the cub he attempted to smuggle and an adult tiger.

Agents said video on the phone revealed a specially-built compartment under his car seat.

The complaint states, "these types of compartments are used to smuggle wildlife."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers rescued the illegally-trafficked cub from the traveler.

San Diego Zoo experts say the cub is a male, about five to six weeks old. He weighs about six pounds. They added all his teeth have not grown in yet and he will be teething over the next few weeks.

The cub's eyes, ears and heart were checked by experts. He appears to be in good health.

Paniagua could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted, plus more than $250,000 in fines, depending on the conviction.

Over 20 years ago, customs agents at the same port intercepted an alleged smuggling attempt to take a tiger cub out of California and into Mexico. That tiger was named "Blanca" and lived out many years at the San Diego Safari Park, said CBP officers.

"CBP officers are often faced with unusual situations," said Pete Flores, director of field operations for CBP in San Diego, in a statement. "The CBP officers at the Otay Mesa port of entry met the challenge head-on and assisted in preserving the life of this endangered species."

All species of tigers are considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. They are protected under Appendix I of the CITES. Legally importing a tiger requires a special permit and declaration, and prosecutors said Valencia lacked both.

Valencia could not be immediately reached for comment and the office of his court-appointed attorney, Robert Schlein, said he has not had a chance to speak to his client.



The Bengal tiger, also known as Panthera tigris tigris, is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. The World Tiger Recovery Project said there are only 2,500 wild specimens of the tiger left, and its population is decreasing.

According to the complaint, the value of a Bengal tiger cub sold in the U.S. is about $1,500.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Two men were arrested in the death of a woman whose body was found inside a Santa Ana apartment.

A man called police about 3 a.m. to report that a woman was "hurt and needed medical attention" at 215 S. Birch St., according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna. The home is known to police for drawing multiple complaints regarding narcotics and other disturbances.

When officers arrived, "they could see her lying on the ground and forced entry into the residence and found her to be deceased with a male next to her," Bertagna said. The body remained inside the apartment for hours Monday as police consulted with drug lab experts to determine if the home was safe to enter.

Police said Tuesday that Mark Lewis Amacher, 39, of Santa Ana on suspicion of murder.

"At this point it appears to be a homicide," based on her injuries, Bertagna said. "We're looking into the possibility that the caller was different than the person detained."

A second man, identified as Andrew Buck, 33, of Santa Ana, was detained at the scene and later arrested on an unrelated felony warrant for burglary.



The home has drawn numerous calls for police service, Bertagna said.

"We come to this location on a regular basis for narcotics and disturbance calls," he said.

The woman's body was still inside the apartment after hazmat crews left the scene, with officials trying to determine if they were dealing with a meth lab as they continued their investigation.
Health officials are worried that a huge hepatitis outbreak plaguing San Diego could spread to Los Angeles County.

Health officials say LA's homeless population is at risk after more than 400 people, many of whom are transients, contracted hepatitis A in San Diego. Sixteen people have died there, but while there have been only eight cases in Los Angeles, at least two of the people with the disease moved up from San Diego to LA, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Hepatitis A is a virus spread through fecal matter when people do not properly wash their hands. It can also spread through sexual contact and contaminate food.

"We worry that you just need one case in the setting of poor hygiene, poor sanitation and questionable practices in terms of washing hands and where they're procuring food, and now you have a large population that can get infected," said Suman Radhakrishma, a doctor at Dignity Health California Hospital.

LA County public health officials have stepped up the cleaning of Skid Row, using bleach mixture to try and prevent a local hepatitis outbreak. Outreach workers are also educating transients about how the virus is spread and encouraging them to get vaccinated at free clinics.

Signs of Hepatitis A:

Flu-like symptoms

Dark urine

Body aches

Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
When you think of cheeseburger-themed holidays, and special occasions built around a bun, a couple of patties, and a slice or three of Swiss or Cheddar, you may find your mind alighting upon early January, and with understandable reason.

That's Cheeseburger Week around Pasadena, the acknowledged and accepted and respected birthplace of the cheeseburger, seeing as how it was invented at the Rite Spot in 1924 by a teen named Lionel Sternberger.

But hold up, because there's another cheeseburgery chance to celebrate the classic and filling foodstuff, and it arrived on Monday, Sept. 18. It's National Cheeseburger Day, and while a lengthy line-up of national chains, from Denny's to Johnny Rockets to Wendy's, have deals, add-ons, and holiday-type doings on, you can also find your Southern California specials, too.

Dog Haus, which is known for its fancy frankfurters, also right by the patty, and its Sept. 18 event is all about upgrading your burger.

Just ask your server to make your burger a cheeseburger double, and hooray! You won't need to pay for the tasty upgrade, as it'll be "on the Haus."

No surprise, really, that the boutique chain is doing this, since Dog Haus was founded in Pasadena nearly a decade ago, and Pasadena is, as has been mentioned, the birthplace of the cheeseburger.

Farmer Boys, which has its HQ in Riverside, has a money-saver of a deal on for Sept. 18: Enjoy a Big Cheese for a buck. That's right, a buck, as in a hundred cents. Details? Find 'em here, then make your cheeseburger-craving way to your local FB.

And out at BurgerFi in Malibu? If you have a fiver, and change for tax, then you'll have a discounted, oh-so-delish cheeseburger on National Cheeseburger Day. Just be sure to show the Facebook post, or mention it when you order, to nab the deal.
Detectives searching for one of Dallas' most-wanted fugitives arrested the man Monday near a Woodland Hills elementary school after he posted a live video on Instagram.

Nineteen-year-old Christopher Ricardo Gonzalez was wanted in connection with several crimes in Texas. He had been one of Texas' Most Wanted after police said he was part of a group of suspects sought in several home invasions. Dallas police said Gonzalez also is suspected of fatally shooting 54-year-old Horace Davis last year.

Dallas authorities were able to track Christopher Ricardo Gonzalez through social media after he posted the live video in the Woodland Hills area, according to the Los Angeles Police Department Topanga Division.

The LAPD assisted Dallas authorities and went to the area Gonzalez was believed to be in. After arriving at the 5000 block of Serrania Avenue, near Serrania Charter for Enriched Studies school, police found a vehicle matching the description of the suspect's car and a short pursuit ensued.

The pursuit ended when Gonzalez crashed into a pole.

Gonzalez is expected to be extradited to Dallas. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
President Donald Trump, in a combative debut speech to the U.N. General Assembly, threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if the nation's "Rocket man" leader does not abandon his drive toward nuclear weapons.

Trump, who has ramped up his rhetoric throughout the escalating crisis with North Korea, told the murmuring crowd of world leaders on Tuesday that "it is far past time for the nations of the world to confront" Kim Jong Un and said that Kim's "reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons" poses a threat to "the entire world with an unthinkable loss of human life."

"Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime," said Trump, using a belittling nickname for the North Korean leader. He said of the U.S.: "If it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

In dark language reminiscent of his "American carnage" inaugural address, Trump touched upon hot spots around the globe, declaring, "The scourge of our planet is a group of rogue regimes." Elected on the nationalist slogan "America First," Trump argued that individual nations should act in their own self-interest, yet rally together when faced with a common threat.

He urged nations to join to stop Iran's nuclear program  he declared the deal to restrain it an "embarrassment" for the United States  and defeat "loser terrorists" who have struck violence across the globe. He denounced "radical Islamic terrorism," the inflammatory label he has recently shied away from. He denounced the Syrian government and warned that some violence-plagued portions of the world "are going to hell." He made little mention of Russia.

North Korea drew most of Trump's attention and anger.

His lashing was a vigorous restatement of what's been said by U.S. leaders before, but was likely to hit home harder for being intensely delivered in diplomatic prime time at the U.N. General Assembly. After a litany of accusations  the starvation of millions, the abduction of a Japanese girl  he questioned the legitimacy of the communist government by referring to it as a "band of criminals."

Though he used bellicose rhetoric rare for a U.S. president at the rostrum of the United Nations, the speech was textbook Trump, a stark depiction of good-vs-evil and a broadside against America's foes.

Trump, who has previously warned of "fire and fury" if Pyongyang does not back down, claimed that "no one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well-being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea." And he scolded nations that it was "an outrage" to enable and trade with North Korea, seeming to slight China, though he did not mention it by name.

Trump, however, stopped short of calling for regime change, which North Korea regards as the ultimate American intention and treats as a reason for its development of nuclear weapons. That may offer some reassurance to China and Russia, which have urged the U.S. to tone down its rhetoric and restart dialogue with North Korea.

Addressing the General Assembly is a milestone moment for any president, but one particularly significant for Trump, a relative newcomer to foreign policy who has at times rattled the international community with his unpredictability. He has pulled the United States out of multinational agreements, considered shrinking the U.S. military footprint in the world and deployed bombastic language on North Korea that has been criticized by other world leaders.

Trump frequently belittled the U.N. as a candidate and some within his White House believe the U.N acts as a global bureaucracy that infringes on the sovereignty of individual countries. He urged the world leaders to embrace their own "national sovereignty to do more to ensure the prosperity and security of their own countries.

But the president stood before world leaders and a global audience and declared that U.N. members, acting as a collection of self-interested nations, should unite to confront global dangers.

"I will always put America first. Just like you, the leaders of your countries, should and always put your countries first," said Trump, who assured the U.N. that the United States would not abdicate its leadership position in the world but needed other countries to contribute more.

"We can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal in which the United States gets nothing in return," he said.

World leaders, many of whom were seeing Trump in person for the first time, were certain to take the measure of the man and parse his every word for clues on how he views the U.S. role in the world. His remarks sometimes produced surprised chatter in the crowd. As he lambasted North Korea, the nation's two front seats for delegation leaders were empty. Two officials sat a row back, one taking notes.

On Iran, Trump called the government a "reckless regime" that is running an "economically depleted rogue state" whose chief export is "violence, bloodshed and chaos." He accused Tehran of squandering Iran's wealth by supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad, Lebanon's Hezbollah militia and Yemen's Houthi rebel group.

Trump called the U.N.-backed Iran nuclear deal "an embarrassment" to the United States and suggested it was "one of the worst" international pacts ever struck. And he hinted that his administration, which has accused Tehran of aiding terrorism in the Middle East, could soon declare Iran out of compliance with the deal, which could unravel it.

"I don't think you've heard the end of it," Trump said. "Believe me."

The administration must decide in mid-October whether it will certify that Iran is still in compliance with the agreement.

Trump vowed again to take the fight to terrorists but warned that parts of the world were so plagued by violence and poverty, they were "going to hell." He also decried the "disastrous rule" of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and urged the U.N. to step in.

"To put it simply, we meet at a time of both immense promise and of great peril," he said. "It is entirely up to us whether we lift the world to new heights or let it fall into a valley of disrepair."

The speech drew varying reactions from leaders. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a Trump ally, wrote on Twitter, "In over 30 years in my experience with the UN, I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech." But Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister Margot Wallstrom told the BBC that "It was the wrong speech, at the wrong time, to the wrong audience"

Maduro hit back by calling Trump "the new Hitler" of international politics. He also accused Trump of threatening to assassinate him, even though Trump did no such thing.



Outside of an oblique reference to a threat to Ukraine's sovereignty, Trump made no mention of Russia or its president Vladimir Putin. He again chastised the U.N. for what he said was its bloated budget and bureaucracy but did not threaten Washington's commitment to the world body. He pledged the United States would be "partners in your work" to make the organization a more effective force for world peace.

The administration has shied away from talk of nation-building or creating democracies through the use of the U.S. military.

"We do not expect diverse countries to share the same cultures, traditions or same systems of government," Trump said at the U.N. He added that he does expect all nations to "respect the interest of their own people and the rights of every other sovereign nation."

Associated Press writers Matthew Pennington, Matthew Lee and Edith Lederer contributed reporting.
"I feel like they failed."

Those are the impressions of Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief when it comes to the tragedy at The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills where eight died once Hurricane Irma passed. Sharief, a long time highly trained professional nurse, weighed in on the circumstances at the nursing home and the overall impact of Irma on Broward County.

During an interview with NBC 6 Monday, Sharief said that the while Broward County has no authority to regulate or oversee nursing homes, after the tragedy, the county still deployed teams to 282 assisted living facilities, and 36 nursing homes, just to make sure residents are doing fine.

When it comes to the Hollywood facility that is located directly across from Memorial Regional Hospital, the mayor told NBC 6 the nursing needed to do more.

"Think that they needed to step up and take responsibility and protect those patients and in some instances I feel like they failed, said Mayor Sharief. "For basic nursing, if you see person in distress and you know you can't handle that emergency, you should call 911. At that time 911 was active; there was a hospital across the street. So, there was just a number of things that were going on there that I think they needed to step up and take responsibility."

The mayor believes that, overall, the Broward County evacuation and shelter plan worked very well. She says she didn't think so many residents would leave their homes. She added that many waited until the last minute before doing so.

"Hurricane Matthew taught us quite a bit and I think our response was quite on point," Sharief said.

What does she want to improve for the next storm?

"I think the biggest lesson we learned is that its never too early to evaluate people with special needs, " Sharief said.

The Mayor pointed out that financial help is on the way from the federal government to pay for a lot of the clean-up. She was on the phone Monday with Congresswoman Frederica Wilson.

There are 12,000 residents right now with nowhere to live and Sharief said FEMA will aid them in getting back on their feet. When it comes to getting the lights back on, the Mayor says FPL is working as quickly as possible. Her home is in the dark, too, and her kids aren't too happy.

"Right now there are 13,000 people and I am one of them. I havent had power since last Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

The Mayor says despite the inconvenience, all of South Florida should feel fortunate it didn't receive the direct punch from Irma's wrath.
Florida Power and Light continued to take heat as thousands in South Florida remained without power Tuesday, days after Hurricane Irma knocked it out.

Crews were going street by street in Pinecrest, South Miami and Coral Gables Tuesday. About 98 percent of Miami-Dade has been restored but thousands were still waiting.

The City of Coral Gables has fined FPL $30,000 already for not having the power restored by Sunday night. They're also threatening to take legal action against them for not being better prepared, and said they want an improved infrastructure, like underground power lines.

On Monday, two firms filed a class-action lawsuit in Miami-Dade circuit court against FPL, claiming the company was not proactive or prepared before Hurricane Irma.

In a statement, FPL called the lawsuits frivolous.

"We understand that its extremely frustrating for our customers to be without power," the statement read. "That said, frivolous lawsuits and ludicrous code violations that attempt to pressure us into providing preferential treatment for their City will not work."

As for Coral Gables, the power company is blaming what the area is known for - its treescape - for the holdup.

"Our focus is on restoring power to all of our customers, and we will not be moved by self-entitled politicians who are looking for someone to blame for the Citys irresponsibly managed tree program," FPL's statement read. "The fact is the city of Coral Gables has for many years resisted FPLs well-documented efforts to trim trees and harden our electric system. Unfortunately for our customers in that area, they are now paying the price in terms of extended outages due to hundreds of trees that have fallen into our lines."
The Davie Police Department arrested an armed security guard for allegedly falsely impersonating a police officer after a confrontation with a resident.

A Davie officer arrested 31-year-old Antonio Prado and charged him with falsely personating an officer, a first degree felony in Florida, following an incident early Monday.

In a police report, the arresting officer wrote he responded to a call of an off-duty law enforcement officer who said someone attempted to run him over with a vehicle.

When the officer arrived at the scene, Prado, dressed in a security uniform with a belt equipped with a firearm, identified himself as an off-duty Federal Protective Services agent who was working for a security company to help a friend following Hurricane Irma, the report read.

Prado handed to the officer an identification card that said United States Protective Service and Prado further said he guarded federal buildings, adding he had the power to arrest, the officer wrote.

The officer then saw the other person involved in the incident, identified as Kristopher Sawczak, inside of a bucket truck at a private property.

Both Prado and Sawczak described the incident to the officer as a verbal argument that occurred when Sawczak drove up to Prados parked vehicle.

Prado told the officer Sawczak pulled up to the vehicle and said "I hope you get shot in the face, [explicit]" before driving away, according to the report.

Sawczak told the officer he did pull up next to Prado and did exchange words with him.

After the verbal exchange, Prado activated his security vehicles emergency lights and followed Sawczak to his residence, the officer wrote. When Sawczak got out of his vehicle to open the propertys locked gate, Prado pulled up and the incident continued.

Sawczak unlocked the gate and tried to enter his property but Prado stood in front of his vehicle, the report read. Prado then pulled out his firearm, which was loaded with live rounds in the chamber.

Prado told the officer he pulled out his gun because he was afraid Sawczak, who was not armed, would run him over. Sawczak pulled into his property after Prado moved out of the way and sat in his vehicle until the officer arrived at the scene.

Upon further investigation, the officer became suspicious that Prado was not in fact a law enforcement officer. The officer asked Prado to clarify whether he was acting as a security guard or as a FPS agent in the incident, and Prado said he was simply attempting to detain Sawczak until officers could arrive to make an arrest.

The officer pressed further and Prado later said that he was not an FPS officer, but instead served as a reserve agent.

After noticing Prado became nervous, the officer then reexamined the alleged FPS security ID and found it did not meet the standards expected with a federal agency, adding it seemed like it was made at home or in a store. The officer noted the card was likely a security company license.

The officer also discovered that Prado and Sawczak were involved in another argument a day earlier. In that incident, Prado filed a police report in which he identified himself as a law enforcement officer.

Following the revelations, responding officers contacted the Department of Homeland Security, which verified Prado was not an employee of the federal agency.

Sawczak told the arresting officer he did want to press firearms aggravated assault charges against Prado.

The officer impounded Prados firearm, handcuff keys and phone, which allegedly had video recording of the previous incident.
Florida State Senator Daphne Campbell is at the center of controversy after she was accused of urging an FPL official to restore power to her immediate family before her constituents after Hurricane Irma hit the area.

Campbell represents senate District 38, which includes chunks of Miami-Dade County, portions of Miami as well Miami Beach and Miami Shores.

The utility company denied the allegation, saying Campbells family did not receive preferential treatment. Campbell admits to texting an FPL official and asking him to restore power at homes belonging to her relatives.

"Regardless, family or no family, they're living in District 38. I was helping every constituent who lives in District 38," Campbell told NBC6.

The text messages first appeared on the website RiseNews.net. They were time-stamped Monday, one day after the storm.

"Can someone help with the power? I do have a sick person in my house and she's using oxygen," reads one message. In a second text, Campbell requested a power crew tend to her sister's home.

"For most of the first day seemingly, the only people she was concerned about was her family," said RiseNews publisher Rich Robinson.

He said text messages from Campbell's phone show that she contacted FPL on behalf of other people as well. Despite that, some living in Campbell's district told NBC they find her request for preferential treatment way out of line.

"Putting your family first, what about all of the other people," said district resident Jacquelin Worrell. "What about the elderly people in the home that died? Remember that? They needed FPL more than anyone.

It is not unusual for an elected official to be in contact with FPL. Politicians sometimes act as a liaison between their constituents and the power company. An FPL spokesman said there is a process in place for restoring residential power, adding elected officials do not receive a priority.

Regarding the controversy surrounding Campbell, the FPL spokesman insisted the state senators relatives did not receive preferential treatment.
It's the ultimate power struggle in South Florida: FPL versus frustrated customers. In Palmetto Bay, village officials called an emergency meeting Monday evening allowing residents to vent. Carmen Arostegui voiced her frustration at the village meeting.

"It's not swift. It is hot. We are feeling 100-degree-heat out there, said Arostegui. The lack of information to the community and to specific residents is the most frustrating aspect of this experience."

However, not everyone at Mondays meeting stood in line to speak out against FPL. Palmetto Bay resident Beatriz Herman believes homeowners should also do their part to help with quick power restoration.

"They cant come and look at every pole and see where is the vegetation. It's your responsibility as an owner of a house to call and say listen this is kind of dangerous please come and cut it. They come right away, said Herman.

Earlier Monday, MSP Recovery and Dorta Law filed a class-action lawsuit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. The firms argue that FPL collects storm charge fees from customers, but they say the company was not proactive or prepared before Hurricane Irma. John Ruiz represents MSP Recovery.

"Instead of using that money and being prepared they waited til the storm hit, argued Ruiz. "Had they done what they were supposed to do, this vegetation wouldve been out of the way and it wouldnt have caused the delay in restoration as it did."

Sandra Speier, a class representative said she doesnt see how the storm fee benefited customers.

My impression of that storm fee was to upgrade the infrastructure. I dont see anything about upgrading the infrastructure that happened," said Speier.

The City of Coral Gables is also threatening litigation against FPL over the restoration delay.

Florida Power & Light released a statement Monday responding to the lawsuits.

We understand that its extremely frustrating for our customers to be without power. That said, frivolous lawsuits and ludicrous code violations that attempt to pressure us into providing preferential treatment for their City will not work. Our focus is on restoring power to all of our customers, and we will not be moved by self-entitled politicians who are looking for someone to blame for the Citys irresponsibly managed tree program. The fact is the city of Coral Gables has for many years resisted FPLs well-documented efforts to trim trees and harden our electric system. Unfortunately for our customers in that area, they are now paying the price in terms of extended outages due to hundreds of trees that have fallen into our lines.

While we do not have a precise assessment of the number of City-owned trees that may have been improperly located, resulting in unnecessarily extensive damage to electrical equipment and extended outages for Coral Gables residents, theres no doubt that the Citys extreme approach to trees is the cause of the problem. More importantly, it threatens the safety of the residents of Coral Gables and the lives of the lineworkers who are trying to restore power.

We have restored 97 percent of Miami-Dade, and thousands of crews are working to restore the remaining customers without power. After restoration is complete, FPL would be happy to work with the City constructively and provide them recommendations on how to avoid some of these problems from reoccurring during severe weather in the future. However, it is important to note, that numerous attempts weve made in the past to address the impact of the Citys dense, overgrown vegetation and tree canopy has on the reliability of their residents electric service has been ignored.

We learned this evening of a separate, related lawsuit filed on behalf of two individuals who appear to have a history of pursuing frivolous legal action. Frivolous lawsuits are filed every day in America, however, what is concerning in this case is that the suit was filed by a law firm linked to a Coral Gables City Commissioner. We have not yet received a copy of the lawsuit, but we can only assume its another attempt to distract from the Citys failure to properly locate and manage its trees, despite having a website that shows the exact location of each of its 38,000 trees.

Our crews have been removing a shocking number of fallen and damaged trees that were apparently planted by the City in dangerous locations far too close to power lines. Other trees appear to have been planted too closely together, preventing their root systems from being able to grow properly and hold the ground securely in high winds. With wind gusts of more than 90 mph recorded in nearby weather stations, its no wonder why so many trees came crashing down all over the City.
Tolls that were suspended during Hurricane Irma are being reinstated on most Florida roadways beginning Thursday.

The tolls on Florida's Turnpike, roads and bridges will be reinstated at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Florida Department of Transportation officials said.

Tolls will remain suspended on the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike south of the interchange with State Road 874 to assist Monroe County residents with recovery efforts.

Officials suspended the tolls on Sept. 5 to help with Irma evacuation.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, President Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Russia, told Congress on Tuesday that Moscow's meddling in the 2016 presidential election led directly to the lack of trust between the two former Cold War foes.

Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Huntsman struck a tough tone amid heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow. The relationship has been marred in recent months by a series of expulsions of diplomats and closures of diplomatic missions.

"There is no question that the Russian government interfered in the U.S. election last year and Moscow continues to meddle in the democratic processes of our friends and allies," said Huntsman, who also noted that Russia continues to disregard its commitments to arms control treaties.

"Right now we're at a low point," he said. "It reminds me of 1986."

He said he would not hesitate to remind Russian officials that they are accountable for their actions. But he also said there are areas of possible cooperation and common interest for Russia and the United States, including defusing North Korea's nuclear ambitions and missions in space.

If he's confirmed, Huntsman would take over a high-profile post amid ongoing investigations by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russia's election intrusions and potential contacts between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.

Huntsman is a former Utah governor who has twice served as an ambassador. He was the nation's top diplomat to Singapore under President George H.W. Bush and then served in that role in China under President Barack Obama before returning to the U.S. to run for president in 2012.

The former governor, a Mormon, had an up-and-down relationship with Trump during last year's campaign. He was slow to endorse any candidate for the Republican nomination though he did back Trump once he became the presumptive nominee. But Huntsman then called for Trump to drop out after the October release of a 2005 video in which Trump was captured on a hot microphone making lewd comments about women.

Huntsman said then that the "campaign cycle has been nothing but a race to the bottom" and called for Trump's running mate, then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, to top the GOP ticket.

Trump also went after Huntsman during his tenure as ambassador to Beijing. In a series of tweets in 2011 and 2012, the celebrity businessman called Huntsman a "lightweight" and "weak" and claimed that China "did a major number on us" during his tenure.

But Huntsman and Trump buried their differences during Trump's transition.

The GOP-led Congress responded to Moscow's election meddling by passing an expanded sanctions package in July that also sought to punish Russia for its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria. Trump reluctantly signed the measure into law while complaining that lawmakers overstepped their constitutional bounds and impeded his ability to negotiate with foreign countries.

Instead of looking for way to retaliate against Moscow for the election meddling, Trump had openly challenged the findings of his own intelligence agencies, which concluded Russia had sought to tip the election in his behalf. And he pursued a warmer relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, convinced that Washington and the Kremlin could work together on shared interests, such as counterterrorism and Syria.

But there have been only modest signs of cooperation, such as a deal Trump and Putin agreed to a few months ago with Jordan for a cease-fire in southwest Syria.

Trump's begrudging approval of the sanctions bill led to a diplomatic tit-for-tat between the two countries. Putin ordered the United States to cut hundreds of its embassy and consular staff in Russia. Several weeks later the U.S. gave Russia 48 hours to shut the Russian Consulate in San Francisco and offices in Washington and New York.

Huntsman told the committee that Moscow's decision to force a reduction in U.S. staff was "unfortunate" and will affect "our ability to carry on anything representing a normal relationship."
A 23-year-old white man was arrested Tuesday and accused of killing two black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and firing on a black family, and a law enforcement official said they had found a copy of an Adolf Hitler speech in the suspect's home.

Kenneth James Gleason was led away from the police department in handcuffs just before authorities there held a news conference to announce that he would be charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths last week of a homeless man and a dishwasher who was walking to work.

"I feel confident that this killer would have killed again," interim Baton Rouge Police Chief Jonny Dunnam said.

Authorities found a copy of the Hitler speech during a search of Gleason's home over the weekend, according to the law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

Asked whether police suspect race was a motive for the shootings, Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said: "We're not completely closed off to that. We're looking at all possibilities at this time, so we're not going to just pinpoint that."

It's not clear whether Gleason has an attorney. Attempts to reach him and his immediate family have not been successful.

Two of Gleason's cousins have previously said they couldn't believe he had anything to do with the killings.

"He had no problems with any person," said Garrett Sing, 37, after Gleason was taken into custody on drug charges several days ago. "He had black friends, white friends, Asian friends. He made friends with anyone."

District Attorney Hillar Moore said his office could seek the death penalty.

"It appears to be cold, calculated, planned (against) people who were unarmed and defenseless," he said. "We don't need to prove motive. There are a lot of things that are unanswered."

No one was injured when Gleason fired multiple times into the home of a black family in his neighborhood, authorities said. It's not clear if Gleason knew the family.

In the other shootings, Gleason fired from his car then walked up to the victims as they were lying on the ground and fired again multiple times, police said. Neither victim had any prior relationship with Gleason.

The first fatal shooting occurred Sept. 12 when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was shot to death. The second happened last Thursday night when 49-year-old Donald Smart was gunned down while walking to his job as a dishwasher at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students.

The attacks came at a time when Louisiana's capital already was in the grips of a surge in violence. The number of homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish has already surpassed last year's total of 62, The Advocate newspaper reported earlier this month.

"Baton Rouge has been through a lot of turmoil in the last year. Has there not been a swift conclusion to this case, I feel confident that this killer probably would have killed again," the police chief said. "He could have potentially created a tear in the fabric that holds this community together."

Racial tensions roiled the city in the summer of 2016 when a black man was shot to death by white police officers outside of a convenience store. About two weeks later, a black gunman targeted police in an ambush, killing three officers and wounding three others before he was shot to death.

The city of about 229,000 is about 55 percent black and 40 percent white.

Gleason didn't appear to have any active social media profiles. A spokesman at Louisiana State University said a student by that name attended the university from the fall of 2013 to the fall of 2014 before withdrawing. He had transferred to LSU from Baton Rouge Community College.

During the search of Gleason's home, authorities also found 9 grams of marijuana and vials of human growth hormone, according to a police document.
A convicted rapist from Maryland fought with and injured at least two officers at Dulles International Airport as he was being escorted through the airport for deportation.

Koffi Ameyadoh is charged with a federal count of hampering departure from the United States for the incident which occurred in August, according to newly filed records from prosecutors.

Federal agents were escorting Ameyadoh, 51, to a flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, en route to the African nation of Togo to carry out his removal from the United States. Ameyadoh, who was convicted in 2006 of sexually abusing a child and rape in Montgomery County fought with the agents on the top floor of the airports hourly parking garage, according to a court filings from prosecutors.

The court filings said Ameyapoh ran toward the railings of the garage while wearing full restraints.

I am not going back to Togo," Ameyapoh told agents, according to the court filing. "You will be shipping a dead body back to Togo. I would rather die than go back to Togo. I am going to make a commotion at the terminal, so the marshals can shoot me because I would rather die than go back to Togo.

Prosecutors, in their filings with the court, said agents tackled Ameyapoh believing he planned to jump the parking garage railings.

Ameyapoh is accused of continuing to struggle with agents inside the terminal.

At least two of the officers suffered injuries during the altercation, according to court filings from prosecutors. The injuries included bruising and arm abrasions.

The deportation was temporarily called off and Ameyapoh was returned to the Howard County jail, according to filings.

Ameyapohs attorney declined to comment. A judge ordered Ameyapoh remain detained until further proceedings in the newly filed case for the incident at Dulles.

Ameyapoh is listed on the Maryland sex offender registry.
What to Know Jose, currently a Category 1 hurricane, is expected to gradually weaken as it passes southeast of Long Island Wednesday

The system is expected to stay well offshore, but wind and surge impacts will still be felt Tuesday night into Wednesday evening

A coastal flood warning is in effect for parts of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and northern New Jersey, Storm Team 4 says

Rising tides and whipping winds damaged a Jersey Shore fishing pier, flooded roads and stranded at least one driver as Hurricane Jose started churning toward the tri-state Tuesday.

In Middletown, New Jersey, police say they rescued a driver from the area of Broadway and Main Street Tuesday morning when he tried to drive through high water. His car ended up leaving the road and into a ditch, police said.

NBC 4 NY

When officers arrived, they found the driver sitting on the roof of his car. He waded through the water to police, who transported him from the scene.

Manasquan officials also said some streets had minor flooding from the morning's high tide.

Minor coastal flooding is occurring with this morning's high tide. Moderate flooding expected tonight. High tide 8 p.m. pic.twitter.com/vyo5mIiHHh  Manasquan Borough (@ManasquanOEM) September 19, 2017

In Belmar, high waves lashed at the shore so fiercely they damaged a fishing pier that had been restored from Sandy damage in a half-million dollar project. Belmar Mayor Matthew Doherty says a support beam has detached and pilings were knocked loose in the morning waves.

Construction on the pier was completed in 2015 after it was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. Stephanie Engelstad, business manager for the private club, says they will have to wait until the storm is over to review the new damage.

Police in communities along the shore said the storm was causing dangerous conditions in the water and reminded people not to go in.

On Long Island, the sound of Jose's overture was thundering in places like Westhampton's James Beach.

"It's a huge washing machine out there, tons of white water," said Westhampton resident Justin Lettier, who's hoping the storm keeps moving east.

"We've lived through a couple and have seen what it can do. And it's frightening," said Karen Lettier.

On Long Island, the sound of Jose's overture was thundering in places like Westhampton's James Beach.

"It's a huge washing machine out there, tons of white water," said Westhampton resident Justin Lettier, who's hoping the storm keeps moving east.

"We've lived through a couple and have seen what it can do. And it's frightening," said Karen Lettier.

People in Montauk weren't too concerned, though. Sue Kravarik watched the pounding surf from the deck of her home, and she and her neighbors have tied down their outdoor furniture and umbrellas -- but they're used to wind gusts and will keep an eye on the storm.

Awaiting Jose, with a kite in Montauk. Campers in state park say they'll watch what storm brings and then decide whether to stay or go. pic.twitter.com/Q9Q99eT5fq  GREG CERGOL4NY (@GREGCERGOL4NY) September 19, 2017

Hurricane Jose is expected to stay out to sea but will still deliver punishing rains, rough surf, wind and beach erosion to the tri-state area. A tropical storm watch is in effect for the coast of Long Island from Fire Island inlet to Port Jefferson, and from New Haven, Connecticut, to Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

A coastal flood watch escalated to a warning for parts of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and northern New Jersey from Tuesday evening to Wednesday afternoon. The coastal areas are expected to get the brunt of Jose's conditions.

Tracking Jose: Storm Team 4 Breaks Down Timeline, What to Expect

According to the National Hurricane's latest advisory, Jose is expected to make a turn to the northeast Tuesday night, when it will begin dumping up to 3 inches of rain on eastern Long Island and southeast Connecticut.

Jose, a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, could bring 2 to locally 3 feet of surge above ground level in low-lying areas near the waterfront and shoreline during high tide, forecasters say. That could result in road closures and cause widespread flooding of parking lots, parks, lawns and homes and businesses with basements near the waterfront.

Jose is expected to pull away from the tri-state area Wednesday evening, though some models indicate it could loop back around, lingering offshore in the waters between Long Island and New Jersey, through the workweek. That would make for breezy conditions and high rip current risk for days, but no additional rain or damaging winds, according to Storm Team 4.

Meanwhile, the vicious Maria is swirling toward Irma-battered Puerto Rico, which could see a direct hit by a major hurricane for the first time in decades.

Maria strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane Monday as it bore down on the Caribbean. Early Tuesday it had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph.
An American college student who was one of four women attacked with acid at a Marseille train station says on Facebook that she's planning to continue her "incredible opportunity" to study in France.

Michelle Krug asked for prayers for the alleged assailant, a 41-year-old woman described by police as "disturbed."

The four women are part of the study abroad program of Boston College, a private Jesuit school. All of the students are in their junior year.

Two women who posted late Sunday on Facebook asked for prayers for the assailant. Krug said she was one of two who got hit in the eye with "a weak solution of hydrochloric acid," but added that "mental illness is not a choice and should not be villainized."

The four women were briefly hospitalized and treated for burns and have since been released.



Boston College quoted police as saying the attack wasn't thought to be terror-related. Spokesperson Jack Dunn says it's the first time students were attacked while taking classes in different countries, and that school leaders won't be making any new safety recommendations because this is considered an isolated incident.

France has seen scattered attacks by unstable individuals as well as extremist violence in recent years, including in Marseille, a port city in southern France that is closer to Barcelona than Paris.

A driver deliberately rammed into two bus stops in Marseille last month, killing a woman, but officials said it wasn't terror-related.

In April, French police said they thwarted an imminent "terror attack" and arrested two suspected radicals in Marseille just days before the first round of France's presidential election. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters the two suspects "were getting ready to carry out an imminent, violent action." In January 2016, a 15-year-old Turkish Kurd was arrested after attacking a Jewish teacher on a Marseille street. He told police he acted in the name of the Islamic State group.
What to Know Jose, currently a Category 1 hurricane, is expected to gradually weaken as it passes southeast of Long Island Wednesday

The system is expected to stay well offshore, but wind and surge impacts will still be felt Tuesday night into Wednesday evening

A coastal flood warning is in effect for parts of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and northern New Jersey, Storm Team 4 says

Parts of Long Island remain under a tropical storm watch ahead of Hurricane Jose, which is expected to stay out to sea but still deliver punishing rains, rough surf, wind and beach erosion to the area.

The watch is in effect for the coast of Long Island from Fire Island inlet to Port Jefferson, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible within the next 24 to 36 hours.



A coastal flood watch escalated to a warning for parts of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and northern New Jersey from Tuesday evening to Wednesday afternoon. The coastal areas are expected to get the brunt of Jose's conditions.

Jose, a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, could bring 2 to locally 3 feet of surge above ground level in low-lying areas near the waterfront and shoreline during high tide, forecasters say. That could result in road closures and cause widespread flooding of parking lots, parks, lawns and homes and businesses with basements near the waterfront.

Rip current danger is expected to get worse as Hurricane Jose continues to churn north. Ken Buffa reports.

Gov. Cuomo says 100 members of the National Guard, 13 members of an urban search and rescue team, and 20 high-axle vehicles will set up a command post at a welcome center on the Long Island Expressway in Dix Hills in Suffolk County. The area is already experiencing rough waters and rip current advisories due to swells being generated by Jose. Those advisories will last through the middle of the week, according to Storm Team 4.



"We know how dangerous, volatile and unpredictable extreme weather can be, which is why it's always better to be ready for anything," Cuomo said in a statement. "With all that we have witnessed across the country the past few weeks, there is no reason to take chances when we have the time and ability to be prepared."

PSEG Long Island has also bolstered its ranks with out-of-state crews to help work on any power outages and downed trees.

Impacts were already being felt Tuesday morning. John F. Kennedy Airport was reporting four-hour arrival delays before noon because of strong winds. Matt Doherty, mayor of Belmar, New Jersey, tweeted a photo of a storm damaged-pier and rough surf. In Middletown, a driver got stuck in floodwaters amid rising tides and whipping winds and had to be rescued from the roof of his car.

Tracking Jose: Storm Team 4 Breaks Down Timeline, What to Expect

According to the National Hurricane's latest advisory, Jose is expected to make a turn to the northeast Wednesday, when it will begin dumping up to 3 inches of rain on eastern Long Island and southeast Connecticut. That rainfall could cause some isolated flooding.

A tropical storm watch has been issued for parts of the Jersey Shore and Long Island ahead of Hurricane Jose. Tracie Strahan reports.

Some showers are expected during the day Tuesday, but according to Storm Team 4, periods of heavy rain, especially along the coast, are likely Tuesday night into Wednesday as the storm moves just offshore, possibly producing tropical storm-force winds in parts of Long Island.

Jose hadn't strengthened much on Tuesday, ad forecasters said it would gradually weaken on Wednesday. Still, the city and other points along the mid-Atlantic coast could still see up to 2 inches of rain.

[NATL]Photos: Long Road to Recovery Begins After Irma

In New Jersey, erosion was already apparent on the beaches of Belmar Tuesday. And the fishing pier that had been restored after Sandy was again damaged -- the farthest two pilings totally collapsed, and the end of the pier is no longer safe to walk out on. And in Middletown, a driver had to be rescued from floodwater.

On Long Island, the sound of Jose's overture was thundering in places like Westhampton's James Beach.

"It's a huge washing machine out there, tons of white water," said Westhampton resident Justin Lettier, who's hoping the storm keeps moving east.

"We've lived through a couple and have seen what it can do. And it's frightening," said Karen Lettier.

In Shirley, Bill Napolitano exhausted his life savings to build his new house along Narrow Bay after Sandy destroyed it in 2012, and now with his home 10 feet of the ground, he's hoping for the best with Jose.

[NATL] Extreme Weather Photos: Record Heat Threatens Europe

Jose is expected to pull away from the tri-state area Wednesday evening, though some models indicate it could loop back around, lingering offshore in the waters between Long Island and New Jersey, through the workweek. That would make for breezy conditions and high rip current risk for days, but no additional rain or damaging winds, according to Storm Team 4.

Meanwhile, the vicious Maria is swirling toward Irma-battered Puerto Rico, which could see a direct hit by a major hurricane for the first time in decades.

Maria strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane Monday as it bore down on the Caribbean. Early Tuesday it had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph.

[NATL] Dramatic Images: Floods Hit as Harvey Drenches Texas
An 8-month-old girl has died four days after the car she was riding in collided with a concrete truck.

State police in Delaware said in a statement that the girl died Sunday.

Elicha Saint Fleur had been rushed to A.I. DuPont Hospital in Wilmington following the accident on Wednesday.

Police are continuing to investigate. The accident occurred north of Millsboro. Police said the girl was "improperly secured" in a forward facing car seat in the car's backseat.

A 40-year-old man was driving the Kia Optima carrying the baby. Police said excessive speed on a wet roadway contributed to the Kia's failure to negotiate a curve. The car crossed into oncoming traffic.

No charges have been filed. Police said alcohol and drugs were not a factor in the crash.
With just six months remaining until Pennsylvanias inaugural medical marijuana program is scheduled to debut, two petitions could throw the states nascent cannabis industry into question.

Earlier this month, Keystone ReLeaf and Brightstar Biomedics filed two different petitions in Commonwealth Court alleging that the Department of Healths permitting process for dispensaries and grow sites was inherently flawed and biased.

Scranton-based Brightstar asked for an injunction to prevent Pennsylvania Medical Solutions from moving forward as a grower and processor. PMS is a subsidiary of Vireo Health, which has been under criminal investigation for illegally transporting marijuana from Minnesota to New York. PMS violated Pennsylvania regulations by not disclosing their legal problems, Brightstar alleged in court documents.

While medical cannabis is legal is 30 states, it remains a Schedule 1 drug akin to heroin or LSD. Transporting it across state lines, even states that recognize medicinal or recreational pot, is against federal law.

Pot Facts: The ABCs of Cannabis

Meanwhile, Bethlehem-based Keystone ReLeaf has asked for a full stop of the statewide program, which is slated to start in April. The company said the Office of Medical Marijuana and Department of Health lacked transparency in its permitting process by keeping secret the identities of panelists who reviewed and ultimately granted licenses to potential growers and dispensaries. Regulators also made it difficult to appeal permit rejections, the company said in court documents.

"Simply put, no applicant understands how or why they scored a certain score in any category, and when challenged by way of administrative appeal, the (state) has, to date, utterly refused to explain or defend its scoring decisions," the company said in court papers.

State Sen. Daylin Leach, a Democrat who represents portions of Delaware and Montgomery counties and co-sponsored the medical marijuana legislation, said that veil of secrecy was intentional.

"The problem is if you publish [those names]  there will be opportunity for people to influence them," he said, adding that he is in favor of releasing those names after scoring has been completed.

"There is tension between being totally transparent and having a system that was not subject to even the appearance of outside influence. From my perspective, the Department of Health has worked very hard to get things done."

Some of the states wealthiest and most connected applicants did not, in fact, receive permits in this first round of licensing. That included Lindy Snider, the daughter of former Flyers owner Ed Snider, who was widely considered a favorite to win at least one permit. Snider was an early investor in the cannabis industry, and hoped to break into Pennsylvanias market after years working with companies in other states.

But the states scoring system was blind. Judges did not know the identities of the applicants they were judging and the applicants did not know who judged them.

Were very proud of that. The richest applicants were not the most successful applicants. Thats as it should be.

A vocal proponent for medical marijuana, Leach issued a public letter to Keystone ReLeaf asking the company to withdraw its injunction request against the state. If granted, dispensaries and grow sites currently under construction would have to stop. Restricting access to medication for debilitating conditions such as cancer, PTSD and Crohn's would be cruel and heartless, Leach said.

"Whenever you have a competitive process to award licenses, there will always be winners and losers and there will always be people who feel they were wronged in some way," he said. "But how can you have concern for the patients if youre asking their medicine be taken away?"

Leach himself has been called into question after his dealings as a private cannabis industry attorney surfaced last week. He reportedly moonlighted as a medical marijuana legal consultant despite a prohibition against elected officials holding a financial stake in medical marijuana, The Morning Call reported.

Anticipating a conflict, Leach sent letter to state ethics commission in December 2016 asking whether the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act would restrict or prohibit him from acting as an attorney on matters related to the medical marijuana program.

The ethics commission ruled that a conflict did not exist unless Leach were consciously aware of a private pecuniary benefit for himself, member of his immediate family or a business with which he or his immediate family is associated. He would not be prohibited from acting as a legal consultant for clients applying to the medical marijuana program or advising permit awardees on compliance issues.

The ethics commission approved everything I could have done, he said. Once the law was signed, I had no power. I had no power to award or deny licenses.

Despite the legal wrangling, the Department of Health anticipates Pennsylvania's first dispensaries will be open by April.

"We continue to move forward with a patient-focused medical marijuana program for those suffering from one of the 17 serious medical conditions outlined in the law," a spokesperson said in an email statement.

Keystone ReLeaf did not return requests for comment at the time of publication. Please check back for updates.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the eye wall of Category 5 Maria is moving onshore over Dominica.

Forecasters say that the "potentially catastrophic" hurricane with 160 mph winds will likely travel over the Leeward Islands and the extreme northeast Caribbean through Monday night and Tuesday.

The storm was on a path that would take it near many of the islands already wrecked by Hurricane Irma and then on toward Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The hurricane was expected to maintain a west-northwest motion for the next several days before a turn toward the north-northwest. The forecast track remained to the east of South Florida Monday.

Maria could hit Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Tuesday night and Wednesday.

President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for the island and ordered Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist the commonwealth. The declaration authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the hurricane is "developing the dreaded pinhole eye."

That's a sign of an extremely strong hurricane likely to get even mightier, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. Just like when a spinning ice skater brings in their arms and rotates faster, a smaller, tighter eye shows the same physics, he said.

Maria's eye shrank to a small 10 miles (16 kilometers) in diameter Monday evening.

"You just don't see those in weaker hurricanes," McNoldy said. "It's cranking up the angular momentum."

The U.S. territory on Monday imposed rationing of basic supplies including water, milk, baby formula, canned foods, batteries, flashlights and other items.

(For the latest information in Spanish from Telemundo Puerto Rico, click here.)

Puerto Rico was spared the full brunt of Irma although much of the island had its power knocked out. It hasn't had a direct hit from a Category 4 or 5 hurricane since 1928, NBC News reported.

Hurricane warnings were posted for Puerto Rico, Culebra and Vieques, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. A tropical storm warning was issued for Martinique, Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Lucia and Anguilla.

A hurricane watch was also in effect for Saba and St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, Anguilla, and Isla Saona to Puerto Plata.

(Click here for an interactive radar from Telemundo.)



On Wednesday, Maria was expected to be near or over Puerto Rico, which was spared the full brunt of Irma, although much of the island had its power knocked out. Nearly 70,000 people remain without power, and Gov. Ricardo Rossello on Monday warned of another widespread outage.

"We have an extremely weak infrastructure that has already been hit by one storm," he said. "This is going to be a catastrophic event."

Forecasters said the storm would dump up to 18 inches of rain across Puerto Rico and whip the U.S. territory with heavy winds for 12 to 24 hours.

Rossello said officials had prepared about 450 shelters with a capacity for nearly 68,000 people  or even 125,000 in an emergency. There are still nearly 200 people in shelters from Hurricane Irma. Schools were cancelled for Monday and government employees would work only a half day.

Officials in the Dominican Republic urged people to leave areas prone to flooding and said fishermen should remain in port.

Farther north, long-lived Hurricane Jose continued to head northward off the U.S. East Coast, causing dangerous surf and rip currents. It wasn't expected to make landfall but tropical storm watches were posted along the coast from Delaware to Massachusetts' Cape Cod.

Jose was centered about 230 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and was in a stationary position. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

The ocean washed over parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks as Hurricane Jose passed well to the east, and five people were knocked off a coastal jetty in Rhode Island by high surf caused by the storm. Officials said rescuers had to fight through rough surf to load the injured onto stretchers and get them to shore. All five were taken to a hospital with minor and major injuries.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lee weakened into a tropical depression far out in the Atlantic while Hurricane Otis weakened far out in the Pacific. Neither threatened land.

NBC 6 will continue to monitor this and will bring you new developments as we get them.
A 20-year-old San Diego State University student has been identified as the woman found dead on Interstate 8 Saturday evening.

Jasmine Madarang was a member of SDSU's Delta Zeta Sorority, students told NBC 7.

Madarang was found on the median of eastbound I-8 near Mission Gorge Road, by Mission Valley and Grantville, around 8 p.m. over the weekend.

Through tears, grandmother Gloria Madarang said, "It's like a dream. We don't really believe it."



At this time, officials are still piecing together what happened leading up to the death. Authorities said Madarang was trying to cross the freeway near Waring Road when she was struck and killed.

Authorities responded to the scene and started CPR. However, the victim was pronounced dead shortly after.

Madarang was a junior engineering major according to her family.

On the dean's list since her freshman year, Madarang was recently selected to the National Society of Leadership Success, her family told NBC 7.

Now instead of preparing for her future, Madarang's family raising money online to help pay for her funeral.

"She's a super funny girl," said her aunt Rizza. "She's the life of the party in our family. To lose her is just devastating to us."

Students on campus mourned Madarang.

"It's definitely a big sadness for the whole school and for everyone that knew her, I have friends that personally knew her, so this has been a tragedy for all of us at San Diego State," said Rachela Fey, a fellow student.



Some said the incident is a sad reminder to look out for one another.

"I think it's important, especially in college for people to tray and be as safe as possible in situations like parties and everything, I think it's really important to be with friends and people who are going to take care of you and make sure everything is gonna be fine," said Eva-Maria Tanez, a student.

A GoFundMe page has been started to help Madarang's family

The investigation is ongoing.
A San Diego-based Telemundo 20 journalist visiting her family in central Mexico said she couldnt move her feet as the wall of her familys home collapsed before her eyes during Tuesdays deadly 7.1 magnitude earthquake.

"It felt like the whole house was coming down; it felt like the earth was opening up beneath our feet, Fabiola Berriozabal, a digital media producer with T20, recounted in a FaceTime video interview with NBC 7. "We couldnt move or stand up."

Berriozabal said she was finishing breakfast with her mother, brother and grandparents on the patio of her mothers home in Tepoztlan  a town in the Mexican state of Morelos, south of Mexico City  when the Earth began to shake violently.

"I panicked, and then I saw my brothers eyes panicking, and then I realized how big [the earthquake] was," she said. "Next thing I know, the pipe is coming down, theres water falling from the top of the roof."

From where the family was sitting on the patio, Berriozabal said it looked as if the house was "falling towards [them]," which prompted her grandmother to tell the others to leave her behind to save themselves.

"I was scared because you could actually feel it, like in the bottom of your feet," Berriozabal said. "I couldnt stand still. I couldnt stand up. Its just like being thrown around and rattled. We wanted to move away from the house and we really couldnt until it stopped.

Berriozabal and her family were able to get to safety. But when they looked back at their home, they saw that a large wall had come crumbling down.

Large cracks ran down the remaining walls, and debris was strewn about the residence. Photo frames holding family pictures were on the ground lying along the length of a staircase.

Holding back tears, Berriozabal said she couldnt describe the pain of seeing her familys home damaged in this way. Her mother has lived there for nearly 20 years.

Berriozabal walked over to a wall where pen markings recorded the heights over the years of she and her family members  a wall that holds so many special family moments.

Memories, she lamented. Its a home.

Berriozabal said this was the worst earthquake shes ever experienced. It happened to hit on the anniversary of Mexicos devastating 1985 quake, which killed 9,500 victims.

Police officers were going around to homes in her mothers neighborhood checking the safety of the structures, Berriozabal said.

At this point, she said shes not sure if her mothers home can be salvaged or if it will need to be taken down and completely rebuilt.

She said neighbors were also devastated by the disaster. One family, trying to keep their young son calm, said they planned to sleep in their car. Their son was crying after the earthquake because he had seen so many adults around him crying, Berriozabal said.
A San Diego man pleaded guilty to attacking and targeting a married couple in Hillcrest 10 days ago based on their race and sexual orientation.

Teeno Hermoso Amparano pleaded guilty to a hate crime and battery charges, the San Diego City Attorneys Office reported Monday.

The attack on September 9 took place at the Whole Foods market on University Avenue.

Amparano physically attacked two men while making homophobic and racist slurs, the City Attorneys office said.

Amparano punched and kicked the victims, threw rocks at them, and hit one with a shopping cart, causing both of them to suffer personal injuries

San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott initially charged Amparano with assault with a deadly weapon, battery, and a hate crime. He pleaded guilty to the hate crime and a battery.

As a result, Amparano was fined $655 and sentenced to three years of probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution and to stay away from the Whole Foods store. As part of his plea, he may not have any contact with the victims for three years and he must complete an anger management course.

Hate crimes can be reported to the San Diego Police Department at (619) 531-2000 or online via the Citizens' Online Police Reporting System. Crime victims can find additional information on the City Attorneys Victim's Services & Resources page.
Snapchat has blocked Al-Jazeera's Discover channel in Saudi Arabia amid an ongoing dispute between Gulf states and Qatar, where the media network is headquartered.

Al-Jazeera said Snapchat's decision to block its curated Discover Channel is "deplorable", "alarming" and amounts to "censoring media content". The Arabic Snapchat channel was launched in May, a month before Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states cut ties with Qatar.

The quartet accuse Qatar of using Al-Jazeera to promote its policies, and have moved to block access to the channel locally.

Snapchat, which is wildly popular among Saudi youth, said Monday the company works to comply with local laws where it operates. It says Saudi authorities asked for Al-Jazeera's channel to be removed from the app locally because it violates internet laws.
Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz entered Maryland's crowded Democratic primary for governor on Monday.

Like some of his Democratic opponents, he focused on trying to link Republican Gov. Larry Hogan to President Donald Trump. He avoided mentioning the half dozen people he will have to beat to challenge the incumbent next year. Kamenetz, who has been county executive of Maryland's third largest jurisdiction since December 2010, criticized Hogan for not speaking out against the Republican president and his Cabinet members.

"We can't afford to have a governor who refuses to stand up to Donald Trump to protect our values, our communities and our state," Kamenetz said, with his family and supporters by his side in front of the Baltimore County Circuit Courthouse. "We can't afford to have a governor who needs to take a poll before taking a stand, a governor who hedges his bets, a governor who plays both sides of the fence, a governor who can't articulate a long term vision for this state."

Criticism of the Republican president already has become a main point of attack for Democratic candidates against Hogan in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1. Trump lost Maryland in November, mustering only 34 percent of the vote. Hogan has distanced himself from Trump, and he refused to vote for him. Still, Democrats have been pressing the governor to be more outspoken against the president's policies in hopes of convincing voters that the governor's unwillingness to confront the president more openly and more often is a sign of approval. Hogan counters by saying he's focused on governing the state, not Washington politics.

Kamenetz highlighted his experience as the county's chief executive to make the case for his candidacy. He touted work on creating jobs, improving schools and protecting the environment, without raising taxes. He emphasized his commitment to equality, noting the renaming of a park once named for Confederate General Robert E. Lee. He also noted his support for initiatives to prohibit discrimination against immigrants and transgender residents.

"As your governor, I will ensure that hate will never be a Maryland value," Kamenetz said.

The Democratic primary field already includes Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker, state Sen. Richard Madaleno and former NAACP president Ben Jealous. Former Michelle Obama aide Krish Vignarajah, entrepreneur Alec Ross and lawyer Jim Shea also are running.

The primary is June 26.
The Lincoln Memorial has been vandalized again, and this time a U.S. Park Police officer caught the vandal in the act, officials say.

Nurtilek Bakirov, 21, of Kyrgyzstan, is accused of vandalizing the memorial about 1:10 p.m. Monday, a police report says.

He was using a penny to etch "HYPT MAEK" into the fifth pillar on the north side of the memorial, the report says. The meaning of the etching was not immediately clear.

"This does represent permanent damage to the historic fabric of the memorial," Park Service conservator Justine Bello said.

Bakirov, a student, avoided reporters as he left a court appearance Tuesday.

At the monument, the officer saw and heard Bakirov scratching the penny into the pillar and asked him what he was doing.

"Sorry," Bakirov reportedly said, and then tried to walk away.

The officer ordered him to stop, and after the second time, Bakirov did.

He apologized and said he "didnt know that you cant do that," the report says.

"Am I in trouble for doing this?" he asked.

Bakirov was charged with destruction of property, a felony. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.

Court documents show that the etched letters cannot fully be removed.

It would cost approximately $2,000 to do a polishing process that would make the carved letters less visible, but that process would also cause permanent damage to the monument, the court documents say.

In August, someone wrote "F--- law" in red spray paint on a pillar of the monument. Carved initials also were found.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the day of the arrest.
A Maryland mans life is turned upside down because he shares a name and birthdate with a felon.

Christopher Jenkins of Maryland doesnt have a criminal record.

But a Christopher Jenkins in Florida does  a long list of offenses including possession of marijuana and grand theft auto.

When a potential employer ran a background check on Marylands Jenkins, he said, the criminal history of Floridas Jenkins showed up.

Jenkins said hes never smoked pot and never been to Florida.

Jenkins said knowing if he applies for a job he might not get it because of someone elses criminal record caused him depression and stress.

According to the FBI, between 2014 and 2016, more than 1 million people requested copies of what's called their FBI identity history summary to see what shows up. Of those requests, about 2,300 had errors with more than half of those being corrected.

If you fail a background check, you have every right to ask why, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

They also have the right to correct any inaccurate information, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Senior Attorney Tiffany George said.

George said you must contact the company that ran your background check and ask to see the report.

They should have whatever information at their disposal that proves that they don't have a criminal record and that their identity shouldn't be confused with someone else, George said.

Jenkins has to carry around a folder of documents wherever he goes:

A letter from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirming he's not the other Christopher Jenkins with a criminal record,

A notarized affidavit addressing the mistaken identity,

And a set of his own fingerprints to prove he's not a felon.

It's devastating for me and my fiance because I'm trying to make a better life for us and if I can't get the right job to provide for the household, it's hard, Jenkins said. It's a struggle.

Identity theft experts said governments that maintain criminal record databases need to set up a better system so that when there is a problem, there is an easier way to challenge it.
An officer's fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy in Haymarket, Virginia, on Friday appears justified, police and prosecutors in Prince William County say.

An officer shot and killed Ruben Urbina after he threatened officers with a 3-foot-long crowbar, officials said in new accounts of the encounter.

"Always tragic when a young person loses his life, and this is no exception," Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert told News4 early Tuesday. "Everybody is concerned about a young person's death. But there comes a point in time when police have to do what they have to do, and this is one of those occasions."

Urbina's parents said the officer should be held accountable for killing her child. His father, Oscar Urbina, called the killing "murder" and said his son posed no threat.

"Just a little, tiny kid," he said outside his home on Tuesday.

"This is a murder. My kid was taken from us for no reason at all," he continued.



"I just want justice. Justice. Justice," the teen's mother said through tears Monday night. "He's just a little kid."

At a news conference Tuesday morning, Ebert released new details about the final moments of the high school student's life.

A Prince William County officer fired two shots at him after he called 911 and said he had a bomb and that he was holding his family against their will, Ebert said.

When he called 911 at about 10:45 a.m., "he indicated if he was shot by police, he'd be alright with [that]," Ebert said at a news conference Tuesday morning.

Officers responded to the house on the 6800 block of Hartzell Hill Lane about 13 minutes later.

Outside, Urbina was beating his brother's 18-year-old girlfriend with the crowbar, the chief prosecutor said. In the past, she had been able to "settle him down when he became agitated," Ebert said, describing "mental health issues."

Then, he "brandished a crowbar and began walking toward the officers in a threatening manner," police said in a statement.

The officers ordered Urbina to drop the crowbar, but he refused and got within 10 feet of the officers, police say.

Then, Officer Robert Choyce opened fire, shooting the teen twice in the upper body about 11:05 a.m., seven minutes after officers arrived.

Urbina's father was away from home, in Mexico, but other family members saw the shooting.

Officers provided first aid until medics arrived. Urbina was pronounced dead at the scene.

No officers were hurt. Urbina's brother's girlfriend, who Urbina allegedly beat with a crowbar, was hospitalized for serious injuries to her head and back and later released.

Police determined that Urbina did not have a bomb.

"Our family's been destroyed," his father said.

"I don't know if I'm going to be able to go to work," he continued. "It knocks me down -- the reality that my son is not here."

Police learned after the shooting that Urbina had tried to kill himself the previous night but that the family did not call for help, Ebert said.

Choyce, the officer who fired is on administrative leave, per standard police procedure. The 35-year-old with seven years on the force is assigned to the Tactical Training & Response Unit. He had never previously been involved in a police-involved shooting, police said.

Prince William County Police Chief Barry Barnard called Urbina's death a tragedy but said the officer was correct to fire his weapon.

As we continue to evaluate this incident, it seems at this stage in our administrative investigation, the officer acted appropriately in response to dynamic circumstances," he said in a statement. "This is undoubtedly a tragedy, and we recognize the loss of this life is extremely difficult for the family and our community.

Officers are often placed in situations where they are forced to make critical decisions quickly based on limited information. This shooting was traumatic for the officers involved, and we ask for continued support from our community as we move forward.

Oscar Urbina, the teen's father, said he forgives the officer who fired.

"I woke up at 5 in the morning and wrote a letter of forgiveness for a person I don't even know who took my kid. I forgive him," he said through tears.

The police department's Office of Professional Standards will continue "an independent administrative investigation" into the shooting, the police department says.

Police body cameras are not in use in Prince William County, but a pilot program to put them onto streets is underway.

Images taken from Chopper4 on Friday afternoon showed many officers in the Northern Virginia neighborhood of brick townhouses.

Urbina's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday.
Virginia State Police are telling people to avoid clicking on any emails that appear to be a traffic ticket -- the email may be part of a scam trying to deceive drivers.

Virginia State Police do not issue automatic tickets, nor do they use email to inform people about real tickets or court dates.

Scammers are targeting drivers by sending fake tickets that appear to be from Virginia State Police. The tickets have fake ticket numbers and contain links that may put your security at risk. Some even list fake court dates, police said.

If you have been targeted by this scam, police advise immediately deleting the email. Do not click on any links in the email or download any attachments.

"Never open or click on a link in an email from an unknown email address, individual or organization. To check the validity of an email, locate the entitys website and call to determine if it is a legitimate email. The same goes for an individual," police said in a statement.

The police say this advice applies to a number of scams.

Schemes where scammers pretend to be official government agencies, utilities or legitimate companies are common.

Federal investigators called one scam, where callers pretend to be representatives from the IRS and demand immediate payment, lost taxpayers more than $44 million.
A woman who was struck by a dump truck in northeast Washington, D.C., in July will be released from the hospital on Tuesday, but she still has a long recovery process.

Bianca Butler was run over and dragged by the dump truck near 33rd Street, Northeast, and South Dakota Avenue. She is expected to leave the hospital on Tuesday, Sept. 20, but she reflected on the day that changed her life.

I was screaming for my life, Butler said while sitting in a wheelchair at the hospital. I thought I was going to die that day, but I didnt. I thank God for letting me see another day.

Butler experienced massive injuries from the crash. Dr. Robert Bunning, at Medstar Rehabilitation Hospital, said if she had not made it to the hospital as quickly as she did, she may have died.

She had massive soft tissue injuries, and if she had not gotten to a health care facility quickly, it could have been a different outcome, Bunning said.

Butler was crossing the street when she was struck. Police said she was dragged nearly 60 feet before the driver heard her screams and brought his vehicle to a stop.

Stuff was coming out of my leg. I lost half of my knee, because of him, on this right leg, Butler said. On my left leg, my foot was dangling apart, coming apart from my leg.

She said the driver told her he was sorry while she was still at the scene. Hes been charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian, but the charge is under review by the attorney generals office.

Butler has undergone eight surgeries, and more are planned. She said she is determine to get back on her feet and walking again.
Three people were arrested Monday night during a protest after a vigil for a Georgia Tech student who was fatally shot by campus police, a university spokesman said.

Police shot and killed Scout Schultz late Saturday night after the 21-year-old student called 911 to report an armed and possibly intoxicated suspicious person, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said.

Georgia Tech sent out alerts urging students to shelter indoors Monday night and lock doors and windows because of violent protests. Video posted on social media showed a police vehicle burning in the street and officers pinning people to the ground as onlookers shouted at them.

After a peaceful vigil, about 50 protesters marched to the campus police department, university spokesman Lance Wallace said. A police vehicle was damaged and two officers suffered minor injuries, with one taken to a hospital for treatment.

Police restored order relatively quickly, and three people were arrested and charged with inciting a riot and battery of an officer, Wallace said.

In a statement released through attorney Chris Stewart, Schultz's family urged protesters to remain peaceful.

"(W)e ask that those who wish to protest Scout's death do so peacefully. Answering violence with violence is not the answer," the statement said. "Our goal is to work diligently to make positive change at Georgia Tech in an effort to ensure a safer campus for all students."

The GBI has said an officer responding to a 911 call about 11:17 p.m. Saturday shot Schultz as the student advanced on officers with a knife and refused commands to put down the knife. Stewart said Monday that the GBI confirmed to him that Schultz was holding a multipurpose tool and that the knife blade was not out.

Schultz was the one who called 911, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said in an emailed statement Monday.

"In the call, Shultz describes the person as a white male, with long blonde hair, white T-shirt and blue jeans who is possibly intoxicated, holding a knife and possibly armed with a gun on his hip," Miles said, adding that three suicide notes were found in Schultz's dorm room.

Investigators recovered a multi-purpose tool at the scene but didn't find any guns, Miles said.

Flanked by Schultz's parents Monday morning, Stewart said the officer who shot Schultz overreacted. Schultz was having a breakdown and was suicidal but if the officer had used non-lethal force rather than shooting, Schultz could have received treatment and gotten better, Stewart said.

"The mentally ill are looking for a way out when they're having a full breakdown, and there's no way you should be able to use a police officer to take your life when that person isn't threatened," Stewart said.

Georgia Tech police don't carry stun guns, but are equipped with pepper spray, a spokesman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Stewart says he plans to sue over the shooting.

Authorities have not identified the officer who shot Schultz. Georgia Tech on Monday refused to release personnel or disciplinary reports involving the officers, saying such information is exempt from Georgia's open records law.

Schultz was president of Pride Alliance at Georgia Tech. The fourth-year computer engineering student used the name Scout, rather than the given name Scott, and preferred the pronouns "they" and "them" rather than "he" or "him."

"I'm bisexual, nonbinary and intersex," Schultz wrote in a Pride Alliance profile.

William Schultz told reporters Monday that his child had a 3.9 GPA and was on track to graduate early in December.

Lynne Schultz told the Journal-Constitution over the weekend that her oldest child had struggled with depression and attempted suicide two years ago using a belt as a noose.

After that, Scout Schultz went through counseling, William Schultz said. Scout Schultz spent this past summer at home and there were no obvious problems when school resumed last month, the elder Schultz said.

The GBI, through its Crisis Intervention Team, has trained about 10,000 local, state and federal law enforcement officers since it began in 2004, the Atlanta newspaper reported. Some agencies require that training while others don't.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the officers who responded Saturday had undergone such training.

Stewart, the family's lawyer, said the university has failed in not providing its officers with stun guns. He also said university police officers "should have the highest training in dealing with people having mental or emotional breakdowns and issues."

Referring to a video of the incident, Stewart says the main officer was doing a "phenomenal job" handling the situation  retreating, trying to deescalate and putting a barrier between himself and Schultz  and that other officers also appeared to be providing appropriate backup. But one officer behaved inappropriately by firing on Schultz when there was no immediate danger to any of the officers, Stewart said.

William Schultz said the encounter shouldn't have ended in his child's death.

If given a chance to talk to the officer, he told reporters, he just has one question: "Why did you have to shoot? That's the question. I mean, that's the only question that matters right now. Why did you kill my son?"
Every two seconds, someone's identity is stolen.

That was the warning Tuesday at a fraud prevention summit called the "Scam Jam" in the Upper Valley region of Vermont, where advocates urged consumers from Vermont and New Hampshire to guard their info and monitor their accounts, especially after the latest big data hack.

"Whoever's doing the PR for Equifax should be fired, in my opinion," said Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan, who spoke at the conference hosted by the AARP.

Donovan was referencing the problems at the credit bureau Equifax, where hackers breached computers, exposing half of all Americans' sensitive personal data to theft.

Donovan said Equifax was too slow in reporting the breach to Vermont and other states, was lax in protecting critical consumer data, and provided confusing information to the public.

"There has to be accountability," Donovan told attendees at the conference.

Donovan and his counterpart from New Hampshire, Gordon MacDonald, said they are working to protect consumers and get answers in what's still a developing investigation into the Equifax hack.

Speakers at the AARP event also warned seniors about common scams, like bogus calls claiming to be collecting taxes, or threatening to shut off utility service is someone doesnt pay up.

In The Con Artist's Playbook, a piece of AARP educational material, a convicted scammer named Jimmy Edwards alerts people to how fraudsters play nice on the phone to win over unsuspecting consumers and trick them into thinking the caller is your friend.

"Logic goes out the window," Edwards said in AARP material, describing how experienced scammers can use friendly conversations and other tricks to convince seniors to fork over money. "The emotion kicks in; now I've endeared you to me. Now I'm no longer the predator on the phone  I'm Jim from New York!"

New Hampshire Attorney General MacDonald warned today's headlines may produce tomorrow's rip-off attempts.

"Hurricanes? Natural disasters? That is a huge opportunity for scammers to come in and take advantage of all of our natural human instinct to help down there," MacDonald told the roughly 225 people in attendance at the Scam Jam.

"It's too bad when youre afraid to answer your own telephone," observed Barbara Allard, a senior who lives in Haverhill, New Hampshire.

Allard said she has received scam calls, posing as her grandchild in trouble.

"'Hi grandma, this is your grandson,'" Allard said, mimicking the scammers. "My grandchildren don't call me 'grandma,' so I just hang up."

The attorneys general said their best advice is to question and scrutinize every phone call, email, or text message consumers receive, asking yourself, "Am I being scammed?"

Donovan and MacDonald said the best offense against scammers is a good defense through education and prevention, because catching and prosecuting phone scammers can be very difficult.

More information on the Equifax hack is available through the Vermont attorney general's consumer protection program.
A dog is recovering after surviving what police say was a brutal attack by a man with a machete.

Police responded to Church Street in Taunton, Massachusetts, around 10:30 p.m. after receiving multiple calls of a man attacking a dog. When police arrived, they found bystanders tending to a dog who lay bleeding on the ground. According to police, the dog had been stabbed in the neck and spine.

The dog was treated at a nearby animal hospital and was taken into the custody of animal control.

Police say a female bystander was also stabbed while trying to intervene, and walked to a nearby emergency room for treatment. According to police, the female would not cooperate with officers who wanted to speak to her about the incident.

Police have not released the name of the suspected attacker or woman involved, but say the pair knew each other prior to the incident.

No arrests have been made. The incident remains under investigation.
A Massachusetts fire chief appeared in court Monday to answer to charges that he allegedly tried to strangle his wife in front of their young children.

Ipswich Fire Chief Gregory Gagnon, 41, of Dracut, was arraigned in Lowell District Court on a charge of strangulation and ordered to undergo inpatient mental health treatment.

He was arrested Saturday in connection with an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Middlesex District Attorney's Office and Dracut police.

The arrest came just one day after he was arraigned in connection with an assault that occurred last week. After that arraignment, investigators learned of the other incident of domestic violence involving his wife that occurred last year.

In last week's incident, Gagnon's wife said her husband threatened her with a handgun, saying he would "shoot her in the head so her brains would be splattered on the wall," and if she tried to call police, "guns would be blazing."

After pleading not guilty to the charges, Gagnon is now headed to a treatment facility in Vermont. His attorney called the situation "a family matter" and asked everyone to respect his privacy.

Ipswich Town Manager Robin Crosbie said Gagnon is on paid sick leave and will remain on leave throughout his court-ordered commitment to a treatment center.

Crosbie said the town is "taking measures to ensure that there will be a leadership presence at the Ipswich fire department," with fire Lt. Andy Theriault serving as acting chief until further notice.

"Our thoughts are with the entire Gagnon family during this very difficult time," Crosbie said in a statement.

Gagnon is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 3.
Authorities spent Tuesday searching for a man who went on a kayaking trip on the Saugus River earlier in the day and failed to return.

The United States Coast Guard, Massachusetts State Police and local police began searching for Craig Dustin Sr., 72, of Saugus, at about 2:30 p.m.

Authorities said Dustin was last seen at about 11 a.m. when he departed from a boat ramp near Fox Hill Yacht Club.

When Dustin failed to return home, his son Keith went out looking for him and noticed his father's vehicle outside the club, prompting him to alert authorities.

"We knew something wasnt right," said Keith Dustin. "If you can help, my father needs your help."

The elder Dustin launched from Toms Bait and Tackle where hes a regular customer.

The shops owner, Tom Falasca, whos also the Saugus Harbormaster, said it was windy, foggy and rainy on the water.

"The conditions werent favorable for any type of boating," said Falasca.

Dustin, who is believed to be wearing a life jacket, was in a red and yellow kayak.

The Coast Guard and several first responders went out searching for hours, but weren't able to locate Dustin Tuesday night.

"Hes a good man," said Keith Dustin. "We just want him back safe and sound."

The search wrapped up for the evening just before 11 p.m. and is scheduled to resume first thing Wednesday morning.
Maine's largest city and a New Hampshire town have voted to recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Portland's City Council and town councilors in Durham, New Hampshire, approved the measure Monday, which honors those who lived on the continent before it was colonized by western Europeans rather than Christopher Columbus.

Durham councilors considered calling it "The Age of Exploration and Indigenous Peoples' Day," but then voted to eliminate the first part.

Other Maine communities have voted for a similar change.

Italian-Americans opposed the proposal in Portland. They said Columbus Day is less a celebration about one individual and more a celebration of Italian-American heritage.

The Portland Press Herald reports City Councilor Spencer Thibodeau said the proposal was about including indigenous people in the historical discussion, rather than excluding Italian-Americans.

The effort to honor the day as Indigenous Peoples' Day has been picking up some steam in New England.

In 2016, Cambridge, Massachusetts, city counselors unanimously voted to rename the holiday.
What to Know McCrae Williams, 19, attended several parties on the weekend before his death.

Williams was found semi-conscious outside a Lafayette College dorm on Sept. 10.

Williams died from blunt force trauma injuries to his head, the coroner said. Toxicology reports are pending.

A day of drinking, an accidental fall and delayed medical attention led to the death of a 19-year-old Lafayette College freshman, investigators said Tuesday.

McCrae Williams' death does not appear to be the result of hazing or criminal conduct, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said.

Criminal charges will not be sought at this time.

McCrae Williams, from Weston, Massachusetts, died Sept. 11 after a weekend of partying on campus. An autopsy concluded he died from blunt force trauma.

"I do not see this as a Penn State case," Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said, referring to the hazing death of Timothy Piazza.

"There is a strong likelihood he crashed onto the concrete floor and sustained a head injury."

Investigators released an updated timeline of events leading to the 19-year-old's death starting Friday evening and concluding three days later.

The freshman joined lacrosse teammates at a party Sept. 8 around 6 p.m. Several hours later, Williams and a few friends went to his room to continue drinking. Fellow attendees described him as "talkative" but clearly intoxicated. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, friends told investigators.

Around 11 p.m. that same evening, Williams' friends went to another party. No one could confirm seeing him there.

On Saturday morning, Williams received calls and texts from friends. At noon, one friend asked if he had started drinking yet.

"Just started, but all we have is watermelon vodka and I hate watermelon," Williams responded.

By 1:30 p.m., he was spotted at a "day drink" party with roughly 50 to 80 attendees, investigators said.

The students were drinking out of red cups and told investigators it was primarily a beer event.

"No one interviewed indicated that he was in any distress," Morganelli said. "There was nothing forced or unusual."

Williams left that party around 4:30 p.m. and went to a nearby Wawa for food. He was seen in surveillance video "stumbling" and "unsure of his footing," according to investigators.

From there, Williams went back to his door room and was seen entering with a woman about 30 minutes after leaving Wawa. She told investigators that he vomited, but she assumed it was just from a long day of drinking. He got up up to vomit again, and then she heard a loud sound.

The woman turned around and saw Williams on the floor. He was groaning, but there was no blood or obvious head wounds, she told investigators.

Concerned, she called friends for help. They plucked Williams off the floor, placed him on his side in a bed and put a backpack on him to prevent Williams from rolling onto his back and choking on vomit.

They thought he just needed to sleep it off, Morganelli said.

Throughout the course of Saturday evening, several friends checked on Williams. Each time he told people he just wanted to rest.

By late Sunday morning, friends became worried Williams was still sleeping. Some brought him water and food, but again the freshman shooed them away.

Around 4 p.m., after almost 24 hours of sleeping, one friend called the lacrosse coach, who advised him to immediately call 911. Williams' friends took him outside and put him in the back of a car, with the intention of taking him to the hospital. That's where he found by first responders and campus personnel.

Williams died the next day.

"Were dealing with 18, 19-yr-old kids who felt their friend just needed time to sleep off the effects of alcohol," Morganelli said.



Toxicology reports are still pending, but Morganelli does not anticipate pursuing underage drinking or criminal charges.

"I have no evidence of a crime being committed," he said.


By Express News Service

Loud characters, garish costumes, flashy songs and 'dappankuthu' moves, Jijo Antony's Pokkiri Simon is every bit the quintessential "masala flick". As the movie readies to hit the screens this Friday, Ambady K, writer of Pokkiri Simon, tells us that the Sunny Wayne-starrer is going to give the audience a break from the realistic dramas. "We believe there is a space in Mollywood for such larger-than-life flicks," says the writer who is also an Indian Information Service officer. In a tete-a-tete with Express, Ambady tells us about what is in store.

Who is Pokkiri Simon ?

The protagonist Simon happens to be a hard-core fan of actor Vijay. "Not just a namesake fan, but someone who has made Vijay and his superhit flick Pokkiri a part of his life. Better known as Pokkiri Simon, the man dresses up as Vijay's character Tamizh and along with his friend, Love Today Ganesh, takes 'fangiri' to another level by naming their street Ilayathalapathy Vijay Nagar. They also suffer from every symptom of a Vijay fan, including rivalry to Surya fans," says Ambady.

As for the Sunny Wayne who plays Pokkiri

Simon onscreen, Ambady says they could only visualise Sunny for the role. "While I discussed the story with producer Krishnan and director Jijo Antony, we all were unanimous about Sunny. Even now, I can't think of another name playing Simon," says the writer.

Besides him, Prayaga, Sarath Kumar,Gregory, Nedumudi Venu and Marshall Tito will be seen in prominent roles.

What happens to Simon?

Ambady says that Pokkiri Simon isn't heading to Chennai to meet him. He is quite content living in his place and the plot revolves on an entirely different plane. "Unlike popular

presumption, this movie isn't about meeting Vijay or realising that dream. The story

happens in Illayathalapathy Vijay Nagar. It is their world that we are focusing on. Their little problems and psyche form the crux of the movie," he adds.

But, while most of the movie has an entertainer flavour, towards the end there is something thrilling enough to put the viewers on the edge of their seat.

Why Vijay and not Lalettan or Mammookka?

It is all a coincidence, says Ambady. The writer says he first went to Chenkalchoola Colony in Thiruvananthapuram to research for another story that he was penning. "That story had a protagonist with a Tamil background, living in Chenkalchoola. So, when I went there for details, I met a Vijay fan. That's how the thread came into my mind. In fact, I came to know that there are real-life characters like Pokkiri Riyas and Love today Sreekumar. This was something that has never been explored in Malayalam. I am sure people will love it," says Ambady.

Will the Tamil flavour work?

Ambady is quite optimistic about it. He says: "We have been seeing realistic movies for a while in Mollywood and I believe there is a space for a loud, larger-than-life movies. We were very welcoming to Rajamanickyam, which had a Tamil flavour. Malayalis are quite interested in Vijay's mass flicks. So we are sure that Pokkiri Simon, with all its Tamil flavour, will appeal our audience."

Loud characters, garish costumes, flashy songs and 'dappankuthu' moves, Jijo Antony's Pokkiri Simon is every bit the quintessential "masala flick". As the movie readies to hit the screens this Friday, Ambady K, writer of Pokkiri Simon, tells us that the Sunny Wayne-starrer is going to give the audience a break from the realistic dramas. "We believe there is a space in Mollywood for such larger-than-life flicks," says the writer who is also an Indian Information Service officer. In a tete-a-tete with Express, Ambady tells us about what is in store. Who is Pokkiri Simon ? The protagonist Simon happens to be a hard-core fan of actor Vijay. "Not just a namesake fan, but someone who has made Vijay and his superhit flick Pokkiri a part of his life. Better known as Pokkiri Simon, the man dresses up as Vijay's character Tamizh and along with his friend, Love Today Ganesh, takes 'fangiri' to another level by naming their street Ilayathalapathy Vijay Nagar. They also suffer from every symptom of a Vijay fan, including rivalry to Surya fans," says Ambady. As for the Sunny Wayne who plays Pokkiri Simon onscreen, Ambady says they could only visualise Sunny for the role. "While I discussed the story with producer Krishnan and director Jijo Antony, we all were unanimous about Sunny. Even now, I can't think of another name playing Simon," says the writer. Besides him, Prayaga, Sarath Kumar,Gregory, Nedumudi Venu and Marshall Tito will be seen in prominent roles. What happens to Simon? Ambady says that Pokkiri Simon isn't heading to Chennai to meet him. He is quite content living in his place and the plot revolves on an entirely different plane. "Unlike popular presumption, this movie isn't about meeting Vijay or realising that dream. The story happens in Illayathalapathy Vijay Nagar. It is their world that we are focusing on. Their little problems and psyche form the crux of the movie," he adds. But, while most of the movie has an entertainer flavour, towards the end there is something thrilling enough to put the viewers on the edge of their seat. Why Vijay and not Lalettan or Mammookka? It is all a coincidence, says Ambady. The writer says he first went to Chenkalchoola Colony in Thiruvananthapuram to research for another story that he was penning. "That story had a protagonist with a Tamil background, living in Chenkalchoola. So, when I went there for details, I met a Vijay fan. That's how the thread came into my mind. In fact, I came to know that there are real-life characters like Pokkiri Riyas and Love today Sreekumar. This was something that has never been explored in Malayalam. I am sure people will love it," says Ambady. Will the Tamil flavour work? Ambady is quite optimistic about it. He says: "We have been seeing realistic movies for a while in Mollywood and I believe there is a space for a loud, larger-than-life movies. We were very welcoming to Rajamanickyam, which had a Tamil flavour. Malayalis are quite interested in Vijay's mass flicks. So we are sure that Pokkiri Simon, with all its Tamil flavour, will appeal our audience."
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) ferried stranded tourists from Havelock Island to Port Blair, braving rough sea and heavy rains, a statement said today.

A message was received from the civil administration yesterday that several tourists were stranded in Havelock Island after the cancellation of 'Makruzz', a boat meant for ferrying civilians, due to a defect in the hull.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been experiencing heavy rains and very rough seas since September 13.

It was also intimated that a number of passengers, who had their flights scheduled for this morning, were stranded and required to be brought to Port Blair, the capital of the archipelago.

As the civil ferries to Havelock Island do not ply at night, the ANC had been approached for ferrying the stranded tourists.

"Two naval ships -- INS Bangaram and INS Battimalv (fast attack craft class) -- were sailed for the mission despite torrential rains and very rough weather," the statement said.

Twenty-four tourists were ferried to Port Blair.

Additionally, 54 officers from Defence Services Staff College, who are on a visit to the islands and got stranded due to the cancellation of 'Makruzz', also embarked on the two ships.

The Port Blair-based Andaman and Nicobar Command is a joint command of the Indian Armed Forces.

NEW DELHI: The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) ferried stranded tourists from Havelock Island to Port Blair, braving rough sea and heavy rains, a statement said today. A message was received from the civil administration yesterday that several tourists were stranded in Havelock Island after the cancellation of 'Makruzz', a boat meant for ferrying civilians, due to a defect in the hull. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been experiencing heavy rains and very rough seas since September 13. It was also intimated that a number of passengers, who had their flights scheduled for this morning, were stranded and required to be brought to Port Blair, the capital of the archipelago. As the civil ferries to Havelock Island do not ply at night, the ANC had been approached for ferrying the stranded tourists. "Two naval ships -- INS Bangaram and INS Battimalv (fast attack craft class) -- were sailed for the mission despite torrential rains and very rough weather," the statement said. Twenty-four tourists were ferried to Port Blair. Additionally, 54 officers from Defence Services Staff College, who are on a visit to the islands and got stranded due to the cancellation of 'Makruzz', also embarked on the two ships. The Port Blair-based Andaman and Nicobar Command is a joint command of the Indian Armed Forces.
By Express News Service

SRINAGAR: Five days after the killing of Abu Ismail in an encounter with security forces on the outskirts of Srinagar, Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba Tuesday claimed that he was not the chief of the terror outfit but a commander. Mahmood Shah is the chief of Lashkar-e-Toiba in Jammu and Kashmir. Abu Ismail was a commander of the outfit and not the chief, Lashkar spokesperson Abdullah Ghaznavi said in an emailed statement to newspapers here.

Abu Ismail, the mastermind of the July 10 attack on the Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir in which eight yatris were killed and two dozen others were injured, was killed in an encounter at Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar on September 14. After his killing, it was expected that LeTs Kashmiri militant Zeenat-ul-Islam, 28, would take over as head of the outfit in the Valley.

However, there was no announcement in this regard in the last five days and Tuesday a LeT spokesperson said the outfits chief is Mahmood Shah, who is alive. For India to get their hands on our chief, they must sacrifice a lot, Ghaznavi said. His statement comes a day after J&K police chief Shesh Paul Vaid told the media that there was a vacancy among top LeT commanders in Kashmir though none was ready to take charge.

How to deal with Musa?

The Hizbul Mujahideen is confused on how to deal with its former commander and now head of Al Qaeda Kashmir cell Zakir Musa, who is based in south Kashmir. On September 15, five masked men claiming to be Hizb militants, in a video message, accused Musa of being behind the killing of militants in the Valley. Describing him as a traitor, one of militants in the video said, We on behalf of Hizb want to convey to people that from last three months a large number of militants have been killed and none other than Zakir Musa was behind these killings.

He alleged that Musa was weakening the freedom struggle in Kashmir. He (Zakir) is misleading people by claiming to be a mujahideen. He is working as an Indian agent and facilitating killing of militants. For facilitating the killings... he has taken a huge amount from the government, the militant said.

SRINAGAR: Five days after the killing of Abu Ismail in an encounter with security forces on the outskirts of Srinagar, Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba Tuesday claimed that he was not the chief of the terror outfit but a commander. Mahmood Shah is the chief of Lashkar-e-Toiba in Jammu and Kashmir. Abu Ismail was a commander of the outfit and not the chief, Lashkar spokesperson Abdullah Ghaznavi said in an emailed statement to newspapers here. Abu Ismail, the mastermind of the July 10 attack on the Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir in which eight yatris were killed and two dozen others were injured, was killed in an encounter at Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar on September 14. After his killing, it was expected that LeTs Kashmiri militant Zeenat-ul-Islam, 28, would take over as head of the outfit in the Valley. However, there was no announcement in this regard in the last five days and Tuesday a LeT spokesperson said the outfits chief is Mahmood Shah, who is alive. For India to get their hands on our chief, they must sacrifice a lot, Ghaznavi said. His statement comes a day after J&K police chief Shesh Paul Vaid told the media that there was a vacancy among top LeT commanders in Kashmir though none was ready to take charge. How to deal with Musa? The Hizbul Mujahideen is confused on how to deal with its former commander and now head of Al Qaeda Kashmir cell Zakir Musa, who is based in south Kashmir. On September 15, five masked men claiming to be Hizb militants, in a video message, accused Musa of being behind the killing of militants in the Valley. Describing him as a traitor, one of militants in the video said, We on behalf of Hizb want to convey to people that from last three months a large number of militants have been killed and none other than Zakir Musa was behind these killings. He alleged that Musa was weakening the freedom struggle in Kashmir. He (Zakir) is misleading people by claiming to be a mujahideen. He is working as an Indian agent and facilitating killing of militants. For facilitating the killings... he has taken a huge amount from the government, the militant said.
By PTI

VADODARA: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said the construction work of Rs 44,000 crore Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway will begin in another one month, after which one can cover the distance between the two cities in less than three hours.

"In one month, we are going to inaugurate construction work of Mumbai-Vadodara Express Highway, which is coming up at a cost of Rs 44,000 crore. After this is constructed, the distance between Vadodara and Mumbai can be covered in 2.30-2.45 hours. It will also be access control expressway (for high speed driving)," Gadkari, minister of Road Transport and Highways, said.

The minister also said that the Rs 15,000-crore Easterly-Westerly Expressways will also be inaugurated in another two months.

"We will begin construction work on this in another one month," he said, adding that work on Delhi-Meerut Expressway is also "on at fast pace."

Gadkari was speaking at the 38th Transport Development Council (TDC) and Conference of State Transport Ministers being organised here by his ministry.

The minister said his government is also working to add twelve Expressway projects and has announced construction of additional 1.7 lakh kilometres out of 4 lakh kilometres National Highway planned to help decongest existing roads.

He urged state transport ministers present here to address the fast growing traffic on roads which are causing congestion and pollution by focussing on public mode of transport.

"We will have to encourage public transport in the country. People use their own car to go from one place to another. They will visit between Vadodara to Mumbai in their own cars...Public transport should be cheap, pollution-free.

So, public transport and electric vehicles are our priority," he said.

He urged ministers to bring in new technology and innovations to address the issue and said his government at Centre has has decided to convert 111 rivers into inland waterway.

"We have to find out different options and alternatives which are pollution-free, cost effective and could offer substitute for import (of oil)," Gadkari said.

He urged transport ministers to think of constructing bus ports like bus terminus which have been developed in Gujarat. The terminus provides better comfort and facilities to people using state transport buses.

"Should not the poor passengers get better services at bus stations, which are in a very pathetic condition in most states. We are ready to even grant funds for the same.

"But we want you to take the initiative. We will provide you with any kind of assistance that you will need," he said, calling for better service standards in public transport system, many of which are loss making.

The Council meeting saw discussions on the subject of Public Transport Reforms and way forward to bus ports.

Gadkari said 2,000 driving training centres will be set up in the country to meet the requirements of around 22 lakh drivers.

"This centres will give fitness certificate, pollution free certificate, train the drivers and conduct the examination. It will communicate results of the driving test to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) within three days," said the minister.

He said, "We decided to hold this meeting in Vadodara on the suggestion of Prime Mminister Narendra Modi who wanted us to see how bus ports have been constructed in Vadodara and Ahmedabad as part of public transport reforms."

Expressing concern over three lakh people losing their life in accidents every year, Gadkari said, "I will ask all states to prepare action plan to reduce road accident fatalities as part of road safety."

VADODARA: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said the construction work of Rs 44,000 crore Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway will begin in another one month, after which one can cover the distance between the two cities in less than three hours. "In one month, we are going to inaugurate construction work of Mumbai-Vadodara Express Highway, which is coming up at a cost of Rs 44,000 crore. After this is constructed, the distance between Vadodara and Mumbai can be covered in 2.30-2.45 hours. It will also be access control expressway (for high speed driving)," Gadkari, minister of Road Transport and Highways, said. The minister also said that the Rs 15,000-crore Easterly-Westerly Expressways will also be inaugurated in another two months. "We will begin construction work on this in another one month," he said, adding that work on Delhi-Meerut Expressway is also "on at fast pace." Gadkari was speaking at the 38th Transport Development Council (TDC) and Conference of State Transport Ministers being organised here by his ministry. The minister said his government is also working to add twelve Expressway projects and has announced construction of additional 1.7 lakh kilometres out of 4 lakh kilometres National Highway planned to help decongest existing roads. He urged state transport ministers present here to address the fast growing traffic on roads which are causing congestion and pollution by focussing on public mode of transport. "We will have to encourage public transport in the country. People use their own car to go from one place to another. They will visit between Vadodara to Mumbai in their own cars...Public transport should be cheap, pollution-free. So, public transport and electric vehicles are our priority," he said. He urged ministers to bring in new technology and innovations to address the issue and said his government at Centre has has decided to convert 111 rivers into inland waterway. "We have to find out different options and alternatives which are pollution-free, cost effective and could offer substitute for import (of oil)," Gadkari said. He urged transport ministers to think of constructing bus ports like bus terminus which have been developed in Gujarat. The terminus provides better comfort and facilities to people using state transport buses. "Should not the poor passengers get better services at bus stations, which are in a very pathetic condition in most states. We are ready to even grant funds for the same. "But we want you to take the initiative. We will provide you with any kind of assistance that you will need," he said, calling for better service standards in public transport system, many of which are loss making. The Council meeting saw discussions on the subject of Public Transport Reforms and way forward to bus ports. Gadkari said 2,000 driving training centres will be set up in the country to meet the requirements of around 22 lakh drivers. "This centres will give fitness certificate, pollution free certificate, train the drivers and conduct the examination. It will communicate results of the driving test to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) within three days," said the minister. He said, "We decided to hold this meeting in Vadodara on the suggestion of Prime Mminister Narendra Modi who wanted us to see how bus ports have been constructed in Vadodara and Ahmedabad as part of public transport reforms." Expressing concern over three lakh people losing their life in accidents every year, Gadkari said, "I will ask all states to prepare action plan to reduce road accident fatalities as part of road safety."
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Arunachal Pradesh erupted in protests on Tuesday following New Delhis decision to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees settled in the state.

The move is being seen locally as something that would alter the demography of Arunachal Pradesh and lead to a loss of opportunities for local people.

Volunteers of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU), the group which called a 12-hour dawn-to-dusk shutdown on Tuesday, damaged a number of vehicles and enforced a total shutdown in the state capital Itanagar and in other districts of the state.

Almost all tribal organisations and NGOs in the state backed the state-wide bandh.

In Itanagar, bandh supporters damaged vehicles including a state transport bus and a private vehicle in the morning, superintendent of police Sagar Singh Kalsi said.

Reports of violence poured in from Namsai, Changlang and several other districts. All government offices, educational institutions, markets and commercial establishments remained closed while public and private transport remained off the roads.

The AAPSU said local people would not accept any decision by the central government that would alter the state's demography. We are ready to fight for the rights of indigenous peoples. How can New Delhi take a decision on a serious issue without taking the people of Arunachal into confidence?" said AAPSU general secretary Tobom Dai.

The Chakmas and Hajongs migrated to India from Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, in the 1960s fleeing religious persecution.

Last week, the centre government decided to grant limited citizenship to the two tribes while not giving them land rights or Scheduled Tribe status.

Arunachal chief minister Pema Khandu has expressed his reservations in a letter to Union home minister Rajnath Singh, stating that the issue would stir deeply held tribal emotions. While stating his opposition to any infringement of the constitutional safeguards given to tribals, he pointed out that Arunachal is governed by the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873, which prohibits the citizens of India from entering the state without an inner line permit.

Chakmas at a protest. (PTI Photo)

The Chakmas are predominantly Buddhists and the Hajongs are largely Hindu. They were among the earliest persecuted groups to flee the then East Pakistan. Their migration to Arunachal took place during 1964-69. In Arunachal, they are settled in the Bordumsa-Diyun areas of Changlang district and Kokila area of Papum Pare district. They also have sizeable populations in Tripura and Mizoram.

Their population is believed to be around one lakh but Chakma organisations claim that it is 55,000., They insist that the threat perception that they would outnumber the local tribes such as Tangsa, Khampti, Nocte, Singpho and Mishmi, is without any basis.

GUWAHATI: Arunachal Pradesh erupted in protests on Tuesday following New Delhis decision to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees settled in the state. The move is being seen locally as something that would alter the demography of Arunachal Pradesh and lead to a loss of opportunities for local people. Volunteers of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU), the group which called a 12-hour dawn-to-dusk shutdown on Tuesday, damaged a number of vehicles and enforced a total shutdown in the state capital Itanagar and in other districts of the state. Almost all tribal organisations and NGOs in the state backed the state-wide bandh. In Itanagar, bandh supporters damaged vehicles including a state transport bus and a private vehicle in the morning, superintendent of police Sagar Singh Kalsi said. Reports of violence poured in from Namsai, Changlang and several other districts. All government offices, educational institutions, markets and commercial establishments remained closed while public and private transport remained off the roads. The AAPSU said local people would not accept any decision by the central government that would alter the state's demography. We are ready to fight for the rights of indigenous peoples. How can New Delhi take a decision on a serious issue without taking the people of Arunachal into confidence?" said AAPSU general secretary Tobom Dai. The Chakmas and Hajongs migrated to India from Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, in the 1960s fleeing religious persecution. Last week, the centre government decided to grant limited citizenship to the two tribes while not giving them land rights or Scheduled Tribe status. Arunachal chief minister Pema Khandu has expressed his reservations in a letter to Union home minister Rajnath Singh, stating that the issue would stir deeply held tribal emotions. While stating his opposition to any infringement of the constitutional safeguards given to tribals, he pointed out that Arunachal is governed by the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873, which prohibits the citizens of India from entering the state without an inner line permit. Chakmas at a protest. (PTI Photo)The Chakmas are predominantly Buddhists and the Hajongs are largely Hindu. They were among the earliest persecuted groups to flee the then East Pakistan. Their migration to Arunachal took place during 1964-69. In Arunachal, they are settled in the Bordumsa-Diyun areas of Changlang district and Kokila area of Papum Pare district. They also have sizeable populations in Tripura and Mizoram. Their population is believed to be around one lakh but Chakma organisations claim that it is 55,000., They insist that the threat perception that they would outnumber the local tribes such as Tangsa, Khampti, Nocte, Singpho and Mishmi, is without any basis.
By PTI

SIKAR: The director of a private school and a teacher, accused of raping an 18-year-old student, were detained by the police here last night and were being questioned, an official said today.

"School director Jagdish Kumar and teacher Jagat Gurjar were detained late night yesterday and are being interrogated," SP, Sikar, Vineet Kumar Rathore said.

Meanwhile, angered by the incident, locals demanded strict action against the accused and sought cancellation of the school's affiliation.

The victim's parents in their complaint said that the two had been sexually assaulting her after calling her to school on the pretext of extra classes, according to officials at the Ajeetgarh police station.

The duo allegedly made her undergo an abortion at a clinic in Shahpura town after she became pregnant, police officials said.

Following the complaint by the victim's parents, Yadav and Gurjar were booked on charges of gang rape and getting abortion done without a woman's consent, officials said.

The matter came to light after the teenager's health deteriorated post abortion. The student is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Jaipur.

A case was also registered against a doctor and his wife for carrying out illegal abortion and destroying evidence, the police said.

The incident comes at a time when the issue of safety of school children is already in focus following the murder of a 7-year-old student in an upscale Gurgaon school.

SIKAR: The director of a private school and a teacher, accused of raping an 18-year-old student, were detained by the police here last night and were being questioned, an official said today. "School director Jagdish Kumar and teacher Jagat Gurjar were detained late night yesterday and are being interrogated," SP, Sikar, Vineet Kumar Rathore said. Meanwhile, angered by the incident, locals demanded strict action against the accused and sought cancellation of the school's affiliation. The victim's parents in their complaint said that the two had been sexually assaulting her after calling her to school on the pretext of extra classes, according to officials at the Ajeetgarh police station. The duo allegedly made her undergo an abortion at a clinic in Shahpura town after she became pregnant, police officials said. Following the complaint by the victim's parents, Yadav and Gurjar were booked on charges of gang rape and getting abortion done without a woman's consent, officials said. The matter came to light after the teenager's health deteriorated post abortion. The student is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Jaipur. A case was also registered against a doctor and his wife for carrying out illegal abortion and destroying evidence, the police said. The incident comes at a time when the issue of safety of school children is already in focus following the murder of a 7-year-old student in an upscale Gurgaon school.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: 'Amma' or 'Ammi' comes from the heart while 'Mommy' comes from the lips, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said today, as he urged people to communicate in their mother tongue.

Naidu, while addressing an event to commemorate the birth centenary of music legend M S Subbulakshmi, asked people not to forget their own language but said it was fine to talk in English when speaking to a foreigner.

"Subbulakshmiji used to be called as MS Amma (mother). We have now weakness for English language. We now use mommy and or daddy... But, 'amma', such a beautiful language (sic), for a mother, comes from the heart or 'ammi' in Urdu comes from the heart, while mommy comes from the lips. So, Hindi, Sanskrit or Urdu or Telugu, we should always speak in our mother's tongue," Naidu said.

A Tamilian can speak to a fellow Tamilian in Tamil and a Telugu-speaking person can also communicate with another Telugu-speaking person in their mother tongue, he said.

Incidentally, Naidu, who served as a Union minister in the Modi Cabinet, before becoming the vice president, had earlier this year said it was important to learn 'Rashtra Bhasha' (national language) Hindi as most people in the country speak that language.

He had also stressed on the promotion of 'Matrubhasha' (mother tongue), and lamented that too much importance was given to English language in the country.

"I always tell people that one should never forget his or her mother, motherland, native place and mother tongue. Those who forget (these) cannot be called human beings, they are something else. So, always speak in your mother tongue.

Respect the language that has come from your mother's womb," he said at the event today.

"There is nothing wrong in speaking English, to Englishmen," he added.

Naidu exhorted Indians to always feel proud of their heritage.

"Whatever has been bequeathed to us from our ancestors since time immemorial, it should be our duty, our 'dharma' to preserve it," he said, adding one should be pround of one tradition and cultural heritage.

Describing India as the "best", Naidu, famous for his witty one liners, said Indian culture and heritage, the country's family system and it value system were immensely popular across the globe.

"Unfortunately, even in India, we are trying to look to the West. But, the West is looking to us, and we are looking to the West... But, we are the best," he said.

He, however, said there was nothing wrong about imbibing something that is good elsewhere.

"But we should not forget what is there in our land. See the respect we give to our land. We don't call it fatherland, we call it motherland. That's why in our country, most of the rivers are named after women also - Ganga, Yamuna, Cauvery, Narmada, Tapti and others," he said, extolling the pride of place women had in Indian society.

The vice president, who spoke after Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma at the function held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), in a lighter vein, also said, "I do not belong to Mahesh Sharma's party. I now belong to the party of the Indian people."

The senior BJP leader, who held the portfolio of urban development in the Union Cabinet, was elected vice president in early August.

Naidu also recalled the contributions of Subbulakshmi or MS, as she was fondly known to music aficionados, and exhorted the young generation to draw inspiration form her life and unparallelled achievements.

"She captivated the hearts of millions through the magical power of music, from Mahatma Gandhi to the common man," he said.

NEW DELHI: 'Amma' or 'Ammi' comes from the heart while 'Mommy' comes from the lips, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said today, as he urged people to communicate in their mother tongue. Naidu, while addressing an event to commemorate the birth centenary of music legend M S Subbulakshmi, asked people not to forget their own language but said it was fine to talk in English when speaking to a foreigner. "Subbulakshmiji used to be called as MS Amma (mother). We have now weakness for English language. We now use mommy and or daddy... But, 'amma', such a beautiful language (sic), for a mother, comes from the heart or 'ammi' in Urdu comes from the heart, while mommy comes from the lips. So, Hindi, Sanskrit or Urdu or Telugu, we should always speak in our mother's tongue," Naidu said. A Tamilian can speak to a fellow Tamilian in Tamil and a Telugu-speaking person can also communicate with another Telugu-speaking person in their mother tongue, he said. Incidentally, Naidu, who served as a Union minister in the Modi Cabinet, before becoming the vice president, had earlier this year said it was important to learn 'Rashtra Bhasha' (national language) Hindi as most people in the country speak that language. He had also stressed on the promotion of 'Matrubhasha' (mother tongue), and lamented that too much importance was given to English language in the country. "I always tell people that one should never forget his or her mother, motherland, native place and mother tongue. Those who forget (these) cannot be called human beings, they are something else. So, always speak in your mother tongue. Respect the language that has come from your mother's womb," he said at the event today. "There is nothing wrong in speaking English, to Englishmen," he added. Naidu exhorted Indians to always feel proud of their heritage. "Whatever has been bequeathed to us from our ancestors since time immemorial, it should be our duty, our 'dharma' to preserve it," he said, adding one should be pround of one tradition and cultural heritage. Describing India as the "best", Naidu, famous for his witty one liners, said Indian culture and heritage, the country's family system and it value system were immensely popular across the globe. "Unfortunately, even in India, we are trying to look to the West. But, the West is looking to us, and we are looking to the West... But, we are the best," he said. He, however, said there was nothing wrong about imbibing something that is good elsewhere. "But we should not forget what is there in our land. See the respect we give to our land. We don't call it fatherland, we call it motherland. That's why in our country, most of the rivers are named after women also - Ganga, Yamuna, Cauvery, Narmada, Tapti and others," he said, extolling the pride of place women had in Indian society. The vice president, who spoke after Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma at the function held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), in a lighter vein, also said, "I do not belong to Mahesh Sharma's party. I now belong to the party of the Indian people." The senior BJP leader, who held the portfolio of urban development in the Union Cabinet, was elected vice president in early August. Naidu also recalled the contributions of Subbulakshmi or MS, as she was fondly known to music aficionados, and exhorted the young generation to draw inspiration form her life and unparallelled achievements. "She captivated the hearts of millions through the magical power of music, from Mahatma Gandhi to the common man," he said.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: Honeypreet Singh, daughter of the self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim is hiding in Nepals Mahendranagar town, according to intelligence officials. Meanwhile, Ram Rahim has been assigned farming activities in the Sunaria Jail in Rohtak. According to jail authorities, he will be given a daily wage of Rs 20.

Intelligence sources said that Honeypreet was spotted in Mahendranagar town of Nepal on Sunday in a vehicle bearing Nepalese registration. She was with three men, they said. The town is about five kilometers from the Indian border.

Sources said that a few days back, her mobile phones location was traced to Barmer and Udaipur districts of Rajasthan. Whether the phone was being used by her or somebody else is unknown. Also, Dera Sacha Sauda chairperson Vipassana Insan admitted that Honeypreet had come to the Dera headquarters in Sirsa on August 25 from Rohtak. Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted that day. She stayed till the morning of August 26 and then left the Dera. To where she went, is not known.

Meanwhile, Dr. K P Singh, Director General (Jails) Haryana, said that the jail authorities have given framing work to Ram Rahim, keeping in view the security situation. There is an empty place close to his barracks where he has been given the task of planting vegetables. He will plant vegetables in the first week of October. In front of the barracks, there are some trees, which have been given to him for harvesting. He will earn a daily wage of Rs 20, Singh added.

Singh said jail rules allowed two people having a blood relation to talk to a prisoner over the phone. The prisoner is allowed to talk after police verify the phone numbers.

Ram Rahim gave two phone numbers, one of which is Honeypreets, while the other is his own. Honeypreets number is not reachable and Gurmeet Singh appears to have left his phone in the Dera. Since these numbers have not been verified so far, he has not made any calls.

Dr. Singh said that due to security reasons, only a few prisoners were allowed to go to the barrack where Ram Rahim is lodged. The jail is equipped with surveillance cameras, he added. He added that Ram Rahim is being kept as a common prisoner.

CHANDIGARH: Honeypreet Singh, daughter of the self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim is hiding in Nepals Mahendranagar town, according to intelligence officials. Meanwhile, Ram Rahim has been assigned farming activities in the Sunaria Jail in Rohtak. According to jail authorities, he will be given a daily wage of Rs 20. Intelligence sources said that Honeypreet was spotted in Mahendranagar town of Nepal on Sunday in a vehicle bearing Nepalese registration. She was with three men, they said. The town is about five kilometers from the Indian border. Sources said that a few days back, her mobile phones location was traced to Barmer and Udaipur districts of Rajasthan. Whether the phone was being used by her or somebody else is unknown. Also, Dera Sacha Sauda chairperson Vipassana Insan admitted that Honeypreet had come to the Dera headquarters in Sirsa on August 25 from Rohtak. Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted that day. She stayed till the morning of August 26 and then left the Dera. To where she went, is not known. Meanwhile, Dr. K P Singh, Director General (Jails) Haryana, said that the jail authorities have given framing work to Ram Rahim, keeping in view the security situation. There is an empty place close to his barracks where he has been given the task of planting vegetables. He will plant vegetables in the first week of October. In front of the barracks, there are some trees, which have been given to him for harvesting. He will earn a daily wage of Rs 20, Singh added. Singh said jail rules allowed two people having a blood relation to talk to a prisoner over the phone. The prisoner is allowed to talk after police verify the phone numbers. Ram Rahim gave two phone numbers, one of which is Honeypreets, while the other is his own. Honeypreets number is not reachable and Gurmeet Singh appears to have left his phone in the Dera. Since these numbers have not been verified so far, he has not made any calls. Dr. Singh said that due to security reasons, only a few prisoners were allowed to go to the barrack where Ram Rahim is lodged. The jail is equipped with surveillance cameras, he added. He added that Ram Rahim is being kept as a common prisoner.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Top commanders of around 30 countries including from the Indian Army discussed the evolving security situation in the Pacific region and North Korea's nuclear test at a key conclave in Seoul.

The four-day-long Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference, which began yesterday, has on its agenda extensive deliberations on all major security-related challenges facing the Pacific region and the Indian Army is expected to put forth its view in effectively dealing with these.

The PACC, being hosted by the US Army, is taking place in South Korea in the backdrop of fresh tension in the region following North Korea's nuclear test and China's aggressive posturing in the South China Sea.

The Indian Army is being represented at the biennial congregation of the top commanders by the Lt. Gen. B S Negi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command, a senior Army official said.

Various key security-related issues were discussed on the first day, he said.

The US Army has also sent a proposal to host the next PACC in 2019 jointly by India and the US, the official said.

Lt. Gen. Negi is likely to have one-on-one meetings with top commanders of a number of participating armies.

NEW DELHI: Top commanders of around 30 countries including from the Indian Army discussed the evolving security situation in the Pacific region and North Korea's nuclear test at a key conclave in Seoul. The four-day-long Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference, which began yesterday, has on its agenda extensive deliberations on all major security-related challenges facing the Pacific region and the Indian Army is expected to put forth its view in effectively dealing with these. The PACC, being hosted by the US Army, is taking place in South Korea in the backdrop of fresh tension in the region following North Korea's nuclear test and China's aggressive posturing in the South China Sea. The Indian Army is being represented at the biennial congregation of the top commanders by the Lt. Gen. B S Negi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command, a senior Army official said. Various key security-related issues were discussed on the first day, he said. The US Army has also sent a proposal to host the next PACC in 2019 jointly by India and the US, the official said. Lt. Gen. Negi is likely to have one-on-one meetings with top commanders of a number of participating armies.
By PTI

SRINAGAR: National Conference leader Omar Abdulla Tuesday questioned those calling on the Rohingya Muslims to leave the country, asking whether they would also demand the Tibetan government-in-exile to leave the Indian shores.

"So are those plugging their India for Indians line going to demand that the Tibetan government in exile leave Indian shores immediately (sic)?" he wrote on Twitter.

The Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was referring to the demands for deportation of the Rohingya Muslims, especially in the wake of the Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that they were "illegal" immigrants and their continous stay posed "serious national security ramifications".

"His holiness the Dalai Lama is going to find himself unwelcome in his adopted home unless of course this xenophobia is selective," Abdullah wrote on the microblogging website.

"And while they are at it will Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka be sent back as punishment for (former Prime Minister) Rajiv Gandhi's assassination (sic)," he said in another tweet.

Abdullah had Monday said there was no intelligence input till 2014 that the Rohingya Muslims staying in Jammu and Kashmir posed a security threat.

"This threat, at least in J&K, is a post 2014 development. No such intelligence reports ever came up for discussion in Unified HQ meetings (sic)," he had tweeted.

Abdullah was the chief minister of the state till 2014.



SRINAGAR: National Conference leader Omar Abdulla Tuesday questioned those calling on the Rohingya Muslims to leave the country, asking whether they would also demand the Tibetan government-in-exile to leave the Indian shores. "So are those plugging their India for Indians line going to demand that the Tibetan government in exile leave Indian shores immediately (sic)?" he wrote on Twitter. The Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was referring to the demands for deportation of the Rohingya Muslims, especially in the wake of the Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that they were "illegal" immigrants and their continous stay posed "serious national security ramifications". "His holiness the Dalai Lama is going to find himself unwelcome in his adopted home unless of course this xenophobia is selective," Abdullah wrote on the microblogging website. "And while they are at it will Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka be sent back as punishment for (former Prime Minister) Rajiv Gandhi's assassination (sic)," he said in another tweet. Abdullah had Monday said there was no intelligence input till 2014 that the Rohingya Muslims staying in Jammu and Kashmir posed a security threat. "This threat, at least in J&K, is a post 2014 development. No such intelligence reports ever came up for discussion in Unified HQ meetings (sic)," he had tweeted. Abdullah was the chief minister of the state till 2014.
Sumit Kumar By

Afresh round of violence in the Rakhine state of Myanmar broke out on August 25 when 12 local police were killed in an attack by Rohingya Muslim militants, necessitating a massive crackdown by the Myanmar armed forces against the militants. At least 370 militants were killed.True, the Rohingya issue has not surfaced out of the blue in Myanmar. In fact, for decades there has been a political conflict between the Muslim-dominated Rohingya community and the countrys majority Buddhists. The prospect of reconciliation between the two sides went down significantly in 1982 when the Burmese government came up with a Citizenship Law that did not recognise the Rohingya as citizens. The Rohingya cannot also hold any office and cannot move freely, among other things.

In 2012, the Rohingya burnt the houses of Rakhines Buddhists and other ethnic groups, forcing the military to take punitive action against them. This resulted in a huge number of Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh and India.Things started improving in Rakhine, and the prospect of a permanent solution appeared on the horizon, with a massive win for National League for Democracy led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi which nominally ended almost 50 years of military rule in Myanmar in 2015. But again the Islamic terrorists attacked the Myanmar security forces in October 2016.

This brought back violence to the region. While there is no sign of an early end to the ongoing turbulence in Myanmar, the UN and many more countries have vehemently criticised the Myanmar government over this issue. The UN has warned that at least 3,00,000 Rohingya could flee into Bangladesh.

The domestic unrest in Myanmar has caused huge concern for India. While India has always advocated for the use of peaceful means to resolve the issue, the attacks by the militants has forced the Centre to consider deporting the Rohingya illegal immigrants. India has also strongly condemned the attack on security forces in Rakhine. A Parliamentary delegation, led by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, supported the Suu Kyi government by refusing to be part of the Bali Declaration at the World Parliamentary Forum on Sustainable Development held in Indonesia this month.

During PM Narendra Modis visit to Myanmar too, both sides agreed that terrorism violates human rights and, therefore, there should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs. Indias focus on strengthening ties with Myanmar does not, however, lead us to believe that the government has turned a blind eye to the Rohingya issue. In fact, while the external affairs ministry has asked for restraint on the part of the Myanmar to end the violence in Rakhine, during his visit, Modi said that India would help Myanmar under the Rakhine State Development Programme. Both sides are expected to finalise its implementation plan in the coming months.

Certainly, the Modi government has its own reasons to follow the middle path. While thousands of Rohingya Muslims are staying in different parts of India, there are increasing concerns about the illegal inflow of Rohingya through Bangladesh into India. These illegal immigrants are an easy target for Islamic terror groups. On Monday, the government told the Supreme Court that some Rohingya Muslims have links with Pakistans ISI and the Islamic State.

Over the last three years, the Modi government has invested huge political capital to foster engagement with the Myanmar government. With an elected democratic government under the de facto leadership of Suu Kyi, it is natural for New Delhi to expand ties with Naypyidaw. Some experts also believe that enhanced engagement will help improve Indias relations with the Myanmar military establishment, which continues to play a vital role in the countrys domestic and foreign policies.The Modi government rightly feels that the active support of Naypyidaw is much needed for the success of its Look East Policy, as Myanmar connects India to the Southeast Asian countries including Laos and Thailand.



Meanwhile, China has since the 1990s expanded its military, economic and infrastructure engagements with Myanmar. In recent times, Myanmar has emerged a major importer of Chinese weapons and Beijings economic clout has also increased significantly. It has acquired a special economic zone at Rakhines Kyaukpyu among other projects. China also sees Myanmar as a major link to the Indian Ocean.So India should improve its ties with Myanmar to counter Chinas rise. Myanmar is also at the centre of Indias Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and the IndiaMyanmarThailand trilateral highway. India needs Myanmars help to eliminate the Naga and ULFA militants in the Northeast.



Myanmar also has huge oil and gas reserves and deposits of various minerals. Several Indian companies including ONGC, GAIL and others have made huge investments in the country. This gives India another reason to foster engagement with Myanmar. With Myanmar being an important member of the ASEAN, New Delhi sees that engagement with Naypyidaw will fulfil Indias interests in this economically dynamic block. With the civilian government having a very limited role in addressing the Rakhine crisis in view of Myanmars constitution giving the armed forces control over the military budget and over ministries related to security issues, among other factors, India has taken a wise decision not to antagonise Myanmar. At the same time it has chosen to exercise diplomatic means to ensure the end of the violence in Rakhine.

Afresh round of violence in the Rakhine state of Myanmar broke out on August 25 when 12 local police were killed in an attack by Rohingya Muslim militants, necessitating a massive crackdown by the Myanmar armed forces against the militants. At least 370 militants were killed.True, the Rohingya issue has not surfaced out of the blue in Myanmar. In fact, for decades there has been a political conflict between the Muslim-dominated Rohingya community and the countrys majority Buddhists. The prospect of reconciliation between the two sides went down significantly in 1982 when the Burmese government came up with a Citizenship Law that did not recognise the Rohingya as citizens. The Rohingya cannot also hold any office and cannot move freely, among other things. In 2012, the Rohingya burnt the houses of Rakhines Buddhists and other ethnic groups, forcing the military to take punitive action against them. This resulted in a huge number of Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh and India.Things started improving in Rakhine, and the prospect of a permanent solution appeared on the horizon, with a massive win for National League for Democracy led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi which nominally ended almost 50 years of military rule in Myanmar in 2015. But again the Islamic terrorists attacked the Myanmar security forces in October 2016. This brought back violence to the region. While there is no sign of an early end to the ongoing turbulence in Myanmar, the UN and many more countries have vehemently criticised the Myanmar government over this issue. The UN has warned that at least 3,00,000 Rohingya could flee into Bangladesh. The domestic unrest in Myanmar has caused huge concern for India. While India has always advocated for the use of peaceful means to resolve the issue, the attacks by the militants has forced the Centre to consider deporting the Rohingya illegal immigrants. India has also strongly condemned the attack on security forces in Rakhine. A Parliamentary delegation, led by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, supported the Suu Kyi government by refusing to be part of the Bali Declaration at the World Parliamentary Forum on Sustainable Development held in Indonesia this month. During PM Narendra Modis visit to Myanmar too, both sides agreed that terrorism violates human rights and, therefore, there should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs. Indias focus on strengthening ties with Myanmar does not, however, lead us to believe that the government has turned a blind eye to the Rohingya issue. In fact, while the external affairs ministry has asked for restraint on the part of the Myanmar to end the violence in Rakhine, during his visit, Modi said that India would help Myanmar under the Rakhine State Development Programme. Both sides are expected to finalise its implementation plan in the coming months. Certainly, the Modi government has its own reasons to follow the middle path. While thousands of Rohingya Muslims are staying in different parts of India, there are increasing concerns about the illegal inflow of Rohingya through Bangladesh into India. These illegal immigrants are an easy target for Islamic terror groups. On Monday, the government told the Supreme Court that some Rohingya Muslims have links with Pakistans ISI and the Islamic State. Over the last three years, the Modi government has invested huge political capital to foster engagement with the Myanmar government. With an elected democratic government under the de facto leadership of Suu Kyi, it is natural for New Delhi to expand ties with Naypyidaw. Some experts also believe that enhanced engagement will help improve Indias relations with the Myanmar military establishment, which continues to play a vital role in the countrys domestic and foreign policies.The Modi government rightly feels that the active support of Naypyidaw is much needed for the success of its Look East Policy, as Myanmar connects India to the Southeast Asian countries including Laos and Thailand. Meanwhile, China has since the 1990s expanded its military, economic and infrastructure engagements with Myanmar. In recent times, Myanmar has emerged a major importer of Chinese weapons and Beijings economic clout has also increased significantly. It has acquired a special economic zone at Rakhines Kyaukpyu among other projects. China also sees Myanmar as a major link to the Indian Ocean.So India should improve its ties with Myanmar to counter Chinas rise. Myanmar is also at the centre of Indias Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and the IndiaMyanmarThailand trilateral highway. India needs Myanmars help to eliminate the Naga and ULFA militants in the Northeast. Myanmar also has huge oil and gas reserves and deposits of various minerals. Several Indian companies including ONGC, GAIL and others have made huge investments in the country. This gives India another reason to foster engagement with Myanmar. With Myanmar being an important member of the ASEAN, New Delhi sees that engagement with Naypyidaw will fulfil Indias interests in this economically dynamic block. With the civilian government having a very limited role in addressing the Rakhine crisis in view of Myanmars constitution giving the armed forces control over the military budget and over ministries related to security issues, among other factors, India has taken a wise decision not to antagonise Myanmar. At the same time it has chosen to exercise diplomatic means to ensure the end of the violence in Rakhine.
By PTI

BENGALURU: Alleging illegal mining of granite rock in a land given by the Central government to the then Mysuru Maharaja way back in 1950, an RTI activist has lodged a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against chief minister Siddaramaiah.

Complainant K R Ravindra alleged that illegal activities were going on at the behest of chief minister in survey number 1 of Baby Bettada area in Mandya district, about 100 km from here.

He claimed till now the RTC (records of rights, tenancy and crops) showed that the land belonged to Mysuru Maharaja.

"It is a private land held by the Maharaja but the government records were tampered with to show that the said piece of land belongs to government. This was done at the behest of chief minister Siddaramaiah," alleged Ravindra in his complaint.

BENGALURU: Alleging illegal mining of granite rock in a land given by the Central government to the then Mysuru Maharaja way back in 1950, an RTI activist has lodged a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against chief minister Siddaramaiah. Complainant K R Ravindra alleged that illegal activities were going on at the behest of chief minister in survey number 1 of Baby Bettada area in Mandya district, about 100 km from here. He claimed till now the RTC (records of rights, tenancy and crops) showed that the land belonged to Mysuru Maharaja. "It is a private land held by the Maharaja but the government records were tampered with to show that the said piece of land belongs to government. This was done at the behest of chief minister Siddaramaiah," alleged Ravindra in his complaint.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: Actor Dileep, who is in judicial custody in connection with the actress assault case, will continue to remain in jail as the Angamaly Judicial First Class Magistrate Court rejected his bail plea yet again. This is the fourth time the actors bail plea is being rejected.

Dismissing the plea, the court on Monday observed considering the gravity of the offence, the actor can apply for default bail only if the investigation team fails to file the final report within 90 days. The court observed the remand report stated Dileep conspired with Pulsar Suni, the first accused, to videograph the nudity of the victim in furtherance of the conspiracy to abduct and sexually assault the actress on February 17.

The punishment provided for offence under section 376 D (gangrape) of IPC is imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 20 years, but which may extend to life. Considering the punishment imposed for the offence of gangrape, the actor can apply for default bail only if the investigation agency fails to file the final report within 90 days, the court observed and dismissed the bail petition. The counsel for the petitioner had earlier contended he was not involved in the offence under section 376 (D) and only charges of the conspiracy had been slapped on him.

Dileep stated the first remand report submitted by the investigation team itself said criminal conspiracy merely involved capturing nude photos of the actor. Hence, the defence contended Dileep cannot be charged with the offence under Section 376 (D) (gangrape). Citing the remand report, which levelled 20 charges against Dileep, the defence said the agreement or object of conspiracy specifically pertained to the purpose of taking nude photos and videos. Therefore, the gangrape charge cannot be pressed against Dileep, and he is entitled to bail since he has completed 60 days in custody on September 9, the plea stated. Opposing the actors argument, the prosecution contended the actor conspired with Pulsar Suni to not only capture the nude photos, but also to videograph the sexual assault. Suni acted as per the conspiracy. Hence, the allegation also comes under section 376 D, the prosecution stated.

The one-and-a-half hour long proceedings were held in-camera. Earlier, the actors bail plea was rejected once by the Angamaly court and twice by the High Court.

KOCHI: Actor Dileep, who is in judicial custody in connection with the actress assault case, will continue to remain in jail as the Angamaly Judicial First Class Magistrate Court rejected his bail plea yet again. This is the fourth time the actors bail plea is being rejected. Dismissing the plea, the court on Monday observed considering the gravity of the offence, the actor can apply for default bail only if the investigation team fails to file the final report within 90 days. The court observed the remand report stated Dileep conspired with Pulsar Suni, the first accused, to videograph the nudity of the victim in furtherance of the conspiracy to abduct and sexually assault the actress on February 17. The punishment provided for offence under section 376 D (gangrape) of IPC is imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 20 years, but which may extend to life. Considering the punishment imposed for the offence of gangrape, the actor can apply for default bail only if the investigation agency fails to file the final report within 90 days, the court observed and dismissed the bail petition. The counsel for the petitioner had earlier contended he was not involved in the offence under section 376 (D) and only charges of the conspiracy had been slapped on him. Dileep stated the first remand report submitted by the investigation team itself said criminal conspiracy merely involved capturing nude photos of the actor. Hence, the defence contended Dileep cannot be charged with the offence under Section 376 (D) (gangrape). Citing the remand report, which levelled 20 charges against Dileep, the defence said the agreement or object of conspiracy specifically pertained to the purpose of taking nude photos and videos. Therefore, the gangrape charge cannot be pressed against Dileep, and he is entitled to bail since he has completed 60 days in custody on September 9, the plea stated. Opposing the actors argument, the prosecution contended the actor conspired with Pulsar Suni to not only capture the nude photos, but also to videograph the sexual assault. Suni acted as per the conspiracy. Hence, the allegation also comes under section 376 D, the prosecution stated. The one-and-a-half hour long proceedings were held in-camera. Earlier, the actors bail plea was rejected once by the Angamaly court and twice by the High Court.
By AFP

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York to discuss the Middle East peace process in their first public talks, his office said on Tuesday.

Sisi emphasised the importance of "resuming negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides to reach a comprehensive solution," the statement said.

The two leaders discussed "ways to resume the peace process and establish a Palestinian state," the statement said.

Peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians have been at a standstill since US-backed talks collapsed in the spring of 2014.

US President Donald Trump, who visited Israel and the occupied West Bank in May, has said he believes he can mediate a final peace agreement that has eluded his predecessors.

Trump too met Netanyahu in New York on Monday ahead of the UN General Assembly and again expressed his hopes for a peaceful settlement.

Netanyahu was the first leader to have a one-on-one with Trump as the US president prepares to deliver his maiden speech to the annual get-together on Tuesday.

Sisi is reported to have been involved in secret talks with the Israeli premier in the past.

The Egyptian president joined Netanyahu for talks with then US secretary of state John Kerry hosted by King Abdullah II in the Jordanian city of Aqaba in February 2016, a former US official confirmed to AFP earlier this year.

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York to discuss the Middle East peace process in their first public talks, his office said on Tuesday. Sisi emphasised the importance of "resuming negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides to reach a comprehensive solution," the statement said. The two leaders discussed "ways to resume the peace process and establish a Palestinian state," the statement said. Peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians have been at a standstill since US-backed talks collapsed in the spring of 2014. US President Donald Trump, who visited Israel and the occupied West Bank in May, has said he believes he can mediate a final peace agreement that has eluded his predecessors. Trump too met Netanyahu in New York on Monday ahead of the UN General Assembly and again expressed his hopes for a peaceful settlement. Netanyahu was the first leader to have a one-on-one with Trump as the US president prepares to deliver his maiden speech to the annual get-together on Tuesday. Sisi is reported to have been involved in secret talks with the Israeli premier in the past. The Egyptian president joined Netanyahu for talks with then US secretary of state John Kerry hosted by King Abdullah II in the Jordanian city of Aqaba in February 2016, a former US official confirmed to AFP earlier this year.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: The Indo-US cooperation has reached a level which was "unimaginable" a decade ago, a senior Indian diplomat has said as he lauded the diaspora for its role in expanding bilateral ties.

Santosh Jha, the new Deputy Indian Ambassador to the US, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's June visit also provided a fresh impetus for the growth of bilateral ties.

"Overall, the two countries see each other as partners where progress in one is to the benefit of another and growing prosperity of one can contribute to prosperity of the other.

Prime Ministers visit to Washington DC in June 2017 saw a reaffirmation of this sentiment and provided fresh impetus for the growth of India-US strategic partnership," he said.

At a reception hosted in his honour by the Indian American community, Jha said an important dimension of India's foreign policy has been the growing relationship with the US.

"Among the many factors that has enabled this rapid growth in the Indo-US ties, the foremost has been the role of the Indian community in this country of which all of you are a part," he said at the reception in Virginia.

"Today, India and the US cooperate at a level which was unimaginable even a decade ago. There is hardly any area of human endeavour in which our two countries are not cooperating in a mutually beneficial way," Jha said.

The US is increasingly seen as a partner of choice for India's ongoing transformation and it is emerging also as a security partner in emerging Asia and the wider world, he said.

"Our cooperation on counter terrorism is based on our common commitment to fight this global scourge. Recent designation by the US of Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist and Hizbul Mujahideen as a global terrorist organisation coming on top of similar such designations in the past are examples of our growing convergence on this issue," he said.

"India and the US conduct today military exercises with each other more than with any other country. Our defence trade has reached over USD 15 billion and is growing," Jha said. The event was also celebrated as the US-India Partnership Day.

"I have never been more bullish about the future of the relations between our two great countries," said Indian American philanthropist Frank Islam. "There is a bipartisan consensus about the need to maintain a close relationship with India," he said.

WASHINGTON: The Indo-US cooperation has reached a level which was "unimaginable" a decade ago, a senior Indian diplomat has said as he lauded the diaspora for its role in expanding bilateral ties. Santosh Jha, the new Deputy Indian Ambassador to the US, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's June visit also provided a fresh impetus for the growth of bilateral ties. "Overall, the two countries see each other as partners where progress in one is to the benefit of another and growing prosperity of one can contribute to prosperity of the other. Prime Ministers visit to Washington DC in June 2017 saw a reaffirmation of this sentiment and provided fresh impetus for the growth of India-US strategic partnership," he said. At a reception hosted in his honour by the Indian American community, Jha said an important dimension of India's foreign policy has been the growing relationship with the US. "Among the many factors that has enabled this rapid growth in the Indo-US ties, the foremost has been the role of the Indian community in this country of which all of you are a part," he said at the reception in Virginia. "Today, India and the US cooperate at a level which was unimaginable even a decade ago. There is hardly any area of human endeavour in which our two countries are not cooperating in a mutually beneficial way," Jha said. The US is increasingly seen as a partner of choice for India's ongoing transformation and it is emerging also as a security partner in emerging Asia and the wider world, he said. "Our cooperation on counter terrorism is based on our common commitment to fight this global scourge. Recent designation by the US of Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist and Hizbul Mujahideen as a global terrorist organisation coming on top of similar such designations in the past are examples of our growing convergence on this issue," he said. "India and the US conduct today military exercises with each other more than with any other country. Our defence trade has reached over USD 15 billion and is growing," Jha said. The event was also celebrated as the US-India Partnership Day. "I have never been more bullish about the future of the relations between our two great countries," said Indian American philanthropist Frank Islam. "There is a bipartisan consensus about the need to maintain a close relationship with India," he said.
By ANI

LAHORE: The national accountability court (NAB) in Pakistan will most likely issue bailable or non-bailable arrest warrants for the former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and his family members if they do not turn up in court after receiving two summons.

The accountability court again has issued summons to Sharif and his family members asking them to appear on September 26 after they failed to appear at today's hearing in connection with the Supreme Court-mandated corruption references.

The entire family had gone to London to be with Kulsoom Nawaz, who is recovering after a surgery. Maryam, who had led the NA-120 by-election campaign on behalf of her mother Kulsoom Nawaz for over a month, left for London on a foreign airline flight hours after her mother won the by-polls with over 61,000 votes.

The Sharifs are anticipating the outcome of these references, therefore, they have no plans to appear before the accountability courts, the PML-N leader said.

A PML-N leader close to the Sharif family had told Dawn that Nawaz Sharif and his children will not appear before the accountability court and they are likely to skip all the proceedings of the accountability courts.

The NAB had ordered that the family should appear before the court on September 26, directing that the summons be dispatched to the Sharif family's London address. Maryam Nawaz and her husband retired Captain Muhammad Safdar left for London on Monday to meet the rest of the family there.

During the court proceedings, the NAB prosecutors told the court that they were not allowed entry into the Sharif family's multiple homes and had to hand the summons to the guards, the Dawn reported.

The NAB prosecutor informed the court that the security officer said Hussain and Hasan Nawaz had instructed him not to accept the summons. He added that the summons was sent to the correct address.

PML-N leader Asif Kirmani also told the court that Kulsoom is scheduled to undergo another surgery in the next couple of days, therefore an exact date for the family's return cannot be ascertained.

We had exercised restraint and not issued arrest warrants for members of the Sharif family after they refused to join the investigation, an NAB official said.

LAHORE: The national accountability court (NAB) in Pakistan will most likely issue bailable or non-bailable arrest warrants for the former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and his family members if they do not turn up in court after receiving two summons. The accountability court again has issued summons to Sharif and his family members asking them to appear on September 26 after they failed to appear at today's hearing in connection with the Supreme Court-mandated corruption references. The entire family had gone to London to be with Kulsoom Nawaz, who is recovering after a surgery. Maryam, who had led the NA-120 by-election campaign on behalf of her mother Kulsoom Nawaz for over a month, left for London on a foreign airline flight hours after her mother won the by-polls with over 61,000 votes. The Sharifs are anticipating the outcome of these references, therefore, they have no plans to appear before the accountability courts, the PML-N leader said. A PML-N leader close to the Sharif family had told Dawn that Nawaz Sharif and his children will not appear before the accountability court and they are likely to skip all the proceedings of the accountability courts. The NAB had ordered that the family should appear before the court on September 26, directing that the summons be dispatched to the Sharif family's London address. Maryam Nawaz and her husband retired Captain Muhammad Safdar left for London on Monday to meet the rest of the family there. During the court proceedings, the NAB prosecutors told the court that they were not allowed entry into the Sharif family's multiple homes and had to hand the summons to the guards, the Dawn reported. The NAB prosecutor informed the court that the security officer said Hussain and Hasan Nawaz had instructed him not to accept the summons. He added that the summons was sent to the correct address. PML-N leader Asif Kirmani also told the court that Kulsoom is scheduled to undergo another surgery in the next couple of days, therefore an exact date for the family's return cannot be ascertained. We had exercised restraint and not issued arrest warrants for members of the Sharif family after they refused to join the investigation, an NAB official said.
By PTI

NEW YORK: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi arrived in New York today to attend the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to raise the Kashmir issue.

Abbasi's address to the UNGA  slated for September 21  will be his debut into the highest international diplomacy after being sworn in as the prime minister last month.

Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi has said that the prime minister will highlight the Kashmir issue and other issues of concern to Pakistan.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin last week said Pakistan's decision to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN, which has not been discussed at the world body for decades, is like 'Miyan ki daud masjid tak', referring to a popular Urdu proverb meaning some people think within a limited focus and are unable to think beyond that. India on the other hand is focused on progressive, forward looking agenda during the UN General Assembly session beginning tomorrow, Akbaruddin had said on Saturday.

Abbasi's visit comes amidst tensions in the ties between Pakistan and the US after President Donald Trump last month hit out at Islamabad 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. He would meet US Vice President Mike Pence here at the UN headquarters later today, the White House said.

Ahead of Abbasi's meeting with Pence, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua yesterday met US Under Secretary of State Tom Shannon. During the meeting, Janjua conveyed Pakistan's viewpoint on the new strategy and emphasised that peace in Afghanistan is a high priority for Pakistan, according to an official statement issued by Pakistan.

"She stressed that intra-Afghan dialogue is vital for bringing lasting peace to the country and the region. Pakistan would continue to play a facilitating role for a peaceful Afghanistan," the statement said.

Abbasi is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with a number of world leaders including Jordan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iran, the United Kingdom and Nepal. In addition to meeting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, he is also scheduled to address the Council on Foreign Relations.

NEW YORK: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi arrived in New York today to attend the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to raise the Kashmir issue. Abbasi's address to the UNGA  slated for September 21  will be his debut into the highest international diplomacy after being sworn in as the prime minister last month. Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi has said that the prime minister will highlight the Kashmir issue and other issues of concern to Pakistan. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin last week said Pakistan's decision to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN, which has not been discussed at the world body for decades, is like 'Miyan ki daud masjid tak', referring to a popular Urdu proverb meaning some people think within a limited focus and are unable to think beyond that. India on the other hand is focused on progressive, forward looking agenda during the UN General Assembly session beginning tomorrow, Akbaruddin had said on Saturday. Abbasi's visit comes amidst tensions in the ties between Pakistan and the US after President Donald Trump last month hit out at Islamabad 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. He would meet US Vice President Mike Pence here at the UN headquarters later today, the White House said. Ahead of Abbasi's meeting with Pence, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua yesterday met US Under Secretary of State Tom Shannon. During the meeting, Janjua conveyed Pakistan's viewpoint on the new strategy and emphasised that peace in Afghanistan is a high priority for Pakistan, according to an official statement issued by Pakistan. "She stressed that intra-Afghan dialogue is vital for bringing lasting peace to the country and the region. Pakistan would continue to play a facilitating role for a peaceful Afghanistan," the statement said. Abbasi is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with a number of world leaders including Jordan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iran, the United Kingdom and Nepal. In addition to meeting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, he is also scheduled to address the Council on Foreign Relations.
By AFP

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka on Tuesday said he had been denied a visa to attend the UN general assembly because of unresolved war crime allegations against the military.

The war-time general, who is now minister of regional development, said he was due to travel to New York this week, but he was the only one in the Sri Lankan delegation not issued a visa.

Fonseka said he could not accompany President Maithripala Sirisena who left Colombo on Sunday to address the United Nations General Assembly.

"I was not given a visa because of the war crimes allegations against the military," Fonseka told reporters. "That is why I say they must be investigated."

He said the excesses by a "few" during the final stages of the island's Tamil separatist war should not tarnish the image of the Sri Lankan armed forces.

The military crushed separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 following a no-holds-barred offensive that also triggered allegations against the forces of killing at least 40,000 Tamil civilians.

The government at the time insisted that no civilians were killed by its troops and faced international censure over its dismal human rights record.

Fonseka, who led the military, has maintained that he did not order troops to target civilians, but has acknowledged that there may have been excesses that should be investigated.

The new government, which came to power in January 2015, promised investigations but those are yet to begin.

Earlier this month, Fonseka accused his successor Jagath Jayasuriya of committing crimes against Tamil rebel suspects during and after the island's ethnic war and said he was ready to testify against the former military commander.

A human rights group filed two complaints in Colombia and Brazil against Jayasuriya, who was Sri Lanka's ambassador to several South American countries until recently.

The group alleged that Jayasuriya oversaw torture camps and was responsible for hundreds of disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the final stages of the conflict when he was a senior officer.

The UN has estimated that at least 100,000 people were killed between 1972 and 2009.

Tiger rebels have been accused of using human shields and killing civilians in their guerrilla war for a separate homeland for the minority ethnic Tamil community in the Sinhala-majority nation.

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka on Tuesday said he had been denied a visa to attend the UN general assembly because of unresolved war crime allegations against the military. The war-time general, who is now minister of regional development, said he was due to travel to New York this week, but he was the only one in the Sri Lankan delegation not issued a visa. Fonseka said he could not accompany President Maithripala Sirisena who left Colombo on Sunday to address the United Nations General Assembly. "I was not given a visa because of the war crimes allegations against the military," Fonseka told reporters. "That is why I say they must be investigated." He said the excesses by a "few" during the final stages of the island's Tamil separatist war should not tarnish the image of the Sri Lankan armed forces. The military crushed separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 following a no-holds-barred offensive that also triggered allegations against the forces of killing at least 40,000 Tamil civilians. The government at the time insisted that no civilians were killed by its troops and faced international censure over its dismal human rights record. Fonseka, who led the military, has maintained that he did not order troops to target civilians, but has acknowledged that there may have been excesses that should be investigated. The new government, which came to power in January 2015, promised investigations but those are yet to begin. Earlier this month, Fonseka accused his successor Jagath Jayasuriya of committing crimes against Tamil rebel suspects during and after the island's ethnic war and said he was ready to testify against the former military commander. A human rights group filed two complaints in Colombia and Brazil against Jayasuriya, who was Sri Lanka's ambassador to several South American countries until recently. The group alleged that Jayasuriya oversaw torture camps and was responsible for hundreds of disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the final stages of the conflict when he was a senior officer. The UN has estimated that at least 100,000 people were killed between 1972 and 2009. Tiger rebels have been accused of using human shields and killing civilians in their guerrilla war for a separate homeland for the minority ethnic Tamil community in the Sinhala-majority nation.
By PTI

NEW YORK: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has held meetings with her counterparts from five countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session here to discuss bilateral cooperation and push for India's development agenda.

Swaraj held talks with the foreign ministers of Tunisia, Bahrain, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates and Denmark.

"Broadly the focus was on bilateral cooperation," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

During the meeting with Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, Swaraj told him that she was looking forward to the next joint commission meeting between the two countries to be held in New Delhi on October 30-31.

"There are a lot of discussions on how to reinvigorate economic relationship. Sectors like pharma, textiles biotechnology, renewable energy and IT were identified for future cooperation," Kumar said.

Swaraj, according to Kumar, felt that there was a huge potential for exporting Indian pharma products especially vaccines to Tunisia as the price of its drugs are very competitive.

In her meeting with Denmark Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen, discussion was held on when to hold the next meeting of the Joint Commission. Denmark is also the partner country for the World Food India extravaganza, which is going to take place in the first week of November. Swaraj also invited Danish participation for investment in India.

In her meeting with the Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, the focus was on expanding trade relations. "Latvian Foreign Minister announced that their prime minister will visit India for the World Food Summit later this year," Kumar said, adding the two leaders also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the sectors like I-T, education and culture.

In her meeting with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the two sides discussed measures to attract more foreign direct investment from the UAE into India. The UAE is Indias strategic partner. The bilateral trade between India and the UAE is worth USD 52.8 billion.

"It was felt that at this point of time it was below potential. Cooperation in energy sector, civil aviation especially in the capacity building and best practices was discussed," Kumar said.

In the last bilateral engagement of the day, Swaraj met her Bahrain counterpart Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. There is an existing mechanism of the Joint Commission which is at the Foreign Ministry level, Kumar said adding that the two leaders discussed how to hold this meeting at the earliest. "Some discussion also took place on the regional issue especially situation in the Gulf," Kumar said.

NEW YORK: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has held meetings with her counterparts from five countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session here to discuss bilateral cooperation and push for India's development agenda. Swaraj held talks with the foreign ministers of Tunisia, Bahrain, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates and Denmark. "Broadly the focus was on bilateral cooperation," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here. During the meeting with Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, Swaraj told him that she was looking forward to the next joint commission meeting between the two countries to be held in New Delhi on October 30-31. "There are a lot of discussions on how to reinvigorate economic relationship. Sectors like pharma, textiles biotechnology, renewable energy and IT were identified for future cooperation," Kumar said. Swaraj, according to Kumar, felt that there was a huge potential for exporting Indian pharma products especially vaccines to Tunisia as the price of its drugs are very competitive. In her meeting with Denmark Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen, discussion was held on when to hold the next meeting of the Joint Commission. Denmark is also the partner country for the World Food India extravaganza, which is going to take place in the first week of November. Swaraj also invited Danish participation for investment in India. In her meeting with the Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, the focus was on expanding trade relations. "Latvian Foreign Minister announced that their prime minister will visit India for the World Food Summit later this year," Kumar said, adding the two leaders also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the sectors like I-T, education and culture. In her meeting with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the two sides discussed measures to attract more foreign direct investment from the UAE into India. The UAE is Indias strategic partner. The bilateral trade between India and the UAE is worth USD 52.8 billion. "It was felt that at this point of time it was below potential. Cooperation in energy sector, civil aviation especially in the capacity building and best practices was discussed," Kumar said. In the last bilateral engagement of the day, Swaraj met her Bahrain counterpart Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. There is an existing mechanism of the Joint Commission which is at the Foreign Ministry level, Kumar said adding that the two leaders discussed how to hold this meeting at the earliest. "Some discussion also took place on the regional issue especially situation in the Gulf," Kumar said.
By Associated Press

KABUL: An Afghan official says the Taliban have killed three government employees abducted last month in western Herat province.

Gelani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor in Herat, says the three included two employees from the customs department and their driver. He says they were abducted about 20 days ago and their bodies were found on Monday evening.

Farhad added that there had been ongoing negotiations with the Taliban, carried out by local tribal leaders but despite that, the bodies of the three were uncovered near a road in Islam Qalah area in Herat.

The Taliban have not commented the disappearance of the three workers.

Lately, kidnappings for ransom have increased in Herat.

Farhad, however, insisted the Taliban were behind this latest abduction, though they had made no ransom demands.

KABUL: An Afghan official says the Taliban have killed three government employees abducted last month in western Herat province. Gelani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor in Herat, says the three included two employees from the customs department and their driver. He says they were abducted about 20 days ago and their bodies were found on Monday evening. Farhad added that there had been ongoing negotiations with the Taliban, carried out by local tribal leaders but despite that, the bodies of the three were uncovered near a road in Islam Qalah area in Herat. The Taliban have not commented the disappearance of the three workers. Lately, kidnappings for ransom have increased in Herat. Farhad, however, insisted the Taliban were behind this latest abduction, though they had made no ransom demands.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen said Tuesday he had no ties to Russian interference in the 2016 election and saw "not a hint" that Trump himself was involved, labelling such allegations political.

But Cohen's decision to go public with his statement ahead of a planned closed-door hearing by the Senate Intelligence Committee added to the rising tensions between investigators and the White House over the probe into possible collusion with Russian election meddling.

Angered lawmakers cancelled the meeting -- one of a series of closed interviews with people close to the president -- and announced Cohen could expect to be questioned in an open hearing in the future.

"We were disappointed that Mr. Cohen decided to pre-empt today's interview by releasing a public statement prior to his engagement with committee staff, in spite of the committee's requests that he refrain from public comment," said Senators Richard Burr and Mark Warner, committee chair and vice chair, respectively.

But Cohen's lawyer Stephen Ryan suggested the legislators had already broken their agreement when someone last week leaked out the date of Cohen's appearance at the committee.

- 'Intentionally salacious accusations' -

In his written statement, Cohen said a British intelligence agent's dossier that tied him to Russian election interference was "riddled with falsehoods and intentionally salacious accusations."

"I have never engaged with, been paid by, paid for, or conversed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else to hack or interfere with the election," Cohen said.

"Given my own proximity to the president of the United States as a candidate, let me also say that I never saw anything -- not a hint of anything -- that demonstrated his involvement in Russian interference in our election or any form of Russian collusion."

Cohen said that the Russian meddling issue has been politicized "to discredit our lawfully elected president" and shame his supporters.

He also denied any link between an effort by Trump, a billionaire developer, to launch a luxury Trump Tower in Moscow and the election. Cohen said the project proposal was terminated in January 2016, before the first caucuses and primaries for choosing the candidates for the White House.

"You can oppose the president's points of view and his policies, but not raise false issues about the validity of his victory," Cohen said.

- Wiretaps and subpoenas -

The Senate committee is one of three congressional committees interviewing Trump advisors and family members in the sprawling probe into how Russia intervened in last year's election to damage front-runner Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, and boost Trump.

US intelligence agencies say Russian President Vladimir Putin himself directed the effort, and Senate and Justice Department investigators have been chasing links between the Trump campaign and Moscow for evidence of collusion.

On Monday, CNN reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had run wiretaps on Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, under secret court orders before and after the election. That raised the possibility that investigators may have picked up communications between Manafort and other Trump officials, including conceivably the president himself.

And The New York Times reported that the special prosecutor handling the case under the Justice Department, Robert Mueller, has been aggressively subpoenaing all possible witnesses to speak to a grand jury.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen said Tuesday he had no ties to Russian interference in the 2016 election and saw "not a hint" that Trump himself was involved, labelling such allegations political. But Cohen's decision to go public with his statement ahead of a planned closed-door hearing by the Senate Intelligence Committee added to the rising tensions between investigators and the White House over the probe into possible collusion with Russian election meddling. Angered lawmakers cancelled the meeting -- one of a series of closed interviews with people close to the president -- and announced Cohen could expect to be questioned in an open hearing in the future. "We were disappointed that Mr. Cohen decided to pre-empt today's interview by releasing a public statement prior to his engagement with committee staff, in spite of the committee's requests that he refrain from public comment," said Senators Richard Burr and Mark Warner, committee chair and vice chair, respectively. But Cohen's lawyer Stephen Ryan suggested the legislators had already broken their agreement when someone last week leaked out the date of Cohen's appearance at the committee. - 'Intentionally salacious accusations' - In his written statement, Cohen said a British intelligence agent's dossier that tied him to Russian election interference was "riddled with falsehoods and intentionally salacious accusations." "I have never engaged with, been paid by, paid for, or conversed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else to hack or interfere with the election," Cohen said. "Given my own proximity to the president of the United States as a candidate, let me also say that I never saw anything -- not a hint of anything -- that demonstrated his involvement in Russian interference in our election or any form of Russian collusion." Cohen said that the Russian meddling issue has been politicized "to discredit our lawfully elected president" and shame his supporters. He also denied any link between an effort by Trump, a billionaire developer, to launch a luxury Trump Tower in Moscow and the election. Cohen said the project proposal was terminated in January 2016, before the first caucuses and primaries for choosing the candidates for the White House. "You can oppose the president's points of view and his policies, but not raise false issues about the validity of his victory," Cohen said. - Wiretaps and subpoenas - The Senate committee is one of three congressional committees interviewing Trump advisors and family members in the sprawling probe into how Russia intervened in last year's election to damage front-runner Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, and boost Trump. US intelligence agencies say Russian President Vladimir Putin himself directed the effort, and Senate and Justice Department investigators have been chasing links between the Trump campaign and Moscow for evidence of collusion. On Monday, CNN reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had run wiretaps on Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, under secret court orders before and after the election. That raised the possibility that investigators may have picked up communications between Manafort and other Trump officials, including conceivably the president himself. And The New York Times reported that the special prosecutor handling the case under the Justice Department, Robert Mueller, has been aggressively subpoenaing all possible witnesses to speak to a grand jury.
By AFP

NAYPYIDAW: Aung San Suu Kyi pledged Tuesday to hold rights violators to account over the Rohingya crisis but refused to blame Myanmar's army, as the UN chief demanded an end to the military campaign and a better deal for the Muslim minority.

In an address timed to pre-empt censure at the UN General Assembly in New York -- delivered entirely in English and aimed squarely at an international audience -- she called for patience and understanding of the crisis which has driven some 421,000 Rohingya out of her mainly Buddhist country.

The Nobel Peace laureate vowed to resettle some refugees but offered no solutions to halt what the UN calls army-led "ethnic cleansing" in Rakhine state, where soldiers are accused of burning Rohingya out of their homes.

Her speech failed to quell international outrage, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issuing the blunt demand and Britain's defence ministry saying it had suspended training courses for the Myanmar military in light of the violence in Rakhine.

"The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access," Guterres told the opening of the General Assembly.

"They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long."

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, also demanded the end of the military operation and denounced "what we know is ethnic cleansing", in his speech to the General Assembly.

Amnesty International joined the outcry, saying Suu Kyi was "burying her head in the sand" over documented army abuses and claims of rape, murder and the systematic clearing of scores of villages.

Supporters and observers say the 72-year-old Suu Kyi lacks the authority to rein in the military, which ran the country for 50 years and only recently ceded limited powers to her civilian government.

Myanmar's army acts without civilian oversight and makes all security decisions, including its notorious scorched earth counter-insurgency operations.

"She is trying to claw back some degree of credibility with the international community, without saying too much that will get her in trouble with the (military) and Burmese people who don't like the Rohingya in the first place," said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch.

- Repatriation pledge -

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25.

An army-led fightback has left scores dead and sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh.

In her 30-minute speech Suu Kyi reached out to critics who have condemned her failure to speak up for the stateless Rohingya.

Myanmar stood ready, she said, to repatriate refugees in accordance with a "verification" process agreed with Bangladesh in the early 1990s.

"Those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems," she added.

In less than a month just under half of Rakhine's one-million-strong Rohingya minority has poured into Bangladesh, where they languish in overcrowded refugee camps.

It was not immediately clear how many would qualify to return.

But their claims to live in Myanmar are at the heart of a toxic debate about the group, who are denied citizenship by the state and considered to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi's repatriation pledge "is new and significant", said Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar, explaining it would in principle allow for the return of those who can prove residence in Myanmar -- rather than citizenship.

But in the monsoon-soaked shanties in Bangladesh, there was anguish among refugees over how they would meet any requirements.

"We don't have any papers," said 55-year-old Abdur Razzak.

"If the government is honestly speaking to resolve our crisis then we are ready to go back now," he added. "Nobody wants to live in such squalid conditions as a refugee."

- No more violence? -

Suu Kyi insisted army "clearance operations" finished on September 5.

But AFP reporters have seen homes on fire in the days since then, while multiple testimonies from refugees arriving in Bangladesh suggest such operations have continued.

Without blaming any single group, Suu Kyi promised to punish anyone found guilty of abuses "regardless of their religion, race or political position"

And she insisted Rakhine was not a state in flames, saying: "More than 50 percent of the villages of Muslims are intact."

Around 170 Rohingya villages have been razed, the government admits. Rights groups say satellite evidence shows the damage is more widespread.

While stories of weary and hungry Rohingya have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for them among Myanmar's Buddhist majority.

Around 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.

Loathing for the Rohingya has brought the public, including pro-democracy activists, into an unlikely alignment with an army that once had them under its heel.

Suu Kyi's speech was warmly welcomed in Myanmar even though no Burmese subtitles were provided.

"She told the real situation to the world on behalf of Myanmar people," Yu Chan Myae told AFP.

NAYPYIDAW: Aung San Suu Kyi pledged Tuesday to hold rights violators to account over the Rohingya crisis but refused to blame Myanmar's army, as the UN chief demanded an end to the military campaign and a better deal for the Muslim minority. In an address timed to pre-empt censure at the UN General Assembly in New York -- delivered entirely in English and aimed squarely at an international audience -- she called for patience and understanding of the crisis which has driven some 421,000 Rohingya out of her mainly Buddhist country. The Nobel Peace laureate vowed to resettle some refugees but offered no solutions to halt what the UN calls army-led "ethnic cleansing" in Rakhine state, where soldiers are accused of burning Rohingya out of their homes. Her speech failed to quell international outrage, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issuing the blunt demand and Britain's defence ministry saying it had suspended training courses for the Myanmar military in light of the violence in Rakhine. "The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access," Guterres told the opening of the General Assembly. "They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long." The French president, Emmanuel Macron, also demanded the end of the military operation and denounced "what we know is ethnic cleansing", in his speech to the General Assembly. Amnesty International joined the outcry, saying Suu Kyi was "burying her head in the sand" over documented army abuses and claims of rape, murder and the systematic clearing of scores of villages. Supporters and observers say the 72-year-old Suu Kyi lacks the authority to rein in the military, which ran the country for 50 years and only recently ceded limited powers to her civilian government. Myanmar's army acts without civilian oversight and makes all security decisions, including its notorious scorched earth counter-insurgency operations. "She is trying to claw back some degree of credibility with the international community, without saying too much that will get her in trouble with the (military) and Burmese people who don't like the Rohingya in the first place," said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch. - Repatriation pledge - Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25. An army-led fightback has left scores dead and sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh. In her 30-minute speech Suu Kyi reached out to critics who have condemned her failure to speak up for the stateless Rohingya. Myanmar stood ready, she said, to repatriate refugees in accordance with a "verification" process agreed with Bangladesh in the early 1990s. "Those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems," she added. In less than a month just under half of Rakhine's one-million-strong Rohingya minority has poured into Bangladesh, where they languish in overcrowded refugee camps. It was not immediately clear how many would qualify to return. But their claims to live in Myanmar are at the heart of a toxic debate about the group, who are denied citizenship by the state and considered to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Suu Kyi's repatriation pledge "is new and significant", said Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar, explaining it would in principle allow for the return of those who can prove residence in Myanmar -- rather than citizenship. But in the monsoon-soaked shanties in Bangladesh, there was anguish among refugees over how they would meet any requirements. "We don't have any papers," said 55-year-old Abdur Razzak. "If the government is honestly speaking to resolve our crisis then we are ready to go back now," he added. "Nobody wants to live in such squalid conditions as a refugee." - No more violence? - Suu Kyi insisted army "clearance operations" finished on September 5. But AFP reporters have seen homes on fire in the days since then, while multiple testimonies from refugees arriving in Bangladesh suggest such operations have continued. Without blaming any single group, Suu Kyi promised to punish anyone found guilty of abuses "regardless of their religion, race or political position" And she insisted Rakhine was not a state in flames, saying: "More than 50 percent of the villages of Muslims are intact." Around 170 Rohingya villages have been razed, the government admits. Rights groups say satellite evidence shows the damage is more widespread. While stories of weary and hungry Rohingya have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for them among Myanmar's Buddhist majority. Around 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. Loathing for the Rohingya has brought the public, including pro-democracy activists, into an unlikely alignment with an army that once had them under its heel. Suu Kyi's speech was warmly welcomed in Myanmar even though no Burmese subtitles were provided. "She told the real situation to the world on behalf of Myanmar people," Yu Chan Myae told AFP.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. High 42F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow showers developing after midnight. Low around 30F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
In a bid to check the menace of multiple driving licences being issued to individuals, the central government will soon introduce linking of Aadhaar with driving licences, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Friday.

The Minister for Electronics and Information Technology said that after linking PAN with Aadhaar, the government would now link Aadhaar with driving licences.

Speaking at the "Haryana Digital Summit-2017" here, Prasad said: "I have already had a word with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in this regard and the process to link Aadhaar with driving licences would be set in motion soon. Aadhaar is a safe and secure tool for good governance and empowerment."

"Aadhaar represents digital identity, not physical identity, and that digital identity confirms physical identity. The purpose of linking PAN with Aadhaar is to stop money laundering," he said.

The Summit was organised by the Haryana government with a view to bringing together industry experts, visionaries, thought leaders, policy makers, academicians and co-operative heads on a single platform.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain were also present at the Summit.

Prasad said he was proud of the Indian IT industry which had held high the Indian flag in 200 cities of 80 countries across the globe.

While reiterating the commitment of the central government towards providing affordable and inclusive technology to the people, he said the concept of Digital India would help create an inclusive society.

About 30 lakh people are directly working in IT companies across the country, out of which a third are women.

"Digital India is a means to bring a smile on the faces of the poor and common people. The central government has opened 30 crore accounts under the Jan Dhan Yojna, and these have been linked with Aadhaar during the last one-and-half years. The beneficiaries are now getting subsidy under various schemes directly in their bank accounts."

Besides, 455 mandis across the country have so far been linked with eNAM, the online trading portal for farmers. As many as eight crore soil health cards have been issued to the farmers in the country with digital profile of their crops.

"India's digital economy is growing fast, and by 2020 it is expected to provide job opportunities to 50-70 lakh youths," he said.

While lauding the efforts of the Haryana government led by Chief Minister Khattar, Prasad said that with the launch of Cyber Security Policy (on Friday), the state had become the first state in the country to implement this policy.

"Haryana has the potential to become an electronics and mobile manufacturing hub," he said, adding that with the setting up of Atal Seva Kendras in the state, Haryana had taken a lead in the country in terms of technological advancement.

Assuring all support of his ministry to the Haryana government for bringing about a digital revolution in the state, he urged the entrepreneurs present at the Summit to adopt 20-30 villages having the facility of optical fibre network to provide Wi-Fi facility there and help in digital transformation of villages.

Speaking on the occasion, Khattar urged the Union Minister to provide assistance for connecting all the 6,500 villages of the state with Wi-Fi facility.

"I would also urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide a special package to Haryana for this purpose. Wi-fi facility is being provided in about 100 villages in the first phase but optical fibre network has been laid out in almost all villages of the state," he added.

Describing Digital India as a dream of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Khattar said they had set a target to provide digital literacy to 12 lakh people in the state.

"Under 'Saral Scheme', a unified platform will be prepared for the delivery and tracking of more than 380 government schemes and services. From Friday onwards, the people will be able to track over 130 schemes through website or SMS from the comfort of home," he said.

Also Watch: Tech And Auto Show | EP13 | Hyundai Verna, Xiaomi Mi A1 & More
Hyundai is a manufacturer that appears to have no fear whatsoever of taking on the establishment, even in an area of the vehicle market it's not traditionally known for competing in. The days of producing the cheap and cheerful and little else are now consigned to history, and the new Genesis G70 that's just been unveiled by Hyundai is the perfect example of where the South Korean manufacturer is today.

Genesis used to be a luxury sedan in the Hyundai range, but it's now the name of the company's semi-independent luxury brand in a similar way to Lexus with Toyota, Infiniti with Nissan and Acura with Honda. The G70 is the brand's new entry-level model, and this long-awaited compact is aimed squarely at taking on the likes of the BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Of course, those two have been honing their craft for many decades, so this could be seen as the biggest test to date of the Korean automaker's growing luxury vehicle prowess.

The original Genesis is now known as the G80, and after its introduction almost a decade ago into a segment dominated by the BMW 5 Series, the brand's luxury momentum has been growing steadily ever since. The Equus, that's now the G90, followed as a rival to the full-size models such as the 7 Series and S-Class, and so far the combination of a lower price and tons of standard kit has seen all Genesis models well received.

Genesis enlisted the talents of former Bentley, Lamborghini and Audi lead designer, Luc Donckerwolke to lead the team that designed the new G70, and it's hard to fault what they've come up with.

The G70 is primarily aimed at the Russian, Korean and American markets, and although BMW and Mercedes might not be too concerned for the moment, the likes of Jaguar who have put a lot of effort into challenging in this part of the market may struggle against the G70 due to its inevitably keen pricing structure.

Underneath the G70 is the same platform used for the Kia Stinger, and although the engine lineup is likely to vary from country to country, it's basically the same as the Stinger with a 2.0-liter petrol, a 2.2-liter turbodiesel and a 3.3-liter V-6 turbo available.

Also Watch: Tech And Auto Show | EP13 | Hyundai Verna, Xiaomi Mi A1 & More
New Delhi: World Bank India chief Junaid Ahmad on Tuesday described GST as a "tectonic shift" in the country's taxation policy which has increased the possibility of 8 percent plus growth.

India recorded a growth rate of 7.1 percent in 2016-17 and 5.7 percent in the first quarter of the current fiscal.

"Today India is at the brink of a possibility of moving into 8 percent plus growth rate. Why? Because India has made a very bold step in integrating internally its nation into one market. So the shift into GST is a tectonic shift," World Bank Country Head in India Junaid Ahmad said at an industry event.

If the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is implemented efficiently, the growth boost India will get is going to be huge, he said while addressing members of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here. The economic corridors of India will change and that will require change in transportation as well, he added.

"You (India) need systems of transport, particular multi-modal, in order to respond what GST is offering as one market. If GST is implemented efficiently, the growth boost that you will get from internal movements of goods is going to be huge," he said.

Part of it (growth boost) lies in the implementation of the GST but it also depends on how the country invests in logistics, he added.

Ahmad said if integration of India's local markets are done correctly, the gains in next 5-8 years from the internal integration will outweigh those from global integration (of markets).

"And indeed the internal integration linked to your port system can change the nature of growth of India," he added.

However, he said it was pertinent for India to have a highly professional service delivery mechanism in every sphere of life, be it the water system, electricity, railway or solid waste management system.

He said the optimal service delivery mechanism of basic infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges India faces today.
New Delhi: To promote "ease of doing business" in the telecom sector, regulator TRAI on Tuesday floated a consultation paper that has proposed time bound approvals, fees rationalisation and graded penalties, among others.

TRAI has issued a consultation paper, inviting views of stakeholders to examine some processes, which may have become redundant or may be executed in an efficient and transparent way due to change in the policies over a period of time or with the technological development.

"Based on the inputs received from various stakeholders and internal analysis, the draft recommendations have been framed," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said in the draft.

The regulator has proposed that the entire process involved in installation of mobile towers and use of spectrum should be made online for quick and easy approvals.

The regulator has suggested that DoT should adopt graded penalty system, in the range of Rs 1 lakh-Rs 10 crore that should be linked to the severity of the rule violation by telecom operators, instead of current practice of imposing Rs 50 crore penalty per circle even for minor violations.

Trai has identified minimum net worth requirement as an unnecessary burden on existing telecom operator when the company opts for migration or renewal licence.

The regulator has proposed that "for an existing service provider, for renewal of licence or migration of its licence to UL (Unified Licence), the condition of minimum net worth should not be applicable".

A company offering full fledge telecom services across India is required to have minimum net worth of Rs 25 crore for obtaining telecom permit -- Unified Licence.

In case of merger and acquisition (M&A) process, the regulator has proposed that the Department of Telecom should file any objection on the deal within 30 days from the date it is filed before the tribunal.

"DoT should spell out a definite time-line, not exceeding 30 days post NCLT approval, for providing written approval to transfer/merger of licences by the licensor and it should be made a part of the M&A guidelines.

The regulator has proposed that the DoT should define a cap on the permissible market share of the merging entities taken together and beyond which merger proposal should not be accepted. It said that the current M&A guidelines do not define a red-line for the market share of resultant entity in a service area.

Trai has proposed to rationalise test fee charged for checking roll out of mobile networks across various district and block headquarters.

A single mobile switching centre (MSC), from where calls are routed for completing communication, can handle multiple district and block headquarters but a telecom operator is required to pay fees for one MSC each time it is tested for a district or block.

Trai has also proposed to issue import licence for telecom equipments within a defined time line and allow telecom operators to reinstall or deploy their mobile network equipment in any circle where they operate after giving prior intimation to wireless planning commission (WPC) preferably through the online portal.

"There should not be any requirement of taking prior permission of WPC for this purpose," the draft said.
New Delhi: Telecom regulator Trai on Tuesday announced slashing of the mobile call connection charge by more than half to 6 paise a minute and said no rate will apply from January 1, 2020, a move that may benefit newcomer Reliance Jio.

Mobile companies currently charge 14 paise a minute for allowing a domestic call from a rival operator to terminate on their network. This charge, called Inter-connection Usage Charge or IUC, will be 6 paise per minute from October 1, 2017, Trai said in a statement.

Mobile tariffs will fall if the operators pass on the benefit of reduced IUC charge to customers. Terming the move as "disastrous", COAI Director-General Rajan Mathews said there are preliminary indications that most of its members will go to court on the issue. Trai -- which held an intensive consultation with the industry before finalising the charge -- said there will be no interconnect rate from January 1, 2020.

The regulator further said that for other types of calls -- landline-to-mobile, landline-to-landline -- the termination charges will continue to remain zero.

Established telecom operators have argued that every call on the network has a cost, and expenses of an incoming call on their network should be borne by the operator from whose network, the call has originated.

Trai today asked "why telecom operators are not migrating to newer technologies" when clear demonstrable large differences exist in the cost of providing same services.

"The authority is of the view that in case the present regime of cost-based domestic termination charge is continued for long, it would hamper the movement of the sector towards deployment of more efficient technologies and more innovative and customer-friendly tariff offerings and, in turn, it would be detrimental to the growth," the watchdog stated. It felt that two years will be "appropriate" for telcos to migrate to new technologies.

Trai, in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court in 2011, had said telecom operators should be given time till 2014 to move to the 'Bill and Keep regime'. Under this, operators only keep record of incoming calls on their network, but do not raise any demand from other operators. Jio had alleged that continuation of IUC beyond 2014 had resulted in older operators benefiting to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore.

The established operators such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone have contended that telecom infrastructure in rural areas largely depends on revenue from incoming calls, and lowering or removal of such charge will hamper services.

They have been demanding that mobile call connection charge should be set in the range of 32-36 paise per minute. Airtel has claimed that it has suffered loss of Rs 6,800 crore due to lower IUC of 14 paise set by the regulator in the last five years. Rival Jio dubbed those claims as "misleading".

The IUC debate has seen Members of Parliament participating in person during the open house discussion organised by the regulator and all the members called for abolition of the charge.

At present, Reliance Jio offers entire phone call service using VoLTE technology. Airtel has just started VoLTE-based calls and plans to expand it to across India by the end of the current fiscal.

VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term Evolution) is high-end and latest version of calls that are made on Internet-based networks.

Idea Cellular has written to Trai to separately calculate call connection charges for traditional network and VoLTE (voice over 4G) network as their is a huge difference on calls carried among the two networks.

According to back-of-the-envelope calculation by the industry, the IUC coming down to 6 paise could translate into savings of over Rs 5,000 crore for Jio while Airtel, Vodafone and Idea could stand to lose between Rs 1,200-2,000 crore.

Former CEO of Bharti Airtel Sanjay Kapoor said the entire pricing mechanism in India is not sustainable, given the decline in profit of telecom operators, low tariffs and high spectrum cost.

"Reduction in IUC adds to the pain. By changing technology, one can lower the cost, but the raw material spectrum is still expensive. Industry, given its current financial position, is not left with enough money to invest," Kapoor added.

The telecom industry has approached the government for relief as it is reeling under debt of around Rs 4.6 lakh crore and the tariff war has eroded their earnings.
New Delhi: The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested Mohammad Parvez for blackmailing a lady Colonel and threatening to share her morphed photos on social media.

The Colonel, posted at Kota NCC, had filed a complaint with the local police and based on technical analysis, Parvez was arrested.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he and his aides wanted to extract confidential information for the Colonel and hence threatened her with morphed pictures. Parvez claimed that he was working for ISI, Pakistans secret agency, and the confidential information was to be used by ISI operatives to destabilise the Centre.

Parvez also revealed in the interrogation that over the last year, he had gotten mobile SIM cards for Munazal, Bilal and Khalil  all of whom are Pakistani citizens. He also claims to have provided SIMs to vice chancellor of the Pakistan High Commission.

The Colonel, in her complaint, had given two mobile phone numbers and the Facebook ID of one Ikta Sharma. The victim claimed that she was receiving obscene morphed images from the above numbers, which also carried a threat that the photos would be put up on social media if she doesnt respond. The Colonel blocked the number but still continued to get calls, messages but this time from another number.

Parvez was arrested under IPC sections 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war), 66E (Violation of privacy), 354D (stalking), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and the IT Acts section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form).
United Nations: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States will be forced to "totally destroy" North Korea unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear challenge, mocking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "rocket man" on a suicide mission.

Loud murmurs filled the green-marbled U.N. General Assembly hall when Trump issued his sternest warning yet to North Korea, whose ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests have rattled the globe.

Unless North Korea backs down, he said, "We will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea."

"Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime," he said.

North Korea's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's remarks. A junior North Korean diplomat remained in the delegation's front-row seat for Trump's speech, the North Korean U.N. mission said.

In his first appearance at the annual gathering of world leaders, the president used a 41-minute speech to take aim also at Iran's nuclear ambitions and regional influence, Venezuela's collapsing democracy and the threat of Islamist extremists.

He also criticised the Cuban government.

But his strongest words were directed at North Korea. He urged United Nations member states to work together to isolate the Kim government until it ceases its "hostile" behavior.

He said North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles "threatens the entire world with unthinkable cost of human life."

In what may have been a veiled prod at China, the North's major trading partner, Trump said: "It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict."

Turning to Iran, Trump called the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, was an embarrassment and hinted that he may not recertify the agreement when it comes up for a mid-October deadline.

"I don't think you've heard the last of it," he said.

He called Iran an "economically depleted rogue state" that exports violence.

The speech marked his latest attempt to lay out his America First vision for a U.S. foreign policy aimed at downgrading global bureaucracies, basing alliances on shared interests, and steering Washington away from nation-building exercises abroad.

Trump, who entered the White House eight months ago, told world leaders at the 193-member global body that the United States does not seek to impose its will on other nations and will respect other countries' sovereignty.

"I will defend America's interests above all else," he said. "But in fulfilling our obligations to other nations we also realize it's in everyone's interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure."

Reading carefully from a script, Trump said the U.S. military would soon be the strongest it has ever been.

Turning to Venezuela, Trump called the collapsing situation there "completely unacceptable" and said the United States cannot stand by and watch. He warned the United States was considering what further actions it can take.

"We cannot stand by and watch," he said.

Shortly before Trump's speech, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed from the General Assembly lectern for statesmanship to avoid war with North Korea.

"This is the time for statesmanship," said the former prime minister of Portugal. "We must not sleepwalk our way into war."

The U.N. Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2006 and Guterres appealed for the 15-member body to maintain its unity on North Korea.

Trump has warned North Korea that military action was an option for the United States as Pyongyang has carried out a series of tests toward developing the ability to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.

Financial markets showed little reaction to Trumps speech, with most major assets hovering near the unchanged mark on the day.
Lucknow: A 16-year-old girl, studying at a private school in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh, died on Monday, after she fell off the third floor of a school building.

Her family has, however, alleged that she was thrown off the Modern City Montessori School building. Deceased Neetu Chauhan was found lying on the ground in a critical condition. She had gone to a toilet, located on the third floor, while her classroom was on the first floor, students said.

The Class 9 student, who was bleeding profusely, was rushed to a nearby medical facility from where she was referred to Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur. She succumbed on the way, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajiv Malhotra told IANS.

Parents of the girl have lodged a police complaint against unknown persons, alleging that she was thrown off the third floor. The body has been handed over to the family after conducting an autopsy, Malhotra said.

Apprehending trouble from the parents of other students, the school management has locked down the school and are untraceable.

Police said Principal Adya Tiwaris phone was also switched off since the incident. The SSP said the matter had been referred to the District Magistrate and he in turn had deputed the District Inspector of Schools (DIOs) to probe the incident.

An FIR, the police official said, would be lodged on Tuesday and a probe initiated.
New Delhi: Internet shutdowns increased 18-fold in India between 2012 and 2017. Data compiled by the website www.internetshutdowns.in shows that from 3 such cases in 2012, India had 55 in 2017. Breaking down the data shows that it's not as simple as saying India saw an exponential rise in government-backed internet shutdowns. Further, the granular data points to some interesting trends.

First, let's disaggregate the data.

Out of the total number of 114 internet shutdowns in the five year period, nearly 53 were reported from Jammu and Kashmir. Even in J&K, the last two years (2016 and 2017, which are co-terminus with the killing of Burhan Wani and its aftermath) accounted for 66% of suspension of internet services.

If you take Jammu & Kashmir out of the matrix and examine the data for the rest of India, you get 61 shutdowns in the last 5 years. This is where the data gets interesting and trends start to emerge.

- Just three states  Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat  account for 57% of the shutdowns and the bulk of them happened in 2016 and 2017. Governments in these 3 states imposed 35 internet blackouts, of which 28 happened in the last two years.

- In Gujarat the Patel agitation and caste and communal clashes were responsible; In Rajasthan communal/caste clashes, the Jat agitation and farmers' stir and Gurmeet Ram Rahim's arrest were the reasons; in Haryana the two reasons were the Jat agitations in 2016 and Gurmeet Ram Rahim's conviction in 2017.

The next biggest chunk of internet shutdowns are from the Eastern and Northeastern States , UP, West Bengal, Bihar and Nagaland. But these only account for 21% of internet shutdowns from 2012-17.

Interestingly, the Southern states and Goa did not have a single internet blackout. The IT hubs of Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai are located in this region and even floods and social unrest (Tamil Nadu), State bifurcation violence (Andhra/Telangana); River sharing protests (Karnataka/Tamil Nadu) did not lead to the internet being blocked by Southern governments.

So what are the trends that emerge from the data?

- Nearly 84% of internet shutdowns happened in 2016 and 2017.

- If internet shutdowns are taken as a proxy for wider tensions in society, then in the last two years, more than half of the shutdowns (57% to be precise) happened in 3 states (Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Chandigarh)

- The reasons were mainly caste and communal conflict, but also godmen and farmers' stirs.

- The South witnessed no shutdowns.
New Delhi/Chandigarh: Honeypreet Insan, the adopted daughter of rape convict Ram Rahim Singh, may have slipped into Nepal and currently hiding out in Pokhra region of Eastern Nepal, sources said. Insan was named in a list of 43 people wanted for stoking violence in Haryana after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh was convicted of raping two women.

Haryana Police officers are currently patrolling the border areas near Eastern Nepal. The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has also been put on alert. Sources said Honeypreet was sighted in a convoy of three vehicles but managed to give Haryana cops the slip and run to Nepal. Now, Nepal Police are also cooperating with their Indian counterparts to find Honeypreet.

Nepal Police have set up special teams for the combing operation. Meanwhile, Haryana Police has sent officers in plainclothes for the search operation.

The FIR was initially registered against Dera spokesperson Aditya Insan and four other Dera officials. Now, however, Honeypreet's name has been formally included in the FIR. Police sources said there was now sufficient evidence against Honeypreet to book her and initiate action.

After Ram Rahim, a self-styled Godman, was found guilty of raping two women disciples in 1999, violence broke out in Haryana which led to 38 deaths. The Dera chief is now lodged in Rohtak jail. Haryana Police had, two weeks ago, issued a lookout notice for Honeypreet Insan, adopted daughter of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

The police are investigating as to how did Honeypreet or Papas Angel, as she calls herself, manage to board the chopper that took Ram Rahim to Rohtak Jail on Friday, after his conviction.

Honeypreet, touted as the next big name in the cult after the Dera chief, is also suspected of being part of a conspiracy to whisk the Dera chief away from police custody in case of an adverse verdict against on Panchkula on August 25.

Honeypreet, who addresses Ram Rahim as GuruPa on social media, has her own website where she says, It has been a wonderful experience working with my father. He inspired me. His talent, acting skills, sharp memory and overall contribution to the film made things easier.
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with its money laundering probe in the railway hotels allotment case, officials said on Tuesday.

Rabri, wife of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, has been summoned to be present before the investigating officer (IO) of the case on September 26, they said.

The IO is expected to record her statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), under which it had registered an FIR against the Lalu Prasad family and others sometime back.

It is understood that this is the second summon by the agency to Rabri after she did not depose before it the first time.

The central probe agency had earlier questioned few people in this case including the wife of former UPA minister P C Gupta.

The Enforcement Directorate had taken cognisance of a CBI FIR in this regard to initiate its own criminal complaint.

In July, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a criminal FIR (first information report) and conducted multiple searches against former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad and others.

The ED will investigate the alleged "proceeds of crime" generated by the accused, purportedly through shell companies, officials said.

Rabri, son Tejashwi Yadav, and others will be probed by the agency under charges filed in the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the ED equivalent of a police FIR.

The case dates back to the time when Lalu was the railway minister in the UPA government.

Others named in the CBI FIR include Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar (both directors of Sujata Hotels), Delight Marketing company, now known as Lara Projects, and the then IRCTC managing director P K Goel.

The CBI FIR alleges that Prasad, as railway minister, handed over the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a company after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta.

The FIR was registered on July 5 in connection with favours allegedly extended to Sujata Hotels in awarding a contract for the upkeep of the hotels in Ranchi and Puri and receiving premium land as 'quid pro quo'.

The ED, under the PMLA, has powers to attach and confiscate tainted assets and it is expected that the agency will initiate such a move once it makes progress in the case.
New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has so far been largely dependent on Soviet-era aircraft such as MiG 21s and MiG 27s. So bad is the condition of these fighter jets that they have earned the ominous epithet Flying Coffin and Widow-maker. There have been at least 10 accidents involving MiGs over the last five years.

The entire fleet will have to be replaced with modern aircraft and a deal is in the works to buy 126 aircraft. What needs to be decided is which fighter jet India will buy. The choice is between The F 16 Block 70 produced by American firm Lockheed Martin and the JAS 39 Gripen E by Swedish company Saab.

The deal, whoever wins it, will be inked under Prime Minister Modis Make in India doctrine. The aircraft will be manufactured on Indian soil. For the Make in India push, Lockheed Martin has tied up with Tata while Saab recently announced a partnership with the Adani Group.

News18 compares the two modern aircraft, one of which will become the mainstay of the IAF in the times to come.

F16: Pros

Perhaps the most battle-proven aircraft in the world, the F16 is currently in use by the air forces of 27 nations around the world. First put to use by the US Air Force in 1976, the F16s major clients are the United States, its NATO allies and Pakistan. It has a length of 14.8 meters, a wingspan of 9.8 meters, a maximum take-off weight of 16,875 kg, a fuel capacity of 3,175 kg, a payload limit of 7,700 kg and can attain a maximum speed of 2470 km per hour.

The fact that the F16 has proven itself in battle over the years certainly means F16 would be the safer bet over the Gripen. Besides, Lockheed Martin has offered to sell the F 16 Block 70, the latest variant, to India. This means that in the event of a military confrontation, India would have a technical advantage over its regional rival Pakistan, which continues to use the Block 52.

From a Make in India perspective, partnering with Lockheed Martin, the largest producer of defence equipment in the world, certainly has its advantages. The F 16 has a single supply chain, which means that the entire aircraft can be manufactured and assembled at one facility. During war time, aircraft can be produced at a much faster rate. Since the F 16 has a wider market, India would be able to sell not just aircraft but also spare parts to other parts of the world.

F16: Cons

Increasingly, Indian defense experts have started to worry that Lockheed Martin may be pushing old, obsolete technology on to India. Critics of the F 16 claim that it is an analogue aircraft in a digital age. The Block 70 may be its latest variant but the F 16 itself is over 40 years old and, according to many, leaves little room for modification. Since the F 16 was rolled out in 1976, Lockheed Martin itself has produced newer aircraft such as the F 22 Raptor. While relatively cheaper when compared to the Gripen, it has a higher operating cost and lower life cycle.

The Sensor technology of the F 16 is inferior to that of the Gripen. While the Block 70 may present a technological advantage over Pakistan in the event of an armed confrontation, it presents a strategic disadvantage since the Pakistan Air Force knows the F 16 aircraft better than the IAF and can plan accordingly. F 16s were first commissioned by Pakistan during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to counter both the Soviet Union and India. Since then, it has formed the bulk of the PAF fleet.

Besides, US President Donald Trumps America First policy may come into conflict with Modis Make in India. Washington may not allow Lockheed Martin to collaborate with India in a way that may harm the jobs market in the US.

Gripen: Pros

Produced by Swedens Saab, the Gripen E has a length of 15.2 meters, a wingspan of 8.6 meters, a maximum take-off weight of 16,500 kg, fuel capacity of 3,400 kg, a payload capacity of 5,300 kg and can attain a maximum speed of 2470 km per hour. It is one of the most advanced multi-role fighter jets in the world and is adept in all kinds of missions  air-to-surface, air-to-air and reconnaissance.

It also has one of the most advanced Sensor technologies in the world, which can come in handy in a dogfight or thwarting stealth missions, and a far superior radio communication system when compared to the F 16. Simply put, the Gripen is packed with modern warfare features, including a digital cockpit with a 3D screen.

It has a much lower operating cost and higher life cycle. The Gripen lends itself well to modifications and updates, which makes it ideal to replace the obsolete Soviet-era aircraft. Saab has also offered to manufacture a naval variant for Indias aircraft carriers. Currently, only four nations in the world use the Gripen in a major way  Sweden, South Africa, Czech Republic and Hungary.

Saab is a much smaller company than Lockheed Martin and hence, it needs the deal more than the American firm. This would give the Indian Government a better hand on the negotiation table.

Gripen: Cons

The difference in scale between Lockheed Martin and Saab is immense. As a company, the Swedish manufacturer is 1/13th the size of its American counterpart. Add to that the fact that the Gripen uses an American engine and it raises doubts over the effectiveness of the Supply chain that Saab hopes to set up in India. Lockheed Martin, on the other hand, can provide a single supply chain.

While the operating cost of the Gripen is less than that of the F 16 Block 70, the per unit cost of each aircraft is much higher. Besides, it has not been proven in combat the way the F 16 has. The F 16 has been used extensively in battle and in wargames and a strategic partnership with an American firm may further bolster India-US relations. This is an advantage that Saab may not be able to provide.
Amritsar: Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday that fuel prices may come down by Diwali, which falls (rpt) falls next month.

The comments come amid criticism by opposition parties of a sharp rise in oil prices after the daily rate revision mechanism was introduced by the government recently.

"Fuel prices may come down by Diwali festival," said the minister who was on a brief visit to Amritsar.

Pradhan, who has been elevated as Cabinet minister this month and given additional charge of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said prices of refinery oil went up because production of oil dropped by 13 per cent in the US due to floods.

On being asked about margin of the oil companies, he said they are being run by the government.

"And everything is crystal clear," he said, ruling out "higher margins" for the companies.

When asked about bringing oil under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Pradhan said that he hoped that it might be brought under the GST. "It will extend enormous benefit to customers."
Washington: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has said that intolerance and unemployment are the key issues that pose a serious challenge to India's national security and development.

Gandhi, who is in the US on a two-week-long tour, held a series of meetings, including a roundtable with eminent Indian/ South Asia experts hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a Democratic-leaning think tank.

Prominent among the attendees were CAP head Neera Tandon, the former US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, and Hillary Clinton's top campaign advisor John Podesta.

Lisa Curtis, who heads the South Asia division at the National Security Council of the White House held discussions with Gandhi over a breakfast meeting during which the Trump administration official sought his views on the US-India relationship and the recently announced Afghanistan and South Asia policy of US President Donald Trump, according to the participants of the meeting.

US Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Thomas J Donohue met Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders at an event hosted by US India Business Council (USIBC).

During the meeting, Gandhi expressed concern over the inability of the government to create jobs in India, which he felt was leading the country towards a dangerous situation.

Gandhi also had an off-the-record interaction with the editorial board of The Washington Post, wherein he shared his anguish over the rising intolerance globally, but in particularly in India.

Later in the evening, Gandhi had another closed-door meeting co-hosted by Republican strategist Puneet Ahluwalia and American Foreign Policy Institute.

"I would say, he did not seem to be somebody who did not understand the issue. He has an understanding of the issue. He came across as more of a grassroot understanding leader.

Everybody when they left they were pretty much very positive with the interaction," Ahluwalia said.

Gandhi is also believed to have met the Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.

Participants of these meetings overwhelmingly agreed with Gandhi that the "central challenge" in front of India was jobs and intolerance.

They left the meeting generally impressed with Gandhi's knowledge, clarity of thoughts and candidness.

"(People) said he is exactly opposite than what we were told. They said, he is logical, he thinks well, and he understands the issue," Sam Pitroda, who has been accompanying Gandhi to all of his meetings, said.

He alleged that full time staff hired by Gandhi's opponents have been creating negative image about him.

Pitroda said Gandhi believes in decentralisation.

The real decision have to be made at the district level.

Gandhi is scheduled to address students of the Princeton University in New Jersey. Indian National Overseas Congress would host a reception for him in New York on Wednesday.
Kolkata: In an act of utter cruelty, a six-month-old infant was injected acid in both her eyes allegedly by her uncle, melting cornea of her left eye and causing severe damage and infection to her right eye. The incident occurred on September 3 at the Surjya Sen Colony in the Sonarpur Police Station area of South 24 Parganas district, barely an hours drive from Kolkata.

Doctors administering treatment to the baby said that it will be difficult to save damaged eyes, besides controlling the spread of infection to victim's brain which could threaten her life.

I have encountered several bizarre cases as a doctor in a government-run tertiary hospital. But I have never come across cruelty such as this, said Dr. Bimalendu Saha, Assistant Superintendent, Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMC).

She is completely blinded in one eye. We are trying to remove the severe infection from the other. We are seeking assistance from doctors of pediatric medicine and surgery as well as from plastic surgeons, he added.

It is alleged that the assault on the innocent kid was result of a family feud.

The tragedy came to light on Monday when the victim and her mother were admitted to the state-run CNMC in Kolkata.

A copy of an FIR filed by the victim's father.

Jayanta Chakraborty, the victim's father, alleged that his brother Biplab, in his absence, barged into his wife's room and attacked her first with intention of sexually assaulting her. When Biplab failed, Jayanta said, he threw acid on his wife, burning her back. "When the mother was screaming in pain, he drew acid in a syringe and injected the chemical into baby's eyes."

Jayanta alleged that his brother attacked his wife and daughter because he married a woman against the wishes of his family. He earns a living working as a purohit and has been forced to live separately to avoid any trouble.

Though Jayanta lodged a complaint against seven people, including his brother and mother, no arrest had been made until now.

The SSKM Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, where the victim was initially admitted, discharged the mother and daughter without completing the infants treatment and referred the latter to the state-run ophthalmology centre. It was only after the members of a local club took up the matter in their hands that the patient was re-admitted to CNMC.
Thane (Maharashtra): When Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar, the brother of absconder mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, was picked up from his home in south Mumbai late on Monday, he was busy watching the "Kaun Banega Crorepati" show and eating biryani, Thane Police Commissioner Parambir Singh said here on Tuesday.

Kaskar was picked up from the home of his sister, Haseena Parker, late on Monday by a crack team of the Thane Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) and later placed under arrest. He will be produced before a court later Tuesday.

"Iqbal Kaskar demanded four flats and Rs 30 lakh as ransom from a builder. The names of some other builders and politicians have also emerged during the investigation," Singh told media persons.

The police are now examining whether the dreaded Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) can be applied to Iqbal Kaskar and his brother Dawood, believed to be in Pakistan.

Singh said that Iqbal Kaskar has been running the extortion racket for quite some time and on Monday night the AEC finally arrested him.

The police chief said he has threatened and made extortion calls to several builders in Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
New Delhi: BJP government in Assam has had to rescind its earlier decision to name model colleges after RSS ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya. The U-turn comes in the wake of opposition, both from outside and within, with even alliance partner Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) accusing the BJP of hurting the sentiments of those who voted it to power.

In 2016, BJP won an absolute majority in the assembly elections to install its first chief minister in the state. Since then, the party has continually attempted to expand its political and ideological footprint in the north-east. The naming of the colleges was perhaps part of the whole exercise, which had to be reviewed in the wake of strong opposition.

The incident is also BJPs first tryst with vast social-economic diversity in the country.

Since assuming power at the Centre, BJP in the last three years has attempted to resurrect top leaders in the RSS pantheons  from Deendayal Upadhyaya to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. Many schemes have been named after founding member of the erstwhile Jana Sangh. BJP also organised nationwide programmes in the last twelve months to mark Deendayal Upadhyayas birth centenary.

The Assam experiment and naming of colleges was perhaps part of the larger project. Proposed to be set up with Central aid, these colleges were sanctioned for districts with relatively lower gross enrolment in higher education than the national average.

But the proposal ran into rough weather, with BJPs ally Asom Gana Parishad as well as the other pressure groups like All Assam Students Union (AASU) and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) putting up a strong protest against the move. AASU called it a gross injustice to the eminent personalities of Assam who had contributed immensely towards education and social upliftment.

AASU which once led the anti-migrant movement in Assam to oust Congress from power in the eighties, instead suggested these educational institutions be named after the personalities from the state such as Sahityarathi Lakhsminath Bezbaroa, Padmanath Gohain Baruah, Gopinath Bordoloi, Bhimbor Deuri, Moidul Islam Bora and Krishna Kanta Handique among others.

Main opposition party Congress too had come down heavily on the government and called it a stark declaration of unabashed cultural imperialism. But what got the government to drop the idea was a strong opposition from the ally AGP with its president Atul Bora saying that naming the colleges after Upadhyaya would mean hurting the sentiments.

Interestingly, chief minister Sarbanand Sonowal himself comes from the AGP stock who won his spurs in politics under the aegis of AASU. A large section of AASU and AGP got subsumed in the BJP in the last fifteen years. But the strong sentiment seeking to protect the socio-cultural identity of Assam persists in their minds. Perhaps the reason why BJP has had to beat a hasty retreat this time around.
More than half a million tourists visited Cyprus in August, pushing summer arrivals on the Mediterranean island to a new record, authorities said on Monday.

"With the completion of the most successful summer season in the history of Cypriot tourism, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation will focus even more on the winter season," the CTO said.

Seen as a regional safe haven, Cyprus boasted a record year for tourism in 2016 with 3.18 million arrivals, generating $2.8 billion (2.36 billion euros) in revenue.

After smashing records for arrivals in June, July and August 2017, officials expect visitor numbers over the whole year to top last year's figure by some eight percent.

Arrivals in the first eight months of the year totalled 2.51 million, against 2.19 million in the same period of 2016.

Cyprus has benefitted from a boom in visitors from its largest market, Britain -- up nearly eight percent in August -- along with a revival in those coming from Germany and Sweden.

Arrivals from nearby Israel shot up by over 95 percent in August against the same month in 2016.

The finance ministry said over 520,000 tourists visited Cyprus in August, up 14 percent from the same period in 2016.

It said August 2017 had the highest volume of tourist arrivals ever recorded in Cyprus during that month.

Cyprus tourist arrivals have been in positive territory for 26 consecutive months since a reverse in June 2015.

The island has seen an uptick in visitors as formerly popular Mediterranean holiday destinations such as Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia were hit by upheaval in recent years.

The surge has helped Cyprus return to growth following a 10-billion-euro package to rescue its crumbling economy and insolvent banks in March 2013.

Income from tourism accounts for about 12 percent of the country's gross domestic product and is credited with underpinning a quick recovery.
There are two things simmering up anticipation for Judwaa2  Varun Dhawan and Taapsee Pannu. Taapsee Pannu's look in Judwaa-2 is a hot topic on social media given the lady whos been so far seen in serious roles in her Bollywood movies, will be seen in a whole new glamorous, flirtatious avatar. Varun Dhawan is not wrong when he described Taapsee Pannu as a Firecracker in one of his latest Insta pics where Varun captioned his pic with Taapsee as, #aatohsahi @taapsee looks like a firecracker in this one #judwaa2

Credit: @ Varun Dhawan

However, men should always be wary about what they speak of their co-actors and colleagues. Seems like Varun Dhawans appreciation for his Judwaa 2 co-star hasnt gone too well with his girlfriend Natasha Dalal. As per an insider, "Natasha isn't a movie star, and she reacts to news and gossip. When people started talking about how good Varun and Alia Bhatt looked as a couple on screen, Natasha asked Varun to avoid too many films with her. Now she doesn't want Varun to push Taapsee too hard."

After working with Taapsee Pannu in Judwa2, the actor is promoting her for endorsements as well as pushing her for his upcoming films too, apart from gymming together. However, if rumors are to be believed Natasha Dalal has asked her beau to maintain a distance from the actress.

Credit: @ Varun Dhawan

As per the insider, Varun Dhawans equation with Designer Natasha Dalal is strong and Varun is a committed boy. "In reality, Varun is a committed boy and will never two-time her. In fact, he's now being seen often with Natasha, and does not stop the media from clicking pictures or videos of them together," added the source.

The long-time couple has been spotted on airports, movie launches and Dalal also flew to London while the Birthday boy was shooting for Judwaa-2. When asked about his future plans with Natasha, Varun had recently stated, "Honestly, we have not thought that much ahead. Sometimes in life, when you find someone and that connection is formed, then everything else that you thought was the be-all and end-all of life, doesn't actually matter."

Credit: @ Film Scoops

Meanwhile, Varun is promoting Judwaa-2 in various cities as the movie is slated for release on September 29th, this month.
AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran on Tuesday blamed the Centre for the political crisis in Tamil Nadu and termed the current situation murder of democracy. Dinakaran said that both E Palaniswany and O Panneerselvam are betrayers.

Stay tuned for LIVE updates:

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Bengaluru: The 18 MLAs who are supporting AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran, currently living in a resort in Coorg in Karnataka, have filed a police complaint saying they are being harassed and threatened.

They claimed that some people from Tamil Nadu, presumably policemen, are in Coorg to keep tabs on them.

The complaint says that the MLAs, after visiting a temple near Tala Cauvery and the Abbey Waterfall in Coorg, were on their way back to the hotel in a tempo traveller, when two vehicles cut their path and forced them to stop.

Some people got off from the vehicles and took away the keys of the van in which the MLAs were travelling. Then they were allegedly threatened that they would be attacked with knives and 'finished off', the police complaint said.

Dinakarans spokesperson in Karnataka, V Pugazendi, filed the complaint on behalf of the MLAs. He alleged that the people who stopped the MLAs also quarrelled with them on why they are not going back to their constituencies.

Later, MLA Thanga Tamil Selvam spoke to the media and said they were policemen from Tamil Nadu, who were in mufti and refused to show either warrants or their ID cards. He said the harassment was part of pressure tactics employed by the E Palniswamy-O Panneerselvam camp.
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will launch its campaign for the Gujarat Assembly elections on Gandhi Jayanti, just three months ahead of polls.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals party is hoping to throw a spanner in the works for both the BJP, which has ruled the western state for two decades, and the Congress, which is hoping to finally capitalize on the anti-incumbency wave.

Whether AAP is able to shrug off the spoiler tag remains to be seen but one thing is certain. Successive election losses in Punjab, Goa and Delhi municipal elections have taught the party some lessons which it is keen to adapt.

Toning down the hype

In Chandigarhs sector 16 is a bungalow that in late January this year doubled up as the war room of the AAPs Punjab unit. On the first floor balcony was a white board that had a three-digit number written in bold. 107, it said. When asked what the number signified, an AAP functionary said this was the number of seats in the 117-member Punjab assembly that the party was hoping to get. The result, with AAP winning just 20 seats, was much below the expected number.

AAPs claims of pre-poll surveys giving it a thumping majority are not new. In the 2013 Delhi assembly elections, the AAP claimed it would win 40-50 seats but it ended up with 28. In the 2016 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) bypolls, it predicted 13 but ended up with just 5. In Goa, where Arvind Kejriwal predicted a clear majority with 21 seats, they failed to even open their account. The MCD polls, a prestige battle in their home ground, came as an even bigger shock when they got just 47 seats as opposed to their claims of 218.

This time, however, the party is hoping to avoid such embarrassment. The AAP is a new entrant in a state where the BJP and Congress organizational strength is unmatched. When asked what they expect from the Gujarat polls, AAP leaders just shrug and say, Kuch bhi ho sakta hai (Anything can happen).

Not peaking early

The Punjab AAP campaign was long drawn out and lasted for over a year. Over six months after the results crushed the partys hopes of coming to power in a full state, sources close to Kejriwal admit they peaked too early. We fought a spirited campaign in Punjab but we campaigned too early. Captain Amarinder Singh pushed hard only in the last three months and that was the most crucial period of the campaign. People had already heard our side of the story by the time Captain went to them. That is a mistake we are not going to repeat, said a senior AAP leader.

As a result, they have left it to the last three months before the campaign even begins. We are a new party in Gujarat and we want our message to remain fresh in the minds of the voter when he or she goes to the polling booth, the source said.

Using Kejriwal sparingly

After the Punjab elections, the BJP pummeled Kejriwal with the image of him being a non-resident CM of Delhi. The party had to then suffer losses in the MCD elections. But this time, while Kejriwal will be the face of the campaign, he may not enter the fray himself until much later.

AAP Delhi state convener Gopal Rai, who is heading the campaign in Gujarat, said, On October 2, we are launching our campaign with a roadshow. I will be heading that roadshow myself. Other leaders will join the campaign as and when required.

There is no word yet on when Kejriwal himself will join. One party leader said, For now, he is going to stay in Delhi and focus on governance.

Not biting on more than they can chew

In 2014, Kejriwal quit as Chief Minister after 49 days in office. The party then went on to contest the Lok Sabha elections, which proved to be too much for the infant party. AAP emerged victorious in only 4 out of 543 seats. For a party with limited means, said a leader, it was a mistake to contest on so many seats. We are going to be very practical about the Gujarat polls and only contest seats on which we are confident.

Gopal Rai said, We will only contest a seat if we have a good candidate for that seat. Another criteria is that we need to have a booth-level in-charge of every booth in a particular assembly segment for us to contest.

Back to basics

After a win in the Bawana bypoll, AAP cadre are upbeat. Gopal Rai, who also headed the campaign in Bawana, said the party was going to rely on tried and tested campaign strategies.

Our biggest strength, said Rai, is our door-to-door campaigning and booth-level management. We are going to employ those means of campaigning. What we lack in finances, we make up in terms of enthusiasm. We have highly committed volunteers who will make sure our message reaches the people.
New Delhi: In what is being seen as an attempt to send a strong message on women empowerment just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the central government is actively mulling the possibility of passing the Women's Reservation Bill at the Parliament.

The bill was cleared by the Rajya Sabha in 2010 during the UPA regime. As part of a larger outreach to women, the Congress had projected it as a victory for its President and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The Manmohan Singh government, however, could not get the Bill passed in the Lok Sabha in the face of stiff opposition from allies like Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and even Trinamool Congress.

In fact some Congress MPs too were opposed to the Bill.

The Bill, however, did not lapse after the UPA government demitted office in 2014 as the legislation was introduced and cleared by the Rajya Sabha, which is a permanent house.

The Bill has been pending before Parliament since then and now sources have told News18 that the Modi government wishes to bring it back.

It would be the second piece of high impact legislation after GST, another unfinished agenda of the UPA government. While GST was seen as a landmark statute to bring about tax reforms, the womens bill will reserve one-third of the seats in state legislatures and Parliament for women.

The PM has made it clear on many platforms that womens empowerment politically and economically, is his priority. The push to ban triple talaq was seen as part of this political message. Ujwala Scheme, zero balance accounts, ease of opening bank accounts for women and cash transfers instead of ration, is being seen as an attempt to build a narrative to carve out a constituency in a patriarchal setup.

Sources have told News18 that government has already begun backroom consultations on this issue.

The first unsuccessful bid to clear the Bill was made in 1996. The Bill has however lapsed each time. The Vajpayee government tried to clear the Bill in 1998, but was repeatedly unsuccessful and blamed the Congress for this.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena ties, after a series of empty threats, could be heading towards some fireworks ahead of Diwali.

Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Monday hinted that time was nigh for calling it quits with the BJP in Maharashtra.

According to Raut, who is also the executive editor of Saamana - the Shiv Sena mouthpiece - the party didn't want to "share the blame" for BJPs anti-people policies such as an exorbitant rise in petrol and diesel prices despite a global meltdown of fuel prices.

But Senas anger against the BJP goes beyond concerns for the consumer. Uddhav Thackerays party has lost out in most of the battles against its senior partner, especially after Narendra Modi became the face ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

Most of the partys candidates forfeited their deposits in in elections they fought since the 2014 parliamentary polls.

Starting from Jharkhand election (2014) in which Sena candidates forfeited their deposits in all three seats, it had chosen to fight alone in Maharashtra, where the party is still considered a force to reckon with. In Maharashtra state polls, 129 out of 288 of its candidates forfeited their deposits.

Similarly, in the 2015 Bihar polls, the party nominated candidates in 73 constituencies and all of them forfeited their deposits. In Delhi, the same year, all 19 party candidates met a similar fate.

Last year, Senas electoral fortunes continued to plumb new depths. For instance, in Assam, all three candidates faced a humiliating defeat. The script didnt change in Kerala either. All 16 of its candidates failed to make their party proud.

In neighbouring Tamil Nadu, known for bipolar contests like in Kerala, Sena fielded 36 candidates, and all of them cut a sorry figure. The same fate befell on 21 of its candidates in West Bengal elections.

The Sena failed to buck the trend this year, too. For instance, in Goa elections, three of its candidates forfeited their deposits. In Punjab, another 15 of its contestants got blown away in the face of a stiff triangular contest between the Aam Aadmi Party, the BJP-SAD and the eventual winner, Congress.

In Uttar Pradesh, where the party had fielded 57 candidates, most of them suffered severe electoral reverses. In Uttarakhand, all nine Sena contestants forfeited their deposits.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), if a candidate fails to get a minimum of one-sixth of the total valid votes polled, the deposit goes to the treasury.

Every candidate is required to make security deposits at the time of filing her/his nomination. The security deposits for Lok Sabha election is Rs 25,000, while for an assembly poll it is Rs 10,000.
New Delhi: Tamil Nadu sends 39 MPs to the Lok Sabha. That's less than 10% of the total strength of the House and half of what Uttar Pradesh elects. Yet, since the dawn of the coalition era in the national politics, the southern state has often determined who will rule from the Delhi Durbar.

The only notable exception being 2014, when BJP mopped up enough seats north of the Vindhyas to shed dependence on its allies.

The absolute majority BJP enjoys in the Lower House notwithstanding, it is still not taking any chances ahead of the next general elections.

It has made the crucial mistake of discounting Tamil Nadu at its own peril twice over. And it seems to have learnt its lesson from the miscalculations it made in 2004 and then again in 2009.

Take, for instance, the NDA's India Shinning campaign in 2004. In its electoral calculations, the party never discounted for the attrition in the Hindi heartland, especially Uttar Pradesh. As a result, Congress moved in quietly to occupy the space left unattended by the BJP. It stitched successful alliances with both small and large regional outfits.

The overwhelming victory of the UPA in Tamil Nadu and TDP's pulverization in the neighboring Andhra Pradesh by Rajshekhar Reddy tilted the scales against the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Once again in 2009, the DMK-Congress alliance was successful a second time to give a comfortable majority to UPA-II.

BJP knows that both electorally and politically, it has peaked in the north and the west and has won overwhelming majority of the seats in the Hindi-heartland. In Rajasthan, Himanchal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Delhi, there is not a single opposition MP from the other parties. It won 26 out of 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, 73 of 80 in Uttar Pradesh, 35 of 40 in Bihar in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

In states like UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Uttarakhand, it will have to counter double anti-incumbency  both in the state and central government. Any shortfall here will have to be made up by mopping up seats elsewhere.

This is precisely the reason why BJP is looking to consolidate in the east and northeast along with the Coromandel Coast.

Since Jayalalitha's demise in December 2016, Tamil Nadu politics has been in a state of flux. In 2019, 39 seats from the state and one from Puducherry will be up for grabs.

BJP would want to be part of a pre-poll coalition to take on the DMK-Congress combination in Tamil Nadu. For a party which has been bitten not once but twice does not want to leave anything to chance this time around.
Patna: Nitish Kumars return to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has ensured that he continues as the Bihar chief minister. However, the recent turn of events over the past two months amply show that the Janata Dal (United) is losing its previous dominant position vis-a-vis Bhartiya Janata Party.

BJP is in no mood to depend on Nitish to win an election and the party has already started focusing more on the 2019 general election, which is one-and-a-half years away.

The state BJP unit has already chalked out plans to strengthen its position at booth levels and is eagerly waiting for national president Amit Shahs visit next month.

Apart from a Padyatra, that was called off due to the floods, the party is mulling a Kurmi rally with Rajeev Ranjan, who was once very close to Nitish Kumar, but soon changed ranks and joined the BJP due to differences in opinion.

Nitish Kumar is considered a champion of the Kurmi community, that is traditionally associated with the Koeries, and are termed as Luv-Kush, the twin sons of Lord Rama.

Kushwahas or Koeris claim their lineage from Kush, while Luv represents the Kurmi community. The Luv-Kush axis has a good 10 to 12% vote share and are considered the second-most dominant caste in the OBC category after Yadavs (15%), who along with Muslims (17%) have been supporting Lalu Prasad Yadavs Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

However, the 2014 Lok Sabha election was an exception when the Yadavs also voted went for the BJP.

Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) leader and Union minister Upendra Kushwaha claims to be a representative of the Kushwahas and Koeries. Kushwaha, as an alliance partner of the BJP has been successful in transferring the Kushwaha votes to BJP in the last general elections.

This was perhaps the first time that the Kushwahas and Kurmis chose a different path. However, Nitish was able to turn the table in the 2015 Assembly elections, when both the communities voted for the Mahagathbandhan of JD(U), RJD and Congress. Upendra Kushwahas party got only two seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.

BJP contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on its own after Nitish Kumar pulled out of the NDA and managed to get 31 out of 40 seats with other alliance partners Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) and RLSP. The JD(U) was reduced to two seats.

Now, after Nitishs return to the NDA fold, things have further complicated as Amit Shah and team are trying to get the most number of seats in 2019.

Earlier, JD(U) being the dominant partner fought on 25 seats out of 40. However, that scenario is completely ruled out now, says Shaibal Gupta of Asian Development Research Institute who has been advising Nitish on economic issues.

Challenge for Nitish to Retain His Vote Base

Rajeev Ranjan is organizing a Kurmi rally on November 5, which would be attended by other BJP leaders. The first time a Kurmi Ekta Sammelan was organized on Februray 12, 1994. Now I feel the need to unite the community as they are fragmented in Dhanuk, Awadhia and so on. My party has nothing to do with it but I will invite the party leaders, he said.

Shaibal Gupta said the BJP no longer wants to be dependent on Upendra Kushwaha or Nitish Kumar and they are vying for the 12% vote share within the OBC, with Baniyas or Vaishyas already in their favour.

The JD(U) will play the role of a second fiddle in the Lok Sabha elections. In fact he himself seems to be embracing the situation and it must have been on his mind before he broke off the Mahagathbandhan, he said.

Being an astute politician, Nitish must have bargained for 2019. In all possibilities, Nitishs JD(U) will have an upper edge in the 2020 Assembly election.

This is a possible compromise formula, in which Nitish might lead in the state and allow the BJP to boost his popularity in Lok Sabha election, Shaibal argues.

However, he disagrees that any other leader can replace Nitish as the representative of the Luv-Kush community.

Rajeev Ranjan is Nitishs school friend but political compulsions made him join BJP. He is trying to establish himself in Nalanda, Barh, Biharshareef region where Luv-Kush play a decisive role. This is more of a personal turf war, he said.

Nitish - A Product of Kurmi Mahasabha

The emergence of Nitish Kumar as a mass leader dates back to 1994, when he was with the Janta Dal, the ruling party in Bihar led by Lalu Prasad Yadav. After three years of Lalus tenure as the chief minister, a new social formation was in sight with Mandal unity starting to crumble and the state witnessing mass murder on caste lines.

Satish Kumar, a prominent CPI leader who supported the Lalu government, sounded the alarm as the Kurmis and Kushwahas, strong agricultural communities in central and south Bihar, felt the burn of caste-based violence.

Lalus MY (Muslim-Yadav) equation threatened other smaller castes within the OBC and Satish Kumar, himself a Kurmi, decided to unite the Luv-Kush fraternity.

Satish told News18 that Nitish himself was against the idea of calling a caste rally but he along with Brhamnand Mandal and others persuaded Nitish. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray along with Ramtahal Chaudhary, Urmila Ben Patel and hundreds of other Kurmi leaders attended the February 12, 1994 rally.

Nitish tried to defend Lalu in his speech and the crowd at Gandhi Maidan went berserk. The crowd hurled stones. Then I appealed and announced that Nitish was like my younger brother and a leader of the community. He must be allowed to speak. This was the emergence of Nitish, Satish recalls.

Just eight months after the rally, George Fernandes, Bashishtha Narayan Singh, Shakuni Chaudhary and Nitish broke ranks with Lalu and formed the Samata Party.

Samata Party progressed steadily and a large chunk of OBC votes and upper caste population, who had started to feel restless with Lalu Yadav. Nitish joined NDA later and joined the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, he added.

However, Satish Kumar and Bholanath Singh, once considered the mentors of Nitish, are no longer associated with him.

Satish Kumar rues Nitishs opportunism and lust for power. Nitish has completed his cycle with the NDA-UPA-NDA move. Now, he has lost the faith of the Luv-Kush community. He is dependent on BJP and unable to win even two seats on his own.

However, Shaibal Gupta has a different take. He believes the developmental agenda pursued by Nitish has changed the caste narratives over the past two decades and now he enjoys the support of all castes in Bihar.
Ola a mobile app for transportation, has come together with 7 prominent State Tourism Departments and Corporations to promote responsible tourism. To raise awareness about responsible tourism and promote road travel to lesser-known locales across the country, Ola has roped in popular VJ turned actor, model, writer, and travel vlogger, Shenaz Treasury for a 7-state, 12-day and 21 locations expedition across India with Ola Outstation.

Olas campaign was flagged off by Shri Priyank M. Kharge, Honble Minister of State for Information Technology, Biotechnology, and Tourism, Government of Karnataka from Bengalurus Vidhana Soudha. On September 16th, Shenaz hit the road starting from Karnataka, traveling across 6 other states, to conclude in Mumbai after 12 days. In this journey, she will be discovering architectural marvels and mesmerising locales in Aihole, Gandikota, Kalakho, Samode, Kumarakom, and Majauli.

Watch: The Tech And Auto Show Episode 13

setTimeout(() => { let playerscriptCounter = 0; window.addEventListener('scroll', () => { let pageYOffset = window.pageYOffset; if(pageYOffset > 80 && playerscriptCounter == 0) { let playerscript = document.createElement('script'); playerscript.src = "//images.news18.com/static_news18/pix/ibnhome/news18/js/custom-js/pubstack-player/news18-gujrati/prod-player-react.js"; playerscript.defer = true; document.body.appendChild(playerscript); playerscriptCounter++ } }); let playerscript2 = document.createElement('script'); playerscript2.src = "https://images.news18.com/static_news18/pix/ibnhome/news18/js/custom-js/pubstack-player/news18-english/v2/production-player.js?v=1.3"; playerscript2.defer = true; document.body.appendChild(playerscript2); }, 15000)
Panasonic India today launched two camera specific smartphones Eluga Ray 500 and Eluga Ray 700. The company introduced its first Dual camera phone, the Eluga Ray 500 which lets the user switch between the 120 degrees ultra-wide 8MP and 13 MP rear camera for the perfect shot. Eluga Ray 700 comes with 13 MP Sony IMX 258 rear camera lens with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) which gives sharp and vivid pictures and 13 MP front camera with flash that allows the user to take lifelike pictures even in the lowest of light. The two entrants in the Eluga series priced at Rs 8999(Eluga Ray 500) and Rs 9999 (Eluga Ray 700) respectively, will be exclusively on Flipkart starting on Flipkarts Big Billion Day from the 20th of September 2017. Special 10% discount offer on SBI cards (Credit & Debit Card) from 20th  24th September.

Don't Forget To Subscribe to our new YouTube Channel.

Also Watch: First Look | Apple iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X

Eluga Ray 500

Companys first dual camera phone (13MP and 8MP rear camera) Eluga Ray 500 features a 5 inch HD IPS Display with a sleek 2.5D curved design. Eluga Ray 500 is powered by 1.25 GHz Quad-Core processor and a 3GB RAM. It also comes with 4000 mAh battery that Panasonic ensures of longer operations without any worry of frequent charging. With the built-in Back to Previous feature the Front-Fingerprint sensor not just ensures security but provides an additional delight to the user by taking them back to the previous page with a single touch.

Also Read: Apple iPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Eluga Ray 700

Panasonic Eluga Ray 700 has 5.5-inch FHD IPS 2.5D curved display. The display protection of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protects the phone screen from damages. Eluga Ray 700 also has a 13MP Sony IMX 258 Rear Camera lens with Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) and captures selfies even in low light with the 13MP front camera with flash. The Eluga Ray 700 is packed with 5000 mAh Li-Po gigantic battery. Powered by a 1.3 GHz Octa-core Processor and 3 GB RAM this phone promises to ensure quick access to internet and smartphone operations anywhere, anytime.
United Nations: US President Donald Trump on Monday warned "bureaucracy" is holding the United Nations back, a barbed first message to an institution he once derided as a talking shop.

Kicking off a frantic week of diplomacy with a panel discussion on UN reform, Trump noted a personal history with the New York-based institution.

He had seen "great potential right across the street" from UN headquarters, Trump said, referencing his decision to build the 72-floor residential skyscraper Trump World Tower nearby.

"To be honest with you, and it was only for the reason that the United Nations was here that that turned out to be such a successful project," the businessman-turned-president told delegates.

But Trump warned that as chief executive of the United States  a founding member of the UN and its biggest financial contributor  he wants a better return on his investment.

"The United Nations was founded on truly noble goals" he said, adding that while progress has been made "in recent years the United Nations has not reached its full potential, because of bureaucracy and mismanagement."

"While the United Nations on a regular budget has increased by 140 percent, and its staff has more than doubled since 2000, we are not seeing the results in line with this investment."

He called on the institution to "focus on results," a call that was echoed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said a reformed UN needs to focus "more on people and less on process."

Trump, once disparaged the world body as a "club" for "people to get together, talk and have a good time" and his administration has threatened deep cuts to UN funding.

That includes a $600 million cut to the peacekeeping budget, which critics warn will be devastating but which is music to Trump supporters' ears.

"I think the main message is 'Make the United Nations Great.' Not again. 'Make the United Nations Great'' Trump said after his remarks.

"The United Nations has tremendous potential and we'll see how it works out."

Although President Franklin Roosevelt was instrumental to midwifing the United Nations into existence, the US public has proven more skeptical.

Many of Trump's closest advisors and donors see the 193-member body as a check on US power and drain on American resources.

The United States pays 22 percent of the UN's $5.4 billion core budget and 28.5 percent of the $7.3 billion peacekeeping budget.

According to Gallup 60 percent of Americans think the United Nations is doing a poor job.

The Trump administration's effort to cut costs has been met coolly by other powers, most notably Russia and China, who were not among the 128 member states who signed on to a US call for reform.

The main event

Trump's remarks Monday were a preamble for his maiden address to the UN general assembly on Tuesday.

His appearance -- which aides say will last around a half-hour  is likely to emphasize the importance of sovereignty and the primacy of the nation state, reinforcing the anti-internationalist themes of his campaign.

Before that, on Monday, Trump will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Both Macron and Netanyahu are expected to raise the future of the Iran nuclear agreement, with the French leader making a strong case for keeping it alive and the Israeli prime minister pushing for its demise.

Trump will also have a working dinner with Latin American leaders that will touch on the crisis in Venezuela.
New York: The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers called for a peaceful end to the "vicious cycle" on the Korean peninsula as they met in New York for the UN General Assembly, Beijing said today.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov urged all parties to seek a "peaceful resolution" to the current stand-off with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The Korean Peninsula nuclear problem must be solved through peaceful means," it quoted Wang as saying, adding that "the current deepening vicious cycle must be broken".

"Restoring peace talks is also a necessary step to carrying out the UN Security Council's resolution," he said.

Lavrov said Russia's position on the issue is "completely identical" to China's, the statement said.

Russia has joined China's call for a "dual-track" approach in which North Korea suspends its weapons programme in return for the United States halting military drills in the region.

The White House said earlier that US President Donald Trump had spoken with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over the phone, saying the two leaders were "committed to maximizing pressure on North Korea through vigorous enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions".

Trump is currently in New York for the UN General Assembly but Xi -- who has a major Communist Party congress next month that will cement his leadership for the next five years -- is not attending the event.

The UN Security Council last week imposed a fresh set of sanctions, though Washington toned down its original proposals to secure support from China and Russia.

Regional tensions have soared this month as North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and staged an intermediate-range missile test over Japan.

Trump has not ruled out a military option for dealing with Pyongyang.

The US flew four F-35B stealth fighter jets and two B-1B bombers over the Korean peninsula on Monday in a show of force.

Separately, China and Russia began a joint naval exercise east of the Korean peninsula.
United Nations: US President Donald Trump will take aim at Iran and North Korea and strike a stridently nationalistic tone in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly Tuesday, rejecting the half-century-old drive toward global governance.

A top aide said Trump will take aim at "rogue regimes that threaten world stability and peace," singling out Pyongyang and Tehran during his half hour remarks and arguing responsible nations must step in to curb their behavior.

Trump has warned North Korea faces "fire and fury" if it does not abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and argued a global deal to curb Iran's uranium enrichment must be reworked.

In both instances, Trump's "America first" stance faces significant pushback from international partners -- from Russia to China to European allies -- who aides say Trump is likely to press to be tougher, but perhaps not name explicitly.

When he steps up to the famous green marble rostrum, Trump will also set out his vision for a world shorn of what one senior advisor familiar with the speech called the overarching "global bureaucracy."

Trump will argue nation states should be free to pursue their interests unfettered -- a contentious message for delegates to the world's foremost multilateral forum.

Since coming to office in January, Trump has sought to unravel US involvement in multilateral deals from the Paris climate accord to an agreement curbing Iran's nuclear program.

He has cancelled a major trans-Pacific trade pact, sought to renegotiate a free trade deal with Mexico and Canada and even threatened to leave the World Trade Organization.

Aides said Trump will not rule out accords between sovereign states -- such as those that underpin security in Europe and Asia -- but will argue against overbearing global governance.

Nation-state

"It's an appeal to each nation to use sovereignty as the basis for mutual cooperation, the idea being that rather than appealing to a top-down model of global bureaucracy, it's a model that's from the nation-state up," a senior official said.

"It is about the nation-state being the best vehicle, as the president has said before, for the elevation of the human condition."

During his first day at the UN General Assembly Trump warned that "bureaucracy" was holding the United Nations back, a barbed message to the world body he once derided as a talk shop.

Trump warned that as chief executive of the United States -- a founding member of the UN and its biggest financial contributor -- he wants a better return on his investment.

"The United Nations was founded on truly noble goals," he said, adding that while progress has been made, "in recent years the United Nations has not reached its full potential, because of bureaucracy and mismanagement."

Low bar

Allies and foes alike will rummage through Trump's speech on Tuesday for a better idea of how this lurching superpower foresees its future place in the world.

"The bar for success, as usual, is very low," said Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution. "If the president can make a half decent attempt at playing the role of the leader of the free world, everyone will breathe a sigh of relief."

"The risk, also as usual, is that he goes off script and says what he really thinks."

More tub-thumping at the UN would thrill his diehard fans at home, but bellicose warnings to North Korea would undoubtedly make Tokyo and Seoul -- both well within range of North Korean ballistic missiles -- uneasy.

Shredding the "bad deal" that curbs Iran's nuclear program could burnish Trump's hard-charging businessman brand, but would infuriate European allies and risk setting loose havoc across the Middle East.
Paris: A photo montage published by Al-Qaeda to mark the 16th anniversary of 9/11 shows the face of Osama bin Laden in the flames of the Twin Towers.

At his side is his son Hamza, the "crown prince of jihad".

The young man, now 28, has appeared since childhood in the propaganda network founded by his father.

And now, some officials and analysts believe he might try to unify jihadists around the world, taking advantage of the military weakness of the Islamic State (IS) group.

In a report published by the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), former FBI special agent and Al-Qaeda specialist Ali Soufan wrote: "Now in his late 20s, Hamza is being prepared for a leadership role in the organisation his father founded.

"As a member of the bin Laden dynasty, Hamza is likely to be perceived favourably by the jihadi rank-and-file.

"With the Islamic State 'caliphate' apparently on the verge of collapse, Hamza is now the figure best placed to reunify the global jihadi movement."

'Victory or martyrdom'

The 15th of bin Laden's 20 children, a son of his third wife, Hamza has been groomed to follow in his father's footsteps since childhood.

At his side in Afghanistan before 9/11, he learned how to handle weapons, and ranted in his thin voice against Americans, Jews and "Crusaders" in videos uploaded online.

On the eve of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Hamza was separated from his father, whom he was never to see again.

He was evacuated with the clan's wives and other children to Jalalabad in Afghanistan, then on to Iran, where they were placed under house arrest for years. His whereabouts now are unknown.

A sophisticated system of messengers allowed bin Laden and his favourite son to remain in contact by writing letters, some of which were found during the raid that killed the terrorist in Abbottabad, in Pakistan.

In them Hamza assures his father that he is "forged in steel" and ready "for victory or martyrdom".

"What makes me really sad is that the legions of mujahideen started, and I did not join them," he wrote in July 2009.

In an audio message in August 2015, Hamza pays homage his father the "martyr" and his elder brother Khalid, who died while trying to defend him at Abbottabad and asks jihadists around the world to "strike from Kabul to Baghdad, from Gaza to Washington, London, Paris and Tel Aviv".

One year later, in a diatribe entitled "We are all Osama," he called for vengeance, warning: "If you think you will not be held accountable for the crime in Abbottabad, you are mistaken."

Eighteen months later, after similar appeals, the US State Department reinforced his credibility within jihadist circles by putting his name on the blacklist of "international terrorists".

Like father, like son

Soufan said: "Hamza's messages frequently repeat, almost word-for-word, sentences uttered by the elder bin Laden during Al-Qaeda's heyday in the late 1990 and early 2000s.

"Hamza even makes an effort to sound like his father intoning his words with the same quiet intensity.

"As the Islamic State continues to crumble, many of its adherents will be looking for new banners under which to fight. Many factors suggest that Hamza could be a highly effective leader.

"It remains to be seen how, exactly, the organisation will make use of him, but it is clear that his star is on the rise. That should worry policymakers in the West as well as in the Muslim world."
Washington: Most of the 3,000 additional US troops being deployed to Afghanistan under President Donald Trump's new strategy to shore up security are on their way to the war-torn country, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday.

Trump last month announced a new Afghanistan policy to knock back the Taliban, who are continuing to mount deadly attacks, control large areas of territory and are killing local Afghan forces in the thousands.

Mattis told Pentagon reporters that he didn't want to give precise numbers but said he was sending "exactly over 3,000" troops to Afghanistan, where they will bolster the approximately 11,000 American forces already there.

"Frankly I haven't signed the last of the orders right now as we look at specifics," he said.

"Most of them are on their way or under orders now and I'd prefer not to give any more information that helps the enemy."

US generals have for months been calling the situation in Afghanistan a "stalemate," despite years of support for Afghan partners, continued help from a NATO coalition and an overall cost in fighting and reconstruction to the United States of more than USD 1 trillion.

The war turns 16 next month, and is America's longest-ever conflict.

Trump, who had previously advocated a US withdrawal from Afghanistan, changed his mind after US military leaders convinced him that the costs of pulling out would be worse than remaining.

The president's new strategy for Afghanistan will take a page from successful US efforts over the past two years to strengthen Iraqi security forces against the Islamic State group with better training, logistical support and the battlefield backup of US artillery and air strikes on enemy positions.

The United States is also pressing for NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in Afghanistan.
Ramallah: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniya spoke Monday for the first time in nearly a year, adding impetus to a surprise reconciliation between their factions locked in bitter dispute for 10 years.

Abbas spoke with Haniya by phone from New York and "expressed his satisfaction with the prevailing atmosphere of reconciliation", according to a statement on the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

A Hamas statement quoted Haniya as saying that Hamas was "determined to move ahead with steps to end the division, will all willingness and determination, with the goal of uniting our Palestinian people".

A Hamas spokesman told AFP that the two had not spoken since meeting in Qatar in October 2016.

Hamas said Sunday it had agreed to demands by Abbas's Fatah party to dissolve what is seen as a rival administration in Gaza, while saying it was ready for elections and negotiations towards forming a unity government.

As a first step towards implementing a larger agreement, Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah plans to visit Gaza City to meet Hamas officials and assert the government's control over ministries, said Nabil Shaath, a senior adviser to Abbas.

"We await the first steps on the ground. We want to see Mr Hamdallah received by Hamas, the door to all the ministries open," he told journalists in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"That really could happen in the next 24 hours."

Abbas's Palestinian Authority (PA) located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has international recognition, but it lost control of the Gaza Strip when the Islamist movement Hamas seized the territory in a near civil war in 2007.

Hamdallah last visited the coastal enclave in 2015, and a previous attempt at a unity government fell apart that year, with the two sides trading blame.

The head of the Arab League on Monday hailed the steps taken by Hamas and called for full reconciliation.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit "welcomes the important positive developments" regarding "ending the division" between the Palestinian factions, the Cairo-based organisation's spokesman Mahmoud Afifi said in a statement.

Squeezing Hamas

In recent months Abbas has sought to squeeze Hamas by reducing power supply to the strip, with the two million residents receiving only three or four hours of mains electricity per day as a result.

He has also reduced the salaries of some employees in Gaza, while the number of Gazans receiving PA permits to travel for medical care has declined.

Hamas on Monday called for the measures to be reversed after dissolving the so-called administrative committee, seen as a rival government and created in March.

In a statement they called on Abbas to "take urgent steps to cancel all his punitive decisions and measures against our people in the Strip."

Shaath said Abbas wanted to reverse the punitive measures, but he did not give a timetable.

"When the president supported these economic measures (against Gaza) he said they will stop immediately once the self-rule governance of Hamas ends and the consensus government takes place. He didn't put any other conditions whatsoever."

Abbas is due to address world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on
Marzuki Darusman, President of the Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, asked the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday for more time to probe allegations of mass killings, torture, sexual violence, the use of landmines and the burning of villages.

Stay tuned for Live updates:

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
New Delhi: Myanmar leader Suu Kyi on Tuesday broke her silence on the ongoing Rohingya crisis in the Rakhine State and urged the global community to help her unite the country divided on religious and ethnic lines.

"We don't want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicity... we all have the right to our diverse identities," Suu Kyi said during the 30-minute address.

According to an AP report, Suu Kyi also said that most Rohingya Muslim villages were not affected by the violence in Myanmar. She went on to invite diplomats to visit the country.

Suu Kyi further said that Myanmar is ready to verify the refugees' status 'at any time'. The Rohingyas were officially recognized as one of the ethnic communities and as citizens of Myanmar by four successive governments since its independence from the British rule in 1948. The 1982 Citizenship Law, however, removed ethnic and citizenship rights of the Rohingyas.

This has rendered the 4,00,000 strong Rohingya population stateless.

An AFP report says, communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since August 25, leaving hundreds dead and driving more than 4,10,000 of the Rohingya minority from Myanmar into Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, has been decried for failing to speak up publicly for the stateless Rohingya or urge restraint from the military.

In a televised speech on the Rohingya crisis that has sent shockwaves across the world and the United Nations, the Myanmar leader said she feels deeply" for the suffering of "all people" caught up in conflict scorching through Rakhine State.

"We are concerned to hear the number of Muslims fleeing areas to Bangladesh," she added in the live TV address, condemning any "human rights violations" that may have exacerbated the crisis.

The United Nations has severely criticised the administration for what they have termed as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

At least 1,64,000 Rohingya Muslims have entered Bangladesh, escaping from violence in the western state of Rakhine.
United Nations: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed on Tuesday for statesmanship to avoid war with North Korea and criticized world leaders who stoke resentment over refugees for political gain, two digs at U.S. President Donald Trump.

In his first address to the annual 193-member U.N. General Assembly since taking office in January, Guterres said the crisis over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program must be solved through a political process.

"This is the time for statesmanship," said the former prime minister of Portugal. "We must not sleepwalk our way into war."

Trump has warned North Korea that military action was an option for the United States as Pyongyang has carried out a series of tests toward developing the ability to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.

The U.N. Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2006 and Guterres appealed for the 15-member body to maintain its unity on North Korea.

Guterres, a former head of the U.N. refugee agency, also spoke of being "pained to see the way refugees and migrants have been stereotyped and scapegoated - and to see political figures stoke resentment in search of electoral gain."

Shortly after taking office in January, Trump moved to put a 120-day halt on the U.S. refugee program, bar Syrian refugees indefinitely and impose a 90-day suspension on people from six predominantly Muslim countries. He says the move is needed to prevent terrorist attacks.

"I myself am a migrant, as many of you are. But no-one expected me to risk my life on a leaky boat or cross a desert in the back of a truck to find employment outside my country of birth," he said. "Safe migration cannot be limited to the global elite."

Guterres also warned of the dangers of climate change and urged world leaders to implement the 2015 Paris climate agreement to reduce emissions "with ever greater ambition."

Trump, who campaigned in the 2016 presidential election on an "America First" platform, has said the United States would withdraw from the accord. Trump said it would harm U.S. industries, cost U.S. jobs, weaken American national sovereignty and put the country at a permanent disadvantage to other nations.

"It is high time to get off the path of suicidal emissions. We know enough today to act. The science is unassailable," Guterres said.

On counterterrorism, Guterres said he plans to convene next year the first gathering of heads of counterterrorism agencies of U.N. member states to forge a new international counterterrorism partnership.
The Bedford County School Board is considering naming the road near the new Liberty Middle School after former Del. Lacey Putney, Virginias longest-serving legislator who died Aug. 26 at the age of 89.

The middle school, which is being built adjacent to Liberty High School, is slated to open August 2018.

Gary Hostutler, school board chairman who represents District 4, suggested at the school boards Thursday meeting naming the road that leads from Virginia 122 (Big Island Highway), south of the high school, to the middle school after Putney.

He did so much for Bedford County after representing our county for 52 years [in the House of Delegates], Hostutler said Tuesday. Its a way to honor all of his commitments and all the things he did for Bedford County, including having a big impact on the reversion agreement, which brought about the new middle school.

Putney helped the city of Bedford revert to a town in 2013, Hostutler said, adding Putney was instrumental in helping the school district receive state funding.

As part of the reversion agreement, Bedford County Public Schools is in its fourth year of receiving about $6 million for 15 years, Hostutler said.

Weve used that extra funding to help pay for the school, Hostutler said.

Julie Bennington, school board member who represents District 5, agreed Putney helped during reversion.

Hes the reason were basically getting this middle school, Bennington said. If it wasnt for him, Im not sure wed be getting that $6 million a year.

Bennington said roads leading to other schools in the district are named to match the school, such as Eagle Circle near Boonsboro Elementary, which is named after the schools mascot.

Construction is on schedule and on budget, Bennington said. School officials toured the work site Sept. 11.

The new middle school, which will be capable of accommodating 700 to 750 students, is estimated to cost about $38 million, Bedford County Public Schools Chief Operations Officer Mac Duis said, adding as of July, the school district has paid more than $12 million in construction costs.

In the next several weeks, construction on the roof of the two-story middle school is set to be completed to protect the interior during the winter, Duis said.

That way, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and similar work can take place in a protected environment, Duis said. Some of that is already in, especially on the first floor.

Duis said school staff is working on reaching out to Putneys family to make sure they approve of the road naming. Staff also is going to reach out to the Virginia Department of Transportation because the road will be a state road.

Duis said the schools policy to name a facility after someone who died is to wait 10 years after their death, but this is a state road so it doesnt fall under that requirement.
I WILL SHOOT HIM

In the end, the man was coerced into dropping his weapon and was arrested. The student hostage, though extremely traumatised, was unharmed.

The gunman was taken to the Maloney Police Station while his estranged girlfriend who is 20 and a student of the school was taken to the Malabar Police Station where she gave investigators a statement.

The 17-year-old student hostage was taken to hospital for treatment.

The woman told police that she had recently ended a relationship with the 32-year-old suspect who followed her as she left her Arima home and entered the maxi taxi that she boarded, all the while accusing her of being unfaithful and also of giving him a disease. The woman said she left the maxi taxi and boarded another, eventually making her way to the MIC Institute of Technologys OMeara compound.

The man arrived later at the school and a heated argument took place as he threatened to shoot her.

The police were contacted and a shoot-out ensued between the suspect and officers. The man later grabbed the 17-year-old student and a stand-off ensued. The suspect kept his gun to the students head, using the teens body as a shield from the officers.

A video recording showing the hostage drama was later uploaded to social media. In the video, the suspect shouts obscenities at the officers all the while crouching behind the teen and keeping the gun to his head.

Police come and I take a student hostage, ok? I have a gun too and is only allyuh could save him (the student) because if police step bad, I will shoot this one here, the man shouts. I will shoot him, he reiterates as a voice is heard in the video telling him to cool down.

Aye! Tell them police to move! I am seeing two police over there, the suspects then shouts. The video then ends. While this was taking place, other students began running in different directions to seek a hiding place away from the gunman.

Police officers led by Cpl De Leon of the Arima Police Station later talked the suspect into dropping the pistol and surrendering.

Police said the pistol contained three rounds of nine-millimetre ammunition and was unlicensed.

The mans ex-girlfriend who was sobbing in an office, was taken in another police vehicle to the Malabar police station where she gave a statement and was receiving counselling up to press time.

Snr Supt Daniel along with Supt David, ASP Edwards, Inspector Birch and others visited the school and commended Cpl De Leon and other officers for ensuring no bloodbath took place. Students said when they saw the suspect grab the teenager, many ran and hid in classrooms and offices.

It is something you would see on American news, where some crazy person invades a school and there is mass murder. I never thought this would happen in little Trinidad and Tobago. This is the first time, I witnessed something like this. It was scary, said a student who asked not to be identified. Police sources said they could not recall a similar incident taking place locally and as such officers who responded had to use common-sense in speaking with the suspect as they are not trained in hostage negotiations. A report on the incident is expected to be sent to Education Minister Anthony Garcia. ASP Mervyn Edwards is investigating.

A release from the MIT Institute of Technology yesterday said staff is assisting police in their investigations.

Calling the incident an isolated one, the school said that just after 9 am, staff alerted officers of the La Horquetta, San Raphael, Arima and Pinto Road police stations when the armed intruder was seen arguing with the female trainee outside the compound.

The MIC, the release stated, has called a meeting for Thursday to discuss the incident with parents whose children attend the OMeara Technology Centre, while the Employee Assistance Programme remains in effect for all employees and Trainees.
Rowley hits corrupt Port

He told the Joint Select Committee on Land and Physical Infrastructure yesterday at the Office of the Parliament that his familiarity with the operations of the management of the port before and after he became Prime Minister has led him to the conclusion that it is an area of darkness into which some severe lighting needs to be shone. What has happened overtime at the port, he said, is that certain practices, conflicts, irregularities and indifference have developed on the port and its operations.

In any rectification, he said, there would be those who would want to vigorously defend the status quo, and even defend themselves because as bad as the situation is, it works very well for them.

Noting that the port spends a large amount of money to obtain goods and in particular services, he said, the arrangement in which public money is being spent to make these services available has attracted a certain kind of behaviour and response which is worrisome.

Unhappy about the situation, he said, he took certain steps to address it including commissioning a one-man investigation into the procurement process of the cargo vessel the Cabo Star to replace the Superfast Galicia, as well as, the passenger vessel, the Ocean Flower 2.

The report of the one man investigation done by businessman Christian Mouttet, he said, he will make available to the Parliament by way of the JSC, and to the Attorney General for further advice. The Mouttet report, he said, is a compendium of documents that could assist any proper investigation.

If there is any rectification, and worse, if there is any accountability of persons to be held accountable at any stage, he said, there will be evidence if it is likely to end up in a court of law. Noting that the issue of procurement of vessels for the sea bridge has been engaging the public since April 2014 with the search to replace the Warrior Spirit, Rowley said, documents showed that in operations at the port the procurement exercise for a new vessel morphed into the attorney who was hired to give legal advice became the searcher, and when five vessels were found, the attorney sought to advice on which should be chosen.

The lawyer subsequently became a supplier of the vessel, the Galicia, by way of agent.

This contract, he said, involved many tens of millions of dollars. This was just one incident that convinced him there was wrong doing or corrupt practice taking place on the port.

That way of doing business, he said, continued until April 2016 under two governments and under three boards.

During that time several attempts to go out for tender were aborted. All extensions to contracts were without tendering and all tender processes were frustrated.

This and similar interests at the port, he said, had the effect of fracturing the board and dividing the management into camps as to who was for and against certain decisions. Even with a new minister in place in 2016, he said, the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago was putting to Government that the arrangement of the a five-year $300-million a year contract by the principals of the Galicia failing which they would pull the vessel from service.

This is a procurement process to which no Government of Trinidad and Tobago should subscribe, and no Government should find itself in a situation where a supplier of a service or goods could tell a Government that, I am going to do this on these terms failing which I will make trouble for you, he said.

The Government which I lead will in no way be so blackmailed. He said a lot is happening at the port beyond the ferry issue and all are having a negative impact on it as its business contracts into oblivion as the ports in Jamaica and Santo Domingo takes over its business. There is also at present, he said, a questionable procurement of tractor/trucks.

Taking responsibility for the current fiasco involving the questionable acquisition of the Cabo Star and the Ocean Flower 2, Rowley it just goes to show how the management of the port misled the board, which in turn misled the minister with responsibility for the port and who in turn misled Cabinet.

He also apologised to the people of Tobago who have been inconvenienced, saying that out of this issue, they should come a better service.
A&V apologises to media

The company, which is at the centre of a fake oil scandal involving state owned oil company Petrotrin, has also invited journalists to a tour of its operations in Penal.

The invitation was contained in a media release yesterday issued by the law firm of Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, which is representing A & V Oil and Gas Limited in its legal battle with Petrotrin.

Petrotrin has since stopped payments to the company following an audit report which detailed alleged discrepancies.

The statement was signed by A & V Oil and Gas Limited chief executive officer, Hanif Baksh.

The company has received legal advice from its attorneys and notwithstanding the strict legal rights which exist for the enjoyment of ones property, the company tenders its apologies and accepts that it has an obligation in this matter to cooperate with the media to facilitate and provide to the media and to the public, information in respect of the allegations levelled against it, the company stated.

The company noted that the allegations regarding the fake oil scandal involve the expenditure of public funds by a state owned company in which the public had a vested right to know the relevant facts and to make its assessment regarding said allegations.

The media tour has been carded for September 21 at the companys Nazim Avenue, San Francique, Penal base.

A press conference is also expected to be held on September 23 where the companys attorneys, together with an official with technical knowledge, will answer questions. The fake oil scandal was made public by UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar during an address at a meeting of the UNC on September 10.

The Prime Minister, speaking last week on the fake oil issue, publicly confirmed that Baksh is his friend. The PM also vowed that whether friend or not, PNM or not, anyone caught in corruption and fraud will have to account.

Reading from a copy of an internal audit report prepared by Petrotrin, Persad-Bissessar said the audit team had concluded that a lease operator at the Catskill field defrauded the company of almost $100 million by inflating its oil production figures.

Meanwhile, the TT Publishers & Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) said it has noted with great concern the pattern of treatment being meted out toward journalists. In a media release yesterday, the association stated, We reaffirm that it is our responsibility to protect and preserve the right of citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to know.

As such, we view an infringement against our practitioners as an infringement against freedom of speech and freedom of information. The Association is calling on law enforcement to investigate these matters saying it will continue to monitor these situations in defence of the free media.
Annisette denies sex claim

Moruga MP Dr Lovell Francis said workers are alleging serious abuses by a SWWTU-owned firm that cleans and caters on the inter-island ferries. Annisette said sex-for-work claims about the company, were once told to Tobago House of Assembly (THA) former head Orville London, who later profusely apologized to him (Annisette) upon learning this was untrue.

Annisette said, People will say anything in Trinidad when they cant get their own way.

Thats part of life, and I was warned about that, but I have a responsibility as President of the union. I live a certain lifestyle. I have 12 children, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Francis pressed, We have testimony Mr Annisette that says you have been a perpetrator of unwanted sexual advances from a number of female workers. Annisette replied, That was told to Mr London too and when the facts were cleared he apologized to me profusely. He said persons who arent hired falsely allege that those hired, are with the boss. There is somebody up there who is greater than all of us, the seer and knower of everything, and I leave that in his hands. That will never bother me because I can sleep easily at night. Toco/Sangre Grande MP Glenda Jennings-Smith asked about reports of his firm not paying maternity benefit, adding, Do you have something against women employees? Annisette replied by referring to the JSCs previous sitting on the sea-bridge. I listened to you when you were questioning a young lady, and I was disappointed.

Disappointed because I respected you and I know that you are a mother and I am a father and the question that you asked that young lady was whether or not you and Mr Annisette had a personal relationship, which I though had no bearing here. He related the unions good works such as settling workers claims, paying medical care for workers, building houses for members at Valsayn and buying schoolbooks for youngsters.

No amount of sexual harassment talk could debase that.
Armour: Systemic errors led to High Court judge appointment

However, he added, There is clearly room for a lot of correction but I dont think we should pull the entire administration of justice down to correct those systemic errors. Armour made these comments to reporters following a service at the Trinity Cathedral in Portof- Spain,which formed part of the ceremonial opening of the 2017-2018 law term.

Asked to comment on the issue of accountability in the Judiciary in response to the topic being raised during the service by former Canadian High Commissioner to TT, Gerard Latulippe, Armour replied, We all have to put shoulder to the wheel. All of us have a role to play and we would play that role better by participating rather than by declining to participate. While the interior of the cathedral was not filled during the service, Armour said, I thought it was a decent turnout. Armour could not tell whether or not the number of lawyers in the cathedral for the service meant there was any kind of boycott of the law term opening by lawyers.  I cant judge quite frankly because I dont normally come to the church. I usually go to the Convocation Hall in the Hall of Justice, he said. Armour added this was the first time in five years he had attended the service.

On Latulippes remarks that in Canada, a chief justice can file a complaint against a judge, Armour said, Canada has its own constitutional framework as does TT. He explained that in TT,  there is quite an evolved, elaborate process for disciplining judges under Section 137 of our Constitution. Armour reminded reporters,The Chief Justice is not the person to discipline judges. He said Section 137 of the Constitution states, this role is performed by a tribunal which subsequently makes recommendations to the President. While admitting there will always be room for improvement, Armour said, That will have to be done by constitutional amendment.

While he was uncertain that such a question arose on that issue at this time, Armour said the legal profession,  would be prepared to contribute to a full lively discussion on what ultimately will be constitutional amendments. President Anthony Carmona, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and his wife Sharon, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, Speaker of the House of Representatives Bridgid Annisette-George, Senate President Christine Kangaloo and Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Fitzgerald Hinds attended the service. Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was absent.

In his address, Latulippe noted TTs high crime rates and said it was time to reset this countrys criminal justice system. He praised Chief Justice Ivor Archie, Al-Rawi and Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard for taking meaningful steps in this direction.
Reduce disorder and wickedness

He told the congregation, which included President Anthony Carmona and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, We have used Gods gift for selfish means and it has destroyed us. Observing there continues to be a perception of rampant corruption and an inability to regulate many functions of governance, Berkley lamented that people in TT are constantly creating conundrum after conundrum. In passing reference to troubles with the domestic seabridge, Berkley remarked, We can hardly buy a boat. Rowley was scheduled later in the day to appear before the Land and Physical Infrastructure Joint Select Committee at Tower D of the Port International Waterfront Centre, as part of its enquiry into the seabridge. Berkely said he hoped that in the new law term, the Judiciary will be able to help the country to restrain this trend of envy and self-ambition.

Earlier in the service, Justice Andre des Vignes prayed that, attorneys who practice in our courts will be honest and trustworthy. He hoped the population would once again experience integrity, fairness and humble service from all members of the judicial system. Des Vignes prayed for Chief Justice Ivor Archie, as he continues to discharge his responsibilities as the leader of the Judiciary. Attorney Iyawo Ogunsola Tempu Nefertari-Moheni lamented, We are still failing to adequately protect our children. She prayed that members of the judicial system and the society as a whole, would open their eyes and their intellect, to culturally relevant solutions to the social issues that feed criminal activity in this nation.
Smiling Aussie cop directs traffic in Sdo

Little, is in Trinidad until September 25, as a part of a peace initiative pilot project which was initiated by the Rotary Club of Princes Town in partnership with the San Fernando City Corporation, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Mediation Board of Trinidad and Tobago.

Prior to the launch of the project at the San Fernando City Auditorium, Little, who is also a Rotary Global History Fellowship Hero, was joined by police of the Southern Division as he directed traffic at Library Corner and interacted with citizens whose curiosity was aroused by the unusual sight of this commanding Caucasian male, dressed in the uniform of the Australian constabulary directing them what to do.

Snr Supt Zamsheed Mohammed of the Southern Division, who was also on the exercise, remarked, this initiative can strengthen the relationship between the police and the general public. Here we have a smiling policeman all the way from Australia who is demonstrating just by a mere, continuous smile can bring a closer knit between the police and the people. We need more smiling officers, the cop said as he broke out in a smile.

The usually serious faced cop promised to try his best to keep on smiling, noting, sometimes, it is the simpliest things that could generate so much impact and something we dont pay heed to . His colleague Ag ACP Mc Donald Jacob, who is a trained mediator, also welcomed the initiative to promote peace in the society. Jacob said while the police are always dealing with crime from an arrest and taking before the courts perspective, it is important that they are continuously trained to deal with basic conflict resolution and interact with the community in a more friendly manner.

If this is positively promoted, I believe we would have a reduction in conflict in the society, that could result in the reduction of crime. This is quite beneficial to the TTPS. While Jacob pointed out that the majority of police were friendly in their dealings with the public, he was reminded about one police officer who is now under investigation for an alleged attack against a media photographer. While not commenting on the particular issue, Jacob said some situations could usually result in people acting in a particular manner.

Little, who in his discourse asked the public to trust the police for their initiative to work, also responded to questions from the local media that trust was lacking.

He said in Australia when there is a bad egg in the police, we are the first to condemn it. Believe me, we do not enjoy having criminals in uniforms among us. We are very harsh on them. We believe in zero tolerance for corrupt police. Little also weighed on the attack against journalists, saying they were putting their lives at great risk to get the stories and warned them to be careful.
The government made a major climb-down yesterday, saying todays war veterans meeting, which was meant to elect a new executive for the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), was no longer elective, but a general indaba to discuss their welfare.

War Veterans ministry permanent secretary Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi said the government had no business to convene an

extraordinary congress for the former fighters. This came less than a week after he indicated that the meeting was to enable the former fighters to elect new leadership to replace the Christopher Mutsvangwa-led executive.
The death of mysterious prophet Madzibaba Wimbos fourth wife, has sparked security concerns among a rival church group that his sons could use the funeral to snatch away their father who is at the centre of a serious brawl pitting his family against a section of senior church leaders.



Wimbo  the head of the Mount Darwin-based Johane Masowe Vadzidzi Vajesu Church  is famed for having allegedly foretold 60 years ago that Zimbabwe would be led by a man with the name of an angel, Gabriel, with the prophecy allegedly coming to pass when President Robert Mugabe, whose middle name is Gabriel, rose to power in April 1980.



There is a nasty battle to succeed the seer with one group keeping him away from the family compound where his family has alleged it is against his will because of factional problems devouring Zanu PF.



Wimbos fourth wife, Lenca, died on Saturday.

According to Shepherd Chingwena, the spokesperson of the 94-year-old prophet, she suffered a stroke on Saturday and was rushed to Mt Darwin Hospital where she died.

It is with much sadness that I have to announce that our mother Lenca, the wife of MIGS (Wimbo) has died.



We know that our rivals might try to disturb the funeral so we are appealing to everyone who is part of our security to leave whatever they are doing and come to the funeral, Chingwena said.



The late wife is the only one who had access to Wimbo, who has been separated from the rest of the family since 2015.



In July last year, Mugabe was forced to intervene in the dispute, including holding a lengthy meeting in Bindura with Wimbos family and his security chiefs, in a desperate bid to get to the bottom of, and to resolve the long-running abduction saga of the popular prophet.

Mugabe subsequently set up a ministerial committee headed by State Security minister Kembo Mohadi, to try and break the impasse over Wimbo, and to investigate the claims of thuggery by the soldiers at the shrine.



The ministerial team also included the ministers of Defence and Home Affairs, Sydney Sekeramayi and Ignatius Chombo, respectively. Daily News
Mystery surrounds MDC president Morgan Tsvangirais emergency trip to South Africa amid swirling speculation that President Robert Mugabes government paid for his chartered medical ambulance.



Highly-placed sources told the Daily News yesterday that government paid for Tsvangirais trip although it was not clear whether it had done so because of his status as former prime minister or it was a bail-out.





Tsvangirai has previously been assisted by Mugabes government to foot his medical bills in South Africa where he has been undergoing chemotherapy for the cancer of colon which he publicly disclosed last year.



Mugabes Cabinet gave $70 000 to Tsvangirai to foot his medical bills.

While former presidents and vice presidents are entitled to all the benefits accorded to sitting president and vice presidents  including pensions and holiday allowances  there is no specific mention of the prime minister.



Tsvangirai still lives in a government house that was bought for him when he was still prime minister during the inclusive government era and has had to fend off attempts by Zanu PF hawks to have him evicted.





Sources insisted yesterday that it was government which had received an order from the top to charter a plane for the MDC president.



They said Tsvangirai was flown to South Africa around 2:00am with the help of one of Mugabes relatives with an aviation background.





The MDC leader allegedly used a plane that was being flown by a friend of this Mugabe relative who had just flown some businessman to Harare from Chiredzi.



Tsvangirai  who has been picked to represent Zimbabwes opposition alliance in the presidential election expected early next year, his fourth time as a presidential candidate  was rushed to the Harare International Airport in an ambulance, before boarding a private plane to neighbouring South Africa early on Friday morning.





He was said to be on a stretcher bed when he was taken onto the private plane.

The social democrat, who has dominated Zimbabwean opposition politics since the formation of the MDC in 1999, was first diagnosed with cancer of the colon in June last year and has been undergoing treatment in South Africa.





Tsvangirai  who was Zimbabwes prime minister in an uneasy coalition government with the 93-year-old Mugabe from 2009 until 2013  has said after repeated cycles of treatment, he was fully fit at a crucial time when his health is the main wild card before the crucial 2018 presidential vote.



Transport minister Joram Gumbo told the Daily News that Tsvangirais private jet was allowed to ferry him from the Harare International Airport as government had a special waiver for smaller aircrafts in emergency medical situations.



There is a facility at the airport that caters for medical emergencies, but I am not sure who facilitated it (Tsvangirais trip), Gumbo said yesterday.



Tsvangirais spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka, said he could not disclose the source of funding for his boss.



We cannot get into that this is not the first time he has travelled to South Africa. If you believe that he was given assistance by government then you can believe anything.



This morning, he was in high spirits, they are some people who want to cause despondency and make their own statements, said Tamborinyoka.





Yesterday, Tamborinyoka said Tsvangirai was in a stable condition.

A senior MDC official who asked not to be named said although the party had received some funding from government it is still broke and could not afford to hire a plane at short notice for its leader.





However, MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu said although they have resource constraints they did everything to ensure that he travelled to South Africa, adding that they had received funds under the Political Parties Finance Act.



Our president is well-catered for by the party and we facilitated his travel, he is our leader. We received some money a few weeks ago, yes. But I am not at liberty to disclose how much exactly we received from Treasury, said Gutu.





Under the Political Parties Finance Act, any political party that secures at least five percent of the total votes cast is entitled to receive funding from Treasury.



Currently, only Zanu PF and the MDC are recipients of the funding.

The MDC is currently drowning in debt and recently had its property attached over a $108 000 debt owed to former employees.



The property was saved from going under the hammer after the High Court stayed the auction. Daily News
The Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria entered the fray on Tuesday in the case between Zimbabwes First Lady Grace Mugabe and the model she allegedly assaulted.





Civil rights group AfriForum acting on behalf of Gabriella Engels brought an application at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday to add Mugabe as a respondent to the case.





This is because Mugabe does not live in South Africa.





AfriForum want the court to review the decision by the South African government to grant diplomatic immunity to Mugabe. They also want the court to declare that the decision to grant Mugabe immunity does not mean she will not be prosecuted.





Adv Simba Chitando representing the Zimbabwean embassy opposed the application and said they want to join the case as an intervening party.





The question of the Zimbabwean embassys legal authority (locus standi) was central to Tuesdays proceedings.





Chitando wanted to know why AfriForum want to serve a notice of their application to the Presidency.





Adv Etienne Labuschagne SC representing AfriForum said the Presidency is where the president including Grace lives and is not the office of the Presidency where Mugabe works. He added this is the best place to ensure Grace receives the notice.





We are not dealing with someone who needs to be traced. Chitando said if they want to serve the notice to the president it does not matter if they do at the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria or in Harare.





Chitando said AfriForum did not follow the legal procedure to serve a notice abroad and they should have first established Graces address.





Labuschagne argued this did not show the Zimbabwean embassy has locus standi but that their arguments were as an amicus curiae (friend of the court).





Engels has accused Mugabe of assaulting her and two friends at the Capital West 20 Hotel in Sandton Johannesburg on August 13.





In her founding affidavit Engels details how she and her friends visited "acquaintances" when Grace burst in with her bodyguards. Engels and her friends were visiting Mugabe's sons Chatunga and Robert jnr.





Grace Mugabe, has denied assaulting South African model Gabriella Engels with an electric cable in a Johannesburg hotel suite ...





Engels alleges Mugabe hit her with an electric cord with a plug at the end over her forehead. She said in her affidavit the hit caused a gash which has serious repercussions for my appearance and my professional career as a model.





She also had bruising on her thighs. Mugabe in a statement denied assaulting Engels saying an "intoxicated and unhinged" Engels had attacked her with a knife.





Mugabe said she had intervened on behalf of her sons who were "in trouble with a drunken young woman".





Gabriella and her mother Debbie were at court alongside AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel.





Debbie said Mugabes claims are "utter lies". "She is going to have to prove that in court  How can my daughter attack her with a knife when shes got so many bodyguards?"




Install the Newser News app

in two easy steps:

1. Tap in your navigation bar.

2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.




Authorities say a man has been charged with killing a Massachusetts middle school teacher's aide 25 years ago, the AP reports. Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said Monday that Gary Schara, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, was arrested in Connecticut and charged with the April 1992 death of Lisa Ziegert. Gulluni says a person close to Schara recently provided police with handwritten documents in which the man admitted raping and killing Ziegert. The district attorney says authorities later obtained a DNA sample that matched evidence found on her body.

Ziegert was working her night job at a gift shop when she disappeared. Her body was found four days later in a wooded area nearby; she had been raped and stabbed, CBS News reports. She had told her sister and others she felt she was being watched in the days leading up to her disappearance. Authorities say Schara first popped up on their radar in 1993 in relation to the case, though they wouldn't say why. "We have a sense of why he did it, yes," Gulluni told reporters. Ziegert's mother says her family is grateful to finally obtain justice. (Read more cold cases stories.)
Two inmates, including a convicted murderer, have escaped from Mississippi's largest prison, the AP reports. Officials say the escapees are armed and dangerous. The Mississippi Department of Corrections said Monday that 41-year-old James Sanders and 22-year-old Ryan Young broke out from the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Corrections officials believe they escaped their unit between late Sunday and early Monday, when they were discovered missing. Sanders was sentenced to life in prison in 2000 following a Lafayette County murder conviction. Young was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2015 after being convicted of burglarizing a vehicle and a residence, grand larceny, and being a convicted felon possessing a gun.

Anyone with information is asked to call local police, or the Department of Corrections at 662-745-6611, ext. 4200. (Meanwhile, in Arkansas, an inmate was recaptured after his second escape in five weeks.)
The FBI was listening in on Paul Manafort's conversations long before he became chief of the Trump campaign and it wiretapped him again as part of the investigation of alleged Russian election meddling, source say. The insiders tell CNN that Manafort was initially wiretapped under a secret court order in 2014 in connection with his work as a consultant in Ukraine. That investigation was dropped last year, apparently because there wasn't enough evidence to bring charges, the sources say, but the wiretapping resumed under another secret order which, like the first, was issued under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

It isn't clear when the second court order was issued, but the warrant extended until at least early this year, long after Manafort parted ways with the Trump campaign, the sources say. They say evidence collected suggests Manafort encouraged the Russians to help the Trump campaignthough the evidence is not conclusive. The New York Times, citing sources including lawyers and witnesses, reports that federal agents, apparently fearing Manafort would destroy evidence, picked a lock and entered without warning when they raided his Virginia home in July. The sources say that after the raid, special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutor warned Manafort that they planned to indict him. (Mueller has made a move that could be very bad news for Manafort.)
An Arizona man claims he's finally learned his lesson about messing around with snakes after getting bitten for the second time in his life. Victor Pratt, 48, was holding a birthday party for his kid at home in Coolidge, Ariz., on Sept. 7 when he picked up a rattlesnake and began playing with it, Fox 10 reports. "When the kids saw it, I grabbed it," Pratt says. "I showed them how to catch it and I was playing with it like little kids do." After posing for several photos, Pratt lost his grip on the snake's head and the reptile bit him on the neck and face. The snakebite veteran had the presence of mind to ask friends to rush him to the hospital. "I said, 'We gotta go now,' because I knew what was going to happen," said Pratt. He was intubated and sedated for five days.

Had Pratt not gotten to the hospital when he did, he could have been dead within 30 minutes, doctors say. "Ain't gonna play with snakes no more," he says. Pratt claims he doesn't remember anything from his time under sedation, not even when he was moved from Coolidge to a bigger facility in Phoenix, USA Today reports. Doctors say that kind of memory loss is common in people being treated for venomous snakebites, as the drugs used to keep victims sedated, and therefore unable to pull the breathing tube out of their tracheas, prevent the brain from forming memories. (Read more snake bite stories.)
A police car was set ablaze and two officers were injured at Georgia Tech Monday night after a vigil for a student shot dead by police was followed by violence. Police say three people were arrested and charged with inciting a riot and battery of an officer, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. After the vigil for Scout Schultz, leader of the school's Pride Alliance, dozens of protesters marched to campus police headquarters, chanting "Justice now" and "This is not OK," CNN reports. Police say Schultzwho identified as non-binary and preferred the pronoun "they"was shot after refusing to drop a knife. The student's parents say they don't understand why lethal force had to be used.

In a statement released through attorney Chris Stewart, Schultz's parents asked that "those who wish to protest Scout's death do so peacefully," the AP reports. "Answering violence with violence is not the answer," they said. Schultz was shot Saturday night after police received a call about somebody with a knife and possibly a gun. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Monday that it was Schultz who made the 911 call. The GBI said three suicide notes were found in the 21-year-old's dorm room. Stewart says that Schultz was suicidal and having a "full breakdown," but that the blade on the utility tool Schultz was holding was not extended and the officer who fired overreacted by shooting somebody who was not a threat. (Read more Georgia Tech stories.)
Donald Trump Jr. wants his privacy so much that, as of last week, he's given up his Secret Service protection, sources tell the New York Times and CNN. It's not clear whether his wife, Vanessa, and five children are also giving up their protections (though Fox News says Vanessa is), but the Times notes that not having Trump Jr. in its sights will mean "relief" for the Secret Service, which has been stretched thin by the big job of protecting President Trump's large extended family. The New York Daily News notes both Trump Jr. and brother Eric have traveled to places like Dubai and Vancouver with their security detail, which some have criticized as a burden on taxpayers. One source, however, tells CNN that Trump Jr. giving up his protections is a "huge risk" and "stupid decision," while an ex-member of former President Obama's detail tells the Washington Post the move is "shocking" and "negligent."

Sources tell CNN Trump Jr. "demanded" the Secret Service back off during a family trip to the Bahamas in June, despite the Secret Service "strongly [pushing] back" on that request. The Secret Service is required to protect the president's immediate family, unless it's told not to. The agency is staying mum. "To ensure the safety and security of our protectees and their families, we will not confirm who is currently receiving Secret Service protection," a spokeswoman says. The president's other children will reportedly keep their Secret Service protections, but one West Wing staffer is following Trump Jr.'s move: Kellyanne Conway, who'd been receiving Secret Service protection per the president's mandate after she received death threats when she first started working in the White House; those threats have since apparently died down, a source tells the Times. (Read more Donald Trump Jr. stories.)
South African prosecutors wanted Oscar Pistorius to spend 15 years in jail for the 2013 murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. A judge ended up sentencing him in July 2016 to just six, and now state prosecutors are appealing in a quest to make his "shockingly low" sentence less so. Reuters reports that the appeal will be heard by the country's Supreme Court of Appeal on Nov. 3.

A rep for the National Prosecuting Authority had this to say: "We stipulate clearly that the sentence imposed is shockingly low. The presiding officer has the discretion to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence when compelling and substantial circumstances exist. But ... with this matter, the presiding officer exercised that discretion in a very lenient manner." The Telegraph in 2016 quoted one of Pistorius' attorneys as saying the double-amputee athlete would serve "between half and two thirds" of the six years before applying for parole. The AP reports prosecutors want the sentence to be upped to 15 years. (Ahead of his 2016 sentencing, Pistorius said Steenkamp wouldn't want him jailed for long.)
With a mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims sparking accusations of ethnic cleansing, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday said her country does not fear international scrutiny and invited diplomats to see some areas for themselves, reports the AP. Though an estimated 421,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in less than a month as their villages burned and hundreds were killed, the "great majority" of Muslims within the conflict zone stayed and "more than 50% of their villages were intact," the Nobel Peace laureate said. "Nevertheless we are concerned to hear that numbers of Muslims are fleeing across the border to Bangladesh," she added. Visiting diplomats could help the government "understand why this exodus is happening."

Russian and Chinese diplomats praised the offer, but rights groups were far more critical, repeating charges of ethnic cleansing as an estimated 20,000 people continue to flow into Bangladesh every day. In her first address to the nation since the violence erupted, Suu Kyi said "there have been no armed clashes and there have been no clearance operations" for the past two weeks and Rohingya would be allowed to return to Myanmar if they passed a "verification" process. But the founder of the Arakan Project says government rules for verifying Rohingya as citizens are too strict, requiring documents dating back decades that were likely destroyed when homes burned. In any case, Rohingya have nowhere to go in Myanmar except "segregated camps," he said. (Read more Myanmar stories.)
Karl-Heinz Borchardt is a lecturer at Germany's University of Greifswald. But 47 years ago, he was an 18-year-old being removed from his family's home in East Germany and hauled off to jail by the secret police. Borchardt's crime? Writing letters to his favorite radio program. The BBC looks at Letters Without Signatures, a program it ran for 25 years during the Cold War, and how the Stasi doggedly hunted down East Germans like Borchardt who dared write to it. "The letters are authentic and unfiltered," an expert on Letters Without Signatures says of the program. "The writers knew there was no censorship here and they spoke from their hearts." For Borchardt, being able to express his true thoughts was "like coming up for air."

Borchardt wrote his first letter as a 16-year-old in 1968, hiding it underneath his homework in his family's living room. He would write three more letters before the Stasi found him. The East German secret police took saliva samples and fingerprints from the letters they managed to intercept. But it was his handwriting that betrayed Borchardt. In 1970, his class was told to write an essay about their life goals. The essays were turned over to the Stasi and compared to handwriting from the illegal letters. Borchardt was taken from his home on the last day of summer vacation. He spent eight months in isolation in jail before being convicted of "attempted subversive activities" and sentenced to two years in a youth prison. Read the full story, including how Letters Without Signatures got its letters and why Borchardt never left East Germany, here. (Read more East Germany stories.)
Good news for Amazon shoppers who hate having to deal with returns: Kohl's is starting to accept certain Amazon returns in certain stores. Starting in October, select merchandise will be accepted at 82 stores in Los Angeles and Chicago, Reuters reports. There will be no charge for returning items to Kohl's "regardless of return reason," per a press release; Kohl's workers will package the items up and ship them to Amazon. Customers can also now return certain Amazon items to Whole Foods stores following Amazon's acquisition of the grocery chain, CNBC reports. (Read more Kohl's stories.)
It's a story of devastating loss followed by one of incredible kindness, and it's a story that belongs to Dr. Mary-Claire King. Part of The Moth's latest book, it's reprinted by the HuffPost UK and takes place in April 1981, just days before King was scheduled to fly to Washington, DC, to do something the young scientist had never done before: present in front of the National Institutes of Health in hopes of securing a hefty five-year research grant. The Sunday before that flight, her husband told her he was leaving her and departing for Costa Rica with the woman he now loved. On Monday afternoon, King and her 5-year-old, Emily, returned to their Berkeley home to find it ransacked. She explains that she couldn't tell what had been taken from the home by her husband and what had been stolen by the robbers.

Her mother arrived on Tuesday, intending to watch King's daughter while King headed east. But her mom became "extremely agitated" over the split, berated King for thinking it was appropriate to leave Emily, and said she was returning to Chicago. King decided to pass on the presentation, and called her mentor to tell him so. Enter kindness No. 1: He told her he would immediately secure a plane ticket for Emily and watch her himself in DC, then hung up and arranged it. At the airport, King needed to help her mother get to her plane but risked missing her own. "Emily and I will be fine," said the man behind them in line. It was Joe DiMaggio, who watched the girl for 25 minutes until King returned. They made the plane, and King got her grant, which kicked off research that "has become the story of inherited breast cancer and the beginning of the project that became BRCA1." (Read more BRCA1 stories.)
A retired barber who murdered a urologist inside his Southern California office in 2013 over a 21-year-old grudge was sentenced Friday to life in prison plus 10 years without the possibility of parole, the Los Angeles Times reports. In 1992, Ronald Gilbertthen a medical resident at the veterans hospital in Long Beachworked with other doctors to diagnose Stanwood Elkus, who was dealing with frequent urination, with a narrowing of the urethra. Two other doctors at the VA ultimately performed a simple urethra-widening surgery without Gilbert; Elkus firmly believed the surgery was botched and damaged his prostate, the Orange County Register reports, causing incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and diminished sex drive, all of which led his longtime girlfriend to leave him. A DA on the case told jurors that Elkus held a grudge against Gilbert over the incident.

More than two decades later, Elkuswho had often seethed about his medical issues in the ensuing years "to anyone who would listen," per the Registerused a fake name to make an appointment with Gilbert on Jan. 28, 2013, at his Newport Beach office, where he entered the exam room and shot him 10 times, killing him. The now-79-year-old pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but jurors found that he was sane and convicted him last month of first-degree murder. Per KTLA, jurors also affirmed a special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait. That, along with a sentencing enhancement allegation of personal use of a gun, added 10 years to his sentence. "The world was robbed of a model citizen  our children were robbed of an amazing father," said Elizabeth Gilbert, Ronald Gilbert's wife, at the sentencing hearing, recalling her husband's death just days before his 53rd birthday. (Read more murder stories.)
This probably isn't the top priority for law enforcement, but it's got to be at least No. 2. CBS Denver reports a female jogger has been terrorizing a Colorado Springs neighborhood with random acts of pooping for nearly two months. "'Are you really taking a poop right here in front of my kids?'" Cathy Budde says she asked the woman. "Shes like, Yeah, sorry.' Budde says she and her family have caught the woman in the act three times and have dubbed her the "Mad Pooper." (This is a reference to Bob's Burgers, and it's highly suggested you listen to this while reading the rest of this story.) KMGH reports the mystery jogger has pooped in multiple yards, and KKTV states she's also been seen pooping in an area Walgreens. Witnesses say she brings her own toilet paper.

Budde says she put up a sign asking the woman to please stop pooping in public. "She ran by it like 15 times yesterday, and she still pooped," says Budde, who believes the woman is doing it on purpose since there are public restrooms nearby. Now the police are getting involved, asking for help identifying the Mad Pooper, who could be charged with indecent exposure and public defecation. "It's abnormal," Sgt. Johnathan Sharketti tells CBS. "For someone to repeatedly do such a thing  its uncharted territory for me. The story has left Deadspin with a few questions: "Is she a world-class crapper, who can shit dozens of times a day and therefore needs the variety? Is she motivated by some animal instinct to befoul as much of the city as physiologically possible? ... Is this revenge?" (There's something off-putting about this Denny's mascot.)
Police have arrested a 23-year-old white man who allegedly killed two black men and fired shots into the home of a black family over the past two weeks in Louisiana, the AP reports. Kenneth Gleason, who was arrested Tuesday in Baton Rouge on suspicion of first-degree murder, was tied to the three shootings via DNA on shell casings and other evidence, authorities say. "It appears to be cold, calculated, planned (against) people who were unarmed and defenseless," DA Hillar Moore says of the murders. He adds the death penalty may be on the table. A search of the house where Gleason lives with his parents turned up a speech by Hitler, as well as marijuana and human growth hormone. According to the Washington Post, an attorney says Gleason "strongly denies the allegations."

Authorities say Gleason fired multiple shots into the home of a black family Sept. 11. No one was injured, and it's unclear if Gleason knew the family. He allegedly shot and killed a 59-year-old homeless man Sept. 12 and a 49-year-old dishwasher Sept. 14. He didn't know either of the victims, and police have yet to say if the killings were racially motivated. Gleason was named a person of interest in the shootings and arrested Saturday on drug charges. He was released Sunday on bond only to be arrested again Monday for allegedly stealing a copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy from a bookstore last week, the Advocate reports. He was released Tuesday on bond before being re-arrested on the murder charges. Police Chief Jonny Dunnam says Gleason's arrest likely saved lives: "I feel confident that this killer would have killed again." (Read more murder stories.)
Sorry!

This content is not available in your region
U.S. President Donald Trump says he long ago recognized the promise of the United Nations when he chose a spot across the street to build a residential tower.

"I actually saw great potential right across the street, to be honest with you," Trump told leaders gathered to support overhauling the UN system. "It was only for the reason that the United Nations was here that it turned out to be such a successful project," he said referencing his Trump World Tower, which sits across from the UN complex.

The American president made his UN debut Monday, speaking at a U.S.-hosted meeting on reforming how the world body is managed, which was held on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly.

"We encourage the secretary-general to fully use his authority to cut through bureaucracy, reform outdated systems, and make firm decisions to advance the UN's core mission," Trump said. He added that the focus should be more on results than process.

The United Nations, with its multibillion-dollar annual budget, numerous peacekeeping missions and bloated staff, has been a target of Trump's criticism for years.

"To honor the people of our nations, we must ensure that no one and no member state shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden, and that's militarily or financially," the president added.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Variably cloudy with snow showers. High 27F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with a few snow showers this evening. Low 4F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 30%.
The critically acclaimed "The Handmaid's Tale" won the prize for best drama television series at the 69th annual Emmy awards Sunday night in Hollywood. Its star, Elizabeth Moss, who portrayed one of the few fertile women left in a world ruled by a totalitarian regime, won the award for best lead actress in a drama series.

The best dramatic actor award went to Sterling K. Brown, one of the stars of the hit series "This is Us." Brown thanked his television family, saying they were the best white adopted family a black actor could have. Last year, Brown won an Emmy for his portrayal of O.J. Simpson prosecutor Christopher Darden in the FX series "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story."

The best comedy series nod went to "Veep," a show about a fictional U.S. politician. It was the third win in a row for the HBO series. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"'s star, won the best comedy actress Emmy, her sixth consecutive win.

Nicole Kidman won the best actress in a limited series Emmy for her role as an abused wife in HBO's "Big Little Lies." Upon accepting her trophy, she said the series had shined a light on domestic violence, "a complicated insidious disease."

The best supporting actress for comedy award was given to Kate McKinnon, from "Saturday Night Live." It was her second win for her role in the late-night weekly comedy institution. The 42-year-old series also won for best variety show.
New Delhi:

When the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes against Pakistani terrorists across the Line of Control (LoC) on September 29, 2016, the entire world stood up and took notice.



The strikes were carried out in retaliation for the cowardly, ghastly attack on an Indian Army post in Uri sector on September 18, 2016, in Jammu and Kashmir.



A year later, filmmaker Ronnie Screwvala has announced a film titled URI that will highlight the exploits of the Indian Army. URI will see Vicky Kaushal in the lead and directed by Aditya Dhar and go on floors in early 2018 and release in September 2018.



Vicky Kaushal will essay the key role of commander-in-chief in URI. A visibly excited Vicky says, When this film came to me and we had this discussion. I was really thrilled and kicked about it because this is one story that I feel that everyone needs to know. One of the fantastic army operations that the Indian army has conducted and with great efficiency. I also feel it is a great opportunity and also a responsibility for all of us to portray this story.



Vicky will undergo paramilitary training for a month to get in shape for the movie.



On September 18, 2016, 19 soldiers were killed in an early morning attack by Pakistani terrorists at the 12 Infantry Brigade headquarters in Uri. In response, on September 29, Indian Armys Special Forces carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).



Ronnie Screwala said, Today we are a confident, aggressive and new age India  standing up for itself in every way and on the world stage. With this one single military action, we changed the fabric of our border politics forever and that became a watershed moment in our political history. But most importantly, URI is the incredible story of Indians coming together.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

At least 54 students of IIIT Nuzvid in Andhra Pradesh were suspended on Monday for allegedly ragging juniors in the campus last month. It is the biggest crackdown in the state, officials said.

The students were suspended after a disciplinary committee formed to probe the August 29 incident submitted its report on Monday. It recommended to suspend the students, an official said.

While speaking about the incident, Nuzvid IIIT Administration Officer (AO) Rama Kanth said, "A total of 54 students--in their third and fourth years--have been suspended for varying durations ranging from two weeks to one year for ragging junior students on the campus."

ALSO READ | Noida school 'ragging': Class 10 student of Pathways School slapped, loses 25 percent hearing

The senior students allegedly assaulted around 12 students of the prestigious institute on August 29.

Following the incident, the Vice-Chancellor and the Director of the institute constituted the disciplinary committee to look into the incident.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ | Delhi University student security: DU take strict measures to prevent ragging and womens safety

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A vigilant security staff spotted the suspect carrying alleged cell phone bomb in luggage which later turned out self-made power bank.

A 26-year-old man was nabbed by security officials after an alleged cellphone bomb was found from his luggage at Mangalore Airport on Tuesday.

K'taka: Visuals from Mangaluru Airport where object suspected to be cell-phone bomb was found, later it turned out be a self-made power bank pic.twitter.com/Y7nFyPyxGR a ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2017

The Indigo flight from Mangaluru to Dubai got delayed after the suspect item was found. Later, the matter was reported to local police.

As per media reports, the man described himself as sales representative.

A senior police official said that the screener noticed as a power bank in his bag which looked suspicious.A

Alerted security staff at Mangaluru Airport after catching suspect carrying alleged cellphone bomb. Matter reported to local police: IndiGo pic.twitter.com/A2FLgxDA6i a ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2017

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The Centre's plans to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees in Arunachal Pradesh are facing resistance from the local indigenous residents, who are averse to any infringement on the constitutional protection bestowed on them.



The state chief minister Pema Khandu on Monday reiterated concerns of locals in a letter to Union Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh.



As mentioned by me in our meeting recently, I reiterate that the people of my state are not ready to accept any infringement on the constitutional protection bestowed on the tribals of Arunachal Pradesh and want to ensure that the ethnic composition and the special rights enjoyed by the tribes of my state are safeguarded at all cost, Khandu said.



The MHA had last week cleared the decks for citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees of East Pakistan origin on the basis of a Supreme Court directive.

Read | Kiren Rijiju : Chakma and Hajong communities cannot be granted ST status in Aunachal Pradesh



Khandu, who wrote to Singh a day ahead of a statewide bandh called by the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU), also described the matter as one of deep emotional concern.



He solicited the ministers support in protecting tribal rights and securing the sanctity of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Arunachal Pradesh.



Khandu also pointed out that Arunachal Pradesh had a unique history and was governed by a special Act namely the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, which provides for an Inner Line Permit.

Section 2 of this Regulation prohibits all citizens of India or any class of such citizens from going beyond the Inner Line without a pass issued under the hand and seal of the CEO of such district or an officer authorised for such function, he said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Four U.S. F-35B stealth fighter jets and two B-1B strategic bombers buzzed the aerial border with North Korea in a show of force on Monday amid colorful rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The jets carried out a live-fire drill at a firing range in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, a military spokesman here said Monday.

The B-1B bombers dropped a conventional MK-84 bomb each and the F-35Bs an inert GBU-32 joint direct attack munition (JDAM). South Korean F-15K fighter jets dropped two inert MK-82 bombs.


New Delhi:

The director of a private school and a teacher, who allegedly gang-raped a class 12 student were detained by the police in Rajasthan's Sikar and were being questioned, an official said on Monday.

While speaking about the arrest, Vineet Kumar Rathore, SP, Sikar said School director Jagdish Kumar and teacher Jagat Gurjar were detained late night yesterday and are being interrogated.

Meanwhile, the locals demanded strict action against the two accused and sought cancellation of the schools affiliation.

In their complaint, the victims parents said that the two had been sexually assaulting her after calling her to school on the pretext of extra classes, officials at the Ajeetgarh police station said.

ALSO READ | Sikar: Class 12 student gang-raped inside school premises by director and teacher

Moreover, the police officials said that the duo allegedly made her undergo an abortion at a clinic in Shahpura town after she became pregnant.

Following the complaint by the victims parents, Yadav and Gurjar were booked on charges of gang rape and getting abortion done without a womans consent, officials said.

The matter came to light after the teenagers health deteriorated post abortion. The student is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Jaipur.

A case was also registered against a doctor and his wife for carrying out illegal abortion and destroying evidence, the police said.

The incident comes at a time when the issue of safety of school children is already in focus following the murder of a 7-year-old student in an upscale Gurgaon school.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ: Mumbai woman raped by son, contracts another son to get him killed

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
United Nations:

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday held talks with Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and her Tunisian counterpart Khemaies Jhinaoui, kicking off a series of bilateral meetings to further the countrys foreign policy goals.

Starting the business of bilateral with an African friend. EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets the Tunisian FM Khemaies Jhinaoui, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted after Swaraj held her first bilateral meeting with Jhinaoui on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Kumar in another tweet after Swarajs meeting with the Bhutanese prime minister, said, Strengthening traditionally unique bilateral relations. EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets with Bhutanese PM @tsheringtobgay in New York.

The Bhutanese prime minister said they discussed a wide range of bilateral issues.

Such a pleasure meeting H.E @SushmaSwaraj ji, External Affairs Minister of India. We discussed the wide range of bilateral cooperation, Tobgay tweeted.

The meeting, Swarajs first with Indias neighbouring country, gains significance in view of the recent Doklam standoff with China.

India and China last month ended a 73-day standoff in Doklam area of the Sikkim sector that was triggered by Chinas move to build a road in the border area.

During her week-long stay here, Swaraj, leading a high-powered Indian delegation, is expected to hold about 20 bilateral and trilateral meetings with leaders attending the session.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Gorkha Jan Mukti (GJM) leaders met the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh over the issue of separate state of Gorkhaland on Tuesday.

Five members representing the GJM met the union minister to put in their demands and called for talks to resolve the Gorkhaland issue.

The meeting was fruitful, GJM central committee member Swaraj Thapa told reporter after meeting Singh

He added that the GJM has demanded tripartite talks.

The tripartite meet should involve the Centre, West Bengal government and the GJM, Thapa said.

The GJM delegation has expressed concern over the conditions in the hill region of West Bengal and have asked the BJP-led Central government to intervene to end the ongoing crisis.

GJM has alleged that the Mamata Banerjee led West Bengal government is using police to suppress the democratic agitation.

Darjeeling and surrounding hills in the state of turmoil for the last 90 days. The GJM is leading the movement and have called for an indefinite strike to press in their demands for a seperate Gorkhaland.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A day after five people were killed in Palwali village in Faridabad, Haryana Police on Tuesday have claimed to arrest 23 people in connection with the incident.

The police said that 18 of the arrested were produced before the local court. The court sent sent sarpanch Dayawati and one of her in-law Omvati to 14 days judicial custody. While, 11 persons were sent to two days and four to four days of police remand.

Police said a minor who has also been apprehended for his alleged involvement in the murder has been sent to juvenile home.

A police officer investigating the case said, main accused of the case, Billu, who is Dayawatis husband and a former sarpanch, along with four others will be produced in court tomorrow.

On Sunday evening a clash broke out between two groups in the Palwali village which led the killing of five persons from a family.

Police said, a agitated mob attacked the family with batons, sharp-weapons and firearms. Five people were killed in the sport and more than half-a-dozen people suffered injuries in the clash.

Family members of the deceased had named 25 people in the FIR. The police is waiting for the postmortem reports to confirm if the victims died due to bullet injuries or injuries caused by sharp-weapons.

Soon after the incident Police Commissioner Hanif Qureshi had had formed a special investigation team to nab the culprits behind the killing.

Security forces have been deployed in the village to prevent any further unto incidents.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

India on Monday replied strongly to Pakistan's statement at the 36th United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session. Exercising India's 'right of reply', Indian diplomat from the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva, Dr. Vishnu Reddy called Islamabad the "face of international terrorism"

Reddy stated that Pakistans malicious attempt to hide interference behind the facade of domestic discontent carries no credibility with world.

The Foremost challenge to the stability in Kashmir and in the region is the scourge of terrorism, added Reddy in Geneva.

He further stated that Let me reiterate, Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India and will remain so. Pakistan's unsolicited comments pertaining to the Indian state of J&K are factually incorrect & misleading"

High time for Pakistan to do deep introspection and focus energies on improving human rights situation and dismantling terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

PoK is run by a deep state and has become an epicenter of terrorism. Instead of working with sense of purpose to address issues, Pakistan resorts to shortsighted tactics of diverting attention.

On the issue of evidence related Pakistan's support to cross-border terrorism, Reddy said that "Concrete evidence on cross-border support for terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir has been handed over to Pakistan. Pakistan must shut down its terrorist manufacturing units and bring the perpetrators of terrorism to justice. Even Pakistans Foreign Minister admitted that internationally banned outfits including LeT, JeM are operating from within Pakistan"

Earlier on September 16, Pakistan, on behalf of OIC, had blamed India for the violations of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir and accused it in denying the right of self-determination to Kashmiris.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
News:

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has suggested that hot-cooked meals served at anganwadis should be replaced with nutrition packaged food on Tuesday during a conference on undernutrition.

The suggestion by the Women and Child Development minister came at the time when the Central government is in the final stage of preparing its nutrition guidelines.

"I want to bring about a complete change in supplementary nutrition. We should stop thinking of it as giving food. We should provide nutrition," she said.

The minister added that there is a need to give a minimum 1,000 calories to a pregnant woman and 600 to a baby.

She also explained that the pre-mix nutrition including energy-dense, micronutrient enriched paste or powder could be provided in a packets and delivered to a beneficiary through postman.

According to sources, the suggestion of providing ready-to-use foods by Gandhi has been rejected by the government committee assigned to prepare the nutrition guidelines.

The committee has also recommended ways to of improving quality hot-cooked meals at the anganwadi centres.

Earlier this month, the NITI Aayog had released the National Nutrition Strategy wherein it has questioned the efficacy of the take-home ration scheme and the quality of food supplements provided under the ICDS.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Mumbai Police arrested a woman for contracting her own son and his friends to murder her youngest son, who repeatedly sexually assaulted her and several other relatives.

According to a senior police official of Thane Police, the woman got her son killed as he was regularly sexually assaulting her and maintaining sexual relations with multiple women.

"The woman told us that she planned to kill her son as she was tired of the regular sexual harassment, said a senior police officer.

The fact surfaced up after the woman was detained on Sunday. The woman has been identified as Rajani

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Palghar, Raj Tilak Roshan told the media that the police had recovered a body of a 22-year-old youth with slit throat from the outskirts of Gokhivare village in Vasai under Waliv Police station jurisdiction.

Also read: Son raped 75-year-old mother for over 2 years in Punjab



During course of investigation they identified the victim has Ramcharan Dwivedi from the tattoos embedded with his and mothers name.

We called the woman to identify the victim but she bluntly denied to identify the body, added the ASP.

Another police official of Waliv police station said that her behaviour was bit suspicious.

During investigation we learnt that the woman had lied initially and she hired her son from first marriage and his friends for Rs 50,000 to kill her youngest son, added the ASP.

Also read: Mother spends night on road with sons dead body after landlord denied entry



The ASP added that the woman was detained and during questioning she accepted the crime and told the police that he was living in a rented home with a woman but had not married her.

The woman told us that her son was also maintaining sexual relationships with others too. She planned the murder after Dwivedi recently molested a relative, added the ASP.

The ASP added that all accused in the crime have been arrested.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Amid nationwide concern about the safety of children in schools following the murder of seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur at a school, Central Board of Secondary Education said schools across the country affiliated to the CBSE will have to get police verification and psychometric evaluation done for all their staff.

The Delhi government also has issued a notice to the capital's private schools, ordering them police verification of all teaching and support staff.



"Safety and security of the students must be the paramount concern of the managing committee of all schools," the notification read.



CCTV would be made mandatory for all government and private schools. The schools must also provide a monthly report to the police on the functionality of the CCTVs, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister and education minister Manish Sisodia told to the NDTV.

Six Central ministries are working on a security protocol for schools, Union minister Maneka Gandhi said yesterday. "The secretaries would meet soon to discuss how the schools will implement these guidelines," said the minister, who had initially roped in Prakash Javadekar, the minister for Human Resources Development.

She also recommended several measures of security such as appointing women drivers for school buses.



Gurugram's Ryan International School will not begin functioning till the issue has been addressed. On Monday, the school was opened after 10 days of Pradyuman's murder and was shut down again by the police on Monday evening.



Despite the murder, there has been no upgrade of security at the school, said parents who came to school yesterday. "Security and facilities at Ryan today were no different from the dreadful September 8, nothing has changed since," said one parent.

A Special Investigation Team of three-members had revealed that the boundary wall of the school was broken, which gave outsiders easy access to the premises.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi :

Female student of Deoria's Modern City Montessori School succumed to her injuries after she fell from the third floor on Monday.

Some reports say that the girl on her way to Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur hospital told her brother that she was pushed from the third floor.

The father has rediculed the management's unsympathetic approach of the incident. The school authorities has denied reports of the girl being pushed.

The acting principal of Mithilesh Mishra said that the CCTV cameras of the third floor suffered from malfunction.

The school authorities have not responded to the charges brought by deceased Neetu Chauhan's (16) father. Police said that an FIR would be lodged on Tuesday against unidentified persons.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Four youths raped a teenager for 10 days, forced her to eat meat and threatened her of dire consequences if she did not change her religion in Uttar Pradeshs Muzaffarnagar.

The incident came to surface after the 16-year-old victim lodged a complaint at the Bhopa police station on Tuesday with help of her parents.

According to the complaint filed by the victim she was abducted by four youths on gunpoint and kept her in captivity for 10 days. During her days in the captivity the four boys repeatedly gang raped her, forced her to eat meat and forced her to change her religion.

According to a senior police officer, the victim informed the police that she knew her abductors and rapists.

The victim has named Akram, Aslam, Ayyub and Salim in the FIR, said the police officer.

He added that a case has been registered against the four under Protection of Children and Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

He added that the girl told the police that she was waiting at the bus-stand to board a bus, when the four youths offered her lift to Muzaffarnagar. She accepted the lift as she knew the four.

Also read| Delhi minor rape: Tagore Public School did not verify peons background, SDM report says



According to the complaint filed by the victim, the four youths took her captive on gunpoint as she entered the car and blindfolded her.

The police official further added that the girl in her complaint also mentioned her that the four youths took her too different places where she was raped by the four.

In the complaint the rape-survivor has mentioned that her perpetrators forced her to eat meat and regularly made pressure on her to change religion during her days in captivity.

Also read: Son raped 75-year-old mother for over 2 years in Punjab



The police official further added that the youths set her free on September 16 and threatened her of dire consequences if she informed the incident to anyone.

According to police, a team has been formed and raids are being conducted nab the four accused.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
A private Chinese firm smuggled materials needed to develop missiles to North Korea sometime in April, the Asahi Shimbun reported Monday.

Camouflaged as materials for expressway construction, "high-grade tungsten and aluminum alloy was sent by the Chinese company to North Korea's central science, technology and trade company," the Japanese daily added. The smuggled materials were sent by ship.

"It is possible that Chinese government officials turned a blind eye to the transaction," the daily quoted a source as saying.

"According to a South Korean defense expert who tracks trends in North Korea, a dozen or so companies in China have cooperated with North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development through trade links."

The New York Times said on Sunday that the U.S. is trying to determine whether China and Russia "are still providing the ingredients for the highly volatile fuel," known as UDMH, that is used for long-range ballistic missiles.

UDMH, a highly toxic chemical, was banned from export to the North in UN Security Council sanctions in 2012 and 2014.

Calls to cut off such fuel supplies "may well be too late," the NYT said. "Intelligence officials believe that the North's program has advanced to the point where it is no longer as reliant on outside suppliers, and that it may itself be making the potent fuel."


New Delhi:

Thane police commissioner Parambir Singh on Tuesday said that the police will probe the involvement of politicians and corporators in connection with the extortion case after they arrested Dawood Ibrahimas young brother Iqbal Kaskar late night on Monday.

aSome politicians including Corporators could be involved, we are investigating,a he said.

Singh said the police will also probe Dawoodas connection whether he had direct or indirect involvement in the extortion racket.

aWhether Dawood Ibrahim had an indirect or direct involvement in this extortion racket run by IqbalKaskar will be probed,a he said.

Some politicians including Corporators could be involved, we are investigating: Thane CP Parambir Singh #IqbalKaskar pic.twitter.com/YU5AAAprnF a ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2017

The police commissioner said threats were given in the name of Dawood Ibrahim. He said sometimes shooters were brought from Bihar to forcibly evacuate properties.

Threats given in name of Dawood,sometimes shooters were brought frm outside, some brought frm Bihar to forcibly evacuate properties:Thane CP a ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2017

Threats were given in name of Dawood. Sometimes shooters were brought from Bihar to forcibly evacuate properties,a he said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A fast-rotating star named Regulus, which is one of the brightest stars in the sky, is spinning so quickly that it may end up destroying itself. This polarised light-emitting star has been observed by the astronomers for the first time.

The phenomenon was first predicted more than 50-years-ago, however, has dodged our instruments until now. Finally, they have now confirmed the crazy spinning speed of the star in light of these findings.

So, what is polarised light and why this finding is a big deal? For this, we need to backtrack a little. Light waves normally travel in the direction of their choice as they hit and bounce off objects. However, light waves can also be polarised, a process in which they all get rotated in a particular direction.

Astronomers J Patrick Harrington and George W Collins II predicted in 1968 that polarised light would be emitted by a rapidly rotating star because its shape gets distorted into a squished oblate shape as it spins too fast.

Their idea was based on calculations done by Nobel-winning physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar in 1946. He first predicted that some stars could be emitting polarised light.

A range of instruments aimed at detecting polarisation in the interstellar space were developed following these predictions. But polarisation from a fast-spinning star was not caught until now.

And now, an international team from Australia, the US, and the UK has discovered it using a highly sensitive polarimeter developed at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney.

ALSO READ: Six NASA scientists return from Mars-like habitat after 8 months of isolation

"The High Precision Polarimetric Instrument, HIPPI, is the world's most sensitive astronomical polarimeter," says one of the team, astronomer Daniel Cotton from UNSW.

HIPPIs eye caught Regulus, a blueish first-magnitude star 79 light-years away, located in the constellation Leo. Regulus has been ranked as the 22nd brightest star in the night sky.

Astronomers had previously extrapolated the rotation rate of the star on the basis of models calculated for other stars of its types. However, this interpretation couldnt be confirmed in the absence of more observations directly from Regulus.

The first-ever detection of polarised light from a rapidly rotating star has revealed that Regulus is spinning at 320 kilometres per second (199 miles per second). It is spinning so fast that it is close to breaking itself up.

"We found Regulus is rotating so quickly it is close to flying apart, with a spin rate of 96.5 percent of the angular velocity for break-up," says Cotton.

"Previously, the field has been largely restricted to studying material external to stars or those with extreme magnetic fields," the team writes in the study.

"Now we are able to probe fundamental parameters of the stellar atmosphere itself."

The findings have been published in Nature Astronomy.

ALSO READ: Scientists discover new dinosaur-eating crocodile species

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Naypyidaw:

Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday said that she does not fear global scrutiny over the Rohingya crisis and pledged to hold rights violators to account and to resettle some of the 410,000 Muslims who have fled Myanmar.

However, Suu Kyi refused to blame Myanmars army, as the UN chief demanded an end to the military campaign and a better deal for the Muslim minority.

In an address timed to pre-empt censure at the UN General Assembly in New Yorkdelivered entirely in English and aimed squarely at an international audienceshe called for patience and understanding of the crisis which has driven some 421,000 Rohingya out of her mainly Buddhist country.

The Nobel Peace laureate vowed to resettle some refugees but offered no solutions to halt what the UN calls army-led ethnic cleansing in Rakhine state, where soldiers are accused of burning Rohingya out of their homes.

Her speech failed to quell international outrage, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issuing the blunt demand and Britains defence ministry saying it had suspended training courses for the Myanmar military in light of the violence in Rakhine.

The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access, Guterres told the opening of the General Assembly.

They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, also demanded the end of the military operation and denounced what we know is ethnic cleansing, in his speech to the General Assembly.

Amnesty International joined the outcry, saying Suu Kyi was burying her head in the sand over documented army abuses and claims of rape, murder and the systematic clearing of scores of villages.

Supporters and observers say the 72-year-old Suu Kyi lacks the authority to rein in the military, which ran the country for 50 years and only recently ceded limited powers to her civilian government.

Myanmars army acts without civilian oversight and makes all security decisions, including its notorious scorched earth counter-insurgency operations.

She is trying to claw back some degree of credibility with the international community, without saying too much that will get her in trouble with the (military) and Burmese people who dont like the Rohingya in the first place, said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch.

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25.

An army-led fightback has left scores dead and sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh.

In her 30-minute speech Suu Kyi reached out to critics who have condemned her failure to speak up for the stateless Rohingya.

Myanmar stood ready, she said, to repatriate refugees in accordance with a verification process agreed with Bangladesh in the early 1990s.

Those who have been verified as refugees from this country will be accepted without any problems, she added.

In less than a month just under half of Rakhines one-million-strong Rohingya minority has poured into Bangladesh, where they languish in overcrowded refugee camps.

It was not immediately clear how many would qualify to return.

But their claims to live in Myanmar are at the heart of a toxic debate about the group, who are denied citizenship by the state and considered to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Suu Kyis repatriation pledge is new and significant, said Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar, explaining it would in principle allow for the return of those who can prove residence in Myanmarrather than citizenship.

But in the monsoon-soaked shanties in Bangladesh, there was anguish among refugees over how they would meet any requirements.

We dont have any papers, said 55-year-old Abdur Razzak.

If the government is honestly speaking to resolve our crisis then we are ready to go back now, he added. Nobody wants to live in such squalid conditions as a refugee.

Suu Kyi insisted army clearance operations finished on September 5.

But AFP reporters have seen homes on fire in the days since then, while multiple testimonies from refugees arriving in Bangladesh suggest such operations have continued.

Without blaming any single group, Suu Kyi promised to

punish anyone found guilty of abuses regardless of their

religion, race or political position

And she insisted Rakhine was not a state in flames, saying: More than 50 percent of the villages of Muslims are intact.

Around 170 Rohingya villages have been razed, the government admits. Rights groups say satellite evidence shows the damage is more widespread.

While stories of weary and hungry Rohingya have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for them among Myanmars Buddhist majority.

Around 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displacedapparent targets of August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.

Loathing for the Rohingya has brought the public, including pro-democracy activists, into an unlikely alignment with an army that once had them under its heel.

Suu Kyis speech was warmly welcomed in Myanmar even though no Burmese subtitles were provided.

She told the real situation to the world on behalf of Myanmar people, Yu Chan Myae told AFP.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

The US has seen no need to shoot down North Korean missiles test-fired in Japans direction, but a future missile launch that threatens US or Japanese territory will elicit a different response from us, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday.

He also said, without elaboration, that the Trump administration has military options against North Korea that would not put Seoul at risk. He would not say whether he was referring to overt combat action, a cyberattack or something more covert.

I will not go into details, he said.

Mattis also confirmed that he and his South Korean counterpart had recently discussed the possibility of putting US nuclear weapons back into South Korea, an option that has been raised publicly by some South Korean politicians.

US nuclear weapons were withdrawn from the Korean peninsula in the early 1990s at the close of the Cold War.

We discussed the option, but thats all ... I want to say, he said.

Mattis discussed several aspects of the North Korea crisis in an impromptu exchange with reporters at the Pentagon, including the effect of international economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure on North Korea.

He argued that the pressure is working, and gave as an example Mexicos decision to expel the North Korean ambassador in Mexico City.

He was asked why the US, which has spent tens of billions of dollars on missile defence programs in recent decades, has not tried to intercept North Koreas rockets as they demonstrate an increasingly sophisticated missile capability. No. 1, those missiles are not directly threatening any of us, he said.

He was referring to an accelerating series of missile tests by North Korea that have defied US and international warnings to stop. North Korea has said the tests are intended to develop the capability to hit US territory with a nuclear weapon. It also has threatened to launch missiles close to the coast of Guam, a US island territory in the Pacific.

On September 3, North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test that was by far its most powerful to date.

Last week, North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile that travelled 3,700 kilometres and passed over the Japanese island of Hokkaido before landing in the northern Pacific. It was the countrys longest-ever test flight of a ballistic missile.

Mattis happened to be at US Strategic Command headquarters near Omaha, Nebraska, at the time of the launch and afterward condemned it for forcing millions of Japanese to duck and cover.

In his remarks today, Mattis made clear that the US and Japan are prepared for future missile threats.

The North Koreans are intentionally doing provocations that seem to press against the envelope for just how far can they push without going over some kind of a line, in their minds, that would make them vulnerable, he said. So they aim for the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The bottom line is that the missiles, were they to be a threat either to the US or Japan, that would elicit a different response from us.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi :

Northeast Nigerian state of Borno which is also the operational heaven of Islamist militant Boko Haram was hit by suicide bombers that killed at least 12 people and left 43 injured.

As per media reports this is a pattern of attacks that had claimed at least 200 lives since June. The alleged bombers went inside a small settlement in Konduga Local Government.

The area is around 35 kilometers southeast of the state capital, Maiduguri. The alleged suicide bombers mingled with a gathering of farmers and then detonated the bomb at around 11:45 AM.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the use of suicide bombers screams the style of Boko Haram.

Tripple suicide attack in Nigeria's Borno, claims 15 lives and leaves 43 injured Tripple suicide attack in Nigeria's Borno, claims 15 lives and leaves 43 injured

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

President Donald Trump warned that the US is ready to "totally destroy" North Korea and vowed to confront Iran's "murderous regime" over its weapons programme.

In his first address to leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly, Trump warned North Korea not to pursue its nuclear missile programme in his starkest language yet, deriding its young leader Kim Jong-Un with the nickname "Rocket Man" and threatening to end his country.

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," he said. "The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary."

Trump said North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with the unthinkable loss of human life. He also thanked China and Russia for joining the vote to impose sanctions, along with all the other members of the Security Council.

As to Iran, Trump appeared to pave the way towards tearing up the nuclear deal signed in 2015 between six world powers and Iran.

Trump said the accord had failed to rein in the regime's subversive role in Middle East conflicts and sent a clear signal that he intends to declare Tehran in breach of the deal when he reports to Congress next month.

"We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program," Trump told the assembly.

"Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it," he said.

"Believe me. It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction." Many of the assembly's members, including US allies and Iran deal signatories France and Britain, favor retaining the accord -- under which Iran surrendered much of its enriched nuclear fuel and exposed its nuclear sites to international monitors.

But some of Trump's closest advisors fear the agreement leaves Iran too close to the threshold of being able to quickly develop a nuclear weapon when restrictive clauses in the deal begin to expire in 2025.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
London:

Amid a spurt in terror attack, a new report by a think tank said that the UK is the biggest consumer of online Islamist extremism terror content in Europe.

The Policy Exchange study titled 'The New Netwar' found that Britain also ranks fifth in terms of world audience for extremist content after Turkey, the US, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, respectively.

After an in-depth analysis of clicks into such material, Britain emerged as the fifth most frequent location from which extremists content was being accessed online. The country also registered the largest number of clicks of such information in Europe.

"The evidence suggests that we are not winning the war against online extremism and we need to consider options for change," said Martyn Frampton, the lead author of the report.

"If the internet companies won?t do what their customers want and take more responsibility for removing this content, then government must take action through additional regulation and legislation," he said.

Contrary to previous claims, the report by the London-based center-right think tank revealed that Islamic State (IS) online output is not falling, but has remained consistent over the past three years.

Extremists are now increasingly relying on "swarmcast" technology, an interconnected network that constantly reconfigures itself and is highly resilient to disruption. "An average week will see over 100 new core articles, videos and newspapers produced by IS and disseminated across an avast ecosystem of platforms, file-sharing services, websites and social media," the report says.

"IS have adapted to shifts in technology and now useTelegram as their core communication platform for talking to sympathizers, even as platforms like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook remain vital for missionary activity," it warns.

The report comes days after the UK Home Office said that 379 arrests have been made for terror-related offenses in the country, a record 68 per cent increase in the last 12 months up to June this year. General David Petraeus, a former director of the intelligence agency CIA who wrote the foreword of the report, said the current situation was "clearly unacceptable".

He said: "The fight against IS, Al Qaeda, and the other elements of the global jihadist movement has become the defining struggle of the early 21st century.

"That struggle has increasingly been contested not just on the ground, but in a new domain of warfare, cyberspace...It is clear that our counter-extremism efforts and other initiatives to combat extremism online have, until now, been

inadequate". The report suggests new laws to criminalize the"aggravated possession and/or persistent consumption" of extremist ideology, but not to criminalize someone who"stumbles across" jihadist content.

Under Section 58 of the UK's Terrorism Act 2000, it is currently an offense to possess information that could assist a would-be terrorist, but not material which glorifies terrorism.

A survey of 2,001 adults in the UK by the Policy Exchange found that 74 percent of people supported new laws to criminalise the "persistent consumption" of extremist material online.

The think tank has called for the UK government proposed Commission for Countering Extremism to be empowered to oversee the removal of extremist content, and for the possible creation of an independent online regulator that could financially penalize companies that fail to remove extremist content.

Following the report, a Google spokesperson said:"Violent extremism is a complex problem and addressing it is an acritical challenge for us all. We are committed to being part of the solution and we are doing more every day to tackle these issues.

"We are making significant progress through machine learning technology, partnerships with experts and collaboration with other companies through the Global Internet Forum and we know there is more to be done."

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Myanmars leader Aung San Suu Kyi is addressing the crisis engulfing Rakhine state. It is her first speech since scores were killed in violence that has sent nearly 380,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh and sullied her reputation as a defender of the oppressed.



A crackdown by Myanmars army, launched in response to attacks by Rohingya militants on August 25, has pushed vast numbers of refugees from the stateless Muslim minority across the border.

Here are highlights of Suu Kyi's speech:

#On Aug 25, 30 police outposts were attacked; consequently, govt declared Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army a terrorist group: Aung San Suu Kyi



#We don't want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicities. Hate and fear are main scourges: Aung San Suu Kyi



#Myanmar prepared to start a refugee verification process for those who wish to return: Aung San Suu Kyi

#Throughout the last year, we continued with our program of development and establishment of peace: Aung San Suu Kyi

#We had invited Dr Kofi Annan to lead a commission that would help us resolve long-standing problems in Rakhine: Aung San Suu Kyi



#We had made a central committee for implementing rule of law & development in Rakhine: Aung San Suu Kyi

#There have been allegations and counter allegations will listen to all, culprits will be punished irrespective of race or religion: Suu Kyi

#We have invited Dr Kofi Annan to lead a commission that would help us resolve long-standing problems in Rakhine: Aung San Suu Kyi

#We have made a central committee for implementing rule of law & development in Rakhine: Aung San Suu Kyi

#Many Muslim villagers have remained, not all have fled

#Government has been making every effort to restore peace and stability and to bring harmony in Rakhine communities: Aung San Suu Kyi

#We would like to find out why this exodus is happening, would like to talk to the people who have fled: Aung San Suu Kyi

#Myanmar feels deeply for suffering of all groups in Rakhine, concerned to hear about Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh: Aung San Suu Kyi

#Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny, committed to sustainable solution in Rakhine state: Aung San Suu Kyi

#We condemn all human rights violations, we are committed to peace and rule of law: Aung San Suu Kyi

#Peace and stability was something we had to achieve after nearly 70 yrs of internal conflict: Aung San Suu Kyi

#Myanmar is a complex nation. People expect us to overcome all the challenges in shortest time possible: Aung San Suu Kyi









The violence has incubated a humanitarian crisis on both sides of the border and put intense global pressure on Suu Kyi to condemn the army campaign, which the UN has described as having all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing.



The government spokesman Zaw Htay on Thursday announced that Suu Kyi would speak for national reconciliation and peace in a televised address on September 19.



He said the Nobel laureate, who has been pilloried by rights groups for failing to speak up for the Rohingya minority, would skip the United Nations General Assembly next week to tackle the crisis unfurling at home.



She was needed in Myanmar to manage humanitarian assistance and security concerns caused by the violence. Competing rumours have intensified anti-Muslim rhetoric across the Buddhist-majority country.

Read | UN chief urges Myanmar to halt attacks on Muslim minority



In the northern area of Rakhine, 176 of the 541 Rohingya villages there were empty after the whole village fled, Zaw Htay said, adding others were partly deserted or intact.



Suu Kyi has been condemned for a lack of moral leadership and compassion in the face of a crisis that has shocked the international community.



Her limited comments so far have referenced a huge iceberg of misinformation and played down alleged atrocities against the Rohingya.



Bangladesh is struggling to provide relief for exhausted and hungry refugeessome 60 per cent of whom are children -- while nearly 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced inside Myanmar.



Nine thousand more Rohingya refugees poured into Bangladesh today, the UN said, as authorities worked to build a new camp for tens of thousands of arrivals who have no shelter.



Suu Kyi, Myanmars first civilian leader in decades, has no control over the powerful military, which ran the country for 50 years. A free election was finally held in 2015.



There is also scant sympathy among Myanmars Buddhist majority for the Rohingya, who are branded Bengalis shorthand for illegal immigrants.



But outside of her country Suu Kyis reputation as a human rights champion is in ruins.



Rohingya refugees have told chilling accounts of soldiers firing on civilians and razing entire villages in the north of Rakhine state with the help of Buddhist mobs.



The army denies the allegations.

Read | Myanmar rejects temporary ceasefire declared by Muslim Rohingya insurgents



The UN Security Council was scheduled today to discuss the refugee crisis in a closed-door meeting, with China expected to block any attempts to censure its Southeast Asian ally.



Ahead of the meeting 12 Nobel laureates signed an open letter urging the Security Council to intervene immediately by using all available means to end the tragedy and crimes against humanity unfolding in Rakhine.



Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner garlanded for her dignified and defiant democracy activism under the former junta, was once the darling of the international community.



She made her debut before the UN assembly last September, winning warm applause for a speech delivered months after she became Myanmars first civilian leader in decades.



In it she vowed to find a solution to long-running ethnic and religious hatred in Rakhine that will lead to peace, stability and development for all communities within the state.



In a sign of how far her star has fallen, the same rights groups that campaigned for her release from house arrest have blasted her for failing to speak up for the Rohingya.



Sympathisers say her hands are tied by the army, which still runs parts of the government and has complete control over all security matters.



While the US and other Western powers - as well as the Muslim world - have criticised the military campaign, Beijing yesterday offered Myanmar support - saying the country was entitled to safeguard its stability.



Human Rights Watchs Phil Robertson urged the Security Council to pass a global arms embargo on Myanmars military but said he expected China to to water down any moves.



The 1.1-million strong Rohingya have suffered years of discrimination in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship even though many have long-lasting roots in the country.



Bangladesh does not want the group either, though it is providing the refugees with temporary shelter.



Many Rohingya have died making the perilous journey across the border, with nearly 100 drowning in boat trips across the Naf river that divides the two countries.

(With inputs from PTI)

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
In an interview with the German weekly der Spiegel published last Saturday, Chung said the situation is "very serious" now that all communication channels with the North are cut and any misunderstanding among frontline soldiers "could suddenly escalate tensions."

National security adviser Chung Eui-yong has said South Korea and the U.S. are concerned about war breaking out on the Korean Peninsula. But he added, "President Moon Jae-in will prevent the situation from reaching that level."

The government has proposed setting up a military hotline with North Korea to prevent clashes between troops along the heavily armed border and to hold military talks.

The top presidential security adviser added, "We won't be able to begin talks as long as North Korea continues to conduct nuclear tests and missile launches."

Asked if the Moon's dovish policy toward North Korea has failed, Chung said, "It has not failed. Our goal is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and achieving peace."

"We need to clearly state our position that we cannot offer any help as long as North Korea refuses to choose the right path, since the North committed several serious provocations," he added.

Meanwhile, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who met Moon at Cheong Wa Dae last week, said in a speech to top military officials in the Pacific region on Monday, "We must prepare for the unexpected, including military options" and warned that failure to do so would only embolden North Korea.

Moon arrived in New York on Tuesday to attend the UN General Assembly.


The eldest son of Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil was arrested on Monday and admitted taking crystal meth, according to police.

The 26-year-old admitted paying W400,000 to purchase 4 g of crystal meth from a friend in China during a recent trip (US$1=W1,129). He hid the drugs in his clothing when he returned to Seoul on Saturday. He then took the drug in his home in Gangnam the following day.

Nam posted a message on a dating app seeking a woman to take the drug with him, which led to his arrest on Sunday. Nam told police he took the drug several times by himself.

Police discovered around 2 g of the drug in Nam junior's home. He also tested positive for the substance. Police said they are still investigating whether he took the rest alone and whether there were other instances.

Nam works for a clothing company. He went to study in China in 2010 but quit school a year later and enlisted in the Army for his mandatory military service in 2013.

There he was charged with assaulting and abusing subordinates in 2014 but was let off with two years' probation. His father apologized to the nation on behalf of his son.

On Monday, the governor abruptly cut short a business trip to Germany and headed back to Korea to apologize again.


Japan has no shortage of festivals for every season, from the weird and wacky, to the absolutely magical. One such festival that would fall into the latter category is the Tengu no Hi-watari (acacaS), which takes place annually in Japanas northern-most prefecture of Hokkaido.

The festival -- held at the Ebisu Shrine in the town of Furubira -- features a tengu, among others, running through a bonfire of towering flames. Tengu, if you're not familiar, are creatures found in Japanese folklore, usually localized as "goblins" in English, and often depicted with a red face and distinctively long nose.

Many cultures throughout the world have their own fire walks, which normally involves participants walking across hot coals or embers. The towering flames involved at this fire walk in Hokkaido certainly make for a more impressive spectacle, which was captured and shared on Twitter by musician and photographer Katsu (a), who goes by @katuka2 online. In the photos, Katsu captures the intense contrast between the dark shadows of night against the bright blazing flames, as the masked fire walker emerges from the fire in a hellish scene. The photos immediately received the attention of the Twitter community -- and rightfully so -- wracking up 37,000 retweets and nearly 70,000 likes since they were published on September 12.
Jurassic Park may be the first thing that comes to mind when you see Aogashima Island from the air - but yes, THIS IS TOKYO!

It's famous for having a volcano inside a volcano surrounded by dense jungle. It's also considered the smallest town in Japan and the hardest place in Japan to get to. There is no direct transportation to Aogashima. These facts are what make Aogashima the best kept secret in Tokyo!

The island is unspoiled. The pristine jungles and beautiful ocean views are like scenes from the movies.

The town is located 200 meters up off the sea. There is no airport and this island is only accessible by helicopter and ferry. The port is one of the most challenging to dock at in the world so when the sea is rough or the wind is too strong, ferries are often canceled. Visitors may be stranded here for a week or more if the weather turns bad.
Delta Air Lines has announced it will end flights between Japan and Guam because of low demand just days after another airline delayed Japan-Guam flights because of North Korea's threat to attack the U.S. island territory.

Demand was not strong enough for Delta to maintain the route and the last flight will take place in January, said airline spokesman Hiroko Okada.

The carrier's decision leaves United Airlines as the only U.S. airline with flights between Guam and Japan. Japan Airlines also has flights from Narita airport to Guam.

Delta's decision came after HK Express delayed Japan-Guam flights until next summer, "citing geopolitical concerns in the region."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened Guam. The country has fired two missiles over Japan including one launched on Friday.

Guam lost about $9.5 million in tourism sector spending in August because of the threats, the Guam Visitors Bureau said.

There were more than 7,000 cancellations of tours, school groups and business ventures mostly from Japan, the bureau said.
A panel of U.S. and UN experts have issued a report detailing the methods North Korea uses to bypass international sanctions, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported Monday.

The methods include smuggling and bartering via Russian ports, forging the nationalities of ships, confiscating the wages of overseas laborers, modifying civilian-use equipment for military purposes, buying goods through bogus companies based overseas, smuggling in diplomatic pouches, and arms sales in Africa.

The daily cited as an example of the barter trade a company called Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Materials, which was nabbed by the U.S. Treasury Department. The Chinese company bought steel and anthracite coal from North Korea in exchange for nuclear and missile components, it said.

Public footage accidentally revealed an instance of civilian equipment adapted for military purposes. When North Korea unveiled the Pukguksong-1 missile in April at a military parade, the logo on a fuel tank carrying the missile read "Sinotruk." A UN investigation revealed that the company exported civilian trucks to North Korea from 2010 to 2014.


Contributed photo

BETHEL  Several local legislators are collecting diapers to provide for families in need.

State Reps. Will Duff, R-Bethel and Steve Harding, R-Brookfield, as well as State Sens. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, and Michael McLachlan, R-Danbury, are hosting a town-wide diaper drive with Hopeline of Danbury.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

DANBURY - Attorneys in the case of William Trefzger, a Westport man charged earlier this year with patronizing a male prostitution ring, said Tuesday they expect to open plea negotiations soon.

Trefzger was arrested in March on a human trafficking charge, along with two other co-defendants, in connection with a Danbury-based prostitution ring that authorities said preyed on young men with disabilities. Police said operators of the ring plied their victims with drugs, get them hooked so they would run up large debts, and then coerce them into prostitution.

Trefzger, who remains in custody on a $250,000 bond, appeared briefly in Superior Court for a pre-trial hearing. His attorney, Edward Gavin, said the defense has yet to receive all the evidence the state has amassed against his client.

This was a complicated state and federal investigation, Gavin said. There is a tremendous amount of disclosure here.

Assistant States Attorney Sharmese Hodge said forensic experts with the state crime lab are still completing their analysis of several pieces of digital equipment that were seized as part of the investigation. The evidence will be turned over to defense lawyers when the analysis is complete, she said.

Once that is complete, we could begin possible negotiations, Hodge said.

Patronizing a trafficked person is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Trefzger was among three men accused of involvement in the ring, which authorities said operated for more than two decades.

Robert King, who authorities said ran the operation, and Bruce Bemer, a businessman and accused client of the ring, also face human trafficking charges.

Most human trafficking cases are handled in federal court, but Trefzger and Bemer were the first defendants charged under a Connecticut law passed four years ago that makes patronizing a trafficked person a state offense.

Advocates have hailed the arrest for bringing attention to the clients of sex trafficking operations.

At least 15 young men in their early 20s, with illnesses including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, were exploited as part of the operation, police said. Lawyers say the true number of victims could be in the hundreds.

Trefzger is expected to appear again in court on Oct. 31.

dperrefort@newstimes.com
Chanting pro-immigrant slogans  All of us or none of us, Democrats deport and We are not a bargaining chip  more than 60 young people overwhelmed a news conference that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had organized Monday on her home turf in San Francisco to urge passage of the Dream Act to protect immigrants who were brought to the country as children.

After nearly an hour of boisterous chanting by protesters who described themselves as undocumented youth, Pelosi and fellow House Democrats Barbara Lee of Oakland and Jared Huffman of San Rafael packed up and left as the carefully orchestrated event fell into disarray.

The uproar started as Pelosi finished her opening remarks ahead of several planned speeches from recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which the Trump administration rescinded last week. Soon after that, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said they came to an agreement with Trump on the framework for a bill that would protect DACA recipients while beefing up border security.

The dozens of demonstrators unfurled large signs reading Fight 4 All 11 Million and Our Dreams Have No Borders as they stormed the front of the room at College Track San Francisco on Third Street and encircled the California lawmakers. Pelosi stood uncomfortably, trying to open a discussion with the group only to be repeatedly shouted down.

Where were you when we asked you to defend our parents? the group said, using a call-and-response cadence popular during the Occupy movement. And now you tell us  you have the audacity to tell us  you have been fighting deportation. You are a liar! You are a liar! You are a liar!

The group called on Pelosi to fight for a clean bill that doesnt make concessions to Trump. Luis Angel, one of the demonstrators, said he fears negotiated trade-offs could sell out the roughly 11 million immigrants who are in the U.S. without legal status, even while helping the 690,000 DACA recipients.

Pelosi eventually walked outside to briefly address reporters before leaving.

This group today is saying dont do the Dream Act unless you do comprehensive immigration reform, she said. Well, we all want to do comprehensive immigration reform. ... I understand their frustration  Im excited by it as a matter of fact  but the fact is, theyre completely wrong.

Pelosi pointed out that Democrats have been fighting Trumps efforts to build a costly border wall with Mexico and his assault on sanctuary cities, while seeking to stem an immigration crackdown aimed at increasing deportations. But the incursion by the youth group highlighted continuing divisions on the left over immigration policy and whether Democrats should try to work with Trump when possible.

I know some people think this hurts the cause of undocumented folks, but undocumented people will always be scapegoated, said Luis Serrano, one of the groups organizers. Pushing Democrats to take a more progressive stance is how we got DACA in the first place. We believe in pushing people who say theyre on our side, not those who are not.

When Trump ordered an end to the Obama-era DACA policy this month, he called on Congress to pass legislation that would protect recipients, though he did not specify what such a bill should include. Pelosi and Schumer joined Trump on Wednesday for dinner to discuss a potential bipartisan deal on the Dream Act in a rare moment of cooperation between Democratic leadership and the president.

The dinner didnt sit well with many of those who confronted Pelosi.

We feel we will be a bargaining chip for Trump to add more border enforcement, and for Democrats to look good, Serrano said. Its a win-win situation for them but not us  the people that are going to be affected.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @evansernoffsky
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's trip to France for the country's Bastille Day parade in July left a big impression. So big, in fact, that he wants to replicate the experience back home.

As Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump gushed about seeing France's military might on display in the streets of Paris during his visit. And he told reporters that he is looking into the possibility of having the parade down the streets of Washington on Independence Day to show the U.S.'s "military strength."

"I was your guest at Bastille Day, and it was one of the greatest parades I've ever seen," Trump told Macron, who sat next to him. "It was two hours on the button, and it was military might, and I think a tremendous thing for France and the spirit of France."

"To large extent because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July Fourth in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue," Trump said.

The comments prompted laughter from Macron and other officials sitting around them. The leaders were meeting in New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly. But it isn't he first time that Trump has talked about wanting a military parade in the streets of Washington.

Before the inauguration, Trump officials inquired with the Pentagon about having armored vehicles participate in his inauguration parade, according to documents obtained by the HuffPost. And he told The Washington Post in January that he hoped that during his tenure, the U.S.'s military might would be on display.

"Being a great president has to do with a lot of things, but one of them is being a great cheerleader for the country," Trump said in the January interview. "And we're going to show the people as we build up our military, we're going to display our military."

"That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades. I mean, we're going to be showing our military," he added.

Though Trump is deeply unpopular in France, he was invited for the 100th Bastille Day ceremony in Paris by Macron in an effort to strengthen the relationship between the two countries and its new leaders. The lengthy parade seemed to thrill the president, who has long held a fascination with military might.

On Monday, seated next to Macron, he boasted about the levels of U.S. military spending in his first term. And he said that his goal would be to "try to top" what France did.

"I think we're looking forward to doing that," Trump said. "I'm speaking with General Kelly and with all of the people involved, and we'll see if we can do it this year," he added, referring to his Chief of Staff John Kelly.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment about plans to hold such a parade.
VANCOUVER, Sept. 18, 2017 /CNW/ - Canfor Pulp Products Inc. (TSX:CFX) and Canfor Corporation (TSX:CFP) will hold a joint conference call on Monday, October 23, 2017 at 8:00 AM PDT to discuss their respective third quarter 2017 financial and operating results. To participate in the call, please dial one of the following numbers:

Toll-Free Access: 888-390-0546

Access: 416-764-8688

Let the operator know you wish to participate in the Canfor conference call.

Following management's discussion of the quarterly results, the analyst and investment community will be invited to ask questions.

For Instant Replay Access please dial one of the following numbers and enter

Toll-Free Access: 888-390-0541

Access: 416-764-8677

Participant Pass Code: 919920#

Recording available until: November 6, 2017

The conference call will be available live at www.canfor.com .

Canfor Pulp Products Inc. is a leading global supplier of pulp and paper products with operations in the central interior of British Columbia ("BC") employing approximately 1,300 people throughout the organization. Canfor Pulp owns and operates three mills in Prince George, BC with a total capacity of 1.1 million tonnes of Premium Reinforcing Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft Pulp and 140,000 tonnes of kraft paper, as well as one mill in Taylor, BC with an annual production capacity of 220,000 tonnes of Bleached Chemi-Thermo Mechanical Pulp ("BCTMP"). Canfor Pulp is the largest North American, and one of the largest global producers of market NBSK Pulp. CPPI shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol CFX.

SOURCE Canfor Pulp Products Inc.

For further information: Media Contact: Corinne Stavness, Senior Director, Corporate Affairs, (604) 661-5225, [email protected]; Investor Contact: Pat Elliott, Vice President and Treasurer, (604) 661-5441, [email protected]
TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2017 /CNW/ - The Steelworkers Humanity Fund is contributing $25,000 to communities throughout the Caribbean impacted by Hurricane Irma.

"Irma was a devastating storm, unlike anything seen in decades, where it touched down in Antigua and Barbuda, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

"Once again it is the poorest communities that will have the greatest difficulty recovering and re-establishing livelihoods. It is an all-too-familiar pattern that global climate change is making worse," said Ken Neumann, President of the Steelworkers Humanity Fund and National Director of the United Steelworkers.

The aid will be channelled through the Red Cross and Oxfam.

The Steelworkers Humanity Fund is a registered charitable organization that promotes respect for human rights and contributes to development projects and emergency aid in developing countries, as well as supporting Canadian communities in crisis. United Steelworkers members contribute to the Fund through clauses negotiated into collective agreements. In some cases employers make matching contributions.

SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)

For further information: Ken Neumann, President, Steelworkers Humanity Fund, 416-544-5951; Bob Gallagher, USW Communications, 416-544-5966, 416-434-2221, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.usw.ca


NEW HAVEN >> Angelo Reyes Jr. says he feels numb, nervous and yet still hopeful as he awaits his sentencing Jan. 8 on arson counts.

At one time a prominent Fair Haven developer with many properties, Reyes says he has lost everything because of what he calls a witch hunt against him by federal and state authorities.

Reyes continues to maintain his innocence despite being convicted Oct. 9 by a state Superior Court jury on two counts of second-degree arson and related conspiracy charges. He faces a sentence of up to 70 years.

Reyes occasionally grew misty-eyed and his voice choked up as he described the toll his ongoing legal situation has taken on him, his wife, their son and daughter.

He had invited a New Haven Register reporter and a photographer into his home so he could tell his side of the story and try to show he was the fall guy who had been framed. This invitation is highly unusual behavior for someone who has been convicted but not yet sentenced.

Senior Assistant States Attorney John P. Doyle Jr., who prosecuted Reyes, said he will have no reaction to Reyes allegations until Doyle speaks at the sentencing hearing. But Doyle earlier called Reyes contention of being framed absurd and noted the jury didnt believe him.

Reyes also took the unusual step of sending an email message to the Register before his state trial began. In that message, he portrayed himself as the unjustly accused fall guy.

In the email, Reyes noted a federal court jury in October 2013 acquitted him on all charges related to arson fires that struck Fair Haven properties different from those named in the state warrant.

The key government witnesses in the federal trial were Osvaldo Segui Sr. and Osvaldo Segui Jr. They testified Reyes hired them to set fire to Reyes Peoples Laundromat on Lombard Street in July 2009 as well as three other properties.

The Seguis, who had arranged a deal with authorities that they would not get additional prison time if they testified truthfully in the state trial, came back to the witness stand for the second trial. Both of them are out of prison; Segui Sr. served four years for his part in the arsons and his son served 32 months.

But this time, to the shock and dismay of Reyes and his attorney, John R. Williams, the jury found the Seguis accounts to be credible. They had testified Reyes told them to burn down a vacant house at 95 Downing St. in October 2008 and set fire to a car in front of 979 Quinnipiac Ave. in May 2009.

Reyes also testified in both trials, which defendants rarely do. He defended himself in a strong, emotional tone.

When Reyes greeted the Register reporter and photographer at the door of his handsome Fair Haven Heights home on Wednesday, he proudly pointed to a shiny wood floor he had recently put in himself.

Reyes said he built the house in 2002 and has lived there with his wife ever since then.

Reyes noted his wife owns the house. When asked why they have this arrangement, he said, Some people have life insurance; this is hers. If something were to happen to me, this is hers.

Its always been about my family and my kids, he said. Its not about what I can get, what is mine. Its for them to live a better life.

When Reyes walked out to his spacious rear deck to pose for the photos, he noted it was inappropriate for him to smile, given his legal situation. But he added, I have to have a positive outlook.

Moments later, however, tears began to well up in his eyes. Its a lot. They destroyed everything I created because I wouldnt cooperate.

He alleged that authorities told people in the neighborhood: If you get Angelo, you can get a political favor.

Reyes charged his troubles began because authorities wanted him to turn in political figures affiliated with City Hall. All I did wrong was to tell the feds to go (expletive) themselves. I shouldve been a little more polite. But I was offended.

When the reporter asked Reyes if it didnt seem odd that so many properties with which he has been affiliated went up in smoke, he said, Im not the average Joe. I have built many properties. I have gutted over 50 properties. When you gut a property, you can tell their history. A lot of them had issues for which Im not responsible.

Reyes acknowledged that five days after he bought a house at 42 Lombard St., it was set on fire. But he alleged Segui Sr. did this on his own.

Im an investor, Reyes said. I love my neighborhood. I would have fixed that house up and put a happy family in there and made money from it. To make a fire, thats not a mentality I have.

Later in the interview, Reyes repeated this assertion. I do not do fires. People can get hurt.

When asked the same question Doyle raised during the trial  Why would the Seguis, with the father working for Reyes, decide on their own to burn down the Downing Street house and set fire to a car on Quinnipiac Avenue?  Reyes alleged Segui Sr. had set other fires on his own and has psychological issues. (During cross-examination in the state trial, Segui Sr. acknowledged he had been under treatment for many years for psychiatric problems.)

Segui Sr., who now lives in Florida, could not be reached for comment.

Amid his years of legal battles, Reyes went through bankruptcy. He said this occurred because authorities allegedly told his tenants he was going to prison and as a result they stopped paying rent.

Since day one, they were in attack mode, Reyes said of the investigators.

Reyes said he once owned 18 properties. All he has now, he said, are two properties that are in foreclosure.

Turning to his state convictions, Reyes said he had no financial motive to get involved with an arson at the Downing Street house. Referring to what Doyle called a bogus second mortgage Reyes obtained on that property, Reyes said it was legal and he did it as a favor to the homeowner.

I acted as a friend. I gave him a credit line at the builders so he could finish working on the house. I did something friendly, to share the wealth.

Reyes said he could have scored a financial win simply by foreclosing on that homeowner.

As for the car fire, which Doyle said Reyes ordered because he had a neighborhood dispute with the vehicles owner, Reyes asked, Do you know how many people come to me asking for a favor?

Asked why the Seguis would have any interest in setting fire to that car, Reyes alleged Segui Sr. needed to clear a debt for another cooperating witness.

When asked what he will say to Superior Court Judge Jon C. Blue at the sentencing hearing, Reyes shook his head and said, Theyve taken a lot from me. They arrested me in front of my sons school.

Ill ask Judge Blue to be merciful, to be fair. I hope he lets me out on an appeals bond so I can fight this and be with my family. If I go away now, my family will suffer.

Reyes began to cry as he said, My son is 13. I have worked so hard so that he doesnt see anything ugly in life. He has been in private school all his life. My son is my world.

He said his daughter is 20 and is also feeling the weight of the situation. I dont know how were going to sustain this. My wife, she is my rock. This is going to destroy my family.

He conceded he had made some mistakes decades ago. In 1990, I sold drugs and I paid the price. I came home and I fixed my neighborhood. I did everything right. We worked hard on the American dream. Now, Im picking up the pieces at 49.

Reyes is still confident he will get the convictions overthrown on appeal. I believe in the judicial system.

Call Randall Beach at 203-680-9345. Do you have questions, feedback or ideas about our news coverage? Connect with New Haven Register editors at AskTheRegister.com.
NEW HAVEN >> Osvaldo Segui Jr., whose cooperation with authorities and courtroom testimony helped convict former Fair Haven developer Angelo Reyes on arson charges, has received a suspended sentence resulting in no prison time.

Segui Jr. admitted setting fire to a BMW parked in front of a house on Quinnipiac Avenue and torching a vacant house at 95 Downing St. under Reyes orders and funding.

Segui and his father, Osvaldo Segui Sr., arranged a deal with authorities that they would not get additional prison time to their federal sentences if they testified truthfully in the state trial. Segui Jr. served 32 months and his father served four years on the federal charges.

Although the Seguis testified during Reyes federal trial in October 2013, that jury acquitted Reyes on all charges related to arson fires at Reyes Peoples Laundromat on Lombard Street in July 2009 and three other properties. The Seguis testified Reyes hired them to set those fires.

But a New Haven Superior Court jury in October 2014, after hearing the Seguis testimony, found Reyes guilty on two counts of second-degree arson, two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary.

Superior Court Judge Jon C. Blue on Jan. 8 sentenced Reyes to serve 15 years in prison for the car fire and Downing Street fire. But Blue continued the $1 million appeal bond, allowing Reyes to return home during the appeals process of 1-2 years.

The car was burned in May 2009, about eight months after Reyes had a dispute with the cars owner about her request to use one of his lots for a one-time outreach program to aid drug addicts. The Downing Street house was torched in October 2008 because, prosecutors said, Reyes was arguing with its owner, who had refused to sell the property back to Reyes for redevelopment as a multi-family dwelling.

During the federal and state trials, Reyes attorney, John R. Williams, told the juries they should not believe the Seguis accounts because they had made an agreement with authorities in order to avoid longer prison sentences.

Reyes, 49, of 442 Lexington Ave., continues to maintain his innocence. He said he was the victim of a witch hunt by federal and state authorities and that the Seguis are liars.

Segui Jr., 26, who last lived on Maltby Street, appeared before Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Clifford March 3 and pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit second-degree arson. One of those counts was for the house fire on Downing Street and the other was for the car fire.

For both counts, Clifford gave Segui Jr. concurrent three-year sentences, execution suspended, meaning he will serve no time in prison. Segui Jr. must serve three years of probation.

Clifford also nolled the charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary for the Downing Street fire; and nolled charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit second-degree reckless endangerment for the car fire.

The elder Segui, 52, last October also received two three-year sentences, both of them suspended, for conspiracy to commit second-degree arson. He is now living in Florida.

Both men are also on federal probation for four years.

Senior Assistant States Attorney Seth Garbarsky said Monday the Seguis first made a plea bargain with federal authorities and that state prosecutors in turn agreed the defendants would get no additional time on the state charges to what they had received on the federal charges.

According to the state warrant, in 2008 the FBI began investigating Reyes for alleged arsons in Fair Haven. During that investigation, the Seguis provided information to the criminal conduct planned, coordinated and financed by Angelo Reyes.

The information provided by Segui Jr. has been accurate, reliable and credible, the warrant stated.

The warrant described Reyes driving the Seguis to the Quinnipiac Avenue home in front of which the BMW was known to be parked.

Reyes instructed Segui Jr. to come back later at night when the owner of the BMW was sleeping, the document stated. Reyes instructed Segui Jr. to break the small rear window of the BMW, pour the gasoline through the broken window and put the thing in the window.

Segui Jr. said the thing was a firework resembling an old-fashioned grenade with a long wick.

The morning after the car fire, the warrant added, Reyes handed the younger Segui about $150 in cash for setting that fire. The document stated Reyes paid Segui Sr. $50 for his participation in the scheme; waiting in his car while his son set the fire.

The vehicle was deemed a total loss, according to the warrant.

A separate state warrant described Reyes telling Segui Jr. he wanted the Downing Street building burned to the ground.

Reyes told Segui Jr. to use gasoline and to set the fire really late at night, according to the document. The warrant said Reyes told him to enter the property via a wooden fence, walk to the rear of the house, break a pane of glass in the rear door, unlock it and then pour gasoline in the left rear corner.

The day after Segui Jr. followed Reyes instructions, igniting an explosion, the warrant stated, Reyes paid Segui Sr. $300 in cash, which the father and son split equally.

Call Randall Beach at 203-680-9345.
NEW HAVEN >> The state Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction of Angelo Reyes for arson and other charges, but Reyes attorney is asking the entire high court to reconsider the case and he has filed a separate petition for a new trial.

The Connecticut Supreme Courts recent decision against Reyes was unanimous but was heard by just five of the seven justices, which is not unusual. Reyes attorney, Norman Pattis, this week filed a motion asking all seven justices to consider the case.

Reyes, now 51, of New Haven, was convicted by a jury at Superior Court in New Haven in October 2014. Jurors found him guilty of all five counts he faced: two charges of second-degree arson, two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary.

The fires were set in the Fair Haven neighborhood, near where Reyes lives, in 2008 and 2009.

Superior Court Judge Jon C. Blue, who presided over that trial, sentenced Reyes to serve 15 years in prison. Blue told Reyes in the sentencing hearing he appreciated his community service but cited a very dark side to your character.

Reyes asserted he was innocent during his trial testimony. He maintained his stance during the sentencing hearing, telling Blue to please consider all the good that Ive done. I have spent close to two decades making a positive difference.

At that same hearing, Senior Assistant States Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. said it was time for Reyes to take responsibility for what occurred. Doyle noted the fires, at a house at 95 Downing St. and in a car in front of 979 Quinnipiac Ave., caused 35-40 firefighters to risk injury or death.

Doyle said Reyes ordered the house burned because he wanted to take it over and profit from its use and wanted the car burned because he had a dispute with the vehicles owner, Madeline Vargas. She wanted to open an outreach program for local drug addicts in an empty parking lot near Reyes laundromat, an idea Reyes reportedly opposed.

Doyle said Wednesday, We are very happy with the state Supreme Court decision affirming the conviction of Angelo Reyes. We will have to await a decision on his motion to have the entire court reconsider.

Pattis was unavailable for comment. But an associate in his office said Reyes remains at liberty (out of prison) while his legal actions go on.

Pattis Monday filed a civil claim against the state office of the attorney general. This was a petition for a new trial based on what Pattis said is new evidence not reasonably discoverable or available at the time of the trial.

In his petition, Pattis noted the convictions were based on the testimony of two witnesses who cooperated with the state while also being co-conspirators in the arson: Osvaldo Segui Sr. and Osvaldo Segui Jr. The state said Reyes paid the two men, who were employees of his, to perform the arsons.

Pattis also wrote there was no physical evidence linking Reyes to the arsons.

Pattis noted that before the Superior Court trial, Reyes was tried in U.S. District Court in Hartford in arson cases different from the state Superior Court case. Although the Seguis also testified in that federal trial, Reyes was acquitted by a jury on all counts of that indictment.

Pattis wrote that during the Superior Court trial, defense attorney John R. Williams and the prosecutors did not know the Seguis were associated in a criminal enterprise with a man who was engaged in narcotics sales in the New Haven area.

Moreover, Pattis charged, since Reyes state conviction, Pattis learned the Seguis allegedly worked with that man to do arsons in New Haven.

Pattis asserted that state and federal law enforcement agents were aware of the connection between the Seguis and the man at the time of Reyes federal and state trials but the agents never turned over this information to either state or federal prosecutors.

Pattis concluded: This newly-discovered evidence is not cumulative and is likely to produce a different result in a new trial. He requested that the court order a new Superior Court trial.

Doyle said Wednesday of the petition, This is entirely new to us; weve never heard of this (evidence) before.

Doyle added, I question the timing of it. Two-and-a-half years after his sentencing and this is the first were hearing of it. And it comes a week after the state Supreme Court decision.

In its ruling, the high court justices rejected Pattis claim that Blue improperly instructed the jurors on reasonable doubt and unfairly limited the right of the defense to cross-examine the Seguis. The justices said Pattis argument was unfounded.

Call Randall Beach at 203-680-9345.
The irresistibly charming woman in Apartment 713 can hold forth for hours with tales of her luxe life among the intercontinental elite, neighbors say.

Madame Giselle, as some call her, is forever boasting of being the secret wife of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, even saying she facilitated the first phone call between the Middle Eastern leader and President Donald Trump, according to two of her neighbors in an upscale high-rise building just beyond the Washington, D.C. border in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Over homemade Turkish coffee in her lavishly appointed apartment or across the table at pricey restaurants, the neighbors say, she has shared in a confiding tone that she occupies a prime White House office next to Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump.

"I'm kind of a mom figure to her," Madame Giselle says, according to those who live in her building.

In this gilded age of Washington excess, Madame Giselle's casual references to her private jet and to her collection of glitzy residences in the tony D.C. neighborhood of Foxhall, as well as in Spain and Manhattan, seemed entirely plausible to some of the friends she accumulated in the hallways and elevators of a building occupied by a sophisticated array of capital insiders. For a time, the elegant woman in Apartment 713 appeared to be just another fascinating curio in a city thick with the creme de la creme of foreign dignitaries and financiers, an only-in-Washington sort of apparition.

Then she started promising to make her neighbors a lot of money.

That's when things got messy.

On one level, the saga of Madame Giselle is a story about, in no particular order, allegations by two neighbors who say they were swindled in an elaborate scheme to sell T-shirts to the Venezuelan army, a cash-stuffed envelope slipped under a doorway, a legendary bygone scandal involving the Colombian military and a glamorous woman known as "The Blonde," an ongoing multimillion-dollar Colombian fraud case, and a supposed helicopter ride into Syria. But on another level, as illustrated in interviews and in hundreds of text messages obtained by The Washington Post, it's a story about friendship and trust, about what we can make ourselves believe and how we can sometimes suspend disbelief when dreams are in sight.

At the edges of the story there is a little girl who adores stuffed animals, a father on the horns of a rough divorce, a former ambassador with a TV star son, and an out-of-towner who longed to get a Ph.D. But the central figure is the woman in Apartment 713, an enigmatic presence who calls herself Giselle Yazji.

In the weeks since The Post began examining the many lives of Madame Giselle, her activities have drawn the attention of investigators in the Montgomery County state's attorney's office, according to several people who have been interviewed by authorities. (The office declined to comment.)

Reached by phone recently, Yazji - who said she was in Colombia but planned to return to Maryland soon - issued a string of denials before abruptly hanging up. She denied boasting of a secret marriage to el-Sissi and arranging a call between the Egyptian leader and President Trump, and she brushed aside the allegations of the two neighbors in Maryland who say they were swindled by her. One of those neighbors has sued her, and she has responded in court documents by denying all allegations of wrongdoing.

Giselle, who did not respond when asked if she'd claimed to have a White House office, offered to make herself available for a sit-down interview upon her return to the United States. But later she did not respond to requests to schedule the interview. She also did not respond to follow-up questions sent via email, saying instead in a typo-filled email that "if you want to publish fake information given to you as a gossip from somebody ir neighbors and try to damage my name ease feel free to do it. I really don't think that a responsible person would do that knowing that I will sue you and sue the newwspaper."

- - -

Bob Underwood didn't know what to make of the unusually ornate toy bird he found his 7-year-old daughter playing with one night in early 2015.

"It entranced her," Underwood recalls in an interview. "It was like a fairy had come and dropped it at the door."

Neither Underwood nor his daughter knew the provenance of the toy his daughter had discovered outside their apartment, a glass-and-steel prestige address just a few steps from a thicket of luxury department stores. It wasn't until a few days later that Underwood learned that the friendly woman across the hall had left it there, he says.

Underwood, who is now 53 and works in international development, says gifts soon started appearing every few days from the woman his daughter called Miss Giselle. A box of candy. An enormous stuffed giraffe. Children's clothing.

Miss Giselle, who is in her late 50s, appeared in Underwood's life at an unsettled time. He was in the midst of a divorce. Underwood didn't become romantically involved with his neighbor, he says, but they formed a close bond centered on his daughter. The neighbor started inviting Underwood's daughter over for tea parties and to watch movies, he says.

In an interview, Giselle confirmed that she'd had the little girl over to her home.

"I really have a beautiful apartment - very rich in many things," she said. "I said, 'Of course you can come.' I very much like this girl."

Giselle, who said she was born in Lebanon and had lived around the world, tugged at his emotions, Underwood says, by telling him that she was estranged from her own children.

"She gave me the impression of being absolutely heartbroken," Underwood says. "It was visceral."

Giselle invited Underwood to her house for coffee and to restaurants for lunches and dinners, he says. He saw her doling out $100 tips "like she was handing out Coca-Colas," he says. Her apartment was filled with expensive crystal figurines, and there were pictures everywhere of well-dressed people. She would pull out her phone and show him photos of her home in Spain. She claimed to have a monthly income of $2.1 million, he says, and said she was renting an apartment in their building only because it was convenient, given her heavy travel schedule, while she was renovating a much larger residence in Foxhall.

As the weeks passed, Underwood says, his neighbor dribbled out details of what seemed like a charmed and exotic life. Giselle said she was giving sotto voce advice to the Obama administration on Pakistan policy, and had the use of a White House office. She also said she'd been married to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

She told richly embroidered stories about going to Cuba with the ailing Chavez. The way the hospital looked. What the doctor told Chavez. Meeting Raul Castro.

"Very elaborate detail," Underwood says.

Giselle and her attorney did not respond to questions about Chavez and the Cuba trip.

When Underwood expressed some skepticism, he says, his neighbor rattled off names. Obscure names. Cousins of Venezuelan leaders. Minor officials. At night he'd go to the computer in his apartment and Google the names. They'd show up. Her knowledge was nothing short of "encyclopedic," he says.

Underwood often has trouble getting to sleep, and on one of his restless nights, he stumbled across English-language articles published in African blogs in the mid-2000s about his neighbor serving as an adviser to the president of Ghana, John Kufuor. Kufuor's foundation did not respond to a request for comment. (The Post recently showed a photo that accompanied one of the blog posts to Giselle's neighbors in Maryland, all of whom confirmed that the woman pictured was the mystery woman in Apartment 713.)

Giselle regaled Underwood with stories of her adventures in the free-for-all of Ghanaian politics, he says. Still, for all the bravado, Underwood says, he sometimes questioned whether his neighbor was actually as wealthy as she claimed. Once, when he raised doubts about her financial status, she flung open her closet so that he could see the dozens of designer dresses she owned, he says.

Underwood couldn't help but be impressed.

"I'd never met anybody like her in my life," he says.

- - -

Underwood's finances were strained by the divorce, and he was sending his daughter to a public school. Giselle, he says, pressed him over and over to move the child to a private school, saying it would be best for the little girl.

When he said he couldn't afford it, she offered up a plan. Giselle said she could fold him into a special investment opportunity: They would bid to sell T-shirts to the Venezuelan army, a deal that she said they were sure to get because of her high-level connections there. He'd make a ton of money, he says she promised, enough so that he could set up a college fund and provide a better lifestyle for his daughter.

"I love your daughter," Giselle wrote in a text message provided to The Post by Underwood. "She's the sweetest, kindest girl."

Looking back, Underwood says, that may have been the moment when he was hooked.

"That hit me in the gut," he says.

In an interview, Giselle painted a different picture of her relationship with her neighbor and his daughter. Without offering any proof of her claims, she portrayed Underwood as an inattentive father - an allegation he vigorously denies.

"I'm really very kind," Giselle said in the interview. "He is a really bad person. I think he was born bad."

Giselle said Underwood was "always talking about his daughter. Not because he likes her. It's because he used her. It's amazing. Amazing, really."

By November 2015, Underwood says, he was all in for the Venezuela deal. Even though he says he'd never received paperwork about the business, he agreed to give Giselle $1,870 to cover the cost of registration fees for their bid. She asked him for the money on a bank holiday, so he couldn't deposit it in her account. But she said that shouldn't be a problem - he could merely slip the cash under her door in an envelope and she'd have her assistant pick it up, according to a text message.

The payment would be secure, Giselle texted, because the only other people with keys to her apartment were her assistant and "one of the secret service." The comment made sense to Underwood since he says Giselle had told him that members of the U.S. Secret Service had access to her apartment because of her relationship with the White House.

The Secret Service had no comment. In an interview, Giselle denied claiming the Secret Service had access to her apartment.

"This is a confabulation against me," she said.

At the time of their exchange about the Secret Service, Underwood was upbeat about his prospects.

"If it goes through I'll walk over to the Church of Santo Spirito and say my thanks," Underwood, who was about to leave for Italy, texted her. He said he also would toast Giselle with Chianti. Later, Giselle sounded celebratory, too, texting that she had bought 24 Beanie Boos, a popular stuffed animal, for Underwood's daughter. Giselle knew Beanie Boos were his daughter's favorites.

But as time went on, Giselle kept asking for more money. On Nov. 25, 2015, she sent an apologetic text requesting $1,200 to pay a lawyer working on the project.

"He asked for more I told him to make you a discount," she wrote.

Underwood was getting nervous. She pushed back, seeming to use shame as a tool to overcome his hesitancy.

"It is not going to look good," she wrote, "he [is] one of the most prestigious lawyers."

The messages from Giselle came amid an aura of jet-setting glam. Once, Giselle texted that she would soon be flying to Damascus, Syria, and explained that she'd get there by first traveling to Greece, then taking a helicopter through Beirut. She told of hobnobbing with Venezuelan generals. In another text she said that her purse, which she said cost $7,000 and contained $3,000 in cash, was stolen in Egypt when she'd left her hotel without her bodyguards.

She texted Underwood that she would not tell "the president" about her mishap. Underwood presumes she was talking about Sissi, the Egyptian president who she'd claimed was her clandestine husband.

That December, Venezuela held elections that did not go well for the ruling party, seemingly imperiling their inside track to get the T-shirt deal. But days later Giselle sent a text with big news: "Hello Bob how are you they just signed the contract."

She asked him to give his daughter a kiss for her, and told him to go ahead and toast their business success. But within eight hours, she was texting from Buenos Aires to ask for a favor: Her assistant had called and told her that she would need to complete another registration the next day. Giselle she'd brought the wrong debit card, and was wondering if Underwood would put $1,000 into her account to cover the cost.

Sure, Underwood said. He thought he'd just scored a big contract. What was another $1,000?

But he still had nothing to show for his investment, and in the days to come, his anxiety levels spiked.

"I'm faced with something that if it goes poorly for me I'm sunk," he texted to Giselle the day before Christmas.

After New Year's, Giselle was asking for still more money. She texted to say that she'd just spoken to Venezuela's economy minister about the deal, and needed an additional $3,673.

"Please try to find the money I am worry I want to finish the deal," she urgently texted him.

Her claims were getting more and more dramatic. Underwood was getting desperate, torn between his pique at the lack of information and a desire to keep the deal alive so he could at least recoup the tens of thousands of dollars he'd already put in. When he complained, she responded with all-caps text messages.

"OH MY GOD I HAVE PAID MORE THAN YOU IMAGINE TO HELP YOU FOR WHAT YOU PAID IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE MILLIONS I PAID."

Underwood says he moved to a different floor in the building just to avoid the woman he once thought would deliver him a new kind of prosperity. In February 2016, Giselle sent him an email saying she would repay him for the cost of the registrations related to the bid once she sold the T-shirts. But Underwood says he never saw a dime.

For months he stewed. He felt embarrassed and humiliated. He calculated that he'd lost more than $50,000.

In March, about a year after cutting off contact with his neighbor, he filed a lawsuit against Giselle Yazji, demanding $1.7 million - the amount Underwood says she promised he would make. The case is pending. In a court filing, Harry A. Suissa, an attorney for Yazji, denied that she was involved in fraudulent wrongdoing. Suissa declined to comment for this article or to provide documentation of the Venezuelan business venture.

"In his suit, everything is a lie," Giselle said in an interview. "I didn't receive anything. He paid expenses. It wasn't for me."

- - -

One evening in June this year, there was a knock at Bob Underwood's door. In the hallway stood a polite, well-dressed man who spoke near-perfect English in an elegant Middle Eastern accent.

He wanted to talk about Giselle.

The man, who agreed to be interviewed on the condition that only his last name, Sadi, be used, works for a foreign entity in the United States. Underwood was not glad to see him, both men say.

Underwood "was suspicious," Sadi says.

Yet, the more they talked, the more they realized they'd each found an ally.

"She scammed you?" Sadi recalls saying. "She scammed me, too!"

Sadi had found Underwood because another person who lives in the building had conducted a background search after being approached by Giselle about an investment opportunity. The search turned up Underwood's lawsuit.

As Sadi and Underwood talked, they began to see similarities. Like Underwood, Sadi had met Giselle by chance in the hallway. When Giselle invited herself for coffee one evening in late 2014, Sadi says, he and his wife felt it would be a cultural faux pas to refuse.

The woman he calls Madame Giselle began to give Sadi and his wife expensive presents, he says: Perfume, a designer purse.

"She seemed like a very rich woman," Sadi says.

As their friendship grew, Sadi says, he confided some of his dreams: Though he did not earn a large salary, he hoped to improve his lot by returning to school to earn a Ph.D. He pined for a larger apartment and wanted to have children.

Sadi provided The Post with copies of hundreds of text and WhatsApp messages that show how their relationship unfolded. In June 2015, the neighbors appeared to be on good terms. Giselle sent a text to Sadi and his wife, addressing him respectfully as "Monsieur," and he called her Madame Giselle.

"I wanted to talk with you two if you have time about something interesting please let me know when you can receive me for an hour," she in a text.

Sadi explained to Underwood how Giselle had told him that she'd purchased a cache of T-shirts at auction from the estate of a wealthy textile merchant who had died. Madame Giselle was so convincing that night, Sadi says, that he agreed to give her $5,000 in cash without a scrap of documentation.

"Please I want you to know that I have you both this opportunity because I know you could help many people with it," Giselle wrote in a text message.

It was all sounding painfully familiar to Underwood. He, too, had placed his blind faith in a woman who seemed to have his best interests at heart. There was the big promise, the pressure for money - always in cash - and the anger when questions about the deal were raised.

In July 2015, Giselle added a new twist, Sadi says, telling him that her brother had been kidnapped. She texted Sadi to say that she'd traveled to Bogota and had paid $3 million for her brother.

Looking back, Sadi says the anecdote seemed to serve two purposes: It showed that Giselle was a person of great means who could afford a multimillion-dollar ransom, and it made her an object of sympathy - not unlike the references to being estranged from her children that tugged at Underwood's emotions.

As the months raced past and Sadi's mood darkened, Giselle's text messages seemed to toggle between furor and hopefulness. Once, as she did with Underwood, she claimed to have paid millions to arrange the T-shirt deal. "And I lost a lot," she texted to Sadi. She also asked Sadi to get money to her the same way as Underwood had: By placing cash in an envelope and slipping it under her door.

But at other times, she evinced a sunny optimism, citing her religious faith as a Christian in appealing to Sadi, a Muslim: "I know that it will resolve many things and the most important thing I will show the world that between muslim and Christian from the middle east we help each other," she wrote in a text.

At one point, Giselle was separately sending dozens of text messages to both Underwood and Sadi, though the two men had no idea because they had never met. On Jan. 5, 2016, she asked for precisely $3,673 from Underwood for "transfer costs" related to their deal. Thirteen days later, according to a Post review of hundreds of text messages, she asked for exactly the same amount from Sadi.

Sadi was in agony. He was having trouble making the rent. He wanted his money back. He calculated he'd given her nearly $19,000. When he complained about his financial difficulties, Giselle nudged him to sell some Persian carpets that she'd seen in his apartment, even though the dealer was offering him a low price, he says.

The deal - like Underwood's, to sell T-shirts to the Venezuelan army - was so opaque that Sadi didn't even know how to categorize the business they were supposedly launching when he tried to use an online service to register a corporation to receive payments.

"Sorry for upsetting, but what the type of our business?" Sadi texted in July 2015.

Giselle always had an answer, Sadi says. This time, she said she'd register a company under her assistant's name to collect the profits for Sadi. She even sent him the form. The name she listed on it as the responsible party for the company threw him.

It was Giselle Jaller.

- - -

The name Giselle Jaller didn't mean anything to Sadi at first. But he got on the internet and started searching. He had something in his favor: He speaks fluent Spanish.

And when he typed that name into Google's Colombia search field, a torrent of articles came flying at him. A series of deeply reported stories in the respected newsmagazine Semana told the epic story of a spectacular alleged rip-off of the Colombian army.

The alleged perpetrator was a woman named Giselle Jaller, who had been dubbed "La Mona," a slang term that roughly translates to "The Blonde." The Colombian media gushed about her appearance, noting her large, dark eyes and habit of wearing miniskirts. The business publication Dinero called her a "stunning blonde."

The photos Sadi found of Jaller on the internet left no doubt in his mind: His neighbor, the woman he knew as Giselle Yazji, was the same woman who had been at the center of scandal in Colombia, using the name Giselle Jaller.

According to Semana, Giselle Jaller had used her good looks and charm to court customers at two Colombian banks where she worked. In an interview with The Post, a spokesman for the Colombian attorney general's office confirmed that the authorities in the early 1990s had accused Jaller - who was married to a high-ranking police officer at the time - of stealing the equivalent of tens of thousands of U.S. dollars from each of two banks by opening accounts under fake names. The case expired without a resolution, according to the attorney general's spokesman.

Three years later, Jaller allegedly resurfaced in Bogota and used the name of her sister, Rolla Jaller, in a convoluted scheme to sell ponchos, backpacks and belts to the Colombian military, the spokesman says. Once again, she ran afoul of the authorities.

Reached recently by phone, Rolla Jaller, who lives in Florida, described her sister as "crazy."

"We don't want to hear anymore about her in this life," Rolla Jaller says. "It's a nightmare. My sister is a nightmare for all the family."

Colombian authorities accused Giselle Jaller of failing to deliver materials she'd been contracted to provide to the Colombian military and of defrauding the military of the equivalent of about $1 million.

She was captured and sent to a women's prison in June 1995, according to the Colombian attorney general's office. However, a judge released her, on the condition that she return, because she was seven months pregnant.

She never came back. In that instant, she became a famous fugitive.

Things got even stranger from there.

- - -

All throughout her legal drama in Colombia, Jaller appears to have had ties to the United States, according to public records. She is listed as an officer in two Florida companies. Eric Kaplan, who was then an attorney in Miami who specialized in offshore and foreign business, said in a recent interview that he remembered being introduced to Jaller by a prominent Colombian client.

"Gorgeous woman. Incredibly striking," Kaplan says of Jaller. "She was some kind of banker."

In July 1997, Jaller appeared on Colombian television for an extraordinary interview. A full copy of the interview was provided to The Post by Canal 1 and the Colombian television program Noticiero CM&. The Post showed the video to two of Giselle's current neighbors in Maryland, and they said they were absolutely certain that the woman in the video is the same woman who lives in Apartment 713 and now refers to herself as Giselle Yazji.

In the interview, the woman admits that she assumed the identity of her sister, Rolla, so that she could seek contracts with the Colombian military. She also admits to paying bribes to Colombian officials by writing checks to their wives.

In the interview, she shows flashes of the charm that made her famous in Colombia. A slight smile crosses her face as she answers questions. She portrays herself as a businesswoman who paid bribes because Colombian officials demanded them, and she expresses remorse for assuming her sister's identity.

The scandal made banner headlines in Colombia. But she remained free. The attorney general's spokesman says the authorities did not know where she was located and therefore could not bring her back to Bogota to face charges.

Years passed. The scandal of La Mona faded from memories. The statute of limitations for her alleged crimes expired, according to the attorney general's office. Then, the spokesman says, she did something bold - she returned to Colombia in 2010 and tried to collect $20 million from an account in a Spanish bank there.

That set off another round of legal action. Once again, prosecutors accused her of committing a crime, holding court hearings in 2015 and 2016 in Bogota. At the same time, back in Maryland, the woman who called herself Giselle Yazji was pressing Underwood and Sadi for cash. The case, which is still pending, has been plagued by delays related to legal maneuverings by the woman they call "La Mona Jaller," according to the attorney general.

Sadi did not know all of this when he was researching his neighbor, but he learned enough to make his heart sink. He decided to tell anyone he saw talking to Giselle about what he'd learned. (In the interview with The Post, Giselle alleged that Sadi hates her because she is Christian and he is Muslim - an assertion he vehemently denied.)

As Sadi made his way through the building, rumors about possible Giselle sightings ricocheted through the halls. For weeks at a time, he wouldn't see her. This summer, Giselle texted friends in the building to ask about a water leak, and said she was in Venezuela after having also traveled to Colombia. Sadi was more convinced than ever that the woman in whom he'd placed his trust was the same woman who had been accused of the big swindles in Colombia.

Many records regarding Giselle's identity track back to Florida, where she appears to have lived in the Miami area for years before relocating to the Washington area. Numerous Florida records list Jaller and Yazji with the same birth month and year, including driver's licenses, voter registrations, and marriage and divorce records. (She appears to have been married twice in Florida. Both marriages ended in divorce.) Yazji and Jaller have also been associated with the same Social Security number, according to national database searches.

There are other similarities of note: A news release from the Colombian attorney general's office about a hearing in Giselle Jaller's ongoing case makes references to her allegedly assuming the management of a company without permission of two people who are listed as partners: Hernando and Catherine Cano. Neighbors say the woman in Apartment 713 has told them that her children are named Hernando Cano and Catherine Cano, and Colombian media reports say that Giselle Jaller was married to a policeman named Hernando Cano.

Giselle's children, Hernando and Catherine Cano, declined to comment. People familiar with the family dynamic say they are estranged from their mother.

In the phone interview with The Post, the woman who goes by the name Giselle Yazji denied that she is, in fact, Giselle Jaller, the accused swindler known as "La Mona" in the Colombian media.

Giselle spoke of Jaller in the third person. But she said she had researched the story of La Mona, and she went on to discuss it in great detail.

"She is a very strong woman," Giselle said.

- - -

Sadi's quest to warn the world about Giselle brought him to Dick and Patricia Carlson, who have an apartment in the same building. In the past few months, the Carlsons - the parents of Tucker Carlson, the Fox News television host - had been socializing with Giselle.

Carlson's wife had met Giselle in the lobby of their building. Soon thereafter, Giselle gave Patricia a framed religious icon that she now displays in the foyer of their apartment, two floors directly above Giselle's.

Giselle never asked the Carlsons for money. Still, her claims about foreign marriages and U.S. government connections made them suspicious. Dick Carlson, a former high-powered television producer who ran the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the early 1990s and served as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Seychelles under President George H.W. Bush, is still well connected. He contacted friends involved in the federal government. They asked around. None of their contacts had ever heard of the woman.

At dinner one night at the Capital Grille, an upscale steakhouse around the corner from their building, Giselle regaled the couple with stories of her highflying adventures. She told them about her office next to Ivanka Trump's in the White House and talked about giving advice to the president's daughter on Air Force One. She boasted that her marriage to el-Sissi was kept secret because of sensitivities over the fact that she is Christian and he is Muslim, and she said she'd introduced the Egyptian president to President Trump one day in the Oval Office.

"I have him on the speed dial," Giselle said, according to Dick Carlson. "I called him and then handed the phone to Trump. That's when they had their first conversation."

A top official in the Trump White House said neither Ivanka Trump nor anyone else at the White House has ever heard of Giselle. The Egyptian president's office did not respond to the assertion of a secret marriage.

At another meal, Carlson says, Giselle's phone rang and she excused herself saying it was the president of Angola.

"He's always after me," she said, according to Carlson.

Carlson wasn't buying any of it. But he kept listening, in part, he says, because it was hard to get a word in edgewise.

"She's a nonstop talker," Carlson says, "a monologuist of considerable experience."

While she spoke, Giselle glanced around the restaurant and told the Carlsons a little secret: She has four or five bodyguards, Carlson remembers her saying.

"They're here now," the woman from Apartment 713 told him. "But you don't see them."

Alice Crites in Washington contributed to this report.

- - -

Video link:

http://wapo.st/2fyi5E5

Embed code:
BRIDGEPORT - A Bronx, N.Y., man, charged with stealing the cremated remains of 18 people from a Stratford cemetery, was ordered Monday to stay away from the cemetery.

Aneudy Davila, appeared out of sorts as he stood before Superior Court Judge William Holden, exposing his bright-red underwear to the people seated on the benches behind him.

After ordering Davila to pull his pants up, the judge appointed a public defender to represent Davila and continued the case to Oct. 16. He then ordered Davila to stay out of Union Cemetery.

Police said Davila used the stolen ashes as part of religious ceremonies conducted by his girlfriend. He is charged with interference with a cemetery, criminal mischief and sixth-degree larceny and is free on $5,000 bond.

On June 23, 2016, Stratford police said they were called to the historic Temple Court cemetery for a break in.

When officers got to the scene, police said they found a Columbarium, a sealed granite vault that contains remains, had been broken into and 18 urns containing cremated human remains were missing. Police said a circle had been burned in the grass around the vault.

The case went unsolved for several months until police said a witness came forward.

Police said the witness told them that shortly after the cemetery break in Davila had come to his home carrying a large plastic bag. When the witness looked into the bag police said he saw a number of metal urns, some with names and flags on them. There were also a number of old-looking photograph of people.

Police said the witness told them that Davila wanted to borrow a vacuum cleaner to clean up some dust he had in his van.

The witness said he had previously seen Davilas girlfriend, Janette Mateo, conducting religious rituals involving dead chickens and cigars, police said.

Police said they later raised Mateos home on Naugatuck Avenue in Milford and found the remains of chickens and other items used in the practice of Santeria, a Caribbean/African religion. They did not find any urns and while they said Mateo admitted conducting Santeria rituals they said she denied having anything to do with the cemetery break in.

Davila was later arrested on unrelated charges in Milford. Police said when he surrendered at Milford police headquarters he was carrying a large bag. When police looked in the bag they said they found tools consistent with those used to break into the cemetery vault along with several photographs that had been taken from the vault.
A son and mother who practice medicine in West Hartford were fined a total of $11,500 Tuesday by the state Medical Examining Board for prescribing high doses of opioids for patients without monitoring them for drug abuse.

The board fined Dr. Corey Jaquez of the West Hartford Medical Center $7,500 and placed his medical license on probation for a year. They also fined his mother, Janis Jaquez, a physician assistant at the center, $4,000 and placed her license on probation for a year.

Both were ordered to take courses in prescribing drugs and managing chronic pain, which they have already completed, and will have their practice monitored by the state Department of Public Health during the probation, under consent orders they agreed to with the board.

DPH records show the charges grew out of a report in 2015 from the state Department of Consumer Protections Drug Control Division about the care of three patients between 2010 and 2014. Corey Jaquez failed to adequately supervise his mother and she practiced without appropriate supervision.

DPH staff attorney David Tilles told the board that Corey Jaquez is not restricted from supervising Janis Jaquez. In signing the consent orders, the Jaquezes chose not to contest the allegations.

Though state records did not describe their relationship, their lawyer, John Q. Gale of Hartford, said before the meeting that they are mother and son. He pointed out that during the probation, Janis Jaquez will have to hire an outside physician to monitor her practice, review her records and make periodic reports to DPH.

The board also reprimanded Dr. Ann Tran, a radiologist from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, who was disciplined in Wisconsin in 2016 for failing to appropriately interpret three scans in 2009 in which a destructive mass was visible, a consent order Tran signed said.

She has also been disciplined in Maryland, Illinois and Texas, DPH records show.

State law in Connecticut allows the board to discipline doctors who have been disciplined in other states if they have a Connecticut medical license.

Though he approved the discipline, Dr. Robert Green, a board member, indicated that Tran was only reprimanded and had to pay $690 in state costs in Wisconsin even though her actions resulted in the death of one of the three patients.

Kate Farrish is a Conn. Health I-Team writer. This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (c-hit.org).
NEW HAVEN  Shockwaves from the budget turmoil in Hartford are reaching the city and could start causing damage here as Mayor Toni Harp said Monday the city will likely run out of money by late November.

Harp said about 41 percent of the citys budget is funded by state money. The citys current fiscal year budget is $539 million; Harp said the Board of Educations $187 million budget comes largely from the state, which contributes $125 million.

We run out of cash in November, Harp said, adding, That means we got to figure out a way to do what it is that were supposed to do as a city to provide services. Well be meeting with our legislative leadersto figure out what we do.

City spokesman Laurence Grotheer said in a statement Monday, should state budget conditions continue to deteriorate the city will be forced to consider all its options, though no further details were provided.

Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker and Majority Leader and Alder Alphonse J. Paolillo, D-New Haven, issued a joint statement Monday saying they also are considering options. Paolillo also serves as a state representative for New Haven.

The Board of Alders takes it budgetary responsibility seriously and will diligently evaluate everything and deliberate on all options as the situation develops," the statement said.

A Democrat who spent 20 years in the General Assembly, Harp said the legislative body has an obligation to pass a state budget. Earlier Monday, Harp joined Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim in supporting a proposed $675 million MGM casino on Bridgeports waterfront. The project could mean millions in revenue for both cities.

We are now in at the end of the first quarter and we still dont have a budget, so they have basically aggregated their responsibility to the people of the state of Connecticut, Harp said.

Progress on the budget was made last week, but it came down to a controversial plan.

A $40 billion Republican budget plan passed last week was approved by a 21-15 Senate vote Friday and a 77-73 vote in the House at 3:13 a.m. Saturday. Its success was undercut by a party defection that caused an uproar at the Capitol, with three Democrats in the Senate and five in the House side with Republican colleagues to move the budget forward.

Gov. Dannel Malloy said shortly after the budget was passed by the Senate on Friday that he would veto the spending plan. He pointed to, unrealistic savings, and cuts to higher education and to potential legal battles over issues that could arise with state contracts for reasons he would veto the plan.

Despite his intent to veto it, Malloy said during a news conference Monday he would give the bill, a full vetting. It could be days before the budget actually reaches Malloys desk.

I was extraordinarily disappointed, Harp said, that Democrats would break from their caucus and vote for a Republican budget that wasnt balanced.

Senate President Pro Tempore Martin N. Looney, D-New Haven, and Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, were both highly critical of the GOP budget. Winfield took to his social media accounts to voice his discontent.

Of course I am angry, Winfield said in a tweet Saturday morning after the Senate vote. If I werent something would be wrong with me. Similarly, if I werent planning you could say the same thing.

Looney said in a statement Monday the budget was shortsighted, and would decimate funding for the University of Connecticut, other state universities and community colleges. The budget would impact scholarship assistance to low- and moderate-income students, Looney said in his statement. He added it would leave the city of Hartford bankrupt.

However, given the outcome in the state Senate on Friday and in the House of Representatives on Saturday morning, and given Governor Malloys welcome veto commitment, we must renew our dedication to bipartisan negotiations in a final push to adopt a budget by (Oct. 1) to forestall the consequences of the Governors proposed executive order, Looney said in the statement.

Harp said the budget didnt consider the needs of, cities that are most challenged in our state.

We have a state so that we can ensure that we can redistribute the resources of our state to assure that all communities are safe and have the ability to advance their citizenry, Harp said. That budget doesnt do that.

Harp said moving forward, there will be no new hires in the city, though she stopped short of calling it hiring freeze since there may be some hiring in public safety departments. She added her staff may approach the Board of Alders to borrow resources.

Reach Esteban L. Hernandez at 203-680-9901
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

When alarms began to ring and a control panel flashed in front of Stanislav Petrov, a 44-year-old lieutenant colonel seated in a secret bunker south of Moscow, it appeared that the world was less than 30 minutes from nuclear war.

"The siren howled," he later said, "but I just sat there for a few seconds, staring at the big, back-lit, red screen with the word 'launch' on it." His chair, he said, began to feel like "a hot frying pan."

Petrov, an official with Russia's early-warning missile system, was charged with determining whether the United States had opened intercontinental fire on the Soviet Union. Just after midnight on Sept. 26, 1983, all signs seemed to point to yes.

The satellite signal Petrov received in his bunker indicated that a single Minuteman missile had been launched and was headed toward the East. Four more missiles appeared to follow, according to satellite signals, and the protocol was clear: notify Soviet Air Defense headquarters in time for the military's general staff to consult with Yuri V. Andropov, the Soviet leader. A retaliatory attack, and nuclear holocaust, would likely ensue.

Yet Petrov, juggling a phone in one hand and an intercom in the other, judged that the red alert was a false alarm. Soviet missiles, armed and ready, remained in their silos. And American missiles, apparently minutes from impact, seemed to vanish into the air.

"I had a funny feeling in my gut," Petrov told The Washington Post in 1999. "I didn't want to make a mistake. I made a decision, and that was it." He celebrated with half a liter of vodka, fell into a sleep that lasted 28 hours and went back to work.

While the "50-50" decision may have averted catastrophe, it ultimately destroyed the career of Petrov, who died May 19 at his home in Fryazino, a center for scientific research near Moscow. He was 77.

His death - much like the defining moment of his life - was largely unreported. It was announced by Karl Schumacher, a friend and political activist who said he heard the news from Petrov's son, Dmitri, and that Petrov had been sick for the last six months with "an internal disease."

The colonel's brush with history came six months after President Ronald Reagan christened the Soviet Union an "evil empire," and just three weeks after Korean Air Lines Flight 007 wandered into Soviet airspace and was shot down, deteriorating U.S.-Soviet relations even further.

When NATO held a military training exercise known as Able Archer 83 that November, Soviet officials interpreted Western troop movements as preparations for a preemptive strike. The country began readying its expansive nuclear arsenal, and the West seemed primed to escalate its own efforts when an intelligence official in the U.S. Air Force, Leonard Perroots, chose - like Petrov - not to respond to the apparent provocation. (The incident inspired the recent television series "Deutschland 83.")

Yet while Perroots was lauded at the time and went on to direct the Defense Intelligence Agency, Petrov became a pariah in the Soviet military, a scapegoat for what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity in the early-warning system's software.

Instead of identifying a group of missiles, the software had spotted the sun's reflection off the top of clouds.

Petrov said he was initially skeptical of the launch because only a handful of missiles had been fired - "when people start a war," he told The Post, "they don't start it with only five missiles" - and because Soviet ground-based radar had shown no evidence of an attack.

But a military investigation chastised and eventually reassigned Petrov, in large part for not keeping a detailed log of his actions during the five minutes it took him to decide the alarm was false. (His hands were full, he said.) He had also thwarted a protocol that was designed to take such a weighty decision out of the hands of humans. A computer, not an individual officer, would decide whether missiles were imminent, and thus whether retaliatory action might be necessary.

In later years, Petrov sometimes said that he was simply "in the right place at the right time." Most of his comrades, he said, would probably have confirmed the approaching missiles rather than questioned the alerts from the computer.

In fact, according to Peter Anthony, a Danish filmmaker who directed "The Man Who Saved the World," a 2014 documentary on Petrov, he wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. "Another officer was sick," Anthony said, "so Stanislav had to take over."

Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov was born on Sept. 7, 1939, in Chernigovka, an air base north of Vladivostok. His mother was a nurse, and his father was an aviation engineer who had flown fighter planes during World War II. He was once shot down by the Japanese, resulting in a severe head injury and an admonition to his aviation-minded son: Never fly.

When his mother became pregnant with a second child, his parents decided they could not support a family of four, and enrolled Petrov in a military academy.

He studied long-distance radar systems and was stationed in the Far East, where he met his wife, Raisa, who was working as a cinema operator at a military base in Kamchatka.

Petrov eventually retired from the military to care for her during her treatment for brain cancer. Reliant almost entirely on a state pension, he was reduced at one point to growing potatoes outside his apartment building to feed his family. For a time, he made soup by boiling water with a leather belt for flavor.

His wife died in 1997. In addition to his son, Petrov is survived by a daughter, Yelena, and two grandchildren.

His story began attracting wide attention only in the late 1990s, after Gen. Yury Votintsev, the retired Soviet missile-defense chief, published a memoir describing Petrov's previously classified role in preventing a nuclear disaster.

Until a Pravda journalist knocked on the door of the family's apartment building, Anthony said, Raisa Petrov had believed her husband was a pilot.

"Oh, your husband has saved the world from nuclear war," the reporter said, leading Petrov to slam the door and, at least at first, tell his wife that the reporter had been lying.

He was, Anthony said, "afraid that he was being tested."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

I was at a farmers market last week and overheard a customer talking with a fellow shopper about how she loves fall and all of its bounty that she enjoys cooking with, especially apples and pumpkins. When I think of autumn, what comes to mind is comfort food, soup and pie.

During this season I also look for the many varieties of apples available to incorporate into recipes and scout out ideas for cooking with pumpkins and cranberries. Lets talk about apples today.

There is nothing better on a cool September day than a trip to the local orchard to pick fresh apples. They are ripe for the picking in September, and growers are opening their orchards to those of us who like to pick our own.

Fans of the fruit know this is the best time to find many heirloom varieties that arent sold in grocery stores. According to the U.S. Apple Association, the United States grows around 200 unique apple varieties. After eating some crisp apples right at the orchard, many enthusiastic pickers bring home bushels and pecks to make pies and apple sauce galore. Another flashback; my paternal grandmother making her chunky apple sauce when I was a young boy. I remember the large, glass, instant-coffee jars she put it in for us to take home and scraping every last bit off the sides of the jar. Why is it that food brings back such fond memories?

There are so many delicious recipes to celebrate the apple with, so why limit the choices to the old standbys like pie and sauce?

To inspire you to think outside the box, check out The Apple Cookbook: 125 Freshly Picked Recipes 3rd edition by Olwen Woodier ( 2015, Storey Publishing, $14.95). There are recipes from sweet to savory and from simple to show stopping, with gluten-free options as well.

More Information CULINARY CALENDAR Consiglio's Cooking Demonstration and Dinner: Thursday and Sept. 28, 6:30 p.m., Consiglio's Restaurant, 165 Wooster St., New Haven, 203-865-4489, $65 (beverages, tax and gratuity not included, reservations required). Preparation of a four-course meal is demonstrated. Each course is shown, step by step, and then served. Learn how to make one of Consiglio's trademark dishes: Cannelloni filled with seasoned ricotta and meat, spinach salad with prosciutto with chianti vinaigrette, steak pizzaiola, blueberry cobbler vanilla gelato. Mushroom Farm to Table Wine Dinner: Saturday, 5:30 p.m., Chatfield Hollow Farm, 10 Firetower Road, Killingworth, 860-591-WINE, bit.ly/2wfKM2Z, $125. Wine Institute of New England welcomes autumn with a farm-to-table wine dinner inspired by the mushrooms and other fresh edibles of Chatfield Hollow Farm. A cocktail reception will kick off a 4-course dinner, with each course expertly paired with wine by director Renee Allen. Consiglio's Murder Mystery Dinner - "The Ides of September": Sept. 29, doors at 6 p.m., dinner and show at 7, Consiglio's Restaurant, 165 Wooster St., New Haven, 203-865-4489, bit.ly/2cyB02Y, $55 includes dinner and show (beverages, tax and gratuity not included). An interactive comedy show that goes on as you enjoy a three-course dinner. The cast mingles from table to table, dropping clues for a mystery only you can solve. Two rival actors and their spouses are here for the big casting announcement. Will someone kill for the part? Brats & Beer Cruise: Oct. 5, 5:15 p.m., Essex Steam Train & River Boat, 1 Railroad Ave., Essex, 860-767-0103, 21 and over, bit.ly/2gNIjWE, $60 advance/$70 walk-up (pending availability). Beer, bratwurst and beautiful fall foliage on the Connecticut River. Tastings of carefully selected craft beers and ride the Becky Thatcher Riverboat on the Connecticut River. Fall Food and Wine on the Shoreline Dinner: Oct. 19, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Guilford Mooring, 505 Whitfield St., Guilford, 203-458-2921, bit.ly/2xDbxyJ, $65 per person, not including tax & tip ($5 from each ticket will benefit Relay for Life of the Shoreline, American Cancer Society). Hosted by Guilford's Dave "The Wine Guy" Brause, the event will feature a five-course meal, each paired with a wine or cocktail. A Day of Wine & Roses presented by The North Haven Rotary Club of CT: Sept. 24, 1 p.m., Forget Me Not Flower Shop, 39 State St., North Haven, bit.ly/2x7hIt7, $35 in advance, $40 at door. Food tastings from many local restaurants, wine tasting, musical entertainment as well as raffle items and a silent auction. See More Collapse

After an introduction to apples full of history and information on purchasing, storing and preparing, the challenge begins as to what recipes to make first. Is it going to be roast chicken with apples, turnips and garlic; cornbread apple stuffing; apple, dried fruit and Israeli couscous salad; phyllo tarts with caramelized apples?

Perhaps it will be one of these recipes for apple, sausage and cheese strata or pork tenderloin stuffed with apples. For the recipe for apple-cranberry meringue pie, visit bit.ly/2x5x3cl.

I found Woodiers apple recommendations with each recipe, tips on purchasing and storing and the meet the apples chart quite helpful.

If you would like to capture the taste of a fresh September harvest all year round, the enticing recipes show off new ways to use classic varieties and exciting ideas for delicious heirlooms. Whether you bake, saute, puree, roast, dip them in honey, drench them in caramel and eat it on a stick, or just eat it right off the tree, apples are the center-stage fruit this time of year.

The headnote says: Use any thick-cut sliced bread for this baked dish. If the bread is very fresh, let the cubes sit out on a baking tray to dry. For the cheese, choose grated cheddar, mixed Mexican-style, or odds and ends on hand, even crumbled blue or feta. Mozzarella is not a good choice because it forms strands rather than melting into the layers. A strata like this can serve as a festive dinner or brunch side, or as a main dish with a salad or roasted vegetable.

Sausage & cheese strata

4 sweet Italian sausages, casings removed

1 medium sweet onion, diced

 medium fennel bulb, tough outer layers and basal core removed, grated on large holes of box grater, or more to taste

2 medium apples (ripe Granny Smith, Stayman, Fuji), peeled, cored and diced

2 tablespoons snipped fresh fennel fronds or chopped fresh rosemary or fresh thyme

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 loaf Italian or French (soft crust) bread, cut into -inch slices, then 1-inch pieces (5-6 cups)

2 cups grated or crumbled cheese of choice (except mozzarella)

4 large eggs

3 cups whole or low-fat milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Heat a large skillet over medium. Crumble in the sausages and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the onion and fennel and cook for 5 minutes. Add the apples, fennel fronds, and salt and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Spread half of the bread pieces in the prepared baking dish. Cover with half of the sausage mixture. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the top. Make another layer with the bread and top with the remaining sausage mixture.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then whisk in the milk. Pour over the bread and sausage mixture. Using the back of a serving spoon or a spatula, lightly press down on the strata. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese over the top. Let the strata sit at room temperature for 15 minutes so the bread can begin to soak up the liquids.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until puffed and golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The headnote says: This recipe is another favorite of Jim Laws of Linden Vineyards. You can replace the butter with olive oil, but the flavor will not be quite as rich. The stuffing can also be used in split boneless chicken breasts, which you would bake for only 20 to 25 minutes.

Pork tenderloin stuffed with apples

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pounds)

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

2 medium apples (Jonagold, Stayman, Fuji, winesap), peeled if desired, cored and thinly sliced

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 cup fresh bread crumbs, made by processing 2 large slices stale bread

 teaspoon dried marjoram

 teaspoon dried savory

 teaspoon salt

 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more if needed

GLAZE

4 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon brown mustard

Split the tenderloin almost in half lengthwise. Place it between two sheets of wax paper and pound it to about -inch thick.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and onion and saute until lightly browned and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs, marjoram and savory, and toss with the apple mixture until moistened through. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Season the inside of the tenderloin with the salt and pepper and spread the apple stuffing over the surface. Roll the tenderloin lengthwise and tie with kitchen string.

Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the teaspoon of oil and brown the pork on all sides, drizzling in a little more oil if necessary. Place in a baking dish.

To make the glaze, combine the honey, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard in a small bowl. Pour the glaze over the tenderloin and bake for 45 minutes, basting with the glaze 3 or 4 times. Remove from the oven and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Check out these pick-your-own apple locations (call for hours and crop availability):

Lyman Orchards, Middlefield (860-349-1793); Bishops Orchards, Guilford (203-453-2338); Beardsleys Cider Mill and Orchard, Shelton (203-926-1098); Drazen Orchards, Cheshire (203-272-7985); Norton Brothers Fruit Farm, Cheshire (203-272-8418); Rose Orchards, North Branford (203-488-7996); Scotts Connecticut Valley Orchards, Deep River (860-526-9633).

Send us your requests

Which restaurant recipes or other recipes would you like to have? Which food products are you having difficulty finding? Do you have cooking questions? Send them to me.

Contact Stephen Fries, professor and coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, at gw-stephen.fries@gwcc.commnet.edu or Dept. FC, Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven 06510. Include your full name, address and phone number. Due to volume, I might not be able to publish every request. For more, go to stephenfries.com.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Michael Spooner's house was the last one in his neighborhood above water. He watched the floodwaters on his street rise and drain away once, then twice, before letting himself think maybe his family had escaped the worst of Hurricane Harvey.

"All of sudden, it was in our yard," Spooner, the worship pastor at Rollingwood Fellowship in Baytown, said. "We couldn't get out."

Spooner, his wife Jana and their 4-year-old daughter Abigail waded out of their neighborhood through waist-deep water - their dog in her arms and Abigail on Spooner's shoulders - to Rollingwood, where they lived for a week after their house took on 2 feet of water during Hurricane Harvey.

Spooner, now living with congregants, was one of over 300 interdenominational faith leaders at a meeting Monday called by Pastors Rick Warren of an evangelical megachurch in California and Kerry Shook of The Woodlands Church.

The event, held at First Baptist, aimed to offer spiritual and emotional resources to religious leaders - some, like Spooner, who were personally affected - as they lead their congregations through the recovery from Hurricane Harvey.

"It's one thing to be able to say, 'I know this is terrible,'" Spooner said. "But then you really do know that it's terrible. It's different to say God is faithful and he's unchanging when you're unaffected than when you are."

With the eventual departure of FEMA, the Salvation Army and other government agencies, Warren asserted, faith-based communities will continue to help their members heal.

Years of recovery

Hurricane Harvey claimed the lives of more than 70 people and damaged at least 130,000 homes in 10 counties, drowning Houston and the surrounding areas in 51 inches of water.

"This is not a temporary crisis," said Warren of the Saddleback Church and author of "A Purpose-Driven Life." "This will take years to recover from."

Churches are best equipped to mobilize large volunteer groups, Warren contended, and are a pillar of strength for many of the affected in the surrounding communities. Attendees at Monday's event were given the opportunity to request supplies, sermons and money from Saddleback Church to aid in the recovery process.

"It's not optional," Warren said. "If you see somebody in pain, you help out."

Warren has been a pastor at Saddleback for 38 years and has offered relief to 32 natural disasters, he said, including sending $2 million and 1,400 long-term volunteers to New Orleans and Houston after Hurricane Katrina.

Saddleback Church has donated millions to recovery efforts for disasters around the country.

The church took up a collection Sunday and raised over $1 million for relief efforts for Harvey, and three semi-trucks are on their way to Houston with supplies for victims of the storm and ensuing floods, Warren said.

But, he said, the importance of providing care to caregivers is as important as helping the victims. After Katrina, Warren was asked to speak to the thousands of evacuees housed at the Astrodome. The volunteers helping to care for the 13,000 victims were working 12-hour shifts with no lunch so Warren partnered with Shook to feed them.

"Who's caring for the caregivers?" Warren said. "We look out for those people too."

Long-term volunteers

Shook's wife, Chris Shook, announced a "disaster-based" counseling curriculum designed by a congregant and psychologist and offered a training session Oct. 7 to walk members through the grief of losing their homes, businesses or loved ones.

Saddleback Church volunteers plan to stay in Houston for at least the next 18 months, providing sermon preparation and monetary donations to parishes in need.

"Trauma is a dividing line" for Houston, Warren said. "This is the new normal."
Diezani Alison-Madueke

This is a deep analysis of the cancer of corruption in the oil and gas industry with a former Minister of Petroleum, Alison Madueke in the eye of the storm.

Torrid tales of massive looting perpetrated through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the stupendous wealth allegedly accumulated by Diezani Alison-Madueke have gripped a global audience.

Investigations into the murky deals that enriched the former petroleum resources minister and a clutch of wheeler-dealers while draining billions of dollars from the treasury are ongoing in three continents. Unless the Nigerian state immediately dismantles and replaces the system that allowed abuses on such a massive scale, the looting spree will persist.

The rottenness of that system, the opaqueness, the wide discretionary powers given to the president and the minister facilitated that massive fraud, kept the country under-developed and the majority of the people poor. President Muhammadu Buhari should move now and reform the oil industry. We restate our position that the reforms should start with the dismantling of the NNPC, a cesspool of fraud and corruption and a veritable cash dispensing machine for successive administrations since the mid-1980s. Also ripe for the chopping-board is the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and its Department of Petroleum Resources, the ineffective and compromised industry regulator.

Revelations over the years show how terrible the NNPC and the ministry have become. In London, the United Kingdom National Crime Agency in August froze 10 million worth of property linked to Alison-Madueke. In the United States, authorities have launched a process to recover $144 million worth of assets allegedly purchased for her by two businessmen who are being sought for questioning.

Back home, courts have ordered the forfeiture of various sums of money and property in millions of dollars and billions of naira, including real estate she allegedly paid $37.5 million in cash for in Ikoyi, Lagos; 58 other houses in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Yenagoa and N9 billion traced to some banks to which no one laid claim. Authorities in the three countries cite these as proceeds of graft, a claim denied by the former minster from her London home. In the latest twist, EFCC is said to have traced $1.5 billion in Swiss banks and property in Dubai worth N7billion linked to her.

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, says assets found so far represent no more than 15 per cent of what Alison-Madueke acquired during her stint as minister.

In his report on the 2015 Federation Account, the Auditor-General for the Federation detailed how the minister allegedly withdrew N59.44 billion from the NNPC accounts at the Central Bank of Nigeria and in foreign banks in violation of the rules. The report specifically cited how she and the then president, Goodluck Jonathan, authorised $289.2 million to be sent in cash directly to the director-general of the National Intelligence Agency ostensibly for urgent national security challenges.

In 2013, the then CBN Governor, Lamido Sanusi, said discrepancies between oil production/sales data and remittances to the NNPC and government accounts showed a shortfall of $11 billion (down from initial summation of $49 billion and $20 billion). A later audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers was damning: though it found $1.48 billion unremitted to the government, it declared its findings unreliable as NNPC refused to avail it of all the necessary information for a proper examination. Three other reports  by the Idika Kalu panel; the Nuhu Ribadu panel and the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative audits  detailed a litany of abuse, fraud, impunity and active collusion by the Presidency.

The NNPC spends money as it deems fit, runs secret accounts, withholds dividends, bonuses and oil sales proceeds and pays itself subsidy that it unilaterally calculates. Up to $21.7 billion and N316 billion were withheld from the Federation Account and unaccounted for from 2000 to 2014, said NEITI. A joint parliamentary committee found that between 2014 and 2011, NNPC failed to remit N3.08 trillion due to the federation account and $3.67 billion false claims made on behalf of multinationals. NEITI said $12.9 billion dividend from NNPCs 49 per cent holding in Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas was not remitted in 2004-2013.

The system that allowed the dubious joint venture agreements with unqualified firms in the award of oil blocks and oil lifting contracts by the president and the minister using discretionary powers without foolproof checks should end. Buhari should fulfil his campaign promise of breaking up the NNPC into two entities: one to serve strictly as a holding company and another as an investment firm with substantial private sector equity. Government should exit the mid-stream and downstream oil and gas sectors and initiate liberalising reforms embedded in the original Petroleum Industry Bill, a distorted version of which was passed by the decadent National Assembly. There should be an accelerated programme to privatise NNPCs 14 subsidiaries.

Corrupt officials, as done elsewhere, should be identified and flushed out of both the NNPC and the ministry. A long-running scandal at Brazils state-owned Petrobras and other bribe cases had by August 2015 produced 117 criminal indictments and have since embroiled a former president, caused the impeachment of another, while the incumbent now faces indictment. A former head of Chinas biggest oil firm, Jiang Jiemin, was among many officials jailed for corruption in 2015. Mexico launched major reforms in 2013 after years of scandal at state-owned Pemex, culminating in a widely applauded bid round in 2015 that saw greater transparency and private sector participation.

Refineries and petrochemicals, retail services like depots and filling stations should be immediately privatised. NNPCs track record of losses of N197 billion in 2016 and N39.3 billion in the first four months of this year will change to profitability when loss-making assets are sold and replaced by professionally structured investment in profitable ventures to raise investible funds.

Reforms should be preceded by a fresh round of audits; returning long-serving apparatchiks to run the NNPC is counterproductive: it needs a new broom to sweep the filthy system clean. With less than two years to new elections, Buhari should get cracking today while the EFCC should step up its investigations.

Ultimately, Alison-Madueke should be brought to justice, no matter where this takes place.

Source: Punch Editorial Team
Governor Fayose asked the question in a statement released today by his media aide, Lere Olayinka. APC members in Ekiti state had earlier accused him of being one of the sponsors of the outlawed secessionist group, IPOB. Senate President Bukola Saraki, released a statement earlier today in which he stated that the proscription of the activities of IPOB by the Defence Headquarters and the South East governors forum is unconstitutional.Fayose asked members of the ruling party if they would also accuse Saraki of sponsoring IPOB members just because he condemned the ban on IPOB activities. Read the statement belowEkiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described those saying that he was the one sponsoring the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as people who have put themselves in political bondage and have allowed what they will eat to becloud their sense of normal reasoning, declaring that no amount of blackmail will stop him from expressing his mind against the All Progressives Congress (APC) governments disrespect for the constitutional rights of Nigerians.Governor Fayose, who said he was not surprised that the APC in Ekiti State raised the ridiculous allegation, added that the same APC people took side with Fulani herdsmen when they killed people in Oke-Ako, Ekiti State and destroyed farmlands worth several millions of naira in the State.Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said he was not among those Nigerians that can be cowed by anyone, asking; Now that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki has come out to openly say that categorization of IPOB as a terrorist organisation by the military is unconstitutional, is the APC also going to accuse him of sponsoring IPOB?The governor said he was not unaware that Ekiti State could be the main target of the operation crocodile smile that the army said will commence in the Southwest and South South, asking what security threat was being witnessed in the Southwest to warrant a major military operation.Governor Fayose said; It is on record that on June 10, 2013, it was widely reported in the media that the current Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who was the National Publicity Secretary of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said that the proscription of Boko Haram was against the constitution, that it stifled the press and tampered with the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.It is also on record that in June 2013, President Buhari told the Federal Government to stop the clampdown of Boko Haram insurgents, accusing the government of killing and destroying houses belonging to Boko Haram members while the Niger Delta militants were given special treatment.Should we now say that Lai Mohammed and President Buhari sponsored Boko Haram because they spoke against the federal governments clampdown on the insurgents then?The governor, who likened the militarization of Nigeria, being witnessed now to 1984 when President Muhammadu Buhari was military Head of State, said killing unarmed Nigerians in the Southeast or anywhere in the country, just because some people are agitating is wrong and I wonder why none of our so called human rights activists is talking now.Herdsmen have sacked a whole community in this country, they killed over 1,000 Agatus in Benue State and have destroyed peoples farmlands across the country, has any of the herdsmen been arrested? Has any conceited effort been made by the federal government to curb the menace of the Fulani herdsmen?If because I spoke against the wanton killings carried out by the military in the Southeast, the APC is saying that I'm funding IPOB, was I the one funding the people of Southern Kaduna when I condemned the killings there?Was I funding the Agatus in Benue State when I condemned their killings by Fulani herdsmen? Was I funding the Shiite Muslims when I condemned the killings of El-Zakzaky followers in Zaria and his continued detention?Mine is a mission for a Nigeria where no one will be treated like a second class citizen and we can only achieve that if we have leaders that will not be a champion of nepotism like President Buhari.
Happy New Month Nigeria! Welcome to the month of June. As the world searches for a respite from all its troubles since 2020 began, one can ...
A respondent, Chief Mike Eze

Following the detachment of soldiers from the Nigerian Army to Afaraukwu, the country home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, the community's traditional ruler and residents have shared their ordeals.

My sister was shot dead by soldiers  Traditional ruler

Can you briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Chimechefulam Odoemelam. I am the traditional prime minister of Egwu Afara Ukwu in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State.

What happened on Thursday?

What took place on Thursday, when the soldiers invaded our village, is better imagined than experienced. At about 4:30pm, we were in our house when we started hearing gunshots. We heard bullets landing on our roofs. When the shooting stopped  and having learnt that the soldiers had left  we ran for our dear lives. The whole village was deserted.

What did you do?

On Friday morning, I came back to assess the situation. Because we thought that they might come again in the night, we decided not to sleep in our houses. So, when we returned this morning, I saw my sister lying in a pool of blood.

Is she a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra?

She was not a member of IPOB. She was an innocent citizen of Nigeria. It is unfortunate that she lost her life in this crisis. I think we are in a democracy where every citizen has the right of expression, association and movement. So, I dont know why ours should be different. IPOB members here do not carry arms; they go about their activities peacefully. I wonder why the military would open fire on innocent civilians going about their normal activities. I dont know whether the government wants to wipe us out. How can we be treated this way when we dont have militants and Boko Haram members in our area?

What do you plan to do?

It is appalling. Im a victim of what I dont know. I wont fight the government. I have reported the killing to the police and we have buried my sister on Friday. Our minds are no longer at rest. Soldiers have been intimidating and harassing my people since last week. Those who are brave enough to stay in their houses are living in fear. They cannot even go out. We are peace-loving people because of our villages closeness to the Abia Government House.

The Army said the deployment of the soldiers in the village was done to maintain law and order. Do you think their reason is justified?

This is the hometown of Kanu and we have never had any issue that led to a breakdown of law and order. Kanu cant run away from his fathers house. He is neither a criminal nor a militant. I dont see any reason why he should not be allowed to stay in his community. The only thing the government has against him is that he is the mouthpiece of our people. That is the only crime he has committed. He has a matter in the court with the Federal Government and he is on bail. If he has violated his bail conditions, why cant the Federal Government wait for court to make a pronouncement?

He is in his fathers house. They should allow him and his community to be. We are living in fear and constantly wondering why the military should invade our community with armoured personnel carriers. Many of my people, including children, are currently taking shelter inside the bush. Our pupils cant go to schools, while shops around here have all been closed. We are pleading with the Federal Government to tell the army to leave our land immediately. The official residence of an assistant inspector general of police is close to our town, while the commissioner of police also resides few metres away from us. So, if there is any problem, the police can handle it. Let the python go into the bush and dance; we dont want to see them (soldiers) where people are living. What business do human beings have with pythons? How can pythons be dancing for us?

How have the residents of this community been surviving since the incident?

We now open our doors only to the people we know. We buy household items by knocking on the doors of people that can recognise our voices  that is how we have been surviving since last Sunday.

The government should listen to the people calling for restructuring. Many people have been calling for the 1963 constitution and the implementation of the 2014 National Conferences recommendations. The government should negotiate with people. They should gather groups from all the geo-political zones to decide the way forward. What we are experiencing today is happening in other countries. The Federal Government should handle the Biafran agitation diplomatically and not with force. The government should wait for the court to decide Kanus case. Re-arresting Kanu will not solve the problem. It will worsen the situation. It is the court that has the jurisdiction to say Kanu breached his bail conditions and not the Federal Government telling the court what to do  that is an aberration. The government should let sleeping dogs lie. Re-arresting him will worsen the problem on the ground.

Buhari treating us as if were not Nigerians - Afaraukwu resident

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Chief Mike Eze, a resident of the community.

Where were you when the soldiers invaded the community?

We were relaxing in our various homes after a church service last Sunday in the evening when we started hearing sporadic gunshots at about 5 pm. Then we heard the blaring sound of sirens in the community. We were all embarrassed because this is a community where aged people live and such an act could raise their blood pressure.

How many people were shot?

On that Sunday evening, they shot one boy in the leg. He was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia. The invasion of the community by soldiers has caused tension as people are running away to the bush, while others are relocating to safer communities. The soldiers should stop tormenting us. This community is the heart of Umuahia and also the heart of Biafra. During the Nigerian civil war, the late Odumegwu Ojukwu, Michel Okpara, and Joe Effiong stayed here  it is a peaceful community.

What do you want the government to do?

We respect President Muhammadu Buhari. He has supporters here. But we dont like the way he is treating us. He is treating us as if we are not Nigerians. He is using soldiers to intimidate us. This is wrong. Kanu is not violent. Why should soldiers embarrass him for saying the truth? In the North, there are people killing others and causing confusion, but here we are going about our normal activities. Kanu didnt disturb anybody in the community. Our youths have not tried to block the army at any time. Instead, they are now running away from their homes to avoid being shot.

We cant sleep again  Village head

Can you briefly introduce yourself?

I am Chief Iheanacho Ariwaodo, the village head of Umuobasi Afara.

How did the soldiers invasion of the community start?

It all started around 4pm on Sunday when we saw the soldiers jumping down from their vans and Armoured Personnel Carriers harassing everybody. Before long, we started hearing gun shots and there was panic all over the place. Some people started running away to save their lives.

What then happened?

After sometime, the soldiers left. When we got close to the place where they were shooting, we discovered that some people were injured and we took them to the hospital.

On Tuesday, the soldiers returned again and people started running away from their homes.

What is the current situation?

The crisis has affected us badly. Before the Sunday incident, our community has always been peaceful, but now we cant sleep with both eyes closed any longer. Traders around here now operate in fear; there is tension everywhere in the village.

My advice to our youths is that they should not allow themselves to be provoked into taking up arms because the IPOB leaders have assured everybody that their agitation would be very peaceful.

People hungry, afraid to go out  Alozie Ndulaka, resident

How has the crisis affected you?

The presence of soldiers in our community since Sunday is causing tension. Commercial activities have been paralysed and hunger is in the land because everybody is afraid to go out to look for what to eat. We hope the National Assembly will intervene and ask the soldiers to go back to the barracks.

Can you tell us what happened?

When soldiers stormed our community last Sunday evening, the people who called themselves the Biafra Security Service scampered to safety because they were not carrying arms. Members of the Independent People of Biafrans are just creating awareness about what is happening in Nigeria.

So, if they were really trained as soldiers, they should have faced their Nigerian counterparts. The entire agitation will die a natural death if the Federal Government could ignore the activities of IPOB members.

Were Biafrans, not Boko Haram  Chisom Edward, injured youth

Tell us your experience?

We were going about our lawful activities when the soldiers invaded our town last Sunday evening. They shot sporadically and everybody ran for dear life. Deploying soldiers to our community is not proper at all.

Were you injured during the shooting?

Many people, including me, sustained injuries while trying to avoid being hit by gunshots. Our lives are in danger because the government has declared IPOB as a terrorist group. We are not Boko Haram. We are Biafrans and we are fighting for our freedom. We dont want to be in Nigeria again. Asking soldiers to invade Nnamdi Kanus house is unfair and shooting innocent people is against the law.
Operation code-names have been an important part of military operations since the Germans first applied them in World War 1 but it may be said that the recent (or ongoing?) controversial military exercise in the South Eastern part of Nigeria codenamed Operation Python Dance II is the first major incident in Nigerian military history to draw attention to this seemingly routine aspect of military operations worldwide. An operational code name requires creativity, it is meant to be a cover up, hide the real intentions of the operation, achieve a public relation stunt if possible, and ease communication and strategic documentation within the military hierarchy.





The Nigerian military has never been so clever in coming up with operation code names: many of them are dead give-aways (Operation Lafiya Dole, Operation Pulo Shield, Operation Maximum Safety, Operation Crackdown) or so stupidly incongruous they evoke instant suspicion (Operation Python Dance, Operation Crocodile Smile). Pythons dont dance. Crocodiles dont smile. Wars have been fought over the use of wrong codes; nations have been sabotaged due to poor communication. Whoever came up with the code name  Operation Python Dance- (sometimes a code name may be computer generated) may have been aiming for irony, but it was strange irony given the facts of the situation and the manner of operation. I make this point to argue that the Nigerian military has messed up Operation Python Dance II in the South East conceptually and operationally, and the attendant arrogance does not serve the Nigerian state well in my view.





A dance is accompanied by music, it is celebratory in its kinetic and spatial expressions, and it is probably one of the most ingenuous explorations of the human frame. Accompanied usually by music and the symbolism of movement and flexibility, a dance, vertical, horizontal or earth-bound is one of the wonders of human creativity and the most universal of human languages. There is something called snake dance. It is of course celebratory. To say a python is coming to a community to dance is a revelatory oxymoron. A python swallows, it cuts off blood, constricts and suffocates, it is a pretentious animal that curls itself up when it is ready to eat, and then strikes, employing the techniques of velocity, ambush and surprise.





In December 2016, the pythons of the Nigerian military went to the South East on Operation (I) but they did not blow their cover. They said they wanted to help reduce crimes during Christmas. In September 2017, they blew their own cover, and revealed the absurdity of their cryptonym. They did because they behaved exactly like pythons. If that was meant as a covert operation to protect the sovereignty of the country in the face of seen and analysed threat levels in the South East, the Nigerian military got it terribly wrong. There is every reason for other military authorities in the international community to laugh at Nigeria.





The military admittedly can conduct routine exercises to prepare its men, to tune up or to check out the countrys territorial integrity. Before and even shortly after the civil war, Nigerian soldiers occasionally came out of their barracks and drove round the town. They used to sing, march on the streets and dance inside their trucks and wave at the people. The people waved back, and in due course, many children mastered some of their songs. In our neck of the woods at the time, there is an Alamala barracks in Abeokuta, one popular song was: Jamala n si ko, mo ti jamala ki n to lo sogun, jamala n siko.





Soldiers were honoured in those days for protecting and saving the country, but since the Nigerian military became politicized and greedy, soldiers have lost so much respect. The proposed demilitarization of African governments, long after the second wave of democratization in Africa has not yet yielded significant outcomes. The soldiers tasting politics has been like the tasting of the forbidden fruit. In and out of uniform, they have retained their hold on power and when one of their own manages to return to power in a civilian dispensation, they simply lose their nerves. The Nigerian military has fallen victim in this regard on many occasions since 1999. This is what we are dealing with.





The latest instance is the bungled operation in Abia State. Operation Python Dance II did not have to take place in the streets of Isiama Afara in Umuahia, Abia State, close to Nnamdi Kanus fathers house. The public show of force could have been done anywhere else in the South East. Strutting military force close to the home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, who in the last year has been busy mobilizing his people, and making demands on the Nigerian state is an undisguised act of provocation with all the pythonic elements of invasion, surprise and suffocation. It was the equivalent of the state descending to the level of rabble-rousing. This happens when an institution like the military opts for street politics, and our military certainly exposed itself in ways that called its professionalism to question in the last few days.





One, the Nigerian military has consistently usurped police functions since the return to civilian rule. The functions of the military are properly spelled out in Sections 217-219 of the extant Nigerian Constitution. But the leaders of the Nigerian military and their retired masters in partisan politics like to behave differently. Theyd rather do police work in pursuit of a responsibility expansionist agenda. In a statement issued by Colonel Sagir Musa, of the 82 Division, we are told that Operation Python (II) is meant to sharpen the skills of the participating troops in the conduct of Internal Security Operations and these include challenges such as kidnappings, farmers-herdsmen clashes, secessionist agitations and insurgency of any form armed robbery and traffic gridlock. Colonel, sir! There is no insurgency or insurrection in the South East, and it is not the duty of the military to focus on armed robbery and traffic gridlock!





If the issue is the countrys sovereignty, the simplest thing to do would have been for the police to invite Kanu for questioning, or ask the courts to revoke his bail, or declare him and his associates wanted if they fail to cooperate. The continuous reliance on the military for virtually every national security matter overstretches it and renders it less efficient for its core mandate, and by the same token weakens law enforcement agencies.

Two, the military performed a political function and committed a procedural error when on its own, it declared IPOB, a terrorist organization. Senate President Bukola Saraki has already dismissed this as an ultra vires act. The grounds for declaring a group a terrorist organisation in Nigeria is already defined in the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2011 (as amended), and as outlined in Sections 3-15 thereof. I admit that IPOB may have engaged in acts of provocation within the purview of these provisions given the establishment of the Biafra Secret Service and the Biafra National Guard, but it is not the duty of the military under a democratic dispensation to act as judge, jury and executioner. What exactly is the level of threat actually posed by Kanu and his followers? The military talks further about unauthorized blocking of access roads, extortion of money from innocent civilians at illegal roadblocks and militant possession and use of stones, Molotov cocktails, machetes and broken bottles The Nigerian military is now looking for machetes and stones? It is also in charge of the monitoring of hate speech?





The Governors of the South East also announced that the IPOB had been proscribed in all five states of the South East. They simply made a pronouncement, without any legal backing whereas in a decided matter, the IPOB had been declared legal and legitimate and that Federal High Court ruling has not been vacated. The panic response by the Governors can probably be excused. It must be clear to some people that with Kanus increasing messianism and popularity, the South East was clearly one step away from Operation Python Dance II to the declaration of a state of emergency. But the Governors may just have been more interested in their own political survival.





What has been achieved in the South East right now is a profit and loss situation for all the parties concerned. The military is certainly not looking professional enough. The reported abuse of human rights in the wake of Operation Python Dance II is bringing nothing but shame to Nigeria in the international community, and many Igbos at home and in diaspora who were aloof towards the IPOB campaign have suddenly been woken up to express concerns about the politics of being Igbo in Nigeria.





These new members of the cause are already mobilizing international opinion against the government of the day as can be seen in one contribution that is being circulated online which has reduced everything to the old, and problematic formula of religious and ethnic conflict in Nigeria. Serving Nigerian military chiefs can beat their chest and claim that they have helped the President and Commander in Chief to prove that he meant business when he threatened to deal with anyone and anybody engaged in terrorism in a recent speech, but they have also in doing so, done great damage to his politics in the South East, if not the entire Southern Nigeria.





Nnamdi Kanu gains in losing and loses in gaining. I had argued previously that by taking wrong steps and focusing too much attention on him, the Federal Government has more or less turned Nnamdi Kanu into an Igbo hero and symbol. They even helped him to run away before Operation Python Dance got to his fathers house. The military over-dramatised their own ambush tactics. Now that Nnamdi Kanu has been declared a terrorist, he would probably have no reason to place himself in a situation where he can be easily arrested, and with IPOB driven underground more or less, that organisation has been made more potent. For all you know, Kanu is most likely now in a neighbouring African country from where he can conveniently find his way to Europe or North America and from that distance, he can become a political refugee doing even far more damage. The international community will listen to him, and he needs do no more than complain about all possible ills in Nigeria and the rights of Igbos to self-determination, even if the process of self-determination is not as easy as he and his followers make it sound.





Other Nnamdi Kanus will also emerge if fundamental issues at stake in the Nigerian union are not addressed. Technically, this particular Nnamdi Kanus job may well be done. He has awoken the ethnic nationalistic consciousness in not only the Igbos, but all Nigerians, and whether the powers-that-be like it or not, Nigeria would still sooner than later return to and address the subject of restructuring and the same open dialogue that has been resisted would still take place. Even if Nnamdi Kanu is not part of that dialogue, the role that he has played will be part of the story to be told.





I speak in these terms because his decision to go into hiding or to run away has been interpreted as cowardice. He had asked his followers to stand up and fight for their rights, but when the Pythons headed towards his abode, he and his parents opted for a rapid dialogue with their feet. Not all revolutionaries run awayperhaps it is better for Nnamdi Kanu to live, so he or others can fight another day.




Wanted billionaire businessman, Mr. Kola Aluko, who is also an ally of embattled former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has sold off at least four properties as he continues to elude authorities.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has, therefore, written to the United States Government asking it to freeze the accounts where the proceeds of the sales were paid into.Documents seen by our correspondent showed that between May 2016 and August 2017, Aluko had hurriedly sold the properties through an opaque procedure.The properties sold include: a house at 755 Sarbonne Road, Los Angeles, California, 90077, USA and a house at 952 North Alpine Drive, Beverly Hills, California 80210, the neighbourhood of notable Hollywood stars such as Sylvester Stallone and Steven Spielberg.Other properties sold by Aluko include: a house at 1948 Tollis Avenue, Santa Barbara, California, USA.The properties are suspected to have been sold in an off-market transaction using a limited liability company.An off-market sale in real estate refers to a property that is sold without any form of public advertising.Forbes Magazine had reported last year that the property located at 755 Sarbonne Road, Los Angeles, was sold for $21.5m, taking a $3m loss after purchasing the sprawling residence in 2012 for $24.5m.The said property was also sold in a similar manner barely two weeks before the EFCC was able to secure a Federal High Court order granting a Mareva injunction permitting the Nigerian Government to freeze assets owned by Aluko across the world.Since the order, Aluko was said to have sold another three properties thereby frustrating attempts to seize them.The EFCC in an application asked the US Government to ensure that the funds obtained from the sale of the houses are, restrained if possible.It was also learnt that the anti-graft agency is seeking the seizure of three private jets allegedly belonging to Aluko as well as a yacht worth over $80m.Other properties belonging to Aluko which the US Government has filed a civil forfeiture over include: a house at 157 West 57 Street New York, 10028 USA; a house at 1049 Fifth Avenue, New York, 10028 USA; a house at 815 Cima Del Mundo Road Santa Barbara, California, 93018, USA; a house at 807 Cima Del Mundo Road Santa Barbara, California, 93018, USA and a yacht known as Galactica Star worth over $80m.It was learnt that the EFCC had also written to the British authorities for the forfeiture of Alukos assets.The two properties in the UK include a house at 32 Grove End Road, London and a flat at One Hyde Park, 100 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7U, UK.It was learnt that the Federal Government had triggered the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the British Government for the seizure of the properties.The commission has also identified five properties belonging to Aluko in Canada, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.A source at the EFCC said, We identified three of Alukos properties in Switzerland. They include one at Via Magio 6, Montagnola 6926; one at Vila Floridiana Via Cantonale 176948 Porza Lugano and one at Colina DOro Montagnola.We have sent a request to the Swiss authorities and it has been vetted by the Swiss authorities. Action will be taken soon. A team from the EFCC is due in the United States and Switzerland any time from now to harmonise the details of the letter.For a long time, Aluko had been linked as a business associate of Diezani, who is also currently under investigation by the Nigerian and British authorities for money laundering and embezzlement.Shortly after she became petroleum minister in 2010, Diezani awarded Alukos newly registered company, Atlantic Energy, a very lucrative contract.Aluko, along with his partner, Jide Omokore, allegedly diverted over $1.7bn in funds that should have been paid into the account of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as part of the terms of the contract.Aluko allegedly bought properties for Diezani in the US, the UK and Nigeria which detectives believe are kickbacks.The properties linked to Diezani, Aluko and Omokore both home and abroad which the Federal Government is trying to seize, are said to be worth over $1bn, according to court documents.President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to address the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday (today) to demand the repatriation of looted public funds to Nigeria.The highlight of Buharis speech include terrorism and a push for the actualisation of the UN resolution on Promotion of International Cooperation to Combat Illicit Financial Flows so that all the countries of the world would be fully engaged in repatriating stolen funds to countries of origin.
This is the full text of President Muhammadu Buharis address to the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, as posted by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President, Mr. Femi Adesina.It is entitled, Statement Delivered By His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, President of The Federal Republic of Nigeria at the General Debate of the 72nd Session of United Nations General Assembly, in New York, on Tuesday, 19 September 2017.The full speech,Mr. President,Fellow Heads of State and Government,Mr. Secretary-General,Distinguished Delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,1. On behalf of my country, Nigeria, I congratulate you Mr. President on your election and Mr. Gutteres on his first General Assembly outing as our Secretary-General. I assure you both of my countrys solidarity and cooperation. You will indeed need the cooperation of all member States as we are meeting during extra-ordinarily troubled and dangerous times. Let me also thank former Secretary-General Mr. Ban ki Moon for his service to the United Nations and wish him peaceful retirement.Mr. President,2. The previous year has witnessed many far-reaching developments. Some of the most significant events include the Iran Nuclear Deal, the Paris Climate Change Agreement and, of grave concern, the North Korean nuclear crisis.Mr. President,3. I must also commend the UNs role in helping to settle thousands of innocent civilians caught in the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. In particular, we must collectively thank the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany under the commendable leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Governments of Italy, Greece and Turkey for assisting hundreds of thousands of refugees.4. In an exemplary show of solidarity, the international community came together within my own region to assist the countries and communities in the Sahel and the Lake Chad regions to contain the threats posed by Al Qaida and Boko Haram.5. We thank the Security Council for visiting the countries of the Lake Chad Basin to assess the security situation and humanitarian needs, and for pledging assistance to rebuild lives and livelihoods. Indeed, in Nigeria we are providing relief and humanitarian assistance to millions in camps and those afflicted by terrorism, drought, floods and other natural disasters.6. In the last year, the international community came together to focus on the need for gender equality, youth empowerment, social inclusion, and the promotion of education, creativity and innovation. The frontiers of good governance, democracy including holding free and fair elections, and enthronement of the rule of law are expanding everywhere, especially in Africa.7. Our faith in democracy remains firm and unshaken. Our regional organisation ECOWAS came together to uphold democratic principles in The Gambia  as we had done previously in Cote DIvoire.8. Through our individual national efforts, state institutions are being strengthened to promote accountability, and to combat corruption and asset recovery. These can only be achieved through the international community cooperating and providing critical assistance and material support. We shall also cooperate in addressing the growing transnational crimes such as forced labour, modern day slavery, human trafficking and cybercrime.Mr. President,9. These cooperative efforts should be sustained. We must collectively devise strategies and mobilise the required responses to stop fleeing ISIS fighters from mutating and infiltrating into the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, where there are insufficient resources and response capacity is weak.10. This will require strong UN cooperation with regional organisations, such as the African Union, in conflict prevention and management. The UN should continue to take primary leadership of the maintenance of international peace and security by providing, in a predictable and sustainable manner, adequate funding and other enablers to regional initiatives and peacekeeping operations authorized by the Security Council.Mr. President,11. New conflicts should not make us lose focus on ongoing unresolved old conflicts. For example, several UN Security Council Resolutions from 1967 on the Middle East crisis remain unimplemented. Meanwhile, the suffering of the Palestinian people and the blockade of Gaza continue.12. Additionally, we are now confronted by the desperate human rights and humanitarian situations in Yemen and most tragically in the Rakhine State of Myanmar. The Myanmar crisis is very reminiscent of what happened in Bosnia in 1995 and in Rwanda in 1994.13. The international community cannot remain silent and not condemn the horrendous suffering caused by what, from all indications is a state-backed programme of brutal depopulation of the Rohingya inhabited areas in Myanmar on the bases of ethnicity and religion. We fully endorse the call by the Secretary-General on the Government of Myanmar to order a halt to the ongoing ethnic cleansing and ensure the safe return of the displaced Rohingya to their homes in safety and dignity.14. In all these crises, the primary victims are the people, the most vulnerable being women and children. That is why the theme of this session: Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet is most apposite.15. While the international community grapples to resolve these conflicts, we must be mindful and focus on the widening inequalities within societies, and the gap between the rich and the poor nations. These inequalities and gaps are part of the underlining root causes of competition for resources, frustration and anger leading to spiralling instability.16. The most pressing threat to international peace and security today is the accelerated nuclear weapons development programme by North Korea. Since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, we have never come so close to the threat of nuclear war as we have now.17. All necessary pressure and diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to accept peaceful resolution of the crisis. As Hiroshima and Nagasaki painfully remind us, if we fail, the catastrophic and devastating human loss and environmental degradation cannot be imagined.Mr. President,18. Nigeria proposes a strong UN delegation to urgently engage the North Korean Leader. The delegation, led by the Security Council, should include members from all the regions.19. The crisis in the Korean peninsula underscores the urgency for all member states, guided by the spirit of enthroning a safer and more peaceful world, to ratify without delay the Treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, which will be open for signature here tomorrow.Mr. President,20. I end my remarks by reiterating Nigerias abiding commitment to the foundational principles and goals of the United Nations. Since our admission as a member state in 1960, we have always participated in all efforts to bring about global peace, security and development. Nigeria will continue to support the UN in all its efforts, including the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.I thank you.
President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a presidential proclamation proscribing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a presidential proclamation proscribing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

According to

, this is in a move to take the heat off the army and to ensure that due process is followed.





The newspaper reported that the president signed the proclamation on Sunday before his departure for New York.





Last Friday, the defence headquarters (DHQ) declared IPOB a militant terrorist organisation. South-east governors subsequently issued a statement, proscribing the group.





But the military has come under severe criticism for the declaration. Though Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, said the DHQ only made a pronouncement and not a declaration on the group.





On Monday, Senate President Bukola Saraki described the action of the military and the governors as unconstitutional.





Saraki said due process was not followed, and that the senate would launch an independent investigation into the matter.





The newspaper said with the signing of the proclamation, a source in the attorney-generals office explained that the presidency had effectively initiated the formal process of proscribing IPOB in accordance with the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011, and that it had also paved the way for the attorney general of the federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) to head to court to give legal backing to the presidential proclamation.





It cited sources as saying Buhari was keen on signing the proclamation before his departure for New York in order to have the right response in the event that the question over the declaration by the army was posed by other world leaders who have been watching events in Nigeria.





The issue was extensively debated between Buhari, the AGF and other aides before he left for the UN General Assembly and the president decided to sign the declaration before leaving for New York, so he could say that due process was being followed if the question was raised by other world leaders at the UN, the newspaper quoted the sources as saying.




President Muhammadu Buhari may today direct the Nigerian Army to leave Abia State.

President Muhammadu Buhari may today direct the Nigerian Army to leave Abia State.

An impeccable source made the disclosure to our correspondent in Abuja Monday night.





The decision, it was gathered, was to douse tension that has enveloped the region following onslaught against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).





He said the president, who had given a matching order to crush anyone engaging in violent acts, had a rethink following appeals by Southeast governors, elder statesmen and other stakeholders.





President Buhari has received briefings about the operation. Reports show that the agitators have calmed; further deployment of troops at this point may be read as declaration of war against Igbos.





The governors have given him their word that they are on top of the situation. The IG has already sent mobile police force to Abia and they are now on ground.





The announcement will be made tomorrow (Tuesday). Number of troops will be slashed, while the remaining detachments will remain to maintain the peace.





The signal from the president might have led to the denial by Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, that the Defence Headquarters declared IPOB a terrorist organisation.





Speaking during the official launch of Operation Python Dance II in Abakaliki, Buratai insisted that what the military did was a pronouncement.





You have to get it very clear. First of all, what the Defence Headquarters did was to make pronouncement. It wasnt a declaration per se. But this has given room for the right step to be taken. I think the government is doing the right thing.





It is not that we are overstepping our bounds. We are still within the limits. And I ensure you that what the military said was to set the ball rolling and to bring the awareness to the public that this is what this organization is all about. Im happy that the government has done the right thing right now, he said.





Recall that Abia Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, confirmed the withdrawal of troops deployed to the state for a one-month military exercise code-named Operation Python Dance





Ikpeazu spoke when he visited the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Abia council to commiserate with journalists over last Tuesdays invasion of the secretariat by soldiers.





We are grateful to God for intervening in stopping what could have been the greatest bloodbath known in the history of mankind, Ikpeazu said.





He also thanked President Buhari for reposing confidence in Southeast Governors Forum.





We thank him for giving us a second chance to talk to our people on the need for us to live as one united nation, he said.





Yesterday, Buhari sent a delegation of Northern Governors to the South-East and South-South geo-political zones.



They include Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi and Simon Lalong of Plateau States.

Tambuwals spokesman, Imam Imam, confirmed the trip.

He said the governors will hold meetings with their counterparts in Rivers, Abia and Imo States.

Apart from the visit to political leaderships in those states, the delegation is expected to meet with traditional and religious leaders. They will also confer with Northerners resident in those states, Imam disclosed.

Importantly, the delegation will reassure their counterparts in the South South and South East that all Nigerians are free to stay in all parts of the country, especially in the North, and that the entire North stands with the people of South East in this period of heightened tension.

The visit has the blessing of President Muhammadu Buhari and the consultations will continue with all stakeholders so as to enhance unity and peace in the federation.




The apex court also asked the Centre to step in and make sincere efforts to tackle the 'very serious' issue and gave it time till November 22 to respond on the issue.
Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) yesterday backed the militarys declaration of...

Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) yesterday backed the militarys declaration of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation.He said he agreed with the Defence Headquarters description of IPOB as a terror group even if he was not sure whether the army complied with legal requirements in making the pronouncement.Sagay, in a recent interview said IPOB exhibited characteristics that justified being so described.According to him, even if the group wanted secession, there were better ways of doing it than using abusive language and stoking violence, which he accused IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu of.He said: Whilst Im not sure of the legal parameters of that declaration, in practice, I agree. If you look at it, were very lucky that this thing did not get out of hand.They (IPOB) were coming in their thousands, establishing road blocks, bringing out Northerners  for what, I dont know  to kill some of them? If that is allowed, then the country is finished. Then they burned down a police station, killed a policeman.For Christs sake, even if you want Biafra, you dont have to be violent. If you look at the words that Kanu uses on the social media, how he has described our President and the rest of us as living in a zoo  abusive, violent, intemperate words  kill, kill, kill, all those in my view, constitute in totality acts of terrorism in which they can push undiscerning youths into rage and violence, which can be destructive.You saw Moslems seeking protection in Port Harcourt. If you start killing Northerners and the North reacts, then weve had it.I just thank God that the North is showing some maturity and some sense of restraint while this is being curbed. But we really need to curb IPOB, otherwise they will turn this country into a tinderbox.Sagay said he would not stop expressing his views on issues of national importance despite the Senate asking President Buhari to call him to order.When reminded that the All Progressives Congress (APC) also once cautioned him about his criticisms of the National Assembly, the law professor described the partys leadership as a failure.He said: As for the leadership of the APC, I think they are the most unprincipled group of people. They are lily-livered, weak, and cannot run any organisation. The whole party is collapsing under them. They cannot control anybody.In fact, theyre now encouraging and accepting rogue elephants, pampering people who are destroying the party, saying lets not annoy them too much, but theyre destroying the APC house.So, I think the APC leadership is weak, is too compromising and is certainly a failure as far as Im concerned.Sagay said the war against corruption could not be won without committed judges.He accused some judges of deliberately sabotaging the crusade by obstructing justice.His words: We are very concerned about the judiciary. Without the judiciary, we can kiss the anti-corruption war goodbye. We must have a committed judiciary, otherwise they will keep messing up any case that comes. Its so easy to give a reason, which will appear to be reasonable, and the public will say the anti-corruption agencies have not done their homework. Its not so.Quite a number of the judges are deliberately taking decisions which Id say indicate their hostility to the anti-corruption war. There are judges who are hostile. There are judges who interfere when such cases are going on, using their position to ensure that government loses.Government is aware of all this. Its just that some of us are not in a position to take decisions. People who should be stopped are slipping through and still being relevant when in fact they should be pushed aside into retirement where they will not interfere in the anti-corruption struggle.There are reports on these judges, some by the Department of State Services (DSS). I feel that judges who are not committed to the eradication of corruption should be eased out of the system.Sagay said he stood by his assertion that the Senate was self-centered and unsupportive of the anti-graft war.One of the most critical Bills pending before them  the Special Crimes Court Bill  was yet to be passed, he said.The PACAC chairman said it was rather the Senate that owed him an apology for abusing him for speaking the truth.I didnt abuse them. I merely said theyre not committed to the Nigerian people, that theyre there for themselves alone. I provided the figures to show it. I know the worse exists.There are certain things I didnt say. I did not even mention what the Majority Leader, Deputy Senate President and Senate President get as extras. Those extras run into hundreds of millions of naira. What I said at that lecture is a tip of the iceberg.Our aim is for the National Assembly to finally admit that theyre frittering away our national assets and preventing these funds from being used for various other vital sectors to create more employment and fix infrastructure.If you recall, former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Lamido Sanusi said they were consuming 25 per cent of our budget. They didnt deny it. Instead, former President Jonathan forced Sanusi out.If we look at the senators allowances, we should ask ourselves questions. Should we be the ones clothing senators? Should my tax be used in hanging agbada on a senator?How many times has government provided clothes for workers? But these men who are overpaid are still asking us to clothe them as if they arrived in Abuja naked.These same people ask us to pay them hardship allowance for doing their job. What of the man who is earning N18,000 a month, who operates machinery and sweeps the streets? No one pays them hardship allowance!Yet, people who live in tremendous luxury get paid hardship allowance running into billions. Why are Nigerians quiet about it? I dont understand it, Sagay said.On the Senates refusal to confirm Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu, Sagay said it was the Presidents exclusive prerogative to decide how long he remains in office.Magu can act indefinitely. The Senate does not have jurisdiction in this matter. It is the President who does because of Section 171 of the Constitution. This government is being a bit gentle, not wanting to ruffle feathers. Maybe thats why theyre politicians and in government.If people like me who are not politicians were there, these people (senators) would have heard a different message. Id have rammed things through and damned them to go and do whatever they like, and lets see who would come on top.I believe that ultimately, righteousness, a good cause, a belief in principle will prevail. Were dealing with people who are undergoing all sorts of investigations; they cannot face the righteous.FacebookTwitterGoogle+PinterestLinkedInWhatsApp
Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has dared the All Progressives Congress (APC), to label Senate President Bukola Saraki, as a sponso...

Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has dared the All Progressives Congress (APC), to label Senate President Bukola Saraki, as a sponsor of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

On Monday, Saraki came out to condemn the categorization of IPOB as a terrorist group.





In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose also claimed APC took side with Fulani herdsmen when they killed people in Oke-Ako, Ekiti State.





He said: Now that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki has come out to openly say that categorization of IPOB as a terrorist organisation by the military is unconstitutional, is the APC also going to accuse him of sponsoring IPOB?





Governor Fayose added: It is on record that on June 10, 2013, it was widely reported in the media that the current Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who was the National Publicity Secretary of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said that the proscription of Boko Haram was against the constitution, that it stifled the press and tampered with the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.





It is also on record that in June 2013, President Buhari told the Federal Government to stop the clampdown of Boko Haram insurgents, accusing the government of killing and destroying houses belonging to Boko Haram members while the Niger Delta militants were given special treatment.





Should we now say that Lai Mohammed and President Buhari sponsored Boko Haram because they spoke against the federal governments clampdown on the insurgents then?





He added: Herdsmen have sacked a whole community in this country, they killed over 1,000 Agatus in Benue State and have destroyed peoples farmlands across the country, has any of the herdsmen been arrested? Has any conceited effort been made by the federal government to curb the menace of the Fulani herdsmen?





If because I spoke against the wanton killings carried out by the military in the Southeast, the APC is saying that Im funding IPOB, was I the one funding the people of Southern Kaduna when I condemned the killings there?





Was I funding the Agatus in Benue State when I condemned their killings by Fulani herdsmen? Was I funding the Shiite Muslims when I condemned the killings of El-Zakzaky followers in Zaria and his continued detention?





Mine is a mission for a Nigeria where no one will be treated like a second class citizen and we can only achieve that if we have leaders that will not be a champion of nepotism like President Buhari.
Mr. Jean-Claude Junker, the blunt, strong-willed and battle-tested President of the European Commission blew hot about the precarious pli...

Mr. Jean-Claude Junker, the blunt, strong-willed and battle-tested President of the European Commission blew hot about the precarious plight of the Igbo people and the dangers faced by members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) in Nigeria last week.

He said it is the peoples right to agitate and make a request from their government. Self-determination is a right enshrined in the United Nation Charter. The people of Biafra have every right to request for a referendum. They have been in this struggle for a while now. They have never killed or shot a bullet instead they are the victims of attacks and murder. The EU hereby condemns the brutal attack on IPOB members and leadership under the pretentious disguise of a military exercise (Operation Python Dance). The Nigerian military is warned to adopt democratic tenets in handling citizens. The EU will not sit by idly and watch things go undemocratic in the largest economy of the West African region.





This is an excellent assesment of the situation and it provides a timely warning to the Buhari administration about their grave indiscretions and obvious excesses.





Yet instead of addressing the deep concerns that the EU, Amnesty International, the United Nations and many other notable players and organisations on the world stage have about what is going on in Nigeria, Mr. Lai Mohammed, President Buharis Minister of Information and a man who told us just a few years ago that it was wrong and unlawful to ban Boko Haram, had only the following to say:





IPOB is a group sponsored by a coalition of political parties and looters who are bent on derailing the fight on corruption embarked upon by Buhari-APC led government.





Such unadulterated poppycock and pernicious lies and such baseless allegations and nonsensical assertions, even when they come from a man whose credibility is at best questionable, beggars belief.

Instead of attacking and insulting those of us that have condemned the slaughter of Igbos and alleging that we are sponsoring IPOB the Buhari government would do well to consider Jean Claude Junkers words and what the European Union have said about the barbaric killing of the Igbo and the universal right of self-determination which is protected and guaranteed by international law.





Since when has it been acceptable or the norm to unleash the dogs of war against a group of innocent, unarmed and defenceless young people and their colourful leader simply because they dared to ask for a referendum?





The fact of the matter is that whether anyone likes it or not, the attempt to break, subjugate, demonise, belittle, vilify and wipe out the Igbo race through the auspices of intimidation, disinformation, manipulation of the media, mass murder and ethnic cleansing by the Buhari administration shall fail.





The truth is that this whole thing is not about IPOB but about the consistent expression of an irrational, illogical and pathological hatred of the Igbos by the maximum ruler of the Nigerian state.

And if he gets away with it and manages to achieve his sinister and nefarious objective he will come after the Yoruba, the Ijaw, the Tiv and everyone else in a matter of time!





That is why it is important to refuse to be intimidated, to stand firm, to hold the line, to resist him with every fibre of our being and to insist on the restructuring and the renegotiation of Nigeria.





Fifty years after our brutal and genocidal civil war we have learnt nothing about the cataclysmic and devastating consequences and spiritual implications of slaughtering innocent people in the name of keeping Nigeria one.





Why do you think nothing works in our country and that our people are mostly unfulfilled, poor, miserable, afflicted and deprived? Why do you think there is so much suffering in our nation despite the fact that we have been blessed with so many human and mineral resources? It is Gods judgement.





Until we stop electing psychopaths, sociopaths and cruel men of blood into office and until our leaders stop killing innocent people whose only crime is to express their desire to be free from slavery, bondage and tyranny and to be allowed to determine their own future nothing will or can change for the better in our beleaguered country.





As long as the ethnic cleansing and mass murder continues and as long as our people cheer on our leaders as they commit these heinous crimes against humanity Nigeria will continue to be a basket case of a nation which is ruled by unrepentant and wicked tyrants, garrulous court jesters and certified village idiots.





If we continue to condone and refuse to desist from state sponsored repression and the mass murder of Igbos, northern Christians, Shiite Muslims, Niger Deltans or any other group of people who are seen by our collective oppressors as soft and easy targets our nation will continue to be perceived as an abominable and accursed dwarf that crawls around like a helpless, crippled and stunted child in the comity of nations.





Nigeria was once the hope of the black man but sadly in the last two years she has become an embarrassment and burden to Africa and a reference point for everything that is reprehensible and shameful in the world.





A nation where savage and insensitive beasts murder innocent men, women and children in the sanctity of their homes whilst the people cheer them on and embrace their murderous barbarity with joy and glad tidings.





A nation where political opponents can be locked up for years without any recourse to the courts and without any form of due process.





A nation where opposition members and dissidents are vilified and subjected to every form of shame, malevolence and indignity simply because they refuse to bow before the maximum ruler and worship him as a living deity.





Can Gods presence possibly be in such an arrangement and can Gods blessing possibly be in such a place?





Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN, one of the true crusaders for justice and human rights in Nigeria and a man of remarkable fortitude and immense courage captured the mood and painted an accurate picture of the situation when he said the following:





The Fulani herdsmen who go on rampage daily, maiming, rapiing and killing and those responsible for the Agatu massacre, Shiites massacre, Southern Kaduna pogrom, indiscriminate killings, brazen quit notice givers across Nigeria, etc, have never been arrested, prosecuted, let alone been proscribed and stigmatised as terrorist organisations. We must surely have and operate two sets of laws for two sets of people in Nigeria.





How true this is! Yet even if the majority within the Nigerian political class and media are not prepared or able to confront and expose this great evil and speak truth to power, the international media, who are thoroughly and understandably mortified and shocked by what is unfolding in our country, are evidently ready to do so.





For example the Washington-based Newsweek International Magazine, in an excellent article written by Mr. Connor Gaffey just last week, focused on the fact that many Biafran Christians had been subjected to extra-judicial killings by a northern Muslim-controlled and led army.





They condemned the activities of the Nigerian military in the east in very strong terms, decried the dangerous situation that is unfolding in Nigeria and echoed President Olusegun Obasanjos laudable call for dialogue between the IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Buhari.





In their own contribution to the debate the respected New York-based Huffington Post published the following article which was written by Mr. Bruce Feinn, a highly celebrated and distinguished human rights lawyer and a former Deputy Attorney General in the Reagan administration. He wrote:





The United Nations will live in infamy for lending its megaphone on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, to Nigerias elected military dictator Muhammadu Buhari.





The Hausa-Fulani Muslim strongman is currently orchestrating genocide as defined by the Genocide Convention against Nigerias 50 million Igbo people because of their ethnicity and unwavering devotion to Christianity. Buharis genocide marks the culmination of a long train of Biafran subjugation by radical Hausa-Fulani Islamic terrorists. The dictators power is anchored to an illegitimate constitution decreed by a military dictator in 1999 to hold the Christian Biafran people in bondage to Hausa-Fulani Muslims. Nigerias constitution has never been approved by Nigerians.





Last June, Buhari tacitly endorsed a Hausa-Fulani threat to expel by force and violence and to plunder 11 million Igbos in twelve northern Nigerian states that have adopted Sharia as their legal codes if they did not abandon their Igbo homes and businesses by October 1, 2017. During the past few years in northern Nigeria, Hausa-Fulani terrorists have destroyed thousands of churches and religious schools and displaced millions of Christian Biafrans.





Hundreds of innocent civilians have died and more have been injured or terrorized by Nigerias military acting under Buharis direction in the last week alone. A courageous and influential Biafran leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has had his home attacked and quarantined by Nigerias armed forces and his followers killed. Grisly videos and photos taken at scenes of the harrowing crimes are conclusive. What they prove amounts to state terrorismthe systematic employment of violence to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.





Instead of providing Buhari a megaphone, the United Nations should be expelling Nigeria from membership under Article 6 of the United Nations Charter. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) should be referring the dictator and his henchmen like Army Chief of Staff Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, to investigate for complicity in genocide.





The UNSC should also be imposing an arms embargo on Nigeria under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter until the right of the Biafran people to self-determination is secured through a free and fair referendum conducted by the United Nations Electoral Unit. At present, dictator Buhari is diverting arms purchased for ostensible use against Boko Haram, an international terrorist organization, to the terrorizing of Biafran Christians. Buhari has no interest in defeating Boko Haram because its threat triggers military and financial assistance from the United States in its global war on terrorism.





These sanctions against Nigeria would honor twin objectives of the United Nations: (1) to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained; and, (2) promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to religion.





The genocide of Biafrans is not a domestic matter within the exclusive jurisdiction of Nigeria. Genocide is a crime against all of mankind which concerns every country. Moreover, if dictator Buhari is permitted to kill and enslave Christian Biafrans with impunity, Nigeria could degenerate into a Hausa-Fulani Islamic theocracy and could become a state sponsor of terrorism. Nigerias example would embolden the persecution of Christians elsewhere.





Nigerias 190 million inhabitants make it the most populous nation in Africa. It is a model not only in West Africa but throughout the continent. It is too important for its fate to be left to the roll of the dice.





The international community planted the seeds of contemporary Nigerian and African strife by arbitrarily carving up the continent in favor of colonial powers at the1884-1885 Berlin Conference. The United Nations is saddled with a moral obligation to help remedy the dystopias spawned by many of its key members.





While the suffering and persecution of Burmas Muslim Rohingya have captured headlines and the attention of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, Nigerias far worse oppression of Biafrans has been largely ignored. It is difficult to resist the conclusion that the international human rights community squints when blacks kill blacks.

He concluded by saying,





Chad had its Hissene Habre, Libya had its Muammar Gaddafi and Nigerian President Buhari should learn from those examples before continuing his genocidal murders and torture of Biafrans. Justice will pursue Buhari as tenaciously as the Furies pursued Orestes. He would tremble if he reflected that God is just, and that His justice will not sleep forever.





These are valid and legitimate observations and laudable assertions from a respected individual that has dedicated his entire life to the cause of protecting human rights and a medium that prides itself on the highest standard of literary excellence and investigative journalism.





Let us hope that President Muhammadu Buhari and his military commanders are listening!
The Igbo Community Association in Kano State has distanced itself from the activities of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its leader,...

The Igbo Community Association in Kano State has distanced itself from the activities of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

President-General of the association, Mr. Ebenezer Chima, made the position of the association known at a joint news conference in Kano.





We want to state categorically here that we, the Igbo residing and doing business in Kano, dissociate ourselves from the activities of IPOB and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.





We are strongly advocating peace and unity in the land, Chima said.





While condemning the unfortunate and avoidable crisis in Abia, he called on all Igbos residents in the state to remain calm, promising nothing would happen to them.





According to Chima, the state government under the leadership of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and security agents has given the assurance of adequate security of our lives and property.





However, we join the South-East governors, the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo and other notable Igbo leaders, to ask the Federal Government to address the issues of equality and even distribution of our common wealth.





This, we believe, will bring an end to the agitations in the country.





On his part, President of Ethnic Community Leaders Association in the state, Dr. Jimpat Ayelangbe, assured all non-indigenes of adequate security of their lives and property.





He said the assurance stemmed from the meetings they had with various leaders and security agencies in the state.





ECLAK got the mandate to speak to the media by allaying fears of our people over the concern of their lives and property.





ECLAK is interested in a united Nigeria because we believe that those not living in their states of origin should not contribute to disorganise the country.
The Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB ) has denied having any hand in the recent burning of a mosque at IgboEze north council area of E...

The Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB ) has denied having any hand in the recent burning of a mosque at IgboEze north council area of Enugu state.The group in a statement signed by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful said that IPOB is known to be a peaceful group and has never been violent in its effort to achieve a republic of their own.It alleged that in a situation such as it is happening in the South East geopolitical zone, some unscrupulous groups would want to use the situation to cause mayhem and put the blame on their group.The statement reads, The attention of IPOB has been drawn to the burning of a mosque in Igbo Eze North LGA of Enugu State, we also saw a picture purporting the burning of the mosque and the caption blaming it on IPOB members.IPOB leadership would like to use this opportunity to disassociate the hallowed name of IPOB and its members from the alleged arson and any other concocted news of an attack or vandalism, especially on Muslims and their places of worship.IPOB is not unaware of the desperation of some unscrupulous groups to cause mayhem and blame it on IPOB as a way of instigating counter violence against Southerners in the North.The aim of these type of groups is to distract our focus and firm resolve to force a peaceful referendum within the law and no amount of violence visited on our family members will dissuade us from this historic and legitimate course.Biafrans in particular and Nigerians in general should therefore blame any of such attacks on criminal gangs who have been paid to cause disaffection between law abiding Biafrans and other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.We wish to further state unequivocally that Muslims and other non-Biafrans living in South-East and South South have nothing to fear from IPOB, as our members are committed to a nonviolent, unarmed struggle for self determination, which is guaranteed in charters of the United Nations, international laws and other extant laws on fundamental human rights.IPOB does not need to remind Nigerians that it is the culture in Biafraland to protect our visitors and any of these alleged heinous acts are viewed by the great family of IPOB as abomination which our leadership and members condemn in its entirety.IPOB members should be vigilant and stay away from the provocative government- sponsored death squads whose main objective is to draw we Biafrans to another unplanned civil war but God forbid.
Elder statesman, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, has said that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, showed a disposition for amicable resolution of issues concerning the agitation for Biafra during the meeting he held with South-East governors in Enugu on August 30.Reacting to recent developments, Nwabueze, in a statement he made available to journalists in Enugu on Monday, recalled what transpired at the August 30 meeting between Kanu and the governors.Nwabueze said, On 30th August, 2017, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko and I met with the South-East Governors Forum.The meeting was chaired by the current Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, who, in his conduct of the meeting, exhibited his characteristic sagacity, candour and forthrightness, tempered with friendliness.Perhaps charmed by the things said by the chairman and the way he conducted the meeting, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on his part, showed an accommodating disposition for an amicable resolution of the crisis and more specifically a disposition to reconsider the threat to stop or disrupt the 2019 elections and the Anambra State governorship election on November 18, 2017, but emphasized that the decision did not lie with him alone and that the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra must be carried along.Accordingly, it agreed to meet with the leadership of IPOB in order to try to secure their agreement and support. Regrettably, while the follow-up meeting was being arranged, the attack on Mazi Nnamdi Kanus home in Umuahia by soldiers of the Nigerian Army on September 10, 2017, occurred as reported in the news media, which, expectedly, triggered clashes between the IPOB supporters and the Army in Aba, Umuahia and other places, resulting in the death of, or injury to, several people.Reacting to this sad development, the IPOB leadership indicated its intention not to attend the planned meeting.Despite all this, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu made it known that, in the spirit of a search for amicable resolution of the crisis, he would still attend the planned meeting, now fixed for Friday, September 15, 2017.However, a day or so before that date, another attack on his Umuahia residence by soldiers, armed with guns and armoured vehicles, was reported in the media, which caused Nnamdi Kanu to renounce his intention to attend the planned meeting.It seems unreasonable and unfeeling to expect him to attend the meeting when the casualties included two of his cousins.He said he had arrived in Enugu from Lagos for the meeting on Thursday 15 September but without the IPOB leadership, especially Nnamdi Kanu, he felt the purpose of the meeting had been defeated and had to go back to Lagos.Nwabueze urged the governors to reconvene the meeting with Kanu at a future date.The meeting should be reconvened when the tension caused by these developments had quietened down, the elder statesman said.
The Army has begun a gradual withdrawal of its men stationed at various checkpoints in Aba after last weeks clash with protesting membe...

The Army has begun a gradual withdrawal of its men stationed at various checkpoints in Aba after last weeks clash with protesting members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu told reporters last weeks in Umuahia that the military was withdrawing soldiers from the state.Investigation by NAN yesterday showed that only few of the new military checkpoints mounted in the commercial city had been dismantled.The five military checkpoints mounted on the busy Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway had been reduced to three.Emeka Chukwuma, a tricycle operator and resident of the city, told NAN that the checkpoints were causing traffic gridlock.He urged the governor to prevail on the military authority to remove the checkpoints to ease traffic.Activities are gradually returning to normal in Aba.Markets have re-opened after the five-day dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on the city by the governor.Most of the shops at Ariaria International Market, New Market, Shopping Centre, Cemetery Markets have re-opened for business. Customers were seen going about their businesses.
The Nigerian Air Force has joined the Operation Python Dance II campaign in the Southeast by deploying its air assets in support of the ...

The Nigerian Air Force has joined the Operation Python Dance II campaign in the Southeast by deploying its air assets in support of the ground troops.The NAF said the deployment of the air assets was not only based on the request of the Nigerian Army for air support but inevitable due to the wide expanse of the exercise area.A statement on Tuesday night by the Director of Information and Public Relations of the NAF, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, said the essence of the deployment is to provide the necessary air cover to the ground troops to enhance overall operational cohesion and efficiency.The statement supported with video footage showed two Alpha Jet Aircrafts on aerial surveillance of the coverage area.The statement reads: In line with its commitment to national peace and security, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has deployed some of its air assets, including the Alpha Jet aircraft, to its 115 Special Operations Group in Port Harcourt, to support the ongoing Nigerian Armys Exercise EGWU EKE II (PYTHON DANCE II).The essence of the deployment is to provide the necessary air cover to the ground troops to enhance overall operational cohesion and efficiency.It would be recalled the operation began officially on 15 September 2017 and was planned to cover the entire South East Region of the country.The wide expanse of the exercise area and the request by the Nigerian Army for close air support made the involvement of the NAF inevitable.Exercise EGWU EKE II is aimed at combatting security challenges in the Southeastern part of the country.The deployment of the air assets in support of the Nigerian Army is thus in fulfillment of one of the constitutional mandates of the NAF.
University students have expressed happiness over the decision by the Academic Staff Union of Universities to call off its strike.Some of the students told the News Agency of Nigeria in Kano on Tuesday that they were happy to hear that the union had called off the five-week-old strike.AlAmin Lawal, a 200 level student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said he was short of words to express his happiness over the new development.I cannot express my joy since I heard that ASUU had called off the strike because I was about to finish my semester examination when the lecturers commenced the strike, he said.He commended the union for the decision, saying it would enable them complete their examinations and move to the next level.Musa Bala, a 300 level student of Bayero University Kano, described ASUU decision as a welcome development, as students would now resume normal academic activities.He, however, called on the Federal Government to keep to the agreements reached between it and the lecturers in order not to disrupt academic activities in the universities in future.The Federal Government should try as much as possible to keep to the promises made to the lecturers as that will go along way in ensuring uninterrupted academic activities in our universities, Bala said.Similarly, most of the parents who spoke to NAN on the issue expressed gratitude to Allah for making it possible for the government and lecturers to reach an agreement on the strike.They, however, advised the lecturers to always go for dialogue in resolving dispute rather than resorting to total strike.ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, had on Monday directed all university lecturers to resume work on Tuesday.
Reuben Abati, former spokesman to immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, slammed the Nigerian military over its operation code names....

Reuben Abati, former spokesman to immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, slammed the Nigerian military over its operation code names.

Abati said armys operation code-names such as: Operation Python Dance, Crocodile Smile were wrong because a python does not dance neither does a crocodile smile.





In an article entitled, Python Do Not Dance, the former presidential spokesman noted that the Nigerian military has never been so clever in coming up with operation code names.





He wrote, Many of them are dead give-aways (Operation Lafiya Dole, Operation Pulo Shield, Operation Maximum Safety, Operation Crackdown) or so stupidly incongruous they evoke instant suspicion (Operation Python Dance, Operation Crocodile Smile). Pythons dont dance. Crocodiles dont smile.





Wars have been fought over the use of wrong codes; nations have been sabotaged due to poor communication. Whoever came up with the code name  Operation Python Dance- (sometimes a code name may be computer generated) may have been aiming for irony, but it was strange irony given the facts of the situation and the manner of operation. I make this point to argue that the Nigerian military has messed up Operation Python Dance II in the South East conceptually and operationally, and the attendant arrogance does not serve the Nigerian state well in my view.





A dance is accompanied by music, it is celebratory in its kinetic and spatial expressions, and it is probably one of the most ingenuous explorations of the human frame. Accompanied usually by music and the symbolism of movement and flexibility, a dance, vertical, horizontal or earth-bound is one of the wonders of human creativity and the most universal of human languages.





There is something called snake dance. It is of course celebratory. To say a python is coming to a community to dance is a revelatory oxymoron. A python swallows, it cuts off blood, constricts and suffocates, it is a pretentious animal that curls itself up when it is ready to eat, and then strikes, employing the techniques of velocity, ambush and surprise.





In December 2016, the pythons of the Nigerian military went to the South East on Operation (I) but they did not blow their cover. They said they wanted to help reduce crimes during Christmas. In September 2017, they blew their own cover, and revealed the absurdity of their cryptonym. They did because they behaved exactly like pythons. If that was meant as a covert operation to protect the sovereignty of the country in the face of seen and analysed threat levels in the South East, the Nigerian military got it terribly wrong. There is every reason for other military authorities in the international community to laugh at Nigeria.





The military admittedly can conduct routine exercises to prepare its men, to tune up or to check out the countrys territorial integrity. Before and even shortly after the civil war, Nigerian soldiers occasionally came out of their barracks and drove round the town. They used to sing, march on the streets and dance inside their trucks and wave at the people. The people waved back, and in due course, many children mastered some of their songs. In our neck of the woods at the time, there is an Alamala barracks in Abeokuta, one popular song was: Jamala n si ko, mo ti jamala ki n to lo sogun, jamala n siko.





The latest instance is the bungled operation in Abia State. Operation Python Dance II did not have to take place in the streets of Isiama Afara in Umuahia, Abia State, close to Nnamdi Kanus fathers house. The public show of force could have been done anywhere else in the South East. Strutting military force close to the home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, who in the last year has been busy mobilizing his people, and making demands on the Nigerian state is an undisguised act of provocation with all the pythonic elements of invasion, surprise and suffocation. It was the equivalent of the state descending to the level of rabble-rousing. This happens when an institution like the military opts for street politics, and our military certainly exposed itself in ways that called its professionalism to question in the last few days.
Lagos lawyer and human right activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, on Monday supported the stand of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki that the b...

Lagos lawyer and human right activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, on Monday supported the stand of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki that the branding of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, as a terrorist organization was illegal.

According to him, The Senate President is correct in declaring the illegality of the purported proscription of IPOB as such. This particular Buhari regime is known for crass impunity and wanton disregard for the rule of law.





It is true that the Army and the South-East governors have no power to proscribe any organization or to declare its activities as terrorism. It is only a court of law after due process has been followed, that can make such declaration.





Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution grants every Nigerian Citizen the freedom to freely associate with others for the protection of their interests. IPOB and its members do not require govt recognition in order to operate as an association.





This is not to condone that activities of IPOB that are considered violent or extreme. It is for the law enforcement agencies, especially the police, by all means not the Army, to invoke the die process of law to arrest such extremism.





I urge that the govt should withdraw its troops from the South East and allow peace to reign in Nigeria.





Adegboruwa explained further that, it is in this vein that I consider it an extreme provocation for the Army to be considering any militarization of the South West and the South South, under any guise whatsoever.





We are not under a military regime but operation of a democratic government that is governed by due process and the rule of law.





I therefore commend the Senate President for his courage and boldness to speak the truth. I urge the Speaker of the House of Representatives to do likewise and get all soldiers to go back to their barracks where they rightly belong.




M Jean-Claude Junker, the blunt, strong-willed and battle-tested President of the European Commission blew hot about the precarious plig...
Trump US President Donald Trump has told the UN General Assembly that America would destroy North Korea if forced to defend itself or ...

Trump

US President Donald Trump has told the UN General Assembly that America would destroy North Korea if forced to defend itself or its allies.In his debut speech, he mocked North Koreas leader, Kim Jong-un, saying: Rocket man is on a suicide mission.North Korea has tested nuclear bombs and missiles in defiance of the UN.Just before Mr Trump spoke, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had urged statesmanship, saying: We must not sleepwalk our way into war.The American leader also attacked Iran, saying it was a corrupt dictatorship which was intent on destabilising the Middle East.He called on the government in Tehran to cease supporting terrorism and again criticised the Obama-era international agreement over Irans nuclear programme, which he called an embarrassment.Washington has repeatedly warned North Korea over its weapons tests, which violate UN Security Council resolutions.The crisis worsened last month when the North announced plans to test missiles around the US Pacific territory of Guam.If [the US] is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, Mr Trump said.President Trumps threat to totally destroy North Korea is implausible, according to Stewart Patrick, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York think tank.I actually am very sceptical, he told the BBC.I think the folks in the Pentagon when they look at military options are just aghast at the potential loss of life that could occur with at a minimum hundreds of thousands of South Koreans killed in Seoul.And Im sure that [for] the South Korean government, the last thing on their mind right now is the notion that the United States should launch an attack, a pre-emptive attack of some sort on North Korea.An EmbarrassmentThe 2015 deal between Iran, the US and other world powers, including China and Russia, was designed to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapon.Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I dont think youve heard the last of it, Mr Trump told the General Assembly on Tuesday.Irans government, he said, was bent on death and destruction, while its people wanted change.Other than the vast military power of the United States Irans people are what their leaders fear the most, he said.Using almost biblical language, the American leader portrayed the world in terms of decent nations confronted with rogue regimes.The scourge of our planet today is a small group of rogue regimes that violate every principle on which the United Nations is based, he said.They respect neither their own citizens nor the sovereign rights of their countries. If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few then evil will triumph.When decent people and nations become bystanders to history the forces of destruction only gather power and strength.Nuclear AnxietiesThe General Assembly was opened by Mr Guterres, who said that millions of people were living in dread as a result of North Koreas nuclear and missile tests.The use of nuclear weapons should be unthinkable, he said. But today global anxieties about nuclear weapons are at the highest level since the end of the Cold War.The former head of the UN refugee agency also spoke of being pained to see the way refugees and migrants have been stereotyped and scapegoated  and to see political figures stoke resentment in search of electoral gain.The latter is a charge that has often been levelled against Mr Trump, who condemned uncontrolled migration in his speech on Tuesday. He insisted that America was a compassionate nation which had spent billions of dollars on helping refugees return to their home countries.According to Reuters news agency, when Mr Trump made his remarks about destroying North Korea, one man in the audience covered his face with his hands, while Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom crossed her arms.Loud, startled murmurs filled the hall, according to the agency.The General Assembly, which continues until Monday, is an annual event, bringing together leaders of the UNs 193 member states.-BBC
Imo State governorship aspirant, Robert Okpara, has reacted to the visit of Northern delegates to the South East over the ongoing agitation...

Imo State governorship aspirant, Robert Okpara, has reacted to the visit of Northern delegates to the South East over the ongoing agitation by the Idegenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

According to Okpara, the intervention of the Northern governors and a host of others is rather too late, arguing that if they had visited 3 weeks before now, the current crisis would have been avoided.





Okpara also questioned why the main actors in the crisis were not carried along, saying its laughable for the governors to pay visits to Rivers, Abia and Imo state governors without involving those who currently feel aggrieved.





Speaking with our correspondent, Okpara said, This visit is a good one that will help to douse the avoidable tension that has enveloped the country, especially the Southeast and South South region.





However, since the visit has the blessing of President Buhari, why is such a critical meeting excluding the major agitators and stakeholders in the crises? Its a laughable paradoxical irony to run Nnamdi Kanu and his leadership underground and pay a visit to the governors of Rivers, Abia and Imo state.





This visit is too late. If they had held this meeting 3 weeks ago with Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB leadership, South East and South South governors, we wont be on this brink where leaders are scrambling to put off the fire they set up in the first place. In law, you do not set your house on fire and invite the fire service and paramedics.





Governor Kashim Shettima and his fellow travelers are standing logic on its head and wasting taxpayers money on a frivolous publicity stunt in their attempt to convince their colleagues in the region that the entire North is standing by the South East at this time.





The same governor Shettima was consulted by the Arewa Youths when they issued the quit order to the entire Igbos living in the North? It is also a skewed trajectory for Governor Shettima to preach cohesion to the traditional rulers and leaders when they know that bigotry exists in the imbalance of federal appointments in favor of the North where critical kitchen cabinet presidential appointees are from the North.





This is the same imbalance situation where the leadership of the entire security architecture of the federal government favors a section of the North. The governors are having a laugh when they intend to visit Rochas Okorocha and Governor Okezie, same governors that were part of the forum that proscribed IPOB in the first place. What in the world would the 2 governors tell their August visitors? Any such meeting in the South East without the the presence of Nnia Nwodo, the governors and Nnamdi Kanu will be a tantalizing mirage, Robert said.
Some members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, known as Kaduna APC Democratic Elements, said they will vehemently resist any attempt t...

Some members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, known as Kaduna APC Democratic Elements, said they will vehemently resist any attempt to smuggle El-Rufai as sole candidate of the party.

We shall emphasize that no shunting and skipping of processes will be tolerated in our party and if other States can do it, Kaduna State is a different place entirely, the group said in a statement signed by Victor Asat and Ahmed Idris, Chairman and Secretary respectively.





The group warned that the symptoms of the disease that aborted PDPs vision aimed at governing this nation for 60 years had manifested its ugly head in Kaduna Chapter of All Progressive Congress.





It noted, This we wont allow to grow and spread. We will continue to apply the right drug until the symptom vanishes. We desire to see our party rule this nation far beyond PDP conceived Sixty years, this is only possible if we allow internal democracy thrive.





Our openness and internal democracy was largely responsible for our successes during the 2015 general elections, we cant do otherwise as 2019 draws nearer.





We wonder if, it is the same crowd that booed the governor during the Saturday purported stakeholders meeting are the same people that endorsed him. If the governor is afraid of the shadows of his numerous anti peoples policies and his inability to provide security for lives and properties for the populace in the state and how he neglected leadership of the party at all strata, he should quietly take a bow and leave the stage for people with widespread acceptability.





There is no law that says a governor must contest for second term even when he is sure of losing the election. This is a governor that is only popular amongst his family, friends, imported aides and consultants largely without electoral value.





The communique has further proven that the governor and his bandwagon are still been hunted by the monster they created during the failed Election of National Delegates ahead of the forth coming non elective convention. If it were not so, they cant be seeking for endorsement of the erstwhile falsefication of delegates list in the name of July/August, 2017 Congress results in September, 2017.





We stand by the true stakeholders of our party in both Akida, Kaduna Restoration Group and our elected representatives that distanced themselves from this sham, while the Governor and his team should prepare for election, as the said National Delegate list that they referred to as being accepted and endose has no place in the APC Constitution and the Guideline issued by the National Headquarters of the APC and therefore cannot be accepted by majority of party faithfuls in the State.





Not even the INEC shall accept endorsement of the Governor in September, 2017 as a candidate for 2019 General Elections by a crop of the party, Ward and LGA Executives that their tenure is elapsing by December, 2017 and the State Executive by March, 2018 and because the return of most of them is contemplated, we advice them to go and seek for their returning ticket from the people that gave them the mandate to be party officers at the 2014 Congresses, instead of dissipating their energy in favour of the Governor that neglected them for almost a period of three years now from the time they gave him this current unexpired trust.





We shall not accept whereby the Governor should cluster with our beloved President Muhammadu Buhari to hold the jugular of this State, as the President is not threatening the civil servants working under his jurisdiction with mass sack neither is he having a long necklace of unpaid allowances and salaries hanging on his neck as the Governor has despite the quantum of monies accrued to him and therfore Mr. Governor should be ready to answer his surname and repercussions of his actions and inactions of including dismissal of Districts and Village Heads, refusal to pay Scholarship to student from his inauguration to date and as well as the threat he directed at the traders for trying to evict them to demolish their markets without payment of compensation but for the intervention of the High Court.





We shall vehemently resist any attempt to smuggle El-Rufai as sole candidate of our party without passing through the rigorous democratic processes embedded in our darling party Constitution and the Nations extant laws. We shall emphasize that no shunting and skipping of processes will be tolerated in our party and if other States can do it, Kaduna State is a different place entirely.





It should be noted that during the meeting, a voice vote was put place to pass a vote of confidence on the administration of Buhari, all and sundry voted are, when it came to the administration of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the voice that dominated the hall was Nay. Instead of the signatory of the said communique to let go of that section, they shamelessly reported that mallam has been endorsed as the partys sole candidate. There was no endorsement in last Saturday meeting, the selected leaders of our party passed a vote of no confidence on EL-RUFAI led administration in the state.





The group expressed dismay that a purported communique written by some APC members elected and appointed to various offices of the party and public trust and turned representatives of the Governors self-centered interest alleging that the All Progressives Congress in the State has endorsed Governor Nasir El-Rufai as sole candidate of the party for the 2019 General Election as Governor.





The communique is not only laughable but worrisome to all lovers of democracy that are wondering if those behind the said endorsement are aware that the Military returned to barracks and what they intend to achieve is akin to Late Abachas self styled but failed transition program, where he decided who gets what.





It is more worrisome that Mallam Uba Sani that worked hand in hand with Late Gani Fawehinmi as Pro democratic element has a hand in the making and approval of such a shame that portraits the APC as one without internal democracy, after all the framers of our Electoral Act and our beloved APC Constitution included in each case for a Primary Election as a mandatory part of democratic process that binds with nobody to occupy any political office by shunting this process.





It is most unfortunate that this desperation was exhibited at the time material that many competent persons within the fold of our beloved party have since indicated interest to contest for the coveted position of the State Governor and expect the present Governor to start preparing himself to join them in the race and canvass for votes if he is still interested not for him to set up or proudly accept it from the so called stakeholders meeting that was devoid of many other critical stakeholders of the APC in ranks of Dr. Tom Maiyashi, Isah Ashiru, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Haruna Saeed, Kajuru, Mikiah Tokwak, Alhaji Tijjani Ramalan, Amb. Sule Buba, Sen Shehu Sani and etc and also Sen Suleiman Hunkuyi that attended on his own volition in order to send a message of caution to the organizers of the meeting, the group observed.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has warned that he would not allow any group intimidate, harass or attack other Nigerians resident i...

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has warned that he would not allow any group intimidate, harass or attack other Nigerians resident in his state.

Wike issued the warning while declaring that he would never support any move that will lead to the breakup of Nigeria.





The governor made these remarks when he hosted Northern governors forum, who paid him a visit on Monday.





According to Wike, Rivers state believes in the unity of this country. Rivers state will not be a part of those calling for the disintegration of Nigeria. We owe it a duty to protect every Nigerian living in the state.





I will not allow any group to intimidate, harass or attack other Nigerians living in the state. We are Rivers people and we belong to the Niger Delta.





Urging aggrieved Nigerians to dialogue in the interest of peace and development, Wike said, I am not against anyone who wants to protest any grievance but, there are channels for such protests.





Following attacks on the Hausa community at Oyigbo Local Government area of the state by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), the governor had last week warned the group to steer clear of the state.
NEWARK -- One of the leaders of a ring that carjacked luxury vehicles in New Jersey and New York for shipment and sale in West Africa was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison.

Kyle Champagnie

Kyle Champagnie, 30, of Irvington, had pleaded guilty in February to first-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity.

In all, 18 of the 26 people indicted in December 2014 have either been sentenced to terms of five to 20 years in prison or are awaiting sentencing.

Of the 160 vehicles recovered, 140 were recovered at ports, including Port Newark, Port Elizabeth and Howland Hook Seaport in Staten Island, N.Y. The ring operated in Essex, Union, Morris, Monmouth, Middlesex, Bergen and Somerset counties. The vehicles seized are valued at $8 million.

Authorities said the ring stole luxury cars -- often at gun- or knifepoint -- with brands including Land Rover, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar and Aston Martin. Others were taken by bumping the target vehicles to lure the owners out of their cars.

Some were so-called "soft-steals" -- cars that were taken while running at car washes or airports. On other occasions, members of the ring bought luxury vehicles from dealerships with bad checks.

Members of the ring later loaded the vehicles onto shipping containers at ports in New York and New Jersey and shipped them to West Africa, where they could be sold for far more than in the United States, police said.

Champagnie was one of three accused ringleaders of the operation, which had as many as 30 people working for it, according to police.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The speed humps on Summer Avenue, a long and busy street that carries traffic from the Belleville line to Bloomfield Avenue in Newark, start right after you cross Elwood Avenue in the city's North Ward.

Another one is just after Delevan Avenue, and yet another after Chester Avenue, all three installed last year to slow motorists driving like they were on the highway.

Some respect the hump. Most don't, however, particularly the young, reckless motorists. "They just go through it like it's not there,'' said Carmen Pagan, a resident.

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns

The scary part is that the cars' pace picks up again after the third hump, and residents at the next intersection - Summer and Arlington avenues - are pleading for a fourth.

"Every day, we live in fear,'' said Carmen Rodriguez, a resident who said she has collected 400 signatures on a petition. "It's crazy. We've gone to meetings. I'm fed up.''

Newark police set up a speed radar sign on Summer Avenue to remind motorists of how fast they are traveling.

It's the talk of the neighborhood, from the corner store to their front stoop. Tires screech and the noise disturbs residents, but worse is the menace as the cars hurtle through. A lady almost was hit this summer; a kid, too. Drivers have blown past the traffic light at times and driven around school buses picking up kids, even when the bus driver has parked the bus on angle to deter them.

"I carry my (4-year-old) daughter across the street,'' said Melissa Santiago. "It's too dangerous.''

Willie Cruz had to buy a new SUV this summer after a speeding motorists crashed into his Jeep Cherokee that was parked in front of his house on Summer Avenue, a few doors down from Arlington Avenue. When he came outside, the driver of the speeding car had fled and his vehicle was on the sidewalk. "That's something I didn't want to see,'' he said.

North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos knows it's a problem, noting that Summer Avenue is the only street in his ward that has three humps close together.

"It's such a long block, but they still manage to speed after the hump,'' Ramos said.

He has put in a request to the city's Department of Engineering to consider a fourth hump on that stretch of Summer Avenue.

Kimberly Singleton, manager for the Division of Traffic and Signals, said the Summer and Arlington avenue intersection will be evaluated by a traffic study to see if it's suitable for a hump. If it is, Singleton said, that site will be added to the list of neighborhoods it has identified in need of them.

Singleton said there are 150 requests for speed humps across the city, but her division will be able to install only 35. That work, which cost $10,000 to $15,000 per speed hump, should start next spring and be completed by the summer. The city does not know how many it has throughout the five wards.

State guidelines for speed humps say they are available only on residential streets with fewer than 2,500 vehicles per day. And they will be installed only if 100 percent of homeowners and 67 percent of renters who live near the speed hump sign a petition. If case residents want one, Singleton said a request should be made in writing to the Division of Traffic and Signals.

Two years ago, Newark started installing speed humps because the rumble strips it had been using were wearing out, Singleton said, and the hump proved to be more effective in slowing motorists.

Throughout the North Ward, where 15 were installed last year, Ramos has requests for 120 speed humps and he knows the need is growing in areas that were once industrial and are now residential.

"Whatever we have in the ward is not enough,'' he said. "We need more.''

Residents at Summer and Arlington avenues say the city has to do something for them now.

Gilbert Santiago, a Belleville resident, doesn't drive this way anymore.

MORE CARTER: Newark seniors say they need more security

"They drive like they got their license out of the cereal box,'' Santiago said.

Capt. Derek Glenn said the traffic unit patrolled the area Friday, issuing 10 summonses for moving violations, but none related to speeding. He said they were aware of resident concerns from neighborhood meetings.

"We're more than willing to work with the community to do things necessary to improve the quality of life in the area,'' Glenn said.

After patrolling the neighborhood, the traffic unit left a radar speed sign at the intersection so motorists will know how fast they're traveling.

It's not a speed hump, but it's better than nothing.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or

nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL
WASHINGTON TWP. -- A township police lieutenant is suing his supervisor, the mayor and others, alleging that he was the victim of retaliation after complaining about irregularities in the officer promotions process.

Lt. Vincent Lamonica, a 25-year veteran of the department, claims in his federal suit that he complained of "corruption" in the promotional process in 2014.

He says that complaint has resulted in his current suspension and the possibility that he could lose his job.

A township official reported Monday that a tentative settlement has already been reached over the suit, which was filed last week.

in his suit, Lamonica claimed Stephen Rolando was not eligible for promotion several years ago to the rank of lieutenant.

In 2010, when former chief Raphael Muniz posted a list of all personnel qualified for promotion to lieutenant, Rolando was not on the list, the suit claims. Promotion is "based in part on years in rank and supervisory experience," according to the suit.

Despite his ineligibility, Muniz promoted Rolando to lieutenant and later captain, the rank he holds today, the suit states. Lamonica called the promotion to lieutenant "improper, unlawful and fraudulent."

In response to his filing the grievance in 2014, Lamonica said he was also promoted to lieutenant, but said his issue with Rolando's promotion was never addressed.

When Rolando was promoted to captain in 2015, Lamonica filed another grievance.

Then, Lamonica claims, Rolando retaliated.

"Defendant Rolando used his position as captain to retaliate against plaintiff and others for their complaints of corruption in the promotional process," according to the suit.

In 2016, Rolando initiated a criminal investigation of Lamonica's on- and off-duty conduct, the suit states.

Rolando allegedly purchased a GPS device and had it installed on Lamonica's patrol vehicle without the approval of township officials and without Lamonica's knowledge.

In January of this year, Rolando filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office claiming Lamonica committed criminal or official misconduct based on the GPS data, according to the suit. Following an investigation, the prosecutor's office declined to file criminal charges.

The plaintiff claims the retaliation continued with an internal affairs investigation that resulted in a June notice of violations that alleged six incidents in which Lamonica claimed to be on duty when he was not and 15 cases in which he was absent from his post. These claims were based on data the GPS device, the suit states.

If found guilty of these charged, Lamonica faces termination.

When he tried to obtain key fob records for the door officers use to enter the police station -- in an effort to refute the allegations -- Lamonica claims was told the system was broken and records were not available for the time period in question.

In June, Lamonica was placed on paid suspension pending outcome of the disciplinary process. That suspension was changed to unpaid this month without notification, the suit notes.

The township has now withdrawn settlement offers, stopped negotiating in good faith and has demanded "full discipline," in the case, according to the suit.

Lamonica seeks compensatory damages for "lost opportunity, income, reputational injuries, emotional distress, back pay" as well as punitive damages.

In addition to Rolando, the suit names Mayor Joanne Gattinelli and township business administrator Jason Gontner.

Township solicitor Stuart Platt noted the timing of the lawsuit.

"This lawsuit was filed on the eve of a disciplinary hearing against the plaintiff police officer and that speaks for itself," Platt said late Monday afternoon. "Since the lawsuit was filed on Friday, the parties have tentatively settled the case without the township paying any money."

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
DEPTFORD TWP. -- Residents of Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties are invited to a town hall meeting on the national opioid epidemic on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at Rowan College at Gloucester County.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey will host the event in conjunction with the Gloucester Regional Addictive Substances Prevention (GRASP) Coalition and the Southwest Council, Inc.

More than 33,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental death in New Jersey.

The town hall is part of a statewide conversation.

"All residents of New Jersey are encouraged to join the conversation and participate in their local Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall to understand the disease of addiction, develop strategies to help protect their families and identify resources to address individuals who have become dependent on prescription drugs or are abusing heroin," said Angelo Valente, executive director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey.

Speakers will include Michele Perez, head of the Monroe Township Municipal Alliance and vice chair of the City of Angels, a non-profit addiction support and recovery service based in Hamilton.

Other speakers include Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton, Gloucester County Freeholder Jim Jefferson, William J. Lynch Jr., with Kennedy Health, Alyssa Fountain, with Recovery Centers of America, and Candice Carter, with The Southwest Council.

The session runs from 5:45 to 8:15 p.m. at Rowan College, 1400 Tanyard Road. Learn more online at knockoutopioidabuse.drugfreenj.org.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- Sen. Steven M. Fulop?

Fulop is still 49 days away from asking Jersey City voters for a second term as their mayor, but his allies across the city -- and his foes statewide -- are already planning for him to jump into a potential race to succeed Sen. Bob Menendez next year.

The Democratic mayor, who told The Jersey Journal he has "zero" interest in replacing Menendez, has quietly asked some supporters of his aborted gubernatorial run whether they would back him for Senate, according to three New Jersey Democrats with knowledge of the discussions. And three sources close to Fulop said they anticipate him making a Senate bid if Menendez, facing federal bribery and corruption charges in a closely watched trial now in its eighth day, is convicted and forced to resign.

Fulop's ambitions for higher office are no secret: he waged a barely disguised campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor during the first three years of his mayoral term. But the talks about succeeding Menendez are hush-hush, the Democrats say, because Fulop does not want to anger Menendez by openly eyeing his seat.

Menendez, a Democrat whose seat is up for grabs in 2018, has maintained his innocence. Asked for his thoughts on the jockeying among Democrats who want to succeed him -- Rep. Donald Norcross, D-01, and former Sen. Bob Torricelli are also interested - Menendez told The Jersey Journal that no one is "going to have any opportunities."

"I'm going to get exonerated," Menendez said during a recent visit to New Jersey City University. "I'm going to pursue my seat in re-election."

Appearing at the ceremonial grand opening of the new School 26 last week, Fulop, 40, was unequivocal when The Jersey Journal asked him if there is any truth to the rumor that he is considering a run for the Senate.

"Zero, zero, zero, zero, zero," he said, adding, "Zero, zero, zero, zero."

The mayor said the rumor was cooked up by attorney Bill Matsikoudis, Fulop's rival in November's mayoral race. Fulop is seeking a second term on Nov. 7 and, he told The Jersey Journal, he is committed to staying for a full term if he is re-elected.

"I'm staying and this is all I'm interested in," Fulop said. "That's it. We haven't even thought about it."

He later texted the following to this reporter: "I have already given 13 years to Jersey City in elected office and I think there is more work to do. While it's no secret we flirted with a governor run, in the end it was my choice to not run for governor and finish the job here in Jersey City and I was the first big city in N.J. and one of the first elected anywhere to endorse Phil Murphy."

Murphy is the Democratic nominee in November's gubernatorial race and is expected to handily defeat the Republican candidate, Lt Gov. Kim Guadagno. If Menendez is convicted and waits to resign until Gov. Chris Christie leaves office on Jan. 16, the next governor would appoint the senator's immediate successor.

Matsikoudis, responding to Fulop's charge that he is behind the rumors of a senatorial bid in the works, told The Jersey Journal that Fulop's conduct, most recently creating a campaign ad that lambasts Christie, shows the mayor is focused on a statewide audience, not Jersey City.

"It's offensive that he considers being mayor his back-up plan and that he would do this to one of Hudson's favourite sons" -- Menendez -- "who has fought so hard for Jersey City throughout his career," Matsikoudis wrote in an email.

Freeholder Bill O'Dea, a Fulop supporter, told The Jersey Journal he has no doubt Fulop will one day seek higher office. But O'Dea, who said he considers Menendez a friend and expects him to be acquitted, said he doesn't believe Fulop has designs on replacing Menendez.

"I've seen him on the campaign trial and he's not campaigning like someone looking to run for senate," O'Dea said.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
NEWARK - In a video shown in court Monday afternoon, a 26-year-old pharmacy student gave a statement to police describing a seemingly normal evening that included a trip to the mall and a late night meal.

Waqas Ibrar was suddenly speechless after about 10 minutes of talking with a police detective, learning two men he had struck on Route 440 were dead. But now, a Superior Court judge will have to decide if the video statement can be used as evidence during trial.

Ibrar, of Bayonne, is facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted of two counts of vehicular homicide for the the Nov. 2, 2015 crash that killed Tyler Sellers and Sabore Worrell. His defense attorney is arguing Ibrar was not read read his Miranda rights and more than 20 minutes of video statements should not be used in court.

Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Tom Zuppa presented the statements Ibrar had made at police headquarters about two hours after the crash during the hearing.

Ibrar voluntarily agreed to provide police with a statement after the crash, Bayonne Police Detective Carmen Cutro said in court. He was not thought to be a suspect in a crime when the detective asked for his statement, Cutro said.

On the night of the crash, Ibrar said he left class at about 8 p.m., stopped at Willowbrook Mall in Wayne to get his phone fixed, dropped something off to a friend in Paterson, and finally met his brother and friends at Applebee's in Jersey City.

Ibrar, in the video, said he doesn't drink or use drugs because if he did he could easily be thrown from the competitive pharmacy program. While at Applebee's, the group had a few appetizers and dessert. Ibrar only drank raspberry iced tea and water, he said.

Ibrar said he took Route 440 home instead of Kennedy Boulevard, the road he would normally take. He told Cutro he figured he was driving about 50 or 55 mph when he saw two people in front of his car. Ibrar slammed on the brakes and stopped about 500-feet from the scene because he didn't want to cause another crash. Ibrar's brother was in the front seat of the car, which had been rented by a friend.

It wasn't until Cutro's questioning that Ibrar had realized the severity of the crash.

"The bad news is that they are both deceased," Cutro said in the video. Ibrar sat in silence for nearly a minute in the video after the detective's comments.

Family members of both Sellers and Worrell, sitting in the 12th floor courtroom, clung to each other and wiped tears from their eyes when Cutro told Ibrar the crash was "a pretty hard hit" and their bodies were "catapulted." After his statement, he told police to let him know if they needed anything else.

Ibrar's attorney, Jeff Garrigan, argued Ibrar should have been read his Miranda rights and was not informed he could call a lawyer. Cutro said when he questioned Ibrar he was still under the impression this was a "tragic accident" and it wasn't until days later it was determined the 26-year-old was allegedly driving 106 mph.

Garrigan also argued Ibrar was not properly informed of what the consent forms he signed meant.

Superior Court Judge Nancy Sivili is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether the statement will be allowed to be used in court. Jury selection in the trial will begin on Oct. 31. If the trial remains on schedule, opening statements are expected to begin on Nov. 2, the death anniversaries of Sellers and Worrell.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- A 19-year-old man has been charged with shooting a man and critically injuring him on Monday evening, officials said.

Rashad Lewis was arrested after the 5:30 p.m. shooting on Union Street near Bergen Avenue, city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

The 34-year-old victim was brought to Jersey City Medical Center where he remains in critical condition, she said.

Police recovered a loaded .38 handgun with three spent shell casings following the shooting. Lewis allegedly confessed to the shooting after his arrest, Morrill said.

The 19-year-old was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and weapons offenses.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
Man known for posing as cab driver wanted for aggravated assault, NOPD says
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.
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.
Coletta Weeda from Denison has witnessed Alzheimers disease strike early  twice. First, her mother-in-law entered a care facility at age 49 and lived with Alzheimers for 20 years. Then, her husband was diagnosed at age 48, but lost his battle within a few years.

Weeda noticed her husband was forgetting things and sometimes seemed confused. Although he was diagnosed with Alzheimers, it wasnt until after his death that it was diagnosed with Early On-Set Alzheimers.

Weedas biggest challenge was leaving her husband home while she went to work. They needed her income and health insurance.

In rural Iowa, there are not many options for home care that are not cost prohibitive, she said. I did take him to an adult daycare but he was cognitive enough that he felt out of place.

Periodically, friends checked on him.

Her biggest worry is that more family members will develop Alzheimers before a cure is found.

Weeda appreciated the Alzheimers Association support meetings for families and developed friendships there.

It is good to know you arent alone, she said.

Weeda is a passionate advocate about the warning signs. Her family has participated in the Walk to End Alzheimers every year since her husbands death.

I am glad to be part of the event to bring awareness of the disease to the general public, she said.

For more information on how you can help in the fight to end Alzheimers or to start or join a team for the Council Bluffs Walk to End Alzheimers being held at Tom Hanafan Rivers Edge Park on Saturday visit the Alzheimers Association alz.org/walk or contact Marsha Williams at 712-308-8946.

To learn more about Alzheimers disease and available resources, call the toll-free Alzheimers Association 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900.
A Bellevue, Nebraska, man faces a charge of felony willful injury after police said he ran over a Crescent man on Saturday.

Randall Maresch, 27, is being held at the Pottawattamie County Jail as of Monday morning on $10,000 bond.

According to Council Bluffs police, officers responded to 1801 Valley View Drive at 12:37 p.m. Saturday in reference to an accident involving a car and a pedestrian.

Police determined Maresch was involved in a road rage incident with the alleged victim in the parking lot of Family Fare.

Maresch is accused of driving his vehicle towards the man, causing the alleged victim to roll across the hood of the car before falling to the ground. Maresch was found inside the store and cooperated with officers, reports stated. The Crescent man was transported to an Omaha hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.

A GoFundMe page was set up to help with medical expenses: https://www.gofundme.com/help-for-the-tony-kimball-family.
DES MOINES  A state agency is collecting data to better understand whether the Iowa Legislatures move to cut funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers is resulting in less access to reproductive health care.

The Iowa Department of Human Services has been compiling data on its state-run family planning program since it went into effect in July, according to agency officials who spoke to lawmakers at the Capitol this month.

The analysis follows a decision by the Legislatures Republican majority to forgo federal funding and instead spend about $3.1 million in state money on a family planning program that excludes clinics affiliated with abortion services. Lawmakers indicated the move was aimed at denying government funding for Planned Parenthood, the nations largest abortion provider.

Even before the states actions, no federal or state dollars were spent on abortions in Iowa.

A new workgroup will meet within weeks to figure out how to interpret the information the agency gathers, said Wendy Rickman, a top DHS administrator.

Rickman said officials want to monitor the number of health providers in the new program and who theyre serving. She added that the intent is for the group to come to some consensus on what were going to measure going forward. So that when we come back to you next session we will have a dashboard upon which everybody has agreed, from a data perspective. So were not arguing about this set of data or that set of data.

The data will be a key factor in figuring out whether the funding cut to Planned Parenthood and other groups will result in fewer Iowans receiving reproductive health care services like birth control, pregnancy testing and health screenings.

After the loss of the federal Medicaid money, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland closed four of its 12 Iowa clinics. That in turn has led some local health officials to consider opening new facilities to cover service gaps.

Jodi Tomlonovic, executive director of the nonprofit Family Planning Council of Iowa, said its important that state officials not only measure how many health care providers are enrolled in the new program, but which reproductive health care services are being utilized.

The council, which will be part of the workgroup, contracts with health care entities like Planned Parenthood for family planning services, such as contraception and screening for sexually transmitted diseases.

Tomlonovic said officials should know, for example, details such as how many people are using different forms of birth control and whether theres a drop or spike over time. Tomlonovic said she wants to collect data that shows truly what the impact of this is.

Others in the data workgroup will include representatives from DHS, the Iowa Department of Public Health and the anti-abortion group Iowa Right to Life. Its unclear when any of the collected data will be available to the public.

In order to exclude groups that provide abortions, Iowa lawmakers had to give up millions in Medicaid money because federal rules prevent states from restricting provider choice. Under the old Medicaid-funded family planning program in Iowa, the state spent about $300,000 annually as part of the low end of a 90/10 match. GOP lawmakers argue the increased expenditure was a priority despite budget constraints that continue to plague the state.

Only two other states  Texas and Missouri  have agreed to give up federal money to launch such state-run programs, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a national research group that supports abortion rights.

Data isnt available yet on the impact of the move in Missouri since its only been in effect for several months. The Texas Legislature agreed to give up funding in 2011, and recent data showed that 30,000 fewer women were served in the state-run family program since the changes.

Texas is now in the midst of trying to get federal dollars restored while still avoiding funding to Planned Parenthood. Other states are trying to challenge Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood.

In Iowa, the June closure of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Burlington has prompted officials in Des Moines County to consider seeking federal funding to open a new clinic for reproductive health services. The Planned Parenthood clinic had served about 2,000 patients annually.

Christa Poggemiller, public health administrator for Des Moines County Public Health, said the area has access to reproductive health care providers under the new family planning program. But she explained those facilities may have services scattered across several locations and require appointments. The new clinic would have walk-in services and offer a range of services previously available at Planned Parenthood.

With Planned Parenthood closing, that caused a gap in health care services for the community, and thats why the board of health is getting involved to fill those gaps in health care, she said.
WASHINGTON  Being a former U.S. president brings the ability to pull down millions in speaking fees and book deals.

And yet American taxpayers are still on the hook for providing those individuals with an annual pension, as well as picking up the tab for office furniture, travel expenses, staff salaries and communications costs.

They can make in an hour what our taxpayers are generously subsidizing them, so thats completely unnecessary, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told The World-Herald.

Ernst is taking another shot at trimming what former presidents are entitled to on the publics dime with legislation that she unveiled last week.

A recent Congressional Research Service report found that in 2015 the total bill for four living former presidents was more than $3.2 million.

Those ranged from the $430,000 allocated for Jimmy Carter to about $1.1 million for George W. Bush.

As a relatively young man, Barack Obama has a potentially lengthy retirement before him. With his addition to the list of those receiving benefits, the total amount spent is expected to rise to nearly $3.9 million this fiscal year.

Ernsts bill does not curtail the Secret Service protection and security for former presidents. It would set their annual pension at $200,000 and cap the currently unlimited allowances for office space, staff, cellphones, etc., at a total of $500,000. That cap would be reduced over time, to $250,000.

Her legislation also would reduce the allowance dollar-for-dollar by whatever the former president makes over $400,000.

Today we have these presidents that are getting these great speaking engagements, theyre getting book deals, she said. They dont need the same type of support that bygone eras did.

Indeed, before 1958, presidents received no pension or other financial assistance from the federal government despite examples of one-time commanders in chief struggling to make ends meet.

Ulysses S. Grants finances, for example, were in such bad shape after leaving the White House that creditors were taking his personal belongings. He wrote his much-heralded memoir in part out of a need to provide for his family, noted Bruce Schulman, a professor of history at Boston University.

In fact, Grant in some ways kicked off the idea of a robust post-presidency. The duties and prominence of former presidents expanded further in the post-World War II era  but not necessarily the funding to support that role.

Through most of the 19th and into the early 20th century, being president of the United States was not a particularly lucrative endeavor, and many people who were ex-presidents lived pretty modest lifestyles after that, Schulman said. Eisenhower had his Army pension to rely on. Truman did not. The Trumans were not very well-off.

Congress passed the Former Presidents Act in order to maintain the dignity of the office by providing them with assistance in part because of concerns Harry Truman expressed about expenses that came with having held the office. Those included $30,000 a year to reply to mail and speaking requests.

The template for the modern post-presidency was really outlined by Jimmy Carter, who left office as a relatively young man and threw himself into a variety of international and philanthropic activities, Schulman said.

Along with that has come greater opportunities to cash in.

Presidents have a lot more opportunity for making money than they used to, Schulman said.

The expectation of former presidents today is that they will have significant foundations and presidential libraries, said Matt Dallek, an associate professor at George Washington Universitys Graduate School of Political Management.

In fact, he said much of the expenses incurred by former presidents are actually covered by those foundations and other private sources and not taxpayers. He suggested Ernsts legislation is primarily symbolic given that the money involved is such a small part of the budget. He said it also misses the point that the public does have an interest in ensuring that former presidents can continue their engagement in public life.

There is an argument that former presidents remain, whether they like it or not, public figures, Dallek said. And that they carry in some ways the burdens of the office  the benefits and perks of the office, but also the burdens of the office after they leave.

Still, Ernst said, It seems in todays modern age that being president provides very lucrative deals on the back end.

The fee for Obama to speak at one conference was reportedly $400,000. Late in his presidency, George W. Bush told a journalist from GQ that he planned to give paid speeches to replenish the ol coffers after he left office, and noted that his father, a one-term president, was making more than $50,000 to $75,000 per speech.

Bill and Hillary Clinton made an eye-popping $240 million in the 15 years after they left the White House, much of that coming from paid speeches.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is a billionaire real estate developer and reality TV star who presumably will return to those pursuits after his time at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Ernst said she feels good about the prospects of the legislation. After all, it sailed through Congress in the previous session  only to be vetoed by Obama.

Obama said he agreed with the goal of the legislation but raised concerns about unintended consequences that could result in the General Services Administration immediately terminating office employees and removing furniture from offices.

Those potential disruptions could even affect the security of former presidents, he said.

Ernst said the new version of her legislation should address all of those concerns. The gradual reduction, for example, should avoid any kind of cliff effect that would result in immediate terminations.

Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., has introduced companion legislation in the House.

The annual expenditures of a few million dollars are minuscule in the scheme of a multitrillion-dollar federal budget.

But Ernst said Iowans consider millions of dollars to be significant and said its about the principle of looking for unnecessary spending.

You have to start somewhere, and this is a great place to start, Ernst said.
Students and staff at Avoca-Hancock-Shelby-Tennant-Walnut Elementary School are grieving the loss of third-grader Asher Soderstrom of Walnut.

Asher, whose parents were Jaime and Brice Jager of Walnut and Jeffrey Soderstrom of Loveland, passed away Thursday at Nebraska Medicine of post-transplant complications, according to his obituary.

Unfortunately, this is the third student AHSTW has lost in four years, said Jesse Ulrich, superintendent of AHSTW Community Schools. The other two have been high school students. This is our first elementary student, and its certainly something I never want to experience again.

Asher was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in November 2015. After Asher endured lengthy hospitalizations and underwent a bone marrow transplant, his cancer was successfully destroyed with no evidence of disease, his obituary stated. He later developed post-transplant complications and was unable to overcome them.

On Friday, the news was shared first with Ashers class from last year by a crisis team from Green Hills Area Education Agency, said Sarah Kock, principal of the elementary school.

They spent a little extra time and (helped) them to share some memories and begin that healing process, Kock said.

The crisis team made the classroom a safe place to react however they wanted to, she said. Counselors were available to talk to individual students after the announcement.

Asher began attending AHSTW schools in fall 2016, Kock said.

He was a sweetheart, she said. He was quiet, but he liked to make people laugh.

Ashers classmates knew about his illness, Kock said. The hospital, by agreement with the family, sent representatives to the school who talked to the students, answered questions and gave the class a stuffed monkey.

It sat in his desk to kind of represent him, she said. It was just kind of a way to help children cope with the whole thing.

The school sold T-shirts to raise money for Ashers family, and students of all ages had penny wars or other fund-raisers, Kock said. Family and friends held a silent auction and carnival over the summer.

Asher missed a lot of school last spring and had not returned to school this fall, she said.

He was out of school a good part of the spring last year, and then things got worse for him over the summer, Ulrich said. Fortunately, our students, parents and community have rallied around Asher. We certainly all expected him to return to us.

According to his obituary, Asher loved animals, playing video games with his brothers and fishing at any time of year.

A celebration of life service will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church, 406 Antique City Drive in Walnut. For more information, go to pauleyjones.com/obituaries.
The team changes and NRL Fantasy talking points heading into this week's Telstra Premiership Preliminary Finals.



Match Draw Widget

[2017] Telstra Premiership - Finals Week 3: Storm vs Broncos

Storm: No team changes for the Storm. Melbourne have beaten Brisbane twice this year, first 14-12 in a thriller at home in Round 3 then 42-12 in a thrashing at Suncorp Stadium in Round 17. Cameron Smith posted big scores in both games, making 69 and 74, and while the rest of the Storm side was kept reasonably quiet in the first encounter the attacking stars cashed in the second time around with Billy Slater (52, including a try), Curtis Scott (83, two tries) and Cameron Munster (52) all impressing.

Broncos: Darius Boyd is back, as is Tevita Pangai Jnr, with Kodi Nikorima moving to halfback, Benji Marshall to the bench and David Mead and Jai Arrow out of the 17. The Broncos' standout Fantasy performer against Melbourne this season has been tackle machine Andrew McCullough, now sidelined with injury, although his replacement Ben Hunt also scored well with 61 and 57 at halfback in those matches. Anthony Milford scored just seven points in 80 minutes in Brisbane's other trip to Melbourne while the in-form Alex Glenn is the only back-rower to have scored over 50 in this fixture so far this season.



Match Draw Widget

[2017] Telstra Premiership - Finals Week 3: Roosters vs Cowboys

Roosters: Daniel Tupou returns to the starting side on the wing, with Ryan Matterson moving back to the interchange, while Zane Tetevano replaces Kane Evans on the bench. Latrell Mitchell and Luke Keary both made 50s (including tries) against the Cowboys at Allianz Stadium in Round 21, while Isaac Liu made a season-high 59 in 47 minutes. But the star of that match was bench forward Sio Siua Taukeiaho, who scored a try and ran for a huge 214 metres from 20 carries in a 74-point performance that led the Roosters to victory.

Cowboys: No changes, although co-captain and one-time Fantasy century-maker Matt Scott is an outside chance of a surprise return after being included on the extended bench. Michael Morgan and Jason Taumalolo continue to be brilliant contributors for the Cowboys and Morgan excelled in a losing effort against the Roosters in July, scoring a team-high 62. Goal-kicking second-rower Ethan Lowe outscored Taumalolo that day with 58 points and he remains a wildcard option if you believe the Roosters pack can contain Taumalolo.
Auto mechanics across the Chicago area, including many just across the border in the south suburbs, have returned to work after a nearly seven-week strike.

Automobile Mechanics Local 701-represented workers had been striking at around 130 dealerships, including Napleton River Oaks Hyundai in Calumet City, Napleton River Oaks Hyundai Kia in Calumet City, Napleton River Oaks Honda in Lansing, Napleton River Oaks Lincoln in Calumet City, Toyota of River Oaks in Calumet City, Phillips Chevrolet in Frankfort and Nissan of South Holland.

The union reached a new four-year deal with the auto dealers, and all Chicago-area dealerships reopened for service Monday, new car dealer spokesman Mark Bilek said.

The dealers are relieved to have the work stoppage behind them," Bilek said. "They are ready and welcome their service customers beginning Monday morning."

The union said in a statement the new deal includes "a significant wage increase across the board" for 2,000 Chicago area mechanics, as well as maintaining the current employee contribution for health insurance and "the mechanics No. 1 issue of increasing their base pay two additional hours over the term of the agreement."

The new contract also shortens apprenticeship periods from 10 years to five years, increases tool insurance to cover up to $100,000 and offers senior-level journeymen technicians a more family-friendly work schedule, according to the release.
Northwest Indiana is home to towering blast furnaces that stand more than 300 feet tall and blaze around 4,000 degrees, forging the pig iron that makes cars and dishwashers everywhere.

As mighty as the blast furnaces are, fewer burn today than once did around the lakeshore. Many have been idled over the years, and junked for scrap.

Imports have continued to take a major toll on the Region's steelmaking facilities. In recent years, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor in East Chicago has idled the No. 1 aluminizing line, the 84-inch Hot Strip Mill, the No. 5 Continuous Galvanize Line, Steel Shop No. 2, The No. 2 Galvanizing Line, and Indiana Harbor Long Carbon.

Many of the cutbacks came after China's long-booming economy finally slowed down, and it starting unloading excess steel around the globe, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor General Manager Wendell Carter said.

"Since I've been in the business the import market has always been 10 million to 12 million tons per year in the United States," Carter said. "Now it's around 15 million tons. It grew appreciably during the period of time that China cooled in 2014 and 2015, and started destocking its steel."

The U.S. government has tried to protect domestic mills by approving more than 100 tariffs of as much as 500 percent on cold-rolled steel from China, Carter said.

But foreign-made steel continues to make its way to American shores. After China got slapped with tariffs, imports from neighboring Vietnam skyrocketed from about 68,000 tons a year to 836,000 tons a year, Carter said.

"If they want to trade fairly, we're happy to do that," he said. "But we don't want them to circumvent our rules."

ArcelorMittal closed several lines in East Chicago because they were underused and because it's more profitable to operate fewer lines so they run more productively. ArcelorMittal's No. 7 blast furnace, the largest in North America, runs at more than 90 percent capacity while the other two at the steel mill in Indiana Harbor run at "a little less." Carter said.

When cheap imports flood in, domestic steelmaking capacity gets underutilized, he said.

"To me, it doesn't make sense to have an operational industry working at 75 percent capacity," he said.

Nearly a quarter of steel imports come from Canada because of the North American Free Trade Agreement, while South Korea accounts for about 17 percent, largely because of the plants Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia operate in the United States.

"Imports are affecting all segments," he said.

ArcelorMittal Executive Vice President Brian Aranha said the global oversupply was commoditizing steel, but that the steelmaker could compete by modernizing production processes to be competitive on cost and offering unique products, such as the advanced high strength steel that have been revolutionizing the automotive industry.

"(ArcelorMittal R&D East Chicago) is important for the innovations that result in cost reductions, as well as for new product development applications," he said. "Our commitment to R&D is very high, close to a quarter of a billion dollars every year, so our company can stay competitive and our sales force can be out there selling."
Lake County's only Spanish restaurant is moving south from Merrillville to Crown Point.

The Tapas Cafe, a cult favorite that promises "serious Spanish tapas cuisine" and an "exotic trip to the Iberian Peninsula without leaving Northwest Indiana," has closed its longtime location in a strip mall at 2486 Lincoln Highway in Merrillville.

But the small sit-down restaurant on U.S. 30, which required reservations to get a table on busy weekend nights, hasn't served its last small plate. Tapas Cafe plans to bring its paella and small plates including bacon-wrapped scallops, bacon-wrapped dates and goat cheese baked with tomato sauce to a new location at 518 N. Main St. in Crown Point.

A grand opening in Crown Point is slated for sometime this month, according to the restaurant's website. The eatery said it will rebrand itself as Tapas International Grill.

Along with Don Quijote Restaurant in Valparaiso, it's one of the few eateries in the area that serves traditional Spanish food such as tapas, which evolved from small plates inns placed over cups of sherry for travelers. The Tapas Cafe is especially known for its paella, a rice dish that's slow-cooked in a pan that originated in the Valencia region of Spain.

For more information, visit www.tapascafe.net or call 219-769-7008.
LAPORTE  LaPorte County Deputy Prosecutor Julianne Havens told jurors not a single 911 call was placed during the three days Georgia Arvidson and her 45-year-old son remained with her badly injured brother inside his Fish Lake-area home.

Arvidson, 75, is on trial this week in LaPorte Circuit Court for felony neglect of a dependent. She is accused of having a role in the November 2015 beating death of Harold Grise, 68, her legally blind and physically disabled brother.

Her son, Erik Minter, has neither entered a guilty plea nor gone to trial on the four counts he is charged with, including felony aggravated battery and felony involuntary manslaughter.

Havens said Monday that Arvidson and Minter arrived from Texas in October 2015 to visit Grise.

Grise, upset about the obnoxious behavior and heavy drinking of his nephew, grabbed him by the throat hard enough to cut off his air flow, Havens said. After letting go, Minter retaliated with two blows that fractured his uncles face in multiple spots, she said.

No medical help arrived until the victims son, unable to reach his father, arrived from Westville and saw through a window that his father was on the floor, Havens said.

Grise died four days after he was taken to a hospital, she said.

"He was placed in a situation that created risk for his health and life," Havens said.

Defense attorney Steve Snyder said Grise and Arvidson took turns traveling to visit each other annually.

Grise told his sister not to call 911, he said.

"As a woman of her era, she did what the man of the house told her to do," Snyder said.

Arvdison, despite physical struggles of her own, along with her son, cared for Grise the best they could, and at one point felt he might be getting better, Snyder said.

Havens, though, said the victims face was purple and his eyes were swollen shut when emergency personnel arrived.
MERRILLVILLE  Police released surveillance photos Tuesday in hopes of identifying several people suspected of placing credit card skimmers on a local credit union's ATM.

Merrillville police have received two reports since early September of skimmers being placed on an ATM at U.S. Federal Credit Union, 8400 Broadway, Detective George Fields said.

Two men and one woman are suspected of participating in the scam, police said. The skimmer is placed on the ATM to gain access to customers' accounts.

Portage police are investigating a similar case, which may be related, Fields said.

Anyone with information about the suspects' identities or a vehicle pictured in surveillance photos is asked to call Fields at 219-769-3531, ext. 349.
MICHIGAN CITY  Prosecutors began making their case Tuesday in the trial of a man accused of shooting to death a 17-year-old girl during an altercation at a birthday party.

Charles Gerron, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, is charged with murder. Two months ago, LaPorte Superior Court 1 Judge Michael Bergerson rejected a plea agreement calling for one year in jail and five years work release for felony criminal recklessness. Bergerson said the case should be decided by a jury.

Prosecutors say they agreed to the plea after a key witness recanted their story.

NeKeisha Hodges-Hawkins died in 2011 after an altercation broke out during a friends 16th birthday party at Memorial Park on the citys east side, authorities said.

Gerron was arrested in December, a month after the victim's father, Kalvon Hawkins, and other upset family members picketed outside the police station.

They later expressed outrage over the plea and demanded a trial even if it meant Gerron could be acquitted and not receive any time behind bars.

In his opening statements, LaPorte County Prosecutor John Espar cautioned jurors not to be confused over inconsistencies that might lead them to believe someone else was responsible for the death.

Espar said what matters most will be evidence  including testimony from two close acquaintances of the defendant  he felt will make clear who fired the fatal shot. He also revealed plans to play an audio recording of the gunfire featuring the sound of a gun being racked when the first three shots were fired into the air.

The final rounds were aimed toward 30 or more people, and the recording will show those were fired more rapidly, he said.

"In the wake of these rapid fired shots, the street was filled with humanity," Espar said.

Defense attorney Scott King said his client admitted firing a gun but said theres no proof who shot the one that killed the girl. King pointed out another man was convicted of shooting one of the rounds that hit James Sanders in the leg.

"Sanders was close to her when they were shot," King said.

A then 18-year-old Cameron Kent was later sentenced to 18 months probation in the Sanders shooting and agreed to cooperate in the death portion of the investigation, according to court records.

Janice Hodges-Hawkins, the victims mother, testified Tuesday she and her husband watched TV with NeKeisha after she had come home from work that evening.

She later left, then called to ask for a ride home, she said.

Hodges-Hawkins said she was getting ready to pick up her daughter when she was notified the girl had been shot.

According to court records, the party ended after 11 p.m. when a dispute broke out. People were leaving when another altercation erupted in the parking lot. Gunshots soon followed.

"Make no mistake about it, chaos follows. People are running for their lives," Espar said.
INDIANAPOLIS  It's not yet clear whether the massive criminal code reforms enacted by Hoosier lawmakers between 2013 and 2015 are saving Indiana much money.

A Department of Correction report presented Tuesday to the General Assembly's Interim Study Committee on Corrections and the Criminal Code estimated the sentencing changes, at best, reduced state spending by $4.36 million during the 2017 budget year that ended June 30.

The study found that having individuals convicted of Level 6 felonies  generally less serious property crimes  serve their sentences of typically six or so months at county jails, instead of state prisons, saved $11.28 million.

However, most of that savings ($9.4 million) was gobbled up by a requirement that the state DOC pay county sheriffs $35 per day to jail Level 6 felons  roughly four times more than the state spends to feed, clothe and maintain a prisoner's health.

Still, with fewer prisoners to house, DOC was able to close the Henryville Correctional Facility in southeastern Indiana and reduce spending by $2.48 million, according to the report.

State Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, the committee chairman, questioned why the DOC study failed to include the cost of prison guards and facilities when calculating how much the state spends to incarcerate an individual.

He said if you tally the actual full daily cost of $56.40 per prisoner, multiplied by a population reduction of 4,500 low-level felons, Indiana saved more than $90 million over the course of the year, or $80 million if you deduct the payments to county sheriffs.

State Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, agreed that any assessment of state savings has to include prison personnel and capital, not just the cost of keeping a prisoner fed, clothed and healthy.

She said if the state prisons were a school system that lost some 13 percent of its students in one year, Indiana officials would have no problem telling local administrators to lay off teachers and consolidate into fewer buildings as quickly as possible.

Randy Koester, DOC chief of staff, said it's difficult to shrink the agency's footprint, because the dormitory-style facilities that house low-level offenders cannot easily be converted to accommodate the cells and greater supervision required for more violent offenders.

Young wasn't persuaded. "I don't know why we're not closing more facilities," he said.

At the opposite end of the pipeline, county sheriffs complained to the committee that their jails are bursting at the seams due to the reforms.

However, data from the Indiana Supreme Court show that 56 percent of individuals in county jails have yet to be convicted of a crime; most simply cannot afford the bail amount set by the county judge.

State Rep. Ed Delaney, D-Indianapolis, also pointed out that community corrections programs, where DOC savings are supposed to be funneled as part of an effort to treat criminals with addiction and other issues rather than locking them up, aren't being utilized any more than before the reforms were enacted.

The study committee is due to meet at least twice in October before deciding whether to recommend any policy changes for the Legislature to consider adopting during its 2018 session that begins in January.

Indiana spends approximately $780 million a year on corrections, or 4.6 percent of General Fund appropriations, the bulk of which is collected through sales and income taxes paid by Hoosiers.
INDIANAPOLIS  The U.S. Department of Education consented Tuesday to Purdue University's plan to acquire the primarily online Kaplan University and make it part of the Purdue system.

Federal approval follows the unanimous Aug. 10 decision by the State Commission for Higher Education authorizing the tentatively dubbed Purdue NewU to operate as an Indiana public institution.

The last remaining step for the combined entity is to win approval by the Higher Learning Commission, a regional accrediting body that previously has assessed Purdue and Kaplan individually and certified the rigor of their programs.

According to university officials, a key focus for Purdue NewU will be offering coursework that appeals to the 35 million American adults who started, but have not yet completed, a college degree.

It's expected to operate without receiving state appropriations, though Indiana residents will pay a discounted tuition rate, and Purdue University employees no tuition, for credits earned through NewU classes.
INDIANAPOLIS  The State Board of Finance unanimously agreed Tuesday to provide a Common School Fund loan totaling $3.11 million to the cash-strapped Gary Community School Corp.

The money will be used to cover payroll costs through late October, pay current and some overdue employee health insurance premiums and to meet other short-term expenses.

The loan was recommended for approval last week by the Indiana Distressed Unit Appeals Board.

A DUAB-appointed emergency manger is running Gary's school district after its elected trustees repeatedly failed to enact balanced budgets and ran up more than $100 million in debt.

State Budget Director Jason Dudich, representing Gov. Eric Holcomb on the finance board, cautioned the emergency manager's MGT Consulting Group that state loans only should be requested after all other revenue and cost-cutting options are exhausted.

Eric Parish, MGT executive vice president, said he's working to put a balanced budget in place as soon as possible, but additional loans likely will be needed until that is achieved.
LOWELL  The Town Council has agreed with the Plan Commission's recommendation not to allow rezoning of the next two phases of the Preserves, a move that would have allowed the developer to offer smaller lots.

Preserves resident Eric Newell said there are 30 children in a two-block area in the northern part of the subdivision. He commended law enforcement. "Our Police Department has been taking it very seriously," he said.

A sizable contingent of Preserves residents attended Monday's council meeting and have been strong opponents before the Plan Commission in their fight against rezoning from R-1 to R-2. Developer Mike Cripe, of Cripe Construction, had wanted to produce a greater number of lots from the acreage remaining in the sixth and seventh phases of the Preserves.

Cripe did not attend Monday's meeting.

At the same time, residents of that northeast side subdivision, which abuts the town's northern boundary, told the council of target shooting from outside the town and a stray bullet that made it into one man's home.

Damian Mitchell, of Michael Drive, told the council he found a bullet that had come in over his deck and entered his house. He said there is a "big berm" visible on Mount Street, which is outside the town limits, and "We see them shooting into it."

Police Chief Erik Matson said the matter is currently under investigation. He said Lake County has laws in its unincorporated areas to cover how far a shooting area must be from a residential area as well as the height of berms to protect from straying bullets.

Newell thanked council members for hearing the residents. He said each had been receptive to listening to their issues.

For her part, Council President LeAnn Angerman, R-2nd, said the most enjoyable part of the job is in partnering with residents and cooperatively addressing issues.

The council also awarded the Bel Aire subdivision paving project to Walsh and Kelley for a bid of $852,911. The project is the final one of the 2017 Community Crossing grant projects funded through a $1 million matching grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Since the bid came in a bit less than estimated, the council agreed to use the funds toward curbs in Bel Aire.
A 46-year-old motorcyclist was flown to a Chicago hospital and another motorcyclist was injured when one sideswiped the other, police said.

Donovan Whitten, 46, of Valparaiso, and Brian Grish, 45, of Valparaiso, were riding motorcycles south on County Road 450 East about 6:15 p.m. Monday when Whitten passed Grish, sideswiping Grish's bike, near Division Road, police said.

The two hadn't met before the accident, Grish said.*

Whitten was flown to a Chicago hospital, and his condition was unknown Tuesday afternoon, Valparaiso police Sgt. Michael Grennes said.

Grish was taken to Porter Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Witnesses told police speed was a factor in the crash, Grennes said. The crash remains under investigation.

* This story has been changed from the original, to clarify that Whitten and Grist weren't riding together.
The Valparaiso Police Department will host Coffee with a Cop from 8 to 10 a.m. Tuesday at Central Park Plaza.

The event will occur along with the weekly Farmers Market.

Chief Jeff Balon, along with his new administrative team, will be present to meet community members.

Coffee and pastries will be available for all who attend.

Numerous officers from the department will be present along with the departments Unmanned Aircraft System team, who will be providing drone demonstrations.

The event provides a unique opportunity for community members to ask questions and learn about the departments work in the Valparaiso community, according to a release.
VALPARAISO  As the national debate on undocumented immigrants rages, the Valparaiso University Law School is hearing from those on the front lines of the issue.

The law school recently hosted a screening of the movie Documented, which chronicles the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, an undocumented immigrant from the Philippines.

Geoffrey Heeren, associate professor of law and director of the immigration law clinic at Valpo Law School, moderated a panel discussion following the movie last week.

He began by asking whether Vargas dream of becoming a legal citizen is still possible given the current environment of immigration enforcement.

Robert D. Vinikoor, who served more than 30 years as an immigration judge, said he believes President Donald Trump wants to save the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.

Saving the program, however, may depend on Democrats not opposing the construction of a border wall, Vinikoor said.

Mark Fleming, associate director of litigation at Heartland Alliances National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago, said hes concerned that while DACA may be saved, Trump will get the enforcement dollars to go after their parents.

Karla Lopez-Owens, who crossed the U.S. border from Mexico in 1999 and became a citizen in 2009, described the harrowing journey she and her family endured.

Once in the U.S., however, she benefited from the help of kind mentors.

It really takes a village to raise a child, especially an immigrant child, she said.

Vinikoor said the immigration system in the U.S. is broken, and there needs to be reform.

It has been more than 30 years since Congress passed the last immigration reform bill, he said.

The 1986 bill was a total failure, however, and greater numbers of immigrants came in to the United States after it was passed, Vinikoor said.

Despite the past failures and the current restrictive climate, all the panelists remained hopeful in the long run, comprehensive immigration reform could be achieved.

Lopez-Owens encouraged the audience to get involved in local politics and help shape policy.

She noted that throughout history, human rights havent been given without people fighting for them.

Thats what were asking now, she said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday endorsed Mayor Bill de Blasio for re-election.

Speaking on "The Brian Lehrer Show," Cuomo said the mayor has his support in the upcoming general election.

The two Democrats have been in an ongoing feud, most recently over how to fix the city's ailing subway system.

Cuomo previously refused to endorse his rival, but finally made the decision after the mayor won last week's Democratic primary.

"I am a Democrat, I support Democrats, and I'll support Mayor de Blasio in the general," Cuomo said in a phone interview with Brian Lehrer. "I think in this contest  you know, life is options, they say, right? I think in this contest, he is the better person to serve the city of New York as mayor, period."

De Blasio will face off against Republican and Staten Island Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis in the general election on Nov. 7.

The last day to register to vote in general election in-person or by mail is Oct. 13.



NY1 and its co-sponsors, WNYC, POLITICO, Citizens Union, Civic Hall, Intelligence Squared, and the Latino Leadership Institute will host the first general election debate Oct. 10, with a live audience at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side.

As we get closer to that date, we will ask viewers at home what questions they want us to ask the candidates.
Somewhere on Lake Erie, leaning over the rail of a research vessel in a November snowstorm and trying not to be sick, John Burt decided hed rather work in warmer waters.



I realized I had a real fondness for the tropics, the marine biologist recalls, laughing over the fateful experience from back when he was earning his masters degree in freshwater biology.



Now, as head of NYU Abu Dhabis Marine Biology Lab, Burt conducts his research in some of the warmest waters on recordthe Arabian Gulf, also known as the Persian Gulf. And, as the world contemplates rising sea temperatures caused by climate change, his work there has wide-ranging implications.

In June, a team led by Ed Smith, a research scientist in Burts lab, published a study comparing the genetic structure of coral and their algae partners, or symbionts, in the Arabian Gulf and the neighboring Gulf of Oman. Their goal? To try to understand how coral in the Arabian Gulf have adapted to temperatures that can top 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit), about 5 degrees hotter than the average temperatures in the Gulf of Oman. The water off Miami Beach in August, for comparison, maxes out at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The prospect of investigating the thermal tolerance of Gulf corals brought me to NYUAD, says Smith. Undertaking research which could help further our understanding of how corals may respond to climate change is exciting, and this paper was an important step in our wider study into what makes these corals so special.



Coral reefs have been on the decline in recent years, in part because of bleachinga breakdown in the relationship between coral and algae, which depend on each other for nutrients. According to Smiths study, bleaching has been documented with an increase in temperature of only 1 or 2 degrees Celsius.

But tropical waters are expected to warm by as much as 4 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.



The balance between coral and algae is incredibly important, says Burt, an associate professor of biology who was one of the first faculty members to join NYU Abu Dhabi.
The New Zealand and Australia real estate sectors are leading the world in sustainability performance, according to the latest Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark.



The global ranking showed real estate companies and funds from New Zealand and Australia outperformed all other regions for seven years in a row.



In 2017, the region achieved an average GRESB score of 73, compare to the global average of 63.



According to GRESB, 66 companies and funds in New Zealand and Australia reported on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. This is a 27% increase in participant numbers, making New Zealand/Australia the fastest growing region for GRESB participation.



Looking at the results, the region is already performing at a high standard. We see that 94% of regional companies and funds that reported to GRESB are already disclosing their sustainability performance to stakeholders, GRESB head of Asia Pacific Ruben Langbroek said.



However, Langbroek said, the New Zealand/Australia score is stabilizing and the gap between the regions is narrowing,



GRESB is an industry-driven organization assessing the ESG performance of real asset investments.


Members of parliament have expressed concern over the unusual heavy deployment of military and regular policemen in the city centre and in the precincts of parliament.



Military police are seen stationed at Constitutional Square (formerly City Square) with armoured vehicles and around parliament seemingly on alert.



The heavy deployment of the forces in the strategic areas, police says is because several youth groups have been planning to storm parliament over the removal of the age limit.

Security at parliament has been beefed up

MPs under the ruling NRM caucus last week endorsed the lifting of the presidential age limit in order to have President Museveni seek for another elective term in office after clocking 75 years. Under the current provision, Museveni would be ineligible to stand for presidency as he would be two years older above the 75-year cap.

Cabinet, last week also endorsed a decision to have Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi introduce a private member's bill to have the age limit lifted.

Addressing a press conference last week, a section of NRM MPs stated that they would fight the age limit removal by "going to the gym" and "tearing the documents related to the bill", forcing police to summon them for offensive communication and inciting violence.

The minister of state for Investment and Privatization, Evelyn Anite responded by saying the ruling party had the army its side.

On the heavy deployment, the MPs condemned the deployment at parliament, stating that as representatives of the people, they cannot sit down and watch the Constitution being robbed of its glory.

Theodore Ssekikubo, the Lwemiyaga MP stated that police has failed to protect Ugandans from various forms of insecurities but instead works much towards stopping a just cause. He says as leaders, they are encouraged to fight more even under intimidation.

"It is now a matter in the public domain, they should allow the public to closely follow the developments...I condemn in the strongest terms the activity that is taking place around parliament.

The activities of amassing the anti-riot police, the military police and others for no reason at all. What is happening here in this parliament. What has happened? But why are you now intimidating others. Why are you suffocating the live debate? If there are people who received the mans [Museveni] money, it is time they declare that money", Ssekikubo said.

Kampala Central MP Muhammad Nsereko states that government is using its resources to suppress people who are fighting for the right cause. He insists that despite the intimidation, they will mobilise more Ugandans to fight the removal of age limit.

Monica Amoding (Kumi Woman) MP said that although the deployment is not good, Ugandans should not be intimidated. Amoding says all Ugandans should rise up and defend their Constitution.



She says as far as it stands, Ugandans who are rejecting the lifting of the age limit, are on the right path. Reading from the Bible in the book of Jeremiah 1;17, Amoding said they are not scared.

"Do not be terrified before them or I will terrify you before them. Today, I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land, against Kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. For I am with you and I will rescue you, thus says the word of God. So we are not intimidated, we have the hand of God upon our lives for such a time as this we came to this parliament", she said.

Military police were also seen hiding away in private vehicles with tinted windows inside and outside parliament.

Emilian Kayima, the police spokesperson Kampala Metropolitan Police notes that the presence of police in Kampala is not peculiar. He says the MPs should not be intimidated and go about their business.

He says police can only come in when there is violence. Asked whether the deployment is in relation to the age limit debate, Kayima said it was not.

Yesterday police arrested over 14 youths, the Alternatives dubbed 'White Angels' who were on the streets to protest the removal of the age limit. The youth were arrested as they handed flyers to Ugandans calling on them to "defend the Constitution before it's too weak to defend you."



Four MPs, Muhammad Nsereko, Barnabas Tinkasimire, Allan Ssewanyana and Theodore Ssekikubo have been summoned by police to answer to questions of offensive communication and inciting violence.
RIP: Harriet Nantongo

After a two-week break, Entebbe residents have yet again woken up to the sad news that yet again another woman has been gruesomely murdered.



The naked body of Harriet Nantongo was discovered today morning in the bushes near Nkumba University.



According to residents, Nantongo, the wife to Noah Musiba and resident of Kabale 'A' in Katabi town council disappeared last week on Wednesday.

Nantongo's body according to residents, bore similar marks of strangulation and gang rape just like the previous 11 women victims murdered over the last three months in Entebbe Municipality in Wakiso district.

About two weeks ago, the minister for Internal Affairs, Gen Jeje Odongo told MPs on the floor of parliament that the murder of then 21 young women and girls in Katabi town council, Nansana and Entebbe in the last three months was due to witchcraft.

Odongo told the House that a total of 44 murder suspects had been arrested and 22 charged in courts of law. Odongo revealed that in the Katabi murders, technical evidence pointed to a serial killer identified as Ivan Katongole, a businessman, who kills for ritual purposes.

Some suspects were found with forms given to them by Katongole to enlist in Illuminati. (Illuminati, according to one English dictionary, refers to a secret society of people claiming to possess special enlightenment or knowledge of something.)

Others have 999 (sign of Illuminati) tattooed on their bodies. Katongole is physically linked to the death of Rose Nakimuli because he was in her company the night she was killed, Odongo said, amidst murmurs from MPs.

The government report found that majority of murders were by strangulation and insertion of sticks in the victims private parts. The discovery of the latest body, is a clear signal that the killer(s) is or are still at large.
Hitler Speech Found In Home Of Louisiana Man Who Fatally Shot Two Black Men Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When

A Louisiana man has been charged in the fatal shooting of two unarmed black men.

In a report for NBC News, 23-year-old Kenneth James Gleason has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths last week of a homeless man and a dishwasher who was walking to work. As NBC reports:

Gleason fired from his car then walked up to the victims as they were lying on the ground and fired again multiple times, police said. Neither victim had any prior relationship with Gleason. The first fatal shooting occurred Sept. 12 when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was shot to death. The second happened last Thursday night when 49-year-old Donald Smart was gunned down while walking to his job as a dishwasher at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students.

Gleason also shot into the home of a black family in his neighborhood multiple times but no one was injured.

It appears to be cold, calculated, planned (against) people who were unarmed and defenseless, East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said. We dont need to prove motive. There are a lot of things that are unanswered.

Authorities are looking whether race was a motive for the shootings. Although it is unknown if Gleason knew the family he shot it, he did have any prior relationship with either Cofield or Smart. During a search of Gleasons home authorities found a copy of an Adolf Hitler speech as well as nine grams of marijuana and vials of human growth hormone.

Source: nbcnews.com
Council Bluffs police officers responded to an accident at 12:37 p.m. Saturday that police determined was a road rage incident in the parking lot of Family Fare. Maresch, 27, is accused of driving his vehicle toward the man, causing him to roll across the cars hood before falling to the ground. The Crescent man was taken to an Omaha hospital and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.
He was one of two men competing for the attention and affection of a woman several years their elder, former Douglas County jailer Doloma Curtis.

Video showed a car he often used arriving at, and rushing from, the scene of a shooting at Curtis home near 20th and Lake Streets.

Moments later, a friend said, he confessed that he had killed Carlos Alonzo, the other man in the love triangle.

And a jury found him guilty after five hours of deliberations.

Yet Rolander Brown proclaimed his innocence in court Tuesday  then, on his way to prison, called out to a reporter about the woman at the center of the love triangle.

Free Doloma! Rolander Brown said.

Doloma Curtis, 48, is awaiting a February trial for housing the 27-year-old Brown and helping him escape after he shot and killed Alonzo, 40.

Brown, meanwhile, most likely wont go free after shooting Alonzo in the head at point-blank range.

I got 100 to 140 years, dawg, Brown hollered at a friend as he was led down a courthouse hallway.

Indeed, Douglas County District Judge James Gleasons sentence of 100 to 140 years means Brown must serve at least 50 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. Absent parole, hed have to serve at least 70 years. He had faced 20 years to life in prison for second-degree murder.

Alonzos sister, Dana Alonzo, lamented that Brown had shown no remorse.

And she remembered her little brother. Alonzo was the funny one, quick to drop a one-liner or pop in to visit.

At the time of his death, he had landed a job driving  and loved over-the-road trucking, his sister said.

Carlos was extremely special to us, Dana Alonzo said. He was our laughter in the middle of the day. He was the call from out of nowhere to say, I was just thinking about you. 

Before becoming a trucker, Alonzo had struggled to find work, performing odd jobs and mowing lawns to make ends meet. One source of his struggle: Alonzo had been charged with, but later acquitted of, the March 2001 death of his 17-year-old girlfriend, Teresa Windham. Windham disappeared from a Council Bluffs motel where she and Alonzo had been staying  and a grand jury indicted Alonzo on a murder charge.

The murder charge dogged him much of his life. Alonzo had been indicted in 2005 on the words of Windhams cousin. The cousin said she had recorded phone conversations in which Carlos Alonzo had given different stories about Windhams death and had admitted smothering her. However, Alonzo denied making the comments  and investigators lost the tapes.

He fought to have his name cleared everyday, Dana Alonzo said. I would hear him weep in the middle of the night.

Fast forward to Tuesday. Dana Alonzo sat and listened to her brothers killer deny his crimes.

Your Honor ... I am an innocent man, Brown said. I was convicted of a crime that I did not commit. Im sorry that Carlos lost his life, but I had nothing to do with his life loss.

Gleason was unswayed by Browns words. The judge  who, unlike other judges, typically doesnt explain his sentences  took a moment to note that a jury of 12 citizens had convicted him after careful consideration of the evidence.

Prosecutor Chad Brown, a deputy Douglas County attorney, pointed to the strength of Omaha polices detective work. A friend testified to the confession. A surveillance video showed a distinctive Mazda  missing a hubcap and belonging to another girlfriend of Rolander Browns  just before and after the 2:23 a.m. shooting. Texts from Browns phone to Curtis phone, sent just before the shooting. Browns phone tapping a cellphone tower near Curtiss home.

Douglas County Public Defender Tom Riley had asked the judge to consider Browns relatively young age and limited record of violence. Brown previously was convicted of theft, burglary and possession of a short shotgun.

Hands trembling, Dana Alonzo eyeballed Rolander Brown. Brown didnt look up.

I feel betrayed, Dana Alonzo said. What you did was wrong. Incredibly wrong. Stupid. And cowardly.

Outside the courtroom, Dana Alonzo sighed in relief.

Carlos got what he deserved, she said. He got justice.
Omaha police on Tuesday released photos of an extended cab pickup truck they say was involved in a homicide Monday afternoon at 60th and L Streets.

James E. Womack, 32, who was driving a semitrailer truck, was shot to death, police said. The shooting occurred about 4:30 p.m.

The photos released by police show a late 1990s or early 2000s Chevy Silverado extended cab pickup truck. The color appears to be tan, beige or pewter, and it may have damage in front of the rear, driver's-side wheel.

Craig Kellerman told KMTV that he was driving by the intersection and saw what happened.

He said a man got out of the semi and walked up to a beige pickup to pound on the windows. The man yelled, "What's your problem?"

"(He) said his piece and started walking back to his truck, and as soon as he turned around, from what I could tell, he got shot in the back three times," Kellerman said. "He just kind of collapsed and rolled over. I was just scared for him."

The semi Womack was in had "Hill Bros. emblazoned on the back of the trailer.

A Hill Brothers Transportation Inc. facility is about a mile and a half west of the intersection. A person who answered the phone Tuesday morning at Hill Brothers said the company would have no comment yet.

Womack was taken to Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy with CPR in progress. He died at the hospital.

Police are asking for the public's help in identifying the shooter.

Help and input from the public is essential to getting all the facts and information, Omaha Police Lt. Kyle Steffen said Monday.

A Metro bus with a camera on board may have video of the shooting, Steffen said.

In addition to the semi, a large commercial truck and a handful of smaller vehicles remained parked at the intersection as police investigated. At least three women, whom police described as witnesses, sat on the concrete median on the west side of the intersection.

Reached by phone Monday night, a woman who identified herself as Womacks mother-in-law said he had served three tours in Iraq and that he and his wife had raised three children.

Late Monday evening word of Womacks death shook friends around 40th and Q Streets in South Omaha, where some of his neighbors stood in a front yard to commiserate.

Jeremiah Jones, 37, who lives next door to the Womacks, said Womack would do anything for anybody.

He would joke around and play around. He would help you if you needed help, Jones said. He didnt deserve to get shot. He didnt ever cause trouble like that.

Jones happened to drive past the shooting earlier in the day and witnessed emergency personnel administering CPR to Womack, but did not realize it was his neighbor until seeing reports on the news.

Neighbors said Womack was the father of two daughters and a son. The birthday of one of his daughters was Monday.

Jones mother, Sue, said Womack was the best neighbor we ever had.

I would say he was the best friend you could have. He was always watching your back. We all loved him to death because he was so sweet. He made sure his family was well taken care of.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts indicated Monday that he wont sign the states consolidated education plan because of concerns about how it addresses accountability.

The plan was approved by the Nebraska State Board of Education on Sept. 8 and submitted to the U.S. Department of Education last week.

Under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, every state must submit a plan outlining how the law will be implemented in the state. The deadline was Monday.

In a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Ricketts wrote that the plan doesnt do enough to ensure enforceable accountability for schools falling short of improvement goals.

He indicated, however, that he supports federal approval of the plan and is confident that it will meet the agencys technical requirements.

Ricketts wrote that the plan falls short of his vision for providing a world class education system for all Nebraska students.

He indicated that he had reviewed the plan and worked with the board and the Nebraska Department of Education to increase its rigor.

Nebraska Commissioner of Education Matt Blomstedt said Monday that he doesnt believe the lack of Ricketts signature will jeopardize approval.

The plan does not require the governors signature, but states must indicate whether the governor has signed off on it.

Blomstedt reiterated his opinion that concerns about the states accountability systems should be worked out at the state level rather than established via a federal plan.

The plan reflects what state law and regulations allow, he said.

I think it goes far enough for the authority we currently have, he said.

The Every Student Succeeds Act, approved on a bipartisan vote and signed by President Barack Obama in 2015, requires states to set their own ambitious long-term achievement goals.

Under the plan, Nebraskas overall 10-year goal is a 50 percent reduction in the number of students not proficient on statewide tests. The plan calls for using Nebraskas AQuESTT accountability system to use test scores and other measures to identify struggling schools. Nebraska law allows the state board to intervene in three schools at a time to diagnose problems and help them improve.

The governor, in his letter, noted that Nebraska law and regulations do not clearly outline the powers of the board when a school does not respond to the intervention strategies after five years.

The State Board, he wrote, has also committed to work with both the Legislature and me to explore statutory changes to add more rigorous interventions for low-performing schools which fail to make required progress.
LINCOLN  Two University of Nebraska-Lincoln professors defended robust academic freedom and free speech Monday evening outside the Nebraska Union.

About 50 professors and students attended the roughly 40-minute rally. A few carried signs such as: Dont Gag Our Educators, Academic Freedom is Democracy and Support UNL Faculty.

The rally was prompted by a dustup last month involving graduate student lecturer Courtney Lawton, a member of the English department, who flipped off a sophomore who was recruiting for the conservative organization Turning Point USA. Lawton also said on a video captured by the student that the student wants to destroy public schools, public universities, hates DACA kids.

DACA is the 2012 order that temporarily protects from deportation certain children and young adults who were brought to the country illegally by their parents.

UNL this month removed Lawton from her teaching duties, citing concern for Lawtons and her students safety. Lawton said she had received threats online from right-wing extremists.

One of the professors who spoke Monday evening, Julia Schleck, said Lawton received a letter from UNL administrators criticizing her behavior.

Schleck, a UNL English professor and president of the Nebraska chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said academic freedom is vital for teachers, researchers and students. Academic freedom ensures that a wide variety of opinions will be heard, she said.

Schleck said in an interview that there was concern on campus that UNL had caved to pressure from outside the university.

Students are deprived of Lawtons classroom work, Schleck said. Courtney Lawton is an award-winning teacher, Schleck said. She was acting as a citizen expressing her political views and not as a teacher.

Fran Kaye, also an English professor, said in an interview that she wouldnt personally have flipped off the student. Nevertheless, Kaye said, Lawton was a private citizen at the time and the student was as well.

Lawton wasnt behaving in her role as an instructor, Kaye said.

UNL spokesman Steve Smith wrote in an email Monday that UNL cultivates and supports an environment that protects academic freedom, allows a robust exchange of ideas to be expressed and different viewpoints to be respected.

Kaye said academic freedom is true patriotism. It isnt flag-waving and saying America is always right, Kaye said. Its observing, she said, what can be done better so mistakes arent repeated.
WASHINGTON  The Senate Armed Services Committee responsible for crafting the annual defense policy legislation includes three Midlands members: Sens. Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse, both R-Neb., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

Among the provisions the three highlighted in the measure are those that would:

 Authorize more than $500 million in additional funding to support the Defense Departments third offset strategy and improve U.S. military technological superiority. That includes nearly $300 million to enhance development of hypersonic  and directed  energy weapons. Fischer described those as key areas of focus when she chaired the relevant subcommittee in the last Congress.

 Provide nearly $200 million additional funding to address a backlog of deferred maintenance activities at nuclear facilities. Fischer said more than half of these facilities are more than 40 years old.

 Add an additional $200 million to improve the missile-defense system, which Fischer said was provided by her current subcommittee on strategic forces.

 Require a report from the defense secretary on cyber doctrine within 180 days. That was part of a package of Sasse proposals related to cybersecurity that the legislation included.

 Have the defense secretary brief congressional committees on the feasibility of a program allowing the secretary to waive requirements of a baccalaureate degree as a condition of employment for certain cybersecurity and computer-programming positions for individuals who have demonstrated expertise. This was another one of Sasses cybersecurity proposals.

 Move toward making government data more accessible. This is legislation offered by Sasse and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

 Require the Defense Department to establish and maintain a database of the departments emergency response capabilities  one of the proposals offered by Ernst.

 Extend a Defense Department program that provides National Guard and reserve members, along with their families, training in suicide prevention and response to suicide. This was an Ernst proposal.

 Mandate in-person, comprehensive sexual assault prevention training and instruction on proper use of social media for the newly enlisted before they start basic training. This was introduced by Ernst along with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
LINCOLN  A prison supervisor ordered to pay almost $50,000 to an employee he suspended in 2010 has won a reversal from the Nebraska Supreme Court.

A lower court in 2015 dismissed the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services from a lawsuit filed by William White, a corrections officer at the Tecumseh State Prison who was suspended, then fired, after being charged with a crime unrelated to his employment. The judge said qualified immunity protected the department from liability for the improper discipline against White.

But the judge denied the same immunity for Scott Busboom, a major who said he was simply following orders from above when he signed papers placing White on unpaid suspension. The judge said Busboom should have known it was a violation of the officers due process rights to be suspended without first being offered a hearing to contest the disciplinary action.

Last week the Supreme Court issued a 28-page opinion reversing that decision and ordering the dismissal of damages and the lawsuit against Busboom.

In April 2010, White was suspended without pay after he was charged with a misdemeanor count of unlawful intrusion. Almost a year later, a prosecutor dismissed the charge, but that only prompted prison officials to place White on a second unpaid suspension pending an internal investigation.

In the meantime, White filed a grievance over the second suspension, but he then failed to attend two meetings with department investigators. He also did not attend a subsequent disciplinary hearing, after which he was fired.

In an opinion written by Judge Jeff Funke, the court said the department failed to let White tell his side of the story before suspending the officer. But White, in turn, failed to take advantage of his opportunities to contest the charges after he was suspended.

The court ruled that the two post-suspension meetings plus the hearing White was afforded with superiors made up for the departments due-process violation before the suspensions.

Additionally, the court determined that it was not reasonable for Busboom to have known that suspending White without a hearing was a clear violation of the officers constitutional rights. Therefore, it reversed the ruling by retired Johnson County District Judge Daniel Bryan ordering Busboom to pay White $47,500 in lost wages, compensatory damages and attorney fees.
WASHINGTON  Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., won approval from the the Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday for his proposal to establish a bipartisan Syria study group.

That group would be tasked with a comprehensive and strategic policy review of Americas approach to Syria and its Islamic State militants, commonly referred to as ISIS.

ISIS has lost ground in Syria but we need a strategy to make sure that we dont let off the gas, Sasse said in a press release. The American people still need a strategy  not a speech, not a press release, not a list of goals, but a clear and comprehensive strategy.

Sasse and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., called in July for creating the group if the administration failed to provide Congress with its Syria strategy. The goal, they said, was to ensure that any escalation of U.S. involvement in Syria is not undertaken for tactical gains alone but is part of a strategy to achieve critical U.S. objectives.
From the village market to vast Chinese factories to the entrepreneurial spirit alive in the African diaspora, the African experience in world commerce is rich and varied.

After a focus on refugees at last years inaugural Africa Rising Week at Creighton University, this years event will highlight the ways immigrants, refugees and other members of the African diaspora are contributing to local business in Omaha and in capitalism around the world.

Theres a desire to tell stories of personal and professional success, to show that migrants and refugees are making their way here and creating opportunities for themselves and others, said Jay Carney, PhD, associate professor of theology and director of Creightons African Studies Program, within the College of Arts and Sciences.

And its happening here in Omaha with the number of African businesses and business leaders we have, as well as on the larger global stage, he said.

Faculty from Creightons Heider College of Business, along with local business owners, will take part in panels and discussions about business and economic conditions in Africa and on the role immigrants and refugees play in the economies of the nations in which they settle.

And while the specific theme centers on business and economics, the week and its associated celebrations  all of which are free and open to the public  are also a means to educate and inspire.

A big part of it is to help people gain perspective and take something away from the events that is more than just a passing, Oh, thats interesting, said Olufemi Oladokun, a Creighton senior and president of the African Students Association.

We want the week to be a chance for people to gain perspectives on refugees, immigration, business, development. Instead of talking about that continent across the Atlantic, we want people to learn more specifics about Africa and what life is like.

Africa Rising Week begins Tuesday with a 7 p.m. showing of the film Guangzhou Dream Factory. The documentary follows African migrants from Ghana to China and back as they seek economic opportunities in the factories and shop rooms turning out goods of every type and contributing to the increasing economic development of both China and Africa.

The film, screened with the co-sponsorship of Creighton Asian World Center, will be followed by a panel discussion.

On Thursday, from 7 to 9 p.m., a panel discussion with African business owners in the Omaha area will take place in Creightons Harper Center, Room 3029.

The panel will be moderated by Kristie Briggs, PhD, associate professor of economics.

Africa faces many challenges to economic growth and development, but it also possesses many opportunities, Briggs said.

Having a better understanding of the local economies in these countries  their opportunities, their challenges, and their ways of doing business  is key to building relationships that enhance Africas integration into global markets in a beneficial way.

On Friday, Creightons Schlegel Center for Service and Justice will lead its weekly refugee outreach from 1:45 to 5 p.m., focusing on conversations and service with African refugees in Omaha.

And the African Mass, featuring Omahas African Chaplaincy Choir, will be held Sunday at 4:30 p.m. in St. Johns Church on Creightons campus.

Creighton University offers a top-ranked education in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition. Read more about the university, and connect with Creighton on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
54 students of IT university in Andhra suspended for ragging

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In one of the biggest crackdown on ragging, 54 students of an IT university in Andhra Pradesh have been suspended. The decision to suspend the students was taken after a probe confirmed the mass ragging on August 24 at the Rajiv University of Knowledge Technologies at Nuzvid in Krishna district.

The juniors who were subject to physical punishment had to be admitted to hospital. The suspended students are in their third and fourth years of software engineering.

The management decided to go ahead with the punishment after the probe panel recommended suspension of the students. Out of the 54 suspended, 6 students have been barred from attending the university for one year. They will also not be allowed to take their exams.

According to the probe, the juniors were locked in a room and subject to physical punishment. They were further punished when they complained about the same.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 12:14 [IST]
We are realistic about the issue:

A top government source said that the issue of pay gap will be addressed. We are realistic about the issue and have considered the demands made by the CG employees. At first the government was in two minds about the reduction of pay gap. The government has almost decided that there would be no pay commissions in the future and the salaries would be hiked on an annual basis. However the government now feels that if the pay gap issue is not addressed, then the government employees would have to wait until 2019. The government wants to address the issue by this year itself.

Finance Minister in the loop:

For the sake of a better living, Central Government employees need a reduction in the pay gap. Leaders say that it is a difficult situation, but they would continue to fight for it. The Finance Minister has said in several meetings that the issue will be addressed. He said that he had promised the CG employees that he would look into the matter and will not go back on his word. Government employees have been demanding for a long time to pay ratio should be minimised. They have also demanded that Rs 25,000 should be the minimum pay in the new pay scale and the fitment factor will be higher than the 2.57 times approved by the government based on the pay panel's recommendations.

7th Pay Commission will always be the worst:

For CG employees the 7th Pay Commission was a cruel joke. Not a single demand of theirs' had been met in this pay panel. All pay commissions in the past had made up the pay gap between the lower paid employees and the top officials from second Pay Commission 1:41 ratio to 6th Pay Commission 1:12. In the first pay commission, the pay of the top bureaucrats was 41 times higher than the employee earning the lowest. The future pay commissions however reduced the ratio from 1:41 in 1947 to about 1:12 in 2006.

OneIndia News
Lack of development in J&K for decades was one of the reasons behind rise of terrorism: Rajnath Singh

His contributions ignored: Why Rajnath Singh said Netaji was first PM of India

AIADMK crisis: TN Governor meets Rajnath Singh amid political turmoil

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao met Home Minister Rajnath Singh, a day after after 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs loyal to sidelined leader Dhinakaran were disqualified under the anti-defection law.

During the 20-minute meeting, the Governor is believed to have apprised the Home Minister about the current political developments in the southern state, officials said.

On Monday, the Tamil Nadu assembly speaker disqualified 18 MLAs supporting sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran, just two days before a high court deadline for a floor test by chief minister Edapaddi Palanisamy.

Though Rao's meetings with Singh were described as "courtesy calls", they came a day ahead of his proposed visit to Chennai for three days from Tuesday.

As the Speaker's action appeared to tilt the number game in favour of the ruling side, a floor test appeared imminent in the state assembly in the last week of this month.

Rao, who is Governor of Maharashtra, holds the TN Governor's post as an additional charge. So far, he has not asked Chief Minister E K Palanisami to face a floor test. Both the opposition DMK and the Dhinakaran faction have challenged him to do so.

EPS, who recently joined hands with O Paneerselvam to unite the AIADMK to isolate Dhinakaran, is now expected to volunteer to seek a vote of confidence.

He now needs the support of just 108 MLAs, excluding that of the Speaker, to prove his majority with the disqualification of the 18 MLAs.

The decision by assembly speaker P Dhanpal brings down the magic number in the 234-member House to 110 as against 117 before the disqualification, in the case of a floor test.

The Palanisamy government claims support of 114 MLAs, who had attended a general council meeting that ousted jailed leader Sasikala and Dinakaran from party posts.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 11:27 [IST]
No news about 2 Arunachal youths who went missing from near China border in August

Arunachal Pradesh protest against granting citizenship to Chakma, Hajong refugees

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Itanagar, Sep 19: At a time when the Narendra Modi government has justified its position to the Supreme Court for the possible deportation of around 40,000 Rohingya refugees to their home country in Myanmar, where they are currently facing violence and persecution, another refugee crisis is boiling in the border state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The people of Arunachal Pradesh have strongly contested the Centre's willingness to honour the 2015 decision of the Supreme Court to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees in the state.

The state chief minister Pema Khandu on Monday voiced the anxiety of the people of the state on granting citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees in Arunachal Pradesh.

In a letter to Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Monday, Khandu said the matter was of deep emotional concern and his state was not ready to accept any infringement of the constitutional protection given to the tribals of the state, an official release said.

He said Arunachal Pradesh, with its unique history, is governed by a special act--The Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873. Section 2 of the act prohibits all citizens of India or any class of such citizens from going beyond such line without a pass issued under the hand and seal of an officer authorised with such function.

Recommended Video

Rohingya crisis: Myanmar's ruler Aung San Suu kyi opens up on Rohingya | Oneindia News

"Section 7 of the regulation says it shall not be lawful for any person, not being a native of the district, comprised in the preamble of this regulation, to acquire any interest in land or the product of land beyond the said inner line...," he said.

The letter said Arunachal Pradesh is a predominantly tribal state and the Constitution gives special protection rights to the people of the state. "Therefore, as mentioned by me in our meeting recently, I reiterate that the people of my state are not ready to accept any infringement on the constitutional protection bestowed on our tribals and want to ensure that the ethnic composition and the special rights enjoyed by the tribes of the state are safeguarded at all cost," Khandu said in the letter.

He solicited the Union home minister's support in protecting the tribal rights and securing the sanctity of the inner-line permit (ILP) in the state, the release added.

Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the Centre would urge the Supreme Court to modify its order of granting citizenship to the Chakma-Hajong refugees so that rights of indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh are not diluted.

"There is no decision of the government of India to grant citizenship. It is the order of the Supreme Court. We are trying to tell the honourable Supreme Court that giving Chakmas and Hajongs the same rights as Arunachalis is not acceptable to us. People of Arunachal must appreciate that for the first time the Centre has not agreed....So we are appealing to the apex court to modify this order...to ensure that rights of the indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh are protected," Rijiju told reporters at Naharlagun helipad on Sunday.

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) has declared a statewide dawn-to-dusk strike on Tuesday, opposing the Centre's decision to grant citizenship to the refugees.

Rijiju's remarks come days after he said a "middle ground" would be chosen so that the 2015 Supreme Court order to grant citizenship to Chakma-Hajong refugees could be honoured.

He said the population of Chakma and Hajong refugees has risen to over 64,000, when originally 2,748 families comprising 14,888 people were settled between 1964 to 1969 in the Bordumsa-Diyun areas in Changlang district and Kokila of Papum Pare district.

The Chakma-Hajong refugee issue has evoked strong resentment in the state with many organisations and political parties saying that granting of citizenship to the refugees would distort the social fabric of the state.

Chakmas and Hajongs were originally residents of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in erstwhile East Pakistan who left their homeland when it was submerged by the Kaptai dam project in the 1960s.

The Union minister said Khandu had said proper enumeration would be done so that they (Chakma-Hajong) cannot encroach upon land in Arunachal Pradesh and the rights of the people.

The state government has moved the Election Commission, requesting it to delete the names of refugees from the voter list, he said.

In the past, Arunachal Pradesh has witnessed several protests and rallies demanding the deportation of Chakma and Hajong refugees from its soil. On their part, the refugees allege that they have faced physical intimidation, violence and discrimination at the hands of the locals in the state earlier, however, they have no other option but to stay put in Arunachal Pradesh.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 6:18 [IST]
Pradyuman Thakur murder case: Accused will be tried as an adult

Pradyuman murder: Why is the juvenile being tried as an adult accused

CBI yet to receive notification to probe Ryan school murder

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

The Central Bureau of Investigation is awaiting a notification from the Haryana government to take over the probe into the murder of a 7-year-old-boy Ryan International School.

Meanwhile, after a delay of 12 days of Pradyuman's murder, Haryana Home Secretary SS Prasad said that "Haryana government recommended government of India to transfer case of murder of Pradyuman Thakur to CBI.

Yielding to the demand of the family of seven-year-old Pradhuman Thakur, who was found murdered in Gurugram's Ryan International School, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had ordered for a CBI probe into the murder lastweek.

His father, Barun Thakur, told ANI that he was "shocked."

Shocked. Don't know why delay in handing over case to CBI even after CM announced.It's been 12 days since my son was murdered:Varun Thakur pic.twitter.com/PF1Zm8uaCI  ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2017

He had written to the Gurgaon Police to ask that Ryan International School remain closed until the CBI completes an initial probe. He also wrote to the Prime Minister's Office to complain that evidence had been destroyed.

The child, a second grader, died within minutes of being found bleeding outside a school toilet with his throat slit exactly a week ago.

Police alleges that school bus conductor, Ashok Kumar, 42, killed him with a knife after the boy resisted an attempt to sodomise him.

The case snowballed into a major national issue of safety and security of children in schools, with vociferous protests held by parents and activists outside Ryan schools in several states.

OneIndia News
Dawood's brother Iqbal was eating biriyani, watching Kaun Banega Crorepati when cops landed

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Dawood Ibrahim's brother, Iqbal Kaskar who was arrested by the Thane Anti Extortion Squad was not aware what was in store for him. Staring at a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, he was pretty relaxed and was watching Kaun Banega Crorepati when the cops landed at his door.

The arrest was led by former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma who took charge of the AEC this month. He was at the home of his sister Haseena Parkar when the crack team landed up and arrested him.

Thane Police Commissioner, Parambir Singh said that Iqbal was watching Kaun Banega Crorepati and eating biriyani when the crack team arrived to arrest him.

Police sources say that one builder who had suffered huge losses since demonetisation had filed the complaint. The source said that Kaskar and his men continued to harass him for money. Fed up, the builder lodged a complaint with the Thane police.

During the investigation it was revealed that Kaskar was running an extortion racket on behalf of his brother and had targeted builders from Thane, Ulhasnagar and Dombivili. It was further revealed that Kaskar and his men were also threatening the builders.

The complainant approached the Thane police commissioner, Parambir Singh. The case was then handed over to the AEC. Police sources say that Kaskar who was deported from United Arab Emirates in 2003 was running his brother Dawood's real estate business in an around Mumbai.

This is not the first time that Kaskar has had a brush with the law. He had been arrested in connection with an extortion case in 2015 and was later granted bail.

He was also accused of playing a role in the Sara Sahara case in which a building had come illegally on a government land. He was however acquitted in the case in 2007. Police sources said that they would be producing him before the court today and are also likely to book him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

OneIndia News
Demonetisation, hasty GST implementation adversely affected GDP: Manmohan Singh

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Recommended Video

Demonetisation: Manmohan Singh saves Urjit Patel from answering uncomfortable queries on Note ban

Former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh said that hasty implementation of GST and demonetisation had adversely impacted GDP growth.

"Both demonetisation and the GST have had some impact (on GDP growth)," he told CNBC-TV 18. "Both would affect the informal sector, the small-scale sector, the sectors today are responsible for 40 per cent of GDP."

With informal and small-scale sectors accounting about 40 per cent of the USD 2.5 trillion economy, Singh said that the decision of demonetisation, coupled with GST, had an adverse impact on the economy. "And the withdrawal of 86 per cent of currency plus also GST, because it has been put on practice in haste, there are lots of glitches which are now coming out. These are bound to affect the GDP growth adversely," he said.

Singh in his Parliament speech had described demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes as a "monumental mismanagement", "organised loot" and "legalised plunder" which would eventually shave off 2 per cent of the country's GDP.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 6:15 [IST]
NEET-UG to be conducted in 13 languages for first time; exam centre opened in Kuwait: Dharmendra Pradhan

All institutions to be part of NIRF: Pradhan

Gatecrasher, says BJP on TMC leader's claim that Pradhan offered him sweets

Dharmendra Pradhan to co-chair IGC meet with Kazakhstan

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will co-chair the two-day meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) with Kazakhstan beginning on Tuesday at Astana.

Kanat Bozumbayev, Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan will co-chair the meeting from Kazakhstan side.

The IGC meeting aims to follow up on the agenda set between India and Kazakhstan during the two visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kazakhstan in July 2015 and June 2017.

During his visit, Pradhan is scheduled to discuss various issues and ideas for stepping up the cooperation in energy sector, trade, economic, investment, transport and connectivity, agriculture, information technology, space, healthcare and cultural spheres between the two countries with his counterpart.

The two sides are also expected to finalizS a strategy and roadmap for expanding trade, economic and investment cooperation between the two countries.

The Minister is being accompanied by a delegation comprising senior officials from Ministries/Departments, including Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mines, Electronics and IT, Tourism, ISRO, Department of Atomic Energy, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and also high level executives from ONGC Videsh and Railway Board.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 17:05 [IST]
UP ATS picks up two more accused in Al-Qaeda radicalisation case

Girl dies after being pushed from 3rd floor in school in UP

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

A 9th standard student died after she was allegedly pushed from the 3rd floor at Modern City Montessori School in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh.

According to news agency ANI, the school administration claims the girl was taken to the hospital and the parents were informed. However, her father has claimed that he was not informed.

Mithilesh Mishra, acting principal of the school said he took the injured girl to the hospital immediately and also informed her parents.

"CCTV cameras at the school have not been working for some days now," he said.

The victim's father alleged that his daughter was pushed from behind. "School students had come home to inform me of the incident, no teachers came," he said.

Deoria- My daughter said she was pushed from behind. School students had come home to inform me of the incident, no teachers came: Father pic.twitter.com/EmSH4TB7KQ  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 19, 2017

As per Hindustan Times, Police are on the look out for some teachers and the principal of the school who absconded after the incident. A case has been registered under Section 302 against unidentified people based on a complaint from the victim's father, superintendent of police Rajeev Malhotra said.

This incident occurred at a time when Gurgaon's Ryan International School is being scrutinized for their security measures.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 10:07 [IST]
Honeymoon period over, Modi-Shah duo right to worry about the changing narrative

India

oi-Prabhpreet

By Prabhpreet

Recommended Video

BJP monopoly withering off; Modi-Shah duo charisma failing | Oneindia News

Something seems to have changed in the last few months in the political discourse of the country. The once hardly noticeable murmurs of critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have become more audible and those making them more visible and higher in number. Making both more difficult to ignore.

This has in a way brought to end the honeymoon period that Modi and his trusted lieutenant, Bharatiya Janata Party 's president, Amit Shah, have enjoyed since coming to power in 2014. And the duo can have little, if anything, to complain about given it lasted more than three years, during which their supporters while hailing them for everything that went right (even if not backed by facts at times), drowned the voices which named them when it didn't.

A monopoly (through its massive online machinery) of this nature over different platforms, especially two, social and mainstream media, which the ruling party and its followers prided over, has finally weathered.

On the conventional media (without a doubt still having a coverage highly favorable to the government) front the change has come with few more channels reporting stories and senior journalist replying openly to actions termed attacks on them by those in power.

Social media on the other hand, which from 2013 onwards saw circulation of all forms of informal but highly effective modern day communication weaponry such as GIFs, Whatsapp forwards, memes, among others, clearly beneficial to Modi and which worked like a charm without many questions asked or answers given, now has plenty of those with the opposite effect.

That Modi-Shah duo realizes this threat is clear from comments the party supremo made earlier this month while visiting his home state of Gujarat that goes to elections soon. He is reported to have said, "I appeal to the youth not to blindly believe the anti-BJP propaganda being spread on WhatsApp and Facebook." He also claimed, "This propaganda is largely spread by our opponent Congress."

Will Modi win India in 2019?

The part of mentioning youth in his statement brings out the biggest worry for the BJP when it comes to the changing narrative on these mediums. As they are considered an important part of the electorate whose support was a major reason for Modi's impressive showing in the last Lok Sabha elections and these two medias play a major factor on how the youth views the world and communicates about it.

Though Shah would like to blame the opposition for a shift in the online narrative, and the Congress has been active with 'Vikas Gando Thayo Che' (development has gone mad or out of control) and similar other campaigns in Gujarat taking digs at BJP's development model, there is little doubt that the government and the party running it has given them enough ammunition for it, at national and state level. In particular when it comes to the topics that can be considered of importance to the younger segment of the demography.

Such as 'demonetisation' and its negative effects including loss of lives, livelihoods etc. with no credible benefits to boast of or the weak state of the economy with GDP numbers falling, with 5.7 per cent for the last quarter the lowest in three years. On the crucial job front, while Modi had promised one crore jobs per year before elections, the organized sector only added 1.55 lakh in 2015 and 2.31 in 2016, the worst performance since the 10 lakh added in 2009 under the previous government led by the Congress. To top it all, the violence and lynchings related to cow violence would definitely not have gone down well with the younger population of the country.

Demonetisation: Modi's political masterstroke at the cost of India's economy and citizens

These issues along with others have combined with what is already a growing challenge on the social media front, following the opposition finally waking and catching up on its importance and how to go about it. This is compounded by the change in the mainstream media where some channels and publishing houses (online and print) have become more visible in their criticism of those in power. Some of them surely given added incentive of reasons like a new found intensity to the culture of attacks (physical as well as those of government action through ministerial decisions and investigative agencies) on journalists and writers, or just plain verbal spats and pressure on inconvenient stories between journalists and politicians, among others.

It is in this background of the two mediums and the difference in what they are conveying now compared to earlier that the importance of youth and other events related to them should be seen.

The latest of them which has gotten much coverage is the loss of the BJP backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) elections after a hold on it for four years. It's importance coming from the fact that DU is the largest central university in the country, with students from across India and the election has been used to gauge the mood of the youth of the country. Obvious from Shah's tweet after ABVP's victory last year, which read, "Congrats to ABVP. #DUSU verdict is of nationalism. Youth have reposed their faith in constructive politics."

Congress's student wing National Students Union of India 's victory in DU along with other universities in Punjab, Guwahati and Rajasthan along with the rise of other youth leaders who have attained prominence in the limelight and are seen against the BJP like Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor, Jignesh Mevani (Leaders from Gujarat), Chandrashekhar (BHIM army), Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid (JNU controversy), shows the importance and power of the youth and the narrative on both the mediums.

Amit Shah's 'Mission 350' for 2019: A BJP dream or real possibility?

Despite this, both Modi and Shah would be comforted by their electoral powers, given the impressive run of victories they have been on in state elections after taking over at the center. With the party now in power in 18 states, 14 of them on their own. The most important of them, the landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh coming soon after 'demonetisation.'

Yet the change in play is clearly a worrying sign for the two most powerful politicians in the country as they were the first ones to realise the power of these mediums and use it to connect with the people, and the youth, in particular, to achieve their goals in 2014. With the next elections only 18 months away, their support in the next one is of utmost importance for the BJP if it is to have any chance of repeating its 2014 performance, let alone achieve Shah's 'Mission 350.'

OneIndia News
How a rash driver became al-Qaeda's hitman in Delhi

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

He was arrested in London on charges of rash driving. Shauman Haq alias Samiun Rahman joins the list of 100s of youth whose radicalisation process began in jail. Jails have very often been dubbed as radicalisation hubs and there are several cases in the past as well when such instances have taken place.

A Delhi police officer informed that Rahman was radicalised in jail when he was arrested on charges of rash driving in London.

Rahman alias Raju Bhai, a British national of Bangladeshi origin was arrested on Sunday from Vikas Marg, Shakarpur (near ITO by the Delhi Police's Special Cell, that was on his trail since July.

Rahman is trained in using hi-end weapons and has fought against the Syrian forces on behalf of Jabhat al Nusra, an affiliate of al-Qaeda in Syria. The investigators describe him as a "trained solider fighting for a wrong cause". Rahman's father had moved from Bangladesh to London in the 1960s and had set up his business there. His family lives in posh central London.

The 27-year-old's elder siblings are settled in London. One of his brothers is in the banking sector while his three sisters are associated with banks and social work, the police said. During interrogation, Rahman told police that in 2011-12, he was arrested in London for rash driving. "While he was lodged in a jail there for close to eight months, he came in contact with some people and that was where his indoctrination started," said an officer privy to the probe.

Subsequently in 2013, he travelled to Mauritania in west Africa, to "gain knowledge about religion", the police said, adding that it is suspected that he was radicalised there.

Mauritania is the stronghold of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a Salafi-jihadist militant group. After his radicalisation, he was sent to Atmeh, Syria, where he was trained in using weapons, including AK-47, and IEDs (improvised explosive device) for close to three months. He was sent to Aleppo where he fought against the Syrian government forces as a member of Jabhat Al Nusra, an affiliate of al-Qaeda in Syria, the police said. In between, he also visited London where intelligence agencies questioned him for his alleged links with al-Qaeda.

With his Bangladeshi background, he was selected to raise a fighter group there. In 2014, he arrived in Bangladesh to radicalise youth to join al-Qaeda with the help of a person named Yasina, a resident of Bangladesh and an old al-Qaeda cadre, the police said. He visited Dhaka and other places and radicalised dozens of young people in Bangladesh for their entry into Myanmar from Chittagong. He came in contact with two youths Tanzeel, the son of a bureaucrat and Adnan, son of a former High Court judge. Before he could radicalise more youths, he was arrested in September 2014 in Bangladesh on charges of terror financing and recruitment.

He was lodged in jail till April this year. While he was in jail, he came in contact with members of other terror outfits, including Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, said an investigator. After he was released on bail in April this year, he was asked to travel to India since the Bangladeshi authorities were already on his trail. He entered India illegally in April and on the instruction of top leaders of al-Qaeda, started looking for Rohingya Muslims so that he could "radicalise" them and train them to fight against the Myanmarese army, said the investigator.

During this period, he stayed at various madrassas in Kishanganj (Bihar), Hazari Bagh (Jharkhand), NCR and other places. He had plans to set up base in Mizoram or Manipur to train radicalised youths. Police also suspect that he was in touch with some militant organisations in Kashmir but till now, they have not found any clue whether he had any plans specific to India. A tech-savvy person, Rahman was in touch with top leaders of al-Qaeda, Muhammad al-Jawlani, head of al-Nusrah Front through secure messaging apps like Telegram, the investigator said.

He knew how to use protected sites so that his conversations could not be deciphered by the intelligence agencies.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 6:19 [IST]
How Iqbal Kaskar ran brother Dawood Ibrahim's real estate business in Mumbai

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Investigations that led up to the arrest of Iqbal Kaskar, brother of underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim revealed that he was involved in the extortion of huge sums of money. The Thane Anti-Extortion Cell picked up Kaskar from his residence in Mumbai. The arrest was led by former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma who took charge of the AEC this month.

Police sources say that one builder who had suffered huge losses since demonetisation had filed the complaint. The source said that Kaskar and his men continued to harass him for money. Fed up, the builder lodged a complaint with the Thane police.

During the investigation it was revealed that Kaskar was running an extortion racket on behalf of his brother and had targeted builders from Thane, Ulhasnagar and Dombivili. It was further revealed that Kaskar and his men were also threatening the builders.

The complainant approached the Thane police commissioner, Parambir Singh. The case was then handed over to the AEC. Police sources say that Kaskar who was deported from United Arab Emirates in 2003 was running his brother Dawood's real estate business in an around Mumbai.

This is not the first time that Kaskar has had a brush with the law. He had been arrested in connection with an extortion case in 2015 and was later granted bail.

He was also accused of playing a role in the Sara Sahara case in which a building had come illegally on a government land. He was however acquitted in the case in 2007.

Police sources said that they would be producing him before the court today and are also likely to book him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 6:11 [IST]
HuJA, AMM, the groups driving Rohingya Muslims towards terrorism

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Recommended Video

Rohingya crisis: Terror groups eye refugees to wage Jihad | Oneindia News

The Centre on Monday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court and cited that some Rohingya Muslims had links with the ISIS and the Islamic State. The Centre relied heavily on intelligence inputs while filing the affidavit. It also said that it would on the next date of hearing submit the report of the Intelligence Bureau in a sealed cover.

There are several instances to show that terror groups have often targeted Rohingya Muslims to wage jihad. The Centre's apprehension about Rohingyas comes from the birth of two terror groups- Aqa-Mul Mujahideen and the Harkat-ul Jihad of Arakans.

While the HuJA is backed by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, sources say that AMM has the ideological backing of the Islamic State.

The Home Ministry in an advisory issued to all border forces had cautioned that there could be an influx of both AMM and HuJA operatives into India. With India deciding to take a stern stand on this issue, there is a chance that these two outfits may stage attacks in India, the advisory also noted.

The MHA said that while a majority of the Rohingya Muslims were moving towards Bangladesh, it did not rule out the possibility of terror groups diverting some into Tripura and West Bengal. The Home Ministry also said that the AMM also has the backing of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation. It is discreetly supporting the AMM. The RSO leaders were trained with the Taliban in Pakistan and were taught both how to procure weapons ands stage attacks.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 6:07 [IST]
A trained chef and 'Dexter' fan, this is how Delhi man killed his live-in partner

ISI spy arrested for blackmailing lady Colonel

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has arrested an ISI operative for allegedly blackmailing a lady Colonel. The spy has been identified as Mohammad Parvez.

Delhi police sources tell OneIndia that Parvez had blackmailed the lady Colonel by threatening to share her morphed pictures on the social media.

Investigations showed that he started blackmailing her after she refused to share crucial information on defence with him.

The officer then lodged a complaint with the police. The police arrested Parvez from Chandini Mahal in Delhi.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 10:37 [IST]
JD(U) raises pitch for Sharad Yadav's disqualification from Rajya Sabha

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Sep 19: In the wake of the Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker disqualifying 18 AIADMK MLAs from the House, the JD(U) on Tuesday demanded a similar action against two of its rebel MPs, Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar.

Janata Dal (United) chief spokesperson K C Tyagi, in a statement, said Yadav and Anwar acted in a manner, similar to that of the AIADMK MLAs, by indulging in "anti-party" activities. The party has already approached the Rajya Sabha chairman, seeking disqualification of the two MPs, who were yesterday given one more week by the House to respond to the JD(U)'s charges against them.

Tyagi also took exceptions to the statements of Congress leader Anand Sharma and CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury, both of whom have asked the chairman to refer the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee.

He said the Chairman, M Venkaiah Naidu, was a competent authority to take a decision on the matter and added that comments from "outsiders" were not "appreciable" with regard to such constitutional matters. Tyagi cited the Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker's decision to make his point and said the JD(U) welcomed the disqualification of the AIADMK MLAs from the House.

"This has again highlighted the wide powers conferred on a speaker under the 10th Schedule [Articles 102(2) and 192 (2)] of the Constitution. It gives him power to disqualify a member of the House, belonging to any political party, if the latter has voluntarily given up the membership of the party," he said.

The case in the Tamil Nadu Assembly fell under the above mentioned constitutional rule, which allowed the speaker to judge if any member had voluntarily relinquished his party membership, the JD(U) leader said. The rebels in the JD(U) were also facing a similar trial in the Rajya Sabha and Sharad Yadav was asked not to attend the Patna rally of the RJD on August 27 and warned that if he did so, he would be considered to have voluntarily given up the party membership, he added.

Tyagi also pointed out that the speaker of the Uttarakhand Assembly had, in 2016, disqualified nine rebel Congress MLAs under the anti-defection law. Eighteen AIADMK MLAs, said to be loyal to the party's deputy chief, TTV Dhinakaran, were yesterday disqualified by Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal amid a power tussle in the ruling party in the southern state.

PTI
Manipur rekindles its love affair with bamboo to generate employment

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Imphal, Sep 19: The Northeast region of the country has been abundantly blessed with bamboo and Manipur too is no exception. In fact, bamboo is grown in 30 per cent of Manipur's forest area which makes it a readily available natural resource.

On Monday, during the World Bamboo Day celebrations in Imphal, the state capital, locals, officials and experts discussed on issues to generate employment with the help of bamboo industry which is still in its nascent stage.

During the event organised by the World Bamboo Day Celebration Committee, Bamboo Forum of India co-ordinator Sukumar Haobam said, "Bamboo can be a source of employment, it is eco-friendly and can also produce bio-energy."

"Manipur is a region where bamboo is grown in 30 per cent of its forest area. Since the early days, bamboo has been associated with the indigenous people of the state from their birth till the end of their lives," Sukumar said.

Manipur Speaker Yumnam Khemchand to echoed similar sentiments. "This celebration should raise awareness in the minds of the people about the wonderful plant. It is the uniqueness of this plant that has helped man from prehistoric times in multifaceted ways."

The World Bamboo Day celebration was co-hosted by the department of horticulture and soil conservation and other departments like agriculture, forest, ecology and environment, handloom and textiles, planning, university and higher education, along with Thokchom Buddhabir Associates, an Imphal-based architecture and infrastructure consultancy firm.

As a part of the day-long celebrations, 20 stalls were opened in Imphal during an exhibition that displayed bamboo and its allied products. The exhibition is on for the next four days.

Along with the display of bamboo products like baskets and mats, people also enjoyed delicacies prepared with bamboo shoots at the event. The World Bamboo Day is celebrated every year to increase awareness about bamboo globally.

Bamboo grows naturally and has been a daily element for people since ages, but its utilisation has not always been sustainable due to exploitation.

"The World Bamboo Organisation aims to bring the potential of bamboo to a more elevated exposure - to protect natural resources and the environment, to ensure sustainable utilisation, to promote new cultivation of bamboo for new industries in regions around the world, as well as promote traditional uses locally for community economic development," said a statement by the World Bamboo Organisation.

The World Bamboo Organisation is a diverse group consisting of individuals, commercial businesses, non-profit associations, institutions, and allied trade corporations from across the globe that share a common interest in bamboo.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 8:04 [IST]
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 19/9

























Vietnam spends an average of US$174 million on importing 8,186 automobiles a month, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.



During the first eight months this year, the country imported 65,485 CBU (completely built up) automobiles with the total value of $1.39 billion, down 5 percent in volume and 12.8 percent in value over the same period last year.

The year on year decrease partly showed the gloomy auto market for the last months. Despite implementing a slew of discount programs, automakers have seen dropping sales because of new tax policies.

Specifically, import tariff rates of less than nine seater vehicles from ASEAN to Vietnam will reduce from 30 percent to 0 percent by 2018. Therefore, consumers have been waiting for further price drop.



Vietnam not export various sand



Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered the Ministry of Construction to study how much Cambodias ban to export sand affect the countrys construction material market.



Before, newspapers in Cambodia released the government announced a ban on exporting sand permanently for environmental issues while Malaysia had imposed a ban on exports in 1997.

The Ministry was assigned to study on the matter and report to the PM as well as to adopt measures to keep the markets stability.

Vietnam will maintain its decision not to export sand.



Shares maintain upward trend



Shares on the two stock exchanges opened this weeks trading with gains as investors demonstrated their rising confidence in the market outlook.



On the HCM Stock Exchange, the VN-Index edged up 0.25 percent to close on September 18 at 807.87 points. The key market index rose 0.6 percent over last week and 21.5 percent since the beginning of this year.



On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index ended up 0.62 percent at 105.13 points.



The northern market index increased 0.54 percent from the previous week while growing 31.2 percent compared to the end of last year.



The overall market breadth was positive with 271 stocks on the two exchanges advancing, 182 declining and 279 remaining unchanged.



Large-cap stocks continued to lead the market upturn as 20 of the top 30 largest stocks by market value and liquidity on the HCM Citys bourse gained value and 10 slumped.



Stocks that made gains include industry leaders such as Vinamilk (VNM), brewer Sabeco (SAB), real estate giant VinGroup (VIC), lender BIDV (BID), Vietinbank (CTG), steelmakers Hoa Phat Group (HPG) and Hoa Sen Group (HSG), IT group FPT (FPT), mobile phone retailer Mobile World Group (MWG) and private equity Masan Group (MSN).



Rises in global oil prices also supported oil stocks, with major companies such as PetroVietnam Drilling and Well Services (PVD), PetroVietnam Technical Services (PVS), PetroVietnam Coating (PVB) and PetroVietnam Drilling Mud (PVC) gaining between 1.2-6.8 percent each.



Oil prices rose for a fifth straight session last week with the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) future increasing 4.9 percent to 49.8 USD per barrel while Brent crude closed with a 3.3 percent rise to 55.5 USD per barrel on September 15.



This bullish session sent more positive signals than in the earlier weeks with higher capital spreading and a recovery in the market liquidity, said Tran Duc Anh, a stock analyst at Bao Viet Securities Co.



Anh said investor sentiments have improved with greater purchasing demands even in high price zones.



A total of 254 million shares worth nearly 4.6 trillion VND (202.6 million USD) were traded in the two markets, up 35.5 percent in volume and 15 percent in value compared to last weeks average daily trading volume and value in the two markets.



Its highly probable that the current upward trend will be maintained in the short term, with the largest increases from the stocks with supportive information and positive third-quarter results, Anh wrote in a market report on September 18.



Reference exchange rate revised up



The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate for VND/USD at 22,443 VND on September 19, up 4 VND from the previous day.



With the current trading band of /- 3 percent, the ceiling rate applied to commercial banks during the day is 23,115 VND/USD, and the floor rate 21,771 VND/USD.



The opening hour rates at major commercial banks stayed the same as on September 18.



At the three major banks  Vietcombank, BIDV and Vietinbank, the buying rate is listed at 22,690 VND/USD and selling rate at 22,760 VND/USD, unchanged for several working days.



Vietnam-China investment promotion forum held in Beijing



The China-Vietnam investment promotion forum took place in Beijing, China, on September 18.



The event was jointly hosted by the China-ASEAN Business Council (CABC), a delegation from Vietnams northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang, and the Vietnamese Embassy in China.



Addressing the forum, CABC President Xu Ningning affirmed that China is currently the biggest trade partner of Vietnam, which is the biggest trade partner of China in ASEAN.



In the first eight months of this year, China was the fourth biggest investor in Vietnam, with 176 projects worth 1.27 billion USD, tripling the amount of the first half of 2016.



He attributed the investment increase to enhanced political relations, incentives and potential of the two economies, noting Vietnam offers cheap labour force, investment incentives and favourable traffic network.



Commercial Counsellor of Vietnam in China Bui Huy Hoang echoed the CABC Presidents view on the growing trade and investment cooperation between Vietnam and China in recent years.



He said two-way trade reached 71.9 billion USD in the first eight months this year, up 20.1 percent year on year, of which Vietnam shipped 27.6 billion USD worth of goods to China, a rise of 16.8 percent.



The target of reaching 100 billion USD in bilateral trade this year is completely feasible, Hoang said, expressing his hope that the forum will help Chinese economic and financial institutions, associations and enterprises understanding more about Vietnam and its investment climate, thus increasing collaboration with Vietnamese partners.



Chairman of the Tuyen Quang Peoples Council Nguyen Van Son briefed participants about the provinces socio-economic situation, saying that the province is home to numerous Chinese investment projects and those using Chinese technology.



Underlining cooperation potential between his province and Chinese investors, he pledged that Tuyen Quang will create all favourable conditions for foreign investors, particularly those from China, to implement their projects in the locality.-



Deputy PM hails Mitsubishis participation in thermal power plant



Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has praised efforts made by Japanese investors, including Mitsubishi Corporation, in carrying out the Vung Ang 2 thermo power plant project located in the central province of Ha Tinh.



At a meeting with Yoshinori Katayama, Senior Vice President of Mitsubishi, an important shareholder of the project, in Hanoi on September 18, Deputy PM Dung asked the stakeholders to accelerate negotiations on the project in order to facilitate its implementation, ensuring interests of all related parties.



On this occasion, the official reiterated the request that all thermoelectric projects must meet both environmental and technological requirements.



The Government will create optimal conditions for investors to apply state-of-the-art technologies and protect the environment, he stressed.



Sharing the investors concerns over factors hindering the operation of the Vung Ang 2 thermo power plant project, Dung assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Ministry of Finance to team up with the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) to seek solutions to the pending negotiations.



Yoshinori Katayama thanked the Vietnamese Governments support for the stakeholders to fast-track the negotiation process, saying the concerned parties have reached consensus on major contents.



The Vung Ang 2 plant has a total capacity of 1,200 MW, with the first turbine to be put into operation in 2021 while the second will become operational one year later.

However, the project is facing some obstacles despite long negotiations among stakeholders.-



TH Groups organic milk wins international award



The organic fresh milk product of locally-invested TH Group has won the prize of best new product at the 26th International Food Exhibition, or World Food Moscow 2017.



According to TH Group, which owns the TH True Milk brand, organic milk product was introduced to consumers from August 17. After launching in Vietnam less than a month and being introduced at World Food Moscow 2017, TH organic milk has quickly gained international appreciation.



This kind of milk is free of residues of pesticides, fertilisers, growth hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).



World Food Moscow is an annual international event held in Russia from September 11 to 14. The event is an opportunity for foreign businesses to promote their goods and seek trading partners in the vast Russian market.



The fair is considered to be a large-scale exhibition of the world with the participation of more than 1,500 suppliers of agricultural products and food from 63 countries.



This is the third time TH Group has participated in this international exhibition. In 2015 and 2016, many of THs dairy products were awarded. The group won five gold prizes, three silver prizes and one bronze prize in the last two years event.



With international awards, TH True Milk not only asserted its own brand but also contributed to enhance the value of Vietnamese goods in the international market.



TH True Milk is a leading brand in Vietnams fresh milk market, launched in 2009. Organic milk product of TH Group represents the leading position of the group in the field of clean milk production on a large scale.



The group inked a deal with the authority of the Moscow region, Russia in October 2016 to invest 2.7 billion USD in hi-tech cattle farming and dairy production projects here.



It is expected that in October this year, TH Group will welcome the first cattle herd to its farm in Moscow and soon launch the brand TH True Milk in Russia.



Rubber exports surge in first eight months



Vietnam earned 1.38 billion USD from exporting more than 800,000 tonnes of rubber in the first eight months of 2017, year-on-year rise of 54.1 percent in value and 12.8 percent in volume.



Export turnover of rubber products in January-August rose 25.5 percent annually to 382.2 million USD.



China continued to be Vietnams top export market with 867 million USD, 62.7 percent of the countrys total rubber export turnover in the period.



Malaysia came second with 75.4 million USD and the Republic of Korea was third with 56.7 million USD.



Vietnam remained as the worlds third largest rubber exporter with an estimated export turnover of nearly 4.36 billion USD in 2016.



Former Finnish PM talks innovation-based economic development



Former Finnish Prime Minister Esko Aho delivered a presentation in Hanoi on September 18 about Finlands experience in economic development based on innovation.



As part of the Vietnam-Finland Innovation Partnership Programme Phase 2 to improve the capacity of Vietnamese policymakers, the event was a follow-up to a presentation made by Prof. Goran Roos in late August.



Opening the event, Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh said to serve demand for renovation, managers and science-technology policymakers should improve science-technology policies in tandem with sustainable economic development in Vietnam.



In his speech, Aho underscored the need to change ideas about knowledge, master future technology and devise strategies for innovation.



In the afternoon the same day, Aho and leaders of the Ministry of Science and Technology discussed science-technology development policies used for economic development.



Aho is also former Chairman of the Finnish Innovation Fund under the Parliament of Finland and former Vice President of Nokia Corporation. He was part of an experts group to build the EUs innovation policies and chaired a group to propose Finlands innovation strategy for 2008.



In recent years, Finland has been among the worlds top 10 countries in terms of the Global Innovation Index and Global Competitiveness Index. The country was also ranked high in indexes scoring the efficiency of public organisations, tertiary education, corporate innovation and public-private partnership.



Investment promotion forum held in Brussels



A forum was held in Brussels, Belgium on September 18 to promote economic ties between Vietnam and Belgium and other European nations, with more than 100 business representatives in attendance.



Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue, who chaired the event, detailed Vietams socio-economic development plans and highlighted the countrys role in connecting European firms with the AsiaPacific market.



The Vietnamese Government pledges to continue building a transparent, and friendly investment environment for investors, Hue said.



Hue encouraged Belgian and European firms to hasten the signing and ratification of the Vietnam  EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which is expected to create opportunities for enterprises of both sides, adding that they should invest in the sectors of common interest, particularly manufacturing, hi-tech, infrastructure, environment, finance  banking, agro-forestry-fishery, food processing, energy, ICT, and pharmaceuticals.



The Deputy PM called on investors to study opportunities to become strategic partners of Vietnamese state-owned enterprises during the equitisation and divestment process.



Nothing can get in the way of boosting relations between Vietnam and Belgium and the EU in general in a stronger manner, he said.



Belgian and European enterprises expressed their impression at the socio-economic achievements Vietnam has made over the years.



They also showed interest in investment opportunities in Vietnam, and noted the countrys important position in business links between the EU and Asia  Pacific.



They also made recommendations to improve the Vietnamese investment climate, including strengthening dialogues between the Government and enterprises.



Most participants lauded the potential role of EVFTA in creating a legal framework and opportunities for both sides firms.

The same day, the Vietnamese official had separate meetings with leaders of a number of groups, namely the Beverage AB InBev Group and the steel wire transformation and coatings Bekaert S.A Group of Belgium and Pharma Group Vietnam.



During the meetings, he informed the groups of Vietnams policies on developing sectors relevant to them, and encouraged them to connect with Vietnamese firms to expand operations in the country.



The groups praised the measures Vietnam has taken to create a favourable business environment for foreign investors.

They also reiterated their support for putting the EVFTA into effect soon and will convey this message to the governments of EU member states.



Thai Nguyen lures 63 projects in nine months



The northern province of Thai Nguyen attracted 63 projects in the first nine months of the year, including 53 domestic projects valued at 4.8 trillion VND (211.2 million USD) and 10 foreign direct investment (FDI) ones worth 9.3 million USD.



The province is home to a total 837 projects with total registered capital exceeding 305 trillion VND (13.4 billion USD), including 120 FDI projects valued at 7.2 billion USD.



Thai Nguyen has become popular for both domestic and foreign investors, with FDI enterprises producing spare parts for the high-tech Samsung complex in the locality.



The province granted investment certificates for 15 residential projects in the nine-month period. Large projects include the Green House project, Tan Duc JSC residential area project, Vinaconex 3 residential area project in Pho Yen town and TNG social house project in Thai Nguyen city.



Notable agricultural projects include the Thai Binh Nguyen farm project in Dong Hy district and a pig farm project in Vo Nhai district.



Regarding industry, trade, services and tourism, the province granted business registration certificates to 33 projects, the most remarkable of which are Song Cong wastewater treatment complex in Song Cong city, WOOJINQPD VINA plant in Diem Thuy industrial zone (Phu Binh district) and Golden Tech Vina plant in Song Cong city.



Hoang Thai Cuong, Director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, said that projects which were recently put into operation have made significant contributions to socio-economic development, creating jobs for local labourers and giving a makeover to the provinces urban areas.



The department is working with other departments, branches and localities in building transparent processes for the granting of investment registration certificates, he added.



He also stressed that the province will end inefficient and polluting projects.



Vietinbank to pay VND2.6 trillion in dividend to stakeholders



The Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank) has announced that it will pay cash dividends to the shareholders of 2016.



The payment rate will be 7 per cent, meaning that for each share, the shareholders will receive VND700 (31 US cents). At this rate, the bank will pay dividend worth VND2.6 trillion for 3.72 billion shares held by the stakeholders.



Of the total dividend, the State Bank of Viet Nam, which is holding 64.46 per cent of the banks charter capital, as of June 30, 2017, will receive VND1.68 trillion. The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, the banks strategic investor, will get VND514 billion, thanks to its ownership of 19.73 per cent of Vietinbanks charter capital.



The dividend is scheduled to be paid on October 17. The last day for the investors to register for reception of the dividend is September 28.



The dividend is subject to individual income tax of 5 per cent, and the dividend that the shareholders will receive is already taxed.



Vietbank named among Top 100 APEC Brands



Vietnam Thuong Tin Commercial Bank (Vietbank) has won an award for being among the Top 100 APEC Brands from Viet Nam Integration magazine.



The award has been instituted to honour outstanding entrepreneurs, businesses and brands in the country for building and promoting their brands and improving their product and service quality to strengthen the competitiveness of Vietnamese brands in the Asia-Pacific region and globally.



The inaugural awards attracted the participation of many enterprises, who had to meet several criteria set by the magazine to make it to the list of the top 100 APEC brands.



Ho Phan Hai Trieu, deputy director of Vietbank, said the lender has been trying to create products that meet customers needs, accelerate investment in technology and improve service quality.



The award is the best recognition for Vietbank's transformational efforts, he added.



Vinamed buys out Mediplast in all-stock deal



The Viet Nam Medical Equipment Corporation (VINAMED) has acquired the Medical Plastic Joint Stock Company in an all-stock deal.



It has issued one share for every three shares held by Mediplasts stockholders.



Following the acquisition, Mediplast executives will hold key positions at Vinamed.



The company will continue to manufacture and import medical equipment for distribution in Viet Nam.



Over the years Mediplast acquired the capacity to produce a diverse range of products but was plagued by a shortage of resources and managerial skills and lacked relationships with international partners.



Vinamed on the other hand has deep pockets, extensive international relations, good management and a large customer base, making it a win-win deal.



First intl agro-forestry-fishery exhibition to be held in VN



The first International AgricultureForestryFishery Exhibition (Growtech 2017) will take place in Ha Noi from November 30 to December 2, the organisers have announced.



Jointly organised under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with the Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, this is the first Growtech event to be held in the country.



The exhibition is the largest and only specialised display of machinery, equipment and technology for farming, harvesting and preserving, bringing together major domestic and international enterprises operating and doing business in related fields.



The exhibition offers opportunities for farmers, fishermen and workers in the forestry sector to experience the latest technology and activities in all three fields of agriculture, forestry and fishery.



Besides displaying and demonstrating important innovation activities, Growtech also contributes to trade promotion in the three fields in Viet Nam.



In the context of globalization, Viet Nam's increasingly active participation in free trade agreements is opening up more great opportunities for domestic businesses.



Growtech was organised with the desire to develop a prestigious connection among industry players and to promote trade activities in the agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors.



Furthermore, the exhibition aims to lead to more national development, with Viet Nam becoming a leading exporter of commodities, agricultural products and food and staying among the top-five exporters with a gradually increasing growth rate in the three sectors.



Up to date, the exhibition has attracted the registration of 150 enterprises with more than 300 booths from businesses from all provinces and cities in Viet Nam, and 10 countries and territories with notable businesses from the UK, Italy, Czech Republic, Israel, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan, among others.



Hosted at the international ICE exhibition centre, it is expected to have around 450 booths and attract more than 10,000 visitors, delegates and specialists from more than 20 countries and territories, including Viet Nam.



During 30 years of renewal (1986 - 2016), Viet Nams agriculture has achieved rapid and stable growth, with a positive shift in agricultural structuring.



From 2016 to 2020, the agriculture-forestry-fishery industry in Viet Nam increased its added value with sustainable development; applied scientific and technical achievements to improve capacity, productivity and quality; promoted commodity production moving towards a modern market economy; and increased its competitiveness and maintained rapid development efficiently and safely to become one of the key leaders of national exports.



Animal husbandry, fish processing, aquaculture, environmental protection and biodiversity conservation are some of the areas that are closely linked to the new national rural development strategy.



International livestock expo set to take place next year



The seventh international livestock, dairy, meat processing and aquaculture exposition will bring thousands of people to HCM City in March next year.



More than 8,000 trade visitors are expected to participate and interact with 250 international brands from 30 countries. The exposition, Ildex Viet Nam 2018, is organised by Minh Vi Exhibition and Advertisement Services Co., Ltd. (VEAS) in collaboration with VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific Co., Ltd. It will take place on March 14-16.



The event is expected to see an increase in both visitors and exhibitors compared to those of 2016, when there were 7,000 visitors and 202 exhibitors.



The area for the exhibition also grows from 6,000 sq.m. at the previous event to 7,500 sq.m. this time.



The show be divided into areas of focus that include animal breeding and genetics, meat processing, animal equipment, farming, feed milling, animal health, animal feed, feed additives and animal nutrition.



The exhibition will also present five country pavilions representing the Netherlands, France, the US, South Korea and China.



The livestock and aquaculture industry is one of the primary economic sectors of our country. In the first half of 2017, it is expected to contribute 0.43 percentage points to the growth rate of the entire economy, according to the Department of Statistics. Officials at the kick-off conference in Ha Noi yesterday said technology will play an important role in the industrys future.



Applying new technologies in breeding and aquaculture not only helps to develop the quality of products but also helps to reduce pollution and saving costs, said Nguyen Xuan Duong, deputy director of the Department of Livestock production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. However, application of these technologies still has many limitations and the industry is currently inefficiently developing its potentials.



I also believe that through this exhibition, businesses and companies will have opportunities to compare our proficiency with our competitors as well as find new partners for collaboration, he added. Business could also get chances to become an import agent or distributor for many international partners, he added.



Speaking at the conference, Nino Gruettke, managing director of VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific Co., Ltd said that Viet Nams rising population, income levels, changing cultural preferences and new trade agreements had opened the door to significant growth in the meat industry.



The livestock market in Asia is growing rapidly and this trend is expected to continue in the foreseeable future, the director said. The important countries in Asia which have the rapid economic growth rate that global investors keep an eye on are the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Viet Nam.



He also noted that the global business trend now was how to integrate livestock and agribusiness together and drive business with IT, automation and Internet systems. Growing populations meanwhile demand agribusiness innovate quickly to keep up with demand.



This is the important point that all product business have to realise and find the solutions to increase the productivity and feed the world in the limited space, he said.



HCM City set to host medical supplies expo



More than 400 businesses from 25 countries and territories will take part in the 12th International Exhibition on Products and Supplies for Medical, Pharmaceutical, Hospital and Rehabilitation  Pharmed and Healthcare Viet Nam (Pharmed and Healthcare Viet Nam 2017) that opens in HCM City on September 20.



At the four-day event exhibitors will display their latest pharmaceutical products, drug manufacturing and packaging machinery, medical equipment and supplies, beauty products and services, medical environment treatment equipment and supplies in over 600 booths.



The annual exhibition is aimed at creating a platform for companies and specialists to exchange knowledge and seek business opportunities.



It has now become the most anticipated annual event in the field of health, and attracts exhibitors from countries and territories including the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Russia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, South Korea, Japan, India, China, and Malaysia.



The exhibition will focus on five main themes: pharmex, including pharmaceuticals, ingredients for drug manufacturing and packaging machinery and eastern medicine; medex, where displays will include hospital equipment and diagnostic, surgery, emergency, physiotherapy, orthopaedic, ophthalmic, dental, and medical consumables; hospex covering medical examination and treatment; analytex; and beauty care.



According to the organisers, for the first time a free screening and diagnostic programme will be run by doctors from HCM Citys District 2 Hospital and University Medical Centre.



It will focus on cardio-vascular diseases and diabetes, especially cardio-vascular disease screening for adults and congenital cardio-vascular diseases in disadvantaged children.



Pharmed and Healthcare Viet Nam 2017 will be organised by the Ministry of Health, ADPEX Joint Stock Company, Central Health Communication and Education Centre, Viet Nam Pharmaceutical Companies Association and Viet Nam Medical Products Import  Export Joint Stock Company.



Last year it had attracted over 10,500 visitors.



It will be held at the Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Centre, District 7.



New direct air route links Hanoi, Chinas Jiangxi province



A flight connecting Hanoi and Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi province, has just been launched at Noi Bai International Airport.



The route is hoped to boost economic and tourism cooperation between the two localities.



The direct route helps shorten the air travel time between the two cities to three hours from six hours previously.



Run by Chinese low cost carrier Lucky Air, the flight operates every Wednesday and Sunday.



Prior to the direct route, flights from Nanchang to Vietnam stop over in other Chinese cities such as Xiamen and Wuhan.



Korean firms prep for new TP decree



In the face of regulatory changes regarding transfer pricing in Vietnam, multinational corporations from the Republic of Korea are proactively preparing to ensure compliance with the new tax law.



Accounting for approximately 26% of all foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam last year, Korean investment  which started in the 1990s  has transitioned from labour-intensive manufacturing to high value-added sectors such as power, real estate, and retail.



According to Ha Do, senior partner at KPMG in Vietnam, Korean investors are starting to pay greater attention to tax regulations with regards to corporate income tax (CIT), and are increasingly concerned about investment incentives and the health of the economic environment.



Korean subsidiaries and multinationals investing in Vietnam, whose transactions are often under scrutiny from the tax authorities when it comes to transfer pricing (TP) arrangements, are familiarising themselves with the details of Decree No.20/2017/ND-CP, which provides guidance on transfer pricing management of intra-group service charges, interest, payments for intangibles, and capital expenditures, among other transactions.



Along with the increased FDI, there is a rise in two-way trade, which naturally creates related-party transactions between the parent companies, affiliates, and subsidiaries.



Determining appropriate arms length transfer prices of these transactions for tax purposes will not just be the job of the businesses themselves, but also the tax authorities in both jurisdictions, said Hoang Thuy Duong, partner in charge of Integrated International Tax at KPMG in Vietnam, on the sidelines of a briefing on TP and customs for Korean businesses in Vietnam in early September.



Duong pointed out new TP reporting and documentation requirements, which are now more complex and in line with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developments (OECD) recommendations against base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS).



A TP documentation package, which should now include a master file, local file, and a country-by-country report, is to be prepared before Vietnams annual CIT finalisation deadline. Should a TP audit be required, such a package is to be submitted within 15 working days upon request by the tax authorities.



Jung Goo Kang, vice president of the electronics and technology firm Elentec Co., Ltd.  which owns subsidiaries in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and is a main supplier for Samsung Vietnam  has experience in logging both Korean and Vietnamese TP audits.



He told VIR that while the transfer pricing rules are the same in theory, the local regulations are more complicated in the sense that tax authorities in different countries do not follow the guidelines in precisely the same way.



Many of our Korean clients in Vietnam are concerned about double taxation and the uncertainty that follows due to differing views and audit practices maintained by the Vietnamese and Korean tax authorities, said Seung Mok Baek, a partner specialising in TP at KPMG in South Korea. TP audits conducted in Vietnam recently have been quite aggressive, and in many cases huge amounts of additional taxes were due as a result of these audits.



Korean firms experienced difficulties in solving double taxation issues through the Vietnamese local appeals process and Vietnam-Korea mutual agreement procedures (MAP)  mainly used as an international appeals process for the relief of double taxation occurring due to TP adjustments in recent years in the contracting states, Baek added.



In the opinion of Gil Won Kang, partner in charge of Global Transfer Pricing Services at KPMG in the Republic of Korea, since the introduction of BEPS, Korean firms in Vietnam are increasingly concerned about double taxation following TP tax audits.



It is his hope that the Vietnamese tax authorities will take the concerns of foreign investors seriously through implementation of an APA (Advance Pricing Agreement, mainly used as a proactive measure to eliminate uncertainties regarding TP in future tax years) and MAP procedures.



As the new regulations have only come into force in 2017, it might take some time for the capacity building of tax officers. This is a complicated matter, Duong added.



Exports to China on sharp rise in 8 months



Exports to China jumped 45% to US$18.73 billion in the first eight months of this year, accounting for 14% of Vietnams total export revenue, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.



Six groups of products brought a total export value of more than US$10.5 billion. Computers, electronics and components topped among export products with US$4.04 billion, up 100% against that in the same period last year, followed by fruits and vegetables with US$1.79 billion (up 62%), telephones and components with US$1.35 billion (up 137%), fibres with US$1.3 billion (up 26%), machines, equipment and tools with US$1.07 billion (up 58.5%), and cameras, film cameras and components with US$1.04 billion (up 42%).



Its noteworthy that paper and paper products saw the highest growth of 811% to US$22.25 million.



Besides, other products enjoyed high export growth of over 100% like steel (up 116%), electric wires and cables (up 136%), clinker and cement (up 155%).



However, some products suffered a decline such as coffee (down 24% to US$56 million), tea (down 36% to US$9 million), and crude oil (down 23% to US$685 million).



Thien Long's ball-pen business expands overseas



By focusing on localisation through distribution channels and research and development (R&D), Thien Long Group Corporation (Thien Long) has gained significant market share in Myanmar and now targets to expand its business in other foreign markets.



After seven years of working on penetrating the local stationery market, Thien Long achieved a solid standing in seven states and seven administrative divisions of Myanmar, attaining an estimated turnover of $2.8 million in 2017, a 57 per cent increase against 2016 revenue.



Two leading product lines that Thien Long planned to export to Southeast Asian countries are Flexoffice and Colokit. The stationery market in Myanmar amounts to roughly 50 per cent of the groups total export revenue.



The key for Thien Long to conquer targeted markets is concentrating on local distribution channels and the implementation of research and development (R&D) in the targeted country.



With 30 years of experience in the stationery field, variables Thien Long included in their equation of success have three main components: selecting appropriate products, seeking compatible business partners, and supporting distributors and business partners.



Thien Longs R&D strategy was specifically designated for each country. Take Laos and Cambodia for example. By living side-by-side with them instead of as expatriates, Thien Longs R&D team managed to grasp an understanding of local consumption dynamics, gaining a decisive edge over competition.



Tran Huynh, business development manager at Thien Long, shared, We cooperated with distributors to set up and develop our business through trading and marketing. Had we partnered up with more distributors at the beginning, the group would have achieved over 50 per cent of market share.



The groups next target is to attack the Asia-Pacific and Africa which appear to be the two most prospective markets in the next decade. Thien Longs long-term objective is to continuously improve product quality to accomplish more and set a foothold in new markets.



$1-billion Hemaraj IP may open ahead of schedule



The construction of WHA Hemaraj Industrial Park (IP) invested by WHA Group from Thailand is expected to be started by the end of this month, instead of the late October in the initial plan, thanks to preferential policies as well as great support from provincial authorities.



Covering a total estimated area of 3,200 hectares, the $1-billion projects construction will take place in seven stages with 500 hectares each.



Local authorities committed to provide favourable conditions to the investor during the construction process so that the IP can welcome its first projects in early 2018, Le Ngoc Hoa, Deputy Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial Peoples Committee.



WHA Group is one of more than 60 Thai firms that visited Nghe An in August to seek investment opportunities. According to the initial plan, the investor was to kick off the construction at the end of October, however, the province has been supporting them to complete the necessary procedures to start even sooner, as soon as by the end of this month, Hoa added.



Hermaraj IP is one of the outstanding examples of projects where construction was pushed forward thanks to the provincial authorities support. Earlier in September 2015, a joint venture between Sembcorp from Singapore and Becamex IDC held the ground-breaking ceremony of Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP), covering an area of 750 hectares.



To date, the investor has completed the construction of synchronous infrastructure for 1A phase with an area of 100ha.



Over 90 investors from numerous countries and territories have visited the VSIP to explore investment opportunities and a dozen of them committed to pour about VND400 billion ($17.6 million) into the park. As of early September, some firms received land and started the construction of their own plants in the park, said Nguyen Chi Toan, a VSIP representative.



In order to prove the above commitment, Hoa mentioned Australian company Mavins project. Notably, Mavin had plans to organise the inauguration ceremony for Mavin Austfeed Nghe An livestock feed factory in February 2017.



The preparation time for the event coincided with the Lunar New Year holiday, however, on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, representatives of the provincial authorities arranged time to solve the investors remaining problems so that the inauguration ceremony could be held on time.



David John Whitehead, chairman of Mavin, said that the group built factories in seven provinces and has warehouses in 19 cities and provinces across the country. However, Nghe An is the only province which now has four projects with the total investment capital of around $80 million, showing Mavins satisfaction with the provinces policies to lure in investment capital.



Investing in Nghe An is a good choice for investors because the province does not only have an ideal geological location, but it also has synchronised infrastructure system, good human resources, and good policies for investors, Whitehead added.



Furthermore, Hoa added that foreign investors, who want to complete procedures to be granted investment certificates just need to work with the Nghe An Centre for Investment Promotion and Development Consultancy through one-stop policy.



EVFTA signing expected in mid-2018 - Bernd Lange



European Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA) chair Bernd Lange has said that much remains to be done in the next eight to nine months before the EU and Vietnam can sign a comprehensive free trade agreement on which official negotiations were closed in late 2015.



Speaking with the media in Hanoi last Friday, Lange said the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) could be signed in mid-2018 if the remaining issues are all solved.



The European Commission will send relevant documents to the European Parliament for review and ensure that the commitments in EVFTA are specific because they are the basis for members of the parliament to decide to whether adopt EVFTA or not.



According to Lange, Vietnam will have to solve three main issues before the signing of EVFTA. First, Vietnam has not ratified three of eight conventions of the International Labor Organization which ensure a healthy work environment and benefits for workers.



Second, Vietnam will have to link environmental protection with economic development. And finally, it should allow social organizations, non-governmental organizations and consulting teams to assist the Government in the process of implementing EVFTA.



Lange said these are international practices and regulations that have been widely accepted to ensure equal trade internationally and that the European Parliament will refer to these principles to make decisions.



At a meeting with Lange on September 14, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Vietnam attached importance to cooperation with the EU. The signing of EVFTA will be a remarkable milestone and bring bilateral relations to a higher plane, he noted.



Phuc asked for continued support from INTA and Lange to facilitate the signing and ratification of EVFTA.

Phuc said Vietnamese ministries and negotiators would closely work with the EU and give top priority to completing procedures for the signing of the agreement.



The Minister of Trade and Industry and the EU trade commissioner signed a declaration on the official closure of negotiations on EVFTA on December 12, 2015, after three years of talks with 14 official sessions and many others at ministerial, delegation and technical-group levels.



The main contents include product based trade, origin rules, ports and facilitation for trade, food safety and hygiene methods and sanitation performance standard, technical barriers in trade, service trade, investment, trade protection, competition, government businesses, government purchases, intellectual property, sustainable development, cooperation and capacity building.



Right after the pact comes into effect, the EU will exempt Vietnams exports from about 85.6% of all tax lines, about 70.3% tax turnover. After seven years of implementation, the EU will eliminate 99.2% of import tax.



For textile, footwear and fishery (except canned tuna and fish balls) from Vietnam, the EU will erase all import taxes in seven years after the pact goes into force.



The EU will give Vietnam a significant tax quota for milled, unmilled and fragrance rice. The imported rice with this tax quota will not be taxed. With products made from rice, the EU will bring the import tax to 0% after seven years.



For honey, the EU will remove tax right after the agreement takes effect and no quota will be applied. All fresh greens, processed vegetables, fruits, bags, plastic products, ceramics and glass products, most taxes will be exempted as soon as the pact comes into force.



For EU exports, Vietnam will reduce import tax on cars and motorbikes to 0% after nine or 10 years but only motorbikes with cylinder capacity of more than 150cc will have a tax exempt route of seven years. Vietnam agreed to exempt import tax on wine, alcohol, beer, pork and chicken after 10 years.



On export taxes, Vietnam agreed to erase most export taxes for certain routes and keep certain tax brackets for important products, including oil and coal.



Regarding trade service and investment, Vietnam and the EU agreed to create an open investment environment, and trade activities of businesses from both sides convenient.



The areas where Vietnam will open for EU investors include specialist areas, financial services, communication services, transportation services, distribution services.



Dong Nai property market poses high risk



Dong Nai Province's real estate market holds potentially high risks despite the rapid growth being helped by improved traffic connectivity with HCMC, heard a seminar on the provincial property market on September 14.



Among HCMCs neighboring provinces, Dong Nai has the better advantage as it is home to many important traffic intersections, with many axis routes cutting through it such as National Highway 1A, North-South Railway, HCMC  Long Thanh  Dau Giay, Ben Luc  Long Thanh and Dau Giay  Phan Thiet expressways, Phuoc Khanh Bridge connecting Can Gio to Nhon Trach, and Ben Thanh  Suoi Tien Metro Line which will link to Bien Hoa City.



Especially, Long Thanh International Airport project has made Dong Nais real estate market more attractive to HCMC investors as people tend to move to neighboring areas of HCMC.



At the seminar Dong Nai real estate market: opportunities and risks held by Dau Tu newspaper, it was announced that the province is home to nearly 300 property projects of domestic and foreign enterprises including those with investments of billions of U.S. dollars.



According to statistics of the market researcher Savills, Dong Nai as of 2016 had 55 housing projects supplying 30,200 apartments and land lots. However, the secondary market accounted for up to 90% with 27,600 products while the primary market provided only 2,600 products.



In general, investors focus on the land segment with long-term investment targets of five to seven years. Land prices remain low with VND4-4.5 million per square meter in Long Thanh and Nhon Trach districts and VND3.5 milion in Trang Bom and Giang Dien districts.



The market has shown signs of uncontrolled development as many local people have divided their farm land into lots to sell. Many areas of farmland of 3,000-4,000 square meters each had already been divided into smaller ones many years ago, said Nguyen Minh Khang, acting general director of LDG Group.



Due to this rampant development, numerous projects in the province without technical and social infrastructure facilities remain unsold.



Nguyen Thanh Lam, deputy director of Dong Nai Department of Construction cum chairman of the Dong Nai Real Estate Association, said the provincial housing market becomes active thanks to infrastructure development projects, especially Long Thanh International Airport project.



Industrial park and urban area development projects measuring up to 21,000 hectares around the airport have been suspended pending adjustment of zoning plans. The province has also halted the certification of farmland being split into small lots.



Lam categorized real estate projects in Dong Nai into three groups. The first group comprises of land resources in urban areas in Bien Hoa City, Long Thanh, Trang Bom and Long Khanh districts, which have been almost exhausted.



In the second group, projects with an area of 200-300 hectares each are located in localities with poor infrastructure, mainly land plots. These projects are only suitable for investors with medium-term investment targets from five to seven years.



The third group includes projects in areas without essential infrastructure facilities, and are only suitable for investors with over-10-year investment targets, he said.



Hau Giang calls for investment in seven key projects



The Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang is calling for nearly 300 million USD of investment in seven key projects, provincial officials said.



The province announced at a press conference on September 19 that it will hold an investment promotion conference in late September to announce priority projects and local incentives.



Director of the provincial Department of Information and Communication Pham Van Tuu said the projects include a rice processing for export project accompanied by a rice farming area, a ecotourism site at the Lung Ngoc Hoang nature reserve, and infrastructure construction for several industrial parks and a high-tech agricultural zone.



Hau Giang plans to offer exemption and reduction of corporate income tax for between 2-4 years and a 50 percent reduction for the next 4-9 years, with the preferential tax rates ranging from 10-17 percent.



In the framework of the investment promotion conference there will be such activities as a fair and exhibitions, and seminars on the local potential for investment and development.



Currently, there are 4,200 enterprises with a total registered capital of 45 trillion VND (2 billion USD) in Hau Giang. The province has so far attracted 40 foreign and domestic investors, who have poured capital worth 760 million USD and 66.4 trillion VND, respectively, in the local industrial zones and complexes.



VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNEVET
Naga political problem will be solved within one or two months: Governor

India

oi-PTI

Kohima, September 19: Nagaland Governor P B Acharya has urged every Naga underground group and civil society player to come onboard as he hoped that the vexed Naga issue would be solved within the next one or two months.

Interacting with media persons at the Raj Bhavan in Kohima on Monday, the governor said, "The Naga peace process is in news everywhere and I am confident, thanks to the information by my sources, that it (peace process) has come to a conclusion."

"The general elections are due within few months in the state and I hope a solution to the Naga political problem will come within next one-two months," Acharya said.

"At this juncture, all the Naga civil societies and political parties should be prepared to accept the solution and make it a reality," he said.

"Younger people are tired and want a solution to the decades-old peace process," he said.

Asked about his role in overcoming the leadership crisis within the ruling Naga Peoples' Front (NPF), the governor said it was the internal matter of the party.

"They should overcome the trust deficit, which is also hampering the peace process and therefore, they should come together and strengthen the government," he said.

On the allegation from some quarters that the governor had 'unconstitutionally' removed then chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on July 19, Acharya said whoever had the majority should head the government.

Meanwhile, the Nagaland governor urged the 60 Naga legislators and two MPs to adopt at least one village every year in their own constituency under the 'Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' and work for the upliftment of that village.

He said the Centre provides special funds to legislators for the project.

Acharya also suggested that along side the World War-II cemetery in Kohima, there should be a "memorial of Subhash Chandra Bose and INA soldiers who died for India". He said he has written to the central government about it.

Following the announcement of civic bodies poll in December 2016 Nagaland was hit by a spate of protests . The Naga groups had demanded that the polls be declared null and void.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 14:41 [IST]
With another ISIS module busted, TN has become a paradise of Islamic Jihadists

'Medicine can also be studied in Tamil medium!' - CM Stalin's efforts are getting a growing response

Mayor Priya is not the puppet but the savior - How did Chennai recover from the floods?

'None can topple my govt,' says Palaniswami

India

oi-PTI

Salem (TN), September 19: On a day when 18 AIADMK MLAs loyal to Dinakaran were disqualified, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami asserted that his government could not be toppled, though some forces harbored such hopes.

"Some think the government can be toppled. That is never possible as workers and supporters have put in their hard work for its formation," he said in a veiled attack on sidelined party leader T T V Dhinkaran who is seeking his ouster.

Those who believe AIADMK could be broken, such a thought will remain a 'day dream', the chief minister said at a function in his native district Salem.

"Not just the government or the party but not even a single AIADMK supporter could be bought," Palaniswami, who has been targeting the opposition DMK in recent days, asserted.

Referring to the merger of the two factions led by himself and his deputy O Panneerselvam on August 21, he said "those who parted ways united," and assured "we will rerieve the lost (Two Leaves) symbol."

The party is being steered with the blessings of AIADMK stalwarts, its founder M G Ramachandran and late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, he said.

The chief minister also trained his guns against AIADMK's arch-rival DMK, saying the main opposition party's attempts to capture power had been "shattered" by the AIADMK supporters.

Following the earlier split in the party, DMK had ambitions of capturing power, but that could not happen as supporter of "Amma" (late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa) had "shattered" them, he said.

Palaniswami further said that today many think this AIADMK can be broken, that it can be finished. But that will never happen. "As long as people's support is there, this party cannot be shaken or even touched by anybody," he added.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 9:57 [IST]
Pradyuman Thakur murder case: Accused will be tried as an adult

Pradyuman murder: Why is the juvenile being tried as an adult accused

Pradyuman murder case: HC judge recuses himself from hearing bail plea of Ryan school trustees

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Punjab and Haryana High Court judge, Justice A B Chaudhari, on Tuesday recused himself from hearing anticipatory bail application of Ryan International School's top officials in connection with the Pradyuman Thakur murder case.

The judge of the Punjab and Haryana HC declined to hear, saying he knows the accused personally.

The school's founding chairman and managing director, Augustine Pinto, and his wife Grace Pinto, who is the chairperson of the school, have along with their son Ryan Pinto sought anticipatory bail.

The court was hearing anticipatory bail plea of Ryan Pinto, Grace Pinto and Francis.

The matter will be transferred to Chief Justice of Haryana and Punjab HC. Also, a different bench will hear the matter now.

The anticipatory bail plea was filed in the High Court Registry on September 16. But it was filed again after removal of certain objections raised by the court Registry in the matter.

On September 14, the Bombay High Court had rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of the three trustees of Ryan Group in connection with the murder of the boy.

Seven-year-old Pradyuman, a class 2 student, was found with his throat slit on the morning of September 8 in the toilet of Ryan International School in Gurgaon.

The police has alleged that 42-year-old bus conductor Ashok Kumar killed him with a knife after the boy resisted an attempt to sodomise him.

OneIndia News
Pradyuman murder: Why is the juvenile being tried as an adult accused

Pradyuman murder case: SC directs Gurgaon Bar Association not to obstruct proceedings

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, September 18: The Supreme Court, while hearing a plea by an official of the Ryan Group who has been arrested in the case, observed that the resolution passed by the Gurgaon District Bar Association asking advocates not to represent accused in the case, was "absolutely erroneous".

The Supreme Court paved the way for the accused in the murder case of a student at the Ryan International School to be defended by their advocates, directing the lawyers' body not to obstruct the proceedings before the trial court in any manner.

"Tradition of Bar is that they are under an obligation not to obstruct any lawyer from appearing for anyone whosoever he or she is. This resolution is absolutely erroneous in law," a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said.

However, the lawyer appearing for the lawyers' body told the bench that the resolution has been withdrawan and lawyers were free to appear on behalf of the accused.

"We must say without any hesitation that any accused, whatever the offence may be, has a right to be represented by an advocate. The tradition of bar does not authorise any bar association to pass a resolution like this.

"However, the solace is that realising the fault, the bar association has withdrawn it (resolution)," the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi and advocate Sandeep Kapur, appearing for northern zone head of Ryan Group, Francis Thomas, told the bench that after the bar association's resolution, no lawyer was ready to appear for the accused.

"This is what we are facing. No lawyer is appearing for the accused," Rohatgi argued, adding, "I (Thomas) have faced such a hostile atmosphere there".

The bench also made it clear that the office-bearers and members of the lawyers' body could be held responsible for causing any obstruction and disturbance in the entry and exit of the accused persons, their lawyers and family members.

When counsel for the bar body said the resolution has been withdrawan, Rohatgi asked why this matter cannot be transferred from the Sohna district court to a competent court in Delhi.

The case is presently pending before a court competent to deal with the matters under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Sohna.

In its order, the apex court noted that since the lawyers' body has withdrawan the resolution, the accused could get himself represented by a lawyer before the court.

While noting the assurance given by the counsel appearing for the lawyers' body, the bench said, "none of the members of the bar and other persons shall create any kind of impediment to any counsel appearing for the petitioner (accused)".

Meanwhile, advocate Sandeep Kapur said Ryan International School's CEO Ryan Pinto and his parents - Augustine Pinto and Grace Pinto - have moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the matter and their plea would come up for hearing tomorrow.

The police has alleged that 42-year-old bus conductor Ashok Kumar killed him with a knife after the boy resisted an attempt to sodomise him. Seven-year-old Pradyuman, a class 2 student, was found with his throat slit on the morning of September 8 in the toilet of Ryan International School in Gurgaon.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 9:45 [IST]
JEE Main 2023 exam dates to be out soon: Check details

RML junior doctor found dead in Delhi flat

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

A postgraduate student of anesthesiology at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital allegedly committed suicide at his rented accommodation in Old Rajinder Nagar on Monday. Police found his body hanging inside his rented accommodation.

Sidharth Shankar Mahapatra, 26, a native of Odisha, had a history of depression and was under treatment, according to An RML hospital spokesperson.

Police denied revery of any suicide note, however, a handwritten note, reportedly found in his room by his friends, was circulated on WhatsApp groups.

As per Hindustan Times, which has the possession of the handwritten note reads: "Life is an illusion. It seems like space, all empty. The physical matter I feel like disappearing from this planet. I am unable to satisfy my hunger though I eat too much. I am unable to satisfy my thirst, though I drink too much. I could not feel the heat, the smell, the fragrance. The energy inside my body is drained."

"...this is something horrible. All I want is to live like a bird...I want to sleep in the lap of mother nature...," the note read.

The deceased's roommate, Abhishek Tirkey, said that Mahapatra was a jovial person and never mentioned any problems.

The hospital spokesperson said they have handed the note to the police.

Police said a forensic team inspected the room and also sent the body for post-mortem.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 12:56 [IST]
Rohingya issue is foreign policy matter, not judicial: Mukul Rohatgi

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

A day after the Union Government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court against accommodating the Rohingya Muslims in India, former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi on Tuesday said the Rohingya issue is a matter of foreign policy and not the one that can be "judicially reviewed".

He told news agency ANI that if India decides to not allow Rohingyas then the international community cannot ask it to take allow refugees.

Rohatgi's comment came a day after the Centre on Monday in its affidavit said the presence of Rohingya Muslims in India is a drain on India's resources and a serious security threat to the country.

"It is a matter of foreign policy, not a matter that can be judicially reviewed by a court...If India says we won't allow them in our country then no international body can ask it to take them in," Rohatgi said.

The Centre had further said that it is completely within the executive policy how to deal with illegal immigrants such as Rohingya Muslims. The affidavit was filed in response to a petition against the deportation of Rohingya Muslims from India.

The centre said that it has inputs from intelligence agencies about links of some Rohingya Muslims with Pakistan's ISI and Global terror networks such as the Islamic State.

Further, t was stated that is an organised network of touts operating in Myanmar and West Bengal and Tripura to facilitate illegal Rohingya influx.

[Stay off Rohingya Muslim matter, Centre tells Supreme Court]

The influx started in 2012 and there are around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims in India.

In a 15 page affidavit, the Centre said that the SC should keep off the executive policy in dealing with illegal Rohingya migrants. Further the reply stated that there are intelligence inputs stating that some illegal migrants have links with Pakistan based terror groups and are trying to spread violence in India. Militant elements among Rohingyas are active in Delhi, Hyderabad, Mewar and Jammu and are posing serious threat to national security.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 18:23 [IST]
Rahul Gandhi invites Siddaramaiah for sprint during Bharat Jodo Yatra and this happens next [watch]

Siddaramaiah accused of nepotism towards 'community man', sanction sought to prosecute

India

oi-Anusha

Accusing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of nepotism, an activist has sought the Governor's sanction to initiate criminal proceedings against him. V Shashidhar, the president of Police Maha Sangha has accused Siddaramaiah of indulging in nepotism and wants him prosecuted under section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption act.

In a three-page complaint letter to Governor Vajubhai Vala, Shashidhar has accused Siddaramaiah of appointing Congress MLA and a man from his community, N Nagaraj from Hoskote assembly constituency as Chairman of Bengaluru International Airport Area Planning Authority in Devanahalli in violation of rules.

"Due to political pressures, compulsion and for extraneous reason Chief Minister has directed the Chief Secretary to appoint the said MLA to BIAAPA, modifying the earlier order made to the Karnataka Food and Civil supplies corporation as its chairman," the complaint copy said. "The CM is overriding procedural aspects to make the appointments. He is recommending his own partymen to coveted posts to various boards whimsically. These political appointments are not only causing a loss to the exchequer but are also unfair to the people of Karnataka," Shashidhar has claimed.

Apart from attaching two executive orders from the Karnataka government first making an appointment with the Food and Civil supplies department and then overriding it with Nagaraj's appointment, Shashidhar has also included the criterion under which such appointments are to be made.

A member of the planning authority, other than a person appointed as a member by virtue of office shall possess the following eligibilities:

He shall be a person ordinarily resident in the local planning area he must be associated with Town Planning work at leader for one year in bodies such as municipalities, village panchayats, town improvement boards, city improvement board, planning authorities or the state town planning boards

He must be a qualified Town Planner or architect or engineer practicing in the state, the period of such practice being not less than five years

He must be a specialist such as an Economist, Geographer, Sociologist or Legal Practitioner

The complainant alleges that Nagaraj does not fit any of the criteria and hence his appointment was purely political. Shashidhar had embarrassed the Siddaramaiah government by calling for a massive protest of police constabulary in the state that had forced the Home Minister to take notice.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 17:50 [IST]
Suspicious object triggers bomb scare at Mangaluru airport

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

A suspicious object, which appeared like a cellphone bomb initially, was found in a baggage at Mangaluru Airport on Tuesday.

The object was detected during the X-ray scanning of the baggage belonging to a Dubai bound passenger. Mangaluru-Dubai flight was delayed after the detection of the suspicious object which was later found to be a self made power bank.

"It was a self made power bank, after through check pax was allowed to proceed," news agency ANI quoted Mangaluru Police Commissioner TS Suresh as saying.

IndiGo airline had earlier tweeted: "IndiGo's alert security screener staff at Mangalore caught a suspect carrying alleged cellphone bomb today.

Airport security and the local police were rushed to the airport to probe the matter. The Central Industrial Security Force dog squad was also pressed into service. An explosive trace detection test was conducted which showed it was not an explosive, said reports.

It was later found that the object was a self made power bank.

OneIndia News
'Modi promised loan waiver to farmers, but wrote off bank dues of his industrialist-friend'

Farmers will become lethargic says Manohar Khattar on loan waiver

UP loan waiver turns cruel joke, Mathura farmer gets loan relief of 1 paisa

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

A farmer from Mathura on Tuesday was in for a shock after he received a certificate waiving off one paisa of his outstanding farm loan of over Rs. 1.5 lakh under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's much-hyped farmer loan waiver scheme.

Chiddhi, who owns a few bighas of land, said he had taken a crop loan of Rs. 1.55 lakh from the Punjab National Bank about six years ago.The certificate, handed over by the district administration, gave a waiver of just 1 paisa on his outstanding loan.

This government is making fun of us farmers," Chhiddi told TOI, further adding that he doesn't know if this is a mistake by the bank or reality.

He claimed that others who had taken similar loans had received a full waiver.

Recently, In Etawah district, the government handed over the certificate of waiving off 19 and 50 paise to the dismay of several poor farmers.

The state government has announced a Rs 32,000 crore scheme to waive farm loans of up to Rs 1 lakh by lending institution as on or before March 31, 2016.

The state ministers reportedly blamed it on typing error or faulty software.

OneIndia News
If Cong is elected in HP, decision on 1 lakh govt jobs, pension scheme in 1st cabinet meet: Rahul

Jaitley takes a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, says embarrassed over his remarks on dynasty politics in India

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday took a dig at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi over his comments on dynasty politics in India.

Launching a scathing attack on Rahul, the union minister said "Some parties may think that being centered around dynasty is an asset, but in the long run it becomes a burden."

"I was feeling ashamed when someone, while visiting the US said dynasties are commonplace in India, from politics to business," Jaitley added.

Jaitley remarks come after Rahul Gandhi's speech in UC Berkeley where he spoke about dynasty politics in India.

"Most parties in India have that problem. So don't give us stick because Akhilesh Yadav is a dynast. Stalin is a dynast. (Prem Kumar) Dhumal's son is a dynast, even Abhishek Bachchan is a dynast. That is how India runs," he had said.

Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said that dynasty and democracy cannot go together as democracy by definition is the will of the people.

"I used to say it earlier, but now I hesitate to say it because I am out of politics. Dynasty in democracy is nasty but it is tasty to some people. That is a weakness of our system," he said.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 16:43 [IST]
India's stand on Rohingyas gracious so far but housing them would be risky

'We love India', say Rohingyas on being tagged as security threat by govt

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, Sep 19: On the one hand, the minority Rohingya Muslims are fleeing in lakhs from Myanmar due to wide-scale violence and persecution perpetrated against them by the government of the country.

According to an estimate by the United Nations, around four lakh Rohingyas have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh in the last three weeks.

On the other hand, around 40,000 Rohingyas taking refuge in India for the last few years are facing the probable deportation from the country as the Narendra Modi government stated that the illegal immigrants pose serious security threat to the nation.

On Monday, the Centre told the Supreme Court that Rohingya Muslims are "illegal" immigrants in the country and their continued stay posed "serious national security ramifications". The government said it may file in sealed cover the details of the security threats and inputs gathered by the various security agencies in this matter.

Recommended Video

Rohingya crisis: Terror groups eye refugees to wage Jihad | Oneindia News

In the last few days, Rohingyas staying in various parts of the country have requested the Indian government not to deport them as they would be killed once they land in Myanmar.

The Rohingyas in their defence added that they have no connection with terror outfit back in Myanmar and are registered refugees under the United Nations High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR).

Speaking to The Indian Express, Rohingyas staying in the national capital said that they love India and would never join forces against the country.

"Look at these children, do they look like terrorists? We love India... it's only when we came here that we realised what peace is, what living is, what laughing is. Why will we join forces against India?" Jaffar (27), a Rohingya refugee, was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Many Rohingyas have said that they would prefer to kill themselves in India only, instead of going back to Myanmar or Bangladesh. The Rohingyas claimed that if they go back to Myanmar they would be killed by the military of the country. They also don't want to go to Bangladesh as living conditions in the country were worse.

The violent attacks allegedly by Myanmarese armymen have led to an exodus of Rohingya tribals from the western Rakhine state in that country to India and Bangladesh.

Many of those who had fled to India after the earlier spate of violence, were settled in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan.

The Centre told the apex court that since India is not a signatory to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951, the obligations concerned to non-refoulement is not applicable.

"That the provisions of Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951 and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1967 cannot be relied upon by the petitioner since India is not a signatory of either of them.

It is respectfully submitted that the obligation concerning the prohibition of return/non-refoulement is a codified provision under the provisions of 1951 Convention referred to above. It is submitted that this obligation is binding only in respect of the States which are parties to the Convention.

Since India is not a party to the said Convention, or the said Protocol, the obligations contained therein are not applicable to India," the Centre told the Supreme Court.

"As evident from the constitutional guarantee flowing from Article 19 of the Constitution, the right to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India as well as right to move freely throughout the territory of India is available only to the citizens of India... No illegal immigrant can pray for a writ of this Court which directly or indirectly confer the fundamental rights in general...," the affidavit filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs added.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 10:55 [IST]
Will Devendra Fadnavis' govt survive without Shiv Sena in Maharashtra? BJP seems confident

India

oi-Anusha

While Shiv Sena is threatening to pull back from the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra, the latter in unfazed. The BJP believes that the Devendra Fadnavis government will survive whether or not Shiv Sena decides to withdraw its support from the coalition government.

Here is what makes the BJP confident:

With 122 seats in the 288-seat Maharashtra assembly, the BJP is 23 seats away from the magic figure of 145 to enjoy a simple majority. The Shiv Sena, with 63 seats, is the junior partner in the coalition government. Despite having 12 ministers in the 39-member council of ministers in the Fadnavis government, the Shiv Sena has been a troublesome ally. Now, with the party sounding threats, the BJP is preparing its plan B.

The rumors over BJP warming up to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ruffled feathers in the Shiv Sena camp. While the Congress has 42 seats in the assembly, NCP has 41. The two parties are a joint opposition but cracks are developing in their united camp. A leader of the BJP who did not wish to be named told newspapers that his party already had a Plan B. If the Shiv Sena quits the alliance, the BJP will depend on the support of smaller organizations and independent members to achieve simple majority.

According to the leader's quote, the BJP, despite being in a position to consider a fresh partnership with the NCP led by Sharad Pawar, has decided to look towards independents. The BJP is quoted as saying that the party will not depend on any one political party to cobble up the numbers but will instead garner the support of smaller parties and independents. Apart from the four major parties, Maharashtra has 2 MLAs from AIMIM, 3 MLAs from Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi, 1 each from Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM), Communist Party Of India (Marxist) , Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP).

The state has seven independent candidates, all of whom, the BJP hopes to get the support from. Three more MLAs are from Peasants And Workers Party Of India. The BJP hopes to stitch support together from various smaller quarters instead of depending on one partner who, like Shiv Sena, may threaten to topple the government. The Shiv Sena, meanwhile, as expected refused to state in clear words whether or not it intended to withdraw from the coalition. For now, as party MP Sanjay Raut tweeted, it continues to be "wait and watch".

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 20:00 [IST]
Yeddyurappa's North Karnataka bid is more out of a lack of choice

India

oi-Anusha

The BJP's rise in North Karnataka constituencies in electoral politics over the years has been nothing short of brilliance and the party is in no mood to let the momentum stop. In a purported masterstroke, the BJP has decided to field state unit president and Chief minister candidate B S Yeddyurappa from North Karnataka.

The move may seem like a step towards consolidating Lingayat votes in the state but party insiders believe it has more to do with a lack of choice for B S Yeddyurappa in the face of decision making by the RSS.

B S Yeddyurappa's home turf Shikharipura in Shivamogga will see a different candidate this time around as he prepares to contest from either Bidar, Bagalkot or Vijayapura (previously Bijapur). The demand is for Yeddyurappa, a Lingayat strongman to contest from the heartland of the community. While Yeddyurappa has meekly agreed to shift base, the decision may have been out of a lack of choice.

"Every shred of strategy will be used to win and if this (Yeddyurappa contesting from North Karnataka) helps then so be it. The idea may have come from RSS but it is unsubstantiated," said a BJP leader from Karnataka.

She highlighted how the state leadership currently does not have the power to overrule the central leadership currently. "If the central leadership decides, we have to follow. We don't have too many choices. B S Yeddyurappa can say no if he really wants to but he will consider it because he wants to win," the leader added.

Analysts believe that fielding B S Yeddyurappa from North Karnataka will appeal to a three-point strategy. "No political party in Karnataka has been able to come to power without performing well in the North Karnataka regions historically speaking. Fielding B S Yeddyurappa from there is very much for this reason as it is to counter the Veerashaiva- Lingayat row," said Dr Sandeep Shastry, Psephologist and Pro Vice Chancellor of Jain University in Bengaluru. He highlighted how the third reason was to counter the fights within the BJP state unit. "By moving B S Yeddyurappa away from Shivamogga, the party will put an end to all disagreements within the unit," he added.

Yeddyurappa is certain to win irrespective of the constituency he contests from, is BJP's belief. What the party also believes is that the notion of a candidate from North Karnataka becoming Chief minister may work out in its favour.

During a review meet headed by Amit Shah last month, B L Santhosh, the joint organising Secretary of the BJP, was given additional powers of decision making. The proposal to field Yeddyurappa from North Karnataka, partymen believe, stems from there. While everyone in the BJP is confident of Yeddyurappa's victory, his supporters are worried about the leader's political image if the tide is not in his favour. Will the move finish him off politically is their worry.

OneIndia News
26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed's party to contest 2018 Pak polls: What does this mean

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The 2018 elections in Pakistan will see Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief, Hafiz Saeed's party contesting. The party finished third in a crucial by-poll that was held recently.

Last month, Jamaat-ud-Dawah, a front for the Lashkar-e- Taiba militant group that carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attack, announced that it was launching the Milli Muslim League.

Sheikh Yaqoob, a JuD-backed candidate who was defeated by ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's wife Kuslsoom from a parliamentary seat that fell vacant after he was disqualified by the Supreme Court, said the new front "will field candidates in every constituency of the country in next year's election."

Yaqoob wanted to contest Sunday's election from Milli Muslim League, launched just before the NA-120 by-poll, but could not do so as the Election Commission of Pakistan is yet to register it as a political party.

Yaqoob was placed in 2012 on a US Treasury sanctions list of those designated as leaders of terrorist organisations, The New York Times reported.

"We have got a very good response in NA-120. It was our first election and people have welcomed us," said Yaqoob, who contested as an independent candidate.

"We are here to stay in the political field. People want a party that talks about making Pakistan strong against its enemies - India, United States and Israel - and at the same time help them in solving their basic livelihood problems," he said.

Legitimising the terror group:

Experts say that not only does this move give this terror group legitimacy, but it was launched at a time when the political situation in Pakistan is extremely volatile.

It is also a well known fact that the boss of this outfit, Hafiz Saeed is a favourite of the ISI and Pakistan army.

MML chief Khalid, at the launch ceremony in Islamabad on Monday, outlined that the party kept Saeed in high regard, but stopped short of mentioning what role he would play. There is still no clarity on the role Saeed would play. However, experts indicate that he will play a major role and would be the centric figure once he is released.

Khalid is an old member of the JuD central leadership himself and the group's links to the LeT raise concerns of allowing terror elements access into national politics. The party's chief has announced that they have made the political party so that Pakistan is made a "real Islamic and welfare state".

The new party submitted its registration to Pakistan's Election Commission. The registration is required in order to be able to field candidates for elections. Saeed missed the launch as he is under house arrest. The MML will closely work with the JuD and the latter's network of thousands of volunteers. The party chief said that he will also also "maintain coordination with JuD and all other like-minded organisations that hold the ideology of Pakistan... we will offer them our cooperation, and accept theirs."

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 15:36 [IST]
Germany: Islamic State suspect arrested in Berlin

International

pti-PTI

Berlin, Sep 19: German authorities say they have arrested a 31-year-old Iraqi man on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organisation and war crimes as part of the Islamic State group.

Federal prosecutors said today the man, identified only as Raad Riyadh A A in line with privacy laws, was apprehended in Berlin yesterday.

They allege he joined IS in Mosul in June 2014 and participated in the killing of two Shiite Muslims.

Four months later they say he was involved in the execution of a captured Iraqi military officer. He is also accused of extorting money from businesses to support IS.

After arriving in Germany in July 2015, prosecutors say, he tried to recruit two other Iraqis and convince a third to carry out a suicide attack.

PTI
Sky News 13 Nov 2022

Dua Lipa has denied reports she will be performing at the World Cup opening ceremony, saying she will only visit host nation Qatar..
by  Graham Pierrepoint



Theres perhaps nothing quite as fascinating as looking back on how far weve come as a human race  and thankfully, weve always bene keen to record and reminisce on our various high points. Sadly, there are plenty of low points, too  and more than enough moments that weve learned from as a society since. Regardless of which category our trips fall under, you can always count on the One News Page time machine to give you an educational journey like no other  so strap in and lets see what happened this week in times gone by!

September 18th, 1964  The Addams Family Premieres

Theyre creepy, theyre kooky, theyre pop culture favorites  currently doing the rounds on the stage, the oddball family to end them all first hit our screens on ABC 53 years ago this week.

September 19th, 1975  Fawlty Towers Premieres

and eleven years and one day later, the sitcom often regarded as the funniest ever made  though criminally short with just twelve episodes to its name  opened its doors to the public 42 years ago this week. The obnoxious and uptight Basil Fawlty is still-regarded as one of TVs most celebrated comic characters.

September 20th, 1990  East and West Germany Officially Reunited

The end of an era and a symbol of the end of the Cold War  following the bringing down of the Berlin Wall in 1989, both East and West Germany re-unified through official ratification 27 years ago this week.

September 21st, 1937  The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien is Published

Decades away from its revival as a three-part movie series, the adventures of Bilbo Baggins in Middle Earth were first brought to public attention 80 years ago this week. Time to dig the book  and the DVDs  back out!

September 22nd, 1997  Elton Johns Candle in The Wind 1997 Released in the US

It was a fitting tribute record to the shock passing of Diana, Princess of Wales  and Elton Johns reworking of his classic number, originally written about Marilyn Monroe, would break huge chart records in the UK and Canada.

September 23rd, 1974  BBC Ceefax Debuts

Its a service that defined a generation of TV watchers in the UK  and though it is sadly no longer with us, BBCs teletext service, Ceefax, was a precursor to the internet that celebrates its 43rd birthday this week.

September 24th, 1952  First Kentucky Fried Chicken Opens

Salt Lake City, Utah, is the home town of KFC  and 65 years ago this week, Colonel Sanders oversaw the first ever restaurant open to the public. Its a franchise that continues strong to this day, even decades after Sanders passing.

Join us again next week for another trip or two down memory lane!
by  Graham Pierrepoint



The United Nations is, generally, seen as a hub for the various countries of the world to come together and to discuss matters at large that concern the various innocent millions that their leaders represent. It is also a stage for much drama  and with North Korea having recently defied the advice of the UN to continue nuclear testing  which could have the potential to reach as far afield as US shores  it seems that time is slowly ticking away for a suitable resolution to be found in the body of the UNs member states.

US President Trump has made a speech to the UN to advise that the US will totally destroy the reclusive state should they pose a threat to America  though that such action will hopefully not be necessary. His speech is his maiden address to the UN General Assembly in New York  and he took his time on the podium in an effort to rally support to come together against Kim Jong Un, who, in idiosyncratic Trump fashion, referred to the dictator as a rocket man on a suicide mission. While not everyone may find the Presidents rhetoric or phrasing to always be appropriate, it cannot be denied that he has the US safety in light of Pyongyang threats at the forefront of his agenda.

Trump also took time to advise on rogue nations  that countries such as Iran were exporters of violence in the Middle East and that a nuclear handshake with the country was an embarrassing move. Its thought that Trump may continue to oppose the likes of Iran as he continues to rally against North Korea, who has arguably provided the dominant threat to world peace in recent weeks.

North Koreas escalating rhetoric and continued testing of nuclear weapons  some which are thought to be more powerful than those deployed during World War II  has understandably concerned much of the civilized world. Trump has famously held back on taking action so far with a wait and see attitude  clearly indicating he is willing to act if Pyongyang makes the first move  while Russias Vladimir Putin has continued to assert that peaceful discussion is the most prudent route to diffusing the rising tension levels. Could we be heading into a different kind of Cold War  and could peaceful discussion be enough to appease Mr Kim?
 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd.

All rights reserved.

One News is a registered trademark

of One News Page Ltd.
Rumble 13 Oct 2022

Former leader of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi has been given more prison time bringing her total to 26 years in prison after a court..
Hadoop Market Rising Popularity of Big Data Analytics to Present Long-term Growth Opportunities

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/hadoop-market.html

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=719

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/719

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

In the consolidated global Hadoop market, the top three vendors, Cloudera, Inc., Hortonworks, Inc., and MapR Technologies, Inc., held a collective share of over 50% in 2014, with small- and medium-sized companies accounting for a nearly 41% share in the global market in the same year.With demand for Hadoop solutions rising at a rapid pace from companies overwhelmed with the persistently mounting volumes of digital data, an increased number of companies will venture in the market in the next few years, states TMR in a recent report.The largest contributor to the market in 2014 was Cloudera, Inc., which held over 20% of the market. Technology giants such as IBM Corporation and EMC Corporation presently account for relatively smaller share in the market but are steadily contributing towards the further development of this market with innovative Hadoop solutions.Obtain Report Details:IBM Corporation has adopted the course of mergers and acquisitions to bolster its position in the global Hadoop market and could report a greater share in the pie in the coming years, notes TMR.Rising Popularity of Big Data Analytics to Present Long-term Growth OpportunitiesBetter cost effectiveness and faster processing of voluminous quantities of data compared to conventional data processing solutions such as RDBMS are two of the most encouraging factors boosting the global adoption of Hadoop.Other major drivers of the market include the exponentially rising unstructured data volumes, the increased demand for big data analytics, and Hadoops potential in bridging the operational gap between managers and database management.Make Enquiry @Cost effectiveness and high speed of data processing are expected to have high impact on the global Hadoop markets growth over the entire period of 2015 through 2023.However, the impact of the increased demand for big data analytics will be nominal in the short term but strengthen as the time passes, quoted a TMR analyst.Emerging Markets to Deliver Most Profitable ReturnsNorth America is presently the largest regional market for Hadoop, accounting for a share of over 53% in the global hadoop market in 2014.The demand for Hadoop in North America is expected to expand at a steady rate from 2015 to 2023 as well, and the region will continue to be the dominant regional market for Hadoop over the period.However, the Hadoop market in Asia Pacific is expected to expand at the fastest pace of 30.2 % CAGR over the said period. The Asia Pacific market will present lucrative growth opportunities owing to the rising penetration of the Internet in the region, technologically and digitally improving industrial infrastructures, and the exponentially rising numbers of mobile device users.The global Hadoop market is also expected to see major traction in Europe in the next few years owing to the rising big data management capabilities across sectors such as government, retail, and BFSI in the region.Owing to the vast growth potential, leading Hadoop vendors are aligning their expansion strategies towards these regions. Cloudera, Inc. has recently opened a new branch in Londdon. MapR has also ventured in the European market via its new subsidiary in Paris.These factors will allow the market to tread along a momentous growth path in the next few years. TMR analysts suggest that the market will expand at an exponential 26.3% CAGR over the period between 2015 and 2023. With such excellent growth prospects, the market, which had a valuation of US$308.1 mn in 2014, is expected to rise to US$2,429.0 mn by 2023.Get TOC @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:
Propoxur Global Report 2017-2022 Bayer Cropscience, Jiangsu Changlong, BASF Cropscience

Propoxur Market

http://bit.ly/2w2AeQD

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-propoxur-market-2017-demand-insights-key-palyers-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/

Propoxur Market Research ReportA market study  Global Propoxur Market  examines the performance of the Propoxur market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Propoxur market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Propoxur market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Request For Sample Report:The Global Propoxur Market 2017 report includes Propoxur market Size, Revenue, market Share, Propoxur industry volume, market Trends, Propoxur Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Propoxur Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Propoxur Market 2017:Bayer CropscienceJiangsu Changlong ChemicalsBASF CropscienceFMC AgriculturalKenvos BiotechSinoharvestPropoxur Market : Application AnalysisApplication 1Application 2Propoxur Market : Type AnalysisType IType IIFirstly, the report covers the top Propoxur manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Get Full Research Report of Propoxur Market @Further, the Propoxur report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Propoxur industry, Propoxur industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Propoxur Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Propoxur 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 Propoxur market revenue worldwide.Finally, Propoxur 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.5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAContact: +1-214-661-1669Web:
Pilot Operated Valves Global Report 2017-2022 SMC Corporation, M&J Valve, GEMU

Pilot Operated Valves Market

http://bit.ly/2xLomqJ

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-pilot-operated-valves-market-2017-demand-insights-key-palyers-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022/

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/

Pilot Operated Valves Market Research ReportA market study  Global Pilot Operated Valves Market  examines the performance of the Pilot Operated Valves market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Pilot Operated Valves market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Pilot Operated Valves market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Request For Sample Report:The Global Pilot Operated Valves Market 2017 report includes Pilot Operated Valves market Size, Revenue, market Share, Pilot Operated Valves industry volume, market Trends, Pilot Operated Valves Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Pilot Operated Valves Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Pilot Operated Valves Market 2017:SMC CorporationM&J ValveGEMUNGT ValvesThe Valve GroupASTPilot Operated Valves Market : Application AnalysisApplication 1Application 2Pilot Operated Valves Market : Type AnalysisType IType IIFirstly, the report covers the top Pilot Operated Valves manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Get Full Research Report of Pilot Operated Valves Market @Further, the Pilot Operated Valves report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Pilot Operated Valves industry, Pilot Operated Valves industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Pilot Operated Valves Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Pilot Operated Valves 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 Pilot Operated Valves market revenue worldwide.Finally, Pilot Operated Valves 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.5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAContact: +1-214-661-1669Web:
Eye Shadow Brush Global Market Share 2017-2022 Lancome, Dior, Yve Saint Laurent, Chanel

Eye Shadow Brush Market

http://bit.ly/2jFAmnw

http://bit.ly/2wpfZkf

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/

Eye Shadow Brush Market Research ReportA market study  Global Eye Shadow Brush Market  examines the performance of the Eye Shadow Brush market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Eye Shadow Brush market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Eye Shadow Brush market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Request For Sample Report:The Global Eye Shadow Brush Market 2017 report includes Eye Shadow Brush market Size, Revenue, market Share, Eye Shadow Brush industry volume, market Trends, Eye Shadow Brush Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Eye Shadow Brush Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Eye Shadow Brush Market 2017:LancomeDiorYve Saint LaurentChanelEstee LauderShiseidoEtude HouseMaybellineBobbi BrownMarykayReal TechniquesBobbi BrownTom FordNarsLauraCharlotte TilburySuqquMACCliniqueVerdictEye Shadow Brush Market : Application AnalysisStudioPersonalEye Shadow Brush Market : Type AnalysisThe OvalFlat ShapeFirstly, the report covers the top Eye Shadow Brush manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for Buying Report of Eye Shadow Brush Market @Further, the Eye Shadow Brush report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Eye Shadow Brush industry, Eye Shadow Brush industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Eye Shadow Brush Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Eye Shadow Brush 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 Eye Shadow Brush market revenue worldwide.Finally, Eye Shadow Brush 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, USAContact: +1-214-661-1669Web:
Electronic Pipettes Global Market Share 2017-2022 Sartorius Group, Socorex Isba, Eppendorf AG

Electronic Pipettes Market

http://bit.ly/2w2UdP5

http://bit.ly/2fe0C6P

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/

Electronic Pipettes Market Research ReportA market study  Global Electronic Pipettes Market  examines the performance of the Electronic Pipettes market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Electronic Pipettes market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Electronic Pipettes market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Request For Sample Report:The Global Electronic Pipettes Market 2017 report includes Electronic Pipettes market Size, Revenue, market Share, Electronic Pipettes industry volume, market Trends, Electronic Pipettes Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Electronic Pipettes Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Electronic Pipettes Market 2017:Sartorius GroupSocorex IsbaEppendorf AGIntegra Biosciences AGDragon Laboratory InstrumentsBio-RadHirschmannLabnet InternationalCapp ApSAHN BiotechnologieBiosigmaCole-ParmerGilsonHamilton Laboratory ProductsHecht AssistentMICROLITRatiolab GmbHTopscien Instrument (Ningbo)VWRElectronic Pipettes Market : Application AnalysisChemical IndustryPharmaceutical IndustryBiological IndustryElectronic Pipettes Market : Type AnalysisMulti-ChannelSingle-ChannelFirstly, the report covers the top Electronic Pipettes manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for Buying Report of Electronic Pipettes Market @Further, the Electronic Pipettes report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Electronic Pipettes industry, Electronic Pipettes industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Electronic Pipettes Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Electronic Pipettes 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 Electronic Pipettes market revenue worldwide.Finally, Electronic Pipettes 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, USAContact: +1-214-661-1669Web:
Acrolein Market- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/704426-global-acrolein-market-3

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=704426

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/request-discount/704426-global-acrolein-market-3

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/704426-global-acrolein-market-3

A new research document with title 'Global Acrolein Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022' covering detailed analysis, Competitive landscape, forecast and strategies. The study covers geographic analysis that includes regions like United States, China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and important players/vendors such as Arkema, Dow, Daicel. The report will help user gain market insights, future trends and growth prospects for forecast period of 2022""Acrolein is a clear to yellowish, pungent liquid. Acrolein is used primarily as an intermediate component in the manufacture of chemical substances.Acrolein is a useful intermediate in the production of various compounds including methionine, methionine hydroxy analog, 1, 3 propanediol and glutaraldehyde.""Request a sample report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Acrolein 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 coversEvonikAdisseoArkemaDowDaicelHubei Shengling TechnologyWuhan Ruiji ChemicalHubei Jinghong ChemicalZibo Xinglu ChemicalPuyang Shenghuade ChemicalWuhan YoujiHubei Xinjing New MaterialBuy this report @Market 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, coversPropylene Oxidation MethodGlycerol Dehydration MethodMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoMethioninePesticideGlutaraldehydeWater Treatment AgentOthersGet customization & check discount for report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Acrolein market.Chapter 1, to describe Acrolein Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Acrolein, with sales, revenue, and price of Acrolein, 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 Acrolein, 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, Acrolein market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Acrolein sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source....ContinuedView Detailed Table of Content @Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketreport.com+1 (206) 317 1218
Process Oil Market Research Report Is Expected To Increase At High Growth Rates In The Coming Decade

https://www.alltakemarketresearch.com/enquiry/request_sample/10585

https://www.alltakemarketresearch.com/report-detail/Process-Oil-Market

Process Oil 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 Process Oil market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Process Oil in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest For Free Sample Of The Report @Global Process Oil market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingRoyal Dutch Shell PLCChevron CorporationNynas ABRepsol S.A.ExxonmobilTotalPhillips 66 CompanyIdemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.Sunoco LP (Sunoco Lubricants Europe)Orgkhim Biochemical HoldingIranol CompanyParamo A.S.Behran Oil CompanyPetronas Lubricants Belgium NvOAO LukoilAvista Oil AGParas Lubricants LimitedPetrochina Lubricant CompanyOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoNaphthenicParaffinicAromaticOthersOn 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 Process Oil for each application, includingTire & RubberPolymerPersonal CareTextileOthersObtain Report Details @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
Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology Market Size to Escalate at a Rapid Scale Through 2017-2025

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/16615

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/16615

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

ucleases are the enzyme, used to cleave DNA into smaller units. Zinc-finger (ZFN) nucleases are artificial restriction enzyme used to cleave DNA into smaller fragments. It is the class of engineered DNA-binding proteins that creates double standard break at specified locations. It consist of two functional domain, a DNA-binding domain, and a DNA-cleaving domain.A sample of this report is available upon request @DNA binding domain recognizes the unique hexamer sequence of DNA and DNA-cleaving domain consisting nuclease domain of Fok I. The fusion between the DNA-binding domain, and a DNA-cleaving domain creates artificial restriction enzyme known as molecular scissor that cleaves the desired DNA sequence. ZFN is based on the DNA repair machinery and is becoming a prominent tool in the field of genome editing.Zinc finger nucleases are useful for various biotechnological and life science applications. It is used to manipulate plants and animals for research purpose and is used in the clinical trial of CD4+ human T-cells for the treatment of AIDS. It is also used in the generation of disease model known as isogenic human disease model. The therapeutic approach involving ZFNs is associated with the problems related to viral gene delivery, ex vivo therapy involving own stem cells. Some of the disadvantages of the zinc finger nuclease technology is that sometimes cannot target the specific site, within the gene of interest and creates many double standard break and yield chromosomal rearrangements, which can lead to cell death and risk of immunological response against the therapeutic agent.The rise in the incidence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, blood pressure, obesity and others due to sedentary lifestyle has led to the excessive research and development for the development of new therapeutic agent to treat various disease condition. Benefits of Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) includes permanent and heritable mutations, are effective for the variety of mammalian somatic cell types, single transfection is enough to induce editing in gene, antibiotic screening is not required for selection. These benefits has helped researched to carry out their research process easily with limited accessories.Zinc finger nuclease will be the core technology for biotechnology companies in coming years due to its wide applications such as cell screening, cell based optimization, target validation, functional genome editing to produce higher yield of target proteins, antibodies and others. Well- established, robust protocol using zinc finger nuclease technology will deliver accurate results and boost the market of zinc finger nuclease technology in the near future.The global market zinc finger nuclease technology is segmented on basis of application, end user and geography:Segment by ApplicationCell Line EngineeringAnimal Genetic EngineeringPlant Genetic EngineeringOthersSegment by End UserBiotechnology CompaniesPharmaceutical CompaniesHospital Laboratory and Diagnostic LaboratoryAcademic and Research InstitutesThe global market for zinc finger nuclease technology is segmented into application type and end user. Based on the application type, the zinc finger nuclease market is segmented into cell line engineering, animal genetic engineering, plant genetic engineering, Based on the end user, the market is segmented into biotechnology industry, pharmaceutical company, hospital and diagnostic laboratory, academic and research institutes. Due to technological advantage of ZFN technology over other genome editing technologies, high precision, specificity, and efficacy of the zinc finger technology has projected to the growth of the zinc finger technology market in the near futureBy regional presence, the global zinc finger nuclease technology market is segmented into five broad regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. North America is estimated to account for major share followed by European countries. Mainly the U.S. & European markets, owing to its innate nature of developed healthcare infrastructure, adopts advanced technology at early stage as compared to developing economies, high pricing of drugs/medical devices/technology, increase in incidence of lifestyle diseases, that follows large patient pool etc. is estimated to maintain its leadership geographically . Significant economic development has led to an increase in healthcare availability in Asia Pacific region, growing number of research institutes, laboratories, investment in research and development and penetration of global players in Asia is expected to fuel demand for gene editing technologies such as zinc finger nuclease technology for research and development, advancement in the diagnostic and treatment process.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Some of the major players in zinc finger nuclease technology are Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC., Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. OriGene Technologies, Inc., Labomics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and others. Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC is a part of Merck Inc. and operated life science business and has reached various geographies to fulfill customer needs. Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. has developed range of gene editing technologies with therapeutic approach. Many life sciences company and large pharmaceutical company are collaborating to develop and commercialize gene editing technologies to introduce advanced life science productsAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Physical Security Equipment Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2022

Physical Security Equipment 2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2313900-global-physical-security-equipment-market-research-report-2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/2313900-global-physical-security-equipment-market-research-report-2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=2313900

WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On - Physical Security Equipment Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2022.Global Physical Security Equipment market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingJohnson ControlsSchneider ElectricSiemensBoschValeoAxis ABChamberlainHoneywellUnited TechnologiesMontaplast GmbHHanwha Techwin Co., Ltd.Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd.Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co., Ltd.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Physical Security Equipment in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoVideo SurveillanceIntruder AlarmsEntrance ControlAccess ControlThermal CamerasWireless InfrastructureOn 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 Physical Security Equipment for each application, includingBFSIHealthcareGovernmentRetailManufacturingResidentialEducationTransportationUtilities & EnergyAsk Query @Table Of Contents  Major Key PointsGlobal Physical Security Equipment Market Research Report 20171 Physical Security Equipment Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Physical Security Equipment1.2 Physical Security Equipment Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Physical Security Equipment Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Physical Security Equipment Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Video Surveillance1.2.4 Intruder Alarms1.2.5 Entrance Control1.2.6 Access Control1.2.7 Thermal Cameras1.2.8 Wireless Infrastructure1.3 Global Physical Security Equipment Segment by Application1.3.1 Physical Security Equipment Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 BFSI1.3.3 Healthcare1.3.4 Government1.3.5 Retail1.3.6 Manufacturing1.3.7 Residential1.3.8 Education1.3.9 Transportation1.3.10 Utilities & Energy1.4 Global Physical Security Equipment Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Physical Security Equipment Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Physical Security Equipment (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Physical Security Equipment Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Physical Security Equipment Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Physical Security Equipment Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Physical Security Equipment Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Physical Security Equipment Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Physical Security Equipment Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Physical Security Equipment Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Physical Security Equipment Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Physical Security Equipment Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Physical Security Equipment Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Physical Security Equipment Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Physical Security Equipment Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion..7 Global Physical Security Equipment Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Johnson Controls7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Physical Security Equipment Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Johnson Controls Physical Security Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Schneider Electric7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Physical Security Equipment Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Schneider Electric Physical Security Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Siemens7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Physical Security Equipment Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Siemens Physical Security Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Bosch7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Physical Security Equipment Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Bosch Physical Security Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Valeo7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Physical Security Equipment Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Valeo Physical Security Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Axis AB7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Physical Security Equipment Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Axis AB Physical Security Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Chamberlain7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Physical Security Equipment Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Chamberlain Physical Security Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Honeywell7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Physical Security Equipment Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Honeywell Physical Security Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinue.For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comBuy 1-User PDF@ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.
Plastic Films Market to Exceed A Value of US$ 110.49 Bn by 2024

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/plastic-films-market/toc

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12022

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/12022

www.persistencemarketresearch.com

In a new report titled Plastic Films Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2016 - 2024, Persistence Market Research analyzes the performance of the global plastic films market over an eight-year period and provides insights on the key factors and trends likely to influence the market during the forecast period (2016  2024). The global plastic films market is estimated to represent absolute $ opportunity of US$ 3,150.3 Mn in 2016 over 2015 and is projected to register a healthy CAGR of 6.1% in terms of value during the forecast period.Increasing demand for plastic films as substitutes for glass and metal is expected to be a key factor driving the growth of the global plastic films market. Moreover, plastic films are cheaper in terms of packaging, decoration, and industrial applications as compared to glass and metal packaging options. These factors are expected to fuel revenue growth of the global plastic films market over the forecast period. Growth of the global plastic films market is expected to increase significantly due to a high demand for hygienic and flexible food packaging materials. Increasing environmental concerns among consumers and shifting preference towards more eco-friendly products are other factors expected to boost the growth of the global plastic films market during the forecast period.View and Download TOC of Plastic Films Market Research Report @The global plastic films market is segmented on the basis of Product Type (PET, PVC, PP, PE, and Others (PS, PA, EVA, etc.)); Application (Packaging (Food Container, Blister Packs, Electric & Electronic purposes, Others), Decoration (Solid colors, Others), Industrial (Construction materials, Safety materials, Advertisement lighting)); and Region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa).The PET product type segment is estimated to account for the highest value share of 29.6% by the end of 2016 and is expected to gain significant market share by the end of 2026. The PET segment is estimated to be valued at US$ 20,393.5 Mn by the end of 2016 and is anticipated to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Recyclable and sustainable properties of PET are factors expected to drive global demand for PET plastic films over the forecast period. In terms of volume consumption, the PP segment is expected to contribute a comparatively higher share to the overall global plastic films market.Request and Download Sample Report @The Packaging application segment is estimated to account for the highest value share of 48.0% by the end of 2016 and is expected to gain significant market share by the end of 2026. In terms of volume consumption, the Packaging segment is expected to contribute the highest share to the overall global plastic films market during the forecast period The Decoration application segment is estimated to be valued at US$ 12,023.1 Mn by the end of 2016. The Decoration segment is expected to register a comparatively higher CAGR during the forecast period. In terms of value and volume, the Others (wood grain patterns) segment is expected to dominate the global plastic films market over the forecast period.Among regions, Europe is anticipated to register a CAGR of 6.7% in terms of value over the forecast period and is estimated to account for 29.2% volume share by 2016 end. The APAC market is estimated to represent incremental opportunity of US$ 10.17 Bn between 2016 and 2024.Buy Full Plastic Films Market Report @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global IT Cooling System Market 2017:Airedale, Climaveneta, Siemens, Pentair, KyotoCooling

IT Cooling System Market 2017

https://goo.gl/CwiLX2

https://goo.gl/Hvaxvg

Global IT Cooling System Market 2017-2022QY Market Research include new IT Cooling System market research report "2016-2022 Report on Global IT Cooling System Market Competition, Status and Forecast, Market Size by Players, Regions, Type, Application" to its huge collection of research reports.This report on the global IT Cooling System market is highly useful as it covers all the aspects which are important in determining the future of this industry. The IT Cooling System report is collated by experienced analysts who have made use of their market intelligence to cover all basic and important data about the global IT Cooling System industry.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:The IT Cooling System market report makes use of tables, charts, graphs, maps, and statistics to present the data in the easiest to understand way. The IT Cooling System market report is a comprehensive analysis of the key factors impacting the global IT Cooling System industry. This IT Cooling System market report includes both the driving factors as well as the restraining factors that are influencing the market's performance positively and negatively, respectively.Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This Research Report,1. Emerson2. Schneider3. Rittal4. STULZ5. Airedale6. Climaveneta7. Siemens8. Pentair9. KyotoCooling10. ItcoolThe current trends shaping the global IT Cooling System market and how it will influence the IT Cooling System market in the future are also studied. In addition to this, the future opportunities within the IT Cooling System market that have the potential to help the market to expand are also given in the IT Cooling System report.Enquire Here:The segments within the global IT Cooling System industry and their sub-segments are also studied in detail. This ensures that the entire IT Cooling System market is covered. The leading segment along with the declining segment and the most promising segment has been given in this IT Cooling System 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 IT Cooling System market report discusses the degree of competition, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, and a threat of substitutes, both internal and external substitute of IT Cooling System market. The threat of new entrants or the barriers faced by new players in entering the global IT Cooling System market has been discussed. This gives new players an idea as to whether they can survive in the competitive IT Cooling System market.About Us:Business Worldwide is a trusted brand in the research industry with a capability of commissioning complex projects within a short span of time with high level of accuracy. At Business Worldwide, we believe in building long-term relations with our clients. Our services cover a broad spectrum of industries including Energy, Chemicals and Materials, Automotive and Aerospace.Contact Us:Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803
Industrial Lubricants Market Analysis and Forecast Study for 2015-2025

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1010

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1010

www.futuremarketinsights.com

Industrial lubricants are defined as the fluid used to lessen the wear and tear of materials and also to reduce friction. Industrial lubricants can be either water based or petroleum based. Their primary function is to avoid metal to metal contact amongst the tools or finished components. Industrial lubricants exhibit good corrosion protection properties, excellent demulsibility and help extend the equipment life. It is used in variety of equipments to yield a particular performance level. They help achieve higher productivity and also improve efficiency of machineries. The industrial lubricants can be used in variety of applications such as automotive, industrial machinery, mining, hydraulic and many others. The selection of lubricants depends on variety of factors such as exposure to harsh chemicals, temperature, etc. However, the global industrial lubricants market is anticipated to witness a moderate single digit growth in the forecast period.Industrial Lubricants Market: Drivers and restraintsThe global industrial lubricants market is expected to witness a high growth rate in the upcoming years due to the growing automotive industry. The increasing manufacturing of vehicles is one of the major factor contributing to the growth of global industrial lubricants market. Growing demand for low viscosity fluids in automotive sector is expected to boost the industrial lubricants market in the forecast period. The increasing demand for grease in industries to continue smooth working of machineries is anticipated to help the global industrial lubricants market grow in the upcoming years. The growing food industry is also expected to be a major growth driving factor in the global industrial lubricants market. Rapid industrialization in the developing countries is also anticipated to drive the global industrial lubricants market. There are specific standards in each region pertaining to the mandatory minimum standards for the imported and manufactured industrial lubricants. Investments in research and development along with proper expansion can help the global industrial lubricant market players grow.Request For Report Sample@Industrial Lubricants Market: SegmentationThe global industrial lubricants market can be segmented on the basis of type asGear lubricantsCompressor lubricantsHydraulic lubricantsTurbine lubricantsMetal working fluidsOthers (processing lubricants, textile machinery oils, greases, etc.)The hydraulic lubricants account for the maximum share in the global industrial lubricants market. Metal working fluids as well as industrial lubricants together accounts for major share in the global industrial lubricants market.On the basis on end use industries, the global industrial lubricants market is broadly segmented as follows:AutomotiveIndustrialMarinePower generationChemicalsFood processingTextilesOthers (railways, metals, petroleum refining, etc.)The automotive industry contributes to the maximum share in the global industrial lubricants market. The industrial sector also accounts for a major share in the global industrial lubricants market.Industrial Lubricants Market: Region  wise outlookThe global industrial lubricants market is segmented into seven key regions on the basis of geography as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan and Middle East and Africa. Out of these, North America and Western Europe contribute maximum share to the global industrial lubricants market. Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness the maximum growth rate in the global industrial lubricants market in the near future. India itself accounts for a major share in the global industrial lubricants market.Visit For TOC@Industrial Lubricants Market: Major key playersSome of the key players identified in the global industrial lubricants market areExxon Mobil CorporationFUCHS LubricantsShell International Petroleum Company LimitedChevron CorporationBP p.l.cPetrochina lubricant companyBASF SEKMG ChemicalsEni S.p.AIndian Oil Corporation LtdABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Staple Gun Market - Key Growth Factors and Industry Analysis 2024

Staple Gun Market

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=17123

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17123

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

http://marketresearchreports2017.blogspot.in

Today, packaging has become a vital part of a products lifecycle predominantly because packaging protects and preserves a product from any type of harm such as leakage, contamination, damage, etc. during the course of transit, consumption, and storage. Achieving highest degree of product safety at every stage of product lifecycle is now considered to be one of the major concerns of sensitive products manufactures. Moreover, sensitive products require rigid packaging made of wood and plastic. Stapling wood and plastic has been a major pain point for the packaging industry for a couple of decades now. The introduction of staple guns has brought some relief. Staple guns are mainly used to drive heavy duty metal staples into wood, plastic, or any other hard surface. Sometimes, staple guns are also referred to as trigger trackers and are used in a variety of applications including insulation, carpeting, wiring, roofing, house wrap, upholstery, and craft material. These staple guns are quick and grant longer shelf life to a packaged good. The rising demand from packaging industry is anticipated to fuel the growth of the staple gun market over the forecast period.Browse Full Report With ToC @Staple Gun Market- Market Segmentation:The global staple gun market is segmented on the basis of type, application and staple leg length. On the basis of type, staple gun market can be segmented into manual, electric and Pneumatic. Electric staple guns can set staples at a quicker rate than compared to manual or pneumatic staple gun. On the basis of application, staple gun market can be segmented into Insulation, house wrap, roofing, wiring, carpeting, upholstery and craft material. On the basis of staple leg length, staple gun market can be segmented into 4.5mm, 6-10mm, 12 -15mm andStaple Gun Market - Market Dynamics:One of the significant factors contributing to the growth of the staple gun market is the rising demand for heavy duty corrugated packaging and it is most likely that this demand will grow along with the growth of packaging industry. Moreover, since staple guns are also easily accepted by movers and packers companies as they are quick and easy to use, their wide acceptability among movers and packers is further anticipated to drive the staple gun market over the forecast period.However, these staple guns are not suitable for soft and thin surfaces such as paper cartoons and this is one of the restraining factors that can hamper the growth of the market over the forecast period. That apart, the staple gun market is a highly fragmented market due to presence of numerous regional and local players. These manufacturers offer staple guns at a price much lower than that offered by multinational players. This has resulted in an intense price war over the years. It is expected that large multinational players will acquire small regional and local players over the forecast period.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Staple Gun Market - Regional OutlookGeographically, the global staple gun market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and Middle East & Africa (MEA). The global staple gun market is expected to witness a stable CAGR over the forecast period of 2016-2024. It is expected that due to rising construction and industrial activities, APAC will be the largest contributor to the staple gun market. The growing movers and packers industry in India and China is further expected to fuel the growth of staple gun market over the forecast period. While North America will most likely follow APAC, the rest of the world will exhibit a steady growth during the forecast period.About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers.We are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers and Consultants, who use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog:
Connected Medical Device 2017 Market Challenge, Driver, Trends & Forecast to 2024

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2111663-global-connected-medical-device-market-outlook-2024-global-opportunity-and-demand

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/2111663-global-connected-medical-device-market-outlook-2024-global-opportunity-and-demand

www.linkedin.com/company/4828928

https://twitter.com/WiseGuyReports

https://www.facebook.com/Wiseguyreports-1009007869213183/?fref=ts

Market OverviewAdvanced mobile technology has the major contribution in improving medical conditions of patients mainly in Africa and Latin America region. Nearly 70% of worlds population is adopting health applications due to its accuracy and trustworthy health information. Rising demand of health applications and advance medical treatments is fostering the digital health and connected medical device market across the globe. More than 60% of health apps were introduced by major pharmaceutical companies in 2014. Digitalization and inclination of patients towards healthier lifestyle is increasing the adoption of smart medical devices which can perform remote monitoring is bolstering the demand of connected medical devices. The collaboration of major verticals such as pharmaceuticals, data analytics, cloud technology and Internet of Things (IoT) is also transforming the healthcare industry.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Growing awareness and importance of development in advanced healthcare solutions is expected to boost the R&D investments in the connected medical devices market. For instance, in 2017 Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), offers funds to stimulate the health information technology systems and improve primary care in the U.S., which is likely to fuel the growth of connected medical device market in this region. In 2015, USD 35 million was invested by the government of Scotland to improve remote monitoring facilities and home health diagnosis & treatment. Countries such as Chile and Argentina are also increasing their health expenditure to offer better healthcare facilities in the region.Market SegmentationThe segmentation of global connected medical devices market can be done on the following basis: Based on Product Typeo Blood Pressure Monitorso ECG Monitorso Safety Monitoring Deviceso Activity Monitoring Deviceso Others ( Pulse oximeters, Pill Dispensers) By Deviceso Wearableso Non-Wearables Based on Applicationo Remote Monitoringo Consultation and Diagnosis serviceso Treatment serviceso Fitness and Wellness services By End-Usero Hospitalso Clinicso Individual Consumerso Home HealthcareBased on Geographyo North America (U.S. & Canada) {Market Size (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Product Sales (Units)}o Latin America (Brazil, Mexico & Rest of Latin America) {Market Size (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Product Sales (Units)}o Europe (The U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden & RoE) {Market Size (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Product Sales (Units)}o Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia) {Market Size (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Product Sales (Units)}o Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa, North Africa, RoMEA) {Market Size (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Product Sales (Units)}o Rest of World {Market Size (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Product Sales (Units)}Market Size and Forecast (2016-2024)In January 2017, the FDA issued specific safety communication guidelines for web connected medical devices to reduce the risk for unauthorized access of patients data. Favorable government reimbursement policies associated with healthcare sector is likely to fuel the growth of connected medical device market in North America region. North America connected medical device market is the dominating region and acquired approximately 55% of the global connected medical devices market in 2015. North America connected medical device market is expected to reach USD 29.2 billion by 2024 from USD 11.2 billion in 2016, by registering a CAGR of 12.7% over the forecast period. Global connected medical devices market is in its embryonic stage and occupied 6% share of total medical device market in 2016 and is expected to witness a healthy growth in near future. Moreover, the global connected medical device market is anticipated to reach USD 73.1 billion by 2024 from USD 17.0 billion in 2016 and predicted to grow at an exponential CAGR of 20.0% during the forecast period, 2016-2024.On the other hand, Europe spends nearly 10% of its GDP on healthcare industry and is one of the most diverse regions which primarily focus on innovative medical technology, products and services. Countries such as Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Sweden are increasing strategic investment in research and development sector for the advancement of medicine and bioscience technology. Europe medical technology market was valued over USD 120 billion with 500,000 registered medical technologies in 2016. Europe connected medical device market is projected to occupy 25% of the global connected medical devices market during the forecast period of 2016-2024.Latin America and Middle East and Africa regions are experiencing limited growth in connected medical device market. Major part of African countries and Latin America are affected due to poor medical facilities. In 2015, Brazil and Mexico invested over 6% of their GDP in healthcare industry. However, lack of awareness, dearth of healthcare facilities and poor quality of health services in low income countries is one of the major obstacles which is hindering the growth of Latin America connected medical devices market. Although, government is investing to improve healthcare facilities and adopting advance medical technologies which is expected to create business opportunities for connected medical device manufacturers.Market Drivers and ChallengesMarket DriversRise in ageing population with increasing number of multiple chronic health issues is raising the need for extensive care and monitoring across the globe. Thus, elderly population is mainly inclining towards the adoption of connected medical devices for effective care and treatment through remote monitoring. Rising consumer awareness is the main factor which is impelling the global market for connected medical devices. Furthermore, growing popularity of wearable medical devices among consumers which are capable of detecting diabetes at an early stage is up surging the connected medical device market across the globe. High adoption of smart phones, mobile platforms and applications which helps in monitoring health issues reduces the patient admission rate in hospitals. Connected medical devices offers improvement in quality of patient care and cost reduction of health treatments. Moreover, increasing demand of point of care testing devices and connected health solutions is likely to boost global market of connected medical devices.ChallengesHigh cost of connected medical devices and lack of trained medical personnel are major barriers for the penetration of connected medical devices. Security concerns and privacy of patients data is also prohibiting the adoption of connected health solutions. Lack of tools which can monitor and secure patients data is affecting the operation of connected medical devices. Furthermore, unwillingness of consumers towards the acceptance of connected medical devices is obstructing the growth of connected medical devices market across the globe.Key Market Players Johnson & Johnson Synopsis Business Strategy Product Portfolio SWOT Analysis Cisco, Inc. iHealth Lab Smiths Group plc. Omron Corporation Aerotel Medical Systems Ltd Medtronic Inc. Philips HealthCareContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook: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.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Interesting Research Report on the Future of Power Electronics Market 2015-2025

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1024

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1024

www.futuremarketinsights.com

To control the flow of energy, the switching electronic circuits are used. These switching electronic circuits are called power electronics. Power electronics are also considered for the conversion of electric power. Such conversions are performed by semiconductor devices like diodes, transistors and thyristors etc. Power electronics devices have several advantages including optimum forward and reverse backing capabilities, simplified circuits, compact designs etc. Moreover, power electronics find its applications in connection of renewable energy resources to power grids, transportation in electric trains, motor drives and lighting. The major use of power electronics devices is heat sinking as well as soft starting of an equipment deploying power electronic devices.Global Power Electronics Market: SegmentationThe global power electronics market can be segmented into geography, types and applications. On the basis of geography, the global power electronics market can be segmented into America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Others. Considering types, the global power electronics market can be segmented into diode rectifiers, ac-dc converters, ac-ac converters, dc-dc converters, dc-ac converters and static switches. On account of applications, the global power electronics market can be segmented into industrial activities, solar power, wind power, electric cars, aerospace and consumer electronics.Request For Report Sample@Global Power Electronics Market: Region-Wise OutlookIn terms of power electronics market value, Asia Pacific is the largest geography. America being the fastest growing region, Europe is considered as a very promising market comprising of Germany and UK while Middle East also grants an impetus to the growth of the global power electronics market.Global Power Electronics Market: DriversVarious factors are fuelling the growth of global power electronics market including rapid use of renewable sources of energy followed by the increase in the adoption of electric cars and defense. ICT, telecommunications, self monitoring and diagnostics systems, hospitals and healthcare are the major fields driving the global power electronics market to grow apparently.Global Power Electronics Market:: RestraintsThere are various challenges faced by the global power electronics market like high initial costs, deposition of GaN on silica materials which is in turn very difficult to reach in high voltage ranges. Moreover, manufacturing of power electronics is way to expensive and time consuming thus posing a restraint to the global power electronics market.Visit For TOC@Global Power Electronics Market: Key PlayersThe major companies playing a key role in the manufacturing of power electronics are Enercon, Fairchild, Fuji Electric, GE Wind Energy, Mersen, Methode Electronics, Semikron Elektronic GmbH & Company etc. Microsemi Corp, Toshiba Corp, Mitsubishi Electric Corp, Vishay Intertechnology, Infineon Technology, Texas Instruments Inc are some major key players in the field of global power electronics 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 Edema Market Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2017 - Pipeline Products by Stage of Development

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2260615-edema-global-clinical-trials-review-h2-2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/conferences

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/seminars

SUMMARYWiseGuyReports published new report, title Edema Global Clinical Trials Review, H2,Edema Global Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2017" provides an overview of Edema clinical trials scenario. This report provides top line data relating to the clinical trials on Edema. Report includes an overview of trial numbers and their average enrollment in top countries conducted across the globe. The report offers coverage of disease clinical trials by region, country (G7 & E7), phase, trial status, end points status and sponsor type. Report also provides prominent drugs for in-progress trials (based on number of ongoing trials). Clinical Trial Reports are generated using proprietary database - Pharma eTrack Clinical trials database. Clinical trials are collated from 80+ different clinical trial registries, conferences, journals, news etc across the globe. Clinical trials database undergoes periodic update by dynamic process.The report enhances the decision making capabilities and helps to create an effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Scope- The report provides a snapshot of the global clinical trials landscape- Report provides top level data related to the clinical trials by Region, Country (G7 & E7), Trial Status, Trial Phase, Sponsor Type and End point status- The report reviews top companies involved and enlists all trials (Trial title, Phase, and Status) pertaining to the company- The report provides all the unaccomplished trials (Terminated, Suspended and Withdrawn) with reason for unaccomplishment- The Report provides enrollment trends for the past five years- Report provides latest news for the past three monthsKey points to buy- Assists in formulating key business strategies with regards to investment- Helps in identifying prominent locations for conducting clinical trials which saves time and cost- Provides top level analysis of Global Clinical Trials Market which helps in identifying key business opportunities- Supports understanding of trials count and enrollment trends by country in global therapeutics market- Aids in interpreting the success rates of clinical trials by providing a comparative scenario of completed and uncompleted (terminated, suspended or withdrawn) trials- Facilitates clinical trial assessment of the indication on a global, regional and country levelTable of ContentsList of TablesList of FiguresReport GuidanceClinical Trials Report CoverageClinical Trials by RegionClinical Trials and Average Enrollment by CountryTop Five Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Asia-PacificTop Five Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in EuropeTop Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in North America..CONTINUEDFor accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially checkFor updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially checkWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Global Foot and Ankle Devices Market Opportunities, Emerging Trends, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts 2024

Global Foot and Ankle Devices Market  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024

http://databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-foot-and-ankle-devices-market

http://databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-foot-and-ankle-devices-market/

http://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-foot-and-ankle-devices-market

http://databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-hemostats-market/

http://databridgemarketresearch.com/blog/

Global Foot and Ankle Devices Market, By Product (Orthopedic Implants (External Fixation, Internal Fixation), Prostheses (Single Axial Prostheses, Multi Axial Prostheses, Solid Ankle Cushion Heel (SACH) Foot and Microprocessor controlled Prostheses), Bracing and Supporting Devices), By Cause of Injury (Trauma, Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, Bunions, Neurological Disorders, Others), By End User (Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Others), By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024The Foot And Ankle Devices Market accounted to USD 4.0 billion in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Report Size:No of pages : 350No of Figures: 50No of Tables: 250Category: Orthopedic DevicesRequest for TOC@Foot and Ankle Devices Market  Market Segmentation:By product type the foot and ankle devices market is segmented into orthopedic implants, prostheses, bracing and supporting devices. Orthopedic Implants is further segmented into external fixation and internal fixation. Prostheses market is further segmented into single axial prostheses, multi axial prostheses, solid ankle cushion heel (SACH) foot and microprocessor controlled prostheses.On the basis of injury the market is segmented into trauma, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, bunions, neurological disorders, others.On the basis of End User the market is segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, others.Browse Full Report with Details TOC @Based on geography, the market is segmented into five geographical regions: North America Europe Asia-Pacific South America Middle East and AfricaThe geographical regions are further segmented into 29 major countries such as U.S. Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, U.K., Belgium, Switzerland, Belgium, Turkey, Japan, China, Singapore, Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa and others.Request For Sample:Some of the major players operating in this market areSome of the major players operating in foot and ankle devices market are Stryker Corporation, Arthrex, Inc., Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., Smith & Nephew plc, Wright Medical Technology, Inc. , Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation, Tornier N.V., Ossur, Acumed, LLC, and Extremity Medical, LLC, De Puy Synthes, BioPro, Inc., Orthofix Holdings Inc., Mondeal Medical Systems GmbH among others.Related ReportGlobal Hemostats Market- Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Hemostats Market, By Product Type (Thrombin Based, Combination, Oxidized Regenerated Cellulose Based, Gelatin Based, Collagen Based Hemostat), By Indication (Wound Closure, Surgery), By End-User (Hospitals, Clinics, Ambulatory Centers, Community Healthcare, Others), By Geography (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa)  Trends and Forecast to 2024About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit BlogData Bridge is an organization lead by well versed forecasters, analysts and researchers who indulge in detailed and diligent research on different markets, trends and emerging opportunities in the successive direction to cater to your business needs. Data Bridge aims to make your organization well acquainted with profound knowledge of the global and local market statistics.Data Bridge Market ResearchOffice Number 402 & 317, Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road, HadapsarPune  411028Maharashtra, India
Increased Awareness will Aid in Market Growth of Radionuclide Scanning Services

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/16639

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/16639

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

Radionuclide scanning also called nuclear medicine imaging is the test that scans internal body parts with the use of radioactive material. This overcomes the limitations of standard X-Ray systems to reach and scan every body part.A sample of this report is available upon request @A radionuclide is used as a label to the substance that accumulates in specific part of the body such as Iodine is used to make thyroid hormones and thus accumulates in the thyroid glands similarly, Diphosphonate accumulates where bone is repairing or rebuilding itself. The tracer is swallowed, inhaled or injected under the skin which emits gamma rays, so the doctors can detect the location of tracer by the use of special scanners or cameras. Highly qualified personnel are required for this process.Radionuclide scanning can be used to visualize images in 2D using Scintigraphy technique as well as in 3D representation using SPECT. Some of the commonly used radionuclides for the service include Iodine-131, Yttrium-90, Samarium-153, Fluorine-18 and many others.Radionuclide Scanning Services Market: Drivers & RestraintsWith the surge in the nuclear medicine imaging industry, the radionuclide scanning services market is also anticipated to increase during the forecast period. Furthermore, wide applications of the technique, painless diagnosis and in-depth analysis results in increasing the market. In most of the developing and under-developed countries, less popularity of the technique and high cost is the restraining factor for the market to grow in. The harmful effects of the radiations also hinders the growth in the diagnosis services market. Lack of skilled personnel for carrying out the diagnostic practices using radionuclide tracers is also a limiting factor in the market growth.Radionuclide Scanning Services Market: SegmentationBy Visualization Type:Heart blood flow and functionsDifferential lung functionBody Infections & inflammationsBone fracture & infectionsGall Bladder & Bile Duct FunctionsGastrointestinal bleedingTumor LocalizationOthersBy ApplicationsDiagnosisPrognosisBy Distribution ChannelsHospitalsClinicsDiagnostic CentersBy GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeLatin AmericaAsia-PacificMiddle East and AfricaLarge number of players in the market increases the competition. R&D activities, continuous innovation and improvisation of the technique also helps in moving the market ahead. Providing safe, cost effective and reliable services is the demand in the market. The brand name of various service providers are attracting the business. Various marketing strategies are adopted by the service providers to lure the doctors and patients for the services.A geographic condition regarding the radionuclide scanning services market, it has been segmented into five key regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. North America holds the largest market share in the radionuclide scanning services due to large number of service providers in the region, good reimbursement scenario and health facilities in the reach of most of the population. This is followed by Europe because of better healthcare infrastructure and large number of government funded hospitals and laboratories. Asia-Pacific is still considered to be the growing segment because of increasing number of service providers in the region, but does not meet the high population density in the region.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @The radionuclide service providers includes the hospitals and private laboratories. Some of the key players in the radionuclide scanning services market include Sonic Healthcare, Aditya Birla Health Services Ltd., Cleveland Clinic, The London Clinic, The GEL Group, Inc., Alliance Medical, Global Diagnostics and many others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
High Performance Films Market Revenue to cross USD 54 billion by 2024

http://bit.ly/2cKOjLV

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/high-performance-films-market-report

www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/715

www.gminsights.com/

The extensive commercialization of the packaging sector will lead High Performance Films Market to carve a rather profitable roadmap for itself. This can be attributed to the excellent mechanical and aesthetic properties that high performance films possess, owing to which they are used for durable and lightweight packaging applications.Flexible packaging market, slated to grow at a rate of 5% over 2016-2024, will also contribute toward high performance films industry share. These films are endowed with the characteristics of durability, high chemical resistance, high tensile strength, UV ray protection, and temperature and light control, owing to which they find applications in the food & beverage, interior decoration, and construction sectors, thereby propelling the business trends.Inquire Before Buying this report@Surging demand for coating windows and doors for the purposes of safety and security will increase the product demand. In addition, the requirement for easy-to-dispose and lightweight packaging from the F&B sector will propel high performance films market, slated to cross USD 54 billion by 2024, with a CAGR estimation of 6% over 2016-2024.These films find extensive applications across the personal care, packaging, and electronic sectors. As per estimates, high performance films industry share from packaging applications was worth USD 20 billion in 2015 and is slated to register considerable revenue over 2016-2024.Packaging applications are forecast to be one of the most lucrative end-use segments across North America and the Middle East. North America high performance films market was worth USD 4 billion in 2015 and is anticipated to register a revenue of USD 16 billion in 2024, primarily due to the escalating demand for lightweight and convenient packaging in the food & beverage sector.In addition, the barrier high performance films industry will observe excellent growth across this region, pertaining to the increasing product demand from the solar cell manufacturing and semiconductor companies, due to its excellent feature of moisture resistance. Speaking of which, barrier high performance films market was worth USD 15 billion in 2015 and is anticipated to carve out a lucrative growth path ahead.Browse Source Industry ReportHigh Performance Films Market Size By Product (Nylon, Polyester, Polycarbonate, Fluoropolymer), By Application (Safety & Security Films, Barrier Films, Microporous, Decorative), By End-Use (Personal Care Products, Packaging, Electrical & Electronics, Automobiles, Construction), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Poland, China, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE), Growth Potential, Price Trend, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024The application spectrum of high performance films industry is indeed appreciable. Subject to the product properties of chemical inertness and low moisture absorption coupled with its dielectric and low friction co-efficient properties, these films find applications across microphone, photovoltaic devices, and cable insulation, thereby propelling high performance films market trends.Polycarbonate products, endowed with the properties of high glass transition temperature, excellent impact resistance, and durability, are used in the manufacturing of automotive, & aircraft components, construction material, data storage discs (DVDs, BluRay discs, and CDs), and other electronic components. On these grounds, polycarbonate high performance films industry size will surpass 500 kilo tons by 2024, in terms of volumes.Pertaining to their widespread usage in the electronics sector, this segment will register excellent growth across Europe, subject to the highly developed electronics market in this continent. In addition, owing to the surging demand from the packaging sector, Europe high performance films industry will grow significantly over the next few years, having accounted for 28% of the overall share in 2015.High performance films market from the construction sector is anticipated to cross USD 3 billion by 2024, pertaining to the aesthetic and mechanical properties of these films. The surging automotive sector across APAC coupled with reduced manufacturing costs and the huge availability of cheap labor will stimulate Asia Pacific high performance films industry, which was worth more than USD 9 billion in 2015. In addition, APAC high performance films market from automotive sector is expected to cross 230 kilo tons by 2024, in terms of volume, with a CAGR estimation of 5% over 2016-2024. This growth can be attributed to the growing automobile production and availability of labor at low prices.Request sample pages from this report@High performance films industry involves the participation of numerous companies that accumulate a significant share of other industries as well. The reason for this may be credited to the broad end-use spectrum of high performance films market. Renowned biggies such as Bayer Material Science, Dow Chemical Company, 3M, Honeywell, Bernis, DuPont, Evonik, Sealed Air Corp., and Clopay Plastic are key participants of global high performance films market.Keeping in line with the conventional industry trends, companies often engage in partnerships and strategic collaborations with third party vendors to expand their geographical presence. The 2012 alliance between Solutia and the Eastman Chemical Company is an example of one such collaboration that served to expand the presence of the latter to a considerable extent.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:
Tuesday 19 September 2017 12:02pm



Professor Philippa Howden Chapman

A new book sets out important ideas for helping New Zealand cities resolve the challenges of providing quality, affordable housing, designing healthy transport systems and dealing with climate change.

Cities in New Zealand: Preferences, patterns and possibilities has multiple authors and was edited by Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman, Jenny Ombler and Dr Lisa Early, of the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities, hosted at the University of Otago, Wellington.

A lot of attention has been placed on the rural sector, so now its time for cities. This book focuses on improving the well-being of the 86 per cent of New Zealanders who live in towns and cities, says lead author Professor Howden-Chapman, director of the Centre.

Our cities are complex, and shaping sustainable urban policy at local and central government level requires far-sighted thinking about how land use, housing, planning and transport systems interact, as policies have subtle and long-lasting effects.

A multi-disciplinary research team from five universities (Otago, Victoria, Massey, Canterbury and Auckland) as well as NIWA, Motu and private research institutions, has been researching these issues over the past decade, led by the Centre.

Researchers in the Resilient Urban Futures programme, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), focused on the linkages between people, housing, transport, energy and the natural environment, and on measuring outcomes.

Maori researchers have looked at the foundation role Maori have had in shaping urban spaces and giving us a sense of history and place  especially where iwi have received major Treaty settlements.

The new book considers how our cities have grown and how they could grow in the future. This affects housing prices and transport costs. Ten case studies point to ways in which cities can grow more sustainably. The case studies cover issues from how communities form in new neighbourhoods, to the effect of housing and active travel on health, through to the effect of infrastructure on city growth.

City dwellers emit less carbon than people in rural areas, and the closer people live to city centres, the less they use their cars and the less carbon they emit.

But to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050, the pattern of our cities still needs to change, contends Professor Howden-Chapman.

Urban systems evolve together and are interconnected: a change in one area has flow-on effects to other areas. For example, investing in new roads tends to be at the expense of investment in public transport such as light rail, or cycle ways.

New roads generate more traffic, air pollution and runoff to waterways, and encourage people to be in cars more and to do less exercise, which increases rates of diabetes.

Another example of interconnection is investment in storm water systems: when pipes have sufficient capacity, there is less surface flooding and run-off, so the quality of nearby streams and estuaries improves.

The book also takes lessons from the Christchurch earthquakes to consider what we have learnt about governance and how to address environmental risks in future.

Historically, population growth has been towards sunshine and Auckland. However, New Zealanders preferences are gradually moving away from sprawling cities towards more compact housing patterns, where people are able to walk, cycle and take public transport to local parks, shops and schools.

For larger households it is still cheaper to live further away from the central city but, as households get smaller, they can make savings by re-locating closer to the central city.

Cities in New Zealand: Preferences, patterns and possibilities will be launched by Wellington Mayor Justin Lester, and Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson at Unity Books at 5pm on Thursday, 21 September.

For further information contact:

Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman

Director of the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities

Department of Public Health

University of Otago, Wellington

Email: philippa.howden-chapman@otago.ac.nz
Tuesday 19 September 2017 10:37am



Professor Sir Richard J. Evans, Regius Professor of Modern History, Emeritus, University of Cambridge

One of the worlds foremost historians will be in New Zealand next month to talk about truths and myths surrounding the Holocaust of World War II.

Professor Sir Richard J. Evans, Regius Professor of Modern History, Emeritus, University of Cambridge is being hosted by the University of Otago. He will give talks across its Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland campuses from October 10 to 16.

Sir Richard is a historian of 20th century Europe with a focus on Germany and World War II. He is the author of 18 books, including In Hitler's Shadow, which studies the Historikerstreit  a controversy involving accusations that some West German revisionist historians sought to white-wash the Nazi past.

Sir Richard is also well-known for his role as an expert witness in a high profile Holocaust denial court case in 2000.

Controversial anti-semite David Irving, whose contentious claims included that there was no evidence for the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz, sued American historian Deborah Lipstadt for libel after she wrote that Irving falsified German history and was a "Holocaust denier." In Londons High Court in 2000, Sir Richard produced evidence that Irvine was guilty of deliberate distortion, discrediting the claims which helped to successfully defeat the libel case.

The case has since featured in a film, Denial, released in early 2017. The movie depicts the Irving Trial and Sir Richards role as a key witness, with British actor John Sessions playing Sir Richard. It also features actor Rachel Weiss.

Sir Richard will be discussing Denials background, course and result, and assesses how far it was accurately portrayed in the movie.

In the age of global misinformation, he comments that 'fake news' and proliferating threats to democracy, real historical scholarship is more essential as a basis for debate than ever before.

Sir Richard will also be presenting a lecture War in the Nazi Imagination.

New Zealanders played a significant role in World War II, and he says debate continues to rage over the war's history, the aims and methods of the combatant nations, and the reasons for the defeat of the Axis powers.

The war was very different from previous armed conflicts. Hitler's aims were limited by neither time nor space, opening the way to a transformation of warfare from the rational and limited conflicts of the past to new kinds of open-ended armed struggle that are still with us today.

University of Otago Head of History Professor Takashi Shogimen is thrilled that Sir Richard has agreed to visit New Zealand, and that Denial will be screened and discussed as part of the lecture programme.

Sir Richard is an eminent historian whose work is of great importance so this is a significant event for us, says Professor Shogimen.

I believe it will be fascinating for New Zealanders to hear first-hand about Nazi Germany from one of the worlds notable historians. And at the same time, it is an ideal opportunity for us to discuss and debate issues around the notion of truth, an important part of historical studies but something that is also being hotly debated in this emerging fake news era.

Sir Richards expertise is a rare combination of history and the philosophy of history, and he has a reputation as an excellent communicator.

As such he is in a unique position to reflect on the depiction of the trial in the film, which involved issues of truth and falsehood, freedom of speech, history and memory. We are looking forward to hearing him discuss how Denial portrays those issues in his presentations on October 10, 15 and 16.

It is also a good opportunity for us to better understand how media such as film represents contemporary and historical reality as it presents the human aspect of history.

The Michael King Memorial Lecture in Dunedin on October 12 will look in more detail at how the Nazis conceived war.

Sir Richard argues that Hitler's belief that war was necessary for the fitness and survival of the German race led him to promote the indoctrination of German society at every level with a will to wage war and the preparedness to do so.

Perpetual conflict was the aim, and the idea that World War II would have ended had the Nazis won is an illusion; it would have been followed by other conflicts, principally with America. In this way, defeat was built in to the Nazi war effort from the beginning, he says.

The Universitys Michael King Memorial Lecture was established by the University of Otago in 2004 to commemorate the contribution of acclaimed writer Michael King to New Zealand history. Mr King was the recipient of two prestigious University of Otago Robert Burns Fellowships in 1998 and 1999.

The memorial lecture aims to make academic history relevant and accessible to a wider audience.

Sir Richard is visiting the University as a James and Jean Davis Prestige Visitor.

Dunedin

Tuesday 10 October, 5.15-7.45pm, Castle 2

Film screening of Denial and an interview with Prof Sir Richard Evans.

Thursday 12 October, 5.30-6.30pm, BURNS1

The 2017 Michael King Memorial Lecture: War in the Nazi Imagination.

Wellington

Sunday 15 October, 2-3.30pm, University's Wellington Campus - Nordmeyer Lecture Theatre

The Holocaust on Trial: Reflections on the Irving-Lipstadt Trial (2000) and the film 'Denial' (2016).

Auckland

Monday 16 October, 4.30-6.30pm (invitation only)

The Holocaust on Trial: Reflections on the Irving-Lipstadt Trial (2000) and the film 'Denial' (2016).

For further information, contact:

Professor Takashi Shogimen

Tel: 64 3 479 4164

Email: takashi.shogimen@otago.ac.nz
Following over 25 years as an employee of the City of Midland, Brian McManus said goodbye to fellow employees on Friday.

The city engineer, who began with the City of Midland in 1992, will retire and move to Traverse City, where he has purchased 15 acres of land just south of town for an apple orchard.

The Traverse City native has three children. Two of them have moved back to Michigan.

"My oldest and three grandkids are moving to Traverse City," McManus said. "That's a big draw. I'm building a new home just south of Traverse City. It will be done this fall and I want to be ready to move into it."

Following high school, McManus earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan Tech in 1980. Then he made his first stop in Midland as an employee with Bechtel Corp. He worked two years in Midland and two in Ann Arbor. But, in 1984, construction was halted on the nuclear power plant, as McManus took a job with Walker Parking Consulting.

"I traveled coast to coast on projects," he said. "We had three children, 9, 7 and 2. I'm more of a homebody. On one of my trips, I picked up a newspaper and was scanning through the classifieds and saw a job posting for the assistant city engineer in Midland."

That was 25.5 years ago. Throughout those years, he was named interim city engineer in June 1999 before being appointed city engineer the following October.

"It's been a great experience. I've estimated that I've been involved in about $200 million worth of infrastructure. Any project where asphalt goes down at 300 degrees and when it cools off, you're happy," said McManus, laughing.

But, now instead of seeing asphalt cooling off, he'll get to see apples growing.

"I grew up on a cherry farm. About five years ago, I took up grafting apples as a hobby," he said.

Since that time, he has grafted over 200 trees.

"I'm grafting a lot of different varieties. There are also a lot of variety of crisp apples, candy crisp, sun crisp, autumn crisp and wine crisp. I think I've grafted most of that family of crisp apples," McManus.

McManus leaves behind a lot of fond memories.

"Midland is great at everything. All our children went to school here. It has a phenomenal school system," McManus said. "There is everything in the community to do, from the Farmers Market to the Midland Center for the Arts to the (Pere Marquette) Rail-Trail."

But, it's been the projects that have kept him busy at Midland City Hall.

"I had no concept of the amount of projects we would have in general," he said.

Those projects included both large and small projects. He faced the challenges of the 1996 and 2017 storms that resulted in flooding.

"We did some large improvements after the 1996 storm event," he said. "We've also done some work on Saginaw Road."

He also worked on the 1992-1993 downtown streetscape and the current streetscape.

"(The 1992-1993 streetscape) was a large project. That was memorable," McManus said. "Every project has its own problems to solve."

But, he's always had the support to accomplish the variety of projects.

"I've always had good leadership to complete the projects. It's been enjoyable working with very good city managers, the dedicated staff and very professional city councils," he said. "The citizenry is very knowledgeable about the work we do and very supportive."

Now, after 40 years of being away from his hometown, it's time to leave the problems of projects behind, and return to enjoy his family and apples in Traverse City.
U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar invites students in Michigan's Fourth District to enter the 2017 Congressional App Challenge.

The contest is open to all K-12 students, who are allowed to enter individually or in teams of up to four people. The winning individual or team from the Fourth District will have its app displayed in the U.S. Capitol and on House.gov. They will also have the option to attend an event in Washington D.C. where they will be able to showcase their app alongside other winning students from across the United States.

Entries must be submitted on the Congressional App Challenge website. Rules and a checklist for submissions are online at www.congressionalappchallenge.us

The deadline for entry is noon on Nov.1.

Additional questions about the App Challenge can be directed to Moolenaar's Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-3561.
Two scientists at The Dow Chemical Co. were named 2017 American Chemical Society Fellows in August.

Mark Jones, Dow's executive strategy and communications fellow for research and development, and Al Ribes, Dow's Six Sigma master black belt for integrated supply chain improvement, are among 65 scientists who have been recognized for their outstanding achievements in chemistry and important contributions to ACS and their profession. The 2017 Fellows were recognized in August at the society's national meeting in Washington, D.C.

"I couldn't be more proud of the ACS selection of Mark and Al to this prestigious community of scientific fellows," said A.N. Sreeram, Dow's senior vice president, R&D, and chief technology officer. "In addition to their distinguished careers at Dow, both men have been passionate leaders in communicating the value of chemistry and its role in advancing society and protecting the planet."

Jones joined Dow in 1990 and has spent most of his career developing catalytic processes. Since taking his current role in 2011, he has been a strong supporter of the role of chemistry and material science in advancing industry and the economy. He has hosted ACS webinars on the successful industrial applications of chemistry and material science, and blogs for the ACS's Industry Insights. In addition, he contributed extensively to the White House's Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, looking both at technology options and improving scale-up of new technologies. He also played a large role in Dow's 2025 Sustainability Goals. He received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Ribes started his Dow career in Analytical Sciences R&D in 1991, focusing on polymer analysis. Ribes took on his current role as a master black belt in 2007, and is recognized for his contributions to corporate Improvement programs and strategic analytical partnerships with businesses, for improving project skills of several hundred professionals, and for analytical technology transfers and manufacturing support. He also has been active in helping advance ethnic and racial diversity and inclusion within the ACS and chemistry profession. He earned his Ph.D. in electrochemistry from the University of Buffalo.

Jones and Ribes join five other current and retired Dow employees in the rank of ACS Fellow since the program began in 2009.
Abdul El-Sayed is returning to Midland on Wednesday to speak about his campaign for governor.

The Midland County Democratic Party is hosting his second public appearance in Midland from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the United Steelworkers of America, 3510 James Savage Road.

At 7 p.m., the College Democrats at Central Michigan University are hosting the former physician, epidemiologist and public health expert on campus at Anspach Hall, Room 166 where he will speak with students and community members about his campaign for governor.

El-Sayed is the former health commissioner for the City of Detroit. He launched his gubernatorial campaign after witnessing the systematic failures in Flint and across the state.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Kelly Dame.

Sunday, Sept. 17

2:54 a.m. -- A Jerome Township man, 24, was arrested for drunken driving in Lincoln Township.

3:24 a.m. -- A Midland man, 24, was arrested in Lincoln Township for driving while his license was suspended.

4:09 a.m. -- Deputies were sent to help Child Protective Services staff in Edenville Township.

12 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to Jerome Township for a report of a man sleeping on a park bench. The man left the area without any problems.

4:11 p.m. -- A Greendale Township man, 27, was arrested for domestic assault. A report is being sent to the prosecutor.

7:41 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to Lee Township for a report of off road vehicles being driven on a roadway. Extra patrol was requested.

8:49 p.m. -- A deputy as called to Lincoln Township after a girl, age 12, made threats to a boy, also age 12. The girl and her mother were contacted.

9:13 p.m. -- A license plate was stolen from a vehicle in the Edenville Township area.

Saturday, Sept. 16

2:01 a.m. -- A 25-year-old man was found to be driving while his license was suspended and cited for an improper plate after a crash in Greendale Township. A warrant is being requested for the man, who was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries he suffered in the crash.

11:26 a.m. -- A Larkin Township man, 44, reported someone opened a Consumers Energy account in his name with the city of Kalamazoo, then charged $356.30.

12:13 p.m. -- A deputy was called to Homer Township for a report of a neighbor's loose dogs chasing chickens belonging to another neighbor. The dogs were secured as a result of the call.

8:41 p.m. -- A Larkin Township man, 54, reported hot air balloons were landing on his property and support vehicles were driving across the property as well. He did not want anyone on his property.

10:52 p.m. -- A deputy responded to Homer Township for a report of a hit and run traffic crash.

Friday, Sept. 15

12:46 a.m. -- A motorist was arrested at Isabella Street and Sandow Road.

1:02 a.m. -- A motorist was arrested at East Ashman Street and Jefferson Avenue for drunken driving and a weapons violation.

1:57 a.m. -- A Saginaw man, 54, was arrested in Porter Township for drunken driving. He was stopped for driving without tail lights.

3:39 a.m. -- Deputies were sent to South Dickenson and West Salt River roads to assist Isabella County deputies investigating the theft of an off road vehicle. The ORV had been left in a ditch in Midland County, and was recovered.

5:12 a.m. -- A Flint man, 25, was arrested in Lincoln Township for fifth-offense driving while his license was suspended.

10:09 a.m. -- A game camera was stolen from an Edenville Township home. The camera was being used as a security device.

11:29 a.m. -- A trash can was stolen from a Homer Township address.

12:03 p.m. -- Deputies were sent to a report of a breaking and entering in progress at a Mills Township home. Nothing suspicious was found at the scene.

3:16 p.m. -- A deputy investigated a report of trespassing in Greendale Township.

5:26 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to Edenville Township to locate a 15-year-old boy on a juvenile pickup order. The boy's mother said he was not at the home and she had not seen him in several days.

Thursday, Sept. 14

12:11 a.m. -- A Mount Pleasant man, 32, was arrested in Greendale Township for driving while his license was suspended.

10:43 a.m. -- Officers were called to the 4000 block of Orchard Drive to investigate a case of fraud.

1:10 p.m. -- Police investigated a case of fraud in the 1600 block of Colorado Street.

4:22 p.m. -- Police investigated a retail fraud case in the 6800 block of Eastman Avenue.

6:49 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to Lincoln Township after a worker knocked down a power line and was being uncooperative with a firefighter.

8:06 p.m. -- A Midland Township home's pole barn was damaged when someone used an unknown type of weapon to shoot the structure. Damage is set at $600.

11:12 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to Homer Township to check for an intoxicated man who had just driven away. The motorist was not found.
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.
BLOOMINGTON  The Miller Park Zoo has lost an old friend.

Candy, at 33, the oldest Malayan sun bear in North America, has been euthanized, the zoo announced Monday afternoon.

The bear was born Feb. 14, 1984  Valentine's Day  at Zoo Miami, and her birthday was celebrated on that day every year she lived at Miller Park Zoo.

She will be missed by many, many people in the community, zoo Director Jay Tetzloff said in a statement. "She was here for almost 20 years so many guests knew her.

Recently, Candy was evaluated by animal care staff and a veterinarian from the University of Illinois for lethargy, said the zoo.

"Upon complete physical examination, it was determined that her condition was grave and the decision for humane euthanasia was made."

Samples taken immediately prior to the bear's death and initial findings indicate a preliminary diagnosis of renal failure. A full necropsy is being performed by the U of I; results will not be known for several weeks.

"I'm really sad to hear of her passing," said Ward 6 Alderman Karen Schmidt, who has been serving as mayor pro tem since Aug. 28 during Mayor Tari Renner's temporary leave of absence for medical-related reasons.

"She had a big and beautiful personality, and was an important part of our zoo," said Schmidt.

Tetzloff said Candy's passing was hard on the zoo's staff.

"Last Thursday was a sad day," he said. "We deal with it the best we can."

Candy and her mate, Chapin, arrived at the Miller Park Zoo in 1998, and like many other Sun Bears, they did not have any offspring, said the zoo.

The male bear died in 2010 from bone cancer at the age of nearly 27 years.

According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the median life expectancy for a female Malayan Sun Bear is 23.1 years.

Candy was Miller Park Zoo's sole remaining sun bear, said Tetzloff.

The zoo does not plan to replace her with another sun bear because "there are very few sun bears left," he added.

Candy was housed in the Katthoefer Animal Building.

"She was pretty big for the building so we're probably going to change species after we lost her," said Tetzloff.
NORMAL  Electric buses coming to Connect Transit in 2019 might be a first not only for Bloomington-Normal but for downstate Illinois.

"I don't think anyone outside Chicago has buses like this," said Interim General Manager Isaac Thorne. "Were very excited about it.

The local bus system will buy three electric buses thanks to a $1.45 million Federal Transit Administration grant announced Tuesday. Connect Transit will put in about $1 million in matching funds, but that amount isn't final.

"We expect 300,000 gallons of diesel saved over the life of these vehicles, which saves us money and reduces emissions," said Thorne. "Were excited for Connect Transit, our customers and the Bloomington-Normal community.

The grant also will allow Connect Transit to buy and install solar panels that will generate 75 percent of the electricity necessary not only to operate the buses but to power the system's facilities at 351 Wylie Drive during the summer, when the most sunlight is available.

The panels will be installed next spring and begin powering the building immediately, then be used for the buses when they arrive from Proterra, a Burlingame, Calif., electric bus manufacturer, about a year later.

Thorne said the system can move on the project so quickly because it partnered with several companies, including Bloomington's Corn Belt Energy and Wilcox Electric, as part of the grant process.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., assisted with the grant by writing a letter to the FTA, and spoke at a press conference in Normal announcing the grant award.

"This funding supports the core objectives of the (grant), transitioning Connect Transits aging fleet to energy-efficient, low-polluting vehicles," according to the letter.

Connect Transit has 10 buses in need of replacement after the FTA grant and a $3.3 million award from the Illinois Department of Transportation that will fund 10 diesel buses to be delivered by maker New Flyer Industries next fall.

"We also applied for a federal bus and bus facilities grant for eight more buses. We wont know if we were successful until maybe November," said Thorne. Were in much better shape now than we were six months ago.
BLOOMINGTON  Police are staying mum Wednesday, almost a full day since a news conference announcing the deaths of three people at a northeast house.

Crime scene investigators remain at 14 Brittany Court, where authorities earlier said an adult male and two children were dead, and a woman injured, after a suspicious fire.

Names have not yet been released and few official details are available as the investigation goes into its second day. The department's spokesman is out of the office and no new information would be released, The Pantagraph was told. According to the department's Facebook page, several officers are at a recruiting event at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

On Tuesday, Chief Brendan Heffner said authorities believe the incident was isolated and posed no threat to public safety.

On Brittany Court on Wednesday, a majority of the house's front windows were open and a generator appeared to be providing power to the house. Investigators were going in and out of the house, including one with a clipboard and another with an evidence collection bag.

Bloomington police and firefighters were called at 2:59 a.m. Tuesday to the Eagle Crest subdivision on Bloomingtons far northeast side.

Heffner released few details during a three-minute news briefing at City Hall on Tuesday.

We feel the fire was intentionally set, but isolated, and there is no reason at this time to believe there are any threats to public safety, he said. There have been no arrests and the circumstances surrounding this incident are still under investigation.

After the news conference, Fire Chief Brian Mohr said one woman was transported to a hospital, but he declined to release further details.

Heffner did not mention the survivor during the briefing and declined to answer any questions or provide any other information.

Were not going to answer any questions at this time because we dont want to compromise the investigation, he said.

McLean County States Attorney Jason Chambers said his office has been contacted and is helping with the investigation.

At this point, we are assisting police, including with things like requests for search warrants and if the investigation goes further to point to a prosecutionable suspect, our role will change, he said.

Neighbors strolled by and looked at the house street Tuesday afternoon after the story broke.

"I didn't know anything about it until a friend sent me a message at about 10:30 (a.m.)," said Charlotte Burris, who lives about three blocks away. "We didn't hear anything in the middle of the night, but it's really sad. This is a good, quiet neighborhood. Nothing like this happens around here."

Another neighbor, Tracy McWilliams, was walking with her dog early Tuesday afternoon.

"I went for a walk this morning and saw some fire trucks and a lot of police cars and I assumed there was a fire," she said. "When I heard that three people died, I was shocked. It's an even bigger shock now that I hear it was set intentionally."

There doesn't appear to be much fire damage to the two-story home. The door to the double garage was open with two vehicles inside. Neither appeared damaged.

There appeared to be no damage to neighbors' homes, but fire department officials have not yet released information such as possible cause, damage estimate or what departments were called to the scene.

The most recent Twin City fatal fire was Aug. 6 when Diana McLaren-Osburne, 68, died of smoke inhalation in her Normal condominium at 1538 Hunt Drive.

According to a search of Pantagraph records, the last time there were multiple fatalities in a Twin City fire was June 11, 1991, when two children were killed following an explosion at a home on Hollycrest Drive.

The Bloomington Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division is conducting the current investigation along with BFD and the coroner's office.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Bloomington Police Detective John Heinlen at 309-434-2672 or jheinlen@cityblm.org.
BLOOMINGTON  While several large Illinois school districts employ in-house attorneys, McLean County Unit 5 and Bloomington District 87 are two of the few downstate districts with internal legal expertise.

Curt Richardson is the district attorney at Unit 5 and David Wood is the in-house attorney and chief financial and legal officer for District 87.

Richardson compared in-house legal counsel to the role of a general practitioner.

We have to have knowledge of school code and other laws that apply to school districts and be experts in that. We review contracts on a daily basis with various entities and deal with issues in school code, employment, labor, special education, property, finance and family law, said Richardson, who has been district attorney since 2011.

Wood said administrators are able to turn to a district attorney for help understanding new laws or federal regulations.

If I weren't there, they would essentially figure it out on their own, but it would likely take them longer. They may not come to the exact conclusion and need to talk to outside counsel to get where they could in a brief conversation with me, said Wood, who has been District 87s attorney since 2004.

Neither district has a legal department, but refer to the school attorneys for frequent guidance. Richardsons annual salary is $135,252 and Wood makes $157,168.

The districts hire outside law firms for specialized expertise, and the payments to outside counsel come from the districts tort funds.

At Unit 5, annual outside legal fee payments were $212,416 in 2013; $185,561 in 2014; $100,216 in 2015; and $73,817 in 2016.

Unit 5 hires Miller, Hall and Triggs for general counsel and labor negotiations. The firm charges up to $225 an hour. Other firms cover insurance defense, workers compensation, special education due process cases, property tax appeals and recalculation of state aid claims.

"Part of my role is to coordinate all of that and determine what can be handled in house and what should be taken outside. We determine that based on my workload and whether or not something will involve a lot of time or specialized practice," said Richardson.

"Then theres the rare situation that will involve years of litigation such as the Jon White lawsuit," he added.

White is serving 60 years in federal prison for molesting elementary school students in Normal and Urbana from 2004-2006. He was forced to resign as elementary teacher at Unit 5 in 2005 after a parent complaint about his behavior and adult pornography was found on his school computer.

He was then hired in Urbana where he was later arrested for molestation charges at that school and similar accusations surfaced in Normal after his arrest.

Unit 5 paid more than $1 million overall to resolve lawsuits related to White, and Urbanas claims topped $2.6 million.

That case is like a full-time job in and of itself between filing pleadings, motions and court hearings. The job of in-house counsel is to do as much possible on the front end to prevent a scenario like that from happening again, said Richardson.

District 87 paid outside counsel $116,758 in 2013; $67,808 in 2014; $112,021 in 2015; and $56,730 in 2016.

Wood said spikes in outside payment occur when employee contracts are renewed or if claims for teacher dismissals or accidents increase.

You never know when youre going to get a claim, but you know when its time for teacher contract negotiation and you can look into the future and sense when well have a big policy rewrite or development of documents. You can plan financially for those things, said Wood.

District 87 works primarily with Seyfarth Shaw law firm, which handles litigation and teacher dismissal at about $385 an hour. Other firms deal with property tax related issues, labor relations, contract negotiations and insurance claims.

Both Richardson and Wood are part of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys through the Illinois Association of School Boards, which meets twice a year for professional development and conversation about the current legal environment at schools.

That group has been very beneficial, said Richardson. Not only do you have other attorneys to bounce ideas off of, but it gives us a forum to talk about current issues.

Schools in Peoria and Champaign are the only other Central Illinois districts that employ in-house legal help. Wood said there is a growing trend of large school districts hiring permanent attorneys, but said it isnt necessarily always to save money in legal expenses.

Having in-house counsel at school districts is more about the quality and effectiveness of legal analysis, said Wood. "There is no end of legal issues out there that school districts are dealing with. We have to constantly be on top of that to protect our students, faculty and taxpayers."
BLOOMINGTON  While a majority of the Bloomington City Council agrees that sewer rates should be increased sooner than later, there does not seem to be a consensus about when to vote to ensure the hikes at least start to take effect next year.

"I think our City Council understands the importance of the public health issue that we're dealing with," said Bloomington Public Works Director Jim Karch after a council work session Monday. He had presented, based on a request the council made last week, a proposal to more aggressively implement sewer rate increases over a shorter time frame.

The scenario for an immediate increase calls for an increase of about 44 percent as of May 1, 2018, and 3 percent annual increases after that.

A five-year phase in plan would see annual increases of about 10.6 percent per year for a total increase of 65.3 percent between now and when the final increase takes effect on May 1, 2022. The subsequent increases would be 3 percent a year.

Fee increases are being proposed as a way to pay for $136 million in potential spending over 20 years that was identified in the 2014 storm water and sanitary sewer master plans.

"The problem we're having with our sanitary sewers and our storm waters flooding is all across the city and not contained in one ward," Karch said. "Now the question is how we address the need.

"Is it something we should immediately be more aggressive about or do we do smaller improvements year over year?"

In the immediate-increase scenario, A typical household's monthly sanitary sewer bill, including consumption and fixed rates, would increase 50 percent  from $9.50 to $14.25. The average monthly residential bill for storm sewer service would have increased 30 percent  from $4.35 to $5.66.

Cumulatively, those rates would increase from $13.85 to $19.91 monthly  a 43.75 percent hike.

Last week, Karch laid out rate increases over five years. Under that scenario, the typical household would see 11.6 percent annual increases in sanitary sewer rates, including consumption and fixed fees, and 8.2 percent annual hikes in storm water fixed fees over a five-year period ending in fiscal 2023.

Under the five-year phase-in approach, the typical household's sanitary sewer bill would climb from $9.50 to $16.45, and storm sewer bill from $4.35 to $6.45 by fiscal 2023. Cumulatively, the increase would be from $13.85 to $22.90 monthly, a 65.3 percent increase, at the end of five years.

Aldermen Jamie Mathy of Ward 1 and Mboka Mwilambwe of Ward 3 said they want both options brought to the council to vote on next Monday.

Aldermen Karen Schmidt of Ward 6 and Scott Black of Ward 7 said they favor the more immediate phase-in of the rate increases, but want to delay voting until later this year or in early January so the matter can be addressed as part of city's fiscal 2019 budgeting process.

"I don't deny the urgency and the priority (for the rate increases), but we need to have that bigger conversation," said Schmidt, who served as mayor pro tem in Mayor Tari Renner's continued absence. "I certainly have watched us increase fees without making those hard decisions on the other side of where might we cut.

"We can't continue to ask for money in terms of fees and increases in sales taxes and property taxes without doing some serious lifting on our own end."

Ward 2 Alderman David Sage said he did not want to vote on any increases next week and agreed with Schmidt that there needs to be some "offsetting reductions elsewhere."

Aldermen Amelia Buragas of Ward 4, Joni Painter of Ward 5, Diana Hauman of Ward 8 and Kim Bray of Ward 9 want to vote next week and favor accelerating the phase-in of the increases.

"This decision will not be made any easier by delaying it," said Buragas. "To me the need is so apparent. We need to address it as soon as possible."

City Manager David Hales was not able to attend the council's work session because he suffered a minor injury, said Schmidt.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Senate Republicans revved up a final push Monday to scuttle President Barack Obama's health care law, an effort that faces low odds of success and just a two-week window to pass. Adding more risk, senators would be in the dark about the bill's impact on Americans, since the Congressional Budget Office says crucial estimates won't be ready in time for a vote.

Democrats backed by doctors, hospitals, and patients' groups mustered an all-out effort to finally smother the GOP drive, warning of millions losing coverage and others facing skimpier policies. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer went further, saying the partisan measure threatened the spirit of cooperation between President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders embodied in a recent budget deal and progress on immigration.

"After two weeks of thinking bipartisanship, that flickering candle, might gain some new light, this is the last thing we need," Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor.

Two months after one of the GOP's top priorities crashed on the Senate floor, the revived attempt to uproot Obama's law is being led by GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Louisiana's Bill Cassidy.

Their 140-page bill would replace much of that statute with block grants to states and give them wide leeway on spending the money. It would let states ease coverage requirements under that 2010 law, end Obama's mandates that most Americans buy insurance and that companies offer coverage to workers, and cut and reshape Medicaid.

A victory would let Trump and Republican leaders claim redemption on their "repeal and replace" effort. While the House approved its version of the bill in May, the drive collapsed when the GOP-led Senate defeated three proposals for scrapping Obama's 2010 overhaul in July.

"This bill would keep our promise to the American people, and finally give us the health care we all deserve," Cassidy told supporters Monday in an email.

Senate leaders have no desire to lose yet another health care vote. After July's embarrassing Senate setback, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he'd not revisit it unless he was assured he had the votes to succeed, and many Republicans began refocusing on another big GOP priority, a tax overhaul.

Now, Graham and Cassidy say they believe they have close to 50 votes for the plan, prompting GOP leaders to check if they can finally succeed.

The sponsors say their proposal would let states decide what health care programs work best for their residents. Opponents say patients would suffer.

The GOP proposal "would weaken access to the care Americans need and deserve," said a statement from 16 patients groups including the American Heart Association and the March of Dimes. The American College of Physicians and the Children's Hospital Association also oppose it.

In a tweet, the Congressional Budget Office said it would have preliminary estimates of the bill's fiscal impact next week. But it said it would be unable to provide projections of the measure's effect on coverage, premiums and overall federal deficits "for at least several weeks."

That timing is crucial because Republicans controlling the Senate 52-48 have only Sept. 30 to succeed with just 50 votes. Vice President Mike Pence would cast the tie-breaking vote, and White House officials say Trump would sign it.

Special procedures preventing Democrats from using a filibuster to kill the measure expire after that date, and Republicans would then need 60 votes to win. They can't reach that number because Democrats unanimously oppose the GOP effort.

Conservative Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has already said he'll oppose the measure because it doesn't do enough to erase Obama's law. That means the measure would lose with just two other GOP opponents.

The budget agency's evaluations of past GOP repeal plans concluded they would have caused millions of Americans to lose insurance coverage. Some Republican senators are nervous about the measure's impact on their own states, and the lack of CBO projections won't help allay their concerns.

Voting without the budget office analysis of its impact would be "legislative malpractice at the highest," Schumer said.

Republicans who've not yet lined up behind the bill include Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins of Maine, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, John McCain of Arizona and Ohio's Rob Portman. Collins, Murkowski and McCain provided the decisive votes against the final measure Republicans tried pushing through the Senate in July, which failed 51-49.

"It's better but it's not what the Senate is supposed to be doing," McCain told reporters about the new package. Murkowski said she is trying to determine the bill's impact on Alaska.

Murkowski and Collins have been Planned Parenthood supporters. The bill would temporarily block federal payments to the group.

The revived drive also comes as Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., work toward a bipartisan deal to continue federal subsidies to insurers easing some costs for lower-earning customers that Trump has threatened to block.

Murray spokeswoman Helen Hare said Murray is "hopeful and optimistic" a deal could be announced soon  a statement that came as Democrats tried peeling away GOP support from the Graham-Cassidy bill.

-- AP reporters Kevin Freking and Andrew Taylor contributed.
Thimm Verpackung Officially Opens New Corrugated Cardboard Plant in Bavaria A highlight of the new plant is the high degree of automation and the part-automated set-up process on the rotary-die cutter. Sept. 19, 2017 - On 15 and 16 September Thimm Verpackung celebrates the official opening of its new Holledau plant in Bavaria together with customers, employees, residents, local politicians and the Deputy Minister-President of Bavaria and Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs, Ilse Aigner. State-of-the-art production technologies, efficient and highly-automated processes coupled with a flexible, customer-oriented organisation with a comprehensive service element are just some of the highlights of one of the most advanced plants in Europe. Testament to this at the new Wolnzach site are the installation of latest generation rotation and flat-bed cutting technologies in addition to the high-tech corrugator. The different systems complement each other perfectly because a wide range of packaging formats can be produced in varying print runs at optimum costs. The plant is also able to die-cut complex designs with challenging perforations (e.g. for shelf-ready packaging). Another feature to be highlighted is the high degree of automation and the part-automated set-up process on the rotary-die cutter. Tankred Porner, Managing Director of Thimm Verpackung Sud: Also unique in our sector is our mix of different printing technologies which cover flexo direct printing, high-quality postprint and flexo-preprint through to high-productivity digital printing. These enable us to provide the customised consultancy that our customers expect on the most appropriate procedure for their needs. This wide selection of packaging procedures ensures a high degree of packaging design customisation. The favourable geographical location of the plant between Munich and Nuremberg links important economic metropolitan areas within Germany as well as the adjacent export markets. Thimm has thus reinforced its own production network with eight sites in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, and specifically when combined with its sister-plants in Alzey (Rhineland-Palatinate) and Vetaty (Czech Republic), customers in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Switzerland have the security of reliable deliveries. About the Holledau Plant

Thimm Verpackung celebrated the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Bavarian corrugated cardboard plant in Wolnzach in September 2015. 26,000 square metres of the 90,000 square metre site are now covered by buildings. Large-scale production has been under way since February 2017. Production capacity is 120 million square metres of corrugated cardboard. Thimm has invested a total of 60 million euros in the plant to date. Thimm Verpackung is the largest business division of the Northeim-based Thimm Group. Founded in 1949, family-owned Thimm Group has more than 3,000 employees at 19 sites in Germany, Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, France and Mexico. www.thimm.com . SOURCE: Thimm Group
Two Sides Global Anti-greenwash Campaign: 278 Leading Companies Remove Misleading 'Go Green' Claims Two Sides, the global initiative to promote the sustainability of print and paper, reports a 61% success rate in removing misleading environmental claims made by some of the world's largest corporations as they seek to replace paper-based communications with lower cost electronic alternatives. Sept. 19, 2017 - Two Sides research into more than 600 of the worlds leading corporations, including banks, utilities, telecoms and insurance providers, has shown that a total of 460 of those companies have been using misleading and unsubstantiated environmental statements, despite specific advertising legislation to protect consumers in many countries. To date, 278 of those companies have removed such statements as a result of ongoing engagement by Two Sides. Were really pleased that Two Sides is having such a significant effect on some of the worlds largest and most influential organizations. But there is no room for complacency, and there is still a great deal of work to do with the remaining companies that continue to mislead their customers, says Martyn Eustace, Chairman of Two Sides UK. Internationally, Two Sides teams are continuing to tackle greenwash in their respective countries, and this has yielded positive results. North America Phil Riebel, President of Two Sides North America, comments: Over 88 major corporations, including many of the Fortune 500, have now changed or removed misleading environmental claims about print and paper to comply with country-specific environmental marketing guidelines. Our discussions with Chief Marketing Officers, Chief Sustainability Officers and others, have been very productive and we are pleased with the collaboration of North Americas leading organizations. Thanks to an overall better understanding of the unique sustainable features of paper products, go green - go paperless and save a tree claims are gradually disappearing from the marketplace. Australia & New Zealand Kellie Northwood, Executive Director, Two Sides Australia and New Zealand, comments, It is our responsibility as an industry, but also as part of broader environmental education, to challenge misinformation about the impact of communication channels. Greenwashing is a threat to our industry and we work very hard to ensure companies making the wrong claims correct their communications. Of the companies we have contacted in Australia, 73% have altered their anti-print messaging, and the remaining we continue to engage with. Brazil This year Two Sides Brazil has chosen the fight against greenwashing as a number one priority, says Fabio Arruda Mortara, Country Manager for Two Sides in Brazil. Reaching an agreement with the public sector, towards the withdrawal of several instances of misleading content on websites or public declarations, was probably our best achievement in 2017. Brazil has just become the second largest pulp producer in the world, showing the importance for widespread environmental education in such a large country. Everyone in the world has the right to know that print and paper are not hostile to the environment and add immense value to our civilization. South Africa Deon Joubert, Executive Director, Two Sides South Africa, adds: We continue to engage with corporates and government institutions regarding their environmental messaging to their customers and citizens. There remains a concern that conventional wisdom linking the use of paper to the destruction of forests remains prevalent and unchallenged. Not only are plantation trees grown to be harvested, just like any crop, these plantations provide commercial and surprisingly good environmental benefits to our world. In addition, in a recent Toluna research project conducted in South Africa, 92% of consumers want to be able to choose how they receive communication from corporations and government. Colombia During the first year of the campaign, we collaborated with the Government to remove any mention of zero paper from their National Development Plan for the next four years, says Isabel Riveros, Executive Director, Two Sides in Colombia. However, the challenge continues. We must contact every company that is using greenwash, and make them understand that the process of paper production can be a sustainable one. France Our research shows clearly that consumers perception on the sustainability of print and paper is negatively influenced by marketing of digitalisation, says Hadrien Cottin, Two Sides France. We will continue to engage organizations with the facts how paper based communications are a sustainable choice. UK Jonathan Tame, Country Manager, Two Sides UK, adds, We have an active campaign to research and remove greenwash in the UK, with a very encouraging response. 83% of all companies we have engaged have agreed to remove misleading messages, and in many cases, we have helped organizations amend their marketing communication guidelines. Martyn Eustace concludes: Consumers should not be misled and encouraged to go paperless through the use of misleading green marketing. The environmental and social benefits of paper are being overlooked by these false and damaging messages. Based on our consumer surveys, the majority of consumers recognize that paper is a renewable and recyclable product that, if responsibly produced and used, can be a sustainable way to communicate  while also providing real benefits of tangibility, authenticity and authority that can be lacking in electronic communications. Forests are a precious and growing resource, and the forest and paper industries are some of their most important guardians. Two Sides is a global initiative by companies from the Graphic Communications Industry including Forestry, Pulp, Paper, Inks and Chemicals, Pre-Press, Press, Finishing, Publishing, Printing, Envelopes and Postal Operators. Our common goal is to promote the sustainability of the Graphic Communications Industry and dispel common environmental misconceptions by providing users with verifiable information on why Print and Paper is an attractive, practical and sustainable communications medium. For more information please visit: www.twosidesna.org . SOURCE: Two Sides
Christian Siriano is a true gift to the fashion world, consistently delivering awe-inspiring gowns and being an exemplar of diversity in fashion, specifically when it comes to who to dress on red carpets and cast in his runway shows. Now, he's bringing that same sense of innovativeness and inclusivity to the world of Barbie. The designer and Mattel have unveiled an adorable collaboration today, consisting of five dolls that don some of Siriano's iconic looks and nod to the women that wore them, leading to some of the most diverse Barbie dolls ever.

In a move that will make you smile and yelp more than Leslie Jones did during Siriano's Spring 2018 show, the designer based a doll off the actress and her Ghostbusters premiere dress, which he designed after she tweeted about her troubles in finding a designer willing to dress her. Siriano always saves the day.

Photos: Mattel / Getty

One doll pays homage to Solange's amazing Art Basel outfit, which I'm still convinced is made of pure sunshine.

Photo: Mattel / Getty

But no doubt, the most extravagant doll pays tribute to iconic queen of fashion, Sarah Jessica Parker, donning the frilly Siriano gown featured in her Marie Claire covers in 2011.

Photo: Mattel

#TBT Sarah Jessica Parker on @MarieClaire covers in Christian Siriano, Sept 2011. Still a favorite! pic.twitter.com/E4NkJP8drV

 Christian Siriano (@CSiriano) January 16, 2014

"Barbie has always been a huge inspiration to me and I'm honored to be teaming up with this iconic brand," Siriano said in a statement. "It's especially exciting to be designing an array of inclusive and diverse doll looks that can allow girls to see themselves better represented when they play."

The other two dolls in of the collection include one using Sarah Hyland's hot pink crop-top gown at the 2014 Emmys, and one that uses a look from his upcoming Resort 2018 range. Why couldn't we have had these dolls to play with growing up?

Photo: Mattel

h/t: Mic


Luther posting his 95 theses in 1517 (1872), by Ferdinand Pauwels (1830-1904) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]

*****

(6-17-09)

***

Recently I discovered an entire online translation of Martin Luthers tract, Against Henry [VIII], King of England (15 July 1522), translated by E. S. Buchanan, and published in New York by Charles A. Swift in 1928. It is hosted on the Project Canterbury Anglican website. This is great news, since it is a fun, interesting piece (from the few quotes I had seen from it), and the standard 55-volume set of Luthers Works in English didnt see fit (for some inexplicable reason) to include it. I believe it is included in the scheduled ten-volume addition of all sorts of writings of Luther, previously unavailable in English. Better late than never . . . Ive known for years that there were a lot of untranslated Luther writings in German (Fr. Hardon told me that back in 1990). Some folks who fancy themselves Luther experts / apologists didnt know that, according to recent silly (and highly amusing) pronouncements, but now they do (or soon will), with the announcement of the expansion.

It should be noted in fairness that Luther later modified, tempered, or lessened this sort of rhetoric, and many pro-traditional or Catholic-sounding utterances of Luther can be found, too: so many that I compiled an entire book of them. Here, then, are many fascinating, typically extreme and outrageous Luther utterances, from this work (but by all means read the whole thing, too, at the link above, to grasp the entire context): * * * * * 1) Luther as Quasi-Prophet / Gods Unique Oracle and Man of the Hour, Etc. ***

For I have been given unto them by my Lord Christ as a sign that whether they spare me, or kill me, their infuriated conscience will have no grace, no peace, no solace. * * * For merely by my books in a short while (Christ helping me) I will bring it to pass that the Bohemians will be set free from their reproach, and that the Papists alone in the earth will have an abominable name, nay, will become a curse and an anathema. Not that I approve of all that the Bohemians do. I know nothing of their affairs and am told that there are sects among them; but I will bring it about that the Papists compared with them will be a world-wide disgust and nausea, since they themselves are nothing else but sects, the Franciscans alone having about six sects. (Introductory Epistle) * * * If I have trampled down for Christs sake the idol of the Roman abomination after it had stood itself in the place of God and had made itself the ruler of Kings and of the whole world, who is this Henry, this new Thomist, this disciple of the idle monsters, that I should treat with respect his poisonous blasphemies? Let him be the Defender of the Church, but let him know that the Church which he boasts of and upholds, is the Church of the scarlet woman, drunk with the wine of her fornications. Both that Church and him, whom I consider its defender, I will attack with the same fierceness and, with Christ as my Leader, I will demolish them both. For I am certain that it is from heaven that I have my teachings; for they have triumphed against him [the devil] who in his little finger has more power and craftiness than have all Popes and Kings and Doctors put together. They will therefore accomplish nothing, who boast of their Bulls condemning me, with names and titles attached, and make much capital of their books attacking me, written by royal authors. My teachings will stand, and the Pope will fall, although he should be supported by all the gates of hell and the powers of the air and the earth and the sea. * * * Ye will have Luther as a she-bear in your way and as a lioness in your path. He will attack you on all sides, and will give you no rest until he has broken in pieces your iron necks and brazen foreheads, either for your salvation or for your destruction. * * * For my teaching is in no particular contradictory, nor can be contradictory, because it is Christs. * * * And why does Christ Himself (Matt. XXIII) attack the Scribes and Pharisees with such vehemence and call them hypocrites, blind, fools, full of uncleanness, hypocrisy and murder? And Paul, how often he speaks with vehemence against the concision (as he calls them), and the false prophets, who adulterate and corrupt the word of God, calling them dogs, deceitful workers, apostles of Satan, children of the devil, full of guile and malice, deceivers, grandiloquent, frequenters of houses and leaders astray of women? And will the flippant Thomist accuse them as he accuses me of hatred and pride? * * * I do not ask them to believe me; but to believe the clear word of God. * * * It is not I that know but Christ alone knows, etc. * * * But I against the sayings of the Fathers, of men, of angels, of devils place not ancient usage, not multitudes of men, but the word of the one Eternal Majesty, the Gospel, which they are forced to approve, . . . Here I stand, here I sit, here I remain, here I glory, here I triumph, here I laugh at the Papists, Thomists, Henrys, Sophists and all the gates of hell, nay, at the sayings of men, however saintly, and at their fallacious customs.

2) The Unconquerable Luther and the Cowardly Catholic Wimps Deathly Afraid of Him

***

And yet this effeminate and cowardly crew dare to hope for a triumph, and a covering up of their shameful cowardice, by my flight into Bohemia, to which they give world-wide celebrity, while they themselves because of their mental unpreparedness and timidity do not dare to come out into the open against Luther by his lone half.

What do you think these feeble Bulls would avail them if they were compelled to stand themselves against the adversary of their Caesar, and against his powerful opponents? We should see them fleeing in all directions, these wretched creatures, who now whimper to one another in their holes like mice: Luther is planning flight!

(Introductory Epistle)

3) Catholics Who Hate Luther Will End Up in Hell

***

I await them therefore here, and am ready to meet their impotent rage. I will irritate and torment them as long as I live; and if they kill me, I will torment them many times more . . . They will have a double affliction, the torment of their present hatred, and that which it is earning for them,the eternal torment of Gehenna.

* * *

So I shall not only make a flight into Bohemia, but I shall dwell there, even if this fury of the strange woman should burn me. But her hatred I shall at the same time both kindle and conquer in Christ. No more shall she prosper. Christ has so resolved. Amen.

(Introductory Epistle)

4) Anti-Papacy Motifs

***

For that senseless, ignorant and monstrous body of the Papacy,after it perceives itself overcome by learning and truth, and sees the whole unclean, crowd of its dunces unable to stand against Luther alone,torments itself and consumes itself with this one longing that I should flee into Bohemia. For so at last they may console themselves by abusing me as an alien, and representing themselves as terrible giants, who (thanks to their ignorance and evil conscience) none dare contend with.

* * *

The consummation of the abominable Papacy is at hand; from its fate it has no escape, and (as Daniel says) it is coming to its end and no man will help it. Thus we; are both of us boiling over, they with extreme madness, I with supreme contempt; but my courage in Christ will conquer their latest fury that is already waning.

(Introductory Epistle)

* * *

And so they have made the rock of the unconquerable faith to be the Papacy and the Pope, who have not only been overcome by disgusting errors and sins, but are being overwhelmed and absorbed by daily abominations.

* * *

Indeed I treated that crow at first very humbly and reverently, and was especially insistent that the Papacy was not a negligible thing; for I did not know then that it diametrically opposed all Scripture. I was content to expound the Scriptures only, and in the meantime to hold that the Papacy was in its character such as are the kingdoms and dominions of men. But they, hardened by long use of their tyranny and elated by the success up till now of their fraud (as Daniel calls it), despised my modesty and reverence and presumed to set up their idol in the place of God and intrude it into the very heart of the Scriptures. Then Christ gave me a spirit that despised both the fraud and the fury of the Papists, and brought it to pass that the more I saw into the Scriptures the more certainly I found this abomination had been foisted therein, . . .

* * *

And so, compelled by truth, I am driven to retract certain things that I have written, wherever I have written good things concerning the Papacy and concerning the things that are taught without Scripture warrant. Now at last I revoke these things, and am unfeignedly sorry that I ever wrote one syllable concerning the good of the Papacy, and of its rule. And I beg my readers diligently and wisely to beware of those errors of mine.

* * *

More truly I speak of the Papacy: The Papacy is the most pestilent abomination of Satan, its leader, that there ever was, or will be, under heaven.

* * *

In truth, while I live I will be the enemy of the Papacy; if I am burned, I will be twice its enemy.

* * *

This rather is the meaning of conflicting dogmas, when at one and the same time you teach contradictory things, at the same time defending and maintaining both of them, and refusing to revoke, or condemn, either one of them. This is the way the insane Papists act when (in Matt. XVI) they make the Rock both Christ and the Pope, when Christ is holy and the Pope impious, and when holiness has as much in common with impiety as light with darkness, and Christ with Belial. For the Papacy only stands (or rather falls) by its inconsistent, contradictory and lying dogmas, which teach, assert and maintain both of these conflicting teachings at the same time.

* * *

I believe the papacy to be anti-Christs Kingdom, which even Job (III, 6) commands should be cursed by those who were ready to raise up Leviathan.

* * *

For this papal kingdom, engendered by lies, can do nothing else, in keeping with its character, except deceive, pretend, mock and trample upon the golden grain, and then glory in all these things and boast of them as triumphs.

5) Papist Monsters

***

Although my soul burns to see Bohemia, and the religion so hated by our papist monsters, . . .

* * *

I do not fear the shame of the name Bohemian, which is glorious in the sight of God; but Christ has placed me here that I may torment the papist monsters, while they find nothing in me of which they can make public use in vomiting forth their unbelievable animosity. Christ wishes them to be tormented by their own hatred, and destroyed by their own malice.

(Introductory Epistle)

* * *

But I, who hitherto have been somewhat lenient toward the papist monsters, in the hope of their coming to their senses, now when I see of what kind of nature they are, given over to a reprobate mind and deplorably wilful, going to their own place with Pharoah their leader, I am resolved to use towards them no more modesty, no more pity. (Nor will I any longer permit my friends to bridle their pens, but will quietly despise them if they should do so.) If I have to treat with them, I will do it with all the violence that I can in order properly to irritate and anger them, the stupid blocks, the silly asses, the fatted swine, since they deserve no other consideration than to be brought to their punishment.

* * *

And what shall I say to these sacrilegious monsters, who show by such arguments how that they have written thus out of impotent hatred, so that nothing more foolish and senseless can be imagined?

6) Papist Abomination

**

With such blindness and madness has our Lord Jesus Christ stricken the whole kingdom of the papist abomination, . . .

* * *

It is only the Papists and Thomists, this worst of new abominations, who have taken on the brazen manner of the strumpet, so that they confess that thus and thus the sacred Scriptures state, and yet they will not allow men thus to think. Not even Satan himself so openly blasphemes and gives the lie to what is right, even in the very face of the Divine Majesty.

* * *

. . . this Babylon, this abomination worthy of these last days.

7) Catholic Murderers and Antichrists

***

For the Bohemians had a most just reason for deserting those murderers and anti-christs after they, who were themselves sevenfold heretics, had burned that innocent man, John Huss, and had sacrilegiously condemned the two kinds in the Sacrament as instituted by Christ. This is why this nation is hated by the Papists, who never acknowledge the cruel murder done by the scarlet woman, . . .

(Introductory Epistle)

* * *

For what Henry calls the Church we call the scarlet woman. For although the Church cannot do without rites and ceremonies, it does not make laws and ensnare mens souls with them. They do this, who boast the name of Church, those swine and asses, those followers of Henry, those Papists and Sophists, who are deceivers of their fellow men and Anti-Christs.



*** * * * My second crime is that I have covered with my abuse the Pope and the Church, that is, have abused Satans procurer and procuress and his sect, of which King Henry has lately been declared the Defender,with indulgences! . . . tares sown by Satan, by means of the brains of his Roman idol, in the Lords field. . . . A lie is worshipped in place of the truth, an idol instead of God, and an abomination in lieu of holiness. * * * . . . establishing in its [Scriptures] place the reign of a doctrine that is written out of the Roman heart, a heart possessed by that most wicked Satan. * * * As they were carrying on their abominations the Lord drew me in my rashness into the middle of the crowds, and in the matter of lying indulgences enabled me to extort certain passages of Scripture from Satan, as one might wrench the club from the hand of Hercules, and to restore the Scripture interpretation to its rightful meaning. * * * 9) This Church is not Christs Church; . . .

*** * * * Plainly he is a chosen vessel of Satan, and a most worthy Defender of the papal Church. * * * Wherefore we see by this that all Bishops, all Councils, all Schools, who teach anything else in the Church besides the word of the only God, are wolves, ministers of Satan, and false prophets. * * * The Church of the Papists places its unity in the unity of its outward idol the Pope, while inwardly it is broken up by a vast confusion of errors in order to fulfill all the will of Satan. 10) Catholic Church as the Whore of Babylon / Scarlet Woman ***

. . . I became convinced by the clear and pure Scriptures that the Pope, the Cardinals, the Bishops, the Priests, the Monks, the Monasteries, the Masses and the whole of that organization, with their dogmas and rituals, was nothing else than mere shews, idols, gew-gaws, lies, and that abomination standing in the holy place, showing itself as though it were the true bishops and the real church, while all the time it was that same scarlet woman, who sits on the many-headed beast and makes the kings of the earth drunk with the cup of her fornications and abominations. * * * . . . our Papist neighbours and friends have repeated vainly, to wit, The Mass is a work and a sacrifice; for the daily usage of many has it so; So the Church (that is, the harlot of Babylon) thinks; It must be so; Our Teachers have taught us so; The Fathers have said so. * * * . . . to the Church (that is, to the Romish harlot, who is neither Church nor Christian except in name) . . . 11) Lying, Idolatrous Catholics Hate Holy Scripture ***

When therefore the sacred Scripture says nothing at all concerning these things, the mad Papists, the masters of lies and framers of idols, have started a business, worthy of themselves, which is to twist the whole of Scripture and deprave it into poisons and lies, so that those passages which taught us concerning faith had to have a Papacy created to interpret them; those which taught humility had to have set up beside them the pomp of tyranny, until they have succeeded with their unlimited lying in throwing everything into confusion, in abolishing the whole Scripture . . . * * * They demand that we believe the worm-eaten product of their brain, old wives tales; and they despise the word of God. * * * But all this is done by that restless Satan in order that he may, by his wicked Henrys and sacrilegious Thomists, turn us away from the Scriptures, and fix our faith on the lies of men. For there is no longer any need of sacred Scripture, if it is sufficient for us to be supported by some new sayings of men found outside of the Scriptures. 8) Catholic Church is Satans Sect*** 12) Catholics Condemned the Gospel (?)

***

. . . their sacrilege in condemning the Gospel; . . .

(Introductory Epistle)

13) Catholics Are Pelagian and Believe in Salvation by Works (?)

***

This sacrilegious people have all one obsession; they wish to justify themselves in Gods presence by works, and not by faith alone. Whence it is necessary that Christ be denied and faith made of none effect, while lucre is increased, and the wealth of the whole world absorbed for their Masses and their Vigils. For thus do the perverse followers of the abomination pervert everything; the works, which they ought to use toward men, they offer to God; the faith, by which alone God is served, they offer to men.

14) Dubious and Ridiculous Assertions About the Church Fathers

***

But when they come to apply their teaching, they do nothing except viciously beg the question. And so when I exclaim: The Gospel, the Gospel, Christ, Christ; they reply, The Fathers, the Fathers, use, use, statute, statute!

When I say, the Fathers, use, statute have often erred; we must have a stronger and surer authorityChrist cannot err; then they are like the mute fishes, and become as the Scripture saith, like deaf adders that shut their ears lest they hear the voice of the charmer. Or they reply thus to me, in words which they always have on the tip of their tongue: Ambrose saith so; art thou wiser than Ambrose? Do you alone know? And this is all they have to say. As though the question was between Ambroses teaching and mine; or as though I could not answer: You misunderstand and misinterpret Ambrose. What is gained, I ask, by disputing with those who are blind and bad-tempered and utterly senseless?

* * *

In vain, I say, I have kept on singing to these deaf adders, who endlessly repeat and gabble their silly talk: Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome says so and so! Therefore Luther is a heretic, for the sayings of Augustine and Ambrose are articles of faith. Yet those holy men wished nothing less than this sacrilegious worship given to them by Henry and his fellow dunces, by whom their sayings are equated with articles of faith, desiring as they did all their sayings to be free, and placed at the disposal, or rejection, of every believer. Nay, the swinish Thomists themselves are forced to admit that holy men have often erred, and therefore the use of their words for establishing the faith, and burdening the conscience, cannot be of sufficient authority even by the judgment of common sense.

* * *

Furthermore the glorious Lord King, after his manner, lies quite arrantly when he makes Jerome a defender of the papacy; for that writer does not call his own Roman church the mother-church of the world, but inveighs more bitterly than all others against her monarchical ambition.

* * *

The word of God is above all. The divine Majesty makes me care not at all though a thousand Augustines, a thousand Cyprians, or a thousand of Henrys Churches should stand against me. God cannot err, or be deceived. Augustine and Cyprian and all the elect could err, and have erred.

* * *

Briefly, even if Augustine should have asserted in round words that any one in the Church has the right to make laws, who is Augustine? Who compels us to believe him? By what authority is his word an article of faith? I confess that his saying has come to my notice; but it is not safe enough, nor firm enough. The right of making a law must be proved by a saying of God, not by a saying of man.

* * *

For I do not ask what Ambrose, Augustine, or the Councils, and use of the centuries say; nor was there any need for King Henry to teach me these things; for I knew them so well that I once before even attacked them,

15) A Bit of Projection?

***

He does not come forth to battle with a royal mind, or with any drop of royal blood, but with a slavish and impudent and strumpet-like insolence and silliness, proving nothing by argument but only by cursings. And what is more disgraceful in a man, and especially in a man in the highest position, than openly and deliberately to be, so that you can recognize him as a Sophist, a creature of ignorance and virulence?

16) Thomist Sophists and Hogs

***

. . . it is agreed that the Thomists are such a stupid and clearly lazy kind of Sophists, . . .

* * *

Do what ye can, ye Thomist swine.

* * *

Let the reader then see from this one argument how asinine is the ignorance of the Thomists, and how mentally puerile is their insolence, which does not allow them to understand their own words. And yet they dare to write a Defence of the Sacraments, and to boast of their fine bombast, which is the proof of their incredible lack of knowledge. For I think this book of the Kings was written for this reason, that the world might never believe I had falsely accused the Sophists of folly and ignorance, especially the hogs that are among them (I mean the Thomists).

* * *

. . . sordid fellow-Thomists . . .

* * *

. . . he has chosen to act the Thomist hypocrite and masquerader . . .

* * *

. . . Aristotle, who is the God of the Thomists . . .

* * *

. . . these lethargic Thomists . . .

* * *

. . . this senseless Thomist crew . . .

* * *

. . . in his Thomist folly . . .

* * *

. . . a senseless Thomist . . .

* * *

. . . this Thomist straw and stubble, . . . this demented Thomist . . .

* * *

. . . Thomists and Papists and their impure, foul, filthy, wicked and sacrilegious associates . . .

* * *

. . . these blots and corruptions of men, these Thomists and Henrys . . .

* * *

. . . I should be arguing to no purpose with such stupid and dull block-heads. How much less would they understand me if I argued this matter according to the divine Scriptures?

* * *

. . . as befits a Thomist, he omits the Scriptures . . .

* * *

. . . the Thomist scum . . .

* * *

As I said before, nothing under the sun is born more thick and stupid than the Thomists, these monstrous creatures.

* * *

. . . in the dignified manner of the Thomists, whose custom is to pass over the rule for understanding Scripture (which is to take notice of the consequences, circumstances and objections), and to pick up and twist some word, and then assert anything you have a mind to.

* * *

. . . there is no judgment, no discernment, no diligence in the whole Thomist body; but all things are said and transacted and done with incredible rashness and presumption and arrogance, so that they can kill with tediousness both readers and listeners.

* * *

. . . nevertheless the worthiness of this reasoning is beyond all price, and could dwell and flourish in Thomist and asinine brains and nowhere else.

* * *

. . . We have therefore this article, although never with much concern exacted by me before, now greatly confirmed by the assertions of the Papists themselves,that is by their lies and stupidity and blasphemies,so that now we are very sure that it is the merest figment that which these impious and blind Thomists babble concerning this transubstantiation,

* * *

. . . the dullness of the Thomists . . .

* * *

. . . The Thomist asses have nothing they can bring forward but the number of men and the antiquity of the use, and then they say to one who brings forward Scripture, Are you the wisest of all?

* * *

. . . mere Thomist wickedness, forcing all words to mean all things . . .

* * *

But it is not to be wondered that the Thomist asses are so ridiculous; for God has willed that they should show no sign of sanity, or even of right thinking.

17) Luther Consigns Henry VIII to Hell

***

The offering of the viper keeps the inborn qualities of its nature, and imitates the example of its parents. For even against Paul, when he had taught that all the sons of Adam were justified without works, his enemies made the same accusation, as he writes in Romans (Chapter III): Some say we teach, Let us do evil that good may come. But what is the judgment upon them? Their damnation (he says) is just.

And what can I pronounce against my King, concerning his lie, except the same judgment of damnation?

18) St. Paul Was Self-Contradictory?

***

If this is to conflict in dogmas, as the Thomist King declares, if a man should think otherwise, when he knows the truth and revokes his error, than he thought before, I ask which of our wisest and most holy men was ever consistent? We shall damn the whole epistles of Paul because after his conversion he calls dung what before, when he was in Judaism, he had considered to be gain.

19) Violent Rhetoric

***

What are we to do now? except to let even fools see that our Thomist Henrys, in their notorious ignorance, have turned our faith into a subject of ridicule; and have strengthened the wickedness of the world; deserving therefore to have their tongue and hands cut off, so that they might never either speak or write again.

20) Goofy, Universally Rejected, Anti-Petrine Interpretation of Matthew 16

***

Therefore we will cleave to the Defender of our Church who says (Matt. XVI): I will build My Church,and build it not on the length of time, nor on the multitude of men, nor on It must be so, nor on the use and sayings of the saints, not even on John the Baptist, nor on Elijah, nor on Jeremiah, nor on any of the prophets;but upon that only and solid rock, upon Christ, the Son of God.

21) Extreme Bible-Only Position

***

. . . Scripture requires that we believe nothing except Scripture.

22) Extreme Private Judgment Position

***

To know and judge concerning doctrine belongs to all men, even to individual Christians; and in such a way belongs that, Let him be anathema who shall injure this right, even in the least particular. . . . And here Christ has established not only the right, but the commandment to judge, so that this sole authority can be sufficient against the opinions of all the Fathers, of all the Councils, and of all the Schools,. . .

* * *

We have it established then beyond all controversy that the right of discerning and judging doctrines, or of approving teachers, is within our power, and not in the power of Councils, or Bishops, or Fathers, or Doctors. But it does not follow from this that at the same time we have the right to make laws; for this belongs to God alone. Our duty is to recognize His law (and His word), to approve it, judge and separate it from all other laws; but in no wise to make laws or make commands.

23) Sacrilegious and Abominable Councils

***

You now see of what spirit were those sacrilegious and abominable Councils, which against so many clear fulminations of Scripture, and such uncontrovertible opinions, have dared to arrogate to themselves as Bishops the right of judging and discerning, and, above all, of commanding and constructing. Without doubt from Satan came those thoughts, whereby he has inundated the world with the workings of error, and has set up an abomination in the sacred place;. . .

24) Luther Even Goes After the Council of Nicaea (!!!)

***

For in the Council of Nicaea itself, the best of all the Councils, even then they were beginning to make laws and claim that right for themselves. And from that time till the present, it has been in force, so that nothing is more worthy to be received, nor can anything be more firmly proved on the theory of numbers and duration than this usurpation. So much so that there is no one today who does not think it to be wholesome, right, and divine. Nevertheless you see how this thing is sacrilege and impiety against the clear and invincible Scriptures of God.

Wherefore if such error, and such sacrilege, for such length of time has reigned among such great numbers of men who were either consenting, or seduced, or approving, and has reigned against the truth of God, I wish here, once for all, that, as regards the Sophists and Papists, their chief argument from duration and numbers should be trampled in the dust, and their mouths stopped, that they may see why God wills that we should believe in no creature whatever, however continuous, or numerous, or stupendous it may be, but only in His infallible word.

25) Sacrilegious and Abominable Mass

***

Having triumphed over the Mass, I think we have triumphed over the whole papacy. For upon the Mass as upon a rock is built the whole papacy with its monasteries, its bishoprics, its colleges, its altars, its ministers, its doctrines, and leans on it with its whole weight. And all these things must fall with the sacrilegious and abominable Mass.

***
Patna: Speaking after his weekly Lok Samvad program in Patna on Monday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar showed all signs of him now being comfortably ensconced in the NDA camp agreeing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on nearly every issue that he disagreed with him in the past.

Kumar said he agreed with the BJP leaders on holding both national and state elections on the same day to cut time and money for the grueling process.

"Holding simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies is the right way to go because it will give maximum time for work and delivery to any elected government. I would also like to include Panchayat and local bodies elections in this list as well," he said.

The Chief Minister, however, ruled out mid-term poll in Bihar saying he did not see any need for yet at this time.

Kumar, taking strong exceptions to the slow pace of murder investigation in Karnataka involving the killing of noted journalist Gauri Lankesh, said that it showed the complete failure of the Congress government in Karnataka.

"If this had happened in Bihar, everyone, including the media, would be crying hoarse demanding my resignation but since this happened in Karnataka, no one seems to be bothered by it," the Chief Minister said.
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has released draft directives to protect travelers who use Ghanaian registered aircraft.



At a stakeholders meeting in Accra to release the draft directives on consumer protection, Joyce A. Thompson, Director of Legal, International Relations and Communications, at GCAA said: These directives deal with passengers rights and air operators obligations to passengers. They address consumer protection issues and set out types of compensation for overbooking and denied boarding, delays and cancellation of flights.



She also said the directives cover compensation for denied boarding, flight delays, flight cancellation and baggage damages and loss.



Also, when persons are denied entry onto a domestic airline, they are entitled to reimbursement or re-routing and additional compensation of the cedi equivalent of $50.



For regional flights, affected passengers would be entitled to the same reimbursement or re-routing and an additional compensation of $300, while for international flights the compensation package, apart from the required reimbursement or re-routing, stands at $600.



She, however, cautioned that some things could be changed in the draft before they are eventually passed as law.



The directives also cover misleading advertisement.



It stated that all fees that were advertised as flight or plane tickets should be inclusive of all charges, so as not to mislead some members of the public.



It is worrying when a person sees the advertisement for a plane ticket and gets to the airport only to be told the advertised charge was exclusive of certain taxes and charges, the Authority disclosed.



Ayeh-Paye, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayensuano, said that more publicity and education should be given to Ghanaians to equip them to know their rights.



The meeting attracted industry players, members of parliament, consumers and other stakeholders who deliberated on the draft directives that had been released.

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
As part of its efforts to support the growth of businesses with affordable products and services, Tigo business in partnership with USAIDs Ghana Sustainable Fisheries Management Project and the Ghana Fisheries Commission has unveiled a total communication solution for fisherfolk in coastal communities.



Starting off as a pilot project, it is a first for the fishing community. The integrated package includes voice, internet, Tigo Cash and Tigo Insurance. It also comes with subsidised mobile handsets.



Speaking at separate community launch events in Axim and Elimina, the Chief Business Officer for Tigo Business, Stephen Essien, said the pilot phase will run until the end of the year after which it will be expanded based on the learnings from Adina, Bortianor, Elmina, and Axim, coastal communities within the Central and Western regions.



Our focus was a solution that ensured both financial and digital inclusion. The service would also provide them with up to the minute information from their respective associations and the Fisheries Commission. The integrated solutions were developed after extensive engagements with the fisher folk and others in the value chain, he explained.



Present at the launch were representatives from the National Fish Traders and Processors Association (NAFTPA) and the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC).

Source: Tigo Ghana









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

Featured Video
A clearing agent has been arrested by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in Tema for under declaring the goods he was clearing at the Harbour.



Mr. Felix Mate-Kodjo, Sector Commander, Customs Division.GRA, Tema Port, at a press briefing said we came across a clearing agent called Simana Logistics Limited who had declared some items that attracted a lower rate of duty (5%), but when the consignment were opened they were found to contain mobile phones and about fifty other items that would have attracted 60000 Ghana Cedis revenue.



So what we want to say is that, in as much as Customs would like to create a platform to enable people to clear their goods very quickly, people shouldnt take advantage to cheat the system, he warned.



We started paperless transactions on the first of September, and the essence is to ensure facilitation so that compliant importers cleared their goods in a relatively shorter time. The idea is that those who did the right thing should be rewarded to clear their items within a very short time, he informed.



Mr. Mate-Kodjo observed that some agents had taken advantage of the focus on facilitation to cheat the system.



He explained further by saying that, What they normally do is to declare goods that are not on the customs declarations and make away with revenue that runs into tens of thousands of Cedis.



He assured the public of the readiness of his outfit to identify people who would want to take advantage, saying that we are up and doing in the course of our work.



He said intelligence gathering and arrest were activities usually undertaken in the course of their work but we normally do not go out there to tell the public, so we deemed it necessary to do so this time.



According to him, in such a situation, the culprit would pay a penalty not exceeding three times the duty involved plus the duty itself and probably prosecuted.



Mr. Edward Osei, Chief Revenue Officer in Charge of Preventive, observed that the paperless transaction which had been rolled out is a fantastic idea from the government.



The advantages are too numerous to recount. But we also want to tell the importing public and agents that for the paperless system to be effective and for us to reap the benefits that will come from it, they should be compliant enough. They should be sincere with themselves, do legal business with us and shouldnt do anything that will undermine revenue collection and our security.



He said even though they were facilitating trade, which was a great idea, they would not relent in their resolve to expose those criminals who would take advantage of the system, adding that that is why the Preventive is being encouraged to be extra vigilant on us.



He said, We are not compromising revenue and we will not jeopardize security, and so we will want to send the warning out there that those who think they can outwit the system because it is a new system, will have to rethink because we are out to expose them.

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
OmniBank has donated an amount of $10,000.00 to pilgrims who are embarking on Government's supported trip to Israel this year for Christians and church leaders.



The donation according to Mr. Philip Oti-Mensah, Managing Director of the bank, forms part of their Corporate social responsibility.



Speaking to Peacefmonline.com, he stressed that, their main objective is to give back to the society in which we operate and knowing the role that Christians play in the community it was prudent they supported them on such a worthy visit.



"In a way to support the church grow financially, we have developed some product for the churches called Omni Praise to assist churches who need money to complete their church projects such as, buy a bus or any other activity or project that they will require financial assistance.



"That is not to say that we are assisting the pilgrims because we have tailored a product for them, We are only honouring our social responsility,"he added.



Leader and founder of the Glorious Word and power ministry and his team expressed their appreciaton for the support received from the Omnibank to support kingdom business.



According to him, the move was in fulfillment of a promise made by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to the Christian community that the party would assist them to embark on an annual pilgrimage.



He however added the trip was not being funded by the government but that it was only playing a facilitating role.



"It is not the government that is paying for this trip but the people. Each person on this trip is paying for his own expenses.



He said he was not part of this this trip because of some special prayer duties, but assures to join the subsequence once because this is not going to be the last, but a continues programe for every Christian in the outnry.



"Whiles they are there, they will undergo so many activities," he said.



There would be daily prayers and meditation at important and significant sites mentioned in the Bible.



"Other activities include boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, Walk on Mount Carmel and the mountain of prophet Elijah," Rev. Owusu-Bempah added

Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

Featured Video
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) stands to lose US$336.6 million this year should it fail to off-take all the gas that will be produced at the Offshore Cape three Point (OCTP) fields.



Under the OCTP gas agreement, the national oil company is obliged to either take all the gas produced from the field or pay for its equivalent cost.



The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) stands to lose US$336.6 million this year should it fail to off take all the gas that will be produced at the Offshore Cape three Point (OCTP) fields.



Under the OCTP gas agreement, the national oil company is obliged to either take all the gas produced from the field or pay for its equivalent cost.



GNPC is, therefore, expected to lose about US$28 million per month which translates into US$336.6 million in a year should it fail to off take the gas that would be produced.



As a result, the corporation has identified the 450 megawatts Karpower ship which arrived in the country last month as very critical in meeting its take-or-pay obligation as the Karpower ship, when installed, is expected to utilise approximately 90mmscf/d of gas from the OCTP annually.



This was disclosed when officials of GNPC appeared before Parliaments Select Committee on Mines and Energy to discuss the corporations 2017 work programme.



Background



Ghana signed a US$7 billion contract with Eni Spa for the development of the OCTP integrated oil and gas project.



The project, being undertaken by Italy's largest oil company, Eni Spa, in collaboration with Vitol Energy, is expected to see the development of the Sankofa and Gye Nyame fields that will provide substantial gas to operate Ghanas thermal power plants for 20 years.



The project will deliver 170 million cubic feet of gas per day and it is expected to generate an additional 1,100 megawatts of power for Ghana.



US$4 million to support AG



The corporation also pointed out to the committee its decision to provide adequate support to the Attorney-Generals (A-G) Departments preparations towards the final determination of the maritime boundary case between Ghana and Cote dIvoire.



It has, therefore, budgeted an amount of US$ 4 million to support the A-G in this regard as the GNPC considers the successful determination of the maritime boundary dispute verycritical to increasing average oil production in the Tweneboa, Enyenra, Ntomme (TEN) fields.



Office relocation



The officials also informed the committee of the corporations plans to relocate operations to Sekondi-Takoradi in the Western Region, as the corporation had already commenced a process of identifying suitable properties, facilities and parcels of land that could assist to make the relocation a reality.



The management of GNPC has, therefore, made a provision of US$7.5 million in its 2017 budget towards this project.



The amount is earmarked for initial office rental, land acquisition for office space, residential accommodation, pipe yards and architectural drawings and acquisition of the necessary permits.



Production projects



Major works to be carried out on the TEN fields this year include the construction of the TEN gas tie to the Jubilee pipeline and commencement of gas export from the field. This is to ensure gas export to the Atuabo Processing Plant when the Jubilee field is shut down.



In addition to oil production of 63,500 bopd, the field is also expected to deliver about 24mmscf of gas per day and it is being anticipated that judgement in favour of Ghana in the maritime boundary dispute may increase oil production to 69,980 bopd.



The development of the Sankofa-Gye Nyame field which commenced in 2015 is envisaged to deliver first oil in the third quarter of 2017 and first gas in the second quarter of 2018.



Major works to be carried out on the field include the completion of wells for first oil, arrival and commissioning of an FPSO and the continuation of work on the onshore receiving facility.

Source: Daily Graphic









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

Featured Video
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, has led a team of police personnel to impounded eight trucks loaded with illegal lumber and heading towards Burkina Faso.



The impounding of the eight trucks took place at Potor in the Kintampo North District of the Brong Ahafo Region last Sunday after tipoff.



Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh noted that his quest in stopping the syndicate in the illegal chainsaw operations will continue despite the saboteurs.



He noted that the forest is depleting at an alarming rate through illegal logging by chainsaw operators and other harmful practices, hence the need to contain the situation.



After the impounding of the trucks, it was detected that they had no permission covering the lumber.



The eight vehicles are currently parked at the premises of Forestry Commission in Sunyani as investigation continues into the incident.

Asomah-Cheremeh also urged opinion leaders, especially chiefs in the region, to support the fight against illegal chainsaw and other negative practices against the environment.



The Minister, in a similar incident, about four months ago impounded five trucks at Banda Ahenkro which were loaded with illegal lumber and heading towards Burkina Faso.



Opoku Adomako, Director at the Timber Inspection Development Division of the Forestry Commission in the region, who was alleged to be providing the escort, denied the allegation of escorting the trucks.



Adomako stated that the trucks were arrested by the commission at Babator, near Kintampo, but because of lack of parking space, they were taking them to Buipe in the Northern Region for parking.

Source: The Finder









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
Reliable information reaching Today has it that the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) has posted some first-year Senior High School (SHS) students to non-existing schools.



This, according to a close source at the education ministry, has come about due to the rushed implementation of the free SHS policy which was a key campaign promise by New Patriotic Party (NPP) during the December 7, 2016 poll.



One of such ghost schools is the Drobonso Community Day Senior High School at Sekyere Afram Plains in the Ashanti Region which is currently under construction.



The school, which is the first and the only SHS in the district, is part of the Community Day Schools constructed under the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama-led administration.



Sadly, some students from the Greater Accra and Western Regions who were posted to the day school as first years, had no option than to go back to their various towns.



Officials at both the ministry and GES are tight-lipped, but an officer at the Sekyere Afram Plains District Education Directorate who spoke with Today on condition of anonymity confirmed and hinted that officials at the district had taken details of the stranded students who will be forwarded to the regional office for them to be reposted.



According to the source, the district director of education by the time existing school heads were submitting names of schools also submitted the name of the school which was yet be in operation.



The facility by the head masters estimation was about 80 per cent complete so they thought it would be ready by the start of the 2017/18 academic year.



But, unfortunately that did not happen because as at January 2017, the contractor had not been on site.

Source: Today









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 Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh, withdrew as much as $45 million (almost 2 billion dalasi) from the Central bank coffers to fund his lavish lifestyle, a presidential commission has heard.



A top official of the bank, Karamo Jawara, told the commission that between 2014 and 2015, the former leader sent his chief of protocol, one Sanna Jargu, and other aides to withdraw different sums of money from the banks vault.



He added that at the height of the withdrawals, funds expected from international gateway termination was expended before they hit the accounts. Most of the said transactions were linked to an account to which Jammeh was a sole signatory.



There were also instances of overdrafts solely to accommodate the volume of withdrawals even though it put the bank in a position of non-compliance with laid down guidelines for government accounts, Jawara added.



President Adama Barrow instituted the commission in mid July this year with the main aim of looking into finances and other properties owned by Jammeh. According to Barrow, the move was another step in our change agenda for good governance.



In May this year, authorities announced the seizure of some $50m of Jammehs assets and also froze over 130 properties and accounts linked to him.



Jammeh left the country after his over two-decade rule ended in January this year. He is currently in Equatorial Guinea. He has not commented on the situation back home since he left. The last that was seen of him was when pictures emerged of him working on a farm in his new country.

Source: africanews.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
Dr. Akoto Owusu-Afriyie, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, has insisted that the fall armyworm attack, which ravaged thousands of farms across the country, has been defeated.



He said Ghana had been able to manage the worm invasion better compared to its neighbors in the West African sub-region.



Dr. Owusu-Afriyie made the claim when he appeared before the Public Account Committee (PAC) to respond to some violations contained in the 2015 Auditor-General's Report in relation to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.



The PAC is currently holding public sittings on the Report of the Auditor General for the Public Accounts of Ghana for the year ended December 31,2015.



Dr. Owusu-Afriyie insisted that the government deserves commendation, and not condemnation, for how it has managed the fall armyworm invasion on farms across the nation.



He said the fall armyworm menace was a biological phenomenon and, as such, was not possible to eliminate every single worm from the system.



Dr. Owusu-Afriyie expressed optimism that there was the likelihood of having bumper harvest this year, adding that if there were any threat of famine, the ministry would be the first to raise the red flag.



He explained that out of a total of one million hectares of farmlands, 124,000 hectares were affected by the fall armyworm attack and 14,000 hectares were completely destroyed.



He said the Ministry had taken steps to support the farmers whose farmlands have been completely destroyed with new seeds, fertilizer and chemicals for the minor crop season.

Source: The Finder









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 Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has been accused of adopting illegalities which have reduced the amount of money pensioners are entitled to by law.



These illegalities have been identified as disregard for annual salary in the selection of months for pension calculation, deductions associated with early retirement, wrong computations and annuity deductions.



General Secretary of Health Services Workers Union (HSWU), Reynolds Tenkorang told The Finder that the illegalities adopted by SSNIT have worsened an already pathetic plight of pensioners in the country.



He has, therefore, asked SSNIT to immediately stop the illegalities.



Pensions law

Section 36 subsection of Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) Law, 247 of 1991 states that pension shall be based on average annual salary for the best three years of a member during his working life.



However, Tenkorang said a study conducted by the union has revealed that certain illegal factors have been smuggled into the computation of Security Pension.



Annual salaries

Salaries for public sector workers are increased every year and the best three years preceding retirement are the best annual salaries.



According to the union, SSNIT has disregarded the word annual from their documents and rather uses monthly salaries preceding retirement to constitute three years annual salaries.

Therefore, a member who retires on April 1, 2017 will, for example, have nine months salaries counted in 2014, four years preceding retirement, which makes the member worst off, he explained.



According to him, this means that any Ghanaian worker who retires in any other month aside December is being cheated by SSNIT.

On the other hand, other pension schemes operating in Ghana, such as CAP 30, Police Pension and Ghana Universities Staff Superannuation, also compute pension based on annual salaries as declared on pay slips, and not monthly salaries.



Annuity factor

SSNIT has imposed annuity on the payment of lump sum, which cumulatively reduces lump sum for 12 years by 41.9%, even though annuity is not in the PNDC Law 247 of 1991 which regulates pensions in Ghana.



According to Tenkorang, this explains the low lump sum SSNIT pays to pensioners.



To buttress his point, he stated that CAP 30, Police Pension and Ghana Universities Staff Superannuation are also paid gratuity, but annuity is not deducted because annuity is not part of the calculations.



Early retirement

Section 34 of PNDC Law 247 of 1991 states that there shall be reduced pension when a member retires from ages 55 to 59, but the union points out that since there is no Legislative Instrument (LI) that spells out the modalities and formula, the deductions by SSNIT are illegal.



It has been established that contributors who retire at age 55 years have their lump sum reduced by 40% because of the illegal formula adopted by SSNIT, he added.



Errors in computation

Tenkorang revealed that another worrying development is that the union, through its monitoring, has detected many anomalies in the payment of benefits because computations used turn out to be wrong.



As a result, he said the union has set up a Welfare and Pension Desk to monitor the payment of the benefits to members, and anytime petitions are submitted to the Director General of SSNIT, refunds are made to beneficiaries.



Evidence of lump sum computation errors

He showed documents which confirm that several workers who filed complaints with the union received refunds.



For example, one retired worker who was paid GH9,000 as lump sum was later paid additional GH17,000 when the union petitioned SSNIT Director General on wrong computations.



A woman was paid GH3,000 instead of GH27,000.



Another worker who was short-changed by GH26,000 in the payment of lump sum also received a refund after the union identified the wrong calculations and petitioned SSNIT.



A worker who retired in 2012 was paid GH1,032 as lump sum but was later paid an extra GH12,000 when the anomaly was detected.

Another example is a worker who was paid GH4,000 lump sum, but later received additional GH6,000 when the wrong computation was detected by HSWU, Tenkorang lamented.



The National Pensions Act define a benefit scheme as a pension scheme providing a defined benefit formula for calculating benefit amounts without regard to contributions.

Source: The Finder









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
Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, last weekend led 50 Ghanaian Christians on a seven-day pilgrimage to Israel.



The pilgrims who joined the minister were some pastors, including Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah, some gospel musicians and representatives of some religious bodies.



Addressing some members of the media at the Kotoka International Airport, Mr Dzamesi said, It is the duty of this ministry to expose this pilgrimage to the people of Ghana and make it as cheap as possible so that people can go for this pilgrimage to satisfy their religious beliefs and aspirations.



He stated emphatically that the pilgrims bore the expenses of their journey and not the government as speculated earlier.



Let me emphasize that nobody, and I mean nobody is being supported by government because government does not have money to support people. What government is doing through the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs is to facilitate the process of pilgrimage to Israel and make it as cheap as possible and to ensure the safety of Ghanaians when they go to Israel, he stated.



Mr Dzamesi acknowledged that the ministry had received support from Omni Bank and the Apostolic Council in making the pilgrimage successful.



He said some of the activities outlined for pilgrims included daily prayers and meditation at significant sites mentioned in the Bible, including boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, a visit to Mount Carmel and the mountain of Prophet Elijah



There would be prayers at the Western Wall of the Temple of Jerusalem, visit to the Nativity Church of Bethlehem, renewal of baptismal promises in the River Jordan and awarding of Jerusalem Pilgrim Certificate, Mr. Dzamesi added.



Rev Isaac Owusu Bempah, General Overseer of the Glorious Word Power Ministry, who spoke on behalf of the pilgrims, said the trip would afford them an opportunity to undertake various activities that would bring protection and Gods direction to Ghana.

Source: Daily Guide









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

Featured Video
The President and founding member of Youth for Human Rights Africa (YoHRA), Francis Xavier Sosu has pledged his commitment to end child slavery in Ghana.



Mr Sosu made this pledge while addressing members of the Global Ambassadors Institute in Oklahoma City in the United States of America (USA) over the weekend.



The Global Ambassadors leadership Institute is a project by World Experiences Foundation which brings together High School and College students to equip them to become global thinkers and prepare them for global challenges.



The institute also provides opportunities for participants to develop cross-cultural understanding and intercultural skills so they could implement a multicultural project in their communities.



The training also creates opportunities to enhance skills in large and small scale event planning, project management, leadership and communication among others.



The project provides networking opportunities with leaders and global citizens in Oklahoma and around the world.



Speaking at the institute on the Topic My Journey to Change the World Lawyer Sosu shared his life story on how he suffered what he called child slavery while living on the streets of Accra.



I was enslaved to my world. I lost hope and was in the state of hopelessness when Village of Hope rescued me, he said.



Mr Sosu told the gathering that the only way one could change the world was to be guided by love in all doing. Love lifted me. I believe I can change the world by my continuous demonstration of love to this world. Love can change the world of others. Let love be the inspiration for all your global projects, he added.



Lawyer Sosu, who is also the President and Chairman of Treasure of Life Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation based in Ghana and the United States of America, aimed at rescuing and giving support to victims of abuses and violations, introduced the Global Ambassadors to the Treasure of Life Foundation.



According to him, the US chapter of the Treasure of Life Foundation is on a mission to end child slavery in Ghana.



Its been estimated that there are between 7,000 and 10,000 young enslaved boys on the Volta Lake. This data does not include street boys and girls across the cities, boys used on cocoa farms, quarries and so on.



We must end Child Slavery in Ghana. I am committed to work through the Treasure of Life Foundation in USA to end Child Slavery in Ghana, he stated.



Mr Sosu also noted that the current condition is a violation of the rights to life and dignity of all trafficked children and children in various forms of bondages.



He stated that on a daily bases, these childrens rights are violated. However, it is not enough to do advocacy and talk about the issue. That is why through the Treasure of Life Foundation USA we seek support and partnership to end Child Slavery through education.



On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Treasure of Life Foundation  USA, Mr Jeff Woodard in a brief remark said the project would consist of a number of tours that give projects, institutions and individuals firsthand information about the problems so that sustainable strategies could be put in place to end the menace.



The Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, Mr Jon Hazell, who is also a Board Member of the Treasure of Life Foundation, USA advised that all global projects must have respect for indigenous cultures.



He asserted that I believe God gave us different cultures for a reason. The reason to me is the need to be interdependent on each other. No culture is superior to others. If we learn to respect every culture we would be able to succeed in our projects as global ambassadors.



The Founder and Chief Executive of the Global Experiences Foundation, Mr Akash Patel, on his part, pledged to use their platform and resources to create more awareness about Treasure of Life Foundation through schools and colleges in Oklahoma to ensure that child slavery is ended not only in Ghana but also on the African continent.

Source: Daily Heritage









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
Various news portals were awash with a news item about Hon. William Quaitoo, a deputy minister of agriculture over some comments he passed deemed to be ethnocentric.



In the said comments which courtesy coupled with decency would not permit their repetition, the deputy minister's comments pained the people in the three northern regions, giving many a people from the zone the impetus to rain condemnations on the soft-spoken deputy minister.



Despite the fact that he rendered an unqualified apology for the guff, his remorsefulness was overlooked, and was bastardized the more. The culmination of these series of events was his letter to the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuo-Addo, resigning from his position.



It would be recollected vividly that opposition elements, especially NDC MPs who hail from the three Northern regions were very vociferous with their attacks on the deputy minister, and one such MP was Alhassan Suhuyini. The ferocious manner in which he heaped insults upon the beleaguered deputy minister for agriculture cannot be easily forgotten.



It is therefore strange that Holier than thou Alhassan Suhuyini, the apostle of decent language, has called a fellow human being, a Ghanaian from the Brong Ahafo Region, a Southerner, a pig.



This unfortunate incident was precipitated by a harmless question the gentleman asked him to mention an intervention whose stature could rival the rolled out Free SHS policy, and in his response, Suhuyini referred to him as a pig, and would not respond to such people.



For someone who was shouting at the top of his voice to have his fellow Member of Parliament guillotined over comments, as unfortunate as they sounded, apologized profusely for, to now turn around to refer to his fellow Ghanaian a pig is not only repugnant but also irresponsible, and must be condemned by the very people who joined him in castrating William Quaitoo.



This uncouth behaviour ought to be condemned by all and sundry, as it casts a slur on the integrity of the House of Parliament, especially, when same happened and was widely castigated and the expectation being that a reoccurrence of that incident or anything similar to it would not rear its ugly head.

Source: http://ghananewsreporters.com/index.php/politics/330-i-don-t-wrestle-with-akans-they-are-pigs-ndc-mp-alhassan-suhuyini









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

Featured Video
Ghanas former Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr Tony Aidoo says Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was really a problem for the NDC to handle in the 2016 election.



According to him, the then vice presidential candidate of the NPP was the Achilles' heel of the NDC despite his flaws in some economic matters.



Dr. Tony Aidoo in his first interview with TV3 after returning from his diplomatic assignment noted that the NDC had no one to match the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana economic analysis.



He stressed that; the NDCs communication team must have people with historical recall and administrative memory to counter Dr Bawumias in the next elections."



What I missed was the inability of the NDC communication team to bring out the facts so as to challenge the comparative analysis that Dr Bawumia was making, he noted.



Dr Bawumia was the Achilles heel of the NDC. Not only for the 2016 elections but he started way back in 2012, he added.



Dr. Tony Aidoo however noted that, Dr. Bawumias flaws were that He ignored the fact that for the most part of the Kufuor administration, the eight years was virtually carried by donor financial support. All the social interventions that Kufuor implemented were donor supported.



" . . At the time our national debt was about 6.8 billion dollars. In effect, our debt-to-GDP ratio certainly dropped sharply so on what grounds can Bawumia compare that an economy that was virtually carried by donor financial support was managed better than an economy that did not have those support? he sought to know.







Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Ambrose_wash









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
Nigerian Afrobeats artiste, Mr. Eazi stands by his belief that Ghanaians have influenced Nigerian music.



Weeks ago, he granted an interview on Capital Xtra suggesting that Nigerian artistes use Ghanaian words or slangs to help them get radio hits, incurring the wrath of his country people.



The interview that caused this uproar was just me speaking my mind and saying things the way I see it from my perspective. It wasnt meant to be an insult to any Nigerian artiste, explains Mr. Eazi to Punch News of Nigeria.



You cannot deny that I brought a new vibe to the industry and I believe everybody can see that. Now, there are lots of Nigerian artistes who use Ghanaian words and melodies in their songs, but theyve never been to Ghana. So how did they get to know about those words? There are a lot more songs out now that have that Ghanaian influence, and with all due respect, I can boldly say that started after my songs started gaining popularity.



Mr. Eazis assertion that Nigerian artistes use Ghanaian sound or slang to help them score a radio hit is wrong, says Nigerian Dancehall artiste, Patoranking.



The No Kissing act believes the cultural exchange between the West African countries is to the benefit of artistes from both countries.



We have been having this cultural exchange with Ghana way back since the time Tuface sang My love which featured VIP from Ghana. Tic Tac and Tony Tetuila sang Fefe ne efe. The musical cultural exchange between Nigeria and Ghana has been going on even before I finished secondary school. explains Patoranking in an interview with Co0l FM in Lagos, Nigeria.



It is false for Mr. Eazi to say he started that style of music because he did not help me sing my hit song, My Woman. I did it myself and the song is a global hit song. It is the biggest afrobeat song in the Caribbean. I do not agree with his statement. It is wrong.



He also claimed that the Nigerian music market helps with the growth of artistes compared to that of Ghana.



Nigerians are very powerful people and if they like your song, you are likely to be a success in Africa. There was a point in my life that I travelled to Ghana in search of greener pastures but I ended up trekking and sleeping on the streets. I decided to come back to Nigeria. Then I released Alubarika and Girlie O. Both songs were a hit and in no time, I was invited to perform in Ghana, Kumasi Stadium to be precise. When they came to pick me, I counted the number of cars and it was 13. I was very surprised but was grateful to God.







Mr. Eazi

Source: livefmghana.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
If you're in the market for a used car, watch out for flooded-out vehicles that could be heading our way from southern states hit by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and the anticipated Maria.

As many as 500,000 vehicles were flooded in Texas and Louisiana by Harvey, and hundreds of thousands more in Irma, and some of them could be heading to our area, state officials say.

PennDOT, the attorney general and state insurance commission are advising consumers to be wary of flood-damaged cars being sold as undamaged new or used vehicles.

Flooded vehicles may legally be sold as long as they are titled as such, but owners will get lower payments on insurance claims, warn state officials.

"Vehicles damaged by flooding often have insurance claims filed on them and are reported as a total loss. These vehicles can be issued certificates of salvage from PennDOT and can be re-sold legally, provided the salvage certificate indicates the vehicle has been flood damaged," said Jessica Altman, acting state insurance commissioner.

But there are also those who clean up these vehicles and take them out of state to sell to unsuspecting buyers, she said.

While there are things to look for on these vehicles, sometimes damage to electrical systems only show up months or even years later, and it won't be covered by your auto policy, Altman said.

Here are things to watch for:

Prices that seem too good to be true.

Water stains, mold, mud or sand under the carpets, seats, floor mats, inside roof cloth and under the dashboard.

Check the engine for moisture damage or water or grit in the engine compartment.

Rusty metal inside the car. The inside of a car does not usually rust.

Look inside the trunk and spare tire for evidence of moisture, silt or corrosion.

Look for signs of mismatched carpeting or seat covers.

Check areas where water might have been trapped and caused mold, rust or silt such as inside dome lights or glove compartments.

Musty odors in the trunk and in the passenger compartment (especially when running the A/C or heat)

Fog or moisture inside interior and exterior lights and excessive fogging of windows and condensation on windows.

Mud or grit in the spare tire compartment and under the hood. When checking under the hood, be sure to look under wires, boxes and in hidden areas.

Brittle wires under the dashboard, speakers and hood.

Oxidation under the hood. Oxidation on metal can look like white powder or it could even be small holes called pitting.

Be wary of sales on Craigslist, where it can be more difficult to check a vehicle's history.

Have prospective vehicles checked by your mechanic.

Insist on a warranty or refuseto buy the vehicle on an "as is" basis.

Check the vehicle's title history.

Ask the seller whether the vehicle has ever had flood damage.

Flood-impacted vehicles that have been issued a certificate of salvage are required to undergo an enhanced vehicle safety inspection prior to being issued a title in Pennsylvania. Upon successful completion of the enhanced inspection, a Pennsylvania title will be issued with a Flood or Reconstructed Flood brand.

Insurers also may not be willing to provide comprehensive and collision coverage on flood-damaged vehicles because the insurer can't be sure of the vehicle's value or how complete any repairs are, and getting a loan may also be more difficult, so cash payment may be required.

Consumers can also use the National Insurance Crime Bureau's VINCheck database, to see if the vehicle had a claim for flood or other damage filed.

For used cars, consumers can also check references services such as Carfax.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau allows consumers to check vehicle identification numbers to see if vehicles were affected by hurricanes.

AutoCheck provides a free "storm damage scan" service for consumers to check vehicles for storm damage or if it was registered or titled within 12 months prior to a storm in counties affected by the recent disasters.

Here's what to do if you bought a flood-damaged vehicle:

Contact your local police department.

Look for referral resources on the Pa. Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority web site.
Hurricane Jose is expected to move up the Atlantic coast without much impact on Pennsylvania, but forecasters say it is too early to tell what impact Maria, now a Category 5 storm, will have on the region and the U.S.

"Right now it's kind of anyone's guess how close it's going to get to the U.S," said Craig Evanego, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in State College. "It's days and days away."

Evanego pointed to varying models with different trajectories for Maria in explaining the current unpredictability of the storm relative to the region. He said forecasters will keep people updated with the latest information as the storm's trajectory becomes more clear, noting that Maria likely will still be in the Caribbean through the weekend.

As for Jose, Evanego reiterated that there would be minimal, if any, impact on Pennsylvania. Closer to the coast there could be rain, but Jose is expected to lose steam in the Atlantic Ocean without much impact to region as a whole, save coastal locations, Evanego said.

This week's forecast will include foggy mornings, but should remain dry otherwise Evanego said. He added that the unseasonably warm weather is a result of a ridge of high pressure along the Eastern U.S. which will keep temperatures near or above the 80s until the weekend.

Check back with PennLive for the latest weather updates.

Here's a look at the extended forecast through Friday:

TUESDAY: Partly cloudy with a high around 78. Low near 62.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny with a high near 83. Low around 63.

THURSDAY: Sunny. High around 82. Low around 61.

FRIDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 82. Low around 60.
EAGLEVILLE -- A school district near Philadelphia says classes will be canceled for a second day Tuesday amid a strike by teachers following the breakdown of contract negotiations.

Teachers in the Methacton School District in Montgomery County walked off the job Monday after failing to reach an agreement with the district Sunday night. The contract covering about 400 teachers expired at the end of June.

Union representatives say the school board wants teachers to pay a greater share of health care premiums. They said they could not accept the proposal without a corresponding increase in salaries.

The school board president tells Philly.com progress was being made and he hopes negotiations will resume quickly.
Philadelphia has "all hands on deck" in its effort to be chosen by Amazon as home of its new headquarters.

Mayor James Kenney told Bloomberg Monday that the city "will put its best foot forward" in seeking Amazon's nod.

"This is too big of a deal, too many jobs, too great of a company not to go after it," Kenney said, launching a #PhillyDelivers campaign on Twitter Friday.

We want to hear how youd like to help make sure #PhillyDelivers for Amazon! Share your awesome ideas here! https://t.co/6e5COhyUhe  Jim Kenney (@PhillyMayor) September 14, 2017

Pittsburgh is also expected to making a pitch, along with cities like Boston, Austin, Chicago, Charlotte NC, Aurora, Colo. and more.

Here's what's at stake:

Amazon is seeking applications through mid-October from cities hoping to host a new $5 billion headquarters by 2019.

The new hub will offer 50,000 jobs over the next 10-15 years that pay a minimum of $100,000 a year.

The city's commerce department and industrial development corporation are at work on the application with help from experts from area universities and medical centers, Kenney said.

Billy Penn reports that potential locations could include the Navy Yard, Schuylkill Yards and University City in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia's millennial population rose by about 100,000 from 2006-12, according to Pew Charitable Trusts. That group is nearly twice as likely to have a college degree as the older generation.

As Philadelphia's assets, the mayor cited:

102 colleges and universities in the greater Philadelphia region.

Top-notch medical facilities.

World-class airport close to center city.

City's location halfway between New York City and Washington, DC.

Great transit and regional rail.

Many start-up IT companies and potential employees in this field.

A diverse population with large percentage of millennials.

Asked if the state will have to make changes in its tax laws to offer the incentives needed to attract Amazon, Kenney said he doesn't believe any major state law changes will be needed.
YORK -- A former Republican congressman who represented parts of central Pennsylvania in the U.S. House for more than a quarter century has died. Bill Goodling was 89.

A statement from his family says Goodling died Sunday evening.

The native of Loganville, Pa., took office in 1975 after winning the congressional seat previously held by his father, George Goodling. He represented voters in York and Adams counties, and parts of Cumberland County, for 13 consecutive terms until retiring in 2001. Bill Goodling served as chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor for nearly a decade.

Candidates Charlie Gerow, left, and Bill Goodling shake hands in April 1996. They ran against each other in 1996 and '98.

Said former Pa. Gov. Tom Ridge, who worked during his six terms alongside Goodling in Congress: "Bill Goodling was a real gentleman who loved serving the people of south central Pennsylvania. He was particularly helpful to me as a young congressman on education policy. He was passionate about education and I often sought him out for his counsel in those early days. Michele and I extend our deepest condolences to Bill's family and friends."

His family says he was a former teacher, guidance counselor and principal who reached across the political aisle to push for improvements to public education.

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry said Monday that the region has lost "a great man and public servant."

He continued: "I'm deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Congressman Bill Goodling. Born in Loganville, he served our District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975-2001. In addition to being an Army Veteran, Congressman Goodling served as an educator for many years and was a tireless champion of strengthening educational opportunities for everyone. He served as Chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce for the 105th and 106th Congresses, and his portrait hangs in the Committee's hearing room yet today. Christy and I offer our heartfelt prayers and condolences to his family and loved ones, and wish them - and Bill - Godspeed."

Republican strategist Charlie Gerow, who challenged Goodling in 1996 and '98 and lost, extended his condolences to Goodling's family and loved ones. "He had a long and storied career," he said late Monday. "He and I broke our lances but I always respected him for his service to our country." Gerow lost to Goodling by around 5,000 votes in 1996.

Memorial services are being handled by the Etzweiler funeral home in York.

Here are other sentiments expressed Monday night:

"I'm deeply saddened to hear of former Congressman Goodling's passing. A tireless public servant and patriot, Congressman Goodling's passion for education ultimately earned him a leadership role in the House of Representatives as chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor. The Republican Party of Pennsylvania extends its heartfelt prayers and condolences to his loved ones and family."



-- Val DiGiorgio, Chairman, Republican Party of Pennsylvania

"Bill was a true public servant and exemplified the finest principles of public service throughout his career as an educator and congressman as well as his past military service. He always put the people of his community and nation first. He was a wonderful role model for me as a young 14-year-old teenage Republican when I volunteered on his very first re-election campaign for Congress in 1976 when I was a ninth grader at York Suburban High School. Throughout my career, the approach he took of putting people first, not taking contributions from special-interest groups, running very grassroots-oriented campaigns was an example I followed throughout all of my campaigns. One of the things that I also appreciated is that he stayed very connected to the people of his district throughout his 26 years in Congress, regularly being in the district as opposed to staying in D.C., very hands-on with the people of the district in not losing his grounding in the values of central Pennsylvania."

- Todd Platts, judge on the York County Court of Common Pleas
Looking for plans this Friday? Join the 2017 ZERO Prostate Cancer 5K Run/Walk on City Island. The race will kick off at 7 p.m.

"The big news this year is that we are celebrating 10 years of ending prostate cancer in central Pennsylvania," said Shawn Supers, ZERO's Mid-Atlantic Chapter Director. "It's the 10th Anniversary of the run/walk, and we expect record-breaking participation and are aiming to raise $120,000 to benefit ZERO, The End of Prostate Cancer and locally, the PA Prostate Cancer Coalition."

Supers said there is always a ceremony recognizing prostate cancer survivors, and this year, they will also honor caregivers who support men battling cancer. "The men get to invite a caregiver up to the stage to receive a special caregiver sash and a whole lot of love and thanks for being there for them. This recognition ceremony is the heart and soul of the event and not to be missed," she added.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, she noted and "a Friday night in September is gorgeous, perfect weather, the sun is just starting to set as we line up, fall colors are out on the trees and everyone is ready for a good time," she said. The post-race spread will also include french fries, soft pretzels, pizza, hot dogs and more. Former American Idol contestant Jimmy Charles will be on hand to perform "Superman," his ZERO cancer anthem.

Last year, more than 200 runners participated in the event. Al Brulo, 58, was the first male to finish in 19:58, while Christine Grice, 47, was the first female in 23:02.

"It gives folks in the community a chance to make a difference for the 1 in 8 men who will be affected by prostate cancer," Supers said. "The event has become a tradition for many families and encourages those who have been affected by the disease to connect, share their experiences, spread hope and raise funds and awareness for an important cause."

"It is a great, family-friendly way to work on fitness, while raising awareness for an important cause in their local community. It gives men and families in the community the unique opportunity to connect with others impacted by the disease, all while raising funds and awareness to combat the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American men. We aim to make prostate cancer a national priority, and as the race takes place during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we hope to share hope and passion with the community for ending the disease. The event gives the local community a voice in the fight to end prostate cancer," added Supers.

The cost for the 5K is $30. Registration will be available on Friday, beginning at 3:30 p.m. on City Island.
Peter Munk is shown in Toronto, December 4, 2013. The Peter and Melanie Munk Charitable Foundation has donated another $100 million to the Toronto cardiac centre bearing the Barrick Gold founder's name - the largest single charitable contribution ever to a Canadian hospital. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch
Kenneth James Gleason is escorted by police to a waiting police car in Baton Rouge, La., Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. Gleason is charged with two counts of first degree murder and other charges, for three shootings in the Baton Rouge area throughout the past week that resulted in the death of two men. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Harbor Light's Guan signs with Lake Superior State for golf

Harbor Springs  When Yongbo "Raymond" Guan first came to the United States as an international student four years ago, he was already a highly ranked amateur golfer in his home country of China.
U.S. president enlists Latin American leaders to keep Venezuela regime in check

Reuters/Kevin Lamarque



Trump says democracy must be restored in Venezuela soon during a during a working dinner with Latin American leaders in New York, U.S., September 18, 2017. In photo, U.S. President with Brazil President Michel Temer (center R).

By Jennifer Jacobs and Samy Adghirni

NEW YORK

Petroleumworld 09 19 2017

President Donald Trump praised the good relationship between the U.S. and Latin America and said he wants to turn the tables on trade with the region just a little bit.

Trump made his remarks at the start of a dinner in New York on Monday where he hosted presidents from Brazil, Colombia, Panama as well as Argentina's vice president. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, chief of staff John Kelly were also present.

The U.S. president also lashed out against Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, calling his rule disastrous. He said that people in Venezuela are starving and the country is collapsing.

The U.S. "has taken important steps to hold the regime accountable and we're prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on a path to imposing authoritarian rule," Trump said. He thanked the Latin American leaders for "condemning the regime."

Brazil's President Michel Temer said all leaders agreed on maintaining pressure on Venezuela's government. But further sanctions on the country should be verbal.

The U.S. has increased its pressure on Venezuela in the aftermath of President Maduro's moves to seize more authority amid a crippling recession and months of violent protests. Last month the Treasury Department barred trading of new debt by the government and state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA. Other rounds of sanctions have targeted senior individuals in Maduro's administration including PDVSA's Chief Financial Officer Simon Zerpa Delgado.

The dinner is taking place at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The menu included carrot ginger soup and rack of lamb.

Earlier Monday, Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos told Bloomberg Television that military intervention is something that was not on the agenda of any country in Latin America, that would create a worse situation still.







Story by Jennifer Jacobs and Samy Adghirni from Bloomberg.



bloomberg. com / 09 18 2017
#suitcase murder suspect Justice minister orders extradition of 'suitcase' murder suspect to New Zealand South Korea's justice minister on Monday ordered the extradition of a woman believed to be the mother of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases in New Zealand in August,...

#KBO KBO sets salary cap for 1st time In an unprecedented move designed to ensure a level playing field, the top South Korean baseball league announced Monday it has set a salary cap for the next three seasons. The ...
The Amazon logo is displayed at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New Yorks Times Square on May 30, when the companys shares traded above $1,000 a share for the first time. Read more

Adam Ozimek of Moody's Analytics in West Chester has been one of my favorites of the rising generation of public intellectuals since before I was paid to moderate an "American economy under Trump" panel featuring him and a Vanguard prognosticator last winter. His Twitter feed, @ModeledBehavior, is provocative and evidence-based. (We disagree about minimum wages.)

When Jeff Bezos' Amazon said it was looking for a headquarters location to host 50,000 employees, setting off a mad scramble among American and Canadian cities to be That Lucky Town, Ozimek Twitter-challenged me to list possible sites around his favorite city: "Joe I have a request for a piece from you: the top spots in Philly where Amazon could build a massive HQ". (Read Amazon's Request for Proposals here.)

In a striking example of just how small the circular world of journalism can be, not one but two Inquirer/Daily News colleagues Inga Saffron and Howard Gensler  promptly cited Adam's hometown-favorite article as a leading endorsement for Philadelphia as Amazon's new center. (Inga also noted Bloomberg reported Boston has the inside track, while the New York Times has triangulated Denver.)

There are also, of course, less-prejudiced endorsements for Philadelphia as Amazon's choice, including these, from city-lovers close to Adam's and Inga's sensibilities:

 Stephen Smith, a Brooklyn-based, Georgetown-educated, self-described supporter of "liberal urbanism" who runs the @MarketUrbanism and NewYorkNimby.com feeds, lists "Philly (University City)" alongside New York's Hudson Yards and undefined sites in Boston, Toronto and Denver as "top guesses for Amazon HQ2."

 Jon Coppage, a "conservative urbanism" fan and UChicago alumnus who is a visiting senior fellow at R Street, a conservative think tank in Washington, made his social-media choice @RSI for "an early bet on Philly  It's a hugely slept on city. Needs to fix its taxes, but otherwise."

 Lyman Stone, a U.S. Department of Agriculture economist writing on medium.com, makes a more persuasive Philly case that works around Amazon's preference for growing metro areas. (Philly has mostly grown below other big metro areas for decades, despite Ozimek's recent brag that recent gains, especially among young people in Center City, have finally pushed Philadelphia's workforce above early 1990s levels.) "Cities with very weak household growth" can actually be highly affordable places for Amazon to locate, Stone argues. "St. Louis, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Rochester, and Hartford all have extremely weak growth in the household population. They also have lackluster total population growth. But they have been adding new housing! Much of their housing supply may be dilapidated, but that might not be a big problem for Amazon."

Because, if you are really determined to locate in a fast-growing area, you risk limiting yourself to very expensive, carefully zoned places like San Francisco or Boston, where there's not much room and acquisition costs are sky-high. Philadelphia is the largest of the U.S. cities Stone listed where weak growth has kept office and even housing rentals relatively affordable.

Which, however, is a result of some other reasons why it may be tough for Amazon to locate here:

 Slow growth. After 20 years of writing about business here, I've come to believe this is intentional, because the people who run things, despite their claims to support growth, like things they way they are, with them in charge. City Council is notoriously hands-on and tends to drag out or sink sweeping initiatives that members perceive as a threat. Planning, zoning, historic review, and councilmanic prerogative can stop or slow big projects. You must have friends, or make them fast, to gain the tax breaks developers need to make the city's much-lower-than-New-York rents profitable for developers. It's a comfortable system, if you're part of the club. Adding Amazon as by far the largest corporate force in town could threaten those cozy relationships.

 Taxes. Though Amazon Web Services makes a lot of money, Amazon's main retail business barely breaks even, considering its scale. Philadelphia's infamous gross-receipts tax and Pennsylvania's high corporate tax rate discourage many kinds of profit-margin-conscious companies The state (and city) long ago proved they are eager to make exceptions for favored employers. But again, you have to have friends, or make them fast, to win those concessions. Does Amazon want the hassle of negotiating this, if so many other places are tax-friendlier?

 What will Comcast do? As the largest private employer left in the city since the banks, factories and railroads sold out (the other big Philly employers are all hospitals, colleges and government agencies), Comcast benefits from the city's relatively low wages, office rents, and metro housing costs. But a second, much larger, corporate employer  Amazon plans five times Comcast's 10,000 local workers  would inflate prices and threaten Comcast's advantage. So whatever CEO Brian Roberts or master deal-maker David L. Cohen may say publicly about supporting Philadelphia growth, Comcast bosses are somewhat in the position of the major employer in any factory town in America: A larger tech-based competitor would compete for talent and other resources. Especially because Comcast, since about 2012, has seen the writing on the wall with regard to the decline of television and is betting hard on proprietary apps, tech patents, and start-up acquisitions  and the engineers it needs to make this work. As Inga pointed out, Philadelphia already has a relatively small software sector. Amazon could swamp it.

 Labor. Unions have invested in Philadelphia political support to maintain their hold on commercial construction projects. Wages aren't the problem  skilled building-trades workers are scarce everywhere  but good union medical and retirement benefits cost more. It's true that the most obstreperous of Philadelphia's building-trades unions  the Carpenters and the Ironworkers  have had their leadership ousted in the past two years, leaving the more forward-looking John Dougherty of the Electricians and the Building and Construction Trades Council to negotiate terms that might make a massive building project that would keep members busy for years more attractive. That's if Dougherty survives the latest of the investigations that bedevil successful Democrats around here.

 Engineering talent. It remains in short supply, especially for a region Philadelphia's size. Penn's Moore School may have built the first modern computer, SAP's U.S. operations are out in Delco, and the remnants of locally based Unisys and SunGard still employ thousands worldwide. But our start-up scene and the supply of software developers to power it is underweight. Engineering schools at Drexel, Penn, Villanova, Temple, Delaware and Penn State would benefit from Amazon hiring. But mostly, we'd have to import engineers and developers to feed Amazon, even more than Denver or Boston would.

(Maybe Amazon is big enough that rumor of its coming will bulldoze obstacles? On Thursday, City Councilman David Oh rolled out a quick proposal to ease expenses for "new Megabusinesses, defined as those which realistically offer the prospect of creating 50,000 jobs in the City and bring a capital investment of $5 billion in new construction within the City." These "would have no business net income tax imposed by the City for their first ten years in Philadelphia. The tax benefit would be capped at $2 billion over 10 years for any individual New Megabusiness.")

What would we gain, in the end? It should be obvious: jobs, commerce, demand for housing, restaurants, better schools and public amenities, and a flood of new public revenues  if not from Amazon, which is great at squeezing tax breaks from Pennsylvania and other states, then from 50,000 new wage- and sales-tax-paying workers.

But, again, plenty of Philadelphians, especially people who run things, like the city just the way it is  not as fast as New York, nor as slow as all those hollowed-out Midwest ex-factory towns like Pittsburgh (more on shrunken Pittsburgh's swollen pretensions from our Inquirer colleague Angela Couloumbis here), as octogenarian Pittsburgh native-turned-Philadelphia real estate investor Walt D'Alessio told me in an interview last spring. Until recently, D'Alessio was chairman of the city's dominant health insurer (financed by all the major employers), and also chairman of the city's largest landlord, and of his real estate brokerage, which made millions doing deals with both the companies he chaired. That's the kind of power people who play by Philly rules tend to amass, and that a new heavyweight could threaten.

Of all the stories being written about Amazon maybe coming here, it was our colleague Will Bunch who wrote the most cranky old-time Philly column when he argued that Amazon would only dull the dating scene, require too many embarrassing tax breaks, and enrich that multibillionaire squeezer Bezos, so as far as Will is concerned, they can all stay in Seattle. Or go to Boston.

My own bright kids  software guys and CPAs  have been migrating from Delaware to Philly to New York. For the city's sake, I hope Adam, Inga and Howard are convincing and Will is wrong and Amazon settles here. But that means big changes in the way the city does things, and the power structure. And that's not gonna happen until it's made very clear how exactly that will benefit the people who still run things and the constituencies who keep them in power.
Paratek Pharmaceuticals president and chief operating officer Evan Loh is one of nearly a dozen former pharma executives and scientists who are heading start-ups in Pennsylvania. Loh is a former Wyeth and Pfizer executive. Read more

Pennsylvania lost 2,900 pharmaceutical jobs  or nearly 20 percent  in recent years, as big drugmakers shed workers to cut costs, consolidate, or relocate to other states.

While jobs in big pharma declined  Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and AstraZeneca have all laid off in the region  Pennsylvania life-sciences jobs overall were up slightly, 0.6 percent, in the last five years, according to a report released Tuesday by Life Sciences Pennsylvania, an industry trade group.

Across the country, pharmaceutical manufacturers shed less than 2 percent of their employment, "illustrating that Pennsylvania has become less attractive for pharmaceutical manufacturers compared with other regions of the country during the last five years," said the report prepared by tax and audit firm KPMG.

As big pharma companies contracted and shed workers, many scientists and former executives stayed in Pennsylvania to work in, or start, companies developing new medicines, doing contract research for pharma manufacturers, biotechnology research and development, and medical testing. The net effect has been a modest increase in jobs, as younger companies expanded into the life-sciences space.

Total life-sciences jobs in Pennsylvania grew from 111,430 in 2011 to 112,068 in 2016, the study said. The average annual salary in 2016 was $137,976, up 13.9 percent.

Today more than half the life-sciences companies in Pennsylvania have 10 employees or fewer. "So, the landscape looks very different," said Christopher Molineaux, president and CEO of the statewide group, formerly called Pennsylvania Bio.

"It has been an evolution, and, to some degree, a modernization of life sciences around here," said Roy Rosin, chief innovation officer at Penn Medicine. "Those pharma companies are still a pretty critical part of the ecosystem. They have a lot of talent so that even when they have layoffs, a lot of those people have really important skills to help build the next generation of life-sciences companies."

The KPMG report said that Pennsylvania has failed to attract and retain entrepreneurial venture capital compared to states like California and Massachusetts. The study noted "a dearth in Pennsylvania-based entrepreneurs with experience in life-sciences ventures" has limited expansion and growth. In 2016, the state secured $147 million in venture capital funding, ranking 13th nationally. California was No. 1 with $5.5 billion, followed by Massachusetts with $3 billion, and Maryland with $2.2 billion.

Pennsylvania received $27.9 million in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), although California ($92.6 million) and New York ($69.7 million) received considerably more. Pennsylvania receives significant National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding  $1.6 billion in 2016.

The KPMG study noted "the latest signs suggest the pace of commercialization activity is accelerating." The University of Pennsylvania Penn Center for Innovation has seen research and development expenditures from all corporate sponsorships double from 2013 to 2016, with much of the increase tied to life sciences.

Similarly, the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute has recorded a "sharp increase" in both the number of patents issued and start-up companies formed, both university-led and student-run, indicating research is increasingly translating into new ventures, the study said.

Barbara Schilberg, managing director and CEO of BioAdvance in Philadelphia, which since 2003 has invested in early-stage life-sciences companies, said Pennsylvania has "always had to import venture capital funding. We've always had to bring in venture capital."

But companies can do fine without raising venture capital, she said. "Because family offices [private wealth management advisory firms] have popped up, foundations are funding, the NIH is funding. There are a lot of sources of funding. Venture is just one part."

Schilberg said that former pharma employees who are now consultants and entrepreneurs have been "converted" to helpers for small companies.

Rosin, at Penn, who previously worked in the Silicon Valley and Boston, said he sees a "growing ecosystem" in Philadelphia. "Venture capitalists and investors go where the interesting and compelling companies are. There's been a lot more attention paid to some of the work coming out of Philadelphia now, particularly in immune therapy, some medical devices companies, and smaller drug-development and drug-testing companies. There's a lot of activity now.

"It poses an interesting question. If there is all this phenomenal activity and brilliant work going on, where's the venture money? It's here, but it's growing. I think we are still in the early phases of that development."
Mount Airy-based developer Ken Weinstein, 53, is on the roof of the Marv Levy building overlooking the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Berkley Street, an area he plans to redevelop. Read more

Long after the area around Wayne Junction station in North Philadelphia lost its industrial-era bustle, it still had the Wayne Junction Diner, a 1950s eatery turned ruin-porn landmark that was demolished in 2008.

Mount Airy-based developer Ken Weinstein is now returning a diner to the station's blighted midst as part of his plan to transform the enclave of vacant factories and warehouses into apartments, restaurants, and offices.

A vintage Mountain View Diners Co. car acquired by Weinstein's Philly Office Retail LLC is on its way from Connecticut to a vacant parcel near the core of what the developer hopes will become a lively commercial district joining Germantown and Nicetown.

In all, he said, about $12 million is being spent by Philly Office Retail to purchase and renovate seven properties encompassing nearly 123,000 square feet on streets west of the station and along Germantown Avenue to its north. Construction is to begin in early 2018.

Working in his favor are the potential retail and restaurant patrons, office tenants, and residents fed by Wayne Junction station  among the region's busiest  and by U.S. Route 1, which has an on-ramp barely a half-mile away, he said.

"It really is a unique site, with such an active train hub and easy access to the highway," said Weinstein, who plans to formally announce his vision Tuesday. "It just seemed like an obvious choice."

Weinstein has developed properties throughout the region, with a focus in Germantown and Mount Airy. His Trolley Car Diner & Deli has spawned sibling cafes in East Falls and  soon  University City. He also runs a training program for aspiring developers in underserved communities known as Jumpstart.

His Wayne Junction plans most closely echo his work more than 20 years ago in Mount Airy, when he helped spark a neighborhood retail-strip renaissance by filling blighted properties on Germantown Avenue between Mount Pleasant Avenue and Allens Lane with shops and restaurants. The blocks are now home to the Earth Bread & Brewery pizzeria and the upscale Cresheim Valley Grain Exchange restaurant.

Weinstein acknowledged that the swath of Mount Airy he helped revive is not directly comparable to the less affluent Wayne Junction area, but he said he's up for the challenge.

He's also not starting at Wayne Junction from scratch, with SEPTA having completed a $31.5 million station renovation in 2015. And just east of the station, the Nicetown Court I and II mixed-use developments have brought in apartments and businesses.

"I'm glad there's someone who has the capacity to improve the conditions of the neighborhood and help revitalize it and improve the economy," said Majeedah Rashid, chief operations officer for Nicetown Court developer Nicetown Community Development Corp. "Those are a lot of the same things that we're doing."

Also buttressing Weinstein's efforts is West Philadelphia-based Mosaic Development Partners, which plans to convert a former 40,000-square-foot medical supply manufacturing facility at Wayne Avenue and Apsley Street into a complex of 29 apartments with a daycare center, a High Point Cafe, and another restaurant.

Mosaic co-founder Leslie Smallwood-Lewis said she hadn't been aware of Weinstein's plans when her company began working in the neighborhood but was glad to learn of them.

"It's great synergy," said Smallwood-Lewis, whose company plans to spend $7.4 million on what it's calling Golaski Park. "It helps both of us to have both our companies investing time and resources into the community."

The centerpiece of Weinstein's plan involves the conversion of a former pencil factory at 137-45 Berkley St. into offices and restaurant space for a Deke's Bar-B-Que, which also will continue operating its existing location in Wissahickon. Also planned for the building, across the street from the still-functioning Wayne Mills textile plant beside the rail station, is a microbrewery or craft distillery, Weinstein said.

On an empty lot beside that building, Weinstein plans to install the vintage diner car, which will be named the Wayne Junction Diner in tribute to its demolished forerunner. While the diner is a near-identical model to the one that houses his Trolley Car eatery in Mount Airy, he has no plans to run this one himself.

Also part of Weinstein's plan is the conversion of the three-story 1902 warehouse at near Roberts and Wayne Avenues, where the Max Levy Autograph Inc. precision instruments business once operated. It will house 21 apartments.

And about two blocks to the north on Germantown Avenue, across the street from Loudoun Park, Weinstein is renovating the 140-year-old former Charles Schaeffer School to accommodate his own offices, which will relocate from Mount Airy, as well as coworking spaces for his Jumpstart program.

"It's important to show a commitment, not just with investment dollars, but also with our personal presence," he said. "I wanted to invest somehow that I could make money, but also to satisfy a need."
At the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia, a group of employees enjoys lunch outside of Building 543. The location is being highlighted as a potential location for Amazons corporate headquarters. Read more

When Amazon announced its search for a second North American headquarters, government officials, developers, and residents in cities nationwide embraced the prospect as decidedly good news.

Including many in Seattle.

While cities began immediately plotting ways to reel in the online retail giant, Seattle, for the first time in years, was catching its breath. After years of skyrocketing real estate prices, unprecedented development, and a record-breaking number of cranes in the sky as a result of Seattle's tech boom, Amazon's plan to expand elsewhere offered the city, finally, a reprieve.

Granted, Amazon's presence has been extraordinary for Seattle. Since the company began building its campus there a decade ago, Amazon has provided jobs, investment, and a reputation that Seattle never could have imagined. Today, 40,000 well-paid employees bustle around the company's urban campus. Amazon has built and rented 8.1 million square feet of downtown office space. At least $3.7 billion has been invested in the local economy. And Amazon's presence has persuaded other tech companies  Uber, Airbnb, and Zillow  to locate in the city.

But with prosperity have come profound costs. By some measures, Seattle has become the fifth-most-expensive U.S. city and the ninth-priciest worldwide. The median price of a single-family home or condo in Seattle was $522,000 in August, according to real estate company Redfin, a 67 percent spike from April 2010, when Amazon opened its headquarters. Last month, the median rent for a one-bedroom jumped to $1,380, according to Apartment List. And a Seattle Times analysis found that Amazon occupies 19 percent of Seattle's office space  putting more pressure on office rental prices, some argue.

To be sure, Seattle's supercharged housing market and resulting affordability crisis were not caused solely by Amazon. Nationwide, as living preferences have changed, people have been flooding into cities, driving up home prices and rents. And Amazon was not the first or the last tech company in the region. Microsoft built its campus in Redmond  15 miles away  in 1986. And Google and Facebook have announced plans to expand in Seattle.

Yet Amazon's impact on Seattle's housing market is undeniable, raising the question: Could Amazon create the same affordability crisis in its next location?

"Every city will be confronted with this if Amazon chooses it," said Nela Richardson, Redfin's chief economist. But, "it gives cities the opportunity to define it.  To talk [in their proposals] about how the city could manage this growth."

"The city that does ultimately jump through [Amazon's] hurdles, their very next step should be thinking, 'We've got this gold mine now. How do we make sure that the wealth is distributed in a way that helps all the members of our city?' "

Compared with other cities Amazon could pick, Philadelphia has one large advantage in residential real estate: Homes remain inexpensive. In the second quarter of 2017, the median price was $158,000, according to Drexel economist Kevin Gillen.

But costs are rising. Since 2007, citywide single-family home prices have jumped 16 percent, Gillen's data show. Specific neighborhoods, such as South Philadelphia, have had prices rise even more: 42 percent. And that's before potentially adding the demand of Amazon's 50,000 employees.

"The challenge for us now becomes looking at what we can be doing for the city's affordability, so that we are just as creative there as we are going to be for Amazon," City Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez said. "We are at this spilling point where we could lose our affordability if we are not deliberate."

Seattle is not the only city to have struggled with a technology influx. According to a 2015 analysis by Redfin of six major U.S. cities, for every 1 percent increase in the number of technology workers between 2014 and 2015, there was roughly a 0.5 percent increase in home prices.

In Austin, Texas, which has emerged as a start-up hub, home prices have jumped 64 percent since 2009, Redfin's data show. In Boston, the soon-to-be home of General Electric Co., prices are up 71 percent. And in San Francisco, the median price of a home is $1.25 million, a 123 percent increase since 2009.

"What technology companies are really bad at doing is internalizing their effect on a city," Richardson said. " They think, 'I'm giving these great benefits to my workers, so that makes me a great company.' But it increases the cost of housing.

"We need to educate corporations on the effects of their successes, and educate cities that you have to think long term  not giving Amazon every tax break in the book, but instead putting some infrastructure into the city."

As tech companies have received blowback for their housing market influence, some have tried to alleviate costs. In Seattle, Amazon has allowed a homeless shelter to move in  rent-free  to a former hotel on its campus. To date, it has served more than 195 families.

Facebook, meanwhile, plans to build 1,500 new housing units in Menlo Park, Calif., 15 percent of which will be priced below market rate. The housing would be open to non-employees.

Yet critics say those contributions make only a dent.

Nora Lichtash, a steering committee member of the Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities, said cities need policies to ensure that as the market increases, people are not getting pushed out. "The idea of Amazon is coming  is exciting.  But it can't be at the expense of residents who have invested so much in their communities."

Recently, Seattle has tried to create more affordable housing  despite complaints from observers that the efforts might be too little, too late. In 2015, a task force on housing affordability issued 65 recommendations.

"If we had a crystal ball, we would have gone back and started this process a couple of years before we did," Seattle City Council member Rob Johnson said. " I would hazard a guess that if we had those recommendations back in 2013, we could have gotten ahead of the rapid employment growth that we have had."

Still, Johnson said, two major initiatives are underway: In 2015, Seattle approved a commercial linkage fee, which requires all commercial developers with new projects to pay into a fund to construct affordable housing. Depending on location, developers are charged $5 to $17.50 a square foot.

And in four test neighborhoods, residential developers, like their commercial counterparts, now either have to pay into a similar affordability fund or build a certain number of affordable units. Seattle hopes to expand the program  which has had some success elsewhere  across the city, Johnson said.

Yet such inclusionary housing mandates are controversial. Because the mandate tacks on costs, some opponents say builders could opt not to build at all  creating a housing shortage that could drive up prices.

Earlier this year in Philadelphia, Quinones-Sanchez introduced an inclusionary housing bill that would require developers to build affordable units. To cushion the blow, the bill would allow them to construct properties that are taller or denser.

Quinones-Sanchez said she hopes to have a framework by October and a vote before the year's end. In the meantime, she said, it's important for Philadelphia to be thinking of alternatives.

"We're in a better place than Seattle was at the beginning of their journey," she said. "Because of our advocacy community and our public sector, I think we're in the best place possible to come up with the best way of handling this."

UPDATE: Philly one of 20 finalists for Amazon HQ2
Temple students, Madison Brown and Halle Ray, right, returned to their dorm after grocery shopping Sept. 11 and discovered that a banana had been placed on a door handle leading to their dorm room in Morgan Hall, Temple University. She and other students are convinced it was racially motivated and are speaking out about it. They are shown outside of Morgan Hall. Read more

Whoever put that banana on the dormitory door of those black Temple University students messed with the wrong women. The four who live in that suite may be freshmen, but they are "woke," as the kids say.

Those four African American undergrads took one look at that banana on their door handle Sept. 11 and saw it as a jab at them for being black. They didn't just get mad. They also notified their resident adviser in Morgan Hall North on the 1600 block of Broad Street, tweeted about it on social media, and gave interviews to local reporters.

"It's not a coincidence that a banana was placed on our door," said Madison Brown, an undeclared business major from Upper Marlboro, Md. "I was upset because I felt like people were basically targeting our race."

"The first thing that popped in my head was the negative connotation of black people and bananas, you know, how they call us primates or say we're primitive," she told me Monday. "I felt that way because we are the only entirely black room on the floor."

Temple University Police, University Housing and Residential Life staff, and Campus Safety Services have been investigating to determine if the students' suspicions are true. After all, that kind of animus has risen sharply lately, as evidenced by last month's neo-Nazi and white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. On Saturday, Sennia Vann, a student at Cabrini College in Radnor Township, returned to her dormitory room and found the words "Go away n" scrawled on her door.

This summer, two Philly incidents involving nooses were reported  one fashioned by a white employee at the U.S. Mint who left it at a black colleague's work station, and another discovered in a tree near Penn Medicine's Rittenhouse location. Police told me Tuesday they are still investigating the tree incident. And officials at the Mint said the employee accused of making the noose is on paid administrative leave.

The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, at California State University in San Bernardino, recently released the results of a new study showing that hate crimes are up about 5 percent nationwide  and up 50 percent in Philadelphia.

"This is a terrible thing," Brian Levin, the center's director, said after I told him about the Temple allegations. "We have to speak with one voice in condemnation of any incident that degrades someone's dignity."

Temple officials issued a statement last week saying they wouldn't tolerate racial or ethnic harassment on campus. The alleged perpetrator could be disciplined for violating the student conduct code and face criminal charges. Privacy issues prevent them from giving out more information, but the allegations have been covered extensively by the campus paper.

Tyrell Mann-Barnes, Temple's student body president, is organizing a forum on diversity for next month in response to the incident. The dorm mates say that the offending student no longer lives in their residence hall but that he has since stopped by their suite to apologize.

"We talked to him, and he said what he had to say, and my roommates said what they had to say," Halle Ray, an 18-year-old social-work major, told me Monday. "I barely said anything, because I didn't feel as though I need to talk to him."

I can't say that I blame her. These students may be warriors, but they're still awfully young and impressionable. The two I interviewed, Brown and Ray, had attended Catholic schools and were surprised that something like that would happen on a campus as diverse as Temple's.

Kimberly Russell, Madison's mother, said of the girls: "As my mom would say, they have a lot of moxie, a lot of self-awareness. I'm really proud of them."

"Racism is here. It's not going anywhere," Russell said. "Unfortunately, my child and her roommates felt it in the most unexpected way."

The experience has been a good lesson on just how ignorant some people are when it comes to dealing with other races. Brown told me her biggest takeaway from the ugliness is an understanding of how much more "woke" she is than some of her classmates.

Given the fractious state of race relations in America, it's a lesson better learned now than later.
A Sweet 16 party at the Drexel Swim Club in Broomall this month turned out to be anything but that: Tensions rose, police were summoned and swimsuit-clad teenagers were ordered out.

Now, there are accusations of misconduct on both sides as well as allegations of racist treatment by the club.

It has been ugly. Antagonism surrounding the dispute doesn't show any signs of letting up as signatures mount on a Change.org petition with the headline, "Racism is never okay." At last count, it had more than 10,000 signers.

The incident, first reported on Philadelphia Magazine's website, reminded me of so many other clashes over the years involving swimming pools and allegations of racism after African American teenagers were ordered out of mostly white suburban swim clubs. But was this really a case of black and white? Poor planning? Or teenagers acting as kids will do at parties?

I was curious, so I drove to bucolic Broomall on Wednesday.

People who identified themselves as pool board members declined to speak on the record. They did allow me to walk around the club. Most of the swimmers were white, but people of various hues appeared to be enjoying themselves. Several I spoke with told me they weren't there on Aug. 4, when the incident allegedly occurred, but were quick to vouch for the diversity of the swim club and how well members of various backgrounds typically get along.

"We are a lesbian couple with eight kids  one Puerto Rican, one white and six black," said Susan Jackson, an emergency room nurse at Temple University Hospital. She is white, her wife is black. Club-goers "are very accepting," she said.

But that's not how Nakia "Kay" Dawkins described the experience she had at the swim club. Dawkins, 40, an African American entrepreneur who lives in West Philly, had been a member for only a short time before deciding to host her daughter's party there on Aug. 4.

Dawkins alleges she initially got conflicting information about whether she could have a professional DJ for the party, but later was told it was OK.

On the afternoon of the party, which her daughter had advertised on social media, the DJ set up. Dawkins and her sister decorated tables with a special cake, fruit kebabs, cupcakes, jars of candy, and bubble gum but couldn't help notice that the swim club was more crowded than what she said she'd been led to believe it would be.

Soon, guests arrived and Dawkins' daughter, Diamonique Shuler, made a grand entrance, dancing with her boyfriend, Tamir Dickerson, to the delight of her guests. It didn't take long before regulars at the pool started complaining about the volume of the music and the profane lyrics in some of the rap songs. Both sides agree that repeated requests were made to lower the music. At one point, someone reportedly pulled the DJ's plug from a wall to stop it.

"This resulted in a verbal argument between the group and staff of the swim club," according to a report filed by Marple Township Police Officer Brian Niedelman, who estimated that between 50 to 75 juveniles were at the party.

It sounds chaotic.

"They were doing, like, the twerking, and you know they were in very skimpy bathing suits, carrying on, jumping up and down and very loud," said Carole Morgan, a white club member whose yard backs up to the pool.

Their partying irked many of the regular members, who began to leave.

"One lady said, 'Well, where the f did they come from?'" Dawkins recalled. "And then one of the staff members at Drexel  said, 'Youse don't belong here.' She said, 'Because of you, all of my members are leaving. They paid their fing money to be here.' I said, 'I paid my money too. And I'm also a member.'"

Nicole Paolone, 36, a restaurant manager, was one of the members who left the club.

"When they started playing that HORRIBLE music I had to pull my children out," she wrote in an email. "All those teenagers did was twerk, take selfies and curse up a storm. "

Dawkins eventually agreed to leave but first demanded that the club refund the $200 she had paid toward her membership, which it did. By then, her daughter was in tears and what could have been a beautiful experience for the dance major at the High School for Creative and Performing Arts had turned into a huge mess.

Clearly mistakes were made. The party really needed to be somewhere other than the entrance to the swim club. That way, the teens could dance and be silly and not disturb others. Also, members should have been made aware that a private party would be taking place.

Dawkins had asked about renting the pool out for the entire event but was told that it wouldn't be necessary.

Meanwhile, Paolone, who is white and has been a member for five years, told me that she feels the Drexel Swim Club is being wrongfully smeared.

"My husband is black and my children are biracial," she said. "It had nothing to do with anyone's color.  If you wanted a private party at a pool, I suggest they should have rented somebody's house."
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Mike Newall shows off his pin that declares that he is a Certifed Tour Guide, having taken the required courses to be so named. MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer Read more

After hours of backbreaking work; after grueling cram sessions bent over 250 pages of laser-printed facts on Philadelphia; after months of annoying loved ones, colleagues, and strangers with random, garbled factoids of Old Philly; after long nights spent polishing my guide pin by candlelight, my ship finally came in.

A tour. For me. At last.

My career as a Philadelphia tour guide will begin in earnest Saturday.

Sort of.

I have been offered a three- to five-minute guest guiding slot on the "Great 12-Hour, River to River, Vine to Pine, Walking Tour of Philadelphia." I'm not making that up. That's the name. Consider it the Tour de France of Philly Tour Guiding, a celebration of civic pride and superhuman endurance.

My first mission is a plum assignment: Helltown.

Philly's first red light district, once located along the waterfront, just north of Market Street. Where the spirits flowed, debauchery abounded, and the fights were furious. So, basically, 18th-century Sips.

I love Philly. I love knowing about Philly, and I love bothering people with what I know about Philly. So, it stands to reason that I love everything about the Great Tour.

In its seventh year, the tour is the handiwork of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT). The group formed a decade ago, in the wake of some bad press, when some loose-with-the-facts guides were giving Philly guides a bad name by spouting blatantly wrong things about our city's history. Like Washington and Lincoln being close dining buddies. The APT folks wanted everyone on the same page  the right one. They drew up the handbook and a challenging certification course. It's the real deal. I took it myself.

(The National Park Service rangers who provide tours of Independence Hall and other historic city buildings have their own training.)

Philly guides are now earning national cred.

Gene Reyes, a tour guide in New Orleans and president of the National Federation of Tour Guides, said that with its new standards, encyclopedic guidebook (the endless tidbits in it will make you a hit at parties, or at least the ones I go to), and even a master guide program, Philly guides are becoming guides, well, to follow.

The national group even chose Philly for its annual conference coming up in February.

"We're very excited about going to Philadelphia," Reyes said. The guidance and leadership of the members there have made it so much easier for tour guides across the country. They set an example for others."

The guides still face challenges, though, the kind that accompany progress  their own and the city's. For one, as the city racks up more international cachet, there's an increased need for bilingual guides, they say. And there's the fancy renovations at the Bourse, long the destination food court for guides shepherding hordes of hungry school kids. (Fifth graders don't particularly like oysters and craft beer, goes the fear.) Also, with new towers going up on every corner, it's just getting harder to be heard. You can fry your vocal chords over the jackhammer's roar, guides will tell you.

Designed as both a way to show off the strides of the guides  and the city itself  the Great Tour has only grown, this year expecting about 300 people, said Edward Mauger, a founder member of APT and the tour organizer. This year's trek kicks off at the National Constitution Center at 8 a.m. Saturday and ends a dozen hours later at the Art Museum. A full schedule can be found at http://phillyguides.org/. The faint of foot can elect to join in anywhere along the way and pay the $20 fee. For the last phase only  the Parkway  it's just $10. (I'm not getting paid.)

In the meantime, I have been studying up on Helltown. Like any good guide, I sought help from someone who knows.

"That whole area was notorious for pirates, for smugglers, for debauchery, for prostitution  for everything," Daniel Rolph of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania told me Tuesday. "That was really Philly's first outlaw district."

Indeed. While Jefferson and Franklin and the others were enjoying their punch in the cozy confines of City Tavern, the denizens of Helltown were going crazy in the unlicensed tippling houses with names like Red Cow, Jolly Tar, and Rising Sun. Sailors stumbling from port. Servants sneaking out for a night on the town. Poor people who came to the colonies from all over chasing a better life, but who wound up in Helltown.

At the foot of Race Street, the most infamous colonial watering-hole, a hell-hole known the ocean over, was the Three Jolly Irishman. It was run by a thief and pimp named Cock Robbins and his "two adopted wives," Elizabeth McSwain and Mary Carrol. Together, they plied their trade: gambling, prostitution, and drugs, like Spanish Fly and Jesuit's Bark. An old German man, hunched and pinched from age, worked the door but never bothered to quell the nightly riots.

Bless his soul, but what could he do? the old man would reportedly shrug as the revelers tore the Irishman apart.

Come out Saturday and hear the rest of the story.

I'll be the guy wearing the shiny pin.
Two studies were released last week that at first glance have nothing to do with each other. The first was a report by Research for Action, a Philadelphia educational research firm, that measured the fiscal impact of charter schools on six school districts around the state, including Philadelphia's.

RFA's model accounts for variables like rates of charter growth, size of districts, and short- and long-term impact. The bottom line: the burgeoning charter system, which now numbers more than 130,000 students (70,000 in Philadelphia) has hit districts around the state hard. In Philadelphia, the report found, charters cost the district $8,000 per student initially and $4,000 each subsequent year, even after five years.

This is the first time fiscal impact has been measured so rigorously, though the news that charters have been costly is not altogether surprising.

Districts pay tuition for every student enrolling in a charter school  about equal to the per-pupil allotment the state issues for education. The more students who go to charters, the more money flows from district schools.

State legislators have insisted on funding charter education expansion without acknowledging the impact on the system as a whole, expecting that school districts will eventually right-size to accommodate the smaller number of students. But that hardly happens overnight, and cost-cutting measures like increasing class size harm the students left behind in traditional schools. Besides, as the RFA report makes clear, the economic impact is long-term: districts can never recoup the money they lose each year, especially as charters continue to expand. This especially harms smaller districts, which don't have the same flexibility to close schools as larger districts.

For a while, the state reimbursed a percentage of that money to districts but no longer.

Though charters are popular with parents, overall charter achievement is a black box. Some schools perform well. Many don't. But there is no definitive study or agreement on how charters hold up against traditional public schools. It's as though the state has been spending hundreds of millions of dollars with its eyes closed, saying: "Don't tell us how our investment is doing."

For 20 years.

That's why the second study bears mentioning. Last week, a U.S. Census report found that Philadelphia retains its ranking as the poorest city among the country's 10 biggest cities.

More people live below the poverty line than did 20 years ago, when charters were authorized.

If charters were an effective alternative to public schools  the belief that led to their authorization and continued expansion  wouldn't we have seen a change in the poverty number?

Obviously, many factors impact the poverty rate, and education is only one of them. But it's one we have some control over, if we fund it smartly.

The state's funding priorities  or lack of them  have served as a poison pill for public education; lacking more scrutiny and accountability, charter school spending ensures it's a very slow-acting one.
A bitter nation divided against itself. Bloody, chaotic battles that left thousands of Americans dead, splayed across pastoral farmlands and rural creeks. The monumental tug-of-war between slavery and freedom. Yup, in hindsight the acclaimed documentarians Ken Burns had it pretty easy when he made his name with his epic 1990 PBS series The Civil War.

This month, Burns and his longtime co-director Lynn Novick have elected to take on a much more touchy subject than the War Between the States with their sprawling, ambitious new production for PBS, The Vietnam War. Unlike the still-photographed, black-and-white 1861-65 conflict, the gunfire of the Mekong Delta still rings in the ears of millions of living Americas  the now-graying combat veterans, those who protested the war here on the home front, and a lot of folks (raises hand) whose views on America and the world were shaped watching the nightly carnage on our blurry newfangled color TV.

But history and memory is a complicated thing. The Civil War may have ended 152 years ago, but  as we saw this summer in a torch-lit Charlottesville, Va.  Americans are still brawling over what that war truly meant, even though the victor (the Union) and the nobleness of the cause (ending slavery) seem pretty clear. Compare that to the more recent Big Muddy of Vietnam, which not only wrenched 58,000 young lives out of America but launched cultural and political wars that still flare heatedly some 42 years after the fall of Saigon. The Vietnam War, which debuted Sunday, will run for some 18 hours  which is not nearly enough to make sense of that quagmire.

Wrote New York Times TV critic James Poniewozik:

Mr. Burns's films assume that it's still possible for Americans to have an agreed-on baseline on government, war, race, and culture from which to go forward. In relatively peaceful times, this approach could seem banal, as if the films are arguing for pieties that everyone already agrees on. In well, times like now it can seem naive to think that there's any fact so unobjectionable it can't be litigated by opposed camps. In the divides the war rended, you can see the swellings of today's impenetrable political bubbles.  The saddest thing about this elegiac documentary may be the credit it extends its audience. The Vietnam War still holds out hope that we might learn from history, after presenting 18 hours of evidence to the contrary.

It didn't always seem this way. I'm old enough to remember the end of the conflict in 1975, and the American mood at the time. There was a lot of confidence  unfounded, it would turn out over time  that the nation had learned great lessons from the heartbreak and ultimate defeat in Vietnam, that a more humble America would shed the hubris that got us into the war, that future foreign policy would be guided by a new awareness of other cultures, by human rights, and by the folly of sending young troops to die for such an ill-defined purpose.

When Saigon fell in the spring of 1975, NBC newsman David Brinkley offered up a remarkable commentary (recently rerun on CNN's The Seventies), standing amid rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery. "When some future politician for some reason feels the need to drag this country into war, he might come out here to Arlington and stand right over there somewhere," Brinkley said, gesturing toward a thicket of graves, "to make his announcement and tell what he has in mind. If he can attract public support speaking from a place like this, then his reasons for starting a new war would have to be good ones."

That's how a lot of people felt at the end of the Vietnam War. Spoiler alert: Nothing of that sort ever happened.

And, as much as I enjoyed Poniewozik's review of the PBS series, I'm not really sure I agree with his conclusion that America learned nothing from the Vietnam War. Our leaders seem to have learned a lot  specifically, how to wage "forever war" around the globe with little political or public dissent. As the The Vietnam War flickered on your television screen, the Trump administration announced  with hardly any fanfare at all  that 3,000 more American troops are headed to Afghanistan. That war has been going on for 16 years  longer than Vietnam  and the current president has conceded that it will go on "indefinitely."

Needless to say, neither President Trump nor Defense Secretary James Mattis were standing in Arlington National Cemetery when they made the announcement. Nor was George W. Bush when he attracted public support for invading Iraq in 2003, tapping the reservoir of public emotion over the 9/11 attacks that Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with. Rather, the Bush administration sold the Iraq War  tied, historically, with Vietnam in the category of "utter senselessness"  with slick public relations ("From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August," Bush aide Andy Card said famously when asked about a lull in the war planning) and an ocean of lies about uranium cake and weapons of mass destruction that proved not to exist.

The lessons America learned from Vietnam, it turned out, had nothing to do with militaristic American hubris, or a foreign policy based on shared humanity. Instead, they were to a) abolish the draft, which caused so much opposition on college campuses during Vietnam, and rebuild our armed forces from military families or with economically motivated volunteers from struggling rural towns and rust-bitten cities; b) improve the technology to minimize American casualties, launching ruin on foreign nations from flying death robots instead of vulnerable combat troops; and c) create a permanent war machine that chugs along at a steady low hum, generating little or no news coverage or serious political debate.

Based on one resolution  called an Authorization of the Use of Military Force, or AUMF  that was passed after the 2001 attacks, the U.S. has waged war in South Asia, the Middle East, and even Africa against enemies who couldn't possibly be connected to al-Qaeda or the attack on the World Trade Center, such as this year's bombing of a Syrian airfield. When Democrats and Republicans began moving this year to finally repeal the 2001 AUMF, House Speaker Paul Ryan quickly and quietly killed their effort. Anything to keep the post-Vietnam "forever war" machine in forward drive. This, by the way, is the same Congress that just voted to sharply hike military spending while working to throw millions of Americans off health care because we couldn't possibly afford that.

While the world frets  and with very good reason  over the president's threats of "total destruction" of North Korea, a nation of 25 million souls, the Trump administration has, without notice, stepped up the actual ongoing killing of innocent civilians in those military conflicts that we barely pay attention to. When Barack Obama was president, according to the tracking site Airwars, some 80 civilians a month were killed by U.S. military strikes (a policy for which he was frequently criticized here at Attytood). Now that Donald Trump is president, the rate of civilian killing has more than quadrupled, to 360 a month, under more aggressive rules of military engagement. Just as the fall of Vietnam to communist forces posed no real threat to the United States, the current military policies in the Middle East and elsewhere aren't making us safer  just creating a new generation of people who hate America and who may grow up to become terrorists against the nation that killed their dad or their aunt out of the clear blue sky.

But without a draft, or robust news coverage, or a political system that gives much voice to those who dare to imagine an American foreign policy that's not based on drone strikes or special ops fighting the next Hundred Years War, nothing is likely to change. The irony is that more Americans are probably watching The Vietnam War on PBS than are paying attention to all the mini- and not-so-mini Vietnams we're fighting in the 21st century. And you can blame that on the only real lesson America's elites seemed to absorb from 1975  that the next Vietnams wouldn't need better guns or better strategy but simply better PR.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson (left) helps PHA president Kelvin Jeremiah (center) during the ribbon cutting at Vaux Big Picture High School in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Read more

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, in town to help open a new Philadelphia school, said Tuesday that the partnership that made Vaux Big Picture High School possible ought to be replicated across the country.

The school represents an unusual partnership between the Philadelphia Housing Authority, the Philadelphia School District, and Big Picture Philadelphia, a nonprofit education provider hired to run Vaux.

Carson said the Vaux concept  with its public-private partnerships  was the way to go, rather than the old model of the government coming in "with a big bucket of money," building a project, then letting it languish. When community partners rely on projects for part of their income, that's a game changer, Carson said.

"You're pretty much guaranteed that it's going to be successful," said Carson, who also stressed the importance of education in his own rise to prominence. He implored Vaux's 126 current students  enrollment will eventually grow to 500  to take advantage of the opportunities in front of them.

"People who are well-educated are very difficult to manipulate and to control," said Carson, a retired surgeon and former presidential candidate.

Vaux is a public school, with Philadelphia School District students and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers educators. But it operates in a former district building purchased by the Philadelphia Housing Authority after the school system closed the old Vaux in 2013. PHA, as part of its $500 million plan to remake the Sharswood neighborhood, is giving the school system a $500-per-student annual subsidy, and Big Picture is raising additional funds to support its model  small classes, project-based learning, intense supports.

"We will meet students where they are, ask them where they want to be, and give them the tools to get there," said Superintendent William R. Hite Jr.

Mayor Kenney thanked Carson for the "invaluable federal funding that is making the revitalization of Sharswood possible," but also underscored the need for "continuing support from our federal partners." The Trump administration has proposed billions in cuts to the federal housing authority's budget.

Philadelphia police had a heavy presence at the school, keeping a small group of protesters two blocks away from the HUD secretary.

Protesters said they were concerned about proposed cuts to HUD here in the poorest big city in the country, and called for more affordable housing and responsible development.

"Ben Carson, don't be a puppet for Donald Trump!" yelled Barry Thompson, vice president of the Philadelphia Tenants Union. He was advocating for a city law that, like HUD's own rules, would require landlords to evict tenants only with just cause. The proposed cuts, he said, would do "a lot of harm to the city."

"We have to let Carson know how important affordable housing is," said Constance Morrow, a board member at the affordable development group Women's Community Revitalization Project. "The people he's talking to are the people who run the PHA. He should be talking to real people."

After a tour of Vaux, Carson traveled to a veterans' multiservice facility in Center City. Asked in a brief interview there what programs he found most effective in Philadelphia, Carson said he had been particularly struck by the fact that Philadelphia has essentially ended veteran homelessness  and by the efforts at the high school.

"I was very impressed with Vaux, and the educational concepts  the practical education they can use on the streets," he said. "PHA is in the process of revitalizing a neighborhood."

In March, Trump alarmed city officials when he announced $6 billion in cuts to HUD funding; the PHA gets 94 percent of its funding from the federal agency, and the city has used funding from the Community Development Block Grants program, which Trump proposed be cut entirely, to fund small business loans in low-income areas and programs that help residents avoid foreclosure.

Asked how those cuts could affect Philadelphia, Carson said that the final budget is up to Congress, and that he wants to use what funds he gets in "the most effective and efficient way." He said the department is evaluating its programs for effectiveness and wants to "make sure we continue" particularly successful programs. On Trump's decision to slash his agency's budget, Carson said he agreed "we need to be fiscally responsible."

"Some of the programs have been a little careless," he said, and needed, if not cuts, a "reexamination and tightening up."
For the several hundred years before hurricanes in North American waters were named after women and then men as well, they were often labeled by the name of the saint's day on which they fell or just called, monotonously, "The Great Hurricane" of a specified year.

There was "Hurricane Santa Rosa of 1730" for example, "Hurricane San Leoncio of 1738" and "The Hurricane of 1768" that destroyed some 4,000 houses in Havana and killed a thousand people.

But Hurricane Maria, which was closing in on the islands of the Caribbean Tuesday morning, inevitably brings to mind a storm which has acquired a truly unique nickname: "The Alexander Hamilton Hurricane of 1772," as Bahamian meteorologist and historian Wayne Neely called it in his book The Greatest and Deadliest Hurricanes of the Caribbean and the Americas.

It barreled through the Leeward Islands of St. Thomas, Puerto Rico and St. Croix on August 31, 1772, described in a local paper as "the most dreadful Hurricane known in the memory of man . . . the whole frame of nature seemed unhinged and tottering to its fall . . . terrifying even the just, for who could stand undisturbed amid the ruins of a falling world . . ."

Can you top that CNN?

It blew Hamilton to America's shores, figuratively speaking, and altered history. The experience merited a soulful song in Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical, which is coming here for the Kimmel Center's Broadway Philadelphia 2017-1018 season:

"When I was seventeen," it goes, "a hurricane destroyed my town.

"I didn't drown

"I couldn't seem to die

"I wrote my way out."

How exactly did Hamilton write his way out?

He was a 17-year-old living in St. Croix and working as a clerk. When the hurricane passed, he wrote a letter to his father, a "melodramatic description" of the storm, as Hamilton biographer Ron Chernow wrote, which he managed to publish in the Royal Danish American Gazette on Oct. 3, 1772, attracting the attention of the island's elite.

As Chernow describes it:

"Hamilton did not know it, but he had just written his way out of poverty.  His hurricane letter generated such a sensation  even the island's governor inquired after the young author's identity  that a subscription fund was taken up by local businessmen to send this promising youth to North America to be educated."

The rest is history and, of course, the musical.

Throughout the letter Hamilton fretted over the difficulties of describing the storm, at one point calling the piece "an imperfect account of one of the most dreadful Hurricanes that memory or any records whatever can trace" and later stating that it is "impossible for me to describe or you to form any idea of it." Again later, Hamilton wrote, "I am afraid, Sir, you will think this description more the effort of imagination than a true picture of realities."

His haunting portrayal of nature's fury was beautiful. For example:

"The roaring of the sea and wind, fiery meteors flying about it in the air, the prodigious glare of almost perpetual lightning, the crash of the falling houses, and the ear-piercing shrieks of the distressed, were sufficient to strike astonishment into Angels. A great part of the buildings throughout the Island are levelled to the ground, almost all the rest very much shattered; several persons killed and numbers utterly ruined; whole families running about the streets, unknowing where to find a place of shelter; the sick exposed to the keeness of water and air without a bed to lie upon, or a dry covering to their bodies; and our harbours entirely bare. In a word, misery, in all its most hideous shapes, spread over the whole face of the country."

But the description of howling winds and relentless rains was not what made the writing so powerful.

Instead, as Chernow wrote, the letter "was notable for the way Hamilton viewed the hurricane as a divine rebuke to human vanity and pomposity," a cross, he wrote, "between a tragic soliloquy and a fire-and-brimstone sermon . . ."

In the letter, Hamilton traced his emotions throughout the storm, his fear of death "rushing on in triumph veiled in a mantle of tenfold darkness. His unrelenting scythe, pointed, and ready for the stroke."

Eventually, he began to consider how he, and all of humanity, may have angered God.

"Where now, oh! vile worm, is all thy boasted fortitude and resolution?" Hamilton described his terror. "What is become of thine arrogance and self sufficiency? Why dost thou tremble and stand aghast? How humble, how helpless, how contemptible you now appear.

"Oh! impotent presumptuous fool! how durst thou offend that Omnipotence, whose nod alone were sufficient to quell the destruction that hovers over thee, or crush thee into atoms?" he wrote. "See thy wretched helpless state, and learn to know thyself. Learn to know thy best support. Despise thyself, and adore thy God."

Eventually, Hamilton seemed to follow his own advice. The letter found him looking back on the storm, admitting that his anger toward the God he worshiped came from a place of fear.

"Our imagination represented him as an incensed master, executing vengeance on the crimes of his servants," he wrote. "The father and benefactor were forgot, and in that view, a consciousness of our guilt filled us with despair."

"But see, the Lord relents," Hamilton concluded. "He hears our prayer. The Lightning ceases. The winds are appeased. The warring elements are reconciled and all things promise peace. The darkness is dispell'd and drooping nature revives at the approaching dawn. Look back Oh! my soul, look back and tremble. Rejoice at thy deliverance, and humble thyself in the presence of thy deliverer."

Hamilton originally wrote the letter to his father, but as the Royal Danish American Gazette stated at the time, it fell into the hands of Hugh Knox, a Presbyterian minister and sometime journalist living in St. Croix, who spread it around until it was finally published.

And with that, as the Hamilton character sings in the Broadway musical, "I wrote my way out" and "I looked up and the town had it's eyes on me."

And before long, the world had its eyes on Alexander Hamilton.

The Washington Post's April Bethea contributed to this report.
Former Fox News commentator Scottie Nell Hughes says she was raped by longtime anchor Charles Payne, and then blacklisted by the network when she came forward with her allegations, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.

Hughes, 37, says in the lawsuit that Payne "pressured" his way into her hotel room in 2013 and coerced her to have sexual intercourse with him, even as she rebuffed his attempts. She says in the suit that because she was "ashamed," she did not immediately report the episode and was forced over the next two years to engage in a sexual relationship with Payne.

Hughes, who was a regular guest on Fox News and Fox Business from 2013 until 2016, said that when she ended the relationship with Payne, the network blacklisted her.

The network is strongly defending Payne, the host of Making Money on Fox Business, calling Hughes' allegations against him a "publicity stunt."

"We will vigorously defend this," a Fox spokesperson said.

Jonathan Halpern, who is representing Payne, said in a statement that his client "vehemently denies any wrongdoing and will defend himself vigorously against this baseless claim."

"We are confident that when the evidence is presented in this case, Mr. Payne will be fully vindicated and these outrageous accusations against him will be confirmed as completely false," Halpern said.

The lawsuit, which names 21st Century Fox, Fox News and Payne as defendants, was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. It alleges gender motivated violence, gender discrimination, retaliation and defamation.

The suit is the latest in a series of embarrassing scandals for Fox, which in recent years has ousted its chairman, Roger Ailes, and its most popular host, Bill O'Reilly, over allegations of sexual harassment.
A small version of "Tao Hua Yuan Ji." When the project is complete, will be the worlds largest pop-up photo book. Read more

Want to take part in a Guinness World Record-breaking experience?

This month begins the creation of what will be the world's largest pop-up photo book, unfolding at the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center in Olde Kensington, where visitors are invited to come walk through its pages.

Internationally renowned artist Colette Fu began working on the project, titled Tao Hua Yuan Ji, on Sept. 14; Fu projects it will be completed by Oct. 12.

Until then, visitors can watch the live-creation process at the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center. Fu also will host special "artist at work" hours from 2 to 3:20 p.m. Friday, when she'll invite the public to ask questions while she works.

Once finished, Tao Hua Yuan Ji will remain on display through Nov. 25.

"I didn't really think about applying for a Guinness [World Record], but I wanted to make something big so that people could go inside the story and feel more like they are actually there," Fu explains. "The pop-up is like a form of virtual reality."

Tao Hua Yuan Ji loosely translates to "Utopia: Source of the Peach Blossoms" and is inspired by Chinese Jin Dynasty (317-420) poet Tao Yuanming's short prose of the same name. One of Yuanming's most well-known written stories, Tao Hua Yuan Ji tells of a cave that leads to a valley of peach blossoms  the Chinese symbol of luck, love, and longevity  where people seeking political refuge went to live in peace and harmony with one another. The story is said to act as a metaphoric depiction of an unattainable utopia.

Fu's pop-up design was created to represent the cave in Yuanming's story and, once completed, will measure as large as 13.75 feet by 21 feet by 58 inches  a record-breaking size.

Visitors will be invited to peer into the cave's center and also to crawl inside through a four-foot-tall opening.

Constructed using cardboard and gator board, the entire pop-up installation will be covered with enlarged photos that Fu took in China in 2008. A Fulbright scholarship led Fu to China's southwest Yunnan province, where she worked on photographing the 25 ethnic minorities of the region.

"During that time, I went to this village that people were claiming held the valley talked about in Tao Yuanming's poem," Fu said. "To get to the village, you take this stunning boat ride through a cave that sits over the water, which is what I'm now bringing to life here in Philly."

A large, flat base depicting the water stands as the foundation of Fu's installation, with a sprawling cave rising on top, interspersed with a ton of pink peach blossoms.

Interactive components with pull tabs and other classic pop-up book features will be featured on the walls surrounding Fu's cave, and a slideshow of images from Fu's trip to China will complement the installation.

"People are going to be impressed by the size, but there's also this deeper meaning with the story," Fu said. "The villagers pictured in the pop-up established this place seeking a political refuge where they could live in harmony with each other, and I think that's very relative to what's going on today. It's more than just a cute children's book."

10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, 1400 N. American Street #103, philaphotoarts.org/taohuayuanji
Purdue Pharma of Stamford, Conn., maker of OxyContin, is one of the manufacturers whose marketing practices are being examined by a group of 41 state attorneys general. Read more

Attorneys general from most states are broadening their investigation into the opioid industry as a nationwide overdose crisis continues to claim thousands of lives.

They announced Tuesday that they had served subpoenas requesting information from five companies that make powerful prescription painkillers and demanded information from three distributors.

The probe into marketing and sales practices seeks to find out whether the industry's own actions worsened the epidemic.

If the industry cooperates, the investigation could lead to a national settlement.

"Broad, bipartisan coalitions of attorneys general can impact national problems through litigation and settlements - more effectively at times than when acting alone," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a news conference at Upper Dublin High School.

Attorneys general in 41 states, including New Jersey, are involved in parts of the civil investigation.

George Jepsen, the Connecticut attorney general, said there are early indications that drugmakers and distributors will discuss the matter with the states.

"The advantage of the multi-state approach is that it's not simply about providing a paycheck for damages to states," Jepsen said. "It provides the opportunity to address broader policy concerns and industry practices."

Four of the eight companies named by investigators have headquarters in the Philadelphia region: Endo Pharmaceuticals of Malvern, maker of Percocet and Opana ER, which was ordered removed from the market by the Food and Drug Administration in June; Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Pharmaceuticals, based in Titusville, N.J., which makes the fentanyl patch Duragesic; Teva Pharmaceuticals, which has North American headquarters in North Wales and owns Cephalon Inc., maker of the fentanyl "lollipop" Actiq; and Chesterbrook-based AmerisourceBergen, a national distributor.

Companies that received requests from the attorneys general said in statements that they were already taking steps to stem the opioid crisis. Janssen, for instance, said it's trying to educate prescribers about the drugs, and distributor AmerisourceBergen said it has prevented tens of thousands of suspicious opioid orders from being shipped.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade group representing drugmakers, declined to comment on the investigation but said it is trying to deter and prevent drug abuse.

The group and some of its members met Monday with Gov. Christie of New Jersey, who heads President Trump's task force on opioids, and pledged to try to develop technologies to reduce the risk of addiction and abuse.

The vast majority of pharmaceuticals are distributed by the three companies named Tuesday: Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen. The other manufacturers targeted in the requests are Allergan and Purdue Pharma, which makes OxyContin.

Staff writer Don Sapatkin contributed to this article.
Chantell Evans, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, won $1.4 million to study how Alzheimers, Parkinsons, and other diseases might arise from a breakdown in the brains ability to clear cellular trash. Read more

Women earn more than half of the Ph.D. degrees in the biological sciences, but they account for fewer than one-quarter of tenured faculty. The disparity is equally pronounced among African American and Latino scientists, with many leaving academia for industry.

Would $1.4 million, distributed over eight years, be enough to persuade them otherwise?

Chantell Evans, a University of Pennsylvania researcher who studies the underpinnings of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, is among 15 young scientists who were awarded that amount this week by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Her focus is what happens when the brain fails to get rid of a type of cellular "trash"  energy-generating cells called mitochondria that have become damaged. Past research indicates that these flawed cells can play a role in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The awards, given in honor of former University of Chicago president Hanna Holborn Gray, are aimed at women and minorities that are underrepresented in the life sciences. This year's recipients earn $80,000 a year for the first four years as they undergo postdoctoral training. They receive $270,000 a year during the second four years to set up their own lab, provided they find a job as an assistant professor and meet other requirements.

Evans, 30, who is African American, called the honor "amazing" and said she looks forward to being a role model for younger women and for all people from ethnic groups that are underrepresented in academia.

"Going off into industry, that's fine and that's great," Evans said. "But if we don't have a diverse group of people helping to teach the next generation, then we're just perpetuating that problem. The next generation is going to say `I don't think I can do this, either, because I don't see people like me doing these jobs.' It's just going to be a continuous cycle."

Evans is sure to inspire others, predicted her supervisor at Penn's Perelman School of Medicine, physiology professor Erika Holzbaur.

"People need to see themselves in a future career to have it be a possibility," Holzbaur said. "When people picture scientists, they unfortunately don't always picture someone who looks like Chantell. She is fabulous."

The road to a tenured faculty position is a long slog that typically entails more than a decade of undergraduate and graduate study. Even after landing a coveted assistant professorship, young scientists must immediately focus on applying for grants to fund their labs.

Evans and the 14 other fellowship winners will not have that burden.

"She can afford to take risks and do really exciting and important science without worrying about an immediate payoff," Holzbaur said. "She can invest time and energy and get a bigger payoff down the line."

Evans grew up in Lincoln, Ill., and earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Southern Illinois University, where she was one of two African American women in the department. She followed that with a doctorate in molecular and cellular pharmacology at the University of Wisconsin. She came to work in Holzbaur's lab at Penn in 2016.

Evans said she planned to study neurons from laboratory rats, monitoring the activity of proteins that are involved in clearing damaged mitochondria. The proteins are engineered to have a fluorescent glow.

"We can watch them move," she said. "We can study their dynamics."

Once she has a better understanding of the proteins' function in normal neurons, she would study how their behavior changes in neurons that carry mutations for various brain diseases. And she would study how these changes in protein function are tied to an impaired ability to recycle mitochondria.

"It's basically like leaving trash everywhere," Evans said.

Her fellow winners of the fellowships hail from Harvard, Stanford, and California Institute of Technology, among other prestigious institutions. Some, like Evans, are tackling the chemistry of the brain, while others are pursuing the mysteries of diabetes and inflammation. Complex questions in every case, but with one difficult hurdle already cleared: the start-up money.
Getting ready for college usually means focusing on academic preparation. But emotional preparation should be just as important, an expert in youth suicide told an audience of parents, educators and mental health experts gathered at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on Monday for a meeting of the area's Suicide Prevention Task Force.

Trouble students face in college often "is an extension from the high school experience," said Matthew Wintersteen, an associate professor of psychiatry with Thomas Jefferson University and a leader of the Pennsylvania Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Suicide Prevention Coalition.

But too often, not enough is done to help young adults deal with the emotional challenges they face when they get to college, and don't have their parents around as they did when they were younger. Even beyond routine adjustment issues, young people with more serious problems such as depression and schizophrenia are now more able to go to college, thanks to advances in medication and treatment.

Legally, we consider people to be adults at 21, or even 18. But developmentally they may still be more like adolescents. The World Health Organization defines youth as age 15 through 24, noted Wintersteen.

According to American College Health Association data that Wintersteen shared, more than 63 percent of college students report serious episodes of sadness, with more than 34 percent saying they have felt so depressed that they've found it hard to function. Close to 86 percent said they felt overwhelmed by all they had to do, and about 59 felt very lonely at times. Nearly 57 percent experience overwhelming anxiety.

Most disturbingly, over a one-year period, almost 9 percent had seriously considered suicide, 6 percent engaged in self-harming behavior, and 1.4 percent of college students attempted to take their lives, he said.

Suicide, he told the group, is the second leading cause death among college students, after accidents.

Meanwhile, colleges and parents may confront legal barriers to helping students, he said. Parents are sometimes frustrated by the limited information they are able to obtain about their children who are legally adults. College mental health counselors may not be able to share certain information. Besides, college students, he noted, are often very hesitant to seek help or tell their parents about their problems.

Conversely, many students today have so-called helicopter parents who handled a lot of tasks for them and helped them  sometimes too much  make decisions large and small, colleges have found.

"They are literally calling the parents about, 'What do I wear?' " Wintersteen said.

Parents, he said, need to learn to strike a balance, including letting their children make their own mistakes at times so they learn to develop autonomy and coping skills.

College counselors, meanwhile, need more training in suicide prevention, he said.

The state youth suicide prevention organization offers expert assistance to its member colleges, as well as $750 mini-grants for prevention efforts, and has a wellness project for medical students, who face especially high stress.

The town hall meetings got started in Philadelphia by mental health professionals about 18 months ago after a series of middle school student suicides, said Tami Benton, psychiatrist-in-charge for CHOP and a leader of Monday's event. Their mission has expanded to include older students as well.

After two University of Pennsylvania undergraduates died in the span of two weeks in early 2014, the administration created a mental-health task force made up of administrators and professionals. The task force released an eight-page report in February 2015 emphasizing a culture change on campus. Another suicide of a Penn undergraduate last year prompted the young woman's friends to hold a public demonstration to demand further action to help troubled, stressed students.
Craig Venter has got a deal for you. For $25,000, he'll sell you a complete genome sequence, a full-body MRI scan, a cardio CT scan, bone densitometry, cognitive testing and more, all in the hope of discovering a lurking tumor or brain abnormality  and nipping it in the bud.

"We're driving a medical revolution," says Venter of his latest startup, Human Longevity Inc., or HLI. "We have sequencing that's better than anybody else in the world. We have the most accurate data."

Venter, one of the best known scientists of the 21st century for his role in mapping the human genome, has been striking that kind of lofty note a lot lately, and investors are loving it. The four-year-old company has raised as much as $500 million, including $200 million this year, giving it a valuation of about $1.9 billion, according to data provider PitchBook. Plans are in the works for yet another round of venture capital before ultimately going public, according to Venter.

The problem is Venter's promises are ringing hollow for a growing chorus of critics. Conversations with more than a dozen current and former employees, customers and medical professionals depict a company that may prove unable to keep up with its founder's ambitions. Some doctors contend that such comprehensive testing isn't particularly useful, and even those who do think so say rivals may outpace Venter. Competing government-backed efforts in the U.S. and the U.K., for instance, threaten to overtake HLI in the race to collect massive amounts of the population's genetic and clinical data, a key proposition for the company's business success.

"Is HLI going to stay far enough ahead that these projects don't make it obsolete?" says Daniel MacArthur, co-director of medical and population genetics at the Broad Institute of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Venter has no doubt about that. He says 40 percent of the 1,000 or so customers who have taken the test, called the Health Nucleus, have learned they have a "serious disease." Some come from China, through a Shanghai-based medical tourism startup called Quantum Clinics, which partnered with HLI in 2016. Wealthy Chinese, willing to pay out of pocket, are attracted to HLI's white-glove service and attentive care, according to Chief Executive Officer Lu Yi, who said Quantum will send about 50 Chinese patients for testing over the following year.

Yet as Venter touts that 40 percent disease-discovery rate, a paper posted online earlier this year by HLI scientists said age-related diseases requiring "prompt" medical attention have been found in just 8 percent of participants. Venter says the difference in numbers is because "it depends on what you count." He includes findings like pre-diabetes that would lead a person to change his or her lifestyle.

Some doctors doubt the need for such extensive tests. "I don't like the idea of selling a product by scaring people," says Ethan Weiss, a cardiologist at the University of California San Francisco. Weiss looked over a list of conditions that Venter said had been caught by the test. He took issue with cases of dilated left atrium, which can be a predictor of cardiac risks. "Maybe your risk of developing atrial fibrillation over a lifetime is higher, but it's not clear today that this is valuable information. Your heart's not going to explode."

For a customer who discovers a dangerous, unknown tumor, there's no question that the test would be priceless. But for those who don't receive clear-cut findings, the volume of data generated by the test can be overwhelming.

"I got a 400-page report and no one knew what to do with it," said Emily Melton, a partner at the venture firm DFJ, who took the test and shared the results with her doctors. DFJ has invested in HLI. Steve Jurvetson, who led DFJ's participation, declined to comment.

Venter says the problem isn't with his company's reports, but rather with the medical community, which is untrained and can't keep up with his technology.

HLI, at any rate, is far short of selling the number of tests it needs to generate the database that will sustain the business. The company's goal is to gather a massive data set of both genetic information and clinical features  from brain scans to gut bacteria profiles  and discover new insights about how genes drive the aging process. Those insights could then be sold to pharma companies to make drugs. To arrive at such a level of understanding, particularly for complicated diseases, hundreds of thousands or even millions of samples would be needed to power the studies.

Skeptics doubt that Venter can get there before massive, government-backed efforts, which are embarking on similar projects. "Over the next three years, the U.K. Biobank will sequence and make public exome or genome data from 500,000 well-phenotyped people. And over the same time frame, the U.S. 'All of Us' program will hopefully sequence more than 1 million," MacArthur says.

To ramp up its customer base, HLI has resorted to slashing prices. In May, it created a $7,500 option with reduced services, then added a $4,900 offering for just the genome and whole body MRI. The website has been offering a limited time promotion of $2,500. Venter says he's working on signing contracts with large employers and expects to have "literally tens of thousands" of customers through those corporate partnerships.

As the race heats up, Venter's bolder statements have irked some of the company's current and former employees, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity. Two former employees described chaotic early days where the company was working on as many as 10 different projects, from forensics to a search engine for genomic information. Multiple cancer projects were underway at one point, including a service that would sequence a patients' tumor tissue and compare it to normal tissue. There was also a short-lived excursion into pediatric rare diseases.

That's "a fair criticism," said Venter, who stepped aside as CEO in January when HLI hired Cynthia Collins. He remains executive chairman of the board and speaks for the company. He added that some trial and error was necessary to figure out where the startup would be most successful. "We're concentrating on our uniqueness and probably have eliminated 100 or so of our diverse test projects."

The potential gap between Venter's unbridled enthusiasm and his startup's actual capabilities spilled into the public this month when a paper was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In it, HLI scientists said they could use a DNA sample to accurately identify an individual in a line-up of 10 people about 80 percent of the time. Most of the identification power came from predicting the gender, race and age. The scientists also used the information to render a facial image.

Jason Piper, one of the 28 authors, who had left HLI prior to the study's publication, took to Twitter to criticize the paper. "Don't get me started about how terrible those faces are," he said, arguing that the images generated by HLI's algorithms were simply the average face of a given ethnicity, so naturally, many people would look like the average.

Two other authors of the paper, who asked not to be named because they weren't authorized to speak for the company, said the shortcomings of facial predictions were due to the small sample size of 1,000 participants and the images would improve with more data.

Meanwhile, Venter was telling media outlets, "When you have the whole genome, we can predict a photograph." That led to headlines like this one, on San Diego's KPBS website, trumpeting: "These San Diego Scientists Can Predict How You Look Using Only Your Anonymous DNA."

When told about Venter's statement, another author of the study paused. "Well, there's marketing and there's the truth," he said. "You need to separate those things."



Bloomberg's Li Hui contributed.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein delivers an address at the U.S. Constitution Center as part of a celebration of the anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution Monday night. Read more

The moderator seated across from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Monday evening rifled through a thick stack of index cards  questions submitted from the audience before them at the National Constitution Center.

"There's a number of questions on this subject," said the moderator, center president Jeffrey Rosen. The audience chuckled. They knew what was coming next. "You can answer them as you feel best  but here's one: At what point did you decide to appoint an independent counsel?"

Rosenstein smiled. He'd known what was coming, too.

"I didn't appoint an independent counsel, I appointed a special counsel," he corrected, not ungraciously. "And, no, I'm not going to, obviously, go into any detail."

The career U.S. Department of Justice official was in town for a celebration of the 230th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, giving a speech billed as a discussion on the rule of law and prosecutorial discretion.

But Rosenstein has been at the center of a political firestorm since his appointment  since his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, recused himself from the investigation into Russian meddling in the election, since President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey and implied he did it over the Russian investigation, and since Rosenstein himself appointed a special counsel to the investigation.

In other words, someone was bound to ask about Robert Mueller.

But Rosenstein, though he noted that the president has a right to fire any political appointee, demurred on details of the investigation. He handled a question about presidential pardon power  apparently a reference to President Trump's controversial pardon of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio  with a similar deflection: "The pardon power is in the Constitution, and presidents have exercised it before."

He quoted attorneys general and federal judges who tried cases in the 1940s and launched into a wonky discussion on prosecutorial discretion  how prosecutors decide who to charge, and why, and how severely: "If prosecutors bring charges that are motivated by an effort to make a political point rather than by an objective need for criminal punishment, public confidence in the rule of law is jeopardized," he said.

Still, his bosses got the occasional mention.

"If we permit the rule of law to erode because it does not directly harm our personal interests, the erosion may eventually consume us as well. The rule of law is not self-executing. If it collapses  if the people lose faith in the rule of law  then everyone will suffer," he said. "President Trump honors that principle by nominating judges who 'administer justice without respect to persons,' and by appointing Department of Justice officials who support the rule of law."

Rosenstein, who previously served as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Maryland, grew up in Lower Moreland, and is widely respected in legal circles as a serious, dedicated prosecutor, deeply committed to ethics. "What we do here is not about politics," he told the Inquirer and Daily News in July. "People are going to comment on what we do, people are going to criticize what we do. Sometimes they're going to compliment us on what we do. But it can't affect what we do."

Attendees said they had been impressed by the speech, and in Rosenstein's disciplined manner  though some admitted the prospect of hearing the deputy attorney general dish on the Russia investigation was a draw.

"I guess we would have expected to hear something about the current special prosecutor," said Gil Feinberg, an attorney and a member of the Constitution Center. "But it was definitely interesting, how he dealt with the political questions."

Matthew Stellfox, 20, the president of Widener University's libertarian group Young Americans for Liberty, said he'd been impressed by Rosenstein's restraint.

"The country is so polarized now, and I was very impressed he was able to keep it so unpartisan and so unbiased," he said. "It's one of the most difficult times, if not the most difficult time, to give a speech like that."
In the field of veterinary medicine, where specialization is increasingly the norm, Dr. Orville R. Walls stood out as an old-school general practitioner.

Dogs, cats, cougars, chimpanzees, snakes, skunks, cows, and horses  Dr. Walls, a veritable Dr. Doolittle of the animal world, treated them all. And what's more, if their human caretakers were frail or infirm, he made house calls.

"He took care of all creatures great and small," said Haverford veterinarian Reginald Royster, who considered Dr. Walls a mentor. "He came from that old-school tradition of the community vet. He definitely had the calling."

Dr. Walls, 76, of Philadelphia, a longtime veterinarian in Germantown who treated his animal patients with compassion and their human owners with kindness, died Sept. 6 of cancer at his home.

"As far as I'm concerned, he was just a very nice person  a great vet, but always a nice person," Royster said. "Nobody I know ever said a bad word about him."

In 1976, Dr. Walls opened a private practice at the Greene Street Animal Clinic in the 5500 block of Greene Street and never retired. Animal owners flocked to his office and returned over the decades because they loved him and trusted him with their pets.

When news of his death surfaced, 93 animal owners posted their remembrances online at www.facebook.com/GreeneStreetAnimalClinic.

"Dr. Walls was our vet for Caleb, Becky, and Charlie," wrote Beth Gross-Eskin. "He was the best, and we totally trusted his knowledge, care, and wisdom. He was such a nice person, always showing interest in our doggies, but also took a personal interest in us."

Although Dr. Walls limited his practice mostly to companion animals such as dogs and cats beginning in 1986, his overall approach mirrored the do-it-all tradition of the British veterinary surgeon James Herriot, author of All Creatures Great and Small.

Raised an only child on a farm in Kennett Square, Dr. Walls looked upon cows and horses as playmates. As an adult, he welcomed them as patients and even spent time as the doctor to a Philadelphia Police K-9 Unit, his family said.

The son of Orville R. Walls Sr., a physician, and Thelma Bracy Walls, a housewife, Dr. Walls graduated in 1959 from Kennett Consolidated School.

He followed in the footsteps of his father by attending Lincoln University and joining Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. While at Lincoln, he began dating Yvette Sills, who became his wife in 1962. The following year, Dr. Walls graduated from Lincoln, with a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry and biology.

For a while, Dr. Walls seemed headed for a career as a cancer researcher; he worked in the anatomy laboratory at Einstein Hospital, Southern Division. He had just completed a master's degree in biomedical engineering when a veterinarian friend of his father's offered a tutorial in animal practice.

"I was very impressed, and that stayed with me," Dr. Walls told the Chestnut Hill Local in 2013.

He applied to the veterinary school at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, one of the few veterinary schools open to African Americans, and graduated in 1969 with a bachelor of science in animal husbandry and a doctor of veterinary medicine.

He performed an internship at the LeFlore County Veterinary Hospital in Poteau, Okla., before moving back to the Philadelphia area in 1969. He was the third black veterinarian to become licensed to practice in Pennsylvania. The first was Carl M. Cousins, the second, Dean Hodges. Both died last year.

To raise his professional profile, Dr. Walls worked with the Pennsylvania SPCA and the 4-H Club. He held several jobs simultaneously, assisting other veterinarians at the Bustleton Avenue Animal Hospital, O'Neal Animal Hospital, Morris Animal Refuge, and ChelWayne Animal Hospital.

Josephine Thomas was 13 when Dr. Walls worked from the latter office on Wayne Avenue in Germantown. "Back then, it was awesome to have a young African American vet in the neighborhood," she wrote online.

Dr. Walls never stopped making house calls for the animals of those who were ill, elderly, shut-in, victims of violence, or afflicted with the AIDS virus, his family said.

His demeanor calmed the most agitated dog. He simply let the pooch sniff his legs and hands until it relaxed. "Cats are different. They have a mind of their own," Dr. Walls told the Local.

Dr. Walls received numerous accolades and awards throughout his career. In March 2017, the Alumni Association of Lincoln University's Chester County Chapter gave him its distinguished achievement award.

When not caring for animals, Dr. Walls volunteered in his community, where he was sometimes referred to jokingly as the "mayor of Germantown." He was generous with his friendship and encouragement.

A man of faith, he embodied love, laughter, commitment, generosity, and dedication. His passions were animals, cars, cake and pie, travel, and spending time with family.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Yvette S. Walls; children Orville R. Walls III, Kathleen E. Walls, and Brian K. Walls.

A memorial service will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, at Greene Street Friends School Meeting House, 45 W. School House Lane, Philadelphia. Burial is private.

Memorial donations may be made to the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, attn: Donor Services, 100 N. Second St., Philadelphia 19106.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson is scheduled to visit Philadelphia on Tuesday, his first such visit since the onetime presidential candidate joined President Trump's cabinet.

Carson will be on hand Tuesday afternoon for the grand opening of the Vaux Big Picture High School, part of an ambitious $500 million redevelopment project in Sharswood, the North Philadelphia neighborhood. Shuttered four years ago, the school was renovated for $15 million by the Philadelphia Housing Authority, which is also providing $500-a-student subsidies.

Under a public housing and school partnership model that's rare across the country, the Sharswood development plan aims to essentially remake the neighborhood with new affordable housing units and a revamped commercial corridor. Last March, the city imploded the Blumberg Housing Apartments, one of the city's last high-rise housing projects. The housing authority opened the first 57 houses built under the redevelopment plan in November.

The housing authority receives 94 percent of its funding from HUD, and administrators have expressed concern about President Trump's deep proposed cuts to the agency  a $6 billion reduction in funds  in next year's budget, which has not yet been voted on.

Later in the day, Carson is scheduled to tour a veterans center on North Fourth Street, and take questions from reporters.

Carson is the latest of several Trump administration officials to visit the Philadelphia region in recent weeks. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price were in Delaware County last week for a roundtable on the opioid crisis, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein spoke at the U.S. Constitution Center on Monday night.
A 32-year-old Abington man who authorities say was speeding when his vehicle struck and seriously injured a 14-year-old girl in a crosswalk in front of Abington High School last month has been charged with aggravated assault by vehicle and other crimes, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office announced Monday.

James H. Clark IV was also charged with reckless endangerment and related offenses. Officials said he was driving at least 46 miles per hour in a 25 mile-per-hour zone when his Subaru Forester struck the girl with such force that she flew up in the air and landed 102 feet away.

The victim was more than halfway across a marked crosswalk on Highland Avenue when the accident occurred, authorities said

The crash happened at the intersection of Highland and Canterbury Road about 2:45 p.m. on Aug. 23.

The victim, identified by her parents as Kelly Williams, suffered liver, kidney and spleen lacerations, fractures to her vertebrae, pelvis and leg, a dislocated shoulder, eye injuries, a concussion and abrasions, authorities said. She remained hospitalized Monday, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office said Monday.

"Our priority has been assisting our daughter in her recovery from the severe injuries she has suffered," her parents, Eric and Pamela, said in a statement.

They said their daughter is an incoming freshman at Abington High.

"Distracted driving and speed are a deadly combination," District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement. "Drivers owe it to the community and to our young people to exercise extra caution and pay special attention to their surroundings in and around our schools."

Clark told police, according to charging documents, that he thought he was traveling no faster than 30 miles per hour. His two sons were in the car with him, and one of his sons was concerned that he was going to be late for a lesson at a rock-climbing gym, the documents said. Clark said he checked his watch and told his son the time and then saw "a flash of color in the left periphery of my vision. I slammed on my brakes and heard a collision."

Clark was arraigned before Magisterial Judge Juanita A. Price and released on his own recognizance. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Oct. 11 before Price.
Father Gerard Hammond has made more than 50 trips into North Korea, most recently to help treat TB patients. Read more

It was a long way from a West Philadelphia rowhouse to the crucible of North Korea, but that's where the Rev. Gerard Hammond found need and meaning.

His mission suddenly became more perilous on Tuesday, when President Trump stood before the United Nations General Assembly and threatened to "totally destroy" the North if the United States is forced to defend itself and its allies.

That followed weeks of rising tensions after Kim Jong Un boasted of detonating a hydrogen bomb and sent missiles splashing into the sea around Japan.

From his church office in Seoul, South Korea, a scant 35 miles from the border, the 84-year-old Catholic priest watches and prays. People have been told to use subway tunnels as bomb shelters if North Korean artillery rains down.

"It looks very bleak right now," Hammond said in a recent phone interview. "They wouldn't even need a nuclear weapon or missiles."

So far, he said, people have generally, edgily gone about their day-to-day business, despite the shadow of annihilation. There's been no rush to stockpile food or bottled water.

At Mass, he said, people pray for the same thing: peace on the peninsula.

Hammond is the regional superior of the Korean mission of Maryknoll, an overseas missionary arm of the Catholic Church. He worries about people on both sides of the border.

He made his first trip into the North in 1995, amid a killing famine, and since then has returned more than 50 times on medical and humanitarian missions.

In the North, Hammond works with the Eugene Bell Foundation, which treats patients infected with multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis  an illness unresponsive to standard medicines. It's a health emergency there.

His efforts haven't gone unnoticed.

Pope Francis personally commended him during a 2014 visit to South Korea. This year the priest received the highest honor bestowed by the Knights of Columbus, the Gaudium et Spes Award, for exemplary service in the spirit of Christ.

Now Hammond is uncertain when or if he'll be permitted to go north. His three-week trip set for Nov. 7, has been blocked by the Trump administration's ban on travel to North Korea.

The president imposed the ban after the death of Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old university student and tourist. The young man was returned to the United States in a coma after being sentenced to hard labor for trying to steal a propaganda poster from a North Korean hotel.

Three Americans remain captive in North Korea.

The State Department said it may allow Americans to travel there in "extremely limited circumstances" if they are journalists, Red Cross workers, or involved in compelling humanitarian work.

Hammond filed for an exception on that basis, seeking entry to a place where conditions became more uncertain on Tuesday. In his U.N. address, Trump denounced North Korea as a "band of criminals" and its leader as "Rocket Man," bent on a nuclear weapons program.

One danger of higher anxiety is that North Korea might come to believe it faces an imminent attack  and launch a preemptive strike against a U.S. ally, said Christopher Butler, a political scientist at the University of New Mexico, the state where the world's first nuclear explosion took place.

"The rhetoric of the United States, and the weapons tests and missile tests of the North Koreans, are just their way of convincing the other that a direct attack would be a bad choice," Butler said. "One caveat is important: If one side starts to think that war is better than the status quo, or one side thinks that the other prefers war over the status quo, then we're no longer in a deterrence framework."

Hammond never expected to live his life on so fragile a fulcrum.

He grew up in an Irish immigrant household at 6730 Lebanon Ave., in the city's Overbrook section, near Morris Park. Or as he put it, in St. Callistus Parish, not far from Our Lady of Lourdes.

Even as a teenager, he knew he wanted to be a priest  or, at the least, he wanted to help. He was ordained in 1960 and assigned to Korea the same year.

By then, the country had been split in half.

At the close of World War II, the nation lay divided between the Soviet-backed North and the U.S.-supported South. The Korean War that erupted in 1950  killing millions of Koreans and 36,574 Americans  ended three years later in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Today the 38th Parallel ranks among the most militarized borders in the world.

While South Korea is a democracy that's home to one of Asia's most vibrant Catholic populations, the North is a dictatorship that bans religion.

Why does Hammond keep going back?

"Where there's suffering, Christ is there," he said. "And if Christ is there, we should be there."

While in the officially atheist North, Hammond is forbidden from even mentioning he's a priest.

He hopes the simple example of his caring presence will move people toward Christ.

"Don't you think a person who is cured is going to tell his family where the medicine came from? And who helped them?" he said. "They say, 'Thanks for giving me life. Thanks for giving me hope.' They can't say more than thank you, but that's enough."

This article contains information from the Associated Press.
WASHINGTON  Senate Republicans and the White House pressed ahead Tuesday with their suddenly resurgent effort to undo former president Barack Obama's signature health-care law, even as their attempt was dealt a setback when a bipartisan group of governors and several influential interest groups came out against the proposal.

Powerful health-care groups continued to rail against the bill, including AARP and the American Hospital Association, both of which urged a no vote. But it was unclear whether the opposition would ultimately derail the attempt, as key Republican senators including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said they had yet to make up their minds.

The measure marks the last gasp of Republican attempts to dramatically gut Obama's Affordable Care Act, which has added millions of people to the ranks of the insured through a combination of federally subsidized marketplaces and state-level expansions of Medicaid, leading to record lows in the number of those without health insurance. The Graham-Cassidy bill  named for Sens. Lindsey Graham, S.C., and Bill Cassidy, La.,  would convert funding for the ACA into block grants for the states and would cut Medicaid dramatically over time.

The bill  coming two months after a previous failed repeal effort in the Senate  is the subject of a last-ditch lobbying push by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and the Trump administration, led by Vice President Mike Pence, ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline for Senate action.

In a letter to Senate leaders, the group of 10 governors argued against the Graham-Cassidy bill and wrote that they prefer the bipartisan push to stabilize the insurance marketplaces that Sens. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D., Wash.) had been negotiating before talks stalled Tuesday evening.

The governors who signed the bill are particularly notable, since some are from states represented by Republican senators who are weighing whether to back the bill. Among the signers were Alaska Gov. Bill Walker, I, who holds some sway over Murkowski, a potentially decisive vote who opposed a previous Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Nevertheless, Murkowski said Tuesday afternoon that she was still weighing her options and explained how her position on the bill might ultimately differ from her opposition to the repeal effort that failed dramatically in July.

"If it can be shown that Alaska is not going to be disadvantaged, you gain additional flexibility. Then I can go back to Alaskans, and I can say, 'OK, let's walk through this together.' That's where it could be different," she said.

But Murkowski, who has been in close contact with Walker, said she did not yet have the data to make such a determination. Alaska's other Republican senator, Dan Sullivan, said he was still mulling whether to support the bill.

On the other side, a group of 15 Republican governors announced their support for the Senate bill Tuesday evening. The list includes Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, whose backing could help influence Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), who has frequently criticized the legislation for failing to fully repeal the ACA.

On Tuesday, Pence traveled from New York, where he was attending the annual United Nations General Assembly, to Washington with Graham in a sign of the White House's support for the proposal.

"My message today is I want to make sure that members of the Senate know the president and our entire administration supports Graham-Cassidy," Pence told reporters on the flight. "We think the American people need this."

Graham added that President Donald Trump called him at 10:30 p.m. Monday.

"He says, 'If we can pull this off, it'll be a real accomplishment for the country,' " he recalled.

Trump has played a limited role in building support among senators in recent days, but it is possible that his participation will increase as a potential vote nears. He has, however, been in touch with some governors, including a weekend call with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, according to aides.

Pence attended the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon, where he said the current health-care system is collapsing and the bill fulfills key GOP promises to return control to states and rein in federal entitlement programs, according to several GOP senators.

Afterward, McConnell declined to ensure a vote on the bill but said his team is working to secure sufficient support.

"We're in the process of discussing all of this. Everybody knows that the opportunity expires at the end of the month," said McConnell, referring to the limited window Republicans have to take advantage of a procedural tactic to pass a broad health-care bill without any Democratic support.

Democrats say the ACA needs modest improvements by Congress but is working well overall, and they have railed against a process in which Republicans are pressing ahead with few hearings on legislation that would affect an industry that accounts for about a sixth of the U.S. economy.

The current bill would give states control over billions in federal health-care spending and enact deep cuts to Medicaid. The Medicaid cuts in particular are a major source of concern to the governors, both in terms of imposing a per capita limit on what states would receive and putting restrictions on how they could spend any federal aid on their expanded Medicaid populations.

Medicaid was expanded under the ACA to provide states with generous funding if they opted to cover adults earning up to 138 percent of the poverty level. Many Republican-led states decided against an expansion following a Supreme Court decision allowing them to opt out.

The fact that the bill also would restrict states' abilities to tax health-care providers to fund their Medicaid programs posed a problem for several governors, as well.

In a sign of how alarmed state officials are about the prospect of funding cuts, Louisiana's health secretary sent a letter to Cassidy on Monday saying their state could see disproportionate cuts with significant impacts on people with preexisting or complex and costly conditions.

"This would be a detrimental step backwards for Louisiana," wrote Rebekah Gee, who posted her letter on Twitter on Monday.

And although Walker has not played a visible role in the national health-care debate until now, certain aspects of the new bill pose an even bigger challenge for Alaska than previous proposals did. Health-care premiums are particularly expensive in the state, given its many remote areas. Premiums on the ACA market average roughly $1,000 a month for an individual, according to the most recent federal data.

Since federal tax credits over time would be equalized and based on the number of low-income people in a given state, that new calculation would eliminate the more generous subsidies Alaska enjoys.

Given the complex nature of the Graham-Cassidy proposal, it is difficult for state officials and health-care analysts to predict exactly how much money a given state would gain or lose if the legislation were enacted. But early estimates suggest that states with expanded Medicaid programs and active participation in the ACA markets could face major cuts.

An initial estimate for Colorado, according to state officials, suggests it could lose at least $700 million in annual federal funding by 2025. Since the state has roughly 450,000 people in its Medicaid expansion program and another 100,000 receiving premium tax credits on its health-care exchange, that could translate into hundreds of thousands of Coloradans losing coverage.

The governors who have been most outspoken in their criticism of the bill negotiated behind the scenes to bring as many state executives on board as possible, according to aides, tweaking the language of Tuesday's letter over the past couple of days to get maximum support.

Others who signed the letter in opposition to Graham-Cassidy included John Kasich (R., Ohio) and Brian Sandoval (R., Nev.). Sandoval's positioning puts him at odds with Sen. Dean Heller (R., Nev.), who has been touting the bill as another co-sponsor.

Pence said Trump told him to reach out to some Democrats, and he spoke to Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) over the weekend. But after reviewing the bill, Manchin said, he told Pence's aides he could not support the legislation.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) said he's confident no Democrat will vote for the legislation, because "it hurts people in every state."

Democrats had been working furiously since Monday to advance talks between Alexander and Murray on a deal to immediately stabilize ACA insurance marketplaces with federal subsidies. The negotiations rapidly escalated after weeks of slow but consistent talks once it became clear Senate GOP leaders were serious about holding a health-care vote before the end of the month, according to several Senate aides.

Alexander on Tuesday played down expectations of reaching an agreement this week, telling reporters the pair had reached an impasse.

"During the last month, we have worked hard and in good faith but have not found the necessary consensus among Republicans and Democrats to put a bill in the Senate leaders' hands that could be enacted," Alexander said in a statement.

Democrats denied that the talks had fallen apart, accusing Republicans of walking away despite making progress on areas of disagreement. Schumer spokesman Matt House said Democrats offered to accept a number of GOP requests, including waivers to give states more latitude in how they spend federal dollars and the creation of new low-cost plans under the ACA.

"This is not about substance," House said in a statement. "The Republican leadership is so eager to pass Graham-Cassidy that they're scuttling a balanced, bipartisan negotiation."

Many Democrats, including Murray, said they hoped the talks could still be salvaged despite roadblocks from Republicans.

"I am disappointed that Republican leaders have decided to freeze this bipartisan approach," Murray said in a statement. "But I am confident that we can reach a deal if we keep working together."

The Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe and Ashley Parker contributed to this report.
Could there be tapes after all?

Two stories that popped overnight suggest that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is aggressively pursuing Paul Manafort, the former chairman of Donald Trump's campaign.

 CNN reports that "U.S. investigators wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the election": "The government snooping continued into early this year, including a period when Manafort was known to talk to President Donald Trump. Some of the intelligence collected includes communications that sparked concerns among investigators that Manafort had encouraged the Russians to help with the campaign, according to three sources familiar with the investigation . . .

"A secret order authorized by the court that handles the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) began after Manafort became the subject of an FBI investigation that began in 2014," per Evan Perez, Shimon Prokupecz and Pamela Brown. "It centered on work done by a group of Washington consulting firms for Ukraine's former ruling party . . . The surveillance was discontinued at some point last year for lack of evidence . . . The FBI then restarted the surveillance after obtaining a new FISA warrant that extended at least into early this year. . . . Sources say the second warrant was part of the FBI's efforts to investigate ties between Trump campaign associates and suspected Russian operatives. Such warrants require the approval of top Justice Department and FBI officials, and the FBI must provide the court with information showing suspicion that the subject of the warrant may be acting as an agent of a foreign power."

 The CNN story, parts of which were subsequently confirmed by CBS News, raises a host of fresh questions. Among them:

 Was Trump himself picked up on any of the surveillance? CNN says that's "unclear." But it's been widely reported that Manafort and Trump continued to talk after the inauguration and after it was reported that Manafort was under FBI investigation.

 When exactly did the second FISA warrant start? The reporters couldn't figure that out.

 What did FBI agents find when, as part of the FISA warrant, they conducted a search of a storage facility belonging to Manafort earlier this year?

The New York Times reports on its front page Tuesday morning that, after agents raided his home with a no-knock search warrant this summer, Mueller's prosecutors told Manafort that they planned to indict him. The story says the feds decided to pick the lock on Manafort's front door in Alexandria, Virginia, because they feared he might try to destroy evidence: "They took binders stuffed with documents and copied his computer files, looking for evidence that Mr. Manafort . . . set up secret offshore bank accounts. They even photographed the expensive suits in his closet."

Sharon LaFraniere, Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman include these detail in a larger piece on Mueller's "shock and awe" tactics: "Mr. Mueller has obtained a flurry of subpoenas to compel witnesses to testify before a grand jury, lawyers and witnesses say, sometimes before his prosecutors have taken the customary first step of interviewing them. One witness was called before the grand jury less than a month after his name surfaced in news accounts. The special counsel even took the unusual step of obtaining a subpoena for one of Mr. Manafort's former lawyers, claiming an exception to the rule that shields attorney-client discussions from scrutiny."

As points of comparison, The Times notes, Ken Starr and Patrick Fitzgerald never executed search warrants during their politically charged investigations in the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.

Mueller's team has shown far more deference to current White House officials than associates of Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn: "At least three witnesses have recently been subpoenaed to testify about Mr. Manafort: Jason Maloni, a spokesman who appeared before the grand jury for more than two hours on Friday, and the heads of two consulting firms  Mercury Public Affairs and the Podesta Group  who worked with Mr. Manafort on behalf of Viktor F. Yanukovych, the pro-Russia former president of Ukraine. Mr. Mueller's team also took the unusual step of issuing a subpoena to Melissa Laurenza, a specialist in lobbying law who formerly represented Mr. Manafort . . . Conversations between lawyers and their clients are normally considered bound by attorney-client privilege, but there are exceptions when lawyers prepare public documents that are filed on behalf of their client."

Neither Manafort nor Mueller commented for either the CNN or NYT stories. Manafort has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Flynn, for his part, tweeted Monday for the first time since December in order to promote his legal defense fund.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, talk while walking to a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington Thursday, July 13, 2017. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. plans to roll out the GOP's revised health care bill, pushing toward a showdown vote next week with opposition within the Republican ranks. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Read more

Good morning, friends! Literally everyone who has ever been employed by the Trump administration is in town this week. Meanwhile, the Obamacare repeal is back and even Republicans are making zombie jokes.

You're reading a newsletter on President Trump and how his policies affect Philadelphia; if you like what you read, please forward this to a friend! You can sign up here to get it in your inbox every week. You can email me here and send me soothing gifs on Twitter here.

-Aubrey Whelan

Today, lets talk about healthcare.

Whats at stake

The Senate is trying to repeal Obamacare again, with a bill authored by Sens. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, whom Sen. Jack Thune of South Dakota has nicknamed "the grave robber" for resurrecting a bill long thought dead. Snappy!

The bill echoes some of the past ones  including Medicaid reductions (Republicans contend they're just slowing the growth of the program) and, the New York Times reports, millions of Americans potentially losing insurance. States could also get waivers that allow them to "charge higher premiums to sick people," the Times reports, or stop covering benefits that are currently mandated under Obamacare.

The local angle

Pennsylvania's Sen. Bob Casey, as with past repeal attempts, has sharply criticized the bill, citing stats from the left-leaning Center for Budget and Policy Priorities that suggest Pennsylvania could lose $850 million in Medicaid funding by 2026. (I wrote a bit about hospitals that rely on those funds earlier this summer.) Casey's counterpart, Sen. Pat Toomey, says he's still reviewing the bill.

And the bill funds healthcare in the states through block grants  a set amount of money for each state, calculated through a formula that Graham and Cassidy say is designed to even out healthcare funding between states. "Four states get 37% of Obamacare dollars. Support should be equal across the nation," the senators wrote in a fact sheet on the bill.

So critics worry that states that have expanded Medicaid, like Pennsylvania, could lose out, while states that didn't expand the coverage will see an increase in funding.

What's ahead

If Senate Republicans want to pass this bill, they have to do it by Sept. 30  otherwise, they lose the power to pass it with a simple majority. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has already said he's not going to vote for it, Sen. Susan Collins is expected to join him, and a third "no" vote is all that's needed to kill it. President Trump has used the Senate's failure to pass an Obamacare repeal as a cudgel on Twitter, mocking Republicans as he cuts deals with top Democrats. So even if this particular attempt fails, this is too symbolic (and, at this point, too embarrassing) for Republicans to set aside forever. Keep your eyes peeled.

What theyre saying

"Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military? Really!.."  President Trump on Twitter, apparently expressing support for a legislative version of DACA, the program protecting undocumented immigrants who arrived here as children, which his administration is ending.

"We are not a bargaining chip."  A chant from a protest organized by young undocumented immigrants who shut down Rep. Nancy Pelosi's press conference Monday, arguing for a "clean" DACA bill that doesn't include funding for border security or a wall.

"I'm not going to, obviously, go into any detail."  Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, predictably telling a crowd at the National Constitution Center last night that he wasn't going to talk about the Russia investigation.

In other news

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the head of President Trump's opioids commission, has tasked the National Institutes of Health and pharmaceutical companies with developing less addictive pain meds and new medical treatments for people addicted to heroin. Meanwhile, Trump said a month ago he was going to declare a national emergency over the crisis, but his people are still working out exactly how to do that. Philadelphia is on track to see 1,200 overdose deaths this year.

I went to the National Federation of Republican Women conference this weekend and wrote about what it's like to be a woman in this Republican party.

After city officials sued, a federal judge in Chicago has partially blocked Attorney General Jeff Sessions' attempts to withhold federal grants from sanctuary cities. Philly has its own lawsuit moving through the courts, and city officials told me last week they're gratified by the ruling and continuing to pursue their suit. "Thank god for the independent judiciary," city council president Darrell Clarke said.

What Im reading

The New York Times on the latest in the Russia investigation: Special prosecutor Robert Mueller told erstwhile Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort they "planned to indict him" after raiding his house earlier this year.

The Atlantic breaks down the other big healthcare bill moving through Congress: Sen. Bernie Sanders' Medicaid for All Act, which, while it is definitely not passing, could be a bellwether for the future of the Democratic Party.

My colleague Jon Tamari looks at the political toll of Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption trial, and reports from Blacksburg, Va., where a son of Chester County whose fiancee was shot dead on live TV is running for a state delegate seat.

A non-political palate cleanser

Here is a delightful column by my colleague Samantha Melamed on Big Charlie's Saloon, an inexplicably passionate bastion of Kansas City Chiefs fandom in South Philly, and also my old corner bar.
WASHINGTON  White House and GOP leaders are considering major changes to upcoming tax legislation, including scaling back plans for large-scale tax cuts for the wealthy, as Republicans seek to win support from Democrats in Congress, three people briefed on the discussions said.

The White House is considering, among other things, keeping the top tax rate for individuals at 39.6 percent, decreasing the benefits top earners would see in the tax package by scrapping an earlier proposal that would cut that rate to 35 percent.

White House negotiators are also considering giving up on a push to repeal the estate tax, which is levied on individuals who die with more than $5.49 million in their estate. Republicans have long called for repealing the estate tax, but Democrats have raised objections, saying repeal would only benefit the wealthy and would add to the federal debt.

The White House and GOP leaders are still debating how to proceed, and they could end up proposing changes to both the top tax rate and the estate tax, according to the three people. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the party's internal deliberations.

The White House and GOP leaders remain fully committed to reducing the corporate tax rate and delivering tax cuts for the middle class, the people said.

The fluidity of the discussions illustrates how President Donald Trump has sought to reframe the tax discussions as a way to help businesses and the middle class and not the wealthiest Americans.

In April, the White House put out a one-page blueprint of its tax plan that would have repealed the estate tax, eliminated the alternative-minimum tax and cut the top individual tax rate from 39.6 to 35 percent. These changes and others would serve as a huge windfall for the wealthiest Americans, budget experts found. The Tax Policy Center estimated that roughly half of all the tax changes would benefit the top 1 percent of all earners, with each person in that group receiving on average a $175,000 tax cut.

Senior White House officials for months defended the calls for tax cuts that would benefit the wealthy, saying they are necessary to help people invest in the economy and hire more workers. But Trump last week stated the tax plan would not  on net  reduce the taxes for wealthy Americans, and he predicted that some could even pay more.

Americans pay income taxes on a tiered system, and there are seven tiers. Upper-income Americans pay a 39.6 percent rate on all income above $418,400. They pay a 35 percent rate on all income between $416,700 and $418,400. And they pay a 33 percent rate on income between $191,650 and $416,700. There are four other tax rates for income earned below that amount.

The White House had proposed collapsing these seven brackets into three brackets, with the new top bracket sitting at 35 percent. If it decides to keep the top bracket at 39.6 percent and create two new brackets, it could still give everyone a tax cut but lessen the size of that cut for the wealthy.

The White House and GOP leaders next week are planning to provide more details of their tax push, though they could leave out key details as they continue to negotiate with members of Congress. The White House is hoping a tax cut plan can be completed by the end of the year, and support from even a few Democrats could help it reach an agreement sooner.
Projected track of Maria; very much subject to change. Read more

While powerful Hurricane Maria has been devastating the Caribbean, off the Carolina coast Jose was holding on to its hurricane credentials with winds of 75 mph, just enough to qualify as a Category 1.

As predicted, Jose has remained well offshore and, as predicted, has set off some coastal flooding at the Jersey Shore with reports of water filled roads in Cape May County, including on Delsea Drive.

A flood warning was in effect at the Shore until 1 a.m. Wednesday with "widespread road flooding" and minor property damage possible, the National Weather Service says.

Of course, that would be an April shower compared to what is happening in the Caribbean, where Maria  another Category 5 hurricane with peak winds of 160 mph  is exploiting the same favorable storm environment mined by Irma.

For now the computer models are virtually unanimous in keeping Maria away from the U.S. East Coast, but that is by no means a certainty.

Track errors this far out are on the order of hundreds of miles, notes Bryan Norcross, hurricane specialist at the Weather Channel and a tropical-storm veteran.

"I don't want to promise anyone anything," said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the National Hurricane Center. "There's a lot of balls in the air."

One of them is Jose, which, unlike Maria, is a large storm as hurricanes go. It might well be a nuisance the next few days, but East Coast residents and property owners should be rooting hard for Jose.

Winds move counterclockwise around centers of storms, thus winds on the east side of Jose are from the south. Those would tend to keep Maria out to sea, says Norcross.

If Jose should weaken or dissipate, Maria could come closer or even approach the East Coast, he said.

Any such threat would be a week or more away, however, and it remains unclear how much the encounters with mountainous terrain in the Caribbean terrain will affect Maria's intensity and path.

Maria, Norcross says, is a small storm, with an eye a mere 10 miles in diameter; the entire island of Bermuda would have fit in Irma's eye. Thus the damage patterns likely will be radically different.

If it does eventually become an East Coast threat, says Norcross, it would be more likely to impact areas from North Carolina northward, rather than Florida.

Go Jose!
Independence Blue Cross is the only insurer remaining in the individual market in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Read more

Millions of people across the country are waiting to hear what health care coverage they will have access to on the federal exchange  and what it will cost. Insurance companies have less than two weeks to finalize their plans for 2018 and commit to participating in the individual marketplace. But there is still great uncertainty in Washington. That is why I am continuing to speak out on behalf of our members and urge a bipartisan solution to get health care right.

Now is the time for our leaders in the public and private sectors to join together, free of politics and ideology, to create the health care our citizens need and deserve.

Health care isn't a Democratic issue, and it isn't a Republican issue. Our congressional leaders in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including Sens. Pat Toomey, a Republican, and Bob Casey, a Democrat, are prime examples of public servants who are willing to find middle ground and focus on what benefits the people of our commonwealth.

We need thoughtful leaders in Congress to follow their example and make decisions to improve the efficiency and affordability of health care based on what really works. This is about creating a better tomorrow, a generation of citizens healthier than those before it.

It starts with stepping forward, not backward. It starts with our elected officials being willing to take a step to the middle. Find compromise and show good will.

There's still a lot of work to be done. The Affordable Care Act was successful in expanding access to coverage for more Americans. Now we need to live up to its name and focus on making it truly affordable. With the public and private sectors working together for the good of the people, I know we can create more comprehensive and more affordable health care for tomorrow.

As the only insurer remaining in the individual market in Southeastern Pennsylvania, we remain committed to the people we serve  as we were when the Affordable Care Act was first implemented  and will continue to be actively engaged until this situation is resolved.

The window to make a positive impact is closing. Philadelphians are relying on Congress to make a swift and prudent decision.

Daniel J. Hilferty is president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross. newsroom@ibx.com
Michael Christopher Mejia told detectives he "smoked" Whittier, CA, Officer Keith Boyer. (Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department)

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office requested the L.A. Board of Supervisors continue to keep secret a report that details how closely probation officers supervised a gang member charged with the murder of a Whittier, CA, police officer, reports KFI AM.

The Board had considered making the report public last week but were advised not to do so until County attorneys could discuss the matter with the Supervisors in a closed-door meeting.

After that meeting other County officials said prosecutors asked the Board to continue to withhold the document out of concern its contents could affect the future court proceedings against the accused killer, Michael C. Mejia, whose tape-recorded confession was already played in open court.

Mejia was under County supervision by probation officers when Whittier Police Department Officer Keith Boyer was shot to death on February 20 at the scene of a car crash.

A second Whittier Officer, Patrick Hazell, was wounded in the shootout that happened hours after police said Mejia murdered his own cousin in East L.A.

Mejia has pleaded not guilty.

The secret report is said to detail how carefully the probation officers kept tabs on Mejia, an admitted gang member, and why efforts were not made to impose a more significant consequence for his repeated arrests in the 10 months between his being released from state prison and the murders, County officials have said.
Embed from Getty Images

Protesters chanting "free our people" gathered outside the jail in downtown St. Louis Monday but there was no new rioting.

Demonstrators outside the jail late Monday criticized authorities for keeping some of those arrested in jail for nearly 24 hours after they were taken into custody. Police said more than 120 people were arrested during Sunday's protests over the acquittal of a former police officer in the killing of a suspect.

Hundreds of riot police mobilized downtown late Sunday, arresting more than 80 people at one intersection who police said didn't follow orders to disperse. Earlier, police had responded to reports of property damage and vandalism.

Officers were attacked with projectiles, including bottles of chemicals, during the weekend rioting. Some of the arrested subjects had weapons, Interim Police Chief Lawrence O'Toole told the Chicago Tribune.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Adding another layer of shame to the renewed GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and take health insurance away from millions of Americans, Republicans in the Senate are only allowing 90 seconds of debate on the Graham-Cassidy bill.

Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz blasted for Republicans for this abomination, calling their efforts legislative malpractice.

Video:

Dem Senator blasts Republicans for allowing just 90 seconds of debate on #GrahamCassidy pic.twitter.com/48k2Ey2bo3  Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) September 19, 2017

Sen. Schatz said, I think we will have anywhere from  literally, by rule  90 seconds to two minutes of debate on this legislation. Now that is an abomination, that is legislative malpractice.

MSNBCs Chris Hayes chimed in, By rule  I want people to understand this  there are essentially 90 seconds  seconds, everyone just clock that in your head  thats 90 seconds of debate left for this entire legislation before the Senate. Is that accurate?

Thats accurate.  Theres no reason to do it this way, Schatz responded. They are blowing this thing up so that they can shove this down the American peoples throat, and it is all because they have no political wins this year and so theyre gonna inflict pain on their constituents just to notch a win for Donald Trump.

Its bad enough that Republicans are working to quickly pass a piece of legislation that would take health insurance away from millions of Americans, spike premiums, and dismantle Medicaid.

Its a whole new level of disturbing that they are doing it without a thorough score from the Congressional Budget Office or serious debate on the Senate floor.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

A FISA warrant was obtained, and Paul Manafort was wiretapped, as he was continuing to talk to Trump after the President took office.

CNN reported:

The FBI interest deepened last fall because of intercepted communications between Manafort and suspected Russian operatives, and among the Russians themselves, that reignited their interest in Manafort, the sources told CNN. As part of the FISA warrant, CNN has learned that earlier this year, the FBI conducted a search of a storage facility belonging to Manafort. Its not known what they found.

The conversations between Manafort and Trump continued after the President took office, long after the FBI investigation into Manafort was publicly known, the sources told CNN. They went on until lawyers for the President and Manafort insisted that they stop, according to the sources.

Its unclear whether Trump himself was picked up on the surveillance.

Trump has long maintained that Manafort was nothing more than a short-term campaign employee, but if this is the case, why were Trump and Manafort talking after Trump took office? There are many different avenues that Russia collusion might have pursued. Paul Manafort and Mike Flynn are drawing the most heat followed by Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. If Trump and Manafort were caught on surveillance discussing collusion with Russia or any other election-related crime, it would bring down this president.

The President has consistently lied about the players in the Russia scandal, contacts with Russians, and his own business in Russia. It would be hard to believe that anyone could be so dumb as to talk about potential crimes with a collaborator on the phone, especially the President Of The United States, but Trump has been his own worst enemy during the Russia scandal.

If incriminating tapes exist, it will be smoking gun that ends Trumps presidency.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

In another explosive development in the ongoing Trump-Russia scandal, CNN is reporting that U.S. investigators were wiretapping Donald Trumps former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, before and after the election.

According to the report, the wiretaps were authorized via secret court orders and sources indicate that they may have revealed some damning intelligence.

More from CNN:

US investigators wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the election, sources tell CNN, an extraordinary step involving a high-ranking campaign official now at the center of the Russia meddling probe. The government snooping continued into early this year, including a period when Manafort was known to talk to President Donald Trump.

Whats particularly troubling for the Trump administration is that, according to the report, three sources indicated that some of the information collected through wiretaps included communications that sparked concerns among investigators that Manafort had encouraged the Russians to help with the campaign.

According to CNN, Special counsel Robert Muellers team, which is leading the investigation into Russias involvement in the election, has been provided details of these communications.

In other words, if Manafort did, in fact, encourage the Russians to assist the Trump campaign  the campaign he was running at the time  in defeating Hillary Clinton, Mueller has the records.

The CNN report comes as The New York Times also notes that an indictment could be on the way for the ex-Trump campaign chairman after his house was raided in July.

More from the Times report:

Paul J. Manafort was in bed early one morning in July when federal agents bearing a search warrant picked the lock on his front door and raided his Virginia home. They took binders stuffed with documents and copied his computer files, looking for evidence that Mr. Manafort, President Trumps former campaign chairman, set up secret offshore bank accounts. They even photographed the expensive suits in his closet. The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, then followed the house search with a warning: His prosecutors told Mr. Manafort they planned to indict him, said two people close to the investigation.

With Robert Mueller running an increasingly aggressive investigation into the Trumps ties to Russia, Manaforts possible indictment shows that nobody is safe, despite the administrations tireless efforts to cover up any wrongdoing and thwart investigations.

If Trump and his presidential campaign coordinated with Moscow to tilt the election in their favor, it will eventually be revealed to the public. Or, as Jason Easley wrote a short time ago, If incriminating tapes exist, it will be smoking gun that ends Trumps presidency.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Its trending on Twitter, which belies the conservative claims that Twitter is a liberal conspiracy against them, unless they are admitting that they have to use Russian bots to hoist their fantasies above reality.

Trump vindicated.

Has Trumps paranoia and false accusation against former President Obama been vindicated by the news that his campaign adviser Paul Manafort was being wiretapped by the FBI?

It wasnt enough that Trumps own Justice Department was forced to debunked their delusional executives fantasies of being persecuted by Obama. Reality is just not going to penetrate the dense, muddy walls of Trump cultism.

To wit, the felon and Republican birther Dinesh DSouza, who shares the conservative persecution complex that endears people like Trump and Palin to the base and whose mind and ethics are seemingly of one with President Trump, thinks so:

So Obama WAS wiretapping @realDonaldTrump after allonce again Trump is right & the media hyenas prove to be wrong  Dinesh DSouza (@DineshDSouza) September 19, 2017

DSouza broke a campaign finance law, or as he put it, the government tried to get me and failed, because Obama is a petty, vindictive guy.

That is conservative for: DSouza pled guilty.

As Sean Colarossi pointed out in these pages, this Breitbart peddled fantasy ignores the fact that Trump Towers wires were not the target; Paul Manafort was. And the same CNN report noted that even though Manafort does have a residence inside Trump Tower, its unclear whether FBI surveillance of him took place there.

Their latest alternative fact, peddled by Breitbart: Trump has been vindicated by new CNN reporting that his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was wiretapped under a secret court order. CNN notes that Manafort spoke to Trump after the election and may have sought Russias help during the election.

The New York Times also reported on Monday that prosecutors told Mr. Manafort they planned to indict him after they raided his home in July.

This shared delusion in the Trump cult ignores problems like this:

BREAKING: Trump lawyer tells Senate panel that proposal for Trump Tower in Moscow was solely a real estate deal and nothing more.  AP Politics (@AP_Politics) September 19, 2017

If Paul Manafort was being wiretapped during this time, those tapes could contradict these claims. It is also not clear yet whether or not Trump was even caught on the wiretaps. But Obama.

Reality is unkind to those who refuse to acknowledge her, even a little.

The larger problem here is that the Trump cult is actually trying to justify being outraged that our government listened in as someone in the Trump campaign potentially sought to conspire with suspected Russian operatives, an act which provokes interception under FISA.

You speak to a suspected Russian operative, youre probably being wiretapped.

Complaining about being caught because you were talking to Russian operatives, which provoked the U.S. government to see you as a potential threat to this country, and thinking thats the win is like complaining that the 7-11 has video surveillance after youre caught stealing from them.

This is exactly what the Trump cult is doing right now, with their Trump vindicated wails. The Obama is targeting me cry is code for Im guilty, but blame the black man.

Conservatives like these have divided this country with their pathetic and relentless use of racism as a political tool. Its not Obamas fault that Paul Manafort talked to Russian spies and its not Obamas fault that Dinesh DSouza broke campaign finance laws. Gone is the party of personal responsibility; the GOP is the party of whining, entitled thugs blaming a black man for getting caught.

Damn you, Obama. 7-11 wouldnt have cameras and the FBI wouldnt wiretap U.S. citizens talking to suspected Russian agents if Obama werent so mean.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Former CIA and FBI agents wondered if perhaps Donald Trumps public accusation about President Obama wiretapping him was actually meant as a warning to those around him that they were being listened to.

John Sipher, former CIA Clandestine Service, asked former FBI Special Agent, Counterintelligence Division and CNN Legal and National Security analyst Asha Rangappa if it was possible that Donald Trumps wiretapping tweet was an inappropriate means to warn those around him:

All interesting. Asha, is it possible that the President's tweet about wiretapping was an inappropriate means to warn those around him? https://t.co/LlfAb9ZkAr  John Sipher (@john_sipher) September 19, 2017

Asha Rangappa responded:

I think that is entirely possible.  Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) September 19, 2017

It would be interesting to know when the 2nd FISA stopped and whether it coincided with that tweet. They were collecting at least into Jan.  Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) September 19, 2017

Fair question, because heres Trump specifically noting the time of the wiretap:

Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

And again, very specific on the timing:

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

I have previously written that it looks to me as if Trump used public speeches to communicate his demands and concessions to the Russians, for example, he asked them to hack into Hillary Clintons emails publicly. This is the entitled thugs self-enamored, secret, sneaky way of getting around the law.

But Trump isnt in Kansas anymore. Hes dealing with the intelligence community, and they arent exactly fooled by his second-grade shenanigans.

Whether or not Trump is found guilty of conspiring with the Russians to get the help they gave his campaign by interfering with the U.S. election, he is guilty of being too ignorant and too easily manipulated and read to be in the office he holds.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

The website which has been in operation since the summer is running propaganda about Republican governors, while not disclosing or making no mention of the fact that it is a political communication that is being paid for by the Republican Governors Association.

The AP reported, The Republican Governors Association has quietly launched an online publication that looks like a media outlet and is branded as such on social media. The Free Telegraph blares headlines about the virtues of GOP governors, while framing Democrats negatively. It asks readers to sign up for breaking news alerts. It launched in the summer bearing no acknowledgement that it was a product of an official party committee whose sole purpose is to get more Republicans elected. Only after The Associated Press inquired about the site last week was a disclosure added to The Free Telegraphs pages identifying the publications partisan source.

The idea for the website didnt materialize out of thin air. What the RGA did was take the Fox News model and put it on the Internet. The concept of taking clearly partisan information and disguising it as news has gained popularity within the Republican Party since the rise of Trump. Republicans have taken lessons from Putin and decided to muddy the waters of Americas information stream by injecting undisclosed opposition research into stories.

Republicans are engaging in a practice that is intended to undermine the free press. If news consumers cant separate information from political communications, real stories lose value, and fake stories gain traction. There is a difference between having a viewpoint and a political organization disguising itself as news in a bid to fool the public.

The Republican Party is trying to discredit the news by pushing a relentless propaganda campaign that must be stopped.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

There are some things you shouldnt have to explain, but with Donald Trump in the White House and his supporters often clinging to falsehoods and perpetuating many different realities, its impossible not to.

Their latest alternative fact, peddled by Breitbart: Trump has been vindicated by new CNN reporting that his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was wiretapped under a secret court order. CNN notes that Manafort spoke to Trump after the election and may have sought Russias help during the election.

The New York Times also reported on Monday that prosecutors told Mr. Manafort they planned to indict him after they raided his home in July.

You wont hear much about the actual facts of these two bombshell reports from those who still don #MAGA hats, though. Instead, buoyed by the Breitbart nonsense, theyre pushing the laughable claim that this news vindicates their president.

Lets discuss this insanity.

Heres Trumps initial and still-bogus claim about President Obama wiretapping Trump Tower, which he originally pushed back in March:

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

Compare this outrageous claim with the reality (some of us still live there): Investigators wiretapped Manafort under secret court orders during and after the campaign.

In other words, Trump Towers wires were not the target; Paul Manafort was. And the same CNN report noted that even though Manafort does have a residence inside Trump Tower, its unclear whether FBI surveillance of him took place there.

Lets also keep in mind that about two weeks ago, even Trumps own Justice Department debunked the presidents false claim about the former president wiretapping Trump Tower. But, goodness, where theres a will theres a way in the land of alternative facts.

To put it simply to my Trump-supporting friends: You shouldnt be cheering this news. You should be shaking in your boots about what might come next.

In order to get the type of warrants that allowed federal investigators to search Manaforts home and monitor his communications, Robert Mueller needed probable cause that a crime was committed  and he apparently had it.

So, no, even though we shouldnt have to explain this, the Paul Manafort news does not vindicate Trumps still-untrue claim that Trump Tower was the target of an Obama-directed wiretap. In fact, it puts the president in even more legal jeopardy surrounding the Russia investigation.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High 61F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Thunder possible. Low 54F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Across the U.S., women veterans share some of the same experiences, including PTSD, sexual trauma and other inequities related to a culture of gender bias in the military. Women veterans in the Lowcountry are no different, which is why Brooke Jackson Kahn started her nonprofit, She's the Veteran. Read moreWomen veterans often feel overlooked, lack mental health treatment and other resources
The Madras Maiden flew over Charleston Monday, September 18, 2017.The plane is one of a dozen Boeing B-17s still in flight and will welcome vi

If you go

The Liberty Foundation will offer 45-minute flights in the Madras Maiden on Saturday at Charleston Executive Airport, 2742 Fort Trenholm Road on Johns Island.

Flights will begin at 9:30 a.m. for $450 per person. Donation-based ground tours will begin at 2:30 p.m. Proceeds pay for aircraft operation and restoration of another B-17. To reserve a spot on a flight, call 918-340-0243.
SC Attorney General Alan Wilson is challenging the CDC's recommendations on COVID vaccinations for kids. They have no force of law, so this is no different than the left trying to enforce its woke orthodoxy. Read moreEditorial: Alan Wilson should stick to the law, stop trying to silence opinions he dislikes
ST. PAUL  The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday refused to suspend a Minneapolis ordinance requiring employers to provide time off for employee illness or emergency, but did keep intact a temporary limit on how aspects of the policy are enforced on businesses based outside the city.

The ruling by a three-judge appeals panel upheld a lower court decision that let the ordinance go into effect in July. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce had sought an injunction to block the policy while it sues over the sick and safe time ordinance.

"We are satisfied that the district court properly exercised its discretion by determining that, overall, the balance with respect to preemption tips in favor of the city, and therefore declining to temporarily enjoin the ordinance in its entirety," Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks wrote for the unanimous panel.

But the appeals court also let stand a temporary injunction that bars the city from enforcing the ordinance for employers based outside of the city. The ordinance imposes recordkeeping requirements pertaining to employees who work more than 80 hours in a year.

The ordinance provides employees with one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked subject to accrual caps. A requirement for paid leave is imposed on businesses with six or more employees. For companies with fewer employees, the leave can be unpaid.

ADVERTISEMENT

Leave time can be used for an employer's health and welfare needs or when dealing with a family member. It covers physical or mental health, domestic abuse, sexual assault, stalking, and school and workplace closings.

The decision deals solely with injunctions while the chamber's legal case plays out.

Shortly after the ruling was announced Monday, the chamber said it will appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

The business group was pleased the court "prevented Minneapolis from imposing its ordinance on businesses that don't even have any physical presence in the city" but disappointed it allowed the ordinance to stand, chamber president Doug Loon said in a statement.
AUSTIN  A woman accused of felony drug crimes after one of the Austin Police Department's largest methamphetamine seizures  three pounds  has been sentenced to more than five years in prison.

Phaengdy Khamda, 36, was charged in January with one count each of first-degree drug possession and storing methamphetamine paraphernalia in the presence of a child.

She pleaded guilty in May to the possession charge and was sentenced Friday in Mower County District Court to 64 months in prison, with credit for 120 days already served.

The paraphernalia charge was dismissed.

The charges stemmed from an incident Jan. 9, when Austin police, assisted by Mower County Sheriff deputies, executed a search warrant on a home in the 600 block of 10th Street Northwest.

ADVERTISEMENT

According to Austin Police Chief Brian Krueger, authorities found three one-pound bricks of the drug, along with numerous smaller packages.

"I don't know if it's the biggest," Krueger said at the time. "It's definitely one of the largest (meth busts) in Austin."

The drugs didn't appear to have been made at the home, he said, as there was no meth lab at the site.

Police also found meth pipes, plastic bags, a digital scale and $926 in cash.

Also in the home were three children, ages 1, 2 and 3 years, Krueger said. It was unclear if the children were Khamda's, but he said it was likely they were related. All three were placed with Mower County Health and Human Services.

An older woman identified as a grandmother was also in the home. She was allowed to stay.
Kyrsten Sinema represents Arizonas Ninth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is said to be the first openly bisexual woman elected to Congress, as well as the only openly non-theist or atheist member of the current Congress.

Sinema presents herself as a bipartisan moderate. She did not vote for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House and reportedly voted with the Democrats only 73 percent of the time in recent years. According to one ranking, this makes her the Houses most bipartisan Democrat. But if Sinema were a Republican, it would just about make her a RINO in the true sense of that overused epithet.

At the risk of being cynical, I wonder whether Sinemas moderation, such as it is, has anything to do her political ambition in Arizona. She is thought to be quite interested in running for the Senate seat now held by Jeff Flake. Alternatively, if John McCain were unable to continue in the Senate, its very possible she would seek that seat.

Strong suspicion arises not just because Arizona is a reddish state, but also because of Sinemas pre-Congress incarnation. In 2000, she worked for Ralph Naders campaign. Apparently Al Gore was insufficiently leftist. She entered politics in 2002, running as a Green Party candidate for the Arizona House. She finished last.

Soon, she switched to the Democratic Party and was elected to the Arizona House. During her time there, she received honors from the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, and the National Association of Social Workers. Moderates and practitioners of bipartisanship dont receive such honors.

Strong Suspicion of cynicism also arise from this statement by Sinema:

I used to say that I wanted universal health-care coverage in Arizona, which went over like a ton of bricks. Turns out, Arizonans hear the word universal and think socialismor pinko commie. But when I say that I want all Arizonans to have access to affordable, quality health care, Arizonans agree wholeheartedly. Same basic idea, different language.

Kyrsten Sinema, then, appears to be a faux moderate, intent on making it to the U.S. Senate by pulling the wool over the eyes of Arizona voters.

In this effort, she has an enabler  President Trump. KTAR News reports:

U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) said Thursday that she hoped a meeting she had with President Donald Trump would be the beginning of a bipartisan approach to solving the nations problems. What I hope comes from this is a process through which we begin to focus on making compromises to solve these big-ticket items, Sinema told KTAR News 92.3 FMs Mac & Gaydos. Sinema said she and eight other Democrats met with Trump and five congressional Republicans on Wednesday without party leaders present. She said it was really important that the president hear from people aside from leadership. What happened in that meeting was the first bipartisan discussion that rank-and-file, like normal Democrats, have had with the president, she said, adding that it was the same for Republicans.

(Emphasis added)

By holding this meeting with Sinema, Trump has aided significantly her effort to capture a Senate seat currently held by a Republican. Now she can (1) present herself as someone the president trusts enough to work with to promote his agenda and (2) distance herself from her partys unpopular leaders, the abnormal Democrats, who were excluded from the meeting (though not from the Chinese dinner where an agreement to agree on amnesty for dreamers may have been reached).

Trump, I imagine, would like to see Jeff Flake replaced in the Senate. But Flake doesnt vote with the Democratic party 73 percent of the time. Flake doesnt favor single payer (under any packaging). Flake voted for Obamacare replacement legislation. Sinema voted to preserve Obamacare.

Even on immigration, Sinema is at least as soft as Flake. She is said to oppose mass deportation of illegal immigrants and to favor both the DREAM Act and the creation of a path to citizenship for illegals.

Moreover, the 2018 Arizona Senate race may not come down to Flake vs. Sinema. Kelli Ward, whom Trump supports, leads Flake in the polls. This makes it all the more difficult to understand, even from Trumps perspective, why he would boost Sinema by treating her as one of the handful of moderates with whom he can work.

Nor does Trump need Sinemas vote. Republicans have a clear majority in the House, where only a simple majority is required to pass legislation. The only half-way logical reason to reach out to so-called moderate Dems is to have a shot (though not a good one) at passing legislation without the votes of House conservatives (e.g., Freedom Caucus members).

If Trump is willing to bolster a center-left Democratic Senatorial candidate for the purpose of screwing House Republican conservatives, that seems problematic. This is especially true where, as here, (1) the Democrat in question favors single payer health insurance and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and (2) Trump plans to work with Nancy Pelosi to get things done.

If youre dealing with Pelosi, Sinema is irrelevant. If youre not dealing with Pelosi, Sinema is still irrelevant because there probably arent enough Dems whose ambition militates in favor of helping Trump pass stuff that Pelosi doesnt want passed.

Its not even clear that Sinemas ambition militates in that direction. Having been in the room with Trump may suffice.

Meanwhile, Trump got some good press coverage out of the meeting. Maybe, in his mind, that suffices.
Diversity has become the touchstone of contemporary liberalism, rivaling even equality as its first principle, though of course the two can co-exist. Democrats have placed all their chips on diversity, seeing the rising coalition of minorities and elite white professionals as their ticket to political dominance at some point in the future (the Teixeira-Judis hypothesis). A lot of Trumps white voters in the midwest are old and will start to die off soon, so eventually demographics will deliver the country to Democrats.

But what if diversity doesnt actually work out that way? What if the diverse constituencies come to distrust each other? Robert Putnam, the man who got us to worry about solitary bowlers, was the first to note social science data that found that increasing diversity results in higher levels of social distrustnot what liberals want to hear:

[I]mmigration and ethnic diversity tend to reduce social solidarity and social capital. New evidence from the US suggests that in ethnically diverse neighbourhoods residents of all races tend to hunker down. Trust (even of ones own race) is lower, altruism and community cooperation rarer, friends fewer.

Putnam, being a good liberal, thought or hoped this would prove a temporary phenomenon, and that eventually our diverse identity groups would sing Kumbaya together just like an ethnic studies department faculty meeting. (Heh.)

Now comes Psychology Today with a story about new research that shows that minority groups may become more conservative if they view other rising minority groups as potential competition:

This pair [J.A. Richeson and M.A. Craig] has a new paper coming out that asks an equally interesting question: when learning that another minority group (e.g. Hispanics) is growing in size, do other minority groups (e.g. Black Americans, Asian Americans) similarly become more conservative? This is a serious possibility  when faced with threats people often become more right-leaning in ideology and more strenuously defend the status quo (or the system) (see Jost et al., 2003). And those with less power and status can be invested in making sure that the system does not change, because change can worsen an already disadvantaged position (Jackman, 2005). Minority groups, therefore, can often become competitive with each other as they struggle to keep (or not lose) their group position. This can promote resistance to change in the status quo. In their new paper, Craig and Richeson (in press) exposed non-Hispanic minorities (e.g. Blacks, Asians) in the U.S. to information suggesting that: (a) Hispanic populations are growing; or (b) people are moving location but not necessarily growing in group size (i.e., a control condition). Their results reveal a clear pattern. As was true for Whites, when learning that other racial groups are growing in size, racial minorities also shift to the right and become more conservative in ideology. Becoming a smaller group, therefore, threatens those in a numerical majority or minority. This threat encourages people to endorse a status quo that emphasizes tradition and reliance on intergroup hierarchies. . . [T]he findings of Craig and Richeson (2014) suggest that if these trends continue Whites will shift further to the right (and thus bolster support for Republicans). And the Craig and Richeson (in press) findings suggest that although minorities tend to lean toward Democrat candidates, this is likely to change, whereby Black and Asian voters may become more conservative as the Hispanic population grows.

This only scratches the surface. If you view government as a primary spoils system, then the zero-sum nature of it will cause infighting among the spoils-seekers. We can already see this at work in California, where the move to reinstate affirmative action admissions in public universities was sailing along until Asian Democrats in the state legislature, under pressure from their constituents, opposed the change.

Maybe this partly explains why Trump got a higher share of the Hispanic and black vote than Romney or McCain did?

But always keep in mind my favorite headline of the 2016 campaign:
Stephen Montemayor covers the courts for the Star Tribune. As the local courts reporter, for example, Steve has covered the several cases of the Minnesota men yearning to take up the jihad to smite nonbelievers and extend the sphere of Islam.

Thats not the way Steve sees it, of course. If I may borrow from the diagnostics of former blind sheikh prosecutor Andrew McCarthy, what we have here is a case Willful Blindness.

Only last week, for example, Steve focused on a Minnesota man who left his suburban Minneapolis family to join ISIS. At the time of his disappearance in 2015, the young man was a student at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota. According to Steve, the sons motivation remains a mystery. That is what he said. He drew no inferences from the group the young man abandoned his family to join.

The young mans name is Abdelhamid Al-Madioum. He left to join ISIS while on a family trip to visit relatives in Morocco. The reader is left to draw the inference that Al-Madioum is  how to put it?  Muslim, a word which appears nowhere within the four corners of Steves article. Conspicuous by their absence from Montemayors article are the words Muslim or Islam. I could say that their disappearance remains a mystery, but their disappearance is about as mysterious as Al-Madioums.

I thought that story represented the nadir of the usual obfuscation, but Steve was back this past Sunday with a story that reached new frontiers in absurdity. Recall the case of the knife-wielding St. Cloud mall attacker who shouted Allah! and searched out infidels to attack last year? I wrote about him in the Weekly Standard column A Minnesota man strikes in St. Cloud and in the City Journal column Alice in Terrorland.

Steve revisited the story this past Sunday in One year later, motive of St. Cloud mall attacker remains unclear. Its another mystery! This time, however, Patrick Poole spares me the ordeal of exposing the absurdity. He addresses it in the PJ Media report Media continues gaslighting Somali refugees stabbing terror attack at Minnesota mall.

When I wrote about Steves story on the Normandale College student who left his family to join ISIS, I included my Twitter exchange with Steve. Poole does likewise in his extended analysis of Steves story on the mysterious case of Dahir Adan.

UPDATE: Andrew McCarthy answers my house call.
Hillary Clintons attempt to explain what happened in the 2016 election has been greeted with derision from many on the right and on the left. However, the folks at FiveThirtyEight defend both the effort and the product. In doing so, they give voice to an emerging complaint that the New York Times and other mainstream media outlets helped elect Donald Trump.

I find it difficult to take this complaint seriously. However, I thought readers might be interested in what Nate Silver and company have to say about the campaign and the Clinton book. Ill add my observations about their observations.

First, their discussion is often devoid of any data-based analysis. Much of it seems like seat-of-the-pants punditry of the kind FiveThirtyEight tends to disparage.

Second, though there is nothing wrong with Clinton writing a book about why she lost, it is an unusual reaction to defeat in a presidential election. One of the FiveThirtyEight panelists notes that Al Gore made a freaking movie after he lost and no one was like, Why is he making this movie?

But theres an obvious distinction between producing a documentary about a momentous (as Gore sees it) policy issue and writing an election post mortem. Gore would say he made his movie to save the planet. What is Hillary trying to save?

I dont recall any other unsuccessful presidential candidate writing a book devoted solely to discussing his or her defeat. Richard Nixon wrote a book called Six Crises, the last crisis being his very narrow loss to John Kennedy in a presidential election that might have been stolen.

When Nixon is the only person even arguably in your boat, your behavior is not normal. But if it helps Clinton cope with such a galling defeat, she was right to go for it.

Third, FiveThirtyEight backs Clintons claims that she lost the election in part because of the unprecedented intervention in our election by the director of the FBI. I agree that the Comey investigation and his public statements might well have made the difference in this election, given how close it was.

The problem with Clintons claim is the way she frames it. Comeys unprecedented intervention in our election was the result of Clintons unprecedented (for a presidential candidate) commission of actions that amounted to a violation of the Espionage Act, construed literally. Comey declined to prosecute not because the elements of the crime were absent but because of his view of how decisions about whether to prosecute under the Espionage Act have been made in the past and, almost certainly, because of his great reluctance to prosecute the presidential candidate of a major political party.

The FiveThirtyEight folks ignore the question of how significant Clintons email misconduct was. They also reject the idea that Clinton has failed to take appropriate responsibility for her defeat. Yet, her characterization of Comeys behavior amounts to a ducking of responsibility. Comey violated no precedent because there is no FBI precedent for dealing with a presidential candidate who has placed herself in legal jeopardy, much less legal jeopardy under the Espionage Age.

Fourth, FiveThirtyEight agrees that Clinton lost because, as she puts it, a political press that told voters that my emails were the most important story. Indeed, one of the panelists says that certain mainstream outlets should admit that they f****d up their coverage of the email story, just as FiveThirty admits when it makes a bad prediction. Yet there is no sensible analogy between erroneous political predictions and editorial judgments about what news stories to cover.

The political press never told voters that Clintons emails were the most important story. Nate Silver cites a study showing that her emails received more coverage than any othersingle topic. He also presents a word cloud showing that email was the thing voters read/heard most about Clinton from July 11 through Sept. 18 of last year.

These phenomena are not the result of a media f*** up. By its nature, the email story was bound to generate more ongoing coverage than any other single topic. First, Clinton failed to come clean about the matter. This meant that, as emails were discovered that refuted her initial story and subsequent fall back positions, the matter would receive significant coverage.

Second, there were just so many emails and they were revealed bit-by-bit. Each batch made for more stories.

Third, the FBI was conducting a criminal investigation (though Clinton denied this and the Democratic Attorney General tried to conceal the fact). How does the media not cover extensively the criminal investigation of a candidate for president, and matters relating thereto? Our mainstream media leans decidedly to the left, but it hasnt reached full whitewash mode yet.

On a given day during the campaign, the Washington Post (to take the example of a paper I read every day in hard copy) might have had two negative stories about Donald Trump. In a given week, it might have had two stories about Clintons emails, one of which might be negative and the other defensive. But the negative stories about Trump covered a wide range of conduct and misconduct, real and imagined.

So yes, the Post ran more Clinton email stories than negative Trump stories about any given subject. But it didnt tell readers that emails were the most important story about Clinton, and judging by the vote in the Posts areas of primary readership, few readers concluded that it was.

Nor, to the extent that it covered each new development in the Clinton email saga, need the Post apologize. As noted, the volume of coverage was the logical outgrowth of scandals nature. Only those who agree with Clinton that there was no genuine scandal have any complaint. They should consult the Espionage Act and relevant government documents on the subject of proper document handling.

When one panelist suggests that the email scandal accelerated an image problem Clinton already had, Silver insists that a lot of that image problem was a self-perpetuating media narrative. At another point, though, he says she was a below-average candidate, but not terrible.

Clinton performed well below expectations against Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders, and that was with an electorate far more prone than the general electorate to consider her gender a plus. Was she the victim of a self-perpetuating media narrative in 2008?

I think she was the victim at all times of an inability to connect with voters, i.e., people. They dont like her and they dont trust, and its not the medias fault.

Trump was constantly trashed by the media, but he was able to connect with the voters he needed to connect with, and to figure out who those voters are and where they live.

My favorite moment in the FiveThirtyEight discussion is this statement by Perry Bacon:

I see [the Clinton campaigns] mistake in being too focused on certain kinds of voters (non-white, college-educated, suburban). That is what I came away thinking might be the case after reading the Jonathan Allen-Amie Parnes book. But her staff, when I talked to them, and maybe this is self-serving, said that Clinton visits to some areas in rural Pennsylvania turned off voters. Her campaigning more there would not have helped and may have hurt.

Thats not the sign of a below average candidate; its the sign of a terrible one.
This morning, Nancy Pelosi was speaking at a press event in San Francisco when the room was invaded by more than 100 demonstrators claiming to be DREAMers, i.e., people who were brought to the United States illegally when they were young. The demonstrators took over the event, drowning Pelosi out and eventually driving her from the room. Their complaint was that Pelosi and her fellow Democrats have sold their families out in their negotiations with President Trump. (Actually, no agreement has been made and very possibly no agreement will be made, so their complaint is premature, just as the complaint by many conservatives that Trump has sold out his anti-illegal immigration base is premature.) This video shows what happened:

Many Americans are sympathetic to the DREAMers and favor a resolution of their status that allows them to remain in the U.S. The more people who see videos like this, the less support the DREAMers will have.

My only other observation is that the Democrats seem powerless to resist the far Left. We have witnessed a number of similar scenes, and it is hard to think of one where a Democrat has responded effectually. I think the reality is that the Democrats lack any intellectual framework or perspective from which they can object to the incipient fascism of their most enthusiastic supportersor, as in this case, critics.
President Trump addressed the United Nations today. You can read his speech here.

I think its an excellent address. I agree with Rick Manning that Trump has provided a cogent and inspiring defense of America and the American constitutional system of governance to the world, not as imposition but an example to be followed, while at the same time respecting the sovereignty of other nations.

While making clear that the U.S. wont impose its system of governance, Trump also said America stands with every person living under a brutal regime. He explained that our respect for sovereignty is also a call for action. All people deserve a government that cares for their safety, their interests, and their well being, including their prosperity.

Trump had tough words for North Korea, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela. Of North Korea, he said:

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary. Thats what the United Nations is all about; thats what the United Nations is for. Lets see how they do.

I think Trump understands that the U.N. is largely worthless when it comes to North Korea. Lets see how they do is as close as he can, or should, come to saying so.

On Iran, Trump stated:

Rather than use its resources to improve Iranian lives, its oil profits go to fund Hezbollah and other terrorists that kill innocent Muslims and attack their peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbors. This wealth, which rightly belongs to Irans people, also goes to shore up Bashar al-Assads dictatorship, fuel Yemens civil war, and undermine peace throughout the entire Middle East. We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program. The Iran Deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I dont think youve heard the last of it  believe me.

I want to believe him.

My favorite line was this one about Venezuela:

The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented. From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems.

The transcript indicates that applause followed the first sentence.

Trump didnt criticize Russia or China directly. Indeed, he thanked Russia and China for voting recently for the imposition of new sanctions on North Korea. However, Trump did say: We must reject threats to sovereignty, from the Ukraine to the South China Sea. We all know who poses those threats.

Trump praised the U.N. in some respects, but did not spare it from criticism. He called it a massive source of embarrassment to the United Nations that some governments with egregious human rights records sit on the U.N. Human Rights Council. And he noted that the United States bears an unfair cost burden when it comes to the U.N. Trump added, pointedly I think, that if the U.N. could actually accomplish all of its stated goals, especially the goal of peace, this investment would easily be well worth it.

Trumps speech contains elements that will likely please Steve Bannon and elements that probably satisfy Bannons adversaries in the administration. As I read the speech, the former elements outnumber the latter ones.

The question, of course, is the degree to which actual administration policy will align with Trumps message to the U.N.
Do reports (if true) that the government wiretapped Paul Manafort, including during times when he worked for candidate Trump, vindicate President Trumps claims about the Obama administration wiring tapping his campaign? I dont think so.

To see whether Trump has been vindicated, we need to consider what he actually said about wiretapping. The tweet that generated the controversy said this:

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!

As I argued when the same issue arose after it was revealed that the FBI had tapped the wires of another one-time Trump campaign operative, Carter Page: In my opinion, the tapping of Carter Pages wires does not constitute the tapping of Donald Trumps wires.

Overhearing communications in which Trump participated (assuming that happened) differs from tapping Trumps wires. As was the case with Carter Page, the substance of Trumps claim  that the Obama administration engaged in surveillance directed at him  remains unsubstantiated.

David French makes the same point at NRO. He believes, however, that if Trump participated in conversations with Manafort that were captured by wire taps, the Justice Department blanket denial of Trumps allegations can be viewed as disingenuous.

In Frenchs view, the real question is whether the standard for seeking and authorizing the wire tap of Manafort was met  i.e. whether there was probable cause to believe that he was the agent of a foreign power. If this standard was met, then Manaforts status as Trumps campaign chair shouldnt protect him from appropriate scrutiny, and Trump has no grounds for complaining. The taps were neither terrible nor McCarthyism. And, as noted, Trump wasnt tapped. At most, and we dont know whether this was the case, some of his communications were picked up incidentally.

This article by Chuck Ross in the Daily Caller bears on the grounds for authorizing surveillance of Manafort. Did the government rely to any degree on the now-discredited Trump dossier prepared on behalf of his political enemies? Unnamed sources of Fox News Ed Henry say the federal judges who approved the warrant are privately miffed that the Manafort warrant was tied to the dossier, which was funded by a political ally of Hillary Clintons.

For more on the Manafort wiretapping and issues relating to the Mueller investigation, readers may be interested in this article from the anti-Trump site Lawfare.
President Andrzej Duda met with Peter Maurer, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (17)

President Andrzej Duda met with Peter Maurer, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (16)

Polish and Lithuanian Presidents Andrzej Duda and Dalia Grybauskaite in New York (13)

Polish and Lithuanian Presidents Andrzej Duda and Dalia Grybauskaite in New York (12)

Andrzej Duda and his counterpart Petro Poroshenko met in New York (11)

Andrzej Duda and his counterpart Petro Poroshenko met in New York (10)

General debate of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York (9)

General debate of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York (8)

General debate of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York (7)

General debate of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York (4)

General debate of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York (3)

General debate of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York (2)

Andrzej Duda and his counterpart Petro Poroshenko met in New York (1)

Krzysztof Szczerski, top aide to Polish President Andrzej Duda, told PAP that Tuesday's meeting of the Polish and Ukrainian heads of state was devoted to the situation in the Donbas as well as bilateral cooperation.

Andrzej Duda and his counterpart Petro Poroshenko met in New York ahead of the 72nd session of the United Nations' General Assembly.

The Polish president's aide said the conversation lasted 30 minutes, with such meetings having become a tradition and being held every year at the UN.

"The presidents discussed Polish-Ukrainian cooperation with a view to Poland's membership of the UN Security Council (UNSC)", Krzysztof Szczerski explained.

"They had a detailed talk about the situation in the Donbas, especially the proposal to deploy a UN peacekeeping force in the area", he added.

"The presidents agreed such a mission required careful consideration and its mandate had to be acceptable to the Ukrainian side", the aide said.

He noted that a decision on the matter could be made in the future by the UNSC while Poland is a member.

Minister Szczerski also said the presidents Duda and Poroshenko talked about bilateral collaboration, including along the shared border as Ukraine aims to strengthen ties with the European Union.

"The presidents discussed a common stance against the building of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline", the aide added.

"It has also been agreed that the Polish president will visit Ukraine in December, with a meeting with the Ukrainian head of state planned in the city of Kharkiv", Krzysztof Szczerski concluded.

The Russian policy in the region, including potential consequences of the Russian-Belarusian Zapad'17 exercise, was in the focus of a meeting of Polish and Lithuanian Presidents Andrzej Duda and Dalia Grybauskaite.
GKTecvision prototype of Vedic Wisdom

( Read 5089 Times)



19 Sep 17 Share |

Print This Page

Telangana.GKTecvision Private Ltd, is a prototype of countrys wider vision and perspective and imparts Vedic Wisdom. It is inclusive of all those ideals and philosophies which Indian Constitution represents and is constructively promoting them while delivering services to their clients. The companys thinking prowess and working methodology can be seen and assessed through their well-structured website www.gktecvisionpremium.com, www.gktecvision.com . The website is an ensemble of Vedic wisdom which is required for systematic working and maintaining calmness while performing in varied situations and atmospheres in a culturally diverse country like India.





The website maintains regular blog pages which imparts knowledge and delves into deep thinking as well as purpose of meditation for achieving consistent success and yet not get effected by it. With the launch of the website, company is trying to provide solution to discords that arise while working towards the same goal.





Kiran Karnvati is an author and has recently added a news letter on the website and published a book, Creative Intelligence, which talks about Inspiration. The book is available on various ecommerce portals. He is an alumnus of Prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT, Madras).



Kiran Karnvati, CEO, GKTecvision shared, We have launched the company with the objective of spreading knowledge and literature of our old scriptures and Vedas. Indian Vedic literature is full of mantras which teach us how to deal with difficult situations and lead a calm life without getting influenced by the negative vibes floating in the air.





The company truly recognizes constitutional problems that Digital India is confronting in the present time. Thus, it has made an attempt to answer all the relevant questions and arising concerns occupying the mindset of Indians. It has further tried to bridge a gap between the government and the common public.





The company management further elaborates that the main aim is to bring into lime light the true spirit of the national anthem. The aggression of any nature is simply discarded with the wisdom of great knowledge. To know more about the company, one can visit them on the They are also available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN-uHCydXh4





Source :

This Article/News is also avaliable in following categories : Business News

Your Comments ! Share Your Openion
( Read 8589 Times)

Source :

Seher is organizing the first ASEAN-India Artists Camp from the 21st-29th September 2017 in The Ananta, Udaipur, Rajasthan.Udaipur : This time, it is the art that will bring together the spirit and the essence of the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations, as Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India in collaboration with SEHER is organizing a unique artists camp in the beautiful lake city of Udaipur.The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises of Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam.The participating artists from 10 ASEAN countries are Chan Sophorn (Cambodia), Iqro Akhmad Ibrahim Laily Subkhi (Indonesia), Kanha Sikounnavong (Lao PDR), Mohd. Shahrul Hisham B. Ahmad Tarmizi (Malaysia), Thet Naing (Myanmar), Naphaphong Kurae (Thailand) and Nguyen Nghia Phuong (VietNam) who would camp with Indian artists Binoy Varghese, Farhad Hussain, Kalam Patua, Kiyomi, Laishram Meena Devi, Mahaveer Swami, Samindranath Majumdar and Tanmoy Samanta to create an amalgamation of splendid artworks reflecting the deep rooted cultural connection. The 10 day long camp will hold cultural and artistic exchange from September 21st- 29th at The Ananta, Udaipur, Rajasthan.A collection of 20 paintings, created extempore at the camp, will be displayed in a special exhibition, which will be inaugurated at the ASEAN-India Summit by the Honorable Prime Minister in January 2018 in New Delhi, India.The camp is based on the theme OCEAN OF OPPORTUNITY' that aptly reflects the close civilization and cultural links that India and South East Asia have enjoyed for over two millennia through maritime cooperation. ASEAN and India have time and again been a pillar of strength for each other and are walking together on the path of holistic development.It is rare to have such brilliant visual artists from ASEAN countries, coming from such rich heritage and tradition in their art-forms. It is perhaps the first time that these artists, coming from their respective countries, will be working on one platform, and painting on one theme, along with highly acclaimed and talented artists from India. The ASEAN-India Artists Camp, taking place in the beautiful lake city of Udaipur, presents an extraordinary opportunity for all shared Sanjeev Bhargava, Festival Director, SEHER.At ASEAN-India camp, the artists with a background in different styles of painting--contemporary, modern, traditional, impressionistwill interact and stay together to create work that would reflect the cross-cultural interaction. With an objective to create awareness of ASEAN identity, each artist will create one work of art during his stay at the camp that will have the essence of their own culture and history.Eminent painters from different genre will mentor the artists. Discussions will be held among the artists that would intensify the interaction and understanding of each others milieu and art practice.The event has an interesting line of guest speakers who would interact with the artists on various subjects.At the same time, the participants will have an opportunity to experience an interdisciplinary exchange with performing artists like Dr. Anwesa Mahanta who will conduct a lec-dem on Sattriya and interact with the visual artists. Eshani Agarwal and Ujwal Nagar will be presenting a collaboration of Kathak dance and Khayal singing and followed by a discussion with the participating painters.A workshop with students of MMPS School, Udaipur will also be organised as part of the camp, where senior artists will interact with students and initiate a new approach to art education in the school. By promoting awareness and deeper understanding of the values and traditions of both ASEAN countries and India, the camp aims at making participants the cultural ambassadors for ASEAN and India when they return to their respective cities and countries.
( Read 3540 Times)

Source :

Rajasamand, Higher Education Minister, Smt. Kiran Maheshwari has said that the golden picture of Rajasthan is emerging in the field of higher education and has started all-round development of the youth. It will not only help the high quality in higher education, make huge efforts towards bringing the bright future of the youth and giving them self-sufficiency. The new generation should come forward in taking the initiative to take advantage of the opportunitiesThe Minister of Higher Education Smt. Kiran Maheshwari said this while addressing the Chief Guest at the inauguration ceremony of the student union in the Government College of Nandavat in Bhim in Rajmand district. The Higher Education Minister administered the oath to the student wing president Mr. Dilip Singh and inaugurated the Student Office, cutting the lace. He also planted saplings in the college campus.The function was chaired by Mr. Harisingh Rawat, President of Rajasthan Magra Vikas Board whereas District President Salvi, Pradhan Narendra kumar Bagri, social worker Shri Bhanwarlal Sharma had graced as special guests. Regional public representatives, officers, dignitaries and college students, including social activist Shri Rajendra Singh, Toga Sarpanch Shri Jayendrasinh, Principal of the college, were present in the function..Minister gave detailed information about the positive changes in the higher education sector in the state, for the overall development of colleges and schemes and programs run by the state government and said that with the introduction of education to youth, Multi-faceted efforts are being made for the purpose of providing a self-reliant life by opening the doors of the golden future. Activities for self-employment skill development are being initiated for this.Presiding over the function, the President of Rajasthan Magra Vikas Board, Mr. Harisingh Rawat discussed the role of youth in the national reform and ask the students to involve in activities related to higher education while serving the society as the best citizen.Expressing gratitude to the Higher Education Minister and the State Government for the college educationdevelopment in the Magara region, he said that this will give equal education to the new generations educational uplift. He stressed on the education of girls and said that the girls hostel is going to be set up at the cost of Rs. 3 crore.
( Read 4766 Times)

Source :

Udaipur.Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria said that there is a great need to make more efforts to save the precious treasure of rain fed nature. Mr. Kataria was addressing a workshop and review meeting organized on Saturday afternoon in Zila parishad Auditorium for the preprations made for third phase of the Swavalamban campaign and progress of work till now.Shri Kataria said that old wells and ponds made in the village need to be saved revival so that they can be used for drinking & water and irrigation. He instructed them to make useful by identifying suitable sources.Shri Kataria said that before making the plan of work in the village, suggestions should also taken from local MLA, Principal etc. so that the work is done systematically and efficiently, and the maximum benefit of this can be given to the common man.The Home Minister explained the urgent need to make permanent ponds of water in villages, for conserving rain water in village for the year, and ensuring the complete utility of the toilets made in the house under Clean India Mission. If there is any shortage in the reservoirs built under MJSA, then they shold also be instructed him to complete the time.In-charge of the district Dhan Singh Rawat emphasized the need to run the MJSA campaign with complete coordination. He said there was no shortage of quality. Make a plan of action by the people's representatives, bring better coordination with officials. Priority should be given to suggestions of public representatives, enlightened people and the villagers in the larger work.District collector Bishnucharan Mallik asked the people's representatives for effective monitoring at the official level. He said that it is a hi-tech campaign and there is a need to make effective action plan for its efficient implementation. In the meeting, MP Arjun Lal Meena, MLA Phool Singh Meena, Dillichand Dangi, Randhir Singh Bhindar, Amrit Lal Meena, Nanalal Ahari, District Chief Shantilal Meghwal and Headgear etc. also gave useful suggestions, who were instructed to include in the work.Chief Executive Officer, Avichal Chaturvedi informed about the third phase of MJSA to get new work done in 237 villages of 105 panchayats of all 17 Panchayat Samitis in the district.
MIDDLE TOWNSHIP  The remnants of Hurricane Jose were expected to bring gusting winds to the Jersey Shore overnight Tuesday with some effects lingering through Wednesday.

Minor coastal flooding may develop Wednesday and Wednesday night near times of high tide. Spotty minor flooding could last into Thursday, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning for the entire South Jersey coast that remained in effect until 1 a.m. Wednesday.

The storms impact included high surf, some beach erosion and dangerous rip currents, the Weather Service said.

On Tuesday, some public transportation services, senior centers and roads in Cape May and Atlantic counties were due to potential flooding from the storm.

Fare Free transportation services from Cape May to the barrier islands were canceled, said Cape May County Department of Tourism and Public Information Director Diane Wieland.

Senior Centers in North Wildwood and Ocean City also were closed Tuesday, Wieland said.

Other Fare Free transportation services and Meals on Wheels remained on regular schedule, Wieland said. All other county government services were open during regular hours.

In Atlantic County, officials anticipated some temporary road closings due to flooding.

The Black Horse Pike into and out of Atlantic City had one or two lane closed Tuesday afternoon, according to traffic site 511nj.org.

The Atlantic City Expressway serves as an alternate route, Atlantic County spokeswoman Linda Gilmore said.

In Absecon, Shore Road between the White Horse Pike and California Avenue; Ohio Avenue from Station Avenue to South Shore Road; and East Faunce Landing Road by the bulkhead were closed until further notice due to flooding, police said.

Gilmore suggested drivers move their vehicles to higher ground to avoid potential flooding.

This evenings high tide is forecasted to be of the most concern, but fortunately that will occur around 7:45 p.m. on the oceanfront, when most commuters will hopefully have already arrived home safely, Gilmore said.

At the request of Atlantic Citys Office of Emergency Management, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority is providing free parking at the Wave Parking Garage, located at Mississippi and Fairmount avenues, for all area residents and visitors through 6 a.m. Thursday.
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.
OCEAN CITY  Beach patrols and emergency management coordinators across the region are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Jose as it grazes the Jersey Shore this week, bringing with it wind, rough surf and coastal flooding.

City crews are blocking dune crossovers with sand, removing free-standing trash receptacles from the beaches and preparing barricades for streets that typically experience flooding, said Doug Bergen, Ocean City public information officer.

The remnants of Jose are expected to pass over the Jersey Shore and bring high winds into Tuesday night and moderate coastal flooding through Wednesday. Residents along the Delaware Bay in Cumberland and Salem counties also are forecast to receive minor coastal flooding.

Jim Eberwine, a former meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, said Jose will feel more like a noreaster than a hurricane for New Jersey.

The people here are used to this kind of thing, said Eberwine, who teaches meteorology classes at Atlantic Cape Community College.

He said to expect cool winds, gusts and a little rain, but that the biggest concern will be from the ocean and the bay.

Always in something like this where youre not going to get the full impact of the storm, you generally have to look at the tides, he said.

A new moon Wednesday will cause higher than normal tides, Eberwine said, which will lead to tidal flooding along roads. By Tuesday, tides will reach 2 feet above normal, he said.

In a public weather statement posted on Ocean Citys emergency management website Monday morning, officials warned of higher-than-normal tides and asked residents to move cars and secure outdoor items.

Forecasters project a Tuesday evening tide that could approach 7 feet on the mean low water scale. The January 2016 noreaster (Jonas), by comparison, reached 8.46 feet on the same scale. Tides during a storm on Jan. 23 of this year reached 7.22 feet, the warning stated.

In Atlantic City, Emergency Management Coordinator and Fire Chief Scott Evans said that due to the warm September weather, there is still a big concern for beachgoers during the storm.

The storm Jose approaching from the south is increasing the threat, and the rip currents are more dangerous. People that are in knee-high water are just getting swept out, Evans said.

He said the Atlantic City Beach Patrol staff at least 10 beaches this week, but the patrol may decide to close beaches as necessary.

There are hundreds of people on the beaches daily. The weekend was a very busy weekend. Lots of people come to the resort in September because the weather is still summer-like weather and the water is still warm, Evans said.

Beach erosion is expected along the coast. Evans lamented the expected sand loss as a beach-replenishment project in Atlantic City is wrapping up.

You will see tears running down our eyes because we will be losing beach. There will be beach erosion, its just to what degree? Evans said.

Ocean City is expecting a north-end beach fill this fall, and Bergen said any sand lost from Jose will be added to the upcoming project.

Evans said he is concerned about stacking tides, where high tides dont have a chance to drain out before the next one comes in, which escalates flooding. In preparation of the storm, high-water response vehicles will be staged in the city, Evans said.

At the request of the citys Office of Emergency Management, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority will provide free parking at the Wave Parking Garage, located at Mississippi and Fairmount avenues, for all area residents and visitors through 6 a.m. Thursday in preparation for the impending high-tide flooding conditions.

Parking will only be permitted between the second and top floors of the garage during this time. Parking on the first floor will be prohibited due to the possibility of flooding.

Were treating this right now to be a minor northeastern storm, which could quickly turn into a moderate northeastern storm, Evans said.

Evans asked the public to keep vigilant.

Please pay attention to the weather reports. The storm could change, he said.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

After starting the commercialisation of AneVivo, its first assisted reproductive technology device, Anecova is proud to announce a major breakthrough this summer: the birth of the 6 first babies ever conceived using AneVivo Natural Fertilisation treatment, at the GynCentrum's Polish facility in Katowice.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/462513/Anecova_Logo.jpg )

After several years of R&D and clinical development, Anecova has developed a more natural approach to assisted reproductive technology, AneVivo, a porous capsule device allowing bi-directional passage of fluids, nutrients, and other non-cellular components, to enable interaction between the embryos and the maternal environment. It allows fertilisation and very early embryo development directly within the maternal womb.

Martin Velasco, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Anecova, said: "We are very happy to announce the birth of the first babies using our AneVivo treatment at the Gyncentrum Katowice facilty, a clinic that has consistently demonstrated a very innovative and dynamic development over the past years. At Anecova, we are delighted to have now contributed to the birth of over 50 babies."

After these first six successful births, GynCentrum now offers AneVivo in 3 new and more natural treatments, thus demonstrating again its leadership in a more natural approach to assisted reproductive technology.

Dr. Dariusz Mercik, Medical Director of Gyncentrum Clinic, commented: "The AneVivo device allows fertilisation to happen in the mother's womb rather than in the laboratory. Fertilisation happens in a more natural environment, receiving nutrition and signals from the mother rather than from the culture media used in the laboratory. So far, the early results of this innovative procedure are very encouraging with a higher performance than traditional in vitro. The patients also highly appreciate having an active part in the fertilisation and very early development."

"With the aim of coming even closer to natural conception, we are now offering AneVivo with three new treatments. Two of the new treatments, AneVivo Mild and AneVivo Natural Cycle require minimal and no stimulation. In combination with AneVivo, the fertilisation will not only happen in the maternal environment, but the physical impact for women will be minimized and the number of embryos used for a cycle limited."

"The third treatment, AneVivo with Egg Donation, will allow the recipient of the egg to play an active role from the start. Combined with AneVivo, the embryo fertilisation and its very early development will happen in the mother's womb."

About Anecova

Anecova is a Swiss medical device company based at the EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne. Anecova is working with world leading scientists and clinicians in the field of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) with the objective of developing more natural approaches to Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART). The company is ISO certified (9001 and 13485). Its AneVivo device is European Certified (CE MARK) and has also received the approval of several regulators in Europe, including the HFEA in the UK. Anecova has been working in the past years in the development of a device allowing the fertilization and embryo development in the maternal environment instead of in a laboratory. AneVivo, Anecova's first commercialized device, allows clinics to offer Natural Fertilization treatments to their patients.

For more information go to http://www.anecova.com

About Gyncentrum Fertility Clinic

Gyncentrum proves cutting-edge treatments with the most advanced techniques of assisted reproductive treatment available on the market, including treatments with the newest method of classic In Vitro, which increases the probability of success, such as ICSI and IMSI. As one of the pioneer fertility clinics in Poland, Gyncentrum introduced PGD diagnosis, which can be used to test, identify and eliminate the risk of transmission of over 100 genetic conditions and diseases from parents to child.

The quality of a medical professional is reflected not only in career longevity but also by her/his acknowledgement by her/his peers as shown by certification, awards, commencements and consistent international collaboration. The numerous medical professionals who serve as part of the Gyncentrum Clinic in Poland embody this definition of quality. Additionally, Gyncentrum has established its reputation as a medical tourism specialist. Gyncentrum patients have also benefitted from the National Health Program: "Infertility Treatment Using In Vitro Fertilization for the years 2013-2016", which has helped thousands of patients undergo successful treatment.

For more information go to http://www.gyncentrum.pl

SOURCE Anecova
LONDON, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Dmitry Leus wrote in EU Today in response to an Association for Financial Markets' (AFM) draft report, seen and reported on by Reuters news agency. He wrote that the draft report findings should be welcomed by those in the banking and investment community

The AFM draft report stated that central banks should be ready to inject cash into the financial markets to calm them after the UK leaves the European Union in 2019.

According to Reuters, the draft report says that regulators, central banks and national governments should continue to support financial market stability between the UK's departure from the EU and the start of new trading terms. The draft report states: "This may require particular attention during the uncertain period around Brexit, and in particular during the transition, and may involve more regular market communications and targeted support in case of market need, for example, access to liquidity schemes."

Dmitry Leus wrote: "The AFM are correct in their judgment that this and other measures will be needed to limit disruption. The AFM are also right to recommend a 'bridging phase' to avoid short term disruption until new trading terms are ratified, followed by an "adaption phase" for moving to the new terms."

He added: "The AFM also assert that it is crucial that clarity is provided as soon as possible on a transitional phase and ideally before the end of this year. They want existing market arrangements maintained throughout the transitional period. There have been concerns voiced among the banking community that bankers could have to comply first with a transition period and then the new trading terms. For the AFM, "This means that existing legislation, regulation, permissions and authorisations should continue to be effective during the transitional period"."

Mr Leus concluded: "It is to be hoped that this practical and intelligent planning makes its way to the Brexit negotiating tables this autumn."

About East-West Connect

East-West Connect is a London-based forum focused on investment risk and opportunity in Central and Eastern Europe. We provide news and analysis about the investment and economic climate of the region.

East-West Connect was founded by Dmitry Leus, an entrepreneur and banking and financial services professional. He started his career as FOREX specialist at Russia's Lesprombank in the mid-90s. He later became Head of International Settlements of the bank, and in 2000 began running the South-West section of Lesprombank. In 2002, he was appointed Chairman of the Russian Depository Bank. In 2006 he founded Zapadny bank, where he worked as Chairman until late 2013.

SOURCE East-West Connect
-- Innovative Mercury Production Process Allows On-Demand Fulfillment of Customer Orders

-- New Luxembourg Facility to Begin Production in 2019

Advancing its connected-business model, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today announced plans to create a new facility in Luxembourg that utilizes an innovative production process to meet growing customer and consumer demand for premium tires.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/554360/Goodyear.jpg )



Named Mercury, the proprietary process features highly-automated, interconnected workstations, using additive manufacturing technologies to efficiently produce premium tires in small-batch quantities on-demand for replacement and original equipment customers.

Goodyear Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President Richard J. Kramer announced Mercury and the company's plans at the groundbreaking event for the facility here.

"Mercury addresses the increasing complexity in the tire industry as the number of vehicle models and options available to consumers continues to proliferate," said Kramer. "It gives us the capability to increase our speed and flexibility to meet the growing demand for small volumes of high-margin, premium Goodyear tires and to deliver them to customers on demand, faster than ever."

"Mercury will advance our connected business model, which aligns all of our assets - from the production floor to consumers who choose Goodyear online and at retail," he added. "It will complement our existing high-volume facilities and give us a true competitive advantage."

The new facility, set to open in 2019, is in close proximity to Goodyear's Luxembourg innovation center and a tire proving grounds. The company is investing $77 million in the facility, which will produce approximately 500,000 tires annually and create approximately 70 new, full-time positions.

The technology used in the Mercury production process was developed and tested over the past five years at Goodyear's innovation and development centers. The name Mercury is a reference to the mythical god of trade and travel, which inspired the creation of Goodyear's winged foot logo by company founder Frank A. Seiberling.

About Goodyear

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 65,000 people and manufactures its products in 47 facilities in 21 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to http://www.goodyear.com/corporate .

Contact Information

Malachy Tuohy

Corporate Communications Manager EMEA

Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations S.A.

Telephone: +32-2-711-51-14

eMail: malachy_tuohy@goodyear.com

SOURCE Goodyear
Prof. Michael Porter of Harvard Business School delivered a keynote speech at the PUS on 'Smart, Connected Products' that was followed by in-depth discussions on the competitiveness of port-cities and the role of the participating institutions located along global harbors.

President of INU Dong-Sung Cho, President of American University of Ras Al Kjaimah Prof. Hassan H. Al Alkim, and Vice President of Nankai University Prof. Yan Chunhua led the first round table on 'The role of universities in the era of Industry 4.0'.

The following session focused on the 'Role of universities for port and port-city development' with presentations made by Yokohama University President Yuichi Hasebe, Myanmar Maritime University Rector Myat Lwin, and National Taiwan Ocean University President Chang Ching Fong.

The final session focused on 'Best practices of port development and international cooperation' with General Manager at Ras Al Khaimah Ports Group Cliff Brand, ASEAN University Network Deputy Executive Director Choltis Dhirathiti, and Banaras Hindu University President Ramashray Prasad Singh.

Prof. Cho, the host of the first PUS, said, "To successfully meet the changes with the advent in the era of Industry 4.0, companies are searching for new talents with the capability for convergence. I strongly believe that port-city universities, where multiple elements of convergence take place, are strategically located to absorb and initiate innovation unseen integration and convergence. I expect that the PUS to pave the way for universities' mutual cooperation and collaborative efforts in various problem solving."

During the summit, INU conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree on Professor Porter.

About Incheon National University (INU)

INU stands in the central area of Songdo near Incheon International Airport, an international business hub with up-to-date facilities such as IT, BT and NT. In compliance with the geographic feature and areal specialty, INU concentrates on international trade, goods distribution, applied technology convergence, BNT-based life science, urban science and the sinology based local humanity fields.

INU, is a member of the Port-city Universities League (PUL), which consists of 15 universities from 12 countries.

Media Contact (INU)

Incheon National University

Jihee Sung

E) jhsung@inu.ac.kr

D) +82-(0)32-835-9574

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/557338/Incheon_National_University.jpg





SOURCE Incheon National University (INU)
BANGALORE, India, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Infosys Finacle, part of EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infosys (NYSE: INFY), today announced its partnership with Niki.ai, a FinTech start-up that offers chat based commerce solutions. With this partnership, Finacle solution suite will be available with Niki.ai's chat-based virtual assistant - Niki. This offering will enable banks to offer its customers a virtual banking assistant for shopping products and services.

The joint solution from Finacle and Niki.ai will provide a smart-purchasing chatbot by leveraging natural language processing and machine learning to converse with customers and perform online transactions. The bot will comprehend natural speech text in the context of the customer and will deliver personalized suggestions. The solution will provide banks an opportunity to initiate two-way automated intelligent conversations with customers.

Niki.ai is one of the companies that was recognized in the recently concluded chapter of Finacle FinTech Connect, an initiative that builds on ongoing alliances and the Infosys Innovation Fund program to identify promising new FinTechs.

Highlights

The joint solution will enable banking customers to initiate conversations on the bank's online and mobile applications and complete transactions without leaving the chat interface

The e-commerce services enabled include booking for

The entire deployment can be completed in a very short span of time using an easy to plug-in Software Development Kit (SDK)

Quotes

Sanat Rao, Chief Business Officer, Infosys Finacle:

"As AI technologies mature, they present an opportunity for banks to automate interactions and enhance customer experiences. This partnership will enable Finacle to provide a virtual assistant that banks can use to expand their commerce footprint through a large pre-integrated ecosystem. This will further help banks to enhance their revenues as well as improve customer stickiness."

Sachin Jaiswal, CEO, Niki.ai:

"With our vision to empower every Indian to fulfill banking and commerce on mobile, we have been working on building simple, smart and secure conversational interfaces, powered by AI for over two years now. Our partnership with Finacle via FinTech Connect will give us a platform to impact the masses through its existing clientele. Finacle's experience will help us innovate in banking and commerce products further."

Daniel Latimore, Senior Vice President, Celent:

"Bot technology holds great promise for banks seeking to reduce expenses and provide a better customer experience. Working with technology partners that bring in an extended ecosystem of external organizations is one interesting way for banks looking to innovate beyond the mere provision of financial transactions."

About Niki.ai:

Started in 2015, and backed by of Mr. Ratan Tata, Unilazer Ventures and SAP.iO, Niki.ai envisions to provide one shop for everything commerce. Niki is an AI bot which converses to help you shop for products and services and makes the whole journey from discovery to transaction fast, convenient and extremely simple. As they claim, apart from making the booking experience for movie tickets, buses, hotels etc. better, the aim is to make even the routine tasks like paying utility bills, phone bills, recharges more fun and easier. To the businesses, it provides a plug and play technology that can be easily integrated everywhere including operating systems, on messaging platforms messenger, and on the brand's applications (app and web).

With a 35% month-on-month revenue growth, the company has 50+ partners on board, with many more in the pipeline. On the customer front, the company has more than 400,000 customers using Niki. The company plans to integrate many more services on its platform so that for most of the needs that a consumer may have, Niki is the first thing that strikes his mind. Speech recognition, which is in the making, will provide users the ability to simply speak to Niki and get tasks done on the go. It will soon be available on more platforms like iOS and messaging platforms like Slack. In short, the company's vision is to be ubiquitous - Everywhere and for everything commerce.

To know more, visit https://resellers.niki.ai

About Infosys Finacle

Infosys Finacle is the industry-leading universal banking solution from EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Infosys. The solution helps financial institutions develop deeper connections with stakeholders, power continuous innovation and accelerate growth in the digital world. Today, Finacle is the choice of banks across 94 countries and serves over 848 million customers - estimated to be nearly 16.5 percent of the world's adult banked population.

Finacle solutions address the core banking, e-banking, mobile banking, CRM, payments, treasury, origination, liquidity management, Islamic banking, wealth management, and analytics needs of financial institutions worldwide. Assessment of the top 1000 world banks reveals that banks powered by Finacle enjoy 50 percent higher returns on assets, 30 percent higher returns on capital, and 8.1 percent points lesser costs to income than others.

To know more, visit www.finacle.com

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. In addition, please note that the date of this press release is mentioned at the beginning of the release, and any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the company unless it is required by law.

For further information, please contact:



Asia Pacific

Sarah Gideon

Infosys, India

+91 80 4156 3998

Sarah_Gideon@infosys.com

EMEA

Margherita Di Cerbo

Infosys, Europe

Phone: +44 2075162748

Margherita.dicerbo@infosys.com

Americas

Chiku Somaiya

Infosys, USA

+1 408 375 2722

Chiku.Somaiya@infosys.com

This is a disclosure announcement from PR Newswire.

SOURCE Infosys Limited
Oxitec Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON), today announced plans to build its first centralized Friendly Aedes egg production unit, with the capacity to generate one billion mosquito eggs per week, in Oxfordshire, UK. The announcement comes as Randal J. Kirk, Intrexon's Chairman and CEO, joined Prime Minister Theresa May at a roundtable event in New York City for a discussion amongst a small group of CEOs regarding plans for investment and growth in Britain.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150630/227348 )



"Intrexon is proud to announce, alongside Prime Minister Theresa May, this increased investment in Oxitec, UK, by building a state-of-the-art mosquito egg production facility," said Mr. Kirk. "Oxitec's solution will revolutionize how societies confront public health challenges posed by invasive mosquitoes that transmit devastating diseases. We are delighted to celebrate this announcement, which further enables our global expansion plans, with the UK's Head of State."

Intrexon intends to invest 7.3m ($9.5m) for Oxitec's new production unit in Oxfordshire - this is in addition to the 141m ($182m) investment since Intrexon acquired the Oxford University spinout in 2015. The unit is anticipated to create 75 new jobs.

This facility will enable egg shipments to various locations across the globe, where they will be reared and then released as part of Oxitec's environmentally-responsible Friendly Aedes programs to suppress Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the primary vector of Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. The new UK facility will deliver a 20-fold increase in Oxitec's existing egg production to support increasing global demand for Aedes aegypti control programs to reduce wild populations worldwide.

"This investment is a reflection of the increasing interest and traction we are now seeing for Oxitec's Friendly Aedes programs, and represents a new phase in the company's development," said Mark Carnegie-Brown, Oxitec CEO. "Oxitec's technology represents a paradigm change in combating dangerous Aedes aegypti that threaten more than half of the world's population, and this factory will better position us to help countries in need of superior solutions in the fight against this invasive mosquito that carries Zika, dengue and other harmful viruses."

Over 725,000 people are killed by a mosquito bite each year. Dengue fever infects approximately 400 million people annually, causing an enormous health and economic burden in affected countries. Recently, there has been an increasing number of cases of the deadly yellow fever virus in the Americas. Additionally, the past few years have seen the emergence of chikungunya and Zika in the Western Hemisphere.

These viruses have devastating consequences including microcephaly, Guillain-Barre syndrome, encephalitis and a variety of other serious health disorders. In the United States alone nearly 1,300 pregnant women from 44 states had lab evidence of possible Zika virus infection in 2016, including 77 reported pregnancy losses and 51 babies born with birth defects such as microcephaly and brain abnormalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).1

"For the first time, we can target our enemy with surgical precision at scale without impacting the environment, beneficial insects, or human health, unlike conventional vector control methods," said Lieutenant General (Retired) Thomas Bostick, PhD, PE, Senior Vice President and Head of Intrexon's Environment Sector. "Oxitec and Intrexon are committed to developing strategies and delivering concrete solutions that benefit people and communities around the world. This new mosquito egg production unit is a critical step toward meeting our objective in supporting governments around the world in their fight against Aedes aegypti and the diseases they transmit."

1 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 7 April 2017. 66(13);366-373.

How Friendly Aedes works

Oxitec has been working in Aedes aegypti control for over a decade and pioneered the use of a biological method to suppress wild populations of this dangerous mosquito species through the release of Friendly Aedes males, which do not bite and do not transmit diseases. When released, these males search for wild females to mate, and their offspring inherit a self-limiting gene that causes them to die before reaching functional adulthood. Friendly Aedes' offspring also inherit a fluorescent marker that allows tracking and monitoring at a level never before achieved, making the assessment of effectiveness more accurate throughout the whole Friendly Aedes deployment program. Unlike other approaches, Friendly Aedes mosquitoes die along with their offspring, and therefore do not persist in the environment or leave any ecological footprint.

About Oxitec

Oxitec is a pioneer in using genetic engineering to control insect pests that spread disease and damage crops, and was founded in 2002 as a spinout from Oxford University (UK). Oxitec is a subsidiary of Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON), which engineers biology to help solve some of the world's biggest problems. Follow us on Twitter at @Oxitec, on Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About Intrexon Corporation

Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON) is Powering the Bioindustrial Revolution with Better DNA to create biologically-based products that improve the quality of life and the health of the planet. The Company's integrated technology suite provides its partners across diverse markets with industrial-scale design and development of complex biological systems delivering unprecedented control, quality, function, and performance of living cells. We call our synthetic biology approach Better DNA, and we invite you to discover more at www.dna.com or follow us on Twitter at @Intrexon, on Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Safe Harbor Statement

Some of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and projections about future events and generally relate to our plans, objectives and expectations for the development of our business. Although management believes that the plans and objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual future results may be materially different from the plans, objectives and expectations expressed in this press release.

For more information, contact:

Oxitec Contact:

Sarah Hoey, PhD

Press Officer

Tel: +44-(0)-1235-832-393

info@oxitec.com



Intrexon Contact:

Christopher Basta

Vice President, Investor Relations

Tel: +1-(561)-410-7052

investors@intrexon.com



SOURCE Oxitec Ltd
POTSDAM, Germany, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

No pilot, no flight - but cash instead: refund.me helps passengers claim their compensation

Time is money: Ryanair's cancellation policy will cost real money. The airline will incur compensation claims worth 30 million  over the next two weeks alone.

Since last weekend, the Irish low cost airline has cancelled a number of flights as it has to reduce a backlog of holidays for staff.

refund.me reminds travellers that they are entitled to more than just a new ticket if their flight was cancelled short notice: According to European Union regulation (EC) No. 261/2004 passengers are entitled to cash compensation of up to 600 . So far, Ryanair has published their list of flight cancellations only until the end of September. Every single passenger has to be notified personally.

"Ryanair clearly messed up. Their bad management means trouble for the passengers," says Sandra Rosenberg, COO of refund.me. "We help passengers and claim the cash they are entitled to."

By selling a ticket the airline is obliged to ensure smooth passenger transport. If a passenger is notified about the cancellation less than 14 days before the flight, he is entitled to compensation as well as alternative transport or full refund of the ticket price. Compensation has also to be paid when the airline sends out notifications between 14 and 7 days before departure or if the flight is scheduled to arrive more than four hours after the originally scheduled time.

About refund.me

Founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Eve Buchner, refund.me (https://refund.me/) assists individual airline passengers in securing compensation for flight delays, cancellations, missed connections, and re-routings under European Union (EC) 261/2004 legislation.

Media Contact:



press@refund.me

+49-172-905-18-69



SOURCE refund.me
The Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and UBIMET signed a Memorandum of Understanding last week.

VIENNA, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- UBIMET, the leading private global weather service provider, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) last week. The two organisations have entered into a public-private partnership to create a sustainable programme for the continued growth of the agency.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/558267/UBIMET_NIMET.jpg

Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi, Director General of NIMET and Ayodeji Soetan, UBIMET Sustainable Development Expert, shake hands after signing the MoU (PRNewsfoto/UBIMET)

"We at NIMET believe that in order to move forward as a meteorological agency we have to embark on modernizing our infrastructure. We will improve what we have and provide what we don't have. For us to be able to do that, it means we have to identify strategic partners who are interested in supporting similar endeavours, i.e. helping agencies to modernize so they can acquire the necessary equipment. Cooperating with UBIMET is a very golden opportunity for us to realise our ambitions. UBIMET is a very good and strategic partner for us that will help us to modernise our infrastructure. For this reason, we are so enthusiastic about the proposal by UBIMET to partner with NIMET. With this MoU signed, once it is fully operational, the gap in our meteorological infrastructure will definitely be filled," stated Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi, Director General of NIMET.

"By collaborating with NIMET, we would like to support building enhanced sustainable meteorological capacity with our global expertise as well as customised weather models and analysis systems. With the assistance of NIMET, we will roll out a pilot lightning detection network (LDN) across Nigeria to improve meteorological infrastructure and information across the country," said Michael Fassnauer, CEO UBIMET.

In May 2017, UBIMET showcased its solution for the commercialisation of weather services in Nigeria. In cooperation, NIMET and UBIMET have identified key areas in which commercial solutions can be developed in Africa, allowing meteorological agencies to quickly and effectively engage with industry. The ultimate objective consists in expanding meteorological capability, jointly market meteorological products & services to different industries, such as agriculture, mining and aviation, where weather data plays a significant role in increasing safety and enhancing efficiency. Moreover, NIMET and UBIMET will cooperate in meteorological research and development projects.

UBIMET is one of the long-term agreements holders with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and provides equipment, services and expertise regarding meteorological and hydrological early warning systems for developing countries.

About UBIMET

UBIMET is the leading commercial provider of precise meteorology services and severe weather warnings. The global company is headquartered in Vienna, Austria and has offices in Karlsruhe, Melbourne, Munich, New York and Zurich employing 250 staff from 25 nations. UBIMET provides high-quality meteorological data, forecasts and alerts enabling weather-dependent industries around the globe to increase safety and efficiency.

UBIMET's expertise and reliable weather solutions have convinced customers from industries such as aviation and rail, construction, energy, insurance, media as well as event organizers. UBIMET has delivered accurate weather data to Formula 1, and our services are widely used by the mining industry, major insurance companies, emergency services, and sporting organisations worldwide.

The company was founded as a start-up by Michael Fassnauer and Manfred Spatzierer in Vienna in 2004. The two founders, driven by a passion for meteorology, are still the driving force behind the company today. Red Bull has been a strategic partner since 2012, expanding the company's global reach.

Related Files

Africa Profile_05092017 WEB.pdf

Related Images

image1.jpg

MoU Handshake

image2.jpg

MoU Signing

image3.jpg

UBIMET and NIMET @AMCOMET

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_ZDKFyql-s

SOURCE UBIMET
"We opened our first AAFES military base location at Fort Bliss's Freedom Crossing in 2015, and immediately we saw a real cohesion between military ideals and 5 Star Nutrition's core values: hard work, inspiration, goal-setting and accountability," said Brian Marver, CEO of 5 Star Nutrition. "Opening these Exchange locations and further aligning with the military is very important for our brand and customers, and is personally important to me and my team. My older brother, grandfather and uncle were all in the military, and I have a deep, profound respect for those who serve. Some 20 percent of our team is made up of veterans, and military members are honored with discounts and other benefits at 5 Star Nutrition."

5 Star Nutrition works to simplify the process of tailoring nutrition and fitness goals to the individual. The new Exchange locations will be staffed by skilled team members who've demonstrated excellence in other locations by assisting customers in reaching their goals. In addition, each 5 Star Nutrition uses InBody machines that provide medical-grade body composition analyses to track body fat and lean muscle mass to monitor results. Marver says results are based on individual goals and uses service member Jose G., who wanted to control his diabetes through nutrition and exercise rather than medication, as one of many success stories. Jose, who is active duty, says 5 Star Nutrition helped him build a plan to reach his goals through what he called a "life changing" process. He lost 50 pounds in just over six months and has maintained his health goal of "no medication" for more than two years.

The company has 38 locations around the country, and the new 5 Star Nutrition AAFES openings will be on bases in:

Fort Lewis - Tacoma, WA Goodfellow AFB - San Angelo, TX Moody AFB  Moody, GA Buckley AFB - Aurora, CO Fort Sam Houston , San Antonio, TX Fort Hood , Killeen, TX Whiteman AFB  Whiteman, MO Fort Riley  Fort Riley, KS Offutt AFB  Offutt, NE West Point  West Point, NY Little Rock AFB - Jacksonville, AR



About 5 Star Nutrition

5 Star Nutrition is a provider of health and wellness products known for its personalized, high-quality service and keen military alignment. Each location offers personalized consultation that includes InBody machine medical-grade body composition analyses to track body fat and lean muscle mass to monitor results. The mission of 5 Star Nutrition is to inspire lifestyle improvements through personalized guidance and effective nutritional supplements. 5 Star Nutrition actively works to improve the quality of the communities it serves through giving back and providing healthy lifestyle guidance. Locations offer a 25 percent discount for active and retired military and first responders. For locations and more information about 5 Star Nutrition, visit 5starnutritionusa.com.

SOURCE 5 Star Nutrition

Related Links

http://5starnutritionusa.com/


PALO ALTO, Calif. and BERLIN, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 8fit, a health and fitness company building the most engaging and approachable way for people to achieve healthy habits for life, announced today a total of $10M in funding with the closing of a Series A round led by Creandum and Eight Roads Ventures.

Launched in 2014 by repeat entrepreneurs Pablo Villalba and Pedro Sola, 8fit makes healthy living simple by providing tailored guidance, including workouts and meal plans, in an easy-to-use app. The company has already helped more than 10 million people achieve their personal fitness goals with customized plans that adapt to their lifestyle, preferences and goals, with more than 50 percent of those people based in the U.S.

"There's no one-size-fits all way to find lifelong fitness, so we're focused on building a truly tailored experience that empowers people to get started on their fitness journey and stick with it," said Pablo Villalba, CEO and co-founder of 8fit. "With the Series A, we're bolstering our team to support our rapid international user growth and keeping our eyes on the ultimate goal of helping as many people as possible live healthier, happier lives."

Countless studies show that exercise on its own provides incredible benefits, but it isn't as powerful for lifelong health as when paired with proper nutrition. 8fit combines High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and yoga workouts designed to be done anywhere, anytime, with wholesome, nutritious meal plans based on real food, customized by food group or specific ingredients. The customized plans are tailored to an individual's current fitness level and goals, whether that goal is weight loss, muscle gain, improved endurance, or simply more confidence.

Staffan Helgesson, General Partner at Creandum, added, "Digital Health is a prioritized area for Creandum, and 8fit is one of the most exciting companies we have come across in this sector."

"Mobile is transforming global fitness and nutrition by bringing healthier lifestyle choices to a wider audience," Michael Treskow, Partner at Eight Roads Ventures, said. "8fit has built a unique product to support people's individual fitness goals via a personalized program, and we look forward to partnering with the team on its journey."

8fit was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Berlin, with more than 50 full time employees worldwide.

About 8fit

8fit makes healthy living simple by providing tailored guidance, including workouts and meal plans, in an easy to use app. Whether you're just starting out or picking up where you left off, 8fit meets you where you are and guides you toward achieving your health and fitness goals. The app makes it simple with hundreds of delicious, healthy recipes and workouts designed to be done at home  more than 10 million people worldwide are already using 8fit on their path to fitness. The company is based in Berlin and has raised a total of $10M in funding from investors including Creandum and Eight Roads Ventures. The app is available for iOS and Android.

ABOUT CREANDUM

Creandum is a leading European venture capital investor, focusing on innovative and fast-growing technology companies within consumer, software and hardware industries. The Creandum funds have over 400M under management and are advised by the Creandum Advisory companies with offices in Stockholm and Palo Alto. In the last decade, Creandum has invested in more than 50 companies including Spotify, Tictail, iZettle, and Vivino. For more information, please visit www.creandum.com.

About Eight Roads Ventures

Eight Roads Ventures is a global venture capital firm that backs entrepreneurs with aspirations for greatness. Together with its associated funds it manages $3.6bn of capital across offices in the UK, India, China, Japan and the US. A near 50-year history of investing includes partnerships with companies such as Alibaba, Appsflyer, CloudByte, Curam, Future Advisor, InnoGames, iPipeline, Kensho, Made.com, Manthan Systems, Metaps, Neo Technology, Nuance, Ping Identity, Prosper, Treatwell, Recurly, Wallapop and Xoom. www.eightroads.com @8roadsventures

SOURCE 8fit

Related Links

http://www.8fit.com


WOOD DALE, Ill., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AAR CORP. (NYSE: AIR) today reported first quarter Fiscal Year 2018 consolidated sales of $439.2 million and net income of $10.6 million, or $0.31 per diluted share. For the first quarter of the prior fiscal year, the Company reported sales of $404.8 million and net income of $9.5 million, or $0.28 per diluted share. Last year's first quarter results included a gain of $2.6 million from the sale of a product line. During the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2018, we recognized a tax benefit of $1.2 million related to incremental tax benefits from stock compensation.

"Our Aviation Services segment delivered strong results once again as sales in the first quarter grew 11.0% from last year to $371.3 million, contributing to improved profitability. I am very pleased with our performance as we continue to execute on our strategy to expand our aviation services globally across the commercial and government markets," said David P. Storch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AAR CORP. Sales growth in our industry-leading integrated supply chain solutions, MRO services, and aircraft and parts supply activities more than offset the impact from the wind-down of the KC-10 CLS Program, which contributed $26.9 million less than prior year's sales.

During the quarter, we announced new contract awards that expand our comprehensive suite of services to newer generation aircraft. We signed our first Airbus NEO customer to a new long-term component support agreement with Hawaiian Airlines which is expected to start in November 2017. We also signed our first Boeing 737 MAX program with flydubai to provide comprehensive flight-hour component support for 100 aircraft which is expected to start in October 2017.

Subsequent to the end of quarter, we agreed to acquire two MRO businesses in Quebec and Ontario, Canada from Premier Aviation and announced a new long-term contract with Air Canada for airframe maintenance on their narrow-body and regional fleet including A319, A320, A321, and E-190 aircraft. These airframe maintenance services will be performed in the newly acquired Canadian facilities. Storch continued, "We are very pleased to have entered into this new long-term partnership with Air Canada as we continue to expand our airframe maintenance capabilities in North America."

During the quarter, Aviation Services received a Notice to Proceed on the 15-year, $900 million Landing Gear Performance-Based Logistics One program with the US Air Force previously announced. For this program, we are providing total supply chain management, including inventory logistics and repair services to support Air Force requisitions received for all C-130, KC-135 and E-3 landing gear parts.

Our Expeditionary Services segment experienced a sales decline of $2.3 million.

First quarter sales to commercial customers represented 70.4% of consolidated sales compared to 61.5% of consolidated sales in the first quarter of last year. Sales to government and defense customers represented 29.6% of consolidated sales compared to 38.5% in the prior year's quarter.

Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales were 10.9% for the quarter, compared to 11.1% last year.

Net interest expense for the quarter was $1.7 million compared to $1.3 million last year due to higher borrowings. During the quarter, we consumed $20.6 million of cash in operations, paid cash dividends of $2.6 million, or $0.075 per share, and repurchased 142,600 shares for $5.2 million.

Conference Call Information

AAR will hold its quarterly conference call at 3:45 p.m. CDT on September 19, 2017. The conference call can be accessed by calling 866-802-4322 from inside the U.S. or 703-639-1319 from outside the U.S. A replay of the conference call will also be available by calling 855-859-2056 from inside the U.S. or 404-537-3406 from outside the U.S. (access code 46019250). The replay will be available from 7:15 p.m. CST on September 19, 2017 until 10:59 p.m. CST on September 26, 2017.

About AAR

AAR is a global aftermarket solutions company that employs more than 4,500 people in over 20 countries. Based in Wood Dale, Illinois, AAR supports commercial aviation and government customers through two operating segments: Aviation Services and Expeditionary Services. AAR's Aviation Services include inventory management; parts supply; OEM parts distribution; aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul; and component repair. AAR's Expeditionary Services include airlift operations; mobility systems; and command and control centers in support of military and humanitarian missions. Additional information can be found at www.aarcorp.com.

This press release contains certain statements relating to future results, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions and estimates based on information currently available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated, including those factors discussed under Item 1A, entitled "Risk Factors", included in the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2017. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize adversely, or should underlying assumptions or estimates prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described. These events and uncertainties are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many are beyond the Company's control. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. For additional information, see the comments included in AAR's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

AAR CORP. and Subsidiaries



Consolidated Statements of Income (In millions except per share data - unaudited) Three Months Ended August 31,

2017

2016







Sales $439.2

$404.8 Cost and expenses:





Cost of sales 374.7

343.3 Selling, general and administrative 48.0

44.8 Operating income 16.5

16.7 Interest expense, net (1.7)

(1.3) Income from continuing operations before income taxes 14.8

15.4 Income tax expense 4.2

5.5 Income from continuing operations 10.6

9.9 Loss from discontinued operations -

(0.4) Net income $10.6

$9.5







Earnings per share  Basic





Earnings from continuing operations $0.31

$0.29 Loss from discontinued operations -

(0.01) Earnings per share  Basic $0.31

$0.28







Earnings per share  Diluted





Earnings from continuing operations $0.31

$0.29 Loss from discontinued operations -

(0.01) Earnings per share  Diluted $0.31

$0.28







Share Data:





Weighted average shares outstanding  Basic 34.0

33.9 Weighted average shares outstanding  Diluted 34.5

34.1











AAR CORP. and Subsidiaries









Consolidated Balance Sheet Highlights (In millions except per share data) August 31,

2017

May 31, 2017

(Unaudited)











Cash and cash equivalents $15.1

$10.3 Current assets 904.7

888.5 Current liabilities (excluding debt accounts) 310.1

333.1 Net property, plant and equipment 198.1

201.9 Total assets 1,531.7

1,504.1 Total debt 192.9

159.3 Stockholders' equity 924.7

914.2 Book value per share $26.73

$26.58 Shares outstanding 34.6

34.4











Sales By Business Segment (In millions - unaudited) Three Months Ended August 31,

2017

2016 Aviation Services $371.3

$334.6 Expeditionary Services 67.9

70.2

$439.2

$404.8



Gross Profit by Business Segment (In millions- unaudited) Three Months Ended August 31,

2017

2016 Aviation Services $57.8

$53.4 Expeditionary Services 6.7

8.1

$64.5

$61.5



Note: Pursuant to SEC Regulation G, the Company has included the following reconciliation of financial measure reported on a non-GAAP basis to compare financial measures reported on the basis of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"). The Company uses net debt to evaluate its financial position and results and trends and believes it is useful for the reader of this press release.

Net Debt (In millions- unaudited) August 31,

2017

August 31,

2016 Total debt $192.9

$151.6 Less: Cash and cash equivalents (15.1)

(7.9) Net debt $177.8

$143.7

SOURCE AAR CORP.

Related Links

http://www.aarcorp.com


WOOD DALE, Ill., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global aviation services leader AAR (NYSE: AIR) announced today that it has agreed to acquire two of Premier Aviation's aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities  one at Trois-Rivieres Airport in Quebec and one at Windsor International Airport in Ontario.

"We are excited to add an experienced workforce and two world-class facilities to our award-winning MRO network, and we look forward to growing our position in, and bringing more flexibility and value to, the Canadian market," said John Holmes, President & Chief Operating Officer, AAR. "The culture of continuous improvement and execution excellence at these facilities is consistent with AAR's commitment to the highest levels of service."

Premier Aviation established the MRO facility in Trois-Rivieres in 2002 and expanded it to 150,000 square feet in 2011. The facility can accommodate up to seven narrow-body aircraft. Premier began operating in Windsor in 2012 in a new 143,000 square-foot hangar with full back shop capability and capacity for six narrow-body aircraft. The facilities have made significant investments in tooling over the past few years and currently employ over 300 well-trained aviation mechanics and personnel who will retain their positions based on expected workload.

"We are honored that a company with the reputation, breadth and depth of AAR has recognized the quality of our MRO facilities, and we are pleased that the customers and employees of these facilities will continue to be well-supported," said Ronnie DiBartolo, President of Premier Aviation. "This transaction also allows Premier to focus its resources on future areas for growth at our other two MRO facilities."

Holmes added, "This Canadian presence will be complementary to our U.S. MRO operations and workforce."

The Canadian MROs will join AAR's award-winning network that also includes airframe maintenance facilities in Indianapolis, Indiana; Miami, Florida; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Duluth, Minnesota; and Rockford, Illinois, as well as component repair facilities in New York and Amsterdam; and landing gear services in Miami. Across these sites, AAR provides industry leading maintenance, repair and overhaul for regional, narrow-body and wide-body aircraft operators. AAR was ranked as the largest MRO services provider in the Americas and third in the world, before this acquisition.

About AAR

AAR is a global aftermarket solutions company that employs more than 5,000 people in over 20 countries. Based in Wood Dale, Illinois, AAR provides aviation services to commercial and government customers in over 100 countries through two operating segments: Aviation Services and Expeditionary Services. AAR's Aviation Services include inventory management; parts supply; OEM parts distribution; aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul; and component repair. AAR's Expeditionary Services include airlift operations; mobility systems; and command and control centers in support of military and humanitarian missions. More information can be found at www.aarcorp.com.

About Premier

Premier Aviation is a highly recognized Canadian-owned aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and aircraft painting company serving the North American industry, with facilities in Quebec, Quebec, Canada; and Rome, New York, United States. Since its inception in 2002, the company has been delivering high-quality aviation maintenance services to a steadily growing number of airlines and aircraft lessors. More information can be found at www.premieraviation.ca.

This press release contains certain statements relating to future results, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions and estimates based on information currently available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated, including those factors discussed under Item 1A, entitled "Risk Factors", included in the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2017. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize adversely, or should underlying assumptions or estimates prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described. These events and uncertainties are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many are beyond the Company's control. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. For additional information, see the comments included in AAR's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE AAR

Related Links

http://www.aarcorp.com


WINTER SPRINGS, Fla., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced IT Concepts (AITC) continues to evolve and expand as businesses and government agencies face challenges in finding qualified professionals to support their information technology (IT) needs. Veteran-owned AITC has added three respected industry experts to their senior team to help the company meet this growing demand.

Craig Ravenell joins AITC as a Program Manager to lead the planning and implementation and introduction of new systems and technologies in support of AITC's military customers. Primarily he will focus on meeting project commitments and client communications to ensure customer's mission success. A retired U.S. Army Acquisition Officer (Colonel), his extensive experience includes managing cost schedule and performance goals for complex defense acquisition programs (i.e. chemical and biological defense equipment, ballistic missile defense systems, modeling, simulation and training technologies, etc.). Ravenell is the former product manager for the Digitized Training Program Office at PEO-STRI in Orlando, Florida, where he was responsible for modernizing Army Digitized Ranges to deliver more effective and realistic training. Ravenell earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Voorhees College and an M.S. in General Administration from Central Michigan University.

Edward "Ed" Petrow also joins AITC as a Program Manager to lead teams in the delivery of state-of-the-art IT, audio visual, and related end-to-end systems and solutions. Building upon six years of military service in the United States Navy, Petrow is recognized as a highly successful senior level program manager and engineer with extensive experience in systems and project engineering, engineering management, agile methodologies, hardware and software engineering, and program management. Petrow excels at collaborating with team members and stakeholders to perform analysis and design of complex systems and sub-systems. AITC will leverage his professional experience as a leader with the academic credentials and technical background required to interact with clients while leading development teams to deliver mission critical systems. Petrow has held prior positions with respected industry leaders such as AVT Simulation, SAIC/Leidos, and Universal Systems and Technology/Lockheed Martin. Petrow is a graduate of St. Leo University with a B.S in Computer Engineering and Colorado Technical University with a Masters of Business Administration in Finance and Technical Management. He is also certified in CMMI and PMP.

Robert "Bob" Faber joins AITC as a Senior Infrastructure Architect Project Manager to lead the design and implementation of complex information Technology infrastructure to support AITC's customers' growing requirements.

In this capacity, he will analyze system requirements and develop architecture solutions to ensure that designed systems offer required capabilities, performance and security. Faber will work with customer's senior management and technical personnel to identify and address technology gaps, strategic goals and business imperatives impacted by infrastructure technology. Faber brings AITC more than 30 years of extensive expertise acquired in the fields of structured cabling systems design, implementation, sales, project management, technical instruction, cabling infrastructure design and installation. Faber is a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University with a B.S. in Economics. He is a member of BICSI, a professional association supporting the advancement of the information and communications technology (ICT) community and he holds a Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD) certification and Network Technology Systems Designer credentials.

"We are continually seeking opportunities to offer clients the most qualified and advanced IT services and solutions on the market," explains Gabriel Ruiz, LTC, USA (Ret) President/CEO of AITC. "I'm thrilled about the expertise these three esteemed professionals bring to our senior team to enhance our offerings," Ruiz added.

About Advanced IT Concepts (AITC):

AITC is an SDVOSB and SBA 8(a) certified IT systems integrator, value-added reseller and service provider to federal, state and local governments. For more than 10 years, AITC draws upon significant telecommunications and Information Technology proven experience to ensure customers' goals are met by delivering superior client services through a full suite of IT specialized services. For details, visit www.aitcinc.com.

Contact: Christa Santos

407-230-7018

[email protected]



SOURCE Advanced IT Concepts, Inc. (AITC)

Related Links

http://www.aitcinc.com


This year's conference will bring together hospital and health system Chief Information Officers, IT Executives, and Revenue Cycle leaders to discuss and share new perspectives on the role of the CIO, data analytics, mobile health, electronic medical records issues, denials, and revenue cycle challenges and trends for the healthcare industry. The event will be held Sept. 21  23 in Chicago.

Susan will present on the topic of Innovative Collaborations, providing her personal insights and actionable takeaways on why working together with partners and sometimes competitors to identify and solve the biggest problems facing the healthcare industry leads to more successful outcomes for healthcare providers, professionals and patients.

"I am excited to speak with and learn from key healthcare decision makers on ways we can engage personally and professionally to advance healthcare delivery systems and support healthcare professionals," Salka said. "Becker's is a leading source of data, information, and news for industry leaders, and AMN is proud to be included alongside distinguished business influencers and thought leaders."

Salka is an active industry spokesperson in the healthcare and investment community, and has been one of the driving forces behind the company's strategic and operational success since joining the organization in 1990. Under her leadership, AMN healthcare has become the largest and most diversified healthcare workforce solutions and staffing company in the nation.

Other keynote speakers include luminaries such as President George W. Bush and Sugar Ray Leonard. Susan will be joined at the conference by Jackie Larson, President of Avantas, an AMN Healthcare company that specializes in predictive analytics for healthcare staffing. Both Susan and Jackie will be available for interviews at the event.

About Becker's Hospital Review

Becker's Hospital Review features up-to-date business and legal news and analysis relating to hospitals and health systems. Content is geared toward high-level hospital leaders (CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CMOs, CIOs, etc.), and we work to provide valuable content, including hospital and health system news, best practices and legal guidance specifically for these decision-makers. Each of the 12 annual issues of Becker's Hospital Review reaches a qualified audience of approximately 18,500 healthcare leaders.

About AMN Healthcare

AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services to healthcare facilities across the nation. The Company provides unparalleled access to the most comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals through its innovative recruitment strategies and breadth of career opportunities. With insights and expertise, AMN Healthcare helps providers optimize their workforce to successfully reduce complexity, increase efficiency, and improve patient outcomes. AMN delivers managed services programs, healthcare executive search solutions, vendor management systems, recruitment process outsourcing, predictive modeling, medical coding and consulting, and other services. Clients include acute-care hospitals, community health centers and clinics, physician practice groups, retail and urgent care centers, home health facilities, and many other healthcare settings. For more information about AMN Healthcare, visit www.amnhealthcare.com.

Media Contact:

Jim Gogek

Corporate Communications

AMN Healthcare

(858) 350-3209

[email protected]

SOURCE AMN Healthcare

Related Links

https://www.amnhealthcare.com


"According to a survey conducted last year 2 , 77% of rideshare drivers may not have the right coverage to protect them while they are working," said Peter Foley, SVP of Sales and Client Service Operations for Answer Financial. "A rideshare driver is covered by their personal auto insurance until they turn on their rideshare app, but their commercial insurance doesn't kick in until they pick up a passenger, creating a gap in coverage. By offering Rideshare Gap Coverage, we are helping to protect during that window of time where neither type of policy covers them."

Answer is now offering rideshare insurance products to residents in the following states, with plans to roll out additional states in the coming months: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Drivers who are interested in comparing Rideshare Gap Coverage plans from top-rated insurers can speak with one of Answer's 300+ US-based licensed agents by calling 1-877-672-2200. In addition to Rideshare Gap Coverage, Answer also offers personal insurance plans for auto, home, condo, and a variety of specialty lines including RV, boat, motorcycle and more.

1Uber and Lyft are not affiliated with and do not endorse Answer Financial

2Source: NerdWallet in conjunction with SherpaShare, an app that rideshare drivers use to track mileage, earnings and expenses, conducted a survey of 1,022 SherpaShare users across the U.S. from Jan. 26  Feb. 9, 2016.

About Answer Financial Inc.

Answer Financial, through its agencies Insurance Answer Center and Right Answer Insurance, is one of the largest independent personal lines agency operations in the nation, providing auto and home insurance policies directly to consumers and through a broad network of marketing partners. Answer Financial serves the growing segment of self-directed consumers searching for the best way to save money on insurance by providing one easy place to shop, compare, and buy insurance. By leveraging technology and partnerships with top-rated insurers, Answer Financial can provide real-time comparison rates for virtually every consumer. Customers can purchase online or over the phone with the guidance of an insurance expert. Answer Financial is a member of the Allstate family of companies.

www.AnswerFinancial.com



JMPR Public Relations for Answer Financial

[email protected]

818.992.4353

SOURCE Answer Financial Inc.

Related Links

https://www.answerfinancial.com


ZELLWOOD, Fla., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Anuvia Plant Nutrients announces an agreement with Southern States Cooperative to market Anuvia's SymTRX to crop producers. SymTRX is an enhanced-efficiency, multi-nutrient, slow-release specialty fertilizer made to fit the needs of crop production while also adhering to the highest standards of environmental stewardship.

Throughout a rich heritage dating back to 1923, Southern States has grown to be one of the nation's largest agricultural cooperatives owned by more than 200,000 farmer-members with 1,200 retail outlets in 23 states.

"Southern States, with its reputation for strong member relationships and for delivering new products and technology that bring value to their members," says Hugh MacGillivray, Anuvia Plant Nutrients executive vice president Commercial, "is a great fit for us with a product like SymTRX. The product represents cutting edge nutrient delivery technology while optimizing crop performance."

SymTRX is different from other fertilizer products. Anuvia's proprietary processing system uses multiple sources of organic waste materials to create its plant nutrient products. SymTRX's slow release delivers nutrients such as ammonium N and sulfur sulfate when growing plants need them mostreleasing 65% of its nutrients within the first two to three weeks and the balance providing feeding for up to eight weeks. It also contains 16% organic matter which contributes to soil health.

"We're excited for the agronomic, economic and environmental benefits that the SymTRX 20S product will provide to our customers," says Steve Becraft, Southern States executive vice president of agronomy. "We believe the SymTRX 20S product is a profitable growing solution that will provide tremendous value to our customers."

"We have a unique product that brings many benefits to growers. It improves crop performance and soil health and it's a great example of sound environmental stewardship," says MacGillivray. "Like us, Southern States believes in maximizing nutrient use and minimizing nutrient loss. We look forward to working together and building even stronger relationships with coop members."

For more information, visit www.anuviaplantnutrients.com.

Anuvia Plant Nutrients, headquartered in Zellwood, Fla., is a company focused on a new, innovative, and patented way of manufacturing an enhanced efficiency fertilizer (EEF) for the turf and agricultural industries. Anuvia addresses the three pillars of sustainability  social, environmental and economic  simultaneously by providing an avenue for organic materials to be used in a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly manner that helps people, plants, and the environment thrive.

Southern States Cooperative is a Richmond, Virginia-based farm supply retailer and service cooperative. As one of the nation's largest agricultural cooperatives, it provides a wide range of farm inputs, including fertilizer, seed, livestock feed, pet food, animal health supplies, and petroleum products, as well as other items for the farm and home. Founded in 1923, the cooperative is owned by more than 200,000 farmer-members, and serves its members and non-member customers through 1,200 retail outlets in 23 states. For more information, visit www.southernstates.com.

SOURCE Anuvia Plant Nutrients
TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aqua Security, the market-leading container security platform provider, today announced $25 million in Series B funding, the largest funding to date in the container security space. Led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, the investment will enable Aqua to capitalize on the strong demand for its cloud-native container security platform and cement its leadership position as the security solution of choice for the world's largest companies. Existing investors Microsoft Ventures, TLV Ventures and Shlomo Kramer also participated in the round, which brings total investment in Aqua to $38.5 million.

"The rapid rise and convergence of DevOps, containers, and microservices-based applications is an opportunity to rethink application security," said Chris Schaepe, Partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners. "Aqua's success in leveraging containers to improve security provides visible customer value, as evident from the impressive customer adoption that the team at Aqua achieved in a very short time."

Gartner notes that "a complete strategy for container security must cover the entire life cycle of containers from creation into production and then back into development again for updates, patches and modifications  i.e., container life cycle protection." 1

The Aqua Container Security Platform delivers an advanced security solution for containerized environments, supporting both Linux and Windows containers, multiple orchestration environments, both on-premises deployments as well as on AWS, Azure, GCP, and other public clouds. Integrating early into container development, Aqua then uses a combination of intelligent defaults, machine learning, and threat research to provide full life cycle security for container-based applications.

Since Aqua first launched its platform in May 2016, it has acquired dozens of Global 1000 customers, among them two of the 10 largest financial services companies and three of the world's top 10 software companies. Fueled by this growth, the company has also quadrupled in size in that time frame, and has offices in San Francisco, CA, Burlington, MA, and London, UK. Earlier this year, Aqua was named in Red Herring's Hot 100 list for North America, won "Best Newcomer Security Company of the Year" by SC Media UK, and was recognized as a security Emerging Vendor by CRN.

"We are thrilled to have Lightspeed on board for our next phase of growth," said Dror Davidoff, CEO and co-founder at Aqua Security. "This investment is a huge vote of confidence in Aqua's market leadership, vision, and execution. We look forward to fasttracking our product development and global market presence as we continue on our quest to provide better, seamless application security for the cloud-native era."

Additional Resources:

1 Gartner, Security Considerations and Best Practices for Securing Containers, Neil MacDonald, 10 November 2016

About Aqua Security

Aqua Security enables enterprises to secure their container applications from development to production, accelerating container adoption and bridging the gap between DevOps and IT security. Aqua's Container Security Platform provides full visibility into container activity, allowing organizations to detect and prevent suspicious activity and attacks in real time. Integrated with container lifecycle and orchestration tools, the Aqua platform provides transparent, automated security while helping to enforce policy and simplify regulatory compliance. Aqua was founded in 2015 and is backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners, TLV Partners, Microsoft Ventures, and IT security leaders, and is based in Israel and San Francisco, CA. For more information, visit www.aquasec.com or follow us on twitter.com/AquaSecTeam.

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

SOURCE Aqua Security

Related Links

http://www.aquasec.com


WARREN, Mich., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hiring blitz for job seekers! With its new Canton location opening soon and the holidays approaching, Art Van Furniture will host career fairs at 13 southeast Michigan locations Thursday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Midwest's largest furniture retailer hopes to fill 100 sales associate and sales management positions, and is prepared to make same day offers to candidates.

"We want top-tier talent to fuel our tremendous growth as we continue to expand throughout Michigan," said Kim Yost, president and CEO of Art Van Furniture. "Passionate individuals seeking to embark and build upon a successful, fulfilling career in sales and sales management will discover the sky's the limit at Art Van."

The 13 Art Van Furniture career fairs will be held at its stores (and a hotel near the new Canton location) at:

Hampton Inn & Suites, 1950 Haggerty Road in Canton

6500 14 Mile Road in Warren

14055 Hall Road in Shelby Township

22035 Eureka Road in Taylor

27775 Novi Road in Novi

8300 Wayne Road in Westland

425 E. Eisenhower Parkway in Ann Arbor

G-4577 Miller Road in Flint

50400 Gratiot in Chesterfield Township

in 15701 Market Drive in Dearborn

29905 Seven Mile Road in Livonia

1234 32nd St. in Port Huron

32301 Woodward Ave. in Royal Oak

Known for stylish, affordable name brand home furnishings, Art Van Furniture offers sales associates one of the highest paid commission structures in the furniture industry. In addition, team members enjoy industry-leading benefits including 401(k) plans, comprehensive health insurance, profit sharing, furniture discounts, professional development and career advancement opportunities.

Individuals can apply in person with an updated resume, or submit their resume to http://jobs.artvan.com.

About Art Van Furniture

Art Van Furniture is the Midwest's largest furniture retailer. The company operates more than 120 stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, including freestanding Art Van PureSleep mattress stores, Art Van Flooring stores, Art Van Furniture franchise locations and Scott Shuptrine Interiors, the interior design division of Art Van Furniture, as well as a full-service e-commerce website. Founded in 1959, the company is headquartered in Warren, Mich. Visit artvan.com for more information.

SOURCE Art Van Furniture

Related Links

http://www.artvan.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Signaling a new era of patient care, Responsive Health is leading the most innovative names in healthcare as the company rebrands to Rx.Health. This positions Rx.Health as the platform for prescribing of Digital Medicine, and ushers in a new model of patient engagement through the company's flagship product, RxUniverse.

"Value-based care has changed everything, so it's important that clinicians rethink the way they interact with patients on a monthly, weekly, and even daily basis," Rx.Health CEO Ed Berde said. "Rx.Health symbolizes the new reality that providers need to extend patient care beyond the clinical visit and embrace Digital Medicine as the most effective means of providing continuous care."

Through the RxUniverse prescription platform, Rx.Health is providing the solution for health systems to embrace Digital Medicine as they adapt to value-based care. RxUniverse aggregates the most effective Digital Medicine solutions available on the market onto a single platform, allowing healthcare organizations and their care teams to engage with patients and prescribe Digital Medicine directly to patients at the point of care.

"The Rx symbol literally represents prescribing, so it's so fitting to have it as our brand as we move into the era of prescribing Digital Medicine," said VP of Operations, Andy Pfau. "Digital Medicine includes evidence-based apps, care plans, health education, and other proven solutions. RxUniverse allows doctors to prescribe Digital Medicine as easily as traditional medication. Relaunching as Rx.Health lets the world know we're the future patient care."

Physicians and patients want Digital Medicine as a component of their comprehensive care plans, however until now health systems lacked the platform to adopt solutions. A previously published research report found only 2 percent of patients in the largest U.S. hospitals are currently using hospital-provided mobile health apps. This is a surprising statistic given recent confirmation that more than three quarters of hospital-related physicians and more than two thirds of patients are eager to engage Digital Medicine as a means to better care. Now, through Rx.Health's RxUniverse platform, health systems can transform their hospital care by implementing Digital Medicine across departments.

"The failure to align mobile apps to the services patients demand could cost each hospital more than $100 million in lost revenue per year, which is a staggering statistic," noted Rx.Health VP of Sales and Growth, Mark Cittadino. "Rx.Health provides a validated digital toolkit on a single platform. We boost financial performance by helping hospitals end the hemorrhaging of revenue while realizing additional income."

The .health domain is already attracting other industry-leading brands such as Mayo Clinic, United Healthcare, Pfizer, Apple, Google, and Amazon. Registrants who adopt .health domains will be subject to stringent terms and policies to ensure the integrity of the extension and deter misuse, allowing a validated experience for individuals accessing health information online.

"Responsive Health was already known as a leader in the field of health innovation," said Jose Rasco, CEO of dotHealth LLC. "By rebranding as Rx.Health, they're sending a message to the world that Digital Medicine represents the future of health, and they are the channel for prescribing Digital Medicine. Anyone who works in healthcare immediately recognizes the importance of a .health domain. We're thrilled to have Rx.Health as a flagship anchor in the .health domain space."

About Rx.Health:

Rx.Health is defining the delivery of Digital Medicine. Formerly Responsive Health, a spinoff from the Mount Sinai Health System, Rx.Health is dedicated to facilitating the digital revolution in healthcare. Rx.Health's flagship product, RxUniverse, is the first enterprise-based Digital Medicine delivery system that enables physicians to prescribe evidence-based mobile health applications, multi-media education, wearables, and therapeutics to patients at the point of care. Information on Rx.Health and RxUniverse is available at http://Rx.Health and http://RxUniverse.com, or follow Rx.Health on Twitter @Rx_Health and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/Rx-Health.

Contact:

Mike Montalto

1-732-865-0410

[email protected]

SOURCE Rx.Health

Related Links

http://rx.health


PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the first time in Philadelphia, AARP hosted an Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Intensive Skills Building Conference on September 19 at Hyatt at the Bellevue.

Nearly 100 representatives from 20 states attended the two-day conference in Chinatown to learn how to increase awareness of AARP at the local level, improve outreach and engagement with community members, enhance state advocacy and campaign efforts, and recruit and retain AAPI volunteers.

The lineup of keynote speakers included Mayor Jim Kenney; John Chin, Commissioner, City of Philadelphia Mayor's Commission on Asian American Affairs; Judi Rhee Holloway, Commissioner, City of Philadelphia Mayor's Commission on Asian American Affairs; Tiffany Chang Lawson, Executive Director, Governor Tom Wolf's Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs; Janelle Wong, Director of the Asian American Studies Program and Resource Center, University of Maryland; and multiple AARP representatives.

"Philadelphia's Chinatown is the perfect location to host our first AAPI Intensive Skills Building Training," stated Daphne Kwok, Vice President, Multicultural Leadership for the Asian American & Pacific Islander Audience, AARP. "The work of AARP staff and volunteers in Philadelphia, along with community partners and the City of Philadelphia, is a case study of community engagement done right."

Mayor Kenney has demonstrated commitment to diversity inclusion by reconstituting the Mayor's Commission on Asian American Affairs in 2016. The Commission advises the Mayor on issues pertinent to Asian communities, ensuring diversity and inclusion for Asian communities within city policies, and assists Asian American community organizations in developing strategies and programs to enhance the Asian American community.

"In Philadelphia we know that our diversity makes us stronger," said Mayor Jim Kenney. "This is why it's so important that we have trainings like these for our aging AAPI community here in Philadelphia. When we have opportunities to hear every voice and learn from members of our ethnic and international communities, our city and policies benefit as a whole."

"We are fortunate to have a strong relationship with the City of Philadelphia and community partners," stated Bill Johnston-Walsh, AARP Pennsylvania State Director. "From serving on the Mayor's Commission on Asian American Affairs, to collaborating on how to make Philadelphia a more livable community, we're deeply involved to ensure that Philadelphians are living their best lives."

The conference featured a tour of Chinatown focused on the extensive community infrastructure, presentations by the Governor and Mayor's Asian American & Pacific Islander Commissions, and working sessions to develop strategies for engaging the AAPI community in local cities across the country. According to the U.S. Census, AAPIs are the fastest growing racial group in the U.S. and make up the largest share of recent immigrants. AARP works to provide culturally relevant information and services that appeal to the AAPI community and partnering with the community.

SOURCE AARP Pennsylvania

Related Links

http://www.aarp.org


INDORE, India, September 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines anaesthesia as a reversible state of unconsciousness resulting in lack of pain and muscle relaxation. Anaesthesia monitoring devices, multi parameter patient monitors are used to gauge patient's response on administered anaesthetic drug during surgery. Using anaesthesia monitoring device helps to reduce chances of drug overdose and other risks involved in anaesthesia throughout the surgery such as hallucinations, dementia, seizures, nausea etc. Anaesthesia monitoring devices available in the market are of two configurations, high end workstation and standalone unit. According to National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) USA, on an average, 30 million anaesthetics are administered in USA every year. Anaesthesia devices (monitoring & administering) account for an average of 7% of typical hospital expenditure in USA according to Journal Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology in 2015. Global anaesthesia monitoring device market is projected to rise at CAGR of 12% for the forecast period 2016-2023. Increasing healthcare expenditure, rising number of cosmetic & orthopaedic surgeries, aging population, risk involved in surgery, complications & deaths, and new technology innovations are some of the factors aiding global anaesthesia monitoring device market during the forecasted period. Lack of skilled anaesthetists, high cost of anaesthesia monitoring devices, stringent government regulations are some of the factors hampering global anaesthesia monitoring device market growth during the forecast period of 2016-2023.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161024/431641LOGO )



You can find the detailed description of the report at:

http://www.occamsresearch.com/anaesthesia-monitoring-device-market

Aging population: Growth driver

According to National Institute of Health (NIH) US, by 2050, geriatric population (65 years and above) across the globe is anticipated to reach 1.6 billion (17%) an increase from 8.5% in 2016. Both Europe and Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the centre for aging population till 2025, according to NIH. Geriatric population is generally sensitive to drugs. With aging, body's ability to sustain xenobiotic reaction reduces hence increasing probability of drug reaction. Hence, administering anaesthetic drug to an elderly is often a challenging task as compared to younger counterparts. Germany, Italy, Greece, France, and Netherland are countries with of more than 17% population aged 60 years and above according to British Journal of Surgery (BJS). Moreover, healthcare expenditure amongst Germany (11.1% of GDP), France (11%) and Netherlands (10.8%) remains highest in Europe according to OECD, and is projected to grow at an average 2% per annum. Similarly, elderly population in Asia Pacific is expected increase by 71% by the end of 2020, adding additional 200million people aged 60 years and above according to Oxford Economics Study. China, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, New-Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan are countries anticipated to have more than 18% of their population aged 60 years and above by 2030, according to United Nation Population Division estimate. Increasing healthcare expenditure and rising aging population would drive demand for anaesthesia monitoring devices in Europe. Oxford Economics anticipates cumulative elderly healthcare expenditure from 2015 to 2020 to touch $20 trillion in Asia Pacific. Increasing healthcare expenditure and rising aging population would drive demand for anaesthesia monitoring devices in Europe and Asia Pacific. Increasing number of surgeries of elderly population is likely to supplement demand for anaesthetic monitoring devices. National Survey Ambulatory Surgery USA, anticipates the number of surgeries performed on geriatric population is likely to increase by 12% per annum in the US alone. Cardiothoracic, cardiovascular, neurology, ophthalmology and general cosmetics are some of the common surgeries observed amongst the elderly population. Asia Pacific, North America and Europe leads in number of surgeries performed on geriatric population, according to NCBI. Besides general healthcare operations, demand for cosmetic surgeries amongst geriatric population is increasing every year. According to American Society of Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), in 2016, more than 11% of adults aged 60 years & above underwent some form of cosmetic surgery in USA. International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) predicts cosmetic procedures amongst geriatric population to increase by an average of 10% per annum till 2020 globally. From facts above it is sufficed to say that increasing aging population is likely to drive demand for anaesthetic monitoring devices for the forecasted period.

Asia Pacific: Fastest growing market

Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market for global anaesthetic monitoring device according to OBRC analysis. Increasing healthcare expenditure, demand for quality treatment regime, positive economic outlook and supportive government initiatives, are the prime factors aiding global anaesthetic monitoring device market in Asia Pacific. Healthcare expenditure in Asia Pacific is estimated to reach $2.5trillion by 2019, growing at 9.5% per annum, according to International Society of Pharmacoeconomic and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Increase in healthcare expenditure will be led by India, China, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Both, India and China are lucrative investment destination for anaesthetic monitoring device market. Together, India & China account for over 55% of Asia Pacific's total population according to United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in 2017. Also, healthcare expenditure in India and China together is projected to grow by an average of 9% per annum till 2019. Japan has the highest proportion of geriatric population in the world. In 2016, more than 20% of the total Japanese population comprise of adults aged 60 years and above according to World Health Organization. Moreover, Japan along with South Korea, Chinese Taipei, India, and Australia are leading markets for cosmetic & aesthetic surgery in Asia Pacific according to web editorial Plastic Surgery Practice. ISAPS estimates total number of cosmetic & aesthetic surgeries across Asia Pacific is anticipated to increase by an average 3.8% every year.

About Occams Business Research & Consulting (OBRC):

Occams Business Research & Consulting has been in the business (Market Research) for the past three years. OBRC, based in India, is formed by two women analysts, Shyamal Moghe and Sathya Durga, who started the company after years of working as analysts and project managers for companies such as Frost & Sullivan, Smart Analyst, etc. and have an excellent track record for the best customer satisfaction. You can see their professional profile on LinkedIn:

Shyamal Moghe

Sathya Durga

Website: http://www.occamsresearch.com/

Related reports:

Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) Treatment Devices Market

Global Intrauterine Contraceptive Device Market

Global Respiratory Care Device Market

Global Dental Implants and Prosthetic Market

Global Digital PCR Market

Contact: Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Occams Business Research & Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
PLANO, Texas, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Patients transitioning from hospitals throughout Texas to their homes will be assured of uninterrupted care, thanks to a partnership between At Home Healthcare, one of the largest home healthcare companies in Texas, and Vivify Health, the pioneer and market leader of remote care via mobile devices. At Home Healthcare has selected Vivify as its technology partner for an innovative remote monitoring program for Care Transitions patients, many who suffer from serious chronic disease or have just undergone joint replacement surgery, are newly released from the hospital and receiving care at home.

Already, these patients receive regular visits and check-ins from At Home Healthcare's attentive nursing staff. With the addition of remote patient monitoring kits from Vivify Health, At Home Healthcare can stay aware of the patient's physical condition in near real-time, around the clock, and quickly respond to any clinically relevant variations. In turn, this will help prevent avoidable hospital readmissions and keep patients in the comfort of their own homes.

At Home Healthcare expects this additional layer of care will be a competitive differentiator in a market that is highly dependent on doctor referrals and high patient satisfaction.

"Post-discharge, doctors are understandably concerned about how patients are progressing and adhering to their care plans. With the Vivify remote monitoring platform, our Care Transitions program further assures that these patients experience zero gaps in care and attention," said Michelle Maiorka, Vice President of Business Development and Transitional Care, At Home Healthcare.

She continued, "This is especially important for patients most at risk of readmission. We know that care transitions are particularly vulnerable times for these patients, which is why we are taking additional measures to assure they are continuously monitored by our professional care teams, enabled by the Vivify remote monitoring platform."

How continual monitoring protects high-risk patients

It has become apparent that patients who suffer from chronic disease need more frequent monitoring than periodic visits to their provider, especially right after they transfer home from a stay at the hospital. Patients who have undergone major joint replacement surgery, such as knee or hip replacement, are also at risk of developing complications post-surgery. Because deteriorations in condition can go undetected in between clinician visits, many providers and payers increasingly enroll such patients in home healthcare programs like At Home Health's Care Transitions program, where they receive frequent visits from home health professionals.

Of course, gaps still remain between these visits. To that end, At Home Healthcare has incorporated Vivify Health's remote monitoring platform to close these gaps for good. Each patient receives a remote monitoring kit from Vivify Health that includes a tablet and various wireless health devices, which patients use to track and report biometrics such as weight and heart rate. Also, right from the tablet, patients can request a video chat or "virtual visit," refer to a library of pre-installed educational videos about their condition, and review their care plan instructions.

In the meantime, care providers receive the patient's latest biometric data at scheduled intervals so they can monitor for any anomalies in the patient's condition. Such events can be quickly acted on, often with a mild intervention in the patient's own home that heads off a more acute event, which could end with a hospital admission.

"We are extremely gratified to work with an organization like At Home Healthcare that shares our mission to close every gap in care that exists today. Remote monitoring is a vital component for assuring that at-risk patients experience few, if any, of these gaps. We greatly look forward to working with At Home Healthcare to keep their patients, including those at highest risk, healthier and comfortable in their own familiar surroundings instead of at the hospital," said Robin Hill, Chief Clinical Officer, Vivify Health.

About At Home Healthcare

At Home Healthcare was founded in 1986 and has aggressively been growing ever since. Today, At Home Healthcare is a leading provider of professional home health care services, with 12 offices throughout North, East, Central and Southeast Texas, serving the needs of patients in 110 counties. At Home Healthcare is committed to ensuring children, adults and their families receive necessary care in a familiar home setting. Home care services provide timely intervention for medical problems that may develop in premature infants through mature adults. Care is tailored to each patient's needs using a team of highly skilled Registered Nurses, Licensed Vocational Nurses, therapists and attendants. For more information on our services, please call us today at 1-877 MY NURSE or visit our website at www.athomehealthcare.org.

About Vivify Health

Vivify Health's mobile digital health platform empowers provider organizations to automate remote biometric data collection, deliver prescriptive care plans and interact virtually with patients of all levels of technology expertise. Connecting the care continuum to the home, Vivify Health's customers customize and deliver nearly 100 clinical pathways at any time, on any interval and to any digital device. Vivify Health is implemented in organizations representing over 700 hospitals, measurably transforming healthcare costs and outcomes for the better. For more information, visit www.vivifyhealth.com.

To arrange an interview with Robin Hill, Chief Clinical Officer at Vivify Health, please contact Joy Dinaro, Amendola Communications, 847-809-0406, or [email protected].

SOURCE Vivify Health

Related Links

http://www.vivifyhealth.com


CRANFORD, N.J., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kate Perry, MSc, PsychD, Director of Behavioral Science at Atlantis Healthcare, joined a roster of international experts to speak at the 31st Annual European Health Psychology Society (EHPS) conference, August 29  September 2, in Padova, Italy. Under the theme "Innovative Ideas in Health Psychology," Dr. Perry presented a research review, co-authored with her colleague Dr. Laura Moore, on the use of gamification in supporting self-management behaviors for adults living with chronic physical health conditions.

Gamification is a broad umbrella term used to describe the process of applying gaming elements to engage and motivate people in non-game contexts. The research from Drs. Perry and Moore suggests that while the use of gamification in patient self-management is still in its infancy, it holds promise as a means of enhancing interventions to change health behaviors, including treatment adherence.

"The research indicates that gamification is a technique that is not suited to all patients, and that interventions should not use gamification exclusively, but rather tailor the use of certain elements to patient preference or need," she said. "This is consistent with the research across behavior change that shows a one-size-fits all approach does not work, and that programs need to be tailored to the individual patient to be truly effective."

Future Role for Health Psychology in Gamification

Studies reporting on gamification interventions presented mixed results, and suggested that behavior theory could be used to support the development of more effective interventions. "While the omission of theory in the studies we reviewed could be seen to be problematic, it suggests an exciting role for health psychology and other behavioral sciences to ensure gamification interventions are grounded in theory for a more coherent intervention experience and long-term results. "

According to Dr. Perry, future research needs to assess effectiveness of gamification over the long term, beyond what could be perceived as short-term novelty effects in, for example, reward-based approaches.

Hot Topics: Technology and User-Centered Design

Dr. Perry observed two overarching themes throughout the scientific sessions that offer relevant insights for behavior change interventions in healthcare:

The role of technology in enhancing patient engagement with interventions : e.g., the use of technology to seamlessly tailor content and communication mode to be more personalized to the individual

: e.g., the use of technology to seamlessly tailor content and communication mode to be more personalized to the individual The rise of user-centered or co-designed interventions: e.g., involving patients in all stages of intervention design from concept testing to feasibility pilots to ongoing intervention refinements

"These themes offer key learnings for the design of a broad range of effective interventions in healthcare, including but certainly not limited to gamification," she noted.

For more information and a link to the Poster, visit the News page at atlantishealthcare.com.

About Atlantis Healthcare

Atlantis Healthcare leverages health psychology to develop and deliver uniquely personalized healthcare solutions that drive sustained improvement in treatment adherence and patient self-management across disease states. Led by a team of globally recognized health psychology experts, we use clinically proven models and academic research to develop award-winning behavior change programs worldwide.

About the European Health Psychology Society

The European Health Psychology Society (EHPS) is a professional organization formed to promote empirical and theoretical research in and applications of health psychology within Europe, as well as the interchange of information related to health psychology with other associations throughout the world towards an international achievement of these aims. www.ehps.net

Contact: Fran Kelly, (917)697-6471, [email protected]

SOURCE Atlantis Healthcare

Related Links

http://atlantishealthcare.com


MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Attain, LLC, a leading management, technology, and strategy consulting firm, announced today that it has been recognized as a 2017 Best Firm to Work For by Consulting magazine, the flagship publication of the consulting industry. Attain, which ranked among the top 10 in the categories of culture, career development, and leadership, is featured in the magazine's September issue.

Now in its eleventh year, the Best Firms annual ranking spotlights exceptional firms to work for based on six categories of employee satisfaction. The ranking joins Consulting magazine's other award programs and listsincluding its Fastest Growing Firms for which Attain was ranked #17 in 2016.

"Our ranking among Consulting magazine's 2017 Best Firms to Work For elevates awareness in the market of Attain as a premier consultancy and employer," said Chairman and CEO Greg Baroni. "It's a signal to the market that we understand our people are our greatest asset, that we take care of them, and that we celebrate their successes. We know that when our people are effectively engaged they can have immeasurable impact on improving the lives of those we serve."

Since Attain's inception in 2009, the firm has grown to include over 600 professionals, and with a nationwide presence, Attain's geographic footprint now includes approximately 250 client or office locations across more than 40 states and the District of Columbia. The firm's entrepreneurial culture, rooted in seven core values known as The Attain Way, translates into a collaborative work environment that fosters innovation and new ways of thinking to the benefit of Attain's clients in the government, education, health care, and nonprofit markets.

Organizations ranked on the 2017 Best Firms to Work For list will be honored at a celebration on October 5th in Chicago.

About Attain

Based in McLean, Va., Attain is a leading management, technology and strategy consulting firm comprised of innovative problem solvers who deliver tangible results to address today's complex challenges. Attain's transformative business and IT solutions and services deliver market-leading results to our customers in the government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. For more information, please visit attain.com.

SOURCE Attain, LLC

Related Links

http://attain.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Australia is redesigning its investment and growth strategies with signs of recovery in global markets in 2017. New trends continue to emerge across value chain affecting supply, demand and investment scenarios in the country. Both traditional players and new entrants are revaluating their planned projects with revised estimates.







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05106476







Critical Factors Affecting Strategies

As Australia and global markets move towards rebalancing, the report from OGANALYSIS provides detailed insights into critical short and long term factors set to shape the future of Australia oil and gas markets. The report works as a compulsory guide to companies planning to expand and invest in Australia oil and gas markets in near to medium term future.



Evaluation of Opportunities and Challenges in Short and Long Term

Opportunities and challenges of developing new projects, changing supply- demand scenarios, growth in emerging markets, policy support, new supplies and demand segments, investment benchmarking are discussed in the research.



Role of Australia in Global and Regional Market Front in Current Market Conditions

The role of Australia across different value chain segments in current market conditions, benchmark with peer markets, impact of global dynamics, price impact and market value are evaluated in the report.



Investment and Business Expansion Opportunities in Australia Oil and Gas

Detailed information on planned projects along with their current status, feasibility of commencement, capex required, period of development are detailed.

Asset wise details include- Exploration blocks (on offer and awarded), licensing rounds, major fields set to come online, planned refineries, upgrading, planned storage terminals, planned pipelines, LNG terminals and expansion projects



Outlook Statements and Detailed Supply- Demand Forecasts

Australia oil and gas industry is expected to witness significant changes in supply and demand growth from earlier estimates in sync with new projects and price fluctuations predominantly. In context of this, our senior industry experts provide detailed insights into the outlook of oil, gas and products.



Detailed annual forecasts from 2005 to 2025 are available for-

Production of crude oil, natural gas, gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, LPG and LNG

Demand for crude oil, natural gas, gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, LPG and LNG



Competitive Landscape

For each of the oil and gas segments, leading companies along with their market shares and net weighted production/capacity information is provided. Further, company wise equity weighted capacity is also forecast to 2022 for these segments.

New entrants, key strategies of companies and role of NOCs and IOCs is also detailed. Further, business profiles of three leading oil and gas companies in Australia are also analyzed. Business operations, SWOT Analysis and financial performance of the companies are provided.



Upstream market analysis

Field wise production details- both for oil and gas: 2008-2015

Exploration blocks and field details

Rigs deployed in 2016

Company wise production and market shares, 2015



LNG Market Analysis

Detailed overview

LNG capacity outlook to 2022

New and operational plant infrastructure details

LNG supply/ Demand, capital expenditure outlook

Asset wise and Company wise capacity outlook



Refining Market Analysis

Asset wise CDU, coking, FCC and HCC capacities outlook

Company wise capacities outlook

Operational and planned refinery Asset details



Storage and Transportation Market Analysis

Operational and planned Storage infrastructure details

Asset wise capacity outlook

Company wise capacity outlook

Crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas pipeline infrastructure details



Latest News Landscape

Updates on all recent industry developments and their impact on investors and companies operating in Australia oil and gas industry



Some of the contents might be not available in the report based on country operations.



Reasons To Purchase

 Gain complete market perspective on the country oil and gas value chain

 Evaluate potential opportunities and risks involved in operating and investing in the market

 Drive profitability and growth through reliable information, analysis and detailed outlook statements

 Make optimal decisions by identifying critical factors set to shape the future of your business

 Design successful growth strategies and commercial plans by understanding operations, strategies of leading players

 Stay ahead of your competitors through detailed understanding on current market dynamics

 Gain core insights and peripheral vision through market monitor chapters

 Access to analyst team for 3 working days post purchase of the report



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05106476



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.



https://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com


Yerbic, whose more than 30-year career spans his current position at ATS and several executive positions at Alaska Airlines, received the award because of his commitment to AFA as a previous chairman for two consecutive years and his leadership within the industry and ATS. Known for his collaborative leadership style within his own organization, Yerbic has led rapid growth in ATS, tripling revenues and expanding facilities from under 400,000 square feet in Everett to now nearly 1.3 million feet of space across three states and nine locations. Two acquisitions over the past three years have also strengthened the company's capabilities in the components business and created new platforms for accelerated growth. In 2016, Aviation Week recognized ATS with the MRO (maintenance repair and overhaul) of the Year Award in recognition of the company's system and process innovations that enable turnkey fleet integration of midlife aircraft into their customers' fleets in 58% less time.

"Matt is that one-of-a-kind leader who motivates people by his genuine character and ability to connect to employees by knowing what is most important to them," said ATS Vice President of People Amy Henrichsen. "Matt is not someone who just says that we should put people first because it is the "trendy" thing to say, he truly means it and demonstrates it through his actions and genuine concern for employees. He is passionate about making sure that employees are treated well, have a good environment to work in and have the ability to provide for their families."

Said Yerbic after receiving the award, "It's a great thing to be recognized for doing something you love. I am honored to represent ATS and our employees that make me proud to be a part of it. I am thankful to the AFA for this recognition and look forward to our ongoing work together in shaping the future of aviation in the state of Washington."

About Aviation Technical Services

Aviation Technical Services (ATS) provides a broad and growing portfolio of technical services in MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul), Engineering, Component Repair and Parts Development world-wide. ATS supports both narrow body and wide body aircraft operators in the commercial and military aviation markets. Since its founding in 1970, ATS has received numerous industry awards for its support of turn-key fleet transition and integration, aircraft modifications, aircraft heavy maintenance, design services and component repair of accessories, structures, complex composites, hydraulics, pneumatics, fuel systems and electrical components. ATS is headquartered in Everett, Washington. For more information, visit atsmro.com.

SOURCE Aviation Technical Services

Related Links

http://www.atsmro.com


PETALUMA, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Juno, FrontRow's award-winning classroom sound system now connects to other devices wirelessly via Bluetooth, making it even easier to improve listening in learning spaces.

"Technology overload can be a real problem in classrooms," says Sean Penn, FrontRow's Director of Product Management. "In keeping with FrontRow's mantra of simplicity, it just makes sense to leverage Bluetooth to make teaching and learning even easier."

FrontRow sees Bluetooth as an important addition to its own audio reinforcement technology because media audio is frequently part of instructional content and needs to be heard just as clearly as the teacher and student voices. Computer speakers aren't adequate for this purpose and, until now, connecting that media to a proper classroom sound system required that the source be close enough to the system to run a cable. "Neither of those solutions is ideal in a dynamic, modern learning environment, so Juno with Bluetooth is the perfect solution," says Penn.

Juno with Bluetooth:

Saves time and effort . Easily pair Bluetooth-enabled devices (2 simultaneously active) to stream audio content. Teachers can seamlessly switch between a smartphone and computer (or any two devices) without disconnecting and reconnecting.

. Easily pair Bluetooth-enabled devices (2 simultaneously active) to stream audio content. Teachers can seamlessly switch between a smartphone and computer (or any two devices) without disconnecting and reconnecting. Provides more freedom of movement . Since media connection is wireless, teachers can locate both Juno and their media sources where it makes the most sense.

. Since media connection is wireless, teachers can locate both Juno and their media sources where it makes the most sense. Enriches lesson delivery and content variety . Allows impromptu streaming from Bluetooth-enabled devices, including tablets, phones, and media players and displays.

. Allows impromptu streaming from Bluetooth-enabled devices, including tablets, phones, and media players and displays. Supports expandable learning spaces . Robust signal handles large spaces.

. Robust signal handles large spaces. Enhances student participation. Makes it easy to encourage students to share sound files with the class.

Makes it easy to encourage students to share sound files with the class. Creates a stereo high fidelity sound experience . Every student gets a front row seat to every note and word.

Every student gets a front row seat to every note and word. Allows for a more visually pleasing learning space. Reduces the need for messy cabling.

"Having Juno in the classroom is like having a full-time aide that helps students better connect with and better understand my lessons and instructions," said Heather Sposato, Teacher at Penngrove Elementary School in California. "Now that Juno has Bluetooth, sharing audio from my laptop and Apple TV is much easier, and the students benefit from dynamic lessons; they pay attention to the material better, and I can be anywhere in the room."

Present in over 15,000 schools, FrontRow's classroom audio systems are known for improving student comprehension equally throughout a learning spaceleading to increased engagement and academic performanceas well as helping safeguard teachers' voices, increasing their energy, and effectively curtailing the number of sick days they take due to voice disorders. A basic Juno system comprises an intelligent wireless microphone for the teacher, plus a vertically-arrayed tower that disperses the teacher's voice and media audio to each student evenly across a learning space. Student microphones can be added to enhance participation, confidence-building, and group-activity reporting.

FrontRow's product design philosophy is based on simplicity. The company's products are easy to use and rich with features that make a sizeable impact in any learning environment. "We've already led the way with a smart microphone that, for example, lets teachers use voice commands to start lesson capture, or send an alert with a single button press," says Penn. "We see Bluetooth as a continuation of that focus on simplicity."

The new Bluetooth-enabled Juno will begin shipping in October.

Shareable Images

About FrontRow

FrontRow's technology helps schools communicate effortlessly with students, groups, and devices. Schools choose FrontRow for its easy-to-use products, better academic outcomes, and a safer, more efficient campus. FrontRow is part of the William Demant Groupfounded in 1904 and listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange (CSE3247)through 45 Group companies in over 20 countries, its consolidated sales exceed US$1.9 billion.

About Bluetooth Wireless Technology

Bluetooth technology is the global wireless standard for simple, secure connectivity. Propelled by a global community of nearly 30,000 companies, Bluetooth serves to unify, harmonize, and drive innovation in the vast range of connected devices all around us. Through collective creation and shared technical standards, Bluetooth simplifies, secures and enriches the technology experience of users worldwide. Find out more at www.bluetooth.com.

SOURCE FrontRow

Related Links

http://www.GoFrontRow.com


WELLESLEY, Mass., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Babson College, Xiamen University, and Peking University Press have announced a first-of-its kind, global collaboration to bring Babson's sought-after entrepreneurship education resources to more people in China, by way of translation.

The launch of the 'Babson Faculty Series' will include 10 of the college's top, faculty-authored entrepreneurship education books translated into Chinese.

The first four books will be available in Chinese book stores in all major Chinese cities by the end of September. They will also be used as part of Babson Executive Education programs and initiatives across Asia.

Babson Faculty Series

Available this month

The next round of books will be published by May 2019 in time for Babson's Centennial celebrations.

"At Babson College, we believe that entrepreneurship is a mindset, a way of looking at the world, and that it can be applied in any context, from corporations to startups to NGOs," said Babson College President Kerry Healey in her foreword. "Through this book series, we are excited to share key lessons from renowned Babson faculty members with readers around the world. Our Babson faculty members are global leaders in entrepreneurship education. Their unmatched insights into business and entrepreneurship ensure that Babson remains a pioneer in entrepreneurship education and on the leading edge of research and pedagogy."

At a special event to formally sign the publishing agreement, President Healey was joined by Xiamen University and Peking University Press delegates, Babson Faculty Series authors, Jay Rao, Andrew Zacharakis, and Richard Bliss, Babson Provost Michael Johnson, Babson Executive Education Dean David Abdow, and Managing Director of Babson Executive Education Asian Pacific Regions, John Chen.

Babson Entrepreneurship Education in Asia

Since 1984, Babson Executive Education has pioneered a growing movement to educate entrepreneurial educators worldwide.

Babson's Faculty Training is delivered in regions on and off the Babson campus to faculty and administrators at educational institutions around the world. The curriculum is designed to foster entrepreneurial growth and economic development on institutional, regional, or national levels by preparing educators to teach with an entrepreneurial mindset. Following completion of the program, faculty understand the powerful logic of Entrepreneurial Thought & Action, and how they can teach it and apply it. They also comprehend the entrepreneurial mindset, recognize key processes of teaching entrepreneurship, and appreciate the value of the case study method and the growing popularity of other experiential and action-based methods. Together, they help build a network of like-minded educators who are dedicated to innovation in entrepreneurship education.

"More than 400 Chinese-speaking faculty have participated in our entrepreneurship education programs over the past five years to help spread entrepreneurship across the region," said John Chen, Managing Director of Babson Executive Education Asian Pacific Regions. "We have been working collaboratively with Xiamen University and Peking University Press to launch this Babson Faculty Series so that faculty members in China are fully equipped to go back to their classrooms and teach what they learned from Babson."

To expand on Babson's faculty development programs in Asia, Babson is launching a new faculty development program in June 2018 focused on teaching innovation. Innovation is a highly integrated discipline across an organization. Therefore, this program will develop faculty into multi-dexterous teachers who have both breadth and depth competence in the integration of innovation with strategy and entrepreneurial leadership and culture. Participants will be able to leverage books from the Babson Faculty Series in their teaching after this program.

About Babson Executive Education

Babson Executive Education (BEE), offers a dynamic learning laboratory where faculty and staff work together with corporations, business professionals, educational institutions, governments and NGOs, small business owners and entrepreneurs from around the world to address real-world objectives and challenges. Featuring Entrepreneurial Thought & Action (ET&A), Babson's one-of-a-kind methodology for turning ideas into opportunities, our targeted programs are designed to empower individuals and organizations to be entrepreneurial leaders that create economic and social value globally.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

Media Contact:

Brianna Radicioni

PR Manager

[email protected]

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE Babson College

Related Links

http://www.babson.edu


LONG GROVE, Ill., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BenefitVision is pleased to announce that we are joining forces with U.S. Retirement & Benefits Partners. USRBP is the nation's largest independent K-12 public school and governmental employee benefits and retirement planning services firm, also serving the corporate and non-profit marketplace through 40 partner firms, all in the retirement and/or benefits arena.

"Ron Kleiman is without a doubt a leading pioneer in the communications and delivery of employee benefits. We are proud to call him Partner," said Bob Dughi, Executive Chairman of U.S. Retirement & Benefits Partners. "Through BenefitVision's call center resource in Puerto Rico, BVI-PR, we can expand our bilingual Benefit Representatives' capabilities for all clients," Mark Skinner, President and CEO of USRBP added.

"There are no organizational or personnel changes anticipated because of this merger. BenefitVision will continue to provide the outstanding services we have built our reputation on. The value we see will be in long-term growth and the benefits of expanding valuable administration services to our clients," said Ron Kleiman, CEO of BenefitVision. He continued, "If you would like to know more about the company with which we are locking arms, please take a look at www.USRBPartners.com."

John Resor, President and COO of BenefitVision, said enthusiastically, "We are very pleased to be able to transition our business to an organization with such high qualities as USRBP."

BenefitVision was established in 1994 by Ronald Kleiman, Chief Executive Officer, and has led the industry in designing and developing unique, client-focused employee benefits enrollment and administration programs. Serving mid-to-large employer clients, BenefitVision utilizes dedicated Enrollment Centers in Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico that employ innovative technology to ensure efficient enrollments and superior, personalized service.

BenefitVision delivers its services through offices in Los Angeles, an Enrollment Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and now through BVI-PR located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Contact for journalists:

Virginia Eanes

BenefitVision, Inc.

2690 Commerce Drive, Suite 200

Harrisburg, PA 17110

800.810.2200 Ext 1115

SOURCE BenefitVision, Inc.
BOSTON, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BERG, a biopharmaceutical company that merges biology with technology to map the nature of diseases, today announced the completion of clinical validation for a new predictive diagnostic test that can improve detection of prostate cancer. The new test can minimize unnecessary biopsies to distinguish men with prostate cancer compared to those with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). This new development is the result of BERG's long-standing Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the DoD and USU's Center for Prostate Disease Research that was initiated in late 2013 to develop novel cancer diagnostics. Since its inception, this innovative collaboration has pushed the boundaries of drug target discovery and diagnostics by taking a data-driven approach with the goal of significantly accelerating how clinicians will be able to detect, diagnose and treat cancers. The new prostate diagnostic test will be the first clinical commercial product in the world to be developed with the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

"We are proud of the clinical validation that we have achieved resulting from our collaboration with the DoD, and we are very excited about this new diagnostic test that has the potential to enhance the current approach to prostate cancer screening and detection," and said Niven R. Narain, BERG Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of BERG. "BERG's ongoing collaboration with CPDR has greatly helped advance our clinical validation that will benefit patients in need, and we look forward to expanding our work to further evaluate the clinical benefits of this new biomarker test. This has been a remarkable government-industry collaboration."

Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in American men, and there is a significant unmet need for accurate diagnostic testing.1 Traditionally, the first-line method to screen for the disease begins with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test followed by a digital rectal examination and prostate biopsy. Further, continued use of the PSA test and prostate biopsy places a heavy burden on the patient and healthcare system with over-diagnosis, unnecessary biopsies and increased costs. From 2006-2009, Medicare spent $450 million annually on PSA screening and subsequent diagnostic procedures.2

BERG's new diagnostic test addresses this issue and provides an alternative for clinicians that is more accurate and less invasive. BERG recently published data in the Journal of Molecular Biomarkers & Diagnosis (February 2017, https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/clinical-validation-of-a-serum-protein-panel-flna-flnb-and-krt19-for-diagnosisof-prostate-cancer-2155-9929-1000323.pdf ) demonstrating that their novel serum protein panel of prostate cancer biomarkers, Filamin A and Keratin-19 (FLNA and KRT19) could be used to complement traditional PSA testing for population screening, and could accurately discriminate between prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia. BERG has also published results in Future Science OA (December 2016, http://www.future-science.com/doi/pdf/10.4155/fsoa-2016-0065 ) that described the protein panel through identification of disease-specific biomarkers through a Bayesian learning methodology.



BERG, in collaboration with the CPDR, evaluated a valuable clinical cohort that demonstrated the utility of the prostate cancer panel in the BPH population. "Analysis of CPDR's cohort demonstrated the value of BERG's prostate test in preventing unnecessary biopsies in a patient population that critically needs better tools to assist with treatment decisions," said Michael Kiebish PhD, Chief Precision Medicine Officer of BERG, who led Berg's prostate cancer efforts, "The development of this new diagnostic test guided by BERG's AI technology, helped provide fundamental insight to help improve patient care and prevent overtreatment."

"In the continued research collaboration between BERG and CPDR, we are working together to identify and develop new diagnostic tests that have the potential to significantly improve the quality of patients' lives," said Army Major General (Ret.) Elder Granger, MD and BERG board director. "We are proud of the clinical evidence that has shown improvement in the detection of prostate cancer over standard tests in current use, and in turn, we aim to reduce the frequency of biopsies, and significantly cut down on over-diagnosis and unnecessary overtreatment, which could put patients at unnecessary risk."

"Prostate Cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in men, but current predictive tests have their limitations, exposing a significant unmet need for more accurate detection, especially for benign disease, where unnecessary diagnostic work up could be costly, and may also have a negative impact on the patient," said Albert Dobi, Ph.D., Associate Director, Basic Science Research Program, CPDR.

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

About USU

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (www.usuhs.edu) is the nation's federal health sciences university. USU students are primarily active duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service received specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, preventive medicine, traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, and acute trauma. USU's Center for Prostate Disease Research is a state-of-the-art translational research program that studies prostate cancer and prostate disease in the Military Healthcare System. Since its inception in 1992, the center has developed a comprehensive prostate cancer database within the DoD, with approximately 28,000 prostate subjects enrolled to date. The CPDR is a leading prostate cancer research center credited with ground-breaking discoveries; and a prostate cancer clinical trials center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. For more information, visit www.cpdr.org.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this release are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government. The identification of specific products, scientific instrumentation, or organization is considered an integral part of the scientific endeavor and does not constitute endorsement or implied endorsement on the part of the authors, DoD, or any component agency.

American Cancer Society, Key Statistics of Prostate Cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html Cancer Volume 120, Issue 1, 1 January 2014 , Pages 96102 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.28373/abstract;jsessionid=3569D485D576F798265345E8C7E8F59B.f03t01

Media Contact:

Tola St. Matthew-Daniel

212-880-5385

[email protected]

SOURCE BERG

Related Links

http://www.BERGhealth.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines offers the best elite status program, according to a new study conducted by ThePointsGuy.com, which has 4.6 million monthly unique visitors and is a leading resource for travel news. Alaska came out on top overall and in three of four tiers (all but the highest tier of road warriors, those who fly 125,000+ miles and spend $15,000+ with airlines per year). The report also found that the most frequent flyers get the greatest value from United Airlines. Click here for more information:

http://www.ThePointsGuy.com/best-elite-status

In one of the most comprehensive analyses of its kind, ThePointsGuy.com evaluated the elite status offerings of the six largest U.S.-based airlines in eight categories (weightings in parentheses): in-flight perks (25%), fee waivers (20%), bonuses (20%), airport perks (10%), flexible perks (10%), non-flying perks (5%), partner perks (5%) and reservation perks (5%). The overall ranking came out as follows:

Alaska Airlines United Airlines Delta Air Lines American Airlines JetBlue Airways Southwest Airlines

The elite status programs of these carriers reward frequent flyers with perks like free upgrades to premium economy or first class, free checked bags, bonus points or miles and a streamlined airport experience, all in an effort to earn travelers' repeat business.

Alaska took the #1 overall spot largely because it's the only one of these major carriers that awards frequent flyer miles based on flying rather than spending. Someone who flies 25,000 miles in a year on Alaska and select partners qualifies for Alaska's lowest elite status tier (called Mileage Plan MVP). These MVP members enjoy a 50% bonus on miles, so a 25,000-mile flyer is gifted an additional 12,500 miles, which ThePointsGuy.com values at $237.50.

Alaska's competitors fall woefully behind in the low-tier category thanks to their revenue-based schemes for awarding miles. The three legacy carriers (United, American and Delta) give their lowest-level elite travelers an extra two miles per dollar spent, so $3,000 in spending (a good comparison for 25,000 miles flown on Alaska) only yields 6,000 bonus miles. These are worth $90 on United, $84 on American and $72 on Delta, according to ThePointsGuy.com. JetBlue and Southwest don't even offer elite status to this type of traveler.

For middle-tier elites (50,000 miles flown/$6,000 spent annually), Alaska came out on top by an even larger margin. Once passengers hit 50,000 miles per year on Alaska, their bonus jumps to 100%, so a 50,000-mile windfall is valued at a whopping $950. Alaska also waives all change and cancellation fees for middle-tier elites and grants them four one-way upgrades from economy to first class. These can be transferred to other people, even when they're traveling separately.

It's a similar story for top-tier elites (75,000 miles flown/$9,000 spent annually). Alaska finally got knocked off its perch when ThePointsGuy.com examined the highest class of road warriors (125,000 miles flown/$15,000 spent annually). United won this category thanks to a combination of benefits, including 12 premier upgrades (six regional and six global), enhanced award availability and complimentary food and drinks. Alaska came in fourth among the most frequent flyers.

"As great as it feels to be upgraded to first class for free, some of the more intangible elite status perks can be even more rewarding," said Nick Ewen, an analyst at ThePointsGuy.com. "For example, airlines often move their most loyal customers to the front of the standby list or even get them a confirmed seat on an otherwise oversold flight. That could make the difference between getting home to your family versus spending the night stranded in the airport."

The Interactive Tool: Adjust the Number to Match Your Lifestyle

ThePointsGuy.com has also developed a helpful online tool that lets consumers input their typical flying and spending levels  and adjust the weighting of the eight criteria  to see which elite status program is best for their individual situation:

http://www.ThePointsGuy.com/best-elite-status

More casual travelers, who fly less than 25,000 miles or spend less than $3,000 with airlines each year, may be better off choosing the right credit card than chasing elite status. All of the major airlines offer co-branded credit cards and perks including free checked bags, priority boarding and discounted in-flight purchases. ThePointsGuy.com includes card recommendations for all six airlines.

About The Points Guy:

ThePointsGuy.com (TPG) is a trusted travel and lifestyle media platform. Launched in 2010 by founder Brian Kelly, TPG consists of an expert team of travel editors, searching around the clock for the latest deals and breaking industry news. Updated multiple times daily, TPG's ability to cut through the noise and provide useful and applicable advice has established us as an industry leader. With 4.6 million monthly unique visitors and over 2.1 million followers across our social platforms, TPG is the ultimate authority in maximizing travel and minimizing spending. Brian has been featured in over 100 publications and news outlets including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, The Los Angeles Times, The Independent, CNN and The Today Show, among others. He has presented at various travel conferences including the LA Times and New York Times Travel Shows and the annual Chicago Frequent Flyer Seminars.

Follow The Points Guy on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @ThePointsGuy

For More Information:

Ted Rossman

Public Relations Director

[email protected]

917-368-8635

SOURCE ThePointsGuy.com

Related Links

http://www.ThePointsGuy.com/best-elite-status


The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy honored Foundation for Louisiana, Groundswell Fund, Meyer Memorial Trust and Solutions Project at the 2017 NCRP Impact Awards for their leadership, innovation and commitment in helping solve the country's most pressing challenges.

"We watch for when funders do it right," said Jeanne Isler, vice president and chief engagement officer at NCRP. "And we believe that by highlighting when funders do it right, they can persuade other funders on the best ways to be on our joint mission of making our communities more equitable, more fair and more just."

Relevant, high-impact philanthropy

Flozell Daniels, Jr., chief executive of Foundation for Louisiana, accepted on behalf of FFL the "Mover and Shaker" Award for using its influence and expertise to help pass historic criminal justice reform legislation. He expressed a call for urgency.

"The challenge is in the moment. The time is always now," said Daniels, Jr.

Groundswell Fund's executive director, Vanessa Daniel, recognized those on the frontlines as she accepted the "Smashing Silos" Award for her organization's intersectional approach to supporting the reproductive justice movement.

"We dedicate this award to our grantees who transgress issue silos every day, the radical queers in Arizona working for health care and immigrant rights, the Black women in Pittsburgh fighting for environmental justice and abortion care, the Native women on the reservation demanding contraception access and birthing justice," said Daniel.

Doug Stamm, chief executive of Meyer Memorial Trust, talked about the foundation's "equity journey" to improve the foundation's impact as he accepted the "Changing Course" Award for incorporating stakeholder feedback on behalf of Meyer.

"Recognizing we didn't have the answers, we engaged thousands of Oregonians from the nonprofit sector and marginalized communities to help reshape and establish our strategic focus," said Stamm, "Today, we have emerged, thanks to the advice and direction of leaders from marginalized communities, as a strong social justice funder, advocate and ally committed to lifting up the voices of communities we work with. It has deeply impacted who we are and every aspect of our operations."

In a recorded video message, actor-activist Mark Ruffalo thanked NCRP and the staff of Solutions Project, an organization he co-founded in 2011, which received the "Get Up, Stand Up" Award for its rapid-response funding to indigenous efforts against the Dakota Access Pipeline in Standing Rock.

"The idea of a philanthropy that is immediate, responsive and ends up doing the most amount of good in the quickest amount of time seems like a reasonable thing to want but really radical at its core," said Ruffalo. "I really appreciate you giving us the award and shining the spotlight on the good work that we've been able to accomplish.  We've all seen the results of it. It's profound. It honors our most precious commodity  human life."

Sarah Shanley Hope, executive director of Solutions Project, personally accepted the award, noting the urgency to get funding where it's needed.

"We knew  Mark, our funders, staff and board  that this shift of resources was the most important action we could take as an organization because that's where we saw real change happening and not nearly enough resources flowing," said Shanley Hope. "Investing boldly, quickly and in real relationship with those at the frontlines of the most complex problems  like dirty energy's damage to our bodies and climate - is also an investment at the frontlines of the most innovative solutions."

An urgent call to action

Saket Soni, executive director of the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice and the National Guestworker Alliance, offered a stirring call asking grantmakers to step up support for the many groups and activists from across the country that have ramped up their fight against injustice, inequities and hate in our communities. Soni described how earlier in the day he had a call with leaders of the relief efforts in the communities effected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma to share lessons learned from his experience with Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

"We held meetings with workers who described indignities and cruelties that were unimaginable in the 21st century," said Soni. "But what was most surprising was that, even in the midst of that, they described their dreams."

He shared a quote from his mentor, Dr. Vincent Harding: "We are citizens of a country that is yet to be born. Our fight brings about its existence."

Profiles on the 2017 NCRP Impact Awardees are available on NCRP's website. The full program, including remarks from each awardee, may be viewed on NCRP's Facebook page. Photos from the reception are also available.

The 2017 NCRP Impact Awards was held in conjunction with the CHANGE Unity Summit in New Orleans.

About NCRP

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy amplifies the voice of nonprofits and the communities they serve in the philanthropic sector. Through research and advocacy, it works to ensure that grantmakers and donors contribute to the creation of a fair, just and equitable world.

Since 2013, NCRP has awarded 19 Impact Awards to grantmakers in recognition of support, leadership and partnership with grassroots organizations and community leaders around LTGBTQ rights, minimum wage, environmental justice, health equity and other critical issues. A full list of past NCRP Impact Awardees are available on www.ncrp.org.

SOURCE National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

Related Links

http://www.ncrp.org


BJ's grant to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey is part of BJ's Charitable Foundation's $1 million donation to Feeding America , the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. The Community FoodBank of New Jersey is one of nine local food banks to benefit from BJ's $1 million donation, which is the foundation's largest single donation to any organization to date.

"BJ's is bringing a fresh approach to nourishing communities and helping families thrive, and we're proud to support the Community FoodBank of New Jersey," said Kirk Saville, executive director of the BJ's Charitable Foundation. "No one should have to worry about where to get their next meal, and we know that food banks face challenges in storing and distributing perishable foods. Our strategic partnership with Feeding America is focused on building capacity for fresh food at local food banks so we can work together to put an end to hunger in our communities."

With BJ's $100,000 grant, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey will purchase equipment, including freezers, refrigerators and refrigerated storage containers, to expand the cold storage capacity of partner agencies and increase the distribution of perishable food. This equipment will help advance the shared goal of the FoodBank and its partners to get more fresh, nutritious food, including produce, dairy and lean proteins, to food insecure communities across New Jersey.

As the state's largest anti-hunger and anti-poverty organization, the FoodBank distributes more than 50 million pounds of food to over 1,000 nonprofit programs and partner agencies every year.

"We seek to fill the emptiness caused by hunger with food, help and hope, and we're grateful to have BJ's support in finding long-term solutions for hunger relief," said Debra Vizzi, president and CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. "Because of BJ's generous donation, more than one dozen of our partners will now have equipment to store and distribute more fresh, nutritious food that will reach people facing hunger in their communities."

The agencies benefiting from the grant include: Buddies of New Jersey, Inc. and Meals With A Mission in Bergen County; Allen Village CDC, Bethlehem French SDA Church, Manna From Heaven Food Pantry and The Kingdom Experience Church in Essex County; Secaucus Food Pantry and The Building Blocks of NJ in Hudson County; Salvation Army Dover and St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Morris County; Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Passaic County; and Manna From Heaven Food Pantry and St. John The Apostle Church in Union County.

Since 2009, BJ's has provided ongoing support to Feeding America through the BJ's Charitable Foundation and BJ's Feeding Communities program, helping local food banks successfully expand their programs to reach wider and more diverse audiences.

In addition to capacity building grants from the BJ's Charitable Foundation, BJ's has secured over 50 million pounds of donated food, including fresh produce, frozen meats and fish, baked goods and dairy items through the BJ's Feeding Communities program.

About BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.

Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's is the leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 215 clubs and 133 BJ's Gas locations in 16 states.

BJ's provides a one-stop shopping destination filled with top-quality, leading brands, including its exclusive Wellsley Farms and Berkley Jensen brands, along with USDA Choice meats, premium produce and delicious organics, many in supermarket sizes. BJ's is also the only major membership warehouse club to accept all manufacturers' coupons and, for greater convenience, offers the most payment options.

Visit www.BJs.com, and for exclusive content find us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

BJ's is wholly owned by affiliates of Leonard Green & Partners, CVC Capital Partners and its management team.

About Community FoodBank of New Jersey

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, a member of Feeding America, provides people across the state with food, help and hope. The FoodBank distributed over 50 million pounds of food last year to its more than 1,000 community partners including pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, mobile pantries, and child and senior feeding programs. More than 4.7 million times a year, someone in need is fed by the FoodBank's network of partners. For our neighbors, especially families, and for the volunteers and donors who support them, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey is the powerful change agent that fills the emptiness caused by hunger with the basic human essentials people need to survive.

About Feeding America

Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 46 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry.

SOURCE BJ's Wholesale Club

Related Links

http://www.bjs.com


ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bloomberg Law today announced the availability of a new series of analytic reports which enable corporate counsel and law firm attorneys to mitigate the risk of litigation and sanctions, navigate a dynamic regulatory landscape, and stay ahead of emerging trends in corporate, banking, transactional, and securities law. These reports are available to all current Bloomberg Law subscribers and synthesize state and federal enforcement trends and U.S. and international financial and market data in user-friendly, intuitive charts and graphs. For example, new analytics about shareholder activism that illustrate the wide-ranging effects of investor demands on targeted public companies are available online at http://on.bna.com/7ZpD30fbNBm.

Bloomberg Law's analytic reports also track the latest enforcement actions from federal regulatory bodies including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Also monitored are state and federal enforcement of anti-money laundering activities. The analytics identify past enforcement trends and developments, helping attorneys predict likely future outcomes for clients in similar situations.

Bloomberg Law also offers analytic reports on trends and developments in the corporate and transactional space. These reports cover SEC no-action letters, shareholder activism data, and U.S. & European IPO data and merger and acquisition activity. The majority of the reports leverage Bloomberg Terminal data to deliver the most recent intelligence from the global corporate and financial markets. These reports help attorneys stay abreast of developments related to corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings so they can more confidently advise their clients on market-based trends.

"Thanks to our ongoing investments in data, content and technology, we continue to add a wealth of innovative analytics to the Bloomberg Law platform," said Alex Butler, Vice President & General Manager of Corporate, Tech & IP for Bloomberg Law. "These new reports help attorneys quantify and manage risk so that they can make data-driven decisions that are informed by new perspectives regarding key issues they face. And Bloomberg Law's news, data and editorial teams interpret the information contained in the reports, providing expert insights and accompanying practical guidance on how to take action."

About Bloomberg BNA

Bloomberg BNA provides legal, tax, compliance, government affairs and government contracting professionals with critical information, practical guidance, and workflow solutions. We leverage leading technology and a global network of experts to deliver a unique combination of news and authoritative analysis, comprehensive research solutions, innovative practice tools, and proprietary business data and analytics. Bloomberg BNA is an affiliate of Bloomberg L.P., the global business, financial information and news leader. For more information, visit www.bna.com.

About Bloomberg Law

Bloomberg Law helps legal professionals provide world-class counsel with access to actionable legal intelligence in a business context. Bloomberg Law delivers a unique combination of practical guidance, comprehensive primary and secondary source material, trusted content from Bloomberg BNA, news, time-saving practice tools, market data and business intelligence. For more information, visit www.bna.com/bloomberglaw.

SOURCE Bloomberg BNA

Related Links

http://www.bna.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, reminds investors in Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. ("Blue Apron" or the "Company") (NYSE: APRN) of the October 16, 2017 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company.

If you invested in Blue Apron stock or options pursuant and/or traceable to the Company's initial public offering on or about June 29, 2017 (the "IPO") and/or on the open market between June 29, 2017 and August 9, 2017 and would like to discuss your legal rights, click here : www.faruqilaw.com/APRN. There is no cost or obligation to you.

You can also contact us by calling Richard Gonnello toll free at 877-247-4292 or at 212-983-9330 or by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

CONTACT:

FARUQI & FARUQI, LLP

685 Third Avenue, 26th Floor

New York, NY 10017

Attn: Richard Gonnello, Esq.

[email protected]

Telephone: (877) 247-4292 or (212) 983-9330

The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of all those who purchased Blue Apron securities pursuant and/or traceable to the Company's IPO and/or on the open market between June 29, 2017 and August 9, 2017. The case, Speiser v. Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. et al, No. 1:17-cv-06517 was filed on August 25, 2017, and has been assigned to Judge Louis Lee Stanton.

The lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by making materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failing to disclose that: (1) rather than continue to significantly increase spending on advertising, the Company had decided to significantly reduce spending on advertising in Q2 2017; (2) the Company was already experiencing adverse on-time in-full rates, meaning orders were not arriving on time or with all the ingredients needed, which was hurting customer retention; (3) the Company had experienced delays in Q2 2017 with its new factory in Linden, New Jersey; (4) existing and already-materialized delays at the aforementioned factory was resulting in additional delays in new product rollouts; (5) the delays being experienced by the Company would hurt the Company's bottom line in the near-term; (6) the Company was unable to fully execute its new product initiatives; and (7) Blue Apron had already decided it would be forced to change its strategic approach in managing its business for the remainder of 2017.

Specifically, on August 10, 2017, the Company disclosed that it had encountered delays associated with its new factory in Linden, New Jersey. The Company further revealed that these factory delays were leading to additional delays in new product rollouts, which in turn impeded the Company's ability to gain new customers and retain existing customers.

Following these disclosures, Blue Apron's share price declined from $6.24 on August 9, 2017, to a closing price of $5.14 on August 10, 2017  a $1.10 or a 17.63% drop, and an approximately 50% decline from the Company's IPO price of $10.

The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not.

Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Blue Apron's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others.

Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner.

SOURCE Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP

Related Links

http://www.faruqilaw.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- "Bronze market is projected to reach USD 10.08 billion by 2022."

The bronze market was valued at USD 8.76 billion in 2017 and is projected to reach USD 10.08 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 2.8% between 2017 and 2022. Factors such as high corrosion resistance properties and growing demand from marine and automotive industries are driving the bronze market. The rising demand for bronze from Europe and Asia Pacific is also expected to drive the market. The major restraint in the growth of the bronze market is regulations on the use of lead in bronze products.







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05106679







"Based on type, the aluminum bronze segment is expected to witness the highest growth from 2017 to 2022."

Based on type, the aluminum bronze segment is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period, owing to its intrinsic properties such as high corrosion resistance and strength.



Aluminum bronze is an important engineering material and is widely used in different end-use industries such as marine, aerospace, and industrial. It is designed to be used in extreme environments such as marine and underwater applications, and in the manufacturing of components that are used in seawater systems, oil & gas platforms, and desalination plants. The growing demand for aluminum bronze from different end users is one of the main factors fueling the growth of the global bronze market.



"Industrial is projected to be the largest end user segment of the bronze market."

Based on end user, the bronze market has been segmented into industrial, marine, infrastructure & construction, automotive, electrical & electronics, aerospace & defense, and others. Industrial is projected to be the largest end user segment, owing to the increasing use of bronze-based products in industrial engineering and manufacturing plants.



Bronze has excellent tensile strength, ductility, weldability, and resistance to fatigue and wear, which increase its suitability for industrial engineering. It is used to manufacture bearings, valve components, high strength clamps, bushings, and wearplate. The rising use of bronze in various applications is fueling the growth of the bronze market.



"Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest market for bronze during the forecast period."

Asia Pacific is projected to lead the bronze market from 2017 and 2022. This region is a major market for bronze, which is in demand from various end users such as industrial, marine, infrastructure & construction, automotive, electrical & electronics, aerospace & defense, etc. The demand for bronze is increasing in various countries of the Asia Pacific region such as India, Japan, and South Korea.



Breakdown of the profile of primary participants:

 By Company Type: Tier 1  12%, Tier 2  38%, and Tier 3  50%

 By Designation: C Level  25%, Director Level  12%, and Others  63%

 By Region: Europe  17%, Asia Pacific  25%, North America  25%, and RoW 33%



Major companies profiled in this report include Lebronze Alloys (France), Diehl Metall Stiftung & Co. KG (Germany), Wieland Metals Inc. (US), KME Germany GMBH & Co. KG (Germany), LDM B.V. (Netherlands), Concast Metal Products Co. (US), National Bronze & Metals, Inc. (US), PMX Industries Inc. (US), Ningbo Boway Alloy Material Co Ltd (China), Ningbo Xingye Shengtai Group Co., Ltd (China), etc.



Research Coverage

This report offers an overview of market trends, drivers, and challenges with respect to the bronze market. It also provides a detailed overview of the market across five regions, namely, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Middle East & Africa, and South America. The report categorizes the bronze market based on type, end user, and region. A detailed analysis of leading players, along with key growth strategies adopted by them has also been covered in the report.



Reasons to buy the report

This report covers the following key aspects:

 What will be the market size by 2022 and what will be the growth rate?

 What are the key market trends?

 What are the factors that are expected to drive the growth of the market?

 What are the challenges that impact market growth?

 Who are the key players in the market?

 The global report covers key regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America including major countries in these regions such as the US, China, India, Germany, and Brazil.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05106679



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.



https://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com


ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) has honored Bruce Cornutt, president of Alabama-based Lyons HR's HRO division, with the 2017 Michaeline A. Doyle Award for his leadership and outstanding contributions to the PEO industry. The award is given annually to an individual who has provided exemplary leadership and service in devoting time and energy to NAPEO efforts and whose business philosophy is to improve the industry while improving his or her PEO at the same time. The award was presented on September 7, 2017, during the association's 2017 Annual Conference & Marketplace in Orlando.

"Bruce is knowledgeable, engaged and passionate about NAPEO efforts at all levels. He is a steady voice for the industry," said NAPEO President and CEO Pat Cleary. "Bruce devotes his time and expertise to advancing the industry's and the association's goals. I have never known Bruce to say 'no' when someone asks for his help."

Cornutt currently serves on NAPEO's Board of Directors; Finance, Audit & Oversight Committee and State Government Affairs Committee. He began his career in the PEO industry in 1996, serving as Business Development Manager for two PEO's prior to joining The Hancock Management Group (THMG) as Director of Sales in 2002. He became Sr. Vice President of Business Development and a partner in THMG in 2008. In 2010, THMG was acquired by Lyons HR. He was named President of the HRO Division of Lyons HR in 2010.

About NAPEO:

The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) is the Voice of the PEO Industry, with a membership of 300 PEOs of all sizes and 250 industry service partners. PEOs provide payroll, benefits, regulatory compliance assistance, and other HR services to small and mid-sized companies. Through PEOs, the employees of small businesses gain access to employee benefits such as 401(k) plans; health, dental, life, and other insurance; dependent care; and other benefits typically provided by large companies. PEOs provide services to between 156,000 to 180,000 businesses employing between 2.7 and 3.4 million people and generate between $136 and $156 billion in gross revenues annually. For more information about the PEO industry and NAPEO, please visit www.napeo.org.

SOURCE National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO)

Related Links

http://www.napeo.org


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Love coffee but hate the hassle? You're not alone. Whether you are commuting, cramming for an exam or catching up with friends, coffee is an essential food group. Now, HOTSHOT, an innovative company that got an initial jolt from an appearance on ABC's Shark Tank, is bringing HOT canned coffee to caffeine deprived consumers. Yes, we said HOT COFFEE IN A CAN!!

HotShot HOT coffee in a CAN HotShot HOT Coffee in a CAN

HOT coffee in a ready-to-drink can is not a new concept -- in fact in Japan, it is a $15B industry. Entrepreneur Danny Grossfeld was on a trip to Japan when he reached into what he thought was a cooler to grab a can of iced coffee. Much to his surprise, the can was HOT-- and ready to drink. Grossfeld launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring a version of the Japanese product to U.S. consumers, which caught the eye of Shark Tank producers.

While Grossfeld didn't get an initial deal, the show's visibility helped secure private investment and generated significant consumer interest. "The Shark Tank appearance was not only one of the most stressful but also valuable experiences of my life," said Grossfeld. "At the end of the day, the process made sure my business plan was flawless and the visibility has generated thousands of inquiries. It has been a great platform from which to launch."

Did we say it was HOT Coffee in a CAN?

Initially available in Black, French Vanilla and Hot Chocolate, the coffee (made from 100% Arabica beans) is served in aluminum cans (made of 70% recycled content) that are warmed to 140 degrees -- which is the perfect temperature to drink premium coffee by a custom-designed HotBox. The HotBox uses innovative patented heating technology to keep HOTSHOT at 140 degrees day and night, while being energy efficient.

A revolutionary insulated label, not unlike a drink cozy, keeps your coffee HOT and your hands cool. When opened, the cans emit steam and the fresh-brewed aroma expected from a delicious cup of coffee. Additional flavors such as Green Tea, Hot Apple Cider and Cappuccino are planned.

Single Starter kits, consisting of a hot box, plus 12 8-ounce cans of any flavor coffee are available for $99.99. Or, parents or grandparents looking for a gift for their favorite dorm room dweller can choose a Subscription Package, which includes an initial shipment of a hot box, plus 24 8-ounce cans of any flavor coffee ($129.99). Then automatically every month, 24 cans arrive for $70, including free shipping. Packages can be customized to reflect flavor preferences and subscriptions can be cancelled at any time.

For additional information, check us out on Facebook or www.drinkhotshot.com. Hi- res images are available.

Contact: Laura B Peet

PeetCom Inc.

[email protected]

(917) 860-6285

SOURCE HotShot LLC

Related Links

http://www.drinkhotshot.com


This new agreement brings Tikun Olam's premium cannabis products, years of proprietary, peer-reviewed scientific research and unprecedented clinical data collection to four additional MMJ-legal U.S. states, its most expansive agreement to date. Tikun Olam and MariMed's relationship began in 2015 with a pilot program in Delaware and marked the first time that U.S. patients had access to the world's only cannabis strains proven to deliver symptomatic relief for specific conditions including cancer, PTSD, epilepsy, Crohn's Disease/Colitis, chronic pain and neuropathy to name a few.

"After the great success of our program in Delaware, MariMed is excited to bring Tikun to our expanding national network of legal cannabis production and dispensary facilities," says Robert Fireman, CEO of MariMed Inc. "Tikun Olam's empirical data on clinical effectiveness is unsurpassed, and we look forward to educating healthcare professionals and offering Tikun's products to tens of thousands of new patients nationwide."

MariMed will introduce Tikun's exclusive strains and products in state-of-the-art, regulatory compliant and fully operational cultivation and medical marijuana dispensaries in Rhode Island, Maryland, Massachusetts and Illinois in 2018. Tikun products will be available in flower, vape cartridges, topicals, tinctures and edibles utilizing at least six Tikun branded strains, including its world-renowned Avidekel high-CBD strain. In addition to Delaware, Tikun products have launched in Nevada (March 2017) and are expected to launch Washington (November 2017).

"Tikun Olam is delighted to expand our relationship with MariMed," says Tikun CEO Bernard Sucher. "MariMed utilizes the "best practices" and standards for cultivation and production and their qualified distribution channels allow us to bring our proven wellness products to more U.S. patients than ever before."

About Tikun Olam

Tikun Olam ("repair the world" in Hebrew) is the world's leading cannabis brand and globally recognized as the pioneer of modern medical cannabis. Operating as a commercial venture for over 10 years, Tikun Olam's products have been used since 2010 in ongoing clinical trials in Israel's regulated medical cannabis market, treating over 10,000 patients for a variety of symptoms of medical conditions such as Cancer, PTSD, AIDS, epilepsy, Crohn's Disease/Colitis, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, chronic pain and neuropathy. Through this access to patients, medical personnel and data collection, Tikun Olam has developed multiple proprietary strains, including the first-ever, high-CBD, "high-less" strain Avidekel, its popular high-THC strain Alaska, and its "one-to-one" CBD/THC strain Midnight. Tikun Olam's U.S. operations, established in 2015 as T.O. Global LLC, is a joint venture with Tikun Olam Ltd. (Israel). Tikun Olam also operates similar partnerships in Canada (TSX: LEAF), Australia, Germany and South Africa, all in support of its global mission to educate the traditional medical community and its patients on the applications of cannabis as a scientifically proven wellness product. Visit www.tikunolamusa.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About MariMed

MariMed is an industry leading professional management company in the emerging cannabis industry. Marimed designs, develops, operates, funds, and optimizes medical cannabis cultivation, production, and dispensary facilities. MariMed's team has developed state-of-the-art, regulatory-compliant legal cannabis facilities in multiple states. These facilities are models of excellence in horticultural principles, cannabis production, product development, and dispensary operations. MariMed is on the forefront of precision-dosed cannabis medicine for the treatment of specific medical conditions. MariMed's branded products, such as Kalm Fusion, are being licensed and distributed in legal cannabis states across the country. For additional information, visit www.MarimedAdvisors.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to MariMed Inc. (the "Company") that are based on the current beliefs of the Company's management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain assumptions, including those described in this release. Should one or more of these underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as "should," "could," "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "plan," "might," "potentially" or "expect." The Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Tikun Olam

Related Links

http://www.tikunolamusa.com


MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, October 24, 2017, at approximately 4:05 p.m. Eastern Time, Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) will release its Third Quarter 2017 earnings results. Additionally, the company will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to review financial and operating performance for the quarter ending September 30, 2017.

The call will be webcast live and the earnings release will be available on the company's homepage at www.capitalone.com. A replay of the webcast will be available 24 hours a day, beginning two hours after the conference call, until 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 7, 2017, through the company's homepage.

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., had $239.8 billion in deposits and $350.6 billion in total assets as of June 30, 2017. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has branches located primarily in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Visit the Capital One newsroom for more Capital One news.

SOURCE Capital One Financial Corporation

Related Links

http://www.capitalone.com


MEXICALI, Mexico, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With a series of regional and international events, CETYS University, ranked among the top universities in Mexico, will celebrate the 56th anniversary of its founding from September 20 to 22 at its three campuses in Mexicali, Tijuana and Ensenada. Higher education leaders and influencers will discuss innovation in education and the construction of bridges between nations through international institutional partnerships.

"Since 1961, CETYS has distinguished itself by a vision of a high-quality global education. We are an institution committed to providing our students the tools they need to become socially responsible global leaders. This year we celebrate another milestone in this journey, as we continue to prepare for the future," said CETYS president Dr. Fernando Leon Garcia.

The three-day event will begin on Wednesday, September 20 at Mexicali Campus, with an inauguration ceremony presided over by the academic community, government and business leaders, as well as alumni, which leads to a keynote and question and answer session by the renowned Mexican-American journalist and author, Jorge Ramos.

Ramos will travel to the border city to discuss what it takes to be successful in the United States, and how Mexico has no borders in exporting world-class talented and educated individuals. He will also give his perspective on the current relationship between Mexico and the United States and how, in these changing times, it is even more important to build bridges and understanding.

As a continuation of its Innovation Series which began last year with the International Seminar on Innovation in Higher Education, CETYS will host three panels, one on each campus:

"Innovation in Global Engagement" to be held in Mexicali on September 20

on "Student Success and Retention Strategies: Practical Advice and Best Practice Recommendations" in Ensenada on September 21

on "Innovation in Accreditation" on September 22 in Tijuana

Also, at the Tijuana Campus, on Friday, September 22, the celebrations will open with a re-accreditation ceremony by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), which in 2012 made CETYS the first university outside of the United States to be accredited by this organization. As part of the accreditation process, institutions have to have evidence of:

Commitment to Student Learning and Success

Commitment to Quality and Improvement

Commitment to Institutional Integrity, Sustainability, and Accountability

This re-accreditation, according to President Leon-Garcia, "confirms our commitment to quality and continuous improvement, which contributes to the education of globally competitive citizens. CETYS is pleased that we once again meet the stringent requirements of accreditation."

"Through these events, CETYS University further strengthens its commitment to the academic community and to society, and looks forward to continuing with these international collaborations to drive innovation, and therefore, cultural and economic growth in Mexico and the world," stated Leon-Garcia.

About CETYS:

CETYS is ranked among the top universities in Mexico and is climbing the ladder of international recognition. With bilingual and dual-degree programs, CETYS is innovative and expects academic, as well as moral, excellence from its students. Further, CETYS location in Baja California, a region ripe with innovation, is a major draw. With a population of just over 3 million, and proximity to important cities in the United States, like San Diego, the state has 32 major universities and offers over one hundred professional degrees. The region also has an incredible tech ecosystem, with major technology parks focused on research and development.

CETYS University is the first Mexican university accredited by WASC, (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) and boasts alliances with more than 80 international universities, including: UCSD, USD, City University of Seattle and National University. CETYS already serves a diverse population from Southern California, where students from the U.S. border region commute to CETYS in pursuit of an international quality education. By 2020 CETYS University aims to be the educational institution with the best MBA program in Latin America, with a focus on entrepreneurship and in Engineering, with a focus on Innovation and Design.

SOURCE CETYS University

Related Links

http://www.cetys.mx/en


PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Northwell Health's Cohen Children's Medical Center have been approved for a $8.5 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study how to improve quality of life for youth with sickle cell disease as they transition to adult care.

The study will assess the effectiveness of two support interventions in providing self-management tools to enhance the transition from pediatric to adult health care providers for youth 17 years and older with sickle cell disease. The research team will compare the interventions  a six-month community health worker program and a mobile health application  to usual care to see if these tools improve the patients' ability to care for themselves, stay connected with their doctors, avoid visits to the emergency room, and, ultimately, experience better quality of life.

"While transitioning to the adult health care system is difficult to navigate for many youth and their families, those with chronic conditions and complex medical needs face particularly challenging barriers," said Dr. David Rubin, director of PolicyLab and medical director of population health at CHOP. "We've heard from youth with sickle cell disease and their families that the transition of their care is their greatest concern, beyond their health. With this study, we're seeking to understand what tools we can provide outside of the doctor's office so these patients feel actively involved in the transfer of their health care."

Sickle cell disease is a group of genetic red blood cell disorders that causes severe pain and anemia, increases risk for infections, and damages organs throughout the body. The disease usually presents in childhood; approximately 100,000 Americans are living with the disease today. Young adults with sickle cell disease experience a seven-fold increase in mortality rates during the years that they transition to adult care.

"Although young people with sickle cell disease are more likely than ever to live into adulthood, we know that their transition to adult health care is often accompanied by loss of insurance coverage, a decrease in the quality of life, and other challenges that endanger their health," said Dr. Kim Smith-Whitley, director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at CHOP. "As a pediatrician who specializes in sickle cell disease, I want to know what are the best tools that I can provide my patients so that when they progress out of the children's hospital, they are supported and empowered to manage their care."

"We've done a lot of research on what are the types of interventions  namely around youth community health workers and mobile health interventions  that could assist young adults with sickle cell disease in their transition to adult care. Now, we're excited to continue partnering with these young adults to learn which of these tools work best for them," said Dr. Sophia Jan, chief of general pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center and medical director of Northwell Health's Health Homes Serving Children. "What we learn will not only help patients make informed decisions and feel more prepared for the transition from pediatric to adult care, but provide everyone involved in patients' well-being  their families, pediatric and adult health care providers, health systems and policymakers  with better tools and more knowledge to build a successful model for transition of care for all youth with complex medical needs."

This study was selected for funding through a PCORI funding announcement specifically focused on comparing different ways to manage the transition of people with sickle cell disease from pediatric to adult care.

"This project was selected for PCORI funding for its potential to fill an important gap in our understanding of how to improve care for older adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease. It will provide useful information to help patients weigh the effectiveness of their care options," said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD, MPH. "We look forward to following the study's progress and working with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Northwell Health's Cohen Children's Medical Center to share the results."

Drs. Rubin, Smith-Whitley and Jan's award has been approved pending completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI staff and issuance of a formal award contract.

PCORI is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions. For more information about PCORI's funding, visit www.pcori.org. http://www.pcori.org/funding/opportunities.

About PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is dedicated to achieving optimal child health and well-being by informing program and policy changes through interdisciplinary research. Founded in 2008, PolicyLab is a Center of Emphasis within the CHOP Research Institute, one of the largest pediatric research institutes in the country. With more than 25 highly-regarded faculty and 35 passionate staff who bring expertise from myriad of fields covering health, research and health policy, our work focuses on improving public systems, improving health care delivery and improving child health outcomes. For more information, visit http://www.policylab.chop.edu.

About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 546-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.

About the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York

Founded in 1983, Cohen Children's Medical Center -- part of Northwell Health -- is a 202-bed hospital dedicated exclusively to the care of children. The specialists in the hospital's national and international programs cover an entire range of specialties. State-of-the-art care for children's medical, surgical, and dental needs are provided in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The facility is the largest provider of pediatric health services in New York State, serving 1.8 million children in Brooklyn, Queens, and Nassau and Suffolk Counties. For the 11th consecutive year in 2017, Cohen's was ranked among the nation's best children's hospitals in U.S. News & World Report's 2017-18 "America's Best Children's Hospitals" survey, achieving top-50 rankings in nine of 10 pediatric specialties.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Lauren Walens, Communications Manager

PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

[email protected] or (267) 425-1498

Jason Molinet, Senior Director, Online News Editor

Northwell Health

[email protected] or (516) 321-6705

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Related Links

http://www.chop.edu


LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ChromaLuxe, the global leader in dye-sublimation metal prints, announced today that it will be a sponsor of the 2017 Louisville Photo Biennial. The Biennial will be held from September 22, 2017 to November 11, 2017 throughout the Louisville Metro region and surrounding communities including Southern Indiana, Frankfort, Bardstown, and Lexington.

"Peony" by Julius Friedman

Now in its 10th year, the Biennial will feature more than 50 photography exhibitions  spanning traditional to contemporary, local to global work  that will be shown at museums, galleries, universities, and cultural institutions. The Louisville Photo Biennial also presents accompanying workshops, public lectures and panel discussions to stimulate learning and reinforce visual literacy. The goal is to educate via meaningful dialogue and bridge understanding in a diverse world through this dynamic medium.

"As a frequent sponsor and host of photo exhibitions and events across the globe, ChromaLuxe is proud to take a leadership role in celebrating photography in our hometown of Louisville, Kentucky," said Steve Flores, ChromaLuxe Global Brand Manager. "It is great to see our regional galleries, museums, universities, and more come together to recognize and celebrate fine art photography."

This year's Biennial is dedicated to the memory of Louisville photographer Julius Friedman who passed away on July 16 of this year. Friedman was a cornerstone of the Louisville arts community and was an internationally famous designer, photographer, artist, book maker, gallery owner and timeless contributor to local arts organizations and artists. His work and life brought joy and visual richness to this community, and he always found ways to engage a variety of audiences. His Botanica series will be on display at Unique Imaging Concepts with all images printed on ChromaLuxe aluminum. Exhibition opening receptions details below:

Botanica by Julius Friedman

Thursday, Sept. 21

6:00 pm  9:00 pm

Unique Imaging Concepts

200 Distillery Commons #100

Louisville, KY 40206

"We are thrilled to have ChromaLuxe on board as a major sponsor of the Louisville Photo Biennial," said Paul Paletti, Director of the Louisville Photo Biennial. "ChromaLuxe is a longstanding steward of fine art photography, and we look forward to working together this year and going forward."

About ChromaLuxe

ChromaLuxe is the global manufacturer of premium print media, supplying high quality blank substrates for a variety of applications that require superb image quality and durability. All coatings and substrates are made in the USA with manufacturing and fabrication done in Louisville, KY. With additional locations in Belgium and Australia, ChromaLuxe serves its global customer base and provides products to more than 80 countries.

ChromaLuxe is an extension of Universal Woods, the world's leading manufacturer of hard surface sublimatable products and mezzanine decking. It is also a sister brand to Unisub, which provides the highest quality custom sublimatable products. To learn more about ChromaLuxe, please visit: ChromaLuxe.com. Connect with ChromaLuxe on Facebook (facebook.com/realchromaluxe), Instagram (instagram.com/realchromaluxe) and Twitter (twitter.com/realChromaLuxe).

Note: ChromaLuxe is a registered trademark of Universal Woods, Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. ChromaLuxe disclaims any and all rights in these marks.

Contact:

Alesha Yaney, ChromaLuxe

502-855-3227

[email protected]

SOURCE ChromaLuxe

Related Links

http://chromaluxe.com


CLIFTON, N.J., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Comodo, a global innovator and developer of cybersecurity solutions and the worldwide leader in digital certificates, today announced the release of cWatch Web, a comprehensive suite of solutions and managed services that provides malware detection and protection; attack response and remediation/recovery; and performance acceleration and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack prevention for websites and web applications.

Cloud-based and delivered in an affordable Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, cWatch Web brings world-class website and web app protection to small, medium and large enterprises, starting as low as $99 per year.

"There is a known cybersecurity skills gap that is preventing small- to mid-size companies from fully protecting their websites. Internal resources may be slim because of smaller security budgets, or the staff they do have may not be well-versed in internet security specifically. And with the prevalence of DDoS and online payment fraud on the rise, these talents are more important than ever," said Rob Ayoub, research director, IDC. "Comodo cWatch Web is helping to lessen this gap. Not only does it provide malware and DDoS defense, attack remediation, and improved website performance, it provides expert security analysts available at all hours, any day of the week to support organizations' internal staff where needed significantly improving their web security."

As a managed security services provider (MSSP), Comodo backs up its technology with a 24/7 security operations center (SOC), staffed with experienced security analysts who provide support for using and monitoring the platform, and for incident investigation and response. Deployment is just a few steps and takes only minutes. Once the domain record is made available, the Comodo Content Delivery Network (CDN) hosts the website and secures it.

Comodo is also enabling qualified website certificate channel partners to offer cWatch Web to their own clients and expand their range of value-added web security services.

"Company websites are the company's virtual front door. For many, the website is the business, the point of business transactions that include e-commerce, processing sensitive client information and access to internal databases," said Michael Fowler, Comodo CA president. "Protecting websites is mission-critical, and that is why we made cWatch Web as a complete security stack bundle backed by our managed services. cWatch Web is our platform for bringing true enterprise-grade, defense-in-depth cyber protections to company websites at an affordable price."

CWatch Web comprises a full stack of managed website and web app security defenses, including these components typically available only to large scale enterprises:

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Malware Detection Scanning

Virtual Patching

The feature-rich, comprehensive cWatch Web suite delivers the complete spectrum of defensive services defined as best practices by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) to Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover. It protects organizations of all sizes from well-known website attacks such as SQL Injection (SQLi), Cross Site Scripts (XSS), DDoS and a host of other techniques that use the website as a bridgehead to initiate an attacker's process of becoming an insider threat to the corporate network.

As the world's leading certificate authority, and with millions of endpoints protected by its containment-based Advanced Endpoint Protection (AEP), Comodo is in a unique position to use its rich source of threat intelligence to enable cWatch Web for its clients' website and web app security.

For example, Comodo's SOC team uses the inputs from all its resources to provide regular WAF rule updates through its managed services. This helps keep websites protected from the latest threats and delivers another major benefitvirtual patching. Patching is a lengthy and often neglected chore that, if left undone, can leave websites vulnerable to threats that may already have been known for years, as well as the latest zero-day attacks. By regularly updating cWatch Web, frequent scanning can find if an exploit is present in the website or app that targets an unpatched vulnerability, alert the security team and then block it.

Comodo's cWatch Web suite of website performance and security solutions is available online today, or through certified Comodo partners.

About Comodo

The Comodo organization is a global innovator of cybersecurity solutions, protecting critical information across the digital landscape. Building on its unique position as the world's largest certificate authority, Comodo authenticates, validates and secures networks and infrastructures from individuals to mid-sized companies to the world's largest enterprises. Comodo provides complete end-to-end security solutions across the boundary, internal network and endpoint with innovative technologies solving the most advanced malware threats, both known and unknown. With global headquarters in Clifton, New Jersey, and offices in Silicon Valley, Comodo has international offices in China, India, the Philippines, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit comodo.com.

Comodo and the Comodo brand are trademarks of the Comodo Group Inc. or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. The current list of Comodo trademarks and patents is available at comodo.com/repository.

Keep up to date with the latest Comodo News from the Comodo blog at https://blog.comodo.com/ and on Twitter @ComodoNews.

Connect with Comodo on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/comodo.

Media Contact

Deb Montner

Montner Tech PR

[email protected]

203-226-9290

SOURCE Comodo

Related Links

http//www.comodo.com


As the only female CEO in the online travel industry, Jane runs the world's second largest OTA (online travel agency), Ctrip, with a market capitalization of nearly USD 30 billion. She's been recognized by Forbes China Power Women List, featured on the cover of Forbes Magazine , and earned the title of "Most Creative People" from Fast Company .

Technological revolution unleashes women's creativity

Beginning with a recap of the four technological revolutions, she noted that technological advances have freed workers from complicated and repetitive jobs and enabled thinkers to think deeper and engage in more creative work. The steam engine, the symbol of the first technological revolution, turned craftsmen into workers and engineers.

The second technological revolution gave rise to electricity which significantly improved the efficiency of machines, and the third revolution brought the Internet and advanced computing power, which was the precursor to today's universal smart phones. In the future, AR and VR will even eliminate the need for physical devices.

Today, we are in the midst of the fourth technological revolution that features AI, big data and cloud computing. These technologies are making us more creative. The first two revolutions facilitated gender equality in the physical sense, but the third and fourth ones are improving gender equality in terms of knowledge and vision.

As the intellectual equal of men, women today enjoy more and better opportunities thanks to technological progress. Even in the competitive arena of venture capital investments in technology and Internet, women's presence has been significant. For example, 17 percent of the partners at venture capital firms in China are women, compared with 10 percent in the US. Also, 80 percent of China's investment companies have at least one female partner, compared with only 50 percent in the US. It's worth noting that women has had a hand in founding 55 percent of Internet startups over the last three years in China.

Another set of numbers, however, shows that China still has a long way to go to improve its women's status. Women only take 10 percent of director seats at global top 500 companies, and female CEOs only account for 3 percent of the names on the world's fortune list. In recent years, only 23 percent of the deputies to the People's Congress are women. China has jumped to second place in terms of economic size in the world ranking, but when it comes to gender equality, it ranks 69th.

"She Loves Tech" is a global initiative for women in technology to unleash their potential. This event, jointly launched by Lean In China and TechRock, showcases the convergence of the latest trends in technology, entrepreneurship, innovation and its impact on and opportunities for women and draws attention to woman-benefiting technologies and female leadership in the tech world.

Ctrip is building female leadership on all fronts

Ctrip leads the Chinese and global technology sector by example. Data shows that in 2016 the top 25 technology companies in Silicon Valley have 19.6 percent female employees on average, while Ctrip female representation stands over 50 percent. Ctrip is the benchmark for women representation compared to peers in China and Silicon Valley.

When looking at female representation in mid-and-high-level management positions, Ctrip remarkable have 34 percent of executive management positions and nearly 50 percent of mid-level management positions that are women. At Ctrip, apart from Jane as the CEO, both Ctrip's COO (Maria Sun) and CFO (Cindy Wang). Ctrip's C-level and Vice President level positions are well represented by women.

As Jane sees it, some typical feminine characters have become unique advantages in the technology industry and in particular when applied in the tourism industry. "For example, the attention to details, the ability to communicate and the willingness to service can help enhance the overall customer experience."

In her speech, Jane shared her observation of gender differences from a manager's perspective. She pointed out that women and men each have their strengths and weaknesses. For instance, men are more task-oriented, while women are more sensitive to people when doing their jobs; men often perform better when competition is introduced, while women may value more on win-win scenarios.

At Ctrip, men may drive bigger decision making while women may focus more on details and implementation. "Therefore, good leadership relies on a healthy mix of male and female team members. For any team to perform better, cross-gender collaboration is a must".

According to Jane, Ctrip will continue to improve gender equality, never set gender-based barriers in recruitment, and practice "same work, same pay". She expressed her hope to influence more women in the workplace and foster an environment for women to realize their potential in the workplace. "The development of Ctrip's global business is closely connected with our female leadership - a focus on win-win, efficient implementation".

Provide women with workplace benefits

A survey on Chinese women's psychological health and happiness suggests professional women are much happier than full-time housewives. Women's psychological health and happiness are closely linked to the environment they work in, more so than to their family.

With the two-child policy now in force, work-parenting balance has become a hard-to-ignore social topic. Ctrip is among the first companies to allow male and female employees to bring their children to work. The nursery Ctrip set up last year at its Shanghai headquarters is intended to help employees resolve the issue of their pre-kindergarten children (between the age of 1.5 to 3.5 years old) care.

Besides the workplace nursery, Ctrip has provided its staff with other benefits as well. These include summer/winter vacation nursery classes, breast-feeding rooms, etc. The aim is to make life easier for its employees and help them better balance work/life and plan for their career development.

It is worth noting that last month Jane signed the CEO Statement of Support for Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), bringing those principles to her company. "I admire the way Ctrip values its female employees and the modern progressive approach it takes to care for women", UN Women China officer Julia Broussard subsequently commented.

At Ctrip, there are not only female managers and engineers driving innovation but also female employees and users who benefit from its proactive female initiatives. At Ctrip, the term gender equality is not just a statement nor a goal, it is being applied already.

Contact information (for media only)

Leah Wang

(8610) 64181616 ext.23228

[email protected]

SOURCE Ctrip.com International Ltd.
WOONSOCKET, R.I., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the devastating damage caused by recent hurricanes, CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) today launched an in-store customer donation campaign to support the rebuilding efforts underway in the impacted areas. As part of this initiative, the company pledged to match all customer donations with critical products and supplies, up to $10 million.

"We've been impressed by the overwhelming expression of generosity among our colleagues and customers across the country who continue to seek ways to help the people impacted by these devastating storms," said Helena B. Foulkes, Executive Vice President, CVS Health and President, CVS Pharmacy. "We'll continue to do our part to deliver the necessary resources and support that these communities need to begin the long recovery process."

Through September 28, customers can donate $1, $3 or more at the register of CVS Pharmacy locations. The total amount donated by customers will be matched by CVS Health with up to $10 million in product donations, including cleaning supplies, non-perishable food and personal care items.

"The outpouring of support from individuals and businesses across the country to aid in recovery efforts following Hurricane Harvey has been inspiring," said Texas Governor Greg Abbott. "I, and the people of Texas, are grateful for the assistance CVS is offering to the Rebuild Texas Fund as we begin the long road to recovery. One thing that has proven true through all of this is that in a time of need, people will always come to aid of those who need it, and this effort by CVS speaks to the heart and generosity of the American spirit."

CVS Health and the CVS Health Foundation have been working with relief agencies on the ground in impacted areas, and will continue to do so as additional storms loom. To date, the company, its colleagues and customers have donated more than $675,000 in cash and in-kind product donations to the American Red Cross, Direct Relief, Salvation Army, Florida Disaster Fund, the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the CVS Health Employee Relief Fund, a public charity designed to help CVS Health employees during unanticipated and unavoidable financial hardships and emergencies.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its nearly 9,700 retail locations, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 90 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, expanding specialty pharmacy services, and a leading stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, the company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.

Media Contact

Mary Gattuso; (401) 770-9811; [email protected]

SOURCE CVS Health

Related Links

http://www.cvshealth.com


CyberMaryland 2017 - themed, "Leading the Cyber Generation," seeks to address issues critical to the cyber industry, including workforce shortages and new cyber threats.

Some of this year's speakers will include:

George C. Barnes , Deputy Director and Senior Civilian Leader, National Security Agency

, Deputy Director and Senior Civilian Leader, National Security Agency Edward Devinney , Captain, US Navy and Director, Corporate Partnerships and Technology Outreach, US Cyber Command

, Captain, US Navy and Director, Corporate Partnerships and Technology Outreach, US Cyber Command Brett Kelsey , Chief Technical Strategist for the Americas, McAfee

, Chief Technical Strategist for the Americas, McAfee Antonio Scurlock , Chief, Cybersecurity Plans & Coordination (CPC) Office of the Assistant Secretary (OAS), Cybersecurity & Communications (CS&C) Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

, Chief, Cybersecurity Plans & Coordination (CPC) Office of the Assistant Secretary (OAS), Cybersecurity & Communications (CS&C) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Catherine Pugh , Mayor, The City of Baltimore

, Mayor, The Dan Lohrmann , Chief Security Officer and Chief Strategist, Security Mentor, Inc.

, Chief Security Officer and Chief Strategist, Security Mentor, Inc. Brett Williams , Maj Gen USAF (Ret), Co-Founder, Chief Security Officer and President of Operations, Training and Security Division, IronNet Cybersecurity

, Maj Gen USAF (Ret), Co-Founder, Chief Security Officer and President of Operations, Training and Security Division, IronNet Cybersecurity Emily Wilson , Director of Analysis, Terbium Labs

CyberMaryland 2017 will be bringing together a week of cyber-related events which include:

Maryland Cyber Day, October 10, 8 AM- 1:15 PM held at the Columbus Center in Baltimore. The event offers a combination of face-to-face meetings, technology demos, brief educational sessions and networking. For more information, visit: www.thecybermarylandconference.com/overview.aspx.

Cyber at the Crossroads, October 10, 8 AM- 6:30 PM held at UMUC College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. Hosted by UMUC, The National Security Agency (NSA) and The National Cryptologic Museum Foundation, this one-day symposium of renowned national cybersecurity leaders, includes experts from past and current administrations, the U.S. military, industry, and academia. For more information, visit: www.thecybermarylandconference.com/overview.aspx.

CyberMaryland Conference & Industry Showcase, October 11 and 12, 8 AM- 5 PM held at the Baltimore Convention Center. The two-day conference includes eight tracks  Cyber Risks, Cyber Education, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Acquisitions & Business Development, Cyber Insider Threats, Hacker Adaptability, Cyber Workforce & Cyber Innovation and 25+ sessions. Over 90 cyber leaders from across the globe will be speaking at the event. The conference will also include international delegations from the United Kingdom. The Industry Showcase, opened both days of the conference in the same location, will provide a full array of today's top cybersecurity companies, prime contractors, small businesses and educational institutions in one area.

CyberMaryland Job Fair, October 11, 11 AM- 3 PM held at the Baltimore Convention Center. ClearedJobs.Net will present the CyberMaryland Cyber Job Fair, featuring nearly 30 employers seeking cleared and non-cleared cyber professionals. For more information, visit: www.thecybermarylandconference.com/hiring.aspx.

CyberTini, October 11, 5 PM  7:30 PM held in downtown Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The event, hosted by [email protected], is a cocktail party and networking event opened to C-level cybersecurity leaders and business professionals. For more information, visit: www.thecybermarylandconference.com/cybertini.aspx.

CyberMaryland Challenge, October 11-12, 8 AM- 5PM held in the Baltimore Convention Center. WraySec will provide interested contestants the chance to demonstrate their cyber security skills in tasks including defensive and offensive operations. WraySec CEO, Justin Wray said, "Events like the Cyber Challenge are a way for people put their abilities to the test, see technologies they may not usually see, and identify the competency areas they want to train on in the future." For more information, visit: www.thecybermarylandconference.com/challenge.aspx.

For information on being a part of CyberMaryland 2017, visit www.thecybermarylandconference.com or contact the Federal Business Council at 800-878-2940. Follow conference updates, including announced speakers and exhibitors, on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Twitter: @CyberMaryland

Facebook: facebook.com/CyberMD

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/showcase/11146656

For more information, contact:

Michelle D. Jackson

[email protected]

240-841-2245 (o)

678-548-2461 (c)

SOURCE CyberMaryland
NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Information Builders, Inc. (IBI), a leading provider of business intelligence and analytics and information management software solutions, on a minority investment from Goldman Sachs & Co. (Goldman Sachs). The transaction closed on May 4, 2017.

Led by Founder, Chairman of the Board and CEO Gerald "Gerry" Cohen, IBI has developed into a global platform with 34 offices across 14 countries, providing business intelligence and analytics solutions to many of the world's largest and well-known brands, corporations and organizations. With more than 40 years of experience in providing award-winning software technology, IBI's full suite of products, services and solutions transform complex data structures into simplified and actionable business intelligence. A wide variety of stakeholders use IBI's solutions to derive data-backed insights, which can be leveraged to help make effective business and operational decisions.

Cohen stated, "Deloitte Corporate Finance provided incredible insight, skilled guidance and tireless support to create a focused and disciplined process aimed at finding the ideal partner for IBI's growth strategy and culture. Deloitte's deep relationships with leading enterprise software investors, particularly those active in our space, led to an ideal match with Goldman Sachs."

"Information Builders has developed a global reputation for solving complex business challenges with innovative software solutions focused on actionable, data-driven insights," said Ron Rivera, managing director and national practice leader, technology, media and telecommunications, Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC. "These solutions enable dynamic business change and operational improvements for IBI's array of leading global clients. The Deloitte team was proud to be a part of this transaction."

"IBI has become a leader in the competitive business intelligence and analytics industry through consistent innovation and clear vision into the information management needs of large-scale, complex enterprises," said Byron Nelson, senior vice president, Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC. "This transaction stands to bolster IBI's position as a market leader in the business intelligence marketplace. We are excited for Gerry and his team as they further position the Company for this important new chapter in its corporate history."

About Information Builders, Inc.

Information Builders provides solutions for business intelligence ("BI"), analytics, data integration, and data quality that help drive performance improvements, innovation, and value. Through one set of powerful products, IBI enables organizations to serve everyone  analysts, non-technical users, even partners, customers, and citizens  with better data and analytics. IBI is dedicated to its customers' success with thousands of organizations relying on IBI as their trusted partner. Founded in 1975, Information Builders is headquartered in New York, NY, with global offices, and remains one of the largest independent, privately held companies in the industry. For more information about IBI, visit www.informationbuilders.com.

About Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC

Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC provides strategic advisory services and M&A advice that help corporate, entrepreneurial, and private equity clients create and act upon opportunities for liquidity, growth and long-term advantage. With an in-depth understanding of the marketplace and access to a global network of investment bankers, we help clients confidently pursue strategic transactions in both domestic and global markets. Deloitte Corporate Finance, together with the Corporate Finance Advisory practices within the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited network of member firms, include in excess of 1,900 professionals, who work collaboratively across 150 international locations. With our significant experience providing investment banking services across key industries, we are able to offer our clients solutions that help them to achieve their strategic objectives. For more information, visit www.investmentbanking.deloitte.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Shelley Pfaendler

Public Relations

Deloitte Services LP

+1 212 492 4484

[email protected]

Prior engagement performance is no guarantee of future performance and may not be representative of the experience of other clients. This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of a security.

Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC, an SEC registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC, is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP and affiliate of Deloitte Transactions and Business Analytics LLP. Investment banking products and services within the United States are offered exclusively through Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC. For more information, visit www.investmentbanking.deloitte.com. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of our legal structure. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.

SOURCE Deloitte

Related Links

http://www.deloitte.com/us


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta International Oil & Gas, Inc. (OTCQB: DLTZ) ("Delta") is pleased to announce that it has signed an asset purchase agreement for the acquisition of an oil property in Polk County, Texas from Crestmont Operating, LLC.

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Delta acquired a 4-well lease in Polk County, Texas which is estimated to produce 15-20 barrels of oil per day once a workover is completed on one of the wells.

"We're pleased to announce our third transaction this year," stated Santiago Peralta, CEO of Delta. "We expect the new well to start producing oil within 90 days once a workover is completed. We are also pleased to announce that the Landmaster well which we previously invested in has started producing approximately 15 barrels of oil per day and a second well is expected to be drilled within the next 2 months. These properties and others we are looking at are starting to form a good core of oil producing properties for Delta and our shareholders. Our goal is to do several more transactions over the next 12 months."

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forwardlooking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which may include statements about business strategy and development plans, plans for entering new business, anticipated sources of funds, including proceeds from future operations and plans, objectives, expectations and intentions contained in the Press Release that are not historical facts such as "estimated grossprospective resources, will be sold, etc." Because these forward looking statements involve risk and uncertainties, actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the Press Release. These risks are outlined in our SEC filings.

SOURCE Delta International Oil and Gas, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.deltaoilngas.com


Continuous, drastic and revolutionary inventions in audio engineering allow Devialet to provide listeners with an intense emotional experience, the way music is meant to be heard. The company designs, engineers and assembles all of its products in France, using proprietary technology protected by more than 100 patents.

In December 2016, Devialet accelerated its development with a record $100m in fundraising from leading international investors including investment from Ginko Ventures, Foxconn, Groupe Renault, Sharp Corporation, Andy Rubin's Playground Global and Jay Z's Roc Nation, to deploy its unique technologies in new industries through licensing partnerships, and accelerate its commercial development globally.

New Devialet stores in New York and San Francisco will feature Phantom  a wireless speaker that offers unparalleled acoustical performance, eliminating distortion, saturation and background noise. Visitors will be able to experience the sound processing revolution Devialet has led over the past decade inside the Immersive Room, a space specifically engineered to maximize powerful, distinctive and clear sound as delivered by Phantom.

"Our ambition is to be the pioneering role model of technology at the service of emotion throughout the world," said Quentin Sannie, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Devialet. "The profound experience one has when listening to music in precisely the way an artist intended is universal, so our evolution into the United States where we can share our technology is a logical next step."

New Store Details:

Devialet at Grand Central Terminal: Open to the public on 9/19. The store will serve as an oasis of pure sound inside one of the most iconic New York City landmarks.

Open to the public on 9/19. The store will serve as an oasis of pure sound inside one of the most iconic landmarks. Devialet at Columbus Circle: Open to the public on 9/21. This will be home to the second Immersive Room in the U.S.  originally seen at the SoHo Flagship store.

Open to the public on 9/21. This will be home to the second Immersive Room in the U.S.  originally seen at the SoHo Flagship store. Devialet in San Francisco : Open to the public in Fall 2017. This will also be home to the Immersive Room.

About Devialet

Founded in 2007, Devialet is a leading tech start-up and the most award-winning company in the history of audio. Widely acclaimed by industry experts and international press and protected by more than 100 patents, Devialet's revolutionary Expert Pro amplifier and Phantom wireless speaker now retail at the world's most exclusive outlets, including Colette, Harrods, Kadewe, Lane Crawford and Apple Stores in addition to Devialet's own international retail network. Bernard Arnault, Jacques-Antoine Granjon, Xavier Niel and Marc Simoncini are among early investors.

About National Sawdust

Located in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the non-profit National Sawdust is a dynamic home for artists and new music of all kinds. It is a place for exploration and discoverywhere emerging and established artists can share their music with serious music fans and casual listeners alike. In a city teeming with venues, National Sawdust is a singular space founded with an expansive vision: to provide composers and musicians across genres with a setting in which they can flourish, and a place where they are given unprecedented support and critical resources essential to create, and then share, their work. A diversity of world-class artists, arts organizations, and institutions are collaborating with National Sawdust's Creative and Executive Director, the composer Paola Prestini, as curators.

Press Contact

[email protected]

www.devialet.com

SOURCE Devialet

Related Links

https://www.devialet.com


HOUSTON, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dynamic Health Strategies, LLC (DHS Group), a leader in the movement to improve population health, has just unveiled a fully integrated platform to help benefits leaders build their benefit strategy, administer benefits, analyze population health, and administer and measure wellness programs. The new product, HealthSpective, can replace a minimum of five different software vendors and another 5-10 data sources that a benefits department would typically have to manage and integrate. The platform is also vendor agnostic and can loosely integrate with most 3rd party applications.

"Managing a multitude of vendors and data sources is a headache for benefits professionals and we are so excited to be the first company to offer a better way," explains Jim Pritchett, CEO of DHS Group.

HealthSpective has four integrated components:

HealthSpective Design uses predictive analytics and machine based learning to analyze healthcare claims data to build a benefit plan design that optimizes the cost while maximizing the plan utilization, based on the company's health risk.





HealthSpective Operate eases the burden of administrating benefits enrollment. The employee plan select tool helps guide the employee to the plan that will be best suited to service each their healthcare needs. Employers have access to real time reporting.





HealthSpective Analyze gives employers the tools they need to build benefits and wellbeing strategies. Based on an analysis of claims and other related data, the product gives employers recommendations that include an ROI calculation.





HealthSpective Engage provides a well-being approach to improve population health with modules for Fitness, Health, Financial and Mental health. Employers have access to educational content and a robust incentive management system to reward participants for their engagement.

"At the end of the day, this is about engaging employees to improve their physical, mental and financial health and making it easy on employers," says Pritchett.

The DHS suite is modular, meaning applications can be implemented standalone or in an integrated fashion which benefit from the DHS Data Warehouse and Platform that provides: single sign-on, integrated dashboards, data exchange and storage in the data warehouse for analytics and reporting. DHS is audited to meet SOC 2 requirements as defined by the AICPA and all systems are HIPAA compliant.

ABOUT DHS GROUP

DHS Group works with companies and health plans to achieve better health outcomes and lower costs. With roots extending back to 1997, DHS Group simplifies the data behind healthcare that elevate population health.

SOURCE DHS Group
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Gomez and Simone, one of the leading Los Angeles real estate attorney groups is weighing in on an ever-evolving legal issue in the California real estate landscape. Among one of the hot button issues that has persistently grown in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other popular California tourist towns is the legality of Airbnb and the greater short-term rentals market.

According to Managing Partner Attorney Mark Gomez, it's important to be fully aware of legal options and binding agreements that apply to the short-term rental issue. Currently, a range of taxation and regulation is being considered in Sacramento, but so far nothing has been made into law yet. Some municipalities in the state have adopted their own codes that either regulate or restrict putting properties on the short-term rental market. It is a complex mix of interests at stake that are pitted against each other, including apartment landlords, homeowners, rental tenants and cities. Business licensing, zoning issues, tenants' tights, and property owners' rights are considerations in the issues, as well as the issue of housing scarcity and affordable housing.

In his 2017 article "Top Seven Real Estate Commandments," Gomez writes that currently the most common rules that govern the short-term rental business are contained within lease agreements between tenants and landlords, as well as Home Owner Association agreements. There have been some highly-publicized cases of tenants who have been evicted for the purpose of making available short-term rental space. Who is in the wrong and who is in the right, depends greatly on the contents of the agreement. Gomez said that landlords who are considering renting out their property on the short-term rental market should first consult with an eviction attorney.

"The difference can sometimes be that a tenant, who has little to no assets, has nothing to lose while a homeowner usually has equity in their home that can be attached to a judgment if a tenant wins in court. Some tenants take advantage of this situation and roll their dice with litigation against a landlord, especially a new landlord," said Gomez.

Also to be considered are city codes and Home Owner Association Rules that cover the issue of short-term rentals for homes. For example, the City of Anaheim passed a stringent set of codes that limit the number of short-term rental properties allowed along with rules to be enforced on property owners.

"With Airbnb, a city could fine you for unpaid taxes, your HOA could fine you for operating a business without a license or violating their HOA rules, or your 'customer' could refuse to leave and after 30 days become entitled to tenant rights under California Law."

For more information on short-term rental legal issues, or to make a press inquiry, contact Gomez & Simone directly at (855) 219-3333.

Related Images

image1.png

image2.jpg

Related Links

Gomez & Simone

Los Angeles Real Estate Attorneys

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgC7bW-gDn0

SOURCE Gomez & Simone
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DTN Chief Executive Officer Ron Sznaider today announced that he is retiring as CEO effective Oct. 1, 2017 after 34 years with the company. DTN Executive Chairman Jerre Stead said that Kip Pendleton, senior vice president-Agriculture, will replace Sznaider as CEO. DTN is an independent provider of information and actionable insights in the areas of agriculture, weather services, refined fuels and trading.

Stead said that while Sznaider is retiring as CEO, he will continue with the company for the near term as a senior advisor. In this role, Sznaider will support the company's continuing transformation in some of the areas most critical for DTN's long-term success, including mergers and acquisitions, global expansion and innovation in new offerings that leverage the company's assets even further toward offering world-class insight and analytics to its customers.

"Ron has made significant contributions to DTN over the many years he has served the company, and the DTN board and I thank him for his leadership and dedication to the company, our colleagues and customers," Stead said. "We look forward to his work in the senior advisory role as we continue to evolve and grow DTN in our mission to feed, fuel and protect the world."

Stead added: "We are very pleased to have someone with Kip's background and demonstrated success to replace Ron as CEO as we work on our plans to facilitate DTN's strategic and commercial expansion around the globe."

Pendleton joined DTN in July as senior vice president of Agriculture. Prior to joining DTN, Pendleton was president of The Pendleton Group, a successful strategic consulting firm serving technology and agriculture companies. In addition, he was senior vice president and general manager of Ag at Hemisphere GPS; founder, president, CEO and chairman of DirectAg, the first e-commerce company in agriculture; and then president and co-CEO of Agristar, the company that acquired DirectAg. He has worked with leading public companies including DuPont Pioneer, Syngenta Northrup King and Dow AgroScience Mycogen Seeds.

About DTN

DTN is the independent, trusted source of actionable insights for 600,000 customers focused on feeding, protecting, and fueling the world. Customer-centric and employee-driven, the company focuses on empowering agriculture, oil & gas, trading, and weather-sensitive industries through continuous, leading-edge innovation. It also owns and operates The Progressive Farmer magazine, the premier publication in Agriculture. Based in Minneapolis and Omaha, Nebraska, DTN is owned by TBG, a private century-old investment holding company headquartered in Zurich.

SOURCE DTN
RADNOR, Pa., Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 750 confirmed attendees for this year's eMoney Advisor (eMoney) Summit at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Scottsdale, Ariz., Sept. 25-27, eMoney recently announced its final keynote speaker, Guy Kawasaki, author and chief evangelist of Canva.

Kawasaki will discuss "The Art of Enchantment," focusing on how speech influences people's hearts, minds and actions. He will further detail in his session how to achieve likability and trustworthiness and how to overcome resistance, a topic that all advisors can relate to when interacting with clients.

Enabled by the support of featured sponsor Carson Group and 24 additional sponsors, the fourth annual eMoney Advisor Summit will include 75 sessions and provide 22 hours of training, which will reinforce this year's theme of "Plan it Forward," acknowledging that the financial plans advisors build for clients affect more than just finances. eMoney will also announce its 2018 roadmap and unveil the next generation of Advisor Branded Marketing, a marketing solution that arms advisors with the digital resources and campaigns they need to easily attract, nurture, convert and retain clients built right into the eMoney platform.

"We're very excited that Guy Kawasaki is joining the roster of keynote speakers at this year's Summit," said Ed O'Brien, CEO of eMoney Advisor. "In addition to the incredible speaker lineup this year, we look forward to engaging attendees on financial planning and more to help them become better advisors and build their practices. The future of the industry will be in Scottsdale."

This year's Summit will be the biggest in company history and features other speakers, including:

Andy McAfee , principal research scientist at MIT , who will discuss the second machine age and how financial advisors need to rethink the integrations of minds and machines, as well as products and platforms.

principal research scientist at , who will discuss the second machine age and how financial advisors need to rethink the integrations of minds and machines, as well as products and platforms. Clara Shih , CEO of Hearsay, bestselling author and Silicon Valley entrepreneur, who will discuss "social selling" and how social and mobile have changed the game on client relationships, referrals and selling.

CEO of Hearsay, bestselling author and Silicon Valley entrepreneur, who will discuss "social selling" and how social and mobile have changed the game on client relationships, referrals and selling. Pete Souza , former White House Chief Official Photographer, who will share his personal and professional experiences from documenting the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama .

, former White House Chief Official Photographer, who will share his personal and professional experiences from documenting the presidencies of and . Jeff Bush of The Washington Update, who will discuss the current state of politics and how this affects the financial services industry in his speech, "The View from the Hill."

of The Washington Update, who will discuss the current state of politics and how this affects the financial services industry in his speech, "The View from the Hill." Mike Durbin , Head of FI Investment and Technology Solutions, who will share perspectives on how advisors can bolster the value they deliver to clients amidst a rapidly changing industry.

Head of FI Investment and Technology Solutions, who will share perspectives on how advisors can bolster the value they deliver to clients amidst a rapidly changing industry. Ron Carson , industry thought leader and Founder and CEO of Carson Group Holdings, who will answer a diverse array of questions submitted by his peers attending the Summit.

, industry thought leader and Founder and CEO of Carson Group Holdings, who will answer a diverse array of questions submitted by his peers attending the Summit. Michael Kitces , an industry expert who will discuss the "Industry Trends Shaping Financial Advice."

, an industry expert who will discuss the "Industry Trends Shaping Financial Advice." Jeff Kleintop , Chief Global Investment Strategist, Charles Schwab & Co. Inc., who will analyze current trends in the global markets and what they mean for U.S. investors.

Advisors can get real-time updates from the Summit by following eMoney on Twitter (https://twitter.com/eMoneyAdvisor) or searching the hashtag #eMoneySummit17. Visit emoneyadvisor.com/summit-17 to view the full agenda.

About eMoney:

eMoney Advisor, LLC ("eMoney"), based in Radnor, Pennsylvania, is the leading scalable wealth management technology developed for financial professionals, firms, and enterprises of all sizes. Rooted in collaborative financial planning, eMoney's technology enables financial professionals to build stronger client relationships, streamline business operations, and drive revenue and growth. Developed and perfected by nearly 500 passionate, innovative, and dedicated employees in three locations, eMoney's solutions transform the wealth management experience for more than 45,000 financial professionals and 2 million end- clients nationwide. For more information, please visit: www.emoneyadvisor.com.

SOURCE eMoney Advisor

Related Links

http://www.emoneyadvisor.com


EMPORIA, Kan., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Emporia State University is the only public university in Kansas to have earned national recognition as a College of Distinction, an honor for universities demonstrating innovative application of high-impact education. In addition, in the Best Colleges 2018 guidebook by U.S. News and World Report, ESU is ranked No. 2 in lowest student debt of all Midwest regional universities.

Colleges of Distinction is a national guide to colleges that recognizes and honors schools with extraordinary commitment to enriching student outcomes through innovative, high-impact learning opportunities. ESU recently achieved this honor after being evaluated on key indicators including student empowerment and curricular innovation.

"We're so excited that ESU has one of the lowest debt levels in the nation, as well as one of the highest placement rates in the nation," says Allison Garrett, ESU president. "Together, these speak to the high caliber of ESU and the kind of experiences our students have."

ESU has initiated several exciting projects to provide students with additional high-impact learning experiences recognized by Colleges of Distinction, including an Aquatic Research Outreach Center, Hornet Connected Learning (a one-to-one device-based learning initiative preparing education students to teach effectively with evolving technology), robust study abroad opportunities, a brand-new residence hall slated to open fall 2019 and many other specialized programs.

Colleges of Distinction also honored ESU with Field of Study badges for its expert blending of education with professional programming in the fields of Business, Education and Nursing.

"We offer a collaborative environment for our students, faculty and community," says Garrett. "Our diverse curriculum allows for students to gain practical experience in and out of the classroom, develop adaptive leadership skills and take part in an exciting and active campus."

View the Colleges of Distinction ESU profile or discover more about the innovative learning experiences Emporia State offers at emporia.edu.

About Emporia State University

A regional comprehensive university, ESU offers 185 degrees and degree programs in the School of Business, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Library and Information Management and The Teachers College. ESU is the only public university in Kansas to have earned national recognition as a College of Distinction, an honor for universities that demonstrate innovative application of high-impact education. In addition, in the Best Colleges 2018 guidebook by U.S. News and World Report, ESU is ranked No. 2 in lowest student debt of all Midwest regional universities. U.S. News also cited ESU's School of Business as a best value for both in-state and out-of-state students and ranked the online graduate education program in the Top 100 programs in the nation.

For more information, visit www.emporia.edu.

CONTACT: Lauren Bechard, (913) 956-9357, [email protected]

SOURCE Emporia State University

Related Links

http://www.emporia.edu


Approved by EPICS in IEEE in April 2016 and completed in July 2017, the solar project resulted from a partnership between EPICS in IEEE and Christie Lake Kids, where young CLK participants were asked to form groups and develop project ideas in line with an EPICS in IEEE charter. Judging criteria was based upon defining a socially innovative, engineering-based project that empowered students, and that provided a valuable learning experience while demonstrating a direct benefit to the local community.

The winning team's proposal outlined how solar energy could be utilized to provide hot showers at the CLK campsite, which is located in the middle of a lake, removed from the power grid. Students from the IEEE Carleton University Student Branch then developed the proposal for the solar powered showers grant application, including budget and design options. The completed project involved the installation of solar panels and a battery storage system on the island that generates power to supply a water pump and heating system for delivering hot showers. CLK plans to create and display an informative plaque at the camp, giving young campers insight into the engineering and inner workings of the system.

"Christie Lake Kids is a wonderful organization and we share a common goal to pool our resources in order to transform lives and bring sustainable benefits to local communities," said Janet Davis, past chair, IEEE Ottawa Section. "EPICS in IEEE is a great vehicle for identifying and acting on opportunities to improve the daily lives of people in need, while also providing learning experiences that foster personal growth and that can help incentivize the engineers of tomorrow."

Through funding and local partnerships, EPICS in IEEE enables university and high school students to design and implement engineering projects that improve the lives of citizens in their own communities and are a catalyst for motivating young people towards careers in engineering. With a global focus on underserved communities, EPICS in IEEE helps advance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) learning around the world, with a model that addresses the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to closing existing technology gaps, while inspiring a new generation of engineers through education, hands-on work, and practical experience.

"Over the past few years, the IEEE Ottawa Chapter has become an important partner for CLK programs," said Liam McGuire, camp director, Christie Lake Kids. "With the solar powered shower system now complete, over 40 Leaders in Training (LIT) will now be able to access a high-quality facility fully powered by solar infrastructure. CLK is greatly appreciative of our partnership with IEEE."

Through EPICS in IEEE, today's students are becoming uniquely informed through their own experiences on how to mentor and encourage upcoming students, changing the way engineering is taught in universities. The four main areas of EPICS in IEEE projects focus include access and abilities, education and outreach, environment, and human services.

For more information on EPICS in IEEE, including information on membership and volunteering, grant applications, donations, news, and projects please visit www.epicsinieee.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About IEEE

IEEE is the largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice in a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers, and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics. www.ieee.org.

About IEEE Foundation

As the philanthropic arm of IEEE, the IEEE Foundation inspires the generosity of donors so it may enable IEEE programs that enhance technology access, literacy and education, as well as support the IEEE professional community.

The IEEE Foundation, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization in the United States, fulfills its purpose by soliciting and managing donations, recognizing the generosity of our donors, awarding grants to IEEE grassroots projects of strategic importance, supporting high-impact Signature Programs, serving as a steward of donations that empower bright minds, recognize innovation and preserve the history of technology. With donor support, the IEEE Foundation strives to be a leader in transforming lives through the power of technology and education. www.ieeefoundation.org.

Contacts: Ray Alcantara, Program Manager, EPICS in IEEE

+1 732-981-2867, [email protected]

Janet Davis, Past Chair, IEEE Ottawa Section

+1 613-670-5268, [email protected]

SOURCE EPICS; IEEE

Related Links

http://www.ieee.org


IRVING, Texas, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life Sciences, a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, today announced the appointment of W. Michael Korn, M.D., as its Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Korn will guide Caris' research efforts and clinical strategies for the company's innovative precision medicine offerings, ADAPT Biotargeting System and Caris Molecular Intelligence tumor profiling.

Dr. Korn has a distinguished career in cancer research and clinical oncology, with a deep understanding of the need for molecular profiling in clinical practice. Dr. Korn is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He founded the Molecular Oncology Initiative at UCSF's Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and initiated and chaired the UCSF Molecular Tumor Board, which is a cross-disciplinary platform supporting clinical decision making based on Next-Generation Sequencing results.

"Cancer management is at an inflection point as treatment is increasingly being directed toward addressing the molecular profile of tumors rather than their site of origin, exemplified by the approval of pembrolizumab for microsatellite instability-high cancers," said Dr. Korn. "Caris Life Sciences is at the forefront of companies translating molecular information into therapeutic action through their innovative theranostic services, Caris Molecular Intelligence and proprietary ADAPT Biotargeting System. I look forward to further developing these programs to help patients and physicians identify effective therapies, biopharmaceutical organizations develop better agents and payors reduce costs by avoiding ineffective therapies and toxicities."

Dr. Korn replaces John Marshall, M.D., who was supporting the Company part-time as CMO. Dr. Marshall will continue to serve as Chairman of the Precision Oncology Alliance, which is powered by Caris, along with his existing clinical and research activities at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Otto J. Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancer.

"We are thankful for Dr. Marshall's willingness to aid Caris and the leadership he provided to the organization during the search for our new CMO. We look forward to continuing our work with Dr. Marshall on the expansion of the Precision Oncology Alliance with a joint ongoing commitment to molecular science and advancing precision medicine in oncology. We are thrilled to have Dr. Korn join our team and lead our medical development programs as demand for molecular insights continues to increase from treating physicians and our biopharmaceutical partners," said David Spetzler, M.S., Ph.D., M.B.A., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Caris Life Sciences. "Dr. Korn brings an extensive track record in precision oncology and we look forward to advancing and expanding our offerings under his leadership."

Dr. Korn received his medical degree from Philipps University of Marburg, Germany. Following training in internal medicine at the Ev. Krankenhaus Dinslaken, Germany, he completed his fellowship in medical oncology at the West German Cancer Center, University of Essen, Germany. Dr. Korn has authored more than 45 peer-reviewed publications and his research on signal transduction and systems biology of cancer has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Defense since 2003. He serves on the Esophago-Gastric Task Force of the National Cancer Institute GI Steering Committee, and is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Esophageal and Gastric Cancer Panel. Dr. Korn completed post-doctoral training with Frank McCormick PhD, FRS, Professor at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

About Caris Life Sciences 

Caris Life Sciences is a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine through quality and innovation, and the world's leading immunotherapy diagnostic expert. Caris Molecular Intelligence, the company's Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Plus (CGP+) molecular testing service, assesses DNA, RNA and proteins, including microsatellite instability (MSI), total mutational load (TML) and PD-L1, to reveal a molecular blueprint to guide more precise and personalized treatment decisions. The ADAPT Biotargeting System, the company's revolutionary and unbiased profiling platform, is currently being utilized for drug target identification, therapeutic discovery and development, fixed tissue-based companion diagnostics, blood-based cancer screening and biomarker identification. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences offers services throughout the U.S., Europe and other international markets. To learn more, please visit www.CarisLifeSciences.com.

Media Inquiries:

The Ruth Group

Kirsten Thomas / Joanna Zimmerman

[email protected]

Tel: +1-508-280-6592 / +1-646-536-7006

Caris Life Sciences Media Relations & Corporate Affairs

[email protected]

214-294-5606

SOURCE Caris Life Sciences

Related Links

http://www.CarisLifeSciences.com


LONDON, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Business confidence is high among European middle-market organizations, despite geopolitical uncertainty within and outside Europe, demographic shifts and rapid digitization across sectors according to analysis released today in the EY Growth Barometer: Europe.

The study reveals that almost four in ten (38%) European middle-market companies are targeting current year growth of 6% to 10% and nearly one in four (24%) are looking at revenue growth rates of more than 11%. The projections are significantly above World Bank forecasts of GDP growth for Europe and Central Asia of 1.9% and 2016 actual GDP growth in the eurozone of 1.8%.

These and other findings are the result of an in-depth survey of 642 executives from European middle-market organizations, defined as companies with annual revenues of US$1m to US$3b, and from across 12 selected key European economies: Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The study's analysis examines European markets and builds upon its sister report, the EY Growth Barometer: Global Highlights, which surveyed 2,340 middle-market executives from across 30 countries globally.

Andy Baldwin, EY Area Managing Partner  Europe, Middle East, India and Africa, says:

"There is a real sense that middle-market businesses in Europe have finally shaken off the last of the effects of the financial crisis. They have strengthened their balance sheets, are embracing new opportunities presented by digitization and recognize the central role of innovation and purpose in driving growth and attracting talent."

Growth outlook and challenges

Across Europe, nearly four in ten (38%) companies are looking at growth of 6% to 10%, while just less than one-third (31%) of middle-market organizations are targeting growth of 1% to 5%. The survey finds that the most bullish countries include those in emerging markets. Thirty-one percent of respondents from Russia and 26% from Turkey are planning to grow revenues between 11% to 25%. Meanwhile mid-sized companies in the UK are positive about growth despite the uncertainties around Brexit with 25% of respondents also in this upper revenue growth band.

Twenty percent of executives across Europe identified both new geographic market entry and M&A activity as the top growth priorities for the region, suggesting the continued reliance on Europe's free labor market and strong economic interdependencies.

The top three challenges to growth cited by European respondents are technology disruption (18%), sluggish demand (16%) and insufficient cash flow (15%). The fourth is lack of skilled talent (13%), reflecting a similar ranking from the global highlights response (14%).

Talent and hiring plans

European organizations, like their global counterparts, are continuing to hire full time staff to meet growth expectations, but are increasingly embracing flexible and mobile talent pools more broadly than their global peers. Twenty-seven percent of European companies plan full-time headcount increases (compared to 28% globally); however, 39% of companies plan to hire more part-time staff and contractors, compared to 30% in the rest of the world.

Baldwin says: "It is encouraging to see European middle-market leaders embrace the flexibility of the gig economy. Technology, in particular, is enabling middle-market companies to access global talent pools and expand internationally much quicker than ever before. As economic growth is increasingly driven by technology, the race for talent will become more and more vital to competitiveness."

RPA doesn't spell RIP to human talent

Middle-market organizations in Europe and around the world have not widely adopted robotic process automation (RPA). Seventy-three percent in Europe and 74% of respondents in the rest of the world respectively have not yet adopted this technology. However, Europe is showing signs of waking up to the transformative potential of RPA with 7% of respondents already early adopters and a further 21% of executives plan to adopt the technology over the next decade. By sector, financial services companies are outliers and proving to embrace innovation more aggressively, with almost half (48%) either having adopted RPA already or are planning to do so in the next two to five years.

Megatrends, risks and opportunities

With an aging population and possible new barriers to the European Union's free labor market, more than a third (35%) of European business leaders see demographic shifts as having the biggest impact on their enterprises, ahead of technology (23%), shifts in working patterns (22%) and globalization (21%). In common with middle-market leaders across the world, they cite increasing competition (20%) as the greatest risk to growth, ahead of geopolitical instability (16%), regulation (14%) and the cost and availability of credit (12%).

Baldwin says: "Macro uncertainties are increasingly accepted by business leaders as forces we have to learn to live with, like the weather. But the key challenge for many middle-market organizations is not diagnosing or identifying the market trends, but rather one of execution and change. Organizations that are the most quick, nimble and agile will continue to find the opportunities for growth."

Follow us on Twitter: @EY_Growth and #GrowthBarometer

Notes to Editors

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients.

About the EY Growth Barometer

EY commissioned Euromoney Institutional Investor to undertake an online survey of 100% C-suite (60% CEOs, founders or managing directors) in companies from 30 countries and with annual revenues of US$1m to US$3b. The survey was conducted from 31 March-12 May 2017. The 2,340 respondents are geographically representative of global GDP (as per World Bank 2016 data) with an additional six ""wild card" countries that represent high-growth economies in the developing world. EY further invited its global network of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni to take the survey. The survey was available in English and six other languages. Further in-depth follow-up interviews were conducted during May 2017 to provide additional specific insights, some of which are included in this report.

About EY's Growth Markets Network

EY's worldwide Growth Markets Network is dedicated to serving the changing needs of high-growth companies. For more than 30 years, we've helped many of the world's most dynamic and ambitious companies grow into market leaders. Whether working with international, mid-cap companies or early stage, family businesses, venture-backed businesses, our professionals draw upon their extensive experience, insight and global resources to help your business succeed. For more information, visit http://www.ey.com/gl/en/services/strategic-growth-markets

Peter Kelley

EY Global Media Relations

+1 424 376 7227

[email protected]

SOURCE EY

Related Links

http://www.ey.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of reporting seven consecutive years of strong growth, today, Ernst & Young LLP announced two key leadership appointments to help continue its market focus and consulting practice growth. Bob Patton, former Americas Vice Chair of Advisory Services, has been named Americas Vice Chair of Accounts. Patton will be succeeded by Hank Prybylski, who previously served as Americas Advisory Performance Improvement (PI) Leader.

"Bob spearheaded the growth of Americas Advisory for the past decade, helping EY clients improve performance, manage risk and transform industries," said Stephen R. Howe Jr., Ernst & Young LLP Chairman and Managing Partner and EY Americas Managing Partner. "During this time, he grew Americas Advisory from $1.5 billion in revenue with 6,000 consultants to $4.9 billion in revenue and 16,000 consultants and oversaw more than 25 strategic acquisitions. As Americas Advisory continues its strong growth trajectory, Hank is uniquely suited to continue to propel our consulting practice forward. His experience in solving big, complex industry issues, combined with his skills in delivering outcomes that help our clients grow, optimize and protect their businesses will be critical as companies transform their business models and industries."

In his new role, Patton will lead the growth strategy for EY in the Americas, working with all areas of the organization to manage and help grow key accounts in all markets in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, and Israel. In doing so, Patton will be responsible for engaging and motivating 71,000 Americas personnel to drive top line growth to propel the EY brand and market leadership.

"The EY multidisciplinary professional services model is a major differentiator and key to future growth and I am thrilled to help propel our organization to new heights of market leadership," said Patton. "My purpose has always been to serve the needs of our clients and our people, and I see no better opportunity to do so than in this new role."

Based in New York City, Prybylski brings more than 30 years of experience serving top-tier institutions within the financial services industry to his new role. In Prybylski's previous role, he led 7,000 consultants who helped clients transform their customer, supply chain, finance, technology and operations. With Prybylski at the helm, the PI practice posted market-leading growth over the past several years, including an 18% increase in FY17. As EY Americas Vice Chair of Advisory Services, he will now oversee more than 16,000 professionals within the $5 billion consulting practice in the Americas.

"This is an exciting time for the EY consulting practice, as client demand for connected solutions is on the rise. I look forward to leveraging my experience serving several of our largest and fastest-growing accounts to drive transformative change for our clients," said Prybylski. "Our competitive edge is integrating our diverse suite of offerings with our culture of connectivity, innovation and collaboration, which EY member firms do better than anyone."

Patton received a BBA in Accounting from the University of Georgia and has participated in the Executive Leadership Program at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He has been recognized for excellence in leadership by Consulting Magazine. Patton is also a LinkedIn Influencer and has written extensively on the topics of leadership, purpose and innovation.

Prybylski holds an MBA in finance from the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University and a BA in Economics and Accounting from the College of Holy Cross. In 2009, he was named to OpRisk & Compliance's list of "The Top Faces of Operational Risk." He is a frequent guest lecturer and contributing writer to industry publications.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member firm of EY serving clients in the US.

About EY Advisory Services

In a world of unprecedented change, EY Advisory believes a better working world means helping clients solve big, complex industry issues and capitalize on opportunities to grow, optimize and protect their businesses.

From C-suite and functional leaders of Fortune 100 multinationals to disruptive innovators and emerging market small and medium-sized enterprises, EY Advisory works with clients  from strategy through execution  to help them design better outcomes and realize long-lasting results.

A global mindset, diversity and collaborative culture inspires EY consultants to ask better questions. They work with their clients, as well as an ecosystem of internal and external experts, to create innovative answers. Together, EY teams help clients' businesses work better.

SOURCE EY

Related Links

http://www.ey.com


The California Coast Series Ukuleles present a fresh take on the classic ukulele with five new accessibly-priced soprano, tenor and concert models. The Seaside and Rincon models sport traditional 2x2 headstocks for aficionados, while the Venice, Zuma, and Montecito models boast the instantly identifiable Fender Telecaster  headstock. Compact and comfortable, each ukulele was designed with ease of playability in mind  incorporating a slim "C"-shaped neck and no-tie bridge that makes changing strings a breeze.

"A ukulele naturally carries a beach vibe and association with beautiful coastal areas, which we saw as an opportunity to embrace our Southern California roots  especially as the category experiences tremendous growth," said Billy Martinez, VP Category Manager  Acoustic and Squier Divisions. "California Coast Series Ukuleles have a little bit of something for everyone and feature iconic Fender Telecaster style headstocks that make these ukes stand out from everything else out there. Coming soon, we're going to add even more value by giving players a free 30-day trial of Fender Play's digital ukulele lessons with purchase to jumpstart the learning process."

Perfect for the beginner or traveler, the Venice Ukulele  offered in in Natural, Black and Cherry finishes  travels well from the beach to the studio, while maintaining that classic, quality sound. For players who want to plug in and get loud, the Rincon features an onboard Fishman Kula preamp. Packed with value and luxurious look, the all-koa Montecito Ukulele sits at the high end of the line at $249.99. With abalone binding and rosette, this uke has screen-ready looks, similar to the celebrities inhabiting the beach for which it is named.

Responding to the rapidly growing popularity of the instrument, these ukuleles cater to musicians of all ages and skill levels, providing the perfect transitional stepping stone for aspiring guitar players and the chance for experienced guitar players to grow their palette of sounds and instrument collection.

For product images, click here. For additional high-resolution lifestyle images, click here. Watch a lifestyle video and see Fidlar's Zac Carper demo California Coast Series Ukuleles.

For technical specs on California Coast Series Ukuleles, additional information on new Fender products and to find a retail partner near you, visit fender.com. Join the conversation on social media by following @Fender.

NEW California Coast Series Ukuleles:

Venice Ukulele  $59.99

Fender's soprano ukulele captures the entertaining sights and unique, carefree vibe of Venice, California with the Venice Ukulele. Thanks to its compact, comfortable body size, the Venice travels easily from the beach to the studio or jam room, while retaining the classic, light sound that makes the ukulele a "must-have" for today's players. The slim "C"-shaped neck profile is comfortable to hold and easy to play, while the no-tie bridge makes changing strings a breeze. A stylish bound top and 4-in-line Tele headstock adds a unique dash of Fender style that can't be duplicated. Embrace the music of the boardwalk and live the beach life year-round with the Venice Ukulele.

Seaside Ukulele  $89.99

When it's time to kick back and relax by the ocean, the Seaside Ukulele is always ready with inspiring style and sound. Compact, comfortable and easily portable, this soprano ukulele is ideal for beginning players or anyone looking to add its light, joyful sound to their music. The slim "C"-shaped neck profile is comfortable and easy to move around on, while the no-tie bridge makes changing strings a breeze. Crafted from mahogany for a warm, bell-like tone, the Seaside's open-pore finish gives it an organic look. The top, back and fingerboard bindings add a touch of elegance, while the traditional 2x2 headstock is sure to appeal to all ukulele aficionados.

Zuma Ukulele  $139.99

Equally at home at the beach or the studio, this concert-sized ukulele is crafted from sapele, with an open-pore finish for balanced earthy tone that blends well with other instruments. The Zuma falls between the smaller soprano and the larger tenor sizes, providing a full sound and comfortable playing experience for players with larger hands. The easy-playing, 16-fret neck extends the range, while the no-tie bridge makes changing strings quick and easy. A striking abalone rosette, bound top, back and fingerboard and 4-in-line Tele headstock stand out from the crowd. Whether you're following in the sandy footsteps of those who came before or blazing your own musical trail  the Zuma Ukulele is the perfect companion for all of your creative adventures.

Rincon Ukulele  $199.99

Packed with elegant style and top-notch features, the tenor-sized Rincon Ukulele has a rich, deep voice that's uniquely inspiring. "Electrifying" isn't a word usually associated with ukuleles, but for players who want to plug in and get loud, the Rincon features an onboard Fishman Kula preamp. Crafted from ovangkol, with a solid top for enhanced volume, this ukulele sings with full-bodied chime while boasting a natural appearance. A no-tie bridge, bone nut and saddle and eye-catching abalone rosette round out the modern features, while the 2x2 headstock with vintage-style closed-back tuning machines gives it a traditional look.

Montecito Ukulele  $249.99

Inspired by the California home of many celebrities, this ukulele's screen-ready looks and headline grabbing features could only have one namethe Montecito Ukulele. Constructed completely from koa, this tenor-sized ukulele has a rich, sonorous tone that matches its sumptuously elegant aesthetic. The solid top provides enhanced resonance and sustain, along with incredible warmth and well-balanced projection. The Montecito's koa body is complemented by blue-green abalone top binding and a bound back and fingerboard for a refined look. Other features include a no-tie bridge for quick, easy string changes, a bone nut and saddle for superior tone, an abalone rosette, vintage-style closed-back tuning machines and a 4-in-line Tele headstock for that unmistakably classic Fender look.

About Fender Musical Instruments Corporation:

Since 1946, Fender has revolutionized music and culture as one of the world's leading musical instrument manufacturers, marketers and distributors. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC), whose portfolio of brands includes Fender, Squier, Gretsch guitars, Jackson, EVH and Charvel, follows a player-centric approach to crafting the highest quality instruments and musical solutions across genres. FMIC is dedicated to unlocking the power of music through electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers, pro audio, accessories and digital products that inspire and enable musical expression at every stage, from beginners to history-making legends.

SOURCE Fender Musical Instruments Corporation

Related Links

http://www.fender.com


BOSTON, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- FinMason, a Boston-based FinTech and investment analytics firm, participated in the fourth annual Fuse Conference, held September 7-10, 2017, in Park City, Utah. Hosted by Orion Advisor Services, a leading portfolio accounting service provider for advisors, Fuse 2017 is the premier conference for financial services technology developers and programmers. Each September, the industry's best coders gather in a mountain lodge for a weekend to build new integrations and change the technology experience for advisors everywhere. Fuse is open to all developers who work with Orion.

In their first appearance at Fuse, FinMason's five-person team  three of whom flew in from FinMason's Prague office (FinMason Europe, s.r.o.)  focused on integrating their portfolio analytics and risk data with Insight, Orion's interactive client presentation tool, via their FinRiver API. FinMason was one of thirty companies to present their innovative hackathon solution at the event and were honored to accept an award for their hard work and initiative.

BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL

"We are proud to accept the 'Burning the Midnight Oil' award because it reflects our company culture of tenacity and commitment to serving our clients and helping them achieve their goals," said Kendrick Wakeman, CFA, CEO and founder of FinMason. "FinMason's Fuse hackathon team was the last team working every night, well into the wee hours of the morning. They earned this award hands down and won the respect and admiration of everyone there. Those guys really rocked it and it was great to see."

"We are building a very powerful brand as a dedicated group of individuals that have world-class skills and a fanatical devotion to helping clients succeed. All sorts of good things are happening as a result, and this is just the beginning."

INDUSTRY LEADERS, PUSHING PEERS FORWARD

Fuse 2017 is a three day, weekend conference that focuses on creating reciprocal relationships among financial technology companies. "From financial planning to trading to CRM providers and more, if a firm has an interest in advancing technology for the financial advisor community, you can probably find them at one of our Fuse events," said Orion CEO Eric Clarke. "During the event, judges with experience from across the industry evaluate the development and integrations created during the weekend for a year's worth of bragging rights. The Fuse judges know innovation because they're innovators too. These are the industry's leaders, the ones who push their peers forward, and when they're not judging the event and fulfilling their official duties, they're also a lot of fun to have around."

The Fuse 2017 judges were:

Ryan Beach , president of CLS Investments

JD Bruce, president of Abacus Wealth Partners

Joel Bruckenstein , president of Technology Tools for Today (T3)

Heather Fortner , chief compliance officer and chief operating officer at SignatureFD

Michael Kitces , publisher of Nerd's Eye View

Billy Oliverio , vice president at United Planners

Tina Powell , director of business management at Beacon Wealth Management

Spenser Segal , CEO of ActiFi

Shannon Spotswood , president of RFG Advisory

Bill Winterberg , technology consultant at FPPad.com

ABOUT FINMASON, INC.

FinMason is a Boston-based financial technology firm dedicated to improving the accessibility of investment analytics. FinMason's cutting-edge platform analyzes millions of global investments and delivers institutional-grade analytics at scale via three core products: FinRiver offers robust risk analytics, investment analytics and proprietary data sets to financial technology platforms via lightning-fast APIs; FinScope is a compliance screening and performance attribution product that analyzes every portfolio in a firm's system every night; FinScore Pro provides financial advisors with a quick, intuitive and uncomplicated risk-assessment tool that systematically develops a mutually understandable, bright-line agreement on risk with clients and prospects. For more information, visit www.finmason.com or follow @finmasoninc on Twitter.

Media contact:

Jessica Shores

Impact Communications

913-649-5009

[email protected]

SOURCE FinMason

Related Links

http://www.finmason.com


SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 501(c) Services, in conjunction with Great American Insurance Group, has introduced UInsureSM, a first-of-kind admitted insurance program that provides employers a safe and secure alternative to the State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) program for certain nonprofit organizations, public entities and tribally owned businesses. UInsure provides customizable first dollar insurance options that range from an agreed-upon limit to coverage for all unemployment charges during the policy year. These options provide both peace of mind and budgetary certainty.

Since 1972, federal law has allowed 501(c)(3) nonprofits, public entities and tribally owned businesses to opt out of paying into the SUI program and instead reimburse the state for unemployment benefits paid to former employees. UInsure, which is paired with unemployment risk management services, offers employers potential savings in excess of 20% per year versus the tax associated with a state-run SUI program.

"This new program fills an unmet need in the admitted insurance marketplace and provides financial protection for our customers," said Mike Sullivan, executive vice president of Great American Insurance Group. "UInsure is in line with our commitment to offer best-in-class insurance products. We are excited to expand our coverage set for 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public entity and tribally owned insureds."

In addition to cost-effective insurance, every UInsure employer benefits from an extensive suite of risk management and loss-control services including unemployment claims management, hearing representation, access to an HR Hotline, certified training webinars and re-employment services for separated employees.

"For more than three decades, we've been helping nonprofits to save money through careful self-insurance programs," said Darren Bowman, CEO of 501(c) Services. "Now we're thrilled to be working with Great American to offer first dollar insurance options. We think UInsure is a great solution for risk-sensitive employers or those requiring budgetary certainty, particularly with the financial strength and security of Great American behind the program."

About 501(c) Services

Based in San Jose, California, 501(c) Services has over three decades of experience in providing full-service alternatives to state-run unemployment insurance programs, and provides services to over 1,500 nonprofits nationally. It is the administrator of the 501(c) Agencies Trust, which offers a comprehensive suite of risk management services and multiple stop-loss protection solutions for its 501(c)(3) nonprofit members, now including customizable stop-loss insurance underwritten by Great American Insurance Company.

About Great American Insurance Group

Great American Insurance Group's roots go back to 1872 with the founding of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the operations of Great American Insurance Group are engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialty commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of traditional fixed and fixed-indexed annuities in the retail, financial institutions and education markets. Great American Insurance Company has received an "A" (Excellent) or higher rating from the A.M. Best Company for more than 100 years (most recent rating evaluation of "A+" (Superior) affirmed August 11, 2017). The members of Great American Insurance Group are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG), also based in Cincinnati, Ohio. AFG's common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFG.

UInsure insurance products are underwritten by Great American Insurance Company, an authorized insurer in all 50 states and DC. Coverage is not available in all states.

SOURCE 501(c) Services
Residents of the greater Houston area can also receive a 50% discount if they order the mosquito repellent off the FIT Organic website (www.fitorganic.com) using the discount code: "HOUSTON".

While water levels may be receding in Texas, the threat of water borne diseases from mosquitoes remain present, especially in standing water. FIT Organic prides itself on providing the best products for homeowners and families, and hopes the donation will be put to good use.

"At times like these, where the community is trying to rebuild, people don't need to be worrying about mosquitoes, or what's the safest repellent to spray on themselves and their loved ones. That's why we're donating our organic repellent product to the people of Houston," said Todd Wichmann of HealthPro Brands Inc., parent company of FIT Organic.

"It's times like these where we see the fiber of the American people, and we're hoping that our donation can make the lives of the survivors of Hurricane Harvey just a little bit easier," added Wichmann.

FIT Organic recognizes the need for communities to come together in difficult times, and it hopes that this minor donation will assist in keeping fellow citizens safe and comfortable.

For information on Matthew 25 Ministries, please visit www.m25m.org.

ABOUT FIT Organic

FIT Organic creates certified organic household products. From carpet cleaner to mosquito repellent, FIT Organic products are USDA Certified Organic by the prestigious Oregon Tilth Company, meaning that each product must pass strict production standards. FIT Organic products carry multiple certifications that attest to their innate quality. FIT Organic is also a cruelty free company, with no products tested on animals. For more information on FIT Organic products, please visit www.fitorganic.com.

SOURCE FIT Organic

Related Links

http://www.fitorganic.com


The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus case collection features both military grade and slim options that provide varying levels of protection, from thick and rugged to slim and lightweight to suit anyone's needs. Shock-absorbing construction, slim build, and functional features make the Lumion iPhone cases the perfect buffers for protecting the new glass screen and body of the recently announced trio of iPhones.

For users not looking to upgrade this year, Lumion's iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus cases are designed to keep compatibility with previously announced iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models.

Lumion offers daily dependable protection with the following cases in their iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus lineup:

Gardien case for iPhone 8 , iPhone 8 Plus - the sleek Gardien is a hybrid case known for its dual-layer construction while keeping a pocket-friendly build. Raised thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) around all exposed areas makes sure the iPhone stays intact and blemish-free against daily harm. The TPU and polycarbonate (PC) are treated with a protective UV coating to provide resistance against wear and tear. Available in Black Metallic, Metallic Silver, Gold Sand, White Rose, and White Silver ($14.99) .

- the sleek Gardien is a hybrid case known for its dual-layer construction while keeping a pocket-friendly build. Raised thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) around all exposed areas makes sure the iPhone stays intact and blemish-free against daily harm. The TPU and polycarbonate (PC) are treated with a protective UV coating to provide resistance against wear and tear. Available in Black Metallic, Metallic Silver, Gold Sand, White Rose, and White Silver . Diamont case for iPhone 8 , iPhone 8 Plus - the clear Diamont case provides a TPU cover that protects all edges and shows off the iPhone without exposing the glass back while PC bumpers accent the classic iPhone colors in matching hues. The TPU and PC are treated with protective UV coating to preserve quality and prevent discoloration over time. Available in Black Metallic, Metallic Silver, Gold Sand, and Rose Pink ($14.99) .

- the clear Diamont case provides a TPU cover that protects all edges and shows off the iPhone without exposing the glass back while PC bumpers accent the classic iPhone colors in matching hues. The TPU and PC are treated with protective UV coating to preserve quality and prevent discoloration over time. Available in Black Metallic, Metallic Silver, Gold Sand, and . Chinook case for iPhone 8 - the unique Chinook card case is the ultimate case for frequent flyers and travelers. Store up to 5 cards and even some cash in the spacious flip-open compartment and guard the iPhone with shock-absorbing corners and dual-layer construction. Available in Black Metallic, Metallic Silver, Gold Sand, and Rose Pink ($15.99) .

For the entire collection, see the Lumion iPhone 8 case and iPhone 8 Plus case lineup on amazon.com

About Lumion

With humble beginnings overseas, Lumion is dedicated to creating practical and useful products for any lifestyle. Lumion is guided by a simple philosophy: to offer the best quality products at a great value. Founded in 2007 and incorporated in Hong Kong, Lumion is the private label OEM brand of Lumion Co., Limited. Lumion's customer-centric approach shapes their 3-point risk-free shopping experience. Every Lumion purchase is protected with the Lumion Lifetime Warranty and comes with free shipping and a 30-day money back guarantee. To learn more about Lumion, visit lumionus.com.

Related Links

Lumion Facebook

Lumion Twitter

Lumion Instagram

SOURCE Lumion

Related Links

http://lumionus.com


OMAHA, Neb., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- First National Technology Solutions (FNTS), the recognized leader in the managed IT services industry, today announced it is publishing a guide to help organizations decide if they should enlist the help of a managed services provider (MSP) for their IT functions. The e-book, The Business Benefits of Managing IT Internally or Outsourcing Services, is available for free download at http://info.fnts.com/business-benefits-of-managing-it-or-outsourcing-services.

Today's organizations consider outsourcing IT functions not only a cost-cutting measure but also a way to fill in the gaps of internal IT teams that are stretched too thin. Businesses might be experiencing system slowdowns due to outdated hardware, lagging operating systems, and delayed repairs. Or IT teams may be composed of generalists who lack the skills and experience needed to handle complex applications and functions. When faced with these problems, many businesses seek outside help. The new guide from FNTS compares the benefits of tabbing an MSP with keeping IT functions in house. Among the e-book's features are:

A look at the challenges of deploying in-house IT support

Ways contracting with an MSP affects businesses

Six key criteria for evaluating MSPs

"Deploying and managing an IT staff can be difficult for any business," says Kim Whittaker, President of FNTS. "Finding the right people with the right skills takes time and money, and even then, you may still lack the talent to handle the ever-increasing security challenges today's companies face. More businesses are choosing managed services providers to help with key IT functions, and our new guide details the advantages of outsourcing."

To learn more about this e-book or FNTS's innovative solutions, visit www.fnts.com.

About First National Technology Solutions

With more than 20 years in the managed IT services industry, First National Technology Solutions (FNTS) is a leading provider of flexible, customized hosted and remote managed services. Specializing in best-of-breed cloud technology and data center services, FNTS is dedicated to quality personal service, guaranteed uptime, and custom-built solutions that fit individual enterprises today and align with their future strategic growth plans. For more information, visit www.fnts.com.

SOURCE First National Technology Solutions

Related Links

https://www.fnts.com


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The new regulations, which recently took effect, require that the Department of Environmental Health inspects and approves all suppliers of hemp derived phytocannabinoid rich products that are sold within the City of Denver. Hemp derived products containing CBD that is imported from China and Europe is no longer allowed to be sold within the City of Denver. Folium Biosciences believes that the new regulations are an important first step to maintaining higher levels of quality control and oversight in one of the fastest growing verticals within the legal cannabis industry - hemp derived cannabidiol (CBD) based products.

The City of Denver in Colorado is the very first city in the United States to create oversight for hemp manufacturers of products sold within the city. The Department of Environmental Health approvals mean that all of Folium's bulk and wholesale customers may sell their retail branded hemp CBD oil products throughout the city of Denver.

About Folium: Folium Biosciences, based in Colorado Springs, CO is the largest vertically integrated producer, manufacturer, and distributor of hemp derived phytocannabinoid rich products in the USA. All of Folium Biosciences Hemp is registered with the Colorado State Department of Agriculture and grown in accordance with section 7606 of the 2014 US Farm Bill.

For Media:

Contact: [email protected]

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Folium Biosciences
"Foodee is excited to continue our expansion, bringing quality food into boardrooms in Boulder. The city is home to some of America's leading corporations and is a fast-growing technology hub, exactly the kind of place where Foodee's delivery platform thrives. We're excited to be working with leading restaurants in Boulder's dynamic food scene to deliver great meals to the city's businesses." said Ryan Spong, CEO of Foodee and seasoned restaurateur.

Catered lunches are an increasingly common company perk, especially for companies looking to attract and retain top talent. Foodee provides companies with a complete ordering solution, making it easy to manage meals for large groups. The industry-leading ordering platform allows employees to select their own meals, while enabling companies to manage budgets, delivery schedules and restaurant options. Companies also receive access to the support of a concierge team and local food experts to create custom meal plans for meetings, events, and other occasions.

Local Boulder restaurants will benefit from Foodee by increased demand during off-peak hours, enabling them to prepare orders for corporate clients before the lunch or dinner rush, increasing revenue per square foot and optimizing kitchen capacity.

Foodee handles sales, marketing, delivery logistics, and client invoicing - lightening the load on restaurant partners so that they can focus on making great food.

Since launching in 2012, Foodee has partnered with over 500 restaurants, served over 8,000 customers, and delivered millions of meals in Toronto, Vancouver, Austin, Denver, Philadelphia and more.

Request a free Lunch & Learn in Boulder: https://try.food.ee/boulder

Order Foodee to your Boulder office: https://www.food.ee/restaurants/boulder/

Become a restaurant partner: https://www.food.ee/become-foodee-restaurant-partner/

About Foodee

Foodee is a leading platform that connects offices across North America with top restaurants, bringing local food culture into boardrooms and satisfying the cravings of Fortune 500 companies such as Apple, Amazon, Comcast, eBay, Facebook, Microsoft, Starbucks and more. Foodee currently operates in 10 cities in North America and is rapidly expanding. Learn more: https://www.food.ee

SOURCE Foodee

Related Links

https://www.food.ee/


CLEVELAND, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Building codes in South Florida were put to the test earlier this month as Hurricane Irma roared on shore, battering homes and businesses with Category 4 winds. While the storm made landfall first in the Florida Keys, then in Marco Island, the entire state felt Irma's impact and thousands of residents remain without power. Within days of Irma's landfall, two more powerful hurricanes  Jose and Maria  churned in the Atlantic and were headed eastward, and are affecting the US and Caribbean this week.

With both the frequency and strength of major tropical storms intensifying, Floridians (and others along US coastlines) are paying extra attention to the effectiveness of building codes designed to protect structures from high winds and flying debris. Such codes were prompted by the devastating effects of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which exposed the how lax building codes in South Florida contributed to widespread damage.

Initial assessments of Irma's aftermath reveal that newer homes designed with impact-resistant windows and doors, cinder block masonry construction, and stronger roofs suffered less severe damage compared to homes built prior to 2002. Such results are benefiting companies like PGT Innovations  the market leader for impact-resistant windows and doors in Florida  which saw shares jump last week to a 52-week high.

According to Freedonia Group analyst Carolyn Zulandt, "impact-resistant windows and doors are a quickly expanding segment of the overall market, with sales expected to climb 7.5% annually over the next five years." Eroding complacency in at-risk areas is expected to spur investment in stronger windows and doors. Lawmakers in states such as Texas, Louisiana, and South Carolina  which have been slower to adopt more stringent building codes  are also likely to reevaluate codes for products like windows and doors.

However, there remains controversy over a bill passed in Florida earlier this year, eliminating a requirement that the Florida Building Commission automatically adopt International Code Council standards every three years. Opponents to the decision argue that the change could result in weaker building codes throughout the state, while supporters of the bill argued that it removes undue burdens for the local building industry. With concerns about hurricanes and global warming expected to remain heightened, regulators are likely to face tough criticism for any measures that could weaken existing building codes.

For more information on the impact-resistant windows and doors market, as well as the outlook for the wider window and door industry, see the Construction & Building Products page featuring the following industry studies by The Freedonia Group:

Windows & Doors Market Forecasts (September 2017)

https://www.freedoniagroup.com/industry-study/windows-doors-market-forecast-in-the-us-by-product-material-market-and-region-3572.htm

Doors Market in the US (August 2017)

Windows Market in the US (June 2017)

About The Freedonia Group, a division of MarketResearch.com  The Freedonia Group is a leading international industrial research company publishing more than 100 studies annually. Since 1985, we have provided research to customers ranging in size from global conglomerates to one-person consulting firms. More than 90% of the industrial companies in the Fortune 500 use Freedonia Group research to help with their strategic planning. Studies can be purchased at www.freedoniagroup.com, www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com.

Press Contact:

Corinne Gangloff

+1 440.684.9600

[email protected]

SOURCE The Freedonia Group

Related Links

http://www.freedoniagroup.com


The Growth, Innovation & Leadership Awards are presented each year to companies that are expected to encourage significant growth in their industries, have identified emerging trends before they became the standard in the marketplace, and have created advanced technologies that will catalyze and transform industries in the near future.

"Creativity and innovation is the key to success. Our award recipients demonstrate perseverance and commitment to these principles, enabling them to excel in their competitive marketplaces," said Jeff Frigstad, global senior vice president, Best Practices, Frost & Sullivan.

Awardees included:

Acelity  2017 North American Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy Product Leadership Award

Akonni Biosystems  2017 North American Microarrays in Molecular Diagnostics New Product Innovation Award

Amazon Web Services  2017 North American Channel Partner Programs Competitive Strategy Innovation and Leadership Award

Authentix, Inc.  2017 North American Authentication Solutions Technology Leadership Award

Cancer Genetics, Inc.  2017 North American Precision Oncology Technology Innovation Award

ClearOne  2017 Global Converged Audio/Video Conferencing Solutions Competitive Strategy Innovation and Leadership Award

DigiCert, Inc.  2017 North American IoT Security Visionary Innovation Leadership Award

EcoEnergy  2017 Global Building Energy Management Systems Customer Value Leadership Award

Elsevier  2017 North American Diagnostic Decision Support Systems for Pathology and Radiology Technology Innovation Award

FogHorn Systems  2017 North American Edge Intelligence-Analytics for Manufacturing Product Leadership Award

GE Healthcare  2017 North American Revenue Cycle Management Enabling Technology Leadership Award

Heller Industries  2017 Global SMT Soldering Equipment Enabling Industry 4.0 Company of the Year Award

Hortau  2017 North American Smart Irrigation New Product Innovation Award

Huawei  2017 Global Stratecast CSP Monetization Product Leadership Award

Huawei  2017 Global Stratecast CSP Monetization  Billing Mediation Market Leadership Award

IntelePeer  2017 North American SIP Trunking Services Enabling Technology Leadership Award

Jumio  2017 North American Biometric Security Solution Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award

Kinestral Technologies, Inc.  2017 North American Smart Glass New Product Innovation Award

Mocana  2017 North American IoT Security Platform for Industrial Manufacturing & Automation Product Leadership Award

Omron Healthcare, Inc.  2017 North American Home Pain Management New Product Innovation Award

PAS Global, LLC  2017 North American Industrial Control Systems Cyber Security Customer Value Leadership Award

Philips Healthcare  2017 Global Healthcare Enterprise Partnerships Market Leadership Award

PINC  2017 Global Autonomous Inventory Robotics New Product Innovation Award

Prognos  2017 North American Artificial Intelligence Solutions in Life Science Visionary Innovation Leadership Award

Radware  2017 Global DDoS Mitigation Customer Value Leadership Award

Riptide Autonomous Solutions  2017 North American Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Product Leadership Award

STANLEY Healthcare  2017 Global Senior Living Community Vendor Company of the Year Award

STARTEK  2017 North American Contact Center Outsourcing Competitive Strategy Innovation and Leadership Award

Sunquest Information Systems  2017 Global Clinical Diagnostic Lab IT Company of the Year Award

Superior Glove  2017 North American Hand Protection New Product Innovation Award

TeleMate.Net Software  2017 North American Unified Communications and Collaboration Analytics Product Line Strategy Leadership Award

Teleperformance  2016 North American Contact Center Outsourcing Company of the Year Award

Teleperformance  2017 European Contact Center Outsourcing Company of the Year Award

Ventec Life Systems - VOCSN  2017 North American Unified Respiration New Product Innovation Award

Zendrive  2017 North American User-Based Insurance Product Leadership Award

Zilkr  2017 North American Communications Platform as a Service Enabling Technology Leadership Award

Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices.

For further information about the Awards Gala, please contact a member of the Best Practices Team.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, collaborates with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that could make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, Frost & Sullivan has been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector, and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Claudia Toscano

P: 210.477.8417

F: 210.348.1003

E:[email protected]

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Related Links

http://www.frost.com


SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the behind-the-meter networks industry, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Blue Pillar with the "2017 North American Behind-the-meter Internet-of-Energy Growth Excellence Leadership Award" for connecting behind-the-meter assets that can help overcome reliability and resiliency challenges, while also being first in market to offer Energy Network-as-a-Service (ENaaS). Blue Pillar is an Energy Internet of Things (IoT) platform company with the goal to seamlessly connect distributed energy resources (DERs)  new or old and all makes and models  to help commercial facilities, utilities, and energy service providers avoid power outages, balance the grid, alleviate grid stress, and drive higher levels of efficiency and data interoperability.

The aging grid infrastructure in the United States is increasingly strained, with average grid outages increasing an estimated six-fold within the last decade. Additionally, growing distributed energy resources make the grid more vulnerable and difficult for utilities to manage the power and information flow. Given the current grid issues, utilities and their commercial and industrial (C&I) customers are devising strategies to address these problems that require the use of open, behind-the-meter Energy IoT networks to enable solutions such as:

Virtual power plants (VPPs): a virtual facility that amalgamates various potential resources, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), energy storage solutions, and customer-owned DERs;

a virtual facility that amalgamates various potential resources, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), energy storage solutions, and customer-owned DERs; Automated demand response (ADR): used by utilities to gain access to distributed generation behind-the-meter in times of peak demand to help stabilize the grid and avoid power outages; and

used by utilities to gain access to distributed generation behind-the-meter in times of peak demand to help stabilize the grid and avoid power outages; and Distributed energy resources management systems (DERMS): used to integrate distributed generation sources that are increasingly found behind-the-meter at C&I facilities and used to enhance the controllability of distributed assets through near real-time monitoring.

"Blue Pillar's Aurora Energy Network of Things platform simplifies the connectivity of DERS into an open and centralized platform to deliver real-time energy data to energy providers, C&I facilities, DR aggregators and third-party software providers," said Farah Saeed, Global Program Leader, Grids. "What makes Aurora unique is that it can connect any switch, meter, generation source, or other asset that happens behind the meter, regardless of age, make, model, or type, through a cyber-secure and scalable open IoT architecture that is completely vendor agnostic. This approach advances data analytics and control at the grid edge required to help utilities and other end users with their capacity planning and peak demand management."

"We are honored to receive this recognition from Frost & Sullivan. Blue Pillar has achieved tremendous growth in the past five years by focusing on being an open Energy IoT platform that connects behind-the-meter assets to automate the way critical energy data is gathered. Data that was once manually collected from DERs on clipboards or by meter readers can now be accessible through a digital platform to any third-party energy software," said Tom Willie, CEO of Blue Pillar. "Our growth has been a result of the use of leading-edge IoT architecture and technology partnerships that make our approach 75% faster and 30% more affordable for our customers when compared to the costs of trying to build these behind-the-meter networks on their own."

Blue Pillar is focused on connecting behind-the-meter assets through an open IoT platform to make DER data (and control) accessible to third-party energy management software. Blue Pillar has differentiated itself not only in innovating the way it prescribes behind-the-meter networks, but in its success in offering an ENaaS  a fully turnkey and automated approach to delivering the creation of Energy IoT networks of DERs without ever requiring the customer to set foot behind the meter. Blue Pillar's ENaaS offering eliminates operational deployment and maintenance concerns and delivers all hardware, installation, and configuration required to keep the network alive. Behind-the-meter data and control is accessible through an open application program interface (API) that dramatically reduces development time and costs.

"Blue Pillar has successfully demonstrated that it can connect all types of DERs through its industry-recognized Aurora Energy Network of Things platform and is scaling globally to connect more DERs than any of its competitors," said Saeed. "It is able to do so through strong technology partnerships, such as with Dell and Intel for grid-edge gateway devices, Microsoft for OS, and Azure for cloud service. These brand names allow Blue Pillar to successfully bridge the gap between the facility and IT departments. For these reasons, Blue Pillar has earned Frost & Sullivan's 2017 North American Behind-the-meter Internet-of-Energy Growth Excellence Leadership Award."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan bestows this award upon the company that demonstrates excellence in growth and customer value. It recognizes the superiority of the product/service, as well as the overall customer, purchase, ownership, and service experience offered, which has resulted in the recipient company seeing above-market growth and greater share of wallet. The award lauds the growth, diversification, and sustainability strategies of the company.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Blue Pillar

Blue Pillar connects the Energy Things that power our world. The only IoT solution to unite all Energy Things onto a single platform, Blue Pillar unleashes the power of real-time data to strengthen critical infrastructure and accelerate business. Blue Pillar's Aurora is automated through a template-driven process where security is built-in from sensor to cloud. With Blue Pillar, companies have unprecedented insight into their energy needs to become more efficient and have peace of mind that when the grid goes down, their business will continue forward. Learn more at bluepillar.com or on Twitter at @bluepillarinc.

Kim Getgen

317.724.7629

[email protected]

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Samantha Park

P: 210.348.1001

F: 210.348.1003

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Related Links

http://www.frost.com


PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Aerospace, a leading provider of aerospace insurance, announces the introduction of Aviation Professional Services Liability insurance for the aerospace industry. The coverage will be available to aerospace contractors, aircraft maintenance providers, auditors and engineers, among others.

Aviation Professional Services - Protecting your business and yourself

The Global Aerospace Aviation Professional Services Liability policy will provide the industry with coverage for financial loss and defense costs arising from acts, errors or omissions in performing aviation professional services. Financial loss arising from these activities is a primary exposure for aviation specialists and Global Aerospace has developed this new offering to address the risks involved.

Chris Proudlove, Senior Vice President, manager Northeast regional office and UAS risks at Global Aerospace commented, "Aviation Professional Services Liability insurance is one of the most important business investments aviation professionals can make. Global Aerospace is excited to lead the way by introducing this solution to our industry."

As a specialist aviation underwriting business, Global Aerospace is continuously developing customized solutions to deliver products and services to benefit our clients and their brokers. To learn more, visit the Global Aerospace Booth (#C8725) at the NBAA BACE Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on the 10th and 11th of October from 1-3pm to meet with our Aviation Professional Services Liability underwriting team.

For further information, please feel free to contact Chris Proudlove at (973) 490-8525, [email protected], Nick Methven (973) 490-8584, [email protected] or visit our website at www.global-aero.com.

Global Aerospace is a leading provider of aerospace insurance with a worldwide portfolio of clients who are engaged in every aspect of the aviation and space industries. Headquartered in London, we have offices in Canada, Cologne, Paris, Zurich and throughout the United States. Across the world, we employ over 300 people. With experience dating back to the 1920s, the company's underwriting is backed by a pool of high quality insurance companies representing some of the most respected names in the business.

For additional information about Global Aerospace, please visit www.global-aero.com. To learn more about the company's SM4 safety program, please visit sm4.global-aero.com.

Contact:

Suzanne Keneally

AVP, Group Head of Communications

[email protected] 973-490-8588

SOURCE Global Aerospace

Related Links

http://www.global-aero.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global X Funds, the New York-based provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), today celebrated the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Global X Robotics and Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ). BOTZ has received considerable interest from investors in its first year, having surpassed $450m in assets under management.1 BOTZ launched on September 12, 2016 and tracks the Indxx Global Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Thematic Index.

According to data from ETF.com, by reaching $450m, BOTZ has become one of just eight ETFs launched since January 1, 2016 to achieve this milestone.2 BOTZ has seen accelerated growth in recent months, with Global X announcing on June 12, 2017 that BOTZ had reached $100m in assets by the end of May.3

BOTZ offers investors access to a rapidly emerging technological theme of the application of robotics and artificial intelligence around the globe. The robotics industry is expected to grow 10% per year, eclipsing $80 billion in market size by 2020. The AI market is expected to reach $5.1 billion by 2020, from just $420 million in 2014.4,5 As of 9/12/2017, BOTZ has a global focus with more than 70% of its exposure coming from outside of the US, including over 45% coming from Japan.6

"While the robotics & AI revolution is a long term theme that we believe will continue to play out over decades, industries across the globe are already embracing these technologies. Industrial manufacturing was among the first sectors touched by this burgeoning technology, but health care, defense, agriculture, and consumer products are all starting to adopt robotics and AI at an increasingly rapid pace," said Jay Jacobs, director of research at Global X. "We brought BOTZ to market to offer investors an efficient tool to access this technological revolution, and we're pleased to see that the market has been receptive. As we continue to watch these emerging technologies change the world around us, we're excited for what the future has in store."

ABOUT GLOBAL X

Seeking to provide access to high-quality and cost-efficient investment solutions, Global X is a New York-based sponsor of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Founded in 2008, Global X is distinguished by its smart core, income, alpha, risk management and access suites of ETFs and has more than 50 funds available across U.S. and foreign exchanges. Global X is recognized as a leader in developing intelligent investment solutions.

DISCLOSURE

Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The investable universe of companies in which the Fund may invest may be limited. The Fund invests in securities of companies engaged in Information Technology which can be affected by rapid product obsolescence, and intense industry competition. In addition to normal risks associated with investing, international investments may involve risk of capital loss from unfavorable fluctuation in currency values, from differences in generally accepted accounting principles or from social, economic or political instability in other nations. The fund is non-diversified which represents a heightened risk to investors.

Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.

Carefully consider the Fund's investment objectives, risk factors, charges and expenses before investing. This and additional information can be found in the Fund's full or summary prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-888-GX-FUND-1 (1.888.493.8631), or by visiting globalxfunds.com. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Global X Management Company LLC serves as an advisor to Global X Funds. The Funds are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Co. (SIDCO), which is not affiliated with Global X Management Company LLC. Global X Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold or promoted by Indxx, nor does Indxx make any representations regarding the advisability of investing in the Global X Funds. Neither SIDCO nor Global X is affiliated with Indxx.

1 As of 9/12/2017, the Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ) had $463m in assets under management.

2 Source: ETF.com. As of 9/13/2017

3 Global X Funds' Robotics and Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ) Crosses $100 Million Mark, 2017

4 Robotics Technology Market by Type and Application, Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast. 2014-2020 Report.

5 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market by Technology, Application & Geography. Global Forecast to 2020 Report.

6 Source: Morningstar, as of 9/12/2017

SOURCE Global X Funds
"One of the greatest challenges of our time is transitioning our cities to a smarter and more sustainable energy and transportation infrastructure. Gogoro provides a new approach for cities to embrace sustainable energy through a smart connected infrastructure and battery swapping system that has demonstrated success across Taiwan and Berlin," said Horace Luke, co-founder and CEO of Gogoro. "New investments from leaders like Temasek and Generation combined with investments from visionary corporations like ENGIE and Sumitomo Corporation are a strong validation of Gogoro's business and market success."

The new investments from Temasek, Generation Investment Management, Sumitomo Corporation and ENGIE, demonstrate strong support for next generation sustainable energy infrastructure and swappable batteries that can be regularly used by consumers in vehicles and other products.

"Cities worldwide are demanding new and sustainable approaches to personal transportation. Under the leadership of its seasoned management team, Gogoro is proving that its scooters and energy platform are an attractive solution for cities, consumers, and businesses," said Colin le Duc, founding partner and co-head of the Growth Equity strategy for Generation Investment Management. "Gogoro is poised for strong growth. We believe its exciting brand and visionary business model will play a critical role in driving the electrification of mobility across South East Asia."

"Mobility is a key issue for our major cities, which by 2050 will be home to 67% of the world's population. At ENGIE, we are contributing to the creation of a new form of mobility that is more fluid, cleaner and more economical in cities and regions throughout the world. This investment in Gogoro illustrates our conviction that mobility is changing and that Gogoro's solutions are promising," said Isabelle Kocher, CEO of ENGIE, the global energy player and expert operator in the three businesses of electricity, natural gas and energy services.

The new investment comes as the company experiences strong consumer momentum for its innovative battery swapping network and Smartscooters in Taiwan and continued expansion and growth of the Coup's e-scooter sharing service in Europe that currently has 1,600 Smartscooters across Berlin and Paris.

The Gogoro Smartscooter EV was the world's first high-performance, smart electric two-wheel vehicle that utilizes the Gogoro Energy Network, an advanced battery-swapping infrastructure for consumers. Gogoro launched Smartscooter EV and Gogoro Energy Network in 2015 in Taipei and rolled it out across Taiwan with strong momentum and success.

Key Gogoro Facts

More than 34,000 Gogoro Smartscooter EVs sold

Nearly 100 million kilometers ridden by customers

400+ GoStation battery swapping stations deployed

17,000 batteries swapped per day (6 million total batteries swapped)

4,135,000 liters of gasoline saved plus 8 million kilograms less CO2 emitted

"It is great to see new investors from around the world embracing Gogoro's vision and leading a movement towards changing how the world's cities transform into the future," said Dr. Yin. "From the beginning Gogoro had a solid vision for how it would blend innovation, urban transportation and sustainable energy to transform cities and it is no longer just a vision but a reality here in Taiwan, Berlin and now Paris."

Dr. Yin is a Gogoro Board Member and its founding investor. He is one of very few Asians to commit to the Warren Buffett and Bill Gates Giving Pledge and is the founder of the Tang Prize, a set of international awards for individual achievements in Biopharmaceutical Science, Rule of Law, Sinology and Sustainable Development. As one of Asia's most successful entrepreneurs, Dr. Yin's diverse business ventures include retail, sustainable technology, healthcare, financial services, property development and textiles. For more information on the Tang Prize, visit www.tang-prize.org.

Generation Investment Management LLP

Generation Investment Management LLP is dedicated to long-term investing, integrated sustainability research, and client alignment. It was founded with strong conviction for how sustainability risks and opportunities directly affect long-term business profitability. It is an independent, private, owner-managed partnership established in 2004 and headquartered in London, with approximately $17 billion in assets under management. Its chairman is former Vice President of the United States Al Gore and its senior partner is David Blood. The Growth Equity strategy invests in businesses that will help accelerate the transition to a sustainable, low carbon economy. For more information, visit www.generationim.com.

Temasek

Incorporated in 1974, Temasek is an investment company headquartered in Singapore. Supported by 10 offices internationally, Temasek owns a S$275 billion (US$197b, 184b) portfolio as at 31 March 2017, mainly in Singapore and Asia. Its portfolio covers a broad spectrum of industries: financial services; telecommunications, media & technology; transportation & industrials; consumer & real estate; life sciences & agriculture; as well as energy & resources. Its investment activities are guided by four investment themes and the long-term trends they represent:

Transforming Economies;

Growing Middle Income Populations;

Deepening Comparative Advantages; and

Emerging Champions.

For more information, visit www.temasek.com.sg.

ENGIE

ENGIE is committed to taking on the major challenges of the energy revolution, towards a world more decarbonized, decentralized and digitalized. The Group aims to become the leader of this new energy world by focusing on three key activities for the future: low carbon generation in particular from natural gas and renewable energy, energy infrastructure and efficient solutions adapted to all its customers (individuals, businesses, territories, etc.). Innovation, digital solutions and customer satisfaction are the guiding principles of ENGIE's development. ENGIE is active in around 70 countries, employs 150,000 people worldwide and achieved revenues of 66.6 billion in 2016. The Group is listed on the Paris and Brussels stock exchanges (ENGI) and is represented in the main financial indices (CAC 40, BEL 20, DJ Euro Stoxx 50, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe) and non-financial indices (DJSI World, DJSI Europe and Euronext Vigeo Eiris - World 120, Eurozone 120, Europe 120, France 20, CAC 40 Governance). For more information, visit www.engie.com.

Sumitomo Corporation

Sumitomo Corporation ("SC") is a leading Fortune 500 global trading and business investment company with 107 locations in 65 countries and 22 locations in Japan. The entire SC Group consists of more than 800 companies and nearly 70,000 personnel. SC conducts commodity transactions in all industries utilizing worldwide networks, provides related customers with various financing, serves as an organizer and a coordinator for various projects, and invests in companies to promote greater growth potential. SC's core business areas include Metal Products, Transportation and Construction Systems, Environment and Infrastructure, Media, Network, Lifestyle Related Goods and Services, Mineral Resources, Energy, and Chemical and Electronics. For more information, visit http://www.sumitomocorp.co.jp/english/.

About Gogoro

Founded in 2011, Gogoro is putting energy into things that matter. With a mission to deliver consumer innovations that will improve how the world's most populated cities distribute and utilize energy, the company is enabling the transformation of megacities into smart cities. Gogoro is working toward a better future by putting power in the hands of everyone  to move us all forward, faster. For more information, visit www.gogoro.com/press.

SOURCE Gogoro

Related Links

http://www.gogoro.com


Highlights:

Acquisition of a 100% interest in the Crucero Gold Project in Southeastern Peru ;

; Lupaka previously reported a pit constrained indicated resource of 1.00 million ounces grading 1.01 g/t gold and an inferred resource of 1.03 million ounces grading 1.03 g/t gold at a 0.4 g/t gold cut-off at the Project (see Table 1 below). GoldMining will treat this as a historic estimate and plans to engage a qualified person to complete the necessary work to verify the estimate and complete an independent technical report;

and an at a 0.4 g/t gold cut-off at the Project (see Table 1 below). GoldMining will treat this as a historic estimate and plans to engage a qualified person to complete the necessary work to verify the estimate and complete an independent technical report; Approximately 23,000 m of diamond drilling over 72 holes have been completed;

10 additional geophysical and geochemical targets identified on the Project to date;

Total consideration at closing will be 3,500,000 common shares and $750,000 in cash representing approximately 3% dilution to GoldMining shareholders; and

in cash representing approximately 3% dilution to GoldMining shareholders; and Represents GoldMinings first acquisition in Peru , which is among the worlds largest producers of gold, copper and silver, and ranks as one of the most attractive jurisdictions for mining investment in Latin America (Fraser Institute, 2016).

VANCOUVER, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - GoldMining Inc. (the "Company" or "GoldMining") (TSX-V: GOLD; OTCQX: GLDLF) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement (the "Agreement") with Lupaka Gold Corp. ("Lupaka"), to acquire a 100% interest in the Crucero Gold Project (the "Project") located in Southeastern Peru.

Amir Adnani, Chairman of GoldMining, commented: "We are pleased to announce another milestone acquisition in furtherance of our long-term growth and value-building strategy. With this acquisition, we continue to realize our vision of consolidating multi-million ounce gold assets and maximizing gold leverage for our shareholders. The transaction also represents our first acquisition in the country of Peru, which is among the most prolific mining nations in the world."

Garnet Dawson, CEO of GoldMining, commented: "With this acquisition, we will be acquiring not only a project in a favourable mining jurisdiction with a historic pit-constrained resource, but also one that has had significant historical investment and exploration, including 23,000 m of drilling over 72 holes, and numerous targets identified for future exploration. Upon completion, we plan to commission a current resource estimate for the Project as well as identify opportunities for follow-up exploration and expansion."

The Agreement

Pursuant to the Agreement, GoldMining will acquire all of the shares of a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lupaka, which will hold a 100% interest in the Project. Total consideration payable by GoldMining to Lupaka under the transaction is 3,500,000 common shares of GoldMining (the "GoldMining Shares") and $750,000 in cash.

The GoldMining Shares to be issued under the transaction are subject to certain resale restrictions pursuant to the terms of the Agreement.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of requisite third party and regulatory consents and approvals. The parties currently expect closing to occur by the end of September 2017.

The Project

The Project is located 150 km northeast of the city of Juliaca in the Department of Puno, in southeastern Peru. The Project is road accessible by paved road from Juliaca to the town of Crucero, with the remaining 50 km to site by gravel road. High-power electrical lines pass within 8 km of the property.

The Project is comprised of three mining and five exploration concessions with an aggregate area of 4,600 hectares. The exploration concessions are renewable on an indefinite basis through payment of annual fees to the Peruvian government. The three mining concessions are held indirectly by Lupaka through a 30 year assignment from a third party running until 2038 and are subject to certain royalty obligations.

Historic exploration programs have focused on the A1 deposit, however geophysical and geochemical surveys have identified 10 additional targets (A2 to A11) for follow-up exploration. The A1 deposit, as currently defined by trenching and drilling, strikes northwest and dips vertically to steeply to the northeast. The deposit is approximately 750 m long by 100 m in width and has been traced to a vertical depth of 400 m, but most of the drilling is confined to within 250 m of surface. The deposit is open at depth and along strike to the northwest and southeast. The orogenic gold mineralization is associated with sulphide veins hosted within strongly deformed metasedimentary rocks.

The A1 deposit was the subject of a resource estimate published by Lupaka in 2013 (Table 1), which will be treated as a historic estimate by GoldMining. The conceptual pit delineated resource was based on 72 diamond drill holes (approximately 23,000 m) and is reported within a conceptual pit shell. High-grade gold values were capped at 17 g/t gold with 5 assays falling above this value. Average bulk density of 2.85 g/cm3 was used to convert block model volumes to tonnages.

Table 1: A1 deposit historical pit constrained resource estimate published by Lupaka in 2013.



Cut-off Tonnes & Grade Contained Metal Resource Category Au (g/t) Tonnes (Mt) Au (g/t) Au (Moz) Indicated 0.40 30.9 1.01 1.00 Inferred 0.40 31.2 1.03 1.03

The following parameters were utilized by Lupaka to establish the conceptual pit:

Parameter Value Unit Gold Price 1,400 US$/oz Mine Operating Cost (Mineralization and Waste) 1.50 US$/t milled Process Operating Cost 13.00 US$/t milled General & Administrative 2.00 US$/milled Overall Pit Slope 47 Degrees Gold Process Recovery 90 % Mining Dilution 5 % Mining Recovery 100 %

The above resource estimate is historical in nature and will not be treated as a current resource estimate by the Company as a qualified person has not done sufficient work on behalf of the Company to classify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource. However, the Company believes the historical estimate is relevant to any future exploration and as an indication of the potential of the property. The historical resource estimate for the Project is based on a technical report completed for Lupaka by Gregory Z. Mosher, M.Sc., P.Geo. of Tetra Tech WEI Inc. and Anoush Ebrahimi, P.Eng. of SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. titled "Technical Report for the Crucero Property, Carabaya Province, Peru" with an effective date of January 17, 2013 (amended and re-stated October 22, 2013). No new drilling or sampling has been completed on the A1 deposit since the above resource estimate was completed. However, GoldMining intends to engage an independent qualified person to, among other things, examine the cut-off grade with reference to today's metal prices, verify historic sampling and results and complete a technical report, including a current resource estimate on behalf of the Company.

Advisors

Haywood Securities Inc. has advised GoldMining in connection with the transaction, and Sangra Moller LLP is acting as legal counsel to GoldMining.

Qualified Person

Paulo Pereira, President of GoldMining Inc. has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Pereira holds a Bachelors degree in Geology from Universidade do Amazonas in Brazil, is a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 and is a member of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario.

About GoldMining Inc.

GoldMining Inc. is a public mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of gold projects in the Americas. GoldMining is advancing its Titiribi and La Mina Gold-Copper Projects located in the Department of Antioquia, Colombia, its Sao Jorge and Cachoeira Gold Projects located in the State of Para, northeastern Brazil, its Whistler Gold-Copper Project located in the State of Alaska, United States of America, and its Rea Uranium Project in the western Athabasca Basin in northeast Alberta, Canada.

Forward-looking Statements

This document contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of GoldMining with respect to its business and future events, including expectations respecting the Project, the completion of the proposed acquisition of the Project and any future exploration programs and other work on the Project. Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the markets in which GoldMining operates, including that the parties will satisfy or waive all conditions required to complete the transactions under the Agreement, including receipt of all third-party consents and approvals, and that GoldMining will confirm historical exploration results. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including: the inherent risks involved in the exploration and development of mineral properties, the uncertainties involved in interpreting drill results and other exploration data, the potential for delays in exploration or development activities, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with GoldMinings expectations, accidents, equipment breakdowns, title and permitting matters, labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties with or interruptions in operations, fluctuating metal prices, unanticipated costs and expenses, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, including to fund any exploration programs on the Project, that the parties may not receive all consents and approvals or satisfy all conditions required under the Agreement and that GoldMining may not be able to confirm historical exploration results or complete a current resource estimate for the Project. These risks, as well as others, including those set forth in GoldMinings filings with Canadian securities regulators, could cause actual results and events to vary significantly. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward looking information, will prove to be accurate. GoldMining does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, the Toronto Stock Exchange nor their Regulation Services Providers (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

SOURCE GoldMining Inc.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Gov. Bill Haslam, in support of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) of Tennessee, has proclaimed Tuesday, October 10, as Depression, Bipolar and Mood Disorder Awareness Day.

The governor's proclamation coincides with the World Health Organization's World Mental Health Day and recognizes the importance of raising awareness and support for Tennessee residents and their families who are coping with mood disorders.

Gov. Haslam issued the proclamation at the request of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) of Tennessee. DBSA Tennessee, the state chapter of the national Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance based in Chicago, is a volunteer, peer-directed organization that provides hope, help, support and education to improve the lives of people who have mood disorders. DBSA Tennessee facilitates 16 peer-led chapters providing 56 monthly meetings.

"Mood disorders, including bipolar and depression, touch the lives of thousands of Tennessee residents, their families and loved ones every day," said DBSA Tennessee Director Daisy Jabas. "At DBSA, we focus on the two most prevalent mental health conditions  bipolar and depression  which affect more than 21 million Americans and account for 90% of the nation's suicides every year."

"DBSA creates the opportunity for hundreds of Tennesseans to lead meaningful lives by compassionately engaging with them and providing peer-led support groups, educational materials and wellness tools that focus on resiliency, achievement, creativity and connection," Jabas said. "In short, we provide empowering tools focused on an integrated approach to wellness."

In East Tennessee, DBSA is partnering with restaurant management company Capstone Concepts, LLC of Knoxville to raise awareness and funds to support the organization's statewide mission. Capstone Concepts operates First Watch Daytime Cafe restaurants throughout East Tennessee, and will be accepting donations Oct. 10 at its Knoxville First Watch locations in Turkey Creek, Bearden, Lovell Road and Fountain City.

"It's our extreme honor to be partnering with DBSA to raise awareness and support for the vital work that they do throughout Tennessee," said Nadim Jubran, Marketing and Business Development Manager for Capstone Concepts. "We encourage all of our customers to support this very worthy cause and organization that does so much to help people with mood disorders live full and rewarding lives."

About DBSA Tennessee

DBSA Tennessee, the state chapter of the national Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance based in Chicago, is a volunteer, peer-directed organization that provides hope, help, support and education to improve the lives of people who have mood disorders. DBSA Tennessee facilitates 16 peer-led chapters providing 56 monthly meetings.

About Capstone Concepts LLC

Capstone Concepts, LLC, headquartered in Knoxville, has a multi-unit franchise to operate First Watch Daytime Cafe restaurants in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Tri-Cities, and Asheville, NC.. It also operates Gatti's Pizza restaurants in Maryville and Halls and The Egg and I in Knoxville.

SOURCE Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Tennessee

Related Links

http://www.dbsa-tn.org


EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Five U.S. cities and counties were honored today when Vision announced the winners of the fourth annual "What's Next Awards" competition, which recognizes local government websites for excellence in online innovation, citizen engagement, visual impact, transparency and green gov.

"The relationship between citizens and local government is largely driven through digital interactions," said David Nachman, CEO of Vision, a national leader in government software and website design, development and hosting. "As a result, building and managing online communications is continually evolving and becoming more complex for local government leaders. This year's group of winners includes cities and counties that are leading the way by finding new, efficient and creative ways to engage their communities."

The 2017 What's Next Award winners are:

BEST ONLINE INNOVATION: City of La Quinta, Calif. laquintaca.gov

Leveraging a dynamic video homepage in order to capture the attention of its changing demographics earned the City of La Quinta recognition for Online Innovation. The homepage is search-centric and creates an impactful first impression to residents, visitors and businesses. The new website was the first element of the city's rebranding initiative, and uses the entire range of Vision content management tools to make all city information and services available 24/7 online.

BEST IN CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT: Culver City, Calif. culvercity.org

This past year, Culver City focused its efforts on expanding its digital engagement with citizens, making it easier for residents to provide input on city policies, ordinances and development projects via its website. By promoting news items through visionLive, building topic pages in visionPulse, and leveraging social media, they have increased their outreach exponentially. Interactions on Facebook alone rose by more than 1,000 percent in a six-month period and streamlined the process for gathering community input on key issues.

BEST VISUAL IMPACT: City of Olathe, Kansas olatheks.org

The City of Olathe sought to improve the city's website experience with enhanced design, structure, content and functionality. Community-submitted photography added a local feel while a laser focus on the navigation and mobile experience enhanced the overall usability. Each page of content was reviewed for relevance and revised to comply with plain language standards. Through this process, the total page count was reduced to 400 from 1,600 pages. The mobile-experience was painstakingly designed in order to optimize usability. As a result, overall site bounce rates decreased by five seconds, and feedback from internal stakeholders and site visitors has been overwhelmingly positive.

BEST TRANSPARENCY: Dare County, North Carolina darenc.com

Dare County created a project portal to provide detailed public information regarding beach nourishment projects slated for the summer of 2017. The information was vital for local property managers looking to keep guests informed about impacts on area beaches. By partnering with municipalities in the county, Dare created a "one-stop shop" for all things beach nourishment. The webpages provided access to project brochures and interactive beach nourishment maps, utilized Vision's eNotification system for email updates regarding projects in each town, and provided a video gallery of nourishment updates.

BEST GREEN GOV: City of Montgomery, Alabama montgomeryal.gov

Montgomery was recognized for embracing Vision technology to create online, interactive forms to reduce the volume of printed materials required for council meetings, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and other city business. The City's online forms are responsive, allowing access from any device.

For information about Vision's transformative government website technology or to request a free website review and consultation, please call 888-263-8847 or visit info.visioninternet.com/free-consultation.

About Vision

Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Vision is a national leader in government website design, development and hosting with more than 700 government, non-profit and education clients in U.S. and Canadian communities with populations that range from less than 1,000 residents to more than 5 million. For more than 20 years, Vision has created cost-effective solutions that increase government efficiency, build transparency and promote interactive communications with citizens. For more information visit www.visioninternet.com.

CONTACT:

Lynette Viviani

973-534-1004

[email protected]

SOURCE Vision

Related Links

http://www.visioninternet.com


TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Olive Media is a branding, communications, design and public relations firm focused on the food, beverage, hotel and hospitality industries since 1998. The Atlanta and Birmingham-based agency is expanding into the Tampa market with an office servicing Florida. The Tampa office team is under the direction of Green Olive Media Partner Elizabeth Moore, Director of Communications Cecelia Strong and Account Executive Catalina Medellin. The office is located at 100 S. Ashley Drive, Suite 600, and the phone number is 813-397-3683.

"After successfully building relationships and working in the market for a number of years, we are excited to open an office in the city of Tampa. The office services our hospitality and food & beverage clients throughout the state," said Moore. "We look forward to becoming even greater advocates on behalf of our clients and community."

Green Olive Media Florida-based clients include:

Bar Collins (Miami) Miami Joe Coffee Co. (Miami) The Don CeSar Hotel (St. Pete Beach) Port South (Hollywood) The Ritz-Carlton, Grande Lakes (Orlando) Prato (Orlando) Highball & Harvest (Orland0) Preston's (Miami) Holler & Dash Biscuit House (Orlando) Restaurant Paradis (Rosemary Beach) The Hub (30A/Watersound) Rowe Bar (St. Pete Beach) Loews Miami Beach Hotel (Miami) Sand Dollar Bar (St. Pete Beach) Luke's Kitchen & Bar (Orlando) St. John's Provision Co. (Jacksonville) Luma on Park (Orlando)



Catalina Medellin, Managing Account Executive in the new Florida office, is a native of Miami and graduated from Florida State University. Catalina has had the opportunity to work with several James Beard-nominated chefs including Timon Balloo, Jose Mendin, Brandon McGlamery, and James and Julie Petrakis.

ABOUT GREEN OLIVE MEDIA

Green Olive Media is an award-winning branding, communications, design and public relations firm focused on the food, beverage, hotel and hospitality industries since 1998. Headquartered in Atlanta, the firm is recognized annually as a top 20 public relations firm by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and has won dozens of concept and design awards over the nearly two decades in business. For more information, visit us at: www.greenolivemedia.com, or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE Green Olive Media

Related Links

http://www.greenolivemedia.com


PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Grubhub, the nation's leading takeout marketplace, announced today that it has partnered with Portland's legendary food cart collection. Portlanders can now have their favorite food cart flavors delivered from the foodie hot spots of Rose City Park, Portland Mercado and Happy Valley Station via a customized website.

The partnership highlights Grubhub's dedication to small businesses and diners. It will create new ways to connect hungry diners to their favorite local cuisines and empower restaurants to reach more customers than ever before.

"Portland's food carts are legendary for bringing unique flavors to diners and offering chefs an alternative to opening a traditional restaurant," said Greg Trombley, Grubhub director, Portland co-site leader and former managing partner at Portland-based Delivered Dish. "We're thrilled to support the community with an easy, efficient way to order food cart favorites, while providing independent vendors with vital tools to grow their business."

Grubhub's expansion to Portland food carts exemplifies the company's commitment to reinventing how restaurants do business. Through this partnership, Grubhub will help restaurants enhance their takeout and delivery experiences and open up additional revenue streams.

The many Portland food carts that have partnered with Grubhub include Jouk Li Jou, La Arepa, and Carlito's Cocina.

"I grew up on Puerto Rican food; it feels like home to me. I want to share that feeling with the Portland community that embraces the food culture I love," said Karlo Prado, owner and operator of Carlito's Cocina, a Puerto Rican-inspired food cart at Portland Mercado. "Partnering with Grubhub will expand my customer base and increase orders, especially during fall and winter when people are less likely to visit food parks."

Grubhub has built a customized website through which hungry diners can filter and search for their favorite cuisines in their preferred food park. To see the full list of participating food carts, please visit: http://foodcarts.grubhub.com/portland/.

Grubhub has now partnered with food carts in a range of cities across the country, including Austin, Los Angeles and Miami.

To find takeout restaurants available in your area, check out Grubhub.com. If you are interested in becoming part of the Grubhub Delivery team, please visit driver.grubhub.com. To find out how your restaurant can join Grubhub, check out get.grubhub.com. To learn more about Grubhub and its portfolio of brands, please visit newsroom.grubhub.com.

About Grubhub

Grubhub (NYSE: GRUB) is the nation's leading online and mobile takeout food-ordering marketplace with the most comprehensive network of restaurant partners and largest active diner base. Dedicated to moving eating forward and connecting diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, the Company's platforms and services strive to elevate food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub is proud to work with more than 55,000 restaurant partners in over 1,200 U.S. cities and London. The Grubhub portfolio of brands includes Grubhub, Seamless, AllMenus, MenuPages, LAbite, Restaurants on the Run, DiningIn and Delivered Dish.

SOURCE Grubhub

Related Links

http://www.grubhub.com


STERLING, Ill., Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HALO Branded Solutions received an award in eBusiness Strategy and New Customer Acquisition through ANA Business Marketing, the B2B arm of the Association of National Advertisers (making ANA Business Marketing a part of the nation's largest B2B and general marketing associations).

The awards, called the "B2 Awards," were awarded to top performing Business-to-Business marketers in large and small organizations. HALO was selected among several hundred submissions from hundreds of companies across the country.

About HALO's winning entries:

Category Division Winning Entry Marketing, Brand and Communications Strategy eBusiness Strategy HALO Branded Solutions' Hybrid Approach to Online Promotional Sales Marketing Activation New Customer Acquisition Converting HALO.com Visitors to HALO Clients

In the award applications, HALO's "hybrid" approach to sales was highlighted. A combination of HALO's relationship-based sales force with e-commerce functionality for online sales and lead generation is a unique approach in the promotional products industry. It helps HALO differentiate from promotional products competitors, both online and offline, by utilizing strengths of both the internet and the HALO sales force.

"We are honored to bring home these two prestigious awards highlighting our unique business model," Jamon Heller, Director of HALO E-Commerce, said. "This recognition reflects an ever-adapting strategy to blend HALO's skilled sales staff into the growing e-commerce world of promotional products."

The awards were presented at the annual B2 Awards Gala held during the 2017 Masters of B2B Marketing conference presented in May by ANA's Business Marketing Association. Visit www.marketing.org for more information.

About HALO Branded Solutions

HALO Branded Solutions, with operational headquarters in Sterling, Illinois, is a leading promotional products distributor in the $20 billion per year promotional products industry. The Company has a growing nationwide sales force and expects to continue its profitable growth by offering innovative client solutions, priced competitively, and supported by world-class operations and customer service. Visit www.halo.com for more information.

Contact: Terry McGuire

Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications

HALO Branded Solutions

815-548-9025

[email protected]

SOURCE HALO Branded Solutions

Related Links

http://www.halo.com


"It's heartening to see physicians and consumers agree that people should take more responsibility for their health, and a new kind of insurance product should be examined closely," said Dr. Arthur "Tim" Garson, Jr., director of the Texas Medical Center Health Policy Institute.

"The Nation's Pulse: The Texas Medical Center's Consumer & Physician Survey" questioned more than 9,000 consumers across 15 states, as well as 450 physicians nationwide. Consumers were surveyed in five red states (Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Texas and Tennessee), five blue states (California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Washington) and five swing states (Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania).

Consumers and physicians agree on why costs are rising and how to fix it

Forty-seven percent of physicians surveyed blamed insurance companies for rising health care costs, compared to 28 percent of consumers. Nineteen percent of physicians and 30 percent of consumers blamed drug and device manufactures for rising costs. However, relatively few respondents from both categories blamed hospitals or physicians.

"It's interesting that both groups blame insurers for high costs because doctors and hospitals  not insurance companies  are the ones sending the bills," said Garson, a cardiologist and former medical school dean.

Consumers and doctors were also largely in agreement on which reforms were most likely to decrease health care costs. The leading solution from both groups was to increase costs for smokers and obese people via higher health insurance costs and taxes on unhealthy food. Forty percent of physicians and 28 percent of consumers believed that is the most likely way to reduce health care costs. Twenty-three percent of doctors and 23 percent of consumers surveyed believe the creation of affordable catastrophic health care plans would be the most likely way to reduce health care costs.

A catastrophic health care plan could be offered at an affordable price and primarily offer coverage for only the most critical situations such as accidents, pregnancy and major illness, Garson said.

Consumers value health insurance, and they struggle with affordability

The study also revealed that 98 percent of consumers surveyed consider health insurance important to them and their families.

"Americans are more united on this issue than our federal policymakers might realize," Garson said.

The surveys were conducted over the summer as the U.S. Senate debated  and ultimately failed to pass  legislation that would have repealed the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

The responses indicate many Americans consider their health care costs unaffordable. For example, 49 percent of consumers surveyed say they're forced to cut back on spending in other areas in order to pay for their health care.

"Health care continues to be unaffordable for half the country," Garson said. "American families are desperate for relief, and our leaders need to seriously consider strategies to reduce the growing cost of health care."

The majority of the uninsured consumers surveyed  regardless of income  said they consider spending 2 percent of their income on health care to be affordable. The Affordable Care Act's individual mandate requires people to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty. Those who lack access to "affordable" coverage under that law are exempt from that penalty. But under ACA, coverage is only considered "affordable" if it doesn't cost more than 8.2 percent of income.

"The survey findings are significant, since they show the public's view of what's affordable is vastly different from lawmakers' view of affordability," Garson said.

Cost reduction strategies

To help Americans who are struggling to afford health care, Garson said, it's important to address the root issue  rising health care costs  and consider innovative ways to reverse that trend.

One way to reduce costs could be by shifting a greater portion of physicians' compensation to salaries. Today, much of physicians' earnings come from incentive pay based on the volume of care they provide. Meanwhile, it has been estimated that nearly $200 billion per year is spent on overtreatment  enough to cover all the uninsured. If more doctors were salaried, the volume of procedures would likely decrease, reducing costs, Garson said.

The survey found that 69 percent of physicians said their preferred way of being paid would be through a high proportion of their compensation being salary  with a low proportion of their pay based on incentives  or a straight salary with no incentives.

"I think the simplicity and assurance of a salary are attractive to physicians," Garson said. "Data from other studies suggest that the number of tests and procedures will also decrease if more doctors were salaried."

Reporters may arrange interviews with Health Policy Institute Director Dr. Arthur "Tim" Garson, Jr. by contacting Ryan Holeywell, [email protected].

The results of the survey are posted to tmc.edu/health-policy.

About the Texas Medical Center:

The Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston, home to 59 member institutions, is the world's largest medical city. Since opening in 1945, TMC has been pioneering patient care, research, education, and prevention. Today, TMC continues its dedication to reinventing life sciences to improve the health and wellness of Houston, and the world. More info at tmc.edu.

About the Texas Medical Center Health Policy Institute:

The Texas Medical Center Health Policy Institute was established to inform, define and lead health policy with the goal of developing the most effective solutions to improve the health of diverse populations around the globe. By driving innovative, evidence-based health policy initiatives across the Texas Medical Center's 59 member institutions, the Texas Medical Center Health Policy Institute addresses fundamental health policy issues important to Houston, Texas and the nation. More information at tmc.edu/health-policy.

SOURCE Texas Medical Center

Related Links

http://www.tmc.edu


RESTON, Va., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Heart+Mind Strategies, a rapidly growing research-based consultancy, has added two more associates to their Brand, System + Journey team.

Discover how we've helped other organizations uncover what's at stake - http://heartandmindstrategies.com/clients/case-studies/

Mallory Hoffman and Chris Gallup have joined Heart + Mind Strategies from The Glover Park Group, a communications and PR firm based in Washington, DC.

Ms. Hoffman will act as a Senior Strategist, responsible for guiding incorporation of key research findings into strategic recommendations for the company's broad range of clients. She has particularly strong background in the financial industry; she was previously spokesperson for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Mr. Gallup will be a Senior Solutions Director, helping shape research programs for the firm's corporate, non-profit and association clients. In addition to The Glover Park Group, he brings deep research experience from Field Research Corporation and Princeton Research Associates International.

Dee Allsop, CEO and Managing Partner of Heart + Mind Strategies said "Increasingly, our clients are interested in the strategic implications of the research we do for them. As we include people like Mallory and Chris, who have deep consultative experience, we are better able to bridge the important gap between market intelligence and smart strategies."

About Heart + Mind Strategies: We are a research-led consulting firm that uncovers how people think, feel and make decisions, and uses that to help clients apply these insights to achieve their specific goals. Our scientific approach to understanding how individual and societal values influence decision-making is why many leading global brands and organizations work with us. heartandmindstrategies.com

CONTACT:

Beth Forbes

Heart + Mind Strategies

571-926-8852, x301

[email protected]

SOURCE Heart+Mind Strategies

Related Links

http://www.heartandmindstrategies.com


DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Xperience, a leading experiential event and marketing agency, today announced that Heidi Karlsson has joined the agency as Managing Director, Client Relations. Her responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, Creative Services and Strategy, Media and Content Creation, Experiential Marketing, and Cultural Transformation.

With more than 25 years of experience as a Sensory Marketing and Experiential / Event Production executive across the EMEA region, Japan and Mexico, Karlsson has expertise in developing and implementing strategies that promote engagement, awareness and action. She has held senior positions in corporate and agency environments, working with Fortune 500 companies, and government entities around the world.

In addition to global client responsibilities, Karlsson will manage new and ongoing business relationships out of Xperience's Dallas office. Xperience has recently expanded operations to global business hubs such as Shanghai and Dubai, and proudly adds Dallas to "the lineup" with the explosion of opportunities in the American Southwest.

Further, Karlsson will lead Xperience's capabilities around Sensory Marketing. Karlsson's experience has shown that engagement agencies like Xperience can offer "Multi-Sensory Journeys" that go beyond simple communication between a brand and its audiences. With a focus on the science of "embodied cognition", Karlsson seeks to have Xperience elevate the consumer experience beyond consciousness, to ultimately deliver events that connect with people on a deeper level.

"I am thrilled to welcome Heidi to Xperience," said John Jones, Managing Partner. "She brings with her extensive global client relationships, creative business ideas and multicultural marketing success on both the agency and corporate level."

"In this role, Heidi will be a reliable resource for global business partners to empower them to build and activate global brands, engage audiences and transform culture through the timeless art and craft of storytelling," added Joe Wenke, Managing Partner.

"We've known Heidi for nearly 20 years," explained Mary Kay Francis, Managing Partner. "With her experience, she will provide our team with world-class strategic counsel, and the sort of creative, game-changing ideas and executive capability that our clientele deserve."

"Brands need partners that can build and share memorable narratives with diverse audiences around the world. That's why I am excited to join Xperience, help expand the business globally in an industry I know and love," said Karlsson. "I look forward to growing both current and new business relationships, and expanding the reach of the leading-edge omni-channel solutions that are the heart of Xperience's offer."

Karlsson earned her B.A. in social science from Michigan State University, and her M.A. from Southern Methodist University.

Xperience

Xperience is a global brand activation agency driven to build meaningful, memorable connections between our clients and their most important audiences. With offices and creative hubs in Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, New York, Shanghai and Dubai, we are a passionate tribe of artists, engineers, designers, strategists, educators, thinkers, geeks and gurus, makers and doers. Though our skills are diverse, we're brought together by a singular promiseto design immersive experiences that live at the intersection of Story, Brand and Human.

For more information, please visit www.xperiencecommunications.com

SOURCE Xperience Communications

Related Links

http://www.xperiencecommunications.com/home


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Top dogs were not the only honorees Saturday night at the seventh annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards. America's first national humane organization also honored a couple of people  the top veterinary professionals in the country  with the American Humane Hero Veterinarian and Hero Veterinary Technician Awards, presented by Zoetis. After a nationwide search and tens of thousands of public votes, Dr. Patricia Canchola from Pueblo, Colorado, who performs thousands of spay and neuter surgeries every year, helps abused and neglected animals, and runs a low-cost pet health clinic and a pet food bank, was named 2017's American Hero Veterinarian. Jeni Hudson from Decatur, Illinois, who founded a rescue organization that takes in pups with cleft palates and other disabilities, was declared 2017's American Hero Veterinary Technician. They received their awards during a special ceremony onstage at the Beverly Hilton during the Hero Dog Awards gala, which will be broadcast nationally October 26 on Hallmark Channel.

The American Humane Hero Veterinarian and Hero Veterinary Technician Awards were born out of the idea that behind almost every hero pet (and millions more animals) is a hero veterinarian or hero veterinary technician. These often little-known benefactors save and improve the lives of our two- and four-legged best friends in many ways, and it is time to honor their achievements. Hundreds of worthy nominees were considered by a special blue-ribbon panel of celebrities and renowned veterinary and animal care professionals. After winnowing down the field to the top five in each category, the American public was asked to make the final determination.

"Behind all hero dogs there are hero veterinarians and veterinary technicians providing vital healthcare services, and Zoetis is again proud to sponsor these special awards recognizing outstanding veterinary professionals," said Michael McFarland DVM, DABVP, Executive Director, U.S. Companion Animal Marketing at Zoetis. "Dr. Canchola and Jennifer are both dedicated to excellence and providing compassionate care to every animal they see in their clinics, helping cement the human-animal bond between owners and their pets."

2017 American Hero Veterinarian: Dr. Patricia Canchola from Pueblo, Colorado

Dr. Patti, as she is known in our community, has worked as a shelter veterinarian for Pueblo Animal Services since 2009. She is the only veterinarian on staff and performs between 3,500 and 4,500 spay and neuter surgeries every year. In addition, she performs about 200 other surgeries, treating animals that have trauma-related injuries, masses, broken bones and other injuries. She is responsible for the care of approximately 5,000 animals at the shelter every year, and cares for all with compassion, sensitivity and professionalism. Last year, Dr. Patti took it upon herself to take veterinary forensics courses to be better trained when examining abused, neglected and mistreated animals that are part of criminal investigations. She regularly testifies in animal cruelty criminal trials, being the voice for the animal victims, so that they may be heard. On top of this very busy and difficult job, she operates her own non-profit pet food bank, helping hundreds of families every year to feed their pets. As if that was not enough for her to do, she also runs an independent, low-cost pet health clinic two Saturdays a month, offering affordable vaccines, preventative health care and treatment of common illnesses and minor injuries. The Pueblo community experiences high levels of poverty, which absolutely affects pets every day. Low-income pet owners are able to better care for their pets thanks to Dr. Patti's Amazin' Amos Pet Food Pantry and her St. Martin's Well Pet Clinic.

2017 American Hero Veterinary Technician: Jeni Hudson from Decatur, Illinois

Jeni is a CVT. She is great at her job. I always tell people Jeni has nerves of steel and healing hands. Jeni founded a rescue five years ago that takes in pups with cleft palates and other disabilities. She never turns a pup away. Once she arranged a transport from New Mexico to Illinois to help save a pup with a cleft palate/hydrocephalus. She called him Pip. When he passed away, I thought she might stop rescuing all together; but she knew there were more who needed her. Jeni is always researching ways to help the pups receive the best outcome possible. She knows she cannot save them all; however, if they are willing to live she will fight to give them a chance. Jeni has cared for over 100 puppies in her career. She has spent hours tube-feeding pups who would otherwise die if not for her. She has helped the ones who were suffering to cross over even if it breaks her heart. She spares no expense to make sure they have the best of everything they need. Jeni is always advocating for the special needs pups, spreading awareness that they can survive if given a chance. She is changing the way medical professionals view these pups. Until Jeni worked at NGPC, pets with clefts were euthanized. Jeni was at a C-Section when a pup was born with a cleft palate. He was to be euthanized. Jeni knew he deserved a chance at life. She offered to take the pup even after everyone told her he would die. Funny how one puppy and one CVT could change the minds of so many.

"To us, all vets and vet techs are heroes and this is why we want to honor the best of the best in their fields," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane president and CEO. "Dr. Canchola and Ms. Hudson are tremendous animal welfare advocates and we are so proud to learn of their laudable accomplishments aiding the animals in need in their communities and beyond. And our thanks go out to our friends at Zoetis for sponsoring this special national campaign because we know how committed they are to recognizing the achievements of the veterinary community."

The American Humane Hero Dog Awards are presented by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation and will be broadcast nationally on Hallmark Channel on October 26 at 8 pm/7 Central.

About American Humane

American Humane is the country's first national humane organization, founded in 1877. For more information, please visit www.americanhumane.org. To inquire about Hero Dog or Hero Vet sponsorship opportunities, please email Mari Harner at [email protected].

About Zoetis

Zoetis is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on more than 60 years of experience in animal health, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, complemented by diagnostic products, genetic tests, biodevices and a range of services. Zoetis serves veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals with sales of its products in more than 100 countries. In 2016, the company generated annual revenue of $4.9 billion with approximately 9,000 employees. For more information, visit www.zoetis.com.

SOURCE American Humane

Related Links

http://www.americanhumane.org


CHEVY CHASE, Md., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute today announced the selection of 15 exceptional early career scientists as the first group of HHMI Hanna Gray Fellows. These recent PhD recipients will continue their training as postdoctoral fellows at 11 institutions in the U.S. Their research interests span a range of disciplines, including chemical biology, computational biology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, neuroscience, structural biology, and systems biology.

Each fellow will receive up to $1.4 million in funding over eight years, with mentoring and active involvement within the HHMI community. In this two-phase program, fellows will be supported from early postdoctoral training through several years of a tenure-track faculty position.

"Being a Hanna Gray Fellow is going to provide me support through what can be quite a hard transition. From postdoctoral researcher, which I am right now, towards starting my own lab and actually becoming a principal investigator," said new fellow Yvette Fisher, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School.

HHMI's Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program seeks to encourage talented early career scientists who have the potential to become leaders in academic research. In particular, this program aims to recruit and retain emerging scientists who are from gender, racial, ethnic, and other groups underrepresented in the life sciences, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"I'm excited about this program because I think it will have a positive impact on science," said HHMI President Erin O'Shea. "We have so many challenges in keeping the best people from diverse groups in the professoriate. But I think this program can drive real change in academia and have a catalytic effect on the next generation of students."

The Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program represents HHMI's strong commitment to investing in early career scientists who are poised to make significant and important contributions to science in the years to come. This program will support these early career scientists at critical transitions in their academic careers. In keeping with HHMI's long-standing approach to support "people, not projects," fellows will have flexibility to change research focus and follow their curiosity during the duration of the award.

A competition for the next group of Hanna Gray Fellows opens immediately. With continued commitment to support and promote diversity in the life sciences, the Institute will again select up to 15 fellows investing a total of up to $25 million for their support over eight years. This grant competition is open to all eligible applicants, and no nomination is required. Grants in support of fellows will be awarded only to institutions within the U.S (including Puerto Rico).

The program is named for Hanna Holborn Gray, former chair of the HHMI Trustees and former president of the University of Chicago. Under Gray's leadership, HHMI developed initiatives that foster diversity in science education. HHMI continues to carry forward this work on college and university campuses across the U.S. "Hanna Gray is a remarkable person  a Renaissance historian and one of the first female presidents of a major research university," said O'Shea. "We thought it fitting to name this program after her because of her many years of service to HHMI and her prominence as a female leader in academia."

For a full list of 2017 Hanna H. Gray Fellows visit: www.hhmi.org/programs/hanna-h-gray-fellows-program.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute plays an important role in advancing scientific research and education in the United States. Its scientists, located across the country and around the world, have made important discoveries that advance both human health and our fundamental understanding of biology. The Institute also aims to transform science education into a creative, interdisciplinary endeavor that reflects the excitement of real research. HHMI's headquarters are located in Chevy Chase, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.

SOURCE Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Related Links

http://www.hhmi.org


HAUPPAUGE, N.Y., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HIA-LI, one of the recognized voices for business on Long Island, recognized four organizations as recipients of its prestigious HIA-LI 23rd Annual Business Achievement Awards at an event today at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, NY. The business recipients represent a diverse group of outstanding organizations from four different business categories: large business, small business, rookie of the year and not-for-profit. Representatives from each of these organizations received a plaque bearing the HIA-LI logo during a gala luncheon event attended by hundreds of business leaders from across Long Island.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone delivered opening remarks before the luncheon followed by the awards presentation to each of the award recipients.

HIA-LI 23rd Annual Business Achievement Award Recipients:

This year's recipients are:

Large Business: Castella Imports; Chris Valsamos, CEO

Castella Imports; Chris Valsamos, CEO Small Business: The Omnicon Group; Scott Abrams , CEO

The Omnicon Group; , CEO Rookie of the Year: Protegrity Advisors, LLC; Gregg Schor , CEO and Bruce Newman , President

Protegrity Advisors, LLC; , CEO and , President Not-for-Profit: Association for Mental Health and Wellness; Michael Stoltz , CEO

"HIA-LI is honored to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of these outstanding companies," said Terri AlessiMiceli, President of HIA-LI. "These award recipients represent that business success can be achieved with commitment and hard work. They inspire and educate all organizations for future success on Long Island."

The award criteria used by the HIA-LI includes positive employer/employee relations, commitment to the growth of the Long Island business community, and the three- to five-year vision for the company's future. In addition, the recipients are also chosen based on recent outstanding accomplishments, technical innovation or innovative processes, expansion into new markets, industry leadership and overcoming adversity.

2017 Sponsors

This year's Event Sponsor is Castella Imports.

Additional sponsors include: Alure Home Improvements; Amneal Pharmaceuticals; AVZ & Company, P.C.; Bank of America; Berdon LLP; Bridgehampton National Bank (BNB); Campolo Middleton & McCormick LLP; Central Business Systems; Communication Strategy Group; Crest Hollow Country Club; Design Audio Visual; Event Kings; Farrell Fritz; H2M architects + engineers; Lewis Johs Avallone Aviles, LLP; Long Island Cares; Long Island Temps; Lorraine Gregory Communications; Media Mechanix; Newsday Media Group; New York Party Works; People's Alliance Federal Credit Union; Presentations Plus, Inc.; RPM Raceway; Ruskin Moscou Faltischek P.C.; Signwave; Techworks Consulting, Inc.; Stony Brook University; VAI.

Finalists include: American Heart Association; Association for Mental Health and Wellness; Bridgehampton National Bank (BNB); Castella Imports; Central Business Systems; Cerini & Associates, LLP; IGHL; Junior Achievement of New York; Lewis Job Avallone Aviles, LLP; The Omnicon Group; Pal-O-Mine; Pro Bono Partnership; Protegrity Advisors, LLC; P.W. Grosser Consulting; Quick-Cast; Robotic Hair Restoration of Long Island; RPM Raceway; Ruskin Moscou Faltischek P.C.; Signwave; Techworks Consulting, Inc.

About HIA-LI

HIA-LI helps Long Island businesses prosper. For over 30 years, we have been one of the recognized voices for business on Long Island and a powerful force and economic engine for regional development. We provide a forum for business leaders to network, problem solve and obtain advice on critical issues facing their businesses. Our member companies represent tens of thousands of business professionals. We're headquartered in and support one of the largest industrial parks in the United States. HIA-LI programs and events promote strategic partnerships, targeted networking, and information sharing and business advocacy. Members benefit from our committees, educational programs, career resources, research capabilities, mentoring opportunities and business advisory services. For more information, visit http://www.HIA-LI.org or call 631-543-5355.

HIA-LI CONTACT:

Terri Alessi-Miceli, 631-543-5355, [email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT:

Lisa Hazen, Communication Strategy Group; 1-866-997-2424; [email protected]

SOURCE HIA-LI

Related Links

https://www.hia-li.org


TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Honduran government highlighted the progress it's made toward securing long-term economic stability and growth during a recent visit from Moody's Investors Service.

Representatives from Moody's met with Honduran Minister of Finance Wilfredo Cerrato, members of the International Monetary Fund in Honduras, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and the United States Embassy.

Moody's Investors Service

"Together, we are creating a strong economy," Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said. "Economic growth will yield a safer, more prosperous Honduras."

As part of the meeting, Cerrato addressed Honduras's economy, the strength of its institutions, and its domestic security. He said that, economically speaking, Honduras is "one of the fastest-growing countries" in Central America. "We are always looking to build confidence to attract more local and foreign investment," Cerrato said.

The Honduran central bank projects that the country's economy could grow up to 4.1 percent in 2017. Agriculture, transportation, and construction are the main industries driving Honduras's economic growth, Cerrato said. He also said that reelecting the Hernandez administration will keep the economy on its positive trajectory.

The Hernandez administration has taken several steps recently to instill international confidence in Honduras's economy. The government has promoted tax incentives for Honduras's tourism industry and publicly disclosed the use of government funds for infrastructure projects.

"Honduras is on the right track, but we still have work to do," President Hernandez said. "My administration and I will continue our efforts to bring as much prosperity as possible to our great country."

Media Contact:

Andrew Grafton

[email protected]

202-471-4228 ext. 119

SOURCE Republic of Honduras
(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/557589/Doctrina_re_invent_pharma.jpg )

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/557588/Doctrina_Logo.jpg )



The white paper, titled 'Transformation of pharma due to changes that are occurring: new technology and approach to increase your sales', describes important pillars that help reinvent sales teams and increase sales in the age of digitalization. It's meant to help CEOs, managers and sales representatives employed in pharma companies in the age of digitalization.

This report is based on research dedicated to finding answers to the three most important questions that help us to understand what is today's most effective route to achieving better results: 'Which selling style is the most effective?', 'How can you convince a pharmacy employee to recommend your drug?', and 'How can you measure effectiveness?'. Results showed that sales representatives think it is crucial for a pharmacy employee to be well educated about the product, in order for them to recommend the drug to customers. They also graded time spent in pharmacies as being mostly dedicated to small talk and strengthening of relationships, and said there was often not enough time remaining to make an actual sale. Furthermore, e-learning is an approach that empowers managers and CEOs to reinvent their sales teams in order to be more responsive to today's customers and circumstances. In the digital age, e-learning provides new and better information flows in a fast and more convenient way, which positively influences market reach and segmentation, shortens sales cycles and consequently helps to increase sales.



The report can be downloaded for free here.

For more information please contact:

[email protected]

About Doctrina

Doctrina is an online platform that allows pharmaceutical companies to further train pharmacy employees through webinars. It assists sales representative visits with greater and faster reach, lower costs, and accurate analytics. The platform is used daily by over 55,000 pharmacists in Slovenia, Romania, Poland, Russia and Croatia. Doctrina has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773732.

SOURCE Doctrina d.o.o.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Humatics Corporation, the company developing breakthrough "microlocation" products, today announced the completion of its $18 Million Series A financing. Fontinalis Partners, a venture capital firm focused on next-generation mobility technologies, led the round, with participation from Airbus Ventures, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Intact Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Presidio Ventures, Blue Ivy Ventures, Ray Stata, Andy Youmans, and others. The company will use proceeds from the financing to develop and commercialize the company's high-precision microlocation system and analytics software  a Spatial Intelligence Platform that will revolutionize how people and machines locate, navigate and collaborate.

"Humatics is developing unprecedented new technology that will unleash the great potential of robotics and autonomous systems, enabling important tasks to be done safer, faster and more productively," said Chris Cheever, co-founder and partner at Fontinalis. "Fontinalis was founded to invest in mobility technologies, and we believe precise spatial intelligence is essential to enhance mobility across many industries. We are very excited to lead this Series A financing and to partner with this exceptional management team and outstanding group of investors to accelerate Humatics and its valuable mission."

"We founded Humatics to locate people, places and things in an increasingly connected world," said David Mindell, co-founder and chief executive officer. "For robots, next-generation manufacturing equipment, drones, and other autonomous systems to safely and seamlessly interact with people and their environments, we need more precise and robust positioning. Our breakthrough system captures millimeter-scale position and motion data at low cost, indoors and out, creating an entirely new product category  microlocation."

"We now are piloting our breakthrough microlocation system with key industrial automation and manufacturing partners," said Gary Cohen, co-founder, president and chief operating officer. "For our partners and others, millimeter-scale precision can dramatically improve safety, efficiency and productivity, and create tremendous value. With the support from our Series A investors, we are completing product development and bringing the technology to market. Humatics expects to officially begin selling its microlocation system and licensing its Spatial Intelligence Platform in 2018."

Humatics Spatial Intelligence PlatformTM

Today's Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites and radio-based local area positioning technologies have limited precision, with uncertainties ranging from many centimeters to several meters. Camera-based systems are expensive and sensitive to lighting conditions. A single Humatics system, using simple, inexpensive radio-frequency technology, can pinpoint multiple, moving transponder targets at ranges up to thirty meters with millimeter-scale precision, vastly outperforming existing systems at a fraction of the cost. Systems can network together to provide broader, ultra-precise positioning coverage  from factory work cells, to entire distribution centers and beyond. The microlocation system and analytics software comprise the Humatics Spatial Intelligence Platform. With its extensible architecture and application programming interfaces (APIs), the Spatial Intelligence Platform will power an ecosystem of new position-based products and services.

"Humatics' innovative work in microlocation complements Lockheed Martin's research and development efforts, particularly in transforming how humans and machines work together," said Chris Moran, executive director and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures. "Working with Humatics, we will have the opportunity to shape this emerging technology for a broad range of defense and commercial applications that are important to our customers."

Thomas d'Halluin, chief executive officer of Series A investor Airbus Ventures, added, "We see Humatics technology as no less than a tectonic shift in position and motion tracking. Its quantum leap in precision unlocks powerful potentials for a wealth of new applications  comparable to the first introduction of GPS."

The Humatics Story

Humatics was founded in 2015 by David Mindell, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics and the history of technology at the Massachusetts of Technology, and Gary Cohen, a technology industry veteran. Dr. Mindell, an expert on the relationships between human and robotic systems, was previously associated with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he developed and commercialized precision sonar technologies for undersea navigation.

Dr. Mindell recruited his mentors  oceanographer and explorer Bob Ballard, the discoverer of the Titanic shipwreck, and Apollo astronaut Dave Scott, the seventh person to walk on the Moon  to serve as Humatics founding advisors.

"We developed precision navigation undersea to map our most treasured historic discoveries," remarked Dr. Ballard. "Humatics has raised precision navigation above the water's surface  to enable people and robots to collaborate on shared assembly tasks, to navigate driverless cars through crowded intersections, and to track next-generation Internet of Things devices. Humatics has the right crew to make this happen."

Added Mr. Scott, "We relied on precision radar to rendezvous and land on the Moon. David and his team now are bringing a next-generation radio frequency product to new missions in industry and daily life."

Humatics' board of directors includes technology leaders with track records building profitable companies  including Series A investor Ray Stata, founder and chairman of Analog Devices; Chris Cheever, co-founder of Fontinalis Partners; Frank Moss, co-founder and chairman of Twine Health and a former director of the MIT Media Lab; and Tom Lee, professor of engineering at Stanford University and an expert on radio frequency integrated circuits.

"Humatics is developing one of those seminal technologies that can create markets," said Mr. Stata. "I have been working with David and Humatics since its earliest days. One of the most difficult things for most startups is putting together the right team. Humatics covers all the bases with its world-class expertise."

Stanford's Tom Lee added, "I am particularly excited about progress toward the company's longer-term product  a proprietary microlocation system-on-a-chip. Low-cost, tiny integrated circuits that deliver millimeter-scale positioning could take us beyond today's Internet of Things, to a Humatics-enabled Internet of Everything that would connect a trillion devices."

"Everyone is excited about the future of autonomous vehicles and robots," said board member Frank Moss. "But before these technologies deliver their promise, we must develop a critical missing piece of the technology puzzle: more precise positioning. I am thrilled to be working closely with the Humatics team to commercialize its breakthrough microlocation system. The company's Spatial Intelligence Platform features extensible architecture and APIs with the potential to support a broad array of third-party microlocation-based applications across many industries. Imagine the possibilities."

About Humatics

Humatics' breakthrough microlocation system and analytics software comprise a Spatial Intelligence Platform that will revolutionize how people and machines locate, navigate and collaborate. A single Humatics system, using simple, inexpensive radio-frequency technology, can pinpoint multiple, moving transponder targets at ranges up to thirty meters with millimeter-scale precision, vastly outperforming existing systems at a fraction of the cost. These systems can network together to provide broader, ultra-precise positioning coverage  from factory work cells to entire distribution centers and beyond. With its extensible architecture and application programming interfaces (APIs), the Spatial Intelligence Platform will power an ecosystem of new position-based products and services. Humatics was founded in 2015 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor David Mindell and technology industry veteran Gary Cohen. Headquartered in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Humatics has grown to include a world-class team of radar experts, programmers, roboticists, software engineers, and product development leaders. More information is available at www.humatics.com.

About Fontinalis Partners

Fontinalis Partners, with offices in Detroit and Boston, is a venture capital firm strategically focused on next-generation mobility. The firm was founded in 2009 by Bill Ford, Ralph Booth, Chris Cheever, Chris Thomas, and Mark Schulz. Fontinalis invests across all facets of the world's mobility systems on a stage- and size-agnostic basis. More information is available at www.fontinalis.com.

About Airbus Ventures

Airbus Ventures specializes in startups, growth capital, Series A and B, early stage and seed investments. The fund seeks to invest in disruptive and innovative technologies in the aerospace sector with a focus on commercial, military, helicopters, launch vehicles, drones, rockets, satellite constellations, hardware, software and systems, cyber security and safety, the Internet of things, connected factories, data analytics associated with sensor systems, networking, and telecommunications worldwide. Airbus Ventures is the venture arm of Airbus SE, the European multinational aerospace and defense corporation. More information is available at www.airbusventures.vc.

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

About Intact Ventures

Launched in 2016, Intact Ventures Inc. is the strategic venture arm of Intact Financial Corporation  Canada's largest provider of property and casualty insurance. Intact Ventures is focused on investing and partnering with companies that are redefining the property and casualty landscape with innovative business models and new technology. Combined with Intact Financial Corporation's financial capital, companies gain access to industry-leading professionals in analytics and pricing, claims and supply chain management, digital and customer experience, multi-channel distribution, and capital and investment structure. More information is available at www.intactfc.com.

About Tectonic Ventures

Tectonic Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage pharmaceutical, energy, and information technology sectors. Tectonic Ventures was founded by Texas entrepreneur Morris Miller and Boston-based financier Matthew Rhodes-Kropf. More information is available at www.tectonicventures.com.

About Presidio Ventures

Founded in 1998, Presidio Ventures is the wholly owned early stage investment vehicle of Sumitomo Corporation. Presidio works to identify the most promising growth industries and partner with the respective leading startups. Since its inception, Presidio Ventures has invested in over 150 U.S. startups. As a strategic investor, Presidio also assists the companies to expand their business in the Japan and Asian markets. More information is available at www.presidio-ventures.com.

About Blue Ivy Ventures

Blue Ivy Ventures is a community of Yale alumni investing together in seed and venture stage companies that are operated or funded by Yale alumni, such as Humatics co-founder David Mindell. More information is available at www.blueivyventures.com.

About Ray Stata

Ray Stata is co-founder and chairman at Analog Devices, a company which he founded and built it into a leading provider of signal processing equipment. Mr. Stata was CEO of the company from 1971 to 1996 and continues today as chairman of the board. He co-founded the Massachusetts High Technology Council and served on the executive committee of the United States Council on Competitiveness and the board of overseers of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. Mr. Stata is the co-author of Global Stakes (1982) and The Innovators (1984) and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. Mr. Stata holds BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from MIT and served as a member of the MIT Corporation from 1984 to 2010.

About Andy Youmans

Andy Youmans and the company he founded, Yomo Consulting, have been applying the basic thinking of the Toyota Production System (TPS) to solve unique business issues and to develop people for over 20 years. His business partner in Yomo, Hajime Oba, former General Manager and founder of Toyota's internal operations-management consulting division in the United States, is one of world's leading TPS practitioners.

SOURCE Humatics Corporation

Related Links

http://www.humatics.com/


ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Hope On Wheels will today present U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital with a $250,000 Hyundai Scholar Hope Grant. The grant funds will support the research of principal investigators Dr. Carl Koschmann and Dr. Gina Ney.

This award is part of the organization's efforts during National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In September alone, Hope On Wheels will award 40 research grants totaling $8.5 million to institutions nationwide. This brings the organization's donation total to $130 million since Hyundai joined the fight against pediatric cancer in 1998. With this latest grant, Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $1.6 million to Mott Children's.

"September is a special time for all of us at Hyundai because it's National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It's a time when we honor the courageous children battling cancer while also funding the doctors and researchers that are working tirelessly to provide care and develop new treatments," said Scott Fink, chairman, Hyundai Hope On Wheels Board of Directors. "Throughout the month we will share stories of the brave children battling cancer through our campaign theme called 'Every Handprint Tells A Story' and invite the public to join our fight."

The $250,000 Hyundai Scholar Hope Grant will be officially presented to Dr. Koschmann and Dr. Ney today, September 19, 2017 at 10 a.m. Doctors and researchers that receive a grant from Hope On Wheels are named Hyundai Scholars and are presented with a special lab coat.

During the event, Ann Arbor-area children battling cancer will participate in the program's signature Handprint Ceremony, in which they'll dip their hands in paint and place their handprints on a white 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. Their colorful handprints on the official Hope Vehicle represent their individual and collective journeys, hopes and dreams.

The Hope On Wheels September campaign theme is 'Every Handprint Tells A Story.' This theme recognizes that there are many stakeholders in the fight to end childhood cancer  the child, family, doctors, nurses, caregivers and researchers. The public is encouraged to visit our website at HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org to view videos of child cancer fighters, learn about the work of Hope On Wheels-funded researchers or add a virtual handprint of support on the website. Supporters are also asked to join our movement to End Childhood Cancer and to share our stories on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more information about Hyundai Hope On Wheels and to view a complete list of this year's grant winners, please visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org/research. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels, twitter.com/HopeOnWheels or instagram.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels.

HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS

Hyundai Hope On Wheels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for the disease. Hyundai Hope on Wheels is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, and primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 835 U.S. dealers. Since its inception, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $130 million towards childhood cancer research in pursuit of a cure.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through 835 dealerships nationwide. All new Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes a 5-year/60,000-mile fully-transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance.

For more details on Hyundai Assurance, please visit www.HyundaiAssurance.com

Please visit our media website at www.hyundainews.com

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook

SOURCE Hyundai Hope On Wheels

Related Links

http://www.hyundaihopeonwheels.org


DENVER, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ibotta, the third most-used shopping app in the United States, today announced the launch of a new performance marketing platform, powered by Button , allowing traditional retailers to leverage the fast-growing rewards app and drive new and high-value mobile users to their brands. The announcement comes as Ibotta hosted its inaugural Mobile Innovation Summit, which brought over 100 executives in mobile commerce, retail, consumer packaged goods and advertising to Denver, Colorado, for an invitation-only conference.

Retail heavyweights Target, Walgreens, PetSmart, Sears, Barnes & Noble and more, join market leaders eBay, Groupon, Hotels.com, and Jet, in Ibotta's new merchant integration model, tapping into the explosive opportunity the Ibotta and Button teams developed to enhance customer acquisition and generate impactful mobile results.

Leading retailers applied to join the program during a week-long enrollment period in July, and today Ibotta is welcoming more than 30 premium merchants into its high-performing Mobile Marketplace just in time for the upcoming holiday shopping season. Ibotta's Mobile Marketplace now boasts more than 50 leading brands and is on pace to power 500 million dollars in consumer mobile spending for 2017.

Button's express onboarding path has opened the floodgates on inventory within the Ibotta app to include exclusive mobile offers on groceries, electronics, clothing, gifts, home and office supplies, restaurant dining, travel and more. As part of the performance-based program, retail partners can also feature rewards offers in the app through existing affiliate networks. As a result, retailers are able to unlock new marketing opportunities to generate lower costs on first purchases and higher conversion rates.

"By combining the strengths of both our platform and Button's in this new performance marketing program, retailers have the unique opportunity to tap into a vibrant and engaged community of shoppers with a guarantee to generate meaningful results," said Bryan Leach, Founder and CEO of Ibotta. "Ibotta has become the single starting point for all rewarded shopping on mobile, no matter what the consumer is looking to buy."

"With Ibotta growing to become the third most-used shopping app in the U.S., according to App Annie, it's been remarkable to witness the impact Ibotta can have on their partners' businesses," said Michael Jaconi, Founder and CEO of Button. "Many public companies on Button's platform now see Ibotta as one of their largest and most effective channels of mobile user acquisition. The fun part is, they're just getting started."

New additions to Ibotta's expanding Mobile Marketplace include:

Backcountry

Barnes & Noble

Charlotte Russe

Choice Hotels

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Extended Stay America

Foot Locker

Hotwire

LivingSocial

PetSmart

Sears

Target

Tech Armor

Vitacost.com

Walgreens

Retailers interested in joining the next wave of Ibotta and Button's affiliate program may apply at ibotta.com/affiliate.

About Ibotta

Headquartered in Denver, CO, Ibotta ("I bought a...") is transforming the shopping experience by making it easy for consumers to earn cash rewards on everyday purchases through a single smartphone app. The company partners with leading brands and retailers to offer rewards on groceries, electronics, clothing, gifts, home and office supplies, restaurant dining, and more. Named one of Inc. magazine's Best Workplaces for 2017, Ibotta is the premier destination for rewarded shopping on mobile, and has paid out more than $225 million in cash back to its users. Launched in 2012, Ibotta has nearly 23 million downloads, and is one of the three most frequently used shopping apps in the United States.

About Button

Button (www.usebutton.com) is the mobile partnership platform for the world's leading brands, providing a scalable solution and the simplest way to build partnerships that drive commerce. Through proprietary technology and hands-on service, Button facilitates discovery and transaction among consumers with a user-first experience. Current partners on the platform feature industry leaders such as Hotels.com, Conde Nast, eBay, Groupon, Uber, Foursquare, Booking.com, and more.

The company was founded in 2014 and was voted the number one place to work in NYC by Crain's magazine and a Best Workplace in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine. Button has raised more than $34 million in Seed, Series A, and Series B funding from Norwest Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Greycroft Partners, DCM Ventures, Accomplice Ventures, VaynerRSE and others.

SOURCE Ibotta

Related Links

https://www.ibotta.com


Igloo to leverage Microsoft technologies for secure hosting, business intelligence, productivity integrations, and together, support digital transformation to address challenges in the modern workplace

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Igloo Software, the leading provider of digital workplace solutions, announced today that it will leverage Microsoft Azure for data center hosting, business intelligence, and strengthen Microsoft Office 365 integration. The announcement was made by Dan Latendre, Founder & CEO, Igloo Software along with Jason Brommet, Director of Partner Strategy and GTM, Microsoft Canada at the definitive digital workplace event of the year, ICE'17, in Nashville, Tennessee.

"Igloo and Microsoft share the same vision of helping every employee in every organization achieve more," explains Latendre. "Igloo and Microsoft are collaborating on ways to improve workplace experiences and solve the systemic issues that have caused productivity and employee engagement to decline in recent years. We look forward to continue bringing innovative digital workplace solutions to market that are fueled by innovation on Microsoft platforms."

Jason Brommet, Director, Partner Strategy and Go-To-Market (GTM) at Microsoft Canada added, "Digital transformation is no longer on the horizon. It's here, it's happening, and it's changing the way organizations in Canada and across the world work, collaborate and connect with their customers. At Microsoft, we are committed to helping organizations transform into a digital company and thrive in this new world, and it is amazing to work with companies like Igloo who share the same passion."

Igloo Secure Hosting

Igloo's digital workplace solutions will be hosted on Microsoft Azure. The move to Azure will provide many benefits for Igloo customers:

Compliance: Azure meets a broad set of international and industry-specific compliance standards, with over 55 certifications including DoD, FedRAMP, HIPAA, ISO 27001, SOC 1, and SOC 2, as well as country-specific standards, such as (PIPEDA) in Canada .

Azure meets a broad set of international and industry-specific compliance standards, with over 55 certifications including DoD, FedRAMP, HIPAA, ISO 27001, SOC 1, and SOC 2, as well as country-specific standards, such as (PIPEDA) in . Privacy: Azure is an industry leader for customer advocacy and privacy protection and has unique data residency guarantees (including US data residency).

Azure is an industry leader for customer advocacy and privacy protection and has unique data residency guarantees (including US data residency). Security: Microsoft invests more than a billion dollars a year in security related R&D to help protect its customers. Customer data is safe and secure with Microsoft's robust set of security technologies and practices. This helps to ensure that Azure is resilient to attack, safeguards user access to the Azure environment, and helps keep customer data more secure through encrypted communications as well as threat management and mitigation practice.

Microsoft invests more than a billion dollars a year in security related R&D to help protect its customers. Customer data is safe and secure with Microsoft's robust set of security technologies and practices. This helps to ensure that Azure is resilient to attack, safeguards user access to the Azure environment, and helps keep customer data more secure through encrypted communications as well as threat management and mitigation practice. Scalability: Microsoft Azure allows for on demand scalability enabling customers of any size to add as many users, applications, integrations, and file storage as required with no delays.

Microsoft Azure allows for on demand scalability enabling customers of any size to add as many users, applications, integrations, and file storage as required with no delays. Data Protection: With disaster recovery, automated protection and replication, remote health monitoring, multiple recovery plans, and zero impact recovery plan testing, customer data will always be protected.

Igloo's digital workplace solutions on Azure US will soon be available to all new customers. Existing customers will remain on the current secure hosting environment until a future phase. With ongoing active compliance audits for SSAE-16, HIPAA, PCI/DSS, FISMA, and ISO 21007, Igloo's current hosted environments provide its customers with a range of features to meet organizations' compliance and security regulations.

Advanced Analytics and Reporting

Igloo will also be providing its customers with a robust new set of reporting and analytics capabilities allowing for the building of custom reports with their favorite business intelligence or spreadsheet tools. Igloo will support a suite of pre-built reports that can be imported into Microsoft Power BI that will help provide insights into the health of a customer's digital workplace and their progress to attaining their defined success metrics.

Microsoft Power BI is a suite of business analytics tools that deliver insights throughout an organization  a powerful solution that Igloo itself relies on to optimize the business value of its own internally managed digital workplace.

In its September release, Igloo will provide support for the Microsoft-based Open Data Protocol (ODATA) enabling customers to access detailed usage data for their digital workplace. In addition to Microsoft Power BI, this data can also be aggregated data into other third-party solutions who support ODATA for a more holistic view of their digital environment.

Igloo's Commitment to Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 remains the most widely used suite of productivity and collaboration apps and tools by organizations around the world. Igloo remains committed to offering deep integration with Office 365 to enhance the overall experience for its customers across their digital workplace. As part of its commitment, Igloo is announcing support for federated search for Microsoft SharePoint 2013 (on-premise), SharePoint Online repositories, and all leading file repositories. Igloo is also announcing support for Office 365 group calendars, and Microsoft Teams.

About Igloo Software

Igloo is the leading provider of digital workplace solutions, helping companies build inspiring digital destinations for a more productive and engaged workforce. Offering a suite of modern features and solutions for today's evolving workplace, Igloo partners with customers to address challenges related to communication, collaboration, knowledge management, employee engagement, and culture. For more information, please visit www.igloosoftware.com

Follow @IglooSoftware on Twitter and find us on Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Media Contact

Beth Burghgraef

Walker Sands for Igloo Software

[email protected]

312-648-6017

SOURCE Igloo Software

Related Links

http://www.igloosoftware.com


SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- KT (CEO Chang-gyu Hwang, www.kt.com) announced that it proposed the creation of the ICT-based working group Epidemic Preparedness, preventing the spread of the infectious diseases through ICT technologies, during the UN 'Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development' meeting on the 17th of September.

The Commission, was established by ITU and UNESCO with the strong support from UN to showcase and document the power of ICT and broadband-based technologies for sustainable development. Several Commissioners of the Broadband Commission, comprised of top CEOs and senior policy-makers, government representatives, international agencies and academia, have participated in this meeting.

CEO Hwang first introduced the "Infectious Disease Prevention Project' at the Broadband Commission, in September 2016. With an establishment of the Working Group, it lays a great foundation and a big step towards making a significant contribution to achieving the SDG one year after his first introduction.

Hwang stated that one the biggest health concerns of mankind is the global epidemic, such as Ebola, SARS, MERS and Zika virus, adding that the social loss amounts to $60 billion yearly. He made it clear that KT, as the ICT leader, will play a major role in addressing the global challenge they are facing with the use of the ICT technologies.

The Working Group, chaired by KT, is planning to publish a report on the importance of ICT technology with best practices globally as well as intending to conduct a pilot implementation of the Smart Quarantine Service in Kenya.

"The key assets of Telecom Operators, such as the connectivity, big data and intelligence, could help addressing challenges such as the epidemic," Hwang explained. Hwang called for participation of the Broadband Commissioners from various governments, international agencies, academia and ICT industries to this project.

KT launched a Smart Quarantine Service with Korean Center for Diseases Control in September 2016 to prevent the spread of the infectious diseases based on ICT. KT, while continuing the effort through the establishment of the Working Group, stated that it would help achieve the SDGs by making a collaboration with the global stakeholders.

Contact:

Name: Da Som Kang

Phone: +82-10-9777-2984

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE KT

Related Links

http://www.kt.com


PLANO, Texas, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Intelligent Contacts, a leading provider of unified communication and payment solutions for the healthcare industry, announced the release of Intelligent Connecta game-changing breakthrough for revenue cycle management. CLICK HERE to see how it works.

Providers face a number of obstacles in the ever-changing financial landscape of healthcare. At the top of that list is the time-consuming process of collecting reimbursements from insurance companies. Intelligent Connect uses technology that reduces the lengthy hold time providers face when calling payers, which dramatically increases productivity and cash recoveries.

New technology works as a "speed pass" through insurance reimbursement tedium

Intelligent Connect navigates through IVR prompts

Waits on hold for the healthcare provider until call is answered

Immediately transfers live call to provider

"These wait times can be very long and tie up staff for most of the day," says Intelligent Contacts CEO Jeff Mains. "This technology is making a huge impact for our healthcare partners."

Intelligent Contacts helps medical business offices cut through hours of red tape

It's not just IVRs being bypassed through this technology. It's red tape as well. Most insurance carriers limit the number of unique claims a healthcare provider can submit during each call. Once that claim number is met, the call ends and the process starts over. That means it could take days for hospital staff to process a list of insurance claims.

Through its innovative automation, Intelligent Connect helps business offices:

Work more claims with less staff

Increase productivity of existing staff

Recover cash much quicker

Free up time to focus on more complex reimbursements

"I don't think anyone gets into the healthcare profession thinking they will spend 4-5 hours a day listening to hold music on a loop," Mains continued. "Providers care about the health of their patients and want to make a difference in their lives. We believe our specialized suite of communication and payment systems allow them to focus on just that."

Intelligent Contacts, headquartered in Plano, Texas, provides omnichannel communication and payment solutions for other industries including Accounts Receivable Management (ARM), the financial sector, education, government and religious organizations. CLICK HERE to find out more about Intelligent Connect.

SOURCE Intelligent Contacts

Related Links

http://www.intelligentcontacts.com


CLEVELAND, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teachers and staff at Invictus High School have partnered with various local community agencies to host a free Community Resource Fair for students and community members. The resource fair will be held Friday, September 22nd from 12:00pm-3:00pm at the Invictus High School Lee Road campus located at 3969 Lee Road, Cleveland Ohio.

Students, families, and community members are encouraged to attend the resource fair to receive services, including health screenings and flu shots. Tonya Dumas, director of the Invictus High School Lee Road Campus said representatives from Ohio Head Start, Mom's First, and Ohio Guidestone will also be providing attendees information on child care and other social support that is available to area residents. There will also be food trucks, games, music, and line dancing as part of the event.

"Providing social support to our students is one of our core missions at Invictus. We wanted to expand the services we were offering and include the local Lee and Harvard Community." Tonya Dumas, School Director

For more information, you can visit the schools website at www.invictushighschool.org or call us at 216-239-1850.

SOURCE Invictus High School

Related Links

http://www.invictushighschool.org


MILPITAS, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Family Giving Tree, a Bay Area nonprofit helping low-income families through annual holiday gift and school backpack drives, has surpassed its aggressive 2017 goal to collect, stuff and distribute 40,000 backpacks with grade-appropriate school supplies. The final tally was 40,546.

"Support from NBC Bay Area and Telemundo 48 was a huge factor in beating our target," said Family Giving Tree Co-Founder and Executive Director Jennifer Cullenbine. "As part of a national 'Supporting Our Schools' initiative, the two Bay Area TV stations really got behind our efforts and promoted the drive via newscasts, on-air promotions, websites and social media. Add that coverage to our usual loyal base of corporate sponsors, volunteers and Drive Leaders, and you get a record year for helping Bay Area kids."

Lance Lew, Director of Community Marketing for NBC Bay Area, said, "After following the good works of Family Giving Tree for 17 years, I knew the organization's passion, logistics and network were key to our Bay Area drive. We are delighted our work with Family Giving Tree and United Way helped inspire a record level of back-to-school giving."

Based on public school data regarding student eligibility for free/reduced school lunches, Family Giving Tree estimates that some 400,000 Bay Area students need donated backpacks and school supplies. Annually, the 27-year old organization strives to help a larger and larger percentage of that underserved population. This year, some 325 qualifying schools and agencies throughout the Bay Area received backpacks. For many of their students, these fully stocked backpacks were the only resource to start a new school year with the tools and confidence to succeed.

About Family Giving Tree: Headquartered in Milpitas, California, Family Giving Tree grants children's wishes for joy and learning through annual Back-to-School and Holiday Wish drives. Thanks to generous and consistent community support, Family Giving Tree has provided Bay Area children and adults with nearly 1.5 million individually requested holiday gifts and backpacks filled with school supplies.

About FGT's Back-to-School Drive: One out of every four children in the Bay Area lives in poverty. Family Giving Tree's Back-to-School Drive closes the educational gap for deserving Bay Area K-12 students by providing backpacks filled with essential, grade-appropriate school supplies.

Contact:

Family Giving Tree

Larry Loper

[email protected]



O: 408-946-3111 x208

M: 408-596-1500

SOURCE The Family Giving Tree

Related Links

http://www.familygivingtree.org


JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jacksonville's meetings and conventions facilities are open following Hurricane Irma, and the Visit Jacksonville Sales and Services team is ready to assist groups looking to book their next event in our destination.

With the flood waters receding, and most of the high-water issues contained to residential areas of the city, nearly all of Jacksonville's tourism and meetings and conventions facilities are operating at 100 percent capacity. Most importantly, Jacksonville has reported that no groups have cancelled upcoming meetings in the city.

"Fortunately, our Convention Center was not affected by Hurricane Irma, and all but one of our Downtown Convention hotels are open for business," said Paul Astleford, President and CEO, Visit Jacksonville. "Unprecedented resources are being put towards restoring the affected areas and businesses. However, we are very happy to report that our tourism and meetings/conventions infrastructure is near completely restored and open for business. We feel for the other areas which were hard hit and hope that they can recover as quickly as possible."

Jacksonville's beach communities and extensive park system saw little impact from the storm, and just one of Jacksonville's 160 hotels has yet to reopen due to issues related to Irma. Areas of Downtown Jacksonville that saw an impact from Irma are cleaning up and open to visitors.

"Many groups have reached out with questions after seeing the damage on the news, but we can assure them that the majority of our destination is back to business and ready to host as many groups as possible this fall and winter," said Monica Smith, CMP, CASE, CDME, Visit Jacksonville's Vice President of Sales & Services.

For more information, go to www.VisitJacksonville.com, and visit us on Twitter and Instagram @Visit_Jax, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/visitjacksonville for current images, videos and Facebook Live events from around Jacksonville.

About Visit Jacksonville

Visit Jacksonville is a DMAI accredited Destination Marketing Organization contracted by the Duval County Tourist Development Council (TDC) to champion the growth of business and leisure tourism in Northeast Florida. For a closer look at all there is to see and do in Jacksonville, go to www.VisitJacksonville.com or contact 800-733-2668.

MEDIA CONTACT: Roland Alonzi Patty Jimenez

Dalton Agency Visit Jacksonville

[email protected] [email protected]

Tel. 404-876-2875 Tel. 904-421-9169

SOURCE Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau

Related Links

http://www.visitjacksonville.com


SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kensington, a worldwide leader of desktop computing and mobility solutions for IT, business and home office professionals and The Professionals' Choice, today announced the Kensington Keyed Cable Lock for Microsoft Surface Pro. Providing vigorously tested, non-invasive locking technology that is supported by Kensington's innovative common keying system, the Keyed Cable Lock is designed specifically for the Surface Pro, Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4.

As the inventor and #1 provider of laptop locks worldwide, Kensington's locking solutions accommodate 95 percent of the world's laptops, projectors, printers and monitors. With extensive professional accessory support for the Microsoft Surface family of products  including rugged cases, sleeves, docks, hubs, locking kits, and privacy screens  Kensington is The Professionals' Choice for organizations incorporating the Microsoft Surface line into their computing environments.

"Device security and protecting valuable data is of the utmost importance to Surface Pro users, especially businesses," said Sheri Brassell, Senior Director of Program Management, Microsoft. "Recognized for its expertise and longstanding leadership in physical security, Kensington created an outstanding solution that addresses the market need for Surface Pro protection. Now customers can safeguard their Surface Pros, without having to compromise its elegant look and feel."

The Kensington Keyed Cable Lock is available in the following SKUs:

Kensington Keyed Cable Lock for Surface Pro  Keyed Different (SKU# K62044; SRP $49.99)

Kensington Keyed Cable Lock for Surface Pro  Master Keyed (SKU# K62052M; SRP $49.99)

Kensington Keyed Cable Lock for Surface Pro  Supervisor Keyed (SKU# K62052S; SRP $49.99)

Kensington Keyed Cable Lock for Surface Pro  Retail Packaging (SKU# K62055; SRP $49.99)

Features of the Kensington Keyed Cable lock include:

Exclusively Designed for Surface Pro to provide professional-level security and superior device engagement

to provide professional-level security and superior device engagement Non-Invasive Locking Technology provides easy-to-use security solution that requires no device modifications, preserving the Surface Pro's hardware warranty and aesthetics

provides easy-to-use security solution that requires no device modifications, preserving the Surface Pro's hardware warranty and aesthetics Strong Lock Head meets Kensington's industry leading standards for tamper-resistance, reliability and durability

meets industry leading standards for tamper-resistance, reliability and durability 5mm Keying System includes patented anti-pick Hidden Pin  Technology, and is part of Kensington's robust key management solutions that include Master Keyed (K62052M) and Supervisor Keyed (K62052S) options to help IT managers minimize the number of keys required to secure devices in mixed technology environments.

includes patented anti-pick Hidden Pin Technology, and is part of robust key management solutions that include Master Keyed (K62052M) and Supervisor Keyed (K62052S) options to help IT managers minimize the number of keys required to secure devices in mixed technology environments. Carbon Steel Cable resists and deters cutting attempts

resists and deters cutting attempts Register & Retrieve  program offers free and secure cloud-based key replacement

"Organizations that have deployed the Surface Pro across their businesses, need a way to vigilantly safeguard and protect them from theft which could put valuable corporate data at risk," said Gwen Hsu, Senior Director of Global Product Management, Kensington. "We worked directly with Microsoft to ensure the greatest level of security for the Surface Pro so that users can secure the device conveniently without compromising aesthetics or usability. And for IT managers, our innovative 5mm keying system is compatible across all of Kensington's newer locks, so that less keys are needed in heterogeneous computing environments."

Resources

Digital images are available for download at: http://bit.ly/2xiidS5

An animation demo may be viewed at: https://youtu.be/Sa1F4HP1W5Q

Tweet this: Lock down your laptop replacement #Noninvasive #NoDamage with @Kensington new Keyed Cable Lock for Surface Pro - http://goo.gl/WL1UBY

Follow Kensington on:

About Kensington

Kensington is a leading provider of desktop and mobile device accessories, trusted by IT, educators, business and home office professionals around the world for more than 35 years. Kensington products empower people to dynamically interact with content, creating a better working experience for productive performance. In both office and mobile environments, Kensington's extensive portfolio of award-winning products provides trusted security, desktop productivity innovations, and ergonomic well-being. Our core competencies in engineering, industrial design, product quality and responsive customer support make Kensington The Professionals' Choice.

Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Kensington operates as the technology division of ACCO Brands (NYSE: ACCO), one of the world's largest designers, marketers and manufacturers of branded business, academic and consumer products, sold in more than 100 countries across the globe.

Kensington is the inventor and worldwide leader in laptop security locks, the acknowledged leader of Trackball innovation and offers a broad range of premium-branded desktop productivity solutions.

Kensington is a registered trademark of ACCO Brands. Hidden Pin, Kensington The Professionals' Choice, and Register & Retrieve are trademarks of ACCO Brands. All other registered and unregistered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

 2017 Kensington Computer Products Group, a division of ACCO Brands. All rights reserved.

SOURCE ACCO Brands

Related Links

http://www.kensington.com


GREENVILLE, S.C., Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kinloch Partners, LLC, today announced it will purchase 20 homes for nearly $4 million in five Greenville/Spartanburg communities. Kinloch Partners, which has a successful track record for real estate investment in Atlanta and Nashville, will initially offer the homes for rent, but will work with renters to ultimately purchase the homes.

The rent-to-own strategy is part of Kinloch Partners' mission to help more people realize the American Dream of home ownership. Kinloch's strategy is to buy brand-new houses, lease them to qualified applicants and then sell them to these tenets using a proprietary rent to own strategy. The company is purchasing homes built in 2016 and 2017 in Boiling Springs, Greenville, Simpsonville, Lyman and Duncan.

"Flat wages combined with escalating real estate prices have made home ownership more difficult today," said Bruce McNeilage, Kinloch Partners co-founder. "Our goal is to help create more stable communities by creating a path for home ownership. Greenville/Spartanburg is an up-and-coming real estate market and we look forward to investing in and strengthening these communities."

Kinloch Partners, LLC, currently is implementing its rent-to-own strategy with 65 homes in Dallas, Ga., Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Spring Hill, Tenn. The company has purchased, renovated and re-sold more than 400 single-family homes in greater Atlanta, creating ownership opportunities for individual families and investment opportunities for individuals and real estate hedge funds. McNeilage also recently sold his interest Solo East, a 121-unit development with affordable condos that recently sold out in East Nashville.

"Home ownership is one of the cornerstones of the American economy and our rent-to-own strategy is helping more people realize this dream," McNeilage said. "We have been very successful deploying this strategy in the Southeast and are excited to help more people in South Carolina realize this dream as well."

About Kinloch Partners, LLC

Kinloch Partners, LLC is a real estate investment company formed in 2011 by childhood friends Bruce W. McNeilage and Christopher P. Zachary, who met on the playground at Kinloch Elementary School in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, in the mid-1970s. The company specializes in providing a path to home ownership for new homeowners through new construction, home renovation or investment in financially distressed real estate properties.

Contact:

Mike DeVilling

(248) 875-4207

[email protected]

SOURCE Kinloch Partners, LLC
NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of their new partnership with City Parks Foundation, Kiwi Energy is excited to sponsor City Parks Foundation's Green Girls program.

This innovative program inspires early adolescent girls to excel as environmental scientists and stewards of New York City's precious natural resources. The program takes middle school students on outdoor adventures in parks and along waterways after school and during the summer. Green Girls is aimed at helping girls develop a new understanding of natural ecosystems, discovering how they can create positive change within their environment, and learning about future careers in the sciences.

Green Girls is offered throughout the year across two different platforms. Green Girls After School runs throughout the school year with free weekly sessions and combines science, technology, interactive games, and field trips that focus on gaining understanding of natural ecosystems in New York City. The Green Girls Summer Institute engages up to 30 middle school girls, ages 10-13, in five weeks of fun-filled outdoor adventures July through August. Based in Long Island City, the Green Girls travel to all five boroughs to study the dynamic urban forests of New York's parks and waterways.

"We're proud to support Green Girls because it offers aspiring female environmental scientists STEM education, a traditionally male-dominated field. The program is also great because it acts as a platform for young women to learn about our planet  specifically natural resources, why they are important, and why we need to take care of them," says Richard Booth, President of Retail Operations, Kiwi Energy.

Registration for the Green Girls After School fall 2017 program is now open. For more information, please visit https://cityparksfoundation.org/green-girls.

About Kiwi Energy

Kiwi Energy is an energy retailer dedicated to providing innovative energy solutions for electricity and natural gas supply. We focus on environmentally conscious products backed by friendly and efficient customer service. As a company, Kiwi Energy always prides itself on transparency and its team is always happy to help with any questions about the energy industry or its services.

About City Parks Foundation

City Parks Foundation (CPF) is the only independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to offer programs in public parks throughout the five boroughs of New York City. At CPF, we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community development, and education programs for all New Yorkers. Our programs and community building initiatives  located in more than 350 parks, recreation centers, and public schools across New York City  reach 425,000 people each year. Our ethos is simple: We believe thriving parks reflect thriving communities.

Media Contact:

Nikki Clark

Email: [email protected]

Related Images

image1.png

Kiwi Energy

image2.png

City Parks Foundation

image3.jpg

Green Girls

Related Links

Kiwi Energy

SOURCE Kiwi Energy and City Parks Foundation

Related Links

https://kiwienergy.us


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kopis, one of South Carolina's leading custom software development and Business Intelligence companies, has been honored by Solver, Inc. as the organization's 2017 New US BI360 Partner of the Year Award winner. Solver honored their top partners for demonstrating significant customer impact by delivering the BI360 Suite to help customers optimize their corporate performance management processes.

Solver honored eight companies for their achievements in 2017, across various partner categories both globally and regionally. Of the more than 300 partners worldwide, these partners were nominated and selected for their excellence in customer service and innovation.

"We are especially excited to announce and recognize our top-achieving partners both in the U.S. and abroad, as last year was deemed our Year of the Partner and we are now starting to see the results," said Nils Rasmussen, Solver CEO. "On behalf of Solver's global family, I would like to congratulate and thank our award winners for their achievements in the past 12 months and for their continued dedication and support of Solver and the BI360 product suite."

"This award is a true honor, because it recognizes us for our relationships with our clients, which is our top priority," said Andrew Kurtz, CEO of Kopis. "We're always exploring new opportunities that can impact our clients, so both the recognition and relationship with Solver's global family for our commitment to Business Intelligence is one we're proud to be recognized for. Given other firms in our industry that were finalists, many of whom we've admired for years, we're even more grateful and humbled about this award."

About Kopis

Founded in 1999, Kopis (formerly ProActive Technology) began as a technology consulting and custom software development company. Today it is one of the oldest custom software development and consulting companies in South Carolina. With locations in Greenville and Charleston, S.C., Kopis serves a variety of clients, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to start-ups. Kopis services include: application development, ERP solutions, business intelligence, mobile app development, and SQL managed services.

About Solver

Solver provides BI360, the leading cloud and on premise Corporate Performance Management and Business Intelligence suite for Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, SAP, Intacct, Acumatica, NetSuite and other ERP systems. For any questions, visit Solver's website or contact Solver at [email protected].

For information, contact:

Adam Drewes

Chief Marketing Officer, Kopis

864-421-9247

[email protected]

SOURCE Kopis
(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/558312/SystecServices_Headquarters.jpg )

With the planned takeover, Korber Medipak Systems GmbH, the holding company of Business Area Pharma Systems, is expanding the range of services it offers its customers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. As a system partner, Systec & Services GmbH specializes in consultation for the implementation of manufacturing execution systems and track and trace solutions. The company is headquartered in Karlsruhe (Germany) with an additional location in Pratteln near Basel (Switzerland).

With more than 80 employees, Systec & Services GmbH advises clients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in selecting and implementing software. The company has decades of experience and comprehensive industry knowledge in the implementation of MES systems and solutions for tracing medical products. Medipak Systems company Seidenader Maschinenbau and Systec & Services have previously worked together very successfully in the area of track and trace.

"We look forward to working with Systec & Services to further expand our position in the growing pharmaceutical market," says Christopher Somm, Member of the Executive Board of Korber AG. "With the planned acquisition, we will gain an experienced partner whose expertise will help us to provide improved support to our customers, particularly in holistic consultation and the implementation of software and track and trace solutions."

"From our many years of working together as partners, we have great respect for Systec & Services and its expertise in integration. Together we will be even better positioned to offer integrated solutions from a single source, from project start to commissioning," emphasizes Clemens Berger, CEO of Korber Medipak Systems GmbH. "This planned acquisition underscores our commitment to optimally combining process know-how and engineering expertise for the benefit of our customers in the international pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. This will allow us to offer added value to our customers and thus become their first stop for system solutions."

"Korber and Medipak Systems are ideal strategic partners for us," stresses Hermann Schafer, Managing Partner of Systec & Services GmbH. "This connection will allow us as a complete provider to offer our customers significantly more solutions than previously."

"We are looking forward to working with the experts from Medipak Systems," adds Alfred Schiffmacher, also Managing Partner of Systec & Services GmbH. "Systec & Services is the perfect fit for Korber Medipak Systems since our solutions complete one another perfectly, which results in new perspectives for us on the international market."

The acquisition is subject to the approval of the competent antitrust authorities.

About Korber and Medipak Systems

Korber AG is the holding company of an international technology group with almost 11,500 employees worldwide. The Group unites leading technology companies with more than 130 production, service, and sales companies. At locations around the globe, Korber combines the advantages of a global presence with the strengths of a highly specialized and flexible medium-sized company to offers its customer solutions, products, and services in the Business Areas of automation, logistics systems, Machine Tools, pharma systems, tissue, and tobacco.

Korber Medipak Systems GmbH is the leading company of Business Area Pharma Systems of the Korber Group, which brings together six global companies: Dividella, Fargo Automation, Mediseal, Rondo, Seidenader Maschinenbau and Werum IT Solutions. These companies offer high-quality solutions worldwide for the manufacturing, inspection and packaging, as well as traceability, of pharmaceutical products.

About Systec & Services GmbH

Systec & Services GmbH, headquartered in Karlsruhe (Germany), is a system house and solution provider for customers in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology industries. Its core areas are manufacturing execution systems (MES), serialization and track and trace solutions, manufacturing intelligence systems and validation services, and general consulting services in regulated manufacturing.

With roughly 80 employees, Systec & Services GmbH provides support to more than 100 clients with the aim of making production more efficient, improving quality and acting in accordance with regulatory requirements.

Contact:

Henriette Viebig

Head of Corporate Communications

Korber AG

Phone: +49-40-21107-422

Mobile: +49-173-6696857

[email protected]

Britta Riemann

Head of Communications

Korber Medipak Systems GmbH

Phone: +49-4131-8900-4480

Mobile: +49-151-21284797

[email protected]

Titus Krauss

Director Sales & Marketing

Systec & Services GmbH

Tel: +49-712-6635-560

Mobile: +49-1522-8896420

[email protected]

SOURCE Korber AG
"No family in a community we serve should ever go hungry, and no food in a store we operate should ever go to waste," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO.

Across the United States, 42 million Americans struggle with hunger. At the same time, an estimated 72 billion pounds of food ends up in a landfill every year.

"More than 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. each year goes unconsumed, while one in eight people struggle with hunger. That just doesn't make sense," Mr. McMullen said. "As America's grocer and one of the largest retailers in the world, we are committing to doing something about it."

Kroger's visionary Zero Hunger | Zero Waste plan includes the bold commitments outlined below, in keeping with the company's Purpose to Feed the Human Spirit.

Kroger is also crowdsourcing for solutions, asking communities, partners and other stakeholders to help provide ideas, feedback and best practices as the effort evolves.

"We don't  and we won't  have all the answers," said Jessica Adelman, Kroger's group vice president of corporate affairs. "While we are clear about our vision, we are flexible about how to get there. We are working closely with both Feeding America and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), our longstanding partners, to develop transparent metrics to track our progress."

"And we are inviting everyone who is passionate about feeding people and protecting the planet to join us in our mission to end hunger in our communities and eliminate waste across our company by 2025," Ms. Adelman added.

"Hunger exists in every county and affects every demographic group in this country," said Diana Aviv, CEO of Feeding America. "If we are to succeed in creating a hunger-free America, it will take the combined efforts of a variety of groups  policymakers, nonprofits, individuals and corporations  working together with the 200 network member food banks. Kroger is stepping up to the challenge and we look forward to working with them on their Zero Hunger | Zero Waste plan."

"The production and consumption of food has the largest environmental footprint of any human activity. By wasting less food, we can reduce the environmental impact of food production while also conserving biodiversity and wildlife habitat," said Sheila Bonini, Senior Vice President, Private Sector Engagement, WWF. "Kroger's zero waste commitment sets a new standard for food waste reduction goals and will have a ripple effect across their supply chain and industry."

Zero Hunger | Zero Waste: A Plan to End Hunger In Kroger Communities

and Eliminate Waste In The Kroger Co.

Establish a $10 million innovation fund within The Kroger Co. Foundation to address hunger, food waste and the paradoxical relationship between the two.

within to address hunger, food waste and the paradoxical relationship between the two. Accelerate food donations to provide three billion meals by 2025 to feed people facing hunger in the places Kroger calls home. In partnership with its customers, associates and other partners, Kroger has donated one billion meals via combined food and funds donations since 2013.

to feed people facing hunger in the places Kroger calls home. In partnership with its customers, associates and other partners, Kroger has donated one billion meals via combined food and funds donations since 2013. Donate not just more food, more balanced meals via Kroger's industry-leading fresh food donations program. Kroger has been feeding people facing hunger since the company's inception in 1883, and as a founding partner of Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, Kroger has longstanding partners with food banks across the country. Today, Kroger store associates are empowered to identify meat, produce, dairy and bakery items for donation that remain safe, fresh and nutritious. Last year, Kroger donated the equivalent of 46 million fresh meals to local food banks in addition to dry goods and shelf-stable groceries.

via Kroger's industry-leading fresh food donations program. Kroger has been feeding people facing hunger since the company's inception in 1883, and as a founding partner of Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, Kroger has longstanding partners with food banks across the country. Today, Kroger store associates are empowered to identify meat, produce, dairy and bakery items for donation that remain safe, fresh and nutritious. Last year, Kroger donated the equivalent of 46 million fresh meals to local food banks in addition to dry goods and shelf-stable groceries. Advocate for public policy solutions to address hunger and to shorten the line at food banks, lobbying for continued funding of federal hunger relief programs, and for public policies that help communities prevent and divert waste from landfills, including recycling, composting and sustainability programs that can be scaled for maximum impact.

and to shorten the line at food banks, lobbying for continued funding of federal hunger relief programs, and for public policies that help communities prevent and divert waste from landfills, including recycling, composting and sustainability programs that can be scaled for maximum impact. Achieve all Zero Waste 2020 goals outlined in the annual Kroger sustainability report.

outlined in the annual Kroger sustainability report. Eliminate food waste by 2025 through prevention, donation and diversion efforts in all stores and across Kroger. Develop transparent reporting on food loss and waste.

through prevention, donation and diversion efforts in all stores and across Kroger. Develop transparent reporting on food loss and waste. Join forces with both new and longstanding partners to identify opportunities, leverage data, and determine where by working together Kroger can help the most.

to identify opportunities, leverage data, and determine where by working together Kroger can help the most. Transform communities and improve the health of millions of Americans by 2025 by making balanced meals more readily available, sharing scalable food waste solutions with other retailers, restaurants and local governments, and working within Kroger's supply chain to reduce farm-to-fork food loss.

"Zero Hunger | Zero Waste is a vision for the America we want to help create with our associates, customers and stakeholders," Mr. McMullen said. "This is our moonshot.'"

"We recognize we have a lot of work to do," he added. "But we know when Kroger's more than 443,000 associates put their passion to work to make something happen, we can uplift our communities, the planet and each other."

Follow our journey and join the conversation at thekrogerco.com and #ZeroHungerZeroWaste.

About Feeding America

Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

About WWF

WWF is one of the world's leading conservation organizations, working in 100 countries for over half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment, and combat climate change. Producing enough food while limiting our impact on the environment is one of the biggest challenges of our time, and WWF is working to drive sustainable food systems to conserve nature and feed humanity. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more and follow our news conversations on Twitter @World_Wildlife.

About Kroger

At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed The Human Spirit.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.

Related Links

http://www.kroger.com


Across the United States, 42 million Americans struggle with hunger. At the same time, an estimated 72 billion pounds of food ends up in a landfill every year.

"More than 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. each year goes unconsumed, while one in eight people struggle with hunger. That just doesn't make sense," Mr. McMullen said. "As America's grocer and one of the largest retailers in the world, we are committing to doing something about it."

Kroger's visionary Zero Hunger | Zero Waste plan includes the bold commitments outlined below, in keeping with the company's Purpose to Feed the Human SpiritTM.

Kroger is also crowdsourcing for solutions, asking communities, partners and other stakeholders to help provide ideas, feedback and best practices as the effort evolves. In addition, Kroger is working closely with both Feeding America and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), our longstanding partners, to develop transparent metrics to track our progress.

"We know that meals matter  families that share meals together have children who do better in every aspect of their lives. That's why we imagine a world without hunger and food waste," said Bryan Kaltenbach, president of Food 4 Less.

"We are inviting everyone who is passionate about feeding people and protecting the planet to join us in our mission to end hunger in our communities and eliminate waste across our company by 2025," added Ralphs' president Valerie Jabbar.

"Hunger exists in every county and affects every demographic group in this country," said Diana Aviv, CEO of Feeding America. "If we are to succeed in creating a hunger-free America, it will take the combined efforts of a variety of groups  policymakers, nonprofits, individuals and corporations  working together with the 200 network member food banks. Kroger is stepping up to the challenge and we look forward to working with them on their Zero Hunger | Zero Waste plan."

"The production and consumption of food has the largest environmental footprint of any human activity. By wasting less food, we can reduce the environmental impact of food production while also conserving biodiversity and wildlife habitat," said Sheila Bonini, senior vice president, Private Sector Engagement, WWF. "Kroger's zero waste commitment sets a new standard for food waste reduction goals and will have a ripple effect across their supply chain and industry."

Zero Hunger | Zero Waste: A Plan to End Hunger In Kroger Communities and Eliminate Waste In The Kroger Co.

Establish a $10 million innovation fund within The Kroger Co. Foundation to address hunger, food waste and the paradoxical relationship between the two.

within to address hunger, food waste and the paradoxical relationship between the two. Accelerate food donations to provide three billion meals by 2025 to feed people facing hunger in the places Kroger calls home, including the communities served by Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores in Southern California . In partnership with its customers, associates and other partners, Kroger has donated one billion meals via combined food and funds donations since 2013.

to feed people facing hunger in the places Kroger calls home, including the communities served by Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores in . In partnership with its customers, associates and other partners, Kroger has donated one billion meals via combined food and funds donations since 2013. Donate not just more food, more balanced meals via Kroger's industry-leading fresh food donations program. Kroger has been feeding people facing hunger since the company's inception in 1883, and as a founding partner of Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, Kroger has longstanding partners with food banks across the country. Today, Kroger, Ralphs and Food 4 Less store associates are empowered to identify meat, produce, dairy and bakery items for donation that remain safe, fresh and nutritious. Last year, Kroger donated the equivalent of 46 million fresh meals to local food banks in addition to dry goods and shelf-stable groceries. Through the first half of this year, Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores have donated more than four-million pounds of fresh product to food banks in Southern California .

via Kroger's industry-leading fresh food donations program. Kroger has been feeding people facing hunger since the company's inception in 1883, and as a founding partner of Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, Kroger has longstanding partners with food banks across the country. Today, Kroger, Ralphs and Food 4 Less store associates are empowered to identify meat, produce, dairy and bakery items for donation that remain safe, fresh and nutritious. Last year, Kroger donated the equivalent of 46 million fresh meals to local food banks in addition to dry goods and shelf-stable groceries. Through the first half of this year, Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores have donated more than four-million pounds of fresh product to food banks in . Advocate for public policy solutions to address hunger and to shorten the line at food banks, lobbying for continued funding of federal hunger relief programs, and for public policies that help communities prevent and divert waste from landfills, including recycling, composting and sustainability programs that can be scaled for maximum impact.

and to shorten the line at food banks, lobbying for continued funding of federal hunger relief programs, and for public policies that help communities prevent and divert waste from landfills, including recycling, composting and sustainability programs that can be scaled for maximum impact. Achieve all Zero Waste 2020 goals outlined in the annual Kroger sustainability report.

outlined in the annual Kroger sustainability report. Eliminate food waste by 2025 through prevention, donation and diversion efforts in all stores and across Kroger. Develop transparent reporting on food loss and waste.

through prevention, donation and diversion efforts in all stores and across Kroger. Develop transparent reporting on food loss and waste. Join forces with both new and longstanding partners to identify opportunities, leverage data, and determine where by working together Kroger can help the most.

to identify opportunities, leverage data, and determine where by working together Kroger can help the most. Transform communities and improve the health of millions of Americans by 2025 by making balanced meals more readily available, sharing scalable food waste solutions with other retailers, restaurants and local governments, and working within Kroger's supply chain to reduce farm-to-fork food loss.

"Zero Hunger | Zero Waste is a vision for the America we want to help create with our associates, customers and stakeholders," Mr. McMullen said. "This is our moonshot.'"

"We recognize we have a lot of work to do," he added. "But we know when Kroger's more than 443,000 associates put their passion to work to make something happen, we can uplift our communities, the planet and each other."

Follow our journey and join the conversation at thekrogerco.com and #ZeroHungerZeroWaste.

At The Kroger Co., Ralphs and Food 4 Less, we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed The Human SpiritTM.

About Ralphs

Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 and currently operates 192 supermarkets from its headquarters in Los Angeles. Last year, Ralphs contributed more than $6 million to support the communities served by its stores. Ralphs is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR), one of the nation's largest food retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more about Ralphs, please visit our web site at www.ralphs.com

About Food 4 Less

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Food 4 Less operates 130 price-impact, warehouse-format supermarkets under the banners Food 4 Less in Southern California, Illinois and Indiana, and Foods Co in Central and Northern California. Last year, Food 4 Less and Foods Co combined to contribute more than $4 million to support the communities served by its stores. Food 4 Less is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR), one of the nation's largest grocery retailers, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information about Food 4 Less, please visit our website at www.food4less.com.

SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company

Related Links

http://www.ralphs.com


Across the United States, 42 million Americans struggle with hunger. At the same time, an estimated 72 billion pounds of food ends up in a landfill every year.

"More than 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. each year goes unconsumed, while one in eight people struggle with hunger. That just doesn't make sense," Mr. McMullen said. "As America's grocer and one of the largest retailers in the world, we are committing to doing something about it."

Kroger's visionary Zero Hunger | Zero Waste plan includes the bold commitments outlined below, in keeping with the company's Purpose to Feed the Human SpiritTM.

Kroger is also crowdsourcing for solutions, asking communities, partners and other stakeholders to help provide ideas, feedback and best practices as the effort evolves. In addition, Kroger is working closely with both Feeding America and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), our longstanding partners, to develop transparent metrics to track our progress.

"We know that meals matter  families that share meals together have children who do better in every aspect of their lives. That's why we imagine a world without hunger and food waste," said Bryan Kaltenbach, president of Foods Co.

"We are inviting everyone who is passionate about feeding people and protecting the planet to join us in our mission to end hunger in our communities and eliminate waste across our company by 2025," added Mr. Kaltenbach.

"Hunger exists in every county and affects every demographic group in this country," said Diana Aviv, CEO of Feeding America. "If we are to succeed in creating a hunger-free America, it will take the combined efforts of a variety of groups  policymakers, nonprofits, individuals and corporations  working together with the 200 network member food banks. Kroger is stepping up to the challenge and we look forward to working with them on their Zero Hunger | Zero Waste plan."

"The production and consumption of food has the largest environmental footprint of any human activity. By wasting less food, we can reduce the environmental impact of food production while also conserving biodiversity and wildlife habitat," said Sheila Bonini, senior vice president, Private Sector Engagement, WWF. "Kroger's zero waste commitment sets a new standard for food waste reduction goals and will have a ripple effect across their supply chain and industry."

Zero Hunger | Zero Waste: A Plan to End Hunger In Kroger Communities and Eliminate Waste In The Kroger Co.

Establish a $10 million innovation fund within The Kroger Co. Foundation to address hunger, food waste and the paradoxical relationship between the two.

within to address hunger, food waste and the paradoxical relationship between the two. Accelerate food donations to provide three billion meals by 2025 to feed people facing hunger in the places Kroger calls home, including the communities served by Food 4 Less stores in the greater Chicago area. In partnership with its customers, associates and other partners, Kroger has donated one billion meals via combined food and funds donations since 2013.

to feed people facing hunger in the places Kroger calls home, including the communities served by Food 4 Less stores in the greater area. In partnership with its customers, associates and other partners, Kroger has donated one billion meals via combined food and funds donations since 2013. Donate not just more food, more balanced meals via Kroger's industry-leading fresh food donations program. Kroger has been feeding people facing hunger since the company's inception in 1883, and as a founding partner of Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, Kroger has longstanding partners with food banks across the country. Today, Kroger and Foods Co store associates are empowered to identify meat, produce, dairy and bakery items for donation that remain safe, fresh and nutritious. Last year, Kroger donated the equivalent of 46 million fresh meals to local food banks in addition to dry goods and shelf-stable groceries. Through the first half of this year, Food 4 Less stores in the Chicago area have donated more than 80,000 pounds of fresh product to area food banks.

via Kroger's industry-leading fresh food donations program. Kroger has been feeding people facing hunger since the company's inception in 1883, and as a founding partner of Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, Kroger has longstanding partners with food banks across the country. Today, Kroger and Foods Co store associates are empowered to identify meat, produce, dairy and bakery items for donation that remain safe, fresh and nutritious. Last year, Kroger donated the equivalent of 46 million fresh meals to local food banks in addition to dry goods and shelf-stable groceries. Through the first half of this year, Food 4 Less stores in the area have donated more than 80,000 pounds of fresh product to area food banks. Advocate for public policy solutions to address hunger and to shorten the line at food banks, lobbying for continued funding of federal hunger relief programs, and for public policies that help communities prevent and divert waste from landfills, including recycling, composting and sustainability programs that can be scaled for maximum impact.

and to shorten the line at food banks, lobbying for continued funding of federal hunger relief programs, and for public policies that help communities prevent and divert waste from landfills, including recycling, composting and sustainability programs that can be scaled for maximum impact. Achieve all Zero Waste 2020 goals outlined in the annual Kroger sustainability report.

outlined in the annual Kroger sustainability report. Eliminate food waste by 2025 through prevention, donation and diversion efforts in all stores and across Kroger. Develop transparent reporting on food loss and waste.

through prevention, donation and diversion efforts in all stores and across Kroger. Develop transparent reporting on food loss and waste. Join forces with both new and longstanding partners to identify opportunities, leverage data, and determine where by working together Kroger can help the most.

to identify opportunities, leverage data, and determine where by working together Kroger can help the most. Transform communities and improve the health of millions of Americans by 2025 by making balanced meals more readily available, sharing scalable food waste solutions with other retailers, restaurants and local governments, and working within Kroger's supply chain to reduce farm-to-fork food loss.

"Zero Hunger | Zero Waste is a vision for the America we want to help create with our associates, customers and stakeholders," Mr. McMullen said. "This is our moonshot.'"

"We recognize we have a lot of work to do," he added. "But we know when Kroger's more than 443,000 associates put their passion to work to make something happen, we can uplift our communities, the planet and each other."

Follow our journey and join the conversation at thekrogerco.com and #ZeroHungerZeroWaste.

At The Kroger Co., Ralphs and Food 4 Less, we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed The Human SpiritTM.

About Food 4 Less/Foods Co

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Food 4 Less/Foods Co operates 130 price-impact, warehouse-format supermarkets under the banners Food 4 Less in Southern California, Illinois and Indiana, and Foods Co in Central and Northern California. Last year, Food 4 Less and Foods Co combined to contribute more than $4 million to support the communities served by its stores. Food 4 Less is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR), one of the nation's largest grocery retailers, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information about Food 4 Less, please visit our website at www.food4less.com.

SOURCE Foods Co
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lambert, Edwards & Associates (LE&A), one of Michigan's top-ranked public relations agencies and the state's largest investor relations and public affairs firm, has been named the 19th largest* Food & Beverage Public Relations Agency nationwide according to O'Dwyer's, a leading public relations industry publication. LE&A ranks as second-largest firm in the Midwest (in the category), per the report.

LE&A provides public relations and corporate communications counsel, earned and social media strategy and execution, website development, event and trade show management and video content support to more than 20 national food and beverage clients. The agency's diverse food and beverage client roster includes: Cafe Valley, Cole's Breads, Denali Ingredients, Ferris Coffee, Gluten Free Bar (GFB), Inventure Foods, MGP Ingredients, MooseTracks ice cream and Old Orchard Brands.

"We are fortunate to have a roster of brands and individuals that inspire us to do award-winning work," said Matt Jackson, senior director of Food & Beverage/CPG at LE&A. "We're accustomed to working with challenger brands that evaluate our work based on driving business outcomes in the form of new distribution, higher turns at retail, new brand awareness and increased purchase consideration. Several of our food and beverage PR clients have been with us more than a decade, and that's a testament to the quality of our work."

O'Dwyer's is one of the most trusted and influential trade publications in the PR and marketing communications industry. The outlet has covered the public relations field for nearly 50 years and is the longest-running daily news source on the industry online.

"LE&A's experience with top-tier food and beverage brands continues to grow, which is apparent as the firm jumped six spots in O'Dwyer's 2017 rankings," said Jeffrey Lambert, CEO of LE&A. "We're pleased to crack the top-20 milestone, and we look forward to growing our expertise in this industry."

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 Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit  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 19 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.

* Based on 2016 net fees.

SOURCE Lambert, Edwards & Associates

Related Links

http://www.lambert-edwards.com


DALLAS and YVERDON LES BAINS, Switzerland, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leclanche SA (SIX: LECN), one of the world's leading energy storage solution companies, announced today a partnership with Fastned, the Dutch company pioneering the roll-out of fast charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe. Leclanche will develop a battery storage solution for Fastned's fast charging electric vehicle stations, starting with a pilot at two locations.

Fastned has built and is operating 63 fast charging EV stations in the Netherlands. The company's strategy is to use its Dutch network as a blueprint to roll-out fast charging stations across Europe and it is expanding quickly: in April, Fastned signed an agreement with Transport for London to become a partner for the development of the city's 300 fast charging points by 2020, and in September the company was awarded a subsidy of 4.1 million by the German government to build 25 fast charging stations.

Anil Srivastava, CEO of Leclanche, said: "Fastned is one of the most advanced fast charging organizations in the world and we are delighted to become the company's energy storage partner. Our flexible and scalable battery solutions enable us to support businesses in a wide range of situations, from our work with Fastned to vast grid-scale projects such as in Canada, where we are building North America's largest fast charging network, to electric buses and ferries, through to creating battery swap solutions for small vehicles in countries where grids may be less reliable."

Michiel Langezaal, founder and CEO, Fastned, said: "Leclanche has been leading innovation in energy storage for many years and is the ideal partner for us to develop a battery storage service for our rapidly growing network in Europe. The pilot project will showcase the technology and provide the data to support financing the roll out of Leclanche's batteries throughout our network."

Leclanche will provide scalable battery energy storage systems (BESS) for Fastned, using large-format lithium-ion batteries. This storage system will allow Fastned to deploy multiple high-powered chargers per site while reducing the strain on the grid. The battery acts as a buffer between the electricity grid and the vehicles charging. It will also allow Fastned to store the solar energy from its solar roofs on-site. Leclanche's system will recharge the battery storage units during off-peak times at considerable cost-savings and reduction in stress to the grid. Leclanche and Fastned will make fast charging smart while improving the customer experience.

Fastned's highway charging stations have up to eight fast chargers, delivering a full charge within 20 minutes. Its city stations have up to four fast chargers. Payment is via an app.

In July, Leclanche announced its partnership with eCAMION and SGEM to build and operate a network of 34 fast charging EV stations along the Trans-Canada Highway, with installation of the stations from the second quarter of 2018, after trials.

This followed the company's June announcement of a worldwide deal with Skoda Electric in which Leclanche will provide Skoda Electric with batteries for its electric bus expansion strategy. Leclanche is also in advanced negotiations with an automotive systems integrator for a large volume battery solutions contract in India for which test units are being shipped shortly.

The EV industry is on the cusp of transformational growth as the power supply to vehicles switches from fossil fuels to environmentally friendly electricity; this shift is driving the long-term requirement for fast charging battery storage solutions.

According to the International Energy Agency, the number of electric vehicles grew by 60 percent to 2,000,000 in 2016. While this only represents 0.2 percent of cars and other light vehicles, governments are playing a major role in growing the market: in June, the 10 government group Electric Vehicle Initiative, including the USA, China, Japan, UK, Germany and France, set the target of having 30 percent of vehicles battery powered by 2013. This equates to over 200 million cars. In addition, the UK and France have banned diesel and petrol cars by 2040. China is also considering a ban; and in India, the power regulator has recently announced a policy encouraging vehicle battery swapping models, which would enable EVs to exchange their nearly discharged battery for a full charged one.

About Fastned

Fastned is building a European network of fast-charging stations where all electric cars can charge within 20 minutes. The stations are located at high traffic locations along highways and in cities. Fastned has 63 stations operational in The Netherlands and is working on expanding its fast charging network to the rest of Europe. Already, the company has construction plans for charging stations in Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium.

The number of EVs in Europe is increasing rapidly as car manufacturers invest billions of Euros in new models.

Fastned is listed on the Nxchange stock exchange.

About Leclanche

Leclanche is one of the world's leading fully vertically integrated energy storage solution providers. It delivers a wide range of energy storage solutions for homes, small offices, large industries, electricity grids, as well as hybridization for mass transport systems such as bus fleets and ferries. Established in 1909, Leclanche has been a trusted provider of battery energy storage solutions for over 100 years. Founded in the tradition of Georges Leclanche, the inventor of the dry cell battery, Leclanche today has a rich portfolio of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) that include bespoke battery systems from industry leading lithium-ion solutions.

Leclanche is listed on the Swiss stock exchange, and is the only listed pure-play energy storage company in the world.

SIX Swiss Exchange: ticker symbol LECN | ISIN CH 011 030 311 9

Disclaimer

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to Leclanche's business, which can be identified by terminology such as "strategic", "proposes", "to introduce", "will", "planned", "expected", "commitment", "expects", "set", "preparing", "plans", "estimates", "aims", "would", "potential", "awaiting", "estimated", "proposal", or similar expressions, or by expressed or implied discussions regarding the ramp up of Leclanche's production capacity, potential applications for existing products, or regarding potential future revenues from any such products, or potential future sales or earnings of Leclanche or any of its business units. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of Leclanche regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that Leclanche's products will achieve any particular revenue levels. Nor can there be any guarantee that Leclanche, or any of the business units, will achieve any particular financial results.

Europe/global:

Desiree Maghoo

T: +44 (0) 7775522740

E-mail: [email protected]

Simon Barker

T:+44 (0)7866 314331

E-mail: [email protected]

US and Canada:

Rick Anderson

T: +1 (718) 986-1596

Henry Feintuch

T: +1 (212) 808-4901

E-mail: [email protected]

Shareholder, Analyst and Investor contacts:

E-mail: [email protected]

Investor Contacts

Anil Srivastava / Hubert Angleys

Tel.: +41 (0) 24 424 65 00

E-Mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Leclanche
HOUSTON, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Linde North America, Inc., and Nissan Chemical America Corporation (NCA) have joined efforts to explore synergistic combinations to enhance downhole performance with nanoActiv HRT (Hydrocarbon Recovery Technology) combined with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) or nitrogen (N 2 ).

"We are excited at this opportunity to collaborate with NCA," said Robin Watts, Chemistry & Energy Program Manager, Linde North America, Inc. "Initial results from field applications show nanoActiv HRT particles with CO 2 or N 2 produces significantly improved hydrocarbon recovery. We look forward to further this collaboration to optimize this approach."

nanoActiv HRT enables the recovery of hydrocarbons primarily through the processes of Brownian motion, diffusion-driven disjoining pressure, and fragmentationall combined in one mechanical sweeping effort.

"This technology enables the recovery technology to be completed faster, more completely, and with longer efficacy than any fluid technology in the market today, "said David L Holcomb, PhD., President, Pentagon Technical Services Inc. & consultant with NCA and a 40-year oil and gas industry veteran. "With the additional use of CO 2 or N 2 with nanoActiv HRT as a treatment, we can see the sustained improvement in recovery."

The use of CO 2 or N 2 in hydraulic fracturing allows for maximum surface area to increase the flow of hydrocarbons and delivers flexibility in solution viscosity for more uniform proppant placement, avoiding blockages and keeping fractures open. Linde is the largest supplier of CO 2 in the U.S and supplies N 2 through an extensive network of air separation plants.

"The combination of Nissan Chemical's technological strength in nanoparticles and Linde's expertise in Oil and Gas and global reach is a game changer for the marketplace," said Will Smith, Senior Vice President, NCA. "We look forward to continued work with Linde on nanoActiv HRT and future projects."

Linde's Oil and Gas experts will be on hand with the Nissan Chemical team at the SPE Technical Conference in San Antonio, October 911, 2017 to discuss the new IOR/EOR applications of nanoActiv HRT with carbon dioxide and nitrogen.

For more information on Linde's Oil and Gas services, visit www.lindeoilandgas.com

For more information on nanoActiv HRT, visit www.nanoactiv.com

About Linde North America, Inc.,

Linde North America, Inc., is a member of The Linde Group, a world-leading gases and engineering company. In the 2016 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of USD 17.9 bn (EUR 16.948 bn), making it one of the leading gases and engineering companies in the world, with approximately 60,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business, with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, see The Linde Group online at www.linde.com

About Nissan Chemical America Corporation (NCA)

Nissan Chemical America Corporation is a division of Nissan Chemical Industries (NCI)founded in 1887 as the first chemical fertilizer manufacturer in Japan. A forerunner in chemical innovations for nearly 130 years, Nissan Chemical currently manufactures products for the chemical, agrochemical, and pharmaceutical industries and is a market leader in the production of nanomaterials for the automotive, coatings, electronics, and oil and gas recovery industries.

SOURCE Linde North America, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.lindeus.com


Through this partnership, LittleThings has launched an app offering access to its entire roster of 13 series, including The Daily Glow , Truth Bomb Mom , Refresh , The Hostess Next Door , Garbage to Gold , and Best or Hot Mess . With an unparalleled audience of over 100 million monthly unique visitors, LittleThings garners more than 100 million click-to-play O&O views and receives 30 million-plus monthly Live views. By bringing its content onto the big screen, LittleThings' aim is to continue serving its audience across all platforms.

TVX offers viewers the ability to save videos to watch for later and queue episodes to watch in real time. This partnership enhances the breadth of production at LittleThings, as the company employs a growing team of 100-plus media professionals, creatives, and digital experts who help scale and distribute impactful programming on topics ranging from parenting tips to pet care, DIY projects, recipes, and much more. The addition of OTT will be a great step toward garnering more viewership and creating loyal fans who watch their shows on TV on a daily basis.

"LittleThings is the TV channel of the future. They are better than anyone else on the planet at building an audience on social, and they are creating a modern lifestyle brand with hundreds of millions of people in tow," said MAZ CEO Paul Canetti. "Making the jump to TV is the natural next step, and we are so psyched to be powering LittleThings with TVX."

"Our long-form programming philosophy makes us unique among digital-first publishers  and our current viewership on those programs tells us that our audience wants more content and more platforms on which to view it," said Gretchen Tibbits, President & COO of LittleThings. "With 13 unique episodic shows and 4 hours a day of original programming, LittleThings is proud to continue our mission of bringing engaging, meaningful content to our ever-growing audience."

Download LittleThings today on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.

About MAZ:

MAZ enables leaders in media to become leaders in technology. Founded by Apple and Adobe designers and engineers, MAZ is on the forefront of OTT and mobile technology with their TVX product for broadcast and video partners, and Phoenix for magazine and web publishers. Its suite of CMS and app-creation tools power over 1,000 apps and websites for industry giants such as Forbes, Gannett, Bloomberg, Rodale, Fast Company, and many more.

About LittleThings

Headquartered in New York City, LittleThings is the #1 lifestyle digital destination and first Post Cable Network (PCN) for women.

LittleThings employs a growing team of media professionals, and digital and television experts. This team creates and distributes engaging, meaningful programming to LittleThings' unparalleled audience, which views over 350 million videos a month. The programming on LittleThings' channel includes 13 different shows totaling 4 hours a day of original content that can be watched on Facebook Live, LittleThings.com, and numerous OTT platforms and apps.

Contact:

Shouvik Paul

1-855-MAZ-DIGITAL

[email protected]

http://www.mazdigital.com/tvx

SOURCE MAZ

Related Links

http://www.mazdigital.com


NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Livin': From the Amsterdam Red Light to the African Bush by Frankie Hogan takes readers on a wild, witty, and wonderful romp around the globe. Published in trade paper (ISBN - 978-0-9987289-0-2, 251 pp., $12.95) and eBook ($9.00) editions, Livin' is now available where fine books are sold.

In spite of a lifelong passion for travel, author Frankie Hogan admits that he often fell victim to "life getting in the way" until he decided, once and for all, to stop giving in to easy excuses, stop yielding to the reasons not toand stop the cycle of procrastinating, putting off and waiting for the right time, the right circumstances, and the right companions. It was time, Frankie decided, to get out there and see the world, to take in the history, nature and nightlife of places far away from home. It was time to get out of his own way and travelreally travelto off-the-beaten-path, exotic, far-flung destinations. And Hogan, a South Philly native and streetwise everyman, did just that. Livin' is the story of the ride, the road, and the reward.

A travel guide like no other, Livin' presents a first person look at the joys, the wonders, and the occasional woes of busting out of the comfort zone and seeing the world. A tale told by a tour guide like no otherthe affable, outspoken, and hilariously observant Frankie Hogan, Livin' is part memoir, part adventure story, part unconventional travel guide, part laugh-out-loud narrative and totally irresistible. Consider what would happen if you traveled the world with a Charles Bukowski-Jack Kerouac hybrid leading the way, and you will get a sense of what this tantalizing tome has to offer

Unfiltered, uncensored, and unapologetic, Livin' takes readers beyond the glossy brochures and postcards and lays bare the good, the bad, and the ugly. A memoir that celebrates wanderlust (with its fair share of both wandering and lust) Livin' is vibrant and vivid, irreverent and inspiring, uproariously ribald but abundantly real.

Come along for the ride as Hogan leads a tour from Egypt to South Africa, Amsterdam to Vietnam, Peru to Cambodia, India, China and more. Livin' is a larger-than-life tale about taking chances, conquering fears, taking the road less traveled and rolling with the punches. A book that could inspire even the most steadfast homebody to hit the road, Livin' is a journey in itself.

A hell of a storyteller with one hell of a story to tell, Frankie Hogan pulls no punches in this refreshingly candid narrative. Eminently readable and wholly unforgettable, Livin' charms with its friendly, conversational tone and mesmerizes with its fascinating accounts of some of the most enviable travel destinations in the world. Moreover, Livin' comes alive with Hogan's colorful observations, joie de vivre, unmistakable wit and keen eye for the comical, the sublime, and the absurd. Quite simply, Livin' is a real trip.

Frankie Hogan is an American writer, director and filmmaker. He is founder and principal partner of Corner Prophets Production Company, a film production company. A native of South Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighborhood, Hogan lives in Los Angeles. Livin' is Hogan's first booka book he wrote in hopes of inspiring others to stop making excuses, and make their dreams of travel a reality. For more information, visit: www.livintravelbook.com

Members of the news media wishing to request additional information about Livin' or Frankie Hogan are kindly asked to contact Maryglenn McCombs by phone: (615) 297-9875 or by email: [email protected]

Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12661326

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Frankie Hogan, author

Related Links

http://www.livintravelbook.com


KELOWNA, British Columbia, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Marapharm Ventures Inc. ("Marapharm" or the "Company") (CSE: MDM)(CSE: MDM.CN) (FSE: 2M0) (OTCQB: MRPHF) announces that demolition within the 30,000 square foot facility located on its 13.6 acre cannabis campus in Washington State is now finished and renovations will soon be underway. Cultivation and processing of recreational marijuana will resume when construction is complete. Construction photos are posted on marapharm.com.

"In Washington, 30,000 square foot licensed cannabis cultivation facilities can average more than $2 million per month in sales according to http://www.502data.com. The tier 3 cultivation license will allow for 30,000 square feet of cultivation within the Marapharm facility. Once renovations are complete, base rent revenue of $200,000 per month for facility use are to be paid retroactively to Marapharm as per an agreement with the license holder signed when operations commenced August 1, 2016. In addition, operational and capital costs, as well as performance bonus amounts, will be calculated and are owed to Marapharm." Linda Sampson, Marapharm CEO.

ABOUT MARAPHARM VENTURES INC.

http://www.marapharm.com

Marapharm is a publicly traded company primarily investing in the medical and recreational cannabis space, with corporate operations based in British Columbia, Canada. Since 2016 they have rapidly expanded their footprint to include production locations in the key North American states of Washington, Nevada, and California. They actively seek expansion opportunities worldwide.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: facebook.com/marapharm

Twitter: twitter.com/marapharm

STOCK EXCHANGES:

Marapharm trades in Canada, ticker symbol MDM on the CSE, in the United States, ticker symbol MRPHF on the OTCQB, and in Europe, ticker symbol 2Mo on the FSE. Marapharm also trades on other recognized platforms in Europe including Stuttgart, Tradegate, L & S, Quotnx, Dusseldorf, Munich, and Berlin.

Neither the CSE, the FSE nor the OTCQB has approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the CSE, the FSE nor the OTCQB accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD - LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", 'may", "will", "project", "should", 'believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumption but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and the forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

http://www.marapharm.com or Linda Sampson, CEO +1-778-583-4476 email [email protected]

SOURCE Marapharm Ventures Inc.
NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Mattamy Group Corporation (the "Company") today announced that it has commenced a cash tender offer (the "Tender Offer") to purchase any and all of the outstanding senior notes listed below. The Tender Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 25, 2017 (the "Expiration Time"), unless extended or earlier terminated. The Tender Offer is made pursuant to an Offer to Purchase dated today and a related Letter of Transmittal and Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, which set forth the terms and conditions of the Tender Offer.

Title of Security CUSIP /

ISIN Nos. Outstanding Principal Amount 6.500% Senior Notes due 2020 (the "6.500% Notes") 57701R AA0 C5400R AA0 US57701RAA05 USC5400RAA08

US$450,000,000 6.875% Senior Notes due 2020 (the "6.875% Notes") 57701RAC6 57701RAB8 CA57701RAC66 CA57701RAB83

C$200,000,000

The consideration to be paid for each US$1,000 principal amount of the 6.500% Notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn on or prior to the Expiration Time is US$1,022.96, and the consideration to be paid for each C$1,000 principal amount of the 6.875% Notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn on or prior to the Expiration Time is C$1,024.43, plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid interest on the 6.500% Notes or the 6.875% Notes (collectively, the "Notes") from the applicable last interest payment date up to, but not including, the Settlement Date (as defined herein). Assuming the Tender Offer is not extended, the Company expects that the Tender Offer will settle and payment will be made on September 26, 2017 (the "Settlement Date") (other than with respect to Notes tendered pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures described in the Offer to Purchase, with respect to which payment is expected to be made on September 28, 2017).

As described in the Offer to Purchase, tendered Notes may be withdrawn at any time before the earlier of (i) the expiration time of the Tender Offer and (ii) if the Tender Offer is extended, the 10th New York business day after the commencement of the Tender Offer. Notes tendered pursuant to the Tender Offer may also be withdrawn at any time after the 60th New York business day after commencement of the Tender Offer if for any reason the Tender Offer has not been consummated within 60 New York business days of commencement. The Tender Offer is subject to certain conditions, including the receipt by the Company of net proceeds from one or more new debt financings on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Company in an amount sufficient, together with other available sources of cash, to pay for all Notes accepted for payment in the Tender Offer. The Tender Offer is not conditioned on any minimum amount of 6.500% Notes or 6.875% Notes being tendered. The Company may amend, extend or, subject to certain conditions and applicable law, terminate the Tender Offer at any time in its sole discretion.

The Company currently intends to issue on the Settlement Date notices of redemption (which may be conditional) for Notes that are not accepted for purchase in the Tender Offer. The Company currently expects the redemption date for each series of Notes to be on or promptly after November 15, 2017 at the then-applicable redemption price of 101.625% and 101.719%, for the 6.500% Notes and 6.875% Notes, respectively. This press release is not a notice of redemption.

The Company has retained Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (Canada), Inc., RBC Capital Markets, LLC, RBC Dominion Securities Inc., BMO Capital Markets Corp. and BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. to serve as the Dealer Managers for the tender offers. Questions and requests for assistance regarding the tender offers should be directed to Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC or Credit Suisse Securities (Canada), Inc. at 1 (212) 325-2476 (collect), 1 (416) 352-4500 (in Toronto) or 1 (800) 820-1653 (toll free), RBC Capital Markets, LLC or RBC Dominion Securities Inc. at 1 (212) 618-7822 (collect), 1 (416) 842-6311 (in Toronto) or 1 (877) 381-2099 (toll free) or BMO Capital Markets Corp. or BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. at 1 (212) 702-1882 (collect) or 1 (416) 359-6528 (in Toronto).

The Company has also retained D.F. King & Co., Inc. to serve as the Information Agent and Tender Agent for 6.500% Notes and TSX Trust Company as Tender Agent for the 6.875% Notes in the tender offer.

The tender offers are being made pursuant to the terms and conditions contained in the Offer to Purchase, Letter of Transmittal and Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, copies of which may be obtained from D.F. King & Co., Inc. New York: (212) 269 5550 (Banks and Brokers) or (800) 370 1749 (toll free), or via [email protected].

Copies of the Offer to Purchase, Letter of Transmittal and Notice of Guaranteed Delivery are also available at the following web address: http://www.dfking.com/mattamy

This announcement is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to purchase or sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or sell, with respect to any securities. The solicitation of offers to buy the Notes is only being made pursuant to the terms of the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal and Notice of Guaranteed Delivery. The Tender Offer is not being made in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. None of the Company, the Dealer Managers or the Information and Tender Agents are making any recommendation as to whether or not holders should tender their Notes in connection with the Tender Offer.

About Mattamy Group Corporation

Mattamy Group Corporation is the largest privately owned homebuilder in North America, with operations across the United States and Canada. The Company has sold 90,000 homes in hundreds of communities. In the United States, the Company is represented in Minneapolis, Charlotte, Phoenix, Tucson, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa-Sarasota-Naples and Southeast Florida, and in Canada in communities that stretch across the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This communication includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding expectations as to the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Tender Offer and redemption of the Notes. The forward-looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake an obligation to update forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Mattamy Homes Limited

Related Links

http://www.mattamyhomes.com/


SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hornet, the world's premier gay social network, today announced that veteran LGBTQ advertising and sales expert Matthew Smith will join the brand's growing executive team as senior vice president of global sales. Smith will drive the overall advertising revenue strategy and execution. He will work closely with Hornet President, Sean Howell, in developing a comprehensive global marketing strategy incorporating various languages, regions, platforms, clients and needed sales solutions.

"It's a thrill and a privilege to join the stellar team at Hornet as we work to build a robust digital home for the gay community," said Smith. "For decades, brand partnerships have been pivotal in advancing our cultural conversation--the future is about marrying that commitment with cutting-edge technology that fosters meaningful relationships. Hornet's approach is a game changer for gay men and the brands who engage us."

As the publishing industry continues to evolve, Hornet has grown and adapted its content creation to serve its members who are consuming news quickly and on-the-go using their mobile devices. Smith will now lead a team of sales executives to create and execute advertising and marketing programs for current and future Hornet partners seeking innovative digital solutions to reach a targeted demographic.

Smith brings to Hornet vast experience working with high-profile consumer brands and extensive cross-platform content expertise. He has held sales and executive leadership positions with both legacy and startup publishing powerhouses such as OUT, WIRED, Fast Company and, most recently, with Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE at Hearst. Throughout his career, Smith has spearheaded many firsts within the media publishing industry, including helping lead Mercedes-Benz USA's first LGBTQ-targeted campaign, "When You Know, You Know."

"As Hornet brings native content and broader, integrated brand opportunities to its clients, Matthew's creativity, forward-thinking and digital solution approach will move our platform to the forefront of LGBTQ social networking," said Hornet President, Sean Howell.

Smith will be based in New York and report to Hornet CEO, Christof Wittig.

Hornet's free social network app is available on iOS, Android, and the web.

About Hornet Networks

Hornet is the world's premier gay social network. Founded in 2011 with the mission to build the digital home for the gay community, Hornet has grown to 25 million users by utilizing cutting-edge technology for its dating platform and producing original editorial content to connect a community around common interests. Hornet provides a superior user experience and is number one in the key markets of France, Russia, Brazil, Turkey and Taiwan, and is consistently expanding its sizable user base in the United States. For more information, please visit: http://gethornet.com.

Hornet, Where Guys Connect.

SOURCE Hornet

Related Links

http://gethornet.com


CARROLLTON, Texas, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MB2 Dental Solutions, a Texas-based Dental Support Organization, has raised over $83,000 in donations so far for Hurricane Harvey victims within their organization and various affiliated offices. The unprecedented hurricane that tore through the Texas coastline directly affected 25 affiliate offices and over 200 MB2 Dental employees. While the affected victims of MB2 Dental's family were not physically harmed, they suffered massive losses.

MB2 Dental and its 87 affiliate offices will continue to collect donations until they have reached their goal of $100,000. In the meantime, the DSO has already begun releasing funds directly to employees who are victims of the hurricane.

"The images and reports of conditions in South Texas are heartbreaking," said Dr. Chris Villanueva, founder and CEO of MB2 Dental. "Our primary focus is the well-being of our employees, patients and all those victims affected by Harvey. Our business will go through ups and downs, but what will define us as an organization is how we affect the communities that we have the privilege to serve. We were able to act quickly after the Hurricane and serve emergency patients as well as the patients from our affected offices. Everyone really came together to help each other and I'm humbled and proud of our work family for that. I'm confident that together we can do amazing things for our MB2 family and the victims of the storm."

Hurricane Harvey was a Category 4 storm that hit Texas on August 25, 2017. Harvey made landfall three separate times in six days and due to the nature of the slow-moving storm, two feet of rain fell in the first 24 hours. At Harvey's peak on September 1st, it was reported that one-third of Houston was underwater. Flooding forced 39,000 people out of their homes and into shelters.

MB2 Dental implemented the relief initiative as soon as they learned of the catastrophic effects of the hurricane. Affiliate offices around the country including offices in Alaska, Tennessee, Louisiana and New Mexico came together to raise funds and donations for the MB2 employees, patients and communities affected. Clothes, food, water, bedding and other supplies were delivered to Beaumont, Houston, Victoria and the coastal areas in September. Though MB2 Dental has already begun helping Hurricane Harvey families in need, they are still accepting donations in order to hit their goal of $100,000 in aid.

If you are interested in donating to the relief funds, visit MB2 Dental's GoFundMe page or visit their webpage to learn more about the initiative.

About MB2 Dental Solutions

MB2 Dental Solutions is a Dental Support Organization that serves as a partner to affiliated dentists and practice owners everywhere. We provide affiliated offices a suite of services to help them run their practice efficiently, allowing them to focus on providing exceptional patient care at their practice.MB2 affiliated dental offices maintain 100% clinical autonomy and with the help of the MB2 team, are efficiently running every facet of the practice.

MB2 Dental was founded on the principle that doctors working together can help each other accomplish more than ever possible working individually as dentists. That, and company culture should never be left behind. MB2 Dental offers a progressive and autonomous perspective on how dental management and practice development ought to work, and it's changing the lives of countless patients and dentists for the better.

SOURCE MB2 Dental Solutions

Related Links

http://mb2dental.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Media iQ, the leading global analytics and technology company and Global Gold Partner of upcoming Advertising Week in New York, announced that it will be participating in four marquis conference seminars during the week, all focusing on some of the industry's most contentious topics.

The company will serve as host for two seminars, both addressing aspects of the disruption and opportunities created by programmatic technology and AI in our industry.

"There's a lot of uncertainty about what role people will play in a landscape increasingly dominated by algorithms," says Paul Silver, Chief Operating Officer at Media iQ. "We're going to take an honest and insightful look at how media planning will continue to evolve and how advertisers must find new ways to inject creativity and emotion into increasingly data-driven campaigns."

On Monday, Media iQ will host " Man vs. Machine: Media Planning in an AI-Fueled World ," with COO Paul Silver among the high-profile panelists. This session will explore how media planning will change in the age of real-time, dynamic marketing. Media iQ's Wednesday fireside chat with Joe Kowan, EVP of Strategy and Product, will tackle " Keeping the Creative Spark Alive in a Data Driven World, " showcasing how data and creativity come together to inform the best campaign strategies.

Media iQ CMO Rebecca Mahony will take part in "Female Pressures & Opportunities: A 360 view" a panel hosted by Foresight Factory on Monday discussing issues around gender in advertising and women as professionals and consumers.

And finally, EVP of US Sales Michael Chock will delve into one of the most important topics of the week at Tuesday's "When Programmatic Buying Gets Placement Right," a panel on programmatic and brand safety hosted by Clear Channel Outdoor.

"Advertising Week is a chance to debate, discuss and get our arms around the pressing issues on everyone's minds," says Rebecca Mahony, Chief Marketing Officer at Media iQ. "All the sessions we're involved with will be worthwhile for anyone wanting a better grasp of changes ahead."

In addition to session activities, Media iQ will be the presenting partner of the daily "Art of the Pitch" series led by comedy icons Upright Citizens Brigade, a workshop for media agency teams to evolve their pitching skills. Media iQ will also serve up morning brew from its coffee truck outside the PlayStation Theater between 8:45 and 10:45 am daily, Monday-Thursday.

For more information and updates on Media iQ events at Advertising Week, please visit here.

About Media iQ

Media iQ is a leading global analytics technology company that uses its superior analytical platform AiQ to unlock insights from data to drive business growth. AiQ collects, stores and processes over one trillion data points per day, providing customers with valuable insights.

Media iQ has a clear vision for clients - to inspire through insights. Its expertise is ingesting large amounts of data, modelling data to convert into insights and then actioning these insights through a variety of products and services. In short, Media iQ makes data valuable, insightful, and intelligent, which helps clients engage customers, grow sales and unlock new revenue opportunities.

Founded in 2010, Media iQ has more than 400 staff in 12 offices globally, serves more than 650 clients, and enjoys a 92% client retention rate globally. Headquartered in the UK, it has offices across North America, Europe and Asia.

Media contact:

Nazli Ekim

Director of Public Relations, North America

[email protected]

646.217.0758

SOURCE Media iQ

Related Links

http://www.mediaiqdigital.com


ALBANY, New York, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Medical electrode are a key implement used in the diagnosis of several types of diseases, including cardiological disorders, neurophysiological conditions, sleep disorders, and others. Medical electrodes operate by converting ionic current energy into electronic energy, which can be used to detect biomarkers left by a number of diseases. The accuracy provided by medical electrodes at perfect convenience to the patient has made them a crucial part of the healthcare sector. The global medical electrodes market is thus likely to exhibit flourishing growth in the coming years on the back of the rising demand. Steady growth of the healthcare industry in developed regions is likely to help the growth prospects of the global medical electrodes market in the coming years.

According to Transparency Market Research, the global medical electrodes market is likely to exhibit a strong 6% CAGR in the 2017-2022 forecast period. The market is expected trajectory of the global medical electrodes market is likely to carry it from US$641.3 to US$857 mn over the forecast period.

View Full Report at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/medical-electrodes-market.html

Here are the key insights into the global medical electrodes market:

Rising prevalence of lifestyle conditions in Western economies is helpful for the growth of the global medical electrodes market. The prevalence of cardiac disorders in particular has grown at a rapid rate in recent years following growing adoption of sedentary lifestyles among the consumer demographic in regions such as North America and Western Europe. This has driven demand from the global medical electrodes market as the convenient tool required in diagnosis. The rising risk of cardiac problems in developed countries such as the U.S. is likely to keep this a major driver for the global medical electrodes market in the coming years.

North America and Europe are the leading contributors to the global medical electrodes market. The North America market for medical electrodes is likely to rise to US$297.9 mn by 2022 at a strong CAGR of 6.3%, while the Europe medical electrodes market is expected to rise to US$247.7 mn by 2022 at a 5.6% CAGR between 2017 and 2022.

Request to View Sample Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=30887

The rising use of nanotechnology in the medical devices sector could be an important step for the global medical electrodes market. Medical electrodes are operated through a metal detector and conducting paste/gel, which is applied on to the patient's body. The use of nanotechnology can improve the efficacy of this process significantly, making medical electrodes even more relevant diagnostically. Rising research into nanotechnology with a view to applying nanotechnology products in medical devices is likely to aid the growth prospects of the medical electrodes market in the coming years.

The rising government support to the healthcare sector in emerging regions such as Asia Pacific and the Middle East could be crucial to the global medical electrodes market in the coming years. Rising economies in Asia Pacific have turned up their efforts to improve their healthcare and medical devices sector due to the significant benefits this provides in terms of the overall health of the population, which is likely to remain a key driver for the medical electrodes market in the coming years. The Asia Pacific medical electrodes market is expected to exhibit a robust 6.3% CAGR between 2017 and 2022 to emerge at a valuation of US$154.2 mn by 2022. The Middle East and Africa market for medical electrodes, on the other hand, is expected to generate a significant absolute opportunity of US$7.5 mn over the 2017-2022 forecast period.

Request to download and view full ToC - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/30887

Competitive Dynamics

The fragmented global medical electrodes market is likely to remain intensely competitive in the coming years due to the entry of new players in several regional markets. The steady growth of the electronics sector and steady acceptance of medical electronics is likely to drive new investment in the medical electrodes market in the coming years. Leading companies in the global pacemaker devices market include Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic Plc., Oscor Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Biotronik SE & Co. KG, Lepu Medical Technology, OSYPKA AG, Zoll Medical Corporation, and Pacetronix Limited.

Global Medical Electrodes Market Report is available @ US$ 5795

About TMR

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.

Contact

Transparency Market Research

State Tower

90 State Street,

Suite 700,

Albany NY - 12207

United States

Tel: +1-518-618-1030

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email: [email protected]



Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

TMR Blog: http://www.theglobalhealthnews.com/

SOURCE Transparency Market Research
Varicose veins, also known as venous insufficiency, are often under diagnosed as people assume their aching tired, swollen legs are just part of aging.

Due to its slow onset, it's often not recognized, but the disorder can be quite painful and limits people's activity. Those who suffer from varicose veins often work in professions where they sit or stand a lot. Heredity, trauma, obesity and pregnancy also contribute to developing this condition. Varicose veins occur when pressure on the legs causes veins to swell and valves to break. When the vein valves break, blood is not returned to the heart. Instead, it pools in the veins, often bulging and causing discoloration in the legs. Left untreated it can result in ulcerations, missed work and hospitalization due to complications. Because of this, varicose vein treatments are covered by health insurance.

"We see patients from 30 to 80 years of age," Dr. Hogg shared. "It's way beyond a visual problem. They are often suffering in silence. This disorder limits their lifestyle, comfort and day-to-day happiness. We help them get back to enjoying life again."

Prior to opening the clinic, Dr. Hogg, a board-certified radiologist, spent two years doing research, traveling around the US and attending medical conventions to connect with some of the top doctors in vein treatments. He recruited as his physician partner someone he considers one of the best in the industry, both technically and personally, Dr. Josue Medina. Dr. Hogg noted, "Doing the right thing is important. Dr. Medina and I have the same set of values: we believe in treating the patient, not the business."

The clinic's interiors look more like a relaxing, modern spa than a medical facility. The space is airy and open with white, bright spaces, comfortable modern furnishing and calming blues. It was important to Dr. Hogg to create a place where patients felt cared for with a location that is easy to find. Located at 622 Isom Road, close to Highway 281, Medical Vein Clinic offers plenty of free parking in front of the facility, so patients can just walk in. And, as these vein treatments are all outpatient procedures, they walk in, and walk out.

"Nothing makes us feel better than to meet a patient who has been suffering in pain, finding out this has been a problem and we can fix it for them," Dr. Hogg said. "Our clinic solely focuses on treatment of varicose veins. Like a professional athlete, doing these image-guided procedures requires a great deal of practice, expertise and precision. And, our patients benefit from this focus."

Medical Vein Clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. For more information, please call 210-622-8000 or visit www.medicalveinclinic.com.

Contact Info:

M P Mueller, Mueller Marketing

[email protected]

512-775-9227

SOURCE Medical Vein Clinic

Related Links

http://www.medicalveinclinic.com


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Medicx Media Solutions, a leader in data-driven addressable media in the pharmaceutical and healthcare markets, today announced the appointment of two new executives to key roles on the leadership team.

Tara Wacks brings expertise in senior marketing positions in healthcare media to the newly created role of Senior Vice President of Marketing & Strategy, where she will evaluate and manage strategic initiatives and market opportunities that support Medicx Media's expanding capabilities.

Prior to Medicx Media, Wacks was Vice President of Marketing for IAC-owned About.com where she founded a data-driven content studio and launched top websites across health, tech, personal finance, and food & home.

As Vice President of Ad Strategy for leading women's lifestyle platform SheKnows Media, she transformed the product portfolio with branded content and native capabilities for advertisers. She also spent over a decade developing patient and consumer solutions at top health brands WebMD and Medscape.

Beth Valencia brings more than a decade of experience in compliance, data governance and product integration to the vital role of Vice President of Business Operations, Privacy & Compliance.

Valencia previously served as Senior Director of Data Governance and Compliance at Symphony Health Solutions, where she led the interpretation and education of data supplier and regulatory compliance requirements throughout the organization.

In addition, Valencia held Quality Assurance Management, Practice Consulting and Senior Account Management positions at Wolters Kluwer Health.

"We're thrilled to bring two industry leaders in Tara and Beth aboard our executive team in these critical roles," said Michael Weintraub, CEO, Medicx Media Solutions.

"Tara brings a high intellectual capability and authority to solve complex business problems. She has the leadership capacity to communicate effectively across the entire organization with pragmatism and analytical and tactical persuasiveness that delivers smart decision making with agility and flexibility."

Regarding Valencia's role, Weintraub added, "With our expanding data capabilities, we have a strategic imperative to lead the health media industry with the highest standards of data governance, compliance, and privacy. Beth's expertise in this area expands Medicx's capabilities in precision targeting while maintaining our strong heritage of HIPAA certification and patient and brand safety."

The appointments come as Medicx Media's data-driven advertising model fuels its explosive growth. In particular, the company's Micro-Neighborhood targeting service has been a leading driver behind executive and core team expansion.

About Medicx Media Solutions

For 10 years Medicx Media Solutions has pioneered data-driven targeting solutions optimized for pharmaceutical, over-the-counter, health, wellness, consumer packaged goods and personal care brands. The company specializes in online advertising, addressable TV, direct marketing, and lead generation. Medicx Media has locations in New York, Chicago, and Scottsdale. To learn more, visit Medicx Media Solutions at: www.medicxmedia.com.

SOURCE Medicx Media Solutions

Related Links

http://www.medicxmedia.com


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Miami Grill announces its partnership with Global Franchise Exchange, an experienced team of franchising experts guiding franchisors into international markets. Headquartered in the United States, with key worldwide offices, Global Franchise Exchange will lead the development of the Miami Grill brand in GCC and China markets.

Global Franchise Exchange (GFE) is an international franchise consulting company that specializes in international expansion for businesses through master franchising, licensing, direct investments, joint ventures, and distribution methods. GFE has a highly experienced and skilled team who have successfully launched franchises in the United States, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, as well as other parts of the world. The partners have hands-on experience as franchisors, master franchisees, and international business executives. GFE has in-country offices and teams of consultants in the U.S., China, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Australia to allow for rapid expansion in all parts of the world.

According to Alex DePase, founder and CEO of Global Franchise Exchange, "Global Franchise Exchange is excited to be working with Miami Grill to develop the GCC and Asia markets. The Miami Grill business restaurant concept offers an amazing opportunity for investors to bring the South Beach vibe, flair, and cuisine into their countries."

"GFE will provide our brand with incredible growth opportunities, and we look forward to a long and successful partnership together," says Richard Chwatt, CEO of Miami Grill.

Miami Grill, operating primarily in South Florida, has an aggressive domestic and international expansion plan underway with restaurants open or under construction in Central & North Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Malaysia, Panama, Myanmar and Ecuador. And, recently, a new area developer committed to five new locations in Lahore, Pakistan.

According to Robert Haar, Miami Grill's Vice President of Franchise Development, "Our growth depends upon our continued alignment with franchise partners that provide extensive operations experience, deep global perspective, and connections."

About Miami Grill

South-Florida based Miami Grill is the hottest fast casual concept to hit the market, developed by the same owners as Miami Subs, Miami Subs Capital Partners 1, Inc. and key equity partner, Armando Christian "Pitbull" Perez. Miami Grill and its "Everything Goes" concept embody the taste and sensations of South Beach and provide a diverse menu unlike any other chain in the category. For franchising and other information, visit www.miamigrillfranchise.com.

Contact Information

Jackie Maceda, Marketing Director

Phone: 954-623-6031

[email protected]

SOURCE Miami Grill

Related Links

http://www.miamigrillfranchise.com


ALMA, Mich., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan Masonic Lodges across the state will begin performing various community outreach activities in their area during the week of September 23. The Michigan Senate will hold a Proclamation Ceremony today at the State Capital starting at 10 a.m.

Lodges across Michigan will be taking part in service and awareness activities that demonstrate the Masons' commitment to its communities. Activities include an open house and car show in Ann Arbor, archery contest in Milford, and numerous dinners and child identification programs to help local youth.

Michigan State Senator Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge), a Mason himself, applauds the passage of this resolution designating Michigan Masons Week.

"I am pleased to sponsor Senate Resolution 79 for the Michigan Masons," said Senator Jones. "The Masons provide wonderful volunteer services to the people of Michigan. They are very important to any community service."

"Freemasonry has been a pillar supporting communities in Michigan since its time as a provincial territory. We are honored by this recognition and welcome the opportunity to improve humankind and the world we live in," said Masons Grand Master, Joshua Woodwyk.

About Michigan Masons

The Michigan Masons trace their beginnings to 1764 in Detroit, while Freemasonry, as we know it today, dates its formal beginnings to 1717 and is the oldest and largest goodwill fraternity in the world. The Mission of the Masons is to be the first choice of men of quality, who will contribute to the strength of the organization and enhance its ability to achieve its vision. Freemasonry in Michigan accomplishes this by creating a growing, active, relevant organization of great appeal that is well known and respected for making a difference. Masons Believe in Brotherly Love, Helping those in need, and seeking knowledge.

Follow Michigan Masons on Twitter @GLofMichigan

Like Michigan Masons on Facebook at facebook.com/MichiganMasons

Check out our videos on YouTube youtube.com/michiganmasons

Contact:

Mark Lane

Senior Communications Executive

MCCI

313-727-5846

[email protected]

Darren Thompson

Communications Director

Grand Lodge of Michigan

989-466-3087

www.grandlodgemi.org

SOURCE Michigan Masons

Related Links

http://www.grandlodgemi.org


SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- People are exhibiting more complex and varied preferences for how, where and why they communicate with retailers. This is amplified by contrasting preferences between generations in the face of emerging technology, according to the report "Bots, Texts and Voice: What Cuts Through the Clutter," published today by Narvar, the post-purchase experience leader. Narvar surveyed 1,290 U.S. shoppers who made an online purchase in the past six months to understand how preferences for communicating with retailers are evolving.

"Bots, voice assistants, smart homes and other AI-informed communications are top of mind for nearly every retailer today. The technology innovation complicates what we already know  that customer communications are never one-size-fit-all," says Amit Sharma, CEO of Narvar. "With this research, our mission is to equip retailers with the insights they need to navigate nuanced communications and ultimately create the best experiences possible."

77 percent of American adults own a smartphone; every month, people exchange 2 billion messages with Facebook Messenger's 100,000 active bots; and 30 million households will have a voice-first, in-home device such as Amazon Echo and Google Home by the end of 2017. These technology-driven communication channels are starting to change the way people want to interact with retailers. While more than 80 percent prefer to get messages from retailers via email, 38 percent now want to hear from retailers on multiple channels. According to the survey, 79 percent of shoppers have also used text messages, messenger apps or voice devices to connect with retailers.

"People expect a personalized, effortless online shopping experience from discovery to post-purchase. This is only amplified with the introduction of new communications channels," said Sucharita Mulpuru, a retail industry analyst who collaborated with Narvar on this study. "Retail brands should seize the opportunity to learn from and optimize consumer communications through both existing and emerging channels. The first step is to understand how their customers want to communicate based on elements like urgency, type of message and specific channel."

Key findings from Narvar's "Bots, Texts and Voice: What Cuts Through the Clutter" Report include:

When it Matters Most, Shoppers Welcome Texts

While shoppers typically prefer to receive messages from retailers via email (especially for record-keeping), they're warming up to text messages and push notifications. This is especially true if a message is important and contains order confirmation or tracking information. They also want companies to communicate package delays or postponed delivery dates, quickly, and want more communication for high-value items. Retailers should understand nuances in customer preferences and personalize their outreach accordingly.

38 percent of shoppers said they want to receive information from retailers via multiple channels.

36 percent of shoppers prefer to receive order updates via text message, while 34 percent like to receive texts about customer service issues.

73 percent of shoppers consider messages containing order tracking information to be "very important," while 46 percent say customer service messages are "very important."

84 percent say more communication is critical if the purchase is an expensive one.

98 percent of shoppers say they feel better about a company if they are notified immediately when something goes wrong.

Mobile-First Millennials Are Open to Texts, Push Notifications

While email still reigns overall, communication preferences vary by age group. Millennials aged 21-29 prefer text messages and mobile push notifications from retailers more than any other generation. This is because they're more likely to see these kinds of messages quickly. Retailers should seek permission to contact these shoppers using different channels to maximize engagement and build trust.

43 percent of millennials aged 21-29 prefer to receive order updates as text messages, compared with 39 percent of shoppers aged 30-44, 32 percent of shoppers aged 45-59, and 28 percent of those shoppers 60 or older.

33 percent of millennials aged 21-29 prefer to receive order updates as push notifications, compared with 22 percent of those aged 30-44, 12 percent of those aged 45-59, and just 4 percent of those 60 or older.

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Technology is on the Rise

Retailers are starting to integrate artificial intelligence and voice technology into communications with shoppers. While these channels are still new, the majority of shoppers have at least tried messenger apps, voice devices or live chat. Retailers should take note that this is only the beginning. For instance, the data underscores that shoppers anticipate using voice-powered devices more.

79 percent of shoppers have used text, messenger apps, or voice devices, and 74 percent indicated they have used live chat when shopping. Of those who have used these new technologies, 38 percent could not identify if they were using artificial intelligence, and only 10 percent knew it was not human.

65 percent of shoppers who knew a non-human bot was responding generally liked it.

12 percent of shoppers own a voice device.

29 percent of voice device owners use it to shop, while 41 percent of voice device owners plan to shop with it in the future.

The Future of Customer Support is a Human/Chatbot Hybrid

The majority of shoppers will try to resolve problems on their own first. Those under 30 are most likely to prefer to fix problems themselves, using the retailer's website or chat technology. But this doesn't mean skilled customer support teams will go extinct. In the future, retailers will need to adopt a hybrid model which applies technology to offer better self-service options, but escalates higher-level issues to humans. They'll offer live agents to fix complex problems and calm down frustrated customers, while bots can help with simple requests, such as answering questions about order status.

55 percent of millennials aged 21-29 prefer to talk to a person to resolve a problem, compared with 72 percent of shoppers aged 60 or older.

88 percent of under-30 millennials and 73 percent of shoppers aged 60 or older will try to find an answer to the problem themselves when they encounter an issue with a retailer.

The complete report detailing the findings of the study is available online at Narvar.com.

About Narvar

Narvar helps the most admired brands and retailers build lifelong relationships beyond the "buy" button. As an enterprise-grade SaaS platform serving more than 400 retailers like Sephora, Neiman-Marcus, Crate & Barrel, and GameStop, Narvar drives brand loyalty at scale by enabling immersive and emotional post-purchase customer experiences. From effortless order tracking, proactive communications, and seamless returns, Narvar applies machine learning across billions of interactions to simplify the everyday lives of consumers. For more information, visit www.narvar.com

SOURCE Narvar

Related Links

http://www.narvar.com


Components for the new hybrid London black cab, designed by Chinese automaker Geely, will be manufactured at a factory in Bedwas, Wales, creating 130 jobs in the area.

Bedwas was transformed from a village into a colliery town in the 19th century. The last mines closed in 1984 and Bedwas has since tried to attract light industry to compensate for the loss of jobs.

The London Electric Vehicle Company, which is owned by Geely, makes London black cabs and launched its new zero-emissions-capable TX model this year.

LEVC confirmed that Sapa Components UK, a subsidiary of Norwegian manufacturer Sapa, will build body parts for the European fleet.

Sapa will invest 9.6 million pounds ($13 million) on reopening its Bedwas plant, which has been closed since 2014.

The plant will make aluminum panels for the TX chassis, which will then be bonded at Geelys factory in Coventry, England. Aluminum is much lighter than steel and aluminum vehicles are more fuel-efficient.

Sapa indicated that support from the Welsh government, including 550,000 pounds in funding, helped it select the Bedwas site over another European facility.

Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said: "The opening will create a range of new job opportunities and give a new lease of life to the area."

The new deal will bring the estimated 130 new jobs to Caerphilly county, where Bedwas is located, during the next five years.

Hangzhou-based Geely acquired LEVC, formerly the London Taxi Co, in 2013 for 11 million pounds and has so far invested 325 million pounds in the business, including a 300 million pound facility in Coventry where the TX is assembled.

UK legislation stipulates that, starting Jan 1, 2018, all new London black cabs will need to be battery-powered.

LEVC is accepting orders from London drivers and will deliver 225 hybrid cabs to Dutch firm RMC at the start of 2018 under the first European export deal for the vehicles.

Geely plans to roll out the TX in Chinese cities in the coming years and is constructing a factory in China to manufacture the vehicle.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackboard Inc., a leading education technology company for teaching, learning and student engagement, today announced a new collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the leading U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system. As part of the collaboration, JPL has implemented Blackboard Learn, the company's flagship learning management system (LMS), to support the growth and development of its employees.

JPL has recently embarked on a journey to expand and improve the ways it delivers learning activities and encourages knowledge sharing. The Laboratory is in the process of moving from an instructor-led, physical environment to a learner-driven, online environment where knowledge is regularly transferred between employees, institutional knowledge is better retained, and JPL staff have greater choice in determining their learning path.

In support of this goal, JPL has built a comprehensive learning online ecosystem where Blackboard Learn serves as a platform for structured knowledge exchange in an asynchronous environment. The Laboratory has established role-based communities of practice within Blackboard's LMS, where senior technical experts serve as mentors and exchange ideas with colleagues who share a common area of technical expertise. Blackboard Learn will also be utilized to deliver technical onboarding for new employees, facilitate virtual classrooms, and curate technical documentation and reference materials that can be shared with employees on an ongoing basis.

"Blackboard is proud to be a part of NASA JPL's efforts to create a dynamic online learning environment that helps their employees share knowledge and learn from one other," said Alex Kissal, Vice President of Blackboard Government Solutions. "We look forward to continuing to work with their talented team to provide valuable and engaging online learning experiences for all JPL employees."

For more information about Blackboard's professional education services, visit www.blackboard.com/business.

About Blackboard Inc.

Our mission is to partner with the global education community to enable learner and institutional success, leveraging innovative technologies and services. With an unmatched understanding of the world of the learner, the most comprehensive student-success solutions, and the greatest capacity for innovation, Blackboard is education's partner in change.

About NASA JPL

JPL is the leading U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system, and has 19 spacecraft and 10 major instruments carrying out planetary, Earth science and space-based astronomy missions.

Contact: Shawnee Cohn, (202) 303-9053, [email protected]

SOURCE Blackboard Inc.

Related Links

http://www.blackboard.com


Lyme disease, a bacterial infection transmitted by the bite of a tick, can be difficult to diagnose and treat. Many patients diagnosed with Lyme disease remain ill after treatment, while others improve. Precision medicine uses predictive analytic tools and artificial intelligence to identify and target treatment approaches to those patients most likely to respond

LymeDisease.org, a national patient advocacy organization, launched MyLymeData in 2015. The project has enrolled over 9,000 patients since then, putting it in the top 5% of patient-led registries in the nation. FasterCures, a non-profit organization that promotes innovation in medical research, recently surveyed patient-led registries. Out of over 110, only two had enlisted more than 10,000 people. MyLymeData is on the brink of 10,000 patients enrolled.

More than one million data points have been collected, related to the nature and severity of symptoms, how long it has taken patients to be diagnosed and what treatments have been most effective. According to Lorraine Johnson, CEO of LymeDisease.org and Principal Investigator of MyLymeData, the registry expects to be the largest study of Lyme disease ever conducted.

"Big data research is key to advancements in Lyme disease," said Johnson. "The largest government-funded study of chronic Lyme patients enrolled just 129 patients. Our goal is not only to gather data to help find a cure, but also to help recruit patients for clinical trials."

The research effort will be led by Drs. Deanna Needell (Professor of Mathematics at UCLA) and Blake Hunter (Assistant Professor, Claremont McKenna College). The team has extensive experience with big data synthesis, analytics, and deep learning approaches.

"The NSF grant will allow us to develop cutting-edge mathematical tools," said Dr. Needell. "Validation of these tools requires a large real-world database, and MyLymeData fits the bill perfectly."

Patient registries play a vital role in the progress of data-driven science. "MyLymeData is part of an essential shift in research recognizing the importance of precision science, precision diagnostics and precision medicine," said Dr. Raphael Stricker, a San Francisco internist and co-principal investigator on MyLymeData. "Without advancements in these areas, the research environment in Lyme disease will stagnate."

MyLymeData is open to patients diagnosed with Lyme disease who reside in the United States. Additional information can be found on the LymeDisease.org website. Johnson will present preliminary results from MyLymeData later this week at the annual Columbia University/Lyme Disease Association meeting in Philadelphia.

About MyLymeData: MyLymeData is a longitudinal study that tracks patients' progress over time. It is an ongoing process where patients contribute their experiences so that trends are defined. Patients at all stages of the illness, as well as those who have recovered, are encouraged to join. Family members of deceased patients can report information on their loved ones' behalf.

About LymeDisease.org: Since 1989, LymeDisease.org has advocated nationally for quality accessible healthcare for patients with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. We are committed to shaping healthcare policy through science-based advocacy.

About the National Science Foundation: Created by the U.S. Congress in 1950, the NSF promotes the progress of science, advances national health, prosperity, and welfare, and works to secure our national defense.

Media Contact:

Lorraine Johnson

LymeDisease.org, CEO

[email protected]

323-387-3848

Related Links

http://www.lymedisease.org

SOURCE LymeDisease.org

Related Links

http://www.lymedisease.org


AMSTERDAM, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- GRESB, the Global ESG Benchmark for real assets, today released the results of its annual 2017 GRESB Real Estate Assessment for the North American real estate sector.

Globally, a record 850 property companies and real estate funds completed the Assessment, representing 77,000 assets and over USD 3.7 trillion in value. The average GRESB score increased to 63 points, up 3 from 2016. Listed property companies continue to outperform private entities, and entities focused on offices outperform other property types.

The new GRESB data shows tangible improvements in environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. Globally in 2017 the sector:

Reduced like-for-like energy consumption by 1.1% - equivalent to 79,827 U.S. homes,

Reduced like-for-like carbon emissions by 2.2% - equivalent to 113,000 passenger cars,

Reduced like-for-like water consumption by 0.5% - equivalent to 999 Olympic swimming pools, and

Diverted 52.9% of landfill waste - equivalent to 399,008 truckloads.

The results show that the energy improvements made in recent years by the global real estate sector are in line with the energy reduction targets as set out in the United Nations-supported Sustainable Development Goals.

"We are delighted to see an increase in the number of participants and assets across all regions for eight consecutive years. It's encouraging that, once again, GRESB participants were able to lower energy, water and carbon emissions. We hope that the commitment and meaningful actions taken by the 850 GRESB participants serve as an example to others and help to drive improved sustainability performance more broadly across the market," says Sander Paul van Tongeren, co-founder and managing director at GRESB.

"GRESB is the only industry-driven organization committed to assessing the ESG performance of real asset portfolios globally  with sustainable real assets as the end goal," said Mahesh Ramanujam, president & CEO of Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and GRESB board member. "Now in its eighth year, GRESB Real Estate Assessment participants are showing their commitment to providing quality data and making a big impact on performance. This year saw a record number of GRESB assessment participants and GBCI will continue to invest in GRESB to deliver the immense market transformation potential."

North American Real Estate Sector Highlights:

In North America, 204 companies and funds representing USD 2.3 trillion in assets under management reported on their ESG performance in 2017. This represents a 15 percent increase in participants from 2016. The average GRESB Score for the region increased to 64 from 59. This not only represents a higher rate of increase than other regions, but also places the North American sector ahead of the global average.

North American property companies and funds achieved a 2.5 percent reduction in energy consumption, a 2.9 percent reduction in carbon emissions and a 1.3 percent reduction in water consumption.

Over 59 companies and funds in North America completed the voluntary Health & Well-being Module, a sign that the region is embracing this important industry theme. GRESB is proud to announce that Center for Active Design is the newest Global Partner. Both the Centre for Active Design and Delos have been instrumental in elevating this topic in the real estate sector and GRESB is excited to now be partners with the two leading initiatives on health & well-being.

For more information on the 2017 GRESB data and Regional Sector Leaders, visit the GRESB real estate results page.

About GRESB

GRESB is an industry-driven organization transforming the way capital markets assess the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of real asset investments. A total of 850 property companies and funds, jointly representing more than USD 3.7 trillion in assets under management, participate in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment. The Infrastructure Assessment covers 64 funds and 160 assets, and 25 portfolios complete the Debt Assessment. GRESB data and analytical tools are used by 66 institutional and retail investors, including pension funds and insurance companies, collectively representing over USD 17 trillion in institutional capital, to engage with investment managers to enhance and protect shareholder value.

Greater transparency on ESG issues has become the norm, with GRESB widely recognized as the global ESG benchmark for real assets. Learn more at GRESB.com

CONTACT: Sarah Stanley, 202-742-3241, [email protected]

SOURCE GRESB

Related Links

https://gresb.com


TRENTON, N.J., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The New Jersey Petroleum Council today released a new poll showing that an overwhelming majority of New Jersey voters would oppose any possible effort in the legislature that would give a financial subsidy to nuclear plants. The New Jersey Petroleum Council urged members of the state legislature to reject any measure that could raise costs for consumers and hurt workers across the state.

"Picking winners and losers in the electricity markets by providing subsidies to nuclear plants, or any energy facility, at the expense of consumers would diminish the benefits that clean natural gas has brought to our state," said New Jersey Petroleum Council Executive Director Jim Benton. "Moving forward, the legislature should reject any measure that would subsidize nuclear plants or any other energy facility at the expense of New Jersey's consumers, workers, and environment."

Key poll results:

69 percent of voters oppose the state legislature giving a financial subsidy to a nuclear power company that would be in addition to the revenue that company already receives from New Jersey customers. This opposition is bipartisan with 66 percent of Democrats, 75 percent of Republicans and 72 percent of Independents opposing such an initiative.

customers. This opposition is bipartisan with 66 percent of Democrats, 75 percent of Republicans and 72 percent of Independents opposing such an initiative. 74 percent of voters agree that the electricity market in New Jersey should be based on the marketplace, and not on particular corporations the government decides to grant money to.

should be based on the marketplace, and not on particular corporations the government decides to grant money to. 62 percent of voters believe that consumers get a lower price if electricity generators compete to provide electricity rather than the state government choosing what types of generators can provide electricity.

The poll results were released on a press conference call this morning. The opening statement and results of the poll are available on API's website.

The New Jersey Petroleum Council is a division of API, which represents all segments of America's oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 625 members include large integrated companies, as well as exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation's energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 40 million Americans.

Methodology

The study was conducted between July 26-30, 2017, by telephone by Harris Poll on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute among 804 New Jersey registered voters, with a sampling error of +/- 3.5 percent. A full methodology is available upon request.

"What America is Thinking on Energy Issues" is a public opinion series provided by API, offering data to inform policy discussions and ensure policymakers and others know Americans' perspectives on key energy issues.

SOURCE American Petroleum Institute

Related Links

http://www.api.org/


LONDON, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Eugen Trinka, Mar Carreno, European Neurological Review, 2017;12(1):17-23

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17925/ENR.2017.12.01.17

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/515766/Touch_Medical_Logo.jpg )



Published recently in European Neurological Review the peer-reviewed journal from touchNEUROLOGY, Trinka et al, discuss how optimal epilepsy management includes five important elements: rational treatment selection, efficacy, off-target effects, adherence and interactions and dosing issues. Perampanel (2-[2-oxo-1-phenyl-5-pyridin-2-yl-1,2-dihydropyridin-3-yl]benzonitrile; E2007) is the first potent, selective, orally-active non-competitive alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonist approved for the treatment of patients with epilepsy. Results from randomised controlled trials and real-world studies of refractory epilepsy populations treated with perampanel showed effective frequency reduction for both focal-onset seizures (without and with secondary generalisation) and for primary generalised tonic-clonic seizures. Perampanel therapeutic doses have been calculated to only inhibit a fraction of AMPA receptors, thereby to enable sufficient seizure control without substantial impairment of neurological function. Further investigation in special subpopulations of people with epilepsy, including the elderly and people with learning disability or psychiatric comorbidities, is warranted. With an average long half-life of 105 hours, perampanel may be more forgiving in circumstances of suboptimal adherence. Perampanel is not a strong inducer or inhibitor of cytochrome P450 enzymes, and dose adjustment is not always required for the elderly or for those with mild renal impairment.

The full peer-reviewed, open-access article is available here:

https://doi.org/10.17925/ENR.2017.12.01.17

Disclosure: Professor Eugen Trinka is a paid consultant for UCB, Eisai, Bial, Medtronic, EVER Neuro Pharma, Biogen-Idec, Sanofi-Genzyme, Shire, Marinus, Takeda, Newbridge and Sunovion. Professor Trinka has received research funding (directly, or to institution) from GlaxoSmithKline, Biogen-Idec, Eisai, Novartis, Red Bull, Bayer, and UCB Pharma Ltd, and speaker's honoraria from GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eisai, Bial, UCB Pharma Ltd, Sanofi-Genzyme, Shire and Sanofi-Aventis. He is the chief executive officer of Neuroconsult GmbH and has been awarded grants from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Osterreichische Nationalbank, European Union. Dr Mar Carreno has received advisory board or speaker's honoraria from Shire, Bial, Eisai, Esteve, and UCB Pharma Ltd and has received research grants from Bial and Eisai. There were no publication fees associated with the publication of this article.

touchNEUROLOGY (a division of Touch Medical Media) publishes European Neurological Review, a peer-reviewed, open access, bi-annual journal specialising in the publication of balanced and comprehensive review articles written by leading authorities to address the most important and salient developments in the field of neurology. The aim of these reviews is to break down the high science from 'data-rich' primary papers and provide practical advice and opinion on how this information can help physicians in the day to day clinical setting. Practice guidelines, symposium write-ups, case reports, and original research articles are also featured to promote discussion and learning amongst physicians, clinicians, researchers and related healthcare professionals.

www.touchNEUROLOGY.com

"Touch Medical Media is a trading name of Touch Digital Media Limited, a private limited company registered in England and Wales at The White House Mill Road, Goring, Reading, England, RG8 9DD with registered number 08197142".

For inquires please contact:

Christina Mackins-Crabtree, PhD, CMPP - Managing Editor

[email protected]

"Leading the Debate on the Advances in Healthcare"

SOURCE touchNEUROLOGY
The annual Golden Bridge Awards program celebrates the world's best in business practices from major industries around the world. The Best Product, Service, Innovation of the Year category recognizes innovative products or services that have been introduced or upgraded within the last year. With Nintex Workflow Cloud , the company's cloud-first platform, information workers and IT professionals are not bound to a single system of record, giving them the ability to easily automate processes across platforms regardless of where information is captured, processed or stored which makes it faster than ever before to get work done.

"Nintex believes it's easy to build powerful software, yet it's hard to make powerful software easy," says Nintex Senior VP of Technology Strategy Ryan Duguid. "We're honored to receive industry recognition for our innovation in intelligent process automation as we remain committed to revolutionizing how people work."

Nintex Workflow Cloud is a culmination of a decade plus worth of experience the company and its R&D team has had in the process automation space. In February 2017, Nintex announced extended partnerships with six leading SaaS providers including Adobe, Box, DocuSign, Dropbox, Microsoft and Salesforce to provide seamless and intelligent connectivity between their platforms and Nintex Workflow Cloud. Recently the company also reported strong momentum with its cloud-based workflows with Office 365. Specifically, over 12 months (June 2016  June 2017), the number of workflows run on Nintex for Office 365 have tripled and is on track to surpass 50 million workflow executions this calendar year.

Today Nintex serves more than 7,400 total customers, including 30 percent of the Fortune 500, and boasts a worldwide partner ecosystem of more than 1,700 organizations who help enterprise organizations quickly and easily automate, analyze and optimize business processes with the Nintex Workflow Platform, named Best Workflow Tool of 2017 by Editors at Redmond Channel Partner. Earlier this year Nintex was named as one of the 100 Coolest Cloud Computing Vendors in 2017 by CRN magazine.

For career opportunities, please visit https://www.nintex.com/company/careers.

Media Contact

Kristin Treat

Nintex Public Relations

[email protected]

Cell: (215) 317-9091

About Nintex

Nintex is the recognized global leader in workflow and content automation (WCA) with more than 7,000 enterprise clients and 1,700 partners in 90 countries who have built and published millions of workflow applications. With its unmatched breadth of capability and platform support delivered by unique architectural capabilities, Nintex empowers the line of business and IT departments to quickly automate hundreds of manual processes to progress on the journey to digital transformation. Nintex Workflow Cloud, the company's cloud platform, connects with all content repositories, systems of record, and people to consistently fuel successful business outcomes. Visit www.nintex.com to learn more.

Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Nintex

Related Links

http://www.nintex.com


TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Norbord Inc. (TSX andNYSE: OSB) is pleased to announce that it is donating US$1 million to the Home Builders Institute (HBI) to help with the rebuilding efforts following the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida.

"The construction industry is already afflicted by labor shortages, and the demand for framers will grow considerably due to the storm damage," said Peter Wijnbergen, President and CEO of Norbord. "Building on the success of our 'Thank A Framer' campaign, we are donating US$1 million to the HBI. This money will go to training and educating new construction professionals to help Texas and Florida rebuild."

The funding will enable HBI to expand and extend its existing training programs in Texas and Florida. These funds will provide valuable long term jobs for hard-working Americans, offer support for those who need to rebuild and help ease the labor shortage in the industry.

The HBI supports diversity and provides training for prospective construction professionals, veterans and underserved youth and is celebrating 50 years of skills training in the building industry this year.

"We can't think of a better way to show our support to the rebuild efforts in Texas and Florida by continuing to support the HBI's training programs for the construction industry," said Mr. Wijnbergen.

To support the Thank A Framer campaign and donate to HBI, please visit www.thankaframer.com

Norbord Profile

Norbord Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of wood-based panels and the world's largest producer of oriented strand board (OSB). In addition to OSB, Norbord manufactures particleboard, medium density fibreboard and related value-added products. Norbord has assets of approximately $1.8 billion and employs approximately 2,600 people at 17 plant locations in the United States, Canada and Europe. Norbord is a publicly traded company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "OSB".

SOURCE Norbord Inc.

Related Links

http://www.norbord.com


SAN DIEGO, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- North Island Credit Union (North Island) is inviting all San Diego area teachers who have a great class project idea to apply for a credit union grant through its bi-annual Teacher Grant Program.

The program is open to any full-time classroom teacher in San Diego County who is looking to fund an innovative classroom learning opportunity. The project should have clearly defined learning objectives tied to students' academic needs, display creativity, and benefit a significant number of students. Ten 10 grants of $500 each will be awarded to San Diego area teachers in November in the fall program.

"As we look at where we can support our community, we can't think of a better place than helping teachers provide an exciting learning opportunity for their students," said North Island President/CEO Steve O'Connell. "We hope this program will make it a little easier for educators to make a difference in the lives of our students, and encourage any teacher who has an innovative project idea to apply for one of our grants."

Interested teachers can find more information and apply online at northisland.ccu.com/teachergrantSD or visit a North Island branch for an application. The application deadline is October 20, 2017.

Since the creation of the program in 2012, California Credit Union has awarded $55,000 in teacher grants to benefit students throughout Los Angeles County. Schools benefiting from last year's program used the funds toward initiatives such as special education, business concepts, solar energy, water conservation and literacy. The program has been expanded to benefit San Diego students this year, offering up to 20 grants in the spring and fall to teachers across San Diego County.

About North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union

California Credit Union is a federally insured, state chartered credit union founded in 1933 that serves public or private school employees, community members and businesses across California. With more than 165,000 members and assets of $3 billion, California Credit Union has 24 branches throughout Los Angeles and San Diego counties. The credit union operates in San Diego County as North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union. California Credit Union offers a full suite of consumer, business and investment products and services, including comprehensive consumer checking and loan options, personalized financial planning, business banking, and leading-edge online and mobile banking. Please visit northisland.ccu.com for more information.

SOURCE North Island Credit Union

Related Links

http://northisland.ccu.com


Jesson, who joined the company in 1999, has held several high-level roles, including most recently, Vice President of Financial Systems and Strategy.

Drames, as Senior Vice President of Benefits, is responsible for all aspects of benefits offerings, including Oasis' health and welfare programs and 401(k) plans. Her focus is on strategic direction related to plan design and implementation, as well as continuing to bring innovative benefits solutions to our clients.

Drames has more than 20 years of experience in the PEO industry. She was previously the Vice President of Benefits at Oasis.

"Both Kerrin and Barbara have been integral in growing our business and our service offerings at Oasis," said Kelley Castell, Chief Operating Officer. "Each has an incredible track record of success and their abilities to think strategically, collaborate and solve challenges are second to none. We are fortunate to have them on the Oasis leadership team."

About Oasis Outsourcing Holdings, Inc.

Oasis Outsourcing is a Florida-based Professional Employer Organization (PEO) serving more than 250,000 employees and 7,500 clients nationwide. Founded in 1996, it specializes in providing human resources services, employee benefits administration, payroll and tax administration, risk management services and staffing solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the United States. Oasis is accredited by the Employer Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC), ensuring the highest level of ethical, financial and operational standards in the PEO industry and has received SOC 1 Type II (formerly SAS 70) certification for its high level of accuracy and performance. Oasis, through its subsidiaries, is qualified to offer IRS-certified professional employer organization (CPEO) services.

Oasis is owned by private equity firms Stone Point Capital and Kelso with the remainder owned by Oasis management. Offices are located in Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boca Raton, FL; Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Edison, NJ; Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Jacksonville, FL; Los Angeles, CA; Manhattan, NY; Miami, FL; Minneapolis, MN; Nashville, TN; New Haven, CT; Orlando, FL; Phoenix, AZ; Provo, UT; San Diego, CA; Sarasota, FL; St. Louis MO; Tampa, FL; Tucson, AZ; and West Palm Beach, FL. For more information about Oasis Outsourcing, visit www.oasisadvantage.com.

Contact: Jennifer Clarin, Vice President, BoardroomPR, [email protected], 954-370-8999

SOURCE Oasis Outsourcing Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.oasisadvantage.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ogury, the mobile data platform that provides the most comprehensive view of mobile user behavior globally, and the only platform offering a true picture of what people are doing on their mobile devices, in-app and out, announced today that Ira Silberstein has joined the company as Chief Supply Officer.

Mr. Silberstein will be based in New York.

"I am thrilled to welcome an executive of Ira's caliber to the Ogury team," said Ogury USA CEO Thomas Pasquet. "Ira joins us with more than 20 years of sales, operations and business development experience. He has an impressive track record of onboarding new clients and managing all publisher relations. Ira has unique expertise working with publishers to both increase monetization and user engagement with editorial products and will be instrumental in our growth and development in the US going forward."

Mr. Silberstein commented, "I am excited to be joining the Ogury team. The App ecosystem is rapidly evolving from discovery to retention, re-engagement, and restarts. Ogury's value proposition is unrivaled, as they offer unique and actionable insights about their users."

Prior to joining Ogury, Mr. Silberstein most recently spent six years as Senior Vice President of Publishers and Client Services as well as Head of Brazil at Taboola. While at Taboola, he helped scale the business from 25 employees to over 700. A veteran in the internet space, Mr. Silberstein spent over 10 years at the NYTimes.com as Vice President of Product Development and Director of Business Development, starting in 2000. He also served as Director Business Development at theglobe.com and has worked in film production and distribution at New Line Cinema. Mr. Silberstein has an MBA from Columbia University and BS in Computer Science from Hofstra University.

About Ogury

Ogury is the mobile data platform that provides the most comprehensive view of mobile user behavior globally. It is the only data specialist offering omniscient mobile intelligence, a true and complete picture of the user journey on mobile devices - in-app and mobile web. Ogury collects raw data signals from mobile devices, after explicit user consent, and translates them into meaningful data with proprietary machine learning technology. Ogury has device level first-party behavioral data, apps installed, apps usage and browsing, which is unique in depth, recency and accuracy, and not available anywhere else. Its proprietary technology, integrated within thousands of apps, enables Ogury to build over 400 million mobile user profiles across more than 120 countries. By harnessing the power of this unique insight, it delivers unrivaled monetization, ad targeting, analytics, and CRM solutions for advertisers and publishers that greatly enhance the mobile consumer experience. Founded in 2014, Ogury has international offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, London, Paris, Milan, Rome, and Madrid, and works with all major media agencies, along with the world's leading premium brands and publishers.

Media Contact for Ogury:

Melissa Sheer

Kent Place Communications LLC

917-690-2199

[email protected]

SOURCE Ogury
Sha Fei, Chinese photographer [Photo provided to China Daily]

Two gunshots were heard at the Bethune International Peace Hospital in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, in December 1949. A Japanese doctor was shot dead by Sha Fei (1912-50), a patient of tuberculosis and a noted photographer of the People's Liberation Army.

Two months later, Sha was sentenced to death by a military court in China.

A retrial in 1986 acquitted Sha posthumously saying he was in mental distress as he was reminded of the cruelty of war scenes when seeing the Japanese doctor, and he thought the doctor had attempted to poison him.

Sha took up photography in the 1930s and became the first full-time photographer of the Eighth Route Army led by the Communist Party of China around 1937.

But, Sha's career as a photographer was short lived, and his work was not studied or presented until in recent times.

A Tower of Light, an exhibition now on at the museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy, sheds light on Sha's contribution to 20th-century Chinese photography. On show are some 100 images from Sha's oeuvre, which are printed from the negative plates owned by his family.
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OjO Electric today announced an official global licensing agreement with Ford Motor Company to create an exclusive line of six Ford OjO Commuter Scooters. These unique scooters will draw visual inspiration from classic and contemporary Ford vehicles while integrating OjO's innovative design and technology. Beginning in January 2018, the Ford OjO Commuter Scooter will be available for purchase at retailers nationwide as well as online at www.ojoelectric.com. Select models of the Ford OjO Commuter Scooter will be previewed at interbike in Las Vegas, NV September 20  22, 2017.

Major cities around the world are rapidly expanding bike lane travel with both designated and protected bike lanes. The OjO Commuter Scooter is poised to perfectly compliment this growing trend and to fulfill this emerging desire for urban transportation.

"We're thrilled at the opportunities the new Ford OjO Commuter Scooters offer to introduce more people to the benefits of electric scooters," said CEO of OjO Electric, Don Ratner. "With zero emissions, our line of OjO Commuter Scooters are smart, sustainable transportation for a clean ride."

"OjO's innovation and creativity are the perfect complement to our global brand promise," said Marketing Manager, Global Brand Licensing of Ford Motor Company, Betsy McKelvey.

The ultimate two-wheel smart scooter, OjO Commuter Scooter, incorporates the latest in technology with a sleek, patented ergonomic design, HyperGear motor and gear system to power up hills. The OjO Commuter Scooter supports an incredible 300 pound weight capacity yet only weights 65 pounds with its unique heavy gauge all-welded aluminum chassis, and complies with the same rules and guidelines as the electric bicycle market, requiring no license. Equipped with a patented on-board charger with retractable cord and plug, The OjO Commuter Scooter affords riders the ability to charge at any standard 110V wall outlet.

The Ford OjO Commuter Scooter will be available in January 2018. For more information visit www.ojoelectric.com; and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About OjO Electric

The OjO was conceived in early 2014 by a group of well-seasoned inventors and entrepreneurs; Don Ratner, Dale Seiden, Alan Shapiro and Bill Woodward in Santa Monica, California who came together to create a new form of sustainable transportation for the bike lane. OjO Electric is dedicated to delivering unparalleled quality, luxury, and fun while earning the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty. The OjO team is on a mission to be part of revolutionizing the rebirth of transportation for a better planet. Take a look at the OjO Commuter Scooter in action HERE. For more information visit www.ojoelectric.com; and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Ford Motor Company trademarks and trade dress used under license to OjO Electric, LLC. OjO Commuter Scooter is a registered trademark of OjO Electric, Inc.

For further information please contact:

Kristen Seeley, VP of Marketing

Tel: (614) 578-5994

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE OjO Electric

Related Links

http://www.ojoelectric.com


Ms. Munn chose to get involved with Wag!, both as an investor and Creative Strategist, as she felt a personal connection to the company's mission to improve the lives of dogs and dog owners. Ms. Munn has two adopted rescue dogs herself and has played an active role advocating for the well-being of animals.

"As an animal lover, I was inspired by Wag!'s mission to ensure dogs are kept healthy and happy, by providing support to busy dog owners who want to make sure their four-legged friends get walked, loved and entertained while they're away. It's been amazing to see how Wag! has made both humans and dogs' lives better," said Olivia Munn, investor and Creative Strategist at Wag!.

"We are delighted to partner with Olivia Munn," said Josh Viner, CEO and Co-founder of Wag!. "Her creative input, and her passion for our goal - to give dog owners peace of mind that their dog will be walked by a safe and trusted walker  makes this a great partnership."

Viner was inspired to create Wag! after his own hesitancy to take on a pet, given his busy schedule as a tech entrepreneur in Los Angeles. He founded Wag! with the mission to make it easier for everyone to own a dog and provide the attention and care every pet needs.

With Wag!, busy dog owners can summon walkers with as little as 30 minutes notice. Walks are tracked by GPS in real time through the app. A "pup report" is delivered by the app at the end of each walk, including a picture/video of the pet, a map of the route taken, and full disclosure on exactly when and where the pet did its business.

Walks can last 30, or 60 minutes, with an additional charge of $5 per dog in the same household. Walkers are available 24/7.

Dog owners can get their first walk free when they download the Wag! app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

About Wag!

Founded in January 2015, Wag! is an on-demand mobile app that gives dog owners more flexibility to manage everyday life without neglecting their dog's needs by giving instant access to experienced and trustworthy Wag! dog walkers in their local community they can book at their convenience. Walks can last 30, or 60 minutes, with an additional charge of $5 per dog in the same household. Walkers are available 24/7. Wag! walks are insured and bonded and every walker has passed a thorough vetting process before being invited to walk dogs on the platform. Wag! is a proud sponsor of Rescue Bank and donates proceeds from every Wag! walk to supply meals to shelter dogs nationwide. Wag! also partners directly with local shelters in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City.

SOURCE Wag!

Related Links

http://www.wagwalking.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thousands of members of New York's Orthodox Jewish community, organized by the Rabbinical Alliance of the USA, plan to protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who arrived to address the UN General Assembly this week. The demonstration will be held in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in Manhattan, 47th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues, TODAY Tuesday September 19 at 4:30 PM. The entrance to the park will be from 2nd Avenue only and their will by a designated tent for the members of the press.

Protesters intend to focus on the fact that since the passing of a 2014 law, the Israeli government has been forcing Orthodox Jewish young men to serve in its army. Recently, they have been enforcing the laws more strictly, and cracking down violently on anyone who speaks out. Those who refuse to comply, due to their religious convictions, as well as those who protest against the law, are treated brutally.

"The religious Jewish community has always been staunchly opposed to joining the Israeli army, following the fundamental principle of Jewish belief that Jews are in exile and are forbidden to have their own state or army, or to wage wars against any nation," said Rabbi Hershel Klar, a spokesman for the rally. "This is in addition to their objection to the ongoing immoral behavior of the Israeli army. Large communities of hundreds of thousands of Jews are now struggling to avoid service in the IDF. Their only wish is to live at peace with their neighbors, serve G-d and continue with their daily lives.

"Anti-Zionist Jews, as conscientious objectors, deserve the right to be exempt from service in the Israeli army, as set down in UN Commission on Human Rights resolution 1998/77.

"By forcing our communities to serve in the IDF, the Israeli government is trampling on our religious rights. By oppressing non-violent protestors, they are trampling on our freedom of speech.

"We see the current effort by the Israeli government to force religious Jews to violate their principles as an anti-religious decree on a par with the most infamous anti-religious persecutions in history, such the Inquisition and Communism.

"Netanyahu and his state don't represent Jews or Judaism. This draft issue once again proves that their goal is to uproot religious Judaism.

"Today when Netanyahu speaks at the United Nations General Assembly, supposedly on behalf of all Jews, we declare that he does not speak in the name of world Jewry, including masses of Orthodox Jews residing in the Holy Land," he concluded.

For more information on the anti-religious persecutions in Israel visit:

www.IsraelVersusJudaism.org  or email [email protected]

SOURCE Rabbinical Alliance of the USA

Related Links

http://www.IsraelVersusJudaism.org


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE: OUT) today announced that its Canadian business launched an out-of-home analytics platform in Canada.

The platform is powered by national cellular network data and technology under an exclusive Canadian agreement with Cellint (www.cellint.com), and provides anonymously aggregated analytical data of consumers passing directionally by OUTFRONT's digital billboard locations in key Canadian markets, under an agreement with Manifold Data Mining Inc. The platform also provides hourly impression numbers for these billboards, as well as the percentage of unique and repeat impressions.

"Our relationships with Cellint and Manifold are hugely advantageous to OUTFRONT Media Canada and demonstrate our commitment to the advancement of our digital assets and technological offerings in Canada. We are the first out-of-home company in Canada to use data to define audiences reached by our digital assets versus those living around them, which is the current industry standard. These true line-of-sight analytics can provide advertisers with better targeting and a more robust understanding of the geographical reach of a single digital billboard location or grouping of locations," said Michele Erskine, CEO  Canada.

About OUTFRONT Media Inc.

OUTFRONT Media connects brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its ON Smart Media platform, OUTFRONT Media is implementing digital technology that will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage people on-the-go.

Disclaimer: Website references included in this press release have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release.

Contacts:

OUTFRONT Media Canada:

Amanda Dorenberg

416-521-6439

[email protected]

Investors:

Gregory Lundberg

(212) 297-644

[email protected]

Media:

Carly Zipp

(212) 297-6479

[email protected]

SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc.

Related Links

http://www.outfrontmedia.com


SEATTLE, Wash. and SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Outreach, the leading sales engagement platform, today announced a ground-breaking exclusive partnership with Engagio, the leading marketing orchestration solution, to bring to market the first ever cohesive, account-based sales and marketing solution. The joint solution aligns sales and marketing to reach every stakeholder in an account in a targeted personalized way, resulting in higher engagement and more conversions. According to research and advisory firm TOPO, account-based programs yield a 75 percent increase in total annual sales volume (ACV) and a 150 percent increase in lifetime-value (LTV). The joint solution will be available this fall.

Traditionally, sales and marketing have operated independently, connecting only as one blindly hands-off leads to the other. While sales teams have been taking an account-based approach for decades, many marketing teams have leveraged a demand generation strategy that is volume based and often results in lower value deals. The results have been not only inefficient, as the two departments operate in silos, but also ineffective. Addressing this disconnect is more critical than ever, as a recent Outreach survey conducted by Forrester reveals 78 percent of sales teams currently still lean on marketing for leads.

In response, the joint Outreach and Engagio solution provides an all-encompassing account-based approach that puts both sales and marketing on the same page, working in unified solution that allows them to orchestrate personalized programs at scale.

"A joint solution of this nature simply hasn't been historically feasible. But given the rapid speed of innovation at both Outreach and Engagio, the massive market momentum of both companies and our open API that allows partners like Engagio to rapidly extend the Outreach platform and deliver immediate value to customers, it's finally a reality," said Manny Medina, CEO and Co-founder of Outreach. "In today's rapidly evolving technology-driven landscape, we don't see a future in which sales and marketing are not aligned, even part of the same team. This exclusive partnership is just the beginning. We expect that in a few years time, no company will go to market without an account based sales and marketing strategy."

"I originally embraced the Account Based Marketing movement because the best results are proven to be driven by the ability to orchestrate personal, human connections at scale," said Jon Miller, CEO and Founder of Engagio. "For a company to be truly successful, though, an account-based approach must be embraced across the organizationsales and marketing departments need to collaborate more effectively in aligning outbound efforts. The marriage of Engagio and Outreach delivers this and unlocks exciting new opportunities for coordinated cross-departmental plays. The result industry wide will be a game changer."

To learn more, contact Outreach at www.outreach.io or Engagio at www.engagio.com.

About Outreach

Outreach, the leading sales engagement platform, automates and prioritizes customer touch points throughout the sales process, resulting in increased productivity for sales teams. Thousands of customers rely on Outreach to transform the sales process, drive collaboration between sales and marketing, and deliver higher revenue per sales rep. Outreach is a privately held company based in Seattle, Washington. To learn more, please visit www.outreach.io.

About Engagio

Engagio is built for marketers, by marketers. Our proven Account Based Marketing solutions enable marketers and their companies to land and expand high value accounts. Engagio's marketing orchestration software helps B2B marketers to create and measure customer engagement, scaling the benefits of automation with the personalized benefits of the human touch. Backed by leading venture investors and headquartered in San Mateo, CA, Engagio was named as one of the Top 10 Best Small Companies to Work For in the Bay Area, is on the JMP Securities 2017 Hot 100 List of Privately Held Software Companies, and was recently chosen as a 2017 Red Herring Top 100 North America winner. To learn more, visit www.engagio.com.

Media Contact:

Barokas PR for Outreach

Laura Davis

[email protected]

(206) 264-8220

SOURCE Outreach

Related Links

http://www.engagio.com


SUGAR LAND, Texas, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Money Management International (MMI) is pleased to nominate Taunya Kennedy of Chicago, Illinois for the 2017 NFCC Counselor of the Year. The award will be announced during the NFCC Connect conference, October 1  4 in Anaheim, California.

Ms. Kennedy is responsible for spearheading the student loan counseling efforts at MMI, and strives to find creative solutions for the consumers she serves. As an NFCC-certified and trained student loan counselor, she observes trends in the industry, and is crucial to service delivery and program expansion decisions. She previously led efforts in MMI's foreclosure prevention and pre-purchase housing counseling programs.

Most recently, Kennedy played an integral role in providing testing and insight for MMI's student loan analysis software. She also addressed an open letter to business titan Jeff Bezos regarding a philanthropic opportunity to support MMI's efforts. Internally, Kennedy is regarded as a skilled professional whose experience and perspective can be relied upon. The personal finance website, NerdWallet, recently highlighted her work and the plight of student loan borrowers.

"Taunya's voice is vitally important in dialogues regarding student loan counseling, and she is a relentless advocate for borrowers in those discussions," said her manager, Saundra Auringer. "Taunya is one of the most well rounded, effective counselors our agency has had the privilege to employ," added Jim Triggs, Senior Vice President of Counseling at MMI. "She excels in her role and has a remarkable ability to connect with consumers in their time of need."

Throughout her tenure, Kennedy has remained committed to professional development. In addition to her NFCC certifications, she received Homeward PATH Homeownership Readiness Training and graduated from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. She is a designated Pre-Purchase Housing Counselor for the State of Illinois, and was on the front lines of the housing crisis with her work on the Illinois Hardest Hit Program.

MMI clients have expressed delight with outcomes of Ms. Kennedy's guidance, and have found relief in their ability to move forward with their lives after receiving counseling. In addition to student loans, Kennedy assists with credit card debt, housing issues, and other financial concerns. Her innovative approach and commitment to results has allowed her to counsel hundreds of borrowers each year, and she embodies MMI's mission of Improving Lives through Financial Education.

CONTACT:

Thomas Nitzsche

Media Relations

404.490.2227

[email protected]

About MMI

Money Management International (MMI) is a nonprofit, full-service credit counseling agency, providing confidential financial guidance, financial education, counseling and debt management assistance to consumers since 1958. MMI helps individuals and families deal with unmanageable debts and improve overall financial health through personalized one-on-one counseling programs, including debt and budget, foreclosure prevention, student loans, credit report review, and bankruptcy. Counseling is available by appointment in branch offices and 24/7 by telephone and internet. Services are available in English or Spanish. To learn more, call 866.864.8995 or visit MoneyManagement.org.

About the NFCC

Founded in 1951, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is the nation's first and largest nonprofit dedicated to improving people's financial well-being. With a national network of member offices serving 50 states and Puerto Rico, our NFCC Certified Credit Counselors are financial advocates, empowering millions of consumers to take charge of their finances through one-on-one financial reviews that address credit card debt, student loans, housing decisions and overall money management. Make one of the best financial decisions of your life. For expert guidance and advice, call (800) 388-2227 or visit www.nfcc.org today.

SOURCE Money Management International

Related Links

http://www.moneymanagement.org


WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Activists, homeowners, and farmers from communities nationwide threatened by pipelines and natural gas infrastructure will protest the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC's) plans to carry out President Trump's dirty energy agenda. The "STOP TRUMP'S DIRTY ENERGY AGENDA, THE CHANGE STARTS HERE" protest takes place as FERC holds its first monthly meeting since its quorum was restored after eight months. Protesters will greet the FERC commissioners outside from 8:30-9:30 a.m. with the message that the agency's rubber-stamping of fracked gas pipelines and infrastructure must end. Activists will then take their concerns into FERC's open public meeting at 10:00 a.m.

The protesters  representing over 100 local and national groups  will then take their anti-pipelines message to the Congress, where they will urge members of the House and Senate to reject any legislation that increases U.S. reliance on fossil fuels and expands natural gas pipelines, including S.1460 (The Energy and Natural Resources Act), and to support legislation that promotes a rapid transition to a clean energy economy, including H.R. 3671 (Rep. Gabbard's 'OFF ACT') or the Senate '100 by 50' Act.

Speakers will call out FERC's failure to regulate the fossil fuel industry, protect communities, and address climate change. Recently, activists have scored several victories, including regulatory and judicial victories against the Atlantic Coast, Constitution, Valley Lateral, and Southeast Markets pipelines. Protestors are calling for a moratorium on any new pipeline approvals until Congressional hearings into FERC's abuses take place.

Speakers for the protest include:

Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. , president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus;

president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus; Maya van Rossum  the Delaware Riverkeeper, leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network;

 the Delaware Riverkeeper, leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network; Anneke Walsh  a frontline activist fighting the Millennium Pipeline;

 a frontline activist fighting the Millennium Pipeline; Alice Orrichio and Susan Meecham  frontline activists fighting the Penneast Pipeline;

 frontline activists fighting the Penneast Pipeline; Karen Feridun  Berks Gas Truth, a grassroots citizens' group fighting to bring an end to unconventional natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania and fighting the DTE pipeline;

 Berks Gas Truth, a grassroots citizens' group fighting to bring an end to unconventional natural gas drilling in and fighting the DTE pipeline; Normandy Blackman  a landowner opposing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in North Carolina ;

 a landowner opposing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in ; Malinda Clatterbuck  from Lancaster Against Pipelines, a group fighting the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline in Pennsylvania ;

 from Lancaster Against Pipelines, a group fighting the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline in ; Deborah Kushner  a frontline activist opposing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in Virginia ;

 a frontline activist opposing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in ; Maggie Henry  from Beyond Extreme Energy, an activist network of organizations and individuals fighting dirty energy extraction;

 from Beyond Extreme Energy, an activist network of organizations and individuals fighting dirty energy extraction; Todd Larsen  from Green America, a national organization that promotes a green economy.

What:

Activists from local and national groups will protest outside FERC Headquarters in DC.

Who:

Representatives of over 100 local and national organizations http://bit.ly/Endorsers_Sept20_2017

When:

Wednesday, September 20, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. ET

Where:

FERC Headquarters: 888 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20426

SOURCE Green America, Washington, D.C.
DALLAS, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Permian Basin Royalty Trust (NYSE: PBT) ("Permian") today declared a cash distribution to the holders of its units of beneficial interest of $0.040226 per unit, payable on October 16, 2017, to unit holders of record on September 29, 2017.

This month's distribution decreased from the previous month due to an increase of the lease operating expenses (LOE) occurring on the Waddell Ranch underlying properties. This increase of LOE is the result of downtime of the Tubb McKnight Water Station being out of commissioned until it was repaired and resumed operations as of the end of July. This was offset by an increase in oil and gas production for the Waddell Ranch properties. Also, an increase in pricing for both oil and gas production of the underlying Waddell Ranch properties help offset the increase in LOE. The Texas Royalty Properties had a slight decline in oil and gas production offset by a slight increase in the pricing of both oil and gas production.

Capital expenditures on the Waddell Ranch are lower this month than previous months, with it being mostly facility projects for the remainder of the year. However, additional LOE is being incurred bringing the Tubb McKnight Water Station back on line as of the end of July. It is not clear at this time as to what the total cost to Trust will be until it is incurred and charged to the Trust. It is anticipated that these expenses will continue to be forthcoming in the following months.

WADDELL RANCH

Production for the underlying properties at the Waddell Ranch was 55,648 barrels of oil and 341,728 Mcf of gas. The production for the Trust's allocated portion of the Waddell Ranch was 16,539 barrels of oil and 104,059 Mcf of gas. The average price for oil was $43.56 per bbl and for gas was $3.10 per Mcf. This would primarily reflect production and pricing for the month of July for oil and the month of June for gas. These allocated volumes were significantly impacted by the pricing of both oil and gas.

This production and pricing for the Underlying Properties resulted in revenues for the Waddell Ranch Properties of $3,481,942. Deducted from these would be the Lease Operating Expense (LOE) of $1,685,408, taxes of $233,525, and Capital Expenditures (CAPEX) of $228,097 totaling $2,147,030 resulting in a Net Profit of $1,334,912 for the month of August. With the Trust's Net Profit Interest (NPI) of 75% of the underlying properties, this would result in a net contribution by the Waddell Ranch Properties of $1,001,184 to this month's distribution.



Underlying Properties Net to Trust Sales





Volumes Volumes Average Price

Oil (bbls) Gas (Mcf) Oil (bbls) Gas (Mcf) Oil (per bbl) Gas (per Mcf) Current Month











Waddell Ranch 55,648 341,728 16,539 104,059* $43.56 $3.10** Texas Royalties 23,562 25,884 22,384 24,590* $43.86 $5.13**













Prior Month











Waddell Ranch 54,164 327,850 21,304 138,242* $42.08 $2.86** Texas Royalties 24,057 26,287 22,854 24,973* $43.43 $5.08**





* These volumes are the net to the trust, after allocation of expenses to Trust's net profit interest, including any prior period adjustments. ** This pricing includes sales of gas liquid products.

TEXAS ROYALTY PROPERTIES

Production for the underlying properties at the Texas Royalties was 23,562 barrels of oil and 25,884 Mcf of gas. The production for the Trust's allocated portion of the Texas Royalties was 22,384 barrels of oil and 24,590 Mcf of gas. The average price for oil was $43.86 per bbl and for gas was $5.13 per Mcf. This would primarily reflect production and pricing for the month of July for oil and the month of June for gas. These allocated volumes were impacted by the pricing of both oil and gas.

This production and pricing for the underlying properties resulted in revenues for the Texas Royalties of $1,166,031. Deducted from these would be taxes of $170,500 resulting in a Net Profit of $995,531 for the month of August. With the Trust's Net Profit Interest (NPI) of 95% of the Underlying Properties, this would result in net contribution by the Texas Royalties of $945,755 to this month's distribution.

General and Administrative Expenses deducted for the month were $73,129 resulting in a distribution of $1,874,931 to 46,608,796 units outstanding, or $0.040226 per unit.

The worldwide market conditions continue to affect the pricing for domestic production. It is difficult to predict what effect these conditions will have on future distributions.

Permian's cash distribution history, current and prior year financial reports, including a summary of reserves as of 1/1/2017, tax information booklets, and a link to filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, all can be found on its website at http://www.pbt-permian.com/.

SOURCE Permian Basin Royalty Trust

Related Links

http://www.pbt-permian.com


NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PJ's Coffee of New Orleans, a New Orleans-based coffeehouse that demonstrates better beans, superior roasting techniques, and pure passion for the art of coffee-making matter, is gearing up for a nationwide expansion, developing beyond the southeastern United States. Following initial success with over 90 national and international locations, the brand is continuing momentum by partnering with local entrepreneurs in metropolitan cities across the country.

PJ's Coffee has hit the ground running with signed agreements and multi-unit deals in Colorado, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, and Vietnam. The first location slated to open is Pueblo, Colo. Additional target cities for expansion include Mobile, Ala.; Atlanta; Houston; Lafayette, La.; and Jackson, Miss. PJ's Coffee is making its mark in the $100 billion a year coffee industry, anticipating 100 locations open by the end of 2017.

"PJ's Coffee has seen incredible success and growth in the southeastern part of the nation, so we are ramping up our development efforts on a national and international level," said Ballard Brands President, Peter Boylan. "The business model of PJ's Coffee has been built to be incredibly versatile and easily replicated in both traditional and non-traditional markets in order to bring the NOLA spirit to other parts of the nation."

PJ's Coffee serves a wide variety of iced, frozen, hot, cold brew, and nitro-infused coffees using only the top one percent of Arabica beans, as well as organic tea and fresh breakfast pastries. PJ's famous iced coffees are brewed daily using a special cold-drip process that protects the flavor and strength of the beans, while producing a coffee that is two thirds less acidic - a process pioneered by PJ's Coffee founder, Phyllis Jordan.

The brand works with partners from farms in all parts of the world to identify and source the highest quality coffee. It has adopted the El Terrerito Farm in Honduras, owned by Al Lopez and supported by 26 families who work on the farm and harvest Arabica coffee plants. Working together, PJ's Coffee has developed programs to ensure a higher-quality of life for Honduran farmers, while minimizing its environmental footprint.

"It has always been a top priority to establish direct trade relationships to ensure we're providing the highest quality products, and as we celebrate our 40th year, we know our farm-to-cup philosophy will be welcomed by communities and cities across the nation," said PJ's Coffee Roastmaster, Felton Jones. "We are always looking for entrepreneurs who have a passion for excellence in hospitality and embody the New Orleans spirit that the PJ's Coffee brand encapsulates."

Perspective franchisees can expect an investment between $166,400 and $440,000 for traditional and non-traditional units. The operating model and menu is adaptable to any environment with different options including kiosks and free-standing locations with a drive-thru, ranging from a few hundred square feet up to 2200 square feet. PJ's Coffee offers a high-touch franchise model with strategic corporate support.

For more information about PJ's Coffee franchise opportunities, please visit http://www.pjsfranchise.com/.

About PJ's Coffee

Coffee of New Orleans was founded in 1978 by Phyllis Jordan, a pioneer in the coffee industry. The coffeehouse was acquired by Ballard Brands in 2008 which was spearheaded by brothers Paul, Scott and Steve Ballard. The New Orleans-based coffeehouse demonstrates that better beans, superior roasting techniques, and pure passion for the art of coffee-making matter. The brand serves a wide variety of hot, iced and frozen coffee beverages using only the top one percent of Arabica beans, as well as organic tea and fresh breakfast pastries. As the company approaches its 40th year as an established brand, it continues to remain an authentic coffeehouse with a New Orleans spirit. PJ's Coffee has more than 90 locations open and operating nationally and internationally, and is projected to have 100 locations open by the end of 2017.

SOURCE PJ's Coffee of New Orleans

Related Links

https://www.pjscoffee.com


MAUI, Hawaii, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PLEXIS Engineering, a subsidiary of PLEXIS Corporation, announces its revolutionary ZERO valve technology guaranteed for zero fugitive emissions and zero leaks for the lifetime of the valve, eliminating fugitive emissions for petrochemical industries and many other applications.

"Our extreme-duty ZERO stemless valve technology will end the petrochemical industry's enormous, costly problem with fugitive emission pollution," said Ned Davis, Chief Innovation Officer at PLEXIS Engineering. "After seven years of innovation and iterations, we have created the first extreme-duty, high-temperature magnetic valves guaranteed for zero leaks across the lifetime of the valve."

Solving the Fugitive Emissions Problem

Fugitive emissions from petrochemical operations cause massive amounts of pollution and contribute to climate change. Leaky valves are responsible for approximately two-thirds of fugitive emissions at a typical petrochemical refinery. Violating Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards can result in fines of up to $10,000 per day per valve. PLEXIS' ZERO valve technology could reduce 5,600 tons/year of toxic air pollution and 52,000 tons/year of organic compounds currently released to the atmosphere.

Legacy valve designs by nature of their stem seal architecture inevitably leak as they age (especially, when exposed to harsh environments containing dirt, steam, or salt water), require extensive maintenance regimens, and cause safety, environmental, and financial issues. Even sealed bellows type valves exhibit measurable fugitive emissions due to their thin walls and welds, and eventually, fatigue, must be replaced, and impact plant shutdown time and additional maintenance and replacement costs.

Previous magnetic valve technology had three distinct design barriers: it couldn't withstand high enough temperatures for many industrial and power/steam applications, it required a static seal that could still leak since it couldn't be hermetically sealed, and it was prone to internal corrosion and magnet damage. PLEXIS' ZERO valve design overcomes all three of these limitations.

Achieving the Pinnacle of Six Sigma Reliability

The unparalleled excellence of the PLEXIS ZERO rotary-actuated valve design exceeds all other industry standards in its achievement of the Six Sigma pinnacle of leakproof guarantees.

"Thanks to our groundbreaking design that has no rotating stem seal to leak, we can guarantee zero stem seal leaks over the entire valve life," said Jorge Yant, Chief Executive Officer at PLEXIS. "This design allows valves or systems of valves to be built to any specification for reliability including advanced Six Sigma methods. Since we have eliminated the possibility of stem leaks, multiple valve seats can be built in series to boost reliability in a probabilistic manner. This is not possible with traditional valves."

PLEXIS ZERO stemless valve technology eliminates the need for valve stem maintenance and pays dividends many times over in improved safety, the lowest lifecycle costs in the industry, and zero fugitive emissions. The extreme longevity of this rugged design applies to a broad range of valve sizes from fractions of an inch to large oil and gas pipeline valves. It holds particular appeal for petrochemical plants, refineries in the United States and Europe, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations where highly-flammable leaks occur.

PLEXIS ZERO Valve Benefits

Zero emissions, zero environmental waste, and zero fines

The lowest total cost of ownership in the industry

High-temperature, high-pressure, severe-duty applications

No maintenance such as repacking

Hermetically-sealed and corrosion-free

Low/consistent actuation force since there's no friction from the rotating seal

About PLEXIS Engineering

PLEXIS Engineering boasts a talented roster of acclaimed engineers based out of the Maui Innovation Group in Maui, HI. With the mission to revolutionize the magnetic valve, PLEXIS engineers work tirelessly to deliver disruptive valve technology to commercial and residential valve markets. PLEXIS Engineering is a privately-owned subsidiary of PLEXIS, Inc.

PLEXIS Engineering offers licensing arrangements to valve manufacturers to dramatically improve the reliability and life expectancy of rotary-actuated valves. Long-term, this helps the environment, improves valve safety, and saves money throughout the total lifetime cost.

Media Contact:

Michelle Follett , Sales Director

(808) 866-4347

[email protected]

SOURCE PLEXIS Engineering
STOCKTON, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Guardian Alliance Technologies (GAT) announces the release of Guardian Software - its Background Investigation Management software developed by veteran Law Enforcement Officer and former member of Military Intelligence, Justin Biedinger. With Guardian's turnkey solutions' approach, the company set out to simplify the labor-intensive, background screening process involved with the hiring of qualified law enforcement applicants. To accomplish this, the company created Guardian, which is a software platform designed by Law Enforcement for Law Enforcement that upgrades agencies with efficient, technology-driven solutions.

As a former Police Officer and most recently a Background Investigator, Biedinger quickly took to the investigative side of his position but his role also required him to complete several, redundant tasks that he later determined- a software solution could easily perform. Yet, he discovered there was no standardized software system in place to complete these functions. Rather, agencies were still using processes that had been implemented since before there were computers.

Since the complicated, background screening process of applicants is comprised of several components  from psych evaluations to competency assessments, there has been a pressing need to digitize these processes into a single, comprehensive system that does it all. Additionally, progress is stifled as out- of- date tasks have limited visibility into the applicant's status because of the fragmented communication protocols that are still in place. Under the existing outdated methodology, background investigation forms are still filed manually, using hard-copies and file cabinets rather than the secure Amazon servers that both Guardian Software and the C.I.A. utilize to store their encrypted data.

Moreover, agencies are often so under-staffed and with over-extended budgets that they fail to meet the demands of hiring enough qualified officers who respect the privilege to protect, serve and uphold the law. This staffing problem is attributed largely in part due to the backlog of applications still waiting "in the queue" for processing. When the backlog has reached a critical stage  with too many applicants and not enough new officers in force, the agencies further expand their budgets by shifting manpower or temporarily re-hiring retired officers to handle the workload.

Now that mounting video evidence on social media outlets has surfaced in recent years over alleged police brutality, the background screening process to hire qualified, competent officers has become even more essential to maintaining public trust. With this goal in mind, Biedinger brought his software concept to Mindslap, Inc.  a graphics' design and software development studio. Guardian software enables agencies to expedite hiring qualified officers for their ever-increasing staffing demands at a lesser cost to the agency. Investigators have full visibility into the applicant's status, his or her Personal History Statement, reference checks, core competencies, records, reports and all the pertinent data that a Background Investigator or Supervisor would need in which to base their decision. With the Guardian platform, the software is poised to save agencies time, money, and to ensure background-screening compliance and help agencies make better use of their available resources.

With these key progress indicators showing early promise of the company's positioning in the market, Guardian Alliance Technologies will continue to expand its product offerings in the hopes of becoming the agency-wide standard for background investigation screening, recruiting, and other future products.

Like the K-9 dog mascot on the company logo "guarding the gates", Guardian Alliance Technologies has committed itself to protecting the integrity of the agency and profession by helping to get more qualified personnel to patrol our streets.

Press Contact:

[email protected]

(800) 573-5950 *133

Related Images

image1.png

Guardian Alliance Technologies Logo

image2.png

Guardian Alliance Technologies Dashboard

Related Links

Police Technology

FBI National Academy Associates

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emxj-PZ4uW8

SOURCE Guardian Alliance Technologies, Inc.
NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network  it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

Investors Need Transparency to Assess Climate-Change Related Business Risks

ADA Website Wars Coming to a Retailer Near You

How to Be Happy at Work

MEDIA JOBS

Freelance Thought Leadership Specialists  Longitude (US)

Columnist, Word on the Street  The Wall Street Journal (NY)

Deputy Opinion Editor  Newsweek (NY)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

9 Tips: Defeat Your Inner Editor to Write Better and Faster

Blogger Conferences: Top Events to Attend in September

Blog Profiles: Weather Blogs

-------------------------------------------------------------------

EXPERT ALERTS:

Investors Need Transparency to Assess Climate-Change Related Business Risks

Jean Rogers

Founder, Chair

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board

"As the impacts of sustainability-related business risks on business and society -- including those associated with climate change -- have risen in prominence, a variety of reporting approaches have proliferated, creating confusion in the market over which one to use. Alignment with the TCFD recommendations will provide streamlined guidance for issuers, more useful information for investors and other decision makers, and increased stability and resilience for the broader capital markets."

Rogers is the founder of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), and served as CEO for six years. She now serves as chair of the SASB Standards Board. The SASB and the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) recently released a paper outlining how the two organizations are aligning with the G20 Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures' (TCFD) recommendations. The paper, "Converging on Climate Risk: CDSB, the SASB, and the TCFD," stands as a statement of agreement by the SASB and CDSB to facilitate the disclosure of material and decision-useful climate-related information following the TCFD recommendations.

Paper: https://library.sasb.org/converging-on-climate-risk

Website: https://www.sasb.org

Contact: Brian Hyland, [email protected]

ADA Website Wars Coming to a Retailer Near You

Audrey Mross

Employment Law Attorney

Munck Wilson Mandala in Dallas

A federal judge in Florida recently found that a nationwide grocery chain's website was inaccessible to visually impaired individuals and thus in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in public places, like stores and movie theaters. Increasingly, a battle has been brewing over whether or not websites for such "places of accommodation" must also be accessible. Says Mross: "In this case, the court agreed that because the company's website was closely integrated with its stores, the web content must be accessible to the hearing and visually impaired. If consumer-facing businesses were not aware of ADA website compliance, this case should be an eye-opener."

Contact: Robert Tharp, [email protected]

How to Be Happy at Work

Jody B. Miller

CEO

C2C Executive Search & Strategic Management

"The bottom line is that most of us refuse ourselves the chance to follow our hearts and do the things we know will truly give our lives meaning and make us happy. We often don't feel useful or worthy in life, which forces us to sink into a despair that is trapping and seemingly impossible to escape from. My goal is to help people break free from this dangerous way of thinking and inspire them to make tangible change and reinvent themselves as a person who is wealthy, happy and gets up every morning with nothing but boundless excitement for the day ahead."

Miller, a work happiness expert, is the author of the new book, "From DRIFT to SHIFT: How Change Can Bring True Meaning and Happiness to Your Work and Life" and has helped thousands of people find true meaning in their work and in their lives. Her previous positions include investment banker, strategic consultant to Fortune 100 Corporations, CEO of a software startup, assistant producer for a PBS television series, and sales and marketing executive for CBS Television. She is also the author of "HIRED! in 2017" and "Hired! Expert Advice from A Leading Wall Street Recruiter." These books provide roadmaps for getting hired in today's competitive job world. Miller contributes to Ignites Financial Times Magazine, LinkedIn and The Huffington Post, and has written numerous articles about job satisfaction, work/life balance and finding meaning. Her books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iBooks.

Online Press Kit: http://jodybmiller.onlinepresskit247.com

Website: www.JodyBMiller.com

Contact: Jennifer Thomas, [email protected]

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

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

Freelance Thought Leadership Specialists  Longitude (US)

Columnist, Word on the Street  The Wall Street Journal (NY)

Deputy Opinion Editor  Newsweek (NY)

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

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

9 Tips: Defeat Your Inner Editor to Write Better and Faster. Don't let your inner editor become a bully. Here are nine reminders to help write stronger pieces, and more often: http://prn.to/2xBCYsD

Blogger Conferences: Top Events to Attend in September. This a monthly column of what's happening in the blog world. Here are top events to attend in September & October: http://prn.to/2xbigi3

BLOG PROFILES: WEATHER BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations team selects an industry/subject and profiles a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at weather blogs: http://bit.ly/2xaQOyR

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

PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire.

To contact ProfNet: [email protected] or 800-776-3638, ext. 1

SOURCE ProfNet

Related Links

http://www.profnet.com


BURLINGAME, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Proterra, the leading innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation, and LG Chem, a global leader in lithium-ion batteries for automotive, stationary and consumer applications, announced co-development of a battery cell that has been optimized to meet the unique performance and safety demands of the heavy-duty vehicle market. The cell chemistry has been optimized for exceptional energy throughput capability, high charge rate acceptance, and industry leading energy density. This joint development underscores the growing market demand for high quality energy storage systems. According to Lux Research, batteries for transportation and grid storage are expected to surpass consumer electronics by next year and electric buses are cited as a primary market driver for this growing battery segment. Proterra's new Burlingame battery production facility is currently ramping production to meet demand and can produce over 500 MWh of E2 battery packs on an annual basis.

"Between Proterra's demonstrated leadership in the heavy-duty electric vehicle industry, and the company's battery expertise, Proterra has been a strong partner for LG Chem to co-develop a battery cell with for this important market," said Youngsun Kim, LG Chem vice president, marketing. "It is our commitment to be at the leading edge of designing and manufacturing advanced batteries to meet the increasing global demand coming from the electric transportation sector."

Last year, Proterra introduced the Catalyst E2, the longest-range electric transit bus on the market. Capable of traveling up to 350 miles on a single charge, the Catalyst E2 meets the full daily mileage needs of nearly every U.S. mass transit route. For this program, LG Chem has developed an advanced battery cell to meet Proterra's highest standard in terms of performance and safety. The E2 battery packs represent the heavy-duty industry's highest pack-level energy density at 160 Wh/kg and 260Wh/L. Made from lightweight ballistic-grade materials to withstand the toughest conditions, Proterra's standard E2 pack was designed from the ground up with an emphasis on safety, durability and performance.

"Safety is paramount to our battery design philosophy," said Dustin Grace, director of battery engineering at Proterra. "We have implemented redundant layers of passive and active safety features into the architecture of the battery in concert with the vehicle itself. Deploying energy storage systems of this scale has led us down a technology path to new and advanced safety features.."

Proterra's E2 Battery Packs  Safer, Smarter and More Efficient

Proterra's ISO 26262 certified battery management system monitors cell temperature and voltage with more than 70 sensors capturing 160 different diagnostic data streams from each battery pack. E2 packs are capable of interconnection in various series and parallel configurations, with various second life and heavy-duty applications in mind. Features like liquid cooling and proprietary state of charge algorithms enable long life, rapid charge times and operation in virtually any climate. Onboard vehicle telemetry enables real-time monitoring and over-the-air updates to battery software so fleet operators can track battery performance and reap the benefits of continuous product improvement.

Flexible Financing For Transit Agencies

To increase access to its battery-electric buses, Proterra has also introduced an innovative battery-lease financing model that enables transit agencies to purchase electric buses at approximately the same price than fossil fuel-based alternatives. Park City Transit was the first to utilize Proterra's financing for six Catalyst buses that recently went into service. By taking responsibility for the performance of the batteries throughout the life of the lease, Proterra removes the operator risk, and ultimately enables more transit customers to make the transition to electric.

"It is a pivotal time in the heavy-duty vehicle market as transit, delivery and refuse services wake up to the combined benefits of electric propulsion," said Ryan Popple, Proterra CEO. "We are thrilled to be working with LG Chem to deliver best-in-class batteries to meet these unique market demands, and enable mass adoption of zero-emission battery-electric fleets."

About LG Chem

LG Chem, Ltd. is Korea's largest diversified chemical company which operates four main business units: Basic Materials & Chemicals, Energy Solutions, IT & Electronic Materials and Life Sciences. The chemical business manufactures a wide range of products, from petrochemical goods to high-value added plastics. It also extends its chemical expertise into high-tech areas such as rechargeable batteries, electronic materials and drugs & vaccines. LG Chem is also one of the world's largest lithium-ion battery manufacturers with significant market share in consumer, automotive and stationary applications. Throughout multiple production facilities and an extensive distribution network, LG Chem strives to become a leading global company. For more information, please visit the LG Chem website at www.lgchem.com.

About Proterra

Proterra is a leader in the design and manufacture of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles, enabling bus fleet operators to significantly reduce operating costs while delivering clean, quiet transportation to local communities across the United States. With more than 400 vehicles sold to 42 different municipal, university, and commercial transit agencies in 20 states, Proterra is committed to providing state of the art, high performance vehicles to meet today's growing market demand. The company's configurable Catalyst platform is capable of serving the full daily mileage needs of nearly every U.S. transit route on a single charge. With unmatched durability and energy efficiency based on rigorous U.S. certification testing, Proterra products are proudly designed, engineered and manufactured in America, with offices in Silicon Valley, South Carolina, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit: http://www.proterra.com and follow us on Twitter @Proterra_Inc.

SOURCE Proterra

Related Links

http://www.proterra.com


WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Experts from academia and leading international think tanks provide insight and analysis on the current crisis in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), where member states continue to boycott the peninsular country of Qatar, in Qatar: A Dangerous Alliance  a new documentary by the award-winning production company PIC Media.

"There is a list of radical groups that the Qataris support," explains Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former counter-terrorism analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. "This includes Hamas. It includes the Taliban. It includes Nusra Front, the al Qaeda group from Syria. It includes the Muslim Brotherhood. It includes jihadists in Libya, and, more broadly, extremists from across the Arab world."

At the same time, Qatar: A Dangerous Alliance examines the complexity of that country's relationship with western nations. "Qatar is both an ally and an adversary of the United States," says Lee Smith, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. "This is the role that Qatar has been playing for the last 20 years. They continue to support a lot of bad actors, while also hosting our largest air base in the Middle East."

Other experts include Ambassador Husain Haqqani, a foremost thought-leader on terrorism and the Muslim Brotherhood, who served as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2011, and Alex Vatanka, senior fellow from the Middle East Institute and a leading authority on Iran and its engagement with Qatar.

According to William Nixon, who wrote and directed the film, "Our objective is to provide an authoritative and compelling overview of the dangerous situation in which Qatar finds itself, while also providing an objective analysis of the dangerous consequences that situation is creating for the rest of the world. To achieve this, we produced the documentary in six easy-to-watch-and-share chapters  each one examining concerns shared by Qatar's neighbors in the Gulf, as well as the U.S. and Europe."

Chapters include:

A Troubled History, examining Qatar's history and relationships within the GCC Brothers in More than Name, focusing on Qatar's relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood Dangerous Designs, analyzing Qatar's growing alliance with Turkey and other elements promoting Islamism First Among Equals, placing the normalizing relationship between Qatar and Iran in context of Iran's designs in the region The Voice of Al Jazeera, exploring the line between news and propaganda and how Qatar's government-funded network influences a radical Islamist agenda Follow the Money, investigating how Qatar uses untold wealth to maintain alliances with the western nations, while at the same time funding radical and terrorist activities undermining those same nations

PIC Media, a division of Policy Impact Communications, is a production firm using cutting-edge technologies to educate and inform in the public interest.

Media Contact:

Jeff Schrade

Phone: 202.737.5339

Email: [email protected]

Related Files

QATAR Media Release_Final.pdf

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QabY902oyLc

SOURCE PIC Media

Related Links

http://www.policyimpact.com


This apothecary comes from Hartigan's Drug Store on Main Street of Andover, Massachusetts which was operational for over 50 years. Its massive body has granite counters, chrome fixtures, mahogany paneling, a mirrored back bar and is completed with what once was a state-of-the-art soda fountain. Unlike today's drug stores, these pharmacies were a main watering hole in town. Alongside selling drugs, they sold everyday goods and the soda fountain was the popular place to meet up. However, as times changed people socialized differently and drug stores were shaped into a more functional store. Where Hartigan's once stood there is now a CVS and one of the few remaining memories of a idyllic, simpler time is this pharmacy.

When Hartigan's closed in 1977 the apothecary was sold to a private party in Texas. Later, it moved again and a room was custom built for it in Sun City, Arizona. Now it sits as a focal point of the J. Levine specialty auction on October 26, and will soon find a new home after being auctioned.

Although a niche item, just pieces of apothecaries such as the cabinets, back bar and counter displays have been known to fetch tens of thousands of dollars each at auction. The history and nostalgia of the items delight those who yearn for the days of yore.

"It's really a one of a kind treasure," said Steve Sanchez, founder of Hearts of Stone Charity

In addition to the 1924 Pharmacy, the Americana auction will offer an original carousel horse, naive art, automatons, signage and hundreds of other Americana items on Thursday, October 26. Doors open at 9 a.m. for preview on auction day, with live bidding starting at 11 a.m. PT. Bidders will also be able to view the full catalog and place bids online at jlevines.com.

For more information visit jlevines.com or call 480.496.2212.

SOURCE J. Levine Auction & Appraisal

Related Links

http://www.jlevines.com


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon BBN Technologies Chief Scientist Craig Partridge was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame for designing critical email and IP routing technologies that increased the speed at which Internet messages move. He was recently honored at the Internet Society's 2017 Induction Ceremony in Los Angeles.

Partridge developed the modern email routing system in 1986. As Internet use expanded in the early 1990s, routers couldn't keep up with the explosive growth of email traffic. In response, Partridge developed the system architecture for high-speed routers that is still in use today.

"The fact that systems I developed 25 years ago are worthy of Internet Hall of Fame recognition today is a testament to the people I've been privileged to work with," said Craig Partridge, chief scientist of Raytheon BBN Technologies. "Their vision and insight drove me to create systems capable of evolving smoothly over time."

This is the most recent of many prestigious honors for Partridge. He is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery and of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The ACM honored him with the ACM SIGCOMM Test of Time Award in 2006. Partridge was also an initial member of the Internet Engineering Steering Group, which is responsible for the technical management of Internet Engineering Task Force activities and the Internet standards process.

Partridge is the third member of the Raytheon BBN staff to earn Internet Hall of Fame honors. Ray Tomlinson, who sent the first network email in 1971 and saved the "@" symbol from probable extinction, was honored in 2012. In 2013, Steve Kent was inducted for his groundbreaking cybersecurity contributions that laid the foundation for modern Internet and email security encryption methods and standards.

Raytheon BBN Technologies is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN).

About the Internet Hall of Fame

The Internet Hall of Fame (www.internethalloffame.org) is a recognition program and virtual museum that celebrates the living history of the Internet and the individuals whose extraordinary contributions have made the Internet, its worldwide availability and use, and its transformative nature, possible. The Internet Hall of Fame was launched by the Internet Society in 2012.

About the Internet Society

Founded by Internet pioneers, the Internet Society (ISOC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet into the future. Together with its growing global community of chapters and members, the Internet Society supports Internet-led innovation, promotes the use of best practice technologies and encourages the adoption of policies that enable universal access to a globally connected, trusted Internet. The Internet Society is also the organizational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2016 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 95 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5ITM products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter @Raytheon.

Media Contact

Joyce Kuzmin

+1.617.873.8120

[email protected]

SOURCE Raytheon Company

Related Links

http://www.raytheon.com


Commenting on the Kids Care & Share kits, Really Good Stuff General Manager Tim Kochuba noted, "For 25 years, Really Good Stuff has been creating innovative products to help teachers make a difference in students' lives. We believe that by working on these type of projects, teachers will be helping their students develop good character traits that will endure into their futures."

Excelligence Learning President, Dipak Golechha, added "Really Good Stuff has long been dedicated to helping teachers make a difference by creating innovative tools for the classroom. With the introduction of Kids Care & Share, it's now helping teachers make community outreach and engagement central to the lives of their students."

A portion of the proceeds from each kit goes to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (alexslemonade.org), an organization that has encouraged and empowered countless children to get involved and make a difference for children with cancer. Started as an actual lemonade stand by an inspirational young cancer patient, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation has raised more than $150 million to fund much-needed childhood cancer research.

Kids Care & Share kits are available now at www.kidscareandshare.net and are featured in catalogs that will be in-home October 2nd.

About Really Good Stuff

Founded in 1992, Really Good Stuff (www.reallygoodstuff.com) works side-by-side with educators to create high quality and affordable products that provide teachers, primarily in grades K-8, with innovative solutions designed to make a difference in students' lives. Today, through its catalogs and website, the company offers more than 7,500 items, including classroom organization solutions such as bins, baskets & bookcases to fun educational activities in the language arts, numeracy and STEM, introducing over 500 new products annually.

About Excelligence Learning Corporation

Excelligence Learning Corporation (www.excelligence.com) is a leading developer, manufacturer, distributor, and multi-channel retailer of over 20,000 innovative, high-quality and grade-appropriate educational products and teaching solutions, which are sold primarily to early childhood learning centers, elementary schools, PTAs, and consumers. The company has three core divisions: Supplies (Discount School Supply and Really Good Stuff), Equipment (Children's Factory, Angeles and Steffy Wood Products), and Services (Educational Products, Inc., ChildCare Education Institute and Frog Street Press). With over 30 years of experience serving children, educators and parents, Excelligence's diversified portfolio of leading brands delivers quality, innovation, service and value on a global scale. Leading proprietary brands include: Colorations, BioColor, Excellerations, MyPerfectClassroom and Environments.

See more at: www.discountschoolsupply.com, www.reallygoodstuff.com, www.environments.com, www.childrensfactory.com, www.angelesstore.com, www.steffywood.com, www.educationalproducts.com, www.cceionline.com, www.frogstreet.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Contact: Olivia Barrick

Tel: 831-641-3018

E-mail:[email protected]

SOURCE Excelligence Learning Corporation
For the first time, Redbubble consumers can see products come to life in their own homes through the use of the Redbubble app featuring augmented reality (AR). This really is try before you buy.

You can place virtual pillows on couches and chairs. Move around them to see how they interact with the lighting, up close to see the texture of the fabric, compare colours and relate the size to surrounding objects. We think consumers will love the future of shopping made possible by the updated Redbubble app.

Looking forward

What we've released today is just the start. Some future Redbubble possibilities using AR:

Find the perfect fitting T-shirt, colour, style, design for YOU - see how it looks on YOU without even leaving your home

Cover YOUR laptop in stickers, rearrange and adjust in AR, all before you buy

Decorate YOUR walls virtually using the Redbubble app. Choose from the 11.5 million pieces of artwork from Redbubble. Try the metal prints, canvas, portrait, landscape and more. We can see a future where homeowners are placing wall art from international artists throughout their homes to find the perfect combination of artwork without ever leaving their homes.

iPhone X

Today Redbubble is also announcing the launch of iPhone 8 & X cases. Choose from millions of designs and styles for your latest iPhone.

About Redbubble

Founded in 2006, Redbubble is a global online marketplace (redbubble.com) powered by over 600,000 independent artists. Redbubble's community of passionate creatives sell unique designs on 65 high-quality, everyday products such as apparel, stationery, housewares, bags, wall art and more. Through the Redbubble marketplace independent artists are able to profit from their creativity and reach a new universe of adoring fans. For customers, it's the ultimate in self expression. A simple but meaningful way to show the world who they are and what they care about.

Please visit the AppStore for more information, including videos and screenshots of the app.

For more information

Alex Lunnon - Product Manager

+61 3 9650 0138

[email protected]

SOURCE Redbubble Limited
SAN DIEGO and NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego-based Reliant Funding and New York-based Merchants Capital Access are now joined as one under the Reliant Funding name.

Both companies were founded in 2008, offering working capital for small and mid-sized businesses (SMB) nationwide. Each focused on making the funding experience fast and simple for the business owner, with a focus on customer service, easy application process, high approval rates and longevity of relationships.

Reliant Funding quickly established itself as a prominent source of funding, creating relationships with SMB owners nationwide while providing access to hundreds of millions of dollars. Merchants Capital Access focused on the wholesale side of the industry, providing back-end infrastructure and support, directly funding thousands of American businesses. With these complementary strengths, the combined entity will continue to offer reliable, relationship-based funding to small and medium-sized businesses nationwide under the Reliant Funding brand.

"Small business owners are a powerful sector and we want to give them the utmost confidence in the alternative finance industry. We can now do everything from start to finish in-house, providing them access to an ongoing funding relationship with one call," says Adam Stettner, Founder and CEO of Reliant Funding.

Four Facts about Reliant Funding

Reliant Funding's business model provides access to capital for businesses that traditional banking typically does not serve. With innovative pricing and cutting-edge risk management, it gives businesses the fuel they need to penetrate their market and grow. Reliant is constantly working to tailor programs to serve clients. "Business owners tell us daily that the relationships we've established with them are special among our industry. That remains Reliant's number one priority and the merger will only strengthen that commitment," stated Paul Norman , CFO at Reliant Funding.

, CFO at Reliant Funding. Since its founding, Reliant has funded businesses over thirty thousand times, providing over $900 million in working capital to America's small businesses.

in working capital to America's small businesses. Reliant Funding speaks directly with thousands of American small and medium sized businesses each month and services thousands more. The focus is always on the individual client, their business story and meeting their needs.

Reliant Funding's Wholesale Division currently works with hundreds of partners, providing them with funding for their clients as if those clients were directly originated in-house. The key is a commitment to strategic alliances, ensuring the relationship lasts longer than a single transaction. It's just one aspect of many which sets Reliant Funding apart from the competition.

"Reliant Funding will continue to evolve our product, process and technology to deliver the best possible experience for our clients," said Travis Mottet, VP of Strategic Planning.

About Reliant Funding

Headquartered in San Diego with offices in Melville, N.Y. and New York City, Reliant Funding provides customized, short-term funding to small and mid-sized businesses nationwide. Recognized for five consecutive years by Inc. Magazine among the 5000 fastest-growing privately held companies in America, they offer high approval rates with first class customer service and timely assistance to help achieve clients' business goals. For more information please visit: https://www.reliantfunding.com/ .

Connect with us: LinkedIn

Like us: Facebook

Follow us: @ReliantFunding #serviceyoudeserve

Contact:

Sara Prince

[email protected]

SOURCE Reliant Funding

Related Links

https://www.reliantfunding.com


DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation (DGEDC) announced today that Rexnord Corporation will build a new manufacturing facility and Aerospace Headquarters in Downers Grove. Rexnord plans to redevelop its existing site at 2400 Curtiss in the Ellsworth Business Park. Downers Grove was selected for the project following a national search. Rexnord, a 125-year old company, is a multiplatform industrial leader that serves a diverse array of global markets.

"We are investing in a new facility on our existing site to support the growing needs of our customers," said Jamie Quilter, Rexnord Vice President & General Manager  Aerospace. "The new facility will provide upgraded technology and additional capacity  as well as provide our customers with an exciting experience and our associates with a unique collaborative and innovative environment."

Rexnord plans to build a 248,000 sq. ft. facility for its manufacturing operations and Aerospace Headquarters. The project is expected to be completed by 2019.

"I am extremely excited that Rexnord is expanding their presence in the Village and making this significant investment in our community," said Mayor Martin Tully. "The development of their new state of the art manufacturing facility and Aerospace Headquarters is a big win for Downers Grove."

The DGEDC worked closely with officials from Rexnord, as well the consulting firm that was retained for this project: Cushman & Wakefield. In addition, the Village of Downers Grove, Community High School District 99, and Downers Grove Grade School District 58, were instrumental in the attraction of this project.

About Rexnord

Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rexnord is comprised of two strategic platforms, Process & Motion Control and Water Management, with approximately 8,000 employees worldwide. The Process & Motion Control platform designs, manufactures, markets and services specified, highly engineered mechanical components used within complex systems. The Water Management platform designs, procures, manufactures and markets products that provide and enhance water quality, safety, flow control and conservation. Additional information about the Company can be found at www.rexnordcorp.com.

About the DGEDC

The Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation is the official agency for economic development for the Village of Downers Grove.

CONTACT:

Michael Cassa, 630.729.0380, [email protected]

Angela Hersil, 855-480-5050

SOURCE Downers Grove EDC
TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Rogers Communications Inc. plans to release its third quarter 2017 financial results on Thursday, October 19, 2017 before North American financial markets open. The results will be distributed by newswire and posted at investors.rogers.com. Rogers' management will host its quarterly teleconference with the investment community to discuss the results and outlook at 8:00 a.m. ET.

Those wishing to listen to the teleconference should access the live webcast on the Investor Relations section of Rogers' website at investors.rogers.com. A webcast of the teleconference will be available at this same website location following the teleconference.

Members of the financial community wishing to ask questions during the call should dial 647-793-2626 (1-800-817-8873 toll free for North America) at least ten minutes prior to the scheduled start time and request access to Rogers' third quarter 2017 results teleconference. Media are welcome to participate on a listen-only basis. In addition to the webcast archive, a telephonic re-broadcast will be available for two weeks following the teleconference by dialing 647-436-0148 and providing conference ID number 4781845.

About the Company:

Rogers is a leading diversified Canadian communications and media company that's working to deliver a great experience to our customers every day. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet, information technology, and telephony services to consumers and businesses. Through Rogers Media, we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, sports, televised and online shopping, magazines, and digital media. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI).



SOURCE Rogers Communications Canada Inc. - English

Related Links

http://www.rogers.com


BELFAST, Ireland, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SaltDNA, a Cybersecurity 500 company and the leader in secure mobile communications for the enterprise, is delighted to announce the extension of its product suite to support secure desktop voice calls. SaltDNA's secure desktop voice capability is available immediately for all major platforms.

Voice Calls Now Available on SaltDesktop Voice Calls Now Available on SaltDesktop

Allowing for incoming and outgoing secure calls with either a desktop or smartphone, SaltDNA is ideal for legal firms and healthcare providers who are increasingly under pressure to improve the security of client and patient information. This includes clients running MacOS and Windows 10

"This is another major milestone for SaltDNA and early customer feedback has been excellent. Having the option to make a secure call from either a smartphone or laptop is a major productivity upgrade for our enterprise customers," said Joe Boyle, CEO at SaltDNA. "Coming just two months after the secure file attachments announcement, this Secure Voice over Desktop is the fifth major product release in 2017. We continue to work very closely with our customers and are lining up for another major product release before the end of the year."

"Secure communications remains one of the top issues of concern for our major law firm clients. We are delighted to see SaltDNA continue to innovate in this area and increase the flexibility of its solution," said Nankunda Katangaza, Director at International Legal Services Consultancy, Hook Tangaza. "SaltDesktop offers secure messaging, file transfer and now voice, which I'm sure will only increase its appeal to legal firms and other industries."

To find out more about the SaltDesktop enhancements, or to avail of a free trial of the SaltMobile and SaltDesktop solution, contact our sales team on [email protected].

About SaltDNA

SaltDNA, ranked in the top half in the Cybersecurity 500, provides a fully enterprise-managed software solution that enables absolute privacy in mobile communications. It is easy to deploy and uses multi-layered encryption techniques to meet the highest of security standards. The SaltDNA Desktop and Mobile apps are intuitive and easy to install and use. The SaltDNA Communication Manager provides a console for tight management of users and can be configured for the management of regulatory compliance. SaltDNA is headquartered in Belfast, Ireland, for more information visit www.saltdna.com.

Contact:

John Bailie

+442890328114

[email protected]

SOURCE SaltDNA

Related Links

http://www.saltdna.com


WALLDORF, Germany, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced a new release of its SAP Hybris Commerce, travel accelerator, making it simpler for airlines to meet the demands of today's digital traveler. With this travel-specific commerce solution, airlines can maintain consistent pricing and promotions across channels  Web, mobile, kiosk, sales desk, on-board/in-flight, contact center and distribution  providing the experience consumers expect.

TUI Poland Sp. z o.o., China Express Airlines Company Limited and P&O Ferries are companies in the travel industry relying on SAP Hybris solutions.

Compliant with the New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard advanced by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), SAP Hybris Commerce, travel accelerator, supports travel providers with modern retailing practices. The solution includes such features as personalized offers, enabling airline companies to deliver a cohesive customer experience across digital and physical touch points.

The travel accelerator for SAP Hybris Commerce enables airlines to determine which products are offered to whom and at what price based on such things as their current activity, booking history, loyalty status and sales channel. Products, fares, flight ancillaries like extra leg room and partner products are stored individually in a central catalog. This allows airlines to create attractive merchandising and pricing options.

These most recent enhancements to the travel accelerator allow airlines to:

Deliver market-leading retail commerce capabilities on industry-standard airline reservation systems

Improve conversion rates  converting Web site visitors into customers who complete a purchase  with fully responsive storefront and context-based content management

Create bundles and promotional offers across customer segments and channels

Implement direct-connect initiatives to agencies and business-to-business partners by using IATA's NDC standard

Combine ATPCO fares with dynamic fares and flight ancillaries managed directly in the SAP Hybris Commerce solution

Dynamically bundle air content with accommodation to create single-price packages and offers

"The way consumers research and book their travel is experiencing a fundamental shift, driven largely by the digital revolution," said Matthias Goehler, senior vice president and head of industry solutions, SAP Hybris*. "With the booking process no longer linear, airlines who rely on indirect distribution for sales will face major challenges when competing in a digital world that demands a 'retail-centric' approach. The travel accelerator for SAP Hybris Commerce, which follows IATA's NDC standard, offers advanced travel retailing and merchandising capabilities that meet contemporary business demands to drive business growth."

NDC is a travel industrysupported program launched by IATA for the development and market adoption of a new XML-based data transmission standard. The new standard makes it possible for airlines to close the gap between what is available on their own Web sites and what travel agents have access to through their systems. This enables easy access to all of an airline's offerings in the travel agent channel, as well as the ability to personalize offers through airline products, such as extra leg room or a special meal option.

"The NDC standard transforms the way air travel is sold through the travel agent channel by addressing today's distribution limitations," said Yanik Hoyles, director, New Distribution Capability Program, IATA. "Fully compliant with the 16.2 schema version, the release of SAP Hybris Commerce, travel accelerator, joins NDC players who are supporting airline efforts to provide enhanced customer experiences."

To learn more about SAP Hybris Commerce, travel accelerator, and how it benefits travel providers, please visit the Web site.

For more information on SAP Hybris, visit the SAP Hybris News Center or follow SAP Hybris at @saphybris. For more information on SAP, visit SAP News Center or follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews

*SAP Hybris is a brand name launched in January 2016 to represent the SAP solutions for customer engagement and commerce as well as the offerings, employees and business of acquired company hybris AG, which continues to be our legal entity until integration with SAP is complete.

About SAP Hybris Solutions

SAP Hybris solutions provide omnichannel customer engagement and commerce software that allows organizations to build up a contextual understanding of their customers in real time, deliver a more impactful, relevant customer experience, and sell more goods, services and digital content across every touch point, channel and device. Through customer data management, context driven marketing tools and unified commerce processes, SAP Hybris solutions have helped some of the world's leading organizations to attract, retain and grow a profitable customer base. SAP Hybris software for customer engagement and commerce provides organizations with the foundation, framework and business tools to create a holistic customer view across channels, simplify customer engagement and solve complex business problems. For more information, visit www.hybris.com.

About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device  SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 355,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

 2017 SAP SE. All rights reserved.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:

Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24

United States Only: +1 (800) 872-1SAP (+1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:

SAP News Center press room; [email protected]

Jenny Gardynski or Nikki Festa, PAN Communications, +1 617-502-4300, [email protected], ET

Michael Baxter, SAP Hybris +49 151 1719 6185, [email protected], CET

SOURCE SAP SE

Related Links

http://www.sap.com


The mechanism is a protein complex called Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1). Researchers were surprised when they found that PRC1 activates specific germline genes and the production of healthy sperm.

This is because when male mammals such as humans and mice are born, they come with all the reproductive germline cells (including inheritable genetics) needed to help make healthy fertile sperm and offspring. But the sperm isn't fertile during infancy or childhood. True to the "repressive" in its name, PRC1 also tamps down specific genes and the activation of fertile sperm production until an individual reaches reproductive age.

Researchers show in their current study that when mice reach reproductive age, the PRC1 protein complex changes. It sheds reproductive germline gene components that block fertile sperm production and substitutes in a component (Sall4) that starts spermatogenesis  the production of fertile sperm.

"A long-standing question has been how reproductive germline genes are activated in a precise and timely manner. Our study answers this fundamental question by identifying novel epigenetic machinery that directs timely activation of spermatogenesis," said Satoshi Namekawa, PhD, lead study investigator and member of the Division of Reproductive Sciences in the Cincinnati Children's Perinatal Institute. "This has a very high impact because we found that this repressor of sperm production, PRC1, has a new function by promoting gene activation to make sperm when the time comes."

The scientists also found that when PRC1 is disrupted, such as in male mice bred to not express PRC1, the animals have smaller testes and are unable to produce healthy sperm or offspring. Researchers still need to find out precisely how or why PRC1 changes its role from sperm suppressor to activator.

Intriguing Future Questions

The current study opens the door to asking intriguing new questions about how lifestyle or other environmental factors might affect a male's reproductive capabilities through epigenetics  or how environmental factors can turn genes on or off in the body, Namekawa said. The findings also provide an opportunity to determine whether PRC1 or one of its genetic/molecular partners (like Sall4) can be useful as clinical biomarkers for male infertility.

Raising the stakes for these answering these questions, Namekawa and other researchers have learned that disruptions or epigenetic changes to an individual's reproductive germline cells can be passed on to subsequent generations of offspring.

Funding support for the study came from the March of Dimes 531 Foundation (grant FY13-510) and the National Institutes of Health (DP2GM119134, R01GM098605).

SOURCE Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Related Links

http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org


"Whether you've come for a quick lunch or want to linger over a meeting with business associates, our restaurants allow every guest to choose the menu they wish and to manage the pace of a dining experience infused with distinctive Brazilian culture and authentic churrasco," says Salim Asrawi, COO of the family-owned brand with 53 locations worldwide.

Now guests may enjoy lunch on Fridays in Rochester, NY, choosing either the full rodizio-style menu or the salad area only dining experience. In Detroit, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Tampa, Texas de Brazil Churrascaria adds Monday and Tuesday lunch service to complement the already-popular Wednesday through Sunday offerings. And in Sunrise, Florida's Sawgrass Mills Mall, Texas de Brazil adds Monday through Wednesday lunch service to complete its daily service. Check the website for specific hours and pricing per location.

Texas de Brazil takes the time-honored tradition of churrasco-style cooking and combines it with genuine southern hospitality and superior service. Every guest's experience begins at an expansive salad area filled with freshly made dishes, both hot and cold, including favorites such as lobster bisque and coconut fish stew (Moqueca), traditional rice and beans and potatoes au gratin, or charcuterie and imported cheeses, Brazilian hearts of palm, pineapple carpaccio and vegetable couscous. The menu also features a variety of grilled meats cooked the authentic Brazilian gaucho way --over open flame using natural wood charcoal which gives the meats a deeper, more intense flavor and just the right amount of smokiness. The tempting selections may include succulent lamb chops, leg of lamb, picanha (sirloin), filet mignon, chicken breasts wrapped in bacon, Brazilian sausages and more.

During the continuous dining experience, guests pace the gaucho's service with a simple flip of a red and green disc. Green indicates when additional servings are welcome while red indicates a break is needed. The appealing menu offers something to please everyone at the table.

Welcoming diners of all ages, Texas de Brazil regularly features 50 percent savings off regular dinner prices for children 6-12. Children 3-5 years of age dine for $5 and those under two dine free. For details, location times and pricing for each location, visit www.texasdebrazil.com.

About Texas de Brazil

Texas de Brazil is an authentic churrascaria featuring a continuous dining experience that blends the unique culture of Brazil with the generous hospitality of Texas. The menu features a vast selection of grilled meats, a 50-item salad area and a la carte dessert selections. Founded as a family-owned business in 1998, Texas de Brazil now has 53 domestic and international locations. For more information, visit http://www.texasdebrazil.com.

SOURCE Texas de Brazil

Related Links

http://www.texasdebrazil.com


The RAPID project is an early demonstration of 5G technology and enables high-speed data transfer rates up to 10 Gb/s with low latency for many client devices. It is an ideal solution for hot spot applications. RAPID 5G is a pioneering research project run by a consortium of European Union and Japanese members developing key technologies needed for the transition to high speed 5G networks.

The test included very high-resolution video transmission - 4K and 8K through the 5G antenna modules installed in the facility. The video was received on a moving terminal throughout the mall with a computer with VR goggles. Transmission was over Wi-Fi, millimeter wave equipment from Siklu demonstrating 5G, and commercial 4G, and the goal was to show the interoperability of these radio access technologies.

5G speeds were achieved via photonics, with DAS systems connected via Corning fiber to indoor radio heads, as well as through beam forming antennas operating over the 60GHz millimeter wave spectrum. Siklu contributed 60GHz radios with innovative beam forming antennas, which operated flawlessly and achieved the coverage and speeds targets.

"We're extremely pleased with the results of the RAPID 5G experiment. The experiment showed that Siklu millimeter wave technology can be used to provide 5G speeds today. This is in addition to our 5G fixed wireless access solution that is currently being used by operators in the US as a means to extend and leverage their fiber networks with a gigabit speed wireless solution," said Yigal Leiba, Siklu CTO.

About Siklu

Siklu delivers multi-gigabit fiber-like wireless connectivity in urban, suburban and rural areas. Operating in the millimeter wave bands, its wireless solutions are used by leading service providers and system integrators to provide gigabit services, 5G fixed wireless and in safe city and smart city projects. Thousands of carrier-grade systems are delivering interference-free performance world-wide. Easily installed on street-fixtures or rooftops, the price-competitive radios have proved to be ideal for networks requiring fast and simple deployment of secure, fiber-like and future-proof connectivity. visit: www.siklu.com.

SOURCE Siklu

Related Links

http://www.siklu.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- "Smart hospital market expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.00% between 2017 and 2023"

According to the new market research report, the smart hospital market is expected to grow from USD 13.52 billion in 2016 to USD 63.49 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 24.0% between 2017 and 2023.







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05106681







The modernization of healthcare infrastructure boosting the demand for smart hospitals and also the development of IoT technologies in the field of healthcare are the major driving factors behind the growth of the smart hospital market. Furthermore, the increasing interoperability risk and the lack of governance standards are the major restraining factors for the smart hospital market.



"The market for super specialty is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period"

The connectivity of the healthcare systems through IoT places importance on the patients' needs. Super specialty hospitals offer efficient operations for saving lives of patients with the help of diagnostic equipment, therapeutic equipment, and skilled staff. Also, the accuracy of devices and instruments should be very high because an error might risk a patient's life. Thus, IoT plays a crucial role in super specialty hospitals. The key reason behind the highest growth of the adoption of IoT in super specialty hospitals is the requirement for patients' safety, the quality of medication, and the priority for families pertaining to medical treatments.



"Smart hospital market in APAC expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period"

This report covers regions such as North America, Europe, APAC, and RoW. The market in APAC is expected to grow at the highest rate between 2017 and 2023. Increasing healthcare investments and stringent government regulations pertaining to patient safety are anticipated to boost the growth of the smart hospital market in APAC.



In the process of determining and verifying the market size for several segments and subsegments gathered through secondary research, extensive primary interviews were conducted with key experts. The breakup of the profiles of primary participants is given below:

 By Company Type: Tier 125%, Tier 240%, and Tier 335%

 By Designation: C Level50%, Director Level40%, and Others10%

 By Region: North America35%, Europe22%, APAC28%, and RoW15%



Major players in the smart hospital market are Medtronic (Ireland), Philips (Netherlands), Microsoft (US), GE Healthcare (US) and Qualcomm Life (US), Infor (US), Athenahealth (US), PhysIQ (US), Diabetizer (Germany), AdhereTech (US), Epic (US), GlucoVista (US), STANLEY Healthcare (US), Cerner Corporation (US), McKesson (US), St. Jude Medical (US), SAMSUNG (South Korea), Oracle (US), and Renesas Electronics Corporation (Japan).



Research Coverage:

This report segments the smart hospital market on the basis of component into hardware, systems and software, and services. In terms of connectivity, the smart hospital market is segmented into wired and wireless.



Based on services rendered, the smart hospital market is segmented into general, specialty, and super specialty. Moreover, the smart hospital market is divided on the basis of application into remote medicine management; electronic health record & clinical workflow; outpatient vigilance; medical data cloud; and medical assistance.



Also, based on artificial intelligence, the smart hospital market is segmented into technology and offering. The overall smart hospital market is classified on the basis of region into North America, Europe, APAC, and RoW.



Key Benefits of Buying the Report:

 This report includes the market statistics pertaining to connectivity, component, service rendered, artificial intelligence, application, and region, along with their respective revenues.

 It also includes the value chain analysis to provide an insight into the smart hospital market.

 Major drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities for the smart hospital market have been detailed in this report.

 A detailed competitive landscape has been provided, which includes DIVE analysis, business strategy, product offerings, and key players and their revenues.

 The available customizations for the report offer further country-wise segmentation of the smart hospital market in terms of value and breakdown of the industry, along with the profiling of additional companies in the report.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05106681



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.



https://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com


BALDWIN PARK, Calif., Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This Spring StemCyte will mark its 20th anniversary as a global leader in the cord blood therapeutic industry. To honor all of its incredible accomplishments of the past 20 years, StemCyte will host a "Grand Open House" celebration at the company's Baldwin Park, CA Headquarters on October 21, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Expectant parents, existing clients and the prestigious group of doctors and staff that StemCyte has worked with through the years, are welcome to attend the event. Guests will enjoy complimentary food, beverages, 4D sonograms and a special guest appearance by PBS KIDS character Daniel Tiger, as seen on PBS SoCal KOCE.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have played a role in our success and all those who we have been privileged to serve for the last 20 years," said Jonas Wang, StemCyte's CEO and Chairman. "We have remained committed to our core values, and we look forward to working together for many more years to come."

About StemCyte

StemCyte's rich history started with a mission of being dedicated to helping the world's physicians save more lives by providing high quality, safe and effective stem cell transplantation and therapy to all patients in need. Located in the US, India and Taiwan, StemCyte has supplied over 2100 cord blood products for over 40 life-threatening diseases to over 300 leading worldwide transplant centers. StemCyte is actively involved in the development of stem cell therapies. StemCyte was the first to donate umbilical cord blood units (UCB) to Dr. Jaing of Chung Gung Memorial Hospital for his clinical trial to use UCB to treat and cure Beta Thalassemia. More excitingly is the work and accomplishments of Prof Wise Young, MD, PhD. Prof. Young has completed Phase II clinical trials on patients with chronic spinal cord injury with UCB and the results are extremely encouraging. StemCyte is chosen by the US Department of Health and Human Services to help establishing a public National Cord Blood Inventory. Its headquarters are located in Baldwin Park, CA. To learn more visit www.StemCyte.com.

Media Contact: 626-646-2500

SOURCE StemCyte

Related Links

http://www.stemcyte.com


MISSION WOODS, Kan., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Palmer Square Capital Management, an investment management firm that focuses on investing in corporate and structured credit for a wide array of institutional and high net worth investors, announced that it has closed on its sixth Collateralized Loan Obligation ("CLO") transaction in 2017. In addition to issuing CLOs, Palmer Square manages total return credit strategies, higher-quality income/short duration strategies, and hedged credit strategies.

Palmer Square has not only been a pioneer in the CLO space having issued the first static CLOs and rolling out the Palmer Square CLO Indices, but also the firm has built a diversified product platform offering many unique credit investment solutions through its private partnerships, mutual funds, and warehousing vehicles. As far as CLO issuance, the firm has now closed four static CLO transactions equating to almost $1 billion in issuance and five managed CLOs amounting to approximately $2.5 billion in issuance. CLO transactions are designed to invest in broadly-syndicated, senior secured bank loans.

"We are pleased with the success of our credit platform. We believe that not only our CLOs, but also the firm's other credit-focused strategies provide niche access to an expanded credit opportunity set, diversification in a rising rate environment, and finally a potential to capture material income and total return in areas in which Palmer Square believes we have a competitive advantage," said Christopher D. Long, President of Palmer Square Capital Management.

Added Angie K. Long, CFA, Chief Investment Officer of Palmer Square Capital Management, "Palmer Square's goal is to continue to seek relative value opportunities across both corporate credit and structured credit. We feel investing in and managing CLOs such as our recent static CLO transactions continues to be a strong risk-adjusted opportunity for investors."

As of August 31st, 2017, Palmer Square managed approximately $4.3 billion in assets. Please visit www.palmersquarecap.com to learn more.

Palmer Square Capital Management LLC, 2000 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 300, Mission Woods, KS 66205

The securities issued under the CLO transactions have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of such securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

SOURCE Palmer Square Capital Management

Related Links

http://www.palmersquarecap.com


LONDON, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Natural, Artificial, Nature-identical, Sweet Snacks, Bakery & Confectionary, Dairy & Frozen Desserts, Alcoholic Beverages, Non-alcoholic Beverages, Others, North America, EU, APAC, RoW, Leading Companies

Visiongain comprehensive new 150-page report assesses that Alternative Sweeteners market will be valued at $11.6bn in 2017.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/523989/Visiongain_Logo.jpg )



The comprehensive report covers the following:

 Global Alternative Sweeteners Market Forecast 2017-2027

 Global Alternative Sweeteners Market Forecast by Type:

- Natural Sweeteners Market Forecast 2017-2027

- Artificial Sweeteners Market Forecast 2017-2027

- Nature-identical Sweeteners Market Forecast 2017-2027

Each submarket is further broken down into: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and RoW

 Global Alternative Sweeteners Market Forecast by Application:

- Sweet Snacks Market Forecast 2017-2027

- Bakery & Confectionary Market Forecast 2017-2027

- Dairy & Frozen Desserts Market Forecast 2017-2027

- Alcoholic Beverages Market Forecast 2017-2027

- Non-alcoholic Beverages Market Forecast 2017-2027

- Others Market Forecast 2017-2027

Each submarket is further broken down into: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and RoW

 Global Alternative Sweeteners Market Forecast by Region and National Market:

- North America Market Forecast 2017-2027: USA, Canada, Others

- Europe Market Forecast 2017-2027: the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Others

- Asia-Pacific Market Forecast 2017-2027: ANZ, Japan, China, India, Others

- RoW Market Forecast 2017-2027: South Africa, Brazil, Others

Each regional market is further broken down into: submarket by type and by application

 This report also profiles the following leading companies:

- Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

- Amalgamated Sugar

- Archer-Daniels Midland

- Cargill Inc.

- Celanese Corporation

- Danisco A/S

- Ingredion Inc

- JK Sucralose Inc

- Roquette Freres SA

- Tate & Lyle PLC

 This report provides and discusses the qualitative analysis of this market in the form of Drivers and Restraints as well as Porter's Five Forces Analysis

With 81 charts and a total length of 150 pages, this report is a fantastic opportunity to increase your knowledge of this sector. Visiongain's data-rich approach provides greater insight into this market, with year by year forecasts for a wide variety of submarkets.

Get our report today Sugar Reduction Technologies: Alternative Sweeteners Market Forecast 2017-2027: Natural, Artificial, Nature-identical, Sweet Snacks, Bakery & Confectionary, Dairy & Frozen Desserts, Alcoholic Beverages, Non-alcoholic Beverages, Others, North America, EU, APAC, RoW, Leading Companies. Avoid missing out - order our report now.

To request a report overview of this report please email Sara Peerun at [email protected] or call Tel: +44-(0)-20-7336-6100

Or click on https://www.visiongain.com/Report/1994/Sugar-Reduction-Technologies-Alternative-Sweeteners-Market-Forecast-2017-2027

List of Companies Mentioned in the Report

Agropur Ingredients

Ajinomoto Co Inc.

AkzoNobel

Alibaba

Amalgamated Sugar Company

Amazon

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)

Aventine Renewable Energy

Beghin-Say

BetterStevia

Black River Asset Management

Cargill Inc.

Celanese Corporation

Celgene

Cerestar

Coca-Cola

Corn Products International, Inc

Danisco A/S

DouxMatok

DuPont

Hoechst

Hoechst Celanese Corporation

Ingredion Inc

JK Sucralose Inc.

Kashi

Leaf Brands

Lucozade

Maumee Chemical Company

McDonald

MycoTechnology Inc.

Natur Research Ingredients Inc.

Nature's Way

Nestle

NutraSweet

Pfizer

PURE VIA

Roquette Freres SA

Snake River Sugar Company

Sugar Foods

SweeGen

SweetLeaf

Silver Spoon

Tate & Lyle PLC

Texaco

The American Cellulose and Chemical Manufacturing Co. Ltd

The Mosaic Company

Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding

Truvia

Uni-President China Holdings

Wholesome Sweeteners

Williams Companies

Zentis

To see a report overview please email Sara Peerun on [email protected]

SOURCE Visiongain Ltd
FALLS CHURCH, Va., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Suntiva, a trusted business transformation and technology company, announced today it has been awarded a single-award $20M Army Procurement Response Team (ART) contract from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement) (ODASA(P)) Enterprise Business Systems Directorate (EBSD).

As the ART prime contractor, Suntiva will provide tactical and functional services throughout the Army's acquisition community, for both the Continental and Outside the Continental United States (CONUS and OCONUS). The five-year, firm fixed price contract consolidated work from two previous contracts and provides analytical, technical and functional engineering support services for the deployment, upgrade, and sustainment of the Department of Defense (DoD) Standard Procurement System's (SPS) contract writing software known as Procurement Desktop-Defense (PD). It also provides organizational oversight and end-user support for the procurement business systems in use across the Army Contracting Enterprise.

"Suntiva is proud to continue our partnership supporting the ODASA(P) Enterprise Business Systems Directorate," explains Dr. Hany Malik, Suntiva Founder and CEO. "We take great pride delivering strategic, technical, and functional support of the current contract writing system environment throughout the Army's acquisition community."

"This reinforces Suntiva's strong relationship with ODASA(P) and continues our key role at the forefront of contract writing system support for the United States Army," states Dave Copp, Suntiva Vice President for Defense. "We remain committed to providing innovative solutions and exceptional services for our soldiers, world-wide, as they keep our nation safe."

About Suntiva: Suntiva is a business transformation and technology company serving Federal Government agencies. We are committed to Enabling Smart Government by supporting government leaders with Digital, Workforce and Business Process Transformation solutions and services designed to improve performance through people, process and technology in significant, measurable and sustainable ways. Our solutions and services are built using a multi-disciplinary lens integrating deep and specific domain expertise with information technology, governance and organizational performance, human capital and federal acquisition lifecycle knowledge. We apply our knowledge, experience and passion to collectively help government leaders realize success through more efficient operations and better service delivery  with great minds and great hearts.

SOURCE Suntiva

Related Links

http://www.suntiva.com


"Superior Access has been one of the most valuable investments I have made in my company. I'm able to quote multiple lines of business for my customers, and get access to personal and commercial insurance markets with one platform. It's easy to use, and the advanced technology is backed-up by great service," said Kavish Sudi, agency owner, Sunshine Insurance Services, LLC.

As the P&C insurance industry and the digital economy constantly evolve, Superior Access continues to find innovative ways to help independent agents build their business.

"We're here to help agents write more business. Focused on speed, efficiency and product choice, we facilitate agent transactions with our carriers and provide the information and responsiveness they need to find new markets and expand the markets they already have," said Tom Hammond, executive vice president insurance distribution. "We also want to say thank you to everyone who participated in our sweepstakes. Independent agents often serve as leaders in our communities and they work hard to keep everyone's livelihood safe."

Superior Access is dedicated to the success of independent insurance agents nationwide. To that end, the company has assembled a team of experts to assist independent agents in their efforts. From finding markets to binding quotes and processing renewals, Superior Access delivers the most innovative solutions available to the retail agent. Superior Access has an underwriting team of highly qualified individuals at independent agents' disposal. Most of Superior Access' underwriters have insurance carrier experience, and are committed to continuing insurance education. Many of the company's sales and agency services team have worked for the carriers Superior Access offers, and some have been independent agents themselves. Superior Access' IT team is frequently upgrading its systems to keep the company at the forefront of technology.

About Superior Access

Superior Access is the industry's largest Online Insurance Market Access Provider enabling fast access to a variety of insurance products at competitive rates. Through leading-edge online tools and a vast market network of products, Superior Access helps insurance agents effectively find, quote and bind business faster and more successfully than ever before. With a full service team of underwriters and seasoned, licensed professionals at the ready, Superior Access is dedicated to expanding opportunities and improving business results for independent agents. Superior Access is a BOLT company. For more information, please visit superioraccess.com.

Contact:

Michelle Lyng

Novitas Communications

[email protected]

202-380-7114

SOURCE Superior Access

Related Links

https://www.superioraccess.com/


HOUSTON, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On behalf of Surge Homes, Benoit Lemieux and Louis Conrad were honored Thursday in Washington, with Builder magazine's 2017 William S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence award. Surge Homes is the only Texas builder inducted into the Hall of Fame in the award's 13-year history. This year's other Marvin Hall of Fame honorees are architects Lorcan O'Herlihy and Paul Masi, of Los Angeles and East Hampton, New York, respectively.

Pictured: Ben Lemieux (standing) and Louis Conrad (seated). Photo by Colin Lenton for Builder Magazine Parc at Midtown: micro condo

Builder writes, "The winners of this year's prestigious award are known for testing design boundaries in a variety of settings." Adding, "The best architects, builders, and designers have a style that sets them apart. This year's inductees into the Wm S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence embody that sense of uniqueness with one-of-a-kind projects that go beyond meeting clients' need for shelter. Their finished products set new standards for residential design excellence."

Based on the results of an interactive market research process involving 3,400 Houstonians, Surge Homes designed innovative residential living spaces with smaller footprints in elegant, new building types  some not previously seen in Houston  that allow them to bring more affordable products to homeowners. The company continued its innovations through to interior finishes, which also were developed through its crowdsourcing process in coordination with professional designers, by importing award-winning kitchen and bathroom cabinets from Germany that are exclusive to Surge Homes.

European-inspired, innovative floor plans that maximize space are a hallmark of Surge Homes' designs. Whether it's a 468-square-foot, one-bedroom condo, a 1,500-square-foot, three-story, three-bedroom townhome, or the unique Sky Townhome, which offers two-story condo living in less than 1,000 square feet, Surge Homes spares no attention to detail. This is also evidenced by the 70 luxury interior design packages offered to each homeowner, from those purchasing a $150,000 condo or a $1.5 million single-family home.

"This award acknowledges the determination to see our vision through to fruition when many in our market believed we would fail," said, Conrad, president of Surge Homes. "We are not only bringing densification to Houston's Inner Loop, we are bringing quality, affordable, luxury housing that isn't found elsewhere in our market."

Photo by Colin M. Lenton for BUILDER magazine.

About BUILDER

Hanley Wood's BUILDER is the leading authority in the residential construction industry and serves as the magazine of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence award is given on merit, no entry fee nor application is needed.

About Surge Homes

Surge Homes, voted Developer of the Year by Houston Agent Magazine's Agents' Choice Awards, is a residential real estate developer and builder committed to providing brand-new homes in developments that feature stunning architecture and cutting-edge interior designs in and around Houston's urban core. The company was one of five nominees for Homebuilding Innovator of the Year in Construction Dive's 2016 Dive Awards. From land development and construction to sales and marketing, Surge Homes is involved in every aspect of creating these new homes, which are located in the most desirable Inner Loop areas. Louis Conrad, president, Ben Lemieux, chairman, and David Modlin, vice president of development and construction, each bring more than 28 years of experience in real estate development, management and consulting. Their previous developments total more than 4,000 homes and include master-planned communities, houses and condominiums throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Contact: Kim Antley

(713) 468-4162 x 36

[email protected]

SOURCE Surge Homes

Related Links

https://www.surgehomes.com


SAO PAULO, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

SUZANO TRADING LTD.

(an exempted company incorporated with limited liability in the Cayman Islands)

Early Tender Results of Offer to Purchase for Cash

Up to U.S.$150,000,000 Aggregate Principal Amount of Suzano Trading Ltd.'s Outstanding

5.875% Senior Notes due 2021

(CUSIP: 86960FAA1 and G8600UAA1; ISIN: US86960FAA12 and USG8600UAA19)

Guaranteed by Suzano Papel e Celulose S.A. (incorporated in the Federative Republic of Brazil) and subject to the Tender Cap and other Conditions

Suzano Trading Ltd. ("Suzano") hereby announces that holders of U.S.$262,559,000.00 principal amount of the outstanding 5.875% senior notes due 2021 (CUSIP: 86960FAA1 and G8600UAA1; ISIN: US86960FAA12 and USG8600UAA19) (the "Notes"), tendered their Notes on or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 18, 2017 (the "Early Tender Date"), pursuant to Suzano's cash tender offer announced in the press release dated September 5, 2017 (the "Tender Offer"), upon the terms and subject to the conditions described in the Offer to Purchase dated September 5, 2017 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Offer to Purchase") and the accompanying Letter of Transmittal dated September 5, 2017 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Letter of Transmittal" and, together with the Offer to Purchase, the "Offer Documents"). This press release amends and supplements such Offer Documents.

Suzano will not extend the Early Tender Date. Suzano also announces that it is increasing the "Tender Cap" from U.S.$100,000,000.00 to U.S.$150,000,000.00. Except for such increase, all other terms and conditions of the Tender Offer, as previously announced, remain unchanged.

Suzano has accepted for purchase approximately 57% of the Notes validly tendered in the Tender Offer on or prior to the Early Tender Date. Suzano expects to make payment for the Notes accepted in the Tender Offer on September 20, 2017, or as soon as practicable thereafter (the "Early Settlement Date"). Holders whose Notes have been accepted for purchase will be entitled to receive the total consideration of U.S.$1,090.00 per U.S.$1,000.00 principal amount of Notes tendered, which includes an early tender consideration (the "Early Tender Consideration") of U.S.$30.00 per U.S.$1,000.00 principal amount of Notes validly tendered, and to receive accrued and unpaid interest from, and including, the last interest payment date to, but not including, the Early Settlement Date. The total cash payment to purchase the accepted Notes on the Early Settlement Date will be U.S.$159,393,970.00, including the Early Tender Consideration and excluding accrued and unpaid interest.

Because the aggregate principal amount of Notes validly tendered and not withdrawn prior to the Early Tender date exceeded the Tender Cap, the Company plans to accept for purchase U.S.$150,000,000.00 of the outstanding principal amount of Notes, on a prorated basis, with the prorated aggregate principal amount of each holder's validly tendered Notes accepted for purchase to be rounded down to the nearest U.S.$1,000.00. As a result of pro ration and rounding, the total principal amount of Notes to be actually purchased by the Company will be U.S.$146,233,000.00. If the principal amount of Notes returned to a holder as a result of proration would result in less than the minimum denomination being returned to such holder, to ensure the return of Notes in minimum principal amounts of U.S.$100,000.00 and integral multiples of U.S.$1,000.00 in excess thereof, if necessary, Suzano will make appropriate adjustments downward to the nearest U.S.$1,000.00 principal amount, or if applicable, the minimum denomination of U.S.$100,000.00, with respect to each Holder validly tendering Notes. Any tender of Notes, the proration of which would otherwise result in a return of Notes to a tendering Holder in a principal amount below the minimum denomination of U.S.$100,000.00, may be rejected in full or accepted in full in Suzano's sole discretion. The Total Consideration, including the Early Tender Consideration, will not be payable with respect to any Notes returned due to proration.

Although the Tender Offer is scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, October 2, 2017 (the "Expiration Date"), because holders of Notes subject to the tender offer validly tendered and did not validly withdraw Notes on or prior to the Early Tender Date for which the aggregate consideration payable exceeds the Tender Cap, the Company does not expect to accept for purchase any Notes tendered after the Early Tender Date.

D.F. King & Co., Inc. is acting as the tender agent and as the information agent (the "Tender and Information Agent") for the Tender Offer. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Santander Investment Securities Inc., BB Securities Limited, Itau BBA USA Securities, Inc. and Mizuho Securities USA LLC are acting as dealer managers (the "Dealer Managers") for the Tender Offer.

The Tender Offer commenced on the date of the Offer to Purchase and will expire on the Expiration Date, unless extended or earlier terminated by Suzano. No tenders will be valid if submitted after the Expiration Date. If a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee (each, a "Nominee") holds your Notes, such Nominee may have an earlier deadline for accepting the offer. You should promptly contact such Nominee that holds your Notes to determine its deadline. The Tender Offer is open to all registered Holders of the Notes.

Suzano's obligation to accept for payment, and to pay the Total Consideration or the Purchase Price, as applicable, and Accrued Interest for, Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn pursuant to the Tender Offer are subject to, and conditioned upon, the satisfaction of, or Suzano's waiver of the Conditions, including the Financing Condition described under the heading "Conditions to the Offer" in the Offer to Purchase.

If you do not tender your Notes or if you tender Notes that are not accepted for purchase, they will remain outstanding. If Suzano consummates the Tender Offer, the applicable trading market for your outstanding Notes of the applicable series may be significantly more limited. For a discussion of this and other risks, see "Certain Significant ConsiderationsThe Offer may adversely affect the market value and reduce the liquidity of any trading market of the Notes" in the Offer to Purchase.

THE OFFER TO PURCHASE AND THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL SHOULD BE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE A DECISION IS MADE WITH RESPECT TO THE TENDER OFFER.

NEITHER THE OFFER TO PURCHASE NOR ANY OF THE OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE TENDER OFFER HAVE BEEN FILED WITH OR REVIEWED BY THE FEDERAL OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION OR REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY COUNTRY, NOR HAS ANY SUCH COMMISSION OR AUTHORITY PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THE OFFER TO PURCHASE OR ANY OF THE OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE TENDER OFFER. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS UNLAWFUL AND MAY BE A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

Notwithstanding any other provision of the Tender Offer, Suzano's obligation to accept for purchase, and to pay for, any Notes validly tendered pursuant to the Tender Offer, is conditioned upon the satisfaction of the General Conditions, including the Financing Condition (as defined herein and in the Offer to Purchase). The General Conditions to the Tender Offer are for the sole benefit of Suzano and may be asserted by Suzano, regardless of the circumstances giving rise to any such condition (including any action or inaction by Suzano). Suzano reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to waive any and all conditions of the Tender Offer, at or prior to the Expiration Date (or the Early Settlement Date). The Tender Offer is not subject to a minimum principal amount of Notes being tendered.

Subject to applicable laws and the terms set forth in the Tender Offer, Suzano reserves the right, with respect to the Notes, (i) to waive or modify in whole or in part any and all conditions to the Tender Offer, (ii) to extend the Expiration Date, the Early Tender Date, the Early Settlement Date, the Settlement Date or any other date mentioned herein, (iii) to modify or terminate the Tender Offer or (iv) to otherwise amend the Tender Offer in any respect.

NONE OF SUZANO, Suzano Papel e Celulose S.A., THE TRUSTEE (as defined in the Offer to Purchase), THE TENDER AND INFORMATION AGENT, THE DEALER MANAGERS OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES MAKES ANY RECOMMENDATION AS TO WHETHER HOLDERS SHOULD TENDER, OR REFRAIN FROM TENDERING AS TO ALL OR ANY PORTION OF THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF THEIR NOTES PURSUANT TO THE Tender Offer, NOR SHOULD THE OFFER TO PURCHASE BE CONSTRUED AS INVESTMENT, ACCOUNTING, LEGAL OR TAX ADVICE BY SUCH PARTIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, AGENTS, ATTORNEYS OR EMPLOYEES. HOLDERS MUST MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS AND SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN ATTORNEYS, ACCOUNTANTS AND OTHER ADVISORS WITH REGARD TO TENDERING NOTES.

Neither this press release nor the Offer to Purchase constitutes an offer to purchase the Notes in any jurisdiction in which, or to or from any person to or from whom, it is unlawful to make such offer under applicable securities laws. If Suzano becomes aware of any jurisdiction in which the making of the Tender Offer would not be in compliance with applicable laws, Suzano will make a good faith effort to comply with any such laws. If, after such good faith effort, Suzano cannot comply with any such laws, the Tender Offer will not be made to (nor will tenders of Notes be accepted from or on behalf of) the owners of Notes residing in such jurisdiction. Neither the delivery of the Tender Offer to Purchase nor any purchase hereunder shall under any circumstances create any implication that the information contained therein is correct as of any time subsequent to the date hereof or that there has been no change in the information set forth herein or in any attachments hereto or in Suzano's affairs since the date hereof. The Dealer Managers may be tendering Notes in connection with the Tender Offer.

The Offer to Purchase does not constitute an offer to sell any securities or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities (other than the Notes). Any offering of securities will only be made by an offering document and any such offering may not be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking 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. Forward-looking statements are only predictions and are not guarantees of future performance. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are and will be, as the case may be, subject to many risks, uncertainties and factors relating to Suzano that may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Although Suzano believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information currently available, Suzano cannot guarantee future results or events. Suzano expressly disclaims a duty to update any of the forward-looking statements.

The Tender and Information Agent for the Tender Offer is:

D.F. King & Co., Inc.

48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor

New York, New York 10005

United States

Email: [email protected]

www.dfking.com/suzano

Banks and Brokers call: +1 (212) 2695550

All others call toll free (U.S. only): +1 (800) 967-7574

By Facsimile Transmission:

(for Eligible Institutions only)

+1 (212) 7093328

For Confirmation

+1 (212) 269-5552

Attn: Andrew Beck

Any questions or requests for assistance or for additional copies of the Offer to Purchase may be directed to the Tender and Information Agent at one of its telephone numbers above. A Holder (or a beneficial owner that is not a Holder) may also contact the Dealer Managers at their respective telephone numbers set forth below or its broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the Tender Offer.

The Dealer Managers for the Tender Offer are:

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

383 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10179

Attn: Latin American Debt Capital Markets

Toll Free: 866-846-2874

Collect: 212-834-7279 Santander Investment

Securities Inc.

45 East 53rd Street, 5th floor

New York, New York 10022

Attn: Liability Management Group

Toll Free: 855-404-3636

Collect: 212-940-1442 BB Securities Limited

4th Floor  Pinners Hall 105-108 Old Broad Street London, EC2N 1ER United Kingdom Attn: Operations Department

Collect: +44 (20) 7367-5803 E-mail: [email protected] Itau BBA USA Securities, Inc. 767 Fifth Ave, 50th Floor New York, New York 10153 USA Attn: Debt Capital Markets Toll Free: +1 (888) 770-4828 Collect: +1 (212) 710-6749 Mizuho Securities USA LLC

320 Park Avenue New York, New York 10022 USA Attn: Liability Management

Toll Free: 866-271-7403

Collect: 212-205-7736

The Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal shall be available online at www.dfking.com/suzano until the consummation or termination of the Tender Offer

SOURCE Suzano Trading Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.dfking.com/suzano


LAUREL, Md., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The past several weeks have been exceedingly difficult for the communities affected by the hurricanes that devastated areas of Texas, Florida and the Caribbean. Our crew members and our company have been deeply moved by the impact of these natural disasters and are working with our industry partners to deliver food, water and needed supplies to Harvey's victims. The Coastal Companies ("Coastal") just sent its third trailer load of relief to Houston Food Bank (http://www.houstonfoodbank.org), a vital resource for many Houston residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Community is a large part of company culture at Coastal. In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Coastal crew members were determined to help Houston residents meet basic needs and reached out to our industry partners in order to help make it happen. Many were eager to join us, and their responsiveness and generosity in supporting this relief mission are sincerely appreciated. Together with our partners, we have shipped three tractor-trailers to Houston, delivering produce, dairy, beverages, and supplies, starting with the first shipment sent on Sept. 4.

We want to thank all of the Coastal partners that have participated in this effort, including: Deluxe Logistics; Monumental Vending Inc.; Graul's Markets; Frank Donio, Inc.; Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms; Hillandale Farms Inc.; Lambeth Groves LLC; Saratoga Spring Water Co.; Norfolk Banana Distributors, Inc.; Richardson Farms; Torn & Glasser; Coosemans L.A. Shipping, Inc.; M&C Transportation; and B.K. Miller Co.

The need for disaster relief is even greater after Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc in Florida and the Caribbean Islands, and with Hurricane Maria about to strike the Caribbean. The Coastal Companies encourage food service providers to join us and generously assist those affected by the very serious consequences of these storms.

About The Coastal Companies

Founded in 1992, The Coastal Companies has emerged as a major distributor of fresh produce and dairy and as a leading regional processor of fruits and vegetables. Based in Baltimore/Washington, The Coastal Companies and its subsidiaries, Coastal Sunbelt Produce, East Coast Fresh, Cold Chain Logistics and Cold Chain Imports, operate a fleet of 185 trucks and deliver daily to food service customers across six states and the District of Columbia. The company also serves major retail customers along the East Coast. Please visit our subsidiaries' websites www.coastalsunbelt.com and www.eastcoastfresh.com to learn more.

CONTACT: Jessica Amodeo

9001 Whiskey Bottom Road

Laurel, MD 20723

Phone: 410-799-9900

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE The Coastal Companies
RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hilb Group, LLC (THG), a leading property & casualty insurance and employee benefits broker, announced today the acquisition of Mid-State Insurance Agency, Inc. (MSIA). The transaction became effective September 1, 2017. MSIA is THG's 37th acquisition since it was founded in 2009.

Based in Massachusetts, MSIA provides a wide range of property & casualty insurance and employee benefits products to businesses and individuals throughout the New England region. MSIA specializes in developing tailored risk management and insurance programs for automobile dealerships.

Following the transaction, MSIA's employees, including managing partners, Jim Pietro and Paul Pietro, are joining THG and will continue to operate out of their two offices in Worcester and Taunton.

"MSIA's specialized products and services for auto dealerships add depth to the capabilities of our New England operations, while its experienced team will further enhance our presence in the region," said Ricky Spiro, CEO of THG. "This firm will be an excellent complement to THG as we continue to grow and add innovative solutions for our clients. We are extremely pleased to welcome Jim, Paul and their colleagues to our growing team."

"This is a great opportunity to join a Top 50 insurance brokerage that reflects the same values that have made MSIA successful," said Jim Pietro. "Being part of a larger organization will afford our clients the additional resources that THG has to offer, while they will continue to work with the service teams they know and trust."

Paul Pietro added, "We are excited to join THG, and look forward to sharing our expertise while delivering expanded solutions and services to our clients and providing additional opportunities for our employees."

About the Hilb Group: The Hilb Group is a Top 50 middle market insurance agency headquartered in Richmond, Virginia and is a portfolio company of Boston-based private equity firm, Abry Partners. The Hilb Group seeks to grow through targeted acquisitions in the middle market insurance brokerage space. Please visit our website at: http://hilbgroup.com.

Media Contact:

Margaret Clary

804-205-1209

[email protected]

SOURCE The Hilb Group, LLC

Related Links

http://www.hilbgroup.com


With the strong support from Guizhou provincial government and Guiyang municipal government, the Summit was jointly held by China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CATCM), China High-tech Industrialization Association (CHIA), China Centre for International Science and Technology Exchange (CCISTE), China Pharmaceutical Industry Association (CPIA), and International Society of Scientific Communications for Nobel Prize Laureates (ISSCNL), in a bid to build a platform for in-depth dialogues among top medical experts from home and abroad in the era of "mass entrepreneurship and innovation", foster innovative ways of thinking, and provide more solutions for cooperation and challenges in the medical science field.

The Summit is, without doubt, the highest-level meeting in the bio-science sector, which has brought together the world's most eminent scientists, including five Nobel Prize recipients (Richard J. Roberts, Steven Chu, Barry J. Marshall, Robert C. Merton, and Aaron Ciechanover), more than ten academicians, and a hundred medical experts, to examine the facts about the globally neglected big issues concerning the climate change and genetically modified organisms. They would also harvest collective wisdom and support to brainstorm the wisest ideas, and conduct in-depth discussions and exchanges on such topics as integration of Chinese traditional medicine (TCM) and western medicine, precision medicine, and industrial upgrading driven by innovations. The epoch-making dialogues among these experts and scientists during the meeting have attracted dozens of leading media from home and abroad to cover the whole event, including CCTV, People's Daily, Reuters, Phoenix TV and Xinhua news agency.

The secretary of provincial party committee of Guizhou province Sun Zhigang and the acting governor of Guizhou province Chen Yiqin sent a congratulations, the vice director of National health and family planning commission issued a written address, raising the Summit's stimulation of communication between traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine, urging the Summit to continue to contribute to creative transformation and innovative development.

The Summit set up four key forums and multiple project investment sessions: Chinese Medicine Industry Innovation Development Forum to encourage academic discussions and industrial development; International Precision Medicine Summit Forum; World Youth Innovation Forum to inspire new thinking; and International Bio-medicine Industry Forum to promote capital investment and practical operations. Besides, it introduced many more activities, such as innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, and exhibitions for innovative products and technologies.

As the highlight of this year's summit, the world youth innovation forum brought today's top Scientific leaders and tomorrow's stars together. The "dream team", consisting of 1997 Nobel prize laureate in physics Steven Chu, 1993 Nobel prize laureate in physiology or medicine Richard J. Roberts, 2005 Nobel prize laureate in physiology or medicine Barry J. Marshall, 1997 Nobel Prize laureate in economics Robert C. Merton, with young Chinese scientists and students, they had a deep and interesting exchange and discussion of the issues on global climate change, the truth of GMOs, etc. Young people cherished such a rare and valuable opportunity of contact with the Nobel laureates. The role model effects, technology celebrity guide effects and inspirational effects greatly aroused the enthusiasm for innovative and creative thinking, promoting positive values guide. On the forum, the excellent keynote speech of Chinese young scientists has also delivered the voice of Chinese youth to the world. We see the enthusiasm of China's young people who are actively concerned about the issue of global development, and the goal of global sustainable development has attracted the attention of Chinese youth and even the world's young people.

Recently, the necessity and significance of precision medicine has been attached with great importance to it by the healthcare industry and governments of different countries; and it has become one of the world's hottest topics and has triggered the burgeoning growth of the healthcare market. Focusing on the development direction and strategy of precision medicine in China, the cross-field and interdisciplinary cooperation modes in precision medicine projects, and the future project implementation in different cities and provinces, the Precision Medicine Forum has summoned a number of renowned medical experts, scientists, policy-makers, and industrial leaders to study the field thoroughly from various dimensions, and has achieved remarkable results. Mr. Zhan Qimin, director of the PKU Health Science Center, said that precision is not only the ultimate goal of medical scientists, but the inexorable process of medicine development, during which the fundamental rule is innovations in scientific research. To this end, we should not just put emphasis on individual demands or simply regard it as part of genomics and big data. In fact, precision medicine is a diagnosis and treatment concept that focuses more on integration of different disciplines and takes proper consideration into the patients' physical and mental conditions.



The future precision medicine should involve multiple disciplines - big data, genomics, molecular images, and molecular pathology, and make personalized and customized treatment plans based on patients' conditions, living environment and lifestyle. In face of the historic opportunity of precision medicine - an area in which Chinese medicine may take the lead, this Forum explored the way of thinking across different disciplines and dimensions, and exhibited a new and comprehensive picture of precision medicine to the industry and the public.

In recent years, the "Preventive Treatment of Disease" concept of traditional Chinese medicine and its strengths in preventing and curing modern diseases have been recognized by more and more countries and medical scientists, particularly after the State Council issued the Outline of the Strategic Plan on Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2016-2030) in 2016, which regards the development of Chinese medicines as a "national strategy" and opens a landmark chapter for the revival of traditional Chinese medicine in a great effort to rejuvenate the Chinese nation as a whole. In this sense, accelerating the development of traditional Chinese medicine has become a strategic issue concerning national confidence, national security and international competition. To meet the trend, Chinese Medicine Industry Innovation Development Forum, which is based in Guiyang - a city well-known for its leadership in the "Chinese medicine industry", has solicited opinions and strategies from the participants on various issues including the development of Chinese medicine culture and healthcare services, inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine and folk medicines of ethnic minorities, new services of traditional Chinese medicine, and overseas development of traditional Chinese medicines (folk medicines and medical treatment of Miao minority in particular) from the global point of view and on the national strategic level. During the meeting, TCM master Mr. Zhang Daning, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Mr. Wu Yiling, along with other representatives from political and business circles, have reviewed and analyzed from various angles the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine and the challenges it is now facing.



They have strived to encourage the combination of traditional Chinese medicine's philosophical thinking and modern technologies so as to yield original and innovative results. In addition, they have made significant achievements in reviving traditional medicines worldwide, promoting the standard establishment, property intellectual rights, and future market of traditional Chinese medicine, and guiding the advances of life sciences - achievements that not only enhance the industrial development of traditional Chinese medicine itself, but make it a vehicle to carry forward China's splendid culture across the world and effectively improve the cultural exchange and mutual learning among different countries.

Scientific and technologic development needs to be applied to practice - with this aim, in the International Bio-pharmaceutical forum, scientists, business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs, led by three Nobel Prize laureates, have conducted effective discussions from various dimensions on the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine, particularly trending issues regarding the development of Chinese medicine industry after China joined the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH), the vigorous investment and mergers & acquisitions in the medicine sector worldwide, and the "last mile" of technological innovation and industrialization, triggering the "brainstorming" of the participants. Relying on the platform of Nobel Prize International Innovation Center, communication meetings between governments and enterprises, and closed-door business discussions were successfully held to promote the cooperation on numerous international cutting-edge technologies and products in China.

The platform is also designed to create many business incubators in China and other countries (e.g. the United States, Israel, European countries, and Japan) by borrowing the experiences from the United States' Silicon Valley and China's Beijing Zhongguancun Life Science Park, in an effort to capitalize the energies from the "brainstorming" and the intellectual accomplishments through profound academic exchanges. The Forum made accurate forecasts of the development trends in the medicine industry and gave an impetus to the resources integration of different regions and around the world as well as the cultivation, exchange and reserve of talented experts - a move that will make active contributions to China's healthcare causes and provoke tremendous responses from the industry and all walks of life.

The "Nobel Prize Star Award" will also be granted during this Summit. The previous Star Award winners who have completed their studies in a workshop established by some renowned Nobel Prize laureates will come back to the opening ceremony to share with us their learning experiences.

Meanwhile, a rich series of activities will also be conducted on the sideline of the Summit in the next three days, including the "Nobel Laureates' China Tour" to various science parks, research institutes, hospitals, medical universities, enterprises, middle and primary schools in Guiyang.

The World Nobel Prize Laureate Summit (WNPLS) is a high-profile annual event hosted by the International Society of Scientific Communications for Nobel Prize Laureates (ISSCNL). The Summit was first initiated in 2014 and it was held in Beijing, Tianjin and Chengdu for the past three years. From the capital of China to the deep inland, from Nobel Prize winners, academic elites to prominent scientists from home and abroad, to a new generation of young students and scholars, the Summit has brought together the world's most advanced medical and technological achievements and has received globally broad support and cooperation from the medical industry.

The vision of the meeting is to carry forward the heritage of the medical world and spread the knowledge among all countries. We expect that this year's Summit will bring more excitement to the entire medical industry and the Chinese people.

SOURCE Nobel Prize Laureate Summit
"From day one we set out to make insurance 'black and white,' and our team is making a huge impact in driving this industry forward," The Zebra Founder and Chairman Adam Lyons said. "There is no shortage of interest in the insurance space right now, and we felt Accel was the right partner and aligned with our vision of creating something big. When we met Keith, we knew instantly that we found the talent to help take this company to new heights."

Accel Leads The Zebra's Series B

The Zebra's Series B round marks one of Accel's first investments in insurance in the U.S., as well as its largest investment in tech hub Austin, Texas to date. Accel Partners has backed massive consumer brands including Facebook, Dropbox, Spotify, Venmo, and KAYAK.

"There's an opportunity in insurance to build the go-to digital brand for comparison shopping, just as we've lived through from the beginning with what KAYAK did for travel," said John Locke, a Partner with Accel. "The Zebra team has the product-first DNA and momentum to pull this off, and we're thrilled to partner with Keith Melnick  who we worked with on KAYAK for over a decade  and the whole The Zebra team to help make this vision a reality."

The Leading Auto Insurance Comparison Marketplace

The Zebra's Series B brings its funding total to $61.5 million. The company has continued to grow revenue more than 80 percent year over year and has established itself as a leader in the growing insurtech space.

The Zebra is the most visited car insurance comparison site in the U.S., providing millions of insurance quotes every month. It searches more than 200 auto insurance companies in seconds to give consumers the choice and simplicity they need to find the right coverage at the right price. The Zebra has partnered with 80 percent of the top 25 auto insurance companies and offers vast educational resources, allowing consumers to search, understand, and purchase coverage to meet their unique needs.

Where Will $40 Million Take The Zebra Next?

The Zebra will move quickly, expanding product functionality, adding new lines of insurance, growing both staff and partnerships to expand its reach, and making substantial investments in brand-building and other marketing efforts to establish The Zebra as a household name.

As a truly independent insurance marketplace, The Zebra will continue to offer more educational tools consumers need to understand and find the insurance coverage they need in today's unpredictable environment.

"Insurtech is exploding, bringing concepts like peer-to-peer insurance and pay-per-mile models in front of consumers," The Zebra Co-founder and COO Joshua Dziabiak said. "Our role is to serve as the online marketplace where these innovations are made available to consumers. The vision is for consumers to be able to learn about, search and compare their options, and then purchase and manage their insurance coverage  all in one place."

Founding KAYAK Executive Keith Melnick Joins The Zebra as CEO

Keith Melnick brings more than 20 years of experience to help fuel The Zebra's growth. He most recently served as President of KAYAK, and was on the team that launched the company in 2004. He previously worked as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, concentrating on travel, e-commerce, and financial services, and he helped create Orbitz, Inc.

"The insurance industry is where the travel industry was 10 years ago. While the industries vary in players, complexity, and structure, it's clear to me that the time is ripe to create a similar sort of easy-to-use, yet powerful, consumer experience for both those shopping for and those providing insurance," The Zebra CEO Keith Melnick said. "It sounds simple, but it definitely is not, and it can revolutionize the industry. The Zebra gets that, I get that, and we share a vision and a plan to get it done."

The Zebra's investors also include Silverton Partners, Floodgate, Ballast Point Ventures, Mark Cuban, Daher Capital, and Birchmere Labs.

Additional Resources:

About The Zebra

The Zebra is the nation's leading auto insurance marketplace. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, the company has sought to bring transparency and simplicity to insurance shopping since 2012  it's "insurance in black and white."

With The Zebra's dynamic, real-time comparison engine, drivers can identify insurance companies with the coverage, service level, and pricing to suit their unique needs. The Zebra compares over 200 car insurance companies and provides agent support and educational resources to ensure drivers are equipped to make the most informed decisions about their car insurance.

SOURCE The Zebra

Related Links

http://www.thezebra.com


READING, Pa., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) announced that a Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued to purchase 71,000 Solar Photovoltaic Alternative Energy Certificates (SPAECs) annually over a two-year period on behalf of three of FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania utilities  Pennsylvania Power Company, Pennsylvania Electric Company, and Metropolitan Edison Company.

The RFP process will be conducted by The Brattle Group and will take place in October and November, with qualifying applications due by Wednesday, October 11 and bids due by Wednesday, November 1. Bidders in this RFP can offer to sell tranches of SPAECs, where each tranche represents a commitment to sell 500 SPAECs annually over a two-year period. Based on the RFP results, FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania utilities will enter into separate agreement(s) with winning suppliers to purchase the necessary quantities of SPAECs.

Further information about the SPAEC RFP is available on FirstEnergy's website at www.firstenergycorp.com/PA2017SPAECRFP.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements based on information currently available to management. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. These statements include declarations regarding management's intents, beliefs and current expectations. These statements typically contain, but are not limited to, the terms "anticipate," "potential," "expect," "forecast," "target," "will," "intend," "believe," "project," "estimate," "plan" and similar words. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, which may include the following: the ability to experience growth in the Regulated Distribution and Regulated Transmission segments and the effectiveness of our strategy to transition to a fully regulated business profile; the accomplishment of our regulatory and operational goals in connection with our transmission investment plan, including, but not limited to, our planned transition to forward-looking formula rates; changes in assumptions regarding economic conditions within our territories, assessment of the reliability of our transmission system, or the availability of capital or other resources supporting identified transmission investment opportunities; the ability to accomplish or realize anticipated benefits from strategic and financial goals, including, but not limited to, the ability to continue to reduce costs and to successfully execute our financial plans designed to improve our credit metrics and strengthen our balance sheet; success of legislative and regulatory solutions for generation assets that recognize their environmental or energy security benefits, including the United States Department of Energy study; the risks and uncertainties associated with the lack of viable alternative strategies regarding the Competitive Energy Services (CES) segment, thereby causing FirstEnergy Solutions Corp. (FES), and likely FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), to restructure its debt and other financial obligations with its creditors or seek protection under United States bankruptcy laws and the losses, liabilities and claims arising from such bankruptcy proceeding, including any obligations at FirstEnergy Corp.; the risks and uncertainties at the CES segment, including FES and its subsidiaries and FENOC, related to continued depressed wholesale energy and capacity markets, and the viability and/or success of strategic business alternatives, such as pending and potential CES generating unit asset sales, the potential conversion of the remaining generation fleet from competitive operations to a regulated or regulated-like construct or the potential need to deactivate additional generating units; the substantial uncertainty as to FES' ability to continue as a going concern and substantial risk that it may be necessary for FES, and likely FENOC, to seek protection under United States bankruptcy laws; the risks and uncertainties associated with litigation, arbitration, mediation and like proceedings, including, but not limited to, any such proceedings related to vendor commitments, such as long-term fuel and transportation agreements; the uncertainties associated with the deactivation of older regulated and competitive units, including the impact on vendor commitments, such as long-term fuel and transportation agreements, and as it relates to the reliability of the transmission grid, the timing thereof; the impact of other future changes to the operational status or availability of our generating units and any capacity performance charges associated with unit unavailability; changing energy, capacity and commodity market prices including, but not limited to, coal, natural gas and oil prices, and their availability and impact on margins; costs being higher than anticipated and the success of our policies to control costs and to mitigate low energy, capacity and market prices; replacement power costs being higher than anticipated or not fully hedged; our ability to improve electric commodity margins and the impact of, among other factors, the increased cost of fuel and fuel transportation on such margins; the uncertainty of the timing and amounts of the capital expenditures that may arise in connection with any litigation, including New Source Review litigation, or potential regulatory initiatives or rulemakings (including that such initiatives or rulemakings could result in our decision to deactivate or idle certain generating units); changes in customers' demand for power, including, but not limited to, changes resulting from the implementation of state and federal energy efficiency and peak demand reduction mandates; economic or weather conditions affecting future sales and margins such as a polar vortex or other significant weather events, and all associated regulatory events or actions; changes in national and regional economic conditions affecting us, our subsidiaries and/or our major industrial and commercial customers, and other counterparties with which we do business, including fuel suppliers; the impact of labor disruptions by our unionized workforce; the risks associated with cyber-attacks and other disruptions to our information technology system that may compromise our generation, transmission and/or distribution services and data security breaches of sensitive data, intellectual property and proprietary or personally identifiable information regarding our business, employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, business partners and other individuals in our data centers and on our networks; the impact of the regulatory process and resulting outcomes on the matters at the federal level and in the various states in which we do business including, but not limited to, matters related to rates; the impact of the federal regulatory process on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-regulated entities and transactions, in particular FERC regulation of wholesale energy and capacity markets, including PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM) markets and FERC-jurisdictional wholesale transactions; FERC regulation of cost-of-service rates; and FERC's compliance and enforcement activity, including compliance and enforcement activity related to North American Electric Reliability Corporation's mandatory reliability standards; the uncertainties of various cost recovery and cost allocation issues resulting from American Transmission Systems, Incorporated's realignment into PJM; the ability to comply with applicable state and federal reliability standards and energy efficiency and peak demand reduction mandates; other legislative and regulatory changes, including the new federal administration's required review and potential revision of environmental requirements, including, but not limited to, the effects of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, Coal Combustion Residuals regulations, Cross-State Air Pollution Rule and Mercury and Air Toxics Standards programs, including our estimated costs of compliance, Clean Water Act (CWA) waste water effluent limitations for power plants, and CWA 316(b) water intake regulation; adverse regulatory or legal decisions and outcomes with respect to our nuclear operations (including, but not limited to, the revocation or non-renewal of necessary licenses, approvals or operating permits by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or as a result of the incident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant); issues arising from the indications of cracking in the shield building at Davis-Besse; changing market conditions that could affect the measurement of certain liabilities and the value of assets held in our Nuclear Decommissioning Trusts, pension trusts and other trust funds, and cause us and/or our subsidiaries to make additional contributions sooner, or in amounts that are larger than currently anticipated; the impact of changes to significant accounting policies; the impact of any changes in tax laws or regulations or adverse tax audit results or rulings; the ability to access the public securities and other capital and credit markets in accordance with our financial plans, the cost of such capital and overall condition of the capital and credit markets affecting us and our subsidiaries; further actions that may be taken by credit rating agencies that could negatively affect us and/or our subsidiaries' access to financing, increase the costs thereof, increase requirements to post additional collateral to support, or accelerate payments under outstanding commodity positions, letters of credit and other financial guarantees, and the impact of these events on the financial condition and liquidity of FirstEnergy Corp. and/or its subsidiaries, specifically FES and its subsidiaries; issues concerning the stability of domestic and foreign financial institutions and counterparties with which we do business; and the risks and other factors discussed from time to time in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, and other similar factors. Dividends declared from time to time on FirstEnergy Corp.'s common stock during any period may in the aggregate vary from prior periods due to circumstances considered by FirstEnergy Corp.'s Board of Directors at the time of the actual declarations. A security rating is not a recommendation to buy or hold securities and is subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the assigning rating agency. Each rating should be evaluated independently of any other rating. These forward-looking statements are also qualified by, and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements and risks that are included in our filings with the SEC, including but not limited to the most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The foregoing review of factors also should not be construed as exhaustive. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors, nor assess the impact of any such factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any current intention to update, except as required by law, any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

Related Links

http://www.firstenergycorp.com


"Fifty years represents a golden achievement in the U.S. and to celebrate we honored the associates, dealers, our suppliers and the community who supported TMHU's journey to this major milestone," said Brett Wood, president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling North America. "This anniversary underscores our legacy here in the U.S., but also gives us a glimpse into the future of Toyota Forklifts' ongoing leadership and growth in the rapidly changing material handling and logistics industry."

Toyota Forklifts invited its 66 dealers representing more than 220 locations in the U.S. and Canada to join the 50th anniversary festivities. Toyota's vast network of professional dealers is often credited as a key ingredient in TMHU's success. The dealers on hand at the event presented TMHU officials with a plaque of appreciation for the support and leadership provided to them over the previous five decades.

To mark the golden anniversary, Toyota associates custom-designed, engineered and built a gold-painted forklift, which was unveiled at the recent milestone ceremony. Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) executives presented TMHU with a ceramic roof tile sculpture. The ancient roof tiles, called Kawara, are from the Takahama region of Japan, and signify the exceptional workmanship that is a recognized quality of all Toyota products.

Indiana's Secretary of Commerce, Jim Schillinger, spoke at the 50th anniversary ceremony and recognized TMHU for its sizable impact on Indiana's economy. Columbus Mayor James Lienhoop noted how Toyota Forklifts not only lifts the Columbus economy, but also lifts the country's material handling industry.

Toyota will plant 50 cherry blossom trees on its Columbus campus and donate 50 more cherry blossom trees to the city of Columbus. Cherry blossom trees are the national flower of Japan, home of TMHU's parent company, TICO. In addition to the trees, Toyota presented the Columbus Department of Parks and Recreation with 50 youth scholarships for those in need.

About Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A.

Proudly manufactured in the United States, Toyota Industrial Equipment offers a full line of material handling solutions including forklifts, automated guided vehicles, fleet management services, aerial work platforms and tow tractors. Toyota's commitment to quality, reliability and customer satisfaction, the hallmark of the Toyota Production System, extends throughout more than 220 locations in North America. For more information, visit ToyotaForklift.com.

SOURCE Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A.
WAYNE, N.J., Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Toys"R"Us, Inc. today affirmed that the Company's approximately 1,600 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores and e-commerce sites around the world are open for business and are continuing to offer customers great service and a curated assortment of merchandise in the toy and baby categories.

Toys"R"Us, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries are implementing a court-supervised process in the United States and Canada that will allow the Company to restructure its finances while continuing normal business operations. The Company's operations outside of the U.S. and Canada, including its operations in Europe and Australia and its approximately 255 licensed stores and joint venture partnership in Asia, which are separate entities, are not part of the Chapter 11 filing and CCAA proceedings.

The Company expects this process will enable it to restructure its outstanding debt, which will provide greater financial flexibility to invest in the continued growth of the Company and build on its position as the best toy and baby retailer in the world.

"We are confident that we are taking the right steps to ensure that the iconic Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us brands live on for many generations," said Dave Brandon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our customers around the world can continue to count on an outstanding shopping experience and excellent service whenever, wherever and however they choose to shop with us. As the holiday season approaches, our global team members are ready to serve the millions of kids and families who will be shopping with us."

Toys"R"Us is committed to working with its vendors around the world to help ensure that inventory levels are maintained and products continue to be delivered in a timely fashion. Additional information can be accessed by visiting the Company's restructuring website at www.toysrusinc.com/restructuring or calling the Company's Information Hotline, toll-free, at the following numbers internationally:

Germany : 0800-182-9016

: 0800-182-9016 UK: 800: 0-800-014-8914

Spain Mobile Enabled: 900-984918

Portugal Mobile Enabled: 800-180-778

France : 805: 0805-080337

: 805: 0805-080337 Poland : 0-0-800-141-0322

: 0-0-800-141-0322 Australia 1300: 1-300-009-390

1300: 1-300-009-390 Austria Mobile Enabled: 0800-802290

Switzerland Mobile Enabled: 0800-562-556

China : 400-120-4011

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 885 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam, and in more than 810 international stores and over 255 licensed stores in 38 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.

For more information please contact:

Media:

Amy von Walter, Executive Vice President, Global Communications & Customer Care at 1-201-815-9512 or [email protected]

[email protected]

1-973-617-5900

Michael Freitag / Meaghan Repko

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

Tel: 1-212-355-4449

SOURCE ToysRUs, Inc.
Landmark Promotion Encourages Dealers to Go Digital to Sell and Source Inventory

CARMEL, IN, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Automotive Finance Corporation ("AFC") and TradeRev, a dealer-to-dealer digital mobile auction app, today announced an unprecedented promotion aimed at encouraging dealers to "go digital." The promotion allows dealers to pay no AFC floorplan financing fees and zero percent interest for 45 days on any vehicles bought and sold on TradeRev. TradeRev's live, one-hour digital auctions help dealers sell and source inventory from their desktop, tablet or mobile phone faster and cheaper than a physical auction.

"AFC is committed to helping our customers finance the best inventory possible as quickly and as easily as possible," said Jim Money, president of AFC. "Partnering with TradeRev will give dealers access to more vehicles across the growing digital marketplace. And this promotion will allow them to experience the speed, convenience and power of TradeRev with the same confidence and value of AFC's physical auction financing."

AFC is a business unit of KAR Auction Services, Inc. (NYSE: KAR), and KAR holds a 50 percent stake in TradeRev. When dealers use TradeRev, they have access to real-time bidding auctions that run the freshest franchise trades. AFC financing is fully integrated into the TradeRev app, so dealers can immediately begin the financing process as soon as auctions are won. With thousands of North American dealers utilizing TradeRev, more than 500,000 dealer auctions have been launched through the mobile app generating over 8 million dealer bids.

"AFC is one of the largest providers of independent dealer inventory financing in North America  so this partnership marks a significant milestone in the digitization of automotive sales," said Keith Crerar, executive vice president of TradeRev U.S. "Digital dealers can source cars better, faster and cheaper on TradeRev's digital platform and seamlessly finance vehicles won at rates unmatched anywhere else in the industry."

The TradeRev  AFC promotion expires December 31, 2017. To try the free mobile app, dealers can sign up here and learn more at TradeRev.com.

TradeRev Media Inquiries:

Aaron Caissie, High Road

(416) 644-2269

[email protected]

About TradeRev:

TradeRev is a mobile app that facilitates a transparent automotive exchange between used car dealers. Available on iOS, Android and desktops, TradeRev's real-time car auction technology introduces transparency and efficiency into the car selling transaction by facilitating one-hour, app-based auto auctions. TradeRev helps dealers and dealer networks obtain true market value and close deals faster via a broad network of TradeRev participating dealers. Backed by KAR Auction Services (NYSE: KAR), TradeRev operates in select markets across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. When it comes to buying a car, everyone should come out a winner. Visit traderev.com today to learn more.

KAR Contacts

Media Inquiries:

Tobin Richer

(317) 249-4521

[email protected]

Analyst Inquiries:

Mike Eliason

(317) 249-4559

[email protected]

About KAR Auction Services

KAR Auction Services (NYSE: KAR) provides sellers and buyers across the global wholesale used-vehicle industry with innovative, technology-driven remarketing solutions. KAR's unique end-to-end platform supports whole car, salvage, financing, logistics and other ancillary and related services, including the sale of 5.1 million units valued at over $40 billion through our auctions. Our integrated physical, online and mobile marketplaces reduce risk, improve transparency and streamline transactions for customers in 110 countries. Headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, KAR has approximately 17,400 employees across the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. www.karauctionservices.com.

SOURCE TradeRev
CHICAGO and NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TransPerfect, the world's leading provider of language and technology solutions for global business, has released the official 2017 program for GlobalLink NEXT, its annual technology user conference held September 2729 in Chicago. This year's event brings with it a change in scenery as the last two editions were held in San Francisco.

GlobalLink NEXT features an impressive lineup of speakers and attendees from the TransPerfect and Translations.com portfolio of clients, partners, and professional contacts. Thought leaders from prominent global brands like Adobe, Cell Signaling Technology, Crocs, VML, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Western Digital, UPS, and Dell EMC will be on hand to share insights on trends, strategies, and tactics surrounding globalization and technologies to simplify globalization management.

What started out as a small gathering of interested parties has evolved into a bona fide think-tank with hundreds of attendees focused on multilingual content and localization technology solutions, and a must-attend event for business professionals looking to excel in the global marketplace. Attendees can expect to get the inside scoop on how to best tap into industry trends and opportunities using automation and technology, with a focus on interactive workshops, insightful case studies, and memorable networking events.

Keynote sessions will be led by Lars Trieloff, Director of Platform Marketing at Adobe; Martin Coady, Executive Director, Marketing Technology at VML; and Juan Cardenas, a Globalization and Localization Consultant with more than a decade of experience taking major brands across borders. Other sessions will cover popular topics like content delivery in China, multilingual SEO, and advancements in machine translation.

GlobalLink NEXT is organized into two tracks, and delegates can pick and choose sessions of interest from each. The technical track focuses on GlobalLink technology, tips, real-world applications, and product roadmap. The business track emphasizes strategy discussions and best practices for succeeding abroad, incorporating content that is useful even for organizations who haven't yet invested in globalization management technology.

TransPerfect Co-CEO Liz Elting commented, "With GlobalLink NEXT now in its third year, we've been extremely privileged to enjoy the wonderful content and personalities that have been featured in our programs. So many impactful stories and innovative strategies have been shared, and that trend will only continue with this year's event. While there is so much to be excited about, what I'm most looking forward to is having the opportunity to personally interact with our amazing clients and industry leaders who will be joining us in Chicago."

Co-CEO Phil Shawe noted, "The 2017 program for GlobalLink NEXT is easily our best ever. We've taken all our collective feedback from previous events and used it to create agenda tracks geared specifically toward our attendees. Regardless of your industry, your technology proficiency, or which GlobalLink product you use, GlobalLink NEXT 2017 promises to share thought leadership, educate, and inspire like never before."

For more information, including the 2017 GlobalLink NEXT agenda, visit globallinknext.com/usa and follow #GLNXT across major social media platforms.

About TransPerfect

TransPerfect is the world's leading provider of language services and technology solutions for global business. From offices in over 90 cities on six continents, TransPerfect offers a full range of services in 170+ languages to clients worldwide. More than 4,000 global organizations employ TransPerfect's GlobalLink Technology Suite to simplify management of multilingual content. With an unparalleled commitment to quality and client service, TransPerfect is fully ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certified. TransPerfect has global headquarters in New York, with regional headquarters in London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit www.transperfect.com.

SOURCE TransPerfect

Related Links

http://www.transperfect.com


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The debate over President Donald J. Trump's proposed Border Wall to restrict migration from Mexico has coincided with a steep uptick in online discussion since 2015 in his home-state of New York. Behavioral psychologist Sean D. Young, Ph.D., has unveiled initial data obtained by his research group at the UC Institute for Prediction Technology (UCIPT), using a new Twitter data-visualization tool.

The tool, called Cloudberry, is an interactive analytics and visualization demo for large amounts of spatial-temporal data. The application was developed by UCI computer science researchers and has been collecting tweets since November 17, 2015, at the rate of approximately 30 tweets per second.

Currently, results for keywords at the state and county levels can be viewed for the United States.

Please see a set of screen shots displaying the real-time data and Dr. Young's YouTube video.

Dr. Young and his team were able to track spikes in discussions about the Border Wall in distinct geographical zones, focused down to the county level, with highest intensity located in New York State, followed closely by Nevada and Maryland, based on trends in key words and phrases.

"The Cloudberry tool demonstrates an immense capability for social media to be used to inform and address real-world problems, like political events," said Dr. Young. "Having access to these data and this tool helps us pinpoint nodes of political concern or enthusiasm among certain populations. We can use Cloudberry and other social media-based research tools, and we can work with government and public policy groups to help shape targeted messages and solutions."

"One in four people worldwide - over a billion people - are using social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to create, share, and discuss content," said Dr. Young. "Social media users are continuously generating large volumes of public data containing information on their activities, plans and intentions, moods and opinions, and social interactions. UCIPT develops tools for analyzing this data to inform a wide range of important solutions for both the public and private sectors."

About Dr. Sean D. Young, author of "Stick with It":

Dr. Sean Young, an authoritative new voice in the field of behavioral science, knows a great deal about our habits - how we make them and how we can break them. He is the Founder and Director of the UC Institute for Prediction Technology and the UCLA Center for Digital Behavior. Dr. Young and his associates study cutting-edge and best practices for changing and predicting behavior, with particular expertise in health and medicine. His book, Stick with It, is Dr. Young's fascinating look at the science of behavior, filled with crucial knowledge and practical advice to help everyone successfully alter their actions and improve their lives. Whether it's absent-minded mistakes at work, a weakness for junk food, a smart phone addiction, or a lack of exercise, everyone has some bad habit or behavior that they'd like to change. But wanting to change and actually doing it - and sticking with it - are two very different things.

About UCIPT:

The University of California Institute for Prediction Technology (UCIPT) is a multidisciplinary, multicampus collaborative, accelerating innovations that leverage social technologies to predict human behaviors and outcomes. Some examples of potential research applications include:

- Tracking risk behaviors to predict disease, crime, poverty, or other negative outcomes and inform intervention efforts

- Discerning predictors of political opinion, social and moral values, academic success, or community involvement

- Understanding how and why people use certain technologies, buy certain products, or follow certain trends

The ultimate vision is to become a highly interdisciplinary, multisector hub of researchers, data scientists, and community partners that utilize, evaluate, and refine our tools and techniques for a broad array of applications.

Cloudberry uses an underlying data management platform called Apache AsterixDB, a Big Data platform originally co-developed by researchers spanning UCI and UCR.

Patrick Berzinski, Tranquility49 PR, +1-212-519-8628

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE UCIPT

Related Links

http://www.predictiontechnology.ucla.edu


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Infor, a leading provider of beautiful business applications specialized by industry and built for the cloud, today announced an agreement with the University of Hull. The agreement will see the university adopt Infor's Cloudsuite Industrial Machinery solution, allowing students to gain experience in using a leading-edge technology platform while developing real world skills and expertise in the field of manufacturing and logistics.

The University of Hull chose to partner with Infor's Education Alliance Program (EAP) in order to support the University's industry engagement across the Humber region. The region's manufacturing and distribution businesses are seeing radical digital transformation in the quest to modernize operations, and in line with this, there is an urgent need to ensure future employment skills and demand are met.

Spanning five undergraduate courses including eBusiness and Supply Chain Integration; Inventory and Transportation Management; Procurement and Supply Chain Management; Supply Chain Modelling and Analysis; and Information Systems in Accounting and Finance, and three masters courses in Supply Chain Planning and Control; Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management; and Corporate Performance Analysis, the agreement is expected to help equip students with the skills and experience required to embrace digitalization as they enter industry.

"We are delighted to welcome The University of Hull to our Educational Alliance Program," comments Mark Stewart, Director, Infor Education Alliance Program, EMEA. "As a leading higher education institution in the UK, Hull is at the center of ushering in the next generation of talent for this critical region, the UK and internationally, and we are delighted to be supporting the team in its quest. Through providing Infor's CloudSuite Industrial Machinery ERP solution, together with real world support and resources, we look forward to helping students develop the skills in technology and digitalization that modern employers are looking for."

Professor Amar Ramudhin, Director or the Logistics Institute at the University of Hull says, "From modelling and analysis to planning and control, providing our students with advanced knowledge in logistics and supply chain management is a priority for the Logistics Institute. As a result, our students can add real benefits to business organizations when they take their knowledge into the workplace. We also equip them with a wealth of other transferable skills that will make them an asset to their employees. Infor solutions have been known for their strengths in the logistics field. By familiarizing themselves with this platform and others, they will acquire the digital skills and a comprehensive understanding of core applications designed to boost performance and efficiency that are so valued by the world of business.

"Our partnership with Infor is just one of the many ways that we work towards making our graduates work-ready with an impressive range of transferable skills."

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:

Richard Moore

Infor

+44 121 615 8189

[email protected]

SOURCE Infor

Related Links

http://infor.com


To bridge the gap between runway fashion and fine jewelry, the Flash series proves vital information in showcasing the idea that fine jewelry can also be every day jewelry. Viewers are invited to see how the Gabriel & Co. collection intertwines with the colorful and romantic clothing Siriano continues to produce season after season. "I'm a big accessories fan, but since so much of my work is embellished you have to scale back to find the right pieces. The new world of simplicity in fine jewelry works with this," states Christian.

The complete Designer Flash Series collection brings designers from all walks of life and style together to showcase Gabriel & Co.'s wide range of offerings. "Each designer-dedicated web page features four parts: a written interview; the designer's selection of five new jewels from Gabriel & Co., along with a statement on each piece; the podcast, which can be viewed and downloaded; and a #GabrielNY section, which highlights each piece that the designers used to style the model in the on-page photos," says Hal Rubenstein, host and Global Style Director.

The interview with Christian Siriano is online now, available at https://www.gabrielny.com/designer-flash-christian-siriano. To listen to Christian Siriano's podcast with Hal download now at https://www.gabrielny.com/designer-flash-hub-christian-siriano.

Check out Gabriel's site later this month for new features like "Which Gabriel Woman are You?" and discover a new way to shop, new pieces to crave, and a fresh and uplifting way for embracing how beautifully unique we believe you are.

PRESS CONTACT:

Kaleigh Kramer

Michele Marie PR

[email protected]

646.863.3923

About Gabriel & Co.:

Gabriel & Co. is a New York City based jewelry design house which was founded in 1989 by brothers Jack and Dominick Gabriel. Family owned and operated, the company began in New York City and has since evolved into one of the most prolific fine jewelry brands in the U.S., sold at more than 1,200 retailers nationwide. The story of Gabriel & Co. is one of passion, integrity, service and trust. Gabriel creates beautifully unique and distinctive pieces that are designed to reflect the true beauty that is unique in all of us. Each piece is passionately designed and created as a crafted personal experience. By infusing human passion into natural elements, Gabriel creates jewelry that enhances and celebrates beauty and personal achievements. Individually numbered, each piece is as unique as the woman who wears it. Gabriel & Co. has consistently won awards since 2011 in both JCK & Instore Magazines for being one of the most innovative and best performing brands in the jewelry industry.

SOURCE Gabriel & Co.

Related Links

http://www.gabrielny.com


TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

**Update**

Due to the significant impact of Hurricane Irma and because several of Film Tampa Bay's partners and supporters of Cast and Reel are members of Hillsborough county government and Tampa tourism dealing with the storm's aftermath, we have decided to postpone this inaugural event to the Spring. We would like to allow our supporters all the time they need to focus on the recovery after such an unprecedented event. For all of our sponsors, we will keep you notified of a new date in the Spring of 2018 once we can make the necessary logistical confirmations with our vendors. We greatly appreciate all of your support. We have full confidence Tampa Bay will bounce back stronger than ever!

Cast and Reel, Film Tampa Bay's Inaugural Saltwater Premiere on Friday October 6, 2017, is designed to raise funds to generate monies for the Tampa Hillsborough Film and Digital Media Commission through vessel sales, corporate sponsorships, and merchandise sales. The proceeds for this event will go toward the operating budget of the Film Tampa Bay. The captain's dinner will be at Rock Brothers Brewery on Thursday October 5, 2017 and the Tournament is Friday, October 6, 2017 at Hula Bay in Tampa. There will be a silent auction, raffle prizes and giveaways.

The necessity for this effort is due to the lack of financial support from the state of Florida. The goal of the tournament is to generate a pool of discretionary funds outside of the local funding provided by Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa. These funds will be used at the discretion of Film Commissioner Dale Gordon for projects and initiatives including but not limited to: Student scholarships and grants, creation of a grant program for local film makers and lower budget productions that might not meet the $100,000 threshold required for incentives tied to taxpayer dollars, and the creation of a fund to be used for organizing workshops for workforce development.

Visit Tampa Bay, Tampa/Hillsborough EDC, Vigo Alessi, Rock Brothers Brewery, Pepin Distributing, Diamond View Studios and Blind Tiger Cafe are among the sponsors so far. Sponsorships are still available and details for the event can be found on www.castandreel.org.

About Film Tampa Bay:

The Tampa Hillsborough Film & Digital Media Commission markets the Tampa Bay region as a premier filming destination with one of the most culturally-rich and diverse landscapes in the state of Florida. Film Tampa Bay exists within Visit Tampa Bay, the region's tourism bureau, to help boost the overall marketing and economic development impact for Tampa Bay, which is rapidly becoming one of the most attractive destinations in the United States. Visit www.filmtampabay.com for more information.

For any additional questions on this event, please contact Gina Morales at [email protected]

Media Contact: Gina Morales, APR 813-530-6521

SOURCE Film Tampa Bay

Related Links

http://www.filmtampabay.com


BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Egencia, the business travel arm of Expedia, Inc., found surprising differences in the perceptions and confidence levels of global business travelers on the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) on corporate travel. Results from the 4th edition Egencia Business Travel and Technology Survey* show business travelers abroad remain much more pessimistic about the potential of emerging technologies to improve the business travel experience, compared to confidence levels of U.S. business travelers.

More than half (55 percent) of U.S. business travelers believe AI advancements can improve their travel experiences, with 62 percent rejecting the belief that AI and VR could end mankind as we know it today. While U.S. business travelers are cautiously optimistic that emerging technologies can improve their business travel experiences, they recognize the need for balance between technology and human interaction. When compared to other regions, business travelers outside the U.S. have lower confidence levels and are far less optimistic about the use of technology overall.

"The adoption of new technologies is increasingly happening on the consumer side, ahead of the corporate world. AI and VR are no exception and are very much in their infancy. However, similar to disruptors in other technology-led industries, investments in new technologies that create simplicity and improvements in experience will ultimately win over business travelers and drive significant change in the overall industry," said Michael Gulmann, chief product officer at Egencia. "There is a fundamental shift already happening in the traveler mindset that companies need to anticipate travelers' needs and simplify all aspects of business travel, regardless of how a traveler chooses to interact with travel companies. As such, there is a balancing act for travel companies to ensure they offer the latest technology, alongside the ability for travelers to connect with a live person anytime, anywhere."

When compared to the U.S., business travelers in regions such as in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the U.K. and Singapore have lower confidence levels in how AI advancements can improve their business travel experiences in the future and they certainly think it is less likely that AI and VR will threaten mankind:

At 37 percent, Sweden and Norway were the least likely to believe AI advancements will improve their travel experiences followed by 41 percent in the U.K. and Germany , 42 percent in Australia , 44 percent in Canada and France , and 47 percent in Singapore .

and were the least likely to believe AI advancements will improve their travel experiences followed by 41 percent in the U.K. and , 42 percent in , 44 percent in and , and 47 percent in . When asked if they believe AI and VR could end mankind, 72 percent of business travelers in Norway say no  compared to 70 percent in Sweden , 67 percent in the U.K., 64 percent in Canada and Germany , 61 percent in France , and 60 percent in Australia and Singapore .

Interestingly enough, while business travelers in EMEA and APAC countries are more pessimistic on the promise of emerging technologies for business travel compared to their U.S. counterparts, they still demand more mobile accessibility across devices. In fact, 68 percent of business travelers in Singapore and Sweden want to more efficiently manage their travel across devices, compared to 65 percent in Canada and Norway, 64 percent in France and the U.K., 62 percent in Germany. The U.S. is once again the most tech demanding, with 76 percent wanting greater cross-device integration.

To learn more about the 4th edition Egencia Business Travel and Technology Survey, please reach out to us directly or visit the Egencia press room here.

*This study was conducted on behalf of Egencia by Northstar, a globally integrated strategic insights consulting firm. The study was conducted among 4521 business travelers aged 18 and older in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States (with n=500 surveys completed per country). Surveys were completed online in April and May 2017.

About Egencia

Egencia makes business travel better by making it more connected and complete. Egencia puts travelers at the heart of business travel, continuously supporting them with solutions that are more engaging and effective. Driven by consumer insights and technology investments from parent company, Egencia LLC, and the ultimate parent, Expedia, Inc., Egencia connects everything that travelers need  content, technology, service and reporting  in one place. Egencia provides services in more than 65 countries. To connect with Egencia, visit www.egencia.com and follow our blog at https://www.egencia.com/public/us/resources/.

 2017 Egencia LLC. All rights reserved. Expedia, Egencia, the Egencia logo and the Egencia Top 100 Preferred Corporate Hotel Awards are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the USA and/or other countries. CST No. 2083922-50

SOURCE Egencia

Related Links

http://www.egencia.com


CLEVELAND, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- US demand for power transmission components is forecast to reach $78.5 billion in 2021, according to Power Transmission Components: United States, a report recently released by Freedonia Focus Reports. Suppliers will benefit from increases in domestic output of durable products such as machinery and motor vehicles (MVs) that incorporate power transmission components.

More information about the report is available at https://www.freedoniafocusreports.com/Power-Transmission-Components-United-States-FF70010/

MV transmissions and powertrain parts will remain the largest product segment over the forecast period. Gains will be driven by growth in domestic MV production, which will boost MV manufacturers' demand for transmissions and powertrain parts. In addition, increases in the number of MVs in use and rising average vehicle age will spur demand for transmissions and powertrain parts employed in aftermarket applications.

These and other key insights are featured in Power Transmission Components: United States.

This report forecasts US power transmission component demand and shipments in US dollars at the manufacturers' level to 2021. Total demand and shipments are segmented by product in terms of:

motor vehicle transmissions and powertrain parts

ball and roller bearings

gears and gearboxes

mechanical power transmission products

To illustrate historical trends, total demand, total shipments, the various segments, and trade are provided in annual series from 2006 to 2016.

About Freedonia Focus Reports

Each month, The Freedonia Group  a division of MarketResearch.com  publishes over 20 new or updated Freedonia Focus Reports, providing fresh, unbiased analysis on a wide variety of markets and industries. Published in 20-30 pages, Focus Report coverage ranges from raw materials to finished manufactured goods and related services such as freight and construction. Additional Industrials reports can be purchased at Freedonia Focus Reports or MarketResearch.com.

Analysis is intended to guide the busy reader through pertinent topics in rapid succession, including:

total historical market size and industry output

segmentation by products and markets

identification of market drivers, constraints, and key indicators

segment-by-segment outlook in five-year forecasts

a survey of the supply base

suggested resources for further study

Press Contact:

Corinne Gangloff

+1 440.684.9600

[email protected]

SOURCE The Freedonia Group

Related Links

https://www.freedoniagroup.com


MARSEILLE, France, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

VECT-HORUS is a French biotechnology company that designs and develops peptide-vectors to facilitate the delivery of drugs or imaging agents into the brain and other organs, and in particular in tumours. VECT-HORUS announces the expansion of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Chaired by Prof. Jean-Michel SCHERRMANN, this Scientific Council is composed of several personalities and opinion leaders of international renown.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/558177/VECT_HORUS_Logo.jpg )

The mission of the Scientific Council will be to assist VECT-HORUS in its development, to broaden and enrich its global scientific and prospective vision.

Among its members, the SAB of VECT-HORUS has world-renowned experts:

Prof. Jean-Michel SCHERRMANN, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences of the University Paris Descartes. He is the former director of the INSERM-U705 unit of Neuropsycopharmacology des Addictions in Paris .

. Dr. Vincent DIVE directs the Molecular Protein Engineering Service (SIMOPRO) at the CEA of Saclay. He is also a member of the Steering Committee of Labex LERMIT.

directs the Molecular Protein Engineering Service (SIMOPRO) at the CEA of Saclay. He is also a member of the Steering Committee of Labex LERMIT. Prof. Jean-Pierre BENOIT teaches Galenic Pharmacy at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Angers and directs the INSERM U 1066 unit. He is as well a hospital practitioner at the CHU in Angers.

Prof. Pascal HAMMEL is Head of Digestive Oncology at the Beaujon Hospital. He is a member of the French National Society of Gastroenterology, GERCOR and Cercle Andre Lambling.

Dr. Mikhail KALINICHEV is currently Director of In Vivo Neurology at Ipsen Innovation where he leads in vivo pharmacology research in the field of neurological disorders and neurotoxins.

Prof. SCHERRMANN will chair and moderate the deliberations of the Council, which will meet at least twice a year. "I am particularly enthusiastic about continuing as SAB President my contribution to the development of VECT-HORUS. The formation of this Scientific Committee is an essential step to accelerate development and validate the Company's technological choices."

Alexandre TOKAY, President of VECT-HORUS comments: "We are delighted to welcome these renowned scientists and clinicians within our Scientific Council. SAB members have internationally recognized expertise in drug targeting, treatment of central nervous system diseases and cancer, which is a major asset for the development of VECT-HORUS."

More about VECT-HORUS at http://www.vect-horus.com

Follow us: LinkedIn

[email protected]

+33-4-91-69-87-81





SOURCE VECT-Horus
Specifically the funding will allow Victor, the world's largest 'on-demand' marketplace for private jet charter with 946% revenue growth*, to expand its unique digital, data-driven ecosystem into a new transactional B2B marketplace connecting suppliers, re-sellers (brokers) and other service providers. Victor will also expand its B2C service across new geographical territories. In turn, the funding round reinforces BP's ongoing commitment to invest in high-growth, game-changing companies driving innovation across the entire energy spectrum within general aviation  a market worth $12-14bn per year.

With this new investment, Victor plans to further develop its B2B capability whilst also partnering with other flight-planning and aviation fuel providers. Victor has already confirmed a commercial agreement with Air BP to become the preferred fuel supplier for the charters it arranges at Air BP locations. By creating a 'full spectrum' digital ecosystem, further underpinned by several pivotal 'granted' US patents, Victor hopes to establish itself as a 'next generation' provider of services to the general aviation industry and beyond.

To date, BP has invested more than $350m in tech companies around the world, pioneering energy innovation across digital transformation, advanced mobility, power and storage, carbon management, and bio and low carbon products. BP's strategic investment in Victor is an investment in the company's dynamic, advancing digital platform and its intellectual property as it looks to unlock wider changes and efficiencies across the general aviation and transportation industries.

Clive Jackson, CEO & founder of Victor, said: "I am proud to welcome BP Ventures as a strategic, cornerstone investor. Their track-record for identifying forward-thinking innovative businesses that can deliver sustained growth speaks for itself. Receiving backing from a major, legitimate institutional investor like BP is a strong endorsement of our management team and our strategic vision to reshape the general aviation market. This is a hugely exciting step forward in the company's evolution."

David Gilmour, Vice President of BP's Group Technology Business Development, said: "The digital revolution is changing the face of the energy industry and BP is at the forefront. BP Ventures has now completed five deals in less than a year. Victor's business and ambition aligns with our priorities around digital innovation and low carbon . We look forward to advancing our relationship with Victor. We are committed to being a long-term value investor and strategic partner whilst encouraging Victor's entrepreneurial spirit and drive."

Victor, headquartered in London and with global, 24-7 offices in New York, and California, has now raised $44.45m of funding to date since its launch in 2011. The company hit its sales revenue forecast of $39m for 2016 and, enjoying a strong 2017 to date, is on target for a full year of over $60m. Last month, Victor expanded its Manhattan base to accommodate a rapidly-expanding team of 25 sourcing, flight management and customer service experts. The team, more than doubling in size, will support Victor's ongoing expansion across North America.

* Deloitte UK Tech Fast 50 2016

About Victor flyvictor.com



Victor is a leading on-demand B2C jet charter platform driving disruption across the private aviation industry. Launched in 2011, the company's B2C offering rewrote the jet charter rulebook with a fully-transparent, subscription-free, globally 'on-demand' marketplace allowing members to swiftly check pricing options and aircraft specifics before booking the flights they need. Victor's unique combination of smart technology and exceptional 'high touch' customer service, means that its B2C customers  with access to thousands of aircraft via a global network of over 200 partner operators  are always connected and in control.

Victor was 'Internet' category winner at the Deloitte UK Tech Fast 50 2016 awards - and one of Deloitte's EMEA Tech Fast 500 brands  for sales growth of 946%. Earlier this month, Victor made the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 for the third consecutive year  2017, 33rd position ($39.8m revenue); 2016, 20th position ($23.9m); 2015, 15th position ($11.4m). Victor is also ranked 113th in this year's FT 1000 list of Europe's fastest-growing companies.

About BP Ventures



BP Ventures identifies and invests in private, high growth, game-changing technology companies, accelerating cutting edge innovations across the entire energy spectrum. Since 2006, BP Ventures has invested over $350 million in corporate venturing and has 42 active investments in its current portfolio. Since 2016 BP Ventures has invested in 9 new companies, committing to over $100 million of capital.

BP Ventures' portfolio is primarily focused on emerging technologies in oil and gas exploration and production and downstream conversion processes. In addition, it has a renewed strategic focus on five key areas: bio & low carbon products, carbon management, power & storage, advanced mobility and digital transformation.

SOURCE Victor

Related Links

http://www.flyvictor.com


HOLMDEL, N.J., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Vonage (NYSE: VG), a leading provider of business cloud communications, has named Bob Crissman Senior Vice President and Channel Chief.

A veteran of the channel and software sector, Bob brings vast experience in leading and transforming channel teams for accelerated growth. With oversight of Vonage's Channel team, he will work with the Company's network of Master Agents, Sub Agents, ISVs, VARs and other resellers to help them meet the full range of cloud communications needs for their business customers.

"Bob has deep experience in building high performing, global sales teams and delivering go-to-market strategies to meet customer demands. Having served in several leadership positions in various software companies throughout his career, Bob brings a unique and valuable perspective to Vonage," said Kenny Wyatt, Vonage Chief Revenue Officer. "With expertise in the channel and enterprise space, Bob will also chart a course of leadership in the support and growth of our Channel Partner program.

"Our channel partners are critical to our strategic vision, particularly as we look to expand our global presence and deliver on the full business communications value chain, providing robust Unified Communications as-a-Service (UCaaS) solutions for workforce collaboration and Communications Platform as-a-Service (CPaaS) technology to drive deeper customer engagement and improve how business gets done.

"The appointment of Bob to Channel Chief, and his extensive experience in both of these areas, comes at a pivotal moment as we reinforce our commitment to the channel to continue to grow our offering within the enterprise space. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Vonage team."



Prior to joining Vonage, Mr. Crissman served as the Vice President of Global Channel Sales, Channel Chief at Alfresco Software, where he was responsible for building a new partner program, which grew partner revenue from 50% of the business to 70% in just two years.

Mr. Crissman has also held channel leadership roles at Microsoft and VMware. At Microsoft, he spearheaded several marquis product launches, and was the lead architect in rebuilding the Microsoft Partner Network. At VMware, Mr. Crissman oversaw partner strategy, program development, and the partner-led mid-market sales model, which grew from zero to $200M in revenue in less than two years. This sales model now represents a $1 billion business for VMware.

"I am excited to join Vonage and a team that is not only dedicated to helping companies use communications to transform how they do business, but also to its partners' success," said Mr. Crissman. "Vonage's commitment to the Channel is evident by continued investments in sales, marketing and technology infrastructure to support the success of its channel partners and to better serve customers."

Vonage's Channel Partner program is built on four key pillars of commitment: ease of business, an ecosystem dedicated to building partners' businesses, a robust product portfolio that makes partners "Think Vonage First" and working together to offer customers the best possible communications solutions and service.

About Vonage's Channel Partner Program

Vonage provides channel partners with a one-stop-shop with product solutions and services that meet the needs of any business. With a robust business cloud communications product suite, business workflow integration tools for greater productivity, and APIs to enable more personal customer interactions via embedded, contextual communications, Vonage not only transforms how businesses communicate, but how they operate, using cloud communications to drive better business outcomes.

Vonage has one of the largest Channel Partner programs in the industry, with more than 25 channel managers across the country. Vonage is a preferred provider for 30 of the largest Master Agents in the country, harnessing a network of more than 20,000 Sub Agents and nearly 1,500 contracted agents.

About Vonage

Vonage (NYSE: VG) is a leading provider of cloud communications services for business. Vonage transforms the way people work and businesses operate through a portfolio of cloud-based communications solutions that enable internal collaboration among employees, while also keeping companies closely connected with their customers, across any mode of communication, on any device.

Nexmo, the Vonage API Platform, provides tools for voice, messaging and phone verification services, allowing developers to embed contextual, programmable communications into mobile apps, websites and business systems. Nexmo APIs enable enterprises to easily communicate relevant information to their customers in real time, anywhere in the world, through text messaging, chat, social media and voice.

The Company also provides a robust suite of feature-rich residential communication solutions. For more information, visit www.vonage.com.

Vonage Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey. Vonage is a registered trademark of Vonage Marketing LLC, owned by Vonage America Inc. To follow Vonage on Twitter, please visit www.twitter.com/vonage. To become a fan on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/vonage. To subscribe on YouTube, visit www.youtube.com/vonage.

(vg-a)

SOURCE Vonage

Related Links

http://www.vonage.com


NILES, Ill., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Waxberg's Walk Shoppe, a third-generation family shoe store, is excited to approach 100 years in business.

Waxberg's Walk Shoppe has been in business since 1919, starting with Isaac Waxberg (the current owner's grandfather), who had his roots as a cobbler in Germany before moving to Chicago and opening what has now become Waxberg's Walk Shoppe.

Typically, department stores and other shoe stores do not take the time to learn about their customer's specific needs when it comes to their shoes. "We are proud to be one of the few stores left that takes the time to sit and fit," said Ron Waxberg, Owner at Waxberg's Walk Shoppe. At Waxberg's, they properly measure both feet sitting and standing. They also assess the foot shape and arch type. "This is so that we can make the best recommendations based on our conclusions."

Waxberg's goal is to keep their stock of shoes available in every size and width for their customers. In addition, they stock many other items related to shoe comfort and longevity. Many different types of over-the-counter orthotics (inserts) and gel or moleskin accommodating foot products in order to alleviate pressure or pain are available. To preserve footwear, they also carry a variety of shoe care products such as mink oil, suede renew, water and stain protector, polish, leather conditioner, Venetian Cream, Sno Seal, and more.

"At Waxberg's, we would rather not make a sale, than let you walk out with something we feel is not right for you," continued Waxberg. "We look forward to another 100 years in business!"

About Waxberg's Walk Shoppe

Waxberg's Walk Shoppe has been a third-generation family-owned business since 1919. We are almost unique in Chicagoland in the services we offer. Our salespeople spend one-on-one time with you for as long as you need to find what you are looking for in order to be comfortable, yet stylish. Because you spend a lot of your life on your feet, taking proper care of them is important. We offer a variety of name brands for all different foot shapes and foot needs. Waxberg's Walk Shoppe is where style meets comfort.

For more information, please visit https://waxbergs.com.

SOURCE Waxberg's Walk Shoppe
DETROIT, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The travel experts at CruiseCompete dreamed up a new way for travel consumers to find exceptional cruise deals. This revolutionary website has set the cruise-travel website standard, and this month CruiseCompete celebrates its 14th anniversary with close to 16 million consumer-requested quotes.

CruiseCompete is great resource to share with your readers!

Why CruiseCompete? Unequivocally, the cruise consumer will find the best cruise deals via CruiseCompete by comparing deals from multiple independent travel agencies.

Trust  Over 1.2 million members have booked more than half a billion dollars (500,000,000) via CruiseCompete.

 Over 1.2 million members have booked more than half a billion via CruiseCompete. Expertise  More than 3,500 cruise specialists represent more than 1,000 of the best travel agencies on the planet.

 More than 3,500 cruise specialists represent more than 1,000 of the best travel agencies on the planet. Dependability  Since 2003, agents have delivered close to 16 million quotes in response to consumer requests.

Simplicity is the key to our success. Just 3 Easy Steps to Get the Best Cruise Deal

1. Find your cruise & request quotes. Receive custom offers from some of the world's most trusted cruise specialists.

2. Compare member-only prices and added benefits Cabin upgrades, travel insurance, cabin credits to use for shore excursions, spa services and more.

3. You control the process. Remain anonymous until you decide to contact the agents with best offers to ask questions or to book your cruise.

CEO Bob Levinstein says, "CruiseCompete is very pleased to have completed 14 successful years in business and thanks each loyal consumer who has visited, booked a cruise or told friends or family about the CruiseCompete website. We are grateful, as well, for as the tremendous accolades bestowed on us by the press, and we look forward to the years ahead."

CruiseCompete member-agents are the most well-educated, forward-thinking and trusted cruise specialists in the industry. If you'd like more information or assistance planning a future cruise, please visit CruiseCompete.com.

Note to Editors About CruiseCompete

CruiseCompete has been the premier online cruise marketplace since 2003 (see media praises). Consumers come to CruiseCompete to research and book cruise vacations and have received over 15 million quotes since 2003. They can compare offers from trusted travel agents, see consumer reviews of agents and agencies responding, then contact travel agents directly for more information and to book cruises. CruiseCompete is a member of the Family Travel Association, the leading authority and resource for family travel information and is home to the 2017 Family Friendly Cruise Travel Planner at Travel Resources.

CruiseCompete CruiseTrends offers monthly stats for an inside look at consumer trends and what consumers want in cruise vacations.

CruiseCompete takes top honors in Travel + Leisure's "Top 60 Best Apps and Websites for Travelers" with an honorable mention. The Wall Street Journal praised CruiseCompete as "Best Cruise Travel Site," The New York Times says, " independent travel agents compete to offer you the best deal," and follows similar praise from Travel + Leisure, Kiplinger and The Washington Post. The Street says, "Score luxury cruises at bargain prices."

For more information, please visit http://www.cruisecompete.com/ or http://www.cruisecompete.com/group_cruises/

CruiseCompete is an Iowa limited liability company and is not a travel agency nor owned by a travel agency.

CruiseCompete  Find us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Our Blog!

http://www.facebook.com/CruiseCompete

http://twitter.com/CruiseCompete

http://www.instagram.com/cruisecompete/

http://blog.cruisecompete.com/

https://plus.google.com/+cruisecompete

https://www.youtube.com/user/CruiseCompete



SOURCE CruiseCompete
"Chris is an exceptional leader who brings tremendous financial depth and operating know-how to our fast-growing organization," said Jeff Margolis, chairman and CEO of Welltok. "Creating the industry's leading enterprise consumer health platform, which enables all types of population health managers to partner with consumers at a personal level, is no small undertaking. We welcome a skilled and passionate financial executive to successfully guide us through our next phase of growth."

Power is a highly-accomplished CFO with over 25 years of financial, strategic and operational leadership. He has an outstanding track record driving profitable growth at numerous private and public companies. Power most recently served as CFO of Paycor, a leading human capital management SaaS company. He was also previously CFO of LifeLock, where he led the company's IPO and helped quadruple its revenue. Additionally, Power served as CFO and in other senior executive roles at other notable technology companies, including Salary.com, Monster Worldwide and Nortel Networks.

"I'm passionate about the power of big data and SaaS to transform the healthcare industry," said Power. "Welltok has a growing and diverse client base, unparalleled technology and services, and an impressive organic and inorganic growth strategy. I look forward to not only helping the organization prepare for the future but also serving our customers as they strive to help healthcare consumers achieve and sustain their optimal health."

Power's appointment comes on the heels of Welltok's recognition on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing private companies for the third consecutive year, moving up to #278 with a 1,576% growth rate. Power will be based out of the company's headquarters in Denver, Colorado.

About Welltok

Welltok, the leading consumer health enterprise Software as a Service company, is on a mission to empower consumers to achieve their optimal health. Its award-winning CafeWell Health Optimization Platform connects consumers with available and relevant benefits, resources and rewards by designing personalized action plans. Additionally, the company's technology-enabled services leverage both advanced analytics to derive meaningful consumer insights and multi-channel communications to reach consumers through the right channel with the right message. Welltok drives greater consumer engagement and healthcare value for customers across the healthcare continuum including payers, employers, government programs (Medicare and Medicaid) and providers. Follow Welltok on Twitter @Welltok.

Contact:

Erica Sniad Morgenstern

[email protected]

720-390-6373

SOURCE Welltok

Related Links

http://welltok.com


NEW YORK, September 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Canadian medicinal marijuana sales could exceed $8 billion by 2024, as forecast by Canaccord Genuity Group's November 2016 market research report. ABcann Global Corp. (OTC: ABCCF) (TSX.V: ABCN) (ABcann Profile) is considered one of Canada's strongest growers, boasting a customer retention rate of 94.7 percent, no history of product recalls, and computer-controlled production that have strengthened the company's reputation for its pharmaceutical-grade cannabis. While ABcann already occupies a strong position, its leadership team continues to draw on pharmaceutical and capital markets experience to help achieve broader corporate goals. These advantages separate ABcann from other producers such as Canopy Growth Corp. (OTC: TWMJF) (TSX: WEED) and Aurora Cannabis Inc. (OTC: ACBFF) (TSX: ACB); led to a milestone financing agreement with investment firm Cannabis Wheaton Income Corp. (OTC: KWFLF) (TSX.V: CBW); and solidify the company's position among high valuation companies like medical cannabis supply provider Aphria (OTC: APHQF) (TSX: APH).

Experienced leadership is part of what has helped ABcann Global Corp. (TSX.V: ABCN) (OTCQB: ABCCF) earn its stripes in the marijuana industry. Under the helm of CEO Aaron Keay, ABcann became a publicly traded company in April 2017. Keay also exercised several warrants, adding $13 million to the company coffers of $48 million in working capital.

Keay's previous expertise in capital markets, including raising capital and overseeing finance and merger and acquisition transactions, gave him the ability to bring the company to the forefront of the Canadian medicinal marijuana industry and into the sights of Cannabis Wheaton (OTC: KWFLF) (TSX-V: CBW.V). On August 2, ABcann announced (http://nnw.fm/aVAL7) the close of an initial $15 million investment ($2.25 per share) by Cannabis Wheaton as part of a larger phased investment to fund an additional 50,000 square feet at ABcann's second production facility at its 65-acre Kimmett property in Napanee, Ontario. Plans for this facility, in addition to the company's current construction plans for a 100,000-square-foot purpose-built facility at the Kimmett property, position ABcann to expand at an unprecedented rate in the Canadian cannabis industry.

Notably, Cannabis Wheaton's valuation of ABcann comes at a 160% premium over the company's current share price of $0.68. The cannabis streaming company based its valuation of ABcann on more than strong leadership, however. As stated earlier, ABcann's history is void of any product recalls, unlike some major Canadian growers, and is reputed for its pesticide-free growing capabilities. As the company explores international opportunities, reputation for pharmaceutical-grade products is vital.

In a press release announcing the release of one of Canada's highest legal CBD:THC (cannabidol: tetrahydrocannabinol) ratio products available on the market, via its ABcann Medicinals, Inc. subsidiary, the company noted the importance of pesticide-free, high-quality production.

"The development of these products is in line with ABcann's corporate strategy as a premium product provider of organic, pesticide free cannabis," Ken Clement, executive chairman of ABcann, stated (http://nnw.fm/MVa1v). "As the Company continues to scale production capacity, our product line will expand as we strive to increase shareholder value through capturing a larger market share of the current global medical markets."

Keay further emphasized the point in regard to the company's global expansion strategies.

"ABcann will continue to advance our core businesses and subsidiaries as production capacity continues to increase through our aggressive construction and expansion plans," he said. "The construction timelines at both of our locations position ABcann to become a strong competitor in the existing global medical market and to take advantage of the emerging adult consumer market that is expected to emerge in 2018."

Even Keay's recent decision to step down from his post as CEO (http://nnw.fm/cniW8) demonstrates considerable leadership. Keay will continue to contribute his experience in the capital markets to the company, working with incoming CEO Barry Fishman to move the company forward. Fishman will assume this role starting October 1, 2017. A business leader for nearly 20 years, Fishman served a nearly three-year role as CEO of Merus Labs (TSX: MSL), an international specialty pharmaceutical company - gaining invaluable expertise aligned with ABcann's commitment to marketing the highest quality, pharmaceutical-grade cannabis. Under Fishman's tenure, Merus saw a compound annual growth rate of over 50 percent and was purchased for about $342 million in July 2017. Fishman also served as CEO of Teva Canada and Taro Canada, vice president of Marketing at Ely Lilly, and is on the board of Aurora Cannabis.

In addition to prime leadership, another key aspect of ABcann's valuation is the fact that it owns the land housing its licensed production facilities. Notably, these facilities have the infrastructure to support scalable production in a computer-controlled environment, with precise control over air and water quality, temperature and humidity, and plant nutrition to ensure high product quality. The company operates a 14,500-square-foot Vanluven facility in Napanee, Ontario, which has an annual production capacity of 1,000 kg. The 71,000-square-foot Kimmett facility is currently under construction and is expected to add 20,000 kg of production capacity annually. Future expansion is planned on 65 acres of company-owned land, with an estimated 1.2 million square feet of development space and power, water, and waste infrastructure already in place.

When understanding the tremendous opportunities in Canada's marijuana market, it's worth noting the growth story of Canopy Growth (OTC: TWMJF) (TSX: WEED.TO), one of the biggest growers in the world, with more than half a million square feet of production space. The company saw its share prices skyrocket from C$2.20 at its IPO in May 2014 to a high of C$17.86 in November 2016, setting it up as Canada's first billion-dollar marijuana stock. Canopy Growth recently moved to further solidify its expansion in New Brunswick with the acquisition of ACMPR applicant Spot Therapeutics, which, when licensed and fully expanded, will provide around 100,000 square feet of production space. The company also expanded its Smiths Falls and Bowmanville South footprints last quarter by 33% and 200%, respectively. Canopy is currently trading on the TSX exchange at C$10.27 per share, as of September 15, with a market cap of C$1.7 billion.

Aurora Cannabis (OTCQX: ACBFF) (TSX: ACB.TO), for which incoming ABcann CEO Fishman is a board member and independent director, has also taken a strong position in the Canadian market. Shares of the licensed Canadian grower climbed by more than 900 percent following its IPO, currently trading at C$2.64 with a valuation of $969 million. As the only licensed producer of medical marijuana in Alberta, Aurora operates a 55,200-square-foot cultivation and harvesting facility in the Rocky Mountains, and it is in the process of adding an additional 840,000 square feet across two other sites in Canada. Aurora owns a 19.9% stake in the first Australian company licensed to cultivate and conduct research on medical cannabis, and it owns a leading Germany-based wholesale importer, exporter and distributor of medical cannabis.

Currently valued at C$884 million and trading at C$6.73, Aphria (OTC: APHQF) (TSX: APH.TO) was the first publicly licensed producer to go cash flow positive from operations. The company produces capsules, vaporizers, and orally-administered cannabis oil droppers. In addition to addressing the demand for such products, a focus on safety, consistency, and the quality of patient care has contributed to the company's rise. Aphria also has a strategy to expand into the growing U.S. medical cannabis market. Aphria currently trades at C$6.38 with a valuation of $885 million.

Canada's top growers are flourishing thanks to the country's legalization of medical marijuana, and with recreational legalization set for July 2018, these producers are gearing up to take advantage of a forecast rise in recreational demand. Supported by $43 million in working capital, a strong leadership team of extensive pharmaceutical and capital markets expertise, and an enviable reputation for pharmaceutical-grade cannabis and cultivation technologies, ABcann has the potential to achieve a market valuation more closely aligned with its peers. With a market cap of C$83 million and trading at $0.84, ABcann may offer investors an attractively priced entry point into the burgeoning global marijuana industry.

For more information on ABcann Global please visit: ABcann Global (TSX.V: ABCN) (OTCQB: ABCCF)



About NetworkNewsWire



NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) NetworkNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. NNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today's market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NNW is where news, content and information converge.



NetworkNewsWire (NNW)

http://www.NetworkNewsWire.com

+1-212-418-1217 Office

[email protected]



Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the NetworkNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by NNW, wherever published or re-published: http://NNW.fm/Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER: NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. FN Media Group (FNM) is a third-party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated with NNW or any company mentioned herein. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by NNW are solely those of NNW and are not shared by and do not reflect in any manner the views or opinions of FNM. Readers of this Article and content agree that they cannot and will not seek to hold liable NNW and FNM for any investment decisions by their readers or subscribers. NNW and FNM and their respective affiliated companies are a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and are NOT registered broker-dealers/analysts/investment advisers, hold no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.

The Article and content related to the profiled company represent the personal and subjective views of the Author, and are subject to change at any time without notice. The information provided in the Article and the content has been obtained from sources which the Author believes to be reliable. However, the Author has not independently verified or otherwise investigated all such information. None of the Author, NNW, FNM, or any of their respective affiliates, guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information. This Article and content are not, and should not be regarded as investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular security or course of action; readers are strongly urged to speak with their own investment advisor and review all of the profiled issuer's filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission before making any investment decisions and should understand the risks associated with an investment in the profiled issuer's securities, including, but not limited to, the complete loss of your investment.

NNW & FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and NNW and FNM undertake no obligation to update such statements.

Media Contact:

FN Media Group, LLC

e-mail: [email protected]

+1(954)345-0611



SOURCE NetworkNewsWire
Move allows greater focus on Mainstreet and company's new product offerings

CARMEL, Ind., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Zeke Turner, founder and CEO of Mainstreet, announced today that he is stepping down from the board of directors of Mainstreet Health Investments, Inc. (TSX:HLP.U) inclusive of his position of Chairman of the Board, a position he has held since June 2016. Turner's resignation from his board position is effective immediately.

Turner cited the growth of Carmel-based Mainstreet as a key motivation for his decision. Mainstreet is a national company specializing in real estate development, value investments, and health care operations. Founded by Turner in 2002, the company announced last week that it will open four post-acute healthcare properties in Arizona, with five additional properties to follow in Texas. Rapid Recovery from Mainstreet Health (RRC) specializes in rehabilitation and care immediately following a hospital stay.

"I'm proud of what we have accomplished with Mainstreet Health Investments," said Turner, "but now is the right time for me to focus my efforts on Mainstreet's continued growth in both our real estate development business and our innovative healthcare operations. Our new RRC properties position us to be leaders in the post-acute care field, where we will bridge a vital gap in rehabilitation treatment that results in better outcomes for patients, hospitals and physicians. It's an exciting time for our company, and I'm looking forward to our continued push to transform the lives of the people we serve."

About Mainstreet:

Mainstreet is a company focused on transforming lives through real estate development, value investments and health care operations. As one of the nation's premier developers of post-acute health care properties, Mainstreet has been recognized by Senior Housing News, winning the Architecture & Design Award in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and has been named to the Inc. 500l5000 seven times since 2010.

SOURCE Mainstreet
New Delhi, Sep 14 : Inter National Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD) and London School of Trends (LST) in collaboration with Fashion Scout London will celebrate the craftsmanship of emerging Indian fashion designers on India Day being celebrated at Fashion Scout during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018 on September 19.

The initiative is in tandem with the 5 "F" formula given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Farm to Fiber, Fiber to Fabric, Fabric to Fashion, Fashion to Foreign, said a statement.

For the event, 32 young designers selected from all across India will showcase the rich cultural heritage of India through their designs at prestigious Fashion Scout, which is the only platform supported by Mayor of London to provide an opportunity to Non UK resident designers to showcase during the London Fashion Week.

A full day is dedicated to Indian designers to exhibit their creations in presence of global buyers and Glitterati of London.

There will also be a dance performance by Atisha Pratap Singh, a young Kuchipudi classical dancer from Delhi who will mark the start of the India Day. She will also perform before the grand finale at London.

Designer Masaba Gupta will be a star of grand finale with her latest collection "Nosy Be", while another leading designer Priyanka Khosla will kick start the Fashion shows on India Day by presenting her new collection "Malmal Tadka".

There will also be six young Indian designers who will display their spring summer collection at different shows during the India Day.

To carry forward the slogan of New India initiated by Modi, 24 INIFD student designers will showcase their creations at two dedicated GenNext Shows named "The New Rashtra".

These 24 student designers were selected by a jury in London amongst 1200 applicants who submitted their entries from all across India for this prestigious event.

Ace designer Manish Malhotra, who is also the Chief Mentor of London School of Trends in India, handed over the selection tickets to 24 student designers and guided them to carry forward the rich legacy of Indian culture and show the World the emergence of Fashion in New India at this Global Event.
Bhubaneswar, Sep 15 : Opposition members on Friday created uproarious scenes in the Odisha assembly after the Speaker rejected adjournment motions on the law and order situation in the state.

The Speaker adjourned the house till 3 p.m. after pandemonium prevailed from the beginning of the Assembly proceedings.

As soon as the members assembled in the house for the day, Opposition Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members rushed to the well of the House and shouted slogans as two adjournment motion notice moved by Congress over law and order situation in the state were rejected by Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat.

"It is unfortunate that the adjournment motion notice moved by the Opposition was rejected," Congress MLA Nabakishore Das told media persons.

"The people of Odisha need to know the ruling party with its brute majority is trying to suppress the voice of the Opposition. They are trying to murder the democracy and I condemn it," Das added.

Congress chief whip Taraprasad Bahinipati said while the law and order situation has deteriorated in the state, the government is avoiding discussion on the matter.

Criticising the Naveen Patnaik-led state government, BJP member Pradeep Purohit said the adjournment motion was rejected as the Chief Minister, who also heads the Home department, has no answer to the worsening law and order situation in the state.

On the other hand, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) tried to blame the Opposition for the rejection of the adjournment motion.

"The Opposition is intentionally trying to mar the house proceedings. Though adjournment motion notice was moved by them, any specific incident of law and order situation wasn't mentioned in it for which it was rejected by the Speaker," said BJD member Samir Dash.
New Delhi : On August 22, the Supreme Court ruled that triple talaq -- the practice which allows a man to divorce his wife instantly by saying the word talaq thrice -- is unconstitutional. Predictably, the ruling was denounced by a number of Muslim leaders and organisations. Some interpreted it as an attack on their religion and way of life. Others saw a conspiracy angle in the importance given to an issue.

This perspective is desperate and distorted. This perspective is not only wrong but also wrong-headed, misplaced and misguided.

I applaud this judgement because I strongly believe that Muslim instant divorce is illegal and incorrect in many ways. Instant divorce is deplorable, disgraceful and shameful. In addition, it is demeaning, demonising, disheartening and demoralising to Indian Muslim women.

Most importantly, as one of the judges pointed out, triple talaq is against the basic tenets of the Quran. Recognising this, many Islamic countries, including two of India's large Muslim neighbours -- Pakistan and Bangladesh -- have abolished the practice.

In addition, it is unconscionable to think that a man should be allowed to banish a woman to whom he is married -- who is also the mother of his child or children, in many cases -- by uttering a word three times, with no consequences. Triple talaq is also inherently discriminatory in that only a man has that "right" -- a Muslim woman cannot end the marriage in a similar way.

Over the years, some Muslim organisations have rationalised triple talaq by arguing that divorce rates within their community are quite low compared to other religious groups. It affects less than a third of a per cent of Muslim women, they argue. This is neither a sound legal nor moral argument. Even if one concedes that instant divorce affects only a minuscule population, injustice should never have legal sanction, regardless of how many people are affected.

The triple talaq ruling, the result of a decades-long campaign by women's rights groups, was a historic verdict. With the stroke of a pen, the judges made illegal a practice that over the decades has ruined the lives of countless Indian Muslim women.

In the absence of a comprehensive study among Indian Muslim women, it is not known how many of them have been divorced in this manner. A 2013 survey of Muslim women in 10 Indian states by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, an advocacy group that fights for the rights of Indian Muslims, found that triple talaq was the most common mode of divorce among those surveyed.

Of the 4,710 women sampled in the survey, 525 were divorcees. Of them, 404 were victims of triple talaq. More than 80 per cent of them did not receive any compensation at the time of divorce.

Two of the five judges that delivered the triple talaq judgment differed on the constitutionality of practice. The bench was in unanimous agreement, however, in asking the government to enact within six months legislation to govern Muslim marriages and divorces.

India's justice system has numerous drawbacks. It often takes decades for courts to deliver justice. In this instance, the Supreme Court should be applauded for delivering a correct judgment in a timely manner.

The ball is now in the government's court. It is up to people's representatives to come up with policies that will change the lives of Muslim women for the better.

Equitable legislation on Muslim marriages and divorces should be just the starting point. The central and state governments must craft policies that empower women belonging to all castes, creeds and religions. Such policies should focus on educating women, developing their skills and making them part of the work force. Empowerment of this type will allow them to pursue and create their own destiny. It will lead to financial independence. In addition, it will promote the security and stability of women and will build their self-esteem and confidence.

India's Muslim community should embrace the Supreme Court verdict. They should join together to say: End triple talaq. End triple talaq. End triple talaq. They should leverage the verdict as an opportunity to advocate for and bring about much-needed reforms related to women's rights.

(Frank Islam is an entrepreneur, civic leader and thought Leader based in the Washington DC area. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at ffislam@verizon.net)
New Delhi : Darjeeling, Thimphu, Gangtok and Siliguri are a tight cluster on any map even in a large Atlas. Because of the recent standoff with China over Doklam, the strategic importance of the area, the saliency of the Siliguri corridor, cannot be overlooked. Is New Delhi taking an interest in the demand for a Gorkha homeland from this perspective?

My taxi has to wait outside Kurseong Toy Train station, on the way from Siliguri to Darjeeling, because a march by agitating Gorkha women will not let us pass. Violence in this sensitive area could be very unsettling. Angry women bang on the bonnet of my car and jeer at the Gorkha driver: "Have you joined the Bengalis?" It is a threatening query.

Similar bandhs and marches have brought life to a grinding halt for the past three months -- and continuing. There are, of course, cunning leakages -- a few chicken being sold here, some vegetables there. But this private enterprise disappears at the sight of approaching marchers.

Contrary to what one might imagine, this sporadic enterprise does not demonstrate a weakening of the popular will. In fact it helps people a bit and enables them to bear the suffering a little longer. It supplements the agitation.

Clearly, Gorkhaland is not likely to be conceded in a hurry. What then have the leaders of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) promised the people? What spell have they cast on them because of which the people have diligently pursued these marches, street-corner meetings and picketing outside offices in an atmosphere of total bandh (bar the contrived leakages). Schools, hotels, restaurants and shops are shut and labourers on all the 88 tea plantations have struck work and are, therefore, beginning to depend on packets of food some well meaning people are arranging.

No one quite knows the preferred game plans of the plantation owners. The gossip is that they would now like the strike to continue till December and so they are not obliged to pay the workers three months' wages (for the period when the plantations have been closed) plus bonus for puja holidays.

The inordinate extension of the bandh is causing all the leaders of the Gorkha Movement Coordination Committee to miss heart beats with alarming frequency.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is always inclined to see agitations, however legitimate, as an affront to her, has slapped countless cases against leaders, including Bimal Gurung, President of GJM, the main political party.

This has given him a respectable reason to run away from Darjeeling and hide in Sikkim. The cases, in other words, are a godsend. Had there been no cases, how would the leaders escape the wrath of the people who are on this occasion truly mobilised? They must be shown some movement towards Gorkhaland. This "movement" is proving elusive even by inches, leave alone feet and yards.

Since all leaders in the coordination committee were pushed from the precipice into a total bandh by the GJM leader Bimal Gurung, they are privately cursing him but are unable to publicly say anything that would make their resolve for Gorkhaland look weaker. But some of them are keeping a sly eye on any escape route which they can sell to the agitating populace as an advance towards their cause.

The situation is custom made for Mamata Banerjee, who is desperate to fill whatever political spaces she can with her TMC before the BJP does. If she can divide the leadership with promises of development plus a dialogue with the Centre on "the people's demand", perhaps a "dissident" faction can then be mobilised as a vehicle for the TMC.

There is a very big "perhaps". Why would West Bengal politicians and bureaucrats ever loosen their grip on the hill station, the toy train which their children enjoy so much during the summer vacation. There is nothing more popular internationally and which Bengal claims as its own -- Tagore and Darjeeling tea.

New Delhi habitually goes into a freeze when confronted with something new, particularly where strategic concerns are involved. Gorkha/Nepali speaking people from Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan are already keeping New Delhi busy. Gorkhaland would be a new distraction.

A strong card the Gorkhas can play concerns the military. There are thousands of Gorkhas in the Army. It is not uncommon to run into a soldier with heroic stories of the Kargil war. These soldiers would be perfectly justified in seeking home leave to see the families who have suffered a bandh for three months. Thousands seeking leave at once? It is a sensitive pressure point.

The straightforward political game the BJP can play to endear themselves to the Gorkhas is by opening up debate on something less than Gorkhaland -- say, a Union Territory. Gorkhas would accept it. Darjeeling would come directly under New Delhi. Mamata would of course throw a ginger fit.

After a meeting of Gorkha leaders with Mamata on August 29, Vinay Tamang, Joint Secretary of the Morcha, and Anit Thapa, member of the Executive Committee, took the leaders and the agitators by surprise by asking them to end the bandh because positive but unidentifiable developments were expected by September 12. By that time the next round of meetings with Rajnath Singh and Mamata would have been held, they said. Well, September 12 too has come and gone and there is no sight of the bandh coming to an end.

Little wonder most of the Gorkha leaders, Bimal Gurung, Vinay Tamang, Anit Thapa, are on a rapidly declining popularity graph.

Bimal Gurung's political career was launched by his opening numerous fan clubs for a Gorkha singing sensation, Prashant Tamang, who won the 2007 Indian Idol, a reality show. Prashant won in the third week of September. On October 7, Bimal Gurung had launched the GJM.

Impulsively, he leapt into the bandh when Mamata wanted Bengali to be inserted in the three language formula. Later she withdrew her word. But by that time the GJM and the coordination committee of other Hill parties were fairly advanced on a high-wire act. An endless bandh was on.

The leader whose graph is up is R.B. Rai, twice MP, President of the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist, Central Committee. He is universally accepted as politically savvy and an incorruptible and respected leader. He believes "tripartite talks" are a promising enough outcome to end the bandh. Apparently, Rajnath Singh has dropped hints that New Delhi-Kolkata- Darjeeling tripartite talks on Gorkhaland are possible. But will Mamata agree?

Rai is cross with the amateurishness of Bimal Gurung for playing "the ultimate card of a total bandh without having a back-up plan. We should have started with Mohalla marches, struck work for a few hours, tested the political reaction in Kolkata and New Delhi, planned jail bharo andolans, gauged the plantation workers capacity to survive long strikes without wages. And so on."

There was no plan, he laments. It is a fruitless bandh but it can only be called off when people see some real promise, he says.

So, until God comes riding a thunderbolt by way of a solution, Gorkha leaders are condemned to remain suspended on the last rung of a very high staircase leading to nowhere.

(Saeed Naqvi is a commentator on political and diplomatic affairs. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com)
New Delhi/Copenhagen, Sep 16 : National passenger carrier Air India on Saturday launched its non-stop flight service from New Delhi to Copenhagen.

The new service is Air India's third non-stop flight launched this year.

Earlier, the airline had launched its services from New Delhi to Washington and New Delhi to Stockholm.

Commenting on the launch of the new services, Air India's Chairman and Managing Director Rajiv Bansal said: "With this new service, we expect to cater to the majority of traffic between Copenhagen and Delhi... We have also received good cargo load for the sector."

The national passenger carrier aims to serve around 40,000 passengers one-way for the entire 2017.

The airline will operate the thrice-a-week service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to fulfil a long standing demand of travellers from India and Denmark.

To mark the launch of the new service, Air India is offering attractive return fares starting from Rs 42,700, inclusive of all taxes.

The new route is operated by the airline on its state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to Copenhagen making the city its 11th non-stop European destination and 44th international station.

The new route is also a part of the airline's aggressive strategy to focus on the international segment with non-stop flights.

In aviation parlance a non-stop flight operates point-to-point and is popular among passengers traveling on long-haul routes.

In contrast, a direct flight stops at least once between two destinations for either refuelling or disembarking of some on-board passengers.

The commencement of the new route comes after the passenger traffic between the two countries recorded a healthy growth of over 10 per cent in 2016.
London, Sep 16 : Police arrested an 18-year-old youth on Saturday in connection with a terror attack on a London Tube train a day earlier, that left 29 people injured and resulted in an increase in the country's terror threat level from "severe" to "critical".

The youth was detained in the port area of Dover by Kent Police over the Friday morning rush hour attack at the Parsons Green station in southwest London, BBC reported.

The man, whose identity and nationality have not been disclosed, was charged under section 41 of the Terrorism Act, with an act of terror, officials said.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said the arrest was "significant", but the terror threat level remains at "critical" and the investigation continues.

"This arrest will lead to more activity from our officers. For strong investigative reasons we will not give any more details on the man we arrested at this stage," he said.

The Islamic State group on its Amaq news agency claimed it was behind the explosion, which took place at 8.20 a.m. on Friday and sent a ball of fire along a carriage of the eastbound District Line train from Wimbledon at the Parsons Green station, southwest London.

The explosion occurred through a homemade explosive artefact, inside a white bucket, which failed to fully detonate. Less than 24 hours later, the suburban Tube station was back in use by travellers.

Armed police on Saturday evacuated and searched a residential address in Sunbury, Surrey, in connection with the attack. Residents near to the address were told to leave their homes and cordons were in place at a 100-metre radius to the property.

Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick described the attack as "cowardly and indiscriminate".

Hundreds of police officers were scouring CCTV footage, questioning dozens of witnesses and studying the remnants of the device in search of clues to the identity of those responsible.

Prime Minister Theresa May, raising the terror status to its highest level, which means another attack is considered imminent, said late on Friday that military personnel would replace armed police "on guard duties at certain protected sites which are not accessible to the public".

Metropolitan Police's Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley asked the public to remain "vigilant", but said people should "not be alarmed". When asked about possible IS involvement, Rowley told reporters that it is "routine" for the extremist group to take responsibility for attacks in "these sorts of circumstances," regardless of its actual involvement.

Commuters described a "fireball" sweeping through their District Line carriage, burning off some victims' hair and leaving some with severe burns. The blast sparked a stampede of passengers attempting to flee the station, threatening to crush a pregnant woman and children caught in the panic.

British media reported that the crude device, carried in a bucket and shoved into a shopping bag, had a timer, suggesting that some degree of bomb-making knowledge was employed.

Police swiftly declared the explosion as a "terrorist" incident, but have not confirmed any details of suspects after US President Donald Trump claimed the perpetrators were "in the sights of Scotland Yard".

The Metropolitan Police dismissed the US President's "speculation", while May said the intervention was "not helpful". This is the fifth terrorist attack in Britain in less than six months.
India's United Nations Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin, left, and External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar brief the media in New York on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, about India's ... Image Source: IANS News

India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, seen addressing the United Nations General Assembly last year, has a packed schedule for this year's high-level session, which Prime Minister Narendra ... Image Source: IANS News

United Nations, Sep 17 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will arrive here on Sunday to represent India at the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session with a packed schedule of super diplomacy among an array of world leaders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose hectic international diplomacy has focused on bilateral meetings and visits, will miss the UNGA session again this year, leaving Sushma Swaraj as the standard-bearer.

Outlining India's goals that the minister will pursue at the session, New Delhi's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin on Saturday said: "Our agenda is broad, forward-looking, expansive, has objectives which are global in nature, and goals which we have been pursuing for some time."

The formal meetings will begin on Monday with a summit convened by US President Donald Trump to discuss reforming the UN, where she will participate on behalf of India.

The formal round of addresses by the leaders of the 193 member nations will take place on Tuesday. Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to speak on Saturday.

The UN calendar lists more than 100 events for the week on topics ranging from ending sexual abuse to health coverage, and from digital ID's potential to famine response.

She is expected to hold about 20 bilateral and trilateral meetings with leaders attending the session, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar has confirmed.

In addition, Sushma Swaraj will also participate at several meetings of regional and specialised groups like the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Non-aligned Movement, G4 made up of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan to lobby for Security Council expansion, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and G77 group of developing nations, Kumar said.

She is also slated to be one of the speakers at a high-level roundtable on climate change on Tuesday.

Akbaruddin said that the External Affairs Minister was expected to focus on solar energy programmes, which are Modi's priorities for fighting climate change.

Previewing India's participation in the Assembly session, Akbaruddin said it was built around five pillars: UN reform, counter-terrorism, migration, climate change and peacekeeping.

However, Sushma Swaraj will not participate in the ceremony for signing the treaty to ban nuclear weapons, which was approved by more than 120 countries.

India and all the other countries have opposed the treaty, but citing different reasons.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is also attending the session.

The ministry spokesman said that while no formal meetings have been set between him or other Pakistani officials and Sushma Swaraj, they will be at the SAARC and G77 meetings.

China will be represented only at the Foreign Minister's level.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
Kollam, September 18 : Congress Kerala unit (KPCC) president M M Hassan has called for transport minister Thomas Chandy to resign, charging him with corruption and abuse of power.

Speaking to reporters in Kollam on Monday, Hassan slammed Thomas Chandy, saying that more evidence was tumbling out against the minister every day.

In addition to reclamation of a portion of Marthandam lake, the minister also encroached on puramboke land. A report by the tahsildar to this effect went missing from all offices, including that of the collector, Hassan alleged, accusing the transport minister of suppressing the report by abusing his power.

Hassan also said that the congress would step up their agitation demanding Thomas Chandys resignation.

A private news channel had the other day reported that files pertaining to Thomas Chandys business establishments in Alappuzha district had gone missing from revenue offices in the district ranging from village offices to that of even the district collector.

The missing files reportedly pertain to alleged illegal reclamation of Marthandam lake and encroachement of waterbodies carried out by the establishments belonging to the transport minister.

A report submitted by the tahsildar to the district collector allegedly setting out the illegal encroachments perpetrated by Thomas Chandy on Marthandam lake was found missing from the district collectorate, according to an RTI reply reportedly obtained by the news channel.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had thrown his weight behind his cabinet colleague, telling the state assembly that the charges against Thomas Chandy were unfounded and politically motivated.

In the light of the report by the private news channel, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has accused the chief minister of having misled the assembly.
New York, Sep 19 : The Spanish government has informed North Korea's ambassador to Madrid, Kim Hyok Chol, that he must leave the country before the end of the month, officials said.

Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis announced that the North Korean diplomat was called to the Foreign Ministry on Monday to be informed of Madrid's decision to declare him "persona non grata", a move clearly linked to the nuclear and ballistic missile tests that Pyongyang has been conducting in recent weeks, Efe news reported.

According to the ministry, the Spanish government came to the conclusion that "it was necessary to take this step because those programs are a serious threat to international peace and security".

Dastis, who is in New York to participate in the UN General Assembly, said that the decision was taken after "repeatedly warning the ambassador and (North) Korean authorities".

The measure comes after North Korea last Friday launched a new ballistic missile that overflew northern Japan after harsh sanctions were imposed by the UN on the Kim Jong-un regime as a result of its latest nuclear test.

The Spanish government had reacted to Pyongyang's ballistic missile test on August 31 by telling the North Korean envoy directly that it had decided to reduce from three to two the number of diplomatic personnel at Pyongyang's mission in Madrid.

Meanwhile, the US hailed Madrid's decision to expel the North Korean ambassador and called on other countries to take similarly decisive actions to apply the "maximum pressure" on Pyongyang.

A Department of State official, requesting anonymity, said that the US "praises the Spanish government's decision to take this step to increase the pressure on the North Korean regime".
Nay Pyi Taw, Sep 19 : Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday said that her country does not fear the scrutiny of the international community as over 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have crossed into Bangladesh after fleeing the ongoing violence in Rakhine state.

"It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abdicate responsibility. We condemn all human rights violation and unlawful violence," she said in a nationally televised address.

"We are committed to the restoration of peace, stability and rule of law throughout the state."

The speech is the first time Suu Kyi, the country's de facto leader, has spoken about the situation in Rakhine since the violence broke out on August 25 when Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) rebels attacked police checkposts and killed 12 security personnel, reports CNN.

Crowds gathered on Tuesday morning outside a large screen in Yangon as Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner for her non-violent resistance to the military junta that used to rule Myanmar, began to speak to the country.

At a rally in on Monday, a few hundred people gathered to show their support for the government.

Some held placards of Nobel Peace Prize winner of Malala Yousafzai's face crossed out, as the activist called Suu Kyi' to act.

"Shame on you", the posters said, in reference to Malala. "If you don't know the real situation of Myanmar, better keep quiet."

Suu Kyi cancelled her trip to the UN General Assembly for its latest session that began on Monday to handle the situation in Rakhine, CNN reported.

Human rights activists, fellow Nobel laureates and much of the world's Muslim community have condemned Suu Kyi for failing to use her position as a government leader and moral authority to speak out on behalf of the Rohingya.

Myanmar considers the Rohingya illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh, despite the fact that many Rohingya families have lived in Rakhine for years.

Bangladesh considers them Myanmar citizens.

The Myanmar government does not use the term "Rohingya" and does not recognise the people as an official ethnicity, which means the Rohingya are denied citizenship and effectively rendered stateless.
Washington, Sep 19 : US investigators wiretapped President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the election, the media reported.

"The conversations between Manafort and Trump continued after the President took office, long after the FBI investigation into Manafort was publicly known," informed sources told CNN on Monday night.

"They went on until lawyers for the President and Manafort insisted that they stop.

"It's unclear whether Trump himself was picked up on the surveillance," the sources added.

Some of the intelligence collected includes communications that sparked concerns among investigators that Manafort had encouraged the Russians to help with the campaign.

The sources, however, cautioned that the evidence was not conclusive.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's team, which is leading the investigation into Russia's involvement in the election, has been provided details of these communications.

A secret order authorised by the court that handles the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) began after Manafort became the subject of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe that began in 2014.

It centred on work done by a group of Washington consulting firms for Ukraine's former ruling party, the sources told CNN.

"The probe was discontinued at some point last year for lack of evidence but the FBI restarted it after obtaining a new FISA warrant that extended at least into early this year."

Manafort previously has denied that he ever "knowingly" communicated with Russian intelligence operatives during the election and also has denied participating in any Russian efforts to "undermine the interests of the United States".
Bhubaneswar, Sep 19 : Ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Prabhat Biswal was on Tuesday arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Seashore chit fund scam in Odisha.

Biswal was picked up late on Monday night from his Cuttack residence and declared arrested on Tuesday morning.

The Cuttack-Chowdwar BJD MLA was quizzed four times earlier in connection with a land deal with the Seashore Group chief Prasant Das, said sources.

His wife Laxmibilasini Biswal was also earlier quizzed by the CBI regarding her involvement in the Jajpur Benapur land scam.

CBI sources said they had sold a land to the Seashore Group for a hefty amount and could not explain the details of the illegal transactions.

The couple failed to produce the documents and sale deeds about the land deal, they said.

Seashore CMD Prashant Dash had paid Rs 25 lakh for the land in cheques in April 2011, the remaining amount was to be paid after registration.

However, Dash had cancelled the deal later and wanted his money back, the sources said.

Biswal was the second BJD MLA to be arrested after Prabhat Tripathy, who is on bail. BJD MP Ramchandra Hansdah was languishing in jail for his alleged involvement in the chit fund scam.

Seashore Group is one of the 44 ponzi companies in Odisha which came under the scanner of the CBI following an order of the Supreme Court to probe their finances and transactions.

The CBI has already filed a chargesheet in the Rs 500 crore Seashore chit fund scam.

Meanwhile, the ruling party said the arrest was politically motivated.

"Centre is using the CBI for political gains. This is vindictive politics. Centre used the CBI against (Trinamool chief) Mamata Banerjee, (Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo) Lalu Prasad and even media promoter Pranoy Roy. Now, it is targeting the BJD," Subash Singh, BJD leader said.

"How long the chit fund scam investigation will go on? It's over five years now. The union government's ulterior motives have been exposed. People will give them a fitting reply," he added.
Mumbai, Sep 19 : The sixth edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival, slated for November 2-5, will feature award-winning documentaries as well as India and South Asian premieres of some movies.

The first line-up for the fest was announced on Tuesday via a statement.

Among two award-winning documentaries to be showcased are Kirsten Johnson's "Cameraperson" and Rahul Jain's "Machines".

There will be a special screening of "A Death in the Gunj", presented in person by director Konkona Sen Sharma.

That apart, there will be the India premiere of American film "Out of This World", a newly restored version of journalist and writer Lowell Thomas' account of his travels to Tibet in 1949. This film was originally released in 1954.

Deepak Rauniyar's Oscar entry from Nepal, "White Sun", will also be screened, while South Asian premieres of three experimental films -- Amar Kanwar's "Such a Morning" (India), Naeem Mohaiemen's "Tripoli Cancelled" (Bangladesh), and Singapore filmmaker Tan Pin Pin's "In Time to Come" -- are lined up.

To be held in the mountain town of McLeodganj, the film gala will also have films from Malaysia, Japan, Switzerland and Bhutan among others.

Presented by White Crane Arts and Media, a trust founded by filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam to promote contemporary cinema, art and independent media practices in the Himalayan regions of India, this year's fest is supported by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, and the Himachal Pradesh government through its departments of tourism and language, arts, and culture.

Sarin said in a statement: "Over the past six years, DIFF has carved out a special niche in the landscape of Indian film festivals. It is loved by filmmakers and film buffs alike and we want to ensure that DIFF 2017 continues to build on the qualities for which the festival has come to be known-its intimacy, warmth, unpretentiousness and single-minded focus on highlighting good indie cinema, all within beautiful mountain surroundings."
New York, Sep 19 : A group of countries, led by the UK, met with representatives of the Myanmar government in New York, calling on them to stop the violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority and allow aid to be provided.

Ministers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Denmark and the US permanent representative in the UN, Nikki Haley, participated in the meeting on Monday which was organised by the British government on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, reports Efe news.

According to the UK, all of them called on Myanmar to end the violence, enable unhindered humanitarian access for international organisations and to implement the recommendations of the commission led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

On August 24, the day before the recent violence erupted, the UN Rakhine Advisory Commission presented a plan to the Myanmar government, with 88 recommendations to tackle the sectarian problems between the Rohingya and the Buddhist majority in Rakhine state.

"Although Myanmar has undoubtedly made encouraging progress towards democracy in recent years, the situation in Rakhine, the appalling human rights abuses and violence are a stain on the country's reputation," British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said.

According to Johnson, it is "vital" that the de facto leader of the country, Aung San Suu Kyi, and the government make it clear that these abuses must stop.

"I am encouraged by our discussion and the participation of senior Myanmar representatives, but now we have to see action to stop the violence and open immediate humanitarian access," he insisted in a statement.

Haley, for her part, said the US will continue to urge the Myanmar authorities to halt military operations and commit to facilitating the safe return of civilians to their homes.

"We are not yet seeing any improvement on the ground and we continue to hear reports of violence and suffering," the diplomat said in a statement.

The situation in Myanmar is one of the crisis that world leaders will be tackling during the coming week as they meet in New York for the UN General Assembly.

The United Nations has warned that ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslim minority and possible crimes against humanity may be taking place in the country.

Some 415,000 Rohingya have fled over the border to Bangladesh since August 25 when insurgents attacked police checkposts and killed 12 security personnel.

Myanmar do not recognise the Rohingya as citizens, considering them to be Bengali immigrants, and impose multiple restrictions on them.
Tokyo, Sep 19 : Japan will install a new anti-missile system on Hokkaido island on Tuesday after North Korea tested two missiles that flew over its territory, a Defence Ministry official said.

The decision to install the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor in a military base in Hakodate city comes after Pyongyang conducted its latest launch of a medium-range missile that fell into the Pacific Ocean after flying over northern Japan on September 15, the official told Efe news.

Pyongyang, which threatened to "sink" Japan with a nuclear bomb for backing the US-led sanctions, fired another missile on August 29. That too flew over northern Japan.

The official added that Japan was monitoring North Korea's movements for another possible missile launch.

Japan had deployed anti-missile systems in western Japan last month after Pyongyang threatened to launch four missiles towards the US island of Guam, which would cross above the region.

The September 15 launch took place less than two weeks after Pyongyang carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3, which led to fresh sanctions by the UN Security Council, including curbs on its imports of oil products and a ban on its textile exports.
Jaipur, Sep 19 : Angry villagers on Tuesday pelted stones at a school in Rajasthan's Sikar district as news spread of the rape of a Class 12 girl by the school's director and a teacher.

The school's director, Jagdish Prasad, and a teacher, Jagat Singh Gujjar, have been detained for raping the 18-year-old student, police said.

"We have detained Jagdish and Jagat and are interrogating them," Kushal Singh, Circle Officer, Neem Ka Thana, told IANS on phone.

Around 100-150 angry villagers gathered outside the Janta Bal Niketan, a co-educational school, in a village near Ajitgarh in Sikar in the morning and pelted stones, breaking some of the windows.

"The school had to be closed," said Moolaram, Assistant Sub Inspector, Ajitgarh police station.

"There is general anger in the village. We never expected this kind of thing in our area. We are demanding that the school's registration be cancelled," said Ajit Singh, a local, on phone.

There are around 400 students in Janta Bal Niketan.

According to reports, the girl is in a critical condition and is undergoing treatment in a Jaipur hospital. "She is critical and is unconscious," a doctor at the SMS Hospital said.

The statement of the girl will be recorded after her health condition improves.

It is alleged that the two men raped the girl for two months on the pretext of taking extra classes.

After she became pregnant she was taken to a hospital in Shahpura where her abortion was carried out clandestinely. However, her condition deteriorated as she started to bleed profusely.

She was taken to a hospital in Ajitgarh where her family was told she had undergone an abortion and she was referred to a Jaipur hospital.
New Delhi, Sep 19 : Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will co-chair the two-day meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) with Kazakhstan beginning on Tuesday in the central Asian nation's capital at Astana, an official statement said here.

According to the Indian petroleum ministry, Kazakhstan will be represented in the talks by its Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev.

"The IGC meeting aims to follow up on the agenda set between India and Kazakhstan during the two visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kazakhstan in July 2015 and June 2017," the statement said.

During Pradhan's visit, the two sides are expected to finalise a strategy and roadmap for expanding trade, economic and investment cooperation, it added.

The minister is being accompanied by a delegation of officials from various ministries, the Railway Board and the state-run oil explorer's foreign arm ONGC Videsh Ltd.
Lucknow, Sep 19 : Two suspected terrorists, believed to have links with the Babbar Khalsa terror outfit, were arrested by the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) from Pilibhit on Tuesday, police said.

According to officials, the arrests were made after a "concrete low-down" from Haryana and Punjab police. They are suspected to have visited the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh for purchase of illegal arms.

One of the arrested persons has been identified as Satnam Singh and the other as Jitendra Singh Toni. Toni is an accused in a case relating to supply of arms to the terrorists involved in the 2016 jail-break incident in Nabha prison.

An ATS officer informed that another Babbar Khalsa operative Balwant Singh, who was arrested in August this year, had revealed about his associates' presence in the Terai region.
Nay Pyi Taw, Sep 19 : Breaking her silence on Rohingyas, Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday said she and her government condemned all human rights abuses and unlawful violence in the country and do not fear global scrutiny on the situation in Rakhine state.

State Counsellor Suu Kyi made the remarks in English in her much-anticipated address in Parliament over the violence that has seen about 415,000 Rohingya Muslims flee into Bangladesh since August 25 following a military crackdown that has raised global concerns.

Her comments came a day after a group of countries led by the UK met with representatives of the Myanmar government in New York and called for an end to the violence against Rohingya Muslim minority and allow aid to be provided to them.

Ministers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Denmark as well as the US permanent representative in the UN, Nikki Haley, took part in the meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Suu Kyi did not, in her 30-minute televised address, denounce the alleged atrocities against the Rohingyas, termed by UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein as a "textbook case of ethnic cleansing". Instead, she said Myanmar was not "afraid of international scrutiny".

Her speech was criticised for failing to address the allegations of abuse by the Myanmar military. Hours later, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva called for full access to the region so it can investigate the situation "with its own eyes".

In her address, Suu Kyi only referred to the Rohingya by name once -- in connection to the burgeoning Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militant group that she claimed was "responsible for acts of terrorism".

Suu Kyi, who decided not to attend the UN General Assembly in New York, said she was "aware of the fact that the world's attention is focused on the situation in Rakhine". She said she wanted the international community to know what was being done by her government.

"It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abdicate responsibility. We condemn all human rights violation and unlawful violence."

Despite the continuing exodus from conflict-hit Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh, Suu Kyi claimed that the military's offensive ended two weeks ago.

"There have been no conflicts since September 5 and no clearance operations. We too are concerned. We want to find out what the real problems are," said the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

"There have been allegations, and counter allegations, and we have to listen to all of them... We have to make sure that these allegations are based on solid evidence before we take action.

"We want to find out why this exodus is happening. We'd like to talk to those who have fled, as well as those who have stayed."

Suu Kyi said she felt "deeply" for the suffering of "all people" in the conflict and Myanmar was "committed to a sustainable solution... for all communities in this state".

"Action will be taken against all peoples, regardless of their religion, race or political position who go against the laws of the land and who violate human rights.

Suu Kyi also promised to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the violence.

Responding to her speech, Amnesty International accused Suu Kyi and her government of "burying their heads in the sand over the horrors unfolding in Rakhine state.

"At times, her speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming," said James Gomez, Amnesty International's Regional Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

India on Tuesday stressed on the restoration of normalcy in Rakhine state and called for the situation to be handled with restraint.

"It is imperative that violence is ended and normalcy in the state is restored expeditiously through a solution based on respect for peace, communal harmony, justice, dignity and democratic values," said Rajiv Chander, India's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva.

Suu Kyi's speech, though disappointing to many outside the country who view her as a champion of human rights, was met with applause and cheers from large crowds in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, who watched her live on large outdoor screens.

There was a party atmosphere among the people watching Suu Kyi.

The Rohingya refugees have fled since the violence broke out on August 25 when ARSA rebels attacked police checkposts and killed 12 security personnel.

The Myanmar government has said its operations in Rakhine state were in response to the August attack and that the military was battling terrorists and doing everything to protect civilians.

Human rights activists, fellow Nobel laureates and much of the world's Muslim community have condemned Suu Kyi for failing to use her position as a government leader and moral authority to speak out on behalf of Rohingyas.

Myanmar considers the Rohingya illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh whereas Bangladesh considers them Myanmar citizens.

The Myanmar government does not use the term "Rohingya" and does not recognise the people as an official ethnicity, which means the Rohingya are denied citizenship and effectively rendered stateless.
Patna, Sep 19 : Notwithstanding the laws, child marriage in Bihar particularly in rural areas is a reality, with the percentage of under-age marriages touching as high as 50 per cent in 340 blocks, says a new study released on Tuesday.

The figure revealed by the study conducted by Gender Alliance, Bihar, is above the National Family Health Survey-4 that put the incidence of child marriage at 39.1 per cent in the state.

"While the average for Bihar (in child marriage) is 39.1 per cent, our study found that there are 340 blocks where this percentage is above the state's average.

"The highest probability of child marriage is in Ghoswari block under Patna district with 66.81 per cent, while the lowest probability is 11.81 per cent for Lahladpur block under Saran district," Prashanti Tiwary, head of Gender Alliance, said while releasing the findings of the compendium here.

Speaking on the occasion, N. Vijayalaksmi, the Managing Director of Women Development Corporation, said: "While Bihar tops the list amongst states with high incidences of child marriage, there is currently no database beyond district level for government or policy makers to concentrate their actions. For the first time, Gender Alliance, Bihar has attempted to fill that serious gap."

Two days after its "Bandhan Tod" mobile application, a new high-tech tool to fight against child marriage and dowry, the Gender Alliance brought out a detailed compendium postulating probable incidences of child marriage across all the blocks.

"Together with the Bandhan Tod app, the compendium makes a very strong tool that will help government intensify its efforts against child marriage and dowry with focused and concerted actions," said Vijayalakshmi.

The study has thrown up data from two perspectives: it has Gender Parity Index across key dimensions of social, economic and literacy that compares the position of females over males across all blocks; and it postulates the probability of child marriage in these blocks based on the inter-relationship between social and economic variables.

"The study also lists various factors influencing rise and fall in incidences for child marriage. The study is a powerful tool that is surely going to help (Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar to focus on 340 blocks to make visible changes with less resources and time," said Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Speaker of the Bihar Vidhan Sabha, while releasing the compendium.

The study has been published in collaboration with the Patna-based think tank Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), a premier research institute with economist Shaibal Gupta on its editorial board.

N. Vijayalakshmi, an IAS officer in Bihar having the prime responsibility for eradicating child marriage from the state, is also on the editorial board.

She said the research would "help focus our attention and we will certainly now move to preparing Block Action Plans with support from Gender Alliance".

Others economists and demographers have also supported the findings of the compendium and its methodology, and ADRI has planned to conduct a roundtable discussion on the compendium in the coming days, so that the same tool could also be applied in other states facing the problem of child marriage.

Also present on the occasion, senior BJP leader and state minister Nand Kishore Yadav said: "The compendium, along with the Bandhan Tod app, is surely going to be a strong arsenal for the government of Bihar towards eradication of child marriage."

Gender Alliance Bihar, a collective effort of over 270 civil society organisations supported by the UN Population Fund, was started last year to bring together civil society, activists, academicians, researchers, media and others on a common platform to advocate gender equality.
Ranchi, Sep 19 : The Jharkhand government has increased the salary of legislators, ministers, the Speaker and the Chief Minister for the second time in the last two and a half years.

"The Jharkhand cabinet gave its approval to increase the salary of legislators, Ministers, Speaker, Leader of Opposition and Chief Minister," Cabinet Secretary S.K.G. Rahate told reporters.

The last salary hike in the Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Chief Minister Raghubar Das was done in May 2015.

The basic salary of the Chief Minister has been increased from existing Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000 and the legislators from Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000.

The Leader of Opposition will now get a basic salary of Rs 65,000 per month - up from Rs 50,000 and the Speaker Rs 78,000 - up from Rs 55,000.

Rahate said the basic salary of the Chief Whip will be Rs 55,000, against the existing Rs 35,000 while that of the Deputy Chief Whip would be Rs 50,000 and the Whips Rs 45,000 from the earlier Rs 30,000.

The Cabinet also decided to hike the allowances of the members of the house.

As per the decision, the Chief Minister and the Speaker would be entitled for area allowance of Rs 80,000 while that for refreshments would be Rs 70,000 per month.

Cabinet Ministers and the Leader of Opposition would get an area allowance of Rs 80,000 per month while their refreshment allowance would be Rs 45,000, while legislators will get an area allowance of Rs 50,000 up from existing Rs 20,000 per month, apart from other facilities.

The other facilities include housing, personal assistant, air and railway facilities and other things.
Gurugram, Sep 19 : An Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Haryana Police was found shot dead in his house, police said on Tuesday.

The body of Naresh Kumar Yadav, bearing a gunshot injury, was found in his residence in U block of DLF Phase 3 area, an officer said. His son was also found missing.

Yadav, 46, was posted at Faridabad.

"We are investigating the murder from various angles. We can't say anything clearly at this stage," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Manish Sehgal.
New Delhi, Sep 19 : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday said it will launch a nationwide campaign against the high petrol prices.

Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai made the announcement while addressing the media and said that the party will hold an emergency meeting of all MLAs and district heads on Wednesday in Delhi to plan the strategy of the campaign.

The leader said that when the Modi government came to power the price of crude oil in the international market was $105.5 per barrel and the price of petrol was Rs 71 per litre in Delhi.

Now the international price has more than halved, but the price of petrol in Delhi has increased, Rai said.

He added that the central government claimed the high price was due to state taxes, and because petrol and diesel were not under the ambit of GST, "but it's not true."

"BJP is keeping quiet because they have to go to these companies for the next election," the leader said.

He said that the BJP had come to power with the promise of checking price rise but they have failed.

"What has government to do with this (high petrol price)? Why is the government not controlling these companies?" the leader asked.

The leader said that they will also launch a social media campaign against the high petrol prices, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chennai, Sep 19 : The 18 dissident AIADMK MLAs were disqualified as they "distanced" themselves from their party and fell "into the control of persons outside their party" besides aligning with the DMK, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal has held while holding that they had "voluntarily given up their membership" of the AIADMK.

In a 22-page order disqualifying them, the Speaker quoted judgments of the Supreme Court and other courts to justify his action under the anti-defection law and rules made under that law in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

He gave his ruling on a petition by AIADMK chief government whip S. Rajendiran against the 18 MLAs allied with sidelined leader T.T.V. Dinakaran that their action of giving a memorandum to the Governor that Chief Minister E. Palaniswamy lacks their confidence amounted to voluntarily giving up their membership of the party on whose symbol they were elected.

"It is crystal clear that their act is unilateral and would amount to voluntarily giving of the membership of the political party to which they belong," Dhanapal said in his order recalling various actions of the rebel group since giving a letter to the Governor on August 22.

He rejected their defence that they have not voluntarily given up their party membership and that merely meeting the Governor would not amount to giving up of membership or defection from the party. According to them, their act was completely covered by the judgement of Supreme Court in Balachandra L. Jarkiholi and others vs. B.S. Yeddyurappa and others (2011) case.

The chief whip had contended that the dissident MLAs had voluntarily give up their membership of AIADMK by making false allegations aginst the Chief Minister who was unanimously elected as the legislature party leader. They had also "embraced" a totally different ideology from that of the AIADMK by disassociating themselves from the decision of the party.

The Speaker cited an August 21 letter in which Dinakaran claimed that the Chief Minister had acted against AIADMK's policies and joined hands with former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and his group. According to that letter, Palaniswamy was facing corruption allegations and that most AIADMK (Amma) MLAs had expressed their displeasure against the Chief Minister.

"Accordingly, he had instructed the MLAs to meet the Governor and to withdraw the earlier support given to Palaniswamy. As per the said letter, the same would ensure that a fresh Chief Minister is selected from the party in order to run the government," the Dinakaran letter said.

The Speaker held neither this letter nor the alleged intention of the majority of the party MLAs was mentioned the representation given by the MLAs to the Governor.

"The representation given to the Governor is not based on the majority of the party MLAs. If so, the majority of the party MLAs would have met the Governor and not 19 MLAs giving identical but individual representations," the Speaker said.

"In fact, by claiming on one hand that they acted at the instance of the party and on the other hand that they are not part of the majority of the MLAs belonging to the party, the respondents are only subscribing to the fact that they are not part of the party itself. The above discussions would only lead to the conclusion that the respondents have in fact unidentified themselves with the AIADMK Party," the Speaker's order said.

Rejecting the contention of the MLAs, who cited the Supreme Court judgement in the case between Ravi S. Naik Vs Union of India and others on the scope of the expression "voluntarily giving up his membership", Dhanapal said: "It has been categorically held therein that the expression 'voluntarily given up membership' has a wider connotation. That even in the absence of formal resignation from membership an inference can be drawn from the conduct of a member that he has voluntarily given up his membership of a political party to which he belongs.

"Applying the said principle, from the facts of the case and the admission of respondents in their written comments, it is crystal clear that from their conduct they have voluntarily given up their membership of the political party, AIADMK, to which they belong. There could be no other inference."

He said in the light of the facts and the MLAs admission to have met the Governor and communicating they had lost confidence in the Chief Minister clearly would attract disqualification.

The Speaker also referred to a meeting the Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin had with the Governor after the dissident AIADMK MLAs and sought a floor test on the ground that the MLAs of the ruling party had withdrawn their support to the Chief Minister.

"I cannot view this as an isolated act or an unconnected incident. It is quite evident that the respondents herein have deviated from their loyalty to their party and have voluntarily taken the side of an opposition party.

"In my view even though the respondents have not submitted any letter of resignation to the AIADMK and claim they continue in the party, this act of them followed by the representation of the Leader of the Opposition cannot be lost sight of. It is quite clear from the sequence of events that the respondents are acting in concert with the leader of the Opposition.

The Speaker also dismissed the contention of the dissident MLAs that not enough time was given to them for adducing evidence in support of their claims. He dismissed their demand for cross- examination of the Chief Minister and others saying proceedings before him were not like a civil court.
New Delhi, Sep 19 : The central government will on Wednesday launch a mobile application for its pensioners, which will help retired officials monitor the progress of pension settlements.

The application will be launched at an event by Minister of State for PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Jitendra Singh.

An official statement said the mobile app would be extending all the services meant for the pensioners -- currently available on the Pensioners' Portal of the department -- to the mobile handset.

"Moving ahead from eGovernance to mGovernance, a mobile app has been created to avail the services of Pensioners' Portal," the statement said.

With this app, a superannuating central government official will be able to monitor the progress of his pension settlement and retired officials will be able to self-assess their pension through the pension calculator and will also be able to register their grievances, if any, and get updates on orders issued by the department.

At the Wednesday event, Singh will also give away awards to the pensioners for their outstanding contribution towards "Anubhav" -- a platform for retiring employees for sharing their experiences of working with the government.

A workshop on Pre-Retirement Counselling (PRC) of 300 retiring central government employees is also scheduled to be held.

The event is being organised by the Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

"The objective of this workshop is to create awareness about the post-retirement entitlements as well as an advance planning for life after retirement. There will be four interactive sessions which will cover inter-alia, the road map to retirement, medical facilities for pensioners and re-engagement of retired people for voluntary social activities under 'Sankalp'," the statement said.

There will be another session on Income Tax and other benefits for senior citizens as well as investment and financial planning for retired people and the importance of writing a will.

The Pension Department at this programme will launch the first of a series of Pension Adalats being convened with the objective of bringing on a common table the aggrieved pensioner, the department concerned and the bank or CGHS representative, wherever relevant, so that such cases could be settled across the table within the framework of extant rules.

Anubhav Awards will also be presented to 17 pensioners for their contribution towards creating institutional memory for the departments.

Anubhav scheme had been instituted on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to encourage retiring and retired employees to submit their experiences while working in the government with the objective to create an institutional wealth for the government for future governance as well as to enthuse and inspire the future generations of government officials in their respective assignments.
New Delhi, Sep 19 : Indian telecom regulator TRAI on Tuesday came out with a regulation cutting call termination charges from mobile to mobile by over half to 6 paise per minute effective from October 1. The measure drew stiff opposition from a majority of telecom operators who plan to seek legal redressal.

The sector regulator also plans to phase out Interconnection Usage Charges (IUC) by January 1, 2020.

"For mobile to mobile, termination charge has been reduced from 14 paise per minute to 6 paise per minute with effect from October 1, 2017," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in a statement.

"Such a revision in the mobile termination charge is in line with the international trends."

Domestic termination charges are the charges payable by a telecom service provider (TSP) whose subscriber originates the call, to the TSP in whose network the call terminates.

TRAI further added: "From January 1, 2020 onwards the termination charge for all types of domestic calls shall be zero."

The TRAI paper said: "The elimination of IUC will result in direct benefit to customers through lower tariffs."

It said for other types of calls (such as wire-line to mobile, wire-line to wire-line and wire-line to mobile), the termination charge would continue to remain zero.

The TRAI said: "Further, the cost of termination of calls will drastically come down over a period of two years and very small residual value, if any, can be absorbed by the TSPs in their tariff offerings. As a result, the Authority prescribes a Bill and Keep regime for the wireless to wireless calls effective from the January 1, 2020."

The prevailing Interconnection Usage Charges (IUC) Regulation was notified on February 23, 2015 and came into effect from March 1, 2015.

This regulation of TRAI will give a big jolt to the incumbent TSPs like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular who said a lesser IUC regime will be detrimental for the industry. However, new entrant in the industry Reliance Jio has always demanded zero termination charges.

Reacting to TRAI decision, Cellular Operators' Association of India's Director General Rajan S. Mathews told IANS: "Clearly this is a disastrous tariff order. We have indicated earlier that the regulator has to be transparent about how it is arriving at a number. This massive reduction is disastrous for the financial health of the sector. Majority of our members will look for legal redressal."

He added that customers will not be benefitted from this.

Earlier Vodafone Group CEO Vittorio Colao had urged the Indian government not to reduce mobile termination charges further.

In a letter dated August 22, Colao said: "On mobile termination charges, we are seriously alarmed to see reports that the Regulator is considering a reduction in MTC at a time when the industry is facing such immense hardships. Any reduction in MTC risks large scale site shut-down of already unprofitable sites in rural India and which would greatly diminish the population coverage of mobile telephony."

Interconnection allows subscribers, services and networks of one service provider to be accessed by subscribers, services and networks of the other service providers. If networks are efficiently interconnected, subscribers of one network are able to seamlessly communicate with those of another network or access the services offered by other networks.

The TRAI said it would keep a close watch on the developments in the sector particularly with respect to the adoption of new technologies and their impact on termination costs.

"The Authority, if it deems it necessary, may revisit the aforementioned scheme for termination charge applicable on wireless to wires calls after one year from the date of implementation of the regulation"," it added.

According to industry sources, if the IUC is slashed by 6 paise per minute, on an annualized basis Reliance Jio will make a savings of Rs 5,000 crore. Airtel will make a loss of Rs 2,000 crore, Vodafone Rs 1,500 crore, Idea Rs 1,200 crore, while Reliance Communications and Aircel will benefit by Rs 250 crore.

If the IUC is completely done away with then Reliance Jio will make additional savings of over Rs 4,000 crore. Airtel will make a loss of Rs 1,500 crore, Vodafone and Idea (merged entity) will make loss of around Rs 2,200 crore. However, Reliance Communications and Aircel (merged entity) will benefit by Rs 350 crore.
Los Angeles, Sep 19 : Renowned sarod player Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, who play the instrument too, were felicitated at the coveted Global Music Awards under the Gold Medal category here.

They were honoured last week for their outstanding contribution to the global music industry and excellence in the classical music sphere.

The honour was bestowed on the three in correlation with their album "Peace Worshipers", which released in July, by Affetto Records and distributed by Naxos.

The award was presented by Mark Sutherland (Editor, Music Week UK) and Sat Bisla (President and Founder, A&R Worldwide) in the presence of other music industry executives.

Interestingly, they are the only Indian classical artistes to win an honour at this platform, which brings global music partners and industry forerunners together to discuss and exchange ideas, trends and a range of other topics.

"Every award is an acknowledgment of an artiste's musical journey. Though the journey is new everyday. Very honoured," Amjad Ali Khan said in a statement.

Amaan said it's a great honour for "our genre of music".

Ayaan said the honour is a blessing for the album. "I hope that the message of togetherness and unity is conveyed to the world though 'Peace Worshippers'."

"Peace Worshipers" is a collaboration between Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash and the distinguished American violinist Elmira Darvarova.
Jaipur, Sep 19 : A director and a teacher of a village school in Sikar district in Rajasthan were arrested on Tuesday evening on the charge of raping a Class 12 student and then forcing her to abort, police said.

"We have arrested school's Director Jagdish Prasad and teacher Jagat Singh Gujjar for raping the 18-year-old," Kushal Singh, Circle Officer of Neem Ka Thana, told IANS.

Reports said the victim was unconscious and in a critical condition in a Jaipur hospital. Her statement will be recorded after her health improves, police said.

Earlier in the day, 100-150 angry villagers pelted the co-educational school, with around 400 students on its rolls, in a village near Ajitgarh with stones and broke some windowpanes as the news of the crime spread.

The school has since been closed, Assistant Sub-Inspector Moolaram of Ajitgarh police station said.

"There is anger among the villagers. We never expected this kind of thing in our area. We are demanding that the school's registration be cancelled," said a local Ajit Singh on the phone.

The two arrested men were accused of raping the student for two months on the pretext of taking extra classes. After she became pregnant, she was taken to a hospital in Shahpura, where her abortion was carried out. However, her condition deteriorated after she started to bleed profusely.

She was then taken to a hospital in Ajitgarh, where her family came to know she had undergone an abortion. She was later referred to the Jaipur hospital.

The two accused were charged under Sections 376 (punishment for rape), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 120B (punishment for criminal conspiracy ) of the Indian Penal Code.
United Nations, Sep 19 : Vowing to stop "radical Islamic terrorism," US President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday of strong action against countries that support or finance organisations like the Taliban.

"It is time to expose and hold responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Taliban and the others that slaughter innocent people," he said in his first speech to the the General Assembly.

But he stopped short of naming countries other than Iran unlike in the last month's speech outlining the Afghan strategy when he named Pakistan saying it had much to lose by harbouring terrorists.

Here on Tuesday he focused on terrorism in the Middle East, while also warning about the Taliban. He said that the US and its allies were working throughout the region "to crush loser terrorists" and "stop the emergence of safe havens" for terror groups.

But he referred to the new Afghanistan strategy, saying: "I have also totally changed the rules of engagement against the Taliban and other terrorist groups."

"From now our security interests will dictate the length and scope of our military action" in Afghanistan he said, and "not arbitrary benchmarks and timetables".

Accentuating his warning on terrorism, Trump said: "Terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and spread to every region of the planet. Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terrorists but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity."

"Authority and authoritarian powers seek to collapse the values, the systems and alliances that prevented conflict and tilted the world toward freedom since World War II," he added.

Challenging the world leaders listening to his speech, he declared: "We meet at a time of both immense promise and great peril. It is entirely up to us whether we lift the world to new heights or let it fall into a valley of disrepair."

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
Moscow, Sep 19 : The Russian Defence Ministry on Tuesday accused the US and the Syrian opposition of trying to hamper the successful advance of the Syrian government troops against the Islamic State.

"The closer the end of IS in Syria, the more evident it becomes who is really fighting the IS and who has been imitating this fight in the last three years," the ministry's spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement, Xinhua reported.

He said the advancing Syrian government troops supported by the Russian Air Force managed to break the fierce resistance and liberate more than 60 square km of territory on the left bank of the Euphrates River in the last 24 hours.

But their advance was hampered by a sudden rise of the water level in the Euphrates and a two-fold increase in the speed of its current after the government troops started crossing the river, Konashenkov said.

In the absence of precipitation, the only source of such changes in the water level could be a man-made discharge of water at the dams north of the Euphrates, which are held by the opposition formations controlled by the international coalition led by the US, he said.

In addition, according to reports of Syrian commanders from the front line, the most serious counter-attacks and massive fire on the Syrian troops were coming from the northern direction, where the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDS) and US Special Forces units operated, Konashenkov added.

The US has been recently heavily backing the Kurdish-led SDS in their push to capture Raqqa, the de facto capital of the IS in Syria.

"If the international coalition headed by the US is unwilling to fight terrorism in Syria, let it at least abstain from creating obstacles to those who do it continuously and efficiently," he said.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that Washington is seeking a de-escalation of the ongoing conflict in Syria and "a political solution that honours the will of the Syrian people."
New York, Sep 19 : With the Caribbean region facing nature's deadly fury with Hurricanes Irma and Maria pummelling through, India on Tuesday expressed its solidarity with the affected nations and offered aid.

Offering India's condolences at the loss of lives in the devastating hurricanes, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India stood "ready to assist in your efforts to rebuild broken lives".

"As a token of our solidarity, India will make available an emergency aid of $200,000 to the worst affected countries," Sushma Swaraj said in her opening address at the Third India-Caribbean Community (Caricom) Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly here.

"I am asking our Mission to the UN to work with our partners in Antigua and Barbuda as well as Dominica and other partners to earmark an amount of $2 million from the India-UN Partnership Fund for South-South Cooperation for rehabilitation projects in Caricom," she stated. Caricom is an organisation of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria wreaked havoc across the Caribbean, North and Central America this month claiming scores of lives.

Sushma Swaraj said that India undertook evacuation from the island of Saint Maarten for not only Indians but for nationals of nine other countries as well.
Mumbai, Sep 19 : Torrential rains leading to poor visibility forced cancellation of all flight operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport here on Tuesday night till 5 p.m. on Wednesday, sources said.

The situation was further compounded by a SpeiceJet Varanasi-Mumbai flight aircraft which skidded and got stuck in the mud after landing, blocking the main runway.

Consequently, flight operations have been temporarily suspended till early Wednesday morning.

Though details of the number of flights which would be affected are not immediately available, a majority could be on international sectors.

Jet Airways has already announced temporary suspension of all its flight operations since late Tuesday night.
Vatican City, Sep 20 : The Vatican on Tuesday denied it paid around 250,000 euros to keep schoolgirl Emanuela Orlandi in London after she vanished in Rome over three decades ago, saying a letter claiming this was "completely false and without foundation".

"The Secretariat of State firmly denies the authenticity of the document and declares the information contained in it to be completely false and without foundation," the Holy See said, as per Vatican Radio.

The Vatican statement referred to the letter allegedly written by late Italian cardinal Lorenzo Antonetti nearly 20 years ago which is due to be published in an upcoming book by Italian investigative reporter Emiliano Fittipaldi, "The Imposters".

Italian daily La Repubblica on Monday published the five-page typed letter with an article by Fittipaldi, who says he obtained the alleged missive dated March 28, 1998 from "a source".

The alleged letter by Antonetti, then head of the Vatican's property office (Apsa) is among 200 pages of invoices and documents which Fittipaldi claims to have obtained from the unnamed source.

"If the document is genuine, it could open up shocking new angles on the schoolgirl's disappearance in 1983. If it is a fake, it reveals an unprecedented power struggle within the pontificate of Francis," Fittipaldi wrote in La Repubblica.

The alleged 250,000 euros of expenses between 1983 and 1997 include medical bills for Orlandi and accommodation in London. The last entry speaks of an alleged transfer to the Vatican and the "completion of final procedures".

Numerous visits to London by Vatican officials are listed, as well as the involvement of 'Commando 1', possibly a Vatican secret service unit, Fittipaldi suggested.

"It is especially sad that with these false publications - which, among other things, wound the honour of the Holy See - the immense sorrow of the Orlandi family, with whom the Secretariat of State re-affirms its solidarity, should be exacerbated," the Vatican stated.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke on Monday slammed the claims as "false and ridiculous.

Orlandi's family has said it wants to meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to "calmly discuss" the alleged letter, according their lawyer, Laura Sgro.

The disappearance of Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican employee, who went missing in central Rome after a music lesson on June 22, 1983 is one of Italy's most famous unsolved mysteries. Over the years, a number of theories have sprung up to explain what happened to her.

Possibly the most disturbing allegation was a claim in 2012 by Italian priest and Vatican exorcist Gabriele Pietro Amorth, who alleged Orlandi was knapped and forced to take part in sex parties and was later killed and her body disposed of.

Other theories include that Orlandi was abducted by the mafia in an attempt to blackmail the Vatican, or by terrorists seeking the release of Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turk jailed for trying to assassinate John Paul II.
Mangaluru (Karnataka), Sep 20 : A false alarm over presence of an 'explosive' in the baggage of a passenger sent the security staff into a tizzy at the Mangaluru airport on Tuesday.

"As the security scanner gave an alarm when the passenger passed through the security gate with cabin baggage, he was detained. A search of his bag found an assembled power bank to charge his cell phone," Mangalore Police Commissioner T.R. Suresh told IANS on phone.

The passenger was booked to fly in budget carrier Indigo to Bengaluru where he was to take a connecting flight to Dubai later in the night.

"As devices like power bank are not allowed in the luggage, the passenger kept it in his hand baggage. Being locally assembled, it appeared to be an IED for the Central Industrial Security Force men, who checked it again," he added.

The passenger was later allowed to board the flight but the device was seized.

Confirming the incident, an Indigo official said later that its security staff alerted the CISF after the passenger was suspected to be carrying a "cell phone bomb".
Rome, Sep 20 : A 51-year-old woman doctor was allegedly raped by a 26-year-old male patient at an out-of-hours surgery in Sicily, reports said on Tuesday.

The female doctor was taken to hospital in Santa Marta di Acireale in a state of shock after the late-night attack at around 2.30 a.m. in the town of Trecastagni near Catania. A resident living opposite the out-of-hours surgery heard the woman screaming and called police, who arrested her alleged rapist at the scene, according to local reports.

The doctor's ordeal may have lasted for several hours after the man is believed to have smashed the surgery's phone and ripped out an emergency button to connect staff to police, according to La Sicilia newspaper.

The man's employer and the owner of a local bar said he drank but had not seen him behave anti-socially. Trecastagni's Mayor said social services had obliged the man to undergo psychiatric treatment in the past.

Italian Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin held an emergency meeting and local prosecutors opened a probe.

"What happened in Catania is horrendous," said Lorenzin, vowing zero tolerance for such crimes.

"The man responsible for this offensive and inhumane act has been arrested and I hope he will receive an exemplary sentence. It's clear we cannot compromise on certain things."
United Nations, Sep 20 : Reiterating India's historical support for Palestine, India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj declared on Tuesday that it will be a central point of its foreign policy.

"For independent India support for the Palestinian cause has been a reference point of its foreign policy," she told the Nonaligned Movement's Ministerial Committee on Palestine on the sidelines of the high-level General Assembly meeting.

Recalling that the NAM Committee on Palestine was set up during India's chairmanship of the Movement in 1983, Sushma Swaraj said that New Delhi's commitment to the Palestinian cause and solidarity with the Palestinian people "can never be undermined".

"I strongly believe that India's expanding relations in the region with all nations will only strengthen the Palestinian cause," she said.

Her reassurances to Palestine and and its supporters comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's July visit to Israel during which he stayed away from Palestine.

Ties between India and Israel have grown sharply in recent years, especially in the defence field.

"I strongly believe that India's expanding relations in the region with all nations will only strengthen the Palestinian cause," she said, adding, during Modi's visit to Israel "we reiterated the need for a just and durable peace in the region".

Peace in the region will only be possible with "an early negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine based on mutual recognition and security arrangements," she said.

In a rebuttal to criticism by some in India and elsewhere for what they see as a dilution of New Delhi's engagement with Palestine, she said: "It is a matter of great personal satisfaction for me that over the last two years the tempo of our partnership with the Palestinian people has been significantly stepped up."

Sushma Swaraj also recalled her visit to Palestine in January last year when she and her Palestinian counterpart Riyad Maliki decided to establish a ministerial-level joint commission to better manage cooperation activities between the two sides.

During Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas's visit to India in May, the two countries signed agreements for cooperation in agriculture, information technology, health and in youth affairs and sports, she said.

"We also took the decision to set up an information technology park in Ramallah that can serve as an information technology training and service providing hub," she added.

Stating that India has been voluntarily contributing to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for several years now, Sushma Swaraj said: "In 2016, we contributed $1.25 million towards its budget, and we are committed to maintaining this support on a multiple-year basis."

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
Mapooi posting pictures, texts, and Tweets at specific times and locations Users can schedule Tweets for specific timeframes that will automatically post and update the community about occurring events.

Mapooi and Mapooi with Twitter apps have officially launched in the Google Play app store. Mapooi and Mapooi with Twitter provide a means for users to either post or search posted information with Google Maps, and are available for Android devices at the Google Play Store. Mapooi is a mobile information-mapping application that allows users to communicate and connect while exploring locations around the world. In an attractive purple and orange theme, Mapooi allows users to schedule future posts, view listings of recent posts, and even has a moving map feature, where mapped postings can be viewed on selected regions of a map, even during travel. Mapooi with Twitter is an alternative mash-up of Twitter accounts and Google Maps.

Paris Enterprises states the intention for the applications is to create a social map that helps inform people in a number of different scenarios. Now users can even schedule postings for specific time frames that will automatically post and update the community about occurring events.

For example, users can post items for sale, shout out about musical events, post photos of exciting sporting events, track hiking trails and more. Mapooi users can post a warning such as an accident or flood. When the app opens, it shows recent listed posts and mapped posts. Users can explore established locations or pin a new location by writing a comment and/or posting a picture. If an event (e.g., garage sale) is happening at a later time, users can schedule a posting in advance that will automatically display at the specified time and notify other users. Mapooi is a useful tool that helps people map and document what is being said about different locations around them. They can join in the experience or just browse events around the world.

The application developer notes it is important to respect ones right to privacy, yet there are times when users want others to know their location. A social app that emphasizes location as value has not been fully developed until now.

For more information on Mapooi, please visit: http://www.mapooi.com or visit their social media sites, including Flickr.
Martin McElliott (left) and Dan Jones (right) accept the Small Business of the Year award from the Thurston County Economic Development Council. The Talk brand generates over 1 million local mobile impressions a month.

In the first six months of 2017, NorthAmericaTalks community social networks have racked up four awards.

Being recognized by our peers in the business community is a great honor, said Dan Jones, CEO. We are consistently appreciative of groups that recognize the impact of our businesses in the community.

The following awards were received by the NorthAmericaTalk team:



Small Business of the Year awarded by the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce in June 2017

** SouthSoundTalk.com  covering the Tacoma and Pierce County market



Small Business of the Year presented by the Thurston County Economic Development Council in May 2017

** NorthAmericaTalk Inc.  parent company for six community social networks



Business of the Month honored by the Ferndale Chamber in May 2017

** WhatcomTalk.com  covering the Bellingham and Whatcom County market



Green Business awarded by the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce in April 2017

** ThurstonTalk.com  covering the Olympia and Thurston County market

Additionally, in May, CEO Dan Jones was nominated for a Tourism Visionary award by the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater Visitor & Convention Bureau.

In July, NorthAmericaTalk announced an expansion into the Vancouver, Washington market. ClarkCountyTalk became the sixth community social network in the NorthAmericaTalk family. The local community has been excited to hear how we can help businesses reach their target market, grow their brand and measure results, said Martin McElliott, VP of Sales.

NorthAmericaTalk's media organization is positioning to be one of the largest digital media companies in Western Washington focused on the I-5 corridor, currently spanning from the Canadian border south to the Washington border with Oregon on our radar, said Jones.

With a mobile-friendly focus on delivering content, we are reaching an engaged population of readers. Our brand generates over 1 million mobile impressions on a monthly basis, said Amy Rowley, Chief Publishing Officer.

About NorthAmericaTalk

NorthAmericaTalk is a digital media company building and operating Community Social Networks. Through our proprietary technology and sales tools, we are disrupting the media landscape while building a trusted, valuable local media brand. Today, our media group reaches 350,000 engaged neighbors in Western Washington weekly, with over 100,000 social subscribes. Our fast-growing media company is based in Western Washington, spanning from the state capital of Olympia north to urban Tacoma and college-town Bellingham on the Canadian border, south to rural Lewis County, west to the Grays Harbor beaches and even further south along the I-5 corridor to Vancouver, Washington. We count hundreds of various marketers as long-term customers that use our platform to reach their target market, grow their brand, and measure results.
Smart Clinic will join nine other companies from across the country in the five-day program designed to support and advance entrepreneurial innovation, aligning with the Healthbox mission to empower the reinvention of healthcare. The program accelerates emerging digital health companies by fostering relationships between startup founders and industry leaders.

Healthbox is excited to welcome this exceptional group of entrepreneurs to the 2017 Studio program, said Neil Patel, President of Healthbox. We look forward to helping each company navigate through this crucial stage and guide their path to continued success.

Healthbox works with leading healthcare organizations to develop and support innovation strategies through consulting and fund management services. The company was founded in 2010 as one of the world's first healthcare accelerators and evolved into a healthcare innovation services firm in 2015.

We are very excited to be selected to the Healthbox Studio program. Our involvement is another critical step forward in our growth. said Robert Backie, Smart Clinic CEO. Healthbox provides us access to industry leading mentoring and learning from those who have been there and done that.

Smart Clinics effectiveness continues to be validated by medical care providers, with a clinically-proven 35% improvement in patient preparation. An extraordinary industry achievement, this improvement in patient preparation has resulted in a growing number of endorsements from leading gastroenterology doctors and organizations, including the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). ACG has selected Smart Clinic as their official patient engagement application and continued to promote the platform to their more than 13,000 members nationwide.

About Smart Clinic

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in the Phoenix area, Smart Clinic is a physician-conceived and designed mHealth application that enables trackable patient compliance and effective, confirmable two-way communication. Smart Clinic enhances patient engagement, compliance and satisfaction, providing patients relevant, timely and pertinent information that educates, encourages and improves the patients ability to manage their own health, all while streamlining back office workflow. For more information, visit http://www.SmartClinicApp.com.

About Healthbox

Healthbox is a healthcare innovation services firm that leading organizations trust with decisions on when and how to build, buy, or partner. We were the first to combine investing experience and consulting services in a way that is strategic, objective, and actionable for providers, payors, and others across the industry. Our unique perspective and expertise drives innovation from inside the organization and out to rapidly deliver dynamic results. We are proud to work with healthcare leaders who share our passion for building, harnessing, and advancing solutions to empower the reinvention of healthcare. To learn more about the Healthbox Studio program, please visit http://www.Healthbox.com.
Finally an Easy Name Plate Solution for Glass Cubicle Walls The holders are easily installed and removed, and personalized name plates are simple to slide in-and-out of the holders.

Nap Nameplates, a Michigan-based manufacturer of custom office name plates and holders, has announced a new line of name plate holders designed for glass cubicle partitions.

These unique name plate holders are made-to-order, fitting a variety of glass partition thicknesses by simply sliding over the top - with no adhesives or any other attachments required.

New, glass cubicle name plate holders are built to last, made of durable, scratch-resistant aluminum, and are available in a range of colors. Both the color of the aluminum base and the color of the actual nameplate holder are customizable to match office decor or an employees preferred look.

The holders are easily installed and removed, and personalized name plates are simple to slide in-and-out of the holders.

As offices are reorganized or remodeled, or as employees change cubicles, this new design makes it easier than ever to properly label whos who - and help employees take a sense of pride and ownership in their workspace.

While glass partitions look great and help offices feel more spacious, they have previously presented a problem for typical nameplate holders. Older designs required drilling or adhesives, which usually arent viable options for glass walls.

Nap Nameplates new model offers the best of both worlds. Holders are available in 10x2 and 8x2 designs, with the option to choose the right thickness for your offices glass cubicle partitions.

In addition to the design for glass cubicle walls, Nap Nameplates offers a variety of other over the wall designs that dont require adhesives, pins, or Velcro, as well as all types of customizable name plates in brass, aluminum, or plastic. Personalized name plates can be printed in full-color, and include a company logo, or laser engraved for an executive look.

One reviewer said of Nap Nameplates:

If you are looking for a high quality nameplate holder for your cubicle, Nap makes just that - a quality product... Based on my brief experience with the people there, it appears to be a well-run, top quality outfit.

To learn more about Nap Nameplates, explore glass partition name plate holders, and explore their extensive line of products, visit Napnameplates.com.

About Nap Nameplates

Founded in 2008 by Robert Napieralski, Nap Nameplates is a sister company of NapTags and Naps Dealer supplies, based in Belmont, Michigan. Robert saw an opportunity to bring jobs and new business to his community, and leads the company with a mission focused on honesty and integrity. Nap Nameplates strives to always innovate while delivering top quality products, providing excellent service to customers and coworkers, and treating every interaction with kindness and respect.
By choosing Myxx to deliver a superior shopping experience, Harris Teeter is once again leapfrogging over its competitors and leveraging technology to win

Omni-channel marketing platform provider Myxx today announced their partnership with Harris Teeter to launch HarrisTeeterRecipes.com. Myxx will power the regional supermarket chains unique customer-facing website with a platform that translates online recipes into dynamic shopping lists, promotes key brands, and enables both online and in-store shopping via one customized site.

By choosing Myxx to deliver a superior shopping experience, Harris Teeter is once again leapfrogging over its competitors and leveraging technology to win, said Monica Wood, CEO of Myxx. Myxx is extremely proud to be their platform of choice to expand their customer offerings, increase online sales, and strengthen strategic brand relationships through HarrisTeeterRecipes.com.

With fierce competition in the grocery and food delivery market, Harris Teeter wanted a cost-effective yet robust recipe and shopping list solution for their customers, while leveraging brand dollars to drive purchases in their store locations. Myxx provided the perfect, fully-integrated omni-channel solution.

HarrisTeeterRecipes.com is a fully-customized co-branded Myxx solution, allowing Harris Teeter to be the only featured retailer on their site to influence the cart at the recipe level, increase revenue, and drive customer loyalty. Harris Teeter customers can browse, save and share recipes, create personalized shopping lists, and bypass the wait of more expensive boxed meal solutions. At the same time, Harris Teeter can leverage real-time insight to drive measurable sales lift and engage with customers across their path-to-purchase.

Myxx had the experience, digital advertising insight and tech capabilities to create an end-to-end solution for Harris Teeter that connects brands, retailers, and consumers in ways previously impossible. And, we were able to roll it out in days, rather than months or years, said Dede Houston, COO of Myxx. We look forward to helping other organizations and brick-and-mortar stores easily embed the online and data-parsing functionality they require to survive and thrive within this rapidly evolving industry.

The robust platform allows users to select from thousands of recipes online and dynamically translates the ingredients to in-store product SKUs. Through Myxxs proprietary List-to-Cart technology, shoppers get the convenience of creating a dynamic grocery list, which can be used in-store or sent instantly to ExpressLane for same-day pickup or delivery. Myxx also cleverly works with brands to sell placement and earn a permanent spot on every shoppers list. Product prices at Myxx match that of the online prices at the retail locations, and Myxx does not collect fees from consumers.

Myxx has the unique ability to boost and measure consumer behavior while taking the fixed costs from the retailer out of the equation. Harris Teeter is just one of several brands which are partnering with Myxx. The Cary-based startup is rapidly expanding and has secured strategic partnerships with leading grocery brands such as Perdue, Egglands Best, ARS Sugar and LandOLakes among others. Myxx also offers over 50,000 recipes, 1,200 Store Locations across 36 States, and 157,000 Product SKUs.

About Myxx

Myxx is an omni-channel marketing platform that dynamically connects brands and retailers to consumers. Myxxs proprietary and customized List-to-Cart technology gives brands and retailers the ability to increase relevancy, revenue and reach by leveraging real-time insights to drive measurable sales lift and engage with customers across their path-to-purchase (and re-purchase.) Visit http://www.myxxrecipes.com to experience first hand or learn more at http://www.myxxsolutions.com

About Harris Teeter

Harris Teeter, with headquarters in Matthews, N.C., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. The regional grocery chain employs approximately 30,000 associates and operates stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Florida and the District of Columbia. Visit http://www.harristeeter.com to learn more.
Edison Partners today announced the successful exit of eSentire, a leader in managed cybersecurity services. The company has received a significant equity investment from funds affiliated with private equity firm Warburg Pincus. The exit generated meaningful return and IRR for Edison Partners.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Ontario, eSentire is regarded as the pioneer in managed cybersecurity services detect and contain advanced threats that have bypassed all other security controls. The company began serving the financial services market and expanded rapidly to support other sectors including insurance, legal, healthcare, biopharma, engineering, technology, manufacturing and government agencies. Since Edisons initial investment in 2013, revenue grew by 8X. The company has been recognized on Deloittes Fast 50 list of fastest growing technology companies in Canada and Fast 500 in North America.

After 26 consecutive quarters of growth, its clear that eSentire has a proven, high-demand business model and solution that will continue to propel the company in the cybersecurity space, said Lenard Marcus, Partner of Edison Partners and eSentire board member, who led the investment. Were thankful for J. Paul Haynes (CEO) and the entire eSentire management team who have done a tremendous job in leading the companys market expansion and delivering an outstanding return for all stakeholders.

Edison Partners provided us with strategic go-to-market expertise and access to talent which allowed us to scale rapidly over the past four years, said J. Paul Haynes, eSentire CEO. "We greatly appreciate their advice and support in our mission.

Edison will maintain a minority ownership position in the new company.

Edison Partners has financed and guided more than 200 private companies, including 47 Enterprise technology companies. Noteworthy exits include Archive Systems, Best Software, Fiberlink, Insoft, Logfire, M5, Mathsoft, MDY, NFR Security, Notable Solutions, Presidium, RedVision, Tangoe, Telarix, TetraData, Uptivity, VFA, VirtualEdge and Visual Networks. Current Enterprise solutions portfolio companies include: All Traffic Solutions, Bricata, KEMP Technologies, KDS, Motionsoft, Neat, PlumChoice, Salsa, Vox Mobile and Zagster.

About eSentire

eSentire is the largest pure-play managed detection and response (MDR) service provider, keeping organizations safe from constantly evolving cyber-attacks that technology alone cannot prevent. Its 247 Security Operations Center (SOC), staffed by elite security analysts, hunts, investigates, and responds in real-time to known and unknown threats before they become business disrupting events. Protecting more than $5.7 trillion in corporate assets, eSentire absorbs the complexity of cybersecurity, delivering enterprise-grade protection and the ability to comply with growing regulatory requirements. In 2016, eSentire was named Best SME Cybersecurity Solution by SC Magazine, and was included on Deloittes Technology Fast 500 list. eSentire was included in Gartners 2017 Market Guide for Managed Detection and Response Services  a list of service providers that can support organizations seeking to improve their threat detection and incident response capabilities. For more information, visit http://www.esentire.com and follow @esentire.

About Edison Partners

For more than 30 years, Edison Partners has been helping CEOs and their executive teams navigate the entrepreneurial journey and build successful companies. Through the unique combination of growth capital and the Edison Edge platform, consisting of operating leverage, the Edison Director Network, and executive education, Edison employs a holistic approach to accelerating growth and creating value for businesses ($5 to $20 million in revenue) in financial, healthcare, enterprise and marketing technology sectors. Edisons active portfolio has created aggregate market value exceeding $10 billion. Its long-tenured team based in Princeton, N.J., manages more than $1 billion in assets throughout the eastern United States.
The Wedding Protector Plan will be exhibiting at the Wedding MBA Convention in Las Vegas, NV at the Las Vegas Convention Center October 2-4, 2017.

The Wedding MBA, an annual conference dedicated to educating wedding vendors on how to grow your wedding business and book more brides, is extremely popular in the industry and will have over 4,000 attendees. The wedding professional attendees include caterers, photographers, officiants, deejays, videographers, bakers, florists, wedding planners and wedding insurance professionals.

We are excited to exhibit at the Wedding MBA conference again this year, said Diane Burrows, National Program Manager of the Wedding Protector Plan. We look forward to connecting with vendors and wedding industry professionals to develop partnerships that provide our clients with a comprehensive wedding protection solution.

Connecting with wedding industry professionals to discuss the importance of wedding insurance is the primary goal of the Wedding Protector Plan while in attendance at the Wedding MBA. We will also be able to attend over 120 seminars related to branding, communication, marketing and selling techniques.

Having an opportunity to share the importance of wedding insurance along with wedding insurance tips that can assist planners in creating a complete package for their couples and guests is fundamental, said Burrows. I believe in making sure our couples are protected from any possible scenario that may cause their day to be anything less than perfect. Providing education and being able to maximize strategic partnerships with attendees is our goal.

About the Wedding Protector Plan

The Wedding Protector Plan provides cancellation/postponement wedding insurance coverage for many problems such as severe weather causing wedding cancellation or postponement, transportation shutdowns, lost deposits, and other headaches that can ruin the anticipated celebration. Consumers also have the option to add private event liability with no deductible as an endorsement to their special event insurance policy.

The Wedding Protector Plans is a registered trademark of B&B Protector Plans Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Brown & Brown, Inc. To learn more about the Wedding Protector Plan, please visit http://www.protectmywedding.com.
www.VentureConstructionGroup.com Venture is dedicated to innovation and education and maintaining the industrys leading memberships. Methods of sustainability and energy conservation are critical elements in construction and restoration, says Stephen Shanton, CEO and president of Venture Construction Group.

Venture Construction Group (VCG) joins Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) Industry Members Association (EIMA). The esteemed membership is granted to industry leading construction contractors who are dedicated to protocols and education in sustainability and energy conservation.

EIMA is a national non-profit technical trade association comprised of leading suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, contractors, architects, manufacturers and suppliers, and other interested parties involved in the EIFS industry. EIMA is an accredited ANSI standards organization dedicated to education and represents the EIFS industry in negotiations with national building codes and standards agencies, as well as government regulators. EIMA plans and implements research and testing programs, develops industry guideline specifications for EIFS, and presents at technical symposiums.

Venture is dedicated to innovation and education and maintaining the industrys leading memberships. Methods of sustainability and energy conservation are critical elements in construction and restoration, says Stephen Shanton, CEO and president of Venture Construction Group.

EIFS is a non-load bearing, exterior wall cladding system that consists of an insulation board attached either adhesively or mechanically, or both, to the substrate; an integrally reinforced base coat; and a textured protective finish coat. EIFS with drainage helps to eliminate moisture before it has an opportunity to enter the wall cavity. EIFS today are one of the most tested and well researched claddings in the construction industry.

With a commitment to education and a dedication to innovation, VCG holds the industrys leading certifications and accreditations. With over 20 years of experience, VCG is a full-service general contractor that provides residential and commercial construction, restoration, and storm damage repairs.

About Venture Construction Group

Venture Construction Group (VCG) is a leader in residential and commercial construction, roofing, renovations, restoration, storm damage repairs, and 24/7 emergency services. We are a full-service general contractor and assist property owners throughout Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C. Founded in 1998, VCG services commercial and residential properties throughout the East Coast, Greater Mid-Atlantic Region, Gulf Coast, and Midwest. Operational excellence is our mission in every project we undertake, and we pride ourselves on providing exceptional customer service. Venture Construction Group is an exclusive certified National Storm Damage Center Preferred Contractor, Platinum Preferred Certified Contractor with the National Insurance Restoration Council, WindStorm Insurance Network WIND Certified Umpire, WIND Certified Appraiser, WIND Certified Fellow, Certified Member of the United Association of Storm Restoration Contractors, Certified Member of Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) Industry Members Association (EIMA), Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor, Mule-Hide Legacy Contractor, Certified CertainTeed Contractor and Duro-Last Certified Contractor. VCG credentials have been vetted and screened through independent third party Global Risk Management Solutions. With offices nationwide and a solid reputation throughout the country, we are able to respond to your needs with quality, ease, and top-notch service. For more information call 866-459-8348 or visit us online at http://www.VentureConstructionGroup.com

About EIFS Industry Members Association (EIMA)

Founded in 1981, the EIFS Industry Members Association (EIMA) is a national non-profit technical trade association comprised of leading suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, contractors, architects, related products manufacturers and suppliers, and other interested parties involved in the Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) industry. Learn more at http://www.eima.com.

Media Inquiries:

Matt Orlewicz

Elev8 Consulting Group

Ph: 386.243.5388

Web: http://www.elev8cg.com
Last month, Inc. magazine ranked RevolutionParts as #692 on its 36th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segment its independent small and midsized businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Dominos Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000.

This is a thrilling milestone for our company. We couldnt be more proud to be recognized! This would not have been possible without our dealers, partners, and an outstanding team of talented individuals. says Ibrahim Mesbah, CEO of RevolutionParts.

RevolutionParts ranked #692 on the Inc 5000, and #1 for software companies in Arizona.

The 2017 Inc. 5000, unveiled online at Inc.com and with the top 500 companies featured in the September issue of Inc. (available on newsstands August 16) is the most competitive crop in the lists history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year average growth of 481%. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue is $206 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated 619,500 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000/list/2017.

"The Inc. 5000 is the most persuasive evidence I know that the American Dream is still alive, says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. The founders and CEOs of the Inc. 5000 tell us they think determination, risk taking, and vision were the keys to their success, and I believe them.

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring all the companies on the list will be held from October 10 through 12, 2017 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, CA. Speakers include some of the greatest entrepreneurs of this and past generations, such as former Ford president Alan Mullaly, FUBU CEO and founder and Shark Tank star Daymond John, Dollar Shave Club founder Michael Dubin, researcher and #1 New York Times bestseller Brene Brown, and Gravity Payments founder and CEO Dan Price.

About RevolutionParts:

RevolutionParts helps automotive dealers maximize online OEM parts sales with powerful and user-friendly eCommerce solutions. The companys focus is on making it dead simple for dealers to sell parts online and deliver a great shopping experience for their customers. Web stores powered by the RevolutionParts platform receive more than 60 million unique visitors and powers over $200M annually in global parts and accessories sales for dealerships. For more information visit http://www.revolutionparts.com.

Methodology:

The 2017 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2013 to 2016. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2013. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2016. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2013 is $100,000; the minimum for 2016 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.
A3 Informatics has been formed to leverage semantic technologies, remove silos, and ensure that organisations have better data throughout their processes.

The pharmaceutical industry has been trying to introduce a seamless method for moving data from one end of the process to the other without needless conversions and endless checks for integrity. A3 Informatics has been formed to leverage semantic technologies, remove silos, and ensure that organisations have better data throughout their processes.

Dave Iberson-Hurst has been an advocate of using Standards for the last 15 years and is instrumental in the development and design of A3 Informatics Tools: The Glandon Suite. He stated, I am proud to be bringing a set of technologies to the industry that it has long needed. I have been driven to solve the frustrations of those I have worked with for the last 20 years in the most realistic way possible. I am looking forward to introducing A3 Informatics to the wider community and changing the way that we work with data.

Dave has worked with S-cubeds Scott McGregor, Managing Director, and Niels Both, Partner, over the last 10 Years. Scott and Niels were aware of the benefits of using an MDR based on CDISC Standards and have supported Dave to bring the products and ideas to fruition. Scott stated, I knew from working with Dave that his ideas were grounded in working with real issues in data management. His vision and ability to see solutions that could be simply implemented in any company are an ideal match for the way that S-cubed works with clients. His eye for detail and quality are key to everything we do. Nielss experience of working with the CDISC standards and awareness of the issues that companies faced with implementation was key to his involvement in A3 Informatics. Dave and I have worked together for many years and it is clear that there has to be another way of working with the data in clinical trials. A3 Informatics offers solutions that can drive the industry away from endless mapping and conversions and lead to a more efficient and accurate way of working.

A3 Informatics will officially launch at the PhUSE Annual Conference in Edinburgh on 8th October. You can meet the team and hear about the innovations and latest developments by visiting the S-cubed booth, where demos of the products will be taking place.

If you want to know more about A3 Informatics and the Glandon Suite of Tools, please visit the website: http://www.a3informatics.com

ABOUT:

Assero is based in the UK and provides consultancy services to the pharmaceutical industry in the field of CDISC data standards and their use in improving the clinical trial process with a particular emphasis on the use of metadata.

http://www.assero.co.uk

S-cubed is a European company based in Denmark and the United Kingdom offering flexible solutions, consultancy, in house support, and full-service CRO capabilities. S-cubed specialize in Biometrics, CDISC Standards (implementation and conversion), Regulatory Affairs, Business Intelligence, Quality Assurance, and Project Management.

http://www.s-cubed-global.com
72 percent of CRM customers indicated they would trade functionality for ease of use.

Front Row Solutions (FRS) announced today that it has significantly improved the integration capability, functionality and security of its class-leading CRM platform, which is available for mobile devices (iOS and Android), and via desktop client over the web.

Through a streamlined and user-friendly interface, Front Row Solutions gives management and mobile workers an immediate overview of productivity, activity and performance. This real-time business intelligence is used to improve efficiency and effectiveness at both individual and team levels, establish best practices, monitor and enforce compliance, drive strategic planning, optimize resources, and more.

The latest version now features extensive improvements to the platforms API and web services, which supports faster and more secure integrations. Key areas of improvement include:

New Integrations: Front Row Solutions now seamlessly integrates with a wide range of SaaS solutions, including most CRM and ERP platforms.

New Integration Team: Front Row Solutions has established a new team that is dedicated to integration-related strategies and improvements. The team is led by an integration specialist, and includes operations personnel, app specialists, security analysts and programmers.

New Security Enhancements: Front Row Solutions has enhanced its security package with industry-leading technology that encrypts data-in-motion and data-at-rest. To date, the platform has passed scheduled and unscheduled PEN tests by some of the worlds leading pharmaceutical and financial institutions.

New Financial Package: Front Row Solutions has created a new financial package to help organizations integrate the platform at a lower price point, and with a faster deployment schedule that does not trigger disruptions or down time for legacy systems (e.g. Salesforce).

Commented Etien DHollander, President of Front Row Solutions: There are many good CRM systems in the marketplace, but most of them are weak in two critical areas: usability and integration. Our platform has always led the way on usability, because we deeply understand what mobile workers and management teams need to succeed. Studies show that 72 percent of CRM customers indicated they would trade functionality for ease of use.

Continued DHollander: Now, based on consultations with our customers, we have made it even simpler, faster and safer for organizations to integrate Front Row Solutions with their legacy systems, and ensure that their customer-facing workforce accesses the reliable, real-time business intelligence they need to do what matters most: drive customer experience, shorten sales cycles, increase deal sizes, and boost win rates.

Front Row Solutions engages with mobile workers, improves information flow from the field and enables management to make more informed business decisions. For more information or to set up a free trial call Front Row at 1-800-986-0983, or visit the Front Row web site at. http://www.frontrowsolutions.com

About Front Row Solutions

Front Row Solutions (FRS) a North American company, was founded in 2008 to improve the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) process with a focus on the mobile worker and mobile data collection. The prime directives around the creation of FRS was ease and speed of use, 100% mobility, improved mobile worker productivity and increased information flow from the field. FRS is a customizable app based system which can be loaded on any smart phone or tablet and allows a mobile worker to submit a report or form immediately after a customer interaction in 60 seconds or less. FRS unique real-time paperless reporting capability (with optional geo location tracking) gives management better reports and insight into all mobile worker and client activity. FRS can be used as a standalone system or it can be integrated into current legacy CRM or ERP systems, effectively becoming the front end of some not so user-friendly systems.
Buyatab Online Inc., a leader in digital gifting, is excited to announce today that they ranked #2 overall on the 29th annual PROFIT 500 ranking of Canadas Fastest-Growing Companies.

In addition to being ranked the second fastest-growing company overall, Buyatab earned top honors as the #1 software company in Canada and, the fastest-growing company in Vancouver. Canadian Business and PROFIT Magazines annual PROFIT 500, is the definitive ranking of Canadas Fastest-Growing Companies. Published in the October issue of Macleans magazine and at CanadianBusiness.com, the PROFIT 500 ranks Canadian businesses by their five-year revenue growth.

Buyatab made the 2017 PROFIT 500 list with five-year revenue growth of 18,662%. An even more notable achievement, considering Buyatab ranked #3 on last years Profit 500 list with five-year revenue growth of 10,735%.

It is never easy to earn a spot on the PROFIT 500, but this years applicant pool was the most competitive yet, says Deborah Aarts, PROFIT 500 program manager. This years winners demonstrate the resilience, innovation and sheer management smarts it takes to build a thriving business today. Canadaand the worldneeds more entrepreneurial success stories like these.

We are thrilled to have placed near the top of the PROFIT 500 ranking for a second consecutive year, said Johann F. Tergesen, Buyatabs CEO adding, Buyatabs rapid growth can be attributed to our dynamic team, and our strong merchant partners, who have embraced innovative online gift-giving solutions.

Buyatab also notes that its founder and chief operating officer, Matias Marquez, was recently selected as a 2017 Top 40 Under 40 honoree. Buyatab is also a finalist in the 2017 Emerging Payments Awards, which will be announced in London, England on October 5th.

Visit website http://www.buyatab.com/

Like Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Buyatab/

Follow Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Buyatab

About the PROFIT 500

For 29 years, the PROFIT 500 has been Canadas most respectable and influential ranking of entrepreneurial achievement. Developed by PROFIT and now published in Macleans magazine and at CanadianBusiness.com, the PROFIT 500 ranks Canadian companies on five-year revenue growth. For more information on the ranking visit PROFIT500.com or CanadianBusiness.com.

About Canadian Business

Founded in 1928, Canadian Business is the longest-serving and most-trusted business publication in the country. It is the country's premier media brand for executives and senior business leaders. It fuels the success of Canada's business elite with a focus on the things that matter most: leadership, innovation, business strategy and management tactics. Learn more at CanadianBusiness.com.

About Buyatab

Buyatab is a leading provider of advanced online gift card infrastructure solutions for medium- and large-sized businesses. Buyatab provides a seamless solution for gift cards to be purchased from a merchants online properties (website, mobile site, Facebook page, etc.) and delivered to recipients via email or text message, leveraging the rapid growth in mobile device and social media use, and with full compatibility to mobile wallets such as Apple Wallet. With clients in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, Buyatab provides eGift Card services to merchants in a wide variety of sectors, including retail, hospitality, restaurant, shopping, hotel and others.

http://www.buyatab.com

Media contact

Carolyne Hoang, Buyatab Online Inc., choang(at)buyatab(dot)com
From the beginning we decided to be data driven, trying to get peer reviewed trials before we make recommendations.

VetStem Biopharmas CEO and founder, Dr. Bob Harman DVM, MPVM, is featured in an interview with Dr. Neil H. Riordan PA, PhD in Riordans new book "Stem Cell Therapy: A Rising Tide". Dr. Harman and Dr. Riordan met in 2003 and have remained in contact over the past 14 years. They bonded over an interest in the potential of stem cell therapy and a fast friendship was formed.

Dr. Harman has been a leader in this area for over a decade and has presented at dozens of human regenerative medicine conferences. He pulls from his biotechnology and veterinary experience to perfect the clinical application of stem cell therapy for various types of injuries, illnesses, and other healing-promoting applications. VetStem is leading in the development of regenerative medicine in the veterinary field, with over 13,000 animals treated in the last 13 years. Dr. Harman has also authored 13 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.

The book, its full title, "Stem Cell Therapy: A Rising Tide, How Stem Cells Are Disrupting Medicine and Transforming Lives", is an easy-to-read guide to all things stem cells. Dr. Riordan summarizes the science behind stem cell therapy in a language that is easy for anyone to understand. The science is combined with a collection of stories from actual patients treated with stem cells, making this book enjoyable for everyone.

On pages 120-133, Dr. Riordan interviews longtime friend and fellow stem cell enthusiast, Dr. Bob Harman. Though Dr. Riordan works in human medicine, these friends find many commonalities between human and veterinary medicine and the use of regenerative stem cell therapy. Dr. Harman gives a brief history of how VetStem Biopharma has evolved stating, When we first looked at the technology, I thought that using these kinds of cells therapeutically would change everything about the dogma surrounding treatment of chronic and acute disease. He went on to say, From day one, we determined that we eventually needed an off-the-shelf product in order for the treatment to be affordable. The two discuss VetStems continued contact with the FDA, intent to release an off-the-shelf allogeneic (donor-derived) stem cell product, and the potential of this product in both veterinary and human medicine.

The two go on to discuss the various current and potential uses for stem cell therapy. Dr. Harman states, In both the dog and horse, by far the primary use is in orthopedics- osteoarthritis; tendon, ligament injury, and joint therapy." Including that, The first allogeneic dog product will be for osteoarthritis in the dog, with an expected FDA approval date of 2018. It is clear there are many potential uses for stem cell therapy being studied around the world, both Dr. Riordan and Dr. Harman lament over the difficulty of choosing the correct opportunities to explore, confirming the importance of clinical studies and scientific data to support new claims.

Dr. Harman and Dr. Riordan emphasize the value of data driven research leading both to operate under strict quality standards. Dr. Harman states, As you know, from the beginning we decided to be data driven, trying to get peer reviewed trials before we make recommendations. While Dr. Harman points out that he trusts Dr. Riordans standard of care due to his level of quality controls, he also discusses VetStems standards saying, We met with the FDA in 2003 before providing treatments for any veterinarians. VetStem adheres to good tissue practice (GTP) guidelines and remains in contact with the FDA regularly. Stem cells are processed under sterile hoods and cell counts are performed on all incoming and outgoing stem cell samples. Also, in early 2017, VetStem opened what they believe to be the first GMP-compliant, veterinary-specific cell therapy facility in the United States.

To purchase Dr. Riordans book, click here.

As described by the Riordan-McKenna Institute:

Neil Riordan, PhD is the Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of the Riordan-McKenna Institute. Dr. Riordan is one of the early pioneers and leading experts in cell therapy. Dr. Riordan is an accomplished inventor and scientist. He has published over 60 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals, authored 3 book chapters on stem cells, and has given more than 100 lectures on stem cells nationally and internationally. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Medistem Panama, Inc., (MPI) a leading stem cell laboratory and research facility located in the Technology Park at the prestigious City of Knowledge in Panama City, Panama as well as the Stem Cell Institute (SCI) in Panama City, Panama.

About VetStem Biopharma, Inc.

VetStem Biopharma is a veterinarian-lead Company that was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the profession. This privately held biopharmaceutical enterprise, based near San Diego (California), currently offers veterinarians an autologous stem cell processing service (from patients own fat tissue) among other regenerative modalities. With a unique expertise acquired over the past 15 years and 13,000 patients treated by veterinarians for joint, tendon or ligament issues, VetStem has made regenerative medicine applications a therapeutic reality beyond the realm of research. The VetStem team is focused on developing new clinically practical and affordable veterinary solutions that leverage the natural restorative abilities present in all living creatures. The Companys stated mission being to extend and enhance the lives of animals by improving the quality of recovery in acute conditions, but also by unlocking ways to slow, stop and ultimately revert the course of chronic diseases. In addition to its own portfolio of patents, VetStem holds exclusive global veterinary licenses to a portfolio of over 70 issued patents in the field of regenerative medicine.
Beth Mankameyer, Sales Engineer

Participants of this educational webinar will learn the difference between a standard fume hood and a high-performance fume hood. Along with the advantages and disadvantages of ductless, filtered fume hoods, they will also discover appropriate uses and applications for ductless vs. ducted hoods in the laboratory.

Attendees will learn from an industry expert about the different types of ducted and ductless fume hoods that are offered today, and what would be the best fit for a given lab setup.

Beth Mankameyer, a sales engineer chemical fume hoods with Labconco, will be the speaker for this event. Before joining Labconco in 2013, Mankameyer was a business development manager at Ruskin Company, where she focused on the manufacturing of louvers for the HVAC industry, and architectural products. She holds degrees from the University of Kansas and University of Saint Mary.

LabRoots will host the event October 26, 2017, beginning at 9:00 a.m. PDT. To learn more about this event, discover the continuing education credits that will be offered, or to register for free, click here.

About Labconco

Labconco enhances global scientific discovery by providing exceptional equipment and service. Serving the scientific community since 1925, Labconco Corporation manufactures laboratory equipment, specializing in ventilation enclosures such as chemical fume hoods and biological safety cabinets. In addition, Labconco produces other lab equipment, such as glassware washers and freeze dryers. Labconco has ISO 9001 certification, one measure of its commitment to quality and consistency in design and manufacturing. Manufactured in Kansas City, Missouri and Fort Scott, Kansas, Labconco equipment can be found in academic, industrial, life science, pharmaceutical, environmental, forensic and clinical laboratories worldwide.

About LabRoots

LabRoots is the leading scientific social networking website, which provides daily scientific trending news and science-themed apparel, as well as produces educational virtual events and webinars, on the latest discoveries and advancements in science. Contributing to the advancement of science through content sharing capabilities, LabRoots is a powerful advocate in amplifying global networks and communities. Founded in 2008, LabRoots emphasizes digital innovation in scientific collaboration and learning, and is a primary source for current scientific news, webinars, virtual conferences, and more. LabRoots has grown into the worlds largest series of virtual events within the Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics community.
"We continue to work hard, bring in the best talent in the Midwest, and improve our productall in the name of helping people work better and live better.  Max Yoder, Lessonly CEO

Lessonly, the leader in team learning software, this month celebrated the largest sales week in the companys history. The company has seen radical success in the market over the last 5 years, with consistent quarter-on-quarter growth. Since Lessonlys series A funding in March 2016, the team has grown 136% and continues to bolster its Indianapolis-based operations.

"The team couldn't be more proud of our success this quarter," said Lessonly CEO Max Yoder. "We continue to work hard, bring in the best talent in the Midwest, and improve our productall in the name of helping people work better and live better.

As part of this expansion, Lessonly this month added two experienced directors to their leadership teamAndrew Robinson III as Senior Director of Product & Engineering and Bryan Naas as Director of Sales Enablement.

Andrew Robinson III brings to Lessonly more than 10 years of software leadership experience at companies like Formstack, Emplify, and Our Health. He will lead a team of developers, engineers, and product managers as they continue to build out Lessonlys innovative product.

Bryan Naas joins Lessonly with 10 years of sales experience, most recently as Director of Product Enablement at Salesforce. Bryan will focus on developing and executing sales development and enablement for the rapidly growing sales team.

Lessonly has doubled in size every year for the last 5 years, and continues hiring initiatives for roles at their Indianapolis headquarters. Hiring for numerous roles in sales, product, client experience, marketing, recruiting, and operations will continue through the end of 2017. Current openings can be found on Lessonlys website.

About Lessonly

Lessonly is modern team learning software used by over 900,000 learners at more than 400 companies. Lessonly translates important work knowledge in Lessons that help teams learn, practice, and perform at the highest level. Sales teams across the world use Lessonly to reinforce best practices, accelerate rep performance, and close more deals. Support teams across the world use Lessonly to serve customers faster, drive consistent support, and elevate the customer experience. Learn more at Lessonly.com.

Follow us on Twitter at @Lessonly and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/lessonlyapp.
Under the leadership of Mr. House, ScanTech Sciences will further its mission to improve produce quality and safety, helping the entire food chain deliver fresher, higher quality fruits and vegetables.

ScanTech Sciences, Inc. today announced completion of two critical milestones towards opening its first Electronic Cold-Pasteurization (ECP) food treatment center in McAllen, Texas. The company has appointed Dwayne House as Chief Executive Officer. It has also selected managed labor services provider, FHI (Freight Handlers Inc.), to help staff and operate the ECP facility. ECP is a clean alternative to outdated post-harvest treatments such as methyl bromide or hot water treatment, and results in pest sterilization, pathogen reduction, and shelf-life extension.

Under the leadership of Mr. House, ScanTech Sciences will further its mission to improve produce quality and safety, helping the entire food chain deliver fresher, higher quality fruits and vegetables. With over 25 years of international transactional and operational experience, Dwayne is the perfect fit for leading ScanTech through a pivotal time as we staff up to become fully operational in McAllen and implement our expansion strategy with additional locations, said Dolan Falconer, ScanTech Sciences co-founder and Chairman of the Board.

Im honored to be selected to guide ScanTech Sciences as we deliver a far superior option for food treatment to the industry, said Dwayne House, CEO. Our team will be ready to help growers, wholesalers and retailers provide consumers with higher quality and safer produce.

The McAllen facility will treat produce traveling to and from the United States and Mexico. Partnering with FHI, ScanTech Sciences will provide its advanced ECP treatment as part of an integrated program that includes logistics services such as expediting border crossing and USDA processes, product traceability, and smart palletizing along with information services such as document management and shipment visibility.

We are excited to partner with ScanTech Sciences to introduce a new era in food pasteurization and integrated logistics services, said Reid Durst, President & COO of FHI. Our teams are working together closely to prepare for the opening of ScanTechs McAllen food treatment facility early next year.



The ScanTech Sciences facility brings 175+ jobs to the Rio Grande Valley with open positions in the McAllen facility, including areas of maintenance (managers, technicians - electrical I&C, mechanical), process operators, engineers, food safety, warehouse positions, and administrative positions. ScanTech Sciences and FHI will host a job fair on Tuesday, September 26 from 6-8pm at the McAllen Convention Center.

An industry leader in supply chain services since 1991, FHI offers comprehensive distribution and managed labor services to several of the nations most admired grocery retailers. FHI will exceed 1 million annual hours of produce specific activity this year and is on pace to handle over 1.3 billion cases. FHI will handle an additional 275 million cases within produce departments. In addition, FHI is expected to process an another 45 million cases through the ScanTech Sciences facility in 2018.

FHI provides services in the following areas: logistics services, shipping products, and in-store merchandising and replenishment. They assist retailers, manufacturers and brokers with streamlining efficiencies and overcoming supply chain challenges. The company has been recognized nine times as one of the top 50 privately held companies in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area.

About ScanTech Sciences, Inc.

As the only designer and manufacturer of Electronic Cold-Pasteurization (ECP) systems built exclusively for food treatment, ScanTech Sciences is setting a new standard in produce pasteurization. Dedicated to replacing dangerous chemicals and outdated phytosanitary treatment methods, ScanTech Sciences helps distributors, retailers, and food processors to improve quality and food safety across the supply chain. With our patented ECP treatment combined with comprehensive logistics and information services we extend produce shelf-life, enhance visibility and reduce compliance risk and costs. For more information, visit http://www.scantechsciences.com
We are committed to our reputation and integrity in everything we do.

Low Voltage Solutions, Inc., has powered up its business for the past 20 years. During that span, it has adapted to growth and technology trends, but most importantly, continues to succeed because of its people and values.

When the company first launched in a garage back in 1997 by co-founders Gary St. Cin and the late John Fassett, its mission was to build a customer-focused low voltage cabling company. Pooling a few dollars, the pair worked to get that first job and grow their reputation by keeping promises and having integrity in everything the company did.

At the time, LVS service offerings were local area network (LAN) infrastructure and fiber optic cabling installations to support voice and data services. Within 10 years, LVS expanded its offerings from just voice/data to providing the installation of security (access control and CCTV), fire alarm, professional sound, audio-visual, and distributed antenna systems. Today, LVS provides services to various markets including healthcare, commercial, multi-tenant residential, industrial, higher education, historically designated buildings, and massive data centers.

Adding to our portfolio has made LVS more attractive to contractors and new customers alike, said St. Cin, LVS president and CEO. Our ability to take on all of the various low voltage systems on a project provides a considerable cost savings and adds tremendous value to our customers. LVS employs over 70 highly skilled and trained employees. We are committed to our reputation and integrity in everything we do, adds St. Cin.

A few of the extraordinary and challenging projects LVS has tackled include:



Shedd Aquarium

Niketown

Eataly Restaurant and Store

Northwest Community Hospital

Chicago Athletic Club

Silver Cross Hospital

As the structured cabling market levels off, St. Cin expects the security market to grow exponentially. We see tremendous opportunities for in-building wireless applications like distributed antenna systems (DAS) and internet of things (IOT) for smart buildings. In addition, low voltage lighting will continue to develop because of its significant costs savings in reducing power consumption.

After two decades of change and growth, LVS has launched a new website sharing its mission and work. A new gallery of pictures showcase recent projects in Chicago and the Midwest. Visitors can see the LVS process and a revamped section on solutions in five key areas.

ABOUT LVS:

Founded in 1997, Low Voltage Solutions provides low voltage infrastructure and information technology systems that are critical to running successful businesses, healthcare facilities, campuses, and multi-tenant residential properties. LVS manages end-to-end design and build by incorporating security systems, fire, and audio-visual as well as network cabling infrastructure. The company is built on five core values: people first, craftsmanship, customer relationships, optimum performance, and cost-effective solutions. To reach LVS, call (630) 434-9600 or email Gary St. Cin at gstcin(at)lvsolutions.com.
Members of the force with their K9 partners and a new Big Barker bed Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski stated, "I want to add my thanks to Big Barker. I am sure that the dogs will find the beds to be very comfortable."

Big Barker, a Philadelphia-based manufacturer of high-quality orthopedic dog beds, has been officially recognized for its September 2016 donation of dog beds to the K9 officers of the Allentown, Pennsylvania Police Department.

The company recently received three awards and honors for its contribution from city and state officials.

The U.S. House of Representatives presented a Certificate of Special Recognition to Big Barker at the Allentown Police Commendations & Awards ceremony at the Scottish Rite Cathedral on May 17, 2017. The certificate was issued and signed by congressman Charles Dent in recognition of Big Barkers valuable contribution to the Allentown Police Department.

The second award was issued by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in recognition of being a community partner with the Allentown Police Department. The award was presented to Big Barker by two members of the House, Representative Peter Schweyer and Representative Mike Schlossberg.

The third is a City of Allentown Civilian Commendation, which reads: In 2016, Big Barker assisted the Allentown Police Department. This assistance has been provided in the form of orthopedic beds for the K9 Unit. We thank Big Barker for their support of the community and the Allentown Police Department. The commendation is signed by the Allentown Chief of Police and Allentowns Mayor, Ed Pawlowski.

"These dogs do a lot of difficult work and they earn a good night's rest," said thenpolice chief Keith Morris at the time of the donation. "The donation from Big Barker is very generous and I know that our department appreciates it very much." Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski stated, "I want to add my thanks to Big Barker. I am sure that the dogs will find the beds to be very comfortable."

Big Barker founder and President Eric Shannon stated, All large dogs deal with joint issues, but some of the breeds used in police work are more susceptible to some of these disorders, and they lead a much different life to your average household pet. They have a very strenuous day; theyre out there on patrol, theyre tracking down criminals and suspects and taking dangerous substances off the street, so we really owe them a very large debt of gratitude. Shannon added, We are honored to have the opportunity to help these heroic dogs maintain the high quality of life that they deserve, and we will continue to support police K9s whenever we can.

Big Barkers mission is to improve the quality of life of dogs, especially big dogs, by eliminating unnecessary suffering caused by the painful joint conditions that most large dogs will face as they age. Big Barker focuses much of their charitable efforts on Police K9s due to the demands of their work, their value to the community, and their high susceptibility to developing arthritis, hip dysplasia, and other joint conditions. Other K9 Units in the Greater Philadelphia area that have received include K9s from the Atlantic City, NJ police; the Harrisburg, PA police; the Norristown, PA police; and the Philadelphia, PA police.

To view the three awards, click here.

###

About Big Barker: Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa., Big Barkers mission is to improve the quality of life for big dogs by providing handcrafted, American-made beds that help alleviate joint pain and enable dogs of any size to rest comfortably. The company offers dog lovers a clear choice: Keep paying to replace poorly made dog beds that flatten and fall apart, or protect both your investment and your dog with the pet industrys leading, Cant Flatten, Wont Flatten 10-year warranty. Info: http://bigbarker.com | Facebook | YouTube | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram
Quest Reclamation This is another example of how we look to explore all options when trying to find new solutions to solving problems and saving money, without sacrificing safety, environmental, or quality standards, stated Kirk Taylor

American Resources Corporation (OTCQB: AREC), through its wholly owned subsidiaries Quest Energy Inc., McCoy Elkhorn Coal, Deane Mining and Knott County Coal, is making significant progress on the companys plan to complete reclamation and reduce environmental liabilities. Through its ongoing evaluation of idled and active operations, the company has identified numerous opportunities to efficiently execute reclamation work and reduce its environmental impact, thereby reducing its costs and liabilities while also providing a benefit to the local community.

Since acquiring three operating subsidiaries, McCoy Elkhorn Coal, Deane Mining, and Knott County Coal in 2015 and 2016, Quest Energy has established two in-house reclamation, maintenance and development crews to perform such work, rather than operating under the existing outsourced models. This has enabled Quest Energy to perform efficient and responsible land reclamation that could have potentially otherwise fallen back to the state of Kentucky. Through its restructuring efforts, Quest Energy has not only completed work that allows for bond release, but has also worked with the Commonwealth of Kentuckys Department of Natural Resources to potentially identify certain permitted areas that may have a better use for the local community.

In conjunction with Quest Energys internal Environmental Team, the company has also been able to reduce permit maintenance costs, such as through various unnecessary pond removals and a more efficient Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) Testing schedule, in conjunction with various local, state, and federal approvals. Furthermore, through the efforts of technologies, reclamation and identifying vendor savings, Quest Energy has been able to significantly reduce its chemical treatment costs at various treatment sites by over 68% from pre-acquisition levels.

This is another example of how we look to explore all options when trying to find new solutions to solving problems and saving money, without sacrificing safety, environmental, or quality standards, stated Kirk Taylor, Chief Financial Officer of American Resources Corporation. By taking a holistic approach to our reclamation and environmental responsibilities, we have been able to realize material cost savings since acquiring these assets.

American Resources Corporation will continue to identify operational efficiencies in its continuing goal to be one of the lowest cost operators and responsible stewards of the environment in Central Appalachia and throughout all its coal mining, processing, and transportation operations.

About American Resources Corporation

American Resources Corporation is engaged in diversified energy services including mining, processing and logistics, with a primary focus on traditional energy sources such as coal and oil and gas. American Resources Corporation plans to expand its business by continuing to develop its currently leased properties and further expanding its processing and logistics business, and through the pursuit of strategic acquisitions.

Contact:

Mark LaVerghetta, Director of Corporate Communications

investor(at)americanresourcescorp(dot)com

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that could cause the Companys actual results, performance, or achievements or industry results to differ materially from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The words believes, may, will, should, would, could, continue, seeks, anticipates, plans, expects, intends, estimates, or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Any forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. The Company cannot assure you that the projected results or events will be achieved.

Source: American Resources Corporation
MAPIT IT Strategic Planning and Project Management Sound processes and methods can help separate personalities and emotions from organizational interactions and dependencies.

San Diego-based Education Technology Consulting firm Networld Solutions now offers a training program supporting communication and project management which may be the key to address dysfunction, poor communication and dissension within school districts.

"No matter how many issues a school's district office may be dealing with, the schools just keep teaching the kids..." This is a common quote from Darryl Vidal, Networld Solutions's Vice President and Sr. Education Technology Consultant. Schools are places of comfort, learning, safety and societal preparation, as they should be, but oftentimes communications between educators and staff in administration and the school's district leadership can be strained in an environment of jealously guarded protectorates, legacy operational processes and politically savvy opportunists all striving for the best for their school, students and community, but sometimes causing strife with district leadership.

Vidal states, "You wouldn't think there's so much intrigue and dissension at these institutions of education, but I'm always surprised to encounter the turf-wars, in-fighting and outright sabotage in some district offices. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the middle of an episode of Game of Thrones!"

Vidal notes that although teachers may be receiving the necessary technology, content and professional development they need to do their job, the staff and administration rarely have the planning methodology and project management training that can help structure and insure communication and direction at the departmental levels. Just like a patient fighting addiction, the first stage to recovery is recognizing there is a problem. Just ask your teachers and principals how they like the service of the district Information Technology (IT) department. Or vice versa.

Often there are conflicting efforts between departments - particularly IT and Education Services. These two departments' charters may evolve seemingly at odds. The IT department must support district-wide and classroom technology systems that are as big and complex as any medium- to large-sized corporation. Their security is just as important and complex as well. Academics however are focused on daily lesson plans, state standards and their students' collective welfare. They need technology systems that work when they need them, not a set of locked-down computers, and filtered Internet access that won't allow them to freely surf the web during classroom instruction. And therein lies the rub - freedom of will and instruction in the classroom - security, control and safety throughout the technology systems. School districts that have overcome these issues have IT and Ed Services leaders that work closely together, sometimes under the direction of a single Asst. Superintendent. Unifying these two departments can foster closer communication but project management methods can still help in quality and delivery success of projects and large-scale technology programs.

That's where MAPIT Project Planning and Project Management methodologies are employed. Networld Solutions is now offering a training program of project planning and project management that supports interdepartmental communications through project management methodologies usually employed by Fortune 500 companies. In corporate environments there have been numerous programs such as Six Sigma, pioneered at General Electric, Total Quality Management (TQM), and ISO 9001, focused on organizational management and quality management through processes and methodologies.

Vidal states that MAPIT processes and methods can benefit any education organization that seeks to improve communication between district office departments and their schools and are easy enough to learn to employ in just a few short trainings. By focusing on structure and methods, personalities and departmental idiosyncracies fall by the wayside. Their shared goals of efficient and effective instruction in the classroom rises to the top through use of project templates, communications and risk management plans.

The program is offered in three parts:

1 - MAPIT Education Technology Strategic Planning

2 - MAPIT Project Planning - Core Processes

3 - MAPIT Project Planning - Support Processes.

Vidal is publishing a series of books outlining the methodologies and their use in the school environment. "FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN To FAIL - How to Create Your School's Education Technology Strategic Plan" is the first of the series and covers MAPIT Education Technology Strategic Planning, was published in April 2017 by Rowman & Littlefield Education and is available on Amazon. The second in the series, with a working title of, "Technology Planning For Your School - Methods to Implement for Maximizing Success" will be published in early 2018 and will cover the MAPIT Project Planning Core Processes and Support Processes (Sections 2 and 3).

School districts can have access to these training modules through Vidal's firm Networld Solutions, http://www.networldsolutions.com.
Peanut Butter designs student loan assistance plans tailored to meet employers' individualized goals

Peanut Butter CEO David Aronson was a featured speaker at the EBN Benefits Forum & Expo in Boca Raton, Florida today. Nicole Skaluba, Director of Employee Services at Rise Interactive joined Aronson in a panel titled, Designing and Implementing an Effective Student Loan Assistance Program.

Peanut Butter designs student loan assistance plans tailored to meet employers individualized goals, said Aronson. Whether our customers are focusing on attracting or retaining talent, increasing employee engagement, or setting themselves as an employer of choice, we design a program that is effective and easy to implement.

Employee Benefit News (EBN) is a primary media resource that benefit professionals rely on to navigate the complexities of employee benefit planning and delivery. More than 700 employers, insurance carriers and other benefit professionals attended the expo this year.

Attendees of the session learned about benchmarking and best practices for designing Student Loan Assistance programs, and heard from Rise Interactive, a leading digital agency, about its experience implementing Student Loan Assistance. Peanut Butter has been a great partner and has really put us on the map in terms of the benefits we offer, said Skaluba. [Student Loan Assistance] sets us apart and allows us to attract and retain the best talent. Its an investment in the future of every employee that participates.

Employers and benefits brokers attending the event were encouraged to visit getpeanutbutter.com for help designing Student Loan Assistance programs for their organizations and clients, respectively.

Advertising professionals everywhere are encouraged to visit riseinteractive.com/people to learn more about why Student Loan Assistance is just part of the reason its great to be a Riser.

About David Aronson

David Aronson is CEO of Peanut Butter. Peanut Butter is the benefits administrator for student loan assistance, making it easy for leading employers to attract and retain talent by tackling student debt. He previously served as Senior Director of Business Development at Sears Holdings, and Director of Corporate Development at Gevity, an HR-outsourcing firm that is now part of Trinet. David earned an MBA in Entrepreneurship & Innovation from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and holds a BSBA in Finance from Valparaiso University.

About Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter helps companies attract and retain talent by offering student loan assistance as an employee benefit. Experts in benefits administration, Peanut Butter's team and technology provide employees access to information and decision support tools to better manage their debt, and facilitate employer contributions toward employee student loans. The company supports employers from coast to coast, and has been recognized as an innovator by Google for Entrepreneurs, Young Presidents' Organization, and others. Learn more at http://getpeanutbutter.com or call 800.913.6651.

About Nicole Skaluba

Nicole is Director, Employee Services for Rise Interactive and a Board Member of Chicago SHRM. She is an experienced HR Leader focused on providing a remarkable career experience for employees and driving business results for clients and organizations. Skilled in Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Engagement and Retention, Organizational Development, Training, Employee Relations, and Consulting, Nicole has led HR teams in a variety of industries including technology, insurance, education, and manufacturing. She holds an M.S. in Human Resources Management & Development from National-Louis University and a B.A. in Journalism and Political Science from University of Iowa as well as the SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications.

About Rise Interactive

Rise Interactive is a digital marketing agency that specializes in digital media, customer experience, and advanced analytics. We serve as a strategic partner for marketing leaders, helping them to make smarter investment decisions grounded in data insights. Leveraging our unique investment management approach, we look at brands investments across all digital marketing channels to best allocate budget and maximize ROI. Rise Interactive has been named an Ad Age Best Place to Work, National Best & Brightest Companies to Work For, and a Top Search Agency by Forrester.
Dr. Luciana Lagana (David Alpizar) .... our results have made me more proactive about promoting health preventive behaviors among my family members, such as reminding my mother, who is 60 years of age, to get her health and cancer screenings and driving her to get these medical tasks accomplished if needed. Past News Releases RSS CSUN Professor Luciana Lagana and...

CSUN Psychology Professor Luciana...

CSUN Professor Luciana Lagana...

Award-winning CSUN Professor Luciana Lagana has been funded for several years by the National Institute of Health (NIH) to study the health challenges of ethnically diverse, predominantly low income older women. With two graduate students who are members of her research team, Dr. Lagana has published an article, entitled Cognitive Functioning, Health Screening Behaviors and Desire to Improve Ones Health in Diabetic versus Healthy Older Women, in the peer-reviewed Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research. This article is available to the public at http://www.journalrepository.org/media/journals/JAMMR_64/2017/Aug/Lagana2352017JAMMR34173.pdf. In it, the authors compared a group of diabetic older women to a group of older women who considered themselves to be healthy and reported not taking any medication. The results of this study go against many of the findings published in previous empirical literature, which almost unanimously showed that being diabetic is associated with significantly lower levels of cognitive function, as well as a lower likelihood of pursuing non-diabetes related preventive services such as general health and mammogram screenings.

(from the articles abstract):

Aims: To attempt to fill a gap in the literature on diabetic versus healthy older women on desire to improve ones health, health screening behaviors, and cognitive health.

Study design: Between-subjects design.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Psychology, California State University Northridge, between July 2013 and June 2015.

Methodology: In this preliminary study, we compared 30 diabetic older women to 42 healthy older women (i.e., respondents who reported having no physical illnesses and not taking any medications) on: desire to improve their health (hypothesized as being higher in the diabetes group), receiving mammograms and regular health screenings (analyzed without any hypotheses, due to the lack of evidence on this topic), as well as cognitive functioning (hypothesized as lower in the diabetes group, based on prior research findings). Participants (N=72, mean age=69.29, SD=6.579, age range=50-90) were multiethnic, non-institutionalized women over the age of 50 residing in Los Angeles County who completed our research packet. The latter contained the first authors demographics list and her original structured interview protocol on older womens health, as well as the well-known Mini-Cog.

Results: The results of an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed that, as hypothesized, diabetic women desired to improve their health more than the women in the control group [F (1,70)=11.87, p<.05, 2=.15]. Additionally, upon implementing Chi-square analyses, we discovered that diabetic respondents were significantly more likely to receive mammograms [X2(1)=5.87, p<.05] and general health screenings [X2(1)=4.51, p<.05] than healthy women. Moreover, in contrast with prior literatures findings, cognitive health in the diabetic group obtained marginal significance in an ANOVA as being better than the cognitive health of the control group [F(1,68)=3.30, p=.06, 2=.05].

Conclusion: We have established a significant relationship between diabetes and a) desire to improve ones health and b) health screening behaviors, as well as c) cognitive impairment (at a marginally significant level) among diabetic versus healthy women. This has important clinical and public health implications. Although the findings of prior research suggest that diabetic older women often experience impaired cognitive performance compared to healthy older women, our marginally significant results showed that the opposite is true, at least in our ethnically diverse sample of modest size. Moreover, we found that diabetic older women desired to improve their health significantly more than healthy women and pursued cancer screenings and general health screenings more than their healthy counterpart. The limited size of our sample does not allow for generalizations of our findings. Additional research with larger samples is definitely needed to investigate these topics further.

Dr. Laganas two co-authors of the article, Kimberly Arellano and David Alpizar, are excited to share their research findings with the public.

Kimberly Arellano is a doctoral student in the Ph.D. Program of Public Health at the University of California, Merced. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Heath and a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education from CSUN. The published article is the culmination of Kimberlys participation in the NIH-funded MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) Program at CSUN, under the mentorship of Prof. Lagana. Kimberly is excited about the findings of the study and believes that they have important implications for older womens diabetes management. To target the care and effective management of diabetes among older women, it is crucial to recognize patients' beliefs and attitudes towards their health and illness. Although our studys results suggest that older diabetic women are faring better than healthy older women when it comes to the receipt of health screenings and, at a marginally significant level, cognitive function, more research is needed in this area, especially on diverse older women, shared Kimberly. Given the rapid growth within geriatric populations, she looks forward to collaborating on future projects with Dr. Lagana that will continue to address the health and psychosocial needs of ethnically diverse older women.

David Alpizar obtained his B.A in Psychology and M.A in General Experimental Psychology at CSUN. While attending CSUN, he was funded by the National Institute of Health Programs RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) and MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers). He is currently a doctoral student at Washington State University and is excited about the findings of this project. More broadly, my research focuses on gathering empirical evidence to support the meaning of widely used health assessments across multiple cultures through qualitative and quantitative methods. In addition to this, I am interested in investigating a) methodological studies (on issues such as effect sizes and format of tests) in order to evaluate and improve methods use in studies, and b) factors related to health outcomes. The findings of this article have strengthened my belief that more research should be conducted on older adults health and medical resources. Also, at a personal level, our results have made me more proactive about promoting health preventive behaviors among my family members, such as reminding my mother, who is 60 years of age, to get her health and cancer screenings and driving her to get these medical tasks accomplished if needed, concluded David.

Written by Stefanie Friesen

Dr. Luciana Lagana is a caring clinical and experimental psychologist. She is also an established professor of psychology, gerontology, sexuality, and womens health at CSUN, where she teaches classes and mentors many undergraduate and graduate students from several departments. Additionally, she conducts government-funded research on ethnically diverse, mainly low income older womens physical, psychological, social, and sexual health. Concerning her artistic pursuits, since 2006 she has been studying acting and hosting in Los Angeles (in her teens, she was part of a touring theatrical company in Italy). She is an actor/screenwriter/director/producer with over 30 film festivals' wins listed on IMDb and more than 50 IMDb film, TV, and web series credits. For instance, she created, hosted, and directed the award-winning educational project Dr. Luciana Show  Aging and Falling and won the 2017 CSUN Exceptional Creative Accomplishments Award for her anti-bias feature films and shows. At CSUN, Prof. Lagana also won the 2011 Preeminent Scholarly Publications Award and the 2008 Visionary Community Service Learning Award.
Elrond Burrell to Give Closing Remarks at NAPHN17 I am passionate about improving peoples quality of life, health and environmental impact, said Burrell. And I am lucky as an architect that I get do this by designing beautiful, sustainable and high-performance architecture."

Elrond Burrell, registered architect, certified passive house designer, and director and owner of VIA Architecture Ltd., headquartered on the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand, will present the closing session of the North American Passive House Network conference on October 7, 2017 in Oakland, CA. Burrell will speak about this years conference theme Passive + Renewables in his address, The Intoxicating Paradigm of Passive House. Burrell has more than 20 years of experience, including nearly a decade on passive house projects. He is working in New Zealand, Australia, and North America, and has played a key role in delivering many seminal large-scale Passive House projects--including schools and apartment buildings in the United Kingdom.

I am passionate about improving peoples quality of life, health and environmental impact, said Burrell. And I am lucky as an architect that I get do this by designing beautiful, sustainable and high-performance architecture."

Burrell is the author of the blog, Passivhaus in Plain English & More, and a frequent keynote speaker and lecturer. Inspiring with humor and insight, he relays lessons learned from activism and experience, sharing examples of the Passive House paradigm in action.

For more information on Elrond Burrell and the North American Passive House Network Passive + Renewables conference, visit http://www.naphnconference.com.

ABOUT THE NAPHN

The North American Passive House Network (NAPHN) is a cooperative of regional member organizations, working to advocate and mobilize the building industries of North America to implement the international Passive House Standard to dramatically improve the quality and sustainability of our built environment.

For more information on the NAPHN visit: http://naphnetwork.org/
Employment tech startup Shortlist today announced $1 million in seed funding from US-based private equity firm University Ventures, Indian angel investor Samir Shah of Sattva Capital, Kenya-based seed fund Zephyr Acorn, global impact investor Farm Fund at ImpactAssets, US-based investor Bodley Group, and other individuals in India and the United States. Shortlist will use the funds to enhance its data-driven talent screening product, which automates applicant vetting using online competency-based assessments.

Recruiting and talent management is a core challenge facing growing businesses in emerging markets. Over 1 million people enter Indias workforce each month, and the World Bank estimates that Africa will add more people to its job market in the next ten years than the rest of the world combined. Given this volume of jobseekers, companies are typically left to sort through hundreds of applicants for a single job opening, relying mainly on CVs and personal connections to guide decisions on who to meet and hire.

The single biggest challenge for growing companies is finding the right talent to scale, says Paul Breloff, co-founder and CEO of Shortlist. We believe that both jobseekers and employers deserve a better way to find each other and gauge fit. Were thrilled to have a group of investors who share our desire to fix this broken talent marketplace, and believe the mix of expertise across India, East Africa, and the United States will add significant strategic value as we build on our early traction."

Shortlist helps companies in India and East Africa hire for early and mid-career roles based on demonstrated potential and skill, rather than pedigree. The startups unique technology creates a single application flow to engage candidates across a companys sourcing channels, including job boards, referral programs, and existing third-party recruiters.

Shortlist then screens these candidates using chat-based interviews, online competency assessments, and other proprietary tools that predict how candidates will perform in a particular role. Employers receive access to interview-ready candidates, streamlining the often time-consuming and bias-prone phases of hiring, and ultimately only engaging with the applicants who possess the right ability, experience, and fit for their teams.

Over the past century, weve become much more efficient in figuring out how to allocate physical capital. Over the next decade, we will see a revolution in how we allocate human capital, says Ryan Craig, author of College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education and Managing Director at University Ventures. The shift from degree- and pedigree-based hiring to competency-based hiring has tremendous potential for employers, individuals, and overall economic growth. University Ventures is proud to partner with Shortlist, which in a short period of time has become a leading competency marketplace in emerging markets.

Since its launch in early 2016, Shortlist has partnered with over 80 companies, including Ather Energy, M-KOPA, MicroEnsure, and Xynteo. Nearly 200,000 jobseekers have engaged with the Shortlist platform, where they are able highlight their strengths and be considered for jobs based on demonstrated potential and fit, not merely their educational background and formal work experience. Shortlist has previously received funding from AHL Venture Partners, Blue Haven Initiative, the Shell Centenary Scholarship Fund, and Shell Foundation, and was a winner of the ANDE-Argidius Talent Challenge.

Recruiting has been a challenge over my career and finding the right talent for a role is demanding and time consuming for nearly all companies in which Ive invested, says Samir Shah. Knowing the co-founders for many years, Im excited to see the team come together to build a much improved, tech-enabled solution for companies that want to hire the best without the stress. Im thrilled to support the Shortlist team.

About Shortlist:

Shortlist works in India and East Africa to help growing enterprises hire based on skills and potential, rather than pedigree. The Shortlist platform screens candidates using predictive chat-based interviews and online competency-based assessments, letting employers skip the most time-consuming and bias-prone phases of hiring. Launched in 2016, over 80 companies including Ather Energy, M-KOPA, MicroEnsure, and Xynteo now partner with Shortlist to build high-performing teams. Shortlist has offices in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Nairobi. To learn more, visit http://www.shortlist.net.
After a two-year hiatus, American Physician Partners has resumed management of the emergency departments for Regional Medical Center, which operates Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center and Jacksonville Medical Center.

The fact is, we were in a difficult situation and APP came through for us, says Louis Bass, chief executive officer for Regional Medical Center. They immediately responded to our needs, and helped orchestrate a swift and seamless transition.

RMC canceled its contract with its previous ED management company after the company failed to pay its doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The company, Aristo ER, took over the management contract from APP in 2015, when APP was known as AlignMD. The new multi-year contract began at midnight on July 19, approximately 45 days after RMC initially contacted APP.

We want to be known as the best in class ED management company, not just a staffing company, says Tony Briningstool, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer for APP. The staffs at Northeast Alabama and RMC Jacksonville are best in class to begin with. Were delighted to resume our work with them.

About American Physician Partners

Headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, American Physician Partners is a provider of turnkey outsourced emergency department management services to medical surgical hospitals nationwide. APPs outsourced solution entails managing all clinical and operational aspects of the ED for its customers on a 247 basis including the recruiting, staffing, and scheduling of clinical specialists and working closely with hospital personnel on the care coordination and treatment planning for each patient beyond the ED. APP serves hospitals across Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, New Mexico, Michigan, and Illinois.
WHAT: The local Boston office of UNCF, along with the Young Peoples Project (YPP), will host its first annual 5K Walk for Education. George Forman III of EverybodyFights will be the special guest. More than 500 people are expected to attend the event. Our goal is to raise $150,000 for local college-bound students and provide support for community-based STEM educational programming aimed at preparing students from all backgrounds for success in college and STEM-education career pathways. A few of this years sponsors/partners are New Balance, Eaton Vance, EverybodyFights,

The City of Boston, Parks and Recreation Department and Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival

WHO: UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and (YPP) the Young Peoples Project

WHEN: 7:30 a.m.  2.p.m., Saturday, Oct. 14

WHERE: Franklin Park, 1 Franklin Park Road, Dorchester, MA

INFO: The community is encouraged to participate and help inspire and empower the next generation of leaders. To register or for more information, please visit http://www.uncf.org/BostonWalk

Follow this event on social media: #LaceUp4UNCF @UNCFBostonArea

###

About UNCF

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nations largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF awards more than $100 million in scholarships annually and administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Learn more at UNCF.org, or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF
Stephan Schaller, currently member of Voith Shareholders Committee and head of the global motorcycle division of BMW Group, has been appointed as successor to Dr. Hubert Lienhard.

The Shareholders' Committee of Voith Management GmbH has decided about the succession of Dr. Hubert Lienhard, long-standing President and CEO of the Management Board. Stephan Schaller, currently member of Voith Shareholders Committee and head of the global motorcycle division of BMW Group, has been appointed as successor. As planned, Lienhard, who has been in charge since 2008, will retire in 2018 upon completion of his second term in office at the age of 67. The change at the top will take place on April 1, 2018.

Stephan Schaller, born in 1957, studied mechanical engineering at Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen. From 1981 to 1999, he held management and executive positions at BMW Group. After four years, initially as head of technical planning, then in the technical management of Linde AG's refrigeration division, Schaller joined Volkswagen AG in 2004 as head of production for the commercial vehicle division. Since 2007, he has been Chairman of the Board of Management of commercial vehicle brand of Volkswagen. In 2010, he became Vice Chairman of the Executive Board of Schott AG before being appointed head of the global motorcycle division of BMW Group in June 2012. Schaller has been a member of the Shareholders' Committee of Voith since October 1, 2015.

At the same time, Dr. Hubert Lienhard will be appointed to the Shareholders' Committee effective from April 1, 2018. He will take the current seat of Stephan Schaller in this committee.

With Stephan Schaller we found the ideal successor for Dr. Lienhard. He has already been involved in all strategic developments of the company in recent years in his role as member of the Shareholders' Committee. He has excellent knowledge of Voith and its structures. In this way, we ensure a high degree of continuity for the company in succession. At the same time, Stephan Schaller brings with him many years of international experience in various sectors and industries outside Voith. Among others, he held leading positions in two of the world's largest automotive companies. We are pleased that we were able to win such a distinguished leader from German industry for Voith," said Professor Dr. Hans-Peter Keitel, Chairman of the Shareholders' Committee of Voith Management GmbH and Supervisory Board of Voith GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Keitel also expressed that he is delighted that Dr. Lienhard has agreed to contribute his seventeen years of extensive experience within Voith to the Shareholders' Committee and to continue his support of the future development of the Group with his expertise.

"Dr. Hubert Lienhard has made an outstanding contribution to Voith in the last seventeen years, first as CEO of Voith Hydro, and from 2008 as President and CEO of the entire Voith Group. He has successfully led the Group through one of the most challenging and toughest phases of the last few decades with a clear line, strengthened profitability on a sustained basis and restored the Group's strategic ability to act by means of a far-reaching restructuring program. With his digital agenda, he has established Voith as an important player in the digital transformation in our industries. For this, he already deserves the thanks of the Shareholders' Committee and the Supervisory Board, as well as of all 19,000 employees of our company around the world," continued Professor Dr. Keitel.

About Voith

For 150 years, Voiths technologies have been inspiring customers, business partners and employees around the world. Founded in 1867, Voith today has around 19,000 employees, sales of $4.7 billion and locations in more than 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe. Being a technology leader, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive.
Growella: How Credit Scores Affect Auto Insurance Rates

Consumers with lower credit scores pay more to insure their cars, a Growella study found. The financial education website's research is based on the analysis of more than 20,000 auto insurance quotes across the United States.

The study, "How Credit Scores Affect Auto Insurance Rates", shows a direct link between between high credit scores and low insurance premiums. It also quantifies, in dollar terms, how much lower credit scores can raise a person's auto insurance premium.

"Credit scores affect more than just mortgage rates, credit cards, and student loan applications," said Growella founder Dan Green. "They're used in all areas of a consumer's financial life -- including auto insurance."

Some of Growella's findings include:



Drivers with excellent credit scores pay the least for auto insurance

Drivers with average credit scores pay 39% more for auto insurance than drivers with excellent credit

Drivers with poor credit scores pay 117% more for auto insurance than drivers with excellent credit

Growella also found that drivers with a recent at-fault accident can expect an auto insurance premium increase of approximately 40 percent; and drivers with a recent DUI offense can expect an auto insurance premium increase of 60 percent.

"Just by having a lower-than-average credit score," Green said, "A driver will pay more for auto insurance than some other driver who recently caused an accident or committed a major moving violation, but who happened to have excellent credit."

To determine the relationship between credit scores and auto insurance, Growella assumed a 25-year old female driver with no prior speeding tickets, no prior moving violations, and no at-fault accidents; and, with nine years of experience as a licensed driver. It assigned the driver to a 2013 Honda Civic with basic trim; the minimum insurance coverage by state, as allowed by law; and a typical work commute. Insurance quotes were sourced from national providers of insurance, excluding insurance program which require membership, such as from credit unions. Quotes from states prohibiting credit scores to affect auto insurance premiums were excluded as well. Those states are Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California.

Read the complete study of How Credit Scores Affect Auto Insurance Rates at https://growella.com/insurance/credit-scores-auto-insurance-rates/.

About Growella

Growella is a financial education website for Millennials. Using articles, video, and interactive storytelling to share ideas, Growella helps its audience do more with their lives and get more from their money. Growella is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and is a member of #StartupCincy.
Wellthie Small Group enables forward-thinking brokers and agents to transform the sales and service process for small business employers and their employees.

Wellthie  an insurance technology company offering leading broker and carrier sales technology that modernizes insurance distribution for small businesses  has launched Wellthie Small Group, the first-of-its-kind platform to bring a comprehensive Small Group benefits marketplace together with dynamic sales optimization tools to empower top-performing brokers and agents nationwide. Responding to national demand, Wellthie has expanded its shopping, quoting, and enrollment platform to new markets and additional lines of coverage, including medical and top ancillary products like dental, vision, and value-added products.

Wellthie is addressing the needs of the nearly 6 million small businesses purchasing insurance for their employees, 80% of which rely on the expertise of a broker. Today, benefits brokers are burdened by disconnected systems, outdated tools, manual and paper-based processes, and complex regulations that reduce the amount of time brokers can spend generating new sales and focusing on client strategy.

With Wellthies platform, brokers can multiply their market opportunity and drive long-term relationships, while increasing employees access to insurance. Wellthie Small Group enables forward-thinking brokers and agents to transform the sales and service process for small business employers and their employees. With expanded features - including a dynamic live quoting system - the platform delivers the power and flexibility to offer more coverage, while simplifying the brokers workflow so brokers generate more sales, streamline insurance decisions for clients, and tout their benefits expertise.

In addition to live quoting from top medical and ancillary carriers, Wellthie Small Group - expanding to new markets nationally for medical and introducing new ancillary lines - includes real-time contribution modeling, custom proposal generation, integrated broker CRM, enrollment support, and analytics.

Wellthies focus on innovative distribution has attracted the nations top medical and ancillary carriers. With the ability to support medical and ancillary plans in a single marketplace, while also being broker-friendly, carriers are partnering with Wellthie to grow small group membership across multiple product lines and channels.

The needs and expectations of small businesses when shopping for insurance and selecting benefits increasingly focus not just on value, but also ease and convenience, said Sally Poblete, CEO, Wellthie. As the only platform with comprehensive medical and ancillary shopping combined with the simplicity and versatility of powerful sales tools, we maximize sales for forward-thinking brokers and leading carriers in the small business market.

About Wellthie

Wellthie is a leading provider of next-generation technology solutions to help brokers and carriers thrive in the retail age. The companys cloud-based e-commerce platform modernizes the way brokers sell insurance to small businesses and individuals. http://www.wellthie.com.
Were thankful that we can provide aid where and when it is needed so those affected by the storms can get back on their feet.

SMC and its employees have donated a total of $30,000 to the American Red Cross, earmarked to assist recovery efforts associated with hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

In one week, company employees raised a total of $6,000 for hurricane relief; SMC then doubled each dollar contributed by its employees and secured additional matching contributions.

In addition to the $30,000 donation, SMC has announced it will donate 10 percent of each paid registration fee from Jump Start 2018, one of North Americas preeminent supply chain conferences, to the American Red Cross through the end of September. To learn more about the conference and to register, visit http://www.smc3jumpstart.com.

On August 25, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in the Houston area as a Category 4 storm. Hurricane Irma followed when it hit Florida September 10 and 11, after causing devastation in the Caribbean. Relief efforts to bring aid to victims of both natural disasters will be stretched out for months and years to come.

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma uprooted families and disrupted many lives. Our employees immediately set about offering assistance to victims of these natural disasters, said Andrew Slusher, SMC CEO and president. Given the magnitude of the damage caused by these storms, I felt that SMC should amplify the charitable work done by our caring and compassionate team of professionals. Were thankful that we can provide aid where and when it is needed so those affected by the storms can get back on their feet.

SMC has a longstanding commitment to humanitarian efforts. Much of this occurs in the immediate community, but when a disaster strikes, the company strives to help out in any way possible. During initial recovery efforts for the hurricanes, employees were engaged locally in sending relief supplies to Houston and the surrounding area. SMC has also been a longtime sponsor of local charities and arts organizations.

About SMC

SMC is the leading provider of data, technology and education as an integrated solution to the freight transportation community. SMC delivers its core competency  LTL pricing expertise  through collaborative pricing technology that supports end-to-end, ongoing predictability in shipper/3PL-carrier relationships. Best known for its CzarLite, Bid$ense and RateWare solutions, the company serves more than 5,000 customers throughout North America, including shippers, carriers, logistics service providers and freight-payment companies. SMC also partners with leading transportation software developers for complete interoperability.
Criminal Defense Attorney, Tylden Shaeffer Most people want an attorney they can trust and one that they can depend on to help them make the right decision about their case. I enjoy helping my clients get to that point and positioning them in a place where they can gain the best possible result for their case.

Tylden Shaeffer, Attorney at Law, has been recognized by his professional legal peers as one of the Top S.A. Criminal Defense Attorneys of 2017 by S.A. Scene Magazine. This accolade highlights Tyldens successes and vast accomplishments in the practice area of criminal defense.

Each year, S.A. Scene Magazine surveys a number of qualified attorneys in the area to determine which attorneys within the legal community are considered the top lawyers in various categories. The list contains more than 70 practice areas. This award will be featured in the September 2017 issue of S.A. Scene Magazine, which marks their 187th issue and 18 year anniversary.

San Antonio criminal defense lawyer, Tylden Shaeffer, is the principal and founding attorney at Tylden Shaeffer, Attorney at Law, P.C. With over 25 years of experience in criminal law, Shaeffer has built up a considerable array of practice areas within the criminal law specialty. He was also voted as One of San Antonios Best Criminal Defense Lawyers from 2008-2012 and from 2014-2017. Board certification matters: less than one percent of all Texas Attorneys are board certified in criminal law.

He has taken on a variety of cases that have challenged him to expand his areas of expertise. Because of this, Shaeffer has been able to grow his specialty areas into: domestic violence, drug crimes, DWI, expunction, federal crimes, felony defense, juvenile crimes, probation violation, sexual assault, theft crimes, violent crimes, and white collar crimes.

About Tylden Shaeffer, Attorney at Law, P.C.

In January of 2000, Tylden Shaeffer opened up his own law practice after leaving the Bexar County District Attorneys office as a first chair felony prosecutor. He is licensed to practice law in state courts in Texas as well as in the federal courts of the Western District of Texas and belongs to the State Bar of Texas. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He has also been asked by several courts to represent the State as a special prosecutor and has lectured at legal seminars in the area. He has focused his practice on giving his clients a dedicated and vigorous defenseseeking to put them in the best possible position to resolve their legal matters effectively and to allow them to put their lives back together again.

For more information about Tylden Shaeffer, Attorney at Law, P.C., visit https://sanantoniocriminalatty.com/ or call 210.227.1500.
Frantic Assembly, known internationally for its innovative and hands-on approach to theater and its work on Harry Potter Live in the West End of London and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, will make its highly anticipated return to The Village School.

From September 19  September 28, Frantic Assemblys practitioners will mentor Village students on the foundational building blocks of theater. Students will experience firsthand Frantics one-on-one instructive approach, which encourages the idea of embracing the unknown to create brave, bold theater. Frantics visit culminates on September 28 with a public performance by Village students to unveil the result of their work with Frantic. Highlights from Frantics last visit at Village can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/2gp2DIY.

Having Frantic Assembly on our campus is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many students, and weve been lucky enough to host them three times in the past year, said Gabriella Rowe, Head of School at The Village School. We work hard to bring these types of diverse opportunities to our students because art is a critical part of our well-rounded STEAM program.

The Village Schools fine arts curriculum is a rarity among Houstons schools both public and private. At Village, students are introduced to fine arts in grade school, with the ultimate goal of building a strong base of creative skills as early in students lives as possible.

Integrating a wide range of performing arts into our curriculum is vital to our students at every age, said Yvonne Oaks, Assistant Director of Theater at The Village School. Students who engage with the arts early and often learn the value of teamwork, and also are given tools to express themselves throughout their lives.

Frantic Assemblys initial visit to Village in September 2016 marked its first visit to Texas in the companys 21-year history, and the company returned in January of this year to lead additional workshops. Since Frantics founding, the team has toured all across Great Britain and worked in 40 countries.

More about The Village Schools fine arts offerings can be found here: http://bit.ly/2x8IL8e.

About The Village School

The Village School, founded in 1966, has a tradition of rigorous and highly personalized learning paired with hands-on innovative methods of teaching. Located in the energy corridor of Houston, Village offers an American educational experience to its diverse and international student body who represent six continents and more than 60 countries. Part of the Nord Anglia Education network, Village is known for its excellence in math and science, and recently announced a new collaboration with The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which will enhance its widely-recognized STEAM curriculum. An International Baccalaureate School. For a private tour contact admissions(at)thevillageschool.com or 281.496.7900. Visit http://www.TheVillageSchool.com for more information.

About Frantic Assembly

Award-winning theatre company Frantic Assemblys method of devising theatre has been impacting theatrical practice and unlocking the creative potential of future theatremakers for 21 years. One of the most exciting theatre companies in the UK, Frantic Assembly is led by Artistic Director and co-founder Scott Graham, and has toured extensively across Great Britain, and worked in 40 countries internationally collaborating with some of todays most inspiring artists.
One of the most popular products from Strava Craft Coffee of Denver "We believe the CBD market, which is growing as fast or faster than the regulated cannabis market, is a perfect product platform to leverage Citizen Toke, and we look forward to launching future promotions.

CannaSys, a marketing, branding, and technology company, today announced its first marketing promotion in the cannabinoid (CBD) market, in partnership with independent coffee maker Strava Craft Coffee, Inc. and leading cannabis social media application Duby, LLC. The ad will be targeted at more than 200,000 consumers nationwide, the first of its kind in the CBD marketplace, which is growing at more than 30% per year with expected sales of nearly $1 billion in 2017 according to The Hemp Business Journal State of Hemp 2017 Market Report.

Initial responses have been strong from a beta test text blast Citizen Toke promoted with Strava Craft Coffee. As a result, CannaSys is expanding the promotion through its partnership with Duby, LLC, one of the social media applications targeting cannabis consumers through a global platform.

Patrick Burke, CannaSyss Chief Executive Officer, commented: We are very excited to launch Citizen Toke into the CBD industry, using digital media to break down the geographically limited marketing barriers that hamper traditional cannabis businesses. We believe the CBD market, which is growing as fast or faster than the regulated cannabis market, is a perfect product platform to leverage Citizen Toke, and we look forward to launching future promotions.

Citizen Toke offers exclusive, instant, location-based, gamified promotions for cannabis retailers looking to more intimately connect with their consumers directly through SMS. Citizen Toke is an efficient means for retail centers to communicate exclusive promotions to their consumers and to extend brand awareness to current and potentially new customers. More details on the technology and business plan of Citizen Toke can be found in our White Paper.

CannaSys and its board and senior management remain committed to creating long-term shareholder value and will provide timely updates to shareholders as they occur.

About CannaSys, Inc.

CannaSys is a technology solutions, marketing, and branding company. Its core products are delivered software as a service to facilitate point-of-purchase transactions and customer relationship marketing solutions. CannaSys plans to develop, acquire, and build strategic relationships with other businesses in order to bring additional solutions to market. For more information, please visit http://www.cannasys.com and http://www.citizentoke.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release includes forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including continued acceptance of CannaSyss products, increased levels of competition for CannaSys, new products and technological changes, CannaSyss dependence on third-party suppliers, and other risks detailed from time to time in CannaSyss periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Two worthy students received a financial boost to help pay their college tuition, courtesy of academic scholarships from Healthy Paws Pet Insurance  the #1 customer-rated provider of insurance for dogs and cats.

By supporting students who pursue education that helps animals, we effectively keep our promise to pet parents that we believe in a better life for all pets, says Rob Jackson, co-founder and CEO of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance. Choosing only two recipients among so many gifted advocates and scholars was not an easy task, but were confident these two exemplary students share our mission and will shine next semester.

The Animal Advocate Scholarship is designated for a student with significant volunteer experience enrolled in an accredited institution in the United States, and the Veterinary Student Scholarship is designated for a student enrolled in an accredited vet medicine program in the United States. Recipients are chosen based on educational merits and extracurricular dedication to improving animal welfare.

Fall 2017 Recipients

Mallory Stuckwisch, Animal Advocate Scholarship recipient, is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Shes an empathetic and active advocate for support animals and the human-animal bond that can help the community. Her goal is to continue her studies in Veterinary Social Work after her doctorate in Veterinary Medicine.

With pets being such a staple of families, it is my passion to help foster a healthy human-animal bond. This calls for a willingness to advocate on behalf of the animals we love as well as attentiveness to both ends of the leash, Ms. Stuckwisch explains. Through this scholarship, Healthy Paws is enabling me to pursue an education that will prepare me to explore the complexities of our relationships with animals and ultimately be a champion for animal welfare.

Julianna Scardina, Veterinary Student Scholarship recipient, is enrolled in the veterinary technology program at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. An active volunteer at the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Ms. Scardina has seen first hand how animals benefit from human intervention, kindness and assistance.

As the first person in my family to go to college and as a student who has to work while studying full-time, this scholarship means so much to me, Ms. Scardina says. Pursuing a career in veterinary medicine will allow me to spend the rest of my life doing something that I love. This scholarship will allow me to spend less time working and spend more time focusing on my education, bringing me one step closer to being able to afford veterinary school!

Healthy Paws is now accepting scholarship applications for the Spring 2018 semester. The application deadline is October 31, 2017. Applications can be submitted online at https://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/academic-scholarships.

About Healthy Paws Pet Insurance

Healthy Paws is one of the leading pet insurance program providers in the U.S. for dogs and cats and ranked #1 by customers on leading review websites. Its insurance policies are provided by Chubb, whose U.S. carriers are rated A++ by A.M. Best. The Healthy Paws Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, provides cash grants to pet adoption organizations specifically for life-saving vaccines, spay/neuter surgeries and advanced medical treatments of homeless pets in their care. Learn more about their mission to save more homeless pets and how you can help. For more information about Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, visit https://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/.
Chestnut Global Partners The 2017 WOS Report provides compelling evidence supporting the important role that EAPs play in improving the productivity and healthy functioning of employees in the workplace.

Chestnut Global Partners (CGP) and the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) today announce the publication of the 2017 Workplace Outcome Suite (WOS) Report analyzing the outcomes of 16,792 completed EAP employee cases. Over 30 EAPs shared outcomes data using the WOS, which evaluated five core outcomes: absenteeism, presenteeism, work engagement, workplace distress, and life satisfaction. The study showed statistically significant changes in the expected directions, indicting greatest improvement and largest effects in work presenteeism and life satisfaction after use of EAP counseling.

The WOS is a free, validated, short, precise, and easy-to-administer survey that collects EAP specific workplace outcome data both before and after EAP services (the after measure is taken about 90 days after an EAP intake). The 2017 study, coordinated by CGP in association with the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) and about 30 EAPA members, compared improvement after counseling for different workplace outcomes and life satisfaction in over 16,000 EAP cases worldwide. This report focused on the five single items that comprise the super short version known as the WOS-5:



Absenteeism (looks at the number of hours absent due to a personal problem taking the employee away from work).

Presenteeism (measures decreases in productivity even though the employee is not absent per se but not working at his or her optimum due to unresolved personal problems).

Workplace Distress (examines the degree of anxiety or stress at work).

Work Engagement (refers to the extent to which the employee is invested in or passionate about his or her job).

Life Satisfaction (addresses ones general sense of well-being).

According to the study, presenteeism improved by 26% and life satisfaction by 22% after EAP counseling  the two outcomes that showed the greatest statistical improvement. Improved presenteeism (better focus while at work) can produce cost savings through productivity enhancements that frequently exceed the expense of the EAP itself. Life Satisfaction is a measure of restored personal well-being after interacting with the EAP counselor.

The 2017 WOS Report provides compelling evidence supporting the important role that EAPs play in improving the productivity and healthy functioning of employees in the workplace, said Dr. Dave Sharar, a Research Scientist with CGPs Commercial Science Division. Theres a broad misconception that all EA services and providers are equal except in price. Since the cost of an EAP is remarkably low even when selecting the highest cost vendor, organizations or employers would benefit from focusing on identifying an EAP partner that is a good fit for the organization, that consistently delivers positive workplace  which is to say business  outcomes.

According to Greg DeLapp, CEO of EAPA, the organization that partnered on the study, Many EAPs still dont know the extent to which their program or interventions actually improve the work performance of employees who use EAP services. Employers, purchasers, or other stakeholders wind up focusing on two metrics where information does exist: cost and utilization, versus the most meaningful metric to business: employee workplace outcomes. The 2017 WOS report shows that EA providers and purchasers can effectively move from utilization-based models to ones based on value as defined by outcomes achieved relative to costs.

The Workplace Outcome Suite was developed in 2010 by Chestnut Global Partners Division of Commercial Science to provide a scientific, objective measure to make the case whether investing in EAP makes business sense. As over 600 EAPs have since signed license agreements to freely use the WOS to evaluate the efficacy of their programs in the context of the workplace, it has emerged as the industry standard in EAP outcomes measurement. EAPA, the professional member association for EAPs, has endorsed the WOS as a best practice tool and encouraged EAPs to use the same yardstick to measure outcomes. This allows for comparisons across industries, EAP models, and geographies.

The complete 2017 Workplace Outcome Suite Report can be accessed here: http://www.eapassn.org/2017WOSReport

About the International Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA)

The International Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) is the worlds largest, oldest, and most respected membership organization for employee assistance professionals. With members in over 40 countries around the globe, EAPA is the worlds most relied upon source of information and support for and about the employee assistance profession. EAPA publishes the Journal of Employee Assistance, hosts the Annual World EAP Conference, and offers training and other resources to fulfill its mission. EAPAs mission is to promote the highest standards of EA practice and the continuing development of employee assistance professionals, programs and services. For more, visit http://www.eapassn.org/.

About Chestnut Global Partners

Chestnut Global Partners (CGP) is a behavioral health organization based in Bloomington, IL that offers a full range of culturally aware employee assistance and related workplace services. CGP combines EAP with wellness, disability, high risk maternity, employee safety and compliance management programs, designed to promote employee well-being, improve performance and reduce absenteeism.

Chestnut Global Partners serves companies in over 150 countries, including Brazil, China, India, Mexico and Russia. Chestnut Global Partners Division of Commercial Science develops and deploys scientific assessment technologies, outcome measures, and analytical methodologies so that EAPs, wellness companies, disease management entities and purchasers the world over can determine the effects and/or worth of their programs. For more, visit http://www.chestnutglobalpartners.org.
HR tech leader expands remote office into a regional hub, with plans to continue hiring; over a three-year period, its Denver workforce increased from 30 to more than 160 employees.

Businessolver, a leader in SaaS-based benefits administration technology, is celebrating the third anniversary of its Denver office. Since its opening in 2014, the company's Denver location has evolved from a remote office to a regional hub.

Over a three-year period, Businessolver leaders in Denver have focused on expanding the company's talent base, enhancing client services, driving product innovation, and fueling business growth: the Denver team has grown from 30 to more than 160 employees, a 433 percent increase. In August, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper recognized Businessolver as one of the fastest-growing companies in the state.

Although originally focused on sales, talent at the Denver hub has since diversified to include senior-level hires who lead national teams of employees focused on participant services, client success and operations, product and technology development, and marketing and communications.

Amid the location's rapid growth, the team has never lost sight of Businessolver's unique culture. Like Businessolver's other offices, Denver employees enjoy an open office space that drives collaboration, complimentary catered meals, the flexibility and freedom to enjoy the outdoors, and a bounty of opportunities to get involved in the community.

The Denver team is particularly dedicated to philanthropy, supporting organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House and raising more than $10,000 participating in the Courage Classic, a two-day mountain-bike race benefiting Children's Hospital Colorado.

"In the three years since we opened the Denver office, we've expanded our Solver family with incredible talent, grown our business by continuing to deliver delight to our clients, and shown our commitment to the community by getting involved and giving back," said Josh Holman, Vice President of Client Engagement at Businessolver and founder of the Denver hub. "As a Denver native, I'm humbled that an organization I've dedicated my career to can make such an indelible impact on my hometown."

Looking ahead, Businessolver plans to expand both the physical footprint of the Denver office and double the size of the local team; its hiring trajectory is already on track to have more than 200 Denver-based employees in 2018.

"The war for talent is highly competitive, with recruitment and retention ranking as a top concern for many leaders. Our Denver team is a great example of how a growth mindset, commitment to client delight, and strong culture are critical to building a successful company," said Jon Shanahan, President and CEO at Businessolver. "Denver is a booming market and an important regional hub for us. We're thrilled with the team's progress and excited about our future there."

About Businessolver

Since 1998, Businessolver has delivered market-changing benefits administration technology supported by an intrinsic responsiveness to client needs. It creates client programs that maximize benefit program investment, minimize risk exposure, and engage employees with easy-to-use solutions and communication tools to assist them in making wise and cost-efficient benefit selections. Founded by HR professionals, Businessolver's unwavering service-oriented culture and secure SaaS platform provide measurable success in its mission to provide complete client delight.

Media Contact

Kristin Schmotzer, Edelman (on behalf of Businessolver)

kristin.schmotzer(at)edelman.com

312-240-3152
Customers use our flatbeds for a wide variety of jobs, said Travis Eby, President of M.H. Eby. Craftsmen, tradesmen, farmers, ranchers -- anyone who works a truck hard and wants to reduce body weight without compromising integrity and strength is our customer, he continued. This flatbed provides the utility and dependability of our previous models and adds new features as standard equipment.

It looks fantastic, too. Working with Peterson Manufacturing, Eby designed unique LED lights and lenses for the new model, including combo tail-lights set in wrap-around corner castings. High-mount lights in the bulk-head include scene lights for night work and new styling notes such as the lighted band around the perimeter of the lamp assembly. The rear buck plate extrusion is dramatically wider and the bumper now includes integrated steps for easy access to the deck.

We tapped into technology from all over the U.S.A. to build Big Country, noted Nick Eby, VP of Engineering. We started with design creativity and know-how from our corporate team in Pennsylvania. We added aluminum from Ohio, castings from Indiana, and lighting systems from Missouri. Our technicians build it in Lancaster County and we ship it to trusted partners all over the country for final installation.

Like previous Eby flatbeds, Big Country includes an aluminum diamond-plate deck, an all-aluminum sub-structure, a trap door for a gooseneck hitch, and a bumper with a receiver rated for 20,000 lbs. as standard.

Those features are part of our heritage - part of the products DNA, said Charlie Horton, VP of Sales and Marketing. And while most customers tow with this body, it does a lot more than just that. Getting materials to the job, products to market, and equipment to the work site, this is the kind of all-purpose tool that is so versatile and so reliable that it has been the go-to choice for years. And we just made it even better.

M.H. Eby is a family owned company proudly serving commercial, agricultural, and industrial customers since 1938. Our craftsmen manufacture and service high quality, long lasting aluminum truck bodies and trailers from 4 plants and 6 service centers in PA, OH, IN, IA, and SD. Our headquarters are at 1194 Main Street, Blue Ball, PA 17506.

Call 800-292-4752 or visit our web site at http://www.mheby.com. Thank you for your business!
JNE Product Logo

SCALABLE Network Technologies, Inc. (SCALABLE), a leader in wireless network design and optimization tools, announced today that the company was awarded an independent SBIR Phase II Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) contract to support enhancements to the Joint Tactical Radio System Network Emulator (JNE) waveforms model. The contract from the MIDS Program Office (MPO) for MIDS Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS) is follow-on to previous Army and Navy Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) efforts with SCALABLE.

The objective of this Phase 2 is to provide a model at the application layer that can be used for parametric, bi-directional traffic generation that works across a number of relevant tactical waveforms. The application will be useful to assess operational performance of tactical battlefield networks that have been modeled using simulators and emulators like the JNE. SCALABLE will develop an appropriate model, together with a GUI to facilitate rapid configuration of application traffic, integrate it with existing JNE and EXata models, demonstrate its utility in enhancing analysis of complex tactical scenarios, and deliver the tested model to the MPO. Our team of senior engineers and managers has decades of experience in network protocol development, modeling and simulation, and integration of live, virtual and constructive Department of Defense (DoD) networks and systems. This specialized background puts SCALABLE in a unique position to develop the technology proposed for this Phase 2 SBIR.

"This contract award is based on our decades of experience in network protocol development, modeling and simulation, and integration of live, virtual and constructive DOD networks and systems," said Jeff Weaver, Vice President of Engineering at SCALABLE. "SCALABLE has consistently been able to address the ever-evolving needs of our defense and commercial communities with our innovative software solutions. Our services and solutions provide significant enhancements to support the new generation of traffic generation waveform models."

About SCALABLE Network Technologies

Based in Culver City, California, SCALABLE provides network design, modeling and analysis tools, cyber training and assessment solutions and engineering support services to commercial enterprises, government and defense agencies, research organizations and educational institutions around the world.

SCALABLE solutions integrate simulated virtual network models with physical hardware and applications, allowing users to reduce the time, cost and risks of developing, testing and deploying large, sophisticated wired and wireless networks and new communications equipment, and train personnel on cyber defense.

More information on the company is available at scalable-networks.com.
The Hanley Foundation and Hanley Wood announced today that LINC Housing, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., will receive the fourth annual Hanley Award for Community Service in Sustainability. The award, with its $25,000 grant, was created to recognize community-based and non-profit organizations working to advance sustainability and environmental awareness.

LINC Housing is one of Californias most productive nonprofit developers of affordable housing, grounded in the realization that with the escalating price of land, certain segments of the population would be left behind with no hope to own or even rent a place to live: retired teachers and service sector personnel and young working families in both Californias urban and rural economies. The organizations properties are known for excellent design, outstanding management and life-enhancing services for its residents. Since 1984, LINC has helped create more than 7,800 homes in 76 communities throughout the state.

Michael J. Hanley, president of the Hanley Foundation and creator of the Hanley Award for Community Service in Sustainability, has long admired the work of LINC and its leaderships commitment to providing sustainable yet affordable housing throughout California for people who are integral to communities  public employees, service sector employees, first responders, seniors, individuals with special needs, and the unemployed due to circumstances beyond their control.

If we cannot provide well located, affordable and sustainable housing to the people who serve our communities, our communities cant thrive and we are all negatively impacted said Michael J. Hanley, President of the Hanley Foundation. LINC Housing is an astounding example of an organization committed to providing vital housing and related services to those who need it most and we are pleased to honor their work with The Hanley Award for Community Service in Sustainability.

The Hanley Award for Community Service in Sustainability will be presented alongside The Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainability ($50,000) to this years recipient, William McDonough, at The Hanley Award Reception and Gala Dinner, on December 6, 2017 in Los Angeles.

The Hanley Award for Community Service recognizes the efforts of organizations working within one of the following areas: 1) Providing housing that is affordable, sustainable and healthy; 2) expanding community awareness in sustainability and environmental issues through education and/or demonstration projects; 3) developing and advocating innovations in local and regional policies affecting sustainability; and 4) creating sustainable public buildings that advance community awareness.

"LINC Housing is honored to be recognized for our work to bring sustainable, vital housing and services to people who need it most, said Rebecca Clark, President and CEO of LINC Housing. The need for affordable housing has never been greater, and our team works tirelessly to fulfill our mission to build communities and strengthen neighborhoods for people underserved by the marketplace.

Previous Hanley Award for Community Service in Sustainability recipients are Skid Row Housing Trust (2016) Chesapeake Bay Foundation (2015) and Make it Right Foundation (2014).

About LINC Housing Corporation

LINC Housing, one of California's most productive nonprofit developers of affordable housing, is committed to building communities and strengthening neighborhoods for people underserved by the marketplace. LINC has helped create more than 7,800 homes in 76 communities throughout the state. The organization's properties are known for excellent design, outstanding management and life-enhancing services for its residents. LINC has more than 30 years of service to families, seniors, people with special needs, and local governments - helping to create sustainable communities via new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, and historic preservation.

About The Hanley Foundation

The Hanley Foundation is a non-profit foundation created in 1999 by Michael and Kathryn Hanley that provides support for organizations working in the areas of affordable housing, environmental awareness, and community service especially regarding mental health and childhood nutrition. The Washington, DC-based foundation supports helping to provide shelter and employment like Friendship Place in Washington, D.C., mental health services through support of the Wendt Center and healthy eating in partnership with Martha's Table. Their local support also includes environmental organizations like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The Hanley Awards were created to recognize and honor significant and lasting contributions to advancing sustainability in the built environment. The Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainability, now in its eighth year, was established in 2009.

About Hanley Wood

Hanley Wood is the premier company serving the information, media, and marketing needs of the residential, commercial design and construction industry. Utilizing the largest analytics and editorial-driven Construction Industry Database, the company provides business intelligence and data-driven services. The company produces award-winning media, high profile executive events, and strategic marketing solutions. To learn more, visit hanleywood.com.
2016 Featured Chefs: L to R, Kitchen at Blue Creek, Anxo, Mitsitam, Punjabi Junction, Jaleo, Boqueria, VFF USA President- Moncho Ferrer, A Loving Table, Indique, Rasika, and Bombay Club Angelina Klouthis, Executive Director of VFF USA says, Bringing together such a passionate group of chefs is an honor for our organization, through their generosity we are able to invest all sponsorship funds in empowering rural India.

World-renowned chefs and tastemakers of the Spanish, Indian and American communitys will come together for the Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA (VFF USA) Recipe for Empowerment" on October 6th, 2017. With a focus on food, the event will feature dishes conceived and presented by top Indian, Spanish and American chefs from the D.C. metro area, to symbolize the intertwined global mission of VFF.

The event emcee, Amita Shukla will highlight unique entrepreneurship opportunities that add scale and impact to development efforts, and the keynote speaker Merin Rajadurai, Chairman, Secretary of State Open Forum at U.S. State Department will showcase opportunities for businesses in India and the U.S. to empower women through the Global Entrepreneurship Summit and support VFF USA.

For millions living in poverty in rural India, change is the path to sustainable progress. VFF USA partners with local communities in India on sustainable solutions for education, womens development, access to healthcare, rural infrastructure, and sustainable farming with a recipe that includes tools, organizational capacity, and funds. Moncho Ferrer, President of VFF USA says, Bringing together such a passionate group of chefs, community members, celebrities, and international dignitaries is such an honor for our organization. Last year all funds raised were immediately sent to support women to learn new job skills, and this year I look forward to doing so much more.

The primary mission of VFF USA is to partner with communities in rural India to develop unique trade experiences, rural development initiatives and support community collaborations for vulnerable populations like women and people with disabilities. The communitys impacted by the organization are not simply recipients of aid but partners of change.

VFF USA would like to thank the incredible generosity of our sponsors, Hard Rock Heal's Foundation, Grapes of Spain, Issac Fernandez Selection, La Caixa, the Embassy of Spain, Williams-Humbert, and Biscayne Bay Brewing Company. The foodie event will unite and delight people while empowering rural villages. Angelina Klouthis, Executive Director of VFF USA says, Bringing together such a passionate group of chefs is an honor for our organization, through their generosity we are able to invest all sponsorship funds in empowering rural India.

We are delighted to invite you to join us at "Recipe For Empowerment"!

When: October 6th, 2017 | 7:00 pm  11:00 pm

Where: Wonder Bread Factory641 S St. NW, Washington, DC 20001

Who:



Gregory Booth, The Kitchen at Blue Creek

Francisco Carrasco, Ham, Cheese, and Wine

Kristy Ferretti, A Loving Table

Dean Gold, Dino's Grotto

Rodolfo Guzman, Jaleo

Danny Lledo, Slate Wine Bar

Logan McGear, Smoke & Barrel

Dadisi Olutosin, Plated Food Groupe

Daljeet Singh, Aroma

K.N. Vinod, Indique

Rahul Vinod, Rasa

On-Site Media Opportunities:

 Red carpet arrivals from 6:00pm

 Celebrity and VIP photo and interview opportunities

 All other scheduled interview opportunities will be coordinated prior to event, upon request

RSVP: Media must be accredited prior to attendance. Please contact Leah at leah(at)vffusa(dot)org or Angelina at aklouthis(at)vffusa(dot)org

More Information: http://www.vffusa.org/recipe-for-empowerment/

ABOUT VICENTE FERRER FOUNDATION USA - The Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA (VFF USA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower rural India. For 48 years, VFF has empowered vulnerable populations and marginalized members of society by partnering with rural communities to implement sustainable solutions and remove barriers to eliminate poverty. VFF programs benefit 3.6 million people in over 3,500 villages.
We are happy to unify operations with the power of the Milestone Open Platform Community and provide greater choice to customers through a seamless video and access control integration, states Melissa Stenger, VP of Product Management & Marketing at ISONAS.

ISONAS Inc., a leading Pure IP access control system manufacturer, today announced the company has integrated its newest software application, Pure Access, with XProtect Access from Milestone Systems, the open platform company in IP video management software (VMS). XProtect Access is an add-on product to Milestones XProtect VMS that enables customers to directly integrate their access control system with the video management. This unique solution provides a seamless integration with the Milestone XProtect VMS and the ISONAS Pure Access software.

Launched in 2016, Pure Access is an industry-leading, cloud-based access control software application that provides users the ability to manage their access control from anywhere at any time, on any device. With IP and the Internet of Things dominating the market, the complete ISONAS and Milestone integrated system marries perfectly with a customers existing IP video infrastructure. The combined power of network-based Pure IP, panel-less access control technology and IP video management software provides a unified, efficient solution. The integration delivers real-time monitoring with video verification and the ability for users to control both their video cameras and access control systems from one centralized interface. This integration truly creates a better security experience by matching the live events to a comprehensive database of recorded video and access to the event; and accomplishes this in a superior, easy-to-use interface.

ISONAS is extremely excited to continue our successful partnership with Milestone through our newest products. As access control as a service continues to expand, we are happy to unify operations with the power of the Milestone Open Platform Community and provide greater choice to customers through a seamless video and access control integration, states Melissa Stenger, VP of Product Management & Marketing at ISONAS.

XProtect video management software was designed from inception to be a flexible, scalable foundation for ongoing innovation and growth. The Milestone belief in an open platform extends beyond camera support into areas like access control systems that have historically stood apart from video surveillance. Traditionally, the security industry has been proprietary, whereas ISONAS and Milestones open community philosophies go hand in hand, making them a perfect match. Their systems integration gives customers more choice in their hardware, software and video management system, freeing them from the limits of closed systems and providing a path to the best of all platforms.

Currently, 80 percent of access control installations are implemented with a video system in some way. In addition, customers now want systems that go beyond the traditional scope of access control running independently. ISONAS and Milestone understand the needs of the market and have partnered together to create this unified video and access control solution - driven from the cloud or on-premise - that makes it easier for customers to secure their facilities now and in the future.

About Milestone Systems

Milestone Systems is a leading provider of open platform video management software; technology that helps the world see how to ensure safety, protect assets and increase business efficiency. Milestone enables an open platform community that drives collaboration and innovation in the development and use of network video technology, with reliable and scalable solutions that are proven in more than 150,000 sites worldwide. Founded in 1998, Milestone is a stand-alone company in the Canon Group. For more information, see: http://www.milestonesys.com. For news and viewpoints from the Milestone universe, visit The Milestone Post.

About ISONAS Inc.

Since 1999 ISONAS has been revolutionizing access control with one simple solution and is todays leading manufacturer of Pure IP Access Control hardware. When paired with their industry leading cloud hosted software solutions or 3rd party full featured access control software, a complete access control platform is formed. An ISONAS system provides the perfect product solution for securing facilities while reducing costs and providing all of the advantages that Pure IP technology brings to the door. ISONAS is based in the global technology hub of Boulder, Colorado, and has one goal; to change the global access control market, and provide a product solution that is secure, reliable, trusted, and more technologically advanced than anything before. Today, the company is realizing that vision with the ISONAS solution installed globally in over 30 countries in a wide variety of vertical markets. ISONAS has been recognized as one of Boulder Countys fastest growing companies as well as by industry partners such as Milestone Systems, year after year for its powerful video and access control integration. For more information, visit: http://www.isonas.com or call 800-581-0083.

ISONAS Company Contact:

Melissa Stenger, VP of Product Management & Marketing

ISONAS Inc.

Phone: 303-951-7216

Email: melissas(at)isonas(dot)com

ISONAS PR Contact:

Monique Merhige, President

Infusion Direct Marketing & Advertising, Inc.

Phone: 631-846-1558

Email: monique(at)infusiondirect(dot)com
We encourage anyone who would like to improve various aspects of their health to give PRO EM-1 a try, said Lancaster. We look forward to reaching more people with this exceptional product in the near future.

PRO EM-1, a groundbreaking formula available through Effective Microorganisms, has made an impressive impact on the North American market. The product is now available through some of the worlds top retailers, including Amazon.com, Jet.com, RonnieColemanNutrition.com, StackedNutrition.com and others.

The formula is now available in the United States and Canada thanks to an exclusive partnership with the Texas-based TeraGanix. It contains a proprietary combination of lactic acid bacteria, yeast and photosynthetic bacteriathree distinct microbes that help people lose weight, boost their immune system and improve their digestive health.

PRO EM-1 is based on technology developed in Japan and is the first product of its kind in the United States to unleash the full power of photosynthetic bacteria.

It has been incredibly exciting to work with such high-impact retailers to market and distribute PRO EM-1 across the North American market  and the results speak for themselves, said Eric Lancaster, executive vice president at TeraGanix. We have received some exceptionally positive feedback from consumers, who have responded well to the value and effectiveness this formula delivers. Whether you want to lose weight, address a gastrointestinal problem or simply improve your health, this is a great product to check out.

The three-microbe combination in the PRO EM-1 formula is especially helpful for those who have experienced significant gastrointestinal issues. It has also been proven effective to protect against some forms of infections, thanks to the fact that it can suppress pathogens that can cause the bodys system to get off balance.

In addition, because it is a fermented probiotic, PRO EM-1 maintains the full effects of its most important metabolites. To that end, the formula tends to be much more effective than its competitors on the market, despite the fact that it has a lower colony count.

We encourage anyone who would like to improve various aspects of their health to give PRO EM-1 a try, said Lancaster. We look forward to reaching more people with this exceptional product in the near future.

TeraGanix is the official marketing partner for Effective Microorganisms in the United States and Canada. For more information on the product and the benefits it delivers, visit http://www.teraganix.com/PRO-EM-1-16oz-p/2004.htm.
Huckberry Begins New Adventure with Centric SMB We got moving on PLM selection as soon as it became clear we needed a system to support product development.

Huckberry, the mens lifestyle company based in San Francisco, has selected Centric Software to provide its Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury and consumer goods companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformational goals.

Huckberry, which is described as equal parts store, magazine and inspiration, was founded by friends Andy Forch and Richard Greiner in 2011. They wanted to create a shopping and lifestyle experience for young men like themselves who lived in the city but had a passion for the outdoors. They bootstrapped Huckberry with their savings to bring a unique company to life. Huckberry is rapidly growing and curates a selection of apparel, outdoor gear, home goods and accessories from a variety of brands on its e-commerce platform to support the lifestyle of the urban adventurer.

In the early days, Huckberry depended on email and document sharing to communicate and build up product ranges. When Huckberry added a private label division, product development within the company exploded. It was time to invest in a digital solution that would support the needs of this growing business.

Were growing rapidly, were a small team and we all wear many hats, says Rachel Metcalf, Development Lead at Huckberry. Our private label division is particularly experiencing aggressive growth. From previous experience, I know that a PLM system is very important to make sure we stay consistent, avoid mistakes and maximize efficiency. Private label is quite new at Huckberry, but we got moving on PLM selection as soon as it became clear we needed a system to support product development.

Huckberry decided to implement Centric SMB, a cloud-based PLM solution tailored for small to medium businesses.

As Metcalf explains, Ive used many PLM systems, but Centric has always been one of my favorites. Its easy to use, easy to learn, easy to configure and roll out, and dependable. The support team are only ever a phone call away and will answer questions promptly  you dont have to email random support websites. The system is very highly configurable and is as simple as turning on a button or clicking a box. Centric is not a rigid one solution fits all, but is easily configured to what each company needs yet no coding is required to get it to work the way you want it to.

Richard Greiner, co-founder of Huckberry, adds, Centric offers us a genuine partnership, rather than just a service. Huckberry is a young, creative and innovative company with a digital mindset and we are willing to invest in the right technology to support our growth goals. Centric SMB is the ideal cloud-based PLM solution for a company like ours and we know it will grow and adapt with us.

We would like to welcome Huckberry to the Centric family, says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. Huckberrys online concept is much more than a standard apparel e-commerce store  its a whole lifestyle experience. Were excited to be part of the growth of this innovative company, and were looking forward to seeing Huckberry grow in the future.

Huckberry (http://www.huckberry.com)

Huckberry is an independent online retailer and magazine for adventurous guys.

Over a million strong trust us as their leading retailer and resource for emerging brands, gear, and lifestyle inspiration.

Huckberry was founded in 2011 and headquartered in San Francisco, CA with offices in Columbus, OH.

Centric Software (http://www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley and offices in trend capitals around the world, Centric Software provides a Digital Transformation Platform for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (VIP) is a visual, fully digital collection of boards for touch-based devices like iPad, iPhone and large-scale, touch-screen televisions. Centric VIP transforms decision making and automates execution to truly collapse time to market and distance to trend. Centrics flagship product lifecycle management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, business planning, quality, and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB packages extended PLM including innovative technology and key industry learnings tailored for small businesses.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards, including the Frost & Sullivan Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Retail, Fashion, and Apparel PLM in 2016 and Frost & Sullivans Global Retail, Fashion, and Apparel PLM Product Differentiation Excellence Award in 2012. Red Herring named Centric to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015, and 2016.

Centric is a registered trademark of Centric Software. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

(end)

Media Contacts:

Huckberry

support(at)huckbery.com

Centric Software

Americas: Jennifer Forsythe, jforsythe(at)centricsoftware.com

Europe: Kristen Salaun Batby, ksalaun-batby(at)centricsoftware.com

Asia: Lily Dong, lily.dong(at)centricsoftware.com
Dr. Mark Perloe, founder of Georgia Reproductive Specialists I am deeply honored to receive this recognition & share this award with all of the men & women who advocate on behalf of those with PCOS

The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication to advocacy and public policy efforts that expand access to resources and support for women and girls with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one of the most neglected, underfunded, and underdiagnosed areas of health.

Dr. Perloe is a reproductive endocrinologist with over 30 years of extensive experience performing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and treating conditions related to infertility including PCOS, recurrent pregnancy loss, menstrual disorders, fibroids, and endocrine and other reproductive health problems. Dr. Perloe has served as principal investigator in numerous reproductive health research studies including innovative IVF treatments, ovulation induction, and polycystic ovary syndrome. He has published research in medical journals including Obstetrics & Gynecology, Southern Medical Journal, Human Reproduction, and the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Perloe is the co-author of Miracle Babies and Other Happy Endings for Couples with Fertility Problems and is the creator of IVF.com.

Most recently, Dr. Perloe, who founded Georgia Reproductive Specialiststhe third largest IVF practice in the Greater Atlanta regionin 2000, and fellow (GRS) physicians and team members joined forces with Shady Grove Fertility (SGF), which has 25 locations throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Combining the successful clinical, scientific, and operational approaches of SGF and GRS under the brand SGF Atlanta, provides an exceptional opportunity to bring enhanced fertility services to more patients in Atlanta and surrounding areas.

"Dr. Perloe is one of the country's leading physician-advocates for women and girls with PCOS and a shining example for other healthcare providers. He has been our champion and a true supporter since PCOS Challenge expanded to Atlanta," says Sasha Ottey, PCOS Challenge Executive Director. "Dr. Perloe was instrumental in the advent of the PCOS Awareness Symposium and was our first partner and sponsor of the event. He is a genuine PCOS advocate with vast knowledge about the disorder and the complex challenges that women with PCOS face. He dedicates much of his time to increasing PCOS awareness. We are pleased to present Dr. Perloe with this award and are excited about his continued commitment to work with us on legislative and community advocacy efforts to improve the lives of those with PCOS."

Ive had the distinct privilege of working with women and girls with PCOS throughout my career, as well as many people and organizations who have worked equally hard or harder to raise awareness within the community. I am deeply honored to receive this recognition and share this award with all of the men and women who advocate on behalf of those with PCOS. I look forward to continuing our efforts on behalf of those affected by PCOS to help them achieve a better quality of life and, for many, to help them conceive, remarks Dr. Perloe.

About the Ricardo Azziz PCOS Challenge Advocacy Leadership Award

PCOS Challenge named the advocacy leadership award in honor of Dr. Ricardo Azziz, an international authority on polycystic ovary syndrome and one of the country's most impactful advocates for the PCOS patient community. For the past 25 years, Dr. Azziz has developed an internationally recognized research program which has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health, generated over 500 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and reviews; over 300 abstracts and presentations at national meetings; and nine texts. Dr. Azziz has made major contributions to the field through his research and clinical work as well as his support and advocacy for PCOS patients. Dr. Azziz has been instrumental in enabling events like PCOS Challenge's Awareness Symposia to happen across the country, educating over 1,000 PCOS patients and healthcare professionals a year. PCOS Challenge recognizes the significance of Dr. Azziz's contributions to the PCOS movement with this award.

About SGF Atlanta

SGF Atlanta, formerly Georgia Reproductive Specialists (GRS), is part of the Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) international network of state-of-the-art infertility care and IVF centers, offering patients individualized care, innovative financial options, and pregnancy rates among the highest in the United States. SGF Atlanta offers a full range of reproductive medicine and fertility treatments, including diagnostic testing and treatment options from simple drug therapy and surgical procedures to assisted reproductive technologies (ART), for both men and women. The board certified physicians of SGF Atlanta offer more than 100 years of combined experience in reproductive medicine and infertility treatment and are experts in female and male reproductive disorders. The staff of over 40 includes skilled and experienced clinical and technical professionals, embryologists, counselors, and administrators who care for patients in Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, and Atlanta, GA. In addition, the renowned clinical laboratory staff of scientists is credited with developing cutting-edge techniques used by infertility specialists around the world. The SGF Atlanta on-site diagnostic laboratory is fully accredited and features the most advanced technology used in in vitro fertilization, thorough semen and hormone analysis, sperm preparation, and the assisted reproductive technologies. A personalized medical team, led by a board certified reproductive endocrinologist, ensures that patients receive the highest possible medical care, specialized support programs, educational resources, and financial management options. For more information about SGF Atlanta or to schedule an appointment with an SGF Atlanta physician, call 404-843-2229 or visit IVF.com. For more information about Shady Grove Fertility, call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
The ability to ask doctors, who are experts in their medical fields, takes the mystery out of surgical techniques since they answer questions in a way that everyone can understand what is involved in cosmetic surgery procedures. - Cosmetic Town Senior Editor

Cosmetic Town, an online plastic surgery and information community, has recently relaunched the forum section on its website. According to the senior editor of Cosmetic Tow, Our forum section is an interactive, and popular, section of the website where readers can ask questions as well as provide answers to other forum members thinking about having cosmetic surgery. The interaction and sharing among our forum users has helped the participants grow into a thriving online information community.

The topics covered in the Cosmetic Town forums cover a wide variety of cosmetic surgery treatments including rhinoplasty, tummy tuck, face lifts and breast surgery. The senior editor noted that we performed due diligence when researching cosmetic surgery topics that were most relevant to our audience. There are fourteen forum sections dedicated to specific cosmetic surgery topics as well as one forum section that spotlights procedures not included in the main sections.

When asked about the response from doctors, the senior editor said they are excited to have a venue to directly connect with our readers. Our forum users appreciate the fact that they can engage in meaningful discussions with board-certified physicians about the procedures that are of interest to them. Many of our readers are just starting to research plastic surgery topics so they are very knowledgeable when it comes to medical terms and conditions. The ability to ask doctors, who are experts in their medical fields, takes the mystery out of surgical techniques since they answer questions in a way that everyone can understand what is involved in cosmetic surgery procedures.

The Cosmetic Town team plans to continue connecting doctors and patients in the forum section. We are grateful to these busy medical professionals for taking the time to interact with our readers. An informed patient is one who is well prepared to make an important decision about undergoing a medical procedure. The doctors give relevant medical advice while interacting with, and educating, the members of our forum section.

About Cosmetic Town

Cosmetic Town is an online cosmetic medicine publication that also features doctors who were endorsed and highly recommended by their peers. This reliable and streamlined database allows users to easily navigate the website and access the information they need with just a click of a button. Users can also stay informed and get the latest news on plastic surgery by reading the regularly updated news section. Visiting the forum page is also another way for users to stay engaged and keep each other up to date.
We are thrilled to join the IO Education family as the importance of integrating student and classroom management solutions continues to grow, said Ann Savino, Co-Founder of eSchoolData.

IO Education, a market leader in helping educators use data to improve student outcomes, announces the acquisition of eSchoolData, a provider of student and data management solutions for K-12 school districts.

Founded in 2002, eSchoolDatas products are used by over 250 school districts in New York and Pennsylvania. eSchoolDatas core student information system (SIS) offering is enhanced by complementary functionality including a teacher gradebook, a parent and student portal, a transportation management module and data analytics capabilities.

We are thrilled to join the IO Education family as the importance of integrating student and classroom management solutions continues to grow, said Ann Savino, Co-Founder of eSchoolData. IO Educations comprehensive assessment and data management offerings and strong commitment to innovation will provide our customers with the most robust set of integrated solutions on the market. eSchoolDatas clients will benefit from IO Educations complementary offerings in formative assessment, analytics and reporting and professional growth.

We have long admired eSchoolDatas comprehensive functionality and strong customer loyalty, said Michael Williamson, Chief Executive Officer of IO Education. The addition of eSchoolData extends our product offering, expands our strong presence in the Northeast and heightens the value we can deliver to our clients through continued product integration and enhancement. IO Education and eSchoolData will continue to service clients with their existing best-in-class teams.

About IO Education

As a leader in the education technology industry for over 18 years, IO Education is on a mission to empower educators to achieve their goals and improve educational outcomes. The solutions from IO Education are used in all 50 states by almost 8,000 schools and 150,000 educators, supporting instruction for over 6,000,000 students. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA. For more information about IO Education, visit http://www.ioeducation.com.
A strong track record of NERC compliance can be helpful if there is a minor misstep. - Bob Biggs, Office of NERC Compliance Services Director.

Certrec, a leading regulatory compliance provider for NERC compliance, assisted a generator client in developing and submitting a NERC CIP guided self-certification. The regulator found the submittal to be compliant.

This CIP guided self-certification reinforces the registered entitys obvious commitment to compliance, stated the regulator.

This generator, an ongoing NERC support client of Certrec, has a long history of compliance. This history is recognized by the regulator. NERC pays close attention to entities that experience challenges in compliance by adding more frequent audits, increased in-depth reviews, and, possibly, fines.

Many registered entities, as well as regional entities, invest significant resources in the self-certification process and guided self-certifications. Initially, the registered entity organizes and reviews relevant procedures, policies, and evidence. Depending upon the current NERC compliance program, this process may be relatively simple or it could involve several people locating test results, training information, and other needed evidence. If a violation is discovered, the self-certification process may result in a self-report. Once the self-certification package is submitted to the regional entity, the review process begins. Depending upon the quality of the self-certification package and supporting evidence, the regional entity may request clarifications or additional information or not.

When all aspects are considered, the registered entity and the regional entity may each have invested thousands of dollars in resources to prepare for a guided self-certification effort.

An entity that is dedicated to compliance operates every day in compliance. Every day, they are audit ready and this is accomplished through an effective Internal Controls Process with periodic self-evaluations of effectiveness, coupled with a robust corrective action process.

This particular client is dedicated to NERC compliance with a solid history of a robust program and successful audits. They are also one of the entities that has been provided with special trust and confidence in that they are actively participating in the self-logging program. This history demonstrates a commitment to compliance which is not lost on the regulator. A strong track record of NERC compliance can be helpful if there is a minor misstep. - Bob Biggs, Office of NERC Compliance Services Director.

Certrec Corporation is dedicated to regulatory compliance exclusively and has been since we started in 1988. We believe our approach is the key to our successful client programs as well as our growing NERC practice.

Currently Certrec provides NERC compliance support on an ongoing basis to several U.S. fleets. In addition, Certrec supports other individual sites. We have worked with 2 wind fleets for several years (since 2009 for our first fleet) and appreciate the trust that these clients have in our team. Our clients include solar, wind, hydro, fossil and nuclear generators.

Founded in 1988, Certrec is an engineering and technology based organization providing regulatory support services in the electric power industry. With over 1200 cumulative years of direct industry experience (including wind, solar, nuclear, and fossil), Certrec has developed exceptional capabilities to support regulatory activities emanating from regulatory entities such as the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and Regional Entities (NERC), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other regulatory agencies. Certrec's Office of NERC Compliance (ONC), Office of Licensing and Compliance (OLC), and Office of New Plant (ONP) services are used by utilities and entities across the United States to help manage the regulatory process to their advantage.
TrueLine Publishing's 5th Annual Retreat Camping is a way to have fun with our colleagues and remember that we arent just coworkers, we are also friends outside of the office, says Haj Carr, TrueLine Publishing CEO.

TrueLine Publishings 5th Annual White Water Rafting & Camping Retreat, held late August of 2017, received record attendance with 80 percent of the companys employees joining in on the weekend adventure. TrueLine, an international publishing firm located in Portland, Maine, organizes an employee-only rafting and camping getaway each summer in The Forks, Maine, as a chance for the team to bond and get to know one another outside of the workplace.

TrueLine, which was named Best Places to Work in Maine 2017 and 2016, encourages employees to attend the retreat  where rafting is optional, and camping is for everyone. The company rents a full campsite near Moxie Falls where employees enjoy fully-equipped and furnished cabins. Campfires, lawn games, snacks and drinks are provided on-site, giving attendees a truly all inclusive experience.

Camping is a way to have fun with our colleagues and remember that we arent just coworkers, we are also friends outside of the office, says Haj Carr, TrueLine Publishing CEO. Like in any other community or relationship, work requires attention in order to make it fun.

Rafts, life jackets and other essential gear is rented from Moxie Outdoor Adventures Inc., a local provider, and professionally trained guides volunteer their time to bring the TrueLine team down a 12-mile stretch of Kennebec River that boasts class 3, 4 and 5 rapids.

Volunteer guides include Sean OReilly, director of professional development at TrueLine Publishing, Lily Hanstein, a branch manager of Gorham Savings Bank at Long Wharf and a recent volunteer at United Way of Greater Portland, and Robert Bo Miller, an analyst programmer at Tufts CTSI.

The Annual Retreat was established in 2012 by OReilly, who initiated and planned the inaugural event. Today, the retreat is a staple in TrueLine tradition and multiple team members help organize the outing. Hanstein also organizes a similar trip for her branch of Gorham Savings Bank.

When I worked as a raft guide, I was able to see firsthand how the experience brought each group together, OReilly says. People would embark on the trip as little more than strangers, but come back as comrades after a day of laughing, celebrating, and cowering in fear together. I vowed that I would do my best to create that experience for whatever future organizations I was a part of. Im thrilled to say that this year was the fifth time weve held the trip at TrueLine and each year has been a success. Each year weve returned to Portland as a tighter, more resilient team than the Friday before.

Company culture is a major influence in TrueLine Publishings recruiting and retention programs. The company uses employee feedback, as well as insights from review sites such as Glassdoor and Best Places to Work in Maine survey results, to shape, improve and manage company processes, leadership and team collaboration.

TrueLine Public Relations (TLPR), a sister company to TrueLine Publishing, is a result of shared ideas. The concept of using our experience in publishing, custom media and strategic distribution to help clients improve and execute their own digital marketing came to the table. It made sense and we ran with it. Now we operate a thriving PR firm and are successfully fulfilling contracts for clients across the country, says Erica Berry, director of digital marketing at TrueLine Publishing and director of strategy and media at TrueLine Public Relations.

Our ideas dont all stem from management. We listen to insights from our team and move forward on the ideas that will benefit our company, Berry continues. We empower employees by giving them a voice and it leads to greater personal success for them, and a more connected, collaborative company culture.

To learn more about TrueLine Publishing and TrueLine Public Relations, visit online or email Erica Berry at info(at)truelinepublishing(dot)com.
A best-selling author and an international law firm are joining Philadelphias largest group of funded early-stage tech companies. Grit author Angela Duckworth and her team at Character Lab have joined Philadelphias ic@3401 as an anchor tenant. Also joining the ic@3401 community is Cooley, an international law firm with decades of experience supporting high-growth companies in the technology and life sciences industries.

Character Labs team of scientists, designers and educators is advancing the science and practice of character development in primary and secondary schools. The organization designs, funds, and implements research in schools; creates interactive online activities for students and professional development and materials for teachers; and new measures of character for learning and growth.

Character Lab was founded in 2013 by Grit author Angela Duckworth, who is also the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation genius grant; Dave Levin, co-founder of the KIPP public charter schools; and Dominic Randolph, head of Riverdale Country School. The organization was originally established in New York City as a 501(c)(3) and moved to Philadelphia in 2016.

Cooley is one of the largest full-service law firms in the world, and a leader among those representing high-growth companies in the technology and life sciences industries. The firm represents over 5,000 emerging growth companies currently, including over a third of the US companies listed in The Wall Street Journals Billion Dollar Startup Club. Cooley attorneys will become active members of the ic@3401 community.

Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that character is important: When it comes to a kid's achievement and well-being, character is at least as consequential as are IQ and socioeconomic status says Angela Duckworth, Founder & CEO. Character Lab is dedicated to helping kids develop character strengths. But knowing how to cultivate character is an age-old challenge. Solving an old problem requires new thinking. We think that the Innovation Center @3401 can help us do that. It provides a space for us to do audacious, creative work.

Launched in 2014 as a partnership between Drexel University and the University City Science Center, ic@3401 allows members to tap into the creative minds of academia and industry. ic@3401 enhanced its offerings in 2015 when Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) became a partner and Safeguard Scientifics its first Sustaining Member. ic@3401 is the largest group of funded, early-stage tech companies in Philadelphia. Funding highlights include:



BFTP has invested over $5.5 million in 19 ic@3401 companies over the last three years, representing over a third of ic@3401s early-stage tech companies.

ic@3401 members and alumni companies represent four of the six Digital Health Fund companies, a partnership between BFTP, Safeguard and Independence Blue Cross.

21 ic@3401 members have raised over $16mm in the last twelve months.

ic@3401 offers flexible workspace, shared amenities, and services to connect its members with the people and resources needed to grow. ic@3401 is home to over 30 early-stage tech companies from Philadelphia, Drexel Ventures, and the Science Centers Digital Health Accelerator. It is also home to the world headquarters of DreamIt Ventures.

About the Science Center

Located in the heart of uCity Square, the Science Center is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that catalyzes and connects innovation to entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. For 50+ years, the Science Center has supported startups, research, and economic development in the life sciences, healthcare, physical sciences, and emerging technology sectors. As a result, graduate firms and current residents of the Science Centers incubator support one out of every 100 jobs in the Greater Philadelphia region and drive $13 billion in economic activity in the region annually. By providing resources and programming for any stage of a businesss lifecycle, the Science Center helps scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators take their concepts from idea to IPO  and beyond.

For more information about the Science Center, go to http://www.sciencecenter.org

About Drexel University

Drexel University is a comprehensive global research university ranked among the top 100 in the nation. With more than 26,300 students, Drexel is one of the nations 15 largest private universities. Drexel Ventures was established in 2013 under the office of Corporate Relations and Economic Development to amplify Drexels capacity for translational research and commercialization, provide venture acceleration services to Drexel affiliated companies and be the one-stop front door to Drexels innovation ecosystem for potential industry collaborators, investors and entrepreneurs. For more information, visit http://www.drexel.edu.
Anchorage 1770 Beaufort, SC It has been an exciting year with the launch of the restaurant, the Ribaut Social Club, the invitation to be part of the Southern Living Inn Collection and now this award from Coastal Living Readers, said Frank Lesesne.

Anchorage 1770 is proud to announce that Coastal Living Magazine named the Beaufort, SC, boutique inn the Best of the Best of Summer 2017. The independent property triumphed over U.S. Virgin Islands national parks, Maine lobster eateries, and other winners from an earlier bracket of voting. The award was bestowed following a reader poll that named the Anchorage 1770 North Americas top seaside Inn.

In recognition of the honor, Owner-innkeepers Frank and Amy Lesesne have made a donation of $1,770.00 to Camilius House (http://www.camillus.org/) in Miami-Dade County to support their Hurricane Irma relief efforts.

Nicknamed The Queen of the Bay, the Anchorage 1770 is the countrys largest intact tabby structure still in use and has changed hands throughout its colorful history in Beaufort. It was perhaps best known as the William Elliott House, whose namesake owner was a renowned politician, writer and sportsman. Today, the luxury inn opens its doors to guests from around the world, who visit Beaufort to enjoy historic tours, aquatic adventures, Lowcountry cuisine and period architecture. Its unbeatable location in the historic waterfront district sets it apart from other accommodations in the area.

Owner-innkeepers Frank and Amy Lesesne began an ambitious restoration in 2014. Frank, a former tech entrepreneur and Amy, a former flight attendant and photographer, knew the task was no small undertaking. In addition to restoring and refinishing a Federalist mansion, the couple conceived a boutique inn to match its legendary past. Last October, the Lesesnes brought aboard Chef Byron Landis and relaunched the Ribaut Social Club, a historic dinner-and-drink hotspot that once played host to gambling, dancing and raucous parties. The current iteration of the Ribaut Social Club aims to capture the original clubs convivial atmosphere.

With the same joie de vivre that motivated the couple to buy and painstakingly renovate the home starting in 2014, the Lesesnes hang out and play ultimate hosts, setting you up on excursions like a tasting tour of Beaufort, fly fishing on local waters, or a paddleboard exploration of the historic harbor, wrote Coastal Living editors.

In addition to the Coastal Living citation, The Anchorage 1770 has earned kudos from travel bibles like Conde Nast Traveler and The New York Times travel section. In January, the property was featured on the Today Show as a prime mid-winter getaway. This spring, the inn was invited to join the Southern Living Hotel Collectionan elite group of Southern boutique hotels whose quality caught the attention of Southern Living magazine editors.

It has been an exciting year with the launch of the restaurant, the Ribaut Social Club, the invitation to be part of the Southern Living Inn Collection and now this award from Coastal Living Readers, said Frank Lesesne.

More exciting events are planned for the final months of 2017 and early 2018: Guests should plan their visits as quickly as possible to secure spaces for upcoming programs.

Stay tuned for some of our event programming coming up in the Fall and Winter along with local events like the Pat Conroy Literary Festival, Beaufort Shrimp Festival, the Frank Loyd Wright Auldbrass Tour and the Beaufort Film Festival, said Amy Lesesne.
Many 3PLs are still under the misconception that they have to accept their grandfathers TMS technology and we are so excited that with HaulFox TMS, Robert Heath Logistics no longer has to

HaulFox LLC, a transportation logistics software company and 3PL TMS provider is proud to announce that Dallas based 3PL, Robert Heath Logistics, Inc. has selected HaulFoxs TMS as their preferred Transportation Management System.

Robert Heath Logistics was diligent in vetting out, selecting and utilizing the best transportation technology resources available. We are now able to automatically match our clients loads with quality carriers, increase carrier performance levels with optimal visibility and greatly enhance our customer experience. said CFO, Brent Shankle.

Robert Heath Logistics, Inc can now provide higher value and more strategic services to their clients by filtering Shipper and Private Fleet data through the proprietary HaulFox TMS sophisticated algorithms.

Steve Wooten, Robert Heath Logistics, Incs Vice President said Our staff loves how the HaulFox technology enables them to get more done in a day. Not only that, but now we have the ability to scale our 3PL business without adding additional staff.

HaulFoxs proprietary TMS offers technology that eliminates the necessity of switching in and out of systems, whether accessing capacity on load boards, carrier safety checks, tracking, CRM or external pricing tools.

We are delighted to be working with Robert Heath Logistics, Inc and operate as the engine that provides the power to exceed their goals. Many 3PLs are still under the misconception that they have to accept their grandfathers TMS technology and we are so excited that with HaulFox TMS, Robert Heath Logistics no longer has to. said HaulFoxs Founder and COO, Jonathan Drouin.

HaulFoxs TMS includes their original Back Haul matching technology and dynamic pricing module. Included in HaulFoxs TMS is Back Haul, HaulFox's first software platform, which focuses on the "big data" that freight brokerages and 3PLs typically fail to leverage. The software tool takes both current available carrier capacity and unawarded customer opportunities through their proprietary cloud based platform to instantly match up the most advantageous customer/carrier alignment. HaulFoxs tools enable the broker to significantly increase revenue within their current customer base.

About HaulFox, LLC

HaulFox LLC is a proprietary software company based in Dallas, TX. HaulFox focuses on developing freight technology platforms to service the Transportation/Logistics Industry with an emphasis on 3PLs. The HaulFox team is comprised of experienced 3PL practitioners, Senior Software Developers, and Data Scientists who are creating value added solutions to the industry (including TMS, Pricing, CRM, Live Tracking, Accounting and Capacity Solutions).

About Robert Heath Logistics, Inc.

Robert Heath Logistics, Inc. is the 3PL arm of Robert Heath Trucking, an asset carrier that has built a reputation on service, customer experience and stability. Robert Heath Logistics, Inc is based in Dallas, Texas and provides 3PL services to Shippers and Private Fleets.

Media Contact:

http://www.haulfox.com

jdrouin(at)haulfox(dot)com
The strongest overall predictors of credential completion among direct-from-high school community college students are completing more credits during the first year of college and earning a strong GPA, according to a paper released today by the American Council on Educations (ACE) Center for Policy Research and Strategy (CPRS), with support from global edtech leader Hobsons.

The report, Identifying Predictors of Credential Completion Among Beginning Community College Students, cited completing dual-enrollment courses, taking a college entrance exam before leaving high school, and enrolling in community college soon after leaving high school as other significant indicators of postsecondary certificate or degree completion. In fact, students who enrolled in community college within three months of graduating from high school were nearly 11 percent more likely to earn a credential than students who delayed their enrollment.

The research brief is the second installment in a four-part series examining the educational journeys of high school graduates who enroll in community college directly after high school. The research project analyzes data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS), a nationally representative study of students who began 10th grade in 2002 and were tracked over a 10-year period.

Community colleges ensure millions of students each year have access to the benefits of postsecondary education, said Jonathan Turk, senior policy research analyst, CPRS. However, while access is important, it holds little value if students cannot complete their education. This series of work will hopefully continue to shed light on what can be done to reduce barriers to student success for this particular student population.

The type of decisions a student makes in regard to college enrollment also swayed the likelihood of completing a certificate or degree program, the report says. Both enrolling in an out-of-state community college or enrolling part-time significantly lowered the probability of earning a postsecondary credential. Students who enrolled part-time at any point in their career were nearly 12 percent less likely to complete a certificate or degree than students who enrolled exclusively full-time.

Additionally, the frequency with which students met with an academic advisor was not associated with significant changes in the probability of earning a credential, suggesting that new academic and student support models are needed to increase community college student success.

Other key findings include:

 Women were more likely to earn a college credential than men;

 In general, students with higher levels of socioeconomic status were more likely to earn a credential;

 Significant racial differences in completion were found and;

 Direct-from-high school students who participated in extracurricular activities when first enrolled in community college were more likely to earn a credential.

Drawing from the results of the study and previous research, the report also offers resources and recommendations for policymakers and education leaders to consider in order to improve credential completion for community college students.

A postsecondary credential remains one of the best investments individuals can make for their futures, said Ellen Wagner, vice president of research, Hobsons. This research, and our ongoing partnership with ACE, is an important part of Hobsons efforts to support K-12 and higher education in building the pathways we know are essential to ensure students have the best foundation for success.

Wagner, Turk, and David Schuler, superintendent of Township High School District 214, will discuss the report during a free webinar on Oct. 5, at 2:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. PT. Click here to learn more details and to register.

To download the full report, click here.

###

About the Center for Policy Research and Strategy

The American Council on Educations (ACE) Center for Policy Research and Strategy (CPRS) pursues thought leadership at the intersection of public policy and institutional strategy. CPRS provides senior postsecondary leaders and public policymakers with an evidence base to responsibly promote emergent practices in higher education with an emphasis on long-term and systemic solutions for an evolving higher education landscape and changing American demographic.

About ACE

Celebrating its centennial in 2018, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing nearly 1,800 college and university presidents and related associations. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy. For more information, please visit http://www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation.

About Hobsons

Hobsons helps students identify their strengths, explore careers, create academic plans, match to best-fit educational opportunities, and reach their education and life goals. Through our solutions, including Naviance, Intersect, and Starfish, we enable thousands of educational institutions to improve college and career planning, admissions and best-fit matching, and student success and advising for millions of students around the globe.
Aragon Research announces four Hot Vendors in Modern Content Management. Enterprises need to pivot to emerging providers if their ECM vendor does not have a plan to update their architecture.

Today, many companies still rely on unwieldy enterprise software applications that are difficult to configure, maintain, and update as business processes evolve. This results in organizations lacking the ability to quickly execute and react in real-time. Aragon Research Inc. says that operating an agile business in this competitive era of Digital Transformation requires a different approach.

The lack of innovation from existing ECM providers is one of the reasons we see Modern Content Management platforms coming online, said Jim Lundy, CEO at Aragon Research.

The four Hot Vendors recognized by Aragon Research in Modern Content Management have developed key capabilities to manage documents and video, video-enabled business applications, and workflow and content automation. According to Lundy, Enterprises need to pivot to emerging providers if their ECM vendor does not have a plan to update their architecture.

Aragon clients can learn more about these four providers by reading the Aragon Research Hot Vendors for 2017 Part IV.

About Aragon Research

Aragon Research is the newest technology research and advisory firm. Aragon delivers high impact interactive research, consulting, and advisory services to provide enterprises the insight they need to make better technology and strategy decisions. Aragon Research serves business and IT leaders and has a proven team of veteran analysts. For more information, visit https://www.aragonresearch.com.
"Adding Mike to our team reinforces our commitment to the industry and Delivering the Nuclear Promise, said Rick Graves, Saulsburys CEO.

Saulsbury Industries announced today that nuclear industry veteran Michael S. McGough has joined Saulsbury as Chief Nuclear Officer (CNO) to lead its growing nuclear services business. Last month, Saulsbury announced a second contract extension in support of SCANAs V.C. Summer Unit 1 operating nuclear station. In that announcement, Jeff Archie, South Carolina Electric & Gas Company senior vice president and chief nuclear officer said, We are very satisfied with the services Saulsbury Industries has provided V.C. Summer over the past three years as the maintenance and modifications contractor, including support during the two most recent refueling outages. We are pleased to extend our contract with Saulsbury through mid-2020.

McGough joins Saulsbury from NuScale Power where he served as chief commercial officer since 2011. He is a 38-year veteran of the commercial nuclear industry supporting construction, operations, maintenance and decommissioning of nuclear plants worldwide. Mike has been involved in new plant startups at Westinghouse, where he started his career, as well as at the Constellation Energy subsidiary UniStar Nuclear Energy. He has also been involved in dry storage of used nuclear fuel as senior vice president for NAC International and low level radioactive waste management and decommissioning at Duratek and Energy Solutions. Mike also served as president of PCI Energy Services where he spent 11 years responsible for mechanical projects including 16 steam generator replacements and 9 nuclear plant decommissioning projects.

We are delighted to have Mike joining the Saulsbury team, bringing his depth of experience in the nuclear arena, to lead our efforts to continue to support this industry which is so vitally important to our country. Adding Mike to our team reinforces our commitment to the industry and Delivering the Nuclear Promise, said Rick Graves, Saulsburys CEO.

Mike has been a member of the Nuclear Energy Institutes Strategic Issues Advisory Committee for the past 4 years and has provided over 100 technical, industry or public presentations and publications on numerous industry topics.

Maria Korsnick, CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute stated: Mike McGough has served the nuclear industry in many capacities over his lengthy career. I am pleased that his efforts to expand the awareness of the importance of our industry, and to foster improvement in performance and safety, will continue to grow in this new assignment.

McGough holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Metallurgy from Washington State University, and an MBA from the Katz School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also a graduate of the Kellogg Management Institute at Northwestern University.

ABOUT SAULSBURY:

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017, Saulsbury Industries is a privately owned Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) firm, and is a full scope maintenance and modification services provider that serves clients in multiple industries, including fossil and nuclear generating stations, oil, gas, manufacturing, and petrochemical facilities.

Since entering the nuclear industry, Saulsbury has provided nuclear support in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and California. Saulsburys team has provided services in every commercial nuclear operating and decommissioned facility in the United States. Recognizing potential growth in servicing operating nuclear units through extended licenses of up to 80 years, supporting new plant construction including Small Modular Reactors and Advanced Reactors, and potentially supporting used fuel management scenarios as well as decommissioning of retired units, Saulsbury is now uniquely positioned to support these industry critical needs.
This webinar is a perfect solution for executives with a limited amount of time who are looking to discover proven strategies for income generation.

BSG Financial Group, a provider of revenue-enhancement programs and compliance solutions for financial institutions nationwide, announced today it will host a webinar on Thursday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m. EST entitled, Speed Dating for Financial Executives: 3 Industry Experts Present Revenue Strategies for 2018. The webinarwhich is part of an ongoing educational series that the company provides for its clients and potential customerswill feature a panel of financial industry experts who will present three separate strategies that financial institutions can employ in order to generate new income.

The format of the 60-minute webinar will be fast-paced, with each expert taking no more than 15 minutes to explain a strategy before moving on to the next presenter. Like speed dating, the objective of the webinar is to give financial executives exposure to as many options as possible in a minimal amount of time. There will also be a Q&A segment after the three presentations.

The webinar presenters are:



Gregory S. Schreacke, CEO, R.C. Giltner Services, Inc., a provider of digital lending technology to community banks

Laura Stanley, Senior Vice President, The CorePoint, experts in CD management and sales

Jeffrey Harper, president, BSG Financial Group, who will address ways to better manage overdraft income and compliance

This is the time of year when budgeting for 2018and finding new sources of incomebecomes a priority for financial institutions, said Jeffrey Harper, president of BSG Financial Group. This webinar is a perfect solution for executives with a limited amount of time who are looking to discover proven strategies for income generation.

Harper explained that the presentations will be high-level introductions to each strategy, focusing on how each solution capitalizes on today's trends and opportunities, as well as income potential. Attendees who are intrigued by a strategy are encouraged to ask the presenter for a 'second date' by requesting additional information or arranging a subsequent meeting, he said.

Who: BSG Financial Group

Presenters: Gregory S. Schreacke; Laura Stanley; Jeffrey Harper

When: Thursday, September 21, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. EST

Registration: http://www.bsgfinancial.com/SpeedDatingWebinar

Who Should Attend: Chief Financial Officers; Chief Executive Officers; Chief Information Officers; Chief Credit Officers; Chief Retail Officers; Chief Marketing Officers; Electronic Banking & Digital Banking Officers and Senior Lenders



About R.C. Giltner Services, Inc.

R.C. Giltner Services is a provider of digital lending technology to community banks. He has been a frequent speaker on cloud-based digital technology, including at the recent ABA National Community Banking Conference, BAI Retail Delivery Conference, Sheshunoff CEO Forums, SNL Community Banking Conference, the Bank CEO Network and the ALTLend conference, among others.

About The CorePoint

The CorePoint was launched in 2010  built by bankers for bankers  and is located out of Omaha, NE. The CorePoint offers a combined approach through strategic and patented processes, frontline training, and a unique technology platform. The company now serves financial institutions across the country and is invited to present at local and national conventions as the expert in CD management and sales. For more information about the company, visit http://www.bank-ps.com.

About BSG Financial Group

Louisville, Ky.-based BSG Financial Group is a group of independently organized companies that provides revenue-enhancement and compliance solutions for financial institutions nationwide. BSG Financial Group has been a provider of innovative overdraft programs since 1999, including the industry's first cloud-based overdraft management solution, Courtesy Connect(R)/Courtesy Limit.



The company's additional revenue-enhancing solutions include: Demand Deposit Account Management; Fee-Based Packaged Checking Accounts; Expense Management & Vendor Negotiation; Vendor Management; Social Media Management; and CD Sales Strategies.



BSG Financial Group includes the following companies: CourtesyCloud Management Solutions, LLC; BSG Financial, LLC; and IQ Development, LLC. For more information about the company, visit http://www.BSGfinancial.com.
ArmorActive Pipeline Kiosk System

ArmorActive, a global leader in tablet mobility hardware solutions, announced today the launch of their new Pipeline Kiosk System, a family of tablet mounts providing a clean, modern aesthetic to excite your associates, engage your customers and enhance your brand image.

Pipeline was designed and engineered to meet the dynamic needs of customers and to support a variety of use cases within key vertical markets, said David Everson, Director of Global Marketing for ArmorActive / MTI. With the new Pipeline Kiosk System, ArmorActive now has a highly configurable mounting solution supporting all the major OEM tablet manufacturers with unique features that enhances engagement for both employees and customers.

With four height configurations and multiple tablet enclosure options, this robust, commercial grade kiosk system is the ideal solution for:



mPOS

Wayfinding

Digital Catalog

Loyalty Programs

and other popular use cases.

We are also happy to announce our strategic partnership with BlueStar Global Distribution, said David Everson. With BlueStars expansive expertise around Point-of-Sale solutions, they are the perfect partner to engage with all the VARs that support BlueStar and their regional sales teams around the globe.

Click Here: Watch the key features and benefits of the ArmorActive Pipeline Kiosk System and how it solves many of the challenges faced with tablet deployments within Retail, Restaurants and Healthcare.

For more information about the Pipeline Kiosk System, visit: http://www.armoractive.com/pipeline-kiosk.aspx

About ArmorActive

ArmorActive, a division of Mobile Technologies Inc. (MTI), specializes in multi-purpose hardware solutions that allow tablet deployments for business. We manufacture equipment that increases the security, accessibility, mobility, and engagement level of tablets for every major business application. For more information please visit: armoractive.com

About BlueStar

BlueStar is the leading global distributor of solutions-based Digital Identification, Mobility, Point-of-Sale, RFID, Digital Signage, and Security technology. BlueStar works exclusively with value-added resellers, providing them with complete solutions, business development and marketing support. The company brings unequaled expertise to the market, offers award-winning technical support and is an authorized service center for a growing number of manufacturers. BlueStar is the exclusive distributor for the In-a-Box Solutions Series, delivering hardware, software and critical accessories in one bundle with technology solutions across all verticals. For more information, please contact BlueStar at 1-800-354-9776 or visit http://www.bluestarinc.com.
2017 Wedding Spot Awards Wedding Spot has helped over 7 million couples find their dream venue and over 13k venues to book more weddings. Words cannot explain the joy our team experiences knowing that were simplifying the overwhelming venue search process with pricing transparency." -Wedding Spot General, Anya Benbarak

Wedding Spot has officially announced their 2017 Wedding Spot Award winners, showcasing the top venues that couples choose when they search, price, and compare venues on Wedding Spot. Winners were chosen through popularity onsite as well as nominations from thousands of real couples.

Couples can browse these extraordinary venues by region, price out and compare side by side, and then easily book a free site tour on Wedding Spot.

Working directly with venues all across the US, Wedding Spot gathers all the venue information couples need to make a decision, allowing couples to find venues based on budget, location, style, and guest count. Unlike any other site, on Wedding Spot, users can build out their dream wedding by selecting guest count, wedding date, and specific service options to receive an instant, accurate, online price quote, their custom Spot Estimate. Users can compare Spot Estimates side by side, and once decided, book a free site tour with the click of a button.

Wedding Spot is not only educating their users with pricing transparency, but also pre-qualifying leads for the venues they partner with. They are simplifying the process of connecting couples to wedding venues.

Launched in San Francisco, CA in August 2013 and currently partnering with venues in all 50 states, Wedding Spot has helped millions of couples find and book their dream wedding venue.

Check out the 2017 Wedding Spot Award winners and congratulate your local venue!
"We are constantly working to help those who are dealing with physical and invisible injuries  letting them know they are not alone and there is always hope," says Karen Guenther, CEO and founder of the Semper Fi Fund.

The Semper Fi Fund, one of the nations highest-rated veteran nonprofits serving post-9/11 service members and their families, announces the release of a series of videos and a compelling documentary that provide unique insights and powerful advice to help address the suicide epidemic for service members in the United States as part of its ongoing mission.

Each of the videos focuses on a specific issue thats highly relevant to service members dealing with wounds  both physical and invisible:



Anger

Suicide

Disconnection

Mental health

Sleep

In addition to these issue-specific videos, a 20-minute documentary entitled In Your Corner: The Path to Post-Traumatic Growth has been released. Its a powerful sequel to 2009s Cover Me, which took a frank look at combat stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"The documentary and videos are valuable resources for service members and their families," says Karen Guenther, CEO and founder of the Semper Fi Fund. "We are constantly working to help those who are dealing with physical and invisible injuries  letting them know they are not alone and there is always hope."

"There's a perception that many of us who have served come back unbalanced, says Robert Koffman, MD, MPH (Captain, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy (Ret.) and Medical Director of the Semper Fi Fund), and quite frankly there's nothing further from the truth. A small minority of individuals will be ultimately diagnosed with PTSD, but nowhere near the 50-60 percent that people expect."

Dr. Koffman is one of several medical experts contributing to the series of videos, which also features Heidi S. Kraft, Ph.D. (Former U.S. Navy Clinical Psychologist and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom) plus interviews with more than a dozen service members and caregivers. Their firsthand experiences with not only PTSD but also veteran suicide, mental health and more provide a riveting perspective on these invisible wounds for all Americans.

For almost a decade and a half, the Semper Fi Fund has been on the front lines of helping our post-9/11 veterans manage a broad range of issues, says Guenther. We understand that everyone deals with stress and psychological health issues in a unique way, which is why weve developed a wide range of programs that make a real difference in the lives of our post-9/11 service members.

The videos can be accessed on the Semper Fi Fund website by clicking here.

For press information and to arrange interviews with Dr. Robert Koffman, medical director for Semper Fi Fund, and service members, please contact Beth Bourgeois at 719-216-3206 or beth.bourgeois(at)semperfifund(dot)org .

About the Semper Fi Fund

The Semper Fi Fund provides urgently needed resources and lifetime support for combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Case managers from the Semper Fi Fund work one-on-one with service members and veterans in order to understand and support their individual needs right now and throughout their lifetime. We keep our overhead low so our impact on the lives of service members and veterans is greater. The Semper Fi Fund has been awarded the highest ratings from watchdog groups: an A+ from CharityWatch  one of only two veteran nonprofits to receive this rating last year  and six consecutive 4-Star ratings from Charity Navigator, an achievement attained by only 3% of rated charities. Visit semperfifund.org to learn more.
Ted speaker, Dr. Andrew Pelling to present at Macadamian 20th Anniversary Healthcare is having its IT moment and we feel compelled to seize upon it. It is our chanceand our responsibilityto apply our wisdom, skill, experience and passion to help our clients use technology to shape the future of healthcare. Fred Boulanger, CEO and Founder Macadamian.

Software design and development firm, Macadamian Technologies is celebrating its 20th anniversary on September 18, 2017. While Macadamians business longevity is remarkable, what is cause for celebration is innovation that stems from unrelenting curiosity, creativity and a drive to challenge the conventional.

The pace of change in high tech is relentless and barriers to entry are low. So when a high tech firm has thrived for 20 years, it is definitely something to be proud of. Macadamian is a one of our high tech companies that definitely stands out in the region. Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, Mayor of Gatineau.

To mark the occasion and set the stage for the future direction of the company, Macadamian has partnered with CIRA, le Nordik and Zibi to host a fundraising event in support of Le Centre de Pediatrie Sociale de Gatineau to explore possibilities on how to make healthcare more accessible in the future.

Technological innovation is vital for business growth in any industry. Arguably, it has been slowest to benefit healthcare. Healthcare is having its IT moment and we feel compelled to seize upon it. It is our chanceand our responsibilityto apply our wisdom, skill, experience and passion to help our clients use technology to shape the future of healthcare. Fred Boulanger, CEO and Founder Macadamian.

In keeping with this spirit and increased focus in healthcare, Dr Andrew Pelling of the Pelling Lab is kicking of Macadamians 20th Anniversary celebrations. Dr Pelling, a biophysicist, will be speaking about his unconventional approach to discovery and development of solutions to healthcare related problems.

Local Ottawa-Gatineau businesses and former Macadamian employees are invited to join Macadamian to spark debate, imagine the possibilities of the future of healthcare, and celebrate. Visit the eventbrite site to register.

About Macadamian

Macadamian is a full-service user centered software design and development firm. From product ideation to market ready  and everything in between, we provide a complete range of usability, design and engineering services. From healthcare to mid-size enterprises; our solutions are founded in research-informed design first while leveraging the cloud, big data, and Internet of Things to deliver context-aware and adaptive experiences. Macadamian is headquartered in Gatineau, Canada and also has offices in Armenia, and Romania. http://www.macadamian.com
Egnyte Logo In order to build a successful, healthy, scalable startup, you need to think outside of Silicon Valley. Having successfully navigated this process in multiple regions thus far, we believe Raleigh will be the next great location to plant our flag

Egnyte, the leading cloud provider of smart content collaboration and governance, today announced expansion plans that include a new office in Raleigh, North Carolina and a new hiring initiative across offices in Spokane, Washington; Poznan, Poland; and Berkshire, England.

Egnyte, who currently employees over 350 people throughout North America and Europe, is setting its sights on the top talent outside of Silicon Valley.

Egnyte is in the middle of a massive growth phase right now as we make a push to have 500 employees globally in the next 18-24 months, said Vineet Jain, CEO and Co-Founder at Egnyte. As we take this next step we are determined to find the best available talent at every position within our organization. Rather than fighting a talent war with the likes of the tech giants like Google or Facebook, we are stepping outside of the Silicon Valley bubble and finding a tremendous amount of talent in other regions, such as Raleigh and Spokane, providing highly competitive wages, benefit packages, and career growth opportunities.

Egnyte has seen its office in Poznan, Poland grow more than 250% since 2015. Egnyte has also seen its office in Spokane, Washington expand more than 500% since 2014.

In order to build a successful, healthy, scalable startup, you need to think outside of Silicon Valley, said Egnyte CFO Steve Sutter. When we look outside of the valley we want to work with the strengths of that market, with cost only being a part of the equation. Given that technical talent, sales talent, and competitive exposure vary regionally, taking the unique approach we do when it comes to talent acquisition not only allows us to be more efficient with our resources, but creates a more stable and satisfied workforce. Having successfully navigated this process in multiple regions thus far, we believe Raleigh will be the next great location to plant our flag.

Upon opening, Egnyte will be hiring sales professionals in its Raleigh, North Carolina location. In Spokane, Washington and Berkshire, England they will look to add customer success, sales, and marketing talent. In Poznan, Poland they will be adding to their engineering and developer operations teams.

To learn more about Egnytes new office in Raleigh and the hiring initiative they are launching, visit the Egnyte blog.

If you are interested in joining the Egnyte team, visit the Egnyte careers page and find the job that is right for you!

About Egnyte

Egnyte transforms business through smarter content allowing organizations to connect, protect, and unlock value from all their content. Our Content Intelligence platform delivers smart content collaboration and governance in the cloud or on-premises to thousands of businesses around the world even the most regulated industries. Founded in 2007, Egnyte is privately held and headquartered in Mountain View, CA. Investors include venture capital firms, such as Google Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, as well as technology partners, such as CenturyLink and Seagate Technology. Please visit http://www.egnyte.com or call 1-877-7EGNYTE for more information.
House Buyers of America is pleased to announce 55 percent acquisition growth so far in Q3 2017.

For the first two months of the third quarter of 2017, House Buyers of America acquired 55 percent more houses than the same period last year, explains CEO Nick Ron. This proves that more and more buyers are trusting our exceptional service, and know that we do what we say were going to do.

House Buyers of America purchases homes As Is in any condition in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. This gives homeowners the chance to get a very competitive cash offer on homes they wish to sell, without ever having to do costly renovations, repairs or pay real estate commissions. Thanks to expertise and technology, along with a very sound knowledge of the neighborhoods in which they operate, House Buyers of America offers cash for homes in as little as 10 minutes over the phone, and can close the sale in about a week. Its a progressive, disruptive way of doing business that is shaking up the traditional real estate model, and Ron couldnt be happier about it.

Word of mouth is spreading fast. Neighbors, friends and family are hearing from our happy customers, and theyre realizing theres an alternative to using a Realtor and going with the traditional home sale process, Ron confirms.

House Buyers of Americas innovative solution is catching on like wildfire, he continues. In our Internet society, people demand results quickly, and they dont have months to wait for their house to sell. People are getting busier and busier  they dont have time to do a lot of work on their house, find a Realtor, keep their house spotless for months, and go through a lot of back and forth negotiations, etc. from the traditional home selling method. Constant improvement in our technology is giving us the cutting edge in the market, and allowing us to have lighting fast response times and make sure nothing slips through the cracks. We buy homes As Is and give a competitive cash offer in minutes - not days, not months. Thats the bottom line.

To get a fast and very competitive cash offer for a house As Is in Virginia, Maryland or Washington, DC, please visit housebuyersofamerica.com/about and housebuyersofamerica.com/get-an-offer/.

About House Buyers of America

House Buyers of America is a residential real estate investment company headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia. By using House Buyers of America, home owners no longer have to pay real estate commissions, deal with real estate agents, or fix up their properties. The company offers a guaranteed, fast and hassle-free sale to people who want to sell their house for cash. House Buyers of America buys each property As Is and renovates the house if necessary, so sellers do not need to spend their time or money readying their property for sale.

Contact Details:

House Buyers of America, Inc.

14420 Albemarle Point Place, Suite 150

Chantilly, VA 20151

Phone: 1-855-659-3289

Source: House Buyers of America, Inc.

###
AIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jesus Ruiz to the position of Technical Applications Engineer. Jesus will provide technical support to AIM customers in Mexicos Northeast Region.

Jesus Ruiz is an Industrial Engineer with more than twenty years of experience in the SMT industry. Having excelled in a wide range of roles, including product development and manufacturing, Jesus will support AIM customers in Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and Coahuila.

Were pleased to welcome Jesus to our growing technical support team, said AIMs Technical Support Director, Carlos Tafoya. Were confident that he will provide exceptional support to AIM customers in the Northeastern region and we look forward to his valuable contributions.

Jesus Ruiz can be reached via email at jruiz(at)aimsolder(dot)com.

About AIM

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, AIM Solder is a leading global manufacturer of assembly materials for the electronics industry with manufacturing, distribution and support facilities located throughout the world. AIM produces advanced solder products such as solder paste, liquid flux, cored wire, bar solder, epoxies, lead-free and halogen-free solder products, preforms, and specialty alloys such as indium and gold for a broad range of industries. A recipient of many prestigious SMT industry awards, AIM is strongly committed to innovative research and development of product and process improvement as well as providing customers with superior technical support, service and training. For more information about AIM, visit http://www.aimsolder.com.

Upcoming Events:

October 18-19, 2017  SMTA Guadalajara  Guadalajara, Mexico
Fr. Edward L Beck, C.P.

Calvary Hospital will host its 11th annual Spiritual Care Day on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The Hospital will collaborate for the second time with Fordham University. The theme for the 2017 event is: Sacred Encounters: Bringing Light to the Darkness.

The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18 at the Fordham Lincoln Center's Pope Auditorium, located at 113 West 60th St. in New York.

The keynote speaker will be CNN faith and religion commentator Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. and he will speak on Religion, Faith and the Media. Workshops will be offered on topics such as sacred space and prayer; issues at the end of life; the importance of empathetic listening at the end of life; and delirium, depression and spiritual suffering. Workshop speakers will include but are not limited to Michael J. Brescia, MD, Christopher P. Comfort, MD, and Fr. Chux Okochi from Calvary Hospital, as well as Fr. Eric Cruz, director of Bronx Catholic Charities.

Doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains/pastoral care providers in all settings, and other healthcare professionals are welcome. There is no fee to attend. Kosher and Halal meals are available

upon advance request. Registration is recommended by Wednesday. Oct. 11.

To register online, please visit

http://www.calvaryhospital.org/scd2017. For questions, please email spiritualcareday(at)calvaryhospital(dot)org.

About the Company:

Since 1899, Calvary Hospital has been the nations only fully accredited acute care specialty hospital devoted exclusively to providing palliative care to adult patients with advanced cancer and other life-limiting illnesses. Each year, thousands of patients receive CalvaryCare throughout the greater New York area. To learn how Calvary can help you and your family, please visit http://www.calvaryhospital.org.
Legal, foreign-born workers fill 31 percent of buildings/grounds maintenance jobs and a quarter of construction positions. Limiting their access into the U.S would exacerbate the shortage of workers these sectors already face. - Revathi Greenwood

The Trump administration is currently debating several changes to U.S. immigration policy. Cushman & Wakefield released a study on how those shifts could impact commercial real estate and corporate occupancy, specifically.

Known as the RAISE Act, the proposed legislation would impose:



A reduction in total legal immigration over the coming decade.

A change in how immigrants are prioritized and granted access to the U.S.

A hard limit on the number of refugees allowed to enter the country each year (50,000).

Certain industries such as ours are likely to be disproportionately impacted by these proposed changes, noted Cushman & Wakefields Revathi Greenwood, Americas Head of Research. Legal, foreign-born workers fill 31 percent of buildings/grounds maintenance jobs and a quarter of construction positions. Limiting their access into the U.S would exacerbate the shortage of workers these sectors already face.

Further, since 2000 the number of foreign-born workers employed in the U.S. has increased by 42 percent, with management/professional occupations representing the fastest-growing category over that time (+75 percent). An estimated 3.5 million foreign-born residents work in the management and business field  a main driver of office demand.

Gateway Cities and Beyond

Just under half of all U.S. population growth in 2017 will be due to immigration.

Historically, immigrants have been drawn to gateway cities in the U.S. in addition to a handful of other large coastal cities. Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia are the five cities with the largest immigrant populations, said Cushman & Wakefield Economist Rebecca Rockey, Head of Forecasting, Americas. Not only do immigrants make up nearly one-third of the populations in these markets, but for some of them, immigration has driven population growth there in the two decades from 1995-2015.

However, immigrants are beginning to move away from the countrys gateway markets. In 2006, 41 percent of people obtaining permanent resident status resided in one of the six gateway markets. However, in 2015 the percentage dropped to 36 percent. During that same decade, the number of people obtaining permanent resident status in seven other cities clustered on the West Coast, in Texas and in the Midwest increased by over 3 percent.

Commercial Real Estate Correlation

Cushman & Wakefields study drew a positive correlation between markets with large immigrant populations and real estate fundamentals. The five non-gateway markets with the most new immigrants between 1995-2015  Miami, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and Silicon Valley  saw dramatic increases in employment and office inventory over the same period, explained David C. Smith, Head of Occupier Research, Americas. During that 20-year period, annual net absorption in these five cities was three times the national average. And, absorption has actually been accelerating over the past five years.

Of course, it remains to be seen what, if any, immigration policy changes will finally be implemented, and the devil is in the details, Greenwood said. However, if the changes lower the number of work visas available, those reductions will likely create challenges for employers already stuggling to find suitable talent.

Cushman Wakefields full U.S. Immigration Policy: Potential Impact on CRE report is available at http://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/research-and-insight/2017/cre-immigration-policy-impact. Sources cited include the U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Homeland Security, Pew Research Center, Bureau of Labor Statistics, United Nations and Office of Foreign Labor Certification.

About Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield is a leading global real estate services firm that helps clients transform the way people work, shop, and live. Our 45,000 employees in more than 70 countries help occupiers and investors optimize the value of their real estate by combining our global perspective and deep local knowledge with an impressive platform of real estate solutions. Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest commercial real estate services firms with revenue of $6 billion across core services of agency leasing, asset services, capital markets, facility services (C&W Services), global occupier services, investment & asset management (DTZ Investors), project & development services, tenant representation, and valuation & advisory. 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of the Cushman & Wakefield brand. 100 years of taking our clients ideas and putting them into action. To learn more, visit http://www.cushwakecentennial.com, http://www.cushmanwakefield.com or follow @CushWake on Twitter.

-END-
A new $25.9 million, 70,070-square-foot Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) building opened today on the Jersey City campus of Hudson County Community College. Credit: 2017 Kate Glicksbe From education centers to healthcare facilities and government buildings, we are committed to creating a customized design that optimizes performance and fits the specific needs of each client." - John P. Capazzi, AIA, president of RSC Architects

Today, a new $25.9 million, 70,070 square-foot Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) building opened on the Jersey City campus of Hudson County Community College. Designed by Hackensack-based RSC Architects, the state-of-the-art complex consolidates and centralizes the colleges STEM programs into one location serving 700-750 students.

RSC served as the projects architect-of-record and began the initial design work in 2014. Opened for the Fall 2017 semester, the new building is located at 263 Academy Street near Journal Square in Jersey City, NJ, with easy access to NJ Transit buses and trains. The site was formerly a parking lot for the school.

STEM studies offer the greatest opportunities for well-paying, long-lasting careers and economic growth, said Glen Gabert, Ph.D., president of Hudson County Community College. We wanted a building that reflects our commitment to STEM and our students  one that is comfortable, secure, learning-focused, has the newest and best technologies, and encourages the kind of collaboration that leads to innovations that can improve life in the future.

The new STEM facility includes 14 general classrooms; 10 science labs for the study of microbiology, genetics, and engineering; an open lobby design; an outdoor collaborative space; a multi-purpose room, and offices for administrative officials.

State-of-the-art equipment including autoclaves, incubators, ionizers, explosion-proof refrigerators and vacuum ovens were built into the labs. RSC worked closely with the college to create a design that would meet the distinct needs of each department.

We had several meetings with each department to ascertain what theyd like from a new facility, says Kenneth P. Mihalik, AIA, project manager for RSC Architects. Each department stressed the need for larger spaces to fit an increasing roster of students and offer even more learning activities and opportunities than before.

RSC designed classrooms and labs of various sizes. The firm created an exterior of the building made of curved glass and a curved roof to make it stand out from the traditional box-shaped buildings in the area. The most challenging aspect of the design was fitting a large structure into a small urban space.

Building a large facility in the middle of an urban center like Jersey City is always tricky because of complex building code requirements. We had to get creative with the way we laid out the floor plan to maximize the space and maintain the high quality of the facilitys learning spaces, continues Mihalik.

The U.S. Department of Education found that students in classrooms with natural light have a 20% better learning rate in math and a 26% improved rate in reading. RSC paid careful attention to these statistics, creating an open floor plan to maximize natural lighting for STEM students. RSC intentionally designed the rear wall of the building to allow for the construction of a courtyard  creating a tranquil setting amidst an urban landscape for both students and faculty to enjoy.

The interior design includes earth tones featuring brown, yellow, and beige highlights, complemented with white walls to give the building a clean and open atmosphere. Each floor has a distinct accent color that not only differentiates the floors from each other, but inspires and excites the students in their daily learning activities.

Hudson County Community College is a public, comprehensive urban community college with nearly 10,000 students from Hudson County, one of the most densely populated and ethnically diverse areas in the United States.

The STEM Division of Hudson County Community College offers Associate in Science degree programs that prepare students to transfer to four-year institutions. Additionally, there are Associate of Applied Science and certificate programs that ready students for careers immediately after graduation.

From education centers to healthcare facilities and government buildings, we are committed to creating a customized design that optimizes performance and fits the specific needs of each client. We are proud of the work we accomplished on the new Hudson County Community College STEM building, specifically the unique curved exterior that will set it apart from other buildings in Jersey City. We cant wait to see what the students will accomplish, says John P. Capazzi, AIA, president of RSC Architects.

About RSC Architects

RSC Architects, a Hackensack, New Jersey-based architectural firm, has been providing exceptional designs and quality service since 1971. A talented and professional staff provides a unique blend of creativity and quality, coupled with industry experience and attention to detail that is evident in every commissioned project. The tremendous capabilities of the accomplished staff offer a rich architectural experience with a depth of resources and services. The firm's goal is to enhance life through innovative architecture. No project is too big, and no challenge is too complicated for RSC to deliver creative and cost-effective solutions, both on time and within budget. http://rscarchitects.com/

About Hudson County Community College

Hudson County Community College (HCCC) is a comprehensive urban college with fully accredited campuses in Jersey City and Union City, NJ. With nearly 10,000 students, HCCC is the largest of the four higher-education institutions in Hudson County. The College offers courses and classes in a wide variety of disciplines, and has been recognized by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Association of College and Research Libraries, New Jersey Business & Industry Association, and MetLife among others. The 2017 Equality of Opportunity Project ranked HCCC in the top 120 of 2,200 U.S. higher education institutions for social mobility  the only community college in New Jerseys top ten. https://www.hccc.edu/
"This year, nearly 6,000 of my fellow Texans will be diagnosed with lymphoma, but through fundraisers like Swirl: Dallas, we can let them know that they are not alone, said Leigh Olson, Swirl: Dallas Host Committee member and member of LRFs Board of Directors.

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF)  the nations largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to funding innovative lymphoma research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services  will return to Texas as a part of its national Swirl: A Wine Tasting Event series on Thursday, October 26, 2017. Hosted at 3015 at Trinity Groves, which will also serve as the evenings In-Kind Catering Partner, Swirl: Dallas will bring together locally and nationally recognized experts in food and wine to benefit the Foundations mission of eradicating lymphoma and serving those impacted by this blood cancer.

"This year, nearly 6,000 of my fellow Texans will be diagnosed with lymphoma, but through fundraisers like Swirl: Dallas, we can let them know that they are not alone, said Leigh Olson, Swirl: Dallas Host Committee member and member of LRFs Board of Directors. We are thrilled to show lymphoma patients across the Lone Star State that the Dallas philanthropic community is committed to a world without lymphoma.

Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, the national partner for the Swirl series, will present a selection of world-class wines from the Napa and Sonoma Valley regions, with proceeds benefiting LRFs innovative research programs and support services. The evening will feature a silent-auction, including unique products and services from some of Dallas top retailers.

We are thrilled to bring our successful national Swirl series back to Dallas, said Meghan Gutierrez, LRF Chief Executive Officer. Thanks to our partners at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits and all the generous donors throughout the Dallas community, the funds raised at this event will help us to advance our mission and provide hope to all those impacted by lymphoma.

Molly & George Gorney, Norma Iacovo, Marian & Rob Leonard, Katie & Andrew Meadows, Laura Reilly OHara, Leigh & Cory Olson, Lauren Reed, Judy & Patrick Riordan, and Matt Runge will serve as the evenings Host Committee. For more information about Swirl: Dallas and/or to purchase tickets, please contact Taylor Zitay Kahn at 646-465-9103 or visit lymphoma.org/SwirlDallas.

About the Lymphoma Research Foundation

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is the nations largest non-profit organization devoted to funding innovative research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services. To date, LRF has awarded nearly $60 million in lymphoma-specific research. For additional information on LRFs research, education and services, visit lymphoma.org.
"Its exciting to see the innovative ideas moving toward commercialization by our states entrepreneurs, and we are so pleased to be able to provide support to help progress those ideas to the next level." - Glendowlyn Thames, CTNext Executive Director

CTNext, Connecticuts go-to resource for entrepreneurial support, today announced the winners of the Entrepreneur Innovation Awards (EIA), held this past Thursday night at The Space in Hamden.

Ten finalists, all of whom are Connecticut-based companies and entrepreneurs, presented their innovative project ideas to a panel of judges for an opportunity to secure $10,000 awards to help support business growth. CTNext distributed $54,000 to five winners, including:



Deo2Go: Creating a topical delivery device that can be filled with a variety of products, such as deodorant, lip balm and sunscreen

EZ ICE: Manufacturing a kit for a custom and portable backyard ice rink that can be assembled in under an hour, with no tools and on any surface

FallCall Solutions: Creating a telemonitoring system for Apple Watch and other mobile systems for elders and caregivers

Rumble Helmet: Developing a smart bicycle helmet that has embedded features designed to communicate the cyclists intentions to other road users

Sitrep: Creating a system for better communication of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) problems

For the second consecutive EIA, Deo2Go took home the $2,000 Crowd Favorite award. Rumble Helmet won an additional $2,000 as Judges Favorite. Since launching EIA in 2014, CTNext has now held 13 total events in cities and towns all over Connecticut, awarding a total of $642,000 to 58 unique companies.

The EIA is always a great event, and Thursday night was no different, as five of Connecticuts young and promising companies picked up some much-needed funding, said Glendowlyn Thames, CTNext Executive Director. Its exciting to see the innovative ideas moving toward commercialization by our states entrepreneurs, and we are so pleased to be able to provide support to help progress those ideas to the next level.

In December, CTNext will host an All-Star version of the EIA pitch competition, bringing back some of the most popular and successful past winners who will go head-to-head for the opportunity to win additional award money.

About CTNext

CTNext is Connecticuts go-to resource for entrepreneurial support. The goal of the program is to build a more robust community of entrepreneurs and to accelerate startup growth by providing access to talent, space, industry expertise, services, skill development and capital to foster innovation and create jobs for people in Connecticut. CTNext launched in 2012 and has more than 1,900 members in its network.
Kaddas Enterprises Team Our team is thrilled to be selected from such a well-deserving group of professionals and named the Small Business of the Year.

Kaddas Enterprises, Inc., a woman-owned, family business specializing in thermoform plastic manufacturing, was named the 2017 Small Business of the Year by the Salt Lake Chamber. During the 130th Awards Luncheon and Annual Meeting on September 7, 2017, Kaddas Enterprises, along with other corporate award winners, was honored by Keith McMullin of Deseret Management Corporation.

The Salt Lake Chamber has been more valuable than I ever expected, said Natalie Kaddas, president and CEO of Kaddas Enterprises. In addition to networking, they are a resource for business decisions and local and national public policy review. They offer educational opportunities for everyone within the company and have become our trusted advisors. Our team is thrilled to be selected from such a well-deserving group of professionals and named the Small Business of the Year.

The Salt Lake Chamber is Utahs largest business association and business leader, representing more than 8,000 businesses and over 500,000 jobs in all 29 counties in Utah. Every year, the Salt Lake Chamber hosts an Annual Meeting to review the previous year and honor those who have made a positive impact on Utahs business community. The award criteria for the Small Business of the Year title included:



Good standing with the Salt Lake Chamber

Community involvement

Overall growth and success of the company

Creating jobs within the Utah market

Kaddas Enterprises is a second-generation, family-owned business that has operated in Utah for over 50 years. Natalie Kaddas currently sits on the board of the Utah Manufacturers Association. She is also the chairman of HawkWatch International and vice chair of the Salt Lake Chamber Small Business Committee.

About Kaddas Enterprises Inc.

Since 1966, Kaddas Enterprises has been a leader in thermoform plastic manufacturing. From its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, Kaddas utilizes high-quality materials and innovative design to develop products and solutions for a wide variety of industries, including medical, transportation, and utility. Kaddas provides full-service engineering from consultation and drafting through to prototype creation and final production, while maintaining its dedication to sustainable business practices. For more information about Kaddas Enterprises, visit Kaddas.com.

###
Businesses and their agencies have been forced to fly blind, when it comes to online to offline conversions, for years; this was unacceptable to us,

Traaqr (pronounced tracker) announced today the public release of the first fully-automated platform to track online to offline call conversions with the same precision and ease as an e-commerce transaction for businesses of all sizes. Traaqrs technology seamlessly tracks calls, leads and even sales and takes this data and uploads it to ad platforms (like AdWords) to dynamically teach these platforms which clicks not only drive calls but which clicks drive the most profitable sales.

Businesses and their agencies have been forced to fly blind, when it comes to online to offline conversions, for years; this was unacceptable to us, said Brian Handrigan, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Traaqr. We knew there had to be a way to solve this problem, and with 20+ years experience in digital agencies, we had the ability to solve it. We also knew we had to deliver a platform that was transparent to the users and connect the data without requiring changes in workflow.

Traaqr now becomes publicly after a successful Beta period during which the platform:



Connected over 90,000 phone calls;

Tracked over 500,000 web visitors;

Optimized over $878,000 in Adwords spend;

and, Recorded over $3,000,000 in conversion value.

The results of our largest Beta user have exceeded our expectations, said Jeff Linihan, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Traaqr. They experienced a 34 percent reduction in monthly advertising costs while increasing monthly sales by as much as 53.7 percent.

Closing the loop between on online and offline conversion tracking that increases sales and reduces costs, Traaqr is a problem-solving tool  designed for agencies and advertisers that need to know more than which clicks resulted in a call. Rather, it allows companies to know which clicks result in leads and/or sales and how to find more of them for less money. And to make the process seamless, Traaqr integrates with the leading CRM, Web Analytics, and Online Ad Platforms.

Traaqr is available now at http://www.traaqr.com. Monthly subscriptions start at $39/ month with no long-term contracts.

About Traaqr

Traaqr is the first closed-loop, fully automated online to offline attribution & conversion tracking platform offering revenue-based analytics and continuous optimization. Ultimately, Traaqr empowers all online advertisers that convert sales offline to better understand the entire customer journey and apply that data to make more informed online advertising decisions by capturing unprecedented, actionable analytics from click to call to conversion. Traaqr is headquarted in St. Louis, MO. For more information see http://www.traaqr.com.
Justin Shea

Haute Residence welcomes accomplished real estate agent Justin Shea to its prestigious, invitation-only network of top brokers. Shea exclusively represents the luxury real estate market in Paradise Valley, Arizona as a Haute Residence Partner.

Sheas real estate career commenced in 2008, a time when the industry fell into post-recession ordeals. Despite the economic challenges, he persisted, fostering a roster of contacts and furthering his education.

Coming from a family that has built commercial and high-end residential properties in the Valley for 7 decades, Shea leaned in to learn the craft of luxury real estate, committed entire neighborhoods to memory, and acquainted himself with builders and developers. In his first year, Christmas Day provided the only respite.

Sheas dedication eventually paid off when he closed a deal for a client who happened to be among the wealthiest Americans, and whom Shea had met at an open house. Since then, Shea has reaped continued success with the sales of some of the most opulent properties in Paradise Valley and the surrounding luxury corridors.

In 2016, Shea established a team at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage called HoM | Distinct Properties, which skillfully charts the direction where the real estate industry is headed  modern, educated and stylish representation. The teams acclaim reflects Sheas drive for perfectionism.

Shea treats each of his clients as personal friends, and their investment in a home as if its personally his. He is not afraid to be direct, objective, and honest, which has served him very well.

About Justin Shea:

Shea holds an Advanced Certificate in Business and a BA in English from the University of Texas at Austin where he was named a College Scholar. In 2007, he attended the Arizona School of Real Estate and Business where he gained his education to practice real estate in Arizona. Two years later, he obtain his education to practice real estate in Texas through Texas State University.

About Haute Residence:

Designed as a partnership-driven luxury real estate portal, Haute Residence connects its affluent readers with top real estate professionals, while offering the latest in real estate news, showcasing the worlds most extraordinary residences on the market and sharing expert advice from its knowledgeable and experienced real estate partners.

The invitation-only luxury real estate network, which partners with just one agent in every market, unites a distinguished collective of leading real estate agents and brokers and highlights the most extravagant properties in leading markets around the globe for affluent buyers, sellers, and real estate enthusiasts.

HauteResidence.com has grown to be the number one news source for million-dollar listings, high-end residential developments, celebrity real estate, and more.

Access all of this information and more by visiting: http://www.hauteresidence.com
WorkWell Massachusetts Award Program 2017 "We are proud to recognize these innovative Massachusetts employers for their commitment to employee health and well-being. The WorkWell Massachusetts Award is an important program put forth to honor the work being done by employers to improve the health and vitality of our communities.

The Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts (WWCMA) has announced the winners of its annual WorkWell Massachusetts Awards program aimed to recognize Massachusetts employers for their exemplary work in worksite health promotion. Winners will be recognized at WWCMAs Sixth Annual Worksite Wellness Conference being held today at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

The WorkWell Massachusetts Award program criteria is based on the following:

1. The HERO Employee Health Management (EHM) Best Practices Scorecard in Collaboration with Mercer a tool designed to help organizations learn about best practices, discover opportunities to improve their programs, and measure progress over time.

2. A Supplemental application which asks applicants to provide details on their strategic planning and organizational support, program design and implementation, participant engagement, and measurement and evaluation process.

Employers are eligible to earn a Gold, Silver, or Bronze award. WWCMA appointed a Peer Review committee of independent industry experts to review the applications and designate the award winners and categories.

The 2017 WorkWell Massachusetts Award winners include:

Gold



Berkshire Health Systems

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Lowell General Hospital

Signature Healthcare

Silver



AccuRounds

A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies

athenahealth, Inc.

Babson College

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Boston College

Boston Medical Center

Cambridge Health Alliance

Flexcon Industries

College of the Holy Cross

Kronos Incorporated

Ocean Spray Cranberries

OMAM, Inc.

Pegasystems

TripAdvisor

Watermark

Bronze



Scantic Valley Regional Health Trust

Springfield Partners for Community Action

Tocci Building Systems

"We are proud to recognize these innovative Massachusetts employers for their commitment to employee health and well-being", states Kristie Howard, WWCMA Board of Directors Chair. The WorkWell Massachusetts Award is an important program put forth to honor the work being done by employers to improve the health and vitality of our communities.

The WWCMA WorkWell Massachusetts Award program continues to be a coveted designation drawing employers committed to worksite wellness, states Archana Kansagra, WWCMA Board of Director and Awards & Recognition Committee Chair. Each year these organizations continue to set the bar higher in their concerted effort to promote the health of their employees as the best-in-class in our industry. We are very proud to recognize this years winners and their incredible programs designed to improve employee health and overall well-being.

The application process and more information on the 2018 WorkWell Massachusetts Award Program will be available in the early spring of 2018.

About WWCMA:

The Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts (WWCMA) is the preeminent, independent, and objective resource for health promotion in the workplace. A 501c3 not-for-profit member organization, WWCMA champions wellness programs that help employers encourage healthy employees, healthy families, and healthy communities across the Commonwealth. The council offers innovative wellness best practice programs, training, and events along with insightful resources and tools to help educate and advance Massachusetts organizations and their corporate wellness teams. Visit us at wwcma.org and follow us @WorkWellMass.
ATD Healthcare Summit to focus on improving patient experience.

Healthcare professionals will gather in New York for the second annual ATD Healthcare Summit. The event, hosted by the Association for Talent Development (ATD) will be held October 23-24 on the campus of the Columbia Business School.

The Summit will showcase talent development programs that can drive improved operational service excellence and a better patient experience. The Summit will feature some of the top subject matter experts in the field, as well as practical strategies on topics ranging from improving employee engagement to the use of new technologies in healthcare.

Summit session topics include:



coaching in healthcare

moving from academic to organizational development and business training

learning and emerging technologies (virtual reality/augmented reality/artificial intelligence/microlearning)

movement from compliance to competency-based models to value-based care

embracing patient-centered care and innovation best practices.

Speakers include:



Dr. Arnold Mackles, a nationally-recognized expert on quality assurance, patient safety, and risk assessment training.

Cy Wakeman, a researcher and well-known healthcare and HR organization speaker, and founder of Reality-Based Leadership.

For more information about the 2017 ATD Healthcare Summit and to register, please visit: https://events.td.org/Events/Healthcare-Summit. Follow the summit on social media using #ATDHCS.

About ATD

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the worlds largest professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees, improve performance, and help to achieve results for the organizations they serve. Originally established in 1943, the association was previously known as the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

ATDs members come from more than 120 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD supports talent development professionals who gather locally in volunteer-led U.S. chapters and international member networks, and with international strategic partners. For more information, visit http://www.td.org.
I look forward to discussing the topic in depth with our guests in an intimate forum of leading information security executives.

Cyberbit and Cylogic will be co-hosting a cyber security-focused event on Monday, September 25th, 2017. Shai Gabay, Chief Innovation Officer at Cyberbit, will be the featured speaker at this dinner and discussion taking place at Pullman Miami.

With over 10 years of security operations management experience in the financial sector, Mr. Gabay is one of Israels most highly regarded security executives. Shai is now Chief Innovation Officer at Cyberbit, helping organizations improve the efficiency of their security operation. Shai stated, I look forward to discussing the topic in depth with our guests in an intimate forum of leading information security executives.

Topics that will be covered include:



How SOC automation & orchestration impact your investigation processes

What types of data should be used and correlated to the modern SOC

What is the investigation tools stack needed in the modern SOC

Israels Cyber Security sector is well known as a global leader for innovative, cutting-edge technologies said Yuda Saydun, President of Cylogic.io. We are thrilled to welcome Shai Gabay to Miami. As a former security officer himself and the current Chief Innovation Officer at Cyberbit, he brings a unique perspective on the most current strategies to increase the effectiveness of Security Operations Centers.

Agenda:

6.00 - 6.30 pm Networking & Refreshments

6.30 - 8.00 pm Keynote Dinner, Open Discussion and Summary

RSVP here if you wish to attend. Seating is limited.

Cylogic.io is a Miami-based solutions provider that offers cutting-edge products to protect some of the most sensitive operations around the world. Its suite of security options include security posture assessments, on-site deployments from blue-chip brands as well as expertly managed top-tier SaaS offerings.

Created to protect the most high-risk organizations in the world, Cyberbit secures enterprises and critical infrastructure against advanced cyberthreats. The companys battle-hardened cybersecurity solutions detect, analyze and respond to the most advanced, complex and targeted threats across IT and OT (operational technology) networks. Cyberbit employs a diverse team from both the public and private sector, including researchers, mathematicians, former CISOs and SOC managers, as well as seasoned veterans of the intelligence and military communities. With offices in Texas, Singapore, Munich and Israel, and presence worldwide, Cyberbit is a subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd. To learn more about how Cyberbit maximizes protection against todays signature-less threats, visit https://www.cyberbit.com.
We refuse to leave our community stranded. We know how devastating disaster can be and we want to do our best to restrict Harveys damage by aiding those in need.

Lundquist Insurance Agency, a full-service insurance and financial planning provider serving families and businesses from offices in Dallas and Irving, TX, has announced the latest beneficiary of their recently launched community involvement program. The agency is raising funds toward the rebuilding of homes  and lives  annihilated by Hurricane Harvey. The sheer size and ferocity of the storm and the population of the area affected make it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, with an estimated $160 billion in damage. Donations for relief are now being accepted here.

Its been 56 years since a hurricane made landfall in Texas, and Hurricane Harvey was a storm of epic proportions and one for the record books. The statistics are staggering, but the human toll is what most concerns the team at Lundquist Insurance. Harvey left 450,000 of their neighbors in need of some sort of assistance. Peoples most immediate needs of shelter, food, water and other supplies will not be resolved quickly, and the necessity of ongoing aid is essential to recovery.

We refuse to leave our community stranded, said Vickie Lundquist, owner of Lundquist Insurance Agency. We know how devastating disaster can be and we want to do our best to restrict Harveys damage by aiding those in need.

The company is putting its money where its mouth is, with an innovative program designed so that those who wish to help Harveys victims need not even reach into their own pockets to do so. The agency has pledged to donate a whopping $25 to help rebuild the communities of southeast Texas for each and every referral they receive for an insurance quotation, with no purchase necessary. To recommend family and friends for no-obligation quotations, simply visit http://lundquistinsuranceagency.com/causes/coming-together-find-new-normal-harvey-victims/.

Meanwhile, the caring team at Lundquist Insurance is hard at work promoting the initiative through a dynamic social media and email outreach campaign in hopes of reaching as much of the compassionate community as possible. They have also featured the cause in their print and electronic magazine, Our Hometown. Helping customers and friends to live well and thrive, the publication is delivered to thousands of households in Dallas, Irving, and surrounding areas every month. Current and past issues of the vibrant community magazine may be enjoyed at http://lundquistinsuranceagency.com/magazines/.

Lundquist Insurance Agency has demonstrated their devotion to the communities they serve by the recent establishment of a master charity program, which is part of the nationally celebrated Agents of Change movement. We are fully committed to helping those in need in our community, and will be selecting a new group, family or individual to support every two to three months, promised Lundquist. More information on their local Community Cause campaigns may be found at http://lundquistinsuranceagency.com/community/.

About Lundquist Insurance Agency

Serving families and businesses from offices in Dallas and Irving, TX, Lundquist Insurance Agency is committed to bringing local people an agency which understands their needs. Vickie Lundquist and her team of dedicated professionals have worked with carriers to assemble a variety of products and services to ensure clients peace of mind. From all of the insurance products a typical consumer needs (auto, home, business, boat, ATV, etc.), to developing long-term financial planning strategies, Lundquist Insurance Agency delivers consistently superior service. For more information on the agency, please visit http://lundquistinsuranceagency.com/.

Their caring experts may be reached by calling 972-250-9995 (Dallas) and 972-257-1776 (Irving).
DuPont Clean Technologies (DuPont) recently signed a contract with Kinetics Technology (KT) for Enis giant Zohr deepwater gas field in the Egyptian Exclusive Economic Zone of the Mediterranean Sea. Under the contract, DuPont will be delivering the technology license, engineering and proprietary equipment for two MECS DynaWave wet gas scrubbing units while KT will provide the related on-shore gas plant units in Port-Said (Egypt) with Claus and Tail Gas Treatment Units (TGTUs). This combination of technologies will allow the new Zohr project to meet stringent environmental requirements on sulfur dioxide emissions, in all operating cases.

This is the second large contract DuPont Clean Technologies has been awarded in Africa in recent months, coming closely on the heels of delivering equipment for another Claus TGTU off-gas scrubber, alkylation unit and spent sulfuric acid plant for the Dangote Oil Refinery Company in Nigeria, Yves Herssens, global market leader MECS DynaWave reported. We are delighted to help Eni to comply with air emissions regulations using DuPont technology that is highly efficient and fully flexible.

Licensed by DuPont, MECS DynaWave scrubbers are designed to work with a variety of reagents and handle multiple functions in one vessel. As such, the process makes it possible to quench the incinerated gas and remove potential particulates while absorbing the remaining acids from the Claus TGTUs. The technology also offers the flexibility of bypassing the sulfur recovery unit (SRU) or the SRU tail gas system during maintenance and repairs, so operations can continue without interruption.

Over the last 40 years, the MECS DynaWave technology has been successfully installed and used at more than 400 sites around the world in different industries. In the oil and gas industry alone, DuPont Clean Technologies, which licenses both the DynaWave scrubber technology and the BELCO EDV scrubber technology, has more than 150 successful wet scrubbing references around the globe. The large nozzles and open vessel design of the DynaWave scrubbers result in units that are virtually plug proof and able to handle any possible sulfur particulate entrainment. This results in higher on-stream time and lower maintenance and operational expenditures for the operator.

About DuPont Clean Technologies

The DuPont Clean Technologies, a business unit of DowDuPont Specialty Products, applies real-world experience, history of innovation, problem-solving success and strong brands to help organizations operate safely and with the highest level of performance, reliability, energy efficiency and environmental integrity. The Clean Technologies portfolio includes STRATCO alkylation technology for production of clean, high-octane gasoline; IsoTherming hydroprocessing technology for desulfurization of motor fuels; MECS sulfuric acid production and regeneration technologies; BELCO air quality control systems for FCC flue gas scrubbing and other refinery scrubbing applications; MECS DynaWave technology for sulfur recovery tail gas-treating solutions; and a comprehensive suite of aftermarket service and solutions offerings. Learn more about DuPont Clean Technologies at http://www.cleantechnologies.dupont.com.

About DowDuPont Specialty Products Division

DowDuPont Specialty Products, a division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, building and construction, health and wellness, food and worker safety. DowDuPont intends to separate the Specialty Products division into an independent, publicly traded company. More information can be found http://www.dow-dupont.com

# # #

09/19/17

The DuPont Oval logo, DuPont and all products, unless otherwise noted, denoted with , or  are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates.
DuPont is pleased to collaborate with Desert Technologies. I believe our collaborative efforts can help accelerate the adoption and growth of long lasting, reliable solar systems in the region that can best withstand the often harsh environment. Past News Releases RSS DuPont Scientists Named 2018 Heroes...

DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions Inks...

DuPont Introduces New Solamet...

DuPont announced it has entered into a marketing cooperation agreement with Desert Technologies, a solar panel manufacturer, project developer and EPC contractor based in Saudi Arabia. It is expected that the parties will collaborate on a variety of downstream marketing efforts to promote and support the expected growth and expansion of photovoltaic systems in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA). The agreement contemplates that Desert Technologies will evaluate and use DuPont Tedlar polyvinyl fluoride-based backsheets in solar panels and projects and also undertake evaluations of PV cells that are manufactured with DuPont Solamet metallization pastes. DuPont Tedlar based backsheets are the only PV panel backsheet materials with a 25+ years field-proven record. In addition, DuPont and Desert Technologies anticipate undertaking certain technical collaborations and efforts to help facilitate the adoption and growth of reliable solar panels and systems in the region that can best withstand the often harsh environment.

Saudi Arabias commitment to renewable energy is demonstrated by the ambitious King Salaman Renewable Energy Initiative for 9.5 GW of installed capacity by 2023. Furthermore, the gradual phasing out of electricity price subsidies over the next four years is opening the commercial and industrial sectors as a grid parity market for solar energy. However, this potential is dependent on durable and reliable solar panels that can withstand the extreme conditions of the Saudi climate and are manufactured in Saudi Arabia, therefore contributing to the diversification of the local economy and the expansion of the job market, said Nour Mousa, founder & CEO, Desert Technologies.

According to Mr. Mousa, anticipated mono crystalline solar panel production at the new Desert Technologies plant in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is expected by the end of the year, ramping up capacity to 120 MW. Desert Technologies also has a pipeline of solar projects in the MENA region exceeding 300 MW.

DuPont is pleased to collaborate with Desert Technologies, said Stephan Padlewski, regional marketing leader, EMEA, DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions. I believe our collaborative efforts can help accelerate the adoption and growth of long lasting, reliable solar systems in the region that can best withstand the often harsh environment.

DuPont Tedlar polyvinyl fluoride films and DuPont Solamet photovoltaic metallization pastes are part of a broad and growing portfolio of products represented by DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions (DPVS), which connects science and technology from across the company on a global scale to help support the dramatic growth in the photovoltaic industry. To learn more, please visit http://photovoltaics.dupont.com.

DowDuPont Specialty Products, a division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, building and construction, health and wellness, food and worker safety. DowDuPont intends to separate the Specialty Products division into an independent, publicly traded company. More information can be found at http://www.dow-dupont.com.

Desert Technologies was founded by Saudi and international partners who recognize the huge solar potential of the MENA region. Founded in 2012, at the start of a sustained regional boom in the PV industry, the company has enjoyed exceptional growth, developing and building projects in Jordan and Egypt. DT operates through three divisions: EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contracting, project development and investment, as well as photovoltaic module manufacturing. The company is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with satellite offices in Amman, Jordan and Cairo, Egypt. More information can be found at http://www.desert-technologies.com

9/19/17

# # #

The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont, The miracles of science, Tedlar and Solamet are registered trademarks or trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.
Guy Willner, CEO said Since the launch of our data center in Russia, we have been consistently moving towards becoming one of the market leaders. Our main competitive advantages are infrastructure quality and full transparency of our business as well as the highest level of customer service."

IXcellerate, operator of the leading commercial datacenter in Russia, has signed a $15 million convertible loan agreement with Goldman Sachs. The funding will be used to expand the IXcellerate Moscow One Datacentre located in northern Moscow. The deal was signed by IXcellerate Ltd. headquarted in Great Britain.

Goldman Sachs has become the third key investor in IXcellerate (together with IFC and Sumitomo Corporation) and will hold approximately 25% of shares following conversion. The total sum of funding that IXcellerate has attracted in international markets for its Russian project amounts to $35 million USD.

In 2016, IXcellerate was recognized as the fastest growing datacenter in Russia in terms of filled-up and operational racks . For two consecutive years IXcellerate has been announced as the winner of the prestigious annual Data Center Awards Russia&CIS across multiple categories . Among IXcellerates clients there are well known Russian and international companies such as Thomson Reuters, Orange Business Services, RETN, Telia, NTT Communications, Evroset, Softline, Onlanta, FORS Distribution, as well as other global corporations, undisclosed due to confidentiality policies.

The newly obtained investments will be used to support the strong growth of IXcellerate and the expansion of the current Moscow One facility. Two new data halls will be built in the coming months to collocate 1100 and 350 racks respectively. Approximately 20% of this capacity is already reserved by existing and potential customers. IXcellerates business strategy continues to be based on the modular construction concept, enabling a customized data center within data center solution to large enterprises. Once both data halls are commissioned, IXcellerate will be the third largest player among all operating commercial data centers in Russia in terms of total rack capacity. The IXcellerate Moscow One campus will be able to collocate 2185 racks following the projected expansion.

Guy Willner, CEO and co-founder of IXcellerate: Since the launch of our data center in Russia, we have been consistently moving towards becoming one of the market leaders. Our main competitive advantages are infrastructure quality and full transparency of our business as well as the highest level of customer service. In the nearest future, we are planning to expand further and rely not only on organic market growth and new investments, but also considering merge & acquisition opportunities."

According to iKS-Consultings market report, the financial returns in the Russian commercial data center segment demonstrate a positive dynamic. In 2016, revenues totaled 16.8 billion rubles, equivalent to 250 million USD, growing from the previous year by 21% in ruble terms and 11% in foreign currency terms . Dmitry Bederdinov, iKS-Consulting, said: New significant international investments will have a positive impact on the growth of the Russian commercial data center market. Large and resilient data centers with enough resources to come up with competitive bids will have the advantage in terms of customer service and overall sustainability. IXcellerates new 1100-racks data hall will become the largest in Russia, allowing the company to substantially strengthen its market positions.

IXcellerate Moscow One Datacentre is fully compliant with IBM Level 3 reliability, ensuring 99.999% SLA to its customers; with zero downtime since commissioning in 2013. In 2017, the company agreed upon a consulting project together with the experts of Uptime Institute. Following detailed analysis of the technical documentation, the Uptime Institutes team will deliver design recommendations to optimize both the performance and operability of the data center. Working with Uptime Institute, IXcellerate intends to pass the audit and receive certification of the Tier III full compliance for future modules.

Company information

IXcellerate is an operator of the leading carrier and cloud neutral data center in Russia, based in Moscow. The company is a member of the international alliances of commercial data centers IDC-G, D-Infinitum, The European Data Centre Association (EUDCA) and The Data Centre Alliance.

IXcellerate offers personalized solutions for collocating servers and telecommunication equipment of scalable, on-demand capacity. The campus has a total territory of 15,741 square meters, colocation space in the current building  6000 square meters, total colocation capacity in the current building - 2185 racks. Customers include multinational corporations, finance conglomerates, large retailers and IT providers, leading communications companies and other firms that process big data.For more information, please contact Dina Nurkaeva, Director for Strategic Marketing at IXcellerate: dn(at)ixcellerate.ru, +7-915-2348530. http://ixcellerate.com/

1. Source: http://www.comnews.ru/content/106613/2017-04-07/data-centr-ixcellerate-v-4-raza-operedelil-konkurentov-po-skorosti-zapolneniya-stoek

2. Source: http://www.dcawards.ru/ru/pobediteli-2016, http://dcawards.ru/ru/pobediteli-2015

3. Source: http://survey.iksconsulting.ru/page1458282.html
Long Term Care Associates, Inc. These ten LTC agents are among the best in the country, and we are proud they call LTCA home.

Long Term Care Associates, Inc. (LTCA) has closed the 2017 qualification period and named its top ten finalists in the field of long-term care ("LTC") planning. These ten specialists will be formally recognized at a conference held in their honor in Washington, DC between October 4th - 7th. Several of the nation's leading LTC insurers will be sending ambassadors.

Of the honor, LTCA senior vice president Stephen D. Forman said, "Within the insurance industry, experts will tell you LTC is the most challenging sale: it requires specialists who can simplify a complex topic. Qualifying for this honor places these ten producers among the best long-term care agents in the country, and we are proud they call LTCA home."

Further distinguishing themselves were the three stand-outs who will join LTCA's President's Club. These producers were required to make use of a variety of LTC solutions, demonstrating not only the ability to meet their clients' needs with creativity and adaptability, but also reflecting a commitment to education and fluency in current trends.

Listed alphabetically, LTCA's Elite Performers for 2017 include (with notation for President's Club honors):



Rob Cohen

Carol Gordon

Carol Guilbault (President's Club)

Carl Kissinger

Edna Martin (Presiden't Club)

Georgia McClure

Robert "Mac" McClure

Juliana Schiff

Larry Selix

Richard Wierman (President's Club)

Forman continued, "Earlier this year LTCA was named an Elite Distributor by one of the nation's leading brands. And now we are proud to name the cream of our own crop." LTCA has been bestowing this honor on its qualifying specialists since 2010. Many of the names on this year's list have earned the distinction before.

To work with an Elite Performer near you, please call LTCA at 1-800-704-9233 or request a quote here.

About LTCA:

With roots dating back to 1972, Long Term Care Associates, Inc. (LTCA) has entered its 5th decade focused exclusively in the LTC solutions marketplace. Headquartered in Bellevue, WA, the company is proud to serve over five million members of sponsoring organizations, and count the claim payments to its clientele in the tens of millions of dollars.
Norton Place will host its Model Grand Opening on September 23rd and 24th. Pictured: The new Beaumont home design by K. Hovnanian Homes. This two-story home is the first of its kind by K. Hovnanian Homes in the Cleveland market and features 3,100 sq. ft. of living space, four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and a two-car side entry garage.

Norton Place, a new, single-family home community in Avon by K. Hovnanian Homes, will host its Model Grand Opening weekend on Saturday, September 23rd and Sunday, September 24th. Norton Place highlights a limited offering of single-family homes in a peaceful environment with park-like surroundings in a tight-knit community. The event will also feature the grand reveal of the new Beaumont model home by K. Hovnanian Homes.

We are so excited to unveil the Beaumont, said Derek Lewallen, Marketing Manager for K. Hovnanian Homes Ohio Division. This two-story home is the first of its kind by K. Hovnanian Homes in the Cleveland market and features 3,100 sq. ft. of living space, four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and a two-car side entry garage. Other highlights include: A formal dining and home office; open kitchen with island, walk-in pantry, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances; a spacious two-story great room; convenient second floor laundry room, and stunning owners suite with walk-in closet and owners spa bath.

In addition to the new Beaumont home design, Norton Place offers three additional home designs (the Shelton, Jasper and Dover). These homes offer 3,008 to 3,310 sq. ft. of living space (base home design), four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and a two-car side entry garage (base home design). Other features include: Contemporary kitchens with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

Norton Place also offers access to a biking/walking trail that stretches the length of the community, said Lewallen.

Nestled in Northeast Ohio, Norton Place is just a short drive to downtown Cleveland and easily accessible to an assortment of well-known wineries and eateries. Avon Commons is also located approximately five minutes from the community and features winding walkways and over 45 different shops, boutiques and restaurants. Families will especially love that Norton Place is part of the prestigious Avon School System, which is ranked as one of the Best High Schools in 2017 by U.S. News & World Report, said Lewallen.

To learn more about Norton Place, visit khov.com/NortonPlace or call 866-402-7730 to schedule an appointment.

ABOUT HOVNANIAN ENTERPRISES, INC.

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., founded in 1959 by Kevork S. Hovnanian, is headquartered in Red Bank, New Jersey. The Company is one of the nations largest homebuilders with operations in Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia. The Companys homes are marketed and sold under the trade name K. Hovnanian Homes, Brighton Homes and Parkwood Builders. As the developer of K. Hovnanians Four Seasons communities, the Company is also one of the nations largest builders of active lifestyle communities.

Additional information on Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., including a summary investment profile and the Companys 2016 annual report, can be accessed through the Investor Relations section of the Hovnanian Enterprises website at http://www.khov.com. To be added to Hovnanians investor e-mail list, please send an e-mail to IR(at)khov(dot)com or sign up at http://www.khov.com.
OnRamp Access, LLC, a leading high security and compliant hosting provider, is proud to announce the launch of its purpose-built, HITRUST-certified virtual private cloud (VPC) built on OpenStack open-source software. OnRamps on-demand HITRUST Virtual Private Cloud helps organizations control costs, remain agile, and improve their compliance posture. It offers the ease of use of a public cloudincluding capabilities like utility billing and self-service provisioningwith the security of a private cloud.

OnRamps Virtual Private Cloud allows IT teams and DevOps to quickly meet market demands by deploying highly elastic environments that are secured to HITRUST standards. We built unique features into the product that solve common cloud challenges, said OnRamp VP of Product Toby Owen.

For instance, users can control costs using capped resource usage, eliminate vendor lock-in through open-source APIs, and deploy even the most sensitive workloads with secure volume encryption. The virtual private cloud delivers a logically isolated environment that lets you retain control of your private networks, virtual machines, and storage, without the need for you to manage the infrastructure. And you can apply and maintain security settings for your entire environment with a dynamic policy engine.

In a landscape of growing threats and increasing fines for non-compliance, its exciting to see OnRamp extend OpenStacks use to meet healthcare security and compliance needs, says Mark Collier, COO of the OpenStack Foundation. One of our themes at the 2017 OpenStack Summit in Boston was the triad of cost, compliance, and capability. OnRamps VPC is a great example of how the community is moving OpenStack software into use cases that highlight those three Cs.

Launching our HITRUST-certified Virtual Private Cloud is just one of the ways OnRamp demonstrates our commitment to our customers needs for security, compliance and flexibility. We implement regimented processes and secure our facilities to meet stringent standards, and in turn, are able to share those benefits with our customers. OnRamp customers gain peace of mind knowing that all their systems, from their development environment to their mission critical apps, are supported by OnRamps systematic administrative, technical, logical and physical safeguards, says OnRamp CEO Lucas Braun.

Concurrent to the product launch, the company achieved its Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) Common Security Framework (CSF) Certification. HITRUST CSF is the most widely recognized security accreditation in the healthcare industry, employing controls from several major security and standards bodies HIPAA, PCI, ISO, NIST and othersto protect confidential data and critical assets.

With the HITRUST certification, OnRamp now delivers a suite of HITRUST-certified services, with secure-by-default configurations that save customers time and resources.

For more information about OnRamps HITRUST-certified VPC and other secure hosting options, visit http://www.onr.com .

About OnRamp

OnRamp is a leading HITRUST-certified data center services company that guides businesses through the complexities of data security and compliance. Our solutions help organizations in healthcare, financial services and education services meet compliance standards including HIPAA, PCI, SOX, FISMA and FERPA. OnRamp operates multiple, enterprise-class SSAE16/AICPA SOC 2 Type 2 data centers, where we deploy hybrid computing solutions that enable our customers to blend secure cloud computing, managed hosting and colocation service to best meet their unique requirements. Having consulted with thousands of businesses on their security and compliance needs, our teams consultative approach helps you develop the right mix of solutions to free your resources to focus on agility and differentiation in your industry. Visit us at http://www.onr.com or contact us at 888.667.2660 for more info.

About HITRUST

Founded in 2007, the HITRUST Alliance, a not for profit, was born out of the belief that information protection should be a core pillar of, rather than an obstacle to, the broad adoption of health information systems and exchanges. HITRUSTin collaboration with public and private healthcare technology, privacy and information security leadershas championed programs instrumental in safeguarding health information and managing information risk while ensuring consumer confidence in the organizations that create, store or exchange their information. HITRUST develops, maintains and provides broad access to its common risk and compliance management and de-identification frameworks. For more information, visit http://www.HITRUSTalliance.net.

All trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
1. Deutsche Bank's chief executive, John Cryan, faces its board this week amid growing investor frustration over the speed of his turnaround plans. Cryan, along with his top managers, is in Berlin to update chairman Paul Achleitner and the rest of the supervisory board on progress on Deutsche Bank's most pressing projects, Reuters reported.

2. Around 10,000 finance jobs will be shifted out of Britain or created overseas in the next few years if the UK is denied access to Europe's single market, according to a Reuters survey. Frankfurt was by far the most popular destination for the new roles, the survey showed, with Paris a distant second.

3. JPMorgan Chase poached an executive from Amazon in a bid to help the bank improve the customer experience.Chase on Monday announced the hire of Marbue Brown as its head of customer experience for consumer banking and wealth management. He'll report directly to Thasunda Duckett, the CEO of Chase's consumer bank.

4. EU regulators approved a British plan allowing bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland to support smaller alternative banks with funds totaling around 835 million ($1.1 billion) to encourage competition.The deal was struck after RBS was unable to sell business banking unit Williams & Glyn and failed to meet one of the conditions of its bailout.

5. Geneva prosecutors are investigating after toilets in a bank and three restaurants were blocked by about $100,000 in high-denomination euro banknotes."We are not so interested in the motive but we want to be sure of the origin of the money," spokesman Vincent Derouand said.

6. Florida policyholders so far have filed nearly $2 billion in claims to insurers for damage from Hurricane Irma, the state's insurance regulator said. About 88% of the total number of claims are from residential property owners, of which only 3.8% have been closed.

7. A former trader at billionaire Steven A. Cohen's former hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors wants to withdraw his insider trading guilty plea, saying he had forgotten about two instant messages that show he committed no crime.Richard Lee said in court filings that the messages uncovered in the last few months demonstrated how his purchase of 725,000 Yahoo Inc shares on July 10, 2009, which underlaid his guilty plea four years later, was based on public information.

8. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney on Monday neatly summed up the impact the vote to leave the European Union has had on Britain's economy. Speaking at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, Carney said: "Households looked through Brexit-related uncertainties initially. But more recently, as the consequences of sterlings fall have shown up in the shops and squeezed their real incomes, they have cut back on spending, slowing the economy."

9. The toy retailer Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy. It's one of several options the chain considered to pay down $5 billion in debt it owes as a result of a leveraged buyout in 2005.
Ajayi, who resides at Eleko in Akodo area of Ajah, Lagos, was arraigned on a charge of theft.

At the arraignment of the accused, the Prosecutor, Insp. Francis Igbinosa, said the man committed the offence on Sept. 5 at 4.00 a.m. at Lekki Free Zone, Akodo, Ajah.

The accused stole a white Mack truck with registration no. LSR 680 XG valued at N8 million, property of the complainant, Mr Abiodun Salmon, he told the court.

The truck was parked in front of Hayat Kimya Company, Agbara in Ogun, when the accused broke the door glass to enter before stealing it.

The offence contravened Section 287 (5), (b), (f), (10) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused risks being jailed for seven years, according to the Criminal Law.
The Police Prosecutor, Sgt Monica Ikebulo, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept. 11 at Irona Street, Ado-Ekiti.

She said the accused and one herbalist now at large were arrested for attempting to use the 7-year-girl daughter of the defendant for money rituals.

She said that the accused claimed he had slept with his daughter, name withheld, nine times.

The prosecutor said the accused told the police he always use a white handkerchief given to him by the herbalist to clean his daughters private part after having intercourse with her.

She said the offence contravened Section 31(2) of the Childs Right Law.

Ikebulo told the court that he had duplicated and sent the case file to the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

The plea of the accused was not taken as his counsel; Mr Simeon Ojo sought for adjournment date pending the issuance of the legal advice.
According to the 24-year-old, he mistook the woman for her sibling.

He was convicted of rape and indecent assault, the Herald Sun reports.

The man had told the police that his victim had made unwanted advances towards him, but the court said it had heard that he instead told the victim that he always fantasised about sex with her.

READ ALSO: Meet the artist who became famous for selling his own poop

The victim had been staying with her sister and her partner for some time now after ending a relationship.

She was said to be sleeping in the guest bedroom when the man entered to talk to her but subsequently raped her.

He phoned his partner after the attack and told her that her sister had sexually assaulted him.

He told police officers the same story and added that he was confused because his partner and the victim resembled one another.

That was a bizarre thing to say given youd been talking to [the victim] about her, and her issues, for over an hour, County Court judge Felicity Hampel told him.

The victim has since become estranged from her twin following the attack.

She, however, indicated that she had attempted suicide more than a dozen times since.
Artists Shit is a collection of 30g tin cans allegedly containing the poop of the Italian artist Piero Manzoni.

Art collectors have since been buying them for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

When Piero Manzoni decided to can his own poop, in 1961, he probably had no idea that his 30g metal containers would one day be sold at such huge prices.

In 2007, the Tate art gallery in London bought one of Manzonis 90 cans for 22,350 ($30,000). In that same year, another can of Merda dArtista was auctioned off in Milan, for a whopping 81,000 ($108,000). And note this: Manzonis cans of poop are currently worth around $300,000 apiece.

Who was Piero Manzoni?

He was said to be originally an aristocratic Italian artist specializing in conventional painting. However, things changed in January 1957, when he visited an exhibition of Yves Kleins blue paintings at Galleria Apollinaire in Milan. The display of canvas after canvas of simple blue paint impacted the 23-year-old Manzoni, and changed his perception of art completely.

Even before creating the work he would become most famous for, Merda dArtista (Artists Shit) Manzoni had already produced other unconventional artworks including a series of hard-boiled eggs signed with his thumbprint, and a series of balloons inflated by him, called Artists Breath.

For his Merda dArtista, he took advantage of his fathers can factory and created a collection of 90 tin cans, all signed by him and labeled as Artists Shit, Freshly Preserved, Produced and Tinned in May 1961.

Each can contained 30g of poop and was originally priced according to the gold market at the time.

READ ALSO: Woman uses state funds to buy jewelries for her dog

So whats the point of Merda dArtista?

Manzoni canned his poop to highlight and satirize how gullible post-WW2 art collectors were. There was an economic boom at the time, and so many of them were willing to spend huge sums of money on virtually anything. But Manzoni did not envisage that his artwork would end up selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Sadly, Manzoni did not get the chance to enjoy his success as he died in 1963, at the age of 29.

But do Artists Shit cans actually contain Manzonis waste, or anyones waste, for that matter?

Agostino Bonalumi, who worked with the Italian artist, said that the containers are filled with plaster.

I can assure everyone the contents were only plaster, Bonalumi told Corriere della Sera. If anyone wants to verify this, let them do so.

But the thing is, no one is willing to open one of the cans to see the contents, with many believing that the mystery is actually a big part of the artworks charm.
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!
As one of the pacesetters in the industry, Samsung gadgets are used all over the world. Samsung smartphones have become the go-to phone for most people.

You should consider these 6 smartphones from Samsung if you are looking to stay tech and fashionable.

Samsung Galaxy 8/8plus

The phone is water resistant and has a fingerprint ID, iris scanning and also has expandable memory. It is one of the latest Samsung smartphones on the market.

Samsung Galaxy S7

Released in February 2016, Samsung Galaxy S7 has all the basic requirements you need in a smartphone.

It has 32GB storage capacity which can be expanded up to 200GB using a micro SD card. Also with a 5-megapixel front camera and a rear camera of 12-megapixel, your photo and video needs are sorted. The phone runs on Android 6.0 operating system with a 3000mAh non-removable battery.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus has remained relevant and still a great phone.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 went on sale recently. It is also known as Samsung Galaxy Note8 Duos because it has dual SIM card slots. It runs on Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) operating system. Storage capacity comes in 64 and 128 GB. It can also be expanded to 256 GB.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge was made available in March 2016. Runs on Android 6.0 which can be upgraded to 7.0. Has a lasting battery of up to 27 hours of talk time.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A
In the past, large-scale mining companies in Ghana have imported steel grinding balls from overseas due to concerns over the quality standards of the locally produced raw material.

With calls from the Minerals Commission for mining companies to help build the capacities of local suppliers to increase local participation and investment, Newmont Ghana is leading the charge to help local grinding media manufacturer, West African Forging Limited (WAFOR), to shore up its production quality and safety standards.

The partnership has seen a marked improvement in WAFORs production capacity and product quality. Through regular quality assurance review meetings and exchange of knowledge and expertise in health and safety, WAFOR has become the main supplier of grinding media to Newmont Ghana, the largest gold producing company in the country.

READ ALSO: Newmont Ghana cautions against scam recruitment

Yaw Boadi, Technical and Marketing Director of WAFOR, acknowledged that the in-depth sharing of knowledge and expertise by Newmonts technical team have gradually improved the companys value and service delivery.

Aside helping us to improve on our output and quality, we acquired our third forge plant with the support from Newmont. Currently, they are giving us the push to bring a fourth forge plant on stream to expand our capacity. Also, with the feedback from Newmonts technical experts, we have improved on our steel quality and factory safety, Boadi said at the second quarter supplier relationship meeting between Newmont Ghana and WAFOR.

With health and safety at the forefront of Newmonts operations, it is keen on moving the safety value through its supply chain network. Newmont assists WAFOR with health and safety materials to educate its factory workforce on working safely to minimize injury. Through the regular safety engagement of WAFOR, the company has now employed a health and safety officer dedicated to improving occupational safety and health, including workplace housekeeping.

"We rely on steel grinding balls that will give us higher quality mill output through sustained and consistent performance, said George Brakoh, Manager of Local Supplier and Contractor Development for Newmont Ghana. We work with WAFOR to ensure they meet our mines specification and also provide them with the technical support and resource needed to improve on their product quality.

Although the WAFOR supplier relationship is the first for Newmont on the national level, it runs linkages programmes in its host communities in Ahafo and Akyem. Through the Ahafo Linkages Programme, Newmont has provided long-term business support and training to many indigenous businesses in the Ahafo communities to give them the competitive advantage for bigger contracts.

Based on this track record, Newmont Ghana was awarded the leader in local content development and support at the 5th Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) Awards last year, highlighting the companys outstanding commitment and significant contribution to enhancing local content development in its host communities.

With the long-term supplier contract agreement and advice from Newmont Ghana, WAFOR secured four new trucks to enable it to meet its delivery deadlines.

During our transport management analysis, Newmont was helpful in the acquisition of a new fleet of vehicles to make sure our supply continuum is seamless, Boadi explained. We have the capacity to supply all mines in Ghana with steel balls, despite others purchasing from China. Once other mines see the improvement of our quality and service, they will start contracting us.

In the last few years, conversations around local content development in the extractive sector have been dominant. The Minerals Commission and Chamber of Mines are pushing for mining companies to tap into the opportunities local business participation presents to suppliers and the larger economy as a whole. Local content support helps indigenous businesses become more competitive and valuable to the economy.

With WAFOR being a subsidiary of Tema Steel Company, Yaw Boadi said the value addition and support from Newmont is creating a huge impact as other mining companies that purchased grinding media from China are now buying from WAFOR.
According to the traders, the foreign nationals are breaching stipulations of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) legislation which excludes them from engaging in retail business.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, the General Secretary of the Union, Samuel Poku said: GUTA Greater Accra Region is ever ready to defend its position, reason being that traders will not pay taxes and we mean it.

They shouldnt underestimate us, we mean what we say so if policymakers are listening, there is a serious thing looming and if they have ears they should sit up now.
According to the evangelist, a national tragedy occurred in the town, and that as a nation we are all guilty in one way or the other for shedding innocent blood.

READ ALSO: Dr Lawrence Tetteh to organise crusade at Denkyira Obuasi

Dr Tetteh was at Denkyira Obuasi to launch a three-day crusade titled, Total restoration.

He met with elders and the youth of the town who are assisting with preparations for the crusade scheduled to come off on October 11, 12 and 13 this year.

READ ALSO: Chiefs of Denkyira purify town

Maxwell Adam Mahama was lynched on Monday, May 29, 2017, by residents of Denkyira Obuasi on suspicion that he was an armed robber.

A total of 58 suspects arrested in connection with the murder has since made an appearance at the Accra Central District Court.
Ghanas Defence minister Dominic Nitiwul who disclosed this said that the Ghana Armed Forces have over the years been enjoying financial support and training assistance from the United States and other countries.

The last time they came to Kenyasi to train and our people taught them jungle warfare. So they learn from us just as we learn from them.

In his response to questions on the management of the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Center at the Public Accounts Committee Tuesday, Mr. Nitiwul said there is no need to worry as the relationship between Ghanas Army and the US has been really cooperative.

There is really nothing to be worried about, I can assure you. We benefit a lot from them. They train us, and they pay us for just coming to train us. I can say that we appreciate what they have been doing for us over the years. We get support from the US, Germany, Canada and other countries, he said.
Francis Appiah, the Public Relations Officer of the Association said that even though the drivers are grateful to the Akufo-Addo government for the implementation of pro-poor policies, including the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme, they would want fuel prices reduced as the current rate is having a toll on their businesses.

We can never stand somewhere on this planet and say that we are not grateful to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the good works he is doing for us, especially with the implementation of the Free SHS programme.

We were in this country when some governments prioritised buying V8 Land Cruisers for chiefs and friends with our oil money, but this government has come to use that oil money to provide us with Free SHS, making it possible for all drivers, whether we have the money or not, to benefit from and so we thank President Akufo-Addo. He is a listening government, he said on Accra FM.

READ ALSO: Here is how much you will be paying for your fuel
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.
According to him, A-Plus must be punished for allegations he cannot prove.

His comment comes at the back of the Criminal Investigative Department of the Ghana Police Service who has described as baseless the allegations of corruption levelled against two officials.

A-Plus has labeled deputy Chief of Staffs Francis Asenso-Boakye and Samuel Abu Jinapor as stupid and corrupt appointees.

Mr Vitus Azeem speaking on the development in an interview on Accra-based Citi FM said "I think we cannot leave it there because we should not allow people to make unsubstantiated claims against individuals and then go free. There should be some action taken."

READ MORE: Kennedy Agyapong names corrupt officials at the Flagstaff House

He said "It is just for some personal reason that is why you did it. If you cannot prove it, It will not even help us at all in the fight against corruption."

Background to allegations

A-plus has descended heavily on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for appointing thieves into his government.

According to him, the seven months of President Akufo-Addos government have been good so far except for appointing two criminally minded people as Chief of Staff.

In a Facebook post, A-Plus who declared his support for the NPP wondered why the two personalities were appointed to serve in government.

He said "NPP delegates congress. 7 months of NPP government. So far so good except appointing some very corrupt officials including the two very stupid deputy chief of staffs. Its amazing how Nana was able to appoint thieves whose level of stupidity is the same. Arrogant and corrupt fools. You think youll be in power forever. Even John Mahama I was not afraid of him then you."

A-Plus, however, did not state the basis for his allegation.
The team entered the house in the company of an official from the Ghana Valuation Board who had been assigned by the Attorney General to value Mr Woyomes property.

The team also went to his other home at Trassaco Valley in Accra.

The valuation officer had been detailed by the Attorney General as part of processes to help retrieve the GH51 million Mr Woyome owes the state.

According to reports, Woyome is said to have objected to the team entering his house, hence asked them to produce relevant documents from the court.

BackgroundAlfred Woyome was paid GH51 million after he claimed that he helped Ghana to raise funds to construct stadia for purposes of hosting the CAN 2008 Nations Cup.

However, an Auditor Generals report released in 2010, said the amount was paid illegally him and subsequently a Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the money after Mr. Martin Amidu challenged the legality of the payments in court.
Sources quoted by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) said the arrests were linked to past convictions.

A special court confirmed Shubaily's eight year prison term earlier this year for calling for demonstrations and what authorities described as threatening public order.

Another court sentenced Hamid to 11 years in prison on appeal in 2016, after first being granted a nine years in jail, for "damaging the image of the state".

It was unclear why the two were not serving the sentences for their previous convictions or why they were detained now.

There was no immediate confirmation of the arrests from the government.

"This is a dark time for freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia," Samah Hadid of Amnesty International said in a statement.

"These two arrests have confirmed our fears that the new leadership under Mohammed bin Salman is determined to crush the kingdom's human rights movement," Hadid said, referring to the son of King Salman who became crown prince earlier this year.

GCHR demanded their immediate and unconditional release, calling them prisoners of conscience.

The arrests come after authorities last week detained around two dozen people, including influential clerics, in what activists decried as a coordinated crackdown.

Analysts say many of those detained are resistant to Prince Mohammed's aggressive foreign policy that includes the boycott of Gulf neighbour Qatar as well as some of his bold reforms, including privatising state assets and cutting subsidies.
Flynn, who advised President Donald Trump's election campaign but was fired 22 days into the new adminstration, is under investigation for misreporting his contacts with Russian officials and his alleged lobbying activities for Turkey while involved in the campaign.

A new website for the Michael T. Flynn Legal Defense Fund called his lawyer bills "tremendous."

"The costs of legal representation associated with responding to the multiple investigations that have arisen in the wake of the 2016 election place a great burden on Mike and his family," the site said.

"Any support provided is greatly appreciated."

Flynn faces probes in Congress, from Robert Mueller, the Justice Department's independent prosecutor into Russian interference, and in the Defense Department, where Flynn formerly served as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

He has not been charged with anything.

But the investigations focus on several areas: his repeated discussions of US policy with Russian officials before and after Trump's shock election victory in November 2016; accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby for Turkey while advising Trump; being paid $33,750 by Russian TV RT to appear at a Moscow event; and his efforts to bring together Russia, the United States and Saudi Arabia in a deal for nuclear plants in the Middle East.

Potential charges include not reporting his business meetings, travels and payments as he was obligated to do as a former senior US military official.

Flynn's defense fund could potentially benefit from a change in the law to allow anonymous lobbyist and business donations to White House officials needing help with their legal defense, according to a Politico report last week.
The Los Angeles-based startup announced the winners of its Global Challenge, which was launched to identify the best potential Hyperloop routes around the world. Hyperloop One narrowed 2,600 submissions into 10 final candidates.

The Hyperloop is a nascent transit system that would work by shooting passengers pods through tubes at speeds that could reach 700 mph. It has yet to be fully proven.

Hyperloop One still faces a series of hurdles before it can get a project up-and-running, particularly on the regulatory front. The company has made strides on the technical front by running two successful tests of its Hyperloop system, but they were short and lacked passenger involvement.

Still, Hyperloop One is taking steps to turn its vision into a reality. The startup currently has feasibility studies underway in Dubai and Finland and will soon launch one in Colorado.

Scroll down for a closer look at the 10 potential Hyperloop routes:

1. Glasgow to Liverpool, United Kingdom

The 545-kilometer (339-mile) route would make six stops in cities like Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle. The route was proposed by a team led by Paul Bell, a partner at Ryder Architecture, with support from KPMG.

2. Mexico City to Guadalajara, Mexico

The route measures 532 kilometers (330 miles) long with stops in Queretaro and Leon. It has attracted public sector support form organizations like the Mexico Transport and Communications Ministry and FerroMex, a railroad network operator.

3. Cheyenne to Denver to Pueblo, Colorado

This Colorado route is arguably the most serious proposal on this list. The Colorado Department of Transportation has entered into a public-private partnership with Hyperloop One to conduct a feasibility study of the 580-kilometer (360-mile) route. AECOM is also supporting the study.

4. Toronto to Montreal, Canada

A team led by AECOM Canada proposed this 640-kilometer (400-mile) route that stops in Ottawa.

5. Chicago to Columbus to Pittsburgh, United States

The multi-state route was proposed by a team led by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the Columbus Partnership. It even has support from Ohio governor and formal presidential hopeful John Kasich, the Indiana Department of Transportation, and

6. Mumbai to Chennai, India

An Indian mobility startup designed this 1,102-kilometer (685-mile) route. The startup is composed of academic researchers who are collaborating with local transportation experts to reinvent public transit in India. The team was actually selected to design a Hyperloop pod for SpaceX's Hyperloop competition.

7. Dallas to Laredo to Houston, Texas

The Texas Triangle team is lead by AECOM with support from Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the City of Dallas. The 1,030-kilometer (640-mile) route would make stops in Austin and San Antonio.

8. Miami to Orlando, Florida

The 414-kilometer (257-mile) route was proposed by a team led by AECOM with support from Miami Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works, the Florida Department of Transportation, and Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization.

9. Bengaluru to Chennai, India

Led by AECOM, the team proposed a 334-kilometer (208-mile) route with stops in Kolar and Chittoor.

10. Edinburgh to London, United Kingdom
Among other things, Trump lashed out at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and denounced "the scourge of our planet," which he described as a "small group of rogue regimes that violate every principle on which the United Nations is based."

Trump said in the speech that if North Korea didn't back down from its nuclear aggression, the US would "have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

Trump also singled out Iran, calling the US's nuclear deal with the country, brokered by President Barack Obama, an "embarrassment."

At one point, Trump said, "Major portions of the world are in conflict, and some, in fact, are going to hell."

John Kelly, Trump's chief of staff who has a reputation as a strict disciplinarian, was also at the UN when the president delivered his remarks. This was his reaction:

It's unclear what exactly Kelly thought of the speech, which Trump and his team had prepared ahead of time. Other photos of Kelly watching the speech show him looking alert and attentive.
The Commission has suggested that people found to have abused MPs would be disqualifed from registering to vote, voting in an election or standing in an election as a candidate.

The Electoral Commission proposals come in response to a parliamentary review into the abuse and intimidation MPs faced during the general election.

The response says: "In some instances, electoral law does specify offences in respect of behaviour that could also amount to an offence under the general criminal law.

"It may be that similar special electoral consequences could act as a deterrent to abusive behaviour in relation to candidates and campaigners."

The organisation said it was time for British laws to be updated to come into line with the digital era.

"Our strong tradition of free elections are an essential part of a healthy democracy, and people should be able to stand for election and campaign without fear of abuse or intimidation," Tom Hawthorn, Head of Policy at the Electoral Commission, said.

"However, many offences in electoral law have not been reviewed or updated since they were first created in the 19th century. We urge the Government to implement proposals made last year by the UKs Law Commissions to make it easier for everyone to understand and comply with these laws, and for the police and prosecutors to enforce them."

The evidence also detailed some of the abuse MPs had received, including candidates being intimidated in their own homes, and malicious statements being made on the internet.

One candidate told the Commission that they had suffered "covert and overt bullying, dirty tricks and misogyny."

A survey by BBC 5 Live, published on Monday, showed that just over half of the 113 MPs who responded (51%) said the 2017 general election campaign had been the worst they had ever experienced in terms of abuse.

87% of MPs in the same study said they had faced some form of abuse or intimidation during the general election.

One female Labour MP told the BBC: "Does a man coming into my office threatening to bomb it count?"

Labour's shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said last week that she had received "really quite frightening" abuse on Twitter.
The revelation marks a potentially significant development in the ongoing probe into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives in the 2016 presidential election.

Some of the information gleaned from the surveillance prompted concerns that Manafort had encouraged Russians to "help with the campaign," CNN reported, citing three unnamed sources.

Investigators last year obtained a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to conduct surveillance on Manafort, which continued through early 2017.

Manafort was previously surveilled under a separate FISA authorization that began in 2014, due to scrutiny over his extensive ties to pro-Russia groups and work he has done on their behalf in previous years. Citing one of its sources, CNN reported that the surveillance ended due to a lack of evidence, but it was later restarted under the new warrant that extended into 2017.

CNN said the government spying included a period earlier this year when Manafort was "known to talk" to President Donald Trump. The president sparked weeks of speculation in March when he accused former President Barack Obama of having his "wires tapped" in Trump Tower. Trump's own Justice Department, however, has said there is no evidence to support Trump's claim.

Manafort was forced to register as a foreign agent in April.

The focus on Manafort has only increased since special counsel Robert Mueller took over the investigation in May, shortly after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. Since then, the FBI has also conducted a raid on one of Manafort's homes in August, in search of tax documents and foreign banking records, according to The New York Times. Information obtained from the newly discovered FISA warrant was shared with Mueller's team, CNN said.
Often, this may be done for political/nationalistic reasons  to remove all traces of colonial rule, or to reflect the ideology of the government in power. In other instances, place names have been changed for purely commemorative reasons  perhaps to honour great leaders or important events in the countrys history.

Here is a look at six African countries that have undergone a name change at some point in their recent existence.

Zimbabwe/Rhodesia

Present-day Zimbabwe was known as southern Rhodesia between 1898-1964, named after British colonialist and businessman Cecil Rhodes. As early as 1960, however, African nationalists began to refer to their country as Zimbabwe. They went on to incorporate the name into the official titles of their many pro-independence organisations.

It is widely believed that the name Zimbabwe is a compression of the words dzimba and dzamabwe (meaning house of stones) in the Shona language, which is widely spoken in present-day Zimbabwe. The European settler community continued to use the name Rhodesia; however, in due course, both the native Africans and the Europeans settled on the name Zimbabwe-Rhodesia. When the country finally attained independence from the British in 1980, it dropped the name Rhodesia to remove all vestiges of British colonialism.

Burkina Faso/Upper Volta

President Thomas Sankara, the young and charismatic leader of what was then known as Upper Volta, officially renamed the country as Burkina Faso on 4 August 1984. He chose the names Burkina and Faso from the two major languages spoken in the country. The old name Upper Volta had been given by the French colonialists in reference to the Volta River that flowed through the area.

Burkina in the Moore language means men of integrity while Faso is the Dioula word for fatherland; put together, Burkina Faso means land of the upright people. A citizen of Burkina Faso is known as a Burkinabe  the suffix -be means women or men in the Fulfulde language, also widely spoken across Burkina Faso.

Sankara was thus able to use three main languages in his country to derive a name that expressed the values and ideals of his fellow citizens in languages that they understood.

Ghana/Gold Coast

Ghana changed its name from the Gold Coast in 1957 to reflect its new status as an independent country after it attained self-rule from the British colonialists. Ghanas foremost nationalist leader Dr. Kwame Nkrumah renamed the country immediately after independence.

The name Ghana is believed to be in reference to the ancient kings (Gana) of the old Wagadugu Empire that ruled over the area now known as Ghana in medieval times. The new name was symbolic of the fact that every citizen of the new country was a potential king (or president).

Tanzania/Tanganyika-Zanzibar

Tanganyika was the name of a sovereign state located between the great African lakes and the Indian Ocean that existed from 1961, when it gained independence from the British Commonwealth. Between 1962 and 1964 the nation referred to itself as the Republic of Tanganyika.

Old Zanzibar, on the other hand, consists of a group of small islands collectively known as the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Ancient Zanzibar had been ruled by a sultanate before the coming of Western colonial powers.

On 26 April 1964, Zanzibar united with the Republic of Tanganyika to form the Peoples Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. In 1965, the republic combined the two country names into one new name: Tanzania.

Benin Republic/Dahomey

Dahomey was the name of a powerful pre-colonial West African kingdom in what is now the Benin Republic. At its peak, the Dahomey kingdom spanned present-day Benin, Togo, and some parts of southwestern Nigeria. Dahomey was famous for its female warriors who were skilled in battle and often served as royal body guards.

In 1975, under the leadership of Mathieu Kerekou, Dahomey changed its name to Benin Republic. This happened 15 years after the nation gained independence from the French colonialists in 1960. The change was liked to the Marxist-Leninist ideals in which its new leader believed.

Democratic Republic of Congo/Zaire

the Democratic Republic of Congo used to be known as Leopoldville in the 19century when it was a colony of the old Belgian monarchy. Between 1908 and 1960, it was known as the Belgian Congo. However, when the nation attained independence in 1960, its leaders renamed it Congo after the Congo River that flows through much of the country.

In 1971, President Mobutu Sese Seko again renamed the country, this time calling it the Republic of Zaire in a dodgy move he described as necessary to shed every ounce of Western colonial influence. Mobutu was deposed as president in 1996 and the new government of Laurent Kabila in 2007 returned the country to its old name.
It's known as universal basic income, and it involves paying every citizen a standard amount of money just for being alive.

Advocates claim the system could help reduce poverty and stave off the threat of widespread unemployment due to job automation. Skeptics claim the idea would cause people to stop working, producing a lazy society that lacks community or drive.

Basic income is still a niche idea, but a handful of politicians have weighed in. Here's how the conversation is taking shape.

Hillary Clinton

Clinton has flip-flopped on basic income over the last year.

Following the release of her book "What Happened," however, Clinton told Vox that she'd considered a version of basic income for her presidential campaign. It was based on an Alaskan dividend fund that pays residents about $1,000 a year.

Ultimately, she scrapped the idea because it raised a host of questions that would be difficult to reconcile with other aspects of campaign.

Barack Obama

Last June, President Obama spoke with Bloomberg about the solutions America may need to consider if robots end up displacing huge swaths of the workforce.

"Because of automation, because of globalization, we're going to have to examine the social compact," Obama said. He hinted that basic income could be one possibility if enough people can't make a living on work alone.

Separating the rise of automation from the obligation to keep people healthy and financially stable would be a huge misstep, Obama said. "It's not an either-or situation. It's a both-and situation."

Joe Biden

The former vice president recently rejected basic income, recalling that his father taught him that a job is "

"The theory is that automation will result in so many lost jobs that the only plausible answer is some type of guaranteed government check with no strings attached," he wrote in a recent blog post. "I believe there is a better way forward. I believe we can  we must  build a future that puts work first."

Bernie Sanders

The Democratic senator from Vermont has addressed the question of his stance on basic income several times. On Reddit, Sanders said that government should help people maintain a minimum standard of living.

He said something similar in an interview with Vox Editor-in-Chief Ezra Klein. He didn't endorse or reject basic income explicitly, but said that he is "sympathetic" to the idea.

Chris Lee

Hawaii made waves in June when it passed
Hurricane Maria is crawling toward Turks and Caicos with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph.

The storm is moving northwest at 7 mph, after causing widespread destruction in Puerto Rico and bringing hurricane conditions to the Dominican Republic. Hurricane warnings are in effect for Turks and Caicos, the southeastern Bahamas, and parts of the Dominican Republic.

The storm has left at least 26 people dead in the Caribbean so far, according to reports, but more casualties are expected. The storm pounded Puerto Rico for hours as the third-strongest storm ever to hit US territory.

Early reports from Puerto Rico described intense damage. Cellphone communications failed as towers went down. The Puerto Rican emergency-management agency said 100% of the island was without power by Wednesday afternoon and that Maria had damaged "everything in its path," according to reports.

According to the NHC, the eye of the "potentially catastrophic" storm is expected to pass near or just east of Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas Friday and Saturday. The storm has grown since it left Puerto Rico, with hurricane-force winds extending 70 miles from its center.

The NHC said preparations for life-threatening storm surge, rainfall flooding, and destructive winds "should be rushed to completion" in areas not yet hit by the brunt of the storm.

The center has also warned that some of the greatest risks Maria poses come from its storm surge, which is accompanied by "large and destructive waves." The southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos could see 9- to 12-foot surges above normal tide levels.

It's still too soon to say whether the continental US will be in Maria's path after it crosses the Caribbean, but models project Maria will turn north and head out to sea. Swells generated by the storm should reach portions of the US' southeastern coast today, however.

Conditions in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Maria caused widespread destruction as it engulfed Puerto Rico, where residents were just starting to recover from Hurricane Irma. The island avoided a direct hit from Irma, but its powerful storm surge and winds still caused many residents to lose power.

Maria's direct hit was devastating.

"The San Juan that we knew yesterday is no longer here," Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told MSNBC on Wednesday night of the island's capital. The mayor said Puerto Rico, home to some 3.5 million people, was "looking at four to six months without electricity."

Wind gauges throughout the island broke, making it impossible to know just how strong the most intense gusts were at the height of the storm.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello of Puerto Rico announced Wednesday afternoon that he was instituting a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

The director of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said on CNN on Wednesday morning that 3,200 agency staff members were in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands with supplies, and that they were better prepared in the areas before this storm than they were when Irma hit.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a disaster declaration for Puerto Rico, making federal disaster-relief funding available to much of the island.

Before the storm arrived the public safety commissioner of Puerto Rico had told those in evacuation zones: "You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you're going to die."

Take this event seriously

Maria first made landfall on the island of Dominica on Monday night. Although the destruction is still being assessed, Roosevelt Skerrit, the prime minister of Dominica, wrote on his Facebook page: "Initial reports are of widespread devastation ... The winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with."

The hurricane was the first Category 5 storm in recorded history to hit Dominica, which is home to roughly 70,000 people. The last and only Category 4 storm to directly hit the island nation, Hurricane David in 1979, killed more than 50 people and left 60,000 homeless.

"The roof to my own official residence was among the first to go and this apparently triggered an avalanche of torn away roofs in the city and the countryside," Skerrit wrote on Facebook.

The bands of the storm also slammed the nearby island of Guadeloupe, causing serious flooding, damage to buildings, and widespread power losses.

Maria lost some strength as its eye moved over Dominica but quickly regained its Category 5 status.

On the islands of St. Thomas and St. John in the US Virgin Islands, residents were urged to leave their homes for government shelters, since Irma damaged many houses.

Trump also approved an emergency declaration for the Virgin Islands on Monday, giving FEMA the go-ahead to coordinate disaster relief efforts there. Some of the soldiers who came to the Virgin Islands to provide relief after Irma were evacuated.

"Take this event seriously," Gov. Kenneth Mapp of the US Virgin Islands said at a press conference Sunday. "You cannot stay in those facilities. You will not survive."

He urged people who decided to stay in their homes to write their Social Security numbers on their bodies so they could be identified easily in a worst-case scenario.

St. Croix, the most populated of the US Virgin Islands, took a hit from the outer eyewall, to the right of Maria's eye. According to reports, vegetation was stripped bare by the storm, wind measurement equipment failed, and many were left without power.

An unusually active hurricane season

Maria is the seventh hurricane of an unusually active Atlantic hurricane season, making this only the ninth year on record with seven hurricanes by September 17. There have been 13 named storms so far  the average by September 18 is 7.6.

This season is also significantly ahead of the average measures for major hurricane days and accumulated cyclone energy (a measure of storm strength, duration, and frequency). Maria is pushing those measures even further ahead.

On September 15, Colorado State University's Tropical Meteorology Project issued a two-week forecast of above-normal cyclone activity for the Atlantic basin.

Jose, which was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak but is now a post-tropical cyclone, is still churning near the East Coast but should stay offshore. The storm is nonetheless bringing tropical storm conditions  including winds, rainfall, and dangerous surf  to southern New England.
But the smile we see on her face when she was crowned the best graduating student with 3.99 CGPA at the Girne American University (GAU) in Cyprus showed how her determination to excel dissipates the ugly experience she went through.

Every Nigerian student excelling academically abroad have stories to tell. Most time, the stories of their academic pursuit in a foreign land are laced with sweet memories of how their academic brilliance and determination earn them accolades in foreign universities.

But for Ifeoma Onuike, the 25-year-old Nigerian, who recently emerged the best student in GAU, it is a tale of tears and sadness occasioned by deaths of family members.

Speaking with Pulse about the hurdles life threw at her, Ifeoma believes the story of her life and the struggle to excel is worth writing about, with all its ups and downs.

As a young girl, she had early memories of tragedy series that are apparently too much for her to handle.

"In secondary school, I lost my Uncle, he was really close to me, as a young girl I could not rap my head around it, that affected me in its own way." This was the first sad statementshe made during the interview.

For a brilliant student to go through emotional problems like this, her education is bound to suffer and trust some Nigerian public school teachers, they are often guilty of paying little or no attention to the performance of students who lose their loved ones to alleviate the mental meltdown of such students.

Ifeoma had her share of such inattention by teachers, who don't know how to revive a brilliant student going dull as a result of a death in the family.

Following the death of her uncle, she said, "I had low self-esteem and my teachers did not make it any easy for me especially the ones who knew me and my family. She would call me to provide a solution to the question on the board and if I don't get it she would attack me with words. I cannot forget when she said later your mother will say we are not teaching you very well when it is you who doesn't know anything"

The death of her uncle was painful and as painful as it was, she hadn't learnt how to deal with the loss of a man who liked her so much when she got another tragic blow that was heavier and more heart-wrenching than the first one.

It was another death of a loved one and that according to her is the saddest of all her ordeals.

"During my first degree, I lost my only brother, that was one of my saddest experience and we were in the same school so, most time people refer to me as the sister of the boy that died''.

Perhaps, if at this time the young Ifeoma had actualised her dream of becoming a medical doctor, she would have saved the lives of her family members. But that dream is never coming to pass.

'Growing up, I wanted to become a Medical Doctor. I loved the profession, I want to help people, save lives, treat people so that they don't die and leave their loved ones in pain".

However, since she could not save lives as a medical doctor because her junior exam result was not good enough for science class, she chose to help people through another discipline.

It is this quest to help people that changed her story and brought her to the limelight as an academic champion after writing and failing JAMB; and of course after some unforgettable moment of tears and sadness.

So, in an attempt to make up for the sad memories and make the family happy, Ifeoma resolved to be the best in everything she does and make herself the salt of the earth for her family.

"Aside from being a doctor, the next course I wanted is Law. I love everything about being a lawyer, the way they carry themselves, dressing and all. There is this notion that has been attached to the profession that lawyers are liars so if they are, it means I may not get to help people.

''But I still wanted the course, after writing all the needed exams, I did not get admission for Business Management. I accepted it because everyone I know was going to school and I had to go too. Before graduation, I started looking at the possibility of still studying Law, so I wrote jamb twice, did not get the admission but all things worked out at the end for my good and I found myself in Cyprus."

After Graduating from Nsukka in 2012, Ifeoma made for Cyprus in 2014 to actualise her dream for which she is being celebrated today. But going to Cyprus was not so exciting at the beginning because according to her it was like going back to the stage she has passed.

ALSO READ: Student with best result in WASSCE gets scholarship to read medicine

I heard of Girne American University North Cyprus from a friend who said it was announced on the radio. I took interest in it because of 50% scholarship. I was thrilled when I got the admission to study Common Law but at the same time had some mixed feelings, going back to a level of education I have passed. It was like starting all over again law department.

The tragic experience Ifeoma went through as a young girl and the systemic failure that refused to allow her to read the course of her choice in Nigeria has been put behind as the 25-year-old lady now seeks to further her education in Law before coming to Nigeria.

''I will start my masters this fall semester and hope to also go for my PhD before Law school''.

It's been a series of discouraging hurdles but out of determination and strong will, the brilliant lady has surmounted her problems and we can't but say resounding congratulations to one of the beautiful and brainy ladies around.
The eccentric star has called on the President to stop being a sectional leader in an open letter he made available to Daily Post.

Charly Boy urged Buhari to be committed to easing the tension in the South East and promoting peace and unity across the country.

He, however, frowned at the ongoing military exercise at the South East tagged, Operation Python Dance II.

In the open letter to the President Charly Boy released on Tuesday, September 19, the entertainer warned against another civil war while recalling the terrible condition people of the South East were subjected to during the first civil war.

Read the letter below:

My president,

I bare my heart out in this letter with great respect and humility.

Often times, I wonder if you read any of my open letters. However, I write this open letter so fellow Nigerians will understand the ache in my heart.

I was about 17yrs during the Nigerian civil war. My youth was scandalized, and since then, I have carried a big scar in my heart. All I saw around me then, was blood, death, and hunger. That war, which could have been avoided, was a collateral damage for easterners. Over Three million people died  when it could have been resolved on a conference table.

Mr. President Sir. Most Nigerians, are hopeless, helpless, fearful, aggrieved and have been brutalized by poverty created by the status quo to terrorize my people.

When you came on board I had hoped that yours would be a government that would assist the ordinary people; a government that will turn round the economy and put a smile on the faces of Nigerians.

No, I dont blame you for the woes that have befallen us, but, truth be told, you have so far spent too much time passing the buck than actually serving the people you struggled to lead. Two years is enough for us to start feeling like something would happen. I cant believe that as hard and as many times as you applied for this job and you finally got it, this is the best you can do? Haba, baba!

Now you can see the disadvantage of surrounding yourself with incompetent people.

I remember it was your wife who first cried out, warned us that you have been hijacked by the hyenas, jackals, and very suspicious people who dont really care about Nigeria or you.

Sir, as a father, please do something to calm down this rising tension.

As a father, it is very wrong to show your children that you have a favorite. Right now, it is clear that we are in a Big Mess. And sometimes I wonder if you understand how difficult it is for the masses to cope. People even from your village have complained to us (OurMumuDonDo movement); From Sokoto to Owerri, Benue to Delta, hunger everywhere, young people committing suicide, yet the legislators and executives still maintain their obnoxious lifestyle.

There is so much I want to say as a very frustrated Nigerian, but for now whats uppermost in my heart is to plead with you to intervene in this Operation Python Dance Biko Baba, you should be committed to dousing tensions and promoting peace and unity.

In as much as I am aware that the Federal Government is concerned about curbing divisive messages and inordinate agitations within the country, I believe it should be more concerned about safeguarding the lives and properties of all Nigerians in any part of the country.

It is also important to note that though recanted, the October 1 ultimatum issued by some misguided northern youths to the Igbos in the north remains weighty in the minds of many and the atmosphere is hypersensitive to any mishap that could foment such inter-ethnic wahala.

Sir, suffering Nigerians are begging you to quell this tension than steaming up the flames of enmity and discord within the country by using force on harmless citizens.

During The Resume or Resign peaceful protest, Baba, you listened, and thats why you came back.

On behalf of all frustrated, hopeless, unsafe, hungry Nigerians I beg you, hear our prayer. As a Father show some compassion and give us hope that this too shall pass away.

I am proud to say that am discovering exceptional youths who are inflamed by love of fatherland, angered at the rape of our dignity and prosperity, determined to rise up and hold one another, to march down and uphold the dignity and prosperity of all Nigerians.

Baba, make Naija no spoil for your hand O!!!!!!

Charlie Boy Oputa has always been blunt in his assessment of critical situations in the country and his voice has rung loud and clear in rebuke or praise as the case required.
The accused are facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, stealing and unlawful damage.

The Police Prosecutor, Cyriacus Osuji, told the court that the accused committed the offences on September 17 at No. 9, Olayinka Adewuyi St., Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

He said that the accused conspired and damaged the rear side glass of a Honda CRV car marked AAA 21 DN, belonging to the complainant, Mr Tomina Ojo.

Osuji, who said that the accused also stole some items worth N410, 000 from the vehicle listed the stolen items to include, a laptop, a laptop bag, an external hard drive, as well as a cash sum of N40, 000.

Osuji said that the offences contravened Sections 287, 350 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 287 stipulates a three-year jail-term for offenders.

The duo, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In her ruling, the magistrate, Mrs S. K. Matepo, granted them bail in the sum of N100, 000 each with two sureties each in like sum.

She said that the sureties should be gainfully employed and must show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
In a report by The Punch, the explosion occurred when some hoodlums besieged a vessel, identified as Histria Ivory, discharging Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) to scoop fuel spilling from the vessel around 3am.

It was further reported that the inferno, which lasted over one hour could not be put out put out by the jetty's in-house fire unit, hence the call to officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, men of the Lagos State Fire Service, Federal Fire Service, Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Navy.

An eye witness reportedly said The fire incident started around 3am at the Petroleum Wharf, Apapa, which is one of the three jetties in Apapa. It lasted for about one hour. The people who were scooping fuel were trying to open one of the manifolds through which the depots receive fuel from vessels when the fire occurred. Four people died in the process.

Confirming the explosion, the Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, said he could not tell if there was any casualty.

ALSO READ: Explosion rocks NNPC filling station

He said, A vessel was discharging fuel and the manifold caught fire, which led to an explosion. The jetty in-house fire unit responded first, before calls were made to other fire agencies. We all battled the fire and put it out.

A statement signed by the NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu, confirmed the explosion while heaping the blame on hoodlums who interrupted the discharge of fuel.

He said, The NNPC has deployed a team of engineers in the jetty, while the repair of the affected parts will commence immediately.

The fire was caused by the activities of hoodlums who were scooping fuel spilled from ships discharging fuel at the jetty.

NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru, who has been fully briefed on the incident, described the occurrence as unfortunate, assuring the public that the NNPC has more than 1.6bn litres of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petrol, enough to last for 48 days.
The accused, 18, was arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy, housebreaking and stealing.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs O.K. Omotosho, said the accuse had pleaded guilty the court would fix a date for facts and sentence.

According to the Police Prosecutor, Sgt. Olalekan Adegbite, Nasiru and others still at large conspired and committed the offence when they jointly broke into the church.

Adegbite said the broke into Christs Ambassador Church in Inalende area of Ibadan and stole four pieces of bells, a drum set, window frames and four pieces of gas lamps, all valued at N500,000.

He said the stolen property belonged to Rev. Faith Ikumapayi, the founder of the church.

The offences contravened Sections 390 (9), 415and 516 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Oyo State 2000.
Dallas News reports that Amuegbunam 'took the scamming game to another level by posing as a CEO' and managed to convince top companies in the US to send him millions of Dollars in a scheme that was spurned out criminal ingenuity.

According to the FBI, the scam scheme perpetrated by Amuegbunam was 'more sophisticated than any similar scam the bureau has ever seen before.'

The scam called Business Email Compromise [BEC], it was gathered, was operated by Amuegbunam who reportedly sent forwarded email messages to company employees by interchanging letters in actual company emails so that it appeared he had the authority as a top company executive to wire money.

Investigators learned about his scams in 2013 when two North Texas companies fell victim to his tricks. He ended up tricking more than 10 victims out of approximately $3.7 million.

According to court records, the 30-year-old Amuegbunam was living in the US on a student visa at the time he committed the crimes. When he was arraigned in court following his arrest, Amuegbunam pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and a federal judge sentenced him to 46 months in prison.

His attorney, Ezekiel Tyson said of the conviction:

"Mr. Amuegbunam has grown tremendously as a person and as a man throughout the process of this criminal case.

He is absolutely one of the most intelligent and creative individuals I have ever represented."

After his prison term, Amuegbuna will be deported to Nigeria where he plans to become a farmer, according to Tyson.

"I expect once he puts his intelligence, creativity, and drive towards legitimate enterprises, he will have a very positive future.

Mr. Amuegbunam also plans to do his best to repay the restitution he owes to the victim companies."
The population of Nigeria is 180 million. The population of America is nearly twice that of Nigeria with 323 million. America is the porn capital of the world but Nigeria is searching for it more.

On Google Trends, the nations that make the top of the list for porn are not countries you would readily associate with porn.

These countries are Zambia, Trinidad & Tobago, Nepal, Ethiopia, Jamaica, South African, Pakistan, Ghana, India, Kenya, Myanmar, Bangladesh, St. Helena, Malaysia and Tanzania. Nigeria comes in at number 16. This list covers a 12-month period.

ALSO READ: UBA bans people from using ATM cards for porn subscription

Why are Nigerians watching more porn? Nigeria masks itself as a conservative society yet the search for online porn has been on the rise. This can be linked with the access Nigerians have to the Internet via mobile data.

Gone are the days when you had to smuggle an adult VHS and VCD into the house and watch at night. Porn is now at your fingertips. All it takes is to type the web address and you get instant access.

This rise in demand has also reflected on the content provider side of things. Within the last few years, Nigerian porn producers have opened up shop.

Sites like Nigerian Adult Forum and Naija Porn Tube started as content aggregators for grainy, leaked Nigerian sex videos. These sites operated for a while till the real content producers came in.

The year 2016 saw the likes of Kingtblakhoc and Free Thinkers- porn brands, come into existence.

In February 2017, Pulse did a profile on Kingtblakhoc who claims to be Nigeria's first porn star. Kingtblakhoc's videos of him having consensual sex with several women have racked up thousands of views on Twitter.

Following Kingtblakhoc, is Free Thinkers, a Nigerian porn production company.

"There's a high rise of upcoming producers in the industry, as well as aspiring models, once it becomes a multi million industry in Nigeria, a lot of people will want to venture into it, as long as the pay keeps rising," says @datkindboy, an executive of Free Thinkers.

He spoke to Pulse in August 2017 about the blooming porn scene in Nigeria.

As the industry grows, the law hasn't caught up with it yet. The Cybercrime Prohibition and Prevention Act 2015 prevents children from pornographic materials. There is, however, nothing about porn being illegal in the constitution. Lagos although has banned the display of pornographic materials in public.
It is said that your life experiences, prepares you for what your heart has asked for. Youre moulded, instructed, tested and stretched beyond the confines of your convenience.

Much in the content of Azikiwe's life holds this to be true, and capturing this very sentiment are his very own words:

"My stiffest earthly assignment is ended and my major life's work is done. My country is now free and I have been honoured to be its first indigenous head of state. What more could one desire in life?"

Born in Zungeru, Northern Nigeria, on 16 November 1904, to Obed-Edom Chukwuemeka Azikiwe and Rachel Chinwe Azikiwe, Nnamdi Azikiwe had his secondary education at Hope Waddell Training Institute, Calabar, and Methodist Boys High School Lagos.

He would later attend Howard University in Washington DC, United States of America.

Nnamdi Azikiwe was well grounded in the world of education. He attended several universities and earned multiple certificates and degrees, including bachelors and masters degrees from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and a second masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

He would work as an instructor at Lincoln before returning to Nigeria.

Upon his return to Africa, Nnamdi Azikiwe went to Ghana (then it was known as Gold coast) and founded a nationalist newspaper in 1934, before returning to Nigeria in 1937.

It was during this time that he became directly involved in politics; first with the Nigerian Youth Movement and later (1944) as a founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC).

However, before his involvement with the Nigerian Youth Movement, the zealous Azikiwe published an article, entitled "Has the African a God?" on 15 May 1936.

Although the article was written by I. T. A. Wallace-Johnson, Azikiwe, being the publisher, was brought to trial on charges of sedition.

He was found guilty of the charges and sentenced to six months in prison. But he would be acquitted on appeal.

The Zik Group of Newspapers that aided the publishing of multiple newspapers in cities across the country was also founded by him.

Being an active member of the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM), the first nationalist organization in Nigeria that is believed to be genuine, Nnamdi Azikiwe backed Samuel Akinsanya to be NYM candidate for a vacant seat in the Legislative Council.

Ernest Ikoli would be selected by the executive instead.

And this would lead to his resignation from the NYM, accusing Yoruba leadership of discrimination against the Ijebu-Yoruba members, Ibos and some Ijebu members with him and thus splitting the NYM along ethnic lines.

Announcing his entrance to the political scene, Nnamdi Azikiwe co-founded the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) alongside Herbert Macaulay in 1944.

In 1946, he became the secretary-general of the National Council and was elected to Legislative Council of Nigeria the following year.

He would become the leader of the opposition to the government of Obafemi Awolowo, in the Western Region's House of Assembly after losing the four-cornered elections to the Action Group, in 1951.

In 1952, he moved to the Eastern Region, and was elected to the position of Chief Minister and in 1954 became Premier of Nigeria's Eastern Region.

On 16 November 1960, he became the Governor General, with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as Prime Minister.

And with the proclamation of Nigeria as a republic in 1963, Nnamdi Azikiwe became the first President of Nigeria.

When it comes to personal achievements, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe is king.

Actively involved in sports at almost every stage of his life, Nnamdi Azikiwe was successful in many of the events he participated in.

And they include Welterweight Boxing Champion Storer College (192527); High Jump champion, Howard University Inter-Scholastic Games (1926)

Gold Medalist in Cross Country, Storer College (1927); Back-stroke Swimming Champion and No. 3 swimmer in Freestyle Relay team, Howard University (1928).

He was also Captain, Lincoln University Soccer Team (1930); Winner Two Miles Run, Central Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association Championships at Hampton Institute Virginia (1931)

Bronze Medalist, Richmond Cross Country Marathon (1931); Gold Medalist in the 1,000 yard run, One Mile Run and Three Mile Run, Caledonian Games in Brooklyn, NY (1932)

Silver Trophy winner in the Half Mile race, and Silver Cup winner in the One Mile Race, Democratic Field Day Championships, New Haven, Connecticut (1933).

Upon his return to Nigeria in 1937, Nnamdi Azikiwe continued his winning streak with that same energy.

Thus, he was runner-up (with G. K. Dorgu) at the Lagos Tennis Mens Doubles Championships (Division B 1938); anchorman for the ZAC team which won the 50 yards Freestyle Relay at the Lagos Swimming Championships (1939).

In 1946, Nnamdi Azikiwe was inducted into the prestigious Agbalanze society of Onitsha as Nnayelugo (It was a customary recognition for Onitsha men of significant accomplishment).

Arguably one of his biggest achievement, was when he was appointed to the privy council of the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II in 1960.

And two years later, he became a second-rank red cap chieftain or Ndichie Okwa as the Oziziani Obi in 1962.

He would also be installed as the Owelle-Osowa-Anya of Onitsha, making him a first-rank, hereditary red cap nobleman or Ndichie Ume in 1972.

At the age of seventy-six, in the year 1980 to be precise, Nnamdi Azikiwe was conferred with the highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR).

However, in the kingdom of academics where his position was incontestable, the Zik of Africa as he is fondly called, received fourteen honorary degrees from Nigerian, American and Liberian universities.

They include Lincoln University, Storer College, Howard University, Michigan State University, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ibadan, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and the University of Liberia.

In addition to his personal achievement, Nnamdi Azikiwe was also a member of many organizations and societies.

And they include Anti-Slavery Society for the protection of Human Rights; Phi Beta Sigma fraternity (Mu Chapter); West African Students' Union; Onitsha Improvement Union; Zik's Athletic Club; Ekine Sekiapu Society of Buguma, Kalabari

St. John's Lodge of England; Royal Economic Society; Royal Anthropological Institute; British Association for the Advancement of Science; American Society of International Law; American Anthropological Association

American Political Science Association; American Ethnological Society; Amateur Athletic Association of Nigeria; Nigerian Swimming Association, Nigerian Boxing Board of Control; Nigerian Cricket Association

Ibo State Union; Nigerian Table Tennis Association; Nigeria Olympic Committee and British Empire and Commonwealth Games Association

Politically, the road that led him to become the first president of Nigeria was not straight and short. He had held several political posts beforehand.

They include Executive Committee Member of Mambili Party, Accra (193537); General Secretary of National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (194445); President of the NCNC (194660)

Vice-President of the Nigerian National Democratic Party (194760); Member for Lagos in the Legislative Council of Nigeria (194751); Member for Lagos and Leader of the Opposition in the Western House of Assembly (195253)

Member for Onitsha in the Eastern House of Assembly (195460); Minister of Internal Affairs (Jan.September 1954); Minister of Internal Affairs, Eastern Region (1954); Member of His Excellency Privy Council, Eastern Nigeria (195459)

Primer of Eastern Nigeria (195459); President of the Senate of the Federation (JanuaryNovember 1960); Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria (196063); President of the Republic of Nigeria (19631966).
Adeosun, represented by the Director, Home Finance, Federal Ministry of Finance, made the observation in Abuja at the inauguration of Finance Sectoral Consultative Committee on Statistics.

She said that the committee would improve on the collection and management of government finance statistics across major ministries, departments and agencies.

This committee could not have come at a better time as it coincides with a period of increasing focus and demand for data and statistical information in Nigeria."

There is undeniably an increasing recognition of the importance of statistics in governance such as accountability, fighting corruption and policy formulation for national development, especially to achieve the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan of government."

It is very important to the extent that it will improve on the level of efficiency in statistical production. This is aimed at promoting the use of best practices and international standards in the production of statistics and management."

Members of the newly inaugurated committee include DMO, FIRS, NEXIM, NDIC, CBN and AMCON, she said.

Also speaking, the Statistician-General, National Bureau of Statistics, Dr Yemi Kale, urged the Federal Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to cooperate with the committee to ensure efficiency in data collection.

These data will assist the government in economic analysis and planning. It will also assist the government in the economic restructuring of the nation, he said.

Similarly, the Head of Economic Cooperation and Energy of the European Union, Mrs Nadia Cannata, pledged the unions continued support to the committees work.
Investigation by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday indicate that the primary schools across the states eight local government areas have remained shut in compliance with the directive of the local government chapter executives of the NUT.

Mr Kalama Toinpre, Bayelsa Chairman of NUT, told a NAN that the strike was being spearheaded by the local government executives of the union whose members were suffering from the gross under funding of the primary school system by the local councils.

He explained that there was wide disparity in terms of salary payment between primary school teachers and their secondary school counterparts in the state adding that the strike was aimed at closing the gap.

According to him, the teachers are protesting prolonged neglect by the Bayelsa government under Gov Seriake Dickson, adding that previous administrations had augmented the funding of primary schools.

Teachers in the state have engaged in intermittent strikes since 2013 over issues of non-payment of salaries and under-funding of primary education, among other concerns

The NUT chapter executives in the LGAs decided on the indefinite stay-at-home action at separate meetings on Sept. 14 in conjunction with other non-academic labour unions in the schools.

They complained that primary school teachers had been unfairly treated since 2013.

Mr Koin Dinepre, Chairman of the NUT in Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA, said the teachers would stay at home until the salaries were cleared and the issue of funding of primary schools addressed.

According to him, the payment of only one month salary out of 10 months arrears owed the teachers, would not compel them to call off the strike.

The Commissioner for Education, Mr Markson Fefegha, and his counterpart in Local Government Administration, Dr Agatha Goma, have in separate reactions maintained that primary education was a constitutional responsibility of the local governments.

The commissioners insisted that local government councils, and not the state government, have the responsibility to cater for primary school teachers and primary education.
Spokesman of the Corps, Mr Emmanuel Okeh, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, said the squad was codenamed Special Bama Squad (SBS).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bama was declared an Islamic Caliphate by Boko Haram terrorists, who captured it along with Gwoza in 2014.

But Nigerian troops reclaimed the community in 2015, and reconstruction works are ongoing in areas destroyed by the terrorists.

Okeh stated that the Commandant-General (CG) of the NSCDC, Mr Abdullahi Gana, announced the squad while addressing members of management, and zonal and state commandants of the agency in Abuja.

He quoted the CG as saying that the move was in compliance with a recent directive by the Federal Government to security agencies to beef up their presence in the North-East.

The government, according to him, specifically directed the Army, NSCDC and the Police to provide 1,500 personnel each to Bama.

They were mandated to receive the Emir of Bama and other returning IDPs, in addition to providing adequate protection for the civil populace of the community.

The Special Bama Squad is an additional number of personnel who will carry out round-the-clock patrols in all the nooks and crannies of Bama community and its suburbs.
Saraki, on Monday, September 18, 2017, also criticised the proscription of the group by the South-East Governors' Forum.

In his reaction, Okoi Obono-Obla said that the Armys action is in order, Daily Post reports.

He said The military, as part of the executive branch of government, has the right to declare that IPOB is a terrorist organization for the purpose of quelling the threat posed to national security and corporate existence of the country by the unwholesome and nefarious activities of the organization.

So, there is nothing absolutely wrong or unconstitutional for the military, for operational reason, to declare IPOB a terrorist organization.

Declaration of IPOB as a terrorist organization does not amount to proscription of IPOB. Proscription of IPOB will surely be in accordance with the procedure and processes underlined in the provisions of Section 2 (1) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011.

It provides thus: Where two or more persons associate for the purpose of or where an organization engages in:

*(a) participating or collaborating in an act of terrorism;

*(b) promoting , encouraging or exhorting others to commit an act of terrorism ; or (c) setting or pursuing acts of terrorism, the judge in chambers may, on application made by the Attorney General, the National Security Adviser or Inspector- General of Police, on the approval of the President, declare any entity to be a proscribed organization and the notice should be published in official gazette.

The military never proscribed IPO, but only declared it a terrorist organization, because of the way and manner it has been carrying out its activities.

These include pelting stones and cocktail Molotov bombs on convoys of military vehicles, burning of police stations, killing of police officers, attacking and threatening Nigerians living in Abia State, who do not subscribe to its separatist and militants ideology, creating the Biafra Security Service and Biafra National Guard.
According toa report by THISDAY, the move is to take the heat off the army and to ensure that due process is followed.

It was further reported that the president signed the proclamation on Sunday, September 17, 2017, before his departure for the UN General Assembly in New York.

The report also revealed that a source in the attorney-generals office explained that the presidency had effectively initiated the formal process of proscribing IPOB in accordance with the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011, and that it had also paved the way for the attorney general of the federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) to head to court to give legal backing to the presidential proclamation.

It also cited sources as saying Buhari was keen on signing the proclamation before his departure for New York in order to have the right response in the event that the question over the declaration by the army was posed by other world leaders who have been watching events in Nigeria.

ALSO READ: South East Governors ban Biafra group

The issue was extensively debated between Buhari, the AGF and other aides before he left for the UN General Assembly and the president decided to sign the declaration before leaving for New York, so he could say that due process was being followed if the question was raised by other world leaders at the UN, the report quoted the sources as saying.

On Friday, September 15, 2017, the defence headquarters (DHQ) declared IPOB a militant terrorist organisation.

South-east governors subsequently issued a statement, proscribing the group.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed while he was speaking on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, on a programme called "Good Morning Nigeria".

The minister said the group's campaign of divisiveness and recent involvement in violent conflicts against the country's security operatives are enough reasons to consider them as enemy combatants.

Despite the public criticism that has trailed the army's decision to brand the group as a terrorist organisation, the minister insisted that the group could have caused a lot of damage to national security without the significant involvement of the military.

He said, "There are a lot of arguments regarding the constitutionality of the action of the military and the South East governors.

"People must realise that we are dealing with issue of national security and I do not think that the military and the governors should fold their arms while the country is set ablaze.

"I have heard a lot of comments as to whether the military has the right to declare IPOB, a terrorist group.

"What the military has done is to catalogue all the activities of IPOB, which are not different from that of terrorists groups.

"IPOB activities are not jokes. If there have not been the proactive actions on the part of the military and the South East governors, there would have been retaliations from other regions and the entire country will be set on fire.

"We cannot be talking of semantics or procedure when the nation is moving towards crises and precipices. It is only in a Banana Republic that you can see non state actors doing what IPOB is doing.

"The actions by the military and the governors should be seen from the perspective of ensuring internal security and averting chaos."

After a week of unrest between IPOB members and the Nigerian Army in Abia state, the separatist group was officially branded a "militant terrorist organisation" in a statement by Director, Defence Information (DDI), Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, on Friday, September 15.

This was followed up by an official proscription of activities of the group by the South East Governors' Forum later on Friday after an emergency meeting in Enugu.

Chairman of the forum, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi requested the group and other such groups to articulate their grievances and send to the forum.
Governor Wike also vowed to deal with any group planning to attack residents of Rivers state.

He said this while playing host to members of the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) who paid him a courtesy visit on Monday, September 19, 2017.

Wike also said I am not against anyone who wants to protest any grievance but, there are channels for such protests.

The Northern Governors also paid Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia a visit in Government House, Umuahia.
This is coming after the Senate President, Bukola Saraki condemned the categorisation of IPOB as a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian Army/

The Senate President, according to reports, also described the declaration as unconstitutional.

Buratai, who said the Armys action gave room for the right steps to be taken, argued that the Defence Headquarters only made a pronouncement.

The COAS also said that the soldiers will abide by the rule of law while carrying out Operation Python Dance II in the South-East.

Buratai said You have to get it very clear. First of all, what the Defence Headquarters did was to make pronouncement. It wasnt a declaration per se. But this has given room for the right step to be taken. I think the government is doing the right thing.

It is not that we are overstepping our bounds. We are still within the limits. And I ensure you that what the military said was to set the ball rolling and to bring the awareness to the public that this is what this organization is all about. Im happy that the government has done the right thing right now.

ALSO READ:IPOB says its mandate is from God

They army have taken into cognizance the security of the people in deployment of its personnel for the operation.

The army is very sensitive to the cultural norms of the people and will abide by all the rules of engagement and code of conduct that have been laid down which is quite in tandem with the Constitution.
Shettima said this on Monday when members of Forum paid Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia a visit in Government House, Umuahia.

He said that the leaders have moral obligations to see that Nigeria remains a united entity in order to make the country work.

He said that the Nigerian constitution allows every Nigerian to reside in any part of the country, as long as they operate within the law.

We are working assiduously. We are here to talk to the Northern Community in the state because we do not want any mass exodus of Nigerians from one part of the country to the other.

We are proud of the Igbo nation. They are brothers and sisters and we urge the Igbo leaders to do the same by visiting the Igbo community in the north and talk to them.

We respect and promote the unity of Nigeria and we are interested in forming an excellent coalition in Nigeria, he said.

Shettima commended the state government for exhibiting exemplary leadership during the tension which was recently experienced in the state.

Responding, Ikpeazu thanked the Forum for their support, adding that he would continue to ensure that every one under my watch and care is safe regardless of ethnic and religious affiliation.

He said that his administration was focused on supporting the Federal Government in strengthening the nations economy for the benefit of citizens.

Ikpeazu disclosed that the curfew in Aba had been relaxed to last from 10pm6am as against 6am6pm in order to get a grip of the security situation in the area.
The dismissal is not politically motivated but to sanitise the system, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, LASUs Vice-Chancellor, told a media briefing in Lagos.

He said the dismissal of the 15 staff members, most of whom are Phd holders, followed a thorough investigation of specific documented allegations of misconduct levelled against them.

Fagbohun said he inherited the petition as part of the handover note by the immediate past Vice-Chancellor , Prof. John Obafunwa, to the council, insisting that he had no personal interest in the case.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that LASU Governing Council had on September 8 dismissed 15 academic staff members, two non-academic staff members and demoted two others.

Those dismissed include ASUU Chairman , Dr Isaac Oyewunmi, and his deputy, Dr Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu, among others.

A statement by the university said the Governing Council took the decision at its meeting of September 7.

The university said it was established that Oyewunmi demanded the sum of N50,000 from 2003 modular year students of Political Science Education on sandwich programme to process their results.

It also alleged that Adeyemi-Suenu unilaterally altered the results of 12 students already advised to withdraw by Senate in the Department of History and International Studies in the 2015/2016 academic session.

While others were accused of defaulting on conditions of their training such as leave bond and abandonment of duty.

Fagbohun said the cases of Oyewunmi and Adeyemi-Suenu and others had nothing to do with their roles in the unions activities.

The university sees the frantic efforts being made by some individuals to make these cases a union issue as a deliberate ploy to distract and hoodwink members of the public.

The university acted strictly in conformity with her rules and regulations , the petition pursuant to which Oyewunmi was investigated for same dated Oct. 6,2016 was copied the Governor.

Also, Deputy Governor , Honourable Speaker , Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice , the Special Adviser on Education , the Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor were also copied," the VC said.

Fagbohun said he wrote the three members of staff who were mentioned in the petition and they all responded that Oyewunmi indeed demanded money.

He said it was premised on this that a fact finding panel headed by Prof. Michael Ikhariale was set up and the panel also recommended that Dr Oyewunmi had a case to answer and the fact-finding panel called witnesses to testify against Oyewunmi.

On Adeyemi-Suenus case, he said the management had directed that a forensic audit should be carried out on the alleged alteration of results perpetrated by him.

In his reaction, ASUU Secretary in the institution, Dr Tony Dansu, disagreed that the vice-chancellor inherited the case as claimed.
In a statement by the elder statesman on Monday, September 18, 2017, it says Kanu showed readiness for amicable resolution of issues concerning the Indigenous People of Biafra's agitation for Biafra during his meeting with South-East governors in Enugu on August 30, 2017.

Nwabueze said, On 30th August, 2017, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko and I met with the South-East Governors Forum.

The meeting was chaired by the current Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, who, in his conduct of the meeting, exhibited his characteristic sagacity, candour and forthrightness, tempered with friendliness.

Perhaps charmed by the things said by the chairman and the way he conducted the meeting, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on his part, showed an accommodating disposition for an amicable resolution of the crisis and more specifically a disposition to reconsider the threat to stop or disrupt the 2019 elections and the Anambra State governorship election on November 18, 2017, but emphasized that the decision did not lie with him alone and that the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra must be carried along.

Accordingly, it agreed to meet with the leadership of IPOB in order to try to secure their agreement and support. Regrettably, while the follow-up meeting was being arranged, the attack on Mazi Nnamdi Kanus home in Umuahia by soldiers of the Nigerian Army on September 10, 2017, occurred as reported in the news media, which, expectedly, triggered clashes between the IPOB supporters and the Army in Aba, Umuahia and other places, resulting in the death of, or injury to, several people.

Reacting to this sad development, the IPOB leadership indicated its intention not to attend the planned meeting.

Despite all this, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu made it known that, in the spirit of a search for amicable resolution of the crisis, he would still attend the planned meeting, now fixed for Friday, September 15, 2017.

However, a day or so before that date, another attack on his Umuahia residence by soldiers, armed with guns and armoured vehicles, was reported in the media, which caused Nnamdi Kanu to renounce his intention to attend the planned meeting.

ALSO READ: IPOB leader meets Igbo leaders in Enugu behind closed doors

It seems unreasonable and unfeeling to expect him to attend the meeting when the casualties included two of his cousins.

Speaking further, Nwabueze said he boycotted the meeting with the governors on Thursday, September 15, 2017 because the IPOB leadership expected at the meeting were absent, especially Nnamdi Kanu.
Buhari gave the assurance while delivering Nigerias national statement during the General Debate of the 72nd Session of United Nations General Assembly,UNGA 72, in New York on Tuesday.

The President said this commitment to democratic ideals became profound with Nigeria leading ECOWAS effort in the restoration of democratic governance in The Gambia and Cote DIvoire.

Our faith in democracy remains firm and unshaken. Our regional organisation ECOWAS came together to uphold democratic principles in The Gambia  as we had done previously in Cote DIvoire.

The frontiers of good governance, democracy including holding free and fair elections, and enthronement of the rule of law are expanding everywhere, especially in Africa.

The President told the gathering that the Nigeria under his leadership had embarked on the implementation of programmes and policies aimed at promoting accountability in governance, combating corruption and asset recovery.

He said: Through our individual national efforts, state institutions are being strengthened to promote accountability, and to combat corruption and asset recovery.

These can only be achieved through the international community cooperating and providing critical assistance and material support.

The President commended the UN, Germany, Italy, Greece and Turkey for assisting victims of conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

He lauded the international community for its exemplary show of solidarity in assisting the countries and communities in the Sahel and the Lake Chad regions to contain the threats posed by Al Qaida and Boko Haram.

ALSO READ: President Buhari says NO to Biafra

Buhari also thanked the Security Council for visiting the countries of the Lake Chad Basin to assess the security situation, humanitarian needs and pledging assistance to rebuild lives and livelihoods.
THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

IPOBs ban, link to terrorism unconstitutional, says Saraki

Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday faulted the declaration of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation by the army and the proscription of the group by the south-east governors, saying both actions were taken in breach of the constitution.

CJN okays special courts for corrupt cases

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, yesterday announced a plan to create special courts solely for the purpose of hearing and speedily determining corruption and financial crime cases.

Southwest governors, monarchs insist on restructuring

Some Southwest governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and traditional rulers have joined other leaders in the region to canvass restructuring of Nigeria.

__________________________________________________

VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

NASS may halt Presidencys bid to present 2018 budget

The ambitious bid by the Presidency to present its budget to the National Assembly next month may not materialise after all, due to several factors, chief among which is the postponement of the resumption from vacation by lawmakers.

Anti-graft war: CJN okays special courts, judges to try alleged looters

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, on Monday, directed all Heads of Courts in the country to compile and forward to the National Judicial Council, NJC, comprehensive lists of all corruption and financial crime cases being handled by their various courts.

Forex: CBN to sanction erring banks

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has threatened to sanction any Deposit Money Bank (DMB) in breach of its earlier directive to open teller points for retail forex transactions and to have electronic display boards in all their branches, showing rates of all trading currencies.

__________________________________________________

THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Reps chief whip attacks Saraki for saying IPOB ban illegal

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has said the declaration by the Nigerian military that the Indigenous People of Biafra is a terrorist organisation is unconstitutional.

Northern govs visit SEast, move to stop reprisals, commend Ikpeazu, others

A high-powered delegation of the Northern Governors Forum, on Monday, visited the South-East states and Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, with a message that despite the unfortunate incident in Abia State, steps had been taken to ensure that there were no reprisals in different parts of the country.

Bribe-collecting policemen handcuff passenger to vehicle after driver escaped

Some policemen attached to the Osun State Police Command have allegedly dehumanised a bus passenger at the Erinmo Ijesa end of the Iwaraja-Efon Alaaye Road, Osun State.

_______________________________________________

THISDAY NEWSPAPER

Buhari Takes Heat off Nigerian Army, Signs Proclamation Proscribing IPOB

In a move to take the heat off the Nigerian Army and ensure that due process is followed, President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a presidential proclamation proscribing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) over the groups involvement in terrorist activities.

ASUU Calls off Strike, Fuel Scarcity Looms as Tanker Drivers Down Tools

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) last night called off its over one-month strike after reaching an agreement with the federal government.

CBN Gives Banks Four-week Ultimatum to Open FX Teller Points

Banks that fail to comply with the directive before October 13, would among other severe sanctions be barred from all future CBN FX interventions.

__________________________________________________

THE BUSINESSDAY NEWSPAPER

Nigeria has higher investment risk but beats sub-Saharan Africa peers on returns

Among Africas top three economies, it is Nigeria that offers both the highest risk and highest reward to foreign investors, according to a Risk-Reward index developed by global risk consultancy firm, Control Risks Group Limited.

Nigeria failing to maximise free trade benefits

As Nigeria turns down the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) proposed by Europe, checks show that the country is not making maximum use of various international trading agreements with many countries.

Multinational oil companies offer over $1billion in financing for new gas projects
Ado-Doguwa said Sarakis declaration over the Army's pronouncement of the IPOB as a terrorist group, was a mere political statement that portrayed the nations Number Three citizen as a controversial leader.

I am sure the Senate President was only expressing his personal opinion, which I further believe was not a good one in the given circumstances. The Nigerian Armed forces in my opinion are doing their best professionally and in the best interest of a united Nigeria. Even the south-eastern state governors have declared the activities of Kanus IPOB as illegal and therefore proscribed. He (Senate President) cant cry more than the bereaved.

For me, the recent comment made by the Senate President on this matter was a mere political statement that would only portray him as a controversial leader. Considering the attacks meted out to innocent Nigerians by the IPOB group in the South-East and indeed the nationalistic conduct of the northern governors and the prompt action they took to stop possible reprisals in the North, the Senate Presidents statement was to say the least unnecessary, he said.

ALSO READ: Saraki says Biafran group not yet a terrorist organisation

On Monday, September 18, 2017, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has said the pronouncement by the Nigerian military that the Indigenous People of Biafra is a terrorist organisation is unconstitutional.
Here are five take-aways from what was a short, concise speech.

1. Boko Haram on his mind.

President Buhari drew the attention of world leaders to the continuous threat posed by Boko Haram in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions.

He also used the opportunity to thank members of the international community who have been supportive of Nigerias efforts to contain the bloody insurgency.

2. Humanitarian crisis is a global phenomenon.

The Nigerian president thanked the United Nations for settling thousands of innocent civilians trapped in conflicts in Syria, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Buhari also commended the governments of Germany, Italy and Turkey among others, for their role in humanitarian assistance wherever crisis has popped up across the globe.

3. Cooperation on transnational crimes.

Buhari charged the world to cooperate better on dealing with transnational crimes.

According to the president: We shall also cooperate in addressing growing transnational crimes like forced labour, slavery, human trafficking and cybercrime. We must collectively devise strategies to stop fleeing ISIS fighters from mutating and infiltrating into Sahel and Lake Chad Basin.

4. Buhari is saddened by the killings of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Buhari said: "The Myanmar crisis is very reminiscent of what happened in Bosnia in 1995 and in Rwanda in 1994. We fully endorse call by Sec-Gen on Myanmar to halt ongoing ethnic cleansing and ensure safe return of displaced Rohingya. In all these crises, the primary victims are the people, the most vulnerable being women and children."

5. North Koreas bomb tests are a concern for Buhari.

Like the rest of the civilised world, Buhari thinks North Koreas Supreme ruler, Kim Jong-Un, has to be stopped.

"Most pressing threat to international peace and security today is the accelerated nuclear weapons development programme by North Korea, Buhari said. Since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, we have never come so close to the threat of nuclear war as we have now.

"All necessary pressure and diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to accept peaceful resolution of the crisis. As Hiroshima and Nagasaki painfully remind us, if we fail, the catastrophic human loss and environmental degradation cannot be imagined.

ALSO READ: President condemns killing of Rohingya Muslims in UN speech

"Nigeria proposes strong UN delegation to urgently engage North Korean Leader. Delegation should include members from all regions.

"Korean peninsula crisis underscores urgency for member states to ratify without delay Treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons," Buhari said.

The Nigerian president also told world leaders that democracy and the rule of law have firmly taken root in Africa.

He cited the role of regional body, ECOWAS, in upholding democratic tenets in The Gambia and Cote DIvoire, in recent times.

The 72nd session of the UNGA has as its theme: "Focusing on People - Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet."
A judge in Trapani, Sicily will rule on the request for the vessel's release by Friday.

The high-profile seizure came as Italy moves to regulate the activities of NGOs operating off Libya against a backdrop of claims their presence was encouraging migrants to try to reach Europe and making life easier for traffickers.

The seizure was ordered by an investigating magistrate based on testimony from two former police officers working as security on another boat patrolling waters off Libya to help save refugees and other migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean on rickety dinghies and converted fishing boats chartered by traffickers.

The pair have testified, with the support of photographs, that they witnessed Iuventa crew members talking to presumed traffickers and that, on at least one occasion, the NGO's staff had towed a wooden boat from which migrants had been rescued back into Libyan waters, making it available for reuse by traffickers.

The NGO provided its side of the story on Tuesday, notably detailing contacts between the crew and the Italian coastguard, which coordinates rescue activity in the area.

"All the evidence collected has been presented and interpreted in an erroneous manner," said spokesman Philipp Kuelker, highlighting reported links between the key witnesses and far-right groups.

He said the Iuventa's position had been in line with instructions from the coastguard and that the boat supposedly delivered back to traffickers was only towed a short distance to get it away from the NGO's boat.

The alleged traffickers seen talking to the Iuventa crew members were in fact armed criminals who frequently attempt to pick up outboard motors after or even during rescues.

"We demand the immediate release of our ship, the dropping of any charges against the organisation or crew members and that those responsible for this despicable smear campaign publicly apologise..." Jugend Rettet said in a statement.
Gabriella Engels and her lawyers sought to persuade the North Gauteng High Court to allow them to proceed with their effort to have Mugabe's diplomatic immunity lifted.

Engels, 20, claims that Mugabe beat her repeatedly with an electrical cord in a Johannesburg hotel on August 13.

A public spat followed in which Engels and critics of President Robert Mugabe sought to have Grace arrested, charged and brought to court.

But South African authorities controversially granted Mugabe diplomatic immunity and she left the country.

The legal effort to have Mugabe's immunity lifted was opposed by Zimbabwe's embassy which argued that it is not obliged to help Engels' team locate Grace, a necessary first step in challenging her immunity.

"We know it is going to be a big fight but we are ready for the fight and we do believe justice will prevail in this case," said Gabriella Engels' mother Debbie.

"She is better. She is trying to pick up the pieces of her life and carry on with her life."

'A serious crime'

AfriForum, a lobby group that typically supports white workers in South Africa, said that Mugabe was not in the country on official business and so did not meet the conditions for immunity.

"Grace Mugabe was in South Africa for private business, she was here for medical attention. During this private visit she committed a crime," said AfriForum lawyer Willie Spies.

"That is defined in international law as a grave crime (assault with the intention to cause grievous body harm).

"It is a serious crime. That is not the kind of crime you could qualify for immunity."

Lawyers for Zimbabwe's embassy in South Africa argued on a technicality that Engels' team had not followed the law in bringing their bid.

"If we allow this application, we make a precedent. You cannot serve papers on a spouse at her husband's work address," said lawyer Simba Chitango.

"It does not make grammatical sense or even legal sense to say Grace Mugabe lives at the presidency."

AfriForum accused the Zimbabwean side of trying to delay proceedings.

After three hours of hearings, the court reserved judgement. The case continues and could take many months to conclude.

Mugabe has alleged in the media that Engels in fact assaulted her and was "drunk" and armed with a "knife" during the incident.

Grace Mugabe is one of the frontrunners to replace her 93-year-old husband although a string of recent gaffes have hurt her credibility at home and abroad.

South Africa's main opposition Democratic Alliance party has also sought to oppose Mugabe's immunity, appealing to the Constitutional Court to have it overturned.
"The Korean Peninsula nuclear problem must be solved through peaceful means," it quoted Wang as saying, adding that "the current deepening vicious cycle must be broken".

"Restoring peace talks is also a necessary step to carrying out the UN Security Council's resolution," he said.

Lavrov said Russia's position on the issue is "completely identical" to China's, the statement said.

Russia has joined China's call for a "dual-track" approach in which North Korea suspends its weapons programme in return for the United States halting military drills in the region.

The White House said earlier that US President Donald Trump had spoken with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over the phone, saying the two leaders were "committed to maximizing pressure on North Korea through vigorous enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions".

Trump is currently in New York for the UN General Assembly but Xi -- who has a major Communist Party congress next month that will cement his leadership for the next five years -- is not attending the event.

The UN Security Council last week imposed a fresh set of sanctions, though Washington toned down its original proposals to secure support from China and Russia.

Regional tensions have soared this month as North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and staged an intermediate-range missile test over Japan.

Trump has not ruled out a military option for dealing with Pyongyang.

The US flew four F-35B stealth fighter jets and two B-1B bombers over the Korean peninsula on Monday in a show of force.
The WHO sent a million doses in June only to see the Yemeni government change its mind, leading the United Nations to reassign the vaccines to Somalia and Sudan, Legros told reporters in Geneva.

Asked about Yemen's reversal, Legros said only that discussions with countries about vaccinations could be "complicated", noting the lack of familiarity with them in affected communities, especially in the case of newer vaccines like the one for cholera.

"We are still in negotiation with the government in Yemen to make sure we can also use (vaccines) to help control" the outbreak, he said.

Last week, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the rampant cholera crisis in Yemen had reached "colossal proportions", warning that it could affect 850,000 people by the end of the year.

More than 2,000 people have perished from the disease, according to the WHO.

The epidemic has put further strain on a ravaged health system in Yemen, where less than half of healthcare facilities are functioning as the conflict drags on.

Since March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition has been waging a war on behalf of the internationally recognised government against Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
Celebrating Our Service Members

Friday, November 11 is Veterans Day, when we honor and show gratitude to all members of our Armed Forces  those currently serving, those who...

Transit Equity Starts With QueensLink

For decades Queens has seen a disinvestment in the necessary transit infrastructure the borough needs to promote equity and sustainability. Most of the time, transformative...
Denim & Co. Essentials Jersey Mock Neck Long Sleeve Tunic is rated 3.9 out of 5 by 46 .

Rated 4 out of 5 by Foxxee from Good Quality! Ordered the royal blue in size small. Wear small-medium, 8-10. Fits perfectly. Like the medium weight cotton fabric, but D&C could cut most of the spandex since it appears a bit rubbery. This tee is more my style, mock neck, and longer length. The neck is on the loose side. D&C could make it lie closer to the neck. But, other than that, I like it and will get a lot of wear out of it. Good choice.

Rated 5 out of 5 by cattleKate from PERFECT IN EVERY WAY!!! Can we get these back in? The mock neck is not claustrophobic, the fabric is soft, love the length with jeans and leggings! MORE COLORS PLEASE!!!

Rated 4 out of 5 by penpen from if you like perfect jersey This is a nice cool weather top. I have learned to size up with tops made from perfect jersey because they do seem to be more form fitting after they are washed. It is a little heavier and it does tend to give that scuba fabric feel so if you dont like that feel this may not be the top for you. I did wear my tunic with a pair of black slim legged pants and it looked very nice and was super comfortable. I am 52 1/2 and I weigh 135#. I usually wear an XS or small in QVC tops but in tops that are made of perfect jersey I go with a small or medium. Because of the way this top is cut I ordered the small and it is just right. If you are busty I would size up.

Rated 2 out of 5 by Starliteshine from What is up with the fabric? I have other Perfect Jersey pieces and they don't feel this fabrication. It's thick and feels like scuba gear fabric or an industrial strength fabric. I felt like I was wrapped in plastic. I bought medium in black and gray and wear a 10/12 shirt, bust 36B. The fit was spot on in the shoulders and bust but too boxy in the stomach area. Even with the odd fit, I would have kept both and wore them under sweaters or vests but I know I wouldn't wear them because of the feel of the fabric.

Rated 5 out of 5 by catdiva from Go-to Black Top I got a couple of these in black, and I think the cut and length are just what you want in a 'wearing around' shirt. The neck isn't binding. I'd like to see this same style done with a kangaroo pocket.

Rated 5 out of 5 by Sofhie from Very Nice. Although this tunic is very nice, it is not attractive on me. Not Denim & Co's fault. It's going back.

Rated 2 out of 5 by CindyYork from Just another top I have ordered a lot from denim and co. I am very disappointed in this. It is very boxy and looks like a tent. You can get a cotton shirt like this at Walmart for less.....
The line will connect Sinop in Mato Grosso with the river port of Miritituba in the neighbouring state of Para, with traffic expected to include corn, soybeans, fertilisers, sugar, ethanol, and petroleum products.

Total rail freight demand on the corridor is forecast to exceed 25 million tonnes by 2020, and could reach 42.3 million tonnes by 2050.

The project has an estimated cost of Reais 12.6bn ($US 4bn), including construction, social and environmental compensation, land expropriation, signalling and power systems, railway equipment, and rolling stock.

According to Brazils National Land Transport Agency (ANTT), the tender for the 65-year Ferrograo concession must be published in the first quarter of 2018, and the contract is due to be awarded in the third quarter of next year. The criterion for judging the best economic proposal will be the highest concession value.

The concession will be based on a vertically-integrated model with a single company taking responsibility for management of infrastructure and the provision of transport services.

The line will alleviate the busy BR-163 highway, which is used by lorries carrying grain for export. Currently more than 70% of Mato Grossos crop yield is shipped from the ports of Santos and Paranagua, more than 2000km from point of origin.

For detailed data on rail projects in South America, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
The line between Amery and Churchill has been inoperable since May 23 due to a 200-year flood event that will cost between $C 20m ($US 16.3m) and $C 60m to repair. OmniTrax, which owns the Hudson Bay Railway, said in July that the track bed has been washed away in 19 locations, five bridges are damaged, and an additional 30 bridges and 600 culverts will need to be further assessed for structural integrity. Mr Peter Touesnard, chief commercial officer with OmniTrax, described the damage as unprecedented and catastrophic when he announced an indefinite suspension of rail services.

Earlier this month, the government formally demanded that the Hudson Bay Railway Company honour a 2008 agreement and repair the tracks.

Mr Wayne Wouters, strategic and policy advisor with McCarthy Tetrault, has been named as the governments chief negotiator to represent Canadas interests. Wouters will play a role in the discussions with OmniTrax, interested buyers, community leaders, and the Province of Manitoba.

The government says it is deeply concerned that OmniTrax has not yet commenced repairs and that further delay may jeopardise the ability to complete repairs before winter.

The government says it will look into transferring ownership of the line (and work with the new owner to restore rail service) should OmniTrax not be able to make the needed repairs and providing that the following conditions are met:

 the assets are transferred at a reasonable price taking into account OmniTraxs obligations

 the new owner has support from First Nations and other communities along the route, and

 the new owner has a viable business plan to operate the rail line safely, reliably and cost-effectively.

The government says it is willing to explore interim funding to restore the rail service, provided progress is made on meeting these conditions.

The government of Canada remains committed to the people of Churchill and Northern Manitoba and is ready to do its part to restore rail service, says Canadas minister of natural resources Mr Jim Carr. Time is of the essence here, and quick action from all partners is needed now.
INDIANAPOLIS: Progress Rail, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., has signed an updated Master Development Agreement with Seeing Machines, a specialist in computer vision technologies. The new exclusive agreement provides the framework to ready the companies fatigue monitoring solution for commercial use in rail applications.

Under the original agreement, Progress Rail and Seeing Machines conducted multiple, successful field trials with rail customers, enabling both parties to witness the fatigue monitoring technology in real time, as well as to better understand the challenges rail operators face in managing fatigue and distraction.

Our primary goal is to serve rail customers with valuable rail technologies, products and services to optimize their bottom line, said Paul Denton, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Analytics for Progress Rail, of Albertville, Ala. In working with Seeing Machines, we have collectively developed technology to do just that  by monitoring rail operators for alertness, global railways can maximize the efficiency of their rail fleets and help operators arrive home safely.

We are delighted to be continuing our work with Progress Rail, said Paul Angelatos, Senior Vice President & GM Fleet, Rail and Off-Road for Seeing Machines. Having worked closely over the past few years to develop a robust solution for the rail industry, its very pleasing to see that we are now able to move this commercial partnership to the next stage and start to significantly improve safety and productivity across the rail sector.

Progress Rail and Seeing Machines are demonstrating the technology witha specially equipped locomotive cab simulator at Railway Interchange 2017 in Indianapolis.
Man charged with killing Russian athlete put in detention

MOSCOW, September 19 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko)  Moscows Kuzminsky District Court ordered detention of Sulumbek Dzhabayev, who stands charged with murder of Russian hiker Nikolay Ivanov, the courts spokesperson Karina Kalenova told RAPSI on Tuesday.

The defendant will stay in jail until November 14.

As previously reported, the athlete died in Moscow from a knife wound.

On the night of September 14 to 15, there was a conflict between young people resulted in a knife injury of one of them. The victim died in a hospital, according to investigators.
ECHR ruling on complaint of Chechen militant sentenced to life takes effect

MOSCOW, September 19 (RAPSI)  The ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in favor of Chechen militant Arsan Mukayev sentenced to life in prison for murdering members of the Russian armed forces and law enforcement officers became effective.

Russias request for referral of the case to the courts Grand Chamber for review was dismissed.

According to Russias Prosecutor Generals Office, Mukayev, the member of a militant group headed by Islam Chalayev, was implicated in 13 murders committed in the Chechen Republic including the murder of Vladimir Moroz. the prosecutor of Grozny, the republics capital.

Mukayev was arrested in Kazakhstan in 2006 and extradited to Russia. In June 2007, The Supreme Court of Chechnya found him guilty of criminal gang activity, infringement on life of law enforcement officers, murders and robbery, ammunition trafficking, stealing weapons, intentional destruction of property, and sentenced him to life in prison. The sentence delivered with account of confessionary statements took effect in November 2007.

Mukayev in his application filed with ECHR insisted that he had confessed under tortures. He complained that he had been punched and kicked by police officers. When he refused to confess and give statements against certain persons whom he knew personally, officers tortured him with electric shocks and beat him about the head with plastic bottles filled with water, according to the applicant. The man also noted that Russian authorities declined to open a case over alleged tortures.

Mukayev claimed that Russia had violated Article 3 (prohibition on torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment), Article 6 (right to a fair trial) and Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) of the European Convention of Human Rights (Convention).

In March, the ECHR awarded 50,000 in compensation to Mukayev. The court held that the applicants rights of Mukayev had been violated.
ECHR ruling in Beslan terror attack case comes into force

MOSCOW, September 19 (RAPSI)  A ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) awarding about 3 million in compensation to victims of terror attack on a school in the Russian town of Beslan has come into force, the courts decision reads on Tuesday.

Earlier, Russias Justice Ministry filed a request to refer the case to the Grand Chamber of the court.

On April 13, ECHR obliged Russian authorities to pay the terror attack victims about 3 million in compensation and 88,792 of costs and expenses.

ECHR ruled that Russian authorities were aware of the planned terrorist attack but did not take necessary measures to prevent the tragedy. The court also exposed serious shortcomings in planning and controlling the operation of hostages rescue.

The Justice Ministry claims that the ECHRs ruling may indicate double standards regarding Russia, arguing that this decision contrasts ones made in precedent cases.

In particular, the Ministry notes that the Strasbourg court did not find violations in the organization of counter-terrorism operations in Great Britain after the 2005 attack in London involving shooting of a bystander mistaken for terrorist.

The Ministry said that Russian special operations forces are accused of using heavy weapons before confirmation of all hostages leaving school, yet British police are not treated the same way by ECHR for shooting a man based on subjective belief that he is a terrorist.

The Russian state body also recounted a case involving the murder of anti-globalist demonstration participant by a police officer, noting that, based on special opinions of the ECHR Grand Chamber judges, back then ECHR used much more relaxed criteria for obtaining evidence and judging efficiency of investigation.

Finally, the Ministry rejected arguments for transparent and through descriptions of operations plans, specifying weapons used in each case. According to the Ministry, giving access to such sensitive information in the era of increasingly frequent terror attacks will only decrease efficiency of operations against terrorism.

Victims of the attack and their families filed seven applications with ECHR between 2007 and 2011. Complaints were merged into one by the court with overall number of applicants reaching 447.

They claimed that Russian authorities failed to prevent the terrorist attack and fulfill their duty of protecting civilians. Applicants also claimed that assault was poorly organized and that there was no proper investigation into the events.

ECHR held that Article 2 (right to life) of the European Convention on Human Rights had been violated. According to the Strasbourg court, Russian authorities were aware of the planned terrorist attack but did not take necessary measures to prevent the tragedy.

The court also exposed serious shortcomings in planning and controlling the operation of hostages rescue.
Russian media watchdog permanently blocks 234 pirate websites

MOSCOW, September 19 (RAPSI)  Russian media and communications watchdog (Roskomnadzor) has permanently blocked 234 digital piracy websites, head of the agency Alexander Zharov told journalists on Tuesday.

Zharov stated that fight against digital piracy is successful. According to the official, the Moscow City Court blocked 3,700 websites containing stolen content with 2,500 being unblocked after deletion of materials in question. 234 of the websites were blocked permanently, those include online cinemas and torrent-trackers.

The official reminded that on October 1, the law on blocking of mirror websites comes into force.

President Vladimir Putin signed the law on July 3. It was drafted based on examination of practice of blocking forever websites, which repeatedly and illegally distributed information containing objects of copyright and (or) related rights, or information required for procurement thereof with the use of data telecommunications networks. The examination has revealed some deficiencies including inapplicability of prompt measures regarding automatically created mirrors of the blocked websites.

The law introduces the term derived Internet site (mirror website) into Russian legislation and prescribe the procedure of access restriction to such webpages on grounds of rights holders reference to the Moscow City Court. The law also obliges search systems providers to delete information on such websites from the search results.
Beginning Thursday, as many as 100,000 Russian and Belarusian troops will launch major military exercises along the border of three NATO countries. Russia's upcoming Zapad military exercise, which will simulate a response to an attempted overthrow of the Belarusian government by an insurgency unfriendly to Russia, has European countries and the United States on edge  Continue reading "Russia's Looming Military Exercise: A 21st Century Trojan Horse?"
Imam Musa al-Sadr is hardly known in the West today, but the 39-year anniversary of this clergymans mysterious disappearance remains a source of deep grief and resentment among his followers. Sadrs message of peaceful coexistence among peoples of different faiths still resonates. One cannot help but wonder what the Middle East, and Iran in particular, would look like today if Sadr had lived?

Sadr was a religious and political moderate who opposed direct clerical involvement in government and was the favorite of the senior clerics in Qom and Najaf who feared their ruthlessly ambitious peer Ruhollah Khomeini, the eventual Supreme Leader. His disappearance remains one of the great what ifs? of the late twentieth century. Researchers now lean toward the conclusion that responsibility for the imams kidnapping lies with the Islamic revolutionaries, and not with the Shahs secret police as once was believed. At the time of his disappearance, plans were underway to bring Sadr back to Iran from Lebanon to lead a moderate block against Khomeini and the fundamentalists. Sadr had even established a secret backchannel to the Imperial Court in Tehran, and he was on his way to a furtive meeting with the Shahs intermediary when he vanished in Tripoli.

Iran and the region could be very different today had Sadr lived to challenge Khomeini. Khomeinis followers adopted a policy of religious revolution, of Islam without borders, and a totalitarian empire ruled by a Supreme Leader. While Qom and Najafs old-line clerics who followed the quietist tradition of Shiite Islam rejected governmental involvement, acquiescing to injustice while patiently awaiting the Mahdis deliverance, Sadr preached a different path. He aimed to reconcile the Shia with secular government through an activism that empowered Shiites as loyal citizens.

Born in Iran to a high Shia family, young Sadr was dispatched by the Shah to southern Lebanon in 1959 to minister to the region's poor Shia community. Bold, energetic, and charismatic, the 31-year-old Sadr mobilized the Shia to have a voice in national affairs and established himself as a tireless proponent of social justice. By 1978, Sadr was well known and respected in Lebanon and counted moderate regional leaders such as King Hussein of Jordan and President Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt among his friends. When unrest erupted in Iran in early 1978, Sadrs mentors in Qom and Najaf naturally looked to him as a figure capable of drawing support away from their antagonist Khomeini. While he did not openly confront Khomeini, Sadr was appalled by Khomeinis Wilayat al-Faqih, which called for the overthrow of the monarchy and its replacement with a theocratic dictatorship.

In August of 1978, Libyas Moammar Gadhafi invited Sadr to Tripoli, ostensibly to bridge differences between Sadr and Khomeini. However, Gadhafi was funding the Islamic revolutionary movement and worried that Sadr was trying to cut a side deal with the Shah. This seems to be the motivation behind Sadrs disappearance in Gadhafi's residence in late August of that year.

Sadrs disappearance removed a major obstacle in Khomeini's path to power. It severely weakened the moderates in Qom who had been counting on Sadrs return to bolster their efforts against the extremists. Khomeini was quick to usurp Sadrs influence. He announced a sham investigation into Sadrs disappearance, delaying it for five months and then permanently canceling it. In Lebanon, the new Islamic Republic of Iran cast Sadr as a revolutionary martyr and icon of resistance for its local ally, Hezbollah. Hezbollah claimed Sadr as one of its spiritual forebears and exploited the grief of his followers by radicalizing and co-opting them, which also served to undermine Sadrs Amal party and militia.

Today, Shiite support is divided up between the ascetic Quietists such as Iraqs anti-Wilayat al-Faqih Ayatollah Ali Sistani; Hezbollah; Musa al-Sadrs distant Iraqi relative Muqtada al-Sadr, who opposes Irans influence in Iraq; and Irans authoritarian theocrats.

The latter enjoy the majority of Shiite support because they emphasize actively solving modern social ills and Shiite disenfranchisement. By contrast, the Quietists are awaiting the divine deliverance of the Mahdi to ease their communitys suffering. To many younger Shiites who are impatient for change, they appear detached from contemporary concerns.

This is why Sadrs legacy is more important today than ever. Tehran has taken aim at the reclusive al-Sistani as part of their plan to eliminate clerical opposition within Shiism. Meanwhile, the Gulf States are welcoming the militant Muqtada al-Sadr as a counter to Irans continued expansionism.

Like the Quietists, Musa al-Sadr rejected clerical control over the state or politics. Yet he wholeheartedly embraced modernity, which was the secret of his popularity with Shiite laymen -- he challenged unjust conditions of society. Unlike Hezbollah and the Khomeinists, the institutions he built were not a tool to recruit Lebanese Shiites into Irans revolutionary vanguard or to dismantle Lebanons republic. Musa al-Sadr aimed to empower his community to peacefully reform the Lebanese state, not tear it down or rebuild it on Irans Islamic model.

Musa al-Sadr also eschewed the terrorism and sectarianism of the anti-Khomeinist Muqtada al-Sadr. Muqtada is now positioning himself as the Iraqi nationalist alternative to the Iranian-controlled Shiite militias, but he presided over death squads which targeted U.S. forces and innocent Iraqi Sunnis alike. By contrast, Musa al-Sadr tried to build genuine cross-sectarian alliances to temper Lebanese and regional religious tensions.

Sadrs Amal militia also differed markedly from both Hezbollah and Muqtadas militants. Amal had a (Lebanese) nationalist orientation, but eschewed doctrinaire anti-Americanism and terrorism. Sadr even opposed attacking Israel from Lebanon, and used Amal to restrain the Palestinians from doing so.

Under the leadership of Irans Khomeinism or Muqtadas anti-Iranian militancy, Shiite activism will remain a destabilizing regional force. An alternative course of action is to finally embrace the model of moderation and cooperation championed by Imam Musa Sadr. Sadrs pragmatic activist model empowered Shiites as law-abiding patriots to their native countries. This vision can end the Shiites age-old sense of dispossession while ameliorating the Sunni-Shiite sectarianism tearing apart the region.
Property details:

Begin investing in affordable land!! Walk to the Beach-Only half mile The housing market is forecast to accelerate! Get your parcel of land now! they are not making any more of it. All taxes current and paid. No liens. Ready To Build$500 DOWN AND $100 PER MONTH$5500 TOTAL PRICEMississippi Gulf-Great Opportunity to own land near the water!!!Lot located in Waveland MS- Mississippi SoundIt is between New Orleans and Gulfport adjacent to St Louis Bay.Lot Size- 6,000 square feet +/-Dimension: 50ft x ...

Price: $ 500 Seller State of Residence: Mississippi State/Province: Mississippi City: Waveland Zoning: Agricultural Zip/Postal Code: 39576 Property Address: 311 Necaise st Location: , Waveland, Mississippi

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby 311 Necaise st
Property details:

Crestline Cedarpines Park Land Lot For Sale VALLEY OF ENCHANTMENT LAND LOT FOR SALE IN CEDARPINES PARK, CRESTLINE 92322 GREAT INVESTMENT PROPERTY $5500obo Lakes near by are Lake Gregory Regional Park (4 miles east), Silverwood Lake (11 miles north) and Lake Arrowhead (12 miles east). Cedar Pines Park is just 2 hour drive from the heart of Los Angeles. All taxes are up to date and free and clear. Parcel Number# 0342-232-59-0-000 Land lot is approximately 3,600 square feet in an unincorporated are...

Price: $ 5,500 State/Province: California Seller State of Residence: California City: San Bernardino Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: Residential Zip/Postal Code: 92322 Location: 934**, Buellton, California

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby 92322
Property details:

Welcome to Southern California's Playground of the Rich and Famous NO MINIMUM / NO RESERVE HIGH BID OWNS LOT For almost one hundred years, the Lake Arrowhead / Silverwood Lake / Lake Gregory / Big Bear area has been the primary mountain resort in Southern California. The 782 acre Alpine Lake, nestled at an altitude of 5108', is often described as the jewel of Southern California. The fresh mountain air and four-season climate is unmatched in Southern California. Part of the San Bernadino Nationa...

Price: $ 590 Seller State of Residence: Florida Property Address: Mojave River Road State/Province: California City: Cedarpines Highlands Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: Residential Location: , Cedarpines Highlands, California

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby Residential
Property details:

Free Closing! Seller Pays All Closing Costs! Buyer only pays high bid! Buyer will receive a $500 Gift card when the ownership transfers at the resort! Buyers First Year Available: 2018Usage: Annual UsageFloat Unit: 2 bedroom 2 bath sleeps 6 Float Week: 1-52Unit type: 2 Bedroom with full kitchen Estimated Maintenance fee: $842.00 due Annually Special Assessments: $0Property Tax: Included in maintenance feesDeeded Perpetual Ownership (Week 37, Unit 1102)Exchange Company: RCI Buyer will receive a $...

Price: $ 6 Seller State of Residence: Montana Property Address: 1745 S. Anaheim Blvd. State/Province: California City: Anaheim Type: Attractions Number of Bedrooms: 2 Number of Bathrooms: 2 Zip/Postal Code: 92805 Location: 928**, Anaheim, California

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby 92805
,



We're sorry, this article is not currently available
Suppressor sales have been noticeably slow over the past few seasons. We'll chalk the slump up to the assumption that people are waiting for the Hearing Protection Act (now part of the SHARE Act) to pass, eliminating wait times and the $200 tax stamp. As America waits to see if Congress will effectively repeal portions of the National Firearms Act, SilencerCo figured out a way for every American, in all 50 states, to legally own a suppressed gun; and with a few exceptions, without even filing a shred of paperwork.









SilencerCo presents the integrally suppressed Maxim 50 muzzleloader. This primitive weapon fills the need for anyone who has wanted to own a suppressor, but can't, due to state law.

Owning a muzzleloader might sound like something for grandpa- it doesn't align with current trends of semi-auto or precision rifle enthusiasts. Muzzleloaders are unique in their classification by the BATFE as antique firearms. Thanks to that definition, muzzleloaders are legal in all 50 states.

Hunting with a muzzleloader is legal in most states that are considered, shotgun only states, meaning states where hunters cannot use a breech-loading rifle. And, hunting with a muzzleloader usually allows for more days of hunting than regular rifle seasons. For more information on hunting regulations, by state, check out muzzle-loaders.com.

To top off those benefits of owning a muzzleloader, SilencerCo implemented an integrated suppressor. This characteristic is thanks to the tedious legal research performed by SilencerCo employees in an effort to create a product allowing suppressor ownership throughout the USA.

From SilencerCo:

The BATFE defines a silencer as a device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm  By that definition, a silencer is only a silencer if it can attach to a firearm. The Maxim 50 is built on the base of a Traditions Vortek Strikerfire Muzzleloader. For those who know muzzleloaders, youll also know that they are not considered firearms by the BATFE but are instead antique firearms, a definition and difference that is very distinct. Because of this, a moderator that is permanently affixed to a muzzleloader is not legally defined as a silencer, since it does not attach to a firearm. With this realization, the Maxim 50 was born. It took a lot of creativity to arrive at this solution, said Josh Waldron, SilencerCo CEO and Co-Founder. We have been working on this product for three years, with most of that time spent waiting on a determination from the Technology Branch of the BATFE as to how this product would be classified. As soon as we received official word that it wouldnt be considered or regulated as a silencer, we got to work on bringing the Maxim 50 to customers across the country. Caliber: .50

Muzzle Average: 139dB

Rate-Of-Twist: 1:28 inches

Length:

Overall Length: 45 inches

Barrel Length: 20 inches

Moderator Length: 9 inches

Weight: 7 pounds 6 ounces

#209 Shotgun Ignition System

2 Stage Competition Trigger; set at 2 pounds

Price: $999

To learn more about the Maxim 50, go to https://silencerco.com/maxim50

Editor's note: Due to state laws in New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts, SilencerCo has issued a statement in reference to SilencerCo's integrally suppressed Maxim 50. Even though the Maxim 50 is federally legal, as per the response from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, ongoing investigation is needed to determine if it is legal by state laws in NJ, CA, and MA. Read the official statement from SilencerCo:

Upon launching the Maxim 50, SilencerCo received several immediate legal challenges from authorities and lawyers in the states of New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts. Since we have no desire to place any consumer in a situation where they may get arrested and charged with a felony because their state defines a firearm differently than the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), we have placed orders from those states on hold and are refunding customers pending conversations amongst lawyers. These three states have rules that are not entirely clear with respect to firearms and silencers and antique firearms, and it is relevant to point out that no states contemplated a product of this sort in their laws.

SilencerCo asked for and received a determination from the BATFE on behalf of the federal government prior to launch but could not do so officially from each state government or risk specific state-level legislation being passed prohibiting the product before it was even launched. We will refund orders to customers from these states and update consumers as soon as feasible as to the ultimate determination in California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.



We believe that lawabiding citizens should have the ability to purchase and own silencers, regardless of what state they live in. We will continue our efforts in advocacy and encourage all who share our desire to take action and contact their elected representatives by visiting www.fightthenoise.org. 
It is no coincidence that the White House released the DACA decision right after Hurricane Harveys initial impact and right before the three other hurricanes made landfall.
The B.C. government has introduced legislation to ban union and corporate political donations, including political donations from outside of British Columbia. The government is also putting in place a $1,200 cap on individual donations. The cap is much smaller than the $5,000 the B.C. Liberals proposed in similar legislation and would be the second-lowest limit in the country. Quebec has the lowest cap in the country at $100 per person.The B.C. Green Party worked with the NDP on the new rules and is expected to support them. Once they are voted into law, the use of all restricted or banned donations made after May 9, 2017, the last provincial election, will not be allowed in future elections."We're reforming campaign finance rules to make sure government's actions and decisions benefit everyone, not just those with deep pockets," said Premier John Horgan.
The partnership will look to expand Fords reach in the fast-growing Indian market and improve M&Ms access to global markets

Homegrown utility vehicle major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Ford have decided to collaborate again, after a 1995 tie-up to facilitate the American carmakers entry into India ended in 2005.

This time, the firms would explore joint development of products, especially electric and connected vehicles.

The partnership will look to expand Fords reach in the fast-growing Indian market and improve M&Ms access to global markets.

At present, both have a single-digit share in a market dominated by Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor.

Teams from both the firms would work together for up to three years and any further strategic cooperation would be decided at the end of the period.

The partnership comes at a time when the government has gone all out to promote electric vehicles and plans to move to an all-electric fleet by 2030.

More and more Indian automobile companies are, thus, feeling the need to partner international brands to address the needs of the fast-changing market.

Japanese carmaker Toyota partnered Suzuki early this year.

The cost and time taken in new product development is extremely high. Every player has some unique strength.

In this backdrop, it is a win-win for two players to come together and derive benefits of partnership, said Jagdish Khattar, former managing director of Maruti Suzuki and the man behind Carnation (a network of service stations for cars).

Recently, Bajaj Auto partnered British motorcycle brand Triumph to make some motorcycles in India.

The changes facing the industry globally are triggered by the accelerated rise of new technologies, sustainability policies and new models of urban shared mobility.

Given these changes, we see the need to anticipate new market trends, explore alternatives and look for ways to collaborate, as we compete and build powerful synergies that will allow rapid exploitation of exciting new opportunities, said Pawan Goenka, managing director at M&M, the countrys biggest passenger vehicle (cars, vans and utility vehicles) player after Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. M&M already manufactures electric cars and three-wheelers.

Fords first car in India, the Escort, was made through its first partnership with M&M. The Ikon, Fusion, Fiesta, Figo and other models followed. Ford bought out M&Ms 50 per cent stake in the partnership in 2005.

M&M then entered into a joint venture with French carmaker Renault to make and sell its sedan, the Logan, in India.

However, this venture didn't last long, either. The 51:49 venture started selling the Logan in July 2007.

In April 2010, M&M bought out Renault's stake for an undisclosed amount.

M&M, which specialises in utility vehicles, can take a re-look at the car segment through its latest partnership with Ford.

The partnership is much wider in scope compared to the earlier one, and will also look at distribution of cars and sourcing of materials.

M&M has been losing market share for a while and has not been able grow volumes for more than a year, as rivals step up competition in the utility vehicle space.

Ford has also been stuck with a sub-three per cent share for a few years, while emerging as the biggest exporter of passenger vehicles from India. Ford has a spare capacity, which can be used suitably by M&M.

India, currently the fifth-biggest, is expected to become the third-biggest car market by 2020, with a volume of 5 million units compared to 3 million now.

The partnership with M&M will allow us to work together to take advantage of the changes coming in the industry.

The enormous growth potential in the utility vehicle market and the growing importance of mobility and affordable battery electric vehicles are all aligned with our strategic priorities, said Jim Farley, executive vice-president and president of global markets, Ford.

According to a Bloomberg report, the India plan is one of the most significant Ford has made in the first four months under chief executive officer Jim Hackett.

The first major decision the firm announced after Hackett took charge as CEO involved the automakers operations in Asia, the report said.

In June, it scrapped a $500-million plan to move the production of the Focus from Michigan to Mexico and said it would export the Focus from an existing factory in China instead.

Photograph: Philippe Wojazer/Reuters
Aldo, Charles & Keith, Pavers England, Hush Puppies, Clarks, Steve Madden, Tod's and Bally, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo and Longchamp have all come to India. For Woods, this is a validation of the promise that the market holds out.

TE Narasimhan reports.

Photograph: Courtesy WoodsCollection/Facebook

Even as premium and luxury shoemakers from around the globe, such as Jimmy Choo, Bally, Pavers England and Charles & Keith sweat it out for a slice of the organised shoe market in India, homegrown brand Woods is going in for a makeover.

Having moved out of parent Woodlands' shadow into stand-alone stores, it is revamping the retail experience, while defining its identity and clientele more sharply.

To start with, the shoemaker wants to differentiate its brand identity from that of Woodlands. Woods is a casual-premium brand, different from the mass-casual market that Woodlands caters to, says Harkirat Singh, managing director of Aero Group, which owns both Woodland and Woods brands.

"Woods won't piggyback on Woodland any more. Woods conveys a philosophy which is quite opposite to Woodland, which deals in the casual-outdoor-adventure segment."

The two operate in separate price bands.

Woodland shoes retail in the range of 3,000-5,000; Woods is priced between 5,000 and 12,000, in the premium and luxury band.

The premium and luxury market for shoes in India is extremely small.

India annually produces 2.1 billion pairs, of which about 90 per cent are consumed internally.

According to a report by CARE (Indian retail industry-Structure and Prospects), organised footwear accounts for just 2 per cent of the organised retail market. Of this, the premium market is an even thinner slice.

India's total retail market is worth 33,592 crore, growing at 18 per cent, and is expected to cross 54,000 crore by next year.

According to analysts, the premium and luxury footwear segment amounts to 1,000-1,500 crore.

For Woods, however, the numbers are not a deterrent.

The company says the Indian youth is more aware of brands than earlier generations.

Also, various consumer surveys powering the company's thrust into the segment indicate there is a growing demand for designer footwear that is also sturdy and tenacious enough for the Indian environment.

This has led to the entry of a number of international brands into the segment.

Aldo, Charles & Keith, Pavers England, Hush Puppies, Clarks, Steve Madden, Tod's and Bally, among others, are available in India either through exclusive stores or through multi-brand outlets.

Louis Vuitton and Jimmy Choo (now owned by Michel Kors), the luxury footwear brands in the world, have opened exclusive stores in India.

Recently, French luxury brand Longchamp entered India and opened its first store at the DLF Emporio mall in Delhi. It plans to open a few more over the next year.

For Woods, the entry of big international names is a validation of the promise that the market holds out.

The first Woods Store in Delhi, an exclusive all-leather footwear and allied lifestyle accessories outlet, was opened recently.

Singh says in the next two years, the company will open around 25 Woods stores. Each store would involve an investment of 2-2.5 crore, he said.

The company has also tied up with Amazon and Flipkart.

For a long time now, the Woods brand has been a part of the Woodland stores. Almost 60 per cent of Woodland stores sell Woods products; it is also sold through multi-brand stores such as Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle and others.

Of a total revenue of 1,350 crore, around 20 per cent was from the Woods brand in 2016-17. The number, Singh says, has been growing consistently at 15-20 per cent.

"Today the brand has matured enough to have separate stores."

Singh is targeting the millennial consumer.

He believes there is greater acceptance for brands with the look and feel of Woods today than earlier. Well-travelled and more exposed to global styles, these customers are hungrier for brands that meet their standards at home.

Singh says the current market presents a dilemma for the brand in that while Woods has seen a steady acceptance by Woodland customers, it has failed to evolve into its own label.

He is clear he does not want to develop it as a sub-brand. That was why he started stand-alone stores. The viability of Woods as a stand-alone brand may not be as good as Woods in Woodland stores. But, this will help create its identity and push the brand on a higher growth trajectory Singh says.

The brand is also planning to venture into shirts, T-shirts, dresses and party wear. The company has hired a team of designers and a new line-up is expected by September.

The company is also on the lookout for a suitable endorser for the Woods brand and it plans to spend nearly 7-8 per cent of the sales budget on marketing alone.
Group of ministers to review progress every fortnight.

Raghu Krishnan reports.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

The group of ministers constituted to look into technical glitches in the goods and services tax network has identified a set of common issues after talking to corporate entities such as Unilever, various state tax department officials and tax consultants.

At its first review meeting in Bengaluru, the GoM asked vendor Infosys to fix these glitches by October-end.

Led by Bihar Deputy Chief Mminister Sushil Kumar Modi, the GoM will review progress on this task every fortnight.

Since Friday, September 15, GSTN officials met several large enterprises including Unilever, over 80 tax officials from various states and interacted with tax consultants who help file returns for the nearly 8.5 million taxpayers registered with the indirect tax system.

Infosys officials were also involved in identifying the set of universal glitches: Inability to rectify errors, lack of forms, issues regarding processing applications, and bugs in the software that slow the system.

Traders have complained that it takes as much as 12 hours to update a form, and in many cases, the site is inaccessible. This has had an impact on the filing of returns.

Nearly 8.5 million traders have registered for the GST across India. This includes about 2.3 million new ones who have come into the system.

For July, around 4.7 million traders had filed the returns; for August, so far only 0.3 million have filed returns.

Modi appealed to dealers to not wait till the last day to file returns. He added the heavy rush to meet the deadline would put pressure on the system.

No extension for filing GSTR-3B after December

The government on Saturday, September 16, ruled out any further extension of timeline after December for filing GSTR-3B tax returns by businesses.

GSTR 3B is a simple return form introduced by the CBEC for July and August, following the roll-out of the goods and services tax from July 1.

"We have already extended the period for GSTR-3B. People have to file their own self-assessed summary return till December, and there will not be any extension of time as far as GSTR-3B is concerned," Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said.

The GST Council had earlier allowed businesses to file GSTR-3B till December.

It is like building the ship while sailing," said Modi, "Any system will take time to stabilise. Efforts are now on to find solutions to the problems."

Other members of the panel are Karnataka Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Telangana Finance Minister Etela Rajender, GSTN interim Chairman A B Pandey and GSTN Chief Executive Officer Prakash Kumar.

Infosys, which had claimed that it was ready with a robust system before the GSTN roll-out, was represented at the three-hour-long meeting by its interim Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Pravin Rao and independent board member D N Prahlad. They assured that the company would put in resources to fix the glitches soon.

In September 2015, Infosys had won the Rs 1,380 crore (Rs 13.80 billion) contract to implement the GSTN and maintain it for five years.

Asked whether Infosys had failed in delivering the project, the largest such system in the world, Adhia said, "I don't think they have failed. There are initial issues and hiccups. There have not been large-scale failures."

Experts, however, felt addressing the glitches were the need of the hour.

"A few of the key problems, such as deregistration or the refund mechanism for exporters, should be given preference. While the government is making efforts to resolve these problems, the businesses are also required to upload the data on time and not rush only at the last moment," said Abhishek Rastogi, partner, Khaitan and Co.

Pratik Jain, partner and leader, indirect tax, PwC, said, "The speed with which the GSTN monitoring committee was constituted and held its first review meeting was encouraging. Hopefully, the committee has got a 360 degree view of all the issues and challenges. It would be good if list of these issues and expected date of resolution is published for public consumption, which will allay some bit of anxiety that industry has."

Responding to a question on whether the GST Council was thinking of doing away with frequent rate changes, Modi said, "The Council is competent enough and mandated to take up the issues of GST rates. If the Council feels the need to change the tax rates of some items, so be it."

Some industry captains have raised concerns over the changing GST rates. Among them, Hyundai, on September 12, had flayed frequent changes in tax rates on automobiles, saying investment on new products and technology will be adversely impacted in the absence of consistent and long-term policy.
A minor fix in tax laws can make start-ups bloom, says Ajit Balakrishnan.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com.

Last weekend a group of serious-faced men came to see me. When they called me, theyd said they needed some tips to make their venture to assist Indian start-ups successful, and I was only too happy to meet them.

As soon as they came in, they eyed my dining table and, once there, spread out a large sheet of paper on which was a perspective drawing of a three-storeyed building with a grand entrance.

This is a building which can house several dozen start-ups, said one of them.

How will this help start-ups? I asked.

Once this building is finished we will be able to provide low-cost office space to many dozens of start-ups, he said. As you know, finding low-cost space for their office is the most important ingredient for a start-up.

I was struggling to find words polite enough to tell them that what they were attempting was to do a real-estate play on the current enthusiasm about start-ups in India, when a series of images flashed through my mind: Political leaders of every hue and every level posing for press photos with youthful start-up founders; a Government of India website, startupindia.gov.in, dedicated to start-ups, spelling out that they need not worry too much about things like labour laws and environmental laws, describing how a portion of government procurement is going to be reserved for them, and so on.

Whats brought on this sudden twist in policy making, where de-regulation and reform as buzzwords have been replaced by start-ups?

At one level, it is easy to understand this twist.

India is not creating enough jobs for its young people. Industries that were the fountainhead of jobs -- textiles, leather, metals, automobiles, gems & jewellery, transport, IT/BPO -- are hiring very little or even cutting down on their manpower in a struggle to stay alive.

And whats worrying policymakers even more is that even in industries that are seeing growth, jobs dont seem to be growing at the same pace.

Since start-ups seem to be the shining light in the distance that will solve the job problem in our country, its worth our while to understand this new animal in our landscape, the start-up.

Wikipedia, a great source of definitions that everyone has agreed upon, defines a start-up as an entrepreneurial venture which is typically a newly emerged, fast-growing business that aims to meet a marketplace need by developingan innovative product, service, process or a platform.

In one sense, then, a start-up, as distinct from the many other mom-and-pop businesses that exist, bases its future on innovation (= an innovation using internet-based technology) to solve a market need.

Experience (and scholarly research) has established that a start-up goes through certain defined stages.

In its first stage, the primary risk is whether the start-up can actually build a prototype of the product or service at a cost and with the features that it set out to build and whether a few early customers are ecstatic about it. This is the Product Risk stage.

Once a start-up gets past this first stage, the next risk it faces is whether sufficient numbers of customers exist to make the business viable. This is the Market Risk stage.

Once a start-up gets past this stage, life, even if stressful, is relatively easy to negotiate -- the founders can hire people experienced in operations and they can help them scale up their business, take it public, and so on.

What level of investment and what type of investors are needed at these two stages?

My estimate is that in India start-ups need about Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore over a period of about nine months to a year to get past the Product Risk phase.

To get past the next Market Risk stage, start-ups need another Rs 1-3 crore and another six months.

If a start-up finds a successful path through these two stages, venture capitalists and others will rush to fund it. So, the real issue is getting past these first two stages.

Well-meaning people have proposed incubators to help entrepreneurs past these two stages -- the current start-up policy, for example, has set aside very generous funding for such incubators in IITs, NITs, IIMs, and so on.

In addition, practically every state government has some incubator project under way.

All these efforts will help to some degree but a crucial element will still be missing.

At the micro-level, the start-up entrepreneur needs two or three people who will put in Rs 25 lakh each. These are called angel investors.

Ideally, they should be people who are a little older and wiser than the entrepreneur himself, but, more importantly, respect his product vision and understand enough about the technology space that the business is in.

At the next stage, the Market Risk stage, the same angels, or some additional others, need to be able to put in another Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh each, and, more important than money, help by introducing the young entrepreneur to prospectively scale up customers or help him hire people of the right kind to scale up skills.

This means that the right angel investor is likely to be an experienced professional with deep skills and experience in the industries that the start-up is getting ready to disrupt.

Whats a smart way to encourage the right type of angel investors to step up? We have put one crucial piece in place, the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), which came to life in India in 2008.

An LLP is a corporate and legal entity separate from its partners. An angel investor, who may be an experienced corporate executive, can, thus, invest in an LLP, and not worry that the enterprises liabilities become his.

At the same time, an LLP is governed by the partnerships deed and does not have to deal with our byzantine Indian Companies Act.

What we need to do is to go one step further: Amend the Income Tax Act such that the losses that the start-up LLP incurs in its early stage can be set off by each LLP partner against his other income.

This means that the LLP investor will get tax savings as his return even during the initial stages when the start-up is losing money.

If the start-up does not go past the initial stages, no harm is done -- the angel investor would have got his return. This will bring in a flood of high-quality angel investors who are vitally needed to kickstart our start-up dream.

And thats the crucial missing piece today.

Ajit Balakrishnan, chairman and founder of Rediff.com, is the author of The Wave Rider, A Chronicle of the Information Age. You can write to him at ajitb@rediffmail.com.
Two years ago, India was touted as a rare bright spot in a gloomy global economy with GDP growth outpacing a slowing China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stocktaking of the economy has been postponed pending finance ministry putting together a comprehensive presentation on the reasons for slowdown and remedial measures it proposes.

Modi was to meet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian and other top officials in the finance ministry Tuesday evening to analyse the economic situation and explore options to stimulate the economy.

The meeting has been postponed by a few days, official sources said. No new dates have been proposed as yet.

Prime Minister's Office has asked the finance ministry to hold consultations with key ministries to prepare a matrix of government revenues and spending as well as the measures needed to arrest the decline in GDP growth, the sources said.

Sectoral reasons and action points would be prepared, they said, adding that high level discussions with ministries such as railways to assess the capital requirement for the year were held on Monday and more such meeting would follow.

Similar discussions are planned with the road transport and highways ministry to assess spendings on infrastructure projects.

Discussions, attended by Additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, P K Mishra, are also happening with commerce and industry ministry on exports.

Two years ago, India was touted as a rare bright spot in a gloomy global economy with GDP growth outpacing a slowing China.

But since early 2016, GDP growth has fallen for six consecutive quarters, dipping to three-year low of 5.7 per cent in the April-June quarter with India losing the fastest growing economy tag to China for the second straight quarter.

The sources said the government is keen to address structural problems facing the economy as well as transient issues with implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

GST was touted to boost growth by up to 2 percentage point but technical glitches in the first two months of implementation has only created a scare of revenues falling way short of expectations.

Sources said two issues the PMO wants fixed quickly are sluggish exports and private investment not picking up.

Demonetisation of old 500 and 1000 rupee notes, which constituted 86 per cent of the currency in circulation, had impacted cash-dependent informal sectors of the economy and small enterprises.

Sources said targeted government spending given the limited fiscal space available particularly on infrastructure, combined with quickly fixing the problems with GST and focusing on sectors and industries that create jobs are the prime focus.

The government is concerned at the stuttering growth despite a benign macroeconomic environment with easy money flowing in, global growth reviving, government revenues looking solid, deep foreign exchange reserves, reasonable oil prices and a decent monsoon keeping food prices in check.

Besides falling GDP growth rate, exports are facing strong headwinds and the industrial growth is the lowest in five years.

The current account deficit (CAD) - the difference between inflow and outflow of foreign exchange, has risen to 2.4 per cent of GDP in April-June.

CEA Arvind Subramanian had last week briefed the prime minister on macro-economic situation.

Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Princess Mako's love story will make you believe in the power of love. She is living proof that love conquers all :)

Japan's Princess Mako looks on after cutting the ribbon in the official celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Japanese immigration in Paraguay.

Photograph: Jorge Adorno/Reuters

It is not everyday that you come across a story of a princess marrying a law firm employee.

Such endearing love stories are rare, yet they bring a smile on your face.

Take the case of Japan's Emperor Akihito's granddaughter, Princess Mako.

The 25-year-old recently got engaged to Kei Komuro, who works with a law firm. Yes! You heard it right :)

Princess Mako, the elder daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, and her fiancee Kei Komuro during a press conference to announce their engagement.

Photograph: Shizuo Kambayashi/Reuters

The two had met five years ago at the International Christian University, where Kei won her heart.

'I was attracted by his bright smile like the sun,' she told New.com.au.

Back in 2013, Kei proposed to her at a dinner and they are all set to tie the knot next year.

Princess Mako, left, and her sister Princess Kako at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

Unlike most of the royals, Princess Mako had a job! She used to work as a researcher in a Tokyo museum and is now studying for a doctorate.

She will lose her royal status after marrying Kei, because in Japan women are not allowed to succeed the throne.

However, her parents Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko have expressed their delight for their daughter and support her decision.

Prince Akishino and his wife Princess Kiko wearing the traditional ceremonial attire accompanied by Princess Mako, left, and Princess Kako, right.

Photograph: Issei Kato/Reuters

We ask you, dear reader do you have an endearing love story that you'd like to share with us.

Tell us how you met your special someone and fell in love.

Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: My Love Story).

You can also include a photograph of you and your partner and we'll publish the best entries right here on Rediff.com.
The judiciary has often shied away from contesting the speakers right or that of the legislature, but it has not always avoided taking a close look at the processes employed and arrive at conclusions that are binding on all concerned, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

IMAGE: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam being felicitated at AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran's 100th birth anniversary function in Ariyalur district on August 23, 2017. Photograph: PTI Photo.

With Tamil Nadu assembly speaker P Dhanapal ordering the disqualification of 18 MLAs of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam faction identified with jailed party general secretary V K Sasikala Natarajan and her nephew T T V Dinakaran, what had remained a political crisis has overnight acquired a constitutional form as well.

What makes the decision as much ironical as it is interesting and intriguing is the fact that the speaker has this time lost no time in having the vacancies notified for the Election Commission to conduct fresh polls for the 18 seats.

In contrast, Dhanapal, who was also speaker at the time, took nearly two months to notify the vacancy after a Bengaluru courts sentencing of then chief minister and party boss, the late Jayalalithaa, to four years in prison, caused the vacancy of her Srirangam assembly seat, on September 27, 2017.

Already, the Madras high court is seized of the disqualification of 18 MLAs. Only last week the court had directed/advised the speaker to hold on the processes until September 20, but Advocate-General Vijaya Narayanan, appearing for Dhanapal, declined to make any commitment.

Be it as it may, the higher judiciary in the country has often shied away from contesting the speakers right or that of the legislature in such matters. However, they have always not avoided taking a close look at the processes employed and arrive at conclusions that are binding on all concerned.

In this particular case, counsel appearing for the 18 MLAs had submitted before Justice K Duraiswamy as to the absence of the required appendix and other documents, as attachments to the speakers notice to his clients, for them to respond. The relevant legal provisions have made the process mandatory.

Even as the speaker had commenced the processes, it was pointed out how under the anti-defection law only a defiance of the party whip alone would entail a demand for disqualification. As no such vote has taken place yet, there was no such vote or consequent defiance of any whip for the speaker to be able to proceed in the matter.

A third point of contestation proceeds from the TTV MLAs individual letters to acting Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao many weeks ago, submitting that they were withdrawing support to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, but not to the party-led government.

Even as the content and intent of the signatories were contestable as the spirit of the constitutional provision is against any such qualified withdrawal, other questions have arisen along side.

Weeks after the MLAs met the governor, Rao was reported to have told a delegation of some Opposition party leaders (without any representation in the assembly) that the contents of the TTV factions letters related to internal affairs of the ruling party, and that the Raj Bhavan had no role in the matter.

The Raj Bhavan has since not denied the claims made by the Opposition leaders after the meeting, which went viral both in the regular and social media.

If the MLAs letter was the only cause for the ruling party/faction chief whip to demand their expulsion, the question also arises how the speaker could act on a letter on which the governor had reportedly claimed that he did not have any locus standi.

If, however, the Raj Bhavan found it proper to forward those letters to Speaker Dhanapal -- and not Chief Minister Palaniswami -- for comments/response, it is not known to have kept the signatory MLAs in the loop, as is customary and possibly required otherwise, too.

If the Raj Bhavan had not forwarded the letters to the speaker directly, then the question arises as to how Dhanapal could act on a non-existent document, based on the complaints of the ruling factions chief whip.

Likewise, the speaker's reasons for disqualification, like the levelling of graft charges against the chief minister and team, meet with the requirements of law. If the governor stood by reports that it was a party affair, the speaker may not be able to take a different line.

Though not much clarity is likely to emerge when the high court hears the case on September 20, the secretary to Governor Rao is expected to respond to the courts notice on related issues arising out of the Leader of the Opposition M K Stalins petition, seeking a direction to the governor for a trust-vote by CM Palaniswami.

It is both customary and constitutionally-mandated that the head of state, be it the President or the governor, should not be named in any court case as a respondent. However, they are sought to be impleaded through their secretary. In the past, Presidents and governors have invariably responded through their last-minute decisions and actions, to avoid embarrassment by and before the courts under their own jurisdiction.

Then governor, the late M Channa Reddy, clearing then Janata Party president Subramanian Swamys petition for sanction to prosecute Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the TANSI land-deal scam, is a case in point from and during her first term in office. Reddy granted the sanction after the Supreme Court, after several adjournments, indicated to the governors counsel to come up with a decision in the immediate next hearing.

Incidentally, the TTV faction sought to implead itself in the Stalin-initiated case, which was granted by the court. Politically, detractors of the two in the ruling AIADMK faction see a conspiracy between them both to try and unseat the EPS-led government.

Clearly, the DMK would be happy with an early election, for which the chances seem to be receding, at least on paper. After declaring that they would not go back to the governor on their repeated pleas with Rao on the trust vote issue, Stalin declared they would only approach the courts and the people, and he has since taken the first step.

Elections are, however, not in the hands of the DMK leadership, though the party is said to be considering the possibility and wisdom of en masse resignation of all 98 MLAs, including eight of the Congress ally, if a trust vote became possible with the reduced numbers caused by the disqualification of the 18 TTV legislators.

The DMK legislators group is meeting in Chennai on Tuesday, only hours after Governor Rao arrives in Chennai, after meetings with President Ramnath Kovind and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi the day before. Both President Kovind and Governor Rao are legal and constitutional experts in their right.

Raos Delhi engagements ahead of the Chennai visit have already given raise to (avoidable) speculation that the Centre and the governor together may be actively considering the possibility of keeping the state assembly under suspended animation after dismissing the Palaniswami government, or advising the latter to submit the resignation of his team, ruffling fresh weathers from within.

An easier, even if a belated, way out could be for the chief minister volunteering to face a trust vote and requesting the governor to convene the assembly on an earlier date -- which can happen only with a seven-day notice.

While the results of such a vote now are not unpredictable per se, questions have also arisen about the fate of Dinakarans earlier threat of sleeper cells within the EPS faction, with which three-time Chief Minister O Panneerselvam-led group has merged but not without heartburn in others, whom the merger did leave high and dry.

Some of them are MLAs and some others MPs, who had hoped to be roped in at the Centre, if and when the re-merged entity had been inducted into the ruling BJP-NDA at the Centre.

For now, the disqualification of the 18 Dinakaran MLAs has rendered any patch-up within the AIADMK all but impossible. The fight on that end is shifting towards the Election Commission, where the Dinakaran faction is sure to cite the AIADMK constitution and claim that only Sasikala as general secretary was authorised to call the party general council (even if the aim was to remove her from that very post).

The EC also has to find answers how it had accepted the AIADMK constitution in the first place, which provided for direct election of the party general secretary by all primary members (now claimed to be 1.5-crores) without asking the leadership as to the mechanism at their disposal for conducting such elections, free, fair and transparent.

The fact remains that the EC itself may not have the mechanism to verify membership claims, either of the party or of individual members. It is thus unclear how the EC intends deciding on the real party to be able to de-freeze the AIADMKs Two Leaves election symbol, any time soon.

The last time, the Congress for instance, enrolled members for the conduct of organisational polls way back in 1991 under then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao as party chief, the TN membership campaign produced an interesting array. Included in the party list were such star attractions as superstar Rajnikanth and then up and coming young star, Kushboo.

Today, Kushboo is an AICC spokesperson, after doing a stint in the DMK, and Rajnikanth has (once again) promised his fans to be ready for his imminent political entry.

N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and political analyst, is Director, Observer Research Foundation, Chennai Chapter.
'As a great democracy, we must be responsible and uphold the rights of those who come to us seeking shelter.'

'Everything in the Hindu faith tells us that this is obligatory on us,' says Aakar Patel.

You can travel as an Indian tourist across all of Italy -- Rome, Venice, Milan, Bologna -- knowing to speak only a little bit of one language.

I am not referring to Italian, but Bengali. The country is full of Bangladeshis immigrants, all of whom are a particular type.

They are male, they are young (from their mid-20s to their early-30s), they usually have a similar physical type (they are small, thin and dark).

One other thing they have in common is that they are all very hardworking. The ones who have come recently and have no capital to do anything and little other support, sell things on the street.

To tourists they sell selfie-sticks, little plastic helicopter like toys, cold water, temporary raincoats and things like that.

Others who have been there for longer and perhaps have some paperwork, are waiters and chefs, and some manage the stalls selling food and other items that are owned by Italians.

I usually speak to them in my broken Bangla to ask them about their lives, and I do not need to tell the reader that their life is hard.

I have great respect for their courage and their determination, but I also have sympathy for their plight.

To be away from your home and from your networks, to be in a foreign land is not easy for any of us, and all humans are essentially the same.

It is the very rare Italian-Bangladeshi who does not want at some point to return to his homeland, and who is completely happy in Italy, even though it offers him a little more opportunity to make a living.

I come from a community of Gujaratis who have historically not been very educated, but have been enterprising and not afraid to take on hard work.

This is why the world knows of the phrase Patel Motel.

But most will not know that the majority of Patidars who come to the United States do not come with capital. They come from towns and villages where there is a lack of local opportunity, and they have to do physical work in the US.

My own parents and sister worked in motels in America that they did not own. This meant cleaning rooms and doing the sort of work that middle class Indians would never do.

Ownership of places is something that only the minority of Patidars in America have.

This is usually the case with most immigrants. These days in India and the rest of the world we are dealing with another kind of immigrant, the refugee.

Whether the Syrian or the Rohingya, this individual is fleeing violence of the most extreme sort.

The war in the Middle East was begun by the United States and Britain and then joined in by other European nations like France. However, they have almost washed their hands of the consequences of their actions.

America, which has always seen itself as a distant place protected on both sides by vast oceans, does not have to live with the consequences of its actions. It can wage wars in Korea and Vietnam without having to bring these wars back home.

I often see the global photo feed of news services to see what is happening around the world. It will shock most readers to see visuals of the extreme violence that Syrians are being forced to flee.

Why do we have such little sympathy for such people? Is it because we view their religion in a particular light?

The coldness with which the Indian government has responded to the brutality against the Rohingya is disappointing to me. Do we disbelieve the reports of the crimes against them by the Burmese State?

Do we believe that they are all leaving their homes to come to India because they enjoy living in refugee camps? We must be quite delusional to assume that.

Do we think, as our government seems to think, that these people are a terror threat only because they are Muslims? It is remarkable that we should have such a crude outlook towards the world and other human beings.

This government has already made a serious mistake because it does not properly think about such things. It announced a policy that it would only accept refugees from the minority communities from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

In doing so, it announced more or less that India would only welcome non-Muslims.

Burma is a Buddhist nation that is oppressing its Muslim minority. What happens to our policy now?

As a great democracy, we must be responsible and uphold the rights of those who come to us seeking shelter.

Everything in the Hindu faith tells us that this is obligatory on us.

We will be total hypocrites if we take pride in the immigrant Indian communities (many of whose individuals are illegal immigrants) but look on immigrants from other nations as being terrorists and those who are out to live off our resources.

Aakar Patel is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are his own.

You can read Aakar's earlier columns here.

IMAGE: A Rohingya refugee boy lights a fire to cook food outside his temporary shelter in Bangladesh.

Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
'I have to fight to ensure something like this doesn't happen to any other child, that no other parent faces what we are going through.'

'That is how I will find strength,' murdered Ryan International School student Pradhyumn's father Barun Chandra Thakur tells Rediff.com's Swarupa Dutt.

On September 8, at 7:55 am, Barun Chandra Thakur dropped off his son Pradhyumn, a Class 2 student, and his daughter Vidhi, a Class 5 student, at the Bhondsi branch of the Ryan International School in Gurugram.

The children hopped out of the car, waved goodbye and walked into the gates of the school.

Pradhyumn went straight to the washroom.

At 8.08 am, he was found bleeding profusely outside the washroom. He was taken to several hospitals, administered oxygen, but his wound was so grievous that he was declared dead at the third hospital.

The autopsy report says he died as a result of shock and haemorrhage and that the external injury was caused by a single-edged sharp weapon.

As the grief-stricken family tries to come to terms with their colossal loss, the boy's father draws strength from his dead son.

"Pradhyumn is not dead. He is alive.

"Till he gets justice I will not accept that he is dead.

"He is alive in our hearts. Alive in the hearts of everyone who loved him," Barun Chandra Thakur says.

The father says he wants the nation to gain from his loss.

"I want every school to enforce strict security measures so that no parent, no child, will face what we are going through," he says.

The fight for justice is long and hard, he admits.

"But the fight is being fought by Pradhyumn. Not me. He is giving me the strength to fight.

"Bahut innocent tha (He was so innocent).

"Koi (the murderers) bach nahin sakta. Mujhe nahin lagta koi bachega ismein (the culprits will be brought to justice)."

Rediff.com's Swarupa Dutt spoke to the bereaved father on Monday.

Ryan International school reopened on Monday. Will the probe in the murder be affected? (Later in the day, following Pradhyumn's father's objections, the district administration decided to close the school till September 25).

Yes, of course.

The people who did this to my son are still in that school. Evidence will be tampered with.

I feel the authorities should have waited for the probe to end before reopening the school.

Till you don't know who are involved, till the inquiry is not over, till the crime scene is not defined, keep the school closed.

It has remained shut for 10 days, a couple of more days would not have made such a big difference to students, as much as it would to the probe.

I think the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) will take a handover in the case in a week.

A CBI probe can take months, years...

(Haryana) Chief Minister (M L) Khattar was here on Friday ( September 15), and announced that the probe in the murder would be handed over to the CBI.

Till the primary investigation is not done in the case, till the CBI team sanitises the scene of the crime, speaks to people who may or may not be involved, till then what is the logic in reopening the school?

I was reading in the newspaper that the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) has held the school responsible for Pradhyumn's death.

The report says there are major security lapses by the school. So till such time these lapses have been resolved, why reopen the school? I just don't understand it.

Did you send your daughter Vidhi to school on Monday?

Koi sawaal hi nahin. There is no question of her going back to that school.

The case so far >> Police report

Ashok Kumar, the bus conductor, had gone to the washroom to relieve himself when Pradhyumn Thakur entered. He allegedly tried to sexually assault the child but when the boy started screaming for help, Kumar panicked, pulled out a knife and slit the childs throat. The report says that the conductor had found the knife in the bus and stolen it to use in his kitchen. >> CCTV footage

The last moments of the child have been captured in footage that shows him trying to crawl out of the bathroom, holding his neck with his throat slit. But since the knife had severed his wind pipe, he could not scream. The boy then collapses near the door of the washroom. The autopsy report said Pradhyumn had a 18 cm long wound a little over his neck which cut through his ears. >> Haryana govt to amend laws

Haryana State Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma has said he will ensure strict implementation of the rules and regulations relating to the safety of students in schools. The government has decided that the relevant Act would be amended in the coming Assembly session. >> Supreme Court plea

A plea seeking the framing of non- negotiable child safety conditions and implementation of guidelines to protect school children from sexual abuse and murder has been filed in the Supreme Court. The court will seek responses from the Centre and all state governments. >> CBSE Board report

The Ryan International School is affiliated to the CBSE Board, which has issued a showcause notice, asking school authorities why the affiliation should not be revoked.

I don't think she wants to go back, anyway.

She has been going to school with her brother for the last three years and I think she has been the most emotionally traumatised among all us after this incident.

When she is ready to back to school we will send her to another school, not Ryan.

Have you been considering other schools since it is the middle of the academic term?

For now, we have not done anything about this. But whatever school she goes to, I will ensure, I will check, that security measures are in place.

It may be a small school, nothing fancy, but it has to be safe.

Did Pradhyumn like going to school?

If you see his attendance from April onwards, when the session began, he has never been absent for a single day.

He loved going to school.

Abhi tak toh, bechara, ek bhi absent mark nahin tha (poor thing, he hasn't been marked absent for a single day so far).

How would you describe him?

Very energetic. Very ambitious.

He wanted to be somebody. Do something.

Sometimes he wanted to be (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni, sometimes a pilot.

Sometimes he wanted to be Virat Kohli.

It was never 'I want to be a doctor or an engineer', and he stayed with that.

He wanted to be whatever inspired him.

He was such an intelligent boy.

What did Chief Minister Khattar tell you when he met you and your family on Friday?

He said he will ask for a CBI inquiry into the case. That's about it.

He gave a statement to the media also saying the state government would take over the management of the school for the next three months.

You have asked for a CBI inquiry right from the beginning. Do you believe the Haryana police will be unable to give you justice?

It's not that we have lost faith in the Haryana police. We are not questioning their motives or their inclination to get us justice.

It is just that this matter is sensitive, complicated that we need an extremely detailed investigation in the matter.

Every other day statements change.

We have been following media reports and we can't find any link between statements.

Aaj kisine yeh kaha, toh kal aur kisine aur kuch kaha (One day someone says something, the next day someone says something different).

What happened to my son happened under very suspicious circumstances.

So I have been requesting the government, every person we have met so far, that a CBI inquiry be called. So that ultramodern investigation techniques can be used to solve this case.

Do you think the CBI will be able to solve the case?

The attention that this case has received from people in general, from the media, even from the Supreme Court, I somehow feel that something positive will happen in the case.

The CBI inquiry is just the beginning. Abhi to bahut aage janaa hai (we have to take this much further).

I had made a request that rules and regulations be instituted, accountability be set for all schools. Not just Ryan International.

Today this incident happened at Ryan, tomorrow it can happen at some other school.

It's another matter that it should not happen at any school, whether it's Ryan or othewise.

Rules and regulations for schools should be laid down and there should be an independent body that will honestly monitor whether the rules are in fact being followed.

Aur bas, kuch kanoon aisi hone chahiye, kuch neeyam aise hone chahiye (there must be laws, processes) so that no such incidents happen in the school premises.

This should not have happened at any cost, this is unacceptable under any circumstances.

The system should be such that charges are framed quickly, accountability is fixed quickly, punishment is given quickly.

The fear among people, parents, children, should end. They should have the confidence that such crimes will be dealt with severely.

This is the only way in which the spiralling crimes against children can be controlled, may be even reduced.

The punishment should be so severe that it will act as a deterrent for criminals and encourage victims to speak up and get justice.

I do believe that the CBI will be able to look into this case positively, but it isn't just about this case. It is a larger issue.

IMAGE: The school reopened on Monday, September 18, but following Pradhyumn's father's objections, the district administration decided to close it till September 25.

Photograph: PTI Photo

Will severe punishment deter crime? Rapes haven't reduced even after the Nirbhaya rapists were given the death sentence.

This case has got every parent on to the streets protesting at the lack of security in schools.

Every parent with a young child in school understands what we are going through.

The issue of security concerns every parent.

The coming together of parents, the government, the courts, will ensure justice is met.

When that happens, it will deter further crime.

What punishment would you want for his murderers?

You decide. Aise brutal, aise chhote se innocent bachche ke saath... whoever did this deserves nothing less than hanging.

Do you think the prime suspect in the case, the conductor, is guilty?

Ho sakta hai (maybe). It is possible he is guilty.

But the reason behind why he did it is still not clear. Also, there are a lot of loopholes.

If he has indeed killed my son, why did he not run away from the scene of the crime?

Why did he leave the murder weapon in the bathroom?

There are other people involved. There is some sort of conspiracy.

I don't know why one person killed my child or many more were involved.

Reports say the conductor was given the third degree and he was forced to say he was guilty.

I don't want to comment on this because the matter is sub judice.

Do you believe more than one person could be involved in the murder?

Yes.

Look at the circumstances of the incident. How can one person plan everything?

It is also possible that just one person could be involved. But I somehow feel that more than one person is involved.

I have no proof obviously, but since you are asking me, that's what I believe.

But only one person, the conductor, has been arrested.

This means that the people who are behind my son's murder are probably in the school at this very moment. It is possible.

Do you feel the murder could have been prevented?

Obviously! Obviously!

If you allow persons like this (drivers and conductors) to use the washroom meant for the school children, something like this bound to happen.

I would place as much blame on the school for what happened.

In fact, they are equally responsible for the incident.

What was that day like?

It was a regular day. And like any other day, I dropped him off to school.

The routine was that I used to drop him off to school and his mother used to pick him up at around 2 pm.

So, he hopped off the car, took his bag and bounded off.

In fact, as compared to other days, he got ready for school all by himself. He was excited to go to school that day.

It was his friend's birthday and he told me, 'Friend ka birthday hai. Aaj toh chocolate milega' ('It's my friend's birthday. We will get chocolates today').

So he just said bye and walked into the gates of the school. Bas.

Have you ever received any call from the school concerning Pradyuman before this incident?

No, no, never.

Also, there has never been any incident like this before.

So when they called me and said they were from the school, I was a little surprised.

When they told me he was bleeding profusely, I was frightened.

I rushed to the hospital to find out what had happened. But it never even occurred to me that my child could ever have been murdered.

I certainly did not expect this. That it could happen in a school. To a child.

I was shocked beyond words.

What did you think when they told you Pradyuman was bleeding?

I thought he was bleeding from the nose, kahin chot lagaa hoga (he was hurt somewhere).

I thought maybe he was bleeding from the ear and the bleeding was excessive.

But not once did it occur to me that this is the kind of sight that would greet me when I reached the hospital.

He was in the emergency room. The doctor told me that he was dead before he was brought to the hospital (sighs).

Did you go alone?

No, my wife was with me.

Who was there from the school?

There were three teachers. The principal, a supervisor and another teacher, who I did not recognise.

The postmortem report says Pradhyumn was not sexually molested. So why do you think he was killed?

This is what I don't understand.

That is why I have been saying repeatedly, that there should be a detailed inquiry in the case.

What were the circumstances, what were the reasons behind the murder? We need to understand it.

Main kuch nahin bata paaonga ki kis haal mein hum jee rahein hain (I cannot begin to tell you how we are coping) (his voice breaks).

But with the CBI taking over the case, there will be a delay in filing the chargesheet.

The Haryana police were on the verge of filing it on Friday when the probe was transferred to the CBI.

I don't know about that.

All I know is that I want the investigation to be done and the case to be solved as soon as possible.

IMAGE: The accused, bus conductor Ashok Kumar, being escorted by the police. Photograph: PTI Photo

What were the lapses by the school?

There is a CBSE report which says there were lots of lapses.

Why was the conductor using the washroom meant for kids? Why wasn't there separate washrooms?

Before this incident, did you have any complaints with the school?

No, but before this incident I didn't even know that these people (drivers and conductors) were using the bathroom.

Nor did I know that the washroom had no grills.

I think other parents had complained about security lapses before this incident, but I don't know what had been done about it.

How do you follow what is happening in the case? Every day there is a new development.

There are at least 100 to 150 parents in touch with me at any point in time. They keep me abreast of what is happening with the case.

In fact, after the incident, parents from across India got in touch with me, to simply say they are with me.

I would put the number as thousands -- the parents who came to my home to meet me.

At least we know that we are not alone.

How are you coping?

(Sighs heavily) My wife hasn't been able to cope at all. Only I know how I have been coping.

But we have a long battle ahead. I have to fight for justice for my son.

I have to fight to ensure something like this doesn't happen to any other child, that no other parent faces what we are going through.

That is how I will find strength.
The Enforcement Directorate has summoned former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with its money laundering probe in the railway hotels allotment case, officials said on Tuesday.

Rabri, wife of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, has been summoned to be present before the investigating officer of the case on September 26, they said.

The IO is expected to record her statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, under which it had registered an FIR against the Lalu Prasad family and others sometime back.

It is understood that this is the second summon by the agency to Rabri after she did not depose before it the first time.

The central probe agency had earlier questioned few people in this case including the wife of former UPA minister P C Gupta.

The Enforcement Directorate had taken cognisance of a Central Bureau of Investigation first information report in this regard to initiate its own criminal complaint.

In July, the CBI had registered a criminal FIR and conducted multiple searches against former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad and others.

The ED will investigate the alleged "proceeds of crime" generated by the accused, purportedly through shell companies, officials said.

Rabri, son Tejashwi Yadav, and others will be probed by the agency under charges filed in the Enforcement Case Information Report, the ED equivalent of a police FIR.

The case dates back to the time when Lalu was the railway minister in the UPA government.

Others named in the CBI FIR include Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar (both directors of Sujata Hotels), Delight Marketing company, now known as Lara Projects, and the then IRCTC managing director P K Goel.

The CBI FIR alleges that Prasad, as railway minister, handed over the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a company after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta.

The FIR was registered on July 5 in connection with favours allegedly extended to Sujata Hotels in awarding a contract for the upkeep of the hotels in Ranchi and Puri and receiving premium land as 'quid pro quo'.

The ED, under the PMLA, has powers to attach and confiscate tainted assets and it is expected that the agency will initiate such a move once it makes progress in the case.
MOST Westerners facing criminal charges in Cambodia would be thanking their lucky stars at finding themselves safe in another country. But Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, who is half British and half Spanish, is pleading with the Phnom Penh government to allow him back to stand trial along with three Cambodian colleagues. Theyve been charged, essentially, with interfering with the harvesting of one of the 21st centurys most valuable resources: sand.



Believe it or not, we use more of this natural resource than any other except water and air. Sand is the thing modern cities are made of. Pretty much every apartment block, office tower and shopping mall from Beijing to Lagos, Nigeria, is made at least partly with concrete, which is basically just sand and gravel stuck together with cement. Every yard of asphalt road that connects all those buildings is also made with sand. So is every window in every one of those buildings.



Sand is the essential ingredient that makes modern life possible. And we are starting to run out.



Thats mainly because the number and size of cities is exploding, especially in the developing world. Every year there are more people on the planet, and every year more of them move to cities. Since 1950, the worlds urban population has ballooned to over 3.9 billion from 746 million.



According to the United Nations Environment Program, in 2012 alone the world used enough concrete to build a wall 89 feet high and 89 feet wide around the Equator. From 2011 to 2013, China used more cement than the United States used in the entire 20th century.



To build those cities, people are pulling untold amounts of sand out of the ground. Usable sand is a finite resource. Desert sand, shaped more by wind than by water, generally doesnt work for construction. To get the sand we need, we are stripping riverbeds, floodplains and beaches.



Extracting the stuff is an estimated $70 billion industry. It runs the gamut from multinational companies deploying enormous dredges to villagers toting shovels and buckets. In places where onshore sources have been exhausted, sand miners are turning to the seas.



This often inflicts terrible costs on the environment. In India, river sand mining is disrupting ecosystems, killing countless fish and birds. In Indonesia, some two dozen small islands are believed to have disappeared since 2005 because of sand mining. In Vietnam, miners have torn up hundreds of acres of forest to get at the sandy soil underneath.



Sand miners have damaged coral reefs in Kenya and undermined bridges in Liberia and Nigeria. Environmentalists tie sand dredging in San Francisco Bay to the erosion of nearby beaches.



People are getting hurt, too. Sand mining has been blamed for accidental deaths in Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Gambia. In India and Indonesia, activists and government officials confronting black-market sand mining gangs have been killed.



Stronger regulations can prevent a lot of this damage, and do in most developed countries. But theres a downside. Sand is tremendously heavy, which makes it expensive to transport. If you forbid sand mining in your backyard  as many American communities are trying to do  then it has to be trucked in from somewhere else. That drives up the price. Concrete is relatively cheap; if the cost of making a new building or road were to double, it could hit the economy hard.



Not to mention the extra truck traffic and pollution. California state officials estimated that if the average hauling distance for sand and gravel increased to 50 miles from 25 miles, trucks would burn through nearly 50 million more gallons of diesel fuel every year.



We can make more sand, but crushing rock or pulverizing concrete is costly, and the resulting sand is ill suited for many applications. We can use alternative substances for some purposes, but what other substance can we possibly find 40 billion tons of, every year?



The fishing villages in the mangrove-rich estuaries of Cambodias Koh Kong province might be the canaries in the global sand mine. For years, villagers have complained that rampant sand mining is wiping out the crabs and fish that provide their living. Locals told me on a recent visit that families have had to send members to work in Phnom Penh garment factories, or have simply moved away. The dredging also threatens endangered native dolphins, turtles and otters.



Last year, members of Mother Nature, an environmental group led by Mr. Gonzalez-Davidson and others, began a campaign to rein in the mining, organizing villagers to blockade and board the dredging ships. The government, which had expelled Mr. Gonzalez-Davidson a few months earlier for blocking road access to government officials trying to reach a hydropower dam in the province, arrested three of the activists, charging them with threatening to damage dredging boats, an offense that could mean two years in prison (Mr. Gonzalez-Davidson was charged in absentia as their accomplice a few months later).



Mr. Gonzalez-Davidson, who lives in Barcelona, is petitioning to be allowed back to attend his own trial. Meanwhile, the three jailed Cambodians have been denied bail for the past 10 months. Their trial has finally been scheduled for the end of June.



Theres an urgent question of justice for them. For the rest of us, theres a profound lesson. Hardly anyone thinks about sand, where it comes from or what we do to get it. But a world of seven billion people, more and more of whom want apartments to live in and offices to work in and malls to shop in, cant afford that luxury anymore.



It once seemed as if the planet had such boundless supplies of oil, water, trees and land that we didnt need to worry about them. But of course, were learning the hard way that none of those things are infinite, and the price weve paid so far for using them is going up fast. Were having to conserve, reuse, find alternatives for and generally get smarter about how we use those natural resources. Thats how we need to start thinking about sand.
Referring to Kim Jong-Un, Trump said, 'Rocket Man', is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

IMAGE: US President Donald Trump addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned North Korea of "total destruction" if its leader Kim Jong-Un, whom he mockingly described as "Rocket Man", continued with his provocative behaviour.

North Korea fired a missile over Japan earlier this month and tested a hydrogen bomb, prompting Trump to insist that "all options were on the table" in an implied threat of pre-emptive military action.

In his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said no nation on earth has an interest in seeing "this band of criminals" arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles.

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. 'Rocket Man' is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," Trump said.

"The United States is ready, willing and able. But hopefully, this will not be necessary. That's what the United Nations is all about. That's what the United Nations is for. Let's see how they do.

"It is time for North Korea to realise that the denuclearisation is its only acceptable future," he asserted.

The UN Security Council recently held two unanimous 15-to-0 votes adopting hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea, he said.

He thanked China and Russia for joining the vote to impose sanctions, along with all the other members of the Security Council.

"Thank you to all involved," he said.

"But we must do much more. It is time for all nations to work together to isolate the Kim regime until it ceases its hostile behaviour.

"We face this decision not only in North Korea. It is far past time for the nations of the world to confront another reckless regime, one that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing death to America, destruction to Israel and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room," he added, pointing to Iran.

Trump said North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life.

"It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict," he said.

IMAGE: US first lady Melania Trump watches as her husband and US President Donald Trump addresses the UNGA. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

'Time to 'expose' those giving safe havens to terror groups'

Trump also told world leaders that it is time to "expose" and "hold responsible" those countries that provide funding and safe havens to terror groups, weeks after he warned Pakistan for supporting "agents of chaos."

Trump said that all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and "the Islamic extremist that inspires them."

"We will stop radical Islamic terrorism, because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation and, indeed, to tear up the entire world," he said.

"It is time to expose and hold responsible" nations that provide funding and safe havens to terror groups, Trump said without naming any country.

He said countries must deny the terrorists safe havens, training, funding and any form of support for their "vile and sinister ideology".

"We must drive them out from our nations. It is time to expose and hold those responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like al-Qaeda, Hezabollah and the Taliban and others," he said.

The US president said America and its allies were working together to crush the terrorists and prevent the re-emergence of safe heavens they use to launch attacks.

Recalling his new strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia, Trump said it was aimed at defeating terrorists in war-torn Afghanistan.

"From now onwards the security agencies will dictate the length and scope of military operations, not our betraying benchmarks and timetables set up by politicians," he said.

"I have also totally changed the rules of engagements of our fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups," he said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is currently in New York, heading his country's delegation to the UN General Assembly session.

Last month, Trump had issued the sternest warning yet by an American leader to Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists.

Trump said another pillar of his new strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia was a change in America's approach to Pakistan, considered a long-time ally of Washington.

Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror....," Trump had said.

Trump had also slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

"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," Trump had said on August 21.
He was master of the sprawling Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters at Sirsa till past August 28. But, now incarcerated, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh spends his time in jail growing vegetables, pruning trees-- eight hours a day just for Rs 20.

The 50-year-old self-styled godman, who boasted of millions of followers, is lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for raping his two disciples.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation court had sentenced him to 20 years in jail, 10 years each in two rape cases, on August 28. And the 'pita-ji', as his followers used to call him reverently, was stamped as prisoner number 1997.

Adjoining his barrack, there is a small plot of land where he grows vegetables, K P Singh, Director General of Police-Prisons, Haryana, told reporters on Tuesday in Panchkula.

"He has already taken up his work."

Whatever he produces will be used in the jail mess.

Born in the Sri Gurusar Modia village in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district on August 15, 1967, Ram Rahim used to help his landlord father in farms during his early years.

"In jail, he will also prune trees adjoining his barrack. He will get Rs 20 per day for farming work, which falls under the unskilled work category," the DGP said.

Normally, eight hours is maximum a prisoner is allowed to do, he said.

He described the high-profile inmate as a "disciplined prisoner" as he dismissed reports that Ram Rahim was being extended any special treatment.

"It is (a) baseless and imaginary (report). No prisoner in jail is given any special treatment and that includes Ram Rahim," he said, adding there is no TV set in his cell.

"He is living in jail like any other ordinary inmate and he is living like a disciplined inmate. He is being provided the same food as given to other prisoners."

Asked for his response over reports which quoted some inmates, who have come out of the Sunaria prison, to claim that Ram Rahim is uncomfortable and breaks down in jail, the DGP said, "This is baseless".

"He (Ram Rahim) does not have common contact with other prisoners. Access to his barrack is controlled (for security reasons)," he said.

Media reports about his health and other activities are also without any basis, said the jail officer.

Singh said Ram Rahim has provided two telephone numbers to prison authorities -- one of which is of his adopted daughter Honeypreet, and the other his own number he left behind at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.

But, he has not made any special request to talk to Honeypreet and media reports suggesting this are "wrong", the officer said.

So far, police verification of these two numbers have not been conducted, he said.

He said any prisoner is allowed to submit phone numbers of two blood-relatives whom they can call. Also, Ram Rahim has given 10 names who could meet him in the prison.

"We have sent these names to the Sirsa Police and so far we have got verification of his mother who has already met him," the officer said.

On August 25, the day the self-styled godman was convicted, there was widespread violence in Haryana and other neighbouring states. At least 36 people had died in the violence and arson.

The Haryana Police has issued a lookout notice for Honeypreet in connection with the violence.

The DGP also said that Honeypreet, who had accompanied Ram Rahim in a helicopter after his conviction, was not allowed inside the jail. She was asked to sit outside the rest house of the prison and the police were intimated.

He said that for security considerations, Ram Rahim has been lodged in a barrack with only few prisoners who have a track record of "good conduct".

Besides, jail staff with impeccable record have been put on duty near his barrack.

He said prison authorities have taken inputs from various agencies about threat perception to Ram Rahim.

"On security grounds, only a few inmates have been kept in Ram Rahim's barrack. Only those prisoners whom we thought can be put there from security point of view, only they have access to his barrack," he said.

The police had recently conducted a mock drill and alerted PGIMS Rohtak in preparation for dealing with any medical emergency which would involve Ram Rahim being taken out of the prison.

"They just conducted a mock drill, but a section of media associated that to his health. He (Gurmeet) is healthy and doing fine," he said.
India on Tuesday sought a probe into North Koreas nuclear proliferation linkages and demanded that those responsible for it should be held accountable, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs remarks came after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday.

It follows North Koreas sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 which was in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj deplored North Koreas recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable, the ministrys spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference.

Swarajs remarks came as she met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session.

Though there was no direct reference to Pakistan in her remarks, it came amid reports that Pyongyang had clandestinely received nuclear enrichment technology from Pakistan when A Q Khan was at the helm of Islamabads nuclear programme.

Responding to questions, Kumar did not specify the country, but said the hints were enough to determine that.

I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about, he said.

We have very clearly mentioned that we not only deplore North Koreas recent actions but also stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable, Kumar said.

In addition to proliferation, the three leaders discussed the issue of maritime security and connectivity.

Three broad issues were discussed -- maritime security connectivity and proliferation. We have spelled out what these heads mean on security the ministers emphasised the need to ensure freedom of navigation respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes, he said.

On connectivity, there was discussion on how to base them on universally recognised international norms prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, Kumar said.

The first trilateral ministerial meeting between the three countries was held in 2015. Senior official level meeting has been taking place since 2011.

Image: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono attends the India-US-Japan Trilateral Foreign Ministerial Meeting in New York. Photograph: MEAIndia/Flickr
The National Investigation Agency on Monday arrested two persons for allegedly providing logistical and material support to terrorists infiltrating from Pakistan into Kashmir for carrying out subversive activities.

Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazir Ahmed Peer, both residents of Wahama, Kupwara, in north Kashmir, were arrested from Jammu in connection with a case registered by the NIA in July last year, an NIA spokesperson said.

The NIA will seek their transit remand and bring them to Delhi for further questioning, he added.

In July last year, police in Jammu and Kashmir arrested a Pakistani national, Bahadur Ali, from Handwara in north Kashmir and recovered a large quantity of incriminating material, including arms and ammunition, from him. The case was later handed over to the NIA.

Investigations revealed that the accused allegedly provided material and logistical support to Ali and his associates soon after their infiltration into Indian territory, the spokesperson said.

In January this year, the NIA had chargesheeted Ali, a member of the banned Lashker-e-Tayiba terror outfit who had been arrested from Yahama village of Handwara on July 24 last year.

The chargesheet highlighted gaps along the Line of Control as Ali along with two other terrorists had been walked undetected for seven days.

The NIA said Ali alias Saifullah Mansoor along with two associates, Abu Saad and Abu Darda, all trained terrorists, infiltrated into Indian territory equipped with arms and ammunition, navigation equipment, combat material and other articles.

The trio entered India during on the intervening night of June 12-13 last year and reached their destination only around June 20. The area is expected to be dotted by security personnel as part of counter-infiltration grid.

On June 22, Ali's two associates left to get some food, leaving Ali on a hill top. Both were killed in an encounter.

According to the NIA chargesheet, investigation had established that Ali, who is a school dropout and originally a resident of Jia Bagga Village of Raiwind in Lahore, Pakistan, was also provided a map depicting parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

He was provided with Grid References that had been recovered from his possession. Ali plotted these GRs on the map which was sent for examination to the Surveyor General of India at Dehradun who affirmed that the terrorist had plotted them correctly.

A pocket diary recovered from Ali, among other things, listed the names of several towns in Jammu and Kashmir.
Former Gujarat Congress strongman Shankersinh Vaghela on Tuesday announced that he will lead a new political 'front' which will contest all seats in the upcoming assembly polls.

Vaghela said the front 'Jan Vikalp' was floated by some city-based "professionals", who approached him to provide an alternative to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Congress in Gujarat, and claimed a number of people wanted to see him as the chief minister.

The 77-year-old former chief minister, who recently quit the Congress apparently as the party was reluctant to name him the chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming election, made the announcement about his much-awaited next political move at a press conference in Ahmedabad.

Vaghela claimed the people associated with Jan Vikalp had conducted a survey and found that most respondents wanted to see him as the next chief minister of Gujarat.

The survey "revealed that people are highly dissatisfied with both the parties. A large number of people said I should be the next chief minister.

"When these professionals conveyed this to me, I decided to extend my support to it. They asked me to be with them and lead this front," Vaghela said.

"This is not a party, it's a front which will become the voice of people who are unhappy with the system. I hereby announce my support to Jan Vikalp, which will raise issues concerning farmers, women, traders and unemployed youth. We are planning to field our candidates on all the 182 seats," said Vaghela.

He claimed he will not contest the assembly polls due later this year. However, when asked if he would become the CM if Jan Vikalp garners a majority, Vaghela didn't rule out such a possibility.

"I had already announced that I am not going to contest the polls this time. Let's see what happens after the polls. I will consult you (the media) if a such situation arises," Vaghela said.

According to him, Jan Vikalp will not have a "high command system" prevalent in other parties.

"There will be no high command. Local representatives of our front will choose our candidates. We will follow the primaries system of the United States, where party workers select their candidates, not just one leader. Aspiring candidates can directly approach our local committees."

Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has already announced that it will contest the Gujarat assembly polls. The announcement by Vaghlaa, a Kshatriya leader who quit the BJP in 1995, is likely to further affect the election dynamics in the state.

When pointed out that third front players have not been successful in Gujarat's largely bipolar political system, the Kshatriya strongman exuded confidence that Jan Vikalp will emerge victorious at the hustings.

"It is a myth that third front does not work here. There are many states such as Delhi, Kerala and West Bengal where third fronts have been successful. In Gujarat too, Chimanbhai Patel (a former Congress leader) formed government through a third front," said Vaghela.

The BJP has been in power in Gujarat since 1998 and it is important for the party that it maintains its hold on the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when it goes into the 2019 general elections.
A day after the Tamil Nadu assembly speaker disqualified 18 MLAs from the AIADMK's V K Sasikala-T T V Dinakaran faction, Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar spoke to a couple of MLAs.

IMAGE: AIADMK MLAs from the T T V Dinakaran group at the memorial for the late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa at Marina beach, Chennai, on the night of August 21, 2017. Photograph: PTI Photo

The 18 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam legislators who were disqualified by Tamil Nadu assembly Speaker P Dhanapal for anti-party activities on Monday, September 18, still have their phone numbers listed on the state government Web site, but it may not be for long.

Maanamadurai MLA Mariappan Kennady sounded agitated when he called this correspondent.

"We were at the Koovathur resort when we heard that Chinnamma (Jayalalithaa's aide, former AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala) was going to be arrested," Kennady said.

"She could have chosen anyone as her successor, but she chose Edappadi K Palaniswami, she said he was my brother, he will protect and take forward Amma's government," the MLA added.

"But is this the way? They have broken her trust and gone against her. We are loyal to Amma and to Chinnamma and that is why we are with (Sasikala's nephew) T T V Dinakaran. Gratitude and trust are the reason we are here," Kennady declared.

"The speaker spoke to (former chief minister) O Panneerselvam after the trust vote (on February 19, 2017). He said, 'I am the speaker selected by Amma, you are members of Amma's party. How can you vote against me? You have caused me great pain'."

"Today OPS is the deputy chief minister and we have been thrown out. Is this justice? We have approached the high court and we will fight for justice."

Gudiyattam MLA C Jayanthi Padmanabhan was equally passionate.

"Two months back at a public meeting I handed over my resignation letter to the chief minister. I told him this was not Amma's government and I wanted no part in it," Padmanabhan said.

"He (E K Palaniswami) said we will talk about it and told me not to quit."

"When Amma was alive she protected the Tamil people from the central government. She would have refused all the schemes which these puppets are accepting."

"Amma would never have allowed NEET (the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test). She would never have allowed GST. She would have said 'no' firmly, not these people who prostrate themselves before the central government to protect their seats," Padmanabhan alleged.

"These 30 ministers have only their own interests at heart. If you see the implementation of any scheme it will be by their agents who do it only on caste constituencies. When Amma was there, there was no caste division in Tamil Nadu," the MLA added.

"After her all the caste configurations have come out into the open. In the last seven months they have not implemented even one of Amma's schemes. They are there only to protect their own interests and not the people of Tamil Nadu," Padmanabhan said.

"If they want to celebrate MGR's 100th anniversary they should have spent our party funds and celebrated it with the cadres. They are misusing government funds to celebrate a party function. All their favourites are there in these functions and they get all the funds," Padmanabhan alleged.

"Chinnamma was with Amma for 34 years. Amma was very intelligent. If she thought Chinnnamma was bad for her she would have thrown her out," Padmanabhan said.

"She kept her with her because she knew she was good. Chinnamma is 62 years old. She doesn't have any personal ambitions in life."

"All she wanted to do is save the party that Amma had protected all her life, and this is what you do to her?" the MLA asked.

"We are here to protect the people of Tamil Nadu. We are here to serve the people of Tamil Nadu. These 30 ministers are part of the government that Chinnamma chose. She is the one who made EPS the chief minister."

"If they are really so sure of public support, let them resign and seek the popular mandate of the people. Only then will they be a legitimate government."

"They are ungrateful ministers who are biting the hand that fed them. We are grateful to Chinnamma and we are staying with her."
Death pursued this Rohingya family as they fled the violence in Myanmar.

IMAGE: Hamida thought she and her family would be safe if they fled the violence in Rakhine state, Myanmar.

Members of the Rohingya community, Hamida, her husband Nasir Ahmed and two young children risked it all, leaving their home behind, when they took a boat to Bangladesh.

The journey ended in tragedy when the boat capsized.

Hamida survived, but her 5-week-old infant didn't.

Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

Hamida cradles her five-week-old son's body and weeps.

The infant is now another statistic -- among the hundreds who have died as members of the Rohingya community make their way from the violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state to Bangladesh by boat and over land.

Hamida, her husband Nasir Ahmed and their young children were among 18 Rohingya refugees on a small fishing boat crossing the Bay of Bengal to the Bangladesh village of Shah Porir Dwip.

IMAGE: The anguish on Nasir Ahmed's face: Will it persuade Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to end her government's brutal repression of the Rohingyas?

Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

As the family touched shore in Teknaf, Bangladesh, the boat capsized. Hamida survived, but Abdul Masood, her 40-day-old child, drowned.

Reuters Photographer Mohammad Ponir Hossain was taking photographs of exhausted refugees on the beach when he heard an autorickshaw driver shouting that a boat had capsized.

"I rushed to the spot and found people crying over the dead body of a child," Ponir was quoted as saying.

IMAGE: The family's grief isn't theirs alone. Thousands of families have experienced the same sorrow, heartache and tragedy, losing men, women and children to the senseless violence and its cruel aftermath.

Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

Hamida and Nasir Ahmed's personal tragedy mirrors the tragedy thousands of Rohingya families have experienced in recent weeks following the Myanmar government's brutal repression of the Muslim community in Rakhine state.

Around 400,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine in three weeks, risking death over land -- the Myanmarese army has been accused of planting land mines to prevent the Rohingya from fleeing -- and on the ocean, to live in inhuman conditions in refugee camps on their arrival in Bangladesh.
Seat's a little damp...Canada, Britain seeking closer trade cooperationOTTAWA - Canada and Britain are working towards a new bilateral free trade deal after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.After their meeting Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May told a joint press conference that they agreed to a smooth transition of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union and Canada after Britain leaves the EU and is no longer a party to that agreement.The Canada-EU trade deal eliminates well over 90 percent of all barriers in trade between Canada and the European Union, and as such provides "an excellent basis for ensuring a smooth transition," Trudeau said.CETA officially comes into effect on Thursday."After that, there will obviously be opportunities for us to look at particular details that could be improved upon for the specific needs and opportunities in the bilateral relationship between the U.K. and Canada," he said."But as a strong basis for a smooth transition, CETA is perfectly designed, and will be able to ensure -- for investors, for companies and for workers and consumers -- a smooth transition," added the Canadian prime minister, who will lead a Canadian delegation to attend the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.May, who arrived here for one-day visit, said that using the Canada-EU agreement as the basis for a forthcoming new bilateral deal makes sense and would ensure the best path forward for all parties.
Clown entering big top of Boston politicsTHE ASSOCIATED PRESSFirst posted: Monday, September 18, 2017 06:59 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, September 18, 2017 07:07 PM EDTBOSTON  A man dressed as a clown is running for a city council seat in Boston.The Boston Herald reports that Roxbury resident Pat Payaso will be on the November ballot along with seven other candidates for an at-large city council seat. The candidates last name means clown in Spanish.Payaso donned a rainbow wig, red nose and clown makeup in recent campaign photos and videos on social media.The newspaper reports he registered his campaign with the state in April and has $45 in his campaign account.City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George says that Payaso is making a mockery of the election. Payaso didnt immediately comment.The four candidates receiving the most votes in the race earn a seat on the 13-member council.Clown Pat Payaso is running for a city council spot in Boston. (YouTube/STM Boston Election 2017)[youtube]wVicdqt6ByY[/youtube]
Freedom in the World 2017 - Armenia

Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 1 September 2017 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2017 - Armenia, 1 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59c10311d.html [accessed 14 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Freedom Status: Partly Free

Aggregate Score: 45 (0 = Least Free, 100 = Most Free)

Freedom Rating: 4.5 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Political Rights: 5 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Civil Liberties: 4 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Note: The numerical ratings and status listed above do not reflect conditions in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is examined in a separate report.

Quick Facts

Population: 3,000,000

Capital: Yerevan

GDP/capita: $3,489

Press Freedom Status: Not Free

Net Freedom Status: Free

OVERVIEW

Armenia is ruled by a government with a history of soft authoritarian tendencies. People's ability to influence government decisions is limited, and formal political opposition is weak. High levels of corruption and political influence over the media environment also remain concerns.

Key Developments in 2016:

In April, a spike in hostilities between the Armenian-backed Nagorno-Karabakh territory and Azerbaijan led to a significant spike in security concerns within Armenia.

In July, a group of armed opposition activists seized a police building in Yerevan and issued a list of political demands, including the resignation of the president.

The July crisis sparked street protests, which the police met with a violent crackdown; dozens, including members of the media, were injured in the violence.

A cabinet reshuffle took place in September, and the new prime minister took office amid promises of economic reform and anticorruption efforts.

Executive Summary:

Political and social turbulence marked the year in Armenia. Significant uncertainty about the country's political structure lingered following a referendum in late 2015 in which voters approved constitutional changes that, among other things, will transform the country from a semipresidential to a parliamentary republic. The referendum had been marred by reports of pervasive fraud and manipulation, and public awareness of the constitutional changes' technical implications remained limited in 2016.

In April, an outbreak of fighting took place along the borders of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-majority territory that gained de facto independence from Azerbaijan following the breakup of the Soviet Union. The violence represented the fiercest escalation in the territory since the signing of a ceasefire agreement in 1994, sparking fears in Armenia about a full-blown military confrontation.

In July, a group of armed men associated with a fringe opposition party, among them veterans of the 1992-94 Nagorno-Karabakh war, seized a police building in the Erebuni district of Yerevan, killing three officers and taking a number hostage. They criticized the government's handling of the April violence and issued demands, including the resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan. Their actions led to a mixed reaction from Armenian society: while many condemned the use of violence to advance political aims, a small group of protesters gathered by the police station to show their support. They were met with harsh police violence, which in turn led to larger protests expressing grievances with Armenia's political and security apparatus. The gunmen surrendered after two weeks.

In September, the cabinet resigned. A new cabinet, headed by a former executive from the Russian gas giant Gazprom, took office with promises to implement economic reforms and anticorruption measures.

Explanatory Note:

This country report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2017. For background information on political rights and civil liberties in Armenia, see Freedom in the World 2016.

Copyright notice:  Freedom House, Inc.  All Rights Reserved
Freedom in the World 2017 - Albania

Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 1 September 2017 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2017 - Albania, 1 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59c103136.html [accessed 14 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Freedom Status: Partly Free

Aggregate Score: 68 (0 = Least Free, 100 = Most Free)

Freedom Rating: 3.0 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Political Rights: 3 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Civil Liberties: 3 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Quick Facts

Population: 2,900,000

Capital: Tirana

GDP/capita: $3,945

Press Freedom Status: Partly Free

OVERVIEW

Albania has a built a record of competitive elections, though political parties are highly polarized and often focused on leading personalities. Civil liberties such as religious freedom and freedom of assembly are respected. Corruption and organized crime remain serious problems despite recent government efforts to address them, and the intermingling of powerful business, political, and media interests inhibits the development of truly independent news outlets. The Romany minority continues to face discrimination in education, health care, employment, and housing.

Key Developments in 2016:

Beginning in July, the parliament passed a series of laws and constitutional amendments designed to reform the judicial system. The most controversial law, under which judges and prosecutors will be vetted for possible corruption and links to organized crime, was upheld by the Constitutional Court in December after a challenge by the opposition Democratic Party (PD).

In November, the European Commission recommended that the European Union (EU) formally open accession negotiations with Albania once it has made tangible progress in implementing the judicial reforms, particularly the vetting process. The European Council accepted the recommendation in December.

Executive Summary:

In July, Albania's parliament passed the first in a series of laws and constitutional amendments aimed at overhauling the courts and justice system. The ruling Socialist Party (PD) pressed ahead with the reforms through the end of the year, as the effort was a key condition set by the EU for the opening of membership talks with Albania. However, the opposition PD sought to block many of the changes, arguing that they were unconstitutional. The most controversial law called for the evaluation of current and prospective judges and prosecutors based on their professionalism, moral integrity, and independence from the influences of organized crime, corruption, and politics. The PD and the union of judges challenged the so-called vetting law before the Constitutional Court, but the court upheld it in December, citing in part an endorsement from the Council of Europe's Venice Commission.

The current government has taken some steps to improve politicians' accountability for corruption and other abuses. A law passed in December 2015 banned individuals with criminal records from holding office, and officials submitted self-declaration forms in 2016. The Central Electoral Commission voted in December to dismiss two members of parliament and one mayor for hiding their past criminal convictions. Another lawmaker had been removed by the Constitutional Court in May due to a conflict of interest, and a whistle-blower protection law was adopted in June. According to a 2016 survey on corruption, while the general perception of corruption in state institutions remains high, the share of those reporting an actual experience with corruption  being asked to pay a bribe  decreased from 57 percent in 2010 to 44 percent in 2015.

Explanatory Note:

This country report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2017. For background information on political rights and civil liberties in Albania, see Freedom in the World 2016.

Copyright notice:  Freedom House, Inc.  All Rights Reserved
Freedom in the World 2017 - Abkhazia

Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 1 September 2017 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2017 - Abkhazia, 1 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59c10314c.html [accessed 14 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Freedom Status: Partly Free

Aggregate Score: 41 (0 = Least Free, 100 = Most Free)

Freedom Rating: 4.5 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Political Rights: 4 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Civil Liberties: 5 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Quick Facts

Population: 240,000

OVERVIEW

Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia, has enjoyed de facto independence since the end of a civil conflict in 1993, and the last pocket of government-controlled territory was captured by separatist forces during a war that drew in Russian troops in 2008. The Abkhaz government is financially dependent on Russia, which maintains a military presence in the territory and is one of a handful of states that recognizes Abkhazia's independence. Nevertheless, the political system features significant opposition and civil society activity, and most residents reportedly oppose formal annexation by Russia. While local broadcast media are largely controlled by the government, there are some independent print and online outlets. Freedom of assembly is usually respected. Ongoing problems include a deeply flawed criminal justice system and discrimination against ethnic Georgians.

Key Developments in 2016:

In July, a referendum on whether to hold a snap presidential election failed to gain the required voter turnout after it was boycotted by both the opposition and government supporters.

In December, amid opposition demands for his resignation, President Raul Khajimba agreed to appoint opposition nominees to a number of government posts.

Local elections were held in April, and polling places were opened in September to allow residents to participate in Russia's parliamentary elections.

In February, Khajimba signed legislation that criminalized all abortions in an apparent attempt to increase the birth rate.

Executive Summary:

In April 2016, Amtsakhara and other opposition parties petitioned the Central Election Commission (CEC) to hold a referendum on an early presidential election, having collected some 19,000 signatures, almost double the required 10,000. Their grievances against incumbent president Raul Khajimba included his alleged failure to implement democratic reforms, work cooperatively with other parties and the parliament, and improve the economy and state management of Russian aid.

Khajimba allowed the referendum to proceed in July, but gave the opposition little time to prepare and refused to postpone it. Amid growing acrimony, both the president and the opposition ultimately urged supporters to boycott the vote, and it garnered turnout of just 1.23 percent, rendering it invalid. The opposition then continued to demand Khajimba's resignation.

In December, he reached a compromise with some elements of the opposition, agreeing to appoint its nominees as vice premier, prosecutor general, and various deputy ministers and agency heads. The opposition would also be able to fill positions at the CEC and the Constitutional Court. Furthermore, the president expressed support for proposed constitutional amendments that would bar him from dismissing the premier without the parliament's consent, among other changes. Amtsakhara did not join the agreement.

The year featured several incidents of political violence. In April, the car of an opposition lawmaker was blown up in Sukhumi, though it was not occupied at the time; he had strongly objected to a proposal that month  which was ultimately defeated  to lift a ban on selling land to foreigners. In July, opposition protesters repeatedly attempted to storm the Interior Ministry building. And in October, a suicide bomber killed himself outside the headquarters of the state broadcaster.

Local elections held across Abkhazia in April drew a relatively low turnout, and the voting was postponed in the Gali district because so many of its ethnic Georgian residents lacked documents from Abkhaz authorities. In September, nine polling stations were opened across Abkhazia so that residents, most of whom hold Russian passports, could participate in Russia's parliamentary elections. Georgia strongly condemned the move.

In November, in keeping with a treaty originally signed in 2014, Russia ratified a plan to form a joint military force with Abkhazia that would be under Russian command. Some elements of the treaty had generated considerable resistance in Abkhazia during 2015 on the grounds that they infringed on sovereignty, but implementation continued to move forward in 2016.

Explanatory Note:

This territory report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2017. For background information on political rights and civil liberties in Abkhazia, see Freedom in the World 2016.

Copyright notice:  Freedom House, Inc.  All Rights Reserved
Throughout Americas history, trade has been a fundamental driver of our nations growth. Open access to international trade allows a wide variety of goods to freely move from our country to markets around the world. Trade has not only been an important part of growing America, but Nebraska as well. Its been a proven economic good for our state.

As my administration has worked to grow our state, my team has partnered with business leaders and ag producers to build on the international partnerships and expand access to overseas markets.

International partnerships have been helping grow Nebraska for years. These partnerships led to over $8 billion of goods and services being exported in 2015 alone, which is an increase of 238 percent from a decade earlier.

Trade has been particularly good to our states ag producers: Nebraska is ranked as one of the top five states in terms of the value of our agriculture exports according to the USDA.

My administration has been leading trade missions to build on our states previous successes. These trade missions have led to numerous international partnerships which help grow Nebraska. Not only does trade open markets for our products, it also attracts direct foreign investment which creates more job opportunities in our state.

Direct foreign investment was a big focus on my most recent trade mission to Japan. Japan is Nebraskas number one source of foreign direct investment. Theyre an international partner who has repeatedly shown interest in working with Nebraska because of Nebraskas loyal workforce and great environment for job creation.

Through trade missions to Japan, Nebraska has built relationships that have resulted in investments in our energy, manufacturing, and agriculture industries. In fact, since 2010, Japanese companies have invested $4.4 billion in our state. About 35 Japanese-owned companies employ 9,400 Nebraskans.

One example of success which has come from our partnership with Japan is found in Kawasaki. In 1974, Kawasaki was the first Japanese company to invest in Nebraska and one of the first Japanese manufacturing plants in the country. Over the years, Kawasaki has manufactured everything from all-terrain vehicles to train cars in Lincoln. Following my 2015 trade mission to Japan, Kawasaki announced a new investment which has established their first U.S. aerospace division right here in Lincoln. This is just one of the many Japanese companies which have created good-paying job opportunities for thousands of Nebraska families.

Our relationship with Japan have also helped grow our agriculture industry. Japan recognizes the world-class quality of Nebraska beef and pork. In just the first five months of 2017, we saw a 26 percent increase in beef exports and a 46 percent increase in pork exports over 2016. During our mission to Japan last week, the Sagami Restaurant Chain signed an agreement with Smithfield to expand their purchases of Nebraska pork.

In addition to trade missions to Japan, I have also led trade missions to China twice, the European Union, and Canada over the last two and a half years. The trade mission to Canada was the first-ever mission led by a Nebraska Governor. These trade missions have all been influential in furthering my administrations vision to grow Nebraska. For example, following the trade mission to the European Union, Novozymes, a Danish company, announced a $36 million expansion at their biofuels plant in Blair. Additionally, the Chinese beef market recently opened up to American beef and the first shipment to China came from Nebraska. Discussing the need to reopen this market was a top priority for me during trade missions I led to China in 2015 and 2016.

These are just a few of the many successes that have come from our trade missions. As we continue to work to grow Nebraska, international trade and foreign direct investment will be key to growing our state for many years to come. Our openness to trade is one of the many reasons Nebraska has built a reputation as the best place in the world to live, work, and raise a family. If you have any stories about international trade or Japan that you would like to share with my office, you can contact us at pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or call 402-471-2244. I hope to hear from you soon!
Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Turkey: Show trials of journalists are a travesty of justice

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 19 September 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Turkey: Show trials of journalists are a travesty of justice, 19 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59c1244e4.html [accessed 14 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

This week, ARTICLE 19 and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are monitoring two trials of journalists in Turkey.

On Monday 18 September they attended the first hearing in the trial of 30 journalists, columnists and staff working for Zaman newspaper, including Sahin Alpay, Ali Bulac, Ahmet Alkan Turan and Mumtazer Turkone. Today, on Tuesday 19 September, they are attending the second hearing in the case of 17 journalists and columnists including Ahmet and Mehmet Altan. ARTICLE 19 and RSF call for the journalists to be released from pre-trial detention and for the charges to be dropped.





In both trials, the defendants are accused of involvement in last year's failed coup. They face charges of "attempting to overthrow the constitutional order through violence or force", "attempting to overthrow or interfere with the work of the national assembly through violence or force" and "attempting to overthrow or interfere with the work of the government". In the Zaman case, the defendants are also charged with membership of a terrorist organisation, which refers to the Gulen movement, the organisation the Turkish government blames for the coup attempt. In the Altans' case, the defendants are charged with aiding a terrorist organisation without being a member, which carries the same sentence as membership.





In both cases, the defendants face three aggravated life sentences. Most of them have already been in pre-trial detention for between 12 and 14 months. In neither case does the indictment include specific allegations of direct involvement in the coup itself or of incitement to violence.





In the Zaman indictment, the prosecutor claims that the defendants sought to create a public perception favourable to the coup. The indictment does not establish clear and individualised evidence against the defendants. On the contrary, it states that the articles do not contain individual crime elements, but reflect the editorial policy of Zaman newspaper, which was allegedly determined by Fethullah Gulen, the religious leader of the Gulen movement. It is argued that this demonstrates they were part of a terrorist network. No attempt has been made in the indictment to explain how newspaper articles or columns constitute violence or force.





In the Altans' case, the indictment outlines a number of columns or articles written by the defendants which express views critical of the government, in addition to a television interview in which the prosecutor claims they gave subliminal messages in support of the coup. Apart from this, some circumstantial evidence about contact they had with alleged members of the Gulen movement is included.





ARTICLE 19 and RSF, along with a number of other international human rights or press freedom organisations, monitored the first hearing of the Altans' trial in June 2017. ARTICLE 19 submitted an expert opinion to the court, which outlined how the charges against the defendants do not comply with international standards on the right to freedom of expression. The opinion further concluded that these cases appear to be politically motivated.





In addition to the groundless charges, ARTICLE 19 and RSF are concerned about undue pressure on human rights lawyers. Veysel Ok, the lead defence lawyer for Ahmet Altan and Sahin Alpay, is also on trial this week in a separate case where he is charged with "insulting Turkishness" and "insulting the judiciary" based on an interview he gave in 2015 where he criticised the Turkish justice system, stating that the judges lacked independence. Another human rights lawyer, Orhan Kemal Cengiz, is a defendant in the Zaman newspaper case. His name only appears once in the indictment and no evidence is cited against him. He was the lawyer representing the Zaman case at the Constitutional Court and also wrote columns for Today's Zaman.





Both cases represent show trials aimed at silencing dissent and alternative viewpoints, particularly criticism of the government. In both cases, ARTICLE 19 and RSF call for the journalists to be released and for the charges to be dropped in the absence of individualised evidence of involvement in an internationally recognised crime.
Conflict keeps 27 million children out of school, with girls at high risk of abuse  UN report

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 19 September 2017 Related Document(s) Education Uprooted Cite as UN News Service, Conflict keeps 27 million children out of school, with girls at high risk of abuse  UN report, 19 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59c125de4.html [accessed 14 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Some 27 million children are out of school due to conflict, with girls facing a heightened risk of sexual and gender-based violence, the United Nations said in a report released today, calling on States and international organizations to integrate all uprooted children into the education system where they live.

"Many of the 50 million uprooted children in the world are in desperate need of education - not despite being uprooted from their homes but because they are uprooted from their homes," the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) stressed in the report.

"For without education, how will they gain knowledge and skills to rebuild their lives? How will they be able to chart a path to a more peaceful and prosperous future for themselves, their families, their communities and the world?" queried the agency.

"Finding ways to provide education for uprooted children will require funding, creativity and commitment. Together, we can, and must, find solutions so every child can go to school and learn. Children's futures - and our own - depend on it," said UNICEF.

In 2015, nearly 50 million children were uprooted, more than 28 million of them forced from their homes because of violence and insecurity, with 27 million children of primary and lower secondary school age out of school in 24 conflict-affected countries, the report noted.

According to UNICEF, refugees are five times more likely to be out of school than other children, with only 50 per cent of refugee children enrolled in primary school and less than 25 per cent in secondary school.

In countries affected by conflict, girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys and are more likely to become victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

Xenophobia, exclusion and stigmatization can create inhospitable, even dangerous environments for children seeking to join a new school system, while only 10 European Union Member States recognize the right of undocumented migrant children to enter the school system and five explicitly exclude them.

Integrate uprooted children in education systems where they live - UNICEF

In 2016, UNICEF reached 11.7 million children in emergencies, providing learning opportunities and materials, teacher training and offering life skills classes and is currently hosting the secretariat of Education Cannot Wait, which has mobilized over $113 million from government donors and a pledge of $100 million in both financial and in-kind support from the private sector.

The agency called on its partners to integrate all uprooted children into the education system where they live, invest in high-quality learning opportunities, provide psychosocial counselling and language instruction, and engage with partners including the private sector to provide technical assistance, expertise and talent that can be tailored to needs of uprooted children.

"UNICEF seeks partners willing to tackle the specific challenges of providing learning opportunities that deliver the skills and knowledge children need to rebuild their lives and prepare for the future," the report concluded.

"The job requires resources, creativity and a commitment to high-quality education for every child, especially children who have been uprooted from their homes."
Turkey: Show trials of journalists are a travesty of justice

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 19 September 2017 Cite as Article 19, Turkey: Show trials of journalists are a travesty of justice, 19 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59c1264a4.html [accessed 14 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

This week, ARTICLE 19 and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are monitoring two trials of journalists in Turkey. On Monday 18 September they attended the first hearing in the trial of journalists, columnists and staff working for Zaman newspaper, including Sahin Alpay, Ali Bulac, Ahmet Alkan Turan and Mumtazer Turkone. Today, on Tuesday 19 September, they are attending the second hearing in the case of a number of journalists and columnists including Ahmet and Mehmet Altan. ARTICLE 19 and RSF call for the journalists to be released from pre-trial detention and for the charges to be dropped.

In both trials, the defendants are accused of involvement in last years failed coup. They face charges of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order through violence or force, attempting to overthrow or interfere with the work of the national assembly through violence or force and attempting to overthrow or interfere with the work of the government. In the Zaman case, the defendants are also charged with membership of a terrorist organisation, which refers to the Gulen movement, the organisation the Turkish government blames for the coup attempt. In the Altans case, the defendants are charged with aiding a terrorist organisation without being a member, which carries the same sentence as membership. In both cases, the defendants face three aggravated life sentences. Most of them have already been in pre-trial detention for between 12 and 14 months.

In neither case does the indictment include specific allegations of direct involvement in the coup itself or of incitement to violence.

In the Zaman indictment, the prosecutor claims that the defendants sought to create a public perception favourable to the coup. The indictment does not establish clear and individualised evidence against the defendants. On the contrary, it states that the articles do not contain individual crime elements, but reflect the editorial policy of Zaman newspaper, which was allegedly determined by Fethullah Gulen, the religious leader of the Gulen movement. It is argued that this demonstrates they were part of a terrorist network. No attempt has been made in the indictment to explain how newspaper articles or columns constitute violence or force.

In the Altans case, the indictment outlines a number of columns or articles written by the defendants which express views critical of the government, in addition to a television interview in which the prosecutor claims they gave subliminal messages in support of the coup. Apart from this, some circumstantial evidence about contact they had with alleged members of the Gulen movement is included.

ARTICLE 19 and RSF, along with a number of other international human rights or press freedom organisations, monitored the first hearing of the Altans trial in June 2017. ARTICLE 19 submitted an expert opinion to the court, which outlined how the charges against the defendants do not comply with international standards on the right to freedom of expression. The opinion further concluded that these cases appear to be politically motivated.

In addition to the groundless charges, ARTICLE 19 and RSF are concerned about undue pressure on human righthttp://swiged076.unhcr.local/cgi-bin/texis.exe/refworld/rwcmss lawyers. Veysel Ok, the lead defence lawyer for Ahmet Altan and Sahin Alpay, is also on trial this week in a separate case where he is charged with insulting Turkishness and insulting the judiciary based on an interview he gave in 2015 where he criticised the Turkish justice system, stating that the judges lacked independence. Another human rights lawyer, Orhan Kemal Cengiz, is a defendant in the Zaman newspaper case. His name only appears once in the indictment and no evidence is cited against him. He was the lawyer representing the Zaman case at the Constitutional Court and also wrote columns for Todays Zaman.

Both cases represent show trials aimed at silencing dissent and alternative viewpoints, particularly criticism of the government. In both cases, ARTICLE 19 and RSF call for the journalists to be released and for the charges to be dropped in the absence of individualised evidence of involvement in an internationally recognised crime.

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Mud and rain worsen plight for Rohingya refugees

Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Author Tim Gaynor Publication Date 19 September 2017 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mud and rain worsen plight for Rohingya refugees, 19 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59c12a3a0.html [accessed 14 November 2022]

When her village was torched in Myanmar, Rabeya Khattm gathered up her six children and fled through monsoon rains.

Frequently drenched on the eight-day slog over rough terrain to reach Bangladesh, two of her children came down with chills.

But now she is finally in the dry, under a UNHCR tarpaulin, her children - aged a few months to 11 years - gathered around her on a plastic sheet, her sick baby under a cloth in her lap.

"It was raining all yesterday, and we couldn't sleep - but now the rain cannot attack me anymore," she says.

An estimated 421,000 Rohingya - a largely stateless Muslim minority in Myanmar- have arrived in Bangladesh since the latest bout of violence broke out on August 25.

Rabeya is among thousands of children, women and men in this informal settlement outside Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Bangladesh who are now benefitting from a UNHCR aid delivery.

UN Refugee Agency staff have provided some 150 family tents to newly arrived refugees, and have 6,000 more that will arrive in coming days, says Franklin Golay, UNHCR staff, is part of a team providing water, latrines, tents and shelter in the area.

UNHCR is also providing tarpaulins to refugees in the settlement, which sprawls over rugged terrain, made soggy by seasonal downpours. Mud is ankle deep on pathways.

"Shelter is key, as we still have a lot of people sleeping along the roads without anything," says Golay, who estimates the population of the informal settlement at around 15,000, and growing daily.

"Water and sanitation is also a vital issue because you have open defecation and people drinking water from unprotected sources," he adds, noting that there have been several cases of diarrhea reported.

While Rabeya and her children are now receiving help, many are still exposed to the elements and are struggling - among them 65-year-old Khadija, who fled Myanmar after attackers burned her village to the ground.

Exhausted after a week-long foot journey, she lies slumped on the ground. Her teeth stained deep red from chewing betel nuts to ward off hunger.

"I am getting weaker and weaker," she says. Asked what she needs, she said, "Shelter, food, water and medicine."

With her is Amina Khadun, who says she is 50, although though looks 20 years older. She holds out an arm broken in the attack on her village. Untreated, it dangles at an unnatural angle.

"I need help," she says. "I don't have shelter, I don't have anything to eat. I have nothing."

Your support is urgently needed to help the children, women and men refuges in Bangladesh. Please give now.
An upcoming informational meeting in Norfolk will give area residents an opportunity to learn more about Emerald Ash Borer, as well as information about promoting local tree projects and even starting a local tree board.

The Norfolk Tree Advisory Board will host a Community Tree Information Meeting that is open to all tree board members and anyone interested in promoting tree projects within their community.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at the Elkhorn Lodge at Ta-Ha-Zouka Park in Norfolk from 1-4:30 p.m.

The afternoon meeting will be divided into three sessions that will cover Getting Your Community Ready for Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), the Norfolk Tree Bud Program, tree board duties and activities, and community tree inventory along with an air spade demonstration to showcase what roots look like under the surface.

The first session will have members of the Norfolk Tree Advisory Board and Steve Rasmussen, District Forester with the Nebraska Forest Service, talking about what their EAB preparedness plan looks like.

What the Nebraska Forest Service is telling people is to not worry about doing any treatment until it is about 15 miles from your doorstep, Pam Bergstrom, Forester with the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District, said. Because it is expensive and as the trees get bigger and older sometimes those chemicals just dont do the job.

Another way of fighting the EAB, according to Bergstrom is to simply plant another type of tree near current ash trees that may succumb to the infestation.

What I have been telling people, especially those on limited budgets, is to go out right now and plant a new tree within 20 to 30 feet of the old one and let it get established, she said. So when you do have to take the ash tree down you have something available.

The City of Fremont has recently taken steps to address the EAB issue as the bug was identified in Omaha last year, meaning the likelihood that it has already made its way to Fremont is extremely high.

They say that the borer is in Fremont, they havent seen it but they know it has to be here, City Administrator Brian Newton said during an interview with the Tribune in August. Within 10 years almost every ash tree in Fremont will be dead because of the Emerald Ash Borer, because we see that happening east of us. As it travels west it absolutely decimates Ash trees.

During an Aug. 8 Fremont City Council meeting, the council approved a resolution authorizing the City of Fremont to accept a $478,000 grant by entering into an agreement with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) for grant funds to purchase a tree chipper/grinder.

The second session will focus on tree boards, where Bergstrom will talk about the function of tree boards and have some assistance from local tree boards on what they do, what projects they have done in the past, and what they have planned in the future.

The community forestry aspect of every community is very important, Bergstrom said. The city council doesnt always have times to spend hours at end working on doing a tree inventory, putting on programs for the local kids for Arbor Day, or even planting. So that is where the tree board comes in.

Local tree boards do tree inventories, look at public areas that may need to be planted, and look at trees that may need to be removed.

What they do is put together a budget every year to take to the city council to say ok we have these areas that needed planted, trees that need to be removed, and here is an estimate of how much it is going to cost, Bergstrom said.

The third part of the presentation will be on community inventories and finish up with an air spade demonstration of removing soil from around roots to see what is going on under the ground. Graham Herbst, Community Forestry Specialist with the Nebraska Forest Service, will talk about the inventory that took place in West Point this summer. Herbst will use an air spade to remove soil from around a tree to showcase what the roots look like underneath and talk about the importance of root health.

An inventory that took place last year locally found that every one in five trees in Fremont is an Ash tree, meaning the wood chipper will be put to plenty of use over the next decade.

Over a year ago we were put in the quarantine area, we spoke extensively with an (Nebraska) Extension agent and then did an inventory by counting city trees and Department of Utility trees, Newton said. Several thousand will have to be cut down.

To register for the information meeting, please contact Sheila Schukei at sschukei@ci.norfolk.ne.us, or 402-844-2034.

This is a great opportunity for those who are caring for our publicly owned trees to learn how to promote them, care for them and find the funds to make it all possible, Dr. Tom Surber, chairman of the City of Norfolk Tree Advisory Board, said.
Limassol, Cyprus -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/19/2017 --Capital.com has just hit the app stores. It's the most advanced fintech release to date and it's making waves! Capital.com is an app that allows users to trade commodities, indices, shares and other instruments right on their smartphones. By using the latest in artificial intelligence, Capital.com provides an AI-powered trading platform for all types of investors, from absolute beginners to experienced traders.



The app, which has received a $25 million investment from Larnabel Ventures and VP Capital, also comes with a SmartFeed providing content tailored to the needs of its users.



Viktor Prokopenya, Founder of VP Capital and investor in Capital.com, believes the app is just what the trading world has been waiting for, he says: "By harnessing the power of AI, particularly through its advanced SmartFeed function, Capital.com seeks to educate and inform users and promote a thoughtful, intelligent, and sophisticated approach to trading, while helping to expand market access."



The trading world is synonymous with spreadsheets and financials, Capital.com takes all this and presents it in an accessible format. It's all in the science, by using sophisticated algorithms and proprietary technology the app allows traders to access the world markets right at their fingertips. It's new, innovative and an exciting development in fintech.



Speaking further about his investment, Viktor Prokopenya says: "The fintech industry is evolving at a rapid and exciting pace, and there is significant opportunity for start-ups to leverage technology in ground-breaking, disruptive ways and make a long-term, positive impact on society at large."



Kira Bondareva, CEO of Capital.com, further reiterates: "One of the most exciting aspects of Capital.com's app is its ability to identify  and work to correct  common behavioural biases, which are proven to have a negative impact on investors' trading results. By taking advantage of the most advanced AI technologies, Capital.com is able to analyse traders' behaviours in real time, subscribe them to bespoke educational channels, and then, based on their activity, provide instructions on how to avoid certain biases, such as either the overconfidence bias or disposition effect. We believe that Capital.com will be a valuable resource and platform for every type of investor, from the savvy, sophisticated trader to someone who is still learning how to navigate the market."



That's where Capital.com's sister-app Investmate steps in. Investmate is an educational tool for novice traders seeking to improve their trading knowledge before taking a step into the markets. It provides a multitude of short educational courses, content, interactive quizzes, articles, videos and more aimed at giving traders the information they need to get started and become smart investors.



Capital.com and Investmate are now available for download from the App Store and Google Play Store for smartphone users in the European Union.



Who's Who Mini Guide



About Capital.com

Capital.com is a fintech company developing mobile applications and trading software solutions. The company aims to provide its users with a platform to trade financial products directly from their smartphones and also give them the educational materials to make them into smart traders. Its SmartFeed technology is patent pending. Based in Limassol, Cyprus, Capital.com is licensed and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC).



More information can be found by visiting: https://capital.com/.



About VP Capital

VP Capital is a global investment vehicle with a particular focus on the technology sector. The fund was founded by Viktor Prokopenya.



Visit www.vpcapital.com to find out more.



About Larnabel Ventures

Larnabel Ventures is an investment fund, founded by the Gutseriev family with a special interest in the information technology sector.
The Fremont City Council is having a special meeting Tuesday afternoon at 5 p.m. inside of the Council Chambers, located on the second floor of the Fremont Municipal Building, 400 E. Military Ave.

One area of conversation will revolve around the acceptance of recommendations being made by a consultant in regard to the Fremont Municipal Airport Terminal Area Plan.

The City of Fremont has entered into an Engineering Design Contract with Lincoln-based Davis Design for the planning and design of a proposed new terminal building at the Fremont Municipal Airport.

During the special meeting, the Council could pass a resolution accepting all recommendations of the Airport Terminal Area Plan, as well as accepting the consultants report into the record.

A full staff report with details highlighting the project can be found by visiting www.fremontne.gov and clicking on the staff report tab located within an online agenda.

Other areas of action include:

*The Council is holding a public hearing for the purpose of hearing support, opposition, criticism, suggestions and observations of taxpayers relating to the proposed budget and setting the final tax request for the 2017-2019 biennial budget.

*Potential passage of a resolution setting the property tax request at $5,878,252.52 for the 2018 fiscal year and $6,018,416.28 for the 2019 fiscal year.

*Possible passage of a resolution setting the final City of Fremont tax rate of .383363 per $100 of assessed valuation for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

*Possible passage of an ordinance adopting the 2017-2019 biennial budget statement termed the Appropriation Bill.

*Discussion of an amendment to Chapter 11 of the Fremont Municipal Code pertaining to zoning and subdivision regulations, hereinafter referred to as the Citys Unified Development Code.
Cambodian opposition party lawmakers were turned away from a prison in the countrys Tbong Khmum province on Monday following a failed second attempt to visit jailed CNRP leader Kem Sokha, who is being held on a charge of treason, sources said.



The request to visit Kem Sokha was turned down by the investigating judge in the case, who said that only the party leaders family members and lawyers may see him before his trial.



The group had previously tried to visit on September 11.



Speaking to RFAs Khmer Service, Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) parliamentarian Mao Monyvann said that party members and constituents will continue to travel to the provinces remote Trapeang Phlong prison each Monday to show their support.



People always ask that we relay their message to Kem Sokha that they are with him, and are upset that the countrys constitution was violated by his arrest, Mao Monyvann said.



Arrested without a warrant in the capital Phnom Penh early on Sept. 3, Kem Sokha was accused of treason in a move critics say shows prime minister Hun Sen is intensifying his attacks on political opponents ahead of national elections scheduled for 2018.



He was formally charged on September 5.



The jailed opposition leader remains in good health, though, Mao Monyvann told RFA.



We have not been able to meet with him since his arrest, but what I have learned from family members and his lawyers is that he is in good health. He remains both physically and mentally strong, he said.



He sends this message to the public: That the authorities can restrict his freedom, but they can never restrict the freedom of Cambodias people.



Violation of privacy



Lawyers for the jailed party chief meanwhile asked the investigating court on Sept. 15 to remove a surveillance camera installed in Kem Sokhas private cell, calling the cameras presence in the room a violation of his right to privacy.



This is a severe intrusion, Som Sokong, one of Kem Sokhas lawyers, told RFA. [Kem Sokhas] daily activities, including when he changes his clothes, are all being taped. This is unacceptable, he said.



We have asked that the camera be removed.



Ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) spokesperson Sok Eysan defended the surveillance, however, saying that the camera had been placed there for Kem Sokhas own good.



Kem Sokha is the key player in an evil plot by a superpower, he said, alluding to government charges that the CNRP leader had conspired with the United States to overthrow Hun Sen in a so-called color revolution.



That superpower may now want to kill him to remove the evidence of their plot.



Kem Sokha is nothing but an orange whose juice has already been squeezed, and there is no further use for him, Sok Eysan said.



So I would like to ask his lawyers how they can be sure hell be safe if the camera is removed. Tell me how, he said.



A hearing on Kem Sokhas appeal against his provisional detention will be held on September 26.



Protest in Europe



Over 200 Cambodians living in France, Holland, Austria, Germany, and Belgium meanwhile protested on Monday in Brussels, asking European governments to put pressure on Hun Sen to immediately free Kem Sokha and other jailed Cambodian prisoners of conscience.



We call on European countries to freeze the bank accounts of all corrupt government officials [in Cambodia] and to impose a visa ban on them and their families, protest spokesperson Thhai Makarar said.



European countries respect human rights and democracy, so we should not allow human rights abusers to set foot in these countries, he said.



Further protests will be carried out in front of the offices of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 26, Thhai Makarar said.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Richard Finney.




Chinese students from the School of Marxism at Zhejiang University march in a parade to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the founding of the school in Hangzhou, eastern China's Zhejiang province, May 21, 2017.

Academics at a university in the eastern province of Zhejiang will have any online political essays in line with ruling Chinese Communist Party ideology assessed in appraisals and job applications under new regulations governing academic "excellence," a spokesman said on Tuesday.

An official who answered the phone at the propaganda office of the University of Zhejiang party committee confirmed online reports that a new set of guidelines aim at encouraging "excellence in online culture" is now being implemented at the school.

The rules will apply equally to students and faculty at the university, when assessing their academic excellence, the officials said.

"These measures are aimed at students and faculty at this university, when their research excellence is being assessed and scored," the official said.

Asked if the rules were "unreasonable," the official said: "Those are the rules."

Asked why the changes were being implemented now, the official said they didn't know.

But local media reports indicate that the new regulations are in keeping with "the spirit of the Communist Party's Central Committee, and a way of producing a breakthrough in the limitations of the system and of ideological work."

An online commentator surnamed Hu said such rules aren't a feature of a "normal society," however.

"There should be a clear line between truth and untruth," Hu wrote. "It's very easy for cultural measures like this to become distorted."

"The highest leadership really needs lower-ranking officials to do this sort of thing, because they will get a boost from it," he wrote.

Strengthen the party leadership

President Xi Jinping is gearing up for an important political meeting next month with ever-tighter policing of public speech, and plans to have his own version of political ideology enshrined in the ruling party's constitution, political commentators said.

Members of the Communist Party have also been warned in clear terms to stay away from the "wrong words" online, which it defines as anything that departs from the official line.

Retired Shandong University professor Sun Wenguang said that if Xi succeeds in getting a mention, similar to former supreme leaders Deng Xiaoping and Mao Zedong, in the party's governing document, his standing in the party will be greatly strengthened.

"This will ultimately strengthen the party leadership," Sun said.

Another key change could be the introduction of party committees in private enterprises. Currently, only state-owned enterprises have a party committee involved in decision-making.

"I think that such a change would necessitate a change in the party's constitution," Sun said. "The overall trend seems to be to strengthen the one-party dictatorship."

Sun said he thinks the trend is unwise.

"They must give party members the opportunity to express their views, to express dissenting views; otherwise, they could make some very serious mistakes," he said, in an apparent reference to the political violence and turmoil of the Mao era. "We have seen in the past what happens when political power becomes highly concentrated."

The Party Congress, which opens on Oct. 18, also comes amid growing speculation that Xi may be seeking to buck recent limitations on power at the highest echelons of the party by seeking a third term in the top spot.

Reports are also emerging from China's secretive political establishment that Xi is getting ready to expand the membership of the existing Politburo from 25 to 35, and abolish the Politburo standing committee, which has wielded a form of collective leadership since Deng's era of economic reforms during the 1980s.

Reported by Xin Lin for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wong Si-yu and Pan Jiaqing for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The law firm of a leading Chinese human rights lawyer has been searched by police as part of an inspection ahead of a key ruling Chinese Communist Party conference next month, sources said.



The search on the office of Mo Shaoping, a prominent Beijing lawyer known for defending sensitive human rights cases, was conducted by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice, a source with knowledge of the case told RFA's Mandarin Service.



"The searching personnel were led by about 10 Beijing local district judicial office managers, the source said. The purpose of the search was to begin what will probably be a 10-day Special Inspection before the 19th Party Congress," RFA's source said.



Chinese authorities have stepped up a crackdown on dissent in the run-up to the politically sensitive Communist party congress in Beijing on Oct. 18 when President Xi Jinping is expected to be appointed to a second five-year term by about 2,300 delegates, including senior officials.



The search of the office of Mo, a lawyer of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo who died of liver cancer in July, was aimed at "examining if all government rules and regulations are followed in the management and operation of the law firm, the source said.



However, Beijing-based right lawyer Li Jinglin told RFA on Monday that the so-called Special Inspection is of course not targeting all law firms in Beijing. Mo Shaoping's office always represents sensitive cases and clients, so he was singled out.



It was not immediately clear whether the officials took away any documents or questioned Mo, who has been defending dissidents since 1995.



In July 2015, Chinese police began rounding up and interrogating about 300 rights lawyers, legal assistants, and activists across the country in what has been called the 709 crackdown.



While most of those detained have been freed, at least three are still being held while pending trial and another two are serving prison sentences, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a recent report.



The Chinese governments claims of respecting human rights become ever more absurd each day it holds these lawyers and activists in custody, said Sophie Richardson, HRW's China director.



Jailing the very people who fight for the rule of law undermines progress toward the stable society the Communist Party claims to want, she said.



Reported by Gao Shan for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated by Ping Chen. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.




Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi addresses diplomats and staffers from United Nations agencies about the crisis in western Myanmar's Rakhine state in the capital Naypyidaw, Sept. 19, 2017.

Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Tuesday that she is committed to restoring stability and peace in the countrys violence-wracked Rakhine state and appealed to the diplomatic community to help determine why hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled the area while more than half of the Rohingya population has remained.

A Muslim insurgent group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) carried out armed attacks on three border police stations in northern Rakhine state in October 2016, which were followed by a security crackdown and clashes during which about 90,000 Rohingya Muslims fled their homes amid indiscriminate killings, torture, arson, and rape.

A more recent ARSA attack on 30 police outposts and an army base on Aug. 25 prompted further security operations during which more than 410,000 Rohingya fled similar violence blamed on Myanmar security forces. They have since been seeking refuge in neighboring Bangladesh.

We are committed to the restoration of peace, stability and rule of law throughout the state, Aung San Suu Kyi said on Tuesday during a speech to diplomats and personnel from United Nations agencies in the capital Naypyidaw.

The security forces have been instructed to adhere strictly to the Code of Conduct in carrying out security operations, to exercise all due restraint, and to take full measures to avoid collateral damage and the harming of innocent civilians, she said.

Human rights violations and all other acts that impair stability and harmony and undermine the rule of law will be addressed in accordance with strict norms of justice, she said.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who avoided using the words Rohingya or Bengalis to refer to the Muslims, said there have been no armed clashes or clearance operations since Sept. 5, despite numerous reports by Rohingya who have fled to Bangladesh during the past three weeks that Myanmar forces and Buddhist mobs have been indiscriminately killing civilians and burning their homes.

Myanmars government, in turn, has accused the Rohingya of torching their own villages.

Nevertheless, we are concerned to hear that numbers of Muslims are fleeing across the border to Bangladesh, she said. We want to find out why this exodus is happening. We would like to talk to those who have fled as well as those who have stayed.

She added that the majority of the 1.1 million Muslims in Rakhine state have not fled and that more than 50 percent of their villages are still intact.

They are as they were before the attacks took place, she said. We would like to know why.

This is what I think we have to work towards, Aung San Suu Kyi said. Not just looking at the problems, but also looking at the areas where there are no problems. Why have we been able to avoid these problems in certain areas? For this reason, we would like to invite the members of our diplomatic community to join us in our endeavour to learn more from the Muslims who have integrated successfully into the Rakhine state.

She also said Myanmar will soon begin a nationality verification process for refugees who have fled in accordance with a 1993 agreement with Bangladesh that allows Rohingya who can prove residency in Myanmar to return to the country.

Not afraid of scrutiny

Aung San Suu Kyi also said that Myanmar is not afraid of scrutiny by the international community over the Rakhine crisis, even though U.N. officials have called the crisis a textbook example of ethnic cleansing and issued calls for authorities to end military operations and allow humanitarian access in the region.

I am aware of the fact that the worlds attention is focused on the situation in Rakhine state, she said.

As I said at the [U.N.] General Assembly last year, as a responsible member of the community of nations, Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny and we are committed to a sustainable solution that would lead to peace, stability and development for all communities within that state, she said.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who serves as Myanmars state counselor and foreign affairs minister, is not attending the U.N. General Assembly, the annual meeting of diplomats and leaders from 193 countries, in New York this week, citing the Rakhine crisis at home.

When asked by RFA during an exclusive interview following her address why she has asked for help from the international community in determining why Rohingya have fled en masse though security operations ended on Sept. 5, Aung San Suu Kyi said, Nobody can live in isolation in this age.

Globalization is the norm, and we need to have enough courage to associate globally too, she said. So, if we prohibit outside visits [to Rakhine], itll be like we have something to hide. In the end, we have to rely on ourselves for our countrys development.

The Myanmar government has so far refused to grant visas to a U.N. mandated fact-finding mission appointed earlier this year to look into reports of atrocities in Rakhine state.

After Aung san Suu Kyis speech, Myanmars Defense Minister Lieutenant General Sein Win told reporters that accusations by the international community that the military has committed rights abuses in northern Rakhine were untrue and regrettable.

As the state counselor said, we are carrying out the operations in accordance with the law, he said. And if they are not carried out according to the law, we will take action according to the law against those who did not. We will take action against those who violate the law.

As for the international accusations [of rights violations by security forces], I have to say it is regrettable, because those are not true, he said.

Sein Win also said the army is not using force out of proportion, but just the necessary amount.

Criticism from abroad

Rohingya living in Malaysia criticized Aung San Suu Kyis speech for not acknowledging the violence that Muslims in northern Rakhine have endured at the hands of the military following the Aug. 25 attacks.

Muhammad Nur Islam, a Rohingya who is managing director of Rohingya Vision TV in the capital Kuala Lumpur, told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, that Aung San Suu Kyi is complicit in "the genocide" occurring in Rakhine.

People are dying, he said. What is she going to say? Her old style of image is not going to work anymore. She is a part of the genocide. She is complicit. It is in her hands to stop this, but she isnt going to stop it.

Shes making the decision to kill these people, and on top of that is blaming it on the Rohingya, calling them terrorists, he said.

Salim Majid, a Rohingya journalist based in Kuala Lumpur, noted the number of Rohingya villages that have been burned in northern Rakhine and the refugees carrying the elderly on their backs trying to escape the violence and reach the Bangladesh border.

Those who are not killed in the villages die on the way to the border, he said. Is Aung San Suu Kyi blind?

London-based Amnesty International reacted to Aung San Suu Kyis speech by accusing her of burying her head in the sand about the violence in Rakhine.

Aung San Suu Kyi today demonstrated that she and her government are still burying their heads in the sand over the horrors unfolding in Rakhine state, said James Gomez, Amnesty Internationals regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, in a statement. At times, the speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming.

There is overwhelming evidence that security forces are engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing, he said. While it was positive to hear Aung San Suu Kyi condemn human rights violations in Rakhine state, she is still silent about the role of security forces in this.

Human Rights Watch said Tuesday that fresh analysis of satellite imagery from northern Rakhine, made possible because of a clearing of monsoon cloud on Sept. 16, shows the near total destruction of 214 villages in northern Rakhine.

The group repeated its call for world leaders meeting at the U.N. this week to adopt a General Assembly resolution condemning the Myanmar militarys ethnic cleansing and for the U.N. Security Council to impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the country.

Reported by Khin Maung Soe for RFAs Myanmar Service and by Hadi Azmi in Kuala Lumpur for BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. Translated by Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Chinese authorities in the troubled western region of Xinjiang on Tuesday tried a retired judge in a quasi-military Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp brigade, or bingtuan, on suspicion of "incitement to racial hatred."



Huang Yunmin, former judge in the bingtuan's Third Brigade in Kashgar prefecture had initially been held on a brief administrative sentence in March in the bingtuan city of Tumxuk after he helped local workers protest at their treatment by the authorities.



But he was later indicted for "incitement to racial hatred and ethnic discrimination" by police there, and pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to the charges at the Kenqu District People's Court in Kashgar.



His defense attorney Ran Tong told RFA that the trial had closed after a day of hearings with no immediate verdict. Sentence is typically passed within six weeks of a trial.



"He was just sharing information [about legal cases]; he wasn't disseminating it," Ran said. "This was a case of mutual study and learning between a group of friends."



"It is incorrect to treat it as a crime, from the law's point of view," he said.



Ran said the presiding judges had "rushed" through the proceedings without taking time to listen to or consider the arguments made by the defense.



Plea for leniency



Huang's sister Huang Xiaoqin said his demeanor was humble in court, and he pleaded with the judges, in spite of pleading not guilty to the charges.



"He wept on the phone call with me for fully one minute before he said that he had pleaded for leniency," she said. "This was very painful for everyone in our family."



She said Huang is in poor health, and appears to be suffering from some kind of gastrointestinal complaint and a respiratory infection, with a weakened immune system.



She said she is concerned that he has insufficient clothing in detention to stay warm during the approaching winter.



Huang is a former member of the ruling Chinese Communist Party whose friends have rejected the charges against him, saying they are likely a form of retaliation for his criticism of government policies in Xinjiang.



Huang, 58, had served as a judge at the bingtuan's Third Brigade People's Court in Tumxuk since the 1990s, rising to become head of human resources before taking early retirement.



He had later made a name for himself as an able legal advocate, and had offered legal assistance to vulnerable groups of workers on the bingtuan's farming operations, and had previously been detained on a number of occasions.



In particular, Huang had helped a migrant worker from Henan province lodge an official complaint in Beijing, his friends said.



A widely respected judge and legal advocate, Huang is known in the profession as a senior lawyer with a "keen sense of justice," they said.



The People's Liberation Army production companies, or bingtuan, are units of command that enable Beijing to maintain key areas and exploit rich resources in the largely Muslim northwestern region of Xinjiang.



The region's Muslim ethnic minority Kazakhs and Uyghurs are treated by the ruling Chinese Communist Party as a potential security threat, and targeted for discriminatory policing and immigration controls.



Passports blocked



Sources in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture told RFA on Tuesday that authorities there have "stopped issuing passports altogether" to Uyghurs and Kazakhs.



"They're not issuing passports at all to Kazakhs and Uyghurs right now," a Kazakh source said. "When we asked them when they will start again they said they didn't know."



"The police in Ili said it was on orders from higher up, but [majority] Han Chinese, ethnic Mongolians and non-Muslims can all still get passports."



An official who answered the phone at the police entry and exit bureau in Ili's Shaosu county said ethnic minorities must get approval from nine different government departments before a passport can be issued, however.



"They have to get stamps from nine different departments, including the state security police, their local police station, their hometown government, from here, there and everywhere," the official said.

"Altogether, their application must be reviewed and stamped by nine departments."



Elsewhere in the region, sources said the authorities are now closing mosques on all days except Friday, the main prayer day for Muslims.



"The Great Bazaar Mosque in [regional capital] Urumqi is monitored to see how many people come to Friday prayers," a Kazakh resident of the city said. "They won't let anyone in who isn't authorized; people have to use a card, and swipe it to gain entry."



"If you don't have a card, you won't get in."



Reported by Hai Nan for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.




Nguyen Van Oai calls for the release of jailed pro-democracy lawyer Nguyen Van Dai in an undated photo.

A court in northern-central Vietnams Nghe An province on Monday sentenced prominent blogger and former political prisoner Nguyen Van Oai to five years in prison and four years of house arrest for resisting police officers and leaving his home while on probation, his lawyer said.

Oai, 36, was taken into custody by plainclothes officers on Jan. 19 while walking along a street in the town of Hoang Mai in Nghe An province for resisting persons on duty after authorities accused him of violating the terms of a house arrest order he received in 2015 for having ties to the outlawed Viet Tan pro-democracy organization.

As a member of Viet Tan and a cofounder of the Association of Catholic Former Prisoners of Conscience, Oai has campaigned for political prisoners and written about social injustice on his Facebook page, according to a statement issued by Viet Tan on Monday.

In court, I said Mr. Oai was not guilty, but the court still upheld two convictions and sentenced him to five years imprisonment in addition to four years of probation which he owed from the first sentence in 2013, Ha Huy Son, the attorney who defended Oai, told RFAs Vietnamese Service.

In August 2011, Oai was among a group of 14 Catholic and Protestant youths arrested as part of a crackdown on activists with ties to religious organizations, anti-China protests, environmental advocacy, and citizen journalism.

He was sentenced in 2013 to four years in prison and three years of probation for attempting to overthrow the government or joining organizations with the intent to do so under Article 79 of Vietnam's Penal Code. He completed that jail term in 2015, including time served since his 2011 arrest.

Article 79 is one of a number of vague statutes that authorities often use to detain writers and bloggers who criticize the country's communist govenrment and its policies.

In front of the court, Mr. Oai told the truth and claimed that he had not committed any crime, Son said. The court did not listen to what he said and still sentenced him to the maximum sentence suggested by the Peoples Procuratorate.

Oai, who has maintained his innocence, saying he only spoke out to demand rights for the people of Vietnam in accordance with the countrys constitution and laws, will appeal the sentence, Son said.



Harassed by police

None of Oais relatives was allowed to attend the trial, which was originally scheduled for Aug. 21.

Despite authorities calling this a public trial, his family was not permitted to attend, Viet Tan statement said. Outside the courthouse, police assaulted Nguyen Van Oais mother and deployed trucks with jamming devices to block cellular service.

A person who attempted to attend the trial told RFA that a group of Oais supporters, including his mother, met at 7 a.m. at the Yen Dai church to go to the court.

When we arrived at the court entrance, the police did not let us in, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that officers pushed them around, videoed them, and turned up the volume on some speakers to get them to leave.

Police also stomped on the toes of Oais mother until they bled, he said.

We waited until 11 oclock when the trial ended, he said. Then we saw lawyer Ha Huy Son coming out and a prison car which we thought was carrying Oai. Lawyer Son said that he was not allowed to say much during the hearing.

Oai is one of more than 20 activists and bloggers who have been detained since the beginning of the year, according to Viet Tan.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Emily Peyman. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
An at-times emotional Jim Pillen addressed supporters on Tuesday evening, saying the way he ran his campaign for governor has prepared him to lead the state come January.
In this time of national disasters, our National Guard and other citizen soldiers have been called up to help our country in its time of need.

Many will leave their jobs to serve places around the country.

Congress passed the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act so that employees in the public and private sector who also serve in the uniformed services can be prepared and called up as needed without repercussions.

The law requires that eligible employees be reinstated with the seniority, status and rate of pay they would have obtained had they remained continuously employed by their civilian employer after their serve.

Employers may not realize the rights and benefits provided by the federal law, but need to understand the tremendous societal value of our citizen soldiers.

Our military cannot alone handle the public need, and citizens who are working for employers and are trained to protect and serve our country, are critical to national security and safety.

Employers should not deny candidate for employment who discloses the potential need to serve in the case of training or emergency.

Here are some important facts about law:

 It applies to all employers in the United States, regardless of the size of the business. It protects all employees, part and full-time, but does not protect contractors.

 The law protects persons who perform service in the uniformed services, which includes active or inactive duty under federal authority.

 State call-ups of members of the Army or Air National Guard are not protected under the law, thus National Guard technicians on other than active or inactive duty for training are considered to be state employees and are not afforded protection under federal law.

 The act prohibits discrimination because a person "is a member of, applies to be a member of, performs, has performed, applies to perform, or has an obligation to perform service in a uniformed service...." Employers also cannot retaliate against anyone who exercises the law's rights.

 Employees who serve in the uniformed services are qualified for re-employment after their service if the employee has (1) left a civilian job; (2) given notice that he/she was leaving to perform military service; (3) has a cumulative period of service that does not exceed five years (there are exceptions); (4) been released from service under honorable or general conditions; and (5) reported back to work or applied for reemployment within the time constraints prescribed by law.

 The law provides protections not just in time of an emergency but also during inactive duty. Employers must excuse eligible employees from work to attend inactive duty training or annual training and the employer must reemploy the employee as if he or she has not been absent.

 It requires that advance notice be provided to the employer, either verbally or in writing, unless precluded by military necessity

 The employer may receive written or verbal orders which are considered valid when issued by competent military authority. Military members in receipt of official orders must execute them. Sometimes official orders will not be received, such as during inactive duty training.

 Employers frequently want proof of the need for the employee to take time off. However, the employer cannot require documentation until the employee has a leave of absence of more than 30 days due to military service. If the employee cannot provide adequate documentation, the employer can contact the military unit.

 Leave under law is unpaid leave. Employers frequently will pay a differential.

Detailed information about employee and employer rights and responsibilities can be found on the Department of Justice publication on this topic at https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-ednc/legacy/2011/04/29/EmploymentRights.pdf.

In addition, there is an organization called Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, which provides volunteer assistance on issues impacting employees who take time under the federal law. They can be reached at http://www.esgr.mil/Volunteers/Become-a-Volunteer.
Former U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va., is endorsing Republican Ed Gillespie in Virginias governors race, breaking his string of Democratic endorsements in recent elections.

Warner, a Republican who represented Virginia for 30 years, endorsed Gillespies opponent, U.S. Sen Mark Warner, D-Va., in 2014.

In last years presidential race, he endorsed the Democratic ticket of Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the first time he had backed a Democrat for the White House.

Ive served in office with ten governors of Virginia, and I know what makes an effective one, Warner, 90, said in a written statement. I strongly support Ed Gillespie for governor in this election because I know he has the character, integrity, experience and ideas to be a strong leader for our great commonwealth.

The endorsement was expected to be formally announced before Tuesdays debate in Northern Virginia between Gillespie and Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam.

Warner has not been deeply involved in Virginia politics since his retirement in 2009, but the endorsement could bolster Gillespies pitch to centrist swing voters.

In a statement, Gillespie called Warner one of the most well-respected and revered leaders in Virginia history.

He is a model of servant leadership who has served our commonwealth and our country with distinction, Gillespie said. I am proud to earn his endorsement, and I look forward to his ongoing input on how we can best create jobs, raise take-home pay, help people lift themselves out of poverty, improve our public schools, and ease traffic congestion.

A former head of the Armed Services Committee, Warner took a swipe at President Donald Trump, then the GOP nominee, last year when he announced that he would back Clinton because he believed she was better qualified to lead the nations military. Warner said he was distressed by Trumps portrayal of the military. While they may need modernization, Warner said at the time, Americas armed forces are not in shambles.
Two more snapshots of the Virginia electorate show Democrat Ralph Northam leading Republican Ed Gillespie in the race for governor, with one poll suggesting a toss-up while the other points to a possible blowout.

Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy puts Northam ahead of Gillespie, 44 percent to 43 percent. However, the race could be considered a dead heat because the spread between the candidates is within the polls variable for error, plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Libertarian Cliff Hyra pulled 2 percent, with 11 percent undecided.

Mason-Dixon interviewed by telephone 625 registered voters, all of whom said they were likely to vote in November. The poll was conducted Sept. 10-15.

Meanwhile, a Quinnipiac University Poll shows Northam leading Gillespie, 51 percent to 41 percent. Hyra is at 3 percent, with 5 percent undecided. The polls margin is 4.2 percent in either direction.

Quinnipiac University, in Connecticut, interviewed by telephone  land line and mobile  850 likely voters between Sept. 14-18.

The polls were released hours ahead of the second of three debates between Northam and Gillespie. The candidates face off Tuesday in McLean before the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

On Monday, a poll by Suffolk University in Boston said that Northam and Gillespie are tied at 42 percent, with 3 percent backing Hyra and 12 percent undecided.
The black shrouds covering the downtown statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson have been removed by the monuments supporters and replaced by city workers five times since they were installed on Aug. 23.

But it is unclear if the surreptitious removal of the tarps in and of itself constitutes a crime, said Charlottesville police Lt. Steve Upman. Also unclear is how much money the repeated shrouding and unshrouding of the controversial monuments has cost city taxpayers.

Each tarp was removed two separate times over the weekend. On Saturday, a group of men removed the shroud over the Lee statue in Emancipation Park but did not damage it, and so they were not charged with a crime, Upman said.

According to Upman, the incident began when a city police officer encountered a man who was trying to remove the tarp from the statue of Lee. When the officer told him to stop, the man complied and left the park.

A short while later, after checking on the shrouded statue of Jackson in Justice Park, the officer returned to the area of the Lee statue to find the man had returned with others and resumed his efforts.

The officer told the men if that they damaged the tarp in any way, they would be charged with vandalism.

City parks department employees replaced the shroud later that day, according to Doug Ehman, department manager.

The shroud covering the Jackson statue was removed and damaged Saturday, but police said no suspects have been identified.

Charlottesville police will consult with the city commonwealths attorneys office to decide how best to handle similar future incidents, Upman said.

On Sunday, both tarps again were removed. The shroud over the Jackson statue was replaced at about 1:30 p.m. Monday. The tarp over the Lee statue this time was damaged, but was replaced at around 2 p.m. Monday.

It is unclear whether the city will keep a closer eye on the covered statues going forward.

The City Council has said the covers were placed in mourning for Heather Heyer, 32, who was killed when a car rammed a crowd of counter-protesters on Aug. 12, the day of the Unite the Right rally. No date was established for when the tarps might be removed. Efforts to obtain an update on the matter were unsuccessful Monday.

Two city officials reached on Monday directed questions to each other and then did not return further requests for comment.
Hurricane Maria is poised to deal another devastating blow to the U.S. Virgin Islands on Wednesday, just two weeks after Hurricane Irma.

Maria is also on track to arrive in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 or 5 hurricane, which may be the strongest to hit that island since 1928.

In the past month, Florida and Texas have felt the effects of major hurricanes, yet other parts of the coastline have gone generations without seeing a storm as strong as Harvey or Irma.

Based on records from the National Hurricane Center, heres an updated guide to how long its been since hurricane conditions or a landfall hit Virginia.

What is a landfall?

Landfall refers to when the eye of a hurricane crosses onto a coastline or over an island, but damaging wind and water can reach hundreds of miles away.

For example, the eye of 2016s Hurricane Matthew technically only made a brief landfall in South Carolina, but it still forced powerful wind and storm surge into Florida and Georgia and flooded eastern North Carolina.

The details below cover both landfalls and non-landfall hurricane impacts, and make a distinction for major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher with sustained winds above 111 mph.

Virginia history

Last hurricane landfall: unknown.

The Tidewater area is no stranger to rough weather from hurricanes that track offshore, such as Irene in 2011, but in official records going back to 1851, theres no instance of the eye of a hurricane moving in from the southeast and crossing directly onto the Virginia coast.

Its entirely possible that the eye of a hurricane could someday land between Virginia Beach and Chincoteague, but the concave shape of the coastline and prevailing upper-level winds from the west and southwest will keep it from happening often.

There are some instances of weaker tropical storms making a direct path onto the Eastern Shore, like Danielle in 1992, Dean in 1983 and Bret in 1981.

Hurricanes and their remnants often track over the state, but usually after making landfall elsewhere and moving north or northeast. That journey over land deprives the storm of its fuel, so its rare that they maintain hurricane-force winds into the interior of Virginia.

The most recent to cross over the state like that was Isabel in 2003.

Other storms that brought damaging winds to Richmond and the Piedmont were Hazel in 1954, the Chesapeake-Potomac hurricane of 1933 and the Gale of 1878.

Violent hurricanes that blew northwest across Virginia in 1788 and 1667 might have come ashore around the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, but its very difficult to know for sure.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  The black shrouds covering the downtown statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson have been removed by the monuments supporters and replaced by city workers five times since they were installed on Aug. 23.

But it is unclear if the surreptitious removal of the tarps in and of itself constitutes a crime, said Charlottesville police Lt. Steve Upman. Also unclear is how much money the repeated shrouding and unshrouding of the controversial monuments has cost city taxpayers.

Each tarp was removed two separate times over the weekend. On Saturday, a group of men removed the shroud over the Lee statue in Emancipation Park but did not damage it, and so they were not charged with a crime, Upman said.

According to Upman, the incident began when a city police officer encountered a man who was trying to remove the tarp from the statue of Lee. When the officer told him to stop, the man complied and left the park.

A short while later, after checking on the shrouded statue of Jackson in Justice Park, the officer returned to the area of the Lee statue to find the man had returned with others and resumed his efforts.

The officer told the men if that they damaged the tarp in any way, they would be charged with vandalism.

City parks department employees replaced the shroud later that day, according to Doug Ehman, department manager.

The shroud covering the Jackson statue was removed and damaged Saturday, but police said no suspects have been identified.

Charlottesville police will consult with the city commonwealths attorneys office to decide how best to handle similar future incidents, Upman said.

On Sunday, both tarps again were removed. The shroud over the Jackson statue was replaced at about 1:30 p.m. Monday. The tarp over the Lee statue this time was damaged, but was replaced at around 2 p.m. Monday.

It is unclear whether the city will keep a closer eye on the covered statues going forward.

The city council has said the covers were placed in mourning for Heather Heyer, 32, who was killed when a car rammed a crowd of counterprotesters on Aug. 12, the day of the planned Unite the Right rally. No date was established for when the tarps might be removed. Efforts to obtain an update on the matter were unsuccessful Monday.

Two city officials reached on Monday directed questions to each other and then did not return further requests for comment.
SIOUX CITY | A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine has pleaded guilty in federal court.

Justin Stephen Ries, 49, of Milford, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute meth.

In a plea agreement, Ries admitted that at the time of his June 12, 2017 arrest, he was in possession of approximately 380.5 grams of meth, 169.76 grams of marijuana, 0.51 grams of fentanyl/heroin, two fentanyl transdermal patches, 29 unused syringes, an air pistol and approximately $24,240. Ries was also in possession of an additional $634, which was found on his person.

Sentencing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Ries remains in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing.

Ries faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, in addition to fines and at least 10 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ajay Alexander and was investigated by the Clay County Sheriffs Office and Spencer Police Department.
Numerous troopers with Virginia State Police appear to have covered their names on their uniforms during Saturdays pro-Confederate rally and counterprotest in Richmond.

What appeared to be tape covered the names, generating questions on social media. Some people wondered if the concealment was illegal or in violation of policy.

Virginia State Police policy on utility uniforms says uniforms issued to sworn personnel will have a cloth name strip immediately above the right breast pocket.

However, state police have no policy on whether or not troopers can conceal the cloth name strip, according to Corinne Geller, the agencys spokeswoman.

Geller said Monday by email that there have been recent attempts to troll the social media accounts of troopers. She declined to offer more details.

The move came as a surprise to Dana Schrad, executive director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.

Generally speaking, its not the policy or practice of agencies to tell their officers they can put tape over their uniforms when they go into a setting like that, Schrad said. Its not standard practice, and Ive never known state police to do that before.

Geller, who was on the scene Saturday on Monument Avenue, said she didnt know what troopers used to cover up their names when asked if it was tape. She said she didnt know if troopers had covered their names previously or if Saturday was the first time.

The state police public information officer Twitter account tweeted Saturday that troopers hiding their names is permitted as it protects troopers from being trolled. The tweet also noted that if someone asks a troopers name the trooper will tell them.

State police policy says: Employees shall give their names, and sworn employees shall give their badge numbers in a civil manner to any person who may request this information in relation to their official duties with this Department.

Bill Farrar, a spokesman for the Virginia ACLU, said the concealed name strips are a bad practice because it creates concerns about accountability.

Lack of transparency and accountability in policing leads to the erosion of public trust, he said in an email. How is a member of the public supposed to trust an officer deployed to police them  including possible use of force  if that officer wont pro-actively identify themselves?

Richmond police officers did not conceal their names Saturday, according to a department spokesman.

When asked about their policy, a Henrico police spokesman said officers are required to wear their name on their uniform and that only the chief of police can authorize any alteration.

It was unclear if the state police superintendent, Col. Steven Flaherty, authorized troopers to conceal their name strips.
An employee of Davenport Schools is accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl while she slept.

Clarence Ford III, 32, was booked into the Scott County Jail at 8:15 p.m. Monday on charges of felony first-degree burglary and felony third-degree sexual abuse.

The incident happened Sunday, according to an arrest affidavit filed by Davenport police in support of the criminal complaint.

Ford, according to the affidavit, entered the girls residence through an unlocked door and fondled her. When the girl awoke, he hid in her closet, according to the affidavit.

The girl told her mother, who then forced Ford from their residence, according to the affidavit.

Ford listed in a financial affidavit filed in Scott County District Court that he works for the Davenport Community School District.

School district spokeswoman Dawn Saul said Ford was hired in February as a substitute custodian and became a full-time custodian at West High School in August.

He has been placed on administrative leave with pay, she added.

Saul said that any employee who is hired by the district undergoes an extensive background check and are run through the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, the National Sex Abuse Registry, and Department of Human Services child and adult abuse registries. The district also checks out-of-state records going back seven years for employees who do not live in Iowa, she said.

Preschool employees undergo additional DHS checks and are fingerprinted, Saul said. If the employee is a teacher, they are subject to the above checks and are checked through the FBI per state law, she added.

It is a robust process, Saul said.

Ford's preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29. His bond has been set as $25,000 cash-only.
SHELL ROCK | Charges are pending in a crash that injured an Ionia woman Monday morning, according to law enforcement.

A 2009 Dodge Journey driven by Anna Schmitz, 42, crossed the center line on Highway 3 eastbound near Shell Rock, striking the rear duals of a westbound 2013 Mack tractor trailer around 6:40 a.m., the Iowa State Patrol said in a news release.

Schmitz was transported by ambulance to the Waverly Health Center. She has been transferred to another facility, a hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The driver, Lee Winter, 61, of Charles City, wasnt hurt. The semi was transporting liquid asphalt but the State Patrol said the crash didn't result in a leak or spill.

The crash remains under investigation.

Schmitz is the wife of Anthony Schmitz, who was sentenced to prison in July for seriously injuring a Chickasaw County woman and his own children in a head-on crash in December 2016.

Police say Anthony Schmitz was high on drugs at the time of the crash.

 Ashley Miller
If it werent for Sens. Harry Reid and Michael Bennet, President Barack Obama might not have won a second term.

The Democratic senators pioneering efforts in reaching out to Latino voters in their 2010 re-election races in Nevada and Colorado, respectively, provided a template that Obama for America developed into a national juggernaut.

But the outreach alone likely wouldnt have been enough for either member if they hadnt also been among the first to win on a platform of high-profile support for policies important to Latinos.

Its a blueprint Obama largely followed in 2012, by building a voter outreach initiative that aggressively targeted Hispanics and simultaneously taking executive actions to ensure that children of illegal immigrants were not deported.

I know that [Obama for America leaders] saw the Reid and the Bennet races as races where Latinos made a big difference and [they] thought, OK, Latinos can make a difference here, said Gabriela Domenzain, who served as the campaigns director of Hispanic press.
TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Platinex Inc. (CSE:PTX) (the "Company" or Platinex) announced that it has granted stock options to purchase 3,050,000 common shares at $0.10 per share to officers, outside directors and six consultants. The options will expire on September 18, 2022.

Platinex granted 2,300,000 options to the following directors and officers:



James Trusler Director & CEO 500,000 Bruce Reilly Director & CFO 400,000 Mark Scarrow Director 550,000 Walter Henry Director 300,000 Lorne Burden Director 300,000 Lori Paradis Officer 250,000

Pursuant to the grant of these options, a total of 7,480,000 options are outstanding under Platinex Stock Option Plan at this time, and 687,490 options remain available for issuance. Platinex has outstanding 81,674,900 shares and giving consideration to this option issuance, 99,036,100 shares on a fully diluted basis.

About Platinex Inc. Platinex is currently focusing efforts on the timely and strategic development of an online platform for the cannabis industry. www.cannabismall.org launched on July 1, 2017 and the new site will receive regular updates. At the same time Platinex has been focusing its mining business efforts in assembling a very large property in the Shining Tree gold camp, which has received little modern exploration compared to other gold camps in the Abitibi greenstone Belt. Shares of Platinex are listed for trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "PTX".

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Platinex Inc.

Lori Paradis, Corporate Secretary

Tel: (416) 268-2682

Email: lparadis@platinex.com

Web: www.platinex.com

To receive Company press releases, please email lparadis@platinex.com and

mention Platinex press release on the subject line.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Certain of the information contained in this news release may contain forward-looking information. Forward-looking information and statements may include, among others, statements regarding the future plans, costs, objectives or performance of Platinex, or the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In this news release, words such as may, would, could, will, likely, believe, expect, anticipate, intend, plan, estimate and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are based on information available at the time and/or managements good-faith belief with respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the Companys control. The Company does not intend, nor does the Company undertake any obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements contained in this news release to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except if required by applicable laws.

Neither the CSE 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.
A SUPERMARKET, which caused the death of a contractor by allowing unsafe work conditions, has been fined 2.5 million.

Iceland was found guilty of two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, following a three-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court in July.

Rotherham Borough Council brought the charges after Tony Hopkins (58), of Silsden in West Yorkshire, fell to his death at the Eastwood store in 2013.

Mr Hopkins was maintaining air conditioning units in the shops roof space when he fell through a false ceiling and landed on his head.

An environmental health investigation found several factors contributing to the fatal fall.

The firm was fined 1.25 million for each of two counts, plus 65,019.64 in prosecution costs to Rotherham Borough Council.

An Iceland spokesman told the Advertiser: The death of Anthony Hopkins was a terrible tragedy, for which we can only express the utmost regret.

For the full story, see this weeks Advertiser.
Williamson production to remain suspended for up to three months  Petra Petra Diamonds says a preliminary estimate suggests that production at its 75%-owned Williamson diamond mine in Tanzania will be temporarily suspended for up to three months until a new tailings storage facility (TSF) is commissioned.

Chinas wholesale gold demand dips due to seasonality and COVID disruptions in October The average Shanghai-London gold price premium remained elevated in October but fell during the second half of the month as COVID-related uncertainty clouded local gold demand prospects. Seasonal weakness and COVID-related disruptions weighed on Octobers...

Nornickel introduces automated remote-controlled drilling at Norilsk mines The automated drilling technology significantly enhances performance, improves safety, and ensures a stable workflow and delivery against the targets.



Iamgold revises 2022 production guidance upwards Dual-listed Iamgold produced 184 000 ounces (oz) in the third quarter from three of its operations compared to 153 000 oz, a year earlier. Of the three operations, its 90%-owned Essakane Mine in Burkina Faso delivered strong results and achieved...
Overall exports from the gem and jewellery sector during August 2017 was at $ 2.77 bn, a drop of 24.42% over the $ 3.66 bn exported in the same month the previous year.

Exports of gold jewellery (both studded and plain), during the month dropped by 5.25% to $ 689.2 mn from US$ 727.3 mn a year earlier.

Exports of gold medallions and coins during the month dropped sharply to $ 24.1 mn as against $ 448.1 mn a year earlier. Exports of silver jewellery dropped to $ 97.04 mn in August 2017 as compared to $ 368.76 mn in the same month last year.

Coloured gemstone exports also dipped in August 2017 to $ 26.2 mn as compared to $ 32.4 mn exported a year earlier.

Overall gross exports from the gem and jewellery sector in India during the first five months of fiscal 2018 stood at $ 16.54 bn, a decline of 5.41% as compared to the $ 17.49 bn exported in the same period last year.

Exports of synthetic stones (from Surat SEZ) during April-August 2017 were $ 81.37 mn, with synthetic diamonds (HS 71049010) accounting for $ 54.69 mn, as compared to$ 43.32 mn during the comparative period a year earlier.

Exports of gold jewellery (both studded and plain) declined 25.5% to $ 2.84 bn during the first five months of the current fiscal, as compared to exports of $ 3.81 bn in the same period last year.

Exports of gold medallions & coins declined by 18.1% to $ 1.6 bn in the five month period, while silver jewellery exports rose by 19.3% to $ 2.01 bn largely on a substantial increase from the Hyderabad and Surat SEZs, and Coloured Gemstones exports displayed virtually flat growth at $ 153.6 mn in April-August 17.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




Two Tanzanian government officials were last Friday charged with economic sabotage after they were accused of undervaluing a parcel of diamonds seized from Petra Diamonds.

The diamonds were confiscated as they were being exported to Antwerp, Belgium, from Tanzania's main airport in Dar es Salaam on August 31.

Reuters reports that Archard Kalugendo, director of the state-run diamond and gemstone valuation unit, and government gemstone valuer Edward Rweyemamu were jointly charged with being responsible for $1.1 million of lost tax revenue.

The two were not allowed to enter pleas at a Magistrate's court in Dar es Salaam.

However, unnamed lawyers said they would enter their pleas in the high court, which had jurisdiction to hear economic sabotage trials.

The accused were denied bail and if found guilty they can be imprisoned for up to 20 years.

Petra had since suspended operations at its 75 percent-owned Williamson mine after the confiscation of the diamonds.

The company said that it was not responsible for the provisional evaluation of the stones.

Petra is not responsible for the provisional valuation of diamond parcels from Williamson before they are exported to Antwerp; this is carried out by the government's diamonds and gemstones valuation agency, it said in a statement.

This provisional valuation is used to calculate the company's provisional royalty payments to the government, however adjustments to final royalty payments based on the actual sales proceeds for the diamonds, once sold in Antwerp, are then made at the end of the tender process.

The competitive open tender process utilised by Petra is also used by several other diamond mining companies and has a proven track record of transparent price discovery.

Tanzanian president John Magufuli recently called for a review of Petra Diamonds contract as officials claimed that the country was likely losing more than $46 million each year from the export of under-cleared diamonds.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




(Agencia CMA Latam) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro praised the U.S. administration's support for talks with the opposition to his government.

"I praise the President Donald Trump for his support to the national dialogue," the Venezuelan president said on Sunday during his television program with the Bolivian President Evo Morales.

"We are going to help in this battle. Venezuela is an oil power. How can it not be in the sights of the American empire?" Maduro said.

According to Maduro, talks are "already underway." Opposition leaders say that 'it is only an exploratory' process.

On Friday, the US State Department issued a statement announcing that "the United States reiterates its call for a complete restoration of democracy in Venezuela. We support serious negotiations that in good faith achieve this goal."

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) - Colcap, the main index of the Colombian Stock Exchange, rose 0.26% Monday, closing at 1,496.87 points, boosted by Bancolombia.

Marcela Ramirez, an analyst at Acciones & Valores, said that the bank's shares closed higher on a market correction following the rebalancing of the Hcolsel and FTSE indexes, last Friday.

Meanwhile, Avianca shares fell 2.65% due to the lack of a solution in the talks with the pilots union, which threatens with a strike if its demands are ignored. On Monday, Avianca asked the Colombian Ministry of Labor to verify is the union has complied with all the legal requirements to call a strike.

Meanwhile, Ecopetrol closed stable on a day when it reported the activation of a contingency plan for the Cano Limon-Covenas Oil Pipeline due to an attack in Arauca.

The shares of EEB (+1.54%), Preferencial Bancolombia (+0.82%), ISA (+0.73%), Corficolombiana (+0.63%), Banco de Bogota (+0.59%), Nutresa (+0.52%), and Cemex (+0.34%), while Avianca (-2.65%), Cemargos (-2.27%), Sura (-1.12%), and ETB (-0.75%) fell.

The locally traded U.S. dollar closed the day at 2,908.80 Colombian pesos, marking a 0.40% rise, due to a decrease in the perception of risk by investors.

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.
European stocks were mixed on Tuesday as caution crept in ahead of a two-day policy meeting of the Federal Reserve staring later today, with investors looking for hints on future U.S. monetary policy.

Meanwhile, the day's economic reports were mostly positive. Germany's economic confidence strengthened notably in September, survey data from the Mannheim-based Centre for European Economic Research/ZEW showed. The headline index rose by 7 points to 17.0.

The euro area current account surplus increased in July on higher primary income, the European Central Bank reported. The current account surplus increased to a seasonally adjusted 25.1 billion euros in July from 22.8 billion euros in June.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was down 0.1 percent at 381.64 in late opening deals after rising 0.3 percent the previous day.

The German DAX was also declining 0.1 percent, while France's CAC 40 index was up 0.1 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was adding 0.2 percent.

Heineken NV tumbled 3.5 percent after Mexico's Femsa said it had sold a 5.24 percent stake in the world's second largest brewer for 2.5 billion euros (2.21 billion pounds).

Solvay dropped 1.4 percent. The Belgium-based multi-specialty chemical company has entered into a binding agreement with German chemical company BASF for the sale of its Polyamides for an enterprise value of 1.6 billion euros.

Ocado Group shares slumped 4.3 percent in London. The online grocery delivery company reported higher sales in its third quarter, but signaled a further hit to earnings from costs of setting up new distribution centers.

Telia Company rose 1.3 percent after the Scandinavian telecom operator sold about 153.5 million shares in Turkcell Iletism Hizmetleri A.S.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
OTTAWA, Sept. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rock Networks announces the acquisition of Nova Communications (Nova), a leader in the wireless system integration and two-way radio industry. Joseph Hickey, the founder and majority shareholder of Rock Networks, has been appointed as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Nova Communications now a division of Rock Networks. Andrew Boswell will remain with Nova as an engaged partner and contribute to establishing a national company.



I am proud of the team and work we do at Nova, and the growth we have been experiencing across the country, said Mr. Boswell. I am excited to have Joe with his leadership experience and track record of success as the new CEO. This will accelerate our growth as a fully national wireless company.

With over 25 years of experience in telecommunications, Mr. Hickey has spent five years in the two-way radio industry, including a turnaround of Christie Walther Communications, gaining industry-wide recognition for the company. He received Motorolas Partner Empower Award for Customer Excellence in 2015, the highest recognition a channel partner can obtain. This resulted in Christie Walther being acquired by Turris Communications. Prior to this, he served as the VP of Business Development at Ultra Electronics TCS and Executive VP at ACME TelePower Ltd. in India. Hickey has also been President and CEO of TenXc Wireless Inc., the President, and CEO of TeraBlaze Inc., and also held the position of VP and GM of the Shasta IP Services business unit at Nortel Networks where he began his career.

Andrew and I share a similar vision of building a national wireless company, and from this day forward we will be working together to deliver on this vision. The Nova team has built a tremendous platform and business that we will leverage as we grow on a national level, said Mr. Hickey.

About Nova Communications, a Division of Rock Networks

Nova Communications is a wireless voice and data communications company as well as the largest communications systems integrator in eastern Canada. We partner with leading companies including Zebra Technologies and are a Motorola Solutions Platinum Channel Partner. Our team serves corporate and government customers including public safety, energy, transportation, construction and resource sectors.

About Rock Networks

ROCK Networks is a solutions company focused on supporting government clients in the defence and public safety markets. Headquartered in the nations capital, we partner with Harris Corporation and Tait Communications to provide solutions in the areas of two-way radio infrastructure and antenna systems. Our team also delivers unique customer requirements with a business development focus on international firms looking to enter the Canadian market.

For further inquiries:

Nadine Mansour

Director of Marketing & Sales Operations

Nova Communications

nadine.mansour@novacommunications.com

902-481-5356

www.rocknetworks.com

www.novacommunications.com
Crude oil futures jumped back above $50 a barrel Tuesday morning amid increased appetite for riskier assets. Stocks have surged to record highs due to easing geopolitical concerns.

WTI light sweet crude oil was up 34 cents at $50.25 a barrel, near is highest in six weeks.

Talk of further OPEC supply cuts also lifted oil prices. Iraq's oil minister tells Bloomberg that the nation favors reducing output by another one percent in an effort to quickly end the global supply glut.

Meanwhile, Forbes reports: "The OPEC cuts and the correction to output remain healthy. Compliance is now up to 80% in the case of some members and 73% in Iraq's case. Overall picture seems to be bright and we sense improvement in market," Iraq's Al Lueibi told the Gulf Intelligence Energy Markets Forum in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

Traders await U.S. inventories data over the next two sessions. The American Petroleum Institute is out with its survey this afternoon, followed tomorrow by official data from the Energy Information Administration.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Trans-gender personnel in US military will be allowed to re-enlist until a permanent policy on trans-gender ban comes into force.

This was announced by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis as he issued interim guidance on military service by transgender individuals based on direction from a presidential memorandum issued last month.

The guidance takes effect immediately, Mattis said.

A directive that President Donald Trump signed on August 25 bars enlistment by trans-gender individuals, prohibits coverage for certain critical medical procedures, and bans those currently in the military from serving. The Secretary of Defense was given discretion to determine how to carry out that ban.

In a memorandum to the services and DoD components, the Secretary said the interim guidance will be in place until February 21, 2018, when he presents the president with a plan to implement trans-gender ban in US military.

Supported by a panel of experts, the Deputy Defense Secretary and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will propose recommendations to the Defense Secretary. The Coast Guard is included in the guidance.

Accessions, medical care and treatment, in-service transition for transgender service members and retention of transgender service members are outlined in the interim guidance.

The Guidance makes it clear that ban on the accession of transgender individuals into the military services remain in effect.

No new sex reassignment surgical procedures for military personnel will be permitted after March 22, 2018, except as necessary to protect the of an individual who has already begun a course of treatment to reassign his or her gender.

Mattis also gave assurance that no action will be taken to "involuntarily separate or discharge an otherwise qualified service member solely on the basis of a gender dysphoria diagnosis or transgender status".

The proposed ban faces multiple legal challenges by serving trans-gender members of the armed forces.

The policy of ban on transgender people in US military was lifted by Barack Obama's administration last year.

Since that time, thousands of transgender service members have begun to serve openly. Between 4,000 and 10,000 US active-duty and reserve service members are believed to be transgender.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The 69th Emmy Awards on Sunday night were dominated by two women-oriented stories that won five awards each - The Handmaid's Tale and Big Little Lies, and Sterling K Brown, who created history by becoming the first African American to win the best actor drama Emmy awards in the past 19 years.

"The Handmaid's Tale", based on Margaret Atwood's famous novel, won awards for supporting actress in a drama (Ann Dowd), writing in a drama (Bruce Miller), directing in a drama (Reed Morano), best actress in a drama (Elisabeth Moss) and outstanding dramatic series.

"Big Little Lies", a star-studded show addressing domestic violence and rape, took home the Best Actress, (Nicole Kidman), Supporting Actress (Laura Dern), Supporting Actor (Alexander Skarsgard), Director (Jean-Marc Vallee), and the Best Limited Series awards.

Kidman was adjudged the best for her performance as an abused wife in Big Little Lies. It was her first Emmy and third nomination. Accepting the award, Kidman said: "So now, more roles for women, please!"

Reese Witherspoon, who produced and starred in Big Little Lies with Kidman, said: "It's been an incredible year for women on television."

Best lead actress in a drama series Elisabeth Moss, who played sex slave Offred, challenged the network censors while thanking her mother.

Lead actor in a drama series went to Sterling K. Brown for NBC's This Is Us. Brown became the fourth black actor to ever win in that category; and the first after Andre Braugher won the award 19 years ago.

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, Veep's Julia Louis-Dreyfus, scored a record-breaking win for most Emmys for the same role in the same series.

Veep also won for outstanding comedy series.

Emmy award for an outstanding actor in a drama series went to Riz Ahmed for his role as a young man wrongly accused of murder in HBO's The Night of.

Donald Glover won both the award for outstanding directing, as well as lead actor in a comedy series, for FX's Atlanta.

Alec Baldwin won the outstanding supporting actor award for his role parodying President Trump on the iconic variety sketch series Saturday Night Live this season.

The 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards were filled with the usual levels of cheeky humor, emotional acceptance speeches, political calls to action, and the all-around excitement.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
(Agencia CMA Latam) - Argentina and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) intend to boost bilateral exchange, expanding and diversifying their current trading ties. Both countries presented interest in their respective at the sidelines of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly, held in New York City.

At a meeting between the Argentinean Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie and the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Faurie said that Argentina "can contribute even more to one of the main policies of the Arab region: food security," according to a statement released by Buenos Aires.

Regarding energy issues, Argentina considers the UAE as a strategic partner, with a specific interest in the conclusion of a bilateral agreement on renewable power sources.

"Faurie and his colleagues discussed a possible cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy for technological developments and research," Argentina said in the statement.

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) - The Venezuelan government rebuffed U.S. President Donald Trump's praise to Latin American nations for supporting the 'restoration of democracy' in Venezuela after a dinner at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

At the meeting, a new 'campaign of aggression' against Venezuela was planned, said the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a statement.

"The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela denounces to the peoples of the world new threats against the sovereignty, peace and stability of our country, issued at a dinner hosted by the U.S. President Donald Trump to the highest state authorities in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Panama, where they were asked to increase the campaign of aggression against Venezuela," the document said.

The Venezuelan government's statement criticized specifically the Colombian president's position.

"It is shameful and detestable that President [Juan Manuel] Santos, seeking to prevent a sanction by the U.S. government for the excessive increase in cocaine production, resort to the tactic of projecting Venezuela as a factor of destabilization in the region", stressed the statement.

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.
LETHBRIDGE, Alberta, Sept. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robix Environmental Technologies, Inc. (Robix or the Corporation) (CSE:RZX) (Frankfurt:R0X) announced today that it has accepted the resignation of Mrs. Karla Jorstad as Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation. Mrs. Jorstad will continue to work with the corporation on a project basis.



The resignation will take effect immediately and at this time no replacement Director has been appointed.

About Robix:

Robix is focused on the worldwide market for oil containment, recovery and cleaning equipment specifically for the oil spill protection, oil production and water cleaning and purification industries. To that end, Robix has commercialized its C Series Clean Ocean Vessel and the P Series Stationary Platform; both are based on a patented revolutionary oil recovery technology. The C Series is a vessel that recovers oil in rough ocean waters, lakes, rivers and tailings ponds in virtually any conditions. The P Series is an oil recovery platform designed to accelerate oil recovery from settling ponds at production facilities. The Company also offers a suite of Hydro Cycle Water purification and cleaning products.

For more information please contact:



Robix Environmental Technologies, Inc. Website: www.robixenvirotech.com Robin Ray Chief Executive Officer Tel: 403-327-3094 Email: robin@robixenvirotech.com

No stock exchange or any securities regulatory body has reviewed the contents of this news release.
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Khang & Khang LLP (the Firm) announces a securities class action lawsuit against Lexmark International Inc. (Lexmark or the Company) (NYSE: LXK). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Lexmark shares from August 1, 2014 through July 20, 2015, inclusive (the Class Period), are encouraged to contact the Firm by September 19, 2017, the lead plaintiff motion deadline.



If you purchased Lexmark shares during the Class Period, please contact Joon M. Khang, Esq., of Khang & Khang LLP, 4000 Barranca Parkway, Suite 250, Irvine, CA 92604, by telephone at (949) 419-3834 , or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

There has been no class certification in this case yet. Until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. You may choose to take no action and remain a passive class member as well.

The Complaint alleges that during the Class Period, Lexmark made materially false and/or misleading statements, and/or failed to disclose, that: end-user demand and growth for the Companys supplies business was deteriorating; that pricing increases were the primary driver of supplies revenue growth, not end-user demand; that customers in the supplies channel reacted by buying ahead of anticipated pricing increases; and that as a result, there were excessive inventory levels at its European wholesale distributors. On July 21, 2015, the Company reported poor results for its second quarter ending June 30, 2015 and lowered its 2015 sales guidance. The Company revealed its supplies growth was not attributable to end-user demand but rather the result of its European customers buying ahead of customary price increases which produced excessive inventory. Following this news, Lexmarks stock price fell materially, which caused investors harm according to the Complaint.

If you wish to learn more about this lawsuit, or if you have any questions concerning this notice or your rights, please contact Joon M. Khang, Esquire, a prominent litigator for almost two decades, by telephone at (949) 419-3834 , or via e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions.

Contact

Joon M. Khang, Esq.

Telephone: 949-419-3834

Facsimile: 949-225-4474

joon@khanglaw.com
CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C., Sept. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program now recommends Atlantic salmon raised in British Columbia as a good alternative. Seafood Watch has indicated that this improved rating is due to an increase in independent, transparent, peer-reviewed data on the subject of disease transfer between farmed Atlantic salmon and wild salmon populations in British Columbia. There were also improvements to the effluent, habitat, escapes and introduced species criteria.

B.C.s farming practices have been singled out by Seafood Watch as world leading. This is an important acknowledgment of the work salmon farmers in B.C. have done to increase their environmental performance and increase the transparency of their operations, said Jeremy Dunn, BC Salmon Farmers Association Executive Director. There remains work to be done, and our members are committed to leading the world in environmental practices, evidenced by their record in achieving the standards of audited third-party certifications.

The Seafood Watch Report highlighted the initial results from the Pacific Salmon Foundations Strategic Salmon Health Initiative and other research noting that, while although a level of concern is warranted, there is currently no evidence that there is any impact from salmon farms to wild salmon (p5).

More than 20 independent experts provided an exhaustive review of this report.

British Columbia Farmed Atlantic Salmon Seafood Watch Report

About the BC Salmon Farmers Association:

Farm-raised salmon is B.C.s highest valued seafood product, the provinces top agricultural export, and generates over $1.1-billion towards the B.C. economy, resulting in over 5,000 jobs.

The BC Salmon Farmers Association represents 50 businesses and organizations throughout the value chain of finfish aquaculture in B.C. Our members account for over 95% of the annual provincial harvest of farm-raised salmon, 100% of the salmon feed produced in B.C., and most of the service and suppliers involved in ensuring that over $700-million (2016 value) of salmon raised in B.C. gets to domestic and global markets.

For more information visit BCSalmonFarmers.ca

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8653cee9-c5cf-4fc1-bf6c-7c25938b78fe
Talofa once again Samoa and to you dear Editor,

Thirteenth September -13/09/2017, marks the 100th Anniversary of the fifth (5) visitation by the Immaculate Conception [Forever Blessed Virgin Mother of God the Human Arch of the Covenant] the 3 children in Fatima with the last of the promised sixth (6) visitations, to commemorate its 100th Anniversary 13th October.

Our local Diocese will celebrate it with a Vigiual Mass at Mulinuu Peninsula (le Laumua atofaina aua le Faautuga-tagi a Samoa e afua mai i lona Palemene) and will ended it with a candle light possession from Mulinuu to the Mulivai Cathedral.

The day - 100 years ago, a great miracle had documented occurred simply because God the Almighty Father (whom is the Law giver) decides to excuse the Laws of natural occurrence as widely promoted by some Scientist with their limited understanding borne of ones unguided process of their Brains. Of course, not all Scientists are of that same stubbornness yet these Agnosticism and Atheism are sure having a scene amongst the trying faithful of our day and age.

Same thing happens when God Almightys timing had come to be fulfilled as documented promised in the Holy Bible Genesis 3:15 delivered by Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin of Nazareth, Galilee. Thankfully the Virgin had been humbled and faithfully enough to responded -that she is a simple handmaid of His, let it be done onto her as he says (Luke 1:26-38).

Well, there are still questions around this documented conversation by the concern Mindless people -for they think too much with their Brains, of our times, believing that God never asked Mary but he simply forces himself onto her as he usually did!??

Well, I wonder how the National Council of Churches (NCC) fathers of our times may take on such understanding. Most certainly my dear brother Sailele and his 100% Matai Samoa Parliamentarian group would disagree with such silly argument, ae a Sailele? Also wonder how you my Matai brethrens [mainly to you the Tulatoas of Samoa -e pei ona iai ona tofiga i le usoga Pule e ono i Salafai ma le [toalima i] Tumua nei, tainane Tootoo o le Faleula ia te oe Tutuila ma Manua, [e ui lava ina outou finagalo tutumau e fia Amerika, pe faamata e le ole tatou taimi ea lenei e tatou te tutu faatasi ai e pei ona finagalo iai lo tatou Atua i lona taimi?] may wish to consider such notion?

Oh come on! Dont you tell me that you are still mad with me calling you excuse my silliness, Headless chickens Belated Fathers Day Message, Samoa Observer issue 29/08 and Newsline issue 30/08. For it has already been 14+ sunset and sunrises. Remembering one of our Dear Savoir and Lord Christ Jesus golden rule with regards, dont allow your madness to remain with you beyond sunsets, yet prepare ourselves for a NEW day to come at the fulfilment of the suns 24 hour cycle around the world, right? Or am I sounded too Scientific now, lol!

Anyway I must say that the last 13th September was one of another revealing day to me personally regarding Gods will for his church. Most probably Emperor Constantinople -Dynasty of Christianity, had envision the same why it has documented in the Apostolic Creed of the First Council of Constantinople 381AD calling it Gods Church, with four (4) words;

1. ONE -for it is a church by this ONE and only God, [I see our reluctant sister Wendy and her Atheist group got it wrong, thinking that we are talking of man created gods right Ueni?],

2. HOLY -for the One God we had in mind is the Holy of holy, [as Christ main wish for us during his time on earth, that we are to be Holy like his Father our Father, is of all HOLINESS]

3. CATHOLIC -for the church is meant for every LIVING BEING and Thingsexisted and alive in the Universe are included with the last one,

4. APOSTOLIC -as its fundamental teaching are perfectly interweave from the teaching of the Apostles. [I know for sure, Mormonism teaches that somehow the concern apostolic teaching had been discontinued when the last Apostle got martyred].

Now with this last one #4, I wonder which Apostle the Mormonism are referring to for there was Apostle Matthias who replaced Judas the Iscariot that sold Christ Jesus for 30 pieces of Silver not to mention Saul Kiso -later known as, Apostle Paul whom once refer to himself as the one born abnormally [le Atalii fanau le au] -1 Corinthians 15;8. Wondering still whether true/false that they are now telling us that the Almighty Gods established church by Christ Jesus as documented in the Gospel of Mathew 16:13-20 is not worthy to be followed.

Well, unless Elder Meliula Fata [Area 70] can assure us that my concern understanding is not correct or most importantly that the Immaculate Conception notion (Mother of the TRINITY God) can be included in their teaching then I would recommend Mormonism to be left, as it is.

Otherwise it should be stroked out of our lands list of genuine church to be follow by our people, dont you agree Your Honourable TUIAANA? Simply because our recent CHRISTIAN State bill signed by TUIATUA as recommended by our 100% Matai Samoa Parliamentary requires us to consider certain FACTs, dont you think NCC Reverend Chairman?

Anyway lets get back to the Blessed and Forever Virgin Mother of God notion, I already expressed my dissatisfaction with how the concern Parliamentary Committee -In response to We are living in a time of prophesy Samoa Observer 24/06/2017 issue. Somehow I had been told that my friend Sailele had not accepted the Parliamentary Committee recommendation as discussed for he reckons the proposed amendment it is already smelled Catholicism.

Well, I hope such attitude is not against me personally for definitely I smelt wasted time and opportunity dont you? Never the less wasted time and opportunity seems to be the norm when Tupuola Efi disturbed the unique essences of our Samoan way [Faa-Samoa] composed Peace set out within our Countrys Constitution by becoming the first Prime Minister of our land outside of the Tamaaiga status quo.

Not to mention the belittling of the Matai suffrage where the United Nation reluctantly allows our forefathers wish when granting our nations Independence. Polling by our people 1988 -perhaps similar to the one currently in request with regarding our Customary Land issue, allows the initiation of Universal suffrage in the 1991 general election. Yet now we know for sure we did not have to make such move as our lands Tranquillity is in-comparable to the whole wide world mainly due to our Samoan way and Faa-Matai definitely not of the overseas mind-set democratic notion, dont you agree?

Anyhow will pen off this time by openly extend an invitation to you all my dear Samoan brethren [surely His Grace Archbishop Alapati Lui Mataeliga would be happy of participation] to come all and join us on the 13th October 2017 planned Vigiual Mass commemorating such a memorable event in History.

Should you wish for a reason to come then how about doing so as a token of your Love, in return of our Almighty Gods love and in unison as a Nation reiterating the Consecration of Samoa to the Feminine protection of the TRINITY God Blessed Virgin Mother our Diocese had initiated back in 2010.

Otherwise, do it for Christ Jesus Mother. Yes, that one he bestowed onto us all via his loved Apostle John under the foot of the cross before he died. For he sure loves her as his biological mother and surely you would not like anyone referring to your loving mother as a blessed whore, or do you?

Until next time we meet again!

Too-o-le-Fua Leoo M.F.M.M.M.P.

Atalii fanau le au -o le Talalelei mai le Aigai le Tai
The Minister of Public Enterprises, Lautafi Fio Purcell, has assured members of the public that the Accident Compensation Corporation (A.C.C) building is safe.

The assurance follows some incidents where tenants of the building in the heart of Apia have had to be evacuated as a result of an electrical fault.

The Chief Executive Officer (of A.C.C) has already contacted me that the building is now safe, Lautafi said.

The Minister added that safety is paramount and it is why they needed to evacuate people when it was necessary. The Minister said the problem was an issue with the generator.

The E.P.C. is now working on fixing the problem with the generator because thats where it all started, said Lautafi.

I can confirm that is working smoothly now but the A.C.C. is still monitoring the situation for the safety of everyone.

The first time the issue surfaced was on Monday 4 September.

Business was disrupted and workers in the building had to leave their workstations for a period of time.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (M.C.I.L) declared a day off on that Monday.

The Ministry of Commerce left a note on their main entrance to inform members of the public about what was happening.

Due to the power outage, M.C.I.L wishes to advise the public that its office will be closed on Monday 4th September 2017 and will re-open for usual business on Tuesday 5th September at 9.00am, the notice reads.

The problem returned last Tuesday where tenants and members of the public had to be evacuated again.
The influx of illegal immigrants entering American Samoa with drugs and contrabands is the reason behind the stringent revision on entry permit waiver for certain countries, requiring an OK to board to enter the U.S. Territory.

This is according to American Samoa Government (A.S.G.) Attorney General, Talauega Eleasalo Ale. He revealed this in response to questions from the Samoa Observer.

He also made it clear that residents of the Independent State of Samoa are not affected by the revision on entry permit waiver.

The new revision affects New Zealand and Australia passport holders who are now required an OK to board approval from American Samoa before they fly there.

The Governor's Memorandum setting forth the Governor's Policies to Combat Illegal Immigration to American Samoa, said Talauega.

The A.G. pointed out the memorandum, was widely distributed by the Governor's Office last month and it is consistent with the terms of the memorandum.

I am working with the Governor's Office and other relevant agencies referenced in the Governor's Memorandum to execute the new policies.

With respect to the new OK Board requirement for permit waiver countries, we understand this is new and may cause hardships to certain travelers.

The Attorney General emphasised the policies is not to deter legal visitors to American Samoa.

We will work with the airlines, travel agents and any traveler from permit waiver countries who need our assistance in securing an OK to Board to enter American Samoa.

As stated in the Governor's Memorandum, the purpose of these policies is NOT to deter legal visitors from entering American Samoa.

The goal is to deter illegal immigration and the influx of illegal drugs, guns and undocumented aliens entering American Samoa and taking opportunities away from our people as well as our limited resources.

The Governors' concerns on these issues are well documented, as you both have reported in the past.

These new policies are intended to ensure the security of our people as well as all visitors who wish to enter American Samoa legally and leave at the end of their permit.

According to A.S.G.s Memorandum signed by Governor Lolo, the influx of illegal immigrants entering, bringing with them illegal drugs and other contraband is well documented.

There are also a growing number of immigrants entering our territory on visitor permits and then overstaying well beyond the intended period of their permit.

Some of these over-stayers go on to commit heinous crimes against our people while here illegally.

There are also a growing number of immigrants who enter on visitors permit for the sole purpose of trying to establish legal residency here, which is contrary to our immigration laws.

Finally there is a category of illegal immigration that is made up of people whose sponsorship terminated.

Instead of returning to their countries of origin, these immigrants continue to stay here (American Samoa) illegally.

These activities constitute an immediate threat to security and well-being of our community, said the Governor.

In the memorandum, the Governor instructed the Attorney General to work with the A.S. Immigration Board the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Homeland Security, to develop and execute specific policies to halt the influx of illegal aliens into our territory and the growing number of over stayers.

Governor Lolo noted in his memorandum that citizens of Samoa may continue to apply for seven, 14 and 30 days permits.

However, these permits must also be approved by the Attorney General or his designee.
Adolescents are taking longer to become adults than previous generations, according to a new study that cites the rise of smartphones, safer environments and even a declining birthrate as factors.

Mid- to -late teens are delaying the classic milestones of adulthood, namely working, going out without their parents, driving, dating, having sex, and drinking alcohol, according to four decades of surveys reviewed for the study, led by San Diego State University professor of psychology Jean M. Twenge.

Todays 18-year-olds exhibit similar milestone behaviors as did 15-year-olds in the late 1970s, Twenge said. Moreover, theyre mostly doing this voluntarily  parents arent imposing this delayed independence.

Advertisement

The spread of smartphones, which allow teens to socialize from the safety of their homes, is part of the explanation, said Twenge. The author of Generation Me, she has released a new book on the generation born after 1995 called iGen: Why Todays Super-Connected Kids are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy  and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.

But while smartphones and social media enable these trends, Twenge says its not the whole explanation. Advances in safety and a declining rate of childbirth drive this process. When parents have fewer children and expect them to grow up, they will expend more care on them.

The study was published Tuesday in the journal Child Development. Twenge was the lead author, and Heejung Park of Bryn Mawr College was co-author. They drew their conclusions from seven surveys of 8.3 million 13 - to 19 -year-olds between 1976 and 2016.

Twenge said an evolutionary explanation called life history theory appears to be behind the trend. It classifies the maturation of species into fast and slow strategies.

Fast strategies involve producing prolific amounts of offspring with minimal care. Spawning fish and lobsters are examples. Very high death rates are acceptable, because only a tiny fraction need to survive to perpetuate the species.

Humans, with many years of care and training required for independence, represent the slow strategy. Modern society makes the slow strategy more feasible than before, Twenge said.

Life in the slow lane

Life history theory makes the case that a slow life strategy is going to be more likely in a safe environment, where people have fewer children and people live longer, and expect their kids to start their own families later, and to have their education last longer, Twenge said. And thats a pretty good description of todays environment.

Meanwhile, Twenge has been getting a lot of attention for her latest book, some of it disapproving. A review on NPR called it a cocktail of exaggeration and alarmism. Its conclusions on smartphone use were criticized in the Houston Chronicle by Christopher Ferguson, a psychology professor at Stetson University.

A Wall Street Journal review was more positive, describing the book as persuasive.

The study itself got generally favorable comments from Laurence Steinberg, an expert on adolescent development. Steinberg said he agreed that teens are taking longer to develop the habits of independent adults.

My quick take on this is that its very interesting, although it isnt clear what the right interpretation is, said Steinberg, a professor of psychology at Temple University and author of Age of Opportunity: Lessons From the New Science of Adolescence.

Some of these trends may be influencing each other  for instance, driving and drinking are activities that are themselves linked to working (which generates income that is used to pay for alcohol and car expenses), and dating or going out with friends (which may require driving and is often associated with drinking), Steinberg said by email.

Certainly these trends are consistent with other data on the delayed entrance of young people into adult roles, like marriage, childbearing, entrance into the full time labor force, establishing a separate residence, and attaining economic independence, he said.

So I think it is reasonable to view these findings as consistent with the view that adolescence is lasting longer than it has before  something I note in Age of Opportunity.

Steinberg said he was not sure the life history theory explanation was correct.

Id like to see some international data to see whether this is an American phenomenon or something more universal, he said.

A net good?

Its also possible that increasingly protective helicopter parents could be restricting their childrens actions, Steinberg said, making it more difficult for them to get out of the house.

But Id be careful to avoid interpretations that invoke images of todays young people as being less mature or more childlike, he said.

Twenge said the adolescent surveys indicate that since children actually have fewer major fights with their parents, overly protective parents arent the cause of these changes.

I agree with Dr. Steinberg that its not correct to say that todays teens are less mature, she said. For example, is it more or less mature to have sex during high school? Is it more or less mature to drink alcohol as a teen? Its neither. These trends are not about maturity or immaturity, but about taking longer to engage in adult activities.

Overall, I think these trends are a net good, she said. However, parents also need to recognize that older teens in particular need more experience with independence if theyre going to be successful college students and workers.

Brent Crandal, a clinical psychologist at Rady Childrens Hospital, said the study provides useful insights.

These are pretty strong findings, Crandal said. Theyre found in several different data sets with more than 1 million participants. The trend identified shouldnt be ignored.

Making the same point as Twenge, Crandal also said the results arent good or bad.

Its just that development is happening over a longer course of time, Crandal said.

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
Toronto, ON, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A strengthening Canadian economy is projected to have a positive, cascading impact on the nations high-end residential real estate market this fall. Montreal is forecast to emerge as a luxury real estate hot spot, with gains in sales volume and pricing expected in the $1 million-plus segment of the market. Strong economic fundamentals are set to foster healthy activity in the high-end Greater Toronto Area (GTA) market, even as it recedes from record highs following the introduction of the Ontario Fair Housing Plan. Fueled by strong local demand redirected into the citys condominium sector, Vancouvers $1 million-plus real estate market is anticipated to regain momentum in the coming months, while tentative optimism is set to gain ground in Calgary as the city emerges from recession.



Summer data compiled by Sothebys International Realty Canada for the countrys four largest metropolitan markets indicates the direction of the fall top tier market performance. Montreals $1 million-plus real estate sales (condominiums, attached and single family homes) soared 60% year-over-year in July and August, pointing to exceptional performance to the end of 2017. GTA (Durham, Halton, Peel, Toronto and York) July and August sales over $1 million receded 40% year-over-year from historic highs, while luxury sales volume over $4 million declined 29%;; meanwhile, city of Toronto sales over $1 million and $4 million decreased 27% and 28% year- over-year respectively. Calgary sales over $1 million were almost on par with the previous summers, recording a 1% year-over-year gain that indicates stability for the coming months. While Vancouvers luxury real estate sales over $4 million fell 21% year-over-year in July and August, overall $1 million-plus sales increased 5% compared to the same months in 2016.

The countrys exceptional economic performance is expected to elevate top-tier real estate market confidence and performance this fall, says Brad Henderson, President and CEO of Sothebys International Realty Canada. Montreal, in particular, is emerging as an unexpected bright light on Canadas luxury real estate horizon, but the reality is that improvement in economic productivity, wages and job gains will be positive for all of our metropolitan markets in the coming months.

Key National Influencers

A strong Canadian economy is projected to propel consumer, business and top-tier real estate market confidence and activity in fall 2017. The economy expanded at its fastest annualized rate in six years between March and June, according to Statistics Canada, recording an annualized 4.5% rate of expansion that outpaced earlier projections. These numbers followed upgraded economic growth forecasts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Bank of Canada released in July: the IMF projected that Canada will lead G7 countries in economic gains this year, and upgraded its forecast for annual economic growth to 2.5%. The Bank of Canada also increased its projection for 2017 Canadian economic growth to 2.8%.

Falling national unemployment rates and job gains in the countrys major real estate markets are anticipated to bolster local demand for conventional and top-tier real estate. Canada's unemployment rate fell to 6.2% in August 2017, the lowest level since the onset of the Great Recession in October 2008. Vancouver continued to post the lowest rate of Canadas largest cities, with an unemployment rate of 4.7%, while Montreals rate fell to 5.0%. Torontos rate of 6.4% remained slightly elevated above the national average, however, the province of Ontario drove national employment gains with 31,100 net new positions. At 8.5%, Calgarys unemployment rate continues to pose a risk to the gradual stabilization of the citys top-tier real estate market this fall.

Two consecutive key interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada, the first in July and the second in September, positions the key interest rate at 1.00% leading into fall. In spite of the resulting uptick in mortgage rates, the impact of the incremental increase from historic lows is anticipated to be minimal on top-tier real estate activity, so long as subsequent increases are well signaled and in line with real gains in the economy.

In spite of the strengthening Canadian dollar, which hovered around 80 cents to the US in September 2017, foreign demand for Canadas top-tier real estate remains high. The gap in currency values remains notable. Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary, which are ranked third, fourth and fifth by the Economist Intelligence Unit in its latest global livability rankings, as well as the city of Montreal, remain desirable destinations for immigration, work and study.

Montreal

Following an exceptionally heated summer market, Montreal is forecast to emerge as a strong leader on Canadas luxury real estate landscape this fall. July and August sales over $1 million surged 60% over the same months in 2016 to 115 properties (condominiums, attached and single family homes) sold, a steep escalation from the 17% year-over-year gains experienced in the first half of 2017. Strong job gains and a healthy economy lifted local consumer confidence and fueled luxury market activity that resulted in soaring activity, an lift in prices, and an increase in the incidence of bidding wars in several of the citys prime, luxury neighbourhoods, including Westmount, Outremont and Town of Mount Royal. Montreals luxury market remains dominated by local demand, however, industry insiders anecdotally report an uptick in interest from foreign buyers seeking residences.

The citys luxury condominium market also experienced a sharp 40% rise in summer sales to 14 units sold over $1 million, performance that outpaced industry expectations, and positioned the category to continue its trajectory of healthy gains this fall.

With positive economic and market conditions gaining traction, and with the citys luxury real estate positioned competitively, relative to markets in other major Canadian city centres, Montreals top-tier real estate market is projected to accelerate to the end of the year.

Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

The introduction of the 16-measure Ontario Fair Housing Plan in April 2017 introduced uncertainty to the Greater Toronto Areas heated top-tier real estate market. In spite of this, real estate sales over $1 million soared 41% and 25% year-over-year in the Greater Toronto Area and city of Toronto, in the first six months of the year. Summer top-tier sales activity, however, indicates a return to healthier levels of fall market activity from previous highs, with the detached single family home market expected to moderate by the end of the year.



Summer sales volume over $1 million (condominiums, attached and single family homes) fell 39% year-over-year to 1,926 GTA properties sold in July and August, as luxury sales over $4 million contracted 29% to 35 units sold. During this period, sales over $1 million and $4 million in the city of Toronto fell 27% and 28% year-over-year, to 793 and 23 properties. Market activity softened across all segments, however, prices in the top-tier maintained relative stability even as bidding wars dissipated.

The top-tier single family home market reflected the most pronounced adjustment over the summer months: sales over $1 million experienced a 44% and 37% decline in sales volume in the GTA and city of Toronto respectively, falling to 1,600 and 517 units sold. Sales of homes over $4 million fell 34% year-over-year to 31 units in the GTA, and 33% to 20 units in the city of T oronto.

The summer market for condominiums over $1 million maintained comparative resilience, with sales volume up 8% year-over-year in the GTA and up 15% in the city of Toronto to 155 and 140 units respectively. Four of the GTA condo sales were over $4 million, up from two units from the same period in 2016. Of this summers $4 million-plus sales, three were in the city of Toronto. Monthly data however, reveals a marked drop in sales in August relative to July: while July sales over $1 million were up 33% and 43% year-over-year in the GTA and the city of Toronto respectively, August sales fell 11% and 6% year-over-year. Recent measures to expand rent control to all private rental units in Ontario are expected to prompt condominium investors to reconsider purchases and may result in an increase in fall listings.

In spite of policy headwinds, a brisk and active top-tier real estate market is forecast for fall. New inventory is expected to be introduced into the market as vendors aim to exit at current highs, offsetting an enduring shortage of supply. Buyer activity is projected to moderate to healthier norms. Although several months will be required for consumer sentiment and the top- tier market to stabilize following the initial shock of policy introductions, strong economic fundamentals are expected to anchor top-tier market health in the long term.

Calgary

Top-tier real estate sales over the summer months reflected Calgarys tentative return to stability as Alberta gradually emerged from recession;; data and industry insights suggest an active buyers market into the fall. Following a 24% year-over-year increase in sales over $1 million (condominiums, attached and single family homes) in the first half of the year, 112 properties sold over $1 million in July and August 2017, on par with the 111 properties sold in the summer months of 2016. Although the single family home market remained stable with 95 homes sold over $1 million, in line with the 96 units sold over the summer of 2017, the citys luxury condominium market reflected greater vulnerability, with two units sold above $1 million over the summer months compared to six sold over the course of the same months of 2016. In spite of this, the highest year-to-date sale of a $6 million suite in The River by Sothebys International Realty Canada in August 2017, demonstrates that buyers are judiciously investing in top-tier condominium opportunities.

In spite of renewed market activity, the recovery of Calgarys top-tier real estate market remains volatile and fragmented. Fall performance is projected to be vastly divergent between neighbourhoods, with bidding wars and rapid turnover expected to continue in some, while oversupply and stasis is anticipated for others. Stubbornly high levels of unemployment and rental vacancy rates, negative interprovincial migration, and cautious consumer sentiment will continue to enforce a buyers market to the end of the year.

Vancouver

One year following the August 2016 implementation of the Metro Vancouver 15% foreign buyers tax, sales activity in the city of Vancouvers $1 million-plus real estate market resumed a more active pace over the summer months, foreshadowing a healthy and active top-tier fall market.

In spite of a 23% year-over-year decline in sales over $1 million in the first half of 2017, monthly data compiled in Sothebys International Realty Canadas Mid-Year Top-Tier Report revealed that market momentum strengthened as the year progressed. This trajectory continued through the summer, with July sales contracting 2% and August sales increasing 16% year-over-year respectively. Overall, 598 $1 million-plus properties (condominiums, attached and single family homes) sold over the summer, up 5% compared to the same months in 2016. Luxury real estate sales over $4 million, were down 21% to 46 units sold.

Gains were largely propelled by a summer groundswell of condominium demand that rapidly surpassed available inventory. While condominium sales over $1 million were up a nominal 5% year-over-year in the first half of 2017, sales increased 27% year over-year in July and surged a more significant 53% year-over-year in August, with industry reports of bidding wars on available properties. This resulted in a 36% year-over-year increase in overall summer sales, with 206 condominiums sold over $1 million. Only five sales were in the luxury segment over $4 million, compared to nine units sold in summer 2016.

In contrast, the volume of single family homes sold over $1 million dipped 10% to 293 units in the summer of 2017 compared to the same months in 2016, while luxury home sales over $4 million fell 20% to 39 homes.

The citys strong economy, low unemployment rate and razor thin vacancy rates have restored local real estate consumer confidence in spite of recent policy interventions. This fall, home buyers and sellers who waited on the sidelines over the previous year are expected to return to the top-tier market. Constrained by a lack of options and motivated by demographic needs and lifestyle preferences, this activity is projected to fuel heated high-end condominium demand in the months to come.

To download the 2017 Mid-Year Top-Tier Real Estate Report (released July 2017), please visit:

About Sotheby's International Realty Canada

Combining the world's most prestigious real estate brand with local market knowledge and specialized marketing expertise, Sotheby's International Realty Canada is the leading real estate sales and marketing company for the country's most exceptional properties. With offices in over 30 residential and resort markets nationwide, our professional associates provide the highest caliber of real estate service, unrivalled local and international marketing solutions and a global affiliate sales network of approximately 850 offices in 65 countries to manage the real estate portfolios of discerning clients from around the world. For further information,

visit www.sothebysrealty.ca.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this report references market data from MLS boards across Canada. Sotheby's International Realty Canada cautions that MLS market data can be useful in establishing trends over time, but does not indicate actual prices in widely divergent neighborhoods or account for price differentials within local markets. This report is published for general information only and not to be relied upon in any way. Although high standards have been used in the preparation of the information and analysis presented in this report, no responsibility or liability whatsoever can be accepted by Sotheby's International Realty Canada or Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates for any loss or damage resultant from any use of, reliance on, or reference to the contents of this document.
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson were called to account on Tuesday by the Senate Armed Services Committee for a string of deadly and expensive ship mishaps this year in Asia.

Its the second congressional grilling of the Navy, which is conducting multiple investigations to pinpoint why the destroyers Fitzgerald and McCain collided with merchant ships this summer.

Past testimony has revealed that Navy warships assigned to Asia are overworked, including going to sea without the many of the training certifications that the Navy requires.

Advertisement

RELATED: Navy gets grilled by House committee regarding deadly collisions 

Here are four key takeaways from the Senate hearing.

1. Saying no: Officials have said the Navy is being called on to deploy too often. Even with that, Navy leaders say they are only able to meet 40 percent of the demand for warships.

The question was asked: Are ship captains allowed to admit their vessels arent ready, without punishment?

Senator, if I could go down and give that commander a handshake and a medal, I would do that, Richardson said.

This is exactly the type of honesty and transparency that we need to run a Navy thats safe and effective.

The four-star admiral got emotional when describing his feelings about the loss of 17 sailors, two of whom grew up in San Diego County.

Every one of those sailors is like a son to me, the chief of naval operations said, his voice shaking slightly.

And the opportunity to be with their families when they see them come back in these coffins makes it intensely human. And so we are going to get after this.

Welcome to The Intel, a blog examining the hot military news of the day

2. We have a problem: The Navy secretary, new to the job in early August, seemed to take responsibility for the problems in the fleet.

We have a problem in the Navy. And we are going to fix it, Spencer told the Senate committee.

3. What about radar? Several senators posed the question that has been commonly asked since the two deadly ship collisions this summer.

Sen. Angus King of Maine: How in the world does a billion-dollar destroyer not know theres a freighter closing in on it?

Richardson: Sir, got the same questions. Its very hard to understand with the sophisticated systems on board these warships that we let a ship get in that close, to the point of collision.

King: Arent there radar systems on these ships that would detect anything within the range?

Richardson: Theres a primary and a backup radar that should detect those ships. There are systems that can alert you at a particular range. And so we have to find out what happened.

King: Dont we have sailors on the bridge with binoculars anymore?

Richardson: We do. Its required of them to have lookouts and we have lookouts on the watch team on the bridge.

4. The sleep, or lack thereof, issue:

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has drawn attention to reports that some sailors are working in excess of 100 hours a week because of heavy schedules.

Members of congress have expressed concern that lack of sleep leads to errors.

What are we doing right now to change that paradigm of 100-hour work weeks? asked Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat from Indiana.

Richardson said the surface-ship force recently made it mandatory that a certain amount of sleep hours occur.

That will mandate that at sea, in those watch rotations, that we get sufficient sleep and get out of those cycles, the Navys top officer said.

But Sen. John McCain, a Navy pilot held as prisoner-of-war in Vietnam, scolded the naval officials for saying they are looking at civilian studies for answers on how to fix the overwork issue.

It doesnt take a study or RAND or (the) Mayo (Clinic) when you are working people 100 hours a week, OK? I dont have to ask RAND. I think I know what 100 hours a week does to people over time. And thats been standard procedure for a long time, McCain said.

Seven-month deployments are a long time. Up til now, thereve been times where deployments have been a lot longer than that. Whos looking out (sailors)? the Arizona Republican asked.

I appreciate all the studies.  Theres some (times) all you have to do is use common sense and make some changes.

On Aug. 21, 10 sailors died when the destroyer John S. McCain collided with a Liberian chemical tanker.

That followed the June 17 death of seven sailors  including two from San Diego County  when the destroyer Fitzgerald destroyer collided before dawn with a container ship.

Additionally, the San Diego-based cruiser Lake Champlain was hit by a South Korean fishing boat while deployed in Asia in May. The cruiser did not suffer major damage.

And in January, the Japan-based cruiser Antietam ran aground on shoals just outside its base in Yokosuka and spilled fluid into Tokyo Bay.

RELATED: Navy ousts admiral, captain from jobs in more fallout from ship collisions in Asia 

In response, the Navy yesterday removed Rear Adm. Charles Williams, who commanded Task Force 70, which has tactical control of U.S. ships in Asia, and Capt. Jeffrey Bennett, who led the destroyer squadron based in Japan.

Also, the Navy has also replaced its three-star commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet in Asia. Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin was removed from his job a month early as an expression of loss of confidence.

Additionally, the Coronado-based commander of the naval surface force, Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, is expected to retire early.

Military Videos  On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France  at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal

jen.steele@sduniontribune.com

Facebook: U-T Military

Twitter: @jensteeley
A woman was riding a Bay Area Rapid Transit train on Friday afternoon when someone behind her handed her an ominous note.

There are 2 guns pointed at you now, the note read. If you want to live hand back your wallet & phone NOW & do not turn around and be descreet. Do not turn around until after you have left civic center & you will live.

Julie Dragland, 32, didnt hand over any of her possessions, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Instead, she faked a seizure, drawing other passengers attention and prompting the would-be mugger to exit the train.

Advertisement

When I read the note, I started freaking out, Dragland told the Chronicle. I did not want to give up my stuff, but I had no idea who was behind me.

In its online crime log, BART police said a female passenger reported being handed a note on a train to Dublin.

The victim faked a medical problem to attract attention and reported the incident to police, but did not want to speak to an officer, the log states, without mentioning her name. The victim later contacted an officer in Oakland and provided more information.

The woman, authorities said, thought the person sitting behind her on the train was a white female who was pulling a suitcase. BART officers checked the Civic Center Station in San Francisco but did not find anyone matching that description.

BART police said late Monday, however, that surveillance footage corroborates the womans initial report.

Video from the train shows a woman, possibly in her 30s with long strawberry blond hair, seated behind the victim, who was alone. The woman reached over the victims shoulder, officials said, at which point the victim faked a medical problem.

At least two passengers checked on her. Thats when the suspect got up and got off the train at the Powell Street Station.

Authorities said theres no indication from the video the suspect was armed.

The female passenger said she would not press charges if the suspect was located, according to BART police.

Dragland told the Chronicle that, after receiving the note, she mouthed help me to a man standing nearby. But after that man exited the train, she pretended to have a seizure to draw other peoples attention. She slumped to the side and started shaking and crying, she said.

When a couple approached to ask if she was OK, she handed them the note, the Chronicle reported. She thought the would-be mugger exited at Civic Center, which was the next stop.

Dragland told the Chronicle she had the idea to fake a seizure because she watched a lot of Law & Order.

Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson

UPDATES:

9:10 p.m.: This article was updated with a surveillance photo of the suspect.

This article was originally published at 12:10 p.m.
A multi-day series of political speeches promoted by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos at UC Berkeley next week will occur mostly outdoors instead of within two rarefied campus halls as initially planned.

The campus administration said this weekend that organizers missed the deadline to reserve two large indoor venues on campus for the planned four-day event.

But organizers still have access to the Savio Steps at the center of Sproul Plaza as well as another adjoining plaza at the southern entrance to the Berkeley campus for eight of their nine planned events, a campus spokesman said in a statement.

Advertisement

Organizers have said Ann Coulter and former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon are still slated to attend even though theyre missing from the final event schedule the campus says it received from the student group sponsoring the event, a conservative publication called the Berkeley Patriot that has been working with Yiannopoulos to set up the speeches.

That means Coulter, Bannon, Yiannopoulos and others would have to speak in a plaza usually bustling with harried students, recruiters for campus clubs and Berkeleys various street personalities.

The plaza is regularly the site of demonstrations and was the center of violent protests in February before a planned speech by Yiannopoulos was canceled.

Protesters watch a fire at Berkeleys Sproul Plaza during a rally in February against a scheduled appearance by far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos. (Ben Margot / Associated Press)

The publications news editor, Pranav Jandhyala, said in a phone interview that despite the fact that Bannon and Coulter werent included on the list of scheduled speakers, theyre still confirmed to come.

They think because weve lost the venue, that weve lost those speakers. They are coming. those speakers are still coming, Jandhyala said. They will speak on Sproul Plaza if we have to. I got confirmation from all of them regardless of the venue that theyre still coming.

Yiannopoulos and conservative author David Horowitz are the only speakers who have confirmed to the campus that they are coming, university spokesman Dan Mogulof said.

Mogulof said in a statement that the student group will try to reschedule the speakers they had hoped would talk at Zellerbach Hall and Wheeler Auditorium, two of the larger spaces on campus, for another time.

But the organizers may have trouble finding a time for the likes of Bannon and Coulter to talk. The only time, university officials said, they could accommodate new speakers would be at the Tuesday night talk at Sproul Plaza from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Based on the information provided to date, [the University of California Police Department] has already initiated outreach to allied law enforcement agencies and UCPD will have the resources in place necessary to accommodate changes to the event program at that location, at that time, Mogulof said in a statement.

He said university police need at least 10 days to work with allied law enforcement agencies that would provide the additional personnel UCPD has determined to be necessary to protect public safety when potential criminal activity is anticipated.

In a six-minute-and-41-second video posted Monday morning, Yiannopoulos decried what he called the Berkeley administrations coordinated bureaucratic mission to silence conservative voices at Berkeley.

Yiannopoulos also expressed frustration that a contract clause, which wouldve allowed him to get a refund if the event was canceled at the last minute, was not included. Mogulof, Berkeleys spokesman, said an inclusion of such a clause would be unprecedented for campus venues.

Last week, more than 200 instructors and faculty members called for a shutdown of classes and activities during the events in order to protect their students from potentially deadly violence.

The campus estimates it spent $600,000 on extra security and police officers to prepare for a speech last Thursday by conservative author Ben Shapiro. City and campus officials took heightened steps to prevent the sort of chaos that descended on campus when Yiannopoulos tried to speak in February.

The only indoor space organizers have reserved for the week is the university-owned Anna Head Hall for a Monday night talk featuring former Google employee James Damore and University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson.

But university police cannot accommodate last-minute changes to the program for that event, Mogulof said.

Three of the originally listed speakers have said they are not attending the event.

Police officers last week cut off access to Sproul Plaza, the site of Mario Savios famous 1964 address during the free speech movement and a common meeting ground for activists of all stripes, as a security precaution during Shapiros talk last week.

javier.panzar@latimes.com

benjamin.oreskes@latimes.com
A San Diego man who was removed from the states sex offender registry three years ago was arrested Monday after he photographed young girls in bathing suits at a Fontana birthday party and later was found to possess child pornography, police said.

Police responded to a home on Boxwood Court in Fontana on Sunday evening after receiving reports that Joseph Welsh, 47, had taken several photographs of female children at a family gathering. Several parents noticed their children being photographed and confronted Welsh, took his cellphone and called police, according to the Fontana Police Department.

Detectives with the departments Internet Crimes Against Children Unit served dual search warrants Monday at Welshs home in the 2200 block of Tokalon Street in San Diego and his business in the 4100 block of Mission Boulevard.

Advertisement

Investigators searched multiple electronic devices in Welshs possession and found several pornographic photos of children on the devices, Fontana police said in a statement.

Welsh was arrested on suspicion of child pornography with a prior conviction and felony child annoyance with a prior conviction, police said. He was booked in the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Police said Welsh was a registered sex offender until 2014, when courts determined him not a danger to the public and he received a rehabilitation certificate.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson
An unauthorized immigrant accused of drunken driving and causing a crash in San Ysidro that seriously injured a 6-year-old boy will be tried a second time on felony charges including hit and run, a prosecutor said Monday.

Constantino Manuel Banda Acosta, 39, went to trial last month in Chula Vista Superior Court on felony and misdemeanor charges, but the jury deadlocked on the three most serious counts stemming from the May 6 collision.

Lennox Lake was in the backseat of his parents Honda Accord when it was hit broadside at an intersection at Dairy Mart Road and Camino de la Plaza. He suffered multiple injuries including a skull fracture.

Advertisement

The family was returning to San Ysidro that evening after a day trip to Disneyland.

Records from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security show Banda had been deported to Mexico, or allowed to return to that country voluntarily, 17 times since 2002.

A defense attorney in the case has indicated she will ask a judge to dismiss the felony charges. A motion hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 13.

During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Christopher Chandler argued that Banda was driving his Chevrolet Silverado when he ran through a stop sign and slammed into the Lake familys car.

Banda kept driving and then parked the damaged pickup on a neighborhood street less than two miles from the crash site, the prosecutor said. Thats where Border Patrol agents found him and pulled him from the vehicle.

Another man, Jorge Adame Ariza, was in the front passenger seat.

Bandas lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Juliana Humphrey, said the evidence pointed to Adame as the driver at the time of the crash. Surveillance video shows Adame at the wheel of the pickup earlier that evening when he and Banda left the parking lot of a Chula Vista restaurant after Banda got into a fistfight with a patron.

Humphrey argued that Adames testimony, including his contention that he and Banda switched seats before the collision, was untrustworthy. Like Banda, Adame  who worked for Bandas construction company  was in the country illegally.

The jurors deliberated about three days before convicting Banda of vandalism, battery and driving without a license, all misdemeanors. They told the judge they were divided 8 to 4 on each of the felony counts in favor of finding Banda guilty.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell has been charged with a misdemeanor after interrupting an orca show at SeaWorld in July.

Cromwell, who had roles in L.A. Confidential, The Green Mile, and The Longest Yard, was accused of trespassing and could be sentenced up to 90 days in prison, or fined up to $400, or both, if convicted. Arraignment documents were filed on Friday in San Diego County Superior Court.

Cromwell has previously said he would serve jail time rather than pay fines in cases related to his various causes as an activist.

Advertisement

The trespassing charge stems from a July 24 incident where Cromwell and six other activists from the People for the Ethical Treatments of Animals launched a protest during an orca show at SeaWorld San Diego.

In a video posted on PETAs Facebooks page, Cromwell, who is 77, appears in a black T-shirt that says Seaworld Sucks and stood in front of six protesters who held signs reading SeaWorld Kills. At one point a person threw a beverage at the group of activists.

Using a small megaphone, Cromwell shouted about the differences between the lives of orcas in captivity, and orcas in open water.

Here, they do not swim with their families, they are separated from them, Cromwell said. Moments later two security guards approached the group.

Music plays, and one of the iconic black and white whales performs tricks until an announcer on a public address system announced that the show would take a momentary break.

So just give us a moment while we can make sure we can focus on the animals and ensure their safety, the narrator said.

Protesters linked arms, but security staff, one at a time, removed them from the arena. Also charged with trespassing were Citlaly Rubi Becerra, Joseph Patrick Bowman, Ricky Chavez Rodriguez, Lyanne Fernandez, Cassandra Morgan King and Lisa Marie Lange. They were detained, cited, and released along with Cromwell.

The orca show resumed minutes later. SeaWorld called PETAs protest a publicity stunt and said that the parks animals get top-notch veterinary care from professionals.

Cromwell, a longtime activist, became a vegan after he played a farmer who used a pig to herd sheep in the movie Babe. He was nominated for an the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for that role.

In June, Cromwell was sentenced to a week in jail for obstructing traffic during a sit-in in protest of the construction of a natural gas-fired power plant in New York in 2015. He and others involved in that protest were found guilty of disorderly conduct and required to pay $375 in fines and court costs. Some of those involved in that case missed a deadline to pay the penalty, and received a seven-day jail sentence.

Cromwell said he planned to appeal and would serve the time in jail. It is unclear if he has since completed that sentence, or appealed.

Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1841
Behind the closed door of a San Carlos condominium, a father and daughter were fatally shot  each in the head.

A prosecutor said Monday that the two were ambushed and executed by Regina Renee Johnson, now on trial on murder charges, but a defense attorney said the two fell victim to a violent, family argument.

Deputy District Attorney Nicole Rooney said Johnson first killed her 14-year-old daughter Aaliyah and then her husband, Reuben Johnson, on May 30, 2012.

Advertisement

The San Carlos womans fingerprints were found all over the gun and she had gunshot residue on her hands, Rooney told a jury in San Diego Superior Court. The now-60-year-old also admitted to flushing some shell casings down the toilet.

The crime scene will tell you how the defendant found the gun, loaded it and killed her family, the prosecutor said.

But defense attorney Neil Besse painted a different picture when he gave his opening statement. He said a heated argument led Reuben Johnson, who had been through difficult years of bankruptcy, job loss and a cancer diagnosis, to shoot and kill his daughter.

It was only then that Regina Johnson took her husbands life, Besse said.

In that moment, her daughters life and everything it represented flashed before her eyes, Besse said of the girls death. He said Johnson yelled, You shot my baby girl! before killing her husband.

After the killings, Johnson draped her daughters body with a blanket and slept next to it for days, Besse said. She would eventually speak with family members  one of whom called police on June 2, 2012.

It didnt take officers sent to the Navajo Road home long to find the bodies.

Reuben Johnson, 56, was found in the doorway to the homes master bedroom. He had been shot in his torso and his head.

Aaliyah was found in the hallway with a single gunshot to the back of the head. Both had been dead for days, testified Dr. Jonathan Lucas, who was chief deputy medical examiner at the time of the killings.

Rooney said evidence from the gruesome crime scene suggests both victims were ambushed and executed by the defendant.

The first to die was Aaliyah. Near her body was a bloody jar of Vaseline. The container was covered in blood on nearly all sides, suggesting the girl was carrying it at the the time she was killed.

She was just getting ready for another ordinary day, Rooney said.

Reuben Johnson was shot after coming home for lunch, the prosecutor said. He didnt see his daughters body before he was fatally wounded, dropping a plate of barely eaten salad and pizza.

The spilled food was found near his body.

Besse said the deaths were the culmination of an emotional argument that turned violent.

Things at the household were stressful, he said. Neither parent had a job, Reuben Johnson had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and his wife was struggling with depression.

The day before the deaths, Besse said, the mother and daughter had stayed up late picking out an outfit for Aaliyahs picture day at West Hills High School in Santee.

The next morning, Reuben got upset that Aaliyah was running late for school. When he left the house, he expected his wife to take her to the campus but when he returned home later, the mother and daughter were still there.

A fight broke out. Besse said the husband often came and went from the home as he pleased, but that he started spending more time at the condo as his wifes depression deepened.

Both mother and daughter rejected his efforts to establish order in the house, Besse said, and that tension fueled the family argument that morning. As the fight escalated, Aaliyah went downstairs to where her father kept his gun, came back upstairs and pointed it at her father.

He knocked the gun out of the girls hand and as both Aaliyah and her mother walked away, Regina Johnson heard a gunshot, the defense attorney said. She turned and saw her daughters lifeless body.

She picked up the weapon and shot her husband.

Sometime after the deaths, Johnson scrawled in lipstick a message addressed to a doctor who had recently prescribed her Wellbutrin, a medication used to treat depression.

You knew I should not have been taking all that(sic) meds, the message read in part.

Johnson faces 100 years to life in prison if she is convicted on all charges.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
With case counts continuing to rise, San Diego leaders made their largest show of solidarity Tuesday morning in the fight against hepatitis A, gathering to ask the public for help in getting control of the outbreak that does not appear to be going away any time soon.

Even though efforts to contain the outbreak started in March, officials do not expect an immediate halt to unprecedented public health threat.

Frankly, this outbreak could last for at least another six months, and unfortunately there are going to be more lives that are going to be at risk, Dr. Nick Yphantides, the countys chief medical officer, said at a news conference in from of the County Administration Center.

Advertisement

As they have every Tuesday for the last few months, officials gave an update on the outbreaks toll which has had its strongest impact on San Diegos homeless population. While the death count remains 16 as it was last week, there are two more deaths currently under investigation. For 15 of the 16 deaths confirmed so far, Yphantides said, each has been homeless and/or an illicit drug user. All have had underlying health conditions such as a concurrent hepatitis C infection.

The total number of confirmed cases linked to the outbreak jumped to 444 from 421 last week, and there are another 44 suspected cases currently under investigation. The number of people hospitalized due to infections from the specific strains associated with the outbreak climbed to 305 this week from 292 last week.

The steady increase in these numbers is causing growing anxiety in the region, pushing further into the mainstream late last week with a public warning to all patrons of a Pacific Beach restaurant after a person associated with the establishment was infected.

There was also news Tuesday of a new outbreak declared by public health officials in Los Angeles County. Two infections that occurred locally, officials said, are in addition to eight previous cases linked to ongoing outbreaks in San Diego and Santa Cruz counties.

Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, note the outbreak is small by comparison. Nevertheless, she said the department is ramping up prevention efforts locally so more people dont get sick. San Diegos outbreak has already spread to Santa Cruz, where 69 people have been diagnosed.

Another San Diego-linked case case surfaced in Imperial County over the weekend, according to health officials there.

Within our investigations we have learned that the individual did not contract the infection here in the valley, here in Imperial Valley. He is currently still being treated at one of our local facilities, Karla Lopez, Epidemiologist with Imperial County Public Health Department, told television station KYMA.

The person was described as middle aged homeless man living in downtown San Diego before arriving in Imperial County last week.

The San Diego outbreak was first recognized by the county health department in March, and the response has come under criticism in recent weeks for being somewhat fragmented.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer took pains Tuesday to signal that the government response has crystallized around the three main themes of vaccination, sanitation and education.

Hepatitis A: frequently asked questions

There are lives at stake. Every person affected has a family, has friends. This is personal. This is our community. We will protect it, Faulconer said at the news conference, the largest show of unity among public officials in the hepatitis fight.

The mayor and others urged the public to do its part primarily through attention to hygiene  frequent and thorough hand-washing  and getting vaccinated if warranted.

In addition to the countys regular Tuesday update on the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths associated with the outbreak, officials also said that 22,966 people have received the hepatitis A vaccine through a wide range of outreach events from inoculation clinics to foot teams working with the homeless in remote locations.

Yphantides stressed that vaccination is recommended only for a high-risk group of people across the county. There is no reason why those who do not fall into that group need to run out and get a hepatitis A vaccination even if they work in downtown San Diego where the largest number of cases have occurred, he said. On the other hand, he added, those who fear exposure to the virus should not be shy.

If, however, there are individuals who have a felt need that they may have had exposure to the virus and want to have access to the vaccine, it is perfectly reasonable for you to make that request to your medical provider, Yphantides said.

The main high-risk group the medical director referred to includes: homeless people, intravenous and illicit drug users, gay men, anyone who has has sexual contact with a person who has a hepatitis A infection, people with chronic liver disease and anyone with a clotting factor disease.

On Tuesday morning, the health department also defined a second job-based vaccination category. It includes: fire and emergency workers, law enforcement personnel, food handlers, health care personnel, homeless outreach and service workers, substance abuse treatment workers and public transportation workers.

Anyone who wants to find a nearby vaccination clinic can call 2-1-1 for more information.

The city is also conducting a free vaccination clinic in front of the San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Health Playlist On Now Video: Why aren't Americans getting flu shots? 0:37 On Now Video: Leaders urge public to help extinguish hepatitis outbreak On Now San Diego starts cleansing sidewalks, streets to combat hepatitis A On Now Video: Scripps to shutter its hospice service On Now Video: Scripps La Jolla hospitals nab top local spot in annual hospital rankings On Now Video: Does a parent's Alzheimer's doom their children? On Now Video: Vaccine can prevent human papillomavirus, which can cause cancer 0:31 On Now 23 local doctors have already faced state discipline in 2017 0:48 On Now EpiPen recall expands On Now Kids can add years to your life

paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1850

Twitter: @paulsisson
Even though the group of viruses that have killed 16 people in San Diego County have unique genetic signatures, experts are not holding out hope that they will be able to trace the regions hepatitis A outbreak to a single point of origin.

Thats because the first patient known to be part of the outbreak was a homeless person who was cared for in November 2016, about four months before it was clear to the county Health and Human Services Agency that an outbreak was underway.

(This story was updated on 9/19/2017 with news of a new outbreak in Los Angeles County.)

Advertisement

Dr. Eric McDonald, director of the countys Epidemiology and Immunization Services Branch, said that this individual had long ago been released and has not reappeared as the outbreak has intensified. Today, genetic testing performed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 13 strains of the hepatitis A virus in samples collected from infected patients.

This group is unique in the sense that, before it was sequenced in our outbreak, it had not been seen before, McDonald said.

All, he added, are in the 1B genetic subtype that researchers have found most commonly circulates in the Mediterranean, South Africa and Turkey. In North America, Europe, China, Japan and Thailand a different subtype, 1A, dominates.

But, while one type usually holds sway, less prevalent types are usually still present in communities even if theyre not the most prevalent. said Dr. Stanley Lemon, a hepatitis researcher at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. While the unique strains detected in San Diego County may not have been genetically sequenced before, that does not mean that they havent been around for quite a while.

It could have been one that was circulating in Southern California at a very low rate for some time and just found a niche in this population, Lemon said.

On Tuesday, Mayor Kevin Faulconer and county public health officials will launch an education campaign about precautions for hepatitis. They plan to hold a news conference outside the bayside county building to urge at-risk individuals to get vaccinations  and list where they can get them  and inform the public about proper hand-washing.

The hepatitis A virus has a remarkable ability to survive, so vaccinations and sanitation are key to turning the tide on the outbreak. It does not cause a chronic infection like hepatitis C does. Given enough time and support, the human immune system is almost always able to defeat hepatitis A.

In order for the virus to survive, it needs to keep moving from person to person through what the medical community calls the fecal-oral route. Because the virus is shed in human stool, it can end up in food or drink that another person consumes, allowing the microscopic pathogens to enter a new host.

This chain has continued, Lemon noted, for quite a long time.

Hepatitis A is very efficient at surviving in the environment. It has been doing so since humans first started living together in large groups, Lemon said.

For most people, its probably a little confusing to understand how patients in San Diegos outbreak could have been attacked by hepatitis A viruses considered to be unique yet still of the 1B type that has been well-known for decades.

This, Lemon explained, has to do with the way genetics works. Those viruses with greater than 15 percent genetic variation are said to be of the same genotype. Those with between 7.5 percent and 15 percent variation are considered subtypes, and those with less than 7.5 difference are sometimes called strains.

While all hepatitis A viruses labeled 1B are quite similar, that category still includes some variation and its still possible to find specific genetic fingerprints within that group that havent been seen before. Being able to see such fine-grained differences allows epidemiologists to get a sense of how an outbreak is moving through a community.

In this case, genetic analysis has shown that the strains in this outbreak are unrelated to another ongoing outbreak in Southeastern Michigan and to previous multistate outbreaks connected to frozen strawberries and pomegranate seeds. But the same analysis has also proven that there is a connection to a much smaller recent outbreak in Santa Cruz County, which has 69 confirmed cases mostly among homeless residents and illicit drug users, much like in San Diego.

McDonald said that, though the strains detected in Santa Cruz are similar, and it seems logical that the outbreak moved north after originating in San Diego County, interviews with those who have been infected have not turned up a specific person who migrated from one place to the other.

We dont have a specific person that we know went from here to Santa Cruz, McDonald said.

On Tuesday Los Angeles County announced that it too had declared a local hepatitis A outbreak after two local infections were detected. The countys health department said it has also tallied eight cases connected to San Diego and Santa Cruz.

Using genetic finger printing to see how this outbreak has spread is an interesting exercise, he said, adding that he considers this kind of tracking academic.

Though there is some genetic variation from strain to strain and type to type, that variation has not produced significant differences on the surface features of these viruses. It is proteins on the surfaces of virus cells that the human immune system uses to identify and attack foreign invaders, and a lack of differences means that there is just one vaccine for hepatitis A that works across sub-types.

Right now, were in the middle of doing what we know works, and thats getting as many people vaccinated as we can because we know that the vaccine works no matter which type is involved, McDonald said.

As vaccines go, the hepatitis A inoculation is known to be highly effective with a very low chance of side effects, according to Lemon, the North Carolina researcher.

The hepatitis A vaccine is one of the best vaccines ever made, he said.

Health Playlist On Now Video: Why aren't Americans getting flu shots? 0:37 On Now Video: Leaders urge public to help extinguish hepatitis outbreak On Now San Diego starts cleansing sidewalks, streets to combat hepatitis A On Now Video: Scripps to shutter its hospice service On Now Video: Scripps La Jolla hospitals nab top local spot in annual hospital rankings On Now Video: Does a parent's Alzheimer's doom their children? On Now Video: Vaccine can prevent human papillomavirus, which can cause cancer 0:31 On Now 23 local doctors have already faced state discipline in 2017 0:48 On Now EpiPen recall expands On Now Kids can add years to your life

paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1850

Twitter: @paulsisson
RESTON, Va., Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly 3 in 4 (73 percent) graduate business programs with 201 or more class seats report increased application volumes this year compared to 39 percent of the smallest programs (50 or fewer class seats), according to a new application trends survey from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). The growth among the larger U.S. programs is driven by a resurgence of domestic applications, offsetting declines in international applicants.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9e12e0d8-1e20-492d-90cd-4a7db8ee7175

Regardless of class size, a majority of programs in Europe, Canada, East and Southeast Asia, and India report growing volumes in 2017, while fewer than half the programs in the United States are growing  with the exception of part-time lockstep MBA and Master in Data Analytics programs.

Demand for graduate business education remains strong, especially among the largest programs, which tend also to be the most well-known programs with brand recognition, said Sangeet Chowfla, GMAC president and CEO. While non-U.S. programs are thriving, a strong economy and a disruptive political climate are likely contributing to the downward trend in application volumes among smaller U.S. programs this year.

GMAC conducted its 18th annual Application Trends Survey from early June to mid-July 2017. The survey findings are based on a record number of responses from 351 business schools and faculties located in 40 countries representing 965 graduate management programs, including MBA, non-MBA business master's, and doctoral-level programs. Participating programs received a combined total of 466,176 applications during the 2017 application cycle. Ninety-two percent of all participating programs report that the applicants this year are similarly or more academically qualified than candidates last year.

U.S. Political Climate Impacts International Application Volumes

Recent political events in the U.S. appear to have impacted application volumes from international candidates in 2017. Programs in Europe and Canada are about twice as likely to report growth in international applicants compared with the U.S. Across all program types, just 32 percent of U.S. programs report growing international application volumes in 2017 vs. 49 percent in 2016. Conversely, seventy-seven percent of Canadian programs report increases in international applications (46 percent in 2016), as well as 67 percent of European programs (65 percent in 2016). Despite the Brexit vote, about two-thirds of programs in the United Kingdom have seen international demand grow.

Overall, the 2017 report findings show that international applicants represent 57 percent of U.S. application volumes, 70 percent of Canadian volume, 89 percent of European volume, 20 percent of East and southeast Asian volume, and less than one percent of Indian volume.

Domestic candidates remain an area of strength for the larger, well known U.S. programs. Sixty-nine percent of programs with class sizes of more than 200 report growth in domestic applications, offsetting the fact that only 38 percent of programs similar in size report growth in international applications.

Women Make Gains in Applicant Pool

The results of the GMAC Application Trends Survey Report 2017 show that women are increasing their representation in the graduate business school pipeline. Today, women represent 42 percent of the total applications received by participating survey programs, up from 37 percent in 2013. Most program types have experienced an increase in the representation of women in the application pipeline. Specifically, among MBA programs women represent 39 percent of applications, up from 33 percent in 2013. More MBA programs report growth in female applicants (44 percent) compared with business masters (39 percent), whereas the growth rate is similar for men  40 percent for MBA and 39 percent for business masters.

Additional Key Findings

Overall volume to the general part-time MBA program category has been stagnant or on the decline since the Great Recession. Part-time lockstep programs  in which students proceed through a classroom-based program as a group  have seen stronger application volumes than part-time self-paced programs, in which students set their own schedule in a flexible format. Among U.S. part-time MBA programs, 54 percent of lockstep programs report increased volume this year, compared with just 34 percent of self-paced programs.

Most graduate business programs expect to see employer sponsorship remain stable. About half (52 percent) of part-time, self-paced students are expected to receive employer support, as are 40 percent of executive MBA and 39 percent of part-time lock-step MBA students.

The level of experience that the applicant brings to the graduate business program has remained relatively consistent in 2017 compared with five years ago. For example, the majority of full-time MBA applicants have between three and 10 years of experience; the majority of executive MBA applicants have 10 or more years of experience; and most online MBA applicants have six or more years of experience.

Among business masters programs, applicants tend to have less than one year of work experience; the exception is the Master in Data Analytics candidate who tends to have more experience.

To download GMACs Application Trends Survey Report 2017 visit: gmac.com/applicationtrends.

For supporting graphics, visit the GMAC News Center.

About GMAC: The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a global, non-profit association of 220 leading graduate business schools. Founded in 1953, we are actively committed to advancing the art and science of admissions by convening and representing the industry and offering best-in-class products and services for schools and students. GMAC owns and administers the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) exam, used by more than 6,500 graduate programs worldwide. Other GMAC assessments include the NMAT by GMAC exam, for entrance into graduate management programs in India and South Africa, and the Executive Assessment, specifically designed for Executive MBA programs around the world. The Council is based in the United States with offices in the United Kingdom, India, and Hong Kong. For information on assessments, study tools and services for candidates, visit www.mba.com. For information about The Council and our market intelligence, professional development opportunities and services for graduate management education, please visit www.gmac.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jennifer Garfinkel; Director of Media Relations, GMAC

+1 (703) 668-9805 or jgarfinkel@gmac.com
A series of six community forums to gather feedback about San Diegos next police chief begins Saturday and runs through Oct. 10.

City officials increased the number of forums from four to six after community leaders complained the process wouldnt include input from several neighborhoods with large minority populations.

The two new forums will be held in San Ysidro and City Heights. The city also moved a forum scheduled for Bankers Hill to Hillcrest, the hub of the citys gay community.

Advertisement

City officials are expected to reveal the format of the forums this week. For those who cant attend, an online survey will go live this week at sandiego.gov/police/about/next-police-chief.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced last month that the city will conduct a national search to replace Chief Shelley Zimmerman, who must retire in March after three years on the job because shes part of the citys deferred retirement option program.

The selection process will include the city hiring a national executive search firm, gathering information from the forums and survey, and then having a panel interview candidates in December and January.

Community leaders have complained that the city plans not to reveal the members of the interview panel until after a selection is made in January or February.

The City Council must approve the next chief, who will take over a department struggling with a chronic shortage of officers and experiencing tension between police and residents of diverse neighborhoods south of Interstate 8.

While a national search will be conducted, city officials say internal candidates will also be considered.

Zimmerman replaced Chief Bill Lansdowne, the only new chief San Diego has hired from outside the department in the last 50 years.

Lansdowne, who had been San Joses police chief, was hired after a national search in 2003. Every other time the San Diego police chief job has been open since the 1960s, the city has promoted from within the department.

The public forums scheduled to gather comment on the chief search will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation in Encanto; 6 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Mira Mesa Senior Center; 6 p.m. Sept. 28 at the San Diego LGBT Center in Hillcrest; 6 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Mid-City Gym in City Heights; 6 p.m. Oct. 5 at Standley Recreation Center in University City; and 6 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Col. Irving Salomon San Ysidro Community Activity Center.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
A man who made homophobic and racial slurs while he assaulted a gay couple at a grocery store in Hillcrest earlier this month has been sentenced to probation, the City Attorneys Office said Monday.

Teeno Hermoso Amparano previously pleaded guilty to hate crime and battery charges stemming from the attack on Sept. 9, the City Attorneys Office said.

The married couple was shopping at Whole Foods when Amparano punched and kicked the two men, threw rocks at them and struck one of them with a shopping cart, making homophobic and racist comments all the while, prosecutors said. Both victims were hurt in the assault.

Advertisement

Amparano was sentenced Sept. 13 to three years of probation and fined $655. He also was ordered to pay restitution to the couple, stay away from the Whole Foods on University Avenue, not go near the victims, complete an anger management course, and not possess a gun for 10 years, the City Attorneys Office said.

Violent crimes against members of San Diegos LBGT community tear the fabric of our city, City Attorney Mara Elliott said in a statement. We strongly encourage victims to come forward so we can prosecute these criminals and see that they are punished.

Breaking News

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
A 42-year-old woman using a walker and trying to cross a North Park street Monday night was hit by a car and suffered serious injuries, San Diego police said.

The pedestrian, who was wearing dark clothing, was crossing to the south side of University Avenue at Louisiana Street when a man driving a 2000 BMW Z3 hit her around 10:40 p.m., said San Diego police Officer John Buttle.

The woman was taken by ambulance to the hospital with serious injuries not believed to be life threatening, Buttle said.

Advertisement

The driver stopped after the crash and talked with police. Investigators said no drugs or alcohol were involved.

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
A second man has been charged with smuggling a tiger cub that was seized by authorities at the Otay Mesa border crossing last month, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Eriberto Paniagua, 21, is accused of conspiring with the other defendant to smuggle the tiger into the United States from Mexico, according to an indictment unsealed in San Diego federal court Monday.

He was released on a $25,000 personal surety bond, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Advertisement

Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry found the tiger between the feet of the front passenger in a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro about 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 23. The 18-year-old driver, Luis Eduardo Valencia, had told customs officers he had nothing to declare.

Valencia was arrested and later charged in the smuggling attempt.

Prosecutors allege Paniagua was the passenger and that he told customs officers that the Begnal tiger cub at his feet was just a cat. He and Valencia both live in Perris, about 17 miles south of Riverside.

Tigers are listed as endangered animals on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, an agreement between governments. If a species is listed on CITES, a permit is required to import the animal into the U.S.

At his arraignment Monday, Paniagua was ordered to appear at a hearing scheduled for Oct. 16, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Breaking News

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
Encinitas educator Yvonne Marie Andres was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame on Monday for her pioneering work in developing e-learning programs that have been used by students and teachers worldwide.

Andres was one of fourteen people selected this year for induction to the Hall of Fame, which was created in 2012 by the Internet Society.

The halls members include such luminaries as Vint Cerf, who is often called the Father of the Internet for co-designing its early protocols, and Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web.

Advertisement

Andres work dates to the mid-1980s, when she was teaching middle school in Oceanside. She developed a program in which students shared their writing, which proved to be very motivational, especially when material was distributed by computer.

We wanted to use technology to connect young writers with an audience, or with other students so that they could collaborate on projects, Andres told the Union-Tribune.

Her work gave rise in 1984 to the nonprofit Global SchoolNet, an enterprise that was followed in 1992 by creation of the Global Schoolhouse, which introduced students to everyone from explorers and scientists to community leaders and authors.

Andres also helped to pioneer a mode of communication that has become one of the hottest things on the internet  streaming. In 1995, when the World Wide Web was just taking off, she helped to produce the very first live streaming television-internet broadcast, which was done in conjunction with World News Now.

The Internet Society also noted that, In 2000 (Andres) was named one of the 25 most influential people worldwide in education technology and was invited by President George W. Bush to launch Friendship Through Education, an initiative of the U.S. State Department designed in the wake of 9/11 to foster relationships between American children and those from other countries and cultures through technology.

Andres also wrote many of the guides that educators used during the early days of the internet. She is currently involved in a variety of projects, from the Virtual Museum of Youth Culture to Global Forest Link.

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

Twitter: @grobbins

gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com
City and county officials are finally moving fast to contain a horrible Hepatitis A outbreak that has left hundreds of people ill and 16 dead since November, but each welcome step they take makes one thing increasingly clear: Much more could have been done much earlier to stop the spread of the virus.

The latest example is the sudden proliferation of secure portable restrooms in downtown San Diego.

That action follows weeks of bureaucratic bungling that delayed dozens of hand-washing stations from being installed in San Diego areas populated by homeless residents and drug users who are the most at-risk of catching and spreading Hepatitis A through fecal contamination and close contact.

Advertisement

Just as San Diego went from two out-of-the-way hand-washing stations to more than 40 citywide more than two weeks ago, officials this weekend placed four new portable restrooms near City Hall to leave downtown with 20 public restroom facilities, many open 24 hours a day, to improve sanitation. At least two or three more restroom areas will follow.

Yes, portable restrooms are magnets for crime. Yes, they must be cleaned often and thoroughly, sometimes after people spread feces all over their interiors. And yes, these new restroom areas will come equipped with armed security for which the city is paying to protect the units and their users.

But after vaccination, sanitation is the thing that can most help stop the spread of Hepatitis A, a disease that has no business ripping through the urban core of a major American city in the year 2017.

While a vaccine is part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule, most adults have neither been vaccinated nor exposed to this disease that infected just 2,500 people across the entire United States in 2014  the most recent year for which data is available. Outbreaks are increasingly rare since a vaccination was introduced in 1995 that led to a 95 percent decline in cases over the next 20 years.

In an interview, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconers chief of staff, Aimee Faucett, who has worked in and around City Hall for about two decades, said shes never seen a crisis like this. County health officials have vaccinated more than 21,000 people, and Faucett said all those who work or interact with the homeless should get a shot. She said the city could have absolutely done more to contain this outbreak but that its all hands on deck now. Faulconer has even asked an assistant chief operating officer to shed all responsibilities but managing this crisis.

How long will the city remain on alert and spend money without regard to cost? Faucett said she doesnt know because the mayors office doesnt believe the disease is contained at this time.

Thats an example of how seriously the city is taking this and a sign the city let it get out of control.

Another? City officials didnt heed a 2014-2015 San Diego County Grand Jury report that laid plain the ongoing need for downtown public restrooms. It outlined how officials for more than a decade have been advised of the need for more public restroom facilities in the downtown area. Yet just this month, a construction project led to the removal of one of the citys Portland Loos and it wasnt replaced, even with Hepatitis A in the headlines.

Of course, the focus now is rightly on stopping the spread of the disease. But this outbreak is most outrageous because it should have been contained.

Related:

Faulconer just drove home the seriousness of homelessness

How Faulconer handles homeless in 2017 a big question

Hepatitis A outbreak needs broad response

Hepatitis A scare: shame on city, county of San Diego

Faulconers tent homeless plan is half-baked, has too many questions

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion

UPDATES:

6:00 p.m.: This article was updated with new information from San Diego County.

This article was originally published at 7:15 p.m.
Marijuana growing could save farmland

Regarding Acceptance of pot smoking is senseless (Sept. 15): Much respect to all the moral high-ground opinions regarding Encinitas marijuana cultivation. However, its very obvious all the North County flower fields are being plowed under so greedy, shortsighted developers can build and flip crummy condos. Id like to see this stopped. And I believe most residents would agree.

Flower or vegetable farming just cant generate the money to keep Encinitas farms liquid. If marijuana cultivation can stop this turnover, or even slow it for a few years, then sign me up. Id like to ask these other letter writers to come up with another solution to slow the conversion of Encinitas, or maybe start to consider marijuana cultivation as a reasonable option. Id support both marijuana and hops farming here in North County. Its worth a try before only concrete and stucco are left.

Chris Comorat

Advertisement

Encinitas

The letter writer asks, why are we legalizing marijuana smoking in Encinitas?

He is referring to the actual smoke. Rest assured, tobacco and marijuana smoking will have similar rules. Nobody will be allowed to light up next to you at restaurants, beaches and other public places.

There is a long list of how ingesting (not everybody smokes it) marijuana can have positive health results. To name a very few: Marijuana reduces inflammation, protects the brain after stroke, relieves eye pressure in glaucoma patients, lessens side effects from chemotherapy, reduces epileptic seizures, helps with PTSD, anorexia, anxiety, autoimmune disorders, increases lung capacity (unlike tobacco that creates loss of lung capacity) and has helped people kick the opioid habit. No synthetic pill can do all this without major side effects.

There is no proof that marijuana alone has killed anyone. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Or not.

Cassie Box

Vista

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.
Whats being referred to as the  Graham - Cassidy  bill is the latest attempt by Republicans in Congress to pass health care legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act , widely known as Obamacare.

Republicans have on at least four occasions tried and failed to repeal Obamacare this year alone, setting somewhat low expectations for this effort led by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana. But theyre working hard to sell it.

If you believe repealing and replacing Obamacare is a good idea, this is your best and only chance to make it happen because everything else has failed, said Graham of his plan on Wednesday.

Graham and Cassidy are also joined by Sen. Dean Heller , R-Nevada, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin and former Republican Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. Heres what you need to know.

What is it?

The senators working to pass it are referring to it as Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson or GCHJ.

Their plan is to reorganize how the federal government manages health care by redirecting funds from Medicaid and other subsidies from the Affordable Care Act into block grants that states can use for more locally based health care programs.

Obamacare took power away from patients and states and gave it to the federal government, the senators wrote in a summary of the bill. This returns that power to where it belongs.

Two core pillars of Obamacare  the individual and employer mandates that require coverage for most Americans  would be eliminated, for example. But states could reinstate them or make their own versions of the mandates.

To see comparisons between the Graham-Cassidy bill and Obamacare, check out this great breakdown by The Washington Post.

Who is supporting the bill?

President Donald Trump , who has been critical of his colleagues past failed efforts, has recently voiced some support for Graham-Cassidy.

I applaud the Senate for continuing to work toward a solution to relieve the disastrous Obamacare burden on the American people, a statement from Trump said last week. As I have continued to say, inaction is not an option, and I sincerely hope that Senators Graham and Cassidy have found a way to address the Obamacare crisis.

Sen. John McCain , whose deciding vote killed Republicans last attempt to repeal Obamacare in July, has implied hed be willing to support the legislation. But he didnt like the rushed way previous legislation was pushed through the Senate  even lecturing his colleagues about it  so hes trying to stand by that now.

While I support the concept of the Graham-Cassidy proposal, I want to see the final legislation and understand its impact on the state of Arizona before taking a position, McCain said in a statement. As I have said all along, any effort to replace Obamacare must be done through the regular order of committee hearings, open debate and amendments from both sides of the aisle.

As of Monday, GOP leaders believe they have between 47 and 49 votes for Graham-Cassidy, reports CNN, but they need 50 votes plus a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence .

Republicans are also trying to get state governors on board for endorsements with mixed results. For example, Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is in favor while New Hampshires Republican Gov. Chris Sanunu is opposed.

What do critics say?

Critics worry that the plan could lead to loss of coverage for many Americans as well as raising out-of-pocket costs, among other concerns.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, has been known for strong opposition to health care bills he doesnt see as going far enough to repeal Obamacares mandates, and thats how he feels about Graham-Cassidy.

Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vermont, and top Democrats Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Rep. John Yarmuth of Kentucky have asked the Congressional Budget Office to score the plan to find out what it would cost, among other concerns.

Thus far, every version of Republicans effort to repeal and replace the ACA has meant higher heath costs, millions of hard-working Americans pushed off their coverage, and key protections gutted with devastating consequences for those with pre-exising conditions, they wrote.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says it can offer a preliminary assessment of the bill early next week, but wont be able to provide a full estimate for at least several weeks.

And just like theyve done in previous efforts to repeal Obamacare, Democrats in Congress have jumped at the chance to bash the plan on social media and encourage constituents to call their representatives.

What are the odds this could pass?

Graham and others are framing this as the last option for Republicans and as the antidote to single payer Medicare for all plan introduced by Sen. Sanders and some Democrats last week.

This is Bernie Sanders worst nightmare, Graham said on Saturday. "It's either this or we're going to Obamacare and Berniecare. Now, Berniecare is full-blown single-payer socialism. It is his dream and that's where Democrats are going."

Related: Medicare for All: What Bernie Sanders and 15 Democrats want

Senators have a Sept. 30 deadline to pass legislation with just 50 votes and a tie breaker from Pence, because of a legislative technique known as budget reconciliation. After that, they go back to needing 60 votes.

If GOP leaders in the Senate decide to take the legislation to a vote, its expected to happen in the last week of September.

Read the full text of the bill here.

Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @abbyhamblin
CALGARY, Alberta, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DeepMarkit Corp., (DeepMarkit or the Corporation) (TSX-V:MKT) (OTCQB:MKTDF) is very proud to report that it was selected as the winner of the New Company/Product pitch competition at the Retail Global 2017 Conference held in Las Vegas last week. DeepMarkit was selected as one of five new companies to present to the conference attendees.



Carter Chalmers, DeepMarkits Director of Sales and Marketing, pitched the Company to a crowd of hundreds and won the vote of both the audience and a panel of judges representing ecommerce experts.

We were extremely pleased with the recognition our company received and even more so with the reception our product received from the conference attendees, stated Carter. We were overwhelmed with the level of interest at our booth and we have a lot of follow-up to do now. We considered the show a huge success.

Retail Global was the Companys first public presentation of the DeepMarkit platform and our marketing plans include the Companys exhibition at several other trade shows in September, October and January.

About DeepMarkit

DeepMarkit is a gamification technology company inventing new ways to engage consumers and other audiences. The Companys proprietary promotions platform enables businesses and agencies to create branded games that incentivize customers, thus driving sales, capturing data and generating leads. DeepMarkit integrates next-gen gamification engagement mechanics with interactive advertising industry standards to offer marketers an advanced solution suitable for campaigns of all sizes, targeting multiple channels on the web, mobile and social media.

DeepMarkits suite of HTML5 games and gaming solutions are designed for social media, messaging apps, and other online community services. Instant games can be added to any online environment to encourage usage by providing a fun way to engage audiences with competitive or collaborative games. DeepMarkit offers numerous options to monetize through custom branded games, product placement, corporate sponsorships and prize and incentive awards.

DeepMarkits shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, trading under the symbol MKT and on the OTCQB trading under the symbol MKTDF. For additional information or to try out our games and see the power of the platform, please visit www.deepmarkit.com

For more information, please contact:

Director Sales and Marketing

Carter Chalmers

Tel: 587-883-9558

Email: carter.chalmers@deepmarkit.com

Director, Corporate Development

Ranjeet Sundher

Email: sundher@deepmarkit.com

Follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeepMarkitCorp

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeepMarkit

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DeepMarkit

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 news release.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

Statements in this press release may contain forward-looking information including, statements regarding the potential for any commercial relationships or the specific performance of the companys products. Any statements that are contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of DeepMarkit. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, failure to conclude binding agreements with re-sellers, failure to obtain market acceptance of the Companys products, inability to complete further development of the product or business, the failure to raise required additional capital, and general economic, market or business conditions. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and DeepMarkit does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by securities law.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anexinet Corporation, a leading provider of analytics, digital and cloud solutions, today announced the creation of a new Cloud Solutions Business Unit led by John Kolimago, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Cloud Solutions. Mr. Kolimago will lead all customer facing cloud activities including sales, pre-sales and service delivery, as Anexinet continues its focus on helping customers modernize their foundational data center infrastructure to prepare for digital transformation and leverage customer-centric analytics.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a9da8edd-b195-4506-859c-1af6b7ec12e0

Our customers are keenly aware of the data center modernization challenges and have been embracing our blueprint which has been honed over the last 15 years with best-in-class technologies and top architect-level talent, Brad Hokamp, CEO, Anexinet said. John has been through the infrastructure evolution cycles with our customers over the last two decades and has built critical client relationships in the Mid-Atlantic region and with leading technology partners. We are positioned very strongly under Johns leadership to help our customers make the transition to a modernized cloud Infrastructure that can support their next-generation applications.

Im looking forward to taking our customers to the next level with a laser focus on business outcomes, as they look to the future of digital transformation and customer-centric analytics, Mr. Kolimago said. An agile data center infrastructure is key to powering these applications and ultimately our customers growth and we have the technology and business pain point know-how, given our successful history with mid-market and enterprise-sized companies.

John joined Anexinet in 2001 and successfully rose through the ranks into sales leadership roles, building up more than 20 years of channels sales experience. Prior to Anexinet, he led sales teams at Actium and Idea Integration, focusing on infrastructure solutions. John serves on several leading technology councils, including Hewlett-Packards Enterprise Partner Advisory Council, helping shape HPEs Partner Programs and TechData/Avnets Enterprise Partner Council. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Drexel University.

About Anexinet

Anexinet (www.anexinet.com) specializes in digital business transformation. We empower our clients to grow their customer base and improve workforce efficiency by envisioning, developing, and operating next generation technology solutions. Our core expertise is in digital applications, analytics, and hybrid IT, enabling businesses to rapidly transform. Partner with Anexinet to support the full lifecycle of your next generation digital business.

For more information, contact:

Betsey Rogers

Public Relations

BridgeView Marketing

603-821-0809

betsey@bridgeviewmarketing.com




Clariant's Board of Directors reconfirms its decision that the planned merger is the best value creating option for all stakeholders and will, therefore, not deviate from the binding agreement

White Tale's open letter does not contain any additions to claims previously made; in particular no tangible alternative of superior value creation is presented

Since announcement the vast majority of Clariant's shareholders have expressed their support for the deal

Clariant will continue the constructive dialogue with all its shareholders

Muttenz, September 19, 2017 - Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, confirms that

its Board has received a letter from White Tale Holdings, the Cayman Island-based vehicle created by hedge funds Corvex and 40 North. According to the letter, White Tale has increased its stake in Clariant above 15 percent. In addition, White Tale has stated that it maintains its opposition to the merger of equals between Huntsman and Clariant.

Clariant does not agree with the statements made by White Tale in their open letter. To the contrary we are convinced that:

The proposed merger is a continuation of Clariant's strategy of becoming a world leader in specialty chemicals.

The merger creates one of the largest global specialty chemicals groups, with an attractive, balanced and resilient portfolio across diverse industry segments and geographies, benefitting from a strong growth outlook and substantial exposure to attractive markets. Through proactive and consistent portfolio management, Huntsman's portfolio has evolved and is evolving into a primarily specialty chemicals businesses and is, therefore, an excellent match for Clariant.



The terms of the proposed merger do not undervalue Clariant's shares.

The exchange ratio has been agreed on the basis of the respective share prices prevailing at the time of the announcement, reflecting the historic equity value proportion and is in line with a similarly strong track record of total shareholder return of both companies over the last years. In addition, the fairness, from a financial point of view, to Clariant, of the exchange ratio was confirmed with the assistance of Clariant's financial advisors.



The proposed merger offers substantial value creation to both sets of shareholders.

On top of the ambitious business plans of both companies over USD 3.5 billion of value will be created through cost synergies in excess of USD 400 million p.a. In addition to these cost synergies, tax synergies of USD 25 million and approximately USD 250 million additional organic revenues at approximately 20 percent EBITDA margin will be realized thanks to the complementary product portfolios. More so, significant further future potential will result from strengthening common R&D platforms and projects. This substantial value creation is unmatched by any other viable alternative.



Selling Plastics & Coatings today does not create value.

Whilst Clariant's Plastics & Coatings Business Area has been earmarked for portfolio management since 2015, selling Plastic & Coatings as Clariant today would be value destructive in view of its significant cash contribution and cost coverage. Post consummation of the merger, the new company HuntsmanClariant will clearly have and use the greater flexibility of the enlarged Group to keep adjusting its portfolio to maximize value for its shareholders and build a leading specialty chemicals company.



Clariant has a strong record in cost management.

Clariant has established a competitive cost structure in line with its peers despite significant R&D spend which forms the foundation for sustainable future growth. Any further cost cutting exercise will impair the company's ability to compete in the future. USD 300 million of stand-alone cost improvement as alleged by White Tale are neither sustainable nor in line with observed peer benchmarks.



In a merger of equals there is no ceding of operational control.

The new company will be jointly led by both management teams under Swiss Corporate Governance, domiciled and headquartered in Switzerland. Hariolf Kottmann will become Chairman, Peter Huntsman will become CEO and Patrick Jany will become CFO of the new company. They will work together to deliver on their joint strategic vision for the merged company.



The Board of Directors of Clariant after carefully and diligently considering various strategic options during the last years remains deeply convinced that this combination in the form agreed in May 2017 is a perfect transaction at the right time to create substantial immediate and long-term shareholder value. It will accelerate the companies' respective paths towards creating a global specialty chemicals leader.

Clariant and Huntsman will continue to progress in defining the new company and will release a further merger update in the coming weeks.

Disclaimer

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains certain statements that are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Clariant Ltd ("Clariant") and Huntsman Corporation ("Huntsman") have identified some of these forward-looking statements with words like "believe," "may," "could," "would," "might," "possible," "will," "should," "expect," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "estimate," "potential," "outlook" or "continue," the negative of these words, other terms of similar meaning or the use of future dates. Forward-looking statements in this communication include, without limitation, statements about the anticipated benefits of the contemplated transaction, including future financial and operating results and expected synergies and cost savings related to the contemplated transaction, the plans, objectives, expectations and intentions of Clariant, Huntsman or the combined company, the expected timing of the completion of the contemplated transaction. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of Clariant or Huntsman, as applicable, are qualified by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally, and actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of risks and uncertainties. Neither Clariant nor Huntsman, nor any of their respective directors, executive officers or advisors, provide any representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of the events expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements will actually occur. Risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ from expectations include: uncertainties as to the timing of the contemplated transaction; uncertainties as to the approval of Huntsman's stockholders and Clariant's shareholders required in connection with the contemplated transaction; the possibility that a competing proposal will be made; the possibility that the closing conditions to the contemplated transaction may not be satisfied or waived, including that a governmental entity may prohibit, delay or refuse to grant a necessary regulatory approval; the effects of disruption caused by the announcement of the contemplated transaction making it more difficult to maintain relationships with employees, customers, vendors and other business partners; the risk that stockholder litigation in connection with the contemplated transaction may affect the timing or occurrence of the contemplated transaction or result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; ability to refinance existing indebtedness of Clariant or Huntsman in connection with the contemplated transaction; other business effects, including the effects of industry, economic or political conditions outside of the control of the parties to the contemplated transaction; transaction costs; actual or contingent liabilities; disruptions to the financial or capital markets, including with respect to the financing activities related to the contemplated transaction; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in Huntsman's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the "Risk Factors" sections of Huntsman's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the six month period ended June 30, 2017. You can obtain copies of Huntsman's filings with the SEC for free at the SEC's website (www.sec.gov). Forward-looking statements included herein are made only as of the date hereof and neither Clariant nor Huntsman undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as expressly required by law. All forward-looking statements in this communication are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

Important Additional Information and Where to Find It

NO OFFER OR SOLICITATION

This communication is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities will be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act.

IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC

In connection with the contemplated transaction, Clariant intends to file a registration statement on Form F-4 with the SEC that will include the Proxy Statement/Prospectus of Huntsman. The Proxy Statement/Prospectus will also be sent or given to Huntsman stockholders and will contain important information about the contemplated transaction. INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CLARIANT, HUNTSMAN, THE CONTEMPLATED TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and shareholders will be able to obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by Clariant and Huntsman through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov.

PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION

Huntsman and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Huntsman investors and shareholders in connection with the contemplated transaction. Information about Huntsman's directors and executive officers is set forth in its proxy statement for its 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. These documents may be obtained for free at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Additional information regarding the interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the contemplated transactions will be included in the Proxy Statement/ Prospectus that Huntsman intends to file with the SEC.

Corporate Media Relations



Investor Relations



Jochen Dubiel



Phone +41 61 469 63 63

jochen.dubiel@clariant.com Anja Pomrehn



Phone +41 61 469 63 73

anja.pomrehn@clariant.com Claudia Kamensky



Phone +41 61 469 63 63

claudia.kamensky@clariant.com Maria Ivek



Phone +41 61 469 63 73

maria.ivek@clariant.com Thijs Bouwens



Phone +41 61 469 63 63

thijs.bouwens@clariant.com

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn.

www.clariant.com

Clariant is a globally leading specialty chemicals company, based in Muttenz near Basel/Switzerland. On 31 December 2016 the company employed a total workforce of 17 442. In the financial year 2016, Clariant recorded sales of CHF 5.847 billion for its continuing businesses. The company reports in four business areas: Care Chemicals, Catalysis, Natural Resources, and Plastics & Coatings. Clariant's corporate strategy is based on five pillars: focus on innovation through R&D, add value with sustainability, reposition portfolio, intensify growth, and increase profitability.
Weekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join

This cover idea came to Norman Rockwell when he paid a surprise visit to one of his favorite models, James Van Brunt.

The 80-year-old widower lived in a tiny but well-kept room in a run-down boarding house. Rockwell arrived to find the old man seated in a wicker chair, listening to an old gramophone and looking down at a few kernels of popping corn in his palm with a sad, dreaming expression.

Subscribe and get unlimited access to our online magazine archive. Subscribe Today

Van Brunt welcomed him and extended his open palm. You see this popping corn? Its from a bag I bought my wife, Annabella, at the Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. When I look at it, I remember our trip and the Exposition and her.

In this illustration, Rockwell recaptures that mood of bittersweet reminiscence by portraying Brunt as a cowboy tearfully listening to old records. He holds a recording of Dreams of Long Ago, a song written by Enrico Caruso. Its lyrics include the lines, Summers gone and life grows cold / Still in dreams youre mine

of old.

This article is featured in the September/October 2017 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.
Denver, CO, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

DENVER, Colo. (September 19, 2017)  Ann Anderson is grateful for her life. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 68, she admits, I was very lucky that I was in really good physical shape when all this happened.

The Denver mother of three didnt know the symptoms and risk factors of ovarian cancer, but she did realize she was experiencing a need to urinate frequently. Her sister, a nurse, also noticed and mentioned it while they were together on a trip. Already overdue for a checkup, Anderson went to her gynecologist after feeling a lump on one side of her abdomen.

The results of Anderson's CA 125 blood test, used to determine levels of a tumor marker that may be elevated in cases of ovarian cancer, confirmed that Anderson was one of the 20,000 Americans diagnosed annually with the deadliest gynecologic cancer and the fifth most common cancer in females in the United States. Her surgery the following day included a hysterectomy and removal of the growth. After 10 days in the hospital and a month of recovery, Anderson began a year-long chemotherapy regimen.

Through genetic testing, Anderson learned that she carries the BRCA2 gene, which increases the risk of female breast and ovarian cancers greatly. Her sister does not carry the gene. Similarly, one of her daughters inherited the BRCA2 gene and the other didnt.

Referring to her daughter who tested BRCA2 positive, Anderson said, She has been given a gift of knowledge.  She believes this will enable her child to take action to reduce the likelihood of someday being diagnosed with ovarian, breast or other cancers. Her daughter will also be more likely to consider genetic testing sometime in the future for Andersons young granddaughter. Preventative measures or early diagnosis are powerful weapons against cancer. Anderson said.

A new study from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health reports that among the nearly 4 million American women who have had ovarian or breast cancer, at least 1.5 million have a high risk of carrying genetic mutations that could increase their probability for additional cancers in the future. However, even though simple tests can identify these mutations and enable women to be better informed when making decisions about surgery, cancer therapy and steps to reduce the risk of future cancers, fewer than 20 percent have undergone the procedure, or even discussed it with their doctor.

During her treatment at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center, Anderson learned about the Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance (COCA). The mission of the Denver-based nonprofit (http://www.colo-ovariancancer.org/) is to promote awareness and early detection of ovarian cancer through advocacy and education, while providing support to people affected by ovarian cancer. Since then, Anderson has volunteered at health fairs and never leaves home without some of the symptom cards, which look like business cards but are used to educate women about the symptoms of ovarian cancer. These small but important aids highlight the diseases risk factors and symptoms, which include pelvic or abdominal pain, suddenly-occurring or persistent bloating, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary urgency or frequency.

Patrice Hauptman, COCA's executive director, applauds Anderson's efforts saying, "Ann is a talking billboard, helping us to spread awareness about ovarian cancer awareness and its symptoms." Hauptman continues, "September is observed nationally as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Since there is no screening test, we rely on community members like Ann to educate others about the signs because early detection is critical to saving lives."

After surviving for nearly two and a half years, Anderson is optimistic that knowledge about ovarian cancer is coming to the forefront. For those who are diagnosed with and treated for ovarian cancer, Anderson advises, Dont be hard on yourself and dont dwell on the past. Reconcile yourself to the fact that you are lucky. Be grateful and happy with what you can do today.

# # #



ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER: Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in females in the United States and the deadliest gynecologic cancer. An annual gynecological exam does not check for this cancer and there is no specific screening test for ovarian cancer so recognizing the symptoms, leading to early detection, is critical to saving lives. The most common symptoms of ovarian cancer are bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary urgency or frequency. To learn more about COCA and its programs, visit www.colo-ovariancancer.org or call 303-506-7014.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a3373a3f-f34d-4bb0-a3eb-4d5ae67d04ca

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/86c330b6-78f5-472d-a7c7-f2386ac86404
Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/20/2017 -- OSUGPACalculator.com is pleased to launch a GPA calculator exclusively for the students and professors of the Ohio State University (OSU). There is no need to introduce GPA or the Grade Point Average. This is a score that tells the students on how well they have scored in all the courses on an average. The score will be used to assess whether the students have met the standards or expectations set by a particular university or a degree programme.



This tool, the GPA Calculator for Ohio State University has been designed by students for the students of OSU. The tool comes in very handy for students who wish to keep track of their progress from time to time and improve in areas where they really can. At the same time professors can also use this tool to track the performance of the students, guide them and assist them in areas of development. The Ohio State GPA Calculator avoids any confusion amongst the students when it comes to calculating their GPA score. They can make amendments right on time and pursue their dreams by getting into their most preferred universities.



To know more about the GPA Calculator for Ohio State University visit https://osugpacalculator.org/.



About https://osugpacalculator.org/

OSU GPA Calculator, https://osugpacalculator.org/ is a site that allows students to check their GPA and professors to check GPA of any student in their university.



Contact:

Louis G. Bean  Macarthur

Address: 3652 Gordon Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Phone: 909-497-3308

Email: getakash1@gmail.com

Website: https://osugpacalculator.org/
Portland, OR -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/19/2017 -- Sodium methoxide is a product of an exothermic reaction between elemental sodium and methanol. It is a white-to-pale yellow colored, odorless powder, which is flammable, but not explosive, and is decomposed upon exposure to extreme heat. Generally, sodium methoxide is sold as a 2530% solution in methanol for various applications, such as production of vitamin A1, B1, trimethoprim, sulfadiazine, analytical agents, and others.



Access to the full summary: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/sodium-methoxide-market



Moreover, it is widely used as a catalyst in biodiesel production. Sodium methoxide is extremely reactive to oxygen. Hence, it is kept away from moisture, water, or air at high temperatures (above 126C) to avoid being decomposed to sodium hydroxide and methanol.



The global sodium methoxide market has witnessed significant growth over the past few years. The market is expected to witness significant growth in the near future, owing to surge in its demand for use in various applications, especially in pharmaceutical and agro-based industries, and organic synthesis of various products.



In addition, growing demand for sodium methylate as a catalyst in applications, such as edible oil processing, grease, and synthetic detergents is further supplement the market growth. Moreover, market is expected to be driven by the steady growth in biodiesel production for being used as a catalyst. However, high cost of raw materials is expected to hamper the market growth.



Key Market Players



- BASF SE

- Evonik Industries

- E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

- Anhui Jinbang Medicine Chemical Co. Ltd.

- Zibo Xusheng Chemical Co. Ltd.

- Dezhou Longteng Chemical Co. Ltd.

- Inner Mongolia Lantai Industrial Co. Ltd.

- Supra Group of Companies

- Desatec

- Senxuan



Get sample PDF: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-toc-and-sample/4277



Sodium Methoxide Market Key Segments:



By Type



- Solid

- Liquid/Solution



By Application



- Pharmaceuticals

- Agrochemicals

- Plastics & Polymers

- Personal Care

- Analytical Reagent

- Biodiesel

- Others



By Geography



North America



- U.S.

- Canada

- Mexico



Europe



- Germany

- France

- UK

- Italy

- Russia

- Rest of Europe



Asia-Pacific



- China

- India

- Japan

- South Korea

- Rest of Asia-Pacific



LAMEA



- Brazil

- Argentina

- South Africa

- Rest of LAMEA
A research team led by Boston University scientists has identified a new type of lung cell that is implicated in the bodys immune defense against pneumonia-causing bacteria.

There are two classifications of cells in the human body: germ cells that are used to make sperm and eggs and somatic cells that make up every other cell in the body including lung cells.

There are widespread differences between germ cells and somatic cells underscoring their markedly different roles in human biology.

It was previously thought that a gene called MIWI2 (also known as the Piwi like RNA-mediated gene silencing 4, or PIWIL4) was only expressed in male germ cells as part of a family of genes that ensure the proper development of sperm.

However, Dr. Matthew Jones, an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, and his co-authors from the United Kingdom and the United States have discovered that not only is the same gene expressed in somatic cells in the body, but also marks a distinct population of multi-ciliated cells that line the upper airways of the lung.

These ciliated cells have hair-like projections that function to sweep mucous and other foreign material out of the lung, Dr. Jones explained.

However, what sets this new population of ciliated cells apart is that they express the MIWI2 protein and in this report, were found to have a specialized role in controlling lung infection.

Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the findings may lead to new, non-traditional approaches in the fight against pneumonia and chronic lung diseases.

The new cell type and pattern of gene expression may also lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms behind diseases like COPD and asthma, the researchers said.

We are hopeful next steps will lead to new ways of investigating how the body reacts to infectious bacteria in the lung.

_____

Gregory A. Wasserman et al. Expression of Piwi protein MIWI2 defines a distinct population of multiciliated cells. J Clin Invest, published online September 18, 2017; doi: 10.1172/JCI94639
An international team of researchers led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has analyzed genome-wide data of 381 individuals from 85 language groups in Papua New Guinea and found that different groups within the country are genetically highly different from each other. The research is published in the journal Science.

The island of New Guinea contains some of the earliest archaeological evidence for modern humans outside of Africa, dating back to 50,000 years ago.

About 10,000 years ago, systematic plant cultivation was developed in its central mountain range, coinciding with similar, independent developments in the Near East, East Asia, and the Americas.

Today, the country of Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the island and northern Island Melanesia and is the most linguistically diverse country in the world, with approximately 850 domestic languages spoken (account for over 10% of the worlds total).

To discover if the linguistic and cultural diversity was echoed in the genetic structure of the population, Sanger Institute researcher Anders Bergstrom and co-authors studied the genomes of 381 Papuan New Guinean people from 85 different language groups within the country.

The scientists looked at more than a million genetic positions in the genome of each individual, and compared them to investigate genetic similarities and differences.

They found that groups of people speaking different languages were surprisingly genetically distinct from each other.

Using genetics, we were able to see that people on the island of New Guinea evolved independently from rest of the world for much of the last 50,000 years, said senior author Dr. Chris Tyler-Smith, also from the Sanger Institute.

This is the first large-scale study of genetic diversity and population history in Papua New Guinea, Dr. Bergstrom added.

Our study revealed that the genetic differences between groups of people there are generally very strong, often much stronger even than between major populations within all of Europe or all of East Asia.

We found a striking difference between the groups of people who live in the mountainous highlands and those in the lowlands, with genetic separation dating back 10,000-20,000 years between the two, said co-author Professor Stephen J. Oppenheimer, from the University of Oxford.

This makes sense culturally, as the highland groups historically have kept to themselves, but such a strong genetic barrier between otherwise geographically close groups is still very unusual and fascinating.

Human evolution in Europe and Asia has been greatly influenced by the development of agriculture around 10,000 years ago.

When small bands of hunter-gatherers settled into villages and started farming, they expanded and over time gave rise to more genetically homogenous societies.

However, despite the independent development of agriculture in Papua New Guinea at about the same time, the same process of homogenization did not occur here.

This may indicate that other historical processes in Europe and Asia, such as the later Bronze and Iron Ages, were the key events that shaped the current genetic structure of those populations.

This study allows us to glimpse a different version of human evolution from that in Europe and Asia, one in which there was agriculture but no later Bronze Age or Iron Age, Dr. Tyler-Smith said.

Papua New Guinea might show the genetic, cultural and linguistic diversity that many settled human societies would have had before these technological transformations.

_____

Anders Bergstrom et al. 2017. A Neolithic expansion, but strong genetic structure, in the independent history of New Guinea. Science 357 (6356): 1160-1163; doi: 10.1126/science.aan3842
A conservative commentator has filed a lawsuit accusing Fox News of orchestrating a campaign to destroy her reputation after she reported she was sexually assaulted and raped by a Fox News anchor. Among the claims: An outside lawyer hired by Fox News suggested a settlement, versus a formal investigation, while a network spokesperson leaked her name to the National Enquirer as someone who had a consensual affair with the Fox News personality.

"In July of 2013, I was raped by Charles Payne," Scottie Nell Hughes, a once frequent guest on Fox Business News, told the NY Times. "In July of 2017, I was raped again by Fox News. Since then, I have been living an absolute hell."

This past July, it was reported that Hughes had accused Payne, a Fox Business News host, of sexual harassment. Payne issued a statement to the National Enquirer, "I would like to extend an apology to my family and friends for having been involved in a romantic affair that ended two years ago."

"In July 2013, while they were both in New York City to appear on a Fox program, Payne pressured his way into Ms. Hughes's hotel room for a 'private discussion,'" Hughes's lawsuit alleges. "Tragically, Payne sexually assaulted and raped Ms. Hughes. Despite her clear refusal of his advances and telling him 'no' and to 'stop,' Payne forced her to engage in sexual intercourse against her will. Too shocked and ashamed to speak out, Ms. Hughes told no one about what happened."

Hughes also accuses Payne of subsequetly forcing her into a "sexual relationship," making "clear that her increase in appearances and other employment benefits would have been withdrawn had Ms. Hughes refused his sexual advances. On those occasions that Ms. Hughes did attempt to terminate the relationship, Payne became enraged and physically violent." The NY Times notes that a "contributor contract... can pay several hundred thousand dollars a year."

After she ended the relationship in 2015, the lawsuit says Hughes "went from appearing on Fox programs four or five times a week to only appearing five times in total over a ten-month period. Eventually, she learned that Fox had blacklisted her" when she tried to book appearances on other networks.

In the summer of 2016, an avalanche of accusations of sexual harassment and company coverup at Fox News emerged, and the parent company, 21st Century Fox, said they were seriously investigating all allegations and urged women to step forward. From the lawsuit:

In late June 2017, Ms. Hughes, confidentially, contacted lawyers at Paul Weiss, the outside firm hired by Fox to conduct internal investigations following the barrage of sexual harassment allegations, to disclose the details about the sexual assault and rape, and other relevant facts of her unlawful treatment. The lead independent lawyer suggested that it would be best to reach a business solution rather than conduct a formal investigation. The Paul Weiss lawyer explained that a formal investigation simply would open a can of worms. Just days later, Fox made clear that a business solution was not feasible. Simultaneously, the wheels of the Fox public relations (PR) machine launched into high gear. Suddenly, Ms. Hughess manager received a call from a reporter at the National Enquirer seeking comment on a breaking story about Ms. Hughes and Payne. Fox, through its notorious spokesperson, Irena Briganti, leaked Ms. Hughess name to the National Enquirer, knowing that Ms. Hughes was a victim of a violent sexual assault.

Briganti, the spokesperson, has been known for spinning stories aggressively to reporters.

Payne had been suspended when the allegations surfaced this past summer, but he's since returned to work.

A Fox News spokesperson said, "The latest publicity stunt of a lawsuit filed by Doug Wigdor has absolutely no merit and is downright shameful. We will vigorously defend this... Its worth noting that Doug is Ms. Hughes third representative in the last six months to raise some variation of these claims which concern events from four years ago, since it apparently took some time to find someone willing to file this bogus case."

Wigdor's firm is representing a number of people in their lawsuits against Fox News. Wigdor said, "Fox cannot spin its way out of this crisisespecially when only Fox is to blame for what happened. Regardless of the fact that the sexual assault and rape, as alleged, happened in 2013, the events exposing Foxs liability exposure (as opposed to Payne) occurred less than 2 months ago when Fox Executives at the highest levels leaked Ms. Hughess name to a tabloid. The 'representatives' that Fox refers to in its statement include her agent and a lawyer not admitted in NY, so the suggestion that Ms. Hughes was shopping for a lawyer is yet another desperate attempt at avoiding the real issues and blaming the victim. Sadly, nothing has changed at Fox."

"My complaint speaks for itself," Hughes said in a statement. "What is most important to me is that justice will prevent other women from going through the nightmare Im now living. On my behalf, Wigdor LLP will expose Foxs unconscionable conduct, including leaking my name to the media. I am grateful to my husband, family, friends and colleagues for the outpouring of love and support."
We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today
Protesters, including City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and New York Congressman Adriano Espaillat, were arrested outside of Trump Tower in Midtown on Tuesday. While President Donald Trump participated in United Nations events nearby, protesters called on the president to work with Congress on a version of the DREAM Act that would include immigrant protections and a path to citizenship, and exclude additional border security funding.

Trump recently announced that the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program, which defers deportation for non-citizens who arrive in the US as children, will end. He has tasked the Republican-led Congress to pass replacement immigration regulations by March 2018.

At least five people were arrested shortly before 1 p.m. on Tuesday after sitting down in the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. NYPD officers on the scene quickly announced that those unwilling to leave the street would face arrest. The arrests were made within minutes.



(Scott Heins / Gothamist)

The NYPD did not immediately provide arrest details. An estimated 70 police officers outnumbered protesters at the intersection.

"The Speaker was proud to take part in a national action with Congressional Members from across the country to stand up to President Trump and defend the hundreds of thousands of DREAMERS who help make our country great," said Robin Levine, a spokeswoman for Mark-Viverito.

Chicago Congressman Luis Gutierrez was also arrested, according to organizers with Make The Road New York, as well as Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona.

Reporting by Scott Heins.
A 16-year-old boy was hanging out near the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan early Saturday morning when police say he was approached by an unknown man who asked him for a beer. The teen declined the request, and so the man stabbed him in the stomach, then ran away.

The incident occurred around 1:25 a.m. on Saturday, September 16th at Whitehall Street and South Street. The young man was taken to Bellevue in stable condition.

Investigators have released security camera video and a photo of the suspect, who they describe as male, in his 30s, with dark complexion. Police say he is approximately 5'7" tall, approximately 210 lbs., bald, and was last seen wearing a long black t-shirt, light blue jeans, and white sneakers. He also has a large scar on his neck, according to the NYPD.

In June, a man was stabbed in the arm inside the Staten Island ferry terminal. In February 2016, a tourist who refused to buy Statue of Liberty tickets suffered a fractured skull after being assaulted by an alleged ticket seller near the ferry terminal. In August of that year, a man was found stabbed to death behind the ferry terminal. In December 2016, a man was arrested for trying to stab a Staten Island ferry rider during a dispute over a power outlet.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
The news of this FEMA charter comes just as the US Virgin Islands face Hurricane Maria, a 'potentially catastrophic' Category 5 storm. Maria closely follows on the heels of Hurricane Irma, which caused extensive damage in the US Virgin Islands.

Grand Celebration has 750 cabins and capacity for up to 1,900 passengers.

The ship's humanitarian mission is expected to start with arrival in St. Thomas on Sept. 23 and last through the latter half of December.

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line expects to resume normal operationstwo-night cruises between the Port of Palm Beach, Florida, and Freeport, Grand Bahama Islandbeginning Dec. 23.

'We will be reaching out to all of our guests and travel partners this week,' CEO Oneil Khosa said. 'We feel badly about this 90-day disruption but believe the extensive needs of the St. Thomas people to be of greater importance at this time.'

Individuals who booked directly with the line for cruises through Dec. 21 can contact Bahamas Paradises customer service department at 800-374-4363 to review available options. These include a full refund or rescheduling with a $100 on-board credit per cabin. Other booked passengers should contact their travel providers.

The line has previously stepped up for hurricane relief. When the Port of Palm Beach reopened after Irma, Bahamas Celebration provided housing to the public for several nights and served free hot meals to first responders.
Early Monday the ship arrived at the North Sea port of Eemshaven, Netherlands, to undergo initial testing and will continue to Bremerhaven, Germany, for additional sea trials.

The 18-deck, 151,300gt ship has 3,360 lower berths and is the sister of 2016's Genting Dream.

World Dream's delivery is scheduled for Oct. 26. Then the ship will begin its transit to Asia via Gibraltar, through the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal, across the Indian Ocean with calls at Sri Lanka and Singapore, to arrive at Hong Kong on Nov. 17 and Guangzhou, China, Nov. 19.

'World Dreams dual homeports in Guangzhou/Nansha and Hong Kong underline our ongoing commitment to continue to support the Pearl River Delta as a major cruise hub in the Asia Pacific [region],' said Kent Zhu, president of Genting Cruise Lines, the parent of Dream Cruises.

'We are extremely excited to welcome World Dream in Guangzhou and Hong Kong this November and to introduce our guests to our much anticipated second ship,' added Thatcher Brown, president of Dream Cruises. 'We will continue to build on the strengths of her sister ship Genting Dream to deliver exceptional service and experiences that are Asian at heart and international in spirit,' he said.

'We are grateful for the support of our travel partners and loyal guests who are already booked for the inaugural season.'
OBOR is already seeing major infrastructure investments in across Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia.

Its a positive story for the markets, Nigel Anton, global head shipping finance for Standard Chartered Bank said at the Marine Money Asia conference in Singapore on Tuesday.

Fellow banker, Christos Tsakonas, ceo of DNB Asia, noted that OBOR investments were real with some $20bn invested last year by Chinese port infrastructure. He saw OBOR as very positive for shipping, especially dry bulk, with a it mapping out a 50-year infrastructure programme. While there is the talked about threat from pipeline infrastructure for oil and gas shipping this was only seen as a medium to long-term impact.

Lawyer Rosita Lau, a partner with Ince & Co , believes that OBOR is an extension of what had already been happening for a quite some time with Chinese investments. She also believed that bulk shipping would grow as a result of the policy. Lau noted movements such as cement cargoes from China to Sri Lanka and other ports around the world, as well as Chinas second largest steel trading exporting cargoes.

Academic Stavros Tsolais, professor of maritime economics and ship finance at Singapore Management University, saw both good and bad sides to OBOR.

On the one hand its excellent for shipping because it creates a lot of demand, he said.

However, on the other hand he warned of giant projects in the middle of the desert that will not make any money, drawing a parallel with Chinas ghost cities, where entire new towns and cities remain unoccupied.
Local reports said a unit of Manila Electric Co (Meralco) is planning to extend its proposed freight train project from Manila to Batangas.

The PPP project was originally supposed to run till Laguna, where International Container Terminal Services Inc's (ICTSI) Laguna Gateway Inland Container Terminal is located in Calamba.

Meralco unit MRails proposed freight train project is now expected to be extended to Batangas Port, where Asian Terminals Inc (ATI) operates the Batangas Container Terminal, a major trading hub in Southern Luzon which handles over 300,000 teu annually.

MRail has signed a memorandum of understanding with the local government of Batangas for the conduct of a feasibility study for the extension which will look at the alignment of tracks and the viability of the right-of-way of Philippine National Railways (PNR).

If it comes to fruition, the project will connect all major ports in Luzon and allow seamless movement of containerized cargoes by rail, while improving traffic flow, by cutting between 300 to 600 trips per day.

The proposed MRail freight project in partnership with government and private sector partners, offers the potential of helping spur economic growth in the province and providing more jobs to the people of Batangas, said Oscar Reyes, Meralco president and ceo and MRail chairman.
At a Paris symposium last week, company executives revealed the wide scope of the companys shipping digitalisation strategy. All of its manufactured components are of course already digitised, but Caterpillar has now unveiled a programme to retrofit and digitise existing mechanical marine equipment. This is likely to appeal to many of its customers in shipping as they seek to implement more efficient condition-based maintenance systems.

With more than 500,000 connected assets, Caterpillar claims to have more connectivity than any other engineering company. The $38.5bn corporate, with a 175-strong dealer network, already operates the single largest autonomous truck fleet which, it says, is more technologically challenging than autonomous cars.

Now its expertise in other industrial sectors is available for marine clients and over the next three years, will include the adoption of virtual and augmented realities and digital twins, enabling a whole new approach to maintenance management.

Following the symposium, Terri Lewis, the companys energy & transportation director of digital and technology, told journalists that shippings digitalisation is proceeding more quickly than anyone expected. Digital technologies are becoming commercially viable for our industries, and there is growing acceptance by users, she said.

Its not a question of why or when, but more about here and now. Any businesses that do not adopt quickly will not be competitive for very long.

Emphasising this point, her colleague Leslie Bell-Friedel, Global Business Manager for Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence, pointed out that there are different ways to approach technology adoption which have a direct impact on a customers return on investment. Marine companies, like those that have come before them on the digital journey, are on the one hand failing to capitalise on the true benefit of data and analytics, and on the other hand are experiencing higher than expected costs of implementing technology.

From the companys Hamburg base, Caterpillar Marine manages all the marketing and service activities for the Cat and MaK brands of marine diesels, dual fuel, and gas power propulsion systems, and generating sets. Earlier this year, the company commissioned a new LNG test bed in Kiel and has been contracted by Carnival Group to supply MaK dual-fuel engines for the first four gas-powered cruise ships for the two brands AIDA and Costa.
As part of the partnership and at the request of CMA CGM, Infosys will open a centre for development and innovation in Marseilles. Infosys will also take over the CMA CGM IT development centre in Dubai, allowing it to strengthen its presence in the Middle East.

Innovation and digitalization are at the heart of our strategy. Our ambition is to create a competitive advantage by offering our customers state-of-the-art technologies. By setting up their center for innovation in Marseille, CMA CGM, as well as the region, will benefit from both their expertise and their proximity, said Rodolphe Saade, ceo of CMA CGM.

Infosys will provide the container line with the skills needed to maintain its applications and develop its SAP projects, as well as with value-added technologies to improve its IT agility and responsiveness.

CMA CGM will use Infosys Nias artificial intelligence platform and its scalable automation platform, AssistEdge, to modernise its customer service, improve the execution processes and enhance internal performance.

Rajesh Krishnamurthy, president & head of Europe, Infosys, said: Simplifying the technology footprint and leveraging next-generation technologies is the need of the hour for the hyper-competitive shipping and logistics industry.
Press Release

September 19, 2017 ASEAN human rights delegates barred from visiting De Lima The ASEAN Parliament for Human Rights (APHR) delegates today were barred from visiting Senator Leila M. de Lima in her detention center in Camp Crame despite having complied with a 10-day visiting notice. APHR's Tian Chua and Charles Santiago, who came to the Philippines from Malaysia specifically to meet with De Lima, expressed disappointment over being denied the chance to speak with the Senator. "Seeking an appointment with a fellow legislator who has now been incarcerated and is in detention is something that we want to do, and not allowing us to visit her actually further affirms our beliefs that she is unjustifiably detained, otherwise the government doesn't have to worry about this," Santiago, a member of the Malaysian Parliament, said in an interview. "I and my colleagues are very disappointed that our entry was not granted despite us giving an ample notice before the visit," Chua, also a member of Malaysian Parliament, added. Chua and Santiago, along with fellow APHR members, Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat Jr. and AKBAYAN Rep. Tom Villarin, waited outside the custodial center for an hour hoping that a decision to grant their entry would be issued. While the parliamentarians have submitted their request as early as Sept. 6, which is compliant with the 10-day visiting notice, police officers maintained the request has not yet been granted. The authorities however failed to give an exact reason for the delay of issuing the permit. Chua said the decision to prohibit him and his colleagues from visiting De Lima only shows that the administration is bent on prohibiting international organizations to show their support to the Senator. "We believe that if the authorities have nothing to hide, and if the authorities are doing things according to the principle of transparency, then we should not be denied from interacting and paying our visit to show our regards to her," Chua said. On the purpose of visiting De Lima, Chua said: "our intention was to come here to express our solidarity with her, and as a fellow legislator in another ASEAN country, we believe that she's innocent and her persecution is part of the intimidation campaign against her, which violates her rights as a legislator." Chua added: "we find her detention unjustifiable given she's a representative doing her work. She is now in jail and for standing up against [the policies] of President Duterte, so therefore, we are here to express our solidarity with her." Chua and Santiago also affirmed their position to call for the immediate release of De Lima, saying that the Senator should be given her freedom "without any conditions attached to it." This is not the first time that an international visitor was barred from visiting the Senator. Last July, Liberal International (LI) president Juli Minoves was also prevented from seeing De Lima due to an "administrative excuse." De Lima, a "prisoner of conscience," is in detention for trumped-up drug charges fabricated by the Duterte administration but she continues to fulfill her Senate duties by filing bills and resolutions. Several international organizations, including APHR, have vouched for her innocence and called for her immediate release.
Press Release

September 19, 2017 HONTIVEROS: BARANGAY, SK POLLS POSTPONEMENT AND APPOINTMENT OF OICS MAKE DUTERTE "KING" Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday opposed a proposed Senate bill providing for the postponement of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections. She also expressed her opposition to the plan to grant President Rodrigo Duterte power to appoint barangay officials, and the inclusion of the names of the barangay officials in the drug list as sufficient basis for the appointment of officers in charge (OICs). "This is putting too much power in the hands of the President. Postponing yet again and without sufficient basis the people's democratic process of choosing our barangay leaders and substituting it with the executive power to appoint barangay officials is tantamount to making President Duterte king," Hontiveros said. "In such a scenario, the barangay system, which we take pride in as a form of direct democracy, becomes an enclave of an authoritarian leader, and its officials, his loyal subjects accountable only to him," Hontiveros added. Senators Richard Gordon and Vicente "Tito" Sotto filed Senate Bill No. 1584 calling for the postponement of barangay election to the fourth Monday of October 2018. The billed said that the armed conflict in Marawi City, the extension of the proclamation of Martial Law in Mindanao, and the prevalence of illegal drugs merited the postponement of the local polls. The bill is also pushing for certain controversial provisions such as granting the President the power, through the Executive Secretary to appoint barangay officials; and inclusion of the names of incumbent barangay officials in the President's drug list as sufficient cause for the appointment of barangay officers-in-charge. Hontiveros argued that there is no need to grant the President appointing authority in case of vacancy in the barangay. She explained that the Local Government Code provides for succession in case of vacancy, and provides for grounds for suspension and removal of erring barangay officials and available mechanisms/remedies to ensure due process. The Senator also said that there is no need for the President to have additional disciplinary power over incumbent barangay officials included in the confirmed and validated drug list. "If there are substantial evidence against certain barangay officials, proper charges can be filed based on Republic Act No. 9165 and the proper court can cause the suspension/removal of the said official. And if found guilty of violating the said law, the barangay officials can be permanently disqualified by the court from holding public office," Hontiveros said.
Opposition senators on Solitario: Why appoint a drug lord to negotiate with Maute?

Opposition senators want to know: Why is the government appointing a drug lord to negotiate with the Maute Group, which is behind the months-long Marawi siege?

"Akala ko ba galit ang administrasyon sa iligal na droga pero bakit nila hinahayaan ang isang drug lord para makipagnegosasyon sa Maute group?" said Partido Liberal president, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, referring to former Marawi City mayor Omar Solitario Ali.

Last June 23, or a month into the Marawi siege, the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PNP-DEG) in Mindanao recovered two kilograms of shabu worth about P10 million and other drug paraphernalia at Solitario Ali's house in Barangay Bangon, Marawi.

Solitario is included in Duterte's list of narco-politicians. He is also accused of being a financier of the Maute group.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is also the concurrent martial law administrator, said he ordered the removal of Solitario Ali from the list of persons ordered arrested under martial law for alleged rebellion as recommended by Peace Adviser Secretary Jess Dureza.

"Kung prayoridad ng administrasyon ang gera kontra droga, dapat managot ang lahat ng may kinalaman sa drug trade, pati ang mga kaalyado ng Presidente," Sen. Bam Aquino added.

Aquino insisted that the government should be transparent in its dealings with Solitario Ali so he will not escape liability in connection with his illegal drugs case.

"We are willing to accept any help that the government can get to end the Marawi siege once and for all. However, this should not be used as reason to exonerate Solitario of the rebellion and drug charges filed against him," said Senate Minority Leader Sen. Frank Drilon.

Furthermore, he said cases filed against Solitario should be pursued to prove that the government is serious in prosecuting those involved in illegal drugs.

For Reference:

23 June 2017

Police recover P10-M shabu from ex-Marawi mayor's house http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2017/06/23/police-recover-p10-m-shabu-ex-marawi-mayors-house-549087

10 September 2017

Duterte confirms ex-Marawi mayor on narco-list negotiating with Maute http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/625250/duterte-confirms-ex-marawi-mayor-on-narco-list-negotiating-with-maute/story/
Press Release

September 19, 2017 POE TO TV NETWORKS: COMPLY WITH CLOSED CAPTION LAW Sen. Grace Poe today urged television networks to comply with the recently passed law that obliges TV stations to use subtitles for the benefit of the deaf and hard of hearing and provide them access to important programs. Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public information and mass media and primary author of Republic Act (RA) No. 10905 or the Closed Caption Law, said the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) should adopt a firm policy in implementing the law. "If they [networks] don't comply within a reasonable period, we will start fining them," said Poe during the MTRCB budget hearing in the Senate. Poe was former chair of the MTRCB. RA 10905 lapsed into law in July last year. Its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) were promulgated by the MTRCB on Dec. 8, 2016. The law should have taken effect 15 days after the issuance of the IRR. Giving the deaf and hard of hearing access to television programs would fulfill the Philippines' commitment to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008, which states that "there should be full accessibility and recognition of the linguistic and cultural identity of persons with disability." Poe believes that fully implementing the law would also empower them and engage them as part of society. "There are a few networks who have not submitted...We are waiting for the others and we have reminded them," MTRCB chair Rachel Arenas told senators. Pressed how many have complied with the law, Arenas said that so far, "10% have complied," without specifying. "Well, that's still very small. You just have to put your foot down," the senator told MTRB officials. "I hope that you would send a memo to all the networks that they need to comply soon," Poe said, adding that the MTRCB should give networks a "deadline."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Like most summer vacationers, Katie Hughes knew she had one frameable image in her iPhone  her boyfriend, Chris Brouwer, diving halfway into the salt water from a boat.

Hughes also knew that image would just keep rattling around inside her phone, which is what it did until the moment she happened upon Neomodern photo salon on her way to a yoga class upstairs.

Inside this Union Street storefront, Hughes was guided into a private editing nest and put in the care of print masters Arturo Pedroza and Carlos Arrieta. Her photo was uploaded and enlarged on a high-resolution monitor. The blue filter Hughes had applied to make the day look sunny was removed to restore the gray fogginess. Splash marks that looked like scratches were edited out.

Then it moved through the processing stations like a car through a wash to be printed, mounted, signed, framed and out the door under her arm.

It was total luck, says Hughes of her artwork. I had no idea it would turn out this great.

Now Playing: New print shop on Union Street offers a fresh take on photos Video: Sam Whiting / San Francisco Chronicle

This fast, too. The target market for Neomodern is the impulsive and impatient smartphone shooter. You walk in, and a professional fine art printer helps you coax the right image out of your phone. The framed result is ready in half an hour. The cost is $195 for a 16-by-20-inch print and $295 for a 20-by-24-inch in museum-quality frames. Without the frame it is $50 less.

The idea is to make the fine art photographers workflow accessible to consumers, says Michael Rubin, 54, owner of Neomodern. Before that, he was a pioneer of the paint your own ceramics industry, and a product creator at Netflix.

A year ago, he quit his job as senior innovator at Adobe to pursue photography. In early July, he opened Neomodern in a corner clock tower building that was once a copy shop and after that a jewelry store.

His timing was good in that RayKo Photo Center in SoMa, the citys primary facility for photographers was folding. This left RayKo employees Pedroza and Arrieta out of work and able to add a combined 20 years of expertise to Neomodern. Also on staff is Kristen Wrzesniewski, a fine art photographer who recently relocated from Austin, Texas.

What we have found is that everybody has at least one picture that is of professional quality, Rubin says. What they dont realize is that even professionals post-produce their pictures, and thats what we do.

The 30-minute turnaround is a goal, not a guarantee. Theyve done it quicker.

We had a mom come in with baby pictures and it took us about 11 minutes, Arrieta says, and thats with a stroller. Less efficient was the woman who walked in with 200 vacation pictures. Pedroza spent an hour and a half just going through her digital album. Its the same price no matter how long it takes.

I cant tell you how many dog pictures I have looked at, says Rubin.

For inspiration, customers can browse the in-house art gallery, stocked by Rubins family collection of the masters. The art is rotated every week with one or two for sale. Up now are vintage prints, all signed, by Ansel Adams, Pirkle Jones and George Tice. An image of Naples shot in 1963 by Henri-Cartier Bresson is available for $12,000. Also available are prints by customers, hand-selected by the staff.

Hughes did not know this when she walked in on her way to yoga. All she knew was that there were better things than Walgreens. Shed shot the image of Brouwer on the third and final morning of their sailing trip to Camden Harbor, Maine. Shed gotten off three snaps and didnt check them until they were headed to the airport.

We were in the car and I said, Oh, my God. This is amazing. Brouwer immediately took issue with his diving form. He had rowed for Dartmouth and now swims at the Dolphin Club. He has a standard to uphold.

He said, My legs arent straight, Hughes says. Now hes going to have to live with it.

The framed print is for her apartment, not his. Neomodern offers a range of pencils and a pad for practicing signatures. Hughes decided signing the front would be a bit much, so she hid her signature under the mat.

You cant see it, she says, But it will be nice when someone opens the frame in 100 years.

She also signed a second print, which was selected for the gallery, bad diving form and all. It hangs in the front window for $600 on a 50-50 split. Hughes, 32, works in venture capital. But if her picture sells, she will also be a collected artist.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF Instagram: @sfchronicle_art

To tour Neomodern with print master Carlos Arrieta: http://bit.ly/neomodern

Neomodern: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and by appointment. (415) 901-3411. www.neomodern.com
Nine months after the Golden Gate National Recreation Area approved final rules restricting off-leash dog walking on much of its turf, the policy has been thrown for another loop.

An amendment proposed by Rep. Jackie Speier would prohibit the National Park Service from restricting canine access to its parklands by prohibiting some funding from being used to finalize, implement, administer or enforce the dog management plan. It passed the House last week with bipartisan support.

This is a 40-year tradition in the Bay Area, and the NPS attempts to ban it have been fraught with corruption and opaque decision making, Speier said in a statement. ... We need to start from scratch in order to have a Dog Management Plan that respects the needs of all GGNRA users, even the furry four-legged ones.

The Hillsborough Democrats amendment was attached to the 2018 budget appropriations bill for the Department of the Interior and related agencies. It now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers will either adopt it or draft their own version of the bill.

The dog management plan has been a 14-year tug-of-war between dog enthusiasts and environmentalists, who have pushed to restrict canine access on federal park lands. The final rules  which would let dogs run free just in six areas within the 80,000-acre area stretching from Marin to San Mateo counties  were approved last year.

ALSO Park Service delays GGNRA dog management plan

But in January, the National Park Service delayed implementation after requests from lawmakers and a public information request from a dog advocacy group unearthed emails showing park employees might not have remained impartial during the process.

I have requested they evaluate and report on how these emails may have impacted the planning, rule making process, and environmental impact study, and make recommendations on how best to proceed given the significant body of work to date  including thousands of comments and more than a decade of analysis, Ray Sauvajot, the Park Service associate director for natural resources stewardship, said in a statement released in May.

Dog groups arent planning to roll over any time soon, said Andrea Buffa, a San Francisco resident and member of Save Our Recreation, an advocacy group wanting to preserve the Park Services land for all types of recreation.

Weve been fighting these restrictions on dog-walking for more than 14 years, and we are not going to ... play dead, Buffa said. This is about us as much as it is about dogs. Dogs dont go to walk on trails and beaches by themselves.

Speiers amendment is proof that she is a champion for the dog community and a fair legislative process, said Martha Walters, an environmental scientist in San Rafael who founded the Crissy Field Dog Group, a nonprofit that advocates for responsible dog ownership.

It has a long way to go, Walters said. But it sends a clear message to the Park Service that she means business and is representing the Bay Area constituents and people who visit the GGNRA. This is about people just wanting to walk their dogs.

Representatives of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area did not respond to calls for comment.

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn
UC Berkeley will accommodate Free Speech Week next week, despite a dispute between the university and supporters of President Trump who are promoting the controversial program, campus officials said Monday.

The campus is preparing strong security for four days of mainly outdoor events Sunday through Wednesday featuring several speakers, including right-wing personality Milo Yiannopoulos. Missing from the lineup are Steve Bannon and Ann Coulter, far-right speakers whom Yiannopoulos had previously announced.

On Monday, Yiannopoulos insisted that Bannon and Coulter are still coming, even though neither has said publicly that they are attending.

Yiannopoulos told The Chronicle last week that each event would take place indoors, including at the 2,000-seat Zellerbach Hall. But campus spokesman Dan Mogulof said the Berkeley Patriot student group that invited Yiannopoulos missed contract deadlines that would have given UC police enough time to arrange appropriate security at the indoor sites.

Even so, the events at mostly outdoor locations for Free Speech Week can go on as planned, Mogulof said. Those include speeches by conservative and far-right political commentators at Lower Sproul Plaza, Anna Head Hall and the steps of Sproul Hall, known as the Savio Steps.

Only two of the speakers  Yiannopoulos and commentator David Horowitz  have formally confirmed with the university that they will attend, said Mogulof. The university requires speakers to confirm if they will appear. He said administrators will consider what to do about speakers who fail to do so.

The university cannot defend spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide security arrangements for events based on a schedule built on a long list of unconfirmed speakers, Mogulof said.

Yiannopoulos said Monday, Berkeley doesnt choose our list of speakers. We do. They are running a misinformation campaign to try to get the students to cancel. There is no change to our headliners. ... We will proceed, come hell or high water, inside or out.

Security is at the heart of the dispute among the campus, students and speakers.

Police have increased security measures for conservative and far-right speakers since Feb. 1, when antiright-wing rioters forced the cancellation of a Yiannopoulos speech just as it was about to begin.

The campus said the Berkeley Patriot group missed deadlines for signing contracts, paying fees and providing final details of the events.

Student Pranav Jandhyala, editor for the Berkeley Patriot news site, blamed UC Berkeley officials for being uncommunicative, not responding to emails, unable to meet, rescheduling meetings  everything they could try to do to throw sticks in the spokes.

Yiannopoulos also blames UC Berkeley, saying the campus should give them access to two large campus buildings, Wheeler Hall and Zellerbach Hall, because his group paid $65,759 on Monday to secure building space.

Mogulof said the fee arrived too late for the campus to ensure building security.

If it was so important for them to have these indoor venues, why didnt they sign the contract back in August? he said.

Yiannopoulos, the main organizer, espouses far-right views and is gay. He used an antigay slur in the title of his nationwide tour of campuses last year, including aborted visits to UC Davis and UC Berkeley.

Nearly 200 professors and graduate students are pushing an all-campus boycott during the four days of the event, citing potential violence and the need to keep students and employees safe.

This spring, a different student group, the Berkeley College Republicans, sued the University of California and UC Berkeley after a failed attempt to bring Coulter to campus. The students claim the campus is biased against conservative speakers.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov

Free Speech Week schedule

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The following speeches by conservative and far-right political commentators are expected on the steps of Sproul Hall, known as the Savio Steps, amid high security:

Sunday: Noon-12:55 p.m., Miss Elaine, a Miami drag queen

Sunday: 5-6:45 p.m., Lucian Wintrich, Lisa De Pasquale and Chadwick Moore

Monday: Noon-12:55 p.m., Heather MacDonald is listed but tweeted Friday that contrary to news reports, I have not been contacted about participating in Free Speech Week at @UCBerkeley.

Monday: 5- 7 p.m., Street artist Sabo and Monica Crowley

Wednesday: Noon-12:55 p.m., Mike Cernovich

Wednesday: 5-6:55 p.m., Ariana Rowlands and politician Stelian Onufrei

Also, these conservative political commentators are listed as speaking at two other locations also under strong security:

Monday at Anna Head Hall: 7:30-9:30 p.m., Psychologist Jordan Peterson and James Damore, who was recently fired by Google for writing a memo saying men are biologically better suited for coding jobs than are women.

Tuesday in Lower Sproul Plaza: 5-7 p.m., Yiannopoulos interviews Blackwater founder Erik Prince and commentators Katie Hopkins, Pamela Geller and David Horowitz.

Update: A previous version of this article stated that Michael Malice was expected to appear in Lower Sproul Plaza at noon on Tuesday. Malice contacted The Chronicle and said he has no plans to appear.
Infuriated by the steady escalation of burglaries in San Francisco, two supervisors are trying to breathe life into a neighborhood policing idea that Mayor Ed Lee shot down last year.

The ordinance that Supervisors Norman Yee and Hillary Ronen will introduce Tuesday closely resembles an ill-fated measure that Yee sponsored in October. It would have required each of the citys 10 police stations to devote a special unit to property crimes.

Lee vetoed the legislation a day after the Board of Supervisors approved it. In a chastening letter to the board, the mayor said the idea was motivated by ballot politics and not public safety, and that the property-crime units would divert officers away from more serious and violent crimes.

But now Yee and his co-sponsor, Ronen, believe public opinion is on their side, with police records showing thefts up significantly and residents jolted by the death of 23-year-old Abel Enrique Esquivel Jr., who was killed in the Mission with a gun stolen from a police officers personal car.

After I heard that news, I came to Supervisor Yee and asked if we could move on this legislation, said Ronen, whose district includes the Mission. Even police officers cant protect their cars from being broken into.

Amy Osborne/Special To The Chronicle

Lees spokeswoman, Ellen Canale, said only that the mayor would review the legislation once it comes to his desk. Last year the board voted 7-4 in favor of the legislation. If Lee were to veto it this year, the supervisors would need eight votes for an override.

The revived measure expands the definition of property crimes to emphasize bike thefts and car break-ins. The supervisors want at least one officer in each of the citys 10 neighborhood police stations to work exclusively on preventing and solving burglaries. They havent proposed any funding to hire additional officers, saying theyll leave that up to the department during budget talks next year.

Were purposefully not being prescriptive, Ronen said.

Were asking for 10 officers, Yee said. Its not as though this is going to drain the police force.

Police Department data show that property crimes are up  from 24,257 from January through June last year, to 27,198 for the same period this year. And car break-ins rose precipitously in neighborhoods like North Beach, where the tally went up from 2,632 at the end of August last year to 3,237 this year. In the Mission, car burglaries more than doubled, from 706 at the end of August last year to 1,567 this year.

Even so, police officers are wary of any legislative attempt to interfere with their department, and such efforts have a poor track record. After Yees legislation died last year, voters rejected ballot Proposition R, which would have added a central Neighborhood Crime Unit to handle all quality-of-life crimes, from robberies to aggressive panhandling. It would have comprised 3 percent of the police force, which now numbers 2,295.

We already have a street crimes unit that deals with property crimes, specifically auto burglaries, said Paul Yep, captain of the Central Station in North Beach. Yep noted that since he took the reins in March, officers at Central Station have made more than 130 arrests for car break-ins.

With or without the legislation, its already a priority, Yep said. He stopped short of outright critiquing the supervisors idea, saying he didnt want to speak for the Police Department.

Nathan Ballard, a media consultant and adviser to the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said although officers are concerned about rising property crimes, staffing decisions should be made by the chief, not the Board of Supervisors.

Yee and Ronens proposal got support from at least two members of the citys Police Commission, attorneys Petra DeJesus and Bill Ong Hing.

I dont want to tie the departments hands, but the car break-ins have gotten out of control, DeJesus said . Every weekend I drive up to McLaren Park and the parking lot is full of glass from all the smash-and-grabs.

Hing said that though violent crimes are important, property crimes affect more people in San Francisco.

Ronen described automobile burglaries as both an epidemic and a tax on any resident who doesnt own a garage.

For San Franciscans who are already struggling to live in the most expensive city in America, a $300 to $400 bi-monthly tax  in the form of a broken window  is just unacceptable, she said.

She and Yee are optimistic that this time theyll have support from their colleagues and from the mayor.

Supervisor Yee presented a vision for how to address the epidemic of car break-ins, it passed the board, the mayor vetoed it, and sure enough things have gotten much worse, Ronen said. So now that Ive joined the board, I believe Supervisor Yees vision is the right one. Were teaming up to present it again.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
As soon as Elmy Kader sits down, just a short dash from the back door of his Royal Egyptian food truck, two customers approach him to tell him how much they enjoyed lunch.

How were the falafel, on a scale of one to 10? he asks one. Eight? 10?

Eleven, Elmy, she replies.

Kader roars. Then he bounds out of his seat to inspect their paper plates, clucking noises of approval at how empty they are. Truth is, after a quartet of salads and an even larger main course, most people end their meal by requesting a foil sheet to cover the leftovers.

In January, Kader abandoned the Jack London Square spot over which hed tangled with the City of Oakland and sent his truck into the shop for a major remodel. Although his permit issues are still not resolved, last month Royal Egyptian reappeared in Berkeley, making a new weekday stop on Folger Avenue next to the Emeryville Greenway and appearing at the Ashby flea market on Saturdays and Sundays.

The mechanics who repainted the trucks shell blue re-inked all Kaders slogans. They now extend all the way around his truck, from the photo of King Tuts sarcophagus on the back door to the giant American flag affixed to the front grill.

One reads: MY RULES MY WAY Thats what earned me the bragging right.  Chef Elmys menu.

Another: Because I love you, I truly do, I will not poison your body by selling you Soda of any kind.

In person, Kader is no less ebullient. In his mid-60s, the topography of his face is delineated in deep lines, but he can barely sit down for a quarter-hour.

After growing up in a well-to-do family in Alexandria and serving in the Egyptian military, Kader  more formally known as Elmy Abdelkader  left Egypt because he could not contain his fury over government corruption. I told my dad, I cannot be in Egypt, he says. I will come back to Egypt when Egypt has human rights, individual rights.

Living in the East Bay, Kader married, had three kids, divorced. A career in trucking and transportation funded his childrens education and sent them on to Stanford and UC Berkeley.

Once the last child was on his way, Kader says, he sold everything in 2014 to buy a truck and cook, pursuing a talent his mother told him he was born with. His kids told him he was free to retire. He replied, Men in my family, when we retire, we die.

Six days a week, then, hes up at 4 oclock in the morning prepping. He dries his own herbs and aromatics, and grinds them together with fava beans to make his falafel mix. He seasons his gyro and kabobs himself, and prepares between eight and 12 side dishes, rarely sticking with the same recipe.

Royal Egyptians best-selling dish, and rightfully so, is the ful madamas: fava beans slowly cooked in a high-necked copper pot until theyre fat and creamy. In the current version, inspired in part by Arabic versions of the dish and in part by a lasagna he particularly loved, the beans are saturated with tomatoes and garlic, enough to counteract the favas underlying funk, and finished with a dollop of tahini.

The best food in the world is in the ghetto, Kader likes to say. People dont have money, so they take ful madamas, a cheap ingredient, and they put soul into it.

Though Royal Egyptian is one of the only Egyptian food businesses in the Bay Area, Kader is no culinary purist  he spits out the word authentic with the same derision he does soda. Every $10 meal becomes a two- or three-course extravagance. Some days, lunch begins with a soup. Other times, he starts diners off with three or four salads before bringing them a second course.

Leah Millis/The Chronicle

No entree is allowed to languish on the plate, alone, either. Falafel, khoshary, ful  all will be crowded up against dishes like tangy braised spinach, lentil puree flecked with herbs, pickled red cabbage and grilled green jalapenos. The flavors shout as volubly, sometimes as unpredictably, as their makers tweets.

Over the eight months of his absence, those swaggering, affectionate tweets all but disappeared, replaced by rare and forlorn missives like I miss you I miss joking with you but most important I miss feeding you.

Kader refused to apply for the new food-truck permits Oakland issued this year, which would have made his Jack London Square spot legal, but a former customer found Kader a new West Berkeley location next to the Amazon Fresh warehouse. The side street, close to a set of permanent picnic tables and far from competition, suits him. So does Berkeley, where the customers would rather talk to him than rush back to the office.

Now, Royal Egyptian Cuisines Twitter feed is back to its normal tone: Friends tomorrow Berkeley Folger Ave, From the good mother earth, vegetarian vegan that will blow your mind. Love you See ya.

Returning to his many beloveds has made him ecstatic. You get up in the morning, you say you go to work, Kader says. I get up in the morning and say, Im going to party.

Leah Millis/The Chronicle

He and a few chef friends are planning to start an Internet restaurant, where theyll work out of a kitchen ringed with live web cams and deliver all the meals to customers homes. Even that couldnt keep him from the party that swirls around his truck. When Im honest and happy, money comes to me, he says.

Then hes out of his seat again, hailing another two customers, telling them that hes closed for the day.

When are you coming back? they ask.

Tomorrow! Kader tells them. Eat a light meal tonight. When you get up, take a couple of hits of the herb and come with big appetites. You promise?

They promise.

Royal Egyptian Cuisine: Check www.twitter.com/egyptiancuisine for current and upcoming locations.

Jonathan Kauffman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jkauffman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jonkauffman
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

From pop-up to Emeryville kiosk to brick and mortar, the story of Oaklands Nyum Bai has entered a new chapter. The Cambodian street eats concept is moving into the former Half Orange space in Oaklands Fruitvale Village. It could be up and running as early as January 2018.

Nyum Bai owner Nite Yun confirmed the news to Inside Scoop, noting that it will be her first full-fledged restaurant. Nyum Bais Emeryville outpost will remain open through the end of the year.

I can't believe it's been five years for Nyum Bai, said Yun, a West Oakland resident and daughter of Cambodian immigrants. It's been a crazy, but exciting journey.

For the uninitiated: Nyum Bai is a Cambodian expression that colloquially means lets eat. (Literally it means to eat rice).

Though its months away from opening, Yun says the restaurants menu will be more traditional than what people have seen at the Emeryville kiosk. Think more stir-fry, more dishes with lemongrass and fish paste, and the like.

The goal from the beginning was to introduce Cambodian cuisine and share the culture with people. Thats just going to happen more now, Yun said. I want to it be more involved with Cambodian community throughout the Bay Area. We can do things like provide meeting spaces for Cambodian people here, host karaoke nights, things like that.

Heres a quick glance at Nyum Bais path to Fruitvale: In 2012, spurred by her experiences with Cambodian street stall dishes like kuy teav (or kuy tio), Yun decided to launch Nyum Bai; she joined La Cocina in 2015 where she spent two years hosting pop-ups across the Bay Area; earlier this year she moved into the Emeryville food court, where shell stay through the end of 2017.

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

Yun stumbled onto the Fruitvale Village space through La Cocina. She said the nonprofit contacted her about the potential fit, and once she saw the neighborhood, with its Latin American food scene, it felt like the old Mission in San Francisco. It just felt good.

Half Orange was Jay Porter and Katie Mayfield's gastropub, which abruptly closed its doors in early August. The space was known for its burgers and beers, though it never materialized into consistent dining crowds.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Aesthetically, Yun said theres some work to be done.

The dining area is going to have this clean modern feel, but nostalgic of 50s and 60s and the capital of Cambodia, she said. Well maybe even have black and white photos of the era, with Cambodian rock and roll from the 50s and 60s playing. Thats kind of the idea. Vintage style and communal eating.

Nyum Bai: Coming soon to 3340 E 12th St., Oakland. Currently at 5959 Shellmound St, Emeryville. www.nyumbai.com

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
Leonard Bernstein didnt just live in the moment. He embraced it to the fullest, seizing upon every manner of human experience and drawing it into one of the voracious bear hugs that became his signature gesture.

And if that all-consuming energy must have been at least somewhat problematic as a lifestyle, it also meant that there was a current of unbridled vitality running through everything he did. As composer, performer, educator, public figure, lecturer  in all the multifold ways that Bernstein left his mark on the musical culture of 20th century America  the constant element was the swift freedom with which he came up with ideas and made connections among seemingly disparate realms of thought and emotion.

This week, as Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony (along with much of the rest of the musical world) prepare to spend a year or more celebrating the 2018 centennial of Bernsteins birth, its worth remembering how much of his legacy depends on that quicksilver trait. Again and again in his output as both composer and performer, you can find an exploratory, improvisatory spirit informing his work.

Take, for example, the song cycle Arias and Barcarolles, which figures on this weekends all-Bernstein program by the Symphony, with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard and bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as soloists. At the 1988 premiere, the piece was given in its original form for piano four hands, with Bernstein and Thomas sharing a bench, and it reflected a very personal experience for the circle of musicians and friends that surrounded Bernstein.

That piece represents just what it was like to meet Lenny and have a talk with him in those later years, Thomas said during a recent interview. The range of moods and topics, the overall energy level  its very much like an evening with Lenny.

That snapshot quality in turn owes much to the circumstances of the works creation, in a last-minute rush of inspiration and transcription. When Bernstein asked him to collaborate on the premiere, which was then four months away, Thomas says he asked for the music to start preparing  only to learn that it hadnt been written yet.

There was a group of tag-team pianists working with Lenny to bring things to a conclusion, but he was having so much fun doing it, and he could not resist taking things to beyond the level that he knew they were going to wind up at. It was always a question of how outrageous we could get.

There was a lot of laughing going on while the piece was taking shape, as well as wringing of hands.

Bernsteins characteristic attempt to catch lightning in a bottle  to gather the output of a wild and reckless imagination and press it into notes on paper  is a theme that recurs repeatedly through his catalog, including in many of the works that will feature during the coming year.

It infuses the brash theatrical verve of Candide, the inventive musical-theatrical goulash that comes to the stage of Davies Symphony Hall in a concert version in January. Its reflected in the jazzy brio of Prelude, Fugue and Riffs, which the Symphonys principal clarinetist Carey Bell undertakes this week.

Even more overtly philosophical works  such the Symphony No. 2, which takes both its title and its inspiration from W.H. Audens poem The Age of Anxiety, and the Serenade, a violin concerto after Platos Symposium  combine the mediating influence of the composers intellectual framework with the unstoppable flow of ideas.

Theres also the desire to entertain, to communicate and to touch a listeners heart. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in the youthful stage masterpiece On the Town, which Thomas and the Symphony staged last year with extravagant success.

Theres a freedom in that show, an unencumbered quality that lets it make its points very powerfully and economically. It very convincingly presents a quality of innocence, which is something we all remember from our early lives  especially in a song like Some Other Time, which was written in a burst of inspiration in one afternoon.

He wrote characters in which people could recognize a lot of themselves, which was a very affectionate thing for him to do.

In this, Thomas says, theres a telling contrast between Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, with whom he collaborated so memorably on the music and lyrics for West Side Story.

Lenny didnt go down that path of rapier-like analysis of thought and emotion, and then putting it back together, the way Sondheim did. Hes relying on a more traditional, even sentimental relationship between people and music. Hes similar to Mahler in that regard.

That sentimentality, of course, is a quality that can also seem cloying under some circumstances and in the hands of some performers, just as it underlies the complaints of those listeners who resisted the allure of Bernsteins work as a conductor.

But its evidence of the artists vibrant, ongoing presence in our consciousness, still reverberating more than a quarter of a century after his death in 1990. The best of his music, in all its hectic, exuberant splendor, continues to reach out to listeners as if trying to pull us into the worldwide embrace in Beethovens Ode to Joy. In this centennial year, we might do well to respond in kind.

Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicles music critic. Email: jkosman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoshuaKosman

San Francisco Symphony: 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, and Saturday, Sept. 23; 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24. $45-$159. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., S.F. (415) 864-6000. www.sfsymphony.org
WASHINGTON  Bipartisan legislation to crack down on online child sex trafficking is putting Silicon Valley tech companies and Californias two Democratic senators on the spot, as proponents of the legislation try to rewrite a section of a 21-year-old law that the companies argue has been the foundation of the Internets growth.

At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Tuesday, Yvonne Ambrose, the mother of a 16-year sex trafficking victim who was found murdered near Chicago after being advertised for sale on the website Backpage.com, broke down in sobs after pleading with lawmakers to change the law that is standing in the way of justice for my child.

The Stop Enabling Sex Trafficking Act by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, would allow criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits against websites that promote online trafficking. Currently, Internet companies such as Google are not held liable for content posted by third parties, unless the Justice Department brings suit. Portman said at the hearing that child predation has moved from street to the smart phone, bringing ruthless efficiency and massive profits to the pimping of teenagers and children.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, part of a major 1996 overhaul of telecommunications law, provides immunity for Internet companies for third-party content on their platforms. Ambrose accused Backpage and other such sites of making millions of dollars exploiting our children, warning that our babies, your child, your nieces, your nephews are vulnerable to web-based pimping.

As Californias attorney general, Sen. Kamala Harris brought the first state criminal charges against Backpage, and in one of her first hearings as the states new U.S. senator earlier this year, she denounced the website and others like it.

Backpage is the worst actor in a sprawling industry exploiting women and children throughout the world, Harris said in Facebook post last month.

But Harris has not yet signed on to the Portman bill, which now has 28 co-sponsors from both parties.

Her spokesman, Tyrone Gayle, said Harris is working with the bills sponsors to bring (Backpage) and others to justice while ensuring there are no unintended consequences that would stifle innovation.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is also holding off. A Feinstein aide said the senator strongly supports the goal of the bill, and that when talks over potential tweaks to the legislation conclude, Feinstein plans to sign on as a co-sponsor.

Although some Silicon Valley companies such as Hewlett-Packard have announced support for the legislation, the biggest Internet-based companies such as Google and Facebook have not, and their trade group, the Internet Association, testified against it Tuesday.

Susan Molinari, Googles vice president of public policy, said in an email that the company has concerns about unintended side effects of the Portman bill and would prefer tweaks to the immunity clause of the Communications Decency Act.

We have a long-standing commitment to eradicating human trafficking and have proposed language amending section 230 that would give trafficked victims and survivors the right to civil litigation and enable prosecutors to hold bad actors accountable for their crimes, she said.

Abigail Slater, general counsel for the Internet Association, said the Portman bill is too broadly written and would open Internet companies to unsustainable legal liability for all content on their platforms and create risk for an incredibly broad number of innocent businesses by holding them liable for the crimes of others.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the Oregon Democrat who helped write Section 230, defended the statute, saying it provided the legal foundation for the growth of the Internet as a platform for free speech around the world and helped make the United States the world leader in Internet access by keeping lawyers, politicians and tax collectors from hobbling information and growth.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who is continuing the prosecution of Backpage that Harris began, testified Tuesday in support of the legislation, telling senators that although current law does permit the federal Justice Department to bring charges against enterprises like Backpage, online sex trafficking has become one of the fastest growing crimes in the country, and federal prosecutions have proved inadequate.

He dismissed tech industry concerns about limiting Internet free speech.

Free speech is not completely unrestricted, Beccerra said. You cant yell fire in a theater, you cant sell kids for sex on the street and you should not be allowed to traffic children on the Internet, he told the committee.

Carolyn Lochhead is the San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com
BART police released security images on Monday of a woman who allegedly tried to rob a fellow passenger with a threatening note over the weekend in San Francisco.

The suspect, who has not been identified, is seen wheeling a cart and wearing dark sunglasses on a Dublin-bound train on Saturday. She was described as white, in her 30s with strawberry blond hair, police said.

The woman allegedly passed the threatening note to 32-year-old Oakland resident Julie Dragland, who was sitting in front of her on the train as it headed through San Francisco from Daly City to the East Bay just before 5 p.m.

There are 2 guns pointed at you now, read the note, handwritten in red ink. If you want to live hand back your wallet + phone NOW + do not turn around and be descreet. Do not turn around until after you left Civic Center + you will live.

In an interview with The Chronicle on Sunday, Dragland described faking a seizure after receiving the note from the faceless stranger behind her.

The commotion got the attention of other passengers and prompted the would-be robber to flee the train at Civic Center Station.

ALSO Mystery mugger with note tries to rob woman on SF BART train

BART police scoured the station after Dragland called 911, but never located the suspect. Investigators later tracked down the train car the confrontation happened on and released still images of the suspect, seeking help from the public in finding her.

The security images were available after BART spent $1.42 million outfitting all of its cars with working cameras earlier this year.

The agency had used decoys on nearly 77 percent of its rail cars, but replaced them all with working cameras after The Chronicle exposed the fakes.

The cameras were already paying off before this latest incident. BART police identified and arrested two juvenile suspects in an April takeover robbery at Oaklands Coliseum Station that was first revealed by The Chronicle  one of several high-profile attacks on trains in recent months.

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.

Anyone with information on the identity of the culprit can call BART police at (510) 464-7040.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
Almost all of the pillars of President Donald Trump's presidency - immigration, jobs, mistrust of allies, coloring Washington as a feckless, greedy swamp - can be traced back to one of his core beliefs: America is getting shafted by the rest of the world.

The president has hinted or outright said as much in nearly every major international speech he's given since becoming president, including Tuesday's remarks at the United Nations: "I will always put America first just like you, the leaders of your countries, should put your countries first," he said.

On the campaign trail, he tied nearly every one of his core issues to his "America first" doctrine, which is based on the idea that America is struggling at the hands of the rest of the world.

On immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border: "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." - June 2015 presidential announcement

On U.S. jobs: "They're not good jobs, they're bad jobs. We're losing, you know, when you see a Carrier move into Mexico, those are good jobs. We're losing the good jobs." - March 2016 interview with New York Times' Maggie Haberman and David Sanger

On trade: "We don't put America first. We have these horrible, horrible trade negotiators. I actually think they're not as stupid as people think. I think that they actually want to help everybody else. They want to help everybody but our country. We are going to have a policy of America first. MakeAmerica first." - June 2016 speech in Redding, Calif.

On politicians: "We are going to put America First, and we are going to Make America Great again. This election will decide whether we are ruled by the people, or by the politicians." -March 2016 speech to AIPAC

On engagement abroad: "We have been disrespected, mocked, and ripped off for many many years by people that were smarter, shrewder, tougher. We were the big bully, but we were not smartly led. And we were the big bully who was - the big stupid bully and we were systematically ripped off by everybody." - March 2016 New York Times interview

Fact checkers and mainstream economists disagree with many of the statistics Trump used to shape this view of the world. Trade deficits are not the best way to measure how fair trade is. NATO members are not paying too little as compared to the U.S. Trump had to delegitimize official U.S. job numbers as "phony" to try to make his case that the U.S. economy is in turmoil.

But fact checking the president raises another question we have to explore to understand why the insular brand of "America First" has become the foundation of Trump's presidency: Why would he sell a worldview that the facts don't support? Especially when the rest of the international order is going in the opposite direction, operating under a shared belief that opening borders and cooperation is the best way to protect each country's own national interests.

Trump bragged to The New York Times in that March 2016 interview that he thought the United States has been on the wrong track since at least the World War II era. So perhaps this has always been his worldview, and he hasn't bothered to update it with the realities of globalization.

But the message that the U.S. isn't working is also an odd one coming from a successful businessman who has made millions in this country and others.

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.

It is, however, a convenient worldview if you want to win a presidential campaign against more experienced candidates. If you can convince enough voters that the U.S. has been on the wrong track as long as the politicians have been in charge, you have a shot at winning. And that's exactly what Trump did: blamed politicians for letting the rest of the world steamroll the U.S., promised to reverse course and won the presidency against all odds.

That's why it's important to note that Trump's "America First" doctrine can't easily be separated from another defining theme of his campaign: that the world is a dark, dark place, and no country is struggling more right now than the United States.

In his inauguration speech, he described the nation he was about to inherit as "American carnage."

"Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge; and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential."

U.S. politicians have let the world take advantage of America, which is now literally in carnage. It's on those two core beliefs that Trump built nearly every pillar of his campaign and his presidency.

Much of it doesn't comport with the facts, but it sure was an effective message to win the presidency.
WASHINGTON - Paul Manafort was in bed early one morning in July when federal agents bearing a search warrant picked the lock on his front door and raided his Virginia home. They took binders stuffed with documents and copied his computer files, looking for evidence that Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, set up secret offshore bank accounts. They even photographed the expensive suits in his closet.

The special counsel, Robert Mueller, then followed the house search with a warning: His prosecutors told Manafort they planned to indict him, said two people close to the investigation.

The moves against Manafort are just a glimpse of the aggressive tactics used by Mueller and his team of prosecutors in the four months since taking over the Justice Department's investigation into Russia's attempts to disrupt last year's election, according to lawyers, witnesses and U.S. officials who have described the approach. Dispensing with the plodding pace typical of many white-collar investigations, Mueller's team has used what some describe as shock-and-awe tactics to intimidate witnesses and potential targets of the inquiry.

Mueller has obtained a flurry of subpoenas to compel witnesses to testify before a grand jury, lawyers and witnesses say, sometimes before his prosecutors have taken the customary first step of interviewing them. One witness was called before the grand jury less than a month after his name surfaced in news accounts. The special counsel even took the unusual step of obtaining a subpoena for one of Manafort's former lawyers, claiming an exception to the rule that shields attorney-client discussions from scrutiny.

'Setting a tone'

"They are setting a tone. It's important early on to strike terror in the hearts of people in Washington, or else you will be rolled," said Solomon L. Wisenberg, who was deputy independent counsel in the investigation that led to the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in 1999. "You want people saying to themselves, 'Man, I had better tell these guys the truth.'"

A spokesman for Mueller declined to comment. Lawyers and a spokesman for Manafort also declined to comment.

Few people can upend Washington like a federal prosecutor rooting around a presidential administration, and Mueller, a former FBI director, is known to dislike meandering investigations that languish for years. At the same time, he appears to be taking a broad view of his mandate: examining not just the Russian disruption campaign and whether any of Trump's associates assisted in the effort but also any financial entanglements with Russians going back several years. He is also investigating whether Trump tried to obstruct justice when he fired James Comey, the FBI director.

Manafort is under investigation for possible violations of tax laws, money-laundering prohibitions and requirements to disclose foreign lobbying. Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser, is being scrutinized for foreign lobbying work as well as for conversations he had last year with Russia's ambassador to the United States. On Monday, Flynn's siblings announced the creation of a legal-defense fund to help cover their brother's "enormous" legal fees.

The wide-ranging nature of Mueller's investigation could put him on a collision course with Trump, who has said publicly that Mueller should keep his investigation narrowly focused on last year's presidential campaign. Trump has said Mueller would be overstepping his boundaries if he investigated his family's finances unrelated to Russia.

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.

For the moment, Mueller's team has shown a measure of deference to White House officials, sparing them grand jury subpoenas and allowing them to be appear for voluntary interviews. Those sessions are expected to begin soon.

Staff members have been answering Mueller's request for 13 categories of documents, including records related to Comey's firing and Trump's role in drafting a misleading statement about a June 2016 meeting between campaign officials and Russian-born visitors.

Different treatment

But associates of both Manafort and Flynn have received more peremptory treatment. Instead of invitations to the prosecutor's office, they have been presented with grand jury subpoenas, forcing them to either testify or take the Fifth Amendment.

At least three witnesses have recently been subpoenaed to testify about Manafort: Jason Maloni, a spokesman who appeared before the grand jury for more than two hours on Friday, and the heads of two consulting firms - Mercury Public Affairs and the Podesta Group - who worked with Manafort on behalf of Viktor Yanukovych, the former president of Ukraine.

Mueller's team also took the unusual step of issuing a subpoena to Melissa Laurenza, a specialist in lobbying law who formerly represented Manafort, according to people familiar with the subpoena. Conversations between lawyers and their clients are considered bound by attorney-client privilege, but there are exceptions when lawyers prepare public documents that are filed on behalf of their client.
Karen Warren/Staff Photographer

Back in July, as the Senate prepared to reject not one but four bills to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, Sen. Ben Sasse, R.-Neb., lamented that he and his colleagues were not debating the fundamental question of whether health care should be in the private or public sector. In this view, Congress has been pointlessly poking at President Obamas messy, hybrid reform of a messy, hybrid system instead of letting purists on the right and the left battle it out once and for all.

But the debate Sasse longed for is taking place. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., last week unveiled his latest legislation to usher in universal government health coverage with 16 co-sponsors  16 more than he had before his populist presidential bid. His bill would expand Medicare beyond the elderly to the rest of the population, making government the single payer of basic medical expenses.
California has $1.5 billion in revenue from the cap-and-trade program to spend fighting climate change this year. Since the state Legislature has extended cap-and-trade through 2030, California will have many billions of dollars to spend fighting climate change in the years to come. Spending that money wisely needs to be a top priority for Sacramento.

Earlier this summer, a wide range of advocacy organizations, business groups and local governments went to Sacramento to ask for a share of the money. Now Gov. Jerry Brown has reached an agreement with the state Legislature on how to spend the money.

The biggest-ticket item is $895 million in investments for clean vehicles  including buses, cargo equipment, trucks and other vehicles.

State Senate Democrats in particular have pushed for incentive programs to replace older, more-polluting vehicles with ones that issue fewer emissions.

California already offers rebates for companies and public agencies to replace older diesel equipment, but theres never been enough money in the program to seriously reduce health risks, particularly in communities near highways and other major transportation networks.

Brown originally wanted $300 million for local regulators to improve air quality in polluted neighborhoods, which also tend to have poorer residents. Instead, that money will flow through the clean vehicle program.

This decision can easily go awry if Sacramento doesnt carefully measure how effective this program is at actually making a difference in pollution levels in Californias most impacted neighborhoods. The rules must be promptly adjusted if progress isnt being quickly made.

Going forward, Sacramento needs to ask itself harder questions about the best way to cut greenhouse gases.

Reducing the use of dirty engines is one good solution. But another great way would be to enable more Californians to live closer to transit systems and job centers. Increased housing production in the right locations wont just increase Californias economic productivity  it will enable us to fight climate change. We urge the governor and the state Legislature to make this a priority for cap-and-trade revenue going forward.

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.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

San Francisco Board of Education member Matt Haney filed his official candidates papers for the 2018 District Six supervisors race Tuesday, the same day that Sunny Angulo announced she will not run.

With Angulo out, the fight to succeed Supervisor Jane Kim  who will be termed out next year  has become much more clear cut. The left is coalescing around Haney, a Tenderloin resident who is helping start a public school in Mission Bay.

Hell face off with moderate candidate Sonja Trauss, a pro-housing evangelist and figurehead of the Yes In My Backyard Party.

Were all going to have to be in this together, Haney said at a jubilant news conference that quickly turned into pep rally outside the Department of Elections in the basement of City Hall Tuesday morning. Among the crowd were leaders of several SoMa- and Tenderloin-based organizations, Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Sandra Lee Fewer, East Bay Assemblyman Tony Thurmond and CNN news commentator Van Jones, who founded the Dream Corps social justice group where Haney serves as national policy director.

Matt Haney has so much integrity that hes a white dude who Black Lives Matter loves, Jones said, drawing cheers from the throng of supporters. He added: I love this man.

Angulo, who was an aide to Kim and is now chief of staff to progressive Supervisor Aaron Peskin, had never officially entered the race, but was widely considered to be in the running. She is well known among neighborhood groups and would have likely inherited the leftist coalition that backed Kim and former Supervisor Chris Daly.

She said she withdrew to avoid splitting the left. District Six has gone to progressives in the past five supervisor races, but the electorate has changed as more condos have gone up and more newcomers moved in.

The District Six community has and will continue to be my family, so ensuring a unified progressive front for this election is the most important thing I can do today, Angulo said. Ive met with Matt, believe we have shared values and look forward to continuing the work together.

Peskin and Kim have both endorsed Haney. Trauss said Tuesday she welcomes the competition and anticipates a robust discussion about the future of the district and San Francisco.

 Rachel Swan

Sky park: A 6,000-square-foot rooftop park in Chinatown will finally be open early next month, the Recreation and Park Department announced this week. Rooftop Park, as its being called, was nearly 15 years in the planning.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

The park, which sits atop the 500 Pine St. building on Quincy Street between California and Pine streets, connects to St. Marys Square through a public walkway and will feature planted areas, public seating and an open plaza.

San Franciscos Planning Department approved the development of 500 Pine St. and the nearby 350 Bush St. building on the condition that a park be built to compensate for shadows cast by the buildings. The citys Recreation and Park Commission green-lighted the construction of the park in 2003 but it was delayed because the economic meltdown delayed development.

The park is something I have been working on with the community since my first term in office, Supervisor Aaron Peskin said in a statement. Peskin represents District Three, which includes Chinatown. Chinatown, the densest neighborhood in the city, has long fought for a modicum of open space and recreational programming as development continues to increase around it.

Once the new space opens, the owners of 500 Pine St. and 350 Bush St. will work with the parks department to maintain it.

 Dominic Fracassa

Email: cityinsider@sfchronicle.com, rswan@sfchronicle.com, dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfcityinsider, @rachelswan, @dominicfracassa
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A minuscule bug caused an ecological nightmare across Northern California nearly 40 years ago, and the fallout spread from the fields of Silicon Valley into the halls of the Capitol in Sacramento.

When searching The Chronicles archive, I came across a story about the Mediterranean fruit fly invasion of 1980-81. My interest piqued, I dug up more photos and articles about what became one of the strangest environmental events in Bay Area history: the mass spraying of pesticides over huge swaths of the South Bay, East Bay and the Peninsula.

The medflys Bay Area infestation was first announced July 8, 1980, after two adult males were found in a suburban San Jose backyard. The news had been deemed so sensitive by pest control specialists that the discovery was kept secret for two weeks as courses of action were discussed.

An article in The Chronicle the day after the announcement explained the risk: The pesky fly was known for attacking soft-skinned fruits and vegetables including apples, apricots, cherries, grapes, citrus and prunes  all of which were abundantly grown throughout Santa Clara Valley.

While agriculture had been a major economic enterprise for the county in the first half of the 20th century, suburban sprawl and the rise of Silicon Valley had led to a decline in farming. Still, farms were around and fears were elevated that the medfly could spread to the Central Valley and lay waste to what is now a $40 billion-a-year agriculture industry.

After the flies were found, all fruit in Santa Clara County was quarantined, with shipments outside county borders banned. That was a $30 million hit to the local economy, but Chester Howe, the countys agricultural commissioner, said, Its nothing compared to the $1 billion damage the medfly could cause statewide, if not eradicated now.

Howe explained the plan of attack: What we plan to do is out-sex them, by releasing thousands of sterile males during the breeding season. ... The sterile males mate with the females and no fly eggs are produced.

A sexy plan indeed.

By late August, despite a $2 million eradication effort, more Mediterranean fruit flies were found outside the original 156-square-mile infestation area. State officials expanded the focus area to 450 square miles, encompassing all of Santa Clara Valley. Howe stated the obvious: Theres no way we can stand at the border and swat them back.

On Dec. 3, 1980, federal officials announced a plan to use the aerial spraying of insecticides in Alameda and Santa Clara counties. Immediately, a loose-knit coalition of groups opposed to the spraying held their own news conference, kicking off months of protests and legal actions, which would postpone spraying.

Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 California Conservation Corps members came to Santa Clara and Alameda counties to pick, collect and destroy all fruit found in nearby yards, ostensibly to stop the medflies spread. The National Guard joined in the fight as well.

More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond.

On July 11, 1981, bowing to threats of a federal quarantine of all California farm produce, Gov. Jerry Brown approved aerial spraying over a 97-square-mile swath of Santa Clara and Alameda counties. People were told to stay indoors and to keep pets inside.

Hundreds of square miles were added to the spray zone over the coming year. By the next summer, the campaign had covered 1,400 square miles: an eight-county, 43-city area populated by 2 million residents. Squads of helicopters flew in formation, spraying seemingly indiscriminately over neighborhoods. The outrage was palpable.

On Sept. 21, 1982, after spending $100 million, the state declared victory over the medfly. The governor, though, suffered a political defeat in the aftermath of the environmental crisis when he lost a race for a Senate seat.

The medflies have returned to the region a few times over the decades, but these days theyre kept under control without aerial-spraying. Instead, millions of sterile flies are released year-round.

Bill Van Niekerken is the library director of The San Francisco Chronicle, where he has worked since 1985. In his weekly column, From the Archive, he explores the depths of The Chronicles vast photography archive in search of interesting historical tales related to the city by the bay.
Town hall: Rep. Ro Khanna, D-San Jose, holds a town hall at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Ohlone Community Colleges Jackson Theater, 43600 Mission Blvd. in Fremont. Information: http://bit.ly/2jGzAGS.

Peace in the Park: Features speakers, live music, poetry, visual artists, tai chi, hatha yoga and meditation experiences where individuals can explore a variety of ways to unplug, unwind, tune in and connect in peace. Free, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park. Information: https://peaceintheparksf.org

No-hate march: No Hate in the Bay march, protesting fascists, the alt-right and all white supremacists. Sponsors include the National Lawyers Guild and the Anti Police Terror Project. March starts at noon Saturday at 63rd and Adeline streets in Berkeley. Information: http://bit.ly/2ffI5E8

Indivisible Marin: Mill Valley Mayor and human rights attorney Jessica Jackson Sloan discusses criminal justice reform in California and nationally. Indivisible Marins meeting is from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin, 240 Channing Way in San Rafael. Information: http://bit.ly/2gZc9Ue.

Free Speech Week: Conservative-themed speeches at UC Berkeley. Miss Elaine speaks at noon Sunday; Lucian Wintrich, Lisa DePasquale and Chadwick Moore are scheduled to speak at 5 p.m. Sunday Both events are set for the steps of Sproul Hall.

Town hall: Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-San Ramon, holds a town hall meeting at the Orinda Library auditorium, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Free Speech Week: Conservative-themed speeches at UC Berkeley, starting at 5 p.m. Monday on the steps of Sproul Hall.

Free Speech Week: Conservative-themed events at UC Berkeley. At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Milo Yiannopoulos interviews several people on the steps of Sproul Hall.

Free Speech Week: Conservative-themed series of events at UC Berkeley. Speeches scheduled noon and 5 p.m. Sept. 27 on the steps of Sproul Hall.

Conservation and cannabis: A discussion of the effects of legalized marijuana cultivation on Bay Area public and private lands, sponsored by the Bay Area Open Space Council. Event is from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 28 at the David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way in Berkeley. Tickets are $30 for nonmembers. For information and tickets: http://bit.ly/2w3dTm4.

Veg fest: The 18th World Veg Fest promotes health, social justice and sustainability through vegetarian eating. Event is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 1 at the San Francisco County Fair Building, 1199 Ninth Ave. at Lincoln in Golden Gate Park. Tickets are $5 to $25, children 12 and under are free. Information: http://bit.ly/2xgD7A9.

Politics and media: Longtime San Francisco journalist Tim Redmond discusses media coverage and the Trump administration. Event begins at 2 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Richmond Meeting Room of the Sen. Milton Marks Branch Library, 351 Ninth Ave. in San Francisco. Information: http://bit.ly/2wJub72

Black Panther history: Joshua Bloom and Waldo E. Martin Jr., authors of Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party, discuss their book at the San Francisco Main Librarys Koret Auditorium at 1 p.m. Oct. 29. Information about this event and others noting the books selection in the One City One Book program: http://bit.ly/2eTr1mz

To list an event, email Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com.
Town hall: Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Fremont, holds a town hall at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Ohlone Community Colleges Jackson Theater, 43600 Mission Blvd. in Fremont. Information: http://bit.ly/2jGzAGS.

Peace in the Park: Features speakers, live music, poetry, visual artists, tai chi, hatha yoga and meditation experiences where individuals can explore a variety of ways to unplug, unwind, tune in and connect in peace. Free, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park. Information: https://peaceintheparksf.org

No-hate march: No Hate in the Bay march, protesting fascists, the alt-right and all white supremacists. Sponsors include the National Lawyers Guild and the Anti Police Terror Project. March starts at noon Saturday at 63rd and Adeline streets in Berkeley. Information: http://bit.ly/2ffI5E8

Indivisible Marin: Mill Valley Mayor and human rights attorney Jessica Jackson Sloan discusses criminal justice reform in California and nationally. Indivisible Marins meeting is from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin, 240 Channing Way in San Rafael. Information: http://bit.ly/2gZc9Ue.

Free Speech Week: Conservative-themed speeches at UC Berkeley. Miss Elaine speaks at noon Sunday; Lucian Wintrich, Lisa DePasquale and Chadwick Moore are scheduled to speak at 5 p.m. Sunday. Both events are set for the steps of Sproul Hall.

Town hall: Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-San Ramon, holds a town hall meeting at the Orinda Library auditorium, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Free Speech Week: Conservative-themed speeches at UC Berkeley, starting at 5 p.m. Monday on the steps of Sproul Hall.

Free Speech Week: Conservative-themed events at UC Berkeley. At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Milo Yiannopoulos interviews several people on the steps of Sproul Hall.

Free Speech Week: Conservative-themed series of events at UC Berkeley. Speeches scheduled noon and 5 p.m. Sept. 27 on the steps of Sproul Hall.

D.A. candidates: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley and 2018 challenger Pamela Price hold a town hall, sponsored by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and Starbucks. Event is from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Merritt College student lounge, 12500 Campus Drive in Oakland. Information: http://bit.ly/2xkrDvH

To list an event, email Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The long, strange trip rolls on.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) appointed Grateful Dead co-founder and guitarist Bob Weir as its newest Goodwill Ambassador, the agency announced by press release Sunday.

As an ambassador, Weir will help raise awareness and mobilize support for the UNDP's fight against poverty and climate change, with a specific emphasis on advocating for climate initiatives and projects that "promote renewable energy, preserve coastlines, combat deforestation and ensure a healthy planet for generations to come."

"We all need to ensure we fight to make the planet a better one for the generations that follow us," Weir said in the statement.

The musician was honored at a ceremony during the Social Good Summit in New York City. He is touring with his band Dead & Company through February.

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
Just months after Gov. Jerry Browns plan to shore up Californias water system with two giant tunnels won key approval from regulators, the $17 billion project is running into potential financial problems.

The dozens of agencies that have expressed support for the delta tunnels as a way to ensure that they get more reliable water deliveries, from Silicon Valley to the Central Valley to Los Angeles, are supposed to produce financial commitments in coming weeks. Many, however, appear reluctant to sign on.

Officials with the sprawling Westlands Water District in the western San Joaquin Valley, the states largest agricultural supplier, voiced concern on the eve of a Tuesday vote that the cost wont justify the benefit. Westlands is the first major agency to vote on whether to help pay for the tunnels, and its decision is likely to influence other water districts around the state.

Those districts wont know exactly how much they  and their customers  will have to pay until all the suppliers have spoken.

Its kind of a chicken-and-egg thing: Do you support the project or not? said Robert Shaver, general manager of the Alameda County Water District, which serves Fremont, Newark and Union City and gets 40 percent of its water from state water deliveries. We cant determine what the cost is going to be without knowing who is supportive of the project, but its hard to support the project without knowing the cost.

Whatever the financial obligation turns out out to be, its certain to prompt water agencies to raise rates.

The governors plan calls for a pair of 35-mile-long tunnels to be built through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta for moving water from the north state to the Bay Area and Southern California. Proponents of the project say the deltas current system of canals and levees is crumbling, and without the upgrade known as California WaterFix, statewide water deliveries as well as local wildlife will suffer.

The cost of the project is supposed to be split among the agencies that receive delta water, with each paying a portion commensurate with their allotment. But some smaller water agencies have already decided it will cost too much and have opted out. That raises the cost for all those that remain.

The Alameda County Water District, which serves about 350,000 people in the East Bay, hasnt scheduled a vote on whether to commit to the project. The larger Santa Clara Valley Water District, which also relies on delta water for about 40 percent of its supply, has agreed to make a decision next month, though it remains equally uncertain about which way to go.

The district continues to evaluate the project, John Varela, board chairman for the Santa Clara Valley agency, said in an email. We are methodically reviewing a combination of water supply possibilities, weighing the risks, and focusing on cost control to make the best investment decisions for the future of Santa Clara County.

State officials say agencies that dont help pay for the tunnels wont be entitled to their benefits. At stake, officials say, is a boost in water supply of up to 20 percent when the new, more efficient infrastructure is in place.

Erin Mellon, spokeswoman for the California Department of Water Resources, said Monday that while theres no timeline for water agencies to make their funding decision, they need to do so soon so the project can get off the ground. The department would like to begin building the tunnels as early as next year. The work is expected to take at least a decade.

If there arent enough water contractors at the table, well have to go back and reassess the project, Mellon said.

Downsizing the work is the obvious alternative, though what form that would take remains unclear. Any new proposal would have to undergo the same regulatory scrutiny that the tunnels plan has endured, a process that could take years.

In July, WaterFix won a long-awaited approval for its environmental review, overcoming environmentalists concerns that the project could harm water quality and endanger fish runs in the delta.

Managers of the Westlands Water District, which provides water to farmers across 1,000 square miles of Fresno and Kings counties, released financial projections last week that suggest the math might not work out in their favor.

Westlands is among several water agencies that get their water not from the state but from the federal government, which also plans to use the twin tunnels to move water. The federal contractors are being asked to foot 45 percent of the total bill, with state contractors taking up the balance.

According to the districts report, the billions of dollars that Westlands might have to commit to the project would force the district to more than double water rates for growers. And if additional water agencies decline to commit to the project, rates could rise even further.

Theres a lot we dont know, said Sarah Woolf, a Central Valley farmer and Westlands board member. Honestly, I dont know that were at a stage that we can vote.

A legal challenge filed last week also threatens to undermine the financing of the tunnels proposal. Six groups submitted court papers contending that the state cant legally issue bonds to pay for WaterFix because the project faces too much uncertainty, from pending lawsuits over its environmental impact to a failure to identify its funders.

They havent even reached agreement on whos going to pay what percentage, said Bob Wright, an attorney representing Friends of the River, Restore the Delta, the Planning and Conservation League, and the Sierra Club California.

Wright fears that the state will come up short on money for the tunnels but still choose to proceed and pass the debt on to taxpayers.

People who dont benefit, he said, will have to foot the bill.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors made it clear Tuesday that it no longer wants the plaza at the foot of Market Street to be named for Justin Herman, the citys longtime redevelopment chief who is widely blamed for bulldozing the Western Addition.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin sponsored the resolution to rename Justin Herman Plaza, which sits on the Embarcadero across from the Ferry Building. Although the board has no legal authority to change the name, every supervisor co-signed the resolution, which passed unanimously.

Its now up to the citys Recreation and Park Commission to decide if it wants to strip Hermans name from the public space. Peskin suggested that it be known simply as Embarcadero Plaza for the time being.

Herman, who died in 1971, served as executive director of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency under three mayors  George Christopher, John Shelley and Joseph Alioto. He was the architect of an urban renewal program that displaced thousands of mostly African American and Japanese American residents from the Western Addition and destroyed blocks of Victorians and other buildings. In retrospect, it is seen as one of the most shameful periods in San Francisco history.

But the push to rename Justin Herman Plaza isnt just about villainizing the man, Peskin said at Tuesdays board meeting. He described Herman as a nuanced and complicated person whose policies reflected the political ethos of his time.

More for you The ugly pasts of famous men whose names grace SF landmarks

Its not just about Justin Herman. It was about a misguided policy known as urban renewal that decimated communities not just here in San Francisco, but throughout America, Peskin said.

He also noted that Hermans ideas didnt always lead to mass displacement. When Herman was put in charge of developing Diamond Heights in the late 1950s, he insisted on a mix of housing types, including homes for low-income tenants.

A lot has changed, locally and nationally, since Justin Herman Plaza opened in 1972. It has become a hangout for skateboarders and a starting point for protest marches, and it was a campground for the Occupy movement in 2011.

The Rec and Park Commission has never formally discussed the fraught symbolism of the name, but its members will debate the matter next month.

Im anxious to hear from people who have a horse in this race  what their motives are and why they want to do it, commission President Mark Buell said.

Notably, Buell has a personal history with Herman, having worked in his office in the late 1960s and in 1970. With the disclaimer that it was difficult for him to look back at Hermans place in San Franciscos history in an unbiased way, Buell said he agrees with critics of Hermans policies in the Western Addition.

Im very much sympathetic to those who argue that this was the wrong approach. I myself think it was. It uprooted the community, he said.

Yet Herman had many positive attributes that shouldnt be overlooked, said Buell, who characterized the former redevelopment czar as an immensely decent human being.

I wouldnt want him demonized for being a very good bureaucrat, Buell said.

Its unclear whether San Francisco residents feel as strongly as the supervisors about the name Justin Herman. Only a handful of people showed up to speak when the issue went before the boards Land Use and Transportation Committee earlier this month, and they had varying opinions on whether renaming the plaza was a good idea.

Mayor Ed Lee has not spoken publicly about the plazas name, but he supports a community process to rename Justin Herman Plaza, said his spokeswoman Ellen Canale.

Late Tuesday afternoon Peskin said he received an unsolicited text from developer Boston Properties, offering to pay the estimated $5,400 cost of a new plaque in the plaza, bearing a new name.

The supervisors also voted 6-2 to approve an ordinance allowing telecom companies to pay a fee instead of sprucing up their big sidewalk utility boxes with trees and artwork. The fee would be either $2,000 or $48 multiplied by the square footage in the boxs surface area, whichever is greater.

Chronicle staff writer

Dominic Fracassa contributed

to this story.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @rachelswan
A Stanford University researcher is among two inaugural winners of the biggest prize in education circles, receiving nearly $4 million for her research on the ability to learn.

Carol Dweck, a psychology professor, was named as one of two Yidan Prize winners, receiving a $1.9 million cash prize and another $1.9 million for educational initiatives.

Im thrilled and honored to be the inaugural recipient of this amazing prize, Dweck said in a statement. It will allow us to take our work forward and continue to innovate  to develop even more effective interventions for students and more effective materials for teachers to use in classrooms.

Vicky Colbert, founder and director of Fundacion Escuela Nueva, an educational organization in Colombia, was the other winner.

Dweck is known for her research on what she calls growth mind-set, the belief that intellectual skill is not and should not be treated as a fixed attribute, but something that can be developed. She has focused on helping at-risk children succeed at school, and says they should be praised for their hard work, not their intelligence.

The Yidan Prize was founded by Charles Chen Yidan, a Chinese tech entrepreneur and philanthropist.

To witness the level of innovation and dedication shown by the inaugural laureates in their work and the breadth and depth of the impact they have made is humbling, Yidan said in a statement. The Yidan Prize was founded to shine a light on education that is transformative, sustainable and addresses the worlds needs as we look to the future.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
A group of entrepreneurs, companies and venture capitalists has sued the Trump administration for delaying the International Entrepreneur Rule, which was intended to help foreign founders live in the U.S. while growing their companies and had been set to go into effect July 17.

The rule was approved by the Department of Homeland Security in January, during President Barack Obamas waning hours in office. But a week before it was set to take effect, the Trump administration delayed it with the intent to rescind it altogether. This move was seen as a blow to the tech industry, which had anticipated the rule  sometimes informally known as the startup visa rule  because currently no straightforward path exists for foreign entrepreneurs looking to live in the U.S. while building a company.

The lawsuit was filed by the National Venture Capital Association Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The group argues that the administrations decision to delay the rule was unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act, which, the association contends, would have required a lengthy notice and comment period from the public before the administration could make any changes.

The group is looking to reinstate the rule, and ultimately permit foreigners who meet its requirements to start applying for temporary work status in the U.S.

The venture capital association said that the delay of the rule  and the lack of a startup visa  has impacted investors ability to work with some foreign founders. It argued that the rule would have led to new U.S. jobs. The Department of Homeland Security had estimated that about 3,000 people would be eligible for the rule.

As a matter of policy, we do not comment on pending litigation, the department said in a statement.

One plaintiff in the case is Omni Labs, a marketing intelligence software company headquartered in San Francisco. According to the complaint, the startups founders  Nishant Srivastavaand Vikram Tiwari  have applied for the L-1 and H-1B work visas with no success. The two founders then moved to Canada, where they ultimately secured a work permit.

Tiwari and Srivastava planned to apply for admission to the U.S. under the International Entrepreneur Rule. Because the founders could not get work permits in the U.S., the lawsuit claims that the company has had to endure extra expenses, such as setting up a Vancouver office.

Simply put, Nishant and Vikrams inability to obtain lawful status or parole has been a significant hindrance to Omnis operations and growth, and thereby makes it more difficult to acquire U.S. investment in the future, the lawsuit reads.

The point of the rule was to give foreign entrepreneurs who do not qualify for existing visa programs a chance to stay in the U.S. and grow their businesses. The visas that currently exist, like the H-1B and L-1 programs  which are also under scrutiny by the Trump administration  are more suited for companies hiring employees or transferring executives from abroad.

Critics took issue with the rules use of parole authority. In this case, the term parole means that individuals are not formally admitted into the U.S.  as they would be with a work visa such as an H-1B  but that they can stay legally for a temporary period.

The administration said in July that the rule was delayed for reconsideration in light of a Jan. 25 executive order on immigration and border security, which says parole should only be used when an individual demonstrates urgent humanitarian reasons or a significant public benefit.

Other plaintiffs in the case include brothers Atma and Anand Krishna, citizens of the United Kingdom and co-founders of business-payment startup Lotus Pay. The company went through Mountain View startup accelerator Y Combinator last summer. Neither brother has been able to get a visa to stay in the U.S., and they were hoping to apply to stay under the International Entrepreneur Rule.

Given the delay in the rule, the brothers have primarily built their business in India and put off expanding in the U.S., according to the complaint.

It is impossible to overstate the benefits that immigrant entrepreneurs and companies have provided to the American economy and the nation as a whole, and the concomitant importance of ensuring that immigrant entrepreneurs can come to the United States to continue to grow their businesses, the complaint reads.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
Associated Press

A San Francisco sheriffs deputy who left his service pistol unsecured in a parked car over the weekend, allowing a thief to break in and take it, is no longer employed by the department, officials said Tuesday.

The unidentified deputy had been with the agency for less than a year and was still on probation when he reported the burglary in Potrero Hill Sunday, said Eileen Hirst, chief of staff for the Sheriff's Department.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The armed robbery suspect shot and killed by a San Jose police officer was identified as a 33-year-old San Jose resident.

Jacob Dominguez was fatally shot by a police officer following a nine-day crime spree that included a armed robbery and a drive-by shooting, authorities said Monday.

As some point we need to make sure that this crime spree ended, and unfortunately it ended with a tragic consequence, San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia said during a news conference Monday.

Dominguez, who police described as a known gang member, was fatally shot by Officer Mike Pina, an 11-year veteran of the force, during a Friday night traffic stop. He escaped police earlier in the day by driving erratic and dangerous on city streets and the highway, according to Sgt. Albert Morales, a San Jose Police Department spokesman.

Officers from the San Jose Police Departments covert response unit caught up to Dominguez shortly after 7 p.m. near Penitencia Creek and N. White roads, police said.

Garcia said Dominguez would not cooperate with officers when he was stopped, and refused to show them his hands.

The officer felt Dominguez was reaching for a weapon and discharged his weapon at Dominguez, striking him at least one time, Garcia said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured in the incident.

Police said Dominguez had past violent crime convictions involving drugs and weapons and was known to be armed. But Garcia said no gun was found on Dominguez or in his car.

A search of the subjects vehicle revealed a knife, drugs and miscellaneous items, Garcia said. No gun was found in the vehicle.

Pina was placed on paid administrative leave. Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office and the San Jose Police Department's Homicide Unit are conducting a joint criminal investigation. The San Jose Police Department's Internal Affairs Unit, the City Attorneys Office, and the Office of the Independent Police Auditor are monitoring the probe.

Anyone with more information on the case can call Detective Sgt. Bert Milliken or Detective Raul Corral of the San Jose Police Department's Homicide Unit at (408) 277-5283.

To remain anonymous, call (408) 947-STOP (7867).
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Upon arriving to work last Thursday morning, Kim Gapol, the owner of a Pleasanton shapewear and fashion store called KJCOUTURE, was at first puzzled to discover a purse lying in the middle of her store's floor. She looked up toward the mannequin that had been holding the purse and was surprised to see it was no longer in its display window.

However, what was most shocking wasn't the theft, but rather, the note that the burglar left behind, and the $200 in cash enclosed with it.

"Sorry for stealing your statue she needed a better home," it read. "You should consider better security."

The note was signed by "Love Hollywood"  likely a reference to a character in the 1987 film, "Mannequin."

"I thought it was a joke," Gapol tells SFGATE. "I called my employees and friends."

However, after no one copped to taking the mannequin, Gapol said she called the police, and then quickly made some changes to the store, including getting an alarm system and changing the store locks.

However, the shop wasn't without its mannequin for long. On Tuesday morning, Gapol realized "Hollywood" had made another visit  this time to the store's courtyard  to return the store's property. It was half naked and wearing a different shirt, she noted, from when it had first been taken, and strangely accompanying it was yet another note.

"Don't worry," the second note read. "Hollywood was a perfect gentleman."

Gapol says she didn't want to touch the returned mannequin, but after people started to visit the store, she moved it to the back. At this point, she's not sure they'll keep it.

"Maybe we'll welcome her back," she adds, "put her back in her window."

SFGATE has reached out to the Pleasanton Police Department for further details.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.


WASHINGTON  The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday abruptly postponed an interview with President Trumps longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, shortly after the publication of his opening statement, which asserted his innocence and defended the president.

Cohen was prepared to tell the committees investigators that the presidents critics were using rumors and innuendo about Russian interference in the election in an attempt to undercut Trumps presidency. But senators shut down the closed-door hearing, accusing Cohen of releasing a public statement despite requests that he refrain from public comment.

The surprising move was seen by some in Trumps camp as a sign that lawmakers wanted to control the information and prevent witnesses from telling their stories publicly. Four congressional committees and a Justice Department special counsel are investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether anyone around Trump was involved.

Witnesses in criminal investigations are allowed to defend themselves publicly, and other members of Trumps inner circle have released statements when they met with Capitol Hill investigators. Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, read a statement to reporters outside the White House.

Cohen gave Senate investigators his written statement, which was also published in several news publications including the New York Times. Cohen declared that he had no involvement with Russian election meddling and knew of nobody who did.

There are some in this country who do not care about the facts, but simply want to politicize this issue, choosing to presume guilt  rather than presuming innocence  so as to discredit our lawfully elected president in the public eye and to shame his supporters in the public square, Cohen said in the statement. This is un-American.

Less than an hour after arriving, however, Cohen and his lawyer left the hearing room. Cohens lawyer, Steve Ryan, told reporters on Capitol Hill that Cohen looked forward to answering all of their questions at a later date. Cohen largely ignored shouted questions, but told reporters, Ill be back.

The senior members of the committee, Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Mark Warner, D-Va., issued a statement saying that they would reschedule Cohens appearance and that he would appear publicly.

The committee expects witnesses in this investigation to work in good faith with the Senate, they said.

Cohen is the latest high-profile witness connected to the presidential campaign to meet with congressional investigators.

Nicholas Fandos and Matt Apuzzo are New York Times writers.
San Francisco police arrested a 37-year-old suspect in the New Years Day killing of a 35-year-old man in the citys Bayview, officials announced Tuesday.

Officers arrested Alameda resident Michael Peace on the 300 block of Bayshore Boulevard at 11:20 p.m. Thursday.
On the Northern Plains of Montana and Canada, before the arrival of humans, a demigod known as Napi, or Old Man, once roamed with his friend and rival, Coyote, according to Blackfoot tribal legend.
Montana State Parks has been a major focus of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks director Martha Williams in her relatively short tenure, and one she expects to continue.

Let me put it this way: Ive spent a lot of time on parks, but Im happy to, she said after a few months on the job. I feel like the governor has charged me with supporting and highlighting parks, and I plan on delivering on that, but its going to take time.

The state parks division of FWP drew attention from legislators and the media during the last legislative session after balance sheets showed millions of dollars went unspent and accumulated in the divisions bank account. While it had about $11.2 million in the bank, maintenance backlogs continued to rise and future spending threatened to outpace revenues.

Unlike many state agencies that rely on the general fund, FWP as an agency and Montana State Parks as a division draw funding through so-called state special revenue. For fish and wildlife, the bulk of funding comes from fishing and hunting license sales and federal excise taxes. Parks sees its funding from several sources, including bed tax and a fee on vehicle licenses.

Rather than allocating funding to parks, the Legislature authorizes the division to spend its funding. While the Legislature allowed state parks to partially spend the $11.2 million on capital projects and diverted a portion to other projects, the reasons for the unspent funding remained a mystery.

During the legislative session, lawmakers grilled Williams and other FWP officials about the budget. Legislators contacted for this story said they did not get to the bottom of the funding questions, with one saying a full explanation may never come, given employee privacy constraints.

The financial issues led to an internal investigation by the department, which FWP chief of administration Dustin Temple detailed at the last Montana State Parks and Recreation Board meeting.

Starting in fiscal year 2012, the parks division apparently went away from its traditional practice of using its own funding to pay for capital improvement projects. The division sought capital funding both from the general fund and state bonding programs  requests that were ultimately unsuccessful.

During the same time period, some funding for operations also went unspent, with no clear reason why.

FWP has maintained that those who could answer many of the questions were no longer with the agency. The former parks administrator was terminated, the former director departed and the former administration chief retired. All have declined interview requests or not returned requests for comment.

Present employees could possibly explain how the money accumulated but not why decisions were made that caused the accumulation, the agency said.

Temple, who did not administer FWPs finances until late last year, told the parks board that both capital and operations are designed to be funded by state parks revenue. The administration assumed, as an accounting practice, that allocated funding is then expended, but will no longer make that assumption, he told the board.

All of our controls have been built around expenditures, but we will no longer stop there. We will dig as deep as we need to go with resources allocated, he said.

A large ending fund in a given year is also not unusual, given that state parks takes in a large chunk of its revenue at the end of the fiscal year in August.

Accounting must look at what is actually happening with the administration division of FWP taking a more active role in not just state parks, but across the agency, Temple said, which includes looking at program expenditures each month.

What we do want to make sure is that the resources weve been given, were putting them on the ground where the people who gave them to us intended them to be put and were providing sufficient visibility into our processes, he said.

Williams believes state parks is on a positive track and says she intends to keep promises made during the legislative session, echoing Temple in accountability in spending. Lawmakers authorized nearly $6 million to capital projects at three state parks.

When we go to the Legislature and say we need this money, from the top down all of us will be so careful in tracking our progress in keeping our promises in how we spend that, that we will spend that money and spend it the way the legislature intended us to, she said.

State parks will also return to its pre-2012 practice of funding capital projects solely through its own revenues. Williams said does not anticipate asking for general fund money or bonding again.

The parks division and our budget office is all working together closely to correct some of the mistakes of the past, she said, saying operations funding must be spent and capital spending must be commensurate with available funding.

The past is not something Williams wants to focus on, saying she is interested in the opportunity to highlight parks going forward.

As FWP implements its new accounting checks, the division saw yet another shakeup earlier this summer when Gov. Steve Bullock asked the chair and vice chair of the board to step down  something that Chairman Tom Towe declined to do, before his board appointment was terminated.

Sen. Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, chairs the Senate Fish and Game Committee, which recommended confirmation of Towe as chairman in 2015. Following Towes removal, she sent a letter asking the governors office for an explanation and reason for the dismissal.

Fielder said Monday she has not received a response.

Williams was diplomatic when asked about the governors decision, saying she did not have an issue with the former makeup of the parks and recreation board, but was excited to work with the new members.

At the same time the board announcements were made, the governor and FWP rolled out a Parks in Focus initiative. The initiative aims to build support for parks and implement its strategic plan to broaden funding sources and partnerships. It will also look at the broader picture of recreation in the state, Williams said.

And Montana State Parks is looking for its new administrator  a hire Williams hopes to have in place by the end of the year. She described the ideal candidate as a team player who will seize on opportunities and bring good experience.
Keith Sutter/Smuin Dance

This would be a good time to get a preview of San Francisco Ballets Unbound: A Festival of New Works in advance of next year. Only this time, Smuin Contemporary American Ballet is the beneficiary, with a dance by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

In the Dance Series 01 that kicks off the 24th season for the company in Walnut Creek on Friday, Sept. 22, one of the dances features the West Coast premiere of Requiem for a Rose by Ochoa, one of 12 choreographers who will be participating in S.F. Ballets 2018 festival.
UC Berkeley will accommodate Free Speech Week next week, despite a dispute between the university and supporters of President Trump who are promoting the controversial program, campus officials said Monday.

The campus is preparing strong security for four days of mainly outdoor events Sunday through Wednesday featuring several speakers, including right-wing personality Milo Yiannopoulos. Missing from the lineup are Steve Bannon and Ann Coulter, far-right speakers whom Yiannopoulos had previously announced.

On Monday, Yiannopoulos insisted that Bannon and Coulter are still coming, even though neither has said publicly that they are attending.

Yiannopoulos told The Chronicle last week that each event would take place indoors, including at the 2,000-seat Zellerbach Hall. But campus spokesman Dan Mogulof said the Berkeley Patriot student group that invited Yiannopoulos missed contract deadlines that would have given UC police enough time to arrange appropriate security at the indoor sites.

Even so, the events at mostly outdoor locations for Free Speech Week can go on as planned, Mogulof said. Those include speeches by conservative and far-right political commentators at Lower Sproul Plaza, Anna Head Hall and the steps of Sproul Hall, known as the Savio Steps.

Only two of the speakers  Yiannopoulos and commentator David Horowitz  have formally confirmed with the university that they will attend, said Mogulof. The university requires speakers to confirm if they will appear. He said administrators will consider what to do about speakers who fail to do so.

The university cannot defend spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide security arrangements for events based on a schedule built on a long list of unconfirmed speakers, Mogulof said.

Yiannopoulos said Monday, Berkeley doesnt choose our list of speakers. We do. They are running a misinformation campaign to try to get the students to cancel. There is no change to our headliners. ... We will proceed, come hell or high water, inside or out.

Security is at the heart of the dispute among the campus, students and speakers.

Police have increased security measures for conservative and far-right speakers since Feb. 1, when antiright-wing rioters forced the cancellation of a Yiannopoulos speech just as it was about to begin.

The campus said the Berkeley Patriot group missed deadlines for signing contracts, paying fees and providing final details of the events.

Student Pranav Jandhyala, editor for the Berkeley Patriot news site, blamed UC Berkeley officials for being uncommunicative, not responding to emails, unable to meet, rescheduling meetings  everything they could try to do to throw sticks in the spokes.

Yiannopoulos also blames UC Berkeley, saying the campus should give them access to two large campus buildings, Wheeler Hall and Zellerbach Hall, because his group paid $65,759 on Monday to secure building space.

Mogulof said the fee arrived too late for the campus to ensure building security.

If it was so important for them to have these indoor venues, why didnt they sign the contract back in August? he said.

Yiannopoulos, the main organizer, espouses far-right views and is gay. He used an antigay slur in the title of his nationwide tour of campuses last year, including aborted visits to UC Davis and UC Berkeley.

Nearly 200 professors and graduate students are pushing an all-campus boycott during the four days of the event, citing potential violence and the need to keep students and employees safe.

This spring, a different student group, the Berkeley College Republicans, sued the University of California and UC Berkeley after a failed attempt to bring Coulter to campus. The students claim the campus is biased against conservative speakers.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov

Free Speech Week schedule

The following speeches by conservative and far-right political commentators are expected on the steps of Sproul Hall, known as the Savio Steps, amid high security:

Sunday: Noon-12:55 p.m., Miss Elaine, a Miami drag queen

Sunday: 5-6:45 p.m., Lucian Wintrich, Lisa De Pasquale and Chadwick Moore

Monday: Noon-12:55 p.m., Heather MacDonald is listed but tweeted Friday that contrary to news reports, I have not been contacted about participating in Free Speech Week at @UCBerkeley.

Monday: 5- 7 p.m., Street artist Sabo and Monica Crowley

Wednesday: Noon-12:55 p.m., Mike Cernovich

Wednesday: 5-6:55 p.m., Ariana Rowlands and politician Stelian Onufrei

Also, these conservative political commentators are listed as speaking at two other locations also under strong security:

Monday at Anna Head Hall: 7:30-9:30 p.m., Psychologist Jordan Peterson and James Damore, who was recently fired by Google for writing a memo saying men are biologically better suited for coding jobs than are women.

Tuesday in Lower Sproul Plaza: 5-7 p.m., Yiannopoulos interviews Blackwater founder Erik Prince and commentators Katie Hopkins, Pamela Geller and David Horowitz.

Update: A previous version of this article stated that Michael Malice was expected to appear in Lower Sproul Plaza at noon on Tuesday. Malice contacted The Chronicle and said he has no plans to appear.
PITTSBURGH  An Army veteran who fended off a mentally ill man who tried to attack a chess class the veteran was teaching at an Illinois public library is one of 18 people being honored with Carnegie medals for heroism.

The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, based in Pittsburgh, announced the winners on Tuesday.

James Vernon, 75, was in a conference room at the Morton Public Library with 17 children and four women when 19-year-old Dustin Brown burst in with two large knives on Oct. 13, 2015.

He actually ran into the room yelling, Im going to kill some people, Vernon told the Pekin Daily News days after the attack.

The knives were hunting-type weapons with fixed blades about 5 inches long, Vernon said.

Letting the children and women escape, Vernon then positioned himself between Brown and the door and fended off Brown until police arrived. He suffered two slashed arteries in his left hand and damaged a tendon in a finger.

Brown pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges in the attack and unrelated child pornography counts. Hes serving 32 years in prison.

The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission was founded and endowed by the late steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who was inspired by stories of heroism during a coal mine disaster that killed 181 people, including a miner and an engineer, who died trying to rescue others.

The commission investigates stories of heroism and awards medals and cash several times a year. It has given away $39.4 million to 9,971 awardees or their families since 1904.

Four of those honored Tuesday died in rescue attempts, including 10-year-old Kevin Little Jr., of Milwaukee, who died from complications of smoke inhalation three weeks after trying to rescue his 2-year-old cousin from the bedroom they shared when their house caught fire on Oct. 20, 2015.

Among other winners announced Tuesday:

Kevin L. Hestleton, 44, of Tiburon, Marin County, rescued a woman from a man with a gun and a pair of pruning shears who attacked her in her yard in San Rafael, in June 2016.

Nathan Michael Stieg, 30, and Jayden Charles Concha, 14, both of Dickinson, N.D., saved a man from drowning and unsuccessfully tried to save a man with him when their all-terrain vehicle broke through ice on Lake Sakakawea in Mandaree, N.D., in February 2016.

Merrill Naylor, 56, of Stephens City, Va., saved a 70-year-old woman from burning in her home in November 2015.

Richard William Dorrity, 64, of Livingston, Merced County, saved a passenger from burning in a pickup truck that crashed and caught fire in April 2016.

Michael Lumahang, 39, and Jesse Haw, 24, both of Ottawa, Ontario, saved a 12-year-old boy who fell into the Ottawa River while fishing in August 2014. Lumahang drowned.

John Paul Hollyfield, 56, of Accokeek, Md., saved a 6-year-old girl from being crushed by an 80-foot tree limb that fell and crushed a slide she was riding on in the Moyaone Reserve in July 2015.

 David Hammond, 64, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., saved a disabled woman from burning when her house caught fire in July 2016.

Eric Edwards, 39, of Lodi, San Joaquin County, saved a man from drowning after he was caught in a rip current in the Pacific Ocean off Watsonville (Santa Cruz County), in February 2015.

Rene Roy, 55, of Sherbrooke, Quebec, saved a man after his car crashed and burned in August 2016.

Joe Mandak is an Associated Press writer.
A mountain with Cold War ties and an historic tower in unincorporated Santa Clara County opened today to the public 31 years after an open space district bought an Air Force station at the top from the U.S. government.

Mount Umunhum, one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area at 3,486 feet, opened at 7 a.m.

"Everyone was thrilled with what they saw," said Steve Abbors, general manager of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

The district purchased the Air Force station in 1986. The mountain has often been referred to as "the resting place of the hummingbird" and is located within the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve.

The word umunhum contains the root word for hummingbird in five different Ohlone languages and some say the word is similar to the sound a hummingbird makes.

The mountain will be open each day for free to visitors who want to see great views of Silicon Valley and other parts of the Bay Area as well as participate in other activities or just relax.

More for you Mount Umunhum expected to reopen to public for first time in 60 years

While $25 million has been spent to open the mountain, one group is concerned that the historic radar tower at the top may face demolition through neglect.

The radar tower was part of the Almaden Air Force Station, which opened in 1962 and closed in 1980.

The Umunhum Conservancy has been working to preserve the tower but was not invited to the opening of the mountain, conservancy president Sam Drake said.

Santa Clara County planning manager Rob Eastwood said it's possible the open space district could neglect the tower so that it would be demolished, but said the district has made some improvements to it.

Besides learning about its history, the mountain now is a place where people can also exercise or be contemplative.

While a road goes all the way to the top, people can drive partway up and hike 3.7 miles to the top.

Bicyclist can make their way up while the less ambitious can hike a quarter-mile trail at the summit.

The summit's biology and botany is different than other places in the area because of its elevation and the mountain has a Native American past that goes back 10,000 to 15,000 years. Interpretive signs on the mountain connect people to that history, according to the open space district.

299-5792
CHICAGO  Democratic state Rep. Scott Drury says he's dropping out of the race for Illinois governor to run for attorney general.

The former federal prosecutor from Highwood said Tuesday Illinois needs an attorney general who's "fiercely independent." He said he'd step up the office's focus on fraud and corruption.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan isn't seeking re-election in 2018. The Chicago Democrat's surprise announcement Friday prompted several Democrats to say they're exploring bids, likely setting up a March primary.

Drury was the only Democrat not to vote in favor of House Speaker Michael Madigan's election to a 17th term as speaker. Madigan, who is Lisa Madigan's father, also leads the Democratic Party of Illinois.

Republican candidate Erika Harold, a lawyer and former Miss America from Urbana, picked up an endorsement Tuesday from House Republican Leader Jim Durkin.
NORMAL  Illinois State University police are investigating alleged sexual assault and revenge porn cases where, in both instances, the people met on the social search app Tinder, and communicated via Snapchat, an image messaging and multimedia mobile app.

Although the two incidents are unrelated, both encounters started with Tinder, said ISU Police Chief Aaron Woodruff, who has issued a campuswide crime advisory to address the issue.

While they're unrelated, the pattern of using Tinder is a safety concern, he told The (Bloomington) Pantagraph.

The Tinder app facilitates communication between mutually interested users.

Woodruff said on Sept. 7, a student reported to ISU Police that a man she met on Tinder and communicated with via Snapchat attempted to extort her by threatening to share nude images of herself that she sent to him.

A week later, ISU Police were notified of the alleged sexual assault that occurred early in the morning of Sept. 13 in the 300 block of North School Street. The male student allegedly met the victim on Tinder and communicated with her via Snapchat, said police.

Woodruff said when Tinder was created, to some people, it was known as what I guess you'd call a hook-up app.  It's tried to change its image to a dating app.

Both incidents remain under investigation.

There have been no arrests in either case, but Woodruff said his office is working with the McLean County States Attorneys Office on both cases.

He said Monday that the crime advisory is meant to serve as a reminder to students to be careful when using social media.

The problem seems to be if some interpret the meeting differently, he said, noting that the issue of consent comes into play.

"Make sure you have clear consent, he said.

Sexual assault is a significant concern at college campuses across the country, Woodruff said. The advisory included information and resources for students to help identify a potential dangerous situation.

Nationwide, it is estimated that 20 percent of women and 6 percent of men experience sexual assault or attempted sexual assault during their time in college.

In a study published by the Department of Justice, 82 percent of the victims were raped by someone they knew, and 18 percent were raped by a stranger.
DECATUR  In Councilman David Horn's brief tenure on the city council, the Millikin University biology professor has built a sort-of one-man environmental wing in city government.

Horn was the sole dissenting vote yesterday on a routine city contract with Soules Bird Repellent Co., a local business run by James Soules, which utilizes a secret method to rid large areas of pigeons and starlings. The city has paid the company since 2002 for bird removal in the downtown area, which Public Works Director Rick Marley said has been a concern for business owners.

Horn's concern doesn't come from the Soules family method, which has stayed a secret for decades. Instead, Horn said his issue was that no one from the Soules Bird Repellent Co. showed up at Monday's council meeting to answer questions about the contract.

The company did not respond to a Herald & Review request for comment.

The city approved the new agreement with Soules to pay $73,500 over three years to keep the downtown commercial area, Decatur Civic Center and bus depot free of the unwanted flying creatures.

"I think it's very important that representatives of companies that are in their contracts saying they are going to abide by all environmental laws be present at the council to confirm (that), and it's important that the council be assured that in fact (vendors) are aware of environmental law," Horn said.

Horn, whose research specialty is birds, brought up similar concerns in May when Brian Critchelow of Critchelow Logging Co. answered Horn in a council meeting that he was not aware of the century-old federal law known as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which sets restrictions on disrupting habitats of certain migratory bird species.

"In the contract, it indicated that the logger would abide by all environmental law, and I think that discrepancy has set a precedent in the Decatur City Council chambers that I am concerned about," Horn said.

Though Councilman Pat McDaniel has professed himself in the past as no fan of "tree huggers," he said vendors who do business with the city should show up to meetings for questions.

"(Soules) should've been here," McDaniel said.

James Soules and his late father Jimmie, both of Decatur, have received its share of media attention over years. A 2005 Chicago Tribune story dubbed Soules the "bird whisperer" for the family's mysterious yet effective craft.

Two years later, the State Journal-Register reported that Jimmie Soules said he had avitrol, a controversial bird poison, but didn't use it for his business, and said he had shot birds in the past, but in general did not use firearms in his work for the city of Springfield.

Councilman Bill Faber sided with Horn in the vote to approve the Critchelow Logging contract in May, but this time around Horn was alone.

"I think my background probably makes me the most aware of environmetal issues, so when these types of issues are raised I think I'm a little bit more aware of what the greater complexities in some of these contracts are," Horn said.

City Manager Tim Gleason said he hasn't received any concerns from local environmental groups or any residents.

"I just know it's a longstanding agreement that the city's had. I believe that this was prompted several years ago by downtown business owners experiencing the waste from a large number of birds," Gleason said.
DECATUR  Decatur Fire Department officials consider a vacant house to be a "total loss" after it was destroyed by a fire Monday afternoon.

Capt. Michael Bishop said fire crews were dispatched to 1535 E. Prairie St. at about 12:45 p.m. When they arrived to the scene, Bishop said, the whole front of the house was engulfed in flames.

No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported, Bishop said.

Three residents of a neighboring house were displaced after a wall on the burning structure caved in and fell onto it. Bishop said the American Red Cross is assisting them in finding temporary housing.

There will be an investigation of the fire, but Bishop said it was too dangerous for any investigators to enter the house immediately after it burned down.

He did not yet have a damage estimate or a cause of the fire on Monday afternoon.
Worried about the future of American theater? Look to Taylor Mac.

Macs A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, whose first two chapters played Friday, Sept. 15, and Sunday, Sept. 17, respectively, at the Curran, proves that the stage can still be home to a work of mammoth imagination and magical stagecraft, of walloping intellect and ferocious politics, of dastardly humor and mighty heart.

Its scope is staggering. The work, 24 hours in total, spends an hour on the folk songs of each of the decades of American history, from 1776 to 2016. An orchestra that begins with 24 musicians (one leaves at the end of each decade, until Macs onstage alone for the last one) plays 246 songs, all with original arrangements by Matt Ray. Mac has a new human-form-defying costume, designed by Machine Dazzle, for each decade.

The whole thing was performed sans interruption just once, at St. Anns Warehouse in New York in 2016. This version is arranged in four six-hour chapters, produced by four companies  the Curran and Stanford Live, in association with Magic Theatre and Pomegranate Arts.

Yet the numbers give only a glimpse of the shows radical ambition. Mac, who prefers the gender pronoun judy, after Judy Garland, doesnt simply excavate our racist, sexist, xenophobic and still otherwise troubled history through song. Judy interrogates it, subverts it, reappropriates it.

As witness, you are both assistant to Mac as exorcist and the demon being exorcised, which requires a different sort of contract between artist and audience. Mac performs the whole six hours without intermission or break, but that doesnt mean you have to sit still and behave the whole time.

You take care of yourself, judy instructs the audience in both chapters. I dont know how to take care of you.

Audiences keep their phones on and come and go as they please, a dynamic that transforms the grand, recently renovated Curran from a formal spectating arena to a party, a circus, a religious awakening, a free-for-all. We are not judys captive audience, so judy has to earn our attention anew in each successive moment.

Any competition is doomed from Macs entrance in Chapter I, though. Strings of flashing bulbs, by lighting designer John Torres, evoke the UFO in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Macs peacock fan of a headpiece appears, bobbing behind the orchestra, before Mac judyself does. Its an alien landing, and that alien keeps metamorphosing into new forms.

Each outfit is an anarchic cornucopia. Hot dogs, barbed wire, chess pieces, potato chip bags, nude male magazine pinups and neon plastic army soldiers line hoop skirts and necklaces and headdresses. Mac doesnt so much wear pieces as cast them into orbit, as judy teeters at the center, on platform heels.

Instead of merely studying us benighted earthlings as only an outsider can, Mac reflects us back to ourselves through a fun house mirror.

The music is twisted, too. Judys opening number, Amazing Grace, was set in a minor key, sung often in a growl, as might a witch mid-hex. In the second chapter, judy performs a Mikado set on Mars, complete with an all-neon palette and Alvin and the Chipmunks voices, to counter the orientalism of the Gilbert and Sullivan original. Those distortions let us hear with fresh ears Camptown Races and Yankee Doodle and When Johnny Comes Marching Home, jingles that you know without knowing how you know them, that are interstitial to the fabric of our consciousness as Americans.

To conjure the historical feelings that gave birth to these songs  the headiness of the American Revolution, the nastiness of Civil War combat, the frenzy for property during Oklahomas land runs  Mac rallies different sections of the audience as might Poseidon summoning waves. Youre commanded to fling pingpong balls across the theater, or to mime a slow-motion battle with your neighbor, a dirty one, complete with groin punches and bitch slaps. Youre asked to spend an hour blindfolded, as a War of 1812 vet who lost his eyesight, during which you feed strangers fruit, and get squeezed in between their bellies and jabbed by their elbows.

Its uncomfortable, and its supposed to be. Is there any other way to feel when Mac uncovers a verse of Kentuckys state song that includes the word darkies? Mac is an expert scorer of discomfort: acknowledging that the audience is probably feeling it, without letting them off the hook for it.

Macs renditions remind us that these songs are never just songs. We use them to tell ourselves stories about who we are and where we come from. Often, songs subtle goals trace a similar arc: Forgive the oppressor, but vilify the outsider. In picking apart these narratives, halting a song mid-lyric to make fun of it, or to deliver a full exegesis, Mac reverses songs original projects. Judy topples oppressors to exalt outsiders. When you leave the theater, you feel ready to rebuild a more just and thoughtful society from the ruins.

Lily Janiak is The San Francisco Chronicles theater critic. Email: ljaniak@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LilyJaniak

Chapters I and II of A 24-Decade History of Popular Music: By Taylor Mac. Co-directed by Mac and Niegel Smith. Friday and Sunday, Sept. 15 and 17, at the Curran Theatre, S.F.

Chapters III and IV of A 24-Decade History of Popular Music: Friday and Sunday, Sept. 22 and 24. $49-$285. Curran Theatre, 445 Geary St., S.F. (415) 358-1220. www.sfcurran.com
ST. LOUIS  Police used a technique called kettling on Sunday night to box in about 100 people at a busy downtown St. Louis intersection and arrest them for failing to disperse.

Its a tactic used to corral a group of people who fail to follow police orders. St. Louis Police took the action after several windows were broken and concrete planters and trash cans overturned.

But some of those caught in the box made by rows of officers said police overstepped their bounds, using excessive force and chemical spray on people who were not protesting, including residents trying to get home and members of the media. As police closed in from all sides, they struck their batons in unison on the pavement, in a cadence march.

Tony Rice, an activist who goes by Search4Swag on Twitter, said he was shocked by the police behavior.

It was the most brutal arrest Ive ever experienced in my life, Rice said. I thought I was going to die.

He said he could not lie prone on the ground, as ordered, because he had his bike with him.

Rice said his neck was being pressed against part of his bike, and told the officers: I cant breathe I cant breathe.

Those bused to the jail seemed confused by what was happening, Rice said. Pedestrians were arrested along with legal observers, protesters, a freelance photographer and a doctor, he said.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Mike Faulk was caught in the kettle Sunday night. A line of bike cops formed across Washington Avenue, east of Tucker Boulevard and police in helmets carrying shields and batons blocked the other three sides of the intersection at Tucker and Washington. Faulk heard the repeated police command, Move back. Move back. He had nowhere to go.

The police lines moved forward, trapping dozens of people  protesters, journalists, area residents and observers alike. Multiple officers knocked Faulk down, he said, and pinned his limbs to the ground. A firm foot pushed his head into the pavement. Once he was subdued, he recalled, an officer squirted pepper spray in his face.

Police loaded Faulk into a van holding about eight arrestees and took him to the city jail on Tucker, just a few blocks to the south. He arrived about midnight and was released about 1:30 p.m. Monday after posting a $50 bond. Faulk was charged with failure to disperse, a municipal charge.

Nigel Jernigan, 27, a cook from Jennings, Missouri, said he came downtown around 9 p.m. Sunday to join others protesting the not-guilty verdict in the case of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley, accused of murdering Anthony Lamar Smith.

In doing so, he got caught up in the sweep by police. He said he saw officers hit and roughhouse people around him on the ground who wouldnt put their hands behind their backs.

Most of the people who didnt have their hands behind their backs were making sure they werent pepper sprayed in the face, he said.

Jernigan said he put his face to the concrete. He said he heard police chant and yell even though the majority of the protesters were already terrified from being cornered and not allowed to leave.

Dellicia Jones, 23, said she and her boyfriend were also caught up in the sweep. She said she hadnt participated in any of the earlier protests but wanted to see what was happening Sunday night.

She and her boyfriend parked on Washington Avenue and joined other people who were mostly standing around and talking, Jones said. After about 30 minutes, police began advancing while banging their batons on the ground in unison.

She and her boyfriend were quickly boxed in. When we tried to walk one way, they came at us with pepper spray and batons and told us to go the other way, Jones said, but they had nowhere to turn.

Jones said she wasnt treated roughly by the officers who arrested her but she saw others who were hit with pepper spray and some who were slammed to the ground.

She thinks police were too harsh in how they swept in on the protesters.

It was nowhere near right, at all, Jones said a few hours after she was released from the City Justice Center. She had spent about 15 hours there and was among the many charged with failure to disperse.

Controversial tactic

Kettling has been used across the country as well as in Europe to diffuse violent situations, which is how police described their Sunday night actions. After several hours of peaceful protests, which started at police headquarters west of downtown, the group of about 1,000 people moved to the St. Louis University campus and then back to the police station. Then a group peeled off and headed downtown, where several windows of businesses were broken, and concrete planters and trash cans overturned. Police warned protesters several times to disperse, saying it was no longer a peaceful assembly.

Tony Rothert, legal director of the American Civil Liberties of Missouri, said his office has been busy fielding complaints and been in contact with Mayor Lyda Krewsons office as well as Interim Police Chief James OToole regarding what Rothert called inappropriate police behavior.

Were exploring whether litigation will be necessary to bring police in line with the Constitution, Rothert said.

He said examples of questionable behavior by police include use of chemical sprays and ordering people to stop recording officers and to delete images they had already taken.

And then engaging in kettling, which caused people who were doing nothing wrong to be detained and arrested along with those who were breaking the law, Rothert said. It has been used infamously and does very often bring in journalists, legal observers and innocent bystanders. It was used at the presidential inauguration (in January) in D.C., and in New York during Occupy Wall Street. Its really a military tactic for controlling crowds and controversial because it leads to constitutional violations.

Rothert said he is unaware of it ever being used in St. Louis before Sunday night and I dont recall it ever happening during Ferguson or any of the other protests of police shootings.

The St. Louis Police Department said the design of the area downtown St. Louis prompted their actions Sunday night.

The geographical layout of the area, and not a technique, dictated how tactics were deployed, a police spokesman said in a statement Monday.

Police said anyone who wants to make a complaint about officer misconduct can contact the Internal Affairs Division at slmpd.org, 314-444-5652 or in person at Police Headquarters, 1915 Olive Boulevard.

Used in Portland

In November 2014, when it was announced that a grand jury would not indict former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, protests broke out across the country, including in Portland, where kettling was used to control a crowd of about 100 demonstrators. Ten people were arrested for disorderly conduct or interfering with police, but prosecutors dismissed the cases.

A citizen review board determined that orders by police brass to have officers corral and arrest the group of protesters was unlawful. The board investigated after about 40 complaints were made to the citys Independent Police Review Division, a part of the city auditors office.

Constantin Severe, director of the Independent Police Review, said those who complained said there was a lack of articulation by officers as to what the demonstrators were doing wrong. And without that component, police were wrong in kettling the group, which makes it impossible for anyone boxed in by police officers to leave, he said.

Severe said that after the findings, the Portland Police Department vowed to use the kettling procedure rarely, and stopped for nearly two years. They resumed the practice after Donald Trump was elected president, which launched several protests in Portland including one in June where kettling was used again.

Those on the protest side say (kettling) is killing our First Amendment rights, Severe said.

Police say its an effective way to defuse a volatile situation without resorting to violence. Portland is reviewing police policy on crowd containment, he said.

David Klinger, a criminal justice professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said that kettling serves a lawful purpose when crowds disobey police orders to leave an area. Those who have done nothing wrong should not pick that particular time to try to wage a debate with officers.

If you are in a crowd and next to a guy that is breaking the law and police say its an unlawful assembly, you are going to get scooped up if you dont leave, said Klinger, a former Los Angeles police officer.

He said many of those protesting have done so before and know that in a volatile situation, ignoring failures to disperse typically leads to arrest.

This is no time to play the victim game, Klinger said. Its time to leave.

Nassim Benchaabane, Robert Patrick, Jesse Bogan and Erin Heffernan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar  Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and de facto leader of Myanmar, stood before a room of government officials and foreign dignitaries on Tuesday to at last, after weeks of international urging, address the plight of the countrys Rohingya ethnic minority.

But those who expected Suu Kyi to eloquently acknowledge a peoples oppression were disappointed.

In her speech, delivered in crisp English and often directly inviting foreign listeners to join us in addressing Myanmars problems, she steadfastly refused to criticize the Myanmar military, which has been accused of a vast campaign of killing, rape and village burning.

The security forces have been instructed to adhere strictly to the code of conduct in carrying out security operations, to exercise all due restraint and to take full measures to avoid collateral damage and the harming of innocent civilians, she said.

As she spoke, more than 400,000 Rohingya, a Muslim minority long repressed by the Buddhists who dominate Myanmar, had fled a military massacre that the United Nations has called a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. The lucky ones are suffering in makeshift camps in Bangladesh where there is not nearly enough food or medical aid.

Suu Kyi tried to mollify her critics by saying she was committed to restoring peace and the rule of law.

We condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence, she said. We feel deeply for the suffering of all the people caught up in the conflict.

But, asking why the world did not acknowledge the progress made in her country, she also boasted that Muslims living in the violence-torn area had ample access to health care and radio broadcasts. And she expressed uncertainty about why Muslims might be fleeing the country, even as she sidestepped evidence of widespread abuses by the security forces by saying there had been allegations and counter-allegations.

Richard C. Paddock and Hannah Beech are New York Times writers.
BEIRUT  Insurgents led by an al Qaeda-linked group launched one of their widest offensives yet Tuesday against Syrian pro-government forces, which responded with heavy air strikes targeting hospitals and first responders.

Pro-government media said the air strikes targeted insurgent supply lines from the northwestern Idlib province, a stronghold of the al Qaeda-linked group.

Opposition activists and rescue workers said at least two civilians were killed. They said two hospitals, and two centers used by volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets, were rendered non-operational.

The offensive tests a newly announced de-escalation zone in Idlib, the latest of four such areas declared by Russia and Iran, which support the Syrian government, and Turkey, which backs the rebels. Fighting has largely subsided in the other three zones, near Damascus, in the central Homs province and in southern Syria.

The de-escalation zones have freed up Syrian troops and allied militias to battle the Islamic State in the eastern Deir el-Zour province and other areas.

The Syrian government-affiliated Central Military Media outlet acknowledged the insurgent offensive just south of Idlib and said forces responded with intensive air strikes and shelling, killing a number of insurgents.

Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said air strikes pummeled the front line but also targeted southern Idlib, hitting at least four medical centers.

The opposition-run Qasioun News Agency said two hospitals were knocked out of service because of the strikes. The White Helmets, also known as the Syrian Civil Defense,counted at least 40 air strikes in the area since early Tuesday.

Abdurrahman said the offensive is the widest so far targeting the government-held city of Hama. He said thousands of fighters, led by the al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies, including Chinese fighters of the Turkistan Islamic Party, took part in the offensive. He said the Alezzah Army, a rebel group formerly backed by the United States, was fighting alongside the other insurgents.

Sarah El Deeb is an Associated Press writer.
TIJUANA, Mexico  Jose Luis Millan found a new crop of star employees at an upscale Tijuana car wash where customers cross the border from the U.S. to pay up to $950 to have their prized possessions steamed and scrubbed for hours. Theyre never late, always hustle and come in on days off to learn new skills, traits that he says make them a model for their Mexican counterparts.

They are among several thousand Haitians who came to Mexicos northwest corner hoping to cross the border before the U.S. abruptly closed its doors last year. The Mexican government has welcomed them, with a visa program that helps them fill the need for labor in Tijuanas growing economy.

In a country whose population is 1 percent black, Tijuanas Haitians stand out. They share tight living quarters, sending much of their meager wages to support family in Haiti. Haitians earn far less than they would in the United States but enough to forsake the risk of getting deported by heading north.

Two new Haitian restaurants downtown serve dishes with mangoes and mashed plantains. Dozens of Haitian children attend public schools. Factories that export to the U.S. recruit Haitians, who can also be found waiting tables and worshiping at congregations that added services in Creole.

Its the Mexican dream for many of them, a sense that they belong, Millan said. Mexico has given them opportunity. Mexico has opened up and let them achieve their dreams.

Millan, who lived in the Los Angeles area for two decades until he was forced to leave last year for employing dozens of people illegally at his party planning company, sees parallels to Mexicans in the U.S. Their teamwork sets an example.

Haitians, he says, fight hard, fight strong, and they dont stop.

The Haitians took an accidental route from their impoverished Caribbean homeland to Tijuana, a city of about 2 million that borders San Diego and also has large pockets of Chinese and Korean immigrants.

Brazil and its neighbors took in the Haitians after that countrys 2010 earthquake. As construction jobs for the 2016 Summer Olympics ended and Brazil descended into political turmoil, they crossed 10 countries by plane, boat, bus and on foot to San Diego, where U.S. authorities let them in on humanitarian grounds.

Then President Barack Obama shifted course in September and started deporting Haitian arrivals. Many decided to call Mexico home.

The Mexican government is giving Haitians one-year, renewable visas that allow them to work but not bring family. Rodulfo Figueroa, the regions top immigration official, says Mexico is practicing what it asks of the U.S. and other countries.

We believe that theres a humanitarian case to be made for these people to find better lives in Mexico, said Figueroa, the National Migration Institutes delegate in Baja California state.

Elliot Spagat is an Associated Press writer.
1 Military might: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday attended the weeklong war games with Belarus that have demonstrated the Russian militarys resurgent might and made neighboring countries nervous. Putin observed the Zapad (which means West) 2017 drills  tank attacks, airborne assaults and air raids that got under way Thursday  at the Luzhsky range in western Russia, about 60 miles east of Estonias border. As part of the maneuvers, the Russian military test-fired its state-of-the-art cruise missile at a mock target in Kazakhstan, showcasing the weapons extended range. Some nervous NATO members, including the Baltic states and Poland, have criticized an alleged lack of transparency about the war games and questioned Moscows intentions.

2 Kurdish referendum: Iraqs Supreme Court in Baghdad on Monday temporarily suspended the northern Kurdish regions referendum on independence set for Sept. 25, a decision that put further pressure on the Iraqi Kurds to call off the controversial vote. It was not immediately clear if the local government in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region would abide by the courts ruling. The Iraq government and the United States  a key ally of the Kurds  fear that the vote could contribute to instability.
ASX-listed 9 Spokes International shares rose 9.5 percent after the software developer signed a deal with Royal Bank of Canada for the North American bank to provide a white-label version of the company's platform.

The RBC contract is Auckland-based 9 Spokes' first channel partner in North America, boosting its channel addressable market to 2.75 million small and medium-sized enterprises from 2 million. RBC is one of Canada's largest banks and has more than 30 percent of the North American nation's SME market.

The New Zealand firm's channel partners pay a fee to offer the 9 Spokes platform, which SMEs can use to aggregate their cloud computing apps in one place and track financial and non-financial information against their peers in real time. The channel partners effectively take on the sales and marketing function for 9 Spokes, putting the firm's product in front of customers, and in turn developing a deeper relationship with those SMEs.

"It's a significant deal both from a numeric perspective, but also importantly it's our first foothold in the Americas market where we plan to have a significant presence," co-founder Adrian Grant told BusinessDesk. "We have a hub in the UK, we now have a hub in the North American market, and that means we can build out from that position of strength with essentially a paying customer being the Royal Bank of Canada."

The shares climbed 1 Australian cent to 11.5 cents, down from the 20 cent price in 9 Spokes initial public offering last year.

Grant said 9 Spokes pursues customers through its' own brand but also wants to build the total addressable market through banking channel partners to about 10 million. The channel partnerships let 9 Spokes enter new markets at a cash flow neutral basis at worst, he said. 9 Spokes' other channel partners are Barclays Bank and Propel by Deloitte in the UK and Suncorp Group in Australia.

The company took about seven months to close the deal with RBC and is also looking broker new relationships with several US institutions.

Grant said the company is "probably a little behind where we would have ideally liked to have been on channel partners" because negotiations with large institutions take longer to close, with the Barclays deal taking 18 months. Still, he said he was more optimistic about the next three-to-six months.

(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:

RAK 1H23 Results Business Update Webcast & Teleconference

AoFrio appoints new Vice President of Product

HFL - Annual report for the year ended 31 August 2022

Rob Buchanan resigns from Manawa Energy

Channel Infrastructure announces change in CEO

AIA Provision of Financial Assistance - Employee Share Plan

THL - Apollo shareholders approve merger

TWL - TradeWindow and EMA partner-up to build export capability

November 14th Morning Report

The Warehouse Group FY23 First Quarter Sales Update


Alliance Group, New Zealand's second-largest meat cooperative, has bought Singapore-based marketing and sales company Goldkiwi Asia for an undisclosed amount.

The two companies have worked together for more than 25 years, with Goldkiwi Asia key in building Alliance Group's presence in China and South East Asia. Alliance general manager of sales Murray Brown said the meat company bought the marketing business to communicate directly with customers.

"Globally, around all our markets we want a more sales-focused business so we can get more understanding and get closer to the market," Brown said. "There are new channels, developing channels for distribution, and the next stage is that we need to understand consumers more."

Goldkiwi's six staff will transfer to Alliance Asia, the new name for the business. Brown said the company is trying to drive the sales of high-end added-value products, having already had success in selling meat for hot pot and meatballs in China through its partnership with Grand Farm. The market is ready to try new products, but Alliance's focus is to ensure control over the supply chain, particularly for cold storage for its meat, he said.

"The Asian business continues to grow - China's significant, but all of Asia is quite an important sector for the bottom line," Brown said. "We've got technical staff there at the moment, a chilled container arrived and we've got a skilled person on the ground showing them how to handle and control the product. The understanding of food safety and hygiene has moved a long way, it's a key part of the attributes of the product."

Brown declined to say how much Alliance paid for Goldkiwi, but said buying the business was "very cost-efficient" because intellectual property and goodwill isn't as expensive as a bricks-and-mortar operation.

(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:

RAK 1H23 Results Business Update Webcast & Teleconference

AoFrio appoints new Vice President of Product

HFL - Annual report for the year ended 31 August 2022

Rob Buchanan resigns from Manawa Energy

Channel Infrastructure announces change in CEO

AIA Provision of Financial Assistance - Employee Share Plan

THL - Apollo shareholders approve merger

TWL - TradeWindow and EMA partner-up to build export capability

November 14th Morning Report

The Warehouse Group FY23 First Quarter Sales Update


Fletcher Building has started to refresh its boardroom with the departure of two directors and says it wants their replacements to have construction and contracting experience.

Director John Judge, who is chair of the board's audit & risk committee, will end a nine-year tenure at the company's annual meeting next month and Kate Spargo, who joined in 2012, will retire immediately, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. That leaves the Fletcher board with six directors, and it has started a process "to extend its skills and experience, particularly in the area of construction and contracting," the company said.

Last month, Fletcher chairman Ralph Norris said the board would be refreshed as part of a normal rotation when fronting the company's annual results after chief executive Mark Adamson was dumped. Profit slumped after two major construction projects blew out, although the rest of Fletcher's workbook is seen having positive margins.

Norris today said Judge made a "significant contribution" during his time, while Spargo particular input in the company's health and safety governance.

Bruce Hassall will assume the chair of the audit & risk committee while Cecilia Tarrant will take over as chair of the safety, health and environment & sustainability committee.

Fletcher shares last traded at $8.17 and have dropped 23 percent so far this year, compared with a 13 percent gain for the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 Index.

(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:

RAK 1H23 Results Business Update Webcast & Teleconference

AoFrio appoints new Vice President of Product

HFL - Annual report for the year ended 31 August 2022

Rob Buchanan resigns from Manawa Energy

Channel Infrastructure announces change in CEO

AIA Provision of Financial Assistance - Employee Share Plan

THL - Apollo shareholders approve merger

TWL - TradeWindow and EMA partner-up to build export capability

November 14th Morning Report

The Warehouse Group FY23 First Quarter Sales Update


WASHINGTON  As grieving family members watched, top Navy leaders and lawmakers on Tuesday said frequent extended deployments, delayed maintenance, reductions in crew sizes and nearly a decade of budget constraints have strained the U.S. Navy, possibly contributing to two ship collisions that killed 17 sailors. One of those killed was a Harristown native Logan Palmer, whose parents attended the hearing.

"I am accountable for the safe and effective operations of our Navy, and we will fix this. I own this problem," Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, told the Senate Armed Services Committee as distraught family members looked on. "I'm confident that our Navy will identify the root causes and correct them, and that it will be better in the end."

The hearing, however, broadly condemned the deadly accidents as preventable, and Sen. John McCain, the committee chairman, demanded immediate action.

"It is simply unacceptable for U.S. Navy ships to run aground or collide with other ships  and to have four such incidents in the span of seven months is truly alarming," said McCain, R-Arizona. Speaking directly to Richardson, he said that some fixes could be done now, without long studies or review.

Sailors "should not be working 100 hours a week," said McCain, who at the start of the hearing introduced all the family members in the audience and asked them to stand. "That's common sense that doesn't require a study." He told Richardson to make immediate changes to reduce the strain.

Richardson, the Navy's top officer, said he can't yet draw a direct link between those problems and the ship crashes, and instead said commanders are ultimately responsible for ensuring their forces are combat ready and operating safely and effectively.

Palmer, 23, a Sangamon Valley High School graduate, was an interior communications electrician on the the USS John S. McCain, which collided with an oil tanker in Southeast Asia on Aug. 21, leaving 10 U.S. sailors dead and five injured. The cause is still under investigation.

Hundreds lined his funeral procession route in Decatur on Sept. 11, and his parents, Sid Palmer and Theresa Palmer, on Tuesday attended the committee hearing. They were not available to comment for this story.

The Palmers were among about a dozen family members of sailors who died on the McCain and the USS Fitzgerald, which struck a container ship in waters off Japan in June. Seven sailors died in that incident.

Through much of the hearing, the families sat grimly but quietly in their seats.

"Your presence here today reminds us of our sacred obligation to look after the young people who volunteer to serve in the military," said McCain, who -- along with the Navy leaders -- met and offered condolences to a number of the family members.

During the hearing, McCain also noted that, with three of the ships involved in the collisions now out of service for months, "there are serious questions about our maritime readiness to fight in response to North Korean, Chinese, and Russian aggression."

The USS John S. McCain is named after the committee chairman's father and grandfather, but the Arizona Republican also served in the Navy.

Members of the committee were quick to pin some responsibility for the accidents on Congress, which has relied on stopgap spending measures for the past eight years, forcing the services to shift money from modernization and training accounts in order to fund current missions.

They said they believe that reductions in training time have contributed to the accidents.

Congress has to provide adequate funding to take care of service members, said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

Navy Secretary Richard Spencer noted that over time Congress has added training and other requirements to the force, likening it to piling more and more rocks into a rucksack.

"No one is taking a rock out and the rucksack is getting pretty damn heavy," he said.

John Pendleton, an expert on defense readiness issues with the Government Accountability Office, said ships based in Japan have failed to keep up with required warfare certifications and reductions in ship crew sizes has led to longer working hours, including the 100-hour weeks. And he said he is skeptical the Navy will be able to make needed gains in readiness until aggressive deployment schedules and other demands on the force are decreased.

The high tempo in ship operations in the Pacific has forced Navy crews to squeeze in training where possible, and led to some sailors working 100-hour weeks, leaving them little time to rest, officials said.

Richardson told the panel that the Navy has taken a series of steps to review safety standards, ship certifications and readiness of the force. The increased scrutiny includes ensuring that sailors are well qualified to stand watch and that commanders address "fatigue concerns" and make sure their forces get enough sleep.

Already the Navy has fired six senior officers, including the commander of America's Japan-based 7th Fleet, citing a loss of confidence in their ability to command.
EDWARDSVILLE  Police at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are investigating two incidents on campus last week, one that involved a racist note left on a students on-campus apartment door.

Sophomore Lamone Stansbury saw the note on his way back from dinner with friends on campus Sept. 13. It read: Filthy (plural N-word).

The economics and finance major from Chicago, said he was floored.

I dont think Ive ever experienced blatant racism like that, he said. SIUE police have since taken the note and are looking for who wrote the message.

Stansbury is frustrated that it took took two days before he heard back from campus leaders, but the college sophomore says he has since received an outpouring of support from faculty, staff and administrators offering up office hours and open doors to talk.

University leaders are putting plans in place to have counselors available immediately for victims of hate, like Stansbury. That was one of several items on a work-in-progress list sent out the campus community, condemning the racist note as well as another incident that happened during the overnight hours the previous weekend.

A campus spokesman said SIUEs facilities crews reported that someone painted a confederate flag on The Rock, a campus staple thats literally a boulder on the quad that student groups paint to promote events.

Two recent incidents, one at Cougar Village and one in the University core, occurred when unidentified individuals posted symbols and racist language toward African Americans that demonstrate racial intolerance or signify hate and oppression, and defy our values and expectations, the campus-wide email said.

Another administration action item was working on creating a response team to handle hate crimes on campus.

This disrespectful behavior is unacceptable and has no place at SIUE, the email said.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, mainly cloudy during the afternoon with a few showers. High 59F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low around 40F. Winds N at 15 to 25 mph.
Relatives and supporters of Garo Yegnukian (now on trial for complicity in the seizure of a Yerevan police building in July 2016 by the armed Sasna Dzrer group) detained earlier today at Republic Square in Yerevan for attempting to display photos of and distribute leaflets about political prisoners in Armenia to those attending the 6th Pan-Armenian Armenia-Diaspora Conference now taking place in Yerevan, have been released.

Those detained were Garo Yegnukians children Hagop, Hripsimeh and Elmon, his wife Rouzanna, and Aghavni Sahakyan and Geghetsik Tonoyan from the Armenian Womens Front (AWF).

According to Syuzan Simonyan, an AWF member, when the above individuals asked police why they had been detained, the police responded that they been tipped off that Rouzanna Yegnukian and her children intended to place a bomb in the square.

Police refused to provide more specifics to Hetq.

Tigran Hayrapetyan, the Yegnukian family lawyer, told Hetq that it took the police four hours to search the detainees after being transferred to a local police station.

The lawyer points out that if the police actually believed that Rouzanna and her kids were carrying a bomb to place in Yerevans central square, they wouldnt have waited four hours to search them.
A new cooking class/ event space called delecTable is connected to Vom Fass and has its grand opening this week at 3248 University Ave.
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
On Tuesday, the Dane County Immigration Coalition announced that it received a $100,000 grant from the Vera Institute of Justice to help defend immigrants in danger of deportation.
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.
Best Canadian Blog

2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

About Kate

Why this blog?

Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked.

This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio - "You don't speak for me."

(goes to a private mailserver in Europe) I can't answer or use every tip, but all are appreciated!



Katewerk Art

Support SDA

I am not a registered charity. I cannot issue tax receipts.



Want lies?

Hire a regular consultant.

Want truth?

Hire an asshole.





The Proper Procedure



Poor Richard's Retirement



Trump The Establishment

Weather Shop

Click to inquire about rates.

Dow Jones

What They Say About SDA

"Smalldeadanimals doesn't speak for the people of Saskatchewan" Former Sask Premier Lorne Calvert

"I got so much traffic after your post my web host asked me to buy a larger traffic allowance." Dr.Ross McKitrick

Holy hell, woman. When you send someone traffic, you send someone TRAFFIC. My hosting provider thought I was being DDoSed. - Sean McCormick

"The New York Times link to me yesterday [...] generated one-fifth of the traffic I normally get from a link from Small Dead Animals." Kathy Shaidle

"Thank you for your link. A wave of your Canadian readers came to my blog! Really impressive." Juan Giner - INNOVATION International Media Consulting Group

I got links from the Weekly Standard, Hot Air and Instapundit yesterday - but SDA was running at least equal to those in visitors clicking through to my blog. Jeff Dobbs

"You may be a nasty right winger, but you're not nasty all the time!" Warren Kinsella

"Go back to collecting your welfare livelihood."Michael E. Zilkowsky

Intelliweather

Seismic Map

Comments Policy

Read this

Best Of SDA

Hide The Decline

The Bottle Genie

(ClimateGate links)

You Might Be A Liberal

Uncrossing The Line

Bob Fife: Knuckledragger

A Modest Proposal (NP)

Settled Science Series

Y2Kyoto Series

SDA: Reader Occupation Survey

Brett Lamb Sheltered Workshop

Flakes On A Plane

All Your Weather Are Belong To Us

Song Of The Sled

The Raise A Flag Debacle

(Now on Youtube!)

(.mwv Video)

Abuse Ruins Life Of Girl

Trudeaupiate

Kleptocrat Jeans

Child Labour

I Concede

Small Dead Feminist

Protein Hoser: THK Interview

The Werewolf Extinction

Dear Laura (VRWC)

We Wait

Blogging The Oscars

Jackson Converts To Islam

Just Shut The HELL Up

Manipulating Condi

Gay Equality Rights


Morning briefing: After Foxconn bill signing, some Mount Pleasant residents worry theyll have to give up their homes
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(0x5612f06fc210)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0787c70)', '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(0x5612f06fc210)') 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(0x5612f0787c70)') 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(0x5612f06aad18)') 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(0x5612f0787c70)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0787c70)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ea28f020)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0806f20)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0806f20)') 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(0x5612f03d0a80)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f05bb108)', '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(0x5612f03d0a80)') 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(0x5612f05bb108)') 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(0x5612f043b8b0)') 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(0x5612f05bb108)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f05bb108)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e1d7ece8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f05ee030)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f05ee030)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
Representatives from the Canberra greyhound racing industry are set to boycott a meeting with the government about a transition package before the sport is banned next year.

Canberra Greyhound Racing Club chair Alan Tutt wrote to the head of the Greyhound Industry Transition Taskforce Leesa Croke to inform her no one from the club or local industry would attend any transition meetings or taskforce events.

Chairman Canberra Greyhound Racing Club Alan Tutt, three-year-old greyhound fan Kree Gibbs, with retired greyhound Porsha, and Martina Taliano, co-ordinator of Canberra Region Greyhound Connections Group with retired greyhound Sadie. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

"The ACT industry members will reject any offers of transition and, instead, we will fight any proposed ban in the courts if necessary," Mr Tutt wrote.

Mr Tutt said a meeting scheduled for 1.30pm on Tuesday clashed with race commitments in Goulburn and was further evidence attempts to engage the industry were "half-hearted" and "tokenistic"
The club last week submitted its latest development application for its block on Donaldson and Torrens streets in Braddon, for 140 new dwellings across 11 separate buildings on the site, works expected to cost some $46.9 million.

Such waivers have been a sore point for the territory government since Mr Barr gave the Brumbies rugby union club 'in-principle' support for a waiver of a $7.5 million 'change of use' charge in 2012.

But Chief Minister Andrew Barr has said he is not inclined to support a waiver on the Raiders development proposal, even if it is formally lodged.

The Canberra Raiders are expected to seek a potential $3.6 million tax break on the club's proposed $46 million Braddon apartment complex.

To make way for the development, if approved, the club's lease on the land would need to be changed to allow residential and non-residential commercial uses on the land.

That change would attract what would be a multi-million dollar lease variation charge (LVC), to change the use of the land, that the club would need to pay the government.

Planning documents lodged with the ACT's Planning and Land Authority show Knight Frank in June this year valued the land at $7.7 million before the development and $12.5 million afterwards.

Under the authority's LVC calculation formula for changes under section 277 of the Planning and Development Act, the Raiders would likely face a $3.6 million charge if the development was approved.

Canberra Raiders chief executive Simon Hawkins said the club will consider applying for a waiver of the charge, but it has not made a final decision yet, given the official amount had not been decided.
Spiking someone's drink or food could land you in jail for up to five years, under new laws that passed the ACT Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

Prosecutors will no longer need to prove intent of further offending in order to charge someone with drink spiking, although they will need to show there was an intent to harm.

A mother has warned young women to watch their drinks after her daughter had hers spiked this month. Credit:Simon O'Dwyer

That means people who put extra alcohol in their friend's drink are unlikely to be risking jail time or a $75,000 fine.

However Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay said it could mean giving someone a stronger mixed drink than they asked for on a first date could be a criminal act.
"Stay well clear of retirement villages," say the families of residents and former residents at Berkeley Living, a retirement village that saw state authorities forced to intervene on Friday evening after unpaid staff walked out.

What is equally shocking is that the retirement village has been dogged with issues for years, yet the regulators have been missing in action.

Earlier this month Fairfax Media revealed that Berkeley, run by convicted criminal Stephen Snowden, stands accused of not paying more than 30 families when the units sold. In some cases they were on-sold to new residents, who didn't get paid when the units were re-sold. Snowden denies the allegations and has called the families "scumbags". He denies not paying staff.

The goings-on at Berkeley Living might sound extreme but they are a symptom of what can go wrong when a sector is poorly regulated. There's no ombudsman, no mandatory accreditation system and no regulatory oversight of village finances or changes in operators. Nor is there any regulation of exit fees.
The Liddell Power Station in the Hunter Valley. Credit:Janie Barrett She added that a number of similar projects had been carried out in Britain. During the tour, AGL Macquarie head of operations Kevin Taylor outlined the importance of the site's existing transmission infrastructure as one reason that repurposing or repowering was a strong potential option. Energy industry pundits are split on the likely future of Liddell beyond 2022. Most believe the company is unlikely to relent to the government's request to extend the operation beyond its closure, but many are forecasting a shift to repurposing the site. "A gas installation at Liddell is a real alternative," an unnamed energy industry insider told Fairfax Media.

"These conversions have happened in a few places around the world. We've seen it happen before with the Tallawarra Power Station." Tallawarra operated as a coal-fired plant from 1961 to 1989 in Shellharbour, in NSW. A new gas-fired plant was rebuilt on the site to ensure energy reliability to the region. The move came as Opposition leader Bill Shorten slammed the government's position on Liddell and gas. "The energy crisis we're facing right now is bigger than one power plant  it's a national problem that demands a national solution," Mr Shorten said. He called on Turnbull to "pull the trigger" on gas export control, and to improve the Australian Energy Market Organisation's gas pricing information, as recommended under the Finkel Review.

Doing so will help ensure more Australian gas, above and beyond Santos' dedicated 30 petajoules, stays in Australia both to solve the growing energy crisis, and improve market conditions for Australian manufacturers looking to secure long-term energy contracts. "What on earth are they waiting for?" Mr Shorten said. "They have had the power in their hands for months now and has done nothing. We need Australian gas for Australian jobs - and the Turnbull government is letting it go overseas." AGL operates the 50 megawatt Hunter Valley gas-fired power station and the Newcastle Gas Storage Facility (NGSF), about 120 kilometres south-east of Liddell. Tallawarra is capable of processing up to 66,5000 tonnes of LNG a year. AGL also operates the Torrens facility, the largest gas-fired power station in Australia. The energy insider said, if Liddell became gas powered, it would mean AGL would retain control of the entire chain, which could also create a headache for regulators.

"They'll produce the gas, send it to themselves, then generate power for the end consumer," he said. "Only week ago  after meeting with Andy Vesey  the Commonwealth Government announced it had directed the AER to 'make sure electricity generators are playing by the rules'. "If there is a suspicion that AGL is currently gaming the system, then having it gain control of another part of the supply chain, such as the gas supply to a large, AGL-owned gas-fired plant at Liddell, would seem to invite more opportunities for price manipulation." This was dismissed by the ACCC, which did not believe AGL closing its upstream and downstream supply for power generation and retail would be anti-competitive under the Competition and Consumer Act. AGL has previously tried to expand its gas operations in the regions surrounding Liddell through its coal seam gas assets in Gloucester, as well as in Camden, south of Sydney. But the group announced a decision to halt all coal seam gas exploration and production in the face of sustained political and community opposition.

Gas has been targeted by the government as a potential resource to bridge the expected shortfall in energy supply. The Turnbull government has already arranged deals with oil and gas companies such as Santos to divert up to 30 petajoules of LNG next year to ensure the reliability of supply. During the visit, half of the station's four units were offline and the two remaining units were running at a reduced capacity. One unit was offline for maintenance while the other was out of service due to an unknown failure. An AGL spokesman said the two functioning units were only providing power to the nearby Tomago smelter, which usually accounted for a large percentage of energy generated at the site.
Investor demand for office and industrial assets is showing no sign of slowing down with series of sales and listings worth close to $300 million dominating the Sydney commercial market.

Charter Hall has formed a joint venture with Commercial Industrial Property (CIP) to develop an industrial land parcel of 18.98 hectares with a net developable area (NDA) of 16.97 hectares. The end value is estimated to be about $120 million.

A freehold corner office tower opposite Sydney's Hyde Park at 299 Elizabeth Street is on the market. Credit:Mind The Gap

The 90-year leasehold interest from Western Sydney Parklands Trust (WSPT) will allow Charter Hall and CIP to secure a strategic income-producing land bank in Sydney's south-west, according to Suellen Fitzgerald, executive director of Western Sydney Parklands Trust.

"The new Bringelly Road Business Hub is the third business hub that will create a long-term income stream for Western Sydney Parklands Trust. It allows the trust to manage the remainder of the Parklands."
Peak Equities has snapped up the Camberwell Junction headquarters of Australian Pharmaceutical Industries, paying $27.5 million for the leasehold property.

The deal follows the sale of the Country Fire Authority's headquarters in the Tally Ho business park which fetched $18.08 million.

API's headquarters at 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell fetched $27.5 million.

The private arm of Singapore-based Tong Eng Group bought the three-level office building at 8 Lakeside Drive on a high passing yield of 9.38 per cent.

The 4552-square-metre office building is fully leased to the CFA (99 per cent) and Telstra, returning $1.69 million a year but only 2.5 years remain on the lease.
The Australian arm of global kids retailing giant Toys"R"Us insists local stores will trade as normal after its parent company filed for bankruptcy in America and Canada.

The move was spurred by a hefty debt load from a buyout more than a decade ago and a failure to keep consumers from abandoning its stores for the lower prices and convenience of online shopping.

Australia is one of the company's bigger overseas markets, with 39 stores out of an empire of more than 1000 operated and licensed stores outside America.

A company statement said only the American and Canadian businesses were impacted by the move in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
After that, of course, the "no" campaigners will start hunting down the customers of IVF clinics, and telling them that they too can't have the same legal rights as other couples. Couples where one partner is sterile shouldn't have full control over their own property and each other's bodies because they can't have children  that's what the "no" campaigners will say. The only way to make these vicious idiots treat everyone equally is to vote "yes". G.T.W. Agnew, Coopers Plains, Qld Thought crime? Is that the best the self-appointed leaders of the "no" case against marriage equality can do in their pathetic Chicken Little scaremongering? Their greatest thought crime is, of course, the stupidity and poverty of their pathetic assertions. Anyone with any intelligence can see through this nonsense by what has or hasn't happened in other countries that have made the transition already: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, UK, USA and Uruguay. But, you know, perhaps "the end of the world" could still come to pass in Australia.

David Jenkins, Casey Unlike many others, I had no qualms about participating in the non-compulsory, non-binding same-sex marriage survey. It provides the government with a reliable snapshot of the private views of Australian voters. When my ballot paper arrived, I was reassured in the covering letter that my response was confidential, as indeed it should be. But what's that lurking down the bottom of the ballot paper? A barcode! And look, there's a warning next to it that my vote may be invalidated if the barcode is missing or altered. I can understand why the ABS needs to be satisfied that the returned papers are not forgeries. But why a barcode and what exactly does the barcode contain? So I asked the ABS. I duly received a response that failed to answer the question. Since the ABS is obviously reluctant to disclose what is contained in the barcode, I can only conclude that it identifies the recipient. This means that the ABS and therefore the government can find out how you voted. We have a tradition of secret ballots in this country, something that should not be discarded lightly. Barcodes may well have a place on supermarket shelves, but not on ballot papers.

Peter Ellett, Scullin Power policy Gary J. Wilson (Letters, September 18) did not mention the physical property of synchronism when debating the descriptive terms "baseload power" and "dispatchable capacity" applied to the national electricity grid. Synchronism is crucial and is implicit in large fossil fuel and hydro-powered generators. It remains a technical issue for wind, solar and batteries. Indications are that the technology already exists to deliver large-scale synchronous wind and solar power, the problem being one of changing an extremely large and complex system that embroils the population, industry, government, politics and private enterprise. The behaviour of the ACT government in this context has been to pursue its passion and obsession for renewables, seemingly oblivious to the real problems surrounding this almost fictional village.

On the other hand, the resistance to change apparent in our Great Gatsby government's light rail project is akin to building a new coal-fired generator. The ACT could take the lead in addressing the urban transport problem by following the only practical approach to the electricity conundrum: maintain and modestly expand the existing bus system, while giving every support possible to the introduction of the new transport technologies. John L. Smith, Farrer Unhealthy farce called Foy The article "ACT government extends Foy settlement date to October 20" (Canberra Times, September 18), now proves beyond doubt that Minister Gentleman and the government have no intention and have never had any intention whatsoever to stop the Foy proposal at Hume, in spite of the findings of the inquiry it commissioned itself, that found the plastics-to-fuel facility to depend on unproven technology and to be too risky to residents of Canberra. Even if Foy fails to meet the extended deadline of October 20, this pathetic government can be expected to extend the deadline even further. Why? In respect of the report "Proposed FOY Group plastic to fuel facility in Hume industrial zone review of the Environmental Impact Statement, 28 April 2017" (made public on May 4) that he had commissioned, Minister Gentleman said that "following the independent inquiry panel's report to the government, the Foy Group would need to consider all matters raised in the panel's report and make a decision about whether it wished to pursue this project any further in the ACT". Hardly a clear rejection of the Foy proposal. Now he has confirmed that the government intends to give Foy every opportunity to pay for the land and build the plant.

In May 2017, Minister Gentleman was formally asked to clarify the government's position on this serious matter but has never bothered to reply (but nothing new about that). So, exactly what is the government playing at? Is this government so desperate for money to pay for the highly wasteful Gungahlin-Civic tram that it is prepared to jeopardise the health of Canberrans against the findings of an expert panel that it had commissioned itself, and which has now been shown to be nothing more than a shameful farce? M. Flint, Erindale Power push must end As is the general case with people who live in proximity to open-cut coal mines and/or coal-fired power plants, the majority of people who live near the Liddell power plant do not favour its operation being extended beyond 2022 ("Coal even on the nose in strongholds", September 19, p4). AGL, the owner of Liddell, apparently favours switching to a mixture of gas-fired and renewable sources to cater for ongoing demand. This both makes business sense and shows that the company is conscious of its responsibility to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Gas-fired plants are just as capable of providing baseload power as are coal-fired plants.

The supposedly business-friendly Coalition government should, in this case at least, stand aside and allow business to do what it thinks best. Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin Strata savings await The government proposal outlined in the Canberra Times (Bulk-buy power plan, September 19), whereby landlords would be able to set up embedded networks with an electricity supplier enabling the savings to be passed on to tenants, sounds good. The proposal would be even better if it provided for the owners corporations of strata complexes to be able to do the same. Were an owners corporation able to enter into a single contract with an electricity supplier on behalf of all owners in the strata complex  rather than each owner having a separate electricity supply contract (but still having individual meters as at present)  then it is likely that significant savings would be able to be made.

That would be of particular benefit to retirees living in strata complexes. Don Sephton, Greenway Kurrajong doors shut On Monday, September 11, I discovered that the Dickson Shopfront had closed. This leaves central Canberra and the Kurrajong electorate without any government shopfront. Each time I have visited the shopfront there have been significant queues. The media release put out by Access Canberra stated that the number of people visiting the shopfront had declined by 30 per cent over the last three years to a mere 10,000 but omitted to say by how much visits to the other shopfronts had changed. Many residents in central Canberra are aged or disabled and do not have the option of online transactions, whilst other matters need to be dealt with in person. My rates have increased by over 30 per cent over the last three years, our footpaths are in very poor condition and now I will have to travel to Gungahlin or Belconnen to visit a shopfront. Why are the residents of the Kurrajong electorate being discriminated against? Carol M Keil, Ainslie

Children forever Unlike Jenna Price, I did not dance naked down the hallway when the children left home. I did not want to scare the cats. ("Suffer the older children: no home, no job, no life", Canberra Times, September 15). My concern is where my children are gainfully employed in very secure positions. The elder daughter is a journalist located in Westminster London who uses the underground and also travels to places such as Nigeria for work commitments. The second daughter works in a very large building in Sydney next to the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place. Any breaking news stories always bring us to attention in this age of terrorism. Once a parent always a parent and I am sure all parents have connections to their children after they leave home whether it be financial or safety.

Robyn Lewis, Raglan Roo racing to come? Can someone explain the rationale behind the banning of greyhound racing in the ACT, while horse racing is permitted? As I saw a couple of kangaroos racing against each other last week in Canberra suburbia, I was wondering if kangaroo racing was likely to replace greyhound racing. John Milne, Chapman TO THE POINT

GG MUST ACT For the first time a clearly illegitimate executive government in breach of constitution S44 is unrestrainedly disbursing public funds while ignoring evidence that its senior members are not MPs. The Governor-General should immediately dismiss it and dissolve Parliament for new election. Bryan Lobascher, Chifley ERASING HISTORY I share Jorian Gardner's despair in his article ("Destroying Canberra's built beauty", September 18). The speed at which bland homes and apartments are replacing old houses in what one would have thought would be heritage-listed areas in suburbs like Griffith is perplexing and sad. Most of Kingston's residential history has been erased. Are we going to let this continue?

Kathryn Stuparich, Wanniassa JUST VOTE Top marks to TCT for the editorial, "On same sex marriage, the only wrong answer is not voting" (September 19). We can do a bit better than Ireland's "who gives a (insert expletive of choice)" response. Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor THINKING VOTERS

Recent polls indicate support for the "yes" case is ebbing. The reason is best encapsulated in an anecdote about Adlai Stevenson, an American politician and spellbinding orator. After a powerful speech an audience member remarked: "What an eloquent speech. You'll certainly have the support of every thinking voter." Replied Stevenson: "Thank you, but unfortunately I need a majority." Thos Pucket, Ashgrove, Qld POWER OF ATTORNEY Anne Marie Delahunt, in her letter (Letters, September 16) believes that her experience with the ACT Health system would have been easier if she had been married. This is not so. My wife and I were recently legally advised that, despite the fact that we are married, we could not make health decisions, one for the other, without a power of attorney. We now have one. C. Rule, Gilmore

STATUS SHIFT In the late 1800s a married woman and her wealth legally belonged to her husband. As a male I cannot help but feel this state of matrimony is no longer the case. This is what comes from "change". Gary Frances, Bexley, NSW DOM PROWSE Following the outcome of the postal survey on same-sex marriage, Archbishop Prowse should retire gracefully to an ye olde world French monastery, take a vow of silence and devote himself to the cultivation of fine wines. Dom Prowse has a real ring to it, don't you think?
Sydney's traditional spring property trading season is well under way but there are signs the city's five-year housing boom is losing steam.

Last weekend's auction clearance rate dipped to 67 per cent according to preliminary Domain Group data, the lowest since December 2015.

In another sign the market is coming off the boil, the number of houses being sold prior to auction is on the rise as vendors lose confidence that auctions will deliver a higher price.

Tougher lending rules also appear to have dampened the sentiment of housing investors.
Andrew Rorke Wollstonecraft Is a sugar tax going to educate people about the amount of energy that goes into their bodies when they drink a can of soft drink? Will it help us eat better food and make lifestyle changes? Will it bring down the obesity rate to a tangible rate? The answer to those questions is: no! A sugar tax is a punitive response to a social health problem. We don't need more taxes. We need people to make informed decisions. How hard can it be to understand that drinking a litre of cola a day and doing little to no physical activity, over time, will result in weight gain? Christopher Woodley Vaucluse Reading about putting taxes on sugary drinks because of surging obesity levels one day and the evils of fat-shaming our daughters on another is sending mixed messages. While I totally agree that imposing unrealistic body image ideals on our children, girls or boys, is evil and stupid, the fact remains that as a society we eat too much. Telling our children not to eat unhealthy food, setting a good example and providing healthy choices is a better way to go, whatever their body size or shape. Our children need to be taught restraint. They need to know that if you consume large amounts of sugary junk food you will end up unhealthy and unhappy. My mother told me as a teenager that our family was prone to getting fat and that I should watch what I eat in order to avoid suffering from the diabetes and heart disease that ran in our family. I'm glad I followed her advice, because though I am solid and was never skinny, nor wished to be, I am fit and healthy. Rosemary Embery Haberfield

Instead of only taxing soft drinks, why not tax sugar at the source? Then those who avoid soft drinks but still indulge in banana bread, cakes and exotic desserts will also pay. Sally James Russell Lea Many years ago, Tony Abbott (the then health minister in the Howard government) was asked to remove junk food advertising from children's television. He refused. We are now seeing the results of his inaction. Brian Johnstone Leura Recent research has shown that because of increased CO2 in the atmosphere there is more sugar and less essential minerals in grown food. Are people unknowingly suffering mild malnutrition and therefore consuming more of everything?

Ingrid Strewe Bronte Effects of 'the new asbestos' a looming health crisis I am writing as a maritime worker employed in Port Botany in regard to the level of pollution that is associated with diesel exhaust. Not only can you see the haze in the air, but you can taste it too. On a good day you would be lucky to leave the port without a headache and sinus problems, a nose bleed or coughing blood. Diesel exhaust has recently been identified by the World Health Organisation as a carcinogen. It is in the same category as plutonium, and is said to be the new asbestos. In the coming decades, one wonders what support and assistance will be afforded by employers and governments for transport workers and just how an already strained public health system will cope with such workers who have endured prolonged exposure to diesel particulate and exhaust. More needs to be done  not only for workers who raise such serious health risks of exposure, but also to prevent exposure of future workers and to ensure that those diagnosed with disease or illness associated with the prolonged exposure to diesel particulate are afforded the treatment they deserve. It is time for the state government to ensure that in the coming decades, the many thousands of maritime and transport workers affected are afforded the healthcare they require and to reduce the amount of diesel-powered vehicles used in the transport industry within the state. Sean Ambrose Helensburgh

No moral decay before 2004 change Prior to the insertion of the words "between a man and a woman" into the Marriage Act by the Howard government, presumably gay marriage was permissible. I don't remember pre-2004 Australia being a place of social and moral decay that required the soothing balm of those six words to civilise. Manuela Epstein Pyrmont Does anyone else think we are looking at marriage, church and acceptance through rose-coloured glasses? When me and my partner separated after seven years of marriage and three children we went to church together on Mother's Day as an attempt to resolve our differences. One of the self advocated more 'diligent' parishioners came up to me and said "Oh you are back together" and I said no, we are trying. Her response was "but you went to communion". Clearly even sacraments have a hierarchy. Jenny Stephenson Wollongong

Karina Okotel wrote: "I honour my friend, Cella White  a courageous woman who spoke out about her son being told he could wear a dress in school as part of the Safe Schools program" ("Same-sex marriage debate: 'I'm no homophobe but I fear for vulnerable children"', smh.com.au, September 16). But the son was not told he could wear a dress as part of the program. The principal specifically and credibly denied this. Cella White was (by definition) not there. As far as anyone can tell, no one else has interviewed the son. Then Okotel wrote that Cella's "story has always been consistent about what their school taught her son". That does not make it true. Then Okotel writes that Cella's mother "attended the meeting at school with Cella". The mother is presented as a witness, but she could not have witnessed an event (what the school said to the son) that even Cella did not witness. Okotel again: "If anyone looks at the  material for the Safe Schools program, it's clear that children are encouraged to wear the uniform of their choice." The accusation is not against the Safe Schools material  which anyone can read and debate  it against the school for saying something specific to her son, which has been denied.

So when Okotel concludes that "for speaking out in opposition to the legalisation of same-sex marriage Ms White was publicly called a liar" that is not correct. Ms White has been called out because she does not appear, on the available evidence, to have been correct about what the school said to her son. Richard Cobden Woolloomooloo My same-sex marriage survey has arrived, addressed to me with the honorific 'Mrs'. I have been 'Ms' for about 45 years. What is it about marriage and marital status that our society still doesn't get? Oh and I voted yes by the way. Elizabeth Ellis Leura Power to the survey

The impasse between the government and AGL on whether to keep the Liddell power station open is easily resolved ("Delta pulls the plug on Liddell power purchase", September 19). Simply hold a non-compulsory non-binding phone-in survey asking all Australians what they want. Because it's non-binding, whatever the result, Mal and Josh will have someone else to blame for continuing to dither on developing and implementing a long-term energy policy. Richard Watson Pyrmont Clear sign of respect Lady Mary Fairfax was one of the few, if not the only patron of the Sydney Opera House, who was permitted to be driven (in her chauffer-driven Rolls-Royce) down Central Passage and deposited next to the elevator, which took her up to the Opera Theatre ("From frock shop to media dynasty", September 19). A rare privilege, which indicated the respect in which she was held.

James Prior Sylvania Waters We will follow suit And we're next ("Extinction risk runs high for nature's biggest and smallest", September 19). Joan Croll Drummoyne Cost of 'efficiency'

When my children were born in the early 1990s, the blue book sent home with new parents contained a strip that was pressed into a wet nappy, and sent to a government laboratory for neuroblastoma (cancer) testing. It worked well, as a low-impact and cost-effective screen of an insidious childhood cancer. ("The plan: no child to die of cancer", September 18). At some point since, one of our governments decided to abandon the program as an "efficiency" measure. I often mourn the children who subsequently died after a late diagnosis because of a pathetic retrograde decision. Christine Northam Caringbah Back backing Kidman A dozen or more years ago, like many influenced by the prevailing zeitgeist, I airily dismissed Nicole Kidman's worth as an actress and Australian ambassador, and jumped on the Cate Blanchett bandwagon (and yes, it seemed an "either/or" situation at the time) ("'Shining a light': Kidman's triumph, September 19). Lately, I've come back, big time, and along with prodigal critics/award-givers, recognise Nicole as, not only an admirable person, but also Australia's greatest living actress, and quite probably our best ever.

Rosemary O'Brien Georges Hall Aim for higher notes If part of the reason for redesigning the $10 note ('Noteworthy: $10 safe from counterfeit, vending machines", September 19) was to defeat the counterfeiters, why bother? Surely counterfeiters wouldn't waste their time and energy on notes of such a piddling amount. Let's hit the counterfeiters where it really hurts: in the $50 and $100 bracket. Garth Clarke North Sydney Arrrrr, but it's not the Queen's English

William Bielefeldt noticed that Aussies often don't pronounce the final "r" in many words (Letters, September 18). If he had stopped over in London on the way to Australia he would have noticed the same trait there. Unlike most US English and Irish pronunciation, standard English (the "Queen's English") and Australian and New Zealand English are non-rhotic, that is, the final "r" is very often not pronounced, just as Mr Bielefeldt observed. It's not Aussies being lazy. As for "Free Manua", he noticed the sign, and that's what advertising is all about. Bruce Stafford Tascott The letters on Manua reminded me of a roadside sign seen near Oxford Falls some years ago: "Chook manure, $2 a bag. Or collect your own, $1 a bag." David Plomley Frenchs Forest

I have an old enamelled tin gate sign which says "Please shut the gate AND use Federal manure". With our federal Parliament in its last days for the year, there is sure to be plenty of that around. Judy Jones Thornleigh Uniform off-days Sigrid Smee (Letters, September 19) reminded me of St George Girls High speech days in the 1940s. White dress and black stockings, summer Panama hat and black gloves. Held at local cinema, the stage of which was decorated with hydrangea drooping like the girls in the heat. Patricia Slidziunas Woonona
My parents had five children. Michael was the eldest, born in 1939. Then came twin boys, Donald and David, born in 1941. David died on August 9, 1942, and I was born nine months later. My sister Diana arrived in 1946.

Michael was always the dominant older brother. The only perceptible difference from the rest of us was that he was studious and ambitious. From an early age he did little else than study. We all thought that one day he would be prime minister.

Michael Kirby with Johan van Vloten in the High Court chamber.

By the early 1960s, we were all at university. Michael had, by that time, accumulated four university degrees with high honours and held every conceivable office in student politics. He appeared to be on track to achieving his ambition. Often on a Saturday night, I would set out with my brother Donald for a party. As we passed Michael's bedroom, he would part the curtains as he sat at his desk, and would watch us without comment. On our return, well after midnight, he would still be at his desk working.

At the time we imagined that this solitary life was Michael's choice and the price of ambition. We were thankful that we were not afflicted by such. As we now know, the aching solitude of his life was the consequence of a dark secret. He was attracted to men. As he said in his Memoir, A Private Life, the message he received from his early teens was that his secret should be the source of deep shame.
Karina Okotel - federal Liberal party vice president, unsuccessful senate candidate, and the young, fresh face of the No Campaign - wants people to know that conservatives care.

"A misunderstanding people have about the conservative side of politics is that it's uncaring," she says.

"The idea of small government is that it's the community's responsibility to take care of people. The government should be facilitating that rather than the government trying to answer everything and be everything."

As she tells it, Okotel signed up to work for the No Campaign because she cares, very deeply, about the rights of children, which she says would be threatened by same-sex marriage.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has backed US President Donald Trump's fiery language on North Korea, saying "the whole country will be wiped out" and "many, many thousands of innocent people will die" if the regime attacks the United States or its allies.

In his sternest warning yet to North Korea, President Trump told the United Nations General Assembly the United States will be forced to "totally destroy" North Korea unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear challenge, and mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a "rocket man" on a suicide mission.

At President Trump's first appearance at the assembly's annual gathering of world leaders, he emphasised it was against the interest of the entire world for North Korea, which he called a "band of criminals", to obtain missiles and nuclear weapons.

Unless North Korea backed down, he said, "we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."
Yes, taxes would go up to pay for single-payer health insurance, said Sen. Bernie Sanders, but the thousands of dollars that people pay in health insurance premiums would go away. If single-payer is funded in a progressive way, said the Vermont senator, the average family would be better off financially, but the Republicans and insurance companies will spend millions of dollars to try to hide that fact. PHOTO BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
A notice posted by the Resettlement Support Centre on Manus Island confirmed the decisions were now being handed down for some refugees. An appointment slip handed to a refugee on Manus Island on Tuesday. "Every case is different and moves through the required steps of the process at different speeds," it said. "This is only the first group of decisions and only some who have expressed an interest in US resettlement will receive a decision at this time." A notice posted on Manus Island from the US Resettlement Support Centre.

"The issuance of further decisions as well as continued resettlement processing is anticipated in the coming months. Please be patient." Ian Rintoul, spokesman for the Refugee Action Coalition, said about 20 to 25 refugees on Nauru had received slips on Tuesday, some of which arranged appointments for Thursday. Refugees on Manus Island. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen On Tuesday, which marked six weeks until the Manus Island detention facility is due to close, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees told Fairfax Media action on the US deal was imminent. "I'm very confident that the US will take very significant numbers of refugees from both locations, which we very sincerely appreciate," said Thomas Albrecht, the Canberra-based regional representative of the UNHCR, which has assisted in the process.

There had been concerns about whether Donald Trump would honour the refugee deal. Credit:AP "I'm very confident that the first departures will occur in the near future." Transfers were originally expected to begin in July, but the US reached its refugee quota for the year. The quota resets on October 1. Senior sources said the US could take more than the 1250 refugees it originally flagged, but public speculation about numbers and dates was unhelpful. Labor MPs indicated they had been briefed to a similar effect. Mr Albrecht said refugees were at "various stages" of the approval process and movement to the US would be staggered. "It's not going to be one big departure arrangement," he said.

But Mr Albrecht was critical of the coerced removal of refugees from the regional processing centre on the Lombrum naval base to a "transit centre" near Lorengau, further west on the island. On Monday night, another 15 refugees were handed notices giving them hours to collect their belongings and assemble with administrators by 9am on Tuesday for transfer to Lorengau. The paperwork, written in Arabic and translated by Fairfax Media, matched a notice given to other refugees last week in English informing them they "must" move at the stated time. However, Iranian refugee and journalist Behrouz Boochani said most of the men refused to go. "We're used to this kind of letter and this kind of pressure," he told Fairfax Media. Refugees have been unwilling to leave the regional processing centre voluntarily, largely because of fears for their safety in Lorengau.

Mr Albrecht said the October 31 deadline was "very unhelpful" and the medical and mental health services available in Lorengau were inadequate, especially for a sustained period of time. "It would be in many ways very worrisome that Australia would consider abandoning people there," he said. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton declined an interview, but last week in Parliament reiterated the Turnbull government's intention to adhere to the October 31 closure date. He confirmed a meeting with PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill on September 1, and said they had discussed sending 200 asylum seekers without refugee status to "an alternative place of detention". Asked if that meant a PNG domestic jail, a Department of Immigration and Border Protection spokesman said he had nothing to add to the minister's comments and it was a matter for PNG.
In case you were worried this week might pass by without offering an example of how rape culture insidiously operates even in the judicial system, the recent sentencing of a rapist charged with a crime almost three decades old should be enough to fire up your rage.

In 1990, Robert John Hall raped a woman at knifepoint. It was the woman's first night working as an escort, and Hall had arranged to meet her in a motel room. After paying her $200, he forced her to the ground and blindfolded her. She was sexually assaulted twice over the next half an hour, being raped both orally and vaginally with Hall telling her, "I paid the money now you just lay back there and I can do whatever I f---ing want".

Robert John Hall was convicted of raping a sex worker. He pleaded not guilty to the charges he faced, claiming the sex was consensual. Credit:Facebook

At least once during the assault, Hall threatened to kill her.

The woman reported the sexual assault later that night, providing DNA samples from her vagina to local police. They closed the investigation later that year, and it went cold until a petty crime in 2007 brought Hall back to the attention of law enforcement.
A Melbourne woman who drowned after getting caught in strong surf at a Phuket beach was reportedly swimming between red flags which indicate dangerous conditions, Thai police say.

Red flags on the beach in Thailand indicate dangerous conditions unlike at Australian beaches where swimmers are told to stay between red and yellow flags.

Melbourne woman Barbara Fistrovic drowned in Phuket.

The Phuket News has reported lifeguards pulled 65-year-old Barbara Fistrovic unconscious from the water at Kamala Beach shortly after 3pm Thai time on Sunday (6pm AEST).

Ms Fistrovic was holidaying in Thailand with her husband Ivan, 75.
Property developers Michael and Peter Kulakovski were at a Christmas party on a Sydney Harbour cruise, when one of them got a migraine under the hot summer sun.

So the brothers returned to a car park on Murray Street, Pyrmont, drove their business car up to the exit, where Peter got out and lifted the boom gate for Michael to drive through.

Peter Kulakovski, who has admitted to lifting a boom gate at a Sydney car park and leaving without paying the $38 fee. Credit:Facebook

The brothers, who own and operate Kurmond Homes in western Sydney, caused $1600 worth of damage to the gate, and did not pay the $38 parking fee on the evening of December 2 last year.

Michael, 44, was charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, and Peter, 39, was charged with damaging property and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.
The state government has defended spending $200,000 hunting down the source of embarrassing leaks about budget blowouts in major transport projects by saying it is protecting community safety in an age of global terrorism.

In recent months, the state government has been embarrassed by a string of leaked sensitive cabinet documents relating to cost blowouts of its major infrastructure projects.

But a document released under freedom-of-information laws has revealed it spent nearly $200,000 in one month investigating the source of leaks in a single week in July alone, mostly relating to cost blowouts of the controversial WestConnex Motorway.

But under questioning from the opposition in question time on Tuesday, Transport Minister Andrew Constance said there was a need to investigate "major security breaches" within his department because of rising global cyber and physical terrorism.
Environmentalist Jess Miller has become the new deputy lord mayor of the City of Sydney, following a vote on the floor of council chamber which once again pitted rival factions against one another.

Cr Miller won the position on the majority vote of councillors at Monday night's council meeting, beating rival Liberal councillor Christine Forster, who also nominated for the job.

Councillor Jess Miller has been elected deputy lord mayor. Credit:Nic Walker

"This is an honour I take very seriously," Cr Miller said in a statement following the meeting.

"For me this is not about the title or fanfare, it's about the opportunity to build stronger relationships with the community and to represent their concerns and aspirations."
A man charged with murdering his mother in their northern beaches home had suffered from mental health problems, her partner said.

Police found the body of popular hairdresser Lanell Latta, 50, on Monday morning in a beachfront home at Avalon that she had rented from supermodel Gemma Ward.

Ms Latta's son Joel Woszatka, 25, was arrested on Ruskin Rowe, several streets over from the Marine Parade address he had shared with his brother, Ms Latta and her partner Geoff Robson-Scott.

Speaking to reporters outside their home on Tuesday, Mr Robson-Scott, 60, said "she had a lot of trouble with her youngest son, he had a number of mental health issues."
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has come out strongly in favour of support for same-sex marriage, describing it as one of the most important human rights issues "of our time".

Ms Berejiklian has previously indicated her support for same-sex marriage and recently attended the launch of an event for Liberal and National party voters who were voting 'yes' in the forthcoming national postal plebiscite on marriage equality.

But at a fundraiser event at NSW Parliament for Australians for Marriage Equality on Tuesday night she made her strongest public statement on the issue to date.

"I'm extremely proud to be here as the Premier of NSW," she said. "I'm hoping that all of us will look back and feel really proud that we were part of something special [and] putting aside our political differences in support of what is one of the most important decisions of our time in terms of human rights and social justice."
Judges and magistrates would be required to take into account an offender's Aboriginal background and consider ways to reduce the Indigenous prisoner population under a radical overhaul of sentencing laws drafted by leading lawyers and submitted to a national inquiry.

The blueprint for reducing Indigenous incarceration rates also recommends mandatory sentences be repealed across the country because the laws disproportionately affect Aboriginal offenders.

Attorney-General George Brandis announced an inquiry last year into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration rates, headed by the Australian Law Reform Commission.

In its submission to the inquiry, the NSW Bar Association sets out a series of proposed reforms, including amending state and territory sentencing laws "to expressly require courts to consider the unique systemic and background factors" affecting Indigenous offenders.
Tensions in the NSW Greens have boiled over spectacularly, with Newtown MP Jenny Leong storming out of a party room meeting on Monday after reportedly yelling "F--- you!" at colleague David Shoebridge.

Fairfax Media understands the clash was related to concerns over Mr Shoebridge's more prominent appearance in the media across portfolio areas following the death of senior Greens MLC John Kaye last year from cancer.

The NSW Greens do not formally appoint a leader but Mr Shoebridge is their longest serving current MP.

Asked about the incident, Ms Leong and Mr Shoebridge declined to comment on party-room discussions.
A dairy worker certificate program at Waupun Correctional Institution, in partnership with Moraine Park Technical College, has put inmates like Kyle, pictured here, to work at the prison's farm.
Brisbane is set to sweat this weekend, with temperatures expected to be more than eight degrees above the monthly average and come close to being the warmest September day during the past 10 years.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast released on Tuesday afternoon predicted temperatures to rise by eight degrees over the four days, hitting a top of 34 on Sunday.

Brace yourselves Brisbane, a sizzling spring is well and truly here. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Despite only being in the early stages of spring, conditions were expected to get even warmer on Monday, peaking with a maximum of 35 degrees - just 0.1 degree below the warmest September day during the past 10 years, which came in 2008.

Meteorologist Sam Campbell said a hot, dry air mass, which was expected to move into the south-east during Thursday and Friday, had been lingering over Queensland for past week.
The gliding community is "stunned" after an experienced pilot and a student were killed when their glider nosedived into a field near Dalby.

Flying instructor Jeremy Thompson had taken a student out for his third flying lesson about 9.30am on Tuesday, before the aircraft suddenly crashed.

62-year-old gliding instructor Jeremy Thompson died in a glider crash on Tuesday morning.

Tragically, Mr Thompson's wife and another student witnessed the crash at the Darling Downs Soaring Club at Bowenville, president of Gliding Queensland Lindsay Mitchell said.

"Jeremy and Jenny were both gliding instructors and copilots, and they had two students had a week course they were doing," Mr Mitchell said.
Is this iconic or just plain sad?

If you've spent any time reading real estate advertisements recently, you'll be struck by how every second house up for sale has suddenly become iconic, even the two-bedroom fibro shack at Zillmere.

Peter Beattie called the Goodwill Bridge 'iconic'. It was all downhill from there. Credit:Michelle Smith

The same seems true of every high-rise development application submitted to council for approval. However monstrous the design, the developer promises an iconic building for Brisbane.

It make you wonder what isn't iconic these days, whatever that is supposed to mean.
An experienced glider pilot and a student on his third flying lesson have been killed after their glider nosedived into a field near Dalby.

The glider appeared to have lost control while trying to land just before 10am at the Darling Downs Soaring Club at Bowenville and crashed into the ground, according to police.

Two people have died after a glider incident at Bowenville. Credit:Caitlin Crowley/Win News

Flying instructor Jeremy Thompson had taken a student out for a lesson about 9.30am, before the plane suddenly crashed.

Detective Inspector Stephen Angus said the 62-year-old instructor from Darling Downs and his 60-year-old student from were pronounced dead at the scene.
Students at Rosie Andersen's taekwondo school in Upwey will remember a cheerful girl with "smiling eyes" when they meet for practice on Tuesday night.

Eight-year-old Rosie died from the flu after being admitted to the Angliss Hospital last Friday.

Tributes are flowing for the "beautiful princess", who was also an enthusiastic Cub Scout and regularly attended off-road Jeep events with her family.

Her taekwondo school will meet on Tuesday night for the first time since Rosie's sudden death.
WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT

The man charged with setting off a fireball at a bank and injuring 33 people  because he believed bank staff were slow to serve him  denies intending to harm anyone and has been committed to trial.

CCTV vision played to Melbourne Magistrates Court shows panic-stricken people fleeing the Commonwealth Bank branch in Springvale on November 18 last year when Nur Islam lit a puddle of petrol he'd poured.

Part of the vision played on Tuesday shows people rushing out the front doors before a fireball engulfs the camera.
A 46-year-old man has been charged with grievous bodily harm after he walked up to police in the Perth CBD and told officers he had just stabbed someone.

The stabbing occurred at around 7.40pm on Monday evening, near Barrack Street.

The man's victim was found seriously injured near Shafto Lane. Credit:Google Maps

It is understood a man approached officers who were patrolling the area and told them he had just stabbed a man.

Police rushed to locate the injured man, and found him Hay Street near Shafto Lane suffering from several wounds.
Perth brothel madam Shirley Finn claimed she was being followed two days before her execution-style murder in 1975 and said a detective had warned her to watch her words, a woman has told an inquest.

The WA Coroner's Court heard on Tuesday the mother of three, who had a big tax bill, was agitated when she visited the Mt Hawthorn house Paule Jacqueline De Gaye shared with her bookmaker and nightclub owner partner, Don Mack, on June 20, 1975.

Shirley Finn was found shot dead in her car in 1975. Credit:Facebook

Loading

Ms De Gaye told the court Ms Finn, 33, said she had threatened detective Owen Leitch, who eventually became the commissioner of police, she would "name names" but he told her to shut her mouth.
A Perth property developer who offered to pay young girls $100 for sex has dodged a jail term "by an extremely narrow margin".

Robert Darren Taggart, 51, posted an ad on an online classifieds website and groomed a girl he believed to be aged under 16 for sexual activity in November 2015.

Perth businessman Robert Darren Taggart avoided a jail term "by an extremely narrow margin".

District Court of WA Judge Philip McCann said it was particularly serious offending, involving some very explicit exchanges in messages and chats.

He described Taggart as family man, a successful businessman and an unusually generous contributor to the community who had shamed himself and lost his reputation.
Liquor outlets in Port Hedland were forced to close on Tuesday after a spate of alcohol-fuelled violence overnight left one person in an induced coma and another with a stab wound.

The ban comes a day after WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson called for a Pilbara-wide permanent ban on full-strength alcohol sales in what he called an attempt to reduce child neglect and abuse.

South Hedland acting Senior Sergeant Andrew Ramsden told local radio station Spirit Hedland some in the community may be inconvenienced by Tuesday's ban but that the bigger issue police were trying to tackle was "more than just the person who doesn't have a beer tonight".

"All incidents last night, bar one or two, were not just alcohol-related, [they were] alcohol-fuelled violent crime," he said.
A British adventurer who was canoeing alone in the Amazon may have been snatched by pirates, according to Brazilian police.

The 43-year-old woman, who has not been named, was attempting a 4000-mile (6437-kilometre) solo journey from Peru to Brazil.

Canoe and belongings found: Police fear a British adventurer may have been attacked by pirates.

She disappeared last week while travelling through a stretch of river which is part of a drugs trafficking route and known for frequent pirate attacks.

Her canoe and belongings were later found on sandbanks on the side of the Solimoes River in Brazil's northern jungle state of Amazonas.
Beijing: Panama has decided to ditch long-standing ties with self-ruled Taiwan and switch recognition to China, but its President says it had nothing to do with "chequebook diplomacy".

Panama established diplomatic relations with China in June in a major victory for Beijing, as it lures away the dwindling number of countries that have formal relations with Taiwan, an island China claims as its own.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, waves with Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela and Foreign Minister Isabel de Saint Malo, in Panama City, on Saturday, Credit:AP

Taiwan's government said at the time it was sorry and angry over Panama's decision, and that it would not compete with China in what it described as a "diplomatic money game".

China and Taiwan have tried to poach each other's allies over the years, often dangling generous aid packages in front of developing nations, although Taipei struggles to compete with an increasingly powerful China.
Washington, DC: US investigators wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the 2016 election, CNN reported on Monday.

The New York Times, citing two people close to the case, also reported that prosecutors told Manafort they planned to indict him. Federal agents had raided Manafort's Virginia house in July.

Manafort is one of several close advisers who helped President Donald Trump win the 2016 election and who are now being investigated as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of alleged Russian interference in the US vote.

Manafort became Trump's campaign manager in June 2016 but was forced to resign two months later amid reports of his business relationship with the Kremlin-backed former Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovich.
Rosenheim: At a recent election rally in the Bavarian town of Rosenheim, retired truck driver Klaus Harpich had some rare words of encouragement for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The refugee crisis wasn't her fault, Harpich said in a thick local dialect, as he stood on the town square behind a group of anti-immigration protesters shouting down the chancellor.

German Chancellor and Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union party (CDU), Angela Merkel, centre, arrives for an election campaign rally in Regensburg, Germany, on Monday. Credit:AP

"She underestimated the problem and had no idea that the masses would be so big," said Harpich, 63, next to a shop that sells traditional Bavarian lederhosen and dirndl dresses. "She wanted to help."

The forgiving attitude is a sign that Merkel's allies in Bavaria are lining up behind her just in time for Sunday's election, delivering critical votes in the land of BMW and the Oktoberfest that she'll need for a fourth term as chancellor -- and to limit gains by the populist Alternative for Germany party, known as AfD.
Jakarta: A Jakarta court has ordered the Australian government to enter mediation over a $103 million class action on behalf of 115 Indonesians who were jailed in adult prisons and detention centres while still juveniles.

Australia had not been represented in previous hearings in the Central Jakarta District Court because the Australian government insisted it was not subject to its jurisdiction.

Indonesian children were jailed alongside hardened adult criminals in Australian jails for people smuggling offences after the Australian Federal Police used a now completely discredited method of taking wrist X-rays to determine their age.

The 115 plaintiffs were detained for between three months and almost three years in jails and detention centres across Australia.
New York City: Australia, Britain, and France have urged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to push for an end to military violence against Rohingya Muslims, while her national security adviser said those who had fled could return but the process had to be discussed.

The military response to insurgent attacks last month in the western region of Myanmar sent more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded as ethnic cleansing.

The government says about 400 people have been killed in the fighting.

"We will make sure that everybody who left their home can return to their home but this is a process we have to discuss," Myanmar national security adviser Thaung Tun told Reuters on Monday after a ministerial meeting on the crisis hosted by Britain on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
MARIGOT:--- The first Vice-president Ms. Valerie Damaseau received today, Sunday, September 17th, 2017 at the Collectivite administrative building the Prime Minister of Dominica, the Honorable Roosevelt Skerrit and his delegation. The Vice-president Stephen Patrick as well as the Territorial Councilors, Mr. Jean-Raymond Benjamin, Mr. Ambroise Lake and Mr. Louis Mussington attended the meeting. The Prime Minister was accompanied by his Minister of Planning, Economic Development and Investment, Dr. Collin John McIntyre and his director of Disaster Management, Mr. Cecil Shillingford. The purpose of his visit was to express in person his heartfelt solidarity to the Governments and people of Saint-Martin and Sint Maarten on behalf of his Government after the passage of Hurricane Irma. The Prime Minister and his delegation began their visit in the morning on the Dutch side and pursued their visit on the French side in the afternoon. During his meeting with the Collectivite officials, the Prime Minister Skerrit informed the Vice-president that his Government is committed to sending Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin potable water and agriculture products. Several barges have been chartered for that purpose and will be leaving Dominica once the weather permits it. The elected members of the Collectivite accompanied the Prime Minister and his delegation on a site visit of the French side.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Airlines suspending service to a destination after a natural disaster is expected, especially when the hotel inventory of the destination is very low, says Head of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau Rolando Brison.

Considering the level of destruction to St. Maartens hotel properties, the airport and overall infrastructure, Brison said, airlines will always consider the level of their service. Whats important, he stressed, is to maintain open lines of communication with airline partners and maintain a balance of current airlift.

Flights will always be directly proportional to the number of rooms a destination has, so some airlines cutting back, for the time being, is totally to be expected, Brison said. What is important for us is to maintain a sufficient balance of airlift to supply the now reduced number of hotel rooms we have available. Based on our discussions so far, once the country is ready to accept commercial airlift.

We actually have a higher amount of interest in flights versus the amount of room inventory, though some of this is to support the hub function that SXM Airport will continue to retain for the surrounding islands, he added.

He further explained that he has already been in contact with airlines, including Sunwing which has already announced the temporary suspension of airlift. Brison said governments intention is to present Sunwing with its draft tourism recovery plan and to continue to discuss the possibilities of Sunwing returning to the destination at the most feasible and opportune time.

Press Release from Ministry of TEATT
PHILIPSBURG:--- Over 300,000 (Three Hundred thousand) pounds of hurricane relief supplies were secured and delivered by Ministry TEATT Team Relief SXM in the days following Hurricane Irma. The team, which consisted of several volunteers, was quickly formed once commercial airlines was cleared by Minister of Tourism Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher to fly into St. Maarten to perform humanitarian airlift.

The commercial airline that brought the most supplies into St. Maarten for Team Relief was Pawa Dominicana with 76,200 pounds of relief goods transported. Other major contributors were Sunwing with 28,800, Delta Airlines with 17,800, Copa Airlines with 17,800, Winair with 16, 500, JetBlue with 11,500 and WestJet with 10,500.

Caribbean Airlines, Air Anguilla, Tradewinds Aviation, Seaborne Airlines, Windward Express, Wingo Colombia, Miami Air, Blue City Holding and private charters also brought supplies to the island. Head of the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau Rolando Brison coordinated most of the flights and expressed appreciation to the management of these airlines for their assistance of St. Maarten in its time of need.

While much of the airlines brought in supplies from the US and the Dominican Republic, tens of thousands of pounds were also brought in by commuter airlines from other islands in the region, including St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent, Curacao and Puerto Rico. "The Caribbean Tourism Organization and the various tourism directors of the board of CTO were my first goto option to seek relief, and they all answered the call to support in one way or the other; we could not have done it without them," said Brison.

Added CEO of Pawa Dominicana Gary Stone: "Our commitment as an airline goes far beyond moving passengers from one destination to the next. We have humbly taken the responsibility of bringing much-needed assistance to the people especially of the broad community of St. Maarten in which PAWA Dominicana has a presence during our normal operations. This is purely a humanitarian effort, one that we decided to undertake despite the Princess Juliana International Airport has not started commercial operations as yet,  said Gary Stone, President and CEO of the airline.

Chief of Staff for the Minister of Tourism Cecil Nicholas spearheaded the call to many local bus drivers, taxi drivers and truckers to move the supplies from the airport and into the districts. Nicholas explained that Team Relief employed a policy of moving the relief supplies "from the airplane directly into the districts". Furthermore, the team created the hashtag #teamreliefsxm for users of social media to indicate where and who needed assistance. That hashtag was used more than 5,000 times on social media.

Elvis Queeley, one of the truck drivers that transported the supplies added: "When we got the call to help not one of us hesitated. I for one with the little gas I had in my truck drove down to the airport and started loading. We had people in our Whatsapp group telling us exactly where the places of need were based on the hashtags they were reading, so we just had to load, drive and hand out. A great effort overall, dozens of volunteers, and thousands of lives touched."

We wasted little time in doing what we had to in ensuring that our airline partners not only moved people out of St. Maarten, but brought much-needed supplies as well. Both St. Maarten and the airlines enjoy great partnerships when times are good. The airlines were more than willing to give back and do their part by organizing relief movements on their end. We are grateful for their effort and that of all of the volunteers of TEATT Team Relief SXM, Brison said.

It should be noted that the amounts mentioned does not include the supplies brought to the island by the military and KLM, but solely indicates what was delivered by the commercial airlines that TEATT organized.

Press Release from Ministry of TEATT
Heads of state and government, as well as those of the ILO and the OECD, will present a new publication on the business case for social dialogue between the social partners and with governments.

NEW YORK (ILO News):--- Social dialogue can drive productivity and sustainable business growth, as well as result in better training and skills levels for employees, ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, said at the launch of a new publication by the ILO, the OECD and the Global Deal secretariat.

The Thematic Brief, Achieving Decent Work and Inclusive Growth: The Business Case for Social Dialogue, was launched by the ILO Director-General at a Global Deal event attended by company representatives. It highlights how effective social dialogue can result in mutually beneficial outcomes for governments, businesses, workers and wider society.

Take, for example the case of the construction of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in the UK. That four billion pound investment was completed without one single working hour being lost to disputes, with a below-average level of absenteeism, and with reduced costs  all this, while preserving labour standards above the average for the industry, Ryder said. And that happened not by accident, but as a result of social dialogue between the unions concerned and the management that created a framework collective agreement for all the multiple producers and suppliers involved.

The ILO Director-General also cited examples from Africa and Asia, among others, where social dialogue can result in better training and skills levels, or in a downturn can lead to negotiations on job protection in exchange for temporary reductions in working hours and salaries.

In Sweden itself, for example, the Crisis Agreement during the last major economic downturn is estimated to have saved over 12,000 jobs, while at the same time enabling business to achieve a faster recovery and to retain more of their skilled workers, Ryder noted.

The Global Deal is about ensuring that more people around the world have secure and good jobs, and about a more equal distribution of our economic resources, said Stefan Lofven, Prime Minister of Sweden. Globalization presents opportunities, but requires a more equal distribution. More people need jobs with decent conditions and a salary they can live on. This is a prerequisite for globalization to be a positive force.

The Global Deal is a global multi-stakeholder partnership with the objective of jointly addressing the challenges in the global labour market and enabling all people to benefit from globalization.

ILO Press Release
Twilio Study Finds Businesses Do Not Communicate As Well As They Think They Do

Posted by Publisher Software

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM  (Marketwired)  09/19/17  According to a new study released by Twilio (NYSE: TWLO) today, 81% of consumers complain that it is difficult to communicate with businesses, but only 34% of businesses acknowledge room for improvement. While most businesses focus their efforts on delivering a great product, too few businesses recognize the significant impact the communications experience has on their brand and revenue. The study finds that after a positive communications experience, 7 out of 10 consumers recommended the business to their friends or purchased more products or services; but one-third cancelled their service or switched to a competitor following a negative experience. Companies can provide a better experience by tailoring their communications to deliver the right message, using the right channel, at the right time.

With all the new communications channels available today, we are seeing consumer expectations shift, but the experiences businesses deliver are not keeping pace, said Devang Sachdev, Director of Product Marketing at Twilio. To narrow the gap, businesses need to personalize their interactions with customers, improve their responsiveness, and communicate via the right channels.

Key findings from Twilios report:

94% of businesses claim their customers are satisfied with the responsiveness of their communications, yet 96% of consumers disagree.

When rating their performance on various channels, companies report they communicate most effectively via email and phone. However, when compared to customers ratings of these channels, these companies rate their ability to communicate via phone nearly four times higher than customers do and their ability to communicate via email two times higher than customers do.

Businesses that offer communications through a mobile app, social media, or SMS rate their performance as excellent two times more often than customers do.

79% of consumers say that fast response times make for a positive customer experience, yet 89% report that businesses are too slow to respond.

55% of consumers say that communicating with a business via their preferred channel results in a positive experience, yet only 27% of businesses have adopted a fully integrated omni-channel communications strategy which would allow them to communicate this way.

41% of Australian companies, 30% of US companies, and 28% of UK companies report that they do not know what channels their customers prefer to communicate on.

42% of UK customers rate communications from businesses as fair, poor, or terrible. UK customers are the most likely to reach out to a business to make a complaint, post a negative review, or request a refund.

Australian customers prefer to communicate with businesses via phone more than other regions. They are also the most likely to reach out to a business to make a payment or get information about a product or service.

US customers are most likely to recommend a company to a friend or family member following a positive communications experience. US customers are also more likely than other regions to follow or like a company on social media after a positive experience.

51% of businesses report that they received negative customer reviews as a result of bad communication experiences their customers have had.

However, customers are more likely to tell their friends and family (66% of the time) or stop doing business with a company altogether (41%) than write a negative review, actions that may not be as obvious to a company.

Generation Z consumers (age 18-21) are the most vocal about their experiences. 79% of them will tell a friend or family member after a negative communication experience compared to 68% of millennials (age 22-36), 67% of GenXers (age 37-52), and 61% of baby boomers (age 53-71).

The younger generations are more likely to take multiple actions after a positive experience  recommending it to a friend, buying more products, writing a positive review, or engaging with the company on social media.

97% of consumers will give more business to companies that respond quickly to them.

When a customer is extremely satisfied with a businesss communication, that company is almost 50% less likely to receive a negative review and 47% less likely to have their customers switch to a competitor.

Companies who deliver positive communications experiences are 45% less likely to report sales decreases and 39% less likely to receive negative press coverage.

These companies are 2.6 times more likely to have revenue growth of 15% or more.

Digital communications leaders recognize the value and impact communications has on their customers experience and make it a priority in terms of technical resources and budget. When companies make the digital experience a priority, they are 3.8 times more likely to increase budget to ensure that it is a positive experience.

Leaders are more likely to have a fully integrated, omni-channel experience for their customers. 40% of digital communications leaders have an integrated strategy.

Leaders recognize the growing preference of their emerging customer base to communicate in new ways. 78% of communications leaders know what channels their customers prefer and 72% offer all of those channels.

Leaders are more likely to experiment with emerging communications vehicles like messaging apps or video chat in addition to communication through their own mobile app to allow a two-way conversation in real-time.

Ultimately, digital communications leaders communicate the right information, at the right time, through the right channel to their customers.

For more information about this survey or guidance on how your company can become a digital communications leader, view the .

In partnership with Lawless Research, Twilio reached out to companies and consumers to better understand how businesses are currently communicating with their customers and how consumers would prefer to interact with those businesses.

Twilio surveyed more than 2,000 consumers in the US, UK, and Australia about their communications preferences and experiences over the course of the last year when communicating with businesses across a variety of industries through a comprehensive set of channels from email to phone and all digital vehicles. Twilio also surveyed more than 850 businesses in those same markets to understand the communications experiences they provide and how they perceive the customer satisfaction with those.

PDF Attachment Available:

Image Available:

Image Available:

Contact:

Twilio Press
SugarCRMs Clint Oram Named Top Midmarket IT Executive by The Channel Company and Midsize Enterprise Summit

CUPERTINO, CA  (Marketwired)  09/19/17  SugarCRM, the company that helps organizations build better business relationships, today announced that its CMO and co-founder Clint Oram has been named to The Channel Companys Top Midmarket IT Executives list. This annual list honors influential vendor and solution provider executives who have demonstrated an exceptionally strong commitment to the midmarket.

Clint has been at the forefront of continuously evolving SugarCRMs story to midmarket companies about unlocking the power of CRM to grow their businesses. Hes led SugarCRM investments in customer engagement for its midmarket customers and actively works with customers to help them articulate and build CRM success roadmaps. SugarCRM recently updated its customer-engagement strategy to better support every stage of a CRM customers journey, including connecting them to a peer group of CRM change makers through its loyalty program, Sugar Insiders.

The midmarket has historically been underserved by the CRM industry because the big legacy vendors have tried to force bloated, expensive and complex CRM features onto these types of companies, said Oram. At SugarCRM, we focus on finding those who walk a different path  the change makers of CRM who lead their companies to a better customer experience by going beyond the status quo. A key part of the strategy is recruiting and growing relationships with channel partners that understand midmarket customers. As SugarCRM has settled into a position where the midmarket is in our sweet spot, the change maker is the ideal customer profile. We have altered our partner ecosystem to address the unique CRM needs of the midmarket.

While small and large companies have always recognized CRMs value, many midmarket companies often slip into the uninspired trap of vendor consolidation rather than best-of-breed IT investments. As a result, midmarket companies end up with oversold CRM bloatware from their ERP vendor. Sugar focuses on the core CRM features and capabilities that help midmarket companies establish stronger business relationships.

The Channel Company and Midsize Enterprise Summit are proud to recognize these individuals and the companies they represent for their remarkable efforts to meet the unique IT needs of this fast-growing industry, said Robert C. DeMarzo, Senior Vice President of Event Content and Strategy, The Channel Company. The winners will be honored at this years Midsize Enterprise Summit Fall this month in San Antonio, Texas, the nations largest gathering of midmarket senior IT executives and the ideal venue in which to honor these deserving leaders. We congratulate each of the honorees and look forward to their continued success.

The on featured on CRN.com, a leading source for IT industry news.

SugarCRM enables organizations to build better business relationships with insightful, adaptable and intuitive customer relationship management (CRM) and relationship intelligence solutions. Helping companies build a unique customer experience through great business relationships is our sole focus. Thats why our customers love us: SugarCRM receives the highest Net Promoter Score across all major CRM vendors. Based in Silicon Valley, SugarCRM is backed by Goldman Sachs, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, New Enterprise Associates, and Walden International. More than 2 million individuals in over 120 countries rely on SugarCRM. To learn more visit or follow@SugarCRM.

NOTE: SugarCRM, the SugarCRM logo and SugarCRM Hint are trademarks of SugarCRM Inc. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace.

The Channel Company Contact:

Suzanne Lam

508.416.1182

Contact:

Andrew Staples

SugarCRM

650-269-3126
Workday Announces Workday Rising 2017

PLEASANTON, CA  (Marketwired)  09/19/17  (NYSE: WDAY), a leader in enterprise cloud applications for and , today announced it will host from Oct. 9  Oct. 12 at McCormick Place West in Chicago. Customers, prospective customers, partners, and employees will come together to collaborate and learn about how Workday helps organizations around the world achieve their growth objectives and go further together.

Workday Rising offers more than 500 learning opportunities including customer case studies, interactive courses, deep dive product demonstrations, and forums for customers to share best practices and ideas with each other. The event will provide attendees representing all levels of an organization with content and expert insights across the following six core areas: finance; human resources; technology; student administration; payroll and workforce management; and driving excellence and success with Workday, which is designed to help customers maximize Workday investments.

The executive keynote address, hosted by Workday Co-Founder and CEO Aneel Bhusri and Co-Founder and Chairman Dave Duffield, will be broadcast live and take place on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. CT.

In addition, product strategy and vision keynotes featuring Workday product executives and customers will be broadcast live and take place on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017 during the following times:

10:45 a.m. CT: Workday Human Capital Management

1:00 p.m. CT: Workday Financial Management

2:30 p.m. CT: Workday Technology and Analytics

4:00 p.m. CT: Workday Payroll and Workforce Management

Please register to join the live broadcasts. A replay of the executive keynote address and product strategy and vision keynotes will be posted to .

Partners are an important part of Workday Rising and work closely with Workday to help customers achieve great business results. At the event, Workday will host an Innovation Exchange Expo where customers can meet a variety of services, software, and advisory partners to discuss their business goals and learn how to gain the most value possible from their Workday deployments.

Workday Services, Software, and Advisory Partner sponsors and exhibitors at Workday Rising include:

Titanium sponsors  Accenture, Deloitte Consulting LLP, IBM

Platinum sponsors  Alight Solutions, KPMG, Mercer, PwC

Gold sponsors  Adobe Systems Incorporated, ADP, Collaborative Solutions, DXC Technology, Huron, Kainos WorkSmart, OneSource Virtual, Sierra-Cedar, WiPro/Appirio

Signature sponsors  Accu-Time Systems, Achievers Solutions Inc., Ascend Software, Avalara, Beeline, Capgemini America, Inc., CareerBuilder, LLC., CEB, now Gartner, Ceridian, CIC Plus, CloudPay, CrossCountry Consulting, Dell Boomi, Dovetail Software, eQuest, First Advantage Services Corp., Globoforce, Hexaware, HireRight, Hyland Software, Icertis, Inc., Intecrowd, Kronos, Inc., Microsoft, Navigator, Neocase Software, NGA Human Resources, PeopleDoc, Phenom People, Safeguard World International, SnapLogic, Sterling Talent Solutions, Virgin Pulse, Xactly Corporation

Exhibitors  Accurate Background, Activpayroll Limited, Axion Health, Inc., Blackboard Transact/CashNet, Business Software, Inc., Centrify, Docusign, Entelo, General Information Services, goTransverse, HireVue, Incline Alchemy Information Services, Invisors, ISG (Information Services Group), Jitterbit, Kaba Workforce Solutions, LLC., Knowledge Source, Inc., LiveSafe, Inc., North Highland, Oakland Consulting Group, OneLogin, Precision Task Group, TopBloc, TurnKey Solutions, Workato, Workiva, ZK Technology LLC

Please visit the Workday blog for additional perspective from Christine Cefalo, chief marketing officer, Workday:

Please visit the Workday blog for additional perspective from Workdays chief people officer, Workdays chief information officer, and Workdays chief financial officer:

Follow Workday on Twitter:

Follow the Workday Rising conversation on Twitter:

Workday Rising 2017 official website:

is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for and . Founded in 2005, Workday delivers financial management, human capital management, and analytics applications designed for the worlds largest companies, educational institutions, and government agencies. Organizations ranging from medium-sized businesses to Fortune 50 enterprises have selected Workday.

 2017. Workday, Inc. All rights reserved. Workday and the Workday logo are registered trademarks of Workday, Inc. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Nina Oestlien

Workday

+1 (415) 828-3034
TigerGraph Emerges With $31M in Series A Funding, Introduces Real-Time Graph Platform

REDWOOD CITY, CA  (Marketwired)  09/19/17  TigerGraph today made announcements including its emergence from stealth, securing of $31M in Series A funding, general availability of TigerGraph  the worlds first and only native parallel graph database platform for enterprise applications, and availability of both its Cloud Service and GraphStudio, TigerGraphs visual software development kit (SDK). TigerGraphs Native Parallel Graph Technology (NPG) powers real-time deep link analytics for enterprises with complex and colossal amounts of data.

With investors including Qiming VC, Baidu, Ant Financial, AME Cloud, Morado Ventures, Zod Nazem, Danhua Capital and DCVC, TigerGraphs $31 million in funding is one of the most sizeable financing rounds in graph database history. Formerly known as GraphSQL while in stealth, TigerGraph is a technical breakthrough representing the next stage in the graph database evolution  a complete, distributed, parallel graph computing platform supporting web-scale data analytics in real-time.

Graph databases are the fastest growing category in all of data management, according to . However, first generation solutions are not designed to support the massive data volumes and data creation rates enterprises face today, and are unable to provide the full benefits of graph analytics. In turn, they fail to deliver the high performance deep link analytics needed to power enterprise applications.

TigerGraph is the real-time graph database platform for enterprise. TigerGraph is especially suited for very large graphs  the best model for deep link analytics as they enable exploration, discovery and prediction of relationships. These features are essential enterprise applications including: personalized recommendations, fraud prevention, supply-chain logistics optimization, company knowledge graph and more.

Unlike existing solutions, TigerGraph is designed to combine both native graph storage and compute, supports real-time graph updates and offers built-in parallel computation. Additionally, TigerGraphs architecture is modular and supports both scale-up and scale-out deployment models for distributed applications.

TigerGraph is the only product on the market with the following performance features:

The ability to traverse hundreds of million of vertices/edges per second per machine traversing three hops or more, orders of magnitude faster than traditional approaches.

The ability to load 50 to 150 GB of data per hour per machine. No more batch loading!

The ability to stream 2B+ daily events in real-time to a graph with 100B+ vertices and 600B+ edges on an only 20 commodity machine cluster, battle-tested by the worlds largest e-payment company with over two years in production.

These technical breakthroughs are essential for real-time analytics for the largest datasets, including fraud prevention at the worlds largest e-commerce provider, recommendations at the worlds largest mobile e-commerce company, and network management at the worlds largest electric grid company.

We are very excited to publicly launch our product after being battle tested by the largest customers in the world, said Yu Xu, founder and CEO of TigerGraph. With the power of combining real-time, big data and deep link analytics in a single platform, TigerGraph delivers the true promise and benefits of a graph platform. We expect to see a slew of new enterprise applications powered by TigerGraph. TigerGraph is poised to redefine the enterprise market just as the iPhone redefined the smartphone market.

TigerGraph is used by customers including Alipay, VISA, SoftBank, State Grid Corporation of China, Wish.com and Elementum. Uses cases include:

TigerGraph helps combat financial crime in real-time by allowing organizations to quickly deploy sophisticated anti-fraud and anti-money laundering capabilities on real time data performing complex deep link analytics in a unified company wide knowledge graph.

Empowers organizations to quickly deploy powerful relationship analysis capabilities. Real-time capabilities allow retailers to quickly synthesize and make sense of customer behavior and activities, smartly clustering products and make personalized recommendations.

Provides real-time visibility and analytics into key supply chain operations including order management, shipment status and other logistics.

TigerGraphs analytic capabilities help energy companies to monitor and analyze power flows, detect bottlenecks and alert personnel about grid performance issues, make real-time power generation and electricity flow control.

TigerGraph and its Cloud Service on Amazon EC2 are generally available today. TigerGraph also released GraphStudio, a visual SDK designed for technical and non-technical users to create, explore and query graphs visually. For more information, visit: .

We tried many graph databases but none met our requirements because of slow loading speed or slow query performance. TigerGraphs super fast data loading speed and real-time sub-second query performance on large datasets provides unparalleled performance advantages. Its a tool that really lets you tap into the full benefits of a graph analytics platform.

 Minh Chau, Head of Engineering at Elementum

The electric power grid is a physical world graph consisting of power generators, transformers, transmission lines, switches, meters, which is constantly changing. A real-time graph engine is essential to manage equipment in the grid and dynamically compute and estimate the electric power flowing in the grid for safety, efficiency and operations planning. We chose TigerGraph for three reasons: its real-time high performance computational power, its scalability to process large graphs and its flexible and powerful SDK which enables my teams to develop vertical applications quickly and efficiently.

 Guangyi Liu, PhD, CTO of GEIRI North America, State Grid Corporation of China

We have been using TigerGraph for two years now at Wish. TigerGraphs speed, scalability and graph model have enabled many applications for us that we previously thought were overly challenging.

 Jack Xie, Head of Data at Wish

There are many interesting applications which can greatly benefit from a graph database now, and in the coming years. The key challenge is to have a distributed graph database that can handle large amount of graph data and efficiently parallelize processing for speed. TigerGraph has unique technology that delivers today.

 Scott Gnau, CTO of Hortonworks

TigerGraph is a native parallel graph, which provides order of magnitude better performance than other graph databases. This huge advantage in scale and performance allows users to run real-time analytics on massive datasets, which opens up all new application areas in use cases around finance, transportation, and fraud analytics.

 Steven Xi, Founder and Managing Partner of Eastlink Capital

TigerGraph is a transformational technology being used by some of the worlds most disruptive companies. We are thrilled to be a part of this exciting opportunity as the native parallel graph will continue to address clear pain points for companies seeking to make the most of their massive amounts of data.

 Kuantai Yeh, Partner, Qiming Venture Partners

TigerGraph is the first graph processing system that makes a serious attempt to store the data in native graph form that is suited for parallel processing. It carries out this vision throughout the entire implementation stack, building everything with a view toward efficient parallel processing. We are in the age of big data. Were in the age of huge graphs that no longer fit in a single machine, or if they do, they are large enough that computation over them is not efficiently carried out on a single machine. We need to parallelize this computation. In order to do that, we need to start from a platform that is already sensitive to the issues arriving from parallelization.

 Alin Deutsch, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego

TigerGraph is the worlds first Real-Time Graph Analytics Platform powered by Native Parallel Graph (NPG) technology. TigerGraph fulfills the true promise and benefits of the graph platform by supporting real-time deep link analytics for enterprises with complex and colossal amounts of data. TigerGraphs proven technology is used by customers including Alipay, VISA, SoftBank, State Grid Corporation of China, Wish and Elementum.

Founded by Yu Xu, Ph.D. in 2012, TigerGraph is funded by Qiming VC, Baidu, Ant Financial, AME Cloud, Morado Ventures, Zod Nazem, Danhua Capital and DCVC. TigerGraph is based in Redwood City, CA. Learn more at .

Tanya Carlsson

Kulesa Faul for TigerGraph

707.529.6139
Netsil Launches, Introduces Auto-Discovered Maps for Kubernetes and Docker Apps

Posted by Publisher Internet

SAN FRANCISCO, CA  (Marketwired)  09/19/17  launched today from stealth by unveiling the, a universal observability and monitoring platform for modern cloud applications. With the AOC, Netsil enables DevOps teams to gain complete visibility into all their services and dependencies, with absolutely no code changes required. As a result, DevOps teams are able to reduce downtime, ensure safer deployments and meet their service level objectives (SLOs).

Every digital business is powered by hundreds of services and thousands of service interactions. Yet DevOps teams, responsible for uptime and performance of applications, cannot see the services and cannot see the service dependencies. This critical blindness incurs a huge financial cost from:

Prolonged Outages: The service looks fine; dependency is causing errors.

Bad Deployments:  this code change impacts that service!

Ineffective Planning:  are critical for end user transactions?

To quote Adrian Cockcroft, an expert on cloud architectures, . With the shift to Kubernetes- and Docker-based microservices, the blindness is worsening as more services and interactions become part of applications. The Netsil AOC squarely addresses this blindness problem by delivering auto-discovered, real-time maps that capture all the services and their dependencies.

The Netsil AOC can be thought of as Google Maps for Cloud Apps. The AOC generates maps which automatically discover every Docker container, Kubernetes pod, host and service endpoint, along with all the interactions among them. The maps also capture key service health metrics of latency, throughput and error rates for API calls, database queries, DNS lookups and several other service interactions. Using the Netsil maps, DevOps teams can:

Reduce Downtime  by quickly identifying root cause using dependencies on the map

Ensure Safer Deployments  by evaluating impact of deployments on latency, throughput and errors of dependent services

Deliver on Service Level Objectives (SLOs)  by monitoring and addressing the latency and errors of services that impact end users

Another key benefit of the AOC is that it does not require any code change to generate maps and metrics. Netsil (listen spelled backwards) listens to service interactions and conducts a real-time analysis of packets to obtain deep application insights. As a result, Netsil observes everything that hits the wire including calls to external services such as AWS RDS, AWS DynamoDB, API calls to Google Maps, Salesforce, Stripe, Twilio, etc.

Using the network as the vantage point, the Netsil AOC can observe and monitor across generations of applications. In particular, Netsil is especially powerful for the Kubernetes- and Docker-based microservices applications. For Kubernetes clusters, DevOps teams can visualize their applications at multiple levels by creating maps of hosts, namespaces, services and pods. From the application maps, they can drill down and quickly diagnose a range of complex issues such as service configuration issues (e.g. Kubernetes DNS errors), service reachability issues (e.g. HTTP errors) and service creation problems (e.g. pod scheduling errors). Furthermore, the Netsil AOC delivers all of these features and capabilities with the simplicity of installing just one collector agent per node.

Incumbent APM providers such as AppDynamics and Dynatrace also deliver application maps that capture transactions and service dependencies. However, in contrast to Netsils code-agnostic approach, APM products inflexibly depend on programming languages since they rely on code-instrumentation techniques. With APM, each service written in an unsupported programming language becomes a blind spot for DevOps teams. Moreover, there is a wide range of critical services such as databases, load balancers, service discovery and DNS that are impractical to instrument using APM. All such services become blind spots for operations teams. Built for the monolithic Java and .NET era, the APM techniques are a liability for the polyglot, fast changing world of public clouds and containers. Netsils auto-discovered maps and deep analytics elegantly address these challenges without relying on code changes or instrumentation.

Netsils patent-pending approach is the combined result of years of research at the University of Pennsylvania and the operational experience of founders at Google and Twitter. Describing the key insights behind Netsil, CEO and co-founder Harjot Gill said, When you consider the chaos in the application space with new programming languages, abstractions and frameworks, the network emerges as a natural, stable vantage point to observe and monitor modern cloud applications. Netsils network-centric approach is future-proof across generations of applications. So, whether it is Kubernetes and Docker today or Lambda functions tomorrow, the Netsil AOC will observe and monitor them without requiring any code changes.

As enterprises speed up the software development using DevOps and microservices, release management becomes a critical need, said Steve Hendrick, Research Director at Enterprise Management Associates. CI/CD pipeline tools, Kubernetes, and Docker enable enterprises to quickly deploy changes to production environments. However, without a complete understanding of service dependencies, making changes to a production environment is inherently risky. This is where Netsils ability to see every container, pod, host, and their dependencies is indispensable. Using Netsils maps and service metrics, DevOps can evaluate changes in complete application context, ensure safer deployments, and achieve agility without compromising reliability.

The proliferation of microservices makes it harder to monitor and debug applications, and its becoming increasingly difficult for operation teams to have adequate visibility into the systems they manage, said Alex Ethier, Chief Product Officer at SourceClear, who was earlier VP Product at Chef. A deeper level of visibility and control is needed, and Im excited about Netsils introduction of the application control center. With the AOC, operations teams finally have the tools they need to be successful for managing the ever-growing complexity of todays and tomorrows systems.

Limetray is a rapidly growing company that is addressing the marketing & operational challenges of the restaurant industry. On the tech side, we have a modern stack running on Kubernetes, Docker, and AWS. As we add more features and services for our customers, one of the biggest challenges has been understanding service dependencies, said Sooraj Elamana, AVP Engineering at Limetray. Netsil maps and metrics have been instrumental for us to understand transaction flows and quickly identify root causes of latency and errors before they impact our customers. We love the simplicity of Netsils approach where we just drop an agent and are able to see everything. Equally impressive has been the responsive support and close engagement with Netsil team. If you are running a Kubernetes stack, then Netsil is essential for real-time visibility into all the services and their dependencies.

The lack of visibility into service dependencies is a big challenge and is getting worse with microservices and heavy usage of external SaaS services, said Gokul Rajaram, Product Engineering Lead at Square, the Godfather of Google AdSense and an early investor in Netsil. Netsil addresses this critical operational blindness in a non-intrusive manner without requiring any changes to code or containers. You simply drop an agent on the host and start seeing everything. This combination of power and simplicity is incredible.

With the continued rise of Kubernetes and Docker, we are seeing a secular shift toward microservices architectures, said Ursheet Parikh, Partner at Mayfield Fund and one of the lead investors in Netsil. This shift is exposing new challenges and creating opportunities to rethink entire category of products such as APM. We are very excited about Netsils radically innovative approach that delivers pervasive observability for DevOps with immense simplicity and ease of use. We are excited to partner with Harjot, Shariq and the Netsil team on this exciting journey.

Netsil is an application mapping and monitoring company based in San Francisco, California. Netsils seed round of funding was participated in by Mayfield Fund, Engineering Capital, Moment Ventures and other marquee Silicon Valley investors. Netsils flagship product, the Application Operations Center (AOC), enables DevOps teams to gain complete visibility into all the services and their dependencies, with absolutely no code changes required. As a result, DevOps teams are able to reduce downtime, ensure safer deployments and meet their service level objectives (SLOs).

The Netsil AOC is available now in SaaS and self-hosted deployment models. The AOC works on all clouds (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, VMware) and container environments (Kubernetes, Mesos, Docker). To learn more about how Netsil can help you take control of your modern cloud applications, please visit:

Image Available:

Embedded Video Available:

10Fold for Netsil

Drew Smith

415-800-5374
HashiCorp Delivers Major Updates Across Its Cloud Infrastructure Automation Product Suite to Accelerate Cloud Adoption

AUSTIN, TX  (Marketwired)  09/19/17  Today at HashiConf 2017, HashiCorp, a leader in cloud infrastructure automation, announced updates across its suite of open source and enterprise products for cloud infrastructure automation  Terraform, Vault, Consul, and Nomad  with new capabilities to help organizations adopt cloud. The company also released Sentinel, a policy as code framework for infrastructure automation, and delivered the Terraform Module Registry, providing example infrastructure templates to make provisioning across cloud environments easier.

The updates span each of the four critical components of distributed infrastructure  cloud provisioning, security, networking, and application runtime. HashiCorps products enable consistent workflows to provision, secure, connect, and run any infrastructure, including in multi-cloud environments.

Our driving mission is to enable organizations to focus on workflows, not technologies. We want to support any technology that companies choose to operate, including their legacy infrastructure, said Armon Dadgar, founder and co-CTO of HashiCorp. As an ever larger number of Global 2000 organizations move from static, on-premises infrastructures to dynamic architectures spanning multiple clouds, we are working to provide the blueprints and infrastructure automation capabilities to help them succeed. We are investing in HashiCorp to support the worlds largest organizations, while continuing to build products practitioners love, for IT operators, security teams, and application developers.

The HashiCorp product announcements at HashiConf include:

To help users successfully provision infrastructure in any cloud, HashiCorp released the HashiCorp Terraform Module Registry (), a public repository of example templates for common infrastructure patterns and popular services. These templates include support for Alibaba Cloud, AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud, Kubernetes, and the HashiCorp products.

In addition, HashiCorp announced the beta release of HashiCorp Terraform Enterprise with new Workspace capabilities to help enterprise IT operations teams with collaboration and governance for provisioning infrastructure. Workspace capabilities include:

Ability to provide access to shared infrastructure while restricting management capability

Version control integration to tie infrastructure definition to a single source of truth and perform automated testing

New UI that lets teams use Terraform to collaborate on infrastructure changes

The ability to audit and track all changes across teams

Full API coverage to integrate with existing tooling

HashiCorp delivered Vault 0.8.3 with support for Kubernetes. Vault integration with Kubernetes extends HashiCorps platform-agnostic approach to secrets management and furthers the support of secure secrets management in modern environments and container workflows. New Vault capabilities include:

Direct Vault integration within Kubernetes without additional integration components

Kubernetes pods can fetch tokens for accessing secrets directly from Vault

Kubernetes applications can leverage Vault features such as key management, cryptographic offload, SSL/TLS certificate generation, and dynamic secrets

For dynamic service discovery and configuration, HashiCorp announced HashiCorp Consul 1.0 for both open source and enterprise. Consul joins Vagrant and Packer as the third HashiCorp product to reach the 1.0 milestone. Consul 1.0 open source enhancements include:

Improvements to the Access Control List (ACL) system to make bootstrapping and configuring ACLs easier

Autopilot enhancements to handle more version upgrade scenarios

Consul Enterprise 1.0 feature additions include:

Network Segments to support segmented LAN environments

HashiCorp announced the beta release for HashiCorp Nomad 0.7, a high performance and flexible service and batch scheduler. New capabilities in the open source version include:

An access control system which will enable operators to limit access to APIs and jobs

A web-based user interface to explore running workloads and monitor application health, enabling self-service usage for developers and better visibility for operators

HashiCorp also announced the beta release of the first enterprise version of Nomad. With Nomad Enterprise comes important collaboration and governance features for large enterprises, including:

Namespaces, which will allow multiple teams to safely use a single, unified multi-data center deployment

Resource quotas which will allow an administrator to limit resource consumption by namespace

HashiCorp also released Sentinel, a policy as code framework (). Sentinel is designed to help enable organizations to define guardrails to safely automate infrastructure operations. Sentinel is integrated across the HashiCorp enterprise products, enabling active policy enforcement.

Read the blog post on the HashiCorp blog for a complete listing of links to more detailed information about all components of todays announcement.

The Terraform Module Registry is hosted by HashiCorp and available today at . The beta release of Terraform Enterprise is now available. Vault 0.8.3 with Kubernetes support is generally available today. Beta releases of Nomad 0.7 and Nomad Enterprise 0.7 are available today. Beta releases of Consul 1.0 and Consul Enterprise 1.0 will be available within 7 days. Sentinel will be available with the Premium versions of Vault Enterprise 0.9, Consul Enterprise 1.0, and Nomad Enterprise 0.7. Sentinel will be available with the Premium version of Terraform Enterprise scheduled for release within 30 days.

HashiConf 2017 is HashiCorps third annual user and technology conference for organizations adopting cloud technologies and accelerating their use of DevOps principles. The conference takes place September 18-20 at the J.W. Marriott in Austin, TX and features speakers from Adobe, Barclays, Box, eBay, Fastly, Google, Joyent, Microsoft, PagerDuty, Under Armour, and others. Google Cloud is the Platinum Sponsor; other top-level sponsors include AWS, Microsoft, Bridgewater Associates, Datadog, DigitalOcean, Gruntwork, and LogicMonitor. For more information, visit .

HashiCorp is a cloud infrastructure automation company that enables organizations to adopt consistent workflows to provision, secure, connect, and run any infrastructure for any application. HashiCorp open source tools Vagrant, Packer, Terraform, Vault, Consul, and Nomad are downloaded thousands of times per day and are broadly adopted by the Global 2000. Enterprise versions of these products enhance the open source tools with features that promote collaboration, operations, governance, and multi-data center functionality. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by Mayfield, GGV Capital, Redpoint, and True Ventures. For more information, visit or follow HashiCorp on Twitter @HashiCorp.

Amber Rowland

+1-650-814-4560
A Portage man was arrested downtown early Saturday morning after he was accused of attacking a bartender outside for a smoke break and later threatening officers as he was taken into custody.

Shawn Tobie, 27, appeared in Columbia County Circuit Court on Monday charged with one count of misdemeanor battery, one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and two counts of felony threatening a police officer.

The incident began when two Portage officers responded to a call of a situation near the Cottonwood Bar just before 1 a.m. Saturday. One of the bartenders had been in the adjacent alley smoking when, he said, Tobie approached him and head-butted him. The bartender reportedly chased after Tobie and demanded an apology, with Tobie refusing and pushing the bartender away.

A woman who was nearby at the time confirmed to officers what had happened and that it seemed to her to be unprovoked.

Officers located Tobie near Big Dog Saloon at about 1:30 a.m. where they say he resisted arrest by the three responding officers, letting loose a string of threats. Once placed in a squad car, he allegedly told the female officer that drove him to the jail that Id beat the (expletive) out of you twice, and that even with my hands behind my back I would (expletive) head butt you.

After reviewing video of the arrest, the officers were also able to specify another threat, with Tobie heard saying, You know Id beat the (expletive) out of you, you four-eyed (expletive). Only one of the officers was wearing glasses at the time.

At Mondays hearing, District Attorney Jane Kohlwey requested that Tobie be released from Columbia County Jail on a $2,000 signature bond on conditions of absolute sobriety and not having any contact with the three Portage officers involved.

Defense attorney Tristan Eagon pointed out that Tobies father had submitted an email explaining that Tobie is a veteran of military service in Afghanistan and has since suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Tobies mother, appearing in court, additionally asked for an exception for Tobie to be allowed to travel out of state to stay with her in Illinois where treatment would be available.

Judge Daniel George, filling in since the retirement of Judge Alan White on Sept. 13, agreed to the proposed exception and allowed Tobies conditional release on a signature bond.

Tobie is scheduled to next appear in court Dec. 7. If convicted, Tobie faces a possible maximum sentence of one year in jail for the first two misdemeanor charges, and up to six years in prison for each felony count.
South Florida Teachers and Students Praise Class Updates for Their Technology during Hurricane Irma

MIAMI, FL  (Marketwired)  09/19/17  Class Updates, a free mobile messaging application for teachers and students, became an important conduit for information during Hurricane Irma when South Florida educators at local schools such as, Miami-Dade College and UAC School of Global Management, used the app to communicate with students. With understandable confusion about the availability of services in the days leading up to landfall, Class Updates allowed teachers to keep students updated about any campus developments or important information. The application has also been praised by students who utilized the app to connect directly with their classmates.

Teachers and professors normally rely on Class Updates to notify students of class cancellations, due dates for projects and assignments, reminders about upcoming tests or exams, and other pertinent class information, instead used the app to keep students informed about campus and class information in preparation for the storm.

Hurricane Irma may be in the rearview mirror, but support for the Class Updates has only grown after the application demonstrated its usefulness to both students and teachers during a crisis. Professors and students in Florida who utilized the app to keep lines of communication open while Hurricane Irma ripped through the Sunshine State raved about what a great resource Class Updates was during their time of need.

On an average day, Class Updates is a convenient tool for teachers at the high school, college and university level to use for instant, real-time communication with students. Students simply set up their profiles, select their school, add their teachers and add their classes. When done, students get instant access to class updates and any important class notifications or reminders from their teacher. Teachers and professors can post reminders and updates about assignments, projects, tests, and can notify students about class cancellations, emergencies, or use for communication during class field trips. Students can also connect directly with their teachers or classmates via social media options in the application.

Class Updates app proved to be very valuable as teachers used the app to stay connected with their students and keep them informed of important class information related to Hurricane Irma. Although information about school closures was made available on campus websites, Class Updates allowed instructors to inform students via push notifications directly to their mobile devices. Students received instant notifications to their phones and tablets as soon as teachers posted the updates, instead of having to find a way to access the internet and campus website or school email in search of information.

Students and teachers alike have praised Class Updates for the convenience it provided during the days leading up to Hurricane Irma and after the storm passed until classes and normal operations resumed. Class Updates is very proud of the positive impact of its education technology app during Hurricane Irma.

Class Updates is a mobile messaging app for convenient, instant and seamless teacher to student communication. Teachers can communicate with students through the application via instant notifications in real-time using push notification technology. Class Updates is free to use and includes a comprehensive database of every high school and college in the country, making it a valuable and user-friendly resource for teachers and students alike.

Download today on the

Apple iTunes Store:

Google Play Store:

For more information, visit:
Solar Novus Today Has Been Integrated

With Novus Light Technologies Today

Visit Novus Light Technologies Today to see all the cutting-edge stories and products that you have come to enjoy on Solar Novus Today. In addition, you will find more information on related light-based technologies.



Get the latest solar and renewable energy news delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for the Green Technologies newsletter





CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR GREEN TECHNOLOGIES NEWSLETTER






























'This will be the one of the most appreciated outdoor art pieces in Macomb County," said Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon.
Georgetown, SC (29440)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 57F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low 49F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
To shoot down or not? NKorea launch highlights intercept issues







Washington (AFP) Sept 17, 2017





North Korea's latest missile launch over Japan set sirens blaring and triggered alerts telling people to seek shelter - yet neither Tokyo nor Washington tried to shoot the rocket down. The test follows one in August that saw another rocket soar over Hokkaido. In that case too, much-vaunted Japanese and US missile-intercept capabilities were not used. Now some in the United States are wondering why all this sophisticated weaponry isn't being used, especially as North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ac ... read more
A man who started a fire inside a South Side office building, in jail since his arrest in October, will spend another six months in jail, a Dane County judge said.

Dustin J. Palmer, 31, was sentenced to five years of probation Monday, with six months of jail as a condition of probation, for starting a fire in an office building at 2601 W. Beltline. The smoky fire that he started in a bankers box didnt spread but triggered a robust overhead sprinkler system that caused extensive water damage, Assistant District Attorney Valerian Powell said.

Mr. Palmer, Im really glad that no one got hurt, including yourself, Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky said. It could have been a real disaster.

Police were called to the building the night of Oct. 7 after it was reported that someone had broken into Navitus Health Solutions and had torn things from the wall. Palmer was found on the fifth floor of the building, at the office of Singlewire Software, where he started the fire, a criminal complaint states.

While damage was put at more than $50,000, it was mostly covered by insurance. Palmer was ordered to pay just over $4,000.

Palmer pleaded guilty in July to attempted arson. The sentence handed down by Karofsky was the one sought by Powell. Palmers lawyer, Jason Gonzalez, asked that Palmer be sentenced to three years of probation, with no additional time in jail.

Gonzalez argued that Palmer, who was under the influence of drugs at the time, was not in a normal state of mind, and was going through some personal problems that led to the incident. He said Palmer would live with family in Reedsburg if released, and asked that his jail time be transferred to Sauk County.
AdWords' procedures enable companies or political parties to participate in an auction to place ads on certain search terms. As soon as their target group uses those search terms, the winning bidder's ads are then displayed for those users prominently in the form of either links or banner ads. These paid results in the results list are small and labeled with the term "ad."

Shifting Justifications

The Harris Media documents indicate that the AfD has large sums of money at its disposal in order to place its anti-Merkel content on Google advertising channels as prominently as possible during the last stretch of the campaign. The plans include purchasing search terms, placing ad banners and running YouTube campaign spots. It also bought the rights to search terms on Google including "Angela Merkel" and "Kanzlerin Merkel," using the German word for "chancellor."

But for the last week -- an eternity as the election enters into the homestretch -- the right-wing populists have failed to drive the desired traffic to the anti-Merkel site. Instead, Google has sent a series of emails with "problem reports" or subject lines like "ad rejected." The party claims that the reasons provided constantly change, as do the contacts sending the messages, which are coming from higher and higher ranks in the company.

Most recently, the ad sales team wrote that the anti-Merkel site wasn't working correctly, a claim that employees at Harris Media were quickly able to disprove. Then they were told that statements made in the ad and on the website were inappropriate because they could "hoax the customer."

Finally, a further mail sent several days later stated that the text ad would now be unblocked for Google search results, but that the video ad and banner ad were still under review because they were believed to contain "dangerous and degrading" content that violate company police.

'Inadmissible Interference'?

The AfD website is indeed quite degrading to Merkel, but in the past Harris Media has always been able to iron out similar problems its customers are having with placements on the Internet advertising platforms. The marketing company has a reputation for the aggressive messages and methods it uses on social media.

In the United States, the company has always been able to rectify similar situations within 24 hours, Kunkel said. He said the experienced Harris employees who were sent to Germany had already spent millions on advertising with Google and had "never before experienced" a dispute lasting more than a week, like the one between the AfD and the internet giant.

The AfD campaign chief believes that Google is conducting "inadmissible interference in the formation of political opinions here in Germany." He also said that Google did not agree to a meeting with the AfD in the run-up to the campaign, even though Facebook sent high-level representatives to meet with the party.

Contacted on Monday night, Google confirmed that the text ads have since been approved but that the video spot still hadn't been authorized. At the time this story posted online, the anti-Merkel site was indeed provided as the first paid search result for users who typed in the chancellor's name on Google in Germany.

Google says that its fundamental policy is that "any party certified in Germany can place ads on Google within the scope of our advertising regulations." But those regulations further state that all political ads placed on Google and destinations they link to must comply with the local campaign and election laws for any area the ads target.

AfD Plans Google Boycott

Party officials at the AfD assume they are the subject of a politically motivated boycott and intend to respond with one of their own. The party is now planning on taking the money it had earmarked for ads on Google and instead spend it with Facebook. The AfD also plans to follow up its anti-Merkel campaign with online ads aimed at mobilizing voters in the final days of the election.

Campaign manager Kunkel is planning to expand the party's "Germans, Dare To Do It" campaign in the form of an online map of Germany upon which AfD supporters can drop pins. "It will show our potential voters that they are in no way alone in their immediate surroundings," Kunkel said.

Ultimately, the beneficiary of the dispute between the AfD and Google might be Facebook -- the same company that generated negative headlines in recent weeks for allowing ads to be placed for users interested in terms like "Jew haters." Just a few days before that, the company had been forced to admit that a company with ties to the Kremlin had succeeded in placing Facebook ads totaling around $100,000 during the U.S. election focusing on divisive domestic policy issues.

In response to a question about the company's meeting with AfD officials and its handling of the party's controversial ads, a spokesperson for Facebook said, "Facebook is a politically neutral platform and is available as a contact for all parties that are campaigning in Germany."

Editor's Note: After we posted this article online, Google also provided the following additional statement:

"There is absolutely no basis to the accusation of a political bias. All political parties that are certified in Germany can place ads on Google as long as they adhere to our regulations. We are rigorous in the application of these guidelines. All ads undergo an automated review process. The review of borderline cases can take longer."
Dar es Salam (Tanzania), Sept 09, 2017 (SPS) - The Tanzanian Committee of Solidarity with the Saharawi People, has condemned in the strongest terms possible the unfair trial and harsh sentence by the Moroccan Court of Appeal to the Gdeim Izk group., which lacking concrete basis and sufficient evidence, "said the note released by the Tanzanian Committee a copy of which received by SPS.

In the same line, the communique criticizes the Moroccan judicial authorities for their "failure to accurately dispense justice and ignoring the claims of torture , thus which is why the Committee "demands the immediate release of political prisoners of Gdeim Izik and all prisoners of conscience imprisoned in Morocco. "

Meanwhile, the Tanzanian Committee of Solidarity with the Saharawi People, demands " the conduct of the free and fair referendum in the occupied territory; and further urge for the respect for human rights and the sovereign of Western Sahara over her natural.

"We call upon the international community to sanction the Kingdom of Morocco and its accomplices" for the violations committed in occupied Western Sahara.

In the same context, the communique denounced the recent measures by the Moroccan authorities to forcibly transfer Gdeim Izik prisoners and disperse them to different Moroccan prisons, the statement concluded. SPS

125/090
Members of the leading rural youth organisation spent more than 4,000 hours over the last year, as part of a nationwide campaign, fundraising and delivering community projects that benefited local residents. The hard work was all part of an NFYFC campaign called the Countryside Challenge, funded by Pears Foundation and The Office for Civil Society.

Feedback from the campaign revealed that 100% of respondents who lived in the areas that benefited from a YFC project said that it would have a positive impact on their local community.

Survey findings also revealed how local communities viewed YFC members after the projects were completed, with the top three attributes for Young Farmers being friendly (95%), hard working (91%) and organised (87%). Other key qualities highlighted about YFC members were that they were inspiring and helpful.

Projects ranged from cleaning up churchyards and village signs to hosting fundraising events to raise money for local causes.

Thanks to the funding support, NFYFC was able to give out 15,200 worth of funding to YFCs who applied for 400 to help them deliver their Countryside Challenge project.

This money paid for necessary tools and equipment or was reinvested back into club funds to help develop their club and activities for members.

Deputy Director of Pears Bridget McGing said:

The YFCs taking part in the Countryside Challenge have been particularly impressive in their ability to organise and manage social action projects. From the ambitious scale of the projects devised by the clubs, through to the careful budgeting, reporting and risk assessments carried out, the YFCs have definitely demonstrated the extraordinary potential of young people.

As well as the Countryside Challenge, YFCs annually raise an estimated 1.2m for charity every year through fundraising and collectively spend thousands of hours supporting local community projects. This impressive amount is on top of the money they must raise to supplement the running costs of their clubs and the hours spent nurturing their members.

This National Young Farmers Week, YFCs will be celebrating the positive impact they make on their rural communities and in developing young peoples skills.

The aim of the week is promote YFCs to more rural young people so they are aware of the benefits the Federation can offer them by providing an active social network and developing skills.
Thats the view of a leading independent economist, Sean Rickard, who says existing trade  growing annually - is under serious threat unless a new equivalence agreement in regard to organic standards between the two countries is signed before the end of this year.

A break in the ability of UK organic producers to export to the US would be extremely damaging if not fatal, he says. EU and other exports would grow to the detriment of the UK unless there is Government action to move forwards on this equivalence issue.

Commissioned by the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo) to look into the value of this trade, he points out that the current agreement  an exchange of letters between two willing partners  will cease to apply post-Brexit, as it is between the US and EU, not between the US and UK.

The UK organic sector enjoys a global reputation for its quality and integrity, and potentially stands to benefit from the expanding global market for organic products, he says. Since 2006, UK exports to the US of all processed foodstuffs, crops, animals, meat and vegetable oils, have increased in value from around 300million to over 600million.

Food and drink is the UKs largest manufacturing sector, but weak when it comes to export intensity. Just eight per cent of food and non-alcoholic drink output is exported. Worth 28billion, the US is the worlds biggest organic market, with growth driven by rising consumer interest in taste, health and nutrition, environmental protection and non- GM certification.

In 2007/08, faced with falling domestic prices, OMSCo made the strategic decision to develop export markets. Then, in 2015, it became the first EU dairy business to qualify for USDA certified organic status, opening up the premium market to its producers. The Cooperatives award-winning organic cheddar, Kingdom, was produced as a mature, distinctive, heritage cheese  and today is the only volume European organic cheese sold in the US.

Trade in organic food products is critically dependent on mutual recognition of the trading partners certification procedures which, in the case of UK exports, is currently facilitated by the EUs range of equivalence agreements. In 2012 there was an exchange of letters recognising the equivalence of EU and US organic rules and regulations, paving the way for UK organic products to be marketed in the UK, says Sean.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

An Ohio man's attempt to punish his daughter by dressing up as a clown and scaring her backfired when another man attempted to shoot him.

According to news station WKBN, Vernon Barrett Jr. chased his 6-year-old daughter out of his home wearing a clown mask. Police said the little girl ran into an apartment with an unlocked door and told the family living there that a clown was chasing her.

CLOWN TAKEOVER: Juggalos rally at mall to protest gang label they say is wrong and harmful

Dion Santiago, who was in the apartment the girl ran into, told police he saw Barrett standing outside wearing the clown mask, WKBN reports. Police said Santiago shot outside to scare off the mask-wearing father. Barrett was not hit by the gunfire.

When officers arrived, Santiago told officers he was nervous about Barrett because of stories of people dressed as clowns chasing other people.

Similar stories of clowns scaring popped up in East Texas last October, where an unsubstantiated clown threat at Willowridge High School caused officials to temporarily lock down the school.In a separate incident, a student at the Houston Independent School District was arrested and charged for making a terroristic threat against a school using a clown image.

CLOWN PRANK: James Corden clowns around as Pennywise in 'It'

News station WYTV reports Barrett told police that his daughter's mother is serving jail time for child endangerment. Instead of spanking his daughter like her mother did, he said he decided to scare her instead when she was having behavioral issues.

Neither station reported what the little girl had initially done to cause her father to dress up like a clown and scare her.

Both stations report Barrett was charged with child endangerment and inducing panic. Santiago is charged with using weapons while intoxicated.

See accidentally scary clowns in the gallery above.
A state appeals court panel on Tuesday joined a federal appeals court that earlier this summer upheld Wisconsins right-to-work law, finding that it is not an unconstitutional taking of property from unions.

The three-judge panel of the Wausau-based state District 3 Court of Appeals, led by Judge Mark Seidl, overturned a Dane County circuit judges finding from April 2016 that the 2015 law, sometimes called Act 1, is unconstitutional.

The benefits of exclusive representation correspond to a duty to represent all employees in the bargaining unit fairly, including non-members of the union who will pay nothing for representative services, Seidl wrote. Act 1 does not deprive compensation for those mandated services. The law merely prohibits anyone from conditioning a persons employment on the payment of monies designed to cover the costs of performing that duty of fair representation.

Milwaukee lawyer Frederick Perillo, who has been lead attorney for three unions that sued to overturn right-to-work, said Tuesday that he had not yet seen the ruling.

State Attorney General Brad Schimel and Gov. Scott Walker hailed the decision.

I applaud the court in affirming the constitutional right of all Wisconsin workers to be free to choose whether they want to join a union or financially support a union, Walker said in a statement.

The courts ruling comes on the heels of a decision in July by a federal appeals court panel that also upheld the right-to-work law. A federal judge in Milwaukee had upheld the law in a ruling in September 2016.

The right-to-work law, modeled on similar laws in other states, prohibits unions and employers from requiring that all employees pay fees to join a union, either in membership dues or fair share payments for those who opt out of union membership but are still represented by the union.

In the Dane County case, three unions, including the AFL-CIO, sued the state after the law was enacted, arguing that state and federal laws require unions to provide collective bargaining services to all employees in a represented workplace, regardless of whether they pay union dues. That made the state right-to-work law an illegal taking over their services, they argued.

Dane County Circuit Judge William Foust, who has since retired, found the law to be unconstitutional and banned it from being enforced, but the state appeals court panel restored enforcement of the law about a month later while it considered the states appeal of the case.

In the panels ruling, Seidl wrote that the right-to-work law doesnt appropriate, transfer or encumber money contained in the unions treasuries. Similarly Act 1 does not require labor organizations to provide services to anyone.

The unions may be required to expend resources to represent employees in a bargaining unit who do not pay fees or dues to the union, Seidl wrote, but the result does not constitute a taking. Rather, Act 1 merely precludes the unions from requiring non-member employees to pay fees designed to cover the costs of performing the duty of fair representation.

The appeals court ordered the case returned to the circuit court for dismissal.
A Dane County sheriffs deputy was injured Monday night when an inmate charged with shooting two men and killing one of them at a 7-Eleven last month choked her in an elevator at the Dane County Jail, according to the Sheriffs Office.

Curtis J. Langlois, 37, was in full restraints and headed back to his cell on the seventh floor of the City-County Building after a visitation when he became upset and agitated toward one of the three deputies accompanying him and threatened her life, Sheriffs Office spokeswoman Elise Schaffer said.

In the elevator, Langlois got his handcuffed hands around the deputys neck and choked her until the three deputies regained control of him, according to Schaffer. The deputy was taken to a hospital and released after she received treatment, she said.

Langlois faces new tentative charges of resisting arrest, battery to a law enforcement officer, and strangulation, according to Schaffer.

The injured deputy was also threatened by Langlois during an incident at the jail earlier this month, Schaffer said. According to a criminal complaint, Langlois was charged with threatening a deputy after he continually told her from his cell, Ill (expletive) kill you! Pop this door! Im not just gonna kill you, Im gonna snap your neck!

Langlois has been in jail since he was charged with first-degree intentional homicide after police say he fatally shot Kendrith J. Young, as well as attempted first-degree intentional homicide after he shot Rodney Lemon Jr., at the 7-Eleven on the West Beltline on Aug. 2.

Dametrius Reeves, 27, who police say was with Langlois during the shooting, faces similar charges.
ATLANTA  Republican governors are getting into the news business.

The Republican Governors Association has quietly launched an online publication that looks like a media outlet and is branded as such on social media. The Free Telegraph blares headlines about the virtues of GOP governors, while framing Democrats negatively. It asks readers to sign up for breaking news alerts. It launched in the summer bearing no acknowledgment that it was a product of an official party committee whose sole purpose is to get more Republicans elected.

Only after The Associated Press inquired about the site last week was a disclosure added to The Free Telegraphs pages identifying the publications partisan source.

The governors association describes the website as routine political communication. Critics, including some Republicans, say it pushes the limits of honest campaign tactics in an era of increasingly partisan media and a proliferation of fake news sites, including those whose material became part of an apparent Russian propaganda effort during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Its propaganda for sure, even if they have objective standards and all the reporting is 100 percent accurate, said Republican communications veteran Rick Tyler, whose resume includes Ted Cruzs 2016 presidential campaign.

Wisconsin governor and RGA chairman Scott Walker deferred questions through a spokesman to the groups national staff. At RGA, spokesman Jon Thompson said the site is just another outlet to share those positive results of the GOPs 34 Republican governors.

The website was registered July 7 through Domains By Proxy, a company that allows the originators of a website to shield their identities. An AP search did not find any corporate, Federal Election Commission or IRS filings establishing The Free Telegraph as an independent entity.

As of early Monday afternoon, The Free Telegraphs Twitter account and Facebook page still had no obvious identifiers tying the site to RGA. The site described itself on Twitter as bringing you the political news that matters outside of Washington. The Facebook account labeled The Free Telegraph a Media/News Company. Thats a contrast to the RGAs Facebook page, which is clearly disclosed as belonging to a Political Organization, as is the account of its counterpart, the Democratic Governors Association.

Its not unprecedented for politicians to try their hand at news distribution. President Donald Trumps daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, hosted real news video segments in the summer, posted to the presidents Facebook page. In one typical segment she told viewers she wanted to highlight all the accomplishments the president had this week because theres so much fake news out there.

Vice President Mike Pence, when he was Indiana governor, pitched the idea of a news agency run by state government, but he ditched the idea in 2015 after criticism. In both cases, however, Lara Trump and Pence were not aiming to hide the source of the content.

But the RGA site has Democrats, media analysts and even some Republicans crying foul.

Democrats say Republicans are laying the groundwork with headlines that will appear in future digital and television ads, while also providing individual voters with fodder to distribute across social media.

Theyre just seeding the ground, said Angelo Carusone, who runs Media Matters, a liberal watchdog group. They are repackaging their opposition research so its there as news, and at any moment that publication could become the defining moment of the narrative in some states campaign for governor.

Political communications expert Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a University of Pennsylvania professor who has studied political advertising for four decades, said The Free Telegraph commits a form of identity theft by appropriating the integrity of news because the form of news carries credibility that blatantly partisan sites do not.

Jamieson was particularly critical of RGAs initial failure to disclosure its involvement. What we know about audiences is they factor in the source of information when judging that information, she said. If you are denying the reader, the listener or the viewer information you know the reader uses, the question is why do you feel the need to do this?

A recent RGA fundraising email said the site was fact-checking the liberal media and is a counter to decades of demonizing Republicans. Playing off President Donald Trumps dismissal of fake news, the email said media can say whatever they like about us  whether its true or not.

Some of The Free Telegraphs content plays off of material from traditional media organizations and from right-leaning outlets such as The Daily Caller. RGA press releases are linked. Some headlines and photos are exact duplicates of RGA press releases.

In the days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas and Louisiana, the site included headlines praising Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, for his response. There were no such headlines for Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.

The content is far tamer than from some sites that popped up during the 2016 presidential campaign to propagate sensational but baseless stories. But it does create a cache of headlines that could turn up in campaigns.

The first test is in this falls Virginia governors race pitting Democratic nominee Ralph Northam against Republican Ed Gillespie. Virginians already have seen another site, The Republican Standard, that is run by Virginia Republican operatives with ties to Gillespie, a former state and national party chairman, and to a firm that has been paid by the RGA. The Free Telegraph and its social media accounts frequently link to The Republican Standard.

Northam campaign spokesman David Turner accused Gillespie and Republicans of creating their own Pravda, a nod to the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Cockroaches, mice, cats and dogs can make asthma worse, but exposure to the pests and pets during infancy can lower the risk of developing the breathing disease, according to a national study led by a UW-Madison doctor.

To our surprise, cockroaches and mice  the very things we thought were going to be problematic  seem to be associated with less asthma at age 7, said Dr. James Gern, a pediatric allergist at the university, who headed up the study published Tuesday in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The findings add to a concept called the hygiene hypothesis.

A lack of exposure to allergens and germs in early childhood may suppress the development of the immune system, causing it to go haywire when it is later exposed.

The idea has led allergists to shift advice on peanuts, saying children at increased risk of developing a peanut allergy should consume moderate amounts of peanut protein starting at ages 4-11 months, instead of avoiding the food.

The new findings about asthma could encourage parents with babies to worry less about pets and dust at home, said Dr. Todd Mahr, a pediatric allergist on the American Lung Association in Wisconsins leadership board.

Having the cat and the dog be around your child is not a bad thing, and maybe if youre not the cleanest housekeeper, thats not something to beat yourself up about, said Mahr, who works at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse.

About 8 percent of U.S. children have asthma, in which airways become sore and swollen. They experience coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.

In the new research, Gern and others with the Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, looked at 442 children from birth to age 7 in poor neighborhoods of Baltimore, Boston, New York City and St. Louis.

Each child had at least one parent with asthma or allergies, giving the children a higher risk. By age 7, 130 of them, or 29 percent, developed asthma.

Kids in homes with the least amount of roach, mouse, cat and dog allergens in house dust had nearly a 40 percent chance of developing asthma.

Those with the most allergens in dust had less than a 10 percent chance.

The difference was most pronounced for cockroach allergens and least for dog allergens.

Certain types of bacteria found in the dust also seemed to protect children from asthma, the study found.

Having a mother who smoked during pregnancy, or who said she was stressed or depressed, increased the risk of children developing asthma.

Those and other factors appear to make poor, urban environments worse overall for acquiring the condition.

Another study this month, by Gern and others at UW-Madison and Marshfield Clinic, looked at more than 500 rural children, half of them on dairy farms. The farm children had about a third less hay fever and two-thirds fewer skin rashes.

A study of Madison-area children a decade ago found less asthma among those who had dogs, Gern said.

Whether its a dog or a farm setting or, somewhat surprisingly, some of the pests in urban areas, they seem to be having positive effects on the risk of allergic disease and respiratory illnesses, including asthma, he said.

If specific bacteria or allergens are identified and proven to reduce the risks, drugs or probiotics might be developed to ward off asthma, Gern said.

For now, the prescription is general. It makes sense to get kids outdoors and have them exposed to lots of different things when theyre young, he said.
SCOTTSBLUFF Eight years ago, Bluffs Middle School teacher, Letizia-Ann Tish Kosmans life changed drastically when she moved from Australia to Nebraska.

Kosman, born and raised in Queensland, Australia, met her Nebraskan-native husband while he was studying abroad in Sydney. Before meeting him, Kosman said she had never even thought of moving to America.

Kosman and her husband continued to work in Australia for four years, but always knew that they would have to come to Nebraska.

Due to their marriage, Kosman knew she would need to apply for U.S. citizenship.

You become a permanent resident and you get a green card, which lasts for two years after you get married, she said. And once theyve established that your marriage is legit and it wasnt just for the green card, you get formal permanent residency and youre actually classified as a legal alien.

After being established as a legal alien, Kosmans seventh-grade students got her a fun gift.

You see this little critter over here, she said, gesturing toward an orange stuffed alien toy. That was a gift from the kids last year because they always thought it was funny that I was a legal alien. And they just liked that so they gifted me with an alien.

Sharing about the differences shes experienced, Kosman talked about her move to America.

Nebraska is very different than Australia because theres no water. I felt very land-locked, Kosman said. When you talk about assimilating, theres really no substitute for the water.

She said shed lived in Scottsbluff for nearly four years before her husband told her about Lake Minatare.

Because he was like, well its not the ocean, but you might like it, Kosman said. But I did love it, because you know it was something that I could get out there and pretend Im at the beach maybe.

Kosman shared how she often found herself too busy with life to work on her citizenship paperwork. However, Kosmans children put her back into motion.

Once my kids came along I was really motivated to make sure that we were all on the same passport, she said. It was a little more difficult when we were traveling as a family on different passports and it felt odd to be on a different passport than my girls.

Kosman said traveling home occasionally is important to her. She wanted to be able to spend time going home to visit family and friends, but she wasnt sure how she would be able to do that with the typical American work schedule.

It scared me that Americans only get two weeks off a year, to be honest with you, she said. And it takes you two days to get to Australia. So, its like, wow, how am I going to do that every year? That would mean Id have like maybe eight to 10 days there.

That is when Kosman decided teaching would be a great profession.

You know how theres that saying where you ask a seven year old what they want to be and thats what theyll be, Kosman said. Like truly, I played school all the time. That was my favorite game. And then when I got here I learned if you had a college degree or 60 hours, you can substitute teach. You just have to get your license.

Kosman began substitute teaching often. She then went back to school and earned another degree at Chadron State College so she could teach full-time.

Kosman often laughs at the irony of her teaching American History yet still being nervous about passing her citizenship test.

I was very nervous about the test, which seems a little bit silly because I teach American history but it is notoriously hard, Kosman said. Theres a hundred questions you get asked and you have to get six out of 10.

She explained further about her test, saying the guy that was interviewing me did make a joke about me being a social studies teacher, oh, youll be fine. There was no way I was going to tell him that I was an American history social studies teacher. Because of that, I feel like he asked me the hardest question in the test first.

Kosman said the tough question is one that always stumps every American she asks including the attorneys who often work with immigrants.

The question was what is the rule of law, she said. And I was unsure, I asked him to repeat it and then I remembered its basically saying that nobody is above the law. So, America, being a democracy, its kind of like edging you out of any influences towards a dictatorship or where the people dont have a voice.

Kosman also mentioned her favorite things about America.

I love the whole American dream, she said. And being in a small community, if you do want to makes a difference, you do have the opportunity to do that. If you can be bothered and youre motivated to make a difference, no one stops you.

She then explained the contrast of that in Australia.

In Australia, we have whats called the Tall Poppy Syndrome. And its like an ego thing. We dont like anyone to be too boasty, Kosman said. We dont like people to get too big before we criticize them and knock them back down to size, but in America its the complete opposite.

She continued, saying if you really want to be the best person that you can be and be really career minded and very successful, you just get a lot of pats on the back for that and encouragement. Whether its for volunteering or its something financial. I like that about America. You want the trees to grow really tall, meaning the people.

Kosman proudly passed her citizenship test and officially became a United States Citizen on June 19, 2017.

It did feel like a birth that day, Kosman said. Id not thought about celebrating it every year, but Im sure it would be a good excuse for cake.
MITCHELL  Mitchell resident Valeria Rodriguez spends most of her free time fighting for the rights of others. DACA and the issue of children brought to America when they were too young to make the decision for themselves and their status in the country is a battle she continues to fight.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program allowed some undocumented individuals brought to America as minors to receive a renewable two-year permit deferring them from deportation while providing a work permit. DACA was established through the Presidents executive order in June 2012 and rescinded Sept. 5, 2017.

Known as dreamers after the DREAM Act bill, 800,000 individuals nationwide were enrolled in the program. Dreamers dont have a pathway to citizenship.

They are told to get in line. They want to get in line, but there literally is no line. There is no legislation for them to get in line, she said. The Dream Act would allow them to become legal and get in line.

As the law stands now, this is the last time the permits can be renewed. If Congress does nothing, the program will end. Anyone who would have been eligible for the program can no longer apply. Congress has two bills that are being considered  The Dream Act and the Bridge Act  but it isnt assured they will pass.

Groups Rodriguez works with are focusing on the Dream Act.

Its the best solution to all of this, she said. It would allow individuals who were brought here before their 18th birthday a pathway to citizenship.

If DACA expires and no legislation replaces it, those with permits will fall out of status, becoming undocumented.

What DACA did was give them protection from deportation and give them a legal presence, she said. Without it, they would run the risk of being deported.

Rodriguez knows how close her family came to being in the same situation and has worked for many years as an advocate for others while also educating people on their rights. She tries to put herself in the shoes of every DACA recipient.

We lived the undocumented life for several years, she said. We know what its like to live in fear and to feel that relief when obtaining that legal status and finally being able to contribute to our communities we call home.

Although Rodriguezs father had a green card, the rest of his family did not. Rodriguez was young, but questioned many of her familys actions. She saw her mother tense up and panic whenever they drove past the police. Her mother would ask if they had their seat belts on and if they were sitting correctly. They tried to do everything right not to get pulled over.

One day, my mom told my dad, You need to become a citizen. We cant be without papers anymore, Rodriguez said.

She helped her father study English and study for the Civics exam each potential new citizen must take, and pass, to become a citizen. She listened when her parents spoke with people helping them filling out applications.

Her father became a citizen and petitioned for the rest of the family. Rodriguez had come to America at age 5. She got her green card when she was 12 years old and her citizenship at 17. She knows if her father could not have petitioned for her family, they would be in the same position as permit holders today. That knowledge has driven her to speak out as often as she can.

I want to be a voice for those who cant speak, she said. Now that I have citizenship, I hope I can speak on their behalf.

Those in the program have a limited window to renew their permits. Anyone with permits expiring between Sept. 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018, must renew their permits before Oct. 5.

For those that are between the gap, thats it, said Rodriguez. Those whose (permits) expired before Sept. 5 and didnt renew or let their permit lapse, they cant renew at all.

Rodriguez said even though the deadline is Oct. 5, paperwork needs to be submitted by Sept. 28 because the deadline is when paperwork must be received, not mailed.

Rodriguez has spoken to friends who have already submitted their applications for renewal.

The Mitchell resident is now a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Though the potential removal of DACA is a setback, Rodriguez has no intention of stopping her work.

A lot of people say, What can we do, she said. Well continue to work and gain our education.

On Sept. 24, the Mexican Consulate with hold a DACA clinic in Lincoln and will be paying for applications for Dreamers who have to renew before Oct. 5. They will hold another clinic in Grand Island on Sept. 21. Anyone who wishes to attend needs to bring their Mexican birth certificate and their DACA work permit. It is recommended if you wish to attend to call the consulate at 402-595-1841.

For more information on DACA, visit https://www.uscis.gov/daca2017.

BREAKOUT BOX #1

6.5 average age when first came to the U.S.

65.3 percent pursued educational opportunities they previously could not

71.5 percent are pursuing a bachelors degree or higher

28.2 percent of Dreamers have a bachelors degree or higher

1 in 4 Dreamers have U.S., born child

3 in 4 Dreamers have a spouse, sibling or child who is a U.S. Citizen

$460 billion: loss to U.S. GPD over next 10 years with DACA end

75 percent of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies employ DACA recipients

91.4 percent are employed

5.4 percent started their first business

15.7 percent purchased a home

56.2 percent got a job with improved working conditions

53.9 percent got a job that fits their long-term career goals

68.5 percent got a job with better pay

69 percent were able to earn more money to help them become financially independent

79.7 got a drivers license for the first time

Source: Center for American Progress

BREAKOUT BOX #2

Bills in Congress:

S.1615, the Dream Act of 2017, provides a way to apply for immigration status and eventually to earn U.S. citizenship

H.R. 1468, Recognizing Americas Children Act, protect against deportation, cosponsored by Rep. Don Bacon (NE-2)

H.R. 496, BRIDGE Act, protect against deportation, cosponsored by Rep. Don Bacon (NE-2)
SCOTTSBLUFF  Art and history converged Thursday evening at the West Nebraska Art Centers Bronson gallery; the walls were adorned with the work of nationally renowned Nebraska artist Gene Roncka, and at a table in the front of the gallery, co-authors Jody L. Lamp, (formerly of Minatare), and Melody Dobson signed copies of their new book, A History of Nebraska Agriculture: A Life Worth Living, which features the cover art and illustrations by Roncka.

I talked to many people tonight about why this exhibit is very important to us with Genes work and your book, and all the moving parts, WNAC Director Donna Thompson told Lamp and Dobson. This whole space was meant for things like this, for bringing art and other things together.

Thompson said that much like agriculture, art affects peoples lives in ways that many dont always realize.

The American Doorstop Project is a joint-venture agriculture advocacy collaboration between Dobson and Lamp, and aims to preserve and promote historical stories through the identification formula of SPICE; the Space, Place, Invention, Commodity or Event, along with the people that have shaped our country over the past hundreds of years.

We say that we have a lifetime in researching because were ag kids, Dobson said. Were granddaughters and great-granddaughters of homesteaders, so our first history book was the kitchen table, and having great family historians.

Lamp began working on some of the stories as early as 2009, but the basic conceptualization was assembled around 2014 and 2015, and in December 2016, the duo signed a contract for the first of several books with History Press, beginning with A History of Nebraska Agriculture, coinciding with Nebraskas 150th Anniversary.

The legacies and untold stories that came to light during their quest to write the story of Nebraska ag were some of the most fulfilling, Dobson said.

The T.J. Lockwood story was huge, and finding out all of the roads at the beginning that were leading to the Grand Island Horse and Mule Market story, she said. As we tracked it down, we found people that were related to other people, and so that was so fascinating.

Other stories in the book, like the history of dry edible beans, were eye opening for individuals in the other parts of the state.

It was nice to capture that, because most people just dont know, Dobson said. Most just think about Nebraska as being all about corn and beef, so that was pretty significant.

However, a difficult part in their writing process has been resurrecting people from the past, living through their lives and then placing them back to rest after their story is told.

The book also contains an epilogue written by Nebraska Ag Director Greg Ibach, who was recently nominated by the Trump administration to serve as the USDA under-secretary for marketing and regulatory programs.

We first met Greg when we were working on the documentary film about the Great American Wheat Harvest, and he wrote us a letter of support then, Lamp said. After that was over, we said we were going to write a book about Nebraska Ag History, do you know of anyone interested in doing something for the sesquicentennial?

Ibach then agreed to pen the epilogue to the book.

The American Doorstop Project helps us preserve our agriculture heritage and honor the dedicated pioneer spirit, Ibach wrote.
SCOTTSBLUFF  Area nurses are invited to attend the bi-annual Wyo-braska Wound Care Conference, Tuesday, Oct. 3, at the Harms Advanced Technology Center in Scottsbluff.

The conference titled, Unmasking the Problem of Wounds, will feature a variety of speakers addressing issues related to wound care. Local providers include Jason Walsh MD, FACS, CWS; Jason LaTowsky, MD; John Blomstedt III, DO; Kellie May, MS, RD, LMNT; Jason Beals, BSN, CRSST; and special guest speaker Joyce Black, PhD, RN, CWOCN from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha. Black specializes in pressure injuries and moisture associated skin damage. Attendees will learn a comprehensive approach to managing wounds.

Several vendors will be onsite for product review and demonstration. In addition, Acelity is hosting a dinner and discussion on wound healing, including product demonstrations, on Monday, Oct. 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hampton Inn and Suites Scottsbluff Conference Center. Dinner is provided at no charge by Acelity. Registration is required by going to www.cvent.com/d/g5qv15.
A white University of Kentucky student accused of physically assaulting a Black student worker while repeatedly using racial slurs says she will withdraw from the school. The decision announced Tuesday by a lawyer for 22-year-old Sophia Rosing came after hundreds of students rallied on campus the night before. News outlets report the students called for unity and for the university to quickly address the situation. Officials say Rosing has been charged with assault, public intoxication and disorderly conduct. She pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Monday afternoon. The altercation at Boyd Hall was captured on video and posted to multiple social media platforms.
By MARK EVANS mevans@stegenherald.com Westover and Smith roads, on the far western edge of the county, will get paving priority for 2023. Country commissioners and Scott Schmieder, county road and bridge foreman, decided at last Thursdays commission meeting to go ahead and seal up that corner of the county. That way, graders will not have
The targets set at the CVM (Cooperation and Verification Mechanism) level for the Parliament are met, on Tuesday said the chairman of the legal Committee with the Romanian Senate, Robert Cazanciuc after a meeting of the legal committees with the European Commission's delegation on a visit to Romania for a new evaluation mission within the CVM. "We've explained how each objective has been achieved, the decision-making process, the transparence and what we shall do from now on, the Parliament's very clear commitment to support the judiciary.You'll see in the next period actions of this solid commitment, our wish to cover all that currently means parliamentary debate on the Justice laws in an uniform framework, with an aggregated vision, with all of the parties present, with guests from outside, so that eventually we'll have some very clear proposals to rearrange the legislation, that we'll end in having coherent, clear pieces of legislation," Cazanciuc said at the Parliament Palace.

In his turn, the chairman of the legal committee with the Deputies' Chamber, Eugen Nicolicea said the members of the two committees have answered the European experts to certain observations regarding the parliamentary immunity, stressing that according to the Constitution, any MP could be sent to court and criminally prosecuted for deeds that have nothing to do with the votes or the declarations they make. The European Commission's evaluation mission within the CVM is ongoing from 18 to 21 September.

Agerpres.
David Nicklaus David Nicklaus is a business columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow David Nicklaus 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

Were often reminded that government isnt like the private sector. Sometimes that is said derisively, and sometimes it is said to remind us that public service should be about more than a profit motive.

Michael Porter, a Harvard Business School professor whos a leading thinker on corporate strategy and competition, thinks we can learn something by thinking of politics as an industry, just like airlines or supermarkets.

Porter teamed up with Katherine Gehl, former chief executive of a Wisconsin-based food producer, to do such an analysis, and their report is instructive to anyone who wonders why the system is so dysfunctional.

Porter and Gehl find that the politics industry is thriving. Campaign spending, a rough approximation of the industrys total revenue, continues to rise, and campaigns employ an ever-expanding roster of pollsters, canvassers and consultants.

That doesnt mean the industry does a good job of serving its customers, the voters. Its a textbook example of a duopoly, an industry dominated by two entrenched players.

In other industries, firms that dont respond to customers demands create an opening for new competitors. Think of how Japanese automakers took business away from Ford and General Motors, or how Wal-Mart disrupted department stores.

The politics industry, unlike GM or Sears, gets to write its own rules. The parties make it difficult for upstart competitors to get on the ballot. They gerrymander districts in a way that makes most seats safe for incumbents.

The resulting system rewards the political class at the expense of everyone else. The most powerful customers are partisan primary voters, special interests and donors, Porter and Gehl write. Average voters and current non-voters, the majority of citizens, have little or no influence on policy or outcomes.

Porter is famous for his five forces analysis, which describes how an industry is shaped by competitors, suppliers, customers, substitute products and potential new entrants. In the political duopoly, those forces are either missing or are controlled by the two parties.

The insidious thing about a duopoly is that while two foes appear to be competing vigorously, their biggest goal is preserving a lucrative system. A political party, the authors say, appeals to its partisan supporters based on ideology, not policies that work. Ideology offers simplistic and polarized approaches to addressing issues.

Thats a succinct description of American public discourse in 2017. Is there any hope for breaking up this duopoly, or at least softening its worst tendencies?

Porter and Gehl offer several suggestions. Nonpartisan primaries, with the top four candidates moving on to the general election, could make it easier for moderates to get elected. Independent redistricting commissions could end gerrymandering.

The authors also would like to see more independent, centrist candidates at every level. They endorse the Centrist Projects fulcrum strategy, which seeks to elect three to five independents to the U.S. Senate.

Theyd also like to reduce the role of money in politics, but admit the difficulty of reforms in that area. The real answer is to dramatically reduce the attractive return on investment that donors currently receive, they write.

If you believe the polls, people are plenty fed up with Congress and both major parties. Facing a similar dynamic in France, Emmanuel Macron launched a new party and won the presidency.

We need to ask ourselves why the American system doesnt allow something similar to happen. Using business analysis techniques, Porter and Gehl provide some pretty good answers.
Even as city and state officials head to Seattle for a Tuesday tour in a bid to land Amazon's second headquarters for Chicago, Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday acknowledged his administration also will work with neighboring St. Louis on its bid to woo the internet giant.

The decision by a re-election-seeking governor who needs to keep his Downstate base happy was a reprisal of the regional politics Rauner recently played during his battle with lawmakers over funding for local schools.

The Republican governor, whose relationship with Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel has become publicly tense in recent years, assured that city and state economic development teams were "working hand in glove to come up with a single comprehensive proposal."

"That said, I'll also say, as governor of the entire state of Illinois, St. Louis is also competing, and we have a major population center in Metro East. We have major strategic transportation advantages in Metro East around the St. Louis area," Rauner said. "And we will be working in assistance with the St. Louis proposal as well because that could  if St. Louis has some benefits that they bring in terms of their overall package, we want to make sure that Illinois is positioned to be a great benefit of that."

Amazon announced plans this month to establish a "HQ2" and said it would consider sites in metropolitan areas of at least 1 million people in a "stable and business-friendly environment" with access to international airports, major highways and public transportation. The company plans to spend more than $5 billion on a new campus at the second headquarters, creating 50,000 jobs over the next 10 to 15 years and offering positions that will pay an average of more than $100,000 annually.

As for the trip to the company's corporate campus in Seattle, Rauner told reporters that city and state officials would be meeting "with leaders at Amazon." Later, the governor's office acknowledged there would be no meeting with company officials.

The group will be "surveying the Amazon campus to help determine which Chicago area sites would best fit the company's future needs," according to a joint statement from the governor's and mayor's offices.

Among those taking the field trip: Chicago Deputy Mayors Bob Rivkin and Andrea Zopp; Deputy Gov. Leslie Munger; Michael Sacks, a top adviser to Emanuel; former U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker; and the heads of economic development nonprofits representing Chicago and Illinois.

Rauner's comments came as he signed into law a measure extending a tax credit program for businesses that had expired earlier this year.

The governor also was fresh off an eight-day trip to Asia, where he met with Japanese and Chinese businesses to try to recruit jobs to Illinois.

The governor described the trip as "extremely successful," and said "many new projects, many new initiatives will be underway in the coming weeks as a result of our trip." But Rauner later added that he had received "no firm commitments" from any of the companies he met with during his travels.

It was Rauner's first official international trip as governor, despite having campaigned in 2014 on a pledge to travel the world on his "own dime" to recruit businesses to Illinois. After he was elected, and for the following 2 years, Rauner contended that the business climate in Illinois needed to be fixed before he could make a good case for companies to come here.

On Monday, Rauner cited Illinois' comparatively low income-tax rate as an advantage for recruiting business. The state's personal income tax rate, at a flat 4.95 percent, is much lower than the rates paid by residents in many coastal states, which Rauner described as "a strategic advantage that I've been trying to sell."

Rauner also said that it was the unpredictability of the yearslong budget impasse that kept him from embarking on his international recruitment project until this month.

"I didn't want to leave the country when we didn't have a budget," Rauner said. "I wanted to be here, because you never know when issues are going to pop."

The governor did, however, travel internationally at least twice in the midst of the record budget stalemate. In late 2015, Rauner spent the holidays in Spain and Morocco, where he later said he slept in tents and took a camel ride. Last November, Rauner was among dozens of local officials who traveled to the Vatican to celebrate the elevation of Blase Cupich to cardinal.

Chicago Tribune's Hal Dardick contributed.
Toys R Us Inc. received bankruptcy court permission on Tuesday to borrow more than $2 billion to pay suppliers and stock up for the holiday season.

The approval came the day after the nations biggest toy store chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, seeking to restructure $5 billion of long-term debt and gain some breathing room.

Among the largest ever submitted by a specialty retailer, the bankruptcy filing casts doubt over the future of the companys 64,000 employees and nearly 1,600 stores, including nine in the St. Louis area.

The companys collapse came swiftly.

News reports this month that Toys R Us hired a law firm that specializes in corporate restructuring and was seeking a bankruptcy loan set off a dangerous game of dominoes, David Brandon, the companys chief executive and chairman, said in a court filing.

Ten days later, nearly all the companys vendors refused to ship products without cash in advance, forcing Toys R Us to scramble to raise $1 billion for its suppliers, according to court filings.

The timing could not be worse. Toys R Us is building inventory for the holiday season and fourth quarter, which accounts for 40 percent of net sales.

The company said it received a commitment for up to $3.1 billion in debtor-in-possession financing from lenders including a bank syndicate led by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and certain existing lenders.

The Wayne, N.J.-based company, which also operates the Babies R Us chain, can return to court to seek approval to borrow the entire loan commitment.

Brandon said in the court filings that he hoped Chapter 11 would enable the company to address the financial constraints that have held us back in a lasting and effective way.

Toys R Us, which like other traditional brick-and-mortar retailers has struggled with online competitors, is taking steps to entice people to its stores.

By 2022, the company plans to spend around $1 billion to transform its big-box stores by adding event space, increasing staff and wages for in-store product demonstrations and combining its flagship stores with Babies R Us stores.

Brandon said Toys R Us was not going to engage in an unrelenting race to the bottom by trying to slash prices to compete with Amazon.com Inc., the only company that sells more toys.

Reuters and the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
JEFFERSON CITY  The attorneys general for Missouri and Illinois have signed onto a letter criticizing Equifax for its handling of a data security breach that has potentially exposed the personal information of 143 million Americans.

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, signed onto the letter, dated Tuesday. Attorneys general from 43 states, and Washington, D.C., signed the letter.

Hawley's office also announced he was joining an investigation of credit reporting agency Equifax along with other attorneys general. Madigan, a Democrat, announced an investigation on Sept. 8.

Madigan and Hawley have both issued advisories to consumers, answering questions about the breach.

My office is working aggressively to protect the interests of Missourians in light of the recent Equifax breach, Hawley, a Republican, said in a statement.

The three-page letter to an Equifax attorney lays out several concerns, among them that the company initially attached a terms of service agreement to free credit monitoring services in which customers were asked to waive certain rights.

"It was not until after urging from our offices and public condemnation that Equifax withdrew these objectionable terms from its offer of free credit monitoring," the letter says.

The letter also criticizes Equifax's marketing of fee-based credit monitoring services after the breach and that other companies are charging for credit freezes that customers would not have purchased had their information not been potentially compromised.

"We object to Equifax seemingly using its own data breach as an opportunity to sell services to breach victims," the letter says. "Selling a fee-based product that competes with Equifax's own free offer of credit monitoring services to victims of Equifax's own data breach is unfair.

"Our offices are also receiving complaints from proactive consumers who have requested a security freeze," the letter says. "Although Equifax is not charging consumers a fee for its own security freeze service, these consumers are furious that they have been forced to pay for a security freeze with other companies, such as Experian and TransUnion, when this privacy breach was no fault of their own."

The letter says Equifax "should, at a minimum, be taking steps to reimburse consumers who incur fees to completely freeze their credit."

The letter also calls on Equifax to address long wait times customers are experiencing when they call Equifax directly.

In a statement, an Equifax spokeswoman said the company has received the letter.

"We have been in regular communications and are cooperating with the Attorneys General and look forward to continuing to work with them," the statement said.
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Staying in? We've got you covered Get the recommendations on what's streaming now, games you'll love, TV news and more with our weekly Home Entertainment newsletter! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger 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

Gabriela Canchola lives downtown.

Shes not afraid.

The 33-year-old digital marketing professional walks downtown with her 15-year-old son, and their dog, Ducky, a wire-haired terrier mix. They walk at night. In the morning. Whenever.

When interim St. Louis Police Chief Lawrence OToole says police were keeping downtown safe amid protests following the acquittal of Jason Stockley, a former police officer, Canchola is the target audience. Or she was, anyway.

Thanks to the actions of some of the police under OTooles command, she doesnt feel safe anymore.

Ive never felt insecure before, Canchola says. Now I dont feel safe because of the cops.

It started Sunday night.

She came home after a date and had dinner with her son. She heard some of the protests going on and wanted to take a walk to see what was happening.

Canchola isnt a protester.

She grew up in Wentzville, spending some of her summers in Mexico, where she has family. Since 2012, she has lived in the city, first on the South Side and then downtown. She recently finished a masters degree in new media production from Webster University. She has followed the protests from afar.

On Sunday, she wanted to see what they were about close up. Canchola, her son and Ducky started walking toward the sound. It was around 8:30 p.m., she remembers.

At Ninth and Olive streets they were stopped in their tracks. Twenty or so police officers on bicycles blocked her way.

They came out of nowhere, she says. They were starting to form a line and they told me to go away.

Canchola isnt shy. I figured that out when I met her a few months ago while speaking to her class at Webster. If she has a question, shes going to ask it.

She asked a police officer what he and his cohorts were doing.

He told her they were about to tear gas the protesters, she says.

But why?

It was an unlawful assembly, they told her.

Canchola looked around. She saw a couple of broken windows, and overturned planters on the sidewalk. She sent her son and dog back to their apartment.

And she stood her ground.

I didnt see any violence happening, she says. I just continued to stand there. This is my neighborhood. I was bewildered.

Canchola took out her phone and started texting. She said she felt a light flashed her direction every time she held her phone up to her face, as if they were trying to stop her from videoing what was happening.

The incident took her back to 2014. It was the last time she recalls an encounter with police.

A neighbor who was a black activist was being arrested in the southern part of the city. She remembers standing outside and watching.

When the cop knew I was watching him, he behaved differently, Canchola says. There is a difference between how Im treated and a black person is treated.

On Sunday, the night OToole said police owned, something changed in Canchola.

Police were just plain rude to her, she says. They pushed her back. They stopped her neighbors, some of them walking around in their socks after a quick trip outside with the dog, from getting to their homes.

By the time the night was over, 123 people had been arrested, nearly all for failure to disperse. Among those arrested were reporters and livestreamers, photographers, neighbors. They werent arrested for breaking windows or threatening violence, but for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Canchola was not among them. She eventually made it back to her home before it was impossible to do so. But the night wont soon be forgotten.

I just couldnt believe they were so set on tear-gassing people, she says. I thought it was crazy, their attitude toward me. Before last night, the protests were merely eye-opening. Now Im outraged. I feel the injustice.

On Monday morning she became a protester, joining the march to City Hall, elevating justice over her own sense of peace.

I feel what my neighbors feel for the first time, Canchola says. I understand.
ST. LOUIS  Laclede Gas Company crews responded to the city's medium-security jail on Sunday after reports of a gas odor.

"We didn't find any gas leaking on the property at that time," company spokeswoman Jenny Gobble said.

Laclede responded to 7600 Hall Street, the address of the Medium Security Institution known as the "Workhouse."

Gobble said the St. Louis Fire Department called Laclede, and company crews arrived at about 11:30 a.m., she said.

Gobble said technicians did not find evidence of natural gas or carbon monoxide outside the jail, underground or in areas of the building where the scent was reported.

"We found zero reads of gas," she said. "Not even a trace."

She said that, in general, customer calls about gas leaks can turn out to be false alarms, but encouraged anyone worried about a leak at the jail to call again.

"If somebody calls us right now we will respond," Gobble said.

At 4:30 p.m., Gobble told the Post-Dispatch Laclede was sending another crew to make "absolutely sure" there wasn't a leak "out of an abundance of caution."

Over the summer, the city installed air conditioning at the Workhouse following protests from the public and inmates.

The episode brought poor conditions at the facility to the wider public's attention.

Representatives with Mayor Lyda Krewson's office and the fire department could not immediately be reached for comment.

Christine Byers of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
The St. Louis County Council could lawyer up in its fight with St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger over staffing in the county auditors office.

A resolution from Council Chairman Sam Page would let the council hire an outside law firm to try to persuade a judge to order Stengers administration to hire additional auditing staff. It says that the council has appropriated funds for several audit staffers and accuses Stenger and his administration of obstructing the interview and hiring process of budgeted audit staff.

Stengers office has cited a hiring freeze in blocking an internal auditor to serve under St. Louis County Auditor Mark Tucker. And Stenger has called for firing Tucker himself, pointing to a $91,000 personal federal tax lien first reported by KMOV-TV last month and criticizing his lack of accounting experience. Stenger also criticized Tucker for not conducting any audits since his hiring.

I refuse to expend taxpayer dollars for a third audit staff member so long as the County Council continues to insist on retaining Mark Tucker as head auditor, Stenger said in a statement before Tuesday nights council meeting. I also refuse to expend taxpayer dollars to sue the county in an effort to conceal such blatant incompetence. The office of the auditor has employed a staff of two for nearly a decade and has been able to complete all of its audits effectively prior to the councils hiring of Tucker.

Page, a personal friend of Tuckers who nominated him for the job, has argued that Tucker has experience overseeing large budgets from his prior job working as a legislative liaison in the administration of former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon. But Page argues Tucker cant do his job effectively without additional employees in his office.

The County Council intends to seek judicial relief to direct that the county executive proceed with the hiring of sufficient audit staff and any other budgeted positions in the legislative branch of county government, Pages resolution reads.

The resolution contends the St. Louis County counselor has a conflict of interest and cant represent both the council and the executive branch in the dispute. The county would hire Bick and Kistner, a Clayton law firm that has experience litigating local governance issues.

The fight over staffing up the auditors office comes amid reports of county contracts going to Stengers campaign contributors. The auditors office can launch its own audits or do so at the request of the council.

The county auditors office has been politicized since earlier this year, when the county cut ties with former auditor David Makarewicz and reached a monetary settlement that included a gag order. The county charter calls for the county auditor to have five years of accounting experience, prompting some on the council to balk at Tuckers hiring, which narrowly passed on a 4-3 vote in February.

Meanwhile, Page said Tucker has no staff and that other jurisdictions such as St. Charles County and the city of St. Louis have larger auditing staffs than St. Louis County, which has far more residents than either. His resolution also cites a special countywide audit from December 2015 that calls for additional auditing staff.

The council took no action on the resolution, with Page saying he wanted to give the administration time to remove the hold on the audit position and avoid a trip to court.
Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe, with Stratford Police Community Support Officers, Barnabus Tandy and Anita Reading. Photo: Ben Lugg.

AN operation to remove dangerous weapons from the streets was launched on Monday by Warwickshire Police.

The force cited a rise in knife-related crime, specifically in domestic incidents, and a growing culture among young people to carry knives.

Last week the Herald reported how a teenager was threatened with a knife during a street robbery in Stratford.

During the month-long knife surrender bins will be located at police stations across the county.

But this is a surrender campaign as opposed to an amnesty, which means there will be no immunity from prosecution should information come to light that one of the surrendered weapons may have been used in the commission of an offence.

The knives surrendered will be delivered to the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry where they will be used to build a plinth for a 20ft high guardian angel sculpture in memory of those who have lost their life to knife crime.

Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe, said: This campaign has been launched for a number of reasons, and one of these is the recent use of knives in terrorism offences, such as those committed down in London. The action we are taking will hopefully serve to reassure residents.

There has been a substantial rise in knife crime in Warwickshire, nearly half of these incidents are related to domestic violence, but there is also a culture amongst some young people to carry knives because they mistakenly believe this offers them greater protection.

Knife crime has a devastating effect on peoples lives, both for victims, perpetrators, their families and the wider community, and while thankfully it is not commonplace in Warwickshire, its still important that we all work together to rid knives from our streets.

There is no circumstance where carrying a knife as a weapon is acceptable and, while some people wrongly perceive that a knife offers them some kind of protection, in reality it only serves to make them more vulnerable while placing those around them at risk.

Every knife surrendered is one less that can cause death, destruction and misery, so I am very supportive of this campaign. I hope anyone who owns a knife  young or old  will take this opportunity to surrender their weapon and dispose of it safely.
Tim Stokes, pictured centre, cycled 109 miles from Morecambe to York, with his brothers-in-law, Kevin Browne and Michael Stuart. Submitted pic.

A MAN with terminal cancer, who was given just months to live, cycled 109 miles along a coast-to-coast route, for charity.

Father of three Tim Stokes, from Moreton Morrell, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a lung cancer caused by asbestos he inhaled 40 years ago, while he was an apprentice engineer.

The 60-year-old completed his charity ride on Saturday, 9th September, raising more than 4,600 for the Mesothelioma UK Charity and The Mavis Nye Foundation.

He took part in the ride on an electronic bike, to inspire people living with terminal cancer that their life doesnt have to be over.

Tim cycled with his two brothers-in-law, Kevin Browne and Michael Stuart, stopping in Giggleswick on the first night and in Pateley Bridge, in Harefield, on the second night.

Speaking about the bike ride, Tim said: The ride was brilliant. The first two days were very hilly and picturesque. With my Giant Road E+2 I got to the top of all the big hills first - an amazing feeling.

I still had to pedal hard and breathing was laboured but the bike helped so much and made me feel 18 again.

The Mesothelioma has destroyed one of Tims lungs, and chemotherapy has damaged the muscles in his legs, making his feet numb and his hands insensitive.

He is registered disabled and told the Herald: The chemo and excellent care Ive had has kept me alive way beyond the three months I was given in 2015.

I thought I would have to learn how to die with dignity, but the amazing thing with a terminal disease is you learn to live with your cancer  and I really mean live.

He added: "My ride is to stop people with terminal cancer from thinking their life is over. Don't fear cancer."

Tim is also raising awareness of the dangers pupils face in school with asbestos exposure, encouraging parents to ask schools about asbestos.

To make a donation, visit www.justgiving.com/Tim-Stokes8

To watch his video souvenir from the ride, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcGLbzpmtdw&feature=youtu.be
Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua says Pakistan will continue to play its constructive role in achieving the target of sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

She made these remarks at a meeting with United States Under-Secretary of State Tom Shannon in New York.

They also discussed matters related to bilateral relations and overall peace and security in the region.

Foreign Secretary also met Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai on the sidelines of the UNGA session in New York and discussed measures for achieving common objective of peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Foreign Secretary reaffirmed Pakistan's desire for a politically negotiated settlement under an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process.

Hekmat Karzai also reiterated Afghan government commitment to strengthen relations with Pakistan.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry appealed to Supreme Courts Justice Ijazul Ahsan, designated to monitor accountability court proceedings against Sharif family members, to take notice of their failure to show up before the trial court.

Speaking to media outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the PTI spokesperson said that it was a matter of shame that the Sharif family was not appearing before the court.

He slammed National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor over his irresponsible attitude before the accountability court during the hearing of graft reference against Sharifs.

He said PML-N Senator Asif Kirmani feigned ignorance about the address of the Sharifs London residence despite the fact that everyone knew their address. The prime minister and federal ministers had recently met former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in London.

Chaudhry said the senator should have been sent behind bars for speaking lie before the court.

He also called for day-to-day proceedings on the references against Sharif, his children and finance minister Ishaq Dar.

The PTI leader also blasted Sharifs daughter Maryam Nawaz and PML-N leaders for consistently criticizing state institutions.

Commenting on estranged PTI MNA Ayesha Gulalai, he said initially she had announced to part ways with the PTI leveling baseless allegations against PTI chief Imran Khan and later retracted. She was the biggest liar, he added.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for harsh international sanctions against the Myanmar military over its brutal ethnic cleansing campaign against the countrys Rohingya Muslims.

In a statement released on Monday, the New-York based rights body slammed Myanmars army generals for turning a deaf ear to international condemnations of their bloody crackdown against the Rohingya in Rakhine State, saying the time has come for the world community to target the Myanmarese military with such harsh sanctions that it could not ignore.

The United Nations Security Council and concerned countries should impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the Burmese (Myanmarese) military to end its ethnic cleansing campaign, it said.

The group urged concerned governments to impose travel bans and asset freezes on security officials implicated in serious abuses; expand existing arms embargoes to include all military sales, assistance, and cooperation; and place a ban on financial transactions with key Burmese military-owned enterprises.

The latest escalation of violence against the persecuted Muslim community began on August 25, after a number of police and border outposts in Rohingya-majority Rakhine State in western Myanmar came under attack.

The Rohingya, who had already been under a military siege in Rakhine since October 2016, are now being brutally killed, raped, or forced to leave their homes as their villages are reportedly being set on fire by majority Buddhists, backed by the military.

The new wave of attacks against Rohingya Muslims has trigged an exodus of nearly 410,000 refugees to neighboring Bangladesh, according to the latest UN figures.

The US and its Western allies had for years imposed sanctions on Myanmar to end the military rule and support Aung San Suu Kyis pro-democracy campaign, which won the 2015 election.

They started lifting the sanctions and building warmer ties with Myanmar since the military began transferring power to a civilian-led government in 2011.

Even though Washington has denounced the ongoing violence against the Rohignya, the prospects of reimposing the sanctions remain bleak.

People are too invested in the last five years of thawing, which is understood by everyone to be strategically sound, said a US administration official on condition of anonymity. Long-term, the trajectory is probably tighter relations.

In a similar call, Refugee International has expressed concern over the crisis and called on the United States to impose stern sanctions against the Myanmar military.

I believe that in situations like this, the sternest and strongest measures must be taken. Our values demand it and our interest demand it, said the organizations Chief Eric Paul Schwartz on Sunday.

There ought to be multilateral sanctions against the Burmese military; there ought to be an arms embargo; there ought to be a referral of the situation in Burma to the International Criminal Court. The United States should reimpose the sanctions that have been lifted over the past several years. Its hard to overestimate how dramatic the abuses, how widespread the abuses have been in Burma, he added.

Refugees risk death in Bangladesh

On Sunday, Save the Children voiced alarm over the dire humanitarian situation at the Bangladeshi refugee camps hosting Rohingya Muslims.

The international NGO further warned that the refugees there could die from lack of food, clean water and shelter.

Reports say the camps earlier set up in the Bangladeshi border city of Coxs Bazar are already full as they have they have the capacity to host 300,000 refugees. Many of the newer arrivals have thus been forced to live in the open air or under structures made from plastic sheeting.

Many people are arriving hungry, exhausted and with no food or water, Mark Pierce, Bangladesh country director for Save the Children said in a statement.

Im particularly worried that the demand for food, shelter, water and basic hygiene support is not being met due to the sheer number of people in need. If families cant meet their basic needs, the suffering will get even worse and lives could be lost, he added.

The aid agency also called on the international community to fund a $77-million emergency appeal to help the Rohingya, warning that there could be more than 600,000 children in urgent need of aid by the end of this year.

On Sunday, a woman and two children were killed during a stampede as food and clothing were being thrown from relief trucks outside a camp, according to the Inter Sector Coordination Group in Bangladesh.

Monsoon rain doubles Rohingya misery

Adding to the sufferings of Rohingya refugees are monsoon downpours flooding the overcrowded temporary camps in Bangladesh.

Heavy rain, almost 8 centimeters in 24 hours, has made swamp-like conditions in many parts of Coxs Bazar and forced the refugees to move to new areas.

Bangladeshi police chief Mohammed Kai-Kislu said the torrential rain has doubled their misery.

Bangladeshs Weather Department has predicted more rain in the next two days.

The harsh weather conditions and muddy narrow roads have also made it difficult for aid groups to deliver humanitarian supplies and run relief operations.

A human rights expert in the town has urged the Bangladesh government to close local schools for three days to allow refugees to camp in them.

It is another disaster unfolding. Thousands of Rohingya had no place to hide when the rain came, said Nur Khan Liton, who headed Bangladeshi rights group Ain O Salish Kendra.

More than half of the estimated 410,000 Rohingya live in camps without proper shelter, clean drinking water and sanitation. In an attempt to prevent an outbreak of diseases, Bangladesh authorities have set up vaccination booths in various camps for children under five.

The United Nations has called on Myanmar to end ethnic cleansing of the Muslim community and appealed for massive help for the refugees.

The world body warned on Monday that the number could keep rising if Myanmar refuses to end the violence. It also warned of intolerable conditions in the camps near Coxs Bazar.

Meanwhile, thousands of people are holding another protest rally in solidarity with Rohingya Muslims in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

On Monday, protesters gathered outside Bangladeshs largest mosque and began to march on Myanmars embassy in Dhaka.

So far, more than 10,000 people have joined the protest," said local police Chief Mahmudul Haq, adding extra officers had been deployed across the city to ensure security.

An organizer group said hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join the protest later in the day.

Suu Kyi due to address crisis on Tuesday

Myanmars de facto leader, Suu Kyi, has failed to properly address the atrocities against the Rohignya.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who is under harsh criticism by the world community, has said she would be absent from the United Nations General Assembly meeting this week.

She is due to address the crisis in a nationally televised speech on Tuesday, her office said.

Myanmar describes the offensive as a legitimate operation against terrorists.
BRICS summit: From economic partnership to global governance By Somar Wijayadasa View(s): View(s):

The leaders of the five BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) held their 9th annual BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China, from September 3 to 5, 2017, under the theme Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future A significant change from the norm was to invite non-BRICS countries, and name the event BRICS Plus Summit. Expanding its participation is a positive manifestation that the BRICS nations are now ready to translate their economic power into global governance.

Over 1,000 delegates from many countries attended the meeting including leaders of Egypt, Mexico, Thailand, Guinea and Tajikistan.

The association of BRICS was founded in 2006 to enhance economic cooperation both within the bloc and with other countries, and to conduct bilateral relations among BRICS members on the basis of non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit.

As of 2015, the BRICS nations together represent 26% of the planets land mass, is home to 46% of the worlds population (i.e. over 3.6 billion people), and have contributed to more than 50 percent of the world economic growth during the past 10 years.

Strategy for the next decade

The summit discussed issues related to economic collaboration, regional and global security, the need for open trade and fight against protectionism, work of the New Development Bank, establishing a bond fund in national currencies, providing loans in national currencies of the BRICS member states, and cyber security.

The common theme proclaimed by all leaders was BRICS has developed a robust framework for cooperation; contributes stability and growth in a world drifting towards uncertainty.

Addressing the BRICs summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the BRICS cooperation has now reached a crucial stage of development, and said that In the past ten years, our combined Gross Domestic Product has grown by 179%, trade by 94% and urban population by 28%, and has delivered tangible benefits to over three billion people.

Reviewing the past progress, Xi said that Our world today is becoming increasingly multipolar; the economy has become globalised; there is growing cultural diversity; and society has become digitised.

He said that The law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak and the zero-sum game are rejected, and peace, development and win-win cooperation have become the shared aspiration of all peoples.

Saying that BRICS is not a talking shop, but a task force that gets things done, Xi stressed that since the very beginning, our five countries have been guided by the principle of dialogue without confrontation, partnership without alliance.

Innovative suggestions

Indias Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, highlighted the need to establish a transparent, non-western dominated, sovereign credit rating agency for the BRICS countries  to serve the financial needs of developing nations.

Russias President, Vladimir Putin, proposed to create a platform for BRICS energy research, which will entail sectoral, analytical and scientific exchanges that could be beneficial to all developing countries.

Economically, BRICS succeeded in setting up global financial institutions that directly challenge the US-led economic world order, the monopoly of the Washington-influenced Bretton Woods institutions (the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund), and displace the monopoly of the US Dollar.

Accordingly, the financial architecture of the world began to change, in 2014, when the BRICs set up the New Development Bank (NDB), and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to finance infrastructure and sustainable development projects both within BRICS and other emerging economies.

Saying that the NDB had already approved seven investment projects worth around $1.5 billion, Putin said that the NDB will soon approve new investment projects worth up to $3 billion. Also speaking about the need to decrease the dominance of the US dollar as the world reserve currency, Putin said that BRICS nations have already agreed to trade in national currencies.

From economics to politics

The summits political and security discourse demonstrates that the bloc is gradually evolving from their strong economic cooperation to promoting global governance.

This is most opportune as our world is beset with a multitude of political problems (sanctions and counter sanctions, illegal military escapades into sovereign states, numerous regime changes), and now, the threat of a nuclear war hanging over the world like the sword of Damocles.

Among the smouldering geo-political tensions are NATOs expansion into Eastern Europe and surrounding Russia with military bases and THAAD missiles; the United States efforts to limit Chinas dominance in the South China Sea; Indias opposition to Chinas One Belt One Road (New Silk Road) initiative; Indias desire to dominate the Indian Ocean; and the belligerent behaviour of North Korea against all established norms of international law.

Also, the never ending  decades long  crises in the Middle East thanks to illegal regime changes and the Arab Spring to force feed democracy have caused death and destruction, failed states, civil wars, terrorism, mass migration, millions dead and multi-millions homeless.

BRICS leaders Xiamen Declaration

The summit concluded with the BRICs leaders signing the 70 paragraphs long Xiamen Declaration that underscores their commitment to globalisation  in contrast to the wests more protectionist and inward-looking policies.

President Xi said that Our ever closer ties with the rest of the world require that we five countries play a more active part in global governance and stressed that without our participation, many pressing global challenges cannot be effectively resolved.

The declaration states that Cognizant of the profound changes the world is undergoing and the global security challenges and threats faced by the international community, we commit to enhance communication and cooperation in international fora on issues concerning international peace and security.

Furthermore, the declaration expresses the BRICS countries resolute position on Syria, Palestine, Qatar, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, Libya, Sudan, North Korea, etc., and expressed their readiness to contribute towards a just and lasting resolution of these conflicts.

It strongly deplores the nuclear test conducted by North Korea, and emphasizes that it should only be settled through peaceful means and direct dialogue of all parties concerned.

The declaration confirms its commitment to safeguarding world peace and security and to upholding the basic norms of international law, and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations including sovereign equality and non-interference in other countries internal affairs.

Most importantly, the BRICS nations condemn unilateral military interventions, economic sanctions and arbitrary use of unilateral coercive measures in violation of international law and universally recognised norms of international relations.

And, they emphasize that no country should enhance its security at the expense of the security of others.

BRICS: A lesson to western countries

Its time for western countries to learn from BRICS  the most powerful developing countries that are eager to maintain their sovereignty, and have no desire to undermine the sovereignty of other countries.

If the US threats over North Korea ultimately lead to a senseless nuclear war, it would momentarily destroy the multi-trillion dollar economies of the BRICS nations and their aspirations for the future well-being of all emerging countries.

With conflicts and wars raging all over our world, all world leaders and peace loving citizens should focus on developing a new concept of international security under the auspices of the United Nations  to guide the world towards the elimination of nuclear weapons.

(The writer is an international lawyer and was a UNESCO delegate to the UN General Assembly and a Representative of UNAIDS at the United Nations.)
A family has been left distraught after their kitten was recently discovered shot near their home in Bethlehem Rd, Tauranga.

Nicky Adams says the family started looking for the kitten when she went missing overnight.

Her 10-year old daughter discovered their injured kitten Misty, who is a Siamese-blue Russian mix, the next afternoon lying badly injured in the bushes of their property.

Misty is still a kitten, we got her in March and shes got a beautiful nature, says Nicky.

We were really careful about not letting her outside until she was six months old, and because shes still only eight months she isnt usually out at night.

On Friday night we didnt realise that she wasnt in the house or that she hadnt come back in.

It wasnt until the next morning that the family thought it was strange that even if she had got out that she hadnt come back for breakfast.

Unfortunately we had to rush out to Saturday sport with the kids, so didnt have a chance to have a proper look for her.

When she hadnt appeared by lunchtime I drove around the area, but couldnt find her, so my husband Scott and the kids went walking around the house, says Nicky.

She says her 10-year old daughter found Misty huddling underneath a bush down the side of their house.

She was not far from her cat flap but obviously physically couldnt get through it, says Nicky.

You could see there was a hole in her leg and that she just couldnt stand on it but we didnt know the full extent of her injury, so we called the vet.

When Raewyn, the vet, did the x-ray she commented that it was a really bad fracture and not just a clean break, which could well have been caused by a bullet.

At first they couldnt see an exit wound so there were still questions around that being the case.

She says Misty required three hours of surgery.

When they did the operation they werent 100 per cent about her being shot, but they subsequently found an exit wound.

Consensus of opinion seems to be that to cause an injury of that magnitude it would have to be more than a BB gun.

The family was advised to report the incident.

Bethlehem is a built up area, and the reality is if theres someones out there popping a gun at night, its not safe.

I know that cats usually roam, but she couldnt even stand on her leg, so I cant imagine that she would have been able to drag herself back from very far after she was shot.

Shes not a big cat either, shes still a kitten, a lovely sweet natured kitten  its just incredible that someone could do this to an animal.

Tauranga Vet Care director and vet surgeon Nick Sygrove says because the family acted promptly they were able to save Mistys leg.

When we took an x-ray we saw that the humerus bone was so shattered, there was no other explanation other than it being shot.

We could see a tiny few fragments of a pellet or a bullet in amongst it and we found the entry and the exit wound of a bullet.

It was a complicated surgery, but we got on to things nice and early and got it plated up so we didnt even have to think about amputating.

We managed to use the plate against the upper and lower humorous together and the cat looks like its doing amazing.

He says the shooting is not the first he has heard of in the city.

We know of three other incidents, including one in Tauranga the other week and my business partners cat has been shot as well about three or four months ago in Tauriko.

I dont think theres much mistaking these cats for rabbits or whatever else theyre shooting  particularly this one, because you can see they were basically aiming for the chest they werent aiming for the leg its just where the bullet exited.

The owners did everything right, they didnt let the cat out for its first six months and then in its first outing it gets shot.

It is lucky that they even found it, if the person who shot it didnt miss, they wouldnt have got the cat back at all.

Mistys owners are now looking at creating an invisi-fence so the cat doesnt leave the property, says Nick.

Its nice to know that this cat is still going, and that we were able to put it back together for this family.
The Port of Tauranga is playing a vital role in alleviating pressure on fuel stocks in Auckland as a result of a major pipeline rupture.

The port is one of the key points from which fuel is being delivered and trucked up to Auckland, where four Z stations temporarily ran out of 95 octane today.

Z corporate communications manager Jonathan Hill says its unlikely this Auckland shortage will affect stations in the Western Bay of Plenty.

In fact, Tauranga is absolutely critical to the management of the fuel shortage, in that the Port of Tauranga is providing the bulk of fuel for supply of Auckland.

He says more deliveries are going into Mount Maunganui than previously, with fuel supplies at the port very strong, and continually being topped up by the coastal shipping network.

The issue with the airport is it has a single point of supply via the ruptured pipeline, whereas fuel for ground transport such as cars and trucks can be supplied by tankers out of Mount Maunganui and Whangarei.

Jonathan says they have reserves at the Mount that go up and down quite quickly.

But the Marsden Point refinery is still producing, and continually filling up two vessels that deliver 40,000 tonnes of fuel at a time around the ports of New Zealand.

The Port of Tauranga is integral to the fuel terminal network in New Zealand, as not only does the coastal shipping network deliver fuel into it, it is also supplemented by direct imports of finished fuel from other parts of the world.

Fuel cant be shipped to the Port of Auckland, says Jonathan, because that port has no fuel storage facilities. The ruptured pipeline is connected directly to a depot in Wiri, South Auckland  essentially an inland port.

As for the temporary shortage of 95 octane, Jonathan says there around 400 service stations in Auckland across all brands.

We have four temporarily out of 95 octane. But we have that product being trucked into Auckland from Mount Maunganui at the moment.

Initial uncertainty at how long the shortage would last meant topping up supplies of 95 octane was not prioritised by Z.

In the early days of this outage we made the decision to deliver more 91 and diesel to Auckland, as these are used by more vehicles.

Refining NZ chief executive Sjoerd Post says they expect to deliver jet fuel needed by Auckland Airport into Wiri between midday Sunday September 24 and midday Tuesday September 26, as repairs to the ruptured pipeline continue.
New Zealand is too small to have a rural/urban divide, Waikato Federated Farmers President Andrew McGiven told the farming rally in Morrinsville at noon yesterday.

"Wed like to say to our urban cousins, be fully informed because wed all like the opportunity to re-engage with you."

Federated Farmers national board member Chris Lewis says rather than attacking politicians and farming critics, the gathering was a deliberate attempt to tell the positive stories of farmers - what they put back into rural communities by their spending, employing staff, and volunteering for school boards, fire brigades, etc., the more than $1 million raised via the IHC Calf project, as well as the work the vast majority do to improve the environment.

"To be honest, I was a bit nervous about how it was going to go, but the whole tone was positive."

Andrew, who farms at Te Aroha, and Morrinsville farmer Lloyd Downing, organised the event because of the "bad rap" those who work the land had been getting in the lead-up to the election.

Judging from the turnout, estimated at 500-600 by those used to counting the size of a herd, that was a concern shared by many.

"As I look out into this crowd, I dont see any faceless greedy corporates. I see a whole lot of small to medium business owners that are more often than not being run by Mum, Dad and the rest of the family chipping in.

"Every farmer here today will have a good news story about their farm, and the improvements they have made to make that farm more environmentally sustainable."

Andrew says he had plenty of friends who had planted "thousands of trees and acres of manuka, not out of any expectation of public accolade but because it was the right thing to do.

"What Im sick of is the cherry picking of data for political purposes, especially around water, to paint a picture that we are all environmental vandals. That is a desperate lie."

But he was also one of several speakers who acknowledged that while farmers have collectively invested hundreds of millions of dollars in reducing their environmental footprint, they - like other sectors of New Zealand - still had plenty more to do.

Nigel McWilliam, who chairs the districts Chamber of Commerce, said the town of 7000 was built on the dairy industry and farmers made a huge contribution to both the district and national economy.

Andrew says there wouldnt be many farmers who had made much money over the last couple of years, so any extra taxes would delay the return to profitability and have a detrimental effect on rural communities.

"Because lets face it. You cant be green if youre in the red."
Its a story of struggle, hardship, eking a living, setting a cornerstone for an economy.

No illicit love, no shootouts, devious plot twists  just the raw detail of some entrepreneurs, some labourers, hopes and dreams, plucked from last century and beyond.

Even by the compilers own admission, it probably wont make the best-seller list.

But that was never the intention. Its a book of important historical insights  the product of one mans tireless research and pulled together for publication by another.

Its called Te Puke Flaxmills and its about flax fibre  sober in name and nature. But flax fibre was a significant industry in the economic development of Te Puke. Thats before Pakeha came along and built drainage schemes and fires and synthetics permanently altered the landscape.

Its about the people who harvested the flax fibre, the processing plants that sprouted as a result of their slog, the fortunes and the failures and the huge impact that simple rope and binder twine had on the region.

Te Puke Flaxmills is a resource document, which we who are privileged to live in Te Moana-a-Toi or Bay of Plenty, should have on our coffee table and regularly peck at. Its a fulfilling and fascinating dip-in and dip-out of compendium of facts, photos, diagrams and stories.

Facts like it took eight tonnes of green flax to produce just one tonne of dressed fibre. And grainy photos of romantic moments from another time  Mrs Paterson and Mary Potiki in their white blouses and lovely bonnets on the banks of the Kaituna upstream from the Paroa flaxmill.

The research was a complex and inter-connected web of information, says Richard Hart. But I know Alister would have wanted it published.

When prominent Tauranga historian Alister Matheson died, the bones of his research were gathered up by Richard Hart. He didnt want the effort wasted, nor the work lost.

Its published now to ensure the material is on record and not left in a bottom draw or file somewhere, says Richard.

The flaxmills have long gone but the book is a reminder of their contribution. Local roads such as Collins and Mends Lanes are named from flax-era personalities. The same gravel roads take us back through history to sites of old flax mills. And the families that toiled in those mills  their descendants remain.

Flax investments were blue chip. Before the great depression there were newspaper articles suggesting 14 per cent returns three years after planting, and 73 per cent returns in the seventh year and thereafter.

The estimates, were told, were based on government figures and by well-known managers with conservative, sound values ..and entirely unrelated to extravagant hopes.

The innocuous, rusty corrugated iron farm buildings; the abandoned flaxmills on the banks of the Kaituna River are probably testimony to the folly of those projections.

The high- quality flax was abundant across the entire Kaituna Plains, Te Repo o Kaituna. But after the swampy lower floodplain was extensively drained and burned for farmland in the 1970s and 80s, the wetlands are all that remain.

Te Puke Flaxmills is about a little-known but very important part of the history of Te Puke and Maketu. There are the families  the Collins of Atuaroa. Four of their employees died at Gallipoli.

Theres a telltale photo  a grim Jim Paterson standing in front of the charred Paroa flaxmill after a major fire in 1912.

There are tensions and litigations  Mcnaughton v McEwen of 1901 and Chaytor v McEwan and Dalgleish a year later. Stakes were high with disputes over mill, lease and machinery. Real people, real situations, real life.

The book tells us Pakeha were quick to appreciate the commercial possibilities of phormium fibre and between 1820 and 1986 there was a considerable trade in hand-dressed fibre between Maori and European. Much of the fibre was exported to Australia and Britain but after 1840 a small cordage  rope and twine  and textile industry was established here.

Then a machine called a stripper was invented. With its distinctive, high-pitched scream that could be heard for miles it was revolutionary. The machine could produce 250kg or a quarter of a tonne of fibre a day, whereas a Maori worker using a mussel shell could produce just one kilogramme.

Then we learn flax milling was actually a protected industry  there were government subsidies on flax production and import restrictions on jute and other fibres. That enabled 15-20 mills to produce 5000-6000 tonnes of fibre each year.

Much of it was used for woolpacks and baler twine, floor coverings, carpet underlays, upholsterers padding and fibrous plaster. Those protections were removed in the 1970s when cheaper synthetic materials won over the world.

As the book suggests, there could have been a chapter called hazards and human tragedy. Hazards were everywhere - exposed belts driving cogs, pulleys and cams. A woman called Sarah Pariki, wife of Wi Kawana, was delivering her husband a billycan of tea for morning tea when she got her long skirts tangled in a drive belt. It tore off her arm and left her gasping her last.

Two men at Mr Grays flaxmill at Paroa were hit in the face by a belt travelling at 2000 revs snapped and struck them flush in the face..knocked them to the ground, insensible. When they regained consciousness and were bandaged they were put on a horse and rode 29km to a doctor in Tauranga.

The last flax mill in New Zealand ceased operations in 1985.

Richard Hart met and discussed flax milling with the late historian Alister Matheson. When he died, I felt a responsibility.

The book has been published but Richard Hart thinks it shouldnt end there. Tracking down flaxmilling artefacts from the Te Puke mills would be of great interest and need to be preserved for historical reasons. It would be wonderful to see flaxmill displays developed at some stage.
Twelve teams from primary schools across the Eastern Bay of Plenty will compete in a new regional robotics competition this week, in Whakatane.

The RoboPa Regional Scrimmage is a two-day challenge being held on September 19 and 20 and is the first robotics competition of its kind in the Eastern Bay.

It has been designed by Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi technology hub Robopa as an annual competition aimed at inspiring passion for science, technology and learning, particularly among Maori children.

RoboPa project coordinator Thomas Mitai says the competition has been developed to actively engage young Maori in learning and help them improve and test their skills in programming and engineering.

Ministry of Education data indicates that Maori students in rural locations and areas of low socio-economic status are under-achieving in the STEM subjects  science, technology, engineering and maths.

Competitive robotics brings a whole lot of opportunities to engage with our rangatahi in a collaborative, fun and challenging environment. Its about learning by doing.

Robotics is a great educational tool for experiential learning and our programme aims to encourage achievement in STEM subjects.

A majority of the programme is taught in te reo Maori, which acknowledges that many RoboPa learners from locations such as Opotiki, Whakatane, Kawerau, Edgecumbe, Ruatoki, Poroporo and Paroa identify firstly as Maori.

Two mainstream schools and four kura kaupapa have registered for the inaugural event, with a further 18 indicating early interest in participating next year.

The first day will focus on skills challenges and workshops, with the competition on day two.

The skills, knowledge and experience acquired throughout this event will help equip our young people to be innovators and creators in digitally driven environments, rather than just passive consumers, says Thomas.

Our rangatahi are amazing in the field of technology  theyre experts in their own right, and we put them in the driving seat. Were there to enhance and support, and provide them with a platform  and we cant wait to see where opportunities like this can take them.
Whakatane District Council has won Supreme Website Award for the third year running at ALGIMs 2017 Spring Web and Digital and Customer Experience Conference.

The ALGIM Supreme Website Award, sponsored by ReadSpeaker, is based on a web audit carried out by ALGIM each year to encourage development of the digital customer experience in local government.

The audit looks at what self-service functions the website provides, accessibility features, how it complies with best practice for websites, and how quickly councils respond to enquiries through email and social media channels.

ALGIM CEO Mike Manson says the councils win is a huge victory.

Coming out on top of 78 councils is a tough ask, given the amount of work going into enhancing online services in local government.

To do it three years in a row is an admirable result, and one that Whakatane District Council should certainly be proud of.

ALGIM exists to encourage development of digital and ICT services in local government, and this web audit is just another way we do this.

Keeping your website up-to-date and providing the online services your community wants is a constant job, and New Zealands local authorities do a great job in meeting the challenge.

Its also important that councils are able to meet the accessibility needs of a diverse population, and this forms a big part of this audit. Every member of the community needs to be able to access these services and we want to help councils ensure this happens.

Whakatane District Council chief executive Marty Grenfell described the award as a great achievement.

Given the significant investment most councils make in continually improving their online assets, for a small council like ours to be acknowledged as having the countrys best local government website, for the third consecutive time, is simply outstanding, he says.

That we have dominated the local government website rankings for three years running shows that we have continued to develop and enhance our website, with a primary focus on customer service and making more information available, more easily, for more people.

Our usage numbers keep going up, our bounce rate - a measure of frustration-related disengagement - is extraordinarily low, and our accessibility for people using mobile devices is best practice. The April emergency event demonstrated graphically how important the last factor is, with website usage quadrupling and more than half of all visitors using mobile devices.
An independent review of the Whakatane District Councils response to the April flooding and storm emergency has highlighted many positives, as well as improvement areas for local, regional and national emergency management organisations to consider.

The review by Kestrel Group was commissioned by the Council to gain an independent perspective on the extent that its Civil Defence response actions met the expectations and requirements for a district council responding to a flood event; and to identify improvement opportunities to strengthen future emergency management activities.

In his report of findings to the Council last week Kestrel Group principal Dave Brunsdon says the emergency response was generally well-organised and effective.

Amongst the many positives identified, it was clear that the Emergency Operations Centre activities were well-led by the Controllers and team leaders he says.

The Mayor, elected members and Chief Executive provided a very effective linkage with the community and the response was well-supported by other agencies, particularly Emergency Management Bay of Plenty.

Dave says the many forms of volunteer input also played a significant role in reducing the impacts of the event on the community and assisting the early stages of the emergency recovery.

Improvement areas centred on five key themes:

Updating operational plans and including stop bank breaches as a specific flooding scenario;

Ensuring EOC teams are consistently resourced with a trained local presence;

Understanding the relationship between Civil Defence and the Council as a whole;

Improving the connection between the EOC and key community sectors; and

Greater clarity around local resourcing expectations under the centralised, regional emergency management model.

The review makes 16 recommendations, which Mayor Tony Bonne says will be prioritised and worked through in conjunction with Emergency Management BOP and other external agencies as a matter of urgency.

Its notable that the evacuation of Edgecumbe was the largest evacuation of a community ever undertaken during a New Zealand Civil Defence emergency and the way the wider community and emergency services rallied together was a credit to all involved, says Tony.

While we can be generally pleased with our emergency response, we have undoubtedly taken some key learnings from this event.

Local resourcing in an extended emergency situation will always present challenges for smaller local authorities like ours and the recommendations around EOC staffing and access to people with the right training and expertise are key areas for us to work on.

Better and earlier involvement with iwi and other support agencies in Civil Defence planning will also help ensure we are better prepared in future to deliver effective emergency response actions for affected communities.

The report also identifies a number of successful early recovery phase initiatives which put peoples needs first. These included early engagement with insurers; a simplified approach to, and provision of free building consents for flood repairs; coordinated removal of flood-damaged material from houses and disposal of hazardous building waste; and the Liveable Homes programme to assist people who did not have the means to repair their homes.

The Kestrel Report (and a shorter summary document) on the Councils flood response will be available on the WDC website from 19 September www.whakatane.govt.nz
The Ministry of Education are introducing a new initiative which will see a strengthening of digital technology learning areas in the curriculum.

MOE are proposing two new knowledge areas to be implemented into the Hangarau and technology learning areas of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum including Computational Thinking for Digital Technologies and Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes.

Acting head of Early Learning and Student Achievement Pauline Cleaver says the new change aims to teach students foundational skills which they will use in later life.

Students will develop computational and algorithmic thinking skills, and an understanding of the computer science principles that underlie all digital technologies.

They will learn core programming concepts and how to take advantage of the capabilities of computers, so they can become creators of digital technologies, not just users.

In the designing and developing digital outcomes knowledge area, students will develop knowledge and skills related to ethically designing and producing quality, fit-for-purpose, digital solutions.

Two further changes will also be implemented and are unique to Maori medium education including nga Aria o Nga Whanaketanga Hangarau Matihiko Arareo Maori (Concepts of Digital Technology) and Te Tangata me te Rorohiko (People and Computers).

Nga Aria o Nga Whanaketanga Hangarau Matihiko Arareo Maori will focus on the concepts of digital technologies through te reo Maori, Maori values and knowledge, which will enable students use te reo Maori and to apply a Maori worldview as they learn about digital technologies in various situations.

Te Tangata me te Rorohiko focuses on the demonstration of Maori values and principles that ensure designers and users create a positive impact on whanau, hapu, iwi and the local and global environment.

She says there is a misconception that the focus of the new digital curriculum is about artificial intelligence, robotics and coding.

The changes are about teaching children and young people about how digital technologies work, and how this knowledge can be used to create digital solutions.

Introducing our children and young people to these learning opportunities at an early age will provide the foundations for more specialised study in digital areas such as AI and robotics.

The new curriculum will be available to all schools that choose to implement it from term one next year and it will be expected that schools will be teaching it from 2020.

We recognise that our young people need to be tech-savvy in an increasingly globalised, technology-dependent world. Thats why we are changing how we prepare our children and young people to participate, create and thrive in this fast-evolving digital environment.

While many teachers, schools, kura and Kahui Ako are already making digital technologies learning part of their teaching programmes, its important that its introduced to all schools.

The Ministry aims to ensure students are digitally capable, by year 10 and they have also announced the introduction of NCEA Level 1 achievement standards next year.

These will be opened up to Level 2 and 3 from 2019.

Students will have the opportunity to specialise from year 11 to year 13, ensuring that by the end of year 13 these students are prepared for further tertiary study and careers in digital technologies.

Pauline says that learning support will be offered to help teachers to feel prepared and comfortable with the changes.

Professional Learning Development supports will be available to all teachers from next year to help them integrate digital technologies into their learning and teaching programmes.

Parents are encouraged to talk to their schools about their plans on integrating the new curriculum so they can support their children through the process.

Otumoetai Primary School Principal Geoff Opie says he thinks the change will bring clutter to the curriculum.

Currently, his school uses ICT across the existing curricula to extend student learning.

At primary level, I believe ICT devices of any kind are a tool for advancing learning opportunities, he says.

Digital technologies and ICT are a tool for learning, a tool to enhance and transform learning, not I believe, a separate part of the curriculum for primary school.

We have experienced curriculum clutter for years and this does not help.

Enhance Education general manager, Andrea Goldstone says she is for the change but sees some areas of concern.

We are for the change, however we base a strong emphasis on training the trainer, she says.

We can foresee some possible barriers in that teachers may not be at this stage, fully prepared for it.

The organisation is one of the four in the local area that offers the training packages for teachers.

Theres a real need for our children to get up to date, were a little bit behind the rest of the world so it is good that this new digital technology is being implemented into the curriculum and the changes proposed.

We recognise it because we work with children from years 1 to 11 and we do extra tutorials including math and science and this digital technology is going to weave through those subjects.

She says teachers currently in training have given mixed reviews.

In general people understand that its needed but the nervousness comes in how prepared they are to deliver it.

Some teachers embrace it, other teachers who realize the importance of it but are quite fearful in wondering what the expectation is on them in what they need to know.

Enhance Education head of computers and robotics, Jeff Angus says the need for the change is becoming consistently more obvious.

Nikki Kaye has mentioned that in about 20 years, 40 per cent of current jobs and work situation will be automated to some degree.

We have to prepare our children for jobs that currently dont exist to give them an understanding that some of the jobs they see their parents doing may involve some degree of automation or simply wont exist.

He believes the shift in the use and knowledge of digital technologies will be one of the biggest changes since the industrial revolution.

One of the big technologies thats going to affect computing is what they call quantum computing, which uses the quantum nature of subatomic particles as a means of computing.

What is coming in this realm is that it is likely to severely change the very complex calculations involved in assessing information, processing it and communicating it.

The reality is that children right now will likely to have access to those quantum computers in the future.

As a teacher, he says he has been amazed at how fast children are already learning digital skills.

Its just a matter of putting it in a step-by-step ordered way so that children can gain the knowledge in a logical way.

The main thing is to give children and youth a way that they can work through the knowledge that is going to lead to material benefits in terms of employability in the future.
As part of the ongoing evolution of the superyacht exhibition, the Tenders & Toys zone of the Monaco Yacht Show will be located on the Quai Albert ler and will bring a new edge to next weeks showcase.

Over 15 tenders on two sites - by both the HISWA Pavilion and the Car Deck - will act as the platform for a new initiative offering an insight into the fascinating world of top-speed, deep-diving and high-flying innovations to enhance the superyacht experience.

With a wealth of large yachts, new explorers and support yachts on display, this is an incredibly relevant reflection of the demand underway across the superyacht industry.

Part of the new debuts joining the 45 latest launches on display will be the Mazu Thirtyeight, a 12-metre open launch, the Gozzo model from Apreamare, the 17-metre Maori tender and a brand-new Compass tender set to be revealed at the show.

All of this is set to come to light alongside a big reveal from Pascoe International which were looking forward to bringing you more on, as and when we can.

The fun-time toys on show include a sea-kart, the new all-carbon version of which will be unveiled at the MYS, an electric surf board, the Fun Air inflatables and the very first underwater drone; along with a whole range of nautical accessories for fun with friends or family.

The new Tenders & Toys zone will complement the range of tenders exhibited for some years already at the Monaco Yacht Show.

Visitors can see another 21 tenders afloat on the Quai Jarlan, a private submarine by U-Boat Worx in the Darse Sud Plongeur zone or that of the American manufacturer Triton displayed at the entrance to the Parvis Piscine tent.

And of course, two helicopters, the Agusta AW 169 by Leonardo (Tenders & Toys) and Bell Helicopters Bell 429 (entrance to the Parvis Piscine tent). We'll be bringing you insights from across the superyacht showcase, alongside exclusive insights and interviews from the heart of the superyacht industry.
The Galvez museum in Macharaviaya will be hosting a collection of Salvador Dalis paintings of horses. The exhibition, which will run from 15 September until 11 December, comprises of 24 of the artists works.

Animals featured heavily in the surrealists masterpieces and horses were no exception. He is said to have been fascinated by their "childlike vitality" and "life" and studied them through legends, mythology and history.

INFORMATION When:15 September until 11 December. Free. Where:Museo de los Galvez, Macharaviaya For further information:www.macharaviaya.es

This exhibition shows works by Dali that represent famous horses such as Clavileno, the fictional wooden horse that appears in Don Quixote, or Alexander the Greats horse, Bucephalus, and his portrait of Lady Godiva, who according to legend rode her horse naked through the streets of Coventry in England, covered only by her long hair.

The collection also includes works which depict how horses have been used in agriculture and by soldiers during the Crusades.

Salvador Dali was born in Figueres in Catalonia in 1904 and died there in 1989. He is particularly well-known for his surrealist masterpieces and iconic waxed moustache.

The exhibition can be seen in the newly refurbished Museo de los Galvez in Macharaviaya which is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am until 2pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 11am until 3pm. Private group visits can be organised via the town hall by prior arrangement.
Blog_moosewood02.JPG

Watercress toast from "The Moosewood Restaurant Table," a new cookbook from the Moosewood Collective.

(Al Karevy)

Ithaca, N.Y. - Moosewood, the iconic vegetarian restaurant, once introduced many home cooks to such exotic ingredients as couscous and daikon and kale.

This fall, the collective of Moosewood owners and cooks have a new book out -- "The Moosewood Restaurant Table" -- that continues to widen pantries and paletes.

Yes, the kale is still there. But this time, it's inside Japanese-inspired nori rolls.

The latkes now rely on butternut squash. Cracked freekeh and black rice are the newer, hipper grains. Persian kuku, Burmese thoke and Cuban picadillo have earned spots next to the Vietnamese soup, Mexican mole and Indian samosas that once seemed so exotic to many Americans. Today, they simply taste like supper.

After 44 years as a collectively-run restaurant based in the Finger Lakes, Moosewood's appetite continues to be global. This newest book, the collective's 14th, features recipes from the Middle East and Ethiopia, South Korea and Texas.

"We're taking out the meat and playing up the vegetables and grains," says Wynnie Stein of Moosewood's method of adapting traditional dishes from around the world to non-meat and non-dairy recipes. Stein is a part of the Moosewood Collective and one of eight people who authored this cookbook.

The book comes out Sept. 26 from St. Martin's Griffin. It costs $35.

Despite its Upstate roots, you won't find iconic Upstate dishes among these new 250 recipes - at least not by name. Utica fans, there are no Moosewood riggies.

But the cookbook, and Moosewood, depend on Upstate New York foods: fruits and vegetables, grains and cheeses that come from New York farms around the Finger Lakes and Central New York.

A local business, Fall Creek Produce, travels every day to Syracuse's Regional Market to buy fresh produce for Moosewood, according to Stein.

"From the very beginning, we were Upstate New York," Stein said this week. "I remember 30 years ago planning menus with farmers." Those farmers in the winter, she said, would bring the tiniest carrots. Moosewood bought them. And offered advice. "You're going to have to work on that," she said, laughing.

Today, the farms and the farmers markets and the farm-to-table-to-fork mania have caught up to Moosewood's vision of eating fresh food that's grown close to the kitchen.

Black rice and spinach salad from "The Moosewood Restaurant Table," a new cookbook from the Moosewood Collective in Ithaca.

"It feels really wonderful to still be part of that conversation," Stein said.

To celebrate, Moosewood is having book-signing party from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 30 at its restaurant in the Dewitt Mall at 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca. Authors will be there to sign the books. Visitors can sample some of the recipes from the cookbook.

Contributors to this cookbook include Nancy Lazarus, Laura Branca, Ned Asta, David Hirsch, Susan Harville, Kip Wilcox, Joan Adler and Stein. Moosewood was founded in 1973 and is run by a collective of 19 members.

The first Moosewood cookbook was published in 1977; it was a collection of recipes created by the restaurant's cooks and compiled, illustrated and published by Mollie Katzen. The Moosewood Collective has published 14 cookbooks, including two James Beard Foundation winners.
AVA, N.Y. -- The Fort Drum soldier killed after a car struck a tree in Oneida County early Sunday morning has been identified.

Jennifer N. Kipybida, 23, died after the car she was riding in crashed in Ava, said the Oneida County Sheriff's Office. Spc. Kipybida, a Churchville native, was stationed with the U.S. Army at Fort Drum as a human resources specialist, reported the Watertown Daily Times.

The deadly crash happened around 3 a.m. Sunday when Kipybida was riding back to Fort Drum with Miles Wilson-King, deputies said. Wilson-King, 23, of Virginia, is also stationed at the base.

Wilson-King was driving north on Route 26 in a 2016 Toyota Corolla when he drove across the southbound lane, off the road and into a tree, deputies said.

Kipybida was rushed to Rome Memorial Hospital, where she died.

After he was evaluated at the scene, Wilson-King refused treatment.

It appears both Wilson-King and Kipybida were wearing seat belts, deputies said. Although the cause of the crash remains under investigation, deputies said drugs and alcohol do not appear to be factors.

Kipybida and Pfc. Wilson-King served together in the division's 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, reported the Watertown-Daily Times.
Rondell Scott

Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse man who was caught in Mississippi is going to trial this week for a March 2015 shooting that injured two and left a 15-year-old dead.

Rondell Scott, then 34, is accused of murder, assault and related charges in the shooting at the corner of Midland Avenue and West Newell Street that killed Tyquan Jones and injured two others sitting in a car.

Prosecutor Shaun Chase told the jury during opening statements today that Scott decided to chase down Jones and two others after a dispute the teens had with other teens who Scott knew.

The dispute between the teens may have started over a girl, Chase said. But it was Scott who took matters into his own hands, the prosecutor said.

Jones and the other two victims drove by and one of the other teens thought someone in the car might be reaching for a gun, Chase said.

Scott found out and flagged down a friend, Chase said. Scott then followed the car that Jones was riding in, the prosecutor said.

While stopped at West Newell and Midland, Scott is accused of getting out and walking up to the car with Jones.

Scott then shot and killed Jones at close range before firing more shots that injured the other two occupants, Chase said.

"The defendant cowardly and cold-bloodedly ambushed three men at red light," Chase told the jury.

Afterward, Scott is accused of making another 15-year-old look at and smell the spent shell casings from the revolver, Chase said.

After police searched Scott's residence, he left town and was found later in Mississippi.

Scott's assigned lawyer, Tom Ryan, told the jury that he would argue that someone else might have committed the shooting. He asked jurors to question whether prosecution witnesses had anything against his client.

Scott faces up to 25 years to life in prison for murder if convicted. Scott remains in jail during trial.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A former nurse at the Syracuse VA Hospital collected $72,000 in false workers' compensation benefits, prosecutors said.

Linda Sue Parnell, 62, worked as a nurse for the Veteran's Administration until 1995, when she injured her back while helping a patient, according to court papers.

Parnell was then approved for workers compensation benefits relating to her injury, but investigators said she received $72,000 for traveling she did not do.

According to U.S. Attorney Grant Jaquith, Parnell submitted false reimbursement claims to the U.S. Department of Labor from 2010 to 2016, fraudulently claiming she traveled to local YMCA locations for physical therapy.

Here's how the scheme worked, according to court papers:

Parnell said she visited branches of the YMCA of Greater Syracuse hundreds of times, when she actually only went a small fraction of those she claimed.

She regularly filed for 75 miles of travel, when none of the YMCA of Greater Syracuse branches were more than 40 miles from her home.

Investigators said the only branch Parnell ever traveled to was at Onondaga Community College, about 6 miles from her house.

Investigators said Parnell also inflated the number of miles she drove to medical appointments.

She had the payments electronically deposited to her bank account, leading the U.S. Attorney's Office to charge her with four counts of wire fraud and one count of theft of government money.

Each wire fraud count carries up to 20 years in prison, and Parnell faces up to 10 years in prison for the theft charge.

Parnell appeared in court Monday. Judge David Hurd agreed to release her without bail pending trial.

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers federal courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992
Syracuse, NY -- An Onondaga County jury this afternoon acquitted two men accused in the death of a 33-year-old man on the Onondaga Nation.

Jacob Homer and Cree Cathers were found not guilty of manslaughter and assault in the death of Carl Kettle, said defense lawyer Nick DeMartino, who represented Homer. The jury deliberated three and a half hours before delivering its verdict.

Tears were shed on both sides as the verdict was announced around 4:30 p.m., DeMartino said.

Homer and Cathers teared up in relief, as did their supporters, while those there for the victim cried in despair, DeMartino said.

The courtroom has been packed with spectators on both sides throughout the trial. Everyone remained civil as they departed the courtroom after the verdict.

Homer and Cathers had contended that they fought a belligerent Kettle after he sucker-punched Cathers.

Kettle had followed the two men and others from nearby Burdick's Tavern, where he had been antagonistic toward two women and took a swing at one of them.

Prosecutor Michael Kasmarek acknowledged that Kettle was looking for a fight. But said that Homer and Cathers took things too far, continuing the beating after Kettle had been knocked unconscious.

One of the biggest problems was that Kettle didn't suffer severe injuries that typically come from a beating, said defense lawyer Ed Klein, who represented Cathers.

Kettle didn't have a broken nose, or a fractured skull or a shattered eye orbit, Klein said.

The medical examiner ruled that Kettle died from compression to his neck. But a defense expert suggested that Kettle died from a combination of obesity, alcohol, cocaine and being knocked unconscious.

In the end, Kettle likely died after his weight constricted his breathing, causing his lung to fill up with fluid, Klein said.

"He died because of a freak thing and his 0.30 (blood) alcohol," Klein said.

Kettle was found the following morning after the 2:45 a.m. fight on a gravel lot known as "the Line," located on state Route 11A just inside the northern border of the Onondaga Nation.

The two defendants had faced up to 25 years in prison, if convicted. Now, they walk away free men.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Juanita Perez Williams has added a veteran Democratic strategist to her mayoral campaign staff.

Peter Kauffmann will serve as a strategic advisor to the campaign. Kauffmann has held top communications positions under Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Hillary Clinton.

Kauffmann is a New York political operative who runs Kauffmann Public Affairs. He was a senior advisor to Gov. Cuomo on two gubernatorial campaigns and was communications director for Clinton's Super PAC, Priorities USA, during last year's election.

Kauffmann's political career began as deputy press secretary for the Democratic National Committee. He went on to be a spokesman for Clinton when she was a U.S. Senator. He left that position to join the U.S. Navy as an intelligence officer.

He has worked as a consultant and as spokesman for Gov. David Patterson, a job he quit after Patterson was accused of accepting illegal World Series tickets.

The addition of Kauffmann comes one week after Perez Williams secured the Democratic nomination and called for party unity. Her former opponent, Joe Nicoletti, left the race Monday and endorsed Perez Williams.

Perez Williams' campaign staff last week had begun expanding its office space at her headquarters on West Adams Street, adding several more offices.

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 7. There are four candidates seeking the mayor's office. Perez Williams is running as a Democrat. Laura Lavine is running as a Republican. Ben Walsh is running on the Reform, Independence and Upstate Jobs lines. Howie Hawkins is running with the Green Party.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness on Wednesday announced that Google on mobile now provides people who search for the term clinical depression with a direct link to the PHQ-9 questionnaire used by medical professionals in the United States to evaluate patients for the disorder.

People can conduct a self-assessment by filling in the questionnaire online.

When someone conducts a Google search on mobile for information on clinical depression, a link to check if youre clinically depressed will appear in the depression knowledge panel.

Clicking on the link will take the user to the PHQ-9 questionnaire.

NAMI hopes teaming up with Google will help raise awareness of clinical depression and lead sufferers to determine their level of depression and the need to seek help, said Mary Giliberti, the organizations CEO.

Clinical depression is a treatable condition, and the PHQ-9 can be the first step to getting a proper diagnosis, she noted.

Noble Effort

One in five Americans experience an episode of clinical depression in their lifetime, but only about half the sufferers receive treatment, Giliberti pointed out, and generally only after six to eight years.

By making PHQ-9 easily accessible in the Clinical Depression Knowledge Panel, we hope that will help provide useful and insightful information to spur deeper research on the Web or to help you have more in-depth conversations with your doctor, said Google spokesperson Susan Cadrecha.

The effort is noble, though Id feel better if this project was managed by someone other than Google, with the appropriate medical background, oversight and protections, such as a major hospital, remarked Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

Privacy Questions

Because Google stores user data, there may be legitimate concerns that information entered into the PHQ-9 form would be retained.

The privacy and security of our users is of the utmost importance, Googles Cadrecha told TechNewsWorld.

We recognize that this information is sensitive and private, and Google will not store your responses or your results, she said.

This speaks to trust, and whether management actually knows what the engineers who have set this up actually did, Enderle told TechNewsWorld.

In the past, Google has been lax with regard to oversight, he added, so concerns about data retention are reasonable, even though it clearly isnt an executive intent.

Google parent Alphabet already collects some data on consumers health.

Its Verily Life Sciences division, formerly Google Life Sciences, in 2014 launched Project Baseline, which seeks to collect phenotypic health data from about 10,000 participants over four years.

The project will make de-identified data from the study available to qualified researchers for exploratory analysis.

Google Is Watching You?

Google sees everything that moves through their portal, said Michael Jude, a research manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.

At some level, everythings stored for some period of time, he told TechNewsWorld.

Google is asking us to trust them not to store anything long term, Jude added. However, the act of seeing this data lets it build profiles of users.

The company probably already can build a psychological profile of its users from their searches and other user data, he speculated. If a profile leaked, they could claim that it was simply from publicly disclosed data. How could anyone prove otherwise?
Octopuses are known to be solitary creatures but a newly discovered octopus city off the coast of Australia suggests that these marine animals are not as isolated and solitary as humans think they are.

Octlantis And Octopolis

The underwater site scientists dubbed Octlantis is found to be home to up to 15 gloomy octopuses (Octopus tetricus), a common species of octopus with an arm span of 6.6 feet.

The site was found in Jervis Bay 33 to 49 feet underwater and lies close to a similar site, which scientists call Octopolis.

When Octopolis was discovered in 2009, scientists thought that the cephalopods gathered there because a human object happened to have formed a central point that the tentacled creatures surrounded with dens.

The discovery of Octlantis, however, suggests that gloomy octopuses did not form a community at Octopolis as a result of the human artifact and that the animals may have been socializing for a long time.

"At both sites, the octopuses engage in frequent and complex social behaviors that are unusual for many species of octopus. The discovery reported here of the second site underscores that the first site was not a unique result of a human artifact that apparently provided the nucleus for the formation of the original site," the researchers wrote in their study, which was published in the journal Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology on Sept. 1.

Complex Behaviors Observed At Octlantis

David Scheel, of Alaska Pacific University, and colleagues placed four GoPro cameras at the site and recorded 10 hours worth of video that revealed cephalopods communicating, living together, meeting up, as well as chasing away and evicting other octopuses from dens, which are basically holes excavated into shells or sands. Marine biologists found 13 occupied and 10 unoccupied octopus dens in Octlantis.

Scheel and colleagues also observed that the creatures tend to be within an arm's reach of each other and exhibited signs of aggression, mating and chasing.

Researchers said that these behaviors are the products of natural selection and may be similar to the complex social behaviors exhibited by vertebrates. This means that given the right conditions, evolution may lead to similar outcomes in different groups of organisms.

"For these complex behaviors to occur, I think that they must encounter one another and interact regularly over generations, even if at any time there are more octopuses living a solitary life than interacting consistently throughout every day," Scheel said.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A doomsday date is set. A Christian numerologist claims Sept. 23 as the official day the world will end.

Several years ago, NASA's David Morrison debunked an apocalyptic claim regarding a so-called Planet X and its alleged collision with Earth.

There's no such thing as Planet Nibiru, he said, and it's certainly not on a collision course with Earth. But in an era where some people still believe the Earth is flat, this doomsday theory has only gotten renewed attention instead of dying.

Doomsday Set On Sept. 23: The Bible Allegedly Offers Some Clues

According to David Meade, the Christian numerologist who offered the doomsday date, verses in Luke 21:25 to 26 suggest that some recent signs, such as the total solar eclipse and Hurricane Harvey, portend to the apocalypse.

But to be clear, Meade isn't saying the world will end as in obliterated to pieces. Instead, he says, the prophecy in the Book of Revelation will occur on Sept. 23, causing a series of catastrophic events that will stretch out over several weeks.

"The world is not ending, but the world as we know it is ending," he said, as Washington Post reports. He adds, "A major part of the world will not be the same the beginning of October."

Meade's prediction has been dismissed by NASA scientists as a hoax in addition to religious personalities. Ed Stetzer, a pastor and executive director of Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center, admitted that while numbers hold significance in the context of the Bible, they mustn't be used to predict the Earth's end.

"Whenever someone tells you they have found a secret number code in the Bible, end the conversation," he wrote.

What Is This 'Planet X'?

Meade has built his theory on Planet X, also known as the aforementioned Nibiru, which he believes will pass Earth on Sept. 23, causing volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and earthquakes, as The Sun reports.

NASA has debunked Planet X repeatedly, saying it's merely a hoax, but there were some sites that once claimed NASA is the one giving out the warning regarding Nibiru. Snopes has since debunked this as fake news.

Planet X, for those who don't know, is the name NASA gives to possible space objects that have not been found. Pluto, for instance, has once been called as such before eventually being discovered and renamed after the god of the underworld.

If the world is still here on Sept. 23, it will have survived three apocalypses to date  the other two were in 2003 and 2012.

Where are you going to be when the world ends? Sound off in the comments section below!

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Scientists have discovered the magma source, also called the "hot zone," of Campi Flegrei, a supervolcano in southern Italy that experts fear may be brewing for an eruption.

The volcano has not erupted for centuries, but scientists fear that it may blow up soon. A May 2017 study found evidence that the energy inside the volcano is building up in the past few decades, which increases the possibility of an eruption.

Hot Zone Located

In the 1980s, injection of magma or fluids in the Camp Flegrei's shallower structure caused small earthquakes.

In a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports on Aug. 14, researchers found the location of the hot zone that served as source of the magma that flooded into the volcano's chamber and caldera.

Using seismological techniques, Luca De Siena, of the University of Aberdeen, and colleagues, were able to identify the hot zone where the hot materials rose to flood the caldera in the 1980s.

"The temporal and spatial correlations we observe between seismic, tomographic, geochemical, and deformation models show that the high-attenuation and deformation area offshore Pozzuoli was the most feasible hot feeder for the seismic, deformation, and geochemical 1983-84 unrest," the researchers wrote in their study.

The research likewise suggests that a 1-2 km-deep rock formation prevented the magma from rising to the surface in the 1980s. The rock formation blocked the magma forcing the latter to release the stress along a lateral route.

One Of World's Most Dangerous Volcanoes May Blow Up Soon

Analysis of the hot zone backs up findings of earlier studies that suggest Campi Flegrei, one of the most dangerous supervolcanoes on Earth, could be nearing eruption.

The supervolcano showed relatively low amount of seismic activity for decades suggesting that pressure could be building within the supervolcano's caldera. Researchers said that this makes Campi Flegrei more dangerous.

De Siena explained that whatever activity that was produced under Pozzuoli in the 1980s has likely migrated elsewhere, which means that the danger no longer lies in the same spot.

"You can now characterise Campi Flegrei as being like a boiling pot of soup beneath the surface," De Siena said.

Volcanologists said that a modern-day eruption of Campi Flegrei could be catastrophic. The eruption that formed the volcano's caldera about 39,000 years ago is believed to be the largest that occurred in Europe in the past 200,000 years.

Thousands of people live inside and near the volcano's caldera.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
T-Mobile, which dominated the latest State of Mobile Networks report by OpenSignal, is looking to further widen its lead over rival carriers by increasing the throttling cap for its unlimited data plan.

OpenSignal's report claimed that the decision of Verizon and AT&T to launch their own unlimited data plans in response to the T-Mobile One caused the networks of the two carriers to slow down. Now, the Un-Carrier is making T-Mobile One even better.

T-Mobile One Throttling Cap To Increase To 50 GB

The T-Mobile One, as with all the other unlimited data plans in the market, placed a cap on the data that subscribers use in a month. Once subscribers reach that cap, they will still be able to access data, but throttled, or reduced to a slower speed, to prioritize other users who have not yet reached their limit.

The move by T-Mobile to increase its throttling cap, or its Fair Usage Threshold as the Un-Carrier calls it, started out as a rumor, based on an image of a document that was acquired by Android Central. The document clearly showed that T-Mobile was planning to increase its Fair Usage Threshold to 50 GB starting Sept. 20, from the previous cap of 32 GB.

T-Mobile later confirmed that the throttling cap increase was coming through a tweet by T-Mobile Help.

50 GB T-Mobile Throttling Cap: Is It Enough?

From 23 GB, to 30 GB, and then to 32 GB earlier this year, the T-Mobile One throttling cap will soon be double the amount from where it started, showing that the Un-Carrier is very much capable of handling the extra load. The question, however, is whether that amount of data is enough for most subscribers.

50 GB, even for heavy users, is a lot of data, and barring any massive downloads made on the subscribers' smartphone, should be enough to last for an entire month.

The decision to increase the unlimited data plan's throttling cap comes about a week after the carrier announced that all T-Mobile One unlimited family plan subscribers would be granted free Netflix subscriptions. Having access to Netflix would mean that users would need more data, and T-Mobile has provided just that.

In comparison, the throttling cap of the unlimited data plans of Verizon and AT&T are at 22 GB, while that of Sprint is slightly higher at 23 GB. T-Mobile will very soon offer more than double that capacity to its subscribers, which should attract its legacy customers to switch to T-Mobile One and for customers of other carriers to switch to the Un-Carrier.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
. 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.
Kenneth Gleason was booked Tuesday in the deaths of two black men, as well as another shooting.

Gleason, 23, faces charges of first degree murder in the killings, which police have said were possibly racially motivated. Officials declined to speculate further on Tuesday, saying the case remained under investigation

Below is what's known about the case so far, as well as other key details:

 Gleason is accused of killing two unarmed black men  Bruce Cofield and Donald Smart. Cofield was homeless, and Smart was walking to his job as a dishwasher at Louie's Cafe when he was killed, police said.

Both killings followed the same description, police said, with a man initially firing from a vehicle before emerging and continuing to fire at the men. In both shootings the man was believed to have been wearing dark clothes and a tactical vest.

+15 BR man to be booked in 'brutal,' possibly racially motivated killings, 3rd shooting A man named a person of interest in two recent Baton Rouge homicides was arrested in the pos

 In addition to the killings, officials revealed Tuesday that Gleason is suspected of firing at a black family's home in his neighborhood the day before the first fatal shooting.

No one was killed when three bullets were fired through the door of the home. Gleason faces two counts of attempted first degree murder and aggravated criminal damage to property in connection with that shooting.

Tonya Stephens, who lives in the home, said one of the bullets traveled through a couch, under a chair, out a back window and through a wall into a back storage shed, Stephens showed The Advocate Tuesday, pointing at one remaining bullet hole.

Stephens said she wasnt home at the time, but her sons, 19-year-old Joshuwa Anderson and 22-year-old Corey Anderson, were in their bedrooms watching Netflix and heard the three shots.

Stephens said her younger son saw Gleason sleeping shirtless in his red car multiple times.

 Gleason was arrested and released twice before he was ultimately taken into custody for the killings. He was initially stopped on Saturday, when an officer spotted a vehicle matching the description and took Gleason into custody, where he was questioned. Search warrants were issued, which led to Gleason's arrest on two unrelated drug counts. Gleason posted a $3,500 bond and was released from prison on Sunday.

On Monday, Gleason was arrested again on a theft that occurred Wednesday at a book store on Towne Center Boulevard. Moore said that Gleason is accused of stealing a copy of "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy."

He was booked into prison on one count of theft and released on a $500 bond early Tuesday.

Can't see the video below? Click here.

 Gleason, who lived in the 5100 block of Sandy Ridge Drive, was recently in Phoenix, Arizona where he received a traffic citation and was also busted for shoplifting, according to a report. Gleason was arrested for shoplifting from a Target on Dec. 28, 2016, according to a report from The Associated Press. His citation for speeding came in January, but was dismissed in Phoenix Municipal Court on May, 5, 2017.

 A law enforcement official says a copy of an Adolf Hitler speech was found at Gleason's home during a search. The official spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Detectives also found marijuana and human growth hormone in Gleason's bedroom and bathroom, and noted that he did not have any valid prescriptions for the drugs, according to his arrest report.

 Gleason grew up in Baton Rouge and graduated cum laude from Baton Rouge Magnet High School, a selective program often referred to as the city's flagship public school.

He became an Eagle Scout in September 2012, completing a construction project at St. John's United Methodist Church to earn the title  an achievement shared by only about 5 percent of all Boy Scouts, according to the organization.

Gleason attended LSU for one year starting in the fall of 2012. LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard said a student under that name transferred from Baton Rouge Community College and continued through the fall 2013 semester.
Shade structures are being installed this week at the 'paper clip' city dock at Riverfront Plaza in downtown Baton Rouge. The shades, which cost about $268,000 to design, create and install, will make it easier to have events on the waterfront, said Davis Rhorer, executive director of the Downtown Development District. The structures will be lit with LED lighting that will allow the panels to change colors for various holidays and special events. The shades are part of $720,000 in riverfront improvements that include adding landscaping, irrigation, lighting, a sound system and repairing concrete at Riverfront Plaza.
A state law that took effect in 2009 making it easier to subject serial killers to the death penalty could have a profound impact on Kenneth James Gleason, the Baton Rouge man who was booked Tuesday on first-degree murder counts in a pair of unrelated fatal shootings last week.

East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutors sought the change to the first-degree murder statute after reputed Baton Rouge serial killer Sean Vincent Gillis was convicted in 2008 of first-degree murder. The jury deadlocked on the death penalty, and Gillis was sentenced to life in prison.

First-degree murder, which is punishable by death in capital cases, requires an aggravating circumstance, such as murdering someone while committing another crime like armed robbery or killing someone under the age of 12.

Prosecutors complained to state lawmakers after the Gillis trial that serial killers often murder without committing another aggravating crime.

Senate Bill 132, pushed by East Baton Rouge prosecutors and signed into law in 2009 by then-Gov. Bobby Jindal, added another element that allows the state to seek capital murder charges "when the offender has a specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm and the offender has previously acted with a specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm that resulted in the killing or one or more persons."

Authorities say Gillis confessed to killing eight south Louisiana women between 1994 and 2004. He was booked in seven of those deaths.

"After Gillis we wanted to make sure that multiple killings in a sequential fashion would be an aggravating factor," East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III, who took office in 2009, said Tuesday.

Former East Baton Rouge Parish First Assistant District Attorney Prem Burns, who prosecuted Gillis and helped push the change in state law, said Tuesday it was sorely needed so serial killers would not be rewarded for not committing an aggravating crime in addition to each individual murder.

"We needed a serial killer statute," she said. "A serial killer in and of itself needs to be a first-degree murder. This was so badly needed. I'm glad we have it."

Burns described the change in the law as a "new tool for victims and prosecutors."

Moore and Louisiana District Attorneys Association executive director Pete Adams said they are not aware of another case to date of the law being applied. But Moore said his office at this point intends to use it against Gleason, 23, if he is indicted on first-degree murder charges.

Gleason, who is white, is booked with first-degree murder in the killings of Donald Smart, 49, and Bruce Cofield, 59, both black men. Authorities have said the shootings may have been racially motivated.

Smart was shot Thursday night while walking on Alaska Street to work his overnight shift at Louie's Cafe, just off LSU's campus. Cofield was apparently homeless and frequently panhandled at the intersection where he was shot Sept. 12 on Florida Street.

In the Gillis case, the aggravating crimes  armed robbery and second-degree kidnapping  accused him of taking, among other things, a black belt and earring backing from Donna Bennett Johnston, who was strangled and mutilated in 2004. The belt was found in a broken-down van in Gillis' driveway, and the earring piece was discovered in the trunk of his car.

Even though Gillis was found guilty of first-degree murder in Johnston's slaying, his attorneys had argued that no one in their "right mind would kill somebody to get this belt." Prosecutor Prem Burns argued Gillis kept the belt with silver loops as a "trophy" and "souvenir."

Gillis' attorneys also argued that Johnston, a prostitute, likely willingly got into Gillis' car.

Burns said Tuesday that, even though the jury found Gillis guilty of first-degree murder, the hoops she had to jump through to prove his guilt may have left some on the jury wondering whether the crime was actually a first-degree murder.

+5 Decades-old unsolved deaths of 10 women still haunt Baton Rouge investigators Diana Williams family suspected she worked the Baton Rouge streets as a prostitute in the l

"That was half the battle," she said of having to prove an aggravating factor.

Burns said former East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Doug Moreau and the late Cheney Joseph, a former prosecutor and LSU law professor, also were instrumental in securing the change to the first-degree murder statute.

Jeffery Lee Guillory, another Baton Rouge serial killer accused of committing murders in 1999, 2001 and 2002, was convicted in 2011 of second-degree murder in one of those killings and sentenced to life in prison. He could not be prosecuted for first-degree murder because there were no aggravating circumstances, and because the crimes predated the 2009 law change.

Inside Report for October 7, 2011 Considering it took a jury just 50 minutes or so Sept. 25 to convict suspected serial killer

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Dana Cummings, who prosecuted Guillory, said he definitely would have been prosecuted for first-degree murder and subjected to a possible death penalty if his crimes had occurred after the 2009 legislation was signed into law.

Guillory was found guilty in the 2002 strangulation of Renee Newman in Baton Rouge.
Authorities say a 23-year-old white Baton Rouge man has been arrested and will be booked on first-degree murder in the fatal shootings of two 
Update, 9:45 a.m. Tuesday

Gleason will be booked on murder counts in the two homicides on Tuesday, according to reports. Read the latest here.

Update, 8:30 a.m. Tuesday

Law enforcement will hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday to discuss Gleason's arrest.

Baton Rouge police, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, the East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office and Louisiana State Police will hold the joint news conference.

Original story

A Baton Rouge man named a person of interest in two recent homicides was arrested again on theft, according to East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office records.

Kenneth Gleason, 23, posted a $500 bond and was out of prison on Tuesday morning.

On Wednesday morning, Gleason allegedly left a book store in the 2300 block of Towne Center Boulevard without paying for a purchase, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said in a probable cause report. He was contacted in a traffic stop on Tuesday and booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

Gleason, who police named as a person of interest in two killings that occurred last week, was arrested on Sunday on unrelated drug counts. He posted a $3,500 bond on the same day and was released from prison.

Baton Rouge police have said they don't have enough evidence to arrest Gleason in the homicides, which a spokesman has said could possibly have been racially motivated. The slayings of the two pedestrians, one gunned down about 11 p.m. Sept. 12 and the other about the same time on Thursday, were connected through ballistics, but appear to be random attacks, said Baton Rouge Police spokesman Sgt. L'Jean McKneely.

He said Gleason was questioned for hours by detectives Saturday in the killings, which happened in the 3400 block of Florida Street and 3000 block of Alaska Street respectively, just five miles apart. Police also obtained a search warrant for Gleason's home, where they found marijuana and human growth hormones in his bedroom and bathroom, leading to his arrest on possession of Schedule III and I drugs.

The first of the two shootings killed Bruce Cofield, 59, who was apparently homeless and often panhandled at the intersection where he was shot on Florida Street. On Thursday night, Donald Smart, 49, was fatally shot as he was walking on Alaska Street to work his overnight shift at Louie's Cafe, just off LSU's campus.

Shell casings from the two killings matched and Gleason's car fit the description police were searching for, McKneely said. He mentioned there is other evidence but declined to expound.

Attempts Monday to reach Gleason, of 5144 Sandy Ridge Drive, went unanswered.

Advocate staff writer Grace Toohey contributed to this report
In a statement released Monday night, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome commended the Baton Rouge Police Department for its work investigating two connected Baton Rouge homicides that happened Sept. 12 and 14.

Broome said she had confidence the police department, as well as the district attorney, will bring closure to the investigation. She also said sent her thoughts and prayers to the families of the two victims -- 59 year-old Bruce Cofield and 49-year-old Donald Smart.

"I have made available all possible city-parish resources requested by Interim Chief Jonny Dunnam to address these homicides, as well as the recent crimes we have seen in our neighborhoods over the past several weeks," she said.

Kenneth Gleason, 23, a person of interest in the two killings, was questioned by BRPD detectives Saturday, and a search warrant was obtained for his home.

Detectives found marijuana and human growth hormones in his bedroom and bathroom, leading to Gleason's arrest on possession of Schedule III and I drugs. Gleason, however, posted a $3,500 bail late Sunday for the arrests, and Baton Roue police said they didn't have enough evidence to arrest him in the homicides.
A recent column in the Advocate by Cokie and Steve Roberts related stories of average Americans who were involved in community activities which showed the kindness, generosity and respect that is a hallmark of American life. It seemed as though the column was supposed to be an epiphany for most of their readers. It was not.

Although there are outliers who find ways to show the dark side of humanity, most of the people with whom I interact with every day try to do their best every day to treat others the way they would want to be treated. There are forces on both sides of the political aisle who try to divide us and use that to their advantage. They live in the macro world and try to convince us that there is extreme anger and distrust by one group against other groups.

Edward Pratt: Take time to notice good things Recently, Ive found that we are so stressed amid all of the tumult and political noise bomb

Most of us live in the micro world. We react to people on a one-to-one basis. Witness the recent disaster relief and assistance provided in Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Black and Hispanic first responders risked their lives for white and Asian people with no hesitation. White and black private citizens went into dark waters in the night to rescue blacks, Hispanics and Asians. Most of these people did not know each other before their unplanned meetings.

I suppose my main thought about the column is that those of us outside the bubbles of Washington, New York and L.A. have observed and participated in these daily interactions for a long time. This basic personal goodness of everyday Americans is indeed, as they said, the real importance and value of American society. It is just not news to us.

Steve Larson

retired

New Iberia
Less than one month out from primary day, this year's New Orleans municipal elections aren't exactly generating a lot of heat.

One recent poll showed that three top candidates for mayor  City Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell and two former judges, Desiree Charbonnet and Michael Bagneris  are running neck and neck for the two runoff spots, with the remaining 15 candidates trailing far behind. It's clear from both the numbers and the general mood around town that, unlike the last several elections, nobody has yet emerged as a breakout star.

But that doesn't mean that there aren't any major figures around. It's more that the best-known names are lurking on the sidelines.

Topping the list is outgoing Mayor Mitch Landrieu, whose eight-year tenure is the starting point for all conversations about what should follow it.

While the lead candidates in next month's mayoral primary give Landrieu credit in some areas, they're spending much more time talking about what they'd do differently. Thats the way these things generally go; given the fatigue that often accompanies the end of a long, consequential term, it's only natural for the candidates to be focused on change.

Still, Landrieu has bemoaned the fact that there's been little continuity between mayoral administrations in the past and has said he'd like to support someone who would build on his legacy rather than go in a different direction.

Apparently he sees at least two people who could fit the bill. Landrieu's leadership committee, NOLA PAC, recently interviewed Charbonnet and Cantrell, who has served for much of Landrieu's tenure on the City Council.

Just how public or active Landrieu would be if he does pick a favorite is an open question. He'd certainly be able to steer resources in his chosen candidate's direction, but a mayoral nod would also force that person to defend Landrieu's record and prove her own independence. This is one endorsement that definitely has its pluses and minuses.

Also watching closely is U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, who's positioned to be the city's dominant officeholder once Landrieu leaves office in May.

Poll finds tight 3-way race for Orleans mayor, and other area political news Poll finds tight 3-way race for Orleans mayor

Richmond is widely expected to endorse Charbonnet at some point, which would add yet another big name to a campaign that has won lots of endorsements and contributions but also faced questions and criticism over its extensive political ties.

Richmond may work in Washington, but one sign of how deeply involved he remains in local politics came recently in a different race, the strange contest for coroner. In that one, incumbent Jeffrey Rouse qualified for reelection but said later that he didn't want to serve, leaving only his one challenger, controversial former Orleans Parish School Board member and convicted tax evader Dwight McKenna, as an active candidate. Rouse made his decision too late to be removed from the ballot, though, so voters still have the option of choosing him and forcing another election.

It turns out that Richmond is the one who brokered a meeting between the two candidates in which Rouse agreed to back McKenna. Richmond didn't attend the meeting, but both he and Rouse said he arranged it at Rouse's request. Still, his involvement in this and other races shows that, despite his lofty post as head of the Congressional Black Caucus, he's still a key player back home.

Another major figure who could have an influence if he wants is Gov. John Bel Edwards, who dipped his toe into the local waters last week when he made an unusual appearance on behalf of District B City Council candidate Jay Banks.

Banks isn't the only Democrat competing to fill Cantrell's seat, but Edwards said he wants to be there for Banks after he and his BOLD political organization supported Edwards' gubernatorial bid.

Edwards added, though, that he intends to stay out of the mayor's race, which has to be a disappointment for the candidates. Yes, endorsements from major players can be double-edged. But at this point, they could use all the star power they can get.
The Independent Education Union will this week deliver a 1000-signature petition to the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn calling on its education office to resolve a dispute with the region's Catholic school teachers.

Negotiations between the union and the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations came to an ironic impasse earlier this year when the bodies failed to agree how to best settle disputes.

Independent Education Union NSW/ACT secretary John Quessy

The Independent Education Union wants the Fair Work Commission to be able to make binding decisions when the two groups can't come to an agreement, but the employer representative body would rather stick to the current deal, where Fair Work can only get involved when both parties sign off on the intervention.

The petition, to be delivered Wednesday, will call on the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Catholic Education Office to agree to the union's preferred method of dispute resolution and threaten strike action next month if the issue isn't resolved.
Basically Beethoven #4. Selby and Friends. Fairfax Theatre, National Gallery of Australia, September 18, 2017, 7.30pm

American writer and biographer Catherine Drinker Bowen defined chamber music as "a conversation between friends" and it is the intimacy and immediacy of the genre that either makes or breaks a performance. Kathryn Selby has a gift for creating the ideal kind of ensemble described by Bowen, as well as taking care of the audiences she has nurtured throughout her career, so that we, as listeners, are partners in the musical conversations she enables.

Kathryn Selby has a gift for creating quality ensembles. Credit:Selby & Friends

Daniel Dodds, violin, and Timo-Veikko Valve, cello, joined Selby to summon Beethoven to the stage. The opening work was the Piano Trio in B-flat major composed in 1797 in three carefully counter-balanced movements. In the first movement  Allegro con brio  the precision of the unison passages was matched by the delicate interplay of violin and cello with the piano offering subtle colour and unobtrusive rhythmic stability. The cello set the mood for the Adagio with a sonorous theme then articulated by the violin deepening a mood of equanimity, leading into the finale  Tema con variazioni  in which the strings created a transparent web above Mozartian piano cadenzas.

Lyrical as the Opus 11 was, there was a sense that it was restrained from flying by its form. Not so the Piano Trio in C Minor, Op. 1, No. 3, which perversely was written earlier than Op. 11 (between 1793-5). It is a work in which the compositional structure cleverly creates "windows" featuring a soloist framed by the two other players. The effect of each exquisite solo was magically enhanced by the clever illusion of reflections created in the accompanying instruments. An intrinsic rhythmic pulse maintained the sense of the music as a living creature, the strings drawing long breaths in the Andante, culminating in a ferocious all-in Finale. Prestissimo.
Goat yoga is coming to Canberra - and tickets are in hot demand.

Tickets for the first two classes, which will run in Haig Park on November 11, went on sale at 8am Wednesday morning, and were sold out in just 18 minutes.

The goats aren't part of the yoga poses but will wander around themselves among participants. Credit:Karleen Minney

"We were absolutely overwhelmed by the response," said organiser Fiona Harris.

"Now that we know how much Canberrans want their goat yoga, we will get stuck into planning more events."
Canberra nail salons have been caught by health authorities using blood-stained equipment, leaving skin shavings on the ground and reusing blades.

Two cockroach-infested salons were urged to call in pest control, several were reprimanded for reusing wax pots or spatulas and dozens more were told how to clean and sterilise equipment, including reminders that sink plugs must be used to ensure dirty equipment was actually immersed in water.

Canberra nail salons have tripped up on a number of health regulations.

Inspection reports, improvement notices and complaints from Canberra's 39 nail salons reveal widespread issues of poor hygiene and the potential for the spread of infection across customers.

One Woden nail salon was slapped with three of the seven improvement notices handed out by ACT Health since 2015. Two have been cancelled and one was given in July after a customer complained of being cut five times while getting her acrylic nails refilled.
Good morning Canberra.

Might be best to pack the brollie! We're in for a partly cloudy day with a slight chance of a shower in the early morning, but the day will clear and we're in for a maximum of 14 degrees. It dropped to 5 degrees overnight. Here's what's making headlines this morning.

Canberra families could relinquish kids under 'broken' NDIS

The McCarthy family is among those affected by the closure of respite services for people with high needs in Canberra. 16-year-old Logan has autism and requires one-on-one care. From left, Logans therapy dog Simi, Kellan 9, Jason, Logan 16, Jenna 14, and Lucy. Photo: Jamila Toderas Credit:Jamila Toderas

Young Canberrans with high needs could be locked out of respite care by Christmas unless a last-minute solution is found to "critical" funding shortfalls under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
A second tier of energy retailers will be able to enter the Canberra market, if a bill to allow embedded networks passes the ACT Legislative Assembly.

The legislation to cut red tape within the Utilities Act is set to be introduced into the ACT's parliament on Thursday.

Consumer affairs minister Shane Rattenbury. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Consumer affairs minister Shane Rattenbury said while he was not aware of any embedded networks in Canberra right now, under the current rules the operator would have to register as a utility.

That puts a small company running the power contract for one apartment block in the same category as a giant retailer like ActewAGL.
The higher education regulator will contact an interstate university regarding a convicted sex offender's enrolment in what is believed to be the first complaint investigation since the Human Rights Commission's report into campus sexual assault.

End Rape on Campus Australia has lodged a 17-page complaint on behalf of an anonymous client alleging the university flouted its own misconduct rules by allowing the man, convicted of child sex offences and placed on the sex offender register, to continue studying at the institution.

A total of eight Australian universities have been listed among the top 100 in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings. Credit:Ryan Osland

The complaint - supported by 121 pages of documents - argued the university's inaction endangered its student population and led to the complainant dropping out of their studies because of the impact of trauma.

End Rape on Campus alleged the university was non-compliant with several of its own standards and seven requirements within the federal government's Higher Education Standards Framework in maintaining the man's enrolment.
A bold recruiting play from the Adelaide Crows for Melbourne young gun Christian Petracca has been swiftly declined, with the Crows looking to trade for the midfield bull in a straight swap for Victorian-bound defender Jake Lever.

The inquiry, made by Crows list manager Justin Reid, was shot down both by Melbourne and Petracca's manaement.

Christian Petracca in action for the Demons Credit:AAP

Fairfax Media understands that Adelaide have also asked about the future of Clayton Oliver.

The move by the Crows clearly indicates that the club believes Lever will be at the Demons next season.
Surging energy prices and unreliable energy supply hurt the "competitiveness of Australian business and threatens future investment", BHP's top minerals executive in Australia has warned.

Speaking at a business lunch in Melbourne hosted by the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce, BHP's Mike Henry revealed that the Big Australian had a seriously big power bill, with the miner spending more than $1.6 billion a year on "energy inputs" on its Australian operations.

BHP's Mike Henry says Australia's energy challenges are "a seriously big deal, for everyone, including for the likes of the resources industry and for manufacturing". Credit:Philip Gostelow

The nation's energy challenges were "a seriously big deal, for everyone, including for the likes of the resources industry and for manufacturing", he told an audience of hundreds of people.

"BHP purchases about $1.6 billion per year in terms of energy inputs into its operations here in Australia. Of that, about $300-350 million is for east coast electricity," he said.
Bourke Street Mall may be the beating heart of Melbourne's vibrant shopping scene, but some retailers are cracking amid tougher than expected trading conditions.

The mall, the city's main pedestrian shopping thoroughfare, has some of the city's most sought-after retail real estate - commanding correspondingly steep rents - and is home to flagship department stores Myer and David Jones.

The lure of shoppers flocking to Bourke Street made it the location of choice for well-resourced international fast fashion brands H&M and Zara when they established their first Australian stores several years ago.

But soaring rents and tougher trading conditions are giving some local retailers second thoughts.
That is why Presbyterian minister Steven North was free to cancel a heterosexual wedding booked for November at his Ballarat church, because the bride expressed her support for same-sex marriage on Facebook. His right to discriminate extends to those who merely hold opinions he does not approve of and, whether equal marriage becomes legal or not, he will continue to have that right.

As for tuba players, cake makers and florists being forced to support weddings that offend their religious sensibilities, while they may not be protected in the same way as religious organisations, as a small business operator myself, I know how easy it is to refuse work you don't want to do. All the business people need to do is resist the urge to rub their unwanted client's nose in the reason why.

My gut feeling is, however, given the nature of commerce, that when same-sex marriage is finally passed (as it inevitably will be) the increase in business opportunities for tuba players, cake-makers and florists will overcome the scruples of all but a very few.

Nevertheless, I have no problem with churches keeping their exemption from the Anti-Discrimination Act. Those with religious beliefs should be able to exercise their faith as they wish, just as those without faith (or with a different approach to faith) should be able to live according to their conscience, including getting married. What I don't like is the amorphous and fluid nature of the religious exemptions. It makes it hard for the rest of us to make informed decisions.

Religious organisations should nominate the grounds on which they discriminate  sexual orientation, marital status, reproductive choices, religious belief or lack thereof, opinions they don't like, whatever it might be  and display this fact on all job ads, prospectuses, annual reports and advertising material. It is legal, after all. That way, gay teachers won't waste precious time, energy and hope applying for teaching jobs they will never get. Parents with children attending religious schools will know the basis on which teaching staff are hired and students accepted. And women have every right to know which health providers will not give them the full range of reproductive options.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said "further pressure" will be brought on North Korea through United Nations sanctions, effectively brushing aside Trump administration remarks that the UN route has been exhausted.

Speaking from the UN General Assembly gathering in New York, Ms Bishop held fast to her long-standing view that sanctions can be effective and, combined with other forms of pressure, can still deter North Korea from its nuclear path. She said it could take "weeks or months" for the sanctions to make their full impact.

"United Nations economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea is one element of a broader strategy to compel Pyongyang to the negotiating table with the intention to abandon its illegal weapons programs," Ms Bishop told Fairfax Media.

"Further pressure will be brought to bear including through the UN Security Council and in coordination with the United States and other countries."
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared a "no" vote in the same-sex marriage postal survey would see the Coalition rule it out of parliamentary consideration for both this term and the next, were he to win the 2019 election.

The statement raises the pressure on the "yes" forces to secure a positive outcome in the postal survey and increases the chances that the next election could see same-sex marriage emerge as a clear party-political contrast for the first time.

It may also increase the danger of a breakdown of Coalition discipline by pro-change Liberals if they decided to cross the floor to force the change, following a narrow "no" vote, especially if accompanied by a low turn-out.
Refugees on Manus Island and Nauru are very likely to begin resettlement in the US within weeks, the United Nations says, despite serious concerns over Australia's withdrawal from Papua New Guinea.

On Tuesday, which marked six weeks until the Manus Island detention facility is due to close, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees told Fairfax Media action on the US deal was imminent.

"I'm very confident that the US will take very significant numbers of refugees from both locations, which we very sincerely appreciate," said Thomas Albrecht, the Canberra-based regional representative of the UNHCR, which has assisted in the process.

"I'm very confident that the first departures will occur in the near future."
Much has been said of The Handmaid's Tale's Emmy success on Sunday night.

But some keen-eyed viewers had their eyes on the show's writer and supervising producer  who wrote the book on which the miniseries is based  Margaret Atwood, who brought her handbag up with her to collect the show's award for Outstanding Drama Series.

Elisabeth Moss, left, and author Margaret Atwood embrace as "The Handmaid's Tale" wins the award for outstanding drama series at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 17, 2017, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Credit:AP

The Canadian writer stood alongside the show's cast and production team with a black purse slung over her shoulder, and social media could not help but smile at 77-year-old Atwood not wanting to leave her bag behind.

The Handbag's Tale, if you will.
In Australia, three children die from cancer each week. But doctors and researchers say they have a "game-changing" plan to drive the death rate down to zero.

The Children's Cancer Institute and the Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children's Hospital announced on Monday the launch of a national clinical trial, in which scientists and doctors will work together to personalise treatments for children with the highest risk of treatment failure or relapse.

They're expecting to enrol more than 400 children with cancers such as brain tumours, sarcomas and neuroblastomas in the Zero Childhood Cancer program over the next three years.

"I truly believe the Zero Childhood Cancer program is a potential game-changer," said Professor Tracey O'Brien, director of the Kids Cancer Centre in Randwick.
Energy rebate schemes designed to help NSW households cope with soaring gas and electricity bills have been criticised as complex and inequitable, with their effectiveness not able to be measured by the state government.

Despite the pressure on households, a report by NSW Auditor-General Margaret Crawford also found the budget for a key energy rebate was underspent by almost $4 million or 46 per cent last financial year.

Power bills have increased dramatically in recent years.

The NSW department of planning and environment administers five rebate schemes - at a cost of $245 million a year - designed to either provide ongoing support to pay energy bills for low-income households or crisis support.

More than one million rebates are paid annually to over 800,000 NSW households.
Tributes are pouring in for Lanell Latta, who was found dead in her northern beaches home on Monday morning.

The popular hairdresser was well known in the close knit Avalon community, where she was renting a $1.6 million beach house owned by model Gemma Ward.

Ms Latta's son, Joel Woszatka, 25, has been charged with her murder.

Friends of the 50-year-old, who worked at the Palm Beach Salon where she specialised in hair extensions, described her as a "beautiful soul" and an "angel".
But in a nation now littered with at least 200 Big Things, there is a sizeable problem. What to do with them as they age and wear out? Many Big Things were built cheaply from concrete and fibreglass  materials that inevitably fade and decay.

Australians have been fascinated by Big Things since the 1960s, when statues such as Adelaides Big Scotsman and the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour were opened to great fanfare. These super-sized structures can be found in other countries, too. The United States is known for its Big Donut , Canada has the worlds largest fiddle , but the attachment to Big Things here has an almost patriotic quality.

The Big Prawn in Ballina. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The Big Captain Cook stands in a vacant lot on the side of the Cook Highway; its legs show signs of concrete cancer and its paint job is flaky. The hotel that once accompanied Cook is long demolished, and the local community is divided over the appropriate fate of its landmark.

Should he be repainted, or dismantled, or relocated to a place such as James Cook University where, in 2006, students petitioned for his adoption? (Since the university is named after Cook, they thought it would be a good match.) Earlier this year, he was draped with a large Sorry sign to coincide with Australia Day. Indigenous artist Munganbana Norman Miller has proposed the Cook statue be given a Big Boomerang to hold.

Then there is South Australias Larry the Lobster. Created in 1979, the 17-metre fibreglass crustacean has been on the market intermittently since the late 1980s and reportedly needed repairs. The state government offered A$10,000 to help in late 2015.

The Lobster was recently the subject of a nationwide fundraising campaign #PinchAMate led by radio hosts Hamish and Andy. Earlier this month, Larry, who comes with a restaurant attached, failed to draw a bid at auction. But its owners said they were still hopeful of selling Larry, which recently had a A$50,000-plus makeover.
Police have charged a Fraser Coast man with more than 30 offences including rape, bestiality and indecent treatment of a child.

The 62-year-old was arrested on September 13 following a long investigation.

Police alleged the offences were committed between August 13, 2014, and September 9, 2017.

The man, who can not be named for legal reasons, was charged with 15 counts of indecent treatment of a child, 12 counts of rape, two counts of bestiality, two counts of sexual assault, one child pornography charge and one count of tattooing a minor.

The man was refused bail when his charges were heard in the Maryborough Magistrates Court on Friday.
A woman who allegedly escaped from a south-east Queensland jail more than a week ago has been arrested more than 150 kilometres away from the facility.

Abagail Graf, 21, allegedly escaped the Numinbah Correctional Centre in Queensland.

Police arrested Holland Park woman Abigail Graf, 21, at a residence in Moorina, in the Moreton Bay region about 2.20pm on Monday.

She had been on the run since September 10 when an 11pm headcount at the 1800-acre open Numinbah Correctional Centre, on the Gold Coast hinterland, alerted officers to the disappearance.

She was charged with one count of escape unlawful custody, to appear at the Caboolture Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Are you staring at a computer screen all day? Checking social media on your mobile device at night? On laptops at odd hours? Even if you don't wear reading glasses, you probably should be wearing glasses to prevent eye strain.

That's according to Sydney man Aaron Telford, who says digital eye strain and trouble sleeping are huge problems for Australian office workers.

Aaron and Jasmin Telford are the founders of Baxter Blue. Credit:Deanna Gerlach

"I was getting digital eye strain from sitting in front of a computer all day, and then I'd have trouble getting to sleep of a night. I figured if I was able to come up with a pair of fashionable glasses at a decent price, that the market for this product would be huge. Which is exactly what I've done."

Blue light protection
Australian researchers have found a way of slowing down digital information carried as light by transforming it into sound waves within a microchip.

The researchers hope the chip can play a role in saving the under-the-pump fibre optic networks that are the backbone of the global internet.

Dr Birgit Stiller and Moritz Merklein inside their lab in the Sydney Nanoscience Hub. Credit:Louise M Cooper

The first-of-its-kind chip takes light waves, rushing at close to 300,000,000 metres a second, and pushes them through a special wire as a sound wave, which runs five orders of magnitude slower.

"It is like the difference between thunder and lightning," said Dr Birgit Stiller, a physicist who worked with Moritz Merklein at the University of Sydney on the project.
Three prominent doctors are lobbying members of Parliament to reject proposed voluntary euthanasia laws, warning that Victoria would be heading down a "misguided, dangerous path" if assisted dying were made legal.

The proposed legislation will be introduced on Wednesday, paving the way for MPs to exercise a conscience vote before the end of the year on whether terminally ill Victorians should be able to end their lives.

The three past presidents of AMA Victoria who are calling on MPs to oppose assisted dying legislation. From left: Dr Mark Yates, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, and Dr Stephen Parnis. Credit:Jason South

While many MPs have already expressed a position on the proposed laws, more than 50 of their colleagues have not yet made clear how they will vote.

Now three past Victorian presidents of the Australian Medical Association  Stephen Parnis, Mukesh Haikerwal and Mark Yates  have united on the steps of Parliament to warn that the laws put the state's most vulnerable patients at risk. They say they will be lobbying MPs right up until the bill is tabled.
It's an unconventional occupation for an 18-year-old woman, but Tess Runting loves being a sheep breeder.

While other teens are backpacking, studying law and partying, you'll find Ms Runting weighing lambs, crutching sheep and scooping up manure.

Not sheepish: sheep breeder Tess Runting, 18, preparing one of her rams, Harry, for the Royal Melbourne Show. Credit:Luis Ascui

But Ms Runting says her flock of Corriedales, tended on 24 hectares at Baxter, near Frankston, are calm and kindhearted with their own personalities. "They don't judge you. They always have a lot of love to give.

"I often find them easier to get along with than people."
The brother of alleged Bourke Street killer Dimitrious "Jimmy" Gargasoulas has pleaded guilty to more criminal charges, including holding a knife near a woman and abusing her after entering her home.

Angelo Gargasoulas, 26, said "You bitch, slut" to the woman as he held a knife near her on July 14, and then took her mobile telephone and threw it against a wall, Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday.

Angelo Gargasoulas after a court appearance earlier this year. Credit:Penny Stephens

Moments before confronting the woman, Gargasoulas stood at the front door of her Melbourne home, where her friend had advised him not to go inside.

Gargasoulas told the friend: "I'll stab you, get out." Gargasoulas then entered and took a knife from the kitchen and confronted the woman.
A delusional grandmother who killed her ex-husband in the mistaken belief she faced arrest for tax fraud must wait another three months in prison before she can get the specialist mental-health treatment she needs.

In another sign of the strain on Victoria's mental-health sector, the Supreme Court heard on Tuesday there were still no beds available at the state's high-security psychiatric facility, the Thomas Embling Hospital, and that the woman had to wait in mainstream prison.

The Supreme Court heard again about an extreme shortage of beds at Victoria's high-security psychiatric facility. Credit:Vince Caligiuri

By the time her case is due to return to court in late December, the woman will have spent more than a year in jail despite being found not guilty of murder by way of mental impairment.

Defence counsel Julia Munster said the woman  who cannot be identified  was disappointed to learn there was no space for her at Thomas Embling.
That's all from me this morning!

Expect some delays on tram routes 3, 5, 6, 16, 58 and 72 after a bomb scare on Glenferrie Road, Malvern. Roads in the area are also congested.

Enjoy the sunshine today; it will be a delicious top of 20 degrees. See you bright and early tomorrow.
A Christian school unlawfully discriminated against a five-year-old boy when it banned him from wearing a traditional Sikh patka, a child's version of a turban, a tribunal has ruled.

In a win for Melbourne father Sagardeep Singh Arora and his son Sidhak, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled that Melton Christian School breached the Equal Opportunity Act.

Sagardeep Singh Arora with his son Sidhak.

The decision, which was handed down on Tuesday, could have implications for the way schools set their uniform policies.

It also paves the way for Sidhak to attend the school of his choice.
Police have released a composite image of a man they believe attempted to coax an 11-year-old into his white van, as she walked home from school near Bunbury last week.

The incident occurred along Hornibrook Road and Norton Promenade in Dalyellup at around 5pm on Monday last week.

A composite image of the wanted man. Credit:WA Police

Police say the circumstances of the encounter are suspicious and Bunbury Detectives are seeking information regarding the man and his vehicle.

"The driver tried to coax the girl to get into the car on two occasions," a police spokeswoman said.
Residents in Perth's northern suburbs are seeing red over their council's decision to plant 2500 trees along verges outside people's homes  digging up turf or paving to making way for the green initiative.

The Leafy City Program was introduced by the City of Joondalup in April to improve canopy coverage along streets.

Since May, verge trees have been planted in Heathridge, Craigie, Kinross, Currambine and Padbury - but not all locals are happy with the program.

A resident who did not want to be names told Nine News Perth the council planted a peppercorn tree outside her home, despite her being allergic to pollen and having an anaphylactic reaction to bee stings.
Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi...
Streamlining the regulatory process, encouraging innovation and making sure the public understands the importance of a given project must be priorities if the U.S. is going to try to resolve its infrastructure problems, according to experts in the field.

Federal officials, along with their counterparts at the state and local levels, were at Texas A&M University on Monday to participate in a national symposium on barriers and opportunities for infrastructure renewal.

"We have a public deadline of the end of the month to have everything ready to go [but] frankly any moment we could hear from a tweet that we've got to go right now," said Finch Fulton, deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy in the U.S Department of Transportation, referring to President Donald Trump's inclination to make such announcements via social media.

The one-day event, which drew more than 100 attendees, featured interactive discussions on topics surrounding how the U.S. can move forward to develop better, more efficient infrastructure for the future.

John Barton -- associate vice chancellor for the A&M System, who also serves as executive director of the RELLIS campus and executive director of the Center for Infrastructure Renewal -- said the country's infrastructure received the "dismal grade of a D-plus" from the American Society of Civil Engineers after its latest assessment this year.

"We all know that infrastructure matters -- it matters to our economy, to our country's workforce and to the daily lives that we as Americans enjoy," Barton said. "A strong infrastructure is the backbone of our nation's strong economy and it's important that we do this right and that we tackle the challenges before us in a meaningful and significant way."

Among the biggest challenges cited during the event were the delays caused by what some officials described as unnecessary environmental testing and regulations.

Tyler Duvall, principal at consulting firm McKinsey and Company, said while "everyone agrees we should be protecting the environment" he believes officials should "take a step back and look at the questions being asked in the environmental process" relative to the peer nations of the U.S.

"In the U.S., it is largely a disclosure process which is designed to produce information around impacts -- in these other countries, largely, they are designed to mitigate effects," he said. "The question to the resource agencies [in other countries] is, 'How do we ensure what we're going to do is done in the least impactful way possible?' That produces a very significant difference in the objectives."

Duvall mentioned examples of how the U.S. might make adjustments to its review and regulation process.

"It is clear when you go to [other countries], particularly Western democracies which have very similar laws, cultures and respect for the environment, that they make decisions dramatically faster than we do in the United States," Duvall said. "I think Australia has it best. They have decision processes that are significantly faster and more creative."

Fulton said finding a way to improve on the efficiency of these processes for infrastructure projects is among the top priorities of the administration.

He said "not looking to circumvent the environment reviews and community impacts these initiatives protect."

"We're not going to get anywhere if we just try to go around the law," Fulton said. "We have to still have the thoroughness, or the outcomes, of these processes, but we can get rid of some of the duplicative steps."

Duvall said moving forward he would like to see more experimentation around infrastructure projects.

"We need fundamental experiments, not incremental ones," Duvall said. "We've got phenomenal laboratories out there and a lot of really smart people working really hard. We should unleash them, under some defined parameters, and measure their effectiveness across not just environmental, but all the preconstruction processes and the delivery of the project itself."

James D. Ray, special advisor to the Secretary for Infrastructure in the U.S. Department of Transportation, said after years of working in previous administrations, he was encouraged by what he said is the Trump administration's desire to "not just accept the way things have always been done."

"I realized that wasn't going to be good enough and every decision was going to have to have an intellectual weight to defend it," Ray said. "I really believe we can change things."

Ray said now more than ever it is important for those working in infrastructure to be bold with recommendations and to speak up when they see a missed opportunity.

"If we're getting it wrong, if we're not moving fast enough, or if we're focused on the wrong things, you've got to shake us out of that," he said. "Change will not come fast, and it requires diligent attention. Engage and don't let us miss the mark because the opportunity is way too precious."
A 50th anniversary is an important milestone in a personal relationship or a business. Brazos Valley Council of Governments  BVCOG  is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month.

Chances are youve never heard of this organization. When making small talk many people ask, So, where do you work? I respond, like most of our more than 80 staff members, the Brazos Valley Council of Governments.

The next question is always the same: Whats that? And so begins my opportunity to share with them the good work thats been going on here in the Brazos Valley for 50 years now. I begin by responding that the BVCOG began as BVDC, the Brazos Valley Development Council. The BVDC was formed as an Economic Development District for the federal Economic Development Administration. We are one of 24 that eventually would be created in Texas.

But as money from the Great Society programs of the 1960s was flowing to the states, the Texas Legislature enacted an amendment to the state Constitution allowing for the voluntary association of governments to form a regional planning commission. The elected officials on the board of the Brazos Valley Development Council submitted for the change in charter for BVDC also to become a regional planning commission. Glenn J. Cook was hired as the executive director for BVDC and served for 25 years. During his tenure many new programs were managed by BVDC, among them were criminal justice planning, section 8 housing assistance through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, solid waste planning, Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CETA) from U.S. Department of Labor, and the beginning development of universal 911 in the rural counties.

First office

Cooks first office was in a building at the old Bryan airbase. About two years later, Cook leased a small office from Tom Borski on 29th street. Cook and the BVDC board hired me in September of 1991 in anticipation of Glenns retirement. The next year I was selected as the executive director.

In hiring me, the board expressed a desire to increase the visibility of the organization. I proposed two ideas: a name change and purchase of an office building.

By this time, BVDC had a $7.5 million dollar budget and about 30 employees. As to the name change, it was discussed by board members who decided on a course of action upon returning from a meeting of the National Association of Regional Councils in Charlotte, North Carolina, in June 1995. Council of Governments was more descriptive of the organization. The board adopted the change at its annual meeting in September that year. In the years since, BVCOG has had two of its board members represent BVCOG at the national association as national presidents; Gus Mutcher, then-Washington County judge, and Byron Ryder, Leon County judge. In addition, BVCOG has had four of its members serve as president of the Texas Association of Regional Councils.

New building

When it came time for a new building, the year was 1993. Brazos County Judge Dick Holmgreen and I looked at several properties for us to purchase for our office. Judge Holmgreen had some specific requirements before he would support the idea. Judge Robert Gresham of Leon County was the chairman at the time and not too excited about it either. I recommended a 9,000-square-foot building on 29th street but it lacked enough parking. I proposed we also purchase 3 adjacent lots for the parking. The board unanimously approved this plan.

Over the next 10 years our programs and budgets continued to expand. BVCOG was instrumental in protecting ground water for future use by coordinating its regional planning. This took the form of BVCOG coordinating meetings among 15 surrounding counties throughout a planning process that led to the creation of five ground water districts.

The 1990s were a decade of change. Computers were becoming standard office equipment and I asked the board for permission to buy a Unix machine with 1 gigabyte of data storage capacity for $15,000. The board approved it, but asked how we would be able to continue to afford such costs! FYI, your cell phone has more capacity than that early machine.

During this time, we created the Brazos Valley Affordable Housing Corporation. This nonprofit was created to own real estate assets and support low-income housing development in the region. Through the years this non-profit has been responsible for more than 100 new and remodeled housing units in our region.

One-stop shopping

Jumping ahead about 10 years, BVCOG had out grown our office space once again and I asked the board for permission to partner with the Brazos Valley Affordable Housing Corporation to buy land and build an office specific to our needs. I was shown the almost vacant shopping center on 29th Street at Carter Creek. Winn-Dixie had closed but was still paying rent. After several negotiations with the seller and Winn-Dixie, and the help of local property manager, John Clark, and CITI Bank (now BB&T) we reached an agreement. By acquiring the entire center, the plan was and is to provide space for other community-based organizations for a multiservice one-stop facility.

Today, CHI St. Josephs has a community health outreach office, the Brazos Valley Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse, the Childrens Museum, Project Unity, Office of the Attorney General child support division, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Brazos Valley Affordable Housing Corporation all maintain offices here. And coming in January, the Texas Department of Vocational Rehabilitation also will open an office in our Carter Creek Center plaza.

BVCOG continues expanding its services. We were one of the founders and grant recipients for Tex Health, a health insurance-like product supported by the Texas legislature. BVCOG lead council of governments in a two COG regional planning effort and eventual application submission for a nationwide Department of Energy carbon sequestration initiative called Future GEN.

As the contractor for workforce development, BVCOG also manages childcare support services and adult education programs with the Region 6 educational service center. Currently, BVCOG is the recipient of a grant from the Federal Communication Commission to create a private broadband network for health care in all seven of the Brazos Valley counties. This project is budgeted at $28 million with BVCOG providing the matching dollars. Thanks to The Bank and Trust for supporting this project and our 32 member BVCOG board.

Traditional programs

These initiatives are in addition to the traditional programs of planning for 911 dispatch and addressing, solid waste management, regional transportation, homeland security, emergency preparedness, economic development and indigent health care. We also provide services for seniors through the Area Agency on Aging, services for those with disabilities in our Adult Disability Resource Center (ADRC), Internet Technology services to local governments, school districts, cities and counties through our technology department and workforce and job readiness training in partnership with Workforce Solutions Brazos Valley. We continually look for ways to improve the quality of life here in the Brazos Valley and how we may be of support to our member governments.

In August, the board approved an operating budget of $37 million, many times the BVCOG budget of early mid-1960s budgets. But unlike the 1960s we pass the majority of these dollars through to the local community; roughly 87 percent of our annual budget passes through our agency directly into this region! While the numbers for budgets and employees have changed, so have our services to meet the demands of the times.

Our commitment to serve our city and county governments and the residents of the Brazos Valley remain steadfast and unchanged since we began 50 years ago.

We would like to say thank you to the region and to all of our past and present board members for their service, support and commitment to regional planning.

Hopefully, now you have an understanding of the BVCOG so that when you ask one of our staff, Where do you work? and they respond, The Brazos Valley Council of Governments, we can spare you having to listen to such a long answer.

Tom Wilkinson is executive director for the Brazos Valley Council of Governments at 3991 E. 29th St. in Bryan. Email www.bvcog.org or by mail P.O. Drawer 4128, Bryan, TX 77805-4128.




In total, Chon and his family own 7 hectares of land, the bulk of which they use to farm a mixture of Robusta and Arabica coffee crops, with a little land used for growing fruit trees and vegetables for themselves.





Both he and his wife come from a long line of farmers: Chons parents previously harvested rice near the Cambodian border, while Nouphais family has a history rooted in coffee.





Teaching sustainable methods





Chon explains how he has always been reluctant to using chemical fertilisers on his crops but it wasnt until he was taught new green methods by Michael Gomez Wood, the executive director and co-founder of non-profit organisation Fi-lanthro-pe, that he started to fully benefit from sustainable techniques.





Michael set up the charity with Fi-lanthro-pe director of Asian programmes Cana Little in 2011 to work directly with indigenous, tribal coffee farmers.





Over the last 6 years, the charitys goal has been to create a network of communities where sustainable agricultural methods can be shared among farmers to enable them to not only earn more from their crops but ensure they dont damage their environment for future use.





Well fill every gap in the farmers knowledge to move their coffee towards specialty quality coffee, Michael explains. Then well connect them with buyers who are willing to pay them a higher price for their product.





He and Cana are teaching sustainable methods to farmers such as creating organic fertilisers, pesticides and composting.





A number of coffee regions





The fertilisers are made from fermented fruit and plant juice, which is sprayed over the coffee crops to stimulate leaf and cherry growth.





Other innovate techniques that are being used include the creation of biochar  an organic substance that works in a similar way to activated charcoal, which rids humans and animals of toxins.





Coffee has some of the most valuable waste streams in the world such as the husk, which can be used to make biochar, Michael says, as explains some of the benefits of using substance.





"The inclusion of 1 per cent of biochar in the farmers animal feed, for example, reduces 80 per cent of methane emitted from pigs, and cuts 60 per cent of methane emitted from cows.





Fi-lanthro-pe works in a number of coffee regions across the world including the second largest coffee exporter, Vietnam, as well as India and Indonesia.





Most compelling reasons





In Laos, the team works with local translator and environmentalist Eh Nyotkhampheuy, who meets with new and existing Lao farmers to explain the benefits of going sustainable.





Organic farming is not easy, admits Eh. Nowadays farmers want to make fast cash, so they just want something that can grow quickly and sell quickly. They dont think about the poison of using chemicals or the many benefits to going sustainable.





For farmers like Chon, who have already made the switch to sustainable methods, the positives heavily outweigh the negatives. Understandably, one of the most compelling reasons for farmers to cut out chemical use is down to price.





"The market requires organic goods and products and if we sell organic coffee, we can sell for a higher price, says Chon, who estimates that he can get nearly double the amount of money per kilogram for his Robusta beans on the market if they have been organically cultivated.





By cutting out the need to buy non-organic fertilisers and pesticides, farmers are also seriously reducing their outgoing costs.





Coffee cultivation process





But economic incentives arent the only reason that these communities are choosing to become sustainable. Chon says a number of farmers in neighbouring villages have had health issues due to the heavy use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.





Chemicals cause health problems. Farmers living in a village close by are using chemicals too much, which is causing problems to their health like liver problems. They have to go to hospital often, he says. Clearly the need to go sustainable isnt one to be ignored.





The next step now is for Fi-lanthro-pe to secure funding so some of these families can implement the charitys zero-waste programme.





This would introduce the likes of animal waste into the coffee cultivation process and create not only further environmental benefits but additional income streams, through the creation of new animal feeds and alternative organic fertilisers.





This would certainly be a game-changer for Lao farmers like Chon and his family, who live in some of the lowest income brackets in the world.





And for Chon this is not only an exciting step but a simple one. Once you know what sustainable farming is you realise its not that hard, we are farmers so this is just our job, he says. Land is life.





This Author





Robyn Wilson is a freelance journalist currently writing and travelling across Asia. She is a former news editor at Construction News. She blogs at Weird Fishes and tweets at @RobynFWilson.
Back in April 2014, when I gave my infamous Dean candidate presentation at Coastal , (see also here ) I predicted that the abysmal class that had just been admitted in 2014 (LSAT 147/143/140 and UGPA 3.20/2.93/2.63) would surely have less than a 50% bar pass rate in 2017. Unfortunately for Florida Coastals students, I was right. On the July administration, 63 of 132 first- time takers passed, for a 47.7% rate, the lowest among Floridas 11 schools and 23.6% below the state average. This follows Coastals disastrous February 2017 bar results where only 12 of 48 first time takers passed (25%). Combined, for the year, the schools graduates had a 2017 first-time pass rate in Florida of 41.7% (75 of 180), down from 2016s already woeful rate of 47.4% (99 of 209) in Florida.

Just when things in Jacksonville were starting to return to normal after Hurricane Irma, another disaster has struck, and this time, it's man-made. Like Irma, this disaster, popularly known as the Florida Bar Exam, the results of which were just released, wreaked havoc in Naples (Ave Maria, 51%) and Orlando (FAMU, 51%), but hit hardest in Jacksonville, home of Florida Coastal School of Law.

It is important to keep in mind that Florida Coastal achieved this bar pass rate after attriting the bottom 20% of its class. Florida Coastal had 424 matriculants in 2014, including their spring and fall starting classes. (Most Florida Coastal students attend full-time. There were 19 part time entering students in 2013, and 39 part time entering students in 2014.) According to the 509 reports, this class lost 83 students to academic and other attrition the first year and 14 more the second year. What this means is that among Florida Coastals 2014 entering class, more students flunked out than earned a JD and passed the Florida bar on the first try.

In fairness to Florida Coastal, 68 students, presumably among their best, transferred after their first year, and another 11 transferred during their second year. The loss of so many of their stronger-performing students no doubt depressed the schools bar pass rate, as these transfer students presumably pass at a higher pass rate than the classmates they leave behind. And it is likely that between 20 and 25 2014 Coastal graduates passed in another state. (Historically, about a third of Florida Coastal graduates take the bar exam in another state, with Georgia being the next most popular destination.) But even if we assume another 25 students passed elsewhere, and that all 68 transfers students graduated on time and passed on their first try (highly unlikely), that would still mean that less than 40% of the entering class of 2014 completed their degree and passed the bar on the first try.

These latest pathetic results should remind the ABA that it is beyond high time for the ABA to place Florida Coastal on probation, as it has previously done with its InfiLaw sister schools Arizona Summit and Charlotte School of Law (now out of business). The ABA should act for the same reasons it placed those other two schools on probation.

Some readers may recall that last April I reported that Florida Coastal Dean Scott DeVito was making an earnest effort to turn the school around by seeking to dramatically raise admissions standards. I reported on an e-mail that the Dean sent me in which he announced his intent to have a 25th percentile of 147 for the 2017 incoming class (up from 141 last year), even if that meant dramatically shrinking the entering class. Unfortunately, the school was unable to meet this goal. According to an e-mail I received from Dean DeVito earlier this week, their calendar year 2017 25% LSAT percentile is 145, with an entering class of just 70 students. Recall that this is a school that matriculated 671 students in 2011, which happens to be the last year that Florida Coastals bottom 25% LSAT was at 145. That class (graduating class of 2014) had a first-time bar pass rate in Florida of 61%. While the 4 point increase is a step in the right direction, I am not convinced that it is enough at this late juncture.

Missing the 147 goal is significant. As I have written about here, the two point difference between 145 and 147 at the bottom of the class can have a huge impact in bar pass rates in Florida. And if the 25% is 145, that means that there could be as many as 17 students at 144 or below. As I have been advocating for the last 3 years, law schools should rarely admit candidates with an LSAT score of 144 or below, as such students are at extremely high risk of failing out of school or failing the bar. Because Coastal is still admitting many very high risk (145-146) and extremely high risk students (144 and below), the school will likely need to maintain a fairly high attrition rate, very close to 20%. If the pattern continues of the top 20% of students transferring after their first year, the school will have a very small cohort of upper division students next year.

Thus, even without ABA action, there is a real question about whether the school will remain economically viable with so few students. Dean DeVito informed me that the school intends to convert to a non-profit status next month, and that they are working to adjust our faculty size and seeking to relocate to a smaller building. And he reports plans to raise the bottom 25% LSAT to 147 in 2018. Whether these efforts will be enough to save Florida Coastal remains to be seen.
Barbie is a well-traveled lady, and she just gave two Fairfield County landmarks her stamp of approval.

Via the official Instagram account, @BarbieStyle, 1.8 million followers get a glimpse into all the fabulous trips Barbie takes.

And she only visits the trendiest locations. In the past month, Barbie has traveled from her home in Malibu, to New York City for fashion week and the Catskills. Today, she made a pit stop in Connecticut to visit the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan and the Brant Foundation Art Study Center in Greenwich.

The Instgaram account was created in 2015 as a "pet project" of Barbie's director of design Robert Best, and Zlatan Zukanovic, according to Racked.

"The team settled on making @BarbieStyle entirely narrative and from the point of view of a "contemporary girl with an aspirational lifestyle.' This wouldn't be an account for kids or parents, but rather for trendy twentysomethings who very possibly hadn't touched a Barbie in a couple of decades," Racked reported in 2015.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

6
NORWALK  The Norwalk Health Department urges community members to be a public health superhero and fight flu this fall. The best way to protect yourself and your family is to get a flu shot, and the health department is offering community flu clinics and walk-in hours.

The health department will hold two clinics for the public this year:
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

NORWALK  Already at capacity, Norwalk Public Schools have added roughly 100 students for the current school year, marking at least five consecutive years of enrollment growth for the district.

Were not only up, were already over capacity, said Norwalk Board of Education Chairman Mike Lyons. Even other districts that have seen growth dont have the capacity issues that we do.

Enrollment growth isnt an unusual trend for Connecticuts larger cities. But while Connecticuts urban school districts continue to grow, the vast majority of suburban and rural districts are seeing sharp declines, according to a Hearst Connecticut Media analysis. The trend illuminates the disparity in per-pupil spending between cities as the state struggles to settle its debts, resolve a budget impasse and equitably fund its locally controlled school districts.

In Norwalk, where schools are operating between 106 percent and 110 percent capacity as enrollments have continually risen, per-pupil spending is about $17,300. Thats compared to the citys small-town neighbors where enrollments have consistently declined, but per-pupil spending ranges from $19,700 in Wilton to $20,500 in Weston. Westport checks in at $20,400 per student.

Statewide, per-pupil funding ranges from a low of $12,650 in Danbury, which reported a 3.1 percent student population increase, to the high of $29,000 in the upscale regional district comprising Bridgewater, Roxbury and Washington, where the census has fallen nearly 18 percent in the last five years, state records show.

High spending, low enrollment

More Information Wilton Enrollment 2015-16 4,173 Change from 2012-16 -3.8% Cost per student $19,705 Westport Enrollment 2015-16 5,714 Change from 2012-16 -0.7% Cost per student $20,412 Weston Enrollment 2015-16 2,408 Change from 2012-16 -3.3% Cost per student $20,465 Enrollment 2015-16 11,409 Change from 2012-16 2% Cost per student $17, 327 The numbers game Town Enrollment 2015-16 Change from 2012-2016 Cost per student 2016 Norwalk 11,409 2% $17,327 Wilton 4,173 -3.80% $19,705 Westport 5,714 -0.70% $20,412 Weston 2,408 -3.30% $20,465 School enrollment gap Connecticut's urban school districts are growing while the vast majority of suburban and rural districts are seeing sharp declines in enrollment. Town Enrollment 2015-16 Change from 2012-2016 Cost per student 2016 Danbury 11,157 3.10% $12,647 Bridgeport 21,191 4% $14,310 Shelton 4,925 -6.10% $14,386 Cromwell 1,997 -0.20% $14,592 Ansonia 2,382 -5.70% $14,700 Oxford 1,974 -8.10% $14,729 Barkhamsted 286 -19.90% $14,827 New Milford 4,245 -9.40% $14,983 Portland 1,360 -0.90% $15,044 Brookfield 2,692 -5.40% $15,083 Seymour 2,215 -4.10% $15,367 Trumbull 6,687 -3.90% $15,387 Stratford 6,901 -5.50% $15,402 East Hampton 1,893 -3% $15,429 Meriden 7,993 -4.20% $15,480 New Fairfield 2,497 -13.30% $15,661 Bethel 2,971 -0.40% $15,787 North Haven 3,188 -10.90% $16,006 New Haven 21,725 5.20% $16,103 Berlin 2,879 -4.90% $16,319 West Haven 5,842 -4.70% $16,386 North Branford 1,889 -13.60% $16,436 Fairfield 10,091 -2.40% $16,765 Newtown 4,588 -13.70% $17,041 Woodbridge 775 5% $17,084 Orange 1,179 -7.40% $17,143 Monroe 3,180 -11.40% $17,204 Guilford 3,419 -7.20% $17,244 East Haven 3,051 -7.50% $17,267 Norwalk 11,409 2% $17,327 Madison 3,027 -12.60% $17,395 Torrington 4,266 -6.50% $17,441 Ridgefield 5,052 -6.10% $17,517 Branford 3,066 -8.30% $17,666 Stamford 15,946 2.40% $17,760 New Hartford 470 -19.40% $17,766 Easton 922 -12.90% $17,990 Middletown 4,701 -7.90% $18,177 Bethany 383 -22.20% $18,387 Milford 6,152 -10% $18,732 Litchfield 971 -14.30% $18,749 Darien 4,884 1.10% $19,088 Derby 1,403 -3.40% $19,172 Hartford 21,463 0.80% $19,498 Wilton 4,173 -3.80% $19,705 New Canaan 4,227 1.30% $20,090 Westport 5,714 -0.70% $20,412 Weston 2,408 -3.30% $20,465 Hartland 188 -17.20% $21,175 Hamden 5,547 -5.90% $21,293 Greenwich 8,825 0% $21,805 Redding 954 -21.20% $22,977 See More Collapse

Connecticuts historic locally controlled education systems are at a crossroads while the state faces nearly continuous budget deficits and rising teacher pension obligations.

Attendance is down, there is more spending, and class sizes are shrinking, said Joseph McGee, vice president of public policy for the Business Council of Fairfield County, who has studied the trend.

The teaching force is aging, so theyre getting longevity benefits and they are more educated, with advanced degrees, said McGee, who last year was co-chairman of the state Commission on Economic Competitiveness. Weve gone from explosive school growth during the Baby Boom, now to school retrenchment.

McGee believes the enrollment declines and rising costs should focus the public debate on the historic sanctity of local school-district lines, and force local officials to finally consider consolidation with neighboring towns.

Districts paying more than $20,000 a year per student include Greenwich, New Canaan, Westport, Weston, Hartland in northern Hartford County, and Joel Barlow High School, which draws from Easton and Redding.

If towns want to tax themselves for what is basically a private-school education, its their choice, but how much should the state taxpayers be picking up, particularly the teacher pensions? McGee said. This has all been hiding in plain sight, but people do not understand it.

Enrollment declines, funding stays the same

Of the 54 local and eight regional districts analyzed, only 11 gained students between 2012 and 2016. The highest was in New Haven, with a 5.2 percent increase. Bridgeport followed with a 4 percent hike.

The cities of Hartford, Stamford, Norwalk and Danbury also reported higher school enrollments. Populations also increased slightly in a few of the states smaller, wealthiest enclaves, including Darien (1.1 percent), New Canaan (1.3 percent) and Woodbridge (5 percent). Statewide, the public school enrollment of 2010-11 of 564,499 fell to 541,736 by 2015-16, the most-current data available.

The enrollment and funding numbers underscore the challenges facing educators as well as state officials who, for months, have grappled with Connecticuts school-funding formula and its impact on local property taxes at a time of a multi-billion dollar state deficit.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy faced a massive backlash in the General Assembly this year when he proposed shifting $400 million in annual employer pension payments from the state, back to the towns and cities where the teachers work.

Even with 10 percent to 20 percent enrollment losses, towns want to maintain levels of state education aid, he complained.

What you hear from them is Oh, 10 percent is not enough for us to really cut our costs, Malloy said in a recent interview. But I imagine a 10 percent increase would be a big reason to raise your spending.

He said that placating the folks back home seems the goal  and one of the shortcomings  of the General Assembly.

So, all the nonprofits, all the hospitals, all the municipalities, all the other boards of education, everybody has to be held harmless of any (funding) reduction, even when it would only reflect that school districts have lost 20 percent of their population, Malloy said. Thats unreasonable and thats where we are.

Malloy, who has been pushing the General Assembly to provide more funding for city schools at the expense of richer suburbs, stressed that a pending court case is forcing Connecticut to address racial impacts in the under-performing urban districts.

We asked Danbury, Stamford and Norwalk to educate a very high percentage of our children that have special needs, who live in public housing, who are poor or living near the poverty line, the governor said. We have to support those systems in the same way that we support a Hartford, or Bridgeport or New Haven, who we also ask to do those things as well. Those systems need to to be concentrated on going forward, to an even greater degree than we have in the past.

Growth means growth

In Norwalk, where state aid is limited but student populations continue to grow, the citys schools are bursting at the seams. The district, which hasnt built a new school since 1971, is facing roughly $170 million in expenses over the next five years to complete its approved facilities plan.

Additionally, in Norwalk, where property values are high but average incomes remain on-par with cities like Danbury, the flawed state-funding formula has caused the city to lose out on critical funding. The land rich, cash poor dilemma is one district officials have grappled with for decades.

Though district officials facilities wish list topped $400 million in improvements and new construction, Lyons said it was time to stop waiting for something to change at the state level, resulting in a facilities plan that addresses the districts most pressing needs.

The city has simply decided that we cant wait for the state anymore," Lyons said. Maybe someday theyll get out of their financial crisis, maybe someday theyll figure out the funding formula, but weve collectively decided were not waiting anymore. We put together a plan, and if we carry out this plan, it will bring us a little bit below 100 percent capacity in our schools. Ideally wed like to get to about 90 percent, but it will get us to at least below capacity.

In the meantime, the opening of the Early Childhood Center has opened up eight classrooms at Norwalk elementary schools where overcrowding is at its worst. That shift, Lyons said, will buy the district at least two years before it has to start adding teachers aids to stay within union agreements for class sizes. At that point, he said, at least two schools will be ready to open with added capacity for the district.

Were making it work, Lyons said. Wed love to do everything, but its just not the reality here."

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
The Community Redevelopment Authority agenda for its Wednesday meeting includes items that are likely to have a long-term community impact, Regional Planning Director Chad Nabity said.

In fact, he said, We have not had a CRA meeting in my tenure with this level of activity.

The CRA will consider approving a tax-increment financing contract for Prataria Ventures, LLC  a subsidiary of Chief Industries. Prataria Ventures is requesting $15.8 million of tax-increment financing (TIF) for a three-phase development that will include a new hospital, a medical office building and a hotel on property at the intersection of Highways 34 and 281.

It is the largest tax-increment financing project that weve done, Nabity said. But they (Prataria Ventures) are also proposing $110 million in total investment, which is far and away the largest amount of investment which weve had, too.

Nabity noted that, for perspective, the Grand Island Mall project was $22 million in investment.

Last year, according to the meeting agenda memo, the CRA approved a resolution on July 27 notifying the Grand Island City Council of its intent to enter into a redevelopment contract. The Regional Planning Commission met on Aug. 10, 2016, and found it was consistent with the comprehensive plan. The plan was then forwarded to the City Council, which approved a resolution on Aug. 23, 2016, with the potential of $28.7 million in TIF.

Nabity said Prataria Ventures is now requesting $15.8 million in TIF.

This is the same project, but the TIF asking has been reduced, he said.

Nabity added the amount of TIF Prataria Ventures is requesting is so large because the project is such a large-scale project.

They will end up having to put in extensive sewer, water and streets because it is (currently) undeveloped property, he said. In order to maintain traffic flow and so on, they are going to have to do some major improvements onto Husker Highway along the north side of the property.

Nabity added with the TIF contract approved and signed, Prataria Ventures could get started on dirt work this fall. He said the hospital is a 24-month build and that Prataria Ventures is expecting to have it and potentially a hotel completed by the end of 2019.

The CRA will also consider approving a resolution of intent to enter into a site-specific redevelopment contract for the Husker Harvest Days site and consider forwarding a redevelopment plan amendment to the Regional Planning Commission for its approval.

Farm Progress Companies Inc., who holds the Husker Harvest Days show every year, plans to make $7 million in upgrades to the electrical distribution, drainage and paving at the show site. A total of $2 million in food and beverage occupation tax funds would be used to aid in the proposed redevelopment.

This is a way to make it possible to invest food and beverage tax dollars out at the Husker Harvest Days site, Nabity said. That was one of the things the food and beverage tax considered. It was one of the things listed as a potential project.

In other action, the CRA will:

 Consider approving a redevelopment plan amendment for ONeill Wood Resources for 58 acres at 7100 W. Old Potash Highway. It is requesting $209,000 in TIF to assist with site acquisition, grading, site preparation, utility extensions and private roads for development of a construction and demolition site and associated buildings.

 Consider approving a redevelopment plan amendment for Mendez Enterprises for an area along Old Lincoln Highway between Carey and Waldo avenues. It is requesting $886,965 in TIF to assist with the redevelopment of commercial lots.

 Consider approving a demolition grant request for Habitat for Humanity for up to $14,000 for the demolition of a house and sheds at 1812 W. 11th St. to allow for new construction on the lot should Habitat complete the purchase of the property.

The Community Redevelopment Authority meets at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the basement of City Hall.
Nebraskas Junk Jaunt will be Friday through Sunday, and plenty of junkers will be rolling into area towns for it.

Junk Jaunt is a 300-mile loop through much of Central Nebraska and is described as the largest garage sale in the state of Nebraska. Vendors and locals will sell food, antiques and other junk, which most find to be treasures. The event is always held the last full weekend in September.

More than 30 towns will participate in the official Junk Jaunt, offering several vendors in each town. Anselmo, Boelus, Burwell, Dannebrog, Cairo, Hazard, St. Paul, Ord, Ravenna, North Loup, Grand Island and Wood River are among the many communities participating. Each year, more than 500 vendors register for Junk Jaunt, offering a variety of items for shoppers.

Along with showcasing the junk, Junk Jaunt offers people a chance to see more of Nebraska, as many of the towns are along the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway.

Items listed in this years Nebraska Junk Jaunt shopper guide include: farm fresh honey, records, antique musical instruments, cameras, antique furniture, craft items and tools. Vendors may be open different hours, but most open Friday morning and continue through the weekend.

For more information on Nebraskas Junk Jaunt, visit www.junkjaunt.com.
By PTI: Rameswaram (TN), Sep 19 (PTI) Eight fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested today by the Sri Lankan Navy on the charge of fishing in the island nations waters, a Fisheries Department official said.

The fishermen from Jagadapattinam in Pudukottai district, were fishing near Neduntheevu when they were detained by the Lankan Navy along with their two boats, Fisheries Assistant Director Shivakumar said.

advertisement

They were later taken to a court in Kangesanthurai, which remanded them to custody till October 3.

This is the second instance of arrest of Indian fishermen in the last fortnight.

Earlier on September 11, twelve fishermen from Rameswaram were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly crossing the International Martime Boundary Line. PTI COR SS VS RT

--- ENDS ---
The Hall County Board of Supervisors received a surprise Tuesday morning as Hall County Attorney Jack Zitterkopf announced his resignation.

The resignation, Zitterkopf said, will be effective at the close of business on Feb. 13, 2018.

Ive served the citizens of Hall County for almost 18 years now, he said. Furthermore, it has been my honor and privilege to serve this board as the civil counsel, as well as other elected (county) officials. I have to tell you that when I was appointed in January 2015, I was astounded. That was the high point in my legal career. As time passes, relationships change and so I am today, appearing before you to advise you I will be submitting my resignation.

Zitterkopf declined to make any further comments to The Independent on his resignation.

Board Chairwoman Pam Lancaster said she was shocked by Zitterkopfs resignation announcement.

I had absolutely no idea that Jack was thinking about retiring prior to the end of his term, she said. I will tell you that, for someone who is rarely at a loss of words, I was at a loss of words. I am saddened by it, but happy for Jack.

Supervisor Jane Richardson told Zitterkopf she admires his professionalism and that he will be greatly missed.

Lancaster said the process for finding a new Hall County attorney will be similar to the process the county went through to find a new Hall County assessor/register of deeds.

We will advertise, take applications, do interviews and so on. Jack can help us with that, she said. Change is very, very hard. Finding someone who works well with seven very unique and distinct personalities is a challenge.

The county board also voted 5-2, with Supervisors Gary Quandt and Doug Lanfear voting no, to approve a resolution establishing salaries for elected county officials. The wording in the resolution states Hall County is required to establish salaries for elected officials for four-year terms of office.

The resolution calls for a 2 percent cost-of-living increase to be added to each elected officials salary each year. The resolution applies to terms of office beginning on Jan. 3, 2019.

Lancaster said Hall County has exceeded 50,000 in population and is now compared to other Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). She added a salary study was done and the county board addressed all employee salaries. Due to only being able to set elected officials salaries every four years, the board had to wait until now to address those salaries.

Lancaster told the county board Tuesday that the audit committee met and discussed the salary study at length.

We followed the same exact procedure we followed with all other employees, she said. (Hall County Board Executive Assistant) Stacy (Ruzicka) looked at this and she had worked on this some two years ago right after we worked on county employees salaries.

Lancaster added that the county supervisors were not included in the salary study. She said the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) puts out a salary survey, but that it does not apply to Hall County due to it being an MSA, which makes supervisor salaries significantly larger.

She said NACO has suggested in the past that county supervisors/commissioners be paid 50 percent of an elected officials salary.

It is hard to give ourselves a raise, Lancaster said. We looked at this and thought 50 percent was too big a jump for us. Erring on the conservative side, we suggested 35 percent of the lowest elected officials salary.

The resolution calls for Hall County supervisors salaries to be $30,278 for fiscal 2019, $30,883 for fiscal 2020 and $31,501 for fiscal 2021. The resolution approved in 2015 set these salaries at $25,882 for fiscal 2018.

Ruzicka expanded on how the numbers were calculated, saying the calculation was a simple math equation and simply salary survey numbers.

There was a minimum, a maximum and a midpoint. We used the midpoint, just like we used it for all of the other positions when we implemented this several years ago, she said. Actually, the numbers were calculated at the same time several years ago. There was no difference in how this was calculated. Calculations were the same as they were for appointed officials and your hourly employees.

Ruzicka added the only adjustment taken out of the equation was in the Hall County treasurers salary, which was adjusted slightly. Lancaster said this was adjusted to be consistent with the salaries of the Hall County clerk and clerk of the District Court.

Those salaries approved by the county board Tuesday are $86,507 for fiscal 2019, $88,237 for 2020 and $90,002 for fiscal 2021. The resolution approved in 2013 set these salaries at $66,586 for fiscal 2018.

Another adjustment made was a $14,456 increase plus cost-of-living adjustment for the Hall County surveyor/road superintendent provided for in Hall County Board resolution No. 16-060.

Lanfear said he opposed the resolution establishing the salaries for elected officials due to it giving a raise to Hall County supervisors. He added that, in his opinion, this would be hard to sell to the public.

Right now, they arent going to go for it, Lanfear said. I will not back this if we are going to give ourselves a raise. At a time when people are hurting because of the taxes and we have cut other people to the bone with the budget, to turn around and give us a raise seems rather hypocritical.

Supervisor Scott Arnold had a different view than Lanfear, saying the salary resolution should be approved to encourage qualified individuals to seek elected office in Hall County.

Arnold added the salaries for Hall County supervisors are a good compensation for some supervisors who work full-time jobs and may lose wages or vacation time in order to fulfill their duties as a county supervisor.

For the record

In other action, the county board:

 Voted 7-0 to award a bid for $469,357.64 to Gary Smith Construction for asphalt/concrete resurfacing.

 Heard a presentation from Mike Ponte and Don Shuda on the future needs at Veterans Park.

 Received an update on the Federal Building project.
If you were a member of Congress, especially a Republican member of Congress, you could be forgiven for having at least some contempt for President Donald Trump.

Hes used the GOP-led Congress as a punching bag and a scapegoat. He demands absolute loyalty from Republican members, but abandoned them last week the moment he saw an opening to strike a deal to raise the debt ceiling with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Hes called Republicans losers and flakes. Hes defamed their parents and insulted their spouses. He dispatched a Cabinet secretary to threaten Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, after she blocked an Obamacare repeal bill and told his 36 million Twitter followers that Tennessee is not happy! with Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., after Corker voiced concern about Trumps fitness for office. He has openly courted primary challengers to run against members of his own party, even the ones who have voted for almost all of his agenda.

So its ironic that, in more ways than one, Congress is living its best life under Trump. After years of partisan gridlock, bills are moving, or at least being debated. Long-sidelined committees are doing essential work. And in a town where party politics has swamped almost every other governing instinct, members of Congress are showing more real independence to speak their minds and vote accordingly.

Somehow, all of the dysfunction between the Republican House and Senate and Trumps White House has created a Congress that is showing signs of functioning again. In Oprah parlance, Congress is becoming its best self. In Trump verbiage, Congress is making itself great again.

In the last two weeks alone, Congress has quickly approved disaster relief, raised the debt ceiling and dispensed with a government shutdown weeks before the deadline, three items theyve struggled with for years. Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., struck a five-year funding deal in the Senate Finance Committee to extend CHIP funding for five years.

Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., are holding hearings to repair, not replace, Obamacare. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Pelosi are meeting with House leaders on a DACA bill that has tied Congress in knots for the last five years.

Committee chairmen are leading in their areas of expertise, leaders are meeting to strike deals, and the legislative branch is finally legislating.

A significant piece of the new dynamic has been Congress stepping up as a co-equal branch of government to rein in and even reject the president when he has said or done things few people can explain, even his fellow Republicans.

That was certainly the case when Democrats and Republicans acted almost unanimously, 517-votes strong, to strengthen sanctions against Russia for hacking American election systems, even when Trump made it clear he didnt want to.

That was also the case when the House and Senate unanimously passed a joint resolution, which the president must sign, to denounce white nationalists, neo-Nazis, the Klu Klux Klan and other hate groups who caused the violence in Charlottesville, Va., last month.

Standing up for the country, despite the presidents objections, seems to be the primary motivation behind the Russian hacking investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee, which has been serious, disciplined, and bipartisan. And that was absolutely the thinking behind Sen. John McCains extraordinary op-ed last month reminding his fellow members of Congress that they dont work for Trump.

We must, where we can, cooperate with him, McCain wrote in The Washington Post. But we are not his subordinates. We dont answer to him. We answer to the American people.

As much as Republicans in Congress are acting out against Trump, he has been acting out against them, too, beyond just mean tweets. Frustrated by slow Republican progress on his agenda, Trump decided to skip the headaches of a GOP-only deal last week and strike the debt ceiling deal with Pelosi and Schumer, over the objections of his own Cabinet officials. It wasnt what Republicans wanted, but the deal got done. The crisis was averted, and for once, Congress and the president avoided a self-inflicted wound.

Almost despite himself, Trump has made Congress free enough to act in the countrys best interests and independent enough to act against their own president, no matter their affiliation, if thats what it takes.

Hes strengthening the resolve of the one group that can make him a success or take him down.

A stronger, more independent Congress may not always be in this presidents best interests, but it is in the countrys best interests, and we have Donald Trump to thank for it.
By PTI: Chennai, Sept 19 (PTI) Eight of the 18 pro-Dhinakaran MLAs disqualified by the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker today moved the Madras High Court challenging the action against them under the anti-defection law.

In their individual petitions, they assailed yesterdays order of Speaker P Dhanapal disqualifying them as MLAs as unauthorised and illegal.

The petitioners sought to forbear Dhanapal, Government Chief Whip S Rajendran, Chief Minister K Palaniswami and the Assembly Secretary from interfering with their right as elected representatives.

advertisement

Acting on a plea by Rajendran, the Speaker had yesterday disqualified 18 MLAs, loyal to sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, under the assembly anti-defection and disqualification rules of 1986 formed in accordance with the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.

The Chief Whip had moved the Speaker after the MLAs met state Governor Ch Vidaysagar Rao on August 22 and expressed lack of confidence in the chief minister.

Condemning the disqualification, Dhinakaran had yesterday itself said they would legally challenge the Speakers action.

Petitioners -- P Vetrivel, N G Parthiban, P Palaniappan, Jayanthi Padmanabhan, Senthil Balaji, R Murugan, R Balasubramani and S Muthiah -- sought to quash the disqualification order passed by the Speaker as "unauthorised and illegal and without jurisdiction as per the binding law in (former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa?s case."

They also prayed the court to grant interim stay on the operation and implementation of the September 18 impugned order and permit them to participate in the proceedings of assembly, including trust vote on the present government.

Earlier in the day, senior counsel P R Raman made a mention before Justice M Duraiswamy and sought urgent hearing of the matter. The Judge agreed to hear the petitions tomorrow if filed.

The Judge is already hearing a petition by DMK Working President M K Stalin seeking a direction to the state Governor to order a floor test for the Palaniswami government in view of the revolt by pro-Dhinakaran MLAs.

Justice Duraiswami had on Sept 14 ordered no floor test be conducted in the assembly till tomorrow, when the petition will come up for resumed hearing.

Today, cousel Raman contended that the Constitutional rights of the 18 MLAs to cast their votes in case of a floor test would be greatly affected if their pleas were not heard on an urgent basis.

Agreeing to hear the pleastomorrow, the judge directed them to file proper petitions.

With the disqualification of the 18 MLAs, the 234-member assembly has only 215 elected members with one seat being vacant already.

advertisement

The government now needs only 108 votes to prove its majority in the assembly now in case of a floor test. PTI CORR VS IKA

--- ENDS ---
Applications are being accepted for a vacancy on the Metro East Park and Recreation District board. The district has been around for 17 years and has as its goal the improvement of parks and the development of trails in Madison and St. Clair counties.

A vacancy opened after board member Gene R. Peters, of Edwardsville, submitted a letter of resignation on Sept. 13. Peters has an engineering background and retired from Shell Oil Co. He had served on the MEPRD board for nearly 12 years.

My resignation is due only to our decision to leave the state and relocate to Tennessee, Peters said in a statement from Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler.

Prenzler thanked Peters for his years of service to the district.

Former Edwardsville mayor Gary Niebur was appointed to the three-person MEPRD board in July, joining Peters and Madison County Transit District Manager Jerry Kane.

Board members serve for three years.

I could have appointed a Republican, but I chose Gary because of his immense experience with the Edwardsville YMCA, Prenzler said at the time.

Niebur replaced Harold Byers.

St. Clair County has its own three-person MEPRD board.

The MEPRD was established through a tax referendum in , 2000. It partners with local governments, special districts, and other jurisdictions who are engaged in the construction and management of park, trail and recreation projects. MEPRD is the first of its kind in Illinois, and serves more than a half million residents.

To apply for the vacancy, a candidate must be a registered voter in Madison County and live in the park district. They can submit a resume and cover letter explaining their interest in the position by bringing it by the Madison County Board Office, Room 165 or via email at coboard@co.madison.il.us by Oct. 6.

In other county news, the Madison County Emergency Management Agency will be offering a free Community Emergency Response Training next month.

The CERT program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness hazards that impact the area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, according to a county news release.

The three-week classes will be held at Calvary Baptist Church, 1422 Washington Ave., Alton.

The classes will be held:

 Thursday, Oct. 12 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

 Thursday, Oct. 19 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

 Saturday, Oct. 21 from 8 am to 4 p.m.

 Tuesday, Oct. 26 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

 Saturday, Oct. 28 from 8 am to 4 p.m.

All materials and supplies will be furnished at no cost; including a backpack with first aid and emergency response supplies. For more information, visit www.co.madison.il.us/departments/emergency_management/cert_(community_ememergency_response_team).php.
By PTI: Neemuch (MP), Sep 19 (PTI) Days before a wealthy Jain couple from Madhya Pradesh takes monkhood vows, an activist has sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission to stop the initiation ceremony in the interest of their minor daughter.

Sumit Rathore (35) and his wife Anamika (34) recently announced their decision to leave behind their three-year-old daughter and renounce property "worth Rs 100 crore" to become monks under the Shwetambar (white-clad) order of their religion.

advertisement

Sumit had worked in London before managing his family business in Neemuch while his engineer wife Anamika was earlier employed with a mining major.

Kapil Shukla, a Neemuch-based social activist, today said he has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), MP Human Rights Commission (MPHRC), office of state Chief Minister, the district collector and superintendent of police to stop the "deeksha" (initiation) ceremony of the couple, who will be inducted into the Shwetambar order by Sudhamargi Jain Acharya Ramlal Maharaj in Surat on September 23.

Shukla contended that the couples decision was against the interest of their minor daughter.

"Who will look after her? The Jain community should also come forward to stop the ceremony," he told reporters today.

MPHRCs Aayog Mitra (representative) in Neemuch district, Bhanu Dave, confirmed the receipt of Shuklas petition.

"We are sending his memorandum to our Bhopal office for further action," he told PTI tonight.

Meanwhile, Sumits cousin, Sandip Rathore, too has expressed reservations over the couples move to renounce the material world for spiritual pursuits, despite being bound by family duties.

"I take a vow today that I wont stand with folded hands before pontiffs because I love my daughter, mother and father and wife very much. A sadhus work is to teach, not to give deeksha (vow)," Sandip said in a social media post.

When contacted, he said though renunciation was a "big deed", it should be done after accomplishing ones duties towards family and children.

The Rathore couple is on a vow of silence until their initiation on Saturday.

As per the monkhood tradition, their heads will be shaved and they will dress in white robes for their entire life, as practiced by of monks and nuns of the Shwetambar sect.

The couple will also start wearing mouth-cloths after the deeksha ceremony. The mouth cloth is worn by Jain hermits so that they do not swallow any living creature like flies or other tiny insects, even by accident while talking.

advertisement

Anamikas father Ashok Chandaliya, a former Neemuch district president of the BJP, had told PTI that he would take care of his grand-daughter Ibhya. "I am not against my daughter Anamika becoming a nun," he said.

Sumits father Rajendra Singh, who runs a factory manufacturing gunny bags for packaging cement, had also echoed a similar view.

Sumit and Anamika had decided on the step when their daughter was just eight-months old.

Sumit had announced his decision at a function attended by Acharya Ramlal at Surat last month.

"However, the pontiff asked him to seek Anamikas permission. She not only gave her consent but also expressed desire to become a nun. Their families asked them to rethink, but the couple stood their ground," his cousin Sandip had said.

He said Anamika was the first student in Neemuch district to win a gold medal in her Board examinations for class VIII.

According to a family member, Anamika did her B.E from Modi Engineering College at Laxmangarh in Sikar in Rajasthan. She had worked with Hindustan Zinc before her marriage.

Sumit holds a diploma in import-export management from a college in London. He worked there for two years before returning to Neemuch to look after his family business.

advertisement

Sandip had claimed that Sumit owns properties "running into Rs 100 crore".

The couple has been married for four years.

Jainism emphasises on non-violence and vegetarianism and is followed by less than one per cent of the countrys total population.

Earlier this year, a Jain teenage boy from Gujarat, who had scored 99.99 percentile in class XII Commerce examination, took the vow of monkhood. PTI COR LAL MAS NSK BSA

--- ENDS ---
A new study released by State Farm Insurance Company reveals that a majority of parents are not practicing proper car seat safety.

The study, conducted in August, found that less than half of parents (44 percent) surveyed kept their child rear facing until 2 years of age or longer.

Chris Mullen, director of the State Farm research division, said rear-facing seats better support the neck and spine of small children than forward-facing seats.

Correctly secured in their car seats, children are much more likely to avoid serious injury," Mullen said.

Another troubling find in the survey is less than a quarter of parents took advantage of free resources provided by Safe Kids Worldwide certified community-based experts. Only 23 percent of parents had a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician check their car seat installation and usage.

On Saturday, Sept. 23, area residents will have the opportunity to meet with certified Child Safety Seat Technicians.

Hosted by the Glen Carbon Police Department and the Glen Carbon Fire Department, parents are invited to stop by the Glen Carbon Sams Club at 10 a.m., Saturday Sept. 23.

There will be five certified Child Safety Seat Technicians on hand to help parents with proper installation and use of child safety seats.

The technicians will also show parents how to use boosters and seatbelts correctly as well as check infant and convertible seats for correct installation and tightness.

Other findings in the study include:

 Nearly one quarter of parents (23 percent) moved their child out of a booster seat because they felt the child was big enough.

 Only one-third of parents checked safety websites to be certain is was time to move their child out of a booster seat.

 Only 32 percent of parents removed bulky clothes, like winter coats, before buckling. Bulky clothing will not allow the parent to get the harness tight enough.

 Two out of three parents did not register their car seat with the manufacturer. Without registration, they would not receive notifications of recall.

The Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act requires that all children under age 8 be properly secured in an appropriate child safety restraint system. This includes the use of booster seats, which must only be used with a lap/shoulder safety belt. If the back seat of a vehicle is not equipped with a lap/shoulder type safety belt, a child weighing more than 40 pounds may be transported in the back seat without a booster seat, secured with a lap belt only.
Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton is ready to compete locally for a seat in the state Senate.

On Wednesday, Patton announced that he will be seeking the Republican nomination for the 56th District seat in the Illinois Senate following state Senator Bill Haines decision to not seek re-election.

Haine will not be seeking another term after being diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer.

However, Patton will not be unopposed, as Prosecutor Rachelle Aud Crowe, of Glen Carbon, announced Wednesday, Aug. 23, that she will also be seeking the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat.

Patton said after keeping up with some of the states major issues, he decided now was the time to take a stand.

I think there has been a lot of frustration that has been built up over the years with the state government and Im not willing to sit on the sidelines and just complain. I feel like if I want to make an improvement, I should be willing to serve, myself, and so I decided it was time to step up, Patton said. Over the last three years, its been so difficult on small businesses, our hospitals, our universities, our school district. Theres only so much you can take sitting back and watching those sort of negative impacts. Its time to stand up and try to make an improvement.

Patton is currently serving another term as Edwardsville mayor, expected to end in May of 2021. Hes served as mayor since 2013.

He is also a practicing dentist and the owner of Patton Dental for the last 23 years and counting. After serving on the Edwardsville City Council for six years and the Madison County Board for eight years, Patton said his ability to bring people together, regardless of their political party, can be beneficial at the state level.

I think I have the personality and the vision to work with all constituents  work with Republicans and Democrats  and realize that theyre just citizens, Patton said. It makes my common sense and my ability to take on a difficult task and accomplish it in a fair and even way. Those skills would be helpful at the state. These are difficult times, but there are solutions to everything.

During his time on the City Council, Patton helped create the Edwardsville Beautification and Tree Commission in 2000, initiated the EHS Arboretum and has played a role in developing Edwardsvilles Better Place to Play Campaign, among other accomplishments.

Patton said with both his and the citys successes so far, he believes he could be an asset to the state in similar ways.

Weve had a very successful run the last four and a half years with the city. Weve grown the city, I think, in a very positive way, tackling some very difficult issues from public safety, some of the park improvements to our road improvements. Those are things that Ive worked with the City Council on in a very positive way and weve accomplished as a team. I think that sort of experience and that sort of ability at the state of Illinois would mean a lot of great things for our area, he said.

Being a lifelong resident of Edwardsville, Patton attended Edwardsville High School and graduated in 1986. Patton and his wife have three children  two in college and one in the fourth grade.

After receiving support from his family and his dental practice staff, Patton said he does have a plan to keep his business running while serving the state if he were to receive the Senate seat.

I will definitely continue to be a dentist. The state has all kinds of different representatives from lawyers to firefighters to other people that work in a career and still serve in a capacity. It appears that the months of March and April are fairly busy and May would be their busiest month. So those are the times where we would have to make adjustments at my dental practice, he said.

In terms of his position as mayor, Patton said ultimately that will be up to the citizens of Edwardsville and Council members to decide.

I love what Im doing with the city of Edwardsville. We have an excellent staff; we have a wonderful City Council. Again, we love our residents and making this town better, but Im going to miss that. If Im successful, I would give up that at some point. There are some senators that fill out the remainder of their term  Im not sure if thats something that the citizens or City Council would want me to do. If they would say, Nope, weve got it. Well elect a temporary mayor to fill out the rest of your term, I would be comfortable either way, he said.

Patton said he intends to tackle several key issues, including the creation of jobs, prioritizing education and establishing a budget, and addressing the states pension crisis.

Patton also said funding the schools is another priority and ultimately, the state will need to establish a stable budget.

Education is going to be at the top of my list. We need to treat our schools better than they have been treated the last three or four years. We need to make sure they have a clear budget path  they know what revenue is going to be coming to them so they can plan and project on how to attract and retain students, he said.

Its about the future of these children that I feel we as adults and representatives are responsible for. Making sure that education is properly funded and properly addressed, not only at the school district level but at the university and community college level is going to be a big push for me, he added.

The 56th District includes all or parts of Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Alton, Bethalto, Caseyville, Collinsville, East Alton, Elsah, Fairview Heights, Hartford, Godfrey, Granite City, Madison, Maryville, OFallon, Pontoon Beach, Roxana, Shiloh, South Roxana, Swansea and Wood River.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin EDITORIAL (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 08:15 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2130293 4 Editorial #Editorial,freedom-of-expression,YLBHI-attack,YLBHI,#PKI,communism,PKI,mob-violence Free

A discussion on the 1960s upheaval was broken up on Saturday, with police telling an anticommunist mob that no communism-related activity had been taking place, thus the police claim to have maintained public security.

Police blame organizers for failing to inform them that a seminar titled Conveying the truth on the history of 1965/1966 would be held, citing the 1998 law on conveying opinions in public open space  while the event planned until Sunday took place at the Jakarta Legal Aid Office (LBH Jakarta). A festival on free speech replaced Sundays talks.

Leaders of the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) and LBH Jakarta said even under the New Order, security personnel had never gone so far as to disperse an event inside the building. LBH Jakarta director Alghifari Aqsa said police conveyed earlier that they would not take issue with the event, as long as a few officers were present.

We condemn the police for failing to protect our hardwon freedom of speech, with lame excuses that the situation posed a dilemma for them. If the talks had continued, they said, the protesters would have become more restless.

To cries of Allahu Akbar (God is great), even the Indonesian Military (TNI) was seen nearby, greeted by the groups who equate discussing historical events in Indonesia to attempts to revive communism and the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), which was blamed for the September 1965 coup attempt and rebellion in 1948.

Thanks to reforms, the TNI can only help handle security at the request of local police. This means the Jakarta Police had anticipated that they would not be able to handle the few groups protesting the closed event, while witnesses said officers seemed to have been providing more security to those intimidating participants of the discussion.

The first national symposium on 1965, held last year by the government, was an unprecedented official gesture showing that such a sensitive topic was open for discussion by all sides who experienced directly or indirectly the results of the political struggle that led to decades of authoritarian rule and the death of thousands while in detention.

Their safety ensured that amid Indonesias freedom, citizens carried on efforts to engage many more sides in exchanging experiences and views on the crack down on alleged communists, which led to many families losing a member to mysterious circumstances, while survivors recall years of torture or self-exile to protect family members from prosecution.

The weekend until the wee hours of Monday, which saw the evacuation of the seminar participants, will go down in history as President Joko Jokowi Widodos failure to firmly protect our freedom of speech. This constitutional right is vital in addressing unresolved human rights violations, among his reiterated pledges.

A recent survey on Asians views on democracy showed Indonesians were the most optimistic about the state of democracy in their country. Over 75 percent of Indonesian respondents expressed trust in the police.

Thus, the police under Gen. Tito Karnavian should be utterly ashamed of bowing to mob pressure so often.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Olymp Trade (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia  Wed, September 20, 2017

New methods to earn money online keep appearing ever year. But despite the wide range of methods available, most people still find it hard to make money online because almost all relevant methods available require significant personal investments, such as spending money on advertisements, procuring assets to sell and more.

There are, nevertheless, some methods you can use to earn money online with minimum or even no investments at all. It is called the binary options trading. The method involved is simpler than those used in conventional financial markets and helps you to earn more income compared to methods generated through the currency market and stock exchanges.

In order to find the best broker for the binary trade system, use Olymp Trade.. The Olymp Trade system allows you to earn up to 90 percent profit with minimum investment. To start the binary trading option with a broker, you just need to deposit US$10, the minimum amount required by the platform. The minimum trade requirement is $1, which could help you earn up to 80 percent profit from your investment on a regular account, and up to 90 percent on a VIP account.

. (./.)

The method also provides you a very simple process of closing your trade, which is very convenient for beginning traders. The process involves only a few steps, namely choosing an asset and indicating the trade amount and expiration date, which indicates the time when your trade will close, for that particular asset; and predicting the rise and fall of your asset price over a specified time period.

The platform offers traders more than 60 types of assets, from currency pairs and crypto currencies to commodities, indexes and stocks. You can choose one type from this diverse array of selections and set your trade time, whose variations range from one minute to 23 hours.

The platform also offers you a bonus: you do not have to leave a commission each time you deposit or withdraw your money. On average, withdrawals take only a day for regular account holders and just a few hours for VIP traders. Users can withdraw their money using regular methods, such as with bank cards, e-payments, e-money, Neteller or bitcoin e-wallets.

Using this method, you can make a $9 net profit on a $10 investment and withdraw the amount with a card or e-wallet while having no money deducted from you by the broker.

Furthermore, new traders who would like to learn about the methods involved in Olymp Trade could also discuss this with their brokers. Novice traders could also take advantage of all these materials for free, which are available at the Olymp Trade official Facebook page.

The Olymp Trade platform also boasts a demo account, where new traders could experiment with the new trading knowledge they have just acquired through the learning materials. You can easily access the learning materials and then put them into practice through the demo account free of charge. Convenient, isnt it?

What is even more exciting is that you can actually earn money with Olymp Trade without making any investments at all. Through the platforms affiliate program, you just have to recruit affiliates for the trading scheme with no investments required. You can trust the platforms affiliate program as it has a number of beneficial features, namely the fastest compensation payment in the segment, effective incentive provision methods through competitions offering valuable prizes and gifts, and the provision of technical and informational support for affiliates.

Thanks to these convenient features, the platforms affiliate system was recognized as the best affiliate program at the CPA Life conference in St. Petersburg, Russia, this April. It was also named the best financial broker at the same conference, and last year, it earned the recognition of being the fastest growing broker of the year at the ShowFx World forex conference in Moscow. Plus, it was given the best platform prize for binary trade systems by the IAIR awards last year.

For technical support, contact support-id@olymptrade.com, through online chat at the brokers website or through the official Olymp Trade Facebook page. Olymp Trade is reliable, solid and guarantees prompt payouts, which is why more and more Indonesian traders have preferred the platform for their binary trade options.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Sebastian Partogi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 10:41 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21376d7 4 Art & Culture Painter,art-and-culture,painting,#painting Free

Local art connoisseurs, listen up: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is currently cooperating with PT Jakarta Land and ISA Art Advisory in organizing a public art exhibition featuring contemporary artists from Indonesia and Singapore from Sept. 12 to Oct. 12 in the lobby gallery of the World Trade Centre (WTC) 2 office tower on Jl. Sudirman, Jakarta.

Why Indonesia and Singapore? The exhibition has been dedicated to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the neighboring countries.

Singaporean Ambassador to Indonesia Anil Kumar Nayar said in his opening remarks for the exhibition that the joint venture sought to boost people-to-people interaction between the two countries.

He added that good people-to-people relationships always made a difference in bilateral relations among nations, while laying an important foundation for other types of ventures, such as in business or governance.

The exhibition presents works of prominent senior artists as well as promising young ones that have just emerged in the arts scene. They include Chua Ek Kay, Kumari Nahappan and Robert Zhao from Singapore as well as Putu Sutawijaya, Kinez Riza, Irfan Hendrian, Naufal Abshar and Kendra Ahimsa from Indonesia.

STB Indonesia Area Director Raymond Lim added that the exhibition organizer had picked Indonesian artists who had strong connections with Singapore. Irfan, Naufal and Kendra, for example, have lived, worked and studied in Singapore before. All of them went to study at the countrys LASALLE College of the Arts.

ISA Art Advisory principal Deborah C. Iskandar, who curates the exhibition, added that each artist that had been chosen to join the exhibition was required to showcase strong and distinguishing characteristics in their works.

If you looked at a painting and it reminded you of somebody elses work, you would probably want to overlook the artist. Therefore, what makes a great artist is a strong identity, which all of the artists featured here possess. When you look at one painting here, you can tell right away that it is Kendras painting and not somebody elses, for example, Deborah briefed the press at the opening of the exhibition.

At the exhibition you can also observe how different styles interact and fuse seamlessly. This is evident in one centerpiece of the exhibition titled Chua Ek Kay, a collaborative piece created in 2006 by Putu Sutawijaya and Chua Ek Kay, both senior abstract painters.

Kendra Ahimsa and his digital illustration April in the phantom.

The emerging young artists also make bold artistic statements: You can easily identify the artworks of Irfan Hendrian, who uses paper on woodboard as his main medium to produce rectangular shapes and minimalist colors. Meanwhile, Kinez Rizas works distinguish themselves through the use of white to depict objects against a predominantly black background.

Kendra Ahimsas digital illustrations are notable for the detailed manner in which he draws numerous different objects featuring a wide range of colors. The works of Naufal Abshar  known as the laughing painter  could be clearly identified through the numerous images of people laughing, with the words HA-HA-HA strewn across their faces.

Naufal also painted Merlion, depicting the mythical half-lion, half-fish national icon of Singapore laughing.

I draw my inspirations from day-to-day life, especially the act of laughing. We often associate laughing with something humorous when in fact the behavior contains loads of layers beyond that  when you laugh, you can laugh at things that arent funny, such as when you are laughing at yourself or other people, Naufal said.

Irfan, meanwhile, said he drew inspiration for his artworks from the industrial processes in the publishing industry, using replicas of machines and other elements involved in it. He himself has worked in graphic design and in the printing industry.

I am fascinated by how one material is interconnected with other materials in the publishing industry. For instance, I want to depict the process of turning paper pulp into books in my artworks, he said, explaining his artworks that frequently used shredded layers of paper on board as the primary medium.

Likewise, professional engagement has also been a source of inspiration for Kendra. The artist, who has designed album covers for international psychedelic and electronic music bands, such as Kikagaku Moyo from Japan and Neon Indian from the United States, explained that 70 percent of his artworks had been inspired by the album artworks of psychedelic bands across the world. Psychedelic music happens to be his favorite genre.

I am blending my own personal experiences with the aesthetics of these album covers, Kendra said.

Anil said he would like to encourage more cross-cultural exhibitions like this in the future to foster mutual understanding between the two countries.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Selina Lum (The Straits Times)  Tue, September 19, 2017 17:57 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a214ea50 2 Art & Culture painting,artwork,forgery Free

Believing they were investing in valuable art pieces, a Malaysian in the construction business and his father bought 13 paintings, supposedly the works of renowned Indonesian artists, for more than $2.8 million.

But they later discovered that the paintings were imitations.

Seven paintings, bought from Singapore-based Dahlia Gallery, were assessed by an expert to be fakes worth at most US$9,131 (S$12,300).

Mr Denis Latimer, 52, and his father Paul, 74, had paid more than $700,000 for them.

The Latimers have sued the gallery, its owners Koh Hwee Khoon and Pang Sau Mei, as well as Mr Quah Beng Hoe, a Malaysian collector who sold them the other six paintings for $2.1 million.

Their case against the gallery and its owners for fraud, negligence and breach of contract opened in the High Court yesterday. The case against Mr Quah is pending.

While the senior Latimer is named as a plaintiff as he paid for some paintings, it was his son who made the decision to buy the art pieces.

The lawyer for the plaintiffs, Mr Avinash Pradhan, said in his opening statement that the younger Latimer was "duped" into buying the paintings by the fraudulent representations of Mr Koh. Ms Pang is accused of negligence.

Another of the paintings: Rojak Seller by Lee Man Fong. (The Straits Times/File)

In October 2011, Mr Latimer chanced upon Dahlia's exhibition booth at the Art Expo Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Two paintings caught the eye of his companion, Mr C. J. Thomas, who had been helping him build an art collection.

Mr Koh described them as Balinese Women At Sanur Cottage by Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur and Prayer, 1971 by S. Sudjojono.

Read also: Cross-cultural aesthetic dialogue

The two men, who have no experience in Indonesian art, said they believed Mr Koh when he said the works were authentic and valuable.

Mr Latimer bought the two paintings for US$100,000.

After the Art Expo, Ms Pang sent Mr Latimer and Mr Thomas photos of three more paintings.

When Mr Thomas viewed the pieces at the gallery, Mr Koh showed him a stamp at the back of the frame of a painting described as Morning Prayer, 1973 by Affandi, saying it was from a museum specialising in the artist's works. Mr Latimer bought the three paintings for $300,000 in December 2011.

Morning Prayer, 1973, by Affandi was another of the paintings (The Straits Times/File)

In March 2012, he was assured that the gallery could remarket the paintings at an estimated profit of at least $100,000, though he was advised to keep the Affandi as its value "will definitely increase".

He bought two more paintings, including Rojak Seller by Lee Man Fong, for $270,000 that month.

Mr Latimer said after the third deal, Mr Koh revealed that the paintings were from Mr Quah's collection. Subsequently, Mr Latimer dealt with Mr Quah in buying the rest of the paintings. However, Mr Koh has denied ever telling Mr Latimer that Mr Quah was the collector.

He contended that he had told Mr Latimer he did not have any documents relating to the paintings and left it to Mr Latimer to decide whether he wanted to buy them. Mr Latimer disputes this.

The trial continues.

Topics : painting artwork forgery

Topics :

This article appeared on The Straits Times 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  Tue, September 19, 2017 10:36 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2136e88 4 Lifestyle jewelry,gold,accessories,#jewelry,fashion Free

Gold jewelry trends include growing interest in colored variants, according to a jewelry chain store owner.

"For the current trend, there are several color variants of gold. Not just yellow," jewelry businessman Alpin Gotama told Antara news agency on Sept. 16.

Alpin, who owns branches across Central Java and Yogyakarta, said the stores provided different options, such as white, rose, as well as combinations of colors to cater to different tastes.

Read also: Six elegant jewelry gift ideas for him and her

Store manager Wagini agreed, saying many customers were looking for variation.

"People usually know gold as just being of the yellow variety. Now there are many color choices: white gold, rose gold and black gold. And people are on the lookout," he said.

While the variants of the gold-colored jewels actually have similar styles, Wagini said customers could choose from the different colors as they like.

"Moreover, we provide gold jewelry with a variety of color variants of various levels, not only the 75 percent level. Everything is ready, from 50 or 75 percent," he concluded. (liz/kes)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Surakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 09:33 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2134dd5 4 Art & Culture surakarta,keris,Keris-Nusantara-Museum,Keris-Museum,Javanese-dagger,Javanese-culture Free

A new museum in Surakarta, Central Java, aims to reconnect contemporary Indonesians with the original values and philosophy of the keris (kris), an ancient serpentine weapon often associated with the mystical realm.

Officially opened by President Joko Jokowi Widodo last month, the Museum Keris Nusantara (National Kris Museum), in the Sriwedari complex, Surakarta, holds 409 kris from across Indonesia.

Some collections are masterpieces, which are centuries old. The Buddha-era kris is the oldest and was crafted in the eighth and ninth centuries, said Agus Triatmodjo, a museum curator team member.

Read also: Jokowi to lend own 'keris' collection to Surakarta museum

The museum has four floors and a basement, which has been transformed into display rooms, an administration center, an audio-visual facilities library and a childrens room.

The third floor offers a diorama showing kris-making, crafting equipment and workshops similar to those used by the kris empu (master kris maker) centuries ago.

Kris-making used to be done under the trees, where workshops were built for empu to craft their daggers, Agus said.

Welcome: The front view of the National Kris Museum at the Sriwedari complex in Surakarta, Central Java. (JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)

The main display room on the fourth floor houses different blades, which were donated by collectors.

To date, the newly opened museum has welcomed about 4,325 visitors through its doors, said Bambang MBS, the head of the museums technical executive unit of the culture office.

Bambang added that most of the visitors were locals, mostly students.

Only 29 tourists from Spain, Malaysia and Australia visited the museum last month, he said.

Read also: Kris lovers seek a way to penetrate generation Z

Most of the kris pieces are from Java, a region where the traditional weapon has become a part of daily life.

Javanese men must possess wanito [wife], wismo [house], curigo [kris], turonggo [horse] and kukilo [bird] in order to be perfect. However rich they might be, they will be seen as incomplete without them, Ronggojati Sugiyatno, a kris lover and collector, said.

Every man in Java, regardless of his wealth, had to own the weapon. All males between the ages of 12 and 81 wore a kris on their belts, he added.

Making kris: A diorama depicts the production of traditional kris blades at the Museum Keris Nusantara. (JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)

Other than being a weapon, the kris, according to some Javanese, has supernatural powers.

Our ancestors practiced ancient rituals and the kris is one of the symbols they believed had mystical powers, Subandi, a kris empu, said.

The sultanate palaces in Surakarta and Yogyakarta still continue the ancient tradition of bathing the sacred kris blades during the Javanese month of Sura.

Apart from that, on Tuesdays and Fridays which coincide with the Kliwon or fifth day of the Javanese calendar, palace servants place seven colored flowers and free-range chicken eggs around the kris storage place as offerings.

The kris comes from the words sinengker karana aris, which means a hidden secret within. The secret is none other than Javanese philosophy of life, a former Surakarta palace official, l Kanjeng Pangeran Aryo Winarno Kusumo, explained.

Historical: A number of historic kris blades and masterpieces on display at the Museum Keris Nusantara. (JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)

He said the curved and straight shapes of the kris symbolized different philosophical values.

The curved one symbolizes wisdom and the straight one represents determination to maintain principles.

Wisdom and determination should be in balance and finally they point upward to God. Thats why kris blades have pointed tips, Aryo said.

Entry fees to the museum are Rp 6,000 (45 US cents), Rp 5,000 and Rp 20,000 for students, domestic visitors and foreigners respectively. The museum also organizes, weekly workshops on the process of kris-making and bathing.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Alfred Bayle (Inquirer.net/Asia News Network)  Tue, September 19, 2017 11:07 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21389db 2 Science & Tech the-pirate-bay Free

Recent visitors to torrent site The Pirate Bay noticed a spike to their computers CPU usage. It turns out that the site was using visitor computers remotely to mine cryptocurrency.

According to a report by Torrent Freak, The Pirate Bay admitted to testing a JavaScript code which allowed the site to borrow a visitors CPU for mining the cryptocurrency Monero. The testing period was supposedly only for 24 hours.

The code for this cryptocurrency miner was provided by the website Coinhive. Those with the technical know-how found the code at the footer of The Pirate Bay site.

The entire site was not affected. The miner only kicked in on the pages for search results and category listings. This meant that simply being on the main page didnt activate the miner and use up additional CPU power.

Other site visitors also discovered that the code could be blocked using browser add-ons like NoScript and ScriptBlock. Disabling Javascript altogether also worked.

The Pirate Bay site operators told Torrent Freak that they were looking for a new way to generate revenue and eventually do away with ads.

Topics :

This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer 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 (Agence France-Presse) Taipei, Taiwan  Tue, September 19, 2017 16:24 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2148e75 2 World slavery,Taiwan,Fisherman,Indonesia,Vietnam Free

A group of foreign fishermen in Taiwan were locked in tiny windowless rooms around the clock to stop them escaping while not at sea, prosecutors said in the island's latest abuse case involving migrant workers.

Fishing and boat company owners were among 19 people charged Monday in the southern city of Kaohsiung for illegally holding 81 foreign fishermen in buildings after they had berthed their boats.

When they were at sea, the fishermen were sometimes made to work for 48 consecutive hours without rest for a monthly wage of US$300-$500, the prosecutors said -- despite Taiwan's labour laws which stipulate a maximum working day of eight hours and minimum wage of around $930.

"The accused exploited the fishermen with illegal methods for their own profit," prosecutors said in a statement, describing the fishermen as "slave labour in the sea".

The 19 face charges of human trafficking and offences against personal liberty and could face a maximum seven-year jail term if convicted.

Prosecutors also confiscated nearly Tw$3.69 million ($123,000) from the companies in back pay for the workers.

The case came to light last year after a fisherman tipped off prosecutors with the help of a social worker, the statement said.

Authorities later raided two places where fishermen from countries including Indonesia, the Philippines, Tanzania and Vietnam were held and rescued them.

Environmentsl group Greenpeace has said previously that foreign crew on Taiwanese vessels endure "horrendous" working conditions and physical abuse, as well as withheld payments and exploitation by recruitment agents.

The case comes after an outcry over a police shooting of an unarmed Vietnamese migrant worker last month.

According to rights groups, exploitation of migrant workers is frequently reported in Taiwan, where around 600,000 foreigners work as caregivers, fishermen, construction and factory workers.

Chuang Shu-ching, a spokeswoman for Taiwan International Workers' Association, said the government leaves the matter in the hands of for-profit private recruitment agencies, who mostly serve the interests of employers.

Southeast Asians who make up the bulk of Taiwan's migrant workers also face racial discrimination, she said.

"Labour conditions for migrant workers haven't improved in more than a decade and the same problems will continue if the system remains the same," Chuang said, recommending the establishment of state recruitment agencies.

In the shooting case, police have come under criticism for firing nine shots at the unarmed Vietnamese migrant worker.

A security guard slightly wounded when he was attacked by the worker was sent to hospital in the first ambulance to arrive on the scene.

The second ambulance came half an hour later for the worker, with rights groups saying his treatment was deliberately delayed.

The migrant worker's family and campaigners are calling for Taiwan's top government watchdog, the Control Yuan, to investigate his case.

Topics : slavery Taiwan Fisherman Indonesia Vietnam
By PTI: till Sep 25

(Eds: Rpting after correcting date in headline)

Gurgaon, Sep 18 (PTI) The Ryan International School here will remained closed till September 25 as the family of 7- year-old Pradhuman Thakur, who was brutally killed on its campus, raised apprehensions about vital evidence being destroyed.

The school was opened to thin attendance today but following the victims fathers objections, the district administration decided to close it till Monday next week.

advertisement

Meanwhile, the Gurgaon police team probing the Pradhuman Thakur case was at the backfoot in a local court over weak investigation even as the three arrested accused in the case were sent to judicial custody till September 29.

The victims father Barun Thakur strongly held that the school should not be opened till the CBI takes over the case.

"The district administration has reopened the school and suppose if any kind of evidence is still intact inside, that could be destroyed by the perpetrator. I strongly object to the decision of the district administration and have written to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) seeking its intervention," Thakur said.

He had earlier written an e-mail to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Vinay Pratap Singh asking him to rethink the decision.

Following the familys assertion, the DC decided to close the school till September 25.

The school opened today but only 250 students came against a strength of 1200. Fear continued to grip the parents despite the district authorities having taken over the administrative charge for next three months.

"We reopened the school after 10 days but as the family of Pradhuman had strong objections, we have decided to close the school to address their concerns and also take other safety measures," DC Singh said.

Earlier, Thakur raised questions about the intent of the district administration over its decision to reopen the school.

"Pradhuman murder case has now been transferred to the CBI but it has not taken the charge from the Gurgaon police SIT. Therefore, there are strong chances that evidence destruction could take place as the same teaching and non teaching staff will run the school," Thakur told PTI.

Thakur said that he had decided that Pradhumans sister would not go to Ryan international school now.

In the court today, the Gurgaon police was at the receiving end over weak investigation. The court sent all three accused Ashok Kumar, Francis Thomas and Jeyus Thomas in judicial custody till September 29.

advertisement

A class 2 student, Pradhuman Thakur, was found dead in a school toilet, his throat slit. Schoolbus conductor Ashok Kumar was arrested the same day for allegedly killing the child. PTI CORR ADS

--- ENDS ---
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 17:28 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a214cdc4 1 National drug-dealer,shoot-to-kill-order,anti-drug-operation Free

The tough stance taken by the government against drug dealers has taken a deadly turn that has seen a significant rise in the number of victims being shot dead by law enforcement personnel, Amnesty International Indonesia has said.

A researcher for the organization, Bramantya Basuki, revealed that based on Amnestys data, 80 people have died between January and Sept. 19 this year.

The number is four times higher than the 18 people shot dead last year, Basuki said on Tuesday.

In a meeting discussing gun usage by the police, Amnesty questioned whether the police had conducted an internal review regarding the increasing cases of alleged drug dealers being shot dead when resisting arrest.

The growing number of incidents has raised concerns that Indonesias fight against drugs could mimic the controversial anti-drug policy being conducted in the Philippines.

There is a reason why the number of deaths is so large. We are concerned that if there is no review and internal investigation, these incidents will snowball, similarly to what is happening in the Philippines, Basuki said.

Amnesty International had recorded that up to February 2017, 7,000 people were killed in anti-drug operations in the Philippines, that has allegedly been marred by many irregularities.

Read also: Sending drug dealers to God is my business: Jakarta Police chief

Basuki added that his organization did not reject the shoot-to-kill policy or gun use by members of the police.

But what we really want to emphasize is for all members to comply with National Police regulations, he said.

The National Police had previously announced that Indonesia had become the main target of international drug syndicates following tougher anti-drug policies imposed by neighboring countries like the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia. Police argued that a tougher stance is needed to eradicate drug trafficking in the country. (rin)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara  Tue, September 19, 2017 17:36 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a214d129 1 National Judicial-Commission,KY,social-media,codes-of-ethics,ethical-violation,judges Free

The Judicial Commission has warned judges to be careful when using social media because it has the potential to violate certain codes of ethics.

We dont have any intention of seeking out mistakes made by judges. We just want to avoid any ethical violations when they are using social media, the commission's spokesman, Farid Wajdi, said Tuesday. He was speaking during a focus group discussion held at the Mataram District Court in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday,

Attended by about 50 judges from state, religious and administrative courts from 10 cities and regencies across the province, the discussion talked about the implementation of codes of ethics and codes of conduct for judges.

Farid said the commission had received reports of social media-related ethical violations allegedly committed by judges.

Citing examples, Farid said one judge posted a status on social media about cases he or she was working on, while another.one criticized a case being handled by a peer.

Criticizing a case that is being handled by another judge can be considered an ethical violation. Posting such a status on social media can trigger a war of opinion, he added.

In another case, a judge was reported when he was accused of having an affair. The case came to light after he posted several intimate pictures of a woman on his social media account.

Farid said the commission had, in these cases, sent out written and verbal warnings. (foy/ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Bogor, West Java  Tue, September 19, 2017 19:33 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2155816 1 City #bogor,#students,#violence Free

Bogor Police have exhumed the body of Hilarius Christian Event Raharjo, 15, who allegedly died due to a violent incident at his high school.

Hilarius was a 10th grade student of Budi Mulia senior high school in Bogor who died because he was forced by his seniors to join a gladiator fight with another student from Mardi Yuana senior high school last year.

The exhumation was done because the police wanted to carry out an autopsy on the body to identify the cause of death. The autopsy will be led by a forensic doctor from the West Java Police, Comr. Ihsan, and staff from Bhayangkara Bogor Police Hospital.

The case will be processed because there is a victim and we will conduct an autopsy, said Bogor Police head Adj.Comr.Sr. Ulung Sampurna as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.

The police have yet to name any suspects in the case but have questioned 17 witnesses.

Hilarius mother Maria Agnes said she had obtained statements from students involved in the fight, or that saw him die. They admitted that Hilarius died because of the beating he received during the fight.

Earlier, the case went viral when Maria shared her story on Facebook on Sept.12 asking President Joko Jokowi Widodo to help her seek justice for her sons death. (wnd)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Syofiardi Bachyul Jb (The Jakarta Post) Padang  Tue, September 19 2017

In a bid to promote geoheritage tourism in West Sumatra, eight sites boasting stunning natural landscapes have been proposed to be turned into geoparks.

These are: Harau Valley, known as the Indonesian version of the world renowned Yosemite National Park in the United States; Ngarai Sianok (Sianok Canyon), known for its volcanic and tectonic trace; Lake Maninjau, a caldera lake that was formed by the eruption of a supervolcano; and Lake Singkarak, an active tectonic lake.

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 Margareth S. Aritonang and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 15:35 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21464cc 1 Politics house-of-representatives,Jokowi,Joko-Widodo,KPK,graft,corruption,inquiry,house-inquiry Free

House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Taufik Kurniawan said a consultation meeting between lawmakers and President Joko Jokowi Widodo on the Houses inquiry plan against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) would trigger public suspicion of political interests and intervention on the matter.

It would be counterproductive for the government to have such a meeting, Taufik said on Tuesday.

The inquiry team tasked with probing the antigraft body sent a letter to the Houses leadership board requesting a meeting with Jokowi to consult the findings of the team before the House held a plenary meeting on Sept. 28.

The teams members said they wanted to explain directly to President Jokowi what they had done and discovered during its 60-day probe. The findings were mainly about violations the KPK had allegedly committed.

(Read also: House asks to meet Jokowi over KPKs fate)

Taufik said the House leaders had received the letter and would hold a meeting to decide whether they would send an invitation to Jokowi to attend a consultation meeting.

There is no regulation, which mentions the team should consult with the President. If the government accepts the invitation, the public may question the objectivity and independence of the government, said Taufik.

In the Sept.28 meeting, the inquiry team is scheduled to elaborate their findings. The team previously claimed it had found irregularities in the management of KPK financial and human resources and violations of procedures in its anticorruption operations. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 17:55 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a214de27 1 National Human-Rights-Watch,HRW,1965-mass-killing,massacre,PKI,CommunistParty,communist-purge,Jokowi,Joko-Widodo Free

New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Indonesian government to uphold justice for the victims of the 1965 massacres.

The governments acquiescence to violent thugs and abusive security forces who seek to stifle discussion of the 1965 massacres suggests that protecting the official version of events, as well as those responsible for atrocities, still has priority over justice for the victims, HRW Asia deputy director Phelim Kine said in a statement on Tuesday.

Jokowi [President Joko Widodo] should change this. He can start by delivering on his commitment toward accountability and appropriately punish those determined to derail it, he added.

(Read also: Anti-communists besiege, attack office of YLBHI)

Kine made the statement in response to clashes between protesters and police officers at the headquarters of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation (YLBHI) on Monday. The protesters gathered at YLBHI after false reports were made, accusing it of hosting an event related to the long-disbanded Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

The fear of communists is alive and well in Indonesia, said Kine.

For more than five decades, he said, Indonesian officials had justified the mass killings as a necessary defense against Communist Party inroads.

HRW praised the governments move to sponsor a two-day symposium in April 2016, during which all Indonesian people could hear accounts from survivors and the family members of victims.

That month, President Jokowi ordered an official effort to document the location of victims mass graves, and shortly thereafter the government committed to investigating a list of 122 alleged mass grave sites compiled by victims advocacy groups, said Kine.

That remains an empty promise. (ebf)


Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 18:39 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21533eb 1 City #CivilServants,#Fraud Free

The Jakarta Police have arrested a man identified as TK for alleged fraud against 51 contract teachers, whom he reportedly promised civil servant positions to at a price.

According to the police, TK was assisted by SLH and HRLN.

TK allegedly claimed to be able to secure positions at the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry. He reportedly amassed up to Rp 1.8 billion (US$136,000) from 51 victims.

"TK promised a contract teacher who did not pass the selection in 2013 a civil servant position for Rp 60 million," police spokesperson Sr.Comr. Argo Yuwono said on Tuesday as quoted by tempo.co.

Argo further said that in 2014, contract teachers from Jakarta, Brebes in Central Java and Sumedang in West Java had been made an offer and filled out applications for civil servant positions.

They only realized they were being deceived when TK said the employee intake would be announced through print media and the internet by the end of April 2014, however, as of May that year, no such announcements had been made. The application form they had filled out was also not an official form from the ministry. (wnd)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar/Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 14:48 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2142b74 1 National Mount-Agung,bali,eruption,Volcano,volcanic-activity,BNPB,PVMBG,disaster,disaster-mitigation Free

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said the alert status of Mount Agung, the highest mountain in Bali, had been raised to siaga (alert level 3) following an increase in volcanic activity.

The BNPB released a written statement on Monday evening which stated that the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) had called on the agency and the Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) to take preemptive measures in case of an eruption.

The PVMBG further called on people living in the areas surrounding the mountain and visitors to avoid any activity, including hiking and camping, near the crater of Mt. Agung, and all areas within a 6 kilometer radius of its peak.

Those areas must be void of any activity, said BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

He asked local people and tourists in the volcanos surrounding areas to remain calm but also warned them to stay alert.

Coordinating with the National Police and the Indonesian Military, the BNPB has conducted a series of activities to prepare people in case of an emergency.

We have asked all people to prepare their clothes, food and valuable items in case they have to be evacuated suddenly because of an eruption," Sutopo said.

Mt. Agungs volcanic activity has been increasing since earlier this month, indicated by a string of volcanic tremors. The volcano last erupted in 1963, during which a pyroclastic flow released from its crater damaged several villages nearby. At that time, the eruption caused around 1,100 deaths. (ebf)

Stay alert: The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has released a map, which shows areas around Mount Agung, Bali, that have been closed to the public as a result of volcanic activity. (Courtesy of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency/File)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Theresia Sufa (The Jakarta Post) Bogor, West Java  Tue, September 19, 2017 22:46 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2157e62 1 National murder,murder-case,killing,Jokowi,Joko-Widodo,Maria-Agnes-Tri-Darmawati,Hilarius-Christian-Event-Raharjo Free

It seems that for Maria Agnes Tri Darmawati, no expectation is higher in her life than to see the cause of the death of her eldest son, Hilarius Christian Event Raharjo, discovered.

Maria even wrote of her expectation in an open letter addressed to President Joko Jokowi Widodo recently.

For one year since the death of Hilarius, I have continued to experience turbulence in my mind. He was a good child. I received him only after I was married for eight years. He was the child I had been longing for, said Maria on Tuesday.

She was speaking during the exhumation of her son's grave at the public cemetery of the Cipaku housing complex in Bogor, West Java, for an autopsy.

Maria said her open letter to Jokowi was an expression of the sadness in her heart that she had held onto for one year since the day her beloved son died. She hoped that with the autopsy, there would be justice for Hilarius' death.

Jointly conducted by personnel of the Bogor Police and members of a forensic team from the West Java Police, the autopsy aims to uncover the cause of Hilarius death.

The legal process of his case is still running, said Bogor Police head Sr. Comr. Ulung Sampurna Jaya. The polices criminal investigation unit members have continued to investigate suspects who might be responsible for his death.

Hilarius, a student of senior high school SMA Budi Mulia, was killed in a gladiator-like fight against students from SMA Mardi Yuana, Sukasari, Bogor, in January 2016. (ebf)

Under investigation: Workers exhume the grave of Hilarius Christian Event Raharjo on Sept. 19 for an autopsy to investigate the cause of his death. (JP/Theresia Sufa)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 18:56 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2154d5a 1 Politics YasonnaLaoly,PKI,communism Free

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly has urged the public to not be easily provoked by issues related to the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) or communism movements.

PKI-related issues are all delusions. Why do we need to raise dead ghosts? Where is the PKI? he said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

He reiterated that the PKI and communism had been banned by the government through the 1966 Temporary People's Consultative Assembly Decree (TAP MPRS).

Therefore, there is nothing to be afraid of anymore, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician said.

Yasonna also urged parties to end their political games and instead contribute to more positive activities.

There are so many positive things we can do, he said.

Fake news provoked a group of people to besiege the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation (YLBHI) on Sunday evening, leading to chaos. The protesters accused the YLBHI of holding a PKI-related event, which had been denied by the organizers.

Topics : YasonnaLaoly PKI communism
By Siraj Qureshi: Social media is abuzz with rumours that the bullet train network between Ahmedabad and Mumbai will be maintained by Japanese engineers. However, that is not true.

The network will be maintained by Indian engineers further generating more railway jobs.

Recently, an Agra railway engineer finished his bullet train training and he has returned from Japan.

After returning from Tokyo, Japan, having finished the 15 days of training on bullet train operations, Senior Divisional Safety Officer of Agra Railway Division Yogesh Mittal told India Today that the bullet train operates more or less like the metro train, with the main distinction being speed.

advertisement

He said that 40 Indian Railway engineers were given the training of Bullet Train Technology from 4th - 15th September in Tokyo, in which safety was the primary issue.

Yogesh said that these engineers also rode the bullet train with the Japanese officials as the engineers wanted to gain detailed information about the railway track technology being used in bullet trains.

He said that in the 55 years of operational history since 1964, there has been no accident involving the the Japanese bullet trains, mainly because most of the train technology is automated with minimal human interference. Keeping this in mind, the new railway track will be laid in India and the control system will be upgraded.

EARTHQUAKES DON'T AFFECT BULLET TRAINS

Yogesh said that even the devastating earthquake of 2011 could not affect the bullet train network as the tracks of the network have been laid with earthquake resistant technology.

Similar technology will be used in India too.

NEED FOR SPEED

Yogesh said that the bullet train passengers will be given all modern facilities in the train as well as well as on the railway stations.

The Japanese company that will oversee the project of setting up the first bullet train network in India will also establish a training center for Indian engineers.

He said that while India is bringing bullet trains that run at a maximum speed of 350 kmph, Japanese engineers are researching on Maglev trains running at 600 kmph and more.

PM MODI VS NECESSITY

As much as it is talked about, the truth is that the bullet train project is not getting the reception PM Modi may have expected just two years before.

A vast section of the media, as well as the common people, are questioning the need for an extravagant project like a bullet train in India, when the country's existing railway network is in dire need for an upgrade.

DERAILMENTS, CONNECTIVITY, GLITCHES, AND MONEY

Social activist Vishal Sharma said that no year passes when people don't die in train accidents in India.

No track on the Indian Railway network can be called completely safe, in fact, trains are derailing even more as the time passes and the railways is blaming the lack of funding to facilitate the desperately needed upgradation and maintenance of the network.

advertisement

Railway stations are being privatised because the railways' claims it doesn't have the funds to operate them.

Trains are not running on schedule due to technical deficiencies and lack of funds.

It is surprising that in such a condition when the Indian Railways, which was once called the 'Pride of India' and the 'Biggest Employer of India' is so cash-strapped, the Indian government is going ahead with such extravagance of setting up a parallel bullet train network on an already well-connected corridor like Mumbai-Ahmadabad.

He said that instead of spending billions of dollars on something that will only benefit a very selected section of the society which has enough surplus cash to make the expensive journey in a bullet train, the government should have thought more in the direction of improving the state of Indian Railways and devised ways to prevent the huge number of deaths that occur yearly in India due to train accidents.

--- ENDS ---
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 17:48 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a214dda9 1 City #LBH,#protest,#violent-protest,#Anticommunist Free

Jakarta Police have named seven people suspects for their alleged involvement in an anti-communism protest in front of the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI), Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Sunday.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said they were named suspects for ignoring police, who had ordered them to disperse.

He said the suspects were not affiliated with any civil groups.

Argo said the suspects had been charged under articles 216 and 218 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on disobeying police orders, which carries a maximum punishment of four months in jail.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the police had not arrested any protesters for injuring police officers or damaging the windows of YLBHI and police vehicles.

Argo said the police had yet to find the organizer of the protest or those who spread fake news about an event related to the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) being held at the YLBHI.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Police have released another five witnesses who were arrested after the chaos.

Central Jakarta Police have also released 22 people who were questioned after the protest on Monday evening.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 15:11 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21452b1 1 Business Indonesian-Regtech-and-Legaltech-Association,IRLA,regulatory-technology,legal-technology Free

Several technology companies that provide technological solutions in the legal and financial services sectors have teamed up to establish the Indonesian Regtech and Legaltech Association (IRLA), which aims to promote regulatory inclusion through technological innovations.

The IRLA is a platform for regulatory technology (regtech) companies, legal technology (legal tech) companies and law firms to work together to develop legal education and awareness in the country, said IRLA chairman Charya Rabindra Lukman in a statement released on Tuesday.

Our focus is the people, not businesses or even legal practitioners. We will set aside our individual business interests and focus on regulatory inclusion, the statement said.

Charya also said the IRLA would partner with the government and other regulatory bodies to reduce misunderstandings and erroneous interpretations of regulations.

By nature, the law is an inseparable part of our daily lives. However, our society still has a low level of understanding on law and its relevant institutions, he said, adding that regtech and legal tech were relatively unknown terms in Indonesia, because both sectors were in their initial stages here.

Regtech offers tools to help businesses access, understand and comply with regulations, while legal tech offers products and services that help users access legal documents and advice, both applying innovative technology to provide more streamlined and efficient solutions.

Along with Charya, the new association was co-founded by Rahmat Dwi Putranto, Marhsall Pribadi, Ivan Lalamentik, Dimas Prasojo, Evandri Pantouw and Arief Wicaksono. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Surakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 20:57 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21572fd 1 National surakarta,slum Free

The Surakarta administration plans to rebuild thousands of homes in slums spread across the municipality.

The slums house around 13,000 structures, which have been deemed unfit for habitation.

Saryanto, the residential and land unit head of the Surakarta Housing Agency, said they planned to refurbish the condemned houses in the next five years. The initial deadline was set for 2019.

The project will revamp the floors, roofing and walls.

There are 40,000 people living in 13,000 condemned houses. The program is aimed at those who own the houses and land they stand on. Illegal settlements built on state land will not be part of the program, Saryanto said on Tuesday.

The projects funds will be disbursed through a city without slum areas program called Kotaku.

The slum areas in Surakarta are spread across Gilingan, Jebres, Kadipiro, Kedunglumbu, Mojosongo, Nusukan, Sangkrah, Semanggi, Sumber and Pajang districts.

Read also: Surakarta struggles to move people out of slums

We will speed up the project within two years. There is a Rp 7.5billion (US$563,000) fund from the central government. It will be enough for the project, Surakarta Mayor FX Hadi Rudy Rudyatmo said.

Besides the fund from the central government, the slum area management project will also use funds from Surakartas regional budget, Central Javas administration budget and the private sector through their corporate social responsibility schemes. (rin)

Topics : surakarta slum
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 16:12 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a214805c 1 Business state-owned-lenders,top-up-costs,e-money,free-of-charge Free

The Association of State-Owned Banks (Himbara) has stated that it will not charge additional fees on their customers e-money cards, following protests regarding the central bank's plan to charge "top-up fees" to customers.

We at Himbara agree not to charge top-up fees, the president director of state lender PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Suprajarto, said in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com.

By freeing their customers from paying top-up fees, Suprajarto said, Himbara banks were encouraging their customers to actively use the e-money cards in their daily transactions.

Meanwhile, Bank Indonesia (BI) executive director for communications Agusman stressed that the central bank's draft regulation on e-money cards was being discussed by the BI board of governors.

Preparations to issue [the regulation] are still under way, he added.

Agusman said he did not know of the legal basis for the state lenders' decision to not charge top-up fees to their customers, because the regulation on e-money transactions was still under discussion.

Earlier, Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) chairman Tulus Abadi had criticized the central bank for its plan to require consumers to shoulder the administrative and maintenance costs for the e-money cards through the top-up fees, saying that such a strategy would hinder the development of a cashless society.

Tulus had said the banking sector would benefit from the emergence of e-money, and because they already covered costs from the sales of e-money cards, he had argued that banks should be responsible for the costs of topping up the cards. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jambi  Tue, September 19, 2017 13:44 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2140a25 1 National illegal-loggers,illegal-logging,Jambi-Police,Jambi,oil-palm-plantations,palm-oil,land-clearing Free

Members of the Jambi Police Special Crimes Investigation Directorate (Ditreskrimsus) have apprehended a resident from Sungai Kapas village in Bangko district, Merangin regency, Jambi, for allegedly engaging in illegal logging.

The suspect, BS, was arrested because he allegedly operated in a forest area without a proper permit from the Environment and Forestry Ministry.

Jambi Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Kuswahyudi Tresnadi said the arrest took place in Pasir Mayang village, Koto VII district, Tebo regency.

BS is accused of clearing land illegally in an area demarcated as a concession area for plantation company Lestari Asri Jaya.

From the results of the investigation, we believe the suspect is guilty of opening up a plantation in a forest without a permit, said Kuswahyudi on Monday.

He said BS had self-funded and conducted illegal logging activities since 2012.

The land cleared by the suspect covers 80 hectares of area and has now become an oil palm plantation.

The police also confiscated two grass-cutting machines, two oil palm bunch harvest tools, locally known as dodos, two chopping knives and an oil palm planting tool, or egrek, as evidence during the arrest.

BS was taken to the headquarters of the Jambi Police for further investigation.

BS is suspected of having committed an environmental crime, said Kuswahyudi. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Dawn McCarty (Bloomberg) Wilmington, United States  Tue, September 19, 2017 13:56 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2141003 2 Business toys,business,bankruptcy,online-shopping,ToysRUs Free

Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy as the retailer, loaded with debt in a buyout more than a decade ago, failed to keep consumers from abandoning its stores for the lower prices and convenience of online shopping.

The company listed debt and assets of more than $1 billion each in Chapter 11 documents Monday in US Bankruptcy Court in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to filing, the chain secured more than $3 billion in financing from lenders including a JPMorgan Chase-led bank syndicate and certain existing lenders to fund operations while it restructures, according to a company statement. The funding is subject to court approval.

The company didnt announce plans to close stores, and said its locations across the globe would continue normal operations.

Like any retailer, decisions about any future store closings  and openings  will continue to be made based on what makes the best sense for the business, Michael Freitag, a spokesman for Toys R Us, said in an email.

The bankruptcy filing is the latest blow to a brick-and-mortar retail industry reeling from store closures, sluggish mall traffic and the threat of Amazon.com. More than a dozen major retailers have filed for creditor protection this year, including Payless, Gymboree and Perfumania Holdings, all of which are using the Chapter 11 process to close underperforming stores and expand online operations.

Much of the toy merchants debt is the legacy of a $7.5 billion leveraged buyout in 2005 in which Bain Capital, KKR and Vornado Realty Trust loaded the company with debt to take it private. Since then, the Wayne, New Jersey-based chain has struggled to dig itself out.

Chief Executive Officer David Brandon took over Toys R Us in 2015 and sought to make shopping there a more enjoyable experience. Last year, he set out a vision of kids dragging their parents to our stores because they want to see whats going on.

The retailer introduced the Hot Toy Finder, which tells customers exactly where in their local store to find the items featured on its Holiday Hot Toy List. The chain, which has provided the annual list of the 50 hottest toys for 20 years, also offered price matching and free layaway.

While Brandon made some progress reducing liabilities, he ultimately was unable to resuscitate the closely held chains fortunes. The company reported a net loss of $164 million in the quarter ended April 29, compared to $126 million for the same period in the prior year. It hasnt shown an annual profit since 2013.

Together with our investors, our objective is to work with our debtholders and other creditors to restructure the $5 billion of long-term debt on our balance sheet, Brandon said in the company statement.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) South Tangerang  Tue, September 19, 2017 15:33 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2146067 1 City #TrafficCongestion,#ATCS,#camera Free

The South Tangerang Transportation Agency is operating the Area Traffic Center System (ATCS), which allows them to reprimand traffic violators at four intersections.

The agencys head of traffic, Ika, said the system was intended to monitor points of congestion and anticipate crimes.

"As a traffic controller, the ATCS can help our officers monitor violations in the field," Ika said as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com on Monday.

He said those who breached the rules would be reprimanded through a loudspeaker.

At every intersection, Ika added, there are eight cameras that can rotate 360 degrees to monitor and supervise the riders.

"Currently, there are four intersections equipped with cameras and detector cameras to map the vehicle density," he said.

The cameras have been put up at the junction at the German Center, the Alam Sutera roundabout, the Gading Serpong junction and Muncul junction.

In the future, Ika said his agency would cooperate with the police to use the ATCS database to maximize results.

"So if we capture and record the license plate number of a vehicle that violates the rules, the police can trace the number," he said.

"The mayor targets that by 2021, we will have installed cameras at 18 intersection points in South Tangerang," he added. (dis)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Bill Faries and Alex Wayne (Bloomberg) New York, United States  Tue, September 19, 2017 18:50 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2153eb3 2 World UN,trump,speech,North-Korea Free

Tuesday will bring a steady flow of big speeches at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where world leaders will lay out their visions for humanity and address global crises from North Korea to Venezuela.

President Donald Trump plans a speech that will take North Korea and Iran to task, as well as countries he believes are enabling their nuclear and missile programs. Dont expect a new Axis of Evil moment; the catchphrase for Trump will be principled realism.

Trump is just one of 37 leaders at the podium Tuesday. Middle East relations and the war in Syria will be in the spotlight as the heads of Qatar, Jordan, Turkey and Israel lay out their priorities. On the sidelines, French President Emmanuel Macron will present his case for the Paris climate change accord, which Trump has vowed to quit.

But all eyes will be on the US president, back in the city where his fortune was made. Trump has put the UN on notice, vowing to cut US contributions and challenging the global body to prove its value. Reprising a campaign slogan, Trump said The main message is make the United Nations great. Not again. Just make the United Nations great.

Trump is also expected to call on world leaders to confront North Korea and Iran in his address, seeking a broad alliance against the two countries his administration considers the worlds gravest threats.

With his remarks, Trump will emphasize that the peril posed by North Korean and Iranian weapons programs is too great for any country to remain on the sidelines, according to two US officials who previewed themes of the address on Monday.

They declined to say what actions Trump will seek against either nation, nor would they say whether Trump plans to single out China or Russia as enablers of either state.

The president, who has already declared provocations by North Korea will be met with fire and fury, will communicate the depth of his determination to challenge both nations, the officials said. Trump sees the speech as a moment of enormous opportunity to rally the world to rein in North Korea and Irans weapons programs.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 10:00 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21361ea 1 City Komnas-Perempuan,YLBHI-attack Free

Women and the elderly are the ones suffering the most from the growing repression of survivors of the 1965 mass killings, the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) stated on Monday.

Komnas Perempuan lambasted the attack on a gathering at the office of the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) in Central Jakarta in the wee hours of Monday morning.

Women and some elderly citizens were a part of the gathering.

(Read also: 'Fake PKI news' behind anti-communist chaos: LBH-YLBHI)

The assault was an attack on the poor who were only seeking justice, the commission said in a statement.

Provocations exploiting the rise of communism have been repeatedly thrown around and allowed. The elderly who survived 1965 have been denied the right to assemble, share stories and heal collectively in their last remaining years on Earth, it said.

In 2016, the commission documented the testimony of 122 survivors of the 1965 mass killings. Some of them have since passed away. The commission argues that the governments silence on the matter is worsening the stigmatization of the survivors. (fac)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Yangon, Myanmar  Tue, September 19, 2017 11:25 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a213a86a 2 SE Asia Myanmar,Rohingya-Muslims,Aung-San-Suu-Kyi,speech Free

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was poised Tuesday to break her silence on a refugee crisis the UN has decried as "ethnic cleansing", in a live TV address that will be closely watched by nationalists in Myanmar who support an army-led campaign against Rohingya Muslims.

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since August 25, leaving hundreds dead and driving more than 410,000 of the Rohingya minority from Myanmar into Bangladesh.

But Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, has so far refused to speak up for the stateless Rohingya or publically urge restraint from the military.

Her intransigence in the face of huge international pressure has confounded a global community that once feted her as the champion of Myanmar's democracy struggle.

But inside Myanmar, supporters say the 72-year-old lacks the power to pull in the army, with whom she is in a delicate power-sharing arrangement.

The UN has accused Myanmar's army of "ethnic cleansing" over a campaign of alleged murder and arson that has left scores of Rohingya villages in ashes.

The army denies that, instead insisting its operations are a proportional response to the late August raids by Rohingya militants, who they label "extremist Bengali terrorists".

Since then just under half of Rakhine's Rohingya population has poured into Bangladesh, where they now languish in one of the world's largest refugee camps.

A further 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of the August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salavation Army (ARSA) militant group.

Suu Kyi skipped this week's UN General Assembly in New York to manage the crisis at home and deliver her televised address -- the biggest yet of her time in office.

Hours before her speech, British Foreign Secretary called a meeting on the sidelines of the UN gathering, warning that the Rakhine violence was "a stain on the country's reputation" so soon after its transition to democratic rule.
Akshay Kumar, who is shooting for Gold in Amritsar, paid a visit to Golden Temple.

By India Today Web Desk: Akshay Kumar, who is on a roll with the kind of films in his kitty, recently took out time from his busy schedule to pay a visit to Golden Temple in Amritsar recently. And the 50-year-old actor took to Twitter to post a magical photo of the place and called the experience 'surreal'.

Khiladi Kumar shared the picture and wrote, "A chance visit to the Golden Temple, listening to the gurbani and watching the world go by. Only word that comes to mind now: SURREAL #blessed."

A chance visit to the Golden Temple,listening to the gurbani & watching the world go by.Only word that comes to mind now:SURREAL ???? #blessed pic.twitter.com/wRKXBaJXkT- Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) September 18, 2017

advertisement

Akshay, who is in Amritsar for the shooting of Gold, can be seen sitting beside the holy amrit sarovar of Golden Temple and listening to gurbani.

His co-actor Kunal Kapoor too shared a picture from Golden Temple and wrote, "Blessed. Very few places, have the amazing energy that the Golden Temple does. Each time i visit, i feel such incredible peace and tranquility #amritsar #gold (sic)."

Blessed ??Very few places, have the amazing energy that the Golden Temple does. Each time i visit, i feel such incredible peace and tranquility #amritsar #gold A post shared by Kunal Kapoor (@kunalkkapoor) on Sep 18, 2017 at 8:29am PDT

Directed by Reema Kagti, Gold tells the story of the first gold that India clinched as a free nation in 1948 London Olympics . The film which also stars Mouni Roy and Nikita Dutta is set to hit the screens on August 15, 2018.

--- ENDS ---
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Hla Hla Htay and Aidan Jones (Agence France-Presse) Naypyidaw, Myanmar  Tue, September 19, 2017 13:31 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a213fa59 2 SE Asia Myanmar,Rohingya-Muslims,refugee,Aung-San-Suu-Kyi Free

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi reached out to the global community Tuesday in a broad appeal for support over a refugee crisis the UN has decried as "ethnic cleansing", urging outsiders to help her nation unite across religious and ethnic lines and offering a pathway back to the country for some of the Rohingya Muslims forced to flee by army operations.

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since August 25, leaving hundreds dead and driving more than 410,000 of the Rohingya minority from Myanmar into Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, has been decried for failing to speak up publicly for the stateless Rohingya or urge restraint from the military.

But in 30-minute televised speech Tuesday she reached out to her critics, deploying the soaring rhetoric that once made her a darling of the global rights community.

"Hate and fear are the main scourges of our world," she said.

"We don't want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicity... we all have the right to our diverse identities."

While expressing her sorrow for "all" groups displaced by violence, she said her country stood ready "at any time" to take back refugees subject to a "verification" process.

It was not immediately clear how many of the estimated 410,000 Rohingya who have fled Myanmar would qualify to return.

But the subject of their claims to live Myanmar is at the heart of a toxic debate about the Muslim group.

Myanmar's army has previously it will not take back people linked with "terrorists" -- suggesting many came from the hundreds of Rohingya villages that have subsequently been burnt to the ground.

Inside Myanmar, supporters say the 72-year-old lacks the power to rein in the army, with whom she is in a delicate power-sharing arrangement.

The UN has accused Myanmar's army of "ethnic cleansing" over a campaign of alleged murder and arson that has left scores of Rohingya villages in ashes.

The army denies that, insisting its operations are a proportional response to the late August raids by Rohingya militants, who they label "extremist Bengali terrorists".

Since then just under half of Rakhine's Rohingya population has poured into Bangladesh, where they now languish in one of the world's largest refugee camps.

In crisis: Rohingya refugees from Myanmar's Rakhine state wait for aid at Kutupalong refugee camp in the Bangladeshi town of Teknaf on Sept.5. Nearly 125,000 mostly Rohingya refugees have entered Bangladesh since a fresh upsurge of violence in Myanmar on Aug. 25, the United Nations said September 5, as fears grow of a humanitarian crisis in the overstretched camps. The UN said 123,600 had crossed the border in the past 11 days from Myanmar's violence-wracked Rakhine state. (AFP/K M Asad)

A further 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of the August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militant group.

Suu Kyi skipped this week's UN General Assembly in New York to manage the crisis at home and deliver her televised address -- the biggest yet of her time in office.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 16:02 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2146d15 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Regulations,cruise-industry,cruise-ship Free

The government has come up with easier regulations for cruise ships and yachts that wish to enter Indonesia, one of them is online registration.

The permit for cruise ships that are planning to visit Indonesia can be obtained by filling in the online application, explained deputy assistant of maritime services at the coordinating maritime ministry, Okto Irianto.

This deregulation certainly helps tourism ministry in achieving their target of 400 international cruise ships in 2017.

Ever since the implementation of the online registration system, there have been 2000 yachts that have arrived in Indonesia this year. Previously, there were less than 1,000 yachts, added Okto.

Read also: Swimming with the whale sharks of Gorontalo

Okto also promised to provide easier regulation for investors who are interested in investing in the tourism sector of Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the tourism ministrys marine tourism acceleration department head Indriyono Soesilo mentioned about two government regulations on free visa and cruise ships.

The presidential regulation (Perpres) [No.] 104 about free visa for 90 countries and easier regulation for cruise ships took one year [to be fully implemented], said Indriyono.

Theres also Transportation Minister Regulation No. 121, year 2015 about easier regulation for tourists who takes on a foreign-flagged cruise ship. This policy allows foreign-flagged ships to board tourists from domestic ports for a tour.

The trip should begin from a domestic port, then travels to the designated destination and heads back to the departure port. (asw)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Mexico City  Tue, September 19, 2017 11:32 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a213af0a 2 News Disney,#Disney,Disney-World,Disneyland,#Disneyland,#DisneyWorld,theme-park,#ThemePark,Mexico,#Mexico,travel,#travel Free

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced plans Monday for an $840 million Mayan theme park on the Caribbean coast to rival the major theme parks in the United States.

The park, dubbed Amikoo -- or "friend" in the Mayan language -- will have rides and characters based on Mayan mythology and be built in two phases in the so-called Riviera Maya, a stretch of pristine beaches on Mexico's southeastern coast.

"We're going to compete with other (parks) up there (in the United States), and I'm sure ours will be better," Pena Nieto said at a ceremony also attended by the Mexican investors behind the project.

Pena Nieto said the park would bolster Mexico's place as a "high-quality tourism destination."

Mexico became the eighth most-visited country in the world last year, according to the World Tourism Organization, with 35 million international arrivals who spent some $19.6 billion.

The vital sector represents some 8.7 percent of the Mexican economy.

Read also: China is building a Disney World for wine

The move to challenge US theme parks such as Disneyland and Disney World comes at a time of tense relations between Mexico and the United States.

The two neighbors' ties have frayed since US President Donald Trump was elected on vows to make Mexico pay for a wall on the border and a campaign laced with anti-Mexican rhetoric.

The new 120-hectare (300-acre) park will have attractions such as a flight simulator that lets visitors fly over popular Mexican tourist attractions, a mock submarine and a pirate ride.

It will also have a 320-room hotel, a Mayan archeology and anthropology museum, and dedicate 75 percent of its property to environmental conservation.

The first phase is set to open in November 2018 and the second two years later.

Investors say they expect four million to 4.5 million visitors per year.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 13:01 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a213eddf 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Lombok,West-Nusa-Tenggara,Navy,Navy-large-scale-exercise Free

A total of 40 warships from 35 countries is set to arrive at Lombok Strait, around Lembar Port, to attend the 3rd Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK) 2018 that will be held on May 4  8, 2018. The first MNEK event was held in Batam in 2014 and the second one was held in Padang in 2016.

The timing coincides with the 52nd anniversary of West Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) province. It is estimated that the event will welcome around 4,000 guests.

Prior the D-day, an initial planning conference was first held in Surabaya from July 18 - 21 this year and attended by 42 countries. Another meeting is set to be held from November 5 to 7 in Denpasar, Bali. The final planning will take place in Mataram, Lombok, while the events launch will be conducted in Bali on December 17.

Read also: Add these activities to your itinerary when sailing around Komodo

Activities at MNEK 2018 mostly consist of pieces of training on disaster handling to combating pirates.

An activity called engineering capability program will have participants repair public facilities in Lombok which include roads, places of worship, bathing/washing/toilet centers (MCK) and others.

There will also be a medical capability program where a hospital warship will be made available around the area of Carik KLU beach to treat locals. Another activity included in the program is the marine village where participants will be introduced to the local culture at Lembar Port.

The event will also feature other fun activities such as a cultural parade for two kilometers around the city of Mataram, karya bhakti, city tour, medical civil action, boat and war equipment exhibition, fun run and fun bike.

To mark the historical event, a MNEK monument will be built in Lombok. (asw)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, September 19, 2017 14:09 1882 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2141a61 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,skytrain,soekarno-hatta-airport,Soekarno-Hatta-airport-train Free

The Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Skytrain was officially launched on September 17. The launching event was attended by minister of state-owned businesses Rini Soemarno, transportation minister Budi Karya Sumadi and Angkasa Pura II president director Muhammad Awaluddin.

Im very proud that the project is completed in 12 months, this is due to the good working synergy between BUMN (State-owned businesses) and transportation ministries, said Rini.

Angkasa Pura II has given an extraordinary contribution to the people through this Skytrain, added Budi.

Moreover, the launching date also coincided with transportation ministrys Hari Bhakti.

Budi said that Skytrain will increase the number of overseas tourists visiting Indonesia via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

30 percent of the total of international tourists in Indonesia arrive at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, 40 percent arrive at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali and 20 percent arrive in Batam or Bintan by sea.

Read also: Garuda to hold second travel fair

The launching of the Skytrain followed the tourism minister's regulation No. KO 841, year 2017 on Special Train Operational Permit for PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero).

The Skytrain currently serves passengers who wish to travel from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2, and vice versa, with the operational hours from 07:00 a.m.  09:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m.  02:00 p.m. and 05:00 p.m.  07:00 p.m.

Two trains that can accommodate up to 176 passengers are available on the 1,700 meter-long track. The Skytrain service is free of charge.

Although the Skytrain is the first unmanned mode of transportation in Indonesia that uses automated guideway transit system, in its first six months of operation, a set of crew will be operating the vehicle.

The next development stage for Skytrain is to connect Terminal 3, Terminal 2, airport train station and Terminal 1 with dual tracks with a total length of 3,050 meters. The headway is set to every five minutes with the total travel duration of seven minutes when the Skytrain is in full operation. (asw)
Local activists plan to file for a rezoning of the waterfront in the Two Bridges area to curtail three proposed mega-towers. [City Limits]

18 months after a records request was filed, the city administration releases Rivington House-related documents. [Progress Queens]

Its sentencing day for landlord Steve Croman. [EV Grieve]

The East River Park track has been closed for construction. [EV Grieve]

Sara Kay, formerly of Londons White Cube, is opening a gallery on East Second Street. [Artnet News]
A judge ruled today that landlord Steve Croman can stay out of prison until after the Jewish holidays.

Back in June, the notorious property owner with many Lower East Side holdings pleaded guilty to fraudulently refinancing loans and committing tax fraud. He reached a deal with the state AG to serve one year at Rikers Island and pay a $5 million fine. Croman was accused of unlawfully displacing rent stabilized tenants.

In court this morning, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Jill Konviser set a new court date of Oct. 3, meaning hell get to spend Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with his family. State attorneys objected to the delay. The postponement was requested by Cromans high powered defense lawyer.

One tenant of a Croman building, Cynthia Chaffee, told the Daily News, Its outrageous because we spend so many holidays with no heat, no water. No gas service. You name it He gets to spend his whole summer in Southampton Its a slap in the face to tenants.

Wasim Lone of the LES housing group GOLES was among those in the courthouse today. GOLES is part of the Stop Croman Coalition. Well be coming back, Lone told New York Business Journal. Hes a free man for now.

Croman was arrested in May of 2016 and accused by the AG of conducting a long campaign of intimidation and harassment against his rent stabilized tenants. Prosecutors called the plea agreement, a significant precedent in the effort to combat landlords who base their business model on the displacement of rent-stabilized tenants.
Samiun Rahman, who came to India to train Rohingya Muslims top fight the Myanmar Army, was indoctrinated during his time at a London prison. He later joined the al-Qaeda in Mauritania.

By Chayyanika Nigam: A Brit al-Qaeda militant who claimed to be organising resistance among Rohingyas to fight the Myanmar Army was arrested by Delhi Police special cell. He had set up a base for the outfit in city and recruit cadre for jihad.

Samiun Rahman, 28, alias Hamdan, a resident of Port Pool Lane, London, was staying in India with fake identity of Shumon Haq alias Raju Bhai. The fake ID proof mentions the residential address as House No. 88, Mullabadi post office, Dhantola Thakurganj, Kishanganj, Bihar.

advertisement

His parents moved to Britain from Bangladesh in 1960s and settled in central London. Rahman's father was a businessman in London. Aged 19, he was arrested by traffic cops in London twice. He was jailed for 18 months.

In the London prison, he got "radicalised", and in 2012, when he came out, he went to Mauritania. He was influenced by salafi teachings. Soon he was recruited by leaders of al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb. There he was told to go to Syria and fight for al-Nusra - an affiliate of al-Qaeda in Syria -fighting against the Syrian government forces.

After joining the terror outfit, he obtained three-week training in their camp in Syria. Between September and December 2013, he fought for al-Nusra. He received basic training in handling of weapons and how to plant an IED, in Atmeh, Syria. He also fought in Aleppo. Back in London, he was quizzed by anti-terror sleuths but was released.

During interrogation, he told police that while being in Syria, their group came to know about the "atrocities" on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. As he had stayed in Bangladesh for long, he was selected to raise a fighter group there. He was in contact with his outfit members via Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram.

SYRIA TO BANGLADESH TO INDIA

In 2014, he arrived in Bangladesh using a British passport to radicalise youth to join al-Qaeda with the help of Yasin, an old al-Qaeda cadre. He visited Silhet, Nabiganj, Dhaka and other places and radicalised dozens of youth in Bangladesh for their entry into Myanmar from Chittagong side.

He has admitted recruiting a dozen of odd youngsters, including Asif Adnan, son of a former high court judge, and Tanzeel, a bureaucrat's son. However, he was arrested in September 2014, and after imprisonment for about three years, he was released on bail in April 2017.

Then he contacted Mohammad Jowlani, head of al-Nusra, who further directed him to go to India and gave him a Bangladeshi identity card. He was since then known as Shumon Haq.

Two months ago, he entered India to set up a base in Mizoram and Manipur to fight for Rohingya Muslims, raise funds and incite youth to fight for the cause and facilitate their entry from the "porous" Mizoram and Manipur side.

advertisement

He stayed at various madarsas in Kishanganj, Hazari Bagh, Delhi-NCR and other places, and it is believed that he was in touch with a number of youth to incite them to join al-Qaeda. He visited Delhi frequently for this cause, he told police.

He was also influencing people via Facebook and Telegram. He was in contact with his outfit members, including Jowlani, in Syria and other countries.

"Moreover for Rohingyas' cause, he was also planning to carry out terrorist incidents by collecting and training radicalised youth in Delhi and other parts of India," said PS Kushwah, DCP (special cell).

He was in Delhi-NCR to try and set up a base for al-Qaeda and recruit cadres for jihad. He was being assisted by various al-Qaeda cadre here and in Hazari Bagh. His accomplices are now being identified.

He was arrested at Vikas Marg in Shakarpur with a 9mm pistol, a laptop, a mobile phone with SIM card of India and Bangladesh. A case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2008 and Arms Act has been registered against him and an investigation has been taken up to unearth the al-Qaeda web he had knitted here.

advertisement

WATCH | Many Rohingyas have links with terror groups, Pakistan's ISI, Govt tells Supreme Court

--- ENDS ---
Uber has apologised after a promotional message that asked men to let their wives take a day off from the kitchen and order food through their service sparked online backlash.

Uber Bangalore sent its customers a message on Sunday that offered users of UberEats a 100-Rupee (1.16) discount on orders of more than 400 Rupees (4.62) to mark Wife Appreciation Day.

People took to social media to slam the promotional stunt, with many accusing the taxi firm of reinforcing gender stereotypes in India.

hi @dkhos, @badassboz, would be great if your $69 billion company stopped perpetrating regressive gender stereotypes in India. https://t.co/jr2UXxsBGn  _()_/ (@PranavDixit) September 17, 2017

How does this kind of a message even pass @Uber pic.twitter.com/bFDPTsb18K  Baba Manhattani (@BabaGlocal) September 17, 2017

Thank you @Uber for defining gender roles in India. Of course women are meant to slog it out in the kitchen & the men need to BUY us freedom https://t.co/EW57ZyXdnG  Rashi Kakkar (@rashi_kakkar) September 17, 2017

Sorry @uber but why do you think that only the "wife" needs to be at the kitchen! pic.twitter.com/HzjlBsdT34  Hemanth.HM (@GNUmanth) September 16, 2017

The backlash caught the eye of Ubers chief brand officer Bozoma Saint John, who vowed to take care of this, saying it was completely unacceptable.

Oh hell no. This is completely unacceptable. Will take care of this.  Bozoma Saint John (@badassboz) September 17, 2017

A few hours later, Uber tweeted an apology for the totally inappropriate promotion and said that it had been removed.

This was totally inappropriate. We've removed it and we apologize.  Uber Comms (@Uber_Comms) September 17, 2017

The incident is the latest in a long line of Uber PR fails.

Earlier this year, the company was accused of allowing a driver who sexually assaulted a passenger to strike again, which led to the resignation of its former CEO Travis Kalanick.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) Twenty-four judges to Allahabad and Calcutta high courts were appointed today, a move that will help overcome large scale vacancies in the higher judiciary tackling lakhs of pending cases.

The law ministry issued separate notifications appointing 19 additional judges to the Allahabad High Court and five to the Calcutta High Court.

Additional judges usually have a term of two years and based on their performance are elevated as permanent judges.

advertisement

These are the first set of fresh appointments to the high court after Justice Dipak Misra took over as Chief Justice of India on August 28.

As on September 1, the Allahabad High Court, with an approved strength of 160 judges is functioning with 91-- a shortage of 69.

The Calcutta High Court has an approved strength of 72 judges, but is working with 31-- a shortage of 41.

Besides the fresh appointments made today, over 61 recommendations by 13 high courts on appointment of new judges and elevation of additional judges are awaiting a final nod by the Supreme Court collegium.

These recommendations include 36 names sent by eight high courts for appointment as judges and 25 names sent by five high courts for elevation of additional judges to permanent judges.

The recommendations were sent to the SC collegium when Justice J S Khehar was the Chief Justice of India. He demitted office on August 27 and Dipak Misra took over as the new CJI the next day.

The eight high courts from where names have been sent for fresh appointments include Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madras, Gujarat and Bombay, the functionary said.

Besides these names, the SC collegium has to take a call on appointing chief justices in six high courts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Calcutta, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Manipur. These high courts are being headed by acting chief justices.

According to law ministry data, as on September 1, while the approved strength of judges in the 24 high courts is 1079, there were 413 vacancies and these high courts were functioning with an effective working strength of 666 judges. PTI NAB ZMN

--- ENDS ---
As we head into September many students across the country will be heading to university, some returning for yet another year while others are only beginning their university experience.

This can be a terrifying time for those just starting out, as they face many changes in their life, such as where they live and what they study.

The pressure of university can be immense, as the work gets harder and the expectations get greater. Everyone around you seems to expect you to ace your classes and join societies, all while making lifelong friends and (supposedly) having the best three years of your life.

Understandably this can make university seem daunting, as it seems impossible to juggle it all and actually have a great time. Dont worry though, as even if your time at university doesn't start off smooth were here to tell you that it will get better, and once you find your place in the community it will be amazing!

For those of you heading to university this year who are still feeling a little terrified, have a look below at the wise words of Will Williams, Europes leading Vedic meditation expert.

As Williams points out, leaving the comfort blanket of your home and school will naturally impact your mental equilibrium. As a consequence, the number of students with mental health problems is rising, as they struggle to find their feet again in a new environment in which they are surrounded by strangers.

He advises that anyone who finds themselves feeling homesick, depressed, or just a little out of their depth follow his steps to combat anxiety and boost confidence.

1. Bring a piece of home with you

No, we dont mean the kitchen sink, but a few sentimental comforts from home wont go amiss. This attachment is known as "essentialism," the idea that objects are more than just their physical properties.

In a study published in the Journal of Cognition and Culture, researchers asked people to cut up photographs of a cherished item. The results showed that participants had a significantly stronger stress response to cutting up pictures of their beloved item.

Whilst we still dont know exactly why we make these connections, the comfort of having cherished items from home is real. Which means the desire to bring the pictures of friends and family, your favourite blanket or some comfy cushions off your bed are all valid. So don't be embarrassed, bring it all with you! If visitors come you can always hide them under the bed.

2. Throw yourself into new challenges

Theres no doubt that taking that first step into a lecture theatre or the student union bar can be terrifying (trust us, it is!), but the very best solution is to do it anyway. This is something often recommended by psychologists  and is known as exposure therapy.

Researchers have found that this can dramatically improve the way people relate to their fears, as exposing yourself to your fears and phobias proves that you can overcome them, thus increasing your confidence. Most students will have led a somewhat sheltered life, thus pushing boundaries and facing fears will show you what your capabilities are, and how well you can cope with independence.

The more you face your fears, the less terrifying they will be, and in some cases facing a phobia even once can nullify it completely.

3. Set bite-sized goals each day

If you try and do everything all at once you will likely end up huddled in a ball under your duvet. Instead, its much better to set yourself one goal to achieve a day. It could be as simple as talking to a housemate, getting lunch with a friend, shopping for supplies or getting some working done.

After all, procrastination diminishes happiness, so the more you can get done the better you will feel. Unfortunately, procrastination occurs when we are feeling nervous or insecure, so it is common to do when you start university. Try and fight the urge to put work off, as there is no feeling worse than getting behind on work or tasks.

You will be much happier if you break it down and stay on top of everything, as this allows you to relax and enjoy the time you spend socialising. Moreover, it will help you get enough sleep, which is essential for your mental wellbeing.

Though conquering something challenging may stress us out while were doing it, it also makes us happier in the long run. Setting goals, (and preferably meeting or surpassing our expectations), helps us feel in control and boosts our self-esteem, all while getting things accomplished.

4. Stay healthy

Ok so we know that traditionally youre supposed to be living on cold pizza and kebabs when youre a student, but waiting healthily will actually benefit you a lot more. No, were not asking you to never eat takeout, but we do advise you have a proper meal now and again and consume at least some fruit and vegetables each day.

Yes, its boring, we know, but doing so will significantly improve both your physical and mental wellbeing. It will ensure you have the energy you need to go out and have fun and will keep your health on track.

5. Get enough mental rest

While the lure of the late-night bar is very compelling, you still need to get enough sleep. We are by the no means telling you not to drink, as we recognise that for some it's an essential part of freshers. Nights out are a great way to meet people and even those who don't drink will find it a useful icebreaker and surprisingly good way of getting to know people (like whos the lightweight). However, you do need to find a balance in your life, as you cant live on no sleep and sleeping through the day will only mean you miss other great chances to meet people.

Vedic meditation is a strong technique to adopt at times like this, being credited for a 42% reduction in sleep disorders and 250% more effective at reducing anxiety than any other technique. It has also been thought to reduce the stress hormone cortisol by 33%.

The process is easy and simply involves silently repeating a personalised sound (mantra) for twenty minutes, twice a day. It can be practised anywhere, which means you can get it done in your room, before going out there and showing your new classmates what a confident and positive person you are.

6. Be the one that helps others

When you're stressed and worried yourself, it might seem like you hardly have the time or the energy to invest in other people. But you can help yourself by making it a priority, as research suggests that helping others helps reduce stress levels.

No matter how nervous youre feeling, you can guarantee there will be others out there feeling the same. So go over, introduce yourself and invite them for a drink; youll be helping them and yourself at the same time.

7. Go easy on yourself

We can be our own worst enemies when we find ourselves in stressful situations, as the voice in our head is often much harsher than anything anyone else would say.

While its good to be self-aware, being overly self-critical will only drive those feelings of insecurity. In fact, experts believe that self-criticism can just make us more miserable.

As such, instead of dwelling on your every failing, focus on how and why you value yourself. This shift will help make you stronger, more productive, less stressed, and, yes, happier.

8. Celebrate the yellow

When it comes to decorating your new digs, try harnessing the power of a yellow hue.

Research shows happy people tend to associate their mood with this bright colour, and tend to think of yellow as representative of optimism (possibly because we associate it with the sun).

To incorporate the power of yellow into your life, try adding a bit to your walls or your wardrobe, then walk down the road with a spring in your step. After all, positive behaviours are proven to lead to positive emotions.

9. Move it

Getting out of bed to work out when youre burning the candle at both ends can be torture  and were not saying dont burn said candle, as thats all part of the fun!

Just make time elsewhere to be active, as exercise has been proven to release feel-good brain chemicals that may ease depression (neurotransmitters, endorphins and endocannabinoids).

Even if you dont want to run (we feel you) try doing something simple, like getting up a little earlier to walk to lectures. That way youll always be on time and youll start the day in a far more positive way.
We exist in a world of AIs and omnipotent social media CEOs; we suffer the loss of identity against companies that commoditise individuals; we experience apocalyptic weather without ever acting to resolve climate change; were constantly under the scrutiny of governments and massive corporations, online and off; fake news thrives and sways elections for demagogues, manufacturing truth rather than uncovering it. In the face of it all, its easy to feel completely lost in the day-to-day. This is Philip K. Dicks world were living in. Therefore, what better time could there be for Electric Dreams to grace our screens? Adapted from short stories by the literary master of science fiction himself, this ten-episode anthology opens with The Hood Maker, based on PKDs 18-page short story of the same name.Undoubtedly in order to circumvent direct comparisons to Black Mirror early on, The Hood Maker is set in a world where technology is underdeveloped, but where telepaths exist as second-class citizens, utilised by authorities to monitor the populace. With visual resonances to Blade Runner and conceptual comparisons to be made to Minority Report, its an accessible gateway for the uninitiated that explores some of PKDs tamer ideas and therefore eases the audience in. Though written under the shadow of McCarthyism in 1955, The Hood Maker retains its retrofuturism as it applies seamlessly to contemporary surveillance culture. Therefore the story succeeds in keeping an urgency today, and thats all due to the genius of PKD and his foresight.Electric Dreams opening episode sees a convincing performance by Richard Madden as Agent Ross - a character redolent of Harrison Fords Deckard, except rather more sympathetic and less world-weary. Opposite Madden is Holliday Grainger as Honor, in a stunning performance that toiled with both her characters vulnerability and her quiet power, in a role this time evocative of Samantha Mortons Agatha. They must partner up when mysterious telepathy-blocking hoods threaten to subvert the fragile status quo, as fears of a Teeps uprising and the growing discontent amongst normals are already pushing the boundaries of stability. Because of this, the thematic scale develops to include commentary on human rights and prejudice. And thats precisely where Black Mirror and Electric Dreams diverge. Where the prior deals with smooth parables about the dangers of developing technology, the latter takes a contemplative, almost impressionist look at the human condition, flirting with potentials and ideas in order to imbibe the storys emotional essence, as opposed to Black Mirrors sleekly presented parables. Essentially a futuristic film noir, the grittiness of the aesthetic, devoid of any of Ridley Scotts neon lustre, creates an oppressively authentic look into the future. This believability causes the setting to become so claustrophobic that all feels as though its on the verge of erupting. The cinematography is striking and beautifully dejected, which helps fully realise the storys world-building - an impressive feat given the runtime is only an hour. If one thing lets down the fantastic acting, exceptional cinematography and stirring soundtrack, it is the lack of an emotional punch. The budding romance between Honor and Ross - though serving a purpose in hindsight - cannot help but feel rushed and scarcely credible in its run. This, paired with the fact that Maddens characterisation can only be deemed rather one-dimensional in the face of Graingers superb and complexly nuanced performance, fails to invest the audience into Ross. Thus his ultimate betrayal, indubitably intended to be the emotional climax of the instalment, fell short. Aside from this, Philip K. Dicks gift once again translates to the screen: where he may write only a handful of pages, the story is so teeming with new ideas, questions and possibilities that never can one of his worlds be fully explored. In this respect, The Hood Maker is more of a think piece than a fully executed narrative. An hour is by no means enough, but this frustration does not undermine the enthralling experience - it only leaves an audience thirsting for more. Therein, one can only hope that Electric Dreams remaining nine episodes live up to its premiere.
With actress Blake Livelys model looks, winning smile and long blonde tresses, Serena Van Der Woodsen was always going to be an 'It' Girl, as is made clear from the very beginning of Gossip Girl.At the beginning of the series, we learn that she is a reformed bad gal and has returned to Manhattan to be Sweet Serena, an Upper East Side saint, slumming it with a Brooklyinite and being so over the glitz and glamour of her former life. But unlike every other good character ever, instead of showing real character development throughout the show, Serena VDW literally spent six seasons going back to her pre-GG bitchy self. Compare that to Blairs transformation from bitch-without-a-cause to bitch-but-only-with-good-reason, and youll see what I mean. Since it was the focal point of everything Serena did, lets talk about her love life. She was supposedly in love every other five minutes with some random character before pining for Dan or Nate once again, proceeding to ruin whatever else they had going on at the time.Thank god she never sank her teeth into Chuck. But alls well that ends well apparently, since Dan was the weird loser behind Gossip Girl - so them ending up together made perfect sense. Her struggle to pinpoint what she wanted her future to look like completely missed the stage of being sad and endearing. I dont know if I was supposed to sympathise or empathise with her having zero direction in life and changing her mind every other episode, but I never did. I feel like maybe it was meant to be relatable but it really missed the mark with me. The only thing she was consistently good at was being entitled and bratty. Now, let's talk about her daddy issues. Definitely another example of the writers/producers trying to make Serena a relatable teen figure, but instead it made her even less likeable. Dr Van Der Woodsen was an asshole, no doubt about it, but Serenas reactions were next level. Remember when she told everyone that Carter Baizen (ew) was stalking her  to the point that Blair and Dan filed a restraining order on her behalf  just because she was embarrassed that he knew the truth about her father not wanting to see her? Ive saved the best (well, worst) for last, guys. Tripp Van der Bilt. Since being a rich politician  and, lets be real, almost certainly a republican - wasnt enough to draw her in, he also had to be married. It was the millionth nail in the coffin for me. I cant look at people with that weird plait-turned-ponytail hairstyle anymore without thinking of Serena putting the moves on her married boss and congressman. Seriously, she had no business helping that campaign and then encouraging the equally disgusting Tripp to leave his wife. This, for me, was the moment that 'Sweet Serena' from Season one was pronounced dead. And thank god, because even at her best, she was the absolute worst.
A German fire station has posted a picture on its Facebook page of a broken dumbbell disk  the kind you see all over gyms, and in the homes of fitness enthusiasts.

But this was no ordinary training accident, they said.

Firefighters had been called out to a local hospital because someone had got a, ahem, very sensitive part of the body trapped in the hole of the 2.5kg weight.

Yes, it is what you think it is.

Someone got their genitals stuck in a gym weight.

But it gets worse.

The fire brigade said it took three hours to free the man from his predicament.

Plus they had to use a cutting grinder, a vibrating saw and something that roughly translates from German as a hydraulic rescue device to get him out.

Now were starting to feel pretty sorry for the guy.

People online asked the obvious question: what on Earth possessed him to do it?

Maybe it was exercise-related.

But we will never know why the anonymous gym bunny did what he did that day.

Its just another one of lifes great mysteries.

why do men stick their dicks in everything https://t.co/3VTmPpzrPW  emilie (@anygirlfriday) September 18, 2017

But we can be sure that he probably wont do it again.

And maybe we should spare a thought for the poor firefighters who had to free him.

Please do not imitate such actions! they begged their Facebook followers.

Dont do it, people.
Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here

You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: 

Home Page
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.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 18 (PTI) The CBI has arrested a colonel of the Army Medical Corps, an MCI clerk and two others for alleged bribery of Rs 10 lakh for leaking information related to inspections of medical colleges and recognition of seats by the countrys medical education regulator.

Col. Ajay Kumar Singh, empanelled as an assessor in the Medical Council of India (MCI), was nabbed after a middleman was caught receiving Rs 10 lakh from two hawala operators on his behalf, a CBI spokesperson said here today.

advertisement

The agency has also arrested Santosh Kumar, a lower division clerk in the MCI, and two middlemen -- Sushil Kumar and Sachin Kumar, the official said. Sushil Kumar was supposed to carry the bribe money on behalf of the colonel.

All the four accused have been sent to five days CBI custody by a special court here, he said.

The arrests were made after the CBI registered an FIR against the four arrested accused and B Ramachandhiran, Chairman, Sri Venkateshwaraa Medical College and Research Centre, Puducherry.

The agency carried out searches at nine locations in Delhi, Puducherry and Chennai, including the residences of Singh, the medical college and offices of two hawala operators, he said.

CBI sources said Rs two crore was recovered during the searches.

According to the CBI FIR, MCI clerk Santosh Kumar was in regular contact with Ramachandhiran and shared sensitive information regarding the council.

He was also allegedly helping him with respect to some administrative matter regarding inspections and approvals related to the medical college.

"Kumar was also in regular touch with Colonel Singh of AMC, who was empanelled as an assessor with the MCI for inspecting various medical colleges," the CBI FIR has alleged.

It is alleged that Singh and Kumar were in regular touch with Ramachandhiran and had personal meetings with him and demanded illegal gratification for rendering support and providing information at regular intervals, the FIR alleged.

Ramachandhiran had recently delivered first instalment of illegal gratification to Singh and Kumar, it claimed.

Singh and Kumar wanted the remaining amount to be paid to them in lieu of extending favours by way of providing the information and helping in inspections, it alleged.

"They are engaging with the owners or management of medical institutions for obtaining huge periodical illegal gratification," the CBI has alleged. PTI ABS AKV SMN

--- ENDS ---
Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, said her country does not fear "international scrutiny" of the Rohingya crisis, and invited members of the international community to visit Rakhine province.

By India Today Web Desk: Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader, today told her compatriots in a State of the Union Address that her government does not fear "international scrutiny" of the Rohingya crisis, and that she condemned all rights violations.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have left Buddhist-majority Myanmar since August 25, fleeing a military response to deadly attacks by Rohingya insurgents on police posts and an army camp.

advertisement

While Myanmar has said its forces are carrying out clearance operations against the insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, Rohingyas and rights monitors blame the exodus on what they say is a campaign aimed at driving out the Muslim population.

Rohingyas claim they're natives of the Burmese province of Rakhine, but Myanmar does not consider them as citizens.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, did not comment on the military operations except to say that since Sept 5, there had been "no armed clashes and there have been no clearance operations".

"We want to find out why this exodus is happening. We would like to talk to those who have fled as well as those who have stayed. I think it is very little known a great majority of Muslims in the Rakhine state have not joined the exodus."

She announced that Myanmar was ready to start a refugee verification process for those Rohingya Muslims who wished to return home. She said Naypyidaw (Myammar's capital) was making every effort to restore peace and stability in Rakhine province.

Vikram Mishri, India's Ambassador to Myanmar, said Suu Kyi's address was "encouraging" and contained a "very positive message."

'CULPRITS WILL BE PUNISHED'

As the world watched, Suu Kyi said her country felt "deeply for the "suffering of all groups in Rakhine," and was concerned by news of an exodus of Muslims to Bangladesh.

There have been allegations and counter allegations, and Myanmar's government will listen to them all, and punish the culprits irrespective of their race or religion, Suu Kyi said.

"We don't want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicities. Hate and fear are (the) main scourges," she said.

Suu Kyi invited members of the international community to visit Rohingya villages, and said a central committee had been constituted to enforce the rule of law and spur development in Rakhine.

"We have invited (former UN Secretary General) Dr Kofi Annan to lead a commission that would help us resolve long-standing problems," she said.

advertisement

(Inputs from agencies)

VIDEO: Here's what the Narendra Modi government told the Supreme Court yesterday about Rohingya refugees in India.

--- ENDS ---
Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi chose to steer clear from condemning what a UN official recently called "textbook example of ethic cleansing" in Rakhine.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been accused by many of not speaking up for Rohingyas. Photo: Reuters.

By India Today Web Desk: Twenty-five days after violence intensified in the Rakhine state of Myanmar and Rohingya Muslims were forced to flee to Bangladesh, Aung San Suu Kyi, the state counsellor and de-facto leader, finally broke her silence on the crisis today.

"Throughout the year, we continued with our programme of development and establishment of peace," Suu Kyi said, adding that Myanmar is ready to "start a refugee verification process for those who wish to return".

advertisement

Yet again, Aung San Suu Kyi chose to steer clear from condemning what a UN official called "textbook example of ethic cleansing" in Rakhine and instead said that police outposts were attacked on August 25 and "consequently government declared Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army a terrorist group".

The Amnesty International today slammed Aung San Suu Kyi and the Myanmar government for "burying their heads in the sands" and accused the Nobel Peace Prize winner for staying silent on the alleged atrocities committed by the military on Rohingyas.

The last time Aung San Suu Kyi spoke on the Rohingya crisis on September 6, she blamed "terrorists" for a "huge iceberg of misinformation". In a statement on Facebook, the Nobel prize winner said the Myanmar government has "already started defending all the people in Rakhine in the best way possible" and warned against misinformation.

IS SUU KYI COMPLICIT IN THE CRIMES AGAINST ROHINGYAS?

Many have questioned Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, for turning a blind eye to the alleged persecution of Rohingyas in Rakhine which has led to more than 4 lakh of them fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh since the August 25 violence.

A few days ago, fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai urged Suu Kyi to condemn the "shameful" treatment of Rohingyas in Myanmar.

"Over the last several years, I have repeatedly condemned this tragic and shameful treatment. I am still waiting for my fellow Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to do the same. The world is waiting and the Rohingya Muslims are waiting," Malala said in a statement she shared on Twitter.

Some like British writer and activist George Monbiot in his column for The Guardian asked if Aung San Suu Kyi's Nobel prize should be revoked as by staying silent on the violence against Rohingyas she is "complicit in crimes against humanity".

Monbiot says that despite the military being all-powerful in Myanmar, Suu Kyi "possesses one power in abundance: the power to speak out". "Rather than deploying it, her response amounts to a mixture of silence, the denial of well-documented violence, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid," writes Monbiot.

advertisement

WHEN THE WORLD SAW SUU KYI AS A BEACON OF HOPE

Twenty five years after her Nobel Prize win, Aung San Suu Kyi became the state counsellor of Myanmar, the country's de facto head.

In April 2016, the newly-elected government of Myanmar passed a bill in the Assembly of the Union to create a special post for the leader of the National League for Democracy. Married to a British, Michael Aris, Suu Kyi was barred constitutionally from becoming the President of Myanmar.

The world cheered as Suu Kyi, seen as someone who fought the oppressive military junta, became a part of the Myanmar government. Her admirers were confident that she would deal with the Rohingya issue sensitively.

When Suu Kyi delivered her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 2012, 21 years after winning the prize, she said that the Nobel Committee in awarding her the prize was "recognising that the oppressed and the isolated in Burma were also a part of the world".

Five years after her Nobel speech, it seems that while the Nobel Committee recognised the oppressed in Burma/Myanmar, but she clearly has not by choosing to stay silent on the "ethnic cleansing" of Rohingyas in Rakhine.

advertisement

DO WATCH: Person of interest: Aung San Suu Kyi under scrutiny for silence over Rohingya Muslims crisis

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: compromise on quality

(Eds: Adding details about a video of fight over sarees)

Hyderabad, Sep 18 (PTI) The free distribution of over one crore sarees for women below the poverty line for the upcoming traditional Bathukamma festival began across Telangana today.

The Telangana government said that about 1.04 crore women would be given sarees free of cost. The scheme costs Rs 222 crore.

advertisement

However, the saree distribution found itself in a row with the sarees allegedly being burnt over poor quality.

Meanwhile, a video purportedly showing a group of women fighting near a counter distributing free sarees at Saidabad here has gone viral.

The video aired by some local news channels purportedly shows few women exchanging blows and pulling each other by hair while few others are seen shoving and attacking with footwear.

Following the fight, women police personnel immediately intervened and separated the fighting women.

The exact reason behind the scuffle was not clear, though reports said an argument broke out between a group of women over the queue for sarees.

Police said the fighting women were separated and the saree distribution programme proceeded after the incident.

Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao told reporters here that the government targeted to distribute about 1.04 crore sarees at over 8,000 centres in the state.

About 25 lakh sarees were distributed on the first day today, he said.

Hitting out at the opposition parties, he alleged that Congress leaders were behind the incident of burning the distributed sarees at places like Chalgal in Jagitial district.

It is an utterly low level politics to burn the sarees, he alleged.

"On the occasion of Bathukamma festival, all the poor women above the age of 18 will get sarees as a gift irrespective of caste, community or religion," Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had earlier said.

District Collectors of 31 districts in the state are overseeing the saree distribution programme, Commissioner Textiles Shailaja Rama Iyer, told reporters here today.

She said power-loom weavers of Sircilla in the state have woven over 50 lakh sarees measuring up to 3.75 crore metres while remaining sarees have been procured from Surat after following open competitive tender process.

"There are over 500 designs of sarees which are being distributed. Polyester saree distribution has been taken up... we got feedback that cotton sarees should also be distributed and we are open to the feedback," she said.

advertisement

Reacting to queries that some women complained and protested in few places over alleged poor quality of sarees, Iyer and Principal Secretary of the Industries Jayesh Ranjan said there is no compromise with regard to quality of sarees.

"We stand by the quality of the sarees. As per specifications the sarees have been produced and there is no problem at all," they claimed.

Iyer maintained that there is no quality issue with regard to sarees being distributed.

"Sarees are inspected and also tested and there is no such quality issue. If there is any specific problem on one or two sarees we have permitted replacement. If there is any specific issue on quality we will take up the matter," he said.

"Factories were also inspected. There are no quality issues in the sarees and I want to indicate that very clearly. We stand firm by the quality of the sarees that we have produced," Iyer said.

"If there is any specific quality issue with regard to specifications it can be brought our notice," added Iyer.

She said saree specifications of Surat are slightly different when compared to Sircilla.

advertisement

On allegations that sarees priced at Rs 50 were distributed, both Ranjan and Iyer dismissed the allegations and said each Sircilla saree is priced at Rs 224 while the Surat saree costs Rs 200. PTI VVK SJR NRB NSK IKA

--- ENDS ---
By Shreya Goswami: So, Durga Puja is almost here, and you're gearing up to head off to some pandal in your city to get a taste of authentic Bengali food. You might have already checked your friend list on social media to check out all your Bong friends who can take you along on a tour.

But allow us to share this little gem of advice which every Bengali knows: The food served at Puja pandals is nothing compared to the dishes Bengalis enjoy at home every day. Their idea of food--and believe us, their idea of food is quite in-depth and obsessive--is all about comfort and the simple joys of home cooking.

advertisement

No pandal stall offers anything more than mukhorochok (literally, what appeals to the taste buds) food that you can enjoy once-in-a-while, and they're not parts of any Bengali's everlasting food-dreams. If you don't believe us, just mention any one of the dishes we've listed here, and you'll know what we mean.

Also Read: 5 places in Delhi where you can taste Bengali food, because Durga Puja is around the corner

These dishes are some of the best flavours Bengali cuisine has to offer, and they're so simple that you can indulge in them anytime (but preferably, in a Bengali home).

1. Aloo bhaja

Ask any Bengali and they'll tell you that aloo bhaja or fry can never be overrated. Simple, matchstick-sized potatoes are rubbed with salt and turmeric, fried till they turn crispy, and served. To have it with hot rice and musuri or masoor dal is a Bong's ultimate food dream. Aloo bhaja is so popular that it's even served at weddings! No dish can compare with an honour like that, can it?

Aloo bhaja. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/jopreetskitchen.com

2. Fish fry

Where there are Bengalis, there will be at least one fish dish. But fish fry or maachh bhaja is so simple and easy to make that every Bengali can cook it up for a meal, and so can you. Just rubbed with salt and turmeric, and fried in shorshe tel or mustard oil, this dish can be eaten with rice, or just as a snack with chillies and onions.

Fish fry. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/sujiscooking.com

3. Begun bhaja

While there are a number of veggies that adorn a Bengali thala or thali every day, including potol or parwal fry, begun bhaja or eggplant fry holds a special place. Once again, it's simply cooked with salt and turmeric. The fried begun adds so much to a simple vegetarian meal of dal and rice that a Bengali feels like he or she is actually at a feast. No, we're not overrating this dish. It's simply that good!

Begun bhaja. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/Tarla Dalal

Also Read: Food diary: A non-Bengali foodie's journey through Kolkata's delicacies

4. Aloo posto

There's a reason why Bipasha Basu named her little pet Posto. This little ingredient is extremely popular among Bengalis. Before you ask, posto is basically poppy seeds. While it's also cooked with cauliflowers and a number of other veggies, this invention by Bengal's widows is mostly prepared with the other favourite, potatoes. Every posto dish also helps Bengalis get in the mood for their bhaat ghoom, or afternoon nap. No wonder they love it so much!

Aloo posto. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/The Veggie Indian Aloo posto. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/The Veggie Indian

advertisement

5. Maachh-Bhaat

The simplest of fish curries, maachher jhol, is a Bengali favourite. Whether it's cooked using rahu or hilsa doesn't matter as long as Bengalis get to eat it with hot rice. Maachh-bhaat is the ultimate comfort food for Bongs, and each and everyone of them can testify to this fact. And why not? A bowl full of rice and a simple curry is a dream come true for every foodie.

Maachh-Bhaat. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/Kankana

Instead of heading out to eat at Durga Puja pandals with a packet of antacids in your bag, why not make a difference this year. Just ask your Bengali friends for a taste of these dishes, and you'll actually have the best of their cuisine.

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Mumbai, Sep 19 (PTI) BLS International Services today said it has signed a contract with the embassy of Afghanistan for providing consular services in Saudi Arabia.

Under this partnership, BLS International will be providing consular services through registration of Afghan citizens in Saudi Arabia, a release issued here said.

The company will be processing about 2,00,000 applications through mobile centre for registration apart from such centres in the region.

advertisement

BLS International is an Indian specialist service provider for outsourcing of visa, passport and attestation services to the governments and diplomatic missions globally.

"Our (contract) win will ensure applicants enjoy a service with quality, faster processing and world-class convenience. We have tried to bring convenience through mobile centres, which are a landmark achievement," BLS International Services Joint Managing Director Shikhar Aggarwal said. PTI SM RSY

--- ENDS ---
An opportunity for foodies and beer lovers to get lost in a world of food and drink from a hand-selected range of food trucks and breweries from around New Zealand.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) Drug firm Cadila Healthcare today said it has signed a technology agreement with Russian firm Pharm Aid Ltd for production of varicella vaccine used to prevent virus causing chickenpox. Through this agreement, Zydus Cadila (group firm) gains access to public and private market segments in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, the company said in a statement.

advertisement

"Our aim has always been to bridge unmet healtchcare needs by improving accessibility to preventives and novel therapies," Zydus Cadila Managing Director Sharvil Patel said.

The agreement will bring together local manufacturing, distribution and managerial capabilities of the companies.

The company said it aims to bring in a continuous supply of vaccines which could be included in the critical childhood immunization programme.

The estimated demand for vaccines is 3 million doses per annum in the Russian Federation alone, it added.

Pharm Aid Ltd, a joint venture between Russian National Immunobiological Company (Nacimbio) and UAE-based Ishvan Pharmaceutical has been set up for localisation of vaccine production in Russia.

Cadila Healthcare stock was trading 0.18 per cent down at Rs 485.65 on BSE. PTI PRJ MR

--- ENDS ---
Indian education system is evolving in many ways, owing to the advancement of technology as well as rapid change of mentality of the people of all segment of society. Government intervention in merging pedagogy system of education has taken to a new avenue, opening new doors of opportunities for both the educator as well as student. There are two segments in every education system, teacher and learner.

In a traditional system, the teacher narrates a topic to students, held demonstration of the topic occasionally, and then assessed the students. However, not all has the same grasping capabilities, due to which traditional models of education are gradually paving way for newer innovative methods.

The Government has acknowledged the limitations of existing pedagogy system and take initiative of incorporating Information and Communications Technology in the education system. With the help of it, teachers can easily explain the complex situations and the students can retain information better, remembering the visual explanation of a particular situation for a longer time. When education is infused with technology, learning is augmented, which deeply impacts a students learning experience. Information communications supports learning through video chat or online distance learning, meaning a student from any remote area can easily have quality education from any institution of the world.

For a country like ours, modern age methodologies can have a transformational impact on our society and the economy as a whole. Moreover, since the learning process becomes interactive and comprehensive, it sparks an interest in students leading to greater attentively and attendance at schools. This creates an environment, conducive to learning.

India is emerging as a superpower and it cannot function without the support of information and communications technology. The gap between demand and supply of higher education has urged the government and institutions of the country to formulate policies and initiatives so that it can easily integrate with technology. The central and state government have taken various initiatives for integration of technology with education system. Since the past two to three decades, our system of learning has been plagued by many challenges such as lack of students, poor infrastructure, lack of quality teacher, and a standard curriculum, to name a few. With the integration of technology in schools, education in India is poised for a paradigm shift, where the education system will be compatible with international education standard.

However, there are many hurdles for its successful integration. Information and Communications Technology requires Internet, computer based infrastructure and also satellite support and the process of installation is expensive.

Moreover, teachers need to be efficiently trained to understand the systems and how they can utilise its numerous benefits best to successfully impart knowledge to the students. In the current digital day and age, it is imperative that institutes integrate be attuned to the modern needs and requirement of students.

The use of technology in learning not only results in the cognitive, social and emotional development, but also has a major motivational influence on his/her learning capabilities. It is proven that students harness positive feelings towards education when they use computers to complete tasks, encouraging and motivating them to learn.

This way, children gain a myriad of enriching learning experiences, crucial not only to their future success and also the country.

(The writer is managing director, Tulas International School)
The Indian government is seeking a dramatic increase in tourist figures, both foreign and domestic, in a way that it helps to earn more revenues and generate employment, new Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons has said.

The number of foreign tourist arrivals was 8.8 million in 2016. We want to increase it dramatically. We also want to increase the number of domestic tourists, which was around 150 million. The whole idea is that we want to generate revenues and be a huge contributor to the economy, Alphons, a former bureaucrat, said in an interview.

According to the Tourism Ministry, in 2016 the foreign exchange earned through tourism was Rs 154,146 crore and the sector provides direct and indirect employment to over 40 million people. It is a major contributor to the nations GDP.

Speaking at his office in Transport Bhavan, Alphons said: We dont want people to just come, see and go. We want them to stay, experience India, shop and spend money.

We have a 5,000-year-old civilisation, one of the oldest in the world. What is exceptional in India is that, along with the civilisation, we also have a philosophy. It is not only brick and mortar. It is much, much beyond it. The kind of spiritual and philosophical depth that Indian civilisation has, is unique.

Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modis expectations from this ministry, Alphons said marketing India well to the world outside is very crucial.

The entire thing is about marketing India, as we are an amazing, incredible and beautiful country. We just need to tell the world that we are a fantastic destination to visit. We want the whole world to come to India. They should come and feel the country and when they leave, they should say, This was fantastic!'

Asked about the steps needed to attract more tourists, the minister said better cleanliness and improved infrastructure are key focus areas of the government.

Infrastructure has to be improved dramatically. Cleanliness has to improve, footpaths must be built, manholes must be covered, drains must be covered, they should not be encroached. It should be a hugely pleasant experience to walk around the cities; only then will foreign tourists go shopping.

I am interested in generating money, because if we generate money that will create employment. They should walk around, laze around and feel comfortable. And that comfort we should provide. That means we have to improve our infrastructure around tourist destinations dramatically, the minister said.

Alphons said he was happy with the portfolios he has been given. It was a huge, pleasant surprise to be given independent charge of such exciting and happening ministries  tourism and information technology (IT). I am extremely happy with my portfolios.

Alphons, who is scheduled to make a presentation to the Prime Minister, was averse to talking about any issue other than than those concerning his portfolio.

Asked some political questions, Alphons flatly said he was not ready to answer them.
It is a tightrope walk for the ruling BJP and also for the opposition Congress on the contentious issues of scrapping Article 35-A of the Constitution and deportation of the Rohingya Muslims that have created a vertical divide between the Jammu region and the Kashmir valley.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the Congress team led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who separately visited Jammu and Srinagar to feel the pulse of the people and hammer out some solution to the long-stretched unrest in the Valley, predominantly faced the two issues as delegation after delegation spoke for and against the Article 35-A and deportation of Rohingyas.

While the demand of most political and social delegations that met the two leaders in Jammu was for immediate scrapping of the controversial Article 35-A and deportation of Rohingyas who have illegally settled in and around Jammu, but demand of leaders of the Kashmir-centric political parties and other delegations in the Valley was just the opposite to that in Jammu.

After first visiting Srinagar, Rajnath remained tightlipped on both these issues while interacting with mediapersons in Jammu and said both these issues were sub-judice.

Manmohan Singh who came with his team first to Jammu said that his team throughout the day received delegations discussing these issues. The Congress would keep in mind interest of all the three regions of the state, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, while deliberating on the issue.

However, a senior member in the team, Ambika Soni did not hide her observation and said both the issues were a tight rope walk for us.

The separatists and valley based parties in particular were exploiting these issues by threatening of dire consequences if any action was taken against their interests.

Reacting to the affidavit filed by the centre in the Supreme Court that Rohingyas presence in the country would pose a serious threat to national security, former chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted on Monday that there was no intelligence input suggesting that Rohingyas were a security threat in J&K till 2014.

None of the visiting teams met the separatists, but chairman of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Alishah Geelani came out with a statement urging the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) to play its assigned and outstanding role in resolving the issues related to Kashmir, Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Qatar, and issues related to genocide of Rohingya Muslims. But India made its stand clear by saying that the OIC has no locus-standi on Kashmir.
A Sikh family in Australia today won a legal battle against a Christian school which refused to enrol their five-year-old son because of his turban.

Sidhak Singh Arora was due to start prepratory at Melton Christian College (MCC) in Melbournes north-west, this year.

But his patka (childrens turban) does not comply with the schools uniform policy which prohibits students from wearing any type of religious head covering.

Sagardeep Singh Arora and his wife Anureet said the school breached the Equal Opportunity Act act by not allowing Sidhak to wear a patka when they tried to enrol him in 2016, Herald Sun reported.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) ruled in the parents favour, finding the school had discriminated against Sidhak, it said.

Whilst MCC is a Christian school, it has an open enrolment policy which means that it accepts enrolments of students from other faiths, VCAT member Julie Grainger found.

A little over 50 per cent of the school community does not identify explicitly as Christian and many families at the school have no religious beliefs, the report said.

It is not reasonable to accept enrolment applications from students from non-Christian faiths only on the condition that they do not look like they practice a non-Christian religion, it said.

The school could have amended its uniform policy to allow Sidhak to wear a turban in school colours, the VCAT finding added.

Grainger ordered the parents and the school to sit down and negotiate an agreement on what orders can be made to resolve the situation.

The Aroras previously said they still wanted Sidhak to attend the school, as it is where his cousins study, and it is close to their home.
A day after Haryana Police included jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chiefs adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan in its most wanted list for violence in Panchkula, she was on Tuesday booked for allegedly inciting violence following the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on 25 August.

Honeypreets name has been added as an accused in the first information report number 345 filed at Sector 5 police station in Panchkula in connection with the violence in which 32 persons were killed and over 250 injured. The violence broke out after the self-styled godman was convicted in the rape case.

Panchkula Police Commissioner AS Chawla said Honeypreet is an accused in the case now,. The list of accused in the case includes several key functionaries of the Sirsa-based dera including its spokespersons Aditya Insan and Surinder Dhiman. They have been booked for allegedly inciting violence and arson, police said.

Meanwhile, the director general of police (DGP), Haryana, BS Sandhu said efforts are on to nab Honeypreet who is absconding ever since last seen outside the Rohtak jail where Gurmeet is jailed since 25 August. On reports that Honeypreet has been sighted in Nepal, the DGP said there was no concrete information in this regard. We are verifying each and every information, which we are getting, he said adding that the state police was also in touch with several states in order to track Honeypreet.

The police also questioning arrested Dera functionaries including Dilawar Insan and Pradeep Goyal to get concrete information about her place of hiding. Dilawar Insan, a key member of the Dera was arrested from Sonipat while Pradeep, another Dera functionary was nabbed from Udaipur in Rajasthan by Haryana Police.

On Monday, the special investigation team of Haryana Police questioned Dera Sacha Saudas spokesperson Vipassana Insan in Sirsa about the whereabouts of Honeypreet. Police initiated efforts to trace Honeypreet following the questioning of another arrested functionary of the sect Surinder Dhiman Insan in connection with an alleged conspiracy to facilitate Dera chiefs escape after he was convicted for raping two disciples.

An FIR was earlier lodged in Panchkula police station following a statement by a newspaper reporter against Aditya and Surinder Dhiman Insaan. The duo were booked for sedition.Due to her closeness to the dera chief, Honeypreet  who is in her mid-30s and is one of the adopted daughters of the Gurmeet, Honeypreets closeness to the Dera chief can be gauged from the fact that she had accompanied him to the Special CBI court in Panchkula for the pronouncement of verdict in the 15-year-old rape case on 25 August.
Thane Commissioner of Police Parambir Singh said they are probing whether a few politicians had role to play in the extortion racket operated by Dawood's brother Iqbal Kaskar.

By India Today Web Desk: Wanted underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar was relaxing at his sister Haseena Parker's house when he was picked by Thane cops late on Monday.

Kaskar was watching popular TV gameshow - Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) and having some delicious biryani when the cops knocked at the door.

"He was busy watching Kaun Banega Crorepati and eating biryani," Thane Police Commissioner Parambir Singh told reporters.

advertisement

The Thane Police is probing the role of a few leaders and corporators in the extortion racket being run by most wanted underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar, who was arrested on Monday night.

Iqbal was taken into custody by a team led by encounter specialist and the anti-extortion cell's senior police inspector Pradeep Sharma.

Kaskar was arrested after some extortion calls were made in Dawood's name to a Thane-based businessman.

Besides Kaskar, two others have been arrested, and five people detained.

Iqbal Kaskar and two others were given an 8-day police remand.

LINKS WITH POLITICIANS?

Thane Commissioner of Police Parambir Singh told reporters that they are investing Kaskar's links with some politicians and corporators.

"Threats were given in name of Dawood. Shooters were hired from Bihar to threaten people. Some politicians, corporators could be involved in the extortion racket. We are investigating the matter," Parambir Singh said,

"We are also probing whether Dawood Ibrahim had any direct or indirect involvement in this extortion racket run by Iqbal Kaskar," the top cop added.

Iqbal, who was deported from the United Arab Emirates in 2003 , is said to be operating his brother's real estate business in the city.

He was wanted in a murder case and the Sara Sahara illegal construction case. However, he was acquitted in both the cases in 2007.

WATCH: Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar grilled by Thane police in extortion case

--- ENDS ---
The Centre will move the Supreme Court to seek modification of its order to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees since it could unbalance the social and demographic structure of Arunachal Pradesh, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday.

The Minister of State for Home told reporters here that the Supreme Court would be apprised of the ground reality on the matter.

The ground reality is that the Chakmas and Hajons have entered settlement camps in Arunachal Pradesh illegally in large numbers. If the small original Chakmas population is given status of Arunachal tribals or as indigenous (people) of Arunachal Pradesh, it will (cause) imbalance in the social and demographic structure of the state, he said.

We have to impress upon the Supreme Court to understand the reality that it is not easy to implement its order because of the complexity of the situation, Rijiju said.

The Minister said since he was an MP from Arunachal Pradesh he had to stand for his people.

The Supreme Court had in 2015 directed the central and Arunachal Pradesh governments to confer citizenship rights on the eligible Chakmas and Hajong people, coupled with steps to protect their lives and liberty and guard them against any discrimination.

The Home Ministry had last week cleared limited citizenship to the Chakmas and Hajong refugees.

The Chakmas and Hajongs were originally residents of the Chittagong Hill Tracts of erstwhile East Pakistan, who fled when their land was submerged by the Kaptai dam in the 1960s. The Chakmas, who are Buddhist, and the Hajongs, who are Hindus, also faced religious persecution in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

They entered India through the then Lushai Hills district of Assam (now Mizoram). While some stayed back with the Chakmas already settled in the district, the Indian government moved a majority of them to the North East Frontier Agency, which is now Arunachal Pradesh.

The state government has argued that granting citizenship to refugees would reduce the indigenous tribal communities to a minority and deprive them of opportunities. Since 1990, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union has been demanding their ouster from the state.

According to officials, the number of these refugees has increased from about 5,000 in 1964-69 to one lakh. At present, they do not posses citizenship and land rights, but are provided basic amenities by the state government.
Three policemen were killed and five others wounded in an attack by Al Qaida militants on a checkpoint in Yemens province of Hadramout, a senior local police officer said.

A group of Al Qaida assailants attacked a security checkpoint of the 135th Armored Brigade in the Hadramouts historic city of Shibam. As a result, three policemen were killed and five others injured, Xinhua news agency quoted the officer as saying on Monday.

The Al Qaida attackers also exchanged heavy gunfire with the security personnel in the area for about one hour, the source said.

The Al Qaida militants failed in their attempt to seize heavy weapons from the security personnel stationed in Shibam city and fled the area with some injuries.

Elsewhere in Yemen, a high-ranking official of Yemens Interior Ministry survived an assassination attempt in which unknown gunmen opened fire at his motorcade in Aden province on Monday morning.

Al Qaida militants have intensified their drive-by attacks on security checkpoints in the Yemeni southern provinces as government forces backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have increased military operations against the groups hideouts in the war-plagued Arab country.

Yemeni government forces and the UAE armed forces operating in the southern province of Aden have launched a new anti-terror military offensive to root out Al Qaida militants from their strongholds in neighbouring southern province of Abyan.

Thousands of newly-recruited Yemeni soldiers joined the operation after receiving military training and financial support from the UAE forces.
Spanish police arrested a 25-year-old Pakistani national on Tuesday on suspicion of indoctrination and spreading jihadi propaganda.

Tuesdays arrest was a direct result of a police operation in June in which three Pakistani brothers were detained for their role in organising a jihadi group which had an extremely radical ideology, Xinhua news agency quoted the Interior Ministry as saying.

The suspect was reported to have used his Facebook page to consume and spread the propaganda messages by publishing videos of suicide attacks, praising terrorist groups and their leaders and instigating terrorist acts.

The arrest takes the number of people arrested for suspected extremism in Spain since the start of 2015 to 245.
US Defense Secretary James Mattis said that the Pentagon plans to send another 3,000 troops to strengthen his countrys military presence in Afghanistan, local media reported.

It is exactly over 3,000 somewhat and frankly I havent signed the last of the orders right now as we look at specific, small elements that are going, Mattis told a group of reporters on Monday.

In late August, Washington confirmed that the US planned to send more troops to Afghanistan as part of President Donald Trumps new strategy for the Asian country, though at that time the exact number was not specified, Efe news reported.

The announcement by Mattis comes after Trump announced last August 21 that the US would continue fighting the longest war in its history, a war that has gone on for almost 16 years.

At that time, the president said he would prefer not to talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities, considering it counterproductive to give the enemy information that, in his opinion, could be used to its advantage.

Nonetheless, late last August the Pentagon confirmed that the US had 11,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan.

During the conflict that began at the end of 2001, some 2,400 Americans have lost their lives and Washington has spent more than $700 billion between military operations and reconstruction.
US investigators wiretapped President Donald Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the election, the media reported.

The conversations between Manafort and Trump continued after the President took office, long after the FBI investigation into Manafort was publicly known, informed sources told CNN on Monday night.

They went on until lawyers for the President and Manafort insisted that they stop.

Its unclear whether Trump himself was picked up on the surveillance, the sources added.

Some of the intelligence collected includes communications that sparked concerns among investigators that Manafort had encouraged the Russians to help with the campaign.

The sources, however, cautioned that the evidence was not conclusive.

Special counsel Robert Muellers team, which is leading the investigation into Russias involvement in the election, has been provided details of these communications.

A secret order authorised by the court that handles the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) began after Manafort became the subject of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe that began in 2014.

It centred on work done by a group of Washington consulting firms for Ukraines former ruling party, the sources told CNN.

The probe was discontinued at some point last year for lack of evidence but the FBI restarted it after obtaining a new FISA warrant that extended at least into early this year.

Manafort previously has denied that he ever knowingly communicated with Russian intelligence operatives during the election and also has denied participating in any Russian efforts to undermine the interests of the United States.


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 ...
Five Delhi Police personnel - in uniform - recently barged into the Mixx Club and Lounge and thrashed its staff with sticks and batons after the club failed to pay the cops the monthly 'commission'.

By Chayyanika Nigam: Watch the devil side of the Delhi Police where four to five men in uniform barged into a club in Northwest Delhi's Netaji Subhash Place and started beating up the staff for not paying them monthly commission for two months.

The act was captured in the CCTV camera that was in possession with Mail Today. In the footage the policemen first asked the customers to vacate the club and then they closed the door from inside and started thrashing the staff with baton, sticks and vipers.

advertisement

Mail Today tried to contact Milind Mahadeo Dumbere, the DCP (North-West) till late Monday, but they remained unavailable for comments.

According to a senior staff member of Mixx Club and Lounge, the policemen used to come to their club every month and take a monthly commission of Rs 60,000.

"For past few months, we have been paying them, but in the last two months we were unable to pay. On Sunday, four to five policemen came to the club and took all the money. At that time around Rs 55,000 cash was kept in the counter," she said.

After taking away the money, they started thrashing the staff including the owner of the club. "All the staff were critically injured," she said.

She said that the extortion started after the recent reshuffle in the police station. She further revealed that a journalist (name withheld) was also among the cops who used to extort them.

"As every other club was paying them money, we were also forced to pay the commission," she said.

On Sunday night, the staff reached the police station to lodge a complaint, but the same policemen forced them to write that no extortion took place. After returning from the police station, the staff took possession of the CCTV footage and approached the senior police officials and other authorities to seek justice.

ALSO WATCH | MP cops thrash 80-year-old woman for sheltering protesters during farmers' stir

--- ENDS ---
But the tribe has a long way to go
According to some reports, the girl, while on the way to the hospital told her brother that she was indeed pushed off the third floor.

By India Today Web Desk: A Class 9 student of the Modern City Montessori School in Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district died after she was allegedly pushed from the third floor on Monday.

The girl succumbed to her injuries while she was being rushed to a local hospital.

Her father accused the school authorities of negligence and expressed his derision over the management's apathetic view of the incident.

advertisement

"School students came home to inform me, no teacher came...," added the distressed father.

He maintained that his daughter did not fall to her death but was pushed from behind, contrary to the claims made by the school authorities.

According to some reports, the girl, while on the way to the hospital told her brother that she was indeed pushed off the third floor.

NO CCTV CAMERAS?

On being prodded to scrutinise the CCTV footage, the acting school principal, Mithilesh Mishra revealed that the cameras installed on the third floor are non-functional.

"CCTV cameras at the school have not been working for some days now," said Mishra.

Refuting the father's claims that the management acted lackadaisically in handling the accident, the acting principal added, "We took the girl to the hospital immediately and also informed her parents."

The parents of the girl have now lodged a complaint against unidentified people. The school principal and some teachers are absconding since the incident.

--- ENDS ---
Last month, a day after the Supreme Court verdict on privacy was pronounced, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the Aadhaar Act would pass the test of constitutionality, and in the same breath, also accepted the need to build 'iron walls' to protect people's data.

Three weeks after the Supreme Court held privacy as a fundamental right equating it with the right to life and liberty, the government, which earlier did not want to step back on the issue of Aadhaar linkages, have shown some relaxations. It has extended the deadlines for linking Aadhaar to various services. But that does not mean that the goverment is retracing its Aadhaar stance.

During the Budget session this year, while passing the Finance Bill that included amendments to the Finance Act making Aadhaar linkage mandatory to file income tax, Jaitley had fiercely contested any opposition to the move. When Biju Janata Dal MP Bhartruhari Mehtab challenged the finance minister and alleged that the government was 'forcing the citizens', Jaitley promptly replied, Yes, we are. According to him, the Aadhaar linking would help identify those who are using more than one PAN card to evade tax.

This was followed by many notices from the finance ministry advising taxpayers to link their Aadhaar numbers and PAN before the earlier set deadline of August 31. However, the warnings fell flat after the Supreme Court verdict on privacy.

After defending the move to link Aadhaar and PAN publicly many times, the finance ministry quietly issued a notification on the last day of the deadline on August 31, and extended it by another four months to December 31. "This was done as the Supreme Court had said it was looking into the Aadhaar Act to ensure that it had sufficient measures to protect public data," said a finance ministry official. "The deadline extension is in keeping with the timeline the court might take to evaluate protection of privacy in the Act," he added.

Meanwhile, the finance ministry had issued another notification to banks earlier on June 30 asking them to link all bank accounts with Aadhaar numbers. The notification suggested that bank accounts that are not linked to Aadhaar would not be eligible for conducting banking transactions, ATM withdrawals or money transfers from January 1, 2018. The government notification came following an amendment on June 1 to the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005, to make Aadhaar linkage mandatory for all bank accounts.

Banks are faced with a huge task for this. Linking and verifying the Aadhaar of all our customers (depositors, loan takers) will not happen without a considerable cost for banks," said Rajnish Kumar, MD, State Bank of India.

He said that so far the banks intend to stick to the government's notified order. We are going by the last notification issued by the government and continuing with linkage exercises for all customers, said Kumar.

For telecom customers, too, the bane of Aadhaar linkage seems to have found no respite even after the Supreme Court judgment on privacy. The Centre cites a court order dated February 6, 2017 pertaining to a writ petition filed by civil rights body Lokniti Foundation. The NGO had approached the Supreme Court seeking better verification of prepaid mobile numbers. "Our intention was to ensure that misuse of mobile numbers does not become common place and create law and order problems in the city. We moved the PIL after finding that five crore pre-paid subscribers were using their mobile phones without any verification," said D.L. Mehta, chairperson, Lokniti Foundation.

During the case hearing, the then Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar had directed that verifications of all mobile service subscribers in the country be done in a phased manner in the next six months. In response, the telecom department had proposed to the court for initiating an e-KYC process based on Aadhaar cards for mobile phone users. It also said the government would need one year to ensure verification of all mobile phone users in the country.

Reacting to the development, telecom companies say that they will continue with the e-KYC procedure for now. "We are going by the notification send to us by telecom department in this regard, unless any changes are communicated from the government to this notification," said Akhil Gupta, vice chairman, Bharti Enterprise.

Telecom companies are required to submit all biometric data received to the UIDAI e-repository within two hours of receiving such data, failing which, the company would be subjected to criminal procedures.

On August 4, the government also notified the use of Aadhaar for availing death certificates effective from October 1, 2017. The Registrar General of India and home ministry believes that the use of Aadhaar for death certificate will ensure accuracy of details of the deceased provided by their relatives.

This was made effective for all citizens except for those residing in states of Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Meghalaya. If a deceased does not have an Aadhaar card, the relatives must declare so in an affidavit to avail death certificates. If the information provided by the deceased's relative is found incorrect, then he is also liable for legal action.

So far, there are no relaxations to these rules.

It is expected that the apex court will pronounce a verdict on the Aadhaar Act and whether it upholds all constitutional rights by February next year. In the current scenario, only if the Supreme Court's concerns on data security are not adequately addressed by the government will there be any possibility of measures against the current push for Aadhaar linkage.
The story of India's surgical strike on terrorist hubs in Pakistan is being made into a Bollywood film produced by Ronnie Screwvala. Actor Vicky Kaushal plays the lead role in the movie titled Uri.



RSVP, Screwvala's creative movie company, made the announcement on September 19.



"Today we are a confident, aggressive and new age India  standing up for itself in every way and on the world stage. With this one single military action, we changed the fabric of our border politics forever and that became a watershed moment in our political history. But most importantly, 'Uri' is the incredible story of Indians coming together," Screwvala said.



He said the movie was a 'great mix' of being a story that must be told and a story they want to tell.



Terrorists from Pakistan attacked a military base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18, 2016, leaving 19 Indian soldiers dead. Eleven days later, the Indian Army retaliated with a surgical strike, heightening India-Pakistan tensions.



The project will have an ensemble cast and is being directed by Aditya Dhar.



Dhar said, "This is the story of what happened in those 11 days... It's an honour and very reassuring to be backed by Ronnie Screwvala and to execute on this vision and what we believe is an engaging and thrilling story inspired by this true life incident."



Uri will go on floor in early 2018 and will release in September 2018, two years after the surgical strike.



Vicky plays the "lead commander in chief who led this operation and led the paratroopers post the Uri attack", read a statement issued on behalf of the actor.



"Humbled by this opportunity... Super excited," Vicky tweeted on Tuesday.



He said, "When this film came to me, I was really thrilled because this is one story I feel everyone needs to know. One of the fantastic Army operations the Indian Army has conducted and with great efficiency. I also feel it is a great opportunity and also a responsibility for all of us to portray this story."



Vicky will undergo some para-military training for a month to bulk up some kilos before starting the shoot. The Masaan actor said the role could be his toughest.



This marks the second collaboration between RSVP and Vicky. The banner's first production, Love Per Square Foot, too has Vicky in the lead and is set for a release in April next year.



As of now, Vicky is busy with Raazi, in which he is paired with Alia Bhatt.
In the run up to finalising a national policy for protecting people from climate sensitive illnesses, officials at the Union ministry of health and family welfare have been meeting with their counterparts from northern states such as Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana and Rajasthan. While taking their cue from the National Action Plan on Climate Change and Human Health, states are expected to improvise and come up with their own action plans.

These deliberations are important because of the rising impact of climate change on health. According to the draft of the national plan, global warming directly affects health because of "changes in temperature and precipitation" and "occurrence of heat waves, floods, droughts and fires".

Studies based on hospital admissions or emergency presentations have reported "increases in events due to cardiovascular, respiratory, and kidney diseases", says the document. This impact has been related to the duration and intensity of heat; health risks during "heat extremes are greater in people who are physically active such as manual labourers".

An indirect impact on health occurs due to ecological disruptions, rising sea level, changing temperatures and precipitation patterns which leads to crop failures, "shifting patterns of disease vectors, water-borne disease, vector-borne disease". Climate dependent diseases particularly affecting vulnerable populations include vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue, and air pollution, the draft plan notes.

The national action plan also renders a special focus on "protecting women, children, and marginalised sections of society from such illnesses".

As meetings with state officials have begun, India maybe closer to having a national policy that would include an "integrated early health warning system, state specific emergency response plan, along with increased capacity to provide health care to the most vulnerable and the marginalized populations". The focus will be on strengthening local monitoring of appropriate climate and disease variables, and "building temporally and spatially disease specific database".

The genesis of the proposed policy lies in the 21st Conference of Parties under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that took place in Paris in 2015. In 2008, Manmohan Singh, the then prime minister, had released the country's first National Action Plan on Climate Change. However, the plan was broadened in 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who introduced four new areas, including health, in the plan.
The Andhra Pradesh and Telangana High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the owners of Lingamaneni Estates, where the makeshift residence of AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is located, after hearing a petition pertaining to encroachments on river Krishna basin.

Naidu is residing in a 1.5 acre property in Undavalli village in Guntur district after shifting his base from Hyderabad last year. Activists and opposition party members have been protesting the chief minister's choice, which was leased from businessman Lingamaneni Ramesh, alleging that the property came up very close to Krishna river in violation of the existing environmental laws.

The high court issued notices to dozens of others also, including a BJP MP, who constructed structures along the banks, and asked them to file counter response by October 10. The petition was filed by YSRCP MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy.

The petitioner stated that despite complaining to the irrigation department and local administration, no action was taken against the encroachments. He said that since the river is used for drinking water, it is very important to conserve it and also to prevent an ecological imbalance.

Last year, environmentalists also knocked on the doors of National Green Tribunal (NGT) on this issue.

Former Union secretary of power and activist, EAS Sarma is also one of those who spoke out on the issue.

A few days back, I wrote a letter to the chief secretary of AP. I complained to him that this property not just violates environmental but also urban norms. As per the River Conservancy Act of 1884, if there is any construction on the floodplains, permission has to be taken from irrigation department. In this case, it looks like a violation. From Google images, there seems to be expansion of the property too.

He said he is hopeful that after the high court direction, a resurvey will be carried out in the area.

Last month, water conservationist, Rajendra Singh, known as 'Waterman of India' appealed to the chief minister to move out of his residence as it was built in the Krishna river floodplains.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is known for his keen interest in meditation, expressed a desire to fully immerse himself in Vipassana someday.

Kejriwal finished a ten-day Vipassana course at Dhamma Giri in Igatpuri, Maharashtra. He broke the meditation-induced silence, tweeting, Just finished Vipassana meditation course. It's bliss. Hope someday, me n my wife will fully immerse ourselves in meditation.

He enrolled in the Vipassana course, taking a break after the Aam Aadmi Party's morale-boosting victory over the BJP and the Congress in the bypoll in the assembly constituency of Bawana.

The Dhamma Giri camp in Igatpuri, Nasik, is one of the largest Vipassana camps in the country. For ten days, Kejriwal did not have access to newspapers, TV, or even his phone.

After completing the Vipassana course, Kejriwal travelled back to Delhi and attended official meetings in the evening.

Kejriwal's last Vipassana break was a year back. He had attended a meditation camp in Dharamkot in Himachal Pradesh.

The AAP convenor has always followed up hectic electioneering with the silence of meditation. He took Vipassana breaks after the assembly polls in 2013, and the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. He has completed as many as 22 Vipassana courses so far.

Following the assembly elections earlier this year, which saw Kejriwal campaign extensively in Punjab, he had undergone naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru to control his high blood sugar.
The biggest take away for India from the latest BRICS summit held in Chinese city of Xiamen is no doubt the inclusion of Pakistan-based terror outfits in the BRICS Joint Declaration. The Joint Declaration says, We express concern on the security situation in the region and violence caused by the Taliban , ISI/DAISH, Al Qaeda , and its affiliates including Eastern Turkestan, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan , the Haqqani network , Laskar-e-Taiba( LeT), Jaish-e-Mohhamad (JeM), Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, Hizb-e-Mohhamed.

Arun Mohanty

The inclusion of these terror groups, particularly Let and JeM, is seen as a significant diplomatic victory for India. New Delhi has been trying to name these terror outfits in official documents for long. All of India's efforts to include these terror organisations in the BRICS Declaration issued at the end of the Goa summit in 2016 had ended in utter failure, disappointing New Delhi and prompting many Indian strategic thinkers talking about the uselessness of the international grouping for India. Apparently Chinese President Xi Ziping opposed the idea of naming these organisations in the BRICS Goa Joint Declaration and the Russian President VladimirPutin buckled under pressure.

Chinese presidents reference to political solution and root cause in the context of terrorismamong other global challengesreflects the argument of Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute. This led some strategic affairs experts argue that BRICS is a Chinese-dominated organisation where Beijing uses Russia as a ram to act against Indian interests.

However, the ninth BRICS summit held at Xiamen has succeeded in naming these organisations in the Joint Declaration, which is no doubt a major development. For this how much credit should be given to Indian diplomats is a matter of speculation. It has been reliably learnt that Russian persuasion of China to name these outfits apparently played the most decisive role in including them in the Joint Declaration. This undoubtedly falsifies the assertion that BRICS is a Chinese-led forum designed to act against Indian interest. Rather it proves that both Russia and India can get their act together and balance China in the organisation.

Russia is the only country which has been steadfastly supporting us in our fight against terrorism. Russia believes that inclusion of Pakistan-based terror outfits in the BRICS Joint Declaration is a major first step towards combating cross border terrorism. Russia expects that the Declaration would lead to more concrete action in fighting the scourge of terrorism. BRICS declaration is clearly a signal that China has finally recognised the problem of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

The question is whether China will confine to mere condemnation of these terror outfits or will take the next logical step of concrete action against them. In any case this is a great start.

The next logical step for India is to get JeM chief Maulana Massod Azhar proscribed by the UN. China has continued to block all attempts to include Azhar in the UNSC sanctions list. India now hopes that Moscow will be of help to New Delhi in convincing China to give up its opposition to the ban on Azhar, too. According to Indian diplomats, Moscow believes that on the limited issue of Azhar, China may, in the foreseeable future, relent.

The argument that China is a Russia's closer strategic partner than India seems fallacious. Russia's relations with China might have been strengthened dramatically over the years, particularly after western sanctions against Moscow in the wake of Crimeas incorporation in to Russia, when India failed to live up to Moscows expectations. But trust and understanding between India and Russia is definitely at a much higher level than between Russia and China. There is significant fear and apprehension of China in many Russian circles. Xiamen BRICS summit proved once again that the hysteria that Russia, a friend of our strategic rival China, acts against Indian interest, and hence should be deprived of special strategic partner is misplaced.

Arun Mohanty is a professor at Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies, School of International Studies, JNU
The Shiv Sena's threat to walk out of Naharashtra government does not seem to have affected the BJP much. In fact, it is business as usual for Devendra Fadnavis government and the crisis managers at the state BJP are dismissing Shiv Sena's ultimatum with smug confidence.

BJP's confidence stems from developments which indicate that at least 20to 25 Shiv Sena legislators are not keen that their party walks out of the alliance. The BJP is aware that this view was expressed on Monday at the Shiv Sena's meeting held at Matoshree. The legislators, many of who are first timers, feel that they just don't have enough money power to fight an early assembly poll caused by Sena walking out of the government.

There is a certain amount of truth in it. But what is even more apparent is that BJP is not averse to working on a certain number of Sena legislators in order to woo them into party's fold. Take the case of Loha legislator Pratap Patil Chikhlikar. Chikhlikar is a veteran player in Marathwada politics. He is a Congressman now in Shiv Sena essentially because he can not see eye to eye with state Congress president Ashok Chavan. Chikhlikar is originally a Vilasrao Deshmukh loyalist. After Deshmukh's death, he joined the NCP briefly and then joined Shiv Sena as it promised him a ticket in 2014 assembly elections. He won, thanks to his own ground network and the prevalent anti-Congress-NCP mood among voters in Maharashtra. Chikhalikar is often seen on BJP platform these days as he has to fight Ashok Chavan to survive in politics.

Another case being cited is that of Tukaram Kate, Shiv Sena legislator from Mumbai. Kate was upset with Sena ministers as they failed to sanction some works in his constituency. So he approached his BJP friends and was taken to CM who immediately assured him that all the issues related to works in his constituency would be sorted out. It won't come as a surprise if Kate emerges as BJP candidate from the same constituency that he currently represents as Shiv Sena legislator. "You should ask Chikhilkar and Kate why they are not happy in Shiv Sena, why are you asking us," said a BJP leader.

A BJP leader told THE WEEK that this was the nth time that Sena was giving an ultimatum to the BJP. "We are not worried at all. These are all empty threats, we have even lost the count," he said requesting anonymity as he is not authorised to speak on the sensitive issue of Sena-BJP ties.

Another source in the saffron party pointed out that last year, Sena ministers made tall claims that they were carrying their resignation letters with them all the time. "We have not seen a single resignation letter so far. Also, you must remember that when Sena-BJP alliance officially broke before 2014 assembly elections, Sena's Anant Geeta continued to remain as a union minister. Sena did not ask him to resign despite the fact that Eknath Shinde had been elected as leader of opposition in Maharashtra in the immediate aftermath of assembly polls," he said.

Madhav Bhandari, BJP's chief spokesperson for Maharashtra, said they have not received any ultimatum from Shiv Sena. "We are reading about this only in media, and we do not react to everything that appears in media," he said.
CBI additional director Y.C. Modi will be the new chief of the NIAthe federal anti-terrorism agency of the country. Modi has been entrusted with the post at a time when the agency is saddled with the task of concluding trials in crucial cases of terror blasts at Mecca Masjid, Samjhauta Express, Malegaon (2006) and Malegaon (2008), which form a string of cases where Hindu extremists have been named as accused.

He will take charge on October 30, replacing Sharad Kumar, a 1979 batch Haryana cadre officer who remained at the helm of the agency for more than four years.

Kumar was a UPA appointee, but following his retirement in October, 2015, the NDA government gave him two extensions for one year each, a rarity in bureaucratic circles.

Modi will hold the post of NIA DG till his superannuation on May 31, 2021, or until further orders are received.

Modi, who is a 1984-batch officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, was part of the Supreme Court appointed special investigation team that probed nine major cases related to the 2002 Gujarat riots. The then Gujarat chief Narendra Modi had been given a clean chit by the SIT in the Gulbarg Society massacre case in which 69 people, including former member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri, was killed in a residential apartment during the 2002 riots.

As the next chief of the NIA , Modi will also oversee the probe into the funding of Hurriyat leaders from across the bordera matter that is of utmost importance to the Union government which is struggling to bring the Valley back to normalcy after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in July last year.

The general consensus in the government is that the NIA probe against Hurriyat leaders has broken the back of separatists in the Valley and also given the government a breather, bringing down incidents of stone pelting and violence. But if the NIA does not conclude the probe in a time-bound manner and is unable to file a chargesheet within stipulated time, such efforts will come to naught.

Modi's task immediately becomes tough as his move on filing formal charges against the Hurriyat leaders will be closely watched by all.

If this does not happen, it will provide another handle to anti-India forces in the Valley to drum up support against the government.
Controversial cleric Sabri Abdel Raouf cannot go on television or radio, Egypt's top media watchdog ruled on Tuesday, after he said that Muslims could have sex with their wives' corpses, Al-Arabiya Arabic news channel reported on Tuesday.

The Supreme Council for Media Regulation decision bans Raoufa professor at Cairo's prestigious Al-Azhar universityfrom appearing on private or public satellite channels or to be hosted on radio stations.

Raouf's fatwa insults Islam and disrespects the sanctity of the dead, said the council's director Makram Mohammed Ahmed, quoted by Al-Arabiya.

The council has also banned TV programmes from discussing such issues and will appeal to the Al-Azharthe leading authority on Sunni Islamto investigate Raouf, Al-Arabiya quoted Ahmed as stating.

Raouf, known as Sheikh Sabri, denied issuing the fatwa, saying his comments during an interview with Egypt's private LTC channel on Sunday have been misrepresented.

In the TV interview, Raouf reportedly said that Islam does not consider sexual intercourse between a man and a dead woman as a sin' as long as the dead woman was his wife.

Although Raouf also reportedly said necrophilia was not a practice that society could easily accept or one in which a rational person would engage, his comments sparked outrage in Egypt.

Raouf was vilified on social media with users calling on the Egyptian government.
US President Donald Trump made his debut at the UN, holding a meeting on reforming the world body. His statements, however, did not make any mention of expanding the 15-member UN Security Council.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (L), US President Donald Trump and US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley after a session on reforming the United Nations (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

By India Today Web Desk: United States President Donald Trump on Monday, making his debut at the United Nations, pitched for "truly bold" reforms at the 193-nation world body. It is an issue that India has back and, in fact, Trump's comments came at a meeting attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

"In recent years the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement, while the United Nations on a regular budget has increased by 140 percent and its staff has more than doubled since 2000," Trump said at the meeting in New York.

advertisement

Some 128 countries were invited to attend Monday's reform meeting after signing on to a US-drafted 10-point political declaration backing efforts by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "to initiate effective, meaningful reform." UN Security Council veto powers Russia and China did not sign the declaration.

"I am confident that if we work together and champion truly bold reforms the United Nations will emerge as a stronger, more effective, more just and greater force for peace and harmony in the world," Trump said. "The United Nations must hold every level of management accountable, protect whistleblowers and focus on results rather than on process."

We commend SG @AntonioGuterres & his call for the UN to focus more on people & less on bureaucracy. #USAatUNGA #UNGA https://t.co/KVvCMznmcN pic.twitter.com/UQn6RrC9Xw- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 18, 2017

Trump's comments, however, did not mention an expansion of the UN Security Council. New Delhi has long supported the idea of a larger Security Council with more permanent members.

Currently, the 'Big 5' - the US, the United Kingdon, France, China and Russia - are the only ones that weild veto power, thanks to their permanent seats on the 15-member Security Council.

In the lead up to this year's United Nations General Assembly, which kicks off today, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin indicated as much, without expressly raising the issue of expanding the Security Council.

Akbaruddin had said that while India supports the reform efforts of the UN Secretary General, they need to be "broad- based and all-encompassing". The changes should not be restricted only to the Secretariat, Akbaruddin had said.

India outlines priorities for 72nd session of UN General Assembly. pic.twitter.com/lD6kujdwJ3- India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) September 17, 2017

ALL EYES ON TRUMP

US President Trump will later today address the UN General Assembly, his first such address since entering the White House. It will be the first time world leaders will be in the same room and able to take the measure of Trump.

advertisement

While running for office, Trump had labeled the UN as weak and incompetent, and not a friend of either the US or Israel. But he has softened his tone since taking office, telling ambassadors from UN Security Council member countries at a White House meeting that the UN has "tremendous potential."

The comparatively measured tone was visible on Monday itself, when Trump, while criticising the the UN for bloated bureaucracy and mismanagement, did not make any threats to withdraw the US from the world body.

He did, however, reiterate his stand that the US was paying a disproportionate amount of money to the United Nations. "We must ensure that no one and no member state shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden and that's militarily or financially," Trump said.

(With inputs from agencies)

DO WATCH | UN chief Antonio Guterres urges India-Pak to resolve Kashmir through talks

--- ENDS ---
US President Donald Trump criticised the United Nations for bloated bureaucracy and mismanagement on his first visit on Monday to UN headquarters, calling for truly bold reforms so it could be a greater force for world peace.

Ahead of his maiden speech to the annual UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump hosted a short event to boost support for changes to the United Nations.

In recent years the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement, while the United Nations on a regular budget has increased by 140 percent and its staff has more than doubled since 2000, Trump said.

The United Nations must hold every level of management accountable, protect whistleblowers and focus on results rather than on process, Trump said.

I am confident that if we work together and champion truly bold reforms the United Nations will emerge as a stronger, more effective, more just and greater force for peace and harmony in the world, Trump said in his first remarks at the UN in New York since his inauguration as president in January.

In a building where long statements are commonplace, Trump spoke for just four minutes.

Some 128 countries were invited to attend Mondays reform meeting after signing on to a U.S.-drafted 10-point political declaration backing efforts by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to initiate effective, meaningful reform.

UN Security Council veto powers Russia and China did not sign the declaration.

Businessman Trump, who complained during his 2016 election campaign about the United States paying a disproportionate amount of money to the United Nations, made the point again on Monday.

We must ensure that no one and no member state shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden and thats militarily or financially.

The United States is the biggest UN contributor, providing 22 per cent of its $5.4 billion biennial core budget and 28.5 per cent of its $7.3 billion peacekeeping budget. The contributions are agreed on by the 193-member General Assembly.

Guterres, who also took office in January, told the meeting: To serve the people we support and the people who support us, we must be nimble and effective, flexible and efficient.

He agreed that UN bureaucracy was a problem that kept him up at night.

Our shared objective is a 21st century UN focused more on people and less on process, Guterres said. Value for money while advancing shared valuesthat is our common goal.

Trump also said that all peacekeeping missions should have clearly defined goals and metrics for evaluating success.

The United States is reviewing each of the UN peacekeeping missions as annual mandates come up for Security Council renewal in a bid to cut costs. The United States is a veto-wielding council member, along with Britain, France, Russia and China.

On Sunday night, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

When asked if the U.N. refugee agency could perform its current missions if the United States cut its voluntary contributions to the budget, according to a pool report Grandi answered: I would say no.

U.S. aid is vital to what we do to support refugees around the world and to find solutions to their situations, Grandi said.
Sending a strong message to Pakistan, India and Afghanistan on Monday pledged their commitment to jointly fight to end terrorism as the visiting Afghan Foreign Minister minced no words in equating Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad terror groups with Taliban, Al Qaeda and Islamic State in Afghanistan.

The two countries called for an end to all forms of support and state sponsorship of terrorism after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani held the second Strategic Partnership Council meeting here.

"Both sides expressed grave concern at the incidents of terror and violence in Afghanistan resulting in loss of innocent lives," a joint statement said.

Noting that terrorism presented the greatest threat to peace, stability and progress of the region and beyond, the two sides called for dismantling safe havens and sanctuaries to terrorists against Afghanistan.

After the talks with Rabbani, Sushma Swaraj addressed a joint media conference and said India and Afghanistan remained "united in overcoming the challenges posed by cross-border terrorism and safe havens and sanctuaries to both our countries".

Rabbani emphasised that India and Afghanistan had suffered from terrorism and violent extremism that has threatened the region's stability.

"Together they are killing our people on Afghanistan and destroying infrastructure," Rabbani said.

The visiting Minister said "Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad have been launching attacks against India and indiscriminately killing civilians of this country".

The Pakistan-based groups active in Jammu and Kashmir were "engaged in similar activities along with Taliban, Al Qaeda and Daesh in Afghanistan", he said.

The two countries also agreed to strengthen security cooperation with New Delhi extending further assistance for the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces in fighting "the scourge of terrorism, organised crime, trafficking of narcotics and money laundering", according to the joint statement.

"The Indian side reiterated its support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process. It was agreed that concrete, meaningful and verifiable steps for immediate cessation of violence were essential for the success of regional and international efforts to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan."

The joint statement and Rabbani's assertion assume significance as US President Donald Trump's insistence of upholding the importance of India's role in war-torn Afghanistan's reconstruction and leaders of the BRICS nations naming the Lashkar and Jaish as terror threats in their summit-level meeting in China earlier this month.

The two countries also signed a host of agreements in development sectors, including in health, agriculture and education.

Sushma Swaraj said India honoured the supreme sacrifices by Afghan Defence and Security Forces for the cause of entire humanity.

"We are indebted to them for ensuring safety of Indians working in Afghanistan," she said.

She said India would begin implementation of the new 500 scholarships programme for next of kin of the martyrs of Afghan National Defence and Security Forces from the academic year 2018.

"Today, building upon our economic and development cooperation, we jointly agreed to embark on a New Development Partnership in keeping with the priorities of Afghanistan..

"One hundred sixteen new High Impact Development Projects would be jointly implemented that would bring socio-economic and infrastructure development, especially in the suburban and rural communities in 31 provinces of Afghanistan."

Sushma Swaraj said India would assist in building the Shahtoot dam in the Kabul river basin and drinking water supply project for Kabul, low cost housing for returning refugees, water supply network for Charikar city, and a polyclinic in Mazar-e-Sharif among others.

"Focus will continue on building governance and democratic institutions; human resource capacity and skill development, including in the areas of education, health, agriculture, energy, administration, application of remote sensing in resource management and space technology in governance," she stated.

Stating that both sides discussed measures for enhancing trade and investment cooperation, Sushma Swaraj said that India has liberalised its visa regime, especially for Afghan businessmen.

She also referred to the Afghanistan-India air freight corridor launched in June this year and said that this would provide direct access for Afghan farmers to the Indian markets.

"We are expediting the development of Chabahar Port in trilateral cooperation with Iran.

"We will begin supply of wheat to Afghanistan in coming weeks through Chabahar port," she said.

India and Afghanistan also signed a Motors Vehicle Agreement with Sushma Swaraj hoping "that it would pave the way for overland transit".
The world over, sexual violence and abuse in marriage are a common phenomenon. Those who say that acknowledging the reality of marital rape is against Indian culture neither know India nor are cultured. A cultured society is one that faces problems head on, instead of pretending they dont exist. However, it is plain common sense that before demanding amendments to existing laws or enactment of new laws, we must carry out a thorough audit of existing laws on the subject.

The zealous campaigners demanding a new law to cover marital rape have created a misleading impression that Indian laws provide no recourse to women who suffer sexual abuse and violence at the hands of their husbands.

DVA covers sexual violence

The truth is that the Domestic Violence Act of 2005, along with Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, has more than enough provisions to provide relief to a victim of spousal violence and abuse including sexual or emotional violence or economic deprivation. True, the term rapeis not mentioned in either of these laws. But isnt sexual violence the same as rape? Why this bizarre obsession with getting an antiquarian term included in marriage laws?

When DVA defines physical abuseas acts that cause bodily pain, harm, danger to life, limb or health or impair the health or development of the aggrieved person and includes assault, criminal intimidation and criminal force,does it not adequately cover what can be termed rape?

This is not all. DVA goes to specifically define sexual abuseas any conduct of a sexual nature that abuses, humiliates degrades or otherwise violates the dignity of woman.It further includes verbal and emotional abuse, insults, ridicule, humiliation, name calling, etc. DVA also provides recourse against economic abusewhich is defined as deprivation of economic or financial resources to the wife but not limited to household necessities for the aggrieved wife and her children.

Can any reasonable person deny that not just marital rape but even lesser offences such as taunts or sexist jokes can be used as grounds for demanding relief under this Act? The law is already over-the-top in putting verbal abuse, sexist jokes at par with beating a wife. And yet, rabid feminists (both male and female) want more sadistic provisions in favour of women.

DVA enables the woman to seek orders against her eviction from the marital home so that her right to residence remains secure. At the same time, the woman can seek orders barring or restricting the accused from entering his own house, even if he has no other residence. In other words DVA allows a wife to render a man homeless and still be obliged to provide maintenance for wife and children plus monetary relief to the woman for loss of earnings, medical costs and any other expenses incurred by her on account of harm caused to her due to marital violence. The law also gives her prior right to custody of children.

These remedies are available not just to legally wedded wives but also to live-in partnersno matter how short the live-in relationship. This is one of the most harmful clauses because it puts legally wedded wives who may have given their whole life to a marriage at par with women having short-term flings. Yes, there are problems in honest implementation of these provisions. But why are rape-obsessed feminists not fighting for that instead of demanding yet another impractical law?

Provisions under 498A

The woman can simultaneously use Section 498A, which provides for effective criminal remedies against her husband for violence and cruelty. Under 498A, the husband or his relative who subjects her to cruelty shall be punished with imprisonment up to three years.

Cruelty is defined in an overarching manner as any wilful conduct which is likely to drive the woman to commit suicide or to cause grave injury or danger to her life, limb or health (mental or physical); or harassment to coerce her or any person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any property.

It is plain common sense that a husband coercing his wife into sex against her wishes, especially if it involves use of violence in sex, amounts to physical and emotional cruelty and therefore, covered by 498A. But the hunger for punitive measures of feminist zealots is not satisfied with these two laws. They argue that DVA only provides for civil remedieswhile the maximum punishment under 498A is just three years whereas under the regular rape law it cant be less than seven years. Hence their insistence on a new law that treats rape in marriage as a specific crime at par with rapes outside marriage.

The PIL filed in the Delhi High Court by the NGO RIT Foundation has argued that treating marital rape as separate from general rape amounts to discriminating between two categories of womenthose raped by husbands and those raped by others. Therefore it violates Article 14 of the Constitution, which promises equality before law. If these revenge-hungry feminists were serious about equality, they would not object to making anti-rape and domestic violence laws gender neutral. But they go ballistic at the mere mention of gender parity in laws.

The RIT petition also argues that the law amounts to a state-sanctioned licence granted to the husband to violate the sexual autonomy of his lawfully wedded wife and is, therefore, a violation of the Right to Privacy guaranteed to the wife under Article 21 of the Constitution. In RITs partisan worldview, men do not deserve the right to privacy or the right to fair trial through due process.

Legal terrorism

The timing of the high decibel demand for enacting a new law to cover marital rape is significant. In recent years, various High Courts as well as the Supreme Court have passed several judgments expressing serious concern at the growing and widespread misuse of domestic violence laws, especially 498A, as well as the anti-rape law, for the purpose of blackmail, extortion and revengethat too using false charges.

In Sushil Kumar Sharma Vs Union of India (141 of 2005) the Supreme Court said, We come across a large number of such complaints which are not even bona fide and are filed with oblique motiveIn Arnesh Kumar Vs State of Bihar judgment in 2014, the Supreme Court directed police and magistrates that due process be followed before arrest or detention. It ruled that no automatic arrests or detention be made in such offences. As a result of these restraints, arrests under 498A came down from 2.20 lakh to 1.86 lakh in 2015. The ease with which 498A has lent itself to abuse for extortion, blackmail and other malafide purposes made the Supreme Court to label it as an instrument of legal terrorism

But, despite several such strictures, misuse of the law continued, especially where the accused were not well-informed, because it gave the corrupt police, unethical lawyers and judges ample opportunities to fleece people. On July 27, 2017, the Supreme Court again issued clear orders that the police should not arrest the accused family without due process.

The reason women-centric laws have come to be feared as legal terrorismis that certain excesses are common to all of them, all which render these laws easy-to-abuse.

1. A mere allegation by a woman that she is the victim of marital abuse, cruelty or dowry demands is enough to send the accused persons, including aged parents and teenage sisters, behind bars. Bail is not easy in these cases. Families spend years defending themselves even when the charges are blatantly false. The stigma involved with jail often means dismissal from jobs and destroys whole families.

2. In all other cases of crimes, including murder, the accused is presumed innocent till proven guilty. However, in all women-centric laws, the accused are presumed guilty till they prove their innocence.

3. The principle of due process, which is essential to fair trial, has also been done away with because the accused have to suffer the ignominy and trauma of jail even before the trial has begun.

4. The sole testimony of the woman is considered enough to indict the accused.

5. The definition of domestic violence has been widened enough to include even verbal abuseand emotional/mental torture.

A law which puts verbal taunts at par with physical violence is both unsound and irrational because it is easy to make allegations but impossible for the accused to prove that he/she did not subject the person to taunts or emotional abuse. The threat of undergoing jail even before the commencement of the trial makes husbands and their families easy targets of blackmail. There have been countless cases whereby even distantly placed sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts and old ailing parents have been falsely charged and put in jail and put through gruelling trials. Worst of all, even if the charges are finally proved tone false, the prosecutrix suffers no consequences.

Misuse of rape law

Likewise the anti-rape law has begun to be misused on a significant scale after the amendments of 2013 brought in some draconian provisions that enable unscrupulous women to implicate innocents with ease. Notice how wide and loose the definition of rape is: A man is said to commit rape if he inserts his penis (or any object or any other part of his body or any part of the womans own body) into the vagina, mouth, urethra or anus of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or applies his mouth to her vagina, anus, urethra or makes her to do so with him or any other personagainst her will, without her consent, with her consent when her consent has been obtained by putting her or any other person in whom she is interested, in fear of death or hurt or when her consent has been obtained while she was intoxicated or when she is unable to understand the nature and consequences of that of which she gives consent.

The law clarifies that:

Consent means an unequivocal voluntary agreement when the woman by words, gestures or any form of verbal or non-verbal communication, communicates willingness to participate in the specific sexual act. Furthermore, a woman who does not physically resist to the act of penetration shall not by the reason only of that fact, be regarded as consenting to the sexual activity.

Thus even in case of adult sex, the term consenthas been given a very irresponsible and easy-to-abuse meaning in Section 375 making it almost impossible for a man to defend oneself against the charge of rape with the aid of circumstantial evidence. A woman doesnt even need to say or prove that she resisted the alleged rape. Its enough if she post facto goes and tells the police that a particular sex act was against her wishes.

As per the pre-2013 anti-rape law, the judge could exercise his discretion regarding the quantum of punishment. But the 2013 amendments prescribe a minimum of seven years going up to life imprisonment. The courts discretion to award less than seven years has been taken away. Under the present law, even the uncorroborated testimony of the prosecutrix without medical, independent oral or documentary evidence is sufficient to convict a person charged with rape.

In the wake of these amendments to Sections 375 and 376, the following questions of law arise:

* Is it reasonable, fair, just or rational to classify as rape, acts such as touching a womans private parts or subjecting her to intimate embrace or body contact or a deep kiss that are incapable of medical corroboration, when the sole testimony of the prosecutrix is sufficient to convict?

* Granting that such acts are certainly offensive if forced upon a woman, should they all be equated with rape and punished with equal severity, and does such an equivalence in penal consequences not violate the principle of proportionality in punishment and amounts to a violation of Article 14 apart from belittling the horror of real rapes?

* The loosely worded definitions provide an easy handle for consensual acts being given the taint of rapeex post facto, by persons actuated by malice. For instance, such provisions allow a woman to allege rape on grounds that she was drunk at the time and therefore was unable to give informed consent, even though the act was consensual when it happened. Such situations are common when women go to late-night bars and parties hosted by unknown people in luxury resorts where liquor and drugs flow freely or in private addas of aiyyashi [debauchery] euphemistically named farm houses.

* The words where she is unable to communicate consent (Section 375) are too vague and liable to abuse in the absence of any specification as to the nature of inability to express consent. Is the man expected to first video record her consent before going to bed with her?

All these amendments have made it easy to register flimsy rape complaints, without the requirement of objective substantiation of the charge. As soon as an accusation is made, there is an arrest, and aside from the deprivation of liberty, the filing of such a case leads to the irrevocable loss of reputation not just for the targeted individual but also for his entire family who are devastated by the ignominy of the heinous charge and the trauma of being treated as social outcastes. The media trial that accompanies rape complaints, especially in cases of high profile public figures, often influences the judicial process whereby even getting bail becomes a herculean challenge.

Draconian minimum

Under the IPC, except for murder under Section 302 and the actual act of waging war against the State, few offences are punishable with a statutory minimum term. Even in the case of culpable homicide under Section 304, only an upper limit is prescribed. The same is true for offences against the state, such as Sections 121A and 124A. Out of around 300 offences only about 25 have mandatory minimum sentences. A mandatory minimum extending to seven or more years is a recent (mainly post-2013) phenomenon, except for robbery with prior preparation or attempt to cause death or dowry deathunder 304B.

Sadly, our corrupt and incompetent police have happily registered rape cases on the basis of bizarre complaints whereby the woman has termed the entire period of a live-in relationship or years of voluntary intimacy as a case of repeated rapes just because the man refused to marry her. This when most such women dont deny that the sexual/ live-in relationship was voluntary and not a forced affair. The very premise of a live in relationship is that either of the two partners can walk out of the relationship if they feel it is no more viable. To say that a man is legally obliged to marry a woman he has had sex with and failure to do so will mean a minimum prison term of seven years is to trample upon the principle of equality. Are we willing to accept that women who refuse to marry their lovers or want to put an end to a live-in relationship should be sent to jail?

The easy sustainability of a rape charge under the new law has turned the threat of a rape complaint into a blackmail weapon. I can say on the basis of personal knowledge that unscrupulous policemen are running well-organised extortion rackets using male and female sex workers for blackmailing respectable citizens with the threat of trumped up cases of rape or sexual assault. In cases where sex workers either trap an unwitting person or voluntarily engage in commercial sex with him, the charge can even be medically corroborated through DNA examination of the semen. This is not to condone engaging in prostitution by men but merely to point out the unfairness of taking the word of the prosecutrix as gospel truth added to the provision that the past sexual history of a woman including the fact of her being a sex worker cannot be used as evidence against her. While there is no denying that even commercial sex providers have a right to say Nowhen they so desire, and their Noshould be taken seriously, it is nevertheless relevant to show the many dangers of rendering rape prosecutions easy in an eco-system prone to abuse.

The abuse of anti-rape law becomes much easier because of the strict provision that the identity of the prosecutrix is to be kept anonymous while the identity and even photographs of the accused are freely publicised in the media. This in effect means that getting a man arrested and defamed on false charge of rape involves zero risk for unscrupulous women, even after falsity and malafide nature of charge is proven in court.

Personally witnessing countless cases of misuse, on March 17, 2017 I filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court for review of the anti-rape law with a view to getting unjust unfair and lawless provisions quashed. Kapil Sibal is arguing this PIL in court.

It is not the severity of punishment but the certainty of punishment in genuine cases that brings down crime in any society. The 2013 amendments have failed to act as a deterrent to sexual atrocities. There is no decline either in the number of rapes or in the brutality accompanying rapes. Leave alone curbing incidents of rape in secluded places or in privacy of homes, the law and order machinery has failed to curb even custodial rapes in police stations and hospitals. Similarly, cases of gruesome forms of rape, including child rapes no less brutal than the Nirbhaya case, are being reported on a daily basis. Gang rapes have also become alarmingly frequent. What is worse, rape is being treated as a sport by lumpenised youth, many of who proudly post video recordings of the acts of gang or individual rape on social media. This clearly shows that instead of showing fear of the stringent anti-rape law, people are cocking a snook at the law enforcement agencies.

Marital rape law would be lethal

Blindly extending the provisions of the draconian rape law to marital relations is to invite disaster and social chaos. It amounts to putting lethal weapons in the hands of women, without any safeguards for married men, many of who are already reeling under the legal terrorismof 498A and unreasonable provisions of DV A. Thousands of falsely implicated men have committed suicide and countless families have been destroyed beyond repair because our new-fangled laws carry the mistaken assumption that women are too angelic to book false cases and that only hapless victims among women go to police stations and law courts.

Husbands will be a thousand times more vulnerable than non-husbands to becoming targets of mala fide charges. Since the post 2013 anti-rape law doesnt require any proof of tell-tale signs of violence on the womans body to suggest that she was forced into sex, or that she resisted sex on a particular night, it is easy for a wife to allege rapebut impossible for a husband to prove that the act was consensual.

Most married couples share the same room and sleep in the same bed. Sex between marriage partners is normal routine and is considered part of marital obligations on both sides. Countless women and men have sought divorce on the ground that they have been denied sexual satisfaction either because of the partners inability to perform sex or because of physical aversion to each other.

What protection does a man have against a wife who cooks up a rape charge to settle some other scores or get rid of the husband in order to live with her lover in her jailed husbands house? The only way married men can protect themselves from such a post facto charge is to have CCTV cameras installed in every nook and corner of the house, including the couples bedroom and bathroom. Or do we want husbands to get a duly notarised signed statement on judicial paper before every kiss, embrace or sexual act?

What if the charge has been filed for the purpose of extortion, as is happening routinely with the existing rape law? Gone are the days of Sati-Savitris who would rather die than act vindictively towards their spouses. Nor are todays women afraid of being labelled as rape victims, since for the unscrupulous women it brings economic and other rewards. Crying rapehas opened many lucrative opportunities for blackmail with the woman even getting social sympathy while the man and his family are ruined for life.

This is not to deny that there are plenty of brutish husbands who inflict heinous forms of violence and indignities on their wives. But the real remedy against such husbands is to walk out on them, not insist on sharing the same bedroom and same bed with such a man. That is exactly what self-respecting women do. Divorce laws are today in favour of women. So why not seek freedom from brutish husbands, especially since DVA also protects the wifes right to residence, maintenance and childcare?

Nihilism & moral conscience

At this, feminazis will scream: In our conservative society, most women are petrified of seeking divorce.But the very same petrified women wont mind sending their husband to jail for minimum seven years? Their second idiotic counter would be: Why should a rapist husband be let off with a mere three-year jail while other rapists get a minimum of seven years?

To this I can only say, if a woman continues staying with her husband despite severe atrocities deserving seven-year jail, she has only herself to blame, now that the marriage, divorce and maintenance laws are heavily weighted in favour of women. Those who have failed to build exploitation-free lives with existing pro-women laws dont deserve yet another law which has the potential to tear asunder family life and social fabric in India.

When I founded Manushi in 1978, womens rights activists used to be celebrated and admired for their moral courage in giving voice to the voiceless. But the irresponsibility with which a section of womens rights activists have made use of these laws has lent almost fascist connotations to feminism, with terms like feminazi coming into currency because of their sadistic delight in pushing for venal laws without any safeguards. These women-protection measuresthat have proved ruinous for countless families require a serious and comprehensive review.

When laws are not judiciously crafted, when draconian provisions are added as compensation for the failure of the law and order machinery to ensure security of life leading to easy abuse of law, it leads to mistrust and disrespect towards all institutions meant for enforcing law and order and dispense justice. The resultant cynicism and nihilism among citizens destroys the collective resolve and ability of society to combat crime. When women, who are traditionally seen as the moral conscience of society and hence worthy of reverence and special protection measures, are found to be misusing and abusing laws enacted for their protection, it delegitimises the very idea of special measures for protection of women.

The misuse of the above mentioned provisions for the purpose of blackmail, extortion, revenge and other malafide purposes goes to confirm that whichever individual or group in society, irrespective of gender, caste or class, is bestowed with legal power to tyrannise others for its own benefit, will invariably end up doing so. That is why the principle of constitutional equalitywhich becomes meaningless without equality before law courtscannot be compromised under any circumstances. At the same time it is vital to build effective safeguards against misuse and abuse of laws by unscrupulous persons. A prerequisite for that is an honest, well-trained and accountable police force as well as an effective justice delivery system. Sadly, the feminazis dont seem to be bothered about these niceties.

The author is ICSSR Maulana Azad National Professor and founder of Manushi
In his book How India Sees the World: Kautilya to the 21st Century, former foreign secretary Shyam Saran explains the historical sources of Indias worldview, looks at Indias neighbourhood and the changing world, and growing problems such as climate change and cyber terrorism. Saran takes the reader into negotiating rooms and gives firsthand accounts of moments that defined the outcomes of summits. Exclusive excerpts from the book, which was released by former prime minister Manmohan Singh on September 6:

Obamas art of the deal

I LEFT THE negotiating room soon afterwards to brief the prime minister and also to prepare for our departure that evening for Delhi. It was already past five in the evening and it seemed unlikely that an agreement would be reached in time for a closing plenary, when we received a message that Wen Jiabao was requesting an urgent meeting with our prime minister. He had also invited the other BASIC leaders to the meeting to take stock of the days deliberations. The prime minister conveyed that he was about to leave for the airport and a meeting may not be possible. There was another call repeating the request and urging our prime minister to agree, as a personal gesture to the Chinese premier. We had no option but to defer our departure. The meeting was set for 6 p.m. in a small conference room at one end of the hotel.

When we arrived, Wen Jiabao was already waiting, and we were soon joined by Presidents Lula and Zuma. Our delegation consisted of Jairam Ramesh, Environment Secretary Vijay Sharma, Ambassador Dasgupta and myself. The Chinese premier was accompanied by Xie Zhenhua, vice minister at the National Resource Development Council and Chinas chief climate change negotiator. The Chinese vice foreign minister, He Yafei, was also present. Despite his role as chief negotiator, Xie had been conspicuously absent from the negotiating room throughout the day, leaving it to He Yafei to hold the fort. Both Lula and Zuma were accompanied by their senior aides. While Wen Jiabao and our prime minister sat on one side of the table, Lula and Zuma sat on the opposite side.

Wen Jiabao welcomed his fellow leaders and said he wanted to discuss the manner in which BASIC should handle the impending failure of the summit, which the developed countries would squarely blame on the BASIC countries. He suggested a coordinated strategy to deal with the negative fallout. He also said the US president had asked to see him before his departure, and the meeting with him had been set for 7 p.m. So he also wanted advice on what he should convey to the US president.

An inconclusive discussion followed on what the BASIC leaders should say about the summit. It was agreed that while regretting the failure of the summit, a commitment to continuing the negotiations should be conveyed to the international community. It was also agreed that BASIC needed to strengthen their consultations and coordination in the negotiating process. The leaders agreed with the positions taken by their negotiators in the Friends of the Chair meeting. Wen was asked to convey all these points to the US president.

It was at this juncture that President Obama arrived at the glass door of the conference room, accompanied by Hillary Clinton and other senior aides. The deputy NSA for economic affairs and later the US trade representative Mike Froman was there, as was Stern, the US special envoy on climate change. Obama called out to Wen Jiabao from the door, asking whether he should come in or wait for the meeting to conclude. Wen Jiabao looked questioningly at his counterparts, who readily agreed to invite the US president to join the discussions. Obama was invited to sit next to Zuma. The room had become very crowded, and several accompanying aides had to stand.

The US president began by saying that a failure of the Copenhagen summit would be a very serious setback and every effort should be made to salvage it. He said most of the proposed Copenhagen Accord had been agreed on except for the impasse on a few remaining issues. For the US, the issue of international review of mitigation actions undertaken by developed and developing countries was most important, he said. For him to persuade the US Congress to approve significant financing for developing countries, the transparency of action taken by all parties was crucial. He conveyed that if acceptable language could be found on this issue, then the accord could be saved. If not, he was prepared to go ahead with an agreement with those willing to join the accord. The rest would have to explain to the world why they were standing outside the agreement.

Wen Jiabao conveyed the willingness of the BASIC countries to record their voluntary actions in their respective NATCOMs, which could meet the transparency objective. However, Obama said this would not be sufficient. He suggested an attempt be made to find some acceptable language. He asked Mike Froman to consult with the representatives of the BASIC leaders to see if a compromise could be reached. Froman was joined by He Yafei from China, Jairam Ramesh from India, Lula from Brazil and Alf Wills from South Africa. They went into a huddle in a corner of the room while the leaders continued to discuss other issues. After about ten minutes, the group returned with the formulation technical analysis and assessment as applicable to developing country mitigation actions to meet the transparency criterion.

Obama was not satisfied with the wording and wanted a stronger, more explicit, formulation. After some further back and forth, he suggested the phrase international analysis and assessment, but the Chinese looked sceptical. At this point Jairam proposed international consultations and analysis, which Obama seemed inclined to accept. He turned to Wen Jiabao to ask whether the latest formulation would be acceptable to China. Wen Jiabao in turn looked around to see if the others had any reservations. When the other leaders kept their counsel, he nodded his head in assent.

It was at this point that all hell broke loose. Xie Zhenhua, Chinas chief climate negotiator, who had been following the exchange with increasing distress, got extremely agitated and began to loudly and angrily berate his own premier. Since I knew Mandarin, I could broadly follow what he was saying. Xie wagged his finger at Obama, exclaiming that the American president had brought nothing to the table and was making outrageous demands on China. He then banged the table with his fist and warned his premier against accepting any compromise that would be akin to selling out the country. Obama asked Wen Jiabaos interpreter to translate what Xie was saying. She was extremely flustered and said she could not translate what had been said. Wen Jiabao sat impassively and did not retract his acceptance of the compromise formulation.

Xies outburst was most unusual and unexpected. For an official to angrily disagree with his own premier in public would be unthinkable in any country, and more so in an authoritarian and strictly hierarchical system like Chinas. However, Xie continues to serve as Chinas chief climate change negotiator to this day and does not seem to have been taken to task for his public outburst at his premier at Copenhagen.

Having pocketed what he had been looking for, Obama proceeded to sell his European allies down the drain. He agreed to have all references to the 50 per cent reduction in global emissions dropped from the final draft outcome document as well as the reference to the developed countries commitment to 80 per cent emission reduction by 2050. He also agreed that there need not be any reference to a legally binding outcome that the European countries had been insisting upon. He then left to consult with his allies still waiting in the main negotiating room. After about twenty minutes, he emerged to announce to the gaggle of American and international press: We have a deal.

For a leader representing a country that had brought nothing to the negotiating table, this was indeed a public relations coup. The Europeans were given no opportunity to demur.

Earlier when we were exiting the small conference room after Obamas departure, Xie Zhenhua, whom I had worked with closely during the past two years, came up to me, held my hand and declared with barely concealed frustration: The UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol have been buried at this meeting and we will learn to regret this day.

The process of attrition and systematic hollowing out of the UNFCCC had begun. The Paris Agreement of 2015 represents the culmination of the dismantling exercise. And India dare not acknowledge that it has been complicit in it.

Excerpted with permission from Juggernaut.

How India Sees the World: Kautilya to the 21st Century

By Shyam Saran

Published by Juggernaut

Price: Rs 599

Pages: 312
For the first time in four decades, leaders of the Gorkhaland movement have been branded as terrorists by the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal. Even Subhash Ghising, who had set up a private army, had not been branded so by the CPI(M)-led government. The Left said the movement was for separation from West Bengal, and not India.

But, the Trinamool government seems to have had enough. And, so, on August 19, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung, general secretary Roshan Giri and other leadersmostly central committee memberswere charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), reserved for terrorists.

As chief minister and home minister, Mamata Banerjee led the discussion in the cabinet, cleared the decks for action and issued orders to home secretary Atri Bhattacharya. In an interview with THE WEEK, North Bengal affairs minister Rabindra Nath Ghosh called GJM leaders terrorists. They are terrorising [the people] with the help of foreign hands, and they are destabilising the peace in our state, he said. He alleged that Nepali groups, backed by the Chinese, were behind the violence in Darjeeling.

Soon after the state unleashed the hounds, the Gorkha Liberation Army (GLA) claimed responsibility for 13 blasts that had rocked Darjeeling over three months.

Founded in 2013, the GLA began as an offshoot of the United Gorkha Revolutionary Army (UGRA), the armed wing of the United Gorkha Revolutionary Front (UGRF). Ajay Dhal, a former jawan of the Central Industrial Security Force, founded the UGRF in 2004 as a parallel to the Gorkha National Liberation Front led by Ghising. In 2007, Gurung fell out with Ghising and formed the GJM.

What disturbed the West Bengal government is the close ties that the UGRA had with the GJM. Reports suggest that GLA cadre have revived these links. And, apart from those living in Darjeeling, there are about four lakh Gorkhas in the northeast. Reportedly, the GLA has found support among the Gorkha diaspora.

In its report to the Union Government, the West Bengal government has highlighted the Nepal and China angles. Anuj Sharma, additional director general of police, said the intelligence wing of the West Bengal Police had confirmed that Nepali Maoists were targeting government offices, installations, politicians and officials.

Almost 200 people were killed in the Gorkhaland violence from 2006 to 2011, when the tripartite Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) agreement was signed by West Bengal, the government of India and the GJM.

Just before the GTA deal, UGRA/UGRF chief Dhal had surrendered to the Sikkim Police. In 2013, he received bail and launched a political party based in Kalimpong. I am totally in the dark. I even dont know who is behind this, said Dhal, about the GLA. He attended the all-party meetings convened by Mamata Banerjee in her office recently.

However, the 13 blasts have brought back old memories. The rise of the UGRA coincided with the political movement of GJM in 2006; the rise of GLA has matched the resurgence of the GJM in June 2017. The GLA has warned that stern military action would be taken if anyone settles for anything less than statehood in Darjeeling.

The UGRF/UGRA was trained by militant organisations like Jewel Garlosas Dima Halam Daogah (DHD), and its splinter group, Pranab Nunisas Black Widow. Garlosa is now a BJP leader in Assam. A state intelligence branch official said, Garlosa personally trained UGRA militants. DHD was an ally of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, and the UGRA was trained by them, too.

Police sources fear that the GLA is reviving the UGRAs old inter-state and cross-border network. On June 21, Assam Rifles arrested two Nepali-speaking men who were smuggling guns into West Bengal from Arunachal Pradesh. An Assam Rifles spokesperson told THE WEEK that they later confessed that they had received training and arms from NSCN (Isak-Muivah) on the Myanmar border. Both were charged with UAPA.

G.M. Srivastava, former director general of Assam Police and Tripura Police, said Darjeelings geography made it easy for cross-border terrorists. And, what is more dangerous for India is that more than half of Nepal is pro-China, he said. And, Maoist groupsexcept Prachandas, who has good relations with Indiahave close links with China.

Insiders said that other than the alleged links with the GLA, Gurung had also set up the Gorkhaland Police (GP) in 2007. About 12,000 youths were recruited as GP constabulary. They managed law and order in Darjeeling, when the West Bengal Police were kept out from 2007 to 2011. After he became GTA chief in 2011, Gurung continued to keep his GP bodyguards, while Ghising accepted West Bengal Police cover. GP constables continue to guard Gurung, Giri and central committee members of the GJM.

What comes as a breather for the state government is the widening rift within the GJM. Binoy Tamang, once a close confidant of Gurung, has moved away. He attended the meeting convened by Mamata. [Gurung] is pushing Darjeeling to the brink of disaster, Tamang said. So, I cannot participate in his crazy mission any more. He also said Gurung was corrupt. He has flats in London and Florida, and a hotel in Pokhra, Nepal, said Tamang. How has he become rich?

Tamang said he was ready to fast until death for Gorkhaland, but he was no more for armed insurrection.
The United States may have to completely destroy North Korea, President Donald Trump said in his maiden General Assembly address as he introduced the gathered world leaders to an Elton John-inspired nickname he been using for Kim Jong-un.

By India Today Web Desk: It was just this weekend, days before the annual United Nations General Assembly session kicked off, that United States President Donald J Trump unveiled a dismissive nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Posting a message on his favourite communication medium Twitter, Trump said on Sunday he had had a word with South Korean Moon Jae-in and had asked him how 'Rocket Man' was doing.

advertisement

Though Trump didn't expressly name Kim, that he was referring to the North Korean dictator in his tweet, which came against the backdrop of North Korea's latest nuclear test, was as clear as day.

I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 17, 2017

On Tuesday, President Trump introduced world leaders gathered at the UNGA to the nickname (as well as his uninhibited style of speech) he had coined just days ago.

Trump, speaking in the usually sombre setting of a UN General Assembly session, launched into a verbal tirade, berating North Korea for its "reckless" pursuit of nuclear weapons.

"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," Trump said halfway into his speech before asserting that the the US may ultimately be left with no choice but to "totally destroy North Korea".

The????has great strength & patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy #NoKo. pic.twitter.com/P4vAanXvgm- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2017

"It is time for North Korea to realize that the denuclearization is its only acceptable future," Trump also said, as he blamed the "depraved" Kim regime "for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans, and for the imprisonment, torture, killing, and oppression of countless more."

"But we must do much more. It is time for all nations to work together to isolate the Kim regime until it ceases its hostile behavior," Trump went on to say.

Notably, the North Korean Ambassador to the UN, Ja Song Nam, left his seat in the UNGA hall just before Trump arrived to address the session. A junior diplomat was instead sitting at the spot reserved for the North Korean delegation, making notes as Trump ripped into Pyongyang.

Click here to Enlarge North Korean Ambassador to UN Ja Song Nam leaves his seat before Donald Trump's address (Photos: Reuters)

'ROCKET MAN'

In nicknaming Kim Jong-un, Trump has continued a tradition of coming up with memorable (if not always appropriate) monikers for his rivals. According to an ABC News report, Trump has previously called his Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton, 'Crooked Hilary' and her running mate Bernie Sanders, 'Crazy Bernie'.

According to a Washington Post report, Trump has called Marco Rubio, a Republican politician, 'Little Marco' and Ted Cruz, another of Trump's Republican colleagues, 'Lyin' Ted'. The US president's most enduring nickname, however, is for journalist Chuck Todd, whom he has dubbed 'Sleepy Eyes', according to the Post report.

advertisement

Compratively, Trump's 'Rocket Man' nickname for Kim Jong-un (whose official title in North Korea, just by the way, is Dear Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army), is unimaginative.

The phrase comes from a 1972 Elton John song called 'Rocket Man'. Composed by John and his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, the song, which itself arguably has other inspirations, finds a place on the Rolling Stone magazine's '500 Greatest Songs of All Time' list.

Here's a version of the song (courtesy YouTube/EltonJohnVevo):

--- ENDS ---
(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Jordan Valley district police report the apprehension of date thieves who were apprehended red-handed. The thieves were observed during the night, stealing dates and bringing them to a collection vehicle from the date grove. Police deployed and they stopped the vehicle which was carrying the stolen dates. They also found tools that were used to break-in to the grove.

Four suspects from PA (Palestinian Authority) controlled Jenin were taken into custody.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Police spokesman unit)
[CLICK HERE TO WATCH & READ THE FULL SPEECH]

President Donald Trump, in a combative debut speech to the U.N. General Assembly, threatened the total destruction' of North Korea if it does not abandon its drive toward nuclear weapons.

Trump, who has ramped up his rhetoric throughout the escalating crisis with North Korea, told the murmuring crowd at the U.N. that it is far past time for the nations of the world to confront Kim Jong Un and said that Kims reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons poses a threat to the entire world with an unthinkable loss of human life.

Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime, Trump said about the North Korean leader. He said of the U.S.: If it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

Trump, who has previously warned of fire and fury if Pyongyang does not back down, claimed that no one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the wellbeing of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea. And he scolded nations that he said have enabled and traded with North Korea, seeming to slight China, though he did not mention it by name.

Elected on the nationalist slogan America First, Trump argued that individual nations should act in their own self-interest, yet rally together when faced with a common threat. In addition to North Korea, Trump urged nations to join together to stop Irans nuclear program  he declared the Iran nuclear deal an embarrassment for the United States  and defeat the loser terrorists who have struck violence across the globe.

Addressing the General Assembly is a milestone moment for any president, but one particularly significant for Trump, a relative newcomer to foreign policy who has at times rattled the international community with his unpredictability. He has pulled the Unites States out of multinational agreements, considered shrinking the U.S. military footprint in the world and deployed bombastic language on North Korea that has been criticized by other world leaders.

Trump frequently belittled the U.N. as a candidate and some within his White House believe the U.N acts as a global bureaucracy that infringes on the sovereignty of individual countries. But the president stood before world leaders and a global audience and declared that U.N. members, acting as a collection of self-interested nations, should unite to confront global dangers.

I will always put American first. Just like you, the leaders of your countries, should and always put your countries first, said Trump, who assured the U.N. that the United States would not abdicate its leadership position in the world but needed other countries to contribute more.

The U.S. will forever be a great friend to the world and especially to its allies, the Republican president said. But we can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal in which the United States gets nothing in return.

World leaders, many of whom will be seeing Trump in person for the first time, are bound to take the measure of the man and parse his every word for clues on how he views the U.S. role in the world and within the U.N.

Its a tremendous opportunity because the world wants to work with the United States if theres any way to do so, said Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He has an opportunity to show surprising openness.

Trump tipped his hand Monday as he riffed on his campaign slogan when asked to preview his central message to the General Assembly: I think the main message is make the United Nations great  not again. Make the United Nations great.'

Such tremendous potential, and I think well be able to do this, he added.

In brief remarks to the U.N. on Monday, Trump chastised the world bodys bloated bureaucracy and budget, saying, We are not seeing the results in line with this investment.

But even with that scolding, Trump pledged to the U.N. that the United States would be partners in your work to make the organization a more effective force for world peace.

He praised the U.N.s early steps toward change and made no threats to withdraw U.S. support. The presidents more measured tone stood in sharp contrast to the approach he took at NATOs new Brussels headquarters in May, when he upbraided member nations for not paying enough and refused to back its mutual defense pact explicitly.

While running for office, Trump had labeled the U.N. weak and incompetent. He has suggested it was not a friend to the United States or democracy while deriding it as a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.

He thundered often about putting America first, and has withdrawn from what he considered multilateral agreements that he found unfavorable to the United States, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. He also announced his intention to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, which would leave the U.S. one of only three countries outside the pact. Aides have since suggested Trump would be willing to renegotiate terms of the deal but European leaders have dismissed that approach.

Trump has also frequently questioned the value of a robust American presence around the world. When briefed on the governments diplomatic, military and intelligence posts, the new president would often cast doubt on the need for all the resources.

Some aides have suggested that Trump employs principled realism  making global decisions based on the best outcome for the United States. The administration has also shied away from talk of nation-building or creating democracies through the use of the U.S. military.

But Trump has softened his rhetoric about the United Nations since taking office and cheered the recent Security Council resolution that approved new sanctions against North Korea. Potentially foreshadowing a Trump argument, Brian Hook of the State Department said Monday that the U.N. could be useful as a force multiplier to bring a global approach to global threats.

The president has been working very well with the U.N. Security Council, said Hook, who praised Trumps ability to deal with the world body and leverage it for the purposes the U.N. charter created, to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.

(AP)
Three people face charges after violent clashes with campus police at Georgia Tech following a vigil for a student fatally shot by officers, a university spokesman said Tuesday.

Police shot and killed Scout Schultz, 21, Saturday night after the fourth-year student called 911 to report an armed and possibly intoxicated suspicious person, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

Georgia Tech hasnt identified the officer who fired the fatal shot and has refused to release any information about the officers who confronted Schultz.

On Monday night, Georgia Tech issued alerts urging students to shelter indoors because of violent protests. Video posted on social media showed a campus police vehicle burning in the street and officers pinning people to the ground as onlookers shouted at them.

Georgia Tech alerts people to stay indoors because of violent protests a day after campus police fatally shot an armed student pic.twitter.com/aAlLdZNJTv  Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 19, 2017

After Mondays peaceful vigil, about 50 protesters marched to the campus police department, university spokesman Lance Wallace said. A police vehicle was burned and two officers suffered minor injuries, with one taken to a hospital for treatment and later released.

Georgia Tech president G.P. Bud Peterson in a letter to the university community Tuesday said he believes the problems were caused by people intent on creating a disturbance and inciting violence.

We believe many of them were not part of our Georgia Tech community, but rather outside agitators intent on disrupting the event, he added. They certainly did not honor Scouts memory nor represent our values by doing so.

The university said three people were arrested during the protest but hasnt said whether they were students.

Protesters Chant Free Our People Outside St. Louis Justice Centerpic.twitter.com/20yihAiX2y  Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 19, 2017

Fulton County Sheriffs Office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said Vincent Castillenti, of Decatur, faces two counts of aggravated assault on an officer and two counts of willful obstruction of law enforcement officers.

Jacob David Wilson, of Atlanta, faces two counts of aggravated assault against a peace officer and three counts of criminal trespass, Flanagan said.

Andrew Xavier Monden, of Atlanta, faces charges of interference with government property and inciting rioting, Flanagan said. Georgia Tech had identified the third person arrested as Cassandra Monden.

In a statement released through attorney Chris Stewart, Schultzs family urged protesters to remain peaceful.

The GBI has said an officer responding to a 911 call about 11:17 p.m. Saturday shot Schultz as the student advanced on officers with a knife and refused commands to put down the knife. Stewart said Monday that the GBI confirmed to him that Schultz was holding a multipurpose tool and that the knife blade was not out.

Stewart says he plans to sue over the shooting.

Schultz was the one who called 911, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said in an emailed statement Monday.

In the call, Shultz describes the person as a white male, with long blonde hair, white T-shirt and blue jeans who is possibly intoxicated, holding a knife and possibly armed with a gun on his hip, Miles said, adding that three suicide notes were found in Schultzs dorm room.

Georgia Tech has refused to release the 911 audio.

Investigators recovered a multi-purpose tool at the scene but didnt find any guns, Miles said.

Peterson, in his letter Tuesday, called Schultzs death a tragic loss but urged people to await the results of the investigation and not draw conclusions too quickly.

William Schultz told reporters Monday that his child had a 3.9 GPA and was on track to graduate early in December.

Lynne Schultz told the Journal-Constitution over the weekend that her oldest child had struggled with depression and attempted suicide two years ago.

After that, Scout Schultz went through counseling, William Schultz said. Scout Schultz spent this past summer at home and there were no obvious problems when school resumed last month, the elder Schultz said.

(AP)
By PTI: Dehradun, Sep 19 (PTI) Taking on Rahul Gandhi for his Berkley remark on dynasticism in India, BJP chief Amit Shah today said it is a trait peculiar to the Congress and not the country.

Shah described the BJP as the only party in the country in which internal democracy prevails.

"Dynasticism is a trait of the Congress. Dont impose it on the country Rahul ji", Shah said, addressing a conference of intellectuals here tonight.

advertisement

He said his own rise to the BJPs top post, despite a non-political family background, is a testimony to the fact that the party gives importance to an individuals abilities and not his lineage.

"I began by putting up party posters and banners and now I head the worlds largest political party. It could have been possible only in a party like BJP which believes in internal democracy," Shah said.

He said no one in the country has any doubt on who would succeed Sonia Gandhi as Congress president but asked if anyone knew who the next BJP president would be.

"Rahul will succeed Sonia, Mulayam has already been succeeded by Akhilesh, Lalus sons will succeed him. These are things no one has any doubt about. Apart from BJP all other political parties have become family centric which place family interest above all else," Shah said.

BJP is a party with a difference because it is rooted in a different ideology, the basic principles of cultural nationalism and concern for the development of the man who stands at the lowest rung of the social ladder, he said.

He said the Narendra Modi government at the Centre believes in a development model which combines tradition and modernity. PTI ALM BSA SK BSA

--- ENDS ---
The cards are stacked against petrol and diesel.

The Government wants to ban the sale of new internal combustion engined cars in 2040. The London T-charge will be introduced next month - the first of a raft of toxin taxes due on diesel models. And, according to Confused.com's new weekly fuel price index, pump costs are at a six-month high.

Yet almost four in five drivers are still reluctant to consider buying an electric vehicle as their next car, the price comparison site said.

Fuel prices at a 6-month high: Confused.com said the cost of petrol and diesel is 7% and 6% higher respectively than it was a year ago.

Confused.com said petrol and diesel pump prices are at a six-month high, with the average cost per litre coming to 119.6p and 120.5p respectively.

That's 7.6p and 7.2p more for petrol and diesel than drivers were having to pay 12 months ago, meaning the cost of filling the tank of an average-size family car has increased by 4.33 if you drive a petrol and 4.10 for diesel models.

Motoring costs in London are soon to rise, too.

With the T-charge coming into force on 23 October, those driving into Central London in any pre-Euro 4 emissions petrol or diesel car will have to pay an additional 10 on top of the 11.50 daily Congestion Charge.

And with the introduction of Ultra Low Emissions Zones across the capital Clean Air Zones in other major UK cities in 2019, drivers are facing a surge in costs to get behind the wheel.

Poll What will fuel the next car you buy? Diesel Petrol Hybrid Electric What will fuel the next car you buy? Diesel 6769 votes

Petrol 6309 votes

Hybrid 2363 votes

Electric 1389 votes Now share your opinion





But it's all expected to change in 23 years' time.

The government's intention to banish diesel and petrol cars from our roads to improve air quality will see new model sales outlawed, which will see numbers fall substantially, even in the build-up to the restrictions. The cull has received a mixed reception, though.

A survey of 2,000 regular-driving Britons found that over a quarter (28 per cent) disagree with the ban. However, an equal number of motorists think it's the right thing to do in the face of the nation's air pollution crisis.



But despite escalating fuel costs and the proposed ban on selling petrol and diesel cars, research from the driver savings site found that 79 per cent of motorists are NOT looking to buy an electric car as their next vehicle.

As you can see in the table below, two in five intend to invest in a petrol-powered car next, while one in five will choose a hybrid.

Diesel, in the face of toxin taxes and the threat of further government-backed charges, has fallen out of favour, though almost twice as many motorists intend to buy next one over a zero-emissions vehicle.

All the negativity surrounding diesel cars has resulted in more drivers wanting a hybrid instead. However, most intend to buy a petrol-powered car next

Despite the future very much being about zero-emissions electric cars, just 7% of drivers say they'll buy an EV as their next car

This is despite EVs being widely acknowledged as far cheaper to run than their fossil-fuelled predecessors and a recent wave of car brands, such as Volvo, Jaguar and Honda, announcing they will be adopting an electric approach of sorts as early as 2019.

London's most deprived children are most affected by polluted air, says study A new study has revealed that the capitals most deprived children attend schools most affected by poor air quality, yet are likely to contribute least to traffic pollution at schools. The research showed the combination of health factors facing children in the most polluted London schools, including social deprivation, obesity and lower levels of activity  a combination which is putting them at risk of major life-long health issues. The report by Aether and the FIA Foundation, 'Londons Polluted Schools: the Social Context', found that one in five of Londons state schools is in an area of poor air quality - a significant issue considering that children are more vulnerable to the health effects of air pollution than adults. Over 85 per cent of the schools which are most affected by poor air quality have pupils from catchments more deprived than the London average, it said. Children attending these schools are also more likely to walk there and less likely to use a car, meaning they contribute the least to the poor air which they have to breath. 'Where these serious social justice and environmental issues intersect, it is children who are most at risk', the report said.

The biggest concern for the country's drivers is the lack of public charging locations, with 60 per cent of motorists saying this was a biggest issue for them.

Other high-ranking concerns include worries about how long the power will last (56 per cent), length of charging times (50 per cent) and expensive upfront costs (54 per cent). A further two in five (41 per cent) are holding on until the technology improves.

Two in five (42 per cent) openly admitted they have a dislike for electric vehicles while almost two thirds (65 per cent) claim they should be able to buy whichever fuel type they want.

And some drivers simply dont believe the ban will benefit the environment (40 per cent) or improve air quality (33 per cent).

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, said: 'The 2040 ban on selling petrol and diesel vehicles certainly has drivers divided.

'We expect many are still unconvinced about going electric because it sounds like its such a long way off. But it could come around much sooner as major manufacturers start to commit to electric as early as 2019.

'Drivers could be missing a trick by not switching to new fuel types. Diesel and petrol prices are continuing to show an upward curve, impacted in the short term by events such as Storm Harvey and the rising cost in the price per barrel.

'Unfortunately motorists will see this reflected in the extra pounds they will need to fork out to fill up their tanks.'
UK insurers soared yesterday as rumours of a wave of consolidation in the sector circled following reports that Sir Peter Wood is planning to sell Esure, the 1.2bn insurance empire he founded.

Weekend reports claimed 70-year-old Wood  who is said to be worth around 693m  has discussed the sale of his controlling 30.8 per cent stake in Esure, worth around 358.2m at yesterdays close, with rival insurance chiefs.

Sources said Wood could have a bid for Esure lined up by next month, with a US or private equity tie-up currently seen as the most likely outcome.

Esure refused to comment, but rumours of a sale by Wood  who also founded insurer Direct Line have existed since the FTSE 250 group listed in March 2014, and would likely trigger a bid for the whole business.

In a sell note, Shore Capital analyst Eamonn Flanagan said the rumoured sale does not surprise us, pointing to Esures rival Hastings (down 0.2 per cent or 0.6p to 297p), which recently saw Goldman Sachs sell a chunk of shares.

The recent renewal of Esures re-insurance policy has weakened its price competitiveness whilst the group still remains heavily reliant upon ancillary and instalment income, wrote Flanagan.

The abject failure of Esure, Admiral, and Hastings to carve out any material foothold in the UK household market leaves them all highly reliant upon personal motor to satisfy their growth ambitions.

Despite Flanagans advice, investors piled into Esure on the back of the rumours, and shares jumped 6.1 per cent, or 15.9p, to 278.5p, adding 66.5m to the firms market value. The possibility of a sale also lifted a number of other insurers, with investors hoping to identify the next acquisition in the sector before the rest of the market.

Direct Line rose 0.7 per cent, or 2.5p, to 374p, Admiral jumped 2.2 per cent, or 39p, to 1824p, RSA Insurance Group advanced 1.6 per cent, or 10p, to 630.5p, and AA jumped 2.2 per cent, or 3.6p, to 170.1p.

The FTSE 100 recovered from the four-month lows it hit at the tail-end of last week, jumping 0.5 per cent, or 37.8 to 7253.3.

Yesterday also marked Royal Mail (down 1 per cent or 3.9p to 372.9p) and Provident Financials (down 5.8 per cent or 46p to 748p) first day of trading in the FTSE 250 index after being booted out of the FTSE 100 in a reshuffle announced at the end of last month.

The FTSE was lifted by defence firm BAE Systems, which rose 3.9 per cent, or 23.5p, to 619.5p after Qatar said it would buy 24 of the companys fighter jets.

Although the value of the deal has not been disclosed, analysts at UBS think the jets will sell for around 90m each.

Global engineer GKN was also among the top performers, after it was boosted 2.6 per centc, or 8.8p, to 347.6p following an upgrade to neutral from underperform by analysts at Exane BNP.

The broker said it is unlikely that the UK or US government would permit a Chinese takeover of the group, which has been rumoured for some time.

Analysts at Liberum issued yet another sell note to Pearson, claiming it expects the education publisher to issue another profit warning before the end of 2017, despite already issuing five in the last four years.

Pearson has struggled to compete against online competition in the US higher education market with more students choosing to rent rather than buy textbooks.

Liberum warned there is little room to cut costs further to help maintain its full-year profit guidance of 546m-606m. Shares rose 0.7 per cent, or 4p, to 572.5p.
The Chinese company launching a swoop for embattled British chip maker Imagination has sparked security concerns after Donald Trump thwarted its takeover of a US business.

Canyon Bridge Capital Fund is rumoured to be in discussions about buying Hertfordshire-based Imagination Technologies, the supplier of iPhone chips.

But the private equity firms links with the Chinese state  which partly funds it  have reportedly spooked government officials who have concerns about its potential bid.

Beijing has made increasing its sway in high-tech industries a priority, but there is unease about its grab for technologies that have military applications. Attitudes are hardening in Washington, with President Trump last week dramatically blocking Canyon Bridges bid for semiconductor maker Lattice on grounds of national security.

And there were calls last night for similar scrutiny of any proposal by the fund to buy Imagination.

Sir Gerald Howarth, a former defence minister, told the Mail any deal should be put on hold until British officials had properly examined Canyon Bridges relationship with Beijing.

He said: We have got to urgently review our relationship with the Chinese government and the companies it supports.

They are increasingly seeking to buy up British interests but at the same time they are carrying out predatory cyber attacks on our military and commercial assets and trying to gain access to them.

It requires serious thought and until it has been looked at we must put on hold any attempt by Chinese interests to acquire sensitive assets such as Imagination or critical infrastructure.

Prime Minister Theresa May has previously vowed to look at foreign takeovers of British companies more closely. However ministers have not put any formal plans forward so far.

President Trumps rebuke of Canyon Bridge is likely to increase pressure on them to scrutinise any attempted takeover of Imagination. Reports suggest officials have already reached out to bankers working on the auction although their intervention was described as bluster and it was not clear whether they would take any action.

Bosses at Imagination, meanwhile, are eagerly looking for potential suitors after a dramatic tumble in the British companys fortunes.

The revelation that it was set to be dropped by Apple as a supplier in April sent its shares into freefall  wiping 500m off its value in a day.

But analysts have said it is likely to be an attractive opportunity for bigger tech companies to snap up its intellectual property which is still seen as valuable.

Last night spokesmen for Imagination and Canyon Bridge declined to comment.

A spokesman for the Department of Digital, Media, Culture and Sport said the Government did not comment on proposed commercial takeovers.
Brexit plan: MJ Hudson has opened an office in Luxembourg

BREXIT PLANS Asset management consultant MJ Hudson has opened an office in Luxembourg to prevent any disruption after Brexit.

OFFICE JOB Software firm Redstone Connect has won a 5.5million contract to equip the 850,000 sq ft London HQ of an unnamed financial institution.

ELECTION PROBE US lawmakers are pressurising Facebook to disclose an internal report the social media giant produced about Russian meddling in the US elections.

TECH BACKING Payments technology firm Gocardless has been given an extra 16.7million by investors Accel, Balderton Capital, Notion Capital and Passion Capital.

GROWTH FUNDS Swedish tech company iZettle is being given 26.7million to fund expansion by the European Investment Bank.

CEANING SUPPORT Graffiti remover Just Ask, which works for housing associations in London and the South East, has won a 9million investment from private equity house Bridges Fund Management.

EQUITY BOOST Investors have pumped 278million into a fund launched by private equity firm Archimed to be spent on acquiring medical technology and biopharma companies.

CASH RAISED Wealth manager Netwealth Investments, founded by former Goldman Sachs partner Charlotte Ransom, has raised 10million from 13 new supporters.

RIVAL BUYOUT Commercial property investor Palace Capital has agreed to buy rival RT Warren for 53.3million.

LUNG DRUG Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline has won approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for chronic lung disease inhaler, Trelegy Ellipta.

TESTS DEAL Genetic screening group Premaitha Health has signed an agreement to offer its tests to women in South Africa.

BOARD ROLE Video game maker Frontier Developments has hired James Mitchell, chief strategy officer at Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings, as a non-executive director.
By PTI: Chandigarh, Sep 19 (PTI) Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chiefs adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan has been booked for allegedly inciting violence following the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Haryana Police said today.

Honeypreet has been booked at Sector 5 police station in Panchkula.

The police added her name in FIR number 345 as an accused in connection with the violence that took place in Panchkula on August 25.

advertisement

"She is an accused in the case now," said Panchkula Police Commissioner A S Chawla.

Her name has been included in the same FIR in which other Dera functionaries Aditya Insan and Surinder Dhiman, among others, had been booked for allegedly inciting violence and arson, police said.

"Our efforts are on to nab her (Honeypreet)," Haryana DGP B S Sandhu said today.

Asked about reports that Honeypreet is in Nepal, the DGP said there was no concrete information in this regard.

"We are verifying each and every information, which we are getting," the DGP said.

Several teams have been sent to different locations and Haryana Police was also in touch with police of other states to search Honeypreet.

Haryana Police has also been questioning arrested Dera functionaries including Dilawar Insan and Pradeep Goyal to get concrete information about her place of hiding.

Dilawar Insan, a key member of the Dera was arrested from Sonipat while Pradeep, another Dera functionary was nabbed from Udaipur in Rajasthan by Haryana Police.

Yesterday, the special investigation team of Haryana Police questioned Dera Sacha Saudas spokesperson Vipassana Insan in Sirsa about the whereabouts of Honeypreet.

Police initiated efforts to trace Honeypreet following the questioning of another arrested functionary of the sect Surinder Dhiman Insan in connection with an alleged conspiracy to facilitate Dera chiefs escape after he was convicted for raping two disciples.

An FIR was earlier lodged in Panchkula police station following a statement by a newspaper reporter against Aditya and Surinder Dhiman Insaan. The duo were booked for sedition.

Police had also said that they needed to question Honeypreet on the basis of certain other disclosures of Surinder.

Police have already issued a lookout notice against Honeypreet and Aditya Insan.

Honeypreet had accompanied Ram Rahim when he was taken to Sunaria jail in Rohtak through chopper following his conviction in rape case on August 25. After that she went into hiding.

Violence had broken out in Panchkula after the Dera chiefs conviction, leaving 35 dead, while six others were killed in incidents in Sirsa. PTI CHS SUN DV

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
MBABANE  Local farmers might just have to relive what befell them in 2015, where over 67 080 cattle died and 64 per cent in maize harvest was lost.



This comes after reports that the ruthless El Nino drought is set to hit the country once again. This was confirmed by the Ministry of Agriculture Principal Secretary, Bongani Masuku, in an interview yesterday.



Masuku advised farmers to sell their livestock around December, as that was a time where they could be bought at premium prices. He also advised local farmers to engage in farming with a mind for business.

He said livestock that was ready to be traded in the market should be sold to enable calves to have enough grass to feed on when the drought comes.



When cows are few in an area, it helps when weather conditions are unfavourable as the livestock will have better chances of survival, he said.

Masuku stated that it created problems when there were too many cattle during times of drought, as the grass would not be enough to adequately feed them all. He advised that now was not the time to sell cattle, as they were just from the winter season and would not be attractive to buyers.



He warned that normally, rain stops between February and March and stated that this would not be the ideal time to sell cattle. Farmers who would have sold their cattle by that time would get profit, he said. He also warned farmers that their primary concern should not be having a large herd of cattle, but to sell and have enough grass for calves to feed.
The SIT was hot in pursuit of some leads in the Naxal ranks, as Gauri Lankesh was known to be a vanguardist for many Maoists wanting to surrender and reclaim civil life.

By Rohini Swamy: The Gauri Lankesh murder investigation is only becoming a dense labyrinth of twists and turns, with the police unable to secure any crucial lead so far.

Over 200 people have been questioned in the multi-faceted murder case of the Bengaluru based journalist-turned activist but the investigation has yielded no results as of yet.

NO TEAMS IN NAXAL AREAS

advertisement

Sources in the SIT say that they have also withdrawn their investigative teams from Naxal areas in Karnataka- districts like Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru and Udupi.

This recent development assumes significance as there were reports that Naxals could have had a hand in Lankesh's killing . The probing teams have been called back due to lack of evidence in establishing a link with the red brigade.

The investigation teams were hot in pursuit of some leads in the Naxal ranks, as Gauri Lankesh was known to be a vanguardist for many Maoists wanting to surrender and reclaim civil life.

According to her brother, she made enemies there because she helped many Naxals come into mainstream , which did not go down well with several leaders.

Meanwhile, critically acclaimed writer Vikram Sampath was also interrogated by the police.

Slamming the agency's ways of investigation, Sampath said it was unreasonable to question him in the Gauri Lankesh murder as she had written just one article criticising him over the 'Award Wapsi' campaign.

SIT completed hour long recording of my stmnt on #gaurilankeshmurder. Cooperated wt them as a law abiding citizen! https://t.co/NZxhswHySQ- Vikram Sampath (@vikramsampath) September 15, 2017

The police is also scrutinisig over 600 tapes of CCTV footage procured from cameras installed near the scene of crime.

The noted senior journalist was shot dead outside her Bengaluru residence on September 5, at 8 pm by two bike-borne assailants. Four bullets were pumped into her.

ALSO WATCH | Gauri Lankesh murder: Another voice of dissent silenced?

--- ENDS ---
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

By Gina Martinez

Queensborough Community College students will now have the opportunity to transfer scholarships to St. Johns University in Jamaica Estates.

At a formal ceremony held Friday at St. Johns, St. Johns University President Conrado Bobby Gempesaw and Queensborough Community College President Diane Call were joined by staff from both institutions at a signing of the agreement that they said will create a seamless transfer process for students from Queensborough to St. Johns.

The new articulation agreement between the two schools provides nearly 20 curriculum maps that will guide CUNYs Queensborough students as they plan to enter St. Johns University, a private parochial college. In addition, St. Johns will provide a $17,000 transfer scholarship to students who will study at the Queens campus and who meet specific academic requirements. The maps outline a pathway from a two-year curriculum into 21 different bachelors programs awarded through the Tobin College of Business, The School of Education, the College of Professional Studies, St. Johns College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

According to the leaders from both institutions, this new academic agreement will be mutually beneficial  for students and supports St. Johns strategic priorities of ensuring student success and expanding community partnerships. Call said the agreement, which went into effect after the Sept. 8 signing, will enhance access and affordability to higher education, a shared goal of both St. Johns and Queensborough.

Gempesaw said the agreement will provide students from the borough with access to a high-quality, affordable advanced education. He said the process began a few months ago when he was looking to expand partnerships with community colleges that have traditionally been sending students to St. Johns already.

I looked at that and said I want to enrich this in a way that was still personal, Gempesaw said. So it was really important to establish a relationship between the leaders of the institutions as a start. I went ahead and visited Queensborough and met with them, and the rest is history.

When asked if she had to think twice about the offer, Call said it was a no-brainer.

St. Johns is obviously an extraordinary institution, she said. Its very well-known and for us, we have so many of our faculty and staff that are graduates of St. Johns, so there was a familiarity clearly on our many levels. It was very exciting for us because we are a transfer institution and so many students are seeking opportunities for a bachelor degree, and St. Johns has always been welcoming.

Call said this is a great opportunity to have a formal relationship because the strong academic program mirrors Queenboroughs. Thus, the transition for the students would be comfortable and natural. Call said she knew students would be in good hands at St. Johns and she hopes this will open the doors for future programs between the two schools.

Its been wonderful, she said. Its been a tribute to the leadership at St. Johns. This is a very complex process and we got through it. We have a wonderful opportunity here and potential for future collaborations.
Did you vote in the midterm elections as if your countrys existence depended on it?
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

COLONIE  State Republican Chairman Ed Cox preached party unity on Tuesday following the GOP's biennial reorganizational meeting, declaring that "we've never been as united as we are as a party now going forward."

When party officials will have a single 2018 gubernatorial candidate to unify behind is less certain.

Cox expressed excitement in speaking with reporters following the meeting at the Radisson Hotel on Wolf Road about the candidates lining up for a shot at the state's top elected office. Rob Astorino, the Westchester County executive and 2014 candidate; Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro; top Republican lawmakers Brian Kolb and John DeFrancisco; and businessman Harry Wilson, a 2010 candidate for comptroller, all have either put out feelers about a run or at the very least haven't dispelled the notion they may seek the nomination.

Cox, who was re-elected to a fifth two-year term Tuesday, said the ideal time for candidates to make a decision about a bid is between now and January. That's months ahead of when Astorino formally declared his 2014 bid and began his fight for name recognition against incumbent Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a state that leans heavily to the left based on enrollment.

Despite the wide-open field, Cox expressed little concern about a potential primary for the Republican nomination like in 2010, when Carl Paladino emerged as the nominee after a bruising battle with the party establishment, which backed Rick Lazio.

"At the moment we've got a number of good candidates," he said. "I think it's going to sort itself out as we go through this."

The chairman added that party leaders statewide "know what's at stake here."

"They know that if we do not win the governorship, it will be very difficult for us to hold on to the state Senate," he said. "That leads to in the end New York state ending up like Illinois."

That state, which faces fiscal crisis, has been gridlocked by a Democratic Legislature and a Republican governor. In New York, the GOP holds a bare 32-member state Senate majority, which is bolstered by a coalition with the eight-member Independent Democratic Conference and a ninth Democrat who caucuses with the Republicans.

Cox was optimistic not only about state party unity, but also about national Republican assistance for next year's state elections. He said of the Republican Governors Association, "they'll be right in here supporting our candidate."

The RGA, which did not respond to a request for comment, rebuked Astorino in 2014, with then-Chairman Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey saying the group doesn't invest in "lost causes."

With candidates working through their internal decision-making processes about a bid, Cox said the party is prepared to begin a 14-month "boots on the ground" campaign statewide to recruit volunteers, knock on doors, make phone calls and "do what I don't think a state party, either Democrat or Republican, has done in New York state because these elections that are coming up in 2018 are too important to the state."

Part of the general GOP campaign effort may need to be walking a tightrope between embracing President Donald Trump and asserting independence from a Republican whom 66 percent of voters statewide have an unfavorable view of, according to Siena College polling.

Asked if a gubernatorial candidate will have to be independent of Trump, Cox replied, "Well sure."

"This is New York state," he said. "It is a state race. It is not a race that is national."

mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
By PTI: (Eds: Adding info in para 2)

By Kunal Dutt

New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) Celebrating the legacy of Carnatic music icon M S Subbulakshmi, an exhibition was today inaugurated by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who described her as an "unsurpassed phenomenon" in the field.

At an event held at the IGNCA here as part of her birth centenary celebrations, Naidu also released special commemorative coins of Rs 100 and Rs 10 denominations in her honour.

advertisement

The nearly two-week-long exhibition titled Kurai Ondrum Illai borrows its name from one of her famous songs that portrays her journey from her birth in Madurai to becoming a globally celebrated musician, who earned awards and admiration.

Fondly regarded as MS, she was hailed as the nightingale of Carnatic music and the exhibits drawn from rare archives also delve into her career in cinema.

Subbulakshmi had many firsts to her credit, from being the first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna to winning the Ramon Magsaysay Award, and performing at the UN General Assembly.

"She was an unsurpassed phenomenon in the Carnatic music field and perhaps will remain unsurpassed in this generation too. First prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru once told her that he was just an ordinary PM, but she was a queen of music.

"Even Gandhiji had requested her to do a rendition of Hari Tuma Haro bhajan, which she did. It was recorded overnight and sent to Gandhiji on his birthday in 1947," Naidu said.

The vice president said, "It is our bounden duty to preserve our culture for the next generation, and the life and legacy of MS should inspire the youth to pursue greater heights."

The exhibition hosted at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) will end on September 30 after which it will travel to a few other cities.

"After Delhi, it will travel to Chennai, and later to Bengaluru, Kolkata and Vadodara. The schedule for the last three cities are yet to be worked out. At the end of this exhibition a monograph on MS would also be published," IGNCAs Member Secretary Sachchidanand Joshi said.

The exhibits include old posters of the films she acted in -- Sevasadanam (1938), Sakuntalai(1940), Savithiri (1941), Meera (1945), all in Tamil, and Meerabai (1947), the Hindi remake of Meera.

Subbulakshmis great-grandchildren Aishwarya (21) and Saundarya (12), who were present during the function, performed MSs song Enta matramuna evvaru talachina, as a tribute.

"It is a proud moment for all of us. The joy of seeing the exhibition on our great-grandmothers life, who is still considered an icon, makes us feel proud and humbled," Aishwarya told PTI.

advertisement

"A couple of iPads carrying her 150 select songs have also been placed in the exhibit area for visitors and an audio-visual centre facility has been set up to screen a short documentary on her life," a member of the curation team said.

The event today was held as part of the year-long celebrations to mark Subbulakshmis birth centenary that kicked of last year on September 16, a senior IGNCA official said. PTI KND ANB BDS ANB ANB

--- ENDS ---
Women in New York state have had the right to vote for almost a century  since Nov. 6, 1917, when men cast their ballots on an amendment to the state constitution, approving equal suffrage.

It was a long time coming: 69 years since the Seneca Falls Convention kick-started the women's rights movement, 39 since the women's suffrage amendment was introduced to Congress, 15 years since the death of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 11 since the death of Susan B. Anthony. The women first empowered to vote in the Empire State were generations removed from the women who first took up the cause.

"What do anniversaries do? They give us an opportunity to reflect. And when we reflect on what we know about the women's suffrage movement in the United States, I hope we come to appreciate what a hard-fought battle it was," said Carolyn Stefanco, a women's studies scholar and president of The College of Saint Rose. "And for many women who participated in the movement, who led the movement, they never saw success in their lifetimes."

Saint Rose was founded as a Catholic women's college in 1920, the year women acquired the right to vote nationally. While New York granted full suffrage three years ahead of the country  the 12th state to do so, the first one east of the Mississippi  it lagged behind trailblazing Western states. Wyoming was the first, enfranchising women almost 50 years ahead of New York.

More Information If you go ONGOING: ''Spotlight: Albany and Anti-Suffrage.'' Albany Institute of History & Art, 125 Washington Ave., Albany. http://www.albanyinstitute.org. This exhibit tells the story of the women who first met in 1894 before the New York constitutional convention convened, organized the Albany branch of the New York State Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage, lobbied to make their views heard in 1915, and lost their fight in 1917. ''Women's Suffrage: A Documented History.'' Albany Institute of History & Art, 125 Washington Ave., Albany. http://www.albanyinstitute.org. 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21; weekly through Oct. 26. A reading and discussion series where participants will examine the history of the women's suffrage movement. MONDAY ''Hanna & Francis Sheehy Skeffington - feminists, pacifists, Irish.'' Irish American Heritage Museum, 370 Broadway, Albany. 6:30 p.m. https://irish-us.org/. Dr. Micheline Sheehy Skeffington will give an illustrated lecture on her grandparents, based on a family view of their lives and history and using illustrations from the family archives. They both became ardent suffragists and were highly principled regarding nationalism and pacifism, both being jailed for their various actions. SATURDAY Women of Glens Falls & Queensbury - Pineview Cemetery tour, 53 Quaker Road, Queensbury. 793-2826. $8-$12. Walking tours are scheduled for 10, 10:30 and 11 a.m., noon, 12:30 and 1 p.m. The tour, a collaboration between the Chapman Museum and Glens Falls Community Theatre, present this living history theatrical event that brings the stories of area women to life. UPCOMING: ''Voting 101: Everything We Forgot or Never Knew about Elections and Voting in New York State.'' Albany Institute of History & Art, 125 Washington Ave., Albany. 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5. Featuring Jennifer Wilson, director of program and policy from the nonpartisan League of Women Voters. ''1900 Statewide Suffrage Convention.'' First Baptist Church, 100 Maple St., Glens Falls. 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21. 793-2826. Area organizations will re-create part of the statewide suffrage convention that was held in Glens Falls in 1900. ''New York Women's Suffrage Centennial Conference.'' Cultural Education Center, 222 Madison Ave., Albany. 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4. http://www.nychtn.com/. Will feature lectures, panel discussions, reception and more. ''Votes for Women: Celebrating New York's Suffrage Centennial.'' State Museum, 222 Madison Ave., Albany. http://www.nysm.nysed.gov. The exhibit will celebrate the centennial of women's suffrage in New York state and raise public awareness of the struggle for women's suffrage and equal rights in New York state from the 1848 Seneca Falls Conven-tion through 1917 when New York granted women the right to vote. The exhibition will also address the nationally significant role of New York leaders in regards to women's rights and the feminist movement through the early 21st century. Opens Nov. 4. Through May 13, 2018. 100 Years of Suffrage in New York State - A special suffrage tour of the Capitol, State and Washington streets, Albany. 5:30 p.m. Nov. 7; Noon Nov. 11; 5:30 p.m. Nov. 14; Noon Dec. 9. https://www.ogs.ny.gov. One-hour tour will explore the connections between the Capitol and the historic fight for suffrage. It will feature an exhibit of artifacts selected to showcase the suffragists' journey from earliest ambition to success. The tours coincide with suffrage exhibits and events at the State Museum and the Albany Institute. See More Collapse

Why? Stefanco believes it has to do with New York's prominence in the anti-suffrage movement, led by married women of a certain class who opposed voting rights. "What they were worried about, in my view, is they were concerned that they would lose special protections and the ability to champion the values of the home and family," she said, adding that those protections didn't apply to the less-privileged.

The politics and motivations were complex: the Women's Christian Temperance Union, for instance, supported suffrage as a way to achieve their aims. They assumed women would vote differently from men  as did many who opposed the enfranchisement of women. "The sad truth is that most women voted like their husbands," she said. "So there wasn't this wholesale change."

Stefanco is curating the suffrage component to "Albany & Anti-Suffrage," a new exhibit at the Albany Institute of History & Art. (According to the Nov. 7, 1917, New York Times, "Albany County gave a severe blow to suffrage, going against it by 2 to 1, or 9,000 majority.") Other suffrage-related programming in the coming weeks and months include "Votes for Women," an exhibit at the State Museum; and "The Mother of Us All," the suffrage-themed opera by Virgil Thompson and Gertrude Stein, to be staged at Hudson Hall.

"You cannot understand the history of women's suffrage or the larger women's rights movement ... without understanding the role of New York," Stefanco said. "Because New York was where it started. New York was where many of the earliest proponents were from. New York is where many of the most significant conventions occurred."

Despite that gaping lag between 1848 and 1917, Stefanco sees positive lessons in the lengthy quest for suffrage. Enfranchisement "enabled women to become historical actors in their own right in a way they could not before they had the right to vote. It enabled women who had long been civically engaged to be civically engaged in a different type of way," she said.

American women started out in the same category as children  as people needing protection. In a time of slavery, the definition of men was also profoundly narrow. But the ideals that founded the nation and the rights defined by those ideals have evolved, however slowly, without a wholesale change in government. "Over time," she said, "those rights have been expanded to include more and more of those people."

Looking back at the long arc of the women's movement, Stefanco said, their victory at the booths 100 years ago reminds us that change takes time. "It reminds us not to give up. To appreciate the work of those who came before. To appreciate the work of those who came before you, and to think about the efforts of those who will take the baton from you.

"Because in many cases, whether it was suffrage or other causes to which many of us are committed, it's more than a generation," she said. "It's more than a lifetime to make the kind of positive change we want to make in this country. So we have to have the long view."

abiancolli@timesunion.com  518-454-5439  @AmyBiancolli
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

LOUDONVILLE  A 20-year-old Siena College student is facing child pornography charges after two cyber-tips led federal investigators to his doorstep.

Kyle E. Roache of Oneida County had just started his third year at the private college when the FBI showed up at his door Sept. 7 with a search warrant, according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.

College officials confirmed Tuesday that a student was removed from campus following the execution of a search warrant that morning. The search involved FBI and other law enforcement agencies, according to the college's Department of Public Safety.

In the affidavit, FBI Special Agent David Frehulfer says he received two cyber-tips in June from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the potential distribution of child pornography by an individual associated with a Dropbox account.

That account had been used to view several still images and videos of prepubescent children being sexually abused, Frehulfer said, and the IP addresses used to log into the account were assigned to Siena College and a residence in Vernon, a village in Oneida County.

On Aug. 25, Siena's director of public safety informed the FBI that Roache, a student since August 2015, had a home address matching the Vernon address.

When officers went to execute a search warrant in Vernon, they found that Roache had already left for his fall semester of college, and obtained a warrant for his Siena address.

Roache admitted to receiving, possessing and viewing child pornography. He used an online chat website called Omegle and an instant messaging application called Kik to receive the pornography between his high school graduation in 2015 and February or March of 2017, he told officers.

He is charged with violating federal child pornography laws.

In a statement, the college said: "Any violation of federal, state or local law is considered a violation of the Siena College Code of Conduct. The College reserves the right to take appropriate action when, in the judgment of College officials, the alleged conduct has a negative impact on the College community or the pursuit of its mission or the broader community in which we live."

The college declined further comment, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Troy

A doctor whose medical practice is accused in a whistleblower lawsuit with violating rules regarding controlled substances denied the allegations Tuesday, saying his former employees motivation is to pressure him into paying her off.

Dr. Mustafain Meghani of Troy-based Upstate Physician Services said that the former employee, Jessica Merola of Wynantskill, is wrong in asserting the medical practice improperly prescribed Suboxone, a medication to treat patients addicted to opioids, and inadequately responded to another employees efforts to obtain prescription medications for herself. Merola also falsely characterized her firing as retaliation, he said.

A Times Union story on Monday about the allegations could hinder his Meghanis ability to keep the practice running and endanger his position as a cardiologist with St. Peters Health Partners Medical Associates, Meghani, 37, said. He launched Upstate Physician Services with a partner three years ago to offer services to needy patients. He claims to have lost $2 million operating what is now a four-office business serving 3,500 patients, as he tries to develop a new type of medical practice.

I have no motivation to continue after being dragged through the mud, Meghani said.

Merola deferred all questions to her attorney, Danielle Holley of the Albany law firm OConnell & Aronowitz. Holley declined to answer questions, saying the firm does not comment on pending litigation.

Merolas lawsuit, filed Sept. 1 in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of New York, charges that a nurse practitioner at Upstate Physician Services prescribed Suboxone to patients last year, although at the time only doctors were allowed to do that. Merola claims that although these patients never saw a physician, they were nonetheless billed for an office visit with Meghani.

The accusations reflect a lack of understanding of Upstates integrated care model, Meghani said. With approval from state officials, practitioners work as a team to provide patients with primary care, mental health and addiction services to patients. Patients may see a nurse practitioner, but Meghani is aware of their medical status and electronically submits the prescriptions to their pharmacies.

Though integrated medical offices are emerging as a model of care, codes for billing insurance companies have not caught up, Meghani said. He has been in touch with health insurers to arrange appropriate billing for services, he said.

The lawsuit also alleges that Meghani did not report to state regulators the illegal actions by another former employee, who stole pages from a prescription pad to obtain medication for herself, and harassed Upstate patients on social media to get medications from them. Meghani said he fired the employee and reported the incidents to local police.

Merola claims her firing last December was in retaliation for reporting alleged wrongdoing at Upstate to the state attorney generals office and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. But Meghani said she was actually fired for improperly accessing patient and employee records.

Before filing the lawsuit, Merola demanded $250,000 from Upstate Physician Services to avoid litigation, Meghani said. He refused.

If I had something to hide, I would have tried to settle, he said.
SAN JUAN - Residents of Puerto Rico were bracing for a possible direct hit from Hurricane Maria early Wednesday morning, the latest powerful storm to barrel across the Atlantic Ocean while menacing the islands of the Caribbean and threatening the United States.

Gas stations here ran out of fuel and people scrambled to book last-minute flights out of harm's way in advance of Maria, which had strengthened to a massive Category 5 hurricane with potentially catastrophic winds. The storm caused widespread damage in the island nation of Dominica this week and is blamed for at least one death on the French island of Guadeloupe.

Forecasters say the hurricane is on track to pummel the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, followed by an expected path through Puerto Rico, home to 3.5 million U.S. citizens. The island has not seen a hurricane make landfall since Georges in 1998, and it narrowly missed taking the brunt of Hurricane Irma just days ago when that storm passed to the north on its way to Florida.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, R, called Maria potentially historic and warned residents to take it seriously. Authorities pre-emptively dredged out canals to funnel away floodwaters, set up 500 emergency shelters and urged residents to stock up on food and water.

"This is an unprecedented atmospheric system," Rossello said in a statement. "It's time to act and look for a safe place if you live in flood-prone areas or in wooden or vulnerable structures."

The National Weather Service on Tuesday called Maria "potentially catastrophic," with rainfall that could total between 12 and 18 inches and in some places as much as 25 inches. It warned of the possibility of "structural damage to sturdy buildings, some with complete roof and wall failures." Some locations, it said, could be "uninhabitable for weeks or months."

The grave warnings echo those delivered by authorities in Florida, Texas and other areas ahead of devastating hurricanes in recent weeks that have claimed dozens of lives in the United States and the Caribbean.

The 2017 hurricane season already has featured four storms registering at Category 4 or higher, putting it on par with some of the most-intense seasons in U.S. history - with more than two months remaining.

Just days ago, Florida and parts of the Virgin Islands were strafed by Irma, a massive storm that struck land in the Florida Keys as a Category 4. Days before that, Hurricane Harvey swept across the Gulf of Mexico to deliver record floodwaters to Houston as the storm stagnated over Texas.

As Maria swirls westward, the remnant of another hurricane is threatening parts of the East Coast, from Delaware to eastern Massachusetts.

What is left of Hurricane Jose is forecast to weaken, and its center is expected to pass well offshore. But Jose could still bring heavy winds and moderate flooding to coastal beach areas.

If Maria's impact on the tiny island nation of Dominica is any indication, the dire warnings are warranted.

In a breathless series of Facebook posts Monday night, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit described furious winds that tore off the roof of his official residence. "My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding," he wrote at about 9:20 p.m. Monday.

He was quickly rescued, but his posting a few hours later expressed no great relief.

"So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace," he wrote. "My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains."

Dominica, with a population of 72,000, is a country about the size of greater New York City. A sovereign nation that gained its independence from Great Britain in 1978, it bills itself the "Nature Island" of the Caribbean for its lush volcanic mountains and tropical rain forests.

On Tuesday morning, officials on the French island of Guadeloupe said 80,000 homes there were without power and there was an increased risk of flooding and landslides.

Images from the islands showed felled trees strewn about the roads and neighborhoods submerged in water. There were reports that Maria had caused at least one fatality there

In Puerto Rico, preparations have been complicated because it is still recovering from Irma, which skirted to the north but left at least one dead and large areas of the island without power.

Residents of San Juan, the capital city, appeared to be heeding officials' warnings to get ready, with many preparing since the weekend with a growing sense of unease and resignation.

At a gas station in Barrio Obrero, Manuel Rivera sat huddled in the back of a red Jeep Tuesday afternoon surrounded by water jugs full of gas.

His friends filled them one-by-one to ensure they would have enough fuel for the generator at their home. They had electricity for now, but they expected it could be gone by nightfall.

"The power leaves when it wants to," Rivera said. After Irma, his home was without power for about a week.

Grocery and convenience stores had run out of water and ice. Neighborhoods were quiet, save for a few cars on the roads, and the sound of people banging boards across their windows.

"Of course, I'm nervous, but I feel prepared," said Wilfredo Torres, 36, one of the men installing corrugated steel storm windows outside the U.S. Post Office in the Miramar neighborhood. "There's another storm coming. Maria is coming, and there's nothing you can do. You have to prepare and then wait and see."

A family from Bayamon braved the winds for a brief walk along Avenida Munoz Rivera on the waterfront, bored after being cooped up in their house all day setting up for the hurricane.

"Everyone is calm, but tense," said Jorge Velez, out for a walk alongside his wife Arleen Santini and their son, Ricardo, 6. "I've seen David, Hugo and Ortensia. But what Maria brings is double the force."

With that, drops began to fall from the sky, and the strengthening winds tilted the palm trees along the waterfront. Velez and his family rushed to their white SUV, dodging the rain and heading back home for the night.

Fear also rippled across Vieques, a tiny island off Puerto Rico's east coast that is home to about 9,500 residents, many of whom live below the poverty level and are accustomed to dealing with some measure of hardship. Many there evacuated during Irma and opted to stay put for Maria, but are now having second thoughts.

"I regret not leaving," said Marie Rivera, 56, whose parents live on Puerto Rico's main island. "I'm not sure when I will be able to see my family again. I'm starting to get a little anxious now."

Irma left many here without power for days. In an unfortunate twist, some residents of Vieques had stocked up on critical supplies in advance of Irma only to donate what they had left to harder-hit areas such as Tortola and St. Thomas. Residents rushed to restock before deliveries to the island stopped and the power flickered off yet again.

President Donald Trump on Sunday declared emergencies in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in advance of Maria. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has embedded workers across the U.S. territories in the Caribbean, including in parts of the U.S. Virgin Islands affected by Irma, to ensure residents have food and water before the storm.

Recovery efforts in Puerto Rico could be hampered by long-standing financial problems that led the territorial government to file for a form of bankruptcy in May.

---

Schmidt and Cassady reported from San Juan and Somashekhar reported from Washington. Amy Gordon in Vieques, Puerto Rico; Anthony Faiola in Miami; Rachelle Krygier in Caracas; and Jason Samenow and Amy B Wang in Washington contributed to this report.

- - -

Video: The Post's Jason Samenow has the latest forecast for Hurricane Maria and Jose.

URL: http://wapo.st/2fvnaNb

Embed code:
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Many women from the Capital Region have stood up to the daunting challenge of making a name for themselves in business. Three in particular have paved their way as inventors, storytellers, and CEOs. The success of these women can be seen nationwide, although they each share roots from Albany and Saratoga County.

Melissa Gersin, Creator of the Tranquilo Mat

Inspiration comes to people in many different ways. Melissa Gersin, a former Saratoga Springs resident, found inspiration for the Tranquilo Mat late one night while caring for multiple babies simultaneously. She was a maternity nurse for the Tufts Medical Center at the time, and knew there had to be an easier way for her to handle colicky babies.

More Information  Not a member of Women@Work? Sign up at TUWomenatwork.com - and tell a friend. See More Collapse

"I knew the technique of constant sound and constant movement," said Gersin, 33, of Boston. "I had to do that manually with my hands full of babies."

Initially, Gersin presented her idea for a soothing baby mat to the hospital's patent office with little success. She then learned soldering and circuitry to create prototypes and conduct tests.

"I would just keep getting good feedback and it became clear that I owe it to this idea to bring it out into the world," Gersin said.

Less than five years later, Gersin now finds herself with thousands of eager customers and happy babies, partially due to investors' funding thanks to the ABC show "Shark Tank." Gersin fought tooth and nail against the odds to earn her success with the Tranquilo Mat.

"I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for that really difficult struggle," Gersin said.

Kate Hoit, Military marketing manager, National University System

Delmar native and United States Army veteran Kate Hoit wanted to be the first in her family to graduate from college. Hoit enlisted in the Army Reserves three months after 9/11 to earn assistance for college tuition and to serve her country.

Transitioning from serving to taking undergrad classes proved to be difficult for Hoit, now in the greater San Diego region.

"I went from being a 21-year-old with a job that I loved (with) huge responsibilities and friends, to a kid back in college waiting tables," Hoit said.

Hoit, 33, became the director of content at Got Your 6, an organization aimed at normalizing and destigmatizing veterans in society.

"In this role, I created content  videos, social media campaigns, photography  to share the veteran story," Hoit said. "People see veterans as either 'heroic' or 'broken' and my goal is to shift those perceptions."

Hoit now works at the National University System, providing educational opportunities for students.

"As someone who was a non-traditional student and relied on tuition assistance to support my education, I feel personally connected to the cause," Hoit said.

Willa Tsokanis, CEO, Evolving Sustainable Apparel

Willa Tsonakis almost dropped out of the Fashion Institute of Technology when she learned fashion was the second-most polluting industry in the world. The Evolving Sustainable Apparel CEO grew up in Albany, where she developed a deep connection to nature from frequently hiking the Kaaterskill Falls.

By her junior year in 2015, Tsokanis learned muslin, a cotton-based fabric, typically ends up in landfills. As a result, she spearheaded a project with a fellow student to prevent muslin waste on her campus.

"We developed the first large-scale composting system for natural fiber textiles in the world at the FIT campus," Tsokanis said.

By the time Tsokanis graduated, she had founded ESA with four fellow students that shared her passion for sustainable clothing production.

"Our essential goal is to transform fashion from the second-most polluting industry in the world to the most innovative in the world of environmental sustainability," said Tsokanis, based in Harlem.

ESA provides a platform for eco-friendly consumers to connect with sustainability-focused producers by hosting networking events.

After successfully launching sustainable fashion shows and do-it-yourself design tutorials, Tsokanis is determined to spread ESA's influence around the globe.

"For the leaders of sustainable fashion," Tsokanis said, "now is the time to burn the midnight oil."
Shankersinh Vaghela said that people were fed up with the BJP and the Congress and were desperate for an alternative.

By India Today Web Desk: Former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela, who recently quit the Congress, today said he has joined Jan Vikalp, a party formed by his supporters in the poll-bound state.

Vaghela said he has extended his support to the Jan Vikalp, calling it just a front, not a political party. Saying his "approach" to the front will be positive, he said, "I will not criticise Modi or Shah, but will criticise the BJP government in the state. Similarly, I will not criticise Sonia either."

advertisement

Vaghela, who had engineered a revolt of sorts in the opposition Congress last month, said the people were fed up with the BJP and the Congress, and were desperate for an alternative.

The front, believed to be Vaghela's brainchild, will support candidates from an assortment of non-BJP and non-Congress political parties as well as independents who register with it for the upcoming assembly elections, the former Chief Minister said.

Addressing a crowded press conference in Ahmedabad, the rebel Congress leader said, "It is a myth to say that an alternative political force can't work in Gujarat."

"I had offered the Congress that I could get not less than 90 seats if I am given a free hand, but well," Vaghela said, adding that people now want change but don't see the Congress offering that.

Ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha election in the state last month, Vaghela quit Congress and took at least 13 party MLAs with him. Ten of them joined the BJP.

DO WATCH: Congress expelled me 24 hours ago, says Shankarsinh Vaghela

--- ENDS ---
The Save Our Acute Hospital Services Committee welcomes the long awaited approval for the construction of a 40 bed modular inpatient unit at South Tipperary General Hospital announced by the Minister for Health last Friday.

The announcement is the culmination of almost 2 years work and pressure by the Committee, patients and their families, hospital staff, local and Oireachtas public representatives and the general public.

The delivery of these beds by June 2018, will require a hugely concentrated effort and commitment and the dovetailing of a number of processes including tendering, planning, building, fitting out and staffing.

In order to drive this project forward, The Save Our Acute Hospital Services Committee and Oireachtas Members will be meeting H.S.E. Officials on an ongoing basis, starting the first week of November, to make sure targets are set and met.

These modular beds are, of course, only an interim and partial solution to the continuing crisis at the hospital. The delivery of these beds and the crucial future development of permanent beds, new wards and upgraded facilities will require a continued united effort to deliver for the people of the County. The Hospital Committee policy over the last 9 years of inclusivity and united effort of the public, patients, staff, hospital management, the media and the people of all political persuasions and none has been particularly successful.

In this Context, the Committee welcomes the assurance by the Minister for Health, at our meeting on Friday last, that capital funding will be allocated in Novembers Capital Budget to all this process to commence.

The Save Our Acute Hospital Services Committee is seriously concerned at the unacceptable level of mental health services in the County.

The closure of St Michaels Unit and the transfer of acute inpatient psychiatric beds to Kilkenny and Ennis has been nothing short of disastrous and despite promises of a Rolls Royce community based service, we are now left with an utterly inadequate, under resourced, underfunded and understaffed service.

At our Committees request, on Friday last, Minister Harris has agreed that Mr Jim Daly T.D., Minister with responsibility for Mental Health Services will meet a deputation from the Save Our Acute Hospital Services Committee and Oireachtas Members shortly to address these issues.
The opening of a new 17-bed short stay medical ward at University Hospital Limerick this Tuesday has been welcomed by Tipperary TD Alan Kelly.

The 17 bed medical short stay ward, which will open seven days per week, 24 hours a day, is a very welcome addition to the hospital and will help to address the bed capacity needs of UL Hospitals Group, said Deputy Kelly.

I fully support any initiatives to help address the problems with the bed capacity at the hospitals, he said.

The Limerick hospital caters for patients from the northern end of Tipperary, including THurles, Roscrea, Nenagh and Borrisokane.

The new ward is located in a refurbished area of the former old Emergency Department at UHL, which closed to the public in May when the new 24m ED opened on site.

Plans for the short-stay ward were initially announced when the ED opened, since then the refurbishment has been underway and has continued throughout the Summer.

On presentation to the new ED or to the Acute Medical Assessment Unit at UHL, medical patients who require admission, with an expected length of stay of no greater than 48 hours, can now be admitted to the new medical short-stay ward.

In addition to the new medical short stay ward, UHL has 400 inpatient beds which is recognised as being insufficient for the needs of the MidWest Region, according to the hospital group.

A bid to build an additional 96 bed block on the UHL site has been submitted to the Department of Health and approval has been granted for funding of the design stage of the build.
The next phase of Nenagh Castle development looks to be back on track following the visit of Minister for the OPW, Kevin Boxer Moran, to Nenagh a couple of weeks back.

Minister Moran visited the town on the invitation of Cllr Hughie McGrath, and last, Thursday, September 7, the Independent councillor revealed that the minister had since contacted him directly on the issue.

The Minister has had a meeting with his officials and they will write to the council, Cllr McGrath told Nenagh Municipal District Council.

He is looking for us to carry out a study to find out what is the best way to connect the castle to the town, said Cllr McGrath.

He said that Minister Moran was hoping to push on with looking at Phase 2 of the project.

We all know the ideal solution is to take down two houses on Pearse Stret. That has to be looked at and costed, said Cllr McGrath.

District manager Marcus O'Connor said there was now a positive and reasonable chance of getting Phase 2 re-assessed.

However, he wasn't sure that the council itself was clear on what it wanted.

Mr O'Connor recalled that the plan to demolish the two buildings on Pearse Street had proven to be controversial, but that maybe views have changed.

He thought going ahead with a walkway from Bachelor's Walk had not been controversial and maybe they should be pushing that plan.

We would have to do a feasibility study and carry out public consultations. Hopefully, we will get funding for the study, but to get to Phase 2 we need to be clear what we want, he said.

Nenagh marks its 800th anniversary in 202o, and Cllr Seamus Morris asked if there was a better signature project to mark the anniversary that to have the castle development complete.

Cllr Ger Darcy said that Minister Moran had been impressed with what he saw at the castle and in the town's historical quarter.

The ball is now in our court. We need to put together a proposal, said the Fine Gael councillor

Nenagh Municipal District Council Cathaoirleach Cllr John Carroll said that he hoped the castle project would go from strength to strength.
A County Tipperary student will be among five show participants to compete to win cash, cars and luxury holidays when the first episode of the latest series of Winning Streak returns to living rooms all over Ireland this Saturday evening, with one getting the once-in-a-lifetime chance to spin the Grand Prize Wheel.

Among the five players chosen to participate in the first episode of this series is Diarmuid Ryan from Clonakenny Roscrea, Co. Tipperary.

Winning Streak returns this Saturday evening at 8:15pm on RTE One. Show presenters Marty Whelan and Sinead Kennedy are back as Winning Streak celebrates its 29th series.

Diarmuid (19) lives at home in Roscrea with his parents John and Joan and is a former student of our Lady's Templemore Secondary School. He is the youngest of four siblings with two sisters and one brother. Diarmuid has recently started college, studying dairy business at University College Dublin (UCD). He hopes to work on the family farm when he finishes college.

Diarmuid has his sister, Mairead to thank for his appearance on Winning Streak. She gifted him the lucky Winning Streak ticket to celebrate his leaving cert results which he collected in August. Sensibly, Diarmuid plans to use his Winning Streak prize to pay for college while he also plans to treat his family with his winnings. He will be supported by a large group of family and friends who have hired a big bus to bring them all the way from Roscrea on Saturday evening.

Such fantastic news for past pupil Diarmuid Ryan from Clonakenny. Best of luck from Our Lady's.

Hope you get 'to spin that wheel' https://t.co/IcJvxg7HW3  OurLady'sTemplemore (@ourladystm) September 19, 2017

The popular gameshow first appeared on our screens way back in September 1990 and since then a massive 5,840 people have taken part, winning in excess of 165 million in prizes. Almost 2.5 million alone was won in prizes on the past season of Winning Streak.

The new season will see the return of players favourite games including; Fantastic Five, High Low Share, Wheel Reveal and the Grand Prize Wheel, giving five lucky players on each show the opportunity to win prizes of cash, cars and holidays. And of course the show will also Feature the iconic spinning wheel giving a lucky player a chance to win up to 500,000.

In addition a lucky stub player will be drawn as the winner of a Luxury Cruise for two valued at 5,000 on each week of the show.

To enter the draw for the Luxury Cruise for two, players must collect the 3 letters S-E-A from the stub portion of their Winning Streak scratch card and send those into the National Lottery in the special grey stub envelope, also available at National Lottery retail sales agents

The five lucky players that will go forward to play the first show of the new series of Winning Streak on Saturday 23rd September are:

Diarmuid Ryan from Gortnagonna, Roscrea, Co Tipperary

Kevin Meade from Carrigaline, Co Cork

Zsuzanna Furey from Kilkeaskin, Carbury, Co Kildare

Liz Hadley from Enniscorthy, Co Wexford

Gabriel Atidoo, from Derrinturn, Co Kildare


[September 18, 2017] KnowledgeLake to Sponsor Microsoft Ignite in Orlando

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- KnowledgeLake, an innovator of document processing solutions, will exhibit during the sold-out Microsoft Ignite Conference Sept. 24-29 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The company will debut a powerful, new content capture offering and showcase its other Microsoft-centric solutions to more than 20,000 IT implementers, developers, data professionals and decision makers at the event. "As companies embrace digital transformation, we know Microsoft Ignite attendees are looking at strategies that leverage the cloud to revolutionize the way they conduct business," said KnowledgeLake's CEO, Bernie Schweiss. "As a long-standing Microsoft partner and Silver Sponsor of the conference, KnowledgeLake is dedicated to meeting the evolving document processing needs of Microsoft customers  whether that's on-premises, in the cloud or through a hybrid scenario." Throughout the conference, KnowledgeLake content management experts will be in booth #406 to discuss how organizations are transforming business operations with the company's powerful, browser-based document capture plaform to import, process and route content to multiple destinations including SharePoint on-premises and SharePoint Online.



Attendees interested in discussing unique document processing challenges and learning more about KnowledgeLake's document processing solutions and consulting expertise can reserve a time with an expert. KnowledgeLake will also co-sponsor Metalogix's afterhours conference event, MetaFest, from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at Mango's Tropical Cafe. The free event will include food, drinks, live music and giveaways. Ignite attendees can register for MetaFest at the KnowledgeLake booth #406.

Microsoft Ignite is designed for IT professionals who are eager to explore tomorrow's technology and listen to industry leaders discuss trends and insights for the future. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will be the keynote speaker and discuss the latest strategies and offerings within the Microsoft ecosystem. About KnowledgeLake KnowledgeLake is dedicated to helping people work smarter by offering innovative solutions that capture, organize and manage business content. KnowledgeLake's team of industry experts offer consulting and solutions that amplify productivity, eliminate paper, streamline document processing and automate business-critical operations. Our browser-based document processing platform imports, processes, and routes high volumes of content to multiple lines-of-business systems and repositories. Established in 1999, KnowledgeLake is a stable, global software company with over 2 million licensed users in 35 countries, and is equity funded by PFU Limited, a Fujitsu company. Learn more at www.KnowledgeLake.com. Contact:

Lisa Bertrand Marketing Manager, Content

[email protected]

(314) 898-0502 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/knowledgelake-to-sponsor-microsoft-ignite-in-orlando-300521510.html SOURCE KnowledgeLake, Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 18, 2017] Captis Intelligence Announces Investment and Appointment of David Leppan to Board of Directors

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Captis Intelligence, formerly Qface Systems, a leading provider of I-4 crime solutions (Intelligence, Information, Investigation, Identification) has announced the appointment of David Leppan to Board Member and Chairman of their Board of Advisors. Leppan, founder of World-Check (now part of Thomson Reuters) and co-founder of WealthX, is a pioneer and recognized expert in KYC (Know Your Customer), Due Diligence, and Risk Mitigation data services to the public and private sector. Leppan's experience within the financial banking industry and regulatory /enforcement agencies will be instrumental in developing Captis' growth in the financial sector. "The financial market's requirements in security measures, KYC, and identification progress at a rapid pace," said Leppan. "Captis's product offering and leading market position exceed today's requirements and anticipate tomorrow's requests," added Leppan. Leppan's investment will accelerate Captis's next phase of continued innovation and expand its reach globally througout several strategic vertical markets, most notably the financial institution vertical where Leppan's World-Check solution became a standard. With a focus on advanced facial recognition with corresponding database, the Captis Financial solution will deliver a next-generation system expanding on Leppan's initial KYC vision. "David is a globally recognized expert and visionary with an impressive track record in the financial sector," said Charles Archer, former Assistant Director of the FBI and Chairman of the Captis Law Enforcement Council. "David's involvement reaffirms Captis's commitment in partnering with global experts to drive progression and expansion."



About Captis Intelligence Captis Intelligence's I-4 platform (Intelligence, Information, Investigation, Identification) provides an advanced cloud-based system for public and private sector applications. Captis unifies situational awareness, geographic crime intelligence, social media investigation, facial recognition, criminal databases, access to solveacrime.com, and secured information exchange portals for neighboring businesses and law enforcement. A global innovator, Captis is headquartered in Los Angeles and has offices in London and Singapore. Captis was founded on the principle of innovation and remains at the forefront of pioneering I-4 crime prevention/suspect identification technologies.

Media: [email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/captis-intelligence-announces-investment-and-appointment-of-david-leppan-to-board-of-directors-300521514.html SOURCE Captis Intelligence

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 18, 2017] Revenue Cycle Vendor Consolidations Creating Industry Dynamos as Top Ranked Black Book Firms Unite

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2017 Top Revenue Cycle Management Software & Services report, published today by Black Book named the top-performing companies within various market segments based on the independent feedback of their customers from the user level through senior management. Notably, among the top-rated RCM companies, six in ten of the end-to-end RCM vendors categories are marrying their capabilities together into two conceivably powerful market commanders. The report highlights the consistent year-to-year high performance of several vendors serving different market segments of healthcare financial operations management. Optum360 achieved top honors for the third consecutive year for Hospital Chains, Corporations, IDNs and Health Systems in both RCM Software Solutions and Managed Outsourced Services. Also, a recently announced Optum acquisition, Advisory Board, ranked first in Hospital RCM Software for Community Hospitals, inpatient facilities with 100 to 200 beds, a third consecutive year honor for Advisory Board's RCM line as well. Together as one, Optum360 and Advisory Board will possess the stronghold of satisfaction and loyalty from RCM software customers in community hospitals along with hospital chains and systems for both RCM outsourced services and software tools. Optum has topped the competition in outsourced coding services as well. Navicure grabbed top honors for the second consecutive year in both RCM Software Solutions for Small, Rural and Critical Access Hospitals Under 100 Beds and for a third year in Ambulatory Centers, Physician Practices and Groups. Navicure announced it was acquiring top-ranked RCM software Zirmed this past week. Zirmed which has been awarded the top RCM Software solution for Hospitals over 200 beds for seven consecutive years, holds one of the longest #1 ranking records held in Black Book's healthcare technology user survey history. A combined Navicure/Zirmed union gives the new organization the top combined satisfaction scores in Physician Practice RCM software, Hospitals under 100 Beds RCM Software, and Hospitals over 200 beds RCM Software. ZirMed also has a legacy of top scores in Alternate Site Delivery Care RCM and Navicure leads vendors in Patient Payment Systems in all provider settings. "These vendor consolidations announced lately are undeniably creating a couple of RCM titans," said Doug Brown, Managing Partner of Black Book. "Uniting topnotch performing revenue cycle management firms will significantly increase the pressure on competitor firms to retain clients," said Brown. According to year-to-year Black Book user survey results, two other market consolidators, nThrive and Change Healthcare which acquired and merged previously topnotch scoring RCM niche firms respectively have declined in client satisfaction scores and discouraging reviews post-acquisitions as a combined organization. "The reported stumbles aren't in product performance, innovation, reliability or technical issues," said Brown of the 2017 RCM satisfaction and loyalty results. "We reviewed dozens of current year user responses that identify client perceptions that corporate transparency is clouding, turnover is troubling, and customer management is more challenging for the vendors and clients mutually." One recent example identified in the Black Book survey results is nThrive, the combined synergy of previous client satisfaction leaders Precyse, MedAssets and Adreima. All three smaller companies were #1 market leaders in satisfaction in their niche produc and RCM service lines before the mergers. However, now collectively, nThrive has experienced a notable drop in client experience ratings with only one Top 8 showing in the ten categories.



"When it comes to clients experiencing a vendor merger, perceptions are reality," said Brown of the feedback Black Book received. Likewise, Change Healthcare, which has acquired Altegra and McKesson RelayHealth also scored consistently in the Black Book rankings top RCM outsourcing service performers, failed to place in any top ten of any of the survey categories in 2017 for software or managed services. RelayHealth, which was scored separately from Change Healthcare in the audits completed earlier this month is the exception, with several top fifth place or higher performances independent of the merger with Change and was not identified as Change Healthcare in the surveying.

2014 and 2016 Black Book studies found that more than half of all healthcare IT company mergers fail to deliver the intended improvement in stakeholder value as anticipated. Customer defections contribute to that high failure rate because often, client retention is not given a high enough priority. The unhappiest clients jump ship just after the deals are official, show study results. The hospitals and physician practices who cannot afford to make an immediate vendor change because of constrained resources are often the most vocal in using Black Book surveys, reports Brown, as sounding boards for issues the M&A companies marketing chiefs are missing or neglecting in communications, stakeholder relations and/or new brand awareness. Over 40 percent of healthcare IT vendor switchers from Q1 2015  Q2 2017 relate changes are attributed to emotional reasons caused through the merger. Another 23 percent are swept away by a competitor in the early days post-acquisition when the merger companies are in flux. Among healthcare providers, 12 percent state they directly leave because of poor marketing communications and panic when employees leave the merged company voluntarily or layoffs occur, and when financial instability signals that the merged companies may not be as viable as prior to the acquisitions to vulnerable customers. In Black Book's experience, companies that do the best job of retaining customers and attracting new ones, adopt the customer's view of the merger as they make important integration decisions and act as the customer's advocate. "Adopting the customer's point of view does not change the fundamental activities required in merger integration," said Brown. Black Book identified five key initiatives that can improve software or managed services customer retention through in a merger: 1. Position ambitious objectives for HIT client retention, and adopt specific healthcare customer-centric metrics to track performance. In most healthcare IT mergers and acquisitions, integration centers exclusively on cutting costs or realizing revenue synergies and all metrics and incentives are connected to delivering those synergies. Incentives and metrics should be aligned to ensure customer retention also. 2. Embed consideration of the RCM client experience as an integral part of merger planning. As with any major change effort, the approach needs to start at the top, with executive sponsorship of the customer perspective and regular review and communication by a cross-functional integration team focused on the customer experience is vitally important. The team also worked closely with the corporate communications staff to manage messages surrounding the merger and keep customers informed through Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels. 3. Identify and accelerate actions to improve the customer experience or increase the value of your RCM offerings to them. The customer experience team maps out the customer experience from end to end, identifying how customers will be affected at each point and looking for opportunities to delight or at the risks of disappointing them. 4. Healthcare IT marketing leaders need to encourage more corporate communications and to listen. Customers left in the dark assume the worst. Black Book tracks satisfaction decreases from firms for up to four years after mergers (or shorter depending on if the clients can terminate their contracts). 91 percent of employees that left their jobs voluntarily after a merger (per a 2017 Black Book survey) reported that the marketing leaders at their companies did a poor job in their efforts to improve employee morale or calm client concerns during a merger. 5. Empower marketing, sales and account management staff and give them with the tools and information they need to respond to customers caught up in the merger of vendors. Merging companies may have different approaches to empowering employees, but satisfied employees make for satisfied, loyal customers. "While increased M&A activity may be celebrated in many corners of the healthcare technology industry, there is cause for concern since the pre-merger hype does not always live up to the post-merger reality," said Brown. "Mergers aren't easy, and they raise real risks that customers may jump ship." About Black Book Black Book, its founders, management and staff do not own or hold any financial interest in any of the vendors covered and encompassed in the surveys it conducts. Black Book reports the results of the collected satisfaction and client experience rankings in publication and to media prior to vendor notification of rating results and does not solicit vendor participation fees, review fees, inclusion or briefing charges, consultation requirements, and/or vendor collaboration as Black Book polls vendors' clients. Black Book began polling the client experience of now over 590,000 healthcare software and services users. Black Book expanded its survey prowess and reputation of independent, unbiased crowd-sourced surveying to IT and health records professionals, physician practice administrators, nurses, financial leaders, executives and hospital information technology managers. For methodology, auditing, resources, comprehensive research, Software and Outsourced Revenue Cycle vendor ranking data, see http://www.blackbookmarketresearch.com. Related Links Full Rankings, Outsourced RCM & Software Solutions 2017 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/revenue-cycle-vendor-consolidations-creating-industry-dynamos-as-top-ranked-black-book-firms-unite-300521516.html SOURCE Black Book Research

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 18, 2017] 360Science Named to Top 25 BI & Analytics Companies 2017

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CIO Applications names 360Science to TOP 25 BI & Analytics Companies 2017 in their September 2017 report. Each year, in an effort to assist CIOs to identify technologies that are helping businesses leverage data in the most efficient way possible, the editorial board at CIO Applications vets prominent BI & Analytics solutions providers to develop their list of the top 25. "We're honored that CIO Applications has named 360Science to their list of top 25 BI & Analytics companies - a list that features other great names like Tableau, Looker, and Pentaho," said Rob Heidenreich, CEO, 360Science. "The rise of self-service data analytics has given companies large and small the opportunity to reimagine the way they interact with customer data. We've watched this need grow dramatically, and it's what inspired us to build the first Data Matching Engine built from the ground up for Customer Data applications." 360Science has completely reimagined how contact data matching should work - and it's like nothing you've ever seen before. 360Science provides the fastest, most accurate, and easiest approach to matching and unifying customer data, offering API's and integrations with many data analytics and data integration platforms such as Hadoop/Spark, Microsoft SQL Serve, and Alteryx, and integrations for Talend and Pentaho planned for later this year.



To read CIO Applications BI & Analytics, September 2017 issue click here. About 360Science

Headquartered in Austin Texas, 360Science is revolutionizing customer data matching for more than 600 brands in 30+ countries, including Google, Dun & Bradstreet, Comcast, Nestle, and PayPal - Tio Networks. The company provides the fastest, most accurate, and easiest approach to matching and unifying customer data, offering APIs, and integrations with many data analytics and data integration platforms such as Hadoop/Spark, Microsoft SQL Server, and Alteryx. For more information, visit 360science.com or chat with us at @360ScienceHQ.

For Press and Media inquiries contact Rob Heidenreich

Phone: (512) 717-4750

Email: [email protected] 360Science is a registered trademark of 360Science, Inc. All other product and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Related Images image1.jpg

360Science - CEO, Rob Heidenreich image2.png

360Science image3.png

360Science - CIO Applications Magazine_Top 25 Related Links 360Science Matching Engine Contact 360Science View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/360science-named-to-top-25-bi--analytics-companies-2017-300521524.html SOURCE 360Science

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Sanjiv Bhatt, who was dismissed from service in 2015, said, "A young investigative journalist was tasked by her magazine to cover the CBI investigations and look for a story that would sell. She came to Ahmedabad and tried tapping sources in the Police and CBI."

By India Today Web Desk: Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt has made explosive allegations against a journalist stating that she made compromises to dilute the role of the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots.

In a Facebook post titled 'A little known story from Gujarat', Sanjiv Bhatt alleged that the young investigative journalist was forced into changing the script of her book for fear of getting shamed publicly for her amorous relationship with an IPS officer.

advertisement

Bhatt, a 1988 batch officer of the Gujarat cadre, has not mentioned anyone's name in his post.

He wrote: "The CBI investigations into Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati encounters were at their peak. The fates of the then Home Minister and the then Chief Minister were hanging fire."

Sanjiv Bhatt, who was dismissed from service in 2015, said, "A young investigative journalist was tasked by her magazine to cover the CBI investigations and look for a story that would sell. She came to Ahmedabad and tried tapping sources in the Police and CBI."

Bhatt said unfortunately for the journalist, information from the Gujarat Police or the CBI was not very forthcoming. Subsequently, she tried her luck with an Ahmedabad-based lawyer activist who was pursuing the fake encounter cases in court.

"The lawyer activist fell easy prey to the charms of the dusky chain smoking journalist and was more than happy to share juicy case details with her. Stories started taking shape," he said.

The former IPS officer went on to state that the journalist wanted more. She got in touch with the duo of IPS officers from the CBI who were leading the investigation.

"The younger of the two IPS officers was attracted to the journalist and she was attracted to him. The inevitable happened. Their meetings increased in frequency. Information started flowing easily. The magazine continued getting good stories," he said.

Bhatt wrote that the journalist and the IPS officer continued having a good time. But little did the two lovers know at that time that the government guesthouses where they used to meet for their amorous peccadilloes were discreetly bugged by the operatives of the State Police.

"All their shenanigans were captured in lurid colourful detail. The tables turned. The young CBI officer was made aware of the irrefutable video evidence against him," he said.

He wrote that the hunter suddenly became the hunted. Deals were struck. The investigation was derailed. The encounter cases were diluted to the point of no repair.

According to Bhatt, the word eventually reached the CBI bosses in Delhi and the IPS officer was removed from the investigation and repatriated to his parent cadre state. But irreparable damage had already been done.

advertisement

He said, "The young journalist was given a choice - face public shaming along with the officer or help in derailing the efforts of the lawyer activist who was heavily besotted with her easy charms. She chose the latter."

Bhatt alleged that things moved as planned. The woman journalist was used to collect dirt on the lawyer activist. The scandalous dirt was smartly used to deter the lawyer activist from pursuing certain sensitive issues before the Commission of Inquiry that was inquiring into the Gujarat riots of 2002.

Further narrating the course of events, Bhatt alleged that the lawyer activist eventually withdrew himself completely from the Commission proceedings despite being the only legal representative of the hapless victims.

"The young journalist," according to Bhatt, "wrote a titillating and fanciful account of her journalistic exploits in Gujarat, but took exceptional care to gloss over the role of the then Chief Minister in engineering the Gujarat carnage. In return, the book was allowed to be published and publicised without any hindrance whatsoever."

He said what could have been an "end-of-the-political-road situation for the political duo" from Gujarat, and "end-of-the-journalistic-road situation for the young investigative journalist" became a win-win situation for both sides.

advertisement

In the end Bhatt wrote hoping that this helps some people to connect the dots.

Bhatt had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court in April 2011 accusing Modi of "complicity in the 2002 riots" in which over 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. Bhatt was suspended by the Gujarat government after he filed the affidavit. Later, he was dismissed from service.

Also Read: Why did Amit Shah keep SIT in dark about Maya Kodnani?

--- ENDS ---
[September 18, 2017] Female-First AI-Powered Professional Social Platform LeadForCareer Debuts at TechCrunch Disrupt

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- LeadForCareer, an AI-powered professional network that empowers women in the workplace, will be exhibiting at this year's TechCrunch StartUp Alley, showing their first-ever live demo of their comprehensive mentorship and social platform. LeadForCareer is a perfect fit for TechCrunch Disrupt as their mission is to disrupt gender inequality in the workplace. Female-founder Yumi Alyssa Kimura, CEO and co-founder of LeadForCareer, created the mentoring and social platform to help women grow their careers. "Women in the tech industry leave at a rate of 45% higher than men," says Yumi. "Connecting them with like-minded mentors can help with retention, and feelings of belonging within their companies and within the tech world as a whole." During this first-ever demo, they'll be showing not only the interface but the powerful technology behind the application too. LeadForCareer connects mentors and mentees through artificial intelligence, making more meaningful interactions for women especially that were previously difficult to find. Mentorships can have an incredible impact on a career. In one study, mentees were up to five times more likely to be promoted than those who did not have mentors, and up to 25 percent more likely to receive raises. The problem is, it's much more difficult for women to find mentors than men, since there are so few women leaders at the top of organizations. LeadForCareer solves this problem, giving men and women an equal playing field to make the right connections to be mentored. In ddition to the mentor match functionality, LeadForCareer is also a social platform that gives great content and community-building for diversity and inclusion. This nascent social platform is ambitious and hopes to make also make a difference in the hiring and promotion process. The platform will also welcome male users. "We want to become the place where men can learn about the issues and try not to become a part of the issue. Men can be great mentors and mentees as well," said Yumi.



About LeadForCareer Founded in April 2017 by Yumi Kimura and Egor Vinogradov, LeadForCareer develops AI product that helps increase gender equality in the business world. LeadForCareer's raised a seed round from American and Japanese investors such as ISGS Venture, Kanemoto Kaneto, the CEO of OKWAVE, a public listed AI-powered Q&A platform in Japan, etc. Learn more at LeadForCareer.com.

About TechCrunch Disrupt TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2017 is TechCrunch's 11th annual conference in San Francisco. The format combines top thought-leader discussions with new product and company launches. Morning executive discussions debate technology-driven disruptions in many industries, while the afternoons are reserved for the Startup Battlefield, where 20+ new companies will launch for the first time onstage, selected to present from numerous applications received from around the world. The winning company will receive a $50,000 grand prize and the Disrupt Cup at the conclusion of the conference. The conference is September 18-20th, 2017 at Pier 48 in San Francisco. Media Contact:

Yumi Kimura

Phone: 510.461.7392

Email: [email protected]

http://leadforcareer.com Sources:

1) https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2011/10/31/how-becoming-a-mentor-can-boost-your-career/#407df4505f57 Related Links LeadForCareer website View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/female-first-ai-powered-professional-social-platform-leadforcareer-debuts-at-techcrunch-disrupt-300521701.html SOURCE LeadForCareer

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 18, 2017] Xendit collaborates with CyberSource to simplify payments in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CyberSource, a Visa company (NYSE: V), and one of the world's largest providers of eCommerce payment management services, has collaborated with Xendit, a fast-growing payment service based in Indonesia. This collaboration means Xendit is the first in Asia Pacific to use CyberSource Flex API to tokenize customers' data, thereby enabling them to provide a robust payment gateway for next-generation businesses to send and receive payments more conveniently and securely without the risk of storing customer data. As a result, Xendit's successful transaction rates increased by 30%1. Founded in 2014, Xendit's mission is to simplify payments by providing an end-to-end payment solution that delivers frictionless payments. Xendit offers a payment gateway that allows businesses to quickly and securely accept payments through card and bank transfers. Despite the fact that Indonesia's digital commerce market is expected to hit US$18.5b in 20172, the country faces execution challenges due to consumers' preference for payment via bank transfers, which are heavily reliant on the use of physical tokens to execute the transaction, and frequently do not include the information necessary for the merchant to identify the sender3. As such, Xendit has sought to solve these payment problems by offering a secure and reliable payment infrastructure that supports multiple payment types, and in turn, helps businesses of all sizes embrace digital payments. Xendit leverages CyberSource's comprehensive suite of payment processing and fraud management solutions to enable businesses to securely accept a wider range of payments, including different card types and brands across the world, which affords them the ability to provide their merchants with customized payment services and an enhanced user experience. At the same time, businesses which leverage Xendit's payment services can do so securely without having to handle any sensitive customer payment details. Xendit also uses CyberSource to enhance its credit and debit card payment services, which integrates with platforms such as WooCommerce for easy integration4. This lets companies with subscription business models automate payments for their customers, such as SaaS platforms, non-profits, or premium content providers. The all-in-one solution allows Indonesian companies to accept credit or debit cards issued from across the world, all while benefitting from the reliability of CyberSource. Going forward, the next generation of Southeast Asian Software as a service (SaaS) can be built on top of Xendit's rails. "At Xendit, our goal is to make payments simple and pleasant. We started our journey by providing businesses with the fastest way to disburse funds throughout the country, through the use of application program interfaces (APIs). In automating the process, we have enabled customers to quickly and efficiently scale their business. Now, our customers want more," commented Moses Lo, Chief Executive Officer, Xendit. "CyberSource's customized payment processing and fraud management solutions have enabled us to offer a broader range of options to our customers, thus providing them with flexibility to build their desired user experience, while minimizing the number of systems and endpoints falling within the scope of PCI DSS compliance." As the digital economy continues to evolve and impact nearly every business, success today requires a holistic approach to managing fraud, especially as customers constantly engage across multiple channels on a variety of devices. By leveraging CyberSource's multi-phased fraud management solution, including CyberSource Decision Manager, Xendit is able to offer a world-class fraud detection solution to its customers, while dynamically allowing low-risk transactions to proceed. This has resulted in an improved payment experience for Xendit end-users, and reduced payment drop-off for businesses, increasing successful transaction rates by as much as 30%5. "As eCommerce continues to boom in Southeast Asia, providing a seamless customer experience is of unparalleled importance -- merchants need to provide a faster, more secure payment experience to differentiate themselves from their competitors," said Chew Ann Wee, Senior Regional Director, Southeast Asia, CyberSource. "As customers engage with a brand across multiple channels, it is crucial for that brand to provide a superior and consistent brand experience. We are delighted to work with Xendit to ensure a seamless customer journey, end to end." About CyberSource CyberSource, a wholly owned subsidiary of Visa Inc., is the only integrated payment management platform built on secure Visa infrastructure, with the payment reach and fraud insights of a massive $358Bn global processing network. CyberSource and Authorize.Net payment management solutions help 475,000 large and small businesses grow sales, mitigate risk, and operate with greater agility. The company is headquartered in Foster City, California and maintains offices throughout the world, with regional headquarters in Singapore, Tokyo, Miami/Sao Paulo and Reading, U.K. For more information, please visit http://www.cybersource.com/asiapacific. About Xendit Xendit provides payments infrastructure in South East Asia. We have an end to end solution that allows modern businesses to accept payments through cards and bank transfers, manage funds through escrow/custodian accounts and disburse funds through the fastest pipes in the markets we serve. This means we deliver frictionless payments across tech and traditional businesses. www.xendit.co







1 Xendit, January 2017

2 Statista, Digital Payments - Indonesia

3 Jobs Connected, Interview - Xendit, 22 September 2016

4 Xendit, January 2017

5 Xendit, January 2017

Media contact Subeer Dutt

Ying Communications

+65 6779-5514

[email protected] SOURCE CyberSource

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] SIGN CHINA, LED CHINA & DIGITAL SIGNAGE Exposition Opens Tomorrow from September 20 to 22 in SNIEC Shanghai

Presenting new technologies, new equipment, new resources, new media and new digital signage innovation all in one place. SHANGHAI, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Organised by UBM Trust, SIGN CHINA 2017, LED CHINA 2017 and DIGITAL SIGNAGE 2017 are opening tomorrow from September 20 to 22 at Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Across the 8 exhibition halls, the three shows will bring together over a thousand exhibitors and brands, who are eager to present their most innovative and top-notch products, as well as techniques covering traditional signage, LED application and digital signage to global buyers from 130+ countries and regions, including the USA, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, the UAE, etc. To stay as the world's best one-stop sourcing platform in the sign and advertising industry, the three shows together will showcase products from the whole supply chain, including: laser engraver, traditional signage, lightbox, advertising machine, acrylic panel, POP, indoor and outdoor printing machine, ink and component, bending machine, LED display, LED illuminant, LED lighting, LED packaging, chips and testing equipment, OLED and digital signage products. To name a few exhibitors that you are expecting to meet onsite: BODOR, DNE LASER, SENFENG, HAN'S YUEMING, TONGXING, RUIJIE, MDK, BAISHENG, EZLETTER G WEIKE, RUNTIANZHI, DOCAN, FEIYEUNG UNION, WIT-COLOR, TECKWIN, SYNNEX, HANDTOP, NEW CENTURY, ORIC, ZHONGYE, YONGXUN, TRENDVISION, PRINT-RITE, IECHO, KEDITEC, GRANDO, YASELAN, NAR, GUOSHUN, HAILIDE, JUMEI, BODO, DONGHUA, HAWK, BANNERMATE, BDX, LIYU, HAINIU, LINGQI, JINGGE, OULAIGE, XINTAO, LIANTRONICS, UNILUMIN, DICOLOR, ABSEN, DESAY, BAKO, LEDMAN, QIANGLI JUCAI, KONKA, LINSO, RISHANG, BLUEVIEW, HYRITE, CHANGHONG, USER and more.



Concurrently held with the three shows, the long-expected Future Sign Academy (FSA) First Annual Summit and Innovation Theater will finally take place tomorrow. Organized by experts and top management from various industries, topics of the FSA summit will focus on the key issue of the sign and advertising industry and, is aimed to explore the future development trend. After obtaining 235 valid samples and with the guidance from AMARearch and NELSON, the first Sign and Ads Industry White Paper will be released tomorrow afternoon during the FSA Summit. In addition, supported by 17 elite exhibitors from both sign and LED industry, the first Innovation Theater will take place in Hall W4 on September 20 and 21. You are about to see new product launches, technical forum or face-to-face networking and communication opportunities through the 20-minute presentations of these elite exhibitors.

For more details, such as the latest exhibitor list or onsite buyer service, please visit www.Signchina-sh.com, www.LEDChina-sh.com or www.DigitalSignage-sh.com About UBM Trust (www.ubmtrust.com) UBM Trust is a joint venture company of UBM Asia, which is owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange. We have extensive experience in organizing large-scale exhibitions covering different industries in China, as well as organizing Chinese enterprises to participate in famous fairs abroad. Our flagship events serve the sign and LED industries. Among the definitive exhibitions of their kind in the world, these two events have become an important catalyst for the development and upgrading of China's sign and LED industries, offering a comprehensive one-stop trading platform for exhibitors and visitors. We take pride in providing professional high-quality service s to our customers. About UBM Asia (www.ubmasia.com) Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is the largest trade show organiser in Asia and the largest event organisers in China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 26 major cities with 35 offices and over 1,600 staff. With a track record spanning over 30 years, UBM Asia operates in 11 market sectors with over 290 events, 27 targeted trade publications, 18 round-the-clock online products for over 2,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world. We provide a one-stop diversified global service for high-value business matching, quality market news and online trading networks. Media Contact: Yvaine Chen

+86-21-6157-3929

[email protected] Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170918/1944534-1

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20161021/0861610953LOGO SOURCE UBM Trust

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] Revenue Maximization Group Announces Agreement With Cuero Health System

BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Revenue Maximization Group (RMG), a leading provider of revenue cycle management services nationwide, has announced that Cuero Health System (Cuero) has signed a master services agreement to provide Practice Management and Revenue Cycle management services. Cuero Health System owns and operates, among other entities, the Cuero Family Clinics including Cuero Medical Clinic, Parkside Family Clinic, Goliad Family Practice, Kenedy Family Practice, and Yorktown Medical Clinic. "Cuero was looking for qualified Revenue Cycle and Practice Management specialists to provide resources to manage clinic operations, optimize central business office functions, improve cash flow and reduce accounts receivable. RMG fit the role for a long-term partner for Cuero," commented Lynn Falcone, CEO of Cuero. "It is a very exciting and dynamic project," commented Stuart Miller, president & CEO of RMG. "Cuero Health System is a tremendous organization and a regional resource. We are confident that by implementing the RMG toolset we can improve operations and cash flow." Cuero has partnered with RMG to improve workflows, assist with maximizing overall medical billing collections and to improve clinic operations. RMG's team of professionals will work tgether with Cuero leadership and physicians to strengthen this significant community asset and bolster the Cuero Family Clinic's operating results.



About Cuero: Cuero is dedicated to leading the effort to provide exceptional health care and patient experience to the city of Cuero and greater Dewitt area. Cuero Hospital Foundation and Burns Hospital consolidated in 1970, culminating the opening of a new facility, Cuero Community Hospital. With a continued emphasis on progressive health care, CCH has expanded over the years to accommodate the changing needs of patients and the rapid advancement of medical technology. In February of 2017, Cuero Community Hospital became Cuero Regional Hospital as part of the Cuero Health System that now encompasses, Cuero Regional Hospital, Cuero Medical Clinic (including Bohman), Parkside Family Clinic, Goliad Family Practice, Kenedy Family Practice, Yorktown Medical Clinic, Cuero Home Health and Bfit Wellness Center. About RMG: With more than 100 years of leadership expertise in health care management, finance, supply chain and operations, and Information technology, RMG is uniquely qualified to optimize cash flow, recover denied claims and design systems that boost financial efficiency that supports patient care. Our solutions deliver enhanced care through care management programs, additional cash flow, practice management and data intelligence to optimize business of health care. RMG allows clients to focus on their core mission: Providing excellent care.

The website is www.rmaxg.com

Media Contact: John West 561-989-2233 [email protected] Related Images image1.png image2.jpg View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/revenue-maximization-group-announces-agreement-with-cuero-health-system-300521753.html SOURCE RMG

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] Anexinet Creates New Cloud Solutions Business Unit

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anexinet Corporation, a leading provider of analytics, digital and cloud solutions, today announced the creation of a new Cloud Solutions Business Unit led by John Kolimago, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Cloud Solutions. Mr. Kolimago will lead all customer facing cloud activities including sales, pre-sales and service delivery, as Anexinet continues its focus on helping customers modernize their foundational data center infrastructure to prepare for digital transformation and leverage customer-centric analytics.

John Kolimago, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Cloud Solutions, Anexinet



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at

//www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a9da8edd-b195-4506-859c-1af6b7ec12e0



Our customers are keenly aware of the data center modernization challenges and have been embracing our blueprint which has been honed over the last 15 years with best-in-class technologies and top architect-level talent, Brad Hokamp, CEO, Anexinet said. John has been through the infrastructure evolution cycles with our customers over the last two decades and has built critical client relationships in the Mid-Atlantic region and with leading technology partners. We are positioned very strongly under Johns leadership to help our customers make the transition to a modernized cloud Infrastructure that can support their next-generation applications. Im looking forward to taking our customers to the next level with a laser focus on business outcomes, as they look to the future of digital transformation and customer-centric analytics, Mr. Kolimago said. An agile data center infrastructure is key to powering these applications and ultimately our customers growth and we have the technology and business pain point know-how, given our successful history with mid-market and enterprise-sized companies.

John joined Anexinet in 2001 and successfully rose through the ranks into sales leadership roles, building up more than 20 years of channels sales experience. Prior to Anexinet, he led sales teams at Actium and Idea Integration, focusing on infrastructure solutions. John serves on several leading technology councils, including Hewlett-Packards Enterprise Partner Advisory Council, helping shape HPEs Partner Programs and TechData/Avnets Enterprise Partner Council. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Drexel University. About Anexinet Anexinet (www.anexinet.com) specializes in digital business transformation. We empower our clients to grow their customer base and improve workforce efficiency by envisioning, developing, and operating next generation technology solutions. Our core expertise is in digital applications, analytics, and hybrid IT, enabling businesses to rapidly transform. Partner with Anexinet to support the full lifecycle of your next generation digital business. For more information, contact:

Betsey Rogers

Public Relations

BridgeView Marketing

603-821-0809

[email protected]

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] WuXi AppTec Senior VP to Speak on Gene Therapy Panel at 2017 Life Sciences Future Conference

On September 19, Felix Hsu, Sr. Vice President / Head of U.S. Business Unit for WuXi AppTec, will share his perspective on the evolving gene therapy industry during a panel discussion of leading experts at the 2017 Life Sciences Future conference in Philadelphia. By integrating testing and manufacturing services, WuXi AppTec enables its clients to bring gene therapy products to market faster. As such, speed to market and predictability has been the focus of Mr. Hsu's tenure since arriving at WuXi in 2009. Prior to his current role, he spent more than 20 years in various leadership positions at top medical device and pharmaceutical organizations. Titled "From the Heart of Cellacon Valley," the panel discussion features the lineup of Mr. Hsu; Adrian Rawcliffe, Chief Financial Officer Adaptimmune; Jeff Marrazzo, Chief Executive Officer Spark Therapeutics; and Jessica Imrie, Head of Strategy and Operations for Cell and Gene Therapy within Rare Diseases GSK. Moderated by 6ABC's Health and Medical Reporter, Ali Gorman, the panel will discuss topics ranging from the current state of gene therapies, to how future initiatives will shape the evolution of the biopharmaceutical industry, and the impact advanced therapies have on patient lives. "WuXi AppTec is committed to growing our businesses and meeting our vision 'to enable every drug so it can be made and every disease so it can be treated'," said Felix Hsu, Sr. Vice President / Head of U.S. Business Unit. "We firmly believe that personalized treatment is the future for thehealthcare industry. Cell and gene therapy (Advanced Therapies) are part of the future of personalized treatment, and represent the next major wave of therapeutic treatments. WuXi is excited and committed to being a major player in this market. One particularly exciting aspect of these products is that a number of these products represent potential cures and not just treatments."



Attended by professionals from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, lab instrumentation, healthcare, contract services, medical device, academia, and private equity industries, Life Sciences Future has earned the reputation as the Mid-Atlantic's premier networking and knowledge-sharing destination. This year's event is at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown September 18th and 19th. Further details and tickets are available at http://www.lifesciencesfuture.com/.

Attendees are invited to discuss their gene therapy testing and manufacturing needs at WuXi AppTec's tabletop display, located in the exhibit hall. Meetings can also be arranged through the partnering portal on the website. Those not able to attend can stay up to date by following #lifesciencesfuture on Twitter (News - Alert). About WuXi AppTec WuXi AppTec's U.S. Manufacturing and Testing group provides a comprehensive range of integrated programs for biologics, advanced therapies and medical devices - along with expert technical and regulatory guidance - to help take products from preclinical development to commercialization and beyond. Facilities - located in Philadelphia, St. Paul and Atlanta - are FDA registered and ISO certified with experienced scientists dedicated to meeting the unique needs of our clients. Testing services utilize cutting-edge in vitro, in vivo, molecular and analytical methodologies to meet the requirements of global regulatory agencies. Flexible, high-capacity cGMP manufacturing is offered for cell therapies, gene therapies, and gene-mediated cell therapies. For more information about WuXi AppTec's integrated testing and manufacturing services visit us.wuxiapptec.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170919005888/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] Uniserve's 2017 year-end results show stunning turnaround

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Uniserve Communications Corporation (the Company) is pleased to announce fiscal year end results for 2017, showing a 13% increase in revenues to $7.1m, along with a sizeable $756k swing in EBITDA; from a negative ($549k) to a positive $208k. For the fiscal year of 2017, there was an overall net profit of $71k compared to a net loss of ($958K) in 2016.

Uniserves CEO, Nicholas Jeffery, who joined the Company in March of 2017, commented: The board and I are delighted with these results as they are even better than we expected. It is an excellent reflection on the massive transformation of our business from a marketing, positioning, product development, core technology and commercial stand point. This builds the solid infrastructure we need to fulfill our goal of doubling revenues annually, going national and strengthening our managed services portfolio. During the fiscal year, the Company also reduced both long-term and short-term debt by $1.8M, as Uniserve continued its strategic changes and growth strategy. The Companys recent acquisitions of Glenbriar Technologies and Xanity Cloud Solutions are being integrted seamlessly. The Company is already seeing synergies between the three brands and the upsell opportunities within their various clients and is on track to integrate all the three businesses under the Uniserve brand as they head into a new phase of expansion and growth.



About Uniserve Uniserve (TSX-V:USS) is a unified communications company delivering integrated voice, data and media services to over 13,000 customers within the residential, business to business and enterprise IT markets, across Canada, with offices in Vancouver, Calgary and Waterloo & Toronto Corridor.

The company has been in existence for almost 28 years and has a client base across three sectors, selling directly and through the wholesale and value added reseller channels.



Uniserve prides itself on delivering world class customer services. They believe when all else is equal, you can trust the company to offer highly competitive pricing and cutting edge technology bundles, all underpinned by an exemplary customer service team based in Canada. This news release was prepared on behalf of the Board of Directors, which accepts full responsibility for its contents. Learn more at www.uniserve.com or at www.sedar.com. Michael C. Scholz

Chairman of the Board For more information please contact Mr. Mark Stanton at 604-395-3908 or email us at [email protected]. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Management has prepared this release and no regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. The statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward looking statements. Such statements are based on managements estimates, assumptions and projections using available information. Uniserve cautions that actual financial results could differ materially from the current expectations due to several factors.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] Luster Joins MoCA Board of Directors

SAN RAMON, Calif. and BEIJING, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Luster LightTech Corp., based in Beijing, China, is MoCAs newest Promoter member and will take a seat on the MoCA Board of Directors. Luster was invited to become a Promoter member because of their contribution to the development of MoCA Access and promotion of MoCA home networking among operators in China.

Luster designs, manufactures and markets a wide portfolio of networking equipment targeting pay TV and Internet service providers in China, the U.S. and Europe. Luster has been a MoCA member for three years, most recently as a Contributor member, and has helped secure adoption of the technology by several cable MSOs in China. In addition, the company was instrumental in negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Academy of Broadcast Planning (ABP), a unit of SARPPFT. ABP is the government agency that provides research and evaluation of the various home networking standards. The company is also expected to play a key role in soliciting trials and ultimate adoption of MoCA Access in China and the rest of the world. Promoter membrship is by invitation only and subject to a vote by all Board members. The vote was unanimous.



We asked Luster to become a Promoter member and join our Board in recognition of their ongoing contributions to specification and market development, said Charles Cerino, President of MoCA. Their knowledge and reputation among operators in China is of great value to the Alliance as we promote MoCA home networking and introduce MoCA Access. We are pleased to join MoCAs Board as China represents a growing market for MoCAs home networking and broadband access solutions, said Dr. Yates Yao, President of Luster. We have been providing FTTH and MoCA-based solutions for a long time, and will continue to leverage our operator relationships and brand name in China to help the Alliance achieve success for its home and broadband solutions.

About MoCA MoCA technology is the fastest and most reliable in-home backbone for Wi-Fi--as proven by numerous field tests--and has been adopted by cable, telco/IPTV and satellite operators worldwide. MoCA 2.0 offers actual data rates of up to 1 Gbps. MoCA 2.5 offers actual data rates up to 2.5 Gbps in addition to a variety of network management and security features. MoCA Access is a fiber extension technology that is based on the MoCA 2.5 specification and is intended for MDUs, hotels and resorts, and any building with existing coaxial cabling. The Alliance has 220 certified products and 40 members worldwide. Visit www.mocalliance.org for more information. Copyright  2017 Multimedia over Coax Alliance. All Rights Reserved. MoCA and the MoCA logo are trademarks of the Multimedia over Coax Alliance, registered in the U.S. and other countries. Rob Gelphman

VP, Marketing and Member Relations

MoCA

1-408-838-7458

[email protected]

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] Altair extends its strategic relationship with HPE

TROY, Mich., Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Altair announces today that it has entered into a multi-year original equipment manufacturing (OEM) agreement with HPE. This agreement represents an expansion of the long-term partnership between HPE and SGI (whom HPE recently acquired). HPE will now be able to include Altairs PBS Professional workload manager and job scheduler on all of HPEs high performance computing (HPC) systems, ensuring scalability of price and performance as system sizes and CPU-core counts continue to increase.

We are delighted to strengthen our strategic collaboration with HPE, said Sam Mahalingam, Chief Technical Officer for Enterprise Solutions at Altair. With PBS Professional as its premier workload management software supplier, HPE will be able to provide our common customers with a powerful solution to meet their growing HPC requirements. PBS Professional gives HPE cluster users a more efficient, reliable solution for HPC workload management. As an HPE-integrated product, PBS Professional optimizes job scheduling on HPE Apollo and HPE SGI servers to achieve the highest levels of system utilization. PBS Professional is also integrated with HPEs HPC system management solutions: HPE Insight Cluster Management Utility for (CMU) for HPE Apollo and HPE ProLiant platforms as well as HPE SGI Management Suite for HPE SGI 8600 systems. Altairs PBS Professional is an established leader in HPC workload mangement, said Bill Mannel, Vice President and General Manager for HPC and AI segment solutions at HPE. We look forward to leveraging this agreement to give our customers access to an attractive PBS Professional offering to manage job scheduling and maximize system utilization on HPEs industry leading HPC infrastructure.



As the hardware vendor with the largest HPC market share, HPE offers the broadest spectrum of high-performance computing solutions, from workgroup and departmental servers to systems designed for the engineering enterprise and supercomputing centers (for more information please visit www.hpe.com/info/hpc). Altair has served the HPC market for decades with award-winning workload management, engineering, and cloud computing software. Used by thousands of companies worldwide, PBS Professional enables engineers in HPC environments to improve productivity, optimize resource utilization and efficiency, and simplify the process of cluster workload management.

Click here for more information about HPE and Altair collaborations. Customers can already obtain PBS Professional through HPE and its authorized resellers under the terms of the OEM agreement. About Altair Altair is focused on the development and broad application of simulation technology to synthesize and optimize designs, processes and decisions for improved business performance. Privately held with more than 2,600 employees, Altair is headquartered in Troy, Michigan, USA and operates 68 offices throughout 24 countries. Today, Altair serves more than 5,000 corporate clients across broad industry segments. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com Media Contacts Altair: Corporate / Americas/ Asia Pacific

Biba A. Bedi

+1.757.224.0548 x 406

[email protected] Altair Europe / The Middle East/ Africa

Evelyn Gebhardt

+49 6421 9684351

[email protected]



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] Bloomberg Government Delivers Enhanced Legislative Tracking Solution

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bloomberg Government today announced the enhancement of its comprehensive and intuitive legislative tracking tool. Bloomberg Government clients have always had the ability to track and compare bills and receive alerts when actions happen. This new, easy-to-use and customizable alert system now aggregates all the important information and context of the bill in one place. Bloomberg Government's legislative tracking solution follows every bill, amendment and procedural motion on both floors of Congress, with a dedicated team of policy experts providing rich legislative insights. Developed with input and feedback from government affairs professionals and congressional staff, the legislative tool alerting system consolidates information and provides better, faster intelligence, with fewer steps or repetitive alerts. "At Bloomberg Government, we've always listened to our clients and created solutions that help them do their job more efficiently," said Arielle Elliott, vice president and general manager of Government Affairs Solutions. "Many organizations have attempted to track legislation, but w provide the most comprehensive policy tool keeping clients up-to-date on the issues that matter most in Washington. And with a dedicated team of analysts with deep policy expertise tracking activity on Capitol Hill, we are able to bring legislation to life."



With these enhancements, the legislative tracking solution provides: Consolidated Information: Fewer alerts with more up-to-date intelligence

Fewer alerts with more up-to-date intelligence Customization: View, update and set saved legislation searches and criteria

View, update and set saved legislation searches and criteria Brevity: Timely information received quickly to your inbox

Timely information received quickly to your inbox All the context: Latest bill updates, policy alerts contextualized For more information about the legislative tracking solution, please visit https://about.bgov.com/legislative-alerts-demo-page/.

About Bloomberg Government

Bloomberg Government is a premium, subscription-based service that provides comprehensive information and analytics for policy professionals who interact with-or are affected by-the government. Delivering news, analytics and data-driven decision tools, Bloomberg Government's digital workspace gives an intelligent edge to government affairs, federal and contracting professionals. For more information or a demo, visit www.bgov.com. About Bloomberg BNA

Bloomberg BNA provides legal, tax, compliance, government affairs and government contracting professionals with critical information, practical guidance, and workflow solutions. We leverage leading technology and a global network of experts to deliver a unique combination of news and authoritative analysis, comprehensive research solutions, innovative practice tools, and proprietary business data and analytics. Bloomberg BNA is an affiliate of Bloomberg L.P., the global business, financial information and news leader. For more information, visit www.bna.com. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bloomberg-government-delivers-enhanced-legislative-tracking-solution-300522023.html SOURCE Bloomberg Government

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
ASI Naresh Yadav, who was posted in Faridabad, was found dead on his bed in one of the rooms of his house.

ASI Naresh Yadav was found dead inside his house in Gurgaon. (Photo/ANI)

By Tanseem Haider: A Gurgaon Police officer was found murdered inside in house in the city's Nathurpur area today.

ASI Naresh Yadav, who was posted in Faridabad, was found dead on his bed in one of the rooms of his house.

The son of 46-year-old Yadav is said to be missing. Police is probing the case from every possible angle.

advertisement

More details are awaited.

--- ENDS ---
[September 19, 2017] One third of Canadians use Mobile Apps to Track Health: Study

TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2017 /CNW/ - Thirty-two per cent of Canadian adults consult health apps on their mobile devices, but only 28 per cent of those in poor health do so. Meanwhile, 24 per cent of Canadians use smart connected devices to track health conditions or well-being, according to a new study funded by Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) and conducted in partnership with HEC Montreal and CEFRIO. "The findings of the study demonstrate the opportunity Canadians have to be proactive in their overall wellness through the use of mobile apps and smart connected devices such as watches, wristbands or other wearables." said Michael Green, President and CEO, Canada Health Infoway. The study examined results from a national survey of 4,109 Canadian adults, which sought to understand consumer use patterns for mobile apps and smart devices to monitor health and well-being. It is the first internationally comparable study of its kind, and the largest ever, world-wide. "Results from the Diffusion of Mobile Health Apps and Smart Connected Devices in Canada study can be used to set the national baseline for future studies in mobile health apps and smart connected devices," said Guy Pare, Research Chair in Digital Health, HEC Montreal. "The study findings can also be used to help the health IT community better understand the current market in Canada to determine practical next steps for the industry." The study found that Canadians using mobile apps or smart connected devices to track their health or well-being are typically:



Younger adults between the ages of 18 nd 30 (41 per cent);

Employed (59 per cent);

University educated (55 per cent);

Make an annual family income of more than $80,000 (46 per cent);

(46 per cent); Not currently living with a chronic illness or condition (only 28% of Canadians that use mobile apps or smart connected devices to track their health or well-being report having a specific chronic illness or condition).



Nancy Huyck, who lives with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), is part of the 24 per cent of Canadians who use smart connected devices. Every morning, she uses equipment that measures and transmits her blood pressure, weight and oxygen levels to her care team so they can intervene early and avoid her making a trip to the hospital.

"I'm used to showing up at the emergency room or being admitted every couple of months," she said. "But I haven't seen the inside of a hospital or even a walk-in clinic since I started receiving in-home monitoring last spring." About Canada Health Infoway Canada Health Infoway helps to improve the health of Canadians by working with partners to accelerate the development, adoption and effective use of digital health across Canada. Through our investments, we help deliver better quality and access to care and more efficient delivery of health services for patients and clinicians. Infoway is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government. About the Research Chair in Digital Health The work of HEC Montreal's Research Chair in Digital Health focuses on three main objectives: to better understand the leverage of information technologies for developing and implementing new health care organizational methods; to identify and measure the clinical, structural and financial impacts of implementing new technologies; and to study the main risks and issues  human, organizational, political or technological  related to this major digital shift. The knowledge that the Chair develops through its various research projects will help ensure successful implementation of the technologies required to carry out several priorities under the current Quebec and Canadian reforms, including in areas such as home care, primary care and integrated care networks. About CEFRIO CEFRIO is a research and innovation organization that supports public and private organizations as they transform their processes and business practices through the appropriation and use of digital technologies. CEFRIO is a member of QuebecInnove and has a mandate from the Government of Quebec to contribute to the advancement of Quebec society through digital technology. It conducts research, experiments and surveys, and raises awareness of the uses for digital technologies in every aspect of society. Its work relies on the contributions of its experienced team, a network of over 90 associated and visiting investigators as well as the commitment of close to 250 members. CEFRIO's primary financial partner is Quebec's Ministere de l'Economie, de la Science et de l'Innovation. SOURCE Canada Health Infoway

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] StackPath Launches Programs for the Startup and Developer Communities

DALLAS, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StackPath, provider of a platform of secure internet services built at the cloud's edge, has initiated two programs to support the tech community: StackPath Propel and StackPath Amp.

StackPath Propel engages and provides resources and mentorship to early and growth stage tech community. This includes but is not limited to, founders, CEOs, CTOs, investors and startup organizations.

engages and provides resources and mentorship to early and growth stage tech community. This includes but is not limited to, founders, CEOs, CTOs, investors and startup organizations. StackPath Amp Supports the developer community at every level, from early and growth stage companies to enterprise developer teams through education, communication and support of open source projects. The average life of a public company is 12 years. That means most companies were startups less than a few years ago. Everyone has to start somewhere and, at StackPath, we believe that it is important to support the tech community, especially startups and developers, said Lance Crosby, StackPath founder, CEO and chairman. Our StackPath Propel and StackPath Amp programs provide startups and developers by building protection and performance into their cloud solutions and apps. We are security and content delivery experts so they dont have to be. The StackPath Propel and StackPath Amp programs provide security and delivery expertise in many ways, including business and technical guides, hosting online commnities and local meet-ups so the tech community can share experience and insights, and providing support and mentorship. StackPath has hired industry experts to drive these efforts led by James Leaverton, co-founder and vice president of ecosystem development:



Joshua Krammes, VP community engagement, will serve as an advisor, mentor and liaison for the startup community and StackPath Propel. Krammes has been immersed in the startup community for 12 years, most recently with MergerTech assisting companies navigate the acquisition process, and as the vice president of community development at SoftLayer.

Leading StackPath Amp is Justin Johnson, director of developer relations. Justin is an active open source software community organizer and has more than a decade of experience working in technology as a founder, employee, investor and advisor. Most recently before joining StackPath, Justin was the product manager and VP of developer advocacy at Keen IO. Joshua and Justin have deep ties to, and connections in, the tech community and believe in the StackPath give-first ethos said Leaverton. Having a strong ecosystem and being relevant and used by the companies of tomorrow will be paramount to our success. To learn more, visit www.stackpath.com/propel or email [email protected] or [email protected].

About StackPath

StackPath is a platform of secure internet services built at the cloud's edge. StackPath services enable developers at organizations of any size to build protection and performance into any cloud-based solutionfrom SaaS to web publishing, gaming, media streaming and beyondwithout needing cloud security and delivery expertise of their own. More than 800,000 customers, ranging from early-stage enterprises to Fortune 100 organizations, use StackPath services. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, StackPath has offices across the U.S. and around the world. For more information, visit stackpath.com and follow StackPath at www.fb.com/stackpathllc and www.twitter.com/stackpath. For more information, media and analysts may contact: Susie McDonald

StackPath

VP Corporate Communications

[email protected]

503-806-3841

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] Hitachi Enterprise Cloud Provides New Choices in Managed Services for Container Use Cases

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hitachi Vantara, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501), announced today at NEXT 2017 the expansion of its Hitachi Enterprise Cloud portfolio to address DevOps and container use cases. The Hitachi Enterprise Cloud with VMware vRealize Automation now provides expanded services offering for DevOps and Container Support for hybrid cloud deployments inclusive of cloud-native architectures. In addition, a new Hitachi Enterprise Cloud Container Platform provides hybrid cloud resources for DevOps that utilize microservices architecture with a turnkey, end-to-end container as a service environment.

Without fail, customers are driven by their unique business objectives and pressures. Their journey to the cloud is no exception: Everyone is on their own path, said Bobby Soni, chief solutions and services officer, Hitachi Vantara. Our collaborations with industry leaders like VMware and Mesosphere enable us to create unique Hitachi Enterprise Cloud offerings to address the diversity of use cases in DevOps and containers. Hitachi Enterprise Cloud with VMware vRealize

With expanded support for DevOps and Containers, Hitachi Enterprise Cloud with VMware vRealize 7.3 automates the creation, deployment and management of container hosts and cloud-native applications as a service, across a multi-vendor, multi-cloud infrastructure. The platform provides developers with pre-engineered container templates with full support for persistent volumes, improved container networking, container host and image repository management. Further, the developers can enhance the applications to include dynamic networks or micro-segmentation, while administrators can manage the container host infrastructure with SLA driven policy based governance. HEC with VMware vRealize 7.3 supports collaboration between cloud administrators and development teams for traditional, containerized, and hybrid applications. These capabilities simplify re-packaging and re-factoring of traditional apps as containers and enable customers to use a consistent operations model and tools for both traditional and containerized applications. vRealize Automation 7.3 provides fine grained control of containers and their hosts throughout their lifecycle. These capabilities can be useful in a multi-tenant environment and allow organizations to more easily manage Containers in production. Hitachi Enterprise Cloud Container Platform

Hitachi Enterprise Cloud Container Platform assists organizations in reducing their reliance on public cloud resources for their born-in-the-cloud applications. It provides hybrid cloud resources for DevOps that utilize microservices architecture with a turnkey, end-to-end container platform and a ready-to-use container-as-a-service environment. The architecture combines Hitachi infrastructure with Mesosphere DC/OS to provide PaaS element integration and user interface, container engine, scheduling, orchestration and workflow, with more than 50 preconfigured container applications, ad options for persistent storage and private repository. The pre-engineered environment enables developers to focus on app development and provides operations with robust and industrialized service-level choices that the business demands once those applications reach production.



Hitachis focus on innovation and data is virtually unmatched in the industry. Hitachi Enterprise Cloud for Containers powered by industry-leading Mesosphere container and big data technology is no exception, said William Freiberg, COO, Mesosphere. Our joint offering improves agility, increases value, accelerates time to market and, ultimately, helps customers realize the power of their data. Hitachi Enterprise Cloud Family

All Hitachi Enterprise Cloud solutions provide a public cloud experience and ease of use with simple access to cloud services through a cloud service portal. Hybrid cloud features automatically deploy to either private or public clouds in line with an organizations business or regulatory rules. Hitachi ensures capacity is available to meet peak demands on the private cloud. As part of the offerings, Hitachi outlines performance against service-level agreements to ensure applications are available and meeting business requirements. Hitachi Enterprise Cloud is delivered as a fully managed, outcome-based solution with consumption-based pricing that ensures that customers only pay for the capacity and resources used.

Both of these new Hitachi Enterprise Cloud managed solutions are available through an early customer adoption program. This program is designed to provide an opportunity for initial customers to co-create the solution with our partners and us before the solution is standardized for general availability. Co-creation ensures that our service offerings have proven strategic relevance and greater value for our customers and enable us to develop differentiated solutions together with partners. Learn More. Join the Conversation. Twitter



LinkedIn



Facebook NEXT 2017 Community About NEXT 2017 by Hitachi

NEXT 2017 by Hitachi is the premier event for the digital revolution. It's for business leaders who want to win  not just compete  and innovate faster to thrive in the digital economy. And to reinvent their business even if they weren't born in the cloud. You'll experience the latest solutions and services so that you can get the most value in your data. It's all made possible by integrating information technology with the operational technologies of the world's infrastructure through the internet of things. Gain the expertise of Hitachi, one of today's industrial giants. Achieve incredible value when this expertise meets Hitachi's strength in data management and analysis. It's part of our vision of Social Innovation to help businesses succeed and societies be safer, healthier and smarter. NEXT 2017 will be held September 18-20, 2017, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. For more information and to register, please visit HitachiNEXT.com. About Hitachi Vantara

Hitachi Vantara, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., helps data-driven leaders find and use the value in their data to innovate intelligently and reach outcomes that matter for business and society. We combine technology, intellectual property and industry knowledge to deliver data-managing solutions that help enterprises improve their customers experiences, develop new revenue streams, and lower the costs of business. Only Hitachi Vantara elevates your innovation advantage by combining deep information technology (IT), operational technology (OT) and domain expertise. We work with organizations everywhere to drive data to meaningful outcomes. Visit us at HitachiVantara.com. About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer societys challenges. The companys consolidated revenues for fiscal 2016 (ended March 31, 2017) totaled 9,162.2 billion yen ($81.8 billion). The Hitachi Group is a global leader in the Social Innovation Business, and it has approximately 304,000 employees worldwide. Through collaborative creation, Hitachi is providing solutions to customers in a broad range of sectors, including Power / Energy, Industry / Distribution / Water, Urban Development, and Finance / Government & Public / Healthcare. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com. HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. All other trademarks, service marks, and company names are properties of their respective owners. Company Contact:

Stefani Finch

Hitachi Vantara

+1 408 499 7349

[email protected]



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] LECTRA: Lectra appoints Olivier du Chesnay as Chief Financial Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Lectra appoints Olivier du Chesnay as Chief Financial Officer Paris, September 19, 2017 - Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials, is pleased to announce the appointment of Olivier du Chesnay to the role of Chief Financial Officer. Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Lectra since May 2013, Olivier du Chesnay was already supervising management control, statutory consolidation and audit, headquarters' accounting, cash flow, credit management and change risk management, as well as more recently sales administration. "Over the past four years, Olivier du Chesnay has successfully led many projects to improve our processes, while at the same time coordinating the Group's financial management with rigor, efficiency and leadership. He will support the company to achieve the financial objectives articulated in Lectra's new strategic roadmap," states Daniel Harari, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lectra. "I am confident about the growth prospects for the company, which are empowered by sustained investments in innovation. This commtment will reinforce Lectra's leadership and customer value proposition, by facilitating the implementation of Industry 4.0 principles for its customers," underlines Olivier du Chesnay. "I am delighted to support the Group through this new strategy, one which will open a new page in Lectra's history."



Prior to joining Lectra, Olivier du Chesnay acquired 15 years' experience in financial positions at the heart of major groups Saint-Gobain, Accenture, Sperian Protection and Honeywell Safety Products, where he was Financial Director for the EMEA and India division from 2010 to 2013. Olivier du Chesnay is a graduate of the EDHEC business school and the London School of Economics.

About Lectra

Lectra is the world leader in integrated technology solutions (software, automated cutting equipment, and associated services) specifically designed for industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles, and composite materials to manufacture their products. It serves major world markets: fashion and apparel, automotive, and furniture as well as a broad array of other industries. Lectra's solutions, specific to each market, enable customers to automate and optimize product design, development, and manufacturing. With more than 1,600 employees, Lectra has developed privileged relationships with prestigious customers in more than 100 countries, contributing to their operational excellence. Lectra registered revenues of $288 million in 2016 and is listed on Euronext. For more information, please visit www.lectra.com Contact - Lectra Headquarters / Press Dept.: Nathalie Fournier-Christol

E-mail: [email protected]

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 64 42 37 - Fax: +33 (0)1 53 64 43 40 Attachments: //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ecf986e4-3bc8-4c49-aa39-e791e197f2af

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] Our Excitement Is Contagious: Social Link Rebrands Eventagious Event Planning & Management

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Social Link today announced the launch of its new website for Eventagiousa key part of its strategic rebranding program for the Duluth, Minnesota-based events planning and marketing company. "Eventagious is what happens when the word of mouth is so spectacular that you have to turn people away," said Eventagious founder and CEO Leanne Joynes of her company's new label. "It's guests who ar still talking up an event months after it's over. The excitement is contagious."



Joynes engaged Social Link to take the helm on all aspects of the new brand launch: marketing strategy, visual identity, social marketing, SEO/SEM, and web design. The goal was to reposition the company (formerly known as Success Unlimited) as a new kind of event planner. The new website is just a start to the overall plan. "The key word in today's marketplace is agility," said Social Link CEO, Brady O'Rourke. "This is something that we, as a virtual marketing department, understand very well. Our primary communication is that Eventagious is built to scale rapidly. This makes the company attractive for short-term, project-based engagements, while still messaging stability to the clients Leanne's worked with for years."

To serve this mission, Eventagious will scale up projects from a smaller, highly skilled core team of Certified Meeting Professionals (CMP). Joynes, a veteran CMP, was a founding member of the International Special Events Society (ISES) and will continue to focus on what her company does best: using creative, organizational, and insider expertise to help manage associations and their event needs. The company's industry focus will include nonprofits, as well as franchise associations within the food and beverage industry: Jimmy Johns, El Pollo Loco, Denny's, and many others. Contact:

Brady O'Rourke

615.873.0707

[email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/our-excitement-is-contagious-social-link-rebrands-eventagious-event-planning--management-300522142.html SOURCE Social Link

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[September 19, 2017] Lever Adds Recommendations to Lever Nurture; Uses Intelligent Technology to Resurface Past Candidates Who Fit Open Roles

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lever, the recruiting software for more than 1,300 leading companies around the world, today introduces Nurture Recommendations, the latest addition to its breakthrough product, Lever Nurture. Nurture Recommendations intelligently resurface past candidates who fit open jobs, enabling organizations to maximize their existing relationships and kickstart the hiring process.

With Nurture Recommendations we are eliminating the talent graveyard that exists within most ATS and tapping into this very valuable, very underutilized candidate pool, said Lever CEO, Sarah Nahm. Sourcing candidates often feels like Groundhog Day, with every search starting from scratch. Nurture Recommendations solve this problem by suggesting candidates from within an organizations rich  and often ignored  archives. Today, many organizations have thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of underleveraged past candidates in their database. Lever found only one quarter of all customers candidates are in active consideration, with the remaining 75 percent being overlooked or archived. Despite this, the appetite to re-engage these ignored candidates is high; 95 percent of Lever customers have rediscovered candidates within the past year using its structured data and advanced search. "We switched to Lever largely because we needed a recruiting system that made it easy to search our large candidate database and take advantage of our warm relationships, said Graham Pionkowski, Head of Global Talent Acquisition at Bazaarvoice. Were thrilled about the addition of Nurture Recommendations, which we anticipate will help us gain greater value from our past recruiting efforts and accelerate hiring.



Once the best candidates have been resurfaced, companies can immediately re-ignite conversations using Nurture Campaigns, which automate and personalize candidate communication.

Lever Nurture offers intelligent recruiting automation and consists of three components for building relationships with top talent: Nurture Campaigns, which engages candidates at scale via personalized email campaigns; Nurture Reports, which tracks and optimizes sourcing activity with powerful analytics; and Nurture Recommendations, which pulls smart recommendations from the pool of past candidates. The Lever platform is built on a CRM foundation and the company has a proven track record of innovation. Nurture Recommendations will be rolled out to all Lever Nurture customers this fall. For more information about Lever Nurture, visit https://www.lever.co/nurture, and to request a demo, go to https://www.lever.co/nurture-recommendations-new-signup. About Lever

Built from the conviction that recruiting is the responsibility of everyone at the company, Levers applicant tracking and sourcing technology draws the entire team together to source, nurture, interview, and hire top talent through effortless collaboration. Lever has been intentionally designed from the ground up with integrated ATS and CRM functionality, and features a modern interface that helps employers develop stronger candidate relationships in fewer clicks. Lever was founded in 2012 in San Francisco. The company has raised more than $73 million in funding from Adams Street Partners, Scale Venture Partners, Matrix Partners, Y Combinator, Redpoint Ventures, and Correlation Ventures among others. Lever supports the hiring needs of over 1,300 companies around the globe including the teams at Netflix, Lyft, Hot Topic, KPMG New Zealand, and Cirque du Soleil. With an overall gender ratio of 50:50, Lever is also fiercely committed to building a team culture that celebrates diversity and inclusion. For more information, visit https://www.lever.co. MEDIA CONTACT:

Ashley Cohen

Traeger Communications

[email protected]

303-522-0783

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
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).


In a classic riches to rags story, Dera empire owner has now been reduced to a vegetable grower- whose produce fetches him Rs 20 per day.

By Manjeet Sehgal: The jailed head of the Rs 1,100-crore empire called Dera Sachcha Sauda, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, will now toil eight hours every day to earn a measly Rs 20. The dera chief is serving time in Rohtak's Sunaria jail after being convicted for raping two disciples almost 18 years ago.

Godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been brought to his knees, literally, as his tasks now include pruning trees and cultivating a 500-600 yard patch of land inside Rohtak's Sunaria prison.

advertisement

The vegetables grown by him will not be sold outside but, cooked in the jail mess after a thorough inspection.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief's many 'talents' like acting and singing among others failed to qualify him as a skilled worker, (which could earn him more wages in prison) thereby pushing him in to the category of an unskilled worker.

NO FEMALE PRISON EMPLOYEE TO TEND GURMEET'S CELL

Sources in the Sunaria prison revealed that Gurmeet Ram Rahim gets no VIP treatment and lives in a cell like all others. A vacant room without a bed.

Used to living an opulent lifestyle, prison rules are no less than a shock-treatment to the Dera chief, whose advocate recently transferred Rs 5000 in his account for day-to-day expenditure.

The prison authorities refused to divulge any update on Gurmeet's health. India Today had earlier reported that Gurmeet Ram Rahim is a sex addict who developed withdrawal symptoms in jail.

However, jail sources tell us that no female employee of the prison is allowed access to Gurmeet Ram Rahim's cell.

ON HONEYPREET

Speaking to India Today, DGP Jail KP Singh said that even though only blood relatives are allowed to visit inmates in the prison, Gurmeet has submitted Honeypreet's name and number for the log.

"He has not specifically asked to speak to her (Honeypreet)," added the DGP.

Out of the list of 10 people whom Gurmeet wanted to meet, only one person's details could be verified- his mother Naseeb Kaur's.

On her maiden visit to her son in the Sunaria jail, Naseeb Kaur carried two religious books, a pair of slippers and some clothes for Gurmeet.

PAPA'S ANGEL STILL AT LARGE

Meanwhile, latest reports on the whereabouts of Gurmeet Ram Rahim's confidante and companion Honeypreet reveal that she was spotted in Nepal's Mahendranagar last week. Mahendranagar is located just 5 km from the Indian border.

Sources within the Haryana Police say that the absconding 'angel' of rape convict Ram Rahim was seen roaming in a vehicle bearing Nepal registration with three other people on Sunday.

The same report mentions that Honeypreet may have changed her look to deceive the police and other probing teams.

advertisement

Also watch: Gurmeet Ram Rahim may even be involved in organs racket: Dera follower Gurdas Toor

--- ENDS ---
Kansas City police are asking for help in identifying two men suspected in a July convenience store robbery. Investigators said the men walked into the Quick Discount Shop at 11525 Blue Ridge Boulevard in the afternoon on July 6. Detectives said one man, armed with a silver handgun, went behind the counter and grabbed money from the register.
St. Louis police arrested more than 80 people Sunday after a peaceful protest turned violent as night fell. In a concentrated area downtown, some protesters smashed windows and overturned trash cans, while others threw chemicals and rocks at police, authorities said.
By PTI: By Trisha Mukherjee

New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) Varun Thakur dropped his seven- year-old son Pradyuman at the school gate last fortnight, confident in the knowledge that he was now in a secure space, safe behind the walls of the upscale Gurgaon school.

But Pradyuman was found murdered a short while later in the washroom of the school, shattering Thakurs world ? and the trust of parents across the country who believe that school is a refuge as much as home is.

advertisement

While incidents of bullying and accidents have often been reported from schools, private and government, the brutal murder of the Class 2 student opened the proverbial Pandoras Box on the basic issue of security.

It was not just about Ryan International, which has several branches in the NCR region, but other schools as well, parents said as the ripples of insecurity spread, forcing school establishments and governments to conduct security audits.

A fact finding CBSE team found there was a breach in the boundary wall at the Ryan International branch, insufficient CCTV cameras, many of which didnt work anyway, and outsiders like bus conductors and drivers using the same toilets as students and staff. Moreover, the washroom windows did not have grilles.

Were other schools guilty of similar negligence?

The question haunted many parents, some of whom didnt send their children to school.

"The incident has left me scared and worried. As soon as my son leaves for school, I get anxious about his safety," said Chiradeep Banerjee, a Kolkata-based data analyst who has a five-year-old son.

There were several protests by parents, but marches were merely cosmetic, said Ashok Agarwal, national president of the All India Parents Association.

Aggarwal, who met Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar today, has suggested higher representation -- at least 50 per cent - of parents in the school management committees.

"The power control in schools needs to be shifted, because everybody except the parents will have vested interests. The only solution is at least 50 per cent representation of parents in the school management committees," Agarwal, who also gave a letter on the issue to the minister, told PTI.

?Javadekar has agreed to consider our suggestions,? he added.

In his view, the sense of insecurity in parents is on the rise.

?They pay so much money to make their children study in private schools, so the least they can expect is for their child to be secure," he said.

advertisement

Expressing shock over Pradyuman?s murder, Ashok Pandey, principal of the Ahlcon International School here, stressed the need to bring the safety of children to the "centre- stage".

Once a child enters the precincts of the school, authorities must take responsibility of the child, he said.

His security checklist includes deployment of guards, surveillance through CCTV cameras to monitor movement of people within the campus and screening visitors.

"Younger children must be accompanied and supervised by concerned and responsible staff. These provisions should be ensured consistently," said Pandey, also chairman of the National Progressive Students Conference (NPSC).

NPSC is an association of senior secondary schools across the country, and has 160 leading private schools under its umbrella.

He also recommended strict management of visitors at the school.

But isnt that done anyway, ask parents, some of whom have shelled out lakhs and battled intense competition to get their child admitted to private school.

For Kolkata-based Sharmila Upadhyay, school should be a place where her five-year old daughter Megha can move about freely without any fear.

Prabhakar Gupta is also scared of sending his nine-year- old daughter to her school in Sahibabad.

advertisement

"The incident has left a negative impression on everyone. My daughter told me she was afraid to go to the school washroom," he added about his nine-year-old daughter.

CBSE last week issued new security-related guidelines for affiliated schools across the country. These included a psychometric test for teaching and non-teaching staff.

The non-compliance of the guidelines - safety audits, installation of CCTV cameras, police verification, constitution of parent-teacher-students committees and regular feedback from parents -- would lead to derecognition, the board had said.

Pointing to the pan India nature of the problem, a Class 9 student in Deoria fell to her death from the third floor of her school yesterday. Her father said in his complaint that she could not have committed suicide and was pushed.

The issue of school security is under the scanner ? and it should not have taken the brutal murder of a young child to focus on the issue, say parents. PTI TRS MIN

--- ENDS ---
Police seek identity of four men who broke into Overland Park business Police are seeking the identity of four men who broke into an Overland Park business last week.

Police need help finding these suburban crooks and their recent tech robbery spree. Take a look:
AT LEAST UNTIL THE LAWSUITS START FLYING

KCI UPDATE (9/19): Deliberation Documents Shared Today from the KC Airport Terminal Selection Process









The Important Work Ahead

THURSDAY (9/21)

As the New Airport vote becomes a reality . . . Check theor just another lawsuit for City Legal to confront.Here's the word and the outline of how the rest of this week might play out for a controversial development plan . . .This week is another important one in the work to select the best team for the KCI Terminal Project as the City Council is back in session and will continue to deliberate and examine the recommendation of the Selection Committee. Last week, even while I was in Chengdu, China leading a delegation from the National League of Cities, I was able to help advance our efforts as we finalized our deliberation materials, which were hand-delivered to the full City Council at 2:00 p.m. last Thursday (9/14).As part of todays statement (my 15th statement issued on this topic since August 15), I wanted to be the first to share with you the documents that summarize the respective comparisons of the KCI terminal proposals used in the Selection Committees deliberations. I am releasing this information with the consent of the Selection Committee and the full City Council. My core values of transparency and integrity are fully engaged, especially as the decision-making and deliberations process now shift back to the full City Council. The attached compiled PDF, which is now a public document, includes these items:The 15-page document was created for our review process, when the Selection Committee, with assistance from outside counsel, prepared a side-by-side comparison of key provisions for each of the KCI Partnership, Edgemoor, and Terminal Developer proposals.It is important to note that the Selection Committee did not use any form of matrix in considering the proposalsnor did it engage in an official vote in making its selectionin accordance with the procurement process.Now that the Selection Committee has turned over our work to the full Council, it in their hands to accept or reject our recommendation, and I will continue to call for unity among my colleagues. With the final recommendation, the City can begin the negotiation of a comprehensive MOU with the best team for the KCI Terminal Project, and I can assure you through my direct involvement in the process that the MOU will include solid minority participation, as well as the development and execution of the Community Benefits Agreement.Today, Tuesday (9/19) there was a Council Work Session at 1:30 p.m. on the 29th Floor of City Hall where we met to discuss and review the timeline, and the Selection Committee was also there and available to answer Council questions and provide further feedback.Later this week, here is how our schedule is shaping up:Airport & Finance and Governance Joint Committee Meeting at 9:15 a.m. on the 26th Floor of City Hall: Presentation from Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate, LLC.Council Business Session at 1:00p.m. on the 10th Floor of City Hall: KCI Airport UpdateCouncil Legislative Session at 3:00 p.m. on the 26th Floor of City Hall: Depending on the outcome of Thursday morning meeting: the full City Council could vote to accept the recommendation.As I have throughout this process, I stand ready to answer any questions and share details regarding our activities and outcomes. I promise to keep you informed at every step of the way, and please remember that my inbox and office are always open for you to share your comments and concerns.Yours in Service,Jermaine ReedMember of the City Council, Third DistrictCity of Kansas City, Missouri#########Developing . . .
The Greeks, who came to the territory of the present-day Kuban in the fourth century BC, established their colonies on the sea coast

Archeologists have discovered a fortress in Russias Krasnodar Region, which was supposedly founded by Greek colonists in the fifth century BC, head of the expeditions department at the Research Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation Ivan Tupalov told TASS. He added, that the citadel had been found in the area where an energy bridge to Crimea is under construction

Security work was underway in connection with the construction of the energy bridge between Rostov and Taman [the part of the energy bridge that would incorporate Crimea in Russias energy grid, ensuring uninterrupted power supply to the peninsula  TASS], he said. During excavations, an ancient fortress was unearthed. Judging by its fortifications, it was a Greek citadel founded by colonists, who came to settle the Black Sea coast Such discoveries are not made every day, Tupalov noted.

According to him, the fortress is believed to date back 2,500 years, as it is believed to have been built approximately in the fifth century BC. Its walls were made of mud bricks, which is why they did not last until today, but some traces can be seen in places where the ditch was and where towers once stood. The citadel had an area of around eight hectares. In the seventh and eighth centuries AD, the earth ramparts left over from its walls were turned into a burial ground, while in the past decades, the area was partly occupied by fields.

Tupalov added that scientists have yet to find answers to a lot of questions. The number of the citadels residents is still unknown (it can be estimated based on the number of the uncovered ceramic sherds). Another puzzling question is whether during ancient times, the Kuban River was connected to the sea by a firth or did the Greeks build their fortress on the seashore, or did they move deep inland, something which was uncommon for them.

In addition, Archeologists have discovered a number of noteworthy artifacts. For instance, a bowl has been excavated which has an interesting picture of figures engaged in a dance resembling the sirtaki dance, Tupalov said. Besides, there are various small incense burners as the Greeks were very fond of fragrances, there are also pieces of jewelry and ceramic sherds, he added.

The Greeks, who came to the territory of the present-day Kuban in the fourth century BC, established their colonies on the sea coast. They established the Bosporan Kingdom on the shores of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, spreading their civilization and peacefully coexisting with peoples living on the Taman Peninsula. In the fourth century AD, the Hun tribes drove the Greeks out of this area.

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
Total value of two-way trade between the UAE and Iraq stood at nearly Dh26 billion ($7 billion) in 2016, making Iraq one of the key export markets for UAE, with re-exports accounting for Dh12.3 billion of the total value of trade, said the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry.



UAE and Iraq maintain robust economic and trade relations as Iraq remains one of the key trading partners of the UAE according to statistics of UAE's non-oil foreign trade, Humaid Mohamed bin Salem, secretary-general of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry was quoted as saying by Wam, the Emirates official news agency.



''Iraq came in the 13th place in the list of UAE's international trade partners in terms of foreign trade in 2016. It was the fourth largest re-export market for UAE, seventh major destination for exports and 25th key market in terms of imports,'' Humaid bin Salem said in a statement to Wam on the sidelines of the UAE-Iraq Trade and Investment Forum, organised by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in co-operation with the UAE Ministry of Economy, in Abu Dhabi on Monday.



More than 300 Emirati and Iraqi companies operating in different investment sectors attended the event.
The Abraaj Group, a leading investor operating in global growth markets, has announced the

appointment of Kito de Boer as managing partner.



De Boer has over 30 years experience across diverse geographies and sectors.



In 2014, de Boer was appointed by US Secretary of State John Kerry to become head of mission of the Office of the Quartet based in Jerusalem with a specific focus on the economic

track of the Middle East peace process. De Boer assumed overall leadership when former

Prime Minister Tony Blair stepped aside as Quartet Representative.



Prior to this diplomatic posting, de Boer spent 29 years with McKinsey & Co. based in

London, New Delhi and Dubai. De Boer was one of the initial team of partners that created

the India Practice in 1993 and went on to found and lead the Middle East Practice in 1999 and

the Global Government Practice in 2009. De Boer was head of the public and social sector

practice for EMEA from 2009 onwards.



De Boer will oversee Abraajs Impact Investing business and will spearhead the groups

global efforts to deploy private capital as a means of tackling some of the worlds most pressing

challenges. According to the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, the UN

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) present at least $12 trillion of investable

opportunities and could create 380 million new jobs by 2030. Abraajs Impact Investing line of

business is aligned to the SDGs and is currently focused on accessible healthcare and clean

energy in growth markets.



Arif Naqvi, founder and group chief executive of The Abraaj Group, said: For us,

investing with impact is core to the markets in which we operate. There is a real opportunity for

businesses to positively address and deliver on the SDGs. Throughout his distinguished career,

Kito has demonstrated both a commitment to these aspirations and a professional excellence

that matches our own. I am confident his experience will help guide our goals to expand and

grow this increasingly important line of business.



De Boer added: I am delighted to be joining Abraaj. To be relevant as a leader in the next

era of Impact Investing is to be material. The challenge of funding the UN Sustainable

Development Goals is one of scale. Meeting this funding challenge will demand an investment

platform with the combination of scope to penetrate those geographies and sectors most in

need of capital, performance credibility based on track record, and a values system that will

nurture partnerships across the ecosystem of sectors - public, private, philanthropic and

development." - TradeArabia News Service
Galfar Engineering & Contracting, a leading construction company in Oman, said its chief financial officer Gerard Hutchinson has resigned from his post citing personal reasons.



The announcement was made at the meeting of company's board of directors held recently.

The board members accepted the resignation, but have asked Hutchinson to continue in the post till October 15, said the company in a filing with the Muscat Securities Market.



Galfar Engineering & Contracting has already started looking for a suitable replacement, it added.

A major player in Omans construction sector, Galfar boasts EPC capability in oil and gas, roads and bridges and civil and utilities sectors operating in Oman and other GCC countries.



In addition to the sultanate, Galfar operates in Kuwait, India and Libya and has associates in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.-TradeArabia News Service


Saudi women feel confident about their working futures and what needs to be done to increase the number of women in the workplace, a report said, adding this is a critical part of helping the Kingdom to achieve its Vision 2030.



While the findings are specific to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the women's comments will resonate across the Gulf region.



The report titled Roads to the Top for Saudi Women from Metin Mitchell & Company, a Dubai-based executive search and management advisory firm, is based on interviews with pioneering women from education, medicine, financial services, philanthropy, e-commerce and the professions.



They shared experiences of their working lives and success and their perspectives of what the government, society and women themselves can do to encourage the next generation of working women. Interviews were carried out with Princess Banderi bint Abdulrahman AlFaisal, Dr Amal Fatani, May bint Mohammed Al-Hoshan, Hala Kudwah, Dr Taghreed M Al-Saraj, Dr Sameera Maziad Al Tuwaijri and others.



Metin Mitchell, founder of the company, said: "The women's comments will resonate across the Middle East - the big picture is similar across the region. The biggest challenge is how we support women into middle management to see a step change in achieving targets. Our female interviewees talked about the importance of role models and mentors. The other strong message is that women themselves are keen to help the Saudi government achieve its Vision 2030 targets - and they gave practical suggestions to do this."



"I have seen firsthand, in more than 20 years of headhunting in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East, that time and again it is the women who are the outstanding candidates on our shortlists. I have been delighted to see them excel in their careers and become wonderful role models to the next generation of women, said Mitchell.



"That is what this report is about. These early female leaders have a wealth of insights and expertise to help future female leaders - but also to give their perspective on how to speed up the rate that women progress in the workplace and use their skills to help the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia succeed in its ambitions."



Mitchell said that to increase the number of women working and in more senior roles there need to be flexible working patterns to combine family and work balance. He added: "Work needs to be measured by outcomes rather than hours worked. Women are very good at working remotely and delivering results - they don't always have to be in an office. A mentor should be appointed to new female recruits and HR and management need to look at how they hire for talent rather than experience."



Princess Banderi bint Abdulrahman AlFaisal, director general at King Khalid Foundation said: "We need to change some of the male and female stereotypes and set roles. People should be equal, it isn't your gender that matters, it's what you do and how and what you contribute to your family and society.



We already see two-income households more and more in the country. Recently, especially in Vision 2030, the focus is on providing women with opportunities to study and work. Our society is changing and both men and women need to be open to change. I think female economic empowerment is very important for the future of our country."



Those interviewed stressed the importance of the family in the success of a woman. Many fathers encouraged and were the inspiration to their daughters, while supportive husbands have withstood cultural pressures to help their wives succeed. As one interviewee said, "The family unit will always remain the major portion of a holistic, stable society." To help, women would like to see quality childcare introduced at work.



The report includes tips from these trailblazing women for the next generation, ranging from the need to find a mentor to being confident about aiming for the boardroom if that is what a woman wants.



There were also ideas about how women can help each other. One said: "I read an article that said in the Obama administration they had very few women, so they came up with a strategy to amplify their voice. If May says we should focus on the strategy of expanding in the eastern region then Noura, another woman in the room a few minutes later would repeat what May said to make sure May was heard. It can be as simple as reiterating what somebody else said in a meeting."



Mitchell added: "These women were very clear about their own Saudi identity - they don't want to be the same as in the West or even the rest of the Middle East. They are proud of their country and their own role in its successful future."



Saudi Vision 2030 has a target to increase women's participation in the workforce from 22 per cent to 30 per cent - the government is delivering reforms to achieve this and encouraging changes in cultural practices to make them work.  TradeArabia News Service


Non-profit organization Injaz Kuwait recently partnered with TEDxAlShuwaikh in an event addressing hundreds of participants to further its cause in empowering young people to own their economic success.



The Injaz Kuwait vision for inspiring and preparing young people to become successful, contributing members of the society is well aligned with the TEDxAlShuwaikh theme for this year; Ideas Worth Spreading, a statement said.



In line with the theme, Injaz Kuwait hosted Brain Hero Meetings where interested individuals could approach representatives to talk about a number of issues pertaining to careers and skills for youth.



High profile executives from Injaz Kuwait, Dr Samar Baqer, Abdulwahab AlZankawi and the Injaz Kuwait CEO, Laila Al Mutairi, spoke to people on marketing for the Z generation, public speaking and pursuing a career in non-profit organisations.



Al Mutairi said: The interest displayed by people coming up to the stand was heart warming to see. We are always eager to see volunteers become involved with our mission to enable Kuwaiti youth to take charge of their future and success. Events such as TEDxAlShuwaikh serve as an ideal platform for us to meet such individuals and encourage them to play their part in the future of Kuwaiti education and economy.  TradeArabia News Service
Before Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia were the preferred destinations for Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar.

More than 4 lakh Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh since August 25. Photo: Reuters.

By Kritika Banerjee: A week after a top United Nations official "deplored" India's decision to deport Rohingyas, the Centre in its affidavit in the Supreme Court said they pose "security threat" to the country.

The Rohingyas "figure in the suspected sinister designs of ISI/ISIS and other extremist groups who want to achieve their ulterior motives in India including that of flaring up communal and sectarian violence in sensitive areas of the country", the Centre told the Supreme Court.

advertisement

As the fate of nearly 40,000 Rohingya Muslims hangs in balance in India, lakhs have fled Myanmar since fresh violence broke out in the Rakhine state on August 25 and entered Bangladesh. The UN now estimates that nearly 4.15 lakh Rohingyas have taken shelter in Bangladesh in the last three weeks.

While the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh, as of now, has decided to provide refuge to Rohingyas fleeing persecution in Myanmar, the country has already reached out its neighbours, including India, to condemn the violence and seek a solution to the crisis.

Given Bangladesh's state of economy and the refugee camps bursting at the seams with a fresh batch of Rohingyas arriving everyday, the country could be forced to deport them to Myanmar.

Rohingya refugees arrive in Bangladesh. Photo: Reuters.

Rohingyas, often called the world's most persecuted minority, have faced a history of violence and exploitation not just in Myanmar but also while fleeing Myanmar for safer places.

Before Bangladesh, how did other countries treat Rohingya Muslims:

THAILAND: The country, which was the preferred destination for Rohingyas till 2015, recently said that it is willing to receive Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar.

However, in late 2013, Thailand had deported 1,300 Rohingya refugees staying in detention centres to Myanmar, a move criticised by human rights groups.

In 2015, mass graves, believed to be of Bangladeshi and Burmese Rohingya refugees, were discovered along the Thailand-Myanmar border near abandoned trafficking camps. Subsequently, Thailand cracked down on trafficking networks and the smuggling routes (prompting Rohingyas to move towards Bangladesh).

As a result, smugglers abandoned several Rohingyas, who were fleeing persecution in Myanmar, at sea. According to International Organization for Migration, an estimated 8,000 people were stranded at sea in May 2015.

Following international pressure, Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to offer temporary shelter to close to 7,000 Rohingya on the condition that by May 2016, the asylum-seekers would be resettled.

A protest in Ahmedabad against persecution of Rohingyas in Myanmar. Photo: Reuters. A protest in Ahmedabad against persecution of Rohingyas in Myanmar. Photo: Reuters.

advertisement

MALAYSIA: The country's coast guard recently said that they are willing to provide temporary shelter to Rohingya refugees.

Close to 1 lakh Rohingyas are staying in Malaysia, a Musim-majority nation. Like India, Malaysia too has not signed the UN Refugee Convention and treats refugees as illegal immigrants.

Before the crackdown on smuggling routes, along with Thailand, Malaysia too saw a steady stream of Rohingyas entering the country through the sea route.

As per the United Nations High Commissioner for Rights (UNHCR) figures till March 2017, 56,000 Rohigya refugees are registered with it in Malaysia.

A presentation by a representative of UNHCR Malaysia in March this year states that while "arrivals of Rohingya, by boat, have effectively stopped", those who are in the country "have limited access to basic services, including the right to work, essential health and education services. Many are at risk of exploitation, and detention".

A pilot project initiated by the government in March this year allowed 300 Rohingya refugees to work legally in plantation and manufacturing sector.

Malaysia was among the 48 countries that adopted the Bali Declaration at the World Parliament Forum on Sustainable Development on September 7 in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia.

Rohingya refugees at a makeshift shelter in Bangladesh. Photo: Reuters.

advertisement

INDONESIA: Following the crackdown on smuggling routes by the Thailand government, Indonesia agreed to provide temporary shelter to Rohingyas in May 2015. Indonesian fishermen rescued several hundred Rohingyas, who were stranded at sea.

Indonesia, however, like India has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 protocol till January this year.

Indonesian president Joko Widido passed a presidential decree on December 31, 2016, which outlines procedures on how to treat a refugee in the country, a first attempt to arrive at a consolidated legal policy that differentiates refugees from illegal immigrants.

DO WATCH: Aung San Suu Kyi under scrutiny for silence over Rohingya Muslims crisis

--- ENDS ---


Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : LAURENT A. VOIVENEL - SVP MEA & INDIA FOR SWISS-BELHOTEL INTERNATIONAL - SPEAKS ON GROWTH OF MID-MARKET SECTOR AT THE HOTEL SHOW IN DUBAI Industry: Travel PR

Laurent A. Voivenel, Senior Vice President, Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India



(TRAVPR.COM) UAE - September 19th, 2017 - Laurent A. Voivenel, Senior Vice President, Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India, Swiss-Belhotel International, was among the top speakers today at The Hotel Show being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 18 to 20th September, 2017. Speaking at the Middle East Hospitality Leadership Forum, Laurent participated in a panel discussion on the booming mid-market in Dubai and its ongoing effect on 4* & 5* operators.



Elaborating on some of the factors affecting the market, Laurent stated, The hotel industry in the region is being reshaped by digital and technological advancements, new market players particularly regional independent operators, changing consumer behaviour, online distribution battle, over supply of rooms and emergence of new forms of competition such as AirBnB. We are increasingly witnessing a shift in key source markets to lower spending regions due to growth in low-cost carriers and expanding middle class, and this necessitates the development of more mid-market hotels.



Few months back Dubai crossed the 100,000 rooms tally with a current inventory of 104,138 keys spread across 679 hotels. Of this only 38% fall within the 1 to 3-star classification, with the remaining 62% representing 4-star, 5-star or hotel apartments.



By 2020, Dubais goal is to reach 20 million visitors and 160,000 rooms. Laurent said, Nearly 30% of hotels will be in the mid-market category in the upcoming supply but it will still be less than the demand. To reach the goal of 20 million visitors by 2020, the city needs to achieve an annual visitor growth of 7-8% and this can only be achieved by targeting a wider range of visitors and mass tourism markets.



Laurent further stressed, The hotel supply pyramid is no doubt upside down. There is huge percentage of luxury offerings at the top and relatively weak mid-market supply at the bottom. Over supply of rooms in the luxury segment is putting a tremendous pressure on rates that in turn is affecting ROI. Dubais 5 &



4-star hotel rooms contribute more than 30% of the hotel rooms that are available, whereas in mature markets 5 & 4-star rooms make up only 10% of all the rooms. Dubai is working towards growing its inventory of mid-scale hotels to address this huge market gap.



Speaking about the rate war, Laurent said, Market Distortion is dictated by the volumes which impact the average rate. If the volume of business is to grow at the pace of supply of key inventory then the market distortion will be minimum. Unfortunately the supply is growing faster than the demand which is putting pressure on the market. Operators and owners, therefore, need to tune down expectations. This could mean getting used to lower occupancies of 70% as an average rather than 80% which was normal until recently.



Laurent concluded, Dubais tourism fundamentals are extremely strong and its vision incomparable. The solid foundation that the government has put in place through broadening portfolio of leisure and business attractions and facilities, diversification of source markets, collaboration between various business sectors will continue to boost and sustain demand.



For further information visit http://www.swiss-belhotel.com



For media contact:

Hina Bakht

Vice President

MPJ (Marketing Pro-Junction)

Mob: +971 50 697 5146

Email: h.bakht@mpj-pr.com

http://www.mpj-pr.com



About Swiss-Belhotel International

Swiss-Belhotel International currently manages a portfolio of more than *145 hotels, resorts and projects located in China, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey and Tanzania. Awarded Indonesia's Leading Global Hotel Chain for six consecutive years, Swiss-Belhotel International is one of the world's fastest-growing international hotel and hospitality management groups. The Group provides comprehensive and highly professional development and management services in all aspects of hotel, resort and serviced residences. Offices are located in Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, United Arab Emirates. swiss-behotel.com



*Numbers may fluctuate ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release :



CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Hina Bakht Company: Marketing Pro-Junction Phone: +971 50 697 5146 Email: pressrelease@mpj-pr.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGS
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with background)

By Lalit K Jha

New York, Sep 19 (PTI) India today sought a probe into North Koreas nuclear proliferation linkages and demanded that those responsible for it should be held accountable, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs remarks came after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday.

advertisement

It follows North Koreas sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 which was in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure.

"External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj deplored North Koreas recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable," the ministrys spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

Swarajs remarks came as she met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono yesterday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session here.

Though there was no direct reference to Pakistan in her remarks, it came amid reports that Pyongyang had clandestinely received nuclear enrichment technology from Pakistan when A Q Khan was at the helm of Islamabads nuclear programme.

Responding to questions, Kumar did not specify the country, but said the hints were enough to determine that.

"I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about," he said.

"We have very clearly mentioned that we not only deplore North Koreas recent actions but also stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable," Kumar said.

In addition to proliferation, the three leaders discussed the issue of maritime security and connectivity.

"Three broad issues were discussed -- maritime security connectivity and proliferation. We have spelled out what these heads mean on security the ministers emphasised the need to ensure freedom of navigation respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes," he said.

"On connectivity, there was discussion on how to base them on universally recognised international norms prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity," Kumar said.

The first trilateral ministerial meeting between the three countries was held in 2015. Senior official level meeting has been taking place since 2011. PTI LKJ CK NSA AKJ NSA

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Pak, N Korea

By Lalit K Jha

New York, Sep 19 (PTI) India today sought investigations into North Koreas nuclear proliferation linkages and asked to hold accountable those responsible for it, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs remarks came days after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday.

advertisement

It follows North Koreas sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 which was in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure.

"External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj deplored North Koreas recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable," the ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

Swarajs assertion in this regard came during her trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono yesterday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session here.

Responding to questions, Kumar did not specify the country, but said the hints were enough to determine that.

"I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about," he said.

"We have very clearly mentioned that we not only deplore DPRKs recent actions but also stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable," Kumar said.

In addition to proliferation, the three leaders discussed the issue of maritime security and connectivity.

"Three broad issues were discussed -- maritime security connectivity and proliferation. We have spelled out what these heads mean on security the ministers emphasised the need to ensure freedom of navigation respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes," he said.

"On connectivity, there was discussion on how to base them on universally recognised international norms prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity," Kumar said.

The first trilateral ministerial meeting between the three countries was held in 2015. Senior official level meeting has been taking place since 2011. PTI LKJ CK NSA CK

--- ENDS ---
Amritsar, September 19

The police have arrested a Nigerian national and recovered 260 gm of heroin from his possession here yesterday. He has been identified as Paul Kelechi Ukwvsike, native of Owerri, Nigeria. He has been residing in Tughlakabad Extension in New Delhi since 2010.

Jagmohan Singh, DCP (Investigation), said: We had arrested a drug smuggler, Bhupinder Singh, recently. He confessed during police investigation that Nigerian national Paul delivered heroin to him. Following the information revealed by Bhupinder, we set up special checkpoints. Paul was held from 88-feet road here. A case has been registered. TNS
Ruchika M. Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 19

Ireland is emerging as a preferred investment destination post-Brexit, especially for those looking to expand their operations across the European Union. This was stated by Ambassador of Ireland to India Brian McElduff, who was in the city today along with Director, Investment and Development Agency, Ireland, Tanaz Buhariwalla to explore investment potential of Punjab-based companies and research collaborations between the research institutes here and the academia in Ireland.

In larger perspective, I would say Brexit is not good news. Its a mixture of good and bad impact. After a 10-year gap, our economy is on the upswing. It makes Ireland more attractive as an investment destination, as more and more MNCs have begun hiving off their businesses from the UK to Ireland. But we will have to minimise the negative impact, especially as a hard border comes up between Northern Ireland (in the UK) and Ireland. This is leading to a lot of uncertainty because an open border meant that many northern Irelanders would come to Ireland freelysome even for jobs, he said.

He said the UK is their biggest trading partner in volume terms and Brexit might impact this equation and some old trade agreements will have to be re-negotiated.

McElduff said the economic fundamentals of Ireland were strong, especially after the bailout by EU when banking crisis hit the country a decade ago.

Tanaz, who held meetings with some IT, pharma and financial services companies, including with representatives of institutes such as NIPER and IMTECH, said many companies have expressed interest in setting up business there.
Hasan Suroor

Hasan Suroor

IMAGINE you apply for membership of a club and are kept hanging for an eternity with no prospect of a hearing even as less qualified candidates are waved in. What on earth is going on? youll wonder and expect to be forgiven for conjuring up conspiracy theories. Shorn of the boring bits, this in a nutshell is the story of Turkeys long, frustrating, and seemingly doomed quest for the membership of the EU. It has become Europes longest-running political soap and, in the latest twist, Ankara has been effectively told to give up the ghost.

Last week, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor and Europes most powerful politician who practically runs the EU, said she was contemplating recommending suspension, even termination, of Turkeys membership process. She railed against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his sweeping crackdown on critics following last years attempted coup against his government. The real reason behind her fury, though, was that among an estimated 50,000 people he has detained there are 12 German citizens. Turkey, she warned, was moving away from the path of the rule of law at a very fast speed which was incompatible with European values and it would force Germany to rethink relations with Ankara.

I will suggest this takes place at the EU meeting in October  discuss future relations with Turkey, including the question of suspending or ending talks on accession, she said.

Merkels outburst  quite out of character with her famously cautious temperament  caused outrage not only in Turkey, but also stunned some of her European allies, notably France despite its own not-too-rosy view of Erdogans Turkey. The view from Paris and other EU capitals is that whatever Turkeys sins its the wrong time to alienate it given its important role in stemming the tide of Iraqi and Syrian migrants headed for Europe. Since last years refugee crisis that saw Europe overwhelmed with refugees, with Germany alone taking in more than a million, there has been a significant drop in migrant numbers thanks to the measures introduced by Turkey.

Berlin is being advised strategic patience, to calm down and put up with Erdogan while hes doing Europes dirty work for it. As the French President Emmanuel Macron pointed out, I want to avoid a split because its (Turkey) a vital partner in many crises we all face, notably the immigration challenge and the terrorist threat. Estonias foreign minister Sven Mikser had the same message, We have to tread very carefully. As did Finland and Lithuania: The (accession) process and engagement must continue to keep Turkey in good humour.

Ironically, it was Merkel who agreed the deal with Erdogan whereby, among other things, Europe was to give six billion euros to Turkey and waive visa requirements for Turkish tourists in return for its help with the refugee crisis. Her threat to suspend/terminate Turkeys membership process shows the extent to which the relations between the two sides have deteriorated after a series of bruising controversies in recent months. After the hostile reaction to her statement, Merkel has sought to row back. It is being suggested that she said it in the heat of an election debate (Germany goes to the polls next week) with her socialist party rival Martin Schulz who is opposed to Turkeys application. But the damage has been done; the message has gone out that Turkey is to be kept out. One senior Turkish official said it was clear they no longer want the marriage.

It was in 1987 that Turkey applied for EU membership, or rather that of its predecessor body, the European Economic Community. It took 12 years before its candidature for full membership was officially recognised; and another six before what in EU-speak is known as accession talks began. Poor Turks. They thought they were finally there, little knowing that more than a decade later they would still be there! While the Turks have been cooling their heels, there has been an exponential expansion of the EU with new members trooping in by the truckloads. Most of the former communist Eastern European and Baltic states are now part of the EU despite their obvious incompatibility with its political culture and the uneven levels of their economic development.

Arguably, Turkey has a greater claim as an old member of the transatlantic NATO alliance and several important EU organisations, including the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Moreover, historically, it has had a long relationship with Europe since the days of Ottoman Empire.

So, why has Turkey been left out while latecomers like Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Lithuania and Croatia  all palpably less qualified than Turkey on a range of economic and political criteria  have been let in? There are several factors, including Turkeys own obduracy in relation to the long-running dispute over recognising Cyprus. An immediate hurdle is said to be its reluctance to honour an agreement to open up its ports and airports to Greek Cypriots. This has given Cyprus, an EU member, a handle to veto the membership process. Under EU rules just one veto by a full member is enough to torpedo a decision, and members use it liberally to settle scores with their political rivals. So, until Turkey does something to resolve its problems with Cyprus theres little likelihood of any progress.

The other obstacle is EUs dissatisfaction with the pace of democratic political reforms in Turkey, and its human rights record. Reforms have not only stalled lately but gone into reverse gear. Erdogan has become more authoritarian and is seen to be turning Turkey into a conservative Islamic country abandoning its liberal values. The real elephant in the room, however, is that Turkey is a Muslim country while the EU is a Christian club, as one commentator put it, and they dont want it amid their midst. Turks are convinced that they would never be accepted as full members, even if they were to do everything that is demanded of them.

Nicholas Sarkozy, former French President, made no pretence that there was no place for a Muslim Turkey on Europes top table. Ruling out full membership, he offered a special partnership. Others, including Germany, have spoken of privileged partnership. Erdogan has been blowing hot and cold. After threatening to pull out of the membership process, hes now proposing Turkish coffee diplomacy. The truth is the door is firmly shut, and Turkey should stop humiliating itself.

The writer is a London-based commentator
Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, September 19

Three youths have been arrested by the Jind police for allegedly driving a Dalit girl to commit suicide after raping her.

An 18-year-old resident of Palwaan village near Uchana town had consumed insecticide on September 16. She died during treatment at a private medical institute in Hisar district yesterday.

In a police complaint, the deceaseds father alleged that his daughter was sexually abused about a month back at Palwaan.

He had named three youths  Rahul, Praveen and Kuldeep  of the same village for traumatising the deceased.



After sexually assaulting the girl, the accused were allegedly harassing her frequently, the complaint stated.

A case has been registered under Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, rape and other Sections of the IPC.

Arun Singh, Jind SP, said prior to the death of the girl, there was no police complaint of the girl being raped.

After the victims father lodged a complaint yesterday, we immediately registered a case and arrested the accused. Two of the accused belonged to the Schedule Caste while another is a Jat. Matter is being investigated, he said.






By PTI: United Nations, Sep 19 (PTI) India is the third worst affected country by natural disasters since 1995, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today said as he appealed the world leaders to implement the historic Paris deal with ever greater ambition.

Addressing the high-level debate at the General Assembly, Guterres spoke out in favour of the Paris agreement on climate change, saying extreme weather events like Hurricane Irma are becoming "the new normal of a warming world."

advertisement

"Climate change puts our hopes in jeopardy. Last year was the hottest ever. The past decade has been the hottest on record. Average global temperature keeps climbing, glaciers are receding and permafrost is declining.

"Millions of people and trillions of assets are at risk from rising seas and other climate disruptions," he said.

He said the number of natural disasters has quadrupled since 1970.

He said that the US, followed by China, India, the Philippines and Indonesia, have experienced the most disasters since 1995 ? more than 1,600, or once every five days.

"I stand in solidarity with the people of the Caribbean and the United States who have just suffered through Hurricane Irma, the longest-lasting Category 5 storm ever recorded. And Maria is already on its way.

"We should not link any single weather event with climate change. But scientists are clear that such extreme weather is precisely what their models predict will be the new normal of a warming world," he said.

"We have had to update our language to describe what is happening: we now talk of mega-hurricanes, superstorms and rain bombs. It is time to get off the path of suicidal emissions. We know enough today to act. The science is unassailable," he said.

The appealed the governments to implement the historic Paris Agreement with ever greater ambition.

"I commend those cities that are setting bold targets. I welcome the initiatives of the thousands of private enterprises ? including major oil and gas companies ? that are betting on a clean, green future. Energy markets tell us that green business is good business.

"The falling cost of renewables is one of the most encouraging stories on the planet today. So is the growing evidence that economies can grow as emissions go down," he said.

The Paris agreements central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping the global temperature rise in this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

advertisement

The landmark agreement, which entered into force last November, calls on countries to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future, and to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change.

US President Donald Trump in June announced his decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change and renegotiate the deal that was agreed upon by over 190 countries during the previous Obama administration.

Arguing that countries like China and India are benefiting the most from the Paris Agreement, Trump had said that the agreement on climate change was unfair to the US, as it badly hit its businesses and jobs. PTI PMS AKJ PMS

--- ENDS ---
Pervin Malhotra email your queries to careers@tribunemail.com

Q.Ive been learning Spanish in school and really enjoy it. What kind of scope would a career in Spanish language offer in future?  Kripi Goel

A. With shrinking global boundaries, opportunities for professionals who are fluent/familiar with one or more foreign languages have increased. Besides the mandatory academic degree, if you want to make your mark in the booming travel and tourism industry, you need to have some add-on skills. Foreign languages fall in this category.

The other big advantage for you is that Spanish unlike Greek and Latin (pun intended) is relatively easy to understand and read especially for English speakers. Did you know there are approximately 527 million people across the world who can speak Spanish, making it one of the top five spoken languages in the world?

The second official language in the US, Spanish is spoken by 436 million people worldwide. Its the official language in 21 countries including Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Panama, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. Its also one of the five official languages of the UN.

While some of us may have developed a taste for Latino music or the Salsa dance form, Spanish language itself has begun to make inroads even for professional reasons.

The interest is particularly driven by our ongoing trade with Latin American countries and the flourishing Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) activity. There are some US clients who need BPO service both in Spanish and English. There is no tradition of English in South American countries except in Mexico, which is close to USA.

Besides these, MNCs, international banks, airlines, customs offices, export houses, telecom majors, NGOs, travel industry and the government including Indian embassies in Spanish-speaking countries require foreign language experts who can speak, translate or interpret from and into the language. Technical translation work fetches even more.

Is NISER admission on basis of JEE ?

Q.Can you please tell me something about admission to NISER. Is it on the basis of the KVPY exam or JEE?  Reema Mehta

A.The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a compulsory test for anyone seeking admission to the integrated MSc programmes at the National Institute of Science Education & Research (NISER) Bhubaneswar and the University of Mumbai  D/o Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai.

The integrated programmes are offered under the following schools:

School of Biological Sciences

School of Chemical Sciences

School of Computer Sciences

School of Earth & Planetary Sciences

School of Humanities & Social Sciences

School of Mathematical Sciences

School of Physical Sciences

Both NISER and UM-DAE CEBS were set up by D/o Atomic Energy, GoI 10 years ago to train scientific manpower for conducting cutting edge scientific research and for providing input to scientific programmes of the Department of Atomic Energy and other applied science institutions in the country.

NEST 2017 was conducted in 60 cities across India.

Please visit the official NEST website: www.nestexam.in after 26 Dec 2017 for the notification regarding NEST 2018.

For details of the various programmes, log onto: www.niser.ac.in/

NIOS exam rules

Q.We have just transferred our son to NIOS because he couldnt cope with regular school for health reasons. However, we want to know if the Secondary/Sr. Secondary School Certificates obtained from NIOS enjoy the same recognition as other Boards? Also, is it necessary to have a 2-year gap between passing the NIOS Secondary and Sr. Secondary Exam?  Daya Saxena

A.Yes, the Secondary / Sr. Secondary certificate obtained from NIOS does have the same recognition as certificates issued by other Boards.

NIOS has the authority to conduct Public Exams at the Secondary and Sr. Secondary level (vide GoI's resolution of 14 September 1990), hence NIOS functions as another National Board.

And yes, a 2-year gap between passing the Secondary and Sr. Secondary exams is essential as NIOS does not conduct any exam for class 11.

In case your son doesnt have the requisite two-year gap, he can appear in a maximum of four subjects only in the first year. Hell be eligible to appear in the remaining subjects only upon completing the 2-year gap.
Our Correspondent

Khanna, September 18

The Khanna police has claimed to have recovered a big consignment of illegal liquor from Rajgarh village, near Doraha, during a special raid on a secret information. However, the main alleged accused escaped from the spot.

While giving more information in a press conference, the Khanna SSP, Navjot Singh Mahal, said a police party from Doraha raided a godown located at Rajgarh village on a tip off and found a Tipper loaded with cartoons of illegal liquor.

He said, during search of the vehicle the police party recovered 478 boxes containing 5,736 bottles of illegal liquor.

The consignment includes 447 cartons of 5,364 bottles of Dollar mark made in Banur, 204 bottles of Hamira, 24 bottles of Royal Stag, 120 bottles of Imperial Blue and 24 bottles of Royal Challenge, added the SSP.

He said liquor was stored by the accused, identified as Manpreet Singh Money, a resident of Kot Panaich village. He had bought liquor at low price and was to sell it on higher rate for big gains. The godown where Tipper was parked was taken on lease by Money, he added.

The SSP said a case under the Excise Act was registered against the alleged accused at the Doraha police station. The police is conducting raids to arrest the accused as soon as possible, he added.

SP (Investigation), Khanna, RPS Sandhu, DSP, Khanna, JS Cheema, SHO, Doraha, Manjit Singh and other police officials concerned were also present at the press conference.
Ashis Ray

London, September 19

More than 100 British MPs cutting across party lines have aligned with an organisation which is a successor to a hitherto banned pro-Khalistan group to demand that Sikhs are ethnically different from Indians.

The MPs, under the banner of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs (APPGBS) and Sikh Federation UK (SFUK)  previously known as the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), which was banned by the British government in 2001 under the UK Terrorism Act  have approached Britains Office of National Statistics (ONS) to list Sikhs as an ethnic group separate from Indians.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)



There was no comment from the Indian High Commission in London, but New Delhi is unlikely to be amused if the demand is granted; which means such an outcome has the potential of seriously impacting bilateral relations between India and Britain.

The British foreign office, when asked to comment, passed the buck to the ONS. In a carefully worded statement, the ONS indicated to The Tribune: As we said to the All-Party Parliamentary Group, no decision has been taken on this issue. We will continue to work with the Sikh community on the best way forward. The National Statistician will not be making his recommendations until early 2018.

The APPGBS was virtually defunct until revived in July, following two Sikhs, Tanmanjit Dhesi and Preet Kaur Gill, being elected to the House of Commons in June. On September 12, its delegation led by its chairperson Gill, together with an adviser of the SFUK, said to be Dabinderjit Singh Sidhu (known to be an assiduous Khalistani activist), submitted a letter to the ONS demanding a separate tick box for Sikhs in the future census in the UK.

We hope, the letter threatened, you will positively respond to our request on the inclusion of a separate Sikh ethnic tick box in the Census 2021 and the Sikh community is not forced to take legal action or we are not compelled to make this change when Parliament is asked to approve the Census 2021 questionnaire.

A spokesman for Gill said the SFUK provided "secretariat services" to the APPGBS. It was only 18 months ago that Theresa May, now prime minister and then home secretary, lifted the proscription on the ISYF/SFUK. Interestingly, Sidhu is an executive at Britains National Audit Office  which equates to the C&AG in India  and received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award in 2000. He was recently filmed at a gurdwara in the city of Leicester advocating violence to establish Khalistan  an independent Sikh state carved out of India.

However, Khalistan campaigners in Britain are divided over whether Sikhs are ethnically different from Indians. Lord Indarjit Singh, a member of the House of Lords looked upon as an authority on Sikh affairs, maintains they are not.

Singh alleged the Sikh Federation is always looking for a campaigning issue. He argued: Some Sikhs naively believe that calling ourselves an ethnic group (which we are not) will strengthen the case for Khalistan, an emotionally attractive homeland for Sikhs. He added: A religious state on the lines of Israel or Pakistan, where Sikhs have more rights than those of other faiths, would be totally against the clear teachings of our Gurus. He pointed out that no religious community is identified as a distinct ethnic group in the UK census.

A census in Britain takes place every 10 years. The questionnaire in the 2011 form when seeking to know ones ethnic background provided choices of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese and Any other Asian background under the category of Asian/Asian British. In other words, the ONS does not consider Sikhs to be ethnically different from Indians. At the same time, one can tick any other and specify if the person so wishes.

In another section in the form, the question is quite clearly: What is your religion? Here, the options are No religion, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Any other religion. In effect, the ONS recognises Sikhism as a distinct religion, but not Sikhs as a separate ethnic group.

An APPGBS press release claimed 88,000 people had said they are Sikhs in the ethnic background in the 2011 census. The ONS countered this by revealing 425,000 said their religion was Sikhism. In other words, 80 per cent of Sikhs in the UK had not stated their ethnicity was Sikh.

Next year, a draft questionnaire for the next census in 2021 will be presented to the House of Commons. The number of MPs who supported the petition clearly does not constitute a majority in a chamber of 640 lawmakers. Given the problems that might be created in terms of Britains bilateral relations with India if Sikhs are divorced from Indians, the ruling Conservative party is unlikely to support such a move. On the other hand, the opposition Labour party, heavily dependent on Sikh votes, could be persuaded otherwise, particularly under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, who is seen to be soft on the Khalistan issue.
Neemuch (MP), September 19

Days before a wealthy Jain couple from Madhya Pradesh takes monkhood vows, an activist has sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission to stop the initiation ceremony in the interest of their minor daughter.

Sumit Rathore (35) and his wife Anamika (34) recently announced their decision to leave behind their three-year-old daughter and renounce property worth Rs 100 crore to become monks under the Shwetambar (white-clad) order of their religion.

Sumit had worked in London before managing his family business in Neemuch while his engineer wife Anamika was earlier employed with a mining major.

Kapil Shukla, a Neemuch-based social activist, today said he has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), MP Human Rights Commission (MPHRC), office of state chief minister, the district collector and superintendent of police to stop the deeksha (initiation) ceremony of the couple, who will be inducted into the Shwetambar order by Sudhamargi Jain Acharya Ramlal Maharaj in Surat on September 23.

Shukla contended that the couples decision was against the interest of their minor daughter.

Who will look after her? The Jain community should also come forward to stop the ceremony, he told reporters today.

MPHRCs Aayog Mitra (representative) in Neemuch district, Bhanu Dave, confirmed the receipt of Shuklas petition.

We are sending his memorandum to our Bhopal office for further action, he told PTI tonight.

Meanwhile, Sumits cousin, Sandip Rathore, too has expressed reservations over the couples move to renounce the material world for spiritual pursuits, despite being bound by family duties.

I take a vow today that I wont stand with folded hands before pontiffs because I love my daughter, mother and father and wife very much. A sadhus work is to teach, not to give deeksha (vow), Sandip said in a social media post.

When contacted, he said though renunciation was a big deed, it should be done after accomplishing ones duties towards family and children.

The Rathore couple is on a vow of silence until their initiation on Saturday.

As per the monkhood tradition, their heads will be shaved and they will dress in white robes for their entire life, as practiced by of monks and nuns of the Shwetambar sect.

The couple will also start wearing mouth-cloths after the deeksha ceremony. The mouth cloth is worn by Jain hermits so that they do not swallow any living creature like flies or other tiny insects, even by accident while talking.

Anamikas father Ashok Chandaliya, a former Neemuch district president of the BJP, had told PTI that he would take care of his granddaughter Ibhya. I am not against my daughter Anamika becoming a nun, he said.

Sumits father Rajendra Singh, who runs a factory manufacturing gunny bags for packaging cement, had also echoed a similar view.

Sumit and Anamika had decided on the step when their daughter was just eight-months old.

Sumit had announced his decision at a function attended by Acharya Ramlal at Surat last month.

However, the pontiff asked him to seek Anamikas permission. She not only gave her consent but also expressed desire to become a nun. Their families asked them to rethink, but the couple stood their ground, his cousin Sandip had said.

He said Anamika was the first student in Neemuch district to win a gold medal in her Board examinations for Class VIII.

According to a family member, Anamika did her B.E from Modi Engineering College at Laxmangarh in Sikar in Rajasthan.

She had worked with Hindustan Zinc before her marriage.

Sumit holds a diploma in import-export management from a college in London. He worked there for two years before returning to Neemuch to look after his family business.

Sandip had claimed that Sumit owns properties running into Rs 100 crore.

The couple has been married for four years.

Jainism emphasises on non-violence and vegetarianism and is followed by less than one per cent of the countrys total population.

Earlier this year, a Jain teenage boy from Gujarat, who had scored 99.99 percentile in Class XII Commerce examination, took the vow of monkhood.  PTI
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 18

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today cautioned people against anti-national elements trying to foment disharmony in society by urging them to desist from forwarding messages received on the social media without verifying their authenticity.

The Home Minister said on many occasions, wrong information and false news were circulated on the social media such as WhatsApp and people took them to be true.

I want to tell SSB jawans not to believe such messages and forward these to anyone without verification as anti-national elements have been trying to foment trouble in the society. We all have to be careful before believing or forwarding them, Singh said after he launched the intelligence wing of the Nepal-Bhutan border guarding force.

Lauding the role of the SSB, which guards the 1,751-km Indo-Nepal and 699-km Indo-Bhutan borders, Singh said it was quite tough to guard open borders, which allow visa-free movement of people, than fenced borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. In an open border, the security men do not know who is anti-national, which way a criminal is coming or who is carrying fake currency or fake drugs, he added.

The SSBs intelligence wing will gather information along the borders with Bhutan and Nepal. The Nepal border is mostly used by criminals and Kashmiri militants returning from Pakistan. The Bhutan border is known to be frequented by cadre of Assam-based insurgent group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), which has even attacked Bhutanese nationals in the past.

This wing will have 650 field and staff agents, as it has been declared the lead agency, to gather actionable information, an official in the Home Ministry said, adding the move was essential as the SSBs operations were based on intelligence to prevent criminals and smugglers from taking advantage of the friendly borders with the two nations.
New York, September 19

India on Tuesday sought investigations into North Koreas nuclear proliferation linkages and asked to hold accountable those responsible for it, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs remarks came days after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday.

It follows North Koreas sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 which was in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj deplored North Koreas recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable, ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Swarajs assertion in this regard came during her trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session here.

Responding to questions, Kumar did not specify the country, but said the hints were enough to determine that.

I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about, he said.

We have very clearly mentioned that we not only deplore DPRKs recent actions but also stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable, Kumar said.

In addition to proliferation, the three leaders discussed the issue of maritime security and connectivity.

Three broad issues were discussed--maritime security connectivity and proliferation. We have spelled out what these heads mean on security. The ministers emphasised the need to ensure freedom of navigation respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes, he said.

On connectivity, there was discussion on how to base them on universally recognised international norms, prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, Kumar said.

The first trilateral ministerial meeting between the three countries was held in 2015. Senior official-level meeting has been taking place since 2011. PTI
Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 19

In a major breakthrough, the CIA wing of the Punjab Police has arrested gangster Gurjeet Ladda, a key accused in the Nabha jailbreak case, near Rajpura following inputs from the Organised Crime Control Unit.

Besides masterminding the jailbreak, Ladda is involved in several cases of kidnapping and over a dozen double murder cases. He is a key suspect in the daylight murder of two rival gangsters in Gurdaspur on April 20.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)



On Monday night, Crime Investigating Agencys Rajpura incharge Bikramjit Brar arrested Ladda as he tried to mow down policemen with his Pajero car bearing a fake registration number.

Several fake documents, including a passport and IDs, were recovered from the accused. Ladda had used the fake passport to travel to Dubai along with his wife and daughter. He was now planning to leave for the US, said Patiala SSP S Bhupathi.

This is the 26th arrest in the Nabha jailbreak case in which four gangsters and two terrorists had escaped on November 27, 2016. During the attack, Ladda in police uniform had fired indiscriminately at the jail guard to help the dreaded criminals escape, said Brar.

He along with arrested gangster Palwinder Pinda was the key conspirator. It was his brainchild to use police uniforms to gain entry into the jail complex, said Brar, adding that Ladda was also instrumental in ensuring that Majha and Doaba gangsters worked together.

He is also believed to be behind the kidnapping of a doctor of a drug de-addiction centre in Amritsar. The doctor was later released after Rs 1.25 crore was paid in ransom.

In May 2017, Dr Munish Kumar, another Amritsar doctor, was kidnapped and released after the family paid Rs 7.5 lakh against the ransom demand of Rs 1 crore.

He had further extorted Rs 50 lakh from another victim, besides Rs 90 lakh from Harjinder Bajaj, a Chandigarh financier, in 2016.

Ladda was the mastermind of the double murder case in which he along with Vicky Gounder shot rival gangsters Sukhchain Singh of Sangalpura area of Gurdaspur and Harpreet Singh, alias Subedar Bhatti, of Mustafabad village. Two others, Happy and Prince, were grievously injured, said SSP Bhupathi.
Manas Dasgupta

Ahmedabad, September 18

BJP national president Amit Shah appeared in a special CBI court here today as a witness of Mayaben Kodnani, a former minister in the erstwhile Narendra Modi Cabinet and an accused in the 2002 Naroda Gaam massacre, without giving any fresh insight into the case.

Shah, who appeared before designated judge PB Desai, told the court that on the day of the massacre  February 28, 2002  he had seen Kodnani in the state Assembly in Gandhinagar in the morning and later again at the Sola civil hospital on Ahmedabads outskirts.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Shah said he, however, had no idea where Kodnani was from the time they left the Assembly premises and her appearance at the hospital two hours later. Shah said he also wasnt aware of her whereabouts once they departed from the hospital around 11 am. The rioting mobs had gathered at Naroda around 10 am on that day and the violence continued till 9 pm. Legal experts pointed out that Shahs deposition did not support her alibi for the entire day.

Shahs deposition is a major relief for Kodnani, who is said to be feeling abandoned by the party after conviction in one case. Kodnani is the daughter of a staunch RSS man. Observers believe the reason why the BJP president chose to stand by her today was to douse the allegation of Gujarat-riot accused being left high and dry by the party. Shah was summoned to depose on behalf of Kodnani to substantiate her alibi that at the time of the massacre she was not present at the scene and was attending the Assembly session. Kodnani then represented Naroda constituency in Ahmedabad. She had claimed that after the Assembly, she had gone to the civil hospital where the bodies of victims of the Godhra train carnage were brought. Kodnani, also a gynaecologist, claimed she later went to her private clinic in Bapunagar, Ahmedabad.

Eleven Muslims were killed in the Naroda Gam area, a day after the Godhra train burning. Both Shah and Kodnani were BJP MLAs in 2002.

The legal experts said Shahs deposition did not shed any new light on what was already there in the chargesheet filed by the SIT, the prosecuting agency in this case. The SIT from her call records and Assembly records had found that she was present in the Assembly in the morning from where she went to the Sola civil hospital. But while the SIT report claimed that from Sola she went to Naroda, the scene of the two massacres  Naroda-Patiya, in which 97 members of the minority community were killed, and its adjacent Naroda Gaam  Kodnani had claimed that from Sola she had gone to her clinic and was not present at the scene of the carnage.

Shah was among the 12 witnesses listed by Kodnani in her defence. Kodnani has already been awarded 28-year jail and is out on bail.
Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 19

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi breaking her silence on the Rohingya crisis in a televised address is too little, too late, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Moazzem Ali said today, adding that there were not too many encouraging signs.

Editorial: India & Rohingya

Speaking to The Tribune, he said, She evaded the core issue of Myanmarese recognition of its own population as free citizens of the country. We have emphasised that a solution to the Rohingya crisis has to be found in Myanmar itself. Necessary conditions must be created so that refugees could return to their land and live with dignity, honour, security and full democratic rights.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)



The envoy stressed that the Rohingya were not just Muslims, since there was a sizeable number of Hindus too among the refugees in Bangladesh. Estimates suggest an influx of some 4,00,000 Rohingya adding to the existing 3,00,000 refugees.

After initially taking a security approach to the issue, the Narendra Modi government, under domestic criticism and pressure from Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, focussed on the humanitarian aspect of the crisis.

Following the joint statement issued after Modis state visit to Myanmar, Ali had met Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar to impress upon the same. India subsequently sent relief material under Operation Insaniyat to refugee camps in Bangladesh. According to Ali, More substantial relief aid is reaching Bangladesh by ship in the coming weeks.

But he hopes as the closest neighbour of Bangladesh, India will play a bigger role in the final settlement of the Rohingya issue.

Asked about Indias legal position seeking to deport the illegal Rohingya refugees perceived as a threat to national security, the envoy refused to comment on Indias internal stand.

But elaborating on challenges to peace and security of the region, he said: Influx of this kind of huge population obviously creates a certain amount of risk for all of us because these people can fall into the wrong hands.

Meanwhile, the Rohingya issue did not figure in the brief meeting between Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on the UNGA sidelines on Monday. But another detailed meeting is expected while they are in New York.

Ali welcomed the rare unanimity among UN Security Council members a week ago on the issue and hoped the US and global community would play an active role. We are asking them to play a collective role to put pressure on Myanmarese authorities to change their mindset, so they accept their own people as part of their society.

The High Commissioner said Dhaka was open to a joint verification process of the refugees with Naypyitaw as advised in the Kofi Annan Commission report, but asked if Myanmar is ready to implement the report at least as an interim solution.

India must step in

India and China should assert their good offices on the Myanmar military and authorities to create necessary conditions for the return of the Rohingya refugees, otherwise it will create a problem for all of us.

Syed Moazzem Ali, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India
By PTI: Mumbai, Sep 19 (PTI) Budget carrier IndiGo has said it will launch 16 new additional flights in its domestic network, starting next month.

The new flights include services to Hyderabad- Visakhapatnam, Delhi-Visakhapatnam, Amritsar-Delhi and Bhubaneswar-Delhi, among others, the airline said in a statement.

The launch of new additional services will take the total number of flights to 940 per day connecting 46 destinations, it added. ----------------------------------------------------------- MFIN releases code of conduct for MFIs

advertisement

Mumbai: The Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), the self-regulatory organisation for the Rs 1,06,823 crore microfinance industry, has released a mutually agreed code of conduct for its members which will be applicable on all entities lending in the microcredit space.

The aim of the code is to provide a uniform set of business conduct rules, which are sector-specific and entity agnostic to ensure responsible lending and microfinance client protection, the industry lobby said, adding the existing regulations of microcredit are only applicable to NBFC-MFIs.

Speaking on the release of the code, MFIN head Ratna Vishwanathan said, the code is aimed at protecting microfinance borrowers from over indebtedness and safeguard their interests. -------------------------------------------------------------- Bajaj Finance offers no-cost EMI options on Flipkart

Mumbai: Bajaj Finance has tied up with leading ecommerce player Flipkart to offer interest-free EMI options through ahead of the retailers big billion-dollar sales offer beginning tomorrow.

Through the Bajaj EMI Card, e-shoppers can choose over 4 lakh products from 50 categories with interest free EMIs, Bajaj Finance said in a statement.

Bajaj EMI cardholders buying products on Flipkart will have an option to shop on no cost EMIs over 4 lakh products from 50 categories.

The fourth edition of Flipkarts big billion days sale will be live from tomorrow through September 24. ---------------------------------------------------------- BNP Paribas MF launches Focused 25 Equity Fund

Mumbai: BNP Paribas Asset Management has launched an open-ended equity fund, Focused 25 Equity Fund. The new fund offer opened on September 15 and will close for subscription on September 29 and will re-open within five business days.

The fund seeks long term capital growth by investing in a concentrated portfolio of equity and equity linked instruments. A minimum 65 per cent of its multi-cap portfolio will be large cap companies and the rest in high conviction, fast growing small and mid-sized stocks. PTI IAS KD BEN NRB

--- ENDS ---
New York, September 19

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today paid a courtesy call on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina but the ongoing Rohingya crisis did not come up for discussion during their brief meeting.

"The meeting with the prime minister of Bangladesh was more in the nature of a courtesy meeting. It was a very short meeting. The issue of Rohingya did not come up during the meeting for discussion," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

Kumar said that the discussion between Swaraj and Hasina was "purely bilateral".

"Warm encounter reflecting our historical and cultural ties. Courtesy call on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by EAM (External Affairs Minister)," he said in a tweet after the meeting.

Bangladesh, which is facing a big influx of Rohingyas from Myanmar, has called on the international community to intervene and put pressure on Myanmar to address the exodus.

According to the UN estimates, over 410,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state into Bangladesh since August 25 when fresh wave of violence erupted.

According to reports, the violence began when Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Many of those crossing the border bring harrowing tales of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar's security forces and Buddhist mobs.

Earlier, Swaraj met Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay but the Doklam issue did not figure in the meeting.

The ministry spokesperson said that since the Doklam issue was already settled, there was "no question of it coming up in discussions".

Responding to a question Kumar said, "There are a lot of projects, which are going on in India and the two sides discussed how to take this cooperation forward." "Strengthening traditionally unique bilateral relations.

EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets with Bhutanese PM @tsheringtobgay in New York," Kumar said in another tweet after Swaraj's meeting with the Bhutanese prime minister.

The Bhutanese prime minister said they discussed a wide range of bilateral issues.

"Such a pleasure meeting H.E @SushmaSwaraj ji, External Affairs Minister of India. We discussed the wide range of bilateral cooperation," Tobgay tweeted.

India and China last month ended a 73-day standoff in Doklam area of the Sikkim sector that was triggered by China's move to build a road in the border area.

Bhutan had welcomed the end of the standoff and hoped it would help maintain peace and status quo at the tri-junction.

PTI
New York, September 19

US President Donald Trumps daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump today met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and discussed womens entrepreneurship and workforce development in their countries.

Ivanka, who would be leading the US delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in India in November, met Swaraj on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly session here.

We had a great discussion on womens entrepreneurship, the upcoming #GES2017 and workforce development in the US and India, Ivanka said in a tweet after the meeting. India and the US will co-host the GES in Hyderabad from November 28 to 30. The GES is the preeminent annual gathering of emerging entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders from around the world.

Ivanka, 35, took to Twitter to express her respect for 65-year-old Swaraj, whom she described as the charismatic foreign minister. I have long respected Indias accomplished and charismatic Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, and it was an honour to meet her today, Ivanka said.

Swaraj discussed women empowerment and Ivankas forthcoming visit to India, the Indian Embassy in the US said in a tweet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally invited Ivanka for the GES event during his meeting with President Trump in Washington in June this year.

During her week-long stay here, the minister, leading a high-powered Indian delegation, is expected to hold about 20 bilateral and trilateral meetings with leaders attending the session. Swaraj has held meetings with her counterparts from five countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session here to discuss bilateral cooperation and push for India's development agenda.

Swaraj held talks with the foreign ministers of Tunisia, Bahrain, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates and Denmark. Broadly the focus was on bilateral cooperation," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

During the meeting with Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, Swaraj said she was looking forward to the next joint commission meeting between the two countries to be held in New Delhi on October 30-31. "There are a lot of discussions on how to reinvigorate economic relationship. Sectors like pharma, textiles biotechnology, renewable energy and IT were identified for future cooperation," Kumar said. Swaraj felt that there was a huge potential for exporting Indian pharma products to Tunisia.  PTI
United Nations, September 19

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States will be forced to "totally destroy" North Korea unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear challenge, mocking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "rocket man" on a suicide mission.

Loud murmurs filled the green-marbled UN General Assembly hall when Trump issued his sternest warning yet to North Korea, whose ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests have rattled the globe.

Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd

Unless North Korea backs down, he said, "We will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea". "Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime," he said.

North Korea's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's remarks.

A junior North Korean diplomat remained in the delegation's front-row seat for Trump's speech, the North Korean UN mission said.

In his first appearance at the annual gathering of world leaders, the president used a 41-minute speech to take aim also at Iran's nuclear ambitions and regional influence, Venezuela's collapsing democracy and the threat of Islamist extremists.

He also criticised the Cuban government.

But his strongest words were directed at North Korea. He urged United Nations member states to work together to isolate the Kim government until it ceases its "hostile" behavior.

He said North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles "threatens the entire world with unthinkable cost of human life".

In what may have been a veiled prod at China, the North's major trading partner, Trump said: "It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict".

Turning to Iran, Trump called the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, an embarrassment and hinted that he may not recertify the agreement when it comes up for a mid-October deadline.

"I don't think you've heard the last of it," he said.

He called Iran an "economically depleted rogue state" that exports violence.

The speech marked his latest attempt to lay out his America First vision for a US foreign policy aimed at downgrading global bureaucracies, basing alliances on shared interests, and steering Washington away from nation-building exercises abroad.

Trump, who entered the White House eight months ago, told world leaders at the 193-member global body that the United States does not seek to impose its will on other nations and will respect other countries' sovereignty.

"I will defend America's interests above all else," he said. "But in fulfilling our obligations to other nations we also realise it's in everyone's interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure."

Reading carefully from a script, Trump said the US military would soon be the strongest it has ever been.

Turning to Venezuela, Trump called the collapsing situation there "completely unacceptable" and said the United States cannot stand by and watch. He warned the United States was considering what further actions it can take.

Shortly before Trump's speech, UN. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed from the General Assembly lectern for statesmanship to avoid war with North Korea.

"This is the time for statesmanship," said the former prime minister of Portugal. "We must not sleepwalk our way into war." The UN Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2006 and Guterres appealed for the 15-member body to maintain its unity on North Korea.

Trump has warned North Korea that military action was an option for the United States as Pyongyang has carried out a series of tests toward developing the ability to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.

Financial markets showed little reaction to Trumps speech, with most major assets hovering near the unchanged mark on the day. Reuters
Pointe-a-Pitre, September 19



Hurricane Maria smashed into the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica on Tuesday, with its prime minister describing devastating damage as winds and rain from the storm also hit territories still reeling from Irma.



Maria, which has been fluctuating in intensity between a Category Four and Category Five hurricane on its path through the Caribbean, hit Dominica with winds of up to 257 kilometres per hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.



"We have lost all what money can buy and replace," Dominica's premier Roosevelt Skerrit posted on Facebook, saying there were initial reports of "widespread devastation".



"My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains."



Earlier, he said his roof had been blown off and house flooded, leaving him "at the complete mercy of the hurricane".



After being rescued, Skerrit appealed for "help of all kinds" but noted specifically that authorities would need helicopters to survey the damage.



Dominica's airport and ports have been closed.



After moving across the tropical island of 72,000 people, Maria churning north towards the British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.



The British archipelago, which is still mopping up after Hurricane Irma earlier this month, has been under curfew since Monday, with residents ordered to stay indoors until after the storm, which is expected to hit on Wednesday.



"Our islands are extremely vulnerable right now," the territory's premier Orlando Smith said in a statement, warning that the storm could turn debris left by Irma into dangerous projectiles.



The NHC warned Maria would "remain extremely dangerous" as it passed over the British and US territories.



The French territory of Guadeloupe  the bridgehead for aid for Irma-hit French territories  found itself in the eye of the storm on Tuesday.



Heavy rain lashed the island and several areas were without power.



"Everything around me is shaking," a former French minister told BFMTV channel from his home in the south of the 400,000-strong island, which was on maximum-level "violet" alert.



French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said 110 more soldiers would be deployed to the region to reinforce about 3,000 people already there shoring up security, rebuilding infrastructure and distributing aid after Irma.



He warned of "major difficulties" if Guadeloupe was hard hit.



The Dominican Republic, whose east coast was battered by Irma, ordered citizens in part of the north to evacuate ahead of Maria's arrival.



St Kitts, Nevis, the British island of Montserrat, Culebra and Vieques are also on alert.



Martinique, a French island south of Dominica, suffered power outages but avoided major damage.



Criticised for the pace of relief efforts in their overseas territories devastated by Irma, Britain, France and the Netherlands said they were boosting resources for the Caribbean.



"We are planning for the unexpected, we are planning for the worst," said Chris Austin, head of a UK military task force set up to deal with Irma, as the British Virgin Islands readied for a new onslaught.



On the island of St Martin, which is split between France and the Netherlands, authorities announced a red alert ahead of Maria's arrival.



"We're watching its trajectory very closely, and we're preparing for the worst-case scenario," said local official Anne Laubies.



The Dutch navy tweeted that troops were heading to the two tiny neighbouring islands of Saba and St Eustatius to ensure security following widespread complaints after the first hurricane of looting and lawlessness on St Martin, among the worst hit by Irma, with 14 killed.



Irma left around 40 people dead altogether in the Caribbean before churning west and pounding Florida, where the death toll stood at 50 yesterday.



It broke records when it whipped up winds of 295 km per hour for more than 33 hours straight.



Another hurricane, Jose, is also active in the Atlantic and has triggered tropical storm warnings for the northeastern United States.



Many scientists are convinced that megastorms such as Irma, and Harvey before it, are intensified by the greater energy they can draw from oceans that are warming as a result of climate change.  AFP








Naypyidaw, September 19

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi reached out to the global community on Tuesday in a broad appeal for support over a refugee crisis the UN has decried as "ethnic cleansing", urging outsiders to help her nation unite across religious and ethnic lines and offering a pathway back to the country for some of the Rohingya Muslims forced to flee by army operations..

#WATCH Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi delivers State of the Union address in Nay Pyi Taw https://t.co/UV80NVsW2Y  ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2017

Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Communal violence has torn through Rakhine state since August 25, leaving hundreds dead and driving more than 410,000 of the Rohingya minority from Myanmar into Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, has been decried for failing to speak up publicly for the stateless Rohingya or urge restraint from the military.

But in 30-minute televised speech today she reached out to her critics, deploying the soaring rhetoric that once made her a darling of the global rights community.

"Hate and fear are the main scourges of our world," she said. "We don't want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicity... we all have the right to our diverse identities."

While expressing her sorrow for "all" groups displaced by violence, she said her country stood ready "at any time" to take back refugees subject to a "verification" process.

It was not immediately clear how many of the estimated 410,000 Rohingya who have fled Myanmar would qualify to return.

But the subject of their claims to live Myanmar is at the heart of a toxic debate about the Muslim group.

Myanmar's army has previously it will not take back people linked with "terrorists" -- suggesting many came from the hundreds of Rohingya villages that have subsequently been burnt to the ground.

Inside Myanmar, supporters say the 72-year-old lacks the power to rein in the army, with whom she is in a delicate power-sharing arrangement.

The UN has accused Myanmar's army of "ethnic cleansing" over a campaign of alleged murder and arson that has left scores of Rohingya villages in ashes.

The army denies that, insisting its operations are a proportional response to the late August raids by Rohingya militants, who they label "extremist Bengali terrorists".

Since then just under half of Rakhine's Rohingya population has poured into Bangladesh, where they now languish in one of the world's largest refugee camps.

A further 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of the August 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militant group.

Suu Kyi skipped this week's UN General Assembly in New York to manage the crisis at home and deliver her televised address -- the biggest yet of her time in office.

Analysts say Suu Kyi must walk a treacherous line between global opinion and Islamophobic anti-Rohingya views at home, where the military has curdled hatred for the Muslim minority. AFP
Lahore, September 19

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and eight others were on Tuesday indicted by a court in a case pertaining to illegal recruitment in an electricity distribution company of Punjab Province.

Ashraf, 66, recruited as many as 437 people without taking merit into consideration, according to a case filed by top anti-graft watchdog the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Geo News reported.

The former prime minister, who held the office between June 2012 and March 2013, has rejected all the charges filed by NAB today.

Ashraf was indicted for his alleged involvement in illegal recruitment in the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO), the report said.

The accountability court in Lahore, which heard the case filed by the NAB last year, summoned witnesses to record their statements.

The court adjourned the hearing till October 10.

Ashraf, a senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader, has also been indicted by another accountability court in Islamabad in the rental power case. All accused have refused to plead guilty.

The former premier denied all the corruption charges against him, saying the NAB's action was a result of "political victimisation" at the behest of the ruling PML-N party.

"Being the minister for water and power, I never influenced the appointments. The NAB has been playing at the hands of PML-N leadership and subjecting PPP leaders to political victimisation," he alleged.

Ashraf said that he was being dragged into the scandal on baseless grounds and also questioned the decision of placing his name on the Exit Control List (ECL) when former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's name was not in it.

He is also accused of misusing his authority during his tenure as the minister for water and power to get approval from the Economic Coordination Committee for an increase in the down-payment to the rental power companies from seven per cent to 14 per cent, amounting to about Rs 22 billion, the report said.  PTI
Under the scheme all tests are done free of cost and all for operations under the Mukhyamantri Bal Hriday Upchar Yojana for all children aged 0-18 years suffering from serious heart ailments is also free.

By Rohini Swamy: A newborn girl from Dhar who had been admitted at the Narayana institute of cardiac sciences in Bengaluru as she had a hole in her heart died as the hospital refused treatment under a government scheme run by the Madhya Pradesh government. All this because the hospital said that the state of Madhya Pradesh owed the hospital dues worth Rs 6 crores.

advertisement

The child's father Manoj Verma, a fruit seller, had taken her to Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Bengaluru to get treatment under the Rashtriya Bal Swastha Karyakram (RBSK) and Mukhyamantri Bal Hriday Upchar Yojana (MBHUY).

Under the scheme all tests are done free of cost and all for operations under the Mukhyamantri Bal Hriday Upchar Yojana for all children aged 0-18 years suffering from serious heart ailments is also free.

"The hospital refused to give free examination under the RBSK scheme saying that the Madhya Pradesh government owed them Rs 6.03 crore, which the government was not paying despite several reminders," a very distraught father Verma said and also added that he had to pay Rs 86,000 for basic tests.

Now the hospital has issued a statement saying that they had not hesitated to provide treatment to the child, rather it was the child's parents who decided to move the child to Madhya Pradesh against hospital advice.

ALSO WATCH | After Gorakhpur, now 49 infants die in RML hospital in Farrukhabad

--- ENDS ---
Tom McLeod talks to reporters at the McLeod Software 2017 User Conference. Photo: McLeod Software

In a roundtable with trucking reporters at the McLeod 2017 User Conference in Atlanta, McLeod executives talked about a number of technology trends affecting their fleet customers and the industry at large, including ELDs, blockchain, and making sense of the vast amount of data available to fleets.

ELDs

The most looming change, of course, is the electronic logging device mandate that kicks in Dec. 18. Fleets who are waiting until the last minute may have already waited until too late, McLeod told reporters.

I am surprised still at the number of new orders were getting right now that include our mobile communication module that have not selected a [ELD] provider yet.

Using ELDs, he emphasized, goes well beyond just putting a new device in the cab.

The management of information from electronic logs is a learning curve. Its not just a switch you can throw. Youre not going to be able to pull into a bay at a truckstop on Dec. 17 and have a unit installed and be ready to operate the next day. That 450 mile run youre used to making in a day, youre not going to be able to make anymore. If your shipper holds you up for just half an hour it may cost you a half a day of service.

In addition, he said, while there are more than 100 vendors listed as self-certified on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations list of ELDs, 20 of those are all resellers of the same unit. From a manufacturing standpoint I think there will be supply issues.

Some fleets, he said, wont be able to make the transition and will go out of business. And some drivers, although not all, he predicted, will make good on their threat to quit trucking rather than use the devices.

The former, he said, will create opportunities for the carriers that are already managing electronic logs. And as for the latter, while the driver shortage may cause headaches for carriers, it also may help drive up rates. In addition, McLeod said, I think the constraint on being able to find drivers will hopefully break the cycle of throughout the 90s all too often every time the economy would get a little better, trucking companies would go a little crazy and buy too many trucks, resulting in overcapacity that drove down rates for everyone.

Analyzing Data for Business Intelligence

McLeod is continuing to develop ways for customers to better manage the ever-increasing flow of data that can help their businesses. McLeod IQ, introduced at last years User Conference, is the next generation of Business Intelligence and has been well received by customers, according to the company. It uses Microsoft Business Intelligence products to create a multidimensional cube that aggregates a fleets important data in a way that is easier to understand and analyze.

The initial version of IQ focused on operational insights, and over the past year, the company has expanded it to incorporate all of a customers financial data.

Now it also allows customers to pull in other data sources that may not be part of their McLeod system, such as the information from their mobile communications or vehicle maintenance systems. The full Microsoft Power BI suite of analysis and reporting tools also can be used with McLeod IQ.

Tom McLeod told reporters that they are working with a company in their hometown of Birmingham, Ala., to analyze large amounts of data. He referred to the large amount of data available to our carriers through our market insight database, which has allowed us to aggregate information from all of our customers. It can then make that data available to customers  for instance, being able to aggregate the market rate in a particular lane and how its trending, vs. the carriers rate. This puts our carriers and brokers in stronger position to understand the rates they need to be charging in certain lanes, McLeod said.

While some of this is already available, McLeod is working with this third party (which it does not yet want to name) to expand its data analysis and availability, including taking advantage of other data thats available in the aggregate, such as spot rate data from Truckstop.com, even weather and traffic.

Blockchain

Theres been a lot of buzz recently about blockchain and its potential to change everything from banking to transportation.

Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology designed for transactional applications such as the movement of freight. It simplifies the management of transactional data by storing contracts and related information within transparent, auditable, secure blocks that are shared with multiple parties.

McLeod said its adoption in the trucking and logistics space will start with food, especially temperature-controlled products, as well as medicines  items that have a high value and a short shelf life.

In some ways, he said, the visibility blockchain could provide into the supply chain could be compared to EDI  only it offers wider visibility.

I hesitate to say we finally are going to see the technology that could kill off EDI, he said, noting that while the death of EDI has been predicted many times, from McLeods perspective theres never been any sign of the volume of EDI transactions letting up.

The way the blockchain visibility works, once youve communicated to one party, its also available to others in that network and so you simplify the communication requirements and you can also see whats going on. Where in EDI, you and the receiving party may be the only ones to see that information.

Ken Craig, McLeods vice president of special projects, explained that while most people are most familiar with blockchain from cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, that confuses people. The kind of blockchain that will be used in trucking, he said, wont be public like the type used for cryptocurrency, which also requires a vast amount of computing power.

Microsoft recently introduced the Coco Framework for enterprise blockchain networks, which stands for confidential consortium.

One of the benefits of blockchain, Craig explained, is that you cant hack it because its distributed on every node.

It has the potential to touch every area  not just the supply chain but areas like performance history, vehicle maintenance. You can track a vehicle from the time it leaves the factory, every time a bolt is replaced.
In my attic are at least two boxes of Rolling Stone magazines. Big boxes, too  the kind that require a couple of people to move.

One belongs to my husband, and the other is mine. Through our nearly 20 years together, we havent been able to part with them.

Rolling Stone covers evince my Generation X upbringing with R.E.M., U2, Madonna, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Liz Phair, Green Day, Foo Fighters and Courtney Love. Sprinkled in there are what I thought would be collectors items with portrait editions and yearbooks. Likely, Im the only collector.

Many have address labels to my grandmas house, who sweetly kept a subscription only for her visiting kids and grandkids.

The articles are sadly familiar to todays problems about drug epidemics, war in the Middle East, political corruption, corporate greed and HIV/AIDS.

On Sunday, celebrity publisher Jann Wenner announced he is selling the controlling stake of the magazine, giving up his hold on the publication he founded in 1967 in San Francisco. This comes after a sale of 49 percent to Singapore-based music technology company BandLab Technologies last year.

A New York Times business story cites the financial stress all media has faced since the Internet opened up an expectation of free news.

However, good journalism always comes with a cost.

The counter-culture magazine ushered in an era heavy on design and photography around the arts of music, movies, books and theater. It pioneered coverage and critique of rock n roll as a music beat, taking it away from the ditzy teen fan zines of the day.

Music evolution into heavy metal, hip hop, grunge, rap, Americana and pop-country unfolded between the pages of Rolling Stone with behind-the-scenes photos, essays and random notes.

Everyone has a top 10 best covers, with most citing photographer Annie Leibovitzs famous naked John Lennon curled up against a clothed Yoko Ono on the day he died. The first Rolling Stone also featured John Lennon on the cover, which he graced 31 times with and without the Beatles.

Then, there is the writing. Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson took readers on a trip of fear and loathing in a two-part 1971 series; reporter Matt Taibbi has chronicled Wall Street abuses; and several critics provided in-depth profiles of artists ranging from Little Richard to Johnny Carson.

A few articles led to bigger projects.

Writer Tom Wolfes 1973 four-part series Post-Orbital Remorse was turned into the 1979 book The Right Stuff. A 1983 movie by the same name won four Academy Awards.

In 2003, Rolling Stone embedded reporter Evan Wright with front-line Marines during the Iraq invasion, an endeavor that later expanded into a book and formed the basis for Generation Kill, an HBO miniseries.

A low point occurred in 2014 with a Rolling Stone investigation into a reported rape on the University of Virginia campus. The crime allegation was found to be untrue, resulting in a successful defamation suit. Wenner later told The Guardian that publishing the article was the biggest mistake he had ever made.

That shouldnt undo the half-century of impact the magazine has made.

For me, I keep the old copies for the musicians. There is nostalgia in rereading interviews with Michael Stipe and Bono or seeing the old snapshots of Lollapalooza.

The future is uncertain for Rolling Stone. Wenner and his 27-year-old son, Gus, who is president and chief operating officer of Wenner Media, told the New York Times they intend to stay, but its ultimately up to the new owner.

Rolling Stone may feel owned by the baby boomers because they were there at its birth, but all generations feel its influence.
The mayors of Tulsa and Oklahoma City met for lunch Tuesday to discuss the challenges their cities face, briefly focusing on internet giant Amazons continent-wide search for the site of its second headquarters.

After Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and Mick Cornett, his counterpart from Oklahoma City, gave stump speeches on the challenges their cities face, the first question from an audience member went directly to the topic of Amazon. The mayors were asked whether they could work together and pitch a landing pad for the company in the middle.

Ladies and gentlemen, the mayor of Stroud! Bynum said jokingly.

Bynum largely avoided talking about a joint pitch by the two metropolitan areas. Instead, he highlighted what he thinks each city has to offer.

I think both cities present great quality of life, good regulatory environments for any business and excellent workforce, Bynum said. Beyond that, Im not giving away our secret sauce on what were going to present.

Earlier in the discussion, Bynum reflected on the potential Tulsa and Oklahoma City have to team up and be competitive together.

Really the competition in the 21st century is not going to be city versus suburb or even neighboring cities against one another, he said. Its about mega regions that share common characteristics competing with one another all around the world.  Were not competing against one another. Were inspiring each other to do better.

The luncheon was organized by former Tulsa Mayor Rodger Randle and held in the Schusterman Learning Center at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.

The sidetrack to Amazon has become a lens for each city to determine the best it has to offer but also where each falls short, preventing another major corporation from landing in the state.

Amazon announced earlier this month that it is looking to build a $5 billion second headquarters and  with a few stipulations  all of North America is in it sights.

Cornett, who is running for governor, tamped down Oklahomas chances at catching the eye of the e-commerce giant, saying the logistics alone are hard to imagine.

This is probably 10 times larger than any economic development opportunity that has ever come down the line, so its hard to know what incentives would be expected, he said.

Cornett said Oklahloma Citys Devon Tower  the recently built, tallest structure in the state  represents as little as an eighth of what Amazons second headquarters along with about 50,000 employees promises.

They dont want a parking lot, Cornett said. They want a subway or something to take them there. They want an international airport. They want some things that we dont have today, so it would take a really good sales job  G.T. could probably pull it off  but hed had to convince Amazon that those things dont matter.

Cornett said Oklahomas chances to seriously compete for such a massive corporation are too small.

As much as I would love the opportunity for us to seriously compete for it, he said, its hard to imagine that we could come up with the type of tools and dollars that they are going to expect.
The Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust has agreed to sell its parking lot for a downtown development that could include a grocery store.

The trust voted Monday on the proposed final contract to sell to Flaherty & Collins, an Indianapolis-based developer, the parking lot between Second and Third streets from Cincinnati to Detroit avenues for $5.5 million.

The developer plans to build The Annex, a 12-story, mixed-use building that could feature downtown Tulsas first grocery store in close to two decades. It would also include more than 200 apartments and about 600 parking spaces.

A city of Tulsa news release said construction could begin next summer and be completed by 2020. However, its progress is still contingent on the developers securing financing and receiving a tax increment financing incentive from the city of Tulsa.

A downtown grocery store has been regarded by some as one of the hurdles that Tulsas resurgent downtown still has to overcome. The development could be a catalyst for more growth, according to Mayor G.T. Bynum and a downtown property owner.

This project is a big win for our city, Bynum said. The sale proceeds will be used for the long-term benefit of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, while we are also bringing a proven developer of quality projects to further enhance the vibrant experience that downtown Tulsa has become.

Jeff Scott of Scott Realty Co. sees the project as a missing piece of the puzzle.

There have been developers and potential residents that have waited until the grocery store question is answered. This is the answer everyone has been waiting for, said Scott, a downtown property owner and real estate agent.

Reasors, an area grocery store chain, has been associated with the project over the course of the years it took Flaherty & Collins to negotiate a contract with the PAC Trust. However, Reasors presence in the development, if built, isnt set in stone.

Brent Edstrom, Reasors chief operating officer, told the Tulsa World on Monday: We are evaluating the entire market, as we frequently do to see what opportunities exist.

Bynum said the city plans to move forward on the TIF review process expeditiously and that city economic development officials have been laying the groundwork for the TIF district while theyve waited for the PAC Trust to approve the project.

Whether the TIF district would capture sales or property-tax revenue from the development and how long the district would be in effect are still to be decided, said Bynum.

Tax increment financing involves reserving tax revenue increases from specific areas, or districts, for improvements to public infrastructure within project boundaries.
OKLAHOMA CITY  The 2018 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year is Donna Gradel from Broken Arrow Public Schools.

Gradel, a science teacher for the past 21 years at Broken Arrow High School, has been an educator for 29 years.

She teaches environmental science for 10th through 12th grades.

The teacher of the year was announced Tuesday at the Oklahoma State Fair in Oklahoma City.

Teaching is one of the only professions that impacts, directly or indirectly, every person on Earth, Gradel said. I am proud to be a teacher. I am honored to be the Oklahoma 2018 Teacher of the Year.

Gradel will remain in her classroom for the rest of the school year.

Beginning July 1, 2018, she will assume full-time Teacher of the Year duties. Those duties include speaking engagements and serving as Oklahomas teacher ambassador, encouraging others to enter and remain in the profession.

Gradel was asked about why she chose to stay in Oklahoma, which is experiencing a teacher shortage in part due to low pay.

I just love Oklahoma and the people here, she said. The students are just fabulous.

Broken Arrow Public Schools Superintendent Janet Dunlop attended the ceremony.

I have been doing this for 26 years, and she is so much different than what we would consider a stereotypical teacher in that she comes at education in a totally different way, Dunlop said. She believes the purpose of education is problem solving, so that is exactly how she teaches. She presents problems to her kids.

Gradel, 58, was among 12 finalists for the post.

I thought I understood what an honor it would be to be the Oklahoma teacher of the year and then I met the other 11 finalists, Gradel said. And they are such remarkable teachers. They have such a passion for learning and their students.

All finalists were teachers of the year in 2016-17 for their local school districts.

The 12 finalists were selected after their applications were reviewed by a panel comprising educators, business and nonprofit leaders, and legislators.

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said Gradels commitment to teaching has translated into positive change beyond the Broken Arrow district.

Gradel is the third Broken Arrow teacher to be honored since the award started in 1955. She joins Linda Kay Webb, 1995 Teacher of the Year, and Kay Long, 1998 Teacher of the Year.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met with Ivanka Trump in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. The two discussed women empowerment and Ivanka's upcoming visit to India.

Sushma Swaraj meets Ivanka Trump in New York (Photo: Twitter/India in US)

By India Today Web Desk: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met with Ivanka Trump, the daughter and advisor of US President Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York.

Swaraj and Ivanka discussed issues relating to women empowerment and the latter's forthcoming visit to India, the Indian embassy said in a tweet. Prime Minister Modi had earlier invited Ivanka to lead a delegation of US entrepreneurs to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to be held here in November.

advertisement

Swaraj's meeting Ivanka came as a bit of a surprise. The external affairs minister is on a week-long trip to US to attend the annual UNGA session, and her exhaustive list of engagements did not explicitly mention that she would be meeting America's first daughter.

Following the meeting, Ivanka said that she was honoured to meet Swaraj, whom she called "accomplished and charismatic".

I have long respected India's accomplished and charismatic Foreign Minister @SushmaSwaraj, and it was an honor to meet her today. #UNGA https://t.co/IeAfBCOETO- Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) September 18, 2017

"We had a great discussion on women's entrepreneurship, the upcoming #GES2017 and workforce development in the US and India," Ivanka added in another tweet.

India and the US will co-host the GES in Hyderabad from November 28 to 30. The GES is the preeminent annual gathering of emerging entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders from around the world.

Earlier, Sawraj met a number of world leaders as she kicked off her diplomatic engagements on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. These included a trilateral meeting between India, Japan and United States that focused, among other issues, on the increasing security threat and instability in the Korean Peninsula.

Warm encounter reflecting our historical and cultural ties. Courtesy call on Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina by EAM @SushmaSwaraj #EAMatUNGA pic.twitter.com/ALB7gcavcV- Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) September 18, 2017

Swaraj also met leaders from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Tunisia, Latvia, the UAE, Bahrain and Denmark. During her week-long stay here, the minister, leading a high-powered Indian delegation, is expected to hold about 20 bilateral and trilateral meetings with leaders attending the session.

She will address the UNGA session on Saturday.

(With inputs from PTI)

WATCH | Very much looking forward to it, says Ivanka Trump after Modi invites her to India

--- ENDS ---
"Myanmar's soil is earnestly waiting for the thumping sound of the footsteps of the conquerors," Azhar said.

By Hamza Ameer: Jaish-e-Mohammed Maulana Masood Azhar has called on the world's Muslims to unite for the cause of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled their homeland since August 25 to escape a military response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents.

And he's issued a threat to Myanmar, saying it was waiting to hear "the footsteps of the conquerors."

advertisement

"It is because of the sacrifices of the Myanmar Muslims that the ummah is waking up and we are seeing this new awakening among the Muslims of the world. All Muslims of the world must unite for this cause, We have to do something. And do it urgently. Myanmar's soil is earnestly waiting for the thumping sound of the footsteps of the conquerors,"

He called Ashin Wirathu, a monk who has been called the "face of Buddhist terrorism" and the "Buddhist Bin Laden," a "lowly coward." What's more, Azhar doesn't the he bears comparison with the 9/11 attacks mastermind and former al-Qaeda chief.

"Bin Laden was a lion who came out to help the helpless, while Wirathu is just a dog who is barking while sitting in the comforts of his home. Bin Laden was a brave and fearless man who challenged global imperialism on its face, while Wirathu is a lowly coward who is attacking unarmed civilians," he said.

MODI GOVERNMENT'S AFFIDAVIT IN THE SUPREME COURT

Yesterday, the Narendra Modi government told the Supreme Court that many Rohingya refugees have links with terror organisations and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Refugees from the community present a major security threat, the Centre said in a 16-page affidavit.

The government said it feared the possibility of an eruption of violence against Buddhists living in India.

While Myanmar says its forces are carrying out clearance operations against the insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, Rohingyas and rights monitors blame the current exodus on what they say is a campaign aimed at driving out the Muslim population.

Rohingyas claim they're natives of the Burmese province of Rakhine, but Myanmar does not consider them as citizens.+

(Inputs from Reuters)

--- ENDS ---
The sprawling Kutupalong camp keeps growing as new UNHCR tents are built to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled Myanmar.  UNHCR/Paula Bronstein

In southeast Bangladesh, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has been continuing to ramp up operations. This is in light of further arrivals of Rohingya refugees and our very grave concern at the still difficult conditions for the many thousands of people who have fled Myanmars Rakhine State since August 25th.

A main focus of our work over the weekend and yesterday was at a new Extension Site next to the Kutupalong camp near Coxs Bazar where on Sunday and Monday we began moving people who have recently arrived into family tents and temporary communal shelters.

The Government has allocated some 2,000 acres [810 hectares] for the refugees. UNHCR site planners estimate this will be sufficient to house 150,000 or more of the 415,000 refugees who have arrived since August 25th.

Four communal tents were erected, sheltering some 400 people. As of yesterday afternoon, refugee volunteers had erected 70 large family tents, each accommodating two or three families of up to 21 people.

Refugees have told our staff that they suffered from cold and rain during their treks from Myanmar. Many had fallen ill, particularly small children. There is urgent need for more latrines, not least to reduce risks of a spread of disease with so many people living in close quarters. Many also complained of hunger and said they had eaten little on their journeys, which took up to 10 days on foot.

UNHCR and the authorities are working with partners to ensure that all newly arrived refugees including those moved to the emergency shelter have food.

With an estimated 415,000 refugees having arrived since late August the humanitarian challenges have become immense.

We are seeing remarkable generosity by many individual Bangladeshis, with people trucking food and clothes to the refugees in the camps and others camping along the single main road. However, the Government needs more support. UNHCR will be issuing an appeal this week for the emergency humanitarian response in Bangladesh till the end of year.

Bangladesh authorities have already begun biometric registration of new arrivals, registering some 1,000 people a day just in Kutupalong. This is a vital protection activity for allowing all agencies to target assistance to the most vulnerable, with better knowledge of how many elderly, children, and other categories are in the camps.

Bangladesh has been home to two official camps since 1991, Kutupalong and Nayapara. With the arrival of such vast numbers over the last weeks, UNHCR has agreed to a Government request to expand services to refugees outside these two camps.

A third airlift carrying supplies like plastic sheets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and kitchen sets is scheduled to arrive in the capital, Dhaka, on Wednesday, to be distributed by our partners.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Somali refugees on board a vessel at Aden Port en route to Somalia in the first assisted spontaneous return movement from Yemen.  UNHCR/Natalie Schmidthaeussler

In the first UNHCR-assisted spontaneous return movement for Somali refugees from Yemen, 133 refugees departed yesterday for Somalia. Given the current life-threatening conditions in Yemen for many civilians, including refugees, UNHCR is supporting the voluntary returns of Somali refugees who constitute 91 per cent of Yemens over 280,000 refugees and asylum seekers, or some 256,000 individuals.

Returning refugees are being assisted by UNHCR and partners with documentation, transportation and financial support in Yemen to facilitate the journey, as well as return and reintegration assistance upon arrival in Somalia. The first group of UNHCR-assisted returnees left the Port of Aden last night on a vessel chartered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is working in partnership with UNHCR for these returns.

The sea journey takes approximately 16 to 18 hours from the time of departure with the vessel expected to arrive in Somalias Port of Berbera.

UNHCR has also been working in close partnership with relevant national authorities in both Somalia and Yemen, including Somalias National High Commission for Refugee and IDPs (NCRI) and Yemens Immigration, Passport and Naturalization Authority (IPNA) to facilitate the returns, including with the issuance of relevant documentation and the coordination of assistance.

Those returning were residing in either the Kharaz refugee camp in Lahj Governorate or the Basateen District in Aden. Returnees or those intending to return have informed UNHCR staff that the prevailing situation in Yemen and fears for their safety and personal security are driving their return.

Though most Somali refugees who are registered in Yemen originate from the Banadir, Lower Shabelle, Bay, Middle Shabelle and Woqooyi Galbeed regions in Somalia, most refugees opt to return to Mogadishu in the anticipation that assistance and services will be more accessible and available.

Upon departure returnees received a cash grant and on arrival in Somalia, they will be assisted with enhanced reintegration assistance, including an initial reinstallation grant, non-food items or cash equivalents, food vouchers, and subsistence allowances among other assistance.

In Yemen, UNHCR has been providing protection and services for refugees and asylum seekers including by providing legal assistance, supporting education and livelihoods programs, and providing access to health and pyscho-social services and a cash programme for people with specific needs amongst others.

With current circumstances in Yemen life-threatening for many civilians, including refugees, UNHCR, Yemeni national authorities and humanitarian partners face significant challenges in ensuring adequate protection, humanitarian assistance, and access to essential, life-saving services for refugees.

In response to the intentions of a number of refugees who have expressed their intention to UNHCR to return home to Somalia, UNHCR is providing support for up to 10,000 Somali refugees who have made the choice to return, based on the information received at Return Help Desks on conditions in Somalia and on the assistance package offered.

UNHCRs humanitarian operations in Yemen will continue to provide support to refugees who remain in Yemen.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Ambassador Affey with Somali refugees in Yemen  UNHCR/Nuur Sheekh

NAIROBI (UNHCR)  Ambassador Mohamed Abdi Affey today lauded the first return movement organized by UNHCR, bringing 133 refugees from Yemen to Somalia.

This is a watershed moment for Somali refugees who are affected critically by war, insecurity and the worsening economic situation in Yemen, he said. UNHCR is supporting voluntary return of the very vulnerable who express the desire to save themselves from the ongoing turmoil.

Explaining that provision has been made to assist up to 10,000 refugees to return home, Ambassador Affey noted that the crisis in Yemen has diminished the protection space amid concerns that the situation can only worsen in the face of deteriorating conditions across the country. He commended the collaboration with International Organization for Migration (IOM). IOM is partnering with UNHCR to assist voluntary return, and chartered the vessel that left the Port of Aden yesterday with the returnees.

With over 256,000 Somali refugees, Yemen is the second largest hosting country after Kenya. Somali refugees constitute 91% of the countrys 280,623 refugees and asylum seekers. Most of them originate from the Banadir, Lower Shabelle, Bay, Middle Shabelle and Woqooyi Galbeed regions in Somalia. Returnees generally opt to return to Mogadishu anticipating that assistance and services will be more accessible.

Describing refugee protection challenges the Special Envoy lamented criminal activity that compounds an already difficult situation. Smuggling and human trafficking continues to flourish, with criminal groups luring unsuspecting civilians who then face extortion and all manner of vices, he said, painting a dire scenario. Frustrated with limited opportunities, many Somali refugees opt for irregular movement to countries, including Yemen, with the help of smugglers. In many instances, they lose their lives at sea and in the desert.

Ambassador Affey met the Prime Minister and senior government officials during a visit to Yemen last July. They discussed modalities to protect refugees and identify solutions for them. The Special Envoy also met with Somali refugee leaders from Kharaz and Basateen camps, and listened to their concerns. Most have been in Yemen for 27 years.

Ambassador Affey was appointed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Filippo Grandi last year to assist UNHCR to maximize efforts in the search for solutions for Somali refugees and asylum seekers at national and regional levels. Over 2.4 million Somalis are currently uprooted, including some 850,000 refugees scattered in neighboring countries, and nearly 1.6 million displaced inside Somalia.

For more information, please contact:

YEMEN: Shabia Mantoo | [email protected] | +967 (1) 469 771-3

NAIROBI: Teresa Ongaro | [email protected] | +254 735 337 608

NAIROBI: Nosim Lemayian | [email protected] | +254 (20) 422 2215
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is urging the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ensure protection for refugees and asylum-seekers after a shocking shooting incident in Kamanyola on September 15 in which at least 39 people were killed and another 94 injured.

The incident took place after Congolese soldiers fired live rounds at Burundian protestors in the eastern part of the country, many of whom UNHCR believes were refugees and asylum-seekers. The protest, reported to be initially peaceful, allegedly started after a small group of Burundians were detained by Congolese authorities, creating fears they were going to be deported to Burundi.

The dead included Burundian men, women and one child. The incident also resulted in the death of one Congolese soldier, with six others wounded.

This is a devastating tragedy. It should never have happened, said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. He welcomed the announcement from Congolese officials to launch an inquiry into the incident and called for it to be detailed. We need to establish facts and determine responsibility and make sure that such an incident never happens again.

UNHCR immediately deployed a team to the area on Saturday where it is working with the medical staff of a partner organization in the local hospital to provide life-saving medical assistance to the injured.

So far, some 57 people with critical injuries were evacuated to Goma and the nearest city of Bukavu, while another 37 are being treated in Kamanyola.

The UNHCR team on the ground reports a tense situation with over 2,400 Burundians seeking protection next to the small MONUSCO (the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo) base in Kamanyola. They are too afraid to go back to the locations where they have been staying. Some refugees have expressed the wish to move elsewhere in Congo. UNHCR is working with local authorities to find a suitable location.

DRC hosts more than 43,700 refugees who have arrived from Burundi since 2015.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) Referring to the decision of the Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker to disqualify 18 AIADMK MLAs from the House, the JD(U) today demanded a similar action against two of its rebel MPs, Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar.

Janata Dal (United) chief spokesperson K C Tyagi, in a statement, said Yadav and Anwar acted in a manner, similar to that of the AIADMK MLAs, by indulging in "anti-party" activities.

advertisement

The party has already approached the Rajya Sabha chairman, seeking disqualification of the two MPs, who were yesterday given one more week by the House to respond to the JD(U)s charges against them.

Tyagi also took exceptions to the statements of Congress leader Anand Sharma and CPI(M)s Sitaram Yechury, both of whom have asked the chairman to refer the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee.

He said the Chairman, M Venkaiah Naidu, was a competent authority to take a decision on the matter and added that comments from "outsiders" were not "appreciable" with regard to such constitutional matters.

Tyagi cited the Tamil Nadu Assembly speakers decision to make his point and said the JD(U) welcomed the disqualification of the AIADMK MLAs from the House.

"This has again highlighted the wide powers conferred on a speaker under the 10th Schedule [Articles 102(2) and 192 (2)] of the Constitution. It gives him power to disqualify a member of the House, belonging to any political party, if the latter has voluntarily given up the membership of the party," he said.

The case in the Tamil Nadu Assembly fell under the above mentioned constitutional rule, which allowed the speaker to judge if any member had voluntarily relinquished his party membership, the JD(U) leader said.

The rebels in the JD(U) were also facing a similar trial in the Rajya Sabha and Sharad Yadav was asked not to attend the Patna rally of the RJD on August 27 and warned that if he did so, he would be considered to have voluntarily given up the party membership, he added.

Tyagi also pointed out that the speaker of the Uttarakhand Assembly had, in 2016, disqualified nine rebel Congress MLAs under the anti-defection law.

Eighteen AIADMK MLAs, said to be loyal to the partys deputy chief, TTV Dhinakaran, were yesterday disqualified by Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal amid a power tussle in the ruling party in the southern state. PTI KR RC

--- ENDS ---
The statement further said that the youth of Kashmir bear passion and goodwill to join the ranks of Lashkar-e-taiba.

By Ashraf Wani: The militant outfit Lashkar-e-taiba on Tuesday said, Mahmood Shah is the chief of the dreaded militant group in Jammu and Kashmir, whereas Abu Ismael, who was recently killed, held the position of commander.

In an e-mailed statement to India Today, LeT Spokesman Dr Abdullah Ghazanwi said for India to get their hands on LeT chief, they must sacrifice a lot.

advertisement

"We would like to inform DGP SP Vaid that our commanding hierarchy won't make sense to Indian forces. We don't thrive upon status but performance. Our commanders claim their "bravery and trophies by attacking the Indian armed forces", despite being low in resources, which is enough to tell who the commanding leader is. You'll soon witness the wrath of substitute commander of Shaheed Abu Ismael," said LeT in a statement.

The statement further reads that the youth of Kashmir bear passion and goodwill to join the ranks of Lashkar-e-taiba.

"India itself is evident to the love, harmony and mutual understanding between local population and Mujahideen. They have opted for the guns as their last resort in winning their freedom. They shall have their freedom at all costs," Ghaznavi added.DGP J&K police S P Vaid on Monday said there is no one ready in Lashker to take command in Kashmir.

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | Lashkar terrorist Abu Ismail, who plotted Amarnath Yatra attack, killed in Naugam encounter

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called a review meeting with his Cabinet colleagues tomorrow, after he returns from a Vipassana course in Maharastra later today.

The chief minister is scheduled to return to the national capital tonight. Kejriwal will review the works done in his absence and those pending in the meeting, an official said.

advertisement

"Reach Del tonite. Back to work from tomo. Meeting all my ministers at 10 am tomo morning (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted.

Earlier in the day, he also tweeted, "Jst finished Vipassna meditation course. Its bliss. Hope someday, me n my wife will fully immerse ourselves in meditation (sic).

On September 11, the Delhi chief minister had left for the vipassana course during which he could not access newspapers, televisions or any other form of media.

Last year in August, Kejriwal had gone to Himachal Pradeshs Dharamkot to attend a 10-day vipassana session at a meditation centre.

Kejriwal is known to be an ardent practitioner of vipassana.

The AAP chief had also taken a break to practice vipassana after a hectic campaign post the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and the Delhi Assembly polls in 2013.

He had gone to Bengaluru earlier this year to undergo a naturopathy treatment for high blood sugar after months of campaigning for elections in Punjab and Goa. PTI BUN ANB

--- ENDS ---
UW Program Celebrates National GEAR UP Week

Students in the GEAR UP program recently visited the UW School of Energy Resources Shell 3-D Visualization Center. (GEAR UP Photo)

The University of Wyomings GEAR UP Wyoming program will celebrate National GEAR UP Week with various activities, including a picnic for participants.

National GEAR UP Week commemorates the continuing success of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), a college access program providing students and families the support and resources needed for college success. Since its inception in 1999, GEAR UP has improved educational outcomes for millions of low-income, minority and disadvantaged students across the United States, including 2,000 served by GEAR UP Wyoming.

GEAR UP Wyoming partners with all seven community colleges around the state, along with the Wyoming Department of Education. Both partnerships aid with the success of GEAR UPs student and family services programming initiatives, and professional development opportunities for educators. The program serves about 2,000 students statewide; eight of the programs students were awarded the Daniels Fund Scholarship this year.

Also, from fall 2016-17, more than 400 educators and administrators have attended a GEAR UP Wyoming professional development training at UW.

This week, GEAR UP will host a picnic for mentors and college freshmen in the program. After dinner, students and staff will have an interactive mentoring session to create thank-you cards for Wyomings congressional leaders. Also planned are a photo accessories for social media posting, recreational activities, such as spikeball and volleyball, and card games.

As a low-income, first-generation student from a smaller town in Wyoming, I didnt have much help in the pursuance of a postsecondary education, says UW student Bryan Lane, a former GEAR UP student, from Riverton, and current peer mentor. I was fortunate to have become part of GEAR UP at a young age so that I could foster a dream of receiving a higher education, positively impacting my life, not only in long-term plans, but also in short-term experiences. GEAR UP is all about giving students the extra push to get an education in a field they enjoy.

Another former GEAR UP student and current mentor, Kaitlyn Emerson, from Cheyenne, mentions how the program helped her navigate her freshman year at UW.

GEAR UP taught me a lot about what it means to live in the real world. If it werent for them, I would have been lost most of my freshman year of college but, because of everything I acquired through the program and its staff, I was able to start building study skills and good life habits from day one, she says. Those are things it usually takes people years to get down. Some of my favorite memories of GEAR UP are of camp, making friends, learning about different career options, learning about life at a university and really allowing my personality to shine without the judgment of my peers. GEAR UP is truly a phenomenal program.

For more information about GEAR UP Wyoming, email Chrissie Henschler, GEAR UP project coordinator, at chensch@uwyo.edu or visit the web at www.uwyo.edu/gearup/index.html.
The legends narrated during Durga Puja talk about how Mahishasura gained so much power, and was sexist enough to not believe he could be killed by a woman.

By India Today Web Desk: Durga Puja is round the corner and festivities have begun. Along with the festivities come the various tales and legends surrounding the festivals. The story of Goddess Durga, the legend of Mahalaya, and the story of Goddess Durga defeating Mahishasura for instance.

WHO WAS MAHISHASURA?

As legends have it, Mahishasura was a king with the head of a buffalo. He was a staunch worshipper of Lord Brahma. After years of penace by Mahishasura, Brahma was finally pleased and offered him a wish. Mad with power, Mahishasura demanded immortality. His wish was that he should not be killed by a "man or animal" on the face of Earth. Brahma granted him this wish, and then told him that a woman will be the end of him.

advertisement

Mahishasura believed that there is no woman in the world who could cause him any harm. The legend continues, Mahishasura, high on the power of "immortality", attacked Trilok (the three worlds of earth, heaven and hell) with his army. He even tried to capture Indralok (the kingdom of Lord Indra).

The gods decided to wage a war on Mahishasura but due to Lord Brahma's boon nobody was able to defeat him. The gods thus approached Lord Vishnu for help. After considering the situation, Lord Vishnu decided to create a female form to defeat Mahishasura. But since Lord Shiva is the god of destruction, they consulted with him. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva combined all their powers together to give birth to Durga.

Durga is an incarnation of Goddess Parvati, the daughter of Himavan, the lord of the mountains. She is the mother-goddess -- Shakti -- the power that runs the universe.

Goddess Durga then fought Mahishasura over a period of fifteen days during which he kept changing his shape to become different animals and misled her. Finally when he transformed into a buffalo, Goddess Durga stabbed him with her trident and that was the end of him. Mahishasura was defeated and killed on the day of Mahalaya.

This story is widely narrated during Durga Puja.

MAHISHASURA AS THE NON-ARYAN KING

Another tale that dates back 3000 years says that Mahishasura was a non-Aryan king whose people worshiped the buffalo. Mahishasura's power knew no bounds as he defeated many Aryan kings in the northern kingdom of Aryabarta.

While many kings were defeated by Mahishasura, a queen came to rule the northern part of Aryabarta. the kings who were already defeated by Mahishasura pledged their allegiance to the Queen. Her army grew in strength and numbers, while Mahishasura was running out of supplies and man power.

Thinking that he couldn't be defeated by a woman, he send out messengers to the queen to become his consort. The queen kept refusing but Mahishasura was not to back off easily and kept sending messengers. Meanwhile, the queen was planning an attack on the buffalo king.

advertisement

Mahishasura's army was too worn out to protect themselves from the queen's army. Mahishasura himself thought that he could defeat the queen but she killed him with her spear, tore his chest and fed him to his pet lion.

--- ENDS ---


Lucky Dragon Hotell & Casino will stay busy throughout early autumn as they celebrate Chinese Golden Week, Oct. 1-8, and Filipino-American Heritage Month, Oct. 1-31, with Moon Cake giveaways, live music, food specials, and more.

Golden Week is a seven-day Chinese national holiday, the countrys most popular traveling period, and coincides with the Mid-Autumn Harvest Moon Festival.

Chinese Golden Week Promotions



Dragon Club Members can earn points to receive Moon Cakes Sept. 18-22, and Sept. 25-29. Moon Cakes are a Chinese pastry traditionally eaten, and offered to friends and family, during the Mid-Autumn Harvest Moon Festival, celebrated each year on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month by the majority of Asian countries.

Pearl Ocean, Lucky Dragons highly acclaimed live-seafood and dim sum restaurant, will offer eight discounted specialty Golden Dishes from Oct. 1-8. These dishes include:

Peking Duck ($15 + tax)

Roast Duck ($15 + tax)

Steamed Empress Style Chicken ($15 + tax)

Crispy Fried Chicken ($15 + tax)

Crispy Fried Flounder ($15 + tax)

Steamed Flounder Cantonese Style ($15 + tax)

Wine Stewed Ox-tail Pumpkin Bowl ($15 + tax)

1 lb. of Live Prawns Golden Egg Yolk Style ($50 + tax)

In addition, Phoenix, Lucky Dragons upscale restaurant specializing in modern Asian fare, will celebrate Golden Week with a $20 Dim Sum Platter offered throughout the month of October.

Filipino-American Heritage Month Promotions

In honor of National Filipino-American Heritage Month, Lucky Dragon will host Hot Manila Nights, featuring performances from local Filipino group 360 Band on Friday, Oct. 13, and Friday, Oct. 27.

Local favorite 360 Band specializes in 70s and 80s classics, and is comprised of Ewett Willie Bonifacio (Drums), Elmer Yumul (Vocals), Michelle Aquino (Vocals), Marie Chua (Bass/Vocals), Winnie Nigoza (keyboard), and Jojo Marquez (Guitar/Vocal).

In addition to live music, guests can celebrate Filipino culture with $2 San Miguel beer specials throughout October, and Bao Nows newly debuted Filipino specialty dishes, including Tilapia, Pancit Chicken, and Pork Adobo.
Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh's funeral ceremony in Delhi was in sharp contrast to the manner in which Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was laid to rest in 2008.

By Ajit Kumar Dubey: In a farewell befitting to a war hero, Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh was on Monday cremated at Brar Square in the Delhi Cantonment area with full state honours in the presence of the top political and military leadership of the NDA government.

So impressed was his son Arvind Singh with the arrangements that he told IAF officials that his father would have been very happy to see the kind of farewell given to him, with who's who of the country - right from the President, Prime Minister and the services chiefs - present with him during his last moments to the funeral.

advertisement

However, in contrast, the funeral of the legendary and the greatest military leader Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was marked by neglect by the then UPA government, which probably held the General's encounters with Indira Gandhi, during his stint as Army chief when he led the country to its greatest war victory over Pakistan in 1971, against him.

After his death in Ooty on June 27, 2008, condolences were offered by the government functionaries, but right from the then President Pratibha Patil to the supreme commander of the armed forces, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his defence minister A K Antony and the three Service chiefs, none attended the "state funeral".

After the neglect by the UPA government turned into a controversy, the Defence Ministry had tried to hide behind protocols to avoid the embarrassment. But the military community was annoyed in a big way.

However, the arrangements made by the government in Arjan Singh's funeral are being seen as befitting for the stature of the IAF officer who commanded the Air Force in the 1965 war and ensured that his men won the battle of skies.

--- ENDS ---
The bank, 73 per cent owned by the government, had made four out of five sell-offs demanded by the European Commission in 2009 to address competition concerns following its bailout, but struggled to offload the last unit, Williams and Glyn.

The commission, the bloc's executive arm, on Monday accepted an alternative proposal from London that RBS would fund a series of alternative initiatives aimed at boosting competition in the small and medium enterprises (SME) market.

"The Commission's investigation concluded that the improved package is sufficient to replace the divestment commitment and will increase competition in the UK SME banking market," the commission said in a statement.

A "capability and innovation fund" will be created to distribute funding to "challenger" banks to help them compete with RBS in the SME sector, where it is a dominant player, while a second fund will help banks offer incentives to customers to switch away from RBS.

Other large established banks, such as HSBC, Lloyds, and Barclays, were not eligible to benefit from the proposals outlined by the British government in February.

Edinburgh-based RBS was rescued with 45.5 billion of taxpayers' cash at the height of the global financial crisis in late 2008 in the world's biggest banking bailout.

Monday's announcement comes after a five-month probe by the European Commission to assess whether the proposal was an appropriate alternative to selling Williams and Glyn.
Workers at the Lang station of the Cat Linh-Ha ong elevated railway. - Photo baogiaothong.vn

The railway connecting Cat Linh and Ha ong was initially scheduled to have its pilot run in early October before it officially opens to the public in the second quarter of next year. But transport deputy minister Nguyen Ngoc ong admitted after a survey trip to the project last week that it was "almost impossible" to meet the deadline as several sections of the railway project were still under construction.

The railways sub contractors said that the main contractor - China Railway 6th Bureau Group - was late in paying them and responsible for letting the construction falling behind schedule.

ong said that the project was facing financial problems, too, as more than US$250 million in loans from China to build the railway were yet to be disbursed due to legal issues.

"The Ministry of Transport is co-operating with relevant parties to conclude the matter and to obtain the capital for the project as soon as possible," he said.

He also said that the main contractor in the meantime must keep pace with the schedule it previously committed to.

The transport ministry would soon ask the Chines embassy in Viet Nam to work with the China Railway 6th Bureau Group on the issue, ong said.
A customer uses a Bitcoin ATM in HCM City. - Photo tuoitre.vn

Nonetheless, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has clearly stated that unlike legal tenders, cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are not considered real money and thus not recognised as payment methods in Vietnamese law.

Bitcoin was first introduced to Viet Nam in 2009, and has since experienced double-digit growth each year in terms of users, and an average daily transaction value reaching the thousands of US dollars, according to Bitcoin Vietnam Co ltd., the self proclaimed first bitcoin platform in the country, established in 2014.

Subsequently, bitcoins blockchain, its own open, distributed ledger that records transactions between two parties using the coin in a verifiable and permanent way, is now also accessible in Viet Nam.

As of late August this year, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had ordered relevant agencies to draft a legal framework for cryptocurrency and other digital assets, which could mean that bitcoin and its like will be one day accepted in Viet Nam under appropriate management.

Nevertheless, at the moment, the issue has a number of loose ends, as the SBV still finds digital currency hard to control. Since bitcoin is a decentralised digital currency, its payment and control system works without a central administrator, so it poses latent administrative risks to the SBV in particular and central banks in general.

Investors money, SBVs headache

Back in July, the SBV sent out a document clearly stating its non-involvement in managing bitcoin on the Vietnamese financial market, as this particular cryptocurrency is not a payment method according to the SBV.

This official document also stressed that since bitcoin and litecoin are not legal tender or legitimate currency, the acts of initial coin offering, generation, and use of such cryptocurrency as means of payment in place of legal tender are all prohibited with established sanctions.

The SBV stated that such prohibition is to keep investors safe against the speculative nature of cryptocurrency, especially when there has been a reported surge in the number of bitcoin mining rigs imported to Viet Nam, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC).

In reality, the increase in demand for bitcoin mining rigs has troubled administrative authorities, as the GDVCs list of contraband goods according to Decision 187/2013/ND-CP does not regulate these machines, which are computers designed specifically for the decryption of bitcoin and litecoin, through which the process of adding transaction records to bitcoins blockchain can be completed, thus generating new coins.

The SBV and the GDVC have reason to believe that the hike in demand for mining rigs is due to a misunderstanding on the part of investors, as they mistakenly consider the aforementioned draft scheme to be an official recognition of bitcoin in Viet Nam.

As such, new concerns have arisen for Vietnamese authorities. Since bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies are not accepted as legal payment in Viet Nam, the main purpose of most entities importing these mining rigs is to resell them at a higher price instead of actually generating new coins.

This would surely lead to a loss for many speculative investors, especially when the lifespan of these rigs is just around two to three months, with replacements worth more than $3,000.

The SBV has repeatedly warned domestic investors of the systemic risks that lie therein, but seemingly to no avail.

A coin toss

Back in 2009, the exchange rate for bitcoin was about 30 US cents per bitcoin, and it is now roughly US$4,000 per bitcoin, with a record high of $5,000, stated Ha Ton Vinh, Chairman and CEO of Stellar Management Corporation during a September conference on digital cash and blockchain in Ha Noi.

He commented that the sharp hike in the value of bitcoin is due to investors speculation, creating hundreds of millionaires in the span of less than a decade while expanding technology and financial application over other economic sectors with about $2 billion spent on bitcoin research over the past five years.

In Viet Nam, cryptocurrency, or digital cash, is available in popular forms such as debit or credit cards, or the recently introduced mobile wallets, and in rarer forms such as bitcoin or litecoin, said Terry OHearn, Chief Executive Office at iMozi Canada Inc, at the same conference.

According to OHearn, digital currency allows for direct transactions through an online payment device without the need for an intermediate financial entity, thus cutting down on transaction costs and increasing convenience.

After reaching up to $4,693 per bitcoin on August 29, 2017, the coins value has been gradually decreasing after China slapped restrictions on initial coin offerings, though there is no sign of speculation letting up.

Commercial bitcoin sites record a total capitalised value of the cryptocurrencys market of up to $120 billion, allowing for a staggering return on investment (ROI) ratio. Any bitcoin investors with enough sway and funding can enjoy an ROI of 150 per cent in a month, as oppose to the stock markets 11 per cent monthly.

As high returns come with equally high risks, the positive nature of the bitcoin market has soon been replaced with grim warnings from experts on the overblown value of the coin due to too much speculation, which can crash at any moment, leading to unimaginable devastation on financial markets.

Jean Y. Foo, Founder and CEO of Singaporean Mastermind Crate, pointed out at the said September conference that the difference between legal tenders such as the US dollar or Japanese yen and cryptocurrency is that while the former must be regulated by a third party during transactions, such as a Central Bank, the latter simply forgoes this step and relies on technological advances for security.

Therefore, there is no actual guarantee or failsafe mechanism against the coins bubble bursting, should it actually happen. And with the many risks that bitcoin investors and users must face online such as cyber attacks, theft, or blocked transactions, the SBV cannot guarantee their safety and financial security.

Still, as Vinh suggested, while several countries such as Japan now accept bitcoin as a legal payment method, it is nonetheless unregulated in the majority of economies including Viet Nams and is even heavily restricted in China. Thus, its definitive status as part of the economy is yet to be decided.
The decree will make sure less buyers get their fingers burnt

Among the big projects to be launched is An Khanh New City Developments sale of its first phase this quarter. The mega $2 billion project is developed by South Koreas Posco E&C and Vietnams Vinaconex, located in Hanois Hoai Duc district, along the Thang Long Boulevard.

Scheduled for completion in 2013, the city is expected to supply 6,440 apartments, equivalent to 392,319 square metres of accommodation, enough for 30,000 people.

Even though Hoa Phat Group, the investor in a more than 1,000 apartment Mandarin Garden in Cau Giay districts Tran Duy Hung road, refused to release its launching time, real estate experts predicted the project would be soon launched.

At the beginning of this month the CT7D, located in Le Van Luong street and invested by Nam Cuong Group and the FLC Landmark Tower of FLC Group will also be launched, with a total of 200 units and prices ranging from VND23 million ($1,200) to VND28 million ($1,470) per square metre.

In Gia Lam district, over the Red River, the second lot of Rung Co Residentials belonging to the Eco Park is also being launched, with around 1,500 apartment units.

In addition, Victoria Van Phu, Star City, Diamond Tower and Song Da City View will also add apartments to the mix.

Real estate consultant CBRE Vietnam expected that there would be 3,000 units in Hanoi launched this quarter, compared to 1,950 units in the third quarter. There were more than 4,600 units launched in the second quarter.

This decline, according to CBRE Vietnam, could be due to the Decree 71, effective on August 8, 2010 providing guidance on the Housing Law, which caps the proportion of units sold via capital contribution contracts at 20 per cent with the remaining 80 per cent sold on transaction floors.

This decree, CBRE Vietnam said, had put a pressure on developers with low financial capabilities and enhanced market transparency.

However, CBRE Vietnam executive director Richard Leech said new project launches would continue trending towards more affordable options.

With the opening and improvement of major infrastructure routes, the capitals western and southern districts are attracting new residents with easier access for commuting into the core urban districts, Leech said.

He said that the Decree 71 was expected to benefit the market by enhancing transparency, placing pressures on developers with low financial capabilities, lessening the threat of price bubbles and limiting speculative forces.

Tran Nhu Trung, Savills Vietnam associate director, said the Decree 71 had showed off its advantages to clearly regulate five types of mobilising capital investment. However, Trung said the procedures to implement Decree 71 were still complicated and wasted customers time and energy.

The more simple it [decree] regulates, the more it is practical in the real life, Trung said.
Schools in Mumbai to remain shut on Wednesday following predictions of heavy rains.

By Press Trust of India: Heavy rains coupled with thunder and lightning lashed the metropolis this afternoon, slowing down movement of vehicular traffic and suburban trains, and bringing back memories of torrential downpour late last month when the financial capital came to a standstill.

Meanwhile, weather observatory has predicted heavy rain falls and for the safety of students the state government has declared a holiday on Wednesday.

advertisement

State Education Minister said Vinod Tawde said that the department will compensate by reducing a day from the Diwali vacations.

Schools are instructed to remain close tomorrow for safety due to mixed predictions; This holiday will be compensated in Diwali #MumbaiRains- Vinod Tawde (@TawdeVinod) September 19, 2017

As the visibility dropped below 550 metres due to the downpour, runway operations at the Mumbai airport were suspended for a brief period during which some flights were diverted to nearby airports.

With the weather department forecasting more rain, the civic administration and other agencies have geared up to tackle any eventuality and keep the city afloat unlike on August 29, when the metropolis was flooded.

Heavy rains predicted. (Image via Insat)

"No untoward incident has been reported so far owing to the rains and our contingency services are in alert mode," said a senior official attached with the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

"Till 5 this evening, our weather station in South Mumbai has recorded 28.71 mm rainfall. The eastern and western suburbs have recorded 28.93 mm and 25.11 mm rainfall, respectively," said the official.

On Sunday, the weather department had forecast heavy rains in Mumbai and the coastal Konkan region for the next three days.

However, the metropolis did not receive any significant amount of rainfall yesterday.

On August 29, Mumbai received more than 300 mm rainfall that crippled transport services and threw normal life out of gear.

Several parts of the city and its suburbs, including South Mumbai, Borivali, Kandivili, Andheri and Bhandup, received heavy rainfall, the official said.

The downpour, which started in the afternoon, was accompanied by thunder and lightning.

As per information received from the Colaba observatory, the north Konkan region of Maharashtra, including Mumbai and its neighbouring areas, is expected to receive more rainfall, the official said.

There were reports of slow movement of vehicles on the citys streets, while suburban trains were running late.

PRO of Central Railway A K Jain said, "(Suburban) trains are running a bit late, but there has been no cancellation till now."

A tree branch fell between Andheri and Vile Parle stations on the Harbour corridor in the afternoon, briefly halting the traffic, he added.

advertisement

Mumbaikars, meanwhile, took to social media to express that all too familiar sinking feeling.

"Offices closing. Roads jammed. Water logged. A Mini 29 Aug is back. Stay Safe Mumbai," Pankaj Gupta tweeted with a hashtag #MumbaiRains @smart_mumbaikar @RidlrMUM.

--- ENDS ---
ST. JOHN  The presence of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel on the ground has provided dividends on the island hit hardest by Hurrican


Kate and Laura Mulleavy reveal the memories that underscore their new horror movie



Kirsten Dunst in Woodshock, the film by Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the Rodarte fashion designers

Photo courtesy of A2

As I watch the hallucinogenic image of Kirsten Dunst wandering in woods where the mighty trees rise to infinity or end as cut-down trunks, I think of my conversation with the Rodarte sisters in California. It served as a prequel to the Woodshock movie.

Our parents lived in Humboldt County  they both went to undergrad there and they lived in, literally, a cabin in the Redwoods with no running water, said Laura Mulleavy who, with her sister Kate, is behind fashion house Rodarte and the horror movie which has just had its New York premiere.





Pilou Asbk and Kirsten Dunst in Woodshock, the film by Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the Rodarte fashion designers

Photo courtesy of A24

The disturbing story of Theresa (Kirsten Dunst), who works in the Humboldt woodland area as a supplier of medically approved cannabis, sees her spiralling into violence and madness, after helping her terminally ill mother smoke a spliff designed to end her life.

But the subplot of the movie  the destruction by timber suppliers of the magnificent ancient trees, the tallest in the world  seems more in tune with the Mulleavy family's story.

Our dad went to Berkeley to get his doctorate and his mushroom stuff and then they ended up in Santa Cruz, the sisters explained. Our parents were very classic California, especially from the 1970s period.

Its interesting, when I got older, I realised both of them were very artistic, Laura continued. Dad is obsessed with things you almost cant see with the human eye. It's so funny for my Dad to talk about what we do because he has such a detailed eye. Mom has an eye like that too, but different just because she was an artist, so she was always making panes or mosaics or all kinds of things. She did these amazing wall hangings and she would make all the dye from turmeric. We were always watching her do these things and that was juxtaposed with being in an area which had so much visual stimulation: characters that lived there and such beautiful landscapes. There was a lot of old growth Redwoods, by the ocean. And it was kind of magical because with dad we were always around botanists. We basically grew up in other peoples greenhouses.

That's probably why we have these memories of it  because its such a magic time, that version of childhood, she continued. It stays with you.

The Mulleavy sisters, now 37 and 35, lived until their teenage years in Santa Cruz. After absorbing the back story and viewing the movie, I understand more about the fashion development I have seen through the Rodate shows for over a decade.

As well as a strong sense of nature, there had always been a suggestion of horror movies in the dark side of the clothes  literally, in the case of splatters of red blood on delicate hosiery  and always with the feeling that there was an underlying and often unsettling ongoing story behind any expression of pretty, innocent clothing.

Surprisingly, the costumes for Kirsten Dunst, designed by the sisters with Christie Wittenborn, did not seem to carry the kind of mystery or irony of the fashion designs  unless you count throwing a white cashmere sweater smothered with bleach into a washing machine. Kirsten appears to sleep, eat and live in pastel coloured tops.

Kate pulled out a photograph of the sisters in childhood dressed for Halloween, the clothes made by their mother and with cat Merlin at their sides. We were convinced that he was really the wizard from The Sword In The Stone, the designer said. Everything we make comes from something like that.





The world of Woodshock

Photo courtesy of A24

Although the movie is filmed entirely in and around the forest, which becomes increasingly suffocating, the Mulleavy sisters explained the influence of another place on their fashion collections. The Santa Cruz boardwalk has featured strongly, as well as ever-present images of mermaids and the watery wonders of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

From Santa Cruz came tie-dye gowns as a riff on the motif they grew up with; long shorts that hung low on the hip, worn with trench coats; and sweatshirts, which they wore every day of our lives on the beach.

I saw the aquarium and, my god! It was so pretty, said Kate. I told Laura that it was even prettier than the most beautiful Chanel couture. Its like nature that grows on these things. So we said, why dont we tell the story of The Little Mermaid but well set it more in Monterey? And we made things that were all about fish net. We put real sand in the clothes in that collection which was really fun when we sold it in stores! It was more of a nod to the nature where we grew up. Sometimes your personal impressions of things from your earliest point of existence, even unconsciously, affect you.

Rodarte spring/summer 2018 ready-to-wear shown unusually in July during the Paris Couture season

Indigital

I thought back to the most recent Rodarte show dedicated to flowers in Paris in July. And also, in relation to the Woodshock movie, the wood prints in the spring/summer 2011 show inspired by California interiors from their childhood.

The other movie in which the Mulleavy duo found a role was Black Swan in 2011, a psychodrama of a fight between two rival ballerinas. It featured a deranged Natalie Portman and costumes suggesting ragged birds. But costume designer Amy Westcott claimed that the fashion designers' role had been overblown.

Woodshock grew from the desire for the sisters to control their own movie and it was their choice alone to focus on Northern California, with Humboldt County seven hours drive north of Santa Cruz.

We knew that we wanted to do something about Redwoods because what comes into your mind is what affects you from childhood, said Kate. Being around those trees had such a huge effect on us. To film there is so spectacular. When you see Kirsten laying on that tree trunk, it is a real trunk, not something we just went and made. These trees are the largest living organisms on the planet. If you look up, theyre taller than the Empire State Building. Its just unbelievable. But it was a real challenge to figure out how to capture the essence.





Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte talk about their film Woodshock

Photo courtesy of A24

The movie was written over two years between 2012 and 2014 and filmed in the summer of 2015  with a fashion show in New York right after and then the constant editing of the film. It was not so enthusiastically greeted by the critics when presented at the Venice Film Festival in September. The reviews from the New York debut are just now coming in.

Kate and Laura Mulleavy with Kirsten Dunst at the Venice Film Festival, September 2017, for the premiere of their film Woodshock

Getty Images

The sisters seem undeterred by criticism, as they always have been by reviews to their shows. I love fashion so much and I think people stand up for it because its true, says Laura. Fashion thats transcendent has so much thought and ingenuity and I think it is bad to take that away from designers to make it so systemised.

Look at the music industry now and the truth is that we cannot pretend it didn't change, she continued. It is a huge conundrum whats happened to the artist in the music world and I sometimes look at fashion in a similar context.





Rodarte spring/summer 2018 ready-to-wear shown unusually in July during the Paris Couture season

InDigital

The Rodarte brand is niche  or to put it more bluntly, minuscule, with just two shows a year. And the duo is not convinced that even with a larger team that they could raise their output, with Laura saying, only half-jokingly, I dont think I could come up with four good ideas in a year.

Yes, you could! said Kate. I dont think that thats the issue. Its more that you can't work to a system. Im just trying to support creativity and I think for people to have expectations that youre going to put out that many shows a year and each is going to be brilliant  thats not possible.

So, what is the future for Rodarte? To extend their fashion brand? To move full-time into movies? Or to try and balance the two  which Tom Ford seems to have managed so successfully.

Fashion designer Laura Mulleavy, actress Kirsten Dunst and designer Kate Mulleavy at the Venice Film Festival, September 2017

Getty Images

Lets hope, for fashions sake, that the duo never think of leaving the fashion world. But the movie itch has started again. I asked if they planned another movie.

Well, weve already started writing it, they chorused. You have to because once youre done, youre just like  its definitely an addictive process. Its so many great feelings.
By PTI: Srinagar, Sep 19 (PTI) The Netherlands government would assist Jammu and Kashmir in developing hi-tech horticulture infrastructure in the state, its ambassador to India Alphonsus Stoelinga said here today.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was here to see demonstration projects of high density apple orchards established by the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Kashmir in collaboration with companies from the European nation, said an official spokesperson.

advertisement

The ambassador assured all possible help to the state, saying the Government of Netherlands looks forward to collaborating with Jammu and Kashmir and its farmers in hi- tech horticulture infrastructure development.

The spokesperson said the projects have been established under the international business programme of the Netherlands to showcase the advanced technology and high-quality virus- free apple and other fruit plant materials offered by the Dutch companies.

Vice-chancellor SKUAST, Nazeer Ahmed, informed the ambassador that apple trees from Netherlands, which were planted in April 2017, had produced quality crop during the current season.

The vice-chancellor said farmers from across the state are visiting the campus for demonstration of orchard plants invariably and are showing keen interest in adopting these orchard techniques, in particular apple plants from the Netherlands.

Ahmed further emphasised to work in close coordination with the Netherlands to have sustainable assistance in horticulture sector besides collaborating for transferring technology to take benefit of latest technological changes from the worlds largest exporter of food products and leader in the sector, the spokesman said.

The ambassador visited two cold storage plants, Fruit Master Agro Fresh and H N Agri-Serve, using technology imported from Netherlands at Lassipora Pulwama in south Kashmir. PTI SSB MKJ

--- ENDS ---
According to US grand strategy, as defined by Admiral Cebrowski in 2001, and published in 2004 by his assistant Thomas Barnett, all of the Greater Middle East must be destroyed except for Israel, Jordan and Lebanon.

Consequently, the imminent victory against Daesh will change nothing of the Pentagons intentions.

President Trump is against the manipulation of the jihadists. He has stopped the financial and military support that his country was giving them, and has managed to convince Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to do the same. He has modified NATO policies in the matter. However, nothing yet hints as to whether or not he will also oppose the Pentagons grand strategy. As far as the US Interior is concerned, the whole of Congress is in league against him, and he has no possibility of preventing a procedure for destitution other than negotiating with the Democratic Party.

Donald Trump has composed his administration of ex-senior civil servants from the Obama administration, a number of opportunistic politicians, many improvised representatives, and very very few trustworthy personalities.

His special representative against Daesh, Brett McGurk, is an ex-collaborator of President Obama, and is supposed to serve Trumps new policy. On 18 August, he organised a meeting with the tribal leaders to  fight Daesh . However, the photographs he published attest to the fact that, on the contrary, several of Daeshs leaders also participated in the meeting.

In the same vein, helicopters of the US Special Forces exfiltrated two European leaders of Daesh and their families from the outskirts of Deiz ez-Zor, before they could be taken prisoner by the Syrian Arab Army on 26 August. Two days later, they also exfiltrated about twenty more Daesh officers.

Everything looks as though the Pentagon were storing away its jihadist structure and conserving it for other operations elsewhere. Simultaneously, it is preparing a new episode against Syria with a new army, which, this time, will be composed around Kurdish forces.

This war, like the war against the Caliphate,was announced four years ago in the New York Times, by Robin Wright, a researcher at the US Institute of Peace (equivalent to the NED for the Pentagon). It also planned to divide the Yemen into two states, potentially shared between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi  and finally, last but not least, to dismember Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the  Rojava  project corresponds to Israeli strategy, which, since the end of the 1990s and the development of missiles, is no longer concentrated on controlling its border regions (the Sinai, the Golan and South Lebanon), but on taking its neighbours from behind (hence the creation of South Sudan and eventually, Greater Kurdistan).

The recruiting drive for European soldiers for the  Rojava  project has only just begun. A priori, it could assemble as many combatants as there were for the jihad, insofar as the members of the anarchist groups which provide manpower are as numerous in Europe as common law prisoners.

Indeed, the jihadist network began in French prisons before becoming a generalised  crusade . It is probable that the recruitment within the anarchist movement will also spread as the conflict goes on. Washington, London, Paris and Berlin, who organised this recruitment, planned in the long term. I use the word  crusade  deliberately, because these wars in the Middle Ages, like the one we have just experienced, were in fact European imperialist operations against the people of the Greater Middle East. It is just as grotesque to claim that there is a link between the message of Christ and the crusades as to claim a link between the Prophet and jihadism. In both cases, the commanders were  Westerners  [1], and these conflicts exclusively served Western imperialism. The successive crusades bled across two centuries, and the majority of Chrisitians in the Levant fought alongside their Muslim compatriots against the invaders.

Not long ago, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, Laurent Fabius, publicly declared that President Assad  did not deserve to be on Earth , and confirmed that the jihadists were doing a  good job . Many young people answered his call by joining Al-Nusra (Al-Qaida), then Daesh. Today, the French ex-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bernard Kouchner, publicly announced that France would support the creation of state which would include Iraqi Kurdistan and the corridor to the Mediterranean via Syria. A few young Europeans have already answered this call, and many others will follow.

Today, as in 2011-12, the Western Press has taken the side of this new anti-Syrian army, supported by their governments. It will never question the treachery of Abdullah Ocalan, who renounced Marxist-Leninism for anarchy. It will repeat that Kurdistan has already been recognised by the Sevres Conference, in 1920, but it will avoid looking at the documents which specify its boundaries. It will believe it to be legitimate in Iraq and Syria, although it is currently situated in Turkey. It will ignore the fact that the frontiers in fact correspond to nothing other than the plans developed by the Pentagon.

The referendum for the independence of the Iraqi region of Kurdistan and the territories annexed with the help of Daesh will launch the beginning of this operation, on 25 September. As in 2014, it will be intended to simultaneously destroy Iraq and Syria, this time without creating a  Sunnistan  from Rakka to Mossul, but a  Kurdistan , on a territory linking Erbil and Kirkuk to the Mediterranean.
Jada Pinkett Smith. Photo: Robin Marchant/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Jada Pinkett Smith has engaged with many of the worlds religions, but shes not saying which she subscribes to. Last week, Leah Remini said that Smith is a Scientologist: I know Jadas in. I know Jadas in. Shes been in Scientology a long time, Remini told the Daily Beast, adding that the Smiths partially funded the New Village Leadership Academy, a now-closed school in Calabasas, California, where many of the staff were Scientologists. On Monday night, however, without addressing Reminis accusation directly, Smith wrote a thread on Twitter running down her religious practices. Shes lit Shabbat candles, prayed in mosques, and read the Bhagavad Gita, but that doesnt mean she practices any of those religions. And while she appreciates the merits of Study Tech, she isnt a Scientologist.

I have studied Dianetics, and appreciate the merits of Study Tech but I am not a Scientologist.  Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) September 19, 2017

I practice human kindness, and I believe that we each have the right to determine what we are and what we are not.  Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) September 19, 2017

Apparently, Smiths religion isnt Scientology, its the theology of being really, really nice.
James Corden, left, kisses Sean Spicer in the green room at the Emmy Awards. Photo: Charles Sykes/Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

In one of the low points of Sunday nights Emmys ceremony, Stephen Colbert invited former White House press secretary Sean Spicer onstage to make a joke about the size of the audience. In an even lower point, all of the celebrities tried to hang out with Spicer after the show, despite their avowed liberal leanings and Spicers track record of lying on behalf of President Trump. In one photo, which received a lot of flak online, you can see James Corden kissing Spicer on the cheek. At the beginning of his show last night (a clip isnt available, but you can watch it here), Corden tried to explain himself:

The big winners last night were Donald Glover, Hulu, and former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Spicer won Best Actor in a Comedy for his role in Donald Trumps administration. Im kidding of course, but Sean Spicer actually did make a cameo at last nights ceremony, and according to some reports, at the after-party, Spicer was the most popular guy in the room. And I just want to say  I think people are forgetting that this man lied to the American people and should not be embraced. These Hollywood phonies kissing up to Sean Spicer are disgusting. I mean, who did this? Who are we talking about here?

At this point, Corden revealed the photo of himself kissing Spicer. He continued:

Now  I know you think thats a picture of me kissing Sean Spicer, but in the spirit of Sean Spicer, no it isnt. Anyone ever have that feeling when you get a little drunk and then wake up the next morning and think, Oh God, who did I kiss last night? Its a bit like that. To be fair, everyone was kissing ass last night at the Emmys. I just happened to kiss the biggest one there. Understandably, some people have been disappointed by this photo. In truth, Im disappointed by it as well. Ive been reading a lot of harsh comments on Twitter today and I hear you loud and clear. Truly, I do. So much so Im really starting to regret that Carpool Karaoke that weve taped with Steve Bannon. Feels like a mistake today.

Corden continued by saying, I can promise you that kiss was a one-time thing. Im not one of these people who has a couple of drinks and goes around kissing people that I dont know. Then he segued into a bit in which he showed photos of himself kissing everyone from Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Allison Janney to Harry Styles. Basically, what Im saying is, Corden said, I need to learn how to shake hands.

Or he could take a note from Jason Isaacs and avoid Spicer entirely, then later ream him out on Instagram.
Photo: Juan Pablo Gutierrez/NETFLIX

Over the weekend, a man named Carlos Munoz Portal was killed outside of Mexico City while scouting shooting locations for the Netflix show Narcos. The exact circumstances of his death are unknown, but his body was found in his car with multiple gunshot wounds, and Netflix says that authorities are investigating the matter. Today, The Hollywood Reporter ran an interview with the brother of Pablo Escobar, Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria, who was both Escobars head accountant as well as the chief of the hit men for the Medellin cartel. In addition to asking Gaviria about his ongoing legal battle with Netflix  as the head of Escobar Inc., he asserts that he owns the rights to the Escobar name and brand, and as such the streaming service owes him $1 billion for unauthorized use of his familys name  THR also asked the 71-year-old about what he thinks Netflix should do to increase security around the show. The entire interview is worth reading, but here are some of the extremely chilling highlights.

 On what should be done to increase safety for cast and crew: If you have the intellect, you dont need to use weapons. If not, you have to. In this case, Netflix should provide hitmen to their people as security.

 On whether or not Netflix should even film on location: I dont want Netflix or any other film production company to film any movies in Medellin or Colombia that relates to me or my brother Pablo without authorization from Escobar Inc. It is very dangerous. Especially without our blessing. This is my country.

 On the legal battle between Escobar Gaviria and Netflix: They dont know life and would never dare to survive in the jungle of Medellin or Colombia. I have done that. Their mothers should have left them in the womb. That is what we tell people like this if they come to Colombia.

All right. There has to be somewhere outside of Latin and South America that can serve as a substitute for Mexico and Colombia. Because Escobar Gaviria, who is partially blind and deaf thanks to a letter bomb he received when he was in jail, does not seem like a flexible man.
Rob Reiner. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Rob Reiner wants the truth. The actor, writer, director, and producer just added another title to his list of hyphenates by joining a new group called the Committee to Investigate Russia, which is described as a nonprofit, non-partisan resource provided to help Americans recognize and understand the gravity of Russias continuing attacks on our democracy. The advisory board for the group now includes Reiner, alongside military historians, foreign-policy analysts, and even a former director of national intelligence. No sexy Marine JAGs have been added yet.

Reiner has long been a politically active figure; he and his wife founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which fought to overturn the gay marriage ban Proposition 8 in the state of California. Although the Committee to Investigate Russia doesnt explicitly reference Trump and special counsel Robert Muellers Russia inquiry, this cant be great news for the American president. If only Trumps biggest problem was trying to find a girlfriend.
Charm at the MCC Theater. Photo: Joan Marcus & Lisa Berg

Just because you got an ugly past, that dont mean you cant have a beautiful future.

So says the inimitable Mama Darleena Andrews in Philip Dawkinss aptly named Charm, directed with brio by Will Davis at MCC Theater. Mama Darleena (or, once you get to know her, Mama Darlin, or simply Mama) is a 67-year-old black transgender woman with a fondness for colorful suit separates and the etiquette writings of Emily Post. We meet her as shes embarking upon the quest of teaching the latter to the mostly homeless youth at an LGBTQ community center in Chicagos Northside.

Its an audacious project, and its drawn straight from the real life of Miss Gloria Allen, who (her program bio tells us) began living as her true gender at the age of 19 and, almost 50 years later, started leading weekly Charm School classes at the Center on Halsted in Chicago. Though Dawkins is careful to note that the characters in Charm are fictional, he readily credits Miss Allen with the inspiration for his heroine and his play. Now, having been played in Charms 2015 Chicago premiere by a cisgender man, Mama Darlin makes her New York debut in the classy and charismatic person of Sandra Caldwell, a fine actress with a career of almost four decades who has only recently begun to speak publicly about her trans-identification (in fact, it was this very project that inspired her to share the truth of herself with the world).

Taken all together, thats a pretty amazing starting point for a play  as director Davis notes in the New York Times article above, The fact that a trans woman of color in her 60s is alive is a miracle in and of itself. Davis himself is trans-identified and placed the highest priority on casting Dawkinss characters with performers whose own gender identifications matched those of their characters. Not only is his decision a responsible, exciting, and  one hopes  influential one in a world where whitewashing (Scarlett Johansson, Emma Stone ) and ciswashing (Jared Leto, Matt Bomer ) remain rampant in casting, it also led Davis to assemble a truly outstanding company of performers.

Especially fabulous (in all senses of that word) are the youths  as the grounded, sympathetic Kelli Simpkins in the role of the community centers administrator, D, calls them. From their first explosive entrance to sound designer Palmer Hefferans high-octane soundtrack (Hot tip! You can access her Spotify playlist for the show here and, people, its lit), Daviss young cast members thrive under his brisk and confident hand. He knits them into a clearly cohesive and affectionate ensemble, while allowing each of them to shine. And shine they do. Hailie Sahar is fierce and ultimately full of pathos as the razor-tongued streetwalker Ariela. Marquise Vilson, who has only recently begun his foray into professional acting, is rock-solid and deeply moving in the role of Beta, an alpha gangbanger with a secret. Lauren E. Walker is delightful as Victoria, a heavy girl with no home, two kids, and a huge soft heart. And both Marky Irene Diven (as Lady) and Jojo Brown (as Jonelle) give smart, funny, affecting performances as the two members of Mamas flock who havent quite settled on a gender identity  on a side of trans.

This issue of sides sits at the heart of Charm and ends up being the key to its effectiveness. Its what raises Dawkinss play a step above the well-trod, feel-good territory of unexpected teacher eventually wins over class of marginalized young people and into a more urgent dialogue about identification and acceptance. Mama, who has lived all her adult life as a woman  as a lady  and who passionately believes in the gospel of good breeding, comes to the Center flush with good intentions, good qualities, and also with a highly gendered view of the world. Im gonna need all the boys on this end of the room, she commands as she attempts to teach her babies formal dancing. And all the girls come over here  Pick a side and stay there, for heavens sake. When Logan (Michael Lorz in a sweet performance of the classs one tourist, a pretty, privileged gay boy whos about to start school at Notre Dame) asks, What if youre like  in between?, Mama replies with a burst of sass that would make RuPaul proud: Fine, butch queers over there, sissy queers with me.

Its a huge laugh line, but it also reveals Mamas bias. We all age out of an ability to keep up with the rapid currents of the world  at least, as quickly as those that come after us would like us to  and Mama cant fathom the concept of in between. In the life she has lived, picking a side means both confidence in ones identity and (a higher chance of) physical safety. Now she  like many in her generation, whether cis or trans  is encountering a present where they is a legitimate chosen pronoun for an individual, and where someone like Jonelle might write Male and Heterosexual on her Center sign-in sheet, use the pronoun she, and rock sparkly bodysuits, full-face makeup, wigs, and angel wings on her hormone-free, born-male body (and hell yeah, does she rock them). This is not Mamas world, and the intelligence of Charm is that its actually structured around her awakening, as much as it is around the the transformation of the Youth. They might have some things to learn, but Mama has her share to unlearn, even as she teaches.

The plays more simplistic side emerges in the relative ease with which minds and people are changed for the better. It takes pretty much a single argument  impassioned though many of these conversations are  to open up someones heart, to alter a long held perspective, to move from conflict to understanding and forgiveness.

And you know what? Thats okay. A play like Charm is not mounting an angry assault on the world in which it lives  our world, admittedly a severely unjust and fearful one. Instead, its attempting to be the theatrical equivalent of those pictures from the 60s where a demonstrator meets the barrel of a rifle with a flower. One could argue that there are two kinds of protest narratives: the condemnation and the celebration. I recently reviewed Fucking A and In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks, which participate in the former category, turning a damning gaze on contemporary capitalist sexism, racism, hypocrisy, and greed. But Charm is a celebration, a story rooted in reality but touched with a kind of optimist fantasy: It is attempting to create the world it wants us to live in. (Mama Darlin even clues us into this ethos as she tells her babies about the power of a well-beat face: It makes you fabulous  helps you to make up your own narrative, your own fable.)

If there is a whiff of unreality to Charm, perhaps that is for the good. It doesnt need to be tortured. It can show us a happy ending, and hope to inspire a world in which more of those are possible.

Charm is at MCC Theater.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency today arrested two persons for allegedly providing logistical and material support to terrorists infiltrating from Pakistan into Kashmir for carrying out subversive activities, officials said here today.

Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazir Ahmed Peer, both residents of Wahama, Kupwara, in North Kashmir, were arrested from Jammu in connection with a case registered by the NIA in July last year, an NIA spokesperson said.

advertisement

The NIA will seek their transit remand and bring them to Delhi for further questioning, he added.

In July last year, police in Jammu and Kashmir arrested a Pakistani national, Bahadur Ali, from Handwara in North Kashmir and recovered a large quantity of incriminating material, including arms and ammunition, from him. The case was later handed over to the NIA.

Investigations revealed that the accused persons allegedly provided material and logistical support to Ali and his associates soon after their infiltration into Indian territory, the spokesperson said.

In January this year, the NIA had charge-sheeted Ali, a member of the banned Lashker-e-Taiba terror outfit who had been arrested from Yahama village of Handwara on July 24 last year.

The charge sheet highlighted gaps along the Line of Control (LoC) as Ali along with two other terrorists had been walked undetected for seven days.

The NIA said Ali alias Saifullah Mansoor along with two associates, Abu Saad and Abu Darda, all trained terrorists, infiltrated into Indian territory equipped with arms and ammunition, navigation equipment, combat material and other articles.

The trio entered India during on the intervening night of June 12-13 last year and reached their destination only around June 20. The area is expected to be dotted by security personnel as part of counter-infiltration grid.

On June 22, Alis two associates left to get some food, leaving Ali on a hill top. Both were killed in an encounter.

According to the NIA charge sheet, investigation had established that Ali, who is a school dropout and originally a resident of Jia Bagga Village of Raiwind in Lahore, Pakistan, was also provided a map depicting parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

He was provided with Grid References (GR) that had been recovered from his possession. Ali plotted these GRs on the map which was sent for examination to the Surveyor General of India at Dehradun who affirmed that the terrorist had plotted them correctly.

A pocket diary recovered from Ali, among other things, listed the names of several towns in Jammu and Kashmir. PTI SKL MIN

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Mary Reber as Alice Tremond. Photo: SHOWTIME

Do you know what happened at the conclusion of Twin Peaks: The Return? If you do, feel free to tell us. Because what we do know only adds to the mystery surrounding those final few moments: Mary Reber, the current, actual homeowner of the Palmer residence in Everett, Washington, portrayed the fictional homeowner Alice Tremond in the last scene, where she matter-of-factly informs Agent Cooper and Carrie Page that the Palmer family never resided in the home. Reber, whos lived in the house for three years and has no prior acting experience, recently hopped on the phone with Vulture to discuss her big moment on the show.

How long have you been living in the house?

We purchased this house in September of 2014. Weve been here since and love it. We really love this house. It was one of those things where we wanted to buy our first home and we thought wed get a little more bang for our buck up in Everett. They had an open house and we found it that way.

Were you aware of its Twin Peaks significance before you bought it, and if fans were known to frequently visit?

We knew about Twin Peaks. Our son had told us about Twin Peaks. I was raising my young kids in the late 80s and early 90s, and didnt happen to watch it then. But we started watching it about seven or eight years ago. We knew this was the Palmer home, but its not why we purchased the home. We just really loved the home and wanted to live in this specific area. We didnt have any clue about what to expect with fans  but we love people and love bringing people through the home that havent been able to see it. And its a real joy to us.

Should I assume theres been a massive uptick in visitors since The Returns premiere?

Oh, yes, thats kind of an understatement. [Laughs.] Theres been a lot of people coming through. Some people call and make an appointment to come in and see the house, and were happy to do so. Weve met some great people from abroad. Obviously we dont let everybody come through, but theres been a lot of visitors since the finale in particular.

Youre so much nicer than the previous owners of the Full House house! They gave it a new paint job to dissuade people from visiting.

Oh, yeah, and think of the owners of the Breaking Bad house! Theyre throwing pizzas on the roof of that place. So were hoping everybody keeps it low-key and just wants to come by and see the house. Were happy to do so, because the lady who lived here beforehand didnt let people see the house. So were getting people who watched the show when it originally aired and had been waiting to see the house. Thats really fun for us.

When you were initially contacted about using your home in The Return, were you given any indication that David Lynch wanted you to act in the scene?

That came much later, definitely.

When those conversations with David happened, what were they like?

The crew had revisited a lot of the locations, from what I understand, in late 2014 and early 2015. When they initially came here on New Years Day in 2015, they took a walk through the house. With those discussions then, we really had no idea what was going on. It was the second visit, which was a few months later, when I was standing in the kitchen and David walked up to me and said, Have you ever acted? I said no. Are you an actress at all, maam? I said not at all. Would you like to do a small part in the show? I said absolutely, that would be amazing. Its really strange because when he did ask me, I told my husband when the crew left, and he said, Boy, thats the only time Ive seen you quiet! Because it really was quite the shock. Right away from that point, David said, I would just need you to be natural and act naturally. He put me at ease and made me feel like it would be a really great experience, and it was.

Was he forthcoming in wanting you to play the homeowner?

When he initially asked me if I wanted to do that small part, he didnt tell me who it was. I had no idea what it would entail or any backstory whatsoever. So it was a surprise to me, too. Youre given your script shortly before you start filming, and thats the first time I knew that I was going to be Alice Tremond. He didnt tell me to act a certain way or do anything other than be natural. I had no idea how it fit into the story at all. I just did the part with Kyle and Sheryl and we had no idea. We didnt know we were going to be in the final scene. Absolutely none until we saw it on our television. Its amazing how David works  you just do your part and it all fits in and its a surprise to you, too. That particular scene was shot in one evening.

You did magnificently! And to share the scene with Kyle and Sheryl to boot.

It was a combination of a healthy fear and excitement. Im not one to usually get up in front of people and talk, but David is such a fantastic director. He puts you at ease and you just do it. You can feel the excitement. It was just really cool. Kyle and Sheryl were probably two of my favorite people to have done a scene with. They were very encouraging at the same time, whenever we took a break. Great job! Youre doing a great job! It was a cool, smooth experience. One of the really fun things for me, since Ive never done this before, was walking into the makeup and hair trailer and looking over to my left and seeing Coopers slicked-back hair. I was like, wow, this is really cool. I tried not to geek out or anything, I tried to act cool! I was sitting there and getting made up, and Sheryl was sitting next to me and we chatted a little bit. It was neat to be able to talk to both of them before the scene, I think that really helped.

Why do you think David felt it was important to have you, the actual homeowner, play the homeowner in the show?

I have absolutely no clue, and if you ask him that type of question, which we did, he said: Thats something you just dont need to know. And that was fine with us  we did what we needed to do. I did my part, and thats how it all turned out. Were supposed to kind of not know, in a way. What happened in the show is based on a lot of peoples interpretations.

Were your neighbors concerned with all of Sheryls screams?

Thankfully, the location people did such a great job going to each house within the scream zone and gave them a piece of paper that said there was going to be some filming late at night, and there was going to be some screaming, and to not call the police or do anything rash. The people who didnt want to be around werent around, and the people who did were circling around the house trying to see what was going on.

I still have the chills from those screams.

Oh, I know, same! [Laughs.] And we actually have the television that Sarah Palmer watched her shows on in the living room. Thats our television set. So it was cool to watch the finale on that TV. So many layers!
Photo: FreeForm/The CW

Ten years ago today, the CW premiered a soapy little drama about New York Citys most elite prep-school students and the anonymous gossip fiend who sought to expose their every move. This show was called Gossip Girl, and it ran for six glorious seasons. As we reflect on the shows enduring legacy, we should first give thanks for all of the wondrous gifts it bestowed upon us peasants, including but not limited to: Blair Waldorf, a weekly excuse to stare at Blake Livelys hair, making the name Chuck hot, getting to say xoxo in a weird voice, and the resurgence of headbands.

Gossip Girl also had a lasting impact on the television landscape, especially for the teen dramas and soaps that would follow. Today, Vulture looks back at seven shows that came after Gossip Girl, in which the influence of everyones favorite Upper East Siders cannot be denied. You know you love me  er, it. You know you love it.

Privileged (2008)

Gossip Girl was never a ratings boon for the CW, but it certainly helped define the new network, which was only in its second season when the show premiered in 2007. Gossip Girl was buzzworthy right out of the gate, so no wonder the CW doubled down on programming about sexy teens and the one percent the following year: 90210, the spinoff of that other show about hot, rich teens, found itself on the CWs programming schedule thanks to Gossip Girl, but the more interesting newbie that fall season was Privileged. The short-lived series followed wannabe writer Megan Smith (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) as she took a job tutoring two unruly billionaire teens (Lucy Hale and Ashley Newbrough) in Palm Springs, California. As if the CW wanted to see how far they could stretch their lifestyles of the rich and famous premise, Privileged was just as aspirational as Gossip Girl, but with a much lighter, more playful tone. Megan was our Dan Humphrey, an outsider learning the rules of running with the elite, but she was way less whiny about it and didnt feel the need to secretly harass the people she encountered by creating a fake, troll-y gossip-blogger persona. Much like Dan, though, Megan found herself in the middle of a love triangle, torn between two worlds: Should she choose her waiterbest friend Charlie (Michael Cassidy) or her hot, rich neighbor Will (Brian Hallisay)? Dan wound up with the rich girl of his dreams, and Megan seemed to be leaning in that direction, too. Unfortunately, this gem of a show only lasted one season, so well never know how it all plays out. #JusticeForCharlie! Available to rent on DVD from Netflix.

NYC Prep (2009)

As soon as Gossip Girl became a part of the Zeitgeist, a reality show based in the same world was not far behind. After all, the New York City prep-school scene is quite real, and the high-fashion, back-stabbing, privileged teens of Gossip Girl were based in (some) truth. A reality show following real-life Blairs and Serenas would be too good to pass up. Bravo answered the call, premiering a short-lived docuseries called NYC Prep in the summer of 2009. The show had its very own uptight, highly intelligent, headband-clad gal named Camille, who was obsessed with getting into Harvard. Then there was P.C., a Chuck Bassesque senior who clamored on about how in New York, money equals power. There was even  gasp!  a girl from public school who hung out with the crew, but never felt like she fit in with her rich friends. The kids attended parties, threw charity events, and even complained about a (probably fake) Facebook group dedicated to gossiping about the prep-school elite. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, the fantasy version of the drama surrounding rich teens living in New York City is much more fun than the reality of it. Stripped of the glossy glamour that defined Gossip Girl, NYC Prep was a miss, and lasted only eight episodes. It turns out that if its not Chuck Bass saying things like, My biggest problem this week was that my tux was too tight, then no one really wants to hear it. Available to rent on Amazon.

Pretty Little Liars (20102017)

Freeforms flagship drama about a group of high-school girls getting harassed via text by a mysterious A was basically Gossip Girl on steroids. Sure, none of the gals in Pretty Little Liars were super rich (though none of them were that bad off, either), and the show was much more focused on the mystery surrounding their tormentor, but theres no doubt that PLL benefited from Gossip Girls success with using technology as an integral part of its storytelling. Also, money or no money, the Liars were known for their fashion as much as they were for not calling the cops. Thanks to Gossip Girl, the creative team behind PLL must have recognized the importance of wardrobe in a teen drama, especially once people began tuning in to see what crazy-fabulous outfits their favorite characters were sporting. Has there ever been a pair of shows that made you want to paint your nails more? Available to stream on Netflix.

Revenge (20112015)

If Gossip Girl was all about aspiring to be like the one percent, Revenge represented the antithesis. While Gossip Girl himself, Dan Humphrey, wanted to simply disrupt the upper class, Revenge took retribution to a whole other level. ABCs thriller soap saw Emily Thorne, a.k.a. Amanda Clarke (Emily VanCamp) secretly return to the Hamptons to take down all the rich bitches who framed her father, putting him in prison and ruining her life. A hot blonde arriving in town as a shows catalyst? That sounds familiar! What Blair Waldorf did for the headband business, Emily did for red Sharpies. Revenge takes all the clothes, parties, and drama that Gossip Girl reveled in and turned them on their head, by turning them against the rich and powerful. Available to rent on Amazon, YouTube, and iTunes.

Riverdale (2016)

Most of the teens on the CWs newest buzzy show are not rich  but if they are, theyre either faking it or spending their money on a closet full of ginger wigs and hoarding drugs in their maple-syrup warehouse. In Riverdale, being rich isnt the glamorous lifestyle that it was at Constance Billard prep, but this dark, sexy version of the Archie comics does share some similarities with Gossip Girl, other than, you know, being dark and sexy. The narrators in each show arent that different from one another: Both Dan Humphrey and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) are wannabe writers chronicling the goings-on of a world they feel very much outside of. Honestly, Juggy could end his chapters xoxo and no one would really know the difference  the dude is that dramatic. (Can you imagine how disgusted Blair would be by Jughead? And how much he would hate her? The thought of it warms the heart.) Although Gossip Girl probably has the original Archie comics to thank for its blonde versus brunette pairing, the updated version of Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) owe a lot to Serena and Blair. Gossip Girl and Riverdale both know that a little healthy competition between their female leads is great drama, but ultimately their stories are stronger when they have each others backs. Available to stream on Netflix.

13 Reasons Why (2017)

At first glance, it doesnt seem like Gossip Girl could have much influence on a Netflix drama about a high-school student who commits suicide and leaves behind tapes for the people who led her to that decision, but there are both structural and thematic similarities. Structurally, both shows employ a narrator who uses a form of technology to expose the wrongdoings and secrets of their peers as the framework for each episode. Gossip Girl may be snarky and Hannah (Katherine Langford) is definitely a victim on 13 Reasons Why, but both have an intent to do harm. Thematically, both explore how teenagers can hurt one another in big and small ways. It wasnt the first teen drama to do so, but Gossip Girl wasnt afraid to put this message front and center. A decade later, 13 Reasons Why is doing the same. Available to stream on Netflix.

Dynasty (2017)

The CWs reboot of a classic 80s prime-time soap about the wealthy family behind an oil empire wont premiere until October 11, but already its ties to Gossip Girl are obvious. Thats partly thanks to the fact that this iteration of Dynasty will be executive-produced by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the same dream team that blessed us with Gossip Girl ten years ago. Much like Gossip Girl (and the original Dynasty), the show focuses on the scheming, the fashion, the parties, and the hookups of the richest people in town. It shares another similarity: Though not often talked about, the parents play an integral role in Gossip Girl. As we saw over six seasons, each major character was driven to live up to or rebel against their familys legacy. Dynastys main protagonist, Fallon Carrington (Elizabeth Gillies), is fueled by this same fire. Sure, Dynasty skews a bit older than Gossip Girl, but heres hoping it has the same amount of backstabbing that all great soaps need.
Top Image: Andrew Eccles/New York Magazine

Gossip Girl was never about wondering who Gossip Girl was. When the show revealed the identity of its cruel, dishy narrator  a sort of Black Mirror Carrie Bradshaw but with singsongy epithets instead of facepalm-y puns  it was very much beside the point.

Gossip Girl was about talking about Gossip Girl. It was the perfect vehicle for discussion: Every member of the nubile young cast showed tremendous promise  as viewers, we just knew wed caught them in the gangly glow of their Hollywood pubescence, and that like the casts of Friends or Jersey Shore before them, they were all going to go on to things bigger and more bananas. Did we know Blake Lively would end up marrying Scarlett Johanssons ex-husband and creating one of Hollywoods most enviable, perfect-skinned families? Maybe not. But we definitely could have guessed Chace Crawford would star in a failed ABC soap opera about oil. And, for that matter, that Leighton Meester would marry a character actor from The OC.

The plot of the show was also just dramatic enough to spark debate, while being absurd enough to incite joyous laughter. It was worth discussing for a day or two, and then who cared  something else insane would happen the next week. The actors were magnetic to the point where you rooted even for the bad guys, but the story lines were pure romance-novel pulp. Intentionally or no, it was a show made for internet commentary. And thats where we came in.

Jessica and Chris had begun writing the Daily Intelligencer blog at nymag.com not long before the show began. We were an odd pair: Chris was a sandy-haired, boat-shoe-wearing graduate of Yale. He came to New York from the New York Daily News, where hed been a reporter for their gossip column. Jessica was a random yahoo out of Philadelphia who, for her tryout for the job at New York, Photoshopped different hairstyles onto thenNew York attorney general Eliot Spitzer. Our jobs, improbably, were to filter the stories of the day through New Yorks unique sensibility, all day long, every day of the week. While we had never met, we immediately sensed a kinship in the form of a deadly aversion to boringness; we agreed to divide and conquer the most hideous bits of our portfolio: Chris took on Albany, because he knew where it was. Jessica agreed to cover Wall Street, because no one really seemed to understand what was going on there, and therefore, she figured, no one at work would really know if she was screwing up. We wrote crazy stuff and no one seemed to mind. In the fall of 2007, things were pretty sleepy  Spitzer was still months away from getting caught with a hooker, and few on Wall Street realized the beautiful music they were dancing to was the same tune they were playing on the Titanic.

Around that time, a screener for Gossip Girl, a New Yorkbased show about Upper East Side teenagers, arrived on Chriss desk. (Chris got things like that; Jessica, meanwhile, got giant packages of bunion pads from Dr. Scholls which she still has just in case.) He came up with a totally plausible reason why Daily Intel should cover it and not the (at that point also two-person, can you imagine) team at Vulture. I think we should write up what the show got right and wrong about New York, he said in a meeting, in his calm and capable way, a pen and paper poised neatly on his lap, as though this was something that was needed.

And it was needed. The show, which premiered ten years ago today, was filmed in New York City, and not mostly indoors, the way 30 Rock was. The ambitious filmmakers shot in locations like the front steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (have you been to the front steps of the Met? It is never not covered with a murder of tourists) and Columbia University and Indochine: all places our readers could relate with. Despite its fantasy plotlines, there were real logistics going on. Not only could you debate whether one of the characters would actually do that to another, with a candlestick, in the billiards room  you could also question whether they could really get there in under 20 minutes in a limo with crosstown traffic.

So we waded in. For the first Reality Index, as it came to be called, Chris drew on his experience as a nightlife reporter who recognized the interiors of places like Level V, the Campbell Apartment, and Bungalow 8, while Jessica did shoe-leather reporting, calling the Palace Hotel to ask if they ever served teenagers martinis. (Duh! No! There are laws in New York! Also, we were pretty sure teenagers drank, like, Midori sours.) She also piped up to say the shows travel time to Brooklyn was unrealistic, which she knew about because, get this, in 2007, she was the only blogger in the office who didnt live in Manhattan.

The headline of the first reality index was: Gossip Girl: The Most Important Show of Our Time. Why? We dont remember exactly, but mostly we called it important because we wanted to talk about it. And we were not the only ones: The internet wanted to talk about it. The commenting community that grew up around our recaps became its own entity: Every week, after the recap, we would post a recap-of-the-recap, in which the best reader comments were highlighted and dutifully tallied. And the writers of Gossip Girl read much of it  it was one of the first shows to recognize that its audience was in an active, weekly dialogue with its creators. The commenters gently shaped the show, and the show surprised its audience with how much it was willing to thrill and defy them. Creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage aggressively worked to keep it visually stunning and rhetorically inventive, and it dazzled for six straight years.

In retrospect, Gossip Girl was undoubtedly important, as we hyperbolically claimed after watching the pilot screener. Not just in the way that any show set in New York, about New York, becomes kind of a time capsule for the era in which it is filmed  in its case, the manic Second Gilded Age, in which the city under Bloomberg fully realized the identity it aspired to during the Sex and the City years, as a playground for the rich. A year after we started the recaps, the stock market crashed, the world met Ashley Dupre, Obama was elected, Bernie Madoffs scheme was uncovered, and suffice it to say we were never bored again. But the Gossip Girl recap remained one of the most popular things on the site.

As the show expanded its insular world, keeping up with the times by including Ponzi schemers and prostitutes and cult members, our world expanded and changed, too. The recaps moved off of Daily Intel to live on Vulture. Occasionally, people would ask to watch the show with us; we always demurred, because watching with us was utter torture  the constant rewinding and What did he say? and What street was that? caused even Chriss Live-in Boyfriend to evacuate the apartment on Gossip Girl nights.

That boyfriend eventually became Chriss Husband, and Jessicas Husband, a beloved character in the recaps who grudgingly enjoyed The Show, stopped being Jessicas husband. (The two continued texting about it.) Chris got a new job at Vanity Fucking Fair in the spring of 2011 and freaking left Jessica to do the recaps on her own, which nearly killed her. I didnt, you know, think it would last this long, she said to Penn Badgley in a phone interview at one point in maybe 2012. I know, he said morosely. Me neither.

Sigh. There is a little bit of a lie that pop culture teaches you about New York City, and that is that if you come and live here, you might be a regular somewhere. On Seinfeld, it was the coffee shop. On Friends, Central Perk. How I Met Your Mother had the bar, and so on and so on, and wasnt Lisa Kudrow also a waitress in Mad About You? Whatever. The truth of the matter, for those of us who live here, is that you are lucky if your dry cleaner remembers your phone number. A metropolis of 8 million people will never be a clubhouse.

But for six years, Gossip Girl was our regular. For the people who watched the show and lived in the city (and even those who didnt live here), it was a constant. If you knew it, you knew it. We would repeat classic lines to one another  tights are not pants  and nonsense phrases that your recappers or commenters invented, like the cleavage rhombus or Chair (for Chuck-and-Blair), became code words between people who all had something in common. It was a gift from a tight scrum of creative writers, magpie costume designers, and promising actors who hung on for a well-arced six seasons.

You dont get a gift like that too often. So consider this our thank-you note, Gossip Girl. We were lucky to have you.

XOXO,

Jessica and Chris

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6
At least 200 students ofNational University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL)locked the university gate and sat on a dharna to protest the lackadaisical attitude and misappropriation of funds by the administrative authorities of the academic institution.

By Sanjana Agnihotri: Students of National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi have been protesting against the lethargic attitude and misappropriation of funds by the administrative authorities of the academic institution.

On September 12, at least 200 students of NUSRL locked down the university gate and sat on a dharna. The students claim that despite being the most expensive NLU in the country "academic and non-academic facilities fall despicably short of appropriate standards".

advertisement

This is not the first time the students are protesting against the administration. It all started in April, 2017.

DISSATISFACTION WITH ADMINISTRATION

During the initial protests in April, 2017 the students of NUSRL had issues with the infrastructure, internet facilities, lack of permanent professors, if the funds were being used for actual welfare or not.

A Facebook page called Voice_of_NUSRL was created on April 10 to organise and post updates about the protest and demands of the students.

In a post on April 10, the students conveyed their demands. "Broadly, our demands can be summarized as below:

All stakeholders, including the students, the State Government, the High Court and the University administration with the consensus of all strive to fulfill the following demands:-

1. Complete Administrative overhaul, including the resignation or removal of Vice-Chancellor and Registrar from their posts owing to gross negligence, mismanagement and allegation of corruption. An experienced and competent administrator be appointed on a temporary basis till an able Vice-Chancellor and Registrar is appointed with the consensus of all stakeholders.

2. Being an Autonomous University, created by the Act of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, the financial records of the University be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India or any other unbiased external authority.

3. The annual Audit reports of the Accounts of the University, which is to be prepared by it under Sections 24 (ii) and (iii) of NUSRL Act, 2010, should be immediately published.

4. Release of funds by the State Government for the payment of dues to the Central Public Works Department and the completion of the proposed master plan of the University under Entry 23(1) (a) in Schedule of NUSRL Act, 2010.

5. A Review Commission be appointed by the Chancellor of the University as under Section 23(1) of the NUSRL Act, 2010."

Photo: Facebook@saveNUSRL

FACULTY

Established in 2010, with three different courses running, the teaching staff comprised of only 18 assistant professors along with with eight teaching assistants who work on contractual basis, reported the Pioneer.

While the final year undergraduate students are worried about their placements, the PhD students are unable to work on their research without guidance of professors.

INFRASTRUCTURE

For every semester students pay a fee of Rs 5,000 to avail computer and internet facilities, a student who wishes to remain anonymous, told IndiaToday.in.

advertisement

However, students claim that out of 10 days internet facilities are absent for at least seven days.

"In five years, each student pays Rs 50,000 under this head. Currently, there are 650 students, which means the university is getting Rs 65 lakh per annum, but we don't get anything out of it," a student told Telegraph.

For their 650 students, NUSRL's computer lab too has only 20 machines and out of these, only five are functional, the students claim.

"The internet facilities provided are reminiscent of stone age, the mess food, apart from lacking taste and nutrition is cooked in the most unhealthy and unhygienic method possible. The sewage drains are uncovered, the campus is infested with approximately 50 stray dogs. Mosquitoes, Snakes and rodents roam the campus freely. The administrative block stands deserted till as late as 12 noon, with the office bearers including the vice-chancellor turning up stylishly late..Teaching staff, apart from being incompetent to do justice to their allotted subjects have taken up Ph.D courses in the university, often citing the same workload to skip classes. Some teaching faculty also hold administrative posts (Dean Student Welfare, Registrar, Dean Academics and Controller of Examination), cite administrative workload for not doing justice to the subject and cite academic workload when asked about administrative shortcomings. The University uses every means possible to collect fines from students, almost giving the future lawyers of the country an illusion that your pocket can bail you out of any misdemeanour", a post on Voice_of_NUSRL read.

Photo: Facebook@saveNUSRL

advertisement

A campus that sprawls over 67-acres lacks a general store and students often have to travel long distances to get even the basic goods.

ASSURANCE FROM AUTHORITIES IN APRIL

In the wake of the protest police force was deployed outside the University on April 13. On the same day, the newly appointed Vice Chancellor in charge came along with SSP Ranchi, Deputy Commissioner Ranchi division, ADM (Law and Order), SDM (law and order), Kanke MLA Jitu Charan Ram and addressed the students.

Photo: Facebook@saveNUSRL

VC Gautam Chaudhary urged the students to withdraw the protest and guaranteed that the "previous vice-chancellor has been asked to take a long leave, "the clocks will not turn back" and the students will not have to face the same plight again".

advertisement

He assured the students that the audit reports will be published on the university website within 15 days and a finance commission would be set up.

Based on these assurances and on the condition that visible actions will be taken, the students withheld the protest. The new VC had asked the students to give him three months.

"The protest has been withheld only on the condition that visible actions will be taken in accordance with the minutes in the stipulated time period and reserve their fundamental right to go on the protest again in case concrete actions are not taken", read another update on the Facebook page.

Later on, the VC in charge provided the documents which showed that he had approached the CJI.

NO CHANGE IN THE SITUATION

After witnessing no substantial developments for five months, the students confronted the VC in charge on September 12 but the administration had a casual attitude.

"Starting from September 12, the University gates were locked from inside and there were no attempts made by the administration to contact us. The VC in charge blamed some students for inciting others. But many students came forward and said that the demands are genuine and they are here for individual causes", a student who wishes to remain unnamed told IndiaToday.in.

Photo: Facebook@saveNUSRL

On September 14, around 7 pm some 350 policemen with water canon trucks, tear gas and rubber gas were deployed outside the campus. They told the students that they have five minutes to open the gate or they will use force.The policemen entered the campus forcefully and asked the students to disperse.

"Around 3-5 students were detained despite no sloganeering or resistance", a final year BA LLB student told IndiaToday.in on the condition of anonymity.

The police, however, let the detained students go. The policemen left leaving only 7-8 officers outside the main gate.

The students claim that they have not locked the gate since then and not disrupted any other activity.

Photo: Facebook@saveNUSRL

The teachers continue to take attendance even when no students attend the classes. The review commission which was promised still has not been constituted.

The students have launched change.org petition which has gathered some 12,000 supporters by now.

While the students continue to protest against not having a permanent VC, students accused the current in charge of being apathetic to their needs.

Photo: Facebook@saveNUSRL

--- ENDS ---
The state will argue that six years in jail is too lenient a sentence for the murder by Oscar Pistorius of Reeva Steenkamp, his girlfriend, in 2013.

By Reuters: South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) will hear the state's appeal against the six-year murder sentence handed to Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius on Nov. 3, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Tuesday.

The state will argue that six years in jail is too lenient a sentence for the murder by Pistorius of Reeva Steenkamp, his girlfriend, in 2013.

advertisement

"The state, in the papers, we stipulate clearly that the sentence imposed is shockingly low," said NPA spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku.

"The presiding officer has the discretion to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence when compelling and substantial circumstances exist. But...with this matter, the presiding officer exercised that discretion in a very lenient manner."

Women's rights groups in a country beset by high levels of violent crime against women say Pistorius has received preferential treatment compared to non-whites and those without his wealth or international celebrity status.

The SCA told state prosecutors and the defence in November that they would need to argue their cases in court before it would rule on the matter.

State prosecutors, led by advocate Gerrie Nel, say the sentence was too lenient as the jail term was less than half the 15 years they had sought. In his arguments at the trial, Nel said Pistorius had shown no remorse for the 2013 shooting.

Lawyers for the gold medallist, known as the "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, say he did not deliberately kill model and law graduate Steenkamp.

The athlete was originally convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in jail. That conviction was increased to murder by the SCA in December 2015 and his sentence increased to six years by trial Judge Thokozile Masipa.

She dismissed in August 2016 a request by Nel to appeal Pistorius' sentence, saying she was not persuaded that there was a reasonable prospect of success at another court.

Nel then launched his case at the SCA, in Bloemfontein, 400 km (250 miles) southwest of Johannesburg.

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood was among four envoys who presented their credentials to President Ram Nath Kovind here today.

At a function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan, the four envoys from Tanzania, Ghana, Burundi and Pakistan presented their credentials to the President, an official spokesman said in a statement here.

Besides Mahmood, others who presented their credentials were High Commissioner of Tanzania Baraka Haran Luvanda and High Commissioner of Ghana Michael Aaron Nii Nortey Oquaye.

advertisement

Ambassador of Burundi Stella Bdiriganya also presented her credentials to the President, the spokesman said. PTI SKL ASK ASK

--- ENDS ---
The Delhi Police have arrested a man suspected to have links with Pakistan spy agency ISI, for blackmailing an Indian Army officer for sensitive defence-related information.

By Himanshu Mishra, Tanseem Haider: Delhi Police is on a lookout for three Pakistan spies in the national capital in relation to a blackmail case involving an Army Colonel.

A man was arrested earlier this week for threatening to share morphed nude pictures of a lady Colonel on social media. The accused has been identified as Mohammed Pervez and is suspected to have links with Pakistan spy agency ISI.

advertisement

The Dwarka-based lady officer filed a complained following harassment by the accused, who blackmailed her for sensitive defence-strategy information.

In her complaint, the officer mentioned that she was getting calls and obscene morphed pictures from unknown numbers and messages on Facebook by a profile user called Ikta Sharma.

When she refused to divulge any information, the Facebook profile user sent morphed nude pictures of the officer to her daughter.

Pervez has been booked under IT Act, 123 IPC among other sections.

DELHI POLICE FOILS ISI PLOY

India Today has accessed the remand papers of Mohammed Parvez, that reveal that he is indeed an ISI operative who has been supplying Indian SIM cards to three other Pakistan nationals.

One of the persons he provided a SIM card to has been identified as Naushad, who works as a visa counsellor with the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.

It also exposes the modus operandi of the accused. Parvez and his aides targeted a lady officer with the aim of extracting information on Indian Army, and thus decided to scare her by using morphed images.

He admitted that the information they were hoping to procure from the lady officer, would have been used by Pakistan spy agency ISI to destabilise the Government of India.

A notable detail in this case is that a similar plan was used by another officer working at the Pakistan High Commission, whose ploy was busted successfully last October.

The officer, Mehmood Akhter was then detained and later asked to leave India. He too was working in the visa section of the commission.

Also watch: Pakistan army provoking India at China's behest?

--- ENDS ---
He's likely to use his interactions with American officials to halt a rapid deterioration in US-Pakistan relations, reports said. While scheduling President Donald Trump's engagements with world leaders, the US kept Pakistan out of even casual meetings with Trump.

By Hamza Ameer: Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will highlight the Kashmir and Rohingya issues in his address to the 72nd United Nations General Assembly. He's likely to use his interactions with American officials to halt a rapid deterioration in US-Pakistan relations, reports said.

The Pakistan Prime Minister, who reached New York on Monday afternoon, is scheduled to meet a dozen world leaders during his four-day stay. But all eyes are on on his Sept 21 meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence.

advertisement

The Trump administration sent a no-so-subtle message while scheduling President Donald Trump's engagements with world leaders: Pakistan was kept out of even casual meetings with Trump.

The US President's first casual meeting on Monday was with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when he walked up to her after addressing a UN Management, Security and Development event, and greeted her warmly.

Abbasi is likely to use his Sept 21 meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence to halt deterioration in ties.

Briefing the Pakistani media on the prime minister's engagements in New York, three senior Pakistani officials - Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi and Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry - tried to downplay the impact of US-Pakistan relations on his engagements at the UNGA.

VIDEO: Abbasi's predecessor was Nawaz Sharif, who suffered a major blow yesterday when Pakistan's Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking a review of the decision that disqualified him. Watch the report here.

--- ENDS ---
A panchayat in a village in Madhya Pradesh has started imposing a fine of Rs 7,500 per person on those who do not have toilets in their houses.

By Hemender Sharma: A village panchayat in Madhya Pradesh is taking its sanitation seriously.

The panchayat of Rambha Kheti village in Betul district tried to convince the people to construct toilets but when the efforts were flushed down the drain, the panchayat started imposing a fine of Rs 7,500 per person on those who still do not have toilets in their houses.

Photo Courtesy: Hemender Sharma

advertisement

According to the panchayat president Ram Rati Bai, as many as 57 families have been served notices regarding the fine. Apart from that, legal action has also been threatened against those who fail to pay the fine.

Of the 57 families who were served notice, Kunwar Lal who has 10 members in his family has been fined Rs 75,000.

Photo Courtesy: Hemender Sharma

"The government has already transferred money to the accounts of every one in the village for construction of toilets.

"We had issued a warning last month after we failed to convince these people but they did not heed so we were left with no other option but to impose the fine," Ram Rati Bai said.

Photo Courtesy: Hemender Sharma

Some of the 57 families have sought relief from the panchayat claiming they have already started construction while there are some who say they have already spent the money they got from the government and now they do not have funds to construct the toilets.

--- ENDS ---
Seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur was murdered just days ago at Gurgaon's Ryan International School. After furious protests by parents and locals, and relentless media scrutiny, Chief Minister Khattar asked the CBI to probe the incident last week.

By India Today Web Desk: Haryana Home Secretary SS Prasad has written to the Central Bureau of Investigation, after the agency said it still hadn't received a notification from the ML Khattar government for further investigation in the case of seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur's murder, ANI reported.

Pradyuman Thakur was murdered just days ago at Gurgaon's Ryan International School. After furious protests by parents and locals, and relentless media scrutiny, Chief Minister Khattar asked the CBI to probe the incident last week. Pradyuman's parents had called for a CBI probe.

advertisement

His father, Barun Thakur, told ANI that he was "shocked."

Shocked. Don't know why delay in handing over case to CBI even after CM announced.It's been 12 days since my son was murdered:Varun Thakur pic.twitter.com/PF1Zm8uaCI- ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2017

He had written to the Gurgaon Police to ask that Ryan International School remain closed until the CBI completes an initial probe. He also wrote to the Prime Minister's Office to complain that evidence had been destroyed.

The school reopened yesterday after a 10-day shutdown , but it will now be closed for another week, the Times of India reported.

This time will "be used to upgrade safety in the school and address parents' concerns," the TOI report said quoting a senior Gurgaon administration official.

Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court declined to hear the anticipatory bail application of Ryan Pinto, Grace Pinto and Francis Pinto - the family that runs the Ryan International Group. That happened because the judge said he knew them personally.

Another hearing will take place tomorrow.

"Am I to understand that the state and union government are giving a cakewalk to the Pintos so they can obtain anticipatory bail? Is...(this) a conspiracy? Pradyuman's father is fighting a lone battle," the Thakurs' lawyer asked.

--- ENDS ---
"I was ashamed to see Rahul Gandhi, sitting in America, calling the dynasty culture an Indian phenomenon," Jaitley said at an event in New Delhi.

By India Today Web Desk: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said he was ashamed of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi defending the dynasty culture in a lecture in the United States last week.

"I was ashamed to see Rahul Gandhi, sitting in America, calling the dynasty culture an Indian phenomenon," Jaitley said at an event in New Delhi.

"Some parties may think that being centered around dynasty is an asset, but in the long run it, becomes a burden," he said.

advertisement

Speaking at an event at the University of California, Berkeley, on September 11, Rahul Gandhi had said that most Indian political parties were dynastic and that Indian politics functioned like that In remarks that did not exactly sound like defending the dynasty culture, Rahul had said, "It is a problem in all political parties in India. That's how the entire country is running. So don't just go after me....That's what happens in India."

Rahul had said that former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, son of Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, M.K. Stalin, son of M. Karunanidhi of DMK, BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal's son Anurag Thakur, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan's son Abhishek Bachchan, Dhirubhai Ambani's sons Mukesh and Anil were all examples of dynastic legacy in India.

Rahul had also declared he is "absolutely ready" to be the party's prime ministerial candidate in the next general elections. However, he made it clear that the decision has to be finally approved by the party.

"I am absolutely ready to do that," Rahul, who is widely tipped to succeed his mother Sonia as the Congress president, had said - it being the first time the Gandhi scion has publicly affirmed his readiness to be the Congress choice for the top post.

--- ENDS ---
City Manager Dale Fisseler announced Tuesday he will retire in six months, but hes not going far.

Fisseler will end four years as the citys top executive in March, but he expects he will continue to be involved in community service activities in his native Waco when hes not playing with his grandchildren or fishing from his houseboat at Lake Waco.

Fisseler made the announcement at a Waco City Council meeting Tuesday, choking up a little as he thanked the council and his staff.

I will do everything I can to make this a smooth transition, he told the council. I think we have a great executive team. Ive always believed in term limits when it involves me. Im looking forward to retiring again.

Fisseler told the council about his decision in a letter Sept. 5.

This is my first chance to say, Are you sure?  Mayor Kyle Deaver said Tuesday.

I know my wife is, Fisseler answered.

We have tried to talk Dale out of retirement, but we acknowledge that youve earned it, Deaver said. Weve been blessed to have Dale the last four years. Hes had the hometown interest and experience at larger cities. Hes done a great job for us.

Deaver said the council will be working on a transition plan in the coming months.

Fisseler started as deputy city manager in his native Waco in 2011, shortly after retiring as city manager in Fort Worth. In 2014, he replaced retiring Waco City Manager Larry Groth.

Fisseler, 58, grew up in Waco and graduated from Richfield High School in 1977, then got an engineering degree from Texas A&M University, following in the footsteps of his father, former state highway engineer Les Fisseler.

Fisseler spent three decades rising to the top ranks of municipal government in Dallas and Fort Worth but said the Waco position is the best city manager job in the country.

In Waco he has overseen the city as it started a major replacement of utility lines and saw a new era of downtown development. Deputy City Manager Wiley Stem III, who has overseen the infrastructure campaign, credited Fisseler with the vision for it.

Waco has been very fortunate to have him, Stem said. Ive worked for David Smith, Larry Groth and Dale Fisseler. If thats not a dream team, I dont know what is. Hes been a great leader. Hes guided us with really great ideas.

Fisseler said he is proud of an improved city bond rating and a strong team of assistant city managers and department heads.

I feel really good about where the city is heading, he said, adding that its not easy to step down, but the time is right.

I always had a goal to retire before I was 60, he said. This allows me to do that two times and still have 18 months left over.
Prosecutors and an attorney for Bandidos Dallas chapter president Jacob Carrizal continued to discuss evidence in the case Tuesday as the trial of the first Twin Peaks shootout defendant draws closer.

Carrizal, 36, is set to be the first of 154 indicted bikers to stand trial in the May 17, 2015, shootout at Twin Peaks in Waco between rival biker groups that left nine dead and dozens injured.

Judge Matt Johnson of Wacos 54th State District Court, who took over Carrizals case after 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother was recused last month, waded through a number of pretrial discovery issues Tuesday morning, including more requests for information subpoenaed by Carrizals attorney, Casie Gotro, of Houston.

Johnson has ordered 600 potential jurors to report Sept. 29 to be impaneled and to fill out questionnaires for Carrizals case. Jury selection is set to begin Oct. 9.

A previous jury panel intended for Carrizals case that also started with 600 notices was excused Sept. 1 after multiple delays caused the group to report and be sent home four times since Aug. 4.

Gotro issued subpoenas to the Department of Public Safety, Waco Police Department and the McLennan County Sheriffs Office to provide her with a variety of evidence in the Twin Peaks cases, including photos, videos, phone records, radio communications and property seized, including 17 bulletproof vests reportedly worn by bikers that day.

Gotro told the judge that she also has an issue with cellphones confiscated on the day of the deadly shootout.

She said she knows 346 phones were confiscated, with the contents of 211 phones turned over to the defense. She said 42 others have been disposed of or returned to their owners, but she has been unable to account for 100 phones taken up that day in evidence provided to her by the state.

She said she knows bikers were taking photographs after the shootout as they were waiting to be processed.

However, the data from many phones provided to her has been redacted or contained no photos.

Its just implausible, Judge, that there are that many phones with no data and no photos on them, Gotro said.

Prosecutor Michael Jarrett said the state has expert witnesses who will testify that the phones have been analyzed but the data has not been compromised. District Attorney Abel Reyna said the state will make sure Gotro gets the available information she needs.

Kelsey Warren, an assistant attorney general representing the DPS, asked Johnson to quash subpoenas for DPS records, saying Gotro did not follow proper legal procedures to get the information she is seeking.

Johnson denied the request, but said he will review certain information that the DPS deems confidential or privileged, such as a database that lists Texas gang members, before determining if the defense is entitled to it.

Jarrett argued that she should not be given access to the DPS gang database because it is a confidential law enforcement tool and will not be used at trial to determine whether Carrizal or other bikers are member of a criminal street gang.

There is motorcycle profiling going on in Texas, Gotro said. Guns are being taken away from innocent people just for wearing colors on their backs.

Carrizal faces one count of directing activities of a criminal street gang, a count of engaging in organized criminal activity with an underlying offense of murder and a count of engaging in organized criminal activity with an underlying offense of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Bells Hill Elementary School student Tommy Deleon wants to be the example other students can look up to, and he knows that starts with how he treats others, he said.

Deleon is one of 125 students going through Waco ISDs Gang Resistance Education and Training program, a six-week course given to all the districts fifth-grade students before they step into middle school classes the next year.

He is three weeks in and he watches every move his teacher, Waco ISD Police Department Prevention Officer Sandy Wachsmann, makes, he said. Deleon said he recently stopped a friend in gym class from being bullied, and Wachsmanns program taught him the importance of showing respect for others.

She teaches us stuff well need later on in life, like standing up for each other. Were role models to the younger kids, Deleon said. When my brother went to junior high, they had like a lot of bullying there. If they are bullying people we know, and it doesnt have to be people we know, just stick up for them. If theyre not stopping, tell the teachers or an adult.

Meant to reduce gang activity and violence, GREAT started in 1991 as a gang prevention pilot program in Arizona, according to the programs website. Wachsmann has been with Waco ISD for 14 years. After going through the necessary training, she brought the GREAT program to the district five years ago and is the only officer who teaches it.

The local program started as a summer class for a small group of eighth-graders in 2012 and has grown to a six-week program that all of Waco ISDs fifth-graders cycle through during the school year, she said.

Its a good turning point in their lives, Wachsmann said. Theyre about to go to sixth grade next year and make their own decisions.  Toward the end of the year, theyre going to start picking classes, which is minor, but a big deal for a fifth-grader going into sixth grade. From there, their choices are going to get harder.

While the type of gangs in Waco ISD are not necessarily the same kind of criminal street gangs the program was originally intended to educate students about, Wachsmann said GREAT is effective in teaching children the importance of inclusiveness, avoiding cliques and being proactive against bullying.

Were not seeing a lot in our campuses. However, things will come up and then die off for a little while and then come back up, Wachsmann said. Typically, its not really bad, especially at the elementary level. At the middle schools, they start trying to test the waters and see family members or an older brother or sister doing things, and they sometimes want to try.

Building relationships

As Wachsmann rotates through the schools each year, her favorite part is building relationships with students, she said. As fifth-graders move up to other schools, she often encounters students who remember her lessons, she said.

The lessons often involve a skit or activity about making right decisions, when to tell an adult about an ongoing issue or understanding how others communicate, she said.

The telephone game, for example, isnt just an ice-breaker Wachsmann uses to get students involved in class. It is also a ways to show students about to head into middle school just how quickly miscommunication happens and how easily rumors can spread, she told students Monday.

She stood in the middle of a classroom at Bells Hill Elementary and asked students to form two lines of nine.

She pulled two students aside, whispered in their ears and instructed them to repeat the phrase only once to the peer next to them. The same rule applied to each student as the phrase traveled down the lines to the last person.

By the time the fifth-graders finished, the phrase, Theres a party at school on Wednesday, so call me on Monday to let me know. You can bring cookies, had been reduced to a few words: Theres a party, middle and cookies.

Fifth-grader Fatima Sierra said the program has taught her the importance of helping others and showing respect.

Its good to respect others because if you do it to them, theyll do it to other people and it will make (more of) our community fit in and help others be respectful and show manners, Sierra said.

Stories like Deleon stepping in to prevent a classmate from being bullied perfectly sum up the role Wachsmann plays in teaching students life lessons they might not learn elsewhere, Bells Hill Principal Rebekah Mechell said.

My favorite part about having the program on our campus is the program in general, and then having an officer on our campus and seeing the officer as somebody they can talk to and approach or have conversations about these types of things theyre dealing with, Mechell said. Were teaching them from an early age you need to be friends with everybody.
A Bellmead City Council member on Monday attributed racist social media posts to computer hackers, although a review of his Facebook page revealed at least six such posts over a span of 13 months.

When asked Monday about a post that it appears he shared on Friday, current Bellmead City Council member and immediate past Mayor Gary D. Moore said, I dont remember posting that.

When asked again, Moore repeated that he doesnt remember sharing a post of the offensive material, and when asked a third time, Moore said, I didnt post it, so I wouldnt have a comment.

About 30 minutes later, Moore posted on his Facebook page that he received a call from the Tribune-Herald about his Facebook postings and claimed that his account was hacked. However, within two hours, Moore removed that post in which he claimed his Facebook account had been hacked.

Moore also told a Tribune-Herald reporter that he would friend him on Facebook so the reporter could more thoroughly review Moores page. That did not occur.

Later Monday, Moore said he reported the alleged hacking to Facebook.

I dont check that real often, and when you said something, I went and checked it, Moore said. Let me put it to you this way, OK? My family has different ethnic groups. There are Hispanic, there are black, there are white, there are American Indians. If you are going to put me out there as a racist, you better have some information to back it up. I think you are grasping at straws.

Five of the posts on Moores Facebook page indicate they were shared by Moore from Friday through Monday. Another post is from Aug. 13, 2016.

The shared posts include:

A photo of black men running. The post asks, Want to stop the riots? Run up to the crowd and shout, the welfare office is on fire, and theyll run there to put it out. Posted on Sunday.

Im proud to be white. I bet no one passes this on because they are scared of be (sic) called a racist. Moore shared it on Saturday.

A photo depicting Satellite Image of Hurricane Lee, featuring swirling winds with a Confederate flag in the eye of the storm. Posted Sunday.

A post featuring Granny Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies TV show talking to a frowning Barack Obama, saying, You turned the land of the free into the land of the freeloaders. Posted Monday.

A shared post shows a police officer arresting a black man. The caption reads, Hurricane season is here. Time to loot, loot, loot. Not anymore, son. Obama is no longer president. Posted Friday.

A post features a photo of Vladimir Putin and a quote attributed to him. If minorities prefer Sharia Law, then we advise them to go to those places where thats the state law. Russia does not need minorities. Minorities need Russia, and we will not grant them special privileges, or try to change our laws to fit their desires, no matter how loud they yell discrimination.  The post reads, Like and share if you agree with Putin. Moore shared it on Aug. 13, 2016, according to a screenshot of his Facebook page.

All of the screen shots from Moores Facebook page feature his business card as a salesman at Allen Samuels Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram and identifies him as Gary Mayor Moore.

Three of the six posts were removed from Moores page by late Monday afternoon.

Peaches Henry, president of the Waco-McLennan County chapter of the NAACP, said she is disappointed that an elected official would harbor such feelings.

As I have observed before, racism and prejudice are present in our community. These types of bigoted and discriminatory posts reveal the true nature and beliefs of the individual who posted them. At least, we now know his real attitudes, if indeed he posted them, Henry said. Given the strained racial climate we are currently in, it is disheartening when an elected official engages in such negative and hurtful activity rather than in behaviors that demonstrate respect and acceptance of all people, no matter their race.

Jo Welter, chairwoman of the Community Race Relations Coalition, said it is up to those who encounter potentially racist views to speak out, adding that she has seen more inclusiveness in the Waco area because more people are doing so.

I think that is awful, she said of the posts on Moores Facebook page. I think that it is important for people around him, all of us, to point out that we will not tolerate this type of hateful rhetoric. It is very important we dont put up with that.

One of the things I noticed since moving from Wisconsin to Texas 30 years ago is how acceptable it was to make such openly hateful comments. I have always felt it was important to say something, to react to those comments, to let people know that it is not acceptable to do that.

Moore was elected to the Bellmead City Council in May 2012 and was re-elected to a third term in May 2016. He served as mayor from May 2015 to May 2017 and served as mayor pro tem from May 2014 to May 2015.

According to the citys website, Moore said he ran for city council due to the need for communication with the citizens. He said he wants to unite the community and move the city forward to a thriving municipality and bring in businesses.

Bellmead City Councilwoman Alfreda Love declined comment on Moores posts. Councilman Travis Gibson, meanwhile, said he is cautious on his own Facebook page and tries to keep posts professional.

I am not friends with Gary on Facebook, but one thing I do know is that before you post something, you better make sure it is appropriate and acceptable, Gibson said. This is my first time hearing about this, so Im not sure about it. I do have a personal Facebook page, but I try to keep everything professional. Of course, I dont know the facts, but if it is true, it would be disappointing. I will have to look at it and get some more information.
Two men robbed a Waco convenience store at gunpoint early Tuesday morning, leaving police searching for both suspects, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said.

Police were called to the Valero convenience store at 4025 Bosque Blvd. at about 2:30 a.m. after two men entered the store. Swanton said one of the men displayed a handgun and demanded money from the cashier.

The suspects took an undisclosed amount of cash from the business and left the area on foot, Swanton said. Both men were last seen running east from the business. No one was injured.

Police described each suspect as standing about 6 foot tall and weighing about 160 pounds.

One man was described as wearing a red long-sleeved shirt, gloves, red shorts and had a black shirt wrapped around his head. The second man was described as wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, red shorts and had a red shirt wrapped around his head, Swanton said.

It was unknown if the Valero robbery is connected to several other reported robberies in the last several weeks, he said. Swanton said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
Donald Keith Barrington

March 14, 1938 - Sept. 15, 2017

Beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Donald Keith Barrington was called home by our Heavenly Father on Friday evening after a valiant lifelong battle with Diabetes. He faced every obstacle with an enormity of faith and strength, all to spend a little more time with his family. Finally, his challenges became insurmountable and we are comforted in knowing that he is now with his beloved, Karen. One of these challenges included a kidney transplant in 2007, the donor being his niece Mary-Lou Barrington Dohnal. Donald was in constant appreciation of this which made it possible to maintain a life without dialysis. Thus inspiring his donation of tissue, bone and skin for the benefit of others.

Donald Barrington was born on March 14, 1938 in Jonah, TX to Rufus and Mary Barrington. He then met the love of his life, Karen and they married on July 7, 1960. Donald had a hunger for education and he first attended the University of Texas, on an academic scholarship, and then Baylor University. There he graduated and earned a Master's degree in Mathematics. During this time, Donald made the decision to relocate to Waco, TX where he started his career as an Engineer at Rocketdyne. He was also a passionate and active member of Brookview Methodist Church, volunteering in many capacities. Donald and Karen made Waco their home and happily raised three children, Kathy, Keith and Kristie. In 1985 Donald and Karen relocated to Austin, TX to be closer to their extended family. In Austin Donald continued his career with Tracor, Tremetrics and finally Thermo Finnigan, retiring in 2009. Desiring to help others, Donald and Karen volunteered hours and hours at Seton Hospital and Covenant Methodist Food Pantry. They cherished countless weekends at their family lakehouse on Lake Buchanan where Donald spent many hours on the water over his favorite fishin' holes.

Donald was preceded in death by his wife, Karen Kuempel Barrington; sister-in-law, Eleanor Buchhorn; parents, Rufus and Mary; and his brother, Joe. He leaves behind his children, Kathy and Harley Alloway, Keith and Melissa Barrington, Kristie and John Wofford; his grandchildren, Taylor and Abbi, Tori and Jenna, Steven and Jacqui, Dillon, Colton, McKenzie, Cameron and Zane; and his great-grandchildren, Alivia and Ava. His siblings/in-laws, Ruth, Jimmy and Penny, Joyce and Henry, his brothers/sisters-in-law, George and Judy, Jack and Janell, Donald and Jeanette, Leonard, and David; as well as many nieces and nephews, all of whom he loved.

The Celebration of his life will be held at Covenant United Methodist Church in Austin, TX on September 24 at 2 pm. A reception immediately following.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Covenant Methodist Food Bank in honor of Donald and Karen Barrington at http://www.covenantaustin.org/events-activities/food-pantry/

The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Donald's amazing medical team, especially Dr. Richard Lewis who performed his kidney transplant.

Providence Funeral Home

Taylor, Texas

(512) 352-5909
Dorothy Pick Mynar Reinke, 69, of Waco, passed away Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017 in Dallas. Funeral services will be 11 a.m., Thursday, September 21, at Connally/Compton Funeral Directors. Interment will follow in Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Riesel. The family will receive friends from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m., Wednesday, September 20, at the funeral home.
The Centre, in its affidavit in the Supreme Court, not only called Rohingya Muslims a threat to security but also raised fears that the community could ultimately change the demographic profile of Indian states.

By Harish V Nair: Apart from terming the Rohingyas a "serious security threat" for their "links" with Pak-based terror groups and ISIS, the Centre on Monday also raised fears that the community may also be gradually effecting a change in demographic profile of several states.

In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court in response to petitions that have challenged the deportation of Rohingyas, the home ministry said several fundamental rights of genuine citizens of the country will be affected if such illegal migrants are allowed to settle wherever they liked in India.

advertisement

"The scheme of the Constitution makes it very clear that India, as a sovereign nation, has the first and the foremost constitutional duty and obligation towards its citizens to ensure that demographic and social structure of the country is not changed to their detriment," said the affidavit.

"Already due to existing large influx of illegal immigrants from the neighbouring countries, the demographic profile of some of the bordering states has undergone a serious change which is already causing the far-reaching complications in various contexts and is taking its toll and has a direct detrimental effect on the fundamental and basic human rights of country's own citizens," it said.

Reiterating that Rohingyas were a threat to the security of the country, the affidavit said there were clear evidence of their link with Pakistan-based terrorists and the ISIS. "The Centre has inputs and other authentic material indicating linkages of some of the illegal Rohingya immigrants with Pakistan-based terror organisations and similar organisations operating in other countries," it said.

"It is also found by the central government that many of the Rohingyas figure in the suspected sinister designs of ISI/ISIS and other extremists groups who want to achieve their ulterior motives in India, including that of flaring up communal and sectarian violence in sensitive areas of the country," it said.

"Over and above the said serious security concern already in existence, more disturbing part is that there is an organised influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar through agents and touts facilitating illegal immigrants Rohingyas into India via Benapole-Haridaspur (West Bengal), Hilli (West Bengal) and Sonamora (Tripura), Kolkata and Guwahati. This situation is seriously harming the national security of the country", it said.

It also urged SC not to interfere with its plan to deport the Rohingyas, saying it was an "essential executive function by way of a policy decision in larger interest of the country".

It said since it was not a signatory to UN Refugee Convention, it did not have to follow it. On the other hand, the government said under the Foreigners Act 1946 vested an absolute and unfettered discretion in the central government to expel foreigners from India, especially those residing illegally without valid papers like visa.

advertisement

WATCH | The Rohingya crisis: Humanity vs national security

--- ENDS ---
Hillary Clintons new memoir of her failed presidential campaign is titled What Happened. A better title would be What Happened? because Clinton apparently has no idea.

Clinton has blamed her loss on an ever-changing cast of characters  Russia, WikiLeaks, James Comey and Bernie Sanders. Now she has put the blame on a new scapegoat: millions of bigoted white nationalists.

Clinton told Jane Pauley of CBS News Sunday Morning that Donald Trump won because he was quite successful in referencing a nostalgia that would give hope, comfort, settle grievances, for millions of people who were upset about gains that were made by others, Clinton said. When Pauley asked, What youre saying is millions of white people? Clinton replied, Millions of white people, yeah. Millions of white people.

In an interview with NPR on Tuesday, Clinton was even more explicit. Trumps message, she said, was discriminatory, it was bigoted, it was prejudiced. And yet it fed into part of the electorate that just wanted to have a primal scream. They didnt like what was going on. . . . They really responded to his racial and ethnic and sexist appeals.

So Clinton believes she lost Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the presidency because of the bigotry of middle America.

One problem with her analysis: Millions of those white people who voted for Donald Trump also proudly voted for Barack Obama. There are nearly 700 counties in the United States that voted twice for Barack Obama, one-third of which flipped to Trump in 2016. According to Nate Cohn of the New York Times, almost one in four of President Obamas 2012 white working-class supporters defected from the Democrats in 2016, either supporting Mr. Trump or voting for a third-party candidate. Are all those Trump-Obama voters bigots? Millions of once reliably Democratic voters pulled the lever for the first black president, yet they were suddenly whipped up into a racist furor by Trumps racial and ethnic and sexist appeals? Give me a break.

As Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg has pointed out, many of these working-class Obama-Trump voters were not even white. The Democrats dont have a white working-class problem,  Greenberg wrote recently in the American Prospect. They have a working-class problem . . . Democrats have lost support with all working-class voters across the electorate, including the Rising American Electorate of minorities, unmarried women and millennials.

Why did so many Obama voters defect to Trump? According to a survey by the liberal super PAC Priorities USA Action, the top seven priorities were (1) protecting Social Security and Medicare; (2) creating good-paying jobs for American workers; (3) making sure Americans have access to affordable insurance; (4) cleaning up corruption in government; (5) cracking down on outsourcing; (6) making sure the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes; and (7) keeping Wall Street in check.

Thats hardly a white nationalist agenda.

Another reason these Obama voters defected to Trump is that they kept hearing from Clinton and the Democrats how great the economy was doing. Yet, according to Priorities USA Action, 50 percent of Obama-Trump voters said their incomes are falling behind the cost of living, and another 31 percent said their incomes are merely keeping pace with the cost of living. When Clinton touted Obamas economic progress, she seemed hopelessly out of touch.

Clinton still cant seem to tell the difference between a white nationalist and working-class voters upset because their family incomes are stagnant or falling, they feel shut out of the labor force and their communities are mired in substance abuse and despair. These forgotten Americans had legitimate grievances that Democrats ignored. That sent a message to working-class voters that Democrats are not focused on fighting for them. So they defected.

Add to this Clintons inability to connect with her partys liberal base (the so-called drop-off voters who turned out for Obama but failed to show up for her)  plus the Clinton Foundation and her repeated lies about her personal server, which led large majorities of Americans to conclude that she was dishonest and corrupt  and you had the toxic brew that produced her electoral defeat.

Clinton says she is done with electoral politics, so it really does not matter if she understands what happened. But there is little sign that Democrats today understand, much less are doing what is necessary to win back these working-class voters in the heartland. Instead, they have declared themselves The Resistance  further alienating those voters who put Trump in office, while hoping they can turn out their liberal base in the next election. Thats precisely the strategy that failed in 2016. Well see if doubling down on failure works in 2020.
It would be hard to find a more unlikely pair of congressmen than the two of us to find agreement on a highly controversial issue. After working on the complicated issue of flood insurance, however, weve concluded that the way the federal government handles disasters is itself a disaster.

Drastic reform of the National Flood Insurance Program is long overdue. The program now subsidizes insurance for millionaires, puts low-income families in harms way and keeps people trapped in vulnerable homes by masking the true risk of flooding. The president and Congress have just extended the program for three months, creating a perfect opportunity for Congress to enact bipartisan reforms.

The NFIP was established nearly 50 years ago for good reason: The private sector had no appetite or capacity to undertake the tremendous and unpredictable risk of flooding. But over the years, the program has been seriously mismanaged. And today, technology has made it easier to manage and predict risks. So its worth exploring ways to give private insurance companies the incentive to share the financial costs of flood insurance.

Congress has been reluctant to come to the hard decisions needed to make its system actuarially sound. Flood maps that are supposed to assign risk to properties are hopelessly out of date. Many people living in flood-prone neighborhoods continue to receive significant subsidies for their insurance premiums. (Lets not forget that many of these properties are million-dollar homes with gorgeous views of water, which should make the possibility of flooding clear.) Weve taken very few steps to lower the risk of flood damage. And weve failed to send the right signals to state and local governments to establish sound policies of their own. Essentially, were hemorrhaging money only to keep people at risk.

Congress will not change this system overnight, but it can start moving in the right direction.

We must deal with the programs debt  now more than $24 billion  and put it back on a fiscally responsible path. Catastrophic storms arent entirely to blame for this debt. Highly subsidized premiums do not send the right pricing signals. Annual premiums add up to about $3.5 billion a year, but program costs run to $5 billion  even before accounting for catastrophic losses like those from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The debt cannot be repaid with premiums alone.

A top priority should be to update all flood maps. Its no use pretending that the facts on the ground havent changed. With accurate information, property owners and property buyers can better know what risks they face  and local and state governments can better address flooding.

Full actuarial rates for flood insurance premiums should be phased in. We must stop giving subsidies to some property owners and sending misleading signals to all of them. We need to be sensitive to problems this will create for some owners, especially those with low and moderate incomes. But the NFIPs subsidized rates make flood-prone properties more affordable, and we should subsidize only owners who are truly in need.

For the sake of peoples health and safety, its critical that we also stop paying to repeatedly rebuild flood-prone properties. Thousands of Americans are being paid as much as or more than their insured properties are worth. This threatens the solvency of the flood insurance program and also keeps people living in dangerous situations with little incentive to better protect their homes or move. Strong flood-proofing standards are needed to see that repeatedly flooded properties are reinforced or elevated. In many cases, flooded homes should be relocated, allowing floodplains to return to their natural state.

Where possible, we have to mitigate flood risk. We save about $4 for every $1 spent on mitigation and disaster preparedness. More important, mitigation saves the lives of those who live in harms way  and those whose job it is to rescue them.

Over the next three months, Congress has a unique opportunity to reform NFIP on a bipartisan, non-ideological basis. Our first job is to help the victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, but we must also work to protect potential victims of future floods. Lets all go up to 40,000 feet, look down at the flooding and devastation from Harvey and Irma (and Katrina and Sandy), and act on recommendations that have been on the table for decades. Lets fix the program this time and protect our families.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Never miss breaking news by signing up to our free email updates

School work is child's play for this baby-faced brainbox - who has the same IQ as Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein.

And now maths genius Toby Liu has just become one of Mensa's youngest-ever members - aged just TEN.

The Walsall schoolboy is ranked in the top one per cent of the population after achieving an IQ score of 160 - thought to match that of both Hawking and Einstein.

Toby, who doesnt turn 11 until November, said he was delighted with his success.

The Hydesville Tower School year six student said: Im really pleased with myself.

"I wasnt expecting to do so well. Maths is my favourite subject and I hope to go on to do really well in this subject when I go to senior school next year.

Proud head teacher Warren Honey beamed: This truly is an impressive result and we are all very proud of what Toby has achieved; he worked really hard to earn his high score, so a huge well done from us all.

Mensa  the high IQ society  was formed in 1946 and aims to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity and provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members.

It currently has around 20,000 members in the UK and 110,000 worldwide with more than 1,300 of the members in the UK aged 16 and under.

John Stevenage, chief executive of British Mensa, said: We are delighted to welcome Toby and have him join up with the other young people in Mensa.

"We hope he enjoys tapping into the knowledge and expertise that is available from other members.
Victim found tied up naked in Villa Borghese.

A police investigation is underway after a 57-year-old German woman was raped in Rome's central Villa Borghese park in the early hours of 18 September.

The victim was found tied to a pole, gagged and naked, by a passing taxi driver who freed her and alerted police.

The woman, of no fixed abode, has been in Italy for six months and is now recovering in a Rome hospital. Police are currently hunting for her attacker who is believed to be aged around 20.

The case follows a series of sexual assaults against foreign women in the capital.
The father of the seven-year-old boy murdered at the Ryan International School, Gurgaon wrote to the PMO expressing fear that reopening the school could lead to more evidence being destroyed.

By Ajay Kumar: Varun Thakur, the father of seven-year-old Pradyuman who was killed inside the Ryan Internatioanl School, Gurgaon, raised several questions over the district administration's intention following its decision to reopen the school. On Monday, he wrote to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to intervene and sought closure of the school till the CBI starts probe in his son's murder case.

advertisement

Thakur has serious apprehensions over destruction of evidences, if any, inside the school. He accused the Ryan management of destructing evidences with the help of students and staff immediately after the murder, and feared reopening the school would give it an opportunity to destroy further evidence before CBI takes charge of the investigation.

"The case has been transferred to the CBI, but it has not taken charge from Gurugram police. Therefore, there is a great chance of destruction of evidence as the same teaching and non-teaching staff would attend the school," Thakur said.

He pointed out that since the CBI is yet to take charge and visit the crime scene, it would not be wise to reopen the school at this stage.

"The district administration has reopened the school and if any kind of evidence is still intact, it could be destroyed by the real perpetrator. I have therefore written to the PMO to intervene and issue necessary directions to district officials," he said.

Later in the day, the deputy commissioner of Gurugram decided to shut the school till September 25. Sources said the decision was taken on the PMO's instruction. "We reopened the school after 10 days on Monday, but as Pradyuman's family strongly objected to it, we decided to close the school to address their concern and also undertake other safety measures," said Vinay Pratap Singh, deputy commissioner, Gurugram.

Meanwhile, the Gurugram SIT produced prime accused Ashok Kumar and two senior officials of Ryan International before the court, which sent them to judicial custody till September 29.

WATCH | Did Pintos create shell companies to divert Ryan's fund?

--- ENDS ---
A Canberra man who admitted sex offences against a 14-year-old girl he met at a fast food restaurant has avoided time behind bars as a judge took aim at his "wrong" belief the acts had been consensual.

The man, 25, pleaded guilty in the ACT Supreme Court to five counts of sex with a young person and using a child to produce child exploitation material.

Justice Michael Elkaim said he faced a dilemma in balancing the need for punishment and deterrence against the "possible destruction of a young man's future" as he sentenced the offender on Monday.

He handed the man a suspended sentence of two years and six months imprisonment and ordered he serve a good behaviour order for that time. The offender was also ordered to perform 300 hours' community service.

The court heard the pair met when they worked together at the same fast food outlet, where the then-21-year-old man worked as a manager, several years ago.
By India Today Web Desk: 20 years ago Salman Khan along with Karisma Kapoor and Rambha created magic on the big screen with Judwaa. The film which gave Bollywood fans two of their favourite on-screen characters - Prem and Raja turned out to be one of the biggest blockbusters of that year. Be it Salman-Karisma's on-screen chemistry or the foot-tapping numbers like Oonchi Hai Buliding and Tan Tana Tan, everything about this 1997 film is worth remembering.

advertisement

But not many know that Tabu was also a part of the film. Yes, the versatile actor very much contributed to the success of the film as she dubbed for Rambha in the film.

Varun Dhawan, who is stepping into the shoes of Salman Khan for Judwaa 2 , recently made the revelation on Instagram. The 30-year-old actor shared a picture with Tabu and wrote, "A week ago I ran into the very beautiful Tabu who was also part of the original judwaa. She had dubbed for ramba. So many stories get lost in time. There were so many who were part of the original judwaa and are responsible for judwaa2 returning to the big screens 20 years later.(sic)"

A week ago I ran into the very beautiful Tabu who was also part of the original judwaa. She had dubbed for ramba. So many stories get lost in time. There were so many who were part of the original judwaa and are responsible for judwaa2 returning to the big screens 20 years later A post shared by Varun Dhawan (@varundvn) on Sep 17, 2017 at 11:43pm PDT

After 20 years, David Dhawan is reuniting with son Varun for Judwaa 2. This time around Prem and Raja will get to romance Taapsee Pannu and Jacqueline Fernandez in Judwaa 2. While the trailer promises to be a masala entertainer , only time will tell if Judwaa 2 has been able to live up to the hype.

The film is set to hit the screens on September 29.

ALSO WATCH: Varun Dhawan on nepotism, Judwaa 2 and how to woo a girl

--- ENDS ---
CBS has raised its bid for the Ten Network ahead of the second creditors' meeting on Tuesday morning, going head-to-head with an improved offer from Ten shareholders Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon.

CBS's improved bid will pay out unsecured creditors $40.58 million, compared with $32 million in its previous bid - with most of the new funds going to the Murdoch family's 21st Century Fox.

CBS's initial bid was chosen as the winning bid by KordaMentha last month, but the new offer from Murdoch and Gordon could have tempted creditors to delay the second creditors' meeting to consider the rival offer.

The news of the improved offer from CBS comes after Gordon's companies WIN Corporation and Birketu lost a court bid on Monday aimed at thwarting the sale to CBS. Mr Gordon is expected to lodge an appeal.
7. Why isn't this just an unprintable expletive in ALL CAPS that takes up an entire page? This doesn't feel strong enough. 8. When I read this sentence, I burst into tears. When my daughter is old enough, I'm going to read it to her. These are the words of a woman who should have been our president, and not a day goes by that I don't think about that fact with regret. If you ever want to run again, I am still with you, as my numerous bumper stickers say. Your logo was great, by the way, if you're reading this. I hope you are, somewhere. I always hope so. 9. These words are okay but I wish they had been attributed to Bernie Sanders, who is sincere and good. Clinton is insincere and bad. 10. Kelly Clarkson in fact said "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Hillary Clinton is out of touch with today's youth, as ever. 11. Yas, Khaleesi!

12. I know this review is not the place but I don't know where else to post about my general confusion that Pantsuit Nation is still so active. 13. Clear proof that Hillary Clinton is SICK and on the verge of death. 14. AFTER EVERYTHING KATY PERRY SACRIFICED TO CAMPAIGN FOR YOU, HOW COULD YOU DARE TO START A BOOK WITH ANYTHING BUT A KATY PERRY QUOTE? 15. I want to hear from Hillary Clinton in her own words, not Nietzche's words. 16. This is no "Dreams From My Father."

17. I didn't like this very much, but I know that was because of internalized sexism. 18. Too rehearsed. 19. I already have all the proof I need that Hillary Clinton secretly orchestrated every bad thing that has befallen the country in the course of her lifetime, including but not limited to JFK's assassination, 9/11 and that time when a swarm of bees flew onto the White House lawn and terrified some children President Barack Obama was reading to. 20. This sentence reminded me that Hillary Clinton voted for the Iraq War. 21. This is the old Hillary Clinton.

22. I just realised it's been almost a year since I had to hear "Fight Song." Oh no, now it is stuck in my head again. I am going to throw this book out of a window, just for reminding me of that abomination. 23. I miss the debates. 24. She should start the book by apologising abjectly for everything that went wrong, not with this nonsense quote. 25. Nietzsche and Kelly Clarkson, really? This doesn't sound unlike everything that is wrong with white feminism. 26. In this sentence, Hillary Clinton makes light of the situations of thousands of hard-working Americans who weren't killed but in fact were NOT made stronger by the ordeals they suffered. She should apologize.

27. This quote should have been from Wisconsin. 28. This seems like something Hillary Clinton would say to Wall Street for money. 29. BENGHAZI 30. How typical that in order for Kelly Clarkson to get her words taken seriously, she has to attribute them to a man. I am fired up with indignation already! 31. Didn't apologise enough.

32. Too apologetic. 33. EMAILS 34. Maybe instead of blaming Nietzche, Hillary Clinton should blame herself. 35. This book just reminds me that we live in the world where all these things happened and I don't like that one bit. 36. Already blaming too much on sexism and not enough on herself.

37. Where is the apology to Bernie Sanders and the mention of the DNC's complicity? This isn't a good look. 38. Did we need this? Why is this happening? Who asked for this? 39. Could this be the pivot we have long been waiting for? Already, this is a more presidential tone than we have been seeing from the commander in chief so far. Oh no, was this Hillary Clinton's book? I am sorry, it has been a long week, and I got confused. 41. "Crooked Hillary Clinton blames everybody (and every thing) but herself for her election loss. She lost the debates and lost her direction!" Loading
As Cassini started to spin and tear apart in Saturn's frozen atmosphere, it had one final gift for us.

The probe threw its thrusters into full power, burning up the last of its dwindling fuel supplies, and managed to keep its antennas pointed at Earth even as its components started to melt.

CSIRO scientists at Canberra's Deep Space Communication Complex, who were responsible for tracking and controlling Cassini's last moments using a pair of huge dishes, say the probe managed to survive nearly a minute longer than anyone had predicted.

As it melted, it sent back volumes of vital data on Saturn's atmospheric composition, from which scientists will make many new discoveries in the months and years ahead.
Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan says the Pilbara community must be consulted before full-strength beer is banned from bottle shops in an attempt to curb alcohol-fuelled violence.

WA Police have made a submission to the liquor licensing authority recommending a ban, which would affect mining towns as well as Roebourne, which has become notorious for its child sex abuse problems.

WA Police said the request to impose conditions on the Pilbara related to the "consumption and availability of packaged liquor". Credit:Twitter/@RoeburnePol

Mr McGowan said on Monday that the Director of Liquor Licensing had not made a ruling yet and any such decision would require a full inquiry.

"There's all sorts of communities around Western Australia that have restrictions on the sorts of alcohol that can be bought, when it can be bought and whether it can be bought at all," he told reporters.
A Lockridge man is fighting for his life after crashing his motorbike into a street sign in Malaga on Monday evening.

Sergeant Andrew Maher said the man was riding a silver Hyosung motorbike west near Beringarra Avenue about 6:15pm when it's believed he lost control and smashed into a street sign.

A Lockeridge man is fighting for his life in hospital. Credit:Graeme Powell, @GraemePowell3

The 29-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital in an ambulance.

Major Crash investigators are seeking anyone with dash cam footage or information to assist the investigation to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Reports can be made online to www.crimestopperswa.com.au
The question has dogged Chelsea Manning ever since she walked out of prison four months ago - nearly three decades short of a 35-year sentence, courtesy of a commutation from Barack Obama in the last days of his presidency.

Is she a traitor? Had the Army private betrayed her country in 2010, when she passed tens of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks? Or had Manning, as many believe, demonstrated loyalty to the American public by exposing its government institutions?

At least once, the question was put to Manning herself. Areporter asked it in June, in one of her rare interviews since walking free, but didn't get a clear answer.

Often, an answer was supplied by another, such as President Donald Trump, who called Manning a traitor in all-capital letters.
By PTI: Dehradun, Sept 19 (PTI) BJP president Amit Shah today began his two-day day visit to Uttarakhand to galvanise party workers and assess the performance of the Trivendra Singh Rawat government which took power in the state in March.

This is Shahs first visit to the state after the BJPs victory in the Assembly polls and is part of his 110-day nation-wide tour to take stock and strengthen organisational work.

advertisement

He was received by Chief Minister Rawat and party MP from Haridwar Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank at the Jollygrant airport, where he was accorded a rousing welcome by scores of party workers and leaders.

BJP workers stood with party flags and flower garlands on either side of the road to welcome Shah on his way to Madhuban hotel where he held a closed-door meeting with senior party leaders, including state BJP chief Ajay Bhatt, party MPs, MLAs and ministers.

Earlier, state parliamentary affairs minister Prakash Pant said Shah has come to encourage the party cadre and also to review the performance of the six-month-old BJP government in the state.

"He will definitely discuss how to activate the party right up to booth levels, besides reviewing the progress made in the last six months in implementing the commitments made in the BJPs vision document for Uttarakhand," he said before Shahs meeting with party leaders got underway.

A number of programmes are lined up for Shah during his stay in the state capital. It includes meetings with party office-bearers right from the block level to the state level, the core group, ministers, MLAs and MPs.

BJP leader Vijay Bahuguna said the party presidents visit will boost the morale of party workers and will help them gear up for future elections.

Civic body polls are due in Uttarakhand next year, followed by the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. PTI ALM NSD

--- ENDS ---
By Siddharth Husain, Vidya : There's trouble for Shraddha Kapoor and the makers of Haseena Parkar, as a clothing brand has filed a complaint against them in the Andheri metropolitan magistrate court, accusing them of criminal breach of trust and cheating.

The company claimed that they designed costumes for the film after being promised product placement. Apart from this, they said that they were promised that Shraddha would visit their store as well as walk the ramp for their designers two weeks ago in Mumbai. Apparently, Shraddha herself had promised to promote their brand in a meeting held in Juhu a year ago, and the company began working on the film only after a verbal confirmation from her.

advertisement

The clothing brand reportedly spent around Rs 40 lakh on designing the costumes for Shraddha and other actors in the film, including Siddhanth Kapoor and Ankur Bhatia. In return, they got just one credit in the film, with no other promotional promises materialising.

Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee, who is representing the complainants, said, "The designers had also started a Haseena line of clothing, which was to be a part of the film promotions. But now, the time has gone. The film is going to be released. All we want is that the company should be adequately compensated for the work it undertook and all the pain and frustration that everyone has gone through in the last few days."

India Today tried to get in touch with Shraddha Kapoor and her public relations team. The team responded saying that the complainants do not have any agreement to prove their case. They also said that Shraddha did not even know who these people were.

ALSO WATCH: Haseena Parkar to Daddy to Satya, Bollywood's gangster films

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: alleges foul play

Deoria (UP), Sep 19 (PTI) A class 9 student fell to her death from the third floor of a school building here, police said today, as her father alleged that she had been pushed.

The incident took place at the Modern City Montessori school yesterday.

Acting on her fathers complaint that his daughter Neetu Chauhan could not have committed suicide but was pushed, police has registered a case against unknown persons, SP Deoria Rajiv Malhotra said.

advertisement

The 15-year-old had reportedly gone to the toilet on the third floor of the school. She was taken to a local hospital, which referred her to Gorakhpur but succumbed to her injuries on the way, the official said.

According to the post-mortem report, the girl suffered shock and hemorrhage due to internal injuries, he added.

Police is investigating the case for further details. PTI CORR NAV MG MIN SRY

--- ENDS ---
The Confederation of All India Traders has accused Sunny Leone of being irresponsible and going to "any level irrespective of pious and religious occasion of Navratri" to earn money.

By India Today Web Desk: Indian men have a love-hate relationship with Sunny Leone, the brand ambassador of Manforce condoms. Using sanskaar as their shield, these men harp about how un-sanskaari she is.

Mankind put up banners across Gujarat that had Sunny Leone advertising condoms with a tagline that mentions navratri. This did not go down well with some people.

advertisement

The Confederation of All India Traders wrote a letter to Minister for Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan calling this tactic a "clear irresponsible and immature attempt to boost sales by putting all our cultural value system at stake".

CAIT wants the ad to be banned now.

Signed by National Secretary General of CAIT Praveen Khandelwal, the letter accuses Sunny Leone of being irresponsible and of going to "any level irrespective of pious and religious occasion of Navratri" to earn money.

The CAIT is urging the minister to take immediate cognisance of this advertisement and "direct the concerned officials to ban the advertisement and take appropriate action against the manufacturer and its brand ambassador".

The confederation also wants a specified "code of conduct" by the government for celebrities who act as brand ambassadors. "They should be made responsible for the products they endorse", the letter read.

In the letter, the CAIT also mentioned the pending Consumer Protection Bill which is yet to be passed by the Parliament. The confederation believes that the Bill should be passed soon so that these "brand ambassadors can be brought under the ambit of the said Act".

This is how Twitter is reacting to the ad:

Hhahaa this is funnily harsh truthIts proven fact that abortions in gujarat suddenly increase after #Navratri #manforce is only cashingit https://t.co/J7T44Hyy22- Netra Daoo (@onlyonenetra) September 18, 2017

Manforce specially advertises its Condoms in Navratri, thus promoting Navratri a festival of Free Sex instead of worshiping women's strength pic.twitter.com/q2tL8rnwtF- Rajesh Chanasana (@TheRajeshjk9) September 18, 2017

Manforce Condoms actually trying to cash in on Navratri, they have equated Dandiya playing with sex. Wonderful. pic.twitter.com/sby8xaq3Cd- Mitra Joshi (@mitrajo) September 19, 2017

Now that this made is making headlines, Twitter users are talking about how the number of abortions increase post Navratri. And maybe, it is the right time for condom manufacturers to market their product. In fact, former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel had herself said that number of abortions rise a couple of months after Navratri.

Moreover, According to a TOI report , the sale of condoms to increase by 30 percent during this season.

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Despite the controversy, Sunny Leone and Manforce, which manufactures condoms among other contraceptives, may be justified in putting up banners.

By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: Sunny Leone has kicked up a controversy by featuring in an advertisement of a company which manufactures contraceptives. The advertisement in itself would not have generated a storm had it not come up all across Gujarat ahead of the Navratri festival.

Despite the controversy, Sunny Leone and Manforce, which manufactures condoms among other contraceptives, may be justified in putting up banners.

advertisement

The advertisement by Manforce, in Gujarati, says: 'Aa Navratriye ramo, paraantu prem thi' (Play this Navratri but with love). In Hindi, it would translate into 'Khelo magar pyar se'.

Featuring in the ad is porn star Sunny Leone who is Manforce's brand ambassador. The ad in itself is neither provocative nor vulgar. But it has been protested by some Gujarati bodies and traders.

OBJECTION TO SUNNY LEONE AD

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) wrote a letter to Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ramvilas Paswan today calling this tactic a "clear irresponsible and immature attempt to boost sales by putting all our cultural value system at stake".

CAIT national secretary general Praveen Khandelwal, in the letter, alleged that Manforce's ad was encouraging youths to use its condoms in the name of Navratri festival.

Khandelwal, however, admitted that the ad is not objectionable on the face of it. "They have not used the word 'condom' on their banner. But their intention is very clear due to the combination of words like 'play', 'love' and 'Navratri' are coined above the large logo of Manforce."

He further alleged that the role of Sunny Leone had been most irresponsible. "In the lust for earning huge money, these brand ambassadors can go to any level irrespective of an occasion being pious and religious," he said.

CAIT has demanded that the ministry take immediate cognisance of this advertisement, direct the concerned officials to ban it and take appropriate action against Manforce and Sunny Leone.

ABORTIONS AFTER NAVRATRI

Manforce may have employed the same clever strategy employed by liquor manufacturers. As publicising liquor is banned, the liquor companies advertise sodas or mineral water with the same brand name on television and newspapers or magazines.

However, there is a more important reason why Sunny Leone and Manforce have reasons to defend themselves. Navratri indeed is a religious and cultural festival. However, in Gujarat it is also known for a spurt in physical relationships during the Garba festival.

It was generally observed in late 1990s that there was a significant rise in the number of abortions two months after the Garba festival when young couples stayed outdoors till late in the nights.

advertisement

Former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel had made a candid confession in 1999 as the state education minister. At a workshop of Gujarat State Social Welfare Board Advisory, she expressed concern over the phenomenon in the past few years.

Terming the phenomenon as unfortunate, she called for curbing the evil.Her concern was corroborated then by gynaecologists and sexologists across Gujarat who admitted that the number abortions soon after Navratri had risen since the mid-1990s.

RISE IN SALE OF CONDOMS

The trend continued till about 2010. Of late, the number of abortions has decreased. But it has seen a corresponding rise in the sale of contraceptives, primarily condoms though i-pills are also in demand.Talking to India Today, Jaswant Patel, chairman of Gujarat State Chemists and Druggists Association, said the sale of condoms through chemists' shops during Navratri rises by 30 per cent as compared with the other periods of the year. "Most of the buyers are teenagers," he said.

Ahmedabad-based sexologist Dr Paras Shah maintains that the number of abortions has drastically decreased in the last few years. According to him, there are two reasons behind it.Firstly, the youngsters have become more educated about sex. They are more particular about using contraceptives than those during 1990s.

advertisement

Secondly, they get more opportunities throughout the year. Earlier, this freedom to mingle with opposite sex was generally available only during Navratri.

However, Shah agrees that the cases of abortions rise during Navratri by about 10 per cent even now in smaller towns and villages.

Thus, with even the government educating people and encouraging them to use contraceptives, and Gujarat known for rise in amorous relationships during Navratri, Manforce and Sunny Leone may only be lending a helping hand.

--- ENDS ---
Advertisement

By West Kentucky Star Staff

Sep. 18, 2017 | BALLARD COUNTY, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 18, 2017 | 07:56 AM | BALLARD COUNTY, KY

US Highway 60 was returned to normal traffic flow Monday night in Ballard County after a daylong operation to offload and recover a semi and trailer that ran off the road into a ravine.



The accident occurred just east of LaCenter before 7 a.m. Monday. Traffic was restricted to one lane for most of the day after the accident while the truck's load of potatoes was offloaded.



At about 6 p.m. the entire roadway had to be shut down so the semi and trailer could be extricated from the ravine.



At one point McCracken County officials were stopping traffic at the county line because of the backup into Ballard County. The Kentucky Department of Transportation reported that about 30 large trucks were also backed up waiting for the accident to be cleared.



KYTC reports that an environmental cleanup crew will be back at the crash site on Tuesday morning. Traffic on Tuesday may have to again be restricted to one lane while they work at the scene.
Loading...

By 1992, official negotiations between the Israeli government and Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) had all but come to a standstill under American stewardship in Madrid. Across Europe, two Norwegian diplomats, Terje Rd-Larsen and Mona Juul, a married couple, engineered the start of a secret back channel between the two sides. Within a year, the Oslo Accords had brought peace to pass.

But not without a year of delicate negotiations  fruitful, but consistently fraught  and, in Oslo, which lands in London with a Tony in tow, the American political playwright JT Rogers plays that peace process out. He does so with a real eye for the human side of history and, like Peter Morgan's Frost/Nixon, Oslo has it hinge on a tense head-to-head.

It's a proper political thriller. The stakes couldn't be higher  the prize being a peace few thought possible. The catch-22s stack up early on. Not only are their positions irreconcilable  both sides claim Jerusalem as their rightful capital, for starters  but Israeli officials can't, by law, meet PLO members, who, in turn, won't meet anyone less.

Rd-Larsen's solution is to bring two jovial academics to Oslo, persuading PLO Finance Minister Ahmed Qurei (Peter Polycarpou) and his hardline liaison officer Hassan Asfour (Nabil Elouahabi) to take their authority on trust. It's the first time either man has met a Jew, but their wariness melts over whisky and waffles. Hospitality oils the cogs, and humour breaks the ice. Most of the time.

Even if we know the end result, Rogers keeps the tension dead taut throughout. He succeeds by showing both how precarious the process is  one false move and it falls, one bad joke blows it  but also how many moving parts are in play. For two nations to agree, dozens of individuals  each with resentments, tempers and egos  must do so too. They include Philip Arditti's hotheaded, hip-swinging Israeli minister and his boss, Jacob Krichefski's humourless legal fiend.

Against that Rogers can be a bit schematic. As a Rubix Cube, pieces falling into place, the play's satisfying, but it's structured like a computer game  the PLO progressing through a series of Israeli bosses. You're always aware of Rogers pulling the process' strings, putting it in danger, then pulling it back from the brink, and Bartlett Sher's straightforward staging can be see-through.

It's down to Rd-Larsen and Juul to keep the plates spinning, and they do so with a mix of quick-thinking and smooth-talking. Lydia Leonard is level-headed and humble, brushing off effusive toasts as part of the job. Toby Stephens as Rd-Larsen is more of a conundrum  charming but smarmy; smooth yet oleaginous. The enduring image is of him holding two phones  at once go-between and buffer zone  but he's a wallflower who can't help pulling focus. His desire to take credit almost scuppers the project, yet there's something too English, too easily establishment, about this radical Norwegian. Polycarpou, meanwhile, gets his PLO man bang on: he's warm when he can be, with a belly laugh and a sweet tooth, but hardens when he has to in order to hold his own.

That simple, shared humanity is at Oslo's heart. In that, it's absolutely a play for today. Peel back its surface skin and it's about two apparently irreconcilable oppositions. Its faith in face-to-face encounters  hospitality and humour, the spaces humans naturally find common ground  stacks up against endless, impersonal online spats. Coincidence, but 1993 was also the year the web went public.

If peace needs presence, so too does theatre. Rogers delicately entwines the two, proving the peace process as a theatrical act. With two sides in a stand-off, neither able to give ground without ground being given, any negotiation needs an imaginative leap to get started. It needs both sides to drop their mutual suspicion or, put another way, to suspend disbelief.

Even those present are acting, standing in for their superiors, even for their entire nations. Rogers makes that real right at the end as, in a moment of high-spirits, Arditti's impersonation of Arafat shakes hands with Rd-Larsen's Shimon Peres. The whole thing, you realise, is a big hypothetical  one big 'what if'. A peace process, like theatre, imagines a possible future.

Oslo runs at the National Theatre until 23 September and then runs at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 2 October to 30 December.
AT 15 SKYLAND INN DRIVE IN ARDEN

Open House Park Ridge Health South Asheville

Park Ridge Health & Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina

Welcome Public September 21, 2017

Who: Members of the media

What: Open House Park Ridge Health South Asheville

Where: 15 Skyland Inn Dr., Arden, NC 28704

When: Thursday, September 21, 5-7 p.m.

Open House with Park Ridge Health and Blue Cross NC

Park Ridge Health and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) invite customers, patients and the community for an informative event at Park Ridge Healths convenient South Asheville location.

Meet with Park Ridge Healths professional medical staff, specializing in more than 40 specialties at more than 30 locations across Western NC.

Blue Cross NC will be on hand to meet customers and answer questions about their coverage.

The Park Ridge Health Patient Resource Team will be available to answer questions and schedule appointments.

Join us for the following activities:

 Take a tour of the 30,000-square foot South Asheville medical facility

 Outdoor games and demonstrations

 Healthy eating activities

Visit PRHevents.com for more information and to register.
The NIA arrested a suspected ISIS operative who the agency claims received funds from the global terrorist organisation in order to stage attacks in parts of Tamil Nadu.

By Mail Today Bureau: A suspected ISIS operative Shakul Hammed has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from Chennai for allegedly receiving funds, on behalf of the terrorist organisation, to establish its presence in the city and further stage attacks in parts of Tamil Nadu.

Hammed is among the nine, who had hatched the conspiracy to launch the attacks. They had helped a dozen of people leave for Syria and Iraq by mobilising funds for them.

advertisement

NIA this year had registered a case against the nine accused at the NIA police station in Delhi on January 26. They are Haja Fakkrudeen (Cuddalore), Khaja Moideen (Cuddalore), Shakul Hameed (Chennai), Ansar Meeran (Chennai), Masood Asarudeen (Tirunelveli), Sadiq Basha (Nagapattinam), Mohammad Sayed Abu Thahir (Karur) and Mohammed Thabraze (Chennai).

"The accused and their accomplices, with the intention of furthering the activities of the proscribed terrorist organisation ISIS, has been hatching conspiracy since 2013. They formed a terrorist gang which had raised funds, organised meetings, recruited and facilitated the travel of some persons to Syria to join the terror outfit," an NIA official said.

During investigation it was found that main accused Haja Fakkurudeen, an Indian-origin Singaporean citizen and a native of the Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district, had joined the ISIS in Syria in January 2014, along with his family.

Fakkurudeen had visited India twice between November 2013 and January 2014, when he had had conspiracy meetings along with co-accused Khaja Moideen, Shakul Hameed and others at various places in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka with the intention of recruiting more people into the ISIS.

"In pursuance of the conspiracy, Shakul Hameed had attempted to migrate to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria in August 2015, through Turkey, where he was intercepted by Turkish authorities and deported to India," said a senior NIA official, adding that he will be produced before the NIA special court in Chennai.

Fakkruddeen and his family attained citizenship of Singapore six years ago. In November 2013, he, along with his wife and three children, went to Syria, but came back to India as he could not establish any contact with IS operatives there.

In Syria, he is reported to have stayed with one Chechen Mujahideen. On January 22, 2014, he left Chennai for Syria through Turkey and has been untraceable since.

On September 15, accused Khaja Moideen alias Abdullah Muthalif, the son of Chinna Thambi Ambalam of Salapathputhu Nagar in Cuddalore was remanded in the case by a NIA special court in Chennai.

The custody of Moideen has been sought by the concerned chief investigation officer in Delhi.

advertisement

Officials said their names had surfaced during the interrogation of Adnan Hassan Damoodi, 36, a resident of Bhatkal in Karnataka and a former Indian Mujahideen operative, who was deported from the UAE last year for propagating the ideology of the IS on social media platforms.

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today paid a courtesy call on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina but the ongoing Rohingya crisis did not come up for discussion during their brief meeting.

"The meeting with the prime minister of Bangladesh was more in the nature of a courtesy meeting. It was a very short meeting. The issue of Rohingya(s) did not come up during the meeting for discussion," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

advertisement

Kumar said that the discussion between Swaraj and Hasina was "purely bilateral".

EAM Sushma Swaraj's meeting with Bangladesh PM was a courtesy meeting and issue of Rohingyas did not come up during it: MEA pic.twitter.com/ejAy91mQ6N- ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2017

"Warm encounter reflecting our historical and cultural ties. Courtesy call on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by EAM (External Affairs Minister)," he said in a tweet after the meeting.

Bangladesh, which is facing a big influx of Rohingyas from Myanmar, has called on the international community to intervene and put pressure on Myanmar to address the exodus.

WHY ROHINGYAS ARE FLEEING MYANMAR

According to the UN estimates, over 410,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state into Bangladesh since August 25 when fresh wave of violence erupted.

According to reports, the violence began when Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Many of those crossing the border bring harrowing tales of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar's security forces and Buddhist mobs.

SWARAJ MEETS BHUTAN PM, DOKLAM NOT DISCUSSED

Earlier, Swaraj met Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay but the Doklam issue did not figure in the meeting.

The ministry spokesperson said that since the Doklam issue was already settled, there was "no question of it coming up in discussions".

Responding to a question Kumar said, "There are a lot of projects, which are going on in India and the two sides discussed how to take this cooperation forward."

"Strengthening traditionally unique bilateral relations. EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets with Bhutanese PM @tsheringtobgay in New York," Kumar said in another tweet after Swarajs meeting with the Bhutanese prime minister.

The Bhutanese prime minister said they discussed a wide range of bilateral issues.

"Such a pleasure meeting H.E @SushmaSwaraj ji, External Affairs Minister of India. We discussed the wide range of bilateral cooperation," Tobgay tweeted.

India and China last month ended a 73-day standoff in Doklam area of the Sikkim sector that was triggered by Chinas move to build a road in the border area.

advertisement

Bhutan had welcomed the end of the standoff and hoped it would help maintain peace and status quo at the tri-junction.

--- ENDS ---
The accused identified as Arokiyaswamy has been convicted of the same charges a few years ago.

By Pramod Madhav: Madurai witnessed hullabaloo after a furious mob charged at a man accused of sexually assaulting 90 school girls.

The accused identified as Arokiyaswamy has been convicted of the same charges a few years ago.

Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court today found him guilty of sexually assaulting 24 girls and sentenced him to 55 years imprisonment.

advertisement

The victims family and the public who were in the court were outraged to hear about what Arokiyasamy had done.

As police were escorting him out of the court to the prison, an angry mob comprising of lawyers and locals attacked Arokiyasamy.

"He should be hanged, he doesn't deserve to live after what he did to those innocent kids," yelled one of the attackers.

Police, however, controlled the situation transporting him to the prison safely.

ALSO WATCH: Man convicted of sexually assaulting 90 schoolgirls thrashed

--- ENDS ---
Here's everything you need to know about the political situation in Tamil Nadu, in 10 points.

By Nolan Pinto, Shalini Lobo, Akshaya Nath: Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao met Home Minister Rajnath Singh for the second time in two days, after 18 legislators loyal to sidelined AIADMK leaders VK Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran were disqualified on Monday by the Speaker of the Assembly, P Dhanapal.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy today said Dhanapal had taken the "wrong decision."

advertisement

The move was a massive setback for Dhinakaran, who arranged for lawmakers backing him to stay in a Kodagu resort after Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam merged their party factions.

Here are the top ten developments.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW The 18 disqualified MLAs backing Dhinakaran have filed a plea challenging their disqualification. It will likely to be heard by the Madras High Court tomorrow. These were the same MLAs who had told Governor Vidyasagar Rao they had no confidence in Palaniswami, and accused him of being corrupt. BJP MP Subramanian Swamy slammed Dhanapal's decision to disqualify the MLAs. "There are only two ways that this can be done and neither has happened here." Swamy called for Dhanapal's disqualification as Speaker. Chief Minister "EPS (Edappadi Palaniswami) has lost majority and the governor has delayed the floor test. This is because they would lost confidence," Swamy said. He also ruled out an alliance between Dhinakaran's MLAs and the DMK, the main opposition party. "(The) fact is that (the) DMK is not ready to leave the Congress and that is why there won't be any alliance between TTV faction and DMK. Look at the major prosecution of the Chidambaram family," he said. 16 of the MLAs supporting TTV Dhinakaran are still at the Paddington resort in Karnataka's Coorg. Governor Vidyasagar Rao is likely to return to Chennai by this afternoon. He is likely to meet Chief Minister Palaniswami at 5:30 pm. The fact that 18 MLAs are loyal to Dhinakaran has put the Tamil Nadu government in a precarious situation, for it needs more support in the Assembly. It would need 117 MLAs to reach the halfway mark in the legislature, where the RK Nagar seat has been vacant since J Jayalalithaa's death. Right now, it falls well short of that number.

--- ENDS ---
ST. PAUL  Minnesotas plan to lower health insurance premiums next year had just one little complication, but its threatening to turn into a big complication: It requires approval from the federal government. And with time running out, that approval still isnt here.

The $542 million proposal, called reinsurance, would keep premiums around 20 percentage points lower next year on the individual market than theyd otherwise be. Thats where the estimated 4 percent of Minnesotans without employer or government coverage get their insurance. But if the federal government doesnt approve the plan  or waits too long to do so  many Minnesotans could pay thousands more per year for their coverage.

Right now, about 160,000 Minnesotans will be paying more than they should in 2018 unless that waiver approval gets done very soon, said Jim Schowalter, president of the Minnesota Council of Health Plans.

Allison OToole, the CEO of the state-run MNsure exchange where Minnesotans can buy plans on the individual market, told Congress last week that anything but quick federal approval of reinsurance would have a devastating impact on our overall market, and more importantly Minnesotans.

Minnesotas entire congressional delegation has supported the reinsurance plan. The states representatives in Congress, Democrats and Republicans, sent a letter Friday to key federal agencies asking them to approve reinsurance as soon as possible.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and staff at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are considering Minnesotas request, filed in June. If Minnesotas reinsurance program is denied, then premiums will jump up by an average of 20 percentage points. If reinsurance is approved, some people will even see their premiums drop.

Under federal law, CMS has until after Christmas to make a decision  but that would be too late. Minnesota is required by law to announce 2018 individual market rates Oct. 2  just over two weeks away. Open enrollment in Minnesota begins Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 14, just a few weeks after the federal deadline.

The months long wait for approval could represent the complexity of the issue and routine bureaucratic steps. But advocates of reinsurance are hoping its not more than that, given President Donald Trumps public suggestion to let Obamacare fail instead of propping up the health insurance markets created by the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Listening to the president, weve certainly heard very explicit threats of sabotage of the marketplaces, said state Sen. Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick. I hope cooler heads prevail and they grant this waiver.

The waiver got bipartisan support from Minnesotas congressional delegation and both parties in the state Legislature.

State Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake, acknowledged that some national Republicans have discussed letting health insurance markets collapse but said Republicans in the Minnesota House and Senate took a different approach.

I hope the Trump administration will look at this waiver as an opportunity for breathing room for the individual market in Minnesota, Benson said.

Even with reinsurance, paying for health care wont be easy for many Minnesotans on the individual market. Though rates will be lower than they otherwise would be, that still leaves them at roughly the same levels as last year  rates so high that the state passed an emergency premium relief plan.

That premium relief plan, which provides 25 percent premium discounts to around 95,000 Minnesotans per month, is expiring. That means many Minnesotans with ostensibly flat premiums will pay significantly more as their state discount vanishes.

This wont affect Minnesotans earning less than $48,240 for an individual or $98,400 for a family of four. They qualify for subsidy from the federal government that wont be going away.

All these financial crunches will be amplified if reinsurance is denied and rates go up even more from their current level.

If reinsurance gets denied I think we have significant problems, Benson said. I think the market is damaged significantly. There will be some people who just wont be able to afford the coverage.

The state could have a fallback option if its reinsurance plan is rejected: Take the $271 million per year reinsurance would have cost and spend it to reauthorize premium relief. Lourey called that a good Plan B that doesnt require federal approval. But Benson warned that the rejection of reinsurance by the Trump administration could create a toxic environment in the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Education Village, the future and oft-talked about home of Winona State Universitys education program, is on track to open in the fall of 2019.

In the next several months, school officials say, Winona State should reach an agreement with contractors, and the most significant work of the $31 million construction project will be set in motion.

Education Village  consisting of Cathedral School, Wabasha Recreation Center and Wabasha Hall  is expected to boost and transform an education program that is currently scattered all over campus.

This will allow them to consolidate into a single space, Ron Dempsey, vice president for university advancement, told community members during a project update at Senior Living at Watkins on Monday. Were very excited about that.

The project calls for significant work on all three buildings.

Cathedral School and Wabasha Recreation Center will undergo extensive renovation intended to update the buildings while preserving their age-old charm. The roughly 100-year-old section of the recreation center, however, will be torn down.

Crews will also construct a glass atrium in the U-shaped opening of Wabasha Hall, giving students and educators a place to connect, as well as residents a place to hold community events.

It will be more accessible for local schools to utilize for field trips or professional development, said Dempsey, noting the Villages location on the edge of campus, where parking is easier to come by.

Tarrell Portman, dean of the College of Education, said the schools education students will get a richer experience here.

Classrooms will be designed and outfitted with particular subjects in mind, allowing students to focus even more on their area of interest or expertise.

A makerspace will be a hub for collaboration and do-it-yourself projects.

And the childrens center on the first floor of Wabasha Hall  as well as the Villages proximity to Senior Living at Watkins  will give the young and the old chances to learn from one another.

The ability for children of all ages to work with adults of all ages is really important, Portman said. Well have spaces for people to meet and engage in learning all the way around.

Scott Ellinghuysen, Winona States president of finance, said the construction shouldnt interfere much with life in the surrounding neighborhood.

Much of the work, including the demolition of neighborhood houses, is already complete, and there should be minimal road closures due to construction.

The buildings will be furnished in the spring of 2019, and will house their first classes the following fall  a year behind the universitys original plan.

In 2014, the state Legislature awarded Winona State $5.9 million for the first phase of the project, which consisted of architectural design and minor construction.

DFLers and Republicans failed to pass a bonding bill in 2016  delaying the project and a host of others across the state  before agreeing this spring to a bill that included the final $25 million for Education Village.
Winona was visited by several state department heads as part of a multi-day tour of southeast Minnesotas businesses and job promotion facilities.

Commissioners from the departments of employment and economic development, agriculture, commerce, transportation and the pollution control agency stopped by Winonas Workforce Center and Red Wing and Hastings Monday in the fifth annual Commissioners on Wheels tour.

Tuesday morning they continue on to WSU and Current Designs Kayak in Winona.

The tour focuses on issues and investments related to innovation, manufacturing, workforce, energy and food production with other stops in St. Charles, Lanesboro, Chatfield, Rochester, Austin, Claremont, Owatonna and Faribault.

At the Workforce Center, DEED commissioner Shawntera Hardy said they use the yearly stops to get on the ground and get firsthand knowledge of how initiatives are going, in this case the DEED-run jobs promoting center.

Were excited to see the Workforce Center, Hardy said.

Employees at the workforce center detailed some of their process for helping people continue to find employment and their concentration on tailoring the job search and opportunities to individuals.

They estimated they serve, on average, just less than 500 job seekers a month.

Gerry Krage of the Winona Workforce Center said whether its a 50-year-old whos entering the workforce for the first time in decades or a veteran looking for job training and resources, the center concentrates on being a one-stop shop for job seekers and giving them understanding and support.

When somebody walks through the door, 95 percent are not happy to be here, Krage said. We know  how important it is and what were supposed to do.

The center, which is one of 47 in Minnesota, is housed on the campus of Minnesota State College-Southeast, which helps them get job seekers training and additional resources through their working relationship.

The location works out really well, Krage said. The relationship is amazing.

Hardy said the trip itinerary was tied to the growth of Minnesota business and industry, and commissioners heard about the efforts in Winona to fill jobs gaps and help people find new training and careers.

One of the trips purposes is to increase awareness of Minnesota Business First Stop.

Gov. Mark Dayton created the program in 2012 to help streamline the process for businesses working with state agencies, including financing, licensing, permitting, technical assistance and other resources that state agencies provide.

Whether businesses are looking to start, relocate or grow here in Minnesota, we want them to know that the state is ready to partner with them to provide excellent services as they achieve their business goals, Hardy said in the announcement.

Mondays stop also included a ride on WSUs Cal Fremling boat to look at the MnDOT-run Winona bridge project.
By PTI: Hyderabad, Sep 19 (PTI) The war of words between the ruling TRS and the opposition in Telangana over the state governments free distribution of sarees continued today with the BJP and CPI(M) demanding an inquiry into the programme.

The TRS government kicked off its free saree distribution to poor women on the occasion of Bathukamma festival yesterday.

advertisement

The saree gift was received well at many places, but it found itself in a row with women beneficiaries allegedly burning the sarees in public over their poor quality.

The opposition parties yesterday alleged that the government insulted poor women by offering inferior quality sarees, but state IT Minister KT Rama Rao charged the opposition with indulging in cheap politics and manufacturing protests.

Referring to governments statement that it procured the sarees from the textile town of Sircilla (a move to benefit locals), state BJP president K Laxman today sought to know the volume of orders placed and the number of sarees made in the town.

The orders were given to powerlooms in Sircilla and not to the weavers and that there were other places as well in the state where sarees are made, he claimed.

"What is the difference between demand and supply in the state. How many sarees can be made. You release a white paper on this.

"We demand that you announce how many sarees were purchased from weavers in the state, how many were purchased from Surat (sarees were also procured from the city in Gujarat) and how many were purchased from the handloom clusters in Telangana," the BJP leader said.

"If you feel nothing (any irregularities) has happened, conduct a judicial inquiry. How many sarees were brought from Surat, from where they were purchased in Surat... all these things need to be established," he said.

Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy today said TRS leaders were blaming the Congress for the protests by women, instead of ordering probe into the allegations of supply of defective and poor quality sarees.

CPI(M) state secretary T Veerabhadram has also demanded a "comprehensive inquiry" into the purchase of sarees.

Hitting out at the opposition, state animal husbandry minister T Srinivas Yadav alleged today that the parties politicised whatever work the state government took up.

The opposition leaders should show that the state government schemes are not being implemented in segments represented by opposition MLAs, he said.

advertisement

The state government has planned to distribute about 1.04 crore sarees at a cost of Rs 222 crore. PTI SJR NRB IKA

--- ENDS ---
What a disastrous few weeks. Historic hurricanes, massive earthquakes, and large-scale wildfires have all simultaneously struck the Americas, grabbing headlines and inspiring telethons. The reporting has been extensive and the outpouring of generous homegrown support seems endless.

American society might be uniquely constituted to work together during crises, with national self-reliance a distinct part of this countrys character, heritage and mythology. American leaders call attention to disasters and ask communities and their political representatives for help and money. A free, open and independent media report it all.

Elsewhere in the world, however, bad instincts or habits lead political and corporate leaders to mislead, hide, and deny disasters or impending doom. Russia and China are particularly susceptible to this trait, but it is generally true for less democratic and minimally accountable governments and institutions where disaster can translate into political crisis or even the threat of regime change.

In the former Soviet Union, the initial reaction and official denial of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown and crisis set in motion the conditions for the eventual downfall of the entire empire. In a new biography about Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, the Chernobyl cover-up was considered the turning point that put Gorbachev on the political reform path toward a greater openness that became unstoppable.

Prior to Chernobyl, and up to my time working in the USSR as a Moscow-based correspondent, disasters rarely made the news. A joke circulating about Soviet aircraft superiority suggested that Soviet airplanes were the safest planes ever built because they never crashed. Friends of mine called Soviet plane crashes optical Ilyushins.

Things are now somewhat different. Russians are ready to amplify disaster reporting and government failure. Their reporting highlights race and class inequities and pointedly blames political systems and failing leadership  but only if these disasters and failures happen elsewhere. Preferably in the United States.

Chinas lack of preparation, warning, and response to many earthquakes and flooding causes local anger and confusion. A 2008 Sichuan province earthquake killed nearly 70,000 people, but the government reaction was to shield failure and silence critics. Dissent is hidden, if not outright crushed. A tightly controlled and censored media environment further assures that news travels slowly and is effectively countered when it runs contrary to national political narratives.

Disaster avoidance and denial are not exclusive authoritarian national traits, however. Following a recent earthquake and tsunami, Japans government and TEPCO power generating company denied the dangers and misled the public about nuclear fallout from a failing Fukushima nuclear power plant. Apologies followed, but the damage was already done.

Social media picks up some of the information slack, but rumor fills in where facts are muddled. In environments where information vacuums exist, misinformation and falsehood find fertile ground. People get misled. Confusion kills. What can be done to prevent bad information from worsening the effect of bad news?

Soviet or Chinese-style bad-news boycotts are a non-starter. But social media platforms with billions of members  many of them trusting, if not outright gullible  should build fail-safe information systems to protect the public. Television broadcasters have long used 4-10 second delays to prevent inappropriate or inaccurate live material from going on-air. Social media need to use some of these same techniques. Whether artificial intelligence, human editors, or machine learning to prevent rumor and inaccuracies from gaining immediate currency is not for the public to discern, but the public needs to consider a regulatory fix.

Worldwide, however, crisis management and warning systems do not suffer from too much, too quick or grossly inaccurate information. In fact, most global disasters are neither reported on nor actively hidden as the majority of natural crises go unnoticed by nearly everyone who is unaffected. Far-flung countries suffering from widespread disaster actively and regularly seek international attention  often to no avail  in the hopes they can attract global empathy and assistance. These nations are not only victimized by disaster, they are victims of a distracted world, suffering quietly alone without news coverage or celebrity support to spotlight their plight. These overwhelmed countries experience what aid professionals call silent disasters.

Silent disasters represent the 91 percent of worldwide natural emergencies that regularly go unreported in any mass media, according to the International Red Cross. Right now, for example, South Asia is experiencing much greater death and destruction than that wrought by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Bangladesh, Nepal and India are struggling to get noticed or receive basic help for the reported 41 million people directly affected by recent monsoon flooding and landslides that killed nearly a thousand people. The United Nations reports these South Asia floods also destroyed tens of thousands of homes, schools and hospitals. The scale of this human suffering is staggering, but the story is easily overlooked and understandably underplayed in America while parts of Florida are still dark, deserted and drying out.

Natural and manmade disasters can fully overtake a nations attention, be totally denied or never make it onto the radar of a global publics consciousness. The one universal truth is that, ultimately, everyone suffers.
Beaver Dam Common Council is applying for a cost-share grant from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to beautify the city, among other improvements.

Jana Stephens, community activities and services administrator, said the grant is a 50 percent match to what the city provides. The maximum amount is $50,000, but she estimates that the city wont need that much.

Grant funds could be used to stock the citys tree nursery, add trees, add shrubs and help treat or remove trees infected by the emerald ash borer beetle. Stephens said funds also could go toward education and outreach for city employees.

Mayor Becky Glewen said the grant is tied to future developmental plans for downtown Beaver Dam. She said during the councils Administrative Committee meeting Monday that one of the intents of the grant is to create more green space downtown.
Four rooms on the third floor of Beaver Dam Middle School will be transformed into an innovation lab thanks to a $227,000 grant the district received from the Seattle Foundation.

The Beaver Dam School Board learned about the GrO Science & Technology grant and how it will be used Monday.

Sandra Garbowicz, district Director of Teaching & Learning, said the timing was perfect as the district introduced new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses in the middle school this year including green architecture, robotics and medical detectives.

I was pleasantly surprised, Garbowicz said. I was encouraged to ask and didnt have any idea what the parameters of the grant would be.

Garbowicz said she contacted Beaver Dam Middle School Principal John Casper about renovating classrooms at the school to create an innovation lab for Project Lead the Way, which the district launched this year. It is a nonprofit organization for K-12 students and educators that helps develop skills through real-world challenges.

Construction of the innovation lab will be completed next summer.

There are four rooms that are 20 by 40, Garbowicz said. My idea is to collapse the walls and make it a larger space so the kids could work between them creating a more flexible classroom space.

Garbowicz planned the project to include a 15 percent contingency. There will be a ribbon-cutting for the new learning area next August.

This is just amazing, school board member Marge Jorgensen said. I was reading their letter of intent and how they indicated it exceeded the typical grant maximums for their fund. You must have really sold us on them.

Garbowicz said the middle school has also received $20,000, donated by John Deere, for the eight modules of Project Lead the Way.

The district can apply again in 2020 for another Seattle Foundation grant.
Hate toward Mexicans must not be tolerated

I have yet to see Rep. Mark Born or Sen. Scott Fitzgerald speak against the horrible actions against American-Mexican children of undocumented parents. Nor have I heard any cries from their priests. Lots of haters live in Dodge County and they must fear supporting these childern might cost them votes or disdain from their Republican Party. It is pretty hard to do the right thing when your base only follows Jesus on Sunday. Deplorable, for sure.
The Lake Delton Police Department received a pat on the back from members of the village board during the boards Sept. 11 meeting.

The attaboy was due to the news earlier this summer that, effective June 19, the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group had designated the Lake Delton Police Department with accredited status.

The designation means Lake Delton police have fulfilled a host of requirements, via a multi-year application and examination process, in order to achieve what Chief Daniel Hardman calls a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.

The departments effort included a rigorous, three-day visit from WILEAG examiners in the spring, with those examiners combing through the results of a department self-assessment that begin in the summer of 2014 with the hiring of Lt. William Laughlin.

Hardman and Laughlin traveled to Milwaukee in August to receive an accreditation plaque from WILEAG President Greg Peterson. The accreditation was reported to the village board at the Sept. 11 meeting, and Trustee Tom Diehl commended the department for the accomplishment.

This was accomplished in three and a half years, when it was estimated it would take around 10 years to complete, Diehl noted.

It was very nice of Tom to point that out, Hardman said following the meeting.

Hardman lauded the efforts of the entire department in achieving the accreditation landmark, especially those of Laughlin, who served as the process leader throughout.

I want to thank all members of the Lake Delton Police Department for their hard work and cooperation during the accreditation process, especially Lt. William Laughlin who was the lead of the project and poured his heart and soul into making the inspection go off without a hitch, Hardman said.

In other business at the Sept. 11 meeting, the board heard update reports from the public works, water, Fire and zoning departments and took the following actions:

Approved sign applications by Hu Hot Restaurant;

Approved application for Class C-Activity License by Henry Lukasavage for activities including craft demonstrations, free meal, powwow drumming & dancing on September 30, 2017, to be held at Parsons Trading Post located at 370 Wisconsin Dells Pkwy.;

Approved replacement of a sign at Kimberleys Mexican Restaurant;

Approved the application for a Class C  Activity License by Cruise for Cause for a car show and auto cross on October 7-8, at Noahs Ark, and an application for an Outdoor Musical Performance Permit by Cruise for Cause for a DJ those same dates;

Approved application for a license to erect tent by Great Wolf Lodge for Badgerland Truck Club Show gathering spot to be erected Sept. 13 and disassembled Sept. 18;

Approved application for Taxi Operator Permit applied for by and issued to Ismael N. Chapa Jr. of Kangaroo Taxi, as recommended by the Lake Delton Police Department expiring June 30, 2018.
By PTI: (Eds: incorporating AAPSU leaders quotes, background)

Itanagar, Sep 19 (PTI) Violence marred the dawn-to-dusk statewide bandh called by the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) in protest against the Centres decision to grant citizenship to the Chakma and the Hajong refugees in the state.

Bandh supporters damaged a number of vehicles and enforced a total shutdown in the state capital Itanagar and in various other districts of the state.

advertisement

In Itanagar, bandh supporters damaged several vehicles including torching a state transport bus and a private vehicle in the morning, Capital SP Sagar Singh Kalsi said.

An ambulance was also damaged in stone pelting.

Reports of violence also came from Namsai, Changlang and several other districts.

All government offices, educational institutions, markets, commercial establishments remained closed while public and private transport mostly remained off the road.

Though a few state transport buses were seen plying during the morning hours, but the services were suspended later, police said.

Almost all tribal organisations and NGOs in the state backed the state-wide bandh.

Addressing a press conference later in the evening, AAPSU general secretary Tobom Dai said local people would not accept any decision by the central government that would alter the states demography.

"We will intensify the movement and will initiate non-cooperation movement against the Centre," Dai said.

He questioned the three MPs from the state for remaining silent on the issue.

AAPSU president Hawa Bagang said, "People came out in support of the bandh willingly for the interest of the state."

He criticised the state government for not being able to raise its voice against the Union Home Ministrys decision to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu had written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, stating that the issue would stir deeply held tribal emotions.

Last week, the Centre decided to grant limited citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees while not giving them land rights or Scheduled Tribe status.

People of the two tribes migrated to India from Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, in the 1960s following religious persecution. The Chakmas are predominantly Buddhists and the Hajongs are mostly Hindus.

In Arunachal, they are settled in the Bordumsa-Diyun areas of Changlang district and Kokila area of Papum Pare district. PTI UPL NN

--- ENDS ---
Robert Sobukwe immortalised at Wits

The University of the Witwatersrand has officially renamed Central Block to Robert Sobukwe Block.

A plaque of the renaming of Central Block to Robert Sobukwe Block was unveiled yesterday, 18 September 2017 by Sobukwes son, Dini Sobukwe and Wits Chancellor, Justice Dikgang Moseneke.

The renaming commemorated Sobukwes service to the University and his contribution to fighting apartheid. Sobukwe, an intellectual of Pan-Africanism, founder and first president of the Pan Africanist Congress was celebrated for his role in initiating and leading the anti-pass law protests of 21 March 1960.

Wits Vice-Principal, Professor Tawana Kupe, who presided over the ceremony alongside Moseneke, says that the renaming is befitting for Sobukwe, who was a noble individual with an unrelenting spirit.

Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe is one of the most illustrious Africans ever to be born on our continent. He was an academic, a thinker, a philosopher and a tireless, selfless, dedicated and resilient fighter for freedom of the African people. For all the injustices and calculated sustained and cruel assaults on his human dignity, he responded by affirming the humanity of all in everything he did, said Kupe.

Dini Sobukwe expressed his gratitude for the honour the University gave his father, who was a lecturer in African Studies at Wits, and spoke about the impact his father made in the lives of his students.

Sobukwe taught here and he enjoyed his place very much. He had a lot of fun here and there are a lot of people who still call, who were his students. They write letters to say he was a friend, a teacher and a mentor. I would like to say most of his students were white and they still write and say he was a man who made a great contribution in their lives, for them to see this country in a different way. We would like to thank you for making this day possible. This place energised him, it made him know what it is that he had wanted to do with his life.

In his keynote address, Moseneke paid tribute to Sobukwe for his tenacity and selflessness in fight, and described him as compatriot who left deep footprints of our uprising.

Every nation, every people, from time to time, yields from amongst its very own a truly courageous, selfless and visionary patriot who stands tall and apart from the rest. As she or he passes on, the rest of us would know that it was a life well lived. It was a life worthy of celebration. We want to remember great lives for many reasons. First, they are beacons and signposts of public history. Great lives light up the collective path we have travelled. They locate us within our past and shared experiences, said Moseneke. There is another forward-looking reason for celebrating. From their lives, we hope to learn how to live our own lives. We call to memory their visionary and selfless action in order to gird our loins for the difficult task of creating and re-imagining our world. We hope to extract from their brave deeds, those abiding values of how best to accomplish present day challenges.

David Manabile, Wits SRC President said that they are very honoured as the SRC that the Pan African Student Movement of Azania (PASMA) tabled such a motion for the celebration and renaming of a building after an icon such as Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe.

We must learn and embody what Sobukwe stood for, he added.

Speaking on Sobukwes fearless fight against apartheid, PASMA representative, Phyllia Ngoatje said Sobukwe can be said to be the most formidable opponent to the apartheid system.

Without his revolutionary zeal, unshakeable dedication to the struggle, and the conviction of his beliefs, it is unlikely that apartheid would have ended and collapsed like it did.

Quoting Sobukwe, another PASMA representative, Musa Sithole added: You will not call off the struggle until the demands are met.

Therefore, it remains our revolutionary duty to take the struggle that he died for to its logical conclusion, said Sithole.

About Robert Sobukwe

Robert Sobukwe became a political activist at Fort Hare in the late 1940s and in the 1950s became one of the foremost intellectuals of Pan-Africanism. He was a lecturer in African Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he also completed an Honours degree. He fought for the emancipation of Africans and remains one of those who gave up their lives for a just cause without being adequately recognised. After his arrest on 21 March 1960, Sobukwe was sentenced to three years in prison. He refused legal help, and would not appeal the sentence, on the grounds that the court was not a court of fair and equal law and justice. Sobukwe was considered such a threat to the apartheid regime that a special law was passed allowing them to arbitrarily extend his detention. The Sobukwe Clause, as it became known, was only ever applied to Robert Sobukwe, and kept him in prison on Robben Island, where he was isolated from other political prisoners, for a full nine years. He completed a degree in economics during his time on Robben Island. After his release in 1969, he was banished to Kimberley and kept under house arrest. During his house arrest, Sobukwe completed a law degree and was eventually permitted to open a law firm three years before his passing in 1978.
Central Block renamed in honour of Robert Sobukwe

PAC leader was a Wits alumnus and teacher

Central Block on Wits' East Campus was officially renamed Robert Sobukwe Block on 18 September 2017, in honour of the Pan Africanist Congress founder, who was also a Wits graduate and language teacher.

Wits Chancellor and retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, who was also a PAC prisoner on Robben Island, spoke at the unveiling of the plaque. He noted that this was the very building in which Sobukwe had edited The Africanist and had written the founding notes of the PAC.

Sobukwes son Dini Sobukwe was also present at the renaming ceremony, and conveyed the thanks of his mother, Veronica Sobukwe, aged 90. Justice Moseneke described her as a silent heroine. He also urged those present, especially members of the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania, to hold leaders accountable.

Sobukwe was a lecturer in African Studies at Wits from 1954 and graduated with a BA Honours degree in 1959.

Dini Sobukwe said the family had received a number of letters from his fathers former students, saying he had helped them to see South Africa in a different way.

Bruce Murray wrote in his book Wits: The Open Years: Known for his sharp intellect and delightful personality, Sobukwe was highly popular among his students.  As an academic, Sobukwes guiding principle was to keep his teaching entirely separate from his political activity, and the University reciprocated by not interfering with the latter.

He was elected first president of the PAC in 1959. He resigned from Wits in 1960 when the movement launched its campaign against South Africas pass laws. This was met by the Sharpeville massacre, when police killed 69 protest marchers.

Sobukwe was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison, which were continually extended so that he spent a further six years in detention on Robben Island. He was then placed under house arrest in Kimberley. He studied law and opened his own practice in 1975, but soon fell ill with lung cancer. He died on 27 February 1978.

Wits conferred a posthumous honorary Doctor of Laws degree on Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe in 2003.
Call for Evidence for People's Tribunal on Economic Crime

Constitutional Hill, Johannesburg First Hearings: 8-12 November 2017

Given the failure of state institutions to fully investigate allegations of corruption and state capture, members of civil society have today announced the creation of a Peoples Tribunal on Economic Crime in South Africa. We urge members of the public to submit information to be presented at the first hearings of the Tribunal to be held in November 2017.

The Peoples Tribunal aims to allow an inclusive and evidence based discussion on the inter-connected nature of state capture in South Africa, joining the dots over the past four decades from Apartheid-era economic crime to the post-Apartheid Arms Deal and the current era of what we call state capture. The Tribunal will hear evidence relating to each of these eras over 5 days.

The Peoples Tribunal is organised by citizens, and is not a statutory body. Members of the public can submit evidence, which will be introduced and examined by a small team of evidence leaders. A panel of seven adjudicators will consider these submissions and make a written report that will be presented to the public.

The first hearings will focus on the arms trade across the three eras identified above. We thus invite anyone with information on the following cases to submit this information to the organising committee:

Alleged breaches of International and South African law by actors who facilitated the illegal supply of weapons to apartheid South Africa between 1977 and 1994.

Alleged breaches of South African and International law by corporations and individuals in the process of the 1999 Arms Deal.

Alleged breaches of South African and International law in relation to current allegations of state-capture as they relate to Denel.

People are encouraged to come forward with both documentary evidence and first-hand experience. All submissions will be treated confidentially, and it is not required to publicly present the evidence at the Tribunal. A select number of submissions will be given an opportunity for verbal presentation. Information will only be used with the consent of the witness and may be presented to the tribunal and adjudicators in different forms.

The Tribunals organising committee comprises a range of civil society organisations, including the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), Corruption Watch, Foundation for Human Rights, Open Secrets, Public Affairs Research Institute, Right2Know Campaign and the South African Council of Churches.

The deadline for submissions is 22 October 2017. All submissions should be made to the Tribunal Secretariat (c/o Open Secrets):

E-mail: researcher@opensecrets.org.za

Telephone: (021) 4472701

For further information on the Tribunal, visit https://corruptiontribunal.org.za/

For further comment or questions please contact:

Leanne Govindsamy, Corruption Watch: 011 242 3900

Mbongiseni Buthelezi, Public Affairs Research Institute: 011 482 1739

Nomonde Nyembe, Centre for Applied Legal Studies: 011 717 8606

Mamashoabathe Noko, Foundation for Human Rights: 011 484 0390

Carina Conradie, Right2Know Campaign: 071 571 4470

Michael Marchant, Open Secrets: 082 7722 936
Under Islamic law, a waqf is an inalienable charitable endowment for religious or humanitarian activities.

By Syed Masroor Hasan, Md Hizbullah: Custodians of sprawling waqf estates have been caught selling Muslim charitable assets -- from shrines to cemeteries -- in what possibly could be the biggest land scam in the country unearthed by India Today.

Under Islamic law, a waqf is an inalienable charitable endowment for religious or humanitarian activities.

Waqf properties, or auqaf as they are called, are spread over six lakh acres across the country, with an estimated market value of Rs 1.20 lakh crore, according to the minority affairs ministry. But India Today has exposed an unholy racket involved in fraudulent sale of these massive resources.

advertisement

The network's undercover reporters found out how a monumental fraud is being carried out right under the nose of state waqf boards, their official guardians.

India Today's special investigation team first visited Qamar Ahmad, a mutawalli or caretaker of a waqf masjid and mazar, identified as property 3068, in Meerut. Uttar Pradesh's Sunni Central Waqf Board appointed Ahmad as custodian of the charitable estate, with stringent conditions laid out on paper.

India Today's special investigation team first visited Qamar Ahmad, a mutawalli or caretaker of a waqf masjid and mazar, identified as property 3068, in Meerut.

Documents accessed by India Today showed Ahmad was not authorised to sell, lease out or rebuild the property without official permissions. But the caretaker, a lawyer himself, was found to be treating the huge religious endowment as his personal fiefdom, ready to barter it away for illicit cash.

"Up to 800 square yards, precisely 680 square yards, will be transferred under your title," he told India Today's undercover reporters.

"Can it be done right away?" asked the journalist.

"Yes. If you want, it can be done tomorrow itself," Ahmad insisted. He claimed he was authorized to execute both sale and lease registration of the 3068 auqaf.

Ahmad then took out what later turned out to be a forged permission letter.

"We haven't issued any permission for selling any auqaf over the past 35 years. This permission letter seems to be fake," confirmed Aley Ateeq, assistant secretary of the UP Central Sunni Waqf Board, in Lucknow when he was shown a copy of the paper Ahmad flaunted to dispose of the 3068 property.

But back in Meerut, Qamar Ahmad proposed to sell the 680 square yards of auqaf he supervised at Rs 1.35 crore.

"The deal is set at Rs 1.35 crore. Pay me here at my home and I'll issue you a receipt," he said, demanding the entire payment in hard cash. "I don't want it to be shown in any record. I want it in number two (black)."

CRUCIAL QUESTIONS

But how could a caretaker sell off a donated estate in the first place?

advertisement

If Qamar Ahmad is to be believed he definitely can -- provided he shared the booty with the board itself in Lucknow.

"The transaction goes like this. After giving them their share, I'd have nothing substantial left in my hand. I'll have to give 25 percent to them," he explained. "Will that go to the waqf board?" the reporter probed.

"Yes. I'll get everything done through their inspector. Everything will be executed properly. I have done it before," Ahmad confessed.

But the scam is not limited to one man or location. At Sitapur, India Today probed Chaudhary Abdul Hamid, caretaker of the waqf property number 4181.

The investigation found he was ready to clinch a deal for almost 4,000 square yards of the religious holding. "I'll organize whatever support is needed from the waqf board," he said.

"We'll get the registration done. Or we'll get a 90-year lease. It will be sold at Rs 3.5 lakh per bigha (1,939 square yards)," Hamid added.

"I'll fill up my belly and that of the waqf board as well. Otherwise, they will raise some objection." Waqf mafia was also found to be robbing the dead of their resting place.

advertisement

Next, India Today netted the sharks preying on Muslim burial grounds as the investigative team visited a non-descript mazar built over 750 square yards.

This was the waqf property number 3493 at Maliana in Meerut. Its official custodian, Haji Abdul Samad, was out to sell the tomb along the national highway.

Appointed as caretaker of this estate in 2013, Haji Samad offered to lease it out for 99 years.

"I'll have it leased it out to you for a 99-year period. That's all. Then it's all yours -- It's 754 square yards, with the shrine built up on 150 square yards," he said.

CONSTRUCTION TIPS

He then gave some construction tips to India Today's reporters posing as potential buyers.

"It (the tomb) can be taken under the roof of the first floor (of any future building). It is very much possible. I'll have everything done firmly," he claimed.

"Will the entire place be released from waqf control and a proper registration done?" asked the reporter.

"Whatever I do here will be approved by them (waqf board). It will cost accordingly. Waqf authorities charge higher than the police," Haji Samad confessed.

advertisement

He demanded Rs 55,000 per square yard, or more than Rs four crore, for the entire waqf estate under his care.

"I am telling you not even a rupee less than 55 (Rs 55,000/square yard) for registration. Not even a single rupee less than 55,000 per square yard. No discount there," he said.

But price tags, India Today's investigation observed, have also been put on cemeteries of ordinary Muslims, let alone revered tombs.

Sadaqat Hussain, caretaker of Greater Noida's Kasna kabarastan, was found to be operating as a rubber stamp for Meerut's land mafia.

"I can sign off on a blank sheet," he said, referring to the orders of his handler in waqf deals.

QUESTION OF REAL CONTROL

When India Today's team met the suspected kingpin, Iqbal Ahmad Ansari, at his home separately, he bragged openly about his "real control" over auqaf in Greater Noida.

"I have all the powers with me. He's (Sadaqat Hussain) is just my rubber stamp. I have all the control," Ansari said. The suspected mafioso then also offered a discount on the Kasna cemetary.

"I'd wave off the price for 5,000 square yards. I'll give you 25,000 square yards but charge for 20,000," he said. He disclosed how bribes would work in the dirty deal.

"Bribes to the waqf board will be delivered in black," said Ansari. "We'll pay them donations separately on our own, one to two lakhs. Just to show."

REACTIONS AFTER THE EXPOSE

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government vowed immediate action after India Today aired its report exposing the waqf scandal.

Mohsin Raza, the state's minority-affairs minister, promised an overarching investigation into the suspected scam.

"Those exposed on TV and those working behind the scenes will all be covered in our probe," Raza said as he commended India Today for revealing the devastating truths behind the administration of waqf estates.

"Be prepared for action," he warned both waqf caretakers and senior officials of the state's waqf boards. "No one (involved in the waqf scam) will be spared, within or outside the government," Raza vowed.

ALSO WATCH: Waqf land grab exposed: How custodians of faith turned into land sharks

--- ENDS ---
W&M using social media to expand presidential search engagement

Reaching out The Presidential Search Committee has launched a social media campaign to keep the community informed about progress finding the university's 28th president.

Reaching out The Presidential Search Committee has launched a social media campaign to keep the community informed about progress finding the university's 28th president. Photo - of - Hide Caption

As the search for William & Marys 28th president enters its quiet phase, university officials and search committee members continue to develop ways to keep the W&M community informed and engaged in the process.

Search committee members heard last Friday about University Communications multi-pronged approach to boosting engagement in the search process, which launched last spring when President Taylor Reveley announced his plans to retire in the summer of 2018.

Since then, the university and the committee have routinely sent emails to students, faculty, staff, alumni and the universitys friends, updating the community and referring them to the special website dedicated to the search, www.wm.edu/presidentialsearch. The page has been viewed more than 25,000 times since its April launch.

The website features background information, a timeline, biographies of search committee members, an introduction to the search firm retained by the university, a how-to for nominations and most recently, the presidential leadership profile.

The profile reflects input from the more than 150 listening sessions the search committee conducted with university stakeholders as well as insights into the greater Williamsburg community, Virginias higher education landscape and William & Marys unique academic achievements, history and culture.

In addition, the university has launched a social media campaign across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, specifically with an eye to making sure that current students and young alumni remain informed and engaged, said Chief Communications Officer Brian Whitson. The communications team, for example, developed social-media-specific graphics that quickly convey where the university is in the search process and that highlight relevant quotes from search committee members, he added.

Committee members themselves are also active on social media, sharing photos from listening sessions on their channels, which are then reposted from William & Mary with the enduring hashtag #wmPresident. Two committee members even hosted a live listening session with students on Google Hangouts.

William & Mary on Friday launched an Instagram Story about the leadership profile, marking the first time the university used that feature on the social media platform to highlight content. The Story included a series of slides that began, What are we looking for in our 28th #wmPresident? The following nine slides, which cycle on the Instagram app, quote salient points from the leadership profile.

The idea is that if you dont want to read the entire 36-page leadership profile right now, you could spend 45 seconds and at least get a sense of what it says about priorities and the work of the committee, Whitson said.

The search committee is now entering into what is known as a quiet phase, when the search firm is actively recruiting candidates and respecting their confidentiality.

This will present some communications challenges, especially in maintaining engagement, Whitson said. You want to be transparent, but we also understand we need to make sure we keep parts of the process confidential.

In response, Whitson said the university is working on a series of social media videos featuring Committee Chair Tom Watkins 74 providing additional information and background about the work of the committee and process.

But we also wanted to have some fun, Whitson said, before he previewed a newly produced, light-hearted video about the search that is expected to air at the end of September. We think this one will be popular with students.
India is home to the largest number of refugees in South Asia yet it does not have a specific legal framework to deal with the problem. Rohingya crisis presents an opportunity to put in place a law relating to status of refugees.

By Prabhash K Dutta: According to United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 3 lakh Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar since August 25 when the latest phase of violence broke out in the Rakhine province of the country.

Earlier in May this year, the UNHCR stated that about 1,68,000 Rohingyas had fled Myanmar since 2012, when clashes with Buddhists erupted in the trouble-torn Arakan region. Over 40,000 of those Rohingyas, who fled Myanmar, have entered India illegally , according to government's estimate.

advertisement

The Narendra Modi government is concerned over Rohingyas' stay in India for security regions. In its affidavit to the Supreme Court, the government said that some of the Rohingyas with militant background were found to be very active in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mewat. They have been identified as having a very serious and potential threat to the internal and national security of India, the Centre told the Supreme Court.

WHAT GOVERNMENT WANTS TO DO WITH ROHINGYAS?

Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju has stated it categorically that the government is looking for ways to deport over 40,000 Rohingyas living in the country illegally. The government is worried about the suspected infiltration of terror outfits among the displaced people living in various camps.

The UNHCR and the Amnesty International, however, asked India to reconsider its decision saying that the Rohingyas are the most persecuted ethnic group in the world. India should adopt humanitarian approach in dealing with Rohingya problem, they said.

Refusing to bow under international pressure over Rohingya crisis, India made it clear that it would not compromise with the security concerns of the country. However, the government decided to extend help to Bangladesh in providing all amenities to the fleeing Rohingyas, who are being relocated in camps there. India also asked Myanmar to end persecution of Rohingyas.

ROHINGYAS AS REFUGEES IN INDIA

Though India has the biggest number of refugees in the country in the entire South Asia and dealt with one of the biggest refugee crises in the world during partition of the country seven decades back, New Delhi does not have a refugee specific law.

The Constitution of India only defines who is a citizen of India. The subsequent laws also do not deal with refugees. In legal terms, a person living in India can be either a citizen or a foreigner defined under the Foreigners Act, 1946.

India has also not been a signatory of the 1951 UN Convention or the 1967 Protocol - both relating to the Status of Refugees and included in the UNHCR statute. According to the UNHCR, a refugee is a person living in another country following persecution in his own on the grounds of "race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion."

advertisement

Before the present Rohingya crisis broke out, there were "2,07,861 persons of concern in India, of whom 2,01,281 were refugees and 6,480 asylum seekers" by the end of 2015, according to UNHCR.

There are about 16,000 UNHCR-certified Rohingya refugees in India. The government estimate puts the figure of Rohingya refugees living in India beyond 40,000 with maximum concentration in and around Jammu.

ISSUES WITH ROHINGYAS LIVING IN INDIA

Before the Rohingya crisis acquired international proportion, their population in Myanmar was estimated at around 10 lakh. Under the 1982 citizenship law, Myanmar government recognised only about 40,000 Rohingyas as its citizens. The rest were dubbed as "illegal Bengalis" - immigrants from Bangladesh.

As the Myanmar government does not recognise the Rohingyas as its citizens, in general, it will be difficult for India to deport them. And, in the absence of a well defined refugee policy backed by a law passed by Parliament, India won't be able to accommodate Rohingyas as their stay in the country will give a spin to political narrative.

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that many Rohingyas have acquired documents meant for Indian citizens only like Aadhaar, PAN and Voter-ID. This raises the concern of naturalisation of illegal migrants by fraudulent means. Given the socio-economic complexities of Indian society and politics, soon there may be a debate around the minority rights of the Rohingyas.

advertisement

In the absence of a law to deal with refugees, their identification and surveillance will become difficult especially when the intelligence agencies have warned the jihadi terror outfits are looking to exploit the vulnerability of Rohingyas.

REFUGEE POLICY AND A BILL

Till now the successive governments have dealt with refugee question on case by case basis. The Tibetan refugees were given the Registration Certificates and the Identity Certificates.

The Sri Lankan Tamils, who fled their country to escape persecution by the government forces when the island nation was battling with the LTTE insurgency, were classified as "camp refugees" and "non-camp refugees".

The minority refugees - Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians - from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan were allowed to stay in India on Long Term Visas.

In 2015, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor introduced a Private Member's Bill titled the Asylum Bill, 2015 in the Lok Sabha. The Bill seeks to provide for the establishment of a legal framework to deal with refugee problem. But, the Bill has not yet been taken up for consideration.

advertisement

--- 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
Over 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a Myanmar military offensive that began after a series of guerrilla attacks on August 25.

A Rohingya refugee woman wraps her child with a scarf as it drizzles in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. (Photo/REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain)

By Reuters: It was August 28, and like any other Monday for brothers Hussain and Mufisa. The two boys, aged nine and ten, waved goodbye to their parents and left for school in their village in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

When they returned, their childhood home was in flames and their parents were nowhere to be found.

They followed their neighbours into the nearby forest, where they were told their parents, Rohingya Muslims, had died at the hands of the Myanmar army in an attack on the village of Chin Khali.

advertisement

"We are very sad without our parents and feel very lonely," Hussain said, with a vacant expression, in the Kutupalong camp across the border in Bangladesh. Beside him stood his brother, his bare arms folded defensively.

With their home torched and parents dead, the two brothers were forced to flee with the other villagers, carrying nothing but their schoolbooks.

After five days walking over jungled hills and across rivers the boys arrived in Bangladesh where they were abandoned by their neighbours and left to sleep on the side of the road.

They are not the only children to have been orphaned or separated from their families in the explosion of violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine State.

Over 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a Myanmar military offensive that began after a series of guerrilla attacks on August 25 on security posts and an army camp in which about a dozen people were killed.

Numerous Rohingya villages in the north of Rakhine have been torched but authorities in Buddhist-majority Myanmar have denied that security forces or Buddhist civilians set the fires. They blame the insurgents, and say 30,000 non-Muslim villagers were also displaced.

The United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, has so far identified 1,312 unaccompanied or separated Rohingya children among the latest arrivals in Bangladesh - a number they fear will increase over the coming days, Jean Lieby, head of child protection at UNICEF Bangladesh, said by phone on Monday.

UNICEF estimates that an "unprecedented" 60 percent of new refugees in Bangladesh are children.

"We are particularly concerned about the separated children," Jean-Jacques Simon at UNICEF South Asia told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Trafficking, child labour, exploitation - you name it, these children are vulnerable."

In the sprawling refugee camps that have sprung up along Bangladesh's southern frontier, UNICEF has set up tented spaces for the children to play safely.

But along the roadsides or among the muddy lanes of these squalid camps, thousands of Rohingya children beg for food or money.

Rohingya refugees shelter from the rain in a camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh (Photo/REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton)

TRAFFICKING RISK

Bangladesh was recently downgraded to a Tier 2 "Watch List" country in the US State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report, reflecting increased concerns about government efforts to combat trafficking.

advertisement

The report expressed particular concern for country's Rohingya population arguing their "stateless status and inability to receive aid and work legally increases their vulnerability to human trafficking."

"We have already heard that there is the recruitment of children for exploitative domestic servitude jobs within the refugee camps" said UNICEF's Lieby.

Early marriage was also a risk for Rohingya refugee girls, whose families have too many mouths to feed.

Earlier this year, a UN survey found that over half of Rohingya girls who fled to Malaysia, India and Indonesia became child brides.

YOUNG AND VULNERABLE

In the Bangladeshi camp, 10-year-old Noor Kajol is one of those vulnerable.

The young girl fled northern Rakhine State after the military shot her father in the head while the two of them were brushing their teeth, she said.

The eldest of five siblings in a fatherless household, she is now particularly at risk of exploitation.

"We are hungry and have not had much food," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from her dingy shelter, deep inside what is called the new Kutupalong settlement.

advertisement

The abduction and trafficking of minors is not a new threat faced in Bangladesh, which has been hosting hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees since the 1990s. In the first half of 2017, aid group Action contre la Faim (ACF) recorded the disappearance of 16 Rohingya children.

But the sheer scale of the recent influx makes the new settlements fertile territory for traffickers, and it is not just the unaccompanied or separated children who are at risk, said Lieby.

"New families are vulnerable because they have lost everything and they need income so they are more inclined to hand their children over to harmful entities," he said. "Our message is don't give you child to anyone you don't know."

Hussain and Mufisa are safe for now, having been taken in by fellow refugee Zafor Ahmed, a stranger who found the boys crying by the side of the road.

They now live in the Kutupalong camp in Zafor's family home - a precarious shelter made from two sheets of muddied tarpaulin and sticks of bamboo. At night they sleep body-to-body, a wicker mat the only barrier between them and the sodden earth.

"I already have a family of six, so it is difficult to all live under the same tarpaulin hut," said 45-year-old Zafor.

advertisement

"But it is not safe for them on their own so I am happy to look after them until the government of Bangladesh or another organisation can take responsibility."

--- ENDS ---
China plans further high temperature reactor innovation

19 September 2017

Share

China is moving rapidly towards using nuclear power as an industrial heat source and as a direct replacement for coal, Yulong Wu, CEO of Chinergy, told a side event at the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) General Conference today.

Five years into the HTR-PM program, technical tests of most innovative components and materials are complete, and on-site the reactor vessel and some non-fuel graphite spheres are loaded. The design sees two pebble-bed reactors cooled by helium produce 250 MWt MWt each and drive one steam turbine to produce 210 MWe net. It can be configured for varying ratios of electricity and heat.

Applications for HTR-PM include direct replacement of coal-fired power plants, while its heat could be used for desalination of seawater for human consumption, production of hydrogen, or a wide range of other high temperature heat applications in industry.

Decarbonising heating and cooling



In a subsequent session on innovation in nuclear and its contribution to meeting the Paris Agreement climate goals, Cecilia Tam of the International Energy Agency said that while many new technologies are decarbonising electricity, "There is not enough discussion of how heating and cooling can be decarbonised." She said, "Heating and cooling is about one-third of primary energy consumption and about 45% of final energy use. Greater innovation is going to be needed here."

At the construction site in Shidaowan, in Shandong province, the steam generators and reactor vessel are in final installation, said Wu. Outstanding work includes final testing of the steam generator which transfers heat from helium coolant to a water/steam loop. Wu said these should be complete by next April.

Opening the session, Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA deputy director general for nuclear energy, said: "The success of this project will establish a milestone for the nuclear industry. It will pave the way for others."

Beyond HTR-PM, China proposes a scaled-up version called HTR-PM600, which sees one large turbine rated at 650 MWe driven by some six HTR-PM reactor units.

Feasibility studies on HTR-PM600 deployment are underway for Sanmen, Zhejiang province, Ruijin, Jiangxi province, Xiapu and Wan'an, in Fujian province, and Bai'an, Guangdong province.

The reactor concept is a focus for cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia, which would like to use nuclear energy for electricity and production of drinking water through desalination. The countries signed a cooperation agreement in March under which China Nuclear Energy Engineering Group (CNEC) and the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) are to consider the development of system solutions for the investment and construction of high temperature reactors. They will also examine cooperation in intellectual property and the development of an industrial supply chain in Saudi Arabia. The feasibility study, it said, will also support the Saudi government in its decisions related to a potential high temperature reactor project.

CNEC said that since the signing of that MOU, the two countries have been looking at site selection for the project, building a regulatory system, and training personnel, among other things.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
NuScale highlights non-power uses of its SMR

19 September 2017

Share

The NuScale Power Module design has "some unique features that help with alternative uses of nuclear power", Thomas Bergman, NuScale's vice president for regulatory affairs, told the World Nuclear Association's Symposium, held in London last week. The company has completed five collaborative studies on non-power applications of its small modular reactor (SMR) technology, he said.

Bergman discussing uses for NuScale's SMR (Image: World Nuclear Association)

Bergman told delegates that NuScale's mission is to provide scalable advanced nuclear technology for the production of electricity, heat and water to improve the quality of life for people around the world.

"NuScale has completed five collaborative studies to look at alternative uses of the NuScale Power Module to support that mission," he said. The studies have looked at desalination to provide clean water; hydrogen production for both fuel and chemical feedstock; providing clean air by reducing carbon emissions at oil refineries - "a technology you don't often think partnering with nuclear", Bergman said. "Similarly, we have looked at a study combining one of our modules with a wind farm. We don't see wind and solar as opponents. We do believe nuclear and renewables go hand in hand." The company has also looked at the provision of reliable power to certain areas or facilities.

NuScale conducted an initial study with its major owner Fluor of coupling a NuScale plant to an oil refinery. This was for a ten-module plant coupled to a 250,000 barrels per day refinery. The study found some 190 tonnes per hour of carbon dioxide emissions could be avoided through this application.

A study was also carried out with the Idaho National Laboratory on hydrogen production using high temperature steam. The study focused on using high-temperature steam electrolysis and evaluated technical issues, including topping heat and energy recuperation. The study also evaluated economic issues, including the impact of natural gas prices. It found that a six-module NuScale plant can produce 190 tonnes per day of hydrogen and 1500 tonnes of oxygen per day. Only 2% of the electrical output from the power plant is needed to increase the process steam temperature to 850C while producing no carbon emissions.

NuScale also undertook a study with Aquatech International on the use of the NuScale Power Module for water desalination. The study looked at using an eight-module plant to produce 50 million gallons per day of clean water plus 340 MWe to the grid - sufficient to support a city of around 300,000 people.

The study considered all three leading desalination technologies - reverse osmosis (RO), multi-stage flash (MSF) desalination and multi-effect desalination (MED) - and evaluated technical aspects of coupling a NuScale plant with these. The study compared water production rates and economic efficiencies for each technology. For RO, a single dedicated NuScale module was found to produce up to 340,000 cubic meters of potable water. One module was also found able to produce about 30,000 cubic meters of clean water using steam extraction, plus 30 MW of power, when coupled with MSF technology. For MED technology, one module produces some 50,000 cubic meters of water through steam extraction, plus 30 MW of electricity.he

A study with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) and Energy Northwest considered NuScale's capabilities for following electric load requirements as they vary with demand and variable output from renewables. The study looked at the use of a single NuScale module to balance output from the 58 MWe wind farm at UAMPS's Horse Butte site in southern Idaho.

According to Bergman, there are three ways of changing the power output from a NuScale plant. The first is by taking one or more modules offline for extended period of low grid demand or sustained wind output. The second is to adjust reactor power for one or more modules over intermediate time frames, while the third, which is suitable for short time frames, is to bypass turbine steam to the condenser.

"You can't really operate a nuclear power plant like that, just on control rods and fuel," he noted.

"There are certain parts of the country or industries that need very reliable power - they can't afford to go without power," he said. "We call that critical infrastructure and we did a study showing what kind of reliability you can achieve with NuScale depending on your power needs."

Connection to a micro-grid and the ability for 100% turbine bypass allows a NuScale plant to assure 100 MWe net power at 99.99% reliability over a 60-year operating life.

"Our design has some unique features that help with these alternative uses of nuclear power," Bergman said.

NuScale's self-contained SMR design houses the reactor core, pressuriser and steam generator inside a single containment vessel. It relies on convection, not pumps, to circulate water in the primary circuit. A single module can generate 50 MWe (gross) of electricity and is just under 25 meters in length, 4.6 meters in diameter and weighs around 450 tonnes. A power plant could include as many as 12 NuScale modules to produce as much as 600 MWe (gross).

In December, NuScale submitted the first-ever SMR design certification application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which the NRC accepted on 15 March. The first commercial NuScale power plant is planned for construction on the site of the Idaho National Laboratory for Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems and operated by Energy Northwest.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
European group calls for JCPOA support

19 September 2017

Share

Seventy-six European leaders from 20 countries have called on the US Administration to preserve the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran. In a statement issued by the European Leadership Network (ELN) think tank, they also urge the JCPOA's European signatories to make clear their continued support for the nuclear deal.

P5+1 and Iranian leaders pictured at JCPOA negotiations in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2015 (Image: Jean-Guy Python/EU)

The US Administration is next month to conclude a review of its relations with Iran and is required to report to Congress on whether Tehran is still complying with the JCPOA, which was signed in July 2015 by Iran and the E3/EU+3 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the USA - also referred to as the P5+1 - plus the European Union) and implemented in January 2016. Under its terms, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment activities, eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium and limit its stockpile of low enriched uranium over the next 15 years.

The signatories say they are "greatly concerned" by reports that the US Administration might unilaterally declare Tehran to be non-compliant with the JCPOA. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - which is responsible for verifying and monitoring Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the plan - has recently confirmed that Iran continues to comply with the terms of the agreement.

"Unilateral US action that jeopardised the JCPOA would be a grave mistake," the statement says, adding that it would harm US interests and credibility in Europe and elsewhere; damage cooperation in the UN Security Council; and make it harder to keep Iran and its region non-nuclear and more difficult for the USA "and her Allies" to tackle "unacceptable" Iranian behaviour. "Would it make sense to precipitate a second nuclear crisis alongside that with North Korea?" the statement asks.

Recognising that the JCPOA "does not pretend" to remove all grounds for "mutual hostility", the ELN says the agreement has succeeded in its "sole purpose" of closing off pathways to Iran's potential acquisition of a nuclear weapon. Since the agreement, it notes, Iran has dismantled two-thirds of its uranium enrichment centrifuges, capped enrichment by the remainder, reduced its uranium stockpile, halted work on a plutonium production reactor, and allowed "unprecedented" access to its nuclear facilities and supply chain. This has "materially improved" the outlook for European and world security, it said.

"For as long as Iran complies, the agreement deserves to be defended," the ELN said. Unilateral action "by any side" would weaken the deal and play into the hands of "hardliners" who wish to subvert it. Jeopardising the agreement "would not make Iran less likely to acquire nuclear weapons", it notes. It also says US concerns "would gain more respect and support if pursued multilaterally".

Europe "has a larger stake" in the strict enforcement of the JCPOA than does the USA and "at this moment should not stand idly by", the statement says. It calls on the deal's European signatories - that is, the EU and the German, French, Russian and UK governments - to "make clear publicly as well as privately in Washington" their ongoing support for the deal and willingness to work to see it continue, even in the absence of US participation.

[N]ot certifying Iranian compliance when the IAEA says Iran is in compliance would be unwarranted and they [the European JCPOA signatories] would not be in a position to support the US on this in the Security Council," it says.

The statement urges President Donald Trump and the US Congress to "address the facts of Iranian compliance" on the terms of the deal and not on other points; to consider that the JCPOA "cannot be expected to solve non-nuclear issues"; to address any concerns over compliance multilaterally; to work towards the possibility of increasing the duration and extending the scope of the deal; and to "[a]ccept that the fastest path to an Iranian nuclear weapon would be to undermine this agreement".

The statement's signatories come from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and the UK. They include George Robertson, former UK defence secretary and NATO secretary general; Wolfgang Ischinger, chair of the Munich Security Conference; Javier Solana, former EU high representative and NATO secretary general; and Igor Ivanov, former Russian foreign minister.

The ELN is a non-partisan, non-profit organisation working to advance the idea of a "cooperative and cohesive" Europe and to develop a collaborative European capacity to address foreign, defence and security policy challenges through its network of former and emerging European political, military, and diplomatic leaders. The London-based organisation says it "conceives of Europe in its widest sense" including Russia, Turkey and Ukraine as well as the EU.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News





Related topics
Four institutions give out the yearly Nobel Prizes to individuals who make notable contributions to the fields of peace, economics, literature, medicine or physiology, physics, and chemistry. All the awards aside from economics were unveiled in 1895 as stated by Alfred Nobel's will. The Sveriges Riksbank inaugurated the Economics Prize in 1968. A Nobel winner gets a medal and a diploma in addition to a cash prize. Forty-eight women have been honored with Nobel Prizes. Marie Curie made history in 1903 when she received the first Nobel prize won by a woman, and she was awarded another Nobel prize in 1911. In this article, we look at other women who have made amazing contributions to their field and who have been recognized with a Nobel Prize.

10. Marie Sklodowska Curie

Marie Sklodowska was born in 1867 in Warsaw which was then part of the Kingdom of Poland and the larger Russian Empire. She undertook studies in the Flying University in Warsaw and started practical scientific training in the city. She gained higher degrees in Paris where she continued with scientific work. Alongside Pierre Curie, she collaborated on scientific projects which Marie continued after Pierre's death in 1906. Achievements credited to Marie include the discovery of radium and polonium, the development of the theory of radioactivity, the development of the methods for isolating radioactive isotopes, the establishing of the Curie Institutes in Warsaw and Paris, and the development of mobile radiography units during the 1st World War to offer X-rays services to field health centers. Marie and Pierre got the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics while Marie was awarded the 1911 Noble Prize in Chemistry.

9. Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai was born in a remote area in Kenya known as Nyeri. Maathai acquired a degree in biology from Mount St. Scholastica College situated in Atchison, Kansas which now goes by the name of Benedictine College. Maathai proceeded to the University of Pittsburgh where she obtained a master's in biology. Maathai undertook doctoral studies in both Germany and Nairobi and instructed veterinary anatomy at the University of Nairobi. In her various work positions, Professor Maathai became enlightened on the effects of environmental degradation, and she created the Green Belt Movement with the aim of making it a grassroots movement to champion tree planting and environmental protection. Professor Maathai gained international renown for her conservation work and also as an agitator for democracy and human rights. Maathai's contributions to these fields earned her the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.

8. Francoise Barre Sinoussi

Francoise Barre Sinoussi is a virologist based in France where she is the Regulation of Retroviral Infections Division's director. Barre Sinoussi was born in Paris on July 30, 1947, and she began working at the Pasteur Institute in Paris in the 1970s. Barre Sinoussi obtained her Ph.D. in 1975 and undertook an internship in the National Institutes of Health in the US. In 1983, Barre Sinoussi discovered HIV which was found to be the cause of AIDS. Over the years, Barre Sinoussi has extensively researched on the virus, and she has even collaborated with developing nations to control and manage the disease. Barre Sinoussi was honored with the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine together with Luc Montagnier.

7. Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai is best acknowledged as the youngest Nobel laureate to ever receive the distinction. Malala was born in Mingora in Pakistan in 1997 where her family came to manage a network of schools. In early 2009, Malala contributed to a BBC blog under a pseudonym where she explained her life under Taliban occupation. Malala gained prominence after a documentary was aired about her. In October of 2012, a Taliban gunman attempted to murder her. After she recovered, Malala dedicated herself to education activism especially for girls and went on to unveil the Malala Fund which is a non-profit. Malala's activism earned her the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize together with Kailash Satyarthi.

6. Tawakel Karman

Tawakel Karman was born in Yemen in 1979 and went on to earn a Political Science Graduate Degree from Sana'a University. In 2005, Karman in collaboration with seven other female journalists, founded Women Journalists Without Chains with the aim to champion for human rights. Between 2007 to 2010, Karman led numerous sit-ins and demonstrations in Tahrir Square in Sana'a. Karman gained international recognition in the 2011 Yemeni uprising where she actively took part in the protests. Karman is often called the "Mother of the Revolution" and the "Iron Woman." Karman accepted the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

5. Tu Youyou

Tu Youyou works as a pharmaceutical chemist and educator in China. She undertook studies at the Peking University Medical School after which she began working at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Studies of traditional medicine led Tu Youyou to extract artemisinin from sweet wormwood. The substance proved effective in inhibiting the malaria parasite and drugs based on this substance have resulted in the improvement of health and the saving of millions of lives. Tu Youyou was honored with the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

4. Alice Munro

Alice Munro is a renowned short-story author from Canada. She started writing while still a teenager and got a two-year scholarship to major in English and Journalism at Western University in Ontario. In 1968, Munro published "Dance of the Happy Shades" to critical acclaim, earning her the Governor General's Award. Munro's literary career has been focused on the short story genre. Most of her writings are set in small towns while their themes are often moral conflicts and relationship challenges. Munro is regarded as a master architect of contemporary short stories, and she was honored with the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature.

3. Ada E. Yonath

Ada E. Yonath is a crystallographer based in Israel. Yonath was born to Hillel and Esther Lifshitz in Jerusalem, and she gained a bachelors and masters degree in chemistry from Jerusalem's Hebrew University. She undertook doctoral studies at the Weizmann Institute of Science where she also undertakes research work. Yonath's research resulted in the mapping of the precise structure of ribosomes using x-ray crystallography. This breakthrough has been significant in the production of antibiotics. Yonath was honored with the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

2. Leymah Gbowee

Leymah Gbowee is of Liberian nationality where she has made significant contributions to the restoration of peace. Gbowee grew up in Monrovia, and her dreams of studying medicine were cut short in 1990 when rebel soldiers under the command of Charles Taylor marched into the country from Ivory Coast. The soldiers were determined to overthrow Samuel Doe the then Liberian President. Gbowee and her family moved to a Ghanaian refugee camp, and upon return in 1991, she was appalled by the senseless violence. Gbowee reached out to Muslim and Christian women who collaborated on the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace Movement. The movement attracted thousands of women who marched in Monrovia wearing white T-shirts. The protests resulted in the resignation of Charles Taylor and set the stage for the ascension of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Liberia's head of state. Gbowee's work earned her the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

1. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is notably known as the first African woman to be an elected President. Sirleaf was born in Monrovia and undertook studies in Liberia and the US. Sirleaf came second to Charles Taylor in the 1997 presidential election after which she went into exile in the city of Abidjan. Following the end of the Civil War in Liberia, Sirleaf represented the Unity Party as the presidential candidate in 2005 which she won. Among Sirleafs many awards include the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.
Luanda is the most populous and capital city of Angola. The city, located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, hosts a population of about 6 million. It is the countrys chief seaport and also serves as Angolas major industrial and cultural center. It is the worlds most populated Portuguese-speaking capital city.

How Did Luanda Become The Capital City Of Angola?

Luanda was founded by Paulo Dias de Novais, a Portuguese explorer, on January 25, 1576. A Hundred families and 400 settlers were the first to settle down in the area. Several forts were built in the city by the Portuguese. From 1550 to 1836, Luanda served as the center of the slave trade to Brazil. An economic revolution started in Luanda in the 19th century when the city emerged as one of the Portuguese Empires most developed cities outside of Europe. The port in Luanda became one of the worlds busiest ports and industry thrived in the city. Timber, ivory, coffee, cocoa, and several more products were exported from this city. Luanda thus became one of the most expensive cities in the world during the 19th century.

Thus, when Angola finally became independent in 1975, Luanda was already a well-developed, modern city and was designated as the capital of Angola. The city had a small but dominant white Portuguese population while the majority were Black Africans. When the Angolan Civil War began in 1975, most whites left the city to seek refuge in Europe. The natives lacked the necessary skills and education to keep the city running well. Also, immigration into the city from the less developed parts of Angola led to a rapid growth of slums in the city and an increase in unemployment rates, and poverty followed. It was only after the end of the civil war in 2002 that the profits from the oil and diamond trade once more boosted the economy of Luanda.

Climate Of The Capital City Of Angola

Luanda experiences a hot semi-arid climate. The temperature remains warm throughout the year and fog prevents the temperature from falling at night. Due to the influence of the cool Benguela Current, Luanda is extremely dry with June to October being the driest months. Maximum rainfall occurs in the months of March and April.

The Demographics Of The Capital Of Angola

Luanda is mainly inhabited by African ethnic groups but also has a significant population of ethnic Portuguese, Latin Americans (especially Brazilians), and a sizeable Chinese community. Portuguese is the official and most commonly spoken language of the city. Some indigenous Bantu languages are also spoken. The Bakongo, Ovimbundu, and Ambundu are the major African ethnic groups living in Luanda.

Luanda has experienced a dramatic increase in population in recent years but this rise has been accompanied by increased crime rates in the city due to higher poverty and unemployment levels.

Economy Of Angolas Capital City

Luanda has a heavily oil-dependent economy. The city houses petroleum refineries and manufactures textiles, cement, cigarettes, beverages, etc. The natural harbor of the city serves as an important port of export of several items like diamonds, salt, iron, cotton, etc. Luanda also has a thriving building industry.

Despite the economic wealth, 53% of the citys population is poor. Luanda houses nearly one-third of the population of the entire country. With such a high population, it becomes difficult to cater to the needs of the city people. Thus, health and hygiene facilities, safe drinking water, electricity, and other facilities are not adequate to cater to the needs of Luandas growing population. There is a huge gap in the lifestyle between those of the citys rich and poor sections. The city is one of the most expensive ones for foreign residents as a heavy import tariff is levied on most imported products to encourage the domestic market to produce domestic goods.

Transport Infrastructure In Luanda

The capital of Angola is served by the Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, the largest in the country. The Luanda railway also starts from the city. Luanda is also home to the countrys largest port. However, the roads of the city are poorly developed and highly congested. Large-scale reconstruction projects have been launched by the government to improve the condition of the roads. Private taxis, minibuses, and suburban railway serves are the means of public transit in the city.
By PTI: Los Angeles, Sep 19 (PTI) Production on the Netflix hip- hop movie, "The After Party," starring Kyle, Wiz Khalifa and French Montana has started.

Def Pictures has teamed with Live Nation Productions, WorldStar Hip Hop, and Hunting Lane Films for the comedy, reported Variety.

The coming-of-age film is written and directed by Ian Edelman.

The movie has a music business theme, following two buddies looking to land a record deal before one heads to college and the other to the military. The story takes place during "one wild night," but will shoot for six weeks in New York, including on location at The Meadows Music and Arts Festival at Citi Field in Queens, and a live concert at the Gramercy Theater.

advertisement

The movie also stars Teyana Taylor, Jordan Rock, Blair Underwood, Harrison Holzer and Shelley Hennig and will feature a number of celebrity cameos. PTI SHD SHD

--- ENDS ---
Despite government threats and a campaign of intimidation, 22,000 workers at the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) in Sri Lanka are continuing to strike. The stoppage, which began last Wednesday, has disrupted power supplies in several areas of the island.

The unions covering technical engineers and superintendents have also threatened to join the strike after the government reneged on a promised salary increase of 10 to 13 percent. Those unions said they may hold a two-day protest strike starting today, then consider whether to continue the action.

The power workers strike was called by the CEB Joint Trade Union Alliance (JTUA), a combination of unions. These include: the Ceylon Electricity Employees Union (CEEU), controlled by the opposition Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) as well as the Sri Lanka Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya (SLNSS) and Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS), affiliated to the ruling coalition of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP).

The unions have sought to limit the strike to demands that wage discrepancies be rectified. The stoppage, however, is an expression of growing anger in the working class over the governments attacks on social conditions.

Other demands include an end to the exploitation of national vocational trainees and repressive measures directed at the unions, along with the payment of risk allowances to technical workers.

The unions are also calling for the resolution of a fraud case involving the CEB employees provident fund over accusations that up to 5 billion rupees was misplaced and allegedly invested in treasury fund bills.

The unions have sought to divert anger among workers into demands that top CEB officials and engineers be punished over large salary increases.

According to the JTUA, the salary disparity between lower grades and executive positions has expanded to a ratio of 1:9 because of pay increases for the latter. The unions are demanding it be reduced to the previous ratio of 1:6.

The CEB has employed hundreds of trainees from the National Vocational Training Authority and contract workers to slash costs. They are paid between 750 and 1,000 rupees a day. Though the JTUA has postured as an opponent of this exploitation, it has not demanded that they be given permanency and salary increases.

Amid government fears that the strike could become the focal point of a broader movement of the working class, the military has expressed its readiness to intervene.

Military spokesman Roshan Seneviratne told the media on Sunday that since the start of the strike, security forces have been on stand-by to assist in CEB operations. In July, the government imposed an essential services order, which was used as the pretext to deploy the army to break a strike of Ceylon Petroleum Cooperation (CPC) workers.

The union leaders are also in backdoor talks with the government aimed at ending the stoppage.

After the failure of negotiations with CEB authorities, the JTUA, headed by CEEU general secretary and JVP leader Ranjan Jayalal, held talks with labour minister W.D.J. Seneviratne last night. JSS union leaders met with law and order minister Sagala Ratnayake, reportedly asking him to request that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe intervene in the dispute.

These sordid union moves come amid a government campaign to intimidate workers. Before the strike, CEB authorities cancelled leave for all workers. Last Thursday, the government demanded that all casual and probation employees immediately report for work, warning that those who did not would be deemed as having resigned from their posts.

The JTUA was compelled to call the strike amid growing anger among their members over government attacks on conditions. However, the aim of the unions is not to organize a genuine struggle to defend workers rights, but to let off steam and suppress mounting opposition.

Since 2015, the JTUA has organized a series of campaigns over the same demands. Each time, it has used the governments bogus promises to shut down any further action.

CEB workers who spoke to WSWS outlined the deterioration of their working conditions.

A technical worker from Chilaw said: My monthly income is 50,000 rupees [$US326]. I have two children who are still at school. My salary is not enough to manage family expenses when the cost of living is rising.

I am a member of the United National Party and I voted for this government in the last election. But it is no different from the former Rajapakse government. All of them are responsible for the situation at CEB. They are all complicit in handing over electricity generation and distribution to the private sector.

A maintenance worker from Weligama in Matara said: We are continuing our struggle and the workers in different unions have united for the fight. But I dont believe that the government will give us our demands.

To prevent the emergence of working class pickets and demonstrations, the union has promoted religious spectacles as a diversion. On September 13, the unions organized an event outside CEBs Colombo head office, breaking coconuts and calling for workers to pray to God.

Ranjan Jayalal said union leaders would meet with senior Buddhist leaders. He called on workers to meet monks in their villages to organise protest campaigns at CEB offices.

These actions show the utter bankruptcy of the unions, which promote religious and communal divisions along with the fraud that protests will force concessions from the government.

In reality, the attacks on CEB workers are part of a broader austerity agenda dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), including for the privatization and restructuring of state-owned enterprises. The IMF has demanded that the CEB, CPC, Water Board and Ports should be fully commercialised, claiming their debts are a burden on the economy.

According to recent reports, the CEB operated at a loss of 16.6 billion rupees in the first four months of 2017. This was an increase of 197 percent over the same period last year. The IMF has also called for increased consumer prices and service charges to mitigate the losses. This will deepen the social crisis facing working people.

A partial privatisation of the CEB began in 1990. In 2009, the Rajapakse government passed a bill to outsource the generation and distribution of power, which provoked widespread resistance from workers. The unions diverted opposition into a bankrupt protest campaign based on limited demands. They have never called for a struggle against privatisation.

An IMF report on Sri Lanka on July 27 declared that the further delay of SOE (state owned enterprises) reforms, including at the CEB, was a major risk facing the country. The government will inevitably seek to eliminate this risk by pushing through further privatisation and by slashing jobs, working conditions and wages.
The New Zealand election on September 23 poses the urgent need for an internationalist and socialist movement of the working class. Whatever its outcome, the election will not address the great issues of the day that confront workers and young people: the failure of capitalism as an economic system; growing international tensions and the undeniable danger of world war; and the unprecedented levels of social inequality wracking society.

Seeking to reverse its economic decline and maintain its dominant global position, US imperialism has waged 25 years of bloody interventions and warsagainst Iraq, in the Balkans, Africa, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. It is now threatening North Korea and Iran, and has adopted the most confrontational stance toward nuclear-armed Russia and China.

While strategic think-tanks around the world openly discuss a catastrophic conflict breaking out between the US and China, every section of the political establishment in New Zealand has collaborated, throughout the election campaign, to prevent any debate on the countrys role as a minor imperialist partner of Washington. Not a word of opposition has been aired on the hosting of US spy bases or participation in its Five Eyes intelligence network. Following the Trump administrations murderous threats to rain fire and fury on North Koreaan implicit reference to the use of nuclear weaponsthe National Party government said it would consider joining such a war, while the opposition Labour Party refused to rule it out.

As an ally of the US and Australia, the preoccupation of the New Zealand ruling class and its parties is to prepare for the prospect of war by promoting nationalism and stoking anti-Chinese xenophobia. This has reached new heights with the hysterical accusations, in the course of the campaign, that a Chinese immigrant National Party member of parliament is a Chinese Communist Party spy.

At the same time, the ruling elite is terrified that class tensions are reaching breaking point. Decades of attacks on wages, working conditions, social services and welfare for the working class have led to immense alienation and anger. A recent survey found that 64 percent of the population believe the economy is rigged in favour of the rich, while 56 percent believe no party represents their interests. That is why every effort has been made, during the campaign, to try and revive illusions that Labour is a lesser evil to the National Party, and to confine the working class to the bankrupt parliamentary perspective of electing a Labour government yet again.

The Socialist Equality Group (SEG), the New Zealand supporters of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), advances the internationalist, socialist and revolutionary alternative. The SEG does not endorse Labour or any other party or candidate. Against nationalism, xenophobia and militarism, we fight for the unity of New Zealand workers with workers around the world to establish socialism and put an end to the capitalist profit systemthe cause of war, exploitation and oppression.

With this statement, we appeal to workers, students and young people to draw the necessary conclusions from your experiences, join the SEG and build it as the New Zealand section of the ICFI, the world Trotskyist movement.

The National Party government and the social crisis

Support for all the major parties has undergone a historic collapse, reflected in the record abstention of about a million people during the past two elections, in a country of just 4.8 million.

For nine years the National Party government, supported by Labour, has imposed the burden of the 2008 financial crisis on the working class, overseeing a massive transfer of wealth to the rich. Austerity measures have included the partial privatisation of power companies and the sale of mining company Solid Energy; thousands of job cuts throughout the public sector; drastic underfunding of health and education; pushing thousands of people off welfare; tax cuts for corporations and high income earners; and an increase in the Goods and Services Tax from 12.5 to 15 percent.

Wages have plummeted over the past 30 years, while living costs, especially housing, have sky-rocketed. Real median incomes for under-25-year-olds almost halved between 1986 and 2006, and incomes for all age groups have continued to fall since.

An average Auckland house now costs $1 million, placing the city among the least affordable in the world. Meanwhile one percent of the population 42,000 people are homeless, the highest rate out of 41 developed nations, according to a Yale University study. Some 290,000 children, or one in four, live in poverty, and last year there were 43,000 hospitalisations for poverty-related diseases. The social crisis has contributed to New Zealand having the OECDs highest suicide rate for 15- to 19-year-olds, at 15.6 per 100,000, twice as high as in the US.

At the other end of the social scale, the countrys super-rich, profiting from property speculation and other parasitic activities, have almost doubled their assets since the 2008 recession, from $44.4 billion to $80 billion, according to the annual Rich List. The two richest New Zealanders have more wealth than the poorest 30 percent.

These historic levels of social inequality are driving workers toward explosive social struggles.

Fear of the eruption of the class struggle lies behind the governments turn to militarism, attacks on democratic rights and preparations for domestic repression. It has expanded military training exercises with the US, sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan and declared that it would consider joining a war against North Korea. At the same time, it has built the scaffolding of a police state, by strengthening the powers of the intelligence agencies to spy on the population. It is now contesting the election with reactionary appeals to law and order, including pledges to increase police powers and send youth offenders to a military-run boot camp.

The Labour Party prepares a new trap for the working class

Until recently the National Party government appeared likely to win a fourth term in office, despite mass opposition to its policies and the shock resignation last December of Prime Minister John Key. For the past three elections, the Labour Party has been incapable of making any popular appeal, for the simple reason that it agreed with Nationals austerity agenda. In 2014, Labour recorded its worst vote in 92 years. For most of this year, it was polling just above 25 percent and faced yet another debacle.

The August 1 elevation to Labours leadership of 37-year-old Jacinda Ardernits fifth leader since 2008was a desperate manoeuver to stave off electoral disaster. A significant section of the corporate media, along with the trade unions and pseudo-left groups, have swung behind Ardern and are now frantically promoting Labour. Within little more than a month, Labour overtook National in the polls, on the basis of Arderns populist claims that she would address aspects of the social crisis.

The so-called Jacindamania reflects the definite desire for far-reaching change among workers and young people. Ardern, however, did not create this sentiment and she is only its temporary beneficiary. Like British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and US Democrat Bernie Sanders, she is being promoted to keep the working class trapped behind a pro-imperialist, establishment party which, if elected, will only deepen the assault on living standards and preparations for war.

Arderns pledges to eliminate child poverty and homelessness and introduce free post-secondary education are worthless rhetoric. The Labour Party and its main ally, the Greens, have assured the financial elite that they will abide by budget responsibility rules. These include reducing government debt and keeping core spending below 30 percent of gross domestic productdown from 35 percent in 2008. Any token increase in spending in one area would be matched by deeper cuts in another.

Labour fully backs New Zealands alliance with the US and its alignment with Washingtons preparations for a military confrontation with China. As war approaches, more and more funds will be diverted from social programs to fund the military. Last year, the Greens endorsed Nationals plan to spend $20 billion over 15 years on upgrading the military, to ensure that ships and aircraft were interoperable with the US and other allied forces. Both Labour and NZ First responded by attacking the government from the right, insisting that this figure was not high enough.

Labour and the Greens, together with the Trump-like NZ First and the Maori nationalist Mana Party, are at the forefront of whipping up racism and anti-immigrant xenophobia. The opposition parties have criticised the National Partys links with Chinese businesses and sought to blame Chinese migrants and investors for the lack of affordable housing, low wages, the drugs epidemic, and over-stretched hospitals, schools and public transport. Crowning Labours reactionary nationalist agenda, Ardern has vowed to slash immigrant numbers by up to 30,000 per year, or more than 40 percent.

Labour supports strengthening the spy agencies and agrees with the right-wing law-and-order pledge to boost police numbers. It is no accident that Greg OConnor, the former leader of the police union, who has defended a spate of shootings by police and called for all officers to be equipped with firearms, is campaigning as a Labour candidate in Wellington.

Labour and the Greens have also sent clear signals that there will be no let-up in the assault on welfare under any government they form. Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei was pressured to resign in August after revealing her own history as a welfare recipient and calling for a small increase in benefit levels. Turei was attacked by members of her own party and denounced as a criminal by Ardern because, in order to survive as a single parent, she had claimed above her entitlement.

The historical record of Labour

The Labour Party must be judged not on Arderns false promises but on its record.

For more than a century, the Labour Party has served as the most reliable prop of capitalist rule. It was founded by the trade unions and Social Democrats in 1916 to divert the growing opposition to World War I into a limited campaign against conscription. The first Labour government came to power in 1935, following the working class riots of the Great Depression. It implemented certain reforms to save capitalism from a revolutionary challenge by the working class, then took the country into the second imperialist world war.

Now, in the most severe global crisis since the 1930s, an operation is underway to revive the Labour Party as a mechanism to suppress mass opposition to the entire parliamentary set-up.

Social democratic parties in every country have undergone a profound transformation. They are no longer reformist organisations offering workers limited concessions, but the direct instruments utilised by finance capital to strip away the social gains made by the working class in past struggles.

The extreme poverty and inequality in New Zealand is the product of four decades of pro-business restructuring, which was launched by the 1984-1990 Labour government of Prime Minister David Lange. In response to the seismic changes in world economy brought about by the globalisation of production, Labour ditched any commitment to social reform and began dismantling New Zealands nationally regulated economy, removing any barriers to the accumulation of profit.

Lange declared: Social democrats must accept the existence of economic inequality because it is the engine which drives the economy. His government was applauded as a model in financial circles internationally, like Thatchers in Britain, Hawke and Keatings Labor governments in Australia, and the Reagan administration in the US.

During the 1980s and 90s, income inequality widened more rapidly in New Zealand than in any other OECD country. The Lange government privatised telecommunications and the steel industry, slashed corporate and top income tax rates, introduced the regressive Goods and Services Tax, university fees and the surtax on pensions. The state-owned forestry, coal mining, postal, electricity and rail services were restructured into profit-making companies, that sacked tens of thousands of workers. Agricultural subsidies and protections for manufacturing were scrapped, resulting in mass redundancies in meat processing, auto assembly and other industries.

The trade union bureaucracy collaborated with these attacks by suppressing opposition within the working class to the Labour government. The unions were transformed into adjuncts of big business and the state, declaring that workers had no alternative but to sacrifice for the national economy. When the 1990s National Party government continued Labours agenda, slashing welfare, carrying out more privatisations and attacking workers rights, hundreds of thousands of people protested. The Council of Trade Unions, however, rejected calls for a general strike and demobilised the workers.

Following these historic betrayals, tens of thousands of workers abandoned the Labour Party and the unions in disgust. The Labour Party is now little more than a shell, composed of parliamentary careerists and their families, business owners and union bureaucrats.

The 1999-2008 Labour government of Prime Minister Helen Clarksupported by the pseudo-left Alliance Party and the Greenspresided over widening social inequality. It maintained a tight spending cap and starved education and healthcare of funds. The wealthy profited from a stock market and property boom, while household and student debt soared.

Clark, whom Ardern describes as her political role model, played a major role in strengthening the countrys ties with US imperialism by sending New Zealand troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. Labour also joined the Australian-led neo-colonial interventions in East Timor and the Solomon Islands.

There can be no return to the period of national reforms. If Labour is elected, those workers and youth currently supporting Ardern will quickly be disillusioned. A Labour government would function no differently to Syriza (The Coalition of the Radical Left) in Greece, which won the 2015 election based on anti-austerity populism. Once in power, Syriza ditched its promises and collaborated with the International Monetary Fund and European governments to impose even more savage measures, including privatisations and cuts to wages, pensions, healthcare and other basic services. It strengthened the police and military to suppress opposition, and brutally cracked down on migrants and refugees.

Syriza enjoyed the enthusiastic support of all the middle class pseudo-left groups internationally, including those in New Zealand now supporting Labours campaign. The ICFI alone warned workers that Syriza was not a radical left party, but a pro-capitalist party, hostile to the workers and representing the top 10 percent of Greek society.

The role of Socialist Aotearoa and International Socialist Organisation

The pseudo-left groups Socialist Aotearoa (SA) and the International Socialist Organisation (ISO), which have close ties to the trade union bureaucracy, are campaigning on behalf of Labour and the Greens and seeking to deceive workers by promoting the illusion that these parties can be pressured to make left-wing reforms.

Praising Arderns articulate and energetic leadership, the ISO declared that a lot of working-class people have become imbued with hope  People want the reforms Labour are offering; we want them too.

Its August 28 article admitted that Arderns elevation to Labours leadership has made no real difference to the partys policy. If anything, Ardern is more a Blairite Third Way politician than [former leader Andrew] Little. It remains our duty to warn workers and students that Labour cannot be trusted to deliver on its election promises and that an Ardern-led government will be pro-capitalist.

ISO proceeded to declare that these warnings are not our opening remarks; they are conclusions to detailed arguments. The immediate task for the ISO is to participate in the election and share in the effort to get a Labour-led government.

These words underscore the duplicity and cynicism of pseudo-left politics. The ISO is campaigning for a right-wing Blairite party that it knows will attack the working class.

Similarly, Socialist Aotearoas Joe Carolan, an organiser with the Unite union, declared that with Ardern in the leadership there was a new sense of excitement, just as people have got excited about Corbyns reformism and Bernie Sanders. While admitting that Labours policies had not changed, he stated: If National were beaten by Labour and the Greens that would be good. Thats what working class people think. Thats not what sectarian little groups think.

The pseudo-lefts have flocked to Ardern, denouncing as sectarian the fight waged by the Socialist Equality Group to break the working class from Labour and all capitalist parties. Far from being socialist, the ISO, SA and similar groups such as Fightback, represent a layer of the upper middle class which has moved sharply to the right over the past three decades, in lockstep with Labour and the unions. The relatively privileged position of this layer, including union officials and academics, depends on the continued stability of New Zealand capitalism, and thus, its continuing attacks on the social position of the working class.

The pseudo-lefts are supporters of imperialist war. None of them have criticised Ardern for backing New Zealands involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq or for leaving open the possibility of joining a war against North Korea. The ISO, Socialist Aotearoa and Fightback all support the ongoing US war for regime change in Syria. They have organised demonstrations to demand Russias withdrawal from Syria and greater US military support for the Al Qaeda-linked militias fighting the Assad regime. Echoing the US State Departments propaganda, the pseudo-lefts falsely depict Russia and China as imperialist powers, in order to justify the US preparations for war against them.

Oppose nationalism and identity politics! Unite the working class!

The pseudo-left groups share political responsibility for the nationalist and anti-Chinese campaign being waged by the opposition parties. In the 2011 and 2014 elections, the International Socialist Organisation, Socialist Aotearoa and Fightback campaigned as part of the anti-immigrant, Maori nationalist Mana Party, falsely describing it as pro-poor and anti-capitalist.

The Mana Party combines calls for mild reforms, such as meals in schools, with chauvinist demands for discrimination against immigrants, especially Chinese people. After failing to win a single seat in the 2014 election, Mana joined the Greens in supporting the xenophobic NZ First leader Winston Peters in a 2015 by-election. NZ First has repeatedly attacked Chinese, Indian and Pacific Island immigrants and demonised Muslims as potential terrorists.

Mana leader Hone Harawira, who has been glorified by the pseudo-lefts, began his partys 2017 campaign by attempting to outflank NZ First from the right, calling for Chinese drug smugglers to be executed.

Manas trajectory illustrates the reactionary character of Maori nationalism, which has been promoted at every level of government, in schools, universities, and by the trade union bureaucracy, to politically divide Maori from non-Maori workers, and prevent the development of a unified movement of the working class against the political establishment and the capitalist system it defends. The only beneficiaries have been the privileged Maori elites.

Mana is campaigning in alliance with the Maori Party, which has discredited itself by being a partner in the National-led government for the past nine years. Both parties represent Maori capitalists who support for-profit charter schools and the privatisation of power companies, housing, welfare, healthcare and other servicesso long as Maori businesses can profit.

Manas main demand, supported by the pseudo-lefts, is for increased payments to Maori tribal-based businesses through Treaty of Waitangi settlements. The 1970s Labour government established the Treaty settlements process with the false claim that it would provide redress for the crimes of British colonialism and lift Maori out of poverty. Decades later, a small layer controls about $42 billion in assets, while the majority of Maori live in appalling povertywith lower life expectancy, worse health, higher unemployment and more likelihood to be incarcerated. Wealth inequality within the Maori population is about twice as high as among white New Zealanders.

The pitting of workers against one another based on race and nationality flows from attempts by the capitalist class to distract attention from the real source of social inequality: the profit system. In response, the working class must develop its own political strategy to unite as an international class, irrespective of race, nationality, gender or sexual orientation. Immigrants, who make up one quarter of the population, must be defended against incessant attempts to scapegoat them for the failure of capitalism to provide well-paid jobs to all, along with decent, affordable housing.

The fight for these social rights can only proceed in a political struggle against the racism of NZ First, and every other form of nationalism and identity politics, including Maori nationalism. New Zealand workers, Maori and non-Maori, must unite their struggles with workers in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and internationally who are facing the same attacks on jobs and living conditions, and the same threat of war.

In a globalised economy, the persistence of national borders is completely irrational and the source of war among competing capitalist powers. In opposition to the entire political establishment, the Socialist Equality Group advances the demand for open borders. Working people should be allowed to live and travel anywhere in the world, with full citizenship rights and without fear of deportation, poverty or repression.

Build the Socialist Equality Group!

The election will resolve none of the urgent problems facing the working class. As in the 1930s, the imperialist powers see no way out of their economic crisis apart from intensifying the assault on living standards, whipping up nationalism and waging war against their rivals.

The Trump administration, with his support for neo-Nazis and extreme anti-immigrant measures, is the sharpest expression of the attacks on democratic rights taking place internationally, as governments prepare to confront resistance to their reactionary agenda. In line with these preparations, huge corporations, such as Google and Facebook have begun censoring socialist and anti-war websites, especially the World Socialist Web Site, the Internet centre of the ICFI.

Workers in New Zealand will be driven into immense social struggles, which will take on an ever-more overt revolutionary, anti-capitalist and international character. The lesson of the past century, however, is that no matter how powerful the spontaneous upsurge of the working class, it cannot succeed in overthrowing capitalism in the absence of a revolutionary party and a scientific socialist perspective.

The International Committee of the Fourth International and the SEG uphold the perspective of world socialist revolution that guided the October 1917 Russian Revolution, led by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, in which the working class took power for the first time and established its own government.

The SEG bases itself on the ICFIs defence of the continuity of the socialist and internationalist perspective of the Fourth International, founded by Leon Trotsky to lead the struggle against the Stalinist betrayals of the Russian Revolution and of the international working class. The ICFI was founded in 1953 in opposition to the attempts by Michel Pablo and his followers to liquidate the Trotskyist movement into Stalinist and petty bourgeois nationalist movements. The ICFI has opposed every effort to adapt the socialist movement to bourgeois and nationalist pressures.

The SEG seeks to build a section of the ICFI, the World Party of Socialist Revolution, in New Zealand. At the centre of our political campaign is the struggle against imperialist war, based on the principles outlined in the ICFIs February 2016 statement Socialism and the Fight Against War:

* The struggle against war must be based on the working class, the great revolutionary force in society, uniting behind it all progressive elements in the population.

* The new anti-war movement must be anti-capitalist and socialist, since there can be no serious struggle against war except in the fight to end the dictatorship of finance capital and the economic system that is the fundamental cause of militarism and war.

* The new anti-war movement must therefore, of necessity, be completely and unequivocally independent of, and hostile to, all political parties and organizations of the capitalist class.

* The new anti-war movement must, above all, be international, mobilizing the vast power of the working class in a unified global struggle against imperialism.

We fight for the establishment of a workers government that will implement socialist policies, including expropriating the banks and key corporations and placing them under public ownership and the democratic control of the working class. Production must be planned and resources utilised to eradicate poverty, lift living standards and raise human culture to new heights.

We call on those who agree with this statement to contact us. Follow the World Socialist Web Site and share articles to help build its readership. Establish branches of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, the ICFIs youth movement, in schools, universities and polytechs. Attend our public meeting in Wellington on Sunday, October 1. Above all, we urge you to join the SEG!

The author also recommends:

Anti-Chinese witch-hunt against New Zealand MP

[15 September 2017]

Labour Party leader resigns ahead of New Zealand election

[4 August 2017]

New Zealand Green Party co-leader resigns

[12 August 2017]

Pseudo-left International Socialist Organisation backs Labour, Greens in election

[9 August 2017]
Facebook has turned over detailed information on political ad purchases by accounts allegedly linked to Russia to special counsel Robert Mueller, according to a report Friday by the Wall Street Journal, confirmed in further media reports over the weekend.

Mueller is heading the Justice Department investigation into claims of Russian interference in the 2016 US election and collusion by the Trump campaign. He has hired more than a dozen top-level attorneys, including experts in financial crimes such as money-laundering.

The probe has focused recently on a handful of top former Trump aides, such as one-time campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who have well known ties to Russian investors. Last month, FBI agents staged an extraordinary pre-dawn raid on Manaforts residence in Alexandria, Virginia, armed with a search warrant for documents and other materials.

The special counsel has told the White House that he intends to interview former chief of staff Reince Priebus; former press spokesman Sean Spicer; White House Counsel Don McGahn and his deputy, James Burnham; the new White House communications chief, Hope Hicks; and Josh Raffel, an aide and spokesman for Trumps son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner.

Muellers investigators apparently obtained another search warrant for information about several hundred Facebook accounts, purportedly set up by individuals linked to Russian companies, which engaged in forwarding political messages over a two-year period. According to Facebooks public assurances to users, it will hand over information about accounts only in response to a judicially approved warrant.

The scale of this alleged Russian operation, in an election cycle that encompassed millions of online participants sending hundreds of millions, if not billions, of messages, is trivial. According to the New York Times, which first made public the existence of the Facebook accounts, the total expenditure on political ads was about $100,000, compared to the billions spent by the Democrats and Republicans in the course of the campaign.

Facebook itself estimated that information operations like those allegedly mounted by Russia, all combined, accounted for less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the total civic content on its platform related to the US elections.

Moreover, the bulk of the messages sent by the Russian-linked accounts, according to Facebooks chief security officer, Alex Stamos, did not refer to either Trump or his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, or make any mention of the election, but rather focused on divisive social and political messages related to abortion, immigration, gay rights and similar issues.

Despite the ominous language in media reports reiterating that it is illegal for non-residents of the United States to make contributions to US election campaigns, the bulk of the Facebook messages described in these reports were perfectly legal.

Foreign governments lobby the US government, various state governments and the American population as a whole on countless political and social issues. Only a direct financial contribution from a foreign source to a US candidate is barred by American campaign finance laws, which reserve for US billionaires the privilege of buying and selling American politicians.

This has not stopped prominent Democrats such as Representative Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, and their media acolytes from suggesting that these Facebook ads could become a key link in a chain demonstrating illegal collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Schiff cited the finding by Facebook that about 25 percent of the ads allegedly purchase by Russian entities were geographically targeted as an indication that individuals in the Trump campaign had to be supplying information for the targeting.

This contention is absurd, given that the existence of battleground states, key swing counties and even precincts was not a state secret, but the stuff of endless commentary in the media. Any literate observer of the US campaign could identify dozens of such potential targets for advertising.

The US media seeks to promote the Russian intervention narrative as part of the campaign by the military-intelligence apparatus and the Democratic Party to compel the Trump administration to take a harder line on Syria, Ukraine and the broader range of US-Russian conflicts.

Largely covered up is the genuine threat to democratic rights in the collaboration of giant social media and telecommunications companies like Facebook with the American government and its vast intelligence-gathering operations.

The quantity of information handed over by Facebook to Mueller and the Justice Department in recent weeks is comparatively limited, reflecting the small scale of the alleged ad purchases by Russia-linked individuals and organizations. But Facebooks positive response to the federal subpoena raises warning flags. If the company is prepared to do this, in the case of an investigation targeting the president of the United States and his 2016 campaign, what are they doing in relation to other targets of US government surveillance, who have neither Trumps power nor his ability to retaliate?

A lengthy report in the New York Times Monday details Facebooks assiduous collaboration with demands by authoritarian governments, including China, Vietnam and Kenya, which has included exposing dissidents to arrest and imprisonment for anti-regime postings as well as the systemic removal of such offending material from Facebook pages.

The Times report glosses over the demands placed on Facebook by US authorities, but the company functions in practice as an instrument of the US military-intelligence apparatus. Facebook, Google and other giant IT companies are engaged in an increasingly brazen campaign of political censorship against publications and organizations identified by the CIA, NSA and Pentagon as threats.

The World Socialist Web Site has exposed the censorship of our site by Google, which announced a change in its search algorithms last April aimed at reducing the audience for antiwar and left-wing web sites, with the WSWS seeing a two-thirds reduction in traffic from Google search results. Facebook announced a similar revamping of search algorithms in June.

The alliance of giant corporations and the US military-intelligence apparatus, not the comparatively paltry activities of Russian entities, is the main threat to the democratic rights of the American people.

The author also recommends:

New York Times stokes anti-Russia campaign to promote Facebook, Twitter censorship

[12 September 2017]
Faced with growing working class anger at French President Emmanuel Macrons decrees attacking the Labour Code, facilitating mass sackings and unilateral cuts to wages and basic benefits, the union bureaucracy is trying to strangle opposition to Macron. It is organising rolling strikes in different industries, aiming to dissipate working class militancy and block the unification of strikes into a revolutionary mobilisation against austerity across France and Europe.

The unions are terrified of losing control and facing an eruption of workers struggles, and are closely coordinating their actions with the government. The different union federations are announcing multiple one-day protest strikes on various separate dates. Yesterday, truck drivers of the French Democratic Labour Confederation (CFDT) and the French Christian Workers Union (CFTC) organised blockades in Paris and in the provinces. The General Confederation of Labour (CGT) and Workers Force (FO) are calling a strike that will affect fuel depots for September 25.

A second national day of action is scheduled for September 21. Public television and Paris public transport unions have announced strikes for that day, and nine trade union organisations are calling for retirees to protest in Paris on September 28.

After having refused to participate in the September 12 protest organised by the CGT and Solidaires unions, attended by around 400,000 people, the CFDT is organising on October 3 a meeting at the Paris Event Centre. On October 10, the public sector workforce unions will call a one-day protest strike.

The unions have not, for now, announced strikes in the refineries. However, leading politicians are reportedly discussing the danger of such a movement, which rapidly led to a breakdown of fuel supplies to gas stations across France in 2010 and 2016.

In a sign of explosive conflicts inside the state machine itself, one quarter of Frances specialised riot police9 of 36 brigades at the national levelare striking against budget cuts targeting them.

Local trade union bureaucrats are reporting escalating discontent among workers and, as in the case of the CFDT-Metallurgy federation, pressing the union leaderships to call symbolic protests in order to avoid being totally discredited with the workers.

The choice was made not to call a national protest, the CFDT-Metallurgy federation wrote to CFDT leader Laurent Berger in a letter seen by AFP. This decision led to anger among many members who, since they belong to the largest trade union in the private sector, were expecting a far stronger response from the CFDT.  What the members are demanding, and what we are passing on by expressing our positions as members of the bureau of our federation, is a national call for protests from the CFDT.

The incestuous links between the state, which imposes austerity and the state of emergency, and the union tops, who pretend to oppose these policies in order to channel workers anger into harmless protests, are in the open. The satirical weekly Canard enchaine revealed that two secret meetings took place on August 28 between Macron, FO leader Jean-Claude Mailly, Laurent Berger, and Muriel Penicaud, the labour minister. According to the Canard, the government was checking whether Mailly and Berger could keep control of their trade union base.

Such meetings occur constantly, notably during a September 14 debate between the leaders of business lobby groups and the heads of the trade union federations at the Senate, which was attended by Penicaud and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. At this debate, which Le Monde called convivial or even a debate between old friends, Edouard Philippe stressed to CGT chief Philippe Martinez that he understood the legitimacy of the criticisms made by the CGT.

Penicaud claimed to be very enthusiastic about financing the training of union officials, one of the main avenues though which Macrons decrees channels more corporate money into the unions coffers. The unions, which have been in a deep financial crisis since the 1980s due to the collapse of their working class base and thus of their dues base, depend currently on state and business funding for 95 percent of their budget, according to an official parliamentary report.

The government includes in its ministerial staffs several people closely tied to the union bureaucracies. Penicaud recruited Stephane Lardy, the ex-number two of FO leader Jean-Claude Mailly who last year began work at the general inspectorate for social affairs, as an advisor on training and apprenticeship issues. Marc Ferracci, an economics professor and wedding witness to Emmanuel Macron serves as the liaison with the CGT. Pierre Ferracci, Marcs father, runs the Secafi firm, which provides advice and financial planning for the CGT.

Such links underscore the political bankruptcy of the strategy of sending workers demands to the trade union leaderships. Pressuring the state to negotiate with the trade union leaders signifies leaving all elements of the decision in the hands of various members of the same, anti-working class ruling elite. As Macron prepares to make the state of emergency permanent by writing it into common law, and to spend billions of euros on increased defence spending, workers are facing not a trade union but a political struggle.

Workers will be forced to create new organs of struggle to replace the trade unions, and above all a new revolutionary party, the Parti de legalite socialiste, to give these struggles political leadership.

The opposition to Macron is part of a broad radicalisation of workers and youth against austerity and the dangers of dictatorship and war across Europe. Sixty-eight percent of the French population opposes Macrons labor decrees, and 55 percent supports strike action against these policies, while Macrons approval rating has collapsed to 30 percent. This is part of a broader radicalisation of the masses across Europe that saw a majority of youth, in a poll earlier this year, declare that they would be willing to join a mass movement to overthrow the existing order.

This opposition cannot develop in the narrow and essentially false context of negotiations between union leaders and the Macron-Philippe government, all of which are seeking above all to boost the profitability of French firms on the world market. The task is to unify working class opposition that is rising across Europe independently of the trade union bureaucracies, in revolutionary struggles carried out on a socialist programme.

On this basis, no confidence can be given to the manoeuvres of Jean-Luc Melenchon, who told Europe1 yesterday that he hopes to use the union protests and his media profile as the leading opponent to Macron to become Macrons prime minister. He explained this via a reference to the French rail workers strike of November-December 1995 against then-Prime Minister Alain Juppes pension cuts.

Europe1 wrote that Melenchon has one example in mind: the 1995 protests against Juppes reforms. A powerful social movement ultimately led to the abandoning of Juppes cuts then, a year later, to early legislative elections [which brought the Plural Left and Melenchon personally into the government.] Chirac had understood that the relationship of forces that had existed after his election in 1995 no longer did, Melenchon said. Im sure that we will govern this country! We are in a war of movements.

This strategy of entering into a Macron government is a trap for the workers. A Macron-Melenchon regime would impose anti-worker policies just as the Plural Left government of 1990s France or, more recently, the Greek government led by Melenchons ally, the Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza). This government, after having pretended to oppose austerity, capitulated to the EU once in power and imposed deep attacks against the workers. Such a perspective, which Melenchon is developing through his alliance with the trade unions, is a reactionary dead end for the working class.
Google has intensified its censorship of left-wing, progressive and anti-war websites, cutting the search traffic of 13 leading news outlets by 55 percent since April.

On August 2, the World Socialist Web Site reported that changes to Googles search algorithm had led the search traffic of these sites to drop by 45 percent, according to figures by the search analysis service SEMRush.

In the ensuing six weeks, the search traffic of every one of these sites, without exception, has plunged further, leading the total search traffic for the sites to fall by an additional nine percentage points.

The World Socialist Web Site, whose search traffic had fallen by 67 percent between April and July, has now experienced a total drop in search traffic of 74 percent.

By other measures, the WSWSs performance in search results has been impacted even more substantially. On September 16, the latest date available, articles from the WSWS were shown in search results 68,000 times, down from over 450,000 in April. This constitutes a decline of some 85 percent.

As a result of Googles censorship, the WSWSs global page rank has fallen from 31,000 to 41,000, according to Amazons Alexa traffic ranking software.

Other sites affected include:

Alternet, one of the top 3,000 sites in the US, has seen its Google search traffic fall by 71 percent between April and September, up from 63 percent in the period through July.

Democracy Now, one of the top 5,000 sites in the US, had its search traffic fall 50 percent between April and September, up from 36 percent in the period through July.

Common Dreams, ranked in the top 8,000 US sites, had its Google search traffic fall by 50 percent between April and September, up from 37 percent in the period through July.

Global Research, one of the top 14,000 sites in the US, had its traffic fall slightly from its massive 62 percent decline between April and July.

Truth-out.org, ranked in the top 12,000 sites in the US, had its search traffic fall by 49 percent, up from 25 percent in the period through July.

The information uncovered by the WSWS has been prominently reported on a number of alternative news websites, including Consortium News, Global Research, Counterpunch, Truthdig, Russia Today, Truepublica and others.

In an article on Truthdig, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges pointed to the censorship of the WSWS and other left-wing websites: The ruling elites, who grasp that the reigning ideology of global corporate capitalism and imperial expansion no longer has moral or intellectual credibility, have mounted a campaign to shut down the platforms given to their critics

This is a war of ideas. The corporate state cannot compete honestly in this contest. It will do what all despotic regimes dogovern through wholesale surveillance, lies, blacklists, false accusations of treason, heavy-handed censorship and, eventually, violence.

Despite the broad support for the WSWSs calls for an end to Googles Internet censorship, the company has refused to reply either to the WSWSs petition opposing its censorship or repeated attempts to contact it for comment.

While Googles censorship has substantially reduced traffic to the WSWS, its effect has been partially counteracted by readers sharing articles through email and social media. One widely shared article published on September 9, titled Why arent trains evacuating people from the path of Hurricane Irma?, has been viewed over 90,000 times.

While only about 300 people reached the article through Google, tens of thousands accessed it through links from other websites and social media platforms.

In April, Googles vice president of engineering, Ben Gomes, announced in a blog post that the search giant would be implementing changes to its search algorithm to surface more authoritative content. Googles guidelines for human search evaluators, issued around the same time, stressed that authoritative content should appear ahead of alternative viewpoints.

On August 25, World Socialist Web Site Editorial Board Chairman David North issued an open letter to Google demanding that it stop censoring the Internet and end its political blacklisting of the WSWS.

An online petition calling for Google to end its censorship has received over 3,800 signatures from dozens of countries.

Google, however, has not replied to Norths letter.

Recent weeks have seen a drastic escalation in calls for Internet censorship. The campaign to censor the Internetusually justified in the name of fighting terrorism and blacking out fake newshas assumed international dimensions and is promoted at the highest levels of government. On ABCs This Week program on Sunday, the first three people interviewed, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, US National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster, and Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called for stricter control of the Internet.

President Donald Trump responded to last weeks terror attack in London with a tweet declaring that we must cut off the Internet.

In her newly released book, What Happened?, Hillary Clinton again attributes her defeat to fake news. She writes approvingly that Companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google have already begun taking stepsadjusting algorithms, deactivating bot networks, and partnering with fact-checkersto fight the torrent of misinformation supposedly responsible for the outcome of the election.

Googles actions against the World Socialist Web Site and other left and progressive sites are making clear the real targets of Internet censorship: news outlets and political organizations opposing war, social inequality and the domination of society by the financial oligarchy.
Since the Greens, led by Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, organised the first foreign combat operation by German soldiers since World War II, joining the 1999 NATO war against Yugoslavia, the former pacifists have been a leading party of German militarism. This was underscored by an event titled Foreign and European Policy Challenges for Germany held last Wednesday at the German Society for Foreign Affairs (DGAP) in Berlin.

The Green Partys lead candidate in this months national elections, Cem Ozdemir, was invited to discuss foreign policy issues before the next German government with DGAP Deputy Director Christian Molling and the foreign policy editor of Die Zeit, Jorg Lau. The discussion was moderated by Jana Puglierin, who heads the DGAP department on European foreign, security and defence policy and Germanys role within Europe.

Ozdemir made clear in his 20-minute introduction that the Greens have the same response to the profound crisis of capitalism and breakdown of the post-war order as the current federal government: a drive to build up the military at home and abroad, a renewed turn toward dictatorship and war, and the assertion of German claims to leadership in Europe and the world. His audience, including senior security policy experts, journalists, military personnel and representatives of the arms industry, responded with enthusiasm.

He declared that in times of turmoil, when our values are not only endangered by self-serving dreams of a despot like Vladimir Putin or Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but also attacked by the president of the United States, Europeans are being challenged in a special way. What is necessary, he said, is a policy of value-guided realism in Germany and Europe.

When Green politicians speak of defending values, one is obliged to envision fighter jets taking off for the next humanitarian intervention. The Green leader continued: We need a foreign policy with soft power and hard power, with a clear framework of values, but also with the courage to deploy military means in those extreme emergencies where diplomatic methods reach their limits.

Concretely, Ozdemir called for military intervention in Syria and a harder line toward Russia. Every time in Syria or somewhere else in the world humanitarian international law is broken without the international community responding clearly and firmly, international law loses its power to influence, he declared. It is therefore fatal if we dismiss a violation of international law with the claim: that was bad, but lets leave them to fend for themselves.

It is also fatal when election campaigners from other parties demand a relaxation of sanctions on Russia or call for Putin to be brought back into the circle of the G8 without any shift on the question of Crimea, and when the ink on the Minsk agreement is not even dry.

Ozdemirs concept of value-guided realism serves to further Germanys claim to a leadership role in Europe. It doesnt make the European Union look good, he said, when we raise a warning finger at international partners, but in our own family circle fail to bang our fist on the table when necessary, as when a Viktor Orban attacks the basic principles of European mutual cooperation or a nationalist-minded government in Poland suspends the rule of law.

Ozdemir would, of course, bang his fist only where he saw German interests at risk. In Egypt, a close ally of German imperialism, he is prepared to support one of the most brutal military dictatorships in the world. Although Egyptian ruler al-Sisi is someone who suppresses human rights with a firm hand, he is also someone who at least partially secures the division between state and religion for us and keeps the Islamists under control.

The entire event was an exposure of the unscrupulousness and aggressiveness of the German elites 75 years after the end of World War II. In the panel discussion, Lau made the statement, Sometimes I wake up in the morning with the desire that someone should do something outrageous against Erdogan. But after the second coffee, it passes. Much of the audience snickered at this barely concealed call for another coup or even assassination of the Turkish president.

Molling said of the major military build-up planned for the army, But it could also end up being more expensive than 2 percent [of Germanys gross domestic product]. Yes, we have to spend more. We cant get anywhere the way things are now. Probably 3 billion extra will be needed every year to have an army that is to some degree functional. And there, Europe can and must help, otherwise it will be even more expensive.

He went on to complain that Germany and Europe have driven their defence capabilities to the wall and are only now beginning again to rebuild.

Ozdemir seconded the DGAP deputy director and noted, The Greens also think that the army has to be properly equipped. We are also responsible for the security of the soldiers we send into international interventions, and it is necessary to ensure that they can do their job reasonably. That doesnt happen free of charge, it has to be financed.

Like Molling, he appealed for a combat-ready European defence policy in alliance with France.

Even though the representatives of the German ruling class who sat on the panel have thus far been vehemently pro-American and supported US-led wars, the growing conflict with Washington was on display throughout the event.

Bernd Ulrich, deputy chief editor of Die Zeit, spoke from the audience and asked, Is the American century perhaps over? At least, I would say that what is over is the United States moral-military leadership claim in light of the internal instability we now see. Has the claim to leadership not been forfeited?

Lau warned that the American government is effectively opposed to the things its partners consider right: multilateralism, retaining Europe. While all of this has no value to America, for us it is the principal value of foreign policy.

The American government, he continued, has decided that with Brexit, the beginning of the end of Europe is commencing. This was a sort of declaration of war. And this is only one reason for the shock we are all experiencingthat nothing can be taken for granted any more.

Trump is a freak, he went on, but it is hard to tell if he is the beginning of something where more terrible figures arise who are terrible in another way.

Ten days before the federal election, the DGAP event underscored that there is no lack of freaks and terrible figures in Berlin, who are shaping the debates and preparing for war. As in the last century, Germanys ruling class is responding to growing international tensions and the global struggle for markets and raw materials by rearming and striving to establish its domination over Europe so as to operate more effectively as a world power.

In a paper entitled Foreign policy challenges for the next federal government, the DGAP demands that the incoming government decisively implement the comprehensive security policy approach introduced under the rubric of New responsibility. This is a reference to the paper New power, new responsibility, which proclaimed the return of German militarism prior to the last federal election and included in the drafting process representatives of the Greens and the Left Party.
World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke to survivors and local residents in the aftermath of the opening of the governments inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire.

In his statement opening the inquiry, Chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick, claiming that he was impartial, explained that on this basis he had rejected submissions to appoint a local resident to act as an assessor to the inquiry.

Survivor Sid-Ali Atmani said he was bitterly disappointed: He seems to be choosing his own people, Atmani said. He was angered, as were many others present, that after his statement Moore-Bick immediately turned his back on the audience and left the room, refusing to take any questionsincluding one from the renowned barrister Michael Mansfield who is representing some of the Grenfell families.

It was bad. We are not going to give up. He should at least have stayed for another 10 minutes to speak to our lawyers, Atmani said.

Aisha said, What we have just been through just proves this is a real con-trick thats going on. The judge sat up there looking so superior. Everyone stood up when he came in. I refused. Its all set up to intimidate us and trying to suck us in. I think the Grenfell people have to see through it all.

The judge said he wouldnt include anyone from the local area to help him, but they are the people who suffered the fire and know whats really going on. Instead, hes appointed a load of people who have been involved in other inquiries which have led nowhere. They are skilled in the art of deception as someone once said to me.

I dont think any of us has any confidence in the inquiry or Moore-Bick. All the promises to help us have gone nowhere. I think they are just playing around with us. He says he wont even get the investigation going properly until next year.

They are hoping everyones anger will have gone away by then. But they dont realise how determined we are. I agree with you that anger and determination is not enough, though. We have to do something more long-lasting. We have to work out a way to stop them dragging this inquiry out for years and end up making another useless report.

Paul Menacer lived on the third floor of Grenfell Tower and managed to escape the fire. He was critical of Emma Dent Coad, the Labour Member of Parliament for Kensington, who paraded before the press prior to the opening of the inquiry to declare her solidarity with survivors.

Paul said, I was a supporter of the Labour Party. After the fire I thought [Labour leader] Jeremy Corbyn had done a great thing by coming to see us. He talked to us, not like [Conservative Prime Minister] Theresa May when she came down. But when I sent an email to Jeremy Corbyn he did not reply to me.

The majority of people in the area realise it is a fight between the rich and the poor. We voted for change in the last election. But there is no change. We have been let down by our local MP [Emma Dent Coad]. Ive been going to the support centres and not seen her once. So for her to come down here and pose in front of the cameras is not on. Its just broken promises.

The inquiry is a waste of time. I feel let down by the scope of the inquiry. The majority of people, like me, are still in hotels. We face a year in temporary accommodation and dont know what will happen in a years time. Justice is needed for everyone.

WSWS reporters spoke to Steve at Ladbroke Grove tube station. Steve lived just yards from the Grenfell Tower on the Lancaster West estate and is currently living in a hotel due to the trauma of the fire and the impact on his physical and mental health. He said of the inquiry, They should have someone from the tower as a witness. Why dont they want that now? There were a lot of people complaining about the upgrading of Grenfell Tower [during a refurbishment in which the flammable cladding that resulted in the rapid spread of the fire was installed.] Why cant we have a witness from Grenfell Tower in the inquiry?

Gaynor is from West Wales and works in the media. She was in London for a few days and was met at Ladbroke Grove. She said, I have seen the tower today and its absolutely shocking. Its appalling that a situation like this has happened in the 21st century, in the United Kingdom, in the capital of Britain.

I was talking to a friend today and I drew parallels with what happened in 1966 in a small coal village called Aberfan, when one of the coal tips slid down and landed on the local school. Over 100 children were killed and that has resonated through the last 50 years. The NCB [National Coal Board] used the money raised by the public to clear the tips. The government refused to finance the clearing of the tip and compensating the victims.

To think that this kind of situation is still happening in the country 50 years later is appalling. The establishment has lost its moral compass completely and its selling out to the rich and just denying working people the right to live and work where they were born. Over the last few years, I have visited London. I used to live here 20 years ago, and what is apparent to me is the amount of building that is going on here. Its just a blatant method of social cleansing. Theyre getting rid of the working class people and people who make this city function.

People are living in conditions which I came across in Eastern European countries in the 1980s and 1990s and this is the London of the 21st century. This country is going backwards and its just becoming a place for the rich.

Every inquiry the government holds is a cover-up. It doesnt get to grips with the situation. Theres just a massive cover-up of the vested interests of the establishment and the rich of this country and Ive had enough of it. Its horrible.

Its not a responsible state any more. Theyre leaving us to sort out our own problems and well have to do it ourselves, because theyve washed their hands.

In the Aberfan case, the Welsh Secretary George Thomas, who was a Labour Welsh secretary, just covered it up and turned his back on working people, the people he was there to represent. He would not stick up for them and thats what happens time after time. Theres no progress. With this government, were just going backwards. Were going back to the bloody 1800s.

The Socialist Equality Party is holding the first in a series of regular meetings on the Grenfell Tower fire on September 30 at the Maxilla Hall Social Club, North Kensington, London. The first meeting will discuss the opening of the Grenfell Tower Fire inquiry and the way forward in opposing the governments cover-up and establishing the truth about the fire and those responsible.

Meeting details:

Saturday, September 30, 2 p.m.

Maxilla Hall Social Club

2 Maxilla Walk, North Kensington

London, W10 6NQ

The author also recommends:

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the case for socialism

[15 September 2017]
CNN has broadcast breaking news alleging that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was wiretapped by the FBI over alleged Russian links for substantial periods of time between 2014 and 2017.

The claims have been made public just days after Jason Maloni, a representative of Manafort, testified before a grand jury at the US District Court in Washington last Friday. Maloni was subpoenaed to appear by special counsel Robert Mueller, who heads the Justice Department investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

CNNs sources claim the FBI sought a court order to monitor Manafort in 2014, over multi-million-dollar work performed by his consultancy firm for Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian president of Ukraine.

Yanukovychs government was ousted in a US- and European Union-backed coup in February 2014. The new regime charged the former president with the murder of civilian protestors and later issued additional arrest warrants for him and other figures in his administration on a variety of corruption charges. Yanukovych fled to exile in Russia.

Surveillance of Manafort reportedly continued until sometime in early 2016. According to CNN, it was ended only after Justice Department prosecutors concluded that there wasnt enough evidence to bring charges against Manafort or anyone of the other US subjects being investigated over their dealings with Yanukovych.

In March 2016, Manafort joined the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. In June, he took over as the campaign chairman. He resigned in August and was replaced by right-wing demagogue Stephen Bannon.

The CNN sources asserted that he was not being wiretapped by the FBI at that point. However, a new court order to monitor Manafort was reportedly sought by the police agency at an unspecified date during this period. This time, the pretext was allegations by the CIA of relations between the Trump camp and the Russian government of President Vladimir Putin.

It is unclear from the CNN report whether the wiretapping had resumed before Manafort was dismissed by the Trump campaign in August 2016, or exactly when it ended this year. A storage facility belonging to Manafort was reportedly searched by the FBI in early 2017.

On July 26, Manaforts home in Virginia was raided by FBI agents who reportedly picked the locks on his doors, copied files from his computers and seized binders of documents. According to the New York Times, prosecutors working with Special Counsel Mueller told Manafort they planned to indict him on unspecified charges.

The question raised by CNN is whether conversations involving Manafort and Trump were monitored by the FBIincluding after Trump had been sworn in as president. Contact between the men continued long after Manafort had ceased working for the campaign. Discussions reportedly ended only after both were advised to do so by their legal teams.

Trumps claim on Twitter in March that Trump Tower had been wire-tapped during the election was publicly denied by both the FBI and the Justice Department. Manafort owns an apartment in the New York skyscraper.

The timing of the first alleged period of wiretapping serves to underscore that suspicion toward any figure in the American establishment who had relations with Russia or its allies long predates the furore that has developed over the 2016 election. The Putin administration was viewed with complete hostility in Washington due to its efforts to assert Russian interests against the US.

Tensions escalated after Moscow undermined the regime-change operation in Ukraine by annexing Crimea and launched a military intervention in 2015 to disrupt the US-led efforts to overthrow the pro-Russian Syrian regime.

The CIA-driven push for a second round of surveillance targeting Manafort coincided with the repeated statements by Trump during the election campaign that he would shift away from a hostile attitude toward Moscow and pursue closer ties. Trumps emphasis was instead on bellicose denunciations of China, threats of trade war, and vows to increase American war preparations against Beijing.

These foreign policy conflictsnot any concern over the subversion of American democracylie at the heart of the frenzy over alleged Russian interference. The anti-Russia hysteria is being used to pressure the Trump administration to fall into line with the insistence of powerful sections of the intelligence, military and political establishment on a continued confrontational stance against Russia.

The author also recommends:

Palace coup or class struggle: The political crisis in Washington and the strategy of the working class

[13 July 2017]
Roughly 40 undocumented immigrant protesters took over the stage at a pro-Democratic Party press conference in San Francisco Monday morning, causing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) to end the event early and depart.

The protesters, who did not claim affiliation with any organized group or party, sharply denounced the sordid deal being prepared by Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer with the Trump administration to maintain the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program while further militarizing the border, as well as the anti-immigrant record of the Democrats during the Obama administration. They descended upon the stage near the end of Pelosis remarks, which centered on the recent efforts of the Democrats to draft bipartisan immigration legislation with the deeply reactionary and anti-immigrant Trump administration.

Protesters held signs reading, DEMOCRATS ARE DEPORTERS, while protest leaders led a series of call-and-response chants, declaring, We are immigrant youth! Undocumented and unafraid! We are the immigrant liberation movement of directly impacted youth!

In video footage of the event, Pelosi is visibly shaken and can be seen nervously speaking with her aides, prompting a protester to address her directly, saying, Nancy Pelosi, were speaking to you, please pay attention.

The first protest leader led the group in chanting, We, the undocumented youth, will not be a bargaining chip for Trumps xenophobic agenda, deporting millions of people and further militarizing the border!

She then noted, Democrats created an out-of-control deportation machine and handed it over to Trump! We demand accountability! Democrats are not the resistance of Trump! We are!

The second protest leader put forward a somewhat sharper denunciation of the Democratic Party, describing the reign of terror imposed on immigrant communities during the Obama administration.

He began by calling out Pelosi for her duplicity, chanting, Congresswoman Pelosi! You called this press conference in our name, to defend the so-called Dream Act! But youve already traded in our parents in our name! First you said you supported a clean Dream Act, and then last week you announced that you had agreed with President Trump, and I quote you, To work out a package of border security. Your words, or were you misquoted?

He continued, We cannot say, however, that we are surprised. We remember all too well, how for eight years the Democrats laid siege to our communities, raiding and deporting nearly 3 million people, our family members and loved ones. Where was your resistance then? Ms. Pelosi, did you think we would forget?

The second speaker closed by calling on all undocumented immigrants to unite against the deportation policies of Trump and the Democrats, saying, We send a clear message to our fellow undocumented youth and communities: We are the resistance to Trump! Not the Democrats! We extend our arms in struggle to our parents and our loved ones. With you we are prepared to struggle, side by side in this fight. You have sacrificed everything, how could we forget? We are not alone in this fight!

The political perspective of the protest group was contradictory, vacillating between sharp denunciations of the Democrats and appeals to these same corrupt politicians to make a political about-face and begin defending immigrant rights.

Both protest leaders referred to the prospect of the Democrats creating a clean bill that introduces comprehensive immigration reform, with the first chant leader directly appealing to Pelosi and other Democrats: We demand a clean bill that protects immigrant youth without hurting our families!

Later, this same leader led a chant directed toward Pelosi, saying, We, undocumented youth, demand your commitment in fighting for all 11 million! This was in reference to the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the US, of which DACA enrollees comprise roughly 800,000.

Part of the way through the second speakers chants, Pelosi and attendees at the press conference began interrupting the chanters, and a back-and-forth between Pelosi and the protesters began.

At one point, the protesters shouted, You have the audacity to tell us that you have been fighting deportation?!

Pelosi replied, Yes, yes, yes, yes I am, yes I am, with the crowd responding, You are a liar! You are a liar!

After roughly 30 minutes, Pelosi and the other Democrats left the press conference. Outside the venue, Pelosi told reporters, We want comprehensive immigration reform. Id rather have that of course than just one piece of it, the Dream Bill, but we dont have that opportunity right now.

A protester told a Channel 4 News reporter, Democrats continue to only push for Dreamers, which is only about 800,000 of us. We are 11 million, were not 800,000. We are much more than that. We have our parents, our community members, everybody.

Despite lingering illusions in a legislative path to immigration reform through pressure on the Democrats, the protest as a whole struck a sharply anti-Democratic Party chord. In this regard it indicates the form that future struggles will take, as the working class begins to break the decades-long stranglehold of the Democratic Party and chart an independent path fighting for its own interests. The only way forward for workersimmigrant and native bornis through an independent, international mobilization, in opposition to the entire capitalist system.
President Donald Trump delivers his first speech to the United Nations today as the 72nd session of its General Assembly convenes in New York City under the shadow of war.

Little more than a week ago, UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres warned that the escalating conflict on the Korean peninsula resembled the events that led to the outbreak of the First World War over a century ago, implicitly raising the prospect of the world sliding into a nuclear third world war.

The American president, who during his America First presidential election campaign pointedly denounced the United Nations, appeared briefly at UN headquarters Monday for a forum on reforming the international body. He introduced his prepared remarks, which derided the UN for bureaucracy and mismanagement, by touting one of his real estate projects, the Trump World Tower, located across the street from the UN, saying that the buildings proximity to the UN had made it more profitable.

By reform, Trump means slashing spending. Earlier this year, administration officials suggested reducing the US contribution to the UN by half. The US president complained in his remarks about having to shoulder a disproportionate share of the burden. Washingtons annual contribution to the UN is roughly one-tenth of what it spent last year on its 16-year neocolonial war in Afghanistan.

The United Nations was established 72 years ago largely at the initiative of the United States, which emerged from the Second World War as the indisputably dominant imperialist power. At the time, this dominance was based not merely on military might, but above all on American capitalisms unrivaled industrial strength and Wall Streets unquestioned dominance over the affairs of world finance capital.

The UN was created as part of a global system designed to further American imperialist hegemony, which included the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and various global and regional alliances and trade organizations.

Written into the UNs Charter were the so-called Nuremberg principles derived from the post-World War II trials of the surviving leaders of Hitlers Third Reich, which made crimes against peace, i.e., aggressive war, the greatest war crime. The first sentence of the founding document of the UN declares that its purpose is to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.

That principle has been reduced to rhetorical window-dressing by Washingtons uninterrupted wars of aggression carried out over the past quarter-century, as the American ruling class increasingly relied on its military supremacy to offset the erosion of its global economic position.

In the person of Donald Trump, the ugly end product of American capitalisms protracted declinethe rise of financial parasitism and the criminality of American militarismis rising to the General Assemblys podium on Tuesday. Trump will address the body under conditions where US imperialism is literally holding a gun to the head of humanity.

In advance of his appearance at the UN, his top aides issued multiple statements affirming that Washington is prepared to make good on the US presidents threat to unleash fire and fury like the world has never seen against North Korea. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, warned in a television interview Sunday that North Korea will be destroyed if the US has to defend itself or defend its allies in any way.

She affirmed that Washington had exhausted all the things we could do at the [UN] Security Council, adding: We wanted to be responsible and go through all diplomatic means to get their attention first. If that doesnt work, General Mattis will take care of it. She was referring to the US defense secretary, Gen. James Mad Dog Mattis, who has threatened North Korea with total annihilation.

Similarly, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated Sunday that If our diplomatic efforts fail our military option will be the only one left. And Trumps national security advisor, Gen. H.R. McMaster, asked whether the US president will strike North Korea if it fails to give up its nuclear weapons, replied, Hes been very clear about that, that all options are on the table.

Amid these bellicose threats, American warplanes have carried out their most provocative exercises yet, with B-1B nuclear bombers and F-35 fighter jets flying Monday from Guam and Japan to drop bombs near North Koreas border.

While placing the threat of a nuclear confrontation on the Korean peninsula on a hair trigger, Washington is also seeking to ratchet up tensions with Iran, with the aim of provoking a military confrontation with a country it sees as the main regional obstacle to its drive for hegemony in the oil-rich Middle East.

Trump and top administration officials have made repeated statements in recent days indicating that the US administration will refuse to certify that Iran is in compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), with the October 15 deadline for it to report to Congress approaching. Such a refusal would open the door to new rounds of unilateral American sanctions against Tehran. Prior to agreeing to the deal, Trumps predecessor Barack Obama warned that the only alternative to the agreement was war.

While the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the other major powers that are signatories to the agreement have all acknowledged that Iran is in full compliance with its restrictions on its nuclear program and the IAEAs intrusive inspections regime, US officials have asserted that Tehran is violating the spirit of the agreement. By this they mean that Iran has failed to submit to the undisputed dominance of US imperialism over the entire Middle East.

Notably absent from the opening of the UN General Assembly are both Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping of China. Whether they chose not to make the trip to New York because they believed there was nothing to be gained in a face-to-face meeting with Trump, or because they feared that it would be dangerous to leave their capitals given the state of global tensions, is not known.

The US confrontation with North Korea is bound up with far broader strategic aims of US imperialism for domination of the Eurasian land mass, in which Washington regards both China and Russia as obstacles.

Even as US warplanes were carrying out their provocative bombing runs near the North Korean border, China and Russia were conducting naval exercises off the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok, not far from the Russia-North Korea border.

In Eastern Europe, Russia, on the one hand, and NATO and Swedenacting together with the US, France and other countrieson the other, are staging rival war games in Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltics in preparation for a potential military confrontation between the worlds two largest nuclear powers.

Meanwhile, in Syria, Syrian government forces backed by Russian air power and Iranian-backed militias, and US-backed Kurdish-dominated militias have advanced on the strategic eastern city of Deir Ezzor from opposite sides of the Euphrates River, heightening the threat of a military confrontation that could draw in both Washington and Moscow.

The UN General Assembly proceedings this week will only heighten the danger of one or more of these regional conflicts triggering a global conflagration. There exists no means of ending war outside of the overthrow of the profit system that is its source.
San Diego County workers have reportedly ratified a new labor agreement just days after the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 221 called off a planned strike of 10,000 workers set for September 12. The deal between the San Diego County government and the SEIU, reached on September 10, will give some workers a miserly 13 percent raise over five years.

The SEIUs sellout of San Diego county workers came in the midst of a two-day strike by SEIU Local 721 in Riverside County, part of the Greater Los Angeles area, leaving that struggle isolated. A powerful strike by public employees would have rallied the support of hundreds of thousands of teachers, hospital workers and others, and quickly developed into a political confrontation with the austerity program of both big business parties.

Politically aligned with the Democratic Party, the SEIU is determined to block any mobilization of public sector workers against Governor Jerry Browns attack on public employee jobs and pensions and his administrations pro-business policies.

San Diego County workers had been without a contract since June 22. The union and the county had been negotiating over wages, health care, and an inferior Tier D pension plan for all new workers. The union responded to the countys intransigence by filing a toothless unfair labor practice (ULP) charge, while workers, determined to wage a serious struggle, voted by more than 90 percent to authorize strike action.

The county agreed to resume bargaining until August 22 when officials backed out of mediation, essentially holding out until the union capitulated to their demands. The SEIU has not called a strike by county workers in more than two decades. After a one-day strike in 1994, they obtained a three-year contract with raises of 8 percent and 5 percent.

A vote was held this week to ratify the deal reached between the SEIU and the county, and despite widespread rank-and-file opposition to the deal on social media, the union announced a significant majority had voted to approve the tentative agreement on September 14.

The paltry wage increases are not even distributed evenly to all workers. Nurses received a 7 percent increase in the first year of their contract, while clerical workers got only 4 and others only the original 3 percent.

While there were token concessions on increased reimbursement for transportation and strengthened overtime rules, the county prevailed on pensions. All new hires will receive the inferior Tier D benefits, creating a wedge between older and younger workers.

On the SEIUs Facebook page, members pointed out that the deal was nearly identical to the one the county offered when negotiations began earlier this year. They said San Diego county workers are not paid the same as other counties, that the contract was for five years instead of three, and that the deal lacked a $500 signing bonus typically used to bribe workers into accepting the sellout.

Many workers noted that there were a limited number of ratification sitesnot even including all the places workers voted to authorize the strikelimiting the turnout by rank-and-file workers. Meetings to discuss the contract were also held on weekends, when some workers cant attend because of their jobs. As usual, union officials limited the description of the deal to bogus highlights concealing the myriad of backroom arrangements they made, which workers will only learn about later.

The SEIU leadership only had the strike vote because of internal pressure from members, who threatened to leave the SEIU and represent themselves or join another union. Around 1,200 of the 10,000 SEIU members have begun moves to leave.

The sellout deal would save the county $30 million, even though the budget has an annual surplus of $100 million, bringing the total to $2 billion. At the same time workers are asked to make sacrifices on pensions and living expenses, while the cost of living in San Diego keeps rising. Over 300,000 San Diego families cant make ends meet without some assistance.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Before Hurricane Irma rolled through our area, more than 100 people from a retirement community in Naples was welcomed by a local senior living facility to find shelter.

Irma may have passed, but a group of senior citizens from South Florida is still here seeking shelter.

The executive director says the building didn't lose power during the storm and there wasn't any damage either. However, there's a much different story in Naples, where these evacuees are from.

Officials with Tapestry Senior Living have been getting daily updates from the "VI at Bentley Village." The building there still has no power and there's been flooding and damage inside.

Crews have just started getting to work there. Meanwhile, the evacuees are adjusting to life in Tallahassee.

"They're going on out-trips," said Mike Schmidt, the executive director at Tapestry. "They're intermingling with our residents and building friendships, to be honest with you. So, it's one big family. We're just working together to make the best of what happened."

As crews work to clean up what Irma has left behind, Tapestry's executive director estimates it will take another two weeks at the very least before the evacuees can head home.

The facility says it has the resources it needs to accommodate the group once again, reassuring them they are welcome to stay for as long as necessary.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - As college students return to campus today in the Capital City, one report shows Florida A&M University has some of the state's highest student debt.

Officials say, they've been working with students to find ways to ease the financial burden before they graduate.

One study found 86 percent of graduating students last year had some form of debt but that's actually 2 percentage points lower than 2015.

"We have definitely been a lot more proactive about it. Our students, we're definitely taking a different stance," said David Evans, a student debt counselor. "They're looking at things differently. They know which loans to look at taking, which ones not to take -- and they understand why, which has been a really big part of that cultural change."

FAMU is using an online program powered by "American Student Assistance" to help students navigate their finances.

The university also has a peer-to-peer program to encourage Rattlers to start planning now.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Florida State University resumed classes today after Hurricane Irma closures.

Power and internet outages in some areas made communications more difficult as students tried to stay in touch with family and friends who were directly affected.

Stress levels are receding with the flood waters as students learn the status of their homes and neighborhoods. Access to the keys was opened today and people are now able to check on their homes there.

"Well, we are all from Tampa, but my dad does have a house in the Keys. So, he is trying to get back there, but he's also dealing with slight damages in Tampa," said Mackenzie Carmichael, an FSU student. "It is kind of an unknown still."

Students are ready to get back to work after the week off.
VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) - A local organization is being recognized as one of the top when it comes to economic development.

The Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority is being named one of the top 25 economic development organizations in North America by the Community Systems Company.

The award is centered around digital economic development.

VDA's websites focuses on work-force, industrial parks, businesses looking to relocate or expand and even quality of life.

The 25 digital recognition is based from results of an annual survey. It goes out to 400 economic development organizations. It analyzes how they use digital technology to drive growth and support community businesses.
You are the owner of this article.
Sperm-whale teeth seized from David L. Boone, owner of Boone Trading Co. in Brinnon, Jefferson County, who went undercover to help U.S. authorities bust a former Canadian Mountie on money-laundering charges. (U.S. Attorneys Office)
If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules:

Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy.

The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party.

We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste.

Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters.

Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month.
Looking at the thin, fair-haired, blue-eyed young man with the pleasant voice, its hard to believe that Staff Sergeant A. managed to neutralize a terrorist in the midst of a crazy killing spree with one accurate gunshot, doing it with perfect composure, in poor lighting and through a closed window.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



A modest and shy person, A. wasnt very eager to talk to us about what happened that night last July in the West Bank settlement of Halamish. I didnt think I should say more than those few words I told the people from the IDF Spokespersons Unit, who filmed me on the Saturday evening after the attack, he explains. Eventually, after calling off an interview that had already been scheduled with him, he agreed to talk.

I understood it was important for people to hear first-hand what really happened there that night, especially after all kinds of not very accurate rumors were spread, he explains.

Staff Sergeant A. with a dog from the Oketz Unit. A terrorist who hears barking or spots a kennel in the yard or a sign warning that there is a dog on the premises will avoid entering the house (Photo: Ilan Shapira)

His parentshis father works in high-tech and his mother is a dentistimmigrated to Israel from England in 1986. He was born and raised in Halamish. The family is national-religious and has four sons and three daughters. A. is the sixth child. His three older brothers all served as fighters in elite units.

I had a regular childhood, he says of the years he spent in the community as a child. He knew the Salomon family, which lives across the small road, very well. When I was small, Tova was my kindergarten teacher in the community. We were very close neighbors. The relations between the families were very good.

He studied at the Netiv Meir High School Yeshiva in Jerusalem. In the 12th grade, he partook in a program in which students in their final year volunteer in development towns. I moved to the city of Kiryat Gat and completed my matriculation exams there. While living there, I volunteered in the community, coordinating the Bnei Akiva movements activities. At the end of that year, I opted for another year of studies, this time at a high yeshiva in Givat Olga.

In 2014, he joined the IDF. I like dogs and I thought it would be interesting to serve in Oketz (a canine special forces unit), he says. I joined the Kfir Brigade, which is the way of getting to Oketz, and underwent the units preparatory training.

At the end of long and exhausting training, A. was qualified as a fighter in the unit and installed in its explosives subdivision. Thats when he met Jack, a German shepherd, who became his regular dog and the great love of his life.

We went on many patrols and activities together, he says. I was with him for half a year in the 91st Division in the north. Hes an amazing dog. Today, he already has a different fighter working with him, so I stay away from him so as not to confuse him.

The Salomon family home after the massacre (Photo: Yehezkel Itkin)

In Oketz, A. served in a number of roles. He was a team commander, a squad commander in the squad commanders course, and in the past eight months he has been serving as a sergeant in the units training department, under team commander Lieutenant A.

He has already dealt in the past with the terror threats in his community, Halamish. Three years ago, just before I enlisted, two Palestinians entered our home, he recalls. I wasnt home. My little sister, who was 16 at the time, was there with her boyfriend. They were watching television in her room, when they suddenly spotted two strangers inside the house, outside the room, A sort of struggle erupted there. My sister and her boyfriend threw stuff at them, and they locked them in the room. I had just returned home. I discovered an open door and saw two strangers in the kitchen.

Just like in the Salomon home three years later, A. exercised discretion. He didnt rush into the house to confront the two on his own, but ran to the nearby home. The son of the family living there was a soldier, and within seconds he came back with me to the house with a weapon, went in and combed the place. But they had already escaped, A. recounts.

Such an incident, which may have started off as a criminal event, could have easily developed into a terror attack. We cant know for sure what they were planning to do in our house, but I have a hunch that they werent looking to rob us. When I arrived, I found them in the kitchen. Thats not a place where you look for money or jewelry. Its where you look for knives.

Commander's decision saved lives

On the weekend of July 21, 22-year-old Staff Sergeant A. was supposed to stay at the Oketz Unit base on Shabbat duty. I wasnt even supposed to go home that Shabbat, he says. Lieutenant A., the team commander who serves with me, said to me spontaneously: Go, itll be a shame if we both stay. I mulled the offer. I said to him, Why dont I stay and well do Shabbat together? Eventually, I went home on Thursday at midnight.

Later, it turned out that the team commanders spontaneous decision had saved the lives of Tova Salomon, her daughter-in-law Michal, and Michals five small children. The other family members in the house infiltrated by the terrorist that night were Tovas husband Yosef and their two children, Chaya and Elad. The three of them were murdered.

The indictment filed with the Military Court in Judea against the terrorist, 19-year-old Omar al-Abed, reveals that he decided to carry out the attack following the Israeli response to the Temple Mount attack on Friday, July 14, which left two police officersAdvanced Staff Sergeant Ha'il Satawi and Advanced Staff Sergeant Kamil Shnaandead. According to the indictment, he planned to obtain an explosive belt or firearms, but was unsuccessful. He decided instead to carry out a stabbing attack in the community of Halamish, which is close to the Palestinian village of Kobar, where he lives.

The hole in the window left by the bullet shot by A., which neutralized the terrorist (Photo: Gil Nehushtan)

According to the indictment, al-Abed took a 22-centimeter (8.5-inch) butcher knife from his fathers store, and on Friday, July 21, exactly one week after the Temple Mount attack, he infiltrated the community of Halamish after crossing four fences. When he noticed the lights in the Salomon home and heard the sounds of laughter coming out of the house, he decided to enter and execute his murderous plan.

The indictment describes the actions of a cold-blooded and brutal murderer: The defendant opened the front door and entered the house, holding a knife. As soon as he entered, he was spotted by Michal, who shouted at her children to run up to the second floor and locked herself up with them in one of the bedrooms. The defendant stood in front of Chaya and said, What about al-Aqsa? before stabbing her once in the chest with the knife, pushing the entire blade into her body.

Tova, who was standing next to Chaya, started shouting at the defendant to get out of the house and bent down to the floor. The defendant stabbed Tova in the back with the knife, and Tova began screaming terrorist and fled to the second floor of the house.

Terrorist Omar al-Abed

The defendant than proceeded into the house and stabbed the grandfather, Yosef, in the stomach with the knife. Elad then jumped on the defendant and tried to grab the knife from him. The defendant stabbed Elad three times in his body, but Elad managed to snatch the knife from the defendants hand and tried to protect himself from him. The defendant stood on the hand Elad was holding the knife with, grabbed a wooden cutting board and hit Elads head with it twice powerfully, until the board broke. The defendant picked up a knife that was attached to the cutting board and stabbed Elad in the head with it twice. As a result, the knife fell out of Elads hand, and the defendant picked it up and stabbed Elad about 12 times in different spots in his body, until Elad stopped moving.

The defendant then approached Yosef, who was lying on the floor, once again. He noticed he was still breathing despite his serious wounds. The defendant therefore stabbed Yosef about 15 more times in different places in his body, until Yosef stopped moving.

And then, at that moment, as the terrorist moved away from Yosef, possibly on his way to look for other family members in the house, Staff Sergeant A. managed to neutralize him with a single accurate gunshot through the window.

The victims (from left to right): Chaya, Yosef and Elad Salomon

After hearing the details of the horrific murder, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a condolence visit to the Salomon family a in Elad that al-Abed should be sentenced to death. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett voiced their support for the death penalty too, and the Salomon family members would also like to see the terrorist executed. After IDF forced demolished the al-Abed family home following the attack, Michal Salomon said: Their house can be rebuilt, but my house has been destroyed forever. We need a death penalty so that these terrorists will never be able to rebuild their homes.

In late August, the Military Court in Judea convicted five of al-Abeds relatives of knowing about his intention to carry out the attack, but failing to notify the security authorities. His father was sentenced to two months in prison and his mother, who was also convicted of incitement over comments she made after the attack in a video distributed on social media, was fined and sentenced to a month in jail. His two brothers and his uncle were sentenced to eight months in prison. The five family members received a suspended prison sentence as well. After the attack, the terrorists family stated that it was a natural reaction to the events at the al-Aqsa Mosque.

We heard someone screaming in horror

A. has a clear memory of the events of that Friday night, and he will likely never forget what happened. In the morning, I went to buy clothes for my little sisters wedding, he says. In the evening, we sat down for dinnerjust my parents, my maternal grandmother and me.

When he starts describing what happened that evening, the smile leaves his face. In the middle of the meal, we suddenly heard someone screaming in horror, he recounts. We understood that something unusual was going on, because the screams were beyond reasonable. My father and I went outside, towards the Salomon house across the street, where the screams were coming from. Through the window, I saw a struggle going on inside the house, and I immediately realized it involved a terrorist. I ran home to get my gun.

And your father?

I shouted at him, Dont go in there without a weapon. Later, however, I learned that he had gone in, glanced into the house, seen the blood and the terrorist and turned around to call me and to bring his own weapon.

In the meantime, I returned with the gun. I glanced through the window and saw the terrorist. He had just ended his struggle with Elad, may he rest in peace. I saw Yossi, may he rest in peace, lying on the floor behind him. I directed the weapon at the terrorist through the closed window and fired one bullet. He immediately fell backwards. In the meantime, my father returned with his weapon and we both entered the house. The first thing we did was look around to see if there was another terrorist. My father pushed the knife away from the terrorist and directed the barrel at him.

I went up to the second floor to see if there were any other terrorists in the house. Upstairs, I saw Tova lying on the couch, wounded. I asked her if there had been another terrorist. As soon as she said there had only been one, we started tending to the wounded. In the meantime, my mother called my sister who lives in the community, and my brother-in law arrived shortly afterwards and cuffed the wounded terrorist.

Crying on the graves, after the attack (Photo: Tal Shahar)

What happened in the house during those moments?

Elad and Yossi were lying on the floor, drawing their last breaths. Michal came down and saw everything. There was a feeling of helplessness. We realized it was irreversible. I went outside and called out to the neighbors for help. I began tending to Tova, who had been seriously stabbed in the back by the terrorist. Because the stabs were in the back, I couldnt apply a tourniquet. I stopped the blood with my hands.

Did she say anything to you?

She told me she had opened the door to the terrorist and he had stabbed her. She kept asking me, What about Yossi? What about Elad? What about Chaya? I told her I didnt know. I tried to calm her down. I said they were being taken care of.

Meanwhile, the rescue forces and the communitys residents arrived at the Salomon home. That evening, Tova and Yossi were celebrating the birth of a grandson and performing what is known as sholem zochera sort of toast for people arriving to congratulate them. At first, the people who arrived didnt understand what had happened. They came to congratulate and encountered a terror attack.

It was reported that the wounded terrorist jumped up and tried to attack the rescue forces.

He didnt jump and didnt attack. It simply didnt happen. He was completely neutralized. My father pinned him to the floor with the weapon. And my brother-in-law, who was one of the first people to arrive at the Salomon home, handcuffed him, as I said before. He was incapable of attacking anyone.

Some people wondered if you avoided killing the terrorist because of the Elor Azaria case.

I didnt even think about it throughout the event. As soon as my first shot neutralized him, the thought of shooting him again didnt even cross my mind. The immediate decision was to search for other terrorists in the house, and when it turned out there werent anyto tend to the wounded. I didnt think about anything. My actions were automatic. The terrorist was no longer a threat. So Azaria who? He wasnt on my mind during those moments.

I couldnt sleep

The terrorists infiltration into the Salomon home resulted in the murder of 70-year-old Yosef Salomon, his 46-year-old daughter Chaya, and his 35-year-old son Elad, who fought the terrorist for a long time. Yosefs wife, Tova, was seriously wounded. Michal, Elads wife, courageously took three of her children (aged 11, nine and five) upstairs to the second floor and hid with them in the room where her one-year-old twins were sleeping. From that room, Michal called the police.

Among the forces that arrived at the house were friends of Staff Sergeant A. from the Oketz Unit. We had just ended the Shabbat meal at the base when we were dispatched to his community, says Lieutenant A., the team commander who stayed at the base that Shabbat and let A. go home. A General Staff team was dispatched to the place, and the Oketz fighters and their dogs were of course part of it.

And then I received a phone call from A. I was surprised that he was calling me on a Friday night, but I imagined he wanted to report the incident. I immediately answered the phone and said, Theres a terrorist who carried out an attack in Halamish. The team is on its way. He replied, I know. I neutralized him. I shot a bullet into his stomach and he fell down.

I immediately called the duty officer, who was on his way over there, and informed him that our A. had already neutralized the terrorist.

Tova Salomon. I began tending to her myself, blocking the blood with my hands. She asked me what had happened to Yossi, Elad and Chaya (Photo: Yuval Chen)

The rescue forces arrived at the house shortly afterwards. A., who left before they arrived to seek the neighbors help, spotted Chayas body in the yard. She had tried to go out and call for help, but collapsed and died from the stab wounds.

A. says he was unable to sleep that night.

"I gave my testimony to the police officers who arrived there, but I couldnt go to sleep afterwards, he recalls. You cant fall asleep after such an incident. The adrenaline is sky high. I sat down with my parents and with friends from the community who came over. I also spoke to the councils clinical psychologist and we processed the incident together.

On Saturday morning, Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited the community. They asked me what had happened and I told them, and on Saturday evening all the media arrived. My phone was swamped with text messages and questions on my different WhatsApp groups. Halamish is a small community. When theres a report about A. from the Oketz Unit, it doesnt take much to realize its me. I only answered my closest friends. The burden was simply insane, and I wanted some peace and quiet.

In Halamish, with IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. I never thought I would be awarded a citation during my military service (Photo: IDF Spokespersons Unit)

A. was also in touch with his team commander that night. After things calmed down a bit, I told our soldiers what happened to A., their commander, Lieutenant A. says. I repeated the things he told me, and I called him several times that evening. In each conversation, he provided me with more details about what exactly happened there, and I passed it on to the soldiers. They are young people training as fighters in the unit, and they were shocked to be so close to the incident, to realize it could happen to anyone. They were all proud of their commanders performance.

Have you met the Salomon family members since the event?

Of course, says Staff Sergeant A. On Sunday morning, I went to visit Tova at the hospital. She was very excited. She hugged and thanked me. It was important for her to tell me that I did what was expected of me. Later, I travelled to Elad and Michals home in the city of Elad, where they were sitting shiva. Michal is an amazing woman with remarkable powers. We hadnt known each other personally until then. It was important for her too to tell me that I did what I had to do and that there were not enough words for her to express her gratitude.

With a great amount of courage

A. returned to his unit on Monday. I arrived straight into a training session with the soldiers, he says. My soldiers all knew what happened of course, and they were very excited by my return. They felt comfortable asking questions, and I explained exactly what had happened so that they would get a first-hand account. I presented it to them stage by stage: Interpreting the situationunderstanding that its a terror attack; identifying the stimulusthe terroristand neutralizing it; after he falls down, proceeding to search for the next threat; and when its clear that the scene is safe, tend to the wounded. Of course I also discussed the important of personal training, control and the right use of a gun.

Staff Sergeant A.s performance during the event did not go unnoticed in the Oketz Unit. As first reported by Yedioth Ahronoth, his commanders recommended that he be awarded a citation for his conduct during the event, and the recommendation was approved by Central Command chief Roni Numa.

With Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Its a great honor, but the circumstances make me sad

There is no training for a situation like the one A. dealt with in any stage of training a fighter, explains Major Or, the Oketz Units assistant chief of staff for operations. Fighters are trained to deal with a terrorist holding a knife, following all the stabbing incidents against soldiers, but in this case it was something else, in a civil location.

Although A. wasnt specifically trained for such a scene, you can see in every stage of his conduct how he used the world of content and abilities he accumulated during his service, starting from the decision when and how to fire the first shot that immediately neutralized the terrorist and to the decision to move on to ensurewith a great amount of couragethat there were no more terrorists in the house.

You have to understand, he went up to the second floor without knowing what he would encounter there, without knowing whether there was another terrorist up there or two or three. He didnt stop and wait for reinforcement, but went up in a bid to end the incident, to clarify that I am the solution. He did it without a rifle and magazines, only with a gun which had 14 bullets left in it, after he had already fired one bullet at the terrorist.

Its a very difficult scene. There are wounded people lying around, theres blood, and he goes up on his own to inspect the second floor, knowing that hes going up to fight and that he may even get hurt and die. Its a very powerful move. I would like every fighter to do the same.

I fought in Operations Cast Lead and Protective Edge, I faced difficult situations and incidents, but theres no comparison. Its completely different when youre in a fighting mode, with a force fighting by your side, with a bullet-proof vest and friends who have your back. When we fight as soldiers against an enemy, we know we have an advantage. Its an entirely different situation when youre home on Friday evening, in vacation mode, in festive white clothes. Its perfectly clear to me why they decided that he deserves a citation.

Michal Salomon. Shes a woman with remarkable powers. She told me there were not enough words for her to express her gratitude (Photo: Yuval Chen)

When the decision to award A. a citation was made public, the Salomon family members expressed their support too. Michal spoke to me after it was published, A. says. She congratulated me and thanked me again for saving her life and the rest of the family members who stayed alive. Being awarded a citation is a great honor, but Im receiving it with mixed emotions. Im sad about the circumstances. I feel for the Salomon family, for their terrible loss. I never thought I would be awarded a citation during my military service, but I would definitely give it up if what happened could be erased.

Despite his great love for dogs, A. doesnt have a dog at his parents home in Halamish. Theres no doubt that if a terrorist enters a house, a dog can be very helpful, he admits. Even if the terrorist just hears barking or spots a kennel in the yard or a sign warning that there is a dog on the premises, he will avoid entering the house.

There was no dog in the Salomon home either. I remember they had a dog several years ago, a small French bulldog. He used to snore more than he barked, but a dogespecially one which is trained to defendcan sometimes change the picture entirely.

In November, assuming he doesnt decide to stay on for permanent service, Staff Sergeant A. is expected to complete his IDF service. He is already thinking about a post-army trip, about dedicating some time to his hobbiesrunning, playing guitar and surfing, and maybe even about meeting someone. I dont have a girlfriend, he admits shyly. Its a shame you cant publish my picture. I may have received appeals by now, he laughs.

The force doesnt move an inch without a dog

The Oketz canine unit is one of the IDFs elite units and is considered a world leader in its field. Its fighters specialize in three areas with their dogs: Offense, uncovering explosives and pursuits. As part of the intensive war on terror in the territories, Oketz has become one of the busiest units in the IDF. Hardly any operational activity is launched today without an Oketz fighter and his dog leading the force.

When terrorists are believed to be hiding in a certain building, a dog is sent there before the soldiers to attack the terrorists and make it easier to capture them. However, if a terrorist is identified for certain in the building, the soldiers avoid setting the dog on him, both to spare the dogs life and because of the high cost of purchasing and training a new dog. The units dogs are also tasked with uncovering explosives and weapons, and well as with chasing terrorists in suspected infiltrations.

The Oketz Unit is very popular among new recruits. The training of fighters in the unit, until they can go out on their own to lead a military force with a dog, is one of the longest training sessions in the IDFabout 16 months.

Oketz is considered the leading unit in the world in its field and often hosts representatives from many foreign armies, who come to learn and undergo training with dogs. According to foreign reports, the American Marine Corps in Iraq used dogs who had been trained in the IDFs Oketz Unit.

Staff Sergeant A. Thinking about a post-army trip (Photo: Ilan Spira)

Most of the units dogs are of the Malinois breed (a variety of the Belgian Shepherd) or German Shepherd. They are purchased by the IDF from natural habitats in Europe. Due to the high demand for these dogs in similar units around the world, the price of one puppy could reach thousands of euros. Oketz has its own natural habitat as well, and the finest puppies there are designated for the unit.

In recent years, Oketz has developed new abilities to assist in the exposure of Hamas offensive tunnels. Most of the information about these abilities is confidential, but it has been revealed the units dogs play a very important part in this sensitive and dangerous activity.

Four of the units dogs were killed in the Gaza Strip during Operation Protective Edge. In two tunnel uncovering incidents, the dogs died while saving the lives of the soldiers around them. During the operation, the units dogs focused on locating explosive devices planted by Hamas in dozens of homes, especially along tunnel shafts reached by the IDF fighters, in an attempt to target the soldiers and protect the tunnels, their strategic asset.

"Theres not a single force today that moves an inch without a dog, a senior officer in the Gaza Division said during the operation, defining the area as having the largest concentration of explosive devices, therefore requiring exceptional life-saving abilities from the dogs.

In the Oketz Unit, dogs are treated as fighters for all intents and purposes. Dogs killed during operational activity are given a military burial and are buried in a dog cemetery at the units base.
A resident of the West Bank settlement of Kfar Adumim was forced to draw his personal firearm on Sunday, after his car was pelted with rocks in east Jerusalem. "I looked death in the eye," said Shifrin, whose car's back windshield was shattered during the incident. Police are now investigating the case.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Gabi Shifrin, 35, recounted heading home from work Sunday, with the incident taking place as he was passing through the Mount of Olives area, wherer the narrow east Jerusalem roads are known to lead to traffic jams, which in turn create an opportunity for assailants to attack Israeli vehicles.

Gabi Shifrin's car was attacked with stones in east Jerusalem

"Like every other work day, I turned Waze on and started driving from Jerusalem to Kfar Adumim. This time, I took HaOfel Road near the Mount of Olives and the roads are really narrow there. A traffic jam started forming on one of the curves and I felt a loud bang. I turned my head to the right and saw a young man with a pile of rocks by his side, throwing rocks at me. I lifted my gun from the seat next to me. When he saw it, he threw the remaining rocks and disappeared down one of the alleyways," recounted Shifrin.

Before he had a chance to turn around, Shifrin's car was hit with another rock. "I felt another huge bang, this time behind me. I cocked my weapon, turned around and saw another boy throwing large rocks at me. The back windshield burst and he, too, disappeared. It was at that moment that I realized I only had a few seconds. A pathway cleared and I zoomed out of there," he said.

The car's back windshield completely shattered

Shifrin shared the thoughts that went through his head just then. "You feel as if you're fighting for you very life. I saw a lynch about to come and looked death in the eye. It was horrifying," he said.

After making his escape, Shifrin quickly made his way to a police station to report the incident. On Monday morning, he came in again to provide a detailed account of the events at the Ma'ale Adumim station.

"A complaint was registered and an investigation is underway. The matter is being handled by the Jerusalem District police," a spokesperson for the Israel Police commented.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has also called for Germany's immigration minister to be "disposed of" in Turkey where her parents come from, could become the third largest party with up to 12 percent of the vote on Sept. 24, polls show.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The first far-right party set to enter Germany's parliament for more than a half a century says it will press for Chancellor Angela Merkel to be "severely punished" for opening the door to refugees and migrants.

Alternative for Germany anti-immigrant protests (Photo: EPA)

The projected result is far less than similar movements in other European countries: in France far-right leader Marine Le Pen won 34 percent of the vote in May and in the Netherlands far-rightist Geert Wilders scored 13 percent in a March election.

But the prospect of a party that the foreign minister has compared with the Nazis entering the heart of German democracy is unnerving the other parties. They all refuse to work with the AfD and no one wants to sit next to them in parliament.

Leading AfD candidate Alexander Gauland denies they are Nazis, saying others only use the term because of the party's popularity. It has won support with calls for Germany to shut its borders immediately, introduce a minimum quota for deportations and stop refugees bringing their families here.

AfD leader Alexander Gauland (Photo: AP)

"We're gradually becoming foreigners in our own country," Gauland told an election rally in the Polish border city of Frankfurt an der Oder.

A song with the lyrics "We'll bring happiness back to your homeland" blared out of a blue campaign bus and the 76-year-old lawyer said Germany belonged to the Germans, Islam had no place here and the migrant influx would make everyone worse off.

Gauland provoked outrage for saying at another event that Germans should no longer be reproached with the Nazi past and they should take pride in what their soldiers achieved during World War I and II.

The AfD could end up as the biggest opposition force in the national assembly if there is a re-run of the current coalition of Merkel's conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD)one of the most likely scenarios.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel out on the campaign trail (Photo: Reuters)

Should this come to pass, AfD would chair the powerful budget committee and open the general debate during budget consultations, giving prominence to its alternatives to government policies.

Georg Pazderski, a member of the AfD's executive board, said his party would use parliamentary speeches to draw attention to the cost of the migrant crisis, troubles in the euro zonewhich the AfD wants Germany to leaveand problems related to the European Union.

"We'll have a voice when we're in parliament," he said. "We won't be an easy opposition."

He expects other parties will shun the AfD for a year or two but ultimately work with it, pointing to the regional assembly in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD and Merkel's Christian Democrats voted to set up a committee to investigate left-wing extremism.

Gauland added the AfD would call for a committee to investigate the chancellor after entering parliament: "We want Ms. Merkel's policy of bringing 1 million people into this country to be investigated and we want her to be severely punished for that."

Suits, not skinheads

MPs have already changed the qualification for the ceremonial post of doyen of parliament to the longest-serving MP rather than the oldest, likely to have been an AfD member.

Sahra Wagenknecht, top candidate of the radical Left party, said it was important to look at individuals for committees but added: "I won't elect any AfD member who belongs to Bjoern Hoecke's wing and who really represents Nazi views into any position of responsibility."

Hoecke has denied that Adolf Hitler was "absolutely evil", described Berlin's Holocaust Memorial as a "monument of shame" and demanded a "180-degree turnaround" in the way Germany seeks to atone for Nazi crimes.

The justice minister said some of the AfD's programs, like its demand to ban minarets, is unconstitutional.

Alexander Hensel, who studied the AfD's role in regional parliaments for the Otto Brenner Foundation, said debates in state assemblies had become more polarized since the AfD arrived and some other MPs would not shake hands with the newcomers.

"The AfD's aggressive right-wing positions have intensified the debates while the tone and way people deal with each other in parliament has become noticeably rougher due to the AfD's tough rhetoric and targeted provocations," he said.

An AfD demonstration (Photo: Getty Images)

Unlike previous right-wing movements in Germany, the AfDfounded in 2013 by an anti-euro group of academicshas become socially acceptable to the point radicalized people from the middle class feel able to vote for it alongside classic radical right-wing voters, said Manfred Guellner, head of the Forsa polling institute.

"You don't vote for skinheads but you can vote for professors in suits," said Guellner, referring to the likes of Gauland, who tends to wear tweed jackets.

The AfD is unlikely to gain much more support though, said Jackson Janes, president of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, predicting worsening infighting over whether to aim for government or stay in opposition.

"They'll add to the yelling and screaming in the Bundestag," he said, but added: "I don't see them spreading like a cancer through society."
A Russian court on Monday rejected a request to release classified documents about Swedish Righteous Among the Nations Raoul Wallenberg, whose fate remains a mystery seven decades after his reported death, Russian news agencies reported.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Wallenberg, a former Swedish diplomat, helped save 20,000 Hungarian Jews during World War Two before being captured by Soviet forces in 1945.

Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg saved tens of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust (Photo: AP)

A Russian report claimed he died of a heart attack in 1947 in the Lubyanka prison in central Moscow run by the KGB security service, but no definitive proof of his fate has been put forward.

Rumors Wallenberg was still alive persisted even after the 1947 announcement of his death. Many entities, including the Wallenberg itself, attempted to ascertain his fate, but were unsuccessful.

In 2000 Russia finally admitted culpability in his death, with rumors suggesting he received an injection of poison while in the Russian prison. These rumors, however, were never substantiated.

Jews during World War II (Photo: AP)

This past October, 71 years after his disappearance, Sweden officially pronounced him dead. In the past the Nordic country announced it cannot accept claims of his demise due to lack of concrete evidence.

The Swedish SEB bank, entrusted with managing Wallenberg's estate, asked Swedish tax authorities to pronounce him dead in early 2016. The authority responsible for registering births and death in the country finally relented.

Relatives of Wallenberg filed a lawsuit against Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB)successor agency to the KGBseeking access to uncensored documents which they said could provide clues to Wallenberg's fate.

But a Moscow court rejected that lawsuit out of hand on Monday, saying the documents could not be released because they contained personal information about other individuals, Russian news agencies reported.

Wallenberg's relatives were cited as saying they would appeal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in New York on Monday in what was their first public meeting since al-Sisi took office in 2014. The two have already had secret meetings and maintain close ties.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The two leaders discussed ways to renew peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

A statement from Netanyahu's office said the meeting, held at the Palace Hotel where al-Sisi is staying while in New York, was "comprehensive" and dealt with the "problems in the region."

Netanyahu and al-Sisi meet in New York (Photo: Avi Ohayon, GPO)

According to a statement from al-Sisi's office, the Egyptian president stressed the importance of renewing peace talks in order to reach a just solution based on the idea of two states for two peoples.

Al-Sisi also thanked the Trump administration for US efforts on the matter, adding that resolving the Palestinian issue would create a new reality in the Middle East that would allow stability and security to all countries in the region.

The Egyptian statement also noted Netanyahu expressed his appreciation to al-Sisi for Cairo's important role in the Middle East, its fight against terrorism and its efforts to achieve stability and peace in the region.

Netanyahu and al-Sisi meet in New York (: ")

X

Earlier Monday, al-Sisi met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss attempts to jumpstart the peace process with Israel as well as efforts to achieve internal Palestinian reconciliation between Abbas's Palestinian Authority and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, met with US President Donald Trump for the third time this year at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. The Israeli premier expressed his desire for a tougher stance vis-a-vis Iran in a bid to frustrate its ambitions to produce a nuclear weapon.

Netanyahu and al-Sisi meet in New York (Photo: Avi Ohayon, GPO)

During his meeting with Trump, Netanyahu mentioned his aim at abandoning the current deal with Iran. One of the most vociferous opponents of the deal, which was signed under Barack Obamas leadership, Netanyahu has in the past delineated what he believes should be the West's clear red lines on the issue.

"I look forward to discussing with you how we can address together what you rightly called is the terrible nuclear deal with Iran and how to roll back Iran's growing aggression in the region, especially in Syria," Netanyahu told Trump.

Netanyahu has recently expressed grave concern at Tehrans attempts to spread its influence throughout the Middle East, and particularly to Syria and along Israel's northern border.

Netanyahu and al-Sisi meet in New York (Photo: Avi Ohayon, GPO)

Netanyahu also mentioned Israel was seeking out peace with the Palestinians and the Arab world in general, a goal that is encouraged by the US. Trump is scheduled to meet with Abbas later this week.

"As you said, we will discuss the way we can seize the opportunity for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and between Israel and the Arab world, I think these things go together and we look forward to talking about how we can advance both," Netanyahu to the American president.

Trump agreed with him, saying that they "are giving it an absolute go," and that "we're working very hard" to reach a deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

While in New York on Monday, Netanyahu also held talks with a series of other world leaders, including Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
BEIRUT  A booby-trapped motorbike exploded in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli on Monday, killing a child and wounding six other people, the monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Syrian state TV said a motorbike had exploded and reported that four people were wounded but did not immediately mention deaths.

Qamishli is in an area mostly under the control of Kurdish security forces. Bomb blasts, often claimed by Islamic State, have occurred in Qamishli and nearby Hasaka city, both under Kurdish control, but have been rare in the last year.
Curating information literacy stories from around the world since 2005
CHICAGO  A Chicago Palestinian activist with a decades-old record of bombings in Jerusalem will be deported to Jordan on Tuesday, her spokesman said.

Supporters and community activists plan to gather at O'Hare Airport's international terminal before Rasmea Odeh, 70, departs for Jordan, said Hatem Abudayyeh, coordinator of her defense committee.

Odeh pleaded guilty in April to concealing her convictions when she applied for US citizenship in Detroit in 2004. Her record would have disqualified her from entering the US a decade earlier.
An operative in Hamas's military arm was killed inside a tunnel in the Rafah area of the southern Gaza Strip, apparently as a result of its collapse.

This marks the second time a Hamas operative was killed in the past week as a result of digging a tunnel.
BAGHDAD  A Turkmen official says authorities in Iraq's ethnically-mixed city of Kirkuk have imposed a nighttime curfew after clashes erupted between Kurds and Turkmen amid preparations for the controversial Kurdish independence referendum next week.

Mohammed Samaan Kanaan, in charge of Iraqi Turkmen Front offices, said on Tuesday that gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on one of the offices the previous night. The guards returned fire, killing one and wounding two of the assailants.

Kanaan says hours later, a police patrol that included the brother of the slain assailant attacked another office, triggering clashes. The fighting ended when a large ethnically mixed force reached the scene.
One hundred ambassadors and cultural attaches have come out against plans by the Ministry of Foreign Affair's to dissolve the Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The 70 current and 30 former diplomats signed a letter calling on Director-General Yuval Rotem to leave the division intact rather than dissolve it and re-delegate its responsibilities to the Media and Public Affairs Division.

"The challenges the State of Israel faces have never been an obstacle for the blessed work done by the Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs," the diplomats wrote. "Even in moments of crisis (wars, military operations, terrorism, anti-Israeli votes, protests, etc.), the division's work to export Israeli culture did not cease and continued diligently."

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem (Photo: Guy Asayag)

"As experienced diplomats well familiar with the difference between public affairs work and cultural work, we caution that putting the cultural work under the Media and Public Affairs Division is a two-edged sword and could be to our detriment, something we seek to prevent in advance," the diplomats went on to say.

They called on the ministry director-general to issue a tender for the position of deputy director of cultural and scientific affairs and aid the new division head by increasing its budget.

"Other employees of the Foreign Affairs Ministry share our position, and we all hope our request will be readily accepted by the director-general," the diplomats concluded.

Reuven Merhav, a former Mossad official who served as the Foreign Ministry director-general as well as the head of Israel's missions in Hong Kong and Beirut, says re-delegating the Cultural and Scientific Affairs Division's responsibilities to the Media and Public Affairs Division would be a great mistake stemming from lack of understanding.

"The cultural and scientific matters... can be used as a top diplomatic tool and constitute part of Israel's image as an enlightened, cultural and open country," he said. "Particularly as science has been used in the past and is still used as a tool for cooperation with countries we did not cooperate with before that seek to be close to us."

China, Merhav said, was an example of that. "The Chinese's impression of our scientific abilities was a decisive factor in their decision to cooperate with us. It has nothing to do with public relations, and everything to do with Israel's reputation as a country that stands out in its own right," he explained.

Meanwhile, the Israel Culture and Arts Forum and the Israeli Actors Guild released a joint statement against the planned move, saying "The work of the Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs is important and second to none. Despite the small budget the division has at its disposal (that has suffered great cuts in recent years), their help to artists going abroad is priceless."

"The division's employees are highly professional and invest their heart and soul in Israel's representation without any political agenda," the statement continued.

"We fear that re-delegating the export of culture and art to the Media and Public Relations Division means an end to professional priorities and to broader considerations when it comes to the presence of Israeli art across the globe. Instead, art will be used as a tool to promote policy and diplomacy directly, rather than win hearts and minds with openness, artistic dialogue, and inspiration."

The Foreign Ministry's management said in response, "The Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs has, for several years now, been part of the public diplomacy apparatus, at the heart of which is the Media and Public Relations Division. The reform led by the director-general will not in any way change the activity done in support of culture. The change is organizational only."

"It's hard to shake the feeling this is an attempt to push for a futile argument under the guise of ideology," the Foreign Ministry went on to say. "No one is harming the promotion of Israeli culture. On the contrary, including the issue of culture in a division which is, at its heart, all about public diplomacy, will only serve to help with budgets, manpower and the right management to bring Israeli culture to many audiences across the world."
The IDF fired a Patriot missile from the Safed area in the Golan Heights on Tuesday to intercept an Iranian-made Hezbollah intelligence collection drone trying to infiltrate Israel's airspace from Syria.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The drone "took off from the Damascus Airport towards the Golan and operated in the buffer zone, without infiltrating Israel," IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said.

The IDF scrambled fighter jets and fired one Patriot missile, shooting the drone down with the missile, Manelis added.

Patriot fired over Golan Heights (Photo: Yoni Lobliner)

The drone fell near the town of el-Hmidaiah in the Qunaitra area.

"The IDF will not allow the infiltration of Iranian elements, Hezbollah, Shiite militias or global Jihad to the Golan Heights. We will respond and react immediately to any such attempt," the IDF spokesman concluded.

Following the incident, the Northern Command has been put on high alert.

Patriot fired over Safed (:  )

X

Defense Minister Avigor Lieberman praised the IDF for the quick work in dispatching the drone. "I want to note the high-level of preparedness of the IDF, which knows how to deal with every surprise, every problem and every threat," Lieberman said during a visit to the Elbit Systems factory in Arad. "I want to note the high-level of preparedness of the IDF, which knows how to deal with every surprise, every problem and every threat," Lieberman said during a visit to the Elbit Systems factory in Arad. "As I've said before: We have no intention of tolerating any threat and any attempt at harming the security of the State of Israel. Anyone who tries to hurt our sovereignty or our security should know he will pay a very steep price for it. We're ready for any scenario on any front," he added. "As I've said before: We have no intention of tolerating any threat and any attempt at harming the security of the State of Israel. Anyone who tries to hurt our sovereignty or our security should know he will pay a very steep price for it. We're ready for any scenario on any front," he added.

Israel has used Patriot missiles to intercept drones coming from Syria several times in the past, including in April 2017 and July 2016

In September 2014 , the IDF shot down a Syrian fighter jet with the Patriot anti-ballistic system. It was the first time in over 30 years a Syrian jet has entered Israel's airspace, and the IDF estimated at the time the jet had crossed into Israel by accident en route to attacking rebel positions in the Golan Heights.
Israeli security forces have uncovered and then took into custody an east Jerusalem terror cell taking part in stone and Molotov cocktail throwing while planning shooting attacks, it was cleared for publication on Tuesday.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The group, whose members are Israeli citizens, operated in the neighborhood of Silwan, which is south of the Temple Mount complex.

The group's leader, Muhammad Faroh, a 39-year-old Silwan resident, was in contact with elements from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, which reportedly financed and sponsored the cell's operations.

Israeli security forces in Silwan (File photo: Mohammad Shinawi)

Other members of the cell, known as "The Silwan Ghosts," were also arrested: Amir Faroh, 19, Saud Aliyan, 18, Muhammad Abu Ta'aya, 19, Amjad Shweiki, 19, Ali Abasi, 19, and Ahmad Abu Khalf, an 18-year-old resident of Abu-Tor near Silwan.

An additional Silwan resident was arrested, a minor at the time of being taken into custody, who participated in planning shooting attacks and was involved in torching a security vehicle and other firebomb attacks.

The group planned to carry out several terrorist attacks, including shooting at Israeli vehicles or Jewish homes in the neighborhood. They had also made plans to purchase various arms to carry out this plan and made other preparatory arrangements.

Its members also participated in stone, Molotov cocktail and firework throwing incidents directed at security forces and vehicles.

One of the attacks, taking place August 6, involved some of the group's members spilling gasoline on a security vehicle before firebombing it, causing the car to go up in flames.

The cell's members will be indicted Wednesday at the Jerusalem District Court for their involvement in the planning and carrying out of terrorism.

The investigation has uncovered a major ramping up of local terrorist outfits, partly influenced by the outbreak of violence around the Temple Mount this past summer.
Seven Jewish US senators, some of them top officials in the Democratic Party, recently sent an open letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning him against harming the status of Reform and Conservative Jews vis-a-vis their right to hold egalitarian prayer services at the Western Wall.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The letter was cosigned by Ron Wyden, Dianne Feinstein, Bernie Sanders, Al Franken, Richard Blumenthal, Benjamin Cardin and Brian Schatz in response to a decision taken in June by the Israeli government to freeze progress on plans to construct an egalitarian section at the Western Wall to cater for the holy sites more liberal visitors.

Prime Minister Netanyahu (L) received a letter signed by seven senators including Bernie Sanders (Photo: AFP, Marc Israel Sellem)

"We fear actions like the conversion bill and the suspension of the Kotel agreement will strain the unique relationship between our two nations, particularly if the majority of American Jews see the movements to which they are committed denied equal rights in Israel," the letter said.

"Given all the challenges Israel faces on the international stage, we urge you not to alienate committed Zionists," the senators implored the prime minister.

The letter went on to discuss the Kotel agreement according to which a space near the Wall was to be allocated for egalitarian prayer.

"We are also very concerned by the Israeli government's recent decision to freeze a widely agreed-upon plan to establish an egalitarian prayer space in the Western Wall. We urge you to respond affirmatively to the High Court's request that your government declare its willingness to reinstate the agreement it forged and signed," the letter stated.

California Senator Dianne Feinstein (Photo: AP)

Regarding the conversion billwhich has been frozen for nowthe senators wrote: "We fear this would have significant ramifications for the religious equality of all Jewish movements in Israel and we worry that our modern Orthodox and non-Orthodox constituents will see this as an attack on their Jewishness and the status of their rabbis."

The letter concluded by calling on Netanyahu to "keep working on a solution that respects all movements and is acceptable to all."

"We're in the midst of a great crisis"

According to Executive Director of the Reform Movement in Israel Rabbi Gilad Kariv, the letter demonstrates the divisions caused among American Jewry and Israel by Netanyahu's decision to put the brakes on the agreement.

"The senators' letter proves the strategic damage caused by the Israeli government's failed and crude handling of the Wall and conversion issues. The seven senators who penned the letter comprise Israel's safety belt in Congress, just as the millions of Reform and Conservative Jews all over North America are the basis for the support and special relationship between Israel and the US," said Kariv.

The High Court's discussion on the Kotel agreement freeze (Photo: Amit Shabi)

"The Israeli government's attitude towards non-Orthodox denominations, its habitual breaking of promises and ignoring continued offenses against the sensibilities of a large portion of the Jewish people all contribute to gnaw and weaken this support base," he continued.

Kariv then appealed to the Israeli premier to bring the situation under control. "We call upon the prime minister to open both his eyes and his heart, and understand we're in the midst of a great crisis. Most Israeli citizens and world Jewry, including prominent and influential Jewish leaders, expect him to stop acquiescing to a small and destructive minority and to loyally serve the interests of the entire Jewish people."

In a press briefing in New York Monday, Netanyahu noted Reform and Conservative Jews tried utilizing the Kotel agreement to achieve "backdoor recognition", and the government is therefore not about to recant its decision to freeze the agreement's implementation.

Women praying at the Western Wall (Photo: Amit Shabi)

"I never canceled the Kotel agreement. I only suspended one article of it. We misunderstood its importance running the gamut from the practical to the symbolic, in light of the Reform Movement's years' long struggle for recognition and hedging the Rabbinate's power, but the government hasn't moved to change it."

Netanyahu's statements incensed Executive Director of the Conservative Movement in Israel attorney Yizhar Hess. "If those were indeed the prime minister's words in briefing, I cannot find other words to describe it other than 'fraud'. Saying 'wanted to achieve' and 'backdoor recognition'? Have you no shame? You're the ones who offered it to us," he tweeted in response.

In light of this escalating crisis, representatives of the Reform and Conservative Movements sat out Netanyahu's New York meeting with leaders of American Jewry for the first time.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed on Tuesday for statesmanship to avoid war with North Korea and criticized world leaders stoking resentment over refugees for political gain, two apparent digs at President Donald Trump.

In his first address to the annual gathering of world leaders at the 193-member UN General Assembly since taking office in January, Guterres said the North Korea crisis must be solved through a political process.

"This is the time for statesmanship," said the former prime minister of Portugal. "We must not sleepwalk our way into war."

With tensions escalating over North Korea's continued nuclear and ballistic missile testing in a bid to give it the ability to target the United States with a powerful, nuclear-tipped missile, Trump has warned of US military action.

The UN Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2006 and Guterres appealed for the 15-member body to maintain its unity on North Korea.

Guterres, a former head of the UN refugee agency, also spoke of being "pained to see the way refugees and migrants have been stereotyped and scapegoated - and to see political figures stoke resentment in search of electoral gain."

Guterres also spoke about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying: "I visited Israel and Palestine, the two-state solution is the solution that needs to be promoted."
A Chicago Palestinian terrorist with a decades-old record of bombings in Jerusalem will be deported to Jordan on Tuesday, her spokesman said.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Supporters and community activists plan to gather at O'Hare International Airport before Rasmea Odeh, 70, departs for Jordan, said Hatem Abudayyeh, coordinator of her defense committee.

Rasmea Odeh (Photo: AP)

Odeh pleaded guilty in April to concealing her convictions when she applied for US citizenship in Detroit in 2004. Her record would have disqualified her from entering the US a decade earlier.

In 1970, Odeh was convicted of two bombings in Jerusalem, including one that killed two young men at a supermarket. She insists she was tortured into confessing by the Israeli military. She was sentenced to life in prison but was released in 1979 as part of a prisoner swap with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Photo: AP

With family in Michigan, she applied for a US visa in 1994, but didn't disclose her criminal record. She also didn't disclose it when she applied for citizenship in 2004. Odeh was convicted of lying and sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2014, but the verdict was overturned. She chose to make a deal with the government rather than face a second trial.

Odeh didn't serve any time in prison after pleading guilty, but she lost her citizenship and must leave the US.

In Chicago, Odeh was associate director of the Arab American Action Network, which provides social services and education. She is widely respected for her work with immigrants, especially Arab women.
North Korean workers will start leaving Qatar and Kuwait after the Gulf Arab states said they would stop renewing visas, cutting off a source of foreign income for Pyongyang after UN Security Council sanctions and pressure from the United States.

US President Donald Trump urged United Nations member states on Tuesday to turn up the pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, using his maiden speech to the world body to address what he has said is the top global challenge.

The speech comes after North Korea's nuclear tests and missile launches which have stirred global tensions.

Several thousand North Korean workers reside in the US-allied Gulf region, mainly working on construction sites. Kuwait hosts the only North Korean diplomatic mission in the region and this week took steps to expel the ambassador and downgrade ties.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday Israel's enemies "put themselves in mortal peril," vowing his country would "defend itself with the full force of our arms," before calling on international community to 'fix or nix' the Iranian nuclear deal.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Kicking off his speech by cataloguing the numerous fields in which countries are cooperating with Israel, including cyber security, water and technology, Netanyahu proudly proclaimed from the poduim that his country was in the midst of "a revolution, a revolution of Israels standing among the nations" which he attributed to the fact that "so many countries around the world have finally woken up to what Israel can do for them."

Photo: AP

Those countries, he proudly proclaimed, "also recognize Israels exceptional capabilities in fighting terrorism...We have saved countless lives. You may not know this but your governments do."

Prime Minister Netanyahu's UN speech (: )

X

Turning his attention to Iran, the prime minister criticized the nuclear deal signed under former president Barack Obama's leadership, echoing statments he made during last year's General Assembly speech that rather than blocking Iran's path to the bomb, "it paves it."

Iran, Netanyahu said, "will be able to make many bombs by keeping the deal."

Pledging that he would never allow Iran to gain a military foothold in Syria or Lebanon and position itself to strike at Israel's northern border, the Israeli premier said that he had a message for the Iranian supreme leader, the "Iranian dictator."

"The light of Israel will never be extinguished," the prime minister emphatically declared to the sounds of a rapturous applause.

"Those who threaten us with annihilation put themselves in mortal peril. Israel will defend itself with the full force of our arms and the full power of our convictions."

Promising Israel "will act to prevent Iran from producing deadly weapons in Syria or Lebanon to use against us," Netanyahu issued a stern warning to the international community that an "Iranian curtain is spreading across the Middle East."

Netanyahu then addressed the Iranian people directly, saying in Persian: "You are not our enemy; you are our friends."

Photo: Reuters

"One day, my Iranian friends, you will be free from the evil regime that terrorizes you, hangs gays, jails journalists, tortures political prisoners, and shoots innocent women like Neda Sultan, leaving her choking on her own blood on the streets of Tehran," he continued. "I have not forgotten Neda. I am sure you havent either.

"And when that day of liberation finally comes, the friendship between our two ancient peoples will surely flourish once again."

The prime minister raised the issue of the "sunset clause" of the Iranian nuclear deal, highlighting it as the most pernicious component which will, he said, in a few years see the lifting of all restrictions on Iran, not by dint of an improvement in its "behavior" but simply "by a mere change in the calendar."

"I warned that when that sunset comes, a dark shadow will be cast over the entire Middle East and the world, because Iran will then be free to enrich uranium on an industrial scale, placing it on the threshold of a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons," he said.

"Thats why I said two years ago that the greater danger is not that Iran will rush to a single bomb by breaking the deal, but that Iran will be able to build many bombs by keeping the deal," he repeated.

"Now, in the last few months, weve all seen how dangerous even a few nuclear weapons can be in the hands of a small rogue regime.Now imagine the danger of hundreds of nuclear weapons in the hands of a vast Iranian Islamist empire, with the missiles to deliver them anywhere on earth."

Citing the example of North Korea, Netanyahu predicted that if the sunset clause was not addressed, "if nothing canges, this deal will turn out exactly the same way."

Above all," he told his listners, "fixing the deal means getting rid of the sunset clause."

Netanyahu went on to reiterate what he had posted in a tweet just hours earlier following President Donald Trump's General Assembly speech in which he denounced Iran as a "rogue state" and a "murderous regime."

PM Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly (Photo: AP)

In over 30 years in my experience with the UN, I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech," Netanyahu said, before furnishing praise on Trump for being the first ever acting US president to visit the Kotel.

"President Trump stood at the Western Wall...where the Jewish people's temples stood for nearly 1000 years and when the president touched those ancient stones he touched our hearts forever," he said.

Ridiculing a recent resolution declaring Hebron's Old Cityand with it the Cave of the Patriarchsas a Palestinian World Heritage Site, Netanyahu derided it as worse than fake news. Its fake history.

Inserting humor into his speech, Netanyahu mocked the UN's decision to adopt a Syrian-sponsored resolution that criticized Israel for health conditions on the Golan Heights, quoting the famous phrase of former US tennis star John McEnroe: You cannot be serious.
US President Donald Trump said at the United Nations Tuesday that the Iranian government is an "economically depleted rogue state" whose chief export is violence and told world leaders the US would "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary,

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



In his first appearance at the annual gathering of world leaders, the president used a 41-minute speech to take aim also at Iran's nuclear ambitions and regional influence, while addressing North Korea, Venezuela's collapsing democracy and the threat of Islamist extremists.

President Trump at the UN (: )

X

Trump called the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, was an embarrassment and hinted that he may not recertify the agreement when it comes up for a mid-October deadline.

"I don't think you've heard the last of it," he said.

Rather than use its resources to improve Iranian lives, its oil profits go to Hezbollah and other terror groups that kill innocent Muslims and attack their Arab and Israeli neighbors," he said.

Iran was the subject of further opprobrium for Trump, which he slammed for speaking "openly of mass murder, death to America and the destruction of Israel."

Photo: AFP

Tweeting after the speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said In over 30 years in my experience with the UN, I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech.

"President Trump spoke the truth about the great dangers facing our world and issued a powerful call to confront them in order to ensure the future of humanity.

Before addressing Iran, Trump mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "rocket man" on a suicide mission, saying the US will be forced to "totally destroy" the country unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear challenge.

Loud murmurs filled the green-marbled UN General Assembly hall when Trump issued his sternest warning yet to North Korea, whose ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests have rattled the globe.

Unless North Korea backs down, he said, "We will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea."

PM Netanyahu at the GA (Photo: AP)

"Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime," he said.

He urged United Nations member states to work together to isolate the Kim government until it ceases its "hostile" behavior.

He said North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles "threatens the entire world with unthinkable cost of human life."

In what may have been a veiled prod at China, the North's major trading partner, Trump said: "It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict."

North Korea's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's remarks.

A junior North Korean diplomat remained in the delegation's front-row seat for Trump's speech, the North Korean UN mission said.

He also criticized the Cuban government.

Photo: Reuters

The speech marked his latest attempt to lay out his America First vision for a US foreign policy aimed at downgrading global bureaucracies, basing alliances on shared interests, and steering Washington away from nation-building exercises abroad.

Trump, who entered the White House eight months ago, told world leaders at the 193-member global body that the United States does not seek to impose its will on other nations and will respect other countries' sovereignty.

Photo: AP

"I will defend America's interests above all else," he said. "But in fulfilling our obligations to other nations we also realize it's in everyone's interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure."

Reading carefully from a script, Trump said the US military would soon be the strongest it has ever been.

Turning to Venezuela, Trump called the collapsing situation there "completely unacceptable" and said the United States cannot stand by and watch. He warned the United States was considering what further actions it can take.

"We cannot stand by and watch," he said.

Shortly before Trump's speech, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed from the General Assembly lectern for statesmanship to avoid war with North Korea.

"This is the time for statesmanship," said the former prime minister of Portugal. "We must not sleepwalk our way into war."

The UN Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2006 and Guterres appealed for the 15-member body to maintain its unity on North Korea.

Trump has warned North Korea that military action was an option for the United States as Pyongyang has carried out a series of tests toward developing the ability to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.

Financial markets showed little reaction to Trump's speech, with most major assets hovering near the unchanged mark on the day.
Security Cabinet member and former commander of the IDF's Southern Command Yoav Galant (Kulanu) spoke Tuesday on the Iranian threat, warning the Islamic republic against entering a military confrontation against Israel as it will "not end well for them" if they do.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Galant added that leaders should differentiate between Iran's threats and deeds, referring to its tendency to make intimidating declarations against Israel which it rarely follows through on. "Haughty words will not shake us. The State of Israel is a strong, stable state, with security, military, tactical and strategic capabilities," he said.

"The Iranians should focus on developing a life of freedom and tranquility for their population and not seek an 'adventure' with Israel. That will not end well for them."

Yoav Galant, at the evacuation of the Amona settlement (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Galant also spoke about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi at the UN General Assembly in New York, describing it as highly important.

"The most important event in our history, beyond the establishment of the state, of course, is peace with Egypt during the period of Prime Minister Menachem Begin," he noted. "This meeting is very important, both for the fact that it happened and that it was so publically transparent.

"The very fact that the Egyptian president meets the prime minister in public in this way clearly demonstrates courage and leadership, as well as a very important change in the relations between us and the Egyptians," he noted.

Galant then praised al-Sisi, lauding him as a "very prominent leader" and compared him to former Egyptian presidents, saying that "he has a combination of (Gamal Abdel) Nasser's charisma and (Anwar) Sadat's wisdom."

"Egypt and Israel share, unfortunately, common quarrels; both Iran and Sunni extremism," Galant added, calling Egypt "a central partner in the Middle East" and stressing the strategic importance of Israel's relations with it.

"I see this meeting as a central point in the prime minister's visit (to the UN general assemblyed), and I am very happy about it," Galant continued. "We want Egypt on our side as one of the dominant elements in the Arab-Muslim-Sunni world."

Netanyahu and al-Sisi meet in New York (Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO)

He further noted that both Israel and Egypt has a common interest in stopping Iran from interfering in the region to promote their ideologies, and that "cooperation with Egypt in order to stop the jihadists is very important."

The meeting between Netanyahu and al-Sisi was their first public appearance together. At their meeting, the two leaders discussed ways to renew peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

A statement from Netanyahu's office said the meeting, held at the Palace Hotel where al-Sisi is staying while in New York, was "comprehensive" and dealt with the "problems in the region."

According to a statement from al-Sisi's office, the Egyptian president stressed the importance of renewing peace talks in order to reach a just solution based on the idea of two states for two peoples.

Al-Sisi also thanked the Trump administration for US efforts on the matter, adding that resolving the Palestinian issue would create a new reality in the Middle East that would allow stability and security to all countries in the region.

The Egyptian statement also noted Netanyahu expressed his appreciation to al-Sisi for Cairo's important role in the Middle East, its fight against terrorism and its efforts to achieve stability and peace in the region.
A policewoman was indicted Tuesday morning for assaulting a Haredi protester at a demonstration eight months ago at Jerusalems Shabbat Square in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim. She was also indicted for obstruction of justice.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



In addition to the policewoman, the Police Investigations Unit (PIU) said it would summon for a disciplinary hearing the commander who presided over the dispersal of the crowds and who was also involved in the incident.

The incident occurred when the policewoman and other officers drove to Shmuel Hanavi Street in the capital after receiving reports that garbage cans had been set alight.

Shabbat Square (Photo: Eli Mendelbaum)

Under the supervision of an officer, the defendant began dispersing the crowds. After noticing one of the Haredi protesters shouting at another female officer, she approached him and struck him three times in the head, grabbed him and threw him to the ground.

According to the indictment, which was served by the Jerusalem Magistrates Court, the defendant then attempted to conceal her use of excessive force by filing a fictitious report claiming that the complainant attacked and kicked her and that he fell to the ground during the ensuing struggle.

The presiding commander during the protest will be reprimanded for employing excessive and unlawful force.

The indictment against the officers was submitted two days after Israels Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh promised consequences after viewing footage showing violent reactions meted out by police against Haredi demonstrators protesting against IDF conscription on Sunday.

Roni Alsheikh (Photo: Avi Moalem)

Speaking at the Police National Headquarters, Alsheikh reflected on the violent clashes in Jerusalem that took place between Haredim and policemen on Sunday during the protests , vowing to take action against any officer who overstepped the boundaries of authority.

If a policeman lost control he will pay for it, said Alsheikh who viewed the videos showing policemen pushing the demonstrators to the ground, dragging them from the roads and throwing them onto the sidewalks, and at times kicking and punching them.
The emir of Qatar is condemning the boycott that three Gulf countries and Egypt have imposed on his country, saying it fits one of the definitions of terrorism.

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have been trying to destabilize his country by enforcing an "unjust" embargo that includes food and medication.

They began the boycott of gas-rich Qatar in June, accusing the tiny Gulf emirate of supporting terrorism.

Tamim says his country is open to resolving the conflict through dialogue without preconditions and based on what he is calling "mutual commitments."

The emir also used his speech to the General Assembly to touch upon regional crises, saying that Israel continues to impede a full and lasting peace by rejecting the Arab peace initiative of 2002 and by continuing its settlement policies in "occupied territories."
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocked central Mexico on Tuesday, killing at least 44 people, collapsing buildings and causing widespread panic less than two weeks after another quake left 90 dead in the country's south.

Mexican media broadcast images of multiple downed buildings in densely populated parts of Mexico City and nearby Cuernavaca. A column of smoke rose from a structure in one central neighborhood in the capital.

Dramatic video showed one mid-rise building collapsing into a cloud of dust amid cries from onlookers. It was not clear whether anyone was inside, but Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera reported that there were people trapped in some buildings.

In the capital's Roma neighborhood, onlookers cheered as rescue workers pulled a survivor from one collapsed building.
YORK  A jury trial for Erica Jenkins, a convicted killer who is serving a life sentence at the Nebraska Center for Women, has been set for November.

She has been charged with assault by a confined person with a weapon and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony. If convicted, she could be facing another 70 years in prison  on top of the 80-100 years shes already serving  because the charges are high-level felonies.

Initially, the prosecution was also seeking habitual criminal status for Jenkins, which if granted could have tacked on an additional 10-60 years (per count). That issue, however, has been dismissed, according to court documents.

A status hearing in the case was held recently in the York County District Court before Judge James Stecker.

Jenkins defense attorney is now Scott Grafton. Initially, her attorney was Christopher Johnson, but he asked to be dismissed from her case as he was taking on the position as the York County Attorney.

There is no conflict of interest in this situation, however, as George Welch from the Nebraska Attorney Generals office was already the special prosecutor in this case.

Jenkins is accused of attacking Christine Bordeaux, also an inmate at NCW, who is Jenkins cousin and was her cellmate at the time of the alleged beating. Bordeux also helped law enforcement authorities convict Jenkins of the crimes for which she is now incarcerated.

The 27-year-old Jenkins is the sister of infamous killer, Nikko Jenkins, who is on death row for what has been called one of the worst killing sprees in state history. She was convicted in the killing of Curtis Bradford, in which Nikko Jenkins also participated.

Besides the murder conviction, Jenkins is also serving 40-60 years on two counts of robbery in the Aug. 11, 2013, deaths of Juan Uribe-Pena and Jorge Cajiga-Ruiz (the murders of which were committed by her brother).

Jenkins has also been convicted in the past of assault on a law enforcement officer and two counts of assault on a health care worker.

In this most recent case, it is alleged that Jenkins beat Bordeaux with a padlock in a sock while a co-defendant, a fellow inmate named Priscilla P. Fields, 33, allegedly held Bordeaux down, as well as kicked her.

According to prison officials, Bordeauxs injuries included a concussion, a broken nasal bone, a broken finger, a broken arm and contusions.

Both Jenkins and Fields have pleaded not guilty.
As a homeowner, you probably already know that you should be working to maintain your home. But, chances are, you Read More
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - On Friday, the Yuma Police Department was informed of the arrest of one of our police officers, while off duty, in San Diego, California.

On Thursday, September 15, 2017 at 4:23 a.m., San Diego Police Officers responded to a sexual assault call. 33 year old Jared Elkins was taken into custody and later booked into San Diego County Jail on sexual assault charges.

Jared Elkins has been a police officer with the Yuma Police Department for 7 years. The Department is in the process of placing him on administrative paid leave until further notice.
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has summoned former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with its money laundering probe in the railway hotels allotment case, officials said on Tuesday.

Rabri, wife of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, has been summoned to be present before the investigating officer (IO) of the case on September 26, they said.

The IO is expected to record her statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), under which it had registered an FIR against the Lalu Prasad family and others sometime back.

It is understood that this is the second summon by the agency to Rabri after she did not depose before it the first time.

The central probe agency had earlier questioned few people in this case including the wife of former UPA minister P C Gupta.

The Enforcement Directorate had taken cognisance of a CBI FIR in this regard to initiate its own criminal complaint.

In July, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a criminal FIR (first information report) and conducted multiple searches against former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad and others.

The ED will investigate the alleged "proceeds of crime" generated by the accused, purportedly through shell companies, officials said.

Rabri, son Tejashwi Yadav, and others will be probed by the agency under charges filed in the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the ED equivalent of a police FIR.

The case dates back to the time when Lalu was the railway minister in the UPA government.

Others named in the CBI FIR include Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar (both directors of Sujata Hotels), Delight Marketing company, now known as Lara Projects, and the then IRCTC managing director P K Goel.

The CBI FIR alleges that Prasad, as railway minister, handed over the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a company after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta.

The FIR was registered on July 5 in connection with favours allegedly extended to Sujata Hotels in awarding a contract for the upkeep of the hotels in Ranchi and Puri and receiving premium land as 'quid pro quo'.

The ED, under the PMLA, has powers to attach and confiscate tainted assets and it is expected that the agency will initiate such a move once it makes progress in the case.
Patna: The Nitish Kumar faction of the Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday welcomed Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal's decision a day earlier to disqualify 18 MLAs owing allegiance to AIADMK faction leader T.T.V. Dinakaran.

"The JD(U) welcomes the Speaker`s decision to disqualify 18 dissident MLAs following a petition by AIADMK Chief Whip for anti-party activities," JD(U) Secretary General KC Tyagi said.

Tyagi said the development once again highlighted the powers conferred on the Speaker under the Tenth Schedule [Articles 102(2) and 192(2)] of the Constitution.

"The law allows a member of the House to be disqualified if he has voluntarily given up his membership of his party. The provision includes the conduct of the member outside the House too," he said.

"At present, the JD(U) rebels are also facing the same trial in the Rajya Sabha regarding their membership. (Former JDU chief) Sharad Yadav was asked not to attend a Rashtriya Janata Dal rally in Patna on August 27, and it was specially conveyed to him that if he does so, it will be considered as voluntarily giving up the party membership," Tyagi said.

After Sharad Yadav attended the rally, JD(U) leaders RCP Singh and Sanjay Jha petitioned Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is ex officio Rajya Sabha Chairman, on September 5 to disqualify Yadav and another party leader Ali Anwar Ansari.

"We have taken a serious note of Congress member Anand Sharma and CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury advising the Rajya Sabha Chairman to refer the issue to the Ethics and Privileges Committee.

"When the Chairman is the competent authority to decide these matters as per the Tenth Schedule, an outsider`s comment or advice is not appreciable in constitutional proceedings," Tyagi said.

On Monday, the JD(U) faction of Sharad Yadav said they have full faith in Naidu`s political wisdom and were sure he would decide the matter (of Yadav`s and Ansari`s disqualification) impartially.

The JD(U), the ruling party in Bihar, faced a split after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decided to break away from the Grand Alliance of JD(U), Congress and the RJD and go along with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a new government in the state in July.
Lucknow: Two Babbar Khalsa terrorists were arrested from Lakhimpur in a joint operation between Uttar Pradesh and Punjab Police on Tuesday.

Earlier in August 2017, a suspected operative of the banned terror outfit was nabbed by the UP Anti-Terrorist Squad in Unnao district.

The terrorist was identified as Jaswant Singh alias Kala.

Jaswant was wanted by Rajasthan and Punjab police in connection with various cases, including murder. Balwant was arrested on a tip off provided by the Punjab Police.

The Centre has banned pro-Khalistan terrorist outfits BKI, International Sikh Youth Federation, Khalistan Commando Force and Khalistan Zindabad Force under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2004.
Chennai: Adding a fresh twist to the ongoing infighting in Tamil Nadu's ruling party AIADMK, the Madras High Court on Tuesday allowed the plea of 18 disqualified AIADMK MLAs for urgent hearing on Wednesday.

The High Court order came a day after the rebel AIADMK MLAs backing sacked party deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran were disqualified by the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker, P Dhanpal.

These MLAs were disqualified under 1986 Tamil Nadu Assembly Members party defection law, the Speaker said in his order.

Thanga Tamilselvan, Senthil Balaji, P Vetrivel and K Mariappan are among those who have been disqualified.

The rebel MLAs, loyal to Dhinakaran, had been demanding the removal of EK Palaniswami as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Dhinakaran had earlier moved the Madras High Court amid apprehensions about possible disqualification of the ruling AIADMK MLAs backing him by the Speaker.

The Madras High Court had then ordered that no floor test be conducted in State Assembly till September 20.

Dhinakaran had last week warned that he will throw the incumbent K Palaniswami-led government in Tamil Nadu after the ruling AIADMK General Council removed him and his aunt VK Sasikala from top positions in the party.

''Most of the ministers are scared that they will lose elections and that's why they are accusing us of conniving with the DMK,'' TTV Dhinakaran said while reacting to the developments.

TTV Dinakaran also challenged his rivals to hold fresh elections if they felt that they enjoyed popular support.

''You (EPS-OPS) claim that you have support of party workers, so if you have guts let us face fresh elections,'' TTV Dhinkaran said on the crucial AIADMK meet.

''Now, I will ensure that this government (Tamil Nadu) is thrown out of power,'' Dhinkaran warned, toughening his stand on the move to curtail his powers by the two united factions of the ruling party.

The reactions from Dhinakaran came shortly after the AIADMK cancelled the appointment of jailed VK Sasikala as party General Secretary.

Dinakaran's appointment as Deputy General Secretary of AIADMK also stands cancelled, said RB Udaykumar, a senior party leader.

The decision was announced at the AIADMK party's general council meet held today.

Sasikala was appointed as General Secretary last December following the death of party supremo and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Sasikala had appointed Dhinakaran as Deputy General Secretary before going to jail.

Importantly, the AIADMK general council also declared late J Jayalaithaa as the party's ''eternal general secretary''.

The general council also resolved to restore all those who were party office bearers appointed by Jayalalithaa. They will continue to hold office now, it said.

The council also nullified the decisions taken by Dhinakaran.

The council also ratified the recent merger of the two factions led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam.
Mumbai: Citi is handling the process for a prospective buyer to acquire up to Rs 20 billion (USD 311.8 million) worth of shares in India`s Tata Motors Ltd on Tuesday, according to a term sheet seen by Reuters.

A source familiar with the transaction said the buyer was Tata Sons, the holding company behind the Tata conglomerate which owns nearly 35 percent of the vehicle maker through its affiliated companies and trusts.

The Tata Group has previously said it wants to consolidate its holdings in group companies.

According to the termsheet, the buyer is offering a maximum of Rs 421.56 apiece, or a 4 percent premium to the stock`s closing price on Monday. The purchase, which is being undertaken through a so-called reverse bookbuild method, is for up to 1.71 percent of Tata Motors, the term sheet showed.

Tata Sons, which last December bought a 1.73 percent in the company through a similar reverse bookbuild, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
New Delhi: As a Sebi panel on corporate governance mulls benefits of splitting posts of chairman and managing director at listed firms, the public sector units may be the first where such a move could be implemented.

While a final decision would be taken by capital market regulator Sebi with regard to listed companies, the public sector banks already have separate persons for the positions of chairman and MDs as per the decision taken by the government and the RBI.

Sebi rules require that the listed companies may voluntarily separate the two posts to avoid any conflict of interest, but the regulator has so far refrained from making it mandatory.

However, a Sebi panel on corporate governance is now discussing a proposal to suggest to the regulator that the two posts at listed companies should be separated for better business practices, a member said.

As the board, headed by chairman, is required to play a supervisory role about the decisions taken by the managing director or CEO-led management, it would give a strong signal about robust corporate governance practices at listed firms in India if the two posts are held by separate individuals, the Sebi panel member added.

A number of advanced economies have similar rules while the split in the two posts at banks has worked out well in India also, he added.

The panel is also looking into a comparative study of the corporate governance practices at various Indian listed firms that have voluntarily split the two posts, as against those where the two posts are held by the same person who also happens to be from the promoter family in majority of the cases.

The panel is expected to submit its report to Sebi next month after which the regulator will take a final call and initiate a public consultation process, if required.

"Managing directors work under the supervision of the board of directors whereas chairman is the head of the board, therefore common position of chairman and MD always leads to potential conflict of interest. Splitting of position of chairman and MD is a welcome step towards better corporate governance as it will make easier for the board members to review the performance of the MD and fix accountabilities for his functioning," said Pavan Kumar Vijay, founder, Corporate Professionals.

"Non-executive chairman will have lesser conflict and unbiased approach towards the functioning of the executives, including the managing director," he added.

"Splitting of CMD's position is a welcome step as it would bring in greater transparency and accountability due to absence of any conflict of interest now," said CA Vijay Kumar Gupta, Central Council Member, ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India).

"This step is forward looking and already PSU banks have implemented it. This will enable better governance and will augment independence," said S Ravi, chartered accountant, who has been on several PSU boards.

Sebi had set up the 21-member panel in June this year to advise it on issues relating to corporate governance.

It includes representatives from companies, stock exchanges, professional bodies, investor groups, law firms, academicians, research professionals and Sebi officials.
New Delhi: Fearing that a staggering Rs 65,000 crore could get stuck in GST refunds, exporters on Tuesday asked the government to fast-track the refund process and avoid further deterioration in their "liquidity situation".

The Committee on Exports, chaired by Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, today met 8 export promotion associations to understand their concerns post the implementation Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1.

"If refund does not start flowing immediately then about Rs 65,000 crore would be stuck by the end of October. This will further deteriorate exporters' liquidity situation," FIEO Director General Ajay Sahai told reporters after the meeting.

He hoped that government would take a decision soon so that exporters get a level playing field vis-a-vis other sectors.

During the meeting the exporters pressed for starting the refund process immediately based on GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B data.

While GSTR-3B is the initial simplified returns which businesses have to file, GSTR-1 is the final sales return to be filed every month.

Engineering Export Promotion Council board member P K Shah said with the ensuing festive season it is important that the authorities release at least 90 percent refunds soon after the shipments and complete verification and adjustment process at a later stage.

Council for Leather Exports Vice Chairman P Ahmed said that exporters are faced with challenging times due to GST and need immediate refund of taxes.

In a presentation before the Committee, the Gems and Jewellery Industry demanded exemption from Integrated GST (IGST) on procurement of precious metals from the nominated agencies for the purpose of manufacture and export of jewellery.

They also sought a corresponding Central GST and State GST exemption on the subsequent supply made by the nominated agencies to the exporter of jewellery.

The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising state counterparts, had in its last meeting on September 9 decided to set up a committee under Adhia to look into the issues faced by the export sector.

CBEC Member (Customs), DGF Director General, GST Council Additional Secretary, Director General, Export Promotion, from the central government and commissioners of commercial taxes from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are members of the committee.

The panel is mandated to recommend to the GST Council a suitable strategy for helping the export sector in the post-GST set-up.
New Delhi: Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia- headed panel will meet export promotion associations on Tuesday to deliberate on the issues faced by the industry under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.

"Representatives from eight export promotion associations will discuss the difficulties faced," the GST Council said in a tweet.

Representatives from 8 Export Promotion Associations will discuss about difficulties faced. 2/4  GST Council (@GST_Council) September 18, 2017

Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia will also attend. This will be its first meeting ever since the constitution of the panel on September 12.

The GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising state counterparts, had in its last meeting on September 9 decided to set up a committee under Adhia to look into the issues faced by the export sector.

CBEC Member (Customs), DGF Director General, GST Council Additional Secretary, Director General, Export Promotion, from the central government and commissioners of commercial taxes from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are members of the committee.

The panel is mandated to recommend to the GST Council a suitable strategy for helping the export sector in the post-GST set-up.

"Certain recommendations are expected to emerge from tomorrow's meeting of Committee on Exports," the Council yesterday tweeted.

Certain recommendations are expected to emerge from tomorrow's meeting of "Committee on Exports".  GST Council (@GST_Council) September 18, 2017

Exporters have been complaining that about Rs 1.8 lakh crore of working capital has been locked up in refunds due from the tax department ever since introduction of GST from July 1.

With PTI Inputs
London: The UK is the biggest consumer of online Islamist extremist terror content in Europe, a new report by a think tank said on Tuesday amid a spurt in terror attacks in the country.

The Policy Exchange study titled 'The NewNetwar' found that Britain also ranks fifth in terms of world audience for extremist content after Turkey, the US, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, respectively.

After an in-depth analysis of clicks into such material, Britain emerged as the fifth most frequent location from which extremist content was being accessed online. The country also registered the largest number of clicks of such information in Europe.

"The evidence suggests that we are not winning the war against online extremism and we need to consider options for change," said Martyn Frampton, the lead author of the report.

"If the internet companies won't do what their customers want and take more responsibility for removing this content, then government must take action through additional regulation and legislation," he said.

Contrary to previous claims, the report by the London- based centre-right think tank revealed that Islamic State (IS) online output is not falling, but has remained consistent over the past three years.

Extremists are now increasingly relying on "swarmcast" technology an interconnected network that constantly reconfigures itself and is highly resilient to disruption.

"An average week will see over 100 new core articles, videos and newspapers produced by IS and disseminated across a vast ecosystem of platforms, file-sharing services, websites and social media," the report says.

"IS have adapted to shifts in technology and now use Telegram as their core communication platform for talking to sympathisers even as platforms like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook remain vital for missionary activity," it warns.

The report comes days after the UK Home Office said that 379 arrests have been made for terror-related offences in the country, a record 68 per cent increase in the last 12 months up to June this year.

General David Petraeus, a former director of the US intelligence agency CIA who wrote the foreword of the report, said the current situation was "clearly unacceptable".

He said: "The fight against IS, al Qaeda, and the other elements of the global jihadist movement has become the defining struggle of the early 21st century.

"That struggle has increasingly been contested not just on the ground, but in a new domain of warfare, cyberspace...It is clear that our counter-extremism efforts and other initiatives to combat extremism on line have, until now, been inadequate".

The report suggests new laws to criminalise the "aggravated possession and/or persistent consumption" of extremist ideology but not to criminalise someone who "stumbles across" jihadist content.

Under Section 58 of the UK's Terrorism Act 2000, it is currently an offence to possess information that could assist a would-be terrorist, but not material which glorifies terrorism.

A survey of 2,001 adults in the UK by the Policy Exchange found that 74 percent of people supported new laws to criminalise the "persistent consumption" of extremist material online.

The think tank has called for the UK government's proposed Commission for Countering Extremism to be empowered to oversee the removal of extremist content, and for the possible creation for an independent online regulator that could financially penalise companies that fail to remove extremist content.

Following the report, a Google spokesperson said: "Violent extremism is a complex problem and addressing it is a critical challenge for us all. We are committed to being part of the solution and we are doing more every day to tackle these issues.

"We are making significant progress through machine learning technology, partnerships with experts and collaboration with other companies through the Global Internet Forum and we know there is more to be done."
Ahmedabad: Poll-bound Gujarat is all set to witness the third major political front.

Rebel Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela on Tuesday announced that he has joined Jan Vikalp, a party floated by his supporters.

It is a myth to say that an alternative political force can`t work in Gujarat," said the 77-year-old veteran leader in a crowded press conference.

The new front will support independent candidates who register with it for the upcoming state assembly elections, he said.



People are fed up with the BJP and the Congress and are desperate for an alternative, said the septuagenarian.

Vaghela quit as the Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly on July 24, a day after Congress expelled him. His resignation triggered a revolt in the party, following which seven more members were expelled.



Jan Vikalp, which has already started campaigning in Gujarat, calls itself a citizens movement working towards bringing about the much needed change in the Society and become an alternative political force.

Why should the BJP or the Congress be the only options? The Jan Vikalp website says that over the last 70 years, neither the BJP nor the Congress has given anything except atrocities, exploitation, poverty, fear, hunger and corruption.
Even though the U.S. was bankrolling the venture, local leaders were meant to oversee the vetting of recruits. Yet many, including Shujayi, were handpicked by U.S. advisors, according to Sardar Wali, then a district police chief in eastern Uruzgan. Wali was present during the meeting when U.S. captains pushed for Shujayi to join the local ALP, despite villager protest that he was neither law-abiding nor from the area. Rumors about Shujayi abounded: He had ordered 14 men to climb into a well and then stoned them to death; his troops had burned a young girl alive and beaten a child to death in front of his mother.

Hanifi recalled telling the Americans that hiring Shujayi was a terrible plan: If you hire only Hazaras, this will create problems. They will kill us and they will say, Oh, they were Taliban. 

Shujayi was nonetheless selected. He and the others chosen were fitted with official uniforms, given weeks-long training by U.S. forces, and sent out into the communities bearing Americas stamp of approval.

Despite its more formal structure, in many provinces the ALP proved to be as violent and unaccountable as its predecessors. In 2011, one year after the ALPs creation, Human Rights Watch documented a series of alleged abusesextrajudicial killings, torture and sexual assaultthat raised serious concerns about ALP vetting, recruitment and oversight and questions about the relationship of U.S. forces with abusive members of the ALP.

Shujayi was a poster child for the ALPs excessesand its invulnerability. Soon after he was made commander, his officers reportedly killed two young Pashtun students traveling on a motorcycle, according to Wali, the former district police chief.

Wali says that when he unofficially inquired about the travellers, Shujayi laughed and said, The Americans have my back.

Villagers from eastern Uruzgan issue formal complaints about Shujayi at their provincial governors palace in Tirin Kot in May 2015. Photo by May Jeong.

4. Flight

In the years following the Khataba massacre, Shujayi became so notorious that Afghan authorities could no longer ignore the mounting allegations against him. In a complicated web of alliances that cut across ethnic, religious and tribal lines, local leaders, politicians, federal prosecutors and even the head of the ALP tried to bring Shujayi to justice. All were thwarted, sometimes under inexplicable circumstances. Shujayi appeared to enjoy protection from powerful men.

In the summer of 2010, three provincial officialsUruzgans governor, police chief and finance officerset out to apprehend Shujayi and charge him with murder, kidnapping, torture and other crimes. According to finance officer Abdul Jalil Achekzai, the three found Shujayi at the U.S. militarys Firebase Anaconda, kitted in the same uniform as the Americans. Over lunch, the delegation sat negotiating the terms of the capture with their American hosts. Eventually a captain agreed to let Shujayi go into their custody, but said the Americans had some last-minute business to go over in private, and asked the delegation to wait in the helicopter. After some time, the rotors began to turn, and the American captain came running out with an interpreter to tell the delegation that Shujayi had escaped. The disbelieving delegation was advised to return home before the sky turned dark.

Charles Cleveland, then-spokesperson for the American mission in Afghanistan, told me the U.S. military was not aware of the encounter. While it is possible that he worked with a U.S. team during 2010, we just dont have a record of it, Cleveland wrote in a February 2016 email.

A military prosecutor for Uruzgan recalls being part of a similar delegation in 2012. He says the Americans refused to hand Shujayi over, repeating that he was a brave soldier who fought the Taliban.

Things seemed to change in October 2012, when the Afghan interior ministry issued an order for Shujayis immediate capture. Three months later, interior minister Gholam Mujtaba Patang testified before Parliament that Shujayi would be detained within the week. But Shujayi was never formally indicted or arrested. According to multiple government sources, he had allies among influential warlords and officials, who obstructed efforts to bring him to justice. The Afghanistan Analysts Network reported that Shujayi spent 2013 traveling frequently to eastern Uruzgan to oversee security posts there, as if they were still under his command.

A third near miss occurred in Kabul in 2014. ALP chief Ali Shah Ahmadzai received a tip that Shujayi was at the interior ministry and met him with an arrest warrant. Shujayi was taken into custody. Satisfied, Ahmadzai went home. The next morning, Ahmadzai told me, he received a phone call from defense minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, who angrily demanded that all charges against Shujayi be dropped. He threatened to fire me, Ahmadzai recalled. Shujayi was released.

Eight years after the Khataba massacre, he remains a wanted man.

Soon after, Shujayi dropped out of the public eye. According to U.S. military spokesperson Cleveland, the commander took some weapons and vehicles and was gone. By that time, eastern Uruzgan locals allege, Shujayi had killed as many as 60 civiliansall Pashtun villagers. In a country where few know their date of birth, and where the central governments reach does not extend into remote villages, the only official evidence the villagers had was a list of the dead they had kept. Among the more than 50 family members, local elders and others I interviewed for this story, nearly everyone believed Shujayi was to blame for the deaths.

A villager shares photos of a family member who was allegedly killed by Shujayi with Afghan senators on a fact-finding mission in May 2015. Photo by May Jeong.

5. Contact

Shujayi was not just a pariah, a commander gone rogue. Many commanders before him had committed equally egregious crimes, according to villagers from eastern Uruzgan, who told me that Shujayis predecessors were also Hazara, and like him, were handpicked by the Americans. Unlike Shujayi, however, most managed to leverage their proximity to foreign influence to resettle abroad.

It needs to be mentioned that he is not uniquely horrible, says Uruzgan expert van Bijlert. He became strong because of his links to the Americans. He was artificially propped up because the Americans needed him. It just so happened that Shujayis reign of terror came as the U.S. special forces were leaving Uruzgan. His services were no longer needed, and he was left to fend for himself.

In 2015, a contact connected me with Sayed Ali, a Hazara fighter and close associate of Shujayis. Ali reflected bitterly upon Shujayis treatment by the United States: The Americans, they use you like a tissue paper and they throw you away.

In November 2015, Ali gave me Shujayis phone number. After multiple calls, the commander picked up.

I am innocent, Shujayi told me. I have not committed any crime. I am being framed because of my ethnicity. I was only doing my job.

By then, he had been on the lam for nearly two years. On occasion, sightings of him were rumored in Kabul. He was said to live freely in the Hazara area of his native Ghazni province, but no one knew for certain. When I spoke to Shujayi, he was vague about his whereabouts. Over a crackling phone line, he did tell me about the vigilante force he ran, protecting some 5,000 Hazara families living in the borderlands between Uruzgan and Ghazni province. The group was called niro-e Shujayi, or the Shujayi brigade.

Shujayi did not express resentment at those who had pushed him into the life of a fugitive, but he did want me to note that everyone who had accused him was a Pashtun (whom Ali derisively calls Taliban necktie-da, Taliban with neckties). Everything they said was slander, he told me. For one, he was responsible for no more than 30 deaths, all in battle. Shujayi said his level of aggression had been necessary to protect his community.

Which version of events you believe depends largely on your tribe. Images hailing Shujayi as a hero of the Hazara people make regular rounds on Facebook. One advisor to a prominent Hazara ethnic leader, who asked not to be named because he lives in a majority-Pashtun area and fears retribution, wanted me to explain why the U.S. military had tacitly endorsed the behaviors of the Pashtun police chief of Kandahar province, Abdul Raziq, who was accused of violent abuses, but the international community gave Shujayi, a Hazara commander, a difficult time over some minor misconduct. (Raziq, while remaining on the Afghan government payroll, has been implicated in various human rights violations, including torture and extrajudicial killings.)

Shujayi is a hero of the Hazaras, says Hossain Bahman, a Hazara filmmaker who worked on a documentary about the commander that aired on a Hazara-owned network. He was only defending his family, his own people.

One thing that both the Pashtuns and the Hazaras agreed on was how the United States created the conditions for Shujayis rise to power, his blood-fueled tenure, eventual escape and continued freedom.
Ahmedabad: Indo-Canadian actress Sunny Leone is not new to controversies. This time she has hit the headlines for a condom advertisement that has resulted in protests in Gujarat.

The message in Gujarati on the hoarding for Manforce ad featuring the adult star-turned-Bollywood actor reads - Aa Navratri a ramo, parantu premthi which means 'this Navratri, play but with love.

Objecting to the ad, The Confederation of All India Traders has written a letter to Minister for Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan calling it an "irresponsible and immature attempt to boost sales by putting all our cultural value system at stake".

The letter, signed by national secretary general of CAIT Praveen Khandelwal, accuses Leone of going to "any level irrespective of pious and religious occasion of Navratri" to earn money.

It further urges the minister to take immediate cognisance of this advertisement. Plus, the confederation wants a specified 'code of conduct' by the government for celebrities who act as brand ambassadors.

They also want the ad to be banned.

On the other hand, Surat-based group Hindu Yuva Vahini also staged protest against the hoarding.

Narendra Chaudhary, a business man and groups leader was quoted as saying by TOI, This cannot be tolerated. Protests are necessary to deter others from trying something similar again in future."

He also said, "The insinuation on the hoardings insults the religious sentiments of Hindus."
Sirsa: Honeypreet Singh 'Insaan', the adopted daughter of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, has been booked for inciting recent riots in Haryana's Panchkula, reports said on Tuesday.

According to Times Now, Honeypreet has been booked by the Haryana Police and an FIR has been registered against her under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code.

Honeypreet, who has been on the run since Dera chief's arrest after his conviction in rape cases, tops the most wanted 43-member list released by Haryana Police for triggering mob violence and riots in Panchkula and Sirsa.

Importantly, Dera spokesman Aditya Insan is the second most wanted person on the list.

Parkash, who also goes by Vicky, was the first person to be arrested from the 'wanted 43' list. He's also the brother-in-law of Dera spokesperson Aditya Insan and was at number 3 on the list.

On August 25, the day of Panchkula violence, Parkash wearing orange turban was issuing directions to the frenzied followers through via cellphone. When the Panchkula Police arrested him, he was not wearing any kind of turban, reported the Tribune.

Meanwhile, recent reports suggest that Honeypreet, who went underground after Singh's conviction, has allegedly fled to Nepal.

A CBI special court on August 25 held the self-styled godman, also the lead actor of MSG film franchise, guilty of raping two 'sadhvis' or female followers 15 years ago inside the Dera premises. He was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Immediately after the conviction, deadly riots took place in Panchkula and surrounding areas, that at least 38 and injuring over 250 people.

The mob, consisting of Dera followers, set scores of vehicles, including police and fire brigades, on fire.
New Delhi: Honeypreet Insan, who has been at large ever since Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's sentencing took place, has been reportedly spotted in Nepal.

As per media reports, a Nepalese policeman spotted Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief, inside a car with three others in Pokhara in Nepal last week.

Meanwhile, the Haryana and Nepal police have launched a massive manhunt to trace her since Ram Rahim's sentencing on August 28.

Also Read: Dera chief's daughter Honeypreet Singh booked for inciting Panchkula riots

Honeypreet has been booked for inciting the massive riots in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa districts on August 25.

She tops the most wanted 43-member list released by Haryana Police for triggering mob violence and riots in Haryana and is believed to have changed her appearance to deceive police and other agencies.

Top Dera aide Pradeep Goyal alias Vicky, who was arrested from Udaipur on Saturday, revealed to the police during his interrogation that Honeypreet had fled to Nepal.

On August 25, a CBI special court held self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim, also the lead actor of MSG film franchise, guilty of raping two 'sadhvis' or female followers 15 years ago inside the Dera premises. He was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Immediately after the conviction, deadly riots took place in Panchkula and surrounding areas, that at least 38 and injuring over 250 people.

The mob, consisting of Dera followers, set scores of vehicles, including police and fire brigades, on fire.
New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday took a dig at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi over his comments on dynasty politics in India.

Launching a scathing attack on the Gandhi scion, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, "Some parties may think that being centered around dynasty is an asset, but in the long run it becomes a burden."

Mincing no words, Jaitley came down heavily on Rahul Gandhi saying, he was feeling ashamed when someone, while visiting the US, said dynasties are commonplace in India, from politics to business.

Jaitley's comments came a week after Rahul, while addressing students at the University of California in Berkeley had defended dynasty politics, saying that was how India was running, and also said he was "absolutely ready" to be the party's prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 General Elections.

Ever since, Rahul made the remarks, the BJP and the Congress are locked in a vitriolic spat. with The BJP has called him a "failed dynast and politician", and questioned the propriety of his criticism of the Narendra Modi government on foreign soil.

Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said that dynasty and democracy cannot go together as democracy by definition is the will of the people.

"I used to say it earlier, but now I hesitate to say it because I am out of politics. Dynasty in democracy is nasty but it is tasty to some people. That is a weakness of our system," he said.

Naidu's remarks, though he did not name anyone, came in the context of Congress scion's statements at the University of California at Berkeley.
Beijing: China has not shared any hydrological data for the Brahmaputra river this monsoon season with India but continues to give them to Bangladesh.

On September 12, China had said that it could not share the data with India due to upgradation of data collection station in Tibet.

"For long time we have conducted cooperation on the river data with the Indian side. But to upgrade and renovate the relevant station in the Chinese side, we do not have the conditions now to collect the relevant statistics of the river," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had told the media.

Asked when will China provide the data, he had added, "We will later consider that."

However, Bangladesh is receiving water level and discharge level data of the Brahmaputra from Beijing.

BBC quoted Mofazzal Hossain, a member of the joint rivers commission of Bangladesh, as saying - "We received data of water level of the Bramahaputra from China few days ago."

He added that they had been receiving such data from three hydrological stations in Tibet since 2002.

China is expected to share hydrological data on the Sutlej and Brahmaputra rivers with India during the flood season of May 15 to June 15 under a bilateral expert-level mechanism established in 2006.

The data share by upper riparian state, China, to lower riparian states, India and Bangladesh is essential every monsoon to allow anticipation of the flow of the water and take necessary measures to deal with flooding in India's northeastern states.

Earlier on August 18, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar had said that there was an existing expert-level mechanism, established in 2006, and there are two MoUs under which China is expected to share hydrological data on rivers Sutlej and Brahmaputra with India during the flood season of May 15 to June 15.

"For this year, we have not received hydrological data from the Chinese side," Kumar had said.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: The Vasai police on Sunday arrested a 55-year-old woman in Bhayander West, who paid Rs 50,000 to get her own son killed.

As per the reports, the mother was fed up with her drug addict son Ramcharan, who used to sexually abuse her for over six months. The accused identified as Rajni asked her elder son Sitaram to kill Ramcharan.

Reports in Times of India claimed that on August 21, police found Ramcharan's body with stab marks on the neck. They initiated probe and found that 'Ramcharan' and 'Rajni' were tattooed on the arms. The police then released the pictures of the deceased across police stations in Palghar district, Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, says TOI report.

The police visited Ramcharan's house after a woman, Sunita Sharma who was at Bhayander police station on September 14, identified the deceased. Initially, the accused Rajni lied to investigators and said that Ramcharan had left home on August 19 and had not contacted the family since then. However, on further interrogation, she confessed her crime and narrated the entire story.

Rajni informed police officials that her son was a habitual sexual offender. She also accused Ramcharan of sexually abusing her stepmother after bringing her to the city from their native town two years ago.

Rajni told police that it was unbearable when Ramcharan began abusing her daily. She informed Sitaram about Ramcharan's activity and hatched a plan to get rid of him. On August 20, Sitaram roped in his two friends Rakesh Yadav and Keshav Mistry. The trio killed Ramcharan and dumped his body under water.

Reportedly, Rajni, Sitaram, Rakesh Yadav and Keshav Mistry have been booked and remanded in police custody till September 23.
New Delhi: No action will be taken on last-minute corruption complaints against bureaucrats when they are being considered for senior-level posts or promotions, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has said.

The announcement may come as a relief to bureaucrats, some of whom complain of a rise in motivated allegations of corruption against them ahead of a proposed promotion, impaneling or posting.

The CVC provides vigilance clearance to central government officers for senior-level appointments and promotions.

Central Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowdary said any complaint received within six months of a proposed elevation or empanelment etc would not be taken into account.

"Generally there is a trend of complaints coming up just before somebody gets either promoted or is about to be considered for a post. By and large, it is there," Chowdary told PTI.

However, he added a rider to the provision, saying "misconduct" would not be ignored.

"If a misconduct itself is conducted, let's say, yesterday or the day before yesterday, you cannot be immune to that," he said.

Chowdary had earlier advocated penal provisions to deter people from filing motivated or vexatious complaints.

He said the time taken to provide a vigilance clearance to a government employee had been brought down from over three months to 3-5 weeks now.

"The communication between the CBI and CVC used to take place manually. It used to take a lot of time. We have now got a dedicated encrypted email (system) so a lot of time has been cut," the chief of the probity watchdog said.

Citing reasons behind the delay in clearances, he said verifications needed to be done from three ends -- from the department's own source, CVC's records and the CBI.

"In the case of the CBI, it has to get input from all over the country because a person may have been posted anywhere from Kashmir to Kanyakumari during his service. So it takes time," Chowdary said.
Jammu: Banned terrorist outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Al-Qaeda have been trying to develop links with Rohingya Muslims who've taken refuge in India.

Sources in the government told Zee Media that the Pakistan-based terror groups are trying to recruit the young Rohingyas and train them in militancy.

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that the ''Rohingyas are a serious security threat'' and are ''staying in India illegally''.

Sources further said that the government has proof to link Rohingyas to Pakistan-based terror groups such as LeT, Al-Qaeda and so on.

Terror group Aqamul Mujahideen (AMM) is one of the main factors in establishing the connection between LeT and Rohingyas.

AMM, which allegedly has links with LeT, was the mastermind behind attacks on Myanmar border outposts last year. The group also has ties with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) cell in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to intelligence agencies, AMM is a breakaway group from the Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami Arakan (HUJI-A), headed by Abdus Qadoos Burmi, a Pakistani national of Rohingya origin.

Reports also suggest that both terror groups have recruited new cadres from the Rohingya youth in Rakhine and refugee camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazaar. They believe that the AMM cadre was trained along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

These factors point towards Pakistan's interest in keeping Rakhine province on the boil to foil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Act East Policy.

The anchor of this policy is the Rs 29-billion Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project connecting Rakhine's capital Sittwe to India's landlocked Northeast region. Many believe that Sittwe has similar significance for India to reach Bay of Bengal, as Gwadar in Baluchistan in Pakistan has for China to connect its mainland to Arabian Sea, says a DNA report.

According to information, on May 4, 2017, an IED blast took place at Buthidaung Townshi in Myanmar's Rakhine, killing four.

Two of the four killed  Abdul Rahim and Anarthullah  were assembling the device and were reportedly Pakistani. The other two were local Rohingyas. The Pakistani nationals had returned to Rakhine after spending 20 years away Afghanistan and Pakistan (Af-Pak) region.

The incident reflects on the deep ties between Pakistan-based terror groups and Rohingyas.

Nearly 40,000 Rohingya Muslims have taken refugee in India, with 7,000 living in 23 settlements across Jammu.

On Sunday, Delhi Police arrested man for suspected links with al Qaeda. The accused`s mission was to set up base Manipur or Mizoram and radicalise Rohingya Muslims to fight the militancy in Myanmar, police said.
Geneva: Lashing out on Pakistan for breeding terror outfits on its soil, India on Monday called the neighbour nation "the face of international terrorism" and a "terrorist manufacturing units".

Speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), India further asked Pakistan to shutdown the terrorists' manufacturing factories and bring the perpetrators of terrorism to justice.

Responding to Pakistan's statement at the 36th Human Rights Council Sessions, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer Dr. Vishnu Reddy said, "Even Pakistan Foreign Minister admitted that internationally banned outfits including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) are operating from within Pakistan. They must shutdown its terrorist manufacturing units and bring the perpetrators of terrorism to justice."

Also read: ISIS headquarter operated inside flour mill in Pakistan

"Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is run by a deep state and has become an epicentre of terrorism. Instead of working with sense of purpose to address issues, Pakistan resorts to shortsighted tactics of diverting attention," said Reddy.

He further said that there's concrete evidence on cross-border support for terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been handed over to Pakistan.

"Pakistan's unsolicited comments pertaining to Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir are factually incorrect and misleading. Let me reiterate that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India and will remain so," Reddy said.

The Indian diplomat further averred that it's high time for Pakistan to do deep introspection and focus energies on improving human rights situation and dismantling terror infra-in Pakstan and PoK.

"Foremost challenge to the stability in Kashmir and in the region is the scourge of terrorism. Pakistan's malicious attempt to hide interference behind facade of domestic discontent carries no credibility with world," he added.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who's in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, also raised the issue of security during the India, US and Japan trilateral meeting

With ANI inputs
New York: Concerned over North Korea's controversial nuclear programme, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has sought a probe into Pyongyang's nuclear proliferation links with other nations.

Without naming Pakistan, Swaraj also said that those responsible for it should be held accountable.

"EAM Sushma Swaraj deplored North Korea's recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar was quoted as saying by NDTV on Tuesday.

The EAM made these remarks days after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday.

This was North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test, which was conducted on September 3, in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and the growing international pressure.

Swaraj made these remarks during her trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono, on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session here.

During her meeting with Tillerson and Kono, Swaraj raised the issue of countries with "linkages" to North Korea`s nuclear programme, in an indirect reference to Pakistan which had been involved in a nuclear-for-missile technology swap.

Asked if Swaraj was actually referring to Pakistan, MEA's Kumar clarified that no names were mentioned and said her statement was emphatic and clear that "proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable" and it was for reporters to interpret it.

During what Kumar described as "very hectic and active day," Sushma Swaraj attended US President Donald Trump`s summit on reforming the UN.

Trump backed plans by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to reform the global organisation, but confined his comments to mostly the secretariat and bureaucracy, peacekeeping and the budget.

While India has consistently maintained that the UN needed to be reformed, it wanted a comprehensive reform that also dealt with bodies like the Security Council, Kumar said.

The meetings with Foreign Ministers Khemaies Jhinaoui of Tunisia, Anders Samuelsen of Denmark, Edgars Rinkevics of Latvia, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE and Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa of Bahrain all had an economic dimension.

Sushma Swaraj and Jhinaoui discussed their bilateral meeting scheduled for October and cooperation in pharmaceutical and information technology (IT) fields, Kumar said. There was a huge potential for India to export vaccines because of their comparative low costs, he added.

Participation in World Food India, an international event on partnerships in India`s food economy, to be held in November was discussed in the meeting with Samuelsen, he said.

Denmark is hosting the World Food Summit this year and it also figured in their talks.

They also talked about the Make in India initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opportunities for investments in India, he said.

With Agency inputs
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and other top officials on Tuesday to discuss the state of the economy and possible remedial measures to bolster growth.

The official sources informed news agency PTI that the Prime Minister will threadbare analyse the economic situation with Jaitley and secretaries of the finance ministry and explore options to stimulate the economy.

The meeting comes days after government data showed gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first quarter of the current fiscal slumping to a three-year low of 5.7%, from 7.9% in April- June of 2016 and 6.1% of January-March.

The teething troubles with the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), after-effects of demonetisation and the fiscal space available is likely to figure during the meet.

With demonetisation said to have dealt a blow to black money, steps being taken to prevent its generation may also be discussed at the meeting.

Earlier, last week, Chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian had last briefed the Prime Minister on macroeconomic situation.

(With inputs from PTI)
Princeton: Addressing a meeting on Tuesday at Princeton University in New Jersey, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi talked about his dream to decentralise power in India in all spheres.

At the same time, he said that though his party had disagreements with the Narendra Modi government, he agreed with them on the issues of 'Make in India' and GST.

"In 1947 we took a huge step, we started a process of transforming India. It started before that, when Mahatma Gandhi came. Then 1992 was an important point, we took some decisions to open up the economy," he said at the beginning of the session.

On issues plaguing India, the Congress VP said, "Were not spending enough on education and healthcare. Jobs are the biggest challenge. 30,000 youngsters coming into the market daily. 400 jobs being made."

He added, "The central reason why Mr Modi rose and why Donald Trump came to power was because of jobs. A large part of population who did not have jobs supported these people. I do not know about Trump but Mr Modi has not done enough on that front."

"My main issue with Mr Modi is that he diverts those problems and points finger somewhere. There is anger building in India right now. We can feel it. People were angry with us because we did not create enough jobs, now they are going to get angry with Mr Modi," he further said.

"I like the 'Make in India' concept but they are not targeting whom they should. PM feels large businesses should be targeted. I feel medium and small companies should be targeted. That is where the jobs are going to come from. Large companies have a role, yet SMEs are where jobs come from. At the same time, you cannot ignore agriculture. Lot of jobs will come from agriculture if things like cold chains are taken care of," Rahul went on to say.

Talking about concentration of power in India, he said, "The problem everywhere in India is concentration of power. Good governance is about resisting centralisation of power. The central problem in India for me is centralisation of the political system. Too few people control things."

"For me transparency in governance is a major issue. No one knows what happens inside a committee. I sit on some of them. Law making process should be made transparent. I tried in Youth Congress. You get backlash. People don't like transparency," the Congress VP pointed out.

On what lay ahead for the Congress party, he said, "We were in power for 10 years. We had a vision that began in 2004. By 2012 we felt that vision had run into trouble. We are going to build on that vision. We are going to focus on jobs, education and health care," and added, "The central challenge in India is polarisation."

Seeking support from Indians abroad, he said, "Whenever India has made a big shift, it has done on the back of Non Resident Indians. For example Mahatma Gandhi was a NRI. So you people have a big role to play."

When asked by a member of the audience whether he admired any initiative of the Modi government, Rahul said he liked Make in India but he would implement it differently. "We also agree on GST. We helped the government in passing the bill," he said.

"We have a central difference with the BJP and that is - India needs to carry everyone along. It is dangerous not to do so," he maintained.

On being asked about Uniform Civil Code he said, "I leave that to the courts of the country. They will decide. I have faith in them."

Rahul is in the United States for two weeks and his programme started on the West Coast with a September 11 speech at the University of California Berkeley where he defended dynastic politics.
Speculations have been rife on how Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Insan is spending his time in jail after being convicted of rape. If reports are to be believed, the self-proclaimed godman is growing vegetables in Rohtaks Sunaria jail.

According to a report in India Today, the Dera chief would be earning Rs 20 by growing vegetables for around eight hours each day.

The report also said that the vegetable grown by Ram Rahim would be cooked in the mess of the jail for staff and inmates.

The Dera chief, who now has no choice but to adhere to the duties assigned to him in the jail, once lived the life of a king inside the sects 700-acre Sirsa premises. The godman had even recreated the seven wonders of the world at the Dera headquarters.

Luxurious castles and resorts mimicking the grandiose of Mughal courts are spread across the Dera campus. Models of Paris' Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal and Disneyland spoke volumes of the riches of Dera.

A massive ship also stands tall inside the premises.

On Dera's main gate, a big wall boasting numerous Guinness World Records welcomes visitors.

The world records, awarded for various philanthropic causes and social work such as tree plantation, cleanliness drive and blood donation, lured unsuspecting families into the Singh's trap.

Then there is the Film City  an incomplete project  where Singh shot his films. The gates of the film city had live electric wires, so that anyone trying to enter without permission would be electrocuted.

A CBI special court on August 25 held the self-styled godman, also the lead actor of MSG film franchise, guilty of raping two 'sadhvis' or female followers 15 years ago inside the Dera premises. He was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Immediately after the conviction, deadly riots took place in Panchkula and surrounding areas, that at least 38 and injuring over 250 people.

The mob, consisting of Dera followers, set scores of vehicles, including police and fire brigades, on fire.
AGRA: In a rude shock, Mathura-based farmer received 1 paisa waiver on his outstanding farm loan of Rs 1.5 lakhs.

Chhiddi, a marginal farmer of Govardhan Tehsil in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district, took a crop loan of Rs 1.5 lakhs through Kisan credit six years ago. He owned only 5 bighas of land.

The certificate, handed over by the district administration, gave a waiver of just 1 paisa on his outstanding loan.

Also Read: Drought-hit farmers' birthday gift to PM Narendra Modi - '400 cheques of 68 paise'

This government is making fun of us farmers," Chhiddi told TOI, further adding that he doesn't know if this is a mistake by the bank or reality.

Chhiddi claimed that others who had taken similar loans had received a full waiver.

Alleging corruption, Chhiddi and his son alleged that this has happened to those farmers who refused to pay bribes to government and its officers.

According to Mathura District Magistrate Arvind Mallapa, the error could be due to "technical glitches" in the system and "Dual" accounts issue.

Mallapa said farmers whose account is linked with Aadhaar received the loan waiver in the first phase. However, Chhiddhi has two accounts. The account linked with Aadhaar had an outstanding interest loan balance of 1 paisa, which was paid.

He further assured that Chhiddi will get the loan waiver benefit in next phase of the scheme which starts from September 27.

Nearly 86 lakh farmers across UP will benefit from the loan-waiver schemes in three phases.

In Mathura, 15,806 farmers benefited in the first phase as Rs 122 crore has been waived off.

Recently, in Etawah, the government handed over the certificate of waiving off 19 paisa to another farmer.
Geneva: India on Tuesday stressed on restoration of normalcy in Myanmar's Rakhine state and called for the situation to be handled with restraint.



"It is imperative that violence is ended and normalcy in the state is restored expeditiously through a solution based on respect for peace, communal harmony, justice, dignity and democratic values," Rajiv Chander, India's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, said.



"We urge that the situation in Rakhine state be handled with restraint, focusing on the welfare of the civilian population," he said.



Chander was speaking at an interactive dialogue with the fact-finding mission on Myanmar at the 36th session of the Human Rights Council.



Reiterating India's concern over the recent spate of violence, he said, "We take note that this violence was triggered off by a series of terrorist attacks which led to loss of lives amongst the security forces as well as the civilian population."



Chander pointed out that in the past, Myanmar has been tabling regular reports on internal developments at various UN bodies.

"After the submission of the final report of the Kofi Annan-led UN Special Advisory Commission for Rakhine state on August 24, 2017, the government of Myanmar has welcomed the 'meaningful and long term solutions' proposed in the report and assured that it will give full consideration to its recommendations with a view to carrying them out to the fullest extent, and within the shortest time," he said.



"Government of Myanmar has also agreed to set out a roadmap for implementation of the recommendations, including immediate establishment of a new ministerial-led committee that would be assisted by an advisory board on Rakhine that will include Myanmar and international experts for implementation of the recommendations. The international community must extend full support to Government of Myanmar in its efforts."



Chander also pointed out the serious problem emerging in Bangladesh because of the influx of such a large number of people and said India has extended humanitarian relief to Bangladesh to support it in meeting the needs of the refugees.



"The role being played by Bangladesh in extending humanitarian assistance to the refugees deserves recognition," he said.



The Indian Permanent Representative said that the only long-term solution to the situation in Rakhine was socio-economic and infrastructure development.



Chander said India and Myanmar have agreed "to undertake both infrastructure and socio-economic projects, particularly in the spheres of education, health, agriculture and allied activities, agro-processing, community development, construction of small bridges, upgrade of roads, small power projects, livelihood activity, setting up of training centres, promotion of household crafts, conservation of environment and cultural heritage".

The UN office in Bangladesh said on Monday that around 415,000 refugees have entered the country since August 25 after the Myanmarese army launched a crackdown on the minority Rohingya community after the series of attacks on security personnel.



The Rohingyas do not enjoy citizenship status in Myanmar and are sparingly given refugee status in Bangladesh.

India at UN #HRC36

Long-term solution to the situation in #Rakhine State

is socio-economic and infrastructure development of the State. pic.twitter.com/3ubaUtan0E  India at UN, Geneva (@IndiaUNGeneva) September 19, 2017

(With IANS inputs)
A suspected agent of Pakistan's ISI has been arrested by the special cell of Delhi Police. The arrested suspect has been identified as Mohammad Pervez.



According to sources, the suspect was arrested on September 13 for allegedly threatening a woman colonel, who filed a complaint with the police.



Reports said that the suspect had threatened to share morphed photographs of the colonel on social media.

The suspect reportedly blackmailed the colonel in a bid to extract confidential information related to defence. The police is now on the lookout for three more suspects.

According to reports, the colonel mentioned two mobile phone numbers and Facebook ID of one Ikta Sharma in her complaint.

The anti-terror unit of Delhi Police is currently looking into the case.
NAYPYITAW: Breaking her silence on the issue of Rohingya Muslims, the country's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Tuesday agreed to verify the status of over 4,00,000 members of Myanmar's ethnic minority Muslim community who have fled the country in the recent weeks.

Myanmar prepared to start a refugee verification process for those who wish to return, said the country`s de facto leader.

Condemning all human rights violations, Suu Kyi said Myanmar will like to find out why this exodus is happening by talking to the people who have fled.

We are deeply concerned to hear the number of Muslims fleeing areas to Bangladesh," she said during a live televised event. "It is not the intention of the Myanmar government to apportion blame or to abdicate responsibility. We condemn all human rights violation and unlawful violence."

Myanmar is a complex nation. People expect us to overcome all the challenges in shortest time possible, said the septuagenarian, further adding, Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny,committed to sustainable solution in Rakhine state.

We don't want Myanmar to be a nation divided by religious beliefs or ethnicities. Hate and fear are main scourges, said Suu Kyi.

Addressing the international community, the Nobel laureate said, We would like you(world) to think of our country as a whole, not just as little afflicted areas.

Many Muslim villagers have remained, not all have fled. Invite members of the international community to visit, she said.

Dr Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, has been asked to lead a commission that would help Myanmar resolve long standing problems in Rakhine, informed Suu Kyi.

We had made a central committee for implementing rule of law & development in Rakhine. There have been allegations and counter allegations,will listen to all, culprits will be punished irrespective of race or religion, she added.

Nearly 40,000 Rohingyas have taken refuge in India. The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that the ''Rohingyas are a serious security threat'' and are ''staying in India illegally''.

On August 25, fighting erupted in Myanmar's Rakhine state with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) killed 12 security officers in coordinated attacks on border posts, according to Myanmar's state media.

Myanmar considers the Rohingyas illegal immigrants from neighbour nation Bangladesh, despite the fact that many Rohingya families have lived in Rakhine for years.

Bangladesh considers them Myanmar citizens.

The Myanmar government does not use the term "Rohingya" and does not recognise the people as an official ethnicity, which means the Rohingya are denied citizenship and effectively rendered stateless.

With Agency inputs
New Delhi: Days, after seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur was brutally murdered inside the school in Gurugram, another student of a private school in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh, was found dead inside the premises.

The deceased identified as Neetu Chauhan was found lying on the ground of the Modern City Montessori School in a critical condition. The 16-year-old girl had gone to toilet, located on the third floor, and her classroom was on the first floor, students said. If reports are to be believed, Neetu died after falling off the third storey of the school building on Monday.

Talking to news agency IANS, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajiv Malhotra said,"A profusely bleeding girl was rushed to a nearby medical facility from where she was referred to Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur.

Parents of the girl had lodged a police complaint against unknown persons, alleging that she was thrown off the third floor. After an autopsy, the body has been handed over to the family, Malhotra said.



Apprehending trouble from the parents of other students, the school management has locked down the school and gone untraceable. Police said the mobile phone of school's Principal Adya Tiwari was switched off since the incident.



The SSP said the matter had been referred to the District Magistrate and he, in turn, had deputed the District Inspector of Schools (DIOs) to probe the incident.

(With inputs from agencies)
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday defended the governments stand on Rohingya Muslims, saying every country has the right to decide on its security policy.

Reports quoted the Union Minister as saying that every country will decide the course of action based on its foreign, security policy and balance of population.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan also voiced her support to the government over the issue. Speaking to reporters, she said that the country could not afford to give shelter to Rohingya Muslims.

This came hours after sources in the government told Zee Media about possible links between Rohingya Muslims and Pakistan-based terror outfits Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Al Qaeda. According to them, the terror outfits were making attempts to recruit young Rohingyas and train them in militancy.

Meanwhile, the Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that the Rohingyas are a serious security threat (and are) staying illegally in India.

Sources further said that the government has proof to link Rohingyas to Pakistan-based terror groups such as LeT, Al-Qaeda and so on.

Terror group Aqamul Mujahideen (AMM) is one of the main factors in establishing the connection between LeT and Rohingyas.

AMM, which allegedly has links with LeT, was the mastermind behind attacks on Myanmar border outposts last year. The group also has ties with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) cell in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to intelligence agencies, AMM is a breakaway group from the Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami Arakan (HUJI-A), headed by Abdus Qadoos Burmi, a Pakistani national of Rohingya origin.

Reports also suggest that both terror groups have recruited new cadres from the Rohingya youth in Rakhine and refugee camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazaar. They believe that the AMM cadre was trained along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

These factors point towards Pakistan's interest in keeping Rakhine province on the boil to foil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Act East Policy.

The anchor of this policy is the Rs 29-billion Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project connecting Rakhine's capital Sittwe to India's landlocked Northeast region. Many believe that Sittwe has similar significance for India to reach Bay of Bengal, as Gwadar in Baluchistan in Pakistan has for China to connect its mainland to Arabian Sea, says a DNA report.
Washington: The US has resumed fast processing of H-1B work visas in all categories subject to Congress-mandated limit, five months after it was suspended temporarily to handle the huge rush of applications for the work visas popular among Indian IT professionals.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year.

Premium processing of H-1B visa was suspended in April to handle huge rush of new petitions.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) resumed premium processing yesterday for all H-1B visa petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 cap, a media release said.

The FY 2018 cap has been set at 65,000. Premium processing has also been resumed for the annual 20,000 additional petitions that are set aside to hire workers with a US higher educational degree, it said.

When a petitioner requests the agency's premium processing service, USCIS guarantees a 15-day processing time.

"If the 15- calendar day processing time is not met, the agency will refund the petitioner's premium processing service fee and continue with expedited processing of the application," the USCIS said.

It said adding that the service is only available for pending petitions, not new submissions, since USCIS received enough petitions in April to meet the FY 2018 cap.

In addition to resumption of premium processing for H-1B via petitions subject to the FY 2018 cap, USCIS previously resumed premium processing H-1B petitions filed on behalf of physicians under the Conrad 30 waiver programme, as well as interested government agency waivers and for certain H-1B petitions that are not subject to the cap.

"Premium processing remains temporarily suspended for all other H-1B petitions, such as extensions of stay," the USCIS said, adding that it plans to resume premium processing for all other remaining H-1B petitions not subject to the FY 2018 cap, as agency workloads permit.
Mangaluru: A false alarm over the presence of an 'explosive' in the baggage of a passenger sent the security staff into a tizzy at the Mangaluru airport on Tuesday.

"As the security scanner gave an alarm when the passenger passed through the security gate with cabin baggage, he was detained. A search of his bag found an assembled power bank to charge his cell phone," Mangalore Police Commissioner T.R. Suresh told IANS on phone.

The passenger was booked to fly in budget carrier Indigo to Bengaluru where he was to take a connecting flight to Dubai later in the night.

"As devices like power bank are not allowed in the luggage, the passenger kept it in his hand baggage. Being locally assembled, it appeared to be an IED for the Central Industrial Security Force men, who checked it again," he added.

The passenger was later allowed to board the flight but the device was seized.

Confirming the incident, an Indigo official said later that its security staff alerted the CISF after the passenger was suspected to be carrying a "cell phone bomb".
Kudal: Maharashtra's former chief minister Narayan Rane on Tuesday accused the Congress of reneging on the promise of making him the CM, a day after he ranted against the party over "injustice" done to him and his supporters.

"I went to Congress because I was assured that I will be made chief minister in six months," Rane, who joined the Congress in 2005 after being expelled from the Shiv Sena, said.

Rane, who has pockets of influence in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, was expelled by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray after he voiced displeasure over Uddhav Thackeray gaining prominence in the party.

Asked about his next step after he blasted the Congress and its state chief Ashok Chavan at a rally here yesterday, Rane claimed, "For me there are vacancies everywhere, even in the Shiv Sena. But I won't go there."

Rane, a tough talking Maratha leader, who was handpicked by Bal Thackeray as chief minister when he decided to remove the genial Manohar Joshi ahead of the 2005 Assembly elections, claimed he had received an offer from the Sena to return to its fold.

He, however, did not say if he was offered any post.

"It's not about any post. I said I don't want to rejoin the Sena. If the Sena doesn't want me, why would the offer have been made," Rane told a Marathi news channel.

However, Rane's open revolt against Bal Thackeray and Uddhav still rankles with most leaders and members of the Sena, whose threat to pull out of the coalition government is being seen as an attempt to thwart the Maratha leader's entry into the BJP.

The speculation about his joining BJP got triggered with reports that he had met BJP president Amit Shah in Ahmedabad a few months ago. During the recent Ganesh festival, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had visited Rane's residence, fuelling it further.

On the Sena's threat to withdraw from the BJP-led government in Maharashtra, Rane said, "This is the old style of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray."

Rane said Sena often enacted the "drama" of threatening to quit the government while enjoying the privileges of power.

After a meeting of senior party functionaries, MPs and legislators called by Uddhav Thackeray yesterday, its Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut had castigated the BJP-led governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre, and said the party was "very close" to taking a decision on its continuance in the Maharashtra government.

"We are very close to taking a decision (on whether to continue in the government)... Wait and watch," he had said.

Asked to comment on the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Rane said he will speak on these issues on September 21 when he announces his next course of action.

He, however, left the door ajar for reconciliation with the Congress, saying if he was invited for talks by Chavan at 'Tilak Bhavan', the state party headquarters, he would go for it but at no other place.

"As of now, I am still in Congress," Rane said.

At yesterday's rally, Rane had blasted the Congress for the "injustice" it has done to him and his supporters and hinted at quitting the party he had joined 12 years ago.

He said his supporters would contest the upcoming panchayat polls under a new entity--'Samarth Vikas Panel'.

Rane had said he would announce the decision of "going in a new direction" at a press conference on September 21.
Mumbai: Heavy rains lashed the city and its suburbs this afternoon, but there was no report of waterlogging or disruption of transport services.

On August 29, the metropolis received more than 300 mm rainfall, crippling the transport services and throwing normal life out of gear.

On Sunday, the weather department had forecast heavy rains in Mumbai and the coastal Konkan region for the next three days.

However, the metropolis did not receive any significant amount of rainfall yesterday.

This morning, Mumbai woke up to an overcast condition and in the afternoon, heavy downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning started.

Several parts of the city, including South Mumbai, Borivali, Kandivili, Andheri and Bhandup, received heavy rainfall.

However, no untoward incident has been reported so far from any part of the city, said an official attached with the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

He said the civic administration and other agencies have geared up to tackle any eventuality arising out of the rains.

Both road and train traffic, including the suburban rail network, remain unaffected by the downpour, the official added.

As per information received from the Colaba observatory, the north Konkan region of Maharashtra, including Mumbai and its neighbouring areas, is expected to receive more rains.

"Some places are expected to receive heavy showers. Therefore, we have alerted citizens to take precaution," he said.
Thane: Iqbal Kaskar, the brother of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and two others who were arrested by the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police on Monday, were sent to police custody for eight days by a court here on Tuesday.

Iqbal Kaskar was running an extortion racket since 2013, allegedly with the help of politicians, the Thane police said earlier today.

Parambir Singh, Thane Commissioner of Police, had confirmed this while addressing a press briefing on the issue.

Giving more details, Singh said that three people, including Iqbal Kaskar, have been arrested and are being questioned by the officials at the moment.

Iqbal Kaskar was arrested from his sister Haseena Parkar's residence, the Thane CP told reporters.

Singh, however, said that it was yet to be determined if Dawood had any role in the extortion racket being run by Iqbal Kaskar.

Whether Dawood Ibrahim had an indirect or direct involvement in Iqbal Kaskar's extortion racket needs to be probed, Singh said.

Speaking about their modus operandi, Singh said that threats to targets were given in name of Dawood and the gang had hired some shooters from outside.

Some of them had come from Bihar to forcibly evacuate properties, Thane CP said.

Some politicians including local corporators could also be involved, which is being investigated, the Thane CP said.

Iqbal was taken into custody soon after his from a house in Nagpada area in Central Mumbai by a team led by encounter specialist and the anti-extortion cell's senior police inspector Pradeep Sharma.

According to sources, some extortion calls were made in Iqbal's name to a Thane-based businessman, as per PTI.

The businessman then approached the anti-extortion cell of Thane police with a complaint.

Acting on the complaint, Sharma's team went to Nagpada and took Iqbal into custody.

Earlier on September 7, Kaskar had been asked to vacate two dilapidated buildings which the authorities said were acquired illegally.

He was asked to vacate the Damarwala Building at Pakmodia Street in Bhendi Bazaar and Shabnam Guest House in JJ Marg area, both in south Mumbai.

A notice under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976 or SAFEMA Act had been pasted outside the Damarwala building, asking the occupants to vacate it.

A similar notice was also put up at Shabnam Guest House located in JJ Marg area.

Dawood's late sister Hasina Parker also used to stay in Damarwala Building.

Iqbal, who was deported from the United Arab Emirates in 2003, is said to be operating his brother's real estate business in the city, the police said.

He was wanted in a murder case and the Sara Sahara illegal construction case. However, he was acquitted in both the cases in 2007.

Sharma, who led the team that detained Kaskar, was suspended in Lakhan Bhaiya encounter case and was recently reinstated in the police force.

(With Agency inputs)
Itanagar: Violence marred the dawn-to-dusk statewide bandh as normal life came to a halt in Arunachal Pradesh following the bandh called by the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU).

In the state capital, bandh supporters damaged several vehicles including torching a state transport bus and a private vehicle during morning hours, Capital SP Sagar Singh Kalsi said.

Reports of violence were also pouring in from Namsai, Changlang and several other districts.

All government offices, educational institutions, markets, commercial establishments remained closed while public and private transport remained off the road.

Though a few state transport buses were seen plying during the morning hours, but the services were suspended later, police said.

The AAPSU has called the bandh in protest against the Union Home Minister's recent decision to grant citizenship to the Chakma and the Hajong refugees in the state.
Mumbai: Adnan Samis daughter Medina is one of the most popular celebrity kids on social media. The baby girl, who recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, apparently fell in love with TV star-turned-politician Smriti Irani!

It was indeed love at first sight for the Union Cabinet Minister of Textiles and Information & Broadcasting and baby Medina.

Adnan took to Twitter to share adorable pictures of Irani and Medina playing with each other. They were all smiles.

Check out the pics embedded below:

A picture speaks a 1000 words & here its all about 'Love'! Indeed it was 'love at 1st sight' between @smritiirani ji & Medina. Thank You! pic.twitter.com/PIUbdMSVCe  Adnan Sami (@AdnanSamiLive) 18 September 2017

Irani, a mother of two, has a huge fan following. She is immensely popular even among babies and has often been clicked playing with her friends kids.
Chennai: Actress Sushmita Sen on Monday appeared before a special court at Egmore on the orders of the Madras High Court in connection with the import of a luxury car in alleged violation of provisions of foreign trade policy.

The high court had on July 20 stayed the warrant issued by the lower court here against Sen. It had also directed her to appear before the trial court without fail today.

The case was registered by the Customs Department and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence after it found that the luxury vehicle was imported by misusing the provisions of Transfer of Residence of the Exim policy.

The investigators said that a person named Haren Choksey had sold a Toyota Landcruiser, imported by another named Vasu Pandari Thamala, to Sen.

Later, it was found that the car was imported by alleged mis-declaration of the chassis number, year of manufacture and the value. Though the car was a 2004 model, it was declared as manufactured in 1998 to evade customs duties.

On January 24, 2006, the DRI had seized the vehicle under provisions of the Customs Act, following which Sen voluntarily deposited Rs 20.31 lakh as differential customs duty.

The adjudication authority then slapped a penalty of Rs 20 lakh on Thamala and Rs 10 lakh on Choksey in 2008.

As the car was cleared by Chennai port customs authority, a case was registered against Choksey and Thamala for evasion of customs duty at the Egmore economic offences court here and Sen was asked to appear to provide evidence against the duo.

As Sen failed to appear for hearing to provide evidence in the court in June, the magistrate had issued a warrant against Sen which was challenged by her.

According to the high court orders, she appeared before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Zakir Hussain, on Monday.

She was cross examined by the counsel for the accused in the above case for more than an hour.

After that, the judge adjourned the case to September 26.
New Delhi: Fifty percent of train tickets in the country are still purchased in cash, thanks to the dependence on neighbourhood ticketing agents, said a study.

RailYatri, a web-based firm that provides various rail and bus based solutions, conducted the study among 50,000 travellers across 25 cities and consulted around 800 travel agents.

The study has found that even though 65 percent of rail passengers prefer digital payments while buying a ticket, 50 percent of the train tickets are still bought in cash, notwithstanding the central government's digital push.

"A significant consumer section of India depends on managed services, especially when the complexity of their need is high. And because of the supply-demand mismatch and other uncertainties around train travel, ticket booking falls in this bucket," said Manish Rathi, Co-Founder and CEO, RailYatri.

"This has in turn led to the popularity of train ticket booking through these mom-and-pop travel agents," he said.

The study has shown that most travellers prefer going to a local agent because it "reduces complexity" and "helps in decision making".

It also found that the Payment Gateway (PG) charges at 0.7 percent (for train tickets priced less than Rs 2,000) was acting as a hurdle for travel agents.

The typical PG charges vary between 1.5 to 2 percent depending on the provider, with most providers falling on the higher side.

"Agents, understandably, are unwilling to pay for the difference above 0.7 percent to the providers from their own pocket," it said.

The study further stated that while the cost of train tickets have increased more than 80 percent in the last five years, the commission of travel agents have remained at Rs 20 to Rs 40 per ticket since many years.

"All these factors have forced travel agents to continue with cash payments as avoiding the digital route allows them to charge without a trail of the actual amount paid," it said.

The study also called for making the digital payment modes sturdy by removing the chinks.
Sikar: The Sikar Police have arrested the director and a teacher of a local school here in connection with the horrific gang-rape of a high school student.

According to ANI, the duo, identified as Jagdish and Jagat respectively, had allegedly been raping the student for a long time and even impregnated her.

The incident came to light after the victim was rushed to a hospital on Monday for excessive bleeding.

The girl is now undergoing treatment in a Jaipur hospital and said to be in a critical condition.

A team led by Superintendent of Police, Kushal Singh Khinchi, is probing the matter.

Meanwhile, a team of National Commission for Women is scheduled to visit the school today.

The panel has demanded strict action against the accused and cancellation of school's registration in view of the horrific incident.
New Delhi: NASA is an entity that is synonymous with everything related to space. A pioneer in space research, NASA, today, is one of the leading establishments when it comes to aerospace.

With many missions currently in operation, NASA has a lot more in store  including the highly anticipated Mars mission.

Keeping that in mind, the space agency will undoubtedly be seeking more hands on board, which can translated into 'more manpower'.

However, becoming a NASA employee isn't exactly easy. Recently, when NASA was looking for a new class of astronauts, only 12 were selected from a whopping 18,300 applicants.

With that, it is understood that getting a job with NASA isn't a walk in the park, unless you're truly passionate about what you do and know what you're signing up for.

So let's get a better understanding of how the hiring process at NASA works.

First things first: How does one qualify for a job at NASA?

According to CNNMoney, who spoke to Donald Pettit, a 62-year-old NASA astronaut and Greg Johnson, a former astronaut and now president of the Center for Advancement of Science in Space, applicants must be graduates in a field of science, technology, engineering or mathematics. Furthermore, post graduation and work experience or at least a thousand hours worth of experience in flying jets are mandatory parameters for selection.

Astronaut candidates must also have skills in leadership, teamwork and communications, NASA says on its website.

The qualifications of the perfect candidate also includes a physical demand  He/she should have good eyesight, must be between 5ft 2 and 6ft 3, and should have a good, normal blood pressure, which should not exceed 140/90 when seated.

Next up, applicants will be put through an endurance test  which needless to say, will be quite difficult  along with a series of interviews.

"It's a very special opportunity," Johnson said. He advised the next class of astronaut candidates to "take advantage of it" because "for each astronaut, there's 100 behind us equally qualified," reports CNNMoney in their interview.

Going forward...

If you passed all the above criteria, well done! But, this is far from over  you have a massive 2-year training and evaluation period coming up.

"It's like getting a full four-year college degree compressed into two years," Pettit said. "There's no summer breaks."

This training will allow you to learn skills that one requires during an actual mission. The tasks which you will be subjected to include:

Swimming laps in a 25-meter pool and treading water for 10 minutes while wearing a flight suit and tennis shoes.

Getting a SCUBA certification, which is important for when you're in space, since underwater environment is actually similar to the vacuum of space.

Riding a jet aircraft, mimicking zero-gravity environment in space. Trainees may have to take at least 40 such rides in a single day.

Learning the Russian language  communication is key and you need to be able to interact with the Russian cosmonauts at the space station and during launch.

Like the spacesuits? Well, you'll get your chance to familiarise yourself and get comfortable with the heavy, bulky and puffy space gear. Here's a warning - they are hot, uncomfortable and you have to crawl out of them to get them off.

When do you step into space?

If you're thinking you're ready for that step, you have another think coming. Stage two of training was merely another step forward, but NASA has a lot more where that came from  you still have to complete another level of space-specific training.

This stage involves everything you would be doing in space. The training starts months before you even head to the cockpit with your space suit on. For just a six-month stint at the space station, be prepared to go through an extra 2/3-year-long training.

NOW do you get to go to space?

Excited, are we? Settle down, there are still experiments to be conducted, researches to be carried out and hardware reparation lessons for when you're on the space station. According to Pettit, during his missions, he would get just a day off per week during his six-month mission at the ISS.

Congratulations! You're now NASA-approved. But what's the pay like?

A question that haunts everyone when they're about to get hired  astronauts too. However, in the words of Pettit, who's been an astronaut for two decades, Nobody gets rich.

Annual salaries for astronauts are anywhere between $66,000 to $144,500 per annum. This amounts to approximately INR 44.2 lakhs to INR 1 crore. Experienced astronauts make a little more than a crore, depending on the rank and experience.

However, just to clear the air, NASA is quite firm about an astronaut's salary. It has a policy of no personal financial gain and their rules are pretty strict.

Once onboard, you cannot write books, charge for public speaking, or even accept gifts from any company. However, as Pettit puts it, once you're a NASA employee, you wont have time to do any of those things anyway.
New Delhi: Tamil Nadu on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that Karnataka can`t have freedom of choice on the use of its share of Cauvery water as it would alter the 2007 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award.



The state told the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Amitava Roy and Justice AM Khanwilkar that the use of Cauvery water for the purposes other than for which it has been allocated would introduce a fundamental change in the basis of the tribunal award.



"A fundamental change in a situation should provide for the review of the award," senior counsel Shekhar Naphade, appearing for Tamil Nadu, told the bench, adding that if Karnataka decides to change the use of water, it was "entitled to raise a dispute"



Urging the court that it should frame a scheme for the implementation of the tribunal award which would now merge into top court judgment after it is pronounced, Naphade said: "We have virtually become beggars before Karnataka. I am at the mercy of Karnataka. Even the orders of the Supreme Court have not been complied with."



His submission came in the course of the hearing of cross-petitions by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which have both challenged the tribunal award. Kerala too has challenged the allocation of water by the tribunal.



The Central government, meanwhile, told the top court that it had held back its hand on the implementation of the 2007 Cauvery award as matter was pending before the top court. It said that it would comply with the orders of the court.



At this, the court said that after the pronouncement of judgment, it would give Centre some time to comply with its orders.



The Centre also placed before the top court 12 clarifications that it had sought on the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal award including the question of distressed rainy season, distressed situation in basin, conflicting position on use of water and intra basin transfer, duration after which the tribunal award can be reviewed, and other related issues.



The award had come on February 5, 2007 and was gazetted by the Central government on February 19, 2013.



Besides deciding on the sharing of water, the Tribunal had recommended setting up of a Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee.



The hearing into the 2007 appeal that commenced on February 7 has already taken place on 28 days spread over eight months and will continue on Wednesday.
Mumbai: Kapil Sharma, who is undergoing treatment at an Ayurvedic clinic in Bengaluru, may have promised to return with his show soon but latest reports suggest that the next season of The Kapil Sharma Show may get delayed. Reason  Sunil Grovers TV comeback.

According to a report in dnaindia.com originally attributed to Times of India , Sunil, who is famous for portraying Dr Mashoor Gulati and Rinku Babhi is gearing up for his new show on the same channel and team Kapil members could be a part of it.

Kiku Sharda from TKSS and Sugandha Mishra besides Ali Asgar from Krushna Abhisheks The Drama Company are likely to join Sunil. Buzz also suggests that Grover and Sharda have started rehearsing for the new show which is expected to go on air in October.

This would mean that TKSS may not resume in October. Moreover chances of Kiku, Sugandha and the other members of team Kapil returning to TKFF are slim because of Rajiv Dhingra (the man believed to have been responsible for the star comedians downfall).

Kapil's friends (actors) who have worked with him and stood by him during thick and thin still love him. But they don't want to be associated with Kapil till the time creative control of the show is in the hands of Rajiv Dhingra. Because of the debacle of Mad In India which also had Sunil. They don't want to do any show where Rajiv is creatively involved or has an upper hand. So the entire team of actors have decided to work on another show, the TOI report further quoted a source as saying.

However, Kapil had rubbished rumours that had held Rajiv responsible for the mess up.

And the big question is  will core members of team Kapil join hands with Sunil?
A post shared by Mrunalthakur (@mrunalofficial2016) on Sep 15, 2017 at 10:02pm PDT

A post shared by Mrunalthakur (@mrunalofficial2016) on Sep 16, 2017 at 3:46am PDT

A post shared by Mrunalthakur (@mrunalofficial2016) on Sep 16, 2017 at 5:30am PDT

A post shared by Mrunalthakur (@mrunalofficial2016) on Sep 16, 2017 at 8:28pm PDT

A post shared by Mrunalthakur (@mrunalofficial2016) on Sep 17, 2017 at 2:36am PDT

A post shared by Mrunalthakur (@mrunalofficial2016) on Sep 18, 2017 at 5:39am PDT

A post shared by Mrunalthakur (@mrunalofficial2016) on Sep 18, 2017 at 9:24pm PDT

New Delhi: While a lot of couples are making us gush over their overwhelming love and off a storybook kinda pictures, actress Mrunal Thakur is setting Instagram on fire all by herself! The Kumkum Bhagya actress recently shared some of the most alluring pictures of herself on Instagram from her vacation in Taiwan. Below are her Instagram posts. Keep a fire extinguisher handy...just in case!Mrunal began her career by acting in 'Mujhse Kuchh Kehti...Yeh Khamoshiyaan' opposite Mohit Sehgal. She was just a college student back then.
Lucknow: A fire broke out in a school here on Tuesday but no one was hurt, police said.



Fire tenders rushed to the Rajaji SKD Academy in Rajajipuram area and doused the fire within 30 minutes.



According to the police, the staff and the students were rescued from the school premises in time. Police are probing how the fire broke out.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday presented his report card on completion of six months of his government in the state.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, CM Aditynath spoke on a number of issues like farmer's debt waiver and law and order in the state.

Here's what all the Chief Minister said:

- We are launching systematic drive which will help govt retrieve 1000 hectares of land which have been in grips of land mafia since years.

- It was priority to rid UP of jungle raj. Happy that hard work by ministers has instilled sense of confidence in people

- After March 2017, there hasn't been a single incident of riot. Prior to that, we had seen cases of riots taking place in the state.

- Our revenue department brought in a good initiative. If permitted to link property registration (khatian) to Aadhaar there won't be false registry or any fraud.

- We have ushered in a new style of politics which is development oriented and focussed on youngsters.



- It was for the first time in 15 years that Uttar Pradesh had a government which was "bereft of casteism and dynastic politics".

- More than 430 police encounters have taken place in the past six months in which many criminals have been killed. Another 1,106 criminals have also been arrested.

- In the police encounters, 88 policemen were injured and one sub-inspector killed.

- Ill-gotten property of 668 infamous criminals worth several crores had been seized by the police under the Gangsters Act, while property worth Rs 33 crore belonging to the land mafia has been confiscated by law enforcement agencies.

- There was a time under the previous government when police officials were scared to act against criminals as they feared reprimand from the powers that be

- The state government had accorded top priority to the agriculture sector and farmers and cited the crop loan waiver as an example of prioritising farmers interests.

- So far loans of 86 lakh farmers of various amounts upto Rs 1 lakh have been waived by his government.
Kolkata: Expressing solidarity with Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar, Shia cleric Maulana Shabbir Ali Azad Warsi threatened to overthrow the central government over their deportation.

Warsi threatened the government at a rally which was organised September 18 in Kolkata in West Bengal demanding the settlement of Rohingya Muslims in the country.

"If the Muslims are in minority, are we weak? You don't know the history of the Muslims. We are Hussaini Muslims. even if we are 72, we can kill lakhs," Maulana Shabbir Ali Warsi said at the rally.

"This is our memorandum to the Delhi government that Rohingyas are our brothers. Don't think that the Rohingya Muslims are different from the Muslims of India. We all Muslims are brothers. Don't try to evacuate the Rohingya Muslims from Bengal. This is Bengal, not Assam, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Muzaffarnagar or Muzaffarpur," he added.

Meanwhile, in an another development, sources in the government told Zee Media that the Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Al-Qaeda are trying to recruit the young Rohingyas, who have taken refuge in India, and train them in militancy.

The Centre had on Monday told the Supreme Court that the ''Rohingyas are a serious security threat'' and are ''staying in India illegally''. Sources further said that the government has proof to link Rohingyas to Pakistan-based terror groups such as LeT, Al-Qaeda and so on.

Terror group Aqamul Mujahideen (AMM) is one of the main factors in establishing the connection between LeT and Rohingyas.

AMM, which allegedly has links with LeT, was the mastermind behind attacks on Myanmar border outposts last year. The group also has ties with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) cell in Jammu and Kashmir.

Nearly 40,000 Rohingya Muslims have taken refuge in India, with 7,000 living in 23 settlements across Jammu.

On Sunday, the Delhi Police arrested man for suspected links with al Qaeda. The accused's mission was to set up base Manipur or Mizoram and radicalise Rohingya Muslims to fight the militancy in Myanmar, police said.
BEIJING: The North Korean nuclear issue must be resolved peacefully, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart during a meeting at the United Nations, China`s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The United States and South Korea, and separately Russia together with China, started military drills on Wednesday in a show of force against North Korea, which has repeatedly defied the United Nations to conduct nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

Wang said in a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday that China would strictly implement U.N. Security council sanctions and stressed that "parties directly involved" must also take action and responsibility.

"The current deepening vicious cycle must be broken. Resuming peace talks is an equally important step in implementing security council resolutions," Wang said, according to a statement on the foreign ministry website.

Russia has supported China`s "suspension-for-suspension" proposal, where the United States and South Korea would agree to halt joint military drills while North Korea halted missile and nuclear tests.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about keeping pressure on North Korea using economic sanctions imposed through the United Nations, the White House said on Monday.

Trump and Xi spoke on the phone days after Trump and his aides publicly discussed potential military action against North Korea. Trump said on Friday he was "more confident than ever that our options in addressing this threat are both effective and overwhelming".

Pyongyang carried out the latest in a rapid series of missile launches by firing another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday, soon after its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3, in defiance of United Nations sanctions and other international pressure.
United Nations: US President Donald Trump, in his maiden speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, warned that North Korea would be destroyed if Kim Jong-Un's nuclear-armed regime does not mend its ways. He also called for affirmative action against terror groups like the Islamic State.

Following are the main highlights of his speech at the 72nd UN General Assembly:

- We meet at a time of both immense promise and great peril, up to us if we lift the world to new heights or let it fall in a valley of disrepair.

- We want harmony and friendship, not conflict and strife.

- Best of the United States, is the first three words of its constitution - We the people.

- America does more than speak for the values expressed in the United Nations charter.

- Our citizens have paid the ultimate price to defend our freedom and the freedom of many nations represented in this great hall.

- No one has shown more contempt for its people than the regime in North Korea.

- Rocket man (new nickname for the North Korean leader) is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

- It is time for North Korea to realise that de-nuclearisation is its only acceptable future.

- US has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Hopefully that won't be necessary. That is what UN is all about.

- I think the United Nations has great potential.

- Terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and spread to every corner of the planet.

- We will stop radical Islam terrorism because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation or tear up the world.

- If the righteous do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph.

- In Syria and Iraq we have made big gains towards lasting defeat of ISIS.

- We thank Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for hosting refugees from Syria.

- We support resettling refugees as close to their home nations as possible.

- Venezuelan people are collapsing. As responsible friend we have goal to help them and restore their democracy.

- The socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on Venezuela.

- The problem is not that Socialism was poorly implemented in Venezuela, it's that it was faithfully implemented.

- We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its authoritarian path.

- We must reject threats to sovereignty from the Ukraine to the South China Sea.

- We must uphold respect for law, respect for borders and respect for culture.

- Major portions of the world are in conflict and some, in fact, are going to hell.

- Massive embarrassment that some governments with egregious human rights records sit in the UN Human Rights' Council.

- Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terror, but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity.

- The deal with Iran is one of the worst that US has entered into, that deal is an embarrassment to the US.

- The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of democracy.

- As long as I hold this office, I will defend America's interests above all else, but in fulfilling our obligations to our nations.

- We also realise that it's in everyone's interests to seek the future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure.

- I thank all leaders in this room who have offered help during the hurricane. Fortunately the American people are very resilient.

- The US seeks stronger trade and business ties, but this trade must be fair and it must be reciprocal.

- We will always put 'America First'.
Moscow: A military helicopter on a rural training exercise in western Russia mistakenly fired rockets at a group of parked vehicles, knocking at least one person to the ground, footage posted by Russian news sites and on social media showed.

A video clip published on Tuesday by the independent news site Fontanka.ru showed a helicopter firing a salvo of rockets at a military truck covered in camouflage netting in open countryside, with three vehicles with no military markings visible, parked a few metres away.

A man in civilian clothes who had been standing close to the truck was engulfed in a cloud of dust. The person filming the clip, who was slightly further away, could be seen sprawled on the ground.

Russia is currently staging the "Zapad 2017" war games in the area, major exercises on NATO`s eastern flank that were inspected on Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Fontanka.ru said the incident occurred on Sept. 18 and left one person with concussion. It did not give details on the source of the video.

A second video from the same location, which was posted on social media by Russian investigative bloggers Conflict Intelligence Team, showed the aftermath, including a smashed window in a white jeep nearest to the truck, and shrapnel damage to the military truck.

Reuters could not independently verify the videos.

The Russian Defence Ministry`s western military district, in a statement cited by Interfax news agency, said that during a training exercise a helicopter`s targeting system had mistakenly acquired a target, but denied anyone had been injured.

The representative cited by Interfax did not say when the incident happened, or where, or if the exercise was part of the "Zapad-2017" war games.

"As a result of a strike by an unguided rocket, a cargo vehicle with no people on board was damaged," Interfax quoted a representative of the military district as saying.

The Western military district includes north-western Russia and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, all areas where the "Zapad-2017" exercises are focused.

Russia`s defence ministry in Moscow did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Asked by reporters about the incident, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred questions to the defence ministry.

Watch the video here:
Jerusalem: Israel shot down a pilotless plane over the Golan Heights on Tuesday and said it was probably an Iranian-built aircraft on a reconnaissance mission for the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group along Israel`s frontier with Syria.

The incident came hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to address the U.N. General Assembly and cite Israeli concerns about an entrenchment in Syria of Iranian and Hezbollah forces that have been helping Damascus beat back Islamist-led rebels.

The drone was launched from an air base near Damascus and was downed with a Patriot interceptor missile over the Golan demilitarised zone that has separated Israeli and Syrian forces since the 1967 Middle East war, the military said.

"As we understand, it was on a reconnaissance mission along the border and the Golan Heights on behalf of Hezbollah," a military spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus, told reporters.

"Our intelligence suggests it was ... Iranian-made."

Asked whether the drone might have been armed, Conricus said that information was not yet available. He said Israeli warplanes had also been scrambled.

Officials from Syria, Hezbollah and Iran had no immediate comment on the incident. The Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 conflict, has seen spillover violence from the Syrian civil war. Israel has at times fired to foil what it deemed deliberate cross-border attacks.
Tokyo: The Japanese government led by Prime Minister Shizo Abe has decided to install a new anti-missile system on Hokkaido island after North Korea tested two missiles that flew over its territory, a Defence Ministry official said on Tuesday.

The decision to install the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor in a military base in Hakodate city comes after Pyongyang conducted its latest launch of a medium-range missile that fell into the Pacific Ocean after flying over northern Japan on September 15, the official was quoted as saying by Efe News.

Pyongyang, which had earlier threatened to "sink" Japan with a nuclear bomb for backing the US-led sanctions, fired another missile on August 29. That too flew over northern Japan.

The official added that Japan was monitoring North Korea''s movements for another possible missile launch.

Japan had deployed anti-missile systems in western Japan last month after Pyongyang threatened to launch four missiles towards the US island of Guam, which would cross above the region.

The September 15 launch took place less than two weeks after Pyongyang carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3, which led to fresh sanctions by the UN Security Council, including curbs on its imports of oil products and a ban on its textile exports.

With IANS inputs
Catalonia: Spanish police carried out searches on Tuesday across Girona, a fiefdom of Catalonia`s pro-separatist president Carles Puigdemont, as part of probe into suspected graft at a local water company, police said.

The operation comes amid mounting tensions as Catalan leaders press ahead with preparations for an independence referendum on October 1 despite Madrid`s ban and a court ruling that deems it illegal.

Spain`s Guardia Civil police force said it was carrying out searches at 15 places in Girona, a city some 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Barcelona where Puigdemont served as mayor between 2011 and 2016.

The searches are part of a probe into "suspected illegal activities which could involve the crimes of fraud and breach of trust regarding the awarding of a water supply contract," police said in a statement.

The operations centres on the activities of Girona water supply company Salt i Sarria, it added.

The probe concerns the activities of the water company when Puigdemont was mayor of Girona, according to conservative daily newspaper La Razon which splashed the investigation on its front page.

Meanwhile police were also searching for referendum material at private courier company in L`Hospitalet de Llobregat near Barcelona, a police spokesman said.

Prosecutors have demanded that police seize all materials which could be used to stage the referendum such as ballots, ballot boxes and posters and fliers promoting the vote.

They have also opened a criminal probe into the over 700 Catalan mayors who have offered to help stage the referendum.

About 40 mayors have been formally summoned to be questioned as part of this investigation, three of them on Tuesday.

Polls show Catalonia`s roughly 7.5 million residents are deeply divided on independence.

A survey commissioned by the regional government in July showed 49.4 percent of Catalans were against independence while 41.1 percent were in favour.
Beijing: Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that threatening action or rhetoric cannot help resolve the deteriorating situation in the Korean Peninsula.

The remarks from the Chinese Foreign Ministry came shortly after US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis hinted about the existence of military options on North Korea.

North Korea has repeatedly defied the United Nations to conduct nuclear and missile tests, the latest being a mid-range missile fired over Japan on Friday, soon after the reclusive nation's sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3.

Asked whether there were any military options the United States could take with North Korea that would not put Seoul at grave risk, Mattis said there were, but declined to give details.

"Developments in the peninsula nuclear issue up to this point prove that, no matter whether it is military threats in words or in action, they cannot promote and advance a resolution," the foreign ministry spokesman, Lu Kang, said.

"To the contrary, it just adds to tensions and makes achieving the goal of denuclearisation on the peninsula appear more complicated and difficult to resolve," he added, responding to a question about Mattis` comments at a regular briefing.

Seoul is within artillery range of North Korea, which is also believed to have a sizable chemical and biological arsenal beyond nuclear and conventional weapons.

Any conflict on the Korean peninsula could lead to bloodshed unseen since the 1950-53 Korean War, which took the lives of more than 50,000 Americans and millions of Koreans and ended in an armed truce, not a peace treaty.

Military options available to the United States range from non-lethal actions such as a naval blockade to enforce sanctions to waging cyber attacks and positioning new US weaponry in South Korea, where the United States has 28,500 troops.

South Korea and the United States, and separately Russia together with China, started military drills on Monday, in a show of force against North Korea.

The Korean peninsula issue must be resolved peacefully, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed during a meeting with his Russian counterpart at the United Nations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump spoke by telephone about keeping pressure on North Korea using economic sanctions imposed through the United Nations, the White House has said.

With Reuters Inputs
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump will take aim at Iran and North Korea and strike a stridently nationalistic tone in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly Tuesday, rejecting the half-century-old drive toward global governance.

A top aide said Trump will take aim at "rogue regimes that threaten world stability and peace," singling out Pyongyang and Tehran during his half-hour remarks and arguing responsible nations must step in to curb their behaviour.

Trump has warned North Korea faces "fire and fury" if it does not abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and argued a global deal to curb Iran`s uranium enrichment must be reworked.

In both instances, Trump`s "America first" stance faces significant pushback from international partners -- from Russia to China to European allies -- who aides say Trump is likely to press to be tougher, but perhaps not name explicitly.

When he steps up to the famous green marble rostrum, Trump will also set out his vision for a world shorn of what one senior advisor familiar with the speech called the overarching "global bureaucracy."

Trump will argue nation states should be free to pursue their interests unfettered -- a contentious message for delegates to the world`s foremost multilateral forum.

Since coming to office in January, Trump has sought to unravel US involvement in multilateral deals from the Paris climate accord to an agreement curbing Iran`s nuclear program.

He has cancelled a major trans-Pacific trade pact, sought to renegotiate a free trade deal with Mexico and Canada and even threatened to leave the World Trade Organization.

Aides said Trump will not rule out accords between sovereign states -- such as those that underpin security in Europe and Asia -- but will argue against overbearing global governance."It`s an appeal to each nation to use sovereignty as the basis for mutual cooperation, the idea being that rather than appealing to a top-down model of global bureaucracy, it`s a model that`s from the nation-state up," a senior official said.

"It is about the nation-state being the best vehicle, as the president has said before, for the elevation of the human condition."

During his first day at the UN General Assembly Trump warned that "bureaucracy" was holding the United Nations back, a barbed message to the world body he once derided as a talk shop.

Trump warned that as chief executive of the United States -- a founding member of the UN and its biggest financial contributor -- he wants a better return on his investment.

"The United Nations was founded on truly noble goals," he said, adding that while progress has been made, "in recent years the United Nations has not reached its full potential, because of bureaucracy and mismanagement."Allies and foes alike will rummage through Trump`s speech on Tuesday for a better idea of how this lurching superpower foresees its future place in the world.

"The bar for success, as usual, is very low," said Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution. "If the president can make a half decent attempt at playing the role of the leader of the free world, everyone will breathe a sigh of relief."

"The risk, also as usual, is that he goes off script and says what he really thinks."

More tub-thumping at the UN would thrill his diehard fans at home, but bellicose warnings to North Korea would undoubtedly make Tokyo and Seoul -- both well within range of North Korean ballistic missiles -- uneasy.

Shredding the "bad deal" that curbs Iran`s nuclear program could burnish Trump`s hard-charging businessman brand, but would infuriate European allies and risk setting loose havoc across the Middle East.
New York: India has extended its support to US President Donald Trump's efforts to reform the UN, saying it should include the expansion of the world body's permanent and non-permanent members to keep pace with the changed times.

Trump, during a discussion on UN reform yesterday, insisted that he had always seen the "great potential" of the organisation but warned that "bureaucracy" was stopping it from realising its potential.

Trump, once a harsh critic of the UN, called for reforms in the body - a view India has been expressing for a long time.

"We have said that the world body should be reformed to keep pace with the changed times including the expansion of its permanent or non-permanent members," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here.

"We have consistently maintained the same line," he said.

Kumar was referring to the high-level meeting on UN reform which was chaired by Trump. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also attended the meeting.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that Trump supports the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' reform agenda for the UN, and was pleased to join nearly 130 countries to support a big, bold reform to eliminate inefficiency.

In his address, Guterres said, "We are reforming our peace and security architecture ? to ensure we are stronger in prevention, more agile in mediation, and more effective and cost-effective in peacekeeping operations.

"We are reforming our development system to become much more field-focused, well-coordinated and accountable to better assist countries through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ? our contribution to a fair globalisation," he added.

"We need to bring decision-making closer to the people we serve; trust and empower managers; reform cumbersome and costly budgetary procedures; and eliminate duplicative structures," he added.

Describing it as a great day, the US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said this is the beginning of a process.

"There are 193 members of the United Nations. That means there are about 70 Member States out there that have not yet signed the declaration of support for United Nations reform. Our mission leaving here today is to not be satisfied with less than a complete consensus on this reform agenda.

"We are always stronger when we speak with one voice, and the future of this institution is worth the extra mile," Haley said in her address.
United Nations: Global anxieties about a nuclear war are at their highest level in decades, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday as he opened a gathering of world leaders dominated by the crisis with North Korea.

Addressing the high-level debate at the General Assembly, Guterres said millions of people are living in dread as a result of North Korea`s provocative nuclear and missile tests.

"The use of nuclear weapons should be unthinkable," Guterres told the 193-nation assembly meeting in New York.

"But today global anxieties about nuclear weapons are at the highest level since the end of the Cold War."

The fear of nuclear warfare "is not abstract," he added. "Millions of people live under a shadow of dread cast by the provocative nuclear and missile tests" carried out by Pyongyang.

The United States backed by Japan, South Korea and its western allies are pushing for a strong international response to North Korea after it conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and fired missiles over Japan.

But China and Russia have warned that US talk of military options to address the North Korean crisis would have a catastrophic result and are pushing for diplomatic talks.

US President Donald Trump, who has threatened North Korea with "fire and fury" unless it changes course, will be in the spotlight on Tuesday when he delivers his maiden address.

Also Read - Donald Trump addresses UN, says if pushed, US will destroy North Korea

Guterres warned that rising tensions were increasing the chance of miscalculation and that "fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings."

He called for a political solution, saying "this is a time for statesmanship."

"We must not sleepwalk our way into war," he said.Guterres again called on Myanmar to halt its military campaign against Rohingya Muslims, just hours after Aung San Suu Kyi delivered a nationwide address that failed to quell an international outcry.

More than 420,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee violence in Myanmar`s northern Rakhine state in what the United Nations has described as "ethnic cleansing."

"We are all shocked by the dramatic escalation of sectarian tensions in Myanmar`s Rakhine state," said Guterres.

"The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations, and allow unhindered humanitarian access. They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long."

In her televised address, Suu Kyi insisted that army "clearance operations" in response to attacks by Rohingya militants had finished on September 5 and denied that Rakhine was in flames.

Guterres also spoke out in favour of the Paris agreement on climate change, saying extreme weather events like Hurricane Irma are becoming "the new normal of a warming world."
Brussels: Divers have found a well-preserved wreck of a German submarine sunk during World War I in the North Sea which may have the bodies of its crew still on board, Belgian officials said Tuesday.

A diver who has explored the wreck, lying in 30 metres (100 feet) of water off the port of Ostend, said the good condition of the submarine suggested the remains of its 23 crew could still be inside.

It is the 11th German submarine from the 1914-18 war to be found in Belgian waters and the best-preserved example to date, Thomas Termote, a diver and expert in marine archaeology who found the wreck this summer, told AFP.

"We thought that all the big wrecks had already been discovered so this was a total surprise," Termote told AFP.

Its exact location is being kept secret to deter treasure-hunters.

He said the wreck -- a UB-II type torpedo armed boat -- was 27 metres (yards) long with the rear end partly detached.

"The submarine is very intact, everything is still closed -- that`s what he (Termote) saw during his first visit this summer," Jan Mees, head of the Flanders Marine Institute told AFP.

The submarine would have had 22 crew and a commander on board, West Flanders provincial governor Carl Decaluwe told De Standaard newspaper.

"All the hatches are still closed. This suggests the wreck has not been discovered before and moreover the 23 crew members are still inside," Decaluwe said.

The German embassy in Belgium had been informed, Belga news agency reported.During WWI, the German navy used the Belgian port of Zeebrugge as a base for its submarines, known as U-boats, to attack shipping in the North Sea.

To combat the U-boat threat, the British tried to block Zeebrugge port in April 1918 by scuttling old ships in the entry channel.

The first indications of the wreck came in 2015 when a sonar ship found signs of a large wreck off Ostend in 2015.

Termote, who lives in the town, carried out further investigations on his own initiative.

A further dive is planned soon to clean some of the outside and check its identification number, Mees said.

German authorities could then check it against their record and contact the families of the deceased.

"If the Germans want to get the bodies back it`s possible, but highly unlikely," Mees added.

Termote said the wreck would be "nearly impossible" to refloat and would therefore be "considered a sea grave for the sailors."

Germany lost around 1,200 men in 70 U-boats off the Belgian coast during four years -- out of a total of 93 stationed in Flanders.

Its base was in the medieval city of Bruges, 12 kilometres from the coast but linked to the sea at Ostend and Zeebrugge by canals.

Termote, 42, was introduced to diving by his father, an Ostend hotelier. The pair have since carried out 5,000 dives in the North Sea.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. On the sidelines of the 6th Armenia-Diaspora Pan-Armenian Forum, the 1st and 2nd sessions titled The specifications of Armenias defense policy during modern challenges were held on September 18.

The first session was titled Anti-Armenian propaganda in the crosshairs of information security. Participants of the session touched upon the challenges of Anti-Armenian propaganda and possibilities for resisiting them, as well as issues related to information security. Speakers at the session included information security experts, representatives of stakeholder agencies and structures.

The second session was titled Nation-Army, development model of collective potential. Armenias defense minister Vigen Sargsyan delivered a speech during the session, presenting key programs of the defense sector, as well as ongoing reforms.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Hillary Clinton says she would not rule out questioning the legitimacy of the 2016 US presidential election if new information surfaces that the Russians interfered even more deeply than currently known, the US National Public Radio reported.

In an interview with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about her new memoir, What Happened, Clinton acknowledges that such a challenge would be unprecedented and that "I just don't think we have a mechanism" for it.

"I am fundamentally optimistic about our country, but I am not naive, and I don't think we can change things unless we take it seriously," Clinton says.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The U.S. Senate voted to ban Moscow-based cyber security firm Kaspersky Labs products from use by the federal government, citing concerns the company may be a pawn of the Kremlin and poses a national security risk, Reuters reports.

U.S. lawmakers and intelligence officials have grown more alarmed about Moscows capabilities to conduct cyber espionage following a 2016 presidential contest that was marred by allegations of Russian interference.

Co-founder and chief executive Eugene Kaspersky has repeatedly denounced the allegations against his company as false and lacking credible or public evidence.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Armenias minister of economic development and investments Suren Karayan on September 16 visited Aras Free Trade Zone (AFTZ) at the invitation of the Iranian side, the ministry told Armenpress.

Minister Karayan was accompanied by Managing Director of Aras free trade zone Mohsen Arab-Baghi. The ministrys delegation visited the AFTZ agricultural, production, industrial, trade and tourism areas.

The Armenian delegation also included several businessmen who established business ties with Iranian partners, as well as outlined the further cooperation prospects. Agreement was reached to organize Meghri-Aras business forum which will gather all concerned Armenian and Iranian businessmen who want to launch an activity in free trade zones and cooperate.

Suren Karayan also visited the Saint Stepanos Monastery. The minister said a group of representatives from tourism field will soon arrive in Iran to discuss the regional tourism development opportunities with Iranian partners.

All preconditions exist for the two free trade zones to cooperate, and most important, to complement each other and become an economic center of regional importance. We are jointly searching for ways to make the two free trade zones united which will give a larger effect, Suren Karayan said.

I am glad that adhering to our agreement you visited the Aras free trade zone. We hope such mutual visits will further develop the Armenian-Iranian commercial ties. We are ready to share our experience on construction and establishment of free economic zone, AFTZ Managing Director said.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan on September 19 sent a letter of condolences to the family of writer and publicist Andrey Nuykin, press service of the Artsakh Presidents Office told Armenpress.

The letter says:

I have learnt with deep sorrow about the death of Andrey Nuykin.

As one of the founders and inspirers of the "Karabakh" Russian Intelligentsia Committee Mr. Nuykin was well-known and enjoyed a great respect in our country.

Being a true patriot and democrat, he actively supported the aspiration of our people to live freely and independently in their own soil.

He made a tangible contribution to the objective and fair coverage of the Karabakh cause, presenting to the world the facts of gross violations of human rights committed by Azerbaijan.

The merits of Andrey Nuykin are deservedly appreciated by our people. He was awarded the high state award of the Artsakh Republic - the "Mkhitar Gosh" medal.

On behalf of the people, authorities of the Artsakh Republic and myself personally I express my deep condolences to all the relatives and friends of Andrey Nuykin in connection with the great loss that befell all of us. His bright memory will always remain in our hearts".
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Belgian Member of Parliament of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Alain Destexhe will officially resign September 19, according to Belgian media.

Recently Alain Destexhes involvement in the Azerbaijani Laundromat scandal was under the spotlight of Belgian media. According to reports, the MP has received money for 7 years from the Azerbaijani ruling family to attempt and legitimize the authoritarian regime elections in Azerbaijan.

After the media reports the PACE lawmaker said he will resign.

Destexhe, who is working on the human rights report on Azerbaijan in PACE, said he is resigning because the very politicized assembly debates will focus on himself rather the report.

An investigation shows that Azerbaijan's ruling elite operated a secret $2.8bn slush fund for two years to bribe European politicians and make luxury purchases.

The money was allegedly channelled through four UK-based opaque companies.

People said to have been paid include European politicians who adopted a favorable attitude to the government.

The secret fund, nicknamed the Azerbaijan Laundromat, operated for two years until 2014, according to the investigation, carried out by a consortium of European newspapers and published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. German Ambassador to Turkey Martin Erdmann for the 17th time has been summoned to the foreign ministry on September 18, Deutsche Welle reported.

German Foreign Office spokesman Martin Schafer confirmed the summon, but did not elaborate on what the reason was.

According to the German news magazine Der Spiegel the Ambassador was summoned over the Bundestag resolution adopted in 2016 on recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

However, this time the German envoy was summoned over the 25th Kurdish festival held in the western German city of Cologne during which the participants called on to release the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan.

On this occasion Turkey also recalled its Ambassador to Germany accusing the country on assisting terrorists.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Armenian PM Karen Karapetyan commented on his future tenure after 2018.

During the Armenia-Diaspora 6th Pan-Armenian Forum, Lebanese-Armenian Hambik Martirosyan addressed the Prime Minister, thanking him for inspiring trust during 1 year in office.

You have opened a new revolutionary way. In addition, I think you play good chess, since you showed check and mate and cleaned the arena from certain individuals. Now I have to ask you, and please answer with one word, whether or not Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan is willing to remain in office, he asked.

The PM answered with one word  Yes.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Lieutenant General Hayk Kotanjyan, Head of tha National Defense Research University of the Armenian defense ministry, Doctor of Political Science, Professor, delivered speech at the session on "The Peculiarities of the Armenian Defense Policy in Contemporary Challenges" of the 6th Armenia-Diaspora Pan-Armenian Forum being held in Yerevan on 18-20 September.

Armenpress presents the full text of his speech:

The humanity steps into the fourth stage of scientific and technical revolution. It is characterized by the dominance of information and communication technologies in all spheres of the vital activity of the state, society and the individual, as well as overall digitalization and computerization of that activity. And thus, new unprecedented opportunities are created which also bring qualitatively new threats and challenges en masse. Particularly, cyber threats and cyber crime have acquired transnational nature with any spot of the world being vulnerable from some other spot, the physical borders of states being vanished, and attacks on states carried out instantly  at computer speed. Under such conditions, effective resistance to these threats is possible only through international cooperation. Therefore, each state ought to present itself as an interoperable one in order to establish partnership ties with other states.

The Republic of Armenia is constantly being exposed to military attacks by its belligerent neighbor. Those attacks have also transcended from the physical to the virtual space. Thus, the national security of Armenia and Artsakh is largely circumscribed by not only their traditional defense potential, but also cyber capabilities.

And the international cooperation appears to be one of the universal effective tools, which enables to enhance Armenias cyber capabilities via the targeted development of legal, institutional, technical and technological spheres, and key infrastructures, thus facilitating its ICT and cybersecurity provision and the growth of its attractiveness from the perspective of international partnership.

In terms of development of international cooperation, the RA military-political leadership does a tremendous work by establishing academic and technical ties, namely with the US advanced public and private organizations of this sphere. From this point, it is worthwhile to recall the Armenian delegation headed by then Deputy Defense Minister Ara Nazaryan visit the head office of the US Microsoft Corporation on 23-25 September, 2015, as well as its fruitful meetings with the company leadership, and in particular with Vice-President Vahe Torosyan, an intellectual from the Armenian Diaspora.

In this respect, the National Defense Research University, which has established close academic ties with the US advanced state academic-educational organization of the security sphere, i.e., the National Defense University, also boasts of its investment. Partnership in the cybersecurity is one of the key components of this multi-layer and multi-vector collaboration. In particular, a number of young NDRU professionals have been granted academic fellowships at the College of Information and Cyberspace (iCollege), which is the US center of excellence in the cyber sphere, and an important institution bridging the public and private sectors. Within the frameworks of this cooperation, our team of young professionals from the Center for National Security Policy and Communication and Information Technologies, Institute for National Strategic Studies, has elaborated the Armenian Draft National Cybersecurity Strategy, which has undergone academic reviews in the above-mentioned college, as well as the relevant NATO body, and at the committee of the Armenian National Assembly, to be further published in the recent issue of Haikakan Banak (Armenian Army) defense-academic journal.

At present, the Center is developing a project on designing an innovative system for effective cyber space resources management in Armenia. Implementing this system implies the preparation of special officials for managing the given spheres on the basis of common knowledge, for which the Cyber Space Resources Strategic Management Masters program is being concomitantly elaborated in the Center, anticipated to launch in autumn, 2018.

The collaboration with the US state center of excellence National Defense University College of Information and Cyberspace gives life to fruitful perspectives for developing and implementing effective mechanisms of the more advanced US model so as to facilitate the bridging of the cyber sphere public and private sectors in Armenia.

And this is where our Armenian Diaspora can play an extremely important role, since ensuring the cybersecurity is not merely a statewide, but a nationwide matter, the solution of which requires not only a targeted consolidation of human and material-technical, but also organizational and intellectual potential of the entire nation via exploiting the social weight and personal connections of authoritative Armenian figures. And one of the bright examples of this is the patriotic activity of Tony Moroyan, CEO, Viasphere International, Chairman, ArmTech Congress, Dr. Yervant Zorian, Chief Architect and Fellow at Synopsis, and other distinguished representatives of the Armenian Diaspora.

The active engagement and further enlargement of participation of the Diaspora Armenians create reliable prospects for the progressive development of Armenias cyber capabilities. This involvement is in our common national interests, as it endows our state with the ability to develop its cyber capabilities at the service of the entire nation, and at the same time to substantially strengthen Armenia-Diaspora ties, promoting the preservation of the national identity of the Diaspora.

In conclusion, I have the honor to appeal to our estimable cybersecurity leaders of the Diaspora with a call on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the re-establishment of the Armenian statehood, to provide practical assistance in the establishment of the above-mentioned Institute for Cybersecurity Resources Strategic Management targeted at the secure development of the Republic of Armenia.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Only democratic Turkey can recognize the Armenian Genocide, Garo Paylan  ethnic Armenian lawmaker of the Turkish parliament, said during his speech at the 6th Armenia-Diaspora Pan-Armenian Forum in Yerevan on September 19, reports Armenpress.

We have a wound which is still incurable, and we know that this wound will be healed only in this country  in Turkey, Anatolia. Only democratic Turkey can recognize the Armenian Genocide, only democratic Turkey can open the Armenian-Turkish border. If Turkey doesnt become democratic, we can wait for decades. Do we have a right to transfer this issue to our future generation? No, we have no right. We know well, and for four generations we are fighting for the injustice faced by our grandfathers and fathers to have a fair solution, he said.

Garo Paylan said a great crime took place in the Ottoman Empire 102 years ago, and now that crime also continues since when a crime remains unpunished new ones are following it. I believe we will achieve justice one day when the Armenian Genocide is recognized and I will continue fighting for that, Garo Paylan said.

Paylan said he together with his party members has fought for decades for establishing democracy in Turkey. In reality, the fight for democracy is very difficult. And over the past two years we saw that nationalism wins easier. Erdogan also saw this, and unfortunately, he moved on this path, he said.

Paylan stated that the new Constitution of Turkey, which switched the country to presidential system, in fact serves for implementation of the goals of one person. I have said in the Turkish parliament that a great mistake took place. I was opposed. 104 years ago the same happened in the Ottoman Empire. Talaat and Enver Pashas brought new Constitution after the revolution, and those people who were against it had two options  to stay silent or fight. The Armenian Genocide started and within a decade 4 nations  Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and Jews, were massacred. And now in the circumstances of Turkeys new Constitution we can face the same catastrophe. Even today, unfortunately, we are facing it, he said.

The lawmaker said the Republic of Turkey was found without facing the Armenian Genocide. According to Paylan, the state, which has not paid for its crimes 100 years later, will continue committing a crime.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government is discussing the implementation of reforms in the countrys tax and customs systems with global experts, PM Karapetyan said during the Armenia-Diaspora forum in response to a question from the audience.

We will do those reforms packaged. If you have noticed, weve made an unprecedented step this year. At the end of last year, when approving the 2017 budget, we planned budget entry. There are very few governments which have such boldness, he said.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. US Congresswoman Anna Eshoo is confident that the United States should recognize the Armenian Genocide, reports Armenpress.

Many of us do not stop working on this path. We will continue our efforts so that the United States will join the countries representing the international community that have already recognized the Armenian Genocide. This is about the horrors of the past, however, I think that our visit relates to our future and the Armenian-American partnership, strengthening of economic ties. This is not only in the interests of Armenia and Armenians, but also the US, the Congresswoman said in the Armenian Parliament asked whether the recognition of the Armenian Genocide is possible under Trump administration.

The US Congressional delegation arrived in Armenia on September 17 by the initiative of Congresswoman Jackie Kanchelian Speier.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Armenias membership to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) doesnt hamper cooperation with other markets, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan said during the Armenia-Diaspora forum in response to a question from the audience.

The EEU is a very simple economic platform, it is a club where five countries have agreed upon the rules of working in it. And the indicators which we are publishing  exports, imports, economic growth, are the very consequence of this policy, he said.

We have big exports growth both to Iran and the EU, he added.

Prime Minister Karapetyan stressed that they are talking with investors from a perspective that the latter arent simply entering a 3 million market of Armenia. We are telling them that by investing in Armenia they are entering the EEUs 180 million market, or Irans 80 million market, or the EUs market. There are numerous Europeans who want to come here to enter the EEUs market. Moreover, there will be structures in the EEU, who will come here in order to enter Europe and use Irans platform by using our GSP+ system, he said.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Armenias Parliament Ara Babloyan on September 19 hosted the delegation of the US Congress, press service of the Parliament told Armenpress.

The meeting was attended by Vice-Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, head of Armenia-US parliamentary friendship group Arpine Hovhannisyan, head of the RPA faction Vahram Baghdasaryan, head of the Yelk faction Nikol Pashinyan, ARF faction secretary Aghvan Vardanyan, Tsarukyan faction secretary Vahe Enfiajyan and faction member Vardevan Grigoryan, as well as the US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills and Armenian Ambassador to the US Grigor Hovhannisyan.

Welcoming the guests, Speaker Babloyan attached importance to further strengthening and deepening the bilateral ties, stating that the US is a friendly country and one of the key partners of Armenia.

Coming to regional issues, Ara Babloyan highlighted the US role as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing country on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Babloyan also talked about the constitutional reforms held in Armenia, stating that Armenia has switched to a parliamentary system.

The US Congress delegation members thanked for the warm reception and attached importance to mutual visits and active cooperation. The guests in particular highlighted the contribution of the Armenian community in the US public, political and economic life.

As for the NK conflict, they assured that the US supports the settlement of the conflict through peaceful means and negotiatons: by the settlement of the conflict borders will open which will contribute to the development of trade ties.

The representatives of all parliamentary factions expressed their opinions on the issues discussed at the meeting.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Law enforcement agencies were notified on a bomb threat in the early morning of September 19 in Yerevans Republic Square.

The ministry of emergency situations told ARMENPRESS that numerous emergency personnel were dispatched to the Republic Square in downtown of the Armenian capital.

Colonel M. Ghazaryan, the head of the rescue service, was personally at the scene.

The bomb threat was revealed to be false.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. US State Department's Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker says Georgia is not ready to become a member of NATO, Sputnik News reports.

I am working hard to make sure that your aspirations will receive a respective support in the European Union and NATO. Unlike Ukraine, Georgias progress is greater. I mean the transparency, the contribution Georgia brought to the global security, the defense, anti-corruption reforms and etc. However, I dont think that someone from NATO will say they are ready to accept Georgia as a member, Kurt Volker told Kviris Palitra newspaper.

He said in order to join NATO the consent of all member states is necessary.
YEREVAN, 19 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 19 September, USD exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 478.38 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 2.18 drams to 573.43 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.08 drams to 8.23 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 4.12 drams to 645.77 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 191.91 drams to 20180.46 drams. Silver price down by 3.39 drams to 269.62 drams. Platinum price down by 307.92 drams to 14765.06 drams.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Member of the Turkish parliament of Armenian origin representing the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party Garo Paylan was hosted at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the Yerevan State University on September 19. During the meeting with the students YSU rector Ruben Markosyan awarded Paylan with the universitys gold medal.

Introducing the guest the deputy dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies Ruben Melkonyan noted that Garo Paylan is the first Armenian parliamentarian in Turkey since the declaration of the independence of the 3rd Armenian republic.

He is the first who raised the issue of the Armenian Genocide in the parliament of Turkey, Melkonyan said.

ARMENPRESS reports Garo Paylan also answered the questions of the students.

I am very glad to be in Armenia and for the opportunity to meet with you at the Yerevan State University. Seeing vigorous youth I am full of hope for Armenia and our future. As you know I am a citizen of Turkey and member of the parliament, and this is my first visit to Armenia since becoming an MP. I struggle for democracy in Turkey, Paylan said, adding that they continue what Hrant Dink started.

To the question under what circumstances Paylan thinks Turkey may recognize the Armenian Genocide, the parliamentarian stressed that it can be achieved as a result of establishment of democracy in that country.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Armenia needs radical development which can be achieved in case of success in the IT sector, ARMENPRESS reports Director of Synopsys Armenia Company Hovik Musayelyan said during a discussion on September 19 in the sidelines of Armenia-Diaspora conference.

Armenia has limited capabilities both in terms of human capital and material resources. There is a necessity of radical development which can be achieved in case of the success of the IT sector.

The development of this sector in the recent years has reached 25-30%, while its share in the GDP amounts to 4%, which is comparable with many developed countries. 15 thousands of high-level engineers are employed in this spheres and 500 companies operate, he said.

According to the Director of Synopsys Armenia Company, there are some obstacles for the IT sector in Armenia which need a solution.

One of the obstacles is the lack of qualified cadres. Unfortunately, the higher educational institutions are unable to prepare students who will be demanded by the companies immediately after graduation. In this regard, there is a necessity for reforms in the educational institutions. And the second problem is about joining the global market, Musayelyan said.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan met in the city of Yerevan at the NKR Permanent Representation to Armenia with a group of US congressmen on September 19.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of Artsakh Presidents Office, various issues related to the American-Artsakh relations, Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict settlement and regional processes were discussed during the meeting.

President Sahakyan considered important such meetings and noted that the development of relations with the USA is of special importance for Artsakh. The Head of the State rated high the work being carried out by the congressmen directed to reinforcing and expanding bilateral ties.

For substantial contribution to the process of the Artsakh Republic's independence recognition President Sahakyan handed in "Gratitude" medals to the congressman Frank Pallone, congresswomen Anna Eshoo and Jackie Speier.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh, being a de facto independent state, of course deserves international recognition, ARMENPRESS reports US Congressman Frank Pallone told the reporters after meeting with the President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan.

We assess the meeting very productive. We are grateful for being awarded with state awards. We will do our best to propel the process of Artsakhs international recognition. One of our colleagues has been there (Artsakh-edit), we will also visit, the congressman said, adding that efforts should be made to ensure peace and stability in the region.

Artsakhs being an Armenian land is important for ensuring that peace and stability in the region, he concluded.
This story originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see the digital edition.

In an effort to aid with recovery efforts after the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill in 2010, a young Colby Melvin decided to get involvedworking in management as part of the cleanup crew and sourcing vessels.

That was around the same time that I came out. I had just discovered this new part of my identity that I had never really experienced before, recalls Melvin, the brand ambassador for AdamMale, an offshoot of Adam & Eve. And whenever the company that I was working for found out, they said that they didnt approve.

Combined with the less-than-ideal climate the young gay man dealt with growing up in the South, it added to an already arduous experience.

I grew up in a very conservative Catholic area in the Deep South in Louisiana, where the extent of our sex education was a course in religion class that told us, If you masturbate or have anal sex or anything like that, youre going to hell. I didnt lose my virginity until I was 19, and I didnt figure out I was gay until I was 21. And I had convinced myself that I wasnt attracted to guys, I was just envious of the bodies that they hadits because thats what I wanted, Melvin says.

In Alabama, its still legal for them to fire you for being gay. So in Mobile, where I went to college, there isnt any sense of gay community. Online was the only place that I had to look, and the only thing that I saw were porn stars and drag queens. And while I dont have a problem with either, I didnt want to be either of those things. Im a very sex-positive person, I think we should be having many more discussions about sex, but it doesnt mean that I wanted to have sex in front of a camera.

Melvin left the summer job and found himself a new missionto become what he wished he had seen growing up, educating gay men on important social and sexual issues. He began working with Full Frontal Freedom, a coalition of independent artists and media executives that raise awareness and improve civil discourse. That led to his popular Disclosure video during the 2012 presidential campaign. He currently works with a media agency as head of growth, recruiting social media figures.

In April, he was named a brand ambassador for AdamMalecelebrating the event with a Dodgeball parody video filled with well-known adult industry personalities and airborne dildos. Given that Melvins social media following has reached nearly 2 million, it was a no-brainer for both parties. The position will last for at least two years, and utilize Melvins passion for social activism.

Had I experienced a positive sexual environmentand Im not saying that everyone needs to be a slut, but just the education of how to be gay man, how to take care of yourself and everything regarding sex as a gay manI probably would be in a very different place today, he says. So my work with AdamMale is very focused on that, and I love working with them because they dont just want me to be a porn star knockoff. They really allow me to use my voice in a very educational, sort of free way.

Melvin ideally envisions himself as a Dan Savage meets Dr. Ruth for the gay community. I want to be able to talk about sex, sex toys and sexual health in a very free, positive, open way. One of the biggest things for people is theyre scared to get tested for any STDs because theyre scared to find out they have something. And I think the way for us to bridge that gapand its no longer just about HIV, were talking about genital warts, chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, all of these different thingsis to help people feel more comfortable, exploring their sexuality but then also taking care of their sexual health in a way that theyre not scared to seek help when they need it.

Melvin notes he has done videos exploring sexual health, whether its how to clean sex toys, checking for testicular cancer or different ways to make bottoming a better experience.

Theres a lot of things in the works, and we will see where it goes. Ive done some promotional videos, some educational videos, because you know we dont live in the 1950s anymore. Its no longer about this nuclear family  as gay men, when we have sex, its not for procreation, its strictly for pleasure. I want to help people explore their sexuality, be more comfortable with it and not feel that theyre doing something wrong by exploring it, he says, noting that monogamy isnt necessarily what works for every gay male relationship.

I have plenty of friends that have very modern approaches to relationships. Id love to be able to help people discover and explore their sexuality, whether its just with themselves, their partner or partners. Again, life is too short to not have fun, and we dont have to fit into a certain mold anymore.

Melvin also loves AdamMales commitment to public service. Over the past decade, more than 40 percent of the companys profits have been donated to various charity programswith 20 percent of its profits going to HIV/AIDS organizations.

I am hoping to bring them in to more mental health awareness, which is a big cause that I care about. I think that we have a long way to go in dealing with gay-specific mental health issues regarding suicide, depression, anxiety and everything else associated with coming out, says Melvin, noting that a disproportionate percentage of homeless youth identify as LGBT.

Melvin adds that continuing to promote a sense of gay community is more vital than everand cant drop off after the marriage equality victory.

Its great that were assimilating, but we dont necessarily have to disintegrate gay culture, he says. I think we still have a long way to go in the United States in helping people be comfortable in their own skin. And again, thats one of the things that I love about this deal with AdamMale. Its not about this deviant sex sort of vibe; its explore, be comfortable and do your thing. You dont have to apologize or prove anything to anyone.
Pictured from left, Jackie Rednour-Bruckman, Dr. Hernando Chaves, jessica drake, Mo Beasley

LOS ANGELESCatalystCon just wrapped up a three-day run at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, ending on a high note. As in high emotions, high anxietyand high hopes for a better future.

When the CatalystCon confab last hit L.A., it was in September 2016well before the November presidential election, when it seemed possible that there might be a woman running the country come 2017. This year, the mood had definitely changed. And when youve got a group of people gathered together to talk about feminist porn, sex education, body image and sexuality, decriminalizing sex work, and smashing the hetero-centric patriarchy, there are bound to be some pretty strong opinions about who did end up in the White House.

The final session of CatalystCon brought together four able panelists for the Closing Plenary Address to articulate the swirling emotions in the sex-positive community. The topic was broad: Sex, Politics and Resistance: Activism for Everyone. Conference founder Dee Dennis moderated the Sept. 17 event, kicking things off by asking the panelistsDr. Hernando Chaves, Jackie Rednour-Bruckman, jessica drake and Mo Beasleyto talk about what fuels their activism.

Chaves, a licensed marriage and family therapist, drew on his own family background first, saying his parents taught him to value women. I'm a big believer that men should spend more time with women growing up, he said. But Chaves found a second family in the adult industry, and that, he said, has been the fuel for my advocacy. He cited volunteer work with Sharon Mitchell and the AIM organization, and also working with volunteers in the successful fight against Proposition 60: "I finally felt like I had a home for my advocacy. I felt accepted."

Rednour-Bruckman, the executive vice president of Good Vibrations and a pioneer in the field of queer porn, asked, When did my activism start? I've been wanting to smash the patriarchy since I was a toddler.

As a child of refugees, displaced persons," Rednour-Bruckmans grandparents lived under the Italian fascist regime in World War II and had to evade German death camps. They taught, "Never trust the government. ... Never trust anyone unless they would die for you." Regarding the current political situation in the U.S., Rednour-Bruckman said, You have to fuck shit up, which at this point is, get rid of the electoral college.

Next up was drake, well known in the adult industry as a contract star at Wicked Pictures. Always the picture of grace and gentle persuasion, drake took the question to heart and delved deep into her own background, first as the child of Jehovahs Witnesses who learned about the joy of volunteer work. But her life was changed forever on a trip to Sexpo South Africa, when she realized shed never really gotten to know the cities where she traveled for fan expos. So she took a tour with a local guide, who at the end of the day brought her to an orphanage in Soweto for children with AIDS. It was a moment that changed her completely. To stand in a space and see peoplesmall, small peoplewho truly had nothing, and no resources and no medical care, it made me hate my life. I hated my house, I hated my car, I hated my clothes, I hated everything. ... I went home and I said, What can I do to make things better?

That was the beginning of the volunteerism and the advocacy and the activism work that I do, she said. Im also very passionate about sex workers because my basis is situational sex work when I was very, very youngtoo young to have been doing itand also periods of homelessness before I turned 18. Those are my influencing factors.

jessica drake

Beasley, an artist, author and educator who founded the live performance series UrbanErotika, started out saying, I forgot there were fellow survivors of Jehovah. For him, a defining moment came when a young person he was working with at a Planned Parenthood training wrote, Thank you for showing me that suicide is not an option. His life work, Beasley says, is to crush imperialism, but hes come to see that is not revolutionary, that is evolutionary." (As he later told a member of the audience, If you choose the road of tearing system down, please don't start until you have a vision of what comes after.)

Moderator Dennis next question dealt with the elephant in the room (or in this case, the White House): Give me one thing you are doing to deal with our president.

Beasley, based in New York, talked about efforts to mobilize voters there in public housing400,000 strong. All politics are local. I can't get to the White House, but I can get to City Hall.

Drake said, One small actionable item is to sign up at DailyAction.org, which will send you a text message every day. She also suggested, Find an individual or a family who has been negatively affected by the administrations actions, and help them. And finally, "Just show up."

Rednour-Bruckmans advice: "Run for office." And get involved in your own community. Join local Indivisible chapters. Look at Indivisible.org. ... Start small and start local. Get on your local NextDoor app.

Finally, it was Chaves turn to get emotional, as he confessed, Ever since November, I've had depression all the time. That's been my biggest challenge: to not let it affect my clients and my work. Whats hes done is to give up some types of consumption (coffee, clothing) and put that money toward my donation fund." And he gives those dollars to organizations such as the ACLU.

Dee then asked the group to share a piece of your own self-care.

Beasley didnt sugar-coat matters: We who believe in freedom cannot rest.  It is not going to end in your lifetime. Imperialism will still be there. ... But make sure there's less of it because of us and because of what we've done.

Drake lightened the mood: Can somebody get me a vodka soda from the bar? After the laughter subsided, she added, We need to recognize we have a dark side and a light side ... sometimes we need to write letters to our representatives, and sometimes we need to have a vodka soda, or scream and cry. ... Face masks only go so far.

For Rednour-Bruckman, the election was personal because the outcome was going to affect my family. I'm a big queer of Jewish ancestry and my kids are black. ... I went into war mode. ... Self-care has been going back to square one. I went back to Women's Studies 101, back in the 80s. ... I have read the fuck out of James Baldwin lately and it gives me some peace.

Chaves opined, The things I have been encouraging clients to do I have been doing myself." In addition to meditation, he said, "I want to reach out to my friends. ... That has meant the world to me."

Rednour-Bruckman joked, "Facebook can be an evil tool used by the Russians, but it can be a way to check up and check in."

For her final question, Dennis asked, What are some offensive things that you can do?

Beasley said, The opposition is always proposing some shit. Let's start proposing the things we want to change.

Im offensive when I walk out the door to most people, Rednour-Bruckman said. But even while trying to be disarming and charmingmy Canadian mother comes out, the Good Vibes VP admits, I have taken on some real trolls. I eat trolls for breakfast.  Just fight the fucking bullies.

Chaves mused, We've got a predator in chief. They have the majority in the Legislature. But we still have the courts. I've never been so thankful for those checks and balances. I've become a big advocate for the ACLU.

He added, This is not something I recommendit's probably something that's contributing to my anxiety, but to get outside of his own bubble, he watches Fox News. I want to know what's going on in their bubble."

After taking some questions from the crowd, many more insights were expressed: the emotional session ended. Among the hopeful notes was this sentiment from the podium: You do have a lot of power. You can influence. You can sway. You can manipulate.  You dont have to stick with people who agree with you 100 percent of the time. You can change hearts and minds.

The next CatalystCon will take place in May 2018. And as Dennis announced at the end, Chaves and drake will be offering two scholarships each for the next conference. For details on the event, visit CatalystCon.com.
SYDNEY, AustraliaThe Lovehoney Trade Sales Team has returned from showcasing the companys newest products at the Calvista Roadshow in Australia.

International Sales Manager Jim Primrose was in attendance at both Brisbane and Sydney shows after an epic trip from Scotland via Hong Kong. Showcasing the Fifty Shades Freed Official Pleasure Collection alongside the fun and funky Broad City Official Pleasure Collection, Primrose reported lots of Yas Kweens!one of the catchphrases from the Comedy Central show.

It was a timely week to introduce the Broad City Range to more than 50 retailers and store managers at the Roadshow as Sept. 13 saw the premiere of its fourth season worldwide. Global media titles continued to feature the range this week, including Pitchfork, Health, Bustle as well as a glowing review from Playboy.

I was delighted to be able to show the brand new Freed collection, which stands out with its deep burgundy and rose gold colorway, Primrose said. I had a fair few people try on the Pegasus from the Broad City range, the ready-to-go pegging kit from the range.

Calvista has such a great team and Susy and Lauras meticulous planning ensured that the 15 exhibitors representing almost 40 brands arrived from across the globe in the same place at the same time, he added. The hospitality and organisation of the Calvista team was first class. Thank you to the team and Roger and everyone involved.

For more information on the ranges, contact [email protected] or visit LovehoneyTrade.com.
Students are enrolling in coding "boot camps" at record rates, with the number of graduates increasing from about 2,200 in 2013 to an estimated 23,000 in 2017 . However, the booming popularity of coding schools was not enough to prevent two prominent ones , Dev Bootcamp and The Iron Yard, from closing down recently.Coding boot camps were first established in 2012 to intensively train computer programmers in as little as twelve weeks (with the average cost of attendance being $12,000). Their curriculums focus on in-demand technologies, including programming languages such as Java, Ruby on Rails, and Python. Schools also claim that students have the opportunity to network with CEOs of local tech companies. In a short five years, about 95 full-time coding schools have opened their doors to those seeking to add a competitive edge to their resume.What could explain the seemingly paradoxical success and failure of coding schools? Do the closures merely indicate that inefficient firms are being forced out of a competitive market, a common dynamic in nascent industries? Or are they symptomatic of a business model losing its momentum?The answers to those questions are unclear. It may be that, despite the closure of one or two schools, the coding school industry will continue to boom and grow.Alana Dunagan of the Clayton Christensen Institute , a non-profit that studies disruptive innovation, told the Martin Center that such an industry shake-out in a rapidly growing industry is to be expected. She believes that, overall, the coding boot camp business-model will experience growth. Ultimately, she expects that their continued expansion "will change the way colleges compete."Dunagan may be right that the coding academies will enjoy continued growth-if one believes the claims of coding academies and their proponents. Certainly, there is a high demand for programmers, even apart from the most competitive and specialized jobs in Silicon Valley. Today, programmers are needed outside of the tech industry, in such disparate fields as graphic design, medical research, and data analysis.Additionally, coding boot camps have become a $266 million industry. They boast high success rates and advertise that students should expect an average salary increase of about $26,000 after graduation-with some schools claiming that graduates earn an average annual salary between $91,000 and $105,000 Furthermore, according to a 2016 study by Course Report , a research organization that analyzes coding schools, 89 percent of boot camp graduates placed a job 120 or more days after graduation; 73 percent reported utilizing the skills they learned at boot camp in their new jobs (however, some question the reliability of these statistics as they are self-reported by the schools themselves and little outside research is done to ensure accuracy).Moreover, some start-up tech companies have recruited coding school graduates with success. In a Martin Center interview, Nick Jordan, CEO of a Durham-based tech company called Smashing Boxes, said,Jordan emphasized that the most important characteristic in applicants is the experience, passion, and personal integrity they bring to the table.says Jordan. Accordingly, Smashing Boxes has hired individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, including computer science majors and even those who are self-taught in coding and have no official certification.Still, it may be too soon to tell whether coding schools really pose a possible alternative to college and universities. Although some, including Dunagan, suggest that coding schools would be a major disruptive force in higher education, there is evidence that this may not be the case.For one thing, high-end tech companies tend to avoid coding school graduates. According to a 2016 Bloomberg article titledboot camp graduates lack important skills and struggle to find a job. Indeed, many companiesSome major hi-tech employers confirm Bloomberg's negative assessment. According to Google's director of education and university relations, Maggie Johnson, boot camp students are not sufficiently trained in software engineering to work at Google. Additionally, a spokeswoman for Cisco flatly statedIn North Carolina, Tobias Dengel, a CEO of a mobile application development company called Willow Tree, admitted to the Triangle Business Journal that his business never hired anyone from The Iron Yard (which had a campus in Durham)-despite having moved to the state partly because of the presence of coding schools and needing to fill 98 positions. Dengel explained that "the amount of time they try to teach people to code - it's just not enough. It's not deep enough for the type of stuff we do."Computer science majors, on the other hand, may offer the broad knowledge and intensive training over a longer period that employers desire. And their numbers are rising: for example, the number of computer science degrees conferred in the University of North Carolina System has steadily been increasing for the past ten academic years, from 892 degrees awarded in 2007 to 2,250 awarded in 2016. Such a dramatic increase in degrees conferred suggests that the proliferation of coding schools hasn't diminished the popularity of traditional four-year degrees. Rather, it may be that coding schools helped fill a temporary "skills gap" - one that is slowly closing as colleges gradually respond to the demands of the labor market.It is uncertain whether the need for coding boot camps will decrease as people with computer science degrees continue to flood the workforce. Even if university-trained computer professionals remain the first choice of most employers, a narrower sector of the market may find boot camps useful. Given that technology is constantly changing, coding schools could help seasoned professionals retool and update their skills . Such a niche industry, however, would hardly be large enough to change the overall landscape of higher education.Ultimately, only time will tell whether coding boot camps level a force disruptive enough to make colleges and universities reevaluate how they compete for students. Or whether they will survive at all.
The Democrat leadership has made constant, profound and incredible pronouncements that one's supportive vote for Republicans is tantamount to surrendering Democracy forever. Understanding their sincere thinking in their extreme position: How will you still vote on this election day?

Democrat; because the continuance of this Democracy from the existential threat of extreme Republicans is paramount.

Republican; the process of having a choice is the democratic method within what so called "Democracy" does exists.
By closing the markets for the sale of dogs from puppy mills, the California law would redirect consumers to shelters and rescues. Photo by Amie Chou/The HSUS

1.7K shares







California is set to enact a statewide law that would ban the sale of puppy mill dogs in pet stores and require that stores instead source dogs, cats, and rabbits from shelters and rescues. The Senate recently passed the measure with not a single legislator dissenting, and the Assembly concurred in overwhelming fashion, delivering the governor a bill originally coauthored by Assembly members Patrick ODonnell and Matt Dababneh. If Gov. Jerry Brown signs the measure  and he has amassed a stellar record on animal welfare in the last seven years in his second go-around as the states chief executive  it would make California the first state in the nation to enact such a policy.

With 38 million residents, California is an enormous market. Californians are animal-friendly, and generally dont want to contribute to the cruelty of mills, or have sick dogs being sold through in-state channels. At pet stores, weve seen employees claim, time and time again, that they source dogs strictly from humane breeders, but we find thats typically not the case. The HSUS has investigated pet stores in Los Angeles, for example, and found stores denying that the dogs came from mills even when our investigations proved that that the dogs came from some horrible confinement operations.

Whats more, private and public shelters still euthanize thousands of healthy animals, and California wants to stop such needless killing and also to relieve the financial burden on local communities by promoting adoption and spaying-and-neutering. By closing the markets for the sale of dogs from puppy mills, the law redirects consumers to shelters and rescues. What sense does it make for local governments to spend millions of dollars on animal care, and fight every day to reduce the inflow of homeless animals and to promote adopting them to loving homes, when the state doesnt have a policy to prevent puppies from mills being sold through retail pet stores?

If consumers decide not to adopt when they are looking for their companion animals, this bill invariably pushes them to seek out small breeders who pay attention to animal welfare and proper socializing and care of the animals.

Thirty-six localities in California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento, have already passed ordinances banning the sale of puppy mill dogs in pet stores, and those policies collectively remind state lawmakers that this is an issue that is on the minds of the electorate.

An overwhelming majority of pet stores in California have already foresworn selling dogs from mills, or selling any puppies for that matter. An informed citizenry is driving the market, but the law exists in part to codify widely embraced values and to eliminate outliers. In California alone, 391 pet stores have signed the HSUS Puppy Friendly Pet Store Pledge declaring they do not sell commercially raised puppies and will not do so in the future. Pet Food Express, a member of our Puppy Friendly Pet Store program and Pet Business magazines Retailer of the Year, has 63 stores throughout California, and takes a strong stance against puppy mills. The company supports this bill, and in a letter to the California Senate noted they do so because we want to see all pet stores operate responsibly. Not only is it the right thing to do, but its key to a successful business.

Next, we are taking the fight against puppy mills to Ohio. Earlier this month, The HSUS, along with other groups and nearly 2,500 Ohio residents, filed a ballot initiative with the Ohio attorney general to improve living conditions for animals caught up in puppy mills, and reduce their suffering. The measure says that dogs cannot be sold in the state unless the breeders adhere to basic, common-sense standards for humane care. Ohio is the second largest puppy mill state in the nation, trailing only Missouri in the number of federally licensed commercial dog breeding operations.

Our anti-puppy mill campaign is working in the biggest markets and in the biggest mill states to turn around the problem. We want you to join us in campaigning for these measures. Please call Gov. Brown to urge him to sign A.B. 485.
A dead body sat in a pickup truck for eight months in a parking lot at the Kansas City International Airport before someone discovered it. 53-year-old Randy Potter disappeared January 17, and had parked at the airport that same day. When his family contacted the airport police to report their missing relative and to see if his truck was still in the parking lot, the police said if it was, they would find it. Astonishingly, they somehow missed it.

It wasn't until someone reported a bad odor that the body was spotted inside the truck. Apparently, according to police, Potter had committed suicide, but no other details were released.

According to Time:

The truck's windows are tinted, but are light enough to allow anyone to see inside. When an airport police officer found the body, it was covered up by a blanket, according to a police report. "No one should go through what we went through," said Potter's wife, Carolina. "We should not have gone through eight months agonizing, speculating." Potter's truck had been listed in the missing person flyers circulated by Lenexa police. The family had visited the airport early on. Kansas City spokesman Chris Hernandez said city officials were gathering facts to determine how Potter's body remained in the lot as long as it did. The economy lot where Potter's body was found is one of three lots situated about 2  miles (4 kilometers) north of the airport terminals. Shuttles carry travelers from the lot to the terminals.

The airport has over 25,000 parking spaces, and clearly needs a better way of managing them.

Image: Dean Hochman
In 1770, Hungarian engineer Wolfgang von Kempelen unveiled a miracle: a mechanical man who could play chess against human challengers. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll meet Kempelen's Mechanical Turk, which mystified audiences in Europe and the United States for more than 60 years.

We'll also sit down with Paul Erdos and puzzle over a useful amateur.

Show notes

Please support us on Patreon!




The IPKat recently had the privilege of submitting written questions to Mr. Daren Tang, Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), in connection with the launch of a one-billion dollar Makara Innovation Fund (MIF), Southeast Asias first private equity investment fund that sources IP-driven companies internationally and capitalises on cross-border regional expansion. Set out below is the full text of this interview.





Mr. Tang, I have had the pleasure of reading the IPOS media release, "One-Billion Dollar Innovation Fund Launched in Singapore to Drive Enterprise Growth for our Future Economy How would you summarize the main points of this initiative?



1. The concept behind the Makara Innovation Fund arose from two challenges that we see at IPOS regarding innovation in Asia. The first is how our economies can support innovative enterprises that are seeking to grow. When start-ups and innovation-driven enterprises are scaling up, they need access to capital and markets. In Asia, there is no lack of growth funds, but they tend to be concentrated in the early and mature stages, leaving a gap in the middle. Moreover, Asian funds still tend to be focused on the more traditional investment themes like infrastructure, resources and property, rather than on innovation.





The second is how to use IP to drive economic growth and prosperity. While there has been a tremendous growth in the number of IP filings in Asia that must translate into actual economic and social impact. IPOS has broadened its focus to include IP commercialisation, and our energies will be on helping our companies to use IP to drive enterprise growth.





With these in mind, we worked with private equity firm Makara Capital to design a fund that was somewhat different. Instead of start-ups, the MIF will target 10 to 15 companies in the $30 - $150 million range. These companies need to have good IP, but equally important is a good business model and ability to execute. The MIF will provide them with smart and patient capital, and connection with the relevant networks and expertise for growth and expansion through IP. Lastly, the MIFs focus is not just local, but also innovative foreign enterprises that have an interest in using Singapore to access Asian growth markets.





Ultimately, what IPOS hopes to see is the presence of more financing options in Singapore for innovative enterprises, and we would welcome the chance to work with other financiers who share our perspective of IP as a strategy for enterprise growth.





2. Can you specify in further detail what you mean when you speak of "Singapore's innovation system"?





At IPOS, we have a very clear view that innovation is the process of getting ideas to the market because that is where there will be economic and social impact. So when we talk about an innovation ecosystem, we are really talking about how to build the right expertise, structures, processes and stakeholders for this to happen. We have been fortunate that quite a number of these elements are already present in Singapore  a strong R&D sector, a key finance hub, top-class business and regulatory environment, and highly-ranked judicial, legal and IP regimes. Other elements, for example, our desire to double the number of IP experts, or be a design hub by 2025, are in the making. What is likely to be the bigger challenge is to adjust the alignment of these various elements towards enterprise growth through innovation and IP.





3. While Singapore can rightly be said to punch above its weight in commerce and finance, still, it is a small island state. Aren't you concerned that in taking on IP creation, protection and commercialization, you may be overextending what can reasonably be expected from an initiative of this kind?





In a world of intangible assets, small can be beautiful. Singapore is indeed just an island state, but the same factors that have allowed us to prosper by servicing global flows of capital, trade and investment will also serve us well in positioning ourselves as a centre for IP commercialisation. What are some of these? As highlighted earlier, our strong legal and judicial system, status as an R&D and finance hub, top-class IP regime, neutrality and credibility. However, you are right in pointing out that our small market size is a major constraint.





But we have also always been a gateway into South-east Asia and beyond because of our proximity to these markets. And beyond this part of the world, one of the trends we are seeing is that innovation is increasingly becoming open and global. The process of transforming ideas into assets, products and services has become distributed along established and emerging innovation centres in the world. If Singapore can be one of the nodes along a global innovation supply chain, helping ideas access capital and markets in our part of the world, coupled with the ability to quickly adapt and react to changes, then perhaps we can overcome our limitations.





4. There is a recurring debate in talking about innovation: Is the private sector or the government better placed to be the main driver. The initiative emphasizes the role of government; why do you believe that this is the preferred approach?





Actually we see this particular initiative as far more driven by the private sector than in some of the other things that we are doing, for example, in building IP expertise. This is because we believe that private equity, which is much closer to the market than us and has the expertise to grow enterprises, is in a much better place to make the appropriate investment decisions. That said, there is a role for government to play in the innovation space, and that is to introduce the right policies and build the broader ecosystem.





Building an ecosystem may mean that governments sometimes provide funding to get an industry started. A common area not just in Singapore, but around the world, is in R&D. In the case of Singapore, we are investing S$19 billion (or about 1% of our GDP) on R&D over the next five years under the Research, Innovation, and Enterprise (RIE) 2020 plan. As major contributors and recipients of public R&D funds, public agencies should take the lead to develop policies, programmes, and capabilities to boost value capture. Lastly, a lot of work in this area relies on private-public partnerships, because that is how the ideas or IP that is generated from publicly funded R&D can be translated into marketable products and services.





5. The report mentions that one your goals is to strengthen your manpower capabilities to enhance your IP expertise. To what extent do you expect that achieving the goals of the initiative will be accomplished by local skills and talent, and to what extent will you need to rely on contributions from foreigners?





IP skills and expertise is in growing demand in Asia, and requires time and experience to build up. This means that while we want to grow local skills and talent, there will always be space for foreigners to contribute to this highly specialised area. There are a number of areas where we see strong demand over the next few years, but essentially, they tend to revolve around the IP commercialisation space. The challenge here is to take someone who has expertise in a technical area, say law or technology, and help this person develop enough business acumen and sense to understand IP not just from a technical or legal angle, but from a strategic business angle. Good IP managers or consultants who can do this will find themselves with many opportunities to do interesting work in Asia.





Other growth areas will be in the productisation space  people who are expert in translating intangible assets into products. These would be the technology transfer managers and IP brokers. Lastly, we see an opportunity for persons who are experienced in IP financing  whether it is IP valuation, insurance or others who can help monetise IP, and understand how to play around IP as an asset class in itself.





In terms of supporting the development of local expertise, one interesting programme is the one we have launched with the Singapore University of Social Sciences to provide post-graduate training leading up to a Master of IP and Innovation Management. This course, which recently saw its first intake of 24 students, is tailored for working adults who will remain gainfully employed throughout the course, and with a curriculum that focuses on practice and skills through case studies and solving real problems, rather than just knowledge transfer. And of course, it is open to both locals and foreigners. So we do see opportunities for both locals and foreigners to bring their skills and experience into this space, and ultimately support the growing needs of the innovation ecosystem in Singapore.





6. For someone who is not from Singapore, how will he be able to take part in this initiative?





We aim to grow the number of IP professionals to 1,000 by 2020, and most of the work opportunities in this area is not subject to restrictions. That said, in the area of patent prosecutions, foreigners who want to be part of the patent bar will have to sit for and pass the required exams. The same applies for legal advisory work  there are local bar requirements, just like there are in many other countries. For accountants dabbling in IP valuation, there will likewise be the usual requirements of applying to those seeking recognition as local professionals. Beyond these, work in the other areas are not subject to government mandated professional restrictions, and the training courses offered by the local universities offer places to foreign students too.





For those who are involved in IP training in your respective home countries, IPOS is open to engaging overseas partners to co-develop and recognise IP professional certifications and programmes, co-organise Community-of-Practice (COP) sessions to share best practices and case studies, host internships and exchanges for our IP professionals, or even invite guest lecturers to instruct at the graduate programmes. We welcome firms, service providers or financiers to establish themselves here in Singapore and be part of the innovation ecosystem.





7. It so happens that we are both great lovers of tea. What do you recommend to IPKat tea aficionados on their next visit to Singapore?





Tea is so much a part of Asian culture that we sometimes take it for granted, and may not understand the richness of its history and culture. That is why I wrote a book on tea (under a pseudonym), which is unfortunately out of print, but which I am attempting to get a second re-print. Anyway, for first time visitors to Singapore, it may be interesting for a start to try tea as the locals consume it  with sweetened condensed or evaporated milk. Its quite ubiquitous  you can find it almost everywhere but a decent version to try is the one at Toast Box (there is one at the ground floor food court where IPOS is located). You can try that with kaya toast, a local coconut jam on toasted bread.





There are also tea-shops in Chinatown which serve Chinese tea the traditional way, but you can find these in other parts of Asia as well, so for a more interesting and unique take on tea, I would strongly recommend a trip to Tea Bone Zen Mind. It is housed in a stunningly conserved Peranakan (Straits-born Chinese) shophouse at 98 Emerald Hill and draws on tea traditions from all over the world to present tea with a modern and refreshing twist. I have to say that Im always partial to the Taiwanese oolongs like the Four Seasons, Lishan, Shan Linxi and Deer Valley, which are all really lovely, as are the oolong and fruit combinations like Apple or Lychee Oolong. If you can afford the time, they also do a 3-course tea tasting, accompanied with tidbits and snacks.





Life is short, so drink good tea.





Photo on lower right by Haneburger, released to the public domain
Before Equifax changed its name in 1976  in the midst of a Congressional investigation and a national scandal  it was the Retail Credit Company, founded in Atlanta in 1899.



Retail Credit served as a kind of free market Stasi, sending out spies to covertly and overtly gather data on Americans, encouraging neighbors to snitch on suspected homosexuals, race-mixers, and political dissidents and then ensuring that those people would be blacklisted from credit, insurance, and other key financial services.

But this wasn't the scandal that prompted the company to change its name: rather, it was public outrage that straight, white, Christian dudes were being misclassified as commies, queers and interracial daters. Congress took the firm in hand and forced it to divulge its secret files to the people it spied on, so that these misapprehensions could be corrected.

Congress warmed to Equifax in the years that followed. Today, Equifax  who lost 143 million Americans' Social Security Numbers  generates $20m in billings to the Social Security Administration, Medicare and Medicaid, whom it provides with dossiers on the recipients of government services to help disqualify people it holds in bad odor.

Equifax's apocalyptic loss of 143 million Americans' records wasn't its first breach in 2017: the company suffered another catastrophic breach in March 2017 and covered it up. That means that the execs who sold off their stock and claimed "no knowledge" of a hack had months to learn of these events, not mere weeks.



The new timeline is also likely to focus scrutiny on an earlier sale by Gamble of 14,000 shares on May 23. According to a regulatory filing, which didn't indicate that the sale was part of a scheduled trading plan, the value of that transaction was $1.91 million, more than twice the size of his Aug. 1 disposal of 6,500 shares for $946,374. If the two hacks are unrelated it could be that different hacking teams had different goals. One clue has emerged that suggests one goal of the attackers was to use Equifax as a way into the computers of major banks, according to a fourth person familiar with the matter. This person said a large Canadian bank has determined that hackers claiming to sell celebrity profiles from Equifax on the dark web  information that appears to be fraudulent, or recycled from other breaches  did in fact steal the username and password for an application programming interface, or API, linking the bank's back-end servers to Equifax. According to the person and a Sept. 14 internal memo reviewed by Bloomberg, the gateway linked a test and development site used by the bank's wealth management division to Equifax, allowing the two entities to share information digitally.

Equifax Suffered a Hack Almost Five Months Earlier Than the Date It Disclosed

[Michael Riley, Anita Sharpe and Jordan Robertson/Bloomberg]

The Equifax Way

[Rachel Bunker/Jacobin]

Equifax Lost Social Security Numbers But Still Works for the Social Security Administration

[Michael Rapoport and AnnaMaria Andriotis/Cetus News]
By Jeff Mason and John Irish UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - France made a new plea on Monday for the United States to preserve the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and suggested its provisions expiring after a decade could be strengthened, as U.S. President Donald Trump again criticized the agreement as "deeply flawed." The pact between Tehran and six world powers, which calls for Iran to curb its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions, is under threat as Trump must decide by Oct. 15 whether to certify Iran is keeping its end of the bargain. If Trump, who as recently as Thursday accused Iran of violating "the spirit" of the deal, chooses not to certify, the pact could unravel, possibly triggering a regional arms race. The Republican president, who has called the agreement struck under his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, "the worst deal ever negotiated," made no secret of his views during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. "The president believes that the JCPOA is deeply flawed, and he did share his views with President Macron about how he believes the deal is flawed," Brian Hook, director of policy planning at the U.S. State Department, told reporters. The pact is formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. "The president was very candid with him about what he thinks are the shortcomings. ... He told him that it is under review and that they are taking a hard look at the Oct. 15th decision and more broadly how to fix the Iran deal," Hook said. Hook said the two also discussed an integrated strategy against Iran that would take into account what he described as Iran's support for terrorism, its ballistic missile program, its destabilization in the Middle East and other aggressions. Asked if he planned to stick with the pact, Trump earlier told reporters as he began a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday: "Youll be seeing very soon."Israeli officials have said changes Israel wants in the JCPOA include lengthening the 10-year freeze on Iran's nuclear development program or even making that suspension permanent and destroying centrifuges rather than just halting their operation. The deal was negotiated with Iran by the United States, Russia, China, Britain, Germany and France. The six will meet with Iran at the ministerial level on Wednesday. The prospect of Washington reneging on the agreement has worried some of the U.S. allies that helped negotiate it, especially as the world grapples with another nuclear crisis, North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile development. "It is essential to maintain it to avoid proliferation. In this period when we see the risks with North Korea, we must maintain this line," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters. "France will try to convince President Trump of the pertinence of this choice (keeping the accord), even if work can be done to complement the accord after 2025," he said. A senior French official said Trump had not given Macron an indication on whether he had made up his mind during their Monday bilateral. However, the official said Macron had put on the table the prospect of new nuclear negotiations after 2025 during his bilateral with Iranian President Hasan Rouhani and warned him that Tehran should stop provoking the United States with its regional activities. "We feel the post 2025 subject is a red line, but our president put it on the table because it's a concern and a legitimate request that we must make," the official said. "2025 will arrive quickly and we have to be ready before Jan 1. 2025, so he asked that we think together how to work on this question." If Trump does not certify that Iran is complying with the agreement, the U.S. Congress will have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions waived under the deal. Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Sunday that Tehran would react strongly to any "wrong move" by Washington on the nuclear deal. DIVIDING WORLD POWERS Paris took one of the hardest lines against Tehran in the negotiations, but has been quick to restore trade ties and Macron has said repeatedly there is no alternative to the deal. French officials say Iran is respecting the JCPOA and that, were the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to say otherwise, a mechanism exists to reimpose sanctions. The IAEA is the body ensuring the accord is carried out, but the United States and Iran quarreled over how Tehran's nuclear activities should be policed at an IAEA meeting on Monday after a U.S. call last month for wider inspections. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson argued on Friday that Washington must consider the full threat it says Iran poses to the Middle East when crafting its new policy toward Tehran. A senior French diplomat underlined that the nuclear deal was achieved in large part because it was not linked to all the other grievances the United States may have had with Iran. With Europeans not on the same page as the Trump administration, Iranian officials say they have an opportunity to divide the P5+1 group that negotiated the deal with Iran. A senior Iranian diplomat and a former nuclear negotiator said he believed the Europeans had no intention of following Trump's overtly aggressive Iran policy. "They are wise. Look at the region. Crisis everywhere. From Iraq to Lebanon. Iran is a reliable regional partner for Europe, not only a trade partner but a political one as well," the diplomat said. "European powers have been committed to the deal. The IAEA has repeatedly confirmed Irans commitment to the deal. Trumps insistence on his hostile policy towards Iran will further deepen the gap among the P5+1 countries," the diplomat said. (Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Ankara and Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; Writing by John Irish and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Peter Cooney and Leslie Adler)
Originally published in Commentary on September 18, 2017





Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.

.

..Analysis from Israel..18 September '17..When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, hell undoubtedly devote part of his speech to the need to fight terrorist organizations. What he probably wont mention is that in Israel, the fight is often hamstrung by the Supreme Courts out-of-control judicial activism, as evidenced by last weeks mind-boggling ruling denying the government the right to revoke the Israeli residency of people serving in the Palestinian legislature or cabinet on behalf of Hamas.In 2006, three Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem were elected to the Palestinian parliament on behalf of the Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform party, while a fourth was appointed to the Palestinian cabinet on behalf of that party. Israel responded by revoking their Israeli residency rights.To most people, this would sound like a no-brainer. Many democracies view serving in a foreign government as grounds for revocation of citizenship because holding a policy-level position in one countrys government is considered to require a level of commitment to that country, which conflicts with ones loyalty to the other country. Indeed, both America and Israel have such rules for their own citizens in policy-level positions; thats why, for instance, when Michael Oren became ambassador to the U.S., he had to forfeit his American citizenship, despite the fact that America and Israel are close allies.But these four Palestinians werent just serving in a foreign government; they were doing so on behalf of Hamas  a terrorist organization sworn to Israels destruction. This, as the Israeli government correctly argued in court, constituted a massive breach of trust toward Israel.Yet the court, in a 6-3 ruling, decided otherwise. Although the Entry into Israel Law allows the government to revoke anyones residency rights at its discretion, it said the law shouldnt be used to revoke their residency for breach of trust. Why? Because most East Jerusalem Palestinians were born in Israel and had lived there all their lives, so they deserve greater protection than migrants, who have previously lived elsewhere and whose roots in Israel are therefore shallower.That East Jerusalem Palestinians merit greater protection than, say, labor migrants, is obviously true. Israel formally annexed East Jerusalem back in 1967 so, logically, most of them should be citizens rather than permanent residents. That they arent is due to a unique catch-22: Israel cannot unilaterally grant them citizenship without outraging the international community, which wants them to be citizens of a future Palestinian state.Most East Jerusalem Palestinians are reluctant to exercise their right to apply for citizenship because doing so is viewed by other Palestinians as treason against the Palestinian cause. The result is an entire class of permanent residents who, as the court rightly said, deserve to be treated more like citizens than permanent residents in many respects.But in this particular case, the courts otherwise valid distinction is completely irrelevant. After all, the case wasnt about ordinary East Jerusalem residents, who, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, could reasonably be assumed by the court to view Israel as their primary home. It was specifically about people who chose to serve in a foreign government on behalf of a terrorist organization, and who thereby declared that their allegiance to this foreign entity supersedes their allegiance to Israel.If you can forfeit citizenship for serving in a foreign government, you can certainly forfeit permanent residency. After all, Hamas officials surely dont deserve more rights than Israeli ones. Yet thats exactly what the court gave them: Hamas officials can now retain dual nationality even though their other nationality is Israels bitter enemy, while Israeli officials cannot, even when their other nationality is Israels close ally.Moreover, its eminently reasonable to expect people who choose to serve in a foreign government to move to that governments jurisdiction, unless some unusual obstacle prevents them. In this case, no such obstacle existed, as evidenced by the fact that two of them did relocate to Ramallah after losing their Israeli residency (the other two were arrested by Israel on unrelated grounds).Even the majority justices appeared to realize how irrelevant their argument actually was. In a truly stunning statement, Justice Uzi Vogelman, who wrote the main opinion, said, Our interpretative decision didnt focus on the petitioners case specifically, but on an interpretive question of general applicability to residents of East Jerusalem. Quite how any court can decide a case without focusing on that case specifically is beyond me.Ostensibly, the case at least has limited application. After all, how many East Jerusalem Palestinians are going to become Hamas legislators of cabinet members? But in reality, the implications are broad, because if even swearing allegiance to a foreign government on behalf of a terrorist organization committed to Israels destruction isnt enough to make a Palestinian lose his Israeli residency and its attendant benefits, what on earth would be? Nothing I can think of. Thus, Hamas supporters in Jerusalem will now be emboldened to step up all kinds of activity on the organizations behalf, secure in the knowledge that they need not fear expulsion from the country as a consequence.The courts judicial activism impedes the governments ability to set policy in almost every walk of life, as I detailed inlast year, and several rulings over the past few months rightly outraged many members of Israels ruling parties. But last weeks ruling may have been a tipping point: In response, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and her Jewish Home party submitted legislation to curb the courts excesses. Whether it will pass remains to be seen. But this outrageous ruling in defense of Hamas legislators amply shows why it should.
STEM

Cal State Dominguez Hills Rolls Out 4 Mobile Fabrication Laboratories

California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) is gaining a fleet of four fabrication laboratories, or fab labs, that are part of a global network of 900 mobile labs. Local middle school students in Los Angeles County will soon be able to visit a fab lab to build STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills first-hand through experiments and activities.

The fab labs were created by CSUDH with help from Toyota, the W.M. Keck Foundation and Motivo Engineering to address several issues described as the heart of the STEM crisis by the organizations:

The need for qualified science and math teachers in K12;

A lack of STEM experiences that engage students; and

A demand for more minorities graduating with STEM degrees and pursuing related work.

Fab labs, for instance, will offer cutting-edge industry tools to engage middle school students and educators in STEM learning. Equipment includes 3D printers and scanners, modeling software, laser cutters and other tools to prototype projects. The labs will support STEM-related activities and competitions for students as well.

Driving the initiative is the idea that CSUDH is part of the K12 environment, and that the degree to which middle school students feel better prepared impacts their decision to pursue STEM degrees and jobs. The fab labs aim to help students (particularly in low-income, diverse areas) take theoretical concepts and put them into practice through project-based learning.

In addition, Toyota has donated $4 million to build the Toyota Center for Innovation in STEM Education within CSUDHs new Science and Innovation building, according to information from the company.

The unveiling and demonstration for the fab labs and facility will take place on Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. at the public university. To learn more about the fab labs, watch the video below.
The European Union is spearheading an effort to limit the global trade of torture instruments and tools used to carry out executions.





Almost 60 countries have committed to join the Alliance for Torture-Free Trade, which formally launched at the United Nations on Monday.





Countries with some of the highest numbers of executions, including China and the US, are not participating.





But supporters of the initiative say the alliance is a start.





Goods such as shock belts, spiked batons and gas chambers are among the products targeted by the movement, which is also backed by Argentina and Mongolia.





Some of the items can be found for purchase online, which EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom called "unacceptable".





"I'm not naive. I know you can torture a person with a pencil if you want to, but this is a way to at least limit the access of these products," Ms Malmstrom told the BBC.





Members of the alliance plan to collaborate on laws curbing trade in these goods and to share information about trade routes. Ms Malmstrom said she also hopes it will isolate non-participants politically.





The UK, Canada, Brazil and Mexico are among the 57 countries that have committed to the alliance so far, her office said.





Go global





The initiative builds on earlier EU restrictions on the trade in torture equipment and the export of drugs that can be used to carry out lethal injections.





Those new rules have led to shortages of execution drugs in the US and contributed to a decline in the number of executions there.





The US put 20 people to death last year, the lowest number since 1991, according to Amnesty International.





"We have very tough legislation in the European Union ... but it's not enough," Ms Malmstrom told the BBC. "We need to go global."





Deborah Denno, a professor at Fordham Law School in New York, said formation of the alliance suggests that more countries are questioning the use of torture and the death penalty - even if the practices persist.





The drive should also have a practical effect, helping close off places outside of Europe where the US could look to import drugs for execution, she added.





"This looks like a really positive development," she said.





China carried out the highest number of executions in 2016, followed by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan, Amnesty International said. The US ranked seventh after Egypt.





A spokesperson for the US State Department declined to comment. Chinese officials could not be reached for comment.





If it's credible, a trade boycott may have some effect, said Robert Blecker, a professor at New York Law School and author of the "Death of Punishment". But he said he thinks the alliance does a disservice by equating the death penalty and torture.





"They may think by doing that they emphasize appropriately how morally bad the death penalty is, but I think by equating them they underemphasize how distinctively morally bad torture is," he said.





"Torture is not just," he added. "The death penalty ... can be."

 | 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

BBC News, September 18, 2017
Wanted: An attorney to represent a Utah man condemned to death.





Must be licensed to practice law in the state of Utah and meet the states special qualifications for death penalty cases.





The pay is about $125 per hour  but co-counsel in one case will warn you, theres been trouble actually getting paid. And the last guy who had the job? He left because payment issues and threatened disciplinary sanctions took a toll on his health.





Nine men are currently on Utahs death row. Two of them  61-year-old Floyd Maestas and 59-year-old Douglas Lovell  currently have no qualified lead attorney representing them as they appeal their capital murder convictions in state court.





And while the Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers isnt telling its members to not apply for the job, its not exactly encouraging them to do so either.





Executive Director Stewart Gollan said the organization has strongly encouraged its members to think carefully about what theyre signing up for if they take on either case. An attorney should consider the significant practical and ethical bind they might put themselves in by signing onto a complicated and weighty death penalty appeal, he said, given past defense attorneys issues with getting compensated for their own work or funding to hire experts.





There seems to be some pretty significant financial limitations that are being imposed to the attorneys representing the defendant, Gollan said. These [cases] are extremely burdensome on the attorney. Our concern is that, certainly, it puts attorneys in a bind and it also is not in the interest of the defendant.





Anyone who is charged with a crime that includes the possibility of jail time  in Utah, that is anything more serious than an infraction  is entitled to an attorney, even if they cant afford one. For death penalty cases, those attorneys must be experienced and qualified under court rules.





Utah is one of two states in the nation that delegates the responsibility to provide defense lawyers to individual counties and cities.





There are two ways in which Utahs counties are funding defense lawyers in death penalty cases: Most pay into a state-managed fund, a sort of insurance policy from which officials can request money if they have a death penalty-eligible case in their county.





But five of the states 29 counties  Salt Lake, Weber, Summit, Wasatch and Utah  dont pay into the fund, according to Utah court officials. Instead, each of those counties uses its own money to contract with individual attorneys.

 | 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 Salt Lake Tribune, Jessica Miller, September 18, 2017
Recently the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2373, which extends the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, for another year.

UNIFIL has been in Lebanon for nearly four decades. However, after the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict in 2006, it was charged with monitoring the cessation of hostilities and accompanying and supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces as they deployed in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL was also mandated to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces to establish southern Lebanon as an area free of any armed personnel, assets, and weapons other than those of the Lebanese government or UNIFIL. The newly adopted resolution strengthens this mandate, and comes at a time when the United States and others have pointed out that Hezbollah, responsible for initiating the 2006 conflict, has not only rebuilt, but increased its arsenal in Lebanon over the past decade.

U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley welcomed the renewal of UNIFILs mandate. This resolution gives UNIFIL robust authority to help Lebanon keep the south safe. What we sought in this renewal is to make sure UNIFIL is doing its job to the fullest extent possible.

Ambassador Haley called current conditions in southern Lebanon very dangerous. At the direction of its patron Iran, the terrorist organization Hezbollah [has] thousands of missiles and thousands of trained fighters  all beyond the control of the Lebanese government.

The renewal of UNIFILs mandate by the Security Council, among other measures, calls for UNIFIL to step up its patrols and inspections, thereby helping to disrupt Hezbollahs illegal activity. More importantly, Ambassador Haley noted, the renewed mandate require[s] UNIFIL to report when it is prevented from seeing something it wants to inspect. From now on, when the peacekeepers encounter a Hezbollah roadblock, she said, they have to tell us the details of where, when and why they got stopped. This transparency will put an end to the ignorance about whats really going on in southern Lebanon.

For the United States, this is a time for strength, resolve and accountability at the United Nations, Ambassador Haley declared. The renewal of the UNIFIL mandate, she emphasized, is an important step, but there is much more to doJust as Hezbollah is stepping up its efforts, the United States, and now the United Nations, [are] stepping up our efforts against them.
It is a revealing fact that a lot of people in Catalonia dont want to talk about it, out of weariness or out of fear of getting harassed by either side , or even by both at the same time. This is a small world where everybody knows each other. For instance, everyone knows where any given Catalan public figure  whether a politician, a writer, an athlete or a TV anchor  stands on the issue of independence. And everyone knows that the moment they open their mouth, they will be categorized into one of the two opposing sides.

A poster in Barcelona asking for a Yes vote on October 1. AFP

In the midst of what is being described as an impending train crash, there is a clear tendency toward ideological polarization, while steering a middle course is frowned upon. But some people are choosing to get off the train.

A speech made last week inside the Catalan parliament by Joan Coscubiela, the speaker for the leftist group Catalunya Si que es Pot, gave a voice to a middle-of-the-road position: those who defend a referendum, but not this particular referendum because of the questionable way in which it has been planned. In short: yes to a vote, but not like this.

I believe that the only way to solve this is through a referendum, but this is not the referendum that Catalonia needs

Joan Herrera, Catalan politician

One of the most commonly quoted statistics claims that 80% of Catalans want to express their opinion through a poll. The key resides in knowing whether all of those people agree with the vote that has been scheduled for October 1. It is not easy to find out. Many of the people consulted for this story said they did not want to be quoted by name.

Josep Cuni, one of the most popular journalists and TV personalities in Catalonia, admits that until now he had kept his distance, but that he is currently feeling annoyed.

I am very critical about the manner in which this whole thing has been handled. Not so much because of the illegality, but because of the aesthetic aspects, he says. This might sound very snobbish and selective, but I think that respect and delicacy of manner is an essential part of Catalanism: a job well done has no borders, while a botched job has no future. Like [20th-century Catalan writer Josep] Pla used to say, You go ahead and do whatever you like in life, but above all, never make a fool of yourself. That sense of ridicule is a big deal in Catalonia, where grandmothers routinely say, Whatever you do, dont draw attention to yourself.

We cannot wait two more years, the problem will not tolerate such a delay

Juan Jose Lopez-Burniol, jurist

Cuni does not know what to do on October 1. My position is very uncomfortable, because when youre stuck between two trenches, you end up in the crossfire and then both sides accuse one another of having killed you; although at that point it bears noting that youre already dead. We are now trapped in the Catalonia of la rauxa [rashness], of madness, of the loss of common sense. And every time we have done that in the past, we have crashed and burned.

The writer Sergi Pamies also admits to being very pessimistic about the situation.

This is a problem without a solution, and sometimes we forget that this sort of problem also exists, he says. A problem is being left to be worked out by the judiciary system when it clearly extends beyond that dimension. It reminds me of the days when we had military service and conscientious objectors: the law used to force objectors to disobey the law until the law itself was changed. The law is not enough. The Constitution cannot remain constrained by those limitations, and the new Catalan law cannot be imposed with the same weapons. This combination of fixed positions is leading to an unfair solution. An injustice is being made in the name of injustice. This is a problem among democrats, but one might think otherwise: that it is a battle among radicals using the cover of democracy to avoid altering their own positions.

On the one hand we are seeing vintage examples of Falangist acts, with the Spanish Civil Guard searching news organizations, and on the other hand we have a disgraceful display of revolutionary radicals gathering in assemblies, he adds. And in the middle you have us, a vast majority of democrats, separatist and unionist alike, who are being left out by the dialectics of both extremes.

This is a problem without a solution, and sometimes we forget that this sort of problem also exists

Sergi Pamies, writer

The jurist and notary Juan-Jose Lopez Burniol has been trying for years to get out of that trap. He has just published Escucha, Cataluna. Escucha, Espana (or, Listen, Catalonia. Listen, Spain) in tandem with former Socialist minister Josep Borrell, former Popular Party minister Josep Pique and Francesc de Carreras, a jurist and university professor. The books subtitle is Four voices in favor of mutual understanding and against secession.

In an earlier book, Espana desde una esquina: federalismo o autodeterminacion (or, Spain from the corner: federalism or self-determination), which he wrote in 2007, Lopez Burniol warned that sooner or later the Catalan people would have to be consulted on the issue of independence. It is absolutely inevitable, he notes.

At the time, I made a three-point proposal: recognizing Catalonias historical rights, exclusive power over identity issues (language, education, culture); and financial matters, which is the easiest part of all, with a ceiling on the solidarity fund and a shared tax agency, he explains.

At this point in the 21st century, coexistence should rest on a foundation of freedom, and the proposal must come from the central government. Its like the school yard: when a bigger child and a smaller child fight, the bigger one has greater responsibility. To hear from Madrid, after five years, nothing more than the Constitution does not allow it is a very poor kind of response.

All thats left for us to do is to keep our fingers crossed that something irreversible does not happen

Juan Jose Lopez-Burniol

But with equal clarity I say that what happened in the regional parliament the other day was a coup, and nothing solid can be built on that foundation, he adds, alluding to the fast-track passage of legislation facilitating the referendum and the transition to an independent republic.

This expert feels that the situation is locked into place until October 1, and that all thats left for us to do is to keep our fingers crossed that something irreversible does not happen. After that, there should be a new election, and the government that emerges should find some common ground with central authorities.

All this is possible without changing the Constitution, because theres no time for that anyway: we cannot wait two more years, the problem will not tolerate such a delay.

The Catalan cause has had its own support outside Spains borders, with foreign celebrities defending the right to decide. One of the first signatories to such a manifesto was the historian Paul Preston, in 2014.

I still feel that all people have the right to decide their own future, but thats not to say that I like whats happening with the current situation, he says. Mistakes have been made on both sides. There are many ways of reaching a solution, its a matter of negotiating, but this requires flexibility and tolerance from both parties, especially from Madrid.

But positions are not etched in stone, and the vertiginous events of recent weeks are already shaping them, says Joan Herrera, former leader of the green group Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds

I believe that the only way to solve this is through a referendum, but this is not the referendum that Catalonia needs, he says. However, the mood keeps swinging: last week, inside the Catalan parliament, the prevailing logic was that the end justifies the means, and you could feel that people were very critical of that; but then the [Spanish] state overreacted, politics are not responding, and all you see are judicial solutions, and so the mood swung again.

The only issue that everyone seems to agree on is that the situation is very serious indeed, and nobody will venture to say how all of this is going to end.

English version by Susana Urra.
The Socialist Party standing committee, pictured on Monday. Alvaro Garcia

In a telltale sign of how the conflict over the Catalan independence referendum is escalating, the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) is no longer ruling out the application of an obscure constitutional provision that could effectively curtail self-government in the northeastern region.

Section 155 of the Spanish Constitution is on everyones lips these days, although it has never actually been invoked. And nobody ever expected it to be. Tucked away toward the end of the 1978 charter, it was introduced at a time when Spain was coming out of a long dictatorship and there was a spirit of cross-party cooperation to ensure that the country would never again descend into civil strife.

The government could in theory at least start running Catalonias affairs from Madrid

The country was structured into autonomous regions with broad powers of self-rule. Regional parliaments were created (or restored following the prolonged hiatus) and regional charters drafted. Regions with a distinct language and heritage, such as the Basques and the Catalans, got their own police forces and public broadcasters.

But if Section 155 is finally invoked, the central government will be free to adopt the necessary measures to compel regional authorities to obey the law. Nobody knows exactly what these measures would be, but in theory, the government could start running Catalonias affairs directly from Madrid.

Section 155 does not mean dissolving the regional bodies, but it does mean adopting measures to force these bodies to obey the law.

Catalan regional premier Carles Puigdemont at a pro-independence rally in Girona. ALBERT GEA (REUTERS)

What does applying 155 mean? asked sources in the PSOE leadership. To theorize about it in public will only embolden the separatists.

Whatever it means, until now it was an unthinkable scenario. As recently as July, the Socialist speaker in Congress, Margarita Robles, stated that Section 155 would never be a suitable solution and we would never support it.

In September 2015, then-foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, of the Popular Party (PP), said in a television interview that it is obvious that there is a possible juridical reaction (to the secessionist drive), which would be to suspend their autonomy, but that is an atomic bomb.

As recently as July, the Socialist speaker stated Section 155 would never be suitable and we would never support it

But given the events of recent weeks, with the Catalan government openly defying the Constitutional Court and its rulings  and passing its own pro-referendum laws in violation of the Constitution itself  the unthinkable is becoming possible.

All scenarios are open, said high-ranking sources within the PSOE in a conversation with EL PAIS. While invoking 155 is still seen as an undesirable option, party leaders will decide whether to support such a move or not in light of the circumstances, said Oscar Puente, the spokesman for the partys executive board.

But on Tuesday, the PSOE expressed impatience at not knowing what the Rajoy administration is planning to do.

The government should not hide behind robes or try to pass the hot potato along to the PSOE, said Robles. The Socialists feel that Rajoy may be trying to make the main opposition group partly responsible for triggering a highly controversial legal mechanism that could translate into a suspension of home rule in Catalonia.

The Mariano Rajoy administration has made no official decision on the matter yet. The prime minister has instructed aides to keep a cool head in the face of growing disobedience by Catalan separatist officials, despite growing pressure from unionist hardliners for him to bang his fist on the table. The Popular Party leader is aware that a big show of force would play into the secessionists hands and could spark a wider conflict.

On the other hand, Rajoy has clearly stated that the referendum is not going to happen and that he is ready to do whatever is necessary to that end. For now, Madrids strategy has been to undermine the logistics of the ballot by seizing voting material and prohibiting all public officials from cooperating in any way.

This has already resulted in unprecedented images of Civil Guard officers searching Catalan newsrooms, in what one expert recently described as vintage Falangism.

While this does nothing to improve relations, many in Madrid feel that the central government is still not doing enough to stop the secessionists in power from flouting national laws and creating their own parallel legal world. Last week, regional premier Carles Puigdemont starred in a rally to officially start the referendum campaign. It was a banned rally for an illegal referendum, but it went ahead uneventfully, with no action taken by Madrid.

But as October 1 draws closer, Rajoy may finally feel that he has no choice but to act in a decisive manner and hope for the best. If so, the PP would like to have the support of the Socialist Party and Ciudadanos  Podemos, the other main player in Spanish politics, is siding with the pro-independence movement.

Asked about their thoughts on the PSOEs greater openness to the possibility of invoking 155, the conservative partys vice-secretary for communications, Pablo Casado, said that it was opportune for the Socialists to open up to the non-demonization of any constitutional provision. Even if nobody knows exactly what that provision means.
During her captivity, Rebeca Bitrus met some of the girls from Chibok. One of them suggested that she convert to Islam, as her captors were telling her to do, or she would see what they were capable of. But she didnt. Two years in the hands of the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram, subjected to sexual assault and beatings, to abuse and forced labor; two years without the youngest of her children, who was murdered by the fundamentalist sect, and still, Rebeca, a Christian, would not bow to their will and change religion.

Shes 29 years old now, and she speaks about that part of her ordeal, the resistance, with great pride in the Hausa language. Tears spring from her eyes when she thinks about where she was at that time and where she finds herself now. She covers herself up with her shawl to stop the emotion from flowing out, and continues with her tale. What does she remember of that experience? I remember every day, she explains, that I had a child with Boko Haram. His name is Cristobal and he has been baptized.

She is not from Chibok, the village where on the night of April 15, 2014, Boko Haram  whose name can be translated from Hausa as Western education is forbidden  arrived to kidnap more than 200 young girls. The assault sparked a massive international campaign. Rebeca is from another village, one that is not so well known, called Dogon Chuku. But dozens of women were also taken from there on August 21 of the same year. She was among them.

Two years subject to sexual assault and beatings, to abuse and forced labor; two years without the youngest of her children

She was living at the time with her husband, Bitrus Zacarias, and her two children. They were small-scale farmers and traders. When they got news that the terrorist group  which currently has links with the so-called Islamic State  had set foot in Baga, which is very close to their village, they opted to do what many other families had done: he would go one way, and she, with the children, another. Under Boko Haram, men are murdered without hesitation, while women are kidnapped. They find it very hard to kill them, explains Father Innocent Zambua, who is accompanying Rebeca and acting as her translator.

 Were you scared then?

 I had heard talk about Boko Haram, but I had never come face to face with them. When I saw them killing people, I fell to the ground and felt something horrible. I didnt understand it.

Girls released by Boko Haram in 2016. P. O. (AFP)

But she was going to understand the cost of that terror a lot better on her way to the camp where she was to be held  located somewhere between the borders of Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, and where today the fundamentalist sect still spreads terror, despite an offensive by President Muhammadu Buhari which many consider insufficient. Halfway through the journey, the youngest of Rebecas children, aged barely a year, started to cry. She wept too, so as not to have to continue with the journey. A man in uniform from Boko Haram grabbed the child and threw him into the river to shut him up. The baby drowned.

When I saw them drown my child I knew that they were going to kill us, the young woman explains, before gazing off into the distance.

When I saw them killing people, I fell to the ground. I didnt understand it

Horrendous violence has been a calling card over the last eight years for the Islamist sect, which was born in 2002 in the northeast of Nigeria. Its objective? The establishment of a caliphate in one of the poorest areas of Nigeria. The result? A long campaign of assaults, kidnappings and attacks in the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe that have cost the lives of between 20,000 and 30,000 people, and forced more than two million people to flee their homes.

Rebeca was going to endure two years of captivity, moving from one camp to another, from one soldier to another, from one kind of abuse to the next. She fought off the sexual assaults until one day, a young Boko Haram leader sought help from three accomplices and abused her. That was how she became pregnant with Cristobal, the child who was born in captivity. But the abuse didnt stop there.

She was briefly tempted to leave her newborn in the claws of the terrorists

They also tried to convince me to carry a bomb for an attack, she explains. She thought that this was her opportunity: as others had done, she might be able to flee with her children once she had removed the explosives belt. But they wouldnt let her take the kids with her, so there was no deal.

By 2016, the military campaign put into action by Buhari, with support from neighboring countries, was well underway. Rebecas captors could hear the army helicopters approaching. They brought together the girls and began to flee  but Rebeca did not flee with them. Taking advantage of the confusion, she managed to escape with her two children, little Cristobal and Zacarias. She was briefly tempted to leave the newborn in the claws of the terrorists, but a Nigerian soldier said to her: Keep him, and you will be able to show him very important things in life.

Its because of all of this  her determination to keep the faith that she chose, to hold on to a child that was born as the result of rape  that the Spanish branch of Aid to the Church in Need (Ayuda a la Iglesia Necesitada), which specializes in denouncing religious persecution, took her as an example and brought her to Madrid this week.

Im here, Ive put on weight again, and I can tell my story, she explains. So yes, Im happy. When her flight to Dogon Chuku lands, she will be met by her husband, who, like herself, managed to flee from death  another defiant act in the face of terror.

English version by Simon Hunter.
A 79 years old former guerrilla trainee has been officially named as the new secretary-general of Iran Freedom Movement (IFM).

Mohammad Tavassoli replaces the Islamic Republics former deputy prime minister and second foreign minister, Ebrahim Yazdi who died at 86 on August 27.

IFMs public, peaceful and legal campaigns will continue as before, deputy secretary-general of the IFM, Hashem Sabbaghian, said in a statement.

The IFMs new secretary-general was the first mayor of the capital, Tehran from 1979-1981, after the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the establishment of the Islamic Republic led by ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Later, he was repeatedly arrested, tried and condemned to spend years behind bars by the victorious revolutionary forces loyal to the ruling clergy.

In 1962, the same year IFM was formed, Mohammad Tavassoli went to Stuttgart, Germany, to continue his studies as an architect. There, he joined an Iranian anti-monarchy umbrella students organization called Iranian Students International Confederation. He was already a member of IFM.

Later, he went to the US and, from there, traveled to Egypt to be trained as a guerrilla and militia for armed struggle against the monarchy.

Tavassoli was also one of the first anti-Shah young activists who pledged allegiance to the outspoken dissident and exiled ayatollah, Ruhollah Khomeini in the 1960s, in Iraq. For six consecutive months, Tavassoli was one of the escorts of the revolutionary ayatollah.

Meanwhile, Tavassoli who had married Ebrahim Yazdis sister, Mina, was responsible as a go-between for Khomeini and the founder of IFM, Mehdi Bazargan.

The Freedom Movement of Iran (Nehzat-e Azadi-e Iran  NAI, in Persian) was launched in 1962 by two Western educated political activists, Mehdi Bazargan and Yadollah Sahabi, as well as a politically active cleric, Ayatollah Mahmud Taleqani.

They were all former active members of the National Front, formed around Doctor Mohammad Mossadegh, the charismatic leader of the Oil Nationalization Movement of Iran.

On August 19, 1953, in a highly controversial upheaval, supported by the U.S. and Britain, Prime Minister Mossadegh was dismissed and later arrested by the forces loyal to the Shah.

The downfall of Mossadegh and placing him under house arrest, dispersed the members of the already unsteady National Front.

Eight years later, Mehdi Bazargan and his close religious activists formed the IFM, following Dr. Mossadeghs guideline of supporting the idea of constitutional monarchy, where the shah (king) is the formal head of the state with no executive power.

But this did not last long. A brief revolt, mainly led by a little-known clergyman, Rouhollah Khomeini, took place in June 1963 against the shah, which was quickly put down, but it led to the radicalization of IFM in general and its young cadres in particular.

IFM had supported the revolt and after it failed, its leadership was put behind bars and branded as "guerillas in suits".

Mohammad Tavassoli was among those who came to believe that political activists should unite with the clergy in their struggle to overthrow the shah.

As he and many others remained part of IFM, others left to form the Mojahedin Khalq Organization, MKO.

However, Khomeinis second try in 1979 was successful. To Bazargans shocking surprise, the shahs regime collapsed much easier than any of his opponents could have dreamed of. The highest executive position in post-revolution Iran was presented to Bazargan on a golden plate.

Nevertheless, the marriage of convenience between the political-religious activists in suits (Bazargan, et al) and the power thirsty clergy under cloaks proved abortive.

The IFM was kicked out of the power circle and gradually shrank and as its old-time members aged, it resembled a senior citizens private club.

The IFM that Tavassoli has accepted its leadership is far from the party that 52 years ago gave birth to a well-disciplined guerrilla formation, Mojahedin Khalq Organization, MKO.

Even the loosely formed Religious-Nationalist Alliance, another grouping that emerged from the remainders of the IFM, looks more solid today than its paternal party.
Iranian women have apparently lost another chance to take a high-profile job.

The list of Irans new governor-generals is going to be announced before the end of the month, the Interior Ministrys deputy for Political Affairs, Esmaeil Jabbarzadeh said.

But responding to a question about womens on the list, Jabbarzadeh noted, No women are on the list of options for serving as governor-general, so far. Therefore, we are probably not going to have a female governor.

For years and especially after President Hassan Rouhanis re-election, women rights activists and even many MPs have called upon successive presidents to employ more female candidates for serving at high level jobs.

A month before last May's presidential election, in a letter addressed to President Hassan Rouhani and read in parliaments open session, 175 MPs called upon the incumbent to appoint competent and merited women as ministers in the next cabinet.

Meanwhile, Irans Supreme Administrative Council approved a resolution that commits the government to appoint women in 30% of the national managerial posts.

Nevertheless, in nearly four decades after the end of monarchy, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi is still the only Iranian woman who has ever had a ministerial portfolio.

For the first time in post revolution Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadnejad nominated three women as cabinet ministers in his second term. Parliament approved only one of them, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, then 49, as Minister of Health and Medical Education (2009-2013).

However, Iran is one of the first countries in the region to have appointed women as cabinet ministers. Farrokhroo Parsa, was an Iranian physician, educator and parliamentarian as well as the first female cabinet minister. She served as Minister of Education from 1968-1971. After the 1979 revolution, she was accused of ambiguous charges by an Islamic revolutionary court and later executed by a firing squad.

Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani is the only president who has never missed a chance to promise employing women for high capacity jobs, but he has never nominated a female minister.

I wanted to nominate three ladies for serving in my new cabinet and I had even pinpointed their portfolios but, at the end of the day, I found out that it cant be done, Rouhani lamented, adding, Why? I leave the answer to sometime in the future.

Earlier, Rouhani had promised to establish a new ministry for Womens Affairs but, it also remained unfulfilled.

So far, Rouhani has appointed two female deputies, Masoumeh Ebtekar for Women and Family Affairs and Laya Joneydi for Legal Affairs while another woman, Shahindokht Molaverdi is serving as presidents assistant for Citizens Rights.

As of July 2009, there are 12 Deputy Presidents in Iran. The First Deputy President is the most important as he or she leads cabinet meetings in the absence of the president. None of the deputies appointed need parliamentary approval.
The challenge in reading the Iran-US relationship is the daily propaganda in the way. The Supreme Leader rails against a dishonest, plotting America and promises a self-sufficient Resistance Economy that can triumph against any US pressure.

Donald Trump decries the "very bad" July 2015 nuclear deal between the Islamic Republican and the 5+1 Powers. Revolutionary Guards commanders promise defeat for the US Navy in the Persian Gulf. Washington's hawks insist Tehran is covertly breaking the deal and supporting "terrorists" --- even as the US capital's doves are blaming all of Iran's woes on US sanctions.

Reality is far messier, if no less dramatic than the black-and-white portrayals. It is unlikely the Trump Administration, for all its noise, will leave the deal --- Trump has twice certified Iranian compliance with the terms and is reportedly on the verge of doing so again by mid-October.

The Administration is promising pressure on Tehran beyond the accord, yet on two of the region's focal issues --- the Syrian crisis and Iraq amid the fight against the Islamic State --- the US is accepting Iranian influence and has even settled for a de facto convergence of interests, if not co-operation.

Meanwhile the Supreme Leader, if not the Guards and Iranian hardliners, still recognizes that a showdown with Washington is not viable, if only because of Iran's long-crippled economy. So, the Rouhani Government's adherence to the deal, for which it has struggled for years, will continue.

The Administration is promising pressure on Tehran beyond the accord, yet on two of the region's focal issues --- the Syrian crisis and Iraq amid the fight against the Islamic State --- the US is accepting Iranian influence and has even settled for a de facto convergence of interests, if not co-operation.

The denunciation of the US will be accompanied by cordial

The Administration is promising pressure on Tehran beyond the accord, yet on two of the region's focal issues --- the Syrian crisis and Iraq amid the fight against the Islamic State --- the US is accepting Iranian influence and has even settled for a de facto convergence of interests, if not co-operation.

words for European countries, as the Government tries to woo them away from Washington. And while Iran is heavily --- perhaps too heavily --- invested in Syria, Iraq, and groups like Hezbollah and locked in dispute with Saudi Arabia, President Rouhani's self-styled "engagement" will ensure careful maneuvers around the conflicts, if not a reconciliation with past foes.

The Deal and the Region

First, the lodestone of the nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, implemented from January 2016. Trumpian rhetoric fades before the recognition --- not by the President but by others, including Defense Secretary James Mattis, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, and State Department officials --- that withdrawal would free Iran to return to the enrichment of 20% uranium, and at a much faster pace than before July 2015. It would likely separate the US not only from China and Russia but also from the three European members of the 5+1 Powers --- Germany, France, and the UK --- and the European Union. The risk of isolation will pass from Tehran to Washington.

The Administration is promising pressure on Tehran beyond the accord, yet on two of the region's focal issues --- the Syrian crisis and Iraq amid the fight against the Islamic State --- the US is accepting Iranian influence and has even settled for a de facto convergence of interests, if not co-operation.

The Supreme Leader may still feel as if he has sipped from the poisoned chalice to have dealt with the US, but having recognized economic priorities in September 2013 when he authorized Rouhani to pursue a final agreement, he is in no stronger a position to risk a break through unilateral departure. The appearance of a renewed drive for "breakout" capability, if not an actual nuclear weapon, would doom the trade and investment quest with European countries.

Russia is too economically weak and too unsettling a partner --- many Iranians view Moscow with almost as much skepticism as the US or the UK --- to provide an alternative. Even China, which has extended a $10 billion loan to Tehran this week, is no outlet: as it proved during the years of sanctions before July 2015, Beijing's political caution and own economic priorities will not make it an economic backer of last resort.

So, the deal stands. But there is a far larger context which is the arena for US-Iranian confrontation.

The sleight-of-hand in the negotiations for the JCPOA was that the agreement was an endpoint, a resolution of more than a decade of tension. But Iran's nuclear program has always been only one chess piece on the board of power, especially in the Middle East. Washington's hawks may have been deceptive in portraying a post-deal financial bonanza unleashing Tehran across the region, but they begin from the starting line: even the longest-term of nuclear agreements offers nothing about the state of play in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain, or any other political and sometimes military battleground.

The insistence of the Obama Administration, the EU, and the other 5+1 Powers to keep the nuclear negotiations detached from regional issues was essential for the completion of the JCPOA. But after the deal was confirmed, Washington was caught up in its ongoing uncertainty and indecision in Syria; wavering over how to deal with a troublesome Saudi Arabia which had launched its military intervention in the Yemeni civil war; and caught in Iraq between its distrust of Iranian-led militias and its recognition that they were also fighting ISIS.

Instead the Administration drifted into implementation of the JCPOA --- but maintaining and even extending sanctions on the grounds of Iran's ballistic missile testing --- while looking away from Tehran on the wider issues. On Syria, Washington would deal with Russia, which in turn would work with Iran to prop up the Assad regime. In Iraq, the mantras of the War on ISIS and the support of the Iraqi Government kept distance from Iran's own maneuvers for influence, including with its favored militias.

In Syria, now the focal point of the region's many conflicts, Washington is not even in a position of parity. After years of indecision and then a de facto following of Russia's lead, the US is now largely a bystander in the core of the conflict

In Iran, the line between the nuclear deal and the regional dynamic was drawn in a different and far more decisive way. In June 2014, after ISIS's lightning takeover of much of Iraq, President Rouhani proposed co-operation with Washington. The Supreme Leader bluntly slapped him down: beyond the nuclear negotiations, there would be no public contacts, let alone co-operation, with the Americans.

Tehran pursued its parallel path against ISIS, supporting favored militias and competing with the Americans for influence with Baghdad. In Syria, it sharply escalated its intervention alongside Russia's military entry and Hezbollah's fighters, initially propping up the Assad regime against defeat, then beginning to erode the opposition, and expanding its economic as well as political stake in a partitioned but still important country. And its rivalry with Saudi Arabia spiraled downwards into opposite sides of the Yemeni civil war, as the US --- despite the Obama Administration's fractious relationship with Riyadh --- accepted the Kingdom's aggressive approach to the Gulf, including the support of Bahrain's repression of its dissenters.

Hollow Rhetoric?

The Trump Administration's fist-shaking --- matched on a daily basis by the Supreme Leader's office, judiciary, and the Revolutionary Guards, if not the Rouhani Government --- continues, even as it has again renewed the waiver of widespread sanctions over Iran's nuclear program.

Donald Trump retorted last week. "We are not going to stand for what they're doing to this country. They have violated so many different elements, but they've also violated the spirit of that deal. And you will see what we'll be doing in October. It will be very evident.

It's a deal that should have never, ever been made."

UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, in a high-profile speech in Washington, spoke of a "flawed deal" and of the "big picture", i.e., an American pressure based on Iran's supposed support of "terrorism" and regional activities rather, than an immediate US withdrawal from the JCPOA.

However, the Administration's bite has not necessarily caught up with its bark. Sanctions have been sustained and expanded but largely because of the momentum of Treasury bureaucracy and because of Congress's bill in July, at first opposed by Trump because of provisions also covering Russia.

In Iraq, Washington is locked into an uneasy co-existence with Iran, even as "victory" is declared over ISIS with the recapture of Mosul and the dissolution of the Caliphate. Both countries proclaim support as Baghdad tries to establish a national legitimacy, or at least security forces to hold the line, and both oppose Kurdish independence as the "break-up" of the State and nation. Both look for leverage with the leadership and institutions --- and some of the politicians and groups who are challenging them.

In Syria, now the focal point of the region's many conflicts, Washington is not even in a position of parity. After years of indecision and then a de facto following of Russia's lead, the US is now largely a bystander in the core of the conflict: having led the effort for the Assad regime's nominal control of part of the country, Moscow and Tehran will now try to extract maximum military and political advantage. The one-off US bombing in April of a regime airbase, responding to its sarin attack in northwest Syria, is peripheral. The American position is now one of reliance on a zone in eastern Syria, through support of a Kurdish-led force, which will be off-limits to the Iranians --- and of hope that Israel can establish its buffer area, albeit through talks with Moscow as well as Washington, in the southwest.

The Administration can strike its tough pose through support of Saudi Arabia. Indeed, it already has, through Donald Trump's trip to Riyadh in May and the pledge of $150 billion in arms sales. But even that approach has complications: from political involvement in the deadly Saudi intervention in Yemen to the risk of taking sides in Riyadh's showdown with Gulf neighbor Qatar.

For all the bluster of the Supreme Leader and the Revolutionary Guards, the US conundrum is not primarily because of an Iranian threat over the nuclear deal. In part, it may be of a perceived lack of coherence in a Trump Administration led by an unpredictable President. In larger part, it may be because of post-2003 indecision after failure in Iraq.

But in perhaps the largest and most challenging part, it may be a question of whether the US can still present a "leadership" in the region --- particularly if there are many others, even nominal allies, who no longer see their interests and future as tied to an uncertain American foreign policy.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL or Radio Farda.
Mahvash Sabet, one of the leaders of Irans Bahai community jailed by authorities, has been released after serving her 10-year-prison sentence.

Sabet, 64, and six other Baha'i leaders were arrested in 2008 and convicted of espionage and spreading propaganda against the clerical establishment.

They were reportedly sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Their sentences were later reduced to 10 years.

Although the news of the release of Sabet after the completion of her sentence is a welcome development, it does not signal the end of the persecution of the Bahais in Iran, Bani Dugal, the representative of the Bahai International Community to the United Nations in New York, said.

The reality remains that, after 10 years, Sabet is returning to a Bahai community under increased pressure in many ways. In addition, Sabet will naturally be awaiting the release of her six colleagues who continue to be unjustly imprisoned, Dugal added in a statement e-mailed to RFE/RL.

The six remaining Bahai leaders are also expected to complete their sentences in the coming months.

Bahais face state persecution in Iran where their faith is not recognized in the countrys constitution.

Asma Jahangir the UN special rapporteur for Iran, said in a March report that members of the Bahai community in Iran "continue to be systematically discriminated, targeted, and deprived them of the right to a livelihood."
Israel is deeply unhappy with the performance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Iran, Israeli media has reported.

Almost all the suspected sites have not been visited by IAEA inspectors, either because of Irans refusal to grant entry or UN officials' reluctance to confront Iran on the issue, the daily Haaretz quoted unnamed Israeli sources as saying on September 17.

As Director General Yukiya Amano has said, the IAEA has conducted many complementary accesses (CAs) in Iran since Implementation Day of the JCPOA, and will continue to request access to sites and locations before drawing a broader conclusion for the country, he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Banjamin Netanyahu, who is going to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York, is set to raise the concern during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

A short time after the Haaretz report, the IAEA denied that it has been soft-pedalling over the Iran inspections program. A spokesman said, This article does not accurately reflect the safeguards work of the IAEA.

The Haaretz report also maintains that Israeli officials are unhappy with the UN nuclear watchdog's inspection in Iran. The inspectors, Haaretz cites its unnamed sources as saying, prefer to avoid any confrontation with Iran.

According to Haaretz sources, even when the Iranians granted inspectors access to the suspected sites, it only did so after a substantial amount of time had passed and it created significant obstacles.

The information concerning suspected sites were provided by a Western entity, Haaretz reports.

In 2016, a few months after the nuclear agreement with Iran went into effect, a Western entity gave the International Atomic Energy Agency information regarding sites the Islamic republic did not report as part of its nuclear program and where, according to suspicions, forbidden nuclear military research and development activity were being conducted, Haaretz cites according to Israeli officials involved in the issue.

Without naming the Western entity, Haarets asserts, The Western entity also shared the information with a number of the six world powers who were party to the nuclear agreement.

Daily Haaretz reiterates, The officials noted that almost all the suspected sites have not been visited by IAEA inspectors  either because of Irans refusal to grant entry or UN officials reluctance to confront Iran on the issue.

The issue of Irans nuclear program is expected to be one of the main topics on the table when Netanyahu and Trump meet on September 18.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, (JCPOA) or Irans nuclear deal with world powers was ratified in 2015 and implemented in 2016.

Haaretz insists the new information on suspicious sites were relayed a couple of months after JCPOA was implemented.

There is a whole list of suspicious sites where the Iranians do not allow inspectors to visit and no one enforces the supervision mechanisms established in the nuclear agreement. There is simply a demonstration of weakness in the IAEA when it comes to Iran. The sense is that Iran allows what it wants, and does not allow what it does not want," Haaretz cites one of its unnamed sources as saying.

One of Haaretzs sources has even gone further, criticizing the whole mechanism of the inspections, asserting the inspectors regular visits are limited to the sites that used to be inspected even before JCPOA was ratified.

IAEA denies this insisting that so far, its inspectors have been able to visit all sites, as planned.

However, one of the issues Israel and the West are concerned about regarding the Iranian nuclear program regards the sites Tehran did not reveal, where there is suspected research and development for a military nuclear program, one of the unnamed sources claims.

Moreover, the source says, These sites were supposed to be addressed by the IAEA and Iran as part of an agreed track called the possible military dimensions of its nuclear program.

An official noted that the Western entity identified, among others, a civilian Iranian site of potential illegal nuclear activity. IAEA inspectors asked Iran to visit the site, but the Iranians did not allow them to visit the site immediately, attempted to raise objections and created bureaucratic obstacles that caused the visit to be substantially delayed.

The officials, according to Haaretz, also said the Iranians refused to allow inspectors to visit a series of other suspicious sites, claiming they were military bases and, therefore, were not covered by the nuclear accord and that they were not required to allow access to inspectors.

Apparently referring to a controversial Iranian military complex, Parchin, about 30 km (roughly 18.5 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran, Haaretz reports, The senior officials provided an example of a suspicious site IAEA inspectors had previously toured.

According to the officials, the Western entity supplied information about the suspected site and suggested that it be re-inspected. The inspectors then requested permission to revisit the location. However, the Iranians rejected the request and the visit idea was dropped.

Without going into specifics, IAEA's response is that that JCPOA has given "broader access to information and locations".

The Trump administration is party to Israeli criticism concerning the lack of adequate IAEA inspections of suspected Iranian sites, Haaretz asserts, adding that Netanyahu was set to highlight the concerns at his meeting with Trump.

A day after the meeting, the Israeli prime minister is expected to deliver a speech at the UNs annual general assembly in New York.

Before leaving Mexico City for New York on Friday, Netanyahu had reiterated that Irans destabilizing activities would be at the top of the agenda in his meetings with world leaders.

However, Haaretz had earlier reported that there is no consensus on Iran and JCPOA among Israeli leaders. While Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman have branded the JCPOA as a bad agreement that should be canceled or totally amended, the Israeli security entities believe that canceling the deal with Tehran would worsen the situation.

Meanwhile, Trump has reportedly vowed to help Israel ensure Iran does not bolster its power and influence in the Middle East, in particular by filling the power vacuum in Syria.

"The U.S. will not allow Iran to take over Syria. The U.S. will not leave Israel alone in this arena," a senior U.S. official quoted Trump as saying in remarks to the daily newspaper Israel Hayom.

Israel has warned that it will use any means necessary to prevent Iran from establishing a foothold in Syria, and especially to deny the transfer of game-changing weaponry to Iran's Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, the newspaper said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Import of goods from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan in January-July 2017 amounted to $16.2 million, increasing by 57.5 percent or $5.9 million compared to the same period of 2016, Kazakhstans Ministry of National Economy said in a report obtained by Trend.

Trade relations between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are governed by a Free Trade Agreement signed on June 10, 1997.

Kazakhstans trade turnover with Azerbaijan in January-July 2017 amounted to $72.6 million, having decreased by 16.2 percent or $14 million compared to the same period in 2016.

Reduction in the trade turnover was due to a decrease in exports from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.

Export of goods from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan in January-July 2017 amounted to $56.5 million, having decreased by 26.1 percent or $19.9 million compared to the same period in 2016.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.19

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The US hopes for continuation of good faith negotiations on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

While there are obviously many difficult issues to discuss, I believe firmly that a resolution is possible, provided leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia demonstrate the political will necessary to bring peace to this region, the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Andrew Schofer told Trend Sept.19.

I am very honored to have been selected to serve as the U.S. Minsk Group co-chair, and look forward to visiting the region in the near future to meet with officials on all sides, he added.

Schofer said he also looks forward to participating in meetings with his fellow Minsk Group co-chairs and senior officials from the region in New York this week.

The other co-chairs and I are hopeful that the presidents will agree to meet again soon, and that we will be able to continue to focus on good faith negotiations aimed at moving the peace process forward, added the US co-chair.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.



As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.



The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

Trend:

Baku will host a meeting of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey, Iranian Ambassador in Azerbaijan Javad Jahangirzadeh told Trend.

The envoy did not specify the exact date of the meeting.

Holding such trilateral meetings is very important in terms of international and regional cooperation.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force Sohail Aman is arriving today in Baku for talks on military-technical cooperation with Azerbaijan, the Pakistani Embassy in Baku has told Trend.

The sides are expected to mull the development of cooperation between the two countries in the field of military aviation and air defense.

Sohail Aman will hold meetings in the Azerbaijani ministries of defense and defense industry.

Azerbaijan and Pakistan will continue amplifying bilateral cooperation in the defense sphere and organization of military exercises, Pakistani envoy to Azerbaijan Saeed Khan Mohmand has earlier said at a press conference in Baku.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

The relationship of a part of Armenians, which includes both the Armenian diaspora in the US and official Yerevan, with the new US administration can be described as unrequited love, transformed into uncontrolled jealousy.

The fact that US President Donald Trump initially had a cold attitude towards the Armenian lobby and Armenia in general, was obvious from the very beginning. Considering this, the relationship of the US with Azerbaijan causes idiosyncrasic reaction from Armenia.

Trump has always looked indifferently at the financial flows from the Armenian diaspora, aimed to lobby Armenias interests, which flow into the pockets of the US congressmen and senators. Trump, a successful businessman who, without attracting third-party investment, financed his election campaign, turned out to be frighteningly independent.

He owes nothing to anyone, the Armenian diaspora has absolutely no influence on him, and Armenia doesnt like the fact that this tendency is only growing with each of his new actions.

An even more frightening fact is that Trumps independence from political interest groups in the US may help him soberly approach the issues of the South Caucasus region, relying on national interests of the US, not the interests of the Armenian lobby.

The importance of Azerbaijan for the US is not due to any administrations personal attitude towards Baku, but due to the strategic and geographical position of the country, bordering Russia and Iran, which is also one of the biggest oil and gas producers and has the highest level of religious tolerance. So, if the US president is really independent, he will maintain relations with Baku at the highest level, relying on his countrys national interests.

This means that Trump will primarily pay attention to relations with Azerbaijan and Georgia in the region.

It is no coincidence that at the 6th Armenia-Diaspora forum, which is currently underway in Yerevan, many members of the Armenian lobby of the US were openly complaining about Trumps disliking them.

Raffi Balian, a representative of the Armenian diaspora of the US, said he strongly doubts that US President Donald Trump will recognize the Armenian genocide, news.am, the Armenian news agency, reported.

He said that Trump is not reliable in this matter.

This person has considerable economic, financial ties with Turkey and Azerbaijan, Balian added.

However, what Balian meant by financial ties is unclear.

Perhaps, he meant a completed construction project in Azerbaijan, once implemented by a company, which belongs to Trump. However, one can feel that Armenians are jealous over the new US administrations relations with Baku.

Armenians started to feel especially uncomfortable after the US chose Azerbaijan to hold a historic meeting on February 16, 2017 between General Joseph Francis Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

Thus, Washington unambiguously identified who is trusted in the region. Today, Azerbaijan and the US, right in front of jealous Armenia, continue to build equal partnership relations based on respecting national interests of each other.

This is while Armenia and the Armenian lobby of the US are still trying to find ugly details in these relations, although one can forgive them, because jealousy is capable of causing even greater distortions of reality.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

Trend:

It is a great pleasure for me to participate in this meeting on behalf of my country to reaffirm our solidarity with the Palestinian people and our persistent support for the just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine, Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said at the Meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement on Palestine.

"We would like to thank the Government of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for its initiative on convening a Meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement on Palestine," Mammadyarov said.

"Azerbaijan as any other member of international community is deeply concerned over wars and armed conflicts in various parts of the world, which lead to political instability in some regions, large-scale displacement and unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The lack of settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict poses threat not only to this region, but also to the international security."

"Azerbaijan supports peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and stands beside the Palestinian people. Azerbaijan stands for the two-state solution of the Palestinian conflict with East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine. In this regard, I would like to reaffirm Azerbaijans full support to the brotherly people of Palestine in their struggle for achieving peace, stability and sustainable development. As the future chairman of the NAM, Azerbaijan will seek to use this function to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the conflict based on international law, and the solid position of our Movement."

"I am pleased to inform that we enjoy close political dialogue and hold regular consultations with Palestine at different levels. Azerbaijans unwavering support to the government and people of Palestine has been repeated at various levels and my country continues to support the government of Palestine. A high level delegation from Azerbaijan paid an official visit to Ramallah in May 2016 and bilateral agreements were signed aimed at further intensification of practical cooperation. It was reciprocated by a high-level delegation representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Palestine visiting Baku in February 2017."

"Emanating from shared values and culture, Palestine and Azerbaijan historically cooperated and supported each other in all international forums and organisations. The spirit of this solidarity has been proved in different instances. Azerbaijan has hosted two successful conferences, namely, The donors conference to finance the strategic plan for the development of the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and The establishment of Islamic financial safety net in support of the state of Palestine in 2013 and made significant donations for the development and maintenance of the holy citys infrastructure. This year Azerbaijan hosted the International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem under auspices of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People with the support of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation. The Conference provided up-to-date information on the current situation in East Jerusalem under occupation, examined the latest developments, and explored practical ways."

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict underscores the urgency of acting collectively, immediately and determinedly to end this five decade conflict in accordance with international law, including humanitarian and human rights law. It requires international intervention and political will to address the root causes of the conflict in achieving a just, lasting solution to the question of Palestine in all its aspects based on international law and relevant UN resolutions."

"Having this opportunity, we once again support the Palestinian government in their efforts to realize their inalienable rights and legitimate national aspirations for peace, freedom and justice," Mammadyarov said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

Trend:

General Debate of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations has opened in New York.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, first lady Mehriban Aliyeva and Leyla Aliyeva attended the event.

General Debate was opened by Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres.

President of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak, President of Brazil Michel Temer, President of the United States of America Donald Trump addressed General Debate.
Rector of Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) Elmar Gasimov met with representatives of Faculty of Engineering of Piraeus Technology University (PUAS) Professor Panayotis Yannakopoulos and Associate Professor, Erasmus Coordinator Konstantinos-Stefanos Nikas. The Higher Schools Vice-Rector for Training, Science and International Relations Ramiz Humbatov and Chair of Process Automation Engineering Department Manafaddin Namazov also attended the meeting, which took place at BHOS.

Speaking about cooperation between BHOS and PUAS in the framework of Erasmus+ program, the Rector Elmar Gasimov touched upon issues of mutual interest and emphasized importance of further developing ties between two higher educational institutions. The guests also expressed their interest in strengthening partnership with the Higher School. The meeting participants discussed issues related to the development of bilateral cooperation in various spheres including students and teachers exchange programs, sharing educational and training materials, and developing joint Master degree program.

Within the visit, PUAS Professor Panayotis Yannakopoulos and Associate Professor, Erasmus Coordinator Konstantinos-Stefanos Nikas will conduct a training course for students and teachers of the Process Automation Engineering department at BHOS. They will visit the Higher Schools new campus, its laboratories, academic and other facilities. The representatives of Piraeus Technology University will also have a sightseeing tour around Baku.

Last year in the framework of the cooperation between BHOS and PUAS, fourth-year Process Automation Engineering undergraduates of Baku Higher Oil School Rahim Rahimly and Mammad Jabrayilov studied during a spring term at Piraeus Technology University in Athens. This year, fourth-year Process Automation Engineering student Ramziya Garazadeh goes to Greece to study during an autumn term at PUAS.

The Erasmus+ program is developed on the basis of Erasmus, a European Union student exchange program. It is the new program combining all the EU's current schemes for education, training, youth and sport. In 2016, BHOS signed a cooperation agreement with Piraeus Technology University within the Erasmus+ program aimed at developing bilateral exchange programs.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Samir Ali, Ilhama Isabalayeva  Trend:

Strong fire broke out at the Gazelli cosmetics factory in Baku, a source in the Crisis Management Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan told Trend Sept. 19.

The fire occurred in the warehouse of the factory located in the Shuvalan settlement of the Khazar district.

The fire, which lasted for more than an hour, has been extinguished.

One woman and nine men were poisoned by smoke in the fire, and they were rendered medical aid, Safaya Ahmadova, an official with the press service of the Ministry of Healthcare of Azerbaijan, told Trend.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Ministry of Finance plans to start preparation of a strategy for privatization of the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA), Finance Minister Samir Sharifov has told reporters in Baku.

Consultants with international reputation will be involved in this process, according to him.

As you know, we have already completed restructuring the banks external liabilities. We think it is already possible to take pre-privatization steps.

This was also discussed at a meeting with President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Suma Chakrabarti, and the EBRD expressed a desire to participate in IBAs privatization, Sharifov said.

He noted that the strategy for IBAs privatization must be approved by the government.

After approval, the bank will be declared open for privatization. This will probably happen in early 2018, Sharifov added.

On July 15, 2015, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on rehabilitation measures related to preparations for privatizing the state-owned shares of the International Bank of Azerbaijan OJSC.

In order to restore the banks financial position, its distressed assets were transferred to Aqrarkredit CJSC, a state-owned non-bank credit organization. Aqrarkredit CJSC provides the IBA with liquid assets in exchange for distressed assets.

Restructuring of IBAs foreign liabilities has been completed recently.

Azerbaijan has been a member of EBRD since 1992. Since then, the bank has invested about $2.8 billion in 161 projects in Azerbaijans financial, corporate, infrastructure and energy sectors.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Last year, the trade turnover in agriculture sphere between Azerbaijan and China totaled only $10 million, Azerbaijani Minister of Agriculture Heydar Asadov told reporters in Baku Sept. 19.

He said that the relations between the two countries in the agrarian sphere are currently growing, but some problems still remain.

The main problem is to increase export and export potential of Azerbaijani agricultural products, said the minister. Today, China can buy wool, fruits and wine products from Azerbaijan 2-2.8 times cheaper than from other countries.

He noted that this issue will take the main place in the subsequent negotiations between Azerbaijan and China.

According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, the trade with China in January-August 2017 amounted to $964.68 million, which is a 78.8 percent increase compared to the same period last year. China ranks fourth in Azerbaijans overall trade turnover and third in exports and imports.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Azerbaijan is waiting for Qatars response regarding creation of a joint investment fund, a source in the Azerbaijani government told Trend Sept. 19.

Azerbaijan sent its proposals long ago, but Qatar is hesitating with an answer, according to the source.

The package of proposals was sent to Qatar a few months ago, however we havent received an answer yet, the source said. Now everything depends on Qatar.

The creation of a joint investment fund between Azerbaijan and Qatar was proposed at a meeting with a delegation led by chairman and managing director of Qatars Barwa Bank, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani, in Baku.

Azerbaijan and Qatar have established successful economic cooperation, joint business forums, business meetings are held.

In February 2017, as part of the export mission of Azerbaijani businessmen to Qatar, a number of agreements were reached, particularly, on the supply of street and garden furniture. The two countries trade turnover showed a serious growth in January-August 2017.

According to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee, export operations rose by 79.3 times and import  slightly decreased in eight months of 2017, as compared to the same period of 2016.

The source added that the creation of a joint investment fund is also being discussed with the UAE.

Dubai also expressed interest in the creation of the investment fund, the source said. We sent our proposal to them back in May of this year, and we have received the answer just now. Now we are waiting for them to make an official appeal on this issue.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the UAE amounted to $34.42 million in January-August 2017, and $12.54 million accounted for exports of Azerbaijani products.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

From the beginning of first oil production in November 1997 and until September 1, 2017, 435.6 million tons of oil and 136.3 billion cubic meters of associated gas were produced in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block of oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea, Khoshbakht Yusifzade, first vice-president of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR, said in an article, published in the countrys Respublika newspaper, Sept. 19.

Yusifzade added that 245 million tons of the total volume of oil produced at ACG account for Azerbaijan's profitable oil.

"As of September 1, 2017, 340 million tons out of 456 million tons of oil exported by Azerbaijan to the world markets accounted for the export via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline," the article says.

A contract for developing the ACG field was signed in 1994. The oil reserves of the block reach around 1 billion tons. Shareholders of the project are BP (operator, 35.78 percent), Chevron (11.27 percent), Inpex (10.96 percent), AzACG (11.65 percent), Statoil (8.55 percent), Exxon (8 percent), TPAO (6.75 percent), Itocu (4.3 percent) and ONGC (2.72 percent).

The signing ceremony of a new contract on development of ACG block of oil and gas fields was held in Baku Sept. 14.

Following the ratification of the contract, the new ACG participating interests will be as follows: BP - 30.37 percent; AzACG (SOCAR) - 25.00 percent; Chevron - 9.57 percent; INPEX - 9.31 percent; Statoil - 7.27 percent; ExxonMobil - 6.79 percent; TP - 5.73 percent; ITOCHU - 3.65 percent; and ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) - 2.31 percent.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.19

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Saudi crude oil exports in July fell by 196,000 barrels per day month-on-month to 6.693 million barrels per day - their lowest level in the last 34 months, according to the report of the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI).

The countrys crude oil export stood at 6.889 million barrels per day in June 2017, according to JODI data.

This is while Saudi Arabias crude oil output has dropped from 10.070 million barrels per day in June to 10.010 million barrels per day in July 2017, the data shows.

Saudi Arabia has undertaken the largest cut in oil output (486,000 barrels per day) among the participants of the OPEC deal signed last year in Vienna.

On May 25, 2017, 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, Sept. 19

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is starting the implementation of the Electronic and Digital Financial Services project in Azerbaijan.

First deputy chairman of Azerbaijans Central Bank, Alim Guliyev, addressing an event in Baku dedicated to launching of the project, said it will be financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Digitization of the economy is one of the main trends in the global economy. The projects implementation will allow introducing innovative technologies, modernizing the legal framework, and improving the financial literacy of the population in Azerbaijan, he said.

Guliyev added that digitization is one of the Central Banks priorities.

The project implementation period is three years.

Within the project, banks will cooperate with state agencies, mobile operators and processing centers to provide various financial services through mobile apps and internet banking.

Azerbaijan became an IFC member in 1995. Since then, the IFC has provided loans worth $473 million to the country.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Sept. 19

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:

The Turkmen parliament hosted a meeting with Azerbaijani delegation headed by Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov, the Turkmen government said Sept. 19.

During the meeting, the sides noted that the centuries-old traditions of good neighborliness, common history and spiritual values of the two fraternal peoples and the rapidly developing cooperation between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan contribute to enhancing mutually beneficial interparliamentary relations.

They pointed out the importance of the meeting of Turkmenistans President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov with the Azerbaijani parliament speaker, held in August during the Turkmen presidents official visit to Baku.

During the visit, Berdimuhamedov drew attention to the important role of both countries MPs in the development of full-scale interstate dialogue.

In this regard, participants of the current meeting discussed priority areas and prospects of interparliamentary cooperation, said the Turkmen government's message.

Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, neighboring on the Caspian Sea, are both interested in using alternative routes to deliver their energy resources to Europe.

Turkmenistan is one of the key players on the energy market of the Caspian region and Central Asia.

Hydrocarbon resources of Turkmenistan can be sent in the western direction if a pipeline is constructed across the Caspian Sea to the shores of Azerbaijan, from where the hydrocarbon resources can be sent to Turkey and further to Europe.

Continuous transportation of Turkmen oil through Azerbaijan in recent years is an illustrative example of the mutually beneficial cooperation.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Sept. 19

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:

The 7th International Trade Fair of Cotton Products and International Conference Cotton products of Turkmenistan and World Market will be held in Ashgabat on Nov. 25-26, the event organizers said Sept. 19.

The event will be held with participation of the Turkmen Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Cotton is a significant export product of Turkmenistan and is a demanded raw material for dozens of modern companies of the dynamically developing textile industry in the country.

It is planned to produce 1,050,000 tons of cotton in Turkmenistan in 2017. It is currently harvest time in the country.
Tehran, Iran, September 18

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Irans banking ties with foreign banks and companies have improved significantly over the past couple of years, thanks to the implementation of the nuclear deal (aka Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA), a senior banking official believes.

"Under the favorable atmosphere created by the JCPOA, we have been able to extend our foreign ties and have signed a number of deals for providing lines of credit," Abbas Daneshvar, the director of international affairs and resource mobilization at Irans Bank of Industry and Mine told Trend September 18.

Daneshvar counted deals signed with Chinese, Korean, Indian, and Russian partners as landmark deals in this regard.

In late August, a framework agreement was signed between Iranian banks and Korea Eximbank, under which the Korean side would provide a 8 billion euro ($9.4 billion) loan to finance various projects by South Korean companies in Iran.

Also, Russias Vnesheconombank, otherwise known as VEB, last week signed a contract worth $1.2 billion with Irans Bank of Industry and Mine to finance a thermal power plant project in Hormozgan Province.

Last Thursday, China's CITIC Trust agreed to extend $10 billion credit line for supporting projects in lran, based on an agreement signed between the company and five Iranian banks.

Export Development Bank of Iran, Bank of Industry and Mine, Parsian Bank, Bank Pasargad Iran and Refah Bank were designated to act as the agent banks for using the Chinese financing on water management, energy, environment and transport projects in Iran, the official news portal of the Iranian government reported.

"The establishment of such ties comes with numerous benefits," Daneshvar said.

"The first benefit is that they improve your credit and encourage more foreign banks to approach you. The second benefit is that with every such contract signed, you contribute to the development of a competitive atmosphere. As a result, when you sit for talks with, say, a 6th or 7th bank, you can use this atmosphere towards more powerful negotiation."

"Also, these deals bring benefits inside the country. After all, the country needs foreign investment. We provide for the investment via such deals. This in turn also helps economic growth and employment as immediate needs of the country."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Fatih Karimov Trend:

The Commonwealth of Independent States(CIS) exported over 1.052 million tons of goods, worth $533 million, to Iran during the first five months of the current Iranian fiscal year (started March 20, 2017).

The Islamic Republics imports from the CIS registered a fall by 42 percent in terms of value and 32 percent in terms of volume compared to the preceding year, according to the latest statistics released by Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI).

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries ranked first among various economic regions from where Irans imports came during the 5-month period. Tehran imported some 2.597 million tons of goods, worth $4.802 billion, from the OIC countries during the 5-month period. This is 17 percent less in terms of volume and 13 percent more in terms of value respectively, compared to the same period of last fiscal year (March 20-Aug. 22, 2016).

Irans imports from various economic regions, based on the TPOI report:

Economic organization March 20-Aug. 22, 2017 (million USD) March 20-Aug. 22, 2016 (million USD) Change OIC 4802 4263 13% EU 4004 2989 34% GCC 3157 2628 20% ECO 1466 1365 7% ASEAN 898 510 76% CIS 533 914 -42%

Irans non-oil exports to various economic regions, based on the TPOI report:
Tehran, Iran, Sept. 18

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Some European banks are going to provide lines of credit (LCs) to Iran in a few days, Trend has found out. The move will put an end to European banks fear of US penalties on ties with Iran.

"There are a number of LCs to be opened by European partners in the coming days, a move in cooperation with the Central Bank of Iran and the Investment Department of the Ministry of Economy," Abbas Daneshvar, the director of international affairs and resource mobilization at Irans Bank of Industry and Mine, told Trend September 18.

The news comes close on the heels of a deal a few days earlier, according to which a Chinese state-owned investment firm provided a $10 billion credit line for Iranian banks.

European banks had remained wary of penalties from Washington for working with Iran since an international deal removed anti-Iran sanctions in January 2016.

But sources earlier said talks were at an advanced stage for $22 billion in credit deals with banks from Austria, Denmark and Germany.

China Development Bank also recently signed preliminary deals with Iran worth $15 billion for infrastructure and production projects.

Nevertheless, a couple of weeks earlier, an eight-billion-euro credit deal was signed between Iran and South Koreas Exim Bank, signaling an end to Iranian banking sectors isolation from the world.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:

Although President Donald Trump declined to clearly say whether he is scrapping the 2015 nuclear deal, his bold remarks on Tuesday once again fueled speculations on his possible decision to kill the multilateral accord.

The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions, Trump said in his debut speech at the UN General Assembly.

That deal is embarrassment to the US and I don't think you've heard the last of it, believe me, he added.

Such unprecedented remarks at the tribune of the UN General Assembly could help Tehran to unite the world to protect the deal.

The Europeans, contrary to President Trump, believe this is the best deal that could be accomplished.

On no account should the US pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, French President Emmanuel Macron told CNNs Christiane Amanpour following Trumps speech today.

The Europeans suggest it is not time to ditch the Iran deal particularly in the context that North Korea has become a nuclear power with the possibility of having continental missiles. And the Europeans against the US president still seek a diplomatic solution to put an end to the Korean crisis.

It seems Europe here plays a key role in convincing Trump to keep the deal, but President Hassan Rouhani, who is expected to respond to the American counterparts remarks during his address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, appears to have difficult days ahead to protect the deal.

Exiting such an agreement would carry a high cost for the United States of America, and I do not believe Americans would be willing to pay such a high cost for something that will be useless for them, Rouhani said on Monday.

Apparently even if the US president is not going to kill the deal, he defiantly is preparing to weaken it.

That is why the latest round of diplomatic talks may end in renegotiating the deal in order to allow the Westerners to come up with a concentrated effort to put break on Irans missile program.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has harshly criticized US President Donald Trump over his anti-Iran remarks made during his debut speech at UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

His remarks, particularly those about Iran  are not even worth a response, IRNA quoted him as saying in New York.

Trump addressing the UN General Assembly today attacked Iran, saying it was a corrupt dictatorship. He also accused Iran of destabilizing the Middle East.

The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy, Trump said.

It has turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos.
The US Department of Defense will send more than 3,000 additional soldiers to Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Michael Andrews confirmed to Sputnik.

"We will not say where they are going in Afghanistan because we don't want the enemy to know our plans," Andrews clarified confirming that more than 3,000 additional US troops will be deployed to Afghanistan.

Trump has recently announced his new Afghan strategy, saying that the United States was committed to destroying extremist groups.

Unlike his predecessor's plans for US troops withdrawal from the country at a steady pace and handing over the security to the Afghan government, Trump's strategy involves increasing military presence.

The new strategy bases the criteria for withdrawing US troops on fulfilment of certain requirements rather than on a time-line.

The United Stated has been maintaining its military presence in Afghanistan for 16 years now  it is the longest conflict Pentagon has ever been engaged in.
An airport in Auckland, New Zealands biggest city, has been canceling dozens of flights on Monday after a pipeline leak led to a severe shortage of jet fuel, Sputnik reported.

Thousands of domestic and international passengers stuck in the country's largest airport after the sole source of jet fuel was apparently damaged by a farm digger on Thursday.

The damaged pipeline carries jet fuel, petrol and diesel directly from the oil refinery at Marsden Point in Northland to Auckland.

The leak reduced fuel supplies at the airport to 30% of normal capacity, with airlines now advised to carry enough fuel for return flights.

Refining NZ spokesman has estimated it could take between 10 and 15 days to restore the fuel supply.

The government of New Zealand said the country's defense force and government agencies will provide tankers and tank drivers to speed up the transportation of essential fuel to Auckland.

"The defense force will also becancelling a major exercise with Singapore to preserve fuel, deferring non-essential training," said energy minister Judith Collins.
The US Senate has overwhelmingly approved the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that significantly boosts the country's military funding, Sputnik reported.

Senators approved the $700 billion defense measure, which contains over $600 billion in spending for US operations in the Middle East, in a 89-8 vote on Monday. This act gives an enormous boost to the biggest military budget in the world, as the previous one was capped at $549 billion.

The measure includes funding for additional F-35 and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets and Navy ships and authorizes the increase of the missile defense program in Alaska.

In August, Senator John McCain said he would amend the NDAA to include a strategy for US forces in Afghanistan if President Donald Trumps administration fails to come up with one by September. He introduced the amendment that outlines the US Afghanistan strategy.

The Pentagon is currently increasing military presence in Afghanistan in accordance with the new strategy released by Donald Trump. Also, the US army is conducting airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.

The National Defense Authorization Act is a US federal law that specifies the budget for the Department of Defense. Congress passes a new act for each fiscal year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 19

By Alan Hope - Trend:

On Sept. 18 the President of the United States Donald Trump had addressed the world leaders in a much-anticipated high-level meeting on the United Nations reform proposal. As the world, fueled by that speech, holds its breath in anticipation Trumps inaugural speech at the General Assembly floor on Sept. 19 a deeper look at the US supported UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterress reform initiatives proves to be prudent, if not imperative.

What is UN?

The United Nations Organization (UN) was created by the 51 original member states as an intergovernmental organization tasked with the promotion of international co-operation on Oct 24, 1945. It was established after the end of World War II, as a functionally decentralized system, organized as a set of loosely connected communities of interest, effectively replacing the inept League of Nations.

At that time, the ongoing decolonization processes, as well as the onset of the Cold War, had derailed UNs original mission, forcing it to focus mainly on the support of a large number of newly independent states. During the Cold War, the UN had played a role of a diplomatic platform that, to some extent, helped in handling the intricacies of the bipolar worlds reality. With the end of the Cold War and the acceleration of globalization, many had hoped for the UN lead development decade, which unfortunately was faltered by its fizzled peace keeping missions.

In the post-9/11 era, the UN has played a certain role in strengthening the international cooperation and capacities in the global fight against terrorism, yet not as effectively as it could have as it was held back by its bureaucracy.

As of late, the UN had become a complex system of organizations, agencies, funds, programs, and other bodies, the financing of which is very multifaceted and complex. Its funding is comprised of the assessed (obligatory payments made by member states to finance the UN regular budget and peacekeeping operations) and voluntary (left to the discretion of each member state) contributions.

Due largely to the increase of the UN mandates, the organizations overall budget, formation of which is frequently referred to as opaque (as an overload of data with little or no explanation), grew significantly over the past decade, which brought UNs annual expenditures to almost $49B in 2016.

Adding to UNs bureaucratic and budgetary problems of the voting structure (one-country-one-vote) of the General Assembly constantly brings forth the complaints of a free-rider problem, whereby countries that contribute relatively minimal resources still have voting power and maintain control over financial decisions. As such, 77 states, whose membership includes over two-thirds of the General Assembly, consistently favor budget increases, while the countries which account for more than 85 percent of the UN budget are unable to prevent them.

Thus, the present-day UN had turned into an overstaffed well-oiled bureaucratic machine, which doesnt provide much needed impact on the current problems, including unraveling and frozen conflicts, constant humanitarian disasters etc., as its decisions and resolutions still carry more of an advisory, rather than obligatory character.

It became an overspending enterprise with tarnished reputation, unjustifiably mismanaged and abused. Indeed, in view of ongoing military crises in Syria and Ukraine, frozen conflicts in Nagorno Karabakh and Transnistria, nuclear threats of North Korea, continuous humanitarian crisis in Myanmar amongst many others, the UN is proven itself ineffective, almost destined to follow the path of its predecessor.

What Trump wants?

Within the view of the abovementioned what does US President Donald Trump want of the UN?

First of all, like with many other things, Trump views the United Nations as a business enterprise that can be salvaged, if properly restructured and managed. Thus, Trump encourages the organizational reform of the UN, aiming at the corporate restructuring, which could enhance the accountability framework aligning authority with responsibility.

He wants to end the business as usual practice, by redesigning the UNs mandate procedures, to exclude further redundancies and overlaps. Trump calls for the improvement of the UNs management policies, including the human resources management, aiming at widening the geographical base to include those who are closer to the problem and may have an insider view of its resolution.

As a true businessman, the US president perfectly knows that the UN peacekeeping operations are cost-effective, as UN missions overall are eight times cheaper than U.S. forces acting alone. They also constitute the largest deployed multinational military force in the world (125,000 personnel on 16 missions). Thus, by optimizing the UN peacekeeping efforts Trump wants to keep American boots off the ground of a conflict zone, and simultaneously preserve US lives and save money diverting it to more pressing domestic matters.

At the same time, as UNs prime donor, providing 22 percent of the organizations biannual operating budget totaling at $5.4B, with the USs total budgeted financial contribution of almost $5B in 2017 alone, Trump calls for fiscal responsibility.

That call is not for intended for decrease of the USs financial contributions share, but aimed to see results in line with [its] investment, an also to ease the disproportionate [militarily or financial] share of the burden.

All-in-all, some adversaries of the Trump declaration are calling it autocratic and viewing it as a hostile takeover to be followed by the corporate raid. The reality of the fact is that present-day UN is already a lame duck, if not the one already dead in the water, which urgently needs a shock therapy. Fortunately, US president was bold enough to call on the so-much needed reforms as UN stands at the crossroads of following in its predecessors path or serving its true purpose.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 19, 2017 - 01:26 | All, World

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday debuted at the United Nations and called for its reform, criticizing the world body over "bureaucracy and mismanagement."

"In recent years, the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement," Trump told a high-level meeting on U.N. reform in New York.

Citing a 140 percent increase in the U.N. regular budget and the more than doubling of its staff since 2000, Trump said, "We are not seeing the results in line with this investment."

"We seek a United Nations that regains the trust of the people around the world," he said. "The United Nations must hold every level of management accountable, protect whistleblowers, and focus on results rather than on process."

The businessman-turned-president, who took office in January with his "America First" mantra, said that to honor the people of the United States, the United Nations must ensure that no member state shoulders "a disproportionate share of the burden," both financially and militarily.

As leader of the biggest contributor to the U.N. budget and peacekeeping operations, Trump is scheduled on Tuesday to deliver his first general debate address at the U.N. General Assembly.

World leaders will be closely watching Trump's speech amid concerns about his support for global institutions such as the United Nations and U.S. leadership in global and regional issues following Washington's withdrawal from the Paris accord on climate change and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

In Monday's remarks, Trump said his administration backs U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres' efforts to "look across the entire system" and to find ways the United Nations can be better at development, management, peace and security.

"We encourage the secretary general to fully use his authority to cut through the bureaucracy, reform outdated systems and make firm decisions to advance the U.N.'s core mission," he said.
- A Delta man has left the internet abuzz with laughter over his sleek display of polygamy

- The most-wanted man shared photos of him with his two lovers

- The ladies looked contented and happy to be sharing one man

Society promotes monogamous relationships. When a man and woman come together it is celebrated but it is often rare to see a man proudly marry two women at the same time.

READ ALSO: Banky W is concerned over the health of his Uber driver

A social media user, Daniel Etoroma, has people asking questions when photos of him with two women said to be his lovers emerged. The wedding has been termed wives excursion ceremony and has been slated for September 30.

Just before the time, a friend of the groom shared photos of Daniel and his brides on social media, asking people to join them in the celebration.

Man with his two wives Source: Facebook, MC Udeke

The lovers looked stylish in their red t-shirts as they cozied up to show they belong together.

READ ALSO: Odi Ok! Actress Mercy Johnson stuns in hot new photos

Man with his two wives Source: Facebook, MC Udeke

Congratulations to the trio.

PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app

Watch Legit.ng video on whether a woman should live with a man she's not married to:

Source: Legit.ng
[September 19, 2017] CoreLogic Analysis Estimates Property Damage from Hurricane Irma Between $42.5 Billion and $65 Billion

CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today announced preliminary loss estimates for Hurricane Irma. According to the data analysis, total insured and uninsured loss for both residential and commercial properties, including damage from both flood and wind, is estimated to be between $42.5 billion and $65 billion.* Of this, an estimated $13.5 billion to $19 billion in insured loss is attributed to damage from wind for both residential and commercial properties. Residential Loss Flood loss for residential properties from Hurricane Irma is estimated at $25 billion to $38 billion. This includes storm surge, inland and flash flooding in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Of this flood total, insured residential flood loss is estimated at $5 billion to $8 billion and uninsured residential flood loss is estimated at $20 billion to $30 billion. As a result, an estimated 80 percent of flood damage to residential properties from Hurricane Irma is not covered by any flood insurance. Of the total wind damage, an estimated $11 billion to $15 billion represents residential loss. Most damage from hurricane wind is typically covered by private insurers. Commercial Loss Insured flood loss for commercial properties is estimated at $4 billion to $8 billion. Data for uninsured flood loss for commercial properties, which could equal or exceed insured loss estimates, is unavailable. Of the total wind damage, an estimated $2.5 billion to $4 billion represents commercial loss. Data Highlights: Insured residential flood loss covered by NFIP is estimated at $5 billion to $8 billion, representing one quarter of damaged homes. This includes inland, flash and storm surge flooding. More than 98 percent of residential flood insurance in the U.S. is provided through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Uninsured residential flood loss is estimated at $20 billion to $30 billion, representing 80 percent of damaged homes.

Insured commercial flood loss is estimated at $4 billion to $8 billion, the majority of which is covered by private insurers with a small percentage covered by NFIP.

Insured residential loss from wind damage is estimated at $11 billion to $15 billion.

Insured commercial loss from wind damage is estimated at $2.5 billion to $4 billion.







CoreLogic Hurricane Irma Loss Estimates Residential Commercial Total Insured Flood Loss $5 B - $8 B $4 B - $8 B $29 B - $46 B Uninsured Flood Loss $20 B - $30 B N/A Insured Wind Loss $11 B - $15 B $2.5 B - $4 B $13.5 B - $19 B Total Losses $42.5 B - $65 B Source (News - Alert): CoreLogic, September 2017

Insured loss represents the amount insurers will pay to cover damage and loss. *This total does not include commercial uninsured flood loss. About CoreLogic CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX) is a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider. The company's combined data from public, contributory and proprietary sources includes over 4.5 billion records spanning more than 50 years, providing detailed coverage of property, mortgages and other encumbrances, consumer credit, tenancy, location, hazard risk and related performance information. The markets CoreLogic serves include real estate and mortgage finance, insurance, capital markets, and the public sector. CoreLogic delivers value to clients through unique data, analytics, workflow technology, advisory and managed services. Clients rely on CoreLogic to help identify and manage growth opportunities, improve performance and mitigate risk. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., CoreLogic operates in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com. CORELOGIC and the CoreLogic logo are trademarks of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170919006019/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
The energy sector has been featured in constant headlines since President Donald Trump took office. Tumultuous speculation surrounding the industry's viability in the U.S. continues to swirl, especially regarding the budding renewable energy sector--which ramped up after the U.S. pulled out of the Paris climate agreement. But now, a Trump administration shift on Paris is possible.

The energy sector has been featured in constant headlines since President Donald Trump took office. Tumultuous speculation surrounding the industrys viability in the U.S. continues to swirl, especially regarding the budding renewable energy sectorwhich ramped up after the U.S. pulled out of the Paris climate agreement. But now, a Trump administration shift on Paris is possible.

Over the last few days, news broke that President Trump, who pulled out of the accord that hopes to reduce carbon emissions on a global scale, might not back out of the Paris climate agreement after all. White House officials recently indicated that instead of pulling out of the global pact outright, the Trump administration will try to reach a different deal, with less strict requirements.

What might give solar energy investors even more hope for a renewed push is the fact that former Vice President Al Gore stated confidently on Monday that the U.S. will still meet the Paris climate agreements environmental goals, with or without the Trump administrations help.

While speaking at the United Nations Private Sector Forum on Monday, Gore said that he hopes the Trump administration "will lower its ambitions stated in Paris but remain in the Paris agreement."

"But whether that happens or not, U.S. states and cities and businesses and industries are moving forward," Gore continued. "The projections now indicate that the United States will meet the commitments made at Paris whether it is affirmed by the federal government or not."

Gores vote of confidence in the U.S. clean energy push, no matter what course of action Trump decides to take next, should help lift the spirits of renewable power investors.

Now, lets take a look at some of solar energy stocks and their fundamentals to see if investors have reason to buy amid the industrys recent up-and-down run.

1. SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. SEDG

SolarEdge provides power optimizers, inverters, and a cloud-based monitoring platform. The company has received two positive earnings estimate revisions for this quarter and next quarter within the last 60 days. SolarEdge has also earned two full-year upward revisions, as well as two positive revisions for 2018, in that same time frame.

Story continues

SolarEdge is currently a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and scores a B for Value and an A for Momentum in our Style Scores system.

The companys revenues are projected to pop 23.28% this quarter and jump 9.70% for the year, hitting $560.50 million in total sales. SolarEdges 117.34% year-to-date price change blows out the Solar industrys 10% decline. The companys cash flow per share of $0.70 comes in far above the industrys flat rate. SolarEdges forward PE ratio of 14.35 also beat out the Solar average.

2. JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. JASO

This fast-growing manufacturer of high-performance solar cells earned both an A for Value and Momentum in our Zacks Style Scores system. JA Solar also scored a C for Growth to boast an overall VGM score of A. The company is currently a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and shares of the small-cap company rest just below their 52-week high.

JA Solar seems like it could be a solid choice for value investors interested in the companys cash position, as its Cash/Price ratio is 1.75, which is far above the industry average of 0.29. The companys current cash flow of $4.78 per share also blows the industry average of $0 out of the water. Finally, JA Solars Price/Cash Flow of 1.65 marks a big upside against Solars 3.55 average.

3. SunPower Corporation SPWR

SunPower, which designs and manufactures highly efficient silicon solar cells and panels, boasts a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). SunPowers B grade for both Growth and Momentum in our Style Scores system helped the company post an overall VGM score of B.

Within the last 60 days, SunPower received one upward earnings estimate revision for this quarter and next quarter, as well for the current full-year and the following year. The companys current ratio, which is defined as its current assets divided by current liabilities, rests well above the industry average of 1.05 at 1.45, meaning that the company might be in a more stable financial position than its industry peers.

Furthermore, SunPower has experienced a 29.65% year-to-date price change. However, even with the big increase in its price per share, SunPower has a ton of room to climb before it nears its 52-week high-water mark again.

Bottom Line

The Solar energy industry currently ranks in the top 12% of the 265 different industries tracked and ranked by Zacks, and the possibility of a renewed U.S. commitment to the Paris climate deal could spur growth. But as Gore noted, the nation as a whole and its businesses are on track to meet the accords goals no matter what course of action Trump takes.

New Report: An Investors Guide to Cybersecurity

Cyberattacks have become more frequent and destructive than ever. In fact, theyre expected to cause $6 trillion per year in damage by 2020. The cybersecurity industry is expanding quickly in response to these threats, and a projected $170 billion per year will be spent to protect consumer and corporate assets.

Zacks has just released Cybersecurity: An Investors Guide to Locking Down Profits, which reveals 4 promising investment candidates to benefit from this growing market. Download the new report now>>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



JA Solar Holdings, Co., Ltd. (JASO) : Free Stock Analysis Report



SunPower Corporation (SPWR) : Free Stock Analysis Report



SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (SEDG) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
BOJA vs. SBUX: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Some of the best mutual funds for a 401 (k) plan are index funds having low expense ratios and actively managed funds with good long-term track records. The biggest players in this segment are Vanguard, Fidelity and American Funds. Almost all the 401 (k) mutual funds come from one of these three big fund houses.

Vanguard is one of the leading investment management companies in the world, courtesy of its low-cost funds. The company offers nearly 300 low-cost funds, which attract a significant portion of investor assets. Fidelity Investments is also one of the largest and oldest mutual fund companies in the world that serves more than 25 million individual customers. American Funds is also one of the biggest investment management organizations globally and has around $1.4 trillion worth of assets under management.

Among the smaller companies is Dodge & Cox that offers some incredible mutual funds for 401 (k) plans as well. Dodge & Cox manages assets worth more than $259 billion and is known for its effective business management.

What is a 401 (k) Plan?

A 401 (k) plan is a retirement savings plan sponsored by the employer. The plan helps workers invest a portion of their savings before taxes are imposed. Taxes arent charged until the money is withdrawn from the account. To oversee an account, employer generally hires a fund house that provides information on the plan and its performance, manage the paperwork and offer assistance if required. Typically, plan contributions are invested in mutual funds.

The 401 (k) plan, in the meanwhile, was introduced in the 1980s as a supplement to pension funds as their costs escalated with time.

4 Best Mutual Funds for a 401 (k) Plan

We have, thus, highlighted four best mutual funds to be considered for a 401k plan from the above mentioned fund houses. These funds are the best choices when it comes to savings for retirement.

Vanguard Extended Market Index Investor VEXMX, with a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy), seeks long-term growth of capital. VEXMX employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the S&P Completion Index, a broadly diversified index of stocks of small and mid-size U.S. companies.

Story continues

Managed by Vanguard Group, the fund carries an expense ratio of 0.21%, lower than the category average of 1.09% (read more: Mutual Fund Pitfalls, Mind the Expense Ratio).

Moreover, VEXMX requires a minimal initial investment of $3,000. It has year-to-date and past years return of 9.1% and 18.8%, respectively. VEXMXs performance, as of the last filing, when compared to funds in its category was in the top 16.5% in a year, top 8.8% over the past three years, and in the 14.6% over the past five years.

Fidelity Balanced FBALX, with a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1, seeks income and capital growth consistent with reasonable risk. FBALX invests approximately 60% of assets in stocks and other equity securities and the remainder in bonds and other debt securities.

Managed by Fidelity, this fund carries an expense ratio of 0.55%, below the category average of 0.83%.

Furthermore, FBALX requires a minimal initial investment of $2,500. It has year-to-date and past years return of 11.8% and 14.6%, respectively. FBALXs performance, as of the last filing, when compared to funds in its category was in the top 12% in a year, top 7.8% over the past three years, and in the 10.4% over the past five years.

American Funds Growth Fund of America A AGTHX, with a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1, provides long-term growth of capital through a diversified portfolio of common stocks.

Managed by American Funds, the fund carries an expense ratio of 0.66%, lower than the category average of 1.12%.

Moreover, AGTHX requires a minimal initial investment of $250. It has year-to-date and past years return of 17.3% and 21.3%, respectively. AGTHXs performance, as of the last filing, when compared to funds in its category was in the top 20.3% in a year, top 11.7% over the past three years, and in the 16.1% over the past five years.

Dodge & Cox Stock Fund DODGX, with a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1, seeks long-term growth of principal and income. DODGX invests primarily in a broadly diversified portfolio of common stocks.

Managed by Dodge & Cox, the fund carries an expense ratio of 0.52%, below the category average of 1.04%.

Furthermore, DODGX requires a minimal initial investment of $2,500. It has year-to-date and past years return of 8.3% and 23.1%, respectively. DODGXs performance, as of the last filing, when compared to funds in its category was in the top 24.3% in a year, top 9.5% over the past three years, and in the 16.3% over the past five years.

Want key mutual fund info delivered straight to your inbox?

Zacks free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing mutual funds, each week. Get it free >>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Get Your Free (VEXMX): Fund Analysis Report



Get Your Free (DODGX): Fund Analysis Report



Get Your Free (FBALX): Fund Analysis Report



Get Your Free (AGTHX): Fund Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Which airline gives customers a real shot at earning elite status?

Joining an airline loyalty program can provide amazing perks, but a new study reveals that all programs are not created equal.

The Points Guy (TPG) has selected Alaska Airlines (ALK) as the best domestic airline for Elite Status. The travel site, which specializes in credit card and airline reviews, also released a tool to help consumers find the best elite program for their lifestyle. Alaska is the only airline that awards frequent flyer miles based on distance flown instead of how much money the traveler spends. This makes earning Elite Status slightly easier.

In fact, travelers who fly 25,000 miles in a year on Alaska Airlines or one of its partners, qualify for the lowest elite tier called Mileage Plan MVP. For reaching this level, members receive a 50% bonus on miles. This equals 12,500 miles worth $237.50.

For comparison, the three legacy carriers (United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines) have revenue-based loyalty programs, so things get more confusing. On Delta, for instance, travelers must fly 25,000 Medallion Qualification Miles and spend $3,000 to qualify for lowest Silver Medallion level. Once there, members are only given two miles for every dollar spent. So if you spend $3,000, that equals 6,000 bonus miles worth just $72.

The other airlines have similar point structures, so If you multiply the number of miles awarded by the airline and the TPG valuation of those miles, you will see that Alaska continues to come out on top.

Delta: 6,000 SkyMiles x 1.2 cents/mile = $72

American: 6,000 AAdvantage miles x 1.4 cents/mile = $84

United: 6,000 MileagePlus miles x 1.5 cents/mile = $90

Alaska: 12,500 MileagePlan miles x 1.9 cents/mile = $237.50

The Points Guy evaluated the six largest U.S.-based airlines and judged them on eight categories, including in-flight perks, fee waivers, bonuses, airport perks, flexible perks, non-flying perks, partner perks, and reservation perks.

The second best frequent flyer program is United, which actually carries more benefits than Alaska when it comes to busy travelers who fly more than 125,000 miles or spend $15,000 annually. At that level, United is able to offer 12 premier upgrades (six regional and six global) and enhanced award availability.

Story continues

Delta came in third place, followed by American in fourth, JetBlue Airways in fifth, and Southwest Airlines in sixth.

Finding the right program for you

After weighing the pros and cons of each program, theres a chance that none of the frequent flyer programs are a good fit for your travel habits.

The fact is, most travelers will fly less than 25,000 miles a year or spend less than $3,000. For these casual flyers, the Elite Status will continue to be elusive.

The Points Guy

Still, if you want to analyze your own frequent flyer prospects, The Points Guy has developed an interactive tool where you can input your flying and spending levels and adjust for those eight categories mentioned above.

Ultimately, you may find that staying loyal to a specific airline doesnt offer real benefits. In fact, it might be a better idea to sign up for a co-branded credit card from one of the airlines. These routinely offer perks like free checked bags, priority boarding and discounted in-flight purchases, reliable perks that you can expect and depend on.

Brittany is a reporter at Yahoo Finance.

The best travel rewards programs to enroll in

American Airlines invests $6 million in new 3D airport scanners

Alaska Airlines will phase out Virgin America brand: Heres what customers can expect
Leader in providing SD-WAN-as-a-Service signs on to support February event.

Trumbull, CT  September 19, 2017  TMC today announced TELoIP has joined SD-WAN Expo as a Platinum Sponsor held February 14-16, 2018 at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward Country Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At SD-WAN Expo enterprise executives, service providers, and technology vendors will connect to learn about and discuss how this market is growing, how it is evolving, and how all three of these constituencies can make the most of the SD-WAN opportunity. Collocated with ITEXPO, one the largest remaining communications and technology conferences in the world, SD-WAN Expo is the dedicated forum for the industry to come together and learn.

The cloud is demanding a new form of network connectivity that can be driven by software. This trend is the primary driver behind the growth of SD-WAN market. TELoIP is very pleased to sponsor this event we expect that visitors will learn that SD-WAN is not just another obscure buzzword, but it will affect everything from how your employees access Office365 or Salesforce to securing your broadband connection, said Kevin Suitor, Chief Marketing Officer at TELoIP

TELoIP provides SD-WAN-as-a-Service, including core transport and orchestration, delivered in a 100% channel model. TELoIP eliminates barriers to SD-WAN adoption by leveraging a turnkey, multi-tenant cloud (the TELoIP Cloud) with nine points of entry in North America. The company located each point of entry in carrier-neutral facilities, allowing them to take advantage of a plethora of blended transit services co-located in these sites.

Questions regarding speaking opportunities at SD-WAN Expo should be sent to Dave Rodriguez at 203-852-6800 x146 or Erik Linask at 203-852-6800 x284.

Registration for SD-WAN Expo is now open. For more information on SD-WAN Expo, contact [email protected]. For media inquiries, contact Jessica Seabrook. Companies interested in exhibiting, sponsorship or advertising packages for SD-WAN Expo should contact TMC's Joe Fabiano at 203-852-6800 x132 or Maureen Gambino at 203-852-6800 x109.



For the latest SD-WAN Expo news, updates and information follow the event on Twitter at @SDWANexpo.

About TMC

Global buyers rely on TMCs content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. This presents branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities for vendors/sellers.

TMCs Marketplaces:

Unique, turnkey Online Communities boost search results, establish market validation, elevate brands and thought leadership, while minimizing ad-blocking.

Custom Lead Programs uncover sales opportunities and build databases.

In-Person and Online Events boost brands, enhance thought leadership and generate leads.

Publications, Display Advertising and Newsletters bolster brand reputations.

Custom Content provides expertly ghost-crafted blogs, press releases, articles and marketing collateral to help with SEO, branding, and

overall marketing efforts.

overall marketing efforts. Comprehensive Event and Road Show Management Services help companies meet potential clients and generate leads face-to-face.

For more information about TMC and to learn how we can help you reach your marketing goals, please visit www.tmcnet.com.

Media and Analyst Contact:

Jessica Seabrook

Marketing Director

TMC

203-852-6800 x 170

[email protected]

Share this Page

Edited by Maurice Nagle
Shares of Nvidia touched a record high for the second straight day on Monday following yet another steep increase in the chipmakers price target by a Wall Street analyst.

Nvidias shares, valued at a low $23.30 in 2015, have since surged to hit a high of $190.10 on Monday, with at least four brokerages setting their price targets at $200 or above.

Analysts have focused on the companys progress in artificial intelligence, in particular.

Our sense is management believes that investors still severely underestimates the impact of AI and the size of the potential market, Evercore analyst C. J. Muse wrote in a note on Friday after hosting Nvidias management.

Nvidia nvda has been rapidly expanding into newer technologies including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and self-driving cars, away from designing graphics-processing chips for which the company was known for.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Vivek Arya listed Nvidia a top pick, basing his view on (Nvidias) underappreciated transformation from a traditional PC graphics vendor, into a supplier into high-end gaming, enterprise graphics, cloud, accelerated computing, and automotive markets, according to Seeking Alpha.

Arya raised his price target on Monday by $25 to $210, the second highest on the Street. Evercore ISIs whopping $70 price target raise on Friday to $250 is currently the highest.

Wall Street is bullish on the stock, with 22 of 38 brokerages having a buy recommendation, as per Thomson Reuters data. Twelve have hold and four have sell rating.

Broadening its push into AI, Nvidia has been partnering with auto makers to help develop self-driving vehicles.

In May, Nvidia announced a partnership with Toyota Motor tm through which the Japanese car maker would use Nvidias AI technology to develop self-driving vehicle systems planned for the next few years.

NVDA has created an industry standard for AI systems that will be nearly impossible to replicate, Evercores Muse wrote in a note on Friday.

Story continues

Nvidia is also gaining from rising demand for its chips used to process cryptocurrency transactions.

However, the company has little room for any missteps.

Nvidias shares fell last month after the companys second-quarter revenue in its data center and automotive businesses missed estimates.
It's been five years since Best Buy (BBY) held an investor meeting. And while much has changed since the last one, there will still be skeptics in the audience at its Richfield, Minnesota, headquarters. At its last one, in November 2012 in New York, then-new chief executive Hubert Joly laid out his transformation plan "Renew Blue" to reverse sales declines and improve profitability through cost cuts and growing online sales. Best Buy did just that. "Five years ago the times were different. We had negative comps. Our margins were going down. There were questions about whether we were going to survive," Joly acknowledged in an exclusive CNBC interview. Earlier this year, Joly concluded the transformation was complete. "We've had four years of positive comps. Our margins have expanded. We have been, in the last five years, in the top 10 percent of the S&P 500 from a total shareholder return standpoint. Customer satisfaction is up. We're gaining share," he said. "We've become relevant again," Joly said, smiling. "And I couldn't be more proud of what our associates have accomplished." Speaking to CNBC ahead of the meeting, he outlined areas where he sees potential growth, such as in the connected home market and with smartphones. He said the transformation strategy was mainly about "fixing what was broken." The new strategy, Best Buy 2020, pivots and is "focused on growth. Tuesday morning Best Buy released new financial targets for fiscal 2021 that it will discuss in detail at the meeting, as it outlines its plans for the next phase of growth. Investors were clearly disappointed, sending shares down more than 8 percent. Revenue is expected to grow to $43 billion in fiscal 2021, versus $39.4 billion in fiscal 2017. Meanwhile, the company will look to realize $600 million in annual cost savings by the end of fiscal 2021. As a result, Best Buy estimates its adjusted operating income in fiscal 2021 will be between $1.9 billion to $2.0 billion versus $1.7 billion in fiscal 2017. On an adjusted basis, its earnings are projected to be in the range of $4.75 to $5.00 a share, which is an 8 to 9 percent compound annual growth rate from fiscal 2017. "We've taken the time to look at the strategic landscape. And we think that we are operating in a very attractive environment that's full of growth opportunities," Joly said. Still, Best Buy will have to sell this strategy to investors. But that's nothing new, five years ago, some had doubted whether Joly was right for the job. While he had turnaround experience, he had spent the last eight years in the hospitality industry and was leaving his position as CEO of hotel group Carlson to lead a U.S. consumer electronics retailer. "We were consistently skeptical of Mr. Joly's lack of retail experience," Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said in a note to investors. However, he added, "the company has executed nearly flawlessly since CEO Hubert Joly joined five years ago." Still, Pachter has an underperform rating on Best Buy shares because he wonders if it can sustain its growth as a price war rages between retail behemoths Amazon (AMZN) and Wal-Mart (WMT).

Going after the connected home market The connected smart home might be the most comprehensive category for the retailer to find opportunity under the new strategy for both service and product sales. According to various estimates, the global smart home market is expected to grow to $33 billion to $50 billion over the next four years. Piper Jaffray analyst Peter Keith estimates Best Buy could capture 10 percent market share in the connected smart home sector, which would add more than a full percentage point of same-store sales growth through 2021. A big initiative to capture that share is Best Buy's new In-Home Advisor program. After testing the program for more than a year in a handful of cities, it's currently rolling it out nationwide with a workforce of 300. This program differs from Best Buy's Geek Squad because it's a free service. Best Buy employees with deep knowledge across product categories and brands go to customers' homes and provide technology advice and guidance on anything from increasing appliance efficiency to improving Wi-Fi connectivity to setting up home assistants that speak to the sound system and thermostat. While the program is in its infancy, the In-Home Advisors are already individually profitable. Joly says what's even better is the potential for long-term relationships with consumers. "Economically for us it's attractive because it helps make customers happy, build a relationship and grow the revenue line," he said. The margins are also better as the In-Home Advisors "unlock unmet needs" consumers don't realize they have until someone can assess their homes, Joly said. By the end of October, 450 Best Buy stores will have a smart home powered by Vivint section, and 1,500 smart home employees will join the team. Additionally Tuesday, Best Buy announced it's testing a service it calls Assured Living in Minneapolis and Denver, which uses technology to help loved ones check in on the safety and well-being of aging family members. Joly used an example of a woman he calls an alpha mom, who does everything for everyone, to explain how Assured Living might help her keep tabs on her aging parents. "There's a sensor under the bed or in the medicine cabinet with an app and artificial intelligence, she'll be able to be alerted if something is wrong." But Best Buy is counting on millennials for the biggest opportunity when it comes to the connected home. The retailer's market share with millennials is higher than any other demographic. "[Millennials] are finally leaving their parents' home and so they're actually moving to the suburbs. And so they need to equip their home," Joly said. Aiming for mobile market share Millennials, along with most other demographics, count on their smartphones for more and more in their daily lives. But Best Buy has a relatively low market share in mobile. Part of Best Buy 2020 aims to change that. "Buying a phone can be daunting. It's a very expensive purchase. You have many choices you need to make," Joly said. "We have a number of initiatives and improvements to the shopping experience, making it easier for customers to find out what plan they should buy, making it more efficient to get the phone." Joly declined to comment on his expectations for the new Apple (AAPL) iPhones and anticipated Android smartphone releases this fall. Amazon: Foe and friend For years, the narrative surrounding Best Buy and Amazon was that the consumer electronics retailer was becoming merely a showroom for shoppers that ultimately bought on Amazon. This summer when news surfaced that Amazon was building its own Geek Squad-like service, Best Buy shares took a hit. But Joly has shown Best Buy can exist in an Amazon world, and in some cases, the two work together. Best Buy is rolling out new Amazon Alexa and Google (GOOGL) Home assistant experiences to 700 stores. Best Buy employees will demonstrate how the smart home assistants work and Geek Squad members can provide help with support and installation, which fits in with the connected home strategy. Joly said his company's mission is to offer customers the best products in the market, and he puts Amazon's Echo devices and its Fire TVs in that category. Joly said that means "showcasing in our stores products from people who sometimes are our competitors." Amazon also indirectly helped Best Buy's online sales in July. Joly told analysts on its second-quarter earnings call that Amazon Prime Day was "quite strong for us." In fact, Best Buy's online comparable sales grew more than 31 percent in the second quarter, the strongest result under Joly yet. The holiday season Although Best Buy also posted its strongest same-store sales growth in seven years, its shares plunged more than 5 percent that August day after Joly and CFO Corie Barry laid out their holiday projections. The executives warned analysts not to get used to 5.4 percent growth as "the new normal." They also said the holiday quarter is hard to predict because it has very different characteristics than the rest of the year, particularly with the expectation for deep discounts from competitors.The fact is while Best Buy has been on a nice streak, the retailer hasn't turned in positive same-store sales growth during the holidays since 2014. Its current forecast doesn't point to a break in this pattern.Joly wouldn't elaborate on his expectations for the all-important season. He said, he's focused beyond it with Best Buy 2020. Ever an optimist, Joly said "this is an opportunity-rich environment." But he's also a realist, and understands the challenge that comes with the quickly evolving consumer landscape. "It's going to be a journey" Joly said. "We're looking forward to it." WATCH: Is Amazon's smart home a major threat to Best Buy?



More From CNBC


A few thoughts now on a state government out of control, intent on defying the Trump administration as it ignores its own citizens.

California's democratically dominated Senate and Assembly have passed a bill declaring California to be a sanctuary state; Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown says he'll sign it into law.

The bill bars police from asking about a person's immigration status and prohibits law enforcement from notifying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when certain criminal illegal immigrants are released from jail.

But that's not the only step California lawmakers have taken to defy the Trump administration.

Lawmakers allocating $30 million to help dreamers stay in this country and attend college. And $45 million for illegal immigrants to hire attorneys to fight deportation.

The legislature also passed a measure calling on Congress to censure President Trump over his Charlottesville response, as well as bills protecting climate data from federal censorship and blocking presidential candidates from appearing on the ballot in 2020 unless they release five years of tax returns.

And the movement for the state to secede from the union is making a third run at secession, which has failed twice this year.

California is simply a mess, and not getting any better at all.

Related Articles
Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V.s CBI continued its contract-winning streak as its consortium with Saipem S.p.A. won a contract with Duqm Refinery and Petrochemicals Industries Company L.L.C. (DRPIC). DRPIC  a collaboration between Kuwait Petroleum International and Oman Oil Company  awarded an EPC Package 3 contract for the Duqm Refinery Project.

The scope of work under the contract for Package 3 includes the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of a product export terminal at Duqm Port, a crude tank farm at Ras Markaz and an 80-kilometer crude oil pipeline. Chicago Bridge & Iron will be responsible for the EPC work for storage tanks at the export terminal and crude tank farm, while Saipem will execute the remaining work. Chicago Bridge & Iron's share of the contract is worth about $140 million.

The company will leverage its decades-old experience of working in Oman, which includes supply of tanks and pressure spheres for Oman Oil Company at the refineries in Sohar and Muscat.

Chicago Bridge & Iron has won several contracts in the recent past. Just last week, the company secured a contract worth approximately $50 million for a storage project in Central Asia. In August too, it won two such contracts. The company also secured technology contracts from four PetroChina refineries for the license, engineering design and proprietary equipment supply for an alkylation unit at each of the four sites. In addition, it won a contract from Tecnicas Reunidas, S.A. for new product storage tanks for Saudi Aramco's refinery in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia.

Despite the contract wins, Chicago Bridge & Iron has been treading rough waters, of late. The company plunged to eight-year lows, following its dreary Q2 results. Investors are abandoning the stock in droves, in light of the miserable guidance and a dividend suspension. The stock has lost 52.2% of its value year to date, much worse than the industrys decline of 6.3%.

Story continues

This energy infrastructure services firm was forced to take desperate actions to shore up its financial position after reporting a considerable drop in revenues and huge loss in second-quarter 2017. The companys margins were deeply affected by a rise in cost of two gas turbine projects and two LNG export facility projects.

The company also booked substantial charges (roughly $548 million pretax) in relation to four Engineering projects. Lower-than-expected labor productivity, elevated costs for fabrication, and craft labor, weather-related delays, subcontractor and indirect costs were responsible for the cost overruns. The companys new CEO, Patrick Mullen, announced a flurry of measures to address its chronically poor project execution, improve efficiency and strengthen the balance sheet.

Not surprisingly, the analyst community has also been distinctly bearish on the stock in recent times. Chicago Bridge & Irons earnings estimates have moved south sharply in the past 60 days, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2017 descending from earnings of $3.28 to a loss of $1.71, on the back of four downward estimate revisions versus none upward.

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. Price and Consensus

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. Price and Consensus | Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. Quote

In light of the numerous headwinds that have been plaguing the company and the miserable analyst outlook for earnings, we have a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) on the company.

Stocks to Consider

A few better-ranked stocks in the broader sector include Beazer Homes USA, Inc. BZH, MasTec, Inc. MTZ and EMCOR Group, Inc. EME. While Beazer Homes and MasTec sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), EMCOR Group carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Beazer Homes USA managed to beat earnings twice over the trailing four quarters. It has an impressive an average positive earnings surprise of 103.5%.

MasTec has an average positive earnings surprise of 29.7% for the last four quarters, having surpassed estimates all through.

EMCOR Group has a strong earnings beat history, having surpassed estimates thrice over the trailing four quarters. It has an average positive surprise of 11.7%.

4 Promising Stock Picks to Keep an Eye On

With news stories about computer hacking and identity theft becoming increasingly commonplace, the cybersecurity industry looks like a promising investment opportunity. But which stocks should you buy? Zacks just released Cybersecurity: An Investors Guide to Locking Down Profits to help answer this question.

This new Special Report gives you the information you need to make well-informed investment choices in this space. More importantly, it also highlights 4 cybersecurity picks with strong profit potential.

Get the new Investing Guide now>>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (CBI) : Free Stock Analysis Report



EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME) : Free Stock Analysis Report



MasTec, Inc. (MTZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (BZH) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
(Refiled to remove extraneous text in third paragraph)

* Executive says difficult to get CFIUS approval by end-October

* Says 'no big trouble' to reverse the acquisition

* Deal was earlier expected to close by middle of this year

By Julie Zhu and Kane Wu

HONG KONG, Sept 19 (Reuters) - China's Oceanwide Holdings Co Ltd is aiming to close its $2.7 billion acquisition of U.S. insurer Genworth Financial Inc by the end of the year after securing approval from a U.S. government panel, a senior executive said on Tuesday.

The two companies in April refiled their application to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a U.S. government panel that examines foreign acquisitions with regard to national security concerns.

The companies refiled the application for the second time in July.

Han Xiaosheng, executive director and president of Oceanwide Holdings, told reporters on Tuesday that CFIUS's approval by the end of next month was difficult, and that the company would try to close the deal by the end of this year.

"We are still working on it," Han said, referring to the Genworth deal. "It could be relatively difficult to receive it (CFIUS approval) by the end of October. Therefore we try to get it by the end of the year."

The deal was earlier expected to close by the middle of the year, but the outlook has been clouded by a more conservative stance taken by CFIUS under President Donald Trump towards Chinese takeovers of U.S. companies.

Trump last week prevented a Chinese-backed private equity firm, Canyon Bridge Capital Partners, from buying U.S.-based chipmaker Lattice Semiconductor Corp in a $1.3 billion deal.

Oceanwide, a Beijing-based investment firm founded by low-profile but well-connected billionaire Lu Zhiqiang, agreed in October last year to pay $2.7 billion in cash for all Genworth shares.

The Chinese company also committed another $1.12 billion to cover Genworth debt maturing in 2018, as well as life insurance claims charges faced by the US firm spun out of General Electric in 2004.

Story continues

"The deal is being processed a bit slowly, but there's no big trouble to reverse it," Han said. "It's quite normal that the CFIUS has its own thoughts."

When asked if Oceanwide planned to refile its application with the CFIUS for the third time, the Chinese company executive said that option depended on the pace of the response in the current round.

"Genworth is a very important platform for us as there's a blank in China's insurance industry, in the long-term care-related business," he said, adding that the U.S. life insurer could fill that gap with its experience and products.

Han said that Oceanwide would use its Hong Kong-listed unit, China Oceanwide International Financial Ltd, as the main platform for its future overseas acquisitions in the financial services sector. (Reporting by Julie Zhu and Kane Wu; Writing by Sumeet Chatterjee; Editing by Louise Heavens, Greg Mahlich)
John Chambers, Executive Chairman of Cisco, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., May 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/Files

(Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc said on Monday that Executive Chairman John Chambers would not seek re-election after his term expires in December.

Chambers, who lead the networking gear maker for two decades as its chief executive, became the executive chairman in July 2015.

Under his leadership, Cisco's sales surged to about $48 billion from $1.2 billion in 1995.

Cisco's CEO Chuck Robbins will become the chairman and Chambers, 68, will be given the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus at the company's annual shareholder meeting in December.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, President Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Russia, told Congress on Tuesday that Moscow's meddling in the 2016 presidential election led directly to the lack of trust between the two former Cold War foes.

Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Huntsman struck a tough tone amid heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow. The relationship has been marred in recent months by a series of expulsions of diplomats and closures of diplomatic missions.

"There is no question that the Russian government interfered in the U.S. election last year and Moscow continues to meddle in the democratic processes of our friends and allies," said Huntsman, who also noted that Russia continues to disregard its commitments to arms control treaties.

"Right now we're at a low point," he said. "It reminds me of 1986."

He said he would not hesitate to remind Russian officials that they are accountable for their actions. But he also said there are areas of possible cooperation and common interest for Russia and the United States, including defusing North Korea's nuclear ambitions and missions in space.

If his nomination is approved by the Senate, Huntsman would take over a high-profile post amid ongoing investigations by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russia's election intrusions and potential contacts between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.

Huntsman breezed through his confirmation hearing, with Republicans and Democrats hailing him as highly qualified for the job. He's a former Utah governor who has twice served as an ambassador. He was the nation's top diplomat to Singapore under President George H.W. Bush and then served in that role in China under President Barack Obama before returning to the U.S. to run for president in 2012.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., asked Huntsman how he would confront the Russians over the election interference when Trump has called the meddling a hoax and a scam pushed by Democrats to sully his victory at the polls.

Story continues

Huntsman said he'd rely on the work done by U.S. intelligence agencies, which concluded in a declassified report released in early January that Putin ordered an "influence campaign" to weaken public faith in the U.S. political process and to damage Democrat Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

"I think that expresses where the facts are with respect to Russia's involvement in our election," he said.

The former governor, a Mormon, had an up-and-down relationship with Trump during last year's campaign. He was slow to endorse any candidate for the Republican nomination though he did back Trump once he became the presumptive nominee. But Huntsman then called for Trump to drop out after the October release of a 2005 video in which Trump was captured on a hot microphone making lewd comments about women.

Huntsman said then that the "campaign cycle has been nothing but a race to the bottom" and called for Trump's running mate, then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, to top the GOP ticket.

Trump also went after Huntsman during his tenure as ambassador to Beijing. In a series of tweets in 2011 and 2012, the celebrity businessman called Huntsman a "lightweight" and "weak" and claimed that China "did a major number on us" during his tenure.

But Huntsman and Trump buried their differences during Trump's transition.

The GOP-led Congress responded to Moscow's election meddling by passing an expanded sanctions package in July that also sought to punish Russia for its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria. Trump reluctantly signed the measure into law while complaining that lawmakers overstepped their constitutional bounds and impeded his ability to negotiate with foreign countries.

Instead of looking for way to retaliate against Moscow for the election meddling, Trump had openly challenged the findings of his own intelligence agencies, which concluded Russia had sought to tip the election in his behalf. And he pursued a warmer relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, convinced that Washington and the Kremlin could work together on shared interests, such as counterterrorism and Syria.

But there have been only modest signs of cooperation, such as a deal Trump and Putin agreed to a few months ago with Jordan for a cease-fire in southwest Syria.

Trump's begrudging approval of the sanctions bill led to a diplomatic tit-for-tat between the two countries. Putin ordered the United States to cut hundreds of its embassy and consular staff in Russia. Several weeks later the U.S. gave Russia 48 hours to shut the Russian Consulate in San Francisco and offices in Washington and New York.

Huntsman told the committee that Moscow's decision to force a reduction in U.S. staff was "unfortunate" and will affect "our ability to carry on anything representing a normal relationship."

___

Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rplardner
Apple announced the iPhone X in a blockbuster presentation last week. But were still left with some uncharacteristically big questions for Apple about its new device, and most of them center around shipping. We know that the phone is going on sale in early November, but we dont know if pre-orders will be a trickle or a flood, or whether itll be sold out in stores within hours of opening.

The Wall Street Journals Christopher Mims has a new look at Apples supply problems, and the difficulty of manufacturing a new device these days. Among the usual list of problems he highlights  supply shortages, short timelines, design challenges  theres an interesting rationale for the delay: pre-orders.

Don't Miss: Tablo is a DVR for cord cutters, and it even lets you skip commercials

Mims spoke to Asokan Ashok, a former Samsung employee who helped take products from R&D to a consumer device. He says the pre-order mechanism, where customers signal their intent to buy a product before it starts shipping, provides early data that is essential to predicting demand for a gadget and distribution of demand across its various configurationsboth notoriously difficult to forecast, Mims writes.

With the iPhone X, Apple is going into uncharted territory. The hardware changes made to the iPhone X would normally signal an overwhelming demand for the phone, but that super-cycle of upgrades could be tempered by the $999 price and the launch of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Using a staggered launch and a longer pre-order window will give Apple valuable data about how the iPhone X will likely perform, which in turn can feed its manufacturing decisions.

Its easy for consumers to cry about a lack of devices and blame Apple for not seeing it coming. But as Mims piece demonstrates, demand forecasting is a tricky business with massive financial implications, and getting it right is harder than it looks. Just ask Nintendo.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
While officials in Seoul try to figure out how to deal with their erratic, missile-launching neighbor to the north, the key to the puzzle may be 5,000 miles away  in Jerusalem. Officials in South Korea's defense ministry are now debating how they'll spend their budget, on the assumption that the country's parliament will increase it by almost seven percent. But military officials around the world say that even if South Korea's defense forces get the money, it won't be enough to deal with the massive destructive force awaiting them just across the border in North Korea . "The South Koreans have already established the requirement for low- and medium-tier interceptors," said Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. He added, however, that "They have yet to move forward." This month Israel staged a massive military exercise designed to simulate war with terror group Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanon and Syria , and perhaps as far away as Iran . Israel fought Hezbollah for five weeks in 2006 in a war that shut down Israel's economy in the northern part of the country, and caused wide-scale damage to Southern Lebanon.Part of the drill incorporates missile defense, as any new war with Hezbollah would likely bring an onslaught of rockets from the north, as it did 11 years ago. Hezbollah is estimated to have more than 100 thousand short-, mid- and long-range missiles stored in hiding places including the homes of civilians in southern Lebanon.Three rings of defenseAs Hezbollah's missile arsenal has grown, so have Israel's anti-missile capabilities. Israel now has three rings of missile defense. The Boeing (NYSE: BA) - made Arrow is designed to protect against long-range ballistic missiles, the kind possessed by Iran. The recently deployed David's Sling (also known as Magic Wand), co-manufactured by Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) and Israeli defense firm Rafael is designed to stop mid-range missiles fired from Lebanon and Syria, aimed toward Israel's population centers in the middle of the country. The "Iron Dome" is Israel's answer to shorter range missiles, the kind fired by Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. The system now has greater than a 97 percent effective rate against short-range missiles.Karako suggested a number of steps South Korea could take that have brought Israel success. Among them is "cooperation and co-development with the United States is crucial. The U.S. and Israel have been doing this for a long time, and the fruits of that cooperation are what you see on the ground, robust missile defense."Karako also credits Israel with applying the concept of traditional defense rings to the larger arena of missile defense. When security forces guard a shopping mall, they deploy internal security, external security and checkpoints further out.That same theory applies to Israel's missile defense, according to Karako. "Layered defense is something that allows the Israelis to have increased shots at an incoming threat. It also allows them to use more cost-effective interceptors for threats from different ranges."Iron Dome costs about $25,000 per projectile, while the Arrow missile can cost 100 times more.South Korea is a lot bigger than IsraelExperts on missile defense readily concede there is no 100 percent effective solution, and long-range anti-missile systems are not yet fully battle-tested.Moreover, important differences exist between the needs of South Korea and Israel, said Uzi Eilam, a retired general with the Israel Defense Forces who is widely considered one of the founding fathers of Israel's missile defense program.The most important is geographical size. Israel comprises slightly more than 8,000 square miles, while South Korea's territory is almost five times as large. "The limited amount of investment that we needed is much less than what will be needed in South Korea," Eilam told CNBC. While still vulnerable to many kinds of missile and artillery attacks from the north, South Korea deployed the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) -made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) this year. While officials in Seoul try to figure out how to deal with their erratic, missile-launching neighbor to the north, the key to the puzzle may be 5,000 miles away  in Jerusalem. Officials in South Korea's defense ministry are now debating how they'll spend their budget, on the assumption that the country's parliament will increase it by almost seven percent. But military officials around the world say that even if South Korea's defense forces get the money, it won't be enough to deal with the massive destructive force awaiting them just across the border in North Korea . "The South Koreans have already established the requirement for low- and medium-tier interceptors," said Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. He added, however, that "They have yet to move forward." This month Israel staged a massive military exercise designed to simulate war with terror group Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanon and Syria , and perhaps as far away as Iran . Israel fought Hezbollah for five weeks in 2006 in a war that shut down Israel's economy in the northern part of the country, and caused wide-scale damage to Southern Lebanon. Part of the drill incorporates missile defense, as any new war with Hezbollah would likely bring an onslaught of rockets from the north, as it did 11 years ago. Hezbollah is estimated to have more than 100 thousand short-, mid- and long-range missiles stored in hiding places including the homes of civilians in southern Lebanon. Three rings of defense As Hezbollah's missile arsenal has grown, so have Israel's anti-missile capabilities. Israel now has three rings of missile defense. The Boeing (NYSE: BA) - made Arrow is designed to protect against long-range ballistic missiles, the kind possessed by Iran. The recently deployed David's Sling (also known as Magic Wand), co-manufactured by Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) and Israeli defense firm Rafael is designed to stop mid-range missiles fired from Lebanon and Syria, aimed toward Israel's population centers in the middle of the country. The "Iron Dome" is Israel's answer to shorter range missiles, the kind fired by Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. The system now has greater than a 97 percent effective rate against short-range missiles. Karako suggested a number of steps South Korea could take that have brought Israel success. Among them is "cooperation and co-development with the United States is crucial. The U.S. and Israel have been doing this for a long time, and the fruits of that cooperation are what you see on the ground, robust missile defense." Karako also credits Israel with applying the concept of traditional defense rings to the larger arena of missile defense. When security forces guard a shopping mall, they deploy internal security, external security and checkpoints further out. That same theory applies to Israel's missile defense, according to Karako. "Layered defense is something that allows the Israelis to have increased shots at an incoming threat. It also allows them to use more cost-effective interceptors for threats from different ranges." Iron Dome costs about $25,000 per projectile, while the Arrow missile can cost 100 times more. South Korea is a lot bigger than Israel Experts on missile defense readily concede there is no 100 percent effective solution, and long-range anti-missile systems are not yet fully battle-tested. Moreover, important differences exist between the needs of South Korea and Israel, said Uzi Eilam, a retired general with the Israel Defense Forces who is widely considered one of the founding fathers of Israel's missile defense program. The most important is geographical size. Israel comprises slightly more than 8,000 square miles, while South Korea's territory is almost five times as large. "The limited amount of investment that we needed is much less than what will be needed in South Korea," Eilam told CNBC. While still vulnerable to many kinds of missile and artillery attacks from the north, South Korea deployed the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) -made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) this year.



More From CNBC


jada pinkett smith

Jada Pinkett Smith took to Facebook on Tuesday to shut down ex-Scientologist Leah Remini's claim that Pinkett Smith has "been in Scientology a long time."

"I have studied Dianetics, and appreciate the merits of Study Tech but I am not a Scientologist," Pinkett Smith wrote in the post, which addressed the multiple religions she says she has participated in but does not devoutly follow:

"I recently lit Shabbat candles with Rabbi Bentley at Temple Sinai... but I am not Jewish;

I have prayed in mosques all over the world... but I am not a Muslim;

I have read the Bhagavad Gita... but I am not a Hindu;

I have chanted and meditated in some of the most magnificent temples on earth but I am not a Buddhist; and

I have studied Dianetics, and appreciate the merits of Study Tech but I am not a Scientologist.

I practice human kindness, and I believe that we each have the right to determine what we are and what we are not.

NO ONE ELSE can hold that power."

Remini, who recently won an Emmy for her Scientology-exposing A&E docu-series "Scientology and the Aftermath," told The Daily Beast on Saturday that she had frequently seen Pinkett Smith at Scientology-related events and locations.

"I know Jadas in. I know Jadas in. Shes been in Scientology a long time," Remini said. "I never saw Will [Smith] there, but I saw Jada at the Celebrity Centre. They opened up a Scientology school, and have since closed it. But Jada, I had seen her at the Scientology Celebrity Centre all the time."



In 2008, the Smiths opened a private school that raised concerns because some of its teachers were members of the Church of Scientology. Both Smiths have repeatedly insisted that they aren't Scientologists themselves.

NOW WATCH: A popular 'Game of Thrones' fan theory says Bran is the Night King  here's why





More From Business Insider


MATTOON -- Lake Land College business alumni are invited to attend the Business Division Alumni Appreciation Reception which will be held Friday, Sept. 29, from 4-8 p.m. in the West Building. The reception is part of Lake Lands 50th anniversary homecoming.

We have several exciting demonstrations and services planned for this event. We are looking forward to reuniting with all of the alumni who have graduated from the business division, said Kathy Black, business division chair/business instructor.

Attendees can enjoy an evening with business division faculty and alumni. There will be networking with industry professionals; a complimentary hand treatment and skincare consultation with a Dermalogica sample; manicure or pedicure from the cosmetology and esthetics students; healthy spa snacks and drinks; and door prizes.

The event is free to all business alumni and is sponsored by the Lake Land College Business Division.

Spa appointments are limited and must be reserved in advance. To register online, visit www.lakelandcollege.edu/homecoming-2017 and look for the Business Division Alumni Appreciation Reception tab.
John Chambers plans to step down from Ciscos board, marking the end of an era for the networking tech giant.

The company said Monday that Chambers, currently Ciscos csco executive chairman, would not seek reelection to the board in December. Instead, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins will become executive chairman while Chambers receives the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus.

Chambers was CEO of Cisco for 20 years, and helped guide the company to be one of the worlds biggest and most profitable companies during the Internets early days.

By the mid-2010s, however, Ciscos dominance in the enterprise technology market was weakened by the rise of cloud computing, in which companies like Amazon amzn and Microsoft msft sell on-demand computing resources to other businesses, thus reducing the need for customers to buy data center hardware like routers and switches.

Get Data Sheet, Fortunes technology newsletter.

In 2015, Chambers stepped down as CEO and was replaced by the long-time Cisco sales executive Robbins. Robbins has been overseeing Ciscos transition from selling networking hardware to networking services sold in subscription software bundles.

Johns brilliant mind, compassion and charismatic leadership have helped shape Cisco for over 20 years, and for that we are all grateful, said Robbins in a statement. Johns influence on the industry is immense and he built Cisco around a culture of integrity and innovation that will continue to serve our employees, partners and customers for decades to come. I have no doubt he will continue to have a lasting impact with his future endeavors.

Since stepping down from his management duties at Cisco, Chambers has kept busy as an investor of startups, including the drone services startup Airware, in which hes a board member.

Cisco shares were up .59% to $32.63 in mid-day trading on Monday.
- By Alberto Abaterusso





Kinross Gold Corp. (KGC) updated its shareholders on Sept. 18 about projects it is undertaking.

In Mauritania, Kinross will proceed with the Tasiast mine's phase two expansion project, which willl make it one of the largest producing assets in world. Annual gold production is forecasted to average an annual volume of approximately 812,000 ounces from 2020 to 2024.





The mine will also be remodeled into a low-cost gold producing asset, where operations are expected to run at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of $655 per ounce of gold sold and a cost of sales of $440 per ounce of gold produced.

From Tasiast, Kinross Gold projects generating $2.2 billion in cash flow over the life of the mine.

Concerning Tasiast's investment profitability, Kinross has budgeted an initial $590 million to be invested as capital expenditures. The internal rate of return (IRR) is 24%.

In regard to the Phase W expansion project at Round Mountain in Nevada, the Canadian miner expects IRR of 13%.

The company expects the project to extend mining activity by five years and increase gold production by 1.5 million ounces.

President and CEO J. Paul Rollinson commented on the Tasiast project:





"Our decision to proceed with the Tasiast Phase Two expansion underscores our determination to realize the potential of this world-class asset and generate significant value for our shareholders. Our continued focus on financial discipline and technical excellence has resulted in lower capital requirements than originally forecast, which would materially improve project IRR and NPV."







In regard to Round Mountain, Rollinson said:





"We have applied the same financial and technical rigour to the Phase W expansion at Round Mountain . Lower operating costs, combined with an optimized mine plan, have contributed to a further de-risking of the project and improved returns. Phase W is expected to add five years of mining at one of our best performing operations. We are delivering on our strategy while opening a new chapter as we invest in our long-term future growth. In short, this is great news for our shareholders."

Story continues







With $1.12 billion in cash on hand and securities, a line of credit and $300 million to $350 million in free cash flow, the company has ample financial resources to fund its projects.

Kinross Gold closed at $4.53 per share on Monday, down 29 cents or 6.02%. Following this news about the expansion projects, however, the stock will likely see some upside over the next several days.

The Canadian miner also increased its gold reserves by 138.5% to 3.1 million ounces following the Phase W feasibility study at Round Mountain. This might be another catalyst to Kinross' market value.

As a result of enhanced reserves at Round Mountain, Kinross Gold has 32.8 million gold ounces in proven and probable reserves for an EVO (enterprise value per ounce of proven and probable gold reserve) metric of $195.73.

Kinross Gold currently has a market capitalization of $5.43 billion, a price-book (P/B) ratio of 1.31, a price-sales (P/S) ratio of 1.56 and a price-earnings (P/E) ratio of 107.86. The forward P/E ratio is 37.75 and the EV/Ebitda ratio is 5.46.

Disclosure: I have no positions in Kinross Gold Corp.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 19, 2017 / The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. announces that a lawsuit is pending for investors who purchased NYSE: BANC shares against Banc of California Inc. over alleged Securities Laws Violations.

Investors, who purchased shares of Banc of California Inc. (BANC) prior to August 2015 and currently hold any of their NYSE: BANC shares, have certain options and should contact the Shareholders Foundation at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call +1(858) 779 - 1554.

On October 18, 2016, an article was published claiming, among other things, that certain Banc of California insiders had undisclosed ties to individuals previously accused of involvement with the collapse of Gerova Financial.

On January 23, 2017, Banc of California Inc. announced the resignation of its CEO, Steven A. Sugarman, and that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") had opened an investigation into whether the Company had misled investors in its response to the October 2016 report disclosing a connection between the Banc of California and an alleged fraudster named Jason Galanis.

On January 23, 2107, a lawsuit was filed against Banc of California Inc. over alleged securities laws violations. The plaintiff claims that the defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects, including that the Company had extensive ties to an alleged "fraudster" named Jason Galanis ("Galanis"), that, given Galanis' history, the Company's ties to Jason Galanis created substantial regulatory risk, that revelation of Jason Galanis' ties to the Company could cause a substantial decline in the market price of the Company's securities, that the Company allegedly misled investors concerning the Company's connections with Jason Galanis, and that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about Banc of California's business.

Story continues

In May 2017 an amended consolidated complaint was filed and in June 2017 the defendants filed their motion to dismiss the case. On September 6, 2017, the judge denied the motions to dismiss the case.

Those who purchased Banc of California Inc. (BANC) shares should contact the Shareholders Foundation, Inc.

The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is a professional portfolio legal monitoring and a settlement claim filing service, which does research related to shareholder issues and informs investors of securities class actions, settlements, judgments, and other legal related news to the stock/financial market. The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is not a law firm. The information is provided as a public service. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon.

CONTACT:

Shareholders Foundation, Inc.

Michael Daniels

+1 (858) 779-1554

mail@shareholdersfoundation.com

3111 Camino Del Rio North

Suite 423

San Diego, CA 92108

SOURCE: Shareholders Foundation, Inc.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis arrives for a news conference at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan April 24, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis hinted that the United States still had military options left for dealing with North Korea, but did not elaborate when asked for details Monday.

Most experts think a military strike on North Korea would invite a devastating response from Pyongyang. The city of Seoul, South Korea, home to 25 million, is well within artillery range of the North, which would most likely use conventional artillery munitions and chemical weapons.

But according to Mattis, the Pentagon has a few tricks up its sleeve that wouldn't involve the decimation of Seoul.

When asked whether there was "any military option the US can take with North Korea that would not put Seoul at grave risk," Mattis responded, "Yes, there are, but I will not go into details."

Previously, Mattis said a war with North Korea would "involve the massive shelling of an ally's capital, which is one of the most densely packed cities on earth," referring to Seoul.

It's difficult to understand what the Pentagon could do to stop a North Korean nuclear program or take out its leader, Kim Jong Un, while preventing Pyongyang from fighting back. Artillery, rockets, missiles, and other munitions are scattered throughout the North  many in secret locations  and Kim's government maintains an ironclad hold on power.

And with every known military option  from launching Tomahawk cruise missiles to airstrikes  North Korea is likely to interpret any strike, however limited, "as a prelude to invading or overthrowing the government, even if the United States insists otherwise," The Atlantic reported, citing Daryl Press, a scholar of nuclear deterrence at Dartmouth College.

So what does Mattis have in mind? He wouldn't say, but he did let slip one interesting comment.

"Just to clarify, you said that there were possible military options that would not create a grave risk to Seoul," a reporter said later. "Are we talking kinetic options as well?"

Story continues

"Yes, I don't want to go into that," Mattis said, agreeing that his closely held military option involved kinetic action, a euphemism to describe lethal military force.

President Donald Trump in a speech to the United Nations on Tuesday threatened to "totally destroy North Korea" if Pyongyang didn't back down on its nuclear provocations.

"It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but arm, supply, and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict," Trump said.

NOW WATCH: Watch US Navy sailors airlift stranded Texans during intense flooding from Hurricane Harvey





More From Business Insider


More than 3,000 organizations could be at risk of suffering an attack against the same vulnerability that allowed hackers to gain access to the records of more than 143 million Americans from credit reporting firm Equifax.

The troublesome figure comes from supply chain automation firm Sonatype, which found a total of 3,054 organizations still using a vulnerable version of Apache Struts, a popular web application framework.

Sonatype analyzed data available through the Maven Central repository, the largest distribution point for Java open-source components (of which Apache Struts is one) and found a surprising amount of organizations continuing to use an application with an exploit that has been used in breaches in the pasteven prior to the Equifax incident.

The vulnerability in question is CVE-2017-5638, which was first discovered in March of this year and was considered a zero-dayan exploit that could be attacked because the software maker was unaware of it or had yet to address it with a patch or fix.

By March 6, a patch for the vulnerability was made available and could be applied by anyone using Apache Strutsthough its worth noting the update process was considered difficult and somewhat labor-intensive, which may have led to slower adoption rates.

Once the vulnerability was made public, attackers started targeting organizations that failed to quickly patch the exploit. Researchers at Cisco Systems deemed the vulnerability to be critical and noted a high number of exploitation events making use of the bug.

In one instance, a malicious group used the Apache Struts exploit to install Cerber ransomware on a number of locally networked machines. That endeavor ended up netting the hacking group more than $100,000 in Bitcoin.

While those attacks happened in the immediate aftermath of the disclosure of the vulnerability, Equifax was hit two months after the patch was made available. The hack that resulted in personal information, credit cards, and Social Security numbers of hundreds of thousands if not millions of U.S. consumers occurred in May and wasnt discovered until July 29.

Story continues

Unfortunately, even with the revelation about the Equifax breach, many companies are still falling well short on their hygiene when it comes to the Apache Struts framework.

According to Sonatype, in addition to the more than 3,000 organizations to download the version of Apache Struts that was disclosed as vulnerable in March over the last 12 monthsanother 1,731 organizations downloaded versions of the framework that were disclosed as vulnerable as early as July 2013.

In total, 46,557 organizations have downloaded a version of Apache Struts or one of its sub-projects that has a known vulnerability despite safe and stable version of the framework being made available.

Like people who accidentally bring expired milk home from the grocery store, companies that download and deploy known vulnerable open source components are simply not paying attention, Wayne Jackson, CEO of Sonatype, said in a statement.

STRUCTURE SECURITY -- USE THIS ONE

Photo: Newsweek Media Group

The Equifax breach highlights the fact that perimeter security alone is not sufficient to protect personal data when hackers can easily exploit applications by targeting known vulnerable software components.

Related Articles
Tourists visit Tulum National Park in Mexico's Quintana Roo state, part of the so-called Riviera Maya, a stretch of pristine beaches on the country's southeastern coast (AFP Photo/DANIEL SLIM) (AFP/File)

Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced plans Monday for an $840 million Mayan theme park on the Caribbean coast to rival the major theme parks in the United States.

The park, dubbed Amikoo -- or "friend" in the Mayan language -- will have rides and characters based on Mayan mythology and be built in two phases in the so-called Riviera Maya, a stretch of pristine beaches on Mexico's southeastern coast.

"We're going to compete with other (parks) up there (in the United States), and I'm sure ours will be better," Pena Nieto said at a ceremony also attended by the Mexican investors behind the project.

Pena Nieto said the park would bolster Mexico's place as a "high-quality tourism destination."

Mexico became the eighth most-visited country in the world last year, according to the World Tourism Organization, with 35 million international arrivals who spent some $19.6 billion.

The vital sector represents some 8.7 percent of the Mexican economy.

The move to challenge US theme parks such as Disneyland and Disney World comes at a time of tense relations between Mexico and the United States.

The two neighbors' ties have frayed since US President Donald Trump was elected on vows to make Mexico pay for a wall on the border and a campaign laced with anti-Mexican rhetoric.

The new 120-hectare (300-acre) park will have attractions such as a flight simulator that lets visitors fly over popular Mexican tourist attractions, a mock submarine and a pirate ride.

It will also have a 320-room hotel, a Mayan archeology and anthropology museum, and dedicate 75 percent of its property to environmental conservation.

The first phase is set to open in November 2018 and the second two years later.

Investors say they expect four million to 4.5 million visitors per year.
The world faces the prospect of more tension with China over trade, security and human rights after Xi Jinping awarded himself another five-year term as leader of the ruling Communist Party and called for self-reliance in technology, a stronger military and protection of core interests abroad. At a party congress, Xi gave no sign of plans to change the "zero-COVID strategy that has frustrated Chinas public and disrupted business and trade. He called for faster military development and announced no change in policies that strain relations with Washington and Asian neighbors. Xi is tightening control at home and trying to use Chinas economic heft to increase its influence abroad.
US President Donald Trump speaks with US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley: AP

The more sanctions the US and its allies impose on North Korea, the faster the country will work to develop its nuclear weapons programme, North Koreas official KCNA news agency has reported, citing a foreign ministry spokesman.

The UN Security Council unanimously voted last week to ratchet up sanctions on North Korea following its sixth and largest nuclear test, although the penalties fell short of the sweeping sanctions the Trump administration had originally demanded.

A foreign ministry spokesman for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Norths official name, said the latest sanctions represent the most vicious, unethical and inhumane act of hostility to physically exterminate the people of the DPRK, let alone its system and government.

The new penalties include bans on textile imports and the sale of natural gas to North Korea. They also limit the amount of refined petroleum sales to the country to two million barrels per year.

Both Russia and China, North Koreas main economic ally, had opposed the USs call for an oil embargo and other far-reaching sanctions.

During this weeks United Nations General Assembly, an annual gathering of diplomats and world leaders, Donald Trump is expected to discuss the growing standoff between the US and North Korea with his foreign counterparts.

This will be a great week, we look forward to it, as far as North Korea is concerned, I think that most of you know how I feel, Mr Trump said as he walked into the UN headquarters building in New York on Monday.

Over the weekend, Mr Trump referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as rocket man in a tweet, and said it was too bad! that long petrol lines have been forming in North Korea.

The US president in August had stated that North Korea would face fire and fury like the world has never seen if it continues to menace the US  remarks that were met by belligerent threats from North Korea, escalating tensions.

US officials have said that while the US prefers a diplomatic approach, the nation and its allies are prepared to respond to North Korea with military force.

Story continues

Nikki Haley, the USs ambassador to the UN, last week cast the new sanctions as a victory, but said the US does not take pleasure in further strengthening sanctions.

We are not looking for war, Ms Haley added. The North Korean regime has not yet passed the point of no return. If North Korea continues its dangerous path, we will continue with further pressure. The choice is theirs.

But despite the tougher penalties, Kim Jong-uns regime continues to display its evolving military prowess. On Friday, in a significant show of defiance to the international community, North Korea fired another ballistic missile over Japan.

North Korea state media has said that the country's goal is to reach equilibrium of military force with the US.
Defense contractor Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) said Monday it will buy missile and rocket maker Orbital ATK (: OA'WI) for about $7.8 billion in cash, with plans to establish a new, fourth business sector. The news sent Orbital's shares soaring by more than 19 percent at $131.79 before the opening bell. Northrop's stock was unchanged in premarket trading.Northrop's offer price of $134.50 per Orbital share represents a premium of 22 percent over the stock's Friday close.Orbital has billion-dollar contracts with NASA and the Army, as well as contracts with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.The deal, expected to close in the first half of 2018, comes as the firing of missiles by North Korea in recent months has focused attention on missile defense systems. Orbital's defense systems group includes its development of advanced missile interceptors.Northrop's existing sectors are aerospace systems, mission systems and technology services. Orbital CEO David Thompson said in a statement the deal will allow his company "to maintain strong operational performance on existing programs while we pursue new opportunities that require the enhanced technical and financial resources of a larger organization."Orbital delivered the Air Force's ORS-5 spacecraft into orbit on Aug. 26 using its Minotaur IV rocket, the 26th successful launch of the platform.The rocket company said on Sept. 6 it is in the final stages of testing the solid rockets boosters the company is building for NASA's space launch system. Orbital said the two solid rocket boosters for the heavy launch SLS platform will be on time for NASA's first planned flight in 2019. NASA is building SLS to take crew and cargo beyond Earth's orbit, with Mars as an eventual destination.Northrop will assume $1.4 billion in Orbital's net debt as part of the deal, the companies said.On a pro forma basis, Northrop said it expects 2017 sales of $29.5 billion to $30 billion.Reuters on Sunday reported about the potential deal, citing a person familiar with the transaction.Perella Weinberg Partners is the financial adviser to Northrop while Citigroup is advising Orbital. Reuters contributed to this report. Defense contractor Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) said Monday it will buy missile and rocket maker Orbital ATK (: OA'WI) for about $7.8 billion in cash, with plans to establish a new, fourth business sector. The news sent Orbital's shares soaring by more than 19 percent at $131.79 before the opening bell. Northrop's stock was unchanged in premarket trading. Northrop's offer price of $134.50 per Orbital share represents a premium of 22 percent over the stock's Friday close. Orbital has billion-dollar contracts with NASA and the Army, as well as contracts with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The deal, expected to close in the first half of 2018, comes as the firing of missiles by North Korea in recent months has focused attention on missile defense systems. Orbital's defense systems group includes its development of advanced missile interceptors. Northrop's existing sectors are aerospace systems, mission systems and technology services. Orbital CEO David Thompson said in a statement the deal will allow his company "to maintain strong operational performance on existing programs while we pursue new opportunities that require the enhanced technical and financial resources of a larger organization." Orbital delivered the Air Force's ORS-5 spacecraft into orbit on Aug. 26 using its Minotaur IV rocket, the 26th successful launch of the platform. The rocket company said on Sept. 6 it is in the final stages of testing the solid rockets boosters the company is building for NASA's space launch system. Orbital said the two solid rocket boosters for the heavy launch SLS platform will be on time for NASA's first planned flight in 2019. NASA is building SLS to take crew and cargo beyond Earth's orbit, with Mars as an eventual destination. Northrop will assume $1.4 billion in Orbital's net debt as part of the deal, the companies said. On a pro forma basis, Northrop said it expects 2017 sales of $29.5 billion to $30 billion. Reuters on Sunday reported about the potential deal, citing a person familiar with the transaction. Perella Weinberg Partners is the financial adviser to Northrop while Citigroup is advising Orbital.  Reuters contributed to this report.



More From CNBC


U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman said on Monday it would buy missile and rocket maker Orbital ATK for about $7.8 billion in cash, giving it access to lucrative contracts with NASA and the U.S. Army.

The deal, which comes as North Korea tests threatening missiles, will also help Northrop increase its arsenal of missile defense systems and is a rare departure for the company, which has not made a large acquisition in several years. It last bought TRW in 2002 for about $7.8 billion.

The acquisition, which would establish Orbital as a new, fourth business sector under Northrop noc , also comes ahead of a likely jump in demand from the planned upgrades of U.S. ballistic systems.

The Air Force last summer called for proposals to replace its aging nuclear cruise missiles and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system as the military moves ahead with a costly modernization of older atomic weapons systems.

Northrops offer price of $134.50 per Orbital share represents a premium of 22% over the stocks Friday close. Orbitals shares were trading at $131.75 before the bell.

Northrop will assume $1.4 billion in Orbitals net debt and the deal is expected to close in the first half of 2018.

Orbitals main businesses of missile defense, government satellites and the prospect to develop an in-orbit satellite servicing business clearly make sense for Northrop, analysts at Stifel said on Sunday following news reports of a potential deal.

Orbital is one of two companies hired by NASA to fly cargo to the International Space Station under an initial contract worth up to $3.1 billion.

Northrops other businesses, such as aerospace systems, mission systems and technology services, provide manned aircraft, electronic warfare systems and network defense services.

The two companies complementary offerings will help increase efficiency, boost revenue and save costs, Northrop Chief Executive Wes Bush said in a statement.

Given that Northrop already operates in the space field, it is possible that there could be some overlapping activity or increased vertical integration that could prompt regulatory scrutiny, Vertical Research Partners analyst Robert Stallard said in a client note on Monday.

On a pro-forma basis, Northrop said it expects 2017 sales of $29.5 billion to $30 billion.

Perella Weinberg Partners is the financial adviser to Northrop, while Citigroup is advising Orbital.
Workers pack bags as a conveyer belt transports goods inside the Ocado Customer Fulfilment Centre in Hatfield on the outskirts of London, Britain, April 6, 2016 . REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

By James Davey

LONDON (Reuters) - British online grocer Ocado (OCDO.L) warned that additional investment in developing its distribution centres would increase short term costs, sending its shares lower.

Founded by three former Goldman Sachs bankers in 2000, Ocado has divided analysts like few other stocks and the latest comments are only likely to fuel the debate.

Advocates regard its home deliveries from giant distribution centres as the future of grocery shopping, but critics see a costly and complex venture that will not make sustained profits.

Ocado said it was raising capacity at its third high-tech Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) in Andover, southern England, while also preparing its fourth, and largest centre in Erith, on the edge of London, that is set to open in 2018.

This meant the firm would incur "a couple of million pounds" extra costs this year, said Chief Financial Officer Duncan Tatton-Brown, noting higher expenditure on software and engineers.

He said capacity at Andover had doubled since July.

"Because it's a new design our priority has been to make sure its reliability and resilience are as high as possible," he told reporters.

Prior to Tuesday's update, analysts average forecast for 2016-17 earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was 92.5 million pounds, up from 84.3 million pounds made in 2015-16.

Analysts at Numis cut their current year forecast by 3 percent to 90 million pounds, though they did retain their "buy" rating on the stock.

Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne said the market was underestimating the margin impact of setting up new facilities.

"In our view profit expectations for 2018 and beyond will need to come down further," he said.

Ocado's shares fell as much as 7.3 percent and were 4 percent lower at 289.5 p by 0915 GMT.

The stock has had a rollercoaster ride since listing at 180 pence in 2010. Prior to Tuesday's update, the shares had risen 14.4 percent in 2017.

UNNAMED PARTNER

Story continues

Amazon's (AMZN.O) takeover of Whole Foods (WFM.O) is likely to lead to increased competition for online grocery shopping in Britain.

Partnerships with retailers overseas are seen by analysts as the key influence on the stock market valuation of Ocado, which has a UK grocery market share of 1.4 percent.

In June Ocado clinched a long awaited first overseas licensing deal with an as yet unnamed European retailer, though it was for software only.

"Given market developments, our own progress and the extra resources we're putting in place, we're confident in our ability to sign multiple deals over the medium term," said Tatton-Brown.

He declined to comment on activist investor Crystal Amber which wants Ocado to focus on being a technology company after taking a stake in June.

Ocado, which sells products supplied by upmarket grocer Waitrose [JLP.UL] and also has its own distribution agreement with Morrisons (MRW.L), Britain's fourth largest supermarket, said it was growing sales at a rate ahead of the industry average and saw a slight acceleration in its latest quarter.

Retail sales rose 13.1 percent to 312.7 million pounds in the 13 weeks to August 27, its fiscal third quarter, having increased 12.5 percent in its first half.

Average orders per week increased 16 percent to 254,000, more than offsetting a 1.2 percent fall in average order size to 106.25 pounds.

(Editing by Paul Sandle and Keith Weir)
It was a week where oil prices briefly crossed the key mark of $50. Natural gas futures rallied too as warmer forecasts continue raising expectations for demand.

It was a week where oil prices briefly crossed the key mark of $50. Natural gas futures rallied too as warmer forecasts continue raising expectations for demand.

On the news front, European oil major BP plc BP and its international partners have agreed to pay Azerbaijan $3.6 billion to extend an oilfield contract for 25 more years, offshore drilling company SeaDrill Limited SDRL filed for bankruptcy protection, while small oil and gas explorer Resolute Energy Corporation REN sold properties in the Paradox Basin in southeastern Utah for up to $195 million.

Overall, it was a good week for the sector. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures jumped 5.1% to close at $49.89 per barrel, while natural gas prices gained 4.6% to $3.024 per million Btu (MMBtu). (See the last Oil & Gas Stock Roundup here: BP Launches U.S. Pipeline IPO, Shell Enters Mexican Fuel Market.)

The U.S. oil benchmark closed at its highest level since Jul 31 as traders held out hope for price stability amid an improving supply-demand narrative. Data showing the number of U.S. oil rigs dropping for a second straight week helped cement those gains.

Energy bodies OPEC and IEA both recently raised global oil demand forecasts for this year, helping to tighten the market significantly. Further, the Paris-based IEA said that the global oil supply had come down by 720,000 per day last month to 97.7 million barrels on outages and maintenance in non-OPEC countries.

Meanwhile, according to the OPECs latest monthly report, the oil cartels production fell by 79,000 barrels a day in August to 32.76 million as output dropped in Libya, Gabon, Venezuela and Iraq. This points to the success of the 14-member groups output curb initiatives and rising compliance levels.

Adding to the positive momentum, OPEC and fellow exporters are said to be open to extending their production cut agreement beyond its March expiry.

The number of active rigs drilling for crude in the U.S.  an indicator of oil industry activity  fell by 7 to 749 as of Friday, as per data from oilfield services firm Baker Hughes Inc.

Story continues

Meanwhile, bullish weather forecasts and lower-than-expected power loss from Hurricane Irma propelled natural gas futures despite an above-average build.

Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories

1. Oil giant BP plc along with its co-venturers has inked a modified and restated Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field production sharing agreement (PSA), which calls for a one-time payment of $3.6 billion to the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Per the new agreement, Azerbaijan's government has extended the production sharing deal for the countrys massive ACG oilfields until 2049. The current deal was slated to end in 2024.

Under the new accord, State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has increased its shareholding to 25% from 11.65%. BPs shareholding has dropped to 30.37% from 35.8%, though it continues to be the operator of the field.

Located in the Azerbaijan Sector of the Caspian Sea, the first PSA for the ACG field was inked in 1994. The field has received investments of over $33 billion and has yielded about 440 million tons of oil. This has aided the country to rake in a direct net profit of $125 billion. Total production from ACG averaged 585,000 barrels per day during the first half of the year.

The extended contract is a major milestone for BP amid the ongoing price volatility. It will provide regular revenues to the company for almost the next three decades and also increases the companys backlog. (Read more BP & Partners Ink Deal to Extend PSA for ACG Field till 2049.)

2. International offshore drilling company SeaDrill Limited filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sep 12 to restructure its balance sheet amid volatile oil prices. Following the development, shares of the company rose more than 20% to eventually close at 23 cents on Sep 12. The stock scaled up further more than 21% yesterday. The rise reflects investors optimism as the company finally managed to secure a restructuring agreement after 18 months of negotiations. The agreement will provide the company with more than $1 billion of capital to restructure its highly leveraged financials.

Due to the plunge in oil prices since 2014, energy companies reduced their spending and slashed rig hires. Demand for drilling reduced further as the rigs ordered during the boom period led to oversupply. This in turn led to reduced activities and diminishing contracts for Seadrill which negatively impacted the companys revenues, earnings and cash flows. Increased costs, idle rigs and low dayrates led to high operating losses and affected the market capitalization of the company adversely. SeaDrill, being one of the worst sufferers of the downturn has been battling with around $14 billion debts and liabilities.

The company expects to emerge from Chapter 11 in six to nine months. The restructuring deal will not affect the day-to-day business operations of SeaDrill as the company expects to pay employees, suppliers and vendors as usual. The company which has more than $1 billion in cash will not require debtor-in-possession financing. (Read more: SeaDrill Files for Bankruptcy Protection, Shares Up.)

3. In a bid to transform itself into a Delaware Basin pure play, upstream player Resolute Energy Corporation recently inked a deal to divest assets in the Paradox Basin in southeastern Utah for up to $195 million.

Per the deal, Resolute Energy will sell the Aneth Field assets in the Paradox Basin to an affiliate of Elk Petroleum Limited. Aneth is one of the largest carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery field projects in the Rocky Mountains with a production capacity of 6,500 barrels of oil per day. The oilfield contains around 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent, out of which just 31% has been recovered yet.

Proceeds from the deal will be used to pay the outstanding balance under the revolving credit facility of Resolute Energy. This will help the company to reduce its leverage ratio and strengthen its financials. Employees of Aneth Field will also make a transition to Elk Petroleum reducing the future overhead expenses of Resolute Energy by $6 million along with $3 million in stock-based compensation. The deal will also lower the lease operating expenses of the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The transaction not only aims at improving the cost structure of the company, it also makes Resolute Energy become a pure play in the Delaware Basin - one of the most productive and economically viable oil and gas fields in the United States. (Read more: Resolute Energy to Divest $195 Million Paradox Assets.)

4. Upstream player Oasis Petroleum Inc. OAS recently filed for the initial public offering (IPO) of its pipeline unit Oasis Midstream Partners LP. The company launched an IPO of 7,500,000 common units with an expected price range of $19-$21 per unit. Oasis Midstream  to be listed in the NYSE under the ticker HESM  intends to raise around $150 million at a price of $20. The partnership is expected to grant underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,125,000 common units.

About 27.3% of the ownership stake is being sold in the IPO and the figure is likely to reach 31.4% if the underwriters purchase the additional common units. Post the closure of the IPO, Oasis Petroleum and its affiliates will own either a 72.7% limited partner interest in Oasis Midstream or a 68.6% interest in case the underwriters exercise their full option to purchase the additional units.

Oasis Midstream, which was created in 2013, reported revenues of $140 million for the trailing 12 months ending Jun 30. The partnerships operations are located exclusively in the Williston Basin area of North Dakota and Montana. The assets include a diversified portfolio of midstream assets which are strategically positioned to secure volumes from various producers. These assets mainly include crude oil /natural gas gathering and transportation system and water handling systems. (Read more: Oasis Petroleum Midstream Unit Files for $150M IPO.)

5. Independent refiner Valero Energy VLO has entered into a joint venture (JV) with energy infrastructure provider Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. MMP for the expansion of the Pasadena marine storage facility. It is to be noted that a limited liability firm  jointly owned by Valero and Magellan Midstream  will own the storage unit. The terminal is expected to store diesel, gasoline of varying grades, renewable fuels and jet fuel.

Phase one of the terminal project, slated to commence operation by the first half of 2019, is presently under construction and is expected to comprise storage unit with capacity to store 1 million barrels of liquid. The terminal will also include a new marine dock that will be able to accommodate Panamax-sized ships.

The phase two of the project is expected to expand the storage capacity by another 4 million barrels. Another marine dock will be added which will be able to handle Aframax-sized vessels. The Phase two will initiate operation by early 2020.

Total cost estimated by the JV players for both the phases of development stands at $820 million. Both Valero and Magellan Midstream, likely be the operator of the storage plant, will finance the project. (Read more: Valero, Magellan Midstream to Jointly Expand Pasadena Unit.)

Price Performance

The following table shows the price movement of some the major oil and gas players over the past week and during the last 6 months.

Company Last Week Last 6 Months XOM +1.3% -2.3% CVX +2.5% +7% COP +3.1% +3.1% OXY -0.8% -3.6% SLB +2% -14.7% RIG +6.1% -25.5% VLO +3.3% +4.8% ANDV +1.6% +20.9%

The Energy Select Sector SPDR  a popular way to track energy companies  generated a +1.1% return last week. The best performer was offshore drilling rig operator Transocean Ltd. RIG whose stock rose by 6.1%.

Longer-term, over the last 6 months, the sector tracker lost 5.3%. Ironically, it was again Transocean, which was the major laggard during this period, experiencing a 25.5% price decline.

Whats Next in the Energy World?

As usual, market participants will be closely tracking the regular releases i.e. the U.S. government statistics on oil and natural gas - one of the few solid indicators that comes out regularly. Energy traders will also be focusing on the Baker Hughes data on rig count.

4 Promising Stock Picks to Keep an Eye On

With news stories about computer hacking and identity theft becoming increasingly commonplace, the cybersecurity industry looks like a promising investment opportunity. But which stocks should you buy? Zacks just released Cybersecurity: An Investors Guide to Locking Down Profits to help answer this question.

This new Special Report gives you the information you need to make well-informed investment choices in this space. More importantly, it also highlights 4 cybersecurity picks with strong profit potential.

Get the new Investing Guide now>>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Magellan Midstream Partners L.P. (MMP) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) : Free Stock Analysis Report



BP p.l.c. (BP) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Transocean Ltd. (RIG) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Seadrill Limited (SDRL) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Resolute Energy Corporation (REN) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Oasis Petroleum Inc. (OAS) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Screen Shot 2017 09 19 at 12.16.03 PM

Oil reversed course after a strong start on Tuesday.

West Texas International crude, the US benchmark, was down by 0.5% at $50.08, while Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, was lower by 0.7% at $55.06 per barrel at 12:16 p.m. ET.

The commodity's prices climbed earlier in the morning after Iraqi oil minister Jabbar al-Luaibi said that although there's "no firm decision yet," some producers are thinking about deeper and longer cuts.

"Some think that cuts should be extended beyond March, three or four months, or six months, or maybe till the end of 2018, he said, according to Bloomberg. "Some, like Ecuador and other countries, even Iraq, think there should be another cut of 1%."

On Friday, OPEC's Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee is meeting in Vienna. Attendees are expected to draft the cartel's "2018 action plan" ahead of the cartel's meeting in November, said Helima Croft, global head of currency strategy at RBC Capital Markets, in a research note published two weeks back.

"We believe that momentum continues to build for extending the output agreement beyond April, but finding a way to bring currently exempted countries into the agreement and curbing cheating looks more challenging," she said.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers agreed in May to extend production cuts through March 2018. Notably, Saudi Arabia and Russia together said they favored the extension before the official OPEC meeting.

The cartel and several other major producers (but not the US) first agreed to slash production back in November 2016, with the Saudis agreeing to the deepest cut. The decision to reduce production reflected producers' desires to end the global supply glut, which kept oil prices depressed for over two years and increased domestic financial stresses.

NOW WATCH: Trump's lack of progress has caused a major dollar reversal





More From Business Insider


U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil and international-benchmark Brent crude oil are trading flat early Tuesday. Supporting the market is a fall in Saudi Arabian crude exports, however, gains have been limited by an expected rise in U.S. shale output.

According to the U.S. government, U.S. shale production is expected to rise for a 10th month in a row in October. Late Monday, the U.S. Energy Information Administrations monthly drilling productivity report, showed that output across seven shale areas is forecast to rise by nearly 79,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 6.1 bpd.

Daily November West Texas Intermediate Crude

Another report from Saudi Arabia showed crude exports fell to 6.693 million bpd in July, down from 6.889 million bpd in June.

Although U.S. shale production is expected to rise for a 10th moth in row in October, some traders are saying that production is actually moderating. The prediction of nearly 79,000 barrels per day actually market the first time in seven months EIAs growth forecast came in below 100,000 barrels a day.

Production from Eagle Ford, a major production area in Texas, was revised down due in part to impacts from Hurricane Harvey. The storm forced some drillers to idle rigs last month as the devastating storm approached southeastern Texas.

Oil traders have been bracing for a slowdown in the U.S. oil patch because a weekly count of rigs has been falling recently. Baker Hughes reported on Friday that its U.S. rig count fell by seven rigs to the lowest level since June.

Daily December Brent Crude

Forecast

The price action suggests investors are waiting for fresh news. Yesterdays reports just confirmed what the market has already priced in that the Saudis have cut exports and that U.S. shale production is still high.

Actually, I think the news was more bullish than the price action reflected.

The news that could trigger an extension of the rally is an announcement that OPEC and the other producers have decided to extend the production cuts beyond the current deadline.

The current price action is still indicating that traders are torn between buying strength, and waiting for a dip into support. If there is bullish news, theyll buy strength. If there is no news then prices are likely to drift lower into support over the near-term.

Story continues

Later today, traders will get the opportunity to react to the latest weekly inventories report from the American Petroleum Institute. On Wednesday, the EIA will report its weekly inventories figures. The report is expected to show a build of 2.8 million barrels.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

More From FXEMPIRE:
scottie nell hughes

Political commentator Scottie Nell Hughes sued Fox News on Monday, claiming she was raped by anchor Charles Payne and then blacklisted by the network after she came forward, The New York Times reported.

Hughes, a contributor to Fox News and CNN, alleged in her lawsuit that Payne, the host of "Making Money" on Fox Business, had "pressured" his way into her hotel room in July 2013 and coerced her into having sexual intercourse, despite her protestations.

Over the next two years, Hughes claimed, she was forced to engage in a sexual relationship with Payne in exchange for career opportunities, such as increased appearances on Fox channels and the promise that Payne would help get her a valuable contributor contract. Hughes never became a paid Fox contributor.

Hughes claimed in the lawsuit that after she ended the relationship with Payne, the network blacklisted her and leaked a story to the National Enquirer that suggested Hughes was a "participant in an affair with Payne." According to the lawsuit, Hughes said booking agents told her the reason for her decline in TV appearances was that "she had an affair with someone at Fox," The Times reported.

"In July of 2013, I was raped by Charles Payne," Hughes told The Times. "In July of 2017, I was raped again by Fox News. Since then, I have been living an absolute hell."

The lawsuit alleges gender motivated violence, gender discrimination, retaliation, and defamation, according to The Times. It named 21st Century Fox, Fox News, and Payne.

It also named Dianne Brandi, the executive vice president of legal and business affairs at Fox News, and Irena Briganti, the network's executive vice president of corporate communications. Hughes claimed Brandi and Briganti were behind the leak to the National Enquirer.

Payne was suspended for two months this summer while the network investigated his conduct. He returned to the air earlier this month, although details from the investigation remain unclear.

Story continues

charles payne

Representatives of Payne could not be reached for comment on the Times report, although Payne has maintained his innocence in previous statements.

"Charles Payne vehemently denies the allegations," his lawyer Jonathan Halpern said in July, after Payne was suspended. "He will defend himself vigorously against these claims and will hold those responsible to account."

Monday's lawsuit is a troubling development for Fox News, which is reeling from sexual harassment scandals that led to the ouster of chairman Roger Ailes last year and popular host Bill O'Reilly in April. It also comes less than two weeks after Fox News fired host Eric Bolling amid allegations he sent lewd, unsolicited text messages to network employees.

NOW WATCH: Putin's controversial bridge to connect Russia to annexed Crimea will be the longest in Russian history





More From Business Insider


Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio said Tuesday he is not a believer in cryptocurrencies. "Bitcoin (Exchange: BTC=) today you can't make much transactions in it. You can't spend it very easily," Dalio said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "It's not an effective storehold of wealth because it has volatility to it, unlike gold," the hedge fund founder added. "Bitcoin is a highly speculative market. Bitcoin is a bubble." The investor said there are two important facets to being considered a valid currency: ease of transactions as a medium of exchange and being a "storehold of wealth." "It's a shame, it could be a currency. It could work conceptually, but the amount of speculation that is going on and the lack of transactions [hurts it]," he said. Dalio wrote about his life lessons and the initial failures during his career in his book entitled "Principles: Life and Work," available on Tuesday. His firm currently manages about $160 billion, according to its website. Dalio's negative comments come a week after JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon also took a shot at bitcoin, saying the cryptocurrency "is a fraud." "It's just not a real thing, eventually it will be closed," Dimon said at the Delivering Alpha conference presented by CNBC and Institutional Investor.

WATCH: Bitcoin mining can land you in jail in this country



More From CNBC


The Slack messaging application is seen on a phone screen August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White

(Reuters) - Software startup Slack Technologies Inc said it raised $250 million from SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) and other investors in its latest funding round, boosting the company's valuation to $5.1 billion.

The latest fund-raising, led by SoftBank through its giant Vision Fund and joined by Accel and other investors, lifted Slack's total funds raised to $841 million, the enterprise messaging operator said in an emailed statement.

The fund provides resources which will help Slack to run as a cash-generating company and the raise will reduce its dependence on outside financing, Slack Chief Executive Stewart Butterfield said.

In July, sources had told Reuters that Slack was raising $250 million in a new funding round led by SoftBank.

The company in the past has raised money from venture firms including GGV Capital, Spark Capital and Thrive Capital, among others.

Slack's sizeable funding round reflects the trend of a growing number of $100 million-plus checks pouring into technology startups. In the second quarter this year, there were 34 venture capital deals of $100 million or more, nearly triple the 12 such transactions in the first quarter, according to data firm PitchBook Inc.

These large rounds have helped drive an uptick in startup funding since the end of last year, with venture capitalists investing $15.7 billion in companies during the second quarter this year, a 27 percent increase from the first quarter and making for the strongest quarter in a year, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Bloomberg and Financial Times previously reported the funding deal.

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia and Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
Snap has bowed to pressure from the government of Saudi Arabia to censor a news channel operated by the Qatar-based news broadcaster, Al Jazeera, from the Snapchat Discover section of its app. The development was reported earlier by the WSJ.

Al Jazeera launched a Snap Discover channel in English in December 2015 -- but only launched its Arabia news channel in May this year.

A spokesperson for Snap provided TechCrunch with the following statement explaining the decision: "We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate."

We understand that Saudi Arabias Communications and Information Technology Commission, acting on behalf of the Ministry Of Culture and Information, informed Snap that Al Jazeeras Discover Publisher Channel was in violation of Article 9 of the Saudi law of Printed Material and Publication, and Article 6 of the Saudi Anti-Cyber Crime Law.

Article 9 of the Saudi law of Printed Material and Publication includes a series of censured clauses pertaining to media -- including not inciting feuds and spreading dissent among citizens, and not jeopardizing the country's security or serving foreign interests in conflict with national interest; while Article 6 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law censures the: "production, preparation, transmission, or storage of material impinging on public order, religious values, public morals, and privacy, through the information network or computers."

So, tl;dr, the law enshrines a regime of total state-control of media. Reporters Without Borders ranks Saudi Arabia as 168th in the World Press Freedom Index, noting in a summary of the country that: "Saudi Arabia has no independent media, the authorities tolerate neither political parties, unions, nor human rights groups, and the level of self-censorship is extremely high. The Internet is the only space where freely-reported information and views can circulate, albeit at great risk to its citizen journalists. "

Story continues

Al Jazeera has long been accused by the Saudis of being a tool for Qatar to stoke opposition to regional governments. And the broadcaster has certainly courted controversy.

This summer a group of Saudi-led Middle Eastern nations also broke off diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting and sheltering Islamist groups -- an accusation it denies.

The wider political context here is a regional power struggle, with Saudi and its Gulf allies seeking to maintain the political status quo and viewing Qatari as a destabilizing risk.

At the time of writing Al Jazeera had not responded to a request for comment but, in a statement to the WSJ, a spokesperson for the broadcaster couched Snap's decision to close its channel in Saudi Arabia as an attempt to silence freedom of expression.

"The fundamental question that Al Jazeera is asking is, how could a U.S. company which is publicly traded, and which stands for freedom of speech where access to social media is a constitutional right, deny these rights to others? the spokesperson added.

Update: The broadcaster's parent company, Al Jazeera Media Network, has now released a statement. Dr Mostefa Souag, acting director general of the organization, said: We find Snapchats action to be alarming and worrying. This sends a message that regimes and countries can silence any voice or platform they dont agree with by exerting pressure on the owners of social media platforms and content distribution companies. This step is a clear attack on the rights of journalists and media professionals to report and cover stories freely from around the world.

We at Al Jazeera, object to any form of censorship and restrictions to freedom of the media and the right to access information. We call on Snap Inc. and other global media organisations to reject demands of oppressive regimes to silence journalists. We would like to remind Snap Inc. that this decision violates the US constitution, American laws, and values of democracy. By blocking Al Jazeeras Discover Channel, our followers in Saudi Arabia are denied the ability to follow our broad range of stories and coverage.

We understand Al Jazeera's Snap content has not been removed from Snap's apps in other countries in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Yemen, Tunisia, and Oman.

Its content is also still available via Snap in Al Jazeera's home territory of Qatar.

Snap launched the Discover feature in January 2015, introducing a new section to Snapchat where users could consume content created by broadcasters, publishers, music labels, artists and so on -- packaged up in the Snap Stories form. The app is especially popular with youth demographics.
Photo credit: Getty

From Popular Mechanics

Stanislav Petrov, the Soviet officer whose calm under pressure saved the world from an atomic war, has been confirmed dead at 77. He actually died earlier this year, on May 19.

On September 26, 1983, Petrov was 44 and working at a missile detection center south of Moscow known as Serpukhov-15. His role, typical of the Cold War era, involved routinely checking signs that the other side was plotting to annihilate the Soviet Union. He oversaw a staff that monitored incoming signals from satellites checking for military aggression from United States, three steps removed from the military advisors who would alert Soviet General Secretary Yuri Andropov of any incoming attacks.

Suddenly, the warning systems roared and lit up, blaring the word LAUNCH. An American ICBM known as a Minuteman had been launched from an American base. "A minute later the siren went off again. The second missile was launched. Then the third, and the fourth, and the fifth. Computers changed their alerts from 'launch' to 'missile strike'," he told the BBC.

It was already a tense time in the Cold War. The United States was two years into psychological operations against the Russians, consistently appearing on Soviet radar to test their systems' vulnerabilities. The Soviets had, just weeks earlier, shot down a commercial flight that had entered its airspace, killing 279 people including a congressman. While seen as a tragic misunderstanding due to the plane's following accidental following of a U.S spy route, President Reagan had called it a "massacre."

Tensions with the Americans, who earlier that year declared the Soviet Union a "evil empire," were at their highest in decades. "US-Soviet relations had come full circle by 1983," says a report on the incident from the CIA. "From confrontation in the early postwar decades, to detente in the late 1960s and 1970s, and back to confrontation."

Story continues

Back to that fateful day. "For 15 seconds, we were in a state of shock," Petrov later recalled to the The Washington Post. "We needed to understand, 'What's next?'

Petrov, an engineer overseeing a staff of soliders, looked at the data being presented to him and found it curious. Five ICBMs, as deadly as they would be, didn't fit into a narrative in which the Soviet Union would be completely destroyed. "When people start a war, they don't start it with only five missiles," he told the Post. There was no attack, he decided-the computers were wrong. "I had a funny feeling in my gut," Petrov said. "I didn't want to make a mistake. I made a decision, and that was it." He told his superiors there was a systems malfunction.

There was no American attack, and in identifying the false-positive, Petrov potentially saved hundreds of millions of lives. "Twenty-three minutes later I realized that nothing had happened. If there had been a real strike, then I would already know about it. It was such a relief," he told the BBC a smile.

When interviewed by the Post in 1990, Petrov was described as "never rewarded for his decision and today is a long-forgotten pensioner living in a town outside Moscow." He was reassigned to a less sensitive post and, although he forcefully denied that he was forced out of the military, retired early. He also suffered a nervous breakdown.

The later decades were somewhat kinder to Petrov. He appeared in numerous TV programs and interviews telling his story. A documentary featuring Kevin Costner was released in 2014 called The Man Who Saved The World. In 2013 he was given the anti-war Dresden Prize, earning him $33,000. "I did nothing heroic, I don't feel like a hero. I just did my job and I like the way I did it," Petrov told the crowd.

Source: Paleofuture

You Might Also Like
SpaceXs robotic Dragon cargo capsule backs away from the International Space Station after its release by the stations robotic arm. (NASA TV)

SpaceXs robotic Dragon capsule was set loose from the International Space Station today and returned to Earth with more than 3,800 pounds of cargo and experiments, including a set of live mice that will be studied after their stint in zero gravity.

The trip marked the completion of SpaceXs 12th space station resupply mission under the terms of its multibillion-dollar contract with NASA. Godspeed, Dragon 12, Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli said as the Dragon was released by the stations robotic arm.

Dragons parachute-assisted Pacific Ocean splashdown came five and a half hours later, at around 7:15 a.m. PT off the coast of Southern California. A recovery ship was sent to pick up the capsule and bring it back to Long Beach for shipment to SpaceXs processing facility in Texas. The mice and other time-sensitive payloads will be delivered to NASA on an expedited basis.

The Rodent Research-9 study is aimed at investigating how extended periods of weightlessness affects blood vessels in the brain and the eyes, as well as tracking cartilage loss in hip and knee joints. The results could help scientists figure out new ways to help astronauts cope with the health effects of zero-G, and help arthritis patients back on Earth.

The habitat containing the mice was shipped up to the space station aboard the Dragon a little more than a month ago, along with a prototype supercomputer and more than three tons of other experiments and supplies. The supercomputer is staying in space, but today the Dragon brought back other scientific samples  including lung tissue that was grown in space and protein crystals that are thought to play a role in Parkinsons disease.

Story continues

The research facilities working on the experiments  including the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is supporting the Parkinsons disease research  will be looking forward to follow-up studies on the samples. Unfortunately, the mice dont have as much to look forward to. Once theyre brought to the lab, theyll be euthanized and dissected for study.

SpaceXs Dragon is currently the only space vehicle capable of bringing substantial shipments back to Earth from the space station. Other robotic cargo craft, such as Russias Progress and Orbital ATKs Cygnus, burn up during atmospheric re-entry. Russias crewed Soyuz spacecraft can bring people back from space, but theres not much extra room for cargo.

That situation is expected to change within the next few years, when Boeings crewed Starliner space capsule and Sierra Nevada Corp.s robotic Dream Chaser space plane enter service.

More from GeekWire:
A former US Homeland Security Advisor and former CIA Director discussed what private companies can do to help the fight against terrorism at the 2017 Concordia Annual Summit (streamed on Yahoo Finance).

What more should the private sector be doing, whether its social media companies or others, to assist the government, without, of course, crossing their own red lines, not to mention the civil liberties red lines? Bryan Bender of Politico asked.

Frances Townsend, a Homeland Security advisor during George W. Bushs first term, said that these days private companies understand they have a responsibility but struggle with the specifics of regulating information on their platforms.

What you dont want is the private sector to become censors, Townsend explained. But not all speech is protected by the First Amendment. And there are some  pretty clear, bright lines.

Townsend added that companies have a commercial incentive to help so that their brand is not associated with extremist content.

I think now the social media companies dont really want to be associated  Google doesnt want you, nor do their advertisers, to pull up a website that is an extremist website, she said. And your company doesnt want their ads on the site. And so theres a commercial reason, as well as sort of a good public policy reason, pushing these companies to get much better.

An example of an advertisement appearing on an ISIS video.

David Petraeus, a retired four-star general and CIA chief under President Barack Obama, said that the technology to recognize and filter extremist content does exist. However, terrorism-related content is a tougher problem than child pornography, which a machine can recognize more easily.

Petraeus added: And again, where does your right of free speech end and incitement to violence begin? Which is really the test at the end of the day.

There have been hiccups. In August, YouTube announced a new initiative to combat terrorism-related content with better detection and faster removal driven by machine learning. But the crackdown included the suspension of accounts belonging to journalists and researchers whose channels included videos about al-Qaeda and the war in Syria.

Story continues

YouTube has now suspended my account because of videos of Syria I uploaded 2-3 years ago. Nice anti-ISIS AI youve got there, YouTube, researcher Eliot Higgins tweeted. Ironically, by deleting years old opposition channels YouTube is doing more damage to Syrian history than ISIS could ever hope to achieve.

Petraeus noted that he recently spent a day with the Google (GOOG) team responsible for dealing with extremist content (now known as Jigsaw). He asserted that Google has made quite considerable progress in how to do this. And now what theyve got to do is deploy it in more substantial form. And the same with the social media platforms.

READ MORE:



Former UK PM Tony Blair: Brexit and Trump happened because of 3 converging factors

How Americas tech giants reached crisis mode
The company failed to take advantage of the opportunity its physical stores offer for experience-led shopping, play zones and shows, one analyst said

Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy protection in the US late on Monday, in what experts have described as one of the largest ever Chapter 11 filings by a speciality retailer.

The move casts doubt over the future of its approximately 1,600 outlets and 64,000 employees, and comes just as the US market gears up for the crucial holiday shopping season, during which companys like Toys R Us generate a large proportion of their annual sales.

Already on Monday The Wall Street Journal reported that the company was within weeks of filing for bankruptcy.

Toys R Us had been saddled with a huge amount of debt since buyout firms KKR and Bain Capital took it private for $6.6bn (4.9bn) in 2005. Its bonds that are due to mature next year have lost half their value this month, according to data from Thomson Reuters.

We expect that the financial constraints that have held us back will be addressed in a lasting and effective way, chief executive Dave Brandon said. Together with our investors, our objective is to work with our debtholders and other creditors to restructure the $5bn of long-term debt on our balance sheet.

The companys Canadian arm will seek protection in separate proceedings, the group said in a statement.

Operations outside of the US and Canada operate as separate entities are not part of the proceedings and shops will remain open.

Like any retailer, decisions about any future store closings  and openings  will continue to be made based on what makes the best sense for the business, Michael Freitag, a spokesman for Toys R Us, told Bloomberg.

Toys R Uss bankruptcy underscores the pressure building on retailers from cut-price rivals like Amazon. According to Reuters, more than a dozen notable retail chains have filed for bankruptcy so far this year in the US.

There is room in physical retail for toy stores as the queues outside Hamleys and Lego Stores will testify but success is now more likely to come from stores that reinvent themselves as destinations offering experiences or as niche outlets for hardcore collectors, said Jon Copestake, chief retail and consumer goods analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Story continues

Andy Brian, head of retail at Gordons law firm, said that the company had simply failed to adapt quickly enough to compete with rivals like Amazon and  in the UK market  Argos.

He agreed with Mr Copestake that Toys R Us had also failed to take advantage of the huge opportunity which its physical stores present by developing experience-led shopping for families with play zones for kids, exciting demos and shows, and perhaps even a coffee shop for mum and dad.

Toys R Us dates back to 1948 when Charles Lazarus opened Childrens Bargain Town, a baby-furniture store. Two years later he started selling toys, according before opening the first Toys R Us branded shop in 1957.

The company is headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey. Outside of the US, its biggest presence is in Japan and China, followed by the UK.
donald trump

President Donald Trump appears to be on an island when it comes to his desire to fulfill one of his biggest campaign promises.

Since 2015, Trump has advocated that the federal corporate tax rate be slashed to 15% from 35%. The president argued in various campaign and postelection speeches that a 15% rate would make the US more competitive globally, produce more jobs, and kick-start economic growth.

"We're looking at a 15% rate," Trump said at a meeting on taxes last Wednesday. "And we want a 15% rate because that would bring us low  not by any means the lowest  but it would bring us to a level where China and other countries are. And we will be able to compete with anybody. Nobody will be able to touch us. So we would like to see 15%."

While Trump has been insistent on the 15% rate, nearly every other Republican involved in the effort to overhaul the US tax system has said the number is unworkable.

Here's a quick rundown of what some of the "Big Six" tax writers said on the issue:

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin: "The president has made it clear since the campaign, ideally he'd like to get it down to 15%. I don't know if we'll be able to achieve that given the budget issues, but we're going to get this down to a very competitive level."

National Economic Council director Gary Cohn: "I would like to get the tax rate as low as possible so that businesses want to create jobs here."

House Speaker Paul Ryan: "I think our goal is to be at or below the industrial world average, and that's 22.5%. So our goal is to get in the mid- to low 20s."

Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch: "The president would like it at 15%. I don't think we can go that low. But I think there's a possibility it can go as low as 20%."

Even a survey of tax professionals conducted by the consulting firm Deloitte's tax-research arm shows many in the industry are skeptical Trump can meet his target. Just 5.3% of the more than 3,100 people surveyed expect the tax bill to get the corporate rate down to 15%.

Story continues

The major issue for Republicans in getting the rate that low is the process being used to introduce the bill. The GOP plans to use budget reconciliation so the tax package can be passed in the Senate with a simple majority and bypass a filibuster by Democrats.

To use that process, the bill can't add to the deficit after 10 years. This means the lower tax revenue from a lower corporate rate needs to be made up by closing deductions or generating revenue in other ways.

At 15%, that math becomes difficult even if Republicans use "dynamic scoring," a controversial method that assumes increased growth will make up some of the lost revenue.

In a bipartisan tax meeting on Wednesday, Trump suggested that the Republican tax plan may increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans.

"I think the wealthy will be pretty much where they are, pretty much where they are," Trump said. "If they have to go higher, they'll go higher."

Such a concession may allow Republicans to lower the corporate rate further and possibly fulfill the president's 15% goal. Getting congressional Republicans on board with an increase, however, is highly unlikely.

NOW WATCH: GARY SHILLING: If you don't like your job, you're 'wasting precious time'





More From Business Insider


A "potentially catastrophic" Hurricane Maria is now a Category 5 storm, packing 160 miles per hour winds -- with even higher gusts -- as it nears Dominica and takes aim at the US territory of Puerto Rico.

"The extremely dangerous core of Maria is expected to pass over Dominica within the next hour or two," the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 p.m. ET advisory. "Maria is likely to affect Puerto Rico as an extremely dangerous major hurricane, and a hurricane warning has been issued for that island."

A US Air Force Reserve C-130 Hurricane Hunter data measured the intense storm, which heightens the chance of life-threatening storm surge and "hitting the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico."

For the first time in 85 years, Puerto Rico is expected to suffer a direct landfall from such a strong hurricane. Puerto Rico's governor has declared a state of emergency ahead of that landfall, which will likely happen Wednesday.

The hurricane center statement said Maria was centered about 15 miles east-southeast of Dominica and 40 miles north of Martinique. The mammoth storm was moving west-northwest at 9 mph.

President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico for federal assistance to augment the territory's storm-response initiatives.

Bracing for impact in Dominica

Dominica is a small island with a population of nearly 74,000 about halfway between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago, according to the CIA World Factbook. It's nearly 290 square miles (751 square kilometers) and "slightly more than four times the size of Washington DC."

"The Dominican economy has been dependent on agriculture -- primarily bananas -- in years past, but increasingly has been driven by tourism as the government seeks to promote Dominica as an 'ecotourism' destination," the factbook said.

Hours before Maria's expected landfall on Dominica -- and just over week after the island was brushed by Irma -- Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit urged residents to take any belongings that could become dangerous projectiles indoors.

"The next few hours should be placed on cleaning up around the house and on your properties rather than stockpiling weeks of foods and other supplies," Skerrit said in a televised speech.

"This is not a system that will linger very long. Therefore, the goal must not be on stockpiling supplies but on mitigating damage caused by flying objects."

Puerto Rico on alert

Puerto Rico sheltered many of the evacuees who fled Hurricane Irma's wrath in other Caribbean islands. Now those evacuees and native Puerto Ricans are bracing for another powerful hurricane.

The governor ordered evacuations ahead of deteriorating conditions.

"We want to alert the people of Puerto Rico that this is not an event like we've ever seen before," Gov. Ricardo Rossello told reporters.

Puerto Rico housing authorities said there are 450 shelters able to take in 62,714 evacuees, and up to 125,428 in an emergency situation. But there are six fewer shelters available post-Irma, since some schools still have no electricity.

"We expect to feel storm winds, tropical storm winds, since Tuesday up until late on Thursday. That's about two-and-a-half days of tropical storm winds, and on Wednesday we will feel the brunt -- all of the island will feel the brunt of sustained category four or five winds, Rossello said.

"This is an event that will be damaging to the infrastructure, that will be catastrophic, and our main focus -- our only focus right now -- should be to make sure we save lives."

Rossello said that Maria's size means all of Puerto Rico will experience hurricane conditions.

"It is time to seek refuge with a family member, friend, or move to a state shelter because rescuers will not go out and risk their lives once winds reach 50 miles per hour."

If Maria strikes the island as forecast, it will be "more dangerous than Hugo and Georges," he said.

Hurricane and tropical storm warnings

The storm will affect parts of the Leeward Islands and the British and US Virgin Islands for next couple of days, the center said.

Other Leeward Islands are now under hurricane warnings, including Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. The US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands are under warnings.

Trump issued an emergency declaration for the US Virgin Islands.

There are tropical storm warnings in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba and St. Eustatius, St. Martin, Anguilla and St. Lucia.

The government of the Dominican Republic has issued a hurricane watch from Isla Saona to Puerto Plata, and a tropical storm watch west of Puerto Plata to the northern Dominican Republic-Haiti border.

The British Foreign Office said more than 1,300 troops are in the region, on affected islands or nearby locations, ready to help after Maria goes by. One military team has been deployed to the British Virgin Islands.

A British military reconaissance team is on standby to go to Montserrat and assess needs, the office said. The HMS Ocean is set to arrive in the area at week's end with 60 tons of government supplies.

Hurricane Jose

Another hurricane, Jose, is also churning in the Atlantic and has spawned tropical storm warnings for part of the US East Coast.

While forecasters don't anticipate Jose making landfall in the US, it's still expected to cause "dangerous surf and rip currents" along the East Coast in the next few days, the hurricane center said.

CNN's Brandon Miller, Marilia Brocchetto, Judson Jones, Taylor Ward, Deborah Bloom, Leyla Santiago, Michael Holmes, Matt Wotus and Susannah Cullinane contributed to this report.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday the U.N. Security Council has run out of options on containing North Koreas nuclear program and the United States may have to turn the matter over to the Pentagon.

We have pretty much exhausted all the things that we can do at the Security Council at this point, Haley told CNNs State of the Union, adding that she was perfectly happy to hand the North Korea problem over to Defense Secretary James Mattis.

As world leaders head to the United Nations headquarters in New York for the annual General Assembly meeting this week, Haleys comments indicated the United States was not backing down from its threat of military action against North Korea.

North Korea launched a missile over Japan into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday in defiance of new U.N. Security Council sanctions banning its textile exports and capping imports of crude oil.

China has urged the United States to refrain from making threats to North Korea. Asked about President Donald Trumps warning last month that the North Korean threat to the United States will be met with fire and fury, Haley said, It was not an empty threat.

If North Korea keeps on with this reckless behavior, if the United States has to defend itself or defend its allies in any way, North Korea will be destroyed. And we all know that. And none of us want that. None of us want war, she said on CNN.

Were trying every other possibility that we have, but theres a whole lot of military options on the table, she said.

Pyongyang has launched dozens of missiles as it accelerates a weapons program designed to provide the ability to target the United States with a powerful, nuclear-tipped missile.

North Korea said on Saturday it aimed to reach an equilibrium of military force with the United States.

Rocket Man

Trump plans to meet with South Korean President Jae-in Moon on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad! Trump said in a Twitter post on Sunday morning.

Story continues

White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster said on Friday, after the latest North Korean missile launch, that the United States was running out of patience: Weve been kicking the can down the road, and were out of road.

On Sunday, he warned of imminent danger from Pyongyang.

This regime is so close now to threatening the United States and others with a nuclear weapon, that we really have to move with a great sense of urgency on sanctions, on diplomacy and preparing, if necessary, a military option, McMaster told the Fox News Sunday program.

Military options available to Trump range from a sea blockade aimed at enforcing sanctions to cruise missile strikes on nuclear and missile facilities to a broader campaign aimed at overthrowing leader Kim Jong Un.

Mattis has warned the consequences of any military action would be tragic on an unbelievable scale and bring severe risk to U.S. ally South Korea.

Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein said on Sunday that Trump should not rule out talks with North Korea before it agrees to end its nuclear program.

I think that North Korea is not going to give up its program with nothing on the table, she said on CNN.

Feinstein said that a freeze of both its nuclear program and missile arsenal, rather than ending them, would be more palatable to North Korea and to China, who fears the U.S. goal is toppling Kim.

The United States still wants a peaceful solution and has been waiting for the North Koreans to indicate they are ready to talk, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on CBS Face the Nation.

We have tried a couple of times to signal to them that were ready, when theyre ready, he said. And they have responded with more missile launches and a nuclear test.
North Korea's most recent test was fired over Japan: AP

The American military is said to be considering shooting down North Korean missile - even if they do not pose a direct threat.

As North Korea continues to test a series of intercontinental missiles and payloads, and as the US continues to respond by unleashing fire and fury, the Pentagon is said to be rethinking how to respond to such missile launches.

CNN said now the US was assessing whether Pyongyangs missile programme had progressed to the level of being such an inherent threat that the Pentagon would recommend targeting a missile even if its trajectory did not indicate it would hit the US or its allies.

Speaking on Monday, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said that North Korea was seeking to "push the envelope" as far as they could.

Mr Mattis said that North Korea is "intentionally doing provocations that seem to press against the envelope for just how far can they push without going over some kind of a line in their minds that would make them vulnerable.

It comes as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for war with North Korea to be avoided and criticised world leaders stoking resentment over refugees for political gain, two apparent digs at President Donald Trump.

In his first address to the annual gathering of world leaders at the 193-member U.N. General Assembly since taking office in January, Guterres said the North Korea crisis must be solved through a political process.

This is the time for statesmanship, said the former prime minister of Portugal. We must not sleepwalk our way into war.

With tensions escalating over North Korea's continued nuclear and ballistic missile testing in a bid to give it the ability to target the United States with a powerful, nuclear-tipped missile, Trump has warned of U.S. military action.

The UN Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2006 and Guterres appealed for the 15-member body to maintain its unity on North Korea.
The Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") seems to be getting harsher on drugstore chains Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. WBA and Rite Aid Corp. RAD, which have been trying to appease the regulatory body since its initial merger pact in 2015. Per the latest developments and a word from sources, Walgreens is again planning to revise its deal to buy 2,186 Rite Aid stores, in order to get regulatory approval.



The FTC is now close to giving decision on the Walgreens-Rite Aids latest deal, where Walgreens will acquire the aforementioned Rite Aid stores and related assets for $5.175 billion. However, Walgreens, which has been closely working with FTC, is currently considering revising deal to resolve some regulatory concerns. Though the exact tweaking for the number of stores that will be bought was not made known, sources expect a revised deal to be brought to light as early as next week. This would give FTC another 30 days to review the new deal and give its decision.



Walgreens closed at $82.60, up a marginal 0.1% yesterday, while Rite Aid rose 3.8% to $2.73.





Moreover, Rite Aid has rallied 21.4% in the past month, outperforming the industrys 4.8% growth. Meanwhile, Walgreens has improved only 2.5%, also lagging the industrys gain.





The Background



Walgreens-Rite Aid had initially agreed to a merger agreement in October 2015, which fell apart after two years of investigation by the FTC in June 2017. Replacing the older agreement, Walgreens agreed upon a fresh bargain to buy 2,186 Rite Aid stores, associated distribution assets and inventory, for $5.175 billion as well as termination charges of $325 million.



The aforementioned stores to be sold are primarily situated in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern parts of the United States. The three distribution centers, which are also part of the agreement, include those which are housed in Dayville, CT, Philadelphia and Spartanburg, SC. Further, the new transaction allows Rite Aid to buy generic drugs sourced through a Walgreens affiliate, at cost price for about 10 years. Meanwhile, Rite Aid will provide certain transition services to Walgreens for up to three years post the deal closure. The initial deal was approved by the directors of both companies.



Conclusion



The new deal to be put forward by Walgreens would mark the fourth revised proposal in the whole episode of establishing a successful transaction with Rite Aid.



If the deal materializes, Walgreens will become the No. 1 drugstore chain in the United States by size, leaving behind CVS Health Corp. CVS. Further, the sale of nearly half of its more than 4,500 stores would leave Rite Aid on the third spot. While Walgreens will gain from a significant expansion of its footprint, Rite Aid will be well poised to improve its financial leverage by paying down huge debts.



Both Rite Aid and Walgreens currently carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Still Wanting Exposure in the Drugstore Segment?



Investors interested in the Drugstore space can invest in Herbalife LTD. HLF. The stock has gained whopping 40.2% year to date and has a VGM Score of A. Moreover, it currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



4 Promising Stock Picks to Keep an Eye On



With news stories about computer hacking and identity theft becoming increasingly commonplace, the cybersecurity industry looks like a promising investment opportunity. But which stocks should you buy? Zacks just released Cybersecurity: An Investors Guide to Locking Down Profits to help answer this question.



This new Special Report gives you the information you need to make well-informed investment choices in this space. More importantly, it also highlights 4 cybersecurity picks with strong profit potential.



Get the new Investing Guide now>>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Rite Aid Corporation (RAD) : Free Stock Analysis Report



CVS Health Corporation (CVS) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Herbalife LTD. (HLF) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Shares of Rite Aid (RAD) fell more than 10% on Tuesday after Walgreens Boots (WBA) received government approval to buy fewer Rite Aid stores than had initially been proposed.

Shares of Rite Aid RAD fell more than 10% on Tuesday after Walgreens Boots WBA received government approval to buy fewer Rite Aid stores than had initially been proposed.

In order to clear a regulatory hurdle presented by the Federal Trade Commission, Walgreens Boots said it would only buy 1,932 stores from Rite Aid. The deal is still worth a whopping $4.38 billion, but that total is a full 254 fewer stores than the companies agreed to in June.

Walgreens Boots also said that it intends to acquire three Rite Aid distribution centers located in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. The exchange and transition of these distribution centers will not begin for at least another year, however.

Todays approval looks to be the final chapter in what has been a lengthy saga involving Walgreens and Rite Aid. Earlier this year, Walgreens said it was calling off its nearly two-year operation to acquire its rival pharmacy company after numerous antitrust cases halted the deal.

Instead, Walgreens would settle for acquiring just under half of Rite Aids domestic storesa figure that has obviously since been reduced. Still, the store purchase plan should help widen Walgreens Boots foothold in the U.S., where it also competes with the likes of CVS Health Corp. CVS.

With this process taking close to two years to come to a conclusion, we think the final outcome and the structure of the transaction were well anticipated, an analyst at Pivotal Research Group told CNBC. However, with each recent iteration of the transaction, the economics appear to be shifting more and more in Walgreens' favor.

The store purchases will begin in October and will be completed in spring 2018, Walgreens said. The company also noted that the acquisitions will not have a significant impact on the companys earnings for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2018, although it expects annual synergies to reach $300 million eventually.

Story continues

We are confident in the path ahead and look forward to working together to shape the future of health care and deliver on the full potential these stores bring to our network, Walgreens CEO Stefano Pessina said in a press release.

Want more stock market analysis from this author? Make sure to follow @Ryan_McQueeney on Twitter!

4 Promising Stock Picks to Keep an Eye On

With news stories about computer hacking and identity theft becoming increasingly commonplace, the cybersecurity industry looks like a promising investment opportunity. But which stocks should you buy? Zacks just released Cybersecurity: An Investors Guide to Locking Down Profits to help answer this question.

This new Special Report gives you the information you need to make well-informed investment choices in this space. More importantly, it also highlights 4 cybersecurity picks with strong profit potential. Get the new Investing Guide now>>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Rite Aid Corporation (RAD) : Free Stock Analysis Report



CVS Health Corporation (CVS) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Photo credit: Maciej Frolow / Getty

From Popular Mechanics

Mark it in your calendar, folks: The world is going to end on Saturday. At least, that's according to David Meade, a numerologist who has predicted that the end times will begin on September 23. Needless to say, we're not holding our breath.

Meade takes his inspiration from the Bible's Book of Revelations, specifically Revelation 12:12, which reads:

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.

Meade interprets this passage as referring to the constellation of Virgo, which is often depicted as a woman. Currently, Virgo advances through the sky ahead of the moon, and with the sun. Ahead of the constellation are the nine stars of Leo, along with the planets Mercury, Mars, and Venus. Meade believes these stars and planets are the "crown of twelve stars" in the prophecy.

There's quite a bit more to Meade's story, but the agent of his apocalypse appears to be the planet "Nibiru," a mystical planet that often shows up in doomsday predictions. While a ninth planet may actually exist in the far reaches of our solar system, that still doesn't make Meade's prediction seem particularly sound.

Meade says he's not actually predicting that the world will end immediately on Saturday. In an interview with the Washington Post, Mead says, "The world is not ending, but the world as we know it is ending" on September 23. "A major part of the world will not be the same the beginning of October."

Of course, what that means is anyone's guess, which means Meade will be free to interpret even the smallest of possible signs as proof that he was right all along. But for those not taken in by superstitious nonsense, some small comfort: The only way the world will end is if we end it ourselves.

Source: Washington Post

You Might Also Like
The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, has officially hit $1 trillion.Norges Bank, who manages the fund for Norway, said on its website that the rainy-day pot was never expected to grow so large."I don't think anyone expected the fund to ever reach 1 trillion dollars when the first transfer of oil revenue was made in May 1996. Reaching 1 trillion dollars is a milestone, and the growth in the fund's market value has been stunning", said Yngve Slyngstad, chief executive officer at Norges Bank Investment Management.The fund's administrators said that on Tuesday 19 September 2017 at 2:01 a.m. local time, the fund value hit $1,000,000,000,000, or $1 trillion, for the first time.The bank said a strengthening of the world's major currencies against the U.S. dollar combined with strong equity markets during 2017 had rapidly increased the U.S. dollar value of the pooled capital.Norway's fund was set up more than 20 years ago to invest revenue arising from oil extraction.In August, Norges Bank said Nestle, China's Tencent and Swiss company Novartis made the biggest positive contributions to the fund's growth across the second quarter.In January 2016, the Norwegian government made the first ever withdrawal from the pot of cash to address a slowing economy. The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, has officially hit $1 trillion. Norges Bank, who manages the fund for Norway, said on its website that the rainy-day pot was never expected to grow so large. "I don't think anyone expected the fund to ever reach 1 trillion dollars when the first transfer of oil revenue was made in May 1996. Reaching 1 trillion dollars is a milestone, and the growth in the fund's market value has been stunning", said Yngve Slyngstad, chief executive officer at Norges Bank Investment Management. The fund's administrators said that on Tuesday 19 September 2017 at 2:01 a.m. local time, the fund value hit $1,000,000,000,000, or $1 trillion, for the first time. The bank said a strengthening of the world's major currencies against the U.S. dollar combined with strong equity markets during 2017 had rapidly increased the U.S. dollar value of the pooled capital. Norway's fund was set up more than 20 years ago to invest revenue arising from oil extraction. In August, Norges Bank said Nestle, China's Tencent and Swiss company Novartis made the biggest positive contributions to the fund's growth across the second quarter. In January 2016, the Norwegian government made the first ever withdrawal from the pot of cash to address a slowing economy.



More From CNBC


Most of the 3,000 additional troops the United States is deploying to Afghanistan are on their way, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on September 18.

U.S. President Donald Trump last month announced a new Afghanistan strategy, which he said was aimed at defeating the Taliban, who continue to mount deadly attacks, control large areas, and kill thousands of Afghan servicemen and civilians after nearly 16 years of war.

Mattis told Pentagon reporters that he didn't want to give precise numbers but said he was sending "over 3,000" troops to Afghanistan, where they will bolster the approximately 11,000 American forces already there.

"Most of them are on their way or under orders now, and I'd prefer not to give any more information that helps the enemy," he said.

Defense officials say the president's new strategy for Afghanistan will try to repeat the success of U.S. efforts over the past two years to strengthen Iraqi security forces against the extremist Islamic State group with better training, logistical support, and the battlefield backup of U.S. artillery and air strikes on enemy positions.

The United States is also pressing for NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in Afghanistan.

Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters
TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS, Sept. 08, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- September 8, 2017: Corporacion Dinants expanded community engagement program recently completed major projects that will have a significantly positive impact on local people in some of the poorest parts of Honduras.

Dinant has donated 160 thousand lempiras (nearly US$7,000) to the Juntos Podemos Foundation at the Southern General Hospital in Choluteca, Southern Honduras, to help fund a range of operations including plastic surgery for children born with cleft lip or cleft palate.

In San Pedro Sula  home to Dinants high-tech snacks factory  members of the companys Human Resources and Volunteering team, together with the citys Environmental Management department, planted 300 Mahogany, Cedar and other native trees to boost a local reforestation project at the Merendon Reserve.

In Comayagua  where Dinants facilities include vegetable greenhouses, a soap factory and a food processing plant  company volunteers joined pupils, parents and teachers to paint and clean three local schools in need of refurbishment.

Together, Dinant and Kerry Ingredients donated over 350 thousand lempiras (US$15,000) to build toilets and washrooms and undertake general repairs that will benefit the 1,500 students and 54 teachers at the Alfonso Hernandez Cordova Institute in the city of La Lima near San Pedro Sula.

Company Spokesman, Roger Pineda, commented, I am extremely proud of the support that Dinant and its staff volunteers provide to local people throughout Honduras. Were making a real difference to the lives of so many people in some of the poorest parts of the country.

With a greatly expanded social engagement program, Dinant is building on its local relationships and reaching out to new communities.

Mr. Pineda continued, The projects announced today are the tip of the iceberg; Dinant is providing financial and volunteer support to communities throughout Honduras, including investing US$120,000 since 2009 to support the sustainable production of Corozo palm nuts by local Pech and Garifuna communities. Crucially, Dinant continues to recruit people from local communities to work at our plantations, factories and mills.

About Corporacion Dinant

Dinant is a family-owned consumer products manufacturer founded in Honduras in 1960. Its products are sold across Central America and the Dominican Republic, and exported to global markets. The company employs 7,200 people worldwide, supports a further 22,000 livelihoods, generates millions of US dollars in exports for Honduras, and contributes significantly to the economies of all countries in which it operates. Dinant rigorously benchmarks its operations against stringent international standards regarding economic, environmental and social impacts.

This material is distributed by Tricuro LLC on behalf of Corporacion Dinant. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/38bb2b32-8d42-4f43-96e8-2f3ff5f72308

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/37a603a5-966c-48dc-84e7-0c323e747fc8
CALGARY, Alberta, Sept. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BluEarth Renewables LP (BluEarth) is pleased to announce it has completed the acquisition of four operating renewable energy facilities from Veresen Inc., including three run-of-river hydro facilities in British Columbia and one wind facility in Ontario. These facilities have a weighted average contract life of 22 years and represent 85 megawatts (MW). Financial terms of the acquisition are confidential.

In addition to pursuing greenfield opportunities, BluEarths growth strategy includes pursuing targeted acquisitions where we can take full advantage of our existing footprint and operational bench strength, said Grant Arnold, BluEarths President & Chief Executive Officer. With this acquisition, we now have a portfolio of over $1.7 billion of renewable energy facilities in operation and construction.

Mr. Arnold added, In just seven short years, we have built one of the strongest portfolios of long-term contracted renewable energy assets, a strong balance sheet supported by our strategic owner, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board, and one of the most experienced, passionate and dedicated teams in our industry. Beyond our operated facilities and those under construction, we also have a robust development portfolio across Canada. We are proud to show how business can be sustainable and profitable, leaving the world a better place.

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP acted as legal counsel and RBC Capital Markets acted as financial advisor to BluEarth for the acquisition.

About BluEarth Renewables

Headquartered in Calgary, BluEarth is a private, independent renewable power producer, focused on the acquisition, development, construction, and operation of wind, water, and solar projects. BluEarths majority shareholder is the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board. BluEarth's mission is to be a Canadian based renewable energy leader by developing, building, and operating a portfolio that optimizes people, planet, and profit. BluEarth believes it has The Power to Change the FutureTM by demonstrating how to be sustainable and profitable, leaving the world a better place. For more information, visit www.bluearth.ca or follow us on twitter @BERenewables.

For more information, contact:

Dorreen Miller

Director, Communications

BluEarth Renewables

(587) 324-4238

media@bluearth.ca




A rebuttal (of sorts) to Cynthia Adams' recent letter. First understand I do agree about flying the rebel flag. I prefer they fly it on their bedroom walls. Most only fly it to be "in your face." Now, as an amateur civil war "historian" (very amateur) I would like to correct Cynthia's misunderstanding of the "civil war." First understand there has never been a civil war in this country--yet. A civil war is a war between groups trying to take control of a single government--not what happened in 1861. War between the States? Nope. Those believing in the "Lost Cause" would love her "sovereign nation" idea. As she goes through her letter she leads us to a belief that the south "took up arms" and invaded the north. Not true. If the south was truly a "sovereign nation" as she says it was, it was the north that took up arms and invaded the CSA! The CSA merely took up arms to defend itself. Had Lincoln not sent the boys south (I'm glad he did) there would not have been a civil war. The south just wanted to be left alone. Her comparison of the rebel flag to ISIS and Nazi flags is way off the mark, a very hateful comparison. I, like many, am getting very tired of the perpetually offended snowflakes around but still would prefer people relegate their rebel flags to bedroom walls and am OK moving rebel statutes to more appropriate places (I do not believe they belong sitting in front of state houses). Destroyed? NO! The naming of military bases after rebels has always given me pause, but renaming now would be silly and expensive. I would think Cynthia would be more offended by hurricanes, North Korea, etc. but...
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, Mont., Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tintina Resources, Inc. (TSX.V:TAU) (OTCQB:TINTF) (Tintina or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has received a draft operating permit from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MT DEQ) Hard Rock Mining Bureau. This draft permit formally concludes the Completeness & Compliance review and signifies commencement of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The MT DEQ is finalizing the selection of an independent third-party contractor to prepare a comprehensive EIS which will include all procedural and substantive elements of the Montana Environmental Policy Act. The EIS is expected to take approximately one year to complete.



In addition to the draft operating permit, the Montana Public Service Commission on September 1, 2017 approved an agreement between Fergus Electric Cooperative and NorthWestern Energy to provide power to the Black Butte Copper project. Fergus Electric will construct a new 100-kV transmission line and substation which will draw from an existing NorthWestern transmission facility. Under the terms of the agreement, Tintina will be responsible for the total cost of construction of the new power transmission line.

The proposed underground mine is designed to provide economic opportunity to Central Montana while fully protecting the Smith River Watershed. A summary of the Mine Operating Permit Application can be found on our website www.tintinaresources.com in the transparency library along with a 3D animation of the planned project showing what the site will look like during mining operations and after full site reclamation.

The Black Butte Copper Project will be a major contributor to the economy of Central Montana and entire state. The direct payroll alone will be in excess $12 million per year. Based on the current price of copper of around $3.00/lb., the Black Butte Project will enhance Meagher County and the State of Montanas tax base by paying taxes of over $6 million per year through the Metals Mines Tax, Gross Proceeds Tax, and Montana Corporate Tax; Meagher County alone will receive $3 million per year from these taxes. Another $8 million will be paid in federal corporate taxes. In addition, all-important business equipment taxes paid by the Company, personal income tax paid by an estimated 240 employees, and additional contractor pay and input cost will greatly help the Montana economy.

Jerry Zieg, Senior VP shared, The granting of the draft permit acknowledges that through our mine design we have de-risked all possible environmental impacts, a significant achievement we are very proud of. In addition, the power transmission line could potentially form a significant infrastructure upgrade to our community of White Sulphur Springs and will the increase the tax base.

John Shanahan, CEO stated, The support we continue to receive from businesses and rural communities in Montana has been outstanding. We remain 100% committed to bringing this extraordinary project to fruition while meeting our very clear commitment to environmental stewardship. Exhaustive technical studies to date show we can operate in an environmentally sounds way while protecting our environment. We can and will do this while providing important economic opportunities for Montana.

Contact Information:

Tintina Resources, Inc.

Nancy Schlepp, Director of Public Affairs

Mobile: 406-224-8180

Office: 406-547-3466

Email: nschlepp@tintinaresources.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain disclosures in this document constitute forward looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the Companys plans for advancing the Black Butte Copper Project, including plans for tailings and water management and the MOP application and expected outcomes. In making these forward-looking statements, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable, including that the Companys plans for tailings and water management will be implemented as expected and will have the intended benefits and that the results of exploration and development activities are consistent with managements expectations. However, the forward-looking statements in this document are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to Tintinas operation as a mineral exploration and development company and the Black Butte Copper Project that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, including that results of exploration and development activities will not be consistent with managements expectations, delays in obtaining or inability to obtain required government or other regulatory approvals or financing, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, the risk of accidents, labor disputes, inclement or hazardous weather conditions, unusual or unexpected geological conditions, ground control problems, earthquakes, flooding and all of the other risks generally associated with the development of mining facilities and the operation of a producing mine. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Tintina does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Certain disclosures in this document constitute forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation.
ATLANTA, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Americold (www.americold.com), the global leader in temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics to the food industry, announced today that it has broken ground on a new facility in Middleborough, MA for its long-time partner Ocean Spray. The facility will support Ocean Sprays production requirements for its northeast harvesting operations, specifically for Craisins dried cranberries.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/da10f0e7-d8ee-47f2-b9e0-853c2e36036d

Ocean Spray has been an Americold partner for nearly 40 years. As demand for the companys array of unique, healthy products has continued to grow globally, so has the need for frozen storage and refrigeration. This new facility, adjacent to Ocean Sprays production facility in Middleborough, now will become a key component of the distribution process for Craisins dried cranberries.

We are so pleased to be able to expand our support for Ocean Spray with the construction of this new building, commented Fred Boehler, President & CEO of Americold. Its a great example of partners coming together to develop a mutually beneficial solution for future growth.

The new facility will offer 173,000 square feet of bulk storage with three rooms operating at 0o Fahrenheit to maintain cranberry integrity from harvest to production. Design considerations took into account the high volume of incoming cranberry loads at harvest time, and freezing those cranberries to Ocean Sprays high standards, which ensure the incredible taste, color, and health benefits consumers know and enjoy.

The strength of our Americold partnership comes directly from our close collaboration, and Americolds commitment to understanding our unique needs as the global leader in cranberry products, added Mike Stamatakos, Senior Vice President, Global Operations for Ocean Spray. Our farmer-owners take immense care and pride in growing only the best fruitits a heritage we will proudly continue with the support of business partners like Americold.

The construction phase is underway and once completed, Americold will be hiring for full-and part-time positions to support the operation. The facility is expected to open in September 2018in time for the Fall 2018 harvest.

About Americold

Americold is the global leader in temperature controlled warehousing and logistics to the food industry, offering the most comprehensive warehousing, transportation and logistics solutions in the world. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Americold owns and operates over 165 temperature-controlled warehouses, with more than 1 billion cubic feet of storage, in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, China, Argentina and Canada. Americolds facilities are an integral component of the supply chain connecting food producers, processors, distributors, and retailers to consumers. Americold serves more than 2500 customers and employs 11,000 associates worldwide. More information about Americold is at www.americold.com.

Media Contact

Daniel Cooke

Director of Marketing

Americold

10 Glenlake Parkway

Atlanta, GA 30328

MediaRelations@americold.com

About Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray is a vibrant agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry and grapefruit growers in the United States, Canada and Chile who have helped preserve the family farming way of life for generations. Formed in 1930, Ocean Spray is now the worlds leading producer of cranberry juices, juice drinks and dried cranberries and is the best-selling brand in the North American bottled juice category. The cooperatives cranberries are currently featured in more than a thousand great-tasting, good-for-you products in over 100 countries worldwide. With more than 2,000 employees and nearly 20 cranberry receiving and processing facilities, Ocean Spray is committed to managing our business in a way that respects our communities, employees and the environment. For more information visit: www.oceanspray.com or www.oceanspray.coop.

Media Contact

Kate Leonard

Manager, Communications

One Ocean Spray Drive

Lakeville, MA 02349

kleonard@oceanspray.com
tgaucher wrote:

Hello,



Thank you for fielding admissions questions for Tuck.



I was wondering if you could offer any insight as to how people approach the Global Exposure/travel outside your home country write-up. Personally, as someone from the US, I have not completed any travel aside from a couple of short trips to Canada. That said, I do love to travel, and have done so in the United States, but I don't have any notable international travel experiences to date. I view Tuck as an opportunity to make that travel happen.



The above considered, do applicants generally outline their past travel experiences and that is it, or would it be appropriate to explain that I look forward to putting a new foot forward by traveling with Tuck? I did not know if it was frowned-upon to go somewhat beyond the scope of the question.



Thanks in advance for any assistance you have to offer.



Trenton

Hello Trenton,Thank you for your question and for your interest in Tuck.The question regarding global exposure is intended to provide some insight into your international experience, which may include personal and business travel abroad, study abroad and fluency in a foreign language. If you do not have much experience to point to, no worries! Be sure to mention your travel to Canada, as well as any languages you speak. You may also feel free to mention that you are excited to expand your global experience while at Tuck. It's important to keep in mind that this is just one aspect of your overall candidacy.Best,Nancy GranadaTuck Admissions
Abhishek201821 wrote:





Sent from my LS-5002 using Hello , I am Abhishek Shukla from India currently doing my BBA International Business and I have 61 % aggregate in it . I am from Lucknow University where maximum percentage given is 73 or 74% . I want to know best options I have available if I score close to 650 gmat score and how should I prepare for it and how should I tackle the weak quant section. I have 86% in my high school and 78% in my intermediate . I want to know best possible colleges I can get with a decent gmat score and my ug score . And how to start preparing for gmat . I have no clue whatsoever this is the first day I planned for taking gmat . Please guide me and give the names of best colleges I can get. Uk would be my priority because according to there score I have 2:1 degree which is good enough for fulfilling basic criteria in top colleges . I am looking for Ms in international business or management . And what are my chances of getting into London business school or imperial college . Thank youSent from my LS-5002 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

I can't really help you on school selection and honestly the GMAT/GPA stuff is just a portion of your application. People here will need a detailed breakdown of your background to better gauge fit with a program.You also really need to explore the site more before posting how to study for the gmat questions. The name of this website is "gmatclub.com", you don't think someone has asked this question before? There are entire topics related to study plans and strategies.Another thing you can do is any question you have, go to google and type: "site:gmatclub.com ______" and fill the blank in with your question. You will usually find topics relevant to what you're looking for. Best of luck (and learn to love becoming a GMAT expert)!
souvik101990 wrote:

Criminals released from prison on parole have generally been put under routine supervision. A recent program has allowed criminals to leave prison early under intensive supervision; they must obey curfews and in some cases they must be electronically monitored. The percentage of released criminals arrested while under supervision is the same for intensive supervision as for routine supervision, so intensive supervision is no more effective than routine supervision in preventing criminals from committing additional crimes.



Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies?



(A) The criminals under intensive supervision, but not those under routine supervision, were required to work or attend school during their supervision period.



(B) All of the criminals who were arrested while under routine supervision had been in prison more than once before being paroled and put under supervision.



(C) The proportion of arrests to crimes committed was not significantly higher for criminals under intensive supervision than those under routine supervision.



(D) Of the criminals arrested while under intensive supervision, some would not have committed crimes if they had been under routine supervision.



(E) The number of criminals put under routine supervision was not significantly greater than the number of criminals put under intensive supervision.

preventing



Owner of Angles and Arguments





Check out my Blog Posts here: Blog

For Individual GMAT Study Modules, check

For Private Tutoring, check KarishmaOwner of Angles and ArgumentsFor Individual GMAT Study Modules, check Study Modules For Private Tutoring, check Private Tutoring Signature Read More

Responding to a pm:Premises:Criminals released on parole are put under routine supervision.A recent program allows criminals to leave prison early under intensive supervision;The percentage of re-arrests is same for intensive supervision as well as for routine supervision.Conclusion:intensive supervision is no more effective than routine supervision incriminals from committing additional crimesThe key word is highlighted. We are saying that since both types of supervision result in the same percentage of re-arrests, it means both have the same success rate in preventing crimes. There is a gap in this logic. Based on the number of re-arrests (which is same for both), we are assuming the number of crimes committed are the same under both types of supervision. What if, number of crimes committed is much higher under routine supervision but re-arrests are rarer? Then can we say that both methods are equally effective in preventing crimes? No. So option (C) is an assumption. It says that the proportion of arrests to crimes committed was similar in both.On the other hand, (E) doesn't affect our argument. The number put under each is of no consequence to us. We are comparing percentages. Since their percentages are similar, we can certainly compare their effectiveness even if the number of criminals is different.Answer (C)_________________
Western countries are seeing a rising trend in new tuberculosis cases, particularly of highly drug-resistant forms of the infection. Join the Naked Scientists for a look at new ways to combat one of the oldest and most fearsome infections on the planet.
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
Shrewsbury International School

Job Opportunity

Position / Job Specification: EAL Specialist

Department: Academic

Salary: This is a Local Hire Position, and salary would be dependent on experience



Position Summary:



The EAL Specialist reports to the Director of EAL and will typically be expected to engage in a full timetable of 50 periods per ten day cycle. Our highly motivated, experienced and flexible team of EAL specialists, working across all age phases, have good knowledge of the National Curriculum for England, and support its delivery through an EAL model of sheltered immersion. The EAL specialists also play key roles in the promotion and development of EAL strategies for all. They do this by working closely with mainstream teachers at the planning and delivery stages, and through leading staff training. English language learning is one of the main pillars of the schools mission, and our expectations of the children are very high. The solid foundation set at the primary level and the development, consolidation and refinement of our students proficiency in English as they move through the school is crucial to meeting these aspirations. EAL Specialists at Shrewsbury are exceptional practitioners who understand the nature of second language acquisition and how best to support it in a specific setting such as this.



General:



hrewsbury is one of South East Asias outstanding international schools, with enrolment of 1600 students from Early Years to Sixth Form, exceptional examination results and particular strengths in the creative arts, design and sport. The school itself enjoys a delightful and spectacular setting, right on the banks of the Chao Phraya River in the heart of Bangkok. The school is readily accessed by road and has its own boats, which provide an easy and quick link to Bangkoks Skytrain and the city centre. The link with Shrewsbury School UK (www.shrewsbury.org.uk) is taken very seriously and, year-on-year, develops into a world-class educational partnership.



Candidate Profile:

The successful candidate:

will be qualified (holding at least a bachelors degree, or equivalent, and an entry-level TESOL qualification) and experienced, preferably within an international school setting;

have sufficient up-to-date knowledge of the key issues in Second Language Teacher Education;

have sufficient knowledge of/experience of teaching EAL within mainstream curriculums;

will have either experience of working with English Language Learners or a desire to broaden his/her experience and skills in EAL teaching and learning strategies;

be motivated, enthusiastic, imaginative and innovative;

have excellent interpersonal skills;

be aware of and sensitive to the demands of working in a cross-cultural setting;

will be a dedicated teacher capable of inspiring students;

will have a working knowledge of the National Curriculum for England and an ability and aspiration to attain high standards;

will have assessment for learning skills;

will have a flexible approach to working within the school curriculum and structures;

will have demonstrated an appreciation of the value of the extra-curricular dimension in developing the potential of students;

will have a positive approach to professional development, particularly in the areas of EAL and ICT;

will be happy to commit to and apply all school policies;

Child Safeguarding:

Shrewsbury International School is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The successful candidate will be required to

attend in-house Child Safeguarding programmes

promote and safeguard the welfare of all students in the school

report to the Child Protection Officer any concerns they have for the welfare of a student. This may include unsafe practices witnessed within the school as outlined in the schools Speak Out (Whistleblowing) Policy.

keep professional relationships with students where personal boundaries are respected and maintained

seek advice from a Line Manager or Child Protection Officer with issues or concerns related to Child Safeguarding.

Requirements:

Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) prior to the start of contract.

Formal proof of identity with photo ID (Original Driving License / Passport).

2 signed, confidential references (one of which will be from the candidates current headteacher) before the start of contract.

Verification of original qualifications.

How to Apply:

Applications will only be accepted on the official Shrewsbury International School Application Form, which is available on the school website Job Vacancies page.



Further Details:



Full details of the school are available on our website at www.shrewsbury.ac.th.

Any queries should be forwarded to jobs@shrewsbury.ac.th
The more specific threat is perhaps equally familiar: Mousavi stated that Iranian armed forced would immediately destroy Tel Aviv if the Israelis made any mistakes. In addition to repeating these threats against Israel, the Iranian regime has taken aim at other adversaries, including the United States, with virtually identical rhetoric.

Frequently, the repetition of such rhetoric is motivated by specific global developments, and Mousavis statement notably came one day before a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly. Netanyahus speech, in turn, was scheduled for one day before a speech by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the same General Debate.

Rouhanis speech is expected to be met by mass protests by members of the Iranian expatriate community, as well as by general opponents of the Iranian regime. Such protests will call attention to the persistence of human rights abuses under the Rouhani presidency, and also to the arguably inadequate results of the 2015 nuclear agreement that Rouhani spearheaded on the Iranian side.

This latter issue has naturally been of particular concern for the Israelis, in light of recurring Iranian threats. Accordingly, Netanyahu preceded his UN speech with direct meeting with US President Donald Trump, who has called the nuclear agreement the worst deal ever negotiated, and who is currently weighing the possibility of decertifying Irans compliance with it.

In a briefing with reporters, Netanyahu said that the US and Israel now have very similar outlooks on the issue of Iran and its nuclear program. This is in contrast to the tensions that developed between the US and its perennial Middle Eastern ally when the Obama White House was negotiating and defending a nuclear agreement that Netanyahu warned would pave the way to an Iranian nuclear weapon.

The Americans have a desire to fix the agreement, and I offered a plan on how to do it, the Israeli Prime Minister said of his meeting with Trump, although he did not elaborate. It is not clear whether the Trump administrations approach to the nuclear deal was significantly different from Netanyahus recommendations ahead of their meeting. And it may be difficult to determine whether Mondays Israeli input influenced Trumps decision-making process in any meaningful way.

Under the terms of legislation governing American congressional acceptance of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the president is required to certify Irans compliance with its obligations under the deal every 90 days. The next deadline for this certification is October 15, and it follows two previous instances of Trump reportedly offering certification only begrudgingly. He has since suggested that that certification will be withheld at the next opportunity, although Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, has insisted that the president has not yet made up his mind.

In recent days, Trump has not explicitly contradicted this characterization of his position. And the USA Today noted that he had spoken to reporters just ahead of his meeting with Netanyahu and had said of his final decision, Youll see very soon. The certification decision is expected to follow or roughly coincide with the public announcement of a new overall policy toward the Islamic Republic, and it has already been reported that that policy is expected to include more aggressive responses to Iranian provocations, some of them peripherally related to the nuclear issues as in the case of repeated Iranian ballistic missile tests.

And although a formal decision on certification is still being withheld, the administration is certainly leveraging various resources to encourage greater international scrutiny of the deal and Irans related behavior. Haleys noncommittal remarks about the presidents decision came in the context of meetings that urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to expand its inspections and seek access to Iranian military sites, a notion the Iranian regime has vigorously rejected.

Reuters called renewed attention to Haleys recent activities on Monday, noting that they have now been followed by similar commentary from Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, who attended the General Conference of the IAEA and insisted that the nuclear monitoring agency more fully verify Irans adherence to the JCPOA. We will not accept a weakly enforced or inadequately monitored deal, Perry was quoted as saying.

Such statements suggest that the Trump administration is actively trying to influence international attitudes regarding the nuclear agreement, in line with the presidents own skepticism about its effectiveness and Irans commitment to it. Interestingly, Netanyahus commentary to reporters following his meeting with Trump indicated that the Israeli Prime Minister already believes the new American position to be having a global impact.

The matter of global influence was also a highlight of the Newsweek report that began with reference to Mousavis threats against Israel. That article went on to emphasize that joint American and Israeli pressure on the Islamic Republic is getting an arguably unlikely boost from Israels Arab neighbors. As has been variously reportedly recently, Saudi Arabia and its regional partners are increasingly committed to curtailing the growth of Iranian imperialism, and their concerns have even seemingly overridden longstanding animosity between the Arab powers and the Jewish state.

This developing situation leaves the US, Israel, and several Arab powers tentatively aligned against Iran and the nuclear agreement, meaning that the challenge facing all of these parties at the time of the UN General Assembly will be to encourage a similar consensus among European nations. For the most part, these are reportedly committed to maintaining the status quo on the nuclear deal, while unlocking access to Iranian oil and export markets in line with the sanctions relief spearheaded by the Obama White House.
The media is reporting about it, describing the disarray as structural chaos that affects the top officials as much as those at the bottom.

Hostile and parallel entities are popping up across the leadership  the Guardian Council and the Iranian Parliament are at odds, as are the IRGC intelligence and the Ministry of Intelligence.

At first, state media attempted to hide the conflict that was taking place, but it is at the stage now where it is impossible to hide, so it is discussed openly.

Rouz, a state-run newspaper, for example, reported last week that the policy and public management of the Islamic Republic is getting weaker and weaker. The headline was: With what processes the syndrome of draining power in the body of the system can be controlled? The article continued to discuss the tension and friction within the centres of power. It also mentioned that advanced and law-based systems whose institutions operate in a coherent and consistent manner which respond to the needs of the people are being destroyed by the structural chaos that is in charge of the system. It said that the number of power centres goes beyond normal to anarchism, causing the disruption and wear of the gears of the community engine.

The newspaper also referred to the struggle between the leaders of Friday prayer and governors. It said that there is tension because they cannot agree on which governor should have priority over the others in the running of Iran.

Elsewhere in Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Army are at odds, and the Expediency Council has been involved too due to misunderstandings and differences of opinions regarding the constitutional process in the Parliament and the Guardian Council.

Although it is not explicitly stated, it can be inferred from the state-run news outlets that the trouble in Irans leadership is largely down to the interference of the Supreme Leader who has the final say in all matters.

Regarding the institutions that work against each other, the newspaper stated: A period of time, causing the supreme leader (Khamenei) based on the authority given to him by the constitution, to form an institution. The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution is an example of such necessities. The time for termination of these rulings (formation of these institutions) has not been mentioned for some reason. The multiplicities of the establishment of these centres in other powers and the shuffling of the powers of the Parliament have created obstacles beyond a facilitators role.

The identity of the Iranian regime is behind all the conflict. It is unsure of its real identity and does not know what its role should be. Certain factions are threatened by others. Matters become even more uncertain when the Supreme Leader takes an impartial position.
Maryam Hejazi, a member of the Board of Directors of the Organization of Iranian American Communities-US (OIAC),wrote an op-ed for Fox News in which she criticised the UN for their decision to invite Rouhani, considering Irans attempts to paint any criticism of its human rights record, including the 2017 report by Asma Jahangir, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, as a Western conspiracy to discredit the Islamic theocracy.

She noted that the Iranian people are increasingly calling for an investigation into the Iranian Regimes past and current human rights abuses, including the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners about which audio evidence was leaked last year.

Hejazi wrote: Previous calls for international action, notably from the National Council of Resistance of Iran and its main constituent group, the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), whose activists comprised the vast majority of the victims, had gone unheeded. Western powers tended to turn a blind eye, often in hopes of currying favour with supposed moderates in the Iranian regime.

She notes that Rouhani is one of those moderates; embraced by the West without a shred of evidence that he has any moderate beliefs, while turning a blind eye to the nearly 4,000 people who have been executed under his watch since 2013.

Of course, protesters will be there with a very special welcome for Rouhani. They plan to document how he is responsible for human rights abuses in Iran, from the start of the Regime to the present.

Hejazi wrote: Rouhani was an official in 1988 and certainly aware of what was happening. Unlike [Ayatollah] Montazeri, who lost his rank as a result, neither Rouhani nor anyone who currently wields power alongside him spoke out. Meaning the legacy of that massacre is entwined with the current presidents person, and with his administration insofar as he has deliberately surrounded himself with cabinet ministers and advisors who are well-known participants in and defenders of the 1988 massacre and a range of subsequent abuses.

Indeed, it seems that in order to get a cabinet position under Rouhani you must have committed a crime against humanity. How else could you explain hiring two justice ministers who were directly involved in the 1988 massacre?

On Thursday, the UN held a conference in Geneva on the 1988 massacre, acknowledging that it happened, that it was deliberately planned by the regime, and that those responsible have never faced justice.

Hejazi wrote: It makes no sense to condemn the 1988 massacre, while welcoming Rouhani year after year. The Islamic Republics appalling human rights record did not end with the 1988 massacre; it did not end in the following decades or with the death of Ruhollah Khomeini; and it certainly did not end with the election of the supposedly moderate Rouhani. Irans current president oversaw one of the bloodiest periods since the summer of 1988Over 100 executions were carried out in July alone, several of them in public and at least one involving a minor at the time of his alleged crime.

Despite many policies, including the execution of juveniles, that contravene international law; Iran refuses foreign intervention or comment.

Hejazi wrote: If that is Rouhanis view of the international community, specifically those aspects of it tasked with defending human rights for all peoples, then why should the UN or its member states give him a public platform? Embracing a person who both expresses and embodies contempt for human rights sends the wrong message to his administration, the Iranian people, and human rights advocates throughout the world.
That is the case for the son of Xiyue Wang, a Princeton doctoral student jailed on bogus charges in Iran, and his wife Hua Qu, who recently made an impassioned plea for the US to help free Wang before their young son forgets about his dad.

The speech was delivered on Friday September 15, at a candlelight vigil organised by Princeton students.

Qu admits that she has troubling remembering what her husband looks like because of the sheer amount of time they have been separated, so one can only imagine what it must be like for their son.

In a recent interview, she said that their son is showing less interest in speaking to his father when Wang is able to call from prison, and mentions him less and less.

Wang, a 36-year-old naturalized US citizen, was in Iran during 2016 to study historical documents from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and had full permission from the Iranian Regime to be there for that purpose.

Wang was convicted of espionage on behalf of the US and sentenced to 10 years in prison, in July.

The US Government, under Obama and Trump, kept Wangs imprisonment a secret in order to broker a humanitarian release but this is no longer possible, so Qu wants more to be done diplomatically and for the US government to defend the values of academic freedom that drew Wang to study there.

She said: Will his country stand up for him the same way he stood up for American values? I hope the answer is a resounding yes.

She asked the US to look beyond meetings related to the nuclear deal and instead discuss the fates of American prisoners in Iran, like Robin Reza Shahini, and Iranian-Americans Baquer and Siamak Namazi, an elderly father and his businessman son who are facing 18 years for threatening national security and serving 10 years for espionage respectively.

Back in July, Trump promised new and serious consequences unless Iran released them but has not provided details.

A State Department spokeswoman said: This administration is redoubling efforts to bring home all Americans unjustly detained abroad.
The working group also declared that restitution should be paid to the 46-year-old Siamak, who has been held since October 2015, and to the 81-year-old Baquer, who was arrested in February 2016 when he returned to Iran in an effort to visit his son. Both men have been sentenced to 10 years in prison on vague charges of collaborating with a hostile regime. The same sentence has been handed down to at least one other US citizen and one American dual national, and last month the Iranian judiciary collectively announced that appeals had been rejected in all four cases.

The other American citizen referenced in that announcement was Xiyue Wang, a Chinese-born graduate student at Princeton University, who was visiting Iran as part of his doctoral research on Irans Qajar dynasty. His high volume of photocopying at public archives in the country prompted Iranian authorities to accusing him of infiltrating the Islamic Republic on behalf of Western powers. Princeton has contributed to advocacy for his release and has attempted to explain that his activities were standard practice for doctoral researchers.

Wang was featured by the New York Times on Monday, in the form of excerpts from an interview with his wife, Hua Qu, who remains in Princeton with the couples four-year-old son. In the interview, she explained that she has been able to speak to her husband for about 10 minutes per week for roughly the past year. Those conversations have made her aware of how he is suffering in the notorious Iranian prison system.

Overall, hes doing poorly there, Wangs wife told the Times before going on to explain that the 37-year-old has developed health problems during nearly two years of detention, and has reportedly been denied access to medical care. This is common practice in Iranian prisons, especially in cases of political imprisonment. Iran News Update called attention to several such cases last week, including that of Alireza Rajaei, who recently lost an eye and part of his jaw as a result of surgery to treat cancer that went undiagnosed for as much as four years while he was serving a political sentence in Evin Prison.

Predictably, worsening health conditions have also been reported in the case of Baquer Namazi, whose case is also an apparent example of the Iranian regimes targeting of prisoners families as a way to put additional pressure on them. Baquers initial arrest was widely reported as being part of an effort to encourage his son to issue a confession, and similar allegations have been made about the elderly mans relative lack of medical treatment in the midst of diminishing health prospects.

These and other political imprisonments have been highlighted alongside the associated mistreatment by Iranian activists who see the international community as having paid too little attention to Irans human rights record, especially in the wake of the 2015 nuclear agreement. This sort of criticism acquires notable traction each year when the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visits the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Rouhani is scheduled to speak before the General Debate portion of the assembly on Wednesday, and he is expected to be met by protests organized by Iranian expatriate communities, just as he has been in previous years.

Maryam Hejazi, a member of the board of directors for the Organization of Iranian-American Communities, published an editorial with Fox News on Monday, accusing the international community of making a mockery of human rights by welcoming Rouhani at the United Nations once again.

The editorial called attention to the latest report by Asma Jahangir, the UNs special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran. For the first time, in addition to calling attention to the aforementioned political imprisonments and the world-leading rate of executions in the Islamic Republic, the report also called attention to the massacre of political prisoners in the summer of 1988.

That incident has served as a rallying point for human rights activism, especially for the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran, which was the main target of the massacre that killed an estimated 30,000 people. Within Iran, the incident had been subject to enforced silence by the regime until last year, when an audio recording was leaked to the public and effectively forced a number of regime officials to acknowledge and even defend the incident. The recording featured Hossein Ali Montazeri, who was then next in line for the supreme leadership of the country, calling the massacre the worst crime of the Islamic Republic.

Since then, there have been unprecedented levels of social awareness of the crime, for which there have been no independent inquiries, much less trials for the perpetrators. Organizations like the PMOI and the OIAC are now making renewed efforts to expand awareness of the incident on the international scale. As such, Ms. Hejazis editorial, and others like it, have identified the UN General Assembly as an opportunity to begin the push for a UN inquiry into the 1988 massacre, with the ultimate goal of filing charges in the International Criminal Court.

Amidst escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, there is a good chance that the US will be more receptive to such advocacy than in recent years. US President Donald Trump recently called for the release of all wrongly detained US nationals, but it still remains to be seen whether his administration will broaden its human rights interests beyond that which is of immediate concern to Americans. Despite activists like Hejazi linking the issues, the White House has not yet followed suit by highlighting domestic human rights violations alongside the issue of imprisoned dual nationals. Neither has it made direct, public reference to the 1988 massacre.
Human rights activist Heshmat Alavi wrote a piece for Al Arabiya in which he explained that the new policy on Iran, which is apparently nearing completion, does not focus on one issue (i.e. the nuclear deal) but encapsulates all the threats that Iran poses including its support for terrorist groups like Hezbollah, ballistic missiles programme, human rights abuses, and meddling in other Middle Eastern states.

Alavi wrote: The new US policy on Iran, once announced, should be a rallying call for a novel resolve to stand against Irans slate of bellicosity, and pinpoint all energies on relieving the globe of this sinister evil for good.

It may also include support for regime change in Iran, as hinted at by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, earlier this year, re-imposing sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, and heavy restrictions on military activities carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said: Waiving some of those sanctions should not be seen as an indication of President Trump or his administrations position on the [nuclear deal] nor does the waiver give the Iranian regime a pass on its broad range of malign behaviour.

Indeed, more sanctions were already passed last week by the Treasury Department over Irans ballistic missile program, cyber attacks and support for terrorism.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said: The Treasury will continue to take strong actions to counter Irans provocations, including support for the IRGC-Qods Force and terrorist extremists, the ongoing campaign of violence in Syria, and cyber attacks meant to destabilize the US financial system.

This new policy will send shivers through the Iranian Regime according to Alavi.

He wrote: The mere thought of the Trump administration weighing a global sanctions embargo will cause shivers amongst Tehrans elite. While there are voices expressing concerns over the possibility of Iran resorting to an upsurge in violence in response to such a policy, the question is what has been Irans dogma in the past four decades? Has Tehran been a beacon of peace and stability in Iraq, Syria, Yemen or across the Middle East for that matter? In fact, the Iranian regime will only cave in under pressure and a determined will witnessed from the international community. One such example was how Iran immediately released the 52 American hostages after learning Ronald Reagan was elected to the US presidency back in 1980, knowing his policies would far contrast those of Jimmy Carter.

He continued: To this end, adopting a firm policy on Iran will actually prevent war. This comes after decades of appeasement has encouraged Iran into further warmongering. As Trump correctly called, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the entire Arab world must patch up their differences and loopholes. Otherwise, Tehran will most certainly take advantage of any such gaps, as seen currently in the Qatar standoff.

On Wednesday, a large protest will be held over the invitation of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to the UNs General Assembly in New York.
The Iranian Ambassador to the UN, Gholamali Khoshroo, was also interviewed for the program. He said, the nuclear deal will be on the agenda. Mr. President will speak to alert the international community to the consequences of failure to commit to the deal.

A reporter added, although developing economic and regional ties would be discussed during the Presidents bilateral talks, but probably the fate of the nuclear deal will be the main topic there as well.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is due to participate in UN General Assembly in New York, and concerns over the nuclear deal surround his visit. Even Rouhani has expressed concerns over the fate of the nuclear deal during his meeting with a foreign partner.

According to the regimes television station, In his meeting with Belgiums Parliament Speaker, the President pointed out Islamic Republics intention to make use of the proper atmosphere following the nuclear deal for developing relations with the EU countries, including Belgium, saying: we hope that the countries we consider as friends act more vigorously along this path to create a proper environment for developing economic ties, business activities, and private sector, it reported on September 16th, and added, Mr. Rouhani underlined the necessity of staying committed to the nuclear agreement, saying that according to IAEA report, Iran has fulfilled its obligations in the nuclear deal and now expects the other sides to fully respect theirs as well. The President then pointed to the U.S. violations, saying we expect the EU to fully stay committed to the deal and also urge the United States to do so by giving them a decisive message.

An article in Javan newspaper on Sunday, September 17th, entitled Futilely expecting Europe to give a strong message to the United States, the newspaper attacks Rouhanis viewpoints, saying why our statesmen tend to fool themselves, trying to put people on by making such bombastic statements? Europe is not even playing in your court, let alone playing the role of a messenger for you. Javan is said to be supported by the Revolutionary Guard.

In his talks with Belgiums Parliament Speaker, Rouhani said, the nuclear deal could be regarded as a model for solving complicated regional and international issues.

Javan newspaper criticizes this statement, saying, What is painful, though, is that the leader has repeatedly warned that we should not address other issues as long as the other side has not demonstrated its integrity regarding the nuclear deal. Nonetheless, the President still speaks of the second and third nuclear-like deals, causing the Western side to jump to the conclusion that when the Iranians are willing to make more concessions, why shouldnt we use the nuclear deal leverage as much as we can to bring them to their knees?

Kayhan Newspaper, affiliated with Supreme Leader Khamenei, also pointed to this issue. In its September 17 article titled nuclear deal violations reached aircrafts: how long is the government going to tolerate? the newspaper displays concern over the nuclear deal, saying, the ideal outcome for the United States is to have a secondary agreement which is also supported by its European allies.

Kayan adds, Experts had previously maintained that from the US point of view, the nuclear deal was over when regime fulfilled its commitment, with the US commitments going to remain on paper. And if the regime expects new unwarranted promises from the United States, it must make new concessions first!

The US officials are seeking to put Iranian government under pressure to accede to second and third nuclear deal-like agreements to cover such issues as the missile program and axis of resistance in the region, and thus to expand nuclear deals absolute loss to regimes other elements of power, Kayan continues, Meanwhile, the type of our government officials reactions, intentionally or unintentionally sends this message to the Americans that feel free to increase the sanctions as much as you like, since we are caught and taken hostage by our own propaganda over the nuclear deal, and that you will receive no strong response from the Iranian government! 
Blasphemy is a sensitive subject in Pakistan, where strong religious feelings have led in the past to violence.

Blasphemy laws are meant to guard against anything seen as a direct insult to God, Islam or religious leaders. For people accused of violating such laws, the judgment is often a life-or-death matter. Under Pakistans legal system, a judge can propose either life in jail or death to anyone found guilty of blasphemy.

The issue is back in the news after a Punjab court last week condemned to death Nadeem James, who is Christian. The police said they had gathered evidence from someone who said James sent him a blasphemous poem through the software program WhatsApp.

A Pakistani government lawyer confirmed a claim by James's defense lawyer that James never sent any blasphemous material to anyone.

"The accused said ... he never sent any blasphemous message through his cellphone," prosecution lawyer Rana Naveed Anjum told VOA. "But once something has been alleged against you, and there is enough evidence on record corroborating that assertion, then it is hard to deny or overlook such material."

A fair trial is difficult

A Pakistani human rights activist, Mehdi Hassan, said it is difficult to get a fair trial in cases involving religious beliefs.

"In Pakistan, religious might is very influential," Hassan told VOA, "and that thinking has an impact on police and other departments in such cases."

Nadeem James's lawyer, Anjum Wakeel, has said the defendant was "framed" by his so-called friend, "who was annoyed by [James's] affair with a Muslim girl."

Prosecutor Anjum agreed that James told investigators he had been set up.

James and members of his family had been receiving threats, some of them from local religious leaders. Because of the sensitive nature of the case, the trial was held in secret, and in a prison.

'Blasphemy' can mask personal disputes

Blasphemy is one of the most divisive laws in Pakistan. Rights groups say accusations of blasphemy are often abused, and used to settle personal disputes.

Activist Mehdi Hassan said the country's political parties should press Pakistanis to end the misuse of these laws.

"To address this problem as a long-term solution, political parties should play a role, because democracy gives a level playing field to everyone," Hassan told VOA.

Hassan remembered Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the well-respected lawyer and political leader who helped create modern-day Pakistan. He said, "We have to remember what Mr. Jinnah said, Religious beliefs are the personal matter of an individual.

Jinnah served as Pakistans first governor-general after the end of British colonial rule in 1947.

A history of violence

Past blasphemy cases have fueled public anger that resulted in mob violence and killings.

Mashal Khal was a journalism student at Abdul Wali Khan University in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In April of this year, he was beaten and shot dead by other students. They became angry over reports that he had placed blasphemous comments online.

In 2014, an angry mob in Punjab beat a Christian woman and her husband to death over blasphemy accusations. In 2011, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was killed by his bodyguard after the governor proposed reforms for the blasphemy laws.

Even with criticism, Pakistan's government has been calling for strict enforcement of blasphemy laws. In April, the government used newspaper advertising and text messages to warn millions of Pakistanis not to post, share or upload "blasphemous" material online. The government also asked anyone finding such material to report it to the police.

The group Human Rights Watch reports that 10 Muslims and five non-Muslims were arrested in Pakistan last year on blasphemy charges. In addition, at least 19 people found guilty of blasphemy were sentenced to death and are being held in prison.

Im Phil Dierking.

Madeeha Anwar reported this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Do you think there should be a separation between religion and state laws? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

allege - v. o state without definite proof that someone has done something wrong or illegal

assert - v. to state (something) in a strong and definite way

blasphemy - n. something said or done that is disrespectful to God or to something holy

corroborate - v. to support or help prove a statement, theory, etc. by providing information or evidence

controversial - adj. relating to or causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument

frame - v. to make an innocent person appear to be guilty of a crime
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

It is back-to-school time in the United States. Back-to-school stress is different for different ages. Younger children may feel scared to leave their families. Making new friends and dealing with bullying can also cause stress for students. Older students may stress about their appearances, grades and getting into college.

School events and programs can help reduce stress

Many schools have events and programs that can help to cut down on student stress. Some offer open houses. At these events, parents can meet the teachers and see where their children are learning.

At the start of a school year, many schools invite students and their families to orientations. These events give everyone a chance to become more familiar with the environment. Families can practice their school commute. Students can find out where their classrooms are located.

The American Psychological Association says parents can better help their children if they meet teachers and classmates and know the daily routine and school environment.

For younger children, seeing their parents in their classroom can help make it seem more familiar. And even older students can benefit from events and activities that make the school seem like a friendly place.

Making connections in the classroom

Many schools have mentoring programs. In these programs, older students help younger ones understand the rules and culture of the school.

Communicating with students is also good advice for teachers.

Mary Anne Aidala began teaching in the New York school system in 1962. She retired 39 years later, in 2001. Ms. Aidala suggests that teachers share details about themselves.

These personal conversations can help to create meaningful connections in the classroom. They can also reduce nervousness and stress among the students. Ms. Aidala adds that teachers should also invite children to talk about their families and describe what they did over the summer.

Well, the teacher has to be very open. The teacher has to tell them something also about herself, so they feel a connection. And then you can ask them if they want to share some of the things that they did in July and August with their families or friends, or camp experiences, activities that they were in and places that they might have visited.

The American Psychological Association also reminds parents to talk to their children. Ask them what they liked about their past school experiences. And then find ways to have similar experiences in the new school year.

The APA adds that, sometimes, stress of the school year is too much for you and your child to handle on your own. If that happens, find a mental health professional to talk to.

Dont schedule to many activities for your children

Carrie Anne Tocci is an educational expert who has worked with families to help their children to succeed in school.

Ms. Tocci advises parents to:

not over-schedule your child with extracurricular activities

activities use technology to remind you of events and to keep schedules organized

and to set clear goals

Well, starting the new school year, we want to be mindful about not overloading our schedule. So, only the extracurricular activities that are mandatory. I also recommend using technology when its helpful, you might want to use the reminders app on your phone and your childs phone, maybe Google Calendar, sync your phone with Google Calendar  and to have specific goals and to visualize those goals with your child.

Ms. Tocci also suggests that if someone in the family has a learning style close to that of the student, that person could help with homework. This relationship may help cut down on stress.

Take a break!

Everyone needs a break from work. Family meals and outings can help everyone relax. A family game night or walk in a park together can give parents and children a chance to have fun as a family.

Education adviser Carrie Anne Tocci also reminds parents to let their children take a break while doing homework. She says if a student has hours of homework to complete, taking several 10-minute breaks can reduce stress.

Ms. Tocci adds that taking breaks while studying can help a student remember, or retain, what they have learned.

It's really, really important to take breaks. If you dont take breaks, were more likely to create more stress. And research shows youre more likely to retain information that way.

The teenagers who responded to the APA survey listed the ways they like to unwind or relax. The top most common ways are:

listening to music (67%)

playing video games (46%)

going online (43%)

spending time with family or friends (43%)

exercising or walking (37%)

And thats the Health & Lifestyle report.

Im Anna Matteo.

If you are a student, teacher or parent, how do you reduce your stress during back-to-school time? Let us know in the comments sections.

Anna Matteo wrote this piece with reports and surveys from the American Psychological Association and other websites. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Quiz

Now, test your understanding with this short quiz.

Quiz - Dealing with Back-to-School Stress (Part 2) Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

open house  n. an event in which an organization (such as a school or company) invites the public to visit in order to see the things that happen there

orientation  n. the process of giving new and returning students (and sometimes their families) training and information about the school environment, rules, process and expectations

mentor  n. someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person

extracurricular  adj. extra activities that are not part of the regular schedule of school classes

mandatory  adj. required by a law or rule

specific  adj. precise or exact

visualize  v. form a mental picture; imagine

retain  v. to keep something in your memory especially for a long period of time
A racially mixed crowd of demonstrators marched quietly Monday morning in the American city of Saint Louis, Missouri.

The demonstrators were protesting a court decision to drop charges against a white former police officer in the shooting death of a black man.

The march followed three days of peaceful protests and three nights of violence in St. Louis.

The unrest began when a judge said he found Jason Stockley not guilty in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith. The former officer had been charged with killing Smith after a car chase.

Prosecutors accused Stockley of placing a gun on the body. They also said video recorded from his car during the chase captured the officer saying that he was planning to kill Smith.

The judge ruled that the lawyers had failed to prove the shooting was not a justified use of force in self-defense.

Protests started peacefully on Friday, with hundreds of people gathering in the streets of St. Louis. They held signs and shouted the words, No justice, no peace. Some made their way to police headquarters, calling for police resignations.

On Sunday, more than 1,000 people had gathered at police headquarters and then marched without trouble through the center of the city. Protesters also marched through two shopping centers in a wealthy area of St. Louis County.

By sunset, most protesters had gone home. Those who remained grew increasingly angry as they returned to downtown St. Louis.

Along the way, they broke windows and damaged other property. Police accused some demonstrators of firing an unknown substance on officers. Police said they seized weapons and arrested more than 80 people after demonstrators ignored orders to leave the area.

Police chief Larry OToole told reporters early Monday that some people attacked officers and threw stones at them.

Were in control, OToole said. This is our city, and were going to protect it.

Racial tension in the St. Louis area is not new. In August 2014, two weeks of protests began in Ferguson, Missouri, after a white police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man.

That November, the decision not to charge the police officer fueled another week of protests. And a third protest was held in 2015 on the anniversary of Browns death.

Im Caty Weaver.

This story is based on reports from the Associated Press and VOANews.com. George Grow adapted the information for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

prosecutor  n. the government lawyers that argue against the accused
U.S. President Donald Trump warned world leaders of rogue regimes with powerful weapons in his first address before the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday.

The president had his strongest words for North Korea, which faces U.N. sanctions because of its continuing missile and nuclear programs. He said, if the U.S. is threatened, We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

He also called the North Korean leader, who often attends missile tests, rocket man saying he was on a suicide mission. North Korea did not immediately answer comments in the speech.

Trump thanked China and Russia for voting to sanction North Korea. But the president added, "It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict."

Iran, Cuba and Venezuela

The nuclear deal with Iran was another one of the presidents main targets. Trump said the 2015 deal, which released billions of dollars to Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear program, did not help the U.S.

He said it was one of the worse and most one-sided transactions in U.S. history. He called the deal an embarrassment and suggested that the U.S. would reconsider the international agreement.

I dont think youve heard the last of it, he said.

Speaking of countries closer to the U.S., Trump said he would not end U.S. sanctions on Cuba.

Trump especially criticized the government in Venezuela saying its leader had pushed a failed ideology on its people. We cannot stand by and watch, Trump said. And he called on other Latin America countries to help deal with the crisis there.

Trump explains America first policy

The speech was an attempt to explain the America First policy that Trump has offered since he campaigned for the U.S. presidency.

A main theme of the speech was to call for all members of the United Nations to strengthen their own sovereignty.

He told the assembly that he would put America first, Just as you, as the leaders of other countries, should put your citizens first.

He told the leaders and diplomats from 193 member nations: I will defend Americas interests above all else.

But he also noted, But in fulfilling our obligations to other nations we also realize its in everyones interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure.

He identified conflict in Ukraine and disagreements in the South China Sea as threats to sovereignty.

The U.S. president opened his comments by praising gains in the American economy including record high stock market values and employment numbers.

Trump also praised the U.S. military. He said with a budget of almost $700 billion it would soon be the strongest it has ever been.



Immense promise and great peril

The president noted that world leaders face economic promise but also many dangers. We meet at a time of both immense promise and great peril, he said.

He praised U.S. gains made against the extremist group ISIS in Syria and other places saying the U.S. had made more progress in a few months than it had in many previous years.

Trump called for a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people. The Syrian conflict has caused millions of refugees to flee violence in that country. Trump thanked Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for hosting refugees.

But Trump added warnings about uncontrolled migration as being deeply unfair to both the sending and receiving country.

The U.S. president spoke for about 41 minutes with few breaks for clapping from the audience of world leaders and diplomats. Trump is from New York, a place he called his hometown.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the General Assembly meeting. In his comments, he also warned of the danger of North Koreas weapons. Guterres said world crises need answers that are developed cooperatively.

We are a world in pieces, Guterres said. We need to be a world at peace.

Mario Ritter wrote this story for VOA Learning English with some materials from Reuters. Hai Do was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

regime n. a government, a ruling group

sanction n. measure put in place to cause a country to obey international law, usually by limiting or banning trade

imperil v. to put in danger

transaction n. an business exchange or deal

obligations n. things that are required to be done by law, custom or agreement

sovereign adj. having independent power to govern

prosperous adj. to have success

immense adj. to a great degree, very large

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
United States officials say the country needs more foreign workers to keep some American businesses from struggling.

The Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to make 15,000 additional H-2B visas available. It says businesses can use the visas to offer employment to temporary, non-agricultural foreign workers before the end of September.

The decision comes as Congress is considering ways to fix the immigration system. Many lawmakers say they want to reform the system, while guaranteeing jobs for U.S. citizens.

Yet many groups argue that current federal rules fail to protect foreign visa holders from discrimination and other abuses. The Center for Migrant Rights or CDM is one of them. It notes the rules do not protect the visa holders from job misrepresentation, payments to employment agencies and even cheating by an employer.

American businesses use the H-2B visa when offering seasonal employment to non-immigrant foreign workers. But the work must not be agricultural. And, businesses must show evidence that there are not enough American workers willing and able to perform these services.

Four women who came to the United States on H-2B visas were part of a group discussion last week in Washington, D.C. The CDM organized the event to raise awareness about a system it says often treats human beings like property.

Adarelo Hernandez is a former H-2B worker from Hidalgo, Mexico. At the discussion, she said, "In the workplace, there were about 80 of us, women, and we had a hard time."

Hernandez said she looked for a job for two years before finally receiving an H-2B visa to work at a chocolate packing factory in Louisiana.

Inequality in the workplace

Men who worked at the factory earned higher wages by carrying and handling boxes. Women, however, had to pack chocolates on assembly lines. Hernandez said the women were not given time away for sickness.

"We weren't able to make complaints, because if we did make complaints, we were threatened by the manager," she said. "We were told we didn't have a right to file complaints, because we didn't have rights here in the United States."

But, after four seasons as an H-2B visa worker, Hernandez and about 70 other workers fought for better work conditions. She said that although conditions improved, the company decided not to give her or her co-workers jobs again.

The statement of Hernandez and 34 other worker stories is part of a report about gender inequality in U.S. labor migration programs. CDM and the University of Pennsylvania Transnational Legal Clinic worked together on the research.

One suggestion in the report is that all temporary labor migration programs be required to follow the same rules and protections. The goal is to stop abusive employers and recruiters from avoiding legal punishment for worker abuse.

The Economic Policy Institute says about 1.4 million people are recruited to work in the U.S. each year through temporary work visas. These include:

 H-1B for specialty jobs

 H-2B

 J-1, the exchange visitor program

 and TN for Canadians and Mexicans in specialized jobs under the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA

These visas may be different, but immigration and labor organizations report that recruited foreign workers face common abuses.

In 2015, the Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security took action against abuse within the H-2B system. Its hope was to prevent the abuse of workers and ensure that U.S. workers knew about available jobs.

Rosa's story

"Rosa" is a doctor who specializes in treating animals. She asked that her real name not be made public for fear of punishment.

She was unable to join the CDM event because the U.S. government rejected her request for a tourist visa. But she provided a statement that was read during the event.

"Although the U.S. government had no problem offering me a TN work visa at the employer's request, it won't allow me to visit the country as a tourist," Rosa's statement said. "Anyway, that's not going to stop me from sharing my story."

Rosa is a former TN visa worker. She received permission for an animal scientist position in Wisconsin. She was excited about the chance to work at a place where she would use skills she gained as a graduate from a top Mexican university.

Rosa says her employer was dishonest. They promised her specific wages and then failed to pay them, her statement said. They were also abusive.

"The supervisors would yell at us constantly and tell us that our visa was only good for obeying orders," she said. "I cleaned animal troughs, unloaded them from trucks. As the only woman, they would also give me jobs they considered 'women's work,' cleaning the bathroom or the kitchen."

Protecting American workers

Rachel Micah-Jones is the head of CDM. She said foreign workers need protections, including the right to understand a written agreement before signing one with a U.S. company.

Immigration conservatives agree about the need to protect visa workers, but they also express concern about the needs of American workers.

Jessica Vaughan is director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies. She said she agrees these visa programs can be good. But, she says, there is a "big problem" with employers giving jobs to workers they can pay less and who may replace American and legal immigrant workers.

Vaughan told VOA the solution is not necessarily to end the programs, but to change them and for government agencies to do a better job of enforcing laws.

I'm Bruce Alpert. And I'm Alice Bryant.

Aline Barros reported this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

awareness - n. the act of knowing that a situation, condition or problem exists

packing  adj. of or related to putting something into boxes or containers

assembly line  n. a series of workers and machines in a factory by which a series of the same items is progressively put together

complaint  n. a formal charge saying that someone has done something wrong

gender  n. the state of being male or female

recruiter  n. someone who finds suitable people to join or work at a company or organization

yell  v. to say something very loudly because you are angry, surprised or trying to get someone's attention

trough  n. a long, shallow container from which cows, pigs, horses and other animals eat or drink
In a rambling statement to the judge Monday, Jamez Henderson cast the blame on the man he shot and killed last December and sneered at the 41-year-old's family in the courtroom.

Henderson said Jamie Watson, who Lincoln police found in a trunk early Dec. 15, wasn't dead because he tried to buy drugs.

"He's dead because he pulled that gun on me," he said.

At the plea hearing in July and again Monday, Henderson, 33, maintained it was a matter of kill or be killed.

"It's what happened. It's fact," he said.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Eric Miller made it clear he didn't put much stock in it.

"In respect to his version, that's all it is. That's his version," Miller said.

He said no one else was there when Henderson shot Watson, and Henderson went to great effort to destroy the evidence at 215 Fairfield St., where it happened the night of Dec. 14.

Just before 1:30 a.m. the next day, Lincoln police found Watson's body in the trunk of a car after being sent to an apartment building near 23rd and Y streets on reports of banging noises in the parking lot.

Henderson got away then, but police found more than half a pound of meth on the floorboard of the car he'd been in, and nabbed him Dec. 16 in a wooded area north of town.

On Monday, Henderson said he sold drugs to dig himself out of poverty after he got out of prison and only could find a job making $400 every two weeks.

"My intentions never were nefarious," he said.

Miller said Henderson was selling methamphetamine by the pound.

On Dec. 14, during a deal, Henderson said, Watson pulled a gun and tried to rob him.

"You know that saying 'Get rich or die trying?' That's what he was intent on doing," he said.

One of Watson's supporters left the courtroom in tears.

Miller and Henderson agreed on one thing: a fight followed and ended with Henderson shooting Watson in the back of the head one time.

In a letter to the judge, his attorney, Sarah Newell of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, said a witness told police she was there when Watson pulled out the gun and pistol-whipped Henderson twice with it before Henderson lunged at him and they struggled over the gun.

The woman told police the last thing she saw as she left was Watson on top of Henderson.

Newell said another witness told police Watson had a gun in his hand when she came back and found him dead. And police found the tip of one of Henderson's fingers, which had been blown off by a gunshot or bitten off by Watson, at the scene.

"In any event, the struggle over the gun was very intense," she wrote.

In the courtroom, Newell said Henderson was remorseful for the situation that led to Watson's death, but also felt frustrated that police weren't interested in seeing him as the potential victim of a robbery that day.

Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong said she didn't see Henderson as the victim here.

Even if he wasn't the main aggressor, by Henderson's own words, at some point he got the upper hand. Henderson said he told Watson three times he would let him leave if he'd stop fighting and let go of the gun.

"You had a life in your hands that night, and you decided to end that life by shooting him in the back of the head," the judge said.

And this wasn't the first time he'd been charged in connection with a man's death (he was on parole out of Arizona for aiding and abetting manslaughter in 2002), Strong said before sentencing Henderson to 54 to 65 years in prison for manslaughter and possession with intent to distribute meth.

He pleaded no contest.

Before guards took him out a back doorway, he was seen mouthing something to Watson's family and smiling, seemingly to provoke them.

"He's gonna rot in hell," one woman said.
Dril-Quip, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services engineered drilling and production equipment for use in deepwater, harsh environment, and severe service applications worldwide. The company's principal products include subsea and surface wellheads, subsea and surface production trees, mudline hanger systems, specialty connectors and associated pipes, drilling and production riser systems, liner hangers, wellhead connectors, diverters, and safety valves, as well as downhole tools. It also provides technical advisory services, and rework and reconditioning services, as well as rental and purchase of running tools for use in the installation and retrieval of its products; and downhole tools comprise of liner hangers, production packers, safety valves, and specialty downhole tools that are used to hang-off and seal casing into a previously installed casing string in the well bore. The company's products are used to explore for oil and gas from offshore drilling rigs, such as floating rigs and jack-up rigs; and for drilling and production of oil and gas wells on offshore platforms, tension leg platforms, and Spars, as well as moored vessels, such as floating production, storage, and offloading monohull moored vessels. It sells its products directly through its sales personnel, independent sales agents, and representatives to integrated, independent, and foreign national oil and gas companies, as well as drilling contractors, and engineering and construction companies. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
The following companies are subsidiares of NRG Energy: 3279405 Nova Scotia Company, 3283764 Nova Scotia Company, 7549709 Canada Inc., 7644868 Canada Inc., 7711565 Canada Inc., AC Solar Holdings LLC, Ace Energy Inc., Agua Caliente Borrower 1 LLC, Agua Caliente Solar Holdings LLC, Agua Caliente Solar LLC, Allied Home Warranty GP LLC, Allied Warranty LLC, Arthur Kill Gas Turbines LLC, Arthur Kill Power LLC, Astoria Gas Turbine Power LLC, Bayou Cove Peaking Power LLC, Beheer-en Beleggingsmaatschappij Plogema B.V., Berrians I Gas Turbine Power LLC, BidURenergy Inc., Big Cajun I Peaking Power LLC, Bluewater Wind Delaware LLC, Bluewater Wind Maryland LLC, Bluewater Wind New Jersey Energy LLC, Boquillas Wind LLC, Cabrillo Power I LLC, Cabrillo Power II LLC, Camino Energy LLC, Carbon Management Solutions LLC, Carlsbad Energy Center LLC, Carlsbad Energy Holdings LLC, Chester Energy LLC, Chickahominy River Energy Corp., Cirro Energy Services Inc., Cirro Group Inc., Citizens Power Holdings One LLC, Commonwealth Atlantic Power LLC, Connecticut Jet Power LLC, Cottonwood Development LLC, Cottonwood Energy Company LP, Cottonwood Generating Partners I LLC, Cottonwood Generating Partners II LLC, Cottonwood Generating Partners III LLC, Cottonwood Technology Partners LP, Delaware Power Development LLC, Devon Power LLC, Doga Enerji Uretim Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Doga Isi Satis Hizmetleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Doga Isletme ve Bakim Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Dunkirk Gas Corporation, Dunkirk Power LLC, EHI Development Fund LLC, EME Eastern Holdings LLC, EVgo Services LLC, Eastern Sierra Energy Company LLC, Ecokap Power LLC, El Segundo Energy Center II LLC, El Segundo Power II LLC, El Segundo Power LLC, Elkhorn Ridge Wind II LLC, Energy Alternatives Wholesale LLC, Energy Choice Solutions LLC, Energy Curtailment Specialists, Energy Plus Holdings LLC, Energy Plus Natural Gas LLC, Energy Protection Insurance Company, Everything Energy LLC, Forward Home Security LLC, GCP Funding Company LLC, GenOn Energy, Geostellar Inc., Gladstone Power Station Joint Venture, Goal Zero, Goal Zero Europe GmbH, Goal Zero LLC, Granite II Holding LLC, Granite Power Partners II L.P., Green Mountain Energy, Green Mountain Energy Company, Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, Gregory Partners LLC, Gregory Power Partners LLC, Hanover Energy Company, Huntley IGCC LLC, Huntley Power LLC, Independence Energy Alliance LLC, Independence Energy Group LLC, Independence Energy Natural Gas LLC, Indian River Operations Inc., Indian River Power LLC, Intellastar LLC, Ivanpah Master Holdings LLC, Ivanpah Project I Holdings LLC, Ivanpah Project II Holdings LLC, Ivanpah Project III Holdings LLC, James River Power LLC, Kaufman Cogen LP, LSP-Nelson Energy LLC, Long Beach Generation LLC, Long Beach Peakers LLC, Long Beach Power LLC, Louisiana Generating LLC, MEC Esenyurt B.V., MEC San Pascual B.V., Maplekey UK Finance Limited, Maplekey UK Limited, Meriden Gas Turbines LLC, Middletown Power LLC, Midway-Sunset Cogeneration Company, Midwest Finance Company LLC, Midwest Generation EME LLC, Midwest Generation Holdings I LLC, Midwest Generation Holdings II LLC, Midwest Generation LLC, Midwest Generation Procurement Services LLC, Midwest Peaker Holdings LLC, Mission Bingham Lake Wind LLC, Mission Del Cielo LLC, Mission Energy Construction Services LLC, Mission Energy Holdings International LLC, Mission Energy Wales LLC, Mission Funding Zeta LLC, Mission Midway-Sunset Holdings LLC, Mission Midwest Coal LLC, Mission Minnesota Wind LLC, Mission Watson Holdings LLC, Mission Wind Boquillas LLC, Mission Wind New Mexico II LLC, Mission Wind Owaissa LLC, Mission Wind Pinnacle LLC, Mission del Sol LLC, Montville IGCC LLC, Montville Power LLC, NEO Chester-Gen LLC, NEO Corporation, NRG Acquisition Holdings Inc., NRG Advisory Services LLC, NRG Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Alexandria LLC, NRG Arroyo Nogales LLC, NRG Arthur Kill Operations Inc., NRG Asia-Pacific Ltd., NRG Astoria Gas Turbine Operations Inc., NRG Astoria Power LLC, NRG Audrain Generating LLC, NRG Audrain Holding LLC, NRG Bayou Cove LLC, NRG Berrians East Development LLC, NRG Bluewater Holdings LLC, NRG Bluewater Wind Massachusetts LLC, NRG Bourbonnais Equipment LLC, NRG Bourbonnais LLC, NRG Brazoria Energy LLC, NRG Business Services LLC, NRG CTA Holdings LLC, NRG Cabrillo Power Operations Inc., NRG Cadillac Inc., NRG Cadillac Operations Inc., NRG California Peaker Operations LLC, NRG Capital II LLC, NRG Carbon 360 LLC, NRG Cedar Bayou Development Company LLC, NRG Chalk Point CT LLC, NRG CleanTech Investments LLC, NRG Coal Development Company LLC, NRG ComLease LLC, NRG Common Stock Finance I LLC, NRG Common Stock Finance II LLC, NRG Connected Home LLC, NRG Connecticut Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Connecticut Peaking Development LLC, NRG Construction LLC, NRG Cottonwood Tenant LLC, NRG Curtailment Solutions Canada Inc., NRG Curtailment Solutions Inc., NRG DG Development LLC, NRG Development Company Inc., NRG Devon Operations Inc., NRG Dispatch Services LLC, NRG Distributed Energy Resources Holdings LLC, NRG Distributed Generation PR LLC, NRG Dunkirk Operations Inc., NRG ECOKAP Holdings LLC, NRG ESA Joint Development LLC, NRG El Segundo Operations Inc., NRG Energy Center Eagles LLC, NRG Energy Center Oxnard LLC, NRG Energy Fuel LLC, NRG Energy Fuel Services LLC, NRG Energy Gas & Wind Holdings Inc., NRG Energy Holdings II Inc., NRG Energy Holdings Inc., NRG Energy Inc., NRG Energy Labor Services LLC, NRG Energy Petroleum LLC, NRG Energy Services Group LLC, NRG Energy Services International Inc., NRG Energy Services LLC, NRG Equipment Company LLC, NRG Fuel Cell CA1 LLC, NRG Fuel Resources LLC, NRG Fuel Transportation LLC, NRG GTL Holdings LLC, NRG Gas Development Company LLC, NRG Generation Holdings Inc., NRG Gladstone Operating Services Pty Ltd, NRG Granite Acquisition LLC, NRG Greenco LLC, NRG HQ DG LLC, NRG Holding Leasing Vehicle 7 LLC, NRG Home & Business Solutions LLC, NRG Home Services LLC, NRG Home Solutions LLC, NRG Home Solutions Product LLC, NRG Homer City Services LLC, NRG Huntley Operations Inc., NRG Identity Protect LLC, NRG Ilion LP LLC, NRG Ilion Limited Partnership, NRG Independence Solar LLC, NRG International LLC, NRG Kaufman LLC, NRG Latin America Inc., NRG Lease Co LLC, NRG Lease Development LLC, NRG Limestone 3 LLC, NRG Maintenance Services LLC, NRG Mesquite LLC, NRG Mextrans Inc., NRG MidAtlantic Affiliate Services Inc., NRG MidCon Development LLC, NRG Middletown Operations Inc., NRG Middletown Repowering LLC, NRG Midwest Holdings LLC, NRG Midwest II LLC, NRG Montville Operations Inc., NRG NE Development LLC, NRG Nelson Turbines LLC, NRG New Roads Holdings LLC, NRG NewGen LLC, NRG North Central Operations Inc., NRG Northeast Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Norwalk Harbor Operations Inc., NRG Ohio Pipeline Company LLC, NRG Operating Services Inc., NRG Oswego Harbor Power Operations Inc., NRG Oxbow Holdings LLC, NRG PacGen Inc., NRG Peaker Finance Company LLC, NRG Portable Power LLC, NRG Potrero Development LLC, NRG Power Marketing LLC, NRG Procurement Company LLC, NRG Project Company LLC, NRG Reliability Solutions LLC, NRG Renter's Protection LLC, NRG Repowering Holdings LLC, NRG Residential Solar Solutions LLC, NRG Residential Solar Solutions Leasing II LLC, NRG Retail LLC, NRG Retail Northeast LLC, NRG Rockford Acquisition LLC, NRG Rockford Equipment II LLC, NRG Rockford Equipment LLC, NRG Saguaro Operations Inc., NRG Security LLC, NRG Services Corporation, NRG Sherbino LLC, NRG SimplySmart Solutions LLC, NRG Solar Arrowhead LLC, NRG Solar CVSR Holdings 2 LLC, NRG Solar Dandan LLC, NRG Solar Guam LLC, NRG Solar Ivanpah LLC, NRG Solar Ring LLC, NRG Solar SC Stadium LLC, NRG Solar Sunrise LLC, NRG South Central Affiliate Services Inc., NRG South Central Generating LLC, NRG South Central Operations Inc., NRG South Texas LP, NRG Sterlington Power LLC, NRG Storage Fabrication & Delivery LLC, NRG Storage on Demand NY LLC, NRG SunCap Leasing I LLC, NRG Telogia Power LLC, NRG Texas C&I Supply LLC, NRG Texas Gregory LLC, NRG Texas Holding Inc., NRG Texas LLC, NRG Texas Power LLC, NRG Texas Retail LLC, NRG Trading Advisors LLC, NRG Transmission Holdings LLC, NRG ULC Parent Inc., NRG Victoria I Pty Ltd, NRG Warranty Services LLC, NRG West Coast LLC, NRG Western Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Wind Development Company LLC, NRG Wind Force LLC, NRG Wind LLC, NRG dGen Advisory Services LLC, NRGenerating German Holdings GmbH, NRGenerating International B.V., NRGenerating Luxembourg (No. 1) S.a.r.l., NRGenerating Luxembourg (No. 2) S.a.r.l., New Genco GP LLC, New Jersey Power Development LLC, Norwalk Power LLC, O'Brien Cogeneration Inc. II, ONSITE Energy Inc., One Block Off The Grid Inc., Oswego Harbor Power LLC, Pacific Generation Company, Petra Nova CCS I LLC, Petra Nova Holdings LLC, Petra Nova LLC, Petra Nova Parish Holdings LLC, Petra Nova Power I LLC, Pure Energies Group, Pure Energies Group ULC, Pure Energies Installation Inc., Pure Energies Solar Services Inc., Pure Group Inc., RDI Consulting LLC, RERH Holdings LLC, Reliant Charitable Foundation, Reliant Energy, Reliant Energy Northeast LLC, Reliant Energy Power Supply LLC, Reliant Energy Retail Holdings LLC, Reliant Energy Retail Services LLC, Restoration Design LLC, Roof Diagnostics Solar Holdings LLC, Roof Diagnostics Solar and Electric LLC, Roof Diagnostics Solar and Electric of NY LLC, Saguaro Power Company a Limited Partnership, Saguaro Power LLC, San Gabriel Energy LLC, San Joaquin Energy LLC, San Juan Energy LLC, San Pascual Cogeneration Company International B.V., Sherbino I Wind Farm LLC, Solar Partners I LLC, Solar Partners II LLC, Solar Partners VIII LLC, Solar Power Partners, Solar Pure Energies ULC, Somerset Operations Inc., Somerset Power LLC, South Texas Wind LLC, Station A LLC, Sunrise Power Company LLC, Sunshine State Power (No. 2) B.V., Sunshine State Power B.V., TCV Pipeline LLC, Tacoma Energy Recovery Company, Taloga Wind II LLC, Texas Coastal Ventures LLC, Texas Genco GP LLC, Texas Genco Holdings, Texas Genco Holdings Inc., Texas Genco LP LLC, Texas Genco Services LP, US Retailers LLC, Valle Del Sol Energy LLC, Vienna Operations Inc., Vienna Power LLC, WCP (Generation) Holdings LLC, Watson Cogeneration Company, West Coast Power LLC, XOOM Alberta Holdings LLC, XOOM British Columbia Holdings LLC, XOOM Energy BC ULC, XOOM Energy California LLC, XOOM Energy Canada ULC, XOOM Energy Connecticut LLC, XOOM Energy Delaware LLC, XOOM Energy Georgia LLC, XOOM Energy Global Holdings LLC, XOOM Energy Illinois LLC, XOOM Energy Indiana LLC, XOOM Energy Kentucky LLC, XOOM Energy LLC, XOOM Energy Maine LLC, XOOM Energy Maryland LLC, XOOM Energy Massachusetts LLC, XOOM Energy Michigan LLC, XOOM Energy New Hampshire LLC, XOOM Energy New Jersey LLC, XOOM Energy New York LLC, XOOM Energy ONT ULC, XOOM Energy Ohio LLC, XOOM Energy Pennsylvania LLC, XOOM Energy Rhode Island LLC, XOOM Energy Texas LLC, XOOM Energy Virginia LLC, XOOM Energy Washington D.C. LLC, XOOM Ontario Holdings LLC, XOOM Solar LLC, and eV2g LLC.

Read More
The following companies are subsidiares of Lloyds Banking Group: A G Finance Ltd, A.C.L. Ltd, ACL Autolease Holdings Ltd, ADF No.1 Pty Ltd, Addison Social Housing Holdings Ltd, Alex Lawrie Factors Ltd, Alex. Lawrie Receivables Financing Ltd, Amberdate Ltd, Anglo Scottish Utilities Partnership 1, Aquilus Ltd, Automobile Association Personal Finance Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services 2 Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 2) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 3) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland)) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 1 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 2 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 3 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 4 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 5 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 6 plc, BOS (USA) Fund Investments Inc., BOS (USA) Inc., BOS Edinburgh No 1 Ltd, BOS Mistral Ltd, BOS Personal Lending Ltd, BOSSAF Rail Ltd, Bank of Scotland (B G S) Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland (Stanlife) London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Branch Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Central Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Edinburgh Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Equipment Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Foundation, Bank of Scotland LNG Leasing (No 1) Ltd, Bank of Scotland London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Nominees (Unit Trusts) Ltd, Bank of Scotland P.E.P. Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Structured Asset Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Transport Finance 1 Ltd, Bank of Scotland plc, Bank of Wales Ltd, Barents Leasing Ltd, Barnwood Mortgages Ltd, Birchcrown Finance Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Financial Services Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Land Development Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Mortgage Services Ltd, Black Horse (TRF) Ltd, Black Horse Executive Mortgages Ltd, Black Horse Finance Holdings Ltd, Black Horse Finance Management Ltd, Black Horse Group Ltd, Black Horse Ltd, Black Horse Offshore Ltd, Black Horse Property Services Ltd, Boltro Nominees Ltd, British Linen Leasing (London) Ltd, British Linen Leasing Ltd, British Linen Shipping Ltd, C.T.S.B. Leasing Ltd, CBRail S.A.R.L., CF Asset Finance Ltd, CF1 Ltd, CM Venture Investments Ltd, Cancara Asset Securitisation Ltd, Capital 1945 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 12 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 3 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 5 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 9 Ltd, Capital Bank Property Investments (3) Ltd, Capital Personal Finance Ltd, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2018-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2019-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Cardnet Merchant Services Ltd, Cashfriday Ltd, Cashpoint Ltd, Caveminster Ltd, Cedar Holdings Ltd, Celsius European Lux 2 S.A.R.L., Central Mortgage Finance Ltd, Chariot Finance Ltd, Cheltenham & Gloucester plc, Cheltenham II Securities 2020 DAC, Cheltenham Securities 2017 Ltd, Chepstow Blue Holdings Ltd, Chepstow Blue plc, Chester Asset Options No.2 Ltd, Chester Asset Options No.3 Ltd, Chester Asset Receivables Dealings Issuer Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings No.2 Ltd, Chiswell Stockbrokers Ltd, Clerical Medical Finance plc, Clerical Medical Financial Services Ltd, Clerical Medical International Holdings B.V., Clerical Medical Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Clerical Medical Managed Funds Ltd, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Spanish Prop Co SL, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Prop Co SA, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Property Company S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Funding S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Investments S.A.R.L., Conquest Securities Ltd, Corbiere Asset Investments Ltd, Create Services Ltd, Credit Card Securitisation Europe Ltd, Dalkeith Corporation, Deva Financing Holdings Ltd, Deva Financing plc, Deva One Ltd, Deva Three Ltd, Deva Two Ltd, Dunstan Investments (UK) Ltd, Edgbaston RMBS 2010-1 plc, Edgbaston RMBS Holdings Ltd, Elland RMBS 2018 plc, Elland RMBS Holdings Ltd, Eurolead Services Holdings Ltd, First Retail Finance (Chester) Ltd, Fontwell Securities 2016 Ltd, Forthright Finance Ltd, France Industrial Premises Holding Company, General Leasing (No. 12) Ltd, General Reversionary and Investment Company, Gresham Nominee 1 Ltd, Gresham Nominee 2 Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 1) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 10) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 11) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 12) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 13) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 14) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 15) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 16) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 19) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 20) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 21) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 22) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 23) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 24) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 25) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 26) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 27) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 28) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 29) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 3) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 30) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 31) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 32) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 33) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 34) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 35) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 36) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 37) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 38) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 39) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 40) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 41) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 44) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 45) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 46) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 47) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 48) UK Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No 3) Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No.11) UK Ltd, HBOS Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS Final Salary Trust Ltd, HBOS Financial Services Ltd, HBOS Insurance & Investment Group Ltd, HBOS International Financial Services Holdings Ltd, HBOS Investment Fund Managers Ltd, HBOS Social Housing Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS UK Ltd, HBOS plc, HSDL Nominees Ltd, HVF Ltd, Halifax Credit Card Ltd, Halifax Financial Brokers Ltd, Halifax Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Halifax Financial Services Ltd, Halifax General Insurance Services Ltd, Halifax Group Ltd, Halifax Investment Services Ltd, Halifax Leasing (June) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (March No.2) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (September) Ltd, Halifax Life Ltd, Halifax Loans Ltd, Halifax Ltd, Halifax Mortgage Services Ltd, Halifax Nominees Ltd, Halifax Pension Nominees Ltd, Halifax Premises Ltd, Halifax Share Dealing Ltd, Halifax Vehicle Leasing (1998) Ltd, Heidi Finance Holdings (UK) Ltd, Hill Samuel Bank Ltd, Hill Samuel Finance Ltd, Hill Samuel Leasing Co. Ltd, Home Shopping Personal Finance Ltd, Horizon Capital 2000 Ltd, Housing Association Risk Transfer 2019 DAC, Housing Growth Partnership GP LLP, Housing Growth Partnership LP, Housing Growth Partnership Ltd, Housing Growth Partnership Manager Ltd, Hyundai Car Finance Ltd, IBOS Finance Ltd, ICC Enterprise Partners Ltd, ICC Equity Partners Ltd, ICC Holdings Unlimited Company, Inchcape Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Software Ltd, International Motors Finance Ltd, Kanaalstraat Funding C.V., Katrine Leasing Ltd, LB Healthcare Trustee Ltd, LB Motorent Ltd, LB Quest Ltd, LB Share Schemes Trustees Ltd, LBCF Ltd, LBG Brasil Administracao LTDA, LBG Capital Holdings Ltd, LBG Equity Investments Ltd, LBI Leasing Ltd, LDC (General Partner) Ltd, LDC (Managers) Ltd, LDC (Nominees) Ltd, LDC GP LLP, LDC I LP, LDC II LP, LDC III LP, LDC IV LP, LDC Parallel (Nominees) Ltd, LDC V LP, LDC VI LP, LDC VII LP, LDC VIII LP, LTGP Limited Partnership Incorporated, Legacy Renewal Company Ltd, Leicester Securities 2014 Ltd, Lex Autolease (CH) Ltd, Lex Autolease (VC) Ltd, Lex Autolease Carselect Ltd, Lex Autolease Ltd, Lex Vehicle Finance 2 Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing (Holdings) Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing Ltd, Lime Street (Funding) Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I Holdings Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I plc, Lloyds (Gresham) Ltd, Lloyds (Gresham) No. 1 Ltd, Lloyds (Nimrod) Specialist Finance Ltd, Lloyds America Securities Corporation1, Lloyds Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Branches) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Colonial & Foreign) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (I.D.) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (International Services) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Stock Exchange Branch) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Asset Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Scotland Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (HP) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.4) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets plc, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (LM) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds LLP, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 7) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 9) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Holdings Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 11) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 20) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 5) Ltd, Lloyds Bank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Hill Samuel Holding Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank Insurance Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank International Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 6) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 8) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank MTCH Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 10) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 13) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No.16) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Offshore Pension Trust Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 1) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 2) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pensions Property (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Properties Ltd, Lloyds Bank Property Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank S.F. Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Subsidiaries Ltd, Lloyds Bank Trustee Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank plc, Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Ltd, Lloyds Capital GP Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Properties Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Property Investments Ltd, Lloyds Corporate Services (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Development Capital (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Engine Capital (No.1) U.S LLC, Lloyds Far East S.A.R.L., Lloyds General Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Group Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Hypotheken B.V., Lloyds Industrial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds International Pty Ltd, Lloyds Investment Bonds Ltd, Lloyds Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Lloyds Investment Securities No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Leasing (North Sea Transport) Ltd1, Lloyds Leasing Developments Ltd, Lloyds Nominees (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Offshore Global Services Private Ltd, Lloyds Plant Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Portfolio Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Premises Investments Ltd, Lloyds Project Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 3 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 4 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Secretaries Ltd, Lloyds Securities Inc., Lloyds TSB Pacific Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Rentals Ltd, Lloyds UDT Hiring Ltd, Lloyds UDT Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Ltd, Lloyds Your Tomorrow Trustee Ltd, Loans.co.uk Ltd, London Taxi Finance Ltd, London Uberior (L.A.S. Group) Nominees Ltd, Lotus Finance Ltd, MBNA, MBNA Direct Ltd, MBNA Europe Finance Ltd, MBNA Europe Holdings Ltd, MBNA General Foundation, MBNA Global Services Ltd, MBNA Indian Services Private Ltd, MBNA Ltd, MBNA R & L S.A.R.L., MBNA Receivables Ltd, Mainsearch Company Ltd, Maritime Leasing (No. 19) Ltd, Membership Services Finance Ltd, Mitre Street Funding S.A.R.L., Molineux RMBS 2016-1 plc, Molineux RMBS Holdings Ltd, Moor Lane Holdings Ltd, NFU Mutual Finance Ltd, NWS Trust Ltd, Nominees (Jersey) Ltd, Nordic Leasing Ltd, Ocean Leasing (July) Ltd, Oystercatcher Nominees Ltd, Oystercatcher Residential Ltd, PIPS Asset Investments Ltd, Pacific Leasing Ltd, Penarth Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Penarth Funding 1 Ltd, Penarth Funding 2 Ltd, Penarth Master Issuer plc, Penarth Receivables Trustee Ltd, Pensions Management (S.W.F.) Ltd, Peony Eastern Leasing Ltd, Peony Leasing Ltd, Peony Western Leasing Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 1) Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 2) Ltd, Permanent Holdings Ltd, Permanent Master Issuer plc, Permanent Mortgages Trustee Ltd, Permanent PECOH Holdings Ltd, Permanent PECOH Ltd, Perry Nominees Ltd, Prestonfield Investments Ltd, Proton Finance Ltd, R.F. Spencer And Company Ltd, Ranelagh Nominees Ltd, Retail Revival (Burgess Hill) Investments Ltd, SARL Coliseum, SARL Hiram, SAS Compagnie Fonciere De France, SCI Astoria Invest, SCI De LHorloge, SCI Equinoxe, SCI Rambuteau CFF, SW Funding plc, SW No.1 Ltd, SWAMF (GP) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (1) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (2) Ltd, Saint Michel Holding Company No1, Saint Michel Investment Property, Saint Witz 2 Holding Company No1, Saint Witz 2 Investment Property, Salisbury II Securities 2016 Ltd, Salisbury II-A Securities 2017 Ltd, Salisbury III Securities 2019 DAC, Salisbury Securities 2015 Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 Holdings Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 plc, Sandown Gold 2012-1 Holdings Ltd, Sandown Gold 2012-1 plc, Savban Leasing Ltd, Scotland International Finance B.V., Scottish Widows Administration Services (Nominees) Ltd, Scottish Widows Administration Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Annuities Ltd, Scottish Widows Auto Enrolment Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Europe, Scottish Widows Financial Services Holdings, Scottish Widows Group Ltd, Scottish Widows Industrial Properties Europe B.V., Scottish Widows Ltd, Scottish Widows Pension Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Property Management Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth (ACD) Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Wealth Holdings Ltd, Scottish Widows Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Funds Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers Ltd, Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Society, Seabreeze Leasing Ltd, Seaspirit Leasing Ltd, Share Dealing Nominees Ltd, Shogun Finance Ltd, Silentdale Ltd, St Andrews Group Ltd, St Andrews Insurance plc, St Andrews Life Assurance plc, St. Marys Court Investments, Standard Property Investment (1987) Ltd, Standard Property Investment Ltd, Sussex County Homes Ltd, Suzuki Financial Services Ltd, Swan Funding 2 Ltd, Syon Securities 2019 DAC, The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Plc, The British Linen Company Ltd, The Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, The Mortgage Business plc, Thistle Financing Holdings Ltd, Thistle Investments (AMC) Ltd, Thistle Investments (ERM) Ltd, Thistle Leasing, Three Copthall Avenue Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (10) Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (7) Ltd, Tranquility Leasing Ltd, Trinity Financing plc, UDT Budget Leasing Ltd, UDT Sales Finance Ltd, Uberior (Moorfield) Ltd, Uberior Co-Investments Ltd, Uberior ENA Ltd, Uberior Equity Ltd, Uberior Europe Ltd, Uberior Fund Investments Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments (No.2) Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments Ltd, Uberior Investments Ltd, Uberior Nominees Ltd, Uberior Trading Ltd, Uberior Trustees Ltd, Uberior Ventures Australia Pty Ltd, Uberior Ventures Ltd, United Dominions Leasing Ltd, United Dominions Trust Ltd, Universe The CMI Global Network Fund, Upsaala Ltd, Vine Street IX LP, WCS Ltd, Ward Nominees (Abingdon) Ltd, Ward Nominees (Birmingham) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees (Bristol) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees Ltd 1, Waverley  Fund II Investor LLC, Waverley  Fund III Investor LLC, Waymark Asset Investments Ltd, West Craigs Ltd, Wetherby II Securities 2018 DAC, Wetherby III Securities 2019 DAC, Wetherby Securities 2017 Ltd, Wood Street Leasing Ltd, and Zurich Insurance Group - UK Workplace Pensions and Savings Business.

Read More
A Lincoln judge sent a woman to prison Tuesday for embezzling more than $65,000 from the business where she'd worked as office manager.

Of critical importance, Lancaster County District Judge Kevin McManaman said, was that Dana Steingard had done the same thing before in Kansas.

"And $65,000 is an awful lot of money over a period of time," he said, giving Steingard 18 months to five years in prison on the felony theft charge.

She had pleaded no contest.

Deputy Lancaster County Public Defender Webb Bancroft argued for probation for the 32-year-old, saying it would allow her to get the mental health treatment she needed.

He said Steingard has had a difficult life and was removed from her home as a result of a skull injury when she was 18 months old. Bancroft said the victims also didn't believe a lengthy sentence was needed.

Last year, the owner of Energy Pro Lighting and Electrical, 4931 N. 57th St., called Lincoln police after finding several $5,400 checks Steingard had written to herself, according to an arrest warrant.

The manager hired a bookkeeping firm and learned she had taken $65,904.12 from fall 2014 to July 2016, police said.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Morgan Smith said Steingard hasn't paid any of it back.
Data released today from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) show that the HIV epidemic is coming under control in Lesotho. These results add to prior PEPFAR-supported Population-based HIV Impact Assessments (PHIAs) announced in the last nine months for Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Together, these data demonstrate impressive progress toward controlling the HIV epidemics in the five countries. The latest data also indicate that the None of these achievements would be possible without the political will and leadership to focus resources for maximum impact in each of these countries.previously expanding epidemic in Uganda has now stabilized.

According to the new Lesotho PHIA results, HIV viral load suppression - a key marker of the body successfully controlling the virus - has reached over 67 percent among all HIV-positive adults ages 15-59. This finding suggests that Lesotho is on track to achieve epidemic control by 2020, through reaching the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 targets and expanding HIV prevention. Uganda's epidemic has likely stabilized due to increases in coverage of voluntary medical male circumcision for HIV prevention and expansion of HIV treatment, including for HIV-positive pregnant women.

Building on this progress, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson today released the new PEPFAR Strategy for Accelerating HIV/AIDS Epidemic Control (2017-2020). The strategy reaffirms the U.S. government's leadership and commitment, through PEPFAR, to support HIV/AIDS efforts in more than 50 countries, ensuring access to services by all populations, including the most vulnerable and at-risk groups.

The strategy outlines plans to accelerate implementation in a subset of 13 high-burden countries that have the potential to achieve epidemic control by 2020, working in collaboration with host governments, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UNAIDS, and other partners. Through this international effort, we expect not only to control the epidemic, but also to reduce the future costs required to sustain the HIV/AIDS response.

"With five African countries approaching control of their HIV epidemics, we have the extraordinary opportunity to change the very course of the HIV pandemic over the next three years," said Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, MD, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. "We are deeply grateful for Secretary Tillerson's bold leadership and clear vision in launching this landmark strategy. PEPFAR is poised to deliver on it, showing that what once seemed impossible is now possible."

Data from these six countries were gathered through national surveys (PHIAs), which are funded by the U.S. government through PEPFAR, and conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ICAP at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, and local governmental and non-governmental partners. Seven additional countries will complete PHIAs on a rolling basis through 2017-2019, providing an ability to chart and validate their respective progress toward reaching epidemic control by 2020.

"CDC is so pleased to contribute to the global HIV response, working with ministries of health and other partners on science-based solutions that are transforming some of the world's most severe HIV epidemics," said CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald, MD. "National surveys are critical to show the impact of efforts and to chart the path to fully achieve HIV epidemic control."

While the PHIA results demonstrate tremendous progress, they also reveal key gaps in HIV prevention and treatment programming for younger men and women that require urgent attention and action. In all six surveys, young women and men under age 35 were less likely to know their HIV status, be on HIV treatment, or be virally suppressed than older adults. These gaps are all areas in which PEPFAR will continue to invest and innovate under its new strategy. In particular, PEPFAR will continue to advance efforts to reduce HIV incidence among adolescent girls and young women through the DREAMS Partnership and reach and link more young men to HIV services.

"The findings from the six countries provide a report card on the global and local efforts in confronting the HIV epidemics while at the same time help in shaping a blueprint for their future course as they continue their quest to stem this epidemic," said Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA, global director of ICAP. "The gaps identified in reaching young women and men are relevant to many other countries around the world, and addressing them is critically important to achieving the ultimate goal of ending this epidemic."
Immune-cell based therapies opening a new frontier for cancer treatment carry unique, potentially lethal side effects that provide a new challenge for oncologists, one addressed by a team led by clinicians at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center with proposed guidelines for systematically dealing with the toxicities of these drugs.

Their work, published today in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, confronts the two main side effects of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells, known as CAR T cells, white blood cells genetically engineered to strike cells with a specific target on their surface.

"CAR T cells provide an entirely new level of improved disease response among patients with certain blood cancers and hold promise for more wide-ranging use," said Elizabeth Shpall, M.D., deputy chair and professor of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at MD Anderson.

"The algorithms that we published are conservative, detailed, and will help us save lives as we move forward with these exciting but also more toxic therapies," Shpall said.

The review covers wide-ranging research on CAR T therapies by many institutions and includes insights based on more than 100 patients treated at MD Anderson, Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Sylvester Cancer Center at the University of Miami, and Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Rochester, Minn.

Patients were treated by the co-authors with CAR T cells under development at four different companies for leukemias and lymphomas that attack white blood cells called B cells. They target CD19, a protein found on the surface of both malignant and normal B cells.

In clinical trials of CAR T for patients who have had all other treatments fail, response rates range from 50 to 90 percent.

"This represents a sea change in how we treat these patients," said lead author Sattva Neelapu, M.D., professor of Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma. "There have been no new treatments approved for patients with aggressive B-cell lymphomas relapsing after first line therapy in 30 years, and only about 10 percent survive long term."

"Existing second-line treatments, combination chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant when possible, take three to six months," Neelapu continued, "CAR T cell therapies take a few weeks."

"We need longer term follow up of patients treated so far in clinical trials, but these are potentially curative treatments," Neelapu said. "The toxicities are unique, and every member of the care team needs to be trained to recognize them and act accordingly."

Cytokine storms, brain stressors and safety

Two side effects have emerged during clinical trials that were previously uncommon to cancer treatments:

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS), also known as cytokine storm, an escalated immune response that causes flu-like symptoms and can be fatal.

Neurological toxicity that the researchers have named CAR-T-cell-related encephalopathy syndrome (CRES), which can sometimes lead to lethal swelling in the brain.

Both CRS and CRES are treatable, with early identification important to swift improvement.The review provides specific recommendations for pre-treatment preparation, monitoring of patients during and after CAR T infusion, identifying and staging emerging CRS and CRES, and tailored treatment of those side effects depending upon their severity.

New test for neurotoxicity

Researchers also developed a simple and fast method to flag development of neurotoxicity. The 10-point test asks a patient to name the year, month, city, hospital and president/prime minister of their home country (5 points), to name three nearby objects (3 points), write a standard sentence and count backward from 100 by tens.

A perfect score defines normal cognitive function. A patient has mild to severe impairment depending on the number of questions or activities missed.

For one patient treated for B cell lymphoma cited in the review, deterioration of her handwriting was the first sign of neurological impairment, which led to prompt intervention and reversal of the toxicity within hours.

Building on such insights, co-lead author Sudhakar Tummala, M.D., professor of Neuro-Oncology, led development of the neurological assessment, which they named CARTOX-10. An existing general method didn't effectively quantify the neurological effects caused by CAR T cell therapies.

They also tap the existing research published or presented about these therapies. For example, CAR T cell pioneer Carl June, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, found abundant expression of interleukin-6 to be a driver of cytokine release syndrome. They successfully treated the first pediatric patient who suffered from CRS with IL-6 suppressors.

The review provides detailed guidance on how and when to use such drugs and other therapies for CRS and CRES.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

India has avoided about 1 million deaths of children under age five since 2005, driven by significant reductions in mortality from pneumonia, diarrhea, tetanus and measles, according to new research published today.

Nearly three times that number could have been saved if national progress in child health matched that reached in some states, Dr. Prabhat Jha, head of the Centre for Global Health Research of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, wrote in today's issue of The Lancet.

A steeper decline in the number of girls dying narrowed a previously observed girl-boy mortality gap, said Dr. Jha, a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. An almost equal number of boys and girls under age five died in 2015.

This research is part of the Million Death Study, one of the largest studies of premature deaths in the world. Dr. Jha is the lead investigator of the survey, based in India, where most deaths occur at home and without medical attention. Hundreds of specially trained census staff in India knocked on doors of more than 1.3 million homes to interview household members about deaths. Two physicians independently examined these "verbal autopsies" to establish the most probable cause of death.

"You get the truth when you knock on doors and talk to parents," said Dr. Jha. "We knocked on the doors of 100,000 homes where children died. If the health system failed these families, they will tell you all about it. These are far more reliable numbers than models or projections from small studies."

The study found a 3.3 per cent annual decline in mortality rates of neonates (infants less than one month old) and 5.4 per cent for those ages one month to 59 months. The declines accelerated starting in 2005 and were fastest between 2010 and 2015, and in urban areas and richer states. Per 1,000 live births, the mortality rates among neonates fell from 45 in 2000 to 27 in 2015. The one-59 month mortality rate fell from 45.2 to 19.6.

Looking at specific causes of death, mortality rates from neonatal tetanus and measles fell by at least 90 per cent, neonatal infection and birth trauma fell more than 66 per cent. For children ages one to 59 months, mortality rates from pneumonia and diarrhea fell more than 60 per cent.

About 6 million children die around the world each year and progress in reducing that number depends greatly on India, which accounts for about a fifth of the deaths. About 29 million Indian children died between 2000 and 2015. Had the mortality rates of 2000 continued unchanged, about 39 million children would have died.

The authors noted that in the last decade the government of India has modestly increased its traditionally low level of public spending on health. The government launched a program to encourage women to give birth in hospitals and for children to have a second dose of measles vaccine.

Dr. Jha said that to meet the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals of halving its child mortality rates by 2030, India must maintain its current trajectory for children ages one to 59 months and accelerate declines in neonatal mortality.

Reducing the number of neonatal deaths will require efforts to reduce deaths caused by premature delivery and low birthweights, especially in poorer states, he said. Both are strongly linked to largely modifiable maternal and prenatal factors such as health care during pregnancy, education, nutrition, anemia and tobacco use.

In an accompanying commentary for The Lancet, leading scientists from Bangladesh and Tanzania wrote that the "Million Death Study can be a model for other countries where vital registration systems are still fragmented."
In most countries health ministers are seen as bureaucrats more interested in paperwork than medical miracles.

Not in Madagascar, where Mamy Lalatiana Andriamanarivo recently picked up a scalpel and separated conjoined siamese twins in a medical first for the Indian Ocean island nation.

"Surgery was performed at the Joseph Ravoahangy Andrianavalona hospital on September 13 to separate siamese twins joined at the abdomen and lower thorax," Jean Marie Rasamimanana, the deputy technical director at the hospital in the capital Antananarivo, told AFP on Tuesday.

"The separation of the five-month-old twins, Mitia and Fitia, who weighed 13 kilograms (29 pounds) and were delivered by caesarian section, involved the separation of their liver, ribs and diaphragm," he said, adding that the pair were doing well following their operation.

The surgery was a medical first for Madagascar. A medical team from the country successfully separated siamese twins in 2009 but because of a lack of equipment in the island's hospitals, the surgery was performed in Paris.

Andriamanarivo, the minister and pediatric surgeon, reportedly praised the breakthrough and said it would save the island's medical system a small fortune as a comparable surgery would have cost 100,000 euros ($120,000) if performed overseas.

Madagascar is one of the world's poorest nations and more than 90 percent of its 25 million people live on less than $2 per day. Almost half of under fives suffer development issues.

 2017 AFP
A University of South Australia study looking at the health impacts of over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers has revealed the high costs of the nation's growing dependency on codeine.

In a five-year review of hospital admissions relating to the misuse of OTC painkillers containing codeine, UniSA researchers identified a million dollar cost for the health care system.

Lead investigator Dr Jacinta Johnson said "serious misuse" of codeine-combination products such as Nurofen Plus, Panadeine Extra and Mersyndol had led to increasing numbers of people being admitted to hospital with stomach ulcers and gastric bleeding, and acute kidney and liver failure.

Dr Johnson, a lecturer in UniSA's School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, led the Australian-first study analysing the costs of 99 hospital admissions related to over-the-counter combination painkillers containing codeine (OTC-CACC) from 2010-2015 at a South Australian Hospital.

Thirty patients  many with multiple readmissions  cost taxpayers an average of $10,000 per hospital stay, amounting to a million dollar bill.

Almost 70 per cent were admitted with health issues relating to taking excessive amounts of ibuprofen-codeine products, while 20 per cent reported using paracetamol-codeine products and almost 9.4 per cent used both. In some cases patients were taking up to 90 tablets a day  the average was 28 which is almost five times the recommended daily dose.

Health costs were blown out by many patients' initial reluctance to admit to using excessive doses of OTC-CACC products when admitted to hospital, leading to difficulties and delays in diagnosis and high readmission rates.

Of the 30 patients surveyed, 83 per cent were women, with an average age of 36, and 60 per cent were from low socio-economic areas. The majority were also smokers.

Credit: University of South Australia

People used the codeine-combined painkillers mainly for back pain, migraine and headaches.

"Apart from serious health issues relating to misuse of these over-the-counter painkillers, data shows us that lower doses of codeine found in OTC combination products don't actually provide any additional pain relief," Dr Johnson says.

"There is no clear evidence that taking a low dose of codeine in combination with paracetamol or ibuprofen is any better than just taking the single-ingredient products without the codeine."

The study was undertaken in the wake of a decision by the Federal Government's health regulatory body to ban OTC access to CACC products from Australian pharmacies from 1 February 2018.

After that date, these products will only be available on prescription.

This is the first study in Australia to look at the costs associated with hospital admissions due to the misuse of OTC-CACC products.

"When the Therapeutic Goods Administration announced its decision to reschedule all low dose CACC preparations to prescription-only, there were some arguments made against the move," Dr Johnson said.

"It is possible that doctor visits will spike, adding costs to Medicare. That remains to be seen and will no doubt be analysed in due course."

More information: Counting the cost of over-the-counter codeine containing analgesic misuse: A retrospective review of hospital admissions over a 5-year period. Drug and Alcohol Review. Journal information: Drug and Alcohol Review Counting the cost of over-the-counter codeine containing analgesic misuse: A retrospective review of hospital admissions over a 5-year period.
Mary Beth Spitznagel, Ph.D. (right), a clinical neuropsychologist and associate professor at Kent State University, talks with a pet owner. Spitznagel co-authored a new article that examines pet caregiver burden and the pet owner's psychological experience in the context of sick pet caregiving. Credit: Kent State University

Owners of seriously or terminally ill pets are more likely to suffer with stress and symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as poorer quality of life, compared with owners of healthy animals, finds a study published by Veterinary Record today.

This 'caregiver burden' may also lead to increased veterinarian stress, say the authors.

Research on human caregiving describes 'caregiver burden' as a response to problems and challenges encountered while providing informal care for a sick family member. But little is known about the impact of caregiver burden on owners of animals with chronic or terminal diseases - and the veterinarians who care for them.

So a team of researchers, led by Mary Beth Spitznagel at Kent State University in Ohio, set out to assess caregiver burden and psychosocial function in 238 owners of a dog or cat.

They compared 119 owners of an animal diagnosed with a chronic or terminal disease with 119 healthy controls blindly matched for owner age and sex and animal species.

Symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression were measured using recognised scales, and quality of life was assessed by questionnaire. Owners' demographic information was also recorded.

Results showed greater burden, stress and clinically meaningful symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as poorer quality of life, in owners of animals with chronic or terminal disease. Higher burden was also related to poorer psychosocial functioning.

The authors outline some study limitations which could have introduced bias, but they say their findings "may help veterinarians understand and more effectively handle client distress in the context of managing the challenges of sick companion animal caregiving."

And they suggest that future research is needed to better understand risks for caregiver burden in the client, how this might be reduced, and how it impacts veterinarian wellbeing.

In a linked commentary, Katherine Goldberg calls for improved training for veterinarians around provision of long term care for serious illness. This includes tailoring treatment plans to client preferences, recognising when clients are distressed, and partnering with mental health professionals to provide support.

"This inaugural exploration of caregiver burden within a veterinary setting is the first step in assessing the impact of veterinary caregiving on clients, as well as the impact of client emotional distress on veterinarian wellbeing," writes Goldberg. "It is my hope that with continued dialogue, we will continue to build the literature in these essential areas."

More information: Mary Beth Spitznagel et al. Caregiver burden in owners of a sick companion animal: a cross-sectional observational study, Veterinary Record (2017). Journal information: Veterinary Record Mary Beth Spitznagel et al. Caregiver burden in owners of a sick companion animal: a cross-sectional observational study,(2017). DOI: 10.1136/vr.104295
A Ludwig Cancer Research study has uncovered a new mechanism by which cancer cells evade destruction by the immune system. The paper, led by Camilla Jandus of the Lausanne Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, describes how immune cells known as group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are recruited by leukemic cells to suppress an essential anticancer immune response. The study, which appears in the current issue of Nature Communications, further suggests that the newly discovered immunosuppressive axis likely holds sway in other types of cancerand that it might be disrupted by therapies already in use to treat other diseases.

"ILCs are not very abundant in the body but, when activated, they secrete large amounts of immune factors," says Jandus, an investigator at the Ludwig Lausanne Branch. "In this way, they can dictate whether a response will be pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory"whether it stimulates an immune attack or suppresses it.

These recently discovered cells come in three flavorsILC1, 2 and 3and have been shown to play a role in inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Their role in cancer has, however, remained unclear.

To address that question, Jandus and her colleagues began with the observation that one subtype of the cells, ILC2s, are abnormally abundant and hyperactivated in patients diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Because this particular blood cancer can be treated and cured, the researchers could examine ILC2 immunology in patients when they had active APL and compare it to that of patients in remission.

"Our analyses suggest that in patients with this leukemia, ILC2s are at the beginning of a novel immunosuppressive axis, one that is likely to be active in other types of cancer as well," says Jandus.

ILC2s respond to certain metabolites, in particular one known as prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), and to a protein named B7H6 that is expressed on the surface of other cells. Jandus and her colleagues found that APL cells secrete large quantities of PGD2 and express high levels of B7H6 on their surface. Both of these molecules bind to receptors on ILC2s, activating them and prompting them to secrete an immune factor known as interleukin-13 (IL-13).

The IL-13 secreted by the ILC2s, in turn, switches on and expands the population of monocytic myeloid-derived immune cells (M-MDSCs), which are potent suppressors of immune responses. The activation of M-MDSCs dramatically inhibits the immune system's killer T cells, which would otherwise attack the leukemic cells.

The researchers tested these findings in a mouse model of APL, and established that mice with APL, like patients, displayed abnormal activation of ILC2s and M-MDSCs.

Most significantly, depleting ILC2s in the mice or blocking the activity of IL-13, PGD2 or the B7H6 receptor restored anti-cancer immunity and extended the survival of the leukemic mice.

"We also found that this immunosuppressive axis may be operating in other types of cancer, in particular prostate cancer," says Jandus.

She and her colleagues show that PGD2 secretion is elevated in prostate cancer cell lines. ILC2 levels are abnormally high in patients with the cancer, and increase with advancing disease, accompanied by increased levels of MDSCs. This suggests the immunosuppressive axis controlled by ILC2s might be targetable in other less curable cancers.

Notably, antibodies against IL-13 and inhibitors of PGD2 are already in clinical use for other diseases, while antibodies that interfere with B7H6 binding to its receptor are in clinical development. If the immunosuppressive axis discovered in this study is found to be in play in less curable cancers, its disruption could be readily evaluated in clinical trials as an adjunct to immunotherapies.

Jandus and her colleagues are now pressing ahead with their examination of ILCs in cancer. "We believe that some ILCs, like ILC2s, might suppress immune responses, while others might stimulate them," says Jandus. "That's what we are investigating in other types of tumors now."

More information: Sara Trabanelli et al. Tumour-derived PGD2 and NKp30-B7H6 engagement drives an immunosuppressive ILC2-MDSC axis, Nature Communications (2017). Journal information: Nature Communications Sara Trabanelli et al. Tumour-derived PGD2 and NKp30-B7H6 engagement drives an immunosuppressive ILC2-MDSC axis,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00678-2
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A toy gun that is popular with children can cause serious eye injuries, warn doctors in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

The warning comes after three people were presented to hospital on separate occasions with serious eye injury after being shot at by a Nerf gun.

All three were in pain and had blurred vision. And they all had internal bleeding in the eye (hyphema).

One of the three patients was a child, who had also developed swelling of the outer layer of the eye (cornea), and the inner layer of the eye (retina), from the force and speed of the bullet fired by the gun.

The patients were given eye drops, and when they went for their check-ups their sight had returned completely and the bleeding had stopped.

These types of injuries can have a serious impact, say the authors. A projectile travelling at high speed can cause irreversible vision loss. Children should protect their eyes when playing with these guns, they advise.

"Sports in which the risk of [eye] trauma is relatively high, such as squash ball, have seen an introduction of protective eyewear in the UK," write the authors.

"This case series emphasises the seriousness of [eye injury] from Nerf gun projectiles and calls into consideration the need for protective eyewear with their use," they add.

One of the injured patients commented that the bullets, also known as darts, were generic versions and were harder than the branded versions. Parents may not be aware of this, say the authors.

The safe age limit for Nerf gun use in children may need to be reviewed, they suggest.
The attorneys general of Nebraska and 40 other states are demanding documents and information from eight pharmaceutical companies as part of a multistate investigation into the nation's opioid epidemic.

Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and his colleagues announced the move Tuesday afternoon. Peterson's office joined the investigation in June.

The information will help determine whether the companies "engaged in unlawful practices in the marketing, sale and distribution of opioids," the Nebraska Attorney General's Office said in a news release.

Opioids are the main driver of drug overdose deaths in Nebraska and nationwide. They were involved in 33,091 deaths across the U.S. in 2015, including 126 in Nebraska.

Peterson's office said investigative subpoenas, also known as civil investigative demands, were sent Monday to drugmakers Endo Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceuticals' Cephalon, Allergan and their related entities. They also served a supplemental subpoena to Purdue Pharma.

The states also sent "information demand letters" to distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson.

The opioid crisis this nation faces today is, in part, due to the past actions of certain players in the pharmaceutical industry," Peterson said. "The goal of this investigation is to determine who in the industry should bear responsibility under our consumer protection laws."
Travel booking giant Expedia Inc. has websites in more than 35 languages, makes at least 40 percent of its revenue outside the U.S. and has offices in 30 different countries. Still, thats not global enough for new Chief Executive Officer Mark Okerstrom.

Okerstrom, who took over at the end of August when Dara Khosrowshahi left to lead Uber Technologies Inc., wants to make Expedia a household name for European and Asian travelers looking for hotels in their own regions. Historically, Expedia has gotten the bulk of its revenue from Americans using the site to book domestic and foreign travel.

We have to do a better job being a global player  and not just global in terms of having more countries in our investor relations presentation, Okerstrom said in an interview. We are significantly under-indexed in every major market with the exception of the U.S.

Okerstroms comments come as his companys arch-rival, Priceline Group Inc., is turning up the heat for Expedias domestic business by spending heavily on ads for its Booking.com travel site, which already dominates Europe. Chinese travel giant Ctrip.com International Ltd. has also been asserting itself internationally, agreeing to buy Scottish flight booking site Skyscanner last year for $1.7 billion.

Okerstrom called out Europe as a key market. Europe is highly interesting to us, he said. Weve got a huge opportunity to become much more locally relevant for the European customer.

Staking out more of a presence outside the U.S. isnt the only challenge Okerstrom, 44, is facing.

Expedias HomeAway unit is in a race with Airbnb Inc. and Priceline to capture as much of the fast-growing home rental market as possible. Right now Expedia is primarily focused on upgrading HomeAways technology and getting more of its properties on Expedias main booking sites. The next step is pushing into urban markets, where Airbnb has a sizeable lead, Okerstrom said.

Okerstrom joined Expedia in 2006, shortly after Khosrowshahi became CEO and the company spun out from IAC/InterActiveCorp. A Canadian by birth and lawyer by training, he worked his way up the ranks and was named chief financial officer by 2011. He was closely involved with Expedias acquisition spree over the last few years, including the purchases of Orbitz.com and HomeAway.

Khosrowshahi had already pivoted Expedia to focusing on integrating those acquisitions rather than hunting for more mega-deals. Okerstrom said hell continue on that path. My focus will be very much operational, he said. Still, acquisitions could play a role in the renewed push into global markets, Okerstrom said.

Okerstrom also must address new threats confronting the 20-year-old online travel market, which has largely kept the same business model even as other sectors of the internet, like online search, e-commerce and social media, radically changed.

One big challenge is Google, which has expanded more into travel services and gets about $14 billion in revenue from the sector each year Skift Research estimates. Thats more than Expedia and Priceline.

Were kind of playing both sides with them, keeping a wary eye on what theyre doing but also working closely with them to work on areas of mutual interest, Okerstrom said of Alphabet Inc.s Google.

Much of Googles travel revenue comes from Expedia and Priceline, which spend billions on Google search ads every year. Okerstrom expects Google to keep building new advertising products, but doesnt think the search giant wants to hire the amount of people needed to sign up hotels and deal with customer complaints, he said.

Perhaps an even bigger issue is whether Expedia and its peers can move forward in a world where the majority of travel isnt booked on desktop websites at all. Okerstrom expects voice assistants like Microsoft Corp.s Cortana and Amazon.com Inc.s Alexa will be a key part of how people book travel in the future. Instead of seeing that as a threat, Okerstrom said he thinks its an opportunity.

Rather than rely on Google for the majority of online ads, Expedia can strike deals to be the source of all travel information and booking capabilities with any of the players working on voice assistants, he said. Expedia has already had discussions with Microsoft and Amazon, Okerstrom said.

The gatekeepers are more fragmented, he said. That creates a unique opportunity for us to be the place where ultimately all travel answers can be provided.
"The transportation of the submarine began on August 4. The route ran around the southern tip of Africa across the Atlantic, Northern, Barents and White Seas, and on the afternoon of September 14 the dock vessel entered the port of Severodvinsk. The transport dock will be offloaded within the next few days. Following the border and customs inspection and priority order receiving activities, the submarine will be lifted out of the water and placed in a dock basin," the shipyard reported.



Severodvinsk shipbuilders will have to perform a second mid-life repair of the Indian submarine with life extension within a little over two years. Sindhuraj will be the seventh Project 877EKM submarine of the Indian Navy that will be repaired at the Zvezdochka shipyard.



The Sindhuraj was laid down at the Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard in Nizhny Novgorod in 1985 on order from the Government of India. In 1987, the submarine was commissioned into the Indian Navy. In 1999-2001, the Admiralty Shipyard carried out the first mid-life repair of this submarine.



 Copyright 2017 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Morgan Stanley: UK and euro zone economies are likely to face recession

Japan proposes to deploy Australian nuclear submarines

WB: Debt levels among low- and middle-income countries soared in 2021

Scholz: Adopting a joint G20 summit statement is a tough task

IMF head warns of risks for world economy because of rivalry between China and US

Irakli Garibashvili: Georgia is ready to promote in every possible way the dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Red Wings airline launches direct flights from Makhachkala to Yerevan

Olaf Scholz: EU should expand its cooperation with Southeast Asian countries

Global Leadership Foundation will visit Armenia

Kurdistan Workers' Party denies its involvement in Istanbul terrorist attack

NATO Secretary General says they must not make mistake of underestimating Russia

IRGC resumes strikes on Iraqi Kurdistan

French and German central bank heads call for speeding up EU capital markets union

Control of U.S. House of Representatives depends on several tight races

Artsakh FM speaks with his Transnistria counterpart

Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus say they cannot accept migrants

Cavusoglu thanks Mirzoyan for condolences on terrorist attack in Istanbul

Xi Jinping and Joe Biden begin first face-to-face meeting in Bali

Zelenskyy arrives in Kherson

Armenian Defense Minister: After expiration of contract service 5 million drams will be provided to servicemen

Turkey refuses to accept U.S. condolences after terrorist attack in Istanbul

Defense Ministers of Georgia and Azerbaijan sign military cooperation plan for 2023

Russian Foreign Ministry denies reports about Lavrov's hospitalization in Bali

Yellen hopes Biden and Jinping meeting leads to engagement on macroeconomic issues

Russian Defense Ministry confirms violation of ceasefire in Artsakh by Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Artsakh MOD denies accusations of Azerbaijani MOD

Azerbaijani Defense Minister holds talks in Georgia

Armenian MOD denies another lie of Azerbaijani MOD

Germany warns its delegation about Egyptian spies at COP27

NSS of Armenia reveals channel of illegal migration

Azerbaijani State Security Service announces disclosure of 'Iranian spy network'

Politico: Indonesia, hosting G20, lobbies West to soften criticism of Russia in final communique

Ararat Mirzoyan expresses condolences to Mevlut Cavusoglu over Istanbul explosion

Iranian lawmakers sharply criticize Aliyev

Ambassador-at-Large: Azerbaijan's attacks on Armenia are a terrorist attack

Germany needs to diversify its business interests in Asia to reduce dependence on China

Head of U.S. Treasury Department says sanctions against Russia should remain in force even after war in Ukraine

Natasa Pirc Musar to become Slovenia's first woman president

IMF: World economic outlook even bleaker than predicted

Pashinyan: Azerbaijan calls Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh 'our citizens' and at the same time shoots at them

Turkish Interior Minister announces arrest of suspect in attack on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul

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

Defense Ministry: Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire at Armenian positions

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
Maintaining momentum amid an increasingly challenging environment in higher education is UNL Chancellor Ronnie Greens top priority, he said Tuesday in his annual State of the University address.

UNL has celebrated three straight years of growing enrollment, topping 26,000 students for the first time this year, but the flagship campus of the states university system will be required to cut $17 million over the next two years.

How to budget through a downturn in the state economy at the same time you have this momentum and this growth that is happening at the university, thats the challenge we have, Green told reporters at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

In a speech that lasted more than an hour, Green drew attention to programs, infrastructure projects, research grants and faculty awards  a tremendous amount to celebrate during the 2016-17 school year.

Tuesdays speech also dove into the obstacles UNL will attempt to navigate this academic year.

We certainly are aware that state and federal resources, even in the years ahead of us, dont look like theyre increasing, he said. The funding portfolio in higher education continues to evolve. Our political environment is one that is quite divisive and supercharged, as I would call it.

State lawmakers earlier this year cut $13 million from the university systems biennial appropriation, which combined with increases to salary and benefits packages for faculty and staff, as well as other costs, created a $49 million budget shortfall.

NU has identified 72 areas outside of academic programs with which it expects to save $29 million, and predicts two years of tuition increases  5.4 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively  will generate enough additional revenue to close the gap.

But the cuts will loom large at UNL, which will seek to identify $11 million in savings this year, and more than $6 million next year.

On Wednesday, Green plans to speak to the faculty, staff and students who make up the Academic Planning Committee and recommend cutting as much as $8.5 million next year, preparing UNL for deeper fiscal stress ahead.

Ultimately, there will have to be academic programs affected, he said.

Green offered a broad outline of plans for the university heading into the 150th anniversary of the land-grant institutions charter next school year.

Green pointed in his 2016 address to an ambitious goal of enrolling 35,000 students by 2025  exceeding the 30,000-student goal set by his predecessor, Chancellor Harvey Perlman.

A task force charged with developing a strategy for enrollment growth worked with outside consultants to refine that goal somewhat, Green said, somewhere in the order of 29,000 to 31,000 by 2025, with an aspirational goal of 32,500 students.

Achieving that mark will rely on two key planks, Green said: ensuring UNL is the right fit and affordable for students, particularly Nebraskans.

We always want to increase the number of Nebraska residents as part of that enrollment, recognizing at the same time the high school student population in Nebraska is not rapidly growing, Green said.

Green said UNL must also increase our footprint across the Big Ten and where we draw students from to grow its nonresident enrollment, while also continuing to draw more international students.

We also know there is an opportunity to grow a number of our graduate programs substantially, including online, he said.

Green said UNL will also work to better coordinate its diversity initiatives  an umbrella term encompassing race, culture, socioeconomic status, gender and other descriptors  which an audit found present, but decentralized across various departments and university initiatives.

Knowing that our students are going to work and exist and reside in a culture that is changing, that is more diverse and more inclusive than ever, we have a responsibility of reflecting that in our own sense, he said.

Aligning those efforts, a process that began under Perlman, will require creating some administrative structure as well as making targeted investments, Green added.

Green also announced a new task force that will review UNLs life science programs  animal science, biology, biomedical engineering, virology, to name a few  to determine if there is a better way to organize those units on campus.

Coordinating those offerings may better maximize the investment the university makes in those areas, Green said.

Other universities like Penn State and North Carolina State, among others, house all life science offerings under one administrative structure, Green said. It will be up to the task force to find what would work best at UNL.

Closing his address, Green said despite all the changes ahead, UNL should not lose sight of its mission: Delivering the highest quality education, engaging in world-leading research, creative activity and discovery, and improving the quality of life for all Nebraskans.

All the while treating each other with dignity, respect, collegiality and care, even if  and when  we might disagree, Green said. What is that line in Dear Old Nebraska U? Well all stick together in all kinds of weather.

"That is Nebraska, that is who we are.
Despite its independence, the Federal Reserve may quietly want a bear market that takes down a president that loves tweeting about the stock market.

Peter Schiff, CEO of Euro Pacific Capital, told TheStreet the "[Janet] Yellen put" in the markets could expire under President Trump. "I don't know if the Fed has much love for Trump," he said, adding that the Fed had the markets' back during the Obama Administration.

"Maybe the Fed would be happy to see a bear market that could be blamed on Trump." Schiff thinks the markets could easily correct 20%.

One black swan event Schiff sees is the notion of investors abandoning the euphoria over Trump's presidency, which helped fuel the stock market rally this year.

"We've had a huge move up since the election of Trump even though prior to the election the expectation was if Trump won it [would be a disaster for markets]," he said.

When asked if the two straight quarters of double-digit earnings growth has sparked the rally in stocks this year, as opposed to solely Trump, Schiff pointed to earnings headwinds in the retail sector.

The Federal Reserve is scheduled to meet later this week.

Subscribe on Youtube for extended interviews, Cramer Replays, feature content, and more!

Watch the full interview with Peter Schiff:
mte 

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

where's that from?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

True Blood

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i just rewatched true blood and dear god, he made it worth it.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Hmmm..



Surely youtube has selections of Eric sex

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Baah it isn't working for me and I'm pissed.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

f yes

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'm sure it's mostly US folk freaking out.

Reply

Thread

Link

Right lol. Growing up I saw men kissing their male costars on the lips in front of wives at various UK-based award shows. Alex is Swedish, Nicole and Keith are Australian... this isn't unusual for them, I'm sure.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LOL this. My american friend saw a photo of a couple of German friends of mine jumping off a wall for photo, they were holding hands as they jumped off. She didn't understand that they were doing this but weren't gay. She was like "but why would they hold hands doing that if they're not gay?"

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

mfte



Its amusingly sad.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

It's actually the UK and Australian media that had the most articles on this when I was looking for a tweet lol

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I visited Albania for a couple weeks and it was interesting that despite the country being mostly homophobic, all men greet each other with a kiss on the lips.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I wanted Alex to win but I was still shocked that it happened

Reply

Thread

Link

I would suck him off in front of my husband and he would like it.

Reply

Thread

Link

You win the internet.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmao

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Iconic

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LOLLLLLLLLLL

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LOL

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmao comment of the year material right here

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

mine too we are so lucky

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

the dream tbh

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

she just wanted a lil mustache tickle

Reply

Thread

Link

Not as iconic as when Gillian Anderson kissed David Duchovny (who was sitting behind her)first before kissing her boyfriend who was sitting next to her. I wish I knew how to post gifs here. I keep forgetting which hosting sites are approved and which don't work.

Reply

Thread

Link

lol was it rodney rowland

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Yes

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Did Nicole win twice last night?

Reply

Thread

Link

She was a producer for Big Little Lies, I think.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

That makes sense, ty.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

That thing on top of his lips tho



Edited at 2017-09-18 05:09 pm (UTC)

Reply

Thread

Link

Ssh, you'll hurt its feelings.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Didn't Anna Gunn and Bryan Cranston share a kiss too before her win? or was it on the SAG's? I don't remember, either way this seems such like a non issue, it was a peck and they were celebrating.

Reply

Thread

Link

it is a non-issue



and it happens all the time lol

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

She just caused all kinds of controversy last night, didn't she? Queen tbh.

Reply

Thread

Link









She's been killing it lately!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The hell is up with her hands in that second GIF. It's like that distorted flute lady from IT.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

the first gif always gets me

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Wish Alex made out with everyone last night.

Reply

Thread

Link

I love red and silver so I adore that dress.

Reply

Thread

Link



hay hay, does anyone have a link to the full show?

Reply

Thread

Link

*With the show i mean the Emmys

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lol he's so cute

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

he was so cute in that movie.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LOL i didn't even realize that was him

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Aaaahahahaa, I always forget that was him

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
I'm reading When Dimple Met Rishi and I'm really liking it. The fact that it takes place at my alma mater is fun too :)

Reply

Thread

Link

That one was so cute, I really enjoyed it.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

that one's adorable! :))

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

yass, jenny slate! tove jansson <3

Reply

Thread

Link

i'm reading Kristin Lavransdatter by norwegian author (and nobel prize winner) Sigrid Undset, and also the blazing world by Siri Hustvedt

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I read the first book in the Kristin Lavransdatter series and it was amazing. Just so gorgeous. Perfect historical fiction.

Haven't got around to the next two yet but I want to.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Is that the same one who did all the moomin comics?

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I'm reading Hillary's new book and I have a few other books (read: over 40) in my TBR pile.

Reply

Thread

Link

I'm rereading Futures from Nature which is a collection of 100 flash fiction science fiction stories. Perfect for anyone with the attention span of a gnat. Obviously some stories are better than others; the great thing is that if you hit a story you don't care for, at least it only takes a couple minutes to read before you can move on!

Reply

Thread

Link

Thanks for the rec! This seems interesting.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Ohh, this sounds interesting.

THank you for mentioning it! :D

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I've got this on hold at the library. I'll probably bawl my face off, but maybe it'll be cathartic.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I went to the Q&A and met Michael and gosh, I can't wait to finally read this. I've followed Michael for years and feel weirdly loyal to him. I teared up several times at the Q&A. I was happy I got to meet him and tell him he's had an effect on my life.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i just started roxane gay's "hunger." i'm not even that far into it, but it resonates way too much. very tough read for me.

Reply

Thread

Link

Reese love yourself and stop reading the lying game. You will never get that time back.

Reply

Thread

Link

lol you're right but I'm just so mad at that book. Couldn't even finish it.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I started Station Eleven. It hasn't really grabbed me yet but it's decent enough to stick with.

Reply

Thread

Link

I really enjoyed it. It has an interesting "vibe" to it. I didn't love it, but happy I read it.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'm about halfway through The Only Child by Andrew Pyper. It's reminiscent of Glen Duncan's The Last Werewolf, but the prose isn't as strong. Though the author isn't up his own ass quite as much as Glen Duncan is.

Reply

Thread

Link

He really is. You can tell just from his picture, but his writing is so...smug.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'm reading "In Calabria" by Peter Beagle. It's a short novella about an Italian farmer who has a unicorn take up residence on his farm. It's kinda cute, I like it so far.

Reply

Thread

Link

I'm only reading stuff for college because of midterm exams and I've had enough. I need it to end so I can go back to fiction. I need to relax.

Reply

Thread

Link

I used to be really snobbish when it came to ebooks and ebook readers (the real feel of books is irreplaceable or something), but honestly it's a godsend and it made me read a lot more.



I still end up buying the books I like, but I mostly read them in .epub or .mobi files, and it makes it easier to quit the ones I can't get through (not really the most moral thing to do, but...).



I'm currently sluggishly reading The Fifth Head of Cerberus.



Edited at 2017-09-19 06:14 pm (UTC)

Reply

Thread

Link

Wolfe is one of my favorite writers, but his books take me a while to get through. And then sometimes, I have to read them more than once to understand what happened.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

This is my first book of his, and I'm still in its first novella, and I'm getting what you're saying. It seems I'm skimming only the surface. I'm thinking it might've not been the best book to read whilst studying for my finals, but with that said I really love his writing so far. I want to read his BOTNS series after my final exam. Is that a good choice?

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I used to say I would never have one. I used my sisters Kindle for a month and had to get one for myself after. I read so much more now. So convenient.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I love ebooks because I can read anywhere. I've never been one to lug a book around so it's really nice having so many at my fingertips. I read on my phone all the time.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I love my kobo but I was definitely one of those people who thought I would never get one. My mom got my dad one when he was going through cancer treatment because he was just sitting around so much and when he got better, they gave it to me. I've always been a big reader but I seriously read so much more now.



I do end buying hard copies for the ones I really like but it's exposed me to so many more authors.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I've always loved real books and I always will, but ebooks have changed my life. For starters, they're physically easier to grasp (carpal tunnel means my hands literally fall asleep sometimes when I'm reading real books), and changing the font and text size is just a lovely thing. Bring on technology!



...I need to build a to-read list. I'm between books and there are always ones mentioned in book posts that I want to read but I forget to write them down D:

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

sadly i've never had less time to read than now, and i manage a used bookstore lol.



right now i'm slowly getting through the edible woman by margaret atwood, a book i've been trying to find used for about 6 years now and not one but TWO copies recently came into my store, so i snatched one up.



i also finished north american lake monsters by nathan balingrud a few months ago and i can't even describe how much i loved it. the good husband is hands-down one of my fave short stories now. i'll probably reread when halloween comes up since it's technically horror but very unique horror.

Reply

Thread

Link

I love The Edible Woman. Early Atwood was so fierce.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i'm reading thief by finding by david sedaris. definitely not my favorite from him but still interesting none the less. i'm also reading the princess diarist by carrie fisher but i'm finding it hard to get through cause it makes me emotional.

Reply

Thread

Link

definitely - are you offering to publish my book??

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Yep, someday, after a few more years of life experience and more books read, honestly.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I mean yessss but I haven't done anything besides come up with a couple of vague plot ideas so I don't feel like I should really say yes lol

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I've been trying to write more than a few for ages. :(

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I would, but idk if it's an obtainable dream lol

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It's been a dream forever and I am only stopping myself but just not trying harder.



Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Lol, I always tell myself I'm gonna self-publish one of these days... but lbr I am way too much of an introvert to actually put in an effort selling my book to strangers.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

my therapist thinks i should self publish my poetry but i think it's trash so it'll probably never happen

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
It's scary how fast these hurricanes have intensified. And the latest NHC update said Maria's winds are up to 175 mph.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Same :( It sounds like Dominica got hit really hard last night D:

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'm in Puerto Rico and the hurricane is expected to hit us directly... it's kinda surreal and I haven't been able to sleep well since it was announced. 175 mph!!! What even?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

stay safe and keeping you in my thoughts! the waiting is so rattling, i hope you're able to keep your mind off things as best you can 

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Stay safe, bb <3

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

how are you???

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I don't like fictionalized true crime stuff all that much, but the Cold Blooded thing could be interesting. I was enthralled by In Cold Blood and Capote.

Reply

Thread

Link

i can't wait for 'the mindhunter', it looks and sounds like a zodiac-ish fincherian perfection

Reply

Thread

Link

I read the book when it first came out 20-something years ago, and it was really good; informative and interesting, but GOD DAMN do I not need to do a re-read of it. I'm okay with gross, but there were a couple moments in that book where I had to put it down and take deep breaths and skip a paragraph or so. The details. :(

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

With David Fincher as an executive producer, I truly hope so! I spent an entire day once with Zodiac on repeat, I never tire of it. It's his magnum opus.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Absolutely agree about zodiac!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

it's only my second fave of his but i do agree that it's his defining work, no other film screams fincher as much. i never understand people complaining about how slow and boring it is, i personally never even notice how time flies when i watch it b/c every single scene is so damn captivating.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i'll never get over seeing kathie durst's look alike niece in that hbo doc. it was goddamn jarring. i'm interested in the lifetime miniseries but won't get my hopes up for obvious reasons lol

Reply

Thread

Link

i honestly can't tell from the trailer, is that Maura Murray show scripted or a doc?

Reply

Thread

Link

Investigative documentary. Not scripted.



I'm super excited for it...Maura's one of my pet cases. The more I've read and listened to podcasts on it, the more perplexing it is.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Has anyone watched the Netflix documentary Strong Island?



It was pretty sad because its kind of a look at a family after their son/brother gets killed and the white perpetrator gets off scott free. I wish the there was more of an emphasis on whether they could potentially get justice if the facts were looked at again.. or at least shaming the guy who did it. It was an interesting choice to never show his face.

Reply

Thread

Link

Yay true crime post!



The Confession Tapes sounds really good, it's incredible (see: horrific) just how many people are sent to prison for crimes they didn't commit because the police forced them into a false confession.



I'm so tired of the Maura Murray case, I'm just glad J*mes R*nner isn't playing a part in the show, unless they expose him for being the overzealous asshole that he is.



Cold Blooded sounds amazing, I can't wait.

Reply

Thread

Link

Maura is dead. I'm a frequent hiker up in northern NH and its literally insane to me some of the theories that she just magically ran to her freedom and she's living somewhere. Those areas have such winding roads and its hard to navigate. I wish they could figure out what happened but some of the information about the case just seems like lunatics with crazy theories.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'm in that camp 100%, there's no way she survived and is somehow either living in Canada under a new identity, still in the US, or was kidnapped and is being held hostage. The lengths people will go to make it seem like she's alive is ridiculous and I skip over the posts on r/UnresolvedMysteries because they're always filled with people fighting.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

nnnnnnn I hate R*nner so much.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Fuck J*mes R*nner. But there is going to be a Johnny Depp movie made based on R*nner's memoir.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

JR is ridiculous and insulting. i can't believe people give him time

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

UGHH IA about the Maura Murray case and that dude. She's in the damned woods.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The Menendez trial was a wild ride. I miss Dominick Dunne doing the absolute most with his crime articles in Vanity Fair.





Reply

Thread

Link

Dominick was a namedropping fool most of the time (and I say this as a huge fan of his writing), and it got him into some trouble - Gary Condit comes to mind - but I treasure the fact that I had a Vanity Fair subscription from the time I was in junior high just for those articles. I lived in LA most of my life and during a lot of this stuff, and Dunne's viewpoint was always interesting. He was a staunch victim/family supporter and gave not one shit about the rich people trying to get away with nonsense. The first article he ever wrote about the murder of his daughter is still a great, but very emotional, read.



Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Vanity Fair has some of the best long form true crime articles out there, right behind Texas Monthly (though they don't anymore, sadly).

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Dominick Dunne was the best/worst kind of trashy writing disguised as highbrow.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

"Law & Order True Crime" is NBC's attempt at pulling an "American Crime Story," right?

Reply

Thread

Link

Years ago they did a Law & Order documentary style following the real lawyers, families, and the case. My friend from school was on it - her boyfriend murdered their 4 month old son. It was fucking horrific.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

tell me this prick got life in prison?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I was just reading about the Maura Murray case and ended up going down a missing persons black hole on wiki.

Reply

Thread

Link

Did you already read this one. The photos emailed to her parents are so disturbing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Amy_Lynn_Bradley

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

imo they're not her. She's dead and that Yellow guy is behind it. :(

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I always laugh when I see commercials for that Biggie/Pac show that brags about being "from a director of the People VS OJ"

Reply

Thread

Link

I am so excite for Mindhunter. I read the book and I have most of John Douglas' books on my shelf that I have yet to read. Anatomy of a Motive is really good if anyone wants a rec.

Reply

Thread

Link

the lifetime menendez brothers movie made me sympathize with erik and i'm so mad about it lol

Reply

Thread

Link

i think they even had that as the very first scene of the film! it doesn't look like it's up on lifetime.com anymore, and i tried youtube but all the links are gone. if you wanna watch i think it's up on itunes, but it basically went full on with the sexual abuse claims--lyle came off as an asshole (he's ultimately the one who kills the mom because erik hesitates) but they had some pretty rough scenes with jose molesting erik (lifetime rough, obvs) and erik feeling remorse over what happened. also really weird scenes where the mom's ghost comes and talks to erik, which was super weird.



it also probably didn't help that the guy they cast to play erik had much more of a baby face than erik irl who looked at least 35. i didn't and probably still don't sympathise with the irl brothers, just the character, although i do think there was some kind of abuse going on, because erik's reaction during lyle's testimony was either exceptional acting or a young man reliving some kind of abuse at the hands of both his older brother and father.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
BEATRICE -- Eden Sarazuas journey toward becoming an American citizen is a trail of timestamps on her memory.

The 38-year-old ex-Guatemalan submitted the Form N-400 for naturalization on Jan. 22 about 9 years after she was declared a permanent legal resident, and received an appointment letter a few days later on Jan. 26.

Sarazua, a Walmart cashier from North Platte, turned in a fingerprint sample for the background check required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Feb. 22.

Then she got notice: On July 6, she would take the test to become a U.S. citizen -- 27 years after she came into the country with her parents as a 10-year-old.

Ive got all of my family here -- my husband, my kids, Sarazua said, pointing to her three children, ages 18, 16 and 11. I dont want to get told to go back to my country. My life is here.

On Monday, Sarazua and 31 other immigrants -- from Belgium, Somalia, Vietnam and everywhere in between -- took the Oath of Allegiance before U.S. District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. at a naturalization ceremony hosted by the Homestead National Monument of America.

Rossiter said watching immigrants achieve U.S. citizenship is a bright reminder of what many natural-born citizens often take for granted.

Getting to this point is probably not easy for you, he said. The process takes time, it takes patience, and sometimes it involves separation, sadness and pain.

Joseph Tabora Dominguez rode The Beast from his native Honduras to northern Mexico, a harrowing two-week journey aboard the top of a train, before finally crossing the border into the U.S. in 2006.

Everybody left Honduras looking for great opportunities and progress, he said.

In 2009, he met Rosita, a U.S. citizen he married the next year. But in order to begin a full-fledged life with her in Grand Island, Tabora had to voluntarily deport himself from the country, returning to Honduras for the better part of a year before applying for a green card.

We wanted to start everything legally, Rosita said. After another waiting period of several years, everything just took off for Tabora, who looked back over his long, and sometimes fraught, journey to become a U.S. citizen.

It was a long process man, Tabora said. Im so glad to be here.

Just before he could graduate high school in the Dominican Republican, Cesar Pestana traveled to North Carolina with his family on a green card, joining a set of grandparents already living in the United States.

Pestana later came to Lincoln where he attended Union College, obtaining a degree in education. The 24-year-old is now an elementary music teacher at Lincoln Public Schools.

As an immigrant living in the country with status as a permanent resident -- Pestana notes that his parents waited for 10 years to receive a green card to come to the country -- he had to wait an additional five years before he could apply for citizenship.

Then came the work. Pestana submitted forms, attended interviews, and demonstrated his knowledge of the English language and American history -- all easy once the right time came.

The waiting is the long part, he said. I waited seven years and I know people who have waited a lot longer, but I love being here. I already work here. I always thought I was going to stay, so it made sense to take this step.

Speaking to the 32 new American citizens, Rossiter encouraged each to weave their experiences, language and culture into the tapestry that is the U.S., calling immigration both a link to Americas past and bridge to the countrys future.

For over 220 years, this country has been blessed with welcoming people just like you from all over the world who bring their languages, their heritages, and their culture with them, he said. Now that youve completed the process and taken the oath, I address you as fellow United States citizens.

Rossiter added that as citizens, each is now entitled to the pursuit of happiness, equal opportunity and freedom of speech -- rights enshrined in the country's founding -- along with the corresponding responsibilities.

Our country is ever evolving, and you are now part of that evolution, Rossiter said. I look forward to the contributions each of you bring today, and will bring in the future in what is now our country, the United States of America.

Her certificate of citizenship tucked safely back in its envelope after the ceremony, Sarazua stopped a moment to collect herself. She reflected on the last three decades, plus the new promise citizenship brings.

I want to cry, she said. It feels so good.
Get your Milwaukee history fix this summer with OnMilwaukee's Urban Spelunking, sponsored by DearMKE. Fall in love with Milwaukee and its stories on DearMKE.com, or go on your own urban exploration and share your photos and your stories of Milwaukee with #DearMKE on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Every Milwaukeean has a Lake Michigan story and for the next seven days OnMilwaukee will share as many as possible during "MKE Lake Week," sponsored by the Harbor District. Love the lake? Youre in the right place.

Long before there was an East Side, there was a North Point Lighthouse, 2650 N. Wahl Ave.

Today the beacon tower sits surrounded by trees in Lake Park, but when the first lighthouse here was built just a few dozen yards to the east, in 1855, it was right up on the edge of the bluff overlooking the lake, which lapped just below (where there is now Lincoln Memorial Drive and a spit of land to its east).

Through brutal winters and broiling summers, through Civil War, two World Wars and unspeakable change, the light shone, providing lake sailors a beacon in the night. At least until 1994, when the light was switched off.

These days, the North Point Lighthouse is a museum, as well as enduring Milwaukee landmark.

The keepers quarters  a lovely 1880s Queen Anne home  house an array of interesting exhibits, featuring memorabilia and photographs, as well as a small bookshop, while the upstairs provides office space, a boardroom (pictured below) and some other services for the folks who keep the place going. The museum also hosts an annual lecture series, bringing interesting local voices to speak to guests, who pay a nominal fee.

For a number of years, the keepers who lived here also maintained the breakwater lighthouse.

The grounds are nicely tended, too. But it is the lighthouse itself, of course, that is the real draw.

The first lighthouse in Milwaukee was erected at the foot of Wisconsin Avenue in 1838, three years after the city became a Lake Michigan port town and eight years before Milwaukee was chartered.

In 1855, a lighthouse was built at North Point (pictured above), just across the ravine from the current light. Some exploration there has turned up remnants of it. Because of bluff erosion, the decision was taken to build a new lighthouse further inland, which may seem odd to modern Milwaukeeans now that the lake no longer reaches the bottom of the bluff.

That new lighthouse was octagonal and built in 1887 out of bolted iron (see below). It was capped with the lantern from the lighthouse it replaced.

In 1907, the light went dark because the trees in the park had grown too tall and ships couldnt see it anymore. It was replaced with a light ship anchored in the bay until funds to elevate the tower were allocated in 1912.

A temporary tower was constructed between the keepers house and the lighthouse for use while the work was completed, creating this interested two-tower look...

The old tower was taken apart and a 35-foot riveted steel base (see photo below) was built. The original bolted iron tower was raised up on that base and the 1855 lantern was returned to top it all off at 74 feet above ground and 154 feet above the level of Lake Michigan.

The old fuel oil to light the lamp was replaced with coal gas in 1913 and was converted to electricity in 1929.

Climbing the towers 80 or so steps isnt hard, especially if you do it only once in awhile. But consider Georgia Stebbins, who served as lighthouse keeper from 1888 until 1907 and who apparently was away from her post only three times during all those years.

As keeper, Stebbins had to climb the tower (which was, admittedly, not as tall in her day) every four hours from sunset to sunrise. That means she scaled the steps at least 64,000 times, if not more.

When I went up there most recently, I stopped to look more closely at the details. You can see where the riveted steel of the newer portion gives way to the bolted iron of the older bit.

One level below the actual light  on a floor called the watch deck  you can see where the wood-burning stove that kept the lamp oil from becoming too gooey vented to the outside. Panels dotted with glass balls allowed light from above to filter down into the watch deck.

Up in the tight lantern space, theres a great view of the lake and down into the trees. On a nice clear day, especially when there are no leaves on the trees, you can see down along toward Downtown (no, you cant see Michigan, because of the curvature of the Earth).

A small panel here can be removed so that the keeper could go out onto that narrow walk, with its decidedly thin railing, to make sure the windows were clean and free of ice in winter.

Back down at the bottom theres a trapdoor at the base of the stairs that leads into a space that once held the counterweights that made the glass lens revolve. It is connected to the light at the top by a long metal tube that once held cables connected to the counterweights. Its empty now.

Though Ive only been inside a couple times, Im a big fan of the lighthouse. As I wrote when I took my kid there for the first time about five years ago:

"The year the light went dark  1994  I lived a block away on the top floor of an apartment building and just as if I were up on the bridge of a Great Lakes tanker, I could see on my bedroom wall the beacon's regular, repeating appearance as it spun atop the lighthouse each night. For years, that vision  accompanied by the deep, melancholy howl of the lakefront foghorn  was the mental image conjured by the North Point Lighthouse.

"If you'd have told me as I lay in bed on Belleview Place back then that I'd someday scale the steps of that lighthouse with my boy, I'd have said you're nuts. Now, it's a perhaps humble experience, but one I'll remember for a lifetime."

Obviously, if you havent been there, you should go. If you have been there, go back.
Phuket, Thailand, 13 August, 2017  Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach, held their Fire Evacuation training session.

The activity, which took place at the resorts evacuation point, was hosted by 5 representatives from Mai Khao Municipal Administrative District and Emergency Response Team from the property, who champion basic skills of Fire extinguisher usage, Steps of evacuation on the simulated situation and team work.

For more information and reservations, please call at +66 (0) 76 625 555 or email booknaiyangbeach@marriott.com.
A montage of 17 of the 18 asteroids and comets that have been photographed up close as of August 2014, when Rosetta arrived at comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This version is in color and shows the bodies at their correct relative (though not absolute) albedo or brightness. Not included are Vesta or Ceres, both of which are many times larger than Lutetia. Credit: Montage by Emily Lakdawalla. Data from NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / UMD / JAXA / ESA / OSIRIS team / Russian Academy of Sciences / China National Space Agency. Processed by Emily Lakdawalla, Daniel Machacek, Ted Stryk, Gordan Ugarkovic

The mining of resources contained in asteroids, for use as propellant, building materials or in life-support systems, has the potential to revolutionise exploration of our Solar System. To make this concept a reality, we need to increase our knowledge of the very diverse population of accessible Near Earth Asteroids (NEA). Last year, dozens of the world's leading asteroid scientists and asteroid mining entrepreneurs came together in Luxembourg to discuss key questions and identify scientific knowledge gaps. A White Paper outlining the results of that discussion, "Answers to Questions from the Asteroid Miners" will be presented at the European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) 2017 in Riga on Tuesday 19th September by Dr JL Galache and Dr Amara Graps.

"Asteroid mining is this incredible intersection of science, engineering, entrepreneurship and imagination," says Galache of Aten Engineering. "The problem is, it's also a classic example of a relatively young scientific field in that the more we find out about asteroids through missions like Hayabusa and Rosetta, the more we realise that we don't know."

The aim of the Asteroid Science Intersections with In-Space Mine Engineering (ASIME) 2016 conference on September 21-22, 2016 in Luxembourg City was to provide an environment for the detailed discussion of the specific properties of asteroids, with the engineering needs of space missions that utilise asteroids. Outcomes of ASIME 2016 Conference produced a layered record of discussions from the asteroid scientists and the asteroid miners to understand each other's key concerns.

The White Paper covers questions surrounding the need for asteroid surveys in preparing for mining missions, the asteroid's surface and interior, implications for astrobiology and planetary protection and other questions relating to policy and strategy for developing a roadmap for advancing asteroid in-space resource utilisation.

A number of knowledge gaps were identified: the asteroid miners need access to a map of known NEAs with an orbit similar to the Earth so that they can fine-tune their selection of potential targets. Many objects are  as yet  undiscovered, or very little is known about them, so there is also a need to develop a dedicated NEA discovery and follow-up programme.

Galache explains: "NEAs are usually discovered when they are at their brightest, so our best chance of studying them is by immediately following up detections with further observations to characterise their shape and spectral properties. That needs good quality, relatively large, dedicated telescopes that are available at short notice. We don't have reliable access to these facilities right now."

Artists impression of ESAs AIM mission encountering asteroid Didymos. Credit: ESA/Science Office

Further studies are needed to understand the link between meteorites and asteroids, and to share data more widely about the composition of meteorites so that more accurate simulant asteroid soils, or "regolith", can be created. This is important for understanding which asteroids hold which resources, and for preparing for the practical side of a mining mission, such as landing and extraction of material.

"Aside from samples returned from a handful of missions, the only way we can study the composition of asteroids is by analysing light reflected from their surfaces, or by examining fragments that have landed on Earth in the form of meteorites," says Graps of the University of Latvia and the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona. "Both these techniques have limitations. Spectral observations come from the 'top veneer' of the asteroid, which has been space weathered and subjected to other kinds of processing. Meteorites are crucial, but they also lack part of the story: fragile constituents of primitive material contained within asteroids may be lost during atmospheric entry. At the moment, our mapping of types of meteorites back to the different classes of parent asteroid is not that robust."

Three quarters of known asteroids are classed as Carbonaceous or "C-type", dark, carbon-rich objects. However, most NEAs are from the Silicaceous "S-type" class of asteroids, which are reddish-coloured stony bodies that dominate the inner Asteroid Belt. For asteroid miners looking for water to use in rocket fuel or life support systems, being able to identify the class of asteroid is vital. Carbonaceous chondrite meteorites have been found to contain clay minerals that appear to have been altered by water on their parent body. While these meteorites are thought to be derived from sub-classes of C-type asteroids, there is not an exact match with any single spectral class.

A short-cut to understanding an NEA's composition could be to identify where in the Solar System they formed and look at the characteristics of their "orbital family". Thus, another knowledge gap is the link is between the dynamical predictions of where an NEA originates and its actual physical characterisations.

Information is also sparse on the size of grains at the surface of the asteroid. The asteroids Eros and Itokawa have similar spectral signatures and reflectiveness, but rendezvous missions show that they have very different regolith properties. NEAR Shoemaker showed that Eros is covered in fine dust, while Hayabusa revealed that the surface of Itokawa has chunky blocks tens of centimetres in diameter. Comprehensive knowledge of regolith properties at asteroids' surface and subsurface will be vital for developing strategies for landing and extracting materials. However, as yet, no mission has explored how asteroid regolith might vary with depth.

"Results from ESA's Rosetta mission showed that the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko is much denser than its interior. It may be that we'll find the same thing if we dig down into the regolith of NEAs. But at the moment, we just don't know," said Graps.

More work also needs to be done to understand the dynamics of granular material in low-gravity. Studies suggest that granular material can behave as a solid, a liquid or a gas in this environment. This behaviour will be particularly important for asteroids that are rubble-piles, as spacecraft trying to land or drill into these could easily destabilise regolith causing granular flow or avalanches.

"Asteroid mining techniques will need to adapt to the low-gravity environment. Possible solutions include cancelling out action-reaction forces by digging in opposite directions at the same time, or by producing a reaction force, such as by strapping a net around the asteroid for robots to grab onto while they dig," says Galache. "It's a challenge! But answering the questions posed in this White Paper will be an important first step."

More information: ASIME 2016 White Paper: In-Space Utilisation of Asteroids: "Answers to Questions from the Asteroid Miners." arXiv. arxiv.org/abs/1612.00709 Journal information: arXiv

Provided by Europlanet
A new analysis estimates that the world's remaining carbon 'budget' to be nearly four times bigger than previously thought

An ambitious goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is still within reach, said researchers Monday who calculated humanity may have a larger allowable "budget" for burning carbon than previously thought.

While this amounted to rare "good news" in the generally doom-and-gloom domain of climate science, it was no cause for complacency, said the authors of a study in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Instead, it should revitalise efforts towards a target many had already abandoned as too onerous.

"All large emitters without exception will have to step up their efforts," co-author Joeri Rogelj of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria, told AFP.

Countries agreed in the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015 after years of bickering, to limit average global warming to "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.

They also committed to "pursuing efforts" for a more difficult 1.5 C target, for a better chance of avoiding global warming's worst effects.

In a 2014 report, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said the carbon concentration in the atmosphere should not exceed 450 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) by 2100 for a "likely", 66-percent, chance of 2 C.

According to the IPCC report, the concentration in 2011 was already 430 ppm CO2eq.

On the basis of the IPCC figures, a budget of 400 billion tonnes was calculated as the maximum amount of CO2 humanity can emit into the atmosphere from 2011 and still keep the 1.5 C goal in sight.

For 2015, that number dropped to about 245 billion tonnes.

The new analysis, however, estimates the remaining budget from 2015 to be closer to 880 billion tonnes of CO2nearly four times bigger than the UN estimate, the research team said.

Pressure 'not off'

"This is good news but the pressure is not off," said Rogelj.

The findings, he added, "revived the objective of keeping maximum warming to 1.5 Cback from being a geophysical and socioeconomic implausibility to it being possible, yet still very challenging."

The team said they used the same "Earth System" simulation models employed by the IPCC for its projections, but also other modelling tools that enabled them to explore a greater variety of possible scenarios.

"Our study is based on a wider range of evidence than available at the time of the IPCC" report, said Rogelj.

The results showed that reaching "carbon neutrality" by mid-century would offer "a fair chance to keep global warming to a maximum 1.5 C," he added.

Carbon neutrality means removing as much carbon from the atmosphere as you put into it, in order to achieve a zero carbon footprint, or even a negative one.

"The literature shows that achieving carbon neutrality is technologically and economically possible, if we start with ambitious actions today," said Rogelj.

But it was clear that national carbon-cutting pledges submitted under the Paris Agreement, dubbed NDCs, "do not represent the kind of ambitious actions that are implied here," the researcher added.

Keeping within the budget would require a phase-out of traditional coal power in the next two decades, and investing in trees and technology that suck CO2 from the atmosphere.

The global electricity sector, said the study authors, would need to become carbon neutral, even carbon negative, by mid-century.

The planet has already heated up about 1.0 C, according to scientists.

More information: Halfway to doubling of CO2 radiative forcing, Nature Geoscience (2017). DOI: 10.1038/ngeo3036 Emission budgets and pathways consistent with limiting warming to 1.5C, Nature Geoscience (2017). nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/ngeo3031 Journal information: Nature Geoscience

 2017 AFP
Sharks swimming deep in the ocean, geckos climbing up trees and wind turbines towering over West Texas don't have a lot in common. At least, not yet.

But the startup Flow Raider, one of the 2017-18 Texas Tech Accelerator companies through the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub at Research Park, is developing a product to help increase the efficiency of wind turbines in West Texas and throughout the world  and they're using sharks and geckos as their models.

Humberto Bocanegra, Chief Executive Officer of Flow Raider and a postdoctoral scholar in mechanical engineering, said the startup is working on developing and testing a surface coating that helps control the flow around wind-turbine blades. This coating aims to increase efficiency and reduce maintenance costs for turbines as well as transport and military vehicles.

Bocanegra discussed potential collaborations with his colleague, Burak Aksak, Chief Technology Officer of Flow Raider and an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Both Aksak and Bocanegra thought the coating was a perfect blend of their expertise.

"At the time, I had been working on gecko-inspired microfibrillar adhesives and had developed techniques to fabricate large-scale adhesive sheets," Aksak said. "To our surprise, we noticed that sharks use structures of similar dimensions and geometry to the synthetic sheets we produce and decided to carry out some preliminary testing. The success of the initial testing led us to work on this technology together over the past four years and helped us develop Flow Raider."

The coating has tiny pillars, which are very similar to structures that cover both gecko toe pads and shark fins. While the members of Flow Raider are still figuring out how the surface will work in the product, the pillars modify the flow so the liquid is in contact with the body when coated with the surface.

Flow Raider presented its research in the 2017 Spark Conference, a two-day innovation conference that gave potential startups the opportunity to present their research and win money.

Bocanegra said presenting during the conference was a great experience because it was something members of the startup had not done before.

"We are used to giving presentations in specialized conferences, but this conference was oriented toward commercialization, so it was a challenge to make sure we were getting our message across without going deep into the technical details," Bocanegra said. "It also made us think about the research beyond the physics and find potential applications for it."

Through the conference, the startup won $50,000 in funding. It also received $25,000 from the Accelerator.

David Miller, a mentor within the Innovation Hub, heard about the startup when he began his role. Miller said he decided to mentor this startup after seeing the technology and interacting with the members of the team.

"There were a few factors that influenced my decision to mentor this startup," Miller said. "First, I believed their applications may have broad capabilities in the area of defense, renewable energy and a couple of other sectors as well. I also valued the early conversations with the team and found them to be willing to listen, to learn and to lead."

Bocanegra said Miller's contribution as Flow Raider's mentor has been critical to its success.

"All of our mentors have been extremely helpful and have raised very important points about our plans and how to deal with some of our challenges," Bocanegra said. "David Miller has a lot of business experience, but, more importantly, he has a lot of experience with startup companies. He has mentored many startups in the past and knows about the pitfalls that make these companies fail."

Miller said he thinks this startup could potentially be very important to the Lubbock community. If the startup is successful, many new jobs will be created.

Since wind is one of the fastest growing realms in power generation in the United States, Bocanegra hopes this technology can help the local community.

"Increasing power production and reducing costs make wind power more affordable, which will then attract more investments and create more jobs for people in the local community," Bocanegra said.

Miller said it is unknown how successful Flow Raider will be in the future. The group will have to overcome obstacles that all startup companies encounter. But, Flow Raider has potential because of its promising technology.

Luciano Castillo, Chief Scientific Officer in Flow Raider and Kenninger Professor in Renewable Energy and Power Systems in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, said the plan for Flow Raider going forward is to perform field testing of the product and building a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy.

Bocanegra knows great work is being done at Texas Tech but people are not always aware of it.

"We hope that through our startup we increase the visibility and encourage people to look to Texas Tech when looking for research and ideas to solve their technological challenges," Bocanegra said.

Aksak hopes students will be inspired by what Flow Raider is doing through the Innovation Hub and encourages entrepreneurial thinking among students.

Miller said Flow Raider has come a long way from its beginnings as an idea. Students can learn from Flow Raider's journey.

"They have come a long way by believing in their idea, creating a team and connecting with the Innovation Hub," Miller said. "Infrastructure and support like the Innovation Hub is providing is key to developing successful startups. We are fortunate to have the Innovation Hub in our community."
Some areas have a layer-cake cover of muds deposited in front of the glacier as it retreated to the coast. The black arrow points to the seabed. The white arrow shows over 40 meters thickness. Below this are mixed sediments, probably from beneath the glacier when it filled the Mackenzie Trough. Credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

To interpret what we see today both on land and at the seabed, we need to understand how the landscape was different in the past. When we say "past," we mean on a geologic timeframespecifically, about 10,000 to 20,000 years ago, when the climate was much colder and glaciers covered much of Canada. There have been several other geological periods in the last million years when glaciers covered the landscape; indeed Antarctica and Greenland and parts of Baffin Island are still covered, but we are most interested in this "recent" one. In particular, we are hoping to collect some of the first data on the western side of the Mackenzie Trough to understand the imprint that glaciation has had on the Yukon Shelf. Scientists have had to speculate on the extent and timing of glaciations because they've never been out there with equipment to collect data.

Glaciers are huge ice sheets that can be as thick as one to two kilometers. They move very slowlyhence the phrase "moving at a glacial pace"shaping the landscape beneath them as they flow. Glaciers carve out materials (sediment and rocks) in some areas, and grind and deposit mixes of these materials in others. The patterns of removal and deposition of these materials are the key pieces of evidence that we are looking for to reconstruct what happened thousands of years ago a scientific time-machine!

Why is it important to understand the glacial history?

Glacial history has direct influence on the strength and properties of the seabed sediments. These have implications for foundation stability (for any seabed engineering), the occurrence of landslides, the temperature of the seabed (which influences permafrost and gas hydrates), and seabed habitat. An improved understanding of the natural system in the Beaufort Sea can contribute in some way to many local and even global issues.

Investigating the glacial history from the R/V Araon

Once again, we are using all the tools on board the Araon to build up the picture of the seabed and below to, hopefully, develop a better understanding of the geological history of the Beaufort Sea. Using sonar instruments onboard, we can recognize where sediments were removed as the glacier advanced by the broad and deep cuts in the soft rocks and sediments across the continental shelf. This process created the Mackenzie Trough, a long scar over 100 meters deep and tens of kilometers wide gouged over 100 kilometers in length out across the shelf. Then, as the glacier retreated, it left behind massive deposits of mud, sand, and gravel mixes, sometimes entirely mixed-up in what is called a till deposit, and sometimes in well-layered sediment beds, like a layer-cake.

A sediment core has been captured in the steel gravity core barrel that is below the 1,500-kilogram lead weights (pictured to the left of the people) and retrieved at the R/V Araons stern. Credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Each successive layer of sediment records the conditions of the environment of the time, and we are attempting to tease out a history of environmental changes, where the beds represent the "pages" of a history book. We have observed more than 80 meters of this mud (with some stones) in some places but 20 to 40 meters is commonplace.

While our sediment cores can only reach a few meters into the muds, not the tens or hundreds of meters that the glaciers carved and deposited, they still provide very important information.

The cores allow us to physically examine the sediment and better identify the types of deposits. With a bit of luck, we will find some "datable" material, such as small fossil shells or tiny "foraminifera." The material can be sent to a lab for radiocarbon dating that tells us their ages.

Our first impression is that we have collected some high-quality data that will build upon existing knowledge. It will take plenty of work to put together a coherent picture of glaciations largely through interpreting the extent and behavior of the glaciation from our new seismic records.
Uber was the indisputable No. 1 player in the domestic on-demand transportation industry. And by its workforce size, passenger count and capital raised, it still is.

But reports on Thursday from Bloomberg and Axios that Google's parent company, Alphabet, is mulling a $1 billion investment in Uber's archrival, Lyft, suggest that Uber's ongoing dominance isn't a sure thing, and that recent scandals that led to change in the company's leadership may have dealt a greater blow to the company's brand than originally expected.

"It reflects Uber's changing status," said Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.

Once upon a time, venture capital firms clamored over each other to invest in Uber, with many believing that its eventual success could rival or even beat Facebook's. Google's venture capital arm, now called GV, was an early investor in Uber.

But Uber's recent string of scandals - including a lawsuit from the Alphabet-owned Waymo over alleged theft and use of trade secrets, allegations of a culture of harassment and bullying and law enforcement probes into its efforts to circumvent regulators, has knocked the company from its perch.

Both Lyft and Google declined to comment on reports of investment talks. If such a deal goes through, though, it could be a major boost for Lyft, which has long been a distant No. 2 to Uber in size and in war chest. Uber has raised more than $15 billion compared with Lyft's more than $2 billion.

"Lyft has always been the stepchild - now they're getting a bit more attention from Daddy, so maybe they won't be thought of so much as the second choice or the second player," said Gregory Sichenzia, a partner at securities law firm Sichenzia Ross Ference Kesner LLP.

If Google were to invest in both ride-hailing companies, it wouldn't be the first time an investor has diversified investments across multiple companies in the same category. China's Didi Chuxing, which bought the China arm of Uber, is also an investor in Uber's rivals in Asia. Prior to working with Uber, Didi also had a partnership with Lyft that allowed Lyft customers to hail Didi rides from the Lyft app when they were in China, and vice versa.

Japanese telecom giant Softbank is reportedly in talks to invest in Uber. In Asia, it is also an investor in everyone one of Uber's major rivals.

Decades ago, this sort of investment across competitors was less common, Sichenzia said, because companies were more likely to pull out of a deal if they knew a backer was considering betting on the competition.

"In the old days there were conflicts in the advertising world, so you couldn't be the agency for two competing brands because you'd lose one or the other," Sichenzia said. "Or if a bank were to bank on Mobil, they couldn't bank on the next oil company because they'd lose that business."

These days? There's no recourse.

"What is Uber going to be do if Google invests in Lyft? Say: 'We don't want your money - we'll give it back?'" Sichenzia said. "More and more, it's just a matter of economics."

As Uber begins to address its cultural issues under the leadership of new Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi, business experts said now is also a good time for the company to ask itself why an existing investor might consider its competitor, because something has clearly changed.

"You used to jump at the chance of doing an alliance with Uber," Gordon said. "Now you think thrice."

2017 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Alison Butler. Credit: Matt Perko

Alison Butler has never met Canadian chemist and philanthropist Alfred Bader, but they have something important in common.

Harvard-educated Bader is considered by the American Chemical Society (ACS) to be "one of the top 75 distinguished contributors to the chemical enterprise in the last 75 years." Among his many achievements: the endowment of an ACS prize in bioinorganic or bioorganic chemistry that bears his name.

Now Butler, a professor of chemistry at UC Santa Barbara, is the newest recipient of that award. She will receive $5,000 and a certificate, plus a paid trip to the 2018 ACS National Meeting in New Orleans, where she will give a keynote address about her research. A symposium will be held in her honor.

"I was so surprised and pleased to get the phone call from the president of the American Chemical Society," said Butler, who is also UCSB's associate vice chancellor for academic personnel. "It an honor just to be nominated let alone selected. I view the Bader Award as a reflection of the tremendous accomplishments of my students and postdocs. I'm so proud of their achievements, and I feel lucky to have them on my team."

The Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic or Bioorganic Chemistry recognizes significant accomplishments at the interface between biology and organic or inorganic chemistry, particularly applications of chemistry's fundamental principles and experimental methodology to areas of biological significance. Butler was chosen for her work "elucidating the bioinorganic chemistry of the marine environment."

Among other research, Butler's lab focuses on transition metalsin particular, vanadiumand how marine bacteria use the materials in combination with biochemical players like peptides, proteins and enzymes to extract iron from the ocean. Her team works with siderophores, small molecules that bind and transport iron in microorganisms such as bacteria. When Butler's lab modified a siderophore called cyclic trichrysobactin that they had previously discovered, the result was a compound that rivals the staying power of mussel glue.

"The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is very proud of Professor Butler and thrilled that the ACS has recognized her numerous research accomplishments with the Bader Award," said department chair Steven Buratto. "This award is well-deserved and cements Professor Butler's status as one of the top bioinorganic chemists in the world."

A graduate of Reed College, Butler received her Ph.D. from UC San Diego in 1982. She was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at UCLA and at the California Institute of Technology before joining the faculty at UCSB in 1986.

Butler, who received an American Cancer Society Junior Faculty Research Award, is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Chemical Society. She has chaired three Gordon Research ConferencesEnvironmental BioInorganic Chemistry (2006), Metals in Biology (2004) and Marine Natural Products (2002)which provide an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in the biological, chemical and physical sciences and their related technologies.
Emil J. Gumbel's mathematical formulas are fundamental for extreme value theory. This statistical discipline describes extreme incidents, such as floods or storms. Little is known, however, that he was also a pioneer of modern data journalism, unveiling the patterns of political murder in the Weimar Republic. Credit: Technical University Munich

Emil J. Gumbel's formulas are fundamental for extreme value theory. This statistical discipline describes extreme incidents, such as floods or storms. Little is known, however, that he was also a pioneer of modern data journalism, unveiling the patterns of political murder in the Weimar Republic. Professor Matthias Scherer and his team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) now intend to fill in the gaps in what the world knows about Gumbel.

Gumbel, who later became famous for his applications in extreme value theory, was the firstborn son of a family of bankers in the Munich district of Lehel. Already as a young man, he utilized his statistical methods to counter militarism and the reactionary justice system. His scientific analyzes of court proceedings of the Weimar Republic make him a pioneer of modern data journalism. Due to his political publications, he was soon persecuted and exiled.

"Due to his many-layered works, his life which was twice uprooted as a result of emigration, and not least due to the time that has passed since then, our search for new documents about Gumbel was a challenging endeavor", said Scherer from the Chair of Mathematical Finance at the TUM when speaking about the project.

Over the past three years, the search for the various stages of Gumbel's life has led him and his research assistant Dr. Lexuri Fernandez across Europe and finally to the USA. "At places where he worked, we tracked down contemporary witnesses or their descendants and found new documents in archives", says Scherer.

Calculating the extreme

In the renowned journal Extremes, the TUM researchers present new details about Gumbel's personal life. Also published in the journal are excerpts from an interview with Professor Tuncel M. Yegulalp, who knew Gumbel back when he was a lecturer at Columbia University and living in exile in New York. Yegulalp describes his challenging education with Emil Gumbel, which played a formative role in his own path through life.

Gumbel's methods are used today in various areas: for the planning of dams and dikes, for the determination of material fracture strengths as well as in the financial and insurance sectors, where insurance premiums have to be calculated for rare but severe losses, for example for catastrophes such as the hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Statistics of political murder

"The scientific approach is typical for Gumbel's political writings," explains Scherer. "Characteristic for his publications are arguments based on statistical analyses, the often uncommented documentation of facts, and the resulting scientific objectivity", says the financial mathematician when describing the style of the newspaper articles, magazine essays, and books which Gumbel published in the 1920s without paying any regard to the losses made.

With the help of the statistical evaluation of his newspaper and court database, he published the books "Zwei Jahre Mord" (Two Years of Murder) and "Vier Jahre politischer Mord" (Four Years of Political Murder), which quickly sold out. "They document the right-wing conservative tendency which the judiciary had lapsed into during the time", says Scherer. According to Gumbel's statistics, 326 out of 354 political murders by right-wing factions in the early Weimar Republic went unpunished, and four out of the 22 left-wing capital crimes.

The "Gumble Case"

Even after joining Heidelberg University in 1923, Gumbel continued with his publication and pacifist activities. When he published the book "Verschworer" (Conspirators) in 1924, an investigative inquiry into secret military alliances, he was accused of treason. However, this accusation turned out to be untenable in court, as all he had done was document facts.

When he spoke of a "Field of Dishonor" in a speech at an event of the German Peace Society at the tenth anniversary of the beginning of World War I, this triggered a chorus of outrage among national conservative academics and a disciplinary procedure.

Early expatriation saved Gumbel's life

"His fate was sealed when, at a speech in memory of the 700,000 who had perished of hunger in the winter of 1916/17, he remarked that a rutabaga would certainly be a better memorial than a scantily clad virgin with a palm frond", says Professor Scherer. This remark had already been part of his repertoire at pacifist demonstrations for some time, and even though he knew that two Nazi spies were among the audience, Gumbel did not refrain from saying it.

Once again, this resulted in a chorus of indignation and a riot of murder threats, ultimately leading to his dismissal in the summer of 1932. "But that may have saved his life, because in France, where he chose to go in exile, he was safe from persecution for the time being", says Scherer. "He was the only scientist on the first 'expatriation list', and was very proud of that fact later on".

However, the publication in the journal Extremes by no means marks the end of the search for Gumbel's life journey for Scherer and his assistant Fernandez: Together with Prof. Annette Vogt from the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and Dr. Isabella Wiegand at TUM they are planning an exhibition in Munich, Gumbel's city of birth, in November of the coming year. The researchers would be grateful to receive any additional material for this exhibition.

More information: Lexuri Fernandez et al, Emil J. Gumbel's last course on the "Statistical theory of extreme values": a conversation with Tuncel M. Yegulalp, Extremes (2017). DOI: 10.1007/s10687-017-0299-z
Brown University researchers have found new evidence of ice sheets in permanently shadowed craters near the north pole of Mercury. The researcher also suggests that smaller-scale deposits may exist between craters, which would vastly increase the surface ice inventory in Mercury. Credit: Head lab / Brown University

The scorching hot surface of Mercury seems like an unlikely place to find ice, but research over the past three decades has suggested that water is frozen on the first rock from the sun, hidden away on crater floors that are permanently shadowed from the sun's blistering rays. Now, a new study led by Brown University researchers suggests that there could be much more ice on Mercury's surface than previously thought.

The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, adds three new members to the list of craters near Mercury's north pole that appear to harbor large surface ice deposits. But in addition to those large deposits, the research also shows evidence that smaller-scale deposits scattered around Mercury's north pole, both inside craters and in shadowed terrain between craters. Those deposits may be small, but they could add up to a lot more previously unaccounted-for ice.

"The assumption has been that surface ice on Mercury exists predominantly in large craters, but we show evidence for these smaller-scale deposits as well," said Ariel Deutsch, the study's lead author and a Ph.D. candidate at Brown. "Adding these small-scale deposits to the large deposits within craters adds significantly to the surface ice inventory on Mercury."

The idea that Mercury might have frozen water emerged in the 1990s, when Earth-based radar telescopes detected highly reflective regions inside several craters near Mercury's poles. The planet's axis doesn't have much tilt, so its poles get little direct sunlight, and the floors of some craters get no direct sunlight at all. Without an atmosphere to hold in any heat from surrounding surfaces, temperatures in those eternal shadows have been calculated to be low enough for water ice to be stable. That raised the possibility these "radar-bright" regions could be ice.

That idea got a boost after NASA's MESSENGER probe entered Mercury's orbit in 2011. The spacecraft detected neutron signals from the planet's north pole that were consistent with water ice.

For this new study, Deutsch worked with Gregory Neumann from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to take a deep dive into the data returned from MESSENGER. They looked specifically at readings from the spacecraft's laser altimeter. The device is mostly used to map elevation, but it can also be used to track surface reflectance.

Neumann, an instrument specialist for the MESSENGER mission, helped to calibrate the altimeter's reflectance signal, which can vary depending upon whether the measurement is taken from directly overhead or at an oblique angle (known as "off-nadir"). That calibration enabled the researchers to detect high reflectance deposits consistent with surface ice in three large craters for which only off-nadir detections were available.

The addition of those craters to Mercury's ice inventory is significant. Deutsch estimates the total area of the three sheets to be about 3,400 square kilometersslightly larger than the state of Rhode Island.

But another major aspect of the work is that the researchers also looked at reflectance data for the terrain surrounding those three large craters. That terrain isn't as bright as the ice sheets inside the craters, but it's significantly brighter than the average Mercury surface.

"We suggest that this enhanced reflectance signature is driven by small-scale patches of ice that are spread throughout this terrain," Deutsch said. "Most of these patches are too small to resolve individually with the altimeter instrument, but collectively they contribute to the overall enhanced reflectance."

To seek further evidence that such smaller-scale deposits exist, the researchers looked though the altimeter data in search of patches that were smaller than the big crater-based deposits, but still large enough to resolve with the altimeter. They found four, each with diameters of less than about 5 kilometers.

"These four were just the ones we could resolve with the MESSENGER instruments," Deutsch said. "We think there are probably many, many more of these, ranging in sizes from a kilometer down to a few centimeters."

Knowing that these small-scale deposits exist, and that they're likely the source of the slightly brighter surface outside craters, could dramatically increase the ice inventory on Mercury. Similar small-scale ice deposits are thought to exist on the poles of the Moon. Research models have suggested that accounting for these small-scale deposits roughly doubles the amount of lunar real estate that could harbor ice. The same could be true on Mercury, the researchers say.

How this polar ice may have found its way to Mercury in the first place remains an open question, Deutsch says. The leading hypothesis is that it was delivered by water-rich comet or asteroid impacts. Another idea is that hydrogen may have been implanted in the surface by solar wind, later combining with an oxygen source to form water.

Jim Head, Deutsch's Ph.D. advisor and co-author of the research, said the work adds a new perspective on a critical question in planetary science.

"One of the major things we want to understand is how water and other volatiles are distributed through the inner solar systemincluding Earth, the Moon and our planetary neighbors," Head said. "This study opens our eyes to new places to look for evidence of water, and suggests there's a whole lot more of it on Mercury than we thought."

More information: Ariel N. Deutsch et al, New evidence for surface water ice in small-scale cold traps and in three large craters at the north polar region of Mercury from the Mercury Laser Altimeter, Geophysical Research Letters (2017). DOI: 10.1002/2017GL074723 Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters
OMAHA  Police say a man is dead after he was shot during an attempted robbery in Omaha.

Police responded to the shooting call at Bizarre Glass shortly after 11 p.m. Monday. An employee at the business said he fired a gun at two suspects who were attempting to rob the store.

One of the suspects, 18-year-old Jose Mario Velazquez, was taken to a hospital in extremely critical condition. Police say he died at the hospital.

Police say they're still investigating the incident.
The Bacterium Bacillus subtilis taken with a Tecnai T-12 TEM. Taken by Allon Weiner, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. 2006. Credit: Public Domain

Researchers in the United States and Germany have just discovered a previously overlooked part of protein molecules that could be key to how proteins interact with each other inside living cells to carry out specialized functions.

The researchers discovered tiny bits of molecular materialwhich they named "add-ons"on the outer edges of the protein interface that customize what a protein can do. They chose the name because the add-ons customize the interface between proteins the way software add-ons customize a web interface with a user.

While it's long been known that proteins have an interface region where they connect with other proteins, it's not been clear exactly how key proteins are able to find each other within a crowded cellular environment that may contain tens of thousands of other proteins.

Now, researchers at The Ohio State University and the University of Regensburg report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that it's the add-ons that enable proteins to connect exclusively with the right dedicated partner.

Florian Busch, a postdoctoral researcher in chemistry and biochemistry at Ohio State and co-author of the study, called the existence of protein add-ons "a previously unknown fundamental driving principle" to ensure that proteins interact in specific ways.

The researchers experimented with live bacteria, demonstrating the importance of add-ons to normal cellular functions. For example, they determined that in the organism Bacillus subtilis, in which a unique interface add-on is missing, bacteria colonies grew 80 percent less under certain conditions. The reason for this was that the missing interface add-on led to un-healthy cross-interactions of proteins in the B. subtilis cells.

It's difficult to overstate the importance of proteins to life as we know it. Enzymes are proteins that enable chemical reactions in cells. Antibodies are proteins that bind to foreign invaders in the body. The list goes on to include thousands of critical functions. In most cases, proteins have to connect to each other and form groups called protein complexes to perform such diverse tasks.

But exactly how proteins are able to do all that they do is a mysteryone rooted in mathematics and geometry. There are 20 known amino acids which link together in long chains and then fold up to form proteins. It's the fold that determines a protein's generic shape, or geometry. Although there are only around 1,000 known protein geometries in nature, somehow proteins are able to form complexes that perform hundreds of thousands of very specific functions.

Maximilian Plach, lead author of the paper and biochemist at the University of Regensburg, explained how the researchers knew where to look to solve the mystery.

"Much work has been put into analyzing how proteins interact with each other and what the interfaces look like, how they are constructed, and how they evolved," he said. "But the peripheral regions of interfaces have not received as much attention. I think the novelty in our approach was to look at regions that have been, as yet, regarded as less important."

The Regensburg team, led by computational biologist Rainer Merkl and protein biochemist Reinhard Sterner, analyzed the protein sequences derived from more than 15,000 bacterial and archaeal genomes on a large computer cluster. They sorted proteins that shared common evolutionary ancestors into a kind of family tree, and compared individual proteins to their protein "relatives." That's how they spotted interface structures that were present in some proteins but missing in othersthe add-ons.

Busch and Vicki Wysocki, Ohio Eminent Scholar of Macromolecular Structure and Function and director of the Campus Chemical Instrument Center at Ohio State, then used native mass spectrometry to detect how the presence and absence of add-ons influenced the ability of proteins to interact with each other.

"We're really pleased that our native mass spectrometry technology could help identify the role of these interface 'add-ons'a way for a protein to find its critical partner protein even in a crowded cellular environment with similar structures present," Wysocki said.

To Busch, one of the really exciting things about the study was the researchers' use of "big data"in this case, entire protein and genome databases.

"I consider our work to be one important example of how to make use of publicly available data in order to understand fundamental principles in nature, and I think that data mining will become increasingly important in the biomedical field in the future," he said.

More information: Maximilian G. Plach et al, Evolutionary diversification of proteinprotein interactions by interface add-ons, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1707335114 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
In this May 9, 2017, file photo, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke rides a horse in the new Bears Ears National Monument near Blanding, Utah. Zinke is recommending that four large national monuments in the West be reduced in size, potentially opening up hundreds of thousand or even millions of acres of land revered for natural beauty and historical significance to mining, logging and other development. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP, File)

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's recommendation to shrink four sprawling national monuments in the U.S. West jeopardizes protections for ancient cliff dwellings, scenic canyons and habitat for endangered fish and threatened Mojave desert tortoises.

The recommendations, revealed in a leaked memo submitted to the White House, would scale back two huge Utah monumentsBears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalantealong with Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou.

The monuments encompass an area larger than Connecticut and were created by Democratic presidents under a century-old law. Three were created or expanded in President Barack Obama's final weeks in office.

President Donald Trump and other critics say presidents have lost sight of the original purpose of the law created by President Theodore Roosevelt, which was designed to protect particular historical or archaeological sites rather than wide expanses.

Environmental groups have vowed to take Trump to court if he approves Zinke's recommendations.

A closer look at the four monuments set to be downsized:

___

BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT, UTAH

Creation of the 2,100-square-mile (5,500-square-kilometer) monument at the end of Obama's tenure marked a victory for Native Americans and conservationists. It was a blow to Republican leaders who campaigned to prevent what they call a layer of unnecessary federal control that hurts local economies by closing the area to new energy development.

In this May 26, 2017, file photo, Susie Gelbart walks near petroglyphs at the Gold Butte National Monument near Bunkerville, Nev. nterior Secretary Ryan Zinke is recommending that four large national monuments in the West be reduced in size, potentially opening up hundreds of thousand or even millions of acres of land revered for natural beauty and historical significance to mining, logging and other development. Zinke's recommendation, revealed in a leaked memo submitted to the White House, prompted an outcry from environmental groups who promised to take the Trump administration to court to block the moves. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Tucked between existing national parks and the Navajo Nation, the monument is on land considered sacred to a coalition of tribes and is home to an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites. Tribal members visit the area to perform ceremonies, collect herbs and wood for medicinal and spiritual purposes and do healing rituals.

The monument features a mix of cliffs, plateaus, towering rock formations, rivers and canyons. In the memo, Zinke highlights the hiking, backpacking, canyoneering, mountain biking and rock climbing.

Utah's congressional delegation and top state leaders vowed to work to get the monument repealed. Zinke's recommendation to downsize it to a yet-to-be-determined size came after he toured Bears Ears in May and met with Gov. Gary Herbert and others who oppose the designation. State officials recommended a significant decrease to about 195 square miles.

Zinke suggests Trump ask Congress to make the tribes co-managers. Under Obama's designation, they were given an advisory role.

___

CASCADE-SISKIYOU NATIONAL MONUMENT, OREGON

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, covering 175 square miles (453 square kilometers) of mountains, forests and rivers along Oregon's border with California, was expanded by then Obama in his last days. The new areas include habitat for endangered fish such as the shortnose sucker and Lost River sucker.

This May 30, 1997, file photo, shows the varied terrain of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument near Boulder, Utah. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is recommending that six of 27 national monuments under review by the Trump administration be reduced in size, along with management changes to several other sites. A leaked memo from Zinke to President Donald Trump recommends that two Utah monumentsBears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalantebe reduced, along with Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac, File)

In a July visit, Zinke expressed doubts that much scientific study went behind the drawing of its boundaries. He stressed that the Antiquities Act of 1906, which authorizes a president to create a monument, limits their size "to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected."

"Nobody knows how exactly the boundaries were made," Zinke said. "Going back, were the boundaries made on the basis of science, best guess? And so those are the things I'm reviewing."

In a 2011 report, a group of scientists said many of the region's species relied on habitat outside the monument's then-boundaries, where they faced threats from logging, grazing and development. The smaller monument also didn't provide continuous protection across different elevations, which is important for migration, especially amid global warming, said the scientists, who supported the expansion.

Created by President Bill Clinton in 2000, Cascade-Siskiyou is the first monument set aside solely for the preservation of biodiversity. Two timber companies have challenged the legality of Obama's expansion, saying it reduces the supply of timber sold and jeopardizes their supply.

___

GOLD BUTTE NATIONAL MONUMENT, NEVADA

Named for a ghost-town mining site near the confluence of the Colorado and Virgin rivers, the monument covers 464 square miles (1,202 square kilometers) of scenic land northeast of Lake Mead.

This May 23, 2016, file photo, shows the northernmost boundary of the proposed Bears Ears region, along the Colorado River, in southeastern Utah. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is recommending that six of 27 national monuments under review by the Trump administration be reduced in size, along with management changes to several other sites. A leaked memo from Zinke to President Donald Trump recommends that two Utah monumentsBears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalantebe reduced, along with Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, File)

Dirt roads cross gold grasslands to rugged black mountains, red sandstone formations, Joshua tree forests and sites rich with Native American rock art and artifacts.

It is about 80 miles (128 kilometers) northeast of Las Vegas in the remote rangeland over which rancher Cliven Bundy let cows graze for decades before an armed standoff in 2014 with federal land agents.

Efforts began decades ago to protect and preserve Gold Butte as critical habitat for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise and rare local species of buckwheat and bear poppy plants.

Proponents, including former Democratic U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, tried for years to have it designated as a national conservation area before Obama made it a monument in December.

Republican members of Nevada's congressional delegation have been vocal opponents. U.S. Sen. Dean Heller and Rep. Mark Amodei sponsored a measure this year to restrict the ability of future presidents to designate monuments without congressional approval.

___

GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT, UTAH

In this July 30, 2017, file photo, U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke speaks during a news conference near Gold Butte National Monument in Bunkerville, Nev. Zinke is recommending that four large national monuments in the West be reduced in size, potentially opening up hundreds of thousand or even millions of acres of land revered for natural beauty and historical significance to mining, logging and other development. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP, File)

Clinton created the monument in southern Utah in 1996 to preserve scenic cliffs, canyons, waterfalls and arches. Actor and Utah resident Robert Redford appeared at the ceremony.

In heavily Republican Utah, the move was viewed as a sneaky example of federal overreach that still irks GOP officials. Many Utah Republicans and some residents say it closed off too many areas to developmentincluding one of the country's largest known coal reservesthat could have helped pay for schools.

Gov. Herbert signed a resolution from state lawmakers this year asking Utah's congressional delegation to support shrinking the monument that's nearly 2,700 square miles (5,400 square kilometers), about the size of Delaware.

Zinke says in his memo to Trump that there are "several billion tons of coal and large oil deposits" within its boundaries. He also noted that while the permitted amount of grazing is the same as it was in 1996, the number of cattle in the monument has decreased because of restrictions on moving water lines, vegetation management and maintenance of fences and roads.

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Implementation of a superconducting microwave circuit optomechanical device for nonreciprocity. Credit: Nature Communications (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00447-1

Devices that allow to route microwave signals are essential engineering tools. In particular, isolators, which let signals flow in one direction but block them in the other, are needed to protect sensitive equipment from harm. Now, scientists at EPFL and the University of Cambridge have demonstrated a new principle for developing such tools by harnessing the motion of microscopic drums. The study is published in Nature Communications.

The work was carried out by the lab of Tobias Kippenberg at EPFL, with theoretical support from the group of Andreas Nunnenkamp from the University of Cambridge. All samples were fabricated in the Center of MicroNanoTechnology (CMi) at EPFL. The demonstrated device consists of two resonant superconducting microwave circuits that are linked through a shared a capacitor. The top metallic membrane of this capacitor floats freely and supports mechanical oscillations, acting like a micro-drum, only 30 microns in diameter.

The vibrations modify the resonance frequencies of the microwave circuits and modulate the signals. Conversely, the electric field of signals exerts a force that changes the motion of the drum. This bi-directional interaction enables the conversion of signals from one microwave circuit to the other; the incoming signal is first converted to a vibrating motion, and then the motion itself is converted to a second signal emerging from the other circuit.

In the experiment, two different modes of oscillation of the micro-drum motion are used. These represent two paths for the microwave signals to be converted from one circuit to the other, resulting in interference, which, surprisingly, is not symmetrical in either direction of signal conversion.

The system can be tuned in such a way that positive interference occurs in one direction, while destructive interference occurs in the other. This realizes a microwave isolator that lets signals propagate only in a chosen direction, and the parameters can be modified on the fly, allowing dynamically reconfigurable use of the isolator, instantly changing its direction.

While commercial microwave isolators are common, they typically rely on magnetic ferrite materials and strong magnetic fields. This makes them impractical to use with superconducting qubits, which are becoming the leading candidates to use as building blocks for a quantum computer. But the lifetime of the fragile quantum states of the qubits is easily disturbed by magnetic fields, meaning that the ferrite isolators must be heavily shielded to prevent magnetic field leaking that can limit their use. For this reason, there has recently been substantial research activity to develop alternative technologies. The optomechanical isolator created at EPFL joins other prototypessuch as those using Josephson junctionsthat might form a new platform to build such devices in the future.

More information: N. R. Bernier et al, Nonreciprocal reconfigurable microwave optomechanical circuit, Nature Communications (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00447-1 Journal information: Nature Communications
Credit: Gleison Miranda/FUNAI

In a remote corner of far-western Brazil lies the Vale do Javari, home to one of the greatest concentrations of isolated or entirely "uncontacted" tribes in the Amazon. Unlike indigenous lands elsewhere in the country, which have been colonised and polluted, the Javari's very inaccessibility has kept it largely untouched. But the people who live there remain extremely vulnerable. Recently, illegal gold miners in the region were accused of a brutal mass murder of ten members of an uncontacted tribe.

The allegations emerged ten years after the UN General Assembly adopted its Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) on September 13, 2007. The declaration was a result of decades of tireless campaigning by indigenous activists across the world, yet ongoing horror stories of abuses deep in the Amazon show how far countries like Brazil still have to go.

The UNDRIP affirms indigenous people, as a collective or as individuals, must enjoy the same human rights as everyone else. It also says they must give "free, prior and informed consent" regarding the use of traditionally held land or resources. A vast majority of states voted in favour of the declaration, with just 11 abstentions and four votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US), and it today remains the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights and status of indigenous people.

In the decade since UNDRIP was adopted all four of the initially opposed states have now expressed their support, as have two of the abstainers, Colombia and Samoa. Indigenous groups have used it as a framework to successfully challenge their treatment by states and even corporations. Activists themselves speak of another unanticipated outcome of the UNDRIP negotiation process: the growth of a well-connected global indigenous movement.

Sunset over the Javari Valley, Brazil. Credit: streetflash / shutterstock

Protected in theory 

Yet, as with all UN declarations, UNDRIP is non-binding. And this inevitably means big delays in transforming international standards into local laws  never mind actually enforcing those laws. Brazil is a good example.

The country's constitution, written following its transition from dictatorship to democracy in the 1980s, gave indigenous people various legal and political rights. Brazil also signed UNDRIP and the earlier International Labour Organisation Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, which demands respect for the culture, spirituality, social and economic organisation of these groups. But the state is still repeatedly accused of mistreatment and human rights abuses, particularly in relation to land.

In 2016, the UN's special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples went to Brazil and found "a disturbing absence of progress" and, in some areas, "a worrying regression". Although the government has rejected these particular observations the recent alleged massacre would indicate that much more needs to be done to protect, respect and empower indigenous Amazonians.

Indigenous people cite the constitution at a FUNAI meeting. Credit: J. Freitas/Sendao Federal

 but not always in practice

The Fundacao Nacional do Indio (FUNAI), the government body tasked with monitoring and protecting indigenous groups, has an unusual history. Created in 1973 as a predecessor to the discredited Indian Protection Service, the foundation's original aim was to assimilate indigenous communities into the Brazilian mainstream so that the resources of the Amazon region could be more effectively harnessed for economic growth by the military regime. But after staff witnessed the death and dispossession associated with the vast trans-Amazonian highway project, its objectives were altered to reflect a growing concern with protection and preservation rather than assimilation.

Today, FUNAI's role includes safeguarding remote indigenous territory from would-be farmers and miners. Groups under its jurisdiction include more than 100 uncontacted tribes who, as Survival International point out, are among the most vulnerable peoples on the planet. Their protection poses a very particular set of challenges. A brutal history of disease and violence shows that leaving them alone is necessary for their very survival, yet their unique isolation also means they can't participate in the political system or access any means of judicial redress.

However, in the face of soaring public debt, the Brazilian government slashed FUNAI's budget in 2016, forcing it to shut down many of its regional offices. The cuts have been overseen by conservative president Michel Temer, who currently holds a mere 5% approval rating, and they have been hastened by the presence of a dominant right-wing voice in congress. Both president and congress stand accused of pandering to the interests of a wealthy agri-business lobby that is committed to dismantling FUNAI together with an array of environmental protections that limit agricultural and extractive activities in the Amazon.

With Brazil's main opposition, the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Worker's Party) still mired in an epic corruption crisis, a heavier burden falls on federal prosecutors and civil society to ensure the state honours both its legal and moral obligations in the area of indigenous peoples' rights. Although the past year has seen a notable rise in domestic mobilisation by indigenous activists, it is not clear how effective this has been: recent protests in Brasilia over land reforms were met with rubber bullets and government inaction. As the alleged massacre in the Vale do Javari shows, Brazil's uncontacted tribes may be protected by a UN declaration in theory, but in practice they remain very vulnerable.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
A flux and wavelength calibrated spectrum of SDSS J022155.26-064916.6 in the redshift frame (z = 0.806) with labeled emission lines. Credit: Robertson et al., 2017.

(Phys.org)A team of astronomers led by Jacob M. Robertson of the Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee has detected a new quasi-stellar object (QSO). They found the new quasar, designated SDSS J022155.26-064916.6, as a result of an analysis of available spectroscopic data. The finding is reported in a paper published Sept. 10 on the arXiv pre-print server.

QSOs are active galactic nuclei of very high luminosity, emitting electromagnetic radiation observable in radio, infrared, visible, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. They are among the brightest and most distant objects in the known universe, and serve as fundamental tools for numerous studies in astrophysics as well as cosmology. For instance, quasars have been used to investigate the large-scale structure of the universe and the era of reionization. They also improved our understanding of the dynamics of supermassive black holes and the intergalactic medium.

To date, astronomers have identified more than 200,000 quasars, most of them from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). SDSS is an imaging and spectroscopic redshift survey, which utilizes the 2.5-m wide-angle optical telescope at the Apache Point Observatory (APO) located in New Mexico. It is regarded as one of the most successful astronomical surveys, having produced the most detailed three-dimensional maps of the universe ever made.

Now, a group of researchers led by Robertson reports the discovery of another quasar from the SDSS data. They found that the object known as SDSS J022155.26-064916.6, which was initially imaged by SDSS and classified as a star with a cosmic ray hit, is in fact a quasar at redshift of about 0.8.

The discovery is the result of observations conducted by the team in December 2013 using APO's Dual-Imaging-Spectrograph (DIS) on the 3.5m ARC telescope. The true nature of this object was uncovered by reducing its spectrum, which was part of the program supporting photometric calibrations for the Dark Energy Survey (DES). DES is an international near-infrared survey. Its main goal is to probe the dynamics of the expansion of the universe and the growth of large-scale structures in search of important information about the mysterious phenomenon of dark energy.

"We report the discovery of a new quasar: SDSS J022155.26-064916.6. This object was discovered while reducing spectra of a sample of stars being considered as spectrophotometric standards for the Dark Energy Survey," the astronomers wrote in the paper.

According to the study, SDSS J022155.26-064916.6 has a luminosity of at least 19 trillion solar luminosities. The quasar's absolute magnitude was found to be about 28 and its luminosity distance was estimated to be approximately 16.7 billion light years away from the Earth.

The researchers also compared the properties of SDSS J022155.26-064916.6 to those of other quasars in SDSS's seventh major data release, known as Data Release 7 (DR 7). This comparison allowed them to conclude that the newly confirmed QSO does not differ much from other typical quasars reported in DR 7.

"We see that SDSS J022155.26-064916.6 is a fairly typical, moderately bright quasar," the astronomers concluded.

More information: Discovery of a New Quasar: SDSS J022155.26-064916.6, arXiv:1709.03166 [astro-ph.HE] arxiv.org/abs/1709.03166 Abstract

We report the discovery of a new quasar: SDSS J022155.26-064916.6. This object was discovered while reducing spectra of a sample of stars being considered as spectrophotometric standards for the Dark Energy Survey. The flux and wavelength calibrated spectrum is presented with four spectral lines identified. From these lines, the redshift is determined to be z is approximately equal to 0.806. In addition, the rest-frame u-, g-, and r-band luminosity, determined using a k-correction obtained with synthetic photometry of a proxy QSO, are reported as 7.496 1013 solar luminosities, 2.049 1013 solar luminosities, and 1.8961013 solar luminosities, respectively. Journal information: arXiv

 2017 Phys.org
iStock image. Credit: University of Kansas

Christians and fundamentalists are a major section of American society, with influence in political, social and economic circles. Yet, little is known about how advertisers work to reach a fundamentalist population. A study from the University of Kansas analyzed advertising content from religious programs and found that fear is the primary appeal used to reach Christian viewers and medical products are among the most commonly advertised.

The findings will help media researchers better understand a major section of the populace and could lend themselves to advertisers improving their efficiency in reaching their target audience, said Tien-Tsung Lee, professor of journalism at KU and one of the study's authors.

Researchers analyzed 205 television commercials aired during 10 episodes each of "The 700 Club" and "CBN Newswatch," both of which air on the Christian Broadcast Network; and "Christian World News," which the reviewers watched and analyzed online. They found fear was the most commonly used appeal, with nearly 50 percent of the ads doing so. Health, 38 percent; death, about 33 percent, and isolation, nearly 28 percent, followed. Appeals to religion were the fifth most common, at nearly 26 percent. Many of the ads overlapped, using more than one appeal, and loss, pain, safety and rejection were also noted appeals.

Among advertised products, religious books and DVDs were not surprisingly at the top. Medical supplies, cancer treatments, dental insurance and cosmetic surgery were the most common health products, while gold, pre-paid cell phone plans and home security systems were common non-health products.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Media and Religion, was the product of a graduate seminar focusing on popular culture and mass media. Lee co-authored the paper with KU graduate students Stephen Gray, Alexandra Inglish and Tejinder Singh Sodhi.

"Christian fundamentalists are a pretty major political force that the graduate students wanted to understand better," Lee said. "We had some good discussions about what they saw in the ads, and I asked them a lot about what they meant by fear. They found there was a lot of appeal to fear and thinking the world is going to harm (the audience) and that it's better to protect yourself."

The findings of fear-based appeals reflect research into Christian fundamentalists' mentality from the fields of psychology and political science that show caution, distrust of outsiders and a sense that their belief system is threatened, the researchers wrote.

When compared with advertising content from other programs, those from religious programs tended to have less for general products such as food and drink, and focused more on religious appeals than their secular counterparts. That reflects the core mission of advertising to solve problems for certain populations, and the observed products and appeals aimed to do that, Lee said. If compared with the evening news on major networks, the audiences are similar in that they are largely older individuals.

"Another explanation is the viewers tend to be older," Lee said. "As you get older, your health conditions tend to decline, and there is more interest in health products that don't necessarily have anything to do with a religious background."

However, the fear-based appeals for products such as home security systems and those encouraging viewers to buy gold to protect themselves from economic crashes clearly played to the mindset of changing society, even if they didn't have overtly religious overtones. Such advertisements appearing on religious programming could also be a matter of economics.

"Certain products and brands have a very small advertising budget but do still want to advertise," Lee said. "So they look around for cheaper options, and cable and local stations are cheaper than major networks. And they're looking for people who buy inexpensive products, and these three programs may make sense for them."

While the study helps increase understanding of advertising to Christian audiences for media scholars, it did not examine the contents of the programs themselves. Lee said he hopes to study the programs closer, as the majority of studies to look at the programming were conducted in the 1980s and '90s. There has been little study of appeals the programs themselves use, if they have become more or less political and how they reach viewers.

The findings of the current study help shed light on a major section of the U.S. populace and can help improve understanding for advertisers, political campaign managers and communications scholars looking to reach and understand Christian audiences.
Francis Abbott (1799-1883) was a transported convict who managed to rebuild his life in Australia. Credit: ALMFA, TAHO: SD_ILS:607375

Family historians, teachers, crime writers and academics can now follow the lives of people convicted and transported to Australia or imprisoned in Britain using a vast, free online resource, the Digital Panopticon website.

The new website draws on over four million records to allow users to uncover how punishment affected the lives of 90,000 individuals convicted of crimes at the Old Bailey between 1780 and 1925, including those uprooted by the UK criminal justice system to carry out their sentence in the British Empire's then newly established penal colonies in Australia.

By providing a wide range of search fields, including name, year and place of birth, criminal record, height, eye and hair colour, among others, it is possible to compare the impact of transportation and imprisonment on reoffending, family life and health.

The free website also allows users to search by group, such as those convicted of a certain crime, and then download entire data sets for analysis.

Researchers, including Professor Deborah Oxley of Oxford University's Faculty of History, have discovered that:

Many convicts did not serve the punishments as originally laid out, including many sentenced to transportation who never left Britain

British convicts that were transported to Australia tended to desist from offending once married with children.

Children born to transported convicts were healthier and taller than those born to convicts imprisoned in Britain.

A dramatic increase in record-keeping during the 19th century became a new form of state control over the criminal.

Professor Oxley, her colleague Dr David Meredith and their research team built a dataset of 80,000+ convicts transported to Australia. Two further teams in Tasmania and Melbourne then linked these with other records to reconstruct the lives of convicts and their descendants. The new Digital Panopticon team links to the pioneering Old Bailey online, and many other British record sets.

Professor Oxley said: "One of the biggest puzzles we can try to solve is who was actually sent to Australia. Many people sentenced to transportation never left Britain. We want to know who was chosen, and hopefully why. By building these stories, and those of people subjected to other punishments, such as imprisonment, we can understand the long-term consequences of different types of punishments, including what led to reform. This website brings together a huge investment in building many different historical databases, and it is very exciting to see how digital history is opening up new ways of understanding the past.

She added: "Social and economic history has entered a new era. Mass biography, connecting multifarious records across individual lives, offers new opportunities for understanding the past. Gaze afresh at the birth of the modern criminal justice system, as it journeyed from death and transportation to detention, from inside this Digital Panopticon."

The project was led by Professor Barry Godfrey, a social historian at the University of Liverpool, who said: "The amount of information is staggeringly huge, it's a resource the likes of which we have never had before. It is one of the largest genealogical resources and one of the first to catalogue in chronological order so users can follow the whole life of a person."

Professor Bob Shoemaker, at the University of Sheffield, said: "Combining extraordinarily rich records with the latest digital humanities methodologies, this free resource demonstrates the impact of punishment on health, family circumstances and future patterns of offending, with clear relevance to contemporary penal regimes."

Tim Hitchcock, Professor of Digital History at the University of Sussex, said: "The Digital Panopticon helps us understand history from below in a new way  from the perspective of the hundreds of thousands of working people caught up in a global system of policing, punishment and empire. The material reveals the lived experience of trial and imprisonment. It really does change our understanding of the history of criminal justice, particularly the importance of both the criminal trial and plea bargaining to the system's evolution."

The website forms part of the wider Digital Panopticon project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and has been developed by the University of Liverpool, University of Sheffield, University of Oxford, University of Sussex and University of Tasmania in Australia. The technical work, including data assembly, record linkage, and website creation was carried out by the Digital Humanities Institute at the University of Sheffield.

The new resource also includes data from genealogy sites FindMyPast and Ancestry, as well as the National Archives and record collections in Australia. Users of the Digital Panopticon are able to see if additional materials related to their research are available in these external sources.
This simulation shows the expected spatial shape of a rogue wave whose crest height is about 14 meters. Credit: Claudio Lugni

A new analysis done to support the investigation into the 2015 sinking of the El Faro cargo ship has calculated the likelihood of a massive rogue wave during Hurricane Joaquin in October of that year - and demonstrated a new technique for evaluating the probability of rogue waves over space and time.

Using weather and sea data from the time of the sinking, along with a new theoretical model, a Georgia Institute of Technology researcher has calculated that there was as much as a one-in-130 chance - over a period of time and areathat a rogue wave 46 feet high (14 meters) could have occurred during the hurricane. The research, reported September 11 in the journal Scientific Reports, may help improve the prediction of rogue waves to help shipping companies and others understand the risks posed by these unusual wave patterns.

The container ship El Faro was bound for Puerto Rico from Jacksonville, Florida ahead of Hurricane Joaquin when it sank east of the Bahamas, taking the lives of 33 crew members. The rogue wave study was done for the National Transportation Safety Board as part of its investigation into the disaster.

"Hurricanes produce very extreme conditions with strong winds, so you have very energetic sea states that can increase the probability of these events," said Francesco Fedele, an associate professor in the Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "We believe this first study of rogue waves occurring over space and time during hurricanes will help improve real-time forecasting for shipping companies and other organizations that need to understand the risk of extreme events in the oceans."

Rogue ocean waves can develop seemingly out of nowhere to sink ships and overwhelm oil platforms with walls of water as much as 25 meters high. The waves stem from a combination of constructive interferencea known wave phenomenonand nonlinear effects specific to the complex dynamics of ocean waves. The waves have been observed in oceans around the world, typically lasting only 20 seconds or so before disappearing. They are different from tsunami waves that can travel great distances after being created by underwater earthquakes or landslides.

Fedele and his colleagues have studied rogue waves for several years, and in 2016 used advanced mathematical techniques to develop a new understanding of how the waves form. After the El Faro sinking, Fedele was asked to evaluate the probability that a rogue wave could have occurred during the hurricane when the ship sank while drifting in violent seas after losing engine power.

Key to the new prediction technique is accounting for space-time effects that can increase the likelihood of a ship encountering a rogue wave.

Fedele compared this space-time analysis to the efforts of surfers to find a large wave to ride. Surfers increase their probability of finding an unusually large wave by paddling around area of smaller waves near a beach. If they remain in one place, they would ultimately come across such a wave, but that could take much longer.

The theoretical model developed by Fedele takes into account the size of the vessel, which also boosts the chances of encountering such a wave. The El Faro was 240 meters long, comparable to the typical wavelength of a rogue wave. Earlier rogue wave models had not considered the size of the vessel in calculating the probability of encountering a potentially catastrophic wave.

"A ship moving along a navigation route covers more space-time area, increasing the probability that it would encounter a large wave," Fedele said. "We simulated the ocean state at the time of the sinking, and to that we added predictions of the ocean conditions. We did wave simulations based on those to understand the kind of conditions the ship encountered."

Data and simulations of weather and sea conditions were provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The researchers studied the chances of the ship encountering a wave 14 meters high - about 46 feet. That measurement included only the height above the average level of the sea and did not consider the depth of the wave trough.

In future work, the researchers would like to improve the accuracy of their predictions to enhance the rogue wave prediction algorithms used by NOAA.

"The space-time model developed for this study could provide the basis for the next generation of wave forecast models to predict wave extremes and provide early warnings to shipping companies and others to help them avoid dangerous areas at risk of rogue waves," Fedele said.

More information: Francesco Fedele et al. The sinking of the El Faro: predicting real world rogue waves during Hurricane Joaquin, Scientific Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11505-5 Journal information: Scientific Reports
A UCR study is the first to show that tayras, long, slender animals that look similar to weasels, are hosts for parasite-spreading kissing bugs. Credit: University of California - Riverside

Solitary weasel-like animals called tayra might look pretty harmless, but some may actually be incubators for a parasite that causes Chagas disease, a chronic, debilitating condition that is spread by insects called kissing bugs and affects more than 8 million people worldwide. In a study published today in the journal PeerJ, researchers from the University of California, Riverside have identified several new hosts for parasite-spreading kissing bug species, including tayras, new world monkeys, sloths, porcupines, and coatiswhich are the South American cousins of racoons.

The research is important because, despite its prevalence, relatively little is known about the transmission of Chagas disease, a deadly, incurable condition that is most common in Latin America.

"There are 152 species of kissing bug, but we don't know much about most of them, including the animals they feed on that can act as reservoirs for the parasite. Overall, the existing data is piecemeal, scattered, and biased toward a handful of heavily studied and well-documented species, while little data exists for insects that are found in very secluded habitats," said Christiane Weirauch, a professor of entomology in UCR's College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

The UCR study not only increases our knowledge of Chagas disease transmission in rural environments, but also provides the most comprehensive review of animal hosts of the kissing bugs that spread Chagas disease. The research, led by Anna Georgieva, an undergraduate majoring in biology, and Eric Gordon, a graduate student researcher in Weirauch's lab, will support efforts to control the disease, particularly in poor, rural populations in South America.

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to animals and humans by members of the assassin bug subfamily called kissing bugs that feed on blood and are named for their tendency to bite people around the mouth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, kissing bugs become infected with T. cruzi by biting an infected animal or person and, once infected, they pass T. cruzi parasites in their feces. When they bite a person and ingest blood, they defecate on them. A person can become infected if bug feces enters their body through mucous membranes or skin lesions caused by the bite wound or scratching. Research also suggests that animals can become infected by eating other animals that harbor the parasite.

Triatoma dimidiata female. Kissing bugs, like the specimen shown in this image, may be infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease. Credit: University of California - Riverside

Although Chagas disease is common in rural areas, identifying new hosts among tree-dwelling, and sometimes nocturnal animals is a challenge. To sidestep this problem, the researchers identified new hosts by studying their bloodwhich they isolated straight from the guts of kissing bugs. The sample included 64 kissing bug samples collected from Central and South America between 2005 and 2015 that were preserved in ethanol.

"Our modern approach using DNA allowed us to determine this wide variety of animal hosts without a bias towards ones that are already known, unlike some older detection methods" Georgieva said.

DNA analyses of the ingested blood revealed host associations for 24 of the samples. Among the newly identified hosts was the tayra, which has never before been named as a host for kissing bugs.

Gordon said the findings will help public health officials develop new methods to control Chagas disease.

"Education and pesticide application around homes has helped reduce the impact of kissing bugs associated with homes and domestic animals, but now more and more cases of Chagas disease are driven by species most often associated with more rural hosts," Gordon said.

"One important consideration in controlling Chagas disease in wild animals is the possibility of bioaccumulation of the parasite in certain carnivores near the top of the food chain. If kissing bugs also feed on these carnivores, as has occurred for the tayra in our study, they are likely to be one of the important links in the transmission chain of the disease in the wild. If a vaccine becomes available one day in the future, they are good candidates to target for immunization to halt the natural spread of the parasite and potentially help to eradicate the pathogen."

More information: Anna Y. Georgieva et al. Sylvatic host associations of Triatominae and implications for Chagas disease reservoirs: a review and new host records based on archival specimens, PeerJ (2017). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3826 Journal information: PeerJ
Environmental activist group Greenpeace protests commercial mining in the Amazon on August 17, 2017, two days after Brazilian President Michel Temer initially signed a degree opening up the Renca reserve

A huge nature reserve in Brazil's Amazon rainforest that the government wants to open to foreign mining companies already suffers from illegal mining activity, Greenpeace said Tuesday.

The environmental activist group said its investigators had flown over part of the Denmark-sized reserve known as Renca in the eastern Amazon and found at least 14 illegal mines and eight clandestine landing strips used by miners.

Greenpeace said this showed the risks faced by Renca even without President Michel Temer's proposal for ending a ban on large-scale foreign mining in the mineral-rich region.

"We flew over a small part of Renca and found all these places in just one conservation unit. How many more might exist across the region?" asked Marcio Astrin from Greenpeace in a statement.

"If the Brazilian government can't control the illegal activity now, when this area is under protection, what will happen to Renca with commercial exploration?"

Temer's decree signed on August 25 on opening up Renca was suspended days later after an international outcry. The government says it will allow 120 days of debate before taking a decision.

Temer argues that lifting restrictions will allow Brazil to boost its struggling economy and also push the hugely destructive wildcat mining operations out of business.

At the United Nations on Tuesday, Temer told the General Assembly that Brazil plays a leading role in environmental protection.

"Brazil is proud to have the largest coverage of tropical forests on the planet. Deforestation is an issue that concerns us, especially in the Amazon. To this issue we have dedicated attention and resources," he said.

 2017 AFP
The Scottish and UK oil industries are entering their final decade of production, research suggests.

A study of output from offshore fields estimates that close to 10 per cent of the UK's original recoverable oil and gas remainsabout 11 per cent of oil and nine per cent of gas resources.

The analysis also finds that fracking will be barely economically feasible in the UK, especially in Scotland, because of a lack of sites with suitable geology.

If the study's predictions are correct, the UK will soon have to import all the oil and gas it needs, researchers warn.

Instead, they recommend a move towards greater use of renewable energy sources, particularly offshore wind and advanced solar energy technologies.

It is strongly urged that the UK Government's ongoing energy cost reportthe high-profile Helm Reviewshould take stock of the projected shortfall in resource availability and how this might be addressed.

Scientists from the University of Edinburgh examined the UK's likely potential for fracking and carried out a fresh analysis of the country's oil and gas production.

Their findings take into account the long-term downward trends of oil and gas field size and lifespan, alongside the break-even costs for fracking.

They found that the UK has only minimal potential for fracking. Many possible sites are in densely populated areas, have low quality source rocks and complex geological histories.

Fracking is likely to be too restricted to become an effective industry, which would require thousands of wells, scientists say.

Analysis of hydrocarbon reserves shows that discoveries have consistently lagged behind output since the point of peak oil recovery in the late 1990s. The research predicts that both oil and gas reserves will run out within a decade.

The study, in The Edinburgh Geologist, is published by the Edinburgh Geological Society.

Professor Roy Thompson, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who led the study, said: "The UK urgently needs a bold energy transition plan, instead of trusting to dwindling fossil fuel reserves and possible fracking.

"We must act now and drive the necessary shift to a clean economy with integration between energy systems. There needs to be greater emphasis on renewables, energy storage and improved insulation and energy efficiencies."
Dr Robert Kerr and a team from BatTRI-Hub are working on ways to power a unique robotic hand. Credit: Deakin University

Scientists from Deakin University's and CSIRO's Battery Technology Research and Innovation Hub (BatTRI-Hub) are aiming to develop safe and reliable batteries for a unique robotic hand created by researchers from the University of Wollongong as part of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES).

Unveiled in February this year, the soft robotic hand prototype combines new, intelligent materials with 3-D printing techniques and responds to neural commands like a real limb, allowing the user to make life-like movements.

The team at BatTRI-Hub have developed a lithium metal device that is capable of powering one finger of the hand and are now working through the simultaneous challenges of devising a uniquely shaped battery that is powerful enough to run the whole hand and also incorporates next-generation materials.

"Our researchers have carried out extensive work using a particular class of materials called ionic liquids, which are a pure salt with a chemical composition that allows them to be liquid at room temperature," explained Dr Robert Kerr, Research Fellow at BatTRI-Hub.

"What's great about these materials is that they are completely non-volatile and are really difficult to ignite  unlike the lithium ion cell used in current battery technology  which makes them a safer alternative for this kind of application."

However, according to Dr Kerr, the challenge in using ionic liquids is to achieve the same level of performance as a normal lithium ion cell.

"Moving into the beyond lithium ion space, the goal is to increase the charge capacity of the battery by using high capacity electrodes. In our approach to using lithium metal, we know that controlling the surface of the lithium metal, or the solid/electrolyte interphase, is critical.

"It actually comes down to the choice of electrolyte used in the cell and the way it reacts with the lithium metal electrode. To build on the stability of ionic liquids we can incorporate them into solid electrolyte systems to form a mechanical barrier," Dr Kerr said.

The team's work has led to the development of a lithium metal pouch cell containing an ionic liquid-based electrolyte. The components of the battery are layered inside the pouch, rather than rolled up into a cylinder like a normal battery, allowing them to pack more efficiently and use lighter casing materials.

"One small single-layered pouch can power the robotic finger, and if we start to stack them we can achieve 25 electrode pairs, which is about the capacity of a quarter of a phone battery," Dr Kerr explained.

The result, however, is bulky and inflexible, leading to the next challenge with powering the whole robotic hand.

"One of the issues we're exploring is how create conformable batteries that we can tailor to the shape of the hand or arm. We also need to consider how the battery is attached to the limb and how to make it easily accessible for recharging," Dr Kerr explained.

He said the BatTRI-Hub team was working closely with researchers from ACES, whose Associate Director is Deakin's Professor Maria Forsyth, Australian Laureate Fellow and Director of BatTRI-Hub, to develop the battery technology for the robotic hand.

Part of Deakin's internationally-renowned Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM), BatTRI-Hub is a unique, world-class research and innovation centre focused on advanced battery prototyping and the commercialisation of energy storage technologies.

"This robotic hand project is exactly what BatTRI-Hub is geared towards  prototyping and applying our battery technology to real-life situations," Dr Kerr said.
On a recent morning that was chilly with the first nip of fall, Brenda Lee went looking for knocked-over trash cans. She drove her car slowly through alleyways on the west side of this Colorado city, close to where streets end and the Rocky Mountains begin. The damage wasn't hard to find.

On every block, it seemed, at least one trash can was lying on its side, spewing its contents into the street. The mess was a telltale sign that a black bear had toppled the can and clawed through the garbage looking for scraps.

Conflicts between humans and bears are increasing here and across the Western U.S. as more people move to and vacation in bear country. Climate change could make the situation worse by disrupting bear habitat.

In cities from Arizona to Washington, hungry bears regularly wander off public lands and onto school playgrounds, break into cars and climb through open kitchen windows. Occasionally, they attack. In the Boulder area this summer, a bear clenched its jaws around the head of a teenage summer camp staffer as the boy slept outside. He fought off the bear and survived.

State wildlife managers say they spend most of their summer and fall responding to people's frantic calls about bears. Officials say the best way to address the problem is to make sure people store curbside trash in containers bear paws can't open. "People still have not learned to do the right thing in bear habitat," said Carl Lackey, a biologist for the Nevada Wildlife Department.

City and county leaders are increasingly taking action and approving ordinances that require residents to use bear-resistant trash cans. Colorado Springs is considering such an ordinance. Durango, Colo., which grappled with a large influx of bears this summer, adopted an emergency ordinance last week that increases the fines homeowners pay if they fail to lock up their trash.

Even in places with a strong ordinance, such as Boulder, not all citizens obey the law.

"This is where the mama and the cub were last Saturday," Lee said, stopping her car and getting out. She was frustrated. As the head of the Boulder Bear Coalition, a volunteer-run nonprofit, she pushed for the city's bear-resistant trash can ordinance. Yet a year after it went into effect, some neighborhoods still offer bears an all-you-can-eat buffet.

There were about 600 bear incidents a year in the mid-1990s, according to Colorado's Parks and Wildlife Department, but that increased to about 1,050 in 2010 - numbers that likely don't reflect the full total, as some people report conflicts to local animal rights groups, local police and local wildlife officials, and not all those complaints make it into the state tally.

Colorado state Rep. Yeulin Willett, a Republican, said there's a simple reason why more people in his western Colorado district are reporting bears on their property these days. "The population of bears is way up in my district, and it appears to be way up across the state."

Willett has twice proposed legislation that would extend Colorado's bear hunting season. Ideally, he said, he'd reintroduce bear hunting with dogs, a practice state voters banned in 1992. When bears are hunted with dogs, Willett said, they learn to fear pet dogs and will steer clear of towns as a result.

State officials and wildlife researchers say the problem - and the solution - isn't so simple.

In many of the 40 states where black bears are found, including Nevada, California, Maine, Florida and Louisiana, officials have reported growing bear populations. But in Colorado, experts caution that the state's bear count is a rough estimate, and it's not clear if there are more bears around than there used to be.

Wildlife managers do typically expand hunting in order to control bear populations. But studies suggest more action is needed to limit conflict between bears and people. "Data from Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario (Canada) all demonstrated an increase in bear nuisance complaints despite increases in the number of bears harvested," cautioned a 2015 Colorado Parks and Wildlife study mandated by a law Willett co-sponsored.

Bear population numbers may be fuzzy, but the human population trend is clear. "The challenge is, really, that now people are living in places where bears used to roam," said Stacy Lischka, a social scientist who has studied the interaction between bears and humans for Colorado's wildlife agency.

Bears are more likely to approach campgrounds, towns and cities when they can't find food in the wild. Many parts of Colorado are seeing above-average numbers of bear visits this year because a late frost led to fewer berries and acorns, which bears rely on.

Bears can consume up to 20,000 calories a day as they prepare to hibernate. Trash, birdseed, backyard fruit trees and farm animals such as goats can help them pack on the pounds they need.

Lischka says food shortages will likely become more common in the West as the climate changes and droughts become more common. And because bears hibernate partly in response to air temperature, as the planet warms they'll likely spend less time sleeping and more time eating.

Municipal ordinances that require people to secure curbside trash can help.

Getting ordinances adopted isn't easy. They can be opposed by waste hauling companies, which have to adapt their dump trucks to a different kind of container. Or by residents who don't want to pick up the tab for special containers that can cost $200 or more.

In Boulder, the strongest political pressure for an ordinance came from animal lovers like Boulder Bear Coalition's Lee. When the state euthanized four bears in the area in 2013, residents were appalled.

"In our community, killing the bears was not acceptable," said Val Matheson, the city's urban wildlife conservation coordinator. The 2014 ordinance requires people who manage or live in property close to the mountains to use bear-resistant containers for their curbside garbage and compost.

Two of the three waste-hauling companies in town require residents to buy a trash can, while the third leases cans of its own design.

When Lischka worked for the state wildlife agency, she helped conduct a six-year study led by Heather Johnson, a biologist, on human and bear interaction. In a forthcoming paper, the researchers will show that storing trash can dramatically decrease the conflict between humans and bears.

The research team gave free bear-resistant trash cans to about 900 homes in Durango, a town of about 18,500 in southwest Colorado. They compared bear activity in two areas, about a thousand homes in all, that had the special containers with about a thousand homes in nearby neighborhoods that didn't have them.

They found that neighborhoods that used the special containers experienced half as much conflict with bears than neighborhoods that didn't have them, Johnson said.

The key challenge was getting people to use the bear-resistant cans. Initially, fewer than half of the people who had them used them properly, Lischka said. Bear visits only dropped significantly when 60 percent of people kept their garbage locked up.

The finding was good news for municipalities, because it suggested that partial compliance can make a difference - at least in the average year. When there's a catastrophic natural food failure and bears are desperate, Lischka said, 60 percent may not be good enough.

The study also confirmed that it's very risky for bears to enter human developments. The researchers documented a dramatic drop in the bear population during a bad food year, as bears that ventured into urban areas were struck and killed by vehicles or euthanized by state officials who judged them to be a public safety threat.

But enforcing an ordinance can be tricky for city governments that are hard-pressed for time and manpower to search alleyways for knocked-over trash cans and issue fines. In Boulder, Lee and other volunteers help out code enforcement officers by reporting violations they see using a city app.

Some Nevada counties have bear-resistant trash can ordinances but they don't achieve much, Lackey said. "It's very difficult to enforce them." Typically, communities rely on neighbors reporting neighbors.

It can be particularly hard to get short-term residents to take action. Some mountain communities, such as the resort town of Aspen, struggle to stop tourists from feeding bears. Many violent encounters between humans and bears involve homeless people sleeping outdoors surrounded by their possessions, including food.

And no matter how well-written and tightly enforced a municipal trash ordinance is, there are still other food sources in town that attract bears.

People also need to keep their livestock safe behind electric fencing, only put out birdfeeders in winter, and lock their first-floor windows to prevent bears from getting in - all human behaviors that are hard to change.

Bryan Peterson, head of Bear Smart Durango, a nonprofit that focuses on bear issues, says he didn't think when he founded the organization over a decade ago that he'd still be pushing for change a decade later. "We've had wildlife ordinances here for 10 years, yet the bear issue continues to get worse," he said.

2017 Stateline.org

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Like many Lincolnites, the idea of Betsy DeVos being in the vicinity made my blood boil.

What made it boil a bit more was Steve Joels quotes in Wednesday's Lincoln Journal Star ("DeVos applauds innovation," Sept. 13).

Joel, the Lincoln Public Schools superintendent, spoke of "whats right about Nebraska public schools" and how Zoo School is one of the district's "showcase programs."

I am curious: Does Mr. Joel know why students go to Zoo School?

While the program is unbeatable in terms of science-related education, I always found there are two major reasons students attend Zoo School:

* Their home high schools are failing at teaching because the one-size-fits-all-method falls short.

* Constant bullying and always being the outsider has taken a mental toll.

As a Zoo School alumna, I can say I fell into both of these categories.

Our Nebraska public schools have some serious problems, both in terms of education and bullying management. These issues never cease to exist, and, whats more, rarely is a solution put into place to rectify these problems.

But, hey -- LPS has one "showcase program" ready to put on display at a moment's notice. However, that one jewel in the crown does make for a very illustrious crown now, does it?

There are thousands of teachers, students and parents at your disposal, Mr. Joel. Do you ever listen to their concerns? About education? About welfare? If you dont, I guess thats OK -- after all, past superintendents never listened, either.

Molly Mayhew, Lincoln
Australian Jason Peter Darragh was involved in a drunken tussle in Changi Airport on 20 April 2017. (Photo: Screen shot off YouTube)

An Australian man who was convicted over a drunken brawl with police officers in Changi Airport had his jail term increased by two months on Tuesday (19 September) following an appeal by the prosecution.

Jason Peter Darragh, 44, was jailed eight and a half months jail, up from his previous jail sentence of six and a half months imposed last month, for assaulting police officers at the airports Terminal 2 departure hall while intoxicated. Darragh, who has been in remand since 13 May, was originally due to be released on Friday.

The incident occurred in April this year after Darragh flew into Singapore for a stopover. In a viral video, Darragh was seen resisting arrest and dancing in front of officers. At one point, Darragh was filmed pushing an officer to the ground.

During the appeal hearing in the High Court on Tuesday, the prosecution said that the District Judge (DJ) who first heard Darraghs case erred in not placing more weight on certain aggravating factors, such as the location of the incident. Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Tan Wen Hsien said that Changi Airport was heavily used by travellers and formed the first impression of Singapore for many.

Darraghs conduct had resulted in a prolonged standoff with police officers, DPP Tan told the court. He had publicly humiliated and taunted police officers and made a public spectacle of himself and police officers by making them chase him around, she said. The prosecution submitted for a sentence of eight months and five weeks.

Darraghs lawyer S S Dhillon reiterated that the injuries suffered by police officers were relatively minor and that the DJ had considered the seriousness of the assault. He argued that the incident was not protracted as it had lasted some three and a half minutes.

Darragh has been involved in two other incidents following his arrest on 20 April. He was charged with causing annoyance to two different persons on separate occasions on 21 April and 1 May, both while he was drunk. He also pleaded guilty to verbally abusing a police officer who brought him to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 26 April, after he was found to be too drunk to take care of himself.

Story continues

For the 20 April incident, Darragh arrived in Changi Airport from Perth during a stopover flight and drank alcohol at the airport before heading to Clarke Quay.

Darragh later returned to the airport in the evening to catch his next flight to Cebu. Just after midnight on 20 April, Darragh, who was drunk, could not find the check-in counter for his flight to the Philippine city. He asked a member of the public for directions to Terminal 2 but later hurled vulgarities at the same person and threw his mobile phone on the floor. The man sought help from police officers who engaged the Australian.

Darragh later became aggressive and shouted vulgarities at police officers, who decided to arrest him. During the exchange, Darragh put on his earphones, danced about and taunted the officers. He later hit one of the officer on the face. Six officers were needed to subdue Darragh.

Justice See Kee Oon, who heard the appeal, agreed with the prosecution that Darraghs action was reasonably likely to trigger public unease and that the standoff was prolonged.

Noting that the offences occurred on the spur of the moment and that the injuries were not serious, Justice See said that the departure hall area was spacious and fairly uncrowded at the point of time.

The video footage clearly shows the egregiousness of [Darraghs] conduct, he had obviously acted deliberately and with persistence, intent on obstructing and intimidating police officers. His taunts and verbal abuse demonstrates complete contempt and disregard of authority, said Justice See.

Darraghs intoxicated state was an aggravating factor rather than a mitigating factor, said Justice See, adding that there is a need to preserve the reputation and authority of the police.

Police officers are the most visible among law enforcement officers. they are called upon to deal with all manner of risky, unpredictable and potentially dangerous situations, he said.

The courts must firmly uphold their authority each time it is undermined. When offences of such a nature are committed against police officers, there is a strong public interest in ensuring a strong deterrent message is sent.

For using criminal force to prevent a public servant from discharging his duty, Darragh could have been jailed up to four years and/or fined. For voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant, he could have been jailed up to seven years and/or fined and/or caned.
German carmakers are showing off their self-driving cars at the IAA international auto show in Frankfurt, but most people in the car-mad country have yet to be convinced by the technology. Curious visitors to the biennial trade fair, which lasts until September 24, can entrust their lives to a computer on a specially created car at a test track overlooked by Daimler and Volkswagen's giant stands. An expert is behind the wheel, if not grasping it firmly, to demonstrate how a car studded with sensors and cameras can perform an emergency stop, react to a sudden lane change or park itself -- even while hauling a horse trailer. "This is crazy!" one passenger laughed as their vehicle raced towards an obstacle at 50 kilometres per hour (30 mph) before braking sharply without the driver touching the controls. Rival carmakers and parts suppliers -- Daimler, Volkswagen, Audi, Bosch, Continental and ZF -- came together for the scheme, part of a broader push for acceptance as high-tech US firms like Google and Tesla appear to be streaking ahead. At present, just 26 percent of Germans say they would ride in an autonomous car, while even fewer -- 18 percent -- would own one, a recent survey from consultancy firm Ernst & Young found. - OK Computer? - "The braking was great fun," Lena Dickeduisberg, a student, said after stepping out of the demonstration car, her hair slightly tousled from the ride. Beyond the thrill of the test track, cars will need to perform such manoeuvres reliably in all kinds of situations if carmakers are ever to attain the highest level of autonomy, known as "level five" -- meaning a car that can do without a driver altogether. "It will take time, but it's the future," Dickeduisberg smiled confidently. "I believe in the technology." "What a dream it would be, a car that takes me from A to B while I read the paper or my clients' documents. But maybe I'm just saying that because of my age," said salesman Randolf Mayer, 61. The two are far from typical among the German public, long wedded to the idea that driving should be pleasurable. Volkswagen adverts in the 1990s introduced the United States to its self-minted German portmanteau "Fahrvergnuegen" -- or "driving enjoyment". "Driving isn't just functional, it's got to be enjoyable," said Georg Pfennig, an Austrian attendee. Automation "makes sense for young people or for the elderly who might have trouble with some manoeuvres", he grudgingly allowed. Self-driving cars "could drive as a convoy on motorways where everything is automated, but not to go shopping in town", judged Lars Heider, an engineering student. "Unless everyone is using one, but then you have to be able to afford a self-driving car," he added. - Money machine - The auto industry is all too aware of the cost of automation, which remains "very high", said Patrick Koller, chief executive of parts supplier Faurecia. Joint investments in research and development have become the rule in the field, such as the German carmaker BMW's alliance with US-based chipmaker Intel, Israeli smart-camera firm Mobileye and Italian-American FiatChrysler. Elsewhere, the Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler has joined forces with the parts supplier Bosch, while Volkswagen is drawing on its luxury subsidiary Audi. And Audi, BMW and Daimler pooled their cash to buy Here, a company specialising in the hyper-detailed maps that are vital for autonomous driving. But ordinary drivers must be convinced that autonomous driving is safe before their reticence can be overcome, according to the Centre of Automotive Management (CAM), a research institute near Cologne in western Germany. Self-driving cars "will save lives", Rolf Bulander, the head of Bosch's mobility division, told AFP, adding that he believed "people will get used" to the increasing power and adaptability of driving-assistance systems. Enormous sums are at stake for companies like Bosch, which expects revenue from such systems to double by 2019, reaching 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion).
By Jeff Mason and John Irish UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - France made a new plea on Monday for the United States to preserve the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and suggested its provisions expiring after a decade could be strengthened, as U.S. President Donald Trump again criticized the agreement as "deeply flawed." The pact between Tehran and six world powers, which calls for Iran to curb its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions, is under threat as Trump must decide by Oct. 15 whether to certify Iran is keeping its end of the bargain. If Trump, who as recently as Thursday accused Iran of violating "the spirit" of the deal, chooses not to certify, the pact could unravel, possibly triggering a regional arms race. The Republican president, who has called the agreement struck under his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, "the worst deal ever negotiated," made no secret of his views during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. "The president believes that the JCPOA is deeply flawed, and he did share his views with President Macron about how he believes the deal is flawed," Brian Hook, director of policy planning at the U.S. State Department, told reporters. The pact is formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. "The president was very candid with him about what he thinks are the shortcomings. ... He told him that it is under review and that they are taking a hard look at the Oct. 15th decision and more broadly how to fix the Iran deal," Hook said. Hook said the two also discussed an integrated strategy against Iran that would take into account what he described as Iran's support for terrorism, its ballistic missile program, its destabilisation in the Middle East and other aggressions. Asked if he planned to stick with the pact, Trump earlier told reporters as he began a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday: "Youll be seeing very soon."Israeli officials have said changes Israel wants in the JCPOA include lengthening the 10-year freeze on Iran's nuclear development program or even making that suspension permanent and destroying centrifuges rather than just halting their operation. The deal was negotiated with Iran by the United States, Russia, China, Britain, Germany and France. The six will meet with Iran at the ministerial level on Wednesday. The prospect of Washington reneging on the agreement has worried some of the U.S. allies that helped negotiate it, especially as the world grapples with another nuclear crisis, North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile development. "It is essential to maintain it to avoid proliferation. In this period when we see the risks with North Korea, we must maintain this line," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters. "France will try to convince President Trump of the pertinence of this choice (keeping the accord), even if work can be done to complement the accord after 2025," he said. If Trump does not certify that Iran is complying with the agreement, the U.S. Congress will have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions waived under the deal. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Sunday that Tehran would react strongly to any "wrong move" by Washington on the nuclear deal. DIVIDING WORLD POWERS Paris took one of the hardest lines against Tehran in the negotiations, but has been quick to restore trade ties and Macron has said repeatedly there is no alternative to the deal. French officials say Iran is respecting the JCPOA and that, were the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to say otherwise, a mechanism exists to reimpose sanctions. The IAEA is the body ensuring the accord is carried out, but the United States and Iran quarrelled over how Tehran's nuclear activities should be policed at an IAEA meeting on Monday after a U.S. call last month for wider inspections. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson argued on Friday that Washington must consider the full threat it says Iran poses to the Middle East when crafting its new policy toward Tehran. A senior French diplomat underlined that the nuclear deal was achieved in large part because it was not linked to all the other grievances the United States may have had with Iran. With Europeans not on the same page as the Trump administration, Iranian officials say they have an opportunity to divide the P5+1 group that negotiated the deal with Iran. A senior Iranian diplomat and a former nuclear negotiator said he believed the Europeans had no intention of following Trump's overtly aggressive Iran policy. "They are wise. Look at the region. Crisis everywhere. From Iraq to Lebanon. Iran is a reliable regional partner for Europe, not only a trade partner but a political one as well," the diplomat said. "European powers have been committed to the deal. The IAEA has repeatedly confirmed Irans commitment to the deal. Trumps insistence on his hostile policy towards Iran will further deepen the gap among the P5+1 countries," the diplomat said. (Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Ankara and Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; Writing by John Irish and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney)
Standing behind her stall at a Dubai exhibition centre, Dai Dong He offered passersby what looked like carefully wrapped biscuits or chocolates. "This is dry beef, beef snacks," said Dai, general manager of Anhui Central Asia Food Co., one of eight Chinese firms from Anhui Province displaying products at Halal Expo Dubai 2017. Dubai is hosting the show for the ninth year running, with the Gulf emirate positioning itself as a major hub for the halal industry, a booming $3 trillion market for goods and services that are permissible under Islamic law. In recent years Chinese firms have increasingly looked to tap the market, with organisers of the two-day show, which was set to close on Tuesday, saying the Chinese halal sector is forecast to hit $1.9 trillion by 2021, an average growth rate of nine percent from its 2015 level. Exhibitors from China said one of the keys to gaining a foothold in the market was winning the trust of consumers. "We make sure our food is halal," Dai told AFP, noting that the company buys meat from Chinese Muslims to ensure slaughtering is done according to Islamic tradition. Nicholas Hsiu, a manager with ARA Halal Development Service Center, said the show was an opportunity to promote the company's exports. "We want to export to Muslim countries... We hope to introduce our products and export to the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East," he told AFP. The company manufactures various types of halal noodles and has obtained certificates from recognised Islamic accreditation bodies in Hong Kong and elsewhere, Hsiu said. Seventy-five exhibitors from 15 countries, including Malaysia, the global leader in halal exports, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Switzerland and others took part in the show. - Global halal hub - The industry encompasses food, beverages, fashion, cosmetics, tourism, and the $2 trillion Islamic financial industry. For food products the key is ensuring no traces of pork or alcohol, which are strictly banned by Islamic teachings. Exhibitors from Malaysia displayed a wide-range of cosmetics, beauty care products and agricultural seeds that one firm claimed "are better than Viagra". Mountain honey processed to conform with Islamic requirements was displayed by one Pakistani firm, while exhibitors from Kazakhstan presented various types of chocolates. Standing at a stall packed with natural cosmetics, Nur Syarifatun Nadzirah, the managing director of Gaveno Green Resources in Malaysia, said the company ensured its products comply with halal rules. "We make sure that all the ingredients are halal... We have certification" from well-established Malaysian bodies, she told AFP. Dubai, which unlike its oil-rich Gulf neighbours has a highly diversified economy, has been vying to become the global hub for the halal industry. The United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a component, imports about $20 billion in halal products every year, part of the some $50 billion imported annually by the six Gulf Cooperation Council states. As well as holding conferences and exhibits, Dubai is establishing standardisation bodies like the Emirates International Accreditation Centre. The centre is one of several international organisations that set guidelines and issue certificates for products that conform to Islamic rules. The initiative is part of efforts "for Dubai to become the capital of the Islamic economy," Amina Ahmed Mohammed, the centre's CEO, told AFP. The emirate is also looking to overcome one of the main challenges facing the industry -- different and sometimes conflicting standards and requirements depending on interpretations of religious texts. "The UAE has launched an international forum for the accreditation of halal organisations... in a bid to unify procedures around the world," Mohammed said.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York to discuss the Middle East peace process in their first public talks, his office said on Tuesday. Sisi emphasised the importance of "resuming negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides to reach a comprehensive solution," the statement said. The two leaders discussed "ways to resume the peace process and establish a Palestinian state," the statement said. Peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians have been at a standstill since US-backed talks collapsed in the spring of 2014. US President Donald Trump, who visited Israel and the occupied West Bank in May, has said he believes he can mediate a final peace agreement that has eluded his predecessors. Trump too met Netanyahu in New York on Monday ahead of the UN General Assembly and again expressed his hopes for a peaceful settlement. Netanyahu was the first leader to have a one-on-one with Trump as the US president prepares to deliver his maiden speech to the annual get-together on Tuesday. Sisi is reported to have been involved in secret talks with the Israeli premier in the past. The Egyptian president joined Netanyahu for talks with then US secretary of state John Kerry hosted by King Abdullah II in the Jordanian city of Aqaba in February 2016, a former US official confirmed to AFP earlier this year.
CALEDONIA  An investigation into a report of a reckless driver has resulted in a Mount Pleasant man receiving his fifth drunk driving charge.

Jody J. Wyskochil, 44, of the 1700 Durand Avenue, was charged Monday in Racine County Circuit Court with felony operating while intoxicated, fifth or sixth offense.

According to criminal complaint:

At 7:56 p.m. Friday, a Caledonia officer was dispatched to the 3900 block of Highway 31 on a report of a reckless driver. At the intersection of Six Mile Road and Highway 32, the officer saw a pickup truck matching the description of the vehicle.

The officer saw the pickup truck take a wide turn onto Highway 31, weave within its own lane, completely cross the yellow center line, drive extremely close to the vehicle in front of it and veer off the roadway onto into the gravel shoulder with both passenger's side tires off the road.

The officer pulled the vehicle over and spoke with the operator, identified as Wyskochil, who the officer said allegedly smelled of intoxicants. Wyskochil underwent impairment testing and reportedly was unsteady on his feet. A search of the vehicle turned up a can of Mike's Hard Lemonade.

Wyskochil was then transported to the hospital for an evidentiary blood draw.

A Sept. 27 preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Wyskochil at the Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave. He remained in custody at the County Jail as of Monday night, according to online records.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu publicly for the first time in New York to discuss Middle East peace after US President Donald Trump said he would push for resuming stalled negotiations. Monday's meeting, which follows mediation in Cairo between Palestinian arch-rivals Fatah and Hamas, reflects Egypt's will to return to the forefront of the Middle East diplomatic scene. The two met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been at a standstill since 2014, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement Tuesday. Sisi emphasised the importance of "resuming negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides to reach a comprehensive solution," the presidency said. The two leaders discussed "ways to resume the peace process and establish a Palestinian state," it said. Trump also met Netanyahu on Monday, and repeated that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal was "possible", saying his administration would do its utmost to push it. Sisi has been involved in secret talks with the Israeli premier in the past. The Egyptian president joined Netanyahu for talks with then US secretary of state John Kerry hosted by King Abdullah II in the Jordanian city of Aqaba in February 2016, a former US official confirmed to AFP earlier this year. Monday's meeting followed a rare phone conversation earlier in the day between Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of Fatah and Hamas chief Ismail Haniya following Egyptian-mediated reconciliation talks. Abbas's internationally recognised Palestinian Authority is located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but it has had no control in Gaza for a decade -- after the Islamist movement Hamas seized the territory in a near civil war in 2007. After Haniya met Egyptian officials in Cairo last week, Hamas announced it agreed to demands by Fatah to dissolve what is seen as a rival administration in Gaza, while saying it was ready for elections and negotiations to form a unity government. - Egyptian mediation - The developments signalled a shift in Egypt's approach to the Islamist Palestinian group following years of tensions with Cairo accusing Hamas of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood group. The Brotherhood was designated a terrorist organisation after Sisi, the former army chief, led the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Egypt's mediation also comes as relations improve between Sisi and the United States after Trump's arrival at the White House in January. Trump's predecessor Barack Obama had temporarily frozen military aid to Egypt following a deadly crackdown on Morsi's supporters. Trump's aides -- led by his Middle East envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior international negotiations aide Jason Greenblatt -- have been shuttling between leaders from the two sides in recent months. Palestinian leaders had been put off by Trump's administration after the president suggested he was not committed to a two-state deal. "It would be utterly ridiculous if Mr Trump doesn't eventually say that," Nabil Shaath, a senior Abbas adviser, told journalists in Ramallah on Monday when asked about the two-state solution. Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi welcomed Netanyahu's meeting with Sisi. "We hope that the next meetings will take on a routine character," Hanegbi, a close friend of Netanyahu, said on Israeli military radio. Trump visited Israel and the occupied West Bank in May.
Germany's bone-hard stance on Europe's response to dealing with Greece's debt mountain has hardly endeared it to a nation labouring under the effects of austerity that multiple bailouts have engendered. Yet, while Germany's role in trying to force Athens back onto the financial straight and narrow has sparked resentment -- with Berlin cast in the villain's role for demanding fiscal rectitude -- most Greeks appear unfazed at Angela Merkel's expected re-election next week. Headed seemingly inexorably towards a fourth term, Merkel was present at the creation of all three of Greece's bailout packages and is an old hand when it comes to the economic turmoil battering Athens while her priorities on economy and migration are well known. Even so, some Greek observers worry a new coalition, potentially including liberals who oppose a European Monetary Fund to make emergency loans and who have suggested it might be best for Greece to leave the eurozone, could throw up fresh concerns for Athens. After initially butting heads with leftist Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in his first formative months in power in 2015, Merkel, the dour chancellor known as "Mutti" (mummy) has built a rapport of sorts with the young ex-student rebel. To the consternation of German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, Tsipras has often appealed to Merkel directly when talks on Greece's tough reforms stall. "(He) insists on calling Merkel all the time," Schaeuble said in June. Athens is grateful to Merkel for helping to craft the EU-Turkey agreement that has kept Greece from being overwhelmed with thousands of additional refugees and migrants, after a huge influx in 2015. She personally reached out to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to craft the pact, and stood out among European leaders by offering to take in thousands of refugees. - It's not personal - But Dimitris Papadimoulis, Greece's European Parliament vice-president, notes "it's not a question of (personal) chemistry". "The Greek government seeks to change the economic mix and promote fair growth, whereas the German leadership, as we have known under Merkel, aims to maintain a 'German' Europe," the veteran politician, a senior member of Tsipras' Syriza party, told AFP. Tackling migration "takes a collective response, it's not just about Germany," Papadimoulis said. "The problem remains the lack of solidarity to entry states such as Greece and Italy, the non-implementation of the relocation programme in full, and problematic behaviour by states such as Poland and Hungary." For informed observers in Athens, the makeup of the next German government is key to its future stance on Greece. Merkel's conservative CDU/CSU bloc holds a solid poll lead, but looks set to miss an absolute majority that would allow it to rule alone. - Worried about the FDP - "I am concerned about the election," a senior Greek government source said this week. "If a CDU-FDP coalition emerges, it will not be the best thing for Greece," he said. The last time Merkel was in a coalition with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), its then leader Philipp Roesler -- economy minister at the time -- was a notorious hawk on Greece and its troubled reform efforts. Roesler made headlines in 2012 after asserting that for him personally, the idea of a Greek eurozone exit "lost its horror a long time ago". Current FDP leader Christian Lindner maintains a tougher stance than Merkel on migration and has called for Greece to temporarily leave the euro. "Germany's approach on the Greek economy is not going to change...(it) has grown tired of the Greek issue," Yiorgos Tzogopoulos, a researcher at the Eliamep foreign policy think tank, told news portal in.gr. One area where Germany may back down is in giving European authorities extra powers to manage future bailouts -- one of which Greece may well need when its current rescue programme expires in August 2018. In April, Schaeuble said future aid programmes for eurozone countries should be under EU auspices. This is consistent with Tsipras' desire to keep out the International Monetary Fund, seen in Athens as the instigator of the toughest reforms demanded by its international creditors over the past eight years. However, the emerging concord between Merkel and new French President Emmanuel Macron on promoting a multi-speed EU could be a "trap" for Greece, Tzogopoulos said. "Greece may well become a laggard in various sectors of a new European (reality)," he said. A shift in German policy towards Greece might not even be in the latter's favour, says 36-year-old software programmer Stamatis Rapanakis. "Greeks like fairy tales. A (Social Democratic) administration would tempt Greek politicians to seek a new round of talks. And this would delay reforms," he said.
On a barren patch of land outside Mongolia's capital, a former herder guards a half-finished pedestal and abandoned golden Buddha's head -- testament to the money problems keeping Buddhism from flourishing in the country. When 68-year-old Tsegmid Lunduv, a longtime nomad, was hired to patrol the spot in 2013, the project seemed full of promise: a proposed sprawling complex of meditation centres and spiritual retreats, tucked into the rolling steppes outside Ulan Bator and under the spiritual guidance of the Dalai Lama. But two years ago, construction was suspended pending additional funding, leaving two partially built legs, the unattached head and a hand with fingers curled into the gesture for teaching and understanding. Only Lunduv, his wife, grandson and their yellow puppy were standing sentry on a recent visit to the holy site-to-be. "Once the project comes to fruition, all of Mongolia's troubles will go away," said Lunduv, a portly man with a tattered white tunic and a gap-toothed smile. He added: "It will usher in a new era." One of the project's main financial backers, the Genco group, is owned by new Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga, who took office in July and must now navigate the country out of its maze of debt with a $5.5 billion International Monetary Fund-led bailout. Buddhism has returned to prominence after being quashed over years of Soviet control, with over half of the population now identifying as Buddhist, according to official figures. But the debt-laden country's money troubles have severely limited the infrastructure needed for the religion to fully flourish, with monasteries lacking proper residential facilities for monks. - Sacred vodka - Buddhist traditions in Mongolia predate the rule of Genghis Khan, who established close ties with a Tibetan Buddhist school. Khan's grandson, Kublai Khan, even commissioned his spiritual guru to create an easier form of the Tibetan script to be used in the territories under his command. Even under Tibetan Buddhism's heavy influence, however, Mongolians gave the religion their own cultural touch: inspired by shamanistic invocations using vodka, Mongolian Buddhists consider the Russian liquor sacred just as wine is to Christians. And because the Mongolian Empire suffered from a population shortage, the Dalai Lama at the time permitted Mongolian monks to marry and have children -- though mistresses remained strictly forbidden. The biggest challenge to Mongolian Buddhism came during the country's years as a Soviet satellite state, from 1924 to the early 1990s, when the Arts Council of Mongolia estimates that more than 1,250 monasteries and temples were demolished and countless religious artifacts lost. Monks, if they were not killed, were forced to marry. "After 60 years of oppression, (Mongolia's) monkhood was pretty much destroyed," said Glen Mullin, an expert on Tibetan Buddhism. Only one monastery, Ulan Bator's Gandan monastery, was permitted to stay open during that period to support the Soviets' claims of religious tolerance. In 1996, in a newly democratic Mongolia, 18-year-old Batchunuun Munkhbaatar left his countryside home in central Tuv province to join the monastery in the capital. Gandan was home to just 25 monks then, but Munkhbaatar stayed and immersed himself in the Buddhist practice. Now 800 monks belong to the monastery, the country's largest. "During the (Soviet era), the party controlled the faith of the people, but they couldn't control their inner devotion," Munkhbaatar said, recalling that his grandfather "didn't quit his chanting or prayers, even during the communist time". "He would do all these things behind locked doors. If someone approached the house, the dog would bark and he'd put away his scriptures and images of Buddha." - 'A Buddhist country' - The revival of Buddhism has been a sticky issue for the Mongolian government, which pledged not to extend any more invitations to the Dalai Lama after his visit to Ulan Bator last November angered China, its neighbour and biggest trade partner. There are now 3,500 monks across the country, said Munkhbaatar, who handles Gandan's foreign relations. Mullin expects these numbers to swell as the first wave of young Mongolian Buddhists return from studying in India and Tibet. Back in their homeland, they will face a tough financial reality. "Most Mongolian monasteries do not offer the proper conditions for monks to actually live in them," said Vesna Wallace, a religious studies scholar at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "Monasteries receive funding only when they are building something, not for their day-to-day operations. They rely on donations, so many monks are quite poor and have had to marry because they can't live off their own income." At the site of the Grand Maitreya project, Lunduv has faith the money will come. The project's official Facebook page said in March that the first building phase would be completed by the end of this summer if $25,000 in donations was raised. Every morning, Lunduv pours a freshly brewed cup of tea out onto the field around the construction area as a prayer to the gods. "It will be finished," Lunduv says. "The government will support us because our country is a Buddhist country." "Our history is tied to our religion."
Critics of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte have adopted the three-finger salute from the hit "Hunger Games" films as a sign of resistance against his rule and drug war killings. The sign is in contrast to Duterte's own iconic gesture, a clenched fist raised at or above eye level that is immensely popular with his support but which opponents have likened to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's hand salute. Opposition lawmakers and other members of a new anti-Duterte coalition performed the Hunger Games salute in unison on Monday while announcing protests on Thursday against what they said was his "path filled with violence, contempt for law and hate". "Yes, we adopted the three-finger salute to signify resistance, same as that of the Hunger Games trilogy," House of Representatives member Gary Alejano told AFP. "It resonates with many young people," said Emman Hizon, chief of staff of opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros, another of those who made the three-finger salute. Used by the lead character Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games series, the salute is portrayed as a symbol of resistance in a dystopian future where youths are forced to engage in annual fight-to-the-death combat. The gesture has since been adopted by pro-democracy protesters in military junta-ruled Thailand. Thai protesters have been arrested for flashing the salute. A pro-Duterte blogger known as "Thinking Pinoy" ridiculed the opposition's Hunger Games salute, writing in a Facebook post they were like "girl scouts". Hand signs are powerful political symbols in the Philippines, a riotous democracy with a bloodstained history of military dictatorship. A generation ago, activists used the "L" hand sign to show opposition to the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, toppled in a bloodless "People Power" revolution in 1986. Supporters of Marcos, who was accused of massive corruption and of killing, jailing and torturing dissidents during a 20-year rule, had countered with his "V for victory" sign. Apart from anger over the drug war, in which police have reported killing more than 3,800 suspects, critics also allege Duterte is imposing a form authoritarian rule that could lead to another dictatorship. They point to his support of the Marcos family, as well as efforts by his allies in Congress to impeach the Supreme Court chief justice and defund the Commission on Human Rights. Duterte has repeatedly warned he may impose martial law, saying military rule could solve many of the nation's problems.
The powerful head of Poland's governing right-wing party denounced anti-Semitism and hailed Israel at a ceremony Monday honouring Poles who rescued Jews during the Holocaust. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, widely regarded as Poland's de facto decision-maker, made the comment after the European Jewish Congress (EJC) voiced "grave concerns" over an increase in anti-Semitic acts under the government of Kaczynski's Law and Justice (PiS) party. Condemning anti-Semitism as being "very dangerous", Kaczynski called Israel "a great state". "We see the proof somewhere above us where there is a supreme force, a divine force, which decides everything and without it, Israel could not exist, it is a kind of miracle of our time," added Kaczynski, a devout Catholic. EJC President Moshe Kantor warned in late August that "there has been a distinct normalisation of anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia in Poland recently" and called on the PiS government to "stem this hate" and act forcefully against it. The group cited a proliferation of "fascist slogans" and unsettling remarks on social media and television, as well as the display of flags of the nationalist ONR group at state ceremonies. The EJC added that it had been around a year since a senior Polish minister met with leaders of the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland, which represents the fewer than 10,000 people who belong to Jewish organisations in the country of 38 million people. Kaczynski met with some members of Poland's small Jewish community at Monday's awards ceremony, but several Jewish organisations in Poland insisted they did not represent the entire community. Organising the ceremony, the From the Depths group, which seeks out Poles who risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazis, said its new "Zabinski Prize" is meant to honour those who "were not recognized as Righteous among the nations of the world" by Israel's Yad Vashem Institute. The award bears the name of the war-time director of the Warsaw Zoo, who together with his wife Antonina hid nearly 300 Jews and resistance fighters from the Nazis at the zoo. British Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski, who was among the first recipients, evoked the memory of his great-uncle Jan, his wife and daughter, shot by the Germans who discovered Jews hidden on their farm. Nuns from the Franciscan Order of the Family of Mary also received the prize for saving some 750 Jews, both children and adults, hidden in their convents. Poland was once home to Europe's largest Jewish population, numbering around three million people, or 10 percent of the Polish population in 1939. But only about 300,000 survived World War II after Nazi Germany occupied Poland and set up the death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau on its territory.
By Yara Bayoumy and Jeff Mason UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Tuesday renewed a call for "unconditional dialogue" to end a political crisis pitting Qatar against four Arab states while U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected the dispute to be resolved quickly. Speaking from the podium of the 193-member United Nations General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim renewed the call "for an unconditional dialogue based on mutual respect for sovereignty". Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar on June 5, suspending air and shipping routes with the worlds biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, which is home to the regions biggest U.S. military base. The nations say Doha supports regional foe Iran and Islamists, charges Qatars leaders deny. Kuwait has been trying to mediate the dispute and the United States has taken an increasingly robust role in trying to bring an end to the crisis, but as yet to no avail. Trump and Sheikh Tamim later held a meeting in which the emir was careful to emphasise the strong Qatar-U.S. relationship after Trump appeared to be more sympathetic to the Saudi position at the start of the crisis. Qatar hosts Al Udeid air base, the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East. "As you said, Mr. President, we have a problem with our neighbours," Tamim said, adding that with Trump's intervention, "hopefully we can find a solution for this problem." Trump, who has said he would be willing to mediate the worst dispute in decades among the U.S.-allied Arab states and Qatar, said he had a "very strong feeling" the dispute would be solved "pretty quickly". In a speech severely criticising the four Arab states' conduct during the dispute, the emir said the countries were inflicting damage on the "war on terror". "The countries who imposed the blockade on the State of Qatar interfere in the internal affairs of many countries, and accuse all those who oppose them domestically and abroad with terrorism. By doing that they are inflicting damage on the war on terror," Sheikh Tamim said in his speech to the annual gathering of world leaders. "We have refused to yield to dictations by pressure and siege." Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia suspended any dialogue with Qatar, accusing it of distorting facts, just after a report of a phone call between the leaders of both countries suggested a breakthrough in the Gulf dispute. Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by the telephone with Qatars Emir in the first publicly reported contact between the two leaders since the start of the crisis. (Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Spanish police carried out searches on Tuesday across Girona, a fiefdom of Catalonia's pro-separatist president Carles Puigdemont, as part of probe into suspected graft at a local water company, police said. The operation comes amid mounting tensions as Catalan leaders press ahead with preparations for an independence referendum on October 1 despite Madrid's ban and a court ruling that deems it illegal. Spain's Guardia Civil police force said it was carrying out searches at 15 places in Girona, a city some 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Barcelona where Puigdemont served as mayor between 2011 and 2016. The searches are part of a probe into "suspected illegal activities which could involve the crimes of fraud and breach of trust regarding the awarding of a water supply contract," police said in a statement. The operations centres on the activities of Girona water supply company Salt i Sarria, it added. The probe concerns the activities of the water company when Puigdemont was mayor of Girona, according to conservative daily newspaper La Razon which splashed the investigation on its front page. Meanwhile police were also searching for referendum material at private courier company in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat near Barcelona, a police spokesman said. Prosecutors have demanded that police seize all materials which could be used to stage the referendum such as ballots, ballot boxes and posters and fliers promoting the vote. They have also opened a criminal probe into the over 700 Catalan mayors who have offered to help stage the referendum. About 40 mayors have been formally summoned to be questioned as part of this investigation, three of them on Tuesday. Polls show Catalonia's roughly 7.5 million residents are deeply divided on independence. A survey commissioned by the regional government in July showed 49.4 percent of Catalans were against independence while 41.1 percent were in favour.
Sri Lanka's ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka Tuesday said he had been denied a visa to attend the UN general assembly because of unresolved war crime allegations against the military. The war-time general, who is now minister of regional development, said he was due to travel to New York this week, but he was the only one in the Sri Lankan delegation not issued a visa. Fonseka said he could not accompany President Maithripala Sirisena who left Colombo on Sunday to address the United Nations General Assembly. "I was not given a visa because of the war crimes allegations against the military," Fonseka told reporters. "That is why I say they must be investigated." He said the excesses by a "few" during the final stages of the island's Tamil separatist war should not tarnish the image of the Sri Lankan armed forces. The military crushed separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 following a no-holds-barred offensive that also triggered allegations against the forces of killing at least 40,000 Tamil civilians. The government at the time insisted that no civilians were killed by its troops and faced international censure over its dismal human rights record. Fonseka, who led the military, has maintained that he did not order troops to target civilians, but has acknowledged that there may have been excesses that should be investigated. The new government, which came to power in January 2015, promised investigations but those are yet to begin. Earlier this month Fonseka accused his successor Jagath Jayasuriya of committing crimes against Tamil rebel suspects during and after the island's ethnic war and said he was ready to testify against the former military commander. A human rights group filed two complaints in Colombia and Brazil against Jayasuriya, who was Sri Lanka's ambassador to several South American countries until recently. The group alleged that Jayasuriya oversaw torture camps and was responsible for hundreds of disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the final stages of the conflict when he was a senior officer. The UN has estimated that at least 100,000 people were killed between 1972 and 2009. Tiger rebels have been accused of using human shields and killing civilians in their guerrilla war for a separate homeland for the minority ethnic Tamil community in the Sinhala-majority nation.
Iraq's supreme court Monday ordered the suspension of a September 25 referendum on the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan, as legal and political pressure mounted on the Kurds to call off the vote. With just a week left before polling, the court said it "has issued the order to suspend organising the referendum set for September 25... until it examines the complaints it has received over this plebiscite being unconstitutional". Court spokesman Ayas al-Samouk told AFP it had "received several complaints", as a parliamentary source said at least eight lawmakers had called on the court to intervene on constitutional grounds. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said it had also filed a complaint against the referendum in the oil-rich autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on constitutional grounds. There was no immediate reaction from Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani, who called the referendum and has so far resisted pressure from Baghdad and Iraq's neighbours Turkey and Iran, as well as from the United States and its Western allies, all of which oppose the poll. A Kurdish delegation is expected on Tuesday for talks in Baghdad, while Abadi has left for New York to attend the UN General Assembly. Britain's Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said he would try to persuade Barzani at a meeting later Monday in the Kurdish capital of Arbil. "I will be this afternoon in Arbil to tell Massud Barzani that we do not support the Kurdish referendum," he said at a press conference in Baghdad. "We are committed to the integrity of Iraq. We are working with the UN on alternatives to this referendum," he said before leaving for the northern city. The United States and other Western nations are backing a UN-supported "alternative" plan for immediate negotiations on future relations in exchange for dropping the referendum. Washington argues that the vote will weaken Arab-Kurdish joint military operations that have helped to send Islamic State jihadists into retreat in both Iraq and war-torn Syria. Israel is alone in openly supporting Kurdish independence. - Referendum as leverage - Barzani has said a "yes" vote would not trigger an immediate declaration of independence, but rather kick-start "serious discussions" with Baghdad. He has mustered huge popular support for the vote, with the streets of Arbil festooned with red, white and green Kurdish flags and large crowds holding nightly rallies. The non-Arab Kurds -- more than 25 million people spread across Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syria -- have long sought a state of their own. According to analysts, Barzani is using the referendum as leverage in his Kurdish Regional Government's (KRG) long-standing disputes with the federal authorities in Baghdad over territory and oil exports. The KRG has already expanded the territory it effectively controls and its peshmerga security forces have seized areas outside its borders from IS. Oil-rich Kirkuk province, disputed by Baghdad and Arbil, has voted to take part in the referendum in defiance of the federal authorities. The government responded by sacking Kirkuk's Kurdish governor, who has refused to leave his post. Rumours are rife that rival communities are stockpiling arms. Turkey, concerned that the referendum might stir separatist dreams among its own Kurds, has threatened Arbil with "a price" to pay if the vote goes ahead. Turkey launched a military drill featuring tanks close to the Iraqi border on Monday, its army said. The KRG's economy is heavily dependent on oil exports via a pipeline running through Turkey to the Mediterranean. Iran, with a sizeable Kurdish minority of its own, warned Sunday that Iraqi Kurdish independence would mean an end to all border and security arrangements with the KRG.
Togo's ruling presidential party on Monday urged supporters to take to the streets to coincide with planned opposition demonstrations against the slow pace of political reform. Georges Kwawu Aidam, the first vice-president of the Union for the Republic (UNIR) told AFP there would be marches on Wednesday and Thursday in support of a controversial constitutional reform bill which the opposition see as not going far enough. A parliamentary panel last Friday approved the bill to revamp the constitution and introduce a presidential term limit after days of protests against the regime of Faure Gnassingbe, the scion of one of Africa's oldest political dynasties. But the panel rejected wholesale 48 amendments proposed by opposition parties. Aidam said the ruling party march would "say 'no' to violence" and hold counter rallies as the opposition steps up its demands, notably to apply a limit on the number of presidential terms retroactively, preventing Gnassingbe from running again in 2020. He has been president since 2005 following the death of his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who had ruled since 1967. Opposition parties have long called for the introduction of two-term limits and a change to the two-round voting system. The West African state's 1992 constitution has been modified a number of times, including by Eyadema, who enjoyed the military's support and who in 2002 scrapped mandate limits. Jean-Pierre Fabre, the historic leader of the opposition, reiterated his rally appeal on Monday, sending an audio message to the Togolese people via the Whatsapp messaging service. "My dear compatriots... we invite you once again to mobilise to take part in great numbers in the demonstrations that the democratic forces contemplate," said Fabre, president of the National Alliance for Change (NAC). "We will not have rest until Mr. Faure Gnassingbe has left power as you ask him," he added. On September 6 and 7, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Lome, Togo's capital, and in other cities to demand constitutional change. The demonstrators brandished signs and chanted slogans to demand Gnassingbe go. At the weekend, Togo's bishops slammed "the violence exercised by the forces of law and order" and urged political parties not to organise simultaneous rallies. The ruling party had initially decided earlier this month to organise marches on the same day as the opposition, forcing the latter to change its dates. Aidam insists the ruling party will "defend its values" and that the opposition has no monopoly on the street.
YORKVILLE  An unpaid parking ticket led Racine County authorities to stop a vehicle Friday on Interstate 94 that was reportedly hauling drugs, paraphernalia, stolen guns and ammunition and to the subsequent arrests of a Sheboygan County man and a Kenosha woman.

Daniel R. Clark, 33, of Plymouth, was charged Monday in Racine County Circuit Court with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia; felony possession of THC as a party to a crime; four felony counts of possession of a firearm by a felon; four felony counts of concealing a stolen firearm as a party to a crime; and felony bail jumping.

Alexandria B. Ellsworth, 29, of the 4000 block of 39th Avenue, Kenosha, was charged on Monday with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and felony possession of THC, both as a party to a crime; four counts of felony possession of a firearm by a felon; and four felony counts of concealing a stolen firearm as a party to a crime.

According to the criminal complaint:

At 10:42 a.m. Friday, a deputy pulled over a silver 2003 Saturn traveling south on Interstate 94. According to Wisconsin DOT records, the vehicles registration reportedly was suspended for an unpaid parking ticket.

The driver, identified as Clark, said he was driving to Kenosha to drop off his passenger, identified as Ellsworth. Neither Clark nor Ellsworth had valid drivers licenses and the vehicle had no auto insurance.

A sheriffs K-9 then checked the vehicle. A search turned up two small aluminum cookers with an off-white residue that officers knew from experience to be used by a person who cooks heroin to be injected.

A revolver, several long-barrel firearms, an assault rifle and .22-caliber ammunition, 12 grams of marijuana, two blue tourniquets deputies recognized as being used by a person who injects controlled substances, and a stamper with the imprint of Registration Fee Trust were also found in the vehicle.

Racine County authorities contacted the Sheboygan County Sheriffs Office to inquire about recent burglaries involving the theft of firearms. A Plymouth Police officer responded to the inquiry and said their department was taking a burglary report at the time of the I-94 stop.

At 4:12 p.m. Friday, Plymouth Police called the Racine County investigator and provided a description of the firearms that were reported as stolen in the burglary, which allegedly were an exact match to those seized during the traffic stop.

Both Clark and Ellsworth remained in custody as of Monday afternoon, online records show. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 27 at the Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Russia, said on Tuesday there was "no question" Moscow meddled in the 2016 U.S. election, and pledged to bring up the matter with the Russian government. "There is no question, underline no question, that the Russian government interfered in the U.S. election last year, Huntsman, a former ambassador to China, said at his Senate confirmation hearing. "Moscow continues to meddle in the democratic processes of our friends and allies," he said, taking a tough line welcomed by several members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Many members of Congress, including several of Trump's fellow Republicans, are concerned the president will not take a hard enough line in dealings with Russia to combat Russian expansionism in eastern Europe or its support for Syria's government in that country's civil war. Despite Trump's objections, lawmakers in late July passed a tough package of sanctions on Russia that included barring him from easing them without congressional approval. Huntsman said he thought any action on sanctions should be tied to whether Russia ends its aggression in Ukraine. Russia has denied interfering in the election, but U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that it did so to boost Trump's chances of being elected have shadowed his presidency. Congressional committees and a special counsel are investigating whether Trump associates colluded with Russia. The White House has denied any collusion and Russia has denied any involvement. Huntsman said he would raise the issue with Russian authorities. "I will also not hesitate to remind government officials that they are accountable for their actions. Exhibit A is the fact that interference in the U.S. election has led directly to the current low level of trust in the relationship," he said. He also said he would try to work with Moscow in areas where the two countries have common interests, such as international efforts to curb North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development. Huntsman, 57, served as ambassador to Beijing under President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and to Singapore under former Republican President George H.W. Bush. The committee will likely vote to support Huntsman in the coming weeks, paving the way for what is expected to be an easy confirmation by the full Senate. Senator Chris Coons, a Democratic committee member, called Huntsman "one of the very highest quality nominees for an ambassadorial post I have seen." (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Steve Orlofsky)
ANKARA (Reuters) - A Turkish minister appeared to confirm for the first time that two Turkish intelligence officers have been captured in northern Iraq, saying the government was not in direct talks with the Kurdish militant PKK group to bring them back. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was asked in an interview with Al-Monitor whether the head of Turkish intelligence Hakan Fidan would travel to Erbil for talks about two senior Turkish intelligence officers. Al-Monitor said the officers had been taken to a PKK base in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq. "Of course our institutions have been working to bring back all our citizens that the PKK kidnapped, but our country doesn't - we didn't have any direct contact with the PKK to bring those two persons mentioned back." It was the first official Turkish comment on the issue, following media reports in August that militants in northern Iraq had captured two high-level intelligence officials. A Foreign Ministry spokesman was not immediately available to comment. Cemil Bayik, one of the leaders of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was quoted in regional media saying the two officers had been sent to Iraq to assassinate him. The outlawed PKK has been waging an insurgency in Turkey's southeast, bordering Iraq and Syria, for more than 30 years. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned Tuesday that the United States would forfeit the trust of the international community if it abandons a nuclear accord with Tehran. "If the United States were not to adhere to the commitments and trample upon this agreement, this will mean it will carry with it the subsequent lack of trust of countries," Rouhani, in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, told NBC. "After such a possible scenario, which country would be willing to sit across a table from the United States of America and talk about international issues? "The greatest capital that any country has is trust and credibility." In his address to the UN on Tuesday, Trump strongly hinted that his administration was ready to abandon the agreement by calling it an "embarrassment" to the United States. Were Trump to abandon the seven-nation deal which was agreed in 2015, Rouhani said Iran could resume its previous nuclear activities which it has always insisted was solely to meet its energy needs. "Certainly what I mean is a return to peaceful activities only," he said. "Clearly, unequivocally, we were members of the (nuclear) non-proliferation treaty. We were signatories to it, we did not and do not intend to leave it. "We are also adhering to additional protocols, so we will never go towards production of nuclear weapons. "Just as in the past we never intended going towards that path nor did we ever -- it has always been peaceful." Trump, who has previously called the agreement "the worst deal ever negotiated," has to certify in mid-October whether he believes Iran is abiding by the agreement. He gave his strongest hint to date in Tuesday's address that he would quit the accord by telling his fellow leaders that the "deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it".
No Comply Network  Fastlands, Birmingham Event

Jason Caines and The no Comply Network are back with another event scheduled for October 14th at the iconic Birmingham street spot Fastlands

All the info relating to the Beyond Skateboarding Fastlands Jam can be found on the flyer below, along with some video hype in the form of a Fastlands Remix edit containing heaps of classic footage filmed there over the years and another Instagram Remix edit featuring Birminghams most productive human AKA Kris Vile.

Get over to the No Comply Network site for more information on the event and the many other things that the No Comply Network are involved in currently.






Washington, D.C. based pizza shop &pizza is running a promotion to generate buzz for its newest Manhattan location opening up.

If you get a tattoo of an ampersand (the & symbol), youll receive free pizza for an entire year.

It all started when &pizza decided to begin paying for its employees (or as they prefer to be called  tribesmen) to get tattoos.

Many employees decided to take advantage of the policy by inking themselves with the &pizza logo itself.

CEO Michael Lastoria is a self described rebel and enjoys going against the societal grain.

Lastoria calls &pizza an anti-establishment kind of establishment. A non chain, chain. And since tattoos often symbolize nonconformity, he promotes it.

He said:

Were not doing this because we want [employees] to swear their allegiance to us like were some insane dictatorWere doing it because we listen to our people. They love the symbol, they love the look of it and they love what it stands for.

Because the only thing worse than getting a tattoo that pledges your allegiance to a capitalistic business mogul is swearing your allegiance to some insane dictator.

Here he is trying to raise the minimum wage, which doesnt sound socialistic at all:

Lastoria himself does not have the & tattoo  but hes probably just not ready to commit to it yet.

The employee tattoo policy became such a hit that &pizza has extended it to its most loyal customers, too.

When they open their latest shop in Manhattan on October 3, the first 23 people in line can get a free & tattoo, along with a free year of pizza. And if the past &pizza tattoo promos tell us anything, the ink is gonna be wild.

The ink-for-free-pizza promo began in Baltimore, where the first five people in line received free & tattoos. One guy apparently got an & that took up his entire bicep. Thats dedication.

So if you dont want to pay for your pizza or your tattoo, and you do want to fight corporate power and capitalistic advertising hop on over to &pizza on October 3. Next month Im hoping for a Michael Kors tattoo. I could really use a new handbag.

Republished by permission. Original here.
The castle in the Ukrainian town of Uzhgorod can evoke double nostalgia in Slovakia, as well in Czech lands

Font size: A - | A +

The Zakarpattia Oblast (region) where the town of Uzhgorod with its castle lies belonged to then-Czechoslovakia in the years 1918  1945. Immediately after the end of the World War I, Slovak painter Janko Alexy, then wandering as a young men around the country, drew some of his typical picturesque artworks from this area into his sketch-book.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Nostalgic memories can be connected, though, also with the Great Moravian era. A nobleman called Laborec lived in the fortified settlement which preceded the current castle. The Slavonic aristocrat is said to have been a vassal of Great Morava  which could fill Slovaks, who in the past tended to find themselves as vassals, with a certain feeling of importance.

Laborec ruled at the fortified settlement until 897 when his army was defeated by nomadic tribes of ancient Hungarians. The count drowned fleeing the battlefield in a nearby river which allegedly got its name from him: Laborec. It is hard to establish, however, whether things were not quite the other way round  whether he was not named after the river. After Laborecs defeat, Uzhgorod fell into the hands of the oldest Hungarian royal family, the Arpads, for two and a half centuries.

Of course, the castle changed hands several times after that. Its great fame and at the same time great fall came in 1711. Uzhgorod became the centre of anti-Habsburg rebels and for some time it may have felt important and independent. However, this time was very brief, as castles which defied the Habsburgs often ended in flames or as permanent garrisons of the Hungarian army. Ultimately, Uzhgorod was occupied by Austrians.

From 1775 until 1945, the Greek-Catholic seminary resided in the castle.

Uzhgorod lies close to the eastern Slovak border and as it is still an attractive town worth visiting.
NY Times reports on the achievements of Spissky Hrhov where the mayor decided to improve the integration of Roma.

President Andrej Kiska (r) and Spissky Hrhov Mayor Vladimir Ledecky during the former's visit to the village in 2015. (Source: TASR)

Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled

The village of Spissky Hrhov is showing signs of surprising prosperity, unlike the other parts of eastern Slovakia. In the municipality, where about 350 of its 1,800 residents are Roma, there are solid and well-tended houses, running water and electricity, as well as a former distillery turned into an art space, the New York Times daily reported.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Twenty years ago, this village nearly disappeared, Vladimir Ledecky, who has been the villages mayor for 18 years, told the daily.

As he explained, at the time there were 700 residents, half of them Roma.

The problem for Slovak villages is that when the population becomes half Roma, the other half tends to move out, Ledecky added for the New York Times.

He then decided to change the situation and improve the integration of Roma with the community.

The plan bears fruits

When he and a few young residents took over the village council in 1998, the Roma lived in shacks without electricity, almost unemployed and one-fifth of the children attending so-called special schools that taught them little and segregated them.

There was nothing to do if people had no jobs, the mayor told the New York Times. So, the only thing to do was to set up a village company, the only aim of which was to provide Roma with jobs. We didnt want to any profit.

The first product from the village company was pavement tiles for sidewalks. Then the village started its own construction company for local infrastructure projects and to help local residents with home projects. Later, a shop selling local cheese and sausage opened on the highway at the edge of town. Herbal teas and apples were grown, dried and sold. An old lumber mill was leased out with the condition that the village gets all the sawdust, which it turns into biofuel pellets, the daily reports.

Now, unemployment among the Roma is down to 20 percent, no children being sent to separate schools and three Roma residents in college, the New York Times reported.

Some of the village mayors are trying to do good, Abel Ravasz, governments proxy for Roma community, told the daily. Spissky Hrhov is the poster boy of this group.

Locals confirmed the improvement. 27-year-old Petronela Kacova, who lives in one of the Roma neighbourhoods newest apartment blocks with her husband and two young children, told the daily that until she got this new home, the family had to share one room in her mother-in-laws house. Now, relations are cordial between Roma and non-Roma residents, unlike in other nearby villages.

The children know each other in school, so they play together, she told New York Times. And we sometimes sit together, Slovaks and Roma, when we are at the pub together.

Moreover, residents from nearby cities and villages began to move into Spissky Hrhov, drawn by its growing reputation and land prices kept low to encourage newcomers.

Even foreign buyers are showing up. A man from London built a vacation villa. A Dutch family moved to the village. Land discounts were no longer required, the New York Times reported.

Similar approach is unique

From about the 5 million people living in Slovakia, 150,000 are officially Roma citizens. The real number, however, may be as high as 450,000, according to Ravasz.

There are 1,100 officially recognised Roma communities in Slovakia, most of them in the central and eastern parts of the country, which are more rural and impoverished.

Of those, only about 10 or 20 have mayors like Ledecky, Ravasz told the New York Times.

In Hrhov, the Roma start their lives in a brick house, with running water, Ravasz told the daily. They go to kindergarten. As they grow up, they see their parents working.

Many Roma elsewhere have few, if any, of those advantages.

They are born into segregated communities, far from civilization, Ravasz continued. They are the fifth of eight children, living in a shanty with no running water. Their parents dont work. They are sent to special classes almost automatically.

The contrast to Spissky Hrhovs success can be seen in the nearby village of Roskovce, an illegal settlement of about 500 Roma spread along a narrow ravine.

Two outdoor water pumps serve all of Roskovces residents. Homes are collapsing, half-finished, with gaping holes for windows and crumbling roofs. Ledecky, who is building a new school for the settlement, has hired a few of its residents, but many more are eager to join the villages work force.

This has really changed our community, Ledecky told the New York Times. The majority no longer have any problem with the Roma from our village. At the same time, they do not feel the same about Roma from other villages. I cant understand why this racism persists.
President Andrej Kiska addressed UN commenting poverty, instability and climate change.

Font size: A - | A +

Dear Mr. President,

Mr. Secretary-General.

Excellences, Distinguished delegates.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a great pleasure to be here with you today.

Allow me to extend my congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the Presidency. And to wish you well in your endeavors during the entire session. I am convinced that under your leadership the General Assembly will swiftly and successfully advance its work.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Every single minute while I speak here 12 children die of hunger and more than one hundred are born to extreme poverty. Dozens die on preventable diseases. People die on this planet on diseases that we have been able to cure for decades. And it is responsibility of the people in this room to do everything in our powers to help them.

Challenges we face often don't require difficult strategies or unprecedented amounts of money. They need just our dedication and true leadership, on both sides. For those who can help  to give up on ignorance and selfishness. And for those who receive the help  to put the people at the first place.

So, Mr. President, I want to commend you for choosing such a sound focus for this year's General Assembly session  focus on our people, on striving for peace and decent life for all in sustainable conditions. Indeed, there is no bigger responsibility of us  political leaders  than to take care of this planet and to serve its people. Building safe, healthy, prosperous and just societies for every individual is not a mere ambition. It's our duty. Its the reason why our people trust us with the power to act on their behalf, to make use of limited resources our societies generate.

Ladies and Gentlemen, our devotion to common principles, our virtue to keep promises, our ability to deliver results are the three most vital particles of any respectable public service. And there is no stronger enemy to the effort to make a real difference in this world than egoism, ignorance and narrow-minded national or personal interests.

It's the respect for the principles of peace and security that is essential to the life in dignity for all our people. These principles have been at the very core of this organization since its constitution. The first and the most important responsibility of us, the leaders, the members of the United Nations, is to stick to these principles and values, to enforce them and to punish those who violate them.

And yet far too many are dying in senseless conflicts or suffering in displacement resulting from the violence. The enormous human tragedies, material damage of armed conflicts and the refugee crisis depletes the much-needed resources for social and economic development. This bloody reality of our times is a painful reminder of our ignorance and egoism.

Read also:

Read also: Corruption is also a problem of our mentality Read more

Every year, after this gathering, we all return back to our homes. But there are over 60 million people who have no such place. People, who had to leave everything behind to save their lives and run away from poverty or horrors of war. These people don't ask for much. They just want to have a place to live, to raise children, to prosper with the loved ones. We need to make these people feel home again.

The way we treat our own people is as important to international security and peace as the way we treat each other. Recent findings about the use of chemical weapons by the Asad regime in Syria against its own citizens have to alarm all of us as much as the atrocities in Raqqa, in Mosul and many other places in the world. All such horrors demonstrate how little respect is being paid to human lives  to the very principle of humanity, especially when power games are played. Our resolve to act when the UN principles are at stake are often the last hope for those who desperately wait for our help trapped in the middle of the deadly violence, in the ruins of what they used to call their homes.

We are witnesses of short-sighted interests built on spreading instability, undermining collective efforts to secure peace and security. The very core of the UN Charter for securing peaceful coexistence among nations is crippled in the name of the selfish pursue, egoism of the so-called spheres of influence. Which is a fancy phrase too often misused only to cover violations of international order and to justify disrespect for sovereignty. It's a dangerous game of tragic outcomes and unintended consequences. We in Europe can see it too. Ukraine, Georgia or Moldova, they all know the price of peace. They are all well aware of the pains of their sovereignty being undermined by an aggressive neighbor. Neighbor who thinks the rules does not apply to him.

So we shall not be surprised when things often go out of control and cause enormous and irreparable damage  to people, to countries and to this planet. Today we face one of the worst threats to international peace and security in recent history. North Korea openly threatens our world with nuclear weapons. Such a grave disrespect to human life cannot be tolerated. I strongly call on the North Korean regime to terminate its development of weapons of mass destruction and to return on the path of dialogue and building peace in the Korean Peninsula.

We need a collective resolve in the very spirit of the Charter of the United Nations. This organization must be firm in its principles and stand for what it has been created for. Some of us have a special responsibility to do so on a regional or international level. There is no room for geopolitical games or economic gains at the expense of our common security. It's millions of human lives that are at stake.

We live the most prosperous times in the history of the humankind. We have all the tools and enough resources to help every human being on this planet to live a life in dignity, free from fear or hunger.

But there is one challenge which will test all the limits of our ability to lead, to act together, to adapt, to reinvent our societies and the way we live our lives. We are beginning to see and feel the sinister consequences of our actions on the environment. Be it once-in-a-hundred years' floods repeating with high frequency, hurricanes that struck harder than before, or devastating droughts forcing people to abandon their homes. These disasters are not warnings of the future climate change. These powerful natural events are features of the new environment we live in.

Last year's adoption of the Paris Agreement was an unprecedented demonstration of collective will to address challenges arising from the climate change our societies have to face. It may be remembered as a unique effort of the present generation of humankind to mitigate the consequences of our impact on the environment. It may become our ultimate legacy, a chance for our children to adapt and to live happily and safely again in the changed environment.

Our devotion to common principles, our virtue to keep promises and our ability to deliver results in this case is far more crucial than ever. No money, no short-term economic interests could possibly compensate the irreparable damage if we fail to act together and change our irresponsible behavior. The price of such planetary ignorance will be much higher than any we have ever paid.

Read also:

Read also: 10 things President Kiska thinks about Slovakia Read more

Slovakia understands the urgency for collective action. We pushed for the swift ratification of the Paris Agreement under our European Union Presidency last year. I confirm that we will implement all necessary national measures to fulfill our obligations. Because The Paris Climate Agreement must be implemented in full.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This organization has served us well for decades. It has faced tough challenges. It excelled in some, it may have failed in others. But it has been the best we have had, with countless successes and with a well-deserved global authority.

There are many pressing issues in today's world that had not been foreseen when the United Nations was created. Who would have imagined that one of the most important topics on the UN agenda would be the climate change? And yet we demonstrate we can somehow tackle such challenges. But it would be naive to think that just by applying the same old procedures we can achieve new results and address every new and unforeseen troubles. We need, as every organization, to adapt. I strongly believe we are capable of such adaptation. But let me underline strongly that while we strive for reform to be more efficient, the very core of the UN must be respected without exception.

To succeed, it will require all of us to be responsible leaders, giving up on national egoism and ignorance  to stand true to the principles of the United Nations Charter, to be honest with each other by keeping the promises we give and to deliver results, in words and in deeds. Because there is no more noble task for us than to serve our people for them to live in peace, in dignity and in prosperity.

Thank you.
Behind the decline in alcohol consumption is, for example, the abandoning of the habit of drinking at work  typical especially during communism, according to an expert.

Font size: A - | A +

In Slovakia, the consumption of pure alcohol consumed in alcoholic drinks declined since the Velvet Revolution of 1989, which toppled communism, in almost two litres per capita for one year.

This stems from a year-on-year comparison of the Slovak Statistics Office (SU SR). Its data have been published in a document of the Public Health Authority (UVZ) named The Update of the National Action Plan for Problems with Alcohol for the Years 2013 to 2020. The document is now being commented on and adjusted by other ministries in an official procedure.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

The document implies that Slovak inhabitants drink mostly beer, followed by wine, while pure spirits are drunk the least. Moreover, the consumption of hard liquor has a somewhat decreasing trend.

More than eight litres per capita

In 2015, the consumption of pure alcohol per capita in the entire population amounted to 8.7 litres. One year after the Velvet Revolution, i.e. in 1990, this was as much as 10.4 litres.

In the age category of those over 15 years of age, consumption was 10.2 litres. With adults, it was as much as 10.7 litres in 2015. In both groups, however, consumption has declined since 1990.

More men than women drink alcohol. During the past year, more than three percent of Slovak citizens have consumed alcohol every day, the European Health Survey 2014 finds.

Much more, 11 percent of Slovaks practice binge drinking, at least once a week. This means they drink six or more glasses of alcoholic drinks in one evening. Most often, men aged between 45 and 54 drink in this way.

Alcoholics are represented in approximately the same share of the population as binge drinking: 11 percent.

The decline in alcohol consumption in Slovakia for 1990 - 2015 Age group: 0 to 85+: from 10.4 to 8.7 litres of pure alcohol 15+: from 13.9 to 10.2 18+: from 14.9 to 10.7 Source: SU SR, data are in litres of pure alcohol per capita for one year.

Slovakia does not differ from the central European region in alcohol consumption. The latest comparison stems from the study of the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2014. The document comparing alcohol consumption in every country takes the average for the years 2008 to 2010 as the basis for alcohol consumption. It takes the 15+ age group into account.

In this comparison and period, Slovaks and Czech consumed the same amount of pure alcohol  13 litres a year. Hungarians consumed three-tenths of a litre more than Slovaks. On the contrary, Poles, Germans and Austrians had lesser consumption than the inhabitants of the former Czechoslovakia. All centralEuropean countries were beaten by Russians and their more than 15 litres, though.

The difference between the WHO and the Slovak Statistic Office data can be ascribed to different methodology, according to experts. However, the data of the international health authority also implies that alcohol consumption in Slovakia has been declining year-on-year.

Expert: we dont drink at work as much as in the past

There are several reasons why the consumption of pure alcohol has been declining around the country.

One of them, according to head doctor Ivan Novotny of the Bratislava-Petrzalka SanatoryAT, which specialises in treating addiction, is the different attitude of people in regards to drinking alcohol during working hours. In the past, people tended to drink much more at work, he says.

Alcohol consumption is also going down, he opined, due o the low average salary of most people. If they have alcohol under control, they dont drink so much, since they cant afford it, the doctor says.

Another positive factor is that alcoholics are seeking medical help much faster, Novotny explains. During communism it took sometimes as long as 22 years, while currently it is about two years. With the shortening of this period, alcohol consumption is reduced as well, he adds. A considerable reason for the decrease in consumption is the fact that some people have switched alcohol for new drugs, the head doctor concludes.

The consumption of pure alcohol Slovakia - 13 Poland  12.5 Hungary  13.3 Germany  11.8 The Czech Republic - 13 Austria  10.3 Russia  15.1 Source: WHO  2014 Global status report on alcohol and health Note: This is the average alcohol consumption per capita in the 15+ age group for 2008 - 2010

The main expert of the Health Ministry for medicine of addictions, Lubomir Okruhlica, sees mainly demographic reasons behind the decline in alcohol consumption.

The first of them is that after 1989 many young people  traditionally the greatest alcohol consumers  have left Slovakia. They consume it more because they can afford it, due to their young age and good health, the expert explains. The overall ageing of the population has had an impact on the declining alcohol consumption, since older people do not drink as much as younger ones.

Sme
The attackers often try to obtain information necessary for online transactions.

Font size: A - | A +

Fake competitions on the social network Facebook abuse peoples trust. The victims may lose money after giving their personal details, the number of their payment card and all the data necessary for online transactions to their administrators, warned anti-virus software producer Eset.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Several Facebook pages promise that people can win luxurious cars, mobile phones or washing machines.

All they need to do to participate in these facebook competitions is to like the page and share or comment on the post, so they end up sharing the fake among their Facebook friends, explained Lukas Stefanko, malware analyst at Eset, as quoted in a press release.

These fake competitions have more than 39,000 likes. The statistics suggest that one user shared such a fake post every two minutes on Facebook.

The main principle of these fake competitions is that everybody is a winner. The participants are contacted by a fake administrator of the competition via a message that asks them about personal details and information about a payment card, referring to the verification of the users identity.

Internet users should realise once and for all that not everything on the internet is real, Stefanko said. If it is also too good to be true, it is most probably a deception.

Internet users may help potential victims by reporting the pages such as Win it, Winning day or Rossa Fashion to administrators. One of the websites was also mentioned by the Slovak police on its official Facebook profile. All of the pages are linked to the Modernevyhry.sk website which Eset labels as dangerous.

Moreover, they reported the page to the Facebook security team, with which they communicate the incidents. Eset hopes the pages will soon be erased.

The company also warns of a new wave of RayBan swindle spread via Facebook in the Slovak version. The aim is to share fake pages that gather information about users payment cards. The pages are promoted via photos depicting the sale of Ray-Ban sunglasses. The attackers however are abusing the name of a well-known brand. Neither the company nor its distributors offer any discount that is as high as 90 percent, Eset explained.

The attackers or malware then put several pictures of fake pages into users photo albums, accompanied by a hyperlink to the sites. They also tag the users friends.

The visits to these websites are not harmful, but the problem appears when the users want to pay for the discounted goods that they may not even receive. Eset warns that the attackers may receive the information necessary for online transactions from the payment card which they obtain from the fake websites. Their servers are usually situated in China, in unencrypted versions, according to Eset.
MOUNT PLEASANT  A Racine woman is accused of breaking into the home of a visually and mobility impaired man Saturday afternoon and damaging property and stealing items.

Jeanette A. Rule, 40, of the 1500 block of Thurston Avenue, was charged Monday with felony counts of burglary of a building or dwelling and criminal damage to property.

According to the criminal complaint:

At about 12:44 p.m. Saturday, Mount Pleasant police responded to the 9000 block of Hollyhock Lane for a suspicious circumstances investigation. After hearing glass breaking and banging, the occupant, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, stayed in his room and called the police.

An officer examined the home and reportedly observed a smashed cabinet and destroyed photographs and other items. Running water was heard in the basement and the officer discovered a plastic water pipe was broken and was spraying water. There was also reportedly 1 to 2 inches of water in the basement and severe water damage.

A neighbor had allegedly observed a woman, later identified as Rule, sitting in a silver sedan at the property. Rule later returned to the damaged residence and was taken into custody.

Rule reportedly admitted entering the residence through the back door and destroying the property, including the water pipe. She also allegedly stole Christmas presents from the basement to give to a family member.

The complainant stated that Rule believed someone else lived at the residence, which is why she damaged the home to get back at that person. Police estimated damage to exceed $2,500.

Rule remained in custody as of Monday afternoon, online records showed. She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 4. at the county Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.
The plan would require several changes for the Danube and the Vah .

Font size: A - | A +

Slovakia could have its own national carrier that would transport goods by ships. This is one of the plans of the Slovak National Party (SNS) which has already introduced the idea of creating a national airline.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

The Partys State Secretary for Transport, Peter Durcek confirmed to the Dennik N daily that they have already started working on the project. The national carrier may be introduced in 2020.

The specific promise to establish a national carrier on water is expected to appear among the priorities prepared by the coalition parties after the recent crisis. The carrier is mentioned only generally in the governments programme statement.

Not even Durcek wants to reveal more details. According to Dennik N, the carrier would transport cargo, and not people. Moreover, the state is expected to keep 100-percent ownership. It will purchase or rent the ships.

In common with the airline, we want to secure the procurement and preparation of a study in 2018, Durcek said, as quoted by Dennik N, adding they have asked for 30,000 to be allocated from the state budget for this purpose.

The party does not know for now how much the whole project will cost. The investment will depend on the solution chosen by the study.

Both for the Danube and Vah

The governments programme statement mentions the modernisation and development of the ports on the Danube and the improvement of its navigability.

These measures may also help prepare the conditions for creating a carrier on the water, Durcek said, as quoted by Dennik N.

The project, however, may be even bigger. The carrier may be closely linked to a project regarding the navigability of the Vah River for big river ships from the Danube mouth to Hlohovec. The project has been recently reopened at the Transport Ministry and its employees are working on a new feasibility study that is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Next year, an extended analysis will be prepared, suggesting what should be done to make the Vah navigable and how much it would cost, Dennik N wrote.

Read also:

Read also: Water transport awaits discovery in Slovakia Read more

The Vahs navigability for big river cargo ships has several conditions. One of them is the construction of two water works in Kolarovo and Sered-Hlohovec and the reconstruction of another one in Selice.

Also, the riverbed will have to be changed as it is shallow in some places. The Vah is currently navigable only for small ships on the section from Komarno to Hlohovec. Moreover, an end port is proposed at Hlohovec.

Since such projects are financially demanding, the Transport Ministry expects to obtain money from the EU funds.

Benefits for Babis?

At the moment, there is one big company on the route between Komarno and Hlohovec that transports its products by water: the chemical company, Duslo Sala, owned by the Agrofert Group of Andrej Babis.

Duslo produces about 1 million tonnes of mineral fertilizers and other chemical products a year. It transports some 200,000 tonnes by trains to the Bratislava port where they are then transferred to cargo ships.

Head of Duslo, Petr Blaha, says that the company has answered several questions about using water transport for consultants that addressed them in the name of the Economy and Transport Ministries.

He admitted that if the proposed transport method could be made more effective and cheaper than current tariffs, they would certainly be interested, Dennik N wrote.